Chinese MOOCs share China's digital education achievements worldwide

17:19, April 30, 2024 By Wu Dan ( People's Daily

The spring semester of the Peking University Global Open Courses has kicked off as scheduled. Students from China, Azerbaijan, Japan, Turkiye and other countries gathered in virtual classes at Peking University, waving hello to each other via video link.

Allowing students from different countries to share the same class is exactly the attractiveness of China's massive open online courses, also known as MOOCs.

Photo shows the high-level massive open online courses (MOOCs) donated by China Academy of Art to Indonesia's national MOOCs platform. The courses include Chinese calligraphy and the history of Chinese landscape painting. (Photo from China Academy of Art)

XuetangX and iCourse, renowned MOOCs platforms in China, offer over 1,000 online courses in 14 languages for university students and learners worldwide. They have created over 340 global hybrid classrooms and are working towards mutual credit recognition among prestigious universities.

Starting from 2013, China's MOOCs platforms have launched over 76,800 courses and attracted 454 million registered users. Serving nearly 1.28 billion learners in China and extending their reach internationally, they have not only empowered Chinese students but also contributed Chinese wisdom and solutions to global higher education.

By increasing their global outreach, these platforms disseminate knowledge and, more importantly, showcase China's educational philosophy and promote the diversified development of cultures around the world.

For instance, Tsinghua University launched a global open course named "China's Approach to Poverty Eradication," providing a panoramic picture of China's endeavor on poverty reduction and its contributions to the world. China Academy of Art introduced MOOCs such as "Chinese Painting: The History and Comparison of Chinese Figure Painting " to highlight eastern aesthetics in the exchanges and mutual learning of world civilizations. Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine launched a MOOC on acupuncture in both Chinese and English, which was picked by XuetangX for promotion in Indonesia.

The rich and diverse online courses offer a window into understanding China. Through this window, more and more people can appreciate the profound heritage of Chinese culture and gain a more authentic, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive understanding of the real China.

Professor Huang Yiping gives an online class on Chinese economy on the campus of Peking University. The class is joined by 70 students from 27 universities on five continents. (Photo from the public account of ClassIn on WeChat)

With a global outlook, Chinese MOOCs are sharing China's digital education achievements and promoting exchanges and cooperation among institutes of higher education worldwide.

For example, Southwest Jiaotong University developed MOOCs related to the Belt and Road Initiative, which have trained more than 5,000 rail transit professionals from over 80 countries and benefited over 200 universities and more than 100,000 online learners home and abroad.

Southern University of Science and Technology helped bring smart classrooms to 13 Asian and African countries such as Cambodia and Kenya, providing local students with access to cutting-edge educational concepts and knowledge.

By sharing high-quality MOOCs, promoting teaching collaborations, and deepening international exchanges, China has transitioned from a major importer of educational resources to a major exporter of quality course resources, contributing to the development of a more open, inclusive, and shared educational environment.

At the 2024 World Digital Education Conference, the World Digital Education Alliance was established, joined by 104 institutions from 41 countries and regions. Besides, China's national smart education platform has introduced its international version, providing round-the-clock services for learners worldwide. Education shapes the future, and MOOCs are opening up more possibilities in education.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun)
China's opening up creates abundant new opportunities for world

13:26, May 01, 2024 By Luo Shanshan ( People's Daily

Recently, an Australian named Jack was pleasantly surprised when he attempted to link his Visa card to WeChat Pay and Alipay, two of the most frequently used Chinese mobile payment platforms, during a visit to his wife's family in China.

The whole process was incredibly smooth, he said, adding that it took him less than a minute to complete, without the need to verify information with his passport.

In the past, Jack often relied on his wife to pay when visiting China. But this time, thanks to the streamlined process for foreigners to link overseas bank cards to mobile payment apps, he could go out and make purchases independently with just his smartphone.

From expanding visa-on-arrival, e-visas, and visa-free travel policies to enhancing the convenience of electronic payments, China has implemented a series of measures in recent years to make it easier for foreigners to work, study, and travel in the country.

An electric racing car is exhibited at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, April 25, 2024. (Photo by Du Jianpo/People's Daily Online)

These efforts have provided a better experience for visitors like Jack, showcasing China's caring attitude in the country's opening-up and boosting the appeal of the Chinese market.

China's steps toward greater openness have been steady and robust. Since the beginning of this year, China has rolled out multiple pragmatic policies in areas of concern to foreign investors, opening new doors of opportunities.

On March 22, the Cyberspace Administration of China released a set of regulations on promoting and standardizing cross-border flows of data to ensure the lawful and orderly free flow of data.

On April 10, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced pilot programs in four regions to further open up the value-added telecom sectors.

Vigorously promoting institutional opening-up, aligning with high-level international economic and trade rules, and actively fostering a world-class, market-oriented business environment governed by a sound legal framework are the focal points of China's push for higher-level opening up.

A business development and communication activity is held by Standard Chartered Securities in Beijing in March, 2024. (Photo from Standard Chartered Securities)

Recently, China's State Council issued an action plan to steadily promote high-level opening up and make greater efforts to attract and utilize foreign investment, mandating equal treatment for eligible products manufactured by domestic and foreign-invested enterprises in government procurement activities.

China's Ministry of Commerce also released a negative list for cross-border services trade, for the first time establishing a nationwide negative list management system for cross-border trade in services. It emphasized that services and their providers in sectors not included on the list will be treated equally, whether at home or abroad.

Further deepening reforms and speeding up the building of a unified national market that is efficient, standardized, open and allows fair competition will provide fertile ground for the development of all market entities, including foreign-invested enterprises.

The opportunities presented by China's high-level opening up are widely acknowledged by foreign investors. In the recently released 2024 Global Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index by the renowned management consulting firm Kearney, China's ranking rose from 7th last year to 3rd, topping the list for emerging markets.

Various foreign business associations and institutions in China have expressed optimism about the country's economic prospects, with most foreign-invested enterprises still viewing China as an important investment destination.

Construction of a China-Saudi Arabia ethylene project is commenced in Zhangzhou, southeast China's Fujian province. (Photo from Fujian Daily)

Investing in China means investing in the future, and more foreign companies are continuing to increase their investments in the country.

In Beijing, the wholly foreign-owned securities firm Standard Chartered Securities has officially commenced operation. Biopharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk announced an additional investment of around 4 billion yuan (about $552 million) to expand its sterile preparations production in Tianjin. In Zhangzhou, southeast China's Fujian province, the construction of a China-Saudi Arabia ethylene project with a total investment of around 44.8 billion yuan has kicked off.

In the first quarter of this year, the number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises in China reached 12,000, an increase of 20.7 percent, with actual utilization of foreign capital amounting to 301.67 billion yuan, remaining at a historically high level. An ever-opening China continues to be a prime investment destination for foreign businesses.

China will never cease its steps of reform and opening up. As the world's second-largest economy, China has established, after years of development, sound and solid fundamentals and cultivated an open-minded approach to sharing opportunities with the world through its opening up. An increasingly open and developing China will undoubtedly create new and greater opportunities for global development.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
Police at the University of Arizona deployed "chemical irritant munitions" to clear pro-Palestinian protesters early Wednesday morning.

Campus police had ordered the crowd to disperse immediately from what they deemed an "unlawful assembly."

When they refused the police advanced in the area of University Blvd & Park Ave. shortly after midnight.

Videos posted on X showed violence as a line of officers attempted to push the protesters back.

At 2 a.m. the school announced: "University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins has directed University officials and the University of Arizona Police Department, to immediately enforce campus use policies and all corresponding laws without further warning.

The police immediately deployed the chemical irritant at the protesters.

They issued an "all clear" less than a half hour later. They did not announce any arrests in connection with the violence.

Violence broke out at protests across the country late Tuesday and early Wednesday.

On UCLA, dueling groups of protesters clashed late on Wednesday. Protesters got into fights and some used sticks to attack each other.

They happened at a tent encampment built by pro-Palestinian protesters. They had built plywood around their protest site. Pro-Israeli counter-protesters tried to pull the barricades down and that's when the confrontations started.

In New York on Tuesday evening, the NYPD raided Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus to disperse anti-Israeli protesters who had taken over the building about 12 hours earlier.
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NASA's Curiosity rover continues to search for signs that Mars' Gale Crater conditions could support microbial life. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

A research team using the ChemCam instrument onboard NASA's Curiosity rover discovered higher-than-usual amounts of manganese in lakebed rocks within Gale Crater on Mars, which indicates that the sediments were formed in a river, delta, or near the shoreline of an ancient lake. The results were published today in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

"It is difficult for manganese oxide to form on the surface of Mars, so we didn't expect to find it in such high concentrations in a shoreline deposit," said Patrick Gasda, of Los Alamos National Laboratory's Space Science and Applications group and lead author on the study.

"On Earth, these types of deposits happen all the time because of the high oxygen in our atmosphere produced by photosynthetic life, and from microbes that help catalyze those manganese oxidation reactions.

"On Mars, we don't have evidence for life, and the mechanism to produce oxygen in Mars's ancient atmosphere is unclear, so how the manganese oxide was formed and concentrated here is really puzzling. These findings point to larger processes occurring in the Martian atmosphere or surface water and shows that more work needs to be done to understand oxidation on Mars," Gasda added.

ChemCam, which was developed at Los Alamos and CNES (the French space agency), uses a laser to form a plasma on the surface of a rock, and collects that light in order to quantify elemental composition in rocks.

The sedimentary rocks explored by the rover are a mix of sands, silts, and muds. The sandy rocks are more porous, and groundwater can more easily pass through sands compared to the muds that make up most of the lakebed rocks in the Gale Crater.

The research team looked at how manganese could have been enriched in these sandsfor example, by percolation of groundwater through the sands on the shore of a lake or mouth of a deltaand what oxidant could be responsible for the precipitation of manganese in the rocks.

On Earth, manganese becomes enriched because of oxygen in the atmosphere, and this process is often sped up by the presence of microbes. Microbes on Earth can use the many oxidation states of manganese as energy for metabolism; if life was present on ancient Mars, the increased amounts of manganese in these rocks along the lake shore would have been a helpful energy source for life.

"The Gale lake environment, as revealed by these ancient rocks, gives us a window into a habitable environment that looks surprisingly similar to places on Earth today," said Nina Lanza, principal investigator for the ChemCam instrument. "Manganese minerals are common in the shallow, oxic waters found on lake shores on Earth, and it's remarkable to find such recognizable features on ancient Mars."

More information: P. J. Gasda et al, ManganeseRich Sandstones as an Indicator of Ancient Oxic Lake Water Conditions in Gale Crater, Mars, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2023JE007923 Journal information: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
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Cargo ships wait in Panama Bay before moving through the Panama Canal in Panama City, Sept. 23, 2023. The climate phenomenon known as El Nino  and not climate change  was a key factor driving low rainfall that disrupted shipping at the Panama Canal, scientists said Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco, File

The climate phenomenon known as El Ninoand not climate changewas a key driver in low rainfall that disrupted shipping at the Panama Canal last year, scientists said Wednesday.

A team of international scientists found that El Ninoa natural warming of the central Pacific that changes weather worldwidedoubled the likelihood of the low precipitation Panama received during last year's rainy season. That dryness reduced water levels at the reservoir that feeds freshwater to the Panama Canal and provides drinking water for more than half of the Central American country.

Human-caused climate change was not a primary driver of the Central American country's unusually dry monsoon season, the World Weather Attribution group concluded, after comparing the rainfall levels to climate models for a simulated world without current warming.

The study has not been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal yet but follows scientifically accepted techniques, and past such studies have frequently been published months later.

"Natural variability plays a critical role in driving many extremes," said Kim Cobb, a climate scientist at Brown University, who was not involved in the study. "This is an important reminder that climate change isn't always the answer."

A cargo ship sails toward the Pacific Ocean after moving though the Panama Canal, seen from Panama City, Aug. 3, 2023. The climate phenomenon known as El Nino  and not climate change  was a key factor driving low rainfall that disrupted shipping at the Panama Canal, scientists said Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco, File

Panama experienced one of its driest years on record last year, receiving below-average rainfall for seven of the eight months of its May to December rainy season.

As a result, since last June, the Panama Canal Authority has restricted the number and size of ships passing through the Panama Canal due to low water levels in Lake Gatun, the canal's main hydrological reserve. Global shipping is still being disrupted.

To test whether climate change had a role, the team of scientists analyzed weather data against computer simulations precise enough to capture precipitation in the region. Such models simulate a world without the current 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming since preindustrial times, and see how likely the lack of rainfall would be in a world without fossil fuel-charged warming.

The climate models did not show a trend similar to the drying that Panama experienced last year. In fact, many models show a wetter trend in the region due to climate change from carbon dioxide and methane emissions produced by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas.

Storm clouds gather overhead as cargo ships that wait to move through the Panama Canal are anchored on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal, seen from Colon, Panama, Sept. 4, 2023. The climate phenomenon known as El Nino  and not climate change  was a key factor driving low rainfall that disrupted shipping at the Panama Canal, scientists said Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco, File

Meanwhile, the analysis showed that El Nino reduced the 2023 rainfall by about 8%, and that it's unlikely Panama would have experienced such a dry rainy season without the influence of the weather phenomenon. The researchers said increased demand for water in the region worsened the shortfall.

The group used more than 140 years of rainfall records collected from 65 weather stationsa "statistician's dream," said Clair Barnes, a researcher at Imperial College of London and one of the study's authors.

"So we're very confident that El Nino is driving the low precipitation," said climate scientist Friederike Otto, also of Imperial College, who coordinates the attribution study team.

The World Weather Attribution group launched in 2015 largely due to frustration that it took so long to determine whether climate change was behind an extreme weather event. Studies like theirs, within attribution science, use real-world weather observations and computer modeling to determine the likelihood of a particular happening before and after climate change, and whether global warming affected its intensity.

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Figure 1. Euclid image of the Perseus cluster of galaxies. The large, yellow galaxies are part of this massive clump of matter, but we can discern another 50,000 distant galaxies. Credit: ESA/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi, Fourni par l'auteur

On July 1, 2023, Euclid, a unique European space telescope was launched from Cape Canaveral. The launch was undoubtedly the highlight of my career as an astronomer, but witnessing the result of years of work being put on a rocket is not for the faint of heart. Following a perfect launch, Euclid swiftly arrived to its planned orbit, about 1.5 million km aways from Earth. From this distant vantage point, it has started sending back sharp images that will cover nearly one-third of the sky by the end of this decade.

Euclid is the next big step forward in our quest to try to understand the universe. Over the past century we have made tremendous progress. We have learned that the fusion of hydrogen into helium powers stars like our sun, while most of the atoms in our bodies were forged in the cores of stars that have since exploded. We discovered that the galaxy is one of many galaxies that trace enormous foam-like structures that permeate the cosmos. We now know that the universe started about 13.6 billion years ago with a "Big Bang" and has been expanding ever since.

Probing the universe's black box

These are major achievements, but as we learned more, it also became clear that there is much that we do not understand. For instance, most of the mass is believed to be "dark matter," a new form of matter that is not explained by the otherwise highly successful standard model of particle physics. The gravitational pull of all this matter should slow down the expansion of the universe, but about 25 years ago we found that it is actually speeding up. This requires an even more mysterious component. To reflect our ignoranceto date, no good physical explanation existswe refer to it as "dark energy." Combined, dark matter and dark energy make up 95% of the universe, but we do not understand their nature.

What we do know is that both dark components influence how large structures can form. The gravity from dark matter helps to pull together matter into galaxies or even larger objects. In contrast, dark energy pushes things apart, thus effectively counteracting the gravitational pull. The balance between the two evolves as the universe expands, with dark energy becoming ever more dominant. The details depend on the nature of the dark components, and comparison with observations allows us to distinguish between different theories. This is the main reason why Euclid was launched. It will map how the matter is distributed, and how this evolved over time. These measurements can provide the much-needed guidance that will lead to a better understanding of the dark side of the universe.

But how can we study the distribution of matter, if most of it is invisible dark matter? Fortunately, nature has provided a convenient way forward: Einstein's theory of general relativity tells us that matter curves the space around it. Clumps of dark matter reveal their presence by distorting the shapes of more distant galaxies, just like waves on the surface of a swimming pool distort the pattern of tiles on the bottom.

Gravitational lensing and its clues

Given the similarity with regular optical lensesthe physics is different, but the math is the samethe bending of light rays by matter is referred to as gravitational lensing. In rare cases the bending is so strong that multiple images of the same galaxy can be observed. Most of the time, however, the effect is more subtle, ever so slightly changing the shapes of distant galaxies. Nonetheless, if we average measurements for large numbers of galaxies, we can uncover patterns in their orientations that have been imprinted by the intervening distribution of matter, both regular and dark.

This "weak lensing" signal may not be that spectacular, but it does provide us with a direct way to map the distribution of matter in the universe, especially when combined with distances to the galaxies for which the shapes were measured. The potential of this technique was recognized in the early nineties, but it was also clear that the measurements would be challenging. Turbulence in the atmosphere blurs our view of the faint, small, distant galaxies that we want to use, while imperfections in the telescope optics inevitably change the observed shapes of galaxies. Hence, the astronomical community was skeptical about the technical feasibility. This was the situation when I started my Ph.D. in 1995, when I embarked on a journey to prove them wrong.

Over the years, using ever larger data sets collected with ground-based telescopes, we discovered and solved new problems. Basing myself on observations from the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990, my thesis work had already shown partially measuring shapes is far easier from space. However, until the arrival of Euclid, space telescopes could only observe tiny patches of sky: the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched in 2021, sees the equivalent of a grain of sand at arm's length. However, to really test the nature of dark energy we need to cover 6 million times more area. This is what led to Euclid, a unique telescope, designed to provide sharp images for 1.5 billion galaxies, as well as distance information to these. As figure 2 shows, in a single shot we observe an area larger than the full moon.

Figure 2: This picture shows Euclids field-of-view against the size of the full moon. A single exposure is about 100x that of the Hubble Space Telescope, while its sharpness is almost the same. Credit: ESA/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi, Fourni par l'auteur

These data are complemented by precise distances for about 25 million galaxies to map the distribution of distant galaxies in great detail.

Cosmology coordinator for Euclid

When I started my journey into this research field, dark energy had not been discovered, while few believed weak lensing would be a major tool to study the distribution of matter. How things have changed. The launch of Euclid is arguably the most spectacular demonstration of this. Since 2011when the project was still being considered by the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of its Cosmic Vision programI have been as one of Euclid's cosmology coordinators. This means I was responsible for establishing the main characteristics of the mission, in particular those pertaining to weak gravitational lensing. This included specifying how sharp the images should be, and how well we need to measure the shapes of galaxies. The work also involved frequent interactions with the European Space Agency (ESA) to clarify the science objectives and to figure out how to deal with new insights.

Thanks to hard work by a large team of engineers and scientists, we managed to overcome the many technical hurdles. We continued our collaboration through a pandemic, only to lose our intended rocket because of the Russian invasion of UkraineEuclid was planned to launch on a Soyuz rocket. Remarkably, ESA quickly found a solution: a launch on a Falcon 9 by SpaceX. As a result, I found myself in Florida to witness what was arguably the culmination of all my research so far.

Euclid's obstacle course

It has been a rollercoaster ride since. The first images taken in July were noisier than anticipated, due to sunlight that seeped into the camera. This would have been a serious problem, but the most likely culprita protruding thruster that reflected sunlight onto the back of the sunshieldwas quickly identified, as was the solution. By rotating the spacecraft ever so slightly, the thruster could be placed in the shadow of the satellite. This, however, meant a complete overhaul of the planning of the survey.

The problems did not stop there. Radiation from the sun continuously pushes Euclid around a bit, which is compensated using thrusters that keep the telescope completely stable. Only then can we take the sharp pictures we need. However, energetic particles from the sun interfered with the stabilizing system, causing the telescope to shake a little. This was solved with a software update. Most recently, the build-up of ice inside the telescope caused concern, but that problem was also successfully tackled.

Figure 3: Euclid image of IC 342, a spiral galaxy near the plane of the Milky Way. Euclids sensitive observations at near-infrared wavelengths, reveals many details in this galaxy. Credit: ESA, Fourni par l'auteur

To provide the world a sense of its potential, a few "early release observations" of photogenic objects were issued in November. The one closest to my research is that of the Perseus cluster of galaxies (Figure 1). In addition to the large yellowish galaxies, which are part of this massive clump of matter, Euclid provides detailed images of another 50,000 galaxies. This level of detail is what I need for my research, but so far I only have 800 out of 25,000 such images! This has started: on February 15th 2024, Euclid started its main survey and in the next 2200 days it will keep photographing the sky. This vast amount of data will be a treasure trove for astronomersand the whole worldfor years to come. For instance, we can study in detail the structure of hundreds of nearby galaxies, such as IC 342 (Figure 3). These images are just a teaser of what the future will bring.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Amazonia is the home of the largest variety of birds in the world. In such a unique environment, craft cultures have flourished by translating the beauty and creativity of environmental materials like feathers into stunning pieces of art.

An article titled "The Material Creativity of Affective Artifacts in the Dutch Colonial World" in Current Anthropology by Stefan Han of the University of Manchester, examines artisanal featherwork within the context of early modern colonialism and globalization. These structures, Han writes, both engendered and endangered material creativity and knowledge.

In the article, Han examines how new ways of handling, trading, and thinking with feathers emerged in colonial Dutch Brazil. "Dutch colonial encounters with South American enviromateriality," Han notes, "stirred European appreciation of and engagement with the creative and transformative power of natural environments."

As a result, art like featherwork became a valuable commodity. The resulting global exploitation of Amazonian birds, feathers, and indigenous knowledge transformed Amazonian life and impacted South American biodiversity.

To fully capture the cognitive achievements of 17th-century featherworkers, Han combines in-depth archival research with affect theory and imaging analysis conducted by the John Rylands Research Institute and Library, University of Manchester.

This new methodology is exemplified by the research done on the Messel Standing Feather Fan of the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, an object whose history reflects the global scale of the trade in materials, the transmission of artisanal knowledge, and the blurred boundaries of consumer cultures in the seventeenth-century Dutch Empire.

Ultimately, the article "highlights the immeasurable global, creative potential of South American biodiversity and cultural diversity, adding insights into the consequences of its growing extinction today."

More information: Stefan Han, The Material Creativity of Affective Artifacts in the Dutch Colonial World, Current Anthropology (2024). DOI: 10.1086/729605 Journal information: Current Anthropology
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White mold, which is caused by the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is responsible for average annual sunflower crop losses of more than 1%. Credit: National Sunflower Association

Sunflowers aren't just beautiful symbols of summerthey are also economically significant, ranking as the fourth most important oilseed crop in the world, and new research suggests that some bacteria might help protect the crop from white-mold destruction.

Sunflowers can be harvested for a number of products including seeds and oil, for which consumer demand has increased significantly in recent years. They may also contribute to climate resilience, researchers note, since they can adapt to various weather conditions, and sunflower sprouts contain nutrients that can promote human health.

Unfortunately, like many other plants, sunflowers are susceptible to disease, which can cause significant crop losses. For example, white mold, which is caused by the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is responsible for average annual sunflower crop losses of more than 1%. It can also affect beans, eggplants, lettuce, peanuts, potatoes and soybeans, in some cases destroying 100% of crops.

While the approach to managing diseases such as white mold has typically focused on plant genetics, a study published in Molecular Ecology and led by University of Colorado Boulder researchers suggests that the communities of microscopic organisms around plants' roots play a major role, too, and that plant genetic variation does, in fact, affect associated microbiomes.

Field and greenhouse experiments

The research included a greenhouse study as well as a field experiment that the researchers conducted using different breeds of sunflowers whose DNA they extracted and sequenced.

Twenty plants of each sunflower breed were grown in a single field that researchers expected to contain microbes hostile to the Sclerotinia pathogen. Some of the plants were infected, while others were not, which was necessary to distinguish between microbes that were relevant to the study and those taking advantage of the tissue death caused by Sclerotinia.

In the greenhouse experiment, sunflowers were grown in soil taken from the same environment used in the field experiment, half of which had been sterilized to remove any microbes.

The plants were infected and evaluated for their resistance to the disease, allowing researchers to determine the significance of the microbes to the results that different breeds of sunflower experienced in the field experiment. If the sunflowers grown in sterile soil were less resistant to disease, this would show that the microbes were conferring disease resistance to their plants.

The researchers learned that 42 types of microbes were associated with disease resistance. The greenhouse experiment showed that these microbes are very important for plant disease resistance, since the sunflowers in sterile soil died as many as 19 days sooner than their counterparts.

Next, the abundances of the main microbes were associated with the genetic characteristics of the different plants, and researchers found that certain genes corresponded to an increased abundance of the microbes.

This all suggests that different breeds of sunflower have adapted genetically to increase the number of helpful microbes in nearby soil and thereby improve their resistance to white mold, the researchers concluded. Since the association between plant and microbe is genetic, it can be inherited and it is therefore possible to cultivate this resistance through breeding, among other methods.

Microbes and plant disease resistance

Before the study, it was unclear how much effect microbial communities have on plant disease resistance, says Nolan Kane, a CU Boulder associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and noted sunflower researcher.

"There certainly are some documented cases of this being important," he says, "but for most pathogens, plants have the right allele at this one gene, and they'll be resistant to that pathogen, and if they don't have the right allele, then they'll be susceptible.

"(Humans) have a very complex immune system that can recognize new proteins all the time. Plants have a very different immune system that often gets simplified down to just one gene that detects the pathogen. If the pathogen protein is a version that the gene can detect, then the plant will be resistant, but if there's not the right match, the plant will be susceptible."

Unlike human immune systems, plant immune systems do not keep records of every microbe they've fought off. Instead, they recognize molecular patterns associated with disease using specialized receptors. Each type of receptor can only interact with molecules of particular shapes, which fit together like matching puzzle pieces. Once this contact is made, the receptor signals a defense response.

In the case of the sunflowers that Kane and his research colleagues studied, at least for Sclerotinia, things are more complicated. "This was a case where we really thought there might be an important role for the microbiome or some other environmental component," Kane says. As the researchers discovered, four types of bacteria were strongly correlated with sunflowers' resistance to the fungal pathogen, suggesting their intuition was correct.

However, Kane says, "There were a lot of microbes that were correlated with each other," meaning the effect could be a result of the whole community rather than just these four types of bacteria, which are called operational taxonomic units (OTUs).

Still, Kane continues, "The four that we highlighted are most strongly correlated with pathogen resistance, and when we control for those four, none of the other correlated OTUs were significant in association with the disease," though the main four bacteria probably could not improve disease resistance individually, since "a lot of these microbes don't grow very well by themselves, or don't behave the same way when they're cultured on their own."

Plant/microbe symbiosis

The researchers found that the more of these four bacteria there were in the soil around the plants, the better they fared against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. So, how are plants able to take advantage of these bacteria, and what does this have to do with plant genetics?

As it turns out, plants can cultivate a community of useful microbes in the area of soil around their roots, which is known as the rhizosphere.

"In general, there are compounds that plants can secrete that either inhibit certain microbes or promote their growth," Kane explains. Photosynthesis, the process that plants use to convert light into usable energy, produces a lot of carbohydrate molecules like sugars and starches.

For this reason, Kane says, "A lot of their interactions with microbes involve sugars or carbohydrates given by the plants, and the plants benefit by getting nitrogen or some other thing that they need back."

Plants have similar sorts of symbiotic relationships with fungi that they benefit from promoting. Nitrogen is just one example of the benefits that plants get from their symbiotic relations: "In the study we did, we don't know that it's necessarily the same mechanism, but it's likely that there're some sort of root exudates that are shaping the microbiome," Kane says. "That's one of the key mechanisms plants use."

The way that plants interact with microbes in the rhizosphere depends on their genes. For this reason, the researchers were able to associate the four types of bacteria with very specific parts of the sunflowers' genetic codes.

Associations with microbes

The study had other significant findings as well. It showed that four of the 40 sunflower samples studied resisted Sclerotinia even without the protection of helpful bacteria. They did perform worse in sterilized soil than soil with bacteria but were significantly better off than the other samples.

"That could be some sort of ability to respond to the pathogen in ways that were protective," Kane says. "We don't yet know if that would be a useful breeding target because there could be tradeoffs, or it could have limited or no protective effects under normal conditions." Still, "it does show that the whole story isn't just the microbes. There is an important component, even if it's smaller, related to the inherent plant genetics."

The research inspired further questions about the costs and benefits of the symbiosis with the microbes, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the variation of the symbiosis and the significance of interactions between genotype and environmental factors.

Kane says he and his research colleagues "are looking at some of these lines in more diverse environments across the U.S. and trying to identify whether these microbial associations are very general across a wide range of environments, or if they're very specific to just one environment."

Since these studies are being conducted in farmers' fields, the plants being examined will not be exposed to pathogens. Instead, the researchers will focus on the plants' associations with the microbes, Kane says.

Similarly, Kane says, "Seeing these genetic effects in this one environment on so many different microbes was really exciting because it suggests that the sunflowers that we used in this study have some interesting variation that could be associated with a wide range of different traits that we didn't look at, but that it would be really exciting to look at in future work."

A lot of crops have lost some of their microbial associations through breeding, Kane says, but that wasn't an issue with the study's population, making it potentially valuable for future research.

The study still provides an idea of how microbial associations could be used to protect plants on their own, though. The most straightforward way to do this is by selectively breeding plants for the genes corresponding to increased abundance of helpful microbes in the rhizosphere.

"In addition to the breeding," Kane explains, "different farming practices and environmental practices could promote helpful communities or inhibit harmful communities." In cases where the useful microbes aren't already present, applying them to fields could be important, too.

"It would probably be a combination of more than one of those different things," Kane says. There are some biotechnology companies that are already working on beneficial microbial "concoctions" for some crops, which could be applied to fields or coated on plant seeds.

This study "could help, certainly with sunflower breeding," Kane concludes, but also "help us to understand how to more effectively breed other species, and also some basic science of not just how plants interact with their environment, but how the whole community under the soil works to affect that interaction."

More information: Cloe S. Pogoda et al, Heritable differences in abundance of bacterial rhizosphere taxa are correlated with fungal necrotrophic pathogen resistance, Molecular Ecology (2023). DOI: 10.1111/mec.17218 Journal information: Molecular Ecology
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The jumbo virus phikzvirus, or phiKZ, is known to infect Pseudomonas bacteria. Credit: Pogliano Labs, UC San Diego

Antibiotic medicines became a popular treatment for bacterial infections in the early 20th century and emerged as a transformational tool in human health. Through the middle of the century, novel antibiotics were regularly developed in the medication's golden age.

But then bacteria evolved. They found new ways to evade antibiotic treatments, rendering many useless. As new antibiotic sources dried up, bacterial infections escalated into today's global health crisis of antibiotic resistance.

Scientists now look to an unusual ally, viruses, to help counter this rising threat. Recently, researchers have focused on viruses known as bacteriophages as a new tool to treat and disarm antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Special attention has been placed on "jumbo" phagesviruses recently discovered to feature extremely large genomesthat could be tapped as special delivery agents that can not only kill bacteria but could be engineered to deliver antibiotics directly to the source of infection.

But in order to deliver novel therapeutics through phage, scientists must first understand the extraordinary biological makeup and mechanisms inside these mysterious viruses.

University of California San Diego School of Biological Sciences researchers and their colleagues at UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute and the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok have taken a substantial step forward in deciphering several key functions within jumbo phages.

A graphic image of PicA, a key component of jumbo phage that coordinates protein trafficking across the protective shell of the phage nucleus. Credit: Pogliano Labs, UC San Diego

"These jumbo phages have large genomes that in theory could be manipulated to carry payloads that more effectively kill bacteria," said Joe Pogliano, a UC San Diego professor in the School of Biological Sciences and senior author of a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "The problem is that their genome is enclosed so it's not easy to access. But now we've discovered some of its key elements."

As described in the paper, research led by School of Biological Sciences graduate student Chase Morgan focused on jumbo Chimalliviridae phages that were found to replicate inside bacteria by forming a compartment that resembles the nucleus inside the cells of humans and other living organisms. The Chimalliviridae's nucleus-like compartment separates and selectively imports certain proteins that allow it to replicate inside the host bacteria. But how this process unfolds had been a puzzling part of the process.

Using new genetic and cell biology tools, Morgan and his colleagues identified a key protein, which they named "protein importer of Chimalliviruses A," or PicA, that acts as a type of nightclub bouncer, selectively trafficking proteins by granting entry inside the nucleus for some but denying access for others. PicA, they found, coordinates cargo protein trafficking across the protective shell of the phage nucleus.

"Just the fact that this virus is able to set up this incredibly complex structure and transport system is really amazing and the likes of which we haven't seen before," said Morgan. "What we think of as complex biology is usually reserved for higher life forms with humans and our tens of thousands of genes, but here we are seeing functionally analogous processes in a comparatively tiny viral genome of only approximately 300 genes. It's probably the simplest selective transport system that we know of."

Using CRISPRi-ART, a programmable RNA tool for studying genomes, the researchers were able to demonstrate that PicA is an essential component of the Chimalliviridae nucleus development and replication process.

School of Biological Sciences graduate students Chase Morgan and Emily Armbruster, co-authors of the PNAS paper. Credit: Pogliano Labs, UC San Diego

"Without the simplicity and versatility of RNA-targeting CRISPR technologies, directly asking and answering these questions would be nearly impossible. We are really excited to see how these tools unravel the mysteries encoded by phage genomes," said co-author Ben Adler, a postdoctoral scholar working under Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna.

Bacteria and viruses have engaged in a type of arms race for billions of years, each evolving to counter the other's adaptations. The researchers say the sophisticated PicA transportation system is a result of that intense, ongoing evolutionary competition. The system has evolved to be both highly flexible and highly selective, allowing only key beneficial elements inside the nucleus. Without the PicA system, the bacteria's defensive proteins would work their way inside and sabotage the virus' replication process.

Such information is vital as scientists with the Emerging Pathogens Initiative and UC San Diego's Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics strive to lay the groundwork to eventually genetically program phage to treat a variety of deadly diseases.

"We really didn't have any understanding of how the protein import system worked or which proteins were involved previously, so this research is the first step in understanding a key process that's critical for these phage to successfully replicate," said School of Biological Sciences graduate student Emily Armbruster, a paper co-author. "The more we understand these essential systems, the better we will be able to engineer phage for therapeutic use."

Future targets for such genetically programmed viruses include Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, which are known to cause potentially fatal infections and pose risks for patients in hospitals. Other promising targets include E. coli and Klebsiella which can cause chronic and recurrent infections and, in some cases, enter the bloodstream which can be life threatening.

More information: Chase J. Morgan et al, An essential and highly selective protein import pathway encoded by nucleus-forming phage, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321190121 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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This a fisherman collects dead fish from a reservoir in southern Vietnam after a mass die-off in the midst of a heat wave.

Hundreds of thousands of fish have died in a reservoir in southern Vietnam's Dong Nai province, with locals and media reports suggesting a brutal heat wave and the lake's management are to blame.

Like much of Southeast Asiawhere schools have recently been forced to close early and electricity usage has surgedsouthern and central Vietnam have been scorched by devastating heat.

"All the fish in the Song May reservoir died for lack of water," a local resident in Trang Bom district, who identified himself only as Nghia, told AFP.

"Our life has been turned upside down over the past 10 days because of the smell."

Pictures show residents wading and boating through the 300-hectare Song May reservoir, with the water barely visible under a blanket of dead marine life.

According to media reports, the area has seen no rain for weeks, and the water in the reservoir is too low for the creatures to survive.

Reservoir management had previously discharged water to try to save crops downstream, Nghia said.

"They then tried to renovate the reservoir, bringing in a pump to take the mud out so that the fish would have more space and water," he said.

However, the efforts did not work, and shortly afterwards many of the fish died, with local media reports suggesting as many as two hundred tonnes' worth may have perished.

According to media reports, the area has seen no rain for weeks, and the water has gotten is too low for the fish.

Tuoi Tre newspaper reported that the firm in charge of managing the lake had begun dredging in early 2024, initially planning to release extra water into the reservoir for the fish.

"But owing to an unrelenting heat wave, the investor released the water into the downstream area, leading to the water level going down. As a result, fish died en masse," the newspaper reported.

The reservoir is the water source for crops in Trang Bom and Vinh Cuu districts of Dong Nai province.

Authorities are investigating the incident, while working to quickly remove the dead fish.

"We hope authorities will do their best to improve the situation," Nghia said.

Southeast Asia bakes

According to weather forecasters, temperatures in Dong Nai province, 100 kilometers west of Ho Chi Minh City, reached around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in April, breaking the record high temperature recorded in 1998.

Authorities are looking into the cause of the mass fish deaths.

The soaring temperatures are also impacting neighboring Cambodia, where the high could reach 43 on the mercury.

On Wednesday Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet ordered schools to consider closing to protect teachers and students from the heat, and put officials on stand-by in case of water shortages.

It follows the education minister on Tuesday ordering establishments to shorten morning classes and delay afternoon ones in an attempt to avoid the worst of the midday heat.

Hang Chuon Naron said the measures were "to prevent risks and to avoid illnesses that would harm the health" of students and teachers.

Meanwhile, in Thailand, electricity usage surged to new records on Tuesday as temperatures in northeastern province Udon Thani broke 44C.

 2024 AFP
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Credit: Xabi Oregi from Pexels

Gross domestic product (GDP) has long been the main indicator of economic growth used almost everywhere in the world.

However, the measurement does not take into account other factors essential to a country's growth and development, such as social inequalities, the environment and the well-being of citizens.

In the last ten years, the climate deadlock and the limits of the current economic model based on the infinite growth of capitalism have prompted discussions of a "post-GDP" era.

We are two researchers affiliated with the Center on Governance at the University of Ottawa. In recent years, we have become interested in the question of implementing the UN's Sustainable Development Goals framework. In this article we explain why we believe it is now necessary to think about an alternative measure of economic activity and growth.

Sustainable development, much more than an environmental issue

The United Nations' 2030 Agenda is a universal action plan to promote sustainable development by considering social, economic and environmental aspects. It is meant to apply to all countries, even the richest.

At the heart of the agenda are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These cover a wide range of development challenges, encompassing aspects of human well-being, equity and social inclusion. The goals explicitly recognize that sustainable development cannot be achieved through isolated actions focused on a single dimension (the environment, for example), but require a co-ordinated effort across several domains.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Could SDGs be used to replace traditional growth measures such as GDP? This is one of the questions we raised at a conference organized by the University of Ottawa's Center on Governance. In this article, we provide the beginnings of an answer.

Beyond GDP

"Beyond GDP" is a new concept that expresses the need for a more inclusive and sustainable measure of development that goes beyond simply assessing a country's economic output.

Using the 2030 Agenda as an example, this article proposes an exploratory analysis of the role of this global framework in the context of wealthy countries, using Canada and France as examples.

We identify and analyze the various policies set in place by these two countries to align their development strategies with the SDGs. Although these actions are real, they remain largely unknown to the general public. Our aim is to shed light on these initiatives and show their potential as measures of development.

Multidimensional goals

The SDGs offer an alternative, more comprehensive means for measuring countries' progress and development and represent a clear departure from traditional economic indicators such as GDP.

The SDGs were adopted in 2015 through a negotiation process involving the 193 member states of the United Nations, to address a series of interconnected global challenges humanity faces.

But more importantly, the SDGs recognize the need for a change in direction in what is now a context of profound and rapid economic, social and environmental transformations. For example, the SDGs were designed to address extreme poverty, social inequality, the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. By contrast, as a measure of economic activity, GDP does not take into account the equitable distribution of wealth, the sustainability of growth or the preservation of natural resources.

In short, adopting the SDGs as a multiscale measure (from the most local to continental and global scales, via the national level) of countries' growth and development could make it possible to assess countries' progress in a more representative, fairer and more inclusive way, in line with the principles of sustainable development.

France takes action

But is it really possible to measure sustainable development? To answer this question, we first need to look at the efforts individual countries are making.

The case of France offers an interesting perspective on how to integrate SDGs into measurements of development. By hosting COP21, the UN climate conference in 2015, France not only served as a platform for the adoption of the Paris Agreement, it also took on the role of mediator between nations and helped forge a global consensus on the need to limit global warming.

France acted quickly in operationalizing the SDGs by implementing a series of strategies, initiatives and collaborations. For example, France's Roadmap for the 2030 Agenda, published in September 2019, focuses on a fair transition and a transformation of the societal model to promote low carbon assets.

In addition, French policies emphasize citizen participation in the choice of projects to be carried out. For example, the town of Saint-Fons has developed a "sustainable development framework plan" to register, review and assess its actions and projects in relation to the implementation of the SDGs in its urban area.

And what about Canada?

The process of integrating the SDGs in Canada, although more recent than in France, is showing encouraging signs through various ongoing initiatives.

In 2021, Canada adopted a national strategy for the 2030 AgendaMoving Forward Together. For Canada, this represents, first and foremost, a commitment to meet its international obligations to the United Nations by aligning its actions with the 17 SDGs, while adopting a more holistic approach to improving the economic, social and environmental well-being of its population.

In order to quantify the SDGs, indicators need to be put in place and information collected. To do this, Statistics Canada created the Global Indicator Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals Data Hub, which plays an important role in monitoring and reporting Canada's progress on the SDGs to the United Nations. This online portal offers freely accessible data.

Although this project is still in its first steps, Statistics Canada is continuing to examine different sources of data that could potentially be used to report on the SDGs to international bodies such as the UN, as well as internally to various Canadian stakeholders, including governments, the private sector, civil society and communities.

A colossal task

Despite this progress, there is still a huge amount of work to be done. Adopting the SDGs as a measure of development in rich countries requires a major paradigm shift. Many challenges need to be overcome, particularly in terms of methodology, data collection, policy implementation and social acceptability.

The SDGs and their indicators represent a useful and innovative instrument for measuring the development of societies that takes into account a multiplicity of social and environmental factors, as well as political and economic ones.

Even if achieving the SDGs or decarbonizing the economy by 2030 seems unattainable, they are still legitimate. Not achieving all the targets doesn't mean we should give up trying. This is provided, of course, that we take a step in the right direction by adopting a holistic approach to sustainable development, as opposed to using strictly economic indicators such as GDP. The vision proposed by the SDG framework provides a framework and objectives for guiding and implementing public policies that are better adapted to current and future challenges.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

On May 2, the Scottish Parliament will debate whether it should be a crime in Scotland to cause the loss of a partner's or former partner's pregnancy through violence or abuse.

In not having such a crime already, Scotland is an outlier in the UK. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, someone who attacks a pregnant woman and causes the loss of her viable fetus can be charged with the crime of "child destruction" as well as being charged for assault. This has been the case in England and Wales since 1929, and in Northern Ireland since 1945.

The case for a new crime in Scotland is clear, and the most appropriate way to create it would be to amend the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018. The Ministry of Justice categorizes "child destruction" as a "domestic violence offense" in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

It is well known that domestic abuse can escalate during pregnancy or may begin when a woman becomes pregnant, even where the relationship has not previously been abusive.

During the past few decades there has been a rise in the number of prosecutions for child destruction, and victims of the crime have spoken about how important it is to them that the loss of their pregnancy is acknowledged in a separate charge, as opposed to merely reflected in sentencing.

This stands to reason: the loss of a wanted pregnancy is a unique and traumatic kind of harm to a woman, distinct from the injury suffered during an attack. However, while the law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is able to acknowledge this kind of serious harm, the law of Scotland currently cannot.

Harrowing cases

Domestic abuse during pregnancy is no less an issue in Scotland, of course, and there have been harrowing Scottish cases which, had they occurred elsewhere in the UK, would undoubtedly have resulted in charges of child destruction.

Scotland does have one existing crimethe common law crime of "procuring abortion"which perpetrators in Scotland could be charged with. The crime of abortion has never been used in this way, however, and with good reason. The harm of losing a wanted pregnancy through violence or abuse is wholly different from a situation in which a woman has decided that she no longer wishes to be pregnant.

Legally, these scenarios must be kept separate. The creation of a new crime would ensure that they are.

In the rest of the UK, the crime of child destruction is deeply entangled with abortion law, and this has been problematic. Because anyone can be guilty of the crime of child destruction, it can be used to prosecute women who end their own pregnancies after the point of viabilitynow judged to be 24 weeks.

In practice, women are almost never charged with child destruction, and there has been only one conviction. The possibility exists, however, and one recent prosecution involved a woman being investigated for three years and taken to court before the case was dropped due to "evidential difficulties."

Scotland can avoid any risk of prosecution for pregnant women by creating a new crime that sits firmly within the framework of domestic abuse legislation, and that can only be committed by partners or former partners. Framed in this way, the sole purpose of the crime would be to recognize and punish a unique kind of harm to women, and neither pregnant women nor their doctors could be charged with it.

The proposed Scottish crime could also improve on its UK counterparts in another way. Elsewhere in the UK, perpetrators can only be convicted of child destruction if it can be shown that they intended to cause stillbirth.

This can make it difficult to hold attackers to account for the loss of the pregnancy. They can only be convicted if they admit that they intended to end the pregnancy or if there is evidence to indicate such intention; for example, if they attempted to coerce the woman into having an abortion, targeted the woman's stomach in the attack or made statements of intent during the attack. If none of this can be shown, no conviction for child destruction would result.

Campaigners in England have complained that the difficulty of proving intention shields perpetrators. Learning from this, Scotland could allow the crime to be committed through recklessness, making it easier to convict those responsible by removing the need to prove intention.

On May 2, Holyrood can take an important step in the right direction. Instead of remaining the only part of the UK that lacks a specific crime punishing this kind of behavior, Scotland can take the lead and develop a truly workable and woman-centered approach to this particularly intimate and distressing kind of harm.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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The skull of Shanidar Z, which has been reconstructed in the lab at the University of Cambridge. Credit: BBC Studios/Jamie Simonds

A new Netflix documentary has recreated the face of a 75,000-year-old female Neanderthal whose flattened skull was discovered and rebuilt from hundreds of bone fragments by a team of archaeologists and conservators led by the University of Cambridge.

The team excavated the female Neanderthal in 2018 from inside a cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where the species had repeatedly returned to lay their dead to rest. The cave was made famous by work in the late 1950s that unearthed several Neanderthals which appeared to have been buried in succession.

"Secrets of the Neanderthals," produced by BBC Studios Science Unit, is released on Netflix worldwide. The documentary follows the team led by the universities of Cambridge and Liverpool John Moores as they return to Shanidar Cave to continue excavations.

"The skulls of Neanderthals and humans look very different," said Dr. Emma Pomeroy, a paleo-anthropologist from Cambridge's Department of Archaeology, who features in the new film.

"Neanderthal skulls have huge brow ridges and lack chins, with a projecting midface that results in more prominent noses. But the recreated face suggests those differences were not so stark in life.

"It's perhaps easier to see how interbreeding occurred between our species, to the extent that almost everyone alive today still has Neanderthal DNA."

The skull of Shanidar Z, which has been reconstructed in the lab at the University of Cambridge. Credit: BBC Studios/Jamie Simonds

Neanderthals are thought to have died out around 40,000 years ago, and the discoveries of new remains are few and far between. The Neanderthal featured in the documentary is the first from the cave for over fifty years, and perhaps the best preserved individual to be found this century.

While earlier finds were numbered, this one is called Shanidar Z, although researchers think it may be the top half of an individual excavated in 1960.

The head had been crushed, possibly by rockfall, relatively soon after deathafter the brain decomposed but before the cranium filled with dirtand then compacted further by tens of thousands of years of sediment.

When archaeologists found it, the skull was flattened to around two centimeters thick.

The team carefully exposed the remains, including an articulated skeleton almost to the waist, and used a glue-like consolidant to strengthen the bones and surrounding sediment. They removed Shanidar Z in dozens of small foil-wrapped blocks from under seven and a half meters of soil and rock within the heart of the cave.

The recreated head of Shanidar Z, made by the Kennis brothers for the Netflix documentary 'Secrets of the Neanderthals' based on 3D scans of the reconstructed skull. Credit: BBC Studios/Jamie Simonds

In the Cambridge lab, researchers took micro-CT scans of each block before gradually diluting the glue and using the scans to guide extraction of bone fragments. Lead conservator Dr. Lucia Lopez-Polin pieced over 200 bits of skull together freehand to return it to its original shape, including upper and lower jaws.

"Each skull fragment is gently cleaned while glue and consolidant are re-added to stabilize the bone, which can be very soft, similar in consistency to a biscuit dunked in tea," said Pomeroy. "It's like a high stakes 3D jigsaw puzzle. A single block can take over a fortnight to process."

The team even referred to forensic sciencestudies on how bones shift after blunt force trauma and during decompositionto help them understand if remains had been buried, and the ways in which teeth had pinged from jawbones.

The rebuilt skull was surface scanned and 3D-printed, forming the basis of a reconstructed head created by world-leading paleoartists and identical twins Adrie and Alfons Kennis, who built up layers of fabricated muscle and skin to reveal a face.

New analysis strongly suggests that Shanidar Z was an older female, perhaps in her mid-forties according to researchersa significant age to reach so deep in prehistory.

View of the entrance to Shanidar Cave, within the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq. Credit: Prof Graeme Barker

Without pelvic bones, the team relied on sequencing tooth enamel proteins to determine her sex. Teeth were also used to gauge her age through levels of wear and tearwith some front teeth worn down to the root. At around five feet tall, and with some of the smallest adult arm bones in the Neanderthal fossil record, her physique also implies a female.

While remnants of at least ten separate Neanderthals have now come from the cave, Shanidar Z is the fifth to be found in a cluster of bodies buried at a similar time in the same location: right behind a huge vertical rock, over two meters tall at the time, which sits in the center of the cave.

The rock had come down from the ceiling long before the bodies were interred. Researchers say it may have served as a landmark for Neanderthals to identify a particular site for repeated burials.

"Neanderthals have had a bad press ever since the first ones were found over 150 years ago," said Professor Graeme Barker from Cambridge's McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, who leads the excavations at the cave.

"Our discoveries show that the Shanidar Neanderthals may have been thinking about death and its aftermath in ways not so very different from their closest evolutionary cousinsourselves."

The skull of Shanidar Z, flattened by thousands of years of sediment and rock fall, in situ in Shanidar Cave, Iraqi Kurdistan. Credit: Prof Graeme Barker

The other four bodies in the cluster were discovered by archaeologist Ralph Solecki in 1960. One was surrounded by clumps of ancient pollen. Solecki and pollen specialist Arlette Leroi-Gourhan argued the finds were evidence of funerary rituals where the deceased was laid to rest on a bed of flowers.

This archaeological work was among the first to suggest Neanderthals were far more sophisticated than the primitive creatures many had assumed, based on their stocky frames and ape-like brows.

Decades later, the Cambridge-led team retraced Solecki's dig, aiming to use the latest techniques to retrieve more evidence for his contentious claims, as well as the environment and activities of the Neanderthals and later modern humans who lived there, when they uncovered Shanidar Z.

"Shanidar Cave was used first by Neanderthals and then by our own species, so it provides an ideal laboratory to tackle one of the biggest questions of human evolution," said Barker.

"Why did Neanderthals disappear from the stage around the same time as Homo sapiens spread over regions where Neanderthals had lived successfully for almost half a million years?"

The Kennis brothers examine the 3D print-out of the skull of Shanidar Z. This is what they used as a basis for the recreated head. Credit: Secrets of the Neanderthals/Netflix

A study led by Professor Chris Hunt of Liverpool John Moores University now suggests the pollen was left by bees burrowing into the cave floor. However, remains from Shanidar Cave still show signs of an empathetic species. For example, one male had a paralyzed arm, deafness and head trauma that likely rendered him partially blind, yet had lived a long time, so must have been cared for.

Site analysis suggests that Shanidar Z was laid to rest in a gully formed by running water that had been further hollowed out by hand to accommodate the body. Posture indicates she had been leant against the side, with her left hand curled under her head, and a rock behind the head like a small cushion, which may have been placed there.

While Shanidar Z was buried within a similar timeframe as other bodies in the cluster, researchers cannot say how contemporaneous they are, only that they all date to around 75,000 years ago.

In fact, while filming onsite for the new documentary in 2022, the team found remains of yet another individual in the same burial cluster, uncovering the left shoulder blade, some ribs and a fairly complete right hand.

In the sediments several feet above, another three Neanderthals dating to around 50,000 years had been found by Solecki, more of which have been recovered by the current team.

Dr. Emma Pomeroy (University of Cambridge) with the skull of Shanidar Z in the Henry Wellcome Building in Cambridge, home of the University's Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies. Credit: BBC Studios/Jamie Simonds

Further research since Shanidar Z was found has detected microscopic traces of charred food in the soil around the older body cluster. These carbonized bits of wild seeds, nuts and grasses, suggest not only that Neanderthals prepared foodsoaking and pounding pulsesand then cooked it, but did so in the presence of their dead.

"The body of Shanidar Z was within arm's reach of living individuals cooking with fire and eating," said Pomeroy. "For these Neanderthals, there does not appear to be that clear separation between life and death."

"We can see that Neanderthals are coming back to one particular spot to bury their dead. This could be decades or even thousands of years apart. Is it just a coincidence, or is it intentional, and if so what brings them back?"

"As an older female, Shanidar Z would have been a repository of knowledge for her group, and here we are seventy-five thousand years later, learning from her still," Pomeroy said.
The New York Police Department threatened to arrest several members of the Columbia Journalism School faculty - including Dean Jelani Cobb - while they sheltered in the university's Pulitzer Hall, as police raided Hamilton Hall and arrested individuals occupying the academic building.

The NYPD's threat to arrest was first reported by Columbia student journalists, who were reporting on the police raid for the student radio station WKCR.

The students alleged that they received an email from the university administration, advising that they shelter in place at 8:18 p.m. but were given no guidance on where to go. Though they were Columbia students, they did not live on campus and were unable to access dormitories in which they did not reside.

The NYPD entered the Columbia campus at the request of university President Minouche Shafik, who asked that law enforcement remain until May 17 - two days after the university's scheduled commencement date. This was in response to protestors - at least some of whom are Columbia students, threatened with expulsion - allegedly sneaking into Hamilton Hall after hours and taking control of the building.

"Protesters chose to escalate to an alarming and untenable situation - including by vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, blockading entrances and forcing our facilities and public safety workers out" university spokesperson Ben Chang said in a Tuesday evening statement.

"We are responding appropriately as we have long made clear we would. The safety of our community, especially our students, remains our top priority."

By 10:26 p.m., the WCKR reporters were sheltering inside Pulitzer Hall with members of the journalism school faculty - including Cobb, a staff writer for the New Yorker. The Columbia students allege that the police told them if they exited the building they would be arrested. This was confirmed by journalism school employees.

"Dean Jelani Cobb was in Pulitzer Hall, supporting the free practice of journalism, when the NYPD entered campus," Cobb's Chief of Staff Daniel Rivero told HNGN in an email.

"Many of our students who have been reporting on the campus protests were also in the building, under the watchful guidance of Columbia Journalism School faculty. Dean Cobb and the faculty were instructed by the police to remain inside Pulitzer Hall during their operation or face the possibility of arrest."

The Columbia student journalists alleged that they were never directly told that police would be on their campus. Rather they were instructed to shelter in place and subsequently received an email with an attached letter from Shafik to the NYPD.

"The events on campus last night have left us no choice," Shafik wrote in the letter to Michael Gerber, the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters.

"With the support of the University's Trustees, I have determined that the building occupation, the encampments, and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to persons, property, and the substantial functioning of the University and require the use of emergency authority to protect persons and property."

Discord between the Columbia student activists and the university administration has raged for two weeks - since students first erected the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on the university grounds. The student protestors are calling for divestment from Israel, transparency into the college's finances and amnesty for all students involved in the activist groups.

The politics of the encampment have been subject to intense scrutiny from the beginning - there were Jewish activists involved in occupying the lawn and participating in associated activist groups. Students and faculty members even celebrated a Passover Seder inside the encampment.

Some, however, allege that the activism has led to a spike in on-campus antisemitism - with at least one rabbi associated with the university urging Jewish students to return home. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and its members have made repeated public statements asserting that Jewish students are a welcome part of their movement and that their issues are with the Israeli government and the university's administration.

The Columbia campus - which was already restricted to people with university IDs and others let on campus on a case-by-case basis - is now solely open to students who reside in one of the seven on-campus dorms and staff members performing essential functions. The only point of entry on campus is the 116th Street and Amsterdam gate - while other gates will remain locked, according to the Columbia website.
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Australia is once again grappling with how we can stop gendered violence in our country. Protests over the weekend show there is enormous community anger over the number of women who are dying and National Cabinet meets on Wednesday to specifically discuss the issue.

There is no single solution here. We need to look at the whole of our society when we consider how to make it safer for women.

One huge part of our society is schools, where Australians spend about 13 years of their lives.

As part of an ongoing, broader study into how online worlds are shaping students and teaching, colleagues and I are surveying South Australian teachers about sexist and other anti-social views among the students.

The survey is ongoing, but our results so far paint a disturbing picture where female teachers are subjected to sexist and abusive language and behavior by male students.

Our research

Since February, we have advertised an anonymous survey on the Teachers of Adelaide Facebook group, which involves teachers from across public and private school sectors and in co-ed and single sex environments.

The survey calls for short answer responses to questions about sexism, racism or homophobia by students at their schools.

The survey is still open, to date we have 132 responses. Almost 80% of the responses are from female teachers, who come from both primary and high schools.

'Make me a sandwich'

One theme to emerge so far is a heightened use of misogynistic language and behaviors by male students, some as young as 5.

A high school teacher reported how when she talks about gender in her classes, some boys got defensive about what female students were saying. The boys call the girls liars and repeat untrue statements they have seen online:

"For example, the pay gap doesn't exist, women lie about rape, men are superior."

Teachers are also reporting a heightened use of vulgar, sexualized and aggressive language being used primarily by boys/young men during their interactions with women and girls.

Another teacher told us:

"Boys are increasingly using misogynistic language towards female students and teachers, telling them to 'make me a sandwich' [a well-known misogynist meme]."

Other respondents noted the use of terms such as "slut" and describing women as "rapeable." They also reported male students making animal noises ("meowing or barking") or making offensive gestures ("grabbing their genitals and making other rude gestures") at girls and women in the school.

One primary school teacher described how several students in her Year 1 class have been making "sex sounds" to herself a co-teacher and other students.

"It turned out that one student had been watching his brother's YouTube/Tik Tok channels [] We have met with the boys' parents at least half a dozen times this year and we are slowly seeing it replaced with more prosocial behaviors but honestly, [the students] do it so often that they do it without intention or thought now."

The behavior can be physical

A second theme from the survey is how male students are working in groups to physically intimidate their female teachers and peers. This includes corralling girls/women into corners, out of sight of male staff.

As one high school teacher told us, male students will walk "quickly behind female teachers to rush them down stairs." Another high school teacher said she had noticed a trend of male students invading her personal space.

"[this includes] entering my classroom at break time/ coming up to my car window and pointing for me to wind it down to just stand there or getting their friends to call out my name when I walk past. They do this when I am alone and there are no witnesses."

The teacher noted how at face value, they are all "innocuous behaviors" and if challenged, the students would just say they were being friendly.

"But I know these behaviors are intended to be intimidating and to make me uneasy. I nd it disconcerting that by the age of 14 or 15 they know how to use their presence to menace [] if they are behaving like this with me, what are they like with young women their own age or the women in their families?"

Most respondents described insufficient or zero school support. Some female teachers in our survey said they plan to leave the profession because they do not feel safe. As one teacher told us:

"I know I shouldn't let it aect me but it is draining and I have anxiety and dread going to class."

Why is this happening?

Our broader research has been prompted by conversations with teachers who note the growing influence of people like online "manfluencer" Andrew Tate (currently facing human trafficking charges in Romania) in their schools.

Such influencers champion a style of populism entangled with racism, xenophobia, trans and homophobia, which believes boys and men are victims of feminist gains. Acts of "male supremacy" are therefore needed to restore a supposedly natural gender order.

The findings of our survey so far echo other recent studies in Victoria as well as in the United Kingdom and Canada, which have found a link between Tate's views and the behavior and attitudes of male students.

What now?

This growing body of research strongly suggests we need a national response to anti-social language and behaviors in schools.

All schools now have consent and respectful relationships education. This is welcome, but we need more.

We could start by identifying, reporting and responding to gendered or other forms of anti-social violence, abuse and harassment via a nationwide code of conduct and reporting guide.

This would be just one part of the solution. But if we have an understanding of the scope of the problem and clear guidelines to address it, these would be crucial steps towards making our schools and our society safer for everyone.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Credit: Lehigh University

The pace of discovery in the oceans leaped forward thanks to teamwork between a deep-sea robot and a human occupied submarine leading to the recent discovery of five new hydrothermal vents in the eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean.

A team of ocean scientists, led by chief scientist and Lehigh faculty member Jill McDermott, returned to port March 26 in San Diego from a research expedition in the eastern Pacific Ocean where they discovered the new deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites on the seafloor at 2,550 meters (8,366 feet, or 1.6 miles) depth.

The venting fluids are all hotter than 300C (570F). The discovery was supported, and in many ways accelerated, by making use of the unique strengths offered by robotic and human exploration of the deep seafloor.

The newly discovered vents are located on the East Pacific Rise (EPR) near 10N latitude, a part of the globe-spanning mid-ocean ridge volcanic mountain chain, where two tectonic plates are splitting apart at a rate of about 11 centimeters (4.3 inches) per year. Scientists on the expedition mapped the area at night using the undersea robot Sentry, an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's (WHOI) National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF).

After Sentry was recovered each morning, high-resolution maps from the vehicle's sensors were then used to plan the day's dive by the human-occupied vehicle Alvin also operated by WHOI-NDSF, which enables scientists to view firsthand the complex and constantly changing environment of a place like the East Pacific Rise.

"The high-resolution maps from Sentry allow us to spot likely new hydrothermal fields soon after Sentry comes back on deck," said McDermott, associate professor of Earth and environmental sciences and director of Lehigh Oceans Research Center. McDermott served as chief scientist of the expedition and co-lead scientist specializing in hydrothermal vent geochemistry. "This gives us great targets for Alvin and the opportunity to make multiple discoveries in a single dive."

Sentry, an autonomous underwater vehicle, being launched from the research vessel Atlantis during an expedition. The vehicle is operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's National Deep Submergence Facility. Credit: Mae Lubetkin

Scientists diving in Alvin first discovered hydrothermal vents in 1977 while exploring an oceanic spreading ridge north of the Galapagos Islands. Hydrothermal vents are rich in chemicals that supply energy to animal life, fueling rich and productive ecosystems.

The discovery re-shaped scientists' understanding of the conditions capable of supporting life on Earth and potentially elsewhere in the solar system. The research program at EPR is focused on learning more about volcanic and hydrothermal systems in the deep-sea where new seafloor is formed and where unique communities of animals thrive in high-pressure and high-heat environments.

"The mid-ocean ridge accounts for more than 75% of all volcanic activity on our planet," said Thibaut Barreyre, a co-lead scientist on the expedition from CNRS, Univ Brest, France and an expert in thermal measurements and modeling of hydrothermal vents. "It is dotted with thousands of deep-sea hot springs like these, which all together extract 10% of the Earth's total internal heat. We want to increase our understanding of how hydrothermal vents release heat and chemicals as they flow through the seafloor and affect the global ocean."

"The new Sentry maps allow us to see the very important details of lava flows that erupted in the deep ocean and target them for collecting rock samples, just like geologists do on land," said Daniel Fornari, a co-lead scientist on the expedition from WHOI and a marine geologist who has been involved in EPR research for more than 40 years. "These new perspectives and the analyses of rock samples will let us figure out how quickly the lava erupted, how far it traveled, and the impacts deep sea lava eruptions have on hydrothermal venting."

"By jointly operating these two cutting-edge deep-sea submersibles, we are able to make remarkable new discoveries about how seafloor in the deep oceans is constructed, in some of the most inhospitable environments on Earth," said Ross Parnell-Turner, a co-lead scientist on the expedition from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a marine geophysicist specializing in high-resolution seafloor mapping of the volcanic and hydrothermal terrain.

Scientists plan to continue studying hydrothermal activity and volcanism along the East Pacific Rise in a follow-up expedition that will also use Sentry and Alvin to expand their understanding of the geophysical, chemical, and biological processes that shape our planet and support life in the deep, dark recesses of Earth's Ocean.
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The makeshift dam burst in the Rift Valley sent torrents of water and mud gushing down a hill.

Nearly 100 tourists were among people marooned after a river overflowed in Kenya's famed Maasai Mara wildlife reserve following a heavy downpour, a local administrator said Wednesday, as the death toll from flood-related disasters neared 180.

Torrential rains, amplified by the El Nino weather pattern, have lashed much of the East African country and destroyed roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

"Approximately 100 or more tourists" were stranded in more than a dozen lodges, hotels and camps, Narok West sub-county administrator Stephen Nakola told AFP.

"That is the preliminary number as of now because some of the camps are unaccessible," he said.

The world-famous Maasai Mara, in southwestern Kenya, is a tourist magnet and home to native wildlife including the so-called Big Fivelions, elephants, rhinos, leopards and buffaloas well as giraffes, hippos and cheetahs.

The Kenya Red Cross said it had rescued more than 90 people from the camps, some of them by air.

"In some camps, tents have been swept away and the Mara bridge, linking the Mara Triangle and the Greater Mara, has been washed away," it said on X, adding later that the floodwaters had "subsided".

Tourism alongside agriculture and diaspora remittances are Kenya's top foreign exchange earners.

Nearly 50 villagers died when the makeshift dam burst in Kenya's Rift Valley.

Revenue from tourism jumped nearly a third in 2023 over the previous year beating the pre-pandemic numbers, the government said in March.

Tourism minister Alfred Mutua had earlier on Wednesday said "several camps have been impacted" by the downpour and warned all hotels and camps near rivers within Kenyan parks and reserves to prepare "for potential evacuations."

"Develop clear evacuation, transportation, and hospitality protocols," Mutua said.

The directive came hours after President William Ruto deployed the military to evacuate everyone living in flood-prone areas.

People living in the affected areas will have 48 hours to move after those who remain "will be relocated forcibly in the interest of their safety," the cabinet said.

'Early warning systems'

So far, 179 people including 15 children have died in flood-related disasters across Kenya since March, according to government data.

Some 90 people have been reported missing, raising fears that the toll could go higher, and more than 195,000 others displaced.

Flash floods hit the village of Kamuchiri, near Mai Mahiu, where a dam burst on Monday.

In the worst single incident that killed nearly 50 villagers, a makeshift dam burst in the Rift Valley before dawn Monday, sending torrents of water and mud gushing down a hill and swallowing everything in its path.

The tragedy was the deadliest episode in the country since the start of the rainy season.

The disaster has sparked an outpouring of condolences and pledges of solidarity with the affected families from all over the world.

Pope Francis on Wednesday said he conveyed his "spiritual closeness" to Kenyans "at this time when a severe flood has tragically taken the lives of many of our brothers and sisters, injuring others and causing widespread destruction".

"I invite you to pray for all those who are suffering the effects of this natural disaster," he said at a general audience at the Vatican.

The weather has also left a trail of destruction in neighboring Tanzania, where at least 155 people have been killed in flooding and landslides.

El Nino is a naturally occurring climate pattern typically associated with increased heat worldwide, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.

 2024 AFP
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Location of the Taam Ja Blue Hole (TJBH) in Chetumal Bay, Mexico, is presented alongside the CC and CSW data regions for further comparison of water temperature and salinity conditions. Regional fracture zones and geological faults in the Yucatan Peninsula are indicated, along with the locations of documented blue holes within Chetumal Bay. CB data was measured at sampling stations positioned at cardinal positions ~500 m apart of the TJBH (TJBH N , TJBH S , TJBH E and TJBH W ). Images from scuba explorations of the TJBH at depths (B) 5.0 mbsl, (C) 20 mbsl, and (D) 30 mbsl are also presented. Credit: Frontiers in Marine Science (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1387235

A small team of oceanographers from several institutions in Mexico has found evidence that the Taam Ja' Blue Hole in Mexico's Chetumal Bay, on the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula, is the deepest in the world. In their study published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, the group made a dive deep into the hole along with a conductivity, temperature and depth profiler.

Blue holes are water-filled caverns that form below the seafloor. They are most often found in coastal areas where the bedrock is prone to erosion. They develop as ocean water seeps through cracks, dissolving minerals as they go, leading to sinkholes. Over time, they can grow quite large.

Several blue holes have been found around the globe, such as the Great Blue Hole near Belize and the Dahab Blue Hole off the coast of Egypt. Up until now, the deepest known to exist was the Dragon Hole in the South China Sea, which has been measured to 301 meters.

The Taam Ja' Blue Hole was first discovered in 2021, and at the time, was believed to be approximately 275 meters deep. This past December, the researchers with this new effort conducted a more intensive study of the hole by taking a conductivity, temperature and depth profiler with them on a divethe tool is a collection of sensors bound together in a frame and tied to a cable that is lowered into the water and directed by divers.

That dive showed the Taam Ja' Blue Hole is at least 420 meters deep, making it the deepest in the world. But it is actually deeper than that; the profiler they used was only capable of functioning at depths of 500 meters. The cable drifted, so the researchers had to subtract 80 meters. Because of that, the true depth of the hole is still unknown.

The dive team also found that the water in the hole had layers of differing temperature and salinity. One such layer found at 400 meters down had the salinity and temperature close to those of the nearby Caribbean Sea, suggesting an under-the-seabed connection between the two.

More information: Juan Carlos Alcerreca-Huerta et al, Recent records of thermohaline profiles and water depth in the Taam ja' Blue Hole (Chetumal Bay, Mexico), Frontiers in Marine Science (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1387235 Journal information: Frontiers in Marine Science

 2024 Science X Network
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This photo provided by Sunrise Veterinary Service in May 2024 shows Barbara Petersen. The first calls the Amarillo veterinarian received in early March 2024 were from dairy owners worried about crows, pigeons and other birds dying on their Texas farms. Then came word that barn cats -- half of them on one farm -- had died suddenly. Within days, she was hearing about sick cows with unusual symptoms: high fevers, reluctance to eat and much less milk. Credit: Sunrise Veterinary Service via AP

The first calls that Dr. Barb Petersen received in early March were from dairy owners worried about crows, pigeons and other birds dying on their Texas farms. Then came word that barn catshalf of them on one farmhad died suddenly.

Within days, the Amarillo veterinarian was hearing about sick cows with unusual symptoms: high fevers, reluctance to eat and much less milk. Tests for typical illnesses came back negative.

Petersen, who monitors more than 40,000 cattle on a dozen farms in the Texas Panhandle, collected samples from cats and cows and sent them to Dr. Drew Magstadt, a friend from college who now works at the veterinary diagnostic laboratory at Iowa State University.

The samples tested positive for a bird flu virus never before seen in cattle. It was the first proof that the bird flu, known as Type A H5N1, could infect cows. As of Wednesday, 36 U.S. herds had confirmed infections, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.

"It was just a surprise," recalled Petersen. "It was just a little bit of disbelief."

At the same time, on almost every farm with sick animals, Petersen said she saw sick people, too.

"We were actively checking on humans," Petersen said. "I had people who never missed work, miss work."

So far, two people in the U.S. have been confirmed to be infected with H5N1, most recently a Texas dairy worker linked to the cattle outbreak, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About two dozen people have been tested and about 100 people have been monitored since the virus appeared in cows, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, a CDC respiratory diseases official, told reporters Wednesday.

Daskalakis said CDC has seen no unusual flu trends in areas with infected cows, but some experts wonder if anecdotal reports of sick workers mean more than one person caught the virus from the animals.

Petersen said some workers had symptoms consistent with flu: fever and body aches, stuffy nose or congestion. Some had conjunctivitis, the eye inflammation detected in the Texas dairy worker diagnosed with bird flu.

Dr. Gregory Gray, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, has been taking samples from livestock and people on two Texas farms. On farms with confirmed cattle infections, there have also been reports of mild illnesses among the workers, he said.

His research has been difficult. Many workers are reluctant to be tested. That may be because they have limited access to health care or fear divulging private health information.

Without confirmation, no one knows if the sick workers were infected with the bird flu virus or something unrelated, Gray said.

"They seem to be linked in time and space, so one would say it's biologically plausible," said Gray.

Some of the workers who fell ill sought treatment and were offered oseltamivir, an antiviral drug sold under the brand name Tamiflu, Petersen said.

Some farm workers who were exposed to infected animals or people were offered the medication, CDC spokesman Jason McDonald said. State health officials are responsible for evaluating and providing treatment, according to federal guidelines.

Health officials in Texas provided Tamiflu to the person known to be infected with H5N1 and household members, plus two people on a second dairy farm who tested negative but were exposed to infected animals, said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. He said he wasn't sure if others had been offered the antiviral.

Farmers have been hesitant to allow health officials onto their land, said Dr. Kay Russo, a Colorado veterinarian who consulted about the outbreak with Petersen.

"This particular disease is looked at as a scarlet letter," Russo said. "It has this stigma associated with it right now."

Russo called for wider testing of cattle, people and milk.

"We do not know what we do not measure," she said. "Unfortunately, the horse left the barn and took off a lot faster than we were able to mobilize."

Gray worries that a recent federal order requiring testing of all lactating dairy cows moving between states could hinder cooperation even further. All labs that conduct tests must report positive results to the Agriculture Department. But many farmers may simply decide against testing, hoping to outlast the outbreak, he said.

The reluctance of workers and farmers to allow testing is "greatly hampering" understanding of how the virus spreads, how large the outbreak is now and how quickly it may grow, Gray said.

"It's a negative, very negative, effect," he said.

Petersen said she understands workers' and farmers' fears. She praised the farmers who had been willing to let her gather the first samples that confirmed the outbreak and reflected on what the results could mean.

"You immediately think about the cows, the people that care for them and the families that have these farms," she said. "You're thinking about the big picture, long term. Your mind starts to go down that entire path of concern."

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

For decades, concerns about automobile pollution have focused on what comes out of the tailpipe. Now, researchers and regulators say, we need to pay more attention to toxic emissions from tires as vehicles roll down the road.

At the top of the list of worries is a chemical called 6PPD, which is added to rubber tires to help them last longer. When tires wear on pavement, 6PPD is released. It reacts with ozone to become a different chemical, 6PPD-q, which can be extremely toxicso much so that it has been linked to repeated fish kills in Washington state.

The trouble with tires doesn't stop there. Tires are made primarily of natural rubber and synthetic rubber, but they contain hundreds of other ingredients, often including steel and heavy metals such as copper, lead, cadmium, and zinc.

As car tires wear, the rubber disappears in particles, both bits that can be seen with the naked eye and microparticles. Testing by a British company, Emissions Analytics, found that a car's tires emit 1 trillion ultrafine particles per kilometer drivenfrom 5 to 9 pounds of rubber per internal combustion car per year.

And what's in those particles is a mystery, because tire ingredients are proprietary.

"You've got a chemical cocktail in these tires that no one really understands and is kept highly confidential by the tire manufacturers," said Nick Molden, CEO of Emissions Analytics. "We struggle to think of another consumer product that is so prevalent in the world and used by virtually everyone, where there is so little known of what is in them."

Regulators have only begun to address the toxic tire problem, though there has been some action on 6PPD.

The chemical was identified by a team of researchers, led by scientists at Washington State University and the University of Washington, who were trying to determine why coho salmon returning to Seattle-area creeks to spawn were dying in large numbers.

Working for the Washington Stormwater Center, the scientists tested some 2,000 substances to determine which one was causing the die-offs, and in 2020 they announced they'd found the culprit: 6PPD.

The Yurok Tribe in Northern California, along with two other West Coast Native American tribes, have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to prohibit the chemical. The EPA said it is considering new rules governing the chemical. "We could not sit idle while 6PPD kills the fish that sustain us," said Joseph L. James, chairman of the Yurok Tribe, in a statement. "This lethal toxin has no place in any salmon-bearing watershed."

California has begun taking steps to regulate the chemical, last year classifying tires containing it as a "priority product," which requires manufacturers to search for and test substitutes.

"6PPD plays a crucial role in the safety of tires on California's roads and, currently, there are no widely available safer alternatives," said Karl Palmer, a deputy director at the state's Department of Toxic Substances Control.

"For this reason, our framework is ideally suited for identifying alternatives to 6PPD that ensure the continued safety of tires on California's roads while protecting California's fish populations and the communities that rely on them."

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association says it has mobilized a consortium of 16 tire manufacturers to carry out an analysis of alternatives. Anne Forristall Luke, USTMA president and CEO, said it "will yield the most effective and exhaustive review possible of whether a safer alternative to 6PPD in tires currently exists."

Molden, however, said there is a catch. "If they don't investigate, they aren't allowed to sell in the state of California," he said. "If they investigate and don't find an alternative, they can go on selling. They don't have to find a substitute. And today there is no alternative to 6PPD."

California is also studying a request by the California Stormwater Quality Association to classify tires containing zinc, a heavy metal, as a priority product, requiring manufacturers to search for an alternative. Zinc is used in the vulcanization process to increase the strength of the rubber.

When it comes to tire particles, though, there hasn't been any action, even as the problem worsens with the proliferation of electric cars. Because of their quicker acceleration and greater torque, electric vehicles wear out tires faster and emit an estimated 20% more tire particles than the average gas-powered car.

A recent study in Southern California found tire and brake emissions in Anaheim accounted for 30% of PM 2.5 , a small-particulate air pollutant, while exhaust emissions accounted for 19%. Tests by Emissions Analytics have found that tires produce up to 2,000 times as much particle pollution by mass as tailpipes.

These particles end up in water and air and are often ingested. Ultrafine particles, even smaller than PM 2.5 , are also emitted by tires and can be inhaled and travel directly to the brain. New research suggests tire microparticles should be classified as a pollutant of "high concern."

In a report issued last year, researchers at Imperial College London said the particles could affect the heart, lungs, and reproductive organs and cause cancer.

People who live or work along roadways, often low-income, are exposed to more of the toxic substances.

Tires are also a major source of microplastics. More than three-quarters of microplastics entering the ocean come from the synthetic rubber in tires, according to a report from the Pew Charitable Trusts and the British company Systemiq.

And there are still a great many unknowns in tire emissions, which can be especially complex to analyze because heat and pressure can transform tire ingredients into other compounds.

One outstanding research question is whether 6PPD-q affects people, and what health problems, if any, it could cause. A study published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters found high levels of the chemical in urine samples from a region of South China, with levels highest in pregnant women.

The discovery of 6PPD-q, Molden said, has sparked fresh interest in the health and environmental impacts of tires, and he expects an abundance of new research in the coming years. "The jigsaw pieces are coming together," he said. "But it's a thousand-piece jigsaw, not a 200-piece jigsaw."

2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

In 2023, 410 people were murdered in Philadelphiamore than a quarter of them under age 25. In addition to the people who died, countless others lost loved ones and people they relied on.

As a social scientist who studies different forms of violence and how they affect a person's health, I know that the violence young people in Philadelphia experience is about more than shootings, homicides and physical injuries. Social science recognizes many different types of violence beyond the physicalfor example, poverty, racism and negative interactions with police.

Furthermore, violence can take a toll on one's health even if the person is unaware of it. For example, I once interviewed a young man from West Philadelphia and tracked his heart rate. When a shooting occurred outside his living room window, his heart rate spiked suddenly from 51 beats per minute and hit 116. He had heard the gunshot, but it did not upset him. He felt he had been hardened to the violence happening in front of his door, and he was shocked to learn that his body had reacted so strongly.

To better understand the relationship between forms of violence and their impacts, I conducted an ethnographic study involving 12 young people ages 16 to 21 who lived in different Philadelphia neighborhoods where violence is prevalent. These included Kensington, the Northeast, Germantown, Cobbs Creek and Belmont. The study lasted from 2016 to 2018 and was recently published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Adolescent Research. The names used in this article are pseudonyms to protect the identities of the young people who contributed to my research.

I spent a month with each young person. I walked through their neighborhoods with them, interviewed them about their family histories and measured their heart rates as they went about their day. They wore wristband health monitors and carried a separate GPS tracker for four days. At the end of each day, I sat with them and reviewed their heart rate data and where they went.

I learned that where a young person lives, the societal messages they absorb and the different forms of violence they experience can deeply affect their physical and mental health.

'No shade, no trees, no big parks'

The young people I worked with understood the lack of investments in their neighborhoods as signals that those in power did not care about them, their families or their communities. They talked about public school closures, the limited access to libraries and lack of trees or green space. Walking with me around her Cobbs Creek neighborhood, Desmond, 21, said, "Who would want to live here? There's no shade, no trees, no big parks."

They also saw how gentrificationthe process of wealthier persons and investments displacing local businesses and residentswas changing their neighborhoods. Kalia, having lived her life in "little Puerto Rico," as she called her Kensington neighborhood, told me how she felt about wealthier people moving in.

"Remember how I was saying that we're loud, and we're all like close to each other, we all just hang out and stuff? And they're not like that. They're quiet, and they have all their money, you know?" she said. "So I feel like they're not only trying to change the neighborhood, they're just trying to change the way people live."

'I can't blame them, though'

Working with the five young Black men in the study, I learned how their day-to-day interactions with the police impacted their self-worth. They shared experiences of police slamming them against a wall, knocking food out of their hands, refusing to believe they didn't have a criminal record or chasing them out of parks.

In sharing these interactions, it was clear that several of the young men had internalized false messages from society and culture that Black men commit more crimes and act more aggressively than white people. Kareem, from West Philadelphia, summed up his thoughts on it like this: "If you was a criminal, then they probably treat you in a certain way. But since almost every Black person be getting into almost everything, they think we all criminals. I can't blame them, though."

Future, from Southwest Philly, had a particularly tense interaction with police and came into an interview feeling, he said, "hyped up." His heart rate had increased from 60 to 106 beats per minute when approached by the police, and then elevated to 130 BPM within 10 minutes. It remained elevated for 30 minutes.

While walking to our interview, Future told me, he had stopped to spend the last of his cash on a breakfast sandwich and a coffee. Shortly after, a police officer knocked the sandwich out of his hand, pushed him against a wall and handcuffed him. "They thought I had dope, weed and pills on me, and then I'm like, 'I don't got nothing,'" he said. They asked him for his ID, to which he countered, "Why you got me in cuffs?" Then they threatened to bring him into the station.

"Listen, I'm being obedient," Future told the officers, explaining that he was on probation. After police "threw" him in the back of the car, he said, a neighbor began filming the incident and asked the police what they were doing. Future said the younger cop reached for his gun while his partner "tried to get me to rat on my 'hood.'"

The purpose of the police encounter, it seemed, was to gain information about the goings on in the neighborhood. The young men I talked with said they'd often had similar experiences.

'It's a deep emotional ride'

Whether it was through experiencing police brutality, the child welfare system, homelessness or past trauma, each of the young people I worked with grappled with the impacts of interpersonal, structural and symbolic violence in different ways. Sometimes it was apparent in their mental health, manifesting in eating disorders, severe anxiety or bouts of depression.

Conner, a young Black man living in Belmont, experienced severe anxiety that at times kept him from leaving his house. His heart rate would spike on public transit, sometimes reaching 150 BPM, as he worried about neighborhood arguments spilling over onto the bus. He would go to the gym late at night to avoid fights, and he talked about the friends he had lost to gun violence. On how he felt about these losses, he said, "It's a deep emotional ride, but I mean, the majority of us, people of color, we're used to things like that happening."

For others, their physical health suffered as well. One young woman, for instance, had witnessed severe violence in her home during her childhood and had been involved with the child welfare system both as a child and as a mother. She struggled with hypertension, severe headaches, obesity and anxiety. She lamented that getting care was just out of reach, particularly for her mental health. Every time she started to connect to a therapist, she said, either the center would close or the therapist would leave.

The research is clear that childhood trauma leads to higher rates of early morbidity and health ailments such as cardiovascular disorders. But it was striking to see these symptoms starting among people still in their teenage years.

Holistic interventions

Society typically tries to reduce violence by fixing individual behaviorsusing metal detectors to curb weapons, for example, or creating mentoring programs for individuals deemed at-risk for violence.

I believe a more holistic approach would go further. Libraries, parks and community centers promote education, physical activity and social cohesion for children in high-poverty neighborhoods. Connecting people with jobs that pay a living wage helps them maintain a decent quality of life and increase their self-worth. Investing in quality mental health services in neighborhoods that lack them can provide young people with the professional support they need to process their environment and what is happening around them.

In short, recognizing that violence comes in many forms, and requires multiple levels of intervention, could make a world of difference.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
UPDATED, May 1, 3:30 p.m.:

GLENS FALLS  Glens Falls Police have identified the deceased women found during a welfare check Tuesday afternoon, April 30.

Glens Falls Police reported the women who was found during a welfare check at 143 Maple Street was 66-year-old Melanie Conway, a resident of an apartment in the building.

A forensic autopsy was conducted on May 1 at Glens Falls Hospital. According to a press release from the Glens Falls Fire Department Wednesday afternoon, there were no signs of trauma or injuries to the decedent that would have contributed to the immediate cause of death.

The cause of death at this time is pending toxicology results as well as further studies, the press release from the Glens Falls Police Department stated. The discovery of the decedent being located under various household items remains under investigation at this time.

Officers have cleared and released the scene at this time and have said there is no concern of public safety at this time.

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Original post, May 1:

Glens Falls Police are investigating a death on Maple Street. Glens Falls Police responded to a call for a welfare check in the 100 block of Maple Street Tuesday, and upon arrival inside the residence, a deceased individual was found.

Police issued a press release about the matter Wednesday morning, May 1, and stated that a resident of 143 Maple Street was interviewed regarding the death and the circumstances that took place.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the decedent was a female and that she had been covered in various household items, the press release stated.

Due to the nature of the discovery, the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Unit was contacted to process the scene, according to the press release from the Glens Falls Police Department.

The death appears to have occurred within the previous 24 to 36 hour time frame, police reported.

The circumstances involving the death remain under investigation at this time police reported. According to the press release, an update about this case will be released when a cause of death is determined, and notification has been made to the family.

The Glens Falls Police Department is being assisted by the New York State Police on this case.

Police and Glens Falls Director of Communications Paul Ghenoiu said Tuesday evening that there was no danger to the public.

City Police Officers, vehicles and caution tape were seen outside the home on Tuesday.
Florida's six week abortion ban went into effect on Wenesday, replacing the 15-week ban that became state law shortly after Roe v. Wade was overturned in the summer of 2022.

Under the new law, patients seeking abortions will be subject to a mandatory 24-hour waiting period and attend two in-person appointments. People will also no longer be able access abortion via telehealth appointments.

Florida's Supreme Court issued the landmark decision last month, while simultaneously allowing for a November referendum that could enshrine the right to an abortion in the state's constitution.Abortion providers across the Sunshine State have expressed concern about the strain the ban could put on both patients and healthcare providers  particularly because many people do not even know whether they're pregnant by six weeks.

"We want to be able to help everyone with information in order to access care as quickly as possible," Barbara Zdravecky, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida told NPR. "The emotional turmoil that's going to happen, the anger, the fear, the anxiety is going to be great."

Many strategists believe that a November referendum on abortion-access could have favorable results for Flordia Democrats. The proposed constitutional Amendment Four would allow abortion up to the point of viability and will require 60% approval to pass. Abortion has proved to be a challenging issue for Republicans in the 2024 election cycle. Though overturning Roe v. Wade was one of the party's long term goals, in the aftermath of their Supreme Court victory the GOP has found that restricting abortion is a losing issue at the ballot box.

"The average Floridian, when they hear the truth about this extreme amendment, they will vote it down," said State Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka, according to the New York Times.

In the meantime, abortion providers in Florida anticipate new complexities as they work with patients to determine the next steps in their pregnancies.

"We're estimating about 90% of our callers are going to need to go out-of-state and that we'll have a large increase in callers because this is going to be a whole new cost for people seeking abortions," McKenna Kelley, a volunteer board member with the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund told NPR.
LAKE GEORGE  An investigation is underway in the near drowning of a 5-year-old child at The Great Escape earlier this month.

The Warren County Sheriffs office reported that an unresponsive 5-year-old girl from Hudson, New York, was found in the water at Great Escape Lodge Water Park Saturday April 20.

An on-site lifeguard and EMT team responded to the young swimmer in distress, and provided immediate care. According to a statement from The Great Escape, the guest was breathing when transported to a hospital for further attention.

Drowning incidents at regulated bathing facilities in New York State are investigated by the local health department or by the state district offices that permits the facility, according to the New York State Department of Health.

The New York State Department of Healths Glens Falls District Office is investigating this specific incident; however, we cannot comment further as this is an open investigation, said Danielle R. De Souza, Public Information Officer with the New York State Department of Health, in an email to The Post-Star.

Taylor Myers, the communications manager with the resort wrote in an email to The Post-Star shortly after the incident, stating, Ensuring the safety and well-being of our guests is paramount to us which is why we have certified lifeguards and emergency personnel on property.

The New York State Department of Health reports there are over 7,400 public swimming pools, and 1,300 public bathing beaches operated in the state, millions of patrons visit these facilities each year.

Pool and beath owners and operators are required to report incidents that occur at a bathing facility that result in death, require resuscitation, require a referral to a hospital or other facility for medical attention or if there is a bather illness associated with bathing water quality, according to the DOH.

Warren County has had four reported fatal drownings at regulated facilities since 1987 according to data from the New York State Department of Health.
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin met with the federal railroad administrator Tuesday, asking him to prioritize a proposed passenger rail connection between Chicago and the Quad-Cities.

According to a press release from his office, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, met with Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose on Tuesday to receive an update on the Chicago-Quad-Cities passenger rail project.

Our state relies on rail. It fuels our economy and ensures connectivity across our vast state, Durbin said. ... Today, in meeting with Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose, I urged him to prioritize the project and follow through on the federal funding that was allocated to establish the rail line.

The project has had access to $225 million in state funding since 2019, but the Illinois Department of Transportation and Iowa Interstate have been unable to reach an agreement on the infrastructure upgrades for the project. Federal funding, first secured in 2010 and extended multiple times, is set to expire in December unless they can reach an agreement and begin construction.

Photos: U.S. Senator Dick Durbin holds a news conference at MetroLINK
New York City Mayor Eric Adams lashed out at protesters who replaced the American flag over the CUNY campus with a Palestinian flag.

"That's our flag folks. You don't take over our buildings and put another flag up. That may be fine to other people but not to me. My uncle died defending this country," Adams said at a Wednesday morning news conference.

"It's despicable that schools will allow another country's flag to fly in our country. So blame me for being proud to be an American."

Adams played a video showing NYPD officers returning the stars and stripes up a flagpole.

They also cleared protesters who had barricaded themselves in Columbia's Hamilton Hall on Tuesday.

#HAPPENINGNOW: An incredible scene and proud moment as we have assisted @CityCollegeNY in restoring order on campus, culminating in raising Old Glory once again on their campus flagpole. @NYPDPC @NYPD1stDep @NYPDChiefOfDept @NYPDChiefPatrol @NYPDnews pic.twitter.com/XZWFmvXcUs  NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) May 1, 2024

New York City officials used the news conference to defend their actions.

Approximately 300 people were arrested at Columbia and SUNY as police cleared protesters at the two schools.

Adams stressed that Columbia requested the NYPD's help during a Wednesday morning news conference.

Adams said outside agitators were among the protesters to "create chaos."

"They are attempting to disrupt our city and we are not going to let it happen," Adams said.

He called the takeover of Hamilton Hall by protesters a "violent spectacle" that needed to end.

"There were those who were never concerned about free speech, it was about chaos."

Protests have spread across U.S. college campuses calling on the schools to divest from companies that support the war in Gaza.

Isarel has been fighting to eliminate Hamas after an Oct. 7 terror attack that killed more than 1,000 Israelis and ended with the kidnapping of hundreds of others.
Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand released a report Tuesday on college degree requirements in state jobs, arguing that the state should drop the requirement for some positions.

Sand, a Democrat, created the report with Opportunity@Work, a firm that seeks to advance employment opportunities for those with job training outside a traditional four-year college degree. The report identified 28 job titles in state government that could be better served by dropping the college degree requirement, Sand said.

Among those positions are administrative assistants, information technology specialists, nurse specialists and workforce advisors. Some of the positions require a four-year degree, while others say a degree is preferred.

Sand said a significant portion of Iowa workers have training through military service, community college or on-the-job training, making them skilled enough to do the work. But a degree requirement, or the indication that a degree is preferred, turns those potential applicants away, he said.

That paper ceiling stops a lot of really well-qualified people from applying for those jobs or getting those jobs, Sand said.

Opportunity@Work has performed similar audits in other states. Sand said he reached out to the organization after seeing their work with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

The state Department of Administrative Services manages the job postings and requirements for most state jobs, Sand said, and the department would need to approve any changes to job requirements. He said his office would share the report with the department and request that it change the requirements for the listed job postings.

"We're going to get a broader cross-section of Iowans applying for this work, including a lot of people who are value-focused, practical-focused, who have made those career decisions for those reasons," Sand said.

During a news conference Wednesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds said the Department of Administrative Services had conducted a similar review two years ago, which led the state to remove some degree requirements.

Reynolds said Sands office had not reached out to the Department of Administrative Services or her office before conducting the report.

We did a thorough review of the Department of Administrative Services, went through the whole list, Reynolds said. I think there are 807 job classifications that were reviewed. Im proud to say that only about 10% require a college degree or higher education.

Iowa DOT X account hacked

The Iowa Department of Transportation's X account was hacked on Tuesday, the agency said.

The account, on the social media site formerly known as Twitter, was briefly being used to promote a cryptocurrency called Renzo. The account's name, profile photo and cover photo had been changed.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Iowa DOT name and photos had been restored on the account. All of the account's posts have been deleted.

"It appears the @IowaDOT X account was compromised overnight. We have reached out to X to regain control. They are working to restore our account as quickly as possible," the DOT said in a news release.

The agency said the hack involved only the X account and no other DOT systems were affected.

Iowa Attorney General warns of "storm-chaser scams"



In the wake of destructive tornadoes that caused major damage in Minden and Pleasant Hill over the weekend, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said Iowans should be on the lookout for "scammers and shady contractors" looking to exploit victims of the natural disaster.

Bird's office said the scammers could present as clean-up, home repair and construction contractors, especially those seeking business door-to-door and asking for payment up-front.

Iowans should check a contractor's reputation and identification, get a written contract, work directly with insurance companies and avoid risky payment methods, Bird's office said.

"Iowans are resilient, but they should not need to fight off scammers while rebuilding their lives," Bird said in a news release. "Before hiring a contractor, take your time, do your research, and protect yourself from falling victim to a storm-chaser scam. My office is always a resource to those who suspect they are being targeted by scammers.

Iowa AG secures settlement for businesses, charities targeted by a misleading mailer

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced nearly 500 Iowa businesses and charities will receive full refunds for money lost through misleading mailers.

Birds office announced a settlement with Master Marketing Group LLC, which has been conducting business as GA Business Compliance. According to the attorney generals office, the company misled Iowans in wrongfully believing that as part of the process for forming a new business or charity that they needed to obtain a certificate showing they had registered to do business in the state. GA Business Compliance then charged Iowans $65 for the certificate.

In circumstances where the certificate is actually needed, it can be obtained from the Iowa Secretary of States office for $5.

Under the settlement, GA Business Compliance has agreed to issue full refunds to 478 Iowa businesses and charities, totaling nearly $30,000, and pay a $5,000 penalty. The company is also permanently banned from sending mail solicitations to Iowans.

Most Iowans who paid GA Business Compliance by credit card should have already received their full refunds, according to the attorney generals office. Remaining Iowans will receive a check from the Iowa Attorney Generals office that will be mailed within the next few weeks.

Iowans who believe theyve been affected or did not receive their check should contact the Iowa Attorney Generals office at 888-777-4590.

This story has been updated to include comments from Gov. Kim Reynolds on State Auditor Rob Sand's jobs report.

Demand for sustainability, AI, and equity and inclusion courses are on the rise globally among prospective business students Demand for sustainability, AI, and equity and inclusion courses are on the rise globally among prospective business students
A Box Elder man has been sentenced to life in prison after being caught attempting to sexually exploit minors during an undercover sex trafficking operation during the 2023 Sturgis Rally.

Vincent Alberto Barrios, 43, was convicted in December 2023 of sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, enticement of a minor using the internet, attempted enticement of a minor using the internet, receipt of child pornography and attempted receipt of child pornography. The sentencing took place on April 26, 2024.

Judge Karen Schreier imposed a 30-year sentence on each sexual exploitation charge, a life sentence on each enticement charge, and a 20-year sentence on each receipt charge.

Barrios was arrested and indicted by a federal grand jury following an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Following multiple chats and sexually explicit text messages with a person Barrios believed to be a 13-year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover agent, Barrios proceeded to negotiate a time and place he would meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. When Barrios went to the pre-determined location to meet the minor, he was instead met by law enforcement agents and arrested.

During this time, Barrios was also chatting with two other undercover agents he believed to be 14-year-old girls, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. After a review of Barrios phone, law enforcement located a text message conversation with a local 14-year-old girl and child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices and the DOJs Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, HSI, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

Barrios was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
A 39-year-old Florida man is out on bail and facing weapons charges after being arrested at a protest on the campus of the University of South Florida on Tuesday.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says Atah Othman was arrested as they broke up a pro-Palestinian rally. Othman allegedly had a gun in his waistband at the time of his arrest. He was arrested for trespassing, unlawful assembly and resisting arrest along with the felony posession of weapon on school property charge.

Othman was one of 10 protesters arrested by USF Police. He was bailed out early on Wednesday, according to jail records.

Campus Police Chief Daniel Nelson said dozens of protesters were on campus for a rally in the same spot where three people were arrested a day earlier, WTVT-reported.

A student ground had organized the rally but it ignored a 5 p.m. deadline to clear the school grounds. Police moved and used tear gas to clear the grounds.

Protests have spread across U.S. college campuses calling on the schools to divest from companies that support the war in Gaza.

Nearly 300 protesters were arrested at Columbia University on Tuesday evening when the NYPD cleared a building that they had barricaded themselves inside.
News

Microsoft Investing $1.7 Billion in Indonesia Cloud and AI Efforts

Continuing its aggressive global investment push in both AI and cloud infrastructure, Microsoft on Tuesday announced it is making a $1.7 billion investment in Indonesia.

"This new generation of AI is reshaping how people live and work everywhere, including in Indonesia, said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. "The investments we are announcing today -- spanning digital infrastructure, skilling and support for developers -- will help Indonesia thrive in this new era."

Nadella met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo this week to discuss the specifics of how the investment will further the country's technological goals regarding growth.

The stake will be allotted over a four-year period and represents the largest investment Microsoft has made in the region in the company's history. Microsoft said today's announcement will help contribute to the country's Golden Indonesia 2045 initiative, which aims to establish Indonesia as a sovereign, prosperous and advanced nation over the next 20 years.

While the majority of the investment will focus on AI and cloud infrastructure, Microsoft's interest also includes developing training and advancement programs in partnership with the Indonesian government, nonprofits and tech companies to increase AI, cybersecurity and digital technologies experts. The company estimates that 840,000 Indonesians and a total of 2.5 million across Southeast Asia will benefit from these upcoming programs and services

Our investment sets a new milestone for Indonesia's digital landscape," said Dharma Simorangkir, President Director of Microsoft Indonesia. "We aim to empower Indonesians with the infrastructure and skills needed for the AI era, aligning with our national vision for digital prowess. It's a crucial step towards making Indonesia a hub for digital talent and innovation."

This week's announcement continues a recent uptick in global spending by Microsoft, which includes cloud and AI infrastructure investments in the United Arab Emirates for $1.5 billion, $2.9 billion in Japan and the announcement of a new AI hub in London.

Microsoft isn't the only big player looking to make a substantial investment in Indonesia. Apple's Tim Cook last week said the company is looking into opening a new manufacturing plant in the country.
New report suggests Taam ja blue hole in Chetumal Bay deepest in world

Chetumal, Q.R.  The Taam ja blue hole in Chetumal Bay is being hailed the deepest in the world. According to Ecosur-Conahcyt, recent research reveals that its depths exceeds 420 meters below sea level.

The article, which was published April 29, shows the analysis of physical, chemical and geological processes of the intricate karst system of sinkholes (cenotes and blue holes) in the southeast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Analysis of water characteristics inside Taam ja suggests possible underground connections with the Caribbean Sea.

A team of scientists from Investigators for Mexico of the National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies (Conahcyt) and academic staff from its Public Center El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (Ecosur) reported on the blue hole first in February of 2023.

The discovery of the blue hole in Chetumal Bay was made in February of 2023 at which time scientists reported a depth of 274.4 meters, making it the second deepest in the world of its type and the only one within an estuarine system.

However, recent measurements by the research team of this karst structure, which was named Taam Ja (deep water) in allusion to the Mayan culture of the region, exceed 420 meters below sea level.

Scientists have not been able to determine an exact depth to the bottom.

The Taam ja blue hole has a morphology similar to that of a cenote, but is different from these due to the dominance of water with brackish or marine characteristics and because it is completely submerged.

The research team described by Taam ja carried out these measurements with the CTD (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth) profiling instrument to understand the characteristics of the water column inside the blue hole.

Scientists now believe the blue hole of Chetumal Bay is the deepest in the world. Photo: ecosur

In addition to the depth measurement, significant variations in temperature and salinity were recognized inside the blue hole. Different water layers and transition zones were also identified.

Furthermore, the water characteristics at the depths of the blue hole resembled those that have been reported in the Caribbean Sea at depths of 0-150 meters suggesting the probable existence of underground connections between Chetumal Bay and the Caribbean Sea through this blue hole.

It is of utmost importance for scientific research to understand the unique geomorphology and characteristics of the Taam ja blue hole, as they are closely related to the physical, chemical, biological and geological processes taking place in the karst systems southeast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

The Taam ja blue hole is part of a system of blue holes within the Manati Sanctuary-Bahia de Chetumal State Reserve, being the only ones so far reported in the Mexican Caribbean, so its research can provide knowledge and support for the sustainable management of the area.

The structural complexity and physical and biogeochemical processes in the Taam ja blue hole motivated interdisciplinary research involving women and men oceanologists, engineers and biologists.

In the article, they report the team is made up of Dr. Laura Carillo Bibriezca, Dr. Teresa Alvarez Legorreta, M. in C. Laura M. Florez Franco, Dr. Joan Alberto Sanchez, Dr. Oscar F. Reyes Mendoza and is coordinated by Dr. Juan Carlos Alcerreca Huerta.

It should be noted that the significant collaboration of the community guide Jesus Artemio Poot Villa was fundamental for the beginning of the investigations in Taam ja.

The result of the investigations has generated a sense of belonging and pride among the residents of the city of Chetumal and its surroundings, toward the natural wealth of Chetumal Bay.

Community appropriation has manifested itself in regional culture with the creation of a song dedicated to the presence, history and research of Taam ja, highlighting its importance as a new wealth for Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico and the world.
Official decree designates Chetumal as merchant free zone

Chetumal, Q.R.  The government of Quintana Roo officially presented the decree to promote the Chetumal free zone before merchants, businessmen and investors during a work meeting Monday.

The meeting took place at the headquarters of the National Chamber of Commerce (CANACO) of Chetumal.

State legal counsel Carlos Felipe Fuentes del Rio explained the fiscal incentives offered by the decree include 100 percent in VAT, ISR and Customs Taxes related to the importation of goods and products for those who do not exceed annual income of 5 million pesos. For legal entities, the limit will be 50 million pesos in annual income, he added.

During the Q&A session for area businessmen, Governor Mara Lezama confirmed follow-up meetings for the promotion of the free zone to move forward in parallel with implementation.

The Governor insisted that this Free Zone Decree, while its title mentions Chetumal, its scope of application is throughout the municipality which will allow Chetumal to return to the dynamism that it once had in terms of import trade.

I am sure that the best times are coming for our beloved capital Chetumal and for the municipality of Othon P. Blanco if we envision that not only will it be possible to reactivate, energize and detonate the local economy, attracting new investments, modernizing the infrastructure, creating and strengthening jobs.

But there is the potential to convert the free zone into a pole of commercial, industrial and tourist development for the south-southeast of our country, taking advantage of our strategic geographical location with the participation of all of you.

They are and will continue to be the pillar of economic development for our beloved capital, she said.

Authorities pointed out that the potential market includes the more than 316,000 area residents of the southern zone along with the 605,000 annual Belize visitors.

Tax incentives are now part of the Chetumal merchant free zone initiative. Photo: CGC April 30, 2024.

The potential market also includes residents of Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco, Veracruz and Yucatan who may be attracted by the price and quality of the products, as well as the thousands national tourists who travel by land in private vehicles through the Escarcega Chetumal-Cancun and Escarcega Merida-Cancun highways.

The potential market is also expected to include Tren Maya travelers once the last sections in the southern zone are finished.
G.K. Chesterton once said that a stolen umbrella confirmed for him that the Catholic Church was where he belonged. As he explained, when attending different Christian churches, he often left his umbrella at the back door and collected it after the service. After attending his first Catholic mass, however, he discovered that his umbrella was nowhere to be found. Someone had stolen it. This, he recognized, was a sign: if the Church welcomed even thieves and misfits, then there must be room in it for everyone, himself included.

Chesterton, of course, happened to discover something that has been true throughout the ages: the Catholic Church is indeed composed of a motley crew. Its a hospital for sinners, after all, and make no mistakeevery one of us is a sinner. Its no surprise, therefore, that the Church should experience turbulence in every age, including our own. Here in the United States, for example, the Church faces formidable challenges: an increasingly polarized culture, a loss of young people from the faith, a pope who sometimes seems at odds with U.S. church leadership, and growing apathy among many congregations, to name but a few. On the other hand, there are many bright spots: a large contingent of unchurched young people starving for truth, parishes thriving in various communities throughout the land, a renewed vigor for evangelization and church doctrine, and a strong brotherhood within many dioceses themselves.

Thus, the drama of the modern Church, as with any institution, consists of adversity and opportunity, struggle and victory, pessimism and optimism. Now, for the first time, a brand new book examines this drama from within the Church itself. In True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church, author Francis X. Maier presents the state of the modern Church through the eyes of U.S. bishops, priests, deacons, sisters, and laypeople alike. In so doing he reveals the authentic concerns and challenges, as well as the sincere confidence and hope, of those who live and breathe the Catholic faith.

One common concern expressed throughout the book is the antipathy toward Christianity expressed by mainstream culture. What weve got now in our country is, at best, a tolerance of religion as a personal hobby for superstitious weak people who cling to their childhood dreams, notes one bishop. At worst, more and more, were dealing with real hatred, and outright bigotry, toward religious faith. Sounding a similar note, another bishop points out how society discourages deep thinking about anything, especially ultimate questions.  Our culture is very good at enabling that disinterest. In the end, though, it leads to a life that doesnt have any larger meaning.

Others, however, see a silver lining here. While the animosity toward the Church has undoubtedly weakened the faith of many, such tepid adherence has unfortunately left them without a deep sense of meaning or purpose in their lives. As a result, theyve found themselves yearning for truth. I find that many people are hungry for the truth because they get so much equivocation and deceit, notes one member of the clergy. Ambiguity confuses, adds another. Clarity of teaching is essential. People follow a challenge, not a question mark. Moreover, others are encouraged by the robust response to this problem from both clergy and laypeople. For example, the Augustine Institute has launched FORMED, a Catholic app hosting hundreds of podcasts, talks, debates, and other resources defending the faith. Likewise, Word on Fire, a Catholic ministry started by Bishop Robert Barron, has racked up millions of YouTube views, mostly from young people clamoring for wisdom. And EWTN, a Catholic TV, radio, and news platform run by lay members of the faith, has also grown an impressive following. So, concludes one priest, Id argue that a new evangelization is actually underway, despite all obstacles.

Aside from this, readers will find mixed (though always respectful) thoughts about Pope Francis, who many believe has leveled unjustified criticism at church leadership in the U.S. Here, for instance, is how one prelate puts it: Yes, he shoots from the hip. Yes, hes unreasonably negative toward capitalism. And I dont think his pontificates focus on climate and the environment makes much sense, given all the other urgent issues we face. But  I was very impressed with his energy and personal warmth. Francis also seems to be looking for pastorally oriented men as bishops; guys whove been engaged in pastoral work. And thats an appropriate thing to do. Another writes that Pope Francis has great love for the poor. His heart is genuine.  But a pope should be the principle of unity in the Church, and instead Francis fosters ambiguity, which feeds division. His distaste for the United States and its bishops is obvious and unwarranted. Even so, whatever challenges Pope Francis may pose, the bishops themselves tend to agree that their fraternity and esteem for one another is strong. I respect my brother bishops, one writes. Theyre nearly all good, faithful men.

Furthermore, the book also gives priests the chance to give their honest assessment of the state of the Church. Fascinatingly, priests report very high levels of fulfillment. In fact, a full 77% of priests categorize themselves as flourishing. As one priest explains, I feel remarkably fulfilled in my life.  I mean, just to be able to minister to people, being able to love them. Being able to be Christ for them  its just such a beautiful life. Especially interesting is one priest who describes how celibacy enhances not only his ability to be a father to his parish but also his happiness. Celibacy, he explains,

is a gift to the Church; it can and should survive. Its a charism. Its not doctrinally necessary, but its no accident that all of the great Christian missionary movements came out of the Western Church, not the Eastern Church. If Im married with two or four or six kids, I dont have the freedom to give all of myself to the Church and her people. It would be profoundly unjust to expect a married man with children to spend the kind of time that I do in and around the parish. Plus, candidly, along with the sacrifice theres a lot of freedom and happiness in celibacy, especially as priests age.

Of course, priests give voice to numerous other issues as well, including the burdens of priestly life, the role of technology and whether it will accelerate a materialist outlook, and what the Church should do to impact culture in the coming decades.

Sisters and laypeople, too, give their input on matters in the Church. Asked, for example, why womens religious vocations are relatively rare nowadays, one sister says simply that obedience is not a high value in America. Given the hyperfocus on individualism and personal expression today, submission to a higher authority does indeed strike many as an obstacle to happiness. Yet as one lay female university professor keenly observes, the lack of obedience to a higher authority in fact causes unhappiness. When students are fragmented and unhappy, she says, they can be riled up to think that by latching onto this or that large cause of justice, its somehow going to give their life meaning. But if they dont deal with the core of the problem, which is that they dont have intimacy, and they dont have a commitment to things higher than mere politics, then they dont live in a way that builds order from the ground up.

Needless to say, this is but a sampling of the many reflections, fears, hopes, frustrations, and joys conveyed by the hundreds of voices throughout the pages of this unique book. Together, however, they make one thing abundantly clear: the Church today is, as it always has been, a spectacularly diverse group of people from every walk of life. Does it have its challenges? Undoubtedly. But is there reason for hope? Always. The gates of hell, after all, will never prevail against it.
Kansas police encountered a grisly scene after responding to a frantic 911 call from a mother being attacked by her son, police records have revealed.



Robert Fapp, 38, of Topeka, Kansas, stabbed his father 57 times before attempting to turn the knife on his mother, Katherine Fapp, who rushed to call 911 to explain to the dispatcher that her son was repeatedly stabbing his father, according to an affidavit obtained by KSNT.

The affidavit also revealed that when police arrived on the scene on April 19, they found Katherine Fapp bleeding profusely on her front porch. Upon entering the home, they discovered her son, Robert Fapp, straddling his father, Ross Fapp, in an upstairs bedroom.

Robert was on top of his father as both struggled for control over the knife. Police stated Ross' hands were wrapped around the knife's blade as Robert continued to push the knife further into his father's chest, KSNT reported.

Once restrained, police took him into custody, while Ross and Katherine were rushed to a nearby hospital to treat their injuries. Ross succumbed to his wounds a short while later. Medical staff confirmed that he had been stabbed a total of 57 times.

When questioned about what led to the horrific incident, Katherine told investigators she was painting in an office when her husband burst into the room shouting, "He's trying to stab me!"

Robert met his mother at the doorway, where he immediately attacked her with the knife, puncturing one of her lungs.

As Ross tried to jump between his son and wife, Robert then turned his attention back to his father.

The Shawnee County District Attorney charged Fapp with multiple charges, including murder in the first degree, premeditation, and attempted murder in the first degree, premeditation.
DANVILLE  A statewide initiative to reduce gun crimes has led to a drop in homicides in the commonwealth, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said Tuesday.

Weve seen absolutely fantastic numbers, he said during a news conference in front of the Danville Police Department headquarters.

Operation Ceasefires goal was to decrease homicides by 10%, but they dropped by 17% across the state in the programs first year, Miyares said. The campaign started in October 2022 and has focused on 13 cities, including Danville, Martinsville, Lynchburg and Roanoke.

Just here in the city of Danville, weve seen a 25% decrease in homicides, a 28% decrease in robbery, Miyares said.

The city had eight homicides in 2022 and six in 2023.

Aggravated assaults went up by 34% from 2022 to 2023 in Danville, which also saw a 10% drop in reported rapes. Violent offenses overall increased by 13% and all offenses combined increased by 5.5%, according to figures from the attorney generals office.

Operation Ceasefire addresses gun violence through prosecution and prevention, as well as promoting violence intervention strategies and working with local communities to reduce and prevent violent crime, according to a March 20 news release from the attorney generals office.

Other cities under the program include Richmond, Petersburg, Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Emporia and Hopewell.

Twelve of the 13 cities saw reductions in crime in 2023, and nine saw an overall decrease in violent crime. Cities also saw 225 fewer violent crimes last year than in 2022, according to the news release.

Through March 20, Operation Ceasefire had prosecuted 155 cases, resulting in 106 convictions with 41 pending trials, according to the news release.

Lynchburg Commonwealths Attorney Bethany Harrison praised Miyares efforts with Operation Ceasefire and its results in Lynchburg.

We know that justice requires accountability for the offender, Harrison said. Justice requires taking care of our victims of crime. Justice requires equipping our officers with the tools they need to complete their jobs. Justice requires collaboration by law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial authorities at the federal, state and local level.

Justice also needs prevention and intervention, she added.

Weve seen the fruits of these labors in the city of Lynchburg, Harrison said.

According to figures from the attorney generals office, Lynchburg saw a 50% decrease in homicides from 2022 to 2023, from eight to four, and an 8% drop in violent crime overall.

Danville Police Chief Chris Wiles pointed to the importance of collaboration between law enforcement and the community to achieve crime-reduction goals.

But gun violence continues to devastate our communities, leaving many lives lost and countless lives shattered, Wiles added, before mentioning the four police officers fatally shot while serving warrants at a home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

That violence took the lives of four law-enforcement officers, Wiles said.

Roanoke Police Chief Scott Booth, who was Danvilles police chief from 2018 to 2023, said overall crime in Danville has fallen to half of what it was since 2018.

This was a collaborative effort between the police department, our federal agencies, our state partners like the attorney generals office, our elected officials here who showed us a phenomenal level of support, Booth said.

According to figures from the attorney generals office, Roanokes homicide rate surged by 56% from 2022 to 2023. But reported rapes fell by 44% and robberies dropped by 17%. Overall violent offenses dipped by 5% and crime decreased overall by 6.4%.

Booth expressed hope that homicides would decrease in Roanoke this year.

Were already seeing the needle move, he said. Were already seeing community members coming forward and providing us with information after a homicide, after a shooting, and that makes my heart grow each and every day.

As for Martinsville, its overall crime rate decreased by 19%, with an 80% drop in robberies, from 10 in 2022 to two last year. Martinsville had no homicides in 2022, but three in 2023. Its violence crime rate went down by 6% overall.

Early in his part of the news conference, Miyares spoke about unrest on college campuses in Virginia,

He pointed out the importance of the First Amendment as one of the bedrock principles of this country, but issued a stark warning to campus protestors in Virginia who commit acts of violence, occupy academic buildings or threaten Jewish students.

If you cross that line  if you commit acts of violence, if you are so foolish to think you can occupy an academic building in Virginia, if youre so foolish to do what youre seeing around the country and directly threaten our Jewish students or side with those that want to publicly exterminate our Jewish brethren and citizens, then there will be consequences, there will be action, Miyares said.

He also had strong words for those who assaulted police officers Monday during protests at Virginia Commonwealth University.

To those perpetrators, we will use every resource we have to track you down, Miyares said. We will find you, we will prosecute you. That is indeed a felony. There will be consequences for your actions.

Antisemitism is wrong. It was wrong back in the 1930s, it was wrong in the 1940s and its wrong today and we will not have it here in Virginia. Virginia is not New York, he added.
" " Researchers in Madagascar discovered the remains of a horned crocodile in a water-filled cave. Barry Coleman

Winding through the South Carolina low country, the Cooper River is a reed-lined haven for sportfish and shorebirds. The waterway originates in Berkeley County's Lake Moultrie. From there, it proceeds all the way down to Charleston, where it merges with the Ashley and the Wando to form that city's world-famous harbor. (Ever hear of Fort Sumter?)

The Cooper River took its name from Anthony Ashley Cooper, a 17th-century English lord. As time wore on, it became a lifeline in the region's burgeoning rice trade. But the Cooper also bears the hallmarks of a far more ancient chapter in South Carolina history.

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If you know where to look, and you've got scuba gear handy, you just might find a mammoth tusk lurking beneath the water's surface.

Matthew Weas knows that feeling. He and his father, Joe Harvey, are experienced local divers who patrol the Cooper for fossils  many of which end up on display at the Berkeley County Museum in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.

Not all the giants they encounter are prehistoric. To hear Weas tell it, run-ins with living modern-day river-beasts aren't uncommon. "I have had a [catfish] swallow my hand in a log jam underwater, a manatee break the surface while I was swimming back to the boat... [and] alligators swim toward me," he says via email. Once, he came "nose-to-nose" with a gator measuring about 10 feet (3 meters) long.

" " This skull was from an extinct lemur that was part of a primate community in Madagascar that disappeared during the last 1,100 years. Barry Coleman
Credit: Harvard University Press

When most people in the U.S. think about Asian immigrants coming to the Americas, they often picture immigrants from China coming in the 1800s. The story, though, is much more complicatedand interesting.

As Diego Javier Luis, assistant professor of history, describes in his new book "The First Asians in the Americas," the full story starts with Spanish galleon ships traveling back and forth from Acapulco in Mexico to Manila in the Philippines in the mid-1500s, trading silver from the Americas for silks and other trade goods from Asia.

But it wasn't only goods. People from Asia, from as far afield as Gujarat in India to the Philippines, including some from China and Japan, came to colonial Mexico, many of them enslaved, some free. They were the first Asians in the Americas, and slowly fanned out across the continents.

He delved deep into archives held in Spain, Mexico, the Philippines, and the U.S. to find the stories of those individuals and groups. He had learned Mandarin while working in Xian, China, for a few years after college, and learned Spanish as an adultlanguages that came in handy for his research.

For Luis, who grew up in Nashville, the story was in some ways personal, too. His paternal grandfather was Chinese, and he has Afro-Cuban as well as Ashkenazi Jewish roots.

Tufts Now recently talked to Luis to learn more about his personal connection to his research, and how as a historian he found sources on people who are usually hidden in the archives.

How did your family history play into your interest in the experience of the first Asians in the Americas?

On my dad's side of the family, we come originally from China and from West Africa, and from the Canary Islands and Spain. There was a meeting of these three family strands in Cuba.

My Chinese grandfather came to Cuba directly during the early 20th century. We don't know exactly when, perhaps in the 1920s or 1930s. We also know that his grandfather had already been coming and going to and from Cuba. There's a long history of the Chinese in Cuba during the period of indenture, starting when the transatlantic slave trade was ending in the 1800s.

There was a massive convergence of people coming to the Caribbean and South America to work. In Cuba, they'd work alongside enslaved and recently liberated Afro-Caribbean people. From 1847 to 1874, 120,000 Chinese were brought to Cuba as indentured laborers, and we think the grandfather of my grandfather was likely one of them.

Where did your paternal grandmother come from?

She is the daughter of a man who fought during the wars of independence against Spaina socially mobile Black man named Ventura Santos Santos, who moved to Havana from a small town called Caibarien. My grandparents met in Havana, and then my Chinese grandfather convinced my grandmother to come with him to New York City, to the Lower East Side near Canal Street in Chinatown. He had a laundromat there, and that's where they had my dad and his brother.

It is very much a global story, and it is complicated because growing up in Nashville, I didn't know what any of that meant. I only knew that I looked different from my other classmates, and they didn't know how to categorize me, either. I was mostly just "Mexican" to the people in that environment.

I later lived in China for a while, traveled to Cuba, and it took a while to really understand what it meant to be someone who has connections to those places, even if that connection is more ancestral than something that's lived in my own life.

And then there's my mom's side of the family, which is from Vermont and has roots in the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora by way of Lithuania. That's a whole other thing to come to terms with.

How did you decide to focus your doctoral research, and this new book, on the first Asians in the Americas?

Part of it was coming from this personal journey of not really knowing what it meant to have a family history that connected these placesto make some coherence out of something that's very fragmented. I think a lot of mixed people discover that there is no way really to put everything into perfect harmony. You have to accept the fragmentation of it.

Another reason was to broaden how we think about Asians coming to North and South America, not just the U.S. I think for a very long time, the canon of Asian American history and studies was geographically focused mostly on the West Coast of the U.S. It's very much an East Asian dominated story.

What's remarkable about this early period is that the people who are showing up in colonial Mexico, free and enslaved, are from all over Asia, mostly people from the Philippines and the Bay of Bengal area and elsewhere in South Asia. There are also smaller concentrations from Japan, Korea, China, and other places in Southeast Asia.

It is an extraordinarily diverse movement, and it gets us thinking about the geography of diaspora in different waysthey're going to Mexico and dispersing outwards. Many end up in South America, some end up going up and down what's now the U.S. West Coast, but it's really not a U.S. story at all.

It's a Latin American storywe can't understand what diasporic Asian American or Latino experiences in the U.S. are without thinking about Latin America. It's all interconnected. I hope the book promotes this kind of hemispheric thinking and makes people think more broadly about the diversity of diaspora.

Did the research and writing of the book change or inform how you feel about your identity?

One of the major takeaways for me was that I'm not the only one who has felt out of place, out of time. I grew up in Nashville but was connected to these other sites and was being misread from an ethnic perspective and had to go through some kind of self-fashioning to be legible to other people.

I was really interested to see how these folks, who were the first Asians in the 16th and 17th centuries to be living in a very different kind of society in the Americas, were dealing with similar kinds of questions. There was a sense of not aloneness. You see that you're not the first one to be dealing with some of those issues of identity.

It is complicated, because I don't share any family history with the people that I study, but at the same time, I did feel a kind of personal connection to their stories. That helped me form this kind of connection that can also inform how I approach those histories in my scholarly work.

History is what's written down, and there is very little in the records about marginalized peoplecertainly in the 1500s and 1600s. How did you find sources for Asians coming in these very early days to Mexico for your book?

It takes rigorous archival work. If you read any of the canonical texts about the colonial period in Latin America, there's going to be very, very little that speaks to this history. But we see people showing up in the legal recordthey were getting married, baptized, applying for licenses. They show up in accounting records, criminal cases, inquisition cases.

Let's say for Acapulco, an important port town in this history, where many Asian people are entering the Americas, it meant flipping through every single page of the accounting records for this port for a 40- or 50-year span. And at least 95% of those records have nothing to do with the history of these people.

I did a manual word scan of the documents to pick up where these people show up. Some of it is learning the words that were used to refer to the people that I'm studyingthat's a whole process, too, because those categories are so variable and contingent.

It's really searching for a needle in the haystack. But when you find these little nuggets of gold, it's a celebration.

In the book, you include a 15-page appendix that lists all the crew members of a Spanish galleon that made the journey from Manila to Acapulco in 1751and hundreds were Filipinos and other people from Asia. It's an amazing amount of down-in-the-details work to make your point about Asians coming to Mexico so early.

What makes those records difficult is that they were part of an 800- to 1,000-page document, and this is a small sliver of that. Other scholars have looked at some of these documents, but I haven't seen that exact roster appear anywhere else.

A lot of the work that's been done on the Spanish galleon trade between Mexico and Manila is of an economic nature, using shipping records to show how globally connected the world's economies were during the early modern periodChina to Mexico, to Spain, to the Philippines. It is a remarkable story, but one of the repercussions has been losing sight of the people who were on those boats. My study is framed as trying to find the Asian people who were on those ships.

Provided by Tufts University
Poland has formally submitted it's request to house NATO nuclear weapons, according to a report, as concerns over Russian retaliatory aggression grow.

The alliance's nuclear sharing program allows the US to deploy its nuclear weapons in NATO countries that do not have their own.

"Poland has declared its readiness to participate in this program, this statement of readiness has not been withdrawn," Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski told Polish TV.

He said Poland has submitted an application for participation in the program, Sputnik International reported.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki first declared Poland's interest in hosting nuclear weapons under NATO's nuclear-sharing policy last June, the International Institute for Strategic Studies reports.

The Polish president deemed that the action was necessary as "Russia is increasingly militarizing the Kaliningrad region" and moved some tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus in 2022.

The Kremlin has warned Poland to reconsider its move to accept nuclear weapons on its territory.

Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said this week that Russian military authorities would "take the necessary steps to guarantee the security of the state."
The Waffle House off U.S. 29 just north of Charlottesville is known for two things: 24-hour breakfast and a billion-dollar business idea.

It was there, specifically at Booth 19, where Alexis Ohanian, University of Virginia alumnus and co-founder of Reddit  the social media platform today known as the Front Page of the Internet  says he first had the idea to start his own company.

Roughly a year ago, the Waffle House installed a plaque in that very booth to commemorate Ohanians epiphany, featuring a quote from the Wahoo who is now worth an estimated $70 million.

Waffle House changed my life I was going to be a lawyer and then I walked out of the LSAT to go get breakfast. I never looked back, it read.

The plaque recently walked out of the Waffle House itself, apparently stolen by a customer.

It was there, and then it wasnt, an employee told The Daily Progress Monday.

Its unclear how long the plaque has been missing. Employees estimate its been roughly a month since anyone noticed it had vanished.

Whoever ran off with the plaque likely had a plan: It had been securely fastened to the wall and likely required a screwdriver for removal. Two bronze fixtures now jut out of the windowsill above the booth, where the plaque previously had been attached.

Ohanian spoke of his Waffle House epiphany during his remarks as commencement speaker for the class of 2021. He was planning to be a lawyer, he told students. But 30 minutes into his law school admission test, he decided he was hungry. He left the room and went straight to the Waffle House north of town.

That place is amazing for waffles and epiphanies, he said. While I was there in Booth 19, I decided I probably shouldnt be a lawyer if I walked out of the LSAT and instead I should start a startup. So if it werent for being hungry, I dont think Id have ever started Reddit.

Ohanian has visited that restaurant several times since, including last October when he visited to thank staff for the plaque, which was installed in April 2023.

Im back at UVA and this had to be my first stop, he wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. I really do love Waffle House and stop by every time I come back to Charlottesville. Thank you for the plaque & great service.

Its not clear if the Reddit co-founder is aware that the plaque is now missing. His press team did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Progress.

10 popular international fast food chains that are growing in the US 10 popular international fast food chains that are growing in the US Jollibee Pret A Manger Le Pain Quotidien Tim Hortons Pollo Campero Beard Papa's TKK Fried Chicken El Pollo Loco Yashinova Nando's
SIOUX CITY  Tacos La Juanita, the popular Sioux City metro Mexican restaurant, plans to open its second location in Sioux City and its fifth overall.

The restaurant will be in the brick building formerly occupied by the Half Moon Bar & Grill, 714 S Lewis Blvd. Erick Aguinaga, who will manage the taqueria with wife Nallely, said renovations will hopefully begin in May.

An opening date for the new La Juanita has not been set.

"At the moment, we're about to start the project, and -- just pretty much as long as it takes from here 'til then," Aguinaga told The Journal. "I don't want to give an exact date, but, if I had to put one, I'd say maybe mid- to end-of June."

La Juanita new location Tacos La Juanita plans to open a new location on Lewis Boulevard in Sioux City, in the building formerly occupied by the Half Moon Bar & Grill.

La Juanita new location Tacos La Juanita plans to open a new location on Lewis Boulevard in Sioux City, in the building formerly occupied by the Half Moon Bar & Grill.

The existing La Juanita location in Sioux City is on Pierce Street; the others are in South Sioux City, Le Mars and Storm Lake, Iowa. The restaurant has legions of devotees; at the South Sioux City location, 116 E 21st St., cars often snake around the block to get into the drive-thru.

The Half Moon Bar, which had been in the Lewis Boulevard building for years, closed permanently last fall. ("We think youll be happy with the new business that is entering," the proprietors of the Half Moon wrote in a Facebook post in November announcing the closure and that La Juanita would move in there.)

The building was sold that month to Erick Aguinaga's father, Martin Diaz Aguinaga, for $475,000, according to county property records. The father and son are part of the family that has operated La Juanita for nearly three decades.

The new La Juanita will have indoor seating and a drive-thru, Erick Aguinaga said; its hours will be from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights.
DAKOTA CITY -- A South Sioux City man who died in a shooting early Saturday appears to have been shot unintentionally, court documents show.

South Sioux City police have identified the man who died as Javier Nunez-Gustave, 23, of South Sioux City.

Tobias Thomas, 23, of Sioux City, was arrested Saturday and is charged with manslaughter, a Class IIA felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

At Thomas' first appearance Tuesday in Dakota County Court, Judge Edward Matney set bond at $350,000 and scheduled a preliminary hearing for May 22.

South Sioux City police were summoned to the Flatwater Crossing Apartments at 2800 Flatwater Drive at 4:23 a.m. after receiving a report of a shooting. Nunez-Gustave was found in his apartment with a single gunshot wound to the chest and was not breathing when officers and emergency personnel arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to an arrest affidavit filed Monday, Thomas told police he and Nunez-Gustave had purchased alcohol at around 11 p.m. Friday and were drinking in Nunez-Gustave's apartment. Tobias said Nunez-Gustave was sitting at the end of a sectional couch cleaning his guns while Thomas stood and watched. Nunez-Gustave showed Thomas a 9mm Glock 43 handgun he had fixed and then handed it to him.

Thomas said the gun discharged as he was holding it, asking Nunez-Gustave "if that just happened." Nunez-Gustave began to pass out, and Thomas called 911 for help.

Investigators recovered the gun and a single spent shell casing at the scene. Police recovered two rifles and a shotgun on a kitchen counter and another rifle on the sectional. The Glock and a second handgun were recovered from a living room table along with gun-cleaning tools and supplies.

Thomas submitted to a breath test about an hour later, and the results showed a .111% alcohol content, above the legal limit of .08%.

South Sioux City police are awaiting the final results of an autopsy but don't anticipate filing additional charges, a police spokeswoman said Wednesday.
VERMILLION, S.D.  The City of Sioux City's community inclusion liaison, who is currently serving an indefinite suspension, has settled a sex discrimination lawsuit she filed against a former employer.

The South Dakota Board of Regents and the University of South Dakota agreed "without any admission of liability" to pay Semehar Ghebrekidan $100,000, according to a settlement agreement obtained by The Journal. The amount includes over $10,000 in back pay and nearly $25,000 to cover Ghebrekidan's attorney fees, according to the document.

In exchange, Ghebrekidan agreed to settle the lawsuit and sign a release on Feb. 12.

Ghebrekidan, who served as an international student advisor for USD's International Office between June 22, 2018 and June 21, 2019, filed the suit in U.S. District Court on Jan. 21, 2022. According to the lawsuit, Ghebrekidan was placed on administrative leave and told her contract would not be renewed on or about May 14, 2019, roughly a month after a Title IX investigation against USD had been closed due to a "lack of substantial evidence."

The lawsuit claimed that on or about Dec. 10, 2018, a senior secretary of the USD International Office was having a conversation with an international student about modesty in Ghebrekidan's presence. During that conversation, the secretary allegedly told Ghebrekidan, "sometimes you wear those super short skirts and tights and I get the 'Me Too' movement and all, but sometimes you are just asking for it."

Ghebrekidan interpreted the secretary's comments to mean she was "somehow 'asking' to be sexually assaulted because of her outfit," according to the lawsuit.

The next day, the lawsuit alleged Ghebrekidan overheard a conversation between the secretary and her supervisor, during which the two were discussing the way Ghebrekidan behaved and dressed in the office. The secretary commented that Ghebrekidan had been "dressing like a whore" and was "doing inappropriate things with students," according to the lawsuit, which stated the secretary viewed Ghebrekidan hugging an international student as "culturally insensitive."

On or about Dec. 12, 2018, Ghebrekidan reported the conversation she overheard to USD's Title IX coordinator.

"The delay in conducting Semehar's six-month evaluation, placing Semehar on a 60-day improvement plan, placing Semehar on administrative leave, and refusing to renew Semehar's contract were all done in retaliation for Semehar pursing an investigation under Title IX," the lawsuit stated.

Ghebrekidan came to USD from South Dakota State University, where she earned undergraduate and masters' degrees and worked in a variety of diversity, equity and inclusion positions. Before coming to work for the City of Sioux City, she was employed as an HIV case manager at Siouxland Community Health Center.

In 2021, she was named Sioux City's first ever community inclusion liaison.

City officials and council members have said little publicly about Ghebrekidan's recent paid suspension, which went into effect on Feb. 21. The suspension is tied to an ongoing investigation concerning "violations of city work rules," according to an internal memo obtained by The Journal. Ghebrekidan, who has been employed with the city since 2021 and oversees the Inclusive Sioux City Advisory Committee, reports to the City Manager's Office and is not a department head.

City Attorney Nicole DuBois said personnel matters are confidential and "the city is prohibited from comments." DuBois also denied multiple open records requests concerning Ghebrekidan's suspension, which were made by The Journal under the Freedom of Information Act. Mayor Bob Scott previously said Ghebrekidan has hired an attorney, so the City Council doesn't "have the privilege or the opportunity to say anything in the public about that."
LOS ANGELES  University of California administrators and police faced criticism Wednesday for failing to act quickly to stop an attack on a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus by counter-demonstrators who threw traffic cones and chairs, released pepper spray and tore down barriers.

Some pro-Palestinian demonstrators fought back, and skirmishes continued for hours before outside law enforcement agencies were called to intervene.

No one was arrested, and at least 15 protesters suffered injuries in the confrontation, part of a recent spate of escalating violence on some college campuses nationally over the Israel-Hamas war.

"The community needs to feel the police are protecting them, not enabling others to harm them," Rebecca Husaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said in a news conference on the Los Angeles campus later Wednesday.

At other campuses across the U.S., officers' actions were strongly condemned.

At the University of Wisconsin in Madison, activists clashed with police officers who destroyed their tents early Wednesday. Four officers were injured, including a state trooper who was hit in the head with a skateboard, authorities said. More tents sprang up within hours. Police said four people were charged with battering law enforcement officers.

An Associated Press tally counted at least 38 times since April 18 where arrests were made at campus protests across the U.S. More than 1,600 people have been arrested at 30 schools.

At UCLA, Chancellor Gene Block said "a group of instigators" perpetrated the attack but did not provide details about the crowd or why the administration and school police did not act sooner. He promised a review after California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Los Angeles mayor denounced the police delays.

"However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable," he said. "It has shaken our campus to its core."

UCLA canceled classes Wednesday.

Speakers disputed that 15 people were injured and one hospitalized, saying the number of people taken to the hospital was higher. One student described needing to go to the hospital after being hit in the head by an object wielded by counter-protesters.

Several students who spoke during the news conference said they had to rely on one another, not the police, for support as they were attacked, and many in the pro-Palestinian encampment remained peaceful and did not engage with counter-protesters.

In the evening, hundreds of supporters of the pro-Palestinian protesters, including students and alumni, stood on campus steps beyond the encampment while law enforcement presence grew. A small group of students holding signs and wearing T-shirts in support of Israel and Jewish people gathered nearby.

Metal and wooden barriers were restored around the encampment. Overhead TV cameras showed people in the enclosure distributing goggles, helmets and other gear, and medical assistance tents that were set up later in the day.

Announcements broadcasted on the campus told demonstrators to disperse or they would be arrested and face a misdemeanor charge. The protesters largely stayed in place, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans.

Ray Wiliani, who lives nearby, said he came to UCLA on Wednesday evening to support the pro-Palestinian demonstrators. We need to take a stand for it, he said. Enough is enough.

Protesters on campuses across the U.S. call for universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza. The ensuing police crackdowns echoed actions decades ago against a much larger protest movement protesting the Vietnam War.

In rare instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and commencement ceremonies.

At Brown University in Rhode Island, demonstrators closed their encampment Tuesday after administrators agreed to consider a vote to divest from Israel in October  apparently the first U.S. college to agree to such a demand.

The nationwide campus demonstrations began April 17 at Columbia to protest Israel's offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages. Since then, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry there.

Late Tuesday, New York City police officers entered Columbia's campus and cleared a tent encampment, along with Hamilton Hall, where officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window. Demonstrators took over the school building about 20 hours earlier; police said protesters inside presented no substantial resistance.

Columbia on Wednesday called Hamilton Hall "an active crime scene" under NYPD investigation and limited campus access, barring the media.

Blocks away from Columbia, video footage showed officers forcing some protesters to the ground at The City College of New York late Tuesday and shoving others as they cleared the street and sidewalks.

Close to 300 protesters were arrested in the crackdowns at Columbia and City College, officials said.

Meanwhile, protest encampments elsewhere were cleared by the police, resulting in arrests, or closed up voluntarily at schools across the U.S., including Fordham University in New York, Portland State in Oregon, Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and Tulane University in New Orleans.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests antisemitic, while Israel's critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition.

War in Gaza marks grim 6-month milestone
LOS ANGELES  Dueling groups of protesters clashed overnight at the University of California, Los Angeles, shoving, kicking and beating each other with sticks after pro-Israel demonstrators tried to pull down barricades surrounding a pro-Palestinian encampment. Hours earlier, police burst into a building occupied by anti-war protesters at Columbia University, breaking up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school.

After a couple of hours of scuffles between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators at UCLA, police wearing helmets and face shields slowly separated the groups and quelled the violence. The scene was calm as day broke. UCLA canceled classes on Wednesday and urged people to avoid the area where the clashes happened.

Due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad late last night and early this morning, all classes are cancelled today, UCLA said in a statement.

Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza have spread across campuses nationwide in a student movement unlike any other this century. The ensuing police crackdowns echoed the removal decades ago of a much larger protest movement at the school against the Vietnam War.

There have been confrontations with law enforcement and more than 1,000 arrests. In rare instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.

The clashes at UCLA erupted as counter-protesters tried to pull down parade barricades, plywood and wooden pallets protecting a tent encampment built by pro-Palestinian protesters. Video showed fireworks exploding over and in the encampment.

People threw chairs and other objects. A group piled on one person who lay on the ground, kicking and beating them with sticks until others pulled them from the scrum.

People outside the encampment, one draped in an Israeli flag, played recordings of a variety of sounds, including a baby crying and sirens.

Authorities have not detailed injuries.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the violence absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable in a social media post and said city police were on the scene. California Highway Patrol officers also appeared to join. The university said it requested help.

The university tightened security Tuesday after officials reported physical altercations.

Later Tuesday, New York City police officers entered Columbia's campus after the university requested help. They cleared a tent encampment, along with Hamilton Hall where a stream of officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window. Protesters had seized the Ivy League school building about 20 hours earlier.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, the school said in a statement. The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing."

A few dozen protesters at Columbia were arrested after shrugging off an earlier ultimatum to abandon the encampment Monday or face suspension, inspiring demonstrations on campuses elsewhere.

Fabien Lugo, a first-year accounting student who said he was not involved in the protests, said he opposed the universitys decision to call in police.

This is too intense, he said. It feels like more of an escalation than a de-escalation.

Blocks away from Columbia, at The City College of New York, demonstrators were in a standoff with police outside the public colleges main gate. Video posted on social media by reporters late Tuesday showed officers forcing some people to the ground and shoving others as they cleared the street and sidewalks.

After police arrived, officers lowered a Palestinian flag from the City College flagpole and tossed it to the ground before raising an American flag.

Brown University, another Ivy League school, reached an agreement Tuesday with protesters on its Rhode Island campus. Demonstrators said they would close their encampment if administrators consider divestment from Israel in October  apparently the first time a U.S. college has agreed to protester demands to vote on divestment.

Meanwhile, at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, police in riot gear closed in on an encampment late Tuesday and arrested about 20 people for trespassing. University officials warned earlier that day that students would face criminal charges if they did not disperse.

First-year student Brayden Lang watched from the sidelines. I still know very little about this conflict, he said. But the deaths of thousands is something I cannot stand for.

Police also cleared an encampment on Wednesday morning at Tulane University in New Orleans and took down all but one tent at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where police with shields shoved protesters, resulting in a scrum and at least a dozen arrests.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.

As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasnt clear whether those talks would lead to an easing of protests.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israels critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.

Columbia's police action happened on the 56th anniversary of a similar move to quash the occupation of Hamilton Hall by students protesting racism and the Vietnam War.

The police department had said officers wouldn't enter without the college administrations request or an imminent emergency. Now, law enforcement will be there through May 17, when the university's commencement events are scheduled to end.

In a letter to senior police officials, Columbia President Nemat Shafik said the administration asked officers to remove protesters from the occupied building and a tent encampment with the utmost regret.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on MSNBCs Morning Joe that police had to move into Hamilton Hall for the safety of those children.

He again blamed outside agitators for the building takeover  an idea Shafik has also raised, though neither provided specific evidence to back up the contention, which was disputed by protest organizers and participants.

Adams, a Democrat and former police captain, insisted that while students were among those who entered Hamilton Hall, It was led by individuals who were not affiliated with the university.

There is a movement to radicalize young people. And Im not going to wait until it is done to acknowledge the existence of it, Adams said. He said that, as mayor, he would not allow that to happen.

Pressed, however, about the identities of the outside agitators cited by the mayor, officials repeatedly declined to provide details. Police commanders talked generally about tactics demonstrators had used, like using chains to secure doors, saying those strategies must have been taught.

Rebecca U. Weiner, the NYPDs deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, simply said that some of the people present at the campus protests were known to the department to have participated in past protests.

Adams said revealing those details would be too sensitive to an ongoing law enforcement investigation.

The police departments deputy commissioner for public information, Tarik Sheppard, said 40 to 50 people were arrested at Hamilton Hall and that there were no injuries.

About 300 people were arrested at Columbia University and City College in police crackdowns, Adams said.

Protesters first set up a tent encampment at Columbia almost two weeks ago. The school sent in police to clear the tents the following day, arresting more than 100 people, only for the students to return.

Negotiations between the protesters and the college came to a standstill in recent days, and the school set a deadline for the activists to abandon the tent encampment Monday afternoon or be suspended.

Instead, protesters defied the ultimatum and took over Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, carrying in furniture and metal barricades.

Ilana Lewkovitch, a self-described leftist Zionist student at Columbia, said its been hard to concentrate on school for weeks. Her exams have been disrupted with chants of say it loud, say it clear, we want Zionists out of here.

Lewkovitch, who is Jewish, said she wished the current pro-Palestinian protests were more open to people like her who criticize Israels war policies but believe there should be an Israeli state.

More coverage from around the U.S.:

Gaza war protests ignite on US college campuses
A Texas killer who felt "guilty" about dismembering a teen sex worker was sentenced to over four decades in prison for the grisly slaying.

Henry David Cossette, 29, was convicted of first-degree murder for the killing of 18-year-old Sara Ann Goodwin at his Houston-area apartment on Feb. 6, 2022, according to prosecutors.

Cossette picked up Goodwin in an area known for prostitution and brought her back to his apartment, where he strangled her to death.

He then dismembered her body in his bathtub, stuffed her body parts into several trash bags, and dumped the bags in a rural area 13 miles away from his home.

Two weeks later, he attempted to kill himself by setting fire to his third-floor apartment.

"He tried to burn down his apartment in order to kill himself, and then police and HFD got called out and he told them all he felt guilty about what he did," Harris County Assistant District Attorney Helen Le said in a statement. "Guilt or innocence was never the issue in this case."

Goodwin was reported missing by a friend shortly after Cossette picked her up. Her friend, who was monitoring the location of her phone, called the police when they realized Goodwin's phone died.

"This young lady had her whole life ahead of her and did not deserve to lose her life," Dana Nazarova, a chief in the DA's Homicide Division said. "She didn't have a chance to fight back, and it was this defendant's intentional acts that killed her  he was on top of her, choking her as she took her last breath."
This is Totally Normal Quote of the Day, a feature highlighting a statement from the news that exemplifies just how extremely normal everything has become.

Youll have to speak to the individual states. Donald Trump, responding to the question of whether state governments should be allowed to monitor womens pregnancies to know if theyve had abortions

On April 12, former President Donald Trump sat for an interview with Time. That interview, which ran with some follow-up questions from this past Saturday, was published on Tuesday, and it included a number of alarming tidbits from Trump, many of which reaffirmed his earlier extreme positions or took them further.

But perhaps the most shocking response dealt with a hypothetical posed by the reporter, Eric Cortellessa. Relatively early in the conversation, Cortellessa pushed Trump to take a stance on a federal abortion ban. Trump refused, insisting that his views on abortion did not matterthat he was leaving it up to the states to decide, and that was that. Even as Cortellessa insisted that it was important to voters to know where he stands, Trump didnt budge, even when asked how he felt about women being punished for having abortions. Cortellessa then raised the prospect of a surveillance state keeping tabs on women and their reproductive systems:

Cortellessa: Do you think states should monitor womens pregnancies so they can know if theyve gotten an abortion after the ban?

Trump: I think they might do that. Again, youll have to speak to the individual states. Look, Roe v. Wade was all about bringing it back to the states.

Trumps refusal to take a stance on such a sinister possibility shows he remains just as concerned about disappointing his white evangelical base as he is about alienating more moderate voters. But he may have underestimated just how radical this nonstance really was, and just how unsettling it may seem to voters.

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That ended up being a theme of the more than hourlong interview: Trump dodged so many questions by railing about his victimhood, boasting about his victories, or just straight-out lying, but when he did give a direct response, it showed a man who had learned no lessons from his 2020 loss or his ongoing legal challenges. The Trump of the interview was just as extreme as ever.

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On the topic of immigration, for example, he dismissed concerns about deploying the military against noncombatant, noncriminal migrants by saying it was necessary to do whatever it takes to handle the invasion of our country. He vowed to give police protection from prosecution as long as theyre doing their job, to give the police back the power and respect that they deserve.

There were others. Here are some highlights:

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Asked if he would fire a U.S. attorney who didnt prosecute someone under his orders, Trump said, It depends on the situation, honestly. He also implied that if the Supreme Court case on the matter of presidential immunity didnt go Trumps way, Joe Biden would be prosecuted for his many crimes.

He said he would consider pardoning all the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, implying that many of them had been tricked into storming the Capitol: You see it on tape, the police are ushering them in.

When asked if he would restrict hiring to people who believe the 2020 election was stolen, he said he wouldnt feel good about anyone who thought (accurately) that Biden won.

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Trump said, perhaps predictably, that he would send in the National Guard to deal with student protesters.

Asked if he agreed that anti-white racism was worse than anti-Black racism, he said, somewhat evasively, If you look right now, theres absolutely a bias against white and thats a problem.

He criticized Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to prevent the events of Oct. 7, but his main critiques of the countrys military actions had to do with its poor handling of public relations.

And finally, when asked what would happen if he didnt win the election, Trump didnt commit to a peaceful defeat: And if we dont win, you know, it depends. It always depends on the fairness of an election.

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Trump also lied a fair bit, as he typically does in interviews. He insisted that his Manhattan trial was not even a criminal case. (It is.) He insisted that the only person who died on Jan. 6 was Ashli Babbitt. (She wasnt.) He once again denied that he had ever written on TruthSocial that he might have to terminate parts of the U.S. Constitution. (He did.)

But if a presidential candidate being open to placing a significant portion of its populations bodies under biological surveillance bodes poorly for a liberal democracy, Trump at least said some less strictly autocratic things, as well. He said he would comply with a Supreme Court order. He didnt quite say that he would not prosecute Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, but he did say we are going to have great retribution through success. And he said he would retire after a second term, rather than trying to overturn the 22nd Amendment. He did not address just how grim it was that the interviewer felt he needed to push him on basic questions of operating in a democracy.
On Tuesday night, Columbia University president Nemat Shafik made the stunning decision to call upon the notorious Strategic Response Group of the New York Police Department to descend upon the campus. After New York Mayor Eric Adams announced that the protests had been co-opted and threatened Columbia students himself that they should leave before the situation escalates, more than 100 cops swept the campus and arrested the universitys nonviolent student protesters for the second time in two weeks. Student journaliststhe only journalists allowed on campus due to the universitys crackdownreported that the cops were forcibly dragging students from Hamilton Hall, the building they had briefly occupied, entering the building with guns drawn and using tear gas during the raid, which resulted in at least one student becoming unconscious. Shafik also requested that the NYPD remain permanently on campus until at least May 17, two days after this academic years commencement ceremony.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, said a university spokesman in a statement.

Was there no other choice? No.

Actually, there were plenty of other choices. One example, from just up the Ivy-garlanded I-95, at Brown University, was announced just hours before Shafik again called in the police. Browns governing body agreed to vote on a proposal that would divest the schools endowment of companies affiliated with Israel in a meeting in October. The proposal is based on a 2020 Advisory Committee on Corporation Responsibility in Investment Practices that identified and recommended divestment from companies that facilitate the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, per the Brown Daily Herald.

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In exchange, the universitys nonviolent student protesters agreed to vacate their encampment by 5 p.m. that afternoon.

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Brown University president Christina Paxson was actually on the vanguard of the arresting-your-own-students craze that has since swept the nation; she had a total of 61 of her own students arrested over the course of multiple nonviolent protests starting as far back as December, including 41 student members of the Brown Divest Coalition and 20 Jews for Ceasefire Now members.

But even Paxson had the good sense not to make herself into a national celebrity by pursuing further retaliatory police action against her students, which is why Shafiks name is in the news and Paxsons is not.

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Another plausible outcome from California: When a similar encampment went up a few days ago at the University of California, Irvine, it seemed likely that police might sweep the protesters away. Orange County sheriffs deputies began to appear in riot gear near the protest.

But, rather than traffic in vague allegations of misconduct before hiding behind a belligerent mayor and an aggressive police force, like Shafik, the UCIrvine administration took a much different tack. UC Irvine respects the rights of any students to engage in free speech and expression including lawful protest, the school said in a prepared statement. This, remember, is at a public school, where keeping public police forces away is more challenging than a private enclave like Columbia.

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And in fact, Irvines mayor did get involved in the action. Not long after that, Mayor Farrah N. Khan issued a resounding statement declaring that she would not tolerate any violation of students free speech or right to assembly. I am asking our law enforcement to stand down. I will not tolerate any violations to our students rights to peacefully assemble and protest. She asked the deputies to leave, and they did.

The reason you havent heard about Irvine students being brutalized by cops and havent seen any jarring images of officers climbing through campus windows in Orange County is because the areas Democratic political leadership and the university administration chose not to pursue that course of action. Someone alert New York.

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Shafik instead decided to yoke herself to New York Citys ex-police mayor infamous for fueling a crime panic, desperately unpopular, and staked by swirling allegations of corruption and misconduct, and to a notorious NYPD that, not for nothing, just a few days ago stated that there has been no credible threats to any particular group, or individual coming from this protest or any other at Columbias protests. Of course, theres plenty of blame to go around: the Democratic electeds in New York who called for this very outcome; the Senate majority leader; and even the president, who regularly lent credence to bad faith, factually incorrect right-wing attacks.

But making a police state out of the liberal university, creating an indelible picture of the intolerance of constitutionally protected free speech: that was all Shafiks own choice, and will likely become the one shes most known for during her tenure as university president, as long as that lasts.
Read our ongoing coverage of Donald Trumps first criminal trial here.

People of New York v. Donald Trump will continue Thursday with further trial testimony from Keith Davidson, the Los Angeles lawyer who brokered the deal between Stormy Daniels and Trump fixer Michael Cohen to buy her silence on the eve of the 2016 election. The opening days of the trial this week have been relatively boring, to be perfectly honest, when it comes to the legal proceedingsbut more intriguing when it comes to the scene at the courthouse itself.

In the audience for the first time during Tuesdays testimony was a member of Trumps immediate family. Obviously it was not his wife Melania, who is reportedly still steamed about Trumps alleged sexual encounter with an adult film star while Melania was recovering from the birth of their son Barron. Instead, Trumps third-born adult child, Eric, was there to support his dad, listening attentively to the details of a case centered on his fathers alleged encounter and the subsequent cover-up. As with much of the proceedings that have occurred over these first three weeks, this was all a bit surreal.

Its not just Eric spicing things up either. On the way out of the courtroom that day, Trump nemesis George Conwaythe estranged spouse of Trump adviser and possible witness Kellyanne Conwaykept repeating, You cant make this shit up. Conway had been seated right in front of me, so I think I saw what he was referring to: At one point, as Trump was exiting court, Trump and Conway had stared each other down.

Tuesdays proceedings were the driest of the entire trial so far. The witnesses included a banker for Cohen, who described financial documents; a C-SPAN archivist, who went over the famously boring stations process of archiving hours of political footage (seriously!); and an employee of a deposition recording company, who detailed the companys procedures for recording depositions. The elder Trump, for his part, had his eyes closed for much of the morning and afternoon, including during the more interesting Davidson testimonyironic, given that Eric had, the day before, bragged about his dads stamina. It was difficult to see Erics face from my vantage point, but he was apparently attentive throughout much of the days testimony.

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Although TV news personalities and journalists like Conwayand sometimes bigger names like Rachel Maddow and Kaitlan Collinsmake up much of the star wattage in court, Trumps side of the aisle has also produced its share of big names.

Joining Eric on Tuesday was Susie Wiles, whom Politico just described as the most feared and least known political operative in America. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was also there; this year alone, Paxton has been impeached and acquitted on corruption charges and settled with prosecutors a 10-year-old fraud indictment on the eve of his own trial. The previous week, the day after he was indicted for fraud and forgery in Arizona for his role in the 2020 fake electors scheme, Boris Epshteyn, one of the earliest proponents of Trumps stolen election lies, showed up in court.

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In witnessing the parade of horrible Trump allies and supporters over the past few weeks, and with plenty of time on my hands while the C-SPAN archivist spoke, I found myself wondering how the current set of Trumpworld lackeys maps onto Dick Tracy villains. Trump, of course, is Big Boy Caprice, with the ill-fitting suits and eccentric hair. Eric, I suppose, is Mumbles. Paxton would make a good Flattop. Perhaps Boris is Little Face.

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The Dick Tracy comparisons are a habit I first picked up five years ago, when I covered the D.C. criminal trial of Roger Stone, who was charged with obstructing justice on Trumps behalf during the Russia investigation. I witnessed a rogues gallery of Stone supporters that time around, including Pizzagate instigator Jack Posobiec; alt-right provocateur and pedophilia defender Milo Yiannopoulos (who, to my recollection, wore sunglasses in the courtroom); Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes; Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio; and various other hangers-on and right-wing grifters.

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But midtrial, as the Proud Boys, operating as Stones personal security team, snickered at the back of the courtroom about a trip to a Virginia strip club, the analogy fell apart. The group was hard to view as a legitimate assortment of organized criminals and a threat to society. These werent Dick Tracys villains. They were more like the Island of Misfit Toys.

Stones supporters were not serious people, I thoughtthey would never have a sniff of power. This didnt mean they wouldnt eventually become threatening, though: The Proud Boys were at the violent vanguard of Trumps alleged attempts to seize power on Jan. 6, 2021, and many of them are now in prison for their actions that day, including Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years. Stone, for his part, was convicted of lying to Congress, obstruction of Congress, and witness tampering on Trumps behalf. His sentence was commuted, though, and he was ultimately pardoned by Trump in the closing days of his term.

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Now things are coming full circle: Trump is promising to pardon those Proud Boys, including Tarrio, should he regain office in November, which is part of an impossible-to-ignore subtext to the present proceedings. Trump may be on trial, but hes simultaneously pledging to do everything in his power to never face an ounce of accountability for his alleged crimes, and indeed to abuse the authority of the office to protect criminal confederates again should he be voted back into the White House. For their parts, the conservatives on the Supreme Court seem determined to enable all of this by granting Trump everlasting presidential immunity from any and all criminal conduct done as president. (Back to Dick Tracy: Samuel Alito is Pruneface?)

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This subtext has already been made text during the Stormy Daniels trial. Prosecutors tried to get into evidence a text National Enquirer editor and unindicted Trump co-conspirator Dylan Howard sent as Trump edged toward victory on Election Day 2016: At least, if he wins, Ill be pardoned for electoral fraud. Jurors will never see this text because Howard is in Australia with a medical issue and Justice Juan Merchan ruled that because Trumps defense team cant confront Howard about the text, it would be unfair to show it to the jury. But thats not the only way to make it clear that the purpose of all Trumps conduct going forward is to shield himself and his allies from consequences for their alleged crimes.

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In the meantime, with Trump leading in the polls, the Dick Tracy gallery seems to be feeling cocky. As he reentered the courtroom on Tuesday, Eric Trump noticed Conway and gave a dismissive smirk and a snort. (I told Conway about this, and he responded that Eric learned not to fuck with me five years ago.)

Related From Slate The Rule of Law Finally Comes for Donald Trump Read More

Exiting the courtroom after proceedings ended, I found myself in an elevator with Conway, CNNs Collins, retired New York Judge George Grasso, and a member of the public, an older gentleman who had waited in line since 5 a.m. to get his seat in the courtroom. That man was excitably chatting away, saying it was worth the price of admission to witness the exchange between Trump and Conway. As we were about to get off the elevator, the man noted that being there that day had reminded him of another historic event he had witnessed: the final public hanging in Arkansas. There was awkward silence at that comment as we all left the elevatorno one quite knew what to do with that.

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I was reminded, though, of a conversation I had had with a Trump supporter at one of the first Trump rallies I ever attended in 2016. Like many other Trump supporters that day, Gary Wilson told me that Hillary Clinton needed to be prosecuted for what he called her crimes. When I asked him what the appropriate punishment would be, he replied, immediately and casually, Public hanging, to be honest with you.

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Trump might not be promising that just yet. At the same time, though, its astonishing the degree to which hes taken a situation in which hes literally on trial, facing the potential of many, many years in prison, and flipped it so that he might soon be the one doling out punishments to his enemies. Even as hes been in court, Trump has, notably, given further interviews vowing to fire any prosecutor who doesnt target his political enemies, round up undocumented immigrants in mass detention camps, and pardon the Jan. 6 political prisoners who might then form the vanguard of any Trump paramilitary units during his second term.

If and when SCOTUS goes through with its apparent desire to shield Trump from any alleged criminality in perpetuity, all of its conservative members, up to and including Chief Justice John Roberts, will own everything that follows. Perhaps then Roberts can even get a Dick Tracy moniker of his own.
Florida has long been a destination state for abortion-seekers in a region defined by sweeping criminal bans. And, despite being under Republican control, Florida had long been a place with one of the highest abortion rates in the nation. Yet this week, a six-week ban signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April 2023 is set to go into effect. Floridas law will cut off access for a large number of patients, many of whom will have to travel as far as North Carolina and Virginia, where clinics have already reported long waiting periods and struggles to meet demand.

Six-week bans block a sizable share of abortionsas of 2021, nearly 60 percent of procedures in Florida occured after that point in pregnancy. But the history of six-week bans like Floridas suggests that this will not be the stopping point for the anti-abortion movement. Six-week bans were designed to be a stopgap in the fight for fetal personhood. And fetal personhood, which establishes that the word person in a law or even the Constitution applies to fetuses and embryos, could have implications not only for abortion but also for IVF and perhaps common contraceptives. That may be just what is coming next in Florida.

Janet Folger Porter, a veteran anti-abortion advocate, had the idea for a six-week ban in the late 1980s. She was looking for a way to weaken the right to choose abortion, which the Supreme Court then protected until the point of fetal viability. Porter argued that fetal cardiac activity was just as objective a line to draw as viabilityshe and her allies often quipped that the heartbeat was the universal sign of life.

Porter also believed that a six-week ban could be a critical step toward establishing that the word person under the 14th Amendment applied the moment an egg was fertilized, and that liberal abortion lawsor state constitutional protections for reproductive libertydenied fetal persons equal protection and due process of law. She argued that six-week bans would be a perfect step toward personhood because they could dramatize claims about the injustice and inhumanity of abortion, and even rolled an ultrasound machine into legislative hearings to permit unborn children to testify. 

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For a while, Porters idea did not catch fire. Then Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court, and states across the South began passing heartbeat bills. Some, like Floridas, made performing or actively assisting abortions that violated the ban a felony. Others, like Texas S.B. 8, created a bounty scheme, allowing anyone to sue an abortion provider or anyone who aided or abetted them for at least $10,000. Six-week bans captured so much interest not because they struck anti-abortion leaders as the best ultimate policy goal but because Republican leaders wanted a way to undermine Roe that would have high odds of succeeding before the courts reconstituted conservative supermajority. That, Porter promised, was just what a six-week ban could do.

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Florida Republicans had desperately needed a way out of the abortion conflict. The state was solidly under Republican control, yet to the frustration of the anti-abortion movement, it had been slow to pass a sweeping ban. Florida had a smaller group of anti-abortion voters than many of its neighbors; as recently as 2012, voters had rejected an effort to undo a right to abortion then recognized by the state supreme court. The state still seems more pro-choice than many in the South. DeSantis could frame the ban as a reasonable compromise, complete with exceptions for rape and incest. And yet anyone in the anti-abortion movement would understand how stringent a six-week ban really wasand would understand such a ban as a step toward fetal personhood.

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But there is no reason to think that six-week bans will be enough for Florida abortion opponents going forward. Roe is gone. State anti-abortion groups have already begun to push bans from the point of fertilization.

And letting each state set its own policy is not what the movement wants, either. The goal is a nationwide ban. In the short term, conservative advocacy groups led by the Heritage Foundation propose that the Comstock Act, a 19th-century obscenity law, is actually a de facto ban on all abortion. These advocates ignore decades of precedent to interpret language in the 1873 law referencing abortion to create a federal ban on mailing or receiving any information or items designed, adapted, or intended for abortion. Donald Trump, who has consistently refused to answer questions about whether his Department of Justice would treat Comstock as a ban, may well be planning to fulfill the expectations of anti-abortion leaders who have predicted he will transform Comstock into a nationwide abortion ban voters would never enact.

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Related From Slate If You Care About Reproductive Rights, Keep a Close Eye on These Under-the-Radar Elections Read More

And even the Comstock Act is not intended to be the endpoint. Anti-abortion groups in Florida and elsewhere argue that liberal abortion laws like the ballot initiative voters will consider in November violate the state and federal Constitution by denying fetal rights.

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For example, when Florida Republicans began pushing a bill recognizing fetal personhood in a specific contexta wrongful death bill recognizing fetuses as unborn childrenRepublicans withdrew it after the Alabama Supreme Court issued a decision recognizing embryos as persons and temporarily bringing a halt to IVF. While voters bridled at the thought of a bill that sounded too much like the Alabama decision, anti-abortion leaders chastised Republicans for not going far enough toward recognizing the rights of fetuses. When the Florida Supreme Court allowed Floridas reproductive rights ballot initiative to go forward, several of the conservative justices expressed approval of the idea of state constitutional personhood. A leading anti-abortion constitutional theorist followed up by calling for lawsuits to explore whether the Florida Supreme Court would recognize fetal constitutional rights.

There is no doubt that Floridas six-week ban will be one of the most consequential to go into effect since the demise of a right to choose abortion in 2022. But Florida voters will not just be deciding whether they approve of the new reality on the ground. They will also have to decide whether to open the door to a campaign for much more sweeping fetal rights.
Beautiful things cant last forever: The relationship between Donald Trump and Kari Lake is reportedly strained.

Lake, the election denier who rode Trumpism all the way to an Arizona gubernatorial loss in the 2022 midterms, is now running for Senate with Trumps blessing. But Trump, as the Washington Post reports, isnt so sure about it anymore. Hes skeptical shell be able to win her Senate race, and hes been irritated at the amount of time shes spent at Mar-a-Lago. As the Post reported, he gently suggested to Lake that she should leave the club and hit the campaign trail in Arizona last year.

Trump doesnt care whether Lake wins her Senate race, per se. He is famously uninterested in the satisfaction of others. What he is concerned about is Lake hurting his own chances in Arizona. Trump, the Post writes, has asked if she can really win in Arizona and if she might drag down his own poll numbers as he seeks the presidency again in 2024.

Trump had no such concerns about the electoral prospects of Kari Lake in 2022 when he endorsed her then. He liked that she sucked up to him and backed his claims about the 2020 election being stolen.

But, crucially, Trump wasnt up for election in 2022, so his priority wasnt building a strong Republican ticket up and down the ballot. His priority was about asserting control over the Republican Party, demonstrating that he could still pick winners and losers in primaries, and forcing candidates to swallow his meritless assertions about the 2020 election. It worked, and the GOP had a lousy midterm cycle. Now that Trump is on the ticket, his priorities have changed, and hes in the unusual position of trying to suction out some of the more harebrained ideas within his party.

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In other words, Trump meted out endorsements in midterm races to candidates who did the best Trump impressions, but being weird and appealing to the narrow MAGA base no longer gets the job done.

For example: There are any number of maniacs in the state of Michigan whom Trump could have recruited for the Senate Republican primary. Instead, Trump endorsed Rep. Mike Rogers, a member in good standing in the pre-Trump Republican establishment, a longtime CNN contributor and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Rogers is the sort of Republican, in other words, who knows Trump for what he is, and for years struggled to keep that thought to himself. Though Rogers pretended to be an enthusiastic Trumper once he announced his Senate run last year, few found that particularly convincing. He was, however, the strongest Republican in the primary in a state that Trump hopes to flip in November, and so Rogers earned the endorsement. Trump doesnt want a dingbat dragging him down.

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Thats not the only place Trumps resisted the bait to prop up an extreme candidate. In Montana, Trump endorsed the Senate campaign arms recruit Tim Sheehy over Freedom Caucus member Matt Rosendale. The impact of that endorsement was so sharp that Rosendale dropped out days after entering the race. Trump similarly endorsed Senate GOP leaders pick of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice in that states Senate race, essentially locking up the primary for Justice and forcing Sen. Joe Manchin into retirement. While Trump hasnt endorsed Larry Hogan in Marylands Senate race, he has agreed not to attack him (for now). Thats a big deal, as Trump hates Hogan, and vice versa. In the House, Trump endorsed incumbent GOP Rep. Mike Bost over challenger Darren Bailey, a far-right candidate whom Rep. Matt Gaetz had boosted; in South Carolina, Trump endorsed Nancy Mace, who recently made a Trumpish turn after being regularly critical of the former president following Jan. 6.*

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Outside of his endorsements, Trump has also warded off members of his party pursuing various election-year dead ends.

He quickly called on the Alabama Legislature to protect in vitro fertilization procedures after a state Supreme Court ruling threw the practices legality into doubt. He played a similar role when the Arizona Supreme Court breathed new life into a near-total abortion ban from 1864. And then, of course, he said that abortion would remain a states rights issuei.e., that he wouldnt pursue a national abortion ban. (While telling voters that you have to follow your heart on this issue, Trump also added, you must also win elections.)

Its a significant change of course from last election cycle. Perhaps most interesting is his newfound relationship to the most embarrassing Republican institution: the House of Representatives. While one of his dear friends, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, was working toward ousting Speaker Mike Johnson following his decision to bring up Ukraine aid for a vote, Trump rode to Johnsons defense.

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Well, look, we have a majority of one, OK? Trump said in a radio interview, defending Johnson. Its not like he can go and do whatever he wants to do. I think hes a very good person.

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Trump may or may not care about Johnsons employment situation. But he does know that another booted speakerand the prospect of another monthlong saga of House Republicans slapping themselves silly attempting to pick a new leaderwould not present the best face of Republican leadership to the voting public. Greenes plan is going nowhere.

That Trump has a more pragmatic streak now that hes on the ballotand may need to win in order to avoid going to jaildoes not mean that hes pursuing a moderate presidency. Its more that hes cutting the bullshit on things he doesnt care about so that theres more space for his actual priorities.

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Related From Slate Did College Kids Just Save Mike Johnsons Job? Read More

In a new feature on what a second Trump administration would look like, Trump told Time magazine about his plans for migrant detention camps and deploying the military to deport millions of people from the country; how hed withhold funding appropriated by Congress; how he might fire U.S. attorneys who wouldnt prosecute cases he orders them to; and various other visions of mass firings of career bureaucrats. But those are his fights to wage. Republicans running for Congress just need to focus on getting themselves elected by not being stupid so that Trump can haveas one Trump endorsee in the Time piece recounted Trump telling himallies there when Im elected.

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Among those who are certain to not be in Washington when hes elected is South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. Noem, a supposed vice presidential prospect, wrote in her soon-to-be-released book about her experience shooting her puppy. Noems veepstakes chances were already dim given her states strict abortion ban. But if she intended to impress Trump with this display of cruelty, it didnt work. Trump, again, would like to win the election.

Trump isnt a dog person necessarily, one Trump source told the New York Post, but I think he understands that you cant choose a puppy killer as your pick, for blatantly obvious reasons.

If this were a midterm year, and Trump wasnt atop the ticket? Sure, maybe puppy-killing would be an asset toward securing an endorsementor at least not a hindrance. But right now, he has no space for anyone elses electoral risk but his own.
The pace of global change is now dictating that skills development is more important than the traditional view of education being about recall of knowledge.

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In his book, Futureshock, Alvin Tofler predicts that the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. Written over 50 years ago, Tofler was remarkably accurate in his assessment of what employers would be looking for when recruiting. Our children will be going into a rapidly changing world to do jobs that haven't been created - in order to solve problems that don't yet exist. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), we are likely to have 12 jobs in our lifetimes, and increasingly, we will also have multiple career paths. Within five years, 44 percent of the core skills needed for a job will have changed, meaning that workers will have to retrain. It is an exciting yet uncertain future, which means that our traditional views as educators and parents need a fresh approach to preparing our children for success amid constantly shifting job markets.

In the WEFs The Future of Jobs Report 2023, among the top skills that are important for jobs are: creative and analytical thinking; resilience and flexibility, self-awareness and empathetic listening; curiosity and life-long learning. In response to the demand from industry, universities are now offering more inter-disciplinary degree courses to develop and harness these skills. Therefore, it is vital that we, as educators, adapt our teaching and learning to ensure we also provide opportunities for our students to work on these skills.

At The British International School Bratislava, we are committed to enhancing our academic and extracurricular experiences by embedding explicit skills development through our Learner Ambitions: collaborative, critical, curious, committed, compassionate and creative. Each Learner Ambition has three strengths to unpack the skill further. For example, collaborative is defined by; communicate, relate and participate. We encourage students to think about why these skills are important and how to use them to navigate a group task successfully.

At the core of the Learner Ambitions is the concept of metacognition: in simple terms, thinking about your thinking. Students who are adept at the process of self-awareness, self-management and regulation can be more independent and ultimately more successful. They are able to identify their strengths, reflect on the progress theyve made as well as the specific areas they need to work on. They can set realistic targets for themselves and monitor the effectiveness of their processes. How this is implemented at BISB varies as students move up through the school.

In our Primary School, we have embraced our Learner Ambitions in all aspects of our curriculum, and they have now become part of everyday school life. We are also excited to be taking part in the Metacognition Research Project, run by Nord Anglia Education and the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College, USA. The project was launched in January 2024; it involves all children in Years 3  6 and will run until June 2025. This project aims to deepen students self-awareness of their own thinking processes and the learning strategies they use to achieve success. This is metacognition in action, and we are very proud here at The British International School Bratislava of being at the forefront of educational research and development.

As students move on to Secondary school, they are provided with a myriad of opportunities to continue and extend their metacognitive skills. For example, in our Global Perspectives lessons, we devote a whole unit in Year 7 to working on our collaborative skills, as this is one of the key assessment strands of the course in Years 7 to 11. Empathy is another fundamental element of the course because being able to see another perspective on an issue and develop an understanding of how different people are affected allows us to better solve complex problems. In tandem with our academic curriculum, students also participate in our CAS program, which stands for creativity, activity and service. Through termly activities, students have the chance to develop and demonstrate their skills in a wide range of ways outside of the classroom. They are usually doing something that is new to them which pushes them out of their comfort zones. To record their progress, each student also completes a reflective journal of their activities, helping to extend their metacognitive skills.

The IB Diploma Program, in Years 12 and 13, is the final rigorous test of everything students have been building throughout their time at school. The program is designed to prepare our students to be successful in a broad range of subjects, and to ensure they can take on university and life, armed with all the attributes they need.

At BISB, we are wholly committed to our students leaving our school as confident global citizens ready to make their contribution to the world. With the support of teachers and parents, our 21st century children will truly be prepared for the future.

Fiona Shanks is Head of KS4; Judith Boyd is Year 6 Teacher, and Philippa Williams is Deputy Head of Secondary School at The British International School Bratislava
ESG reporting, drones for Ukraine, and the new rafting season kicked off.

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Good evening. Here is the Tuesday, April 30 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

May 1 is Labour Day. Also, Slovakia and nine other EU countries will mark 20 years since they joined the European Union. Enjoy your day off!

Bets on winner in EP elections starting to be placed

Brussels. (Source: Vladimir Simicek)

According to betting company Tipsport, the biggest favourite to win the European Parliament elections is the Progresivne Slovensko movement, with odds of 1.35:1.

It is also believed by bettors. Up to 82 percent have bet on the win of Progresivne Slovensko, writes the SITA news agency.

PS is followed by Smer. Currently, bettors can bet on its triumph in the elections at odds of 2.70:1. Other parties are further apart. The odds of victory for Hlas are currently 15:1, for the far-right Republika 88:1, for SaS 120:1, for KDH 130:1, and for Demokrati 135:1.

So far, the highest single bets have been worth 200 per PS win, which at odds of 1.35:1 means a potential win of around 270 for bettors.

On Saturday, June 8, Slovakia will elect 15 representatives to the European Parliament.

MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE

Energy: The biggest Slovak power producer is ranked among Europe's climate leaders, according to The Financial Times' ranking.

The biggest Slovak power producer is ranked among Europe's climate leaders, according to The Financial Times' ranking. Business: Eighty-nine percent of employers even expect an increase in wages this year, the latest Grafton Recruitment survey shows.

Eighty-nine percent of employers even expect an increase in wages this year, the latest Grafton Recruitment survey shows. Culture: Astronomers in Hurbanovo photographed a falling meteor that flew over northern Moravia.

Astronomers in Hurbanovo photographed a falling meteor that flew over northern Moravia. Opinion: Will Brussels listen to firms tired of never-ending changes?

If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you.

FEATURE STORY FOR TUESDAY

ESG reporting will open firms' eyes

The ESG report is a comprehensive document which covers processes across a whole company. (Source: Unsplash)

As companies prepare to meet new obligations to deliver ESG (environmental, social, governance) reports, experts have said the process of producing them is likely to present a challenge for many of organisations.



Advertorial: Who needs to have ESG?

EVENT FOR THE WEEKEND

Bratislavsky Majales

Majales in Bratislava in 2023. (Source: Facebook/Dasa Simekova)

The traditional two-day music festival by the Danube river will take place on May 3-4. You can see the line-up here, and there will also be food stands and children's theatres. Debates about the EU, food and clothes will also be held. As usual, visitors will not pay any admission fee. Come to Tyrsovo Nabrezie embankment.

IN OTHER NEWS

Slovakia delivered four special drones for finding mines and unexploded ordnance underwater to Ukraine.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Lubos Blaha (Smer) gave an interview to the state Russian TV channel, RT. Among other things, the deputy speaker said the US House of Representatives approved an aid package for Ukraine on Adolf Hitler's birthday. It is no coincidence, he said.

Among other things, the deputy speaker said the US House of Representatives approved an aid package for Ukraine on Adolf Hitler's birthday. It is no coincidence, he said. Progresivne Slovensko urged coalition MPs to withdraw the bill on NGOs, which parliament advanced to its second reading on Tuesday. Amnesty International Slovensko called the bill a direct attack against civic society. (TASR)

Amnesty International Slovensko called the bill a direct attack against civic society. (TASR) Tourists will be able to fly from Bratislava to a new far-flung destination in the next winter season. Direct charter flights will be available to Cancun in southeast Mexico.

Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (SNS nom.) told Radio Expres that it was the Hlas party that came up with the idea of boycotting political debates broadcast by TV Markiza.

A prosecutor of the General Prosecutor's Office discarded complaints asking for examination of the lawfulness of the Slovak government's resolution to approve extended statutes of the Slovak Information Service (SIS) and their related staff changes in SIS. In early March, Pavol Gaspar became the SIS deputy director with powers of the SIS director. The Fico cabinet changed the statutes after President Zuzana Caputova announced that she might leave the decision of appointing the new director to her successor. (TASR)

In early March, Pavol Gaspar became the SIS deputy director with powers of the SIS director. The Fico cabinet changed the statutes after President Zuzana Caputova announced that she might leave the decision of appointing the new director to her successor. (TASR) The Education Ministry will move to a new building. Based on market research, the Money for Value department assessed two suitable locations: Westend Gate (Patronka) and Spectrum Tower (Petrzalka).

The traditional rafting season kicked off on the Vah river in the Zilina Region on April 30, 2024. (Source: TASR - Erika Durcova)

WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: Clear skies. The highest daytime temperatures will rise to 26C. (SHMU)

MAY 1 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Nobody. It is Labour Day, and Slovakia will also mark 20 years since it joined the European Union.

Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us.

P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook and Instagram (@slovakspectator).
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240430/those-protesting-in-georgia-against-bill-on-foreign-agents-erupting-barricades-in-tbilisi-1118198877.html

Those Protesting in Georgia Against Bill on Foreign Agents Erecting Barricades in Tbilisi

Those Protesting in Georgia Against Bill on Foreign Agents Erecting Barricades in Tbilisi

Sputnik International

People protesting against a bill on foreign agents in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, have begun to set up barricades on central Rustaveli Avenue  one of the city's main streets.

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Protesters are building barricades out of garbage bins and sun umbrellas about 500 meters (1640 feet) from the Georgian Parliament building.The correspondent reported that sounds of smoke grenades were heard, forcing protesters who were on Rustaveli Avenue to scatter.More than 15 people have been detained by Georgia's law enforcement at a demonstration against a bill on foreign agents in Tbilisi, Georgian broadcaster Mtavari Arxi reported.The Georgian Health Ministry said in a statement that three law enforcement officers have been injured and taken to hospitals during the demonstration.Levan Khabeishvili, the leader of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's opposition party United National Movement, has been detained at a demonstration against a bill on foreign agents in central Tbilisi, Georgian broadcaster Formula News reported.The politician has been reportedly taken to a hospital. Georgian broadcaster Mtavari Arxi reported that Georgia's law enforcement has also detained Aleko Elisashvili, the chairman of the Citizens political party, immediately after his appearance at the demonstration, but he was later released and forced out of the epicenter of the demonstration.Another protest broke out in Tbilisi on Tuesday, with the country's police using pepper spray, water cannons and rubber bullets against demonstrators to force them out of central Rustaveli Avenue. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has called on Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri to stop dispersing demonstrators as their action against the bill is peaceful.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231003/what-is-usaid-doing-in-georgia-1113891522.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240501/1118204765.html

Rare Archive Photos of May Day Demonstrations in USSR

Rare Archive Photos of May Day Demonstrations in USSR

Sputnik International

Archive photographs of May Day celebrations in the USSR.

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The International Day of Workers' Solidarity was one of the most important holidays in the former USSR. Traditionally, official rallies, organized street demonstrations, and marches were held in every city of the Soviet Union on that day. Moscows iconic Red Square would become a venue for parades to demonstrate the power of the Soviet Union.Sputnik dipped into the archives for some rare photographs showing how May Day was celebrated in the USSR.

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Mike Miles, HISD superintendent, talks during a tour at Thompson Elementary School, 6121 Tierwester St., Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Promo image for virtual event with HISD Superintendent Mike Miles Karen Warren / Susan Barber

The Houston Chronicle is launching a series of live virtual events that peel back the curtains on our newsroom. Readers are invited to join us for VIP interviews, fascinating Q&As and on-the-record discussions on topical issues.

Chronicle subscribers are invited to a private Zoom event with Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 15. Miles will be joined by education reporter Sam Gonzalez Kelly for a wide-ranging discussion exploring his first year in office.

Miles was appointed in June as the district's first leader since the state takeover. Most recently, Miles served as founder and CEO of Third Future Schools. Prior to this latest work, he served three years as the superintendent of Dallas ISD and six years as the superintendent of the Harrison School District in Colorado Springs.

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Miles has also served as an officer in the Armys elite Ranger Battalion and as a company commander. He then joined the U.S. State Department as a Soviet analyst and member of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Miles then served as a diplomat to Poland and Russia at the end of the Cold War, finishing his service in the State Department as the Special Assistant to the Ambassador to Russia, before returning to the United States with his wife and children. He holds degrees from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the University of California at Berkeley, and Columbia University.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240501/armenian-parliament-refuses-to-discuss-oppositions-draft-statement-on-border-delimitation-1118201842.html

Armenian Parliament Refuses to Discuss Opposition's Draft Statement on Border Delimitation

Armenian Parliament Refuses to Discuss Opposition's Draft Statement on Border Delimitation

Sputnik International

The ruling majority of the Armenian parliament has refused to discuss a draft statement on delimitation and demarcation of the border with Azerbaijan submitted by the opposition "Armenia" faction.

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"27 members of parliament voted in favor of the decision to include the draft statement 'On Demarcation and Delimitation Between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan', authored by the 'Armenia' faction, 51 voted against. No decision was made," Armenian Parliament Vice President Ruben Rubinyan said, presenting the results of the vote. Artur Khachatryan, a member of the "Armenia" faction, said that according to Armenia's laws, a prime minister is given the right to form only consultative bodies, but a special commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan cannot decide where the border runs. Any change of the border should be approved by referendum, he added. The ruling "Civil Contract" faction, which voted against submitting the draft statement for discussion at the plenary session, said it did not contribute to "the peace process declared by the Armenian government and contradicted the state interests of Armenia."On April 19, Armenia and Azerbaijan held the eighth meeting of the commissions on border delimitation. The countries agreed on the demarcation of part of the border, which will result in the handover of four villages that had been under Armenian control since the early 1990s. Last Tuesday, the first boundary marker was placed on the border.The developments, however, sparked protests in Armenia. Since April 20, protesters in Armenia have been blocking highways to Georgia and Iran, demanding to halt the process of delimitation and transfer of border territories to Azerbaijan.Armenia and Azerbaijan fought several wars over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. The latest spark of hostilities in 2023 resulted in Azerbaijan taking over Nagorno-Karabakh and prompting the breakaway region's Armenian population to almost entirely flee to Armenia. Simultaneously, Baku and Yerevan started border delimitation and stated they were close to concluding a peace treaty. Azerbaijan has demanded control over a number of formerly Soviet Azerbaijani villages remaining inside the Armenian territory after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In March, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his government was ready to transfer the villages to Baku to prevent insecurity and avoid new hostilities.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231001/transportation-of-nagorno-karabakh-residents-to-armenia-coming-to-end---armenian-govt-1113845178.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240501/ex-us-diplomat-says-state-dept-staff-fearful-to-express-their-views-on-gaza-1118200084.html

Ex-US Diplomat Says State Dept. Staff Fearful to Express Their Views on Gaza

Ex-US Diplomat Says State Dept. Staff Fearful to Express Their Views on Gaza

Sputnik International

Many State Department staffers are fearful to openly express views on Gaza which are contrary to the official position of the Biden administration, The Washington Post reported.

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Earlier in April, Rharrit resigned from the position of Arabic Language Spokesperson for the State Department and the Dubai Regional Media Hubs Deputy Director in protest of the US policy in Gaza and support for limitless supply of arms to Israel, according to the State Department. She joined the States Department in 2006 as a political officer. In Halas view, inside todays State Department, diplomats are afraid to express their viewpoints contrary to official policy despite Secretary of State Antony Blinken stating that welcomes conflicting views and reads the cables that come through the departments official dissent channel, the report said. According to Rharrit, she had to refuse several interviews with Arab media outlets about Gaza because she found official talking points to be inflammatory. Rharrit is not the first US diplomat who resigned in protest of the Biden administrations policy in Gaza. In October 2023, Josh Paul, an official who oversaw arms transfers to foreign nations, resigned in protest to continued US military assistance to Israel. In March, Annelle Sheline, a State Department officer at the Office of Near Eastern Affairs in the Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, resigned over the disagreement with Biden's policy on Gaza.On October 7, 2023, 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 34,400 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240430/over-90-lawyers-ask-biden-to-stop-military-aid-to-israel-due-to-actions-in-gaza---reports-1118187199.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240501/israeli-military-announces-preparation-for-offensive-on-northern-front-1118217473.html

Israeli Military Announces Preparation for Offensive Targeting Hezbollah

Israeli Military Announces Preparation for Offensive Targeting Hezbollah

Sputnik International

Israeli Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi has assessed the security situation in the defense forces' northern command and announced preparation for an offensive on the northern front amid ongoing shelling by Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday.

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"You [commanding officers] are doing an excellent job of operational defense in the north, and we are preparing for an offensive in the north. We are preparing for an offensive in the north. We are taking the difficult event of October 7th, we have recovered, moved forward strongly, and are making a very clear statement about our presence here going forward. The reserve force plays a significant role in this," Halevi was quoted by the IDF as saying.Hezbollah has been exchanging airstrikes with Israel since October 2023, as the situation in the region deteriorated dramatically after Israel announced a military operation against Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry has said some 100,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in southern Lebanon because of Israel's shelling. Israel has also said that about 80,000 residents of northern Israel have found themselves in a similar situation. On October 7, 2023, 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 34,400 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240501/netanyahu-blinken-holding-private-meeting-in-jerusalem-1118212114.html

Netanyahu, Blinken Holding Private Meeting in Jerusalem

Netanyahu, Blinken Holding Private Meeting in Jerusalem

Sputnik International

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding on Wednesday a private meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jerusalem, Netanyahus office said.

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"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken are currently holding a private meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem," the office said in a statement. An extended meeting of Israeli and US delegations will be held later, the office added. Earlier in the day, Blinken held a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv. The meeting comes as the parties expect response from Palestinian movement Hamas on the existing proposal for a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip. The proposal for the hostage deal, presented by Egypt and reportedly drafted by Israel, has two phases: the release of at least 20 hostages over three weeks in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners during the first phase, the length of which could be extended at a rate of one day for every additional hostage, and a 10-week ceasefire, during which Hamas and Israel would agree on a larger hostage swap and extended ceasefire that could last up to a year, media reported. Blinken described the proposal as "extremely generous" while speaking at a World Economic Forum panel in Riyadh on Monday. Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for an offensive in the city of Rafah to which the United States has concerns.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240501/ex-us-diplomat-says-state-dept-staff-fearful-to-express-their-views-on-gaza-1118200084.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240501/poland-to-deploy-weapons-near-russian-border-from-may-4-6-for-nato-drills-1118211164.html

Poland to Deploy Weapons Near Russian Border From May 4-6 for NATO Drills

Poland to Deploy Weapons Near Russian Border From May 4-6 for NATO Drills

Sputnik International

Polish military equipment will be deployed near the Polish-Russian border from May 4-6 in northeastern Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship as part of NATO's Steadfast Defender drills, the Polish Armed Forces General Command said.

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"Be especially careful in the near future, as you may encounter numerous military convoys on the route. The culmination of the exercises will take place from May 4-6 in the regions of the West Pomeranian, Pomeranian and Warmian-Masurian voivodeships," the command said on X on Tuesday. NATO kicked off Steadfast Defender 24 in January. The war games are running through May and include over 90,000 troops from all 32 member states. The second phase of the drills is focused on moving troops across Europe. During the drills, the allies plan to test out a conflict scenario against a "near-peer adversary" in accordance with Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that an attack on one ally is considered an attack against the entire NATO and allows for the provision of appropriate assistance. In January, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik that the scale of the 2024 iteration of Steadfast Defender marks the final and irrevocable return of the alliance to Cold War schemes to counter Russia. These exercises are another element of the hybrid war unleashed by the West against Russia, he added.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240402/nato-drills-in-moldova-west-tightens-grip-amid-tensions-around-the-country-1117703028.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240501/russias-military-strikes-ukrainian-army-headquarters-in-odessa--1118204316.html

Russias Military Strikes Ukrainian Army Headquarters in Odessa

Russias Military Strikes Ukrainian Army Headquarters in Odessa

Sputnik International

The Russian military has carried out a missile attack targeting the headquarters of Ukraines armed forces in the center of Odessa.

2024-05-01T06:40+0000

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The Russian military has carried out a missile strike targeting the Ukrainian Armed Forces headquarters in the center of Odessa.There were reportedly numerous ambulances heading in the direction of the targeted area. Everything around Kulikovo Pole Square has been cordoned off by the military and the SBU.On April 30, Russias military struck the port area of the city of Chernomorsk in the Odessa region. A powerful explosion was heard.Earlier, on Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that six Ukrainian US-made long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles had been shot down over the previous 24 hours. Last week, a US Defense Department spokesperson confirmed to Sputnik that the Pentagon had provided ATACMS missiles to Ukraine at President Joe Bidens direction as part of an arms aid package announced in March. Russia has repeatedly warned the US about the escalatory risks posed by the delivery of such weapons.In response to deliberate attacks by Kievs forces on civilian targets, Russian troops regularly carry out strikes on personnel, including mercenaries, and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Kiev regimes defense industry, energy, military administration, and communications infrastructure is also targeted by Russian forces.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has consistently emphasized that the Russian military does not attack civilian targets, unlike the Kiev regime, which it has urged to be considered a terrorist state.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240429/russian-forces-take-control-of-semyonovka-settlement-in-dpr---mod-1118173716.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240501/ukraines-electricity-buying-binge-shows-what-happens-to-american-puppets-1118211520.html

Ukraines Electricity-Buying Binge Shows What Happens to American Puppets

Ukraines Electricity-Buying Binge Shows What Happens to American Puppets

Sputnik International

Inheriting one of the most technically sophisticated, powerful and symbiotic electricity generation systems in the world from the USSR in 1991, Ukraines pro-Western political class has gradually frittered away the countrys energy riches, and now faces the risk of losing what remains of its energy grid in the NATO-sponsored proxy war with Russia.

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Ukraine has announced the ramping up of electricity imports from four of its neighbors, signaling the countrys increasingly unenviable status in the energy sector.National electricity transmission system operator Ukrenergo reported on Wednesday that Ukraine is importing 11,159 MWh-worth of juice from Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, and Hungary, with a maximum capacity of up to 1,500 MWh in some hours.Ukrenergo confirmed the continued deficit of electricity in the grid during peak evening hours, and advised residents to use electricity sparingly. The operator blamed the shortages on damage caused by Russian drone and missile strikes on trunk transmission equipment.Ukrenergo chief Volodymyr Kudrytsky warned in mid-April that consumers should prepare for periodic shortages of electricity. On April 12, Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko asked residents to brace for blackouts in the spring and summer period, and to purchase generators. In March, Kudrytsky said Ukraine had suffered its largest attack of all time, with serious damage done to thermal and hydroelectric plants, after Russia launched retaliatory strikes for Ukrainian drone attacks on energy facilities deep in the Russian hinterland.Ukraine moved to synchronize its electricity grid with the European Unions Continental European Network in March 2022, exporting a record $590 million worth of electricity to Europe that year. However, something seemed to go awry in the months and years that followed, with Ukrainian consultancy ExPro Consulting reporting in January that Ukraine had shifted from record exports to record imports  buying 232,950 MWh of electricity from abroad in December 2023 alone  75 times above what it did in December 2022.Ukraines electricity production dropped by 27.5 percent in 2022 compared to 2021 (including a 28 percent decline in electricity generated by nuclear power plants, 35 percent in thermal power, 32 percent in combined heat and power plants, and 36 percent in renewables). The majority of thermal power plants are situated in Donbass, which formally joined Russia in October of 2022. The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant is the most powerful in Europe. Losing control of the facility to Russia in the spring of 2022, Ukraines military has resorted to bombing it incessantly, threatening to create a Chernobyl-style disaster.The vast majority of Ukraines main power-generating facilities, including all of its major nuclear, coal, hydroelectric, and natural-gas-consuming power plants (which make up nearly 90 percent of total electricity output) were created during the Soviet period, with part of the infrastructure based on economic linkages with Russia. Even before the escalation of the conflict in 2022, many of these facilities had fallen into disrepair, requiring hundreds of millions of dollars in investment to be restored to working order.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240322/russian-strikes-paralyze-ukraines-power-grid-heres-what-was-hit-1117484767.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240411/ukraine-and-the-zaporozhye-nuclear-power-plant-the-samson-solution-1117876075.html

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Oh Look Magic quickly separated to a class of his own in taking the top-class trot -- the $41,096 Open -- at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel on Tuesday, April 30.

The demolition started with a :27.1 first quarter, where Oh Look Magic (Devon Tharps) forged to the lead and stayed on the muscle. He cruised to a :56.3 half chased by straggling The Fast Lane (Brandon Bates) before hitting the throttle up the backside. Oh Look Magic opened four lengths on his competition by three-quarters in 1:24.2 and stayed to task through the lane to register a 5-3/4-length win in 1:52.2, matching his lifetime best. Sweet Mr Pinetucky (Marvin Luna) overtook second off a pylon trip with Usosweet Blue Chip (Atlee Bender) snagging third and Its A Herbie (Verlin Yoder) finishing fourth.

A four-year-old gelding by Lookslikeachpndale, Oh Look Magic won his ninth race from 29 starts and has now banked $287,925 for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. Ron Burke trains the winner, who was sent off as the second choice in the betting and paid $5.50 to win.

Country Dagger (Brandon Bates) bagged a measured 1:54.4 win while keeping his stride together just through the line in the $24,658 Open 2 Trot. The Melvin Schmucker trainee seized the lead after a :27.4 first quarter and travelled smoothly through a :57.1 half and 1:26.1 three-quarters to then come for home under minimal encouragement and hold off The Hazelton (Devon Tharps) by a half length as he tried to charge through the inside. Schmucker owns the winning four-year-old stallion by Crazy Wow who won for the sixth time from 31 starts and has now earned $95,815. He paid $5.66 to win.

A pair of $13,699 Open 3 Trots also went postward on the card, one a mild upset and one taken by the favourite. Lous Andiamo (Jamaal Denson) popped pocket to a 1:56.4 win in the first division for co-owner Flacco Family Farms LLC and trainer Roshun Trigg to spoil the chalk party with a $17.80 return. But later on the card, the chalk exacted revenge when 4-5 choice Threepointbluechip (Ernie Hendry) followed a similar trip to victory in 1:56.1 for trainer Julie Miller and owners Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc., Thestable Three Point Group and Charles Do Bronx Racing. He paid $3.96 to win.

Live racing resumes at Oak Grove next Monday, May 6 at 3 p.m. (CDT) when the track hosts the second preliminary of the Kentucky Sire Stakes for four-year-olds, which will go to their respective $100,000 USD finals on Monday, May 13. Free program pages for every race day, courtesy of TrackMaster, are available on the Oak Grove Racing website.

(Oak Grove Racing)
When their first child was born with serious disabilities, Nick Smith and his wife Desiree moved to Nebraska to live closer to family.

Originally from Holdrege, Smith went to school and met his wife in Texas. Both were licensed teachers with four years of classroom experience. None of that mattered when they moved to Nebraska in 2021.

I knew that there were going to be some initial roadblocks moving back, Smith said. I didnt think that it would be as big of an obstacle as it has become.

The State of Nebraska didnt recognize his out-of-state teaching credentials. After two years of failed lobbying efforts, Smith begrudgingly chose to start the process for getting his Nebraska teacher license  at his own expense.

Now that may no longer be necessary.

Following years of stalled attempts, the Nebraska Legislature approved a bill recognizing certain out-of-state licenses. It passed with near-unanimous support, thanks largely to the bills marrying of causes that conservatives and liberals could get behind.

In addition to the licensing reforms, Legislative Bill 16 also provides pathways for those with military experience and opportunities for individuals with criminal records to be workforce eligible.

Nebraska has a mass incarceration issue. We also have a workforce challenge. So the more that we can do to address those really big public policy problems that impact our economy and our society, through common sense solutions, the better it is for all Nebraskans, said Sen. Danielle Conrad, who shepherded the bill across the finish line.

Nebraska was ranked the 22nd most burdensome state in the country for licensing barriers in 2023, according to the Archbridge Institute, a public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. Kansas was the least burdensome state.

In Nebraska, more than 170 occupations require some form of licensure, according to a 2021 Nebraska Department of Labor report.

Requirements vary based on the job. Jockeys, for example, must pass a physical exam and pay a fee each year. Court reporters need 30 hours of continuing education every three years.

The purpose of licensing is to protect the publics health and safety, but its become a barrier to qualified individuals, said Laura Ebke, a senior policy expert at the Platte Institute.

Just because you cross state lines doesnt mean you lose your skills, she said.

Ebke, a former state lawmaker, helped jumpstart occupational licensing reform in Nebraska with a bill passed in 2018 that, among other things, requires the state to evaluate the effectiveness of all licenses every five years.

Several licenses have been eliminated as a result, including those required to be a locksmith or massage horses.

Licensing boards have become gatekeepers for who can enter the profession, said Ebke.

Nebraska is now the 23rd state to start recognizing out-of-state licenses, reflecting a broader movement across the country. Ebke successfully worked on a similar law in Iowa in 2020. The goal, she said, is to reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for people to work.

More than 8,000 new professional licenses have been granted in Arizona since the state passed a similar law in 2019, according to Common Sense Institute Arizona, a think tank focused on free market policies. It found no evidence that the law caused a jump in malpractice or lessened the quality of services.

We can learn from our sister states experience that when they moved in that direction, they had positive impacts and the sky didnt fall, said Conrad.

Conrad, a Democrat from Lincoln, picked up the proposal from former Sen. Tom Briese, a Republican who introduced the bill in 2023. She made it her priority bill, improving the odds that lawmakers would vote on it this legislative session.

Conrad had previously worked on mass incarceration, racial injustice and second-chance employment issues when she was executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska.

It was an issue that had just simply languished for too many years, she said. Even though it had really broad support across the political spectrum, it never quite received the rocket fuel that comes with a priority designation.

The new law provides clarity on what criminal convictions make a person ineligible for certain jobs, said Jasmine Harris, director of public policy and advocacy at RISE, a nonprofit reentry program that prepares incarcerated individuals for the workforce.

Previously there was no list, she said, which created confusion for people like Alana Alexander.

Alexander left prison with over 40 workforce certificates, all of which were pretty worthless out in the real world, she said in testimony supporting a bill later folded into LB 16.

In prison, Alexander was an electrician, a personal fitness trainer and yoga instructor. Once released, she ran into roadblocks while trying to work in those professions. She enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, not knowing that she would still be ineligible to work as a felon, Harris said.

Alexander eventually left Nebraska and moved to Florida.

The RISE reentry program can now help direct inmates toward careers that they wont be barred from because of their conviction.

Ive always said that we have to do policy too, because these are barriers that have been baked into laws and policies within businesses, industries, Harris said. You cant program yourself out of a situation that a program didnt start.

Evidence shows that employment is a successful pathway to preventing recidivism  people returning to prison after incarceration. Harris said that is why RISE testified in support of LB 16.

Employers are not obligated to hire a former prisoner or any other person just because they have a license, Conrad noted.

Representatives from the Nebraska Medical Association, the American Massage Therapy Association Nebraska Chapter and the Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association testified against the bill earlier this year.

They worried about lowering standards of care and cautioned that some occupations have drastically different requirements from state to state.

For example, Nebraska requires 1,000 hours of massage therapy education before granting an occupational license. Kansas requires 625.

None of the organizations in opposition responded to requests for comment.

Conrad said the bill removes the governmental burden, but it also ensures that private businesses or even public employers are empowered to still pick the right person for the job.

Nick Smith took a job at Spreetail while he tried to navigate his return to teaching. He now has a temporary teaching license, but continues to take required online courses through Wayne State University. Desiree is pursuing a masters degree in orientation and mobility teaching at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The process has taken a toll on their daily lives  financially and emotionally.

When I get home, I have to do classes and the same thing with my wife, Smith said, adding that they usually have to split up parenting duties. Teachers dont make a lot of money so it has not helped our financial situation.

Smith was staring at another year and a half of courses  and tuition  before he could be officially licensed to do the job he did for four years in Texas.

Im hoping though, that this law changes that.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.
Sugar Land-based TDECU, which has the naming rights to the University of Houston football stadium, above, says it will acquire Sabine State Bank and Trust in Louisiana. Karen Warren/Staff photographer

TDECU said Tuesday it plans to acquire Sabine State Bank and Trust, expanding the not-for-profit credit unions footprint to Louisiana.

Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas Dow Employees Credit Union has agreed to acquire the commercial bank, which is headquartered in Many, La., and has more than $1.2 billion in assets and 51 branches in East Texas and western Louisiana.

The acquisition will give the credit union greater access to commercial lending products, especially for business owners in oil and gas, agriculture and energy, according to a statement from TDECU.

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The credit union has 35 member centers, most in Southeast Texas.

After the planned acquisition, which is expected to be complete in early 2025 and is subject to regulatory approval, TDECU would have $6 billion in assets and 471,000 members. The credit union in its 2023 annual report said it had $4.7 billion in assets and 385,822 members.

UNITY NATIONAL BANK: Houston bank celebrates 60th year

TDECU is on a growth journey to expand across the state of Texas and beyond, said Isaac Johnson, TDECU president and CEO.

The TDECU deal follows the announcement last month that Florida-based Amerant Bancorp had agreed to sell its Texas operations, including six Houston area branches, to MidFirst Bank, headquartered in Oklahoma City.

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The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is expanding its 152-acre reservation near La Center by about 60 acres.

The tribe purchased the property a few years ago, but a 2016 agreement with the city of La Center prohibited the tribe from taking the land into trust, which would place it under tribal governance and outside local and federal jurisdiction.

The La Center City Council last week voted to release the tribe from that agreement. This means that most of the land in question will shift to tribal governance, with the exact date to be decided by the federal government. The April 24 vote represented a tremendous stride forward in relations between the tribe and the city, officials said.

When I got into this role, the city and the tribe had zero relationship, La Center Mayor Tom Strobehn said. We wanted to build a relationship with the tribe, and during the year we have.

The land is located at the Interstate 5-La Center junction east of ilani, the tribes casino, and includes property within La Center city limits. The Cowlitz Indian Tribe has agreed to pay the city a percentage of tax revenue from both commercial development and tribal businesses on the land in compensation for taxes the city would have collected on future properties.

The tribe envisions attracting retail, hospitality and service businesses that would be naturally drawn to the area between the tribes and the citys growth, serving as an exciting gateway to both La Center and the Cowlitz Indian Tribes reservation, according to a Tuesday statement released by the tribe.

This could boost La Centers annual revenue by an estimated $200,000 to $260,000, according to Maria Swinger-Inskeep, director of administrative services for the city.

The Cowlitz Indian Tribe celebrates this agreement with the city of La Center as a wonderful evolution in our long-term partnership together, said Patty Kinswa-Gaiser, Cowlitz Tribal General Council chairwoman. When building ilani, Cowlitz made a promise of being good neighbors, a responsible steward of our land and resources, and to invest in new opportunities that benefit our community and our people. Today, we can proudly say that weve lived up to this promise and are eager to continue leading a vision with the city of La Center based on shared prosperity and mutual respect.

Under the new agreement, the tribe can pursue sovereignty for three-quarters of the land in La Center city limits, according to a report by Exigy Consulting requested by the city. The remaining 25 percent will be owned by the tribe but will remain under city jurisdiction. The mayor said the transfer of lands to the Cowlitz Indian Tribe doesnt impact the citys plans to expand the downtown core. If anything, Strobehn said, the transfer of lands can only help the city by providing additional sources of revenue.

The new downtown is going to take some serious time, but the tribe can actually move quicker than we can, Strobehn said. The future is coming at us super-fast. If we dont have sources for revenue, the citys in serious trouble. And thats not what I want to see happen to La Center.

The tribe has also agreed to financially assist La Center school and fire districts, which stand to lose future property tax revenue under the new agreement. The tribe has already donated $390,000 to La Center schools in the past three years, a number confirmed by Swinger-Inskeep.

Under the 2016 agreement, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe paid for improvements to I-5, an extension of the citys western sewer line and realignment of Paradise Park Road. The tribe has also provided two new ambulances to Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue.

Cowlitz Indian Tribal members were expected to attend the push-in ceremony this morning to put the new vehicles into service. Altogether, the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation has donated $28 million to Clark County and the state of Washington.

Strobehn said the agreement comes at a good time. The city has relied on gambling to provide up to 40 percent of its revenue dating back to 1983, a precarious position, Strobehn said. The citys partnership with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe is something that should have happened long ago, the mayor said.

Theyve waited 20 years to have any type of relationship with the city, Strobehn said. I wasnt waiting any longer to build a relationship with our neighbors.
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:

Andrew Witty, Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealth Group, testifies at a Senate Finance Committee hearing examining cyber attacks on health care, and the Change Healthcare cyber attack, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The Change Healthcare cyberattack that disrupted health care systems nationwide earlier this year started when hackers entered a server that lacked a basic form of security: multifactor authentication.

UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty said Wednesday in a U.S. Senate hearing that his company, which owns Change Healthcare, is still trying to understand why the server did not have the additional protection.

His admission did not sit well with Senate Finance Committee members who spent more than two hours questioning the CEO about the attack and broader health care issues.

"This hack could have been stopped with cybersecurity 101," Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden told Witty.

Multifactor authentication adds a second layer of security to password-protected accounts by having users enter an auto-generated code. It's common on apps protecting sensitive data like bank accounts and meant to guard against hackers guessing passwords.

Hackers gained access to Change Healthcare in February and unleashed a ransomware attack that encrypted and froze large parts of the company's system, Witty said. The attack disrupted payment and claims processing around the country, stressing doctor's offices and health care systems by interfering with their ability to file claims and get paid.

Andrew Witty, Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealth Group, testifies at a Senate Finance Committee hearing examining cyber attacks on health care, and the Change Healthcare cyber attack, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

While UnitedHealth quickly disconnected the affected systems to limit damage and paid a $22 million ransom, Witty said. The company is still recovering.

"We've literally built this platform back from scratch so that we can reassure people that there are not elements of the old attacked environment within the new technology," Witty said.

Witty told senators that the company was in the process of upgrading Change's technology, and he was "incredibly frustrated" to learn about the lack of multifactor authentication, which is a standard across UnitedHealth.

In March, the Office for Civil Rights said it would investigate whether protected health information was exposed and whether Change Healthcare followed laws protecting patient privacy. The company said earlier this month that personal information that could cover a "substantial portion of people in America" may have been taken in the attack. But company officials have said they see no signs that doctor charts or full medical histories were released after the attack.

Protesters hold up signs saying "Stop Denying Us Care" as Andrew Witty, Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealth Group, front, gathers his papers after testifying at a Senate Finance Committee hearing examining cyber attacks on health care, and the Change Healthcare cyber attack, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The people were protesting claim denials and prior authorization requests that they say delays care. Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Protesters hold up signs saying "Stop Denying Us Care" as Andrew Witty, Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealth Group, front, gathers his papers after testifying at a Senate Finance Committee hearing examining cyber attacks on health care, and the Change Healthcare cyber attack, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The people were protesting claim denials and prior authorization requests that they say delays care. Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Andrew Witty, Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealth Group, testifies at a Senate Finance Committee hearing examining cyber attacks on health care, and the Change Healthcare cyber attack, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Witty also told senators he was "deeply, deeply sorry," and the company would not rest until the problem had been fixed.

Change Healthcare provides technology used to submit and process insurance claimsabout 14 billion transactions a year. UnitedHealth bought Change Healthcare in a roughly $8 billion deal that closed in 2022.

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
China, France set exemplary model of win-win cooperation in energy sector

13:48, May 01, 2024 By Zhang Baoshu ( People's Daily

Energy technology is one of the key areas of cooperation between China and France. Over the past 60 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, the two sides have leveraged their respective comparative advantages in this field and achieved fruitful innovation in energy technology.

Particularly, they have set an exemplary model of international scientific and industrial collaboration in civilian nuclear energy, oil and gas resource development, and new clean energy sectors.

As a remarkable outcome of China-France nuclear energy technology cooperation, the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, located in the eastern part of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province, is the first million-kilowatt-class commercial nuclear power plant in the Chinese mainland. It has laid a solid foundation for China's subsequent nuclear power construction and development.

In December 1978, China announced the introduction of French nuclear power technology and equipment. Four years later, China's State Council approved the use of French nuclear power technology and equipment in the construction of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, marking the beginning of the cooperation between Chinese and French nuclear energy scientists and engineers in building the plant.

Photo shows the Assac Wind Farm developed by China General Nuclear Power Group in France. (Photo from the public account of China General Nuclear Power Group on WeChat)

Over 100 Chinese technicians were sent to France to receive training, and gain knowledge and experience in the operation, maintenance, and management of nuclear power plants. This experience led to the rapid growth of Chinese technical personnel and accelerated the progress of China's nuclear power industry.

Entering the 21st century, China and France once again joined forces in the field of nuclear energy technology and collaborated on the construction of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong province, which utilizes the EPR, or European Pressurized Reactor, a third-generation nuclear power solution. It is the first EPR plant in the world.

In the realm of nuclear energy technology innovation, China and France have engaged in long-term and in-depth collaborative research. They have established multiple collaborative laboratories and jointly implemented hundreds of cooperative projects. More than 1,000 experts have been exchanged between the two sides for training, discussions, and research.

Recently, China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) and French energy company TotalEnergies reached an agreement to jointly operate a new production line for the production of sustainable aviation fuel, also known as biojet fuel, using waste oils and fats.

It is reported that using biojet fuel can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50 percent compared to traditional petroleum-based aviation fuel. Sinopec holds independent intellectual property rights in the technology for the production of biojet fuel, while TotalEnergies is one of the leading sustainable aviation fuel producers in Europe. The collaboration between the two companies is expected to contribute to the green transformation of the international aviation industry and low-carbon development.

Photo shows a nuclear power plant in Taishan, south China's Guangdong province. (Photo from the public account of China General Nuclear Power Group on WeChat)

TotalEnergies is a globally renowned oil and gas company and has been deeply involved in China's oil and gas technology innovation and resource exploration and utilization.

According to Wang Wei, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, TotalEnergies has participated in exploration activities in China's Bohai Bay, Beibu Gulf, South China Sea, Yellow Sea, Zhujiang River Estuary Basin, and Tarim Basin. It has also made diversified investments in China's oil and gas industrial chain.

Through cooperation, TotalEnergies and its Chinese counterparts have enhanced their technological capabilities and accumulated rich experience, achieving mutual benefits and win-win outcomes.

Expanding into the international oil and gas market is one of the goals of China-France oil and gas technology cooperation. Wang stated that TotalEnergies and its Chinese counterparts learn from each other's experiences and technologies, thus forming a synergetic force. Adapting to local conditions, they have established sound partnerships in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Canada for mutual benefits.

The cooperation between China and France in the field of clean energy is also flourishing. The Groix Island and its surrounding waters in northwestern France are well-known for their wind resources. About 10 kilometers away from the Groix Island, there is the site of a pioneering demonstration project for floating offshore wind power developed by China General Nuclear Power Group and its French partner, Eolfi, which covers about 20 square kilometers of sea area.

People visit the exhibition booth of China National Nuclear Corporation at the 5th World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris, France in November 2023. (Photo from the public account of China National Nuclear Corporation on WeChat)

"Europe is expected to install 50 gigawatts of floating offshore wind turbines by 2030. China General Nuclear Power Group, in collaboration with its French partner Eolfi, has taken the lead in the Groix project, showcasing their strong technological capabilities. In the future, the project will lead the development of the offshore wind power industry in France and even Europe, making contributions to the development of clean energy in Europe," said a senior executive of China General Nuclear Power Group Europe Energy.

The French company leading the offshore wind power market in China is EDF, France's leading electric utility company. In November 2021, the phase-5 of an offshore wind power project developed by the company in Dongtai, east China's Jiangsu province, in collaboration with China Energy Investment Group (CHN Energy), was connected to the power grid full-capacity and started power generation. The project is the first offshore wind power project with both domestic and foreign investment in China.

Solar photovoltaic is also one of the clean energy sources that EDF is working on in China. In early April this year, EDF's wholly-owned subsidiary, EDF Renewables, officially inaugurated its distributed photovoltaic project at the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone. The project has a total installed capacity of 5.4 megawatts and is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 4,500 tons annually. It is reported that EDF Renewables is currently engaged in green electricity production in more than 20 provinces in China.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
More than 50 restaurants are participating in this year's AAPI Restaurant Weeks. Pictured clockwise, from top left: sushi from 5Kinokawa, Ocean Crawfish Seafood & Grill receiving a city proclamation, crawfish at Kau Ba and crab fried rice at Zaab Station AAPI Restaurant Weeks & staff photographer Elizabeth Conley (Kau Ba) / composite image

Houston, which boasts one of the top 10 largest Asian American populations in the U.S., is a top-tier city when it comes to offering the bounty of cuisines spanning the Asian continent  think Shanghainese soup dumplings, Indian parathas, Thai oyster omelettes, Japanese omakases, Korean fried chicken and Vietnamese banh mi, among the countless options.

Here are a few things to know about Houston's AAPI Restaurant Weeks.

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How does AAPI Restaurant Weeks work?

The citywide event runs from May 1-June 15. If you donate $25 or more, you'll receive a QR code to use at participating AAPI and AAPI-owned restaurants for various discounts. You can use the QR code once per visit, but it's also valid for as many visits during the promotion period.

HOUSTON EATS: The Chronicles top 100 restaurants

How did Houston's AAPI Restaurants Weeks begin?

AAPI Restaurant Weeks is in its fifth year since launching in 2020. OCA-Greater Houston, a local chapter of the OCA-Asian American Pacific American Advocates (which originally started as the Organization of Chinese Americans in the 1970s before rebranding in 2013 to be more inclusive of more Asian cultures), started the event to help rally support for AAPI restaurants during the pandemic, when many feared anti-Asian sentiments and xenophobia would affect their businesses.

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"Not only will diners discover delicious Asian cuisine in Houston, but they will also have the opportunity to support local businesses and make a meaningful impact in the lives of Houston's low-income AAPI seniors," said Debbie Chen, programs director of OCA-Greater Houston, in a statement.

Which restaurants are participating?

Currently, there are about 50 participants featured as part of AAPI Restaurant Weeks, including favorites such as Blood Bros. BBQ, the Blind Goat and Fung's Kitchen. More restaurants are still signing up to participate, according to a spokesperson. The various restaurants, cafes and bakeries participating are offering discounts ranging from 10% off for pastries at Six Ping Bakeries and 40% off any style crawfish served at Ocean Crawfish Seafood & Grill's two locations.

MORE FROM BAO ONG: Acclaimed chefs behind Molihua opening focus on refined Japanese cuisine, dim sum and dessert

What else should I know about the AAPI Restaurant Weeks promotion?

OCA-Greater Houston will use the $25 donations to purchase bags of rice and rice noodles to donate to low-income AAPI seniors. Last year, they reached more than 1,200 seniors at six different senior centers, mostly located on the East Side. The AAPI Restaurant Weeks event also has a partnership with the Houston Asian Pacific Island Film Festival running May 30-June 14. The QR code for AAPI Restaurant Weeks also gives you discounts to the more than 100 movie screenings during the film festival.

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Where should I eat?
Attorney Steve Davis, left, client Joseph Whittington, center, and attorney J.D. Davis, right, are shown during a press conference Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Houston. Josephs father, Jerry Whittington, died in January 2024 after being taken off of the liver transplant list. They discussed the legal filing against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, who has been accused of manipulating patients records in the liver transplant program at Memorial Hermann. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Attorney Steve Davis, left, client Joseph Whittington, center, and attorney J.D. Davis, right, are shown during a press conference Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Houston. Josephs father, Jerry Whittington, died in January 2024 after being taken off of the liver transplant list. They discussed the legal filing against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, who has been accused of manipulating patients records in the liver transplant program at Memorial Hermann. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Joseph Whittington, left, and attorney J.D. Davis, right, are shown during a press conference Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Houston. Josephs father, Jerry Whittington, died in January 2024 after being taken off of the liver transplant list. They discussed the legal filing against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, who has been accused of manipulating patients records in the liver transplant program at Memorial Hermann. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Attorney Steve Davis, left, and client Joseph Whittington, right, are shown during a press conference Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Houston. Josephs father, Jerry Whittington, died in January 2024 after being taken off of the liver transplant list. They discussed the legal filing against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, who has been accused of manipulating patients records in the liver transplant program at Memorial Hermann. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Attorney Steve Davis, left, client Joseph Whittington, center, and attorney J.D. Davis, right, are shown during a press conference Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Houston. Josephs father, Jerry Whittington, died in January 2024 after being taken off of the liver transplant list. They discussed the legal filing against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, who has been accused of manipulating patients records in the liver transplant program at Memorial Hermann. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Joseph Whittington, left, and attorney J.D. Davis, right, are shown during a press conference Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Houston. Josephs father, Jerry Whittington, died in January 2024 after being taken off of the liver transplant list. They discussed the legal filing against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, who has been accused of manipulating patients records in the liver transplant program at Memorial Hermann. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Attorney Steve Davis, left, client Joseph Whittington, center, and attorney J.D. Davis, right, are shown during a press conference Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Houston. Josephs father, Jerry Whittington, died in January 2024 after being taken off of the liver transplant list. They discussed the legal filing against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, who has been accused of manipulating patients records in the liver transplant program at Memorial Hermann. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Attorney Steve Davis, left, client Joseph Whittington, center, and attorney J.D. Davis, right, are shown during a press conference Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Houston. Josephs father, Jerry Whittington, died in January 2024 after being taken off of the liver transplant list. They discussed the legal filing against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, who has been accused of manipulating patients records in the liver transplant program at Memorial Hermann. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer An undated photo is shown of the late Jerry Whittington, who died in January 2024, after being taken off of the liver transplant list. His son, Joseph Whittington, spoke at a press conference with attorneys Steve Davis and J.D. Davis on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Houston, discussing the legal filing against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, who has been accused of manipulating patients' records in the liver transplant program at Memorial Hermann. Courtesy of Joseph Whittington An undated photo is shown of the late Jerry Whittington with his granddaughter. Jerry Whittington died in January 2024, after being taken off of the liver transplant list. His son, Joseph Whittington, spoke at a press conference with attorneys Steve Davis and J.D. Davis on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Houston, discussing the legal filing against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, who has been accused of manipulating patients' records in the liver transplant program at Memorial Hermann. Courtesy of Joseph Whittington An undated photo is shown of Joseph Whittington and his late Jerry Whittington. Jerry Whittington died in January 2024, after being taken off of the liver transplant list. His son, Joseph Whittington, spoke at a press conference with attorneys Steve Davis and J.D. Davis on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Houston, discussing the legal filing against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, who has been accused of manipulating patients' records in the liver transplant program at Memorial Hermann. Courtesy of Joseph Whittington

A growing number of families are pursuing legal action against a Memorial Hermann doctor who has been accused of potentially preventing some patients from receiving liver transplants.

On Monday, the family of Jerry Whittington joined a case filed last week on behalf of three other families who are seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction against Dr. J. Steve Bynon, according to a copy of the document provided to the Chronicle. The families are trying to prevent the doctor from destroying or manipulating any records that might be relevant to a potential lawsuit.

The order, agreed upon by lawyers for both parties, was signed Tuesday evening by Judge Tamika Craft-Demming. Bynon has been ordered to appear in court on May 13 on a $100 bond.

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I hope we can find the truth , said Joseph Whittington, Jerry Whittingtons son, at a Tuesday news conference. And then itd be nice for my mother to get some help because she lost her provider.

Bynons attorney, Matt McCracken, could not be reached for comment. In earlier legal filings, Bynon said media coverage and the plaintiffs description of his practices are misleading and insulting. UTHealth Houston, Bynons employer, has defended him as an exceptionally talented and caring physician, and a pioneer in abdominal organ transplantation. As of last week, Bynon remains a full-time employee and has not been placed on leave by the university, according to a spokesperson.

In a statement on April 11, Memorial Hermann first revealed that a doctor had inappropriately changed information in an organ-sharing database. The hospital has declined to name the doctor, but the New York Times identified him as Bynon, the longtime chief of abdominal transplantation at UTHealth and Memorial Hermann.

Hospital officials said the doctor inappropriately changed donor acceptance criteria, which include the age and weight of donors whose organs would be considered for transplant, effectively inactivating patients from the waitlist. Both the liver and kidney programs remain shut down. The hospital said the problems are confined to the liver program, but the same leadership oversaw the kidney program.

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At least one other family has sued the hospital, in addition to the four seeking a temporary restraining order against Bynon.

Jerry Whittington suffered from nonalcoholic cirrhosis and initially sought a liver transplant at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He didnt qualify for the waitlist at that hospital, his son said, but he was later placed on the waitlist at Memorial Hermann in 2023. Later that year, he was declared too sick to be transplanted and died in January at 64 years old, Joseph Whittington said.

The Whittington familys attorney, John Davis, said he represents two other families whose loved ones have died while seeking a transplant at Memorial Hermann. He said he expects to meet with other law firms, whose clients also have experienced issues at Memorial Hermanns liver transplant program, to share information and ideas about their cases. He estimated that at least 18 families have retained legal counsel related to the transplant controversy at the hospital.

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Buildings associated with Memorial Hermann Hospital and medical complex are visible Friday, April 12, 2024 in the Medical Center district of Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer

The news a Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center surgeon is accused of altering records in a government database sent shock waves through the transplant community.

Not only due to the serious nature of the allegations but because experts said they couldnt recall another time when a doctor or hospital was accused of conduct that may have prevented a patient from receiving a lifesaving organ transplant.

Memorial Hermann inactivated its liver and kidney transplant programs earlier this month after the hospital revealed it found evidence that a doctor was manipulating information in a national organ-sharing database. Hospital officials said the doctor changed donor acceptance criteria, which include the age and weight of donors whose organs will be considered for transplant, effectively inactivating patients from the waiting list.

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Memorial Hermann isnt the only liver transplant program to come under scrutiny recently. On Monday, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center announced it was shutting down its liver transplant program as the United Network for Organ Sharing conducts a performance review. The New York Times reported that staff members raised concerns, including that the program regularly declines available organs.

Experts told the Chronicle that there have been instances, though rare, where doctors or hospitals have been accused of malfeasance in connection with the organ transplant process. In those cases, doctors or hospitals were accused of manipulating the process to help a patient obtain an organ. None could remember an instance with circumstances similar to the allegations in the Memorial Hermann controversy.

Ive seen people do it in the other direction, trying to manipulate the list to gain an advantage for their patients to get access, said Dr. Art Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University.  Its almost utterly inexplicable to me because your mission is to try and advocate for your patients to try and get them transplants.

Experts said the allegations are particularly surprising because organ transplant centers have strong incentives to perform more surgeries.

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READ MORE: Memorial Hermann liver, kidney transplant patients left in limbo while lifesaving programs are halted

Doctors have an ethical obligation to advocate on behalf of their patients who need organs. But transplant centers that perform more surgeries also will generate more revenue, said Mark Aulisio, a professor and chair of the Department of Bioethics at Case Western Reserve University

Normally, more is better when it comes to a transplant program, Aulisio said.

Malfeasance in transplant programs is rare

There have been cases where a transplant surgeon was found to be improperly altering data, but its been uncommon, experts said.

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There are these cases, but those really are quite exceptional outliers, Aulisio said. Thats part of the reason we hear about them.

In 2010, the former director of the liver transplant program at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles was indicted on charges that accused him of lying to cover up the fact that an organ intended for one patient had instead gone to another. A federal jury acquitted him on all charges after a trial, according to the Los Angeles Times.

There also have been instances where transplant centers have been accused of giving preferential treatment to certain patients though they did not lead to any criminal charges against the doctors or hospitals involved.

READ MORE: What to know about organ transplants after Memorial Hermann hospital scandal

One notable example is New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle, who was the recipient of a liver transplant just one day after he announced he needed one in 1995. Critics argued that Mantle, who had alcoholism and died of liver cancer just two months later, was prioritized because of his celebrity.

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In 2008, the Los Angeles Times reported that UCLA Medical Center provided liver transplants to four Japanese gang figures at a time when hundreds of patients died while awaiting liver transplants. Guidelines do not prevent hospitals from performing transplants on patients who are not U.S. citizens or have criminal records.

Accusations of malfeasance in health care typically lead to a root cause analysis, a process that identifies the source of a problem and ways to prevent it from happening again, said Julian Rivera, an adjunct law professor at the University of Pittsburgh with extensive experience in health care. He said the process is designed to be transparent because health care providers have a responsibility to let the public know that the problem has been addressed.

There are the occasional scandals, Rivera said. They cause the system to reevaluate and to look at how their vigilance needs to be improved.

Rivera said hospitals should have an oversight process that involves multiple individuals to ensure the organ transplant program is functioning properly.

Exceptions for altering records

There are legitimate reasons why a doctor would prevent a patient on the waiting list from receiving a transplant, experts said. Patients may develop an infection that would prevent them from undergoing surgery until its been treated, or they may become too frail to survive an operation, Caplan said.

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READ MORE: Help the Houston Chronicle report on Memorial Hermanns liver and kidney transplants scandal

There are also quasi-medical reasons, such as a patient with alcohol use disorder who violates the period of abstinence that many transplant centers require before a liver transplant, Aulisio said.

Experts said that when a patient is formally inactivated or removed from a waiting list, several individuals should be informed of the decision, including the patient and the rest of the transplant team.

Memorial Hermann said in a statement that the inappropriate changes the doctor is accused of making to the national organ-sharing database effectively inactivated the candidates on the liver transplant waiting list.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that multiple federal agencies, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration, are investigating the allegations. Memorial Hermann also is conducting its own investigation.

Experts said its hard to come up with a reason why a doctor would make changes that could effectively inactivate patients. Doing so could undermine confidence in the organ transplant system, which could lead to fewer individuals opting to become organ donors, Aulisio said.
New Caney resident Shelby Moore stands on top of a platform near his garage, inspecting a pool of water that entered his garage overnight, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Officials in Montgomery and Harris counties have been watching the rising water levels in the San Jacinto River since Tuesday as they work to update the community about expected flooding. Michael Garcia/Staff New Caney resident Shelby Moore inspects his backyard after flooding occurred overnight, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Officials in Montgomery and Harris counties have been watching the rising water levels in the San Jacinto River since Tuesday as they work to update the community about expected flooding. Michael Garcia/Staff New Caney residents Shelby Moore and Jackie Burrage stand outside of their homes on Lazy Creek Drive, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Officials in Montgomery and Harris counties have been watching the rising water levels in the San Jacinto River since Tuesday as they work to update the community about expected flooding. Michael Garcia/Staff Roads were closed Wednesday morning at FM 1485 and the Grand Parkway near the Idle Wild neighborhood, May 1, 2024, in Montgomery County. Officials in Montgomery and Harris counties have been watching the rising water levels in the San Jacinto River since Tuesday as they work to update the community about expected flooding. Michael Garcia/Staff Roads were closed at FM 1485 and the Grand Parkway near the Idle Wild neighborhood, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Montgomery County. Officials in Montgomery and Harris counties have been watching the rising water levels in the San Jacinto River since Tuesday as they work to update the community about expected flooding. Michael Garcia Roads were closed at FM 1485 and the Grand Parkway near the Idle Wild neighborhood, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Montgomery County. Officials in Montgomery and Harris counties have been watching the rising water levels in the San Jacinto River since Tuesday as they work to update the community about expected flooding. Michael Garcia Roads were closed Wednesday morning at FM 1485 and the Grand Parkway near the Idle Wild neighborhood, May 1, 2024, in Montgomery County. Officials in Montgomery and Harris counties have been watching the rising water levels in the San Jacinto River since Tuesday as they work to update the community about expected flooding. Michael Garcia/Staff Roads were closed at FM 1485 and the Grand Parkway near the Idle Wild neighborhood, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Montgomery County. Officials in Montgomery and Harris counties have been watching the rising water levels in the San Jacinto River since Tuesday as they work to update the community about expected flooding. Michael Garcia

Officials in Montgomery and Harris counties have been monitoring the rising water levels in the San Jacinto River, but Wednesday morning, after a voluntary evacuation was issued, no rescues were underway.

The rain threat continues through Thursday.

According to Houston Chronicle Newsroom Meteorologist Justin Ballard, rain models have grown increasingly more confident in depicting a large complex of thunderstorms developing north and west of Houston. That complex is forecast to press into the Houston area by early Thursday morning.

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This is reflected in the Storm Prediction Centers severe storms outlook for Wednesday into Thursday, which includes a level 2 risk of severe storms on a 1 to 5 scale. Damaging winds will be the biggest threat from storms, Ballard said.

ORGAN TRANSPLANT SCANDAL: Amid Memorial Hermann controversy, experts say malfeasance in organ transplant programs is rare

The Harris County Flood Control District announced Tuesday that the East Fork of the San Jacinto River will rise following the heavy storms which led to damage in areas north of greater Houston earlier this week.

Harris and Montgomery counties have warned residents about potential flooding in the FM 1485 area.

New Caney resident Shelby Moore rushed home from Dallas when he was told that his neighborhood was flooding. Moore, who lives in the 20000 Block of Lazy Creed Drive, said his garage was filled with water Tuesday.

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As both Moore and his neighbor, Jackie Burrage, stood outside their homes Wednesday morning to monitor the water that covered their street, both shared worries about the water released from Lake Conroe by the San Jacinto River Authority.

As of Wednesday morning, the river authority was releasing 7,540 cubic feet per second of water from Lake Conroe.

The Harris County Sheriffs Departments marine unit and dive team and the Houston Fire Department continued the search for a boater who went missing after a craft they were in capsized near the Lake Houston Dam on Tuesday.

One person had been rescued. No other information was available.

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Montgomery County Precinct 4 Constable Kenneth Hayden said on Facebook early Wednesday morning that FM 1485 East near Dipping Lane is currently under water and rising.

FM 1485 has been closed at the San Jacinto River, he said.

Late Tuesday night, the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management announced on Facebook that the San Jacinto River near New Caney at FM 1485 was rising rapidly and nearing major flood stage.

The Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioners Office said they were assisting the Harris County Sheriffs Office with water rescues in the Idle Wild area of New Caney.

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Harris County Precinct 3 also announced road closures on Spaulding Road, and Casey Road from FM 1485 to the dead end and the Idle Wild neighborhood due to high water levels.
A Bedford County man died as the result of a crash in Franklin County on Friday, according to Virginia State Police.

The single-vehicle crash occurred just after 4 p.m. on Virginia 679, one mile south of Virginia 634.

A 1999 Dodge 3500 was traveling south on Virginia 679, when the vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree, according to a state police news release.

The driver of the Dodge was identified as Gary Lynn Chisom, 66, of Goodview. Chisom was not wearing his seat belt and died at the scene, according to the release.

The crash remains under investigation.
A student-led protest demanding the University of Virginia divest from the state of Israel originally planned for Wednesday got off to an early start Tuesday afternoon. University officials say the nearly 100 protesters gathered on Grounds will be allowed to stay so long as they do not erect tents, as have been seen at other campus protests nationwide.

And those protesters  a crowd including students, faculty and Charlottesville community members  were complying even as a light rain began to fall late Tuesday night.

Earlier this afternoon, University officials became aware of a small group setting up tents near the UVA Chapel, UVa said in a statement provided by spokesman Brian Coy. Representatives from UVA Student Affairs and University Police met with the group and informed them that, while they are free to demonstrate in public spaces, tents are prohibited by university policy. The individuals complied with requests to voluntarily take down the tents. There were no arrests and no disruption of university activities.

Two protesters told The Daily Progress they were unsure if their group would be staying overnight.

"I'm just playing it by ear," said one.

Would police kick them out if they do?

"I'm not sure," said another.

Protesters have been encouraged to wear masks and not share their identities with the press. The masks, at least according to organizers, are a COVID-19 precaution.

Since 1950, it has been a crime in Virginia for any individual over the age of 16 to wear a mask, hood or face covering with the intention of concealing their identity, a implicit tool to prosecute members of the Ku Klux Klan.

While some students were unsure if they would last the night Tuesday, at 8:30 p.m. one organizer made the groups plans more clear, addressing the full crowd:

"It's definitely been an emotional day, but I'm feeling so good and so proud," the young man said, encouraging the group to invite more friends to the protest. "Hopefully we're going to be here for a while."

Late Tuesday night, organizers were asking members of the community to bring supplies, including food, water, lanterns, portable chargers, caffeinated drinks, coolers, blankets and umbrellas.

Tuesday marked the last day of classes for the spring semester at UVa, and protesters started to gather by the UVa Chapel adjacent to the schools landmark Rotunda late in the afternoon. Signs posted in the area declared the corner of Grounds a liberated zone and repeated student demands that their school divest from Israel amid that countrys ongoing war with Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

That war, which protesters call a genocide, began Oct. 7 of last year with Hamas surprise attack on Israel, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking more than 240 hostages. Since then, Israel has laid siege to the Palestinian territory of Gaza and the death toll has climbed to more than 34,000, the overwhelming majority of those Palestinians, and the overwhelming majority of those Palestinians women and children.

The conflict has sparked protests at college campuses across the U.S., where students have demanded their schools cut ties with Israel in support of the Palestinian people. Protests at multiple colleges have turned violent, especially after police were called. New York police were dispatched to clear a student protest at Columbia University Tuesday night after protesters took over a university building. At the University of California, Los Angeles, student protesters set up barricades blocking other students from accessing parts of campus, including a library.

In Virginia over the past three days, protests at Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Mary Washington were busted up by police. Police made 82 arrests at Virginia Tech on late Sunday night and early Monday morning after hundreds of protesters set up an encampment on campus. At Mary Washington, police arrested 12 protesters Saturday evening. And another 13 were arrested at VCU Monday night, after police stormed protesters wearing riot gear and deploying tear gas. Almost all of the protesters have been charged with trespassing, with universities arguing that overnight encampments violate school policy.

There have been multiple student-led protests at UVa since Oct. 7. And while the rhetoric has been heated at times, none of the protests have risen to the extremes seen in New York and California.

UVA has seen an increase in peaceful expressive activity on our Grounds this year in response to the ongoing Middle East conflict, the school said in its Tuesday statement. As an institution committed to free expression and the open exchange of ideas, we strive to ensure these activities can take place safely, and in a manner that permits all parties to make their voices heard.

UVa was established by Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, a vocal proponent of free speech and expression in the countrys earliest days. The university said in its Tuesday statement that it will do all in its power not to infringe on those rights, so long as the safety of its community members is not threatened.

The University is prohibited by the Constitution and our own values from restricting speech based on its content, even in cases where the content is hurtful or offensive, the school said. We do, however, enforce reasonable restrictions on the time, place, and manner of expressive activities, so as to assure the safety of our community and to avoid disruption to University life or the rights of others. As we become aware of planned expressive activities, University officials engage with organizers to inform them of these policies.

The school and protesters still expect the protest on Grounds to continue into Wednesday, when the original event was planned.

The choice of May 1 is no coincidence. Organizers chose the date to align with an anti-war protest that took place on the universitys Lawn in 1970, when thousands of students held demonstrations to voice their opposition to the United States decision to expand the Vietnam War into Cambodia.

That weeklong protest is remembered as May Days: Classes were canceled, protesters occupied the Naval ROTC building (now John Warner Hall) and police stormed the Lawn, jailing dozens.

An Instagram post by a group calling itself UVA Dissenters specifically highlights the 1970 protest as an inspiration for students planned Wednesday protest.

During the May Days strike of 1970, UVA students announced a Freedom Day to rally students together in their opposition to the U.S. imperialist war in Vietnam, the post reads.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has said that protests at public colleges in the commonwealth must remain peaceful, or face the consequences.

We will protect the ability to peacefully express yourself, but were not going to have the kinds of hate speech and intimidation that were seeing across the country in Virginia, he said in a statement Sunday.

Several officials have voiced concern over how student protesters have treated Jewish students. Israel is the worlds only Jewish nation-state, and reports of antisemitism have spiked in the months since Oct. 7.

At UVa, officials say the school has received a total of 19 "reports related to potential antisemitism" from students, faculty and staff between the start of the 2023 fall semester and Jan. 1 of this year. The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation in late December after a UVa student filed a claim with the federal agency claiming they felt unwelcome, frightened and discriminated against on Grounds, specifically because of their religious beliefs.

"In response to reports of alleged antisemitic speech or conduct, University officials have connected with reporters, offered them resources, and sought additional information about their reports so that we can investigate and hold people responsible if necessary," Coy, the UVa spokesman, told The Daily Progress in a prepared statement in March. "Many investigations are ongoing, but in some cases, we haven't yet received enough information to identify alleged perpetrators and hold them accountable. We urge anyone with information about cases of antisemitism, islamophobia, or other forms of harassment and intimidation to share that information as soon as possible."

At the same time, several UVa students and faculty, some of them Jewish, have been the targets of a blacklist compiled by UVa parents who have accused them of antisemitism, in every instance without any evidence.

That list was published by the Jefferson Council, a conservative alumni association with ties to the university's Board of Visitors. Jefferson Council co-founder and businessman Bert Ellis sits on the board and has been an outspoken critic of the school's response to reported antisemitism.

The Jefferson Council has since removed links to the list after facing pushback from the named parties and inquiries from The Daily Progress.

On Tuesday, Republican Rep. Bob Good, who represents UVa and the surrounding 5th District in Congress, wrote a letter to UVa President Jim Ryan.

I urge you to demonstrate courageous and decisive leadership and take appropriate action to protect Jewish students and faculty by upholding Title VI and eliminating any visible demonstrations of antisemitism at UVA, Good wrote.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides that no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Daily Progress reporters Jason Armesto and Emily Hemphill contributed to this story.

Gallery: Police confront protesters at VCU; arrests made
Most everyone knows of the tradition of flowery and fun baskets left on the doorsteps of neighbors and friends in an effort to celebrate spring. But did you know that May Day could be considered one of two very different holidays?

The first May 1st in question, that undoubtedly started earlier, finds its roots planted in medieval Europe. According to the encyclopedia Britannicas website, May Day was the celebration of spring.

The observance probably originated in ancient agricultural rituals and the Greeks and Romans held such festivals, the entry reads. Although later practices varied widely, the celebrations came to include the gathering of wildflowers and green branches, the weaving of floral garlands, the crowning of a May king and queen, and the setting up of a decorated May tree, or Maypole, around which people danced.

This was also a way to celebrate or ritualistically ensure the fertility of crops (and thus humans and livestock), or to celebrate crops beginning to sprout.

The Farmers Almanac website dives deeper into the history of May Day, noting its roots were astrologically based as May 1 (or there about) was traditionally the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.

Cattle were driven to pasture, special bonfires were lit and the doors of houses and livestock were decorated with yellow May flowers, the article reads. In the Middle Ages, the Gaelic people celebrated the festival of Beltane, which means Day of Fire. People created large bonfires and danced at night to celebrate.

It was also believed that washing the face with dew on the morning of May 1 would beautify the skin.

May Day baskets themselves often consist of a paper basket, or cone, filled with flowers and sweets. These are traditionally left by neighbors on each others doorsteps, usually anonymously.

This tradition was popular through the 19th and 20th centuries, especially with children or sweethearts, the almanac states. The custom was to knock on the door, yell May basket! and then run. If the recipient caught the giver, he or she was entitled to a kiss.

Following the progression of religion throughout history, due to the beliefs of the Puritans, May Day was considered licentious and pagan and henceforth never became an influential part of American culture.

The practice of any version of May Day in what would become the United States became progressively even less popular as time went on  especially after the labor riots in 1886.

The other historical May Day

Also according to the encyclopedia Britannicas website, the other commonly known May Day commemorates the historic struggles, and subsequent victories, achieved by workers and the labour movement.

In 1889 an international federation of socialist groups and trade unions designated May 1 as a day in support of workers, in commemoration of the Haymarket Riot in Chicago (1886), the encyclopedia reads. Five years later, U.S. Pres. Grover Cleveland, uneasy with the socialist origins of Workers Day, signed legislation to make Labor Day  already held in some states on the first Monday of September  the official U.S. holiday in honour of workers. Canada followed suit not long afterward.

The Haymarket Riot in Chicago had an impact far surpassing its geographical border. In fact, news of the occurrence graced the front page of The Grand Island Daily Independent on Monday, May 3, 1886.

Twenty-five thousand is a fair estimate of the number of men who quit work yesterday and walked out of the various shops and factories in Chicago because their employers would not consent to an eight-hour working day and the same wages which have been paid when ten hours were the rule, the article reads. The trades most affected are the furniture manufacturers, the lumber interests in all their numerous ramifications and the iron men.

Eventually these struggles would pay off, resulting in the 8-hour work days some of us know and tolerate.

The more you know.
Death row inmate Arthur Lee Burton, who in 1997 raped and killed a jogger, is shown on Zoom in court as a Harris County prosecutor asks Judge Ramona Franklin of the 338th District Court to sign an execution order on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Nancy Adleman was raped and killed while jogging in July 1997. Houston Chronicle Harris County Assistant District Attorney Joshua Reiss waits in court after asking Judge Ramona Franklin of the 338th District Court to sign an execution order for death row inmate Arthur Lee Burton. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Two relatives of Nancy Adleman, her widower Mark Adleman, right, and sister-in-law, Sharon Ostrander, center, attend a hearing over an execution order. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Judge Ramona Franklin of the 338th District Court is asked by a prosecutor to sign an execution order for death row inmate Arthur Lee Burton, who in 1997 raped and killed a jogger, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

A judge on Wednesday signed off on an August execution date for a Louisiana native convicted in the 1997 rape and murder of a Houston jogger.

The death row inmate, Arthur Lee Burton, watched the proceeding on a teleconferencing call from the Polunsky Unit with a pair of prison guards flanking him. The guards had their hands on his shoulder throughout the hearing  a show of force not typically displayed with other death row inmates facing execution in court proceedings of late.

Prosecutors handed Judge Ramona Franklin the execution order, which she signed, and noted that Burton, 47, after having spent about 26 years on death row, had exhausted his due process. His execution is slated for Aug. 7 in Huntsville.

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A jury convicted Burton in 1998 in the death of Nancy Adleman, a mother of three, whose body Harris County deputies found near West Road and Beltway 8 after she failed to return to her northwest Houston home while jogging. He was sentenced to die twice  the final time after a higher court ordered a new punishment trial.

Burton, who lived nearby and was seen riding his bike around the neighborhood, denied killing Adleman and alleged that police coerced an extensive confession from him.

MORE FROM THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Texas executions remained low as 8 prison inmates put to death, 2 from Houston area, in 2023

Joshua Reiss, chief of the Post-Convictions and Writs Division for the Harris County District Attorneys Office, countered that Burton confessed to the crime to law enforcement after his arrest and during the second trial.

For any woman who has ever exercised alone or walked to her car alone, this case is that womans nightmare, Reiss said.

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An attorney for Burton, Kate Johnson, asked the judge to either set a deadline this fall for her to attempt additional appeals or allow for a later execution date. The judge, after stepping off the bench for several minutes, did not grant either of her requests. She returned and asked Burton to confirm the date, his name and whether he consented to appearing by Zoom.

She deemed Burton competent and signed the order, setting his execution by lethal injection into motion.

Adlemans widower, Mark, observed the proceedings alongside his sister. He plans to attend the execution.

You never lose the grief, but you learn to accept it and you learn to go on, Adleman said.

His sister, Sharon Ostrander, reflected on what she remembers about Adleman: her smile and her poetry. She also remembers babysitting Adlemans children two days before her death.

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She was murdered on a Tuesday, Ostrander said.

Joe Ownby, a retired defense attorney who prosecuted Burton in 1998, said the case never left his mind. She was coincidentally killed near his then-church, which shares the trail along a bayou that Adleman jogged on that night. A memorial was built along the trail for her.

He just took her, Ownby recalled.

The lawyer stood by the jurys decision to sentence Burton to death.

I always thought there were crimes that were so outrageous that they just demanded the death penalty, Ownby said. I have no reservations that this persons conviction and his sentence was just.

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Another prosecutor handled the 2002 punishment trial after the Court of Criminal Appeals threw out his first sentence because of mistakes made by his original defense attorney.
Clarifying for cause termination: Workers employed under the H-2A program have the right to payment for three-fourths of the hours offered in the work contract, as well as housing and meals until the worker leaves, outbound transportation and  if the worker is a U.S. worker  to be contacted for employment in the next year, unless they are terminated for cause. The final rule clarifies that an employer only terminates a worker for cause when the worker either fails to comply with employer policies or fails to perform job duties satisfactorily after, in most cases, the transparent application of a system of progressive discipline. The rule establishes that for a worker to be terminated for cause, five conditions must be met, including a requirement that workers are either informed about or reasonably should have known the policy, rule or performance expectation unless the worker has engaged in egregious misconduct.

Making foreign labor recruitment more transparent: The final rule imposes new disclosure requirements to improve foreign worker recruitment chain transparency, provides additional information about the nature of the job opportunity and bolsters the departments ability to protect workers from exploitation and abuse. The new provisions require employers to provide a copy of all agreements with any agent or recruiter they engage or plan to engage, disclose the name and location of any person or entity working for the recruiter who will solicit prospective H-2A workers and disclose in the H-2A application the name, location and contact information of the workplaces owners, operators and managers.

Ensuring timely wage changes for H-2A workers, which helps prevent an adverse effect on the wages of similarly employed workers in the U.S.: Returning to longstanding practice, the final rule designates the effective date of updated adverse effect wage rates as of the date of publication in the Federal Register. This change safeguards fair compensation for workers under the H-2A program and addresses potential adverse effects on the wages and working conditions of similarly employed workers in the U.S. The rule would also require employers who fail to provide adequate notice to workers of a delay in their start date to pay workers the applicable rate for each day that work is delayed for up to 14 days.

Improving transportation safety: Many H-2A workers travel in vans or buses, sometimes driven after long days by tired workers. The final rule includes a seat belt requirement to reduce the hazards associated with the transportation of farmworkers. If a vehicle is required by Department of Transportation regulations to be manufactured with seat belts, the final rule prohibits the operation of these vehicles to transport workers under the H-2A program unless each occupant is wearing a seat belt.

Preventing labor exploitation and human trafficking: The final rule clarifies that employers are prohibited from holding or confiscating a workers passport, visa or other identification documents, which is a tactic used to exploit workers.
A body was found inside a burned vehicle on Tuesday afternoon, according to Bamberg County Sheriff Kenneth Bamberg.

The discovery was made while his office was conducting a missing person investigation with the assistance of the S.C. Law Enforcement Division.

SLED spokesperson Renee Wunderlich said the burned car and body were found off Turn Ray Road, just outside of Denmark.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources, Denmark Fire Department and the Bamberg County Coroners Office assisted at the scene.

The name and gender of the body isnt being released to news media currently, Bamberg County Coroner Wallace Hicks Jr. said Wednesday morning.

Hicks said an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

The body was found during the search for Megan Faith Bodiford, who was reported missing just before 8 p.m. on April 26, according to a sheriffs office incident report.

One of Bodifords female friends reported that Bodiford reached out to her at 9:48 p.m. on April 25 saying that if her friend didnt hear from Bodiford within 30 minutes, she needed to call law enforcement.

At 5:45 p.m. Saturday, the sheriffs office asked SLED to assist in the search of the home of Bodifords boyfriend, Jarrett Haskell Davis, of 642 Ghents Branch Road. Davis has not been charged in Bodifords disappearance.

The request for a warrant was based on:

 Prior call history.

 Concern for the safety of Bodifords 4-month-old baby, who lived in the home.

 Davis having an outstanding warrant for second-degree domestic violence.

A SLED agent told a Bamberg County deputy that he was familiar with Davis and agreed that the property must be searched for Bodiford or any evidence of a crime, the report states.

AT&T began providing the sheriffs office with cellphone data from Davis phone at 8:31 a.m. Sunday.

Bodifords phone had been off too long for a last-known location, the report states.

Just over an hour later, a search warrant was obtained for Davis home and it was executed at 10:52 a.m.

Authorities took Davis into custody without incident as he was coming out of a shed in the back yard, the report states.

SLED found the 4-month-old girl in the living room.

Thorne Ambulance Service checked out the baby girl and determined she was in good health, the report states.

The sheriffs office called the babys maternal grandmother to the scene to take custody of her granddaughter.

As of Wednesday morning, authorities havent indicated if Davis or anyone else is facing any charges in connection with Bodifords disappearance.

SLED is handling the case at Bambergs request.
An Orangeburg man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for attacking a postal carrier who was delivering mail to a daycare.

Gregory Ellison, 42, pleaded guilty to assault on a federal employee.

U.S. District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Ellison to 40 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on March 20, 2023, a U.S. postal carrier stopped to deliver mail at a daycare facility in Orangeburg.

Ellison, who had a prior relationship with the carrier, arrived at the facility.

The carrier tried to escape into the daycare, but Ellison caught her and began assaulting her inside of the facility where children and workers were present.

The carrier convinced Ellison to leave the premises and talk outside. Once outside, Ellison pinned her against the mail truck, ripped out her earring and took her cell phone.

The carrier managed to distract Ellison long enough to jump into her mail truck and drive away. However, Ellison caught up to the truck, punched the carrier in the head and pulled her out of the moving vehicle by her hair, causing her to land on dirt and concrete, resulting in visible injuries.

The truck continued to roll and crashed into a nearby ditch.

Further investigation revealed that Ellison previously visited the carriers place of employment multiple times in the weeks leading up to the assault.

Additionally, Ellisons social media revealed he had sent multiple messages to the victim before and after the assault threatening to kill her with a firearm.

Prior to the assault, he also sent messages to two other individuals asking for a firearm.

Ellison has prior convictions for third-degree domestic violence and second-degree harassment.

Keeping our citizens, and federal workers, safe is a core to our mission, said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. Such intentional violence against federal workers will be prosecuted.

While this incident stemmed from domestic violence, this sentencing clearly illustrates that individuals who endanger the safety and wellbeing of USPS workers will be held accountable for their actions, said Tommy D. Coke, inspector-in-charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office and the Calhoun County Sheriffs Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.
The Central South Carolina Alliance has hired a national public relations firm to promote the area globally. The alliance is a nonprofit regional economic development recruitment organization which includes Calhoun County.

We don't really tell the story about what is great about this area of the country, of this part of the state, Central South Carolina Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer Jason Giulietti told Calhoun County Council last week.

We are going on a pretty large tour now to go and tell the world what is special about this part of South Carolina, he said.

Giulietti said the alliance is going to speak to the business community.

If you know of great things happening here in this community, share it with us please. We want to get that story in the Wall Street Journal. We want to get it in magazines that go national, international in scope to let people see and feel and understand why this place is great, he said.

The CSCA helps recruit industry into the area. It includes Orangeburg, Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry and Richland counties, and the City of Columbia.

Giulietti expressed his desire to be hands-on and engaged in each local community outside of normal business hours.

I want to know what is going on here, Giulietti said. We are going to make sure we prioritize being here with you guys to experience what it is like to live and work in these communities. I want to get to know you guys.

We truly want to make sure we represent all of you, he continued. We don't want to give favoritism to anybody.

He said the alliances priorities this year are about engagement.

It is making sure all our communities, the residents here, others and the business community truly see and are engaged in the economic development activities to bring more jobs, more opportunity to the local folks here in our community, Giulietti said.

He said there will also be an effort to meet with local economic development officials and county administrators to get feedback on where gaps and resources may be lacking on the county level.

Calhoun County Administrator and Director of Economic Development John McLauchlin said Giulietti has rejuvenated the eight counties from an economic development standpoint.

It is good to have him on board.

In other business:

Council was informed that 38 volunteers picked up 165 bags of trash in the countywide litter pickup in preparation for the Purple Martin Festival.

McLauchlin thanked all those who volunteered for the event. The county has a countywide litter pickup three times a year.

McLauchlin thanked those who came to the Purple Martin Festival and all the staff and volunteers who gave so much of their weekend to help before, during and after the event. He also thanked downtown business owners for allowing the use of their property for parking and St. Matthews Town Council.

McLauchlin said the event had more activities for children and that he was told the festival was the topic of conversation amongst first-graders at the Calhoun County School District.

This is the reason why we have it, is obviously for the kids, McLauchlin said.

Council unanimously appointed Tamesha Gilmore to the county Planning Commission. Gilmore represents Council District 4.

St. Matthews resident Phillip J. Ford announced hes seeking the Democratic nomination for the House District 93 seat.

Ford is the founding principal of the Ford & Ford Group, a consulting firm. He works on public policy and grant writing for nonprofits.

Ford noted his work with the Orangeburg-Calhoun Free Medical Clinic and the Tri-County Health Network in the past. He has the goals of addressing child hunger and ensuring individuals have access to medical care.

Al Jenkins, regional director for U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, informed council he stopped by the county's veteran affairs office to make sure veterans are receiving the help they need on the federal level with any benefits they are due.

Council entered into closed session to discuss a contractual matter related to the Lake Marion Regional Water Authority.
It was a rare hunch that prompted a North Carolina man to play the lottery  and the life-changing prize left him in disbelief.

I really didnt think it was true, Donnie Leviner of Laurinburg told North Carolina Education Lottery officials.

The 18-year-old stopped for gas at Sneads Grove Convenience in Laurel Hill and walked away with a $2 million win, officials said in an April 29 news release.

Leviner said something just told me to buy the $20 Big Cash Payout game, despite playing the lottery only a handful of times before his big win. He opted for a lump sum payment and took home $858,006, after taxes, officials said.

I initially just went there to fill up the lawn mower, the lucky winner said, laughing.

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Leviner doesnt have a solid plan for his winnings but said he plans to spend it wisely, according to officials.

He beat odds of 1,598,205 to win the top prize in the Big Cash Payout game, according to the lottery website. There are two $2 million prizes and five $100,000 prizes still up for grabs.

Laurel Hill is about a 100-mile drive southwest from Raleigh.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
(TBTCO) - Tuan nay, gia gao tai cac trung tam xuat khau chinh o chau A a giam xuong muc thap nhat trong hon mot nam qua, do nhu cau cham lai va nguon cung tang sau khi An o noi long cac quy inh han che xuat khau oi voi mat hang chu luc nay.
In this Aug. 27, 2019, file photo, Ronald Haskell, center, appears in Judge George Powell's courtroom for his capital murder trial in Houston. A jury has convicted Haskell of capital murder for fatally shooting six members of his ex-wife's family in Texas. Jurors on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019, rejected Ronald Lee Haskell's insanity defense. His attorneys said Haskell believed voices in his head were telling him to kill the Stay family, including four children, at their suburban Houston home in 2014. Steve Gonzales/Staff photographer

A state district court judge wont be required to recuse herself from a death row inmates post-conviction case despite attempts by Harris County prosecutors to remove her.

Judge Natalia Cornelio referred to Ronald Haskell, convicted in the 2014 deaths of six members of the Stay family, including four children, as a sick man as his defense attorneys sought a lesser punishment during his death penalty trial, according to a prosecutor's affidavit describing a 2019 conversation with her. The judge's remarks, which predated her election to the 351st District Court, were made to a member of Harris County District Attorney Kim Oggs leadership.

The conversation was described in an affidavit that accompanied a request Cornelio step down from the Haskell case at the start of appellate proceedings. Haskell hasnt filed an appeal or challenged the conviction, but his attorneys will likely do so, prosecutors said.

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Cornelio was a staff attorney for County Commissioner Rodney Ellis at the time of her 2019 comments. She also expressed disgust that Texas still pursued and sentenced defendants to the death penalty, according to First Assistant District Attorney David Mitchams account of the 2019 conversation.

Judge Susan Brown, of the 11th Administrative Judicial Region of Texas, which oversees courts in the Houston area and surrounding counties, said while the prosecution suggested a possible bias in Cornelios remarks, they failed to provide evidence of any actual bias in the Haskell case. She denied the motion last month without a hearing after Cornelio refused to recuse herself, records show.

The motion, filed in March, also warned of potential bias in the future but Brown dashed that as well, noting prosecutors did not provide any details or specificity of existing behaviors of the judge to support the allegation of bias.

Joshua Reiss, chief of Oggs post-convictions and writs division, wrote in the motion that Cornelios remarks would cause a reasonable person to question her impartiality.

Had Cornelio stepped down, or Brown granted the motion, Haskells case would have been moved to another court.

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GUILTY CONVICTION: Haskell found guilty of capital murder in Stay family deaths

A Dallas public defender, now representing Haskell, earlier noted Cornelios remarks reflected her awareness of current events rather than impropriety.
First Citizens has announced its continued sponsorship of the National Secondary Schools Entrepreneurship Competition (NSSEC).

It is an initiative aimed at fostering innovation, leadership, and business acumen among young students outside the traditional school system, the bank said in a media release yesterday.
Parents, teachers, students and community members join The Houston Federation of Teachers in protesting the current state of HISD schools in front of HISD headquarters on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

The leaders of Houston's largest teachers union approved a resolution of no confidence in Houston ISD's Superintendent Mike Miles on Tuesday, in a strong but ultimately symbolic rebuke of the state-appointed superintendent's leadership.

The union's resolution calls for Miles' removal as superintendent and lays out numerous grievances that have surfaced repeatedly over the course of his 11-month tenure. It now heads to the Houston Federation of Teachers' 6,000-plus members for ratification, with results of the vote expected next week.

"The takeover of Houston ISD, the largest school district in Texas and the eighth largest district in the country, is a politically motivated, irresponsible experiment that is worsening inequities and disenfranchising Houston voters," the resolution begins. "Houston ISD teachers and support staff have

come together now to call for a vote of no confidence in state-installed superintendent Mike Miles."

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JOIN US: Subscribers are invited to meet Superintendent Miles at our private virtual event

Among other complaints, the union took issue with Miles' dissolution of their exclusive consulting agreement with the district, which effectively ended their monthly meetings with HISD administration. They also cite a "track record of broken promises," such as rescinding teacher retention bonuses, widespread teacher turnover and Miles' expanded spending power as reasons for the vote of no confidence.

"The ongoing lack of respect Miles has demonstrated for educators, their profession, and the students they serve has resulted in a complete lack of confidence in his leadership efforts," the resolution reads.

HISD officials did not immediately return a request for comment. Miles has repeatedly argued that the union's complaints are overstated, pointing to a surplus of applications at his New Education System schools even as teacher turnover has continued at about double the usual rate in his first year in charge.

The resolution calls for Miles' removal as superintendent and his replacement with a leader "who will not treat our community with disdain, will work to restore trust with employees and parents, and will end the harm being done to our students from Miles 'reforms.'" Other demands include a request that all teachers be certified, librarians be restored and the district return to the state's teacher evaluation system.

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The union has butted heads with Miles since he was appointed to lead Texas' largest school district last June, suing HISD to temporarily delay the implementation of Miles' teacher evaluation system and holding rallies that have drawn hundreds of protesters. Short of calling for a strike, which is illegal among public sector unions in Texas, calling for a no-confidence vote is one of the strongest acts of protest a union can take against an employer.
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How you want this to go? You want me to kill you and your son, or you want me just kill you alone?

This was the question posed to 40-year-old Anna Ellis yesterday, when she was attacked by a man known to her at her home on Dibe Road, St James.

Ellis, who was stabbed multiple times, was able to speak with reporters yesterday afternoon while police were conducting a search for her 12-year-old son, who was kidnapped following the confrontation.
Community members and activists hold a rally ahead of May Day on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at City Hall in Houston to demand that Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Police Department develop a comprehensive plan to protect community members if Texas Senate Bill 4 is reinstated. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Community members and activists hold a rally ahead of May Day on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at City Hall in Houston to demand that Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Police Department develop a comprehensive plan to protect community members if Texas Senate Bill 4 is reinstated. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Community members and activists hold a rally ahead of May Day on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at City Hall in Houston to demand that Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Police Department develop a comprehensive plan to protect community members if Texas Senate Bill 4 is reinstated. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Community members and activists hold a rally ahead of May Day on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at City Hall in Houston to demand that Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Police Department develop a comprehensive plan to protect community members if Texas Senate Bill 4 is reinstated. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Community members and activists hold a rally ahead of May Day to demand that Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Police Department develop a comprehensive plan to protect community members from anti-immigrant legislation like Texass Senate Bill 4 on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at City Hall in Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Community members and activists hold a rally ahead of May Day to demand that Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Police Department develop a comprehensive plan to protect community members from anti-immigrant legislation like Texass Senate Bill 4 on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at City Hall in Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

Dozens of immigrant rights and labor activists marking International Workers Day, or May Day, rallied against Texas Senate Bill 4 on Tuesday at Houston City Hall, decrying the currently blocked migrant deportation law and also pushing city leaders to clarify how it would be enforced if reinstated.

Demonstrators from the Workers Defense Project, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and Mi Familia en Accion spoke out against the potential of racial profiling in Houstons Latino communities under SB4, which briefly went into effect on March 19 but was again blocked by a federal appeals court that same day. The law would allow authorities to arrest those they believe entered the state from Mexico illegally and charge them with a misdemeanor, and a judge could then have that person deported if convicted.

The groups, altogether around 30 people, demanded Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Police Department create a plan to protect the citys Latino communities should SB4 be reinstated and asked for assurances that the city and HPD will prioritize their safety over Gov. Greg Abbotts racist, unconstitutional, and unenforceable policies. Among their requests was that HPD create a standard for probable cause for potential SB4 arrests and implement cite and release to avoid unnecessary detainment.

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You may think that SB4 doesnt impact you because were far away from the border or perhaps you have status in this country so you feel safe, said Jennefer Canales-Pelaez, an attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Im sorry to tell you that, unfortunately, that is not true. SB4 impacts all Texans.

MORE ON SB4: Everything to know about Texas migrant deportation law after latest pause

The law was passed by the Legislature last year and signed by Abbott in December. The governor blamed the Biden administration for an influx in migrant crossings and said SB4 would stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas. It was another step in the states unprecedented push to enforce immigration laws, which are typically tasked to the federal government.

SB4 triggered an ongoing court battle between Texas and the Biden administration.

The chaos and confusion surrounding the law was evident in the nine hours it was allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court to go into effect last month. Houston-area Latino and immigrant aid organizations reported panicked calls from residents and said the community was in extreme disbelief and fear.

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In March, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments and has yet to issue a ruling on the law.

After the rally Tuesday, a few demonstrators performed a short play in the plaza between City Hall and the reflection pond in Hermann Square. In it, a mixed-status Latino family is broken up after one of the characters is arrested under SB4.

The organizers then flooded the council chamber, with a dozen speaking against SB4 during a public comments portion of Tuesdays City Council meeting and pressuring officials for reassurance.

I was a victim of these anti-immigrant systems that oppress us, said resident Marleney Crisanto, a longtime Houstonian originally from Honduras, in Spanish. I was deported and separated from my family, and although this happened 29 years ago, we still live with the consequences.

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Whitmire, who voted against SB4 while in the Texas Senate last year, and other councilmembers seemed responsive.

In my judgment, (SB4) is very unconstitutional and unworkable, Whitmire said Tuesday. You couldnt do what it calls for, and I think at this point in time, we watch it through the courts. 

It does, unfortunately, divide the community, and what were about at City Hall is uniting our community, the mayor continued. I think you can have some comfort that it should not in reality change procedures or operations of city government.

More from Jhair Romero: Houston Latinos play outsized role in growing regions economy, study says

Last month, when concerned residents asked how the law would be enforced in Houston if it went back into effect, Police Chief Troy Finner said, We're going to be just fine here.

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District I Councilmember Joaquin Martinez, one of three Latinos on the council, said he worried a potentially reinstated SB4 could take a toll on the relationship between HPD and the community.
The University of Arizona closed portions of its mall Tuesday, posting no trespassing signs, after Mondays encampment there by pro-Palestinian protesters.

Much of the grassy area of the UA Mall, an iconic Tucson green space heavily used by students and other members of the public, is fenced in, surrounded with warning signs about trespassing, after Mondays protest.

A senior administrator at the university told the Arizona Daily Star on Monday night that portions of the mall will be closed through commencement, which is May 10; a spokesperson for the UA did not answer inquiries Tuesday about how long the mall will be closed.

The protesters reacted by moving to a different campus site and saying they planned to spend the night Tuesday in defiance of university policies and arrest warnings. They set up in the afternoon near the UA main gate, next to Arizona State Museum, and brought in their own fencing, which UA Police told them to remove.

There were a lot of agitators yesterday and we want to protect ourselves by fencing themselves in, said an organizer of the Students Against Apartheid protest group, who said his name is River and refused to give his last name, saying he feared retaliation. There is an intention to stay as long as we can  although Day One of the encampment ended Monday night with the demonstrators voting to disperse and leave rather than face arrests.

Not fair to close it

UA students Ty Hardley and Veronic Ellingboe seemed puzzled when they first walked by the mall Tuesday and saw the fencing.

They were planning on walking through the area and realized they had to go around, something Hardley called an inconvenience.

People were just expressing themselves last night, said Hardley, who is from California. And they didnt trash the area or anything.

The only apparent damage visible within the fenced-off green space was clumps of dirt created by a lawn care machine an employee was running earlier Tuesday.

Its honestly stupid, Ellingboe, an Arizona resident, chimed in.

Alexia Penn, a senior from the British Virgin Islands who is less than two weeks away from graduating, said she wasnt really sure why the area was closed, partially because there has been no email sent to students explaining the situation.

I dont really hang out on the mall so it doesnt affect me, she said. But its not fair to close it for students. They deserve to have a voice.

Some said UA officials made the right choice, however. Alec Cohen, a graduate student from Pennsylvania, said he was heckled by anti-Israel protesters when he showed up to a counter-protest.

I had firsthand experience of them being violent, Cohen said. He said that when he was approached by a television reporter at a protest last week, a pro-Palestinian protester got in my face.

Cohen added that hes not against it given whats going on on other college campuses, noting that he does support the right to protest unless theres a security risk.

When asked whether he thought Mondays encampment posed a security risk, Cohen nodded.

Day One ended with no arrests

Mondays protest on the mall, hosted by Students Against Apartheid, lasted for more than 12 hours as participants rallied against Israels actions in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Protesters made the decision to take down their tarps and supplies at around 9:30 p.m. after voting on whether they were willing to be arrested.

The vote is to disperse, an organizer, holding a megaphone, told the group at around 9:30 p.m. That is not a loss. Arrest does not always mean material gain.

The groups leaders decided they would remain and risk getting arrested if more than 50 people were willing to stay. They did not hit that threshold, the organizer acknowledged.

A UA spokesperson, Mitch Zak, said there were no arrests Monday.

He said of that outcome: Tonight illustrated the value of community dialogue between organizers, campus leaders, and public safety.

The University of Arizona demonstrated its commitment to respecting and protecting the free speech rights of our students and the community in accordance with established campus use policies, Zak said.

UA Police were prepared to arrest anyone on the mall past 10:30 p.m., they repeatedly announced to the group. Additionally, there were more than 10 police cars, from the Tucson Police Department and from the Pima County Sheriffs office, stationed in a parking lot behind the social sciences building. There was also a SWAT truck there.

University policy provides that non-academic activity on the mall and across the campus must conclude by 10:30 p.m. The university expects students, staff and campus visitors to adhere to university policies. Those who do not disperse when requested will be subject to arrest, Zak said.

University officials dispute the groups use of the word encampment, Zak said. That suggests we are allowing tents which we are not, he said.

Protesters did set up tarps on poles staked in the ground on the mall.

In a statement posted on their social media channels, Students Against Apartheid wrote that they made the decision in considering the safety of students and community members.

Tonight was incredibly successful and we want to thank everyone who showed up in solidarity with Gaza, the organizers wrote. Thank you to the organizers, everyone who donated, everyone who brought supplies and thank you to all the brave UA student campers.

Colleges around the U.S. are imploring pro-Palestinian student protesters to clear out encampments with rising levels of urgency this week, the Associated Press reported. Police made more arrests at the University of Texas and Columbia University said it was beginning to suspend students who defied an ultimatum to leave the encampment there by an afternoon deadline.

Crackdowns on encampments led to more than 200 arrests over the weekend, including more than 70 at Arizona State University in Tempe, and others at Washington University in St. Louis, Northeastern in Boston, and Indiana, according to media reports. The ASU protesters were arrested on criminal trespassing charges related to the encampment going on past 11 p.m., a violation of university policy.

Photos: Protesters of the Israel-Gaza war set up an encampment Monday on the University of Arizona Mall Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestine 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestine 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestinian 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestine 'encampment' at UA Pro-Palestine 'encampment' at UA
PHOENIX  Gov. Katie Hobbs wont let Republican lawmakers strip away the attorney generals right to sue owners of corporate farms whose groundwater pumping dries up their neighbors wells.

Nor will she allow them to erect hurdles for others who file nuisance lawsuits about the loss of groundwater.

In her veto of HB 2124 on Tuesday, Hobbs did not address the claims of Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes that such a change in law would undermine her ability to protect property owners where individuals may lack the resources to fight these battles.

Instead, Hobbs chided lawmakers who have been approving a series of changes in water laws on a piece-meal basis.

I have consistently stated that water policy needs to be addressed in a holistic manner that provides real solutions for the challenges we face throughout the state, the Democratic governor wrote. I look forward to continuing to work with both the House and the Senate to craft a package of proposals that does exactly that.

Hobbs used much of the same wording in her veto of HB 2063, which would have allowed the owners of certain wells, now exempt from having to register with the Arizona Department of Water Resources, a right to withdraw up to 35 gallons per minute.

A bigger issue is the effort in HB 2124 to expand existing laws designed to protect agriculture.

Those statutes already give these operations substantial immunity from nuisance lawsuits. There also are requirements for a court to award legal fees in these cases if the litigation was not filed in good faith or it was done to harass the other party.

Rep. Austin Smith sought to add an automatic entitlement of court costs and legal fees if the lawsuit was filed to take away or reduce the water used by the other property. More to the point, the proposal by the Wittman Republican would have that occur regardless of whether the person filing the suit was acting in bad faith.

Thats just part of the concern Mayes had with the legislation.

After gaining House approval, Republican Sen. Sine Kerr, a Buckeye dairy farmer, added language stripping from existing laws the ability of the state attorney general to file any sort of nuisance lawsuit at all.

This came as Mayes said she was looking to use nuisance laws to go after farmers who use existing state laws to legally pump unlimited quantities of groundwater.

While there are legal restrictions governing pumping in some urban areas, rural agriculture is largely unregulated, with farmers who own or lease land pretty much able to withdraw what they can without limit. In fact, efforts to require farmers just to report how much they are withdrawing have failed to get legislative approval.

That has left Mayes looking for other ways to curb the practice, launching investigations into whether the activities of corporate farms are damaging their neighbors. The attorney general said she was hearing from residents whose wells have gone dry or will in the near future thanks to mega-farms and Wall Street hedge funds who knew they could take advantage of our state.

She specifically named the Saudi Farm owned by Fondomonte in La Paz County and the Riverview Dairy in Cochise County.

The ammunition Mayes has  what HB 2491 sought to take away from her  is that laws declare nuisances are any activities that improperly injure, inconvenience, annoy or cause damage to others.

In general, nuisance laws in Arizona are built on the concept that someones otherwise legal use of property may affect the ability of someone else to use or enjoy his her her own property.

Mayes said she has sent dozens of investigators to La Paz and Cochise counties to look at complaints of wells drying up, the cracking of home foundations, and fissures she said are threatening homes. She said she has hired a hydro geologist who could provide expert testimony that would be necessary to successfully pursue such litigation.

In a letter to Hobbs seeking a veto, Mayes said the authority of her office to file nuisance complaints on behalf of affected residents protects communities and water supply, filling in the gap where individuals may lack the resources to fight these battles.

There have been other efforts to limit pumping.

The state did cancel leases it had with Fondomonte, which grew alfalfa to feed dairy cattle in the Middle East. But the company continues to farm on other private lands in Arizona.

Riverview Dairy bought more than 50,000 acres of land to farm near Willcox.

Mayes does have a backup plan if, for whatever reason, nuisance lawsuits fail to produce the desired result: To take the issue of groundwater pumping directly to voters with an initiative.

That suggestion, however, drew criticism from both Smith, who co-chairs a special House panel named to investigate Mayes, as well as Rep. Jacqueline Parker, R-Mesa, the chair of what has been dubbed the Ad Hoc Committee on Executive Oversight.

Publicly advocating for a ballot measure raises questions about your ability to impartially perform any duties required for any future ballot measure relating to groundwater issues, they wrote to Mayes.
Travelers check in at Southwest Airlines at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

Southwest Airlines is now required to provide vouchers if any of its flights are canceled or delayed more than three hours due to a problem within the airline's control.

This includes problems such as maintenance issues or staffing quandaries but not problems such as bad weather.

Flights canceled or delayed within seven days of the departure date or reached their destination three hours after their planned arrival are eligible for the voucher of at least $75, a U.S. Department of Transportation news release announced.

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People who are eligible for the voucher will have to submit an online form and will receive a response within 30 days.

The requirement, which went into effect Tuesday, is part of the transportation department's penalties levied against Southwest for the 2022 holiday season meltdown. More than 16,900 flights were canceled and 2 million people were stranded.

The penalties also included a $140 million civil penalty, which is the largest handed about by the department for consumer protection violations.

END OF AN ERA: Southwest Airlines stops flying out of IAH this summer

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Last week, Southwest announced it was going to cease operations later this year at four airports, including George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Southwest re-joined IAH after a 16-year absence in 2021.

The airline said the new release the decision was made due to financial reasons and the delayed production of Boeing planes.

"To improve our financial performance, we have intensified our network optimization efforts to address underperforming markets," said Bob Jordan, the president and CEO of Southwest, in a statement. "Consequently, we have made the difficult decision to close our operations at Bellingham International Airport, Cozumel International Airport, Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and Syracuse Hancock International Airport. I want to sincerely thank our Employees, the airports, and the communities for all their incredible support over the years."

Southwest will continue to serve the Houston area at William P. Hobby Airport, which is set to begin construction at the end of the month on upgrades that will see more Southwest gates included at the facility.
The Following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

Violent crime is skyrocketing in Pima County, but officials are too busy planning to release lawbreakers onto the streets to actually do anything about it.

With the county jail falling into disrepair, the Pima County Board of Supervisors grand solution is to establish a commission that will study how officials can reduce the facilitys population  i.e. by setting criminals free. There are too many people in the jail, Supervisor Matt Heinz has said, suggesting the county should aim to cut the detention centers population in half by 2030.

It couldnt be happening at a worse time. In 2023, Tucson police reported a 75% spike in violent crime, with aggravated assaults rising 88 percent, homicides rising 107%, and sexual assaults rising a whopping 188%. In fact, violent crime rates in Tucson are 95% higher than the national average, the latest statistics show, making Tucson more dangerous than all but 8% percent of U.S. cities.

Knowing all of this, elected officials are still siding with criminals over law-abiding constituents, effectively doubling down on the policies that put Tucson in this position in the first place.

One possible reason for this decision? That would be money. A report last year from the Goldwater Institute, where I work, revealed Pima County has raked in nearly $4 million from the left-leaning MacArthur Foundation, contingent on the county working to reduce its jail population. If incarcerations were decreasing because crime was decreasing, that would be laudable. But county officials want to reduce the incarcerated population by simply ignoring crimes and letting those culpable back on the street, no matter the consequences. The county is selling out to leftwing special intereststrading its citizens safety for money.

Compounding the problem, county prosecutors seem unable  or unwilling to meet the justice standards set forth by the state by resolving cases within a reasonable timeframe. The Arizona Judicial Branch says that justice delayed is justice denied  yet while Arizona case processing standards say 65% of cases should be resolved within three months, just 11% were resolved in Pima County within that timeframe in 2022 (the last year for which statistics are available). Similarly, state standards say 85% of cases should be resolved within six months and 96% within a year, but in 2022, Pima County only resolved 38% of cases within six months and 73% within a year.

Pima County Attorney Laura Conover has said from day one that she wanted to revolutionize operations at the county attorneys office. And Conover, who was recently forced into a mandatory diversion program by the Arizona State Bar amid allegations of unethical behavior, has certainly done that, using prosecutorial discretion as an excuse not to enforce the laws voters entrusted her with upholding. The result: criminals go free, leaving law-abiding citizens to fend for themselves.

By all objective standards, Pima Countys criminal justice system is a complete failure. County prosecutors are unable to resolve cases at a proper rate to meet the justice standards set forth by the state. Meanwhile, the Pima County Board of Supervisors wants to put criminals back on the streets when Tucson is already more dangerous than 92% of the cities in America.

Sadly, Pima County officials seemingly have no intention of changing the way things operate, leaving the citizens of Old Pueblo to wonder who their public servants really work for.
James D. Watts Jr. Tulsa World Scene Writer Follow James D. Watts Jr. 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

This year, May 5, better known among fans of Mexican food and tequila-based cocktails as Cinco de Mayo, falls on a Sunday, which might explain why a number of local eateries are planning events that arent confined to the actual May 5 date.

For example, Elote Cafe & Catering, 514 S. Boston Ave., will be hosting its 16th annual Cinco de Mayo Street Festival from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5.

The restaurant will transform its block of downtown Tulsa into a free-to-the-public Mexican-style street festival, featuring everything from live Lucha Libre wrestling, with matches taking place every hour on the hour, to parachuting tacos, which are scheduled to begin falling to Earth around 8 p.m. Saturday.

Elote will be offering its signature puffy tacos as well as house-made margaritas during the festival. Other events include live music, and a Corn Cob Derby along Boston Avenue, beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday.

For those wanting to celebrate in style, Elote is offering a VIP Ringside Experience that includes seating for four alongside the luchador wrestling ring, a dedicated server, a dinner spread and two complimentary beverages per person, all for $350. For more information: elotetulsa.com.

Cinco de Mayo Bar Crawl

A company called Bar Crawl Nation is coordinating with several local establishments to conduct the first Tulsa Cinco de Mayo Tacos & Margs Bar Crawl beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4.

Participants will start at the Inner Circle Vodka Bar, 410 N. Main St., and proceed to other participating locations, which include Elote Cafe & Catering, Rabbit Hole Bar and Grill, The Max Retro Pub, T-Town Gourmet, Copaneazis Pizzeria, The Hunt Club and The Local Bison. An app that can be downloaded from the Bar Crawl Nation website will show all the stops on the crawl.

Each spot on the crawl is an opportunity to check-in and take part in spin-to-win giveaways like free tacos, margarita-themed bead necklaces and more. The app also includes a digital map, walking directions between venues and the ability to post photos to share with other attendees.

Tickets are $24.99-$59.99 at barcrawlnation.com

Cinco de Mayo at En Fuego

En Fuego, 224 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., will host a two-day celebration of Cinco de Mayo from May 4-5 at Guthrie Green.

Owner Greg Hughes said the event, sponsored by Campari and LDF, will be reminiscent of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations the restaurant hosted in the early 2000s, when it was located on Brookside.

Were excited about the amazing talent weve lined up to help our customers celebrate, Hughes said. Add in our fresh, Baja Peninsula Mexican cuisine, an extensive tequila catalog and the most gorgeous location in downtown Tulsa, and youve got the perfect Cinco de Mayo party.

Saturday events begin at 2:45 p.m. and include performances by Tulsa Mariachi, fire artist Evidon Starr and DJ Nerio from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday festivities start at 11:45 a.m. with Tulsa Mariachi and will include childrens activities such as face painting and a pinata bash, as well as music by the David Hernandez Trio, and Jade Belauste and Chayton Burleson.

To reserve a table at En Fuego, call 918-230-2342 or log on to Resy. For more information: facebook.com/enfuegotulsa.

Juniper Cinco de Mayo wine dinner

The monthly wine dinner at Juniper, 324 E. Third St., coincides with Cinco de Mayo, and so the restaurants chefs will be experimenting with Hispanic and Spanish flavors paired with wines from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and California.

The menu begins with a scallop ceviche made with cucumbers, shallot, tomato, lime, cilantro and jalapeno. This will be followed by crispy street corn ribs, served with a chipotle aioli, cilantro, cajo cheese and lime. Tamales made with birria beef, chilis, a salsa verde and cilantro creme fraiche will precede the main course of red snapper served with a mole sauce, coconut rice and mango chutney. Dessert will be flan topped with berries, churro pieces and an orange bourbon caramel.

Cost for the dinner, which will be served 6 p.m. Sunday, May 5, is $70 per person, with wine pairings for an additional $30. Non-alcoholic wines are available. Reservations are required. 918-794-1090, junipertulsa.com.

On the Border Cinco specials

The Tex-Mex chain On the Border is in the midst of celebrating Five Days of Cinco, with premium drink specials featuring Teremana Tequila, the brand owned by actor Dwayne Johnson, as well as special duck margaritas, topped with a tiny toy duck, available May 4-5 only. Premium drink specials start at $9.99.

Other specials now through May 5 include $5 each for an order of queso, Mexican draft beer or Cinco Ritas.

For the complete menu: ontheborder.com.

Velvet Taco

Velvet Taco will be running several promotions in conjunction with Cinco de Mayo, including a sweepstakes to win gift cards worth $100.

The chains Weekly Taco Feature is El Jefe, a surf-and-turf-inspired creation of steak, tempura lobster, crispy potatoes, a sun-dried tomato aioli and arugula, drizzled with a chimichurri sauce. A portion of all El Jefe tacos sold will benefit The Hunger Project.

The Tulsa location of Velvet Taco is 1444 S. Peoria Ave. velvettaco.com.

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Wilbur Underhill, ranked by many as Oklahoma's toughest badman during the 1930s gangster era, was known as the "mad dog of the underworld" and was feared even by some of his partners.

He had killed at least three people and robbed at least nine banks in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. He probably would have killed more but was prevented from doing so by a partner.

Underhill escaped from the Oklahoma penitentiary in July 1931 and the Kansas penitentiary nearly two years later and managed to elude officers of both states and the Department of Justice for more than six months while robbing seven banks.

His downfall was triggered by his marriage to an old sweetheart, the sister of another bank robber.

When he and Hazel Jarrett Hudson obtained a marriage license at the courthouse in Coalgate, the fugitive used his real name on the document. And he gave the preacher who married them an address in Oklahoma City for the license to be mailed to him.

From that time on, Department of Justice and state agents watched the Oklahoma City address until Underhill showed up there on Dec. 30, 1933, and an agent watching the house sounded the alarm.

A posse of federal and state officers arrived too late to capture the fugitive but learned that he and his bride had gone to Shawnee. Armed with machine guns and sawed-off shotguns, the officers headed there -- where they caught Underhill literally with his pants down.

Underhill, clad only in his shorts and socks, and his bride were preparing for bed in a house at 606 W. Dewey in Shawnee when the posse arrived and federal operative F.H. Colvin ordered Underhill to surrender. The command was answered by a fusillade from two automatic pistols fired through a window.

Colvin estimated that at least 200 shots were fired in the gunbattle, including about 80 fired by Underhill, who was hit by 13 slugs. None of the officers was hit, but the woman who owned the house was fatally wounded in the crossfire.

Still wearing just his shorts and socks, Underhill managed to walk and crawl 16 blocks in the bitterly cold night, leaving a trail of blood, to a downtown furniture store where officers found him on a bed four hours later.

Underhill's bride, who was arrested after the gun battle, visited him in a Shawnee hospital for 15 minutes the next day before she was taken back to jail. No information could be found about whether she was charged with a crime.

"Our happiness didn't last long," she told reporters. "I love him in spite of what he was or has done."

Although Underhill wasn't expected to live through the night, his excellent physique made hard by his running and hiding and long days working in the Kansas prison coal mine kept him alive, and five days later he was transferred by ambulance back to the prison at McAlester, where he told Warden Sam Brown, "I'm ready to come back home."

Three hours later he died.

The secret transfer back to McAlester was scheduled because of reports that Underhill's cohorts were planning an assault on the hospital to free the gunman.

Underhill had a minor criminal record that turned major on Christmas night 1926 when the 25-year-old gunman and a companion robbed a drug store in Okmulgee. A young clerk yelled for help and Underhill shot him dead. While awaiting trial, he escaped from the Okmulgee County Jail and killed an Ottawa County sheriff's deputy while free.

He was sentenced to life in prison for the Okmulgee murder but escaped in July 1931. Less than a month later he killed a Wichita police officer and drew another life sentence in the Kansas penitentiary.

Less than two weeks after entering the prison at Lansing, he was believed to be the leader in planning an escape, but that didn't occur until May 1933, when Underhill teamed up with 10 other prisoners, including Oklahoma badman Harvey Bailey, who had been public enemy No. 1 for a time.

The convicts kidnapped Kansas Warden Kirk Prather and forced guards to open the prison gate. Within minutes, Bailey told officers later, Underhill said, "I'll kill the warden and that'll be less people in the car. I don't like him anyway," but Bailey slapped Underhill's gun arm as he started to pull the trigger on his gun.

Bailey separated from Underhill later because, he told officers, he was afraid of Underhill's conduct.

"He always wanted to kill someone. We'd drive through some town and every time he saw a cop he wanted to kill him. When he bought gasoline, he'd get mad and want to kill the man instead of paying him," Bailey said.

Other one-time associates also shunned him.

"Mad dog of the underworld" was an appropriate nickname.

Like this column? Read all the columns in the Only in Oklahoma series from the Tulsa World Archive.
Mike Simons Tulsa World Staff Photographer Follow Mike Simons 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

From the Archive Wendell Franklin talks about what's made him who he is

Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin has announced his retirement after 27 years with the department.

He plans to take on a new role as director of corporate security for BOK Financial, allowing him to stay in Tulsa.

Franklin said in a letter announcing his retirement that July 31 would be his last day on the job with the Tulsa Police Department.

Franklin, an alumnus of Langston University in Tulsa, joined the Tulsa Police Department in January 1997. He rose to the rank of major prior to being tapped to take on the role of chief. On Feb. 7, 2020, he was sworn in by Mayor G.T. Bynum to succeed former Chief Chuck Jordan.

I recently reviewed my original plan with Mayor Bynum, and  we have achieved most of what we sought to achieve, Franklin said in the announcement Wednesday. Tulsa has a resilient department full of educated leaders, and we have made incredible strides in a very short time. This is why I can rest easy announcing my retirement.

Bynum expressed gratitude for Franklins service.

Chief Franklin led the Tulsa Police Department through some of the most challenging times in our citys history, and he leaves the Department better than he found it, the mayor said in a statement. I wish him nothing but the best in this next phase of his career.

Franklin will take his post at BOK Financial on Sept. 1, according to a statement from the company. Part of his new job will be collaborating with local and federal law enforcement agencies.

Our organization will benefit from his proven leadership, considerable public safety background and his close ties to the greater law enforcement community, said Jeff Reid, chief human resources officer for BOK Financial.

As director of corporate security, Franklins responsibilities will include developing corporate security strategies, managing emergency responses, monitoring security systems, providing training and ensuring compliance with legal regulations.

The Tulsa World is where your story lives
Feature: Chinese language gains popularity in Bangladeshi universities

Xinhua) 14:04, May 01, 2024

Bangladeshi students perform during a celebration of the United Nations Chinese Language Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 25, 2024. In celebration of the United Nations Chinese Language Day on April 20, a series of colorful cultural activities have allowed more young people to experience the charm of the Chinese language. (Xinhua)

DHAKA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- In celebration of the United Nations Chinese Language Day on April 20, a series of colorful cultural activities have allowed more young people to experience the charm of the Chinese language.

Held by the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh together with two Confucius Institutes and a Confucius Classroom recently, the events saw more Bangladeshi students and youth engaging in Chinese song, calligraphy and art shows.

"Chinese language has enshrined many things. So I am very interested," Trisha Akter, a student from North South University, told Xinhua after the event held at her university.

"I like the diversity of Chinese people and their culture is very rich and active," Trisha said, adding that she is learning Chinese for the richness of the Chinese culture.

"I want to continue to study Chinese and my future plan is to go to China to complete my higher education," she said.

Sayeedur Rahman, director of the Institute of Modern Languages at the University of Dhaka, told Xinhua that the institute teaches 15 languages, and he believes that Chinese is the most important one.

His university held the Lanting Chinese Calligraphy Cultural Salon, which he said was a "wonderful event." The students and teachers like it and know more about Chinese through this event, he added.

Ma Xiaoyan, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at North South University, said the Chinese language plays a role in promoting exchanges and cooperation between China and the world.

"Taking this opportunity of celebrating Chinese Language Day, we welcome more and more Bangladesh people to understand, like and learn Chinese, so that Chinese can play a role in enhancing dialogue among civilizations and deepening mutual understanding," Ma added.

The colorful cultural activities also enhance the cultural understanding and mutual appreciation between the people of China and Bangladesh, said Abdur Rob Khan, treasurer of North South University.

"I hope that each of us can draw a strength from Chinese learning and cultural exchanges, broaden our horizons and contribute to building a multilateral, multicultural world," he said.

Bangladeshi students play a game of Chinese characters during a celebration of the United Nations Chinese Language Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 25, 2024. In celebration of the United Nations Chinese Language Day on April 20, a series of colorful cultural activities have allowed more young people to experience the charm of the Chinese language. (Xinhua)

A Bangladeshi student performs during a celebration of the United Nations Chinese Language Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 25, 2024. In celebration of the United Nations Chinese Language Day on April 20, a series of colorful cultural activities have allowed more young people to experience the charm of the Chinese language. (Xinhua)

A woman tries to write Chinese calligraphy during a celebration of the United Nations Chinese Language Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 25, 2024. In celebration of the United Nations Chinese Language Day on April 20, a series of colorful cultural activities have allowed more young people to experience the charm of the Chinese language. (Xinhua)

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
Octavia Johnson is a general assignment reporter for the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at octavia.johnson@houstonchronicle.com.

Before joining the Chronicle, Octavia worked as a digital content producer at WATE-TV in Knoxville, Tenn., where she became a leader in producing fast paced, audience-focused content.

Octavia graduated from UNC Pembroke with a bachelor's degree in journalism before earning her master's degree in media and communications at Norfolk State University.
The electric and hybrid vehicle trend is expected to pay off in Vietnam in the coming time, with a series of hybrids set to be imported into the Southeast Asian nation this year.

From May onward, the Vietnamese car market will welcome multiple new hybrid car models, with prices averaging VND1 billion (US$39,000).

Though Toyota Vietnam publicized the price of a Toyota Corolla Cross sport utility vehicle (SUV) in early April, it will not be until May 6 that the facelifted model will make its debut in the local market.

The facelifted Corolla Cross has two versions, with its HEV premium model featuring a hybrid engine.

Japans 2024 Corolla Cross features a 3D grille, a large instrument display, an electric parking brake, and a big sunroof.

The Corolla Cross 2024 will enter Vietnam in 2024. Photo: Le Hoang / Tuoi Tre

A hybrid version of the Haval Jolion, a compact cross SUV produced by Chinese automobile maker Great Wall Motor, will make its first appearance in Vietnam soon.

Local dealerships have started to receive deposits on the Haval Jolion, all imported from Thailand, at a price of less than VND700 million ($27,450) each.

The Haval Jolion boasts a spacious cabin, an ergonomic steering wheel, a state-of-the-art multimedia touchscreen, a six-speaker sound system, connectivity features -- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto -- and multiple advanced safety features.

Its 1.5-liter turbocharged engine produces 190 horsepower and consumes 4.2 liters per 100 kilometers.

A Haval Jolion car. Photo: Le Hoang / Tuoi Tre

Jaecoo J7, the first model from Jaecoo, a marque of Chinese vehicle manufacturer Chery, will be launched in Vietnam this year.

The plug-in hybrid version of the Jaecoo J7 might be imported into the local market from Indonesia.

The J7 looks like a European SUV, with its simple design. The interior of the J7 features a 14.8-inch touchscreen and a few physical buttons.

The automaker said that the J7 consumes around one liter per 100 kilometers.

The Jaecoo J7 looks like a European off-road SUV. Photo: Viet Anh / Tuoi Tre

Another hybrid is the BYD Seal, produced by Chinas BYD Auto. The BYD Seal has both electric and hybrid versions, but the hybrid is more likely to sell well in Vietnam.

The hybrid version boasts a 1.5L engine, an electric motor, and a continuously variable transmission, and consumes only 3.9 liters per 100 kilometers.

The BYD Seal might be the first hybrid sedan to be sold in Vietnam. Photo: BYD

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A boiler exploded at a wood production factory in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam on Wednesday morning, killing six people, including a Chinese citizen, and injuring seven others.

The tragedy occurred at 8:10 am at Sunrise Wood Trading Production Company in Thien Tan Commune under Vinh Cuu District.

The deceased were identified as Lo Van Lon, a resident of Son La Province, Luong Van Hung, from Nghe An Province, Tran Van Nguyen, who resided in northern Bac Giang Province, Tran Van Cuong, a resident of Bac Lieu Province, Son Ngoc Thuy, from Soc Trang Province, and Xie ZhenLong, a Chinese citizen.

An official from the Vinh Cuu District administration this morning confirmed a boiler explosion at the company.

The blast killed six people and wounded seven others, said the official.

The injured were taken to nearby hospitals for emergency treatment.

A worker injured in a boiler blast receives treatment at Thong Nhat General Hospital in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam, May 1, 2024. Photo: A Loc / Tuoi Tre

Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Loan, deputy head of Thong Nhat General Hospital in Dong Nai Province, said that the hospital had admitted five victims from the explosion.

They were rushed to the hospital while suffering several injuries.

The hospital mobilized many nurses and doctors to treat these injured people, aged 27 to 41.

Some 30 employees were working at the company when the explosion happened, said a representative of the company.

The firm, whose director is Feng Yong, a Chinese, is located near a residential area.

Some survivors of the blast recalled that the company requested them to work on Tuesday and Wednesday, despite these two days falling within the ongoing Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers Day (May 1) holiday period.

The deadly incident happened on Wednesday morning, they said.

Police officers are investigating the cause of the boiler explosion.

An ambulance dispatched to the scene of a boiler explosion at a wood production company in Dong Nai Province, southern VIetnam to take victims to hospital, May 1, 2024. Photo: Supplied

The scene of a boiler explosion at a wood production company in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam, May 1, 2024. Photo: Supplied

The injured in a boiler explosion at a wood production company in Dong Nai Province on May 1, 2024 receive emergency treatment in hospital. Photo: Supplied

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In Ho Chi Minh City, many people feel uncomfortable when meeting friends at a coffee shop to chat and catch up, as they find it awkward to engage in conversation while others are working.

Meanwhile, those working at the coffee shop express their irritation at noisy patrons, leading to a public controversy over the function of coffee shops.

Co-working spaces, which are places that offer work spaces to people without an office, are rare and costly in Ho Chi Minh City, so many freelancers and students resort to studying and working in coffee shops.

In spite of no rules requiring patrons to keep silent in these coffee shops, those who enter the places and start chit-chat will receive a baleful stare from others who are working or studying.

I still remember one day my friends and I visited a coffee shop in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City and were overcome with the feeling of indeliberately becoming weird people as we talked with each other there, a reader of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper recounted.

Although the shops employee confirmed that there was no problem talking inside, we still got angry looks."

She added that her friends faced discrimination for not bringing laptops, books, or notebooks to coffee shops.

The reader wondered when and why coffee shops became libraries.

While coffee shops generally do not enforce strict rules against talking, breaking the silence is often perceived as impolite by other patrons.

On the other hand, some guests do make too much noise while visiting coffee shops, making calls or letting their children run around or scream.

Thu Phuong, a junior at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, expressed her dissatisfaction with noisy coffee shop environments.

She shared that she tended to regret her selection rather than expressed her anger at anyone.

Phuong elaborated that once working or studying outside, people should accept the noise and influence of public spaces.

Nothing can affect me if I wear headphones and focus on my work, Phuong shared her secret to working in a noisy environment.

Ha Thu, a sophomore at VOV College in Ho Chi Minh City, proposed that freelancers and students should carefully choose a coffee shop that aligns with their needs.

She noted that while coffee shops generally allow talking, guests should be mindful not to speak loudly and should consider their impact on others.

In such contentious situations, it is often the shop owners who find themselves in the most awkward position. Truong Thi To Uyen, the proprietor of a coffee shop on Hoang Dieu 2 Street in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City, explained that her shop is situated in a bustling area at the heart of the city, making it challenging to divide the space into separate sections.

Incidents of conflict between guests visiting the shop for work and those there for casual conversation have occasionally arisen in her establishment, causing her embarrassment.

In particular, many students complained that some groups of guests made noise in her shop, preventing them from studying.

At that time, she did not know which side she could stand by, she lamented.

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The Nha Trang City administration has urged Khanh Hoa Province officials to devise a strategy to mitigate saltwater intrusion in the Cai and Quan Truong Rivers and oversee upstream waste sources to prevent the first river from being polluted.

The provincial Peoples Committee tasked the Khanh Hoa Department of Natural Resources and Environment with working with relevant units to weigh the proposal from the Nha Trang administration to promptly address the problem.

All efforts are directed toward improving the water quality of the Cai and Quan Truong Rivers in the city, which is the capital of Khanh Hoa in south-central Vietnam.

The administration previously sent a report on potential severe saline intrusion into the two rivers and a high risk of pollution from upstream waste sources.

Saltwater has intruded into the two rivers, leading to the concentration of chlorides in some of their sections soaring.

Therefore, the city proposed the provincial Peoples Committee direct relevant units to survey the entire Quan Truong and Cai Rivers and take action to fight saline intrusion.

Besides, the administration cited water quality indices announced by the provincial department in March as saying that the quality of the Cai River water environment was assessed as being poor, with biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) indices lower than the standard levels.

The Nha Trang Peoples Committee attributed the poor water quality of the Cai River to upstream waste sources and the weak waste management in Dien Khanh and Khanh Vinh Districts.

To ensure the quality of water that will be provided for local water purification facilities, the city suggested that the provincial administration and department push local authorities in the two districts to review, inspect, and handle waste sources to reduce the pollution in the Cai River and other neighboring areas.

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Throngs of people dashed to downtown Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday evening to watch a high-altitude fireworks display over the Saigon River Tunnel, celebrating Vietnams Reunification Day (April 30).

Aside from the downtown area, the city hosted low-altitude pyrotechnic shows at four other locations between 9:00 pm and 9:15 pm the same day.

Yen Nhi, aged 23, said that she opted to remain in the southern hub during the five-day public holiday lasting from Saturday last week to Wednesday in celebration of Vietnams Reunification Day and International Workers Day (May 1).

Nhi and her boyfriend came to Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1 at 6:00 pm to choose a perfect spot to watch fireworks.

She added that she had seen fireworks multiple times in her hometown, but this was her first time to view a pyrotechnic show in the city.

Lots of other people also flocked to the streets surrounding the Nguyen Hue pedestrian zone early to find the best viewing spots for the dazzling fireworks.

Other downtown streets such as Ton Duc Thang, Ham Nghi, Le Loi in District 1 and Nguyen Tat Thanh and Ben Van Don in neighboring District 4 were also crowded with firework spectators.

Below are photos of people congregating in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday evening to enjoy a luminous fireworks show:

A photo exhibition was set up along Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City to entertain the firework spectators, April 30, 2024. Photo: Phuong Quyen / Tuoi Tre

Hiep and Khanh Ly, from Dak Lak Province in Vietnams Central Highlands region, traveled to Ho Chi Minh City to enjoy the public holiday to commemorate Vietnams Reunification Day and International Workers Day (May 1). In this image, the duo take a wefie prior to a fireworks show, April 30, 2024. Photo: Phuong Quyen / Tuoi Tre

Two Russian visitors are seen strolling along Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City where crowds of people gathered to watch a fireworks show, April 30, 2024. Photo: Phuong Quyen / Tuoi Tre

Local residents pack Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City to wait for a fireworks display, April 30, 2024. Photo: Phuong Quyen / Tuoi Tre

Vehicles were banned from entering several streets in Ho Chi Minh Citys District 1 between 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm on April 30, 2024 to ensure traffic safety before, during, and after the pyrotechnic show. Photo: Phuong Quyen / Tuoi Tre

A traffic police officer is seen directing the traffic flow to serve the display of fireworks in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, April 30, 2024. Photo: Phuong Quyen / Tuoi Tre

Prior to the fireworks display, the southern Vietnamese city wowed spectators with a drone light show. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

Prior to the fireworks display, the southern Vietnamese city wowed spectators with a drone light show. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

Firework spectators crowd an area near the Khanh Hoi Bridge in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, April 30, 2024. Photo: Phuong Quyen / Tuoi Tre

Several men take photos of a drone light show in Ho Chi Minh City, April 30, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

A boy sits on his fathers shoulder to have a better firework viewing experience. Photo: Thanh Hiep / Tuoi Tre

Karen and her boyfriend, both hailing from Canada, enjoy a pyrotechnic show in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, April 30, 2024. Photo: Thanh Hiep / Tuoi Tre

Fireworks light up the sky over Ho Chi Minh City, April 30, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

Fireworks light up the sky over Ho Chi Minh City, April 30, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

Fireworks light up the sky over Ho Chi Minh City, April 30, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

Fireworks light up the sky over Ho Chi Minh City, April 30, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

A birds-eye view of fireworks lighting up the Ho Chi Minh City sky, April 30, 2024. Photo: Ha Vien Phuong

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Justin Ballard is the Houston Chronicle's first ever newsroom meteorologist. He can be reached at justin.ballard@houstonchronicle.com.

He brings five years of experience forecasting tropical systems, severe weather outbreaks, and blizzards to the Houston Chronicle. His unique experience in forecasting will serve him well in his role at the Chronicle, as Houston has experienced a number of impactful weather events in recent years.

Justin looks forward to his work with the Houston Chronicle, where he'll be responsible for posting daily weather forecasts. On top of daily forecasts, he is excited to tackle more in-depth weather and climate stories that impact the residents of Southeast Texas.

A North Carolina native, Justin joined the Chronicle in July 2023. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in meteorology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in December 2017.
Phu Quoc Island off southwestern Vietnam enchants visitors not only with its popular tourist sites but also with a series of fascinating experiences such as camping and feeding fish during the ongoing Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers' Day (May 1) holiday.

A representative of the Phu Quoc international airport said on Tuesday that 36 flights brought tourists to the island, administered by Kien Giang Province, for the five-day holiday starting on Saturday last week.

The island was set to welcome 39 more flights on Wednesday.

Lam Thi Chan, a tourist from Soc Trang Province, enjoys her Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers' Day (May 1) holiday on Phu Quoc Island off Kien Giang Province, southwestern Vietnam. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

Dozens of ferries and speedboats have been mobilized to serve visitors during the holiday.

Since the start of the holiday, crowds of tourists have flocked to Phu Quoc City, said Nguyen Minh Tam, director of a tourism service company in An Thoi Ward.

Many tourists hailing from the southwestern region are keen on sea bathing, admiring coral reefs, and feeding fish, Tam said.

Tours featuring such experiences as sleeping in a tent and sailing to the sea for catching and feeding fish are favored by tourists traveling in groups, said Vu Van Hau, a representative of Loi Dinh Phu Quoc Trade, Service and Tourism Company.

The fish caught will be processed and cooked by the tourists, he said, asserting that these tours are safe.

Phu Quoc Island is gorgeous this season, with crystal-clear blue water, said Lam Thi Chan, a tourist from the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang.

A tour to Phu Quoc completely satisfied me.

Swimming, exploring coral reefs, and feeding fish are wonderful activities on Phu Quoc Island."

Kien Giang Province welcomed some 68,300 tourist arrivals on Tuesday, with 3,990 international visitors, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

Of the total, nearly 29,500 tourists visited Phu Quoc.

Tourists swim and explore coral on Phu Quoc Island. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

Visitors are exhilarated with fishing on Phu Quoc Island. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

Tourists are captivated by camping, catching fish, and feeding fish activities on Phu Quoc Island. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

Tourists are recommended to watch the sunset on Phu Quoc Island. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

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Two part documentary series Paul OGradys Great Elephant Adventure screens on SBS this week and next.

The late Paul OGrady travels through Thailand and Laos to celebrate the work by elephant conservation centres to rescue, rehabilitate and protect them.

According to IMDb this is his final television project.

Episode One:

Paul travels to the hills surrounding Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, an area thats home to over half the countrys 3,000 domesticated elephants. Its also home to Thailands largest elephant rescue centre  the Elephant Nature Park, run by world renowned conservationist Lek Chailert. The park provides sanctuary to 120 elephants who have escaped a hard lifes graft in the logging and tourism industries.

7:35pm Friday May 3 and 10 on SBS.
Top Gear Australia hosts Blair Joscelyne, Beau Ryan and Jonathan LaPaglia stepped out at a series launch at Sydney Motorsport Park last night, hosted by 10s Angela Bishop.

They arrived by helicopter while Australias first female Stig took guests for a hot lap on the track.

The event included motorcycles, pyrotechnics, food vans, DJ and Triple Ms The Rush Hour broadcasting live.

Produced by BBC Studios Productions Australia, the eight-part series premieres Friday, 17 May on Paramount+.
Versie 29 van Nextcloud, oftewel Nextcloud Hub 8, is kort geleden verschenen. Met Nextcloud is het mogelijk om in eigen beheer cloudopslag te draaien. Het is ontstaan als een fork van ownCloud nadat een groot aantal ontwikkelaars wegens een conflict daar is vertrokken. Alle onderdelen, inclusief de enterprisefunctionaliteit, worden als open source aangeboden en het verdienmodel is gelijk aan wat Red Hat doet, namelijk het leveren van betaalde ondersteuning aan grote klanten. In versie 29 treffen we onder meer verbeteringen in de mailclient en Nextcloud Assistant versie 2 aan. De complete releasenotes zijn hier te vinden; dit is een stuk daaruit:

As we are announcing Nextcloud Hub 8 here at the Nextcloud Enterprise Day in Munich, our customers and partners are presenting their own and unique use of Nextcloud. Tens of millions of users trust Nextcloud to protect their data. These include private users, running their own Nextcloud, or using a hosted solution from the likes of America Movil or Deutsche Telekom. Businesses, keeping data on their own servers or hosting at one of our official partners. And the public sector, with universities, cities, governments and international organizations like Amnesty International using Nextcloud to stay safe. They maintain their own servers or host with partners like Bechtle that offers tender-free Nextcloud for the public sector in Germany.

We build Nextcloud to give you control over your data. In terms of who has access, but also what. Our world is digital, and AI is digging through all its data. It can use that for good  create fun meme, summarize your mails or help medical research. But should it operate heavy machinery or be used in the courts or HR departments? While society finds its way through these dystopian questions, we make sure you have control. Different options, plus transparency over what AI does and how helps you make informed choices. That aligns with our core values of transparency, community and collaboration.

This release introduces many abilities specifically for the public sector. Some of those are AI related, developed together with public sector partners like the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, presenting here today. Others tick off important requirements like our new European accessibility certification, improved scalability or federated chat. But all of these benefit every Nextcloud user, at home, in an office or working in a cafe somewhere! This release is faster, scales further, and gives you more control over your data than ever before. Whether you watch our release video or read the blog, we are looking forward to your feedback, and, as always, hope Nextcloud serve(r)s you well!
Gun in one hand, bomb in other - Gaza ceasefire in Netanyahu style

The entire spirit of the ongoing truce efforts, though very limited, was destroyed on April 30 when Netanyahu made the terrible comment that Israel will invade Rafah, with or without deal.

Wednesday May 1, 2024 10:54 PM , Bharat Dogra

[US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meeting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 01, 2024 (Image posted on X by Blinken)]

Do you negotiate for a peace deal with a threatening gun in one hand and a bomb in the other? Is this the way to pursue truce and ceasefire?

Such questions are being asked by many concerned people all over the world in response to a very strange comment made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 30.

According to a statement from his office that has been widely quoted in the media, Netanyahu said:

We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate Hamas battalions there  with or without a deal, to achieve total victory.

This statement was made, incredibly enough, just a few hours before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to arrive in Israel to try to achieve a truce deal between Israel and Hamas which has been much talked about in the last few days.

In the middle of mounting protests against USA policies of massive weapons supply and diplomatic support to Israels aggression in Gaza which has already claimed over 34,000 lives and displaced an overwhelming majority of people of Gaza, statements made by Blinken and even U.S. President Joe Biden himself have placed much faith in the ongoing latest proposal for truce.

Blinken referred to the proposals as being "extraordinarily generous" offer on the part of Israel, something at which Hamas should jump and accept (although many do not agree with this "extraordinarily generous" interpretation of the proposal) while, on April 29, Biden urged the leaders of Qatar and Egypt to exert all efforts towards securing the release of hostages held by Hamas as part of the ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The reports of what this proposal involves mention a ceasefire for about 40 days in Gaza, release of about 40 or so hostages, and release of some Palestinian prisoners. This does not appear at all to be extraordinarily generous to the Palestinian side, unless the reports discussing the likely proposal have missed out some other important component.

As this writer has often stated earlier, in any such agreement, the ceasefire should be permanent. Of course even a few days relief from the terrible daily violence would be welcome, but this by itself will not achieve much when it is known that similar or even higher aggression will continue again after a few days.

The USA is publicizing such inadequate peace efforts so much now, while the much more important UN Security Council resolution for ceasefire was neglected and never implemented.

In any case, the entire spirit of even this very limited truce effort was destroyed on April 30 when Netanyahu made the terrible comment that Israel will invade Rafah, with or without deal.

As Rafah is densely packed with about 1.4 million Palestinians in a very small area, containing mostly displaced people in tents and shelters in addition to the normal population of the city, any invasion of Rafah would have terrible consequences, even if some safeguards are adopted. Air raids have already taken place, with very distressing results.

Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, has stated:

The simple truth is that a ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words. No humanitarian plan can counter that.

These strong words from the top official on humanitarian aid should not be ignored.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that an Israeli assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation that would be devastating for Palestinians as well as the wider region.

Meanwhile Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said on April 30 that the $267 million in its funding was still suspended.

Another recent development which may turn out to be important was reported by Nikhil M. Babu in a leading newspaper of India The Hindu dated May 1, 2024 under the title Hamas, Fatah held talks in Beijing". (Nikhil Babu is in China at the invitation of the China Public Diplomacy Association)

This report filed from Beijing informs us that representatives of Fatah and Hamas recently came to Beijing to have an in-depth and candid dialogue promoting Palestinian reconciliation, at the invitation of China.

The two sides fully expressed their political will of realizing reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, had discussions on many issues, and made encouraging progress. "The two sides agreed to continue their dialogue to achieve Palestinian unity at an early date. Both sides expressed high appreciation and thanks for Chinas help."

Clearly several important developments appear to be taking place but the highest priority just now should be for all forces of peace to try to prevent the Israeli invasion of Rafah.

[The writer, Bharat Dogra, is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, Man over Machine and A Day in 2071.]





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It is not anti-Semitic: Bernie Sanders blasts Benjamin Netanyahu

Bernie Sanders, United States Senator and a Jew himself, in a hard hitting rebuttal criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for calling anti-Semitic those standing with Palestinians and protesting against the Zionist war in Gaza.

Wednesday May 1, 2024 12:06 PM , ummid.com News Network

[File: Ben Cawthra / Sipa via AP Images]

Washington: Bernie Sanders, United States Senator and a Jew himself, in a hard hitting rebuttal criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for calling anti-Semitic those standing with Palestinians and protesting against the Zionist war in Gaza.

In a little over two minute video message posted on his official X handle, Bernie Sanders  the longest serving senator from Vermont in United States, Bernie Sanders repeatedly called Netanyahu of running an extremist government.

In a point by point rebuttal, Sanders said without mincing words it is not anti-semitic to point out the Israeli brutality in Gaza and destruction of the besieged enclave by the Israeli Occupation Forces.

No, Mr Netanyahu. It is not anti-Semitic or pro-Hamas to point out that in a little over six months, your extremist government has killed 34,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 78,000  70% of whom are women and children, Sanders said.

Giving numbers and statistics, Sanders also took Netanyahu to task for destroying the basic, health care and educational infrastructure in Gaza, saying the large scale destruction of the Palestinian territory cant be overlooked by the allegations of anti-semitism.

It is not anti-Semitic to point out that your bombing has completely destroyed more than 221,000 housing units in Gaza, leaving more than a million people homeless  almost half the population. It is not anti-Semitic to note that your government has obliterated Gazas civilian infrastructure, electricity, water and sewage. It is not anti-Semitic to realize that your government has annihilated Gazas health care system, knocking 26 hospitals out of service and killing more than 400 health care workers. It is not anti-Semitic to condemn your governments destruction of all Gaza 12 universities and 56 of its schools, with hundreds more damaged, leaving 625,000 students with no educational opportunities, Sanders said.

Bernie Sanders, who is representing Vermont since 2007 as Independent and was also one of the Democratic nominees for US Presidential Elections in 2016 and 2020, also accused the Netanyahu government of violating the U.S. law by blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza.

It is not anti-Semitic to agree with virtually every humanitarian organisation in saying that your government, in violation of American law, has unreasonable blocked humanitarian aid coming into Gaza, creating the conditions in which so many thousands of children face malnutrition and famine, Sanders said.

Sanders also called Israeli war in Gaza immoral and illegal. He said by painting those criticising Israels genocidal war in Gaza as anti-semitic, Netanyahu is trying to distract the Americans.

Mr. Netanyahu, anti-Semitism is a vile and disgusting from of bigotry that has done unspeakable harm to millions of people. But please do not insult the intelligence of the American people by attempting to distract us from the immoral and illegal war policies of your extremist government, he said.

Sanders also accused Netanyahu of using anti-semitism to deflect the attention from the corruption and other charges he is facing in Israeli courts.

Don not use anti-Semitism to deflect attention from the criminal indictment you are facing in the Israeli courts. It is not antisemitic to hold you accountable for your actions, he said.

Bernie Sanders parents were Polish-Jewish immigrants. He has been associated with a number of peace and antiwar movements. His Gaza message posted on X has been viewed by close to 6 million people in four days.

Watch Full Video

Mr. Netanyahu, antisemitism is a vile and disgusting form of bigotry that has done unspeakable harm to millions.



Do not insult the intelligence of the American people by attempting to distract us from the immoral and illegal war policies of your extremist and racist government. pic.twitter.com/CnM6oOrHKd  Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 25, 2024

Gaza Now

Latest news from Gaza revealed the continued suffering of the Palestinians due to the Israeli blockade and bombing by the Israeli Occupation Forces.

As per the latest reports, Netanyahu is also planning to invade Rafah despite international opposition.

Meanwhile, UN Chief Antonio Guterres has warned that an Israeli assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation that would be devastating for Palestinians in Gaza and the wider region.

The simplest truth is that a ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words. No humanitarian plan can counter that, says Martin Griffiths, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs.





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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton arrives with former President Donald Trump at Manhattan criminal court before Trump's trial in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP) Curtis Means/AP

High cost

Regarding Texas AG Ken Paxton shows up in NYC to support former President Donald Trump at his criminal trial, (April 30): What is Ken Paxton doing at the Trump criminal trial? Per the news feed: Eric Trump is here along with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton who is sitting in the first row.

How much of our tax money is he spending on this political stunt, both in time and out-of-pocket expenses charged to the state? I would like to see this addressed by the Chronicle in some fashion.

Janet A. Nussbaum, Houston

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Missing the point

Regarding Fact check: Are most guns used in school shootings found unsecured in homes? (April 29): The discussion of Vice President Kamala Harris claim misses the point. The U.S. is just about the only developed country that experiences an epidemic of school shootings. In our country, guns used by the perpetrators of these and other mass shootings may be obtained in any number of ways, including through unauthorized home access, theft, unregulated or illegal purchases, so on. To contain this epidemic we need to address all of these sources. Arguing over percentages does nothing to save lives. Effective legislation and adherence to commonsense storage practices do.

Ron Siemers, Houston

Wont go down without a fight

Regarding Changes to Silver Line service will leave Houston without bus rapid transit, Metro decides, (April 25): The article makes clear that the decision to soon reduce frequency on the Silver Line from arrivals spaced 12 minutes apart to 20 minutes means that bus rapid transit (BRT) on Post Oak will die in June. The reporter states, For federal purposes, rapid transit service is anything where a bus or train arrives every 15 minutes or fewer  meaning the Silver Line BRT wont be bus rapid transit in June

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The reporter further points out that this decision may imperil other planned BRT lines, such as the University Line and the Gulfton Line. Taxpayers also remember that Metro has an Inner-Katy BRT line planned to run along Interstate 10. Presumably, it too may be imperiled.

The people who advocate for standard buses providing flexible street grid service, who have always opposed fixed guideways, rail and BRT, are rejoicing.

Even though we can give credit to our new mayor for the fresh thinking at Metro, we must remember that billions of dollars hang in the balance and the Houston contractors lobby, the Transportation Advocacy Group, will not go down without a fight. The powerful TAG members will not let Mayor John Whitmire trim their meal tickets without trying to divert him from his apparent goals.

Most property owners who understand they will be victims of BRT and rail expansion do not fight because they feel it is a hopeless effort, since the establishment is in favor of expansion. But now they can see that the most powerful of local officials is not rubber-stamping those plans. If property owners along the planned BRT and rail lines choose to organize a victims alliance, Whitmire would have the cover he would want to see as he contemplates the political cost of fighting TAG.

Barry Klein, Houston

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Organizing

Regarding Non-students who were cited for criminal trespass at Palestine rally barred from UT Austin campus, (April 26): Is there like a list of people to call to go protest on short notice  people who dont have a job and can use a few bucks to go protest something they probably dont know anything about? There must be. Most people have jobs and cannot just leave their responsibilities to go stir up some unrest at a moments notice.

And how do the protest signs get professionally made in such a short time? Im not talking just about the recent student protests. Im talking about many of the big protests that arise seemingly instantaneously when a controversial topic comes up. My only conclusion is that there has to be a lot of planning and organizing ahead of time to launch these big protests. Sure would like to know the organizers and financiers behind them.

Bob Fowler, Point Blank

Losing game

Regarding Playing the lottery is like praying a Hail Mary | Opinion, (April 26): Leave it to the people with money to figure out how to double their investment instead of settling for the 6% to 10% annually like most of us do. The worst part is the Texas Lottery Commission will do nothing to prevent this from happening in the future. Nothing.

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Not much point in playing Lotto Texas anymore, especially when the jackpot is unusually high. The rich are robbing from the poor.

Billy Chatman, Houston

Congratulations

Regarding Houston Chronicle journalists earn 6 first-place awards from Texas Managing Editors, (April 21) and Texas appeals court throws out defamation lawsuit against Houston Chronicle, ProPublica, (April 25): Your newspaper and its journalists are on a roll. Congratulations! That excellence is why reading the Chronicle with my cup of coffee is the first thing I do every morning.

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H. Clay Moore, Dickinson
HA NOI  Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan on April 30 sent a message of condolences to Cambodian King Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni over heavy losses of lives and assets from an ammunition base explosion in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also cabled a similar message to his Cambodian counterpart Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet.

The same day, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son extended his sympathy to Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Chenda Sophea.

The April 27 explosion killed at least 20 soldiers and wounded several others, according to local media. VNA/VNS
HA NOI  The Peoples Committee of Ha Noi has announced that the city is initiating a pilot project of an application for fire management and warning, linked with the authentication of house number identities and population data in the area.

Under the first phase, from April 25 to June 30, 2024, the application will be applied for mini-apartment buildings (residences with multiple units), boarding houses in the area; residential properties combined with business operations as specified in Appendix I of Decree 136/2020/N-CP in 30 districts, towns and urban areas within the city.

Under the second phase, between July 1, 2024 and September 30, 2024, the application will be applied for all establishments under fire management in the area.

Regarding the pilot implementation schedule, training for the citys Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue Police Department (PC07 Department), and all district-level police will be completed by May 7, 2024.

Training for commune-level police will be completed by May 10, 2024.

It is anticipated that the city will officially run the application by December this year.

The purpose of the application is to serve State management work on fire prevention, firefighting, search and rescue; manage data on fire safety conditions, firefighting, search and rescue for each establishment; retrieve information to serve forecast situations, assessments, statistics and report when necessary.

The application also develops firefighting and evacuation plans for each household, establishment under fire management of the city; monitor traffic, water sources, fire hydrants, necessary vehicles, public fire points and safety response teams.

It aims to promote the application of information technology, digital transformation in the management of firefighting data to ensure timely exploitation, monitoring of daily data regularly, and evaluate the firefighting situation.

Thereby, it will propose solutions to address shortcomings, violations of fire prevention and firefighting, and effectively implement directives from higher authorities.

The city strives to have at least 70 per cent of the population in the area selected for the pilot project to be aware of the application.

The city also sets a minimum target of 80 per cent of incident reports regarding firefighting, search and rescue from citizens, businesses to be sent, received and processed electronically through the application, linked with the authentication of house number identities and population data.  VNS
ONG NAI  Five people have died after an explosion at a wood factory in the southern ong Nai Province at around 8.30am on Wednesday.

A number of people were injured and have been taken to Thong Nhat General Hospital and other medical facilities in the province for treatment.

Among the five victims taken to Thong Nhat, one was in critical condition, hospital director Pham Van Dung told Vietnam News Agency.

ong Nai Provincial General Hospital has also deployed its ambulances to the scene to provide emergency aid to the victims.

A boiler explosion is suspected to be the cause of the incident. Further investigations are being carried out.  VNS
ONG NAI  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Wednesday signed a dispatch demanding prompt actions to deal with the consequences of a serious workplace accident that happened in a wood factory in the southern province of ong Nai earlier the same day, as well as to support victims.

The dispatch was sent to the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and chairpersons of the people's committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, particularly ong Nai.

The accident occurred at 8.30am on Wednesday at the factory of the Sunrise Wood Trading Production Co. Ltd in Vinh Cuu District, killing six people and injuring many others.

Right after learning about the accident, the PM sent his deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and directed provincial leaders to come to the scene and instruct the fixing of its consequences.

The PM requested the head of the provincial Peoples Committee to give timely support to families of the deceased and assist the injured, while directing authorised agencies to clarify the reasons behind the incident and deal with the consequences, thus stabilising the factory's production.

"It is necessary to define the responsibilities of organisations and individuals in the accident and strictly handle any violations," the PM said.  VNS
A pro-Palestinian protester yells past state troopers at the University of Texas in Austin, Monday, April 29. Jay Janner/Associated Press

Last Thursday, the day after the first protest arrests at the University of Texas-Austin, I held my final class of the semester. The undergraduates were unusually quiet as they trickled into the junior honors seminar about why history is so important to us Americans. I started class with a neutral Hows everyone doing after yesterday?

Finally, one student, who seemed to speak for them all, shrugged and offered a dispirited fine.

Everyone nodded in listless resignation, suggesting they werent fine at all, but overwhelmed and barely holding it together. It had been a brutal week at UT.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Abbott cares about free speech  when he agrees with whats said

Texans everywhere must be alarmed at what is happening now on the flagship campus. Frightening images of DPS troops in riot gear intimidating and arresting people continue to appear on national and international news. More than 100 students and other protesters have been arrested, and more protests seem likely. After more than 500 faculty signed a petition calling for a vote of no confidence in the university president, legislators have threatened to strike back at woke faculty.

Long before this months disturbing events, higher education had been decried with claims that professors are loony Marxists who seek to indoctrinate students. The perception is that higher education has lost its way. One essential element missing in this cacophony is an open and honest conversation between the people of Texas and the faculty they have trusted to educate the students of our state. We need to talk about speech on campus.

A protester is taken away by Austin police officers at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29. Aaron E. Martinez/Associated Press

Definitions of speech are complicated and its expression through mass, public protest is particularly challenging. The First Amendment guarantees free speech and the right of the people peaceably to assemble. More recently and locally, the Texas Legislature passed a law in 2019 that widened free speech rights in Texas by ensuring that anyone can gather peacefully on the campuses of public colleges and universities for expressive activities and that common outdoor areas are available to anyone.

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These definitions are broadly accepted, but little help when someone is faced with speech that they find abhorrent, frightening or misleading. Some of the opinions voiced at campus protests, like the ones at UT last week, struck some people as all three, confronting us with questions about free speech. Shouldnt students be focused on their classes and learning?



Id argue that actually, protests arent interfering with my students education. Theyre part of it. And the university needs to recognize that.

Mass protests by UT students stretch back more than 100 years. In 1917, after Gov. James Ferguson tried to ban sororities and fraternities on campus, and also moved to remove UT President Robert Ernest Vinson, students organized a march  and the governor was not successful.

The University of Texas at Austin has a long history of protest. Above: On May 28, 1917, UT students gathered on campus before marching to the state capitol in protest of Governor James Ferguson's attempt to remove the university's president. Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

In 1944, UTs Board of Regents fired university President Homer Rainey, whod long clashed with them. Rainey, for instance, had refused to fire four economics professors who supported the New Deal; and he defended the English Departments plan to teach John Dos Passos novel USA. In support of Rainey, UT students went on strike, and 8,000 of them marched mutely to the Capitol and governors mansion.

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Most of those protests happened with only UT campus police present  but too many involved outside police. In November 1969, for instance, an Austin newspaper complained about the scruffy counterculture crowd that mixed with students at the Chuck Wagon restaurant in the student union building, and called for the scene to be cleaned up. The tense atmosphere eventually led to a student sit-in stormed by Austin police and Texas Department of Public Safety officers. In the fight between police and students, glass doors were shattered and tables overturned, and a total of 30 people were ultimately arrested. It left many people wondering why violence and outside law enforcement were necessary to enforce campus rules.

They were right to wonder. Decades of research indicates that the presence of police is likely to increase, rather than prevent, violence.When the police respond by escalating force  wearing riot gear from the start, or using tear gas on protesters  it doesnt work, summarized reporters from FiveThirtyEight and The Marshall Project. In fact, disproportionate police force is one of the things that can make a peaceful protest not so peaceful.

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Students are going to protest. Universities have to ensure that students exercising their freedom of speech and assembly can learn from their experiences without draconian punishments. Campuses have to guarantee that any limitations on protest are neutral in time, place and manner. More importantly, universities must offer opportunities for the community to argue complex issues so that protests are positive learning experiences and not violent clashes with authorities.

A pro-Palestinian protester yells "Free Palestine" as she is handcuffed by University of Texas at Austin police on the campus Monday, April 29. Aaron E. Martinez/Associated Press

Students are well equipped to do this, as my class demonstrated to me. Last Thursday, as our final class session progressed, students mood lightened. They were sharing the culmination of a semesters thinking and demonstrating their new knowledge of history and the stories people tell. When the presentations finished, I asked each student to offer their most important takeaway from the class. The most common response was, as one class member put it, I need to do my own research.

Their commitment profoundly moved me. The students had taken the opportunity the class provided further than I ever imagined. They claimed their freedom of thought and speech to see themselves as empowered and confident in their abilities. These are the best lessons Texas students could be learning.

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A fourth-grader flips open her STAAR mathematics booklet to go over her answers during class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio in this 2022 photo. Parents and teachers are criticizing the Texas Education Agencys decision to let computers grade students STAAR essay test questions. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News

The Texas Education Agency is defending its decision to let computers grade students STAAR essay test questions in the face of mounting criticism from parents and teachers who question the fairness of an automated scoring system.

Agency officials told Hearst Newspapers the system echoes an approach taken by at least 20 other states and helps cut costs. Starting last December, all student essay responses were fed through a computer program for scoring. About one-quarter were then reviewed by human scorers for accuracy.

RELATED: TEA delays release of new school rankings as districts raise concerns over fairness

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We dont want you to take away from this that there is not still an extremely heavy human component to all of this, said Chris Rozunick, director of the assessment development division at TEA. The whole concept of formulaic writing being the only thing this engine can score for is not true.

Teacher unions, lawmakers and parents say they were blindsided by the changes they fear could punish students who give creative or atypical answers computers dont recognize. STAAR test results are particularly sensitive because they are used to determine the states A-F ratings for public schools. If a campus receives five consecutive failing grades from the state, the entire school district could be placed under a state conservatorship or ultimately taken over, as in the case of Houston Independent School District.

If its important enough for our students to write on the test and if its important enough for our teachers to teach children how to write, it should be important enough for TEA to hire human graders to grade the test, said Jackie Anderson, president of HISDs largest teachers union. We cant use AI to write it so why should they use AI to grade it?

Jose Rios, division director of performance at TEA, acknowledged that the agency could have done better with the rollout.

I understand how assessment is a sensitive topic, so I think in retrospect we could have probably informed a little more beforehand, he said. We are very interested in being as transparent as possible  theres nothing to hide here.

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How the computer scoring works

TEA officials say the test-scoring software does not learn new information or change over time, the way ChatGPT or other generative artificial intelligence programs do. Instead, the computer is trained for each question based on human-graded answers from previous iterations of STAAR tests. Students are not penalized for outside-the-box writing styles, TEA officials said.

Human scorers look at student responses the computer felt unsure about, including those with slang or Spanish words, and also a number selected at random for double-checking.

The new automated system  which TEA refers to as hybrid scoring  is a response to a redesign of STAAR tests to make test questions more similar to what students would answer during exams in regular classes. The tests now include more essay questions.

TEA would have needed between $15 million and $20 million to hire about 6,000 temporary test graders to score the tests in time, officials said. As a result of the new hybrid system, the agency instead hired fewer than 2,000.

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Melissa Yarborough, a parent of two children in HISD, said it might make sense for the TEA to use an automated system to grade student responses if it was both cheaper and better. However, she said even if it saves money, the TEA shouldnt use a computer system this year because it could reduce the quality of the grading and punish unique responses.

I know that AI has to be coded or trained to recognize whats a good answer and whats a bad answer, Yarborough said. On the writing part of the STAAR, the AI is determining if theyre answering this question with a valid idea or an invalid idea. I think that thats going to penalize students creativity if AI cant recognize (their answer) as a good idea.

Public schools around the state will finish their end-of-year STAAR tests by schools end in May. When the results come back over the summer, school districts or parents will be able to view the score and student response to each question. If they are concerned with any of the grades, TEA said they can request the answers to be rescored.

Yarborough said its not adequate to provide parents with the opportunity to request for their childs answers to be regraded if they have concerns, especially because some parents might have literacy or language barriers that make it difficult for them to do so.

Youd have to know whats important to be able to look at what your child wrote and grade it yourself to say, Oh, this grade should be different,  Yarborough said. Thats ridiculous.

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A tenfold jump in zeroes

Anderson worries the computer system will be unlikely to pick up on cultural references and other nuances of a students answer, which means it may assign them a lower score than they have earned.

Shes particularly concerned about the changes because HISD is preparing to implement an evaluation system for teachers by the 2025-26 school year where they could be paid, in part, based on students STAAR scores. She said its not fair to effectively reduce a teachers pay because a new automated system assigned a low score to a students response.

We need to allow for more thought to be put into this, said Anderson, who thinks human graders should be spot-checking all of the responses instead of just one-quarter of the answers to ensure that the system is effectively grading the essays.

Rep. Gina Hinojosa, an Austin Democrat on the House education committee, raised concerns about the new grading system in a letter to TEA sent in February. She highlighted that the number of no-point answers jumped dramatically in last Decembers STAAR test results, the first time the computer system was used.

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Seventy-nine percent received zeroes on extended response essay questions compared with 8% the year prior. She questioned whether the new automated system was to blame.

TEA said other factors contributed to the jump. Last year, the agency also tweaked the scoring rubric for essay questions. It used to be that if students wrote anything  including just their name  in response to a question, they would receive at least a point or two. Now, if the responses are not on topic, they can be scored as a zero.

Officials also pointed out that many students who take their STAAR tests in December are doing so because they failed the test the first time around, meaning the number of low scores often will be higher than average.

Ruth Kravetz, the co-founder of Community Voices for Public Education, a Houston-area advocacy group, said the root of her concerns is not necessarily the computer grading, but the rubric the system uses to score student responses.

She said a computer program is only as good as its inputs, and the results from December indicate that the current systems inputs are not good enough.
In Dong An Hai hamlet, Mai Thi Nhieu, spoke of how her family struggled for many years to make ends meet. In 2020, she received VND100 million ($3,945) from VBSP for near-poor households and job creation. She decided to invest in land restoration to plant garlic and onions.

"Thanks to our hard work and the rising prices of Ly Son garlic and onions, our familys quality of life has significantly improved. Our children can pursue education and settle down in Ho Chi Minh City. By the start of last year, we had escaped poverty to become a well-off household in the area," said Nhieu.

Meanwhile, Tran Hung, a resident of Dong An Vinh hamlet, explained what it meant to obtain VND50 million ($1,972) from VBSP in 2019 to invest in fish farming, in particular cobia. After some trial and error, he has now increased the number of fish cages from 5 to 21, and improved his familys income substantially.

"Without access to preferential capital, it would be impossible for my family to build a solid economic foundation," he added.

Tran Van Nam, director of the VBSP branch in the Ly Son district, said, "Households in Ly Son have experienced many difficulties. However, their lives have significantly changed thanks to greater access to preferential capital to invest in their businesses."

By the end of last year, the lending turnover of the VBSP branch in Ly Son had reached VND138 billion ($5.44 million), up VND19 billion ($749,654) from the beginning of the year and fulfilling the years projections. Total outstanding loans stood at VND137 billion ($5.41 million) last year.

As of present, the VBSP transaction office in Ly Son has disbursed loans to over 2,270 households and 980 workers as part of the lending scheme, supporting job creation and economic expansion. 134 households have escaped poverty sustainably.

To improve access to capital resources, the Ly Son branch signs the entrusted contracts with 56 Savings and Credit Groups (SCG). SCGs have actively mobilised and safely transferred capital to each household. The groups also perform an important role in monitoring and supervision, guiding borrowers to use capital efficiently to pay debts and interests in full and on time.

In addition, the branch unlocks capital sources and promptly disburses capital and revolves credit. This is coupled with marketing and promoting the scheme and assigning each credit officer to support households in the locality.

Alongside its timely implementation of such policies, VBSP has channelled its resources for the appropriate purposes to improve the material and spiritual lives of the Ly Son people. Policy credit capital has helped hundreds of poor households and other policy beneficiaries on the island escape poverty to become well-off, and contributing to protecting the local environment.

Le Van Ninh,Vice Chairman of Ly Son Peoples Committee, said, "Over the past few years, policy credit has made a significant contribution to the socioeconomic development of the locality. The poor, near-poor, and policy beneficiaries have gained access to preferential capital to expand their production and businesses, thereby improving household income and wiping out black credit on the island."

Policy credit provides fulcrum to elevate ambitions The funding that supports employment creation by Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) has had a positive influence on the use of seasonal workers in Son La province, contributing to altering their subsistence way of life and improving living standards.

Policy credit drives poverty reduction By 2030, all needy households will be able to access the financial products and services provided by Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP).
Happynests co-founders Tiep Nguyen and Minh Cao

Happynest is a one-stop platform that allows its users to browse for home inspiration, connect with fellow homeowners to share knowledge and experience, find and hire the right architects, interior designers and constructors professionals, and purchase the right type of interior furniture, home appliances, and decorations. The Happynest platform aims to make the process of taking care of ones own home more convenient.

Happynest started in 2020 as a pioneering platform for the home and living industry. The platform has the largest home and living community with 500,000-1,000,000 active monthly users, covering over 10,000 articles and 300,000 pictures of user-generated content around home ideas. As of early 2024, the Happynest platform had over 10,000 products from trusted sellers, providing the best deals and quality to its users.

Happynest has also grown its ecosystem on social media channels, including Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tiktok. Happynest has a Facebook group community of over 480,000 members (including homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across Vietnam). Happynests community groups serve as a platform to connect future and current homeowners to industry professionals, creating an environment for discussion about building, decorating, and maintaining homes.

The Happynest model is built around its platform and loyal community. In our vision, the traffic, engagement, and audience insights about online behavior will give us the ability to develop commercial solutions directly for consumers. Because of the nature of the Happynest community, products can be seamlessly integrated into the platform without having to resort to aggressive sales tactics, shared Minh Cao, CEO and co-founder of Happynest.

This investment from Touchstone Partners will allow Happynest to expand its user base, grow its community, and further develop innovative features to foster strong connections within the housing and interior designer community.

Nam Le, principal of Touchstone Partners, shared, There has been significant growth in the online furniture shopping market in Vietnam, fueled by the rapid expansion of internet penetration, increasing comfort with digital transactions, and the rise of a middle class with greater disposable income. Vietnamese consumers, particularly in urban areas, are increasingly turning to online platforms to furnish their homes. We believe that this is the right time and environment to leverage Happynests unique product offerings. We are thrilled to partner with the founders and their innovative team to help Happynest advance towards its next chapter of growth.

Vietnamese startups bag $35.7 million in first quarter of 2024 Vietnam's tech ecosystem received total funding of $35.7 million in the first quarter of 2024, according to a report released by Tracxn Technologies on April 2.

MUFG and NIC jointly propel Vietnams startup ecosystem A new partnership will support the development of Vietnamese startups in international markets while introducing global and Japanese tech firms to Vietnams opportunities.
The group fears these issues could precipitate a severe incident, potentially collapsing the 500kV transmission system, which is critical to national energy security.

In a petition to the prime minister, Trung Nam, known for its extensive involvement in hydroelectric and renewable energy projects, highlighted legal entanglements affecting several of its power projects.

A case in point is the Trung Nam - Thuan Nam solar power project in Ninh Thuan province, which includes the investment in a substation and both 500kV and 220kV transmission lines connected to the national grid, developed by Trung Nam's subsidiary.

This project, specifically its 172MW capacity, faced suspension by Vietnam Electricity (EVN), which cited non-compliance with the feed-in tariff regulations. Specifically, 86MW of this capacity was developed on approximately 108 hectares of land not properly sanctioned or assessed for environmental impacts, nor approved for fire safety.

According to local media Vnexpress, Trung Nam disclosed that from October 2020 to August 2022, the plant generated about 687 million kWh, corresponding to the 172MW capacity, which has not been compensated by EVN. This outstanding amount is approximately $34 million, calculated based on the transitional tariff framework for solar power plants.

The group has repeatedly requested temporary payments at 40 per cent of the transitional tariff rate to alleviate its financial strain, but these appeals have remained unresolved.

Trung Nam acknowledged that the project spans three communes - Phuoc Minh, Nhi Ha, and Phuoc Ninh in Thuan Nam district - but the power operation licence only covers Phuoc Minh. Since October 2023, EVN has only paid for the electricity generated from the area within Phuoc Minh, leaving an unpaid balance of about $11.4 million for the remaining areas.

The investor warns that this prolonged revenue shortfall could undermine its ability to fund operations and maintenance of the crucial 500kV Thuan Nam transmission system.

Almost four years into operation, the continuous running of this high-capacity system could lead to equipment failures. Besides transmitting power from the Trung Nam project, this line is also essential for offloading capacity from other regional projects, including the 1,432MW Van Phong 1 thermal power plant.

Trung Nam stressed, "High-capacity equipment is at risk of malfunction and needs replacement."

The group added that the lack of funds for purchasing spare parts and replacing faulty equipment could result in a transmission system collapse, leading to significant economic damages, including liabilities to the build-operate-transfer investor of Van Phong, according to local media.

To prevent a critical incident, the company has urged the government to direct EVN to settle the outstanding electricity revenue, which would support the investor financially and ensure sufficient funds to maintain the 500kV Thuan Nam transmission system.

In response, EVN stated that it has been mobilising the capacity of the solar power plant according to Trung Nam's licence and making payments for the recorded output while awaiting specific regulations for the excess capacity.

"For the legally compliant part, EVN has made full payments. For the transitional part, payments are being made according to the temporary tariff approved by the Ministry of Industry and Trade," according to EVN.

"We are actively collaborating with relevant authorities to address Trung Nam's difficulties. As a state-owned enterprise, EVN operates strictly within legal regulations and cannot make unilateral decisions," EVN's statement continued.

Regarding the 500kV substation and transmission lines, EVN clarified that these assets are still owned by Trung Nam. Although Trung Nam had proposed a zero-dong transfer to EVN, legal procedures are pending, and guidance is being followed as per Decree 02/2024 on the transfer of public electric facilities to the state-owned electricity supplier.

EVN mentioned that Trung Nam has the right to charge transmission fees to partners for maintenance purposes, "When the assets are managed and operated by Trung Nam, they must take responsibility. EVN cannot intervene," adding that Trung Nam needs to fulfil its legal obligations before appealing to the prime minister for help.

Hainan Drinda New Energy enters Vietnam with $450 million solar project A $450 million solar energy panel production project has recently been inked in late March between Chinese firm Hainan Drinda New Energy Technology and Nghe An People's Committee.
In cities across the U.S., an increase in violent crime is colliding with fewer police officers. From Philadelphia to Portland to Los Angeles, officers worn out by the pandemic and disillusioned over calls to divest from policing following George Floyd's murder by police are quitting or reti
CEDAR FALLS  A man who disappeared while on parole for a 1986 murder in Nebraska has been arrested near Cedar Falls.

Black Hawk County sheriffs deputies detained 63-year-old Peter Wade Suffredini on Sunday night at mile marker 221 of U.S. Highway 20 near the Grundy County line. Authorities said his car went into the median, and a passerby called authorities.

When officers from Black Hawk and Grundy counties arrived, they found Suffredini in his vehicle, and he was taken into custody without incident.

The Nebraska Department of Corrections has Suffredini listed as absconded from parole for charges of second-degree murder and robbery. He had been serving 30 years to life and was released to parole in August.

According to court records, Suffredini was 25 years old when he shot Samuel S. Coker, a 24-year-old construction worker, five times at an Interstate Highway 80 rest area near Sutherland, Nebraska, in April 1986.

Investigators traced a Honda Civic reported stolen in San Francisco that left the rest area and found it parked at a North Platte hotel where Suffredini was staying. Investigators found blood on his shoes and a .22-caliber handgun with blood on it in the room.

He pleaded guilty as part of an agreement to avoid Nebraskas electric chair.

PHOTOS: Operation Washout-Waterloo 050222ho-washout-fugitive-1 050222ho-washout-fugitive-2 050222ho-washout-fugitive-3 050222ho-washout-fugitive-4
Then-mayoral candidate John Whitmire speaks at a forum on homelessness on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Houston. He said he would be able to draw together partners to help fund plans to reduce homelessness in Houston, and in April traveled to Washington, D.C. to ask the federal government for more housing choice voucher funding. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

Mayor John Whitmire met recently with White House officials to ask for more voucher funding to help address homelessness, said Mike Nichols, director of Houston's Housing and Community Development Department.

Whitmire traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of a group of bipartisan mayors who collectively made the pitch to the Biden administration  including the president's chief of staff and the director of the Office of Management and Budget  as well members of Congress.

The Houston Housing Authority has currently paused its issuance of new vouchers, which are used to house the chronically homeless and Houston's lowest earners, because it has exceeded its federally set voucher budget.

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What's more, the collection of organizations that work to address homelessness as part of the Coalition for the Homeless in Houston and Harris County is also calling for help filling a funding gap and preparing to potentially reduce services to house more people as pandemic-related federal funds come to an end. Nichols was the CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless before he was appointed as the city's housing director in February.

Nichols said the mayor was working on a homelessness plan that would be the "next step" in making the issue "rare, brief and nonrecurring."

"This is the beginning of developing how we fund this plan," he said. Nichols said he hopes that the housing authority, Harris Center, county, state, nonprofits and philanthropists will work together to help Houston reduce its homeless population.

Houston's housing efforts have widely been viewed as a success. Since 2011, the city has managed to reduce its annual count of the number of people living in shelters, on the streets or in places not meant for habitation by more than two-thirds.

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Still, the Whitmire administration believes more needs to be done. The Houston mayor and other mayors from across the nation specifically asked federal officials for three things, according to Nichols.

They asked for increased funding for housing choice vouchers, which can help those who are homeless and others with very little income pay for market-rate housing of their choice (though, in Texas, landlords are allowed to turn down applicants who are using a voucher to pay for a portion of their housing).

They requested an increase in project-based vouchers, which could incentivize developers to build more housing specifically for people who are leaving homelessness or have very low incomes.

And they called for changes that would make it easier for veterans to be eligible for vouchers, such as not allowing a disability stipend to put a veteran over the qualifying income threshold.

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Nichols said Biden administration officials seemed receptive to the mayors' asks. Along with the president's chief of staff and the director of the Office of Management and Budget, mayors spoke with the secretary of Housing and Urban Development and officials from the Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services departments, Nichols said.

He and Joshua Sanders, director of intergovernmental relations for the city, stayed in Washington for another day to speak with members of Congress, whom Nichols said expressed some pessimism about getting legislation passed.

However, Nichols said he told Congress "the Houston story  that we can prove that it's fiscally responsible to house people in permanent supportive housing, rather than living on the streets." He said the city could prove that providing housing, when coupled with a case worker who can connect residents to resources such as mental health and job training services, yields better long-term outcomes.

And he made the case that addressing homelessness was a health and safety need that could unite both sides of the political aisle.

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By Cillian Sherlock, Cate McCurry and Grainne Ni Aodha, PA

The Department of Justice has refused to publish an operational arrangement which it says provides for returning asylum seekers to the UK.

It comes amid a developing row between Ireland and the UK after the Minister for Justice said there was a significant increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland from across the Northern Ireland border.

After it was suggested the increase could be driven by migrants fearing the UKs Rwanda plan, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said that showed the plans effect.

The policy aims to send asylum seekers to the east African nation to deter others from crossing the English Channel.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said on Sunday that Ireland will not provide a loophole for other countries migration challenges, while Mr Sunak said it was not interested in any returns deal if the EU does not allow the UK to deport asylum seekers who had crossed the English Channel to France.

The existence of an operational arrangement at the centre of the UK-Ireland diplomatic row has been acknowledged by both sides, but Downing Street has cast doubt on whether it contains any legal obligations.

A No 10 spokesman said: Theres an existing understanding and operational procedure that is long standing with the Irish government.

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak. Photo: Alastair Grant/PA.

Its obviously consistent with the Common Travel Area, but there is no legal obligation to accept the return of asylum seekers who enter and cross the Common Travel Area.

My understanding is no asylum seekers have ever been returned to the UK under these existing arrangements. And as the Prime Minister set out yesterday, were not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland at a time when the EU doesnt accept returns back to France.

Mr Sunaks official spokesman added that the UK worked with Ireland on the sharing of biometric data on individuals claiming asylum, clamping down on visa abuse and dismantling smuggling gangs.

The Justice Department said the written deal with the UK home office was agreed in November 2020 but is not publicly available.

It said the deal provides for reciprocal returns of asylum seekers who are deemed inadmissible and helps to protect against abuse of the Common Travel Area.

However, it refused to publish the deal: We do not provide operational details of immigration procedures so as to avoid any impact on the effectiveness of such operations.

On Tuesday, the Irish Government approved emergency legislation from the Minister of Justice Helen McEntee to allow the UK to be designated as a safe country to enable asylum seekers to be transferred back there.

It comes after a High Court ruling in March deemed that the legal basis for designating the UK as a safe country for the return of asylum seekers was unsound under EU law.

Tents housing asylum seekers near to the Office of International Protection, in Dublin. Photo: Niall Carson/PA.

Mr Harris said the justice minister has acted swiftly to address this High Court ruling.

Asked about agreements with the UK, she said the reciprocal arrangement is to ensure that neither of our countries are a place for people to evade or obstruct the immigration controls and processes of the other.

To combat any abuse of the CTA, it is essential that we have mechanisms in place to return people to the UK where the UK is deemed to be the appropriate country to process any application for protection, the minister said.

It hasnt been operational owing to a High Court judgment which identified a legal issue which had a bearing on the operation of that arrangement.

The legislative changes that I will bring to the Houses in the coming weeks will ensure that the arrangement can be operationalised.

The Government has been accused of displaying incredible incompetence over migration issues by the leader of Sinn Fein.

Mary Lou McDonald told the Dail: At a time when we need calm and an assured response, we get panic. At a time when we need competence and clear communication, we get contradiction.

This has been a feature confirming the widespread view that your Government is not on top of issues relating to migration, that nobody competent is in charge.

The incompetence is off the charts!

The government's chaotic approach to immigration hits another level.



Confusion and contradiction within government  Justice Minister Helen McEntee says one thing and Tanaiste Micheal Martin says another.



Confusion and contradiction between pic.twitter.com/542qjk3g5y  Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) April 30, 2024

Scrambling around to turn hotels, B&Bs, office blocks into Direct Provision centres or having tents line the length of Mount Street in Dublin are not the hallmarks of a well-managed system.

She added: Your government says that you have an agreement with Britain, the British government saying that you do not. Which is it? If you do have such an agreement, has the Irish state made use of this agreement?

Youve actually managed to spread this confusion now to between two governments, about an agreement which exists or does not exist. Which is it?

Mr Harris denied there was any confusion, saying there is a Common Travel Area between the United Kingdom and Ireland.

As you know, better than most I would imagine, that is a really important Common Travel Area, Mr Harris added.

Its something we value and as you also know, that when Britain made the decision to leave the European Union there was an agreement put in place, one that indeed has been confirmed by the British Government today in relation to an operating agreement for migrants, for refugees to be returned in both directions.

Tents housing asylum seekers near to the International Protection Office, in Dublin. Photo: PA.

I have no intention whatsoever of this country being dragged into politics in Britain, Im very well aware of politics in Britain, they can have their migration policy, and they can do what they wish in relation to that.

We have ours and ours is a rules-based firm migration system that endeavours to provide assistance to people in humanitarian need, but also one that has to make it clear to people that if they dont have a right to be here, that they need to be asked and leave more quickly.

Mr Harris added: We also have every right when countries enter agreements, that those agreements are honoured. This is a country that honours our agreements and Ive said very clearly that the British Government has acknowledged that there are operational arrangements in place. I welcome that fact.

Im very clear that those operational agreements are in place under the Common Travel Area. And Im very clear that were going to legislate to have absolute clarity so that it can work. But Im also really clear that its only one of a number of things we need to do.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the Governments immigration plan has failed.

The clearest evidence of that failure is just around the corner. Hundreds of people sleeping in tents and makeshift shelters in desperately unsanitary conditions on Mount Street, she added.

There has been an increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland in recent years, with up to 16,000 new arrivals projected to arrive every year, up from between 3,000-5,000 between 2015-2019.

As Ireland struggles to boost its housing supply after falling behind during the economic crash, the influx has put more pressure on the State to house people as their asylum claim is processed.

The Government has implemented a number of migration policies in recent weeks, including paring back the offering to Ukrainian refugees who are automatically granted asylum.

A makeshift camp has sprung up at the International Protection Office in Dublin city as more than 1,700 asylum seekers have been left without an offer of accommodation from Ireland.
Early Wednesday morning, police warned UW-Madison students at a pro-Palestinian protest to take down the encampment set up Monday morning. About 20 minutes later, officers moved in and clashed with protesters. There have been at least a dozen arrests and several minor injuries.

Here are the latest updates.

Dean of students has brief meeting with protesters

Christina Olstad, Dean of Students at UW-Madison, has been observing the protests on Library Mall over the last two days, including standing on the lawn near State Street Mall and standing on the steps at the entrance to Memorial Library.

But on Wednesday afternoon, nearly seven hours after police began moving to dismantle the tent encampment, Olstad spoke with some students while standing outside the Wisconsin Historical Society headquarters building, located across the mall from the library.

"I have to serve all students," Olstad told the students, who offered concerns about the way students of color who break the law are treated. "Obviously, my goal is to deescalate."

Next move unclear for UW-Madison officials

Nearly three dozen people were arrested but it remains unclear what the next move will be by UW Police and UW-Madison administrators after students erected 16 tents less than three hours after police removed most of nearly 30 tents that had been set up on Library Mall beginning Monday morning.

In a statement released at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, UW-Madison administration stated there continue to be serious safety concerns with the illegal encampment on Library Mall and that UW Police will continue to observe it.

UW-Madison remains supportive of peaceful protest compliant with the law and campus protest policies and deeply values the constitutionally protected right to free expression, the statement said.

Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin issued a statement earlier today where she spoke of tents being removed and that "as long as protest abides by campus and state rules and policies, members of my leadership team stand ready to continue to listen to the concerns of the members of our community involved in this weeks protest." However, Mnookin has not issued a statement since the camp has been re-established.

"Like many other college campuses across the country and the world, we expect to continue to face protest activity, and we recognize and respect that protest is part of our communitys precious right to free speech and expression," Mnookin write in her initial statement. "But such rights are not unlimited: The boundaries that our laws and code of conduct place on speech are meant to ensure that all have access to our common spaces and that dialogue takes place without intimidation or exclusion."

Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman also issued a statement Wednesday praising Mnookin's action .

The free exchange of ideas through open dialogue and debate is a hallmark of the Universities of Wisconsin. We support the First Amendment and the right to free expression  including through legal protest  and we continue to uphold these ideals, even in the face of difficult and competing demands," Rothman wrote. We commit to upholding free speech rights while simultaneously upholding the law and our mission to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of our community. UW-Madison took action to ensure compliance with applicable law and in fulfillment of its commitment to all students and the campus community. I commend Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin for her reasonableness and resolve, as well as her commitment to free expression and the safety and security of her students.

Meanwhile, UW Police have provided more detail on those arrested this morning. It reports that 34 people were arrested, with the majority of those released with no citations. Of those arrested, four were booked into the Dane County Jail on tentative charges that included attempted disarming of a police officer and battery to a police officer. Only one of those booked, Leo A. Randle, appears from the school's directory and his LinkedIn page to be a UW-Madison student. He's tentatively charged with battery to a police officer.

The other three are: Caleb A. Brown, for attempting to disarm a police officer and two charges of resisting arrest; Karl M. Schultz, for battery to a police officer and resisting arrest; and Trevor H. Carter, for battery to a police officer. None are affiliated with the university.

Students for Justice in Palestine, on its Instagram account Wednesday afternoon, asked for support for those arrested and demanded all charges "be dropped immediately." It established a Venmo account to cover bail and also published the names and phones of interim UW Police Chief Brent Pilsch, Chancellor Mnookin and Dean of Students Christina Olstad.

UW Chancellor issues statement

In a statement sent to students and staff Wednesday morning, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said UW-Madisons leadership would uphold its promise to protesters concerns now that the encampment has been disbanded.

Mnookin said the police enforcement was directed only at the illegal encampment and said that students are free to continue protesting on Library Mall. She added that while the encampment has been largely peaceful, its presence was creating a safety hazard and was attracting people who are not affiliated with UW-Madison to the area. Those people were engaging in confrontational and inciteful behaviors, she explained.

A small number of blatantly antisemitic actions on the grounds of the encampment have been credibly reported, but we have no evidence that any members of our UWMadison community engaged in this odious activity.

UW-Madison spokesperson Kelly Tyrrell said one of the behaviors under investigation is a Nazi salute made by a person thought to be unaffiliated with the university.

Four law enforcement officers injured

Four law enforcement officers were injured while trying to clear out the encampment Wednesday morning, UW Police spokesperson Marc Lovicott said.

Three Dane County Sheriff's deputies sustained injuries "directly related to the physical resistance," said Lovicott, who could not speak to the severity of the injuries.

In addition, a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper was injured when a protester struck the officer's head with a skateboard, Lovicott said.

Campus area City Council member issues statement

District 8 Alder MGR Govindarajan, who has been actively involved in the pro-Palestinian protests this week, said he was "disappointed and appalled" by police and university officials to remove the encampment on Library Mall.

"Since Monday, when the protest began, I have been on site facilitating communication between those engaging in the peaceful protest and the various law enforcement agencies who were present. My goal has always been to de-escalate any tensions and ensure the safety of all those on Library Mall. The actions seen this morning were beyond what was necessary," Govindarajan wrote.

Protesters begin to rebuild encampment

Less than three hours after police moved to dismantle an illegal encampment, tents have begun to reappear on Library Mall.

Groups of protesters have begun erecting more tents after nearly all of the 30 tents that had filled the eastern part of the mall between Memorial Library and the fountain were removed this morning buy several police agencies from Dane County.

As of 10 am, protesters had two orange tents up, securing the damaged parts of them with blue painters tape. There has been talk of getting more tents throughout the day while protesters have also been practicing bracing to prepare for further police action, standing in circles with their forearms up, elbow to fist. As of 10:45, a total of nine tents had been erected

People are also talking in groups, recounting the chaos of the morning. Some are holding ice packs and bandages to injuries sustained in the struggle with police, according to a State Journal reporter on the scene. Meanwhile, the number of uniformed police on Library Mall has greatly diminished. Four police officers are keeping watch near State Street Mall while three others can be seen across Langdon Street near Alumni Park on the east side side of Memorial Union.

Protesters speak out against police actions

Dahlia Saba, a first year grad student who is a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, one of the organizers of the protests and encampment, was miffed about UW-Madisons actions to remove the encampment, something she says could be approved by the university.

I think that goes to show that the issue here is not the means of protest itself it is the message of the protest. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is refusing to end its participation in this genocide on-going in Gaza.

Brandon Hoffman, protester but not a student said he was at the encampment all night and left to get food earlier in the morning at McDonalds and when he came back the cops had started showing up. Were here for us

The reason for being here is to stand up for their people and their civil rights

Professor among those arrested

Among those arrested Wednesday was Sami Schalk, a professor in the Gender and Womens Studies department, who was seen being led off Library Mall in zip-tie cuffs.

Writing on X, Schalk said she was ultimately released but was at the hospital to be checked for injuries.

A cop grabbed my dress & ripped it half off my body, injuring my arm, she wrote just after 10 a.m. Wednesday. Another put his hands around my throat from behind to get me on the ground.

Ive been released & am at the hospital to be checked out for injuries. A cop grabbed my dress & ripped it half off my body, injuring my arm. Another put his hands around my throat from behind to get me on the ground.  Sami Schalk (@DrSamiSchalk) May 1, 2024

Police, Republican lawmaker weigh in

In a press conference this morning, Marc Lovicott, UW-Police spokesman, said about a dozen people were arrested and that the decision to remove most of the encampment was a decision made by police and UW-Madison administration.

Speaking to reporters near the Wisconsin Historical Society, which is across Library Mall from the protesters, Lovicott said "multiple warnings" were issues over recent days reminding protesters that camping is not allowed, according to university code and state law.

"As our teams pushed forward to try and secure that camping equipment, protesters pushed back. Some turned violent and it resulted in several arrests, Lovicott said. We are not asking protesters to leave, we support their constitutional right to be here but the main issue we moved in today is because they were in violation of Chapter 18.

The move to remove the encampment brought praise from state Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who in the past has advocated for free speech on university campuses.

"Good move," Vos wrote Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Thank you @uwchancellor for doing the right thing by enforcing campus policies and standing up to the unruly mob."

However, one tent remained and it appears that more tents could be erected by protesters, who set up the encampment Monday morning.

Police retreat from Library Mall

Police have largely retreated from Library Mall leaving one tent surrounded by dozens of protesters. The protesters had stood with their arms linked and then police retreated at the same time that a small dump truck pulling a trailer, both loaded with tents, tarps and other personal items left the area.

Some students followed police as they went into the Memorial Union but were prevented from going into a side door of the Union, where it appeared police have been staging. An orange tent that had been standing and surrounded by students has collapsed or was taken down. It was unclear who had taken the tent down but protesters remain around the tent.

Tent village gets smaller

Just three tents out of nearly 30 remained this morning with a large number of protesters sitting around two of the tents in an effort to prevent police from removing the tents located in front Memorial Library. Police have yet to approach the two tents and the those surrounding them but began removing other tents and personal items around 7:15 a.m.

Arrests underway

Multiple arrests are underway on UW-Madison's Library Mall as protesters try to prevent police removing an illegal tent encampment.

It's unclear how many people have been taken into custody but as 8:25 a.m. most of the tents had been removed by police. Protesters locked arms to circle tents as throngs of others looked on and chanted "I don't see no riot here, why are you in riot gear." However, some protesters who tried to prevent police from accessing the tents were arrested. Some taken to the ground, others led away in handcuffs or zip-ties.

However, while some of those arrested were taken by police into the nearby Memorial Union, three people who had been taken into the Union by police say that had been detained and not arrested.

How it started

Police have begun dismantling an illegal encampment at UW-Madison established by pro-Palestinian supporters.

WISC-TV reported that just before 7 a.m., several police officers arrived at the encampment on Library Mall and played a recorded message on a loop saying that it was a final warning and that protesters were in violation of university code. About 20 minutes later, nearly 60 police officers, some with riot shields but not dressed in full riot gear, arrived and began removing tents and other items.

There were no initial physical clashes with police but just after 8 a.m., police began arresting some protesters. Law enforcement from the the Wisconsin State Patrol, Dane County Sheriff's Office Madison Police and UW-Police were on the scene, according to initial reports. Television images showed a line of officers between protesters and other officers, who worked to remove the encampment.

The encampment began Monday with about 17 tents but had grown to nearly 30 tents by Wednesday morning.

In an unusual effort to head off the disruptions that have rocked other campuses around the country, campus leaders and the UW Police Department warned students last week to comply with state law and university rules, which prohibit unauthorized camping on campus.

However, on Monday, several hundred protesters gathered on the Mall, located between Memorial Library and the Wisconsin Historical Society, and established an encampment. The advice was repeated in a statement from UW-Madison leadership Monday night. Administrators encouraged protesters to voluntarily remove the encampment and said they'd be ready to speak with protest organizers once they did so.

But after nearly 48 hours without police intervention, the scene on Library Mall dramatically changed Wednesday morning as police moved in.

As police arrived, they formed a barrier around one section of the encampment and began removing tents and tarps, placing them in a vehicle parked on on Langdon Street. About an hour later, arrests began as some protesters either confronted police or refused to leave the encampment.
CANstruction is back at the Meadowood Mall! It's a competition where teams build sculptures out of canned food.

There are ten teams participating in the 21st running of the event this year, with five of those being student teams.

This years CANstruction event started Wednesday, May 1 and will run through Sunday May 5. The structures will be built during a twelve-hour period on Wednesday, May 1. Teams will build in the mall, keeping the structure inside a 10x10x10 area.

The structures will be judged on Thursday afternoon by a panel of jurors in 5 categories.

Teams will be competing for the following awards:

* Best Original Design

* Structural Ingenuity

* Best Meal

* Best Use of Labels and Most Cans.

A public award ceremony will be held in Center Court on Thursday, May 2 at 6 p.m. All entries will be submitted to the national level of CANstruction to be judged.

The public is invited to vote in the Peoples Choice award from 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 1 through Monday, May 6. Each vote is $1 and all of the money goes to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada where $1 helps to deliver 3 meals to those who need them.

"Right now we're helping about 153,000 people," said Jocelyn Lantrip, the Director of Marketing for the FBNN. "That number is about 27 and a half percent higher than it was even two years ago."

Lantrip explains how the CANstruction event represents 12,000 meals donated which is almost 17,500 cans of food.

"I feel really good," said Freddy Boyer, a student participant from at Sky Ranch Middle School. "It reminds me of 6th grade when we did Global Citizen. I like helping people out and providing for people who cant get the food themselves."

Lantrip explains how some who face food insecurity choose to pay expenses or feed their families before themselves.

"It's very difficult to solve other problems you may have in your life when you're hungry," she said.

Peoples choice voting will take place virtually with a ($10 vote minimum) at fbnn.org.

(Food Bank of Northern Nevada contributed to this report.)
Dueling groups of protesters clashed Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Hours earlier, police burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others.

After a couple of hours of scuffles between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators at UCLA, police wearing helmets and face shields formed lines and slowly separated the groups. That quelled the violence, and the scene was calm as day broke.

UCLA canceled classes Wednesday and urged people to avoid the area where the fighting broke out. The school's library won't reopen until Monday and Royce Hall, which authorities said was vandalized, is closed through Friday. UCLA stationed law enforcement officers throughout campus.

Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza have spread across the country in a student movement unlike any other in the 21st century, reaching from New York to Texas and California. The ensuing crackdown by police on some college campuses has stirred echoes of the much larger student protest movement during the Vietnam War era.

There have been confrontations with law enforcement and more than 1,000 arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.

The clashes at UCLA took place around a tent encampment built by pro-Palestinian protesters, who erected a line of parade barricades, plywood and wooden pallets at the edge of the camp  while counter-protesters tried to pull them down. Video showed fireworks exploding over and in the encampment.

People threw chairs and other objects and at one point a group piled on a person who lay on the ground, kicking and beating them with sticks until others pulled them out of the scrum.

It was not clear how many people might be injured.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the violence absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable" in a post on social media platform X and said officers from the Los Angeles Police Department were on the scene. Officers from the California Highway Patrol also appeared to be there. The university said it had requested help.

Security was tightened Tuesday at the campus after officials said there were physical altercations between factions of protesters.

Late that same day, New York City officers entered Columbia's campus after the university requested help, according to a statement released by a spokesperson. A tent encampment on the school's grounds was cleared, along with Hamilton Hall where a stream of officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window. Protesters seized the hall at the Ivy League school about 20 hours earlier.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, the school said. The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.

A few dozen people were arrested at the building after protesters shrugged off an earlier ultimatum to abandon the encampment Monday or be suspended and unfolded as other universities stepped up efforts to end demonstrations that were inspired by Columbia.

Fabien Lugo, a first-year accounting student who said he was not involved in the protests, said he opposed the universitys decision to call in police.

This is too intense, he said. It feels like more of an escalation than a de-escalation.

Just blocks away from Columbia, at The City College of New York, demonstrators were in a standoff with police outside the public colleges main gate. Video posted on social media by news reporters on the scene late Tuesday showed officers putting some people to the ground and shoving others as they cleared people from the street and sidewalks.

After police arrived, officers lowered a Palestinian flag atop the City College flagpole, balled it up and tossed it to the ground before raising an American flag.

Brown University, another member of the Ivy League, reached an agreement Tuesday with protesters on its Rhode Island campus. Demonstrators said they would close their encampment in exchange for administrators taking a vote to consider divestment from Israel in October. The compromise appeared to mark the first time a U.S. college has agreed to vote on divestment in the wake of the protests.

Meanwhile, at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, police in riot gear closed in on an encampment late Tuesday and arrested about 20 people for trespassing, at least one of whom was thrown to the ground. University officials had warned earlier in the day that students would face criminal charges if they did not disperse.

First-year student Brayden Lang watched from the sidelines. I still know very little about this conflict, he said. But the deaths of thousands is something I cannot stand for.

Police also cleared an encampment at Tulane University early Wednesday.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.

As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasnt clear whether those talks would lead to an easing of protests.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israels critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.

Columbia's police action happened on the 56th anniversary of a similar move to quash an occupation of Hamilton Hall by students protesting racism and the Vietnam War.

The police department earlier Tuesday said officers wouldn't enter the grounds without the college administrations request or an imminent emergency. Now, law enforcement will be there through May 17, the end of the university's commencement events.

In a letter to senior police officials, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the administration made the request that officers remove protesters from the occupied building and a nearby tent encampment with the utmost regret.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on MSNBCs Morning Joe that police had to move into Hamilton Hall for the safety of those children.

He again blamed outside agitators for the building takeover  an idea Shafik has also raised, though neither provided specific evidence to back up the contention, which was disputed by protest organizers and participants.

The police departments deputy commissioner for public information, Tarik Sheppard, said 40 to 50 people were arrested at Hamilton Hall and that there were no injuries.

Adams later said that about 300 people were arrested in police crackdowns at Columbia University and City College.

Protesters first set up a tent encampment at Columbia almost two weeks ago. The school sent in police to clear the tents the following day, arresting more than 100 people, only for the students to return.

Negotiations between the protesters and the college came to a standstill in recent days, and the school set a deadline for the activists to abandon the tent encampment Monday afternoon or be suspended.

Instead, protesters defied the ultimatum and took over Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, carrying in furniture and metal barricades.

Ilana Lewkovitch, a self-described leftist Zionist student at Columbia, said its been hard to concentrate on school for weeks. Her exams have been disrupted with chants of say it loud, say it clear, we want Zionists out of here.

Lewkovitch, who is Jewish, said she wished the current pro-Palestinian protests were more open to people like her who criticize Israels war policies but believe there should be an Israeli state.

(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)
A protester is taken away by University of Texas at Austin police at an encampment on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024. Aaron E. Martinez/Associated Press

A photojournalist with Austin Fox 7 has been charged with two misdemeanor offenses after he appeared to collide with a state trooper last week while covering a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas at Austin.

The Department of Public Safety has alleged that the journalist, Carlos Sanchez, hit a state trooper with his video camera during the demonstrations on Wednesday.

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Sanchez, 43, was charged this week with assault and interfering with public duties, according to his lawyer, Austin criminal defense attorney Gerry Morris. Both charges could lead to jail time and thousands of dollars in fines.

It is the third time the state has attempted to punish Sanchez, after the county attorney declined an initial charge and a DPS detective withdrew a second one, all within about a week.

The latest charging documents state Sanchez was caught on video lunging toward a trooper and striking him with his camera, making contact with the troopers lower head and neck area with a large camera where he was not protected by helmet or body armor.

A second trooper, who grabbed Sanchez, also said he saw Sanchez hit a trooper, according to the arrest warrant.

In a statement Wednesday, a DPS spokesperson said we strongly believe a line was crossed last week when one of our troopers was assaulted while trying to do his job.

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While journalists should be provided access, it is never acceptable to interfere with official police duties and assaulting an officer of the law  no matter the degree  will never be tolerated, the spokesperson said.

Sanchez had told officers at the protest that he was pushed and that he tripped before falling toward the officer. Morris said the contact was absolutely not intentional.

Mr. Sanchez was performing an important news gathering function during a chaotic event when he inadvertently bumped into a police officer. He did not commit a crime, Morris said. We look forward to someone taking an unbiased look at the evidence and exonerating Mr. Sanchez. That may ultimately occur with a jury.

It was unclear whether the Travis County Attorneys Office planned to accept the charges; a spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

DPS special agent Justin Winkler wrote in the arrest warrant that video footage showed Sanchez advancing towards troopers with his camera coming within arms reach, causing one of the troopers to tell Sanchez to get back because he was too close.

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Winkler observed Sanchez disobey the clear, repeated commands given by law enforcement to disperse and move to a designated area and instead remain in the area, placing him within very close proximity to officers trying to take control of the crowd and keep the peace, the arrest warrant states. This situation made it unsafe for officers, as well as other bystanders, to effectively do their jobs.

Sanchez originally was accused last week of misdemeanor criminal trespass along with 56 others, many of them students. The charges against all of them were later dropped within a day for lack of probable cause.

Then this week, the DPS detective on Sanchezs case moved to charge him with felony assault on a peace officer before withdrawing the charge and filing the misdemeanors, Morris said.

Morris did not make Sanchez available for an interview, but he said the photographer is wondering whats going on.

He was just out there doing his job in a chaotic situation, and the next thing he knows hes on the ground, Morris said.

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Kevin McPherson, news director at FOX 7, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sanchez was livestreaming at the time of his arrest, which can be seen and heard on video. In one recording, he can be heard saying, I was moving and Im with the media as officers take him down to the ground to arrest him. An officer yells, Get on the ground! Lay down! He continues trying to explain and asks, Why am I being arrested?

Officers do not audibly tell him the charge against him, though one says, As soon as you hit somebody with your camera  a police officer  on to jail.

As an officer escorts him away from campus, Sanchez explains, They were pushing, so I  I tripped, and I almost fell onto the ground. The officer with him says, I wasnt there to see it.

Protesters who saw him being dragged away expressed outrage, shouting, Hes press! and What are yall doing?

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Society of Professional Journalists President Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins said in a statement on social media that the new charges areblatant retaliation and intimidation. Blaize-Hopkins, who is also an interim associate dean at the Santa Monica Colleges Center for Media & Design, called on DPS to drop the charges immediately.
(Photo : Unsplash/Carson Masterson)

A federal appeals court on Tuesday reversed a ruling that obligated International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) to compensate BMC Software Inc. one billion six hundred million dollars in 2022 after a judge determined that IBM had unlawfully substituted BMC's mainframe software with its own at AT&T Inc.

Federal Court Reversing IBM's Verdict

In one of the most significant judgments in a commercial dispute, the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans concluded that a lower court judge's ruling on liability was incorrect. According to the findings of the three-judge panel, IBM had not breached any agreement between the firms and did not encourage AT&T, its mutual client, to switch to its product line. Circuit Judge Edith Jones, writing for the panel, stated that AT&T, one of BMC's major clients, had transitioned to IBM software independently and that BMC had fairly and squarely lost out to IBM.

A spokesperson for BMC chose not to comment. Meanwhile, an IBM spokesperson stated in a release that the company acted in good faith in every aspect of the engagement and expressed gratitude that the court concurred. Representatives for AT&T, who are not involved in the case, did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

IBM-BMC's Non-Displacement Lawsuit

According to the ruling, Houston-based BMC specializes in developing and licensing proprietary mainframe software products. The agreement between BMC and IBM includes a provision known as non-displacement, which permits IBM to maintain and operate mainframes running BMC software while restricting it from replacing BMC clients' software with IBM's own.

AT&T enlisted IBM to oversee its mainframe operations. In a 2017 lawsuit filed in a Houston federal court, Houston-based BMC alleges that IBM violated a longstanding agreement that prohibited IBM from persuading mutual clients to switch to its competing software product line while acting as an IT outsourcer. IBM argues that AT&T switched to its product line independently, without influence or pressure from IBM.

READ ALSO: FCC Fines US Wireless Carriers $200M for Selling Location Data Access Without Customer Consent

Federal Court Judges Concurring IBM's Appeal

The appeals court judges concurred with this assessment, highlighting that although the agreement barred IBM from leveraging its position to gain insights into BMC's customers to sell IBM software, it did permit IBM to assist customers in discontinuing the use of BMC licenses for other valid business reasons.

Jones wrote that AT&T decided to switch independently and without any lobbying or influence from IBM. IBM argued that it did not breach the provision's non-displacement clause because it did not compete for or seek AT&T's decision.

The ruling on Tuesday overturned US District Judge Gray Miller's 2022 decision, which had determined that IBM was liable to pay BMC one billion six hundred million dollars in damages for breaching their agreement by covertly agreeing to replace BMC's software at AT&T during the contract negotiation in 2015.

RELATED ARTICLE: IBM Slashing Jobs in Marketing and Communications as Workforce Rebalance Continues

 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.


Greenstone Shareholders to vote on Horizon Merger

Perth, May 1, 2024 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Horizon Minerals Limited ( ASX:HRZ ) and Greenstone Resources Limited ( ASX:GSR ) (Greenstone) refer to the announcements on 13 February 2024 and 2 April 2024 in relation to the proposed merger between Horizon and Greenstone to be conducted by way of schemes of arrangement under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), whereby Horizon will acquire 100% of the fully paid ordinary shares in Greenstone (Share Scheme) and 100% of the listed Greenstone options (Option Scheme, and together with the Share Scheme, the Schemes), subject to the satisfaction of various conditions.



COURT ORDERS CONVENING THE SCHEME MEETING



On 30 April 2024, the Supreme Court of Western Australia made orders:



- directing Greenstone to convene a meeting of Greenstone shareholders for the purpose of considering and to vote on the Share Scheme (Share Scheme Meeting);



- directing Greenstone to convene a meeting of Greenstone listed optionholders for the purpose of considering and to vote on the Option Scheme (Option Scheme Meeting); and



- approving the despatch of an explanatory statement providing information about the Schemes together with the notices of the Share Scheme Meeting and Option Scheme Meeting (the Scheme Booklet) to Greenstone shareholders and listed optionholders.



SHARE SCHEME MEETING



The Share Scheme Meeting, at which Greenstone shareholders will vote on the proposed Share Scheme, is scheduled to take place at 12:00pm (AWST) on Friday, 31 May 2024 and will be held at the registered offices of Greenstone, Level 2, 16 Ord Street, West Perth, WA 6005, and virtually via an online platform powered by Greenstone's share registry, Automic.



Greenstone shareholders and their proxies, attorneys or corporate representatives will be able to attend the Share Scheme Meeting in person or participate in the Share Scheme Meeting via the virtual platform. Greenstone strongly encourages Greenstone shareholders to lodge a directed proxy in the event that they are not able to attend the Share Scheme Meeting.



All Greenstone shareholders entered on the Greenstone share register as holders of Greenstone shares at 5:00pm (AWST) on Wednesday, 29 May 2024, will be eligible to vote at the Share Scheme Meeting. Further information on how to participate and vote at the Share Scheme Meeting is set out in the Scheme Booklet.



*To view detailed information, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/4077I1A4





About Horizon Minerals Limited





Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed.

Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline.

Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage.

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LU7 Closes Capital Raising

Melbourne, May 1, 2024 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Lithium Universe Limited ( ASX:LU7 ) ( ESMAF:OTCMKTS ) is pleased to advise that it has completed a $3,644,333.34 million capital raising to sophisticated investors, at a price of $0.02 for each one fully paid ordinary share (FPS) subscribed.



Highlights



- Binding subscription agreements for $3,644,333.34



- Further development of the Quebec Lithium Processing Hub (QLPH) strategy



- Capital raising in two tranches:



o Tranche 1 - 95,016,667 shares at $0.02 per share raising $1,900,333.34

o Tranche 2 - 87,200,000 shares also at $0.02 per share to raise a further $1,744,000.00



- 1:2 free attaching listed option and a $0.03 exercise price and expiry in 18 months



- Company intends to list Options



- Company to grant 1:2 Option to those who participated in the recent Share Purchase Plan



The proposed capital raising is to be conducted in two tranches, being:



- Tranche 1 - 95,016,667 FPS; and



- Tranche 2 - 87,200,000 FPS, to be issued subject to shareholder approval at the Company's Annual General Meeting, to be held on 14 June 2024 (AGM).



As part of the above capital raising initiative one option will also be issued for every two FPS's subscribed for, containing an exercise price of $0.03 per option and an expiry date of 18 months (Option). The issue of the Options will be subject to shareholder approval at the Company's AGM. It is intended that the Options will be listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), with further details to be provided as soon as they come to hand.



The expected timing for completion of the above capital raising is as follows:



- Tranche 1 - 10 May 2024; and



- Tranche 2 - 28 June 2024 (assuming receipt of shareholder approval at the Company's AGM)





About Lithium Universe Ltd





Lithium Universe Ltd (ASX:LU7) (FRA:KU00) (OTCMKTS:LUVSF), headed by industry trail blazer, Iggy Tan, and the Lithium Universe team has a proven track record of fast-tracking lithium projects, demonstrated by the successful development of the Mt Cattlin spodumene project for Galaxy Resources Limited.

Instead of exploring for the sake of exploration, Lithium Universe's mission is to quickly obtain a resource and construct a spodumene-producing mine in Quebec, Canada. Unlike many other Lithium exploration companies, Lithium Universe possesses the essential expertise and skills to develop and construct profitable projects.

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(Photo : Unsplash/Solen Feyissa)

Eight US newspapers are suing OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and Microsoft, claiming that these tech companies have been "purloining millions" of copyrighted news articles to train their artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots without permission or payment.

US Newspapers Suing OpenAI, Microsoft Over Copyright Infringement

The New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, and other papers initiated the lawsuit on Tuesday in a New York federal court. Frank Pine, the executive editor for the MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing, emphasized the significance of protecting their work, saying they have invested billions of dollars in gathering information and reporting news at their publications. They cannot permit OpenAI and Microsoft to follow the trend of stealing their work to benefit their businesses.

The other newspapers involved in the lawsuit are all owned by Alden Global Capital, including MediaNews Group's Mercury News, Orange County Register, St. Paul Pioneer-Press, Tribune Publishing's Orlando Sentinel, and South Florida Sun Sentinel, who argue that the utilization of their content should occur with the publishers' consent and proper compensation.

The lawsuit also claims that OpenAI and Microsoft's AI systems not only reproduce news articles verbatim but also generate misleading or inaccurate articles falsely attributed to the publications, including a fabricated Denver Post article endorsing smoking as an asthma treatment and a fictitious Chicago Tribune recommendation for an infant lounger that was recalled due to safety concerns.

READ ALSO: OpenAI "Plays Safe" on Infringement Lawsuits, Partners with Dozens of Publishers to License Content

The ChatGPT-Maker's Response

On Tuesday, Microsoft chose not to provide a comment. OpenAI, on the other hand, stated in a release that it is committed to supporting news organizations. The statement mentioned that although they were not previously aware of Alden Global Capital's concerns, they are actively involved in productive partnerships and discussions with numerous news organizations worldwide to explore opportunities, address any concerns, and offer solutions in collaboration with these organizations.

The lawsuit is the most recent in a series of legal actions against OpenAI and Microsoft, now appearing in Manhattan's and San Francisco's federal court, where the companies are already engaged in multiple copyright lawsuits filed by media outlets, the New York Times, and other prominent authors such as John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, and George Martin.

Tech companies contend about the fair use of gathering large amounts of publicly available internet content to train their AI systems under the doctrine of American copyright law, and they even side-step potential legal disputes by compensating organizations for the use of such content in some cases.

The Associated Press partnered with OpenAI last year, wherein the technology company agreed to pay an undisclosed fee to license AP's archive of news stories. OpenAI has also struck licensing agreements with other media companies, including news publishing giants Axel Springer in Germany, Prisa Media in Spain, France's Le Monde newspaper, and, most recently, the London-based Financial Times.

RELATED ARTICLE: Google's on Heated Copyright Battle, Hit with $272M Fine for Failing to Negotiate in "Good Faith"

 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Authored by Vibha Singh, Director, APAC, ETML.

Amidst the always changing digital landscape, Google stands as an indispensable resource for growth offering a range of insights, tools, and solutions to navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities. From troubleshooting technical issues to uncovering consumer trends and industry benchmarks, Google serves as a trusted ally in the pursuit of digital excellence.

When it comes to Indian growth agencies, ETML as a 15 years old homegrown agency has always used a fusion of creativity, strategy, data and technology to craft narratives of successful campaigns across Google's diverse inventories. As Google continues to evolve and expand its footprint, we as a team stand poised to unlock new dimensions of success for our clients to shape the future of data driven marketing not only within India but globally. Team ETML has shown 94% growth QoQ on Google spends internationally and has been the runner up in International Growth Google Awards. This is a testament on how being an Indian Growth Agency, achieving and mastering growth is not limited to only boundaries.

Let's embark on a journey to unravel the mastery behind the craft.

Unveiling the power of the Search inventory:

At the core of Google's ecosystem lies its omnipresent search engine, the gateway through which millions embark on their digital journeys every day. We help brands tap to use its ultimate potential not only through meticulous keyword research, ad-copies optimization, and strategic bidding strategies, but also understanding the business level problems and taking into account the gray area where we do not lose the potential consumers .

For Example: When we work for our clients, we do not just use Google search inventory for conversions, we use it as a tool for building brand awareness too. By targeting mid and low intent keywords with strategies like maximize impression share, businesses can ensure visibility throughout the customer journey. High intent keywords remain focused on conversions, while the former approach nurtures brand recognition and establishes a strong presence across various intent levels, fostering both short-term conversions and long-term brand growth.

Immersing audiences in the world of YouTube and Connected TV:

As the second-largest search engine globally, YouTube offers an immersive platform for brands to connect with audiences through captivating video content. We have leveraged YouTube for various success stories of Branding and have been also awarded for Branding Excellence by Google back in the year of 2022. Our major platform was YouTube for the same. In the realm of short video content which is taking over the internet, YouTube shorts have been a great toll for the brands to deliver their messages to the masses. Indian Growth Agencies including us are tapping this to gain maximum momentum of brand engagement and holistic growth using this inventory. In addition to YouTube, connected TV (CTV) is also witnessing a rapid growth, offering brands ample opportunities for targeted advertising. We also capitalize on this platform and ensure our partner brands can engage audiences effectively, driving awareness and fostering customer connections in the evolving landscape.

For Example: To avoid any branding budget going to waste, we meticulously designed a detailed audience cohort using custom keywords, affinities, and other interest behavior relevant to the client brand to bring a 33% of brand awareness for their newly launched product.

Navigating the expansive Display network:

Beyond the realm of search, Google's Display Network (GDN) offers a stretched landscape of websites, blogs, and mobile apps where brands can showcase their offerings to a diverse audience. We have harnessed the visual temptation of display advertising to captivate audiences using various ad formats, targeting options, and creative strategies to maximize engagement and drive brand recall.

For Example: We used Display Inventory to drive relevant audiences to the website for a brand during their 0-1 journey. It was imperative for us to build a retargeting audience to tap them using different creatives. We strategically built a very relevant audience for the brand and targeted them using this inventory which ultimately led to higher ATCs, ICs and we could ultimately convert them to build a positive RoAS.

Automated AI campaigns: The rise of Pmax and UAC

In this era of AI, Google's Performance Max (Pmax) campaign leverages the power of machine learning and automation to deliver ads across multiple Google inventories, including search, display, and YouTube. It offers a powerful solution for maximizing campaign potential, focusing on audience signals and creative optimization. The key lies in selecting the right optimization events to signal campaigns effectively. This approach is particularly critical for multi-SKU e-commerce brands, where the structure of campaigns becomes paramount. Our innovative grid modeling strategy, integrating creative optimization events and audience signals, ensures optimal impressions and clicks without sacrificing final conversions. By leveraging this structured approach, we help our clients to effectively navigate the complexities of e-commerce campaigns, driving performance with precision and efficiency.

On the other hand, Universal App Campaigns (UAC) offer automated solutions for app-first clients. We utilize strategic planning and inventory analysis to optimize outcomes. By signaling campaigns effectively and structuring them appropriately, we use UAC for the desired results. This approach ensures efficient app installs and engagement, empowering clients to achieve their objectives in the competitive digital ecosystem.

For Example: We wanted to target specific products to male and specific to female using PMax for a brand, we used the power of creatives to signal AI and train them what kind of people we would want to show our ad to, which resulted in 3X increase in sales within just one month for a skincare brand.

As an Indian Growth Agency we continue on our journey of showcasing our competence behind the craft, we remain committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation. With Google as our trusted ally, we stand poised to unlock new dimensions of success and shape the future of data-driven marketing not only within India but on a global stage.
GoKwik, an eCommerce enabler has collaborated with the Citizen Stack initiative for showcasing the increasing Indian stack on a global stage. The two-day initiative started on April 25, at the UN, New York, as a continuation to G20 Presidency in India in the past year in New Delhi. The event calls to attention the cathartic power of Digital Public Infrastructure covering diversified global landscapes portraying that 40% of the startup unicorns in India are utilising the Indian stack.

With the theme Vasudeva Kutumbakam: One World, One Family, the event stressed on the substantial advancements India has made in technology and digital domains, setting infrastructures that are now being appreciated and adopted worldwide. A representative of the UN highlighted that India achieved an 80% financial inclusion rate within a record six, a feat that would have taken decades without the digital infrastructure the government has built.

The Indian government has nurtured and launched vital initiatives, turning the peninsula not just into an IT outsourcing hub but also into an original, innovative force. These changes that have shaped India's standing as a tech and digital pioneer globally have been revolutionary and showcase the immense potential of our in-house capabilities.

Talking about GoKwiks role in the digital transformation journey of India, its Co-founder and CEO Chirag Taneja said, Digital Public infrastructure such as UPI or Unified Payments Interface has revolutionized the face of payments within the country. UPI is growing at a burgeoning speed and is likely to reach one billion transactions a day by 2026-27. Even in our network, we continue to observe that majority of prepaid payments happen via UPI. As a real-time payment system, it has made money transfers seamless and online payments extremely easy.

UPI has now become a global phenomenon, with ten countries, including the UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, France, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and others, now accepting this mode of QR code-based UPI payment.

We are committed to making the UPI experiences seamless and enabling growth for our partner brands, the India stack, as highlighted on Citizen Stack is growing and we are committed to building a thriving eCommerce ecosystem along with it, Chirag Taneja added.

Building onto these robust government initiatives, private businesses have started to flourish. Thriving on the tech stack, eCommerce enablers like GoKwik are simplifying the shopping experience, especially with UPI, and ensuring best-in-class UPI success rate.

Consequentially, this has also paid forward in the evolution of the D2C and eCommerce industry in India, as many digital-first brands have grown at a breakneck speed due to these tech enablers.

Citizen Stack honoured this growing tech stack of India and commemorated the private-public partnerships that are a product of this stack. These ever-increasing public-private partnerships signal that this is only the beginning of a significant tech journey for India. The world is watching as India continues to grow and shapes the future of digital technology.
At the International News Media Association Global Media Awards which was held in London, AI Anchor Sana of India Today Group, has won two distinguished awards, as a reaffirmation of the groundbreaking contributions to the realm of artificial intelligence and journalism. AI Anchor Sana's ingenious approach for the delivery of news content has enthralled viewers all across the world, bringing about a revolution in the way information is consumed and disseminated.

In a testament to the genre defining initiative of India Today Group, AI Anchor Sana secured the coveted first place in the category of Best Use of AI in Customer-Facing Products for the entry Human Collaborative AI Anchors: AI-Led Newsroom Transformation. This recognition underscores Sana's pivotal role in spearheading a paradigm shift in newsroom dynamics, seamlessly blending human expertise with AI innovation to deliver unparalleled news experiences.

Furthermore, the pioneering initiative was also adjudged Best in South Asia for AI-Led Newsroom Transformation. This accolade not only celebrates the collaborative efforts of Sana and the India Today Group but also recognizes their instrumental role in driving innovation and excellence within the media landscape of the region.

Sana's success at the International News Media Associations 2024 Global Media Awards serves as a testament to the transformative power of AI in shaping the future of journalism, embodying the imminent of news broadcasting. Her ability to engage audiences with accuracy, empathy, and credibility epitomizes the synergy between human ingenuity and technological advancement, heralding a new era of storytelling and information dissemination.

As the India Today Group celebrates Sana's remarkable achievements, it extends gratitude to the INMA World Media Congress for recognizing her outstanding contributions and to the groups dedicated team whose unwavering commitment continues to propel us toward new horizons in media excellence.

The 2024 Global Media Awards saw 771 multi-platform entries from 245 market-leading news media brands in 43 countries, competing in different sections such as innovation and best practices in news brands, optimising the use of media features, subscriptions, product, advertising, and commerce, Artificial Intelligence, and newsroom innovation.
NDTV has unveiled NDTV Marathi, the sixth addition to its news channel lineup, aiming to deliver reliable news and information to the people of Maharashtra. The launch ceremony was graced by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The network, known for its prominent news channels in India, endeavors to empower the 'Marathi manus' and contribute to Maharashtra's ongoing progress. NDTV Marathi pledges to offer high-quality, straightforward journalism, tailored to meet the needs of Maharashtrians.

Sanjay Pugalia, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the NDTV Network, said, "NDTV Marathi, inaugurated on Maharashtra Day, marks our commitment to providing meaningful, accurate, and trustworthy news and analysis to the people of Maharashtra."

"In conjunction with this launch, we are also introducing a distinctive campaign"Let's Start Up in Maharashtra"to foster entrepreneurial spirit among the state's youth," he added.

In the previous fiscal year, NDTV broadened its reach across various consumer segments with the introduction of NDTV MP-CG, NDTV Rajasthan, and NDTV Profit. This strategic expansion, transitioning from a 2-channel setup to a 6-channel setup, involved significant investments in cutting-edge infrastructure. A state-of-the-art broadcast facility in BKC, Mumbai is operational, with another integrated facility set to open in NCR, Delhi in the near future.

NDTV Group witnessed a remarkable 59% revenue growth in Q4, 2023-2024, compared to the corresponding period last year.
Indias biggest Poker platform, PokerBaazi, has launched its new brand campaign, Tu Poker Khelta Hai Kya?", featuring Shahid Kapoor, the company's brand ambassador and Bollywood actor. The campaign intricately sheds a light on how every Indian has ingrained skills in Poker, which constitute a part of their everyday interactions. These skills can be leveraged by them for becoming a Poker player.

Conveying the key message Jo life mein khelta hai wo Poker bhi khel sakta hai, the ads are filmed satirically to capture how the protagonist (Shahid Kapoor) utilises skills that are often used in Poker, such as quick thinking, outsmarting the opponent, reading people, calculating on the go, acting under pressure and calling a bluff, during several real life situations which make people around him believe that he is a Poker player.

Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Navkiran Singh, Founder and CEO of Baazi Games shared, Poker is a mind sport and through our messaging we have been able to establish the fact that like any other sport even Poker requires certain skills. In our latest campaign we are talking about a simple fact that we, as Indians, possess some of these skills which we use in our daily lives. You can use them to play Poker and at the same time playing Poker can make you get better at these life skills.

The campaign has been conceptualized in collaboration with the creative agency Talented. The brand films will be aired during the ongoing Indian Premier League on Jio. The campaign will also feature an exhaustive OOH presence across cities.

PokerBaazi since its inception has been reiterating the precedence of skill and strategy while playing Poker. Recently, the company successfully hosted the 2024 edition of Indias biggest Poker series- National Poker Series India in which people from 23 states won 450 prestigious Poker medals. Recording over 80% Y-o-Y growth in participation with over 2.3 Lac entries, the tournament series is an evidence of the rapid growth of Poker in India. PokerBaazis latest brand campaign is bound to grow the category in India further.
A new era is beginning after around 30 years of Swiss tourism advertising under the "Goldflower" placard. Instead of just a logo, Switzerland is for the first time adopting an all-inclusive tourism brand world with "Switzerland". This was set forth by ST today in Geneva and is now taking the latest image out into the world.

The new, digital and present day brand world represents Switzerland's long-established tourism assurance: nature, hospitality and reliability. In 1995, the revered Swiss Transport Center SVZ became Switzerland Tourism, the national tourism marketing organization of today. Simultaneously, the common image of tourism in Switzerland was created under the aegis of a new logo, the Gold Flower. This gold flower became the renowned and popular symbol for Swiss tourism advertising for a generation. For several years, not only the then new marketing organization ST, but also many industry organizations, service providers, destinations promoted Switzerland's tourism offerings with the same logo. The gold flower has accompanying a whole generation and is now rekated with tourism in Switzerland by the Swiss population and many guests.

Switzerland  a sharpened brand

Today, almost 30 years later, the requirements for a brand are completely different than they were in the 1990s. ST has therefore decided to create a new, unique and recognizable digital Swiss brand worldG. For the first time in the history of Swiss tourism advertising, a pure logo is now becoming a complete brand world. In the future, Swiss tourism promotion will not only promote the destination, but will also accompany tourists on their entire journey, from inspiration to travel planning. Switzerland  exclusively in English  is the logical basis for the brand of Switzerland as a holiday and travel destination, and stands for the global tourism promise to all guests of Switzerland about nature, our hospitality and the reliability of Switzerland as a travel destination.

Instead of the letter T, a Swiss cross in the Switzerland brand symbolizes the trustworthy origins and radiates the optimism of the Swiss destination. But the symbolic cross goes far beyond just a national flag: it was expanded and given a so-called color tone of five different shades of red, a symbol of modernity, diversity and independence.

Brand for the entire tourism sector in Switzerland - for a new generation

The idea from the founding days of the Goldflower is proudly carried forward and perfected. Switzerland stands for all hosts in Switzerland. In this sense, ST enables its members and partners to provide orientation and create trust. The new, comprehensive brand world offers countless possibilities on all channels, now and in the future. The new brand will be designed and implemented gradually worldwide with immediate effect - both in all ST markets and across the entire tourism industry. The complete transition to the new brand world is likely to take a few months. Martin Nydegger, Director ST, is pleased: The Gold Flower defined an era for a generation of tourism professionals. The Switzerland brand conveys trust, has a modern design and is forward-looking for another generation.

The new tourism brand is being closely watched throughout Switzerland and will represent Switzerland far beyond tourism, including internationally.

The new brand identity was developed together with the Zurich branding agency MADE Identity. When developing Switzerland, MADE focuses on three main areas. On the one hand, the brand should become more visible and noticeable internationally through a consistent one-brand strategy. In addition, the brand should have maximum impact digitally, tactilely and spatially. And finally, Switzerland as a brand should be able to accompany guests through the travel experience: from advertising, to the experience, to the souvenir.
Authored by Chaitali Roy, Co- Founder and COO, EzeRx

For decades, societal norms and gender-based obstacles have impeded women's progress in India. However, a transformative wave is sweeping across the nation's entrepreneurial realm, ushering in a new era of empowerment and inclusivity. Women-owned ventures are shattering glass ceilings and redefining the way we approach and address women's well-being, from healthcare to education and beyond. Here is an analysis of the factors that have led to this development and the impact of this change.

Education

Access to quality education, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields, has emerged as a potent catalyst for unleashing women's entrepreneurial ambitions. Government initiatives like Vigyan Jyoti and Pragati have facilitated skill development, equipping women with the tools to transform their innovative ideas into thriving businesses. As more women embrace STEM disciplines, their entrepreneurial potential soars, paving the way for a diverse entrepreneurial landscape.

Financial Support

Securing funding has historically been a formidable hurdle for aspiring female entrepreneurs. However, government schemes like Mudra, Dena Shakti, and HerStart have bridged this gap, providing vital financial assistance and enabling women to turn their visions into reality. Moreover, an increasing inflow of investment in women-led startups signifies a growing recognition of their immense potential, fostering an environment conducive to growth and innovation.

Community and Mentorship

The entrepreneurial journey is often fraught with challenges, but women-owned startups are finding strength in community and mentorship. Pioneers like Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the trailblazing biotech entrepreneur, serve as inspirational role models, offering invaluable guidance and wisdom to aspiring entrepreneurs. Mentorship programmes like MentHERship provide vital support networks, ensuring that women entrepreneurs have access to the resources and guidance necessary to thrive.

Resilience and adaptability

A hallmark of successful female entrepreneurs is their resilience and adaptability. Amidst ever-evolving market dynamics, they have displayed an unwavering ability to pivot strategies and navigate challenges with fortitude. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a testament to their agility, as numerous women-owned startups swiftly adapted their business models to ensure sustainability, demonstrating the tenacity that underpins their success.

Addressing women's well-being

At the core of this entrepreneurial revolution lies a deep commitment to enhancing women's overall well-being. Women-owned startups are tackling critical issues that have long been overlooked, such as healthcare, education, and personal safety. By developing innovative solutions tailored to women's specific needs, these entrepreneurs are providing the impetus for societal change and collective progress.

Economic Empowerment

Entrepreneurship has emerged as a potent force for economic empowerment, and women-owned startups are leading this much-anticipated journey. As women gain financial independence and control over their economic destinies, they experience a significant ripple effect on their overall well-being. This newfound freedom goes beyond monetary gains, instilling in women a sense of confidence, self-worth, and the ability to shape their own futures.

The Path Forward: Inclusive Growth and Societal Progress

With millions of women-owned startups already making their mark across India, the prospects for inclusive growth and societal progress are promising. By embracing diversity and actively supporting women entrepreneurs, we unlock a wellspring of innovation and creativity, propelling our nation towards a more equitable and prosperous future. These pioneers serve as role models, inspiring generations of women to fearlessly pursue their dreams and reshape the world around them.

As we bear witness to the remarkable success of women-owned startups, we are reminded that fostering change is not merely a noble aspiration but a requirement for a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow. These entrepreneurial pioneers embody the indomitable spirit of women, revamping the way we perceive and address women's well-being, one groundbreaking idea at a time.
Two controversial bills that would limit LGBTQ topics and sex education in Alabama classrooms are advancing for a final vote in the state legislature.

After last-minute public hearings, a Senate committee voted along party lines to approve House Bill 195, which would update the states sex education curriculum, and House Bill 130, an expanded Dont Say Gay bill that would prevent K-8th grade teachers from discussing LGBTQ topics in the classroom.

The bills follow a wave of conservative legislation across the nation that seeks to restrict sex education and classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity. Since 2021, at least 22 states have considered legislation limiting in-school discussion about the topics, according to Education Week.

In committee Wednesday, a Republican majority voted to move the bills forward, despite pushback from Democrats and members of the public. If approved by the full Senate without amendments, they go to Gov. Kay Ivey for signature.

I really am tired of us trying to legislate fears and dislikes and even getting to the point of trying to legislate morality, Sen. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, told the committee.

The sex education bill

Alabamas current sex ed standards emphasize abstinence, but require that discussions must be medically accurate.

Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, said she wrote HB195 to keep certain groups from teaching information that is not approved, and to ensure that the lessons remain optional.

The bill allows discussion of contraception, but further defines what sexual education content is age appropriate and medically accurate. It outlaws any discussion of how to obtain abortion services and prevents providers that are not aligned with the exclusive message of sexual risk avoidance, from teaching the topic in public schools.

The bill also makes it easier for parents to review sex ed materials or opt their child out of lessons.

In a public hearing Wednesday, advocates said the bill would undo earlier efforts to strengthen Alabamas sex ed standards.

One parent, Courtney McKenny, who is also a staffer at a Unitarian church in Birmingham, said her three teenagers would have benefited from comprehensive sex education. She said her oldest daughter, who is now a nursing student, struggled through an anatomy class because teachers shied away from discussing the reproductive system.

A 2020 report from Human Rights Watch found that Alabama schools were failing to educate young people about their sexual and reproductive health, citing standards that werent inclusive of LGBTQ youth and focus on abstinence  a practice that experts say is ineffective, stigmatizing and can lead to higher rates of unsafe sex.

The bill could also make the state ineligible for millions of dollars of federal funding, said Vanessa Tate Finney, the director of policy and advocacy at AIDS Alabama. Her organization is one of several groups working with the state public health department to provide sexual risk avoidance and state mandated HIV prevention education to Alabama youth.

Its a solution in search of a problem that doesnt, hasnt, and wont ever exist in Alabama, she said.

Lawmakers voted 7-2 to give the bill a favorable report. It will go to the full chamber.

The Dont Say Gay bill

HB130, sponsored by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, expands on legislation Alabama passed in 2022 and similar to Florida legislation nicknamed Dont Say Gay.

The current law prohibits discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in K-5 classrooms. This years bill originally sought to expand the ban to include all of K-12, but was cut down in the House to only extend through eighth grade. The new bill also would ban teachers from displaying LGBTQ+ pride flags on public school property.

In an earlier committee, Butler said the bill was intended to prevent the indoctrination of Alabama youth with information about LGBTQ people, and called the legislation an effort to purify the schools.

When previously asked by AL.com for examples, Butler pointed to a 2019 reading assignment that explored a story about a boy who liked playing with dolls and asked students about how they felt about their identity. Butler said the assignment was not given again.

Wednesdays hearings were limited to three speakers. An Iraq veteran, Travis Jackson, compared the bill to a civilian version of Dont Ask Dont Tell. Susan Stewart, of Huntsville, said the bill would only worsen bullying problems in schools.

LGBTQ students and families cannot be legislated out of existence, she said.

The committees two Democrats called the bill unconstitutional and claimed that, like others across the country, it would not hold up in court.

Butler, in response, likened the bill to current laws that prevent political speech in classrooms. He noted that teachers cant place Trump stickers or religious signage in their classrooms.

This is not something new, he said. There is a move across this nation to sexualize our children. We just simply want to let the children be children.

This aint no political sticker, Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, said to Butler. Were talking about people and their lives and them going to school and their families and their relationships. You cant legislate that.

The committee voted 5-2, with another two lawmakers abstaining, to move the bill forward.

Lawmakers said Wednesday to expect some amendments on the bill when it hits the Senate floor. Any revisions would have to also get approval from the House.
(Photo : Unsplash/Dori Drabek )

Labor Day offers one last chance to enjoy pool parties and grilled foods and share summer memories as summer ends. Amidst the festivities, it is crucial to remember the more profound significance of what this day means.

America's Labor Day

Labor Day commemorates the dedication of women and men who tirelessly advocated for workers' rights, such as a 40-hour workweek, safe working conditions, paid time off, and sick leave during the late 19th-century labor movement, whose perseverance resulted in significant victories that shape our lives today. These workers recognized that economic freedom for the working class is essential for overall liberty and freedom in the country. As we celebrate Labor Day in 2024, take a moment to honor the contributions of all the past and present laborers who have played a role in building and shaping America.

READ ALSO: United Steelworkers' Pro-Worker Stance: Pledges "Labor Support" in Biden's Presidential Candidacy

10 Facts About Labor Day

The Labor Day holiday emerged from the late 19th-century organized labor movement, gaining national recognition as the movement became increasingly influential in American society. Here are ten facts about Labor Day traced through factual accounts provided by the Labor Department, the Library of Congress, and various other credible sources.

1. Labor Day's Concept. Labor Day was initially introduced to the public in September 1882, when the unions in New York City organized a parade with approximately 20,000 participants to commemorate their members' union affiliation and express solidarity with all unions.

2. NYC Parade Inspiration. The parade in New York City inspired other unions across different regions, with the states of Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Colorado officially recognizing Labor Day as a state holiday by 1887.

3. The Haymarket Affair had a significant influence on the establishment of Labor Day when a bomb exploded during a union rally in Chicago's Haymarket Square, resulting in violence that claimed the lives of seven police officers and four others on May 4, 1886.

4. Historical Similar-Sounding Names. The inaugural Labor Day parade in New York City in 1882 is credited to two individuals with similar names: Matthew Maguire, a machinist, and Peter McGuire, a carpenter, who belonged to rival unions. Linda Stinson, a former historian with the U.S. Department of Labor, noted in 2011 that it was challenging to ascertain which man should be credited, partly due to confusion caused by their similar-sounding names.

5. President Cleveland Legacy. President Grover Cleveland played a key role in establishing Labor Day as a national holiday. Following violence associated with the Pullman railroad strike, President Cleveland and lawmakers in Washington sought to create a federal holiday dedicated to celebrating labor and opted for a holiday separate from the International Workers' Day observed on May 1. In 1894, President Cleveland signed an act into law, officially establishing Labor Day as a federal holiday. By then, most states had already enacted laws recognizing Labor Day as a holiday. Senator James Henderson Kyle of South Dakota introduced S. 730 to formalize it as a federal legal holiday on the first Monday of September, which was approved on June 28, 1894.

6. Labor Day's Evolution. Labor Day has undergone significant evolution over the years. In the late 19th century, celebrations primarily centered around parades in urban areas but have now transformed into a celebration that pays tribute to organized labor through various activities and is often viewed as the unofficial end of the summer season.

7. White-Shirt Tradition. The tradition of not wearing white after Labor Day dates back to the late Victorian era when it was considered a fashion faux pas to wear white clothing after the summer season officially ended on Labor Day.

8. Conclusion of Hot Dog Season. Labor Day serves as the unofficial conclusion to Hot Dog season, where Americans consume a staggering 7 billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

9. Union Members Statistics. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 14.8 million union members in the workforce in 2017, contrasting with 17.7 million union members recorded in 1983.

10. The Largest Union. The largest union today is the National Education Association, which boasts approximately 3 million members, including both active and inactive members, as well as lifetime members.

RELATED ARTICLE: Labor Rights Experts Call for Enhanced Protection in The Fishing Industry Amid Ongoing US-Taiwan Talks

 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
As graduation approaches, fewer than a third of Alabama high school seniors have successfully completed federal financial aid forms.

Thats a significant dip from completion rates last year, and could spell trouble for both students, who need to fill out the FAFSA to get college aid money, and colleges, who are scrambling to determine how much aid to budget for future students. With decision day just around the corner, students and families are running out of time to get help from school counselors.

Every month has been something different  a different delay, a different issue, a different problem, said Courtney Sankey at Birmingham Promise, a group that helps local students pay for college. So its been tough.

Traditionally, the FAFSA comes out in October. But this years updated form has been plagued by delays and errors.

Alabama requires high school students to fill out the FAFSA in order to graduate  an effort that, in recent years, has landed the state at the top of national rankings, and is intended to help boost the number of students who go to college.

State officials are still encouraging students to fill out the form, but told AL.com they expect to waive the requirement for more families than usual this spring.

As of this week, more than half of Alabama high school seniors  53%  had not completed the form or had requested a waiver, according to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.

The US Department of Educations delay in rolling out the new FAFSA and then their technical delays because of software problems has made this year very problematic for students and institutions, ACHE president Jim Purcell told AL.com in mid-April, calling the numbers disheartening.

I do anticipate that less high school seniors will complete the FAFSA than last year and the decline could be dramatic, he added.

According to a recent ACHE analysis, Alabama students who didnt fill out the FAFSA left an estimated $66.7 million in unclaimed Pell grants on the table in 2021. That number could be even higher this year if current rates dont improve.

Preliminary numbers show that several states are seeing significantly lower completion rates this year. In Alabama, the drop was dramatic: Just over 15,000, or 31%, of the states 49,000 eligible seniors have completed the form so far, state data shows. Another 7,000 have asked for waivers from the state.

Among the thousands of students who have started the application but havent finished it, problems abound, according to the education department: Applications have errors. Parents or spouses havent completed information. Immigrant parents without Social Security numbers keep getting error messages.

More engagement and more solutions are needed, and they cannot be placed simply at the feet of state agencies or institutions, Stephen Pruitt, president of the Southern Regional Education Board, wrote to the department on April 18. This will take a collective effort and we need USED to lead rather than push the issues to local levels.

State advocacy organizations, such as Alabama Possible, and presidents of local colleges have been among dozens of groups nationwide that have been pushing Congress to act.

Its been a disaster by the Department of Education federally, despite everybodys pleas from both the public and private sector to mitigate it, Gen. Paul Hankins, of the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, told AL.com recently.

This week, the federal department announced new fixes, including a more streamlined process for applicants who do not have social security numbers. Officials also will be working with states with some of the biggest gaps to help get completion rates up.

And applicants can now go back and fix any mistakes theyve made on the form. The department has processed nearly 1 million corrections so far, officials said.

Any students who have been waiting to fill out a FAFSA need to know that now is the time to fill it out, U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvall said in a Tuesday news conference.

But in Alabama, the delayed rollout already has left an impact on some colleges, which, officials said, are seeing fewer enrollment applications as high school seniors question post-grad plans.

About half of the students who attend four-year private colleges in Alabama use Pell grants, federal aid distributed to low-income families. Several of the states private institutions, including several HBCUs, Hankins said, are reporting much lower admissions than usual. Or, Hankins said, they may be waiting to make offers to students until they can finalize a scholarship package.

All the way around, its a problem for both the students and the universities, Hankins said. And with enrollments already declining across the nation, the ability to get these students committed and on their way puts our schools in a great deal of difficulty.

April is already a busy month for high schools, but the delays could add even more to counselors workloads, said Amy Smith, a college and career counselor based in Anniston.

When it opened in October, we had more time to help them  it was like a process, she said. And now its reversed that order.

A lot of students, thats their way out, she said, of a college degree made possible through financial aid. Their only way out is education and getting their Pell grants that theyre not going to have to pay back.

Groups like Birmingham Promise are feeling pressure, too. The organization requires students to complete the FAFSA before determining how much they will have to pay out to colleges  a process that typically starts in June.

Sankey and her Birmingham Promise team spent a lot of time navigating calls from confused parents this year, she said. The program itself had to adjust parts of its application because of FAFSA delays and changes.

And even with pledged financial support, several students are reluctant to make commitments without knowing how much aid theyll get, Sankey said. Her team is encouraging students to try out a community college  which are typically free with Pell grants  if theyre undecided on where to go.

A lot of students are making blind decisions, she said.

There are a few things students can do while awaiting their financial aid packages, Smith said. If a student qualifies for free and reduced-price meals, thats already a pretty strong predictor of whether theyll get a Pell award, she said. Several schools also have their own aid calculators, which can give an idea of how much the total cost will be.

Those numbers are kind of scary right now, Smith said. But I believe that people will do it.
A 3-year-old boy is among four people wounded in two linked shootings in Anniston over the past couple of days.

The first shooting happened at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the 3300 block of Eulaton Road.

Sgt. Jason Hawkins said police were dispatched to the scene on a report of multiple people shot. They arrived to find the child, as well as two adults  a 28-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man  injured.

The man was shot in the foot and treated at Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center.

The woman was shot in the inner thigh. She was airlifted to UAB Hospital in Birmingham.

The child sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh, and two bullet graze wounds to the abdomen. He also was flown to Birmingham - Childrens of Alabama - for treatment.

All three are in stable condition, Hawkins said.

Then, about 12:20 a.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a report of gunshot victim at the intersection of Brown Avenue and West 15th Street.

A 20-year-old man was found with wounds to the shoulder and chest.

He was taken to Grady Hospital in Atlanta. Hawkins said he is expected to recover.

Investigators processed both scenes and canvassed the areas for witnesses and video.

We have received very little cooperation from the victims, Hawkins said.

He said the two shootings are believed to be connected to each other and were not random. He did not elaborate.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information is asked to call Anniston detectives at 256-240-4000.
The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ban devices that turn semi-automatic handguns into automatic weapons, or machine guns.

HB36 by Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, passed by a vote of 60-38, with the no votes coming from Republicans. The bill would outlaw the devices that are sometimes called Glock switches and are illegal under federal law. The bill moves to the Senate.

Sheriffs, state troopers, and prosecutors attended a news conference with Ensler last week to urge passage of the bill. They said Glock switches pose a growing menace. They said there are limits on how many cases federal authorities can prosecute and that having a state law would help remove the devices from streets.

Several Republican lawmakers came to the mic Tuesday to say they opposed Enslers bill because they said it was an infringement on the 2nd Amendment. Rep. Shane Stringer, R-Mobile, who spent a career in law enforcement, said he was concerned it would start a trend that would lead to bans on, for example, magazines containing a certain number of rounds.

Rep. Russell Bedsole, a Republican who works for the Shelby County sheriffs department, said he supported Enslers bill. Bedsole said he considered it a public safety issue, rather than a 2nd Amendment issue, because the devices turn handguns into something they were not designed to be, weapons that cannot be fired accurately.

At a press conference in December on the rising threat of converted machine guns, Ashley Lightner of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said Glock switches allow a semiautomatic handgun to fire 20 rounds in one second.
A bill to address some gaps and bring more funding to the states mental health system is headed to Governor Kay Iveys desk after passing in the state legislature last week.

The legislation allows counties to access some opioid settlement funds for mental health treatment by creating a co-occurring diagnosis of substance abuse and mental health problems, said sponsor Rep. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster.

A lot of people who are suffering from some sort of mental health diagnosis tend to self-medicate in an attempt to cope, he said.

The legislation also improves the states commitment process by increasing probate judges flexibility and reach in helping people with mental health problems navigate the criminal justice system.

Probate judges would make joint decisions with judges overseeing defendants criminal cases under the bill. This way, judges have the flexibility to pause criminal proceedings to allow defendants to get mental health treatment.

Sonny Brasfield, executive director of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, said his organization helped steer the legislation.

In most communities, you have a commitment hearing and the familys crying out for help for one of their family members, he said.

I think that what were trying to do is give probate judges some additional tools to try to help those who are in mental health crisis.

A survey of all 67 probate judges in Alabama revealed that all but two or three said their greatest challenge was interacting with the mentally ill during the commitment process, according to Brasfield.

Under the bill, probate judges would have jurisdiction over the cases of mentally ill people even if they subsequently leave the county, and it permits hearings to occur without a mentally ill person present if that person is not able to attend, due to hospitalization or another reason.

Holly McCorkle, Executive Director of the Alabama Council for Behavioral Healthcare, said the legislation is a step in the right direction. Yet she noted that while the state has created six new mental health crisis centers in recent years, a significant need remains for funding for more institutional beds for the mentally ill.

I believe the conversation has started this year, she said, adding that the question of funding more beds came up, I hope that maybe that would be something they would look to in future years.
The City of Birmingham has announced a one-year pilot program to assist ex-offenders when they are released from prison.

Birmingham partnered with organizations to form The Birmingham Re-entry Alliance to serve those released from state prisons.

We believe that those who have paid their debt to society deserve the same basic living essentials of housing and gainful employment as any of us, said Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin.

Together, with our partners, we plan to support them in returning into a welcoming community. We are committed to decreasing their recidivism and increasing their restoration.

Each year, hundreds of men and women are released from Alabama state prisons and return home to Birmingham. Many of them end up living on the streets or in dangerous situations. The pilot program will provide housing, case management, and other services for 30 to 50 ex-inmates in the first year.

Its wishful thinking to expect people leaving prison with no resources, and no safe place to sleep or shower to safely find their way to a good job and affordable housing, said Carla Crowder, executive director of Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, a legal non-profit that assisted in the creation of the Alliance.

Thankfully, the City of Birmingham and this committed group of partners understand that wishful thinking is not creating public safety and stability for our community. But the services and case management envisioned by this Alliance will.

Participants will enroll as soon as they leave state prison, either through parole, mandatory early release, or at the end of their sentence. A case manager will guide them through the available services to meet their needs for up to one year.

Having a strong, healthy supportive structure in place, and resources readily available is a vital component for a successful transition from incarceration, says Dena Dickerson, Chief Operating Officer at the Offender Alumni Association, a justice-impacted, peer-led non-profit that does intense peer navigation and support work.

Re-entry looks different for everyone. We look at the whole person while working with individuals from a person-centered place and wrapping services around them, in real-time has been our re-entry navigation model. We are grateful that the City of Birmingham and the partners here believe in investing in people.

This pilot is being funded with $50,000 from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and $100,000 from the Regions Foundation. The Alliance Partners include:

 Offender Alumni Association, providing peer support

 Salvation Army, offering job training and workforce development

 Community on the Rise, assisting with identification and government documents

 Hope Inspired Ministries, providing life skills training and job placement

 Jimmie Hale Mission, offering its Reclaiming Hope Program

 Aletheia House, providing substance use treatment services

 Alabama Regional Medical Services, offering healthcare

 Canterbury United Methodist Church, developing welcome home starter kits

 Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD), providing housing vouchers

For more information, go to https://www.bhmreentry.org/.
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Gambling update

The Alabama Senate failed to pass a lottery/casinos bill Tuesday night, but theres indication it might not be fully dead, reports AL.coms Mike Cason.

We all know to never bet on gambling laws in the Alabama Legislature. But earlier this legislative session the House and Senate passed two different legislative packages. On Tuesday, a conference committee with members of both bodies approved a compromise package, and the House of Representatives passed it.

From there it went to the Senate, which voted one on of the two bills in the package but came up one short of the three-fifths required on a constitutional amendment.

Then, some confusion.

Senate Secretary Pat Harris said the vote, which was 20-15, needed only to be a majority, not three-fifths, because that vote was to adopt the conference committees report on the bill. But the Senate will need to re-vote on it as a constitutional amendment, and thatll require three-fifths.

The Senate moved to carry over the bill, so if Harriss explanation holds, that bill and the other bill in the package might still get their shot during this session.

The bills propose a state lottery and 10 casinos. If they both pass -- and Im not suggesting you bet your Chevy that they will -- the proposed amendment would go on a ballot to be approved or rejected by the states voters.

Glock switches

The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban so-called Glock switches, reports AL.coms Mike Cason.

The bill was from Rep. Phillip Ensler, a Montgomery Democrat, and it passed 60-38 with support being voiced by sheriffs, state troopers and prosecutors. Some Republicans opposed the bill over Second Amendment concerns.

Glock switches are devices that convert handguns from semi-automatic to fully automatic. Remember, a semi-automatic firearm requires a trigger pull for each round to be fired. A fully automatic weapon is whats commonly called a machine gun and can shoot a spray of rounds.

Glock switches are illegal on the federal level. The bill that would do the same on the state level is now headed to the Alabama Senate.

Deepfakes and child porn

For the kids out there, as well as some adults, let me share a personal Internet rule: Dont do anything on the Web you wouldnt do on the 50-yard line of Bryant-Denny Stadium with the sheriff, your parents, God, your future spouse and your boss watching.

Take that or leave it.

But the Internet may have just gotten riskier for bad behavior.

AL.coms Howard Koplowitz reports that Gov. Kay Ivey has signed the bill than bans deepfake artificial-intelligence images under Alabamas child-pornography law.

If you dont know what that means, heres the alleged incident that inspired this law: Two middle school boys were accused of creating images by photoshopping the faces of real girls -- their classmates -- onto pornographic images. That was reported by the Demopolis Times.

The Alabama Child Protection Act of 2024 was authored by April Weaver, a Brierfield Republican, and Matt Woods, a Jasper Republican.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall: Now the real work begins. My Office stands ready to help law enforcement and prosecutors around our state prepare to utilize this important new weapon in the fight against child exploitation.

Resignations, firings and suspensions

Police chief drama continues across Alabama.

Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert resigned a couple weeks ago after being placed on leave. No reason was released at the time.

Then on Tuesday, AL.coms John Sharp reported that the Mobile City Council unanimously voted to fire Police Chief Paul Prine. He has been on paid administrative leave since April 9, and Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said Prine has lashed out at the administration and tarnished the reputation of several career employees who have done nothing wrong. There is speculation Prine may run for mayor.

And in Selma, Mayor James Perkins Jr. has put Police Chief Kenta Fulford on administrative leave for the second time since January 2023, reports AL.coms Carol Robinson. A reason wasnt given for this suspension, but the earlier one reportedly was for being out of town during tornado recovery.

Quoting

You need to fix this.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, according to Alabama Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair, to the states automakers regarding the issues that are contributing to union activity in the states auto plants.

More Alabama News

Born on This Date

In 1928, The Southern Gentleman Sonny James of Hackleburg. His big hit was 1957s Young Love.

The Podcast
NEW YORK (AP)  The pro-Palestinian demonstration that paralyzed Columbia University ended in dramatic fashion late Tuesday, with police carrying riot shields swarming the Ivy League campus, bursting into an administration building protesters took over the previous night and making dozens of arrests.

A statement released by a Columbia spokesperson said New York City officers entered the campus after the university requested help. A tent encampment on the schools grounds to protest the Israel-Hamas war was cleared, along with Hamilton Hall where a stream of officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window. Protesters seized the hall about 20 hours earlier.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, the school said. The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.

NYPD spokesman Carlos Nieves said he had no immediate reports of any injuries. The arrests occurred after protesters had shrugged off an earlier ultimatum to abandon the encampment Monday or be suspended and unfolded as other universities stepped up efforts to end demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war that were inspired by Columbia.

Just blocks away at The City College of New York, demonstrators were in a standoff with police outside the public colleges main gate. Video posted on social media by news reporters on the scene late Tuesday showed officers putting some people to the ground and shoving others as they cleared people from the street and sidewalks. Many detained protesters were driven away on city buses.

An encampment at the college, part of the City University of New York system, has been up since Thursday. After police arrived on campus Tuesday, NYPD officers lowered a Palestinian flag atop the City College flagpole, balled it up and tossed it to the ground before raising an American flag.

Police have swept through other campuses across the U.S. over the last two weeks, leading to confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.

Brown University, another member of the Ivy League, reached an agreement Tuesday with protesters on its Rhode Island campus. Demonstrators said they would close their encampment in exchange for administrators taking a vote to consider divestment in October. The compromise appeared to mark the first time a U.S. college has agreed to vote on divestment in the wake of the protests.

Columbias police action happened on the 56th anniversary of a similar move to quash an occupation of Hamilton Hall by students protesting racism and the Vietnam War.

The police department earlier Tuesday said officers wouldnt enter the grounds without the college administrations request or an imminent emergency. Now, law enforcement will be there through May 17, the end of the universitys commencement events.

Fabien Lugo, a first-year accounting student who said he was not involved in the protests, said he opposed the universitys decision to call in police.

This is too intense, he said. It feels like more of an escalation than a de-escalation.

In a letter to senior NYPD officials, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the administration was making the request that police remove protesters from the occupied building and a nearby tent encampment with the utmost regret.

Shafik also leaned into the idea, first put forward by New York City Mayor Eric Adams earlier in the day, that the group that occupied Hamilton was led by individuals who are not affiliated with the university.

Neither provided specific evidence to back up that contention, which was disputed by protest organizers and participants.

NYPD officials made similar claims about outside agitators during the huge, grassroots demonstrations against racial injustice that erupted across the city after the death of George Floyd in 2020. In some instances, top police officials falsely labeled peaceful marches organized by well-known neighborhood activists as the work of violent extremists.

Before officers arrived at Columbia, the White House condemned the standoffs there and at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, where protesters had occupied two buildings for more than a week until officers with batons intervened early Tuesday and arrested 25 people.

President Joe Biden believes students occupying an academic building is absolutely the wrong approach, and not an example of peaceful protest, said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.

Later, former President Donald Trump called into Sean Hannitys show on Fox News Channel to comment on Columbias turmoil as live footage of police clearing Hamilton Hall aired. Trump praised the officers.

But it should never have gotten to this, he told Hannity. And they should have done it a lot sooner than before they took over the building because it would have been a lot easier if they were in tents rather than a building. And tremendous damage done, too.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.

As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasnt clear whether those talks would inspire an easing of protests.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israels critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.

On Columbias campus, protesters first set up a tent encampment almost two weeks ago. The school sent in police to clear the tents the following day, arresting more than 100 people, only for the students to return  and inspire a wave of similar encampments at campuses across the country.

Negotiations between the protesters and the college came to a standstill in recent days, and the school set a deadline for the activists to abandon the tent encampment Monday afternoon or be suspended.

Instead, protesters defied the ultimatum and took over Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, carrying in furniture and metal barricades. The demonstrators dubbed the building Hinds Hall, honoring a young girl who was killed in Gaza under Israeli fire, and issued demands for divestment, financial transparency and amnesty.

Columbias chapter of the American Association of University Professors said facultys efforts to help defuse the situation have been repeatedly ignored by the universitys administration despite school statutes that require consultation.

Ilana Lewkovitch, a self-described leftist Zionist student at Columbia, said its been hard to concentrate on school for weeks. Her exams have been disrupted with chants of say it loud, say it clear, we want Zionists out of here.

Lewkovitch, who identifies as Jewish, said she wished the current pro-Palestinian protests were more open to people like her who criticize Israels war policies but believe there should be an Israeli state.

___

By Jake Offenhartz, Joseph B. Frederick and Stefanie Dazio Associated Press

Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Cedar Attanasio, Jonathan Mattise, Colleen Long, Karen Matthews, Jim Vertuno, Hannah Schoenbaum, Sarah Brumfield, Christopher Weber, Carolyn Thompson, Dave Collins, Makiya Seminera, Philip Marcelo and Corey Williams.
Gov. Kay Ivey has signed HB89, which places the North Shelby Librarys board appointments under the control of five Republican legislators.

Current board members, even those with open terms, will be removed. HB89 co-sponsor Rep. Susan DuBose said an application process for five new board members will be available, and anybody that would like can apply, including current board members.

We think that were going to be able to put together a very professional board. People that have a variety of experience, DuBose said. Thats part of the advantage, when you appoint a board, you can make sure that the board is just really representative of the whole district.

Most local libraries have boards appointed by local governments; North Shelbys system, which allowed candidates to run for office, stood out.

The legislation is the first 2024 bill to pass pertaining to libraries. Two bills criminalizing librarians for providing supposed obscene content to children still are being considered.

Reps. DuBose, Jim Carns, Arnold Mooney and Sens. J.T. Waggoner and Dan Roberts, who represent voters within the library district, will select new members. Under the new legislation, at least one board member must be a business owner.

That was one of the problems we had before, DuBose said. The businesses felt underrepresented.

Residents in unincorporated parts of Shelby County voted to create North Shelby under a 1988 legislative act. With the areas rapid growth, an affiliated library in Mt. Laurel was built. Other libraries in the county operate under the jurisdiction of a city or county government.

Residents pay $15 annually, and business owners pay $34 annually to fund the library fully. The board of trustees, along with the library director and business manager, handle business and financial matters.

Not many people applied to be part of the board, according to library director Kate Etheredge. Board members ran unopposed for years.

Board treasurer Kay Kelley, a board member for more than 20 years, said perhaps the lack of board challenges was because patrons were satisfied with my performance as a trustee and did not feel it necessary to oppose me.

Last year, libraries statewide, including North Shelby, were scrutinized for potentially inappropriate content for children. Several residents complained in June about an LGBTQ Pride book display, which drew the attention of legislators like DuBose.

Resident and retired pediatrician Marsha Sturdevant attended meetings where people made complaints. She said legislation is based on peoples fear of what they dont understand.

Im not sure that legislating from the perspective of fear is a great way to legislate, Sturdevant said.

DuBose said the bill has nothing to do with the selection of the books.

I think it got everyone paying attention to the library and the library board, DuBose said. How is it selected? What are the guidelines that our library board has enforced or has selected to follow?

DuBose also cited the high costs to the library of holding and running an election and the costs to candidates as reasons for this legislative change.

Kelley and Etheredge said no one from the delegation contacted them to give them more details. Kelley said no one notified her she is no longer on the board.

According to Kelley, the librarys bank loan officer informed her that if the organizational structure, legislation, or funding sources change for the library, we will have to get an attorney to review changes.

The librarys $1.8 million loan rate is guaranteed at 3.5% but may need to be refinanced to a higher rate.

I would really like to hear more from everyone involved with our library about how we can keep supporting the library and all of the people who use it, Sturdevant said. I hope many of the librarys friends will be submitting applications to become board members.
A gun-toting suspect who was shot dead by law enforcement officers last week after a vehicle pursuit spanning two Alabama counties was a Tennessee teenager wanted there on multiple warrants, authorities said Wednesday.

The victim in the deadly shooting was 19-year-old Gilmar Tista-Morente of Nashville, Tenn., said Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Cpl. Reginal King.

State troopers from ALEAs Highway Patrol Division, Eutaw police officers, Tuscaloosa County sheriffs deputies and Northport police officers were involved in the April 25 chase that began in Tuscaloosa County before crossing into Greene County.

The pursuit ended when Tista-Morente hit another vehicle near Highway 11 near the 56-mile marker at exit 52 in Greene County, said King.

After the wreck, Tista-Morente exited his vehicle and brandished a gun at the officers, who then fired on the teenager.

Tista-Morente was taken to a local hospital, where he later died of his injuries.

No officers were injured in the incident.

The teen was wanted by Nashville police on warrants for attempted criminal homicide and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, King said.

Further information was unavailable; the investigation was ongoing as of late Wednesday afternoon.

The Greene County District Attorneys Office will be sent the investigations findings once the probe is complete.
The president of the United Auto Workers, on the cusp of a vote to unionize an Alabama auto plant, is calling on all labor unions to structure contracts toward a general strike in four years.

We are fully preparing to strike on May Day 2028, Shawn Fain wrote in a proposal on May Day, or International Workers Day.

Fain said it is the only way workers can win universal healthcare and the right to retire with dignity.

In an op-ed for progressive publication In These Times, Fain said the unions recent auto contracts were all aligned to expire on April 30, 2028. He called on other unions to do the same as way to mass power to reshape the economy into one that works for the benefit of everyone.

They want us to believe that corporate bosses gave workers decent wages, benefits and safer working conditions out of the goodness of their hearts. That justice and equality for people of color, for immigrants, for women and for queer communities were gifts benevolently handed down from above, Fain wrote.

But we know the truth. Every law passed, every union formed and contract wonevery improvement made at the workplacehas been won through the tireless sacrifice of the working class.

Fain went on to talk about how workers in Michigan are pitted against workers in Alabama, workers in the United States are pitted against workers in Mexico, workers in North America are pitted against workers in South America, as companies threaten to shift production to places were labor and production costs are cheaper.

Voting will take place May 13 and 17 on whether workers at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International in Tuscaloosa County will join the UAW. Vote totals are expected May 17.

The election is the capper to a whirlwind six months where the union was able to gather a supermajority of the workforce to sign union cards and petition for an election. The union drive is also facing opposition from some workers at the Vance plant.
Overseas businessmen show confidence in Hong Kong's business environment

Xinhua) 14:12, May 01, 2024

HONG KONG, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A number of trade exhibitions were held in Hong Kong in April, attracting visitors worldwide who expressed their confidence in the business environment of Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong is a very nice place. We are always happy to come," Belgian businesswoman Isolde Hanson said, adding that this was her first visit to Hong Kong after the pandemic. She had been to Hong Kong more than ten times before.

Hanson, who runs a company that sells metal products such as brooches and cufflinks, said the Hong Kong Gifts &Premium Fair was a good platform to help her and her colleagues find the right suppliers. Hong Kong's stable and secure environment makes them feel safe to do business here.

From April 20 to April 30, a number of lifestyle products and creative trade events were held in the city by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, including the Hong Kong Gifts &Premium Fair, the Hong Kong International Printing &Packaging Fair, Home InStyle, Hong Kong International Licensing Show and the Asian Licensing Conference.

At these trade events, product suppliers and buyers worldwide regarded Hong Kong as an ideal exhibition platform.

A French company that sells kitchenware and home accessories is a regular visitor to Hong Kong. For more than a decade, they have visited trade shows in Hong Kong as a buyer every year, except during the pandemic.

"People here are friendly and helpful," Amandine, a member of the French company, said, adding that she finds it convenient to do business in Hong Kong.

Since 2016, Filipino buyer Benedict has visited Hong Kong almost every year in search of business opportunities. He and his business friends in the Philippines are optimistic about Hong Kong's business environment.

Cristian from Romania was very interested in the new products at the show Home InStyle which featured traditional crafts, kitchenware, and accessories. "I wanted to find new partners in Hong Kong and connect with them," he said, adding that the trip was fruitful.

First-time buyers Emelie Rosen and Stephanie Bjork from Sweden said that after completing their work in Hong Kong, they would do sightseeing and explore the city.

At the trade events, exhibitors actively promoted their latest products to buyers. A Thai company that sells household goods has been a regular participant in Hong Kong exhibitions since 2000. Surachai, a manager from the company, said there are many business opportunities in Hong Kong, and it is worth continuing to explore business in the city.

At the Hong Kong International Licensing Show, a Japanese company displayed a variety of cultural and creative products, including stickers and coasters. This was their first exhibition outside Japan.

A representative of the company said Hong Kong is a very international city, which is conducive to product promotion and provides a platform to meet with buyers from around the globe. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's safe environment makes overseas people feel at ease doing business.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
By Lee Yeon-woo

Koreans who have invested in the stock markets of Hong Kong and Japan are experiencing contrasting investment outcomes.

This is because the Chinese government's initiatives in the capital markets are boosting the previously plunging Hong Kong stock market, while Japan is facing currency turbulence due to a prolonged monetary easing policy.

The dramatic turnaround in the Hong Kong stock market began on April 19. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI), which had fallen below the 5,000 level and caused massive financial losses for Koreans invested in the index through equity-linked securities (ELS), reached 6,383.40 during Monday's trading.

The market gained momentum after the Chinese government invested 2 trillion yuan for its stabilization efforts in January and announced a guideline on capital markets on April 12. The guideline's main objective is to increase dividends and intensify share buybacks and cancellations, bolstering the stock market.

The issuance volume of ELS tied to the HSCEI, which had been struggling following a significant loss event, has thereby increased. According to the Korea Securities Depository (KSD), the issuance amount for the ELS marked a low in February at 22.9 billion won (16.4 million) and increased to 72.2 billion won in April.

Unlike them, concerns of individual investors who heavily bet on the Japanese market are only growing.

According to the KSD, the iShares 20+ Year US Treasury Bond JPY Hedged ETF, listed on the Japanese stock exchange, was the most purchased overseas-listed exchange-traded fund (ETF) by domestic investors this year. Individual investors made net purchases totaling $354.5 million.

This product, which invests in ultra-long-term U.S. bonds of over 20 years and is denominated in Japanese yen, has attracted interest as it could potentially profit from both bond price appreciation and currency gains if U.S. policy rates fall.

However, individual investors are facing significant losses of negative 13 percent, as the yen-dollar exchange rate surpassed 155 yen last week, reaching 160 yen  a level not seen in 34 years.

Given the difficulty in predicting shifts in U.S. monetary policy, the recovery timeline for investors in yen-denominated products is expected to be prolonged.

Investors in the Hong Kong stock market, however, are also advised to exercise caution due to concerns that a prolonged economic slowdown in China could exert long-term downward pressure on the market.
The United Methodist General Conference on Wednesday morning repealed its longstanding ban on ordaining openly gay and lesbian clergy.

The change happened quietly and without controversy through a procedural move.

The conference approved a consent calendar, a group of petitions approved without floor discussion because they had no more than 10 votes against them in committee.

That included removal of Paragraph 304.3 from The Book of Discipline, the denominations rule book.

That paragraph included the prohibition on LGBTQ clergy:

While persons set apart by the Church for ordained ministry are subject to all the frailties of the human condition and the pressures of society, they are required to maintain the highest standards of holy living in the world. The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.

The move also paves the way for clergy to officiate wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples.

See also:

Through the approval of that same consent calendar, the General Conference added two new subparagraphs to section 419 of the Book of Discipline which say: 13. The superintendent shall not penalize any clergy for performing, or refraining from performing, a same-sex marriage service. 14. The superintendent shall neither require any local church to hold or prohibit a local church from holding a same-sex marriage service on property owned by a local church. The vote to approve this consent calendar was 692 to 51.

Conservatives who left the denomination over the past two years - about a fourth of all United Methodist churches - had cited these anticipated changes as reason for their departure.

In previous General Conferences since 1972, African United Methodist churches had repeatedly joined U.S. conservatives to keep the bans on same-sex marriage and gay clergy ordinations, but liberal U.S. conferences have largely ignored those rules since the 2016 election of Bishop Karen Oliveto as the first openly lesbian bishop in the denomination.
A teen was killed in a head-on crash with a tractor-trailer in Lamar County.

Alabama State Troopers said the fatality victim was 18 years old. Troopers do not release the names of fatality victims ages 18 and under.

The crash happened at 2:50 p.m. Tuesday on Alabama 96, about nine miles west of Millport.

Senior Trooper Cody Farrar said the teen was driving a Toyota Camry that collided head on with a Mack tractor-trailer driven by 42-year-old Robert A. Yates of Mississippi.

The teen was pronounced dead on the scene.

The investigation is ongoing by troopers.
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On Oct. 7, 2023, numerous bands of terrorists - reporting to Hamas, controlled and funded by Iran -- poured over the wall separating Gaza from the main body of Israel. In a matter of hours, they slaughtered some 1,200 civilians living in kibbutzes and dancing at a music festival, as well as injuring and kidnapping many others.

Its worth remembering who the Gazans direct targets were: they were peaceful people going about their day, both old and young. These bloodthirsty attacks were committed by hundreds of sadistic terrorists - who encircled partygoers on motorcycles, shooting into crowds to pick off terrified, unarmed targets at random, then charging towards individuals, beating and raping, slashing and killing - in the fields, in the woods, in tents, or in homes. It was scene after horrific scene of Iranian-funded, U.N.-supported monsters torturing and murdering whole families of innocent farmers and harmless revelers.

That was the terrorists plan, executed exactly as intended. There were no errors, no misfires, no incidents of friendly fire; Hamas didnt kill little old ladies and little babies by mistake. Those were the intended targets; whatever happened to them was exactly what Hamas wanted to do.

Israel responded, as any rational government must. Israel has conducted surgical strikes against the terrorists of the Gaza Strip for the past six months, bombing out and destroying the now-famous terror tunnels, rocket launch pads, weapons stores. Israel has gone from town to town, often from door to door, rooting out both Hamas terror leaders and their ground troops, who dress like civilians themselves, but with giveaways - such as the weapons they store in and under their apartments.

Israel is far from finished; the administration of Gaza has been single-mindedly focused on developing terrorists for generations. In some areas of the Gaza Strip, every other household is a sleeper cell. In some areas, its worse than that. Israel has its work cut out for it.

But there is a truism, as well-known in law enforcement as in politics and public relations: The more distance there is between events, the more the original righteous anger fades, and the more of a chance the remaining players in the story have to win public opinion to their side, no matter how undeserved.

On October 7, the world was horrified by what they saw, and global public opinion supported Israels retaliation before it even got started.

But as the months have gone by, there has been a careful effort - not just by Hamas and Al Jazeera but by the mainstream media and the anti-semitic global Left itself - to gradually turn public opinion the other way.

They have flooded our college campuses with rent-a-tent protesters - funded, transported, and outfitted by leftist front groups. They have tied up our business districts with massive demonstrations, causing traffic jams, disrupting commerce, scaring tourists and shoppers away.

But why?

This isnt our fight, our war. Israel is defending itself against the terrorists of Gaza, and high time.

Still, these pro-terrorist demonstrations are designed to drive public opinion in the United States, with a specific goal in mind: to turn Israels ally, the United States, into an anti-Israel country, as so many other Western nations already are.

On April 29, 2024, the Hawaiian state legislature - almost unanimously - voted for a ceasefire resolution, calling for Israel to abort its police action against the terrorists before the job is done.

And while Hawaii is the first American state to do so, such efforts are being mounted, largely under the radar, all over the country.

Over a hundred cities and villages across the United States have also passed such anti-Israel, pro-terrorist resolutions, unwittingly doing the bidding of Iran. Big cities like Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco. Counties like Washtenaw and Wayne. Coastal neighborhoods and Midwestern communities. Areas with high Arab populations, and even areas with minimal Arab populations. But certainly all these jurisdictions have one thing in common: a well-funded, well-organized and empowered left-wing presence.

These resolutions - passed by jurisdictions that have no authority in foreign policy, you may have noticed -- are not organic in the least. City aldermen and county boards have their own problems: unfunded pensions, rampant crime, a shrinking tax base, a swelling underclass. The only foreign policy position most of these local politicians have ever voted for was sanctuary city status, and boy, are they regretting that one nowadays, as the illegal alien invasion buries their cities in crime, homelessness and blight.

Mayors, city councils and county boards are under incredible pressure to pass these ceasefire resolutions, because advocates can make the harmless-sounding case that It doesnt cost you any tax dollars; it just shows your commitment to the moral high ground. It shows your opposition to the killing of innocent civilians. You are opposed to genocide, arent you? Arent you???

Note the gall in this argument. Hamas has always attacked innocent civilians; the murder of innocent civilians has been their stock-in-trade since the beginning. But the ceasefire advocates keep their eyes on the prize: applying pressure until an unprepared council relents and passes that resolution, so the agitators can show that another domino has fallen.

The Hamas lobbys goal is to be able to confront congressmen and senators with these resolutions. Look, three communities in your district have called on Israel to pull back. How dare you support funding Israels war, against your constituents wishes? How dare you send munitions to Israel to use against Gaza? When are you going to get with the program, and support a full statehood process for the Palestinians???

Looking at the big picture, it is shocking how well-orchestrated this campaign is.

All of a sudden, in mid-October, our cities were filled with so-called Palestinian flags - professionally produced signs and banners, hundreds or even thousands of marchers who neither have nor seek normal 9-to-5 jobs to keep them out of the streets - or maybe this is their job.

Not long ago, Hamas was known worldwide as a vicious terrorist organization. And yet, here we are, watching an active movement by foreign agents to affect American military policy, global diplomacy, and federal funding from the bottom up, without so much as a half-hearted effort to enforce Americas many restrictions against unregistered lobbying by non-citizens, campaign spending regulations, and sanctions against terrorists and international criminals.

This is part of a well-established pattern by islamic activists in the West: Move in. Use local tolerance and political openness to grow dominant as a powerful minority. And then once they become the majority, clamp down and disassemble all the social systems that enabled them to rise, so that others cant regain power and save their country.

The battle isnt just in Congress, the White House, and the Courts. Its now in the state houses and the town halls, the schools and the evening news.

The terrorists of Hamas and their American spokesmen are masters of P.R. We must never allow ourselves to forget who they really are. As many weeks, months and years may go by, putting October 7 in the distant past, we must keep those thousands of crimes fresh in our collective memory.

Hamas isnt some innocent looking woman at a clinic; its the rocket launchers based inside it. Hamas isnt some sad-looking child wearing a backpack; its the demons who loaded his backpack with explosives. Hamas isnt some harmless little medical clinic; its the cache of weapons stored behind the doors marked operating room or supply cabinet.

And Hamas isnt just a vocal group of demonstrators, parked outside your local village hall, promoting some harmless-looking referendum; Hamas is the Gazan subsidiary of the mullahs of Tehran, who have terrorized the Middle East and threatened the civilized world for 45 years now.

To say that their peaceful-looking ceasefire referendum is a wolf in sheeps clothing is putting it mildly.

John F. Di Leo is a Chicagoland-based international transportation manager, trade compliance trainer and speaker. A one-time Milwaukee County Republican Party chairman, he has been writing a regular column for Illinois Review since 2009. Read his book on vote fraud (The Tales of Little Pavel) and his political satires on the current administration (Evening Soup with Basement Joe, Volumes I, II, and III).
Seventy years ago, William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies, a brutal novel that sent shivers down our collective spines by exposing the raw hate and brutality hiding in the dark corners of our minds. Showing that such evil could be present in a group of young school-age children made the tale all the more harrowing. Today we have a scenario unfolding on university campuses across the U.S. that, while not yet as ghastly violent, threatens to come close.

The viciousness is already in evidence, with mobs of people chanting death to Jews, death to Israel, and death to America. Watching students screaming and spitting at Jewish students while blocking them from entering the university shocks the senses. Others have vocally endorsed Hamas, a terrorist group that murdered 1200 civilians in Israel only five months back, and called for more of the same.

Understandably, Jewish students have left campuses fearing harm, and most disturbing, many faculty members have supported and even joined in the so-called Palestinian protests. Columbia University was overrun and has already turned to online classes, while USC canceled graduation events. Other campuses plan to follow suit.

In the insane world of victimology that divides the world into the oppressed and their oppressors, there are many strange bedfellows. Those who might have championed Black Lives Matter in 2020, and those marching for transgender freedom in 2022 now join the Islamic jihad against Israel, America, and all the Western civilization represents.

This is happening despite what should be obvious incompatibilities among the groups. Trannies for Hamas is the ultimate oxymoron. But the idea that misery loves company holds true. The bond of victimhood needs no other cohesion than the hierarchy of intersectionality.

Also telling is the outrage expressed by students when there is pushback against their disruptive efforts on campus. One protester was genuinely confused, saying they are only doing what they have been taught in school. This sentiment is the buried lede that exposes the operation, not as an organic outcry from concerned students, but as a planned anarchy with its roots in a much more sinister and coordinated effort toward cultural destruction that is being taught by these very universities.

Busloads of students were spotted arriving near campuses, presumably to add numbers to the chaos. One USC student reported that many protesters hiding behind masks were not USC students at all. According to an administration official, of the 55 arrested on the UT Austin campus, 26 were not students at the school.

Whether these are actual students or paid professional agitators, one thing is clear. The number of near-simultaneous campus events springing to life leaves no doubt that outside money and coordination is fanning the flames. Someone is buying and transporting the tents, equipment and people appearing on campuses overnight.

Attempts to clear the illegal tent camps from universities turned violent, with hundreds of protesters arrested across the country. At Emerson College four Boston police officers were injured.

Sadly, many students, especially Jewish ones, may never again feel safe on American university campuses. One Jewish professor was forced off the Columbia campus by the administration because they couldnt guarantee his safety. On some campuses, members of the faculty are contributing to the chaos. How can this be happening in America?

I dont think anyone should be surprised by these behaviors. The Marxist-based intersectionality, DEI, blatantly racist anti-racism, angry transgenderism, and lesbian feminism being taught on campuses would not likely end any other way. The classic Marxist slogan, Workers of the world, unite, would be appropriate if any of these people actually worked.

Fractionalized and marginalized woke tribes now look for any offense, from micro-aggressions that defy reason to the recalibrating of words and speech as actual violence. Anything could trigger a reaction. William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and the Declaration of Independence have all earned a trigger warning lest some unsuspecting student be assaulted by the words therein. Even the woke word trigger itself has now been canceled as an evil remnant of the oppressive patriarchal West.

Safe spaces, segregated graduations, and censorship of all dissent on campuses have made bubble boys out of our students. Instead of learning actual tolerance and being properly immunized through discourse and the debate of ideas, the students are more like institutionalized psych patients living in padded cells, drugged with uniform ideological indoctrination by Marxist professors and prone to violent outbursts at the slightest provocation.

These are the pampered elite, who are not subject to the same laws of behavior, morality, and economics as the rest of us. Instead, they are taught and encouraged to be nihilists who should tear down all norms just because they can.

One could make an argument that our educational system is an anti-education system. There are school districts in America with entire student bodies graduating with reading and math skills well below expected standards. And universities with majors in anti-racism and lesbian feminist dance certainly have left facts, reality, and reason far behind. Even medical schools are graduating doctors with a pledge to DEI, not to long-standing basics like the Hippocratic Oath and to do no harm.

There are two dangerous reactions to these campus events. One group are the apologists. Its not so bad, really, just the rebellion of youth in mostly peaceful protests. That was the Summer of Love in 2020. Nothing to see here. Like the man who sees a tiger and pretends it is a kitten. Billions in property damage, dozens of deaths, and hundreds of injuries later, there are still areas that have not recovered. The other reaction is more the deer in the headlight response from those who cant believe their eyes and ears. They are in shock, frozen on the spot unable to run or do anything. Both get eaten.

Knowing what we know, should we expect good behavior from such a poorly prepared for life, thoroughly indoctrinated group? We had better demand civil behavior, or we will soon see savages painting their faces and sharpening their blades. And by then it will be too late.

Ed Thompson has worked in education for over 25 years, both tutoring individuals and teaching classes. He has helped students from three to seventy-three years old, and in subjects from beginning reading all the way to MBA classes and postgraduate biology. Students ranged from severely challenged to gifted and advanced. This work has given him a unique perspective and has led to insights on whats broken about our educational system and how we can make it better.

He is the host of the Basic Education Series podcasts and author of educational books. Learn more at https://basiced.substack.com.

Image: PxHere
The campuses of Americas colleges and universities are awash in Marxist ideology and tolerance for Fascist/Nazi tactics as well as cowardice and lemminglike groupthink by professors and presidents. The chaotic and perilous end-product of these mindsets is what Americans are witnessing today in the virulent antisemitism, support for Islamic terrorism, and anti-Americanism at so many colleges and universities.

Thirty-five years ago, the New York Times published an article entitled The Mainstreaming of Marxism in US colleges describing how, despite unmitigated failures and the collapse of Marxism around the world, Marxist ideas were becoming mainstream in the halls of American universities.

The Marxists in America, recognizing that the traditional class conflict argument would not work in the United States, instead promoted one simplistic tenet-- the world is divided into the oppressors and the oppressed. Therefore, the oppressors must be overthrown by any means possible if there is to be a just and equitable society.

A brilliant blueprint which plays on the American national proclivity to invariably cheer for the underdog. The key element of this strategy is to indoctrinate students to see every social relation or interaction through the lens of oppression and conflict.

Who, then, are the oppressors and who are the oppressed?

The United States is an apex oppressor nation due to its slavish devotion to capitalism, the Judeo-Christian underpinning of its founding, slavery, and supposed unbridled colonialism. Thus, the White race, and in particular heterosexual White men, are irredeemable oppressors. Jews, due to their societal success and religious traditions, are and always have been oppressors. Consequently, Israel, along with the U.S., is an apex oppressor nation as are virtually all the nations of Europe and their indigenous populations.

Race was the initial critereon of being oppressed in the United States. The history of African-Americans was maliciously falsified, exploited, and manipulated by the Marxists in their opening salvo accusing the nation of being an irredeemable oppressor. Within a few decades, African-Americans were essentially cast aside as they had served their purpose. Being oppressed was, per the plan, evolving into an extraordinarily expansive group encompassing over 70% of the population.

A tidal wave of groups vying for oppressed status flooded the college and university campuses. Race was no longer a primary criterion, as all women were included among the oppressed as were all members of the gay and lesbian community. Virtually anyone not self-identified as a member of the White race was granted oppressed status. In order to also be considered among the oppressed, self-styled transexuals were also granted unconditional oppressed status, as at the right time will pedophiles.

After September 11, 2001, American Muslims, on the pretext of alleged rampant Islamophobia, were welcomed into the fold and conferred the highest level of oppressed status. Beginning in the 1990s, Islamic factions from the Middle East saw an opportunity to take advantage of this mindless Marxist movement and successfully cast the Palestinians as being tyrannized at the hands of the triumvirate of apex oppressors-- Israel, the Jews, and the United States. The Palestinians instantly became a cause celebre on college campuses.

Todays cultural upheaval can be directly traced to the success of the Marxist movement on college campuses. So-called wokeness, victimhood, cancel culture, identity politics, the DEI movement, and the self-righteousness of destroying property and livelihoods stem from American Marxisms distorted fixation on oppression and conflict.

It is not just the indoctrination of the students that underlies the ongoing chaos at Americas colleges and universities, but the cowardice and groupthink of presidents and faculty who are also products of these same institutions. Their lemminglike reaction to the most catastrophic event of this century, the collective response to Covid-19, revealed the depth of their cravenness in the face of adversity.

Per the Department of Education, in 2018-19 there were nearly 4,200 degree granting two and four year colleges and universities in the United States. There are 1.5 million on the faculties at these colleges and another 260,000 designated as senior executive administrators.

Bill Rice of the Brownstone Institute investigated the response to Covid by Americas so-called institutions of higher learning. He wrote:

One question that interests me is how many of Americas approximately 4,200 colleges and 1.5 million faculty members criticized the lockdowns, the myriad non-pharmaceutical interventions and then the nonstop effort to vaccinate the entire world population? Among Americas 4,200 or so colleges, the only college that pushed back against these measures or the authorized narratives regarding Covid was Hillsdale College in southern Michigan (which has only 2,600 students.) I could probably name 10 to 20 American professors who went against their peers and consistently shared criticism in interviews, speeches, and articles or scientific papers. In other words, 99.999 percent of colleges and 99.99999 percent of faculty members either accepted bogus conventional wisdom or were too afraid to publicly challenge myriad false or dubious Covid claims. These so-called leaders were actually all followers and they followed -- accepted as infallible truths -- the wrong bureaucratic guidance, and relied on questionable or incorrect data, which caused them to embrace mandates that caused irreparable and incalculable harm to society.

It is this lemminglike mindset that has allowed Marxist ideology to take root, infest virtually all of Americas colleges and universities, and permits threats and violent activity to go unpunished and thus encouraged.

These institutions annually receive over $1.1 trillion from government and non-government funding sources, making post-secondary education the third largest revenue collecting entity in the nation, after the federal and state governments. Of that amount, American taxpayers contribute over $260 Billion in the form of direct payments, grants, investments, and loans (the federal government $150 Billion and the states $110 Billion).

The only means of forcing Americas colleges and universities to stop promoting Marxist ideology and cease tolerating threats and violence on their campuses is to dramatically reduce their annual revenue. All federal and state funding should be severely curtailed and eventually eliminated for those institutions that refuse to abandon the pervasive sponsorship of Marxist ideology and abide Fascist/Nazi tactics.

If this nations colleges and universities are not drastically reformed, then the United States is facing an extremely bleak future in light of the education Americas future leaders are and will continue to receive.
God sows the fastest growing seedlings not in our strengths, but in the soft soil of our weaknesses. Humility in facing failures grows in an aching conscience that inspires sincere amends for misdeeds. That process is essential to mental health. Without the effort of rectification, relationships remain imprisoned in their worst moments; painful memories slip the bonds of the past into a raw and debilitating present. The chance to understand mistakes and make amends is a great gift of being human.

Modern psychology has paid almost no attention to the processes of making amends, instead focusing on fortifying the ego in order to achieve self-directed goals. Making amends involves perforation and reformation of the ego through bold self-searching. It has been relegated to religious understanding and higher power recovery programs such as so-called 12-step programs. Making amends is often associated with substance abuse recovery, but amends can be made whenever a person or group face their behaviors that have harmed others, and reorient a damaged relationship toward an authentic and equal one.

The following will explain living amends in ongoing relationships, distinguish between amends and apology, and identify five egoic purposes associated with amends that actually undermine their value: 1) relieving guilt, 2) seeking forgiveness, 3) hoping to be trusted, 4) giving money or financial gain, and 5) enabling revenge or other mistreatment of the maker by the receiver. Finally, it will discuss the modern phenomenon of national amends-making, using the great example of the American nation toward its African-American minority.

Making amends is more than conversation based on a vague sense of shame, guilt, or a wish to make things better. It is the fruit of struggle with the truth about oneself. Amends-making has the advantage over other forms of relationship recovery because it offers remorse for specific harmful actions. Event-based amends arise out of regret for specific errors. Relationship-based, or living amends, arise out of remorse for a pattern of errors, in the context of a long-term relationship. But all amends begin in self-examination.

Amends-making is a simple thing, and found difficult because the ego wants to slouch back into self-justification or self-pity. When conscience and empathy overcome the hydra-headed ego, self-examination leads the maker to formulate a description of his misdeeds, and the interactive process of living amends can begin. The recounting of errors is brought to the receiver in a forthright expression of regret or remorse and unvarnished admission of wrongdoing, with the sole purpose of restitution of honor, respect, and love to the recipient.

Amends may be an opening to a new relationship or not. They are meant to empower the recipient to respond in any way. Amends-making seeks no form of gain except the well-being of the receiver and acceptance of the receivers response, even if it is rejection. Amends are contaminated if coerced; used to avoid punishment; for self-justification; or in a relationship that cannot be made equal, as between an adult and a child.

Amends are fundamentally different from apology, which is a closed-ended statement of guilt, usually a unidirectional, non-interactive declaration, sincere or insincere, from the heart or as part of a package of ulterior motives.

In making amends, guilt must be crossed quickly, because amends arise not from the self-consciousness of guilt, but from concern for another. Guilt is the embellished side of the coin of pride; it is a salve for pride and too sticky a substance for amends. As guilt is dark pride, one may say, It wasnt really me; I wouldnt do such a thing. But it was you. You may have been weak, broken, or intoxicated, but it was you. Amends based solely in guilt collapse into defensiveness if pride is again wounded in the amends process, and responsibility again is thrown upon the injured party.

Sincere amends are independent of forgiveness. Whether accepted or rejected, they retain the power of honesty and respect. Living amends do not seek a renewal of trust. When two people marry, they promise to love and honor each other. But for good reason they do not promise eternal trust. Trust is the diploma picked up after a course of deep, abiding knowledge of another human being. Trust is an ornament of love and knowledge, a beautiful but secondary attainment. Where living amends are necessary, there has been a significant betrayal or failure. Expecting the ornamentation of trust from the amends-receiver should be given up.

The central purpose of living amends is to create equality in an unbalanced, harmful power relationship. Sometimes, especially between an amends-making parent and an adult child with a history of financial dependence, the amends-receiver will ask for money. This dynamic can defeat the purpose of establishing equality and mutual respect in a renovated relationship. Persistent requests for money contaminate the process and risks creating new inequalities, dependencies, and resentments.

Living amends place the responsibility of change upon the amends-maker. In the initial stages, the receiver may express healthy, righteous anger against the amends-maker. But this anger should not be allowed to develop into revenge.

Politics is the regulation of selfishness, so it is almost impossible for a nation to step away from its self-interested struggles to rigorously examine itself and make amends for historical injustice. When injustice is corrected through living amends on a national level, the process requires decades or even centuries. Today, the greatest living amends in history are being made by the United States to African-Americans.

The greatness of America derives from her parents, a brilliant father of intellectual enlightenment and a mothers heart of decentralized Christianity wisely sequestered from the din of politics. Therefore, America has been able to lead the world in examining her historical failures and making amends. From the Founding, America had a troubled conscience regarding slavery, as the politics, law, and discourse from that time make clear. But compromises were made, and the institution of slavery was preserved until the knife of conscience opened the veins of Americans into a bloodied earth of civil war. Since then, individuals, churches, and the government have supported the migration of African-Americans to safety and opportunity. Nevertheless, another century of violence and legal and cultural segregation was suffered before the wrongs committed against African-Americans were faced and changed.

The greatest national living amends in history began in full force in the 1970s from the American nation to her African-American minority, with many transitional federal programs to support the new relationship of equality. George Washington died in 1799. A federal holiday honoring him came in 1882. Four days after the death of MLK in 1983, a federal holiday was proposed and swiftly enacted. The subject of slavery was no longer taboo. The nation was transfixed by the mini-series Roots. African-American participation became essential across arts, culture, sports, the military, the media, and education. A wholesale shift in the education of American children continues today, with emphasis on African-American history and the elevation of African-American heroes. In only a few decades, the living amends of the American nation so uplifted this country that African ancestry is no longer an impediment to actualizing individual ability and talent in any field of endeavor.

Tragically, our great national amends have been poisoned by the left wing with toxins of white guilt, demands for financial reparations, and defamations of white privilege and pseudomental illness of white fragility. Purloined guilt enables self-righteous virtue-screeching while avoiding work to actually help anybody. The white guilt fallacy has enabled massive crime campaigns such as Black Lives Matter, as well as the illegal alien invasion. A fine flavor of white guilt is white Jewish guilt, and hateful wailings of Hamas-huggers fill the air. Their preening histrionics belie any concern about slavery inflicted today on captive Jewish women.

The vast majority of Americans of African ancestry experience and accept the amends they know have been made and are doing their best in this better nation. Reject the manipulations of the anti-America left. Celebrate that Americans of all races and backgrounds are living, working, and praying together in constructive harmony, thanks to the greatest living amends in world history.

Image: JSMed via Pixabay, Pixabay License.
From Front Page Magazine:

The Israeli journalist Amit Segal published a Hebrew-language story in the popular Israeli news outlet Mako that reveals an American betrayal of Israel of stupefying magnitude. Very senior officials associated with the International Criminal Court in The Hague, wrote Segal, have spoken about Israels fear of arrest warrants for senior officials in the context of the war in Gaza. The officials told N12 [Makos broadcast channel] that the intention to issue such orders would not have been possible without American consent.

If this recent report should prove accurate, this would constitute one of the most egregious betrayals of one supposed ally by anotherin recorded history. With friends like the Biden administration, who needs enemies? And, sadly, Israel has lots of those.

Should these allegations prove true, it would mean that Biden and his puppet masters are not content with attempting to incarcerate political opponents here at home, but also actively seek to have those they dislike abroad arrestedwith the aid of an international body! To my knowledge, even Hitler and his minions didnt do that.

Apparently not content with the Afghanistan debacle/disaster (and accidentally donating billions of dollars in crack military equipment to the likes of the Taliban after hastily bugging out), nor with promulgating an endless war in Eastern Europe, Biden and Crew have now pivoted to stabbing a long-time allyand the only democracy in the Middle eastin the back.

Again, should the report be born out, it would clearly illustrate that the Biden administration itself is an illegitimate, protofascist regime bent on destabilizing other nations, including historically friendly ones.

How does one say FJB in Hebrew?

Image: YouTube video screen grab, altered.
Virtually all Ivy League universities in the USA have Arab-funded academic chairs, many of them directed and taught by radical Arab Muslims whose methodology is to indoctrinate rather than teach American students.

Countries like Qatar, a chief funder of Hamas in Gaza and a proud subscriber to the Muslim Brotherhoods ideology, pour billions of dollars, along with anti-Israel and anti-American propaganda, into the coffers of American and European universities.

The Middle Eastern Studies Association (MESA), USA, is dominated by pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel professors, and most of its board membership is made up of Arab Middle Easterners and Turks. Not a single Israeli is on the board.

Since the 9/11 attacks on America, Qatar has become the largest foreign donor to American academia. American universities, especially Ivy League schools, have largely refrained from revealing the sources of their funding, but a study by the Institute for Global Anti-Semitism Studies and Policy (ISGAP) found a direct link between the amount of donations and the presence of pro-Palestinian groups on campuses.

In November 2023, ISGAP and the National Council of Resistance of Iran published a study entitled The Corruption of the American Mind. The study revealed that $13 billion in undisclosed foreign funding had come from Qatar and other authoritarian countries to over 100 American universities, resulting in a 300% increase in antisemitism on campuses.

New research reveals Qataris funneling billions of dollars into Cornell University in unreported funds. The findings show that Qatar has donated $1.95 billion directly to Cornell University for its campus at Dohas Education City and $7.9 billion to Sidra Hospital in Doha, which is operated by Cornell. According to the Financial Times, since 1986, Qatar has contributed $5.1 billion to American universities.

Image: hendricjabs via Pixabay, Pixabay License.

It is clear that Qatar, a radical Islamist state, which President Biden has embraced, has been a major (biased) mediator in the efforts to release the Israeli hostages from Hamass captivity. Immediately following the Hamas invasion of Israel and the murder of 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping of 250 others, the Qatari government released a statement that accused Israel of being solely responsible for the ongoing escalation, thus justifying the Hamas terror onslaught. Doha has also been hosting the leaders of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal.

In 2017, the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, began an embargo against Qatar, ostensibly due to its support of terrorist groups and its close relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Muslim Brotherhoods regime of Erdogans Turkey. Nevertheless, Joe Biden designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally. To rebuild its image, Qatar spent a fortune on U.S. lobbyists.

Under U.S. law American universities must disclose foreign donations of $250,000 or more, but universities have ignored this ruling with little or no consequences.

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) sponsored a bill titled the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act, which passed in the House of Representative Education and Workforce Committee with bipartisan support.

The widespread antisemitic pro-Hamas demonstrations on U.S. campuses since October 7, 2023 have raised obvious questions about the funding of U.S. universities by foreign and anti-America regimes  in particular, the connection between the Qatari funding and the antisemitic demonstrations on many campuses including Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, NYU, Rutgers, and Yale.

The Qatar Foundation, run by Moza bint Nasser, mother of Qatars emir, is responsible for the majority of Middle Eastern donations coming into U.S. campuses. According to ISGAPs research, there is a direct correlation between the Qatari funding of U.S. universities and the active presence at those universities of groups such as the anti-Israel Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which promotes aggressive antisemitism on campus.

Qatari funding has also led to the silencing of publications by scholars who are critical of the prevailing ideology, which, in most cases, is anti-Israel, as well as professional associations like MESA.

While the U.S. Congress is beginning to address the widespread interference on American campuses by foreign funders, such as Qatar, enforcement of rules regarding disclosure by universities of foreign funding has been nonexistent, and university presidents and trustees have used their free hand to accommodate hostile funders like Qatar. It is therefore imperative that the U.S. administration cut funding to universities that allow biased, antisemitic anti-Israel and anti-America funders.

It is clear that universities that are beholden to funders such as Qatar would ignore the antisemitic incitement on their campuses, as some of the Ivy League schools have done. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable in America. Since October 7, what we have seen on U.S. Ivy League schools closely resembles Germanys universities in the late 1920s and 1930s, when Nazi students and professors took over the campuses and excluded Jewish students.

In 2024 America, it is inconceivable that anti-black or anti-gay incitement would be tolerated. Yet spineless presidents of Ivy League schools have tolerated antisemitism on their campuses.

The U.S. Department of Education must begin to follow the money and enforce U.S. laws. Foreign agitators who are given a scholarship by the Qatari Foundation and then incite antisemitic harassment of Jewish student must be expelled and deported. Supporting a terrorist organization like Hamas on U.S. campuses and streets must have consequences. Otherwise, the terror will infect America, with indoctrinated students becoming terrorists. Cities like New York must call on the National or State Guard to ensure the safety of Jewish students and detain the violent pro-Hamas agitators. Antisemitism has no place in a civilized society.

Image: hendricjabs via Pixabay, Pixabay License.
Editors note This article is the second in a three-part contribution on the "Korea discount" and McKinsey Korea's take on how to resolve it.  ED

By Richard Lee

Over the next 10 to 20 years, Korea is expected to go through one of the most profound changes in its corporate history  the transition of ownership in key businesses via intergenerational transfers.

Such transitions have been observed throughout past decades, but what should be noted in recent years is the consistent application of inheritance taxes, which may rise to as high as 60 percent in effective rates for large conglomerates.

This tax burden is making it increasingly difficult for owner families to retain control and pursue business stability. In a landmark press conference in 2020, Lee Jae-yong, Samsung Group's third-generation chief who was then vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, announced that he would not pass the management rights of the conglomerate on to his own children.

Even the conglomerates with weaker family ownership affiliations, such as steelmaker POSCO, mobile carrier KT and tobacco provider KT&G, have faced backlashes over their CEO successions, especially from activist investors who called for corporate governance reforms to unlock shareholder value.

Despite the concerns that the removal of "chaebol owners" may hinder the drive for growth, leading global businesses have been inching toward a more dispersed power structure.

Among Fortune's top 500 companies by revenue in the United States, only eight have family shareholders as of today  Walmart, Ford, Comcast, 21st Century Fox, Tyson Foods, Gap, Estee Lauder and Campbell Soup.

Japan saw its so-called "zaibatsu," or conventional family-controlled conglomerates, nationalized during and after World War II.

It is now high time for Korea to figure out a compatible solution for business transition  not only for the benefit of conglomerate owner families but also for the sake of market stability and business growth.

The country's tax system, along with the consequent disincentives for management change, is, in fact, one of the factors dampening foreign investments here.

Koreas foreign direct investment (FDI) volume was ranked the worlds 23rd as of 2022 with $18 billion, an amount far lower than that of peer economies and neck-and-neck with less developed ones such as Chile and Colombia.

Given that FDI inflows in Korea have created almost 300,000 jobs and an additional 75,000 work opportunities for young people during the past 10 years, this sluggish FDI volume should be seen as a major hurdle to growth.

Despite various setbacks, however, some companies have managed to carry out ownership changes.

An example is oil refiner and energy company S-Oil, which was acquired by Saudi Aramco in 1991, changing from Ssangyong Refinery to its current multinational subsidiary identity. Similarly, beer maker Oriental Brewery was acquired by the worlds largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, or AB InBev, in 2014.

Another category is businesses acquired by private equities, which are, in most cases, former conglomerate subsidiaries that were put on the market as a result of restructuring.

These examples of successful management transitions provide key lessons for Korean companies on how to grow out of conventional family-owned governance.

First, it is crucial that the governance of the company be fundamentally tied to shareholders interests.

Under the current system, many listed Korean companies see little reason to work on shareholder value, as higher stock prices would mostly increase the inheritance tax burden on the controlling shareholder. Once this tax disincentive is removed, business managers will face greater pressure for performance as they might be either dismissed or replaced.

Second, the board must remain independent from management and speak on behalf of shareholders.

Private equities often strongly empower the board with key decisions, including M&As or even the appointment and dismissal of the CEO. They also tend to hire industry veterans for top managerial posts instead of former high-profile government officials, as is often the case in listed Korean companies.

Finally, management incentives must be aligned with shareholders. They could take place in a more direct form such as stock options, or a relatively indirect one such as profits and revenues. Also, managements tenure needs to be stabilized in order to fully realize the value creation potential.

It is true that Korea, despite its economic size and leading industries, still stands at a relatively early stage of capitalism. But in order for the country to leap into the next phase of the market, it is crucial that policymakers and businesses step out of the conventional frame and reorganize corporate governance.

Richard Lee is a senior partner at the McKinsey Korea office. His area of expertise includes high technology, media and telecoms and private equity practices in Seoul.
Columbia University finally called in the cops to deal with its antisemitic protestors occupying a university building after a burglary-style break-in, and stinking up the campus lawn with an illegal campout.

And what a bunch of screaming, squealing, bawling, toddlers they had on their hands to arrest and haul off:

#BREAKING MASS ARRESTS as NYPD pour hundreds of cops inside Columbia University, Raiding Encampment



Video by Olga Fe Desk@freedomnews.tv to license pic.twitter.com/YnS6v4V00p  Oliya Scootercaster  (@ScooterCasterNY) May 1, 2024

Look at them taking dives and pretending to be injured for resisting arrest. Hear the squalling and screeching. Look at the stamping feet.

Overgrown toddlers, princelings, spoiled brats is what we have here, throwing extended tantrums all the way to the pokey.

They acted like toddlers in one way after another all through this sorry charade, and with the university having a big graduation to put on, it was time for them to go.

But toddlers they were until the end, in one way after another.

After smashing their way into a building, taking it over, and holding three janitors hostage, they demanded the university to keep up with their feeding schedule:

Johannah King-Slutzky is a paid instructor & PhD candidate at Columbia University studying "theories of the imagination & poetry as interpreted through a Marxian lens." Now she's demanding that Columbia adminstrators bring food and water to the protesters illegally occupying https://t.co/IIZn3bgRnz  Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 30, 2024

And not bread and water like the hostages of Hamas in Israel would get if they were lucky, but their picky preferences:

Columbia revolutionary students push limits of satire in demand for humanitarian fooddrops of sushi, acai,electrolyte water & glutefree croissants fr uni.



This is crazy to say because were on an Ivy League campus but this is, like, basic humanitarian aid were asking for. https://t.co/SloU5YjzGj  S Sebag Montefiore (@simonmontefiore) April 30, 2024

Wow. And like toddlers, they didnt think this thing through:

Every good revolutionary knows you have to pack snacks.  Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) April 30, 2024

They did get takeout, though, from their buddies, so theyre not exactly starving and in need of 'basic humanitarian aid':

Protester-students occupying Hamilton Hall, who are starving because of the Columbia administration barring access to the campus, have their comrades smuggle in food through the gate. This is true oppression. pic.twitter.com/UJhc4rDiTG  Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 30, 2024

Eventually, they got frog-marched out of there, not being the kind to do it like adults:

Red Carpet of Perp Shame.



All we need is Joan Rivers now critiquing from Heaven. https://t.co/nF34Nf166Z  SCRIBEMOON (@SCRIBEMOON) May 1, 2024

Naturally, they left a mess  for someone else to clean up after.

Clearly, the Univ. President inaction in this protest/riot created unsafe environments on campus.

I could imagine lawsuits coming. Zero leadership.



Inside trashed Columbia University hall after protesters' evicted

Columbia University protesters smashed windows, upended pic.twitter.com/J1SWSPsQtU  floridanow1 (@floridanow1) May 1, 2024

Trying to dialogue with them is like trying to reason with a goat:

NEW: Columbia protester tells Fox News reporter to get out of her face after he asks multiple questions including why they held three janitors hostage.



Reporter: Do you feel like it was right to hold 3 of the janitor workers hostage inside of the building?



Protester: I think pic.twitter.com/ACzZqFIMN4  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 30, 2024

Whos she? Exactly who youd expect:

So who is this revolutionary who occupies the Hamilton Hall at @Columbia and demands that the university provides them food?



Well, she is a PhD candidate, and an expert for progressive and leftist causes 



You can't make this up  pic.twitter.com/MErVzncrcR  Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) April 30, 2024

Congresss low-I.Q. fire alarm puller insists he knows about this, too:

I am outraged by the level of police presence called upon nonviolent student protestors on Columbia and CCNYs campuses. As an educator who has first hand experience with the over-policing of our schools, this is personal to me.  Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) May 1, 2024

Now theyre making up stuff, telling fibs despite what the videos show:

Johannah King-Slutzky is a paid instructor & PhD candidate at Columbia University studying "theories of the imagination & poetry as interpreted through a Marxian lens." Now she's demanding that Columbia adminstrators bring food and water to the protesters illegally occupying https://t.co/IIZn3bgRnz  Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 30, 2024

And why shouldnt they be acting like toddlers? No matter what they do, there are no consequences:

They also took 2 hostages with Facility Services.

But all okey dokey. All charges dropped.

See how this works?

I have seen this from campus sexual assault activism. NO CONSEQUENCES https://t.co/WZnNaI2cMH  SCRIBEMOON (@SCRIBEMOON) April 30, 2024

No wonder the crowds cheered when the cops hauled these big bawl-babies off to the pokey.

NEW YORK CITY 

HAPPENING NOW 

Crowds cheers on the NYPD bus filled with Columbia protestors leaving campus

 Ali Bauman

WW3INFO pic.twitter.com/yQLqFJand6  SANTINO (@MichaelSCollura) May 1, 2024

Good riddance. As a Florida official told their protestors, this "isn't a daycare." It's about time these big toddlers got the cops in front of them, if for nothing else, to teach them to act like adults.

Image: Twitter screen shot from FreedomNews.tv video
Every once in awhile, a story comes along to restore one's faith in America.

Which takes us to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where the usual campus protestors were in for a surprise when a group of young men from a college fraternity house Pi Kappa Phi stepped forward to halt the dreary radicals from raising their Palestinian flag in place of the American one, the latter of which they intended to trample.

They ended up looking like amazing heroes in doing it.

According to a Twitter thread by Guillermo Estrada, whose Twitter account identifies him as a student:

(Thread) Today was a sad yet empowering day at Chapel Hill. When I walked to class, I saw the Palestinian flag raised on our quad flag pole, and was immediately upset at the act that these protestors had made. I cannot say I am fully educated on the Israel/Palestine conflict. but it upset me that my country's flag was disrespected in order to advocate for another.



Shortly after, Chancellor Roberts came with police officers to hang the flag once again. They were met with profanity, middle fingers, thrown bottles, rocks, and water. When the flag was raised once again, the greek community began singing the National anthem. As the Chancellor left, the quad erupted into chaos as protestors began removing the flag once again, preparing to destroy it. My fraternity brother and others ran over to hold it up, in order for it not to touch the ground. People began throwing water bottles at us, rocks, sticks, calling us profane names. We stood for an hour defending the flag so many fight to protect.

The shareable picture by Parker Ali, showing what Estrada saw and described (this is from the fraternity's GoFundMe page), looked like this:

The act of holding up the flag and defending it from haters is eerily reminiscent of the men holding the flag at Iwo Jima during World War II. Their act depicts heroism, grace under pressure, and teamwork, all masculine virtues embodied well in the act of heroism, and uniquely associated with Americans, too.

And how interesting that they are all good-looking, defending our flag against the howling trogs, trolls, street-crawlers and raving lunatics on the other side, throwing things at them like apes in a zoo do, as the young men stand firm.

They're heroes and they don't know it. The trogs and trolls are just gross, despised by everyone for their degraded, crawl-out-from-some-rock hate-America activity, though they fancy themselves the establishment as well as popular with the pot-bellied, ever-scowling Hamas terrorists.

And that's some irony. Frat boys are reviled by the left as rapists and vapid party boys. Now the tables have turned: The protestors are the ones defending the rapists of Hamas, while the young men stand for American virtue.

The young men seem to know this phony narrative, if you go to their GoFundMe page, where you can see that they are raising funds to throw a party -- in the left's face -- if you read the call to action.

It's entertaining as heck to read, with this pitch to the public:

Commie losers across the country have invaded college campuses to make dumb demands of weak University Administrators. But amidst the chaos, the screaming, the anti-semitism, the hatred of faith and flag, stood a platoon of American heroes. Armored in Vineyard Vines and Patagonia, fueled by Zyn and White Claws, these triumphant Brohemians protected Old Glory from the unwashed Marxist horde -- laughing at their shrieks and wails and shielding the Stars & Stripes from Soviet missiles. These boys... no, men, of the UNC Chapel Hill Pi Kappa Phi, gave the best to America and now they deserve the best. Help us raise funds to throw this frat the party they deserve, a party worth of the boat-shoed Broleteriat who did their country proud. And every word is true. I've been watching this thing all day and they started out with a goal in the low tens of thousands, raised a wagonload of cash within minutes, upped it to $50,000, raised another wagonload of cash, and now their goal is $115,000, which will probably be topped again and they'll raise it higher. The donating isn't stopping. Maybe they will throw a party, or a string of parties with it, and all the donors want them to have just this kind of fun. The more serious thing is reading the long strings of comments -- from fraternity kids from other fraternities, to old people proud of those kids whose parents "raised them right," to wounded combat veterans who survived wars defending the American flag, grateful to see the new generation standing up for it, too, making their sacrifices matter; to the widow of a U.S. military officer killed in the Beirut barracks bombing of 1983; to Jewish kids grateful for the solidarity; to students at other beleaguered universities -- all hoping those young men throw themselves a heckuva party. It tells us there's a great groundswell of support for unabashed love for America and an end to the campus clown shows that are bedeviling campuses on behalf of the world's vilest antisemite terrorist group. That gives hope to all of us. These could be the leaders of tomorrow. Good people are still around even if universities look like a wokester hash of wretchedness. We wish those kids an amazing, "rager" as they say it, of a frat party.

Image: Parker Ali, via shareable GoFundMe page
According to new figures from the Mexican Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security Systems (SESNSP) monthly report on gender violence in Mexico, six women were murdered per day on average during March 2024.

With 200 intentional homicides committed against women in March, alongside the respective 200 and 221 incidents recorded in January and February, Mexico registered a total of 621 murders during the first quarter of 2024.

Despite Marchs slight decline in homicide figures, the number of women killed by manslaughter rose 41 percent from February to March from a reported 226 manslaughter incidents to 320.

The data placed the majority of victims as over 18, with the homicides concentrated throughout the State of Mexico (Edomex), Baja California, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Chihuahua, Michoacan and Jalisco.

Meanwhile, Colima, Baja California and Guanajuato topped the list of most intentional homicides against women per capita across the country.

Likewise, the SESNSP report found that intentional injuries against women, kidnappings, family violence, gender violence and sexual assault against women also increased in March.
The Democrat mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, didnt send police onto the campus of UCLA when pro -Hamas demonstrators took over parts of it and prevented Jews from entering, just as Nazis once blocked Jewish students from the University of Vienna. A Jewish girl being beaten unconscious and hospitalized also drew no police response t o the state government-owned campus. But when non-student members of the Jewish community of Los Angeles entered the campus and began physically confronting the pro-Hamas demonstrators and videos of fights went out on internet, after two-plus hours [update: 3+ hours] of mayhem, the Mayor decided to send in the cops.

YouTube screengrab (cropped)

While I cannot condone outsiders coming onto a campus to fight, it needs to be stipulated that pro-Hamas outsiders were the first to enter UCLA turf, and that the non-student Jews who entered campus to fight were responding with the same tactic, to protect community members.

It is hard for me to avoid comparison to a little-remembered incident from the 1930s, when virulently antisemitic groups openly demonstrated and excoriated Jews along the same themes as the contemporary Nazis. The worst of it took place in Minneapolis, later characterized by prominent journalist Carey McWilliams as the capitol (sic) of anti-Semitism in the United States."

A group called the Silver Shirts, self-consciously modeled on Mussolinis Black Shirts, held a rally and:

In Minneapolis, William Dudley Pelley organized a Silver Shirt Legion to "rescue" America from an imaginary Jewish-Communist conspiracy. In Pelleys own words, just as "Mussolini and his Black Shirts saved Italy and as Hitler and his Brown Shirts saved Germany," he would save America from Jewish communists. Minneapolis gambling czar David Berman confronted Pelleys Silver Shirts on behalf of the Minneapolis Jewish community. Berman learned that Silver Shirts were mounting a rally at a nearby Elks Lodge. When the Nazi leader called for all the "Jew bastards" in the city to be expelled, or worse, Berman and his associates burst in to the room and started cracking heads. After ten minutes, they had emptied the hall. His suit covered in blood, Berman took the microphone and announced, "This is a warning. Anybody who says anything against Jews gets the same treatment. Only next time it will be worse." After Berman broke up two more rallies, there were no more public Silver Shirt meetings in Minneapolis. (Via Jewish Virtual Library)

I dont for a second believe that any of the Jewish outsiders at UCLA were gangsters. It may be a measure of our time that ordinary Americans of persecuted ethnicities taking violent measures to defend themselves has been lionized by the leftist cultural establishment when the persecuted minority was African-American. Somehow, I doubt they will grant the same indulgence to Jews. After all, does anyone think that Mayor Karen Bass would have tolerated for days Blacks being excluded from parts of UCLAs campus by KKK activists?
Joe Biden is running for re-election and behind in the polls.

He's desperate to satisfy his 'death to America' base in places like Dearborn and at campus protests.

So now he's come up with a new sweetener to bring those voters back.

Importing Gaza "refugees," despite the war being, from the Hamas perspective about establishing a 'homeland' and taking over Israel, too. You don't move away from a 'homeland' if that's what you're 'fighting' for.

According to CBS News:

The Biden administration is considering bringing certain Palestinians to the U.S. as refugees, a move that would offer a permanent safe haven to some of those fleeing war-torn Gaza, according to internal federal government documents obtained by CBS News. In recent weeks, the documents show, senior officials across several federal U.S. agencies have discussed the practicality of different options to resettle Palestinians from Gaza who have immediate family members who are American citizens or permanent residents. One of those proposals involves using the decades-old United States Refugee Admissions Program to welcome Palestinians with U.S. ties who have managed to escape Gaza and enter neighboring Egypt, according to the inter-agency planning documents. Top U.S. officials have also discussed getting additional Palestinians out of Gaza and processing them as refugees if they have American relatives, the documents show. The plans would require coordination with Egypt, which has so far refused to welcome large numbers of people from Gaza. Those who pass a series of eligibility, medical and security screenings would qualify to fly to the U.S. with refugee status, which offers beneficiaries permanent residency, resettlement benefits like housing assistance and a path to American citizenship.

So fighting the war to stay in Gaza isn't quite as nice as a big, free, benefit package, and a life on the public dime over in the U.S. instead. Never mind that Hamas, which started the war with Israel, nominally did so to establish a homeland for Palestinians and screams loudly about 'forced relocation,' which plenty of people in Israel, understandably enough, would like to see done. Who needs a homeland when you've got Omrika, handed out free of charge? Maybe you can fly back and forth, paid for with U.S. funds, and fist-wave against the U.S. in both countries.

And maybe Biden should explain why the U.S., which is a prime terrorist target, is importing in people that every other Arab countries refuses to allow in? We know what the issue is there -- they don't want terrorist nesting grounds established with an imported coterie of 'refugees' from Gaza.

Because the big problem with importing Gaza refugees is how to separate them from the hate-Israel and hate-America ideology that they've been steeped in since birth. How many of these so-called refugees danced at the monstrous massacre of Israeli civilians in their homes or dancing at a music festival on October 7? Based on the photos seen, it was thousands of them. And that's not surprising, because they also willingly elected Hamas to be their leaders.

Oh, sure, the Biden camp leaking to CBS News says that they'll be processed with "security screenings." We all know how well those go, starting with the thousands of 'refugees' Biden imported from Afghanistan, based on their willingness to push, shove, knock down and trample women, children, elderly, and sick people waiting in line, and never mind about the military translators, who got left behind. Recent revelations show that many of this bunch had no identification cards or were on terrorist watchlists. Biden let them all in and now nobody knows where they are. That's some 'screening.'

Gaza, where Hamas controls everything, will be just as bad. Just as Hamas controls all the food in the country, feeding its fat, doughy "fighters" with the 'aid' while leaving women and children to starve or serve as human shields for propaganda purposes, so it will control who gets to be a refugee.

How useful does anyone think it will be for Hamas to get a nest of operatives into the states for an encore of October 7 against the Great Satan Himself? And if not that, how useful would it be for Hamas to get a "community" of October 7 dancers, not waving their gun-guns, but electing a member of Congress to throw their weight around, much as America-hating migrants such as Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib already do? One, two, many, Omars in Congress, sounds very much like an idea Hamas could embrace.

Sure, Biden says the only ones they'll let in are those with 'ties' to the states. That doesn't screen at all for Hamas supporters, given the kind of migrants we know are already here. What's more, to import refugees legitimately, and I don't anticipate they'll follow the rules on this, CBS notes that the law is as follows:

To qualify to enter the U.S. as a refugee, applicants have to prove they are fleeing persecution based on certain factors, such as their nationality, religion or political views.

Israel is going only after Hamas and trying to spare civilian casualties, so item one, on the 'nationality' factor is out. Same with 'religion.' Item three is about 'political views.' What kind of political views are these people likely to have that engenders "persecution" from Israel? That's right, pro-Hamas views. This looks like Joe Biden's plan to 'save Hamas' more than anything else, by bringing them over here.

With the border already overrun by all comers, this importation of hostile, anti-American 'refugees' with a full free ride from Uncle Sam and a pathway to citizenship can only be a plot to import more America-haters in a bid to influence elections.

If this isn't an outrageous idea well worth fighting, what is? The lawsuits should be fast, thick and heavy on this, if there's is one thing America doesn't need, it's people who celebrate and abet terrorists of the most heinous kind.

Image: Screen shot from Inquirer.net video, via YouTube
Moe, Larry, and Curly are planning to rob a bank.

They are careful and exhaustive in their deliberations. They determine which of them will drive the getaway car. They discuss, intensively, the best access and egress routes before and after their crime. They study, over and over again, the electronic and other defensive measures employed by their target so that their gang can obviate them. They find out at which dates and times there will be the fewest customers at this bank so as to ensure not only their own safety, but that there will be the least collateral harm; they are bank robbers, not murderers. How many and how well motivated the bank guards will be is an issue over which they have pored for hours. They are not at all a bunch of nerds, such as those depicted by the television show The Big Bang Theory. They are indeed sophisticated in electronics, as are the aforementioned, but they were not bullied when they were kids; they were the macho bullies themselves. They are seriously planning to rob a bank and take rational steps toward this end. They plan for all contingencies. They agree that at 11 A.M. next Tuesday, they will engage in their heist.

Why rob a bank? Willie Sutton, famous bank robber, is their mentor. He explained: Thats where they keep the money.

Have they yet committed a crime? (Tuesday is now several days away.) Certainly, they have, at least in the eyes of extant law. Here is one definition thereof: Conspiracy is an agreement between two or more people to commit an illegal act, along with an intent to achieve the agreement's goal. Most U.S. jurisdictions also require an overt act toward furthering the agreement.

So far, does the Three Stooges Gang qualify? It is difficult to see why its members do not. There has certainly been an agreement between two or more people to commit an illegal act, along with an intent to achieve the agreement's goal. Thus, in those states that do not also require an overt act toward furthering the agreement, it is a matter of case closed. Lock em up, and throw away the key.

But what about an overt act? Well, if that requires an actual robbery, the TSG is innocent, at least for now. However, they have indeed committed numerous overt acts. They have committed pen to paper in their planning. They have cleared their calendars for next Tuesday. After careful search, they have identified which car they will steal and then ditch after the robbery. So they may well be guilty of conspiracy in all fifty states. (I assume away all Soros-inspired attorneys general.)

In sharp contrast, on the basis of libertarian theory, the three miscreants are not yet guilty of any rights violation whatsoever. Whom have they, at least so far, victimized? No one. If what they have so far done is a crime, it is a victimless crime.

They might have aborted their plan ten minutes before they were scheduled to implement it. If so, what crime did they commit? If bad intentions, of which they are certainly guilty, are criminalized, then all of us  except, perhaps, for a few saints, and I am not even sure of them in this regard  would be in jail when caught.

I am now thinking of punching you in the nose, gentle reader. I can anticipate, in loving detail in my minds eye, how your proboscis will feel when impacted by my fist. I can just see the blood flowing. I have plotted my escape route. Ha, the cops will never catch me, since I am now wearing a COVID mask.

But good sense and morality prevails, and I do not follow through on this dastardly deed. Am I a criminal nevertheless? Yes, according to the laws now on the books. No, on the basis of libertarian law and common sense.

Image via Raw Pixel.
Many people erroneously assume all Californians smoke woke. Thats not true! There are still a lot of Patriots in the once-Golden Statejust not enough of us. We try hard, but we cant move the political needle, so the legislative craziness continues unabated.

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, registration in the state is:

Democrats 46.9%

Republicans 23.8%

NPP/Decline to state 22.5%

Even with many former Republicans who registered as third-party voters but still vote red, the data show that, while were still here, there simply arent enough of us to move the dial. There are not enough Patriots who know there are only two genders, that the southern border should be shut, and that slave reparations are a stupid idea.

Image by Steve Shook. CC BY 2.0.

No wonder that, even for the Democrat majority, the gorgeous weather and scenery still arent enough to compensate for ridiculous housing prices, ridiculous tax rates, ridiculous crime, ridiculous legislation, and a ridiculous governor. So, they abandon California and move to a red state.

Its sort of like an updated theme song to The Beverly Hillsbillies:

Come and listen to a story about Californian named Jed

A poor Los Angeleno, barely kept his family fed,

And then one day he was shopping for some food,

And up through the parking lot came a carjacking dude.

Steal that black and gold Hyundai.

Well, the first thing you know ol Jeds without a car,

Kinfolk said Jed move away from there, move far

Said Florida is the place you ought to be

So they loaded up the truck and moved to Tallahassee.

Florida, that is.

Low taxes, no sanctuary cities!

To give you an idea of what a permanent Democrat majority means for the once Golden state, here is my synopsis of the stories reported in the April 24-30 Epoch Times weekly California print section:

The Feces Streets of San Francisco  A senate panel killed a bipartisan bill that would have banned homeless camps on city streets when shelter space is available. (Even a sane bipartisan bill couldnt make it to the floor for a vote.)

 A senate panel killed a bill that would have banned homeless camps on city streets when shelter space is available. (Even a sane bipartisan bill couldnt make it to the floor for a vote.) A Fistful of Business Dollars  Senate Bill 1272 would require businesses to give cash to anyone who has their gift card but prefers cash if the balance is less than $25. (With skyrocketing robberies, businesses love the idea of keeping more cash on hand.)

 Senate Bill 1272 would require businesses to give cash to anyone who has their gift card but prefers cash if the balance is less than $25. (With skyrocketing robberies, businesses love the idea of keeping more cash on hand.) Gone With the Sanity  Senate Bill 1403 would create the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency to assist with determining eligibility for reparations. (When California entered the union in 1850 it was as a FREE state, but lets give money to people who were never slaves from people who were never slaveholders.)

 Senate Bill 1403 would create the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency to assist with determining eligibility for reparations. (When California entered the union in 1850 it was as a FREE state, but lets give money to people who were never slaves from people who were never slaveholders.) Sister City Act  San Francisco is suing Oakland over the latters airport name change. (Guess all the Bay Citys other problems have been resolved.)

 San Francisco is suing Oakland over the latters airport name change. (Guess all the Bay Citys other problems have been resolved.) Panic in Needle Park  Santa Monica leaders and residents want Los Angeles County health officials to stop their needle exchange program. (Who doesnt want their kids playing in parks filled with dirty needles?)

 Santa Monica leaders and residents want Los Angeles County health officials to stop their needle exchange program. (Who doesnt want their kids playing in parks filled with dirty needles?) The Towering Inferno  Californians are having trouble finding and/or affording homeowners fire insurance coverage, and this includes some fire stations. (Guess therell be lots of barbecues this summer.)

 Californians are having trouble finding and/or affording homeowners fire insurance coverage, and this includes some fire stations. (Guess therell be lots of barbecues this summer.) Good to the Last Drop  Assembly Bill 2066 would ban one of the three ways coffee is decaffeinated. (I dont care how the coffee is decafed, just give me some java!)

 Assembly Bill 2066 would ban one of the three ways coffee is decaffeinated. (I dont care how the coffee is decafed, just give me some java!) Sex, Lies, Videotape and California  Senate Bill 1435 would have required school districts to restrict books with sexual content in elementary and middle schools. It was killed in the Senate Education Committee. (Probably killed by the same nincompoops that think there are 132 genders.)

Speaking of killed, there was also good news in the California section. Legislation that would have expanded Californias liberal end-of-life law was withdrawn. Since my husband is hiding the butter knives until after the November election, he welcomed the news.

I cant wait to read this weeks California section, as its sure to share more about Gov. Gavin Hair Gel Newsome proclaiming April as Arab Heritage Month.

Before you laugh at the insanity of Newsoms California, consider that if we dont win the House, Senate, and White House in November, our beloved constitutional republic will morph into a radical socialist nation. No matter where in America you live, you will be in the United States of California.

Robin M. Itzler is a regular contributor to American Thinker. She can be reached at PatriotNeighbors@yahoo.com.
I have been brooding for days about a story in the Daily Mail that offers an experts prediction about who will win in 2024, based on his analysis of past election data: Hes calling it for Joe Biden. Normally, Allan Lichtman is worth taking seriously because hes predicted the popular vote winner every year since 1984. However, 2024 is an anomalous year, and I think (and hope) that this year, he misunderstands the operative facts.

According to the Daily Mail:

A historian who has correctly predicted every presidential election since 1984 has declared that 'a lot would have to go wrong' for Joe Biden to lose to Donald Trump - in November. Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University in Washington, DC, devised a system, which he terms '13 Keys', and wrote a 1980s book explaining the idea. He says the technique enables him 'to predict the outcome of the popular vote solely on historical factors and not the use of candidate-preference polls, tactics or campaign events.' Despite polls showing Biden in trouble nationally and behind in several swing states, Lichtman believes its [sic] still in the president's favor to retain office, with two of his 13 keys - lack of serious primary challenge and incumbency - already in Biden's favor.

All thirteen keys are as follows:

Which party controls the House in the midterms

Whether someone is challenging the incumbent in the primaries

The fact that one of the candidates is the incumbent

Whether theres a significant third party

Short-term economic prospects

Long-term economic prospects

Whether the incumbent brought about major changes in American policies

Social unrest

Scandal

Major military and foreign policy failures

Major military and foreign policy successes

Incumbents charisma

Challengers charisma

Looking at the bullet points of Lichtmans factors (and I have not read his book), Im a bit confused as to his pronouncement in Bidens favor.

Which party controls the House in the midterms: Since the midterms, Republicans have controlled the House, although just barely.

Whether someone is challenging the incumbent in the primaries: RFK, Jr., did challenge Biden, but the Democrat party froze him out using obvious election interference. Democrat voters arent going to forget that they didnt get to cast a vote for their preferred presidential candidate.

The fact that one of the candidates is the incumbent: Yes, thats in Bidens favor, although increasing numbers of Americans believe that he cheated his way into the White House, which works against him.

Whether theres a significant third party: When the Democrat party drove out RFK, Jr., they turned him into a significant third party who seems to hurt Biden more than Trump.

Short-term economic prospects: There is a battle over the statistics about Americas economic health, but whats clear is that peoples grocery bills are, on average, 30% higher than in 2020.

Long-term economic prospects: Bidens energy, tax, and immigration policies are all on a trajectory to hurt the economy very badly.

Whether the incumbent brought about major changes in American policies: Yes, they certainly did, on everything from immigration to crime and punishment, to political lawfare, to the economy, to so-called transgenderism, to foreign policy, to racial matters, to the Middle East. The verdict seems to be that Americans are deeply pessimistic about the changes Joe wrought.

Social unrest: Lots of it, and Democrats are not just inert in the face of the growing social unrest; they are encouraging it.

Scandal: Those who can work their way through the medias praetorian guard know about Hunter Bidens laptop, Bidens decades of pay-for-play, and his corrupt lawfare against his political opponent. Trumps scandals have been debunked.

Major military and foreign policy failures: Aside from the embarrassing withdrawal from Afghanistan, wars are popping up across the globe on Bidens watch. Moreover, these are bad, WWIII kinds of wars, not just regional skirmishes. On Trumps watch, there was world peace.

Major military and foreign policy successes: None for Biden; world peace for Trump.

Incumbent charisma: None. No one except paid activists can get excited about a crepuscular, barely sentient, child-sniffing, almost-cadaver.

Challenger charisma: Buckets-full.

There are two other factors that Lichtman hasnt accounted for.

One: This is the first election since 1892 that, while it involves an incumbent, still allows Americans to compare two presidential terms head-to-head. The norm is for the incumbent to face someone who assures voters that, given the chance, he can do better. This time, however, as was the case when Grover Cleveland ran against Chester A. Arthur in 1892, voters can do that head-to-head comparison. And in 1892, Cleveland won. [See UPDATE, below.]

Two: This is the first election in which the incumbent is using the power of the government to destroy his opponent. Americans still like fair play. Thats why Trumps popularity has grown since the lawfare began. If he gets convictedwhich is likely considering the careful forum shoppingthat wont destroy him. Instead, it will convince many Americans that if they dont like lawfare as a campaign tactic, Trump must win.

So, Lichtmans been right before (although he only got it partially right in 2000, when Al Gore, whom he predicted as the victor, got the popular vote but not the Electoral College vote). This year, I believeand hopethat Lichtmans predictive abilities have broken completely before the bizarre realities of 2024.

Image by AI

UPDATE: It's always a fatal mistake when I rely on my memory without double-checking my facts. Thankfully, a friend helped me out:

Grover Cleveland did not run against Chester A. Arthur in 1892. It was a three-way race with Republican Benjamin Harrison and Populist party candidate, James B Weaver, who, incidentally, carried 5 states and garnered 22 electoral votes. Chester A. Arthur never ran for the office of President. He succeeded the assassinated James Garfield in 1881 and completed his term. However, the Republican Party declined to nominate him in 1884, selecting instead James G Blaine, who was defeated by Grover Cleveland for Cleveland's first term. Many people believe that a lawsuit directed against Arthur challenging his qualification for office played a role in his defeat in 1884. His father was a British immigrant from Canada at the time of Arthur's birth to a US citizen mother in Vermont. It is regrettable this lawsuit was dismissed as moot when Arthur was passed over for the nomination. I believe SCOTUS would have ultimately ruled he was not a natural born citizen, as his father did not naturalize until Chester was 14 years old. A ruling such as this would have eliminated Barack Obama and Kamala Harris from the presidency and Vice Presidency.

Well, I was totally wrong on my facts, but I think my argument still works, which is we have two men squaring off who both served four years and whose records are on display. This differs from the usual situation, which is an incumbent versus something making promises, or two people make promises. This time, voters have hard facts.
By Luna Sun

GWANGJU  A vocational college in Korea is opening its doors to train and ensure employment for international students, more than half of whom are Chinese, to become skilled workers amid nationwide labor shortages.

With the worker shortage showing no signs of abating amid a growing reliance on foreign workers for Korea's economy to move forward, experts anticipate these novel employment-oriented college programs designed exclusively to train foreign laborers will continue to gain traction in the future.

Seoyeong University in Gwangju is launching a new associate degree program exclusively for international students, most of whom are from China and Vietnam, the school's newly established office of international education said.

The university is among very few schools in the country that has partnered with local manufacturers and companies to ensure employment opportunities for international students upon graduation, and it is the first vocational school in the country that provides assistance to foreign graduates in obtaining work visas, the school said.

This September, the first batch of international students will arrive in Gwangju and take part in the Korean language training program, and those who complete it in March 2025 will be able to choose to take the two-year employment-oriented courses in five majors, including practical Korean language studies, industrial engineering, senior welfare, beauty and AI future automotive engineering  mostly industries in which Korea faces critical labor shortages.

HD Hyundai Samho, one of the world's largest shipbuilding companies, will work with the school to develop an employment-linked curriculum reflecting practical knowledge and skills needed in actual duties.

Out of a total of around 10,000 workers at HD Hyundai Samho, about 3,500 are foreign workers, including welders, electricians and plumbers.

The school recently signed a memorandum of understanding with a group of 85 in-house companies under HD Hyundai Samho, under the agreement students can get employed right after acquiring the degree from Seoyeong University.

"Graduates who possess proficiency in the Korean language and adaptation skills to Korean society will be able to obtain an E-7 employment visa without the need for practical skills verification," said Joo Seung-wan, the dean of the College of International Education at Seoyeong University.

Korea is grappling with a severe labor shortage amid the backdrop of a shrinking birthrate and a rapidly aging population.

According to Statistics Korea, foreign workers could account for more than 10 percent of the country's entire workforce by 2042, with the total population growing to as much as 2.94 million by 2042.

In 2024, foreign laborers are expected to make up 8.4 percent of the working-age population, more than doubled from 4 percent in 2022, the stats agency said.

As more than half of the new students will be from China, this could be a new area of collaboration between the two neighbors, said Zhang Huizhi, a professor of northeast Asian studies at Jilin University in Northwest China.

"It solves the labor shortage problem in South Korea and could ease China's high youth unemployment by export of labor services," she said.

"It has great prospects; the two countries are complementary."

Chinese schools should also partner with companies to ensure that the trained individuals are employable, she said, adding that both companies and schools need to be more motivated and take more initiative.

In the meantime, China is also grappling with a shortage of skilled blue-collar workers  a structural dilemma coupled with high youth unemployment, as young people opt not to go into factories, despite the often higher wages compared to entry-level office jobs, due to the longstanding perception of factory jobs as inferior.

"Many people would be willing to go [to Korea], the government would not prevent it, but if China wants to retain talents, it has to be more competitive," Zhang said.

Chinese students will also be incentivized to come, as foreign students receive a 30 percent scholarship, making the annual cost around 60,000 ($8,284.32) to 70,000 Chinese yuan, which is not much more than getting an associate degree at home.

"With this program, employment is ensured, and students can get a monthly salary of around 20,000 Chinese yuan upon graduation, as well as an overseas degree; this is much more than what they could get at a factory job in China," said Zhou Yonggang, director at Seoyeong University's China office and in charge of its admissions in China.

Since March, Seoyeong University has paid visits to China's Weihai, Qingdao, Shenyang and Jinan and formed new partnerships with four vocational high schools.

In 2023, Korea had 133 junior colleges  those with a two- or three-year curriculum for technical training courses  according to the Ministry of Education.

About half of them admit international students, but without any guarantee for employment, the employment rate for foreign students is no more than 10 percent.

Seoyeong is among the only five schools that have similar partnerships with companies that ensure employment for students.

Through partnership with vocational colleges, companies are able to secure a stable source of foreign workers equipped with basic communicative competence and job-related skills, said Kim Byeong-su, managing director of Hyundai Samho's 85 in-house companies.

Kim said the companies are able to save time and effort and expect better work processes and more productivity through "the exemplary employment-linked model."

"Most foreign workers are thrown into workplaces without prior training such as Korean language, culture learning courses and vocational training," he said.

"In fact, most of the foreign employees here suffer language barriers and the lack of background knowledge and skills related to their duties, hindering efficient productivity."

The majors offered exclusively to foreign students are all catered to industries with severe labor shortages.

According to a report by the Bank of Korea, by 2042, the country is expected to face a shortfall of 1.55 million caretakers to care for older adults, the sick and children due to an aging society.

Industrial engineering majors are trained to be welders at shipyards and steel mills and will be employed at affiliated companies.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, most of the surging new hires in the country's shipbuilding industry are foreign hires  during the first three quarters of last year, new hires in the shipbuilding industry numbered 14,359, with foreign workers accounting for 86 percent, while domestic hires stood at a mere 2,020.

Currently, 16 percent of the country's approximately 93,000 workers in the shipbuilding industry are foreign laborers.

The AI future automotive engineering program will train students to be employed in electric vehicle maintenance while the school's education and training are customized for employment by local Korean businesses.

Luna Sun is an economy reporter with the South China Morning Post. She is currently based in Seoul, reporting for both The Korea Times and the South China Morning Post under an exchange program.


The European Union (EU) has claimed that Facebook and Instagram arent doing enough to curb disinformation, especially about elections. The EU has opened yet another investigation into the operations of these social media platforms claiming it suspects they could be breaching regional content rules.

The EU is blaming Facebook and Instagram for poorly tackling misinformation

The EU is heading into a major election this year. Elections for the European Parliament take place from June 6 to June 9, 2024.

As with every nation, even the EU is concerned about disinformation campaigns, intended specifically to disrupt fair elections. Hence, the European Commission has claimed Facebook and Instagram arent doing their part in curbing misinformation from spreading on their platforms.

Speaking about the growing menace of disinformation on social platforms, EU digital chief Margrethe Vestager said,

We suspect that Metas moderation is insufficient, that it lacks the transparency of advertisements and content moderation procedures. So today, we have opened proceedings against Meta to assess their compliance with the Digital Services Act

We have opened formal proceedings against Meta to assess whether Facebook and Instagram may have breached the Digital Services Act in areas linked to:  Disinformation

 Visibility of political content

 Non-availability of election-monitoring tools

 Mechanisms to flag pic.twitter.com/2Fu0LGzINy  European Commission (@EU_Commission) April 30, 2024

The European Commission has initiated an investigation into Facebook and Instagram. Essentially, the EU is concerned that Meta isnt doing enough to tackle deceptive advertising and disinformation.

The EU is basing its investigations on the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA gives the EU far-reaching powers and jurisprudence over the Big Tech. It can mandate online tech giants take a stricter approach to addressing illegal content.

Is the EU singling out Meta and its properties?

Several social media platforms are operating around the world, including in the EU. Platforms such as TikTok, Mastodon, X (formerly Twitter), and even instant messaging apps too, are effective tools for spreading propaganda and running disinformation campaigns.

It may feel as if the European Commission is going after Meta and its properties such as Facebook and Instagram. However, thats not true.

The EU claims Meta does not wholeheartedly comply with DSA obligations. The Commission has reportedly accused Meta of falling short of addressing the dissemination of deceptive advertisements, disinformation campaigns, and coordinated inauthentic behavior in the EU.

#RaceToPower | EU probe Meta over election-related content Instagram and Facebook under scanner for Russian disinformation EU wary of Russia's meddling before parliament election in June@AnanyaDutta97 brings you this report Watch more: https://t.co/dm7SyC01cG pic.twitter.com/T7qdkrhm9A  WION (@WIONews) April 30, 2024

As expected, Meta has strongly defended its risk-mitigating process. Speaking about the investigation, a Meta spokesperson said,

We have a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work.

The European Commission has lamented about the absence of an effective third-party real-time civic discourse and election-monitoring tool. These should have been not only present and ready but also operational before the upcoming.

If thats not enough, Meta recently phased out its disinformation-tracking CrowdTangle feature. The company hasnt yet announced an appropriate replacement. The EU has now given Meta a mere five days to inform the European Commission about remedial actions the company has taken to address its concerns.
In another round of layoffs, Google has let go of multiple employees and restructured the Flutter, Dart, and Python divisions. These mass layoffs could be part of the search giants massive internal reorganization.

Google lays off multiple members of Flutter, Dart, and Python teams

Google has let multiple employees go from some of the core and critically important platforms. Some of the platforms that were affected the most, include Flutter, Dart, and Python.

Google has confirmed the latest round of downsizing and restructuring of the internal teams to TechCrunch. Speaking about the layoffs, Google spokesperson Alex Garcia-Kummert said,

As weve said, were responsibly investing in our companys biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead. To best position us for these opportunities, throughout the second half of 2023 and into 2024, a number of our teams made changes to become more efficient and work better, remove layers, and align their resources to their biggest product priorities.

Comment

byu/fintechninja from discussion

inFlutterDev

Google has maintained silence on the total number of employees it has let go, and the specific teams that were affected. The company claimed it is not executing another company-wide downsizing. Reorgs that are part of the normal course of business, the company assured, adding, Affected employees will be able to apply for other open roles at Google.

Although Google hasnt mentioned a number, a recent WARN notice filed on April 24, indicates Google may have laid off a total of 50 employees across three locations in Sunnyvale. Although the numbers look similar, these terminations could be different from the recent layoffs over sit-in protests on Google campuses.

Google accused of offshoring key roles while downsizing in the US

Google, as a company, is undergoing fundamental and phenomenal changes. The search giant recently merged two of its biggest departments.

The new team, called Platforms and Devices, will oversee all of Googles Pixel products, all of Android, Chrome, ChromeOS, Photos, and more. Essentially, Google has merged software and hardware departments into one super team. Google has created this new department to prioritize AI infusion in multiple products quickly.

#Google's shakeup includes #layoffs across key teams like #Python, Flutter, and Dart. Initial reports of the entire #Pythonteam being fired were clarified  a new Munich-based team stepped in. Discussions surge on social media about the impact of #AI and ML #development. pic.twitter.com/u8u5PmJSnl  GameMatrix.io (@GameMatrix_io) April 30, 2024

Google has been scaling back its ambitions in certain markets. The company recently confirmed that a few hundred jobs in the companys AR, core engineering, and Google Assistant teams were cut from each team. Alex seemed to imply the same approach this time around when he said,

Through this, were simplifying our structures to give employees more opportunity to work on our most innovative and important advances and our biggest company priorities, while reducing bureaucracy and layers

However, multiple Google employees, affected by the latest mass layoffs, took to social media platforms to confirm the developments. Some of the affected employees have claimed Google has essentially shifted key roles to other countries. In other words, Google is accused of shifting jobs outside the US.
Huawei announced its new flagship smartphone series in China quite recently. Were talking about the Pura 70 smartphone series. We assumed that the Huawei Pura 70 devices would make their way to global markets, and they seem to be coming.

The Huawei Pura 70 phones are coming to global markets, it has been confirmed

The Huawei Pura 70 and Pura 70 Pro have been spotted on the SIRIM website in Malaysia. The two devices come with model numbers ADY-LX9 and HBN-LX9, respectively. This is a sign that global models are out there. Models in other markets, outside of Malaysia, will basically be very similar software-wise.

Whats interesting is that the Huawei Pura 70 Pro+ and Pura 70 Ultra havent been spotted yet. Those are the two most powerful variants that the company announced. Well, those variants are likely coming too, at least the Ultra.

Knowing Huawei, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra will become available in a global variant. Thats the companys crown jewel, and Huawei will want users to get their hands on it, at least in some markets outside of China. We expect it to arrive to Europe.

All four devices utilize Huaweis Kirin chips

All four of these smartphones are fueled by Kirin processors, but not the same ones. The Huawei Pura 70 comes with the Kirin 9000S1, which is a downclocked variant of the Kirin 9000S. The other three models are said to utilize the Kirin 9010, Huaweis new 7nm processor.

The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is easily the most interesting phone in the series. It comes with a top-of-the-line camera hardware. This is the first time Huawei used a 1-inch sensor, while sensor-shift OIS is also utilized, not to mention variable aperture. That camera sensor is also retractable, which has a role to play in photography as well.

When these devices drop to markets outside of China, dont expect them to come with Google services. Huaweis own services will be installed, and the US ban is the reason why.
Both the Google Pixel 7 Pro and Google Pixel 8 Pro phones come with a glossy camera bar. The bar is made of aluminum, which scratches easily. While a protective case solves the issue, it takes away the look of the device and many cases also make the phone considerably thicker.

A user of the Pixel 8 Pro has scoured the camera bar with Scotch Brite for a brushed finish

Surprisingly, a Reddit user has found a unique solution to the problem. He has scoured the camera bar of his Pixel 8 Pro for a brushed finish. He has shared images of the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro with a Reddit post revealing what he did.

The user noted Resale be damned, I cant stand the glossy camera bar on the P7P or P8P. So I used Scotch Brite pads to do what Google should have done. You can see the images below.

Upon closer inspection, youll notice that he has not only scratched the aluminum camera bar but also the upper portion of the back panel of the Google Pixel 7 Pro. Additionally, the Scotch Brite pad could also scratch the glass protective layer over the camera lenses. The latter would not only affect how the phone looks from the back, but also affect the picture quality of the camera.

Nonetheless, with this brushed finish, the Pixel 8 Pro mod will have fewer visible scratches on the aluminum camera bar.

While the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 7 boast a matte aluminum bar, its not clear why Google offers a glossy look on the Pro models. Aside from scratches, it also attracts fingerprints and only looks good when you keep it clean. The same problem is with the glass surface, however, aluminum scratches more easily than it.

Fortunately, theres a better solution than this Pixel 8 Pro mod

Notably, a modification like this may also cause you trouble in claiming a warranty. Luckily theres a solution for people who want to use their phone with a case. Users of the two latest Pro Pixel phones can prevent the camera bar from scratching with skins from skin manufacturers like dbrand. It preserves the sleek look of the phone, adds a unique look to the phone, and also does not interfere with the warranty.
The intersection between AI and politics is getting a lot more foot traffic nowadays because of the impending U.S. election. Not only that but there are other elections happening around the world this year. Well, a new report uncovered the fact that many right-wing publications allow their content to train AI chatbots.

In order to train AI chatbots, companies need to send out crawlers to different sites. crawlers travel to the sites and scrape text data. This is something that gets certain companies in hot water, as the crawlers could potentially scrape copyrighted information. Currently, Microsoft and OpenAI are in the midst of several lawsuits. The New York Times claims that the companies use copyrighted articles to train their AI models. Also, a handful of other publications including New York Daily News is suing the companies for much the same reason. This is why most publications choose to block these crawlers.

Most right-wing publications allow their data to train AI chatbots

Recent data reviews that about 88% of top news publications do not want crawlers on their sites. So, its pretty obvious where most publications stand on this matter. However, Ontario-based AI detection startup Originality AI conducted a study on 44 top news sites. The study revealed that nearly all of the sites block crawlers as well. However, of the sites, nine of them were right-leaning publications. All of the right leading publications opt to have crawlers scrape their data. These publications include Fox News, Breitbart, and the Daily Caller.

Obviously, studies like these should not be taken as objective proof of a partys agenda. However, the fact that all of the surveyed right-wing publications allow for crawlers does raise some speculation. Some sources have argued that this could be a tactic to steer AI toward right-wing ideals.

The thing is that AI chatbots are more likely to reproduce information based on the information that theyre fed. So, if a chatbot is predominantly receiving information from right-leaning publications, then it could ostensibly lie right itself. However, that is yet to be seen
Samsung may have just confirmed the existence of a third Galaxy Watch 7 model. While we already have credible evidence that the company is readying an Ultra watch, it recently dropped a massive hint from its side. The Korean firm said it plans to bring new premium smartwatches to the market this year. It must be referring to the rumored Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra, aka Galaxy Watch 7 Pro.

Samsung confirms it is working on new premium smartwatches

For the past few years, Samsung has launched two models of its latest smartwatches. The standard model comes in a sleek design and a smaller size. The other is a more sporty watch with a physical rotating bezel (Classic) or a massive battery (Pro). However, in an unexpected turn of events, rumors suggest the company will launch three models of the Galaxy Watch 7 this year.

Regulatory certifications have already revealed an upcoming Samsung smartwatch (model number SM-L705) with a 600mAh battery. Initially expected to be called the Galaxy Watch 7 Pro, it might arrive as the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra or simply the Galaxy Watch Ultra. After all, it will be the first Ultra-branded watch from Samsung. While we wait for confirmation on its name, the company has confirmed the plans.

In its Q1 2024 earnings report, Samsung said that it is looking to strengthen the Galaxy ecosystem experience through new wearable products. It is expanding to a new form factor with the Galaxy Ring. Additionally, it will strive to meet demand for upgrades through the launch of new premium models in its smartwatch lineup. The Korean firm appears to be hinting at the third Galaxy Watch 7 model.

It could be a rectangular watch

Samsungs first Ultra-branded watch could have a square or rectangular shape. While unconfirmed, rumors about it have been around for a long. The company could equip it with a powerful new processor, its first 3nm chip. The watch could also feature 32GB of storage and blood sugar monitoring. From what it looks like, Samsung might be aiming to rival Apples Watch Ultra lineup with its upcoming premium smartwatch. We shall find out soon.

Rumors say Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Watch 7 lineup in the first half of July. The launch event will reportedly take place in Paris, France. The company will also launch the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 foldables at the same event. There are also rumors about a Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra. Leaks about these devices might soon pick up intensity as Samsung prepares for the launch. We will keep you posted.
No app developer likes paying 30% of their in-app purchase revenue to app stores, and this issue has come up countless times over the years. Famously, Epic Games has been extremely vehement about this. Well, it appears that TikTok is the next company to defy Apples store fee. According to a new report, TikTok is bypassing Apples App Store fee.

App developers wanting to put their apps on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store will need to come to terms with the fact that 30 of every dollar they earn from in-app purchases will go to the respective app stores. Thats pretty ridiculous, and many companies have been outspoken about it. For example, companies like Amazon and Hulu have halted purchases through the Google Play Store. In order to pay for your Hulu service or buy ebooks from Kindle, you have to go to each companys respective website.

For the time being, companies are fighting back against these fees, but they still persist. Over time, were going to see more companies step up to the plate.

TikTok is bypassing the App Store fee

All the glamorous and big-time TikTok creators arent only getting rich off of ad revenue. TikTok has a tipping system where fans can buy a currency called TikTok Tokens to give to creators they love. These are similar to Bits in Twitch.

Well, if you want to tip your creator through the App Store, youre also going to be tipping Apple. Every dollar you spend in tips will be 30% lighter once it reaches TikTok.

However, TikTok is apparently offering users links to buy tokens from tiktok.com. Users will see a prompt pop-up giving them the option to buy from the website. Buying tokens from the TikTok website will mean that more of the money will go to the company and not Apple.

Obviously, the Cupertino company will not like this. A similar tactic got Epic Games into hot water with Apple several years ago. However, it doesnt seem that TikTok is targeting everyone with these prompts. It appears that the company has its sights set on people who are liable to spend a lot of money on a single purchase. So, people spending only a few dollars may not see the prompt. However, people spending entire sections of their paychecks on their TikTok celebrities may see it.

Its tough to say what Apple will do

Well, Apple could simply ban TikTok from its platform, and maybe shoot itself in the foot in the process. TikTok boasts more than a billion monthly active users and many of them spend money on the platform. Undoubtedly, TikTok brings in hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in app store fees. So, were not sure if Apple will immediately sweep TikTok from its store. If anything, we expect them to come to some sort of agreement over the matter.

At the moment, neither TikTok nor Apple has commented on this news.
The Vivo X100 Ultra, with satellite connectivity, is the top-end variant in the upcoming premium Vivo X-series smartphones. This variant has now bagged the 3C certification in China. It appears Vivo is racing towards launching these premium smartphones soon.

Vivo X100 Ultra Satellite Communication Edition secures Chinas 3C and MIIT certification

Vivo could launch the highly-hyped Vivo X100s and the Vivo X100 Ultra smartphones this month. These high-end, no-compromise smartphones are the first to belong to the newly created Vivos Ultra series.

Similar to the Xiaomi Mix edition smartphones, the Vivo Ultra series device will reportedly pack cutting-edge technology. Vivo has repeatedly hinted these devices would have professional quality imaging hardware.

Vivo x100 ULTRA camera specs   50MP LYT 900 1"-inch main sensor

 50MP LYT 600 UltraWide

 200MP 1/1.4-inch Ultra -large Periscopic

 32MP Front

 ZEISS brand Imaging#vivoX100Ultra #Vivo #vivoX100s pic.twitter.com/z2EJ7R0PE6  Technology Sanjay (@ThakorSanj62679) May 1, 2024

The Vivo X100 Ultra has two variants. The regular iteration will have support for 5G connectivity. But, the higher-end variant, called Vivo X100 Ultra Satellite Communication Edition will also support satellite connectivity.

Recent reports indicated the Vivo X100 Ultra with just 5G connectivity is tagged with model number V2366GA. The Vivo X100 Ultra with satellite connectivity, however, is a different model. Vivo has been securing the necessary approvals for the device under model number V2366HA.

The Vivo V2366GA recently secured approval from Chinese certification platforms and now, the V2366HA has reportedly cleared the process. Incidentally, the Vivo X100 Ultra with Satellite connectivity has already secured radio certification in China.

Multiple upcoming smartphones to support satellite connectivity

The Vivo X100 Ultra Satellite Communication Edition recently bagged the MIIT certification. The certification indicated that it will support the Tiantong satellite communication system.

The Vivo X100 Ultra is the first Vivo smartphone to support satellite connectivity. However, it is not the only smartphone with this feature. Several Chinese smartphone manufacturers are actively embedding chips that communicate with geosynchronous satellites.

vivo X100 Ultra and vivo X100s coating renderings exposed. vivo X100 Ultra satellite communication version has been approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for radio, model V2366HA

Supports Tiantong-1 satellite communication connection.#vivox100ultra pic.twitter.com/eVZWNAFUfr  Sujan Tharu (@SujanTharu66) April 27, 2024

The Huawei Mate 60 Pro+, Huawei P70 Ultra, Xiaomi 14 Ultra, and Oppo Find X7 Ultra are just some of the devices that support satellite connectivity support. These devices can make calls and receive messages by communicating with satellites.

Currently, smartphones communicate with the nearest cell tower, which, in turn, relays data to a nearby server. Almost all prevalent mobile communication standards work this way as they are faster and more efficient. However, companies like Starlink, OneWeb, and others are rapidly offering internet, voice, and text communication via satellites. Chinese smartphone manufacturers are taking this a step further.

The Tiantong satellite mobile communication system offers communication services over the S-band. The system currently includes Tiantong 1-01 and Tiantong 1-02 satellites and may welcome more in the future. Needless to say, these devices would offer satellite communication in select regions located in Asia.
Gov't unveils steps to encourage women and young people to join workforce

By Lee Yeon-woo

The government intends to double paternity leave to 20 days, up from the current 10, while also substantially boosting parental leave allowances. It is also restructuring tax support measures, originally designed for women with career interruptions, to include men, and developing tailored employment support programs for young people.

These government initiatives, aimed at enhancing job quality and working conditions, are seen as crucial steps toward improving social mobility in Korea.

The government's strategy for enhancing social mobility focuses on three key areas of employment, educational opportunities, and asset formation, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said at an economy-related ministers meeting, Wednesday.

These measures were introduced in response to concerns that the upward social mobility ladder has eroded in various sectors, impacting the dynamism of the country's economy.

First, the government will extend paternity leave from 10 to 20 working days, which is approximately one month after factoring in weekends. This change addresses criticism that the shorter duration hinders fathers from actively participating in child care following birth. Additionally, the allowance during child care leave will gradually rise from the current monthly cap of 1.5 million won ($1,080).

Tax incentives for hiring individuals who have experienced career interruptions due to childbirth or child care will be expanded. Currently, companies can receive a tax deduction for up to three years if they rehire individuals within the same industry. The government intends to remove this industry-specific limitation and extend support to include men who have also experienced career interruptions.

Implementing these measures will necessitate revisions to laws pertaining to gender-equal employment.

To assist young jobseekers and the NEET group (those not in education, employment, or training), the government plans to launch an all-care platform. This platform will integrate data from the education ministry regarding students and data from the labor ministry on job information. The government hopes this comprehensive approach will enable proactive employment services are offered to jobseekers.

As part of its initiative to broaden educational opportunities for low-income groups, the government plans to increase the amount of scholarships.

College students should not be faced with a dilemma where they must choose between pursuing their studies and earning a livelihood, Choi said. The public sector will increase hiring individuals with high school diplomas, and efforts will be made to encourage the private sector to follow suit, he added.

For those in mandatory military service, the criteria for remote course credits will be expanded to support their continued education. Furthermore, the government plans to increase the monthly contribution to soldiers' savings from 400,000 won to 500,000 won starting next year.

In order to promote asset accumulation through earned income, the government decided to eliminate the restriction that limits individuals to one Individual Savings Account (ISA) each.

"The government is committed to prioritizing the improvement of social mobility, starting with this years budget allocations and tax reforms," a finance ministry official said. "By developing social mobility statistics based on a sample of over 10 million people, we aim to systematically analyze trends and factors, thereby guiding further measures."

The second set of support measures related to these initiatives is scheduled to be introduced in the latter half of this year.
Adrian Newey, one of the most celebrated designers in Formula One history, will leave Red Bull next year.

Red Bull confirmed that the 65-year-old Briton, considered to be the mastermind behind the teams unprecedented dominance of the sport, is set to end his two-decade stay in the first quarter of 2025.

The news is set to spark a bidding war for Neweys services, with Ferrari  soon to be joined by Lewis Hamilton  in pole position to sign him.

Neweys departure also places further pressure on Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

Horner paid tribute to Newey describing him as a true legend and hailing his vision and brilliance.

Horner said: All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrians hand on the technical tiller.

His vision and brilliance have helped us to 13 titles in 20 seasons.

His exceptional ability to conceptualise beyond F1 and bring wider inspiration to bear on the design of grand prix cars, his remarkable talent for embracing change and finding the most rewarding areas of the rules to focus on, and his relentless will to win have helped Red Bull Racing to become a greater force than I think even the late Dietrich Mateschitz might have imagined.

More than that, the past 19 years with Adrian have been enormous fun. For me, when Adrian joined Red Bull, he was already a superstar designer. Two decades and 13 Championships later he leaves as a true legend. He is also my friend and someone I will be eternally grateful to for everything he brought to our partnership.

Newey, who is expected to be in Miami for this weekends race, said: Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars. My dream was to be an engineer in Formula One, and Ive been lucky enough to make that dream a reality.

For almost two decades it has been my great honour to have played a key role in Red Bull Racings progress from upstart newcomer to multiple title-winning team.

However, I feel now is an opportune moment to hand that baton over to others and to seek new challenges for myself. In the interim, the final stages of development of RB17 are upon us, so for the remainder of my time with the team my focus will lie there.

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner alongside chief technical officer Adrian Newey at the Bahrain Grand Prix (David Davies/PA).

As Newey is free to join another team when he leaves Red Bull it paves the way for him to have an impact on the 2026 car for whichever team he joins. The next major change in regulations is due in 2026 and having Newey on board would give his next employers a significant advantage.

McLaren and Mercedes are understood not to be interested in Newey while the PA news agency understands he is unlikely to join Aston Martin leaving Ferrari as the frontrunner

Neweys departure comes in the wake of Horner being accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female employee. He was exonerated by Red Bulls parent company GmbH on the eve of last months curtain raiser in Bahrain and has always denied the claims.

It remains to be seen what effect Neweys Red Bull exit will have on the teams superstar driver Max Verstappen. The three-time world champion has refused on multiple occasions to confirm he will remain with the team beyond this year.
The decision of a failed asylum seeker to voluntarily relocate to Rwanda shows it is a safe country, a Cabinet minister has said.

The unnamed man is the first to have voluntarily moved to Rwanda after being offered up to 3,000 financial aid and sent on a commercial flight to the central African country, the PA news agency understands.

The voluntary scheme, which was widened to include Rwanda earlier this year, is separate from the Governments plan to deport to the East African country people crossing the Channel in small boats.

Kemi Badenoch said the news that the unnamed man had moved to Rwanda after being offered up to 3,000 to do so should be trumpeted.

Kemi Badenoch said the news a failed asylum seeker had gone to Rwanda should be trumpeted (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

She told Times Radio: One of the big arguments about this scheme was Rwanda wasnt a safe country, and actually people are volunteering to go there.

Ms Badenoch, the Business and Trade Secretary, said it would counter myths about Rwanda, which she described as a leader on the continent both economically and in law and order.

The man who volunteered for the flight is understood not to be from Rwanda originally, though the Sun newspaper, which first reported the story, said he is of African origin.

The failed asylum claimant took the voluntary offer some weeks ago and is understood to now be in Rwanda, with the Sun reporting his flight left on Monday evening.

The news comes ahead of what is expected to be a testing set of local and mayoral elections for Rishi Sunak across England and Wales, in which the Conservatives are likely to suffer heavy losses.

A view of small boats and engines used to cross the Channel by people thought to be migrants at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA)

The Prime Minister has made stopping the boats one of his five pledges to the public, with the asylum seekers removal seen as a signal to voters that the Governments wider migration agenda can be made to work.

A Government spokesperson said: We are now able to send asylum seekers to Rwanda under our migration and economic development partnership.

This deal allows people with no immigration status in the UK to be relocated to a safe third country where they will be supported to rebuild their lives.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, claimed the mans removal to Rwanda shows the Tories are so desperate to get any flight off to Rwanda before the local elections that they have now just paid someone to go.

The Labour frontbencher added: British taxpayers arent just forking out 3,000 for a volunteer to board a plane, they are also paying Rwanda to provide him with free board and lodgings for the next five years.

This extortionate pre-election gimmick is likely to be costing on average 2 million per person.

The Liberal Democrats agreed, with the partys home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael saying: This is cynical nonsense from a Conservative Party that is about to take a drubbing at the local elections.

More than 7,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Paying someone to go to Rwanda highlights just how much of a gimmick and farce their plan is.

But Ms Badenoch said there is no cost-free option for policing our borders, with the alternative involving spending millions of pounds on accommodating asylum seekers in the UK.

The Rwanda deportation plan is yet to be tested, with the legislation aimed at making it legally sound, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act, having passed into law just last week.

The Prime Minister has said it will take between 10 and 12 weeks for deportation flights to Rwanda to begin, meaning they will not start until the summer.

The one-way journeys to Kigali are aimed at deterring other migrants from making the dangerous Channel crossings.

Provisional Home Office figures show 7,567 people have arrived in the UK so far this year after making the journey.

This is a new record high for the first four months of a calendar year and a 27% hike on the number of arrivals recorded for the same period in 2023.
A proposed law paving the way for self-driving cars to be used on Britains roads has cleared the House of Commons.

MPs gave the Automated Vehicles Bill an unopposed third reading and it is on the verge of becoming law.

The Bill, which has previously been supported by the House of Lords, aims to set the legal framework for the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has previously said autonomous cars enabling drivers not to concentrate on the road will be used in the UK from 2026.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has said self-driving cars can improve road safety in Britain (PA)

Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Mr Harper said: This legislation is part of our strategy to make sure that Britain is at the forefront of this exciting new technology, to make sure that we can create well paid, secure jobs in this country and lead this industry.

But also to make sure that we have safer roads, with technology that will contribute to an improvement in road safety and continue Britains leadership in that position.

Shadow transport minister Bill Esterson said he could wholeheartedly agree with Mr Harper about the desirability of the Bill, including the potential to improve road safety and economic opportunities.

A series of Government amendments to tweak parts of the Bill were made in the Commons, meaning peers are expected to give it another look before it clears Parliament.
Barbra Streisand insisted that a comment about Ozempic aimed at US actress Melissa McCarthy was a compliment.

Bridesmaids star McCarthy posted pictures on Instagram from the Center Theatre Group (CTG) gala, wearing a pastel green tulle dress with a matching blazer, alongside US director Adam Shankman in a baby pink suit.

Musical star, actress, writer and director Streisand left a comment on the post: Give him my regards did you take Ozempic? referencing the type two diabetes medicine acknowledged as effective for weight loss.

The comment, which was swiftly deleted, sparked furore online.

Addressing the backlash on her Instagram story, Streisand told her 1.6 million followers: I went on Instagram to see the photos wed posted of the beautiful flowers Id received for my birthday, 82-year-old Streisand said.

Below them was a photo of my friend Melissa McCarthy, who I sang with on my Encore album.

She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay her a compliment.

I forgot the world is reading!

When asked about the comment in a video circulating online, 53-year-old McCarthy said: I think Barbra is a treasure, and I love her.

Streisand is one of a handful of performers to have achieved EGOT status, a term for a select group of stars who have received at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, or Tony award during their career.

Her comments come after Oprah Winfrey starred in an ABC special titled Shame, Blame, And The Weight Loss Revolution.

The special focused on weight-loss medication, which the TV host had previously admitted to taking, although has not specified which medication.

Ozempic can only be prescribed for patients with type two diabetes and is not licensed as a weight-loss drug in the UK or the US, although the UK government acknowledges: It is not authorised for weight-loss, but it is used off-label for that purpose.
American actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni appear loved up in first-look images for forthcoming big-screen romance It Ends With Us.

The 36-year-old actress plays Lily Bloom in the film, based on the novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, about a womans pursuit of a loving and healthy relationship.

On Wednesday, Sony Pictures UK posted a selection of stills from the movie, the first of which depicts the Gossip Girl star in a denim jumpsuit.

The next shows her singing into a microphone across from Jane The Virgin star Baldoni, 40, who also directed the film.

In other images Lively is pictured alongside American comedian and actress Jenny Slate and actor Brandon Sklenar.

The Instagram post said: The book you love is the movie event of the summer. Colleen Hoovers global best-selling phenomenon #ItEndsWithUsMovie is only in cinemas August 9.

The book from Hoover follows Lily as she starts her own business and meets neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid.

The two get closer but as their relationship is put under strain Lily thinks back to her first love, Atlas Corrigan, who suddenly reappears in her life.

In 2023 the production of It Ends With Us was suspended due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.
Dan Schneider has filed a defamation lawsuit against the producers of Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV documentary series, claiming it has irreparably harmed his reputation.

The former Nickelodeon TV producer, who created hit shows including iCarly, Victorious, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101 and The Amanda Show, said the documentary falsely implied he sexually abused the children who worked on his television shows.

The court documents said that while two people who worked on Nickelodeon shows were later convicted of sexual offences, Schneider had no knowledge of their abuse, was not complicit in the abuse, condemned the abuse once it was discovered and, critically, was not a child sexual abuser himself.

But for the sake of clickbait, ratings, and views  or put differently, money  defendants have destroyed Schneiders reputation and legacy through the false statements and implications that Schneider is exactly that, the lawsuit said.

Schneider never sexually abused a child, nor has he been charged or convicted with sexually abusing a child.

The trailer and Quiet On Sets statements and implications to the contrary are both false and made with reckless and malicious disregard for the truth.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in the Los Angeles Superior Court, described Schneiders portrayal in the documentary as a hit job  naming producers Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Brothers Discovery as defendants.

Schneiders reputation and career have been irreparably harmed by the trailers and Quiet On Sets defamatory and malicious content, the documents said.

On a personal level, after the trailers publication, Schneider was immediately contacted by friends and colleagues in disbelief about the trailers false depiction of Schneider as a criminal and child predator.

While these persons know the truth, the overwhelming majority of the public does not  to them, Schneider is and will remain what defendants have portrayed him to be.

The harm to Schneiders reputation, career, and business, to say nothing of his own overwhelming emotional distress, cannot be understated.

The five-part series, which originally aired on US streaming platform Max, levelled allegations at Schneider including his tolerance of toxic workplace conditions and alleged torment and humiliation of cast and crew on his TV sets.

In a statement given to the PA news agency, Schneider said of the lawsuit: Recently the docuseries Quiet On Set highlighted mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon, most of which happened decades ago during my early career as a producer.

There is no doubt that I was sometimes a bad leader.

I am sincerely apologetic and regretful for that behaviour, and I will continue to take accountability for it.

However, after seeing Quiet On Set and its trailer, and the reactions to them, I sadly have no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it.

In their successful attempt to mislead viewers and increase ratings, they went beyond reporting the truth and falsely implied that I was involved in or facilitated horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted.

I have no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss, but it is wrong to mislead millions of people to the false conclusion that I was in any way involved in heinous acts like those committed by child predators.

I owe it to myself, my family, and the many wonderful people involved in making these shows to set the record straight.

Schneider is said to have launched the careers of child actors who became major stars, including Miranda Cosgrove, Jamie Lynn Spears and Ariana Grande.

The defendants named in the lawsuit have been contacted for comment.
The Prime Minister has urged the Irish government not to send police into border areas amid a row over asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic.

Rishi Sunak said the Irish government must uphold its promises to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and avoid setting up checkpoints to prevent asylum seekers entering the country.

Diplomatic tensions between London and Dublin have increased in recent days after Irelands justice minister claimed there had been an upsurge in asylum seekers crossing the border following the passing of the UKs Safety of Rwanda Act.

On Tuesday, the Irish government said 100 police officers would be made available for frontline immigration enforcement duties, although Dublin insisted they would not be assigned to physically police the border with Northern Ireland.

Answering questions in the Commons, Mr Sunak said ministers were seeking urgent clarification that there will be no disruption or police checkpoints at or near the border and that there must not be cherry-picking of important international agreements.

He added: Now, its no surprise that our robust approach to illegal migration is providing a deterrent but the answer is not sending police to villages in Donegal. Its to work with us in partnership to strengthen our external borders all around the Common Travel Area that we share.

His comments came in response to a question from DUP MP Carla Lockhart, who accused the Irish government of hypocrisy given its stance on the border during Brexit negotiations.

Downing Street has repeatedly stressed that the UK is under no legal obligation to accept returns of asylum seekers from Ireland, and would not do so while France continued to refuse to accept returns from the UK.

There is an operational agreement on the Common Travel Area with Ireland which Dublin says provides for returning asylum seekers, but the Prime Ministers official spokesman said this was not legally binding and nobody had been returned to the UK under its terms.

Simon Harris has previously said Ireland will not provide a loophole for other countries migration challenges (Brian Lawless/PA)

One person has been returned to Ireland under the agreement since it was signed four years ago, the spokesman added.

On Wednesday, the spokesman said: We obviously work with them on a range of issues, including in relation to security issues in the Common Travel Area, but the UK has no obligation to accept returns.

Labour said it agreed with the Government that the UK should not accept returns from Ireland while Britain is not able to return people who arrive here from the EU.

The Government has claimed the reported increase in asylum seekers entering Ireland from Northern Ireland demonstrated that its Rwanda scheme was already acting as a deterrent.

Irish premier Simon Harris confirmed there will be no police sent to border areas.

Asked if the UK Government had sought clarification from Dublin that there will be no police checkpoints at the border, Mr Harris said he had no idea.

Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday about reports of border police, he said: Of course there wont be.

Im not getting involved in British politics and Im very well aware there is local elections due in the UK tomorrow and Ive no interest as Taoiseach of this country of being involved in day to day back and forth in the House of Commons.

But what I do have an interest in is agreements. Agreements between two countries and I very much welcome the British Prime Ministers comments in relation to the importance of countries upholding agreements. Well uphold the agreement we have with Britain under the Common Travel Area, the standard operating procedure that we have in place.

I also welcome the comments of the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, where he referred to the importance of the two countries working together to protect the Common Travel Area from abuses.

Regularising our laws in relation to the arrangement we have with Britain is only one of a number of things we intend to do to ensure we have a firm, effective migration system.

I think that is the bigger thing that has been done in recent days by my colleague Minister for Justice (Helen McEntee) is around faster processing times for people from Nigeria. I believe that will have a more significant impact in the weeks and months ahead.

It is not clear how many asylum seekers have crossed the border into Ireland.

Irish deputy prime minister Micheal Martin said his colleague Helen McEntees figure of 80% of total border crossings was not evidenced-based, while DUP MP Ian Paisley told the Commons it was made up.

Downing Street said it did not have data on crossings as the border is not policed.
It was a big day for Russia's first panda cub on Monday, April 29th when she got her very own enclosure at the Moscow Zoo! Katyusha is the first panda cub to ever be born in Russia. She was born in August 2023 at the zoo, and the outside enclosure she was given plays a big part in her growth and development. According to a Moscow Zoo statement, the enclosure will allow Katyusha to safely explore and learn about the world around her.

ABC News shared a video on Monday of the cub and her mother Ding Ding checking out their new digs. There's lots of eating of course, and the two look like they are happy and enjoying their new surroundings!

ABC News commenters all agreed that Katyusha, who will be celebrating her first birthday on August 24th, is absolutely adorable! In another ABC News article, they reported that Katyusha's parents, Ding Ding and Ru Yi, arrived in Moscow in 2019. In spring of 2023, an expert on panda breeding traveled to Moscow from China to bring the two together to monitor the mating process. Ding Ding's pregnancy was announced soon after.

Related: Giant Pandas Are Returning to San Diego Zoo and People Are Ecstatic

Giant Pandas Are Returning to the U.S.

The U.S. is going to be welcoming pandas back very soon! According to Smithsonian Magazine, this is the first time in more than 20 years that China has agreed to send pandas our way. The San Diego Zoo is expecting their pandas to arrive soon and are very excited about the opportunity to study pandas. Another article in East Bay Times shared, "Chinese experts would travel with the bears and spend months in San Diego." Interestingly, a 2022 report by Americas Congressional Research Service explained, "Zoos typically pay a fee of $1 million a year for two pandas, with the money earmarked for Chinas conservation efforts."

Pandas are a symbol of friendship in China, so this is great news for both countries. Strains between the two nations over the past several years caused China to not renew their panda loans with many zoos. Because of this, San Diego Zoo said goodbye to their pandas in 2019, the Memphis Zoo had to send home their panda in April of 2023, and D.C. bid farewell to their pandas in November 2023. The only pandas that remained on U.S. soil are the four that live at Zoo Atlanta. A Belgian zoo as well as a South Korean zoo also have giant pandas, with others sprinkled across the world.

I live in Georgia near Atlanta and had no idea that the zoo had pandas there! This summer I'll have to take the kids to visit and see the pandas since I've always wanted to see one in person!

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.
More protests have been held outside factories across the UK by campaigners against military arms being sent to Israel.

Organisers said more than 1,000 workers and trade unionists demonstrated outside BAE Systems sites, as well as the London offices of the Business and Trade department.

They said the aim was to show solidarity with Palestinian workers.

The Workers for a Free Palestine group said it was escalating its tactics by targeting BAE Systems and the Government department on the same day.

Protesters form a blockade outside weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Samlesbury, Lancashire (Peter Byrne/PA)

Members of the group protested outside factories in Glasgow, South Wales and Lancashire.

Tania, a trade unionist and organiser for Workers for a Free Palestine taking part in the London protest  who did not want to give her full name, said: Our movement forced the issue of an arms embargo onto the table and polling shows the majority of the British public want to see arms sales to Israel banned, yet the Government and also the Labour Party continue to ignore the will of the people.

The Government has sought to play down the scale of its arms supplies to Israel, but the reality is UK arms and military support play a vital role in the Israeli war machine, and evidence that three British aid workers were killed by a drone partly produced in the UK shows the extent of British complicity in Israels genocide.

Todays protests were the latest in a series of demonstrations outside factories in recent months.
The Government must take action to tackle youth violence to ensure teachers and pupils are safe in school, education union leaders have urged.

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a child and two adults were injured in an incident at The Birley Academy in South Yorkshire on Wednesday.

It comes just a week after two teachers and a pupil were stabbed at Amman Valley School in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), the largest education union in the UK, said: This is another shocking incident happening on school premises.

Violence has no place in our schools and colleges. Everyone in school  staff, students, teachers, and support staff  should feel and be safe.

Government needs to recognise the scale of the problem and adopt a public health approach to tackling youth violence as did Scotland in the 90s.

This should also include urgent reinvesting in the youth services and centres that young people once relied upon.

Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said: This will be a worrying and traumatic event for staff and pupils and it is important that support is provided to all those who have been affected.

This latest incident provides a further reminder of the need for robust action to be taken to keep our schools, pupils and teachers safe.

Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the National Education Union, said violence had no place in schools and colleges (James Manning/PA)

Assaults involving weapons remain rare in UK schools, but unions have warned of worse behaviour and violence among pupils in recent years.

A Government survey on behaviour, released just last week, found that just 39% of pupils in England said they had felt safe at school every day.

The proportion of school leaders and teachers who said their school was frequently calm and orderly had also fallen, according to research by the Department for Education (DfE).

The figures were published after teachers Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin were injured in an alleged knife attack by a girl at a school in Wales last week.

Tom Bennett, school behaviour advisor to the DfE, told the PA news agency that behaviour is a big problem in many schools and teachers and children need to know their workplace is safe and calm.

He said: Extreme violence is the tip of the iceberg, and while uncommon, demonstrates what can happen in big institutions that serve the whole of the community.

Like any institution, schools are entitled to run their cultures in the way that makes it most likely everyone will thrive in peace.

But he added simple conclusions should not be drawn from unusual events.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said she was disturbed to hear about the incident at Birley Academy.

She said: Were in touch with the school and my thoughts are with those injured and all the school community affected by this frightening situation.

In July last year, maths teacher Jamie Sansom was stabbed by a 15-year-old boy in a school corridor at Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire. The teenager was sent to youth detention for 14 months for the attack.

Teacher Ann Maguire, 61, was stabbed to death by 15-year-old Will Cornick as she taught a Spanish class at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds in April 2014. Cornick was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years.

A Government spokesperson said: Nothing is more important than the safety of children, and our thoughts are with all those affected by the shocking incident in Sheffield today.

To tackle the root causes of violence, we are funding 20 Violence Reduction Units across England and Wales which have reached over 271,000 vulnerable young people in their fourth year of funding alone, through early intervention programmes to help protect them from serious violence.

Weve also providing 200 million over ten years to establish the Youth Endowment Fund to improve knowledge about what works to tackle serious violence and were investing over 50 million for specialist support in mainstream and alternative provision schools in areas where serious violence most impacts children.
Hana Financial joins hands with Inha University to lead job creation

By Lee Kyung-min

The country's leading financial groups are fortifying their social venture programs, aiming to identify and support young entrepreneurs in industries poised to drive future growth.

Hana Financial Group signed an agreement with Inha University Tuesday, to foster young startups through the Hana Social Venture University, the group's young entrepreneur program.

The program provides aspiring entrepreneurs with professional training and tailored support for their respective regions, to contribute to the creation of a sustainable startup ecosystem.

It has been gaining interest as a successful example of cooperation between the government and private and academic entities, as the Ministry of Employment and Labor has been jointly running the program with Hana for three years, recognizing the financial group's contribution to youth job creation.

The collaboration has expanded to 30 schools nationwide in 2023 since 2022, when it included 10 schools. A total of 2,050 young people went through the training by the Hana-ministry program so far as of the end of 2023, with 217 teams having successfully established a business presence in their regions.

Hana is expanding its program this year to include not only aspiring entrepreneurs but also those who need to scale up businesses they have already launched. It is also maximizing effect through close collaboration with local universities, providing tailored training programs and financial support.

"Hana Social Venture University is meaningful in that Hana, local universities, and young people become one for a better future for their region. We will continue our best efforts to support young entrepreneurs in establishing businesses and creating jobs," Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo said.

Hana Financial has been committed to creating jobs and strengthening a sustainable startup ecosystem, as illustrated by a variety of job training opportunities for underprivileged groups, including people with disabilities and women whose careers were interrupted due to bearing and raising children. Similar programs are available for green technology firms and the 40 to 59 age group, who are seeking to re-enter the workforce.

Shinhan Financial Group held a similar event on the same day.

Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Ok-dong attended Shinhan Futures Lab, the group's startup accelerator program, at Shinhan Venture Investment headquarters in Samseong-dong, Seoul, Tuesday.

This year marked the 10th anniversary of the program, long recognized for providing consulting, investment opportunities and business strategies.

The program amassed 86.6 billion won in investment as of April and generated 270 collaborative business projects, including the launch of 21 unicorns.

A unicorn is a privately owned startup company valued at over $1 billion that is not listed on the stock market.

"We will spare no efforts so that the brilliant ideas of startups and our will for innovation create synergy and suggest solutions for diverse social issues," Jin said.

This year, Shinhan Financial selected a total of 32 startups that will advance collaboration with group subsidiaries and expand business networking.

Among them were companies with visions of tackling the low birthrate and demographic challenges.

KB Financial Group held a similar event where 200 people, including the financial regulators, state-run investment entities, venture capital and startups attended to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the KB Innovation HUB Center.

The venture startup fostering program drew 210 billion won in investments and has advanced 312 collaborative projects with group affiliates.

Among the attendees were officials in the fields of communication and hospitality services platform operations, as well as artificial intelligence financial data management.

They shared stories of growth, business planning and technology developments.

Government officials, venture capitalists and the group's investment subsidiaries provided consultation on corporate fund management and government-assisted projects.

"We will collaborate with startups in not only finance but also in non-finance and new technologies to help the rise of many global unicorn companies," Yang said.
Irelands Government has confirmed there will be no Irish police deployed to the border on the island, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) said.

The Northern Ireland Secretary and the Irish deputy prime minister held a phone call on Wednesday evening amid diplomatic tensions after Dublin said there had been an upsurge in asylum seekers crossing the border following the passing of the UKs Safety of Rwanda Act.

Concern was raised after Irish justice minister Helen McEntee said her department was planning to make 100 additional police officers available for frontline enforcement work.

While Dublin insisted they would not be assigned to physically police the border with Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the Commons he wanted urgent clarification that there would be no disruption or checkpoints near the border.

In a statement later on Wednesday, the NIO said Northern Ireland Secretary Christ Heaton-Harris had a constructive phone call about illegal migration with Irish deputy premier (Tanaiste) Micheal Martin.

Rishi Sunak said there must be no cherry-picking of important international agreements (Yui Mok/PA)

It said: The Tanaiste confirmed that there will be no deployment of officers from An Garda Siochana (Irish police) to the Northern Ireland/Ireland border and that the Irish Government shared a steadfast commitment to securing the external border of the Common Travel Area.

Another focal point of the diplomatic row centred on Dublin passing emergency legislation to deem the UK as a safe country for the return of asylum seekers.

Both governments have acknowledged the existence of an operational agreement which provides for the reciprocal return of asylum seekers between the UK and Ireland, but Downing Street has said it contains no legal obligations to accept them.

The Prime Minister said he was not interested in a returns deal if the European Union did not allow the UK to send back asylum seekers who had crossed the English Channel from France.

Tents housed asylum seekers near to the Office of International Protection in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)

In a softening of language, the statement from the NIO on Wednesday concluded: The Secretary of State reiterated that the UK will not accept any readmissions or returns arrangements that are not in our interest.

The phone call came after Mr Sunak said the Irish Government must uphold its promises to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and avoid setting up checkpoints to prevent asylum seekers entering the country.

Answering questions in the Commons, Mr Sunak said ministers were seeking urgent clarification that there will be no disruption or police checkpoints at or near the border, and that there must not be cherry-picking of important international agreements.

He added: Now, its no surprise that our robust approach to illegal migration is providing a deterrent but the answer is not sending police to villages in Donegal. Its to work with us in partnership to strengthen our external borders all around the common travel area that we share.

The Prime Minister was replying to a question from DUP MP Carla Lockhart, who accused the Irish Government of hypocrisy given its stance on the border during Brexit negotiations.

Asked about Mr Sunaks comments, Irish premier Simon Harris reiterated that no gardai (Irish police) will be sent to border areas, saying: Of course there wont be.

Noting upcoming elections in the UK, he expressed a desire to not become involved in the day-to-day back and forth in the House of Commons.

However, he stressed the importance of countries upholding agreements.

Mr Harris said: Well uphold the agreement we have with Britain under the common travel area, the standard operating procedure that we have in place.

I also welcome the comments of the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, where he referred to the importance of the two countries working together to protect the common travel area from abuses.

Regularising our laws in relation to the arrangement we have with Britain is only one of a number of things we intend to do to ensure we have a firm, effective migration system.

Helen McEntee said there had been an upsurge in asylum seekers crossing the border following the passing of the UKs Safety of Rwanda Act (Liam McBurney/PA)

Asked about the diplomatic dispute, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said Mr Harris had provided Mr Sunaks Government with a propaganda coup in the run-up to elections.

Speaking to Irish national broadcaster RTE, she added: Its never a good place for the Irish Government to be scoffed and laughed at in the House of Commons.

Downing Street has repeatedly stressed that the UK is under no legal obligation to accept returns of asylum seekers from Ireland, and would not do so while France continued to refuse to accept returns from the UK.

Labour said it agreed with the Government that the UK should not accept returns from Ireland while Britain is not able to return people who arrive here from the EU.

Mr Martin has previously said a figure provided by Irish justice minister Helen McEntee that approximately 80% of asylum seekers were coming from Northern Ireland was not evidence-based while DUP MP Ian Paisley told the Commons it was made up.

The UK Government has claimed the reported increase in asylum seekers entering Ireland from Northern Ireland demonstrated that its Rwanda scheme was already acting as a deterrent.

It is not clear how many asylum seekers have crossed from Northern Ireland into the Republic, with Downing Street saying it did not have that data as the border is not policed.
Sports presenter Jeff Stelling said he could have never dreamt of his decades-long career when he was a young boy growing up on a North East council estate.

The veteran broadcaster, who fronted Skys Soccer Saturday programme for 25 years before stepping down last year, was made an MBE on Wednesday for services to sport, broadcasting and charity at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Stelling said the honour, given by the Princess Royal, was amazing, unexpected, thrilling and, on the day, nerve-racking.

I remember growing up on a council estate in Hartlepool and, you know, your main aspiration was actually to get a job to earn a living, because unemployment was so rife.

You wouldnt dream of anything like this  it is literally, its a cliche, beyond your wildest dreams.

The 69-year-old broadcaster is also an ambassador to Prostate Cancer UK  for which he has helped raise more than 1.7 million  and said de-stigmatizing the disease was the raison detre of his charity work.

With men, in particular, we all think were big and butch and strong.

We dont go to the doctors  and certainly not if its anything to do with something below the waist.

So to try and change peoples view of that means a lot.

Figures from Cancer Research UK estimate 12,000 lives are lost to prostate cancer in the UK each year.

Stelling is an ambassador to Prostate Cancer UK (Zac Goodwin/PA)

Stelling said the highlight of his 40-year-long career would probably be hosting the Champions League final for the first time at Wembley, which he called an amazing experience.

But Ive been fortunate, he added.

I wasnt a sportsman, I didnt play sports, yet Ive spent my life mingling with top sportsmen and a lot of them became close personal friends.

Again, thats something I could have never dreamt of.

Others honoured at the ceremony included Chantal Bryan, who received an OBE for services to children with special educational needs.

Chantal Bryan taught her son Jonathan to read and write after his school chose not to (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Ms Bryan, who taught her disabled son Jonathan to read and write from Year 3 after his school chose not to, said policy changes were needed to require schools to offer literacy lessons to all children, regardless of disability.

Being able to learn to read and write means that you can actually start to say anything you want, in your own words, she told the PA news agency.

Weve had children who were able to say I love you to their parents for the first time.

Weve got people with children who are saying theyve been able to express all sorts of things that they couldnt before.

Her son, now 18, founded the charity Teach Us Too in 2018 and launched a petition to teach disabled children to read and write  which has garnered more than 875,000 signatures.

Helen Holtam was honoured after running origami classes for inmates at a Wiltshire prison (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Helen Holtam was honoured with an MBE for services to prisoners after running origami classes for inmates at Erlestoke Prison in Wiltshire since 2017.

She told the PA news agency: Its a good use of their time, its therapeutic for them, and also they know its going to a good purpose.

Theres not enough (money) spent on prisoners and some of them live in very, very bad conditions as well, she added.

The origami artworks, sold for between 3 and 4, have raised nearly 50,000 which goes towards good causes, including a charity which helps rehabilitate prisoners into society.
An MP has said that legislation on artificial intelligence use in the UK music industry is needed to help stave off the threats it poses.

Kevin Brennan, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Music, made the comments as his organisation released a new report that found that most of the public want regulation to prevent deepfakes of artists such as Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift.

Carried out by Whitestone Insight for UK Music, the poll of 2,110 British adults revealed that 83% of UK adults agree that a music artists creative personality should be protected in law against being copied using AI.

Previously explicit fake photographs of US singer Swift began circulating predominantly on social media site X, and the company formerly known as Twitter took a zero-tolerance policy by removing the content in January.

Kevin Brennan MP called for laws on AI use (Matt Crossick/PA)

Mr Brennan, Labour MP for Cardiff West, said: We must also confront the danger that unfettered developments in AI could pose to the UKs musicians and music businesses.

We ignore the necessity to sow policies, which will harvest the benefits of AI, and help stave off the threats it poses, at our peril. Our central insight must always be that AI can be a great servant but would be a terrible master.

By leveraging the collective strength of policymakers, industry leaders, and innovators we can ensure that AI serves as a catalyst for creativity, and progress in the music ecosystem, rather than an inhibitor of growth and a destroyer of creators livelihoods.

The shadow minister for victims and sentencing also said the UK must grasp the transformative potential of AI in shaping the future of music if it is to retain its role as a powerhouse in exporting music and nurturing world-class talent.

The research also found that 83% agree with the statement that if AI has been used to generate a song it must be clearly labelled and 77% think generated music that fails to acknowledge the creator of the original work amounts to theft.

A total of 80% also believe that the law should stop an artists music being used to train an AI application without their knowledge or permission.

UK Music participate in a variety of groups, boards and networks to connect and further the aims of the music industry. Discover more here: https://t.co/Wfl77xNDQe pic.twitter.com/xOxN4DXCo3  UK Music (@UK_Music) April 28, 2024

UK Music interim chief executive Tom Kiehl said the Government needs to act before AI tech companies destroy our world-beating industry.

He added: The public also voiced their concerns about the alarming growth of explicit deepfake images of music stars like Dua Lipa and the need for urgent action in this area.

The threat to the music industry from generative AI is now very real and the Government must move to legislate to support our world-leading music industry.

Recommendations from the APPG include the Government introducing an UK AI Act, generated music being clearly labelled, the creation of a personality right to protect creators and artists from deepfakes, misappropriation and false endorsement, and setting up an international taskforce.

A Government spokesperson said: We are committed to helping artists and the creative industries work with the AI sector to harness the opportunities this technology provides, and ensure our music can continue to be enjoyed around the world.

Trust and transparency are vital to this shared approach. We are working closely with stakeholders and will provide a further update in due course.

In early April, more than 200 artists objected to the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists voices and likenesses by signing an open letter warning companies about the unauthorised use of songs and other works.

British pop star Engelbert Humperdinck, former One Direction member Zayn Malik and British folk rock band Mumford & Sons were among the signatories of the Artist Rights Alliance campaign.

The Department of Media, Culture and Sport has been contacted for comment.
Annita McVeigh, Martine Croxall, Karin Giannone and Kasia Madera arrive at the London Central Employment Tribunal in Kingsway, central London. (PA) (PA, PA Images)

Newsreader Martine Croxalls employment tribunal against the BBC begins today, following her absence from the channel for over a year.

The broadcaster is suing the BBC amid a high-profile gender pay dispute and continued questions over why several top female presenters have been kept off air. The full details of Croxalls claims are not known.

Croxall, 55, was seen arriving at the London Central Employment Tribunal on Wednesday morning with fellow news anchors Karin Giannone, Kasia Madera and Annita McVeigh.

Martine Coxall is suing the BBC.

Why is Martine Croxall suing the BBC?

The full details of Croxall's case have not been revealed but preliminary details for the proceedings have revealed that equal pay is an issue, according to the Daily Mail. Several reports leading up to the start of the tribunal have suggested the case relates to her not being put on air for over a year.

The 55-year-old last presented the BBC News channel in March last year. Around the same time, the broadcaster announced their home and world news channels would be merged with Croxall and her colleagues told to reapply for a smaller pool of newsreading roles. In total, 18 presenters were required to apply for five roles.

Tim Davie director-general at the BBC has said he is working to a 'fair resolution' for the women. (PA) (House of Commons/UK Parliament, PA Images)

Annita McVeigh arrived at the tribunal with Martine Croxall. (BBC)

Croxall is one of five female presenters over 45 who missed out, since then they have all been left without roles but have remained on full pay. Only two of the five, Geeta Guru-Murthy and Annita McVeigh have returned to work, despite reports that at the start of 2024 they would all be given new on-screen jobs. The other two women stuck in limbo are Karin Giannone and Kasia Madera.

The BBC director general Tim Davie was asked about the situation at a parliamentary select committee in March where he said the corporation was working to a "fair resolution" for the women. He said: "It is not a good situation where you are paying people [who are off air], and we are trying to get it resolved as fast as possible. I recognise that it has been going on for some time."

Kasia Madera Presented Newsday London for the BBC. (BBC)

The treatment of the five women has been a point of contention inside the BBC as well, with some being sympathetic but others questioning why they have been on full pay without a role. A BBC source told Deadline: "I don't think it's rocket science to say they have been badly treated."

Who else has brought an employment case against the BBC?

Coxall's case will be the most high-profile legal challenge brought against the BBC since Samira Ahmed won a gender pay dispute in 2020.

At that time a London employment tribunal found that Ahmed should have been paid the same as fellow presenter Jeremy Vine for their work on Newswatch and Points Of View respectively. The BBC had argued the pair were not doing similar work.

Karin Giannone is one of the news anchors suing the BBC. (BBC)

Ahmed claimed she was underpaid by 700,000 for hosting the show when compared to Vine. The employment tribunal's unanimous judgment said her work was like that done by Vine, and the BBC had failed to prove the pay gap was not because of sex discrimination.

Samira Ahmed won an equal pay dispute against the BBC in 2020. (PA) (See Li/Picture Capital)

Radio presenter Sarah Montague also revealed in 2020 that she won a 400,000 settlement and an apology from the BBC after being treated "unequally" by them for many years.

The 53-year-old who previously presented BBC Radio 4s Today programme alongside veteran journalist John Humphrys, said the deal came after a long period of stressful negotiations which was triggered after discovering a disparity in her pay and conditions.

Read more
Melissa McCarthy has responded to Barbra Streisand asking questions about whether she has taken the drug Ozempic, which has seen a surge in demand from people wanting to lose weight.

Following a backlash online, musical star Streisand deleted her comment below the Bridesmaids stars social media post and has insisted that she was trying to pay her fellow actress a compliment.

In an Instagram video on Wednesday, McCarthy said: The takeaway, Barbra Streisand knows I exist, she reached out to me and she thought I looked good. I win the day.

She also spent the clip leafing through a magazine featuring Streisand on the cover, while wearing the same floral outfit from the premiere of her Netflix film Unfrosted in Los Angeles.

McCarthy had posted pictures on the social media site from the Centre Theatre Group (CTG) gala, wearing a pastel green tulle dress with a matching blazer, alongside US director Adam Shankman in a baby pink suit, earlier in the week.

Melissa McCarthy at the premiere of the Netflix film (Chris Pizzello/AP)

Underneath the post, Streisand wrote: Give him my regards, did you take Ozempic? referencing the type 2 diabetes medicine, which has not been licensed as a weight loss drug in the UK or US.

She later deleted the comment, and posted an Instagram story, saying: I went on Instagram to see the photos wed posted of the beautiful flowers Id received for my birthday.

Below them was a photo of my friend Melissa McCarthy, who I sang with on my Encore album.

She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay her a compliment.

I forgot the world is reading!

Known for Yentl, Funny Girl and The Prince Of Tides, Streisand is one of a handful of performers to have achieved Egot status.

She was won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony during her career.

Her comments come after Oprah Winfrey starred in an ABC special titled Shame, Blame, And The Weight Loss Revolution.

The special focused on weight-loss medication, which the TV host had previously admitted to taking, although has not specified which medication.

Ozempic can only be prescribed for patients with type 2 diabetes, although the UK government acknowledges: It is not authorised for weight-loss, but it is used off-label for that purpose.
The first migrants set to be deported to Rwanda have been detained.

The Home Office said a series of operations took place across the country over the last few days, with more activity due to be carried out in the coming weeks.

It comes amid the Governments bid to get flights to send migrants to the east African nation off the ground by July, after the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act became law last week.

The announcement was made after figures showed Channel crossings had reached another record high and ahead of what is expected to be a testing set of local and mayoral elections for Rishi Sunak across England and Wales, in which the Conservatives are likely to suffer heavy losses.

Meanwhile the Home Office faced questions over its ability to track down thousands people it had earmarked for removal to Rwanda.

According to a Government document released this week, only 2,143 out of the 5,700 people identified for removal to Rwanda continue to report to the Home Office and can be located for detention.

Published on the Home Office website on Monday, the document also acknowledges there could be further delays to deportations caused by MPs making last-minute representations to suspend removals.

Officials have not yet said how many people have been detained, or where they were taken into custody.

Home Office director of enforcement Eddy Montgomery said it was vital that operational detail is kept to a minimum, to protect colleagues involved and those being detained, as well as ensuring we can deliver this large-scale operation as quickly as possible.

At the same time, there were reports a failed asylum seeker had become the first person to volunteer to be sent to Rwanda after being offered 3,000 to do so, prompting criticism from political opponents.

A Labour Party source said: Is there any more blatant sign that (former immigration minister Robert) Jenrick was right about this all being symbolic before an election than this mad flurry of stories?

The core substance though hasnt changed. This is a tiny scheme at an extortionate cost and the criminal gangs will see through this con.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: Instead of headline-grabbing schemes that will waste time and resources and are unleashing even more human misery, we need a fair and controlled asylum system. The Government must focus on processing asylum claims efficiently and fairly.

Downing Street denied decisions to detain asylum seekers were connected to the upcoming local elections.

The Prime Ministers press secretary said: From our part there isnt really a day to lose when people are dying in the Channel having been induced into boats by gangs.

People are ultimately breaking into our country so of course we want to get moving as rapidly as possible and the PM has always been consistent that he would move as quickly as he could.

The man, who has not been named, is understood to have accepted the offer under the voluntary scheme some weeks ago and is now in Kigali, with the Sun reporting his flight left on Monday evening.

(PA Graphics)

The policy, expanded to include Rwanda earlier this year, is separate from the Governments plan to deport migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel.

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch told Times Radio this news should be trumpeted and demonstrated Rwanda was safe.

The Governments plan to give migrants a one-way ticket to Kigali  in a bid to deter others from crossing the Channel  is yet to be tested, with the latest legislation aimed at making it legally sound having passed into law just days ago.

The Prime Minister last week said it will take between 10 and 12 weeks for deportation flights to Rwanda to begin, meaning they will not start until the summer.

(PA Graphics)

Provisional Home Office figures show 7,567 people have arrived in the UK so far this year after making the journey.

This is a new record high for the first four months of a calendar year and a 27% hike on the number of arrivals recorded for the same period in 2023.

Some 900 migrants have made the journey since the Safety of Rwanda Act became law after receiving Royal Assent on Thursday.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said a fourth man had been arrested on suspicion of immigration offences after five migrants died last week while trying to cross the Channel.

Describing the Rwanda deal as a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, Home Secretary James Cleverly said: We have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation, to deliver it.

Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground.

This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs.
Andy Street with Boris Johnson in 2021. Street sent out a letter to voters in which the ex-PM lavishes him with praise. Photograph: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

Andy Street and Ben Houchen go into Thursdays mayoral elections having run campaigns almost entirely separate from the Conservative party they represent.

But this week the respective high-profile Tory mayors for the West Midlands and Tees Valley have associated themselves with one senior Conservative whose endorsement they appear to relish: the former prime minister Boris Johnson.

Street has sent out a two-page letter to voters in the West Midlands in which Johnson lavishes him with praise and dismisses the Tories record in Westminster. Meanwhile, Lord Houchens supporters have promoted a video from the former prime minister appealing for voters in the Tees Valley to re-elect him.

Both mayors are facing knife-edge votes. If they lose, Tory rebels are expected to mount another attempt to remove Rishi Sunak as prime minister.

Despite the importance of the mayoral results for Sunak, however, it is Johnson to whom both men have turned as the campaign reaches its final stage. In his endorsement of Street, Johnson writes: Forget about the government. Forget about Westminster. This election is about the next four years in the West Midlands  and who you want in charge. If it were my vote Id want the person with a record of getting stuff done. And thats Andy Street.

He adds: So ask yourself, is kicking the Tories worth four years of a soft-on-crime high-spending bankruptcy-causing Labour mayor? You might not like everything the Conservatives have done. But you wont like anything Labour would do.

The letter does not feature the Conservative logo, using the flag of the Black Country instead in its header.

In his video for Houchen, Johnson does not mention the Conservatives, instead keeping his message focused on the mayor himself. He is a guy who does what he says hes going to do, Johnson says. Mayor Houchen delivers.

The messages reinforce the central campaign message from both candidates that they are independent from the party they represent and distanced from the unpopular Tory government in Westminster. They also testify to Johnsons continued popularity among voters the Conservatives normally struggle to reach, many of whom are telling pollsters they intend to vote Labour at the next general election.

Street said last month: I am a proud Conservative but that is totally different to do I agree with this Conservative government in everything its doing?

He told the Guardian on Wednesday: Ive had a wide range of support including from the prime minister, Boris Johnson, Theresa May and David Cameron. Boris has made it clear in his letter that this is an election about the West Midlands and the choice people have between continuing to support me or ending up with a Labour mayor.

A Labour source said: Rishi Sunaks predecessor telling voters to forget about the government is a damning verdict on the prime ministers leadership. Both Ben Houchen and Andy Street have distanced themselves from Rishi Sunak but seem very happy to put Boris Johnsons name up in lights.

Rishi Sunak is such a drag that his own candidates clearly feel they need to dump him to win.

One ally of Johnson said the former prime minister had been happy to intervene on behalf of Street, Houchen and Susan Hall, the Conservative mayoral candidate in London whom Johnson praised in a recent Daily Mail column. They would not be drawn on whether this marked a broader return for Johnson to the national campaign trail.
Arizona lawmakers have repealed the states 160-year-old statute banning nearly all abortions.

The 1864 law, which was reinstated by the state supreme court three weeks ago, has made abortion a central focus in the battleground state and galvanized Democrats seeking to enshrine abortion rights.

In the state senate, Democrats picked up the support of two Republicans in favor of repealing the ban. The Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, is expected to ratify the repeal, which narrowly cleared the Arizona house last week after three Republicans joined with all the Democrats in the chamber.

Dozens of demonstrators for and against the right to abortion gathered at the capitol before the vote, and others packed into the chambers gallery to watch. As senators began to vote, Republicans in the chamber voiced bombastic protests and criticisms in floor speeches.

Antony Kern, a Republican who has been indicted as a fake elector in a plot to undermine the 2020 election results, said his fellow Republicans backing the ban were the epitome of delusion. He claimed the vote would take the state down a slippery slope towards acceptance of pedophilia, as supporters cheered from the gallery with silent claps. Kern also compared the chamber repealing the bill to Nazi Germany.

Related: Floridas six-week abortion ban takes effect, ending access in south-east US

Another Republican senator, JD Mesnard, played a sonogram recording of his childs heartbeat on the floor. He said: These will be fewer, these heart beatings.

Republican Shawnna Bolick gave a 20-minute speech in defense of her vote to support the repeal, covering stories about her own pregnancies, other pregnancies, and her critiques of the states Democratic governor. Ultimately, she said, repealing the ban would allow Republicans to maintain a less extreme version of abortion restrictions. She said: We should be pushing for the maximum protection for unborn children that can be sustained. I side with saving more babies lives.

The civil-war era statute, which predates Arizonas statehood, bans nearly all abortions, including those sought by survivors of rape or incest. It also imposes prison terms for doctors and others who aid in abortions. The law had been blocked by the 1973 supreme court Roe v Wade decisions that granted the constitutional right to abortion.

We are relieved that lawmakers have finally repealed this inhumane abortion ban  something extremist politicians refused to do for far too long, said Victoria Lopez, director of program and strategy for the ACLU of Arizona. Unfortunately, cruel abortion bans like the law from 1864 have been at the center of political stunts for years, causing lasting harm to people who need abortions and their providers.

Last month, the states Republican-appointed supreme court justices suggested it could be reinstated since Roe was overturned in 2022.

The repeal would not take effect until June or July, 90 days after the legislative session. Arizonas attorney general, Kris Mayes, a Democrat, has vowed not to enforce the ban in the meantime. Providers, including Planned Parenthood, have been preparing resources to help patients seeking abortions to travel out of state during the time that the ban is in effect.

Todays vote by the Arizona senate to repeal the draconian 1864 abortion ban is a win for freedom in our state, Mayes said.

Once the 1864 measure is stricken, a 2022 statue banning procedures after 15 weeks of pregnancy would supplant it as the states ruling abortion law.

Abortion rights advocates have emphasized that repealing the ban is not enough. This is an important step, but our work isnt done, said Ruben Gallego, a US congressman from Arizona who is running for the US Senate. Arizona women deserve better. Thats why were going to pass a constitutional right to abortion and defeat anti-abortion extremists.

Democrats have been pushing for a ballot measure in November that would enshrine the right to abortions in the states constitution. In the weeks since the ban was reinstated , the Arizona for Abortion Access effort saw its volunteers grow from about 3,000 to more than 5,000.

Nothing has changed about the need for the Arizona abortion access act, the group organizing the ballot measure said following the passage of the repeal.

The issue has placed enormous pressure on the Arizona GOP, from conservatives who support the ban and from swing voters who oppose the extreme measure. On the senate floor on Wednesday, Bolick, as she cast her vote in favor of the repeal, said: I want to protect our state constitution from unlimited abortions up until the moment of birth.

In the key swing state  one that historically leaned Republican but backed Joe Biden in 2020  the issue could help turn out more voters who could help flip the statehouse blue.

Republican lawmakersare considering putting one or more competing abortion proposals on the November ballot, including a 14-week ban and a heartbeat protection act that would make abortion illegal after six weeks. No such measures have been introduced yet.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese, federal ministers Amanda Rishworth and Michelle Rowland and sexual violence commissioner Micaela Cronin. A leaving violence payment has been announced by the PM. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Anthony Albanese has announced $925m to help victims of violence leave abusive relationships and a ban on deepfake pornography as new measures to combat violence against women.

After a national cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the prime minister announced the leaving violence payment of $5,000 to help meet the costs of leaving a relationship along with services, risk assessments and safety planning.

The commonwealth said it would deliver a range of new measures to tackle factors that exacerbate violence against women  such as violent online pornography and misogynistic content targeting children and young people.

The measures include: legislation to ban deepfake pornography; $6.5m of additional funding for the eSafety commissioner to pilot age verification to protect children from pornography and other age-restricted online services;; and introducing anti-doxing legislation in early August.

Related: Healthy hospital staff posed as fake patients for Victorian ministers visit, investigation confirms

Digitally created and altered sexually explicit material is a damaging form of abuse against women and girls that can inflict deep harm on victims, the federal government said.

Albanese said serious criminal penalties would apply to creating and sharing sexually explicit material without consent, using technology including artificial intelligence.

The federal government will run a new phase of the Stop it at the Start campaign from mid-June until May 2025.

At the meeting, state and federal ministers agreed that justice system responses needed to be strengthened, with a focus on high-risk perpetrators and serial offenders, to prevent homicides.

Attorneys general and police ministers plan to develop options for improving police responses, including sharpening deterrence and improving fixated threat strategies.

Jurisdictions agreed to improve information sharing about perpetrators, and risk assessment and responses to sexual assault  work to be led by Victoria and South Australia.

Albanese said on Wednesday the suite of measures was a further step forward but said he could not be satisfied when a woman died in Australia, on average, every four days.

I will be satisfied when we eliminate this as an issue, when were not talking about this an issue, where women are not feeling as though they have to mobilise in rallies.

I will be satisfied when a parent says the same thing to their daughter that they say to their son when they go out at night, not, How are you getting home from the train station? How are you getting home from the bus stop? Stay safe.

Asked if justice reforms could include changes to bail laws and electronic monitoring, Albanese said premiers and chief ministers had agreed to implement best practice which would be reflected in each jurisdictions legislation.

The leaving violence program will be available from mid 2025, providing eligible victim survivors up to $1,500 in cash and up to $3,500 in goods and services for up to 12 weeks.

This acknowledges financial insecurity is closely linked to violence and can prevent women leaving a violent relationship, the national cabinet statement said.

The leaving violence payment makes permanent a program trialled by 45,000 participants since 2021, which was due to end in January but will be extended as an interim measure while the government looks for a new service provider to deliver the new program.

In January Guardian Australia revealed more than half of people trying to access the escaping violence program were knocked back due to difficulties in establishing eligibility, but the government insists the new version will be redesigned.

However, applicants are still required to have experienced a change in living arrangement as a result of the intimate partner violence in the past 12 weeks and to be under financial stress to be eligible.

The Greens and the chief executive of Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW), Delia Donovan, complained about the lack of investment in frontline services.

I am frustrated at todays announcement that does very little to address the current emergency, Donovan said. Services are unable to meet demand, resources are over-stretched, and women are being murdered.

Donovan said the earlier escaping violence program had been poorly delivered, with delays accessing payments. A report into the program by DVNSW in 2022 found that only 15% of victim-survivors who accessed the program had received the full $5,000.

The UnitingCare Consortium praised extension of the payment, which its national director, Claerwen Little, said helped reach a unique group of victim-survivors, some 80% of who are self-referred, meaning they are seeking access to support in a way that is not met in the current service landscape.

Before the meeting Labor had come under pressure from the Coalition to introduce age verification for pornography.

The age verification pilot will examine age assurance products  testing their efficacy including privacy and security issues. The outcomes of the age verification pilot would inform the development of industry codes or standards to reduce childrens exposure to age-inappropriate material.

The federal communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said there was a role for social media platforms. She hinted that legislation could require them to enforce existing bans on children under 13.

Part of this is putting the emphasis on the platforms to enforce their existing terms of service and, where they are not doing that, to examine what are the measures governments can take, she said.
The pro-Palestinian student protesters who set up the camp at the University of Sydney want disclosure of and divestment from all university activities that support Israel, as well as a ceasefire and the end of government ties to Israel. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

Protests in support of Gaza have spread to about 50 US universities and are now in four Australian universities, with students committed to permanently occupying university land until their demands for divestment are met.

What are the Gaza encampment protests?

Columbia University in New York has become the centre of a spate of pro-Palestinian camps in universities across the US. The camps are an extension of protests that have been taking place on campuses since 7 October, with students demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and a complete divestment of university ties to Israel.

Hundreds of US university protesters have been arrested. On Monday Columbia protesters rejected an ultimatum to disband the camp, with university management suspending students in response.

The US demonstrations have triggered allegations of antisemitism amid reports by Jewish students that they have been subjected to threats and slurs. Protest activists in the US, in response, have asserted that the charges of antisemitism have been ramped up in an effort to silence criticism of Israel.

When did the movement start in Australia?

University of Sydney students set up a camp last Tuesday. The camp has consistently had more than 40 and up to about 60 campers each night, with a rally last Wednesday drawing about 200 people. The movement has since spread  the University of Melbourne joined on Thursday, while camps were established on Monday at the University of Queensland and the Australian National University in Canberra. A camp is expected to be set up at Curtin University in Perth on Wednesday. Protesters say the camps will remain until their demands are met.

The movements Australian branches have been applauded by US protesters, including those from the New School in New York and from New York University.

Who is protesting?

Students, staff and the broader pro-Palestinian community. One of those is Shovan Bhattarai, 25, who is studying history and is an organiser of the camp at the University of Sydney.

We see ourselves as part of this global wave, she said. Bhattarai said genocide and the indiscriminate killing of people was happening, and claimed that was backed by the Australian government and Sydney University.

The camp is serving as a hub for other Sydney universities that do not have their own encampments. A Macquarie University student, Malak Aldabbas, 19, has been visiting on a daily basis. As a Palestinian, it is my cause, I have to fight for it, she said. I cant stay silent.

A University of Sydney staff member, Linda Koria, 35, is from Iraq and lost her father in the Iraq war. As someone who lived through [war], I cant help but empathise with the Palestinian cause, she said.

What are protesters demanding?

The students want disclosure of and divestment from all university activities that support Israel, as well as a ceasefire and the end of government ties to the Jewish state.

We want the University of Sydney to completely cut ties with weapons companies, Bhattarai said, referencing the universitys memorandum of understanding with the French multinational Thales, and links to the US defence contractor Raytheon. Most blatantly, she said, the universitys chancellor, Belinda Hutchinson, is one of the directors on Thales board.

A high school student, Ewan Polios, 16, began camping at the University of Sydney last week and left when school term began on Tuesday. He said it was awful that the university administration considered it normal to have ties to weapons companies supplying to Israel. I will give up my holidays [to demand an end] to that, he said.

At the University of Queensland, protesters are demanding the institution close its Boeing Research and Technology Australia Centre and divest from companies with direct and indirect ties to Israel, including BAE and Northrop Grumman.

University of Melbourne students are taking aim at the institutions links to defence companies including Lockheed Martin, which has given $3.5m towards PhD scholarships and research projects since 2016.

ANU students are demanding an end to the universitys investments in BAE, Lockeed Martin and Northrup Grumman amounting to $479,000, and to cut ties with its exchange partner the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

What is happening at the University of Sydney?

About 40 tents sit in the universitys most prominent spot, under the shadow of the historic clock tower, with views of the city. There are also larger communal food and meeting tents. Talks are hosted and sessions have been held in which messages from US camps are read out. The camp is peaceful, with routine checks by campus security.

Many non-protesting students appear to support the camp, with donations of hot meals and cash pouring in. A tent full of food has everything from two-minute noodles to biscuits, popcorn and trays of fruit. Other donations include a shisha pipe, tents, mattresses, camping chairs, tables and waterproof boxes in preparation for bad weather this week. Weve been overwhelmed, Bhattarai said.

Students on campus who were not part of the demonstration supported the protesters rights to establish an encampment, despite graduation ceremonies scheduled later in the week.

The president of the Students Representative Council, Harrison Brennan, 21, said the camp was spectacular despite being a highly disruptive action by virtue of how were set up.

This can be a really long-term thing, he said. And I think the university would get a lot of criticism from the broader community who have come out to support us if they were to dare [to] call police [in].

What is the reaction of Jewish university students?

Some are part of the protests but many are not  and increasing antisemitism is making many avoid campus, according to Zac Morris, the vice-president of the Australian Union of Jewish Students NSW.

He said the University of Sydney encampment was concerning because the protests were inspired by the US, where Jews have been violently targeted and the terrorism of 7 October has been praised.

Jewish students are scared to come to [the University of Sydney] campus, Morris said.

Even before the encampment, University of Sydney students had received death threats and been advised to stay at home by police, had food thrown at them and doxed, with photos taken and circulated of them, he said. He said university management was in a difficult position but had responded inadequately.

Its really different to what things were like before [7 October], he said, describing Jewish students who were opting to attend lectures online. Theres this feeling of having to kind of hide. Things have progressed and are well past the point of what should be acceptable.

During Tuesdays encampment rally at the university, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president, Nasser Mashni, said antisemitism had no place in the movement.

How have university administrations reacted?

A University of Sydney spokesperson said the institution was carefully monitoring the gathering at our quadrangle in line with our crowd management protocols to ensure a safe environment for our community.

They said any slogans, chants or actions that could be reasonably interpreted as implying support for violence, terrorism or infringing the rights of others or threatening the wellbeing of staff or students would not be tolerated. Graduation ceremonies were expected to go ahead this week as planned.

All four universities said they supported the rights of staff and students to peacefully protest in line with Australian law.

Echoing other universities, the University of Melbourne said it deplores and actively stands against all forms of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.

The university does not support the exercise of freedom of speech when the speech undermines the capacity of individuals to participate fully in the university, is unlawful, prejudices the fulfilment by the university of its duty to foster the safety and wellbeing of staff and students, or unreasonably disrupts activities or operations of the university, a spokesperson said.

The University of Queensland vice-chancellor, Prof Deborah Terry, said the university has robust processes for assessing and managing research partnerships that consider the ethical implications and their alignment with our core values.

Additional reporting by Andrew Messenger
Wearing marks at hospitals in South Korea is not a must anymore as the government downgraded the infection level of COVID-19 and lifted most last-remaining antivirus regulations.

Effective Wednesday, the country lowered the four-grade COVID-19 crisis level from the second-highest "alert" to the lowest "concern" in a move to fully return to pre-pandemic normalcy, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

The decision came more than four years after the country reported its first case of the new coronavirus on Jan. 20, 2020.

Upon the move, mask mandates at hospitals and relevant facilities were completely lifted and infection tests ahead of the admission to nursing hospitals and other risk-prone facilities became a recommendation, rather than a must.

The government no longer fully supports COVID-19 testing or hospitalization costs, and patients need to pay for an oral antiviral pill, including Paxlovid.

The free vaccination program continue to be available through the 2023-2024 season, which will later be limited to high-risk groups, such as senior citizens and those with immune-compromised health issues, the authorities said. (Yonhap)
Teachers are having to deal with transgender issues in the classroom - Daily Telegraph

An autistic transgender teenager must not be prescribed hormones, the High Court has ruled in a potential landmark case.

The 16-year-old, known as J, was put on cross-sex hormones aged 15 by Gender GP, a Singapore-registered private clinic, despite having just one online appointment with a counsellor.

After the case was brought by the childs father, the court said a child accessing high doses of testosterone from an off-shore, online, unregulated private clinic gave rise to serious concerns as to the safety of patients.

The court ruled that J should no longer receive hormones from Gender GP, and both parents agreed that the child undergo proper assessment in the UK.

Expert evidence presented to the court found a litany of safety issues including the prescribing of a dangerously high dose of testosterone to a child born female that left them at risk of imminent death.

The case comes as polling revealed the majority of British people believe clinics offering gender reassignment surgery to under-18s should be shut down and teenagers should not be prescribed puberty blockers.

Eating disorders and self-harming

J, who was born female but identifies as male, had suffered from eating disorders and self-harm aged 12 and was detained in a childrens mental health unit for nine months. The child was diagnosed with autism and anorexia at 13.

Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the High Court family division, ruled on Wednesday that Gender GP would need to provide a detailed account from the clinic setting out their proposed course of assessment and treatment in order to overturn its decision.

Sir Andrew also issued a warning to other courts making decisions involving the controversial clinic in the treatment of children, in what could be a precedent for future cases.

I would urge any other court faced with a case involving Gender GP to proceed with extreme caution before exercising any power to approve or endorse treatment that that clinic may prescribe, he concluded.

In 2022, Js mother agreed to contact the clinic, and the child then began receiving injections of testosterone from an NHS GP every six weeks, beginning in January 2023.

The court heard how the counsellor at Gender GP, registered in Britain, had declared: I have no concerns, at this time, with him getting the help he needs from hormones.

Do not treat children outside NHS

A prescription for a double dose of testosterone was then written by a doctor registered in Barcelona, and posted from Romania.

The father, who had separated from the mother when J was aged 10, had disagreed with the decision and appealed to the court in April 2023, on the grounds of consent and competence, and claimed under-18s should not be allowed treatment outside of specialist NHS services.

Dr Jacqueline Hewitt, a consultant paediatric endocrinologist based in Melbourne, Australia, was the courts expert witness after no UK specialists agreed to take part.

In her evidence, Dr Hewitt was highly critical of Gender GP, and hit out at the absence of physical examinations, bone density checks, therapy, and the extremely poor quality of psychological assessment.

However, her biggest concern was that the clinic had administered dangerously high doses of testosterone to a child that had never had it before.

She said there was no professional society of paediatric endocrinologists internationally who would consider this anything other than a highly abnormal and frankly negligent approach and said it would be unlawful in Australia.

Risk of imminent death

The court sought NHS intervention after receipt of Dr Hewitts worrying advice that J may be at risk of imminent death but these were unsuccessful.

All parties agreed to pause the treatment at Gender GP, with the last dose being delivered in August 2023.

Dr Hewitt queried whether there had been top-up doses since, given the high levels of testosterone still in the childs blood.

An independent consultant paediatric haematologist analysed Js testosterone levels in late 2023 and said they were normal relevant to an adult male.

The father has agreed for J to be assessed by a UK-based private clinic, Gender Plus, for the period of six months.

Sir Andrew said it was not the courts place to set a precedent or trespass on the role of Parliament and would limit the courts involvement in terms of decision to that which is currently necessary.

In the absence of intervention by Parliament, the court should be careful to move forward on a case by case, decision by decision, basis so that the approach under the common law is developed incrementally as may be required, rather than by judicial diktat, he said.

Ban life-changing medication for vulnerable

The hearing took place in February 2024, before the Cass review into transgender childrens healthcare was published, which it acknowledged may have further bearing on future hearings and cases.

Paul Conrathe, human rights lawyer at Sinclairslaw, representing Js father, said in light of the case the Secretary of State should immediately seek to prevent vulnerable children from accessing powerful life-changing hormonal medication from unregulated providers.

This litigation has also exposed a dangerous gap in NHS provision which urgently needs to be remedied, he said.

Despite the child being significantly overdosed with testosterone and there being concerns about the risk of sudden death due to thromboembolic disease, there was no gender emergency service nationally that could offer urgent assessment and treatment other than basic blood testing.

Poll calls for gender clinics to be shut down

It comes as polling found most British people want clinics offering gender reassignment surgery to under-18s shut down.

Some 61 per cent say the clinics should close, compared with just 17 per cent who disagree.

More than two thirds (68 per cent) say puberty blockers should never be given to teenagers, while nearly four-fifths (79 per cent) say they should never be offered surgery.

The poll of 2,000 adults, conducted by Whitestone Insight, was commissioned by the campaign group Family Hubs Network.

It found that nearly half of people  46 per cent  believe JK Rowling is a brave critic of trans ideology.

This far outweighs the 23 per cent who believe she has been too vocal and just 7 per cent believe she should go to prison as a transphobe.

It found that a majority of parents want the Government to take a tougher stance against the promotion of gender change in schools.

A total of 56 per cent of parents want an outright ban or for the current guidance urging schools to take a cautious approach to pupils changing gender to be given the full force of law.

Lord Farmer says trans activists do not represent the general public - Chris Gander

The survey exposes widespread public unease about the woke agenda. Only one in five people (19 per cent) consider themselves woke while 50 per cent reject the label.

By a significant majority, people do not believe being woke is an admirable trait. Only one in four regard it as positive  as opposed to 43 per cent who do not.

Lord Farmer, the former Conservative Party treasurer, said the poll confirmed that trans activists were out of line with public opinion.

Ministers should take heart from these findings and halt completely the promotion of transgender ideology in schools, which is causing much distress to parents and pupils and creating a legal minefield for teachers, some of whom have already lost their jobs for using the wrong pronouns, he said.

The classroom should not become a pulpit for any kind of social or political indoctrination and teachers should not have to go in fear of tripping up by using the wrong language or failing to affirm everything adolescents feel. Strong feelings can ebb away with time, but surgery and off-licence puberty blockers are life-changing.

I am delighted to see the courageous stance taken by JK Rowling applauded by the public. She is far more in tune with public opinion than the woke ideologues dominating Holyrood.
The council issued a Section 114 notice in September last year, meaning it had to halt all new spending - Mike Kemp/via Getty Images

Bankrupt Birmingham City Council is spending almost 400,000 on diversity staff despite having a gap in its finances worth hundreds of millions.

Freedom of information data show the Labour-run council spent 388,000 on the salaries of employees in equality, diversity and inclusion roles in 2022-23, up from 356,000 the previous year.

That includes the 100,000 salary of its diversity tsar  despite residents now facing a 21 per cent council tax increase after it was forced to declare effective bankruptcy in 2023.

The authority is making cuts of 300 million, including slashing arts funding to zero, selling 11 community centres and increasing burial fees by up to 263.

Rachel Maclean, the Tory partys deputy chairman, said the astounding spending was a waste.

Wherever Labour runs things, they run them badly, she said. This is the latest in a litany of financial mismanagement.

It is astounding that even after driving Birminghams finances into the ground, they continue to waste so much of other peoples money.

No matter where they are in power, Labour has no plan to deliver for local people and cannot be trusted with taxpayers cash.

Shaun Bailey, the Tory MP for West Bromwich West, said: This is the same old Labour, where diversity chiefs are prioritised over hardworking families.

Mr Bailey says Labour has 'prioritised diversity chiefs over hardworking families'

The Labour Council has failed Birmingham on a colossal scale, slashing essential services while they waste eye-watering sums on woke nonsense, said Mr Bailey.

Only the Conservative Party will deliver on local peoples priorities.

Council tax in Birmingham rose by 10 per cent this month and will rise by a further 10 per cent next year  adding 350 to average bills.

The authority issued a Section 114 notice in September last year, meaning it had to halt all new spending, after facing equal pay claims of up to 760 million and an 80 million overspend on an under-fire IT system.

Independent commissioners were brought in by Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, to help run the council, which also owes almost 3 billion to lenders.

The TaxPayers Alliance has previously found that almost 52 million of taxpayers cash has been spent by local authorities on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) roles in the last three years across the country

Benjamin Elks, its grassroots development manager, said: Birmingham has been caught bang to rights prioritising the diversity industry over their residents.

Devastating cuts have been made to services along with huge hikes to council tax, yet EDI rabble-rousers continue to rake it in.

Council bosses across the country, but particularly in Birmingham, should review these roles and see if the necessary functions can be absorbed into existing roles.

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council said: We are a more diverse nation than ever before and Birmingham is a super diverse city which is one of our strengths.

It is only right that organisations in both the private and public sectors ensure they are meeting the needs of everyone they serve and in the case of councils, there are legal duties and requirements under the Equalities Act, a piece of central government legislation, that must be adhered to.
breastfeeding

Six trustees of a nationwide breastfeeding support group have been suspended for demanding that biological men be excluded from their services.

The British wing of La Leche League (LLL), which gives mother-to-mother support to those finding it hard to breastfeed, has been told by its US-based board of directors that the service cannot be single sex and they must support male lactation.

They were also told that the use of the term mother could be a roadblock, and that questioning gender ideology was harmful.

The suspended trustees have now complained to the Charity Commission, saying the charitys demand that trans women were admitted was against UK law because single-sex places are protected.

Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, has asked members of the public for examples of state bodies misapplying the rules on single-sex spaces.

One leader from LLLGB, the name for the charitys British wing, said: Many breastfeeding supporters like me feel utterly disheartened by the way our charity has become obsessed and sidetracked by sex and gender issues. In the most recent diktat, we were informed that our charity is not and cannot become a single-sex charity.

Not about excluding

We had already been told that the term mother could be a roadblock. Any attempt to question or debate these positions is hounded down as harmful.

But these are not small changes or additive terms to our messaging: it is fundamentally problematic to delivering on our philosophy as a charity. Crucially, it is not in the interests of mothers or babies.

She added: This is not about excluding; it is about safeguarding the vital breastfeeding education spaces that must exist for women if we are to help increase our internationally low breastfeeding rates  and, just as importantly, help women to access the right support.

Lactation can be induced in transgender women  people who were born male but identify as female  by taking hormones such as estradiol and progesterone.

There are more than 70 LLL groups across the UK, staffed by volunteers.

They seek to show women that the process can be a wonderful bonding experience with their babies, as well as promoting better health outcomes.

Late in 2023, a group of trustees questioned the US-led board, LLLI about its shift to gender ideology, and asked to remain single-sex.

In February 2024, LLLI told them: We focus on providing breastfeeding support and understand the importance of making our spaces welcoming to all those who want to breastfeed or give their babies human milk.

We dont argue with parents or other leaders about how they identify; we accept them with respect, just as they say they are, and do not refer to them with words that conflict with their identity.

They suspended the six trustees, saying; The continued promotion of LLL as an organisation that excludes people is damaging LLLs credibility.

However, LLLI does allow groups in countries which do not accept trans rights, including many Muslim ones, to exclude biological men.

Helped thousands of mothers

A spokeswoman for the LLLGB trustee group said: La Leche League has always been about mother-to-mother support to breastfeed. Being able to provide a female-only service is fundamental to the rights, safety and wellbeing of both mothers and babies.

The volunteers at LLLGB have helped thousands of mothers in a culture that is not always supportive of breastfeeding.

Pressure to abandon mother-only breastfeeding services has been building internationally at LLL for several years as gender identity activism has gathered force. We are now at the point that group leaders around the world are being told they must support male lactation.

As a group of current trustees of LLLGB, we have exhausted every process available to us to defend sex-based services. LLL International and a small number of fellow trustees at LLLGB have undermined our efforts and left us with no choice but to alert the Charity Commission.

We would like to reassure group leaders and the mothers who benefit from LLLGBs services that we are confident the law is on our side, as mother is a sex-based term in UK law.

Maya Forstater, co-founder of the womens rights group Sex Matters, said: Its a sorry state of affairs when a charity that does valuable work to help mothers to breastfeed is being pushed to include men. The work of La Leche League is nothing to do with identity and everything to do with human biology.

The Charity Commission should be supporting charities to stay true to their charitable objects. In fact they should be demanding it. This is yet another example of a charity set up for women being sidetracked into identity issues, just like the womens refuges that have been pushed to accept males with a transgender identity even though they are set up as women only.

A Charity Commission spokeswoman said: We have received correspondence from groups of trustees, alerting us to a disagreement among the charitys board about the way in which the charity delivers its services. We are assessing the information to determine whether this is a matter for the Commission as regulator to become involved in.
Immigration officers have begun detaining migrants to be deported to Rwanda

Civil servants are threatening to scupper Rishi Sunaks Rwanda plan by mounting the first legal challenge to the landmark legislation.

The FDA union, which represents senior civil servants, has submitted an application for a judicial review over concerns that Home Office staff could be in breach of international law if they implement the Prime Ministers Safety of Rwanda Act.

They say civil servants could be in violation of the Civil Service code  and open to possible prosecution  if they followed a ministers demands to ignore an injunction from the European Court of Human Rights banning a deportation.

The Act gives ministers the power to decide whether to comply with a Rule 39 order made by the Strasbourg court, one of which grounded the first flight to Rwanda in June 2022. Civil servants have been instructed that they must defer to ministers over such decisions.

Dave Penman, FDA general secretary, said: Civil servants should never be left in a position where they are conflicted between the instructions of ministers and adhering to the Civil Service code, yet that is exactly what the Government has chosen to do.

This is not an accident, or down to poor drafting. Its a political choice from the Government, made not for the good of the country but to avoid upsetting either of the warring factions within its own party.

Its also irresponsible. Those seeking to undermine the integrity and impartiality of the civil service have seized on the difficulties the Government has had in implementing this policy, to accuse civil servants of acting politically.

It is thought to be the first time civil servants have attempted to block a government policy in the courts.

Vote could reopen split in Tory party

If the union is successful with its legal challenge, it could mean the Government is ordered to remove the conflict by holding a parliamentary vote to either specify in law that the UK will ignore the injunctions, rather than simply giving ministers the power to do so, or it could be told to amend the Civil Service code to remove officials obligations to comply with the law.

Such votes could open up fresh divisions between moderates in the party who believe it would be a step too far to enshrine a requirement to breach international law legislation and Right-wing MPs who would back a strengthening of the legislation.

This could lead to further delays in Mr Sunaks ambition to get the first flights off to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 weeks. He has made clear that he will not allow a foreign court to block the Rwanda scheme.

On Monday, officials were told not to obstruct a ministers decision to ignore the Strasbourg court in a letter from Darren Tienrey, the director general of propriety and ethics in the Cabinet Office, to Sir Matthew Rycroft, the Home Office permanent secretary.

But the FDA said that neither ministers nor guidance could overrule the obligation under the Civil Service code to comply with the law, and that only an Act of Parliament could remove the conflict of interest.

Mr Penman said: This is not a decision that we have taken lightly. The Government has had plenty of time to include an explicit provision in the Act regarding breaking international law commitments which would have resolved this, but it chose not to.

We have been clear all along that our challenge is not about the policy itself - that is a matter for Parliament.

Civil servants know that they have to support the government of the day and implement policy, regardless of their political beliefs, but they also know they have a legal obligation to adhere to the Civil Service code.

Faced with a government that is prepared to act in this cowardly, reckless way, it is left to the FDA to defend our members and the integrity of the Civil Service.

It is not the first time the FDA has brought a judicial review over the Governments decisions.

In 2021, the High Court ruled on a judicial review over a decision by Boris Johnson, the then prime minister, regarding the conduct of Dame Priti Patel, the home secretary at the time.

Mr Johnson had backed Dame Priti after she was accused of bullying, rejecting his ethics adviser Alex Allans finding that her conduct breached the Ministerial Code. The FDA claimed he had misunderstood the definition of bullying in the ministerial code. The claim was dismissed.

A Government spokesman said: The Home Office already sought advice from the director general of proprietary and ethics in the Cabinet Office on the issue of the Civil Service Code and claims over the legality of implementing the Rwanda deportation scheme under the new legislation.
Sara Alhashimi died while trying to cross the Channel with her family. Photograph: Ahmed Alhashimi

The father of a seven-year-old girl crushed to death on a small boat has said they tried to cross the Channel after being informed his young family would be deported to Iraq after spending years in Europe.

Ahmed Alhashimi, 41, lost grasp of his daughter, Sara, on an inflatable dinghy after a large group of men rushed onboard as it was pulling away from the shores of Wimereux, south of Calais.

Sara was trampled as Alhashimi, who was also travelling with his wife, Nour AlSaeed, 13-year-old daughter, Rahaf, and eight-year-old son, Hussam, became jammed in and unable to reach her. Sara was one of five people who died in the crush last Tuesday.

Speaking to the BBC, Alhashimi, who said he left Basra in Iraq 14 years ago after being threatened by militia, said Sara had been born in Belgium and lived in Sweden but that multiple applications for asylum in EU countries had been rejected.

If I knew there was a 1% chance that I could keep the kids in Belgium or France or Sweden or Finland I would keep them there, he said. All I wanted was for my kids to go to school. I didnt want any assistance. My wife and I can work. I just wanted to protect them and their childhoods and their dignity.

It had been the familys fourth attempt at a crossing of the Channel since they had arrived in the Pas de Calais region two months earlier.

They had previously been caught by police but Alhashimi said the smugglers had assured him that for 1,500 (1,280) per adult, and half for each child that they would be among 40 people, mostly Iraqis, to get on a boat.

Sara had been calm at first, Alhashimi said, holding her fathers hand as they walked from the train station in Wimereux the evening before and then hiding in the dunes north of town overnight.

Shortly before 6am, the group had inflated their dinghy and the smugglers had ordered them to carry it down on to the beach and run with it towards the sea.

Suddenly, Alhashimi said, a police teargas canister exploded near them and Sara began screaming.

Once on the boat, Alhashimi had kept Sara on his shoulders but had then taken her down to help his other daughter, Rahaf, to get onboard.

He begged those around him, including a young Sudanese man who had been among those to join the boat at the last moment, to move aside to let him grab his youngest child. I just wanted him to move so I could pull my baby up, Alhashimi said. He punched the man, but even that was ignored.

That time was like death itself, Alhashimi said. We saw people dying. I saw how those men were behaving. They didnt care who they were stepping on  a child, or someones head, young or old. People started to suffocate. I could not protect her. I will never forgive myself. But the sea was the only choice I had.

It was only later, after French rescuers reached the boat and unloaded some of the 112 onboard, that Alhashimi was able to reach his daughters body. He said: I saw her head in the corner of the boat. She was all blue. She was dead when we pulled her out. She wasnt breathing.

Alhashimi said Belgium had most recently rejected his asylum claim on the grounds that Basra was safe. The family had spent the last seven years living with a friend in Sweden.

Alhashimi said: Everything that happened was against my will. I ran out of options. People blame me and say, How could I risk my daughters? But Ive spent 14 years in Europe and have been rejected.

Late on Wednesday, French police said they had rescued 66 migrants, including women and children, from a crowded boat off the coast of Dieppe, on which they were trying to cross the Channel.
Women earmarked for deportation to Rwanda are among the first migrants to have been detained in nationwide raids that sparked protests by groups including Just Stop Oil.

Immigration enforcement officials started detaining migrants on Monday morning ahead of the first deportation flights that are scheduled to take off in nine to 11 weeks.

Women were among those picked up, despite young men forming the majority of Channel migrants. They will be detained at immigration removal centres until they can be deported to Rwanda in July.

Some 800 immigration officers are involved in Operation Vector, which saw protesters try to block the detention of migrants in Solihull, Swansea, Salford and Croydon. Just Stop Oil mounted a protest at Solihulls immigration enforcement offices, with 10 people understood to have been arrested.

Some migrants were detained when they arrived for routine appointments while others were arrested after failing to comply with reporting requirements.

Pictures and a video released by the Home Office showed uniformed immigration officers mounting a dawn raid with an asylum seeker placed in a caged white van to be transported to detention.

The male migrant was escorted handcuffed from the detached house after the officers entered it. One officer carried a handheld battering ram ready to break down doors.

Those detained are among 5,700 migrants whose applications for asylum have been denied after arriving in the UK illegally between January 2022 and June 2023. They were previously notified of their removal to Rwanda.

Officials are targeting 2,145 whom they believe give them the best prospect of removal and have been subject to face-to-face reporting as part of the immigration bail conditions. The remaining 3,557 migrants are subject to reporting conditions including by email or phone.

They will be detained at seven immigration removal centres, where detention capacity has been expanded to 2,200 places, although they will also be required to hold foreign criminals and other immigration offenders already facing deportation.

A complex piece of work

James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, said: Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground.

This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs.

Eddy Montgomery, the Home Office director of enforcement, said it was vital that operational detail is kept to a minimum, to protect colleagues involved and those being detained, as well as ensuring we can deliver this large-scale operation as quickly as possible.

The migrants can be detained for the entire nine to 11 weeks before their scheduled flights provided there is a realistic prospect of removal from the UK in a reasonable timescale.

They will be able to seek bail but lawyers suggested Mr Cleverly would have to provide a removal date at that point to justify their detention and the reasonable timescale.

A key change to guidance issued to officials on Tuesday makes clear it is now for the Home Secretary to determine what a reasonable timescale is and also makes it easier to detain individuals who may be deemed vulnerable.

Those being removed will be detained at seven immigration removal centres

Lawyers believe they will be able to mount legal challenges to individual migrants deportation under the Safety of Rwanda Act even though the legislation was designed to restrict appeals.

Migrants can bring legal claims if they can provide compelling evidence relating specifically to the persons particular circumstances that Rwanda is not a safe country for them individually.

Legal challenges will be based on articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protect the right to life and guard against torture.

How migrants could challenge removals

Campaigners suggested migrants would be able to challenge the removals on the basis of potential harm to their mental and physical health and that those with a history of protest would also have a strong case.

This will be based on the Rwandan authoritys previous management of protests staged by refugees, as evidence of the potential harm that their clients would face in the country.

The Rwanda Act also allows for migrants to seek injunctions, known as interim relief, which would suspend the implementation of the policy until there had been a full legal hearing.

Claimants will have to prove that they face a real, imminent and foreseeable risk of serious and irreversible harm if sent to Rwanda before a full legal hearing could take place.

Of the 5,700 migrants identified for removal to Rwanda, only 2,145 of them continue to report to the Home Office and can be located for detention, according to a document released on Monday.

Migrants being removed are those whose applications for asylum have been denied after arriving in the UK illegally

The Home Office has insisted that the remaining 3,557 have not necessarily absconded and are not missing but they are not subject to the same reporting restrictions as the 2,145 who are on immigration bail.

This means they are likely to be more difficult to locate for detention. The Telegraph spoke to one Sudanese Channel migrant on Tuesday who was earmarked for deportation in 2022 but this month fled to Ireland via Liverpool and Belfast to avoid being removed to Rwanda.

Announcing the first flights, Rishi Sunak said the Government had an airfield, thought to be the Ministry of Defences Boscombe Down, and private commercial flights scheduled.

The Prime Minister has pledged that once the flights start there will be a drum beat of subsequent monthly departures through the Summer.

Detaining migrants is causing fear

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: The Governments move to detain people is causing fear, distress and great anxiety amongst men, women and children who have fled war and persecution to reach safety in the UK.

Children have been sending messages to our staff terrified that their age-disputed status will put them at risk of removal to Rwanda. We have also seen a worsening in the mental health and wellbeing of people we work with in the asylum system.

By contradicting the Supreme Court to push ahead with the Rwanda Plan, the Government is laying the foundations for the next asylum crisis. Our analysis has shown that it is likely to lead to an unprecedented system meltdown, leaving tens of thousands of refugees from countries like Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria stranded in permanent limbo and shut out of the asylum system.
People stand by rows of tents, near the International Protection Office in Dublin

Walking along a tent-strewn shanty town on a Georgian street in central Dublin, I was reminded of Oscar Wildes novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. The books protagonist, Dorian, sells his soul to remain young and beautiful, while his portrait, hidden in an attic, continues to age and visually documents each one of his sins.

The tent city, like Dorians picture, is something Irish leaders would prefer hidden from public view  because it jars with the image of Ireland as an empathetic and responsible country that they like to project. So when Britains press arrived this week to photograph the migrant camp, outside Dublins International Protection Office (IPO), there was a scramble to maintain the facade. We do not live in a country where makeshift shanty towns are allowed to just develop, pronounced Irelands Taoiseach.

The camp was promptly cleared away on Wednesday and its occupants were bussed to better accommodation, which had, all of a sudden, become available. The site was last bulldozed ahead of St Patricks Day (another occasion when all eyes were on Dublin) to little effect: the occupants were sent to Crooksling, on the outskirts of the city, but decided they preferred the city centre and trekked back en masse.

The tents are a human tragedy but also a damning portrait of the Irish governments immigration policy  which has for years welcomed far more people than Ireland can house, with ministers insisting they had a moral and legal obligation to do so. This has left asylum seekers sleeping rough as the government scrambles to strike deals with hotels and landlords across the country to house them, before more arrive.

With each new arrival, Irelands international obligations have, in turn, been thrust upon the Irish people. I have to clear tents from outside the shop every day, an owner of a cafe near the camp tells me. Its horrible having to wake them up  they often dont know why youre kicking them out, a lot dont speak English.

The camp has long been a growing concern even among Dublins most pro-immigration residents. At the cafe next door, many patrons initially sympathised with the Irish governments laxed migration policy. But the owners noticed a shift in the mood  to one of anxiety and fear as the camp continued to swell.

The once spacious street became claustrophobic: rows of tents halved the walking space on the pavement, meaning people had to step into the road to get around each other. The government had also declined to provide the camp with a serviceable toilet. There is a smell of urine and faeces everywhere, the cafe owner informs me. Ive stepped in it. The area is also littered with food, attracting rodents. Locals feared this, combined with the absence of showers, would cause an outbreak of disease.

Unsurprisingly, people gave the area a wide berth. Many people working in the streets red-brick offices took to working from home; footfall to local restaurants and pubs dwindled; residents complained of gangs of young men drinking and playing loud music at night. Many women did not feel safe passing by the camp, which hosts around 200 men, and so avoided the area altogether. The cafe owner says hes sent countless emails to government departments, to no avail. Other businesses on the street, whove been similarly ignored, have threatened the government with legal action if it doesnt relocate the migrants.

It took the arrival of the international press this week, amid a diplomatic row between Ireland and the UK, for the government to take action. The spat began after Dublin claimed more than 80 per cent of asylum applicants arriving in Ireland in recent months had crossed the Irish border. Micheal Martin, Irelands deputy prime minister, claimed this influx was spurred on by Britains Rwanda policy.

I spoke to a 27-year old Nigerian who told me he arrived at the IPO this week under circumstances which were rather different. He says he felt unsafe in Nigeria after the farm he worked on in the north of the country had been attacked by bandits in 2022. A French NGO worker in Nigeria helped him to board a plane to Paris and obtain a French passport, but advised him to travel on to Ireland. The Irish government says the handful of visas it has issued to Nigerians in recent months cant account for the thousands which have arrived. But this young mans case suggests many of these asylum seekers could indeed be coming from Europe.

The Irish government is clearly keen to find a scapegoat for its ill-thought out migration policy. But it is high time they took a hard look at their own unflattering portrait.
Levan Khabeishvilli, leader of the Georgian opposition party, in parliament (right) after he was beaten by security forces

Georgias main opposition leader was beaten by security forces as he joined a pro-Western demonstration against the countrys new Russia law.

Levan Khabeishvili, who leads the United National Movement party, which is pro-Nato and pro-European Union, shared a picture of himself with a black eye, bloodied face and broken nose after a night of violent clashes between protesters and riot police in Tbilisi.

The politician alleged he had been kidnapped and beaten for opposing the ruling partys foreign influence law.

He later appeared in the Georgian parliament, his face covered in bandages, to oppose the legislation, which critics say is modelled on Vladimir Putins oppressive regime.

If someone thinks we wont smile because we lose a tooth or cant open our eyes, they are very mistaken. We will smile because Georgia will win, Mr Khabeishvili told the chamber after being brought in in a wheelchair.

Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, Georgias deputy interior minister, said the opposition figure had broken into the police cordon and resisted police to hinder their activities, receiving injuries as a result.

Out of the clutches of Moscow

Thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets in recent months, draped in the white and red of their national flag and the blue and yellow of the EU, determined to keep their country out of the clutches of Moscow.

On Tuesday night, riot police fired water cannons, tear gas and launched stun grenades in a bid to quash a demonstration in the Georgian capital.

Josep Borrell, the EUs top foreign diplomat, condemned the violent crackdown on protesters, describing it as unacceptable.

Brussels is closely watching the protest movement, which resembles the Maidan Revolution in Ukraine between 2013 and 2014, because Georgia is a candidate to join the bloc.

If the Bill becomes law, it would force media outlets, human rights groups and non-governmental organisations that receive 20 per cent of funding from abroad to register as an organisation serving the interests of a foreign power.

Its opponents argue that the law is inspired by similar legislation in Russia used to silence dissent.

The EU has warned that Georgia would face insurmountable barriers to join the bloc if the legislation is allowed to enter into force, essentially throwing the country back into the orbit of Moscow.
Kemi Badenoch urges public to let her know if public bodies do not have single-sex spaces - ZUMAPRESS.com / Avalon

Girls at school developed urinary tract infections because they did not want to use gender-neutral toilets, Kemi Badenoch has claimed.

The Women and Equalities Minister said that the school thought they were following correct guidance, but had been advised by an organisation that wasnt looking at the equality law.

It comes as Ms Badenoch urged members of the public on Wednesday to provide examples of state bodies failing to provide single-sex spaces, amid concern that the NHS, local councils and others are misinterpreting guidance.

She told LBC: We are looking for examples where a public institution is either issuing guidance or has a policy that is not in accordance with the Equalities Act when it comes to single sex spaces.

If I were to give an example of a school that had gender-neutral toilets and young girls there didnt want to use the same toilets as boys so they werent going to the toilet at school and got urinary tract infections.

She added: This is obviously a terrible thing but the school thought they were following guidance because they had used some policy analysis by an organisation that wasnt looking at the equality law.

Ms Badenoch described the situation as a scandal, telling Times Radio that there had been a report, and this was confirmed by doctors, that there were girls who were not using the toilet in some schools and getting urinary tract infections because they didnt want to share their toilets with boys.

NHS overhaul to respect biological sex

The launch of the call for input comes a day after the Health Secretary announced plans to overhaul the NHS constitution to ensure that biological sex is respected.

The Department of Health and Social Care said on Tuesday that it is defining sex as biological sex with the new document, which underpins NHS care.

Proposed changes will also ensure hospital patients in England have the right to request to be treated on single-sex wards, with transgender people placed in rooms on their own.

The Government Equalities Office said its call for input builds on this, and will move to clear up confusion in what Ms Badenoch described as a complex area involving public spaces.

In response to the Governments call for input, Bridget Philipson, Labours shadow education secretary, said that Ms Badenoch does love nothing more than a culture war.

She told Times Radio: It is so transparent what she is doing.

She is pitching to Conservative members for the leadership contest to come in the Conservative Party, and frankly our country deserves a lot better than it always being about the Conservative Party.
Victorias health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said an investigation had confirmed allegations that staff at a Colac regional clinic had posed as fake patients during her visit last August. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

Staff members at a regional hospital posed as fake patients to make their urgent care clinic appear busier during a visit by the Victorian health minister last year, an investigation has found.

The health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas on Wednesday told reporters an investigation into her visit to Colac area healths urgent care clinic on 9 August 2023, had been completed and the staff would not be sanctioned.

It has confirmed that staff at Colac area health posed as patients during my visit on that day, she said.

These staff members were registered as patients in the urgent care centre registration system. Their registrations were later cancelled after I had left.

Thomas said the deception included a staff member arriving to the clinic by ambulance.

We do know that at least one person who did not require medical treatment arrived at the hospital in an ambulance. We also know that one person who was a staff member was on a trolley, she said.

Thomas said the group had been enlisted by some management staff to help the urgent care centre appear busier than it actually was.

Im very disappointed, she said. I dont need our health services to be staging fake patients to need to know that our health system is facing challenges.

Thomas said she could not remember anything was untoward during the visit.

Its certainly not something that ever crossed my mind that a health service would work to deceive a government minister in such a way, she said.

The investigation, commissioned by the health department and conducted by Wise Workplace Solutions, was launched after reporting by the Colac Herald.

Thomas would not release the report on Wednesday, citing privacy concerns, but provided an executive summary.

It confirmed 10 staff members working in other parts of the hospital had attended the clinic and sat in the waiting room during the visit. Arrangements were also made for one staff member to arrive by ambulance, who was then triaged by staff in the urgent care clinic.

Another occupied a trolley in the back corridor, it said.

Related: Investigation launched into claims fake patients used during Victorian ministers hospital visit

The investigation said the evidence did not suggest that any resources had been diverted away from the care of genuine patients at the time but there was a real possibility that patient care could have been impacted by the presence of patients who were not in genuine need.

Wise Workplace Solutions and the department both took the view the incidents were inappropriate and did not align with the departments expectations under both Colac area health or the public sectors codes of conduct.

But the investigation did not recommended disciplining the staff who posed as patients.

It found they did what they had been asked to do and went along with what was happening under the apparent belief that this is what was expected of them by the hospital.

However, it recommended Colac area health convey the seriousness of what occurred to staff and the significant impact it could have had on patients, as well as to remind them to speak up if asked to do something that they believe is unethical.

Thomas said it was now up to Colac area health to take action against the staff members who organised the stunt. She said this could include counselling, training or indeed disciplinary action.

Colac area healths interim chief executive, Prof Steve Moylan, apologised over the incident.

We are sorry for what occurred in the urgent care centre, it is highly regrettable and weve accepted all recommendations from the independent investigation, he said.

Whilst the investigation found there was no impact to patient care, we know the incident posed a potential risk and thats something we will ensure doesnt happen again.

Colac area health will consider disciplinary action for a group of staff identified in the report.

Ambulance Victoria is also investigating its involvement in the episode.
The Seoul city government on Wednesday said anyone can receive free and anonymous HIV testing at community health centers in the city.

The quick testing, adopted by the city in 2015, is available in all 25 districts of Seoul and provides test results within 30 minutes, according to the city government.

The city said it had carried out 151,932 tests as of last year and identified 1,064 infections in the early stages.

The quick test collects a drop of blood from a person's finger to determine whether he or she tests positive for HIV. If further testing is required, the city will request a detailed examination from the Seoul government's Research Institute of Public Health and Environment. (Yonhap)
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer

When Keir Starmer said last year that 99.9 per cent of women havent got a penis, there were audible sighs of relief from those who concluded that he was at last distancing himself from the most extreme transgender ideology. It was, after all, the slightest of improvements on his earlier comment that the vast majority of women lacked one.

This week, further progress was made. Starmer, on the ropes now as a result of dogged campaigning by feminists including MP Rosie Duffield, admitted that Duffield had been right to say that only women have a cervix.

During the long period in which Duffield was deemed to be wrong about this, she was bullied, defamed, threatened, and ostracised from the party. Ever since she first spoke out in favour of womens sex-based rights and single sex spaces (and Duffield did so as a domestic abuse survivor who had bravely discussed her experience in parliament), Starmer had offered Duffield absolutely no support.

Duffield must have been through hell in those years, yet Starmer repeatedly refused to listen to this voice of reason or meet with her. Instead, he sacrificed this brave, righteous public servant to a mob of blue-fringed lunatics insisting that gender identity trumps sex.

Now that Rome is burning, the Labour Party leader fiddles. In deciding to edge himself back to reality, he appears to be deluding himself that none of us will notice the sly shift.

Speaking this week, Starmer claimed to have a good relationship with Rosie Duffield  and was quickly contradicted by the MP. What a slippery piece of work he is. The true issue, however, is how certain sections of the left became so in thrall to gender ideology that they were willing to throw science, logic, common sense and any sense of duty out of the window.

As a lifelong Labour voter, Im deeply critical of many of the Tory policies relating to women and equality, but (odd outliers such as Penny Mordaunt aside), they have been much more sensible on this issue, and have shown the Labour Party to be posturing idiots.

As Director of Public Prosecutions, between 2008 and 2013, Starmer knew what a woman was. In 2014, he spoke at an event I helped organise on the lack of prosecutions in the UK for female genital mutilation, and it was clear he understood exactly what this terrible crime was about. Not only did he understand FGM as a crime, he was firmly committed to combating it.

He used to understand male violence towards women and girls too. Back in the 1990s, when he was a practising barrister, he represented Emma Humphreys  one of the women I campaigned on behalf of, who had been prostituted in her childhood and ended up in prison for killing her violent pimp.

Yet this week Starmer declined to apologise to Duffield, claiming that the pair still get on well. I suppose we shouldnt be surprised: after the u-turn comes the denial that it ever happened. And Duffield, like so many other women who have spoken out against this outrageous attack on our rights and dignity, is left on her own.
Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer launches the party's campaign for the May 2 local elections in the Dudley North

As voters head to the polls for the local elections on Thursday, it is striking how little scrutiny the opposition is facing. Across the country, Labours record in office is appalling.

In London, mayor Sadiq Khans mismanagement of Transport for London has seen the Government bail out the organisation several times, handing over more than 6 billion in seven different payments since May 2020. Mr Khans anti-car ideology, meanwhile, is reflected in the imposition of an expanded Ultra low emission zone (Ulez) on outer London, against the wishes of many residents, as well as the proliferation of inappropriate 20mph speed limits.

The costs of Labour do not end there. Mr Khan has raised the mayoral precept by 71 per cent since taking office, adding almost 200 to household bills on average. Then again, the mayor probably needs this revenue. City Hall budgets have spiralled out of control, with staffing costs surging, including a Night Czar appointed on a salary of around 120,000, only for the capital to lose more than 3,000 pubs, bars and nightclubs since the pandemic.

Examining the mess the Labour Party has made of the capital makes it easier to understand how it has managed to wreak such havoc elsewhere. Birmingham City Council declared itself effectively bankrupt, having spent 128 million on school taxis in just four years, and resulting in cuts to bin collections and road maintenance. Bradford and Stoke-on-Trent councils, recently bailed out by the Government, appear more interested in discussing Gaza than their finances.

But it is in Wales where voters have perhaps been given the clearest warning of what life would be like nationally if Labour wins the general election. The Welsh NHS is even more unpopular than its English equivalent, with 60 per cent of the public dissatisfied, while its schools produce among the worst results in the UK.

In September, the Welsh government spent millions introducing default 20mph speed limits on many roads. Now the measure is set to be rolled back, presumably at further cost to the taxpayer. The Welsh government apparently thinks that one of its priorities should be writing guidelines on decolonising public art.

With so few indications from the national Labour Party about what it would do in power, its performance in local and devolved government is surely instructive.
Sir Mark Rowley said Tasers 'make sense' for officers on patrol - Andrew Matthews/PA/Alamy

Scotland Yard is reviewing whether more officers should have access to Tasers, Sir Mark Rowley has said.

Around 7,500 front-line officers of an estimated 26,000 have undergone training and been equipped with the non-lethal devices.

But in the wake of the sword attacks in Hainault on Tuesday April 30, in which a 14-year-old boy was killed and four people including two police officers injured, there are calls for Tasers to be rolled out more widely.

A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene. Not all of the officers who challenged the suspect  who was armed with a large sword  were carrying Tasers at the time.

Sir Mark said he was not sure whether the two officers injured had been equipped with the devices.

The Chief Commissioner of the Met told LBC radio: All officers have the incapacitant spray and some are Taser trained, and were currently reviewing whether we should have wider access to Tasers for officers.

Neither of them are perfect solutions. Sometimes, for people in mental health crises particularly, the incapacitant sprays dont work.

They are difficult in a confined environment because everyone gets a dose of it.

And with the Tasers youve got to have two barbs to make contact with the skin. So neither of them are perfect. But we are looking at whether we issue them more widely.

A police officer uses a Taser on a man wielding a sword on Tuesday April 30 in Hainault, northeast London - Jordan Pettitt/PA

Sir Mark said it was not necessary for all of the Mets 34,000 officers to be equipped with Tasers, but he acknowledged more front-line officers might need them.

He said: Our counter-terrorism detectives, for example, arent going out confronting dangerous people on a daily basis.

But for some officers it makes sense. The officers who are out on patrol, responding to difficult calls on the streets, some of them have it. Were looking at whether more of them need it.

He also said that the female officer injured in Tuesdays sword attack almost lost her hand.

Surgeons had battled for hours to reattach nerves and she would require many years of physio to make a full recovery.

The arm was very badly damaged and the surgeon spent many, many hours basically putting her arm back together...It is a really horrific, serious injury, he said.

Sir Mark also praised the bravery of the officers who detained the suspect.

People say officers run towards danger. What youve actually seen on some of the videos on social media and on new sites such as your own, you actually see what that really looks like. Youve got officers running towards someone whos waving a sword, he said.
Debris covers the lawn of a home from Monday's standoff with police in Charlotte. Photograph: Jeffrey Collins/AP

Eight law-enforcement officers were shot, four fatally, during a shootout on Monday outside a home in North Carolina while serving a warrant to someone wanted for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. It was the deadliest attack on US law enforcement since 2016.

Three of the four law-enforcement officers killed were working on a fugitive taskforce as agents with the US Marshals Service, and the fourth was a police officer who had recently been named officer of the month by his department.

As the team made up of state, federal and local officers approached a home in Charlotte on Monday night, the subject of the warrant began shooting at them in the front yard, police said. Officers shot back and killed the man.

Related: Four officers killed and four wounded in shooting at North Carolina home

A second shooter inside the home began firing, injuring four Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department officers. Police said the officers found themselves at a disadvantage as they were being fired upon from above, with the second shooter taking aim from upstairs.

The officers who were working on the fugitive taskforce as federal marshals were named on Tuesday as William Alden Elliott and Sam Poloche, both of whom had worked for the North Carolina department of adult correction for 14 years, starting out as probation and parole officers and later working as part of the special operations and intelligence unit assigned to the US Marshals Carolinas regional fugitive taskforce.

Thomas Weeks Jr, also killed, was a 13-year veteran of the Marshals Service, and had served in the western district of North Carolina for the last 10 years, working security at a federal courthouse while serving on the fugitive taskforce.

The fourth officer killed was Joshua Eyer of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department, who died at the hospital a few hours after being wounded at the shootout, police said. Eyer had recently been named the forces officer of the month for April.

Theyre heroes, Johnny Jennings, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief, said at a Tuesday news conference. Theyre heroes because they face dangers that most humans should not have to face. And they accept that danger. And not a single one of them backed away from that challenge yesterday.

A high-power rifle was recovered from the home and two additional people, including a 17-year-old, were brought to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police station as persons of interest, Jennings said.

Roy Cooper, the North Carolina governor, spoke to the families of the fellow officers and friends and co-workers of the men on Tuesday, who variously described them as tough but kind, as dedicated people who loved their jobs and were good at them.

Jennings described the incident as the most tragic in his 32 years with the police department. I cant imagine that theres one any worse than what were seeing today, he said.

This is a good example of what we try to tell people every single day: when we put on this uniform we dont have any guarantees that well return home. But we have a lot of great men and women across this entire country that do it every day to make sure youre safe in your communities.

Vi Lyles, the Charlotte mayor, said she has been contacted by the White House and a host of state officials to ask what the community needs as they sort through the events of the day and plan for memorials to honor the officers.

Weve lost three people, Lyles said during the news conference. They lost their lives after they gave us the opportunity to be in a safe place. We know that there is a reason that everything happens and sometimes we dont understand it.

The identity of the subject of the warrant was released as Terry Clark Hughes Jr, 39. He was wanted on charges of firearm possession by a felon, officials said.

Information about a second shooter has not been released.

Police have said that two women in the home at the center of the shootout were brought in for questioning after leaving the residence.

We have to get a full understanding of why this occurred and also uphold the integrity of the investigation, Jennings said.

The Associated Press contributed reporting
Jordan Bardella poses for a selfie with supporters during a campaign rally for the upcoming European elections in Montbeliard, eastern France. Photograph: Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images

Amid the pate stalls and wine-tastings of a country fair, a young politician hailed as the new face of the French far right was jostled by crowds shouting for photographs and handing him tricolour flags to autograph. Rockstar! shouted one 18-year-old.

Jordan Bardella, 28, who as president of Marine Le Pens National Rally party (Rassemblement National) has one of the biggest TikTok followings in French politics, never says no to a selfie with teenage fans, flashing his well-rehearsed smile. Unlike Emmanuel Macron, our party never lost touch with the French people, he said.

Youre so handsome and you never cock up in TV interviews, said a grandmother at a champagne stand. Well, I try my best, replied Bardella earnestly, while apologising to the wine-maker for not being able to drink a full glass so early in the day.

Bardella, who was elected to the European parliament five years ago when he was 23, is leading the National Rallys European election campaign to unprecedented heights in the polls ahead of the 9 June vote. Ifop polling this month put Bardellas far-right party on 31.5%, with Macrons centrists on 17%. If Bardella beats Macrons party by a wide margin it threatens to panic centrists, right and left, and set the tone in French national politics for the coming years.

Bardellas deliberately humble tone with voters is part of his strategy to deliver the final phase of Le Pens decade-long drive to soften the far-right partys image. He does not seek to dilute the partys hardline anti-immigration message, which has not changed since the 1970s; instead he wants to make it respectable and fully mainstream ahead of Le Pens fourth attempt at the presidency in 2027.

For decades, the party founded by her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, was regarded as a danger to democracy that promoted racist, antisemitic and anti-Muslim views. Bardella rejects this portrayal. He stands for a new young generation of softly-spoken lawmakers in navy suits and ties who now make up the biggest single opposition party in parliament. We are reasonable people, he said. We stand for reason against excess. I stand for the return to reason.

Much of Bardellas rising personal approval ratings are linked to his personal story. He grew up on a housing estate in Saint-Denis, at the heart of the low-income, multi-ethnic Paris suburbs that have been so stigmatised. He describes himself as a part of a generation that grew up in the embers of the 2005 urban riots, in which young people living in estates across France rose up after the deaths of two boys who died hiding from police.

The son of Italians who arrived in the 1960s, Bardella is presented as a good immigrant who embraced French culture and civilisation, which he now warns is under threat from what he calls Islamist ideology. With a single mother who he says usually had only 20 left in her purse at the end of the month, Bardella joined the far-right party at 16 and later quit a geography degree to canvass full-time.

Tactically, Marine Le Pen has mentored Bardella as party president, while she retains overall control of the party. They share the same hardline agenda on immigration, security and keeping France for the French. But unlike Le Pen, with her bourgeois upbringing and the baggage of her name, Bardella is a blank canvas for voters to project themselves on to.

Le Pen has said Bardella would be her prime minister if she became president. Others think he could run for president himself. In September, Le Pen and 26 other party members face trial over the alleged misuse of EU funds. Le Pen denies all wrongdoing. Bardella, who is not facing charges, is seen as a potential replacement if Le Pen does not run in 2027.

He represents youth, speaks well, looks like the ideal son-in-law, is modern  that is what people want and hes reached a level of superstardom, said Aymeric Durox, a history teacher and National Rally senator for the Seine-et-Marne, south of Paris, where support has grown.

Le Pens party long ago abandoned its ideas of a Frexit, or a French exit from the European Union, although it continues to oppose the EUs green deal and migration and asylum pact. But in France, Bardella defends the partys longstanding ideas: the supposed danger of mass immigration and the promise to prioritise native French people over non-French people for welfare benefits and housing. He has warned of a barbaric and savage atmosphere in France, saying time is running out to save the nation.

At the fair, south of Paris, Bardella said: I think the biggest threat facing our nation today is radical Islam, political Islam, which constitutes a fifth column. It does not want to break away from France and French society but to conquer it and impose its own prohibitions on all French people. Some people are resigned to that, Im not.

But Bardella sidesteps the classic populist framework of representing the France of the forgotten versus the rotten elites. He has appealed to business leaders and entrepreneurs, managing to slightly increase support among higher-earning, educated voters as well as pensioners, who had previously stayed away.

I dont think the people against the oligarchy makes an election, he said.

Pierre Jouvet, a Socialist running for the European election alongside the highest-polling leftwing candidate, Raphael Glucksmann, said that beyond the selfies and the cosmetic level of communication, Bardella represented a dangerous project for France and Europe. He said even when the National Rally said it supported Ukraine against Russias invasion, the partys links to Moscow were not clear.

Jouvet said the National Rally was dangerous on the issue of migration in Europe, and Bardella wanted a Europe of barbed wire fences. He said the party had a dangerous vision of the fragmentation of society in France, and while it didnt present racism openly, it is always implicit that the enemy is always a foreigner, a north African or a Muslim, held as responsible for French peoples difficulties. So they bring a kind of atmosphere of racism to France, which is foul and which were fighting against.

Cecile Alduy, a professor at Stanford University and a specialist on Le Pens party, has analysed two years of Bardellas speeches. She said they were as if copy pasted from Marine Le Pen and Jean-Marie Le Pen. Its still the same triad of immigration, identity and Islam. The big difference is tone and style. The message is the same but delivered in a really smooth, poised and calm, tone of voice.

Whereas Marine Le Pen could be mocking and sarcastic, Bardella delivered his put-downs calmly, Alduy said: Hes a magazine-ready figure for the far right, everything clean-cut and neat, white smile  He goes even further in softening the party image  smoothing things out so that it feels banal, normal and mainstream.

This is possible in part because the far-rights ideas have become more ingrained in the political debate, with other parties borrowing their rhetoric on immigration, crime and the threat to civilisation.

Stewart Chau, the director of polling at Verian group, said long-term studies showed French voters were increasingly adhering to the National Rallys reading of societys problems and its proposed solutions. The last Verian barometer in December showed that for the first time since 1984 more French people thought the National Rally was not a danger (45%) than thought it was a danger (41%).

Never before have so many French people considered the National Rally as a completely legitimate party, Chau said. From the point of view of public opinion, that is a paradigm shift.

Chau said the re-named party had detached itself from the whiff of sulphur that surrounded it when it was the Front National set up by Jean-Marie Le Pen. People no longer focused on the racist, antisemitic positions associated with the partys founder, he said.

Antoine Bristielle, the director of opinion at the Fondation Jean Jaures thinktank, said Bardella was expected to beat Macrons centrist candidate, Valerie Hayer, in the European elections with a clear margin. This will have a huge influence on the whole public debate in France until the next presidential elections in 2027 because the main focus will be who and how to stop a scenario where the National Rally could win the presidential vote, he said.

The idea is theyre not fascists, theyre credible, said an engineer in his 30s who voted for the party and met Bardella at the fair.

I should have brought a banner saying: I love you, said one 15-year-old girl. Her father, a fairground worker, added: This man could save France.
Police detain a demonstrator as they work to remove an encampment at University of Wisconsin in Madison. Photograph: John Hart/AP

Crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protests at US colleges spread on Wednesday after campus hotspots intensified overnight, leading to some violence and hundreds more arrests amid widespread controversy over universities calling in police and claims about outside agitators driving escalation.

The number of arrests of student protesters had exceeded an estimated 1,300 by Wednesday afternoon since the start of the latest bout of protests two weeks ago, as more students were detained. This added to tallies by the Associated Press and Axios earlier on Wednesday, across more than 30 campuses, coast to coast and north to south.

Related: What do the US campus protests mean for Joe Biden in November?

The further unrest came as Columbia University in New York and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) erupted overnight, while arrests were made at the University of Arizona in Tucson and at the University of Wisconsin in Madison on Wednesday, among other places.

In New York, hundreds of New York City police officers entered the grounds of Columbia Universitys campus in uptown Manhattan shortly after 9pm on Tuesday night in what the citys mayor, Eric Adams, described as a precision operation to break into an occupied campus building, Hamilton Hall, famous for a 1968 anti-Vietnam war occupation that was also controversially broken up by the police.

Students barricaded themselves in there earlier in the week. The protesters across US campuses are chiefly demanding a complete ceasefire in Gaza and divestment by their universities from companies with ties to Israel.

Columbia students started the current spate of protests when they pitched tents in the middle of campus, taking to a new phase of protests that have occurred sporadically across many colleges from Harvard to Berkeley  since the Hamas attack on southern Israel last October sparked a military invasion of Gaza by Israel.

On Tuesday night, police in New York arrested a total of almost 300 students at Columbia and further uptown at the public sector City College. The campuses were tense but calm on Wednesday and the Columbia lawn bore the marks of the encampment that was also removed by the police.

The tents are gone, but they left their mark. pic.twitter.com/Y1K3qkXC6v  Irie Sentner (@iriesentner) May 1, 2024

Columbia University said on Tuesday it had asked police to enter the campus to restore safety and order to our community. Commencement, the ceremony for graduating students, is scheduled for 15 May and the university asked the police to keep a presence until 17 May.

And on the west coast, violent clashes broke out on the UCLA campus when counter-demonstrators attacked a pro-Palestinian protest encampment.

Aerial footage showed people wielding sticks or poles to attack boards being held up as a makeshift barricade to protect pro-Palestinian protesters, some holding placards or umbrellas. At least one firework was thrown into the camp.

Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support, Mary Osako, a vice-chancellor at the university, said late on Tuesday, adding: We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end.

Writing on X, the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, condemned the violence as absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable.

Ananya Roy, a geography professor at UCLA, condemned the university over its lack of response to the counter-protesters.

It gives people impunity to come to our campus as a rampaging mob, she told the LA Times. The word is out they can do this repeatedly and get away with it. I am ashamed of my university.

Student protesters at southern universities have also faced school discipline or arrest. New Orleans officers with guns drawn cleared an encampment early on Wednesday at Tulane University, WDSU reported. At least 14 protesters were arrested.

Police at the University of Arizona in Tucson fired non-lethal chemical weapons at protesters as arrests were made, the Arizona Daily Star reported, adding that at least one protester was hit with a rubber bullet.

At the University of Wisconsin, Madison, police tore down tents after a fierce standoff and detained scores of protesters, mostly students. At least one professor was pinned down and arrested after he reportedly asked police to leave the students alone.

New Yorks mayor, Eric Adams, on Wednesday blamed external protesters for hijacking the protest and persuading students to escalate, saying they were known to police and were being investigated, but did not release details. He said Columbia had cited such outsiders in asking for the latest police intervention.

There are people who are harmful and theyre trying to radicalize our children and we cannot ignore this, Adams said.

He also said he understood that it was controversial to blame outside agitators when such accusations had undermined the protest aims of the majority during the civil rights movement and during the Black Lives Matter uprising after George Floyds murder by police in Minneapolis in 2020. But that was what caused the situation to escalate at Columbia and become really dangerous, he said, while revealing few details.

The campuses at Columbia and City University were quiet and bathed in spring sunshine on Wednesday, but the shock of the night before was palpable.

Outside the entrance to Hamilton Hall at Columbia, a crowd of students, some bearing Shame on Shafik signs to criticize the university president, Minouche Shafik, who called in the police, gathered to hear members faculty express anger.

We are in the right side of history. Shame on our leaders, shame on our administrators, for allowing the police onto our campus. The US is part of this war [in Gaza], its our taxes, our bombs, our F-15s and Apache helicopters being used to kill Palestinians, said Rashid Khalidi, a Palestinian American historian and professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia.

He added: What we witnessed last night in terms of police repression is a fraction of what Palestinians have experienced for 56 years.

Jennifer Wenzel, a Columbia English professor, was sitting on some steps and appeared dejected.

When I saw that police tank coming up the street something in my heart broke. I stood and sobbed. The trustees had broken their compact with the university and I do not know it will come back, she said, adding: It did not have to happen this way. We had rules, institutions and procedures set up in the wake of 68 and they chose to throw all of that away.

Shafik sent out an email blaming the protesters for the need for police because protesters had damaged property.

On Wednesday afternoon, UCLA announced it had cancelled classes for the day.

On campus, Meghna Mair, a second-year UCLA undergraduate who said she took part in pro-Palestinian protests last week said she witnessed the masked group that marched through campus on Tuesday night on their way to the pro-Palestinian encampment, before violence broke out.

I knew where they were going, she said. I didnt know what to do. I was so sickened and horrified, she told the Guardian.
Poll of the week illustration

John Swinney has suggested that he will run to become the new SNP leader following Humza Yousafs resignation on Monday, while Kate Forbes has also said that she will give serious consideration to running.

While Mr Swinney is positioned as a heavy favourite to win the contest, given his popularity with party members, Ms Forbes only narrowly lost out to Humza Yousaf in last years contest to succeed Nicola Sturgeon.

In an exclusive poll conducted by The Telegraph, we asked readers which of the leading candidates they want to succeed Mr Yousaf as SNP leader.

As it stands, 87 per cent of over 12,000 readers would prefer to see Kate Forbes as leader. Have your say by casting your vote below.

A number of readers admire Ms Forbess traditional Christian values and believe she speaks sense, which they think would ultimately benefit the country.

Forbes poses the risk of delaying the demise of the SNP

Reader Vikash Patel, for example, thinks Kate Forbes is the best leader Scotland never had, viewing her as a principled politician with economic nouse.

Graeme Thirde also backs Kate Forbes saying, despite being a nationalist, shes a proper small c conservative with real talent.

Others point out that although the more sensible option, Ms Forbes doesnt fit in with the SNP ethos, as reader Greg ONeill expresses: Any fool can see that the best electoral hope the SNP have is Kate Forbes as leader. Yet, this supposedly nationalist party would rather Scotland wasnt independent than have a practising Christian become its leader.

Despite many readers viewing her as the more competent candidate, some argue this could increase the threat to the Union and could make the party more electable.

Malcolm Burch, for example, views Kate Forbes as the foot on the SNPs brake pedal, arguing that, in the long term she will be far more dangerous to the Union.

Ms Forbes narrowly lost out to Mr Yousaf in last year's contest for the SNP's leadership - Robert Perry/PA

Sharing a similar argument, reader Martyn Kerr says Kate Forbes poses the risk of delaying the demise of the SNP, whereas John Swinney would just about guarantee it.

Meanwhile, Stewart Hay believes Kate Forbes is too sensible to lead the SNP, at least for now, as he questions why she would want to reap the electoral whirlwind courtesy of Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf and the Green Party.

Its better for Kate to bide her time until post-election, when the SNP can see a change of direction will be needed.

Swinney will continue the SNPs race downhill

As for John Swinney, most regard him considerably less favourably.

Many, including Ian Turner, view Mr Swinney as just another Nicola Sturgeon continuity candidate with no new policies and the same old nonsense from the SNP.

The party is more bothered with gender issues, hate crimes and independence than it is about education, the NHS and the day-to-day problems of Scotland.

Some consider Mr Swinneys association with Ms Sturgeon makes him too compromised, as reader Louise Lawrence expresses: Sturgeons loyal lieutenant and dogsbody? He certainly knows where all the bodies are buried - he was the one who buried them over the years! Far, far too compromised by his closeness to Sturgeon and Murrell - responsible for the disastrous Curriculum for Excellence and for removing Scotland from comparison tables for standards in education.

Only minutes after Mr Yousaf announced his resignation, John Swinney was installed as the overwhelming favourite to succeed him - Ken Jack/Getty Images Europe

Others choose to focus on his track record during his period in the top seat. D. Gardiner, for example, argues: Swinney has no charisma. He was leader of the SNP 20 years ago and utterly failed, If he wins the SNP decline will continue.

Meanwhile, Brian Johnston says: John Swinney has supported every policy that has recently contributed to the SNPs many travails. The Scottish electorate does not support these policies. So on what basis does Swinney feel he has the right to lead Scotland as first minister?

He may give the impression of competence but he supported Ms Sturgeon throughout her horrific leadership and has contributed to a complete failure to deliver on any public outcomes of note.

For others, these are the very reasons why they want Mr Swinney to be chosen - to ensure SNP remain unelectable.

Reader Andrew Hall questions: If Swinney is the serious politician Scotland needs, how is it that he wasnt picked or didnt put himself up for the role the last time?

I was glad to see the back of him last year, and if he is chosen now, we should see the back of an SNP administration.

Likewise, Malcolm Burch, believes John Swinney would be an excellent choice for both Labour and the Tories, claiming he is just another Nicola Sturgeon stooge to continue the SNPs race downhill.
1 May 2024 at 8:00 am

Girls are generally more emotionally invested in friendships, the study found - Westend61/Westend61

The most popular teenagers in school get the least sleep, especially girls, a study has found.

Scientists found that teenagers with the most friends sleep less than their peers and that they experience more symptoms of insomnia than popular boys.

Previous studies have shown that adolescents often find it hard to get to sleep at a time that would allow them to clock up the recommended eight to 10 hours of rest each night because of a later melatonin onset and increased alertness in the evening.

Researchers say it is also during the teenage years when increasing school demands, activities, more independence from parents, and relationships with peers begin to compete with sleep.

Australian and Swedish scientists wanted to find out how popularity levels affected the sleeping habits of teenagers aged 14 to 18.

Dr Serena Bauducco, a sleep researcher at Orebro University in Sweden, said: Here we show that popular teenagers reported shorter sleep duration.

In particular, popular girls  but not boys  reported more insomnia symptoms.

Most interestingly, popularity also seems to negatively impact sleep both before and after the advent of smartphones.

The research team asked a sample of 1,394 teenagers from 16 schools to name three up to three friends in school  those receiving the most nominations were defined as more popular.

Those teenagers slept less than their peers  the most popular ones up to 27 minutes fewer, according to the findings published in the journal Frontiers in Sleep.

More popular girls experienced more insomnia symptoms, such as difficulties falling or staying asleep or waking up too early.

Popular boys did not experience those symptoms to the same extent.

Phone use is not the answer

The differences between sexes are not yet fully understood, but the fact that boys and girls engage in differing friendship behaviours might offer insights.

Dr Bauducco said: Girls express more care and concern with their friends and engage in helping behaviours more than boys.

This might mean they carry these concerns when its time to fall asleep.

We also see that popularity has been associated with worse sleep both before and after the development of handheld communication technology.

She said the findings suggest that it may not be smartphones that cause popular teenagers to sleep less, rather other factors could be at play.

The research team speculate that more friends may mean more time dedicated to them which could result in less time left for sleeping.

They say more emotional investment could also lead to sleeping difficulties.

Dr Bauducco says both explanations would apply to times before and after smartphones became common, but would need to be investigated in detail.

She said: Teenagers are arguably the most sleep-deprived population throughout the lifespan.

Previous studies show that 30 minutes of extra sleep can lead to improved mental health and better school performance.

With schools starting early, Dr Bauducco says many teens try to catch up on sleep on weekends  a strategy that can backfire.

She said: Suppose a teen sleeps in on Sunday until 1pm.

Falling asleep that night to be ready for school the next day will be a struggle, because they wont feel tired.

Delaying wake-times too much can contribute to maintaining the problem of sleep debt racked up during the week.
Students protesting Columbia University's investments inn Israel have been infiltrated by agitators, Eric Adam's New York mayor claims - CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

When Eric Adams, the New York mayor, issued a warning about outside agitators infiltrating the pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, his words were accompanied by video of students dutifully obeying orders from a grey-haired woman.

She was identified as Lisa Fithian, a New Yorker living in Texas, yet the 63-year-old would have needed no introduction to law enforcement officers involved with policing protests in the US for more than half a century.

Described by Mother Jones as the nations best-known protest consultant, Ms Fithian has supported a plethora of movements over the decades including opposing the Iraq war, fighting for Louisiana communities following Hurricane Katrina, Extinction Rebellion and Occupy Wall Street.

She has been arrested between 80 and 100 times yet unions and activist groups hold her rabble-rousing skills in such high regard they have paid her $300 (240) a day to run demonstrations and teach them tactics for taking over the streets.

Video released by New York police at Mayor Adams briefing on Tuesday showed Ms Fithian instructing a mob of pro-Palestinian protesters as they took over an academic building at Columbia University.

In one clip, protesters were seen carrying a table, while in the background, Ms Fithian could be heard saying: I cant help with that. You guys can help with that.

Lisa Fithian, 63, has been known to get up to $300 a day in consultancy fees

In another clip, protesters were seen attaching a piece of furniture to the door of a building, while Ms Fithian tells people with cameras to move back.

What should have been a peaceful protest, it has basically been co-opted by professional outside agitators, said Mr Adams.

At least half of the demonstrators at Columbia are not affiliated to the university, a law enforcement official told CNN.

Mr Adams claimed the agitators had caused serious public safety issues with tactics that included blocking doors, destroying cameras, building barricades and attacking an employee.

He added: We have sounded the alarm several times before about external actors who attempted to hijack this private protest.

Ms Fithian is unlikely to be intimidated, however, having been an outsider fighting battles with authority since her school days in Hawthorne, New York.

Teaching kids who want to be badass

After attending Skidmore college in New York, she cut her teeth as a political activist with the Washington Peace Center campaign group in the 1980s, organising demonstrations locally and nationally with a focus on anti-racism issues.

By the time she took a key role in Occupy, a social justice movement that targeted leading financial institutions, she was a revered figure among fellow campaigners.

As Occupy took over the parks of New York and Los Angeles in 2012, she was reported to have been handing out advice to younger activists on tactics ranging from proper tear gas attire to long-term protest strategies.

When there is some conflict, or things arent going the way that we want them to go, or people dont have a good long-term plan, a twenty-something protester told Mother Jones, I have heard others and myself say, Damn it, where is Lisa Fithian?

Max Berger, another Occupy campaigner, said: Nobody is going to say that what Lisa does is not badass so she is in a very strategically important position of teaching kids who want to be badass to be smart.

The leadership of Columbia University is more concerned with teaching its students to pass exams  and bringing an end to the protests. However, Ms Fithians presence on campus could make that task significantly harder.
Sadiq Khan has declined to say whether he would support every operational police officer being equipped with the non-lethal devices - Stefan Rousseau/PA

Sadiq Khan has refused to back calls to give every front-line police officer a Taser as the Home Secretary accused him of failing on knife crime.

A 14-year-old schoolboy, Daniel Anjorin, was killed and four others injured in a sword attack in Hainault, East London on Tuesday. Police officers managed to use a Taser to overpower the suspect.

However, the London Mayor has declined to say whether he would support every operational police officer being equipped with the non-lethal devices.

Writing in The Telegraph, Home Secretary James Cleverly said: Labour are failing at a local level, nowhere more so than in London.

Sadiq is failing on knife crime  where it is falling nationally but going up in London. And he is the only PCC [Police and Crime Commissioner] to have failed to hit his police recruitment target. Where Labour are in power locally, they are failing.

Mr Cleverly described Labour's target for 13,000 new officers as 'smoke and mirrors' - Gareth Fuller/PA

Two police officers were injured in the Hainault attack and one female officer nearly lost her hand.

Sir Mark Rowley, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said Scotland Yard is reviewing whether more officers should have access to the non-lethal devices and rank and file officers suggested it was time to increase their use.

Rick Prior, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: In the wake of the awful events in Hainault and the shocking injuries suffered by two Met officers we will consider our position on whether Tasers should be issued to every officer as part of their personal protective equipment. We are clear that every officer who wants to carry a Taser should be supplied with one, but perhaps it is time to consider issuing them to all operational police officers.

Susan Hall, the Tory candidate for the London mayoralty, said she had been calling for more front-line officers to have Tasers for years.

Sadiq Khan hasnt listened and hasnt delivered, she said. If elected, I will ensure more officers have Tasers to help protect themselves and the public from harm.

Asked about the calls, a spokesman for Mr Khan said that the devices can be an important tool in protecting Londoners and keeping our brave police officers safe and that a wider rollout was an operational matter for the police.

Mr Khan said in September 2017 that he wanted to maintain the fact that a minority of officers were armed with firearms and tasers.

He told the London Assembly: My desire to maintain this, and that of the Commissioner, is clear. We both recognise that this is an essential building block of the British policing model of policing by consent.

On Wednesday a member of Daniel Anjorins family told Sky News said he was a wonderful, well-loved and hard-working child whose death leaves a gaping wound in the family.

Bancrofts School, the independent school he attended, described him as a true scholar who had a positive nature and gentle character.

Daniel Anjorin died after being stabbed in Hainault on Tuesday - Metropolitan Police

Grace OMalley-Kumar, the 19-year-old stabbed to death in Nottingham last year, also attended Bancrofts School.

Her father, Sanjoy Kumar, told The Telegraph: Knife crime is out of control in our country and the Government is lagging behind in legislation.

Whilst there is a lot going on worldwide, fixing problems at home in the UK should be an urgent priority to keep our public, especially children, safe.

The Metropolitan Police said they arrived on the scene in Hainault within 12 minutes and used an incapacitant spray and Taser on the attacker, but these initially had a limited impact. Officers later surrounded him and used a Taser to overpower him. He was detained within 22 minutes.

A spokesman for Mr Khan said that it was extraordinary that the Tories are trying to politicise the awful murder of a child.

Labour playing catch-up with national policing

By James Cleverly

Local policing is vital not only for public safety, but also for public confidence. It is about having more officers who are visible in their communities, assuring the public that they are on the front line working to protect them.

This is something that the Conservative Party has at the core of our policing plans. We have hired 20,000 new police officers since 2019. There are now thousands more officers than there were in 2010 and crucially, more of them are out on the front line than ever before. There are over 12,000 more local police officers than in 2015 responding to calls and proactively policing our neighbourhoods and tackling shoplifting, antisocial behaviour, and serious violence.

Much of this is delivered in local areas by Conservatives: Alison Hernandez has ramped up rural policing in Devon and Cornwall, Donna Jones has opened ten police stations in Hampshire, Roger Hirst has delivered the most police officers in Essex ever, and Katy Bourne has slashed neighbourhood crime in Sussex by 25 per cent  the list goes on.

Labour, on the other hand, are failing at a local level, nowhere more so than in London. Sadiq is failing on knife crime  where it is falling nationally but going up in London. And he is the only PCC to have failed to hit his police recruitment target. Where Labour are in power locally, they are failing.

And nationally they are still playing catch-up. Their target for 13,000 new officers is smoke and mirrors. Only 3,000 of these will be regular police constables. They are double counting 3,000 that we have already hired, and the remaining 7,000 are made up of police community support officers who dont have full powers of arrest and volunteer, part-time special constables. These are important roles, but the detail of Labours plan shows it to be less than half as ambitious as our successful achievement to hire 20,000 officers. This is all backed by 360 million of funding which doesnt even seem to account for the costs of their training.

But even more concerningly, to raise that money Labour want to impose a mandatory shared procurement system between police forces and run it from Whitehall. We know the benefits that shared procurement have, our own efforts have saved over 170 million for the taxpayer, but forcing the hand of police chiefs will harm not help our local forces.

Labour argue this is necessary by pointing to how Merseysides police force  overseen by a Labour PCC  paid more than twice as much for a police car than Conservative-run Lancashires force. To most people, this clearly shows we should be backing more Conservatives to lead our local forces and stop wasting taxpayer money. To Labour, it means we should mandate that all procurement is run by a Labour government from Whitehall. No, me neither.

Their ultimate aim is clear: to merge police forces by the back door. And of course, it is the smaller forces such as those in rural areas that will lose out. By mandating a one-size-fits-all procurement policy with standards set from Whitehall all police forces will have to adhere to the requirements of the biggest forces such as the Met, rather being able to set their own priorities.

We already know how this will play out. Since the SNP merged all police forces in Scotland into one, an experience that Labours policy directly lifts from, 140 police stations in Scotland have closed and the impact has been felt most significantly by rural forces. The former head of the Scottish Police Federation said retrenchment into more urban centres is having a detrimental impact on the policing of remote and rural areas, with many communities now not phoning the police as they have little confidence of a meaningful response.

This is the future that a Labour government would bring to policing in England and Wales. Merging forces by the back door, to wrestle control out of the hands of local people and into the hands of officials in Whitehall.

So it is clear. Nationally and locally, only the Conservatives have a plan to protect our local police forces  a plan to support our officers and put visible neighbourhood policing at the heart of our system in a sustainable way. This is the progress we have made since 2010 that has cut crime by more than a half. Labour dont have a plan to continue this work. I implore Telegraph readers to remember, as they head to the ballot box, that wherever they seek power  in London, in the West Midlands, in Westminster or beyond  Labour will just take us back to square one.
The new president of the major doctors' association vowed Wednesday to resolve the ongoing standoff with the government over the medical school quota hike and the prolonged walkout by junior doctors to alleviate concerns among patients and the people.

Lim Hyun-taek made the pledge as he began his three-year term as the head of the Korean Medical Association (KMA).

His inauguration came as more than 90 percent of Korea's 13,000 trainee doctors have walked off the job since Feb. 20 in protest of the government's push to increase the number of medical students by 2,000 starting next year from the current 3,058.

In a Facebook post, Lim said he "will make all-out efforts to untie a knot" to alleviate concerns of trainee doctors, medical students, medical professors, school parents, patients and the people.

Lim will hold an inaugural ceremony and preside over a first standing committee meeting to discuss responses, according to KMA officials.

The new chief is widely expected to take a tough stance against the government.

He has insisted that the government needs to rather slash seats at medical schools by up to 1,000 given the country's low birthrate. Upon being elected in March, he demanded President Yoon Suk Yeol's apology and the dismissal of the health minister as preconditions for dialogue with the government.

During a general meeting with KMA delegates on Sunday, he vowed to "ward off any wrongful policies to the death" and "stand firm and resolute just as a combatant fighting in the forefront."

Doctors have rejected the government's call for talks under a newly established special commission on medical reform that includes various stakeholders, and rather called for a one-on-one dialogue platform with the government.

The prolonged walkout has disrupted the country's medical service as hospitals have been forced to significantly reduce surgeries and treatments for patients.

The government stresses the need to boost the medical school quota to address problems stemming from the shortage of doctors, but doctors say simply having more doctors will never help resolve the current situation.

The government, meanwhile, announced it plans to launch a pilot program to address the excessive work hours of junior doctors, in line with efforts to improve their working conditions and encourage them to return to work.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said the government plans to receive applications from critical departments, including internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics, from 218 training hospitals through May 17, to launch the program.

The hospitals participating in the program will aim to reduce the continuous work hours of trainee doctors from the current 36 hours to approximately 24 to 30 hours, with the government offering support for the adjustments. (Yonhap)




Beer is at its best chilled, the scientists say, but admit that personal taste also plays a part - AGROBACTER/ISTOCKPHOTO

Beer really is more enjoyable when served cold, a study has found.

Scientists say a perfect pint should be consumed at 5C, roughly the temperature at which the drink is stored in the fridge.

It was found to be the ideal temperature for beer as the chemicals are more likely to be aligned in a way that enhances the taste.

Britain has often been criticised by other nations for its habit of serving up room temperature ales, and the research means the critics now have science on their side.

The idea for the study was hatched when two scientists who were celebrating an academic publication with some drinks wondered why some beverages, such as red wine and sake, are better warm while others, such as lagers and white wine, are preferred cold.

A more refined experience

The team, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, went on to investigate how temperature affects surface tension depending on alcohol percentage, and found molecules in the drinks form clusters and chains at different levels of heat.

The preference for cold beer is supported by our findings, Prof Lei Jiang, the study author, told The Telegraph.

Lower temperatures enhance the distinct sensory attributes of beer, making it more enjoyable for many consumers.

The cooling effect amplifies certain taste sensations, allowing for a more refined experience.

He added that as beer warmed up, the surface tension decreased because ethanol-water clusters responsible for flavour had been disrupted. The more of these clusters there are, the better the taste, and they become more stable at cooler temperatures.

This cluster-making process contributes to the distinct ethanol-like taste and burning sensation that characterises beer, the scientists say.

Style of beer matters too

As the temperature rises, these clusters can change, leading to a different taste profile that may be perceived as less alcoholic, Prof Lei added.

Our research provides a scientific perspective on why certain serving temperatures might be preferred for beer and other alcoholic beverages, he said.

Its important to remember that the optimal temperature for serving beer can be influenced by a variety of factors, including personal taste preferences, the specific beer style, and the desired sensory attributes.

The study is published in the journal Matter.
Humza Yousaf's 'progressive' politics should really have been framed as 'authoritarian'

As part of his pity pageant, Humza (youve only got) Yousaf (to blame) posted a photograph on Twitter of himself reading a bedtime story to his small daughter. The caption read: Today of all days, remembering and being grateful for all the blessings I have in life.

Nauseating. Does the departing First Minister of Scotland really think he was doing the right thing for little girls like his own by pursuing gender identity policies which, if the SNP had its warped way, would have allowed children to carry on taking puberty blockers before proceeding to mutilation? Thats the thing about the advocates of progressive politics like Nicola Sturgeon and Yousaf. They accuse anybody who dares to oppose them of racism, misogyny and homophobia, while being the worst, most authoritarian bigots going.

Kate Forbes, who came second to Humza in the leadership contest, is one senior SNP figure who deserves some credit for standing firm against Scotlands appalling gender self-ID reforms, which would have allowed people to change their legally recognised sex faster than you can say, Sorry, that rapist showing his willy in pink Lycra leggings really doesnt belong in a womens prison.

Yet, since Yousaf stood down, it is Forbes, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, who has been under attack for being socially conservative. (Or reflecting the views of the majority of Scots still in possession of any moral sense, as its also known.)

Muslims are a minority group renowned for their social conservatism, but the SNP boys club had no difficulty electing a Muslim leader, even though Yousaf awkwardly skipped a key vote on gay marriage. (Anyone who thinks that was on purpose to avoid awkwardness within his gay-averse community is, of course, white and racist, which amount to the same thing in Yousafs chippy world view.)

You may recall that one of Yousafs first acts in office, after Sturgeon departed in a stinking cloud, was to organise a Muslim prayer session in Bute House. It was the opposite of inclusive. In fact, it looked very much like a defiant marking of territory by a man who gave a speech in the Scottish Parliament spitting contempt because so many senior positions in the country were held by white people. The fact that Scotlands population is 95 per cent white need be no bar to spurious allegations of institutional racism. He loves a hate crime, does Humza.

The real prejudice here is against Forbes. She has committed the cardinal sin of being a Christian in oh-so-tolerant Scotland and is being called names so that any fresh bid she might be considering for the leadership is sabotaged. Actually, the SNP allows conscience votes, as other parties do, on matters such as abortion. And the Free Churchs stance on moral questions is nearly identical to, if not more liberal than, official Roman Catholic positions. Christianity, it seems, is the only protected characteristic that doesnt count under the infamous Hate Crime Act (For the Protection of Humza Yousaf).

But who is the real danger to Scotland? To hold on to power, the SNP got into bed with the Scottish Greens, who give every appearance of being stark staring bonkers. Despite the fact that NHS England banned puberty blockers following the Cass Review, the Greens thought NHS Scotland should keep prescribing unproven drugs to vulnerable children. They also bitterly opposed the decision to suspend Scotlands statutory 2030 goal to reduce carbon emissions by 75 per cent, even though the Climate Change Committee recently stated that the target was no longer credible.

When the SNP finally succumbed to reality and moved to suspend both puberty blockers and the 2030 emissions goal, the co-leader of the Greens, Lorna Slater, accused them of being reactionary because they had betrayed the marvellous, progressive politics that has done so much to make Scotland the basket case it is today. (On Tuesday, the broadcaster and proud Scot Andrew Neil damned the Left-wing consensus that has damaged his country in every department, from education to health.)

To be fair, Slater has clearly spent so much time on the moral high ground that her brain may have been deprived of oxygen. Another explanation is that the poor woman is Canadian. Her native land now being the world capital of woke woo-woo.

Astonishingly, all mainstream news bulletins on Monday night solemnly repeated an outlandishly biased version of events. The Greens, viewers were told, were upset by the reactionary SNP  actually the farthest Left party in the UK. Meanwhile, Forbes, she of the rather sensible economics reforms, was a dangerous conservative because she doesnt believe you can turn boys into girls, or vice versa.

I am sick of reporters treating Left-wing ideologues and their deranged views with weird courtesy. Why are eco-crazies and trans advocates who threaten JK Rowling and MSP Joanna Cherry dignified with the term progressives? Why are Tories always far-Right but Humza Yousaf is never far-Left (which he is) or the authoritarian author of the demented Hate Crimes Act?

Such unmerited reverence and kid-glove treatment for the devolved Scottish government is what allowed Sturgeon, her now-arrested and charged husband, and their cronies to get away with so much for so long. Including a focus on identity politics and virtue signalling at the expense of the Scottish people. Hows that 110,000 SNP battle bus parked in the mother-in-laws drive, Nicola?

As I write, it looks very much like the Scottish Greens, who commanded a mere 1.3 per cent of the popular vote, have the whip hand when it comes to choosing the countrys new leader. He  almost certainly a he  will have to sign up again to those progressive policies. Hard to believe that 18th-century Edinburgh, home to Boswell the biographer, Hume the philosopher and Smith the economist  giants all  is now at the mercy of a Canadian called Laura.

Worth recalling Adam Smith, I reckon, so wise on human dealings. Man is an animal that makes bargains: no other animal does this  no dog exchanges bones with another. The SNP is right down to the bones now.
UK ministers have acknowledged for the first time that they are detaining asylum seekers to be removed to Rwanda, prompting demonstrations outside Home Office buildings.

Nationwide operations began this week to detain adult men and women, with more activity due to be carried out over the next 11 weeks leading up to a one-way flight to east Africa.

Officials refused to say how many people had been held so far, but sources said there had been dozens of detentions across the UK, in cities including Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol. Enforcement action is said to have taken place in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In a further development, the senior civil servants union has submitted an application for a judicial review against the governments Rwanda plan.

The FDA has said its members could be in violation of the civil service code if they follow a ministers demands to ignore an urgent injunction from Strasbourg banning a deportation.

The Guardian disclosed on Sunday that detentions would begin on Monday. Several asylum seekers who turned up for routine Home Office appointments on Monday were detained and told that they would be sent to Rwanda.

The timing of the announcement on the Rwanda scheme, which is estimated to be costing more than 500m over five years, has prompted scorn from Labour. A party source said: Is there any more blatant sign that [former immigration minister Robert] Jenrick was right about this all being symbolic before an election than this mad flurry of stories?

Downing Street denied this. The prime ministers press secretary said: From our part there isnt really a day to lose when people are dying in the Channel having been induced into boats by gangs.

Demonstrations against the removals are taking place across the country, including outside immigration reporting centres in Liverpool, Hounslow in west London, and at the east Midlands immigration office in Loughborough.

A demonstration was taking place on Wednesday outside Lunar House in Croydon, south London, where a Sudanese man was detained on Monday and told he was being sent to Rwanda. It is understood he has been taken to an immigration removal centre along with two other detained men.

In a statement, the Home Office said the action was a key part of the plan to deliver flights in the next nine to 11 weeks.

James Cleverly, the home secretary, said: Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground. This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people-smuggling gangs.

The Home Office, which also released photographs and video footage of asylum seekers being detained in raids conducted by immigration enforcement officers, has been criticised for whipping up anti-asylum sentiments.

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UKs chief executive, said: By drip-feeding updates about round-ups and detentions the government is callously seeking to exploit the predicament of people  many already suffering severe trauma from past persecution and abuse in countries theyve fled and on journeys theyve made.

Asylum seekers can only be detained if there is a realistic prospect of their removal from the UK. This means they could be released on bail in future if no action is being taken to deport them.

The Home Office may have to refer them for a bail hearing if they have been detained for four months or more.

Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: The governments move to detain people is causing fear, distress and great anxiety among men, women and children who have fled war and persecution to reach safety in the UK. Children have been sending messages to our staff terrified that their age-disputed status will put them at risk of removal to Rwanda. We have also seen a worsening in the mental health and wellbeing of people we work with in the asylum system.

Labour has denied it will continue with the Rwanda removals in government, after a senior source told the New Statesman the party could retain the scheme while it tries to agree a returns agreement with the EU.

Keir Starmers spokesperson said Labour would categorically not send any asylum seekers to Rwanda  though he said the party would not seek to bring back any people who were sent there under the Tory government. The Labour government is not going to be scheduling any flights to Rwanda. We have said we want to ensure we have a proper returns agreement with other countries.
A US-made main battle tank M1 Abrams captured by Russian troops during Russia's 'special military operation' in Ukraine - YURI KOCHETKOV/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The Russian military has attacked the command headquarters of the Ukrainian armys southern grouping, Russias defence military has said.

The attack was carried out using Russian air force missiles and artillery, Moscows defence ministry said.

The headquarters of the operational command of the southern grouping of the armed forces of Ukraine was struck by operational and tactical aviation, missile forces and artillery, said the ministry.

It gave no further details about the attack on the HQ in the port of Odesa, but said that Russian forces were fortifying their defence across the entire front line.

The southern military command said administrative and residential buildings, as well as medical and educational institutions, were also damaged in the strike.

Odesa has been a frequent target by Russian forces throughout the war, with many of its attacks at the citys port facilities.

It comes as Russia ordered more weapons to Ukraine as its generals hope to break through Ukraines frontlines.

To maintain the required pace of the offensive... it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to the troops, primarily weapons, Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister, said.

02:36 PM BST

Thanks for following todays live blog

Thank you for following todays live coverage of the war in Ukraine.



Well be back soon with all the latest updates from the conflict.

01:38 PM BST

Russia orders more weapons to Ukraine to break front lines

Russia ordered more weapons to be delivered faster to the front lines in Ukraine as generals eye a breakthrough following weeks of gains.

To maintain the required pace of the offensive...it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to the troops, primarily weapons, Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister said.



With Kyiv blaming lack of weapons, Russian forces have made nearly daily tactical advances in recent weeks along the frontline in Ukraines southeast.



Ukrainian forces defending the strategic eastern stronghold of Chasiv Yar said on Wednesday that they are still waiting for fresh ammunition after the United States amid intensifying attacks from Russian troops and drones.



Meanwhile Russian forces killed two in the continuing bombardment of Kharkiv, using increasingly effective guide bombs.

01:24 PM BST

Russia orders more weapons to Ukraine to break front lines

Russia ordered more weapons to be delivered faster to the front lines in Ukraine as generals eye a breakthrough following weeks of gains.

To maintain the required pace of the offensive...it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to the troops, primarily weapons, Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister said.



With Kyiv blaming lack of weapons, Russian forces have made nearly daily tactical advances in recent weeks along the frontline in Ukraines southeast.



Ukrainian forces defending the strategic eastern stronghold of Chasiv Yar said on Wednesday that they are still waiting for fresh ammunition after the United States amid intensifying attacks from Russian troops and drones.



Meanwhile Russian forces killed two in the continuing bombardment of Kharkiv, using increasingly effective guide bombs.

01:05 PM BST

Watch: Ukrainian drone blasts set Russian oil refinery ablaze

As we reported this morning, fires broke out overnight at a Russian oil refinery in Ryazan after being struck by suspected Ukrainian drones (see our post at 10:16 am).

Ryazan governor Pavlo Malko said inspection of the site was ongoing. No fatalities have been reported.

12:45 PM BST

Ukraines army HQ targeted by missiles, Russia claims

The Russian military has attacked the command headquarters of the Ukrainian armys southern grouping, Russias defence military has said, according to Reuters.

The headquarters of the operational command of the southern grouping of the armed forces of Ukraine was struck by operational and tactical aviation, missile forces and artillery, the ministry said.

It gave no further details about the attack on the headquarters, based in the port of Odessa, but said that Russian forces were fortifying their defence across the entire frontline.

12:03 PM BST

Number three at Russian defence ministry questioned over bribery case

A senior Russian defence official has reportedly been questioned by the Federal Security Service in relation to the detention of one of his colleagues on bribery charges.

Ruslan Tsalikov is the number three in Moscows defence ministry, following the minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov, said the UK defence ministry in its intelligence update today.

He was reportedly pulled in for questioning after the arrest of Timur Ivanov, a long-time ally, on 21 April.

Mr Ivanov, who oversaw construction for Russias military infrastructure projects, is accused of accepting large bribes and will be kept in custody until 23 June after appearing at a Moscow district court last week.

A number of defence ministers have already been questioned or detained following his arrest.

Russian Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov detained on suspicion of taking major bribes - REUTERS

11:12 AM BST

Zaporizhzhya announces plans for first underground schools

Five underground bunker schools will be built in Zaporizhzhya Oblast, the governor has announced.

Three schools will be built in the centre of Zaporizhzhya, and the other two elsewhere in Zaporizhzhya Oblast.

Governor Ivan Fedorov did not specify a timescale for their completion.

The schools are designed to shield students from Russian bombardments. Kharkiv was the first Ukrainian city to open purpose-built subterranean schools.

As the front line runs through both Zaporizhzhya and Kharkiv oblasts, both regions frequently suffer Russian attacks, forcing many schools to teach online throughout the war.

10:16 AM BST

Ukrainian drone blasts set Russian oil refinery ablaze

A Russian oil refinery was set ablaze after being struck by suspected Ukrainian drones, the regions governor said.

The oil refinery in Ryazan was hit by drones overnight, causing a fire, the Russian Telegram news channel Astra reported. A source told the Kyiv Post the operation was carried out by the Ukrainian military intelligence service.

Ryazan governor Pavlo Malkov said an inspection is ongoing at the site on Tuesday morning. There were no reports of fatalities.

The US has urged Ukraine to stop striking Russias oil and energy infrastructure, warning that the drone attacks risk driving up global oil prices and provoking retaliation.

The refinery, owned and run by Rosneft, refines about 5.8 per cent of Russias total refined crude. It has been a frequent target for Ukraines air attacks.

09:56 AM BST

Ukrainian military conducts security checks in capital

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is today carrying out counter-intelligence measures in the capital, Kyiv.

The measures are being conducted to inspect individual buildings, including private apartments, offices and various public places, to root out prohibited items, said the SBU.

It added the checks will mainly revolve around the district of Shevchenkiv, including Sofiyska and Mykhailivska squares in Kyivs city centre.

The SBU will also carry out checks, some of whom may be asked to show identification documents and abide by a curfew, on citizens in the central part of the capital. They called on people to respond appropriately.

09:28 AM BST

Russia has lost 469,840 troops in Ukraine since the start of the conflict

Russia has lost 469,840 soldiers in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, the General Staff of Ukraines Armed Forces reported.

This number includes 1,1200 Russian just over the past day, said the report released on Wednesday.

According to the report, Russia has also lost 7,312 tanks, 14,067 armored fighting vehicles, 16,175 vehicles and fuel tanks, 12,024 artillery systems, 1,053 multiple launch rocket systems, 780 air defense systems, 348 airplanes, 325 helicopters, 9,538 drones, 26 ships and boats, and one submarine.

Russian armoured vehicles roll towards Moscow'd Red Square to attend a rehearsal in Russia's capital. - Dmitry Serebryakov/AP

08:52 AM BST

G7 commits to reduce dependency on Russian nuclear fuel supplies

Members of the G7 vowed to reduce dependency on Russian nuclear energy supplies to create a diversified fuel supply chain free from Russian influence, they said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

Despite Western efforts to detach itself from Russian energy supplies, Moscow continues to dominate the global markets supplies of enriched uranium.

Rosatom, Russias State Atomic Energy Corporation, supplied 30 per cent of enriched uranium supplies bought by the EU and 23 per cent of those bought by the United States in 2022, according to the Royal United Services Institutes March report.

G7 members also committed to assisting countries attempting to diversify their fuel supply.

The statement came the same day the US Senate approved legislation banning imports of enriched uranium from Russia.

08:31 AM BST

New York businessman pleads guilty to exporting drone parts to Russia

A US citizen has pleaded guilty to conspiring to sell more than $250,000 worth of sensitive drone technology to Russia, the United States Justice Department has said.

Nikolay Grigorev, 36, pleaded guilty to exporting US-sourced dual-use electronics used in Russian military drones, after more than 11,500 electronic components were uncovered at his residence, to Russian companies fuelling the war against Ukraine.

He faces up to five years in prison.

Lisa Monaco, deputy attorney general in New York, said: The justice department will continue to hold accountable those who defy our sanctions and export controls to support Russias unprovoked and unjustified aggression in Ukraine  whether theyre based in New York City or overseas.

The justice department are still searching for two other people connected to the allegations.

Autonomous aerial drones roam above the training ground of the Moscow Military District. - HOGP/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service

Despite Western nations imposing extensive sanctions against Russia, Russia has continuously found pathways to bypass them by exploiting loopholes in trade restrictions and relying on third-party intermediaries.

07:58 AM BST

Russia orders more weapons for war

Russia has ordered more and swifter delivery of weapons for Russias special military operation in Ukraine, said the Russian defence minister on Wednesday.

The Kremlins defence minister Sergei Shoigu said: To maintain the required pace of the offensive it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to the troops, primarily weapons.

The comments come just days after Ukraines outnumbered troops were forced to retreat from three villages on the eastern front lines, as Russian forces have continued to break through its besieged front lines.
Dozens of students arrested at the occupied Hamilton Hall building of Columbia University in New York

Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Hundreds of police officers entered Columbia University and arrested dozens of students on Tuesday night, clearing out an academic building that had been occupied as part of a pro-Palestinian protest.

In Los Angeles, police have had to intervene after clashes erupted between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israel supporters on the University of California campus.

As pro-Palestinian and anti-war protests continue on campuses nationwide, we would like to hear from students across the US  from those who are participating as well as those who are not. How do you feel about what is happening on your campus? What has your experience of it been?

Callout
The University of California in Los Angeles was reeling on Wednesday following a late-night violent attack by counter-demonstrators on a pro-Palestinian protest encampment, as the states governor condemned a slow response from law enforcement to some of the worst violence seen since students across the US intensified their protests in support of Gaza.

As the Los Angeles mayor called the violence abhorrent and Californias governor said he was monitoring the situation, UCLA announced it was cancelling all classes on Wednesday due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad late last night.

The limited and delayed campus law enforcement response at UCLA last night was unacceptable  and it demands answers, the office of the California governor, Gavin Newsom, said in a statement.

Gene Block, UCLAs chancellor, has finally addressed the violence that rocked the campus last night, describing the counter-protesters as instigators who attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment. However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable, he said.

Related: Crackdowns intensify on pro-Palestine campus protests as hundreds arrested

Some of the students who were injured at the encampment Tuesday night described their attackers as pro-Israel or Zionist counter-protesters. Video footage of the violence included some counter-protesters yelling pro-Israel comments as pro-Palestinian protesters tried to fight them off.

David N Myers, a UCLA professor of Jewish history who watched footage of the late-night violence, said some of the attackers appeared to be carrying Israeli flags and other pro-Israel symbols.

Footage showed mostly male counter-demonstrators, many of them masked and some apparently older than the students. I saw women as young as 18 and 19 punched in the face by 25- or 30-year-old men, Aiden Doyle, a member of the student encampment, said at a student press conference Wednesday.

Students described being attacked for hours with projectiles, fireworks and chemical agents. A young woman in a hijab described being sprayed in the face with bear mace. A student who identified himself only as Yusef said at the press conference that he had been hit in the head twice during the attack on the encampment, and was left with stitches on his forehead and 14 staples in the back of his head. But, Yusef said, he felt comparatively lucky: I had the ability to go to a hospital last night. Currently in Gaza, there are zero fully functioning hospitals.

Members of a student protest group told the Daily Bruin, a student newspaper, that 25 protesters within the pro-Palestine encampment were hospitalized overnight. A University of California official estimated the number of injured as 15 people.

The Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to a request for comment on whether they had made any arrests after the attacks, referring all questions to UCLAs campus police department, calling it the lead agency at the scene. UCLA campus police did not respond to a request for comment.

On campus on Wednesday morning, a helicopter hovered overhead while groups of security guards and law enforcement stood around a sectioned-off area of campus filled with tents. Students slowed as they passed the barricades, taking in the scene.

I think all of us are in a state of shock, said Noah, a UCLA law student who only felt comfortable using their first name.

UCLA students who witnessed the moments leading up to the attack on the encampment described a harrowing scene, which started before midnight.

A large group of counter-protesters wearing black with white masks made their way to the encampment and began striking students with planks of wood and pepper spray, Daniel Harris told the Guardian.

This is stuff that only happens in movies, Harris said he thought at the time, describing the experienced of masked counter-protesters marching through campus as surreal.

Meghna Mair, a second-year undergraduate who said she took part in pro-Palestinian protests last week, also witnessed the masked group march through campus on their way to the encampment.

I knew where they were going, she said. I didnt know what to do. I was so sickened and horrified.

Aerial footage showed people wielding sticks or poles to attack wooden boards that had been put up as a makeshift barricade to protect the encampment, some holding placards or umbrellas. At least one firework was thrown into the camp.

Fights between both groups ensued, with people grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another, according to reports and video from the scene. People threw chairs and other objects and at one point a group piled on a person on the ground, kicking and beating them with sticks until others pulled them out of the scrum.

The violence continued from 11pm until 3am, with security guards and law enforcement officials at the scene initially retreating or failing to intervene, multiple news outlets reported.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a group of security guards could be seen observing the clashes, but that they did not intervene. The UCLA campus police (UCPD) showed up shortly after 11pm to break up the conflict, but left within minutes, the Daily Bruin, UCLAs student newspaper, reported.

The UCPD chief, John Thomas, told the student newspaper that officers had come under attack while trying to help an injured person, so they left. Some of the security guards hired by the university also retreated and hid inside a building last night as counter-protesters attacked, the Daily Bruin reported. Thomas and a UCLA spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Teresa Wanatabe, a higher education reporter for the Los Angeles Times, tweeted just before 1am that she was receiving texts from terrified UCLA students in the pro-Palestinian encampment, telling her: This is urgent. Please. Its getting bad. No police.

Administrators at the university said in a 12.40am statement that they had called in law enforcement officers to stem the violence.

But while Los Angeles police arrived at the scene at about 1.40am, officers did not immediately break up the two sets of protesters, and the clashes continued for at least an hour, the Los Angeles Times and CalMatters reported.

Counter protestors continue fighting in front of police line about 100ft away, a CalMatters reporter tweeted shortly before 2am.

Law enforcement simply stood at the edge of the lawn and refused to budge as we screamed for their help, students with the UC Divest at UCLA group said in a statement early on Wednesday morning.

Not until nearly 3am did police take action: Exactly 1 hour after arriving at UCLA, police move in closer and counter-protesters move away, leaving the encampment alone. There were no visible arrests, CalMatters reported, noting counter-protesters have left.

The Daily Bruin said on Twitter/X that four of its reporters were followed and assaulted during the night.

Myers, the UCLA professor of Jewish history, said the violent night represented a total systems failure.

The basic compact that those in a position of leadership and faculty have with our students is that we will provide a safe environment for the exchange of ideas, Myers said. Where were the police?

The president of the University of California system pledged on Wednesday that there would be an independent investigation of what had happened on UCLAs campus.

Pro-Israel counterprotestors started tearing down @UCLA encampment barriers and screamed "Second nakba!" referring to the mass displacement & dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Per @latimes @safinazzal on the scene with another video: pic.twitter.com/zSplnd1bYO  Teresa Watanabe (@TeresaWatanabe) May 1, 2024

Writing on X, the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, condemned the violence as absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable, and demanded a full investigation.

Those involved in launching fireworks at other people, spraying chemicals and physically assaulting others will be found, arrested, and prosecuted, as well as anyone involved in any form of violence or lawlessness, Bass wrote.

Ananya Roy, a geography professor at UCLA, condemned the university over its lack of response to the counter-protesters. It gives people impunity to come to our campus as a rampaging mob, she told the LA Times. The word is out they can do this repeatedly and get away with it. I am ashamed of my university.

The clashes began shortly after Block, the UCLA chancellor, said the campuss pro-Palestine encampment was unlawful, adding that students who remained in it would face disciplinary action.

In an editorial, UCLAs student newspaper blamed the administration for failing to take action to prevent violence between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counter-protesters. Will someone have to die on our campus tonight for you to intervene, Gene Block? the students asked the universitys chancellor.

There were signs over the weekend that violence at the site of UCLAs pro-Palestinian encampment was escalating, with reports of pushes, shoving and punches thrown and a university spokesperson confirming physical altercations among demonstrators.

The 7 October attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza and the ensuing Israeli offensive on the Palestinian territory have unleashed the biggest outpouring of US student activism since the anti-racism protests of 2020.

Late on Tuesday, New York City police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators holed up in an academic building on Columbia University campus in New York and removed a protest encampment that the Ivy League school had sought to dismantle for nearly two weeks.

Live video images showed police in riot gear marching on the campus in upper Manhattan, the focal point of the nationwide student protests. Officers used an armoured vehicle with a bridging mechanism to gain entry to the second floor of the building.

Officers said they used flash-bangs to disperse the crowd but denied using teargas as part of the operation. Officers were seen leading protesters handcuffed with zip-ties to a line of police buses waiting outside campus gates.

The police operation, which was largely over within a couple of hours, follows nearly two weeks of tensions, with pro-Palestinian protesters at the university ignoring an ultimatum on Monday to abandon their encampment or risk suspension.

Columbia University officials had earlier threatened academic expulsion of the students who had seized Hamilton Hall, an eight-storey neoclassical building blocked by protesters who linked arms to form a barricade and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans.

The university said on Tuesday it had asked police to enter the campus to restore safety and order to our community.
Dozens of students have been arrested after hundreds of New York City police officers entered Columbia University on Tuesday night to clear out an academic building that had been taken over as part of a pro-Palestinian protest.

Live video images showed police in riot gear marching on the campus in upper Manhattan, the focal point of nationwide student protests opposing Israels war in Gaza. Police used an armoured vehicle with a bridging mechanism to gain entry to the second floor of the building.

Officers said they used flash-bangs to disperse the crowd, but denied using teargas as part of the operation.

Before long, officers were seen leading protesters handcuffed with zip ties to a line of police buses waiting outside campus gates. NYPD spokesman Carlos Nieves said he had no immediate reports of any injuries following the arrests.

Were clearing it out, police yelled as they marched up to the barricaded entrance to the building.

Related: This machine bonks fascists: US student protesters water jug becomes symbol of resistance

Shame! Shame! jeered many onlooking students still outside on campus.

One protester at Columbia, who only gave their name as Sophie, told the Guardian that police had barricaded protesters inside buildings before making arrests. It will not be forgotten, she said. This is no longer an Israel-Palestine issue. Its a human rights and free speech and a Columbia student issue.

The police operation, which was largely over within a couple of hours, follow nearly two weeks of tensions, with pro-Palestinian protesters at the university ignoring an ultimatum on Monday to abandon their encampment or risk suspension. On Tuesday, Columbia University officials threatened academic expulsion of the students who had seized Hamilton Hall, an eight-story neo-classical building blocked by protesters who linked arms to form a barricade and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans.

The university said in a statement on Tuesday it had asked police to enter the campus to restore safety and order to our community.

It said: After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.

The university reiterated the view that the group who broke into and occupied the building was being led by individuals who are not affiliated with the university.

It added: The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing.

New York congressman Jamaal Bowman said he was outraged by the level of police presence at Columbia and other New York universities. He said on X: The militarization of college campuses, extensive police presence, and arrest of hundreds of students are in direct opposition to the role of education as a cornerstone of our democracy.

Bowman has called on the Columbia administration to stop the dangerous escalation before it leads to further harm and allow faculty back on to campus.

Columbias president, Minouche Shafik, has requested that police retain a presence until at least 17 May to maintain order and ensure encampments are not reestablished. Earlier, Shafik said efforts to reach a compromise with protest organisers had failed and that the institution would not bow to demands to divest from Israel.

Separately, the New York Times reported dozens of arrests at City College of New York, part of the City University of New York system (CUNY), when some students left Columbia and moved north to the campus where a protest sit-in was still in effect.

One protester who offered their name as OS, told the Guardian: We need to keep protesting peacefully and the truth needs to come out. This is a genocide happening in front of us, and the people in power are allowing this to happen.

Its scary to speak out because so many people are losing their tuition or being fired from jobs.

An NYPD official confirmed that CUNY had requested that police enter the campus to disperse protesters.

An encampment at the public college has been going since Thursday and students had attempted to occupy an academic building earlier on Tuesday.

At a Tuesday evening news briefing, Mayor Eric Adams and city police officials said the Hamilton Hall takeover was instigated by outside agitators who lack any affiliation with Columbia and are known to law enforcement for provoking lawlessness.

Adams suggested some of the student protesters were not fully aware of external actors in their midst.

We cannot and will not allow what should be a peaceful gathering to turn into a violent spectacle that serves no purpose. We cannot wait until this situation becomes even more serious. This must end now, the mayor said.

Neither Adams nor the university provided specific evidence to back up that contention.

One of the student leaders of the protest, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian scholar attending Columbias school of international and public affairs on a student visa, disputed assertions that outsiders had initiated the occupation. Theyre students, he told Reuters.

Hamilton Hall was one of several buildings occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam war protest on the campus. This week, student protesters, displayed a large banner that reads Hinds Hall, renaming it in honor of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl from Gaza City who was killed by Israeli forces earlier this year.

Columbia journalism professor Seyma Beyram, said on X that she and her journalism school colleagues were trapped on one block surrounded by police barricades. All I can document right now are students getting put on one of the buses.

On Tuesday night, Columbias student radio station reported that Jelani Cobb, the dean of the journalism school, was threatened with arrest if he and others in the building came out. Free, free, free Palestine, chanted protesters outside the building. Others yelled: Let the students go.

At CUNY as the police moved off, one student said: We de-escalated , and now the police are leaving. Were proud of standing up for something. All were saying is were not happy university tuition fees are being used to fund wars, and we want to see what we can do about it, but without violence.

At least one thousand supporters of the campus protests assembled at 1 Police Plaza to greet detained protesters as they were released by police one by one.

Many greeting them said the nights events had not dulled their determination to continue, or had in fact increased it. The solidarity and energy of the movement is strong, said one Barnard student waiting for their friend to be released. This will not end until our purposes are achieved.

Members of neturei karta, the fringe anti-Israel orthodox group, also assembled. I believe in freedom of speech and the cause of Palestine is a righteous cause, and criticism of Israel is not antisemitism, said Rabbi Dovid Feltman.

Reuters contributed to this report
The Prime Ministers position is not under threat, a Cabinet minister has said as the local election campaign enters its final day.

Forecasts suggest Thursdays local elections could see the Conservatives lose up to half of the council seats they are defending in a contest seen as the final test of public opinion ahead of the general election.

The prospect of a major defeat has triggered speculation that such a result could push more Tory MPs into seeking to replace Rishi Sunak as leader.

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch leaves Downing Street, London (James Manning/PA)

But on Wednesday, Kemi Badenoch insisted that the Prime Minister was safe regardless of the outcome of the local elections.

She told Sky News: I think theres a lot of noise being made by people who want to get attention but the Prime Minister has the full backing of the Cabinet, he has my full backing.

Asked whether that would be the case even if the Conservatives suffered a drubbing on Thursday, Ms Badenoch said: I think that is right.

The Prime Ministers press secretary did not deny a Bloomberg report that Mr Sunak told Tory staff that they could be part of the greatest comeback in history, in an admission of the scale of the challenge he faces.

(PA Graphics)

The press secretary said: There is no doubt that we have work to do. Its obviously been a really tough time for the country with Covid and Ukraine and the impact of that on inflation.

But I can look back at the last week, weve done a massive defence announcement which Labour have not matched, which means that our country would be at risk under Labour.

Weve done a massive welfare intervention to address the unsustainable rise in the welfare bill. And we are clearly making some progress on tackling illegal immigration.

Most of the seats up for re-election on Thursday were last contested in 2021, at the peak of Boris Johnsons popularity as the Covid-19 vaccine was rolled out.

A total of 11 mayoral contests are also taking place, including for the London mayoralty between frontrunners, Labour incumbent Sadiq Khan and Tory challenger Susan Hall.

Current Mayor of London and Labour Party candidate Sadiq Khan during the LBC London Mayoral Debate (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Polling has consistently put Mr Khan ahead of Ms Hall, with a poll published on Wednesday by Savanta giving him a 10-point advantage after his lead narrowed over the campaign.

Conservative mayors Andy Street in the West Midlands, and Tees Valleys Ben Houchen are also facing key re-election battles, with polls suggesting very close contests with their Labour opponents.

Both received backing from Boris Johnson and Mr Sunaks press secretary was asked whether the current Prime Minister was concerned about the candidates distancing themselves from the party and his leadership.

Mr Street makes minimal reference to his party allegiance on his campaign website and Mr Johnson wrote a letter which said you might not like everything the Conservatives have done and urged voters to forget about the Government and back the West Midlands mayor because of his personal record.

In a video for Lord Houchen, Mr Johnson praised his fantastic vision and described him as a guy who does what he says he is going to do.

Boris speaks. Lets get behind @BenHouchen to turbocharge jobs and growth on Teesside  (And lets put Sleepy Chris to bed ) pic.twitter.com/mpmrYYOXs2  Simon Clarke MP (@SimonClarkeMP) May 1, 2024

The Prime Ministers press secretary said Mr Sunak had been out campaigning with both candidates and welcomed Mr Johnsons involvement.

When you look at the absolute mess that Labour have made of Birmingham City Council, pretty much driven it to bankruptcy, its no surprise that Conservatives think this race is, absolutely, very important, she said.

You only need to look at the mess Labour previously made of Teesside which is why they are going so hard on Ben Houchen so personally because it shows them up every single day to see what hes achieved in his time in office against their long, poor record there.

Labour suggested the mayoral election system favours incumbents, as it sought to manage expectations about victory in the West Midlands and Tees Valley.

If Andy Street and Ben Houchen do hang on, as seems highly likely, then it will be because they have managed to sufficiently distance themselves from the Prime Minister, not because he has provided any electoral coattails for them, a party spokesman said.

The Opposition did however signal it was hopeful of winning the Blackpool South Westminster by-election, which is also taking place on Thursday night.

Political scientist Professor Sir John Curtice told the BBCs Newsnight programme that as the Tories and Labour brace for the elections one side is looking for hope, and the other is looking for affirmation.

He added: For Rishi Sunak he is trying to give his party a glimmer of hope that maybe not all is lost for the general election that we are now all expecting to happen in the autumn.

For Sir Keir Starmer, he is in a sense looking for affirmation of the message of the opinion polls that the Labour Party is indeed so far ahead, that it looks now like Sir Keir Starmer is likely to be the next Prime Minister.

The Liberal Democrats, who have focused campaigning efforts in traditional Conservative areas, have said Thursday is a chance for voters to send a message to this out-of-touch Conservative Government.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey during a visit to Treflach Farm in Treflach, Shropshire (Jacob King/PA)

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, who has visited so-called blue wall areas during the campaign, added: In former Conservative heartlands like Tunbridge Wells, Dorset and Wokingham voters are switching to the Liberal Democrats after years of failure from this Conservative Government.

Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to elect a strong local champion, who will fight for a fair deal for you and your community.
The worlds joint-largest cargo ship has docked at Britains biggest and busiest container port.

The 400-metre long MSC Loreto is capable of holding 24,346 standard containers, the most that any ship can currently carry.

The giant ship shares the title with its sister vessel, the MSC Irina. Both ships have a gross tonnage of more than 238,000 tonnes.

The MSC Loreto docked at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk (Joe Giddens/PA)

MSC Loreto arrived at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk from Le Havre, France, on Tuesday evening.

The vessel, which is operated by the Swiss-headquartered Mediterranean Shipping Company, is due to set sail for the Algerian capital of Algiers on the countrys Mediterranean coast on Thursday.

The ship made its first visit to the UK in 2023.
Who knew that penguins have a favorite way to have fun! The Indianapolis Zoo celebrated World Penguin Day on April 25th by bringing in the penguins' favorite enrichment activity - a bubble machine! They shared a video of the penguins all enjoying the bubbles, and it will make your day.

The funny, inquisitive flightless birds watched in total curiosity as the bubble machine did its thing. The birds watch the machine and then follow the bubbles' path towards the water. Watch until the end when they all decide to take a dip into their pool!

They were definitely enjoying themselves! Fans of the Indianapolis Zoo shared some of their thoughts about the adorable video. @Queen_Schug wondered, "Is it me or does every living thing on earth have the same reaction to bubbles?!?" @Jenna Beetle made me laugh when she said, "Penguins in the back like "Don't bogart the bubbles, Carl" LOL!" The Zoo asked fans what they liked best about penguins and @Taylor Andrews replied, "I love them because they all resemble little old men to me!" I can see that!



Related: Audubon Nature Institute Shares Fascinating Day in the Life of a Penguin Keeper

Fun Facts About Penguins

I've learned a lot about animals since I started writing here at Pet Helpful. What I never realized before is how much I like penguins - I've written about them a lot! I've also learned a lot about them. For instance, it takes about a year and a half for baby penguins to grow into their black and white feathering after they lose the down feathers they are born with. And those signature black and white tuxedo colors do more than make a fashion statement. It might not seem like it but these colors help camouflage penguins from predators in the water when they are hunting and swimming. If you look at them from the top of the water, their black backs blend into the dark ocean water. But if you look up at them from below, their white bellies match the bright surface. They blend right in!

Did you know that penguins are really stinky? National Geographic wildlife photographer Bertie Gregory was the one I learned this fact from. He said that it's a smell you don't get used to, even if you are researching and studying them for long periods of time. Penguin colonies smell absolutely terrible, and I recently found out just how bad they smell after a visit to the Georgia Aquarium - I could smell the penguins before I could see them!

Just like the penguins in this video watching the bubbles, penguins are very curious and observant in the things around them. Penguins in Antarctica spotted a 'hidden' camera that researchers put out to track them, and this duo pulled off the ultimate photobomb!

This fact is my favorite - penguins love to give each other rocks. It's one of the ways that male penguins woo the females they have their eyes on...the perfect rock is the best gift a lady can get!

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.
Medical schools nationwide are expected to admit approximately 1,550 more students next year, as they finalize plans to increase admission quotas.

The number marks a slight decrease from the government's earlier decision to add 2,000 seats.

In accordance with the government's revised directive announced last month, the universities are permitted to increase their admission quotas freely, with the annual increase ranging between 50 and 100 percent, starting in 2025.

"The 32 medical schools subject to the increase had submitted their final plans to the Korean Council for University Education until yesterday," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said during a government meeting he presided over Wednesday, referring to the nation's university governing body.

Assuming that the four universities that have not disclosed their enrollment quotas opt for a 100 percent increase, the total number of available seats would hover around 1,550, a cut of 450 places from the initially 2,000.

The precise figure for admissions will be unveiled by the council Thursday.

The council will soon begin deliberating the proposed changes to the admission plans and inform universities of the result by the end of this month.

More than 90 percent of the country's 13,000 trainee doctors have been on strike through mass resignations since Feb. 20, protesting the government's decision to significantly increase the medical school enrollment quota. In solidarity with medical interns and residents, medical professors at major general hospitals nationwide have joined the movement.

In an attempt to break the stalemate with the doctors, the government accepted a request from the chiefs of six national universities for flexibility in expanding the medical school enrollment quota last month. (Yonhap)
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane said their 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final is a little disappointing but has full belief they can qualify next week.

Madrid hit the front against the run of play in the 24th minute when Toni Kroos magnificent through-ball found Vinicius Jr, who tucked home coolly to give the away side a half-time lead.

Munich scored twice in four second-half minutes, firstly through Leroy Sane before Jamal Musiala went down in the penalty area and Kane sent Andriy Lunin the wrong way to put them in front.

Harry Kane, left, scores from a penalty against Real Madrid (PA Wire via DPA)

Much like in the quarter-final against Manchester City, Madrid were not beaten and they came from behind once again courtesy of Vinicius penalty to leave it all square heading into the second leg.

Kane told TNT Sports: Its a little disappointing, once we got 2-1 ahead we had two or three good chances especially from set plays but this is a Champions League semi-final, we expected a tough game.

Real Madrid are one of the best teams in Europe and they can punish you with one or two actions like they did today so of course we are disappointed we didnt get the win but its all to play for next week.

Bayern made most of the running through the early stages and a couple of Lunin saves kept Madrid level before a sucker punch down the other end gave the visitors the lead.

Vinicius Jr scores Real Madrids first goal against Bayern Munich (PA Wire via DPA/PA)

Kane added: We started first 10 or 15 minutes on the front foot, we had a couple of chances there but then their goal came against the run of play.

They built up the momentum and then we struggled to play our game but second half we came out with a higher intensity and deserved to get the two goals. We couldnt get the third but all to play for.

We will dust ourselves down, tough but we look forward to next week.

Kanes penalty extended his season tally to 43 goals from as many games in his first season at Munich.

Kane admitted the campaign has not quite gone their way, losing the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen, but the big games are the reason he made the switch from Tottenham last summer.

Games in all competitions for Bayern:  Goals in all competitions for Bayern: @HKane is out of this world  pic.twitter.com/6h3HJOsySg  FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) April 30, 2024

He said: Its been a good season so far but its all about the next game, the big game next week away from home in Real Madrid.

Everything we are fighting for this year is in this competition so youve just got to find a way to get it done.

Im here for many years, its not just a one-off year Ive come for, but of course the expectation at the start of the year was to win trophies. It hasnt gone our way in the Bundesliga and cup but the Champions League is the biggest one of them all.

This is exactly why I came, I want to play in these big games, these big moments and theres no bigger than next week away from home.

Jude Bellingham, right, had a difficult evening (PA Wire via DPA)

Kanes England team-mate Jude Bellingham was substituted in the second half and Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted the 20-year-old was not at his best.

He said: Bellingham was just tired. He couldnt continue any more.

He will get back to his best performance. I think he was injured, which affected him, but today he wasnt at his best. He will be back, for sure.

Bellingham attempted to distract England team-mate Kane before he took his penalty but his words fell on deaf ears.

I dont know what he was saying. I saw him mumbling something, said Kane.

Once Im in that moment, Im in my zone, trying to block everyone out. Im sure he was saying something to try to put me off.
An ad for Premier Inn has been banned for making misleading claims about room prices.

The paid-for search ad for the hotel chain, seen on November 4, stated: Premier Inn Edinburgh  rooms from only 35 per night.

A reader complained to the advertising watchdog after being unable to find any rooms at the advertised price.

Whitbread Group, trading as Premier Inn, provided the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) with data showing there were a total of 377 rooms on offer for 35 in Edinburgh within the 365-day booking window.

The ASA said consumers would understand the ad to mean that a significant proportion of rooms available across the proceeding 365 days would be available at 35.

However, the data showed that only a small percentage of site nights had rooms on offer for 35.

The regulator said: We therefore concluded the claim Premier Inn Edinburgh  Rooms From Only 35 Per Night had not been substantiated and was likely to mislead.

It ruled that the ad must not appear again, adding: We told Premier Inn to ensure that when using from price claims in the future, a significant proportion of the advertised rooms were available at the advertised price.

A Premier Inn spokeswoman said: As the UKs best-loved budget hotel brand we always have hundreds of thousands of great value rooms available but we accept that this specific digital campaign wasnt up to our usual high standard and it was never our intention to be misleading.

Unfortunately, the issue arose as a result of a 35 offer which proved slightly more popular than initially expected  the rooms sold quickly and we didnt react fast enough to update the lead pricing in our paid-for ads against the available inventory.

Enhanced processes are already in place to ensure future compliance and clear verification of any claims and were confident this issue wont arise again.
Rafael Nadal bade an emotional farewell to his home fans after losing to Jiri Lehecka on his final appearance at the Madrid Open.

The great Spaniard is playing his final season on tour and had battled into the fourth round but young Czech Lehecka proved too strong, winning 7-5 6-4 to dash the hopes of a partisan crowd at the Caja Magica.

Nadal has won the tournament a record five times, firstly in 2005 and lastly in 2017, and five banners spelling out Gracias Rafa were unveiled following his defeat just after midnight before he was awarded a special trophy.

I had the opportunity to play one more time here on this court, said Nadal afterwards. It was a very special week for me, very positive and very emotional.

The only thing I can say is thank you. Its been an incredible journey that started when I was little. I came to Madrid for the first time in 2003, when the tournament was played indoors.

The first time I came here feeling competitive was in 2005. It was one of the most exciting wins of my career, still indoors. Ever since, the support has been unconditional from everyone. I cannot thank you enough.

You have given me a gift for the last 21 years thats more significant than any grand slam I have won. The emotions of playing in Madrid, in front of the Spanish fans, is something that will stay with me forever.



Nadal had a gloomy outlook about his physical condition before competing in Madrid and even cast doubt on appearing at the French Open, but that now appears much more likely, while his next test is set to come at the Italian Open in Rome next week.

He thrashed 16-year-old Darwin Blanch for the loss of one game then avenged his defeat in Barcelona to 10th seed Alex de Minaur before winning a titanic three-hour tussle against Argentinas Pedro Cachin in just his second tournament since suffering a new hip problem in January.

He kept pace with Lehecka in the first 10 games but the Czech, ranked 31, broke to love at 5-5 before serving out the opening set.

Nadal dropped serve again to start the second set and was unable to claw his way back into the contest, finishing with a tally of 14 winners compared to 33 from Lehecka, who next meets third seed Daniil Medvedev.

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates beating Jan-Lennard Struff (Manu Fernandez/AP)

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz survived a real scrap against Jan-Lennard Struff in a rematch of last years final, eventually prevailing 6-3 6-7 (5) 7-6 (4).

Top seed Jannik Sinner also dropped a set against Karen Khachanov before coming through 5-7 6-3 6-3 and will next face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who saw off Barcelona champion Casper Ruud 6-4 7-5.

In the womens event, top seed Iga Swiatek was tested for the first time in the quarter-finals by Beatriz Haddad Maia but fought back strongly after dropping the first set for a 4-6 6-0 6-2 victory.

In the last four she will take on American Madison Keys, who lost the first eight games against Ons Jabeur but battled to a 0-6 7-5 6-1 win.
Most parents remember their childrens firststhe first time they walk, or say mama or ride a bike. I even have videos of my children achieving milestones ranging from first time they cooked themselves a grilled cheese to first time diving off the diving board.

But I think the Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre in Pieterburen, Netherlands just raised the bar for every proud parent hoping to catch some footage of their kids being adorablethey recently filmed a rescue seal pup learning how to swim, and its honestly too cute for words.

The tiny baby sea pup, named Kiwi, is being cared for at the seal centre with a view toward returning him to the wild when he is weaned. He was found abandoned on a beach with no mother nearby. The researchers determined that he was only three days old, as he still has his umbilical cord attached to him.

Related: Seal Pup Rescued on New Jersey Shore After Found Tangled in Plastic

Why Do Seals Abandon Their Pups?

The survival rate of baby seals is only about fifty percent, as they are extremely vulnerable in the wild. This is especially true for pups born prematurely, who are often abandoned by their mothers because their hearts and lungs are not developed enough to take to the water within days of their birth, as is expected of them. The researchers at the center suspect that this was the fate of baby Kiwi, especially as he still had his lanugo coat, a fluffy white coat that seal pups develop in the womb to help them keep warm, then shed after birth.

Within a few days of his arrival at the center, they were introducing him to the water in an attempt to turn him into an independent adult seal.

Seal Rehabilitation Efforts

In the wild, mother seals only care for their pups for about four to six weeks before they are left to fend for themselves, but in that time, they learn a lot about seal behavior and especially how to swim, hunt, and forage for themselves.

At rehabilitation centers, humans try to teach the animals these same skills. They feed the pups with a mix of salmon porridge and vitamins to make up for the lack of mothers milk, and get the pups in the water as soon as possible. Within a few days of arriving, Kiwi was introduced to the concept of swimming. This was a skill he eventually conquered after dipping his head inside the poolonly ninety-three times.

With the help of cameras set both above and below the water, you can watch in the video as Kiwi goes from fearful to curious to enthusiastic about learning to swim.

Unfortunately, there are many trials ahead for the pup and for the researcher in order to get Kiwi ready for life on the open seas.

In nature, seal pups remain constantly with their mothers for the first few weeks of life, and thus are naturally in need of companionship and snuggles. But in captivity, its important not to make these seals reliant on humans, or interested in seeking out human companionship once they are grown, so they must limit the time the pups spend with human handlers. Many rehabilitation centers seek to put abandoned pups together so they can be with their own kind. Or if another seal pup is unavailable, they may put a stuffed animal inside the enclosure.

The other issue with abandoned seal pups is how to teach them how to hunt. Studies have shown that seals raised in captivity forage farther and longer than their wild-raised counterparts in search of food, indicating that there is a skillset they miss learning from their mothers that is never recovered.

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1 May 2024 at 9:44 am

Ryan Gosling was almost unrecognisable at the Los Angeles premiere of his latest film The Fall Guy as he channeled Beavis And Butt-head alongside comedian Mikey Day.

The pair revived their live-action versions of the 1990s cartoon characters, which were first seen in a viral sketch on Saturday Night Live.

Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day arrive at the premiere of The Fall Guy (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Gosling first arrived on the red carpet in conventional attire  a mint green suit  and posed for photos with his co-star Emily Blunt.

But he later re-appeared as Beavis in a blonde wig with a prosthetic nose, sporting the characters signature blue Death Rock T-shirt and black shorts.

Day, as Butt-head, wore a black T-shirt emblazoned with the word Skull and red shorts.

Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt at the premiere (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

In the original SNL sketch, which aired last month, Gosling and Day appeared as the characters while cast member Heidi Gardner played a news anchor grilling a professor, played by Kenan Thompson, on the dangers of artificial intelligence.

Thompsons character was unable to focus his attention on Gardner because two audience members kept distracting him with their uncanny resemblance to the cartoon characters.

The sketch went viral after Gardner and Gosling were unable to contain their own giggles, and it has been hailed as one of the US sketch shows best ever skits.

It has been viewed on YouTube 13 million times in two weeks.

Beavis and Butt-head, which first aired in 1994, featured two socially awkward, rock/metal-loving teenage delinquents, Beavis and Butt-head. The duo would judge music videos, reality TV and the internet in their unique style.

Gosling plays a stuntman in his new film The Fall Guy, while Blunt plays an aspiring director.

The film is released in UK cinemas on May 2.
Sangita Myska will depart LBC after being away from her show for a few weeks.

The radio presenter and former BBC reporter will leave at the end of her contract, the radio station said on Wednesday.

Tom Cheal, LBCs senior managing editor, said: Wed like to thank Sangita for her fantastic contribution to LBC and we wish her every success in the future.

Myska, who has been at the station for nearly two years, hosting from 1pm to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays after joining in 2022, has not been broadcasting at the station since reportedly being taken off air on April 20.

There has been mounting speculation on social media that this has been due to an interview with an Israeli spokesperson by Myska. LBC has kept the YouTube clip of the broadcast on its channel.

Former Conservative Party parliamentary candidate Ali Miraj has been stepping in as a guest presenter and he will now have two weekend shows at the broadcaster.

LBC also announced that Vanessa Feltz will join the radio station following her departure from TalkTV after the TV station moved to broadcasting via streamers including YouTube.

The veteran TV presenter, 62, will present a Saturday programme, from 3pm to 6pm, starting this weekend.

Feltz said: After a long and passionate courtship, Ive finally succumbed to the allure of LBC. Actually I was powerless to resist.

Globals dynamism is mesmerising and it is the high-octane station from which to broadcast in this riveting election year. I cant wait to join the Global family and get cracking. Brace yourself for May 4th  May the fourth be with you.

Were delighted to welcome Vanessa Feltz to LBC! The hugely popular journalist and presenter will front her own Saturday afternoon show, from 3pm to 6pm, offering opinion, analysis and deep dives into what matters to the British public. Our refreshed weekend schedule in full   LBC (@LBC) May 1, 2024

LBC also confirmed that Iain Dales programme will be extended to five days a week, with him presenting an extra show on Friday evenings.

Mr Cheal said: Vanessa is a leading light in broadcasting who is outspoken, incisive and understands what matters to LBC listeners. Were delighted to have her on board.

Ali Miraj has made a huge positive impact on the LBC audience so were very pleased hell be with us twice over the weekend.

As we gear up for an election year, Iain Dale, the man with his finger firmly on the pulse of Westminster, has another show to follow the fast-moving world of politics.

Iain will also front our local election coverage.

He is a superb broadcaster and key part of LBCs political powerhouse capabilities, alongside Andrew Marr and Lewis Goodalls new flagship Sunday morning politics show.
Jeremy Hunt has said the Conservatives will likely suffer significant losses in the local elections as the party braces itself for a contest seen as the final test of public opinion before a general election.

The Chancellor sought to manage expectations before voters head to the polls on Thursday, suggesting the Tories are anticipating defeat in hundreds of seats.

Forecasts suggest the Tories could lose up to half of the council seats they are defending, having lost a third of seats last year.

He told Sky News Politics Hub: Tony Blair easily lost those amounts of councillors. And, you know, David Cameron lost hundreds of councillors in the run up to the 2015 general election.

So, you know, we are expecting to see significant losses. That often happens in local elections.

But what we say to people is, look, this may be a moment when you want to express a view about the national picture but actually the local services you depend on will be decided by how you vote.

Speculation has mounted that the prospect of a major defeat could push more Tory MPs into seeking to replace Rishi Sunak as leader and potentially trigger an early general election.

But on Wednesday, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch insisted that the Prime Ministers position was not under threat regardless of the outcome.

I think theres a lot of noise being made by people who want to get attention but the Prime Minister has the full backing of the Cabinet, he has my full backing, she said.

Asked whether that would be the case even if the Conservatives suffered a drubbing on Thursday, Ms Badenoch said: I think that is right.

The Prime Ministers press secretary earlier did not deny a Bloomberg report that Mr Sunak told Tory staff that they could be part of the greatest comeback in history, in an admission of the scale of the challenge he faces.

The press secretary said: There is no doubt that we have work to do. Its obviously been a really tough time for the country with Covid and Ukraine and the impact of that on inflation.

But I can look back at the last week, weve done a massive defence announcement which Labour have not matched, which means that our country would be at risk under Labour.

Weve done a massive welfare intervention to address the unsustainable rise in the welfare bill. And we are clearly making some progress on tackling illegal immigration.

(PA Graphics)

Most of the seats up for re-election on Thursday were last contested in 2021, at the peak of Boris Johnsons popularity as the Covid-19 vaccine was rolled out.

A total of 11 mayoral contests are also taking place, including for the London mayoralty between frontrunners, Labour incumbent Sadiq Khan and Tory challenger Susan Hall.

Polling has consistently put Mr Khan ahead of Ms Hall, with a poll published on Wednesday by Savanta giving him a 10-point advantage after his lead narrowed over the campaign.

Conservative mayors Andy Street in the West Midlands, and Tees Valleys Ben Houchen, are also facing key re-election battles, with polls suggesting knife-edge contests with their Labour opponents.

Both received backing from Boris Johnson and Mr Sunaks press secretary was asked whether the current Prime Minister was concerned about the candidates distancing themselves from the party and his leadership.

Wins for both incumbents would offer the Tories a ray of light in what forecasts suggest could be a dismal set of results, but experts warned the metro mayor races would be the least reliable indicator of what could happen at a general election.

Mr Street makes minimal reference to his party allegiance on his campaign website and Mr Johnson wrote a letter which said you might not like everything the Conservatives have done and urged voters to forget about the Government and back the West Midlands mayor because of his personal record.

Sir John Curtice told an Institute for Government event on Wednesday: Because of the personal votes of these two, (these contests are) going to be the least reliable indicator.

Whereas the elections for the councillor of whom nobody has ever heard, in Tunbridge Wells or wherever, is going to be a much more reliable guide because these persons will have much less in the way of personal appeal.

The Conservative Party is doing this because they think they might manage to win the contest and therefore theyll be able to cover whatever disasters happen elsewhere.

Equally, conversely here in London, Sadiq Khan will not do as well as the Labour Party would do in a general election because Sadiq has a negative personal vote. But this city is now so strong Labour, hes going to win anyway.

In a video for Lord Houchen, Mr Johnson praised his fantastic vision and described him as a guy who does what he says he is going to do.

The Prime Ministers press secretary said Mr Sunak had been out campaigning with both candidates and welcomed Mr Johnsons involvement.

Labour suggested the mayoral election system favours incumbents, as it sought to manage expectations about victory in the West Midlands and Tees Valley.

But Sir Keir Starmer did signal he was hopeful of winning the West Midlands contest, telling Sky: Of course Im hopeful. I want to win it. But I do recognise its a really tough ask.

The Opposition has also indicated it hopes to win the Blackpool South Westminster by-election, which is taking place on Thursday.

(PA Graphics)

The Liberal Democrats, who have focused campaigning efforts in traditional Conservative areas, have said Thursday is a chance for voters to send a message to this out-of-touch Conservative Government.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, who has visited so-called blue wall areas during the campaign, added: In former Conservative heartlands like Tunbridge Wells, Dorset and Wokingham voters are switching to the Liberal Democrats after years of failure from this Conservative Government.

Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to elect a strong local champion, who will fight for a fair deal for you and your community.
A 14-year-old boy killed in a sword attack as he walked to school was a much-loved pupil and a keen footballer.

Tributes have been paid to Daniel Anjorin, who died when the horrific attack happened in Hainault, east London, on Tuesday morning.

The Metropolitan Police said a 36-year-old man remains in custody on suspicion of Daniels murder as it gave more details about how the incident unfolded.

Daniel was a pupil at Bancrofts, the same independent school in east London attended by Grace OMalley-Kumar, a medical student who was murdered in a knife attack in Nottingham last summer.

A flag flies at half-mast at Bancrofts in Woodford Green, east London (Ian West/PA)

Headteacher Simon Marshall wrote a letter to parents expressing great sadness and shock at Daniels death.

According to the BBC, he described the teenager as a much-loved member of the school, and added: I had been intending to write to you once the news has become public, but I understand that many within our community may already be aware of events yesterday.

It is therefore with great sadness and shock that I am writing to inform you of the tragic death of Daniel Anjorin, one of our pupils.

Our thoughts and prayers at this moment are with Daniels family and friends.

More details will be forthcoming over the coming hours and days, but for now, our focus is on supporting the members of our community and particularly those who knew Daniel well.

The statement went on: It seems scarcely believable that less than a year on from the terrible death of Grace OMalley-Kumar in the Nottingham attacks we are facing fresh sorrow.

A friend of Daniels told the Evening Standard that he was a keen footballer and Arsenal fan.

Cyan Thompson, 19, told the newspaper: I cant believe he has gone. He was such a good person with great manners. He was so caring. He loved football and was like a mini Messi when he was younger. He also loved Arsenal.

He was so bright with a great future ahead, very good at solving maths problems. We are heartbroken.

Daniels mother works at Holy Family Catholic School in Walthamstow, east London.

The school published a statement on its website that said: Mrs Anjorins son was taken from this life suddenly this morning on his way to school. Please keep Mrs Anjorin, her husband, and their other children in your prayers.

Grace OMalley-Kumar was stabbed to death in Nottingham last year (Family handout/Nottinghamshire Police/PA)

Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Miss OMalley-Kumars father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, said the boys loved ones will be distraught.

He said: Its absolutely appalling. You cant even imagine what the parents are going through. This is just the most difficult thing for any parents to endure.

A female police officer who suffered horrifically serious arm injuries was one of four people who were hurt in the horror attack.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said she is facing a long journey of recovery after nearly losing her hand.

He told LBC: The surgeon spent many, many hours basically putting her arm back together.

A male officer also suffered serious hand injuries and is recovering in hospital.

Forensic investigators in Laing Close in Hainault, east London (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Sir Mark went on: People say officers run towards danger.

What youve actually seen on some of the videos that are around social media and on news sites  you actually see what that really looks like.

Youve got officers running towards someone whos waving a sword.

Giving more detail of how the attack happened, Scotland Yard said a 33-year-old man was hit by the suspects van when it crashed into a house Laing Close, Hainault.

He was then attacked by the man and was injured in the neck.

Then, a 35-year-old man suffered cuts to his arm when he was attacked inside a property nearby.

The suspect then attacked and killed Daniel.

The first officers at the scene tried to incapacitate the suspect, but their spray did not subdue him.

Two officers were attacked by the man, causing them with serious injuries.

The man ran off and was confronted by other police officers nearby who used a Taser to subdue and then arrest him.

Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith, who is leading the investigation, said: This is a complex investigation due to the number of crime scenes, forensic evidence, hours of CCTV footage and witnesses we need to speak to.

I know that many people will want answers and we are working to provide them as soon as we can.

I would also echo previous calls for patience as my officers carry out a painstaking investigation to deliver justice for Daniel, his family, those injured and the wider community.

We are starting to build a picture of what happened on Tuesday and I want to thank everyone who has come forward to share dashcam, doorbell and mobile phone footage with us.

Likewise, thank you to witnesses, who were no doubt terrified by what they saw, and who have made vital contributions to our investigation.

Anyone who has not yet spoken to police and has any information should contact us as soon as possible.
An advertorial from a British vape industry body has been banned for promoting unlicensed e-cigarettes in a newspaper.

The ad from the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA), seen in the East Lothian Courier on October 26, featured the headline: Lets clear the smoke of confusion: Vaping saves smokers lives.

The article went on: A constant stream of negative headlines is eroding the publics understanding of vapings benefits, particularly among smokers, and: The IBVTA is now seeking to challenge some of the misinformation weve seen over recent months and to educate smokers about the benefits of vaping.

It claimed that single-use vapes, due to their user-friendly nature, played a crucial role in the initial transition away from tobacco, with 53% of regular smokers and 61% of recent ex-smokers using single-use devices.

A further paragraph said vaping, particularly when using flavoured devices, was pivotal in achieving the Scottish Governments smoke-free ambitions.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated whether the ad breached rules by promoting unlicensed, nicotine-containing e-cigarettes and their components in a newspaper.

The IBVTA said the ad presented factual information about vaping and presented findings from a piece of research about consumers views on vaping.

They said the ad was published during a time of public misunderstanding of vaping harms, including that vaping was more harmful than smoking.

The ASA said the ad was published in a local Scottish newspaper in response to the Scottish Governments proposal to ban the sale of disposable vapes by 2025.

The regulator noted the ad did not refer to a specific brand of vape or vaping product, and therefore did not directly promote nicotine-containing e-cigarettes.

But it said the ads claims around the benefits of single-use vapes had the indirect effect of promoting them.

The ad included a link to the IBVTA website, which included a Find a vape shop feature, which the ASA said had the further effect of indirectly promoting unlicensed e-cigarettes.

The ASA concluded: Because the ad had the indirect effect of promoting e-cigarettes, which were not licensed as medicines in non-permitted media, we concluded that it breached the Code.

It ruled that the ad must not appear again.

The IBVTA said: A YouGov survey in January of this year found that less than a quarter of British adults surveyed could correctly identify that smoking is far more harmful than vaping.

The IBVTA is therefore disappointed that adjusting the balance of misinformation in the media is not deemed legal through any paid advertorial means.
The six-book shortlist for this years Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been revealed, with the winner due to be announced at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose on June 13.

This years shortlist features authors from England, Ireland, Trinidad, Canada and Malaysia, and includes one debut novelist in Tom Crewe alongside a number of more well-established names.

Previous winners of the prize, which was first awarded in 2010, include Hilary Mantel, Sebastian Barry and Robert Harris, as well as Tan Twan Eng, who is in the shortlist again this year.

The judges said: The Walter Scott Prize judging criteria  originality, innovation, ambition, durability and of course quality of writing  are beautifully showcased in our 2024 shortlist.

In addition, we have six novels as diverse in their subject matter as in style of writing: an attempted sexual revolution in 18th century London; dangerously entwined lives in 1940s Trinidad; gripping tensions in Nazi-occupied Rome; a gentle 1960s home-counties heartbreaker; stories within stories from the terminus of the Underground Railroad; and love, betrayal and scandal in the Straits Settlements of Penang.

At the heart of each novel lies a deep understanding of humanity in all its quirky strengths and weaknesses, with each of the WSP 2024 shortlisted authors having something new to say and a new way of saying it.

The New Life - Tom Crewe Hungry Ghosts - Kevin Jared Hosein My Father's House - Joseph O'Connor In the Upper Country - Kai Thomas Absolutely and Forever - Rose Tremain The House of Doors - Tan Twan Eng

A panel of six judges chaired by Katie Grant and featuring James Holloway, Elizabeth Laird, James Naughtie, Kirsty Wark and Saira Shah will decide the winner of the 25,000 prize, with each shortlisted author receiving 1,500.

The shortlisted books are The New Life by Tom Crewe, Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein, My Fathers House by Joseph OConnor, In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas, Absolutely and Forever by Rose Tremain and The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng.

To be eligible for the prize books must have been written in English, set more than 60 years ago, and published during 2023 in the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth.

The winner will be announced at a special public event at the Borders Book festival in Melrose on June 13.

This year the prize is under the new management of the Abbotsford Trust, which was set up to preserve and protect Abbotsford, Sir Walter Scotts home, for future generations, and act as a guardian of the writers legacy.

It is supported by Hawthornden Foundation and the Duke of Buccleuch.
Korea and the United States have discussed ways to work together, in cooperation with the private industry sectors, on accelerating the green energy transition amid climate change challenges, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

The 10th Energy Security Dialogue took place in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday (local time), led by Kim Hee-sang, deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, and Geoffrey Pyatt, U.S. assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Energy Resources.

The dialogue also proceeded with a separate 1.5-track forum that brought together officials from major Korean and American energy companies, including Hanwha, Korea Zinc, General Motors and Exxon Mobil.

During the talks, the participants discussed opportunities for energy businesses and exchanged various opinions on energy policies in the two countries.

At the government-level meeting, the two sides explored ways to accelerate the green energy transformation as part of efforts to tackle climate change and discussed how they can further deepen the collaboration at multilateral stages.

The discussions also touched on decarbonization efforts, rebuilding the energy infrastructure in Ukraine, and cooperation in the critical minerals supply and electric vehicle batteries, the ministry said. (Yonhap)
PHOENIX (AP)  The Arizona Legislature approved a repeal of a long-dormant ban on nearly all abortions Wednesday, advancing the bill to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is expected to sign it.

Two Republicans joined with Democrats in the Senate on the 16-14 vote in favor of repealing a Civil War-era ban on abortions that the states highest court recently allowed to take effect. The ban on all abortions  which provides no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest, and only allows for procedures done to save a patients life  would still be active until the fall.

Hobbs said in a statement that she looks forward to quickly signing the repeal, with a ceremony scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The House clerks office said it would move quickly to forward the bill to governor.

Arizona women should not have to live in a state where politicians make decisions that should be between a woman and her doctor, Hobbs said. While this repeal is essential for protecting womens lives, it is just the beginning of our fight to protect reproductive healthcare.

The revival of the 19th century law has put Republicans on the defensive, as it's one of a handful of battleground states that will decide the next president.

Across the country, women are living in a state of chaos and cruelty caused by Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement on Wednesday. While Arizona Democrats have worked to clean up the devastating mess created by Trump and his extremist allies, the states existing ban, with no exception for rape or incest, remains in effect.

If the repeal bill is signed, a 2022 statute banning the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy would become Arizonas prevailing abortion law. Still, there would likely be a period when nearly all abortions would be outlawed, because the repeal wont take effect until 90 days after the end of the legislative session, likely in June or July.

Arizona state Attorney General Kris Mayes called the vote a win for freedom in our state, but expressed concern that without an emergency clause, Arizonans would still be subject to the near total-abortion ban for some time.

Rest assured, my office is exploring every option available to prevent this outrageous 160-year-old law from ever taking effect, she said.

The near-total ban on abortions predates Arizonas statehood. In a ruling last month, the Arizona Supreme Court suggested doctors could be prosecuted under the 1864 law, which says that anyone who assists in an abortion can be sentenced to two to five years in prison. Then, last week, the repeal bill narrowly cleared the Arizona House.

Voting on the bill stretched more than an hour on Wednesday, amid impassioned speeches about the motivations behind individual votes.

This is about the Civil War-era ban that criminalizes doctors and makes virtually all abortions illegal, the ban that the people of Arizona overwhelmingly dont want, said Democratic state Sen. Eva Burch. "Were here to repeal a bad law. I dont want us honoring laws about women written during a time when women were forbidden from voting because their voices were considered inferior to men.

Burch made public on the Senate floor in March that she had a non-viable pregnancy and was going to have an abortion. She warned supporters of reproductive rights on Wednesday that they could not yet rest easy, even after the repeal is signed.

They are going to use every tool in the toolbox to try to do whatever it is they can to interfere with the repeal of this ban," she said.

There were numerous disruptions from people in Senate gallery Wednesday, as Republican state Sen. Shawnna Bolick explained her vote in favor of repeal, joining with Democrats.

GOP state Sen. Jake Hoffman denounced Republican colleagues for joining with Democratic colleagues, calling it an affront to his party's principles.

It is disgusting that this is the state of the Republican Party today," Hoffman said.

Advocates on both sides of the abortion issue arrived outside the Arizona Senate on Wednesday to emphasize their views. They included people affiliated with Planned Parenthood and faith-based groups opposed to abortion.

A school-age girl kneeled in prayer in front of a table holding a large statute of the Virgin Mary, while a man with a megaphone shouted at passersby to repent.

Outside Phoenix in the satellite town of Gilbert, 26-year-old Anna Kupitz, a middle-school math teacher, expressed disappointment in the Senate vote to overturn a near-total abortion ban.

It is outrageous that we believe so little in womens ability to value the life of their child and also value their careers, she said. As a country, we believe that human life deserves to be protected.

Former President Donald Trump, who has warned that the issue could lead to Republican losses, has avoided endorsing a national abortion ban but said hes proud to have appointed the Supreme Court justices who allowed states to outlaw it.

The law had been blocked since the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade decision guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion nationwide.

When Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022 though, then-Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, persuaded a state judge that the 1864 ban could again be enforced. Still, the law hasnt actually been enforced while the case was making its way through the courts. Mayes, who succeeded Brnovich, urged the states high court against reviving the law.

Planned Parenthood officials have vowed to continue providing abortions for the short time they are still legal and said they will reinforce networks that help patients travel out of state to places like New Mexico and California to access abortion.

Advocates are collecting signatures for a ballot measure allowing abortions until a fetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks, with exceptions  to save the parents life, or to protect her physical or mental health.

Republican lawmakers, in turn, are considering putting one or more competing abortion proposals on the November ballot.

A leaked planning document outlined the approaches being considered by House Republicans, such as codifying existing abortion regulations, proposing a 14-week ban that would be disguised as a 15-week law because it would allow abortions until the beginning of the 15th week, and a measure that would prohibit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know theyre pregnant.

House Republicans have not yet publicly released any such proposed ballot measures.
President Joe Biden on Thursday will meet with the families of law enforcement officers who were killed Monday in North Carolina, the White House announced.

Four officers were shot and killed in the line of duty in Charlotte on Monday attempting to serve a warrant. Eight law enforcement officers in total were shot.

Biden will also visit with officers wounded in the shootout, the White House said, as well as other law enforcement officers and elected officials.

NBC News reported the expected visit with the victims families ahead of the White House announcement.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Wednesday's briefing that the officers were heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Asked during the briefing about a trip to Charlotte ahead of the announcement, Jean-Pierre said she did not have any details to share.

Biden said in a statement Monday that "we mourn" for the officers killed and "pray for the recoveries" of the wounded.

Its like losing a piece of your soul, Biden said about family members receiving the news.

Biden has previously used the phrase "losing a piece of your soul" and drawn on his own grief in discussing others' tragedies. His first wife and infant daughter were killed in a car crash in 1972, and his adult son Beau Biden died in 2015 after a battle with brain cancer.

Biden had already been expected to travel to Wilmington, North Carolina, on Thursday to tout his economic agenda and infrastructure projects. It will be his third visit to the battleground state this year.

Former President Donald Trump canceled a planned rally in Wilmington last month because of weather.

The North Carolina officers killed in the shooting were Sam Poloche, 42; William Alden Elliott, 46; Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr.; and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Joshua Eyer, authorities said.

The suspect, who was killed in exchange of gunfire, used a high-powered rifle, authorities said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held another round of high-stakes talks in Israel on Wednesday as the US seeks to ratchet up the pressure on Hamas to accept a ceasefire and hostage release deal, while also seeking to forestall an Israeli military offensive in Rafah and further address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The top US diplomat arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday after stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan  capping off his seventh round of shuttle diplomacy in the region since Hamas October 7 attack.

Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for about two and a half hours, first privately and then with the US and Israeli delegations.

In that meeting, Blinken discussed ongoing efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal and emphasized that it is Hamas that is standing in the way of a ceasefire, according to a readout from the US State Department. The top US diplomat voiced that message publicly in remarks in a meeting earlier on Wednesday with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Blinken also reiterated to Netanyahu the United States clear position on Rafah, the State Department readout said.

In a remarks to the press before departing Israel for Washington, Blinken said that the US position on a large-scale Israeli military offensive in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have fled, wont change.

We cannot, will not support a major military operation in Rafah, absent an effective plan to make sure that civilians are not harmed  and no, weve not seen such a plan, Blinken said, noting that there are ongoing conversations with the Israelis about better ways to deal with Hamas.

Despite warnings from Blinken and other top Biden officials, the Israeli prime minister has continually said he would carry out such an operation with or without a ceasefire deal, and with or without US support.

Although US officials said Tuesday they do not view an Israeli military operation into the southern Gaza city as imminent, it has the potential to scuttle the fragile negotiations to secure a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. The pressure around reaching such a deal has only grown as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens and domestic US political pressure continues to mount.

Protests in opposition to Israels war in Gaza have broken out at universities across the US, some of which have been forcibly dispersed by massive police deployments.

In Israel, too, there have been protests calling for the government to make a deal to bring home the hostages held by Hamas. Blinken greeted some of these protesters who had gathered outside his meeting with Herzog in Tel Aviv, telling them that the US will not rest until everyone is back home.

Following his meetings in Tel Aviv, Blinken traveled to Kibbutz Nir Or, which was immensely impacted by the October 7 Hamas attack. During this visit, Blinken stopped at the home of the Kedem Siman Tov family, where all five members of the family were killed  Tamar Kedem Siman Tov, 35; Yonatan Johnny Siman Tov, 36; 5-year-old twin daughters, Shahar and Arbel; and son Omer, 2. Johnny, Shahar, Arbel and Omer were American citizens, according to the State Department.

He also visited Kerem Shalom, a key border crossing that has been central to getting aid into Gaza. Blinken pushed Israeli officials to do more not only to get the critically needed aid into the enclave, but also to make sure it is accessible to those in need. At Kerem Shalom, Blinken received a closed briefing on humanitarian aid and deconfliction, according to the traveling press, and then was given a tour of the crossing, accompanied by Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag

US officials have painted a ceasefire agreement as a linchpin to vastly improve the humanitarian crisis. They have signaled some optimism about the potential of reaching such an agreement, which would also include the release of the hostages held by Hamas, after Israel put forward what Blinken described Monday as an extraordinarily generous proposal.

On Wednesday, Blinken again called on Hamas to accept the proposal on the table, suggesting that it was as good a deal as the group was going to get.

There is no time for delay. There is no time for further haggling. The deal is there. They should take it, he told the press in Israel.

Israel has made very important compromises in the proposal that is on the table, demonstrating its desire and willingness to get this agreement and get it done, Blinken said.

Blinken meets with Netanyahu in Jerusalem Wednesday. - David Azagury/US Embassy Jerusalem

Negotiators from Egypt, Qatar, the US, and Hamas gathered in Cairo as the latter considered a new framework proposed by Egypt that calls for the group to release as many as 33 hostages kidnapped from Israel in exchange for a pause in hostilities in Gaza, an Israeli source familiar with the negotiations and a foreign diplomatic source told CNN earlier this week.

Israel helped craft that proposal but has not fully agreed to it, sources said. An Israeli delegation also participated in the meeting in Cairo, an Israeli official told CNN Wednesday.

Hamas on Wednesday warned that Israel wont achieve through negotiations and pressure what it has been unable to achieve through nearly seven months of war.

Netanyahu and all his supporters are disgracefully imagining that they would achieve through pressure and political machinations what they could not achieve with war fire, Izzat Al-Rishq, a member of Hamas political bureau, wrote on Telegram.

Al-Rishq did not reject the proposal but implied Hamas was not yet ready to agree to it. He said Israel has poured tons of lava and explosives on Gaza and did not break the resistance. God forbid they could extract through negotiations what they were unable to achieve through war.

Even as the US seeks to secure a deal that it says will improve the long-term situation in Gaza, Blinken pushed Israeli officials to do more in the immediate term to address the humanitarian catastrophe in the coastal enclave.

Humanitarian crisis

Blinkens visit is his latest since the deadly Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen aid convoy in Gaza in early April. That strike, which the Israel Defense Forces claimed responsibility for, sparked immense furor and the most pointed calls yet from the Biden administration for Israel to protect civilians and take more action to address the humanitarian situation in the war-torn strip.

If we dont see the changes that we need to see, therell be changes in our own policy, Blinken warned at a news conference last month.

In his meeting with Netanyahu Wednesday, Blinken discussed the improvement in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza since the call between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu on April 4 and reiterated the importance of accelerating and sustaining that improvement, the readout from the State Department said.

Although Israel had committed to changes  opening new crossings, allowing more trucks into Gaza, creating a deconfliction mechanism  it has been slow to institute them. The Biden administration has also faced criticism from aid officials who say they are preoccupied with counting trucks, rather than addressing the whole crisis.

On Wednesday, Blinken said there has been real, meaningful progress on humanitarian aid that is starting to make a difference for people in Gaza, but the progress must be accelerated and sustained.

He said aid trucks were able to access north Gaza via the Erez crossing for the first time on Wednesday, and also pointed to the soon-to-be operational US maritime channel.

Still, as we focus on all of the necessary inputs, the number of trucks that are moving, what matters the most is the impact. And were focused on measuring that, making sure that people are actually getting what they need, that its being delivered to them, he said.

The top US diplomat also said Tuesday it is critically important that there be a clear, affirmative list of items of products that are required for the well-being of people in Gaza  and that we dont have arbitrary denials of products that need to get into Gaza.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNNs Ibrahim Dahman contributed to this report.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog in a photo caption provided by the pool.

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NEW YORK -- The NYPD entered Columbia University to clear out protesters Tuesday night.

The move came after Mayor Eric Adams issued a stern warning to protesters to "leave the area." Pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied a building early Tuesday, prompting the university to threaten them with expulsion.

Columbia warned students at the Morningside Heights campus to "shelter in place for your safety" amid the heightened police presence. "Avoid the area until further notice," the campus alert read.

Adams said "external actors" are "attempting to hijack this process," and called on the protesters who are still involved to "walk away from this situation now, and continue your advocacy through other means."

"They are actively creating serious public safety issues at these protests," Adams said. "We can not and will not allow what should be a peaceful gathering to turn into a violent spectacle that serves no purpose. We can not wait until this situation becomes even more serious. This must end now."

Tensions escalated on campus as students barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall, which sits on Amsterdam Avenue and is across from the main lawn, where a tent encampment was set up. Furniture could be seen boarded against doors, and supplies were being lifted up to people inside the building via a rope and pulley.

Administrators responded by locking the campus gates down, only allowing essential workers and students access to the school.

In a statement Tuesday, Columbia said this is no longer a debate about the students' reasons or cause, but rather their actions. The university added the number of protesters is small when compared to the overall student body.

"We have a student population of almost 37,000. We estimate about 15,000 students will be graduating this spring, next month actually. And we have, again to scale, dozens on the lawn in the encampments, and dozens in Hamilton Hall," Columbia University's Vice President of Communications Ben Chang said.

Mayor Adams: Outside agitators have coopted the protest

"I have been saying for days, if not weeks now, that what should have been a peaceful protest, it has basically been coopted by professional, outside agitators," Adams said Tuesday. "We were well aware based on a series of observations that what should've been a peaceful protest that's part of a constitutional rights of Americans has clearly been coopted. A right that this administration supports and defends to support your concern."

Adams urged everyone violating Columbia's policies to "leave the area, and leave the area now. And if you're a parent of a student, please call your child and urge them to leave the area before the situation escalates in any way. This is for their own safety, and the safety of others."

"We are seeing professional, external actors getting involved in these protests, including in the occupation of a university building," Police Commissioner Edward Caban said. "These people are not Columbia students. They are not affiliated with the university and they are working to escalate the situation. We are seeing their tactics changing in a way that's endangering public safety. These once peaceful protests are being exploited by professional outside agitators and the safety of all students, faculty and staff are now a concern."

NYPD officials pointed to escalating tactics of the protests, including the takeover of the building, damaging cameras, reports of physical altercations and signs being "fortified into shields."

To support their claims, police showed videos they said showed students trying to prevent the break-in "being intimidated," barricades being dragged into Hamilton Hall, "some training sessions that are occurring within the encampment itself."

People occupying Hamilton Hall could face burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing. For people in the encampments outside, they could face trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

Video shows Hamilton Hall being taken over

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators watch as protesters take over Hamilton Hall on Columbia's campus on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. / Credit: Alex Kent / Getty Images

Early Tuesday morning, a large group of pro-Palestinian supporters started a demonstration outside Hamilton Hall, chanting things like, "Free Palestine." Video showed a smaller group force their way into the building.

It came hours after faculty suspended students who ignored an order to break up their encampments and leave.

Cellphone video obtained by CBS New York showed demonstrators using hammers to smash windows just after midnight before locking themselves inside Hamilton Hall, the university's main administrative building. At one point, they blocked the entrance.

"Early this morning, a group of protestors occupied Hamilton Hall on the Morningside campus. In light of the protest activity on campus, members of the University community who can avoid coming to the Morningside campus today (Tuesday, April 30) should do so," the university said in a public safety announcement.

Protesters unfurled several banners, including one that renamed the building "Hind's Hall," after Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza three months ago. They said they intend to stay inside until Columbia concedes to three demands: Divestment, financial transparency and amnesty.

Students describe the scene

Two students who witnessed the protest said it was hostile and aggressive.

"They barricaded themselves in, they brought chairs out, blocked the doors, and they moved outdoor, heavy metal tables, blockaded the doors... formed human chains and started protesting, and claiming that they had liberated the space, essentially," student Jonas Du told CBS New York. "Just a complete lack of administration, complete lack of public safety and NYPD."

"They've just been targeting students, whomever they can find, calling them Zionists," junior Jessica Schwalb said. "If you hear them, they chant, 'We don't want no Zionists here.'"

Video showed some of the demonstrators chanting "Intifada! Intifada!"

"They're willing to sacrifice any threats or risk their academic career on behalf of the people of Palestine, on behalf of the children in Rafah," one student with the pro-Palestinian movement said.

"When they say 'Globalize the intifada,' and when they say 'Glory to our martyrs,' ... what they mean is that they support terror attacks on whoever, and I'm saying 'whoever,' because it's not only against Israel," student Omer Granot-Lubaton said.

"It was pretty horrific to witness. The building I live in is adjacent to Hamilton Hall. I could hear the screaming," student David Pomerantz said. "I got about five calls from my parents this morning asking for me to come home. I think it's hard for anyone to feel safe. I think it's hard for anybody to function normally as a college student and participate in exams and get their papers done."

"I was intimidated. This is an unsafe place to be on campus. I think police should step in, and make sure that everybody feels safe on campus," one student said.

"Our demands are divestment, disclosure and amnesty. The university has not been adequately addressing those demands, instead proposing further discipline," student negotiator Sueda Polat said.

Some student negotiators held a news conference Tuesday afternoon, saying they will remain on campus until all their demands are met, and said that is why they have jeopardized their education and careers.

"We don't have to agree with them. That's not always how it is. But when actions cross over into vandalism, harassment, destruction of property or even violence, then the line has been crossed," Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

Adams condemned the actions of the student activists, and said the NYPD was standing by.

"You cannot call for peace by using violence. That's not acceptable," Adams said.

Some 21 members of Congress wrote a letter Tuesday to Columbia's Board of Trustees to "express our disappointment that, despite promises to do so, Columbia University has not yet disbanded the unauthorized and impermissible encampment of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish activists on campus."

"We appreciate the Columbia administration's efforts this week to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that allows those in the encampment to voluntarily disburse without police intervention. But, after nearly a week of negotiations, it is now abundantly clear that the students and activists entrenched on campus are unwilling to enter into a reasonable agreement to disband, which is necessary to bring the University into compliance with Title VI," they wrote. "Those who violate the law cannot dictate the terms of the University's ability to comply with that law. It is past time for the University to act decisively, disband the encampment, and ensure the safety and security of all of its students."

Hamilton Hall is the same building demonstrators took over during the anti-Vietnam War protests of 1968.

Until this point, the pro-Palestinian protests have been relatively contained, with most demonstrations happening either at the encampment or the sidewalk outside campus.

Columbia's statement on expulsion

"We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. Our top priority is restoring safety and order on our campus.



"We made it very clear yesterday that the work of the University cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules. Continuing to do so will be met with clear consequences. Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation -- vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances -- and we are following through with the consequences we outlined yesterday.



"Students occupying the building face expulsion.



"Protesters were informed that their participation in the encampment violated numerous university policies. We gave everyone at the encampment the opportunity to leave peacefully. By committing to abide by University policies, they would be allowed to complete the semester.



"Students who did not commit to the terms we offered are now being suspended. Those students will be restricted from all academic and recreational spaces and may only access their individual residence. Seniors will be ineligible to graduate.



"This is about responding to the actions of the protesters, not their cause.



"As we said yesterday, disruptions on campus have created a threatening environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty and a noisy distraction that interferes with teaching, learning, and preparing for final exams, and contributes to a hostile environment in violation of Title VI.



"The safety of our community remains our top priority."

Columbia limiting access to campus

That decision was made after pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied Hamilton Hall overnight, in defiance of the deadline to disperse.

In an update to students and staff, university officials said the Morningside campus may only be accessed by students who live in residential buildings, including Carman, Furnald, John Jay, Hartley, Wallach, East Campus and Wien, as well as essential employees. All entrances are closed except for the 116th Street and Amsterdam Avenue gate.

See a map of the Columbia University campus and surrounding area

University President Minouche Shafik had given protesters a 2 p.m. deadline Monday to clear their pro-Palestinian encampment that has been set up on the school's main lawn for two weeks. The president said negotiations between students and school administrators fell apart, with the university refusing their demand to divest from Israel.

As of Tuesday morning, the encampment shrunk in size, and many of the protesters had moved to Hamilton Hall. Emotions continued to run high at protests off campus, too.

Will the NYPD be called to Columbia?

A demonstrator breaks the windows of the front door of the building in order to secure a chain around it to prevent authorities from entering on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. / Credit: Alex Kent / Getty Images

The NYPD had officers stationed outside the school's entrances where protests have popped up over the past few days, but police remained off campus. Officials have said the university is private property, so officers cannot respond unless requested or if there is a threat to public safety.

"As of right now, the NYPD's always ready, but we will not be going onto Columbia's property with a specific request from them or not, unless there is imminent danger, imminent emergency, where we have to go on the property," NYPD Chief of Department James Maddrey said Tuesday. "If there's an imminent emergency, someone screaming for help, someone needs assistance, being hurt... we will go on the property, we will address that situation."

Maddrey said the department has been speaking with the administration daily. Campus security has not provided an update on how they are responding but said in a statement a safety escort can be requested.

"It's the end of the school year, young people are graduating, and you know it's something the NYPD is going to have to stand on the sidelines and be prepared to deal with alright," he said.

Columbia's president called the NYPD on student protesters earlier this month when their encampment first took shape, and more than 100 people were taken into custody. NYU also called police when protesters staged a similar encampment in Gould Plaza.

Hochul said last week she would not send the National Guard to campus, and Adams has said the NYPD is ready to respond but it's ultimately the school's call.

"The police and the media are the tools that demonstrators can use to amplify whatever the small group that's taken over the building are doing. So police are going to be very careful with how they handle any protest, including one that's off the campus and onto city property," CBS News Law Enforcement Contributor and former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Richard Esposito explained.

Classes ended Monday. School buildings are needed for final exams in a few days, and the campus lawn is needed for commencement. The university said it will not cancel the graduation ceremony on May 15.

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On April 25, the day that Harvey Weinsteins New York sexual assault conviction was overturned, those who had been most vocal in the months following the former moguls implosion in 2017 were conspicuously silent. The X account of Times Up, the organization that raised $26 million in the wake of the Weinstein accusations, appeared to be a relic frozen in time. Its last post, from January 2022, was a retweet of a Movement for Black Lives missive about Martin Luther King Jr. Likewise, actresses who had embraced Times Ups mission offered no commentary. Jessica Chastain was tweeting about her skin care routine, while Reese Witherspoon was gushing about a Tennessee Titans draft pick. It was as though Hollywood had already moved on from the industrywide reckoning that Weinsteins downfall sparked.

By contrast, those with a personal stake in Weinsteins fate  such as attorney Gloria Allred, who represented key prosecution witness Mimi Haley  were devastated. Allred called the decision a significant step backwards for the #MeToo movement, while Haley said during an April 26 press conference only that she would consider testifying at a new trial, citing the toll of the trial in 2020.

More from Variety

Between Weinstein and Bill Cosby, whose assault conviction was overturned in 2021, the criminal courts seem to be signaling that the #MeToo movement went too far. Couple that with the fact that the once mighty and ubiquitous Times Up, which was launched in the direct aftermath of twin Weinstein exposes in The New York Times and The New Yorker, faced its own ignominy when it surfaced that the groups leadership had assisted high-profile men accused of sexual misdeeds, including former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The organization, which counted Chastain and Witherspoon among its advisory board members, disbanded last year, transferring its remaining money to the Times Up Legal Defense Fund. That group, whose messaging was once so entwined with the Weinstein narrative, also seems uninterested in the Oscar-winning producers stroke of good fortune. Though its pinned tweet from 2020 invokes Weinstein, the group  if it still exists  neglected to weigh in on the overturned conviction, nor did its founders Roberta Kaplan and Tina Tchen. It also has been absent from any notable litigation involving industry accusers. (The National Womens Law Center, which houses TULDF, did release a statement in support of the accusers.)

The public, too, may have turned its attention. Universals She Said, which was based on Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twoheys efforts to publish their story, was dead on arrival when it bowed in 2022, earning $14 million worldwide off a $32 million budget. And in recent weeks, as new details emerged about domestic violence allegations leveled by Angelina Jolie against ex-husband and She Said executive producer Brad Pitt, there has been barely a news ripple  a prospect that would have been unheard of six years ago.

All that has many wondering if Hollywoods #MeToo moment over?

Nicole Page, who represented former Weinstein Co. whistleblower Lauren OConnor, says her reaction to the ruling was a mixture of shock and disgust. She fears it will lay the groundwork for Weinsteins efforts to overturn his rape conviction in California  and for others looking to challenge their sexual assault convictions.

Its probably going to be the new precedent for men like Weinstein and Cosby who have a large amount of money and a huge legal team, Page says. This just feels like another barrier. Its like, Oh, my God, how hard do we have to fight? How much do people have to give up?

Some Weinstein accusers lament that the #MeToo movement was hijacked by opportunists who showed little concern for their struggles. Louisette Geiss, who testified in the California case, asked TULDF to cover therapy sessions to emotionally prepare for the trial.

They said, Oh no, we dont have anything for that. Im like, What the hell are you guys talking about? You have $26 million, and you guys cant help me with $2,500? Geiss recalls. Here I am out money because Im trying to stop a guy who abused all of us. It just keeps going back to the constant abuse of the victims. And honestly, Im just sick of it. (TULDF director Jennifer Mondino says the group can provide money for legal representation and media assistance  but it does not provide mental health support.)

Geiss frustration is echoed by Kaja Sokola, the only accuser to claim Weinstein sexually assaulted her when she was a minor. As a survivor, it was disheartening to see that some leveraged the #MeToo movement for personal gain, rather than genuinely support it, says the Polish model-turned-psychologist. Im angry and heartbroken that Weinstein continues to be protected by a broken justice system that retraumatizes victims and blames them for their abuse. (Weinstein denies and notes that Sokola recently dropped her lawsuit against him.)

Still, Early Sullivans Eric Anderson, who has worked both sides of the table as a former prosecutor on domestic violence cases and a current criminal defense attorney, believes that Weinsteins overturned verdict may stand as a powerful symbol, but it doesnt mean he will ultimately be absolved.

Although a lot of people are panicking and saying that this proves that victims cant be heard, thats poppycock because the prosecution is still in a very strong position when it comes to a retrial of Harvey Weinstein. [Haley] is still as credible as ever.

But Jennifer Bonjean, an attorney who has defended both Cosby and Weinstein, says appellate courts are correcting a media-fueled overreaction and that prosecutors improperly sought to right the wrongs of misogyny for 100 years on the backs of these high-profile men.

Theres no Harvey Weinstein exception to the rule that he should be tried on the charges, and on the evidence of the charges, but not have a trial of his character, Bonjean adds. None of us could hold up to that. I hope these trial judges that are trying these #MeToo cases learn from these massive errors. Its a huge expenditure of time and resources and they should be doing it right the first time.

Geiss, for one, is irate that so-called bad-actor witnesses were introduced in the New York case in an effort to establish a pattern of behavior, leaving a conviction vulnerable to appeal. (New York typically does not allow such witnesses, but California, on the other hand, does.)

As somebody who has really been a part of the judicial system through this process with Harvey, I find it egregious that the judge and the prosecutors and everyone involved in that case didnt know ahead of time that they werent following their own systems and process and codes. I mean, how do you drag these women through this? asks Geiss, who was the lead plaintiff in a Weinstein class action lawsuit. Ive listened to a lot of lawyers dissect what transpired. and they understand why it got appealed. And that alone should tell you something. How does this happen at this level with this high profile of a defendant?

For his part, Weinstein was surprised but elated by the ruling, which his team wasnt expecting until May 16. We had kind of lost faith that there were judges out there who were willing to face public scrutiny for being the ones to let Harvey go, Weinstein spokesperson Juda Engelmayer tells Variety. Weinstein is in regular contact with his two children from his marriage to Georgina Chapman. (His three children from his marriage to Eve Chilton do not speak to him.) Over a whirlwind six days, he has moved from his maximum security prison in Rome, N.Y., to Rikers Island to Bellevue Hospital, where he is being treated for multiple healthcare needs related to his heart stent, high blood pressure, diabetes and a spinal issue.

While Weinsteins California conviction still stands, his legal team will use the New York ruling to seek a new trial in Los Angeles given that jurors there had been instructed to consider his New York conviction while weighing his guilt or innocence. In the meantime, his attorney Arthur Aidala is upbeat. He notes that it was women who spearheaded the reversal of Weinsteins New York conviction, beginning with his colleague Diana Fabi Samson, who made the case that the appeal be heard by New Yorks highest court. Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, known for being a champion of womens rights, granted that. Of the four judges who voted to overturn the conviction, three were women, including Jenny Rivera, also known as a fierce proponent of womens rights. The law was on our side, says Fabi Samson. And if you read the courts majority decision, thats clear. So I wasnt shocked. I was just extremely relieved and happy that the court came to the right decision.

(Gene Maddaus contributed to this report.)

This story was updated on May 4 to reflect a new statement from Times Up Legal Defense Fund.

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A Tesla Model S at a Supercharger station. David Zalubowski/AP Photo

Tesla dissolved its charging-station team , BI previously reported.

Following the cuts, Musk said that Tesla would be growing its charger network "at a slower pace."

Tesla is now focused on "100% uptime and expansion of existing locations," Musk said.

Shortly after news broke that Tesla would be laying off another round of employees, including the team behind the company's Supercharger charging-station network, CEO Elon Musk took to social media to reassure owners and investors that the stations aren't going anywhere.

"Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace for new locations and more focus on 100% uptime and expansion of existing locations," Musk wrote in a post on X.

Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace for new locations and more focus on 100% uptime and expansion of existing locations  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 30, 2024

Despite Musk's assurances, Tesla has already begun pulling out of leases for upcoming stations in New York, the EV news site Electrek reported.

The company currently operates 57,579 Superchargers at 6,249 locations globally, the outlet said.

Even the most die-hard Tesla fans were disheartened by the news. Commenters on Musk's post called his announcement "kinda lame" and urged him to reconsider, saying that a large charging network is key to promoting widespread adoption of electric vehicles nationwide.

"This is a goddamn disaster. Superchargers need to be Tesla's second top growing sector outside of FSD," Troy Meekhof, whose site, The Cybertruck Guy, covers Teslas and other EVs, wrote in response to Musk's post. "You're opening up the network to practically every EV driver on the continent without building with urgency? I'm honestly floored at this decision."

Meekhof told Business Insider that, as an owner of two Tesla vehicles, he's very familiar with Superchargers and called them "damn near magical," saying they've worked for him every time and the stations he visits are rarely full. However, entire sections of the country and his home state of Michigan are mostly off-limits to him and his vehicles, he said, "simply because of the lack of charging options."

"I'm generally apt to trust Musk's maniacal whims because they're indicative of a more complex longer-term plan, but destroying the division responsible for what I believe is their single greatest achievement in North America is simultaneously shocking and bewildering," Meekhof told BI. He's "certainly looking forward to seeing what this broader plan is, but at face value, I'm alarmed," he added.

The latest round of Tesla layoffs, which were announced by Musk via email late Monday, included Rebecca Tinucci, a senior director of the company's Supercharger group, and Daniel Ho, the head of new products. Though some employees on the Supercharger team may be reassigned, the team, which had about 500 employees, was dissolved.

The cuts come after Tesla's lukewarm earnings report last week, which included an 8.7% year-over-year first-quarter revenue drop, its earnings per share missing consensus forecasts, and the company's free cash flow dropping 674% year-over-year to negative $2.5 billion.

Representatives for Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Correction: May 1, 2024  An earlier version of this story misstated the name of Tesla's charging stations. They are Supercharger stations, not Supercharging stations.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Scattered showers and thunderstorms passing through Texas on Friday, August 23, created a striking scene. Bulbous mammatus clouds, like celestial cotton, blushed with an orange hue as the setting sun painted a breathtaking canvas over the city of Bee Cave.

Unlike their fluffy counterparts, which form as air rises and cools, mammatus clouds emerge when air sinks. As a thunderstorm clears, pockets of sinking air descend from the upper atmosphere. Cooler than the surrounding air, these currents carry moisture or ice crystals, creating the characteristic pouches.

Mammatus Clouds (Closeup) by Mindaugas G. Mindaugas GasparaviA?ius shot these striking photos of Mammatus clouds appearing on the back side of a heavy, convective snow shower in late April near Vilnius, Lithuania.

The most impressive displays occur beneath the "anvil cloud," the flat top of a mature thunderstorm. Their pouchlike shapes are suspended beneath the remnants of a dissipating thunderstorm, lending an eerie beauty to the post-storm landscape.

For those who gazed upward, the sight was both eerie and awe-inspiring. The golden hues of sunset illuminated the rounded forms, contrasting against the darkening sky. Nature's delicate balance was on full display-a reminder that beauty and danger coexist, separated only by the fragile veil of our atmosphere.

Mammatus Oklahoma 5/16 Mammatus clouds cover the town of Ada, Oklahoma, at sunset on May 15, 2022.

Mammatus clouds can be seen anywhere there are thunderstorms and have been featured on our weather photo blog from such locations as Indiana; Oklahoma; Berlin, Germany; and Vilnius, Lithuania.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  A ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy took effect in Florida on Wednesday just after midnight.

Before that, the state had been a refuge for abortion access in the South after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Florida banned abortions after 15 weeks in 2022, but the vast majority of its neighboring states had stricter restrictions, so more than 9,300 people traveled here last year for abortion care.

That's more than double the number in 2020, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion access. Around 84,000 abortions were performed in Florida last year, about 1 in 12 nationwide.

Floridas new law will curtail that trend. It is now a felony in the state to perform or actively participate in an abortion after six weeks' gestation, which is about two weeks after a missed period. The ban has exceptions for rape, incest and human trafficking up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. State law also allows abortions to save a womans life or to prevent substantial and irreversible physical impairment, but doctors might still worry about their legal liability.

Its going to cause delays in care that are going to cost women significant health hazards or risks, Dr. Daniel Sacks, a provider at Presidential Womens Center in West Palm Beach, said of the new law.

Abortion providers in Florida worked to see as many patients as possible in the weeks before the ban took effect. They said some patients were confused about Floridas restrictions and timelines, especially given that about a year has passed since Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the six-week ban. The policy had been temporarily blocked ahead of a state Supreme Court ruling last month that cleared the way for it to become law.

Florida also requires two in-person visits to a clinic, 24 hours apart, ahead of an abortion  a rule some patients dont know about.

Cassie, 20, a native Floridian who asked that her last name be withheld to maintain her privacy, had her first consultation at an abortion clinic in Fort Pierce on Monday. She hadnt been aware that the six-week ban was scheduled to take effect two days later.

abortion patient (Mark Ringo / NBC News)

I knew that they were trying to do it, but I did not know that it actually happened, Cassie said.

She was less than six weeks pregnant, but she acknowledged that she could have easily missed that deadline once the new law took effect.

Cassie lives in an RV with her partner and her 1-year-old son. She wants another child, she said, but cant afford it right now.

I would not be able to provide for my son as best as I could, she said, adding that a second child would make it hard to even afford to eat or even to pay for small expenditures like tires on the car.

On her way into the clinic Monday, she stopped to confront a protester who urged her to continue her pregnancy.

First thing I said was Will you help me and my family get a mortgage? she said.

She added that she feels for the women in Florida who might now have to carry unwanted pregnancies or travel long distances to obtain abortions.

Its just not right to tell a woman that theres a certain amount of time that you have to have an abortion, she said. I wish I could give those women a hug and help them through it.

Anti-abortion-rights groups are celebrating the new law.

Florida has taken efforts to provide a sanctuary for life, especially the most vulnerable, and provide significant financial resources for women to provide a wide range of options and resources that would protect them and facilitate their decision to choose life, said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a legal organization based in Florida that opposes abortion rights.

He pointed to $25 million the state has set aside to expand the Florida Pregnancy Care Network, a group of so-called crisis pregnancy centers. Such centers try to persuade pregnant women not to have abortions and offer them counseling and supplies, but some have been known to provide inaccurate or misleading information.

empty abortion clinic room examination table (Jorge Pujol / NBC News)

Nine Southern states have total abortion bans, and Georgia and South Carolina ban abortions after about six weeks. So for people in Florida and elsewhere in the Southeast who want to end pregnancies, the closest options are now most likely in North Carolina, where abortions are allowed up to 15 weeks, and Virginia.

Florida Access Network, a fund that helps people in Florida with the cost of abortions  including appointments, food and travel  is prepared for a wave of patients needing assistance with out-of-state abortions.

Were living in a new reality where people are going to be forced to travel long distances to get care, and many people dont have the resources or the ability to do so, said Stephanie Loraine Pineiro, the organizations executive director.

A Womans Choice, a network of abortion clinics with a location in Jacksonville, opened a clinic in Virginia last month in anticipation of Florida's ban. It also operates three clinics in North Carolina. But Kelly Flynn, the network's CEO, said those other locations won't be realistic options for many people.

This week, she said, women came to the Jacksonville clinic from Mississippi and Louisiana seeking abortions before Florida's ban took effect.

Going forward, Flynn said, the network plans to help women in the South understand their few remaining legal options if they want abortions.

"When they call our call center, well get them that information  we'll try to help them with logistics, travel, food, gas to help get them to North Carolina and Virginia," she said.

Marissa Parra and Juliette Arcodia reported from Jacksonville and Aria Bendix from New York City. Bracey Harris contributed reporting from Jackson, Mississippi.
Can you swap one type of ground corn for the other?

Simply Recipes / Photo Illustration by Wanda Abraham / Getty Images

When it comes to products made from globally used, versatile staple foods, you can always count on one thing: strong and often contradictory opinions!

Ground, dried corna staple product that spans continentsis no exception. Every culture has its own way of using corn products, and it can even differ from kitchen to kitchen. So I went to the experts, from millers to Italian and Southern chefs, to provide some grains of truth: Whats the difference between grits and polenta?

The Difference Between Grits and Polenta

Polenta originated in Italy. The owner of famed heirloom grains brand Anson Mills, Glenn Roberts, shares [Polenta] is highly diverse in Italy; theres a big list of plants in the maize canon that identify as polenta, but what they have in common is that they are mainly types of flint corn, a variety that is, like its name suggests, very hard and less starchy than other varieties.

Polenta in the United States is not made with flint corn since this variety isn't readily available stateside. Instead, dent corn, a slightly softer and starchier variety, is most commonly used in the American South to make both polenta and grits. For instance, Brad Kelly, VP of Operations at Madison, Georgia's Farmview Market exclusively uses Hickory King dent corn for his grits.

The size of the ground corn is another differentiator. Drew Belline, VP of Culinary for legendary chef Ford Frys Rocket Farm Restaurants, explains, Polenta is typically milled multiple times, which produces a finer product.

Piero Premoli, executive chef and partner of Pricci in Atlanta echoes this. True polenta is double-milled and more refined, while true grits are passed through the mill only once for a coarser product."

You might wonder whether the color of the corn makes a difference, but its not a hard and fast indicator. Polenta is usually yellow, but grits can be white, yellow, or both. Miller Joann Fain Tarpley of Nora Mill Granary in Helen, Georgia uses a blend of white and yellow corn for the mills grits.



Simply Recipes / Getty Images

How Do These Differences Affect Cooking?

According to Roberts, both polenta and grits should be cooked low and slow, never brought to a boil, for the best flavor and aroma. Soaking can cut down on cooking time, but in his experience, medium-round grits like those from Quaker Oats take about 45 minutes; par-cooked quick grits take 10 to 15 minutes. Premoli says the cooking time is the same for polenta.

The most critical thing to keep in mind, says Belline, is the coarseness of the grind. Thats whats really going to affect the amount of liquid, temperature for cooking, and most importantly, the amount of time you are going to cook them. A coarser product will require a longer cooking time to become tender.

When To Use Grits vs. Polenta

I love to use polenta in winter for heartier dishes, like meat ragus and braises, Belline shares. Overall, polenta is most commonly served as a dinner accompaniment.

Grits are more popular with Southern-style breakfasts. Greg Johnsman, owner of Marsh Hen Mill, says, [Grits] can stand alone with butter or salt, [or] fried into grit cakes But shrimp and grits is the go-to in [the South Carolina] Lowcountry.

While polenta and grits have similar preparations, some people consider it heresy to use them interchangeably! says Roberts. Premolis one of them, due to variances in texture. Belline says they can be swapped, but Johnsman cautions its not an even exchange. It can be hard to pass polenta as grits and grits as polentaBut they can be substituted if you have to.

The Best Way To Store Grits and Polenta

Artisan grits and polenta are more perishable than commercial brands, but Fain Tarpleys advice applies to all: If not using them in the near future, they should be stored in airtight containers, preferably in the refrigerator or freezer. This helps maintain nutrients and keeps them super fresh.

If you love either of these grains passionately, the chefs say its well worth it to seek out heirloom grains from small mills. Belline advises, All grits and polenta from the store are not the same. When you source the good stuff, its about tasting the essence of the corn, whether youre having grits with a Southern breakfast or polenta with an Italian dinner.

Read the original article on Simply Recipes.
Chinese industrial robots earn global acclaim

Xinhua) 14:15, May 01, 2024

SHENYANG, April 30 (Xinhua) -- With the rapid advancement of technology and the development of increasingly sophisticated products, China's high-end intelligent manufacturing sector continues to provide new opportunities for the global manufacturing industry.

At the 2024 Hannover Messe, one of the world's largest trade fairs, a diverse array of cutting-edge intelligent products from SIASUN Robot and Automation Co., Ltd., based in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, took center stage.

This year's edition of Hannover Messe, launched in 1947, took place from April 22 to 26. Chinese exhibitors comprised 30 percent of nearly 4,000 exhibitors hailing from around 60 countries and regions, placing them second only to Germany in representation.

As the leading Chinese robotics enterprise expanding globally, SIASUN has continued to refine its technology through innovative advancements, deepening its expertise and bolstering its product prowess.

Among the company's exhibits showcased at the fair, a single-lifter assembly mobile robot captured the attention of visitors.

The robot utilizes dynamic tracking technology to seamlessly track and synchronize its movements with the vehicle body in real time. It can meet the diverse needs of modern automotive plants, facilitating the mixed-line production of multiple vehicle models.

"SIASUN's assembly mobile robots are extensively deployed in the assembly workshops of both traditional fuel and new energy vehicle plants. They excel in tasks such as handling the entire body-in-white chassis, front and rear axle assemblies, as well as the lifting and assembly of new energy battery packs," said Wang Baohua, senior director of the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) Business Group of SIASUN.

Prominent global automotive giants such as General Motors, Toyota, Jaguar, Land Rover, Honda, Ford and Nissan, as well as numerous notable domestic and international new energy vehicle brands, rely on SIASUN's mobile robots for smooth automotive assembly operations, Wang added.

A welding robot from SIASUN also captured the attention of visitors at the trade fair. It features a 12-kg rated payload and a 1465-mm reach. Equipped with SIASUN's proprietary intelligent control system and integrated autonomous knowledge-based intelligent welding software, it seamlessly combines robotic, welding and process systems into a cohesive entity.

"With specialized functionalities including intelligent positioning, tracking and multi-layer, multi-pass welding capabilities, the welding robot significantly boosts industrial intelligence and digitalization," said Yang Fei, general manager of the German subsidiary of SIASUN.

The organizer of this year's Hannover Messe also highlighted the growing innovation among Chinese companies, expressing optimism about future trade expansion in China.

In an interview with Xinhua during the 2024 Hannover Messe, Jochen Koeckler, chairman of the Managing Board of the organizer Deutsche Messe AG, said he was "very happy to have many exhibitors from China."

"SIASUN is poised to seize the opportunities arising from the latest wave of reforms in the robotics industry. Through the integration of robots with digital twins, structural bionics, and other emerging technologies, the company strives to elevate the stability and intelligence of its products while pushing the boundaries of their applications," said Zhang Jin, president of SIASUN.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
South Korea's potential participation in part of the AUKUS security partnership was among the agenda items it discussed with Australia during a "two plus two" meeting among their foreign and defense chiefs Wednesday, the Korean defense minister said.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik made the remark during a joint press conference, noting that Korea's possible participation in the minilateral security partnership, comprising Australia, Britain and the United States, will contribute to regional peace and stability.

"During today's meeting, we discussed the possibility of partnering with the AUKUS Pillar 2," Shin said through an interpreter in response to a reporters' question at the livestreamed joint press conference held after the ministers' talks in Melbourne.

"We do welcome that the (AUKUS) members are considering Korea as a Pillar 2 partner. Korea's differentiated science and technology capabilities will contribute to the peace and stability of the development of the AUKUS Pillar 2 and regional peace," Shin said.

The AUKUS partnership, launched in September 2021, has drawn attention in Korea after a U.S. official in March mentioned South Korea and Japan as potential partners under consideration by AUKUS members to cooperate in high-tech areas, known as the Pillar 2, which covers quantum computing, artificial intelligence and hypersonics.

Whether the topic would be discussed at Wednesday's two plus two meeting had been a focus of attention.

AUKUS is largely seen as a group of like-minded countries formed to counter China's assertiveness.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles also echoed the point, describing Korea as a values-sharing country with which his country has strategic alignment.

"As AUKUS Pillar 2 develops, I think there will be opportunities in the future," Marles said.

South Korea and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to further developing the bilateral future-oriented relationship, including enhancing the joint military training, Shin said, citing the mutual participation in last year's multilateral Talisman Sabre exercise and Korea's Freedom Shield exercises.

"We are committed to continuing these joint exercises in various forms and further elevating the level of cooperation between our armed forces," he said.

The two countries discussed a range of issues of common interest across the board, from expanding cooperation in the Indo-Pacific to the defense industry and efforts to sternly address North Korea's evolving military threats, the ministers said.

"We agreed to collaborate in blocking North Korea's access to funding for its illicit nuclear and missile development and to thwart illegal activities, such as arms trading between Russia and North Korea," Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said at the presser through the interpreter.

"Our Australian counterparts have expressed their steadfast support for enhancing the human rights of North Koreans and for our policies aimed at reunification," he said.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called Russia's "provision of materials" to the North in violation of U.N. sanctions resolutions "destabilizing" actions that undermine peace and security.

"It is important for us to not only express solidarity with the Republic of Korea, in the face of this aggression, but also to call out Russia's behavior as irresponsible and destabilizing," Wong said.

The talks came more than two years after the last such meeting took place in Seoul in September 2021. The following session had initially been scheduled for October last year, but it was canceled amid tensions in the Middle East that prompted countries to attend to the urgency of the situation.

Australia is the only country with which South Korea holds regular talks of the foreign and defense chiefs besides its ally, the United States.

Cho and Shin also held separate bilateral talks with their respective counterparts. The South Korean ministers have been on a weeklong visit to Australia. (Yonhap)
Prosecutors said Wednesday they are aiming to retry Harvey Weinstein in the fall after a New York appeals court overturned his 2020 rape conviction.

Weinstein appeared before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Curtis Farber around 2:15 p.m., his first appearance since his conviction was overturned.

He entered the court in a wheelchair and looked gaunt.

A Weinstein accuser, former aspiring actor Jessica Mann, sat in the second row, a few seats from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Mann, who was an aspiring actor, accused the former movie mogul of raping her in a New York City hotel in 2013.

Much of the discussion centered on whether Weinstein should be released and if there will be a new trial.

Weinsteins attorney, Arthur Aidala, asked that his client be allowed to stay in the hospital where he was receiving treatment.

Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg asked that he remain in custody.

"It was a strong case and he was convicted and sentenced to 23 yearsit remains a strong case," Blumberg said.

Blumberg told the judge that they "will retry the case."

"We think early fall date, possibly as early as September for a trial," she said.

The judge remanded him back to Bellevue Hospital for treatment and set a discovery hearing for May 29 at 10 a.m.

The state Court of Appeals last Thursday overturned his conviction in a 4-3 decision, and Weinstein was hospitalized days later for a battery of tests.

The Court of Appeals found that the judge in the landmark #MeToo trial had prejudiced Weinstein with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that werent part of the case.

The court said that the "trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts" and that the "testimony served no material non-propensity purpose." It said the court "compounded that error" when it ruled that Weinstein, who had no prior criminal history, could be cross-examined "about those allegations as well as numerous allegations of misconduct that portrayed defendant in a highly prejudicial light."

Judge Jenny Rivera, writing for the majority, called the errors "egregious" and said the remedy was a new trial. In his dissent, Judge Anthony Cannataro wrote that the court's decision was an "unfortunate step backwards."

Many of Weinstein's accusers expressed shock and disappointment with the reversal. Bragg said he planned to retry the case.

Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court (Etienne Laurent / AFP - Getty Images file)

Weinstein, 72, had been serving a 23-year sentence in New Yorks Mohawk Correctional Facility after he was found guilty of forcibly performing oral sex on a television and film production assistant in 2006 and rape in the third degree for an attack on an aspiring actress in 2013.

On Friday, he was transferred to a medical ward at Rikers Island jail in New York City. The following day, he was taken to Bellevue Hospital for a more thorough exam after he was checked out by doctors at Rikers, his attorney, Arthur Aidala, said.

Aidala said Weinstein "needs a lot of help, physically" and has "a lot of problems."

His spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, said last week that Weinstein uses a walker and wheelchair and has audio and heart issues.

Weinstein was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of rape and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He was acquitted of one count of sexual battery in that case.

Engelmayer said last week that Weinstein may be extradited to California. His legal team is currently appealing that case.
(Reuters) -Ten people died and 21 are missing due to heavy rains this week in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, with the local government warning that the situation is critical and could deteriorate further.

During a press conference on Wednesday, state governor Eduardo Leite said he had spoken with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva seeking all possible federal assistance.

"We are experiencing in Rio Grande do Sul the worst moment, the worst disaster in our history. It is absolutely, absurdly, extraordinarily serious what is happening in Rio Grande do Sul right now," Leite said. "And unfortunately, it will get worse."

Lula is due to travel to the state on Thursday.

According to the governor, storms have caused the most extensive devastation in the state in recent years, leaving several towns isolated after bridges collapsed and roads were destroyed amid floods and mudslides.

Leite declared the suspension of classes statewide for the remainder of the week and emphasized that he had requested full support from the armed forces "to effectively participate in coordinating this moment, which is akin to facing a war."

Authorities tallied over 3,400 displaced individuals in the wake of storms that led to rising river levels and flooding in various parts of the state, affecting 114 municipalities.

In a Tuesday report, the state's government predicted a flood risk "across practically the entire state" given the prospect of continued "heavy precipitation" in the coming days.

The bulletin also said flooding would be severe in the basins of many rivers, with the possibility of flash floods and mass movements of earth in regions with steep slopes.

(Reporting by Marcela Ayres, Editing by William Maclean and Alistair Bell)
Protests over Israel's assault on Gaza have rocked college campuses in the U.S. and drawn condemnation from Israeli leaders, but students in the Palestinian enclave say they are watching the demonstrations closely  and gaining renewed strength from their peers in America.

"I feel proud that there is a group of students who feel what we feel now  and are helping and supporting us," said Reem Musa Suleiman Abu Shinar, who studied law before Oct. 7. She was speaking to an NBC News crew in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where she and her family are sheltering along with more than a million others ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive.

Abu Shinar, 23, was not alone in praising U.S. college students, with university students and children in Gaza gathering over the weekend to send a message of thanks to the demonstrators, with words of gratitude written across tents in Rafah.

News of the encampments at U.S. colleges also reached Gaza's north, with Ezz Lulu, a 22-year-old medical student, urging students to "keep fighting for what's right."

"You are making a difference," he said.

Palestinian student Ezz Lulu (NBC News)

The demonstrations, which escalated Tuesday, have swept across U.S. colleges amid mounting global criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza, where health officials say more than 34,000 people have been killed in more than six months of war.

But some of the protest action has also drawn accusations of antisemitism, which Jewish groups say has soared in the wake of the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage. Student protesters have rejected this accusation, with some saying claims of antisemitism are being weaponized against them in a bid to dismiss their criticisms of Israels actions in Gaza.

While the demonstrations stoke controversy in the U.S., they have struck a chord with many in Gaza.

Just over six months ago, Abu Shinar, who is from the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, was studying human rights law at Israa University in Gaza, determined to become a force of positive change for her community.

Gaza student Reem Musa Suleiman Abu Shinar (Supplied to NBC News)

Her dreams were brought to a screeching halt after Israel launched its assault on Gaza  and in January, she saw them come crashing down after her school was razed to the ground by the Israeli military.

Abu Shinar said it was powerful to see thousands of U.S. students set up encampments calling for an end to the war in Gaza and for their schools to divest from Israel and from companies that could be profiting from the war.

But she said she also fears for the students' academic futures.

My educational career stopped because of the war, and I do not want any student to be suspended from education, she said.

The protests in the U.S. started at Columbia University in New York on April 17 with an encampment and student calls to end Israels assault on Gaza and for the college to divest from companies benefiting from the war.

Since then, encampments have cropped up on campuses of at least 20 colleges from coast to coast, as well as at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and Sciences Po in Paris.

Rafah US protest message (AFP - Getty Images)

Protesters at Columbia University stormed and occupied Hamilton Hall overnight, flying a Palestinian flag from the building's windows and renaming it "Hind Hall" after Hind Rajab, a six-year-old who was killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza after making a harrowing plea for help in calls with first responders.

The elite university had started suspending students who ignored an order to leave their encampment by the universitys 2 p.m. deadline on Monday.

Many universities have said that while they support freedom of speech and will allow protests on campus, encampments violate school policy.

Abdallah Abujaser, a 21-year-old clinical psychology student at Israa University, said he was disturbed to hear that hundreds of students in the U.S. had been arrested. It is our right to object to anything we do not like, he said.

We are all equal, he added. We have the right to study and the right to live in safety.

Lulu said he felt "very disappointed in the hard disciplinary actions" unfolding at U.S. colleges. "The students should feel safe and shouldn't be prevented from expressing their views," he said.

George Washington University Protesters (Cliff Owen / AP)

Abujaser, who previously described his devastation after seeing his school destroyed in interviews with NBC News, said he felt a renewed hope for humanity seeing the protests on U.S. campuses.

"Thank you for the humanity within you," he said in a message to rallying students from Rafah, where he is sheltering with his family.

Aya Salama, a 21-year-old English language and translation student who had been set to graduate this spring from Al-Azhar University before the war began, said she hoped demonstrators at U.S. colleges would "stay strong and continue these protests."

With growing reports of student arrests and suspensions, Salama said she felt there were "double standards" at play. "If they made those protests for Ukraine or any European country, we would see another reaction for them," she said.

But, she said, "these protests have given us hope that our voice is heard and that there is people who care about the genocide thats happening in Gaza."

The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide by its forces in Gaza, but Israel has described the allegation as "outrageous." The U.S. has also rejected the accusation.

Abu Shinar said she hoped students would keep showing their support, but she also urged them to "be careful."

Today's university students, she said, may become the lawmakers and leaders who one day affect the future of Palestinians. "We appreciate this assistance, but also pay attention to your educational journey so that you can help us later," she said.

"You are our hope."
WASHINGTON  Conservative firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said on Wednesday she's calling up a vote next week to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., setting up a high-stakes clash inside her own party and where Democrats are vowing to help avoid another lengthy vacancy in the job that is second in line of succession to the presidency.

Greene's move is unlikely to succeed but still is certain to roil internal GOP tension as she continues to target Johnson, the most powerful elected Republican in the country.

Johnson has been defiant in the face of the existential threat to his speakership, saying he has no intention of resigning from his post as a vast majority of his conference backs him. House Democrats on Tuesday promised to kill any effort from Greene to oust him from his speakership.

Greene, a second-term Georgia lawmaker, initially filed her motion that can lead to the removal of a House speaker in March. After weeks of threats, she said on Wednesday that she'll move next week to force a floor vote.

"I voted for Mike Johnson because his voting record before he became speaker was conservative," Greene said at a press conference on Wednesday morning outside the U.S. Capitol. "But once he became speaker, he has become a man that none of us recognize."

Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., hold a press conference outside the US Capitol on potential motion to vacate against Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

The coming showdown has the potential to plunge the House into chaos once again after the lower chamber has already seen the ouster of its last GOP speaker, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Finding a replacement for the California Republican took three weeks amid significant GOP infighting, with former President Donald Trump demonstrating his power over the party by making public statements that undercut support for one of the leading candidates.

"This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country," Johnson said in a statement following Greene's announcement.

Johnson also dismissed Greene's threat to oust him, suggesting to NewsNation in an interview that she is not a serious lawmaker: "Bless her heart."

"I'm not into personal attacks. That's not why I'm doing this." Greene said, responding to the speaker's comments and eliciting laughter at her press conference. "This has nothing to do with Mike Johnson as a person but this is about his job performance."

'A warm hug and a big wet sloppy kiss'

Greene, along with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced her plans to force a House vote while flanked by two posters of Johnson embracing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., when he was elected speaker last year. She claimed Johnson has given Democrats "everything they want."

"We have Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats coming out, embracing Mike Johnson with a warm hug and a big wet sloppy kiss and they are ready, they have endorsed him, they are ready to support him as speaker," Greene said.

Another potential leadership crisis has raised significant concerns among Republicans about how it would reflect on the party in a critical election year. It's also not clear who could succeed Johnson if the speakership were to be rendered vacant, but eyes would immediately turn to those who sought the job last year, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.

But it's still uncertain whether any of those potential lawmakers could earn the near-unanimous support needed from Republicans to become speaker. Greene declined to offer an alternative candidate but said she thinks "we have people that are capable."

While Greene appeared to be a lone dissenter at first, fellow conservative hardliner Massie, joined her effort in mid-April, calling on Johnson to resign or face a vote of no confidence on the House floor. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., became Greene's third public supporter a few days later.

A vast majority of both Republicans and Democrats are expected to dismiss Greene's motion, but the conservative firebrand defended her move, saying the motion would allow Americans to see who supports the speaker.

"I can't wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker," Greene said. "I also can't wait to see my Republican conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it."

Greene's call to force a vote to oust Johnson comes after the House passed a set of long-awaited foreign aid bills funding key U.S. allies including Ukraine and Israel.

Conservatives repeatedly pushed Johnson to tie strict GOP-backed border and immigration policy changes to any foreign aid package. But with a Democratic-controlled Senate and White House, such a maneuver would have killed any chance of Congress passing foreign aid, which advocates described as essential to national security.

Johnson long dithered on the issue under intense pressure from conservatives but the speaker made a remarkable change of attitude, particularly with funding Ukraine.

"My philosophy is you do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may," Johnson told reporters in April. He said that he if had operated out of fear, he wouldn't be able to do his job.

"History judges us and what we do," the Louisiana Republican added. "This is a critical time right now, a critical time on the world stage. I can make a selfish decision and do something that's different but I'm doing here what I believe to be the right thing."

Johnson has given personal reasons for why he's supportive of aiding Ukraine, noting his son is set to begin at the U.S. Naval Academy in the fall.

"This is a live fire exercise for me, as it is so many American families," the House speaker said. "This is not a game. This is not a joke. We can't play politics with this."

At Wednesday's press conference, Greene held up a hat that read "MUGA," playing off Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan that took root in the 2016 presidential campaign. She said the "uniparty is make Ukraine great again. The uniparty is about funding every single foreign war. They think this is the business model that needs to be done."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., holds a "Make Ukraine Great Again" hat during a press conference on House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries' endorsement of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, outside the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday

Democratic support may not help Johnson

House Republicans control the lower chamber with just a razor-thin majority and a one-vote margin, meaning with Greene, Massie and Gosar calling for Johnson's removal, that would be enough votes  assuming Democrats joined them  to topple the speaker. The conservative Republicans have hinted there are other members willing to force Johnson out.

Just one aggrieved lawmaker can initiate the process to remove a speaker thanks to a decision by McCarthy to change the lower chamber's rules. In his own pursuit of the speakership early last year, McCarthy agreed to allow for a vote on his ouster if it was called for by just a single member.

Johnson's allies pleaded with the speaker in April to change the rules to beat back Greene's effort and any other possible future removal threats. But Johnson has announced the House will continue to operate under its existing set of rules.

Johnson and his fellow Republican leaders are almost certain to try to dismiss Greenes push, and Democrats will support such a move.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., hold a press conference outside the US Capitol on potential motion to vacate against Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

"We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Motion to Vacate the Chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed," House Democratic leaders said in a joint statement on Tuesday morning.

But it's not clear whether Johnson could stay on as speaker with the help of Democrats. Conservatives and several other House Republicans have doubts publicly and privately at the prospects of a Republican speaker staying in power with Democratic support.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MTG to force vote on House Speaker Mike Johnson's job
CHARLOTTE, N.C.  Investigators continued working Wednesday to piece together the timeline of a deadly shooting in east Charlotte that killed four officers and left four others with gunshot wounds, rocking the law enforcement community nationwide and spurring an outpouring of support for the officers and their families.

Civic and religious leaders are asking the community for patience, love and grace as they grapple with the fallout of the deaths: four families who have lost a husband and a father.

Officials have declined to discuss the specifics of the incident, including whether it was appropriate for law enforcement to engage in a lengthy gunbattle in the middle of a neighborhood in the middle of the day.

"We do, like a number of cities across this country, have issues around violence. But I think most of the time we can identify why and how," Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Tuesday night after a community prayer vigil. "In this situation, I think once they finish the investigation, we will probably know more about the how and the why. And my goal is that we complete the investigation, we actually learn from what is going on and that we move forward together."

Here's what we know about the shooting, the investigation, the victims and the suspect:

What happened in Charlotte?

On Monday afternoon, members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force were serving an active felony warrant at a home in east Charlotte when a fugitive with a high-powered rifle began firing at them from the second floor, according to a statement from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Multiple officers were hit, and the other task force members called in reinforcements. As local police arrived and began to rescue the downed task force members, more gunfire came from the house and additional officers were struck, police said.

The gunman, identified as 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr., exited the house with a firearm and was shot by police. He was pronounced dead on the front lawn.

In total, eight law enforcement officers were hit. Of the eight who were struck, three members of the task force and an officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department died at area hospitals.

Injured police officers: Most are home from the hospital

The four wounded officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department were expected to survive their injuries, officials said Tuesday.

Officer Christopher Tolley, hired in May of 2006, had surgery to treat his gunshot wounds and remained in the hospital in stable condition, according to the police department.

Justin Campbell, a 4-year veteran with the department, was released Tuesday morning after being treated for injuries including a broken foot.

Michael Giglio, an officer who has been with the department since February 2021, was treated for gunshot wounds and was released from the hospital Monday. On the same day, police officer Jack Blowers, hired in February 2023, was also treated and released.

Was there a second shooter?

Police initially said they believed there was a second shooter in the house, but officials have since walked that back. At a news conference Tuesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings told reporters that it seemed shots rang out after Hughes was taken down by police and that gunfire rang came from "multiple locations within the house."

Jennings left the question open, saying that police are not "ready to say" there was a shooter other than Hughes. Investigators are reviewing evidence and body camera to iron out the timeline of the incident, he said.

Two women at the house have cooperated with investigators

Two women  an adult and a 17-year-old  were taken to the police department for questioning after Hughes was killed. Both have been cooperative with the investigation, and police were not looking for additional suspects, Jennings said Tuesday.

"We feel like we have everyone involved that was at the house that we need to speak with," Jennings said.

The women have not been charged, Jennings said, but investigators have not ruled out the possibility that they may face criminal prosecution. They were both in the house voluntarily, but Jennings did not provide details on their relationship to each other or with Hughes.

Evidence is being processed

Investigators continue to search the house and process evidence. They have found a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, a 40-caliber handgun and additional magazines and ammo for both weapons. It's unclear how Hughes got hold of his weapon, because he is a convicted felon who cannot purchase a weapon legally.

"You have to understand the amount of evidence that's going to be collected, probably well over 100 rounds of gunfire, of projectiles and casings that will be collected," Jennings said, asking for patience.

The Rev. Raymond Johnson, associate pastor of the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Marion, South Carolina, holds a sign on the front lawn of a home partially destroyed by law enforcement on April 29, 2024, during an incident in which four law enforcement officers, including three on a U.S. Marshals Task Force, were killed and four other officers were injured after being shot while attempting to serve a warrant in Charlotte, N.C.

12 police officers placed on paid leave

In the shootout, 12 officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department fired their service weapons. They have all been placed on paid administrative leave, as is standard procedure with any officer-involved shooting, Jennings said. The department's internal affairs unit will open a separate investigation.

"This is continuing to be an active and ongoing investigation," the chief said. "There's going to be some ... questions that will linger at least until we are able to get this investigation a little bit more complete."

What we know about the slain officers

Among the slain officers were Sam Poloche, 42, and Alden Elliot, 46, both of whom worked for the state's Department of Adult Correction. The two fathers were task force members assigned to the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Poloche joined the correction department's special operations and intelligence unit in 2013 and Elliot followed in 2016. They both worked for several years as probation and parole officers, according to the agency.

Poloche is survived by his wife and two children; Elliot is survived by his wife and one child.

"They loved their work, and were passionate about their roles in protecting our communities," read a statement from the correction department. "These officers died as heroes and made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to our state. We remember them, we honor their service, we send our deepest condolences to their families and friends, and we pray for healing for all affected by this tragic incident."

From left, William Elliott, Samuel Poloche, Joshua Eyer and Thomas Weeks. All three men were among four officers who were killed on Monday during an incident that broke out when officers attempted to serve a warrant at a house in Charlotte, North Carolina, authorities said.

U.S. Marshals Deputy Thomas M. Weeks Jr., 48, of Mooresville, North Carolina, was also killed. The husband and father of four served with the Marshals Service for 13 years, and most of that time was spent in the western district of North Carolina.

Before he joined the Marshals Service, Weeks spent eight years with Customs and Border Protection. In 2011, he began working at the Washington, D.C., Superior Court before transferring to Charlotte in 2014.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Officer Joshua Eyer was shot at the scene and fought for his life in the hospital for several hours before he died with his wife and family by his side. Eyer, the father of a 3-year-old boy, worked at the police department for six years and had recently been named officer of the month.

"Our challenge to this community is to make sure that 3-year-old son grows up knowing his dad," Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said at the vigil Tuesday night. "His dad was a law enforcement officer, he was a hero, he was someone that we should be proud to know and speak of."

People stand outside a house that was the scene of an incident on April 29, 2024, where four law enforcement officers, including three on a U.S. Marshals Task Force, were killed and four other officers were injured after being shot while attempting to serve a warrant in Charlotte, N.C.

Several religious and civic leaders say that if any good can come from the tragedy, it's that it may force Charlotte to more urgently grapple with the threat of gun violence and relations between police departments and they people they serve.

"Weve got to recognize its not normal to kill four police officers and wound four others," said Willie Rachford, the longtime director of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Department. Weve become literally numb to it, and we make it part of our norm. When hope is crushed, our hearts are crushed. Lets keep hope alive. Lets restore our hope.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Police continue to probe Charlotte shooting that killed 4 officers
Just ahead of its blowout first-quarter earnings report on April 25, Google laid off at least 200 employees from its Core teams, in a reorganization that will include moving some roles to India and Mexico, CNBC has learned.

The Core unit is responsible for building the technical foundation behind the companys flagship products and for protecting users online safety, according to Googles website. Core teams include key technical units from information technology, its Python developer team, technical infrastructure, security foundation, app platforms, core developers, and various engineering roles.

At least 50 of the positions eliminated were in engineering at the companys offices in Sunnyvale, California, filings show. Many Core teams will hire corresponding roles in Mexico and India, according to internal documents viewed by CNBC.

Asim Husain, vice president of Google Developer Ecosystem, announced news of the layoffs to his team in an email last week. He also spoke at a town hall and told employees that this was the biggest planned reduction for his team this year, an internal document shows.

We intend to maintain our current global footprint while also expanding in high-growth global workforce locations so that we can operate closer to our partners and developer communities, Husain wrote in the email.

Alphabet has been slashing headcount since early last year, when the company announced plans to eliminate about 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its workforce, following a downturn in the online ad market. Even with digital advertising rebounding recently, Alphabet has continued downsizing, with layoffs across multiple organizations this year.

Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat announced in mid-April that the companys finance department would undergo restructuring, entailing layoffs and moving positions to Bangalore and Mexico City. The companys search boss, Prabhakar Raghavan, told employees at an all-hands meeting in March that Google plans to build teams closer to users in key markets, including India and Brazil, where labor is cheaper than in the U.S.

The latest cuts come as the company enjoys its fastest growth rate since early 2022, alongside improving profit margins. Last week, Alphabet reported a 15% jump in first-quarter revenue from a year earlier and announced its first-ever dividend and a $70 billion buyback.

Announcements of this sort may leave many of you feeling uncertain or frustrated, Husain wrote in the email to developers. He added that his message to developers is that the changes are in service of our broader goals as a company.

The teams involved in the reorganization have been key to the companys developer tools, an area Google is streamlining as it incorporates more artificial intelligence into the products. In February, Google announced a major rebrand of its chatbot from Bard to Gemini, the same name as the suit of AI models that power it.

Alphabet is gearing up for its annual developer conference, Google I/O, on May 14, where the company traditionally reveals new developer products and tools underway during the prior year. Husain said in a memo explaining the developer changes that generative AI is at an inflection point.

Recent advances in Generative AI across the industry, including Googles Gemini, are changing the very nature of software development as we know it, Husain wrote.

In a separate email, Pankaj Rohatgi, Googles security engineering vice president, told his team, In order to optimize for our business goals, we are expanding work to other locations, which will result in some role eliminations and proposed role eliminations.

The Core layoffs also include the governance and protected data group, which will be at the center of regulatory challenges facing the company, particularly as lawmakers across the globe focus more on developments in AI. The European Unions Digital Markets Act, which went into effect in March, aims to clamp down on anti-competitive practices in tech.

Evan Kotsovinos, Googles vice president of governance and protected data, addressed the upcoming changes last week.

Kotsovinos in an email said the teams success means responding to escalating regulatory focus and is contingent on moving faster.

Raghavan, Googles senior vice president overseeing search, recently referenced heightened competition, a more challenging regulatory environment, and slower organic growth as the companys new operating reality.

When reached for comment, Google confirmed the Core reorganization and layoffs, and a spokesperson told CNBC that employees will be able to apply for open roles within Google and to access outplacement services.

As weve said, were responsibly investing in our companys biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead, the spokesperson said in an email. A number of our teams made changes to become more efficient and work better, remove layers and align their resources to their biggest product priorities.
Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday said it plans to pay $6.5 billion over 25 years to settle nearly all of the thousands of lawsuits in the U.S. claiming its talc-based products caused ovarian cancer, pending approval of the claimants.

Those cases have for decades caused financial and public relations trouble for J&J, which contends that its now-discontinued talc baby powder and other talc products are safe for consumers. About 99% of the talc-related lawsuits filed against J&J and its subsidiaries stem from ovarian cancer.

The company recorded a charge of about $2.7 billion in the first quarter to raise its reserve for talc claims to about $11 billion.

The deal, pending approval by claimants, would allow J&J to resolve the lawsuits through a third bankruptcy filing of a subsidiary company, LTL Management. Courts have rebuffed J&Js two previous efforts to resolve the lawsuits through the bankruptcy of that subsidiary, which was created to absorb the companys talc liabilities.

J&J will begin a three-month voting period for claimants, in hopes of reaching a 75% support threshold needed for a bankruptcy settlement that would end the litigation entirely and prevent future lawsuits. Claimants did not have the opportunity to vote in LTL Managements previous bankruptcy cases, J&J executives said on a call with investors on Wednesday.

J&J has the significant support of the overwhelming majority of the claimants based on conversations with their lawyers or representation, the executives added.

We firmly believe this plan is in the best interest of claimants and should receive a favorable and immediate confirmation from the bankruptcy court, said Erik Haas, J&Js worldwide vice president of litigation, during the call.

He contended the settlement is a far better recovery for claimants than would be likely in a trial.

As that track record shows, most of bearing claimants have not recovered, nor are they expected to ever recover anything at trial, Haas said. At the rate at which use cases have been tried, it would take decades to try the remaining cases meaning most claimants will never see their day in court.

Still, litigation has resulted in some large verdicts for claimants. That includes a roughly $2 billion award in favor of 22 women who blamed their ovarian cancer on asbestos in J&Js talc products.

Shares of J&J rose more than 2% in premarket trading Wednesday.

J&J said the remaining pending lawsuits relate to a rare cancer called mesothelioma and will be addressed outside of the new settlement plan. The pharmaceutical giant said it has already resolved 95% of mesothelioma lawsuits filed to date.

J&J noted on Wednesday that it has reached final and comprehensive settlements to resolve an investigation by a coalition of more than 40 states into claims the company misled patients about the safety of its talc baby powder and other talc-based products.

The company has also reached an agreement in principle to resolve claims brought by suppliers of its talc, which include Imerys Talc America, Cyprus Mines Corporation and their related parties.
A Los Angeles Metro train and a USC transportation bus collided outside Exposition Park shortly before noon, injuring 55 people, according to authorities.

Los Angeles firefighters rolled to the scene at 11:54 a.m. after receiving a report of an accident at 901 W. Exposition Blvd., just north of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

A collision between a Metro train and USC bus on West Exposition Boulevard in the Exposition Park area left more than 50 people injured on Tuesday. (Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)

Dave Sotero, Los Angeles Metro communications director, said the bus crossed into the path of a Metro E Line train. The light rail line runs from East Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica, mainly at street level, and not all of the crossings have gates.

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating.

Sotero said the LAPD would be in charge of the investigation.

Read more:At least 14 hurt as MTA bus is part of four-vehicle 'rollover collision' in South L.A.

In total, 55 people were injured, according to Nicholas Prange, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson.

Of that group, 18 were taken to hospitals, two in critical condition and 16 in fair condition. At least 37 were treated and released on the scene, according to Prange, who confirmed the two most severe patients were the bus driver and a passenger aboard the bus.

USC's transportation department said the vehicle was a Starcraft 40 passenger bus carrying only one rider at the time.

The department provided no information on the driver or the passenger.

The aftermath of the collision between a Metro train and USC bus on West Exposition Boulevard in the Exposition Park area on Tuesday. (Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)

"Metro offers its sympathy to those injured in the accident," Sotero said.

Service on the E Line was suspended between Expo-Vermont and Jefferson-USC stations for several hours Tuesday, according to L.A. Metro. Sotero said Metro transported passengers between stops via a temporary bus line.

He said the train was operating on a single track in the affected area as of 1:30 p.m.

Patrons visiting the nearby Natural History Museum were directed by staff to access the entrance by taking Martin Luther King Boulevard to Bill Robertson Lane or by parking in the blue visitor parking structure at 39th Street and Figueroa.

No museum activities were affected by the crash, according to museum communications manager Josh Chesler.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Diana worked as a nanny and nursery school assistant before marrying the future King Charles

Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty The future Princess Diana leaves her London home on Nov. 12, 1980

Even Princess Diana exaggerated on her work resume.

What is believed to be the late royal's first work contract sold at auction for $10,500. Lady Diana Spencer filled out the form for the nanny agency Solve Your Problem Ltd. in May 1979 by hand  and the contract included a lie about her age.

The 17-year-old Diana put her date of birth as "July 1st, 1960," a year off from her actual birthday in 1961 to make her appear over 18. According to Auctioneum Ltd. in Bristol, "The vendor having always been told that this was thought to be deliberate, Diana making herself appear older in order to get a job quicker, or receive more pay."

The lie appeared to be caught, with "nearly 18" penned in blue ink next to her stated date of birth.

The form also included Diana's London address, telephone number, religion and desired start date, to which she wrote, "Soon as possible." Her listed skills included "cook - basic," "housework," "animals" and "ballet dancer."

On the lower part of the form is the note that seems to be from the reviewer: "Lovely girl  send anywhere."

Auctioneum Ltd Princess Diana's work contract from 1979, which sold at auction in 2024

Related: Royal Rebel: 12 Ways Princess Diana Broke with Tradition and Paved a New Path for the Royal Family

Auctioneer Andrew Stowe told the BBC that interest in the work contract came from all around the world, with bids from America, Hong Kong, Canada and Australia.

"Princess Diana, her life and her story hold a very special place in so many peoples hearts, and the result of this auction shows that she is still well remembered all around the world," he said. "At face value, this is just an everyday work contract; a piece of office stationery that lived in a filing cabinet alongside hundreds of others. Yet just over two years later, Diana Spencer would become Princess Of Wales, and her life, and the whole of our history, would never be the same."

Stowe added that the contract was "one of the last remaining snapshots of Diana's 'normal' life."



Bill Rowntree/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Lady Diana Spencer, later Princess Diana, pictured at the London kindergarten where she worked on September 18, 1980

Diana worked as a nanny, mother's helper and nursery teacher's assistant before she married Prince Charles in July 1981 and became a full-time working member of the royal family.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Author Wendy Holden, who did in-depth research into the late Princess Diana for a novelization of her extraordinary life, previously told PEOPLE that Diana was the "particular kind of girl" they wanted the then-heir to the throne to marry.

Terry Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Princess Diana and Prince Charles after their wedding on July 29, 1981

It was a collision between different aspirations and ideas. The royal family wanted Charles to get married because he was 30, and they wanted a particular kind of girl, Holden told PEOPLE last year. She needed to be young, she needed to be aristocratic and she needed to be without a past. It was a very pragmatic decision. She was practically the only person who was left. He had had so many girlfriends by then."



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Read the original article on People.
A desperately needed shipment of food aid destined for Gaza departed from Cyprus on Saturday, weeks after humanitarian efforts in the besieged enclave were severely disrupted following a deadly Israeli airstrike which killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers.

The deaths of the aid workers, six of them foreign, caused an international uproar against Israel, which took responsibility for the deaths. The incident also caused at least three aid providers to pause operations in Gaza, among them WCK, which had been central to the new, heavily touted sea corridor from Cyprus.

The United Arab Emirates has now partnered with an aid agency to send crucial assistance to Gaza via the Israeli port of Ashdod. A UAE official told CNN Saturday that the vessel laden with critical food aid left on Saturday through a relationship with American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA).

The ship, called Jennifer, departed Larnaca Port in Cyprus at 9 a.m. local (2 a.m. ET) and will take around 25 to 30 hours to arrive at Israels Ashdod port, according to ANERAs emergency response team lead in the West Bank, Mohenad Itayim.

Itayim told CNN the 400 tons of aid would undergo Israeli security clearance upon arrival. From there, it will be loaded onto trucks that will then go south to the Kerem Shalom border crossing before entering Gaza.

The UAE official said that in partnership with ANERA, the nation aims to provide life-saving aid to the people of Gaza and that the first window of opportunity for the trucks to depart from Kerem Shalom would likely be Wednesday morning.

ANERA prefers to use the Erez crossing into Gaza, but it is not ready to receive trucks for aid, Itayim told CNN, adding that the aid agency is hopeful it will open in a week to 10 days.

Once the aid enters Gaza, Itayim said its teams on the ground, who are supported by members of the community and vetted by ANERA, will physically distribute the aid, adding that the organization is coordinating with the Israeli Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).

The plan is for most of the food aid to be delivered to northern Gaza, but Itayim said that depending on the security situation, ANERA might consider sending a shipment to the south as well.

At present, the UAE has delivered more than 31,000 tons of urgent supplies, including food, relief and medical items, dispatched through 249 flights, 38 airdrops, 1,160 trucks, and three ships, the UAE official told CNN, adding that it continues to explore all avenues to maximize the delivery of aid to the strip.

News of the ships departure came hours after Britains Royal Navy announced that its support ship RFA Cardigan Bay had set sail from Cyprus to support international efforts to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza.

The United States has already begun construction of the pier, intended to help deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The UK ship will provide accommodation for hundreds of US sailors and soldiers working to establish the pier, according to a statement from the Royal Navy.

It is critical we establish more routes for vital humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said, adding that the British ships crew are central to the UKs contribution to the multinational plan to greatly expand the flow of aid into Gaza.

The statement went on to say that British forces have been working with American teams in the US, as well as Cyprus to jointly develop the safest and most effective maritime route.

A senior US military official confirmed Thursday that we are on track to begin delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza from the sea in early May.

In Gaza, aid has slowly trickled in, but aid agencies say its nowhere near enough to provide adequate relief for destitute Palestinians.

People need food assistance every day and were able to take in trucks every day but not enough, Matthew Hollingworth from the World Food Programme previously said.

All 2.2 million people in Gaza do not have enough food to eat, with half of the population on the brink of starvation and famine projected to arrive in the north anytime between mid-March and May, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

CNNs Nadeen Ebrahim, Jeremy Diamond, Eugenia Yosef, Alex Marquardt and Mostafa Salem contributed reporting.

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The top diplomats of Korea and Australia agreed Wednesday to seek tangible ways that can further advance the common agendas related to their Indo-Pacific strategies, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul reached the agreement in the bilateral talks with his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, in Melbourne, where Cho has been this week to attend the "two plus two" meeting of foreign and defense ministers.

"The two ministers shared the understanding that their countries are pivotal partners in the drive for the Indo-Pacific strategies and agreed to explore ways for substantive cooperation at the multidimensional levels, bilaterally and minilaterally," Cho's office said in a release.

Korea and Australia have announced their own policy initiatives on the Indo-Pacific, considered a key strategic region by both countries.

In the talks, Cho called Australia a country that "shares a strategic perspective" with Korea at regional and international stages and took note of the relations as a "comprehensive strategic partner" that his country has closely worked with in many areas.

Wong stressed the importance of the two countries coordinating on regional, as well as global challenges, as like-minded countries.

The two sides agreed to continue close communications, including high-level talks. (Yonhap)
A corruption scandal centered on allegations against Russias deputy defense minister has drawn surprise and speculation from close observers of the countrys elite.

But its not the allegations against Timur Ivanov  a close ally of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, well known for his lavish lifestyle  that are causing a stir. Instead, many are trying to figure out what his sudden arrest means in the power games at the heart of the Kremlin.

The arrest was announced last week by Russias Investigative Committee, which said Ivanov had been detained on suspicion of taking a bribe. He will remain in custody until at least June.

During court proceedings held Wednesday, the once powerful figure appeared in a glass cage, still wearing his army uniform.

Ivanov, a top Russian military official, was arrested on suspicion of accepting a bribe, The Investigative Committee, Russia's top law enforcement agency, reported Ivanov's detention on Tuesday without offering any details of the accusations against him, saying only that he is suspected of taking an especially large bribe. (Basmanny District Court press service via AP)

The official Telegram channel of Moscow City Courts said in a release after the hearing that Ivanov had been accused of receiving a bribe on an especially large scale, which could see him face up to 15 years in jail. The court release also said Ivanov had entered a criminal conspiracy with third parties to commit a crime and accused him of receiving a bribe in the form of services rendered to him as the result of contracting and subcontracting work for the needs of the Ministry of Defense.

Several other people were arrested in connection with the probe, including construction boss Alexander Fomin, who is being accused of giving a bribe in connection with Ivanovs case, according to a separate release on the Moscow City Courts Telegram channel.

Ivanov has denied the bribery charges against him, his lawyer told state media. The Moscow City Court will hear his appeal May 8.

The case follows years of work from the Anti-Corruption Foundation of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other Russian journalists investigating the sources of Ivanovs wealth.

Asked about a report from a prominent Russian journalist that Ivanov might be facing graver charges of state treason, the Kremlin asked reporters not to speculate about the case and to rely on official information from investigators.

Vladimir Putin in Moscow (Alexander Kazakov / AFP - Getty Images)

With the case short on public details, the spiraling probe has Russian media and analysts abuzz with theories: Were the charges brought on the orders of the boss, President Vladimir Putin? Or could it be the result of jockeying for influence over his war in Ukraine?

Many observers agree that Ivanovs legal troubles may hint at an uncertain future for his former boss Shoigu, the defense minister in charge of Putins war.

This move against one of his closest allies could point to divisions between rival clans in the Russian elite as they compete for influence and riches amid the new realities of a country at war.

Influential groups vying for power are now attacking each other even more aggressively than before the war, and its no longer just lone players or minor representatives of the various clans who are at risk, but central figures too, Russian journalist Andrey Pertsev wrote in an analysis for Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Pertsev argues that Ivanovs arrest appeared to have blindsided Shoigu, who was seen at a meeting with him just hours earlier.

Shoigus position as defense minister appeared to be in jeopardy in late 2022, after several successful Ukrainian counteroffensives and embarrassing Russian retreats. The failures sparked bitter criticism from Russias influential military bloggers, but especially late Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, and the spat culminated in Wagners armed march on Moscow last June.

But the revolt was short-lived and Prigozhin is now dead. Shoigu emerged, eventually, and has thrived since, with the Russian army making advances in the last few months amid delays in Western military aid.

I note that Shoigu has regained his position in Putins eyes in the last six months to a year and has become noticeably closer to him, quite successfully managing the flow of information that comes to the president about military affairs, political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya wrote on her Telegram channel the night of Ivanovs arrest.

So far, Shoigu has remained silent on the scandal, but he officially dismissed Ivanov from his position the day after his arrest, according to state news agency Tass. As of Monday, Ivanovs profile was missing from the Defense Ministrys website.

But little happens in Russia, especially to such high-ranking officials, without at least tacit approval from Putin.

And the timing of the scandals sudden eruption in public seemed notable to many analysts.

Putin will be inaugurated for his fifth presidential term on May 7. A government reshuffle would be expected to come in the days after that, which could be Putins chance to bring in new faces or show the door to old ones  like Shoigu.

Moscow's court service says a third man has been detained in a major bribery case involving a Russian deputy defense minister. (AP)

Ivanov is one of the closest people to Shoigu, Abbas Gallyamov, a Russian political analyst and former Putin speechwriter, wrote on Telegram. His arrest on the eve of the appointment of a new government suggests that the chances of the current minister to remain in his chair are sharply declining.

But others pointed to the fact that Putin  if he really wanted to  could just fire Shoigu at any moment, without the need for a public spectacle of Ivanovs detention.

Even if this is a message for Shoigu, its unlikely Putin is ready to dismiss him, Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, told NBC News.

This would mean that the war in Ukraine is not going according to plan, Kolesnikov said, and that Putin was wrong about Shoigu.

Rather, this is a message to the elites  no one is irreplaceable, one has to behave more modestly during our holy war with the West  and to the general public  the regime is fighting corruption not in words, but in deeds, he added.
Johannesburg  Tourists were evacuated by helicopter on Wednesday from Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve as devastating flooding in the east African nation hit the renowned wildlife sanctuary. More than 14 tourist camps were flooded, with tents being swept away as the Talek river burst its banks Tuesday afternoon.

The Kenyan Red Cross said in a message posted on social media that it had rescued 36 people by air and 25 others by ground.

Tour operators said the Talek gate, one of the park's entrances, was left impassable by the floodwaters and tourists were still waiting to be evacuated by helicopter.

Kenyan leader vows to help "victims of climate change" amid deadly floods

Tour driver Felix Migoya told Kenya's The Standard newspaper that both tourists and local staff were forced to climb trees Tuesday night to flee the surging waters as their camps were submerged.

A lodge is seen submerged in this aerial view of the flooded Maasai Mara National Reserve, which left dozens of tourists stranded in Narok County, Kenya, May 1, 2024. / Credit: Bobby Neptune/AP

Meteorologists have warned that heavy rains will continue to batter the region in the coming days. Scenes of utter devastation continue to unfold as houses, schools and entire villages are swept away.

In Kenya, the death toll from weeks of flooding had reached 181 by Wednesday, according to government officials and the Red Cross, and many more people were still missing. Conservationists fear many animals have been swept away in the flooding, too.

The floods, triggered by unusually heavy seasonal rains and compounded by the El Nino weather phenomenon, have affected a vast swath of East Africa, killing dozens more people in neighboring Tanzania and at least a handful in Ethiopia.

Search and rescue and evacuation efforts continue at Mai Mahiu and Naivasha districts after a dam burst left at least 47 people dead in Nakuru County, Kenya, April 29, 2024. / Credit: Gerald Anderson/Anadolu/Getty

Roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure have been swept away and the government has been criticized over slow rescue efforts.

As the water continues to rise, rescue workers with the Red Cross and the National Youth Service continued to fan out searching for bodies Wednesday as bulldozers scooped away mud and debris.

At shelters for those displaced by the floods, many people worried about loved ones still missing, last seen being washed away by the torrents.

Kenyan President William Ruto gestures while visiting an area where floodwater washed away houses and people in Kamuchiri Village, Nakuru County, Kenya, April 30, 2024. / Credit: Brian Inganga/AP

President William Ruto, who's called those affected by the floods "victims of climate change," has ordered the military to join in the search and rescue efforts. He visited flooded areas Wednesday and promised the government would rebuild homes, but he warned residents, "rain is going to continue, and the likelihood of flooding and people losing lives is real, so we must take preventive action."

He urged anyone still in "fragile areas that are prone to landslides and flooding" to evacuate to higher ground.

Stormy Daniels' lawyer testifies in Trump trial

Inside America's child care crisis as parents, providers sound alarm

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In the first two weeks of his hush money criminal trial, Trump largely sat alone, without allies, in a drab Manhattan courtroom. He listened to strangers deliver stinging criticism and former friends reveal unflattering details. And he grew frustrated, convinced his supporters could be doing more to help him.

He complained that no one is defending me, according to a source who is familiar with some of the former president's private conversations. He grumbled outside the courtroom that there were no protesters supporting him outside.

On Tuesday, there were signs that his allies are listening to his concerns.

Trumps son Eric Trump joined him in court  the first time a family member had appeared with him for the trial at 100 Centre St.

Also with him for the first time Tuesday were his strategist and de facto campaign chief Susie Wiles and longtime adviser Dan Scavino. Trumps legal strategist Boris Epshteyn was by his side two days last week. And Natalie Harp, a communications aide, has been present.

Two of Trump's higher profile surrogates also attended court  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Club for Growth Chairman David McIntosh. After the trial, Paxton spoke to the press in Trump's defense.

Campaign staff will be mobilizing to Trumps side, the source said, traveling more frequently to New York as he ramps up his campaigning while out of court.

politics political politician (Eduardo Munoz / Pool/AFP - Getty Images)

Trump has complained for days that there were no protesters assembled outside the courthouse, blaming the lack of support on New York police  falsely asserting that protesters were being prohibited from gathering outside the building. (Police have set aside a designated zone across the street in a park for protesters.) On Tuesday, the largest crowd of Trump supporters yet assembled in the morning.

Trump's lawyers have appeared to adjust his courtroom optics, too. Trump now has a stack of papers before him, which he marks up during testimony and brings out to cite during remarks to the press. When lawyers huddle with the judge at the bench, one attorney often remains at the defense table so Trump isn't seen sitting alone  which some have said makes him look small.

Trumps allies in Washington have stepped up their efforts by going after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the case against Trump and who has been spotted a few feet away from the former president in the courtroom.

Bill White, a Trump fundraiser, said he had reached out to the chairs of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees urging them to do more to show support for Trump and defend him. He said he received a polite message from Judiciary Chair Jim Jordans office thanking him. Soon after, Jordan, R-Ohio, in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, attacked the prosecution as politicized and questioned the hiring of a former Justice Department prosecutor who now works for Bragg.

The people who arent defending him, were all watching that and remembering, White said. Anybody that endorsed President Trump should be out there every day defending him. And hes right to question why theyre not.

The source said Trump had praised Jordans efforts in recent days.

Some of his allies also say they're paying close attention.

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung, calling the case against the former president "partisan," said the show of support was because of the case.

"President Trump and his allies know the truth is on their side and they will fight these hoaxes at every turn," he said in a statement. "President Trumps supporters and allies are out in full force, including House leadership on Tuesday, battling against partisan, illegal warfare.

Robert Hirschhorn, a lawyer and trial consultant, said addressing the optics is important for Trump.

Here are the choices: One is he continues to be a grumpy old man, or he can do things to diffuse the jurys attention, said Hirschhorn, who helped select the jury in the Robert Durst case (of HBO's "The Jinx" fame) that ended in an acquittal. And somebody has got the message to him.

Hirschhorn pointed to the effect of having Eric there, and of Trump sitting up straight in court as ways to reframe the jurys perception. But theres more he could be doing, he said.

If this guy was smart, he would have this beautiful, smart, wife in court every day, Hirschhorn added. The fact that shes not there, that sends a message. You can do all that righteous indignation all day long, but youve got to walk the walk and talk the talk.

Hirschhorn said the recent flurry of family and aides and allies alongside Trump could be setting up a dynamic to help bolster his defense in the face of allegations of extramarital affairs.

Lets see if on Thursday theres another family member that shows up, he said. Because if Im his jury consultant, Im saying how do we convey to the jury that these people are not telling the truth: have your wife in the courtroom.

Trump has also appeared, at times, to be sleeping in the courtroom, an optic that could work against him with the jury if some begin to believe he isn't taking the case seriously or is wasting their time.

Giving Trump papers to read and notes to take may help offset that.

When you have a client on trial, its an extraordinarily stressful experience, said Tim Parlatore, an attorney who previously worked on Trumps defense team in the federal election interference case. And so you want to make sure that they are as comfortable as you can, within reason, because ultimately, the way that theyre sitting and what their demeanor is something that the jury sees.

Everything youre doing, the jury is watching, he added. Its smart tactics.

Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to payments that were made to adult film star Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. He has pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
WASHINGTON  Joe Bidens advisers believe that tensions over U.S. support for Israel in the war in Gaza spreading through college campuses will soon flame out and that there is neither a need nor an upside for him to weigh in more directly.

For now, Biden is taking a hands-off posture toward the unrest and has no plans to step up his involvement in escalating clashes between police and protesters, White House and campaign advisers said, even as Donald Trump looks to capitalize on the issue.

Biden's view is that its up to university leaders to decide how to cope with campus demonstrations that are emerging as the latest flashpoint in the presidential race, advisers said. In keeping with that approach, he didnt intervene or publicly object as police swept onto the Columbia University campus Tuesday night and arrested about 230 protesters, including about 40 whod seized a building and erected an encampment calling attention to their demand for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Inside the Biden re-election effort, advisers seem hopeful that the protests wont distract from their message that the economy is improving and that Biden is providing more competent and stable leadership than Trump did as president.

The academic calendar may play a role as classes come to an end for the summer. Whats more, a White House official said that the overall number of protesters is relatively small and that the war between Israel and Hamas is far from a top-of-mind concern of young voters, who were a key part of Bidens 2020 electoral coalition.

A survey last month of voters ages 18-29 found that the Gaza conflict ranked 15th on their list of important issues, the official noted.

Trumps political operation sees an opening, however. Corey Lewandowski, a consultant to the Republican National Committee who previously worked for Trump, said in an interview: This is not good for the young vote for Biden. Historically, the Democrats have outperformed Republicans among younger voters. If it is perceived that Joe Biden is soft, meaning not standing up to the people who are protesting, its going to hurt him.

Speaking Wednesday at a campaign event in Wisconsin, Trump derided the protesters as raging lunatics and Hamas sympathizers" and called on Biden to speak out  accusing him of being definitely against Israel.

Trump also took aim at Columbias president, Minouche Shafik, one of the university leaders whom Biden is deferring to as the campus protests unfold.

In a reference to the school, Trump said: The person that heads it up  a woman  she waited so long. She was so weak. She was so afraid. She was so bad.

A Biden adviser said, "Donald Trump has repeatedly fanned the flames and encouraged civil unrest as a political strategy, and it has repeatedly failed to be effective."

The campus protests pose a dilemma for Biden as the pace of the general election campaign quickens. Trumps stance is simple enough for a bumper sticker: People have to respect law and order in this country, he wrote Tuesday on social media.

Bidens stance is more nuanced and more difficult to explain to a mass audience. He says he supports peaceful protests consistent with the First Amendment but not demonstrations that result in vandalism, trespassing and other crimes.

Like the protesters, Biden says he believes Israel has inflicted too much carnage in Gaza. Unlike some of them, he defends Israels sovereignty and recoils at the notion of Jews losing a homeland.

Alan Kessler, a Democratic fundraiser who is Jewish, said Biden spoke up for Israel in a speech he attended in recent months. As they chatted afterward and Kessler praised the address, Biden told him: That wasnt a speech; that came from the heart. Thats what I truly believe, he recalled, adding: He didnt smile at that. He looked at me intensely.

Biden seems most at ease when he is decrying antisemitic harassment on campus. He is set to give a speech Tuesday at a ceremony commemorating the Holocaust.

Senior White House officials have been amplifying his message. Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, said Wednesday at an event in New York: "Were in favor of the right to protest. But when that crosses into violence  when that crosses into calls for genocide, calls for Jews to be murdered  thats completely unacceptable and must be stopped.

Critics in both parties, though, insist that the Biden administration hasnt been proactive enough in creating a safe atmosphere for students on campus. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., sent a letter last week calling on Bidens education secretary, Miguel Cardona, to be more aggressive in investigating complaints of campus antisemitism.

After a meeting with Jewish students at Columbia last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told NBC News that Biden has not taken decisive action.

He is the president of the United States," Johnson said. "He has the biggest megaphone in our country, and he needs to use it. He needs to call out what is wrong and what is dangerous. I think hes derelict in his duty if he doesnt.

The campus protests of 2024 bookend another set of protests that bedeviled Trump in the final year of his term. In 2020, Trump fumed over demonstrations that broke out nationwide over a white police officers killing of a Black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis.

Trump believed the protests made the U.S. look weak, and he wanted to call in the military to rout the demonstrators, former appointees said.

Biden, a candidate at the time, seized the moment both to rally Black voters and to showcase his temperamental and managerial differences with Trump.

Four days after Floyds murder, Biden delivered a live address from his home and then did a series of television interviews to condemn his death and discuss systemic discrimination against African Americans.

This is no time for incendiary tweets. Its no time to encourage violence. Its a national crisis. We need real leadership right now, leadership that will bring everyone to the table so we can take measures to root out systemic racism, he said in his address.

A day later, Biden left his home in Wilmington, Delaware, for just the second time after the Covid pandemic lockdowns began to visit an area of Wilmington that had seen some rioting during Floyd demonstrations.
WASHINGTON  As Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for a parade of foreign dignitaries in recent weeks, some aides to President Joe Biden took notice  and umbrage  at what they saw as the former president playing pretender-in-chief.

In less than two months, Trump has hosted Polish President Andrzej Duda, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and David Cameron, the former British prime minister who now serves as the U.K.s foreign secretary. Hes also talked with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and others by phone.

Its not unusual for a party nominee to meet with foreign officials  but thats typically done overseas and with leaders below the level of president or prime minister. Trump has made a show of bringing these dignitaries to his homes  Mar-a-Lago for some, Trump Tower for others  and treating them to some of the trappings of a state visit. That, in particular, has stuck in the craw of some Biden aides, according to three people familiar with the frustrations.

A picture of a delicate power dance emerged in interviews with more than a dozen people familiar with aspects of U.S. foreign policy and the Biden and Trump campaigns. Biden and Trump are tussling over which of them has more clout at home and overseas, while foreign leaders seek to influence American policy, bolster their own standing at home and hedge their bets by cozying up to both candidates.

While the pomp and circumstance of visits to Trumps homes arent official, the political and policy implications of the meetings are real, and that has presented a conundrum for Bidens team.

On the official side, it might be helpful, one longtime Biden ally said of Trump hearing from the likes of Duda and Cameron, who advocated for the Ukraine aid bill that Biden signed last month. On the political side, its annoying to see it happen because [Trump] tries to capitalize.

For some of the same reasons, Trumps allies love the optics of his series of sit-downs. As he defends himself against criminal charges in federal and state courts, these foreign officials  most of them far-right politicians  are providing validation for Trump. The meetings may also suggest to voters that the world sees a Trump comeback as a real possibility.

At some level, one Trump aide said, they believe [Trump] can win  will win.

Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said world leaders have the ability to contrast Biden with Trump.

Foreign leaders and others are paying attention to this election for a number of reasons, he said. One is primarily that our president on the world stage has been diminished, he said of the comparison from Trumps years in office to Bidens.

Democrats tend to roll their eyes at such talk. Bidens approval rating abroad is stronger than Trumps was during his presidency, according to Gallup. Far more countries and their leaders arent touching Trump publicly. And, at least in the cases of Poland and Britain, they were giving Trump reasons not to rally his allies in Congress against the Ukraine aid bill. In other words, they were meeting with him at least in part because of the perception that he could kill the funding deal.

Many global leaders fear another Trump administration, and European leaders in particular are steeling themselves for that possibility, a senior Biden administration official said. They certainly know he has influence over the GOP, that hes the de facto leader of the Republican Party.

That appears to be the common thread linking disparate players who seek Trump world support  or neutrality  when it comes to U.S. backing for Ukraine and NATO.

Trumps influence with the far right in Congress is perceived to be so strong that Finland and Sweden quietly lobbied him not to kneecap their accession to NATO in 2022. The Trump campaign declined to confirm or deny conversations with NATOs newest Scandinavian members.

Foreign leaders are also hedging their bets with the circle of aides and advisers around Trump, working through official and unofficial channels to arrange their meetings  when heads of state are not reaching out to the former president directly. After Trump met recently with one top U.S. ally, a diplomat for the country confessed to having at least six contacts offer themselves up as a liaison.

The dynamic reflects the challenge of dealing with a former president who has a wide universe of people working to mediate access to him, and whom he has no qualms about bypassing.

Last month, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago as the assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan began moving through Congress  and as Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., threatened to force a vote on ousting Johnson in part because of that measure. When Donald Trump Jr. tweeted criticism of the $95 billion aid bill, the speaker texted the former presidents eldest son to ask for a phone call.

Johnson laid out arguments for the appropriations bill that he had previously made to a variety of conservative skeptics, according to people familiar with the call. Without issuing a direct ask for Trump Jr. to cease and desist from publicly torching it, according to one of the people familiar with the call, he was clear about the hope for fewer tweets. Trump Jr. had already decided he was done ripping the measure publicly, according to a second person familiar with the call, but listened to Johnsons arguments.

The elder Trump, who has long questioned the wisdom of U.S. strategy in the Russia-Ukraine war, never explicitly called for the aid package to be killed. But the Republican bases discomfort with sending U.S. money overseas, bolstered by Trumps criticism of the same and a Democratic split over funding for Israel in its war against Hamas, combined to delay a deal for months.

When the aid package finally cleared Congress with decisive votes last month  enabling Biden to sign it into law  the victory had a legion of fathers, including the foreign leaders who appealed to Trump to keep his powder dry.

President Duda is happy to see that just after his meeting with Trump, the Ukrainian aid package went through Congress, and he would be happy to see that his advocating for that cause played a role in that change of views that has happened, Polish Embassy spokesman Nikodem Rachon said.

Of course, Biden and congressional leaders, who also met with Duda, were the main parents of the legislation.

The senior administration official played down any concerns from inside the White House about Trumps meetings, perhaps in part because Biden ended up winning on the policy of funding Ukraines defense.

I dont get the sense that theres a lot of pearl-clutching here about it, the official said, suggesting the presidents re-election campaign might have a different calculus.

Trumps photo ops do little to erase his alarming rhetoric now or his disastrous record as president when he consistently sided with dictators over democracy, undermined our allies, and embarrassed our nation on the international stage, Biden campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa said in a statement. A second Donald Trump term promises to be even more dangerous than the first  promising to be a dictator on day one, letting [Russian President] Vladimir Putin do whatever the hell he wants across Europe and abandoning our allies to make Americans at home less safe.

In addition to the Biden campaign team, a second and third senior administration official said that, while its standard fare for the nominee of a major party to meet with foreign officials, they have been irked by the degree to which Trump has brought them to his homes and given the sessions the trappings of state visits.

That it irritates Biden wont stop Trump from hosting foreign officials who ask for meetings, and his aides say they expect the list to grow. But it may act as a guardrail for the foreign officials.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan downgraded a planned meeting with Cameron in April after the British official met with Trump  holding a phone call instead of an in-person session  though the decision was attributed to a scheduling conflict rather than ruffled feathers.

Duda made separate trips to the U.S. in recent weeks as he sought to underscore the urgency of Washington providing another round of aid for Ukraines defense against the Russian invasion. Duda went to the White House in March and met with leaders of both parties on Capitol Hill at that time. But he waited until April to sit down with Trump.

It didnt actually happen at the same time because President Duda had his official meeting in Washington, D.C., with President Biden, Rachon said.

When he returned to the U.S., eager to tell Trump that Poland is on track to boost its defense spending and explain his view of whats at stake in Ukraine, Duda was treated to an extensive photo opportunity outside Trump Tower. They two men dined on steak inside Trumps apartment and discussed Ukraine, among other topics, according to people familiar with their meeting. Duda sought to emphasize the indispensability of U.S. support for Ukraine and to make clear that even with European countries putting more money into their own defense  as Trump has demanded  U.S. backing is critical to their security, according to one Trump campaign official.

In the end, Biden and European leaders secured a policy victory, but the political impact remains to be seen. Trump has been able to use the sessions with foreign leaders to remind voters that he has cleared the bar for the presidency once  and to suggest that, even as a criminal defendant, hes seen by some foreign leaders as a key ally.

These leaders are coming over and the various legal actions against the [former] president have not been a hindrance, the Trump campaign aide said. They are unconcerned about public opinion back home. In many cases, they see it as a big positive to be seen with him.
Vanessa Williams is stepping back into the spotlight.

During a surprise appearance on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna on April 30, Williams talked about her new song, "Legs (Keep Dancing)," which marks her big return to music. The last time she released original songs was in 2009 when she dropped her eighth studio album, "The Real Thing."

"It's a catchy tune. I wanted to do something at 61 ... It's like, I'm still here. I'm still relevant. I still got stuff to say and do and act. So, during our actors strike, I recorded an album," she said, referring to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike that impacted many professionals in the entertainment industry.

"I've been planning on doing this for years and I just said, This is the time.' So all summer, we did this album," Williams shared.

The "Save the Best for Last" singer said she's "still in the game" when it comes to music. As for why she named her new song "Legs (Keep Dancing), she said she was inspired by late singer and actor Diahann Carroll, who wrote a book called, "The Legs Are the Last to Go: Aging, Acting, Marrying, and Other Things I Learned the Hard Way."

"She was talking about beauty and sustainability," Williams said of Carroll. "She played my mom in 'The Courage to Love,' but at that age, and this was years ago, she was talking about the legs  your beauty might fade, but the legs are still kicking."

Williams noted that legs can also "equal being sturdy."

"They carry you through the ups and the downs, and that's what it's all about," she continued.

Now, at 61 years old, Williams says she's reached a new point in her life where she's no longer "waiting on people to get stuff done" for her.

Vanessa Williams (Nathan Congleton / TODAY)

Im producing. Im directing, she said.

Her new chapter involves taking care of herself, too.

"At 60, I decided to just take my health into consideration. I kickbox I do skin  did all the things for menopause and all that, I did everything, ticked off all the boxes, and I feel like this is the next chapter," she said.

Williams has another exciting project coming later this year. She's going to be starring as Miranda Priestly in the upcoming musical "The Devil Wears Prada," based on the successful 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger and 2006 movie adaptation. The musical is set to open at London's Dominion Theatre this October.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com


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Australia's defense chief said Wednesday his government does not have concerns over Korean defense giant Hanwha Group's bid to acquire Australian shipbuilder Austal.

Defense Minister Richard Marles made the remarks after Austal reportedly rejected a takeover offer by the conglomerate's shipbuilding unit Hanwha Ocean earlier this month as Australian and U.S. regulators were unlikely to approve it.

"Ultimately, this is a matter for Austal, they are a private company," he said after talks between Korean and Australian foreign and defense ministers. "From the government's perspective we don't have any concern about Hanwha moving in this direction."

Marles, who doubles as Australia's deputy prime minister, noted that Canberra views Austal as a "strategic" shipbuilder and that security arrangements will have to be put in place in respect to sensitive technologies and intellectual property no matter the future of Austal.

"Were there anything that were to transpire in relation to Hanwha that would need to be managed in that context as well," he said.

The remarks come as Hanwha has expressed hopes to acquire Austal amid recently deepening arms industry ties between Korea and Australia.

In December, the Australian subsidiary of Hanwha Aerospace secured a $2.4-billion deal to sell 129 Redback infantry fighting vehicles to Australia.

It was Hanwha's second export to Australia following a 2021 deal for K-9 self-propelled howitzers. (Yonhap)
YEREVAN, MAY 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan issued a statement on International Workers' Day, also referred to as Labor Day.

Below is the full statement as released by the Prime Ministers Office:

"Dear people, dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

Today we celebrate International Labor and Workers' Solidarity Day.

This is a significant day because everything we see in our environment, everything we interact with is necessarily the result or consequence of work done or not done by someone. The work done and not done, the success and the non-success, is what has made each of us what we are.

Work, along with the perception of it and working conditions, has shaped the modern world. Over the past century, there have been significant changes in the perception of work, and it continues to evolve rapidly.

In the past, work was often seen as a constraint on human freedom, but today, the prevailing perception is that work should lead to individual freedom, well-being, and happiness. In the contemporary world, finding fulfillment in one's work and deriving joy from it are crucial elements of happiness. Prosperity in today's society is unattainable without work, and the income earned through labor should afford individuals the freedom to live life fully, including the ability to travel extensively.

These are indeed ideals, but in many cases, they are already achievable, particularly when work is grounded in advanced qualifications, which are acquired through education. Education, as we understand, is not solely a pursuit of childhood and youth but also a lifelong task,

Nevertheless, there exists a glaring disparity between this ideal and reality, as thousands of individuals in the Republic of Armenia currently live in poverty. Among them are both employed individuals and the unemployed.

However, I remain convinced that poverty can only be alleviated through the combination of work, education, and skill enhancement. Regrettably, this formula may not be realistically applicable to individuals from the older generation, given their social circumstances.

But the government's efforts are aimed at creating opportunities for training, improving qualifications and motivation for representatives of the middle generation.

In the long term, the key to overcoming poverty lies in comprehensive educational reform across all levels, including preschool, general, vocational, higher, and postgraduate education. Such reforms aim to empower individuals by unlocking their talents, enabling them to pursue work they love, and providing opportunities for happiness, freedom, and prosperous living.

It can certainly be argued that the primary reason why individuals experience poverty today is either due to the lack of access to education, insufficient quality of education received, or the absence of ongoing education throughout their lives.

I firmly believe that every individual possesses talent, and with proper education, these talents can be nurtured, allowing individuals to pursue their well-being through meaningful work. However, for those who are unable to work or have limited capacity, the situation differs significantly, although what has been said to our fellow citizens in the latter group may have some bearing. When it comes to labor rights, the most important solution to this problem lies not only in adequate laws and regulations, but also in a caring and informed relationship between employers and employees.

Dear people, dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

I extend my congratulations to all of us on the occasion of the International Labor and Workers' Solidarity Day. Once again, I want to express my gratitude, especially to our citizens and residents who work diligently, produce results, and fulfill their tax obligations as required by law. Our state is built on your hard work, and your efforts deserve sincere appreciation and recognition.

Glory to the martyrs and long live the Republic of Armenia."
YEREVAN, MAY 1, ARMENPRESS. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is personally engaged in the efforts to resolve the crisis between Baku and Yerevan, According to State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.

"This is a region in which the Secretary of State is personally deeply involved. During his tenure, he regularly communicated with those two countries," he said during the briefing.

"We continue to believe that peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is possible, and we will continue to work towards that goal,"
Baidam Solutions has signed a partnership agreement with Google to promote cyber security careers for individuals from underrepresented communities.

The partnership will see Baidam share its business blueprint and philanthropic initiatives and impact, through a range of local and international security conferences alongside Google.

It will also promote pathways to careers in cyber security for people from all backgrounds and experiences.

Phillip Jenkinson, Baidam cofounder and CEO, said the partnership provides global recognition to the business First Nations initiatives.

Through Google and its global reach, we have a remarkable opportunity to speak about the relevance of our business, the lessons weve learned and the resilience weve developed as weve encountered and overcome objections. Were stepping up and saying this is how its done in Australia, he said.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav has mastered the art of prioritisation, or should we say, the art of neglecting what he considers irrelevant.

Take, for instance, the MP State Information Commission (SIC), which now stands as a monument to emptiness, with not a single commissioner in sight. Normally boasting 11 commissioners, this panel now resembles more of a ghost town than a hub of transparency. But, fear not, for the government has a handle on things  who needs information when you have the power of intuition, right?

And lets not forget about human rights, those pesky things that tend to get in the way of development. The state human rights commission finds itself in a similar predicament, with the chairman and one members chairs left conspicuously vacant. Who has time for human rights when there are more pressing matters at hand, like which colour pen to use for signing documents?

And theres more. The Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission, tasked with resolving consumer grievances, is also feeling the effects of Mr Yadavs minimalist approach to governance. With both the chairman and a members positions vacant, one can only imagine the backlog of complaints stacking up faster than a Jenga tower on a shaky table. We suppose that there is some satisfaction in knowing that youve saved a few bucks by cutting down on administrative costs. Some media reports suggest a staggering 19,500 appeals are languishing in limbo across these three commissions.

Mr Yadavs priorities may seem unconventional to some, but rest assured, theres a method to the madness  or at least, we hope there is.

Navigating the intersection of govt and business

Babu corridors are abuzz with reports that former lieutenant governor of Ladakh and former chief information commissioner (CIC) R.K. Mathur and former RA&W chief A.K. Dhasmana, both handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for prestigious positions, are reported to have joined the Tata Sons Board. Mr Mathur is a former 1977 batch IAS officer of the Manipur-Tripura cadre.

Retired babus joining senior positions in major corporations is not new, even though the debate still goes on as to whether it is beneficial to both the public and private sectors. Recall when the then former foreign secretary, S. Jaishankar, briefly joined the Tatas as president of Global Corporate Affairs. But that was before Mr Narendra Modi named him Indias external affairs minister.

In the case of Mr Mathur and Mr Dhasmana, their backgrounds in public service could offer the Tatas valuable insights into government relations and strategic decision-making. Their understanding of regulatory frameworks can be invaluable for corporations, especially those operating in heavily regulated industries.

Of course, it is often said that one mans experience is another mans indiscretion!

There is a risk of perceived or actual conflicts of interest when retired babus transition to corporate roles, especially if they have previously dealt with issues or regulations directly impacting their new employer. The critical ethical issue here is a reasonable cooling-off period, which in this instance, these babus are well clear of. As with any such appointment, transparency and accountability are crucial.

Debarment of IRS officer sends a strong message

The recent debarring of 2004-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Somanath Shivarudrappa Ukkali from Central deputation and foreign assignments sends a clear message about the importance of accountability and adherence to duties within the administration. Mr Ukkalis failure to assume responsibilities of his appointed role as chief vigilance officer at HMT Ltd, Bengaluru, under the ministry of heavy industries, has led to significant consequences, including a five-year debarment from Central deputation and foreign assignments. Oddly, despite his official assignment, Mr Ukkali expressed his inability to assume the responsibilities of the post.

Subsequently, the department of revenue issued an order last month to ensure that the babu was duly informed of the repercussions of failing to join his designated role. Sources have informed DKB that this pre-emptive measure aimed to prevent any future claims of ignorance regarding the adverse outcomes of non-compliance.

This incident highlights the need for utmost commitment from officials occupying key positions within the government. It also underscores the gravity of failing to fulfil designated roles and the potential repercussions for the defaulter. Hopefully, Mr Ukkalis example will serve as a stark reminder to all babus about the consequences of not playing by the book.
By Jung Min-ho

A middle school student is being investigated for allgedly stabbing an older woman.

According to police on Wednesday, the woman, who is in her 80s, was attacked by the suspect in the neck from behind with a sharp object at around 12:55 p.m. the previous day at an apartment complex in Seouls Dongdaemun District.

The suspect immediately ran away, only to be apprehended several hours later at his home in the same district.

Her injuries are known to be not life-threatening. Following the attack, the woman asked a security guard for help and was brought to an emergency room soon afterward.

It is unclear why he attacked her and whether he specifically targeted that victim. Police said he and his legal guardian have been questioned over the case.

Police, however, added that the suspect will not face criminal charges given that he is under 14 years old  a criminal minor immune from punishment for crimes under Korean law.

Amid concerns over an increasing number of felonies committed by minors in recent years, the Ministry of Justice proposed a bill to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility by one year to 13 in December 2022. But the bill has been pending since in the National Assembly, with no signs of progress.

Lowering the legal age was a campaign pledge to reform the countrys justice system made by both President Yoon Suk Yeol and Lee Jae-myung, a former presidential candidate of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
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Various culture programs offered at ArtBreeze and festivals attract tourists' attention

By Jung Da-hyun

Myeong-dong is embracing an experience-oriented approach to tourism and enhancing its environment through new cultural content facilities like ArtBreeze, a cultural complex that opened in December last year.

This initiative, which prioritizes providing experiential programs and improving the overall tourism landscape, seeks to solidify Myeong-dong's position as a core tourism hot spot amid a growing number of foreign tourists.

According to the Jung District Office, the average daily number of foreign visitors this year reached 434,881 as of the end of March, nearly triple the previous year's count of 156,198.

ArtBreeze in Myeong-dong is spread across three basement floors and six floors that are above ground. The space boasts various facilities where people can enjoy cultural experiences.

The second basement floor features a YouTube studio, the first basement floor hosts a small performance hall, and the first and second floors include lobbies and cafes. The third floor houses a gallery, the fifth floor accommodates a dance studio, and the sixth floor offers an event venue.

The complex aims to offer cultural and artistic experiences not only to foreign tourists but also to residents and office workers in the vicinity of Myeong-dong.

Leveraging these facilities, the district office is providing diverse cultural services, including year-round exhibitions, small-scale cultural performances and space rental services.

Aligned with the district office's vision of making Myeong-dong a symbol of Korean culture, the focus is on offering high-quality programs.

For instance, renowned dance teacher Ham Ji-eun, known for her work teaching Lisa from the K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, conducts classes at ArtBreeze's dance studio. Additionally, folk painting classes led by artists Jung Jae-eun, whose paintings were featured in the movie "The King's Letter," and the spouse of Sung Kim, a prominent American diplomat of Korean descent, are offered.

In addition to these two classes, ArtBreeze is also hosting meditation and yoga sessions within its complex.

Special one-day classes also draw attention among visitors. On March 27, a free lecture promoting Korean makeup styles and cosmetic products took place at the complex. The district office plans to expand this type of one-day makeup class, specifically targeting foreign tourists.

Furthermore, the district office is contemplating introducing a program that lets foreign tourists immerse themselves in Korean culture, including the opportunity to wear "hanbok" (traditional Korean clothing). It also plans to open the ArtBreeze studio, allowing tourists to take photos wearing hanbok.

Despite Myeong-dong's popularity among foreign tourists, there hasn't been a dedicated hanbok experience venue.

Considering this situation, the district office plans to utilize ArtBreeze to provide a hanbok experience for tourists visiting Myeong-dong.

In line with ArtBreeze, Myeong-dong hosts various festivals for tourists' enjoyment. The ongoing Seoul Festa 2024 Myeongdong Festival will run until Monday, transforming the entire area into a massive pop-up store with various programs.

The festival features a stamp tour, which allows tourists to collect stamps by visiting specific designated locations. Social media promotion events and free tasting events will also take place.

In addition, beer festivals in October and light festivals from November to January are also prominent annual events in Myeong-dong.

With a surge in tourist visits expected, the district office is proactively addressing issues that could cause inconvenience to tourists.

Last year, concerns were raised about overpriced street food in Myeong-dong that is targeted at tourists. In response, the district office took decisive action.

Myeong-dong has been designated as a mandatory area for price labeling to address the issue of certain stores inflating prices for tourists. This measure aims to correct the behavior of overcharging by visibly marking food prices.

Additionally, to eliminate rip-off fees, prices of popular street food items, such as fish-shaped bun and fishcakes, are monitored every month.

Furthermore, to tackle the prevalent cash-only payment practice of street vendors, which also caused inconvenience to visitors, measures were implemented earlier this year to register businesses and install card terminals.

These initiatives aim to position Myeong-dong as the lead in redefining the tourism landscape with a focus on experience-based attractions and establishing itself as a hub for tourism in Korea.
1 May 2024 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

The Conference of the Parties (COP) stands as more than just a gathering of nations; it serves as a pivotal global platform dedicated to addressing the pressing issues of climate change. As we approach COP29, there is optimism among world experts regarding the event's potential impact.

One of the key issues to be addressed at COP29 is the gradual reduction of dependency on fossil fuels. While proposals in this regard are not new, the urgency to implement stronger measures has never been greater.

Dr. Frank Musmar, Executive Advisory Board President for the University of Maryland Global Campus, an advisory member at the Abrahamic Accord Business Circle, and a Board Member at Paris Metropolitan University, answered several questions in an interview with AZERNEWS.

Q. Dr. Musmar, as we know, COP is not just an international event but a global platform dedicated to discussing climate change issues with the participation of world countries and finding solutions to similar problems. The most pressing issue is the readiness of world countries to address these issues. So, do you think the world is ready for this monumental task?

A. Countries worldwide face a critical challenge- the need to halve global emissions in the next eight years. Without this, by the 2040s, we will likely breach the 1.5C climate guardrail. This could leave a world of 10 to 12 billion people grappling with global warming of 3C or more by 2100. The vast majority of actively publishing climate scientists (97 percent) agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change. In December 2015, 195 states signed up to the Paris Agreement. This is not just a pact but a lifeline for international cooperation in tackling climate change, and countries are taking steps to deliver on it. The UK, Norway, France, and New Zealand are some of the countries that have legally committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

Steps in the right direction are being taken by countries that set targets for reaching net-zero emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Sweden and Norway were some of the first countries to legally commit to net-zero targets, and the UK was the first of the G7 major economies to do so with a commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, closely followed by France. In 2020, China committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2060, while South Korea and Japan committed to net zero emissions by 2050. Chile and Fiji are also among the countries that have proposed net-zero targets. Net zero targets have gained increased momentum, and analysts suggest that from November 2021, 90% of global GDP was covered by net zero pledges. These are not just targets, but beacons of hope in our fight against climate change.

Q. World experts are quite optimistic about the COP event. In your opinion, what exceptional significance can this international event have in reducing unemployment worldwide?

A. Reducing poverty through productive, decent employment is essential for greater environmental sustainability. Economic growth at the expense of environmental quality is unsustainable and self-defeating, even in narrow economic cost/benefit terms. Private enterprises can significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the ecological footprint in general through labor-management initiatives resulting in greener workplaces. Gains are often quickly achieved at a meager cost and without significant capital investment.

Moreover, the success of the whole range of mitigation policies and measures will depend on the capacities of those who need to respond and implement these decisions in enterprises and society. An effective response to climate change must mobilize millions of entrepreneurs and workers. Skill development among employers and workers and capacity building among government and administration services will significantly tackle climate change at all levels: national, regional, local, sectoral, and employment.

Q. Many countries currently depend on fossil fuels, and it is possible to reduce this dependency gradually. What new proposals do you think COP29 could put forward on this issue?

A. The proposals have existed since the first COP. However, the increase in green energy dependency is based only on the current policy settings of governments worldwide. If countries deliver on their national energy and climate pledges on time and as a whole, clean energy progress will move even faster. However, even stronger measures would still be needed to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 C alive. Natural gas producers will still be looking to build their green energy supplies while investing in gas production because the globe still needs more gas now and in the coming years. For example, the EU is Azerbaijan's largest Gas trading partner, accounting for 66% of Azerbaijan's exports. Especially after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Azerbaijan has become an important energy supplier for the EU. In July 2022, Brussels and Baku agreed to more than double gas supplies from Azerbaijan by 2027. However, this would require expanding the transit infrastructure and gas production itself.

Q. How is Azerbaijan's role evaluated on a global scale regarding the organization of COP29?

A. The most global impressions are that the COP will be chaired for the second year in a row by a country linked to the oil industry, which could lead to a potential conflict of interest. Some other anti-Azerbaijan countries will play the cards of freedom of speech, human rights, and Armenias relations as a critic of the country's policies to discredit Azerbaijan's legitimacy of holding the global event. However, holding the presidency of a U.N. climate summit has a massive influence on Azerbaijan's economic agenda and outcomes. The COP28 summit in the UAE has been the biggest yet, with more than 90,000 delegates registered.

Q. What support do you think Azerbaijan needs to continue its mission more successfully in the future?

A. First, to gain global support, Azerbaijan has to update and submit its national climate plan ahead of COP29. This plan is aligned with the 1.5C warming goal of the Paris Agreement. The last plan submitted to the UN pledged a 40 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from 1990 levels, conditional on international support.

Second, advertise the latest agreements with the United States (a Major Player in the Russia-Ukraine war), which support boosting Azerbaijani gas exports to Europe. Both countries agreed to cooperate in the direction of US support for the expansion" of the Southern Gas corridor - the three pipelines that carry Azerbaijani gas exports to Europe.

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1 May 2024 15:39 (UTC+04:00)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

Being the host of many important international events, Azerbaijan successfully managed to organise the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku, sticking to tradition. Today, Azerbaijan has already demonstrated that it has high experience organising such international events.

It is no coincidence that this year, Azerbaijan hosts the Conference of the Parties (COP29), an international event related to climate issues, and plays the role of a strategic venue for many countries to meet in Baku, the city of winds. President Ilham Aliyev focused on this issue while addressing the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue.

By unanimous decision, Azerbaijan was elected as a host country, and we see our role in building bridges. Our history, geography, and interaction with European institutions, while at the same time being geographically located between the West and East, enable us to do a lot. I think that for the successful development of issues related to climate change, we need not only financefinance will be, by the way, the main topic of COP 29 but also solidarity and mutual trust, the President said.

The sixth event of the Forum is also related to an important and significant event. Thus, the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, which is an integral part of the "Baku Process" on intercultural dialogue initiated by President Ilham Aliyev in 2008, was first held in Baku in 2011, and subsequently organized in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019.

The number of countries and organisations participating in the Forum has significantly increased over the past period. In total, more than 10,000 participantsgovernment officials, heads and representatives of international organisations and institutionsattended the forums. At the same time, more than 200 various events, plenary and panel discussions, and presentations were organised as part of the forums. The discussions held as part of the five previous forums, which focused on the challenges facing humanity, and the documents drawn up there, served as the main reference for international organisations, and the Baku Process has been recognised as an important platform for intercultural dialogue.

There are other valid reasons for holding the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Azerbaijan. One of them is the recognition of Azerbaijan as the centre of multiculturalism. Azerbaijan has been the homeland of peoples of various ethnic and religious affiliations for centuries. Today, in Azerbaijan, peoples of all religions are closely united under one flag as friends and brothers. One of the reasons for this is the people's strong belief in statehood.

The Patriotic War started in 2020 against the Armenian occupation, and the joint determination of the people for the sake of the homeland proved this. Speaking at the opening of the forum, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan emphasised the historicity of this solidarity.

Azerbaijan has been a crossroads of cultures for centuries. Our geographical location, positioned between East and West, has paved the way for this tendency.

In Azerbaijan, representatives from various ethnic groups and religions live together like a family. They are valued citizens of Azerbaijan and genuine patriots of our state and statehood. We must strengthen these positive tendencies, cultural dialogue, and cultural diversity. All of this is a treasure that has come down through the centuries, the president emphasised.

It should be noted that the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue is not limited only to the issue of multiculturalism and the unity of cultures. This international event, which envisages the discussion of different problems in the world, also brought to the fore the daily discussion of global warming, the policy of colonialism that is still continued in some European countries, and other important issues.

In his address, the head of state, Ilham Aliyev, emphasised that the policy of colonialism continued today by countries that consider themselves to be the most influential in the political arena, especially in Europe, is inadmissible. During the chairmanship of the Azerbaijan to Non-Aligned Movement, it repeatedly touched on this issue and called on the world community to fight together against colonialism, the most embarrassing problem of the 21st century.

We speak for international law, and today, in the 21st century, we cannot afford to allow some big European countries to continue colonising other peoples. This is absolutely unacceptable. When we raise our voice nationally, and previously as the chair of NAM, it's not because we are acting against any country. Its just because we defend justice and international law.

The world should not turn a blind eye to this disgusting practice of neo-colonialism, which is leading to forceful assimilation. Forceful assimilation of more than ten French overseas territories is absolutely unacceptable and must be stopped,  the head of state underlined.

The Forum, organised by the government of Azerbaijan, in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO), brings together 700 distinguished guests representing more than 100 countries.

High-level officials, heads of parliament, religious leaders, scholars, journalists, and participants from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds came together to advance peace and global security through meaningful dialogue.

The three-day Forum will feature 4 plenary sessions and 12 panel discussions on topics such as education, youth, climate change, artificial intelligence, protection of cultural heritage, illegal migration, and other areas.

The Forum participants will visit the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from the 30-year-long occupation. The Forum will also feature special panel sessions scheduled to be held in Shusha. This is also a good opportunity to provide a platform to appeal to the international community from the liberated territories of Azerbaijan.

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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews Deputy Editor-in-Chief; follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

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1 May 2024 14:50 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan discussed the expansion of investment cooperation, Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov wrote on X, Azernews reports.

As part of our working visit to Uzbekistan, we held a meeting with Laziz Kudratov, the Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan, where we discussed the following agenda items of our bilateral economic partnership:

- Exploring new opportunities to enhance cooperation among business-people;

- Implementing the Roadmap for expanding economic, trade, and investment cooperation;

- Prospects for joint activities in the energy sector, Jabbarov said.

Within the framework of our working visit to Uzbekistan, we participated in the meeting of the Supervisory Board of the #Azerbaijan  #Uzbekistan Investment Company. Our discussions were centered on fostering sustainable development of #business and #trade ties between our two pic.twitter.com/uCVI1chAyC  Mikayil Jabbarov (@MikayilJabbarov) May 1, 2024

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Azerbaijan Culture Minister Adil Karimli has received Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, to discuss prospects for cultural cooperation between the two countries, Azernews reports.

During the meeting, Minister Adil Karimli hailed the strong cultural relations between Azerbaijan and China.

He recalled his visit to China in September 2023 and emphasised the importance of the meetings held there, expressing admiration for China's ancient and rich culture.

Minister Karimli also underscored the valuable cooperation between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in enhancing cultural cooperation.

Yang Wanming expressed the Chinese People's Association's keen interest in further developing relations with the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Azerbaijan Culture Ministry.

It was noted that the high-level cooperation established between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries makes a great contribution to the development of cultural relations between the two countries.

At the meeting, views were exchanged on the organisation of mutual culture days, the protection and promotion of cultural heritage, as well as the prospects of relations in other fields.

A proposal was made to hold Azerbaijan Culture Days on the eve of the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) 2025.

Note that Azerbaijan was granted the status of a dialogue partner in the SCO on July 10, 2015. According to the Memorandum signed in Beijing on March 14, 2016,

The country's membership in the SCO has opened up new opportunities for cooperation in such areas as strengthening regional security and stability, cooperation in the field of trade and investment, energy, telecommunications, and agriculture, as well as the promotion of direct contacts between small and medium-sized businesses; interaction on legal and customs issues, etc.

Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Azerbaijan, Ding Tao, also participated in the meeting.

Note that Azerbaijan and China successfully cooperate in different fields.

Economic ties between Azerbaijan and China play a large role in bilateral political relationships.

In January-July 2023, the volume of exports from Azerbaijan to China increased by 120 percent compared to the same period of 2022.

Azerbaijan Trade House has been recently established under presidential instructions.

The Trade House intends to promote the Made in Azerbaijan brand in the Chinese market and expand the export of Azerbaijani products.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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Prime Minister Han Duck-soo vowed Wednesday to provide practical support to the 7 million Koreans living overseas by increasing opportunities to learn the Korean language and visit the country.

Han made the remark during a meeting with participants of the 2024 Future Leaders' Conference, which brought a group of overseas Koreans to Korea to take part in programs promoting closer ties between the diaspora community and their native land.

"We will work harder to provide practical support that can be felt by all of you," the prime minister said during the event at his official residence in Seoul. "We will work to ensure you can maintain your honor and identity as a member of the Korean people with pride in your homeland."

Han discussed the policies the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has pursued to support overseas Koreans, including the establishment of the Overseas Koreans Agency last year.

"We will expand opportunities for Korean language education and visits to the homeland and not spare any assistance to build a stronger global network of Korean people," he said.

Han also stressed that the future leaders of overseas Koreans play an important role in achieving the administration's goal of turning Korea into a "global pivotal state" that fulfills its responsibilities to the international community. (Yonhap)
1 May 2024 13:19 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

The employees of the Ombudsman's Office, together with the delegation of the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkiye (TIHEK), who are on a visit to Azerbaijan, visited the temporary detention place of the Garadagh District Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Azernews reports.

During the visit, a meeting was first held with the management of the enterprise, and information was given about the country's experience and the enterprise.

Later, they inspected the cells, medical room, picnic area, kitchen, and other places of the institution.

The persons detained in the institution were received confidentially, their appeals were heard, and the documentation was examined.

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1 May 2024 12:17 (UTC+04:00)

All the people who live in Azerbaijan, representatives of different ethnic groups and religions, live as one family, as great citizens of Azerbaijan, as patriots of our state and statehood, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the opening ceremony of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, themed Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity in Baku.

They do everything in order to strengthen our country and to strengthen the positive trends of cultural dialogue and cultural diversity. So, having this great experience, which comes from many ages before, we thought that it would be right for us to undertake this initiative and launch the Baku Process, the President added.

According to Azernews, today the opening ceremony of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, themed Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity, took place in Baku. Besides, the event is underway at the Baku Convention Centre.

The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, addressed the event.

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1 May 2024 14:32 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

Azerbaijan's border guards detained 26 trespassers in April 2024, Azernews reports.

10 of them were citizens of Azerbaijan, seven of Iran, five of Afghanistan, three of Pakistan, and one of India.

It was reported that 12 people were detained while trying to cross the state border with a fake date stamp, forged passport, and a document belonging to someone else as part of measures to combat illegal migration.

874 people were detained for violating the rules of the border regime, and appropriate measures were taken against them.

As a result of anti-crime measures, 275 wanted persons were detained by the Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies and handed over to the relevant authorities, 495 persons were prohibited from leaving the country; and 15 persons were prevented from entering the country.

As a result of measures to combat the illegal circulation of narcotic drugs, 90 kilogrammes, 951 grammes of narcotic drugs, and 1,622 pills, which are considered to be powerful drugs containing narcotics, were detected and removed from circulation.

As a result of anti-smuggling measures, contraband with a total value of 1 million 203 thousand 235 manats, including medicines, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco products, was detained.

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1 May 2024 15:17 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with permanent representatives of UNESCO member countries, as well as heads of the National Commissions for UNESCO of Turkiye, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Malta, who are visiting the country to participate in the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue held in Baku, Azernews reports.

During the meeting, issues arising from cooperation within the framework of UNESCO, preparations for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), as well as the current regional situation, were discussed.

The foreign minister talked about post-conflict normalisation, peace, and reconstruction in the region, as well as efforts to restore the cultural heritage destroyed during the occupation. Minister Bayramov informed the meeting participants about the foreign policy priorities of Azerbaijan and his views on a number of regional issues.

At the meeting, opinions were exchanged on other issues of mutual interest, and the participants questions were answered.

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The National Art Museum has organised an evening of Azerbaijani-Pakistani culture and poetry, showcasing the rich literary traditions and cultural heritage of the two countries, Azernews reports.

The event brought together poets, artists, and cultural enthusiasts from both countries to share their works and engage in an exchange of ideas and experiences.

Speaking at the event, the museum director, Shirin Malikova, highlighted the cooperation between the two countries in the field of culture. She underlined the event organised at the National Art Museum as evidence of strong cultural ties between Azerbaijan and Pakistan.

The founder of the literary project "Soz" (Word"), Nigar Hasanzade, expressed her gratitude to the chairman of Pakistan's MUSLIM Institute and Prime Minister of Junagadh State, Sahibzada Sultan Ahmad Ali, for his immense support to Azerbaijan.

"Sahibzada Sultan Ahmad Ali always supported our country during the Second Garabagh War and made every effort to convey our fair voice to the world," said Nigar Hasanzade.

In his speech, Sahibzada Sultan Ahmad Ali noted the hospitality of Azerbaijani people, and he felt at home here.

"Azerbaijani people are very hospitable. Azerbaijan is always in my heart. Getting to know the Museum of Art and its exhibits again delighted me. I also admire the fact that your people have preserved their national identity. I am convinced that the relations established between our two states should develop further. Pakistan's only friends are the Turkic peoples. During the 44-day Patriotic War, our people constantly prayed for Azerbaijan. Pakistanis also take an active part in events organised in memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide. And the news about the grandiose historical victory was joyful news for us. Pakistan and Azerbaijan are two branches of the same tree," he said.

A video about Azerbaijan and Pakistan was shown to the guests. The event continued with an artistic part.

Note that Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognise the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan on December 12, 1991. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on June 9, 1992.

Pakistan has always supported Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and adopted resolutions recognising the Khojaly genocide and condemning the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.

Over more than 30-year-long diplomatic relations, the two countries have been able to build strong ties based on partnership in the political, cultural and economic spheres.

The two countries also agreed to enhance mutual cooperation in the fields of trade, business, defence, security, energy, connectivity, tourism, education, culture, science, sports, etc.

Moreover, direct flights Baku-Lahore-Baku (since September 22 2023), Baku-Islamabad-Baku (since November 1, 2023) and Baku-Karachi-Baku (since April 18, 2024) twice a week in each direction also contribute to the strengthening in tourism cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan.

Speaking about Azerbaijani-Pakistani ties, it is impossible not to mention the rich cultural heritage of both countries.

Both nations have a vibrant music scene, with traditional instruments and melodies that reflect their unique cultural identities.

Through their shared traditions and values, Azerbaijan and Pakistan continue to strengthen their cultural ties and promote a greater understanding of each other's legacy.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
1 May 2024 15:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Nazrin Abdul, AZERNEWS

Attendees of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) will benefit from simplified entry procedures, with a specialised visa application process specifically tailored for the event, Azernews reports.

Further details regarding this initiative are slated for imminent release. Notably, Azerbaijan is gearing up to host COP29 in November this year, with the prestigious Baku Olympic Stadium chosen as the conference venue.

It's important to remember that Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, will be hosting the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP29) for the first time in the region, from November 11 to 22, 2024. This decision was made during the plenary session of COP28 on December 11. Azerbaijan, having successfully participated in COP28 in Abu Dhabi last year, is seizing the opportunity to convene heads of state and governments, civil society organisations, businesses, and international institutions in the South Caucasus to deliberate on climate change. The agenda will include measures to expedite the implementation of the Paris Agreement, as well as discussions on long-term climate strategies and goals.

Azerbaijan has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent by 2030, with plans to increase this target to 40 percent by 2050. The government of Azerbaijan considers fulfilling commitments under the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, and actively working towards these goals as top priorities.

The Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has been an annual event since 1995. Its primary objective is to assess global progress in combating climate change.

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1 May 2024 17:26 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

According to the approved action plan for 2024, foreign military attaches accredited to Azerbaijan, visited the Higher Military School of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Azernews reports.

During the visit, which was attended by 23 representatives of military attache apparatuses from 18 countries, the Chief of the School, Major General Elchin Mammadov, welcomed the guests and expressed his satisfaction with seeing them at school.

The guests were given a briefing on the history and main activities of the Higher Military School of MIA.

After the briefing, the military attaches watched the course of the cadets and got acquainted with the created conditions. At the end of the meeting, gifts were presented to the guests.

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1 May 2024 15:44 (UTC+04:00)

The Republic of Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, engaged in discussions regarding collaboration opportunities within the scope of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) with UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences, Gabriela Ramos, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting also emphasised matters concerning cooperation between Azerbaijan and UNESCO. Additionally, various topics of shared interest were deliberated upon during the encounter.

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1 May 2024 23:34 (UTC+04:00)

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSCMasdar, the UAEs clean energy powerhousehas signed an agreement with Bapco Energies, the integrated energy company leading the energy transition in the Kingdom of Bahrain, to jointly explore the development and investment in wind projects in the Kingdom with a capacity of up to 2 gigawatts (GW), Azernews reports, citing the information released by the company's press service.

Marking a strategic entry into the Bahrain market for the UAEs clean energy champion, the agreement for near-shore and offshore wind farms is Masdars first in the Kingdom and will be the first project of its kind in the region and the Middle East. At up to 2 GW, this clean energy collaboration will support the Kingdom of Bahrain in accelerating the decarbonisation of critical industrial sectors and opening avenues to develop new market sectors. The Kingdom of Bahrain aims to reduce emissions by 30 percent by 2035 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2060, as outlined in its National Energy Strategy.

Masdar Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, said: As a global clean energy pioneer, Masdar will utilise its well-established expertise and track record in delivering wind energy projects globally, both onshore and offshore. It is a privilege to be supporting the Kingdom of Bahrain to achieve its net zero ambitions and power a more sustainable future.

Bapco Energies Group Chief Executive Officer, Mark Thomas, said: Today marks a significant milestone in Bapco Energies pathway towards sustainable energy development. Our partnership with Masdar demonstrates our commitment to diversifying the Kingdom of Bahrains energy mix to include cleaner energy sources, underscoring our role as leaders in renewable energy development. This strategic collaboration signifies a bold step towards realising the ambitions outlined in Bahrains National Energy Strategy, propelling us closer to our net-zero goals. Together, we will pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient future for generations to come.

Masdar has developed a number of landmark wind projects across the world, including the 400 MW Dumat Al Jandal wind farm, the largest in the Middle East and the first in Saudi Arabia, the 630 MW London Array offshore wind project in the United Kingdom, which powers half a million British homes; and the 103.5 MW UAE Wind Programme, which utilises innovative technology to capture low wind speeds at utility scale.

Masdar is aiming for a renewable energy portfolio capacity of 100 GW by 2030, as well as supporting the target set out in the UAE Consensus to triple global renewables capacity by the end of this decade, and aims to be a leading producer of green hydrogen by the same year.

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1 May 2024 15:58 (UTC+04:00)

By Nazrin Abdul, AZERNEWS

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said that there is some hypocrisy in the discourse regarding the distribution of responsibilities related to climate change, Azernews reports, citing the Saudi Gazette.

The real problem lies in the interpretation of the Paris Agreement and in how to deal with climate change fairly and equitably among its member countries, he said.

The minister said this while speaking at a dialogue session titled Security and Future of Energy and Sustainable Development on the sidelines of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB).

Prince Abdulaziz considered that the discussion on climate change had become more realistic at the COP27 summit. He stressed that governments have a moral responsibility to provide the elements of growth for future generations.

The Golden Jubilee Celebration of IsDB commemorated 50 years of fostering sustainable socio-economic development in its member nations and Muslim communities in non-member nations. The celebration was held on April 28 on the sidelines of the four-day Annual Meetings of the groups Board of Governors, which will conclude on Tuesday. The annual meeting, under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, is themed Cherishing our past, charting our future: originality, solidarity, and prosperity.

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President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to protect the "value of labor" as he marked Labor Day on Wednesday.

Yoon also said in a Facebook post that Korea's remarkable growth was thanks to the "sweat and efforts" of its 28.4 million workers.

"The government and I will protect the precious value of labor without fail," he wrote. "We will make your workplaces safer and fairer, and thoroughly see to it that you can find the meaning of life through labor."

Meanwhile, the nation's two major umbrella unions held large-scale rallies nationwide to commemorate Labor Day. The rallies ended without any incidents.

An estimated total of 33,000 people joined the events in Seoul alone, according to organizers.

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the more militant of the two major umbrella unions, called for the resignation of the Yoon Suk Yeol government and greater labor rights in a rally held in the central district of Jongno.

An estimated 25,000 members packed a six-lane motorway stretching from Gwanghwamun to near Seoul City Hall during the rally.

At the same time, about 8,000 members of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, the other major umbrella union, gathered in front of the National Assembly in western Seoul.

The group called for improving various labor rights, including a four-day workweek, and urged the government to stop its effort to differentiate the minimum wage by business sector. (Yonhap)
1 May 2024 20:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

A meeting of transport ministers and representatives of the participating countries of the Trans-Afghan Multimodal Transport Corridor, which covers Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, was held in Uzbekistan, Azernews reports.

Representatives of railway administrations and international road carriers were also present at the event.

A protocol on the establishment of a joint working group was signed and a Roadmap for the development of the transport corridor was adopted.

It is reported that the prospects for the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway and the possible creation of a Consortium for this project, which may include interested countries to develop a feasibility study and co-finance the work, were also discussed.

In addition, bilateral meetings and business dialogues were held between freight forwarders and transport enterprises of the participating countries.

It is noted that the next meeting is scheduled for the XV International Economic Forum "Russia  the Islamic World: KazanForum 2024", which will be held in Kazan from May 14 to 19, 2024.

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1 May 2024 22:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

No country should be interested in deploying nuclear weapons in outer space, Azernews reports.

This was stated by John Plummer, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy.

"A nuclear explosion in space can have devastating consequences, especially in low-Earth orbit," he noted.

Plum stressed that the United States takes Russia's statements about the possibility of deploying such weapons in space very seriously.

It should be noted that in February of this year, the US government, including at the level of President Joseph Biden, accused Russia of considering the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in space without providing evidence.

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By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold an official press conference as early as next week to mark his second year in office, sources at the presidential office said, Wednesday.

According to sources, the office is now preparing for the press conference either shortly before or after Friday, which will be the second anniversary of Yoon's inauguration on May 10, 2022.

"The office is planning a press conference on the occasion of the second anniversary," one of the sources said. "Though the date is not fixed, chances are high for Yoon to hold it on May 8 or 9 because May 10 is Friday."

Reportedly, presidential aides are also looking for a venue bigger than the briefing room in the office to accommodate as many journalists  including foreign correspondents  as possible.

During an interview with broadcaster Channel A on Monday, Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Relations Lee Do-woon said "you can assume that there will be a press conference."

The press conference will be the first of its kind since Aug. 17, 2022, when Yoon commemorated his first 100 days in office, except for joint press conferences after summits with foreign leaders.

He replaced a New Year's press conference with an interview with the conservative newspaper, the Chosun Ilbo, in 2023 and engaged in a prerecorded interview with broadcaster KBS instead of this year's New Year press conference.

In the first six months of his presidency, Yoon was proactive in engaging with the press by answering reporters' impromptu questions on his way to the office, but halted this in November 2022 after his aides had quarrels with a reporter asking critical questions at Yoon.

Yoon resumed engaging with the press after the ruling People Power Party (PPP) suffered a crushing defeat in the April 10 general elections.

During a Cabinet meeting speech on April 16, Yoon promised to improve the way he communicates, and asked ministers and government officials to engage better with the public.

He made unscheduled appearances at a press briefing twice on April 22 to introduce his new chief of staff Chung Jin-suk and new senior secretary for political affairs Hong Chul-ho and answered a number of questions as well.
Biden slipped $3.5 Billion into the Israel / Ukraine / Taiwan military aid bill to bring Middle Eastern migrants to the US. Now his administration is admitting the quiet part out loud. He wants to bring in "refugees" from Gaza.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/foreign-policy/2985895/biden-administration-contemplating-bringing-palestinian-refugees-us/

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/04/30/report-white-house-considers-inviting-gaza-palestinians-as-refugees/

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/biden-considering-bringing-some-refugees-gaza-us

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13368999/biden-administration-gaza-refugees-citizenship-housing.html

Nearby Arab countries like Jordan and Egypt have said they do not want these Gaza residents, so why shold they come to the US? Is this just a gambit for Biden to get Muslim votes in November at the expense of the rest of our country?

A poll done by an Arab polling firm has revealed that most of the residents of Gaza hate Israel, hate Jews, and hate the United States. We have seen a lot of Muslims already in our country chanting "Death to America" and calling for the elimination of Israel and the Jews. America does NOT need to bring in any more of these hate filled troublemakers. And how are they going to weed out the Hamas operatives who can sow terror here? This is utter insanity.

Republicans need to remember that our sellout Speaker Mike Johnson should have and probably did know this dangerous spending was in that bill, yet he okayed it anyway without telling anyone it was there. He needs to be removed as Speaker. We also need to remember that our own RINO traitors Senator Thom Tillis and Congressman Greg Murphy voted for this. Both have royally stabbed us in the back and need to be replaced. On the other hand, conservative Senator Ted Budd and conservative Congressman Dan Bishop stood strong for America and voted against this bill.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/35-billion-slipped-ukraine-israel-aid-bill-supercharge-mass-migration-middle-east
A physician is facing 147 felony charges for allegedly operating a pill mill in Columbus, Ohio, NBC4 reported May 1.

From November 2019 to 2021, Mark Fettman, MD, a psychiatrist from Portland, Ore., allegedly knowingly conducted office-based opioid treatment without complying with state requirements, according to the report.

He allegedly operated his clinic two days a month and prescribed patients maximum legal dosages of buprenorphine, a Schedule III opioid. He accepted cash payments and money orders but did not accept insurance.

The charges include 137 counts of drug trafficking, nine counts of money laundering and one count of engaging in corrupt activity. Dr. Fettman's arraignment is scheduled for May 1.
The University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson appointed Hesham Sadek, MD, PhD, director of the Sarver Heart Center and chief of the division of cardiology.

Dr. Sadek previously served as associate director of the Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine and a professor of internal medicine and cardiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, according to an April 30 news release from the University of Arizona.

In addition to leading the Sarver Heart Center, Dr. Sadek will be tasked with creating a new cardiovascular research institute within the center.

Dr. Sadek's research and work have been funded by the National Institutes of Health since 2011. He has clinical expertise in echocardiography and heart muscle function.

The appointment is effective May 1, the release said.
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty expressed that he was "deeply deeply sorry" about the impact that the late February cyberattack against Change Healthcare has had on patients and providers during May 1 congressional hearings.

Mr. Witty was probed for more than two hours by a Senate committee about both his and the company's hand in what some are calling the biggest cybersecurity disruption to healthcare in American history.

"Your company is the nation's largest private health insurer and the largest physician employer in the country, earning billions in profits every quarter," New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez said. "It's unacceptable that it took so long to help providers during a crisis of your creating."

UnitedHealth acquired Change Healthcare in 2022.

Mr. Witty said that prior to the attack, UnitedHealth was in the process of upgrading Change Healthcare's older technology "to the standards of UnitedHealth Group."

UnitedHealth believes that the hacking group ALPHV, known as BlackCat, entered the Change Healthcare portal, which was not protected by multifactor authentication, around nine days before they were aware of any cyberattack activity and exfiltrated data. On February 21, the hackers deployed ransomware.

"I want to assure the American public, we will not rest, I will not rest, until we fix this," Mr. Witty said during the hearing. "To contain infection, we immediately severed connectivity and secured the perimeter of the attack to prevent malware from spreading. It worked. There is no evidence of spread beyond Change Healthcare."

While Mr. Witty confirmed that the UnitedHealth policy is to have multifactor authentication for externally facing systems and that as of May 1, all of the external facing systems have multifactor authentication enabled, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden pointed out that on Mr. Witty's watch, a cybersecurity failure still occurred.

"I don't believe there are any excuses for that," Mr. Wyden said. "It shouldn't have taken the worst cyberattack ever in the healthcare sector for an agreement to do this bare minimum."

Mr. Witty was also asked about how the company is assisting providers while reimbursements are delayed. He noted that UnitedHealth has provided more than $6 billion in financial support to providers since the attacks. The providers do not have to repay the interest free loans until 45 days after they have confirmed that their operations are back to normal.

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, also addressed the size of UnitedHealth during the hearing and suggested that the company was too big to fail, and if it did, the implications could be huge.

"Despite our size, we own no hospitals in America, we do not own any drug manufacturers," Mr. Witty said. "We employ less than 10,000 physicians. Hospitals across America employ 400,000 physicians. We contract and affiliate with a further 80,000 physicians who voluntarily choose to work alongside our Optum colleagues."

Issuing breach notifications on behalf of providers affected by the cyberattack is another top priority for UnitedHealth. Mr. Witty said the company is working with regulators to get those concrete details to providers in writing, which could still take several weeks.

Mr. Witty also declined to comment on questions from Sen. Elizabeth Warren regarding a Justice Department investigation into the company's billing practices.

Mr. Witty was further grilled for another two hours in the afternoon in a House subcommittee hearing.

At that hearing, Virginia Rep. Morgan Griffith homed in on an April 22 statement from UnitedHealth that said the data stolen by hackers likely covers a "substantial proportion of people in America."

Mr. Griffith asked Mr. Witty how many people that "substantial proportion" entailed.

Mr. Witty said because they haven't completed the investigation, "I'm hesitant to be overly precise on that and be wrong in the future. I wouldn't like to mislead anybody in that regard." Mr. Griffith further pressed, asking, "At least give me some kind of range."

"I think maybe a third or somewhere around there," Mr. Witty said.

Mr. Witty also confirmed during the hearing that the ransom paid to hackers was $22 million in Bitcoin. He said in his written testimony it was his decision to pay the ransom.
Mobile, Ala.-based USA Health's Children's & Women's Hospital appointed Manimaran Ramani, MD, its inaugural chief medical officer.

Dr. Ramani currently serves as the division chief of neonatology and medical director for the neonatal intensive care unit and will continue in these roles in addition to working as chief medical officer.

Until his appointment, the hospital did not have a physician executive serving in the CMO role exclusively for the facility, according to an April 30 system news release shared with Becker's.

Dr. Ramani joins the team of USA Health CMOs, led by system chief medical officer Michael Chang, MD.
New Orleans-based Touro hospital, part of New Orleans-based LCMC Health, has tapped Christopher Lege, MD, as its permanent CEO.

Prior to his new role, Dr. Lege, who has been part of Touro for two decades, served as interim CEO and chief medical officer for the hospital, according to an April 30 news release shared with Becker's.

Dr. Lege also served as primary care medical director and chief medical officer of Crescent City Physicians in New Orleans.
The ruling and main opposition parties agreed Wednesday to revise a special bill mandating a new investigation into the 2022 Itaewon tragedy that claimed 159 lives, both sides said.

The bill, which was initially railroaded by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in January but vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, calls for the formation of an investigation committee to look into the root cause of the tragedy, which took place amid a crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district during Halloween weekend in 2022.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the DPK agreed on the committee's makeup, period of operation and method of investigation, and will reflect the agreements in a revised bill before passing it through a plenary parliamentary session Thursday, they said.

Under the deal, the committee will not have the authority to conduct investigations ex officio or seek warrants, operate for up to a year with the possibility of extending its term by up to three months, and comprise a chair who will be chosen following consultations between the rival parties and four members recommended by each party.

"The Democratic Party of Korea made a big concession," Rep. Lee Yang-soo, senior deputy floor leader of the PPP, said during a joint briefing with his DPK counterpart Rep. Park Ju-min at the National Assembly.

"We made the pragmatic decision to pass it by agreement," Park said, citing likely delays in the committee's formation should the DPK pass the bill unilaterally again.

The presidential office welcomed the deal.

"Cooperative governance and politics between the ruling and opposition parties have begun through the meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung, and we consider this agreement the first detailed outcome," presidential spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung said during a press briefing, referring to the Yoon-Lee meeting two days ago. (Yonhap)




From the conviction of a New Jersey physician for submitting more than $5.4 million in fraudulent claims to the indictment of a Mississippi man for his role in a $70 million Medicare fraud scheme, here are 11 healthcare billing fraud cases Becker's reported since April 9:

1. A New Jersey physician was convicted for submitting more than $5.4 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare as part of a telemarketing scheme.

2. Three owners of an independent laboratory were charged for their alleged roles in a $36 million fraud scheme.

3. The owner of a Houston-based mental health practice pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud through false claims to Medicare and kickbacks.

4. The owner of a Pittsburgh-based healthcare facility was indicted on 33 charges of healthcare fraud, making false statements relating to healthcare matters and money laundering.

5. The owner of a Connecticut behavioral health practice was sentenced to 15 months in prison for billing Medicaid for thousands of services he and his staff were not licensed to provide.

6. The manager of medical clinics in New York City was resentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay $39 million in restitution for his role in a healthcare fraud scheme and tax avoidance conspiracy.

7. A Mississippi man faces up to 25 years in prison for his alleged role in a Medicare fraud scheme exceeding $70 million.

8. The owner and the medical director of a Kentucky pain clinic were sentenced for their roles in a $4 million urine drug testing fraud scheme.

9. A New Jersey cardiologist and practice owner pleaded guilty to a $1.9 million healthcare fraud scheme.

10. The owner of Holy Health Care Services, a Washington, D.C.-based mental health services provider, was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in a Medicaid fraud scheme.

11. A Peoria, Ariz., physician pleaded guilty to a healthcare fraud scheme that caused payers at least $3.7 million in losses.
A patient fired a gun at an employee at Detroit-based DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital before turning the gun on himself, Fox2 reported April 28.

The employee was able to retreat, unharmed, and wait for security. Another gunshot was fired, and when hospital security checked on the patient in his room, he was found with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Detroit police said.

The patient was in critical condition at the time of the report. A DMC spokesperson told Fox2 the incident was an attempted suicide.

"We are grateful for the bravery of our staff, security team and DMC Police Authority officers for their swift response to ensure the safety of our patients and staff," the hospital told Fox2. "The DMC Police Authority were able to immediately secure the unit, quickly containing the situation. We are actively reviewing patient and visitor screening protocols and have counseling resources available for staff members."

The incident is still under investigation.

Becker's reached out to DMC for comment and will update this story if more information becomes available.
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems was the first health system to partner with and buy medicines manufactured by Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co., and expects the partnership to result in significant advantages for its hospitals.

"As we consider our approach to innovation, we recognize there are opportunities to rethink and even disrupt the way we purchase products and services," Lynn Simon, MD, president of clinical operations and chief medical officer at CHS, said during the company's April 25 earnings call. "As an example, our relationship with Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company has the potential to generate significant advantages for our affiliated hospitals by addressing rising drug costs and drug shortages."

CHS, which operates 71 hospitals across 15 states, said it recently became the first health system to buy injectable drugs produced in the new Cost Plus Drugs manufacturing plant in Dallas. It purchased Epinephrine  also known as adrenaline and a drug that is on the FDA's current list of drug shortages  as well as Norepinephrine for its hospitals in Texas and Pennsylvania.

"Through this strategic partnership, CHS will be advising and collaborating with Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs about additional ways we can address pharmaceutical costs, avoid drug shortages, reduce waste and improve medication administration safety and patient care," Dr. Simon said. "We expect this work to benefit not only CHS, but also other forward-looking healthcare organizations."

Mark Cuban's pharmaceutical company sells thousands of drugs at a discounted rate to address drug supply issues. Brentwood, Tenn.-based ScionHealth on May 1 announced that it will begin purchasing certain bulk drugs from Cost Plus Drugs.
The Federal Trade Commission sent letters to 10 drugmakers April 30 warning them that hundreds of patent listings for 20 drugs are invalid. The agency said "junk" listings keep drug prices high by stalling generic competition.

The agency is disputing the accuracy of more than 300 patent listings in the Orange Book, an FDA document of patents for brand name products. The FTC says drugmakers list dozens of unnecessary patents in the book, which ultimately can delay cheaper alternatives from entering the market.

The letters targeted 20 brand name products, including Novo Nordisk's Ozempic. The patents being challenged are related to the devices used to deliver drugs, including the "injection device with torsion spring and rotatable display" for Ozempic, according to The Wall Street Journal. These types of patents are invalid, per the FTC, because they relate to the devices, rather than the actual product itself.

"By filing bogus patient listings, pharma companies block competition and inflate the cost of prescription drugs, forcing Ameicans to pay sky-high prices for medicines they rely on," Lina Khan, chair of the FTC, said in a news release.

Novo Nordisk and GSK told the Journal the companies are reviewing the FTC's letters. A spokesperson for Boehringer said it has never wrongfully submitted patents to the Orange Book, and several other companies didn't respond to the publication's comment requests.

The FDA will now contact the drugmakers regarding the disputes. The companies will then have 30 days to withdraw or amend the listings, or certify that the listings comply "with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements," under the penalty of perjury.
Although the United States has 5.6 million actively licensed nurses  an all-time record number  many hospitals and health systems are still struggling to recruit and retain staff. Nationwide, the RN vacancy rate is 9.9%, while the average time to recruit an experienced RN ranges between 59 and 109 days.

During Becker's 14th Annual Meeting in April, ShiftMed hosted a panel discussion focused on how flexible staffing can reshape organizations' approach to workforce management. Panel participants were:

Jennifer Garnica, RN, BSN, vice president, patient care services, and CNO, SSM Health; St. Mary's Hospital  St. Louis

Tim Johnsen, RN, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Presbyterian Healthcare Services (Albuquerque, N.M.)

Beatrice Miller, RN, system senior director nursing operations and optimization, Luminis Health (Annapolis, Md.)

Five takeaways:

On-demand staffing taps into the community's latent workforce. Hospitals and health systems have found local nurses and medical staff appreciate on-demand staffing options. "It's a mindset of expanding your staff with people in the community," Ms. Garnica said. "They're not agency staff coming from different states and bouncing in and out of 13-week contracts. These employees have a lot of ownership  they work in the community at fellow hospitals and like the idea of coming to a different hospital to pick up a shift."



Presbyterian Healthcare Services believes its on-demand nurse pool will attract both individuals who are new to the organization and former employees. "This model is great for people who have wanted to check out Presbyterian  they can try a shift or two," Mr. Johnsen said. "Some of our workforce that left during COVID may also want to return to work and this is a great way to do that."



On-demand staffing creates flexibility for employees and healthcare organizations alike. Nurses and other healthcare talent are looking for flexible schedules. At the same time, hospitals and health systems need flexibility as patient volumes change. Luminis Health, for example, is turning to on-demand staff to deal with hospital capacity constraints.



"Recently, we've had quite a few boarders in our ER," Ms. Miller said. "On-demand staffing will allow us to care for patients in the ER that aren't able to come upstairs. Partnering with ShiftMed for external per diem nursing offers an opportunity to expand and contract as needed."



When a competitor hospital in Albuquerque was down for a full month due to a cyberattack, Presbyterian Healthcare Services was able to absorb those patients thanks to its on-demand staff. "We realized that we could open up ShiftMed for as many shifts as possible, especially in the emergency department," Mr. Johnsen said. "It was extremely beneficial to get this surge of nurses at a time when we needed them quickly. The proof of concept certainly played out."



Hospitals find that on-demand staffing is a way to attract full-time and part-time employees. SSM Health has converted almost 100 nurses that picked up shifts on demand to permanent employees. "We engage them in our practices and include them in huddles," Ms. Garnica said. "Most of the core on-demand staff that pick up four shifts a week for us work in the same areas and come back to the same hospital. We reward and recognize them like our own staff."



Quality care goes hand-in-hand with flexible staff pools. SSM Health has seen great quality outcomes after bringing on-demand staff. Onboarding is one key to success. "You need to get people onboarded correctly and make sure they understand the standards of practice," Ms. Garnica said.



On-demand staffing isn't just for nursing. Healthcare staffing shortages extend beyond nursing to other ancillary disciplines. Both SSM Health and Presbyterian Healthcare Services are looking into using on-demand staffing for positions like respiratory therapists and radiology techs.

Many healthcare leaders believe that flexible staffing options are the future. Healthcare competes for the same talent as many other industries that have already embraced flexibility. If organizations don't adapt, they will struggle to stay ahead.

"Building a workforce outside your four walls using local talent gives you access to more resources than ever before," Ms. Garnica said. "It's been wildly successful for us. Staff like the flexibility, it's easy to fill shifts and it helps us operate our hospital in a much more efficient way."
A mixed development of retail and offices at Fountain Street and Donegall Place has gone on the market through Savills NI

An exceptional retail and office property housing DV8 and Waterstones in Belfast city centre has gone on the market.

The site at 49 to 51 Donegall Place houses fashion retailer DV8 at the front.

Bookshop Waterstones, including coffee shop Ground Espresso on the first floor, is in 42-46 Fountain Street at the back.

There is also nearly 50,000 sq ft of office space from the first to the sixth floor occupied by tenants ESO Solutions and A&L Goodbody.

The businesses, a software company and law firm respectively, are described as stable occupants.

Selling agents Savills said the propertys sale price is available on application but that it has net income of just over 885,000 a year. The identity of the seller has not been revealed.

A spokesperson for Savills NI said: "This sale offers a rare opportunity to invest in a high-quality asset located in Belfasts vibrant commercial heart.

"The city's growing status as a key business and cultural hub in the UK and Ireland, combined with the property's strong tenant line-up and high rental yield, makes this an investment not to be missed."

The arrival of the property on the market follows a slow start for the commercial property sector in 2024, a report said last month.

CBRE NI said overall investment transaction volumes in commercial property Northern Ireland during the first quarter of 2024 were just over 54m. This compares to 128m sold during the same period last year, reflecting a 58% decrease in spend.

But Brian Lavery, managing director of CBRE NI, said last month that there could be an uplift ahead. The end of the Stormont hiatus has released the handbrake that has been on the commercial property market, creating a more certain and attractive environment for investors and developers to turn challenges into opportunities.

CBRE said retail had been the largest investment sector in the year so far, representing nearly 60% of the total investment.
Sport

Ulster boss Richie Murphy: We lost our way, but showed character to come back and finish it off
The terrible interview is a rite of passage which most of us will have gone through at some stage in our careers.

Whether it was a case of completely freezing and forgetting your carefully prepared answers, rambling on for too long, getting the facts wrong, or some other mishap, we probably all have a disheartening story about a job we didnt get.

If youre an employer, theres probably a very good chance youve been on the other side of that process, willing candidates who are having a shocker to do well and overcome their nerves.

But, in a market where the competition for talent is still fierce, the onus is very much on employers to make sure the interview process is a positive one, whatever the outcome for applicants.

New research from Hays has shown that many employers are falling short when it comes to providing that experience and are losing out on talent from the word go.

The research, which received almost 11,900 responses from employers and professionals across the UK, including over 360 from Northern Ireland, found that 51% (53% in NI) of employees have had a negative interview experience during an interview process.

The main reason for a negative experience cited was poor communication and a lack of clarity when it came to the steps involved (40% overall and 43% in NI). Other factors included the interview showing an organisations culture didnt align with the jobseekers values (36% in UK and NI) and the interviewers themselves being unprepared (37% and 32% in NI).

There were also plenty of people who cited a familiar refrain, that the hiring process was far too long and cumbersome (33% and 31% in NI) or that the process had a lack of structure (36% or 28% in NI).

Where it gets interesting is that our research also revealed around half of all professionals (47% and 52% in NI) were deterred from a prospective employer due to a poor experience during the interview process. Many jobseekers say they were put off by the process taking too long (38% in UK and NI), components of the job being different to what was advertised (36% across the board), underprepared interviewers and an unorganised overall structure (40% and 35% in NI), as well as the people and culture not being as expected (28% in UK and NI).

Anyone who has interviewed for a role knows most employers say they will be making a decision very soon and will be in touch.

While nearly a third (31% and 30% in NI) of employers say it takes them up to one week to notify an applicant if theyve made it to the interview stage following the submission of their application, more than a quarter (27% total) of employers confess it takes between one to four weeks to get in touch with successful applicants.

For some, the waiting game never ends, as less than half (45% overall) of organisations contact every applicant regardless of whether they were successful. More than half (54% in total and 60% in NI) of jobseekers say employers are not good at providing detailed or constructive feedback following the interview, regardless of the outcome.

If employers want to compete for talent, its clear many need to up their game and make sure their application process is a green flag for jobseekers. Its crucial to get off on the right foot with prospective staff, by clearly communicating what the interview process will entail, being considerate of their time and providing feedback where possible.

If they dont, organisations risk falling at the first hurdle and letting go of talent before they have even secured it. Ultimately, interviews are as much about a jobseeker assessing the appeal of an employer and organisation as they are about an employer contemplating the suitability of an applicant.

John Moore is managing director, Hays NI
Yoon's aide vetoed by fellow lawmakers

By Kwak Yeon-soo

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is struggling to find a new floor leader, as no one has stepped forward to run for the position.

The party extended the deadline by four days  from Wednesday to Sunday  to encourage somebody to run, with members selecting a new floor leader at the general meeting of lawmakers-elect on May 9.

Rep. Yun Jae-ok, the PPPs floor leader and acting chairman, acknowledged that they currently dont have a candidate.

We want to encourage as many members to run for the leadership position and give members more time to learn about and evaluate potential candidates, he said.

Whoever takes the position faces a myriad of challenges, including forming an emergency committee and leading negotiations with opposition parties.

Several tricky bills include launching a special counsel probe into allegations surrounding the death of Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun and stock manipulation allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee will have to be dealt with.

Moreover, the new floor leader will have to face mounting pressures from the presidential office and opposition parties.

It is rumored that Rep. Lee Chul-gyu, a close aide of President Yoon Suk Yeol, is aiming to gain control of the partys leadership, although he has not officially put forward his candidacy. Lee secured his third term by winning the Donghae-Taebaek-Samcheok constituency of Gangwon Province in the recent parliamentary elections.

However, some PPP members, including Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, South Chungcheong Gov. Kim Tae-heum and Rep. Bae Hyun-jin, said that Lee is not suited for the leadership role.

They blamed him for the partys crushing defeat in the elections, in which the party managed to win only 108 seats in the 300-member National Assembly.

Bae said Lee, who served as the PPPs secretary-general and a key member of the partys candidate nomination committee during the election campaign, is responsible for the partys defeat.

I urge Rep. Lee to announce that he will not run for the floor leader position. He should no longer expose himself to criticism from the public. Now is the time for reflection and introspection, Bae wrote on Facebook Tuesday.

Lawmakers who have been elected more than three times should not shy away from responsibilities and be proactive, she added.

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo said he hopes a multi-term lawmaker elected in the greater Seoul area can take on the leadership position.

We are in political turmoil. The 22nd National Assembly seems like it will be managed in a way that is unfavorable to our party, and thus we need someone with political influence, he said on a BBS radio show, Wednesday.

Aside from Lee, Rep Song Seog-jun, who secured his third term by winning in the Icheon constituency in Gyeonggi Province and Rep. Lee Jong-bae, who secured his fourth term by winning in the Chungju constituency in North Chungcheong Province, are mentioned as possible candidates.
Twelve Northern Irish teenagers have successfully built a life-size version of the Star Wars droid R2D2 in just five days.

Creating the fully-functioning version of the droid in time for Star Wars Day on Saturday  May the Fourth  the teenagers used more than 1,000 parts which were either created on a 3D printer, made of plywood or sourced from suppliers around the world.

Like the droid which made his debut in the 1977 blockbuster, the teenagers creation makes sounds and lights up just like the original.

The project was created through Into Films ScreenWorks supported by Northern Ireland Screen, with the new R2D2 making his debut at Belfast City Hall on Tuesday.

The droid will be visiting schools and careers fairs to promote ScreenWorks, a work experience scheme that gives young people unparalleled access to industry professionals across all five screen sectors  film, television, animation, gaming and visual effects.

Many of the young people behind the creation of the Northern Irish R2D2 plan to go on to careers in the film industry.

Beth Nihell (17) from Bangor plans to study film at Ulster University next year and said: It was a real team effort to create something like this together in just five days. Im hoping for a career in props or the art department so this was really helpful to give me real-life experience in the industry.

And 15-year-old Nathan Loughlin from Belfast, who is studying GCSE Moving Image Arts at St Marys Christian Brothers, added that he liked the hands-on approach of the workshop.

It was amazing to see everything come together in the end. All these parts that we had created, primed, painted were put together to build this amazing R2D2, he said.

ScreenWorks lead Sean Boyle added: In the words of Yoda: Do. Or do not. There is no try. We had this idea to do something amazing that would capture the imagination of the young people for this prop workshop and show them what was possible right here at home.

With the screen industries growing in NI, you dont have to go to Hollywood to create something amazing.

The prop workshop was held at Temple Props in Templepatrick under the guidance of industry experts Denis Rush and Victoria Arundell who have more than 20 years experience in the industry.

These young people were totally amazing. They had such enthusiasm, creativity and talent. It was an honour for us to work with this next generation said Victoria Arundell from Temple Props.

In addition to the support of the master prop builders, Into Film also had advice from leading Star Wars droid builder Lee Towersey from England who started his career as a hobbyist and went on to work for Lucas Films.

Into Films ScreenWorks programme, which is free to all participants, has been supported by NI Screen since the project started in 2018.

David McConnell, head of education at Northern Ireland Screen, said: The ScreenWorks programme is a real success story and has grown exponentially, offering young people varied and exciting work experiences with leading industry experts in all facets of the screen industry.

Its aim is to create a pathway where children can learn from a very young age about potential careers in this growing industry.
How the Princess Royal might look on Strictly Come Dancing with professional dancer Kai Widdrington

Picture the scene. Its late September and youre settling down to watch the latest season of Strictly Come Dancing.

Then  cue a triumphant musical flourish from Dave Archs indefatigable band  who should come down the staircase but Princess Anne!

Her hair is still in that signature austere up-do, but she seems to have undergone the contractually obligated spray tanning, and now shes making small talk with Tess Daly!

This is not just a mad Middle England fever dream. According to one of Strictlys stars, the Princess Royal is actually pretty keen to make a play for the Glitterball Trophy.

She is a Strictly fan, and she wants to go on the show  she told me, professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova revealed to The Sun, after meeting Her Royal Highness recently at a ballet event.

I think she would be good, Bychkova added. Theres a lot of personality there, isnt there?

Securing a royal contestant would certainly be one very regal way for the shows producers to stick two fingers up at the naysayers who, without fail, respond to the new Strictly line-up each year by claiming theyve never heard of any of em, as if theres a moral superiority in not being able to immediately recognise a childrens TV presenter or soap actor.

But, highly improbable as it may be, perhaps dispatching Anne to learn the Paso Doble could actually do The Firm some good .

Plus, she must already have a whole wardrobe of ceremonial cloaks that she could practise with.

After years of scandal  from Prince Andrews Newsnight debacle to the bleak rift between Princes William and Harry to the media circus around the identity of an alleged royal racist  its now hard to buy into the old thinking that the royals are somehow above certain aspects of celebrity life (like appearing on reality TV).

Their standoffish model of dealing with the press and the public no longer seems to work: it just means that they are prone to losing control of the narrative.

Anne was one of the few members of the House of Windsor to get a reputational boost courtesy of Netflixs The Crown  a show that, whether deliberately or not, has also dismantled much of the royals mystique  thanks to a sympathetic, sparky portrayal by actor Erin Doherty.

In real life, she comes across as hardworking and straightforward, which arent exactly common descriptors for the rest of her family.

Wouldnt a stint on Strictly be a cheery way to show that off to the viewing public? Surely attempting to dance the Charleston in a spangly dress on national television would be far more dignified than that Newsnight car crash.

And although weve never seen a royal on reality telly before  King Charles popping into The Repair Shop doesnt count  its not entirely without precedent.

Anne (in)famously appeared on Its a Royal Knockout in 1987, alongside her younger brothers; she dressed up in a panto-style ye olde costume and watched as Gary Lineker and Tom Jones took part in an obstacle course, dressed as vegetables.

The one-off programme was roundly panned as cringe-inducing  an entirely fair assessment.

But our attitude to fame, and deference to royalty, has changed a lot in the decades since then.

The Princesss close family have already shown theyre not totally averse to the cameras, either.

Her son-in-law Mike Tindall went into the Im a Celeb jungle in 2022, where he had to share a camp with Matt Hancock; her daughter Zara has cropped up in the star in a reasonably priced car segment on Top Gear (Zara doesnt have a royal title, as part of Annes efforts to give her children a more normal life  arguably further proof of her good sense).

So in a world where Anne manages to get clearance from the boss (ie her older brother) to spend the autumn learning about fleckerls and arabesques, who would she get paired up with?

Now that Anton du Beke has retired from squiring older contestants around the ballroom to sit on the judging panel, itd probably be a toss-up between Kai Widdrington, who did such a charming job dancing with 79-year-old Angela Rippon last year, and Johannes Radebe, whos already had a royal seal of approval from Queen Camilla.

You can just picture the episode one montage where one of them surprises her while shes down at the stables, doing something equestrian.

The Princess doesnt seem the type to set much store by the emotional journeys that Strictly sets such store by, though.

I cant see her bursting into tears if Claudia Winkleman peered kindly from underneath the fringe to ask if itd been a tough week.

Instead, shed be more likely to declare briskly that it was all jolly good fun.

A straight talking, quickstepping Anne might just be the secret weapon that the royals so desperately need: why not let her swap her sensible boots for dancing shoes for a little while?
Lupita Nyongo and cat Schnitzel during a photocall for A Quiet Place: Day One (Ian West/PA)

Actress Lupita Nyongo posed with a feline friend while promoting horror movie A Quiet Place: Day One.

The 41-year-old, known for her roles in 12 Years A Slave (2013) and Us (2019), was pictured alongside her furry co-star Schnitzel the cat, who she can be seen carrying in the films trailer.

The pair were also joined by Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn, who debuted a shaved head at the event in London.

Lupita Nyongo and cat Schnitzel during a photocall for A Quiet Place: Day One (Ian West/PA)

Oscar winner Nyongo opted to wear a baby pink suit paired with silver accessories while Schnitzel the cat donned a black bow.

Elsewhere, Quinn, 30, looked smart in a brown crepe-textured suit jacket with a brown shirt and beige trousers.

Lupita Nyongo, Joseph Quinn and Schnitzel the cat (Ian West/PA)

The suspense-filled post-apocalyptic movie serves as a prequel to the films A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II.

In the trailer for the forthcoming film, Nyongo appears after the text Day One flashes on screen and is seen carrying a cat on a busy street before beams of light flood the sky.

Joseph Quinn (Ian West/PA)

The action-filled teaser also shows Quinn, Nyongo and Schnitzel being pursued by a number of monsters.

The first two A Quiet Place films followed the Abbott family as they fought for survival in a world where most humans had been killed by blind monsters with an acute sense of hearing.

Lupita Nyongo wore a baby pink suit (Ian West/PA)

Husband and wife duo John Krasinski, known for his role in sitcom The Office, and The Devil Wears Prada actress Emily Blunt, played married couple Lee and Evelyn Abbott.

The trailer for A Quiet Place: Day One follows a new set of characters at a time when the invasion first gripped the world.
Belfast gun accused warned by UDA life is in danger the minute he steps outside prison

The Belfast man is currently on remand in Maghaberry and has been warned he is safe only as a long as he stays inside

Billy McCune

Richard Sullivan Wed 1 May 2024 at 09:10







Gun accused Billy McCune has been warned his life is in danger the minute he steps outside prison, a source has claimed.
The Halifax branch is on the corner of High Street and Woodhouse Street. Photo by Press Eye

An alleged arsonist accused of setting fire to a bank and having a sledgehammer and petrol canister to damage the building has had his case sent to the Crown court.
Some of the campaign team at St Mary's PS Fivemiletown

Mary-Kate Kelly and Myra Woods, pupils at St Mary's PS Fivemiletown, after their school was saved from closure

A successful campaign to save a Co Tyrone primary school from closure has been shortlisted for a UK-wide award.

Each year, the Sheila McKechnie Awards honour outstanding campaigns and campaigners, with the group behind the fight to keep St Marys Primary School in Fivemiletown open among the nominations.

The Save St Marys Campaign is shortlisted for Best Community Campaign. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on May 15.

Chair of the board of governors Mairaid Kelly said: To say we were blown away is an understatement.

For our small rural school campaign to be finalists in these awards is absolutely incredible, and testament to the amazing support we received to save our school from closure.

We have shown that small rural schools are the lifeblood of communities like this, and when we work together, we really are undefeatable.

Having seen some of the other finalists, were so honoured to even be named alongside these amazing campaigns, and as the only finalists from Northern Ireland, were delighted to be representing a positive example of cross-community campaigning.

The group is now focused on securing the long-term sustainability of the school.

Our work to strengthen our school continues, as we seek to extend our provision for children with special educational needs, Ms Kelly added.

But weve also been contacted by other schools who are facing challenges around their future, and were working to increase recognition of the value of strategically important small schools in communities across Northern Ireland.

It took the power of the people of Fivemiletown to save our school. We hope that others are inspired to follow in our footsteps to deliver change and sustain vital services for their communities.

Some of the campaign team at St Mary's PS Fivemiletown

Sinn Fein Fermanagh-South Tyrone MLA Colm Gildernew said: This is well-deserved recognition for all the hard work and dedication of the parents, families and friends who supported the campaign to protect their school.

I know the impact of this campaign is continuing to be felt even at Stormont. I will be continuing to work alongside the local community.

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine said: I was so pleased to hear that the Save St Marys Campaign has been shortlisted for the Best Community Campaign Award. Its a testament to the incredible effort shown by people throughout the Fivemiletown community, and beyond, to stand up for local services.

This campaign was an example of a community coming together to achieve more than they ever could have alone, and Im delighted to see it get recognition at this level.
Stormont emergency plans only kick-started when Covid arrived... too late to have any impact

Ex-Civil Service head admits to inquiry it would probably have been prudent to activate virus response at an earlier stage

Mourners at the funeral of Bobby Storey

Sam McBride Wed 1 May 2024 at 21:20







Stormont only started updating its arrangements for handling a major emergency when that emergency arrived, the former head of the Civil Service has admitted.
Police have appealed for the occupant of a van they believe witnessed a shooting by a masked man in Banbridge to make contact with the PSNI.

It follows the attempted murder of Brian McCourt (40), who was shot in his abdomen last month while sitting in a taxi. He now remains in hospital, where he is critically ill but stable. He is still being treated at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Police also said three men arrested in connection with the investigation have been released on bail, including a 34-year-old man who earlier this week, presented himself to police.

PSNI officers are very keen to speak with the occupant of a white van who was seen in a park and share car park on Rathfriland Road, where the shooting took place at 8pm on April 12 at the same time.

Detective Inspector Foley said: We believe the person inside the van could potentially assist with our ongoing enquiries. We are very keen to speak with them.

To date, three men aged 39, 46 and 34, have been arrested in connection with the investigation. They are currently on police bail as enquiries continue.

I would reiterate our appeal that we are keen to hear from anyone who witnessed what happened or noticed anything suspicious, to make contact with police on 101, quoting reference number 1683 12/04/24.

We would especially like to hear from anyone who may have any CCTV, dash-cam or mobile footage of what happened. This information could greatly help with our enquiries.

Police late last month conducted a search in the town and a number of items from a house were removed for further examination.

It is the fourth search to have taken place since the shooting  others have been conducted in the Mullaghbawn and Dromara areas, as well as Banbridge.
Queens Quay in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast has been designated as an area for street trading.

The area, which runs between Queens Bridge, Queen Elizabeth II bridge and the roundabout before SSE Arena at the east bank of the River Lagan, will have specifically appointed trading sites for the first time.

Belfast City Councils Licensing Committee agreed to approve a designating resolution for part of the street, where it may allocate street trading pitches. There will be four trading sites allocated at a space just beside the Station Street Flyover.

Maritime Belfast Trust made the application with the consent of the Stormont Department for Communities, which is the landowner.

Commodities are to be determined between Maritime Belfast and the Department for Communities at a later stage. However, it is clear there will be no late-night hot food trading at the site.

The person or body requesting a site to be designated is merely a trigger for the process and they may not be the body ultimately granted the Street Trading Licence to operate at the site.

The council Licensing Committee has considered multiple competing licence applications for a street trading site on previous occasions.

The council licensing report says: The DfC is supportive of the designation of these trading pitches on Queens Quay but highlights the need for flexibility as to their specific location, as the area remains an important access point and operational area for their River Management Team.

The council states: Under the provisions of the Street Trading Act (NI) 2001 a district council has powers to designate and rescind the designation of specific streets or parts of streets as being suitable for street trading.

The Act also allows a council to vary a previous designating resolution in relation to the commodities or services to be supplied in specific streets.

If a street or the commodity to be offered has not been designated under the Act the council cannot issue a licence for street trading from a stationary position in that street.

The process of considering and reviewing the designation of streets is therefore an essential part of the legal framework within which the council is enabled to regulate street trading in the city.

It adds: The Act requires the council to ensure that each application is fairly and objectively assessed, that all relevant factors are considered and, in doing so, the Council must consult with the: a) PSNI, and b) Department for Infrastructure  Roads.

The council may also consult other persons as it considers appropriate. Such consultees may include local residents, business and commercial premises in the vicinity of the site in respect of which the application has been received.
The Grattan is a proposed new student housing development on the site of Fanum House in Belfast

A tool that has been monitoring regeneration in Belfast City Centre over the past eight years has shown mixed progress, with high performance in office and student space but poor progress on residential living.

Belfast councillors recently received an update on the Belfast City Centre Regeneration Tracker, a survey set up to provide an overview of development in the city centre and Titanic quarter between 2015 and 2023.

The tracker was set up as an aid for the councils City Regeneration and Investment Strategy, and collects a range of statistics on new residential, office, hotel and retail buildings, city centre vacancies and much more.

The tool has shown that while Belfast has done well over the last eight years in terms of offices, hotels and student blocks, for vacancy levels it has barely improved, and for residential city centre living it has shown lamentable levels of investment.

Figures show that over the eight years, 5,223 beds were created for student accommodation, as well as 1,928 hotel rooms, compared to just 441 new homes in the city centre.

On top of this, Belfast suffers underinvestment and benefits less from state level funding compared to other cities in the UK and the Republic.

A council officer told the chamber at the recent Strategic Policy and Resources Committee: Things like the new university, Weavers Cross, the Transport Hub, offices etcetera have all been really significant.

Across the board (regeneration) has been quite strong in terms of offices, hotels, and purpose built student accommodation.

(For) retail, while it remains challenging, there have been a number of first-to-market brands that have come to the city centre. The vacancy rate has reduced from 23 to 21%. There is a trajectory that there is still quite a lot of demand for the core retail based in the city centre.

She added: As we know the city centre residential numbers still remain low, but there has been significant progress, and there are currently over 1,000 new homes under construction in the city centre. In this calendar year alone, for the last three months just under 1,000 units have been approved across the city, and a number of those are social housing. There has been a step forward in the numbers of build-to-rent.

She said: The council has a housing-led regeneration programme, and we are well through the process to select a private sector partner as a master developer to develop and deliver residential-led mixed use developments. We are down to three bidders, that competitive dialogue process is continuing, and we hope to be on the other side of that in September.

She said: Across the board, the purpose built student accommodation remains really strong, there is still massive demand for that, with an estimated 8,000 beds required, with 5,000 gone through planning.

In terms of offices, there is a healthy split between heritage conversion and repurposing of old offices, as well as new ones. But quite critically, given the change to energy performance certificates, it would mean grade B offices are the minimum acceptable (standard) for commercial buildings.

Research shows that only 25% of our existing large office buildings will meet that within the city.

She said that even though Royal Avenue showed a 39% increase in weekly footfall, and had some new and significant investment, there were significant challenges remaining to regeneration in the city centre.

She said: One of the challenges is around regeneration investment  it is much lower in Belfast than elsewhere, re the Future High Streets fund, the Barclay Infrastructure Fund etcetera.

That is particularly so with city centre living. Elected members will have site visits to Manchester and Leeds and we will hear the numbers of funds (those cities) have been able to deploy in order to bring development.

She said there was underinvestment in infrastructure in Belfast.

Chief Executive John Walsh told the committee that he had been talking to Hilary Benn, the shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, in City Hall this month about the deficiency in UK funding to Belfast Council, and said the local authority would be corporately lobbying at Whitehall on this matter.

Between 2015 and 2023, the regeneration tracker shows 2.7m square feet of office space was completed across 43 sites. This includes 2m square feet of new buildings across 17 sites.

Some 120,500 square feet is currently under construction, 4m square feet approved but not started, and 265,000 square feet pending decisions.

Regarding hotels in this period, 1,928 rooms have been completed across 16 sites, while 311 rooms are under construction.

Some 1,249 rooms have been approved but not started, with 278 pending decisions and 550 at pre-planning.

In terms of retail over the period, 150,000 square feet of retail floor space has been completed, with 441,000 square feet of leisure floor space completed.

Meanwhile, 150,000 square feet of retail and leisure floorspace are currently under construction.

Regarding student accommodation over the period, 5,223 beds have been completed across 13 sites, while 1,081 beds are currently under construction across two sites.

There are 1,058 beds which have been approved but not started, with 817 pending decisions and 5,000-plus beds at pre-planning.

Over this same period of eight years, 441 residential homes were completed across 18 sites.

One thousand-plus homes are now under construction across six sites.

Some 3,400 homes have been approved but not started, 1,233 are pending decisions and 2,500 plus are at pre-planning.

The city centre makes up 2.6% of Belfasts spatial area but represents the largest employment base  more than 86,000 workers across the various sectors, representing 37% of Belfasts workforce.

Approximately 80% of the councils income comes from the district rate, with the city centre accounting for 42% of Belfasts non-domestic rates income  or 27% of the councils total rates income.

The sector contributing most to city centre rates is the office sector  60% of city centre non-domestic rate, or 16% of the councils total rate income.

Second is retail  22.5% of city centre non-domestic rate or 6% of councils total rate income.

From 2020/21 to 2022/23 the city centre non-domestic rate has increased every year going from 42.19m to 46.52m over this three-year period.
By Shim Jae-yun

The 2024 Korean occult-themed film "Exhuma" has become the first movie to hit the 10 million viewership in Korea this year. Besides Korea, the film has also been captivating global audiences transcending cultural borders. It is resonating deeply, especially in South East Asia as well as in North America, and is poised to open in India, Turkey and Russia. In Laos and Cambodia, it has become the No. 1 Korean film in history.

Key to the film's resonance is the exploration of Feng Shui principles, underlining the Korean belief in the interconnectedness of the living and the deceased with a focus on the intricate dynamics of ancestral reverence and familial neglect.

Behind the global boom also are the universal concept of post-death narratives coupled with the unique Korean way of exhuming the graves of their ancestors to be moved to a better place.

Exhumation is closely related to the theory of Feng Shui (or geomancy.) In Feng Shui, Yang houses ("yangtaek") are places where the living reside, while Yin houses ("eumtaek") refer to final resting places for the dead.

"Exhuma" is a narrative about a pro-Japanese figure who left his children a huge amount of wealth. Ashamed of their ancestor, his descendants never pay their respects at his tomb, located in a difficult-to-reach mountainous area. Feeling neglected by his offspring, the ghost of this narrow-minded betrayer of the fatherland hunts them down and attempts to kill them.

Feng Shui is now gaining more global recognition in fields like architecture, interior design and environmental psychology. In Feng Shui, "myeongdang" refers to the concept of an auspicious or favorable spot replete with good energy flow and a harmonious environment. As noted in the film, most of these places across the country seem to have already been saturated over the peninsula's thousands of years of history.

The contemporary concept of myeongdang needs to be modified to reflect the rapidly shifting living environment. It should refer to the places where people are happy to live. For the sick, for instance, there should be hospitals nearby. The location should be able to satisfy the needs of the residents in terms of schools and convenience facilities and traffic, crucial to determining the prices of modern houses and apartments.

According to Feng Shui, one's late ancestors may affect familial destiny while their remains are still in the grave, regardless of good or bad influence. In the film, the pro-Japanese ghost's remorse ends with his remains being burned. In this vein, they say cremation has neither a good nor bad impact on offspring.

Coincidentally enough, I took part in our families' ceremony for exhumation two weeks after I saw this film. It was a gravesite honoring multiple generations of my ancestors  my great great grandmother, great grandparents and grandparents. The oldest tomb is more than 100 years old while the newest one is for my grandfather who was laid to rest 50 years ago.

As the eldest grandson, I felt sorry for the ancestors for having failed to pay tribute to them properly though I visited them almost every year to weed the graves with my relatives. While offering ceremonial glasses of wine to them, I became emotional and tearful as I still remember the warm affection they gave to me when I was a young boy.

Our families decided to exhume the tombs as it became almost impossible to continue maintaining the graves. We thought it had got to a point and the ancestors would feel no regret as we had visited them for more than 50 years.

In a poignant memory, some years ago, my younger brother was in a serious accident while weeding the graves. He was ferociously attacked by a swarm of bees. Without emergency treatment and help from a nearby house, which had been built just years earlier, my brother might have died. Some 15 years ago, one of my uncles died after a bee entered his ear.

Upon completing the exhumation, we extended our gratitude to the ancestors and wished eternal peace for them. Though without notable fortunes, we expressed gratitude for the absence of major misfortunes.

In the concept of myeongdang, the surrounding environment and location is significant in determining the fate of humans. Yet what is more important is that such fate can be changed depending on willpower and efforts of the persons concerned. It suggests that while we are influenced by external forces, we possess the agency to carve our own paths and shape our destinies.

Some Buddhist temples are said to have selected bad land purposely to turn the surroundings into auspicious locations through strenuous endeavors, offering support for the needy and expanding facilities.

In this vein, the concept of Feng Shui is closely aligned with to the principles in the "Book of Changes," which prioritizes human will ahead of fateful factors, in accordance with dates of births, for instance.

The book defines humans as holy beings bestowed with a unique mission from the heavens. Instead of being influenced by fate, it cites the importance of taking initiative in one's own life.

The author is chief editorial writer of The Korea Times.
A man whose mother and two brothers were killed by loyalist paramilitaries has accused the Government of building a big wall to conceal the truth.

Dessie Trainor, 62, says legacy legislation will deny families simple answers about the deaths of their loved ones.

In 1975, when Mr Trainor was 13, his mother Dorothy was shot dead by Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) gunmen as she walked home in Portadown, Co Armagh, after a night out with his father Malachy, who was injured in the shooting.

Dessie Trainor was 13 when his mother was murdered in a gun attack (Liam McBurney/PA)

Months later one of his brothers, Ronnie, was killed in a UVF bomb attack on the family home in Portadown.

In 1978, another brother, Tommy, and his friend were shot dead by loyalists as they walked to sign on at the towns dole office.

There were convictions in relation to that attack, but no one has faced justice for the murders of Dorothy or Ronnie Trainor.

Members of the notorious UVF Glenanne gang, whose membership included rogue members of the security forces, are suspected in both cases.

Mr Trainor said his life was ruined from the moment his mother was shot dead.

The British Government says everythings going to be OK, everythings going to be rosy, but if we say tell us the truth then its oh no, we cant do that, he said.

Thats all I am looking for  all I am looking for is the truth of what happened to my mum and my two brothers.

Its all behind that big wall that the British Government has put up, all the truth, its all there, but they wont give us it.

Why not tell the people that have been affected? I just dont understand it.

In regard to the Legacy Acts aim of promoting reconciliation, Mr Trainor questioned whether ministers were expecting him to reconcile with those responsible for the murders of his family members.

Who am I going to reconcile with? Who am I going to reconcile myself with? he asked.

I would love to go to somebody and say OK, you were the people whove done this, can I reconcile with you?.

Theyre probably not here (any more).
Members of the Orange Order take part in a Twelfth of July parade in Belfast. Photo: PA

The host venues for this years Twelfth parades have been confirmed.

The Orange Standard has reported that the iconic Co Antrim coastal town of Carrickfergus, with its castle and historic links to William III is among the venues for this years Twelfth of July celebrations.

It added: Preparations are at an advanced stage for the biggest day in the parading calendar, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to participate or spectate in what is rightly regarded as one of the largest annual festivals in Europe.

Bands and marchers will take to the streets at 19 locations across all six of Northern Irelands counties to mark the 334th anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne.

Parades will be held in Belfast and Ballymena  the only two venues in Northern Ireland to hold a main Twelfth demonstration each year.

Other locations in Co Antrim include Ahoghill, Broughshane, Cloughmills, Carrickfergus and Derriaghy.

In Co Down, the venues are expected to be Annalong, Ballynahinch, Gilford and Newtownards.

The north-west demonstrations will be held in Londonderry and Moneymore

Meanwhile, in Tyrone, parades are scheduled for Ballygawley, Benburb and Newtownstewart.

Fermanaghs parade will take place in Irvinestown, while Armaghs parade  traditionally the biggest  is set for Killylea.

The Independent Orange Order will hold its Twelfth parade in Mosside, Co Antrim.

The Co Armagh demonstration  which will be held in Killylea this year  is firmly established as the largest Orange gathering in the world, the Orange Standard reported.

Belfast hosts the longest Twelfth parade on the day, with participants walking over six miles to the field.

A large contingent of Scottish visitors travel to take part in the Belfast parade, which will be live streamed on YouTube for those who cant be present.

In England, a parade is also scheduled for Southport, Liverpool.

Further details of the demonstrations, including the start times and routes, will be released by the Orange Order in the coming weeks.

The Belfast Twelfth will proceed along its traditional route after plans to shorten it were abandoned.

It was reported last year that the Orange Order was considering cutting the distance and axing the gathering in the field at Barnett Demesne, on the outskirts of the city.

Those recommendations stemmed from an internal report commissioned into the 2022 Twelfth which described it as probably the worst for decades.

But in November it emerged the plans had been scrapped.

It was reported the decision to stick to the traditional route came after the Order considered feedback from members strongly opposed to plans to shorten it.

There was said to be overwhelming support in favour of retaining the longer route.
A Tory MP has called for migrants to be sent to the Northern Ireland as he mocked Dublin's complaints about fallout from the UKs Rwanda plan.

It comes amid tensions between the the UK Government and the Republic over claims that large numbers of asylum seekers are crossing the border to avoid being deported to the African state.

Former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg told viewers of his GB News show that the pious Irish government was learning a lesson in the full benefit of human rights laws and open borders.

He then claimed there was a golden opportunity to use an ex-army barracks facing demolition, believed to be a reference to Ballykinler, as accommodation before sending all the illegal migrants in the UK to facilities near the Irish border.

"Northern Ireland is a fundamental part of the United Kingdom, it can do its bit and house some migrants which can then be sent over to the Republic where they will be wonderfully safe as opposed to this dangerous land that they tried to get into in the first place.

The North East Somerset MP said it would have key benefits including keeping the costs of Rwanda down because so few would be sent there and the EU would be so happy because it would fulfil its beloved human rights obligations.

Mr Rees-Mogg said it would also allow the Irish Government to feel a sense of superiority to His Majestys Government".

If it just so happens that they then end up crossing the border, which according to the Belfast Agreement must remain open, and indeed our departure from EU agreement, so be it,' Mr Rees-Mogg continued.

According to the Irish courts they are happy to take in all of the poor refugees fleeing persecution.

Ireland has redeployed 100 police officers to immigration enforcement in a signal of its determination to act.

Downing Street has dismissed demands to take back migrants, despite Ireland claiming it has a right to do so under the Common Travel Area terms on the island.

Irish ministers are having to push a new law declaring Britain safe.

The embarrassing move would effectively reversing an Irish High Court ruling that the UK is no longer a safe third country for returning asylum seekers because of the Rwanda plan.

"There will be no migrants coming to the UK from Ireland and theres no need to stop them going there, Mr Rees-Mogg said.

He then suggested that a maverick viewer might set up a charity to send them to NI to cross the border concluding I believe its a very pleasant place to be this time of year.

The Prime Minister has flatly rejected the idea of accepting asylum seekers back from Ireland.

On Monday Rishi Sunak said he was 'not interested' in a returns deal if the EU did not allow the UK to send back asylum seekers who had crossed the Channel from France.

Dublin has claimed the number of asylum seekers crossing from NI is now higher than 80 per cent of Ireland's overall total due to a shift in migration patterns in recent months.

The issue was discussed by the UK and Irish governments at high-level talks in London yesterday.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris told the Commons this week that the UK's new deterrent is clearly working and having some impact already.

"An impact that will obviously increase as the first flights take off for Rwanda, he added.

'We will obviously monitor all this very closely and continue to work with the Irish Government on these matters.'

Mr Heaton-Harris said there is no way that we would want to upset our relationship with Ireland and pointed out that there is a joint commitment to protect the common travel area from abuse.

But Tory MP Mark Francois told GB News that Ireland has been hoist by their own petard.

News Catch Up: Tuesday 30th April 2024
Time for Truth campaign spokesperson Ciaran MacAirt at a previous demonstration outside the courts in Belfast. Pic Rebecca Black/PA Wire.

Victims and survivors of the Troubles are staging a protest outside the Northern Ireland Office in Belfast to voice their opposition to the disgraceful Legacy Act.

Time for Truth demonstrators have gathered outside Erskine House in the city centre on the day that the part of the legislation stopping historical inquests comes into force.

Sinn Fein MP John Finucane is expected to deliver the keynote address.

Campaign spokesperson, Ciaran MacAirt, said the rally has been planned to take place on the day that the British government has denied us equal access to due process of the law.

"Britain is a serial human rights abuser but this blatant attack on our basic human rights would embarrass tin-pot dictators in the so-called Third World," he added.

"Our families have been campaigning tirelessly for over six years for the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement and a proper human rights-compliant means for dealing with the legacy of the past. Britain, though, wants to bury its war crimes in Ireland and protect its killers.

"Its Legacy Act is an assault on our basic human rights and an affront to the rule of law. It re-traumatizes victims and survivors across the community."

Activists are demanding the repeal of the Act of Shame in its entirety.

"We reject any attempt by the British state to dress up the likes of the so-called Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery as a substitute for a proper, Article 2-compliant pathway to truth and justice, Mr MacAirt added.

"Join us and show your support for the families and our basic human rights outside the NIO offices in Belfast city centre."

It comes as SDLP leader Colum Eastwood insisted the campaign to provide truth, justice and accountability for victims and survivors is far from over.

The Foyle MP vowed to continue to work with the Labour Party at Westminster to have the act repealed and replaced as soon as the Tories are removed from power.

This immoral Tory governments attempt to shut down routes to justice for victims and their families cannot be allowed to succeed, Mr Eastwood added.

My thoughts are with those across the North today who have been left feeling hopeless and despondent that their pursuit of justice has ended.

"My message to them is clear  this is not over. This legislation is an insult to the memory of those who were murdered during the Troubles.

We will never reckon with our past by closing down the path to truth and justice. This legislation is an outrageous attempt by the British government to cover up the actions of the state and to protect their dirty secrets."

Mr Eastwood said human rights organisations, the Irish Government and all political parties in the NI have been united in their opposition to the legislation.

"And still the British government continued on regardless, without a care for the harm they would cause, he continued.

Since this legislation was announced the SDLP has been working with our colleagues at Westminster and in the Labour Party to build a coalition of opposition to this bill.

"We have received assurances that Labour will repeal the legislation if they form the next government and I welcome the public commitment from Shadow Secretary of State Hilary Benn today.

"The election cant come soon enough for those of us who want to wrench this rotten government from power and begin the work of undoing 14 years of damage to our entire society."

Mr Benn has pledged that a future Labour government would restore legacy inquests and the ability for Troubles victims to bring civil cases.

The shadow Northern Ireland secretary said he would not scrap a new truth recovery body set up to investigate unresolved Troubles deaths, but wanted to see if it could command the confidence of victims families.

News Catch Up: Tuesday 30th April 2024
Damian Brown, the grandson of Sean Brown who was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries in 1997, speaks at a protest against the Legacy Act in Belfast. Pic by Stephen Davison/Pacemaker.

Kevin Campbell, whose uncle Michael Hayes was shot dead by soldiers, also took part in the protest against the Legacy Act. Pic by Stephen Davison/Pacemaker.

Sinn Fein MP John Finucane speaks during a protest outside the NIO against the Government's new Legacy Act (Pic by Stephen Davison/Pacemaker)

Briege Voyle (left), whose mother, Joan Connolly, was killed in Ballymurphy, attended the protest against the Government's new Legacy Act (Pic by Stephen Davison/Pacemaker)

Victims and survivors attend a protest outside the NIO against the Government's new Legacy Act (Pic by Stephen Davison/Pacemaker)

The grandson of a GAA clubman shot dead after being abducted by the Loyalist Volunteer Force claimed justice is dead during a protest against the Legacy Act.

Damian Browns grandfather Sean Brown (61) was shot six times in the head near Randalstown, Co Antrim, in May 1997.

He had been driven more than 10 miles in a car from Bellaghy, Co Londonderry, after being captured while locking the gates of his beloved Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAC.

Damian Brown, the grandson of Sean Brown who was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries in 1997, speaks at a protest against the Legacy Act in Belfast. Pic by Stephen Davison/Pacemaker.

He made those club gates, Mr Brown said.

As well as dedicating his life to GAA, he was an educator in the technical college in Ballymena.

He was found abandoned beside his own burned-out car, his body partially burnt by the intense heat.

Mr Brown recalled how his grandmother insisted on having an open casket at the funeral so everyone could see what the attackers did to her husband.

Sinn Fein MP John Finucane says this is a day of shame as a deadline for stopping legacy inquests comes into force.



Troubles victims staged a protest outside the NIO in Belfast this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/FI50iTKaWZ  Brett Campbell (@WbeeCampbell) May 1, 2024

He criticised how no one has ever been charged with the brutal murder and slammed what he described as a frightening litany of failings in the original RUC probe.

The family received an apology from the PSNI in 2022 before it was revealed, during an inquest, that 25 people, including state agents, were linked to the killing.

Court proceedings were halted in March when a coroner said his ability to examine the murder had been compromised by the extent of confidential state material being excluded from the hearing on national security grounds.

The Government has since launched legal action over how the coroner dealt with a public interest immunity (PII) process in the case, while calls for a public inquiry have been ignored despite backing from former Police Ombudsman Baroness OLoan.

We invested our full faith in the inquest process, Mr Brown told the rally in Belfast city centre.

An inquest being the most fundamental, rudimentary, perfunctory of legal processes that the state must conclude when a life is taken in the manner in which Seans was stolen from him.

Far from discharging its international obligations in law to convene and conclude Seans inquest, the British Government has instead abandoned its legal obligations.

Mr Brown said his family will no longer sit in dignified silence, before warning that when families do not have access to the courts, justice is dead.

The Time For Truth demonstration took place outside the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) on the day new legacy arrangements shutting down some Troubles-era inquests came into force.

Sinn Fein MP John Finucane addressed victims and survivors outside Erskine House on what he described as a day of shame.

This is a day when legal challenges in our courts officially come to an end, he added.

Challenges that have been taken by families who, on some occasions, have been waiting up to five decades for the simple right to ask their questions in a court room; for the very simple, basic, democratic right to have an inquest for their loved ones.

Mr Finucane, whose father, Pat, was murdered by loyalists in 1989, said many inquests have not been able to conclude because the British Government and their agencies knew that this day was coming, which incentivised it to delay and frustrate the process.

Sinn Fein MP John Finucane speaks during a protest outside the NIO against the Government's new Legacy Act (Pic by Stephen Davison/Pacemaker)

The new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) became operational on Wednesday.

The body was created by the Governments Legacy Act, which received royal assent last year despite widespread opposition from political parties, victims organisations in NI, and the Irish Government.

The bill ensures that all new civil litigation and inquests into Troubles deaths which have not completed oral evidence will be stopped.

The ICRIR has stressed that legacy legislation will not end the prospect of prosecutions: section 25 of the Legacy Act explicitly gives the power to make a referral to the prosecuting authorities.

The Commission has a range of extensive police powers, including the ability to carry out investigations to support criminal prosecutions and to refer cases to the relevant prosecutor where there is evidence of a crime.

Briege Voyle was also among those taking part in the protest, alongside relatives of 10 people killed in the Ballymurphy massacre in August 1972.

Briege Voyle (left), whose mother, Joan Connolly, was killed in Ballymurphy, attended the protest against the Government's new Legacy Act (Pic by Stephen Davison/Pacemaker)

Following a decades-long fight to remove an army smear claiming that her mother, Joan Connolly, was an IRA gunwoman, Ms Voyle said shes now right back to the very start.

Our loved ones were found to be completely innocent. It was us who got to the truth and brought it into court during the inquest.

But what about justice? Nobody has been held accountable for our loved ones being brutally murdered over a period of three days.

Ms Voyle accused the Government of having no interest in justice as it seeks only to protect its precious soldiers.

Meanwhile, Kevin Campbell, whose uncle Michael Hayes (27) was shot nine times in the upper body and legs by a Royal Marine patrol near his home in Spamount Street on October 1, 1972, said he no longer believes justice is possible.

Kevin Campbell, whose uncle Michael Hayes was shot dead by soldiers, also took part in the protest against the Legacy Act. Pic by Stephen Davison/Pacemaker.

Soldiers claimed Mr Hayes, who was married with two young sons, was a gunman, but no residue was found on him to suggest he had been firing a weapon.

The killing was investigated by the Royal Military Police. However, the Director of Public Prosecutions recommended no further action to be taken.

We have been looking for someone to be held accountable and to apologise, but we have been going in circles, Mr Campbell said.

The Legacy Act is a cruel and callous piece of legislation which pulls down the shutters and leaves our backs against the wall. But we are still here and we are not going away.
Alliance has said it is confident Stephen Farry will be re-elected North Down MP as he will be the only progressive candidate in the contest.
Exclusive |

Indefensibly, the Covid Inquiry is hiding key Stormont evidence from public  and that is not just stupid, but dangerous
DUP MP Carla Lockhart accuses Dublin government of hypocrisy

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons, London (House of Commons/PA)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said there cant be cherry picking of important international agreements by the Republic of Ireland, amid an ongoing row over asylum seekers arriving in the country from Northern Ireland.

The row between Ireland and the UK started after the Irish justice minister said there was a significant increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland from across the Northern Ireland border.
The Irish Department of Justice has refused to publish an operational arrangement which it says provides for returning asylum seekers to the UK.

It comes amid a developing row between Ireland and the UK after the Irish justice minister said there was a significant increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland from across the Northern Ireland border.

After it was suggested the increase could be driven by migrants fearing the UKs Rwanda plan, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that showed the plans effect.

The policy aims to send asylum seekers to the east African nation to deter others from crossing the English Channel.

Irish premier Simon Harris said on Sunday that Ireland will not provide a loophole for other countries migration challenges, while Mr Sunak said it was not interested in any returns deal if the EU does not allow the UK to deport asylum seekers who had crossed the English Channel to France.

The existence of an operational arrangement at the centre of the UK-Ireland diplomatic row has been acknowledged by both sides, but Downing Street has cast doubt on whether it contains any legal obligations.

A No 10 spokesman said: Theres an existing understanding and operational procedure that is long standing with the Irish government.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (Alastair Grant/PA)

Its obviously consistent with the Common Travel Area, but there is no legal obligation to accept the return of asylum seekers who enter and cross the Common Travel Area.

My understanding is no asylum seekers have ever been returned to the UK under these existing arrangements. And as the Prime Minister set out yesterday, were not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland at a time when the EU doesnt accept returns back to France.

Mr Sunaks official spokesman added that the UK worked with Ireland on the sharing of biometric data on individuals claiming asylum, clamping down on visa abuse and dismantling smuggling gangs.

The Irish Justice Department said the written deal with the UK Home Office was agreed in November 2020 but is not publicly available.

It said the deal provides for reciprocal returns of asylum seekers who are deemed inadmissible and helps to protect against abuse of the Common Travel Area.

However, it refused to publish the deal: We do not provide operational details of immigration procedures so as to avoid any impact on the effectiveness of such operations.

On Tuesday, the Irish Government approved emergency legislation from the Minister of Justice Helen McEntee to allow the UK to be designated as a safe country to enable asylum seekers to be transferred back there.

It comes after a High Court ruling in March deemed that the legal basis for designating the UK as a safe country for the return of asylum seekers was unsound under EU law.

Tents housing asylum seekers near to the Office of International Protection, in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)

Mr Harris said the justice minister has acted swiftly to address this High Court ruling.

Asked about agreements with the UK, she said the reciprocal arrangement is to ensure that neither of our countries are a place for people to evade or obstruct the immigration controls and processes of the other.

To combat any abuse of the CTA, it is essential that we have mechanisms in place to return people to the UK where the UK is deemed to be the appropriate country to process any application for protection, the minister said.

It hasnt been operational owing to a High Court judgment which identified a legal issue which had a bearing on the operation of that arrangement.

The legislative changes that I will bring to the Houses in the coming weeks will ensure that the arrangement can be operationalised.

The Irish Government has been accused of displaying incredible incompetence over migration issues by the leader of opposition party, Sinn Fein.

Party leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Irish parliament: At a time when we need calm and an assured response, we get panic. At a time when we need competence and clear communication, we get contradiction.

This has been a feature confirming the widespread view that your Government is not on top of issues relating to migration, that nobody competent is in charge.

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Scrambling around to turn hotels, B&Bs, office blocks into Direct Provision centres or having tents line the length of Mount Street in Dublin are not the hallmarks of a well-managed system.

She added: Your government says that you have an agreement with Britain, the British government saying that you do not. Which is it? If you do have such an agreement, has the Irish state made use of this agreement?

Youve actually managed to spread this confusion now to between two governments, about an agreement which exists or does not exist. Which is it?

Mr Harris denied there was any confusion, saying there is a Common Travel Area between the United Kingdom and Ireland.

As you know, better than most I would imagine, that is a really important Common Travel Area, Mr Harris added.

Its something we value and as you also know, that when Britain made the decision to leave the European Union there was an agreement put in place, one that indeed has been confirmed by the British Government today in relation to an operating agreement for migrants, for refugees to be returned in both directions.

Tents housing asylum seekers near to the International Protection Office, in Dublin (PA)

I have no intention whatsoever of this country being dragged into politics in Britain, Im very well aware of politics in Britain, they can have their migration policy, and they can do what they wish in relation to that.

We have ours and ours is a rules-based firm migration system that endeavours to provide assistance to people in humanitarian need, but also one that has to make it clear to people that if they dont have a right to be here, that they need to be asked and leave more quickly.

Mr Harris added: We also have every right when countries enter agreements, that those agreements are honoured. This is a country that honours our agreements and Ive said very clearly that the British Government has acknowledged that there are operational arrangements in place. I welcome that fact.

Im very clear that those operational agreements are in place under the Common Travel Area. And Im very clear that were going to legislate to have absolute clarity so that it can work. But Im also really clear that its only one of a number of things we need to do.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the Governments immigration plan has failed.

The clearest evidence of that failure is just around the corner. Hundreds of people sleeping in tents and makeshift shelters in desperately unsanitary conditions on Mount Street, she added.

There has been an increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland in recent years, with up to 16,000 new arrivals projected to arrive every year, up from between 3,000-5,000 between 2015-2019.

As Ireland struggles to boost housing supply after falling behind during the economic crash, the influx has put more pressure on the State to house people as their asylum claim is processed.

The Irish government has implemented a number of migration policies in recent weeks, including paring back the offering to Ukrainian refugees who are automatically granted asylum.

A makeshift camp has sprung up at the International Protection Office in Dublin city as more than 1,700 asylum seekers have been left without an offer of accommodation from Ireland.
Korea can help shape the new global agenda

By Kim Won-soo

Lately, we see a diverse range of global challenges mounting, from climate change to regional conflicts. Climate change is accelerating exponentially. Regional conflicts are raging in Eastern Europe and the Middle East without any prospective way out in sight. But global institutions are too incapacitated to mitigate these worsening risks. Despite the Paris Agreement, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change lacks any binding power to enforce compliance. The U.N. Security Council has the binding power but has been in paralysis due to the veto power of its five permanent members (P5). The rekindled rivalry among the P5 debilitates any action to restore peace and stability with a damning impact on the credibility of global governance. Big power rivalries also auger ill for any international efforts to fill the normative gap of emerging technologies. Technological developments in artificial intelligence, biotech, outer and cyber spaces are leaping forward, while normative efforts to minimize negative risks are moving at a snail's pace.

These unfortunate trends will likely continue and worsen unless global consensus is restored. But the picture does not look good due to the twin divides prevalent in the international community in terms of wealth distribution (Global North vs. South) and value perception (Global West vs. East). These two divides have weakened the base for global consensus and caused the global governance deficit to grow.

The wealth gap is narrowing as the relative economic power of the Global South is rising in terms of distribution. It is being spurred by the strong growth of emerging economies such as India, Brazil and ASEAN. Accordingly, the voices of the Global South are growing on the international stage, both multilaterally and plurilaterally. But the bridging role of the Global South countries between the Global West and East is still weak, as most of them are undecided as to which side of the fault line they will stand on. A recent example is the mixed signal the Global South countries have sent in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They cast the overwhelming support to a U.N. General Assembly resolution against the forceful annexation attempt by Russia of Eastern Ukraine. But many of them did not join the sanctions efforts by the Global West on Russia, either.

On the other hand, the value divide between the Global West and East is expected to intensify. The world views of the two camps are divergent, with different priorities on some fundamental values. These divergent views make it harder to find common ground on most global agendas, from climate change to security issues. A notable example is the lingering difficulty in raising the normative framework for cyber security. The Global East and West agree on the need to ensure responsible state behavior but could not agree on the specifics, as they put the opposite priority between state security and privacy.

Likewise, the value divide between the two camps is negatively affecting any effort to build consensus on the way forward to cope with the critical global challenges. A number of global institutions like the Conference on Disarmament cannot agree even on the agenda items for over 20 years since the major power rivalry came back in the beginning of the 21st century.

Both camps are trying hard to pull the Global South closer to their side. The final verdict will eventually come from the Global South, depending on which of the world views will prove to be more attractive. But for the moment, the world views of the Global West and East do not seem to provide the pulling power convincingly. The Global South is in the waiting mode to see which worldview will be a better fit to address emerging challenges.

It is incumbent on both camps to refine their worldviews in a way that puts forth more persuasive and future-oriented solutions. This competition must be encouraged for the sake of global consensus. It must be led by the United Statess and China, the two most powerful states and respective leaders of the two camps. The sooner the value divide is bridged through a constructive worldview competition, the better for the world and the future.

Korea has a special role to play in facilitating the global discourse on the new worldview. Korea is in the best position to contribute as a country that has overcome both the wealth and value divides. Korea has a strong self-interest in avoiding the collision course of the world view competition. Korea's experience will help shape the agenda for the discourse acceptable to both the Global West and East and attractive to the Global South.

Kim Won-soo (wsk4321@gmail.com) is the former under-secretary-general of the United Nations and high representative for disarmament. As a Korean diplomat, he served as secretary to the president for foreign affairs as well as for international security. He is now the chair of the international advisory board of the Taejae Future Consensus Institute and a chair professor at Kyung Hee University. He is a guest editorial writer for The Korea Times.










Rishi Sunak said sending police to villages in Donegal was not the answer to illegal migration (Toby Melville/PA)

The Prime Minister has urged the Irish government not to send police into border areas amid a row over asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic.

Rishi Sunak said the Irish government must uphold its promises to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and avoid setting up checkpoints to prevent asylum seekers entering the country.

Diplomatic tensions between London and Dublin have increased in recent days after Irelands justice minister claimed there had been an upsurge in asylum seekers crossing the border following the passing of the UKs Safety of Rwanda Act.

On Tuesday, the Irish government said 100 police officers would be made available for frontline immigration enforcement duties, although Dublin insisted they would not be assigned to physically police the border with Northern Ireland.

Answering questions in the Commons, Mr Sunak said ministers were seeking urgent clarification that there will be no disruption or police checkpoints at or near the border and that there must not be cherry-picking of important international agreements.

He added: Now, its no surprise that our robust approach to illegal migration is providing a deterrent but the answer is not sending police to villages in Donegal. Its to work with us in partnership to strengthen our external borders all around the Common Travel Area that we share.

His comments came in response to a question from DUP MP Carla Lockhart, who accused the Irish government of hypocrisy given its stance on the border during Brexit negotiations.

Downing Street has repeatedly stressed that the UK is under no legal obligation to accept returns of asylum seekers from Ireland, and would not do so while France continued to refuse to accept returns from the UK.

There is an operational agreement on the Common Travel Area with Ireland which Dublin says provides for returning asylum seekers, but the Prime Ministers official spokesman said this was not legally binding and nobody had been returned to the UK under its terms.

Simon Harris has previously said Ireland will not provide a loophole for other countries migration challenges (Brian Lawless/PA)

One person has been returned to Ireland under the agreement since it was signed four years ago, the spokesman added.

On Wednesday, the spokesman said: We obviously work with them on a range of issues, including in relation to security issues in the Common Travel Area, but the UK has no obligation to accept returns.

Labour said it agreed with the Government that the UK should not accept returns from Ireland while Britain is not able to return people who arrive here from the EU.

The Government has claimed the reported increase in asylum seekers entering Ireland from Northern Ireland demonstrated that its Rwanda scheme was already acting as a deterrent.

Irish premier Simon Harris confirmed there will be no police sent to border areas.

Asked if the UK Government had sought clarification from Dublin that there will be no police checkpoints at the border, Mr Harris said he had no idea.

Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday about reports of border police, he said: Of course there wont be.

Im not getting involved in British politics and Im very well aware there is local elections due in the UK tomorrow and Ive no interest as Taoiseach of this country of being involved in day to day back and forth in the House of Commons.

But what I do have an interest in is agreements. Agreements between two countries and I very much welcome the British Prime Ministers comments in relation to the importance of countries upholding agreements. Well uphold the agreement we have with Britain under the Common Travel Area, the standard operating procedure that we have in place.

I also welcome the comments of the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, where he referred to the importance of the two countries working together to protect the Common Travel Area from abuses.

Regularising our laws in relation to the arrangement we have with Britain is only one of a number of things we intend to do to ensure we have a firm, effective migration system.

I think that is the bigger thing that has been done in recent days by my colleague Minister for Justice (Helen McEntee) is around faster processing times for people from Nigeria. I believe that will have a more significant impact in the weeks and months ahead.

It is not clear how many asylum seekers have crossed the border into Ireland.

Irish deputy prime minister Micheal Martin said his colleague Helen McEntees figure of 80% of total border crossings was not evidenced-based, while DUP MP Ian Paisley told the Commons it was made up.

Downing Street said it did not have data on crossings as the border is not policed.
Migrants who were living outside the Office of International Protection have been moved (Niall Carson/PA)

At least 285 people have been removed from a makeshift migrant camp in Dublin city centre following a multi-agency operation on Wednesday.

In recent months, migrants have been sleeping rough beside the citys International Protection Office on Mount Street as the state struggles to source enough accommodation for people seeking asylum.

On Wednesday, the asylum seekers were moved to international protection facilities at the Citywest hotel and at a site at Crooksling in Co Dublin, the Government said.

Taoiseach Simon Harris, who previously compared the scenes to a shantytown, thanked the agencies involved in the large operation to relocate the migrants and clear the tents for their very excellent work.

Taoiseach Simon Harris (Brian Lawless/PA)

Speaking in Dublin, he said: It was an important day in terms of a humanitarian response to the unacceptable situation people in tents found themselves in on Mount Street.

It was also an important day for the laws of our land, because this is a country that does have laws, and, as Taoiseach, I expect those laws to be enforced.

He added: You cant have a scenario where in a very ad hoc fashion these kind of tented villages are nearly allowed to develop.

The operation doesnt end now and I will expect all of the agency partners to continue to work together to respond and, at what is a difficult, challenging time, to meet the humanitarian needs of people, but also to enforce and uphold the laws of this country.

Authorities commenced an operation on Wednesday to move asylum seekers in central Dublin (Cate McCurry/PA)

The Government said 186 of the international protection applicants took up accommodation at Citywest while 99 were moved to a site in Crooksling.

However, the Government Press Office said in a statement that it understood some applicants did not take up a place at their assigned centre.

It added that it could not provide a timeline on when more appropriate accommodation would become available as it said securing a sufficient number of beds remains a significant challenge.

It said barriers had been installed to prevent any further placement of tents around the International Protection Office.

The operation to move the makeshift camp that began early on Wednesday morning came amid increasing diplomatic tensions between the UK and Ireland after the Irish Government expressed concern about an upsurge of asylum seekers entering the country via the land border from Northern Ireland.

Council workers, some dressed in white overalls, were involved in clean-up efforts to remove the tents and wash down the camp area in and around Mount Street.

In a statement, the Government said that the people seeking international protection had been moved safely to the two sites.

A statement said: The Crooksling site has robust, weather-proof tents.

It has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security.

While in Crooksling accommodation, residents will receive the same supports as at other locations.

This includes access to medical care via the HSE social inclusion outreach teams and medical card provision; Ipas customer services team clinics; onsite support from the providers staff; and psycho-social and integration support from NGO (non-government organisation) partners.

The encampment at Mount Street has been dismantled and the streets are being cleaned by Dublin City Council.

The operation to move the tents began on Wednesday (Cate McCurry/PA)

Asylum seekers congregated in groups waiting with their luggage as buses and taxis arrived to take them to another site where basic facilities will be offered.

Mount Street was cordoned off during the operation, with a large number of gardai present.

A similar operation to remove tents from the area was undertaken in March, but another makeshift encampment soon built up again.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said the operation was to ensure the safe movement of people who are seeking asylum.

Mr Martin said: The tents on Mount Street are not acceptable, not acceptable for migrants and not acceptable for residents living in the area either.

He added: The State has, within its powers, the capacity to make sure we dont have tents back up on Mount Street or other streets and, in our view, the Government is very clear that we cant have tents in streets adjacent to neighbourhoods.

Its not good for those seeking asylum and not good for residents in the area, and it creates a lot of tensions which are not acceptable.

There is a determination on the Governments side to use capacity and powers to ensure that it doesnt occur into the future.

Irish Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the encampment was inhumane and unsustainable.

She said the situation demonstrated a failure of Government policy on migrant accommodation.

The conditions on Mount Street for the 200 men who were forced to sleep here in tents had become inhumane and unsustainable, she told the PA news agency.

And I did yesterday in the Dail, and indeed on previous occasions, call on the Taoiseach and the Government to address the situation and to find appropriate safe and secure accommodation for the men who are in the tents.

Im glad to see that that has been done.

I will be pressing now to ensure that the accommodation is safe and secure and that its appropriate, so that we dont see this sort of build-up of people living in such desperately unsanitary and unhealthy conditions again on Mount Street or, indeed, anywhere else.

Noel Wardick, from Dublin City Community Cooperative, an organisation that has been providing support to the asylum seekers sleeping rough, said it was vital that the alternative accommodation was appropriate.

He said that was the key failure of the last removal operation in March.

The jury is out from the point of view we dont know where the men are going, he said.

And we dont know the conditions on the site.

So we would expect that the State has provided sufficient sanitation, water, hygiene, and blankets, warm accommodation.

However, that wasnt the case on March 16 when they last dismantled the site in a very shambolic, ham-fisted and chaotic manner.

So lets hope all those lessons were learned and the men are in a vastly improved situation.
Tents housing asylum seekers near to the Office of International Protection, in Dublin (PA)

An operation has been undertaken in Dublin to move hundreds of asylum seekers who had been sleeping in a large encampment of tents in the city centre.

In recent months, migrants have been sleeping rough beside the citys International Protection Office on Mount Street as the state struggles to source enough accommodation for people seeking asylum.

The operation to move the makeshift camp that began early on Wednesday morning comes amid increasing diplomatic tensions between the UK and Ireland after the Irish Government expressed concern about an upsurge of asylum seekers entering the state via the land border from Northern Ireland.

Authorities commenced an operation on Wednesday to move asylum seekers who have been sleeping in tents on Mount Street in central Dublin (Cate McCurry/PA)

Council workers, some dressed in white overalls, were involved in clean-up efforts to remove the tents and wash down the camp area in and around Mount Street.

Asylum seekers congregated in groups waiting with their luggage as buses and taxis arrived to take them to another site where basic facilities will be offered.

Mount Street was cordoned off during the operation, with a large number of gardai present. Access was only granted to residents of the street and workers involved in the removal operation. Health personnel also participated in the multi-agency initiative.

A similar operation to remove tents from the area was undertaken in March, but another makeshift encampment soon built up again.

The operation to move the tents began on Wednesday (Cate McCurry/PA).

A Government statement outlined details of Wednesdays operation: A joint operation between the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; the Department of Justice; An Garda Siochana; Dublin City Council; the Office of Public Works; and the HSE (Health Service Executive) is under way on Mount Street, Dublin.

The purpose of the operation is to ensure the safe movement of people seeking international protection from the tents on Mount Street to International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas)-designated accommodation.

The Ipas-designated accommodation has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security.

Irish Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the encampment was inhumane and unsustainable.

She said the situation demonstrated a failure of Government policy on migrant accommodation.

The conditions on Mount Street for the 200 men who were forced to sleep here in tents had become inhumane and unsustainable, she told the PA news agency.

And I did yesterday in the Dail, and indeed on previous occasions, call on the Taoiseach and the Government to address the situation and to find appropriate safe and secure accommodation for the men who are in the tents.

Im glad to see that that has been done. I will be pressing now to ensure that the accommodation is safe and secure and that its appropriate, so that we dont see this sort of build-up of people living in such desperately unsanitary and unhealthy conditions again on Mount Street or indeed anywhere else.

Noel Wardick, from Dublin City Community Cooperative, an organisation that has been providing support to the asylum seekers sleeping rough, said it was vital that the alternative accommodation was appropriate.

He said that was the key failure of the last removal operation in March.

The jury is out from the point of view we dont know where the men are going, he said.

And we dont know the conditions on the site. So we would expect that the state has provided sufficient sanitation, water, hygiene, and blankets, warm accommodation.

However, that wasnt the case on the 16th of March when they last dismantled the site in a very shambolic, ham-fisted and chaotic manner.

So lets hope all those lessons were learned and the men are in a vastly improved situation.
Police outside the Birley Academy in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, where a 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The Government must take action to tackle youth violence to ensure teachers and pupils are safe in school, education union leaders have urged.

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a child and two adults were injured in an incident at The Birley Academy in South Yorkshire on Wednesday.

It comes just a week after two teachers and a pupil were stabbed at Amman Valley School in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), the largest education union in the UK, said: This is another shocking incident happening on school premises.

Violence has no place in our schools and colleges. Everyone in school  staff, students, teachers, and support staff  should feel and be safe.

Government needs to recognise the scale of the problem and adopt a public health approach to tackling youth violence as did Scotland in the 90s.

This should also include urgent reinvesting in the youth services and centres that young people once relied upon.

Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said: This will be a worrying and traumatic event for staff and pupils and it is important that support is provided to all those who have been affected.

This latest incident provides a further reminder of the need for robust action to be taken to keep our schools, pupils and teachers safe.

Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the National Education Union, said violence had no place in schools and colleges (James Manning/PA)

Assaults involving weapons remain rare in UK schools, but unions have warned of worse behaviour and violence among pupils in recent years.

A Government survey on behaviour, released just last week, found that just 39% of pupils in England said they had felt safe at school every day.

The proportion of school leaders and teachers who said their school was frequently calm and orderly had also fallen, according to research by the Department for Education (DfE).

The figures were published after teachers Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin were injured in an alleged knife attack by a girl at a school in Wales last week.

Tom Bennett, school behaviour advisor to the DfE, told the PA news agency that behaviour is a big problem in many schools and teachers and children need to know their workplace is safe and calm.

He said: Extreme violence is the tip of the iceberg, and while uncommon, demonstrates what can happen in big institutions that serve the whole of the community.

Like any institution, schools are entitled to run their cultures in the way that makes it most likely everyone will thrive in peace.

But he added simple conclusions should not be drawn from unusual events.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said she was disturbed to hear about the incident at Birley Academy.

She said: Were in touch with the school and my thoughts are with those injured and all the school community affected by this frightening situation.

In July last year, maths teacher Jamie Sansom was stabbed by a 15-year-old boy in a school corridor at Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire. The teenager was sent to youth detention for 14 months for the attack.

Teacher Ann Maguire, 61, was stabbed to death by 15-year-old Will Cornick as she taught a Spanish class at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds in April 2014. Cornick was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years.

A Government spokesperson said: Nothing is more important than the safety of children, and our thoughts are with all those affected by the shocking incident in Sheffield today.

To tackle the root causes of violence, we are funding 20 Violence Reduction Units across England and Wales which have reached over 271,000 vulnerable young people in their fourth year of funding alone, through early intervention programmes to help protect them from serious violence.

Weve also providing 200 million over ten years to establish the Youth Endowment Fund to improve knowledge about what works to tackle serious violence and were investing over 50 million for specialist support in mainstream and alternative provision schools in areas where serious violence most impacts children.
Leading health equity expert Professor Sir Michael Marmot has written a damning letter to 58 MPs across England to highlight particularly concerning health trends in their constituencies (Jacob King/PA)

Dozens of MPs, including former prime minister Liz Truss, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and former health secretary Steve Barclay have been criticised after new analysis revealed people in their constituencies are suffering avoidable ill-health and living shorter lives than they should.

One of the worlds leading health equity experts, Professor Sir Michael Marmot, has written a damning letter to 58 MPs across England to highlight particularly concerning health trends in their constituencies.

New analysis, by academics from the Institute of Health Equity at University College London (UCL), highlights which local areas are falling behind when it comes to health.

Researchers examined every local authority in England to plot levels of health, inequalities in health, and cuts in their spending power.

They identified 17 local authorities with statistically significant increases in inequalities in life expectancy between 2010-12 and the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sir Michael has written letters to the 58 MPs whose constituencies lie wholly or partially in these areas.

They include Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden, justice minister Edward Argar, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, and former health minister Maggie Throup.

We need you to fight for all your constituents health. They are suffering avoidable ill-health and living shorter lives than they should due to poor policies and cuts to essential services, Sir Michael wrote.

He has also written to the leaders of all major political parties demanding action.

In his letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Sir Michael, who published a seminal review into health inequalities in England in 2010, said austerity and funding cuts have harmed health and worsened health inequalities and that life expectancy is stalling which is a tragic waste.

(PA Graphics)

The analysis, which used data from the Office for National Statistics, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the National Audit Office, concluded that peoples health has deteriorated, health inequalities have widened, and the north-south health gap has increased.

Key findings from the new report, shared with the PA news agency, include:

 Areas where life expectancy inequality significantly increased between 2010-12 and 2017-19 include Rotherham in South Yorkshire and Kensington & Chelsea in London for females, and County Durham and Cornwall for males.

 Inequalities in life expectancy increased nationally between 2010/12 and 2017/19. Inequalities in life expectancy for women increased significantly in the North East, North West, Yorkshire & the Humber, East of England, East Midlands, and the South West. For men they increased in the North East, Yorkshire & the Humber, and the East of England.

 Since 2010, cuts to local authorities meant their spending power per head of population had fallen by an average of 34% across England by 2019/20.

 Healthy life expectancy  how long a person can expect to live in good health  is improving across Europe, but is getting worse in the UK.

It is no surprise that local authorities are struggling to make ends meet and that people are living shorter lives than they should, Sir Michael said.

If you slash the services that support people then health will be harmed. Levelling up was supposed to provide badly-needed funding for the most deprived areas. But it was a derisory amount and, as a result, never going to improve health.

He added: This is a dismal state of affairs. Im saying to party leaders: stop policies harming health and widening health inequalities.

To MPs: if you care about the health of your constituents, you must be appalled by their deteriorating health. Its time for action and political leadership across the board.

Action is needed on the social determinants of health  the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. These social conditions are the main causes of health inequalities.

UCL identified 14 local authorities in England where the difference in female life expectancy between the least deprived and most deprived neighbourhoods showed a significant increase between 2010-12 and 2017-19, along with three local authorities where the same occurred for males.

For females, these include Kensington & Chelsea in London, where the difference in inequality grew over this period from 6.2 to 11.9 years, Guildford in Surrey (2.8 to 8.0 years), Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire (4.8 to 8.9 years), and Rotherham (6.6 to 10.4 years).

There was a significant increase for males in Erewash in Derbyshire (up from 4.9 to 9.5 years), County Durham (7.4 to 9.8 years) and Cornwall (4.3 to 6.5 years),

(PA Graphics)

Across all local authorities, the report found that the lower the life expectancy, the greater the inequality in life expectancy within the area.

More than half of authorities saw an increase in life expectancy inequality for both males and females from 2010-12 to 2017-19  but no authorities recorded a statistically significant decrease.

At a regional level, north-east England saw the biggest gap in life expectancy between the least deprived and most deprived neighbourhoods in 2017-19, at 12.2 years for males and 9.7 years for females, followed by north-west England (11.3 and 9.6 years respectively) and Yorkshire & the Humber (10.4 and 8.5 years).

The regions with the lowest inequality were all in the south: London (7.2 years for males and 5.1 for females), the South West (7.5 and 5.6 years respectively) and the South East (7.8 and 6.1 years).

North-east England recorded the largest increase in inequality for both male and female life expectancy from 2010-12 to 2017-19.

A Government spokesperson said: As set out in our Levelling Up White Paper, we are committed to narrowing the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030 and to increasing healthy life expectancy by five years by 2035.

Our upcoming Major Conditions Strategy will help us do this, by tackling the key drivers of ill-health in England.

We are also investing 15 billion in local communities across the UK as part of our long-term plan to level up, ensure opportunity is spread more equally and to reduce inequalities.

We have given councils in England up to 64.7 billion through the Government Finance Settlement for 2024 to 2025, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to 4.5 billion or 7.5% in cash terms.
Former president George W Bush working on a portrait of service members and veterans (George W Bush Presidential Centre via AP)

Walt Disney World will host dozens of portraits of service members and veterans by former US president George W Bush.

The George W Bush Institute will lend the 60 colour portraits to the Florida theme park resort.

The paintings of service members and veterans will be displayed for a year at Epcots American Adventure pavilion starting next month.

Portraits of service members and veterans painted by George W Bush (George W Bush Presidential Centre via AP)

Accompanying each painting is a veteran biography written by the former president. The exhibit also will include information and resources created to support veterans and their families.

My hope is that those who have the opportunity to see this special exhibit will also remember the leadership, service and sacrifice behind each of the heroes painted and the unique challenges our servicemembers and their families face when transitioning out of the military, said Ken Hersh, president and chief executive of the George W Bush Presidential Centre.
Lebanese Christian leader Samir Geagea blasted Hezbollah for opening a front with Israel to back up its ally Hamas, saying it has harmed Lebanon without making a dent in Israels crushing offensive in the Gaza Strip (Hussein Malla/AP)

The leader of a main Christian political party in Lebanon has blasted Shiite militant group Hezbollah for opening a front with Israel to back up its ally, Hamas, saying it has harmed Lebanon without making a dent in Israels crushing offensive in the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday night, Samir Geagea, of the Lebanese Forces Party, said Hezbollah should withdraw from areas along the border with Israel, and the Lebanese army should deploy in all points where militants of the Iran-backed group have taken positions.

His comments came as Western diplomats try to broker a de-escalation in the border conflict amid fears of a wider war.

Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea said Hezbollah should withdraw from areas along the border with Israel (Hussein Malla/AP)

Hezbollah began launching rockets towards Israeli military posts on October 8, the day after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in a surprise attack that sparked the crushing war in Gaza.

The near-daily violence has mostly been confined to the area along the border, and international mediators have been scrambling to prevent an all-out war.

The fighting has killed 12 soldiers and 10 civilians in Israel. More than 350 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 273 Hezbollah fighters and more than 50 civilians.

No-one has the right to control the fate of a country and people on its own, Mr Geagea said from his heavily-guarded headquarters in the mountain village of Maarab.

Hezbollah is not the government in Lebanon. There is a government in Lebanon in which Hezbollah is represented.

In addition to its military arm, Hezbollah is a political party.

Mr Geagea, whose party has the largest bloc in Lebanons 128-member parliament, has angled to position himself as the leader of the opposition against Hezbollah.

Hezbollah officials have said that, by opening the front along Israels northern border, the militant group has reduced the pressure on Gaza by keeping several Israeli army divisions on alert in the north rather than taking part in the months-long offensive in the enclave.

All the damage that could have happened in Gaza  happened. What was the benefit of military operations that were launched from south Lebanon? Nothing, Mr Geagea said, pointing to the death toll and massive destruction in Lebanons border villages.

Israels war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, caused wide destruction and displaced hundreds of thousands to the city of Rafah along Egypts border.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday to launch an offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah despite international calls for restraint.

Mr Geagea said Hezbollah aims through the ongoing fighting to benefit its main backer, Iran, by giving it a presence along Israels border.

He called for the group to withdraw from border areas and for the Lebanese army to deploy in accordance with a UN Security Council resolution that ended the 34-day Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.

He also discussed the campaign by his party to repatriate Syrian refugees who fled war into Lebanon.

Lebanese Christian leader Samir Geagea insisted that only a small percentage of Syrians in Lebanon are true political refugees (Hussein Malla/AP)

Those calls intensified after a Syrian gang was blamed for last months killing of Lebanese Forces official Pascal Suleiman, allegedly in a carjacking gone wrong, although many initially suspected political motives.

Lebanon, with a total population of around six million, hosts what the UN refugee agency says are nearly 785,000 UN-registered Syrian refugees, of whom 90% rely on aid to survive.

Lebanese officials estimate there may be 1.5 million or 2 million, of whom only around 300,000 have legal residency.

Human rights groups say Syria is not safe for mass returns and that many Syrians who have gone back  voluntarily or not  have been detained and tortured.

Mr Geagea, whose party is adamantly opposed to the government of President Bashar Assad in Syria, insisted that only a small percentage of Syrians in Lebanon are true political refugees and that those who are could go to opposition-controlled areas of Syria.

The Lebanese politician suggested his country should follow in the steps of Western countries like Britain, which last week passed controversial legislation to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

In Lebanon we should tell them, guys, go back to your country. Syria exists, saidMr Geagea, who headed the largest Christian militia during Lebanons 1975-90 civil war.
Former US president Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally on Wednesday in Wisconsin (Morry Gash/AP)

Donald Trump returned briefly to the campaign trail on Wednesday and called the judge presiding over his hush money trial crooked a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail for violating a gag order.

Mr Trumps remarks at events in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan were being closely watched after he received a 9,000 dollar (7,206) fine for making public statements about people connected to the criminal case.

In imposing the fine for posts on Mr Trumps Truth Social account and campaign website, Judge Juan M Merchan said that if Mr Trump continued to violate his orders, he would impose an incarceratory punishment.

There is no crime. I have a crooked judge, hes a totally conflicted judge, Mr Trump said speaking to supporters at an event in Waukesha, Wisconsin, claiming again that this and other cases against him are led by the White House to undermine his campaign.

The gag order bars him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his hush money case. Mr Trump is still free to criticise Judge Merchan.

The former president is trying to achieve a balancing act unprecedented in American history by running for a second term as the presumptive Republican nominee while also fighting felony charges in New York.

Mr Trump frequently goes after Judge Merchan, prosecutors and potential witnesses at his rallies and on social media, attack lines that play well with his supporters but that have potentially put him in further legal jeopardy.

Donald Trump gestures after speaking at a campaign rally on Wednesday at the Waukesha County Expo Center in Wisconsin (Morry Gash/AP)

Mr Trump insists he is merely exercising his free speech rights, but the offending posts from his Truth Social account and campaign website were taken down. Judge Merchan is weighing other alleged gag-order violations and will hear arguments on Thursday.

Mr Trump has often called this case and other criminal cases against him election interference, saying they keep him from campaigning for the presidential election in November.

Supporters agreed he is being unfairly prosecuted, contending the trial and gag order were designed to distract him.

Its a trial looking for a crime, said Ray Hanson, of Hartford. Mr Hanson said he expected Mr Trumps lawyers would keep him in line so he does not violate the gag order, as much as he likely wants to talk about the trial.

Supporters stand for the National Anthem before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump appears at a campaign rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin (Morry Gash/AP)

Manhattan prosecutors have argued Mr Trump and his associates took part in an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 presidential campaign by purchasing and then burying negative stories. He has pleaded not guilty.

Mr Trumps visits to Wisconsin and Michigan mark his second trip to the swing states in just a month. For the previous rallies, the former president largely focused on immigration, referring to people who are in the US illegally and who are suspected of crimes as animals.

Meanwhile, Democrats are hoping to remind voters ahead of these visits about Mr Trumps position on abortion, which Mr Trump has been openly concerned about being a political liability for him and Republicans.

Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan met on Wednesday half a dozen women, including a family doctor, and warned that a second Trump term would threaten abortion rights even in her state, which enshrined those rights in its state constitution after the Supreme Court overturned national rights to the procedure.

Ms Whitmer appeared with the women at a book shop in Flint surrounded by signs that read Stop Trumps Attacks on Health Care and Stop Trumps Abortion Ban.

She told reporters not to believe Mr Trumps contention in a Time Magazine interview that Republicans would never have enough votes in the US Senate to pass a national abortion ban.

We cannot trust anything that Donald Trump says when it comes to abortion. So no one should take any comfort in the fact that, yes, he wants an abortion ban, but he wont get it because he doesnt think well have 60 votes in the Senate. Baloney, she said. No one would have imagined wed be here in this moment.Donald Trump shakes hands with a man dressed as Uncle Sam at the campaign rally (Morry Gash/AP)

Wisconsin and Michigan are among a handful of battleground states expected to decide the 2024 election.

For Mr Trump to win both states, he must do well in suburban areas such as the areas outside Milwaukee and Saginaw, Michigan, where he will hold Wednesdays events. He underperformed in suburban areas during this years primary even as he dominated the Republican field overall.

Mr Trump has repeatedly falsely said that the 2020 election was stolen from him. His losses in battleground states in 2020 have withstood recounts, audits and reviews by the Justice Department and outside observers.
Stormonts shambolic politicking as people died led Chief Medical Officer to despair of dysfunctional b******s in NI Executive

As Stormont floundered from the start, civil service boss David Sterling said a key Executive meeting had been excruciating with no leadership on display at all

Dr Michael McBride (centre) in 2020 with then First Minister Arlene Foster (left) and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill

Sam McBride Tue 30 Apr 2024 at 22:00







Northern Ireland's chief medical officer referred to Executive ministers as "dysfunctional b******s", it has emerged, as Stormont's shambolic inner workings have been laid bare.
In the final part of a three-part series, Ciaran Dunbar looks at the legacy of Sunningdale and the the Ulster Workers Strike.

The Ulster Workers Strike succeeded.

It brought down the Sunningdale executive, the council of Ireland was binned, power-sharing was shelved for a generation.

It seemed like total victory.

But was it?

What happened next?

And what was the lasting impact of the strike?

In his final speech in the Sunningdale Executive, Brian Faulkner said that after five months of being able to work together, Catholic and Protestant, I hope that one thing can remain, that we do not attack each other on a sectarian basis ever again.

That was a forlorn hope- it took another 25 bloody years to return to a power-sharing situation.

In the final part of a three-part series, Ciaran Dunbar looks at the long-term legacy of the Sunningdale Agreement and the the Ulster Workers Strike  and asks, who really won?

Sunningdale and the Ulster Workers Strike (Part Three): Who really won?

Guests:
By Ko Dong-hwan

Korea will recruit 300 foreign workers annually to address the growing labor shortage in its aircraft manufacturing industry, the government announced on Wednesday.

This initiative is the latest step by the government to invite migrant workers to contribute to a wider range of sectors amid a growing labor shortage, which is expected to worsen due to the nation's declining birthrate.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Justice jointly announced that the manufacturing of aircraft and components will be added to a list of professions eligible for the E-7 visa category. The E-7 visa is designated for foreign nationals with special abilities to work in professions specified by the justice ministry, and this update reflects efforts to address workforce needs in the aviation industry.

After consultations with the Korea Aerospace Industries Association and relevant industries, the government announced plans to invite 300 individuals on a pilot basis for a two-year period to address workforce shortages in the aviation manufacturing sector.

This measure is being implemented because Korean aircraft manufacturers have been experiencing labor shortages despite the industry's growth and expansion.

With the easing of travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for air travel has rebounded along with increased international trade. This surge has led to a heightened need for workers and experts in aircraft and airplane parts manufacturing. However, the industry has faced challenges in recruiting a sufficient number of qualified workers to meet this demand.

"The latest revision to the country's visa regulations will not just resolve the aviation manufacturing industry's workforce shortage, but also increase overall productivity and attract more aircraft construction projects from other countries," Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun said in a press release. "We'll keep cooperating with other ministries to prepare and train workers."

Justice Minister Park Sung-jae emphasized that inviting foreign talent will continue to be a key strategy to support local industries facing frequent workforce shortages. "Introducing a balanced set of visa regulations will invigorate our economy," Park said.

The ministries will collaborate on the selection and management of workers throughout the pilot program. They will also monitor its progress and develop systems to expand and stabilize the initiative over time.

Earlier this year, the government decided to broaden the scope of areas eligible for non-professional employment permits for foreign workers. This expansion includes sectors such as restaurants, hotels, condominiums, forestry, and mining.

The initiative is being implemented on a trial basis and is limited to specific regions for restaurants, hotels, and condominiums. The government plans to evaluate its effectiveness in November and explore potential improvements based on the outcomes.
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Since the day that Christ said He would return, Christians have been eagerly watching for the Second Coming in between arguing with each other about when it will take place. There have been innumerable sermons on the subject of the end times, and there are probably about as many blogs devoted to arguing about the Rapture as there are Christian churches. If a person types in the name of any controversial leader into Google, one of the most likely suggested searches will end with is the anti-Christ.

A Jewish homeland will be established in Israel.

The Gospel will be preached to the entire world.

Worldwide communications will exist before the final two witnesses.

Natural disasters will be widespread.

War and violence will run rampant.

A charismatic and convincing false prophet will appear.

Gods people will be hunted and killed.

Stephanie Hertzenberg is a graduate of the College of William and Mary where she majored in Religious Studies and minored in Creative Writing. She maintains an avid interest in health, history and science.

Before Christ returns, the Jews will be truly settled in their ancestral homeland. Jerusalem will once again be in Jewish hands. Many believe that this sign will come to pass soon as Israel is currently a Jewish state. Jerusalem, however, remains split between various groups. That said, with the United States finally moving its embassy to Jerusalem in order to line up with more than a decade of Americas official stance that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, Jerusalem is closer than ever to returning to Jewish hands.Christ will not return until after the Gospel has been preached to the entire world. Many people see this prophecy as being nearly fulfilled, but there is potential that this has already come to pass. When the Bible was written, the phrase the world meant something different than it does today. When people speak of the entire world today, they are referring to the globe as a whole and interpret this prophecy as meaning that the Gospel must be preached in every country on Earth. During the time when the prophecy was first written down, however, the world was used to refer not to every inch of land on Earth, but to the extent of the Roman Empire.One of the better known tales of the end times is that God will send two final witnesses to preach the Gospel. The two witnesses will be killed, and their bodies will be seen by everyone in the world. In order for this to come true, the entire world must be interconnected and able to communicate with each other in extremely rapid fashion. Once again, the conditions required for this prophecy to be fulfilled are nearly complete. With the rise of the internet, social media and smartphones, it is easier than ever for people to relay information to each other. Events that happen on one side of the world can be broadcast to the other in milliseconds. The world is also becoming more and more hostile toward Christianity. Things have not yet boiled over, but it is easy to believe that the time of the two witnesses is fast approaching.The end times are going to be disastrous. There is a reason why the words apocalypse and Armageddon are associated with catastrophic destruction. During the end times, God will turn nature against mankind. There will be pandemics, flooding, fires, earthquakes, famines and what many scholars identify as meteorite strikes or even a comet colliding with Earth. These numerous disasters will take place all across the world and kill billions.Not all of the disasters that come with the end of the age will be caused by nature. Many of them will be things that mankind brings on themselves. War and all sorts of violence will run rampant before Christ returns to Earth. Men and women will attack and kill their enemies, their friends and even their own families. Even as natural disasters raze cities, people will still continue to inflict violence on each other.No sign of the end times has captured the imagination of the world as much as the anti-Christ. This figure will be as charismatic as they are evil and will lead millions astray. They will cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands and turn innumerable people against God before Christ returns to Earth.Before Christ returns, Gods people will be hunted and killed by nonbelievers. Those who dare to cling to their faith will find themselves unable to trade or do business with others. They will be driven out, seen as outcasts and eventually, they will be hunted down and killed. Given the rising rate of lethal Christian persecution in the Middle East, Africa and Asia as well as the ever increasing ostracism and hatred faced by Christians in the West, the time when faith will once again become a matter of life and death for Christians may not be as far away as some believe.Christians have always watched for the signs that indicate that Christ is soon to return. In the first century, Paul urged Christians to be alert and prepare themselves for Christs return. In the 21st century, endless blogs and websites are dedicated to predicting that incredible event. Regardless of what century Christians were watching from, the fact remains that everyone is waiting to see when the final signs will be fulfilled and Christ will return once again to His people.
By Ko Dong-hwan

FILA Holdings Corp. Chairman Yoon Yoon-soo will receive The Korea Society's annual honor in recognition of his contribution to strengthening diplomatic and business ties between the United States and Korea, according to the New York-based nonprofit organization, Wednesday.

The organization will host its annual dinner event at the Plaza Hotel New York on Sept. 30 and award Yoon with its signature honor, the James A. Van Fleet Award.

The award is named after the Korean War commander James A. Van Fleet, who served as the first president of The Korea Society.

The Korea Society praised Yoon's leading role in founding and advising the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation and the Korea Defense Veterans Association.

These organizations honor 1.8 million Korean War veterans from the U.S. and 3.5 million American soldiers who have been stationed in Korea since the Korean War Armistice Agreement of 1953.

Having served in the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army, Yoon was the inaugural winner of the 8th U.S. Army's Staff Sgt. Kim Sang-won Distinguished Former KATUSA Award.

He has funded the creation of a wall of remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation in Virginia. He has been supporting the Military Officers Association of America, which supports retired soldiers and their families as the largest private military organization in the U.S.
BENNINGTON  Established in 2015, the Southern Vermont HomeBrew Festival focuses on the love of beer and other beverages. The Fest returns to 113 Depot St. on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. With over 30 home brewers offering a variety of samples, including non-beer beverages like cider, wine and mead, there is a flavor for everyone.

Co-founders Will and Trish Gardner always wanted to find a way to bring this scene to the regional community. In its 9th year, the fest's uniqueness resides in that there is usually no other way to sample these beers. Trish explained that this has to do with how home-brewed beer is able to be marketed to the public.

With home brew, you cannot sell to the public ... period, she explained. "You can give it to your friends. You can give it out at (this kind of) festival. But you cannot sell it."

For many, a fest like this is the only way to truly experience some of these home brewers.

Gardner himself has been a home brewer since 2001. "I have a 15-gallon brew house in my house, all electric, that I built myself with a range hood," he said. "I can just walk in and brew whenever I want. And I only say that because that's really kind of the path that many home brewers follow."

Trish, who is Will's wife, noted that with no home brew competitions locally, there were no events to really receive any feedback. They remember discussing that they had so many friends, but with no outlet to expand.

So we thought, 'Why don't we just have a home brew festival? That's kind of where all of this stemmed from, said Trish. We wanted to give all of these people who we knew had these fantastic beers a way to share them, a way to get that out to other people, and kind of get that real-time feedback.

In order to bring people together, there needs to be a vetting process for selection. Will uses a home brewer registration form via Google where they are able to get some backstory from each applicant: What do the brewers have for a system at home? What kind of beers are they brewing? How much can they brew? How long have they been brewing?

Then I kind of pare that down to the folks, I think, that would be a good fit for us, she said.

This year, they have six first-timers, including Silver Bridge Brewing (Mount Tabor), Two Pines Brewing Company (Minoa, N.Y.) and Seacoast Home Brew Club (Wakefield, N.H.).

Will mentioned that some returning brewers have been with them since the beginning. One of them is Groth Garage Brewing, out of Saratoga, N.Y. They are focused on malt-based beverages like Scottish ales, brown ales and stouts.

But in this kind of day of brewing, youve got to bring a New England IPA, so they'll throw one of those in there, too, Will explained. What I like about [Groth] is their variety across the board. They'll bring five or six different beers, which is awesome. Will said that out of the 30 or so brewers, each bring a minimum of four different styles of beer to the fest.

While there are not really any local home brewers from Bennington, there is a veteran of the fest coming from Manchester: Kiev Ratee of Invisible Mountain Brewing. Ratee is also a contributor to Brew Your Own Magazine, out of Manchester as well.

What I love about him is I've never had a bad beer from him. He is consistent across the board, Will said. Everything that he brings is to style, (but) nothing flashy, nothing too crazy. They're always going to be in style and taste really well.

Another stalwart home brew collective returning this year to the fest is Three Teachers Brewing out of Albany, N.Y. It is, literally, three teachers who all befriended each other at their particular school. They got together, started brewing and became really fast friends.

They've missed a couple festivals, but they were at our our last one, Will said. They consistently place first, second, third, at many festivals, so they're coming back.

While there aren't any solo female brewers, there are a mix of spouses. Will said one that comes to mind is Moose and Otis, which is husband-and-wife team Cathy and John Sutherland.

We get a lot of that, which is kind of cool, Will said. So the husband is, and I don't want to stereotype, usually the brewer, and the wife is usually taste-tester, helper, and really gets into it. I also love when the wives come (to the fest) because the booth is always decorated awesome.

Another great element of the fest is that the home brewers are not just bringing their beer, pumping it up on a table and pouring. They are bringing $1,000 jockey boxes with coils inside with two, three or four taps on it along with a whole decorated area. Most of the home brewers, Will said, actually have monogrammed tents with their brewery name on it.

The festival itself, in its logistics, also continues to evolve. They have moved back and forth from glass to plastic because of safety concerns, mostly linked to COVID in recent years. And while they don't have water stations, they encourage attendees to hydrate. A complimentary water bottle cart circulates at the event. This is its second year at the Depot Street location.

A big part of their enthusiasm and dedication to this event is seeing many of the home brewers realize their dream and open, at one point or another, their own actual commercial brewery.

Sitting at Harvest Brewing on Northside in Bennington for this interview, Will mentioned Harvest owner (and 2024 Home Brew fest judge) Sean Dunleavy, who started at the festivals as a home brewer. In addition, Seth Barrows, formerly of Farm House Brewing, also began as a home brewer at the fest.

This year, Will said, in memory and honor of Barrows, who recently passed, they are renaming the best beer/beverage award to the Seth Barrows Farm Road Brewing Award.

We're super excited about that, Will continued. It's a way for us to sort of carry on his legacy from home brewer to professional brewer. The judges all knew Seth and are, I think, a little sentimental about it.

Will said the home brewers can sometimes be some of the pickiest and most crazy people, which often results in great beverages. He explained that, in the past week leading up to the fest, he and his wife have been trying to get all the information for the pour list, which will be available to the attendees on the day.

So I'm reaching out, and saying, 'Guys, I need this list. I got to go to print.' They're like, 'Alright, just give me more tasting here. We got six guys coming over. We're going to vote on our best one and bring it, explained Will.

(They want to) bring their best of the best. Trish added. We literally have had home brewers (drop) out of the Home Brew fest because they didn't think their beer was good enough (yet).

It all comes down to the love of the craft. In Will's perspective, it is the time, dedication and the love of these brewers that rings through. I mean, these home brewers, (along with us), we are a community. We support each other. We are constantly giving each other feedback. And we work together. Anybody asks for anything, it's like, 'This person can help you out.' So we've got those connections. And that's one of the things that, I think, gets lost sometimes a lot these days.

He said when they get a home brewer that wins, Everybody's cheering. Everybody's happy for them. Everybody's like, 'You deserved it.' That's fantastic.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Images Cinema in Williamstown has always been about education and opening film fans to different viewpoints of filmmaking. In introducing the Berkshire Student Film Festival, occurring on Saturday with both 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. screenings of short films, the venue hopes to create a more expanded community, with increased communication among local creatives.

Janet Curran, managing director of the cinema, first began her film journey as a student at Williams College when she spent time at Images nearly 20 years ago. I was a volunteer, so I got to see movies for free, Curran said. It was great. I got to watch movies multiple times and really study ... films that I really loved. That was a really important part of my time as a student. In turn, Curran believes in passing and encouraging that experience in a new generation.

The impetus for the new film festival came from the executive director of Images: Dan Hudson and board chair Kevin O'Rourke. O'Rourke works in the theater program at Williams College and knew there was a lot of interest in filmmaking there, even though there isn't a formalized department within the school. I think they both kind of just synchronously came up with the thought that we should do this, Curran continued. And so that's why we're doing it now.

Curran said festival organizers wanted to engage with students all over the area, and not just the immediate Williamstown/North Adams vicinity. It was important to her that there be representatives from a lot of different schools participating in the program. Images brought in an intern, Minnie Lerner, to spearhead the Student Engagement Committee.

Minnie did a lot of outreach, Curran said. I think she contacted every single school within a 25-mile radius to see if there was a film class or a film club? And if there wasn't, could they hang a flyer about (us) seeking submissions?" Eventually, Lerner ended up assembling a screening committee consisting of students from Bennington College, Buxton, MCLA and Williams College

Curran worked as a sounding board for Lerner, giving input and offering recommendations in terms of different avenues and initiatives for her to explore. After the screening committee vetted down the submissions, Curran and Hudson screened the films themselves. Curran said they did not know what to expect in terms of how many and what kinds of submissions they would get. There was also a question of quality. And I have to say, I was really pleasantly surprised by how good the films were.

A consistency across the board, Curran found, is that many of the films had a local or regional connection. She mentions two documentary shorts that stuck with her. One is called A Bucolic Exile, by Julian Arenas. It is a short film about how the Shah of Iran's son came to Williams Colleges in the late 1970s. It was under 10 minutes, Curran explained, but it was this short but very well-executed documentary about this (unique subject). Having lived in Williamstown for 25 years, Curran said she never heard about the piece of local lore. So it was just this interesting story about something that happened in Williamstown.

Curran also mentioned another short, a documentary/personal essay called Dear Mr. L by Myla Dougherty. It is about a student coming to Williams after her grandfather had attended the school many years prior. And she's reading his letters where he makes reference to different parts of Williamstown. I thought it was a really lovely film that was talking about the history of Williamstown and the college, but also about her personal interaction with these different things.

Curran said having a festival like this with these kinds of short films just reaffirms the mission Images promotes. The organization aims to encourage new voices to look at and tell stories in new ways.

Things can be (done) your own way, Curran added. And I think, especially in film, we have these ideas about what's 'good' in our minds that I think shuts a lot of creativity down. She said some of the filmmakers she really loves are those who are able to step outside the box. "Because you can't create something new and innovative if you're just trying to meet people's expectations."

Curran said this kind of film festival, like many events at Images, is meant to make every night its own kind of impromptu community. You always have people after the film standing around in the lobby or right in front of the entrance. It's just like, people watch a movie and then they want to talk. I mean, not always, but a lot of times.

These people want to know what other people think about what they just saw, how it relates to something in their own lives or something that they read.

Film festivals, especially ones like Berkshire Student Film Festival, Curran added, are about that discovery. And what a beautiful thing it would be if people felt empowered to do more visual storytelling.
POWNAL  The Select Board hopes to resolve lingering uncertainties around ownership of the historic Pownal Center Community Church building, which sits atop a section of the towns original 1789 community meetinghouse site.

The board had asked town attorney Robert Fisher to research the unusual cooperative ownership, which essentially has evolved into the church membership owning the 1849 church building and the town owning the basement section beneath it.

The lower floor is a remnant of the first meeting house, made of logs, which was built on land designated for public use in the 1760 Pownal charter grant from Great Britain.

Pownal town meetings were held in the basement area up until at least the 1960s. Today, annual meetings are held in the elementary school gymnasium, and town board meetings have been held in office space at the former and current town hall buildings, both near the church site.

ATTORNEY COMMENTS

Fisher, meeting remotely via Zoom with the Select Board April 25, said he, Select Board member Karl Strohmaier and town Administrative Assistant Hanna Darling had examined property and other records concerning the church site, the land it sits on near the town green area, and historical references to the ownership agreement.

Fisher said more research should be done in cooperation with church members, but added, It appears to me the town owns the land and the town has an interest in the basement area of the church.

He recommended quit claim deed property transfers to formalize ownership of the building and land by the town, with the church then continuing in the building under a long-term lease agreement.

In addition, he asked the Select Board to determine its goals or plans for the property.

I could then go into detail, when you know the goals, he said.

MAINTENANCE CONCERNS

The board has become involved at times in efforts to help restore and/or maintain the 1840s era structure, especially involving expensive work that the church membership has lacked the resources to fund.

One such project was the 2006 removal of a dilapidated, 11,000-pound bell tower from the roof that was taken down and stored in the hope the fixture can be restored.

The Select Board authorized $5,000 toward that work.

The pursuit of grant funding, moreover, could prove complicated, town officials said.

Executive Assistant Tara Parks and others have said theyre uncomfortable with the town seeking grant funding for projects or restoration work because the town could not demonstrate clear ownership or control of the building.

ICONIC BUILDING

It is an absolutely iconic building in the town, board Chairman Mike Gardner said at the meeting. We tried to get a grant, he said, but the biggest problem was we couldnt define the ownership.

As for the towns goals, board member Angie Rawling said, I would like to see the building kept up and not sink into the ground.

She said shed like to one day see a formal town budget line item that would also allow people to donate to a fund for maintenance and restoration work.

'BEST OPTION'

From my perspective, Fisher said, the best option would be to quit-claim the property to the town, along with a long-term lease agreement between the church membership and the town.

I would be happy to help when you talk to the church, he said, also recommending that he attend in person at a place where some of the many documents concerning ownership can be examined by attendees.

Board members subsequently agreed to hold a special meeting with church members on the topic on June 20.

They also expressed interest in holding a public informational meeting or meetings to allow interested residents and others to comment or ask questions.

It can all be worked out, Fisher told the board. But at this point, we need to get some clarity, so that when we are all gone in 100 years, everybody knows how this property is owned and what the maintenance requirements are.

CHURCH RESPONDS

Asked via email to the church's email address, a spokesperson replied Wednesday, "The church has not received a copy of the research that was mentioned in the meeting of [April 25], that you are referring to. When this is forthcoming, it will be reviewed at length by the church congregation, clergy, and others as needed to clarify this data."

The statement continued, "At the April meeting, the town attorney spoke about some parts of the research that had been given to him; however not in great detail due to being a brief line item on the lengthy agenda; so suggesting further discussion is needed. Since the congregation hasn't received a copy and discussed this research yet, no comments can be made at this time."

Fisher said at the meeting that, while the joint ownership agreement in Pownal might seem strange to current residents, he has seem similar situations in other towns in Vermont. He said that stems from the common use of the first meeting house in a town for both religious services and town business, with the roster of town officials and church leaders often the same early settlers.

More information on the church and the Center Street site is available on a Pownal Historical Society website.
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The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog will travel to Iran next week as Tehran's nuclear program enriches uranium a step away from weapons-grade levels and international oversight remains limited, officials said Wednesday.

Rafael Mariano Grossi's visit will coincide with a nuclear energy conference Iran will hold in the central city of Isfahan, which hosts sensitive enrichment sites and was targeted in an apparent Israeli attack on April 19. It also coincides with wider regional tensions in the Mideast inflamed by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, including attacks on shipping by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen .

The director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency will visit Iran on May 6 and 7, the Vienna-based agency said. It did not elaborate on his schedule or his meetings.

Iranian state television has described the conference in Isfahan as an international conference on nuclear sciences and techniques. The broadcaster quoted Mohammed Eslami, the head of Iran's civilian nuclear program, as saying on Wednesday that Grossi will attend the conference and meet with him and other officials.

I am sure that the ambiguities will be resolved and we can strengthen our relations with the agency within the framework of safeguards and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Eslami said.

Tensions have only grown between Iran and the IAEA since then-President Donald Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdraw America from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. Since then, Iran has abandoned all limits the deal put on its program and now has enough enriched uranium for several nuclear bombs if it chose to build them, Grossi has warned.

IAEA surveillance cameras have been disrupted, while Iran has barred some of the agency's most experienced inspectors . Iranian officials have increasingly threatened they could pursue atomic weapons, particularly after launching an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel last month.

Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons, saying its atomic program is for purely civilian purposes. However, U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003.

The latest American intelligence community assessment says Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities necessary to produce a testable nuclear device. (AP)
The Indian laboratory and analytical instrument industry is on the brink of a transformative journey, propelled by rapid technological advancements and a growing emphasis on indigenous innovation. With the convergence of cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics, Online and At-line testing, Cloud computing, and Process Analytical Technologies, the industry is poised for accelerated growth and expansion. Experts from different fields of the industry have highlighted the burgeoning opportunities for domestic players in the laboratory equipment and analytical instrument segment, exploring the evolving landscape, challenges, and strategies for fostering innovation and competitiveness. Lets explore further.

In recent years, India's laboratory and analytical instrument industry has witnessed robust growth, driven by the country's leadership in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and healthcare. However, despite this progress, a significant portion of high-end processing and analytical measurement equipment is imported from leading Western countries.

According to Chandrahas Shetty, President of the Indian Analytical Instruments Association (IAIA), over 80 per cent of such equipment is sourced from countries like the USA, Germany, France, Italy and others. This dependency underscores the urgent need for domestic players to capitalise on emerging opportunities and reduce reliance on imports.

Highlighting the dynamic nature of the industry, with emerging advancements leading to transformative changes, one notable trend identified by Shetty is the shift from traditional laboratory-based testing to online and at-line testing methodologies. This transition has significantly reduced testing time and costs associated with product wastage. The adoption of online analysis of raw materials allows for immediate identification of quality issues, enabling swift corrective action and minimising production delays.

Emerging Trends

While on one hand online and at-line testing is gaining prominence, still laboratory testing remains relevant, especially for comprehensive analysis, noted Shetty. The trend of inline and at-line testing during the manufacturing process further emphasises the importance of real-time data acquisition and analysis.

Another significant trend identified by Shetty in the laboratory equipment and analytical instruments sector is the increasing demand for cloud-based data management systems. Organisations are keen on storing their data on the cloud for easy accessibility across the organisation. This trend extends to Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), which are now being migrated to cloud platforms for enhanced efficiency and collaboration.

Looking ahead, Shetty predicts a rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in method generation and development processes. AI technologies, fueled by the availability of background data, are poised to revolutionise analytical methodologies and streamline workflows.

In addition to advancements in analytical instruments for traditional processes, Shetty highlighted innovations in bioprocess analytics. Instruments capable of measuring parameters such as pH and CO2 in bioreactors are gaining traction, particularly in the biopharmaceutical industry. Single-use technology is also emerging as a solution to streamline bioprocess cleaning procedures, with leading companies like Serum Institute of India adopting these technologies.

Giving his perspective about the role and objectives of IAIA, the President said that they have been involved in gathering the laboratory equipment and analytical instrument manufacturers, suppliers and customers at one platform for more than two decades now and arranging them a platform to delve and discuss on the challenges, opportunities and facilitating developing new business networking among the stakeholders and playing a key role in helping the industry grow to leaps and bounds.

The IAIA, in collaboration with partners like Messe Muenchen India, plays a crucial role in facilitating industry dialogue and showcasing emerging trends. Events such as the Analytica Anacon provide a platform for stakeholders to exchange views and explore opportunities in the sector. Our Mumbai Laboratory Equipment and Analytica Anacon was confined to only the manufacturers, our next show is in Hyderabad in September this year, and we will rope in more customers, who are using the laboratory and analytical instruments and this event will be encompassing not just laboratory and analytical equipment providers but it will also have the customers from pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, diagnostic and research institutions, informed Shetty.

While the Indian market continues to import a significant portion of machinery, Shetty remains optimistic about the potential for domestic production growth. Government initiatives such as Production Linked Incentives (PLI) and Make in India are expected to bolster domestic manufacturing, paving the way for a thriving indigenous industry.

Challenges and Opportunities

The prevailing scenario of the laboratory equipment and analytical instruments industry presents both challenges and opportunities for Indian players. While the majority of domestic manufacturers engage in generic manufacturing, there's a dearth of specialised technologies and innovative manufacturing capabilities. Dr Rajnish Bharti, Vice President and General Manager, Promega Biotech India, emphasises the importance of government support in fostering domestic innovation. Initiatives like PLI and Make in India are commendable, but greater funding allocation for innovative research and development is essential to spur indigenous manufacturing of advanced laboratory and analytical instruments.

Adding further, Dr Rajnish Bharti noted that the market for laboratory and analytical instruments is growing globally, driven by increasing investments in research and development, particularly in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

According to the Mordor Intelligence forecast study report, the global markets for laboratory and analytical instruments are expected to grow from $49.47 billion in 2023 to $66.27 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 6.02 per cent. The study has also revealed that the Asia Pacific region including India, China, Japan, Korea and Australia are the fastest growing markets, while North America is the largest market catering to the sector.

In India, the expansion is similarly fueled by rising healthcare demands and a growing focus on regulatory compliance and quality assurance in manufacturing. The India analytical laboratory instruments market is set to record a CAGR of 6.33 per cent during 2024-2032, and is expected to reach revenue of $4142.85 million by 2032 from the current revenues of approximately $2000-2500 million.

The significant growth in the analytical laboratory instruments market is mainly attributed to the governments increased emphasis on expanding production activities. A major driving force behind this expansion is the thriving pharmaceutical industry, which plays a crucial role in Indias analytical laboratory instrument markets.

Referring to new and innovative developments in the laboratory and analytical instrument sector, Dr Rajnish Bharti highlighted the development and adoption of high-throughput sequencing, CRISPR technology, and improved automation and robotics. Promega has been at the forefront of many of these advancements, integrating new technologies into our offerings to enhance precision and efficiency. For example, advancements in automation have led to more streamlined workflows in laboratories, significantly reducing manual labour and increasing reproducibility and scalability, says Dr Rajnish Bharti.

Path to Progress

To compete effectively on the global stage, Indian companies must adopt a 'look global, act local' strategy, focusing on innovation, quality, and customer-centricity.

Leading global players such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waters, Agilent Technologies, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Roche, Shimadzu, Danaher, PerkinElmer and Bruker have all established their presence in India, leveraging local expertise and expanding their service offerings.

The emphasis on nurturing homegrown talent, investing in research and development, and fostering collaboration between industry and academia is critical to driving innovation and achieving self-reliance in laboratory equipment manufacturing.

Catching up further on this trend, many global players are setting their Global Capacity Centres (GCCs) in India. According to data from a Nasscom-Zinnov report, India had 1,580 GCCs with 1.66 million employees as of 2022-23. At least 20 per cent of the Forbes 2000 global companies have set up their GCCs in India till 2023. Of this, 8 per cent of GCCs are established by the biosupplier and life sciences companies including pharma, biotech and healthcare. Major among them include Legatos, BMS, AstraZeneca, Providence, Baxter, GSK, Optum, and Teva Pharma. This share is estimated to grow to up to 55 per cent by 2030. The expansion is also leading to GCCs in-sourcing a lot of their technology functions from IT companies.

Hyderabad, which has around 16 per cent of all GCC units in India, is flanked by research institutes in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals attracting companies like Novartis and AstraZeneca. There is a lot of appetite for GCCs in Hyderabad, which has become a mature GCC centre for many companies. Kolkata also has potential. It also boils down to the ecosystem and incentives that local governments can offer. Hyderabad has been leading in this regard, opined Arindam Sen, Partner and GCC Sector Lead-Technology, Media and Telecommunications, EY India.

Segmentation of Industry

At present, the India analytical laboratory instruments market segmentation includes type and end-user or application. The type segment includes molecular analysis instruments, elemental analysis instruments, separation analysis instruments, centrifuges, chromatography, electrophoresis, microscopy, cell counting instruments, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), spectroscopy and other types, while the segment by application includes research and diagnostic application among others.

Particularly analytical laboratory instruments play a crucial role in research and academic institutions, facilitating a wide range of scientific experiments and analyses. Commonly utilised instruments in these settings encompass pipettes, microscopes, balances and scales, spectrophotometers, as well as specialised equipment for electrophysiology, muscle physiology, spectroscopy, tissue and cell biology, and biosensing free radical analysis.

These tools are indispensable for research endeavours, sample analysis, and data generation, contributing significantly to scientific discoveries and product development. Moreover, academic core labs offer a cost-effective means to access specialised equipment, receive training, and conduct impartial data analysis, thereby enhancing experimental quality and nurturing the development of future scientists.

Several examples of analytical laboratory instruments employed in research and academic institutions include mass spectrometers, utilised for the purification, quantification, identification, and determination of chemical compounds in various samples. Chromatography systems, such as High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Flash Chromatography, are employed for the separation and analysis of compounds. Spectrophotometers play a role in the quantitative estimation of substances like blood sugar, creatinine, and haemoglobin.

Spectrometers, including AAS, X-ray, and fluorescence spectrometers, find applications for various analytical purposes. Titrators determine the concentration of acids, bases, or other substances by measuring the volume of added acid or base required to reach a specific pH or pOH, whereas autoclaves serve the purpose of sterilising laboratory equipment and materials to uphold strict standards of hygiene and sterility in research and academic institutes. Centrifuges are utilised to separate solids from liquids or concentrate and purify samples based on their density. pH Metres measure the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, a crucial aspect in various scientific experiments and analyses.

According to Vipul Chhatbar, CEO of MEDISPEC, there are various new developments and innovative advancements coming up in the laboratory and analytical instrument sector. For instance, the Next-generation sequencing technologies have revolutionised genomics and molecular biology research. With continuous advancements, we've seen improvements in sequencing speed, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness. These innovations have democratised access to genomic information, aiding in gene discovery, understanding genetic variation, and advancing personalised medicine initiatives. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) is another new technological innovation that is fast being adopted in the laboratory and analytical instrument sector. Our partnership with Nicoya Life Sciences has introduced cutting-edge SPR instruments, such as the OpenSPR and Nicoya Alto. These instruments facilitate real-time, label-free analysis of molecular interactions, revolutionising drug discovery, biochemistry, and molecular biology research, highlights Vipul Chhatbar, while signifying how the collaborative and partnership initiatives can help deliver new technologies for the customers.

Towards a Brighter Future

As India continues its journey towards self-sufficiency in laboratory and analytical instruments, concerted efforts from industry stakeholders, government agencies, and academia are paramount. By harnessing the collective potential of innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic partnerships, the Indian laboratory equipment industry can chart a path towards sustainable growth, export competitiveness, and global leadership. With a steadfast commitment to innovation and excellence, India's laboratory and analytical instrument industry is poised to redefine its role on the global stage, contributing to the nation's economic prosperity and scientific advancement.

Conclusion

The future of India's laboratory and analytical instrument industry is filled with promise and potential. By embracing innovation, fostering collaboration, and leveraging emerging technologies, Indian companies can position themselves as formidable contenders in the global marketplace. With the right support and conducive ecosystem, India's journey towards self-reliance in laboratory equipment manufacturing is well underway, heralding a new era of growth, prosperity, and innovation.

Amguth Raju

(with inputs from Shivani Thakar)
Virtual Reality stands as a beacon of innovation in rehabilitation as its applications extend from neurological to addressing upper-extremity injuries and diseases. Future developments in this area suggest that virtual reality may play a significant role in rehabilitation therapy.

In 2018, diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system became the leading cause of outpatient rehabilitation forcing 74 per cent of women and 67 per cent of men in Germany to seek rehabilitation for upper extremity issues. This statistic underscores the critical role of rehabilitation in restoring the quality of life for individuals facing injuries and diseases in this domain.

Rehabilitation includes inpatient or outpatient interventions and subsequent services, making it a nuanced and long-term process. While, traditional rehabilitation includes physical therapy, psychological support, and activities like swimming or yoga; a new horizon has opened up for reshaping rehabilitation services, thanks to technology! At the forefront of this revolution is virtual reality (VR).



Virtual Reality in Rehabilitation

VR technologies create safe, interactive environments for human exploration and understanding. These environments prove especially beneficial for individuals with cognitive, behavioural, or motor disabilities. As a result, therapists, researchers, and engineers are collectively exploring the possibilities of virtual reality in the creation of rehabilitation tools and systems.

VR interventions go beyond the traditional bounds of rehabilitation, enabling patients to engage in goal-oriented activities within virtual environments. This becomes particularly crucial when dealing with upper-extremity dysfunctions resulting from injuries or diseases. Thus, the effectiveness of VR in neurorehabilitation has been extensively studied in conditions like cerebral palsy, stroke, etc.



Transforming Rehabilitation Landscape



VR offers a cost-effective alternative, allowing personalised treatment, fostering patient motivation, and improving compliance and functional recovery. Moreover, VR is commercially available and can be utilised for home-based rehabilitation, reducing the burden on healthcare professionals and providing patients with a tool for self-care.



As we delve into the possibilities, an exciting aspect emerges  integrating playful concepts with VR technologies. This entails presenting virtual environments on screens or through VR glasses, accompanied by auditory elements, mimicking the complexity of the real world. Combined with three-dimensional motion analysis, VR becomes a potent rehabilitation tool for the upper-extremity functions.





Rise of VR in Healthcare

The VR market in healthcare was valued at $628 million in 2022 and is projected to reach $6.2 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 38.7 per cent. VR has become a key player in rehabilitation, offering advanced progress monitoring, controlled remote rehabilitation, and heightened patient motivation. Evidence supports the positive impact of VR-based programs like VirtualRehab, showing improvements in dynamic balance, static balance, fatigue scores, and anxiety levels.

Usability and Adoption

While VR programmes for rehabilitation show immense promise, challenges exist, especially concerning usability and adoption among elderly users. Addressing these issues, investments in usability testing methods such as cognitive walkthroughs and heuristic evaluations become crucial. Ensuring that VR programs are user-friendly and cater to the specific needs of the elderly population will enhance their effectiveness and acceptance.





Enhancing Efficacy, Accessibility & Engagement

Virtual Reality stands as a beacon of innovation in rehabilitation as its applications extend from neurological to addressing upper-extremity injuries and diseases. Future developments in this area suggest that virtual reality may play a significant role in rehabilitation therapy, enhancing its efficacy, accessibility, and level of engagement.

As we stand at the crossroads of healthcare and technology, marrying virtual reality with rehabilitation opens doors to a new era of patient-centric care. The journey towards a more automated, data-driven, and cost-effective rehabilitation process is underway, driven by the transformative power of virtual reality. Welcome to the future of rehabilitation, where reality is virtual but the impact is real.

Rajinish Menon, CEO & Founder, Sukino Healthcare Solutions
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli leaders on Wednesday in his push for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas , saying the time is now for an agreement that would free hostages and bring a pause in the nearly seven months of war in Gaza.

He said Hamas would bear the blame for any failure to get a deal off the ground.

Blinken is on his seventh visit to the region since the war erupted in October in his bid to secure whats been an elusive deal between Israel and Hamas that could avert an Israeli incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering.

The current round of talks appears to be serious, but the sides remain far apart on one key issue  whether the war should end as part of an emerging deal.

We are determined to get a cease-fire that brings the hostages home and to get it now, and the only reason that that wouldnt be achieved is because of Hamas, Blinken told Israels ceremonial President Isaac Herzog at a meeting in Tel Aviv.

There is a proposal on the table, and as weve said, no delays, no excuses. The time is now, he said.

Blinken said the deal would also allow much needed food, medicine and water to get into Gaza, where the war has sparked a humanitarian crisis and displaced much of the territory's population.

Blinken also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though no details about the meeting were immediately available.

Earlier, after meeting with Herzog and also with families of Americans held by Hamas at his hotel, Blinken briefly greeted several dozen demonstrators calling for an immediate hostage release deal on the sidewalk outside.

Chanting SOS, USA, only you can save the day" and In Blinken we trust, bring them home to us, the protesters urged him to make their case to Netanyahu.

Blinken told the families that there was a very strong proposal on the table and that Hamas needs to say yes to it. That is our determination, and we will not rest, we will not stop until youre reunited with your loved ones, he said.

His comments came on the last leg of his regional visit, with previous stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, where he urged Hamas to accept the latest proposal, calling it extraordinarily generous on Israels part.

According to the State Department, he will also visit an Israeli port where aid for Gaza is entering.

The United States has staunchly supported Israel's war since Hamas' unprecedented attack on Oct. 7 into southern Israel. But it has grown increasingly critical of the staggering toll borne by Palestinian civilians in Gaza and has been especially outspoken against Israel's plan to invade Rafah, Gazas southernmost city where some 1.5 million Palestinians have fled from fighting elsewhere in the territory.

Washington has warned Israel against any offensive that puts civilians at risk.

Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to invade Rafah, which he says is Hamas last stronghold in the coastal strip, and on Tuesday he pledged to do so with or without a cease-fire deal.

The current deal that is being discussed  brokered by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar  would see the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for a six-week halt in fighting as part of an initial phase, according to an Egyptian official and Israeli media. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would also be released, including some serving long sentences.

But a sticking point remains over what happens next. Hamas has demanded assurances that an eventual release of all hostages will bring a complete end to Israels nearly seven-month assault in Gaza and a withdrawal of its troops from the devastated territory.

Israel has offered only an extended pause, vowing to resume its offensive once the first phase of the deal is over. The issue has repeatedly obstructed efforts by the mediators during months of talks.

While the talks appeared to be gaining steam, on Wednesday, an Egyptian official said that Hamas had asked Egyptian and Qatari mediators to provide clarity on the terms of the latest cease-fire proposal being discussed, a demand that could delay progress.

The official, who has close ties to the talks and who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to freely discuss the deal, said Hamas wants clear terms for the unconditional return of displaced people to the north of Gaza and to ensure that the second stage of the deal will include discussing the gradual and complete withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the entire Gaza Strip.

The official said the current outline didnt fully explain who would be allowed to return north and how it would be decided.

While talks are ongoing, the fighting in Gaza continues. Late Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike hit a house in central Rafah  a city Israel has struck repeatedly despite the masses that have taken refuge there  killing at least two children, according to hospital authorities. The bodies of the dead children were taken to the Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital. An Associated Press journalist saw the bodies at the hospital morgue as their relatives mourned the deaths.

On Wednesday, Israels military said it was operating in central Gaza, where it said jets struck militants, including one said to be setting up explosives.

The Israel-Hamas war was sparked by the unprecedented Oct. 7 raid into southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel says the militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials . The war has driven around 80% of Gazas population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine. (AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, pushing to get more aid into Gaza, while urging Hamas to accept a deal that would halt fighting and bring some hostages home from the enclave.

Israel is the final stop on the top U.S. diplomat's Middle East tour, his seventh visit to the region which was plunged into conflict on Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel.

Illustrating the trip's humanitarian focus, Blinken will visit Ashdod port in the south, which has recently started receiving aid for Gaza. He will ask Israel's government to take a set of specific steps to facilitate aid to Gaza, where nearly half the population is suffering catastrophic hunger.

During a meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem lasting about 2 and 1/2 hours, Blinken noted improvement in delivering aid "and reiterated the importance of accelerating and sustaining that improvement," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

The United States is Israel's main diplomatic supporter and weapons supplier. Blinken's check-in with Netanyahu on aid comes about a month after U.S. President Joe Biden issued a stark warning that Washington's policy could shift if Israel fails to take steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

Blinken also reiterated the U.S. position that Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist group widely proscribed in the West, was "standing in the way of a ceasefire," Miller said.

The U.S. diplomat has urged Hamas to accept an "extraordinarily generous" truce deal proposed by Egyptian mediators, which would see 33 hostages released in exchange for a larger number of Palestinian prisoners and a halt to the fighting, with the possibility of further steps towards a comprehensive deal later.

A senior official for Hamas said the group was still studying the proposed deal but accused Blinken of failing to respect both sides and described Israel as the real obstacle.

"Blinken's comments contradict reality," Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Assault on Rafah

Blinken's trip to Israel comes amid growing speculation that Israel will soon launch a long-promised assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians displaced from their homes further north are sheltering.

While facing international calls to hold off on any Rafah offensive, Netanyahu has faced pressure from the religious nationalist partners he depends on for the survival of his coalition government to press ahead. Israel has described Rafah as a last bastion of Hamas, which it has vowed to eliminate.

Hamas killed 1,200 people and abducted 253 others in its Oct. 7 assault on Israel, according to Israeli tallies. The hostages are mostly Israeli but include some foreign nationals.

In response, Israel has overrun Gaza, killing more than 34,000 Palestinians, local health authorities say, in a bombardment that has reduced much of the enclave to a wasteland. More than one million people face famine after six months of war, the United Nations has said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday there had been incremental progress toward averting "an entirely preventable, human-made famine" in the northern Gaza Strip, but called on Israel to do more.

The first shipments of aid directly from Jordan to northern Gaza's newly opened Erez crossing were to start on Tuesday, goods were also arriving via the port of Ashdod, and a new maritime corridor would be ready in about a week, Blinken said. (Reuters)








Paul OGradys widower Andre Portasio has said it was interesting to see how his five dogs engaged with the late TV star when they saw him one final time before his burial.

OGrady, who rose to fame as alter-ego Lily Savage before hosting a string of popular TV programmes  including For The Love Of Dogs, died at his home on March 28 last year at the age of 67.

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Appearing on the panel show Loose Women, his husband Mr Portasio reflected on the days following his death, and said he had wanted their dogs to say goodbye after a woman wrote to him and said she was worried about them.

He said: I received so many letters and it was funny because so many people didnt know the address so you would receive the letter and it would be like: Paul OGrady, Home, Kent.

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I opened this letter, it was this old lady, I think she was 85 and she was very worried about the dogs, and the dogs had to say goodbye.

And that stayed in the back of my mind and I thought I must attend to what she is asking me to do.

So just before he was buried I took the dogs to say goodbye and it was really interesting to see that some of them engaged with Paul.

Asked how the dogs are doing now, Mr Portasio said fabulous.

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Mr Portasio also reflected on what it was like to receive a letter from Britain's Queen Camilla.

I was shocked to receive a letter from her, he said.

Husband of Paul OGrady Andre Portasio rides with the funeral cortege (Yui Mok/PA)

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I must confess it took me so long to reply.

Its not everyday that you receive a letter from the Queen so I would wake up and think I must reply to her letter and I would sit down and be like Dear Camilla oh no Dear Queen Camilla oh no, and it took me so long, in the end I was like Youre not writing a book youre writing a thank you letter and you just have to go with what is in your heart, so I finally wrote to her.

Mr Portasio and OGrady first met in 2006 before marrying in an intimate London ceremony in 2017.

OGrady was known for his fondness of dogs and became an ambassador for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in 2012, following the success of ITVs multi-award winning For The Love Of Dogs, which was filmed at the home.

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He joined Camilla, patron of the charity, to promote rescue animals in a royal special of the programme which aired in December 2022.
Ryan Gosling was almost unrecognisable at the Los Angeles premiere of his latest film The Fall Guy as he channeled Beavis And Butt-head alongside comedian Mikey Day.

The pair revived their live-action versions of the 1990s cartoon characters, which were first seen in a viral sketch on Saturday Night Live.

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Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day arrive at the premiere of The Fall Guy (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Gosling first arrived on the red carpet in conventional attire  a mint green suit  and posed for photos with his co-star Emily Blunt.

But he later re-appeared as Beavis in a blonde wig with a prosthetic nose, sporting the characters signature blue Death Rock T-shirt and black shorts.

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Day, as Butt-head, wore a black T-shirt emblazoned with the word Skull and red shorts.

Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt at the premiere (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

In the original SNL sketch, which aired last month, Gosling and Day appeared as the characters while cast member Heidi Gardner played a news anchor grilling a professor, played by Kenan Thompson, on the dangers of artificial intelligence.

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Thompsons character was unable to focus his attention on Gardner because two audience members kept distracting him with their uncanny resemblance to the cartoon characters.

The sketch went viral after Gardner and Gosling were unable to contain their own giggles, and it has been hailed as one of the US sketch shows best ever skits.

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It has been viewed on YouTube 13 million times in two weeks.

Beavis and Butt-head, which first aired in 1994, featured two socially awkward, rock/metal-loving teenage delinquents, Beavis and Butt-head. The duo would judge music videos, reality TV and the internet in their unique style.

Gosling plays a stuntman in his new film The Fall Guy, while Blunt plays an aspiring director.

The film is released in Irish cinemas on May 2nd.
Sangita Myska will depart LBC after being away from her show for a few weeks.

The radio presenter and former BBC reporter will leave at the end of her contract, the radio station said on Wednesday.

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Tom Cheal, LBCs senior managing editor, said: Wed like to thank Sangita for her fantastic contribution to LBC and we wish her every success in the future.

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Myska, who has been at the station for nearly two years, hosting from 1pm to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays after joining in 2022, has not been broadcasting at the station since reportedly being taken off-air on April 20th.

There has been mounting speculation on social media that this has been due to an interview with an Israeli spokesperson by Myska. LBC has kept the YouTube clip of the broadcast on its channel.

Former Conservative Party parliamentary candidate Ali Miraj has been stepping in as a guest presenter and he will now have two weekend shows at the broadcaster.

LBC also announced that Vanessa Feltz will join the radio station following her departure from TalkTV after the TV station moved to broadcasting via streamers including YouTube.

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The veteran TV presenter, 62, will present a Saturday programme, from 3pm to 6pm, starting this weekend.

Feltz said: After a long and passionate courtship, Ive finally succumbed to the allure of LBC. Actually I was powerless to resist.

Globals dynamism is mesmerising and it is the high-octane station from which to broadcast in this riveting election year. I cant wait to join the Global family and get cracking. Brace yourself for May 4th  May the fourth be with you.

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Were delighted to welcome Vanessa Feltz to LBC!



The hugely popular journalist and presenter will front her own Saturday afternoon show, from 3pm to 6pm, offering opinion, analysis and deep dives into what matters to the British public.



Our refreshed weekend schedule in full   LBC (@LBC) May 1, 2024

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LBC also confirmed that Iain Dales programme will be extended to five days a week, with him presenting an extra show on Friday evenings.

Mr Cheal said: Vanessa is a leading light in broadcasting who is outspoken, incisive and understands what matters to LBC listeners. Were delighted to have her on board.

Ali Miraj has made a huge positive impact on the LBC audience so were very pleased hell be with us twice over the weekend.

As we gear up for an election year, Iain Dale, the man with his finger firmly on the pulse of Westminster, has another show to follow the fast-moving world of politics.

Iain will also front our local election coverage.

He is a superb broadcaster and key part of LBCs political powerhouse capabilities, alongside Andrew Marr and Lewis Goodalls new flagship Sunday morning politics show.
Shane MacGowans widow Victoria Mary Clarke has said the late musicians rifle from the 1916 Easter Rising is missing and has most likely been stolen.

The Pogues frontman died in November 2023 aged 65 shortly after he was discharged from St Vincents Hospital in Dublin, ahead of his 66th birthday on Christmas Day.

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His wife said the missing LeeEnfield rifle was historically significant as it was used during the Irish rebellion against the British government.

It was on Easter Monday 1916 that the insurgents seized the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin and a proclamation was read out heralding the start of the insurrection against British rule.

On X, Clarke wrote: Shanes 1916 rifle has gone missing, most likely been stolen.

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Shanes 1916 rifle has gone missing, most likely been stolen. It was a birthday gift to @ShaneMacGowan from a dear musician friend and it was used in the GPO so it was historically significant. It was a Lienfield 303 and it has H Munn etched on it pic.twitter.com/iWJQiTji0L  @victoriamary (@Victoriamary) May 1, 2024

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It was a birthday gift to @ShaneMacGowan from a dear musician friend and it was used in the GPO so it was historically significant.

MacGowan led The Pogues who became a household name after the release of their festive hit Fairytale Of New York in 1987.

Following his death, Clarke told the Brendan OConnor Show on RTE Radio that she thought she was going to die after learning MacGowan was coming to the end of his life.

Discussing his last days, she said she had been giving him health drinks and trying alternative therapists, hypnotists and physios to try to help him.

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She added: He was putting up a really strong fight. He was trying very hard to breathe.

He wasnt ready to give up. He wasnt ready to stop fighting  but his body did it for him.
Updated at 10:21

An operation was undertaken in Dublin on Wednesday morning to move hundreds of asylum seekers who had been sleeping in a large encampment of tents in the city centre.

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In recent months, migrants have been sleeping rough beside the citys International Protection Office on Mount Street as the state struggles to source enough accommodation for people seeking asylum.

The operation to move the makeshift camp that began early on Wednesday morning comes amid increasing diplomatic tensions between the UK and Ireland after the Government expressed concern about an upsurge of asylum seekers entering the state via the land border from Northern Ireland. Council workers, some dressed in white overalls, were involved in clean-up efforts to remove the tents and wash down the camp area in and around Mount Street. Asylum seekers congregated in groups waiting with their luggage as buses and taxis arrived to take them to another site where basic facilities will be offered. Advertisement Mount Street was cordoned off during the operation, with a large number of gardai present. Multi-agency initiative A similar operation to remove tents from the area was undertaken in March, but another makeshift encampment soon built up again.

A Government statement outlined details of Wednesdays operation: A joint operation between the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; the Department of Justice; An Garda Siochana; Dublin City Council; the Office of Public Works; and the HSE (Health Service Executive) is under way on Mount Street, Dublin.

The purpose of the operation is to ensure the safe movement of people seeking international protection from the tents on Mount Street to International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas)-designated accommodation.

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The Ipas-designated accommodation has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security.

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the encampment was inhumane and unsustainable.

Glad to see alternative accommodation is now being provided by Gov, will press to ensure it is safe and secure, she posted on X.

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Gardai escort women and children away from Mount Street. Photo: Cate McCurry/PA Wire

Noel Wardick, from Dublin City Community Cooperative, an organisation that has been providing support to the asylum seekers sleeping rough, said it was vital that the alternative accommodation was appropriate.

He said that was the key failure of the last removal operation in March.

The jury is out. From our point of view we dont know where the men are going.

The jury is out. From our point of view we dont know where the men are going.

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And we dont know the conditions on the site. So we would expect that the state has provided sufficient sanitation, water, hygiene, and blankets, warm accommodation.

However, that wasnt the case on the 16th of March when they last dismantled the site in a very shambolic, ham-fisted and chaotic manner.

So lets hope all those lessons were learned, and the men are in a vastly improved situation.

Minister for Enterprise and Employment Peter Burke said that while he did not know the details of where people were being moved from Mount Street, he was certain they would be well cared for, security would be provided, and they would have health care and wraparound services.

There are a number of officially accredited IPASS areas where they have been taken, where they will have health care services, where they will have food, food, shelter and accommodation. That's so important for them. This has been a very difficult situation the government has responded to.

Vulnerable people

We know that government has given 2500 beds, brought into circulation from the 1st of January. We have a significant challenge. Looking at pre-pandemic figures, it's up nearly 200 per cent. People come into our country and the government has prioritised women and children first.

But it's important that we had a public safety issue in terms of people, very vulnerable people on Mount Street. It was a public health issue for them as well and for residents and area businesses.

"So I would welcome that those vulnerable people are being cared for and moved on because that's so important. We're dealing with human beings.

When asked if the people being moved from Mount Street would be living in tents in the new location, Mr Burke said he did not have the details, but acknowledged that some would live in tents.

I accept it's a very challenging situation, but the government is working. We have a rules-based immigration system. If you look at people who are designated in countries that have been fast tracked, safe countries, their applications have reduced by 50 per cent over the last number of weeks.

"And what does that prove? It proves that Ireland has a fair rules-based immigration system and we as a government are implementing that.

But we are in a challenging environment. And the way we would resolve this is when we sign up to the asylum migration pact, because what that will do, it will allow us link into Europe, working together to get data sets and allow us to deal with secondary movements where people have applied for asylum in other countries, and we need to ensure that that's operational.

The State will provide new accommodation, and new arrivals will absolutely not be going into tents on Mount Street, he said.

Authorities clearing the street. Photo: Cate McCurry/PA Wire

Aubrey McCarthy, the founder of Tiglin, the charity that helps people overcome addiction and homelessness, has described the situation on Mount Street as absolutely untenable.

The charitys outreach hub in Pearse Street had over 500 people seeking assistance on Tuesday night, he told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

Mr McCarthy told of how he had observed the number of tents on Mount Street increase in recent days with tents doubling up on both sides of the street.

At our outreach hub, which is the Lighthouse on Pearse Street last night, we had over 500 people queuing for hot food, clothing, sleeping bags, sanitary products. And also we are limited to three toilets.

"So there's a queue then of people trying to wash, trying to use the bathroom. And that certainly has doubled since the start of this year. So even in the last number of days, there has been a huge increase in tents on Mount Street.

The situation was not sustainable, he said, as there were only two portable toilets at the back of Grafton Court, for the people sleeping in tents.

I think the problem is, it is a perfect storm, our housing crisis, the numbers coming in. I think we've been sort of caught off guard. And now what's happened with the UK as well.

The co-founder of the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, Lucky Khambule, has described the conditions for those living in tents on Mount Street as really unbelievable.

It was not the fault of the individuals seeking protection that the tents were in place. They were given no options, he told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

While Mr Khambule accepted that people had to be moved, he was concerned that there could be a repeat of the situation in March when people were moved to Crooksling, Tallaght, but subsequently returned to Mount Street.

We are afraid that it might be the same thing as well. The fact that people are not told where they are going, no one knows where they are going. How safe will they be?

"They take into account the opposition that comes when people come in those areas. What about the communities in those areas that they're talking about? It's a dicey situation at the moment.

Mr Khambule said that the facilities in Crooksling, to where people had been moved in March, had improved tremendously, with tents and beds and wash facilities. He hoped there was a plan in place for new arrivals. At present if a person presents at the International Protection Office, he did not know if accommodation was available.

If accommodation was not available then the person would end up on the street. It will be up to the volunteers to find a place for that person, to feed that person. And the government won't be there. So I hope there is a plan for the people that will come today.

Additional reporting from Vivienne Clarke
A criminal on trial accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice was "trying to secure justice" in his attempts to persuade a witness not to give evidence at garda killer Aaron Brady's murder trial, a barrister has told the Special Criminal Court.

Padraig Dwyer SC told the three-judge, non-jury court that his client, Dean Byrne, genuinely believed that witness Daniel Cahill was going to give false evidence at Brady's murder trial. He said that in that context, any attempt by Mr Byrne to persuade the witness was not unlawful and a citizen in his position has a "moral obligation to prevent an injustice being done".

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Prosecution counsel Lorcan Staines SC said that any interference in the justice process by a private citizen, even where the motive is benign, is an intentional act which interferes with the course of public justice.

He added: "There are no circumstances in which an attempt to persuade a witness in a criminal trial not to give evidence can take place without an intent to pervert the course of public justice. This is so because justice can only take place in the courts or the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions."

Dean Byrne (30) from Cabra Park, Phibsborough, Dublin is on trial accused of conspiring with Aaron Brady in Mountjoy Prison between April 8th, 2020 and June 22nd, 2020 to persuade prosecution witness Daniel Cahill not to give evidence at Brady's murder trial, a course of conduct which had a tendency to and which was intended to pervert the course of justice.

In August 2020, Brady (33) formerly of New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh was convicted by a jury of the murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe during a credit union robbery at Lordship, Bellurgan, Co Louth on January 25th, 2013.

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Following the close of the prosecution case on Wednesday, Mr Dwyer asked the court to dismiss the charge against Mr Byrne on the grounds that the indictment is unclear and there is a lack of evidence that he did anything wrong.

In his submissions today, Mr Dwyer said the indictment against his client accuses him of attempting to "persuade" a witness not to give evidence. The Oxford English Dictionary, he said, defines "persuade" as the use of "reasoning and argument to make someone do or believe something." The use of reason and argument, Mr Dwyer said, is not unlawful.

Mr Dwyer said it is an "undisputed fact" that his client had a genuine belief that Daniel Cahill was going to perjure himself at Aaron Brady's trial.

A person who seeks to persuade a witness not to give false testimony is "trying to secure justice, not pervert justice. He is actually doing the opposite, saying it would be wrong to corrupt the court process by telling lies," Mr Dwyer said.

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In this case, he said, there is no evidence of how Mr Cahill was to be persuaded. He said neither Mr Byrne nor Aaron Brady could have been the ones doing the persuading because they were both in Mountjoy prison and Daniel Cahill was in New York.

Mr Dwyer said the indictment is difficult to understand as it is "not sufficiently precise to enable a jury to properly grapple with the allegation of wrongdoing. What the wrongdoing is, is difficult to assess."

He said it is not alleged that his client used unlawful means to persuade Mr Cahill not to give evidence. It does not allege that Mr Byrne threatened, bribed or interfered with Daniel Cahill or that he tried to put him in fear, counsel said. There was also no evidence of who was "doing the persuasion" or how they were doing it.

Mr Staines said he rejected the claim that all the evidence suggests Mr Byrne genuinely believed Mr Cahill was going to perjure himself. Counsel drew the court's attention to the language Mr Byrne used in one voice message in which he called Mr Cahill a "f**king rat c**t, filthbag rat bastard of a thing."

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He said the jury would have to consider what Mr Byrne meant by those words and his "true feelings" about Mr Cahill giving evidence against Brady.

Mr Staines said there is evidence that Mr Byrne is serving a long prison sentence and that he is a "resourceful" prisoner capable of obtaining drugs and mobile phones for himself and other people.

A jury is entitled to conclude that Dean Byrne was just the sort of inmate who would be recruited by Aaron Brady to engage in a criminal enterprise," he said.

Mr Staines said there is also evidence that Mr Byrne circulated Mr Cahill's Garda statement to members of Mr Cahill's family in a bid to place pressure on him.

It would be open to a jury to find that Mr Byrne knew that disseminating the statement was a "serious contempt of court, perversion of justice and that he knew such an act in the context in which it was done was unlawful, improper and corrupt," counsel said.

Mr Staines will continue his submissions to the court on Thursday.
The Department of Justice has refused to publish an operational arrangement which it says provides for returning asylum seekers to the UK.

It comes amid a developing row between Ireland and the UK after the Minister for Justice said there was a significant increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland from across the Northern Ireland border.

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After it was suggested the increase could be driven by migrants fearing the UKs Rwanda plan, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said that showed the plans effect.

The policy aims to send asylum seekers to the east African nation to deter others from crossing the English Channel.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said on Sunday that Ireland will not provide a loophole for other countries migration challenges, while Mr Sunak said it was not interested in any returns deal if the EU does not allow the UK to deport asylum seekers who had crossed the English Channel to France.

The existence of an operational arrangement at the centre of the UK-Ireland diplomatic row has been acknowledged by both sides, but Downing Street has cast doubt on whether it contains any legal obligations.

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A No 10 spokesman said: Theres an existing understanding and operational procedure that is long standing with the Irish government.

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak. Photo: Alastair Grant/PA.

Its obviously consistent with the Common Travel Area, but there is no legal obligation to accept the return of asylum seekers who enter and cross the Common Travel Area.

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My understanding is no asylum seekers have ever been returned to the UK under these existing arrangements. And as the Prime Minister set out yesterday, were not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland at a time when the EU doesnt accept returns back to France.

Mr Sunaks official spokesman added that the UK worked with Ireland on the sharing of biometric data on individuals claiming asylum, clamping down on visa abuse and dismantling smuggling gangs.

The Justice Department said the written deal with the UK home office was agreed in November 2020 but is not publicly available.

It said the deal provides for reciprocal returns of asylum seekers who are deemed inadmissible and helps to protect against abuse of the Common Travel Area.

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However, it refused to publish the deal: We do not provide operational details of immigration procedures so as to avoid any impact on the effectiveness of such operations.

On Tuesday, the Irish Government approved emergency legislation from the Minister of Justice Helen McEntee to allow the UK to be designated as a safe country to enable asylum seekers to be transferred back there.

It comes after a High Court ruling in March deemed that the legal basis for designating the UK as a safe country for the return of asylum seekers was unsound under EU law.

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Tents housing asylum seekers near to the Office of International Protection, in Dublin. Photo: Niall Carson/PA.

Mr Harris said the justice minister has acted swiftly to address this High Court ruling.

Asked about agreements with the UK, she said the reciprocal arrangement is to ensure that neither of our countries are a place for people to evade or obstruct the immigration controls and processes of the other.

To combat any abuse of the CTA, it is essential that we have mechanisms in place to return people to the UK where the UK is deemed to be the appropriate country to process any application for protection, the minister said.

It hasnt been operational owing to a High Court judgment which identified a legal issue which had a bearing on the operation of that arrangement.

The legislative changes that I will bring to the Houses in the coming weeks will ensure that the arrangement can be operationalised.

The Government has been accused of displaying incredible incompetence over migration issues by the leader of Sinn Fein.

Mary Lou McDonald told the Dail: At a time when we need calm and an assured response, we get panic. At a time when we need competence and clear communication, we get contradiction.

This has been a feature confirming the widespread view that your Government is not on top of issues relating to migration, that nobody competent is in charge.

The incompetence is off the charts!

The government's chaotic approach to immigration hits another level.



Confusion and contradiction within government  Justice Minister Helen McEntee says one thing and Tanaiste Micheal Martin says another.



Confusion and contradiction between pic.twitter.com/542qjk3g5y  Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) April 30, 2024

Scrambling around to turn hotels, B&Bs, office blocks into Direct Provision centres or having tents line the length of Mount Street in Dublin are not the hallmarks of a well-managed system.

She added: Your government says that you have an agreement with Britain, the British government saying that you do not. Which is it? If you do have such an agreement, has the Irish state made use of this agreement?

Youve actually managed to spread this confusion now to between two governments, about an agreement which exists or does not exist. Which is it?

Mr Harris denied there was any confusion, saying there is a Common Travel Area between the United Kingdom and Ireland.

As you know, better than most I would imagine, that is a really important Common Travel Area, Mr Harris added.

Its something we value and as you also know, that when Britain made the decision to leave the European Union there was an agreement put in place, one that indeed has been confirmed by the British Government today in relation to an operating agreement for migrants, for refugees to be returned in both directions.

Tents housing asylum seekers near to the International Protection Office, in Dublin. Photo: PA.

I have no intention whatsoever of this country being dragged into politics in Britain, Im very well aware of politics in Britain, they can have their migration policy, and they can do what they wish in relation to that.

We have ours and ours is a rules-based firm migration system that endeavours to provide assistance to people in humanitarian need, but also one that has to make it clear to people that if they dont have a right to be here, that they need to be asked and leave more quickly.

Mr Harris added: We also have every right when countries enter agreements, that those agreements are honoured. This is a country that honours our agreements and Ive said very clearly that the British Government has acknowledged that there are operational arrangements in place. I welcome that fact.

Im very clear that those operational agreements are in place under the Common Travel Area. And Im very clear that were going to legislate to have absolute clarity so that it can work. But Im also really clear that its only one of a number of things we need to do.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the Governments immigration plan has failed.

The clearest evidence of that failure is just around the corner. Hundreds of people sleeping in tents and makeshift shelters in desperately unsanitary conditions on Mount Street, she added.

There has been an increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland in recent years, with up to 16,000 new arrivals projected to arrive every year, up from between 3,000-5,000 between 2015-2019.

Ireland Rwanda plan will definitely lead to legal action... Read More

As Ireland struggles to boost its housing supply after falling behind during the economic crash, the influx has put more pressure on the State to house people as their asylum claim is processed.

The Government has implemented a number of migration policies in recent weeks, including paring back the offering to Ukrainian refugees who are automatically granted asylum.

A makeshift camp has sprung up at the International Protection Office in Dublin city as more than 1,700 asylum seekers have been left without an offer of accommodation from Ireland.
The UK prime minister has urged the Government not to send gardai into border areas amid a row over asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic.

Rishi Sunak said they must uphold its promises to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and avoid setting up checkpoints to prevent asylum seekers entering the country.

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Diplomatic tensions between London and Dublin have increased in recent days after Minister for Justice Helen McEntee claimed there had been an upsurge in asylum seekers crossing the border following the passing of the UKs Safety of Rwanda Act.

On Tuesday, the Government said 100 gardai would be made available for frontline immigration enforcement duties, although Dublin insisted they would not be assigned to physically police the border with Northern Ireland.

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Answering questions in the UK House of Commons, Mr Sunak said ministers were seeking urgent clarification that there will be no disruption or police checkpoints at or near the border and that there must not be cherry-picking of important international agreements.

He added: Now, its no surprise that our robust approach to illegal migration is providing a deterrent, but the answer is not sending police to villages in Donegal. Its to work with us in partnership to strengthen our external borders all around the Common Travel Area that we share.

His comments came in response to a question from DUP MP Carla Lockhart, who accused the Government of hypocrisy given its stance on the border during Brexit negotiations.

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Downing Street has repeatedly stressed that the UK is under no legal obligation to accept returns of asylum seekers from Ireland, and would not do so while France continued to refuse to accept returns from the UK.

There is an operational agreement on the Common Travel Area with Ireland which Dublin says provides for returning asylum seekers, but the UK prime ministers official spokesman said this was not legally binding and nobody had been returned to the UK under its terms.

Simon Harris has previously said Ireland will not provide a loophole for other countries migration challenges (Brian Lawless/PA)

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One person has been returned to Ireland under the agreement since it was signed four years ago, the spokesperson said.

On Wednesday, the spokesperson said: We obviously work with them on a range of issues, including in relation to security issues in the Common Travel Area, but the UK has no obligation to accept returns.

The UK government has claimed the reported increase in asylum seekers entering Ireland from Northern Ireland demonstrated that its Rwanda scheme was already acting as a deterrent.

Taoiseach Simon Harris has previously said Ireland will not provide a loophole for other countries migration challenges.

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It is not clear how many asylum seekers have crossed the border into Ireland.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said his colleague Helen McEntees figure of 80 per cent of total border crossings was not evidenced-based, while DUP MP Ian Paisley told the Commons it was made up.

Downing Street said it did not have data on crossings as the border is not policed.
Some 10,000 households using heating systems operated by remote control could be left without heating if a buyer is not found to take over the controller system, the High Court heard.

Hub Controls Ltd, which installed the "Hub Controller" system in 12,000 homes, is insolvent and unable to pay its debts, the court heard. Another home heating controls firm, Climote, was wound up last December.

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On Tuesday, following an application from Sally ONeill BL, for the company, Mr Justice Mark Sanfey appointed a provisional liquidator so that efforts can be made to find a buyer for the Hub subscription service and the protection of 10,000 users.

Some 4,000 users pay for a subscription service and 6,000 are on the basic non-subscription service.

In the event of the company ceasing operations, it says these services would "immediately stop" and up to 10,000 homes left without heating.

Householders would have to call in an electrician to bypass the system and install a new device before the heating system could be used again, Hub Controls says.

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Mr Justice Sanfey appointed Declan De Lacy of Azets Ireland as provisional liquidator with liberty to apply for additional powers if necessary before the case returns next month.

Oliver Hynes, who along with Barry Gavin, is one of the two directors of the firm, said in an affidavit that at a meeting on April 22nd, the board that in the interest of creditors, it was resolved to recommend that the company be wound up.

It currently employs six staff members and is based in Tallaght, Dublin.

In the petition, the company says that since 2019 it was able to offer the Hub Controller free to consumers because the product qualified for energy credits under the "energy efficiency obligation scheme" operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

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It also developed an expertise in processing similar energy credits for electric vehicle charging companies.

Those energy credits in Ireland generated some 5 million in revenue between 2019 and 2023. The company said it was anticipated they would continue until 2030 but in 2022 they were dropped under a new SEAI policy.

In December 2022, the company wrote to all users inviting them to sign up for a subscription service to continue using its full facilities while those who didn't could continue to use the basic service.

A total of 4,000 signed up but in order to break even, the company needed 5,750 subscribers.

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Also in 2022, the electric vehicle credits would also be discontinued.

Initiatives to rescue the business were taken, including seeking to grow the number of paying subscribers, seeking a partnership with the Climote firm, restructuring loans and cost reductions.

It was also proposed to raise fresh equity and to facilitate a fundraiser in the US, Hub Controls Global Inc was set up in Delaware.

However, by early 2024, despite the implementation of cost reductions and loan restructuring, it failed to add any customers and, in fact, lost a number.

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The deal with Climote did not materialise and Climote itself went into liquidation last December.

The company also realised that a 606,000 debt it says owed to it by Bord Gais Energy would not be realised in the short term given the debt was being contested and that lawyers had said it would cost 100,000-plus to bring a case to recover it.

It was also accepted there was no appetite from US investors to fund the Irish business.

However, it said that should a provisional liquidator be appointed, Hub Controls Global Inc has agreed to continue the service to Irish customers for 28 days (until May 24th) to facilitate the sale of the subscription service and to protect the overall 10,000 users.

It is also hoped some of the six employees could be retained.

As well as directing the advertising of the appointment of the provisional liquidator, the judge said Revenue, which is the largest creditor and owed some 927,000 in a warehoused tax liability, is also to be put on notice.
Taoiseach Simon Harris has reiterated his Governments position that gardai will not be sent to the Northern Ireland border amid an ongoing diplomatic row which saw UK prime minister Rishi Sunak seeking urgent clarification on the matter.

Diplomatic tensions between London and Dublin have increased in recent days after Minister for Helen McEntee claimed there had been an upsurge in asylum seekers crossing the border following the passing of the UKs Safety of Rwanda Act.

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On Tuesday, the Government said 100 gardai would be made available for frontline immigration enforcement duties, although ministers insisted they would not be assigned to physically police the border with Northern Ireland.

On Wednesday, Mr Sunak urged the Irish Government not to send gardai into border areas following a dispute about asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic.

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He said the Irish Government must uphold its promises to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and avoid setting up checkpoints to prevent asylum seekers entering the country.

Answering questions in the UK House of Commons, Mr Sunak said ministers were seeking urgent clarification that there will be no disruption or police checkpoints at or near the border, and that there must not be cherry-picking of important international agreements.

He added: Now, its no surprise that our robust approach to illegal migration is providing a deterrent but the answer is not sending police to villages in Donegal. Its to work with us in partnership to strengthen our external borders all around the common travel area that we share.

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Asked about Mr Sunaks comments, Taoiseach Simon Harris reiterated that no gardai will be sent to border areas, saying: Of course there wont be.

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Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday, the Taoiseach said he had no idea if the UK had directly sought clarification from his Government on whether there would be checkpoints on the border.

Both governments have acknowledged the existence of an operational agreement which provides for the reciprocal return of asylum seekers between the UK and Ireland, but Downing Street has said it contains no legal obligations to accept them.

The UK prime minister said he was not interested in a returns deal if the European Union did not allow the UK to send back asylum seekers who had crossed the English Channel from France.

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Rishi Sunak said there must be no cherry-picking of important international agreements (Yui Mok/PA)

Mr Harris, who pointed out that there were upcoming elections in the UK, stressed the importance of countries upholding agreements.

He said: Im not getting involved in British politics and Im very well aware there is local elections due in the UK tomorrow, and Ive no interest as Taoiseach of this country of being involved in day to day back and forth in the House of Commons.

What I do have an interest in is agreements. Agreements between two countries and I very much welcome the British Prime Ministers comments in relation to the importance of countries upholding agreements. Well uphold the agreement we have with Britain under the common travel area, the standard operating procedure that we have in place.

I also welcome the comments of the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, where he referred to the importance of the two countries working together to protect the common travel area from abuses.

Regularising our laws in relation to the arrangement we have with Britain is only one of a number of things we intend to do to ensure we have a firm, effective migration system.

Mr Sunaks comments came in response to a question from DUP MP Carla Lockhart, who accused the Irish Government of hypocrisy given its stance on the border during Brexit negotiations.

Tents housing asylum seekers near to the Office of International Protection in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)

Asked about the diplomatic dispute, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said Mr Harris had provided Mr Sunaks government with a propaganda coup in the run-up to elections.

Speaking to RTE, she added: Its never a good place for the Irish Government to be scoffed and laughed at in the House of Commons.

Downing Street has repeatedly stressed that the UK is under no legal obligation to accept returns of asylum seekers from Ireland, and would not do so while France continued to refuse to accept returns from the UK.

There is an operational agreement on the common travel area with Ireland which Dublin says provides for returning asylum seekers, but the prime ministers official spokesman said this was not legally binding and nobody had been returned to the UK under its terms.

One person has been returned to Ireland under the agreement since it was signed four years ago, the spokesman added.

On Wednesday, the spokesman said: We obviously work with them on a range of issues, including in relation to security issues in the common travel area, but the UK has no obligation to accept returns.

Labour said it agreed with the Government that the UK should not accept returns from Ireland while Britain is not able to return people who arrive here from the EU.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said there had been an upsurge in asylum seekers crossing the border following the passing of the UKs Safety of Rwanda Act (Liam McBurney/PA)

The UK government has claimed the reported increase in asylum seekers entering Ireland from Northern Ireland demonstrated that its Rwanda scheme was already acting as a deterrent.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin has previously said Minister for Justice Helen McEntees figure of 80 per cent of total border crossings was not evidence-based while DUP MP Ian Paisley told the Commons it was made up.

It is not clear how many asylum seekers have cross from Northern Ireland into the Republic, with Downing Street saying it did not have that data as the border is not policed.

A spokesman for the Taoiseach said that no call or meeting has been scheduled for Mr Sunak and Mr Harris to discuss the matter.
A statement in January last to the judge hearing Kitty Hollands defamation case against John Waters, that he would be calling up to 13 defence witnesses, was described in court today as a blatant attempt to bully her.

Barrister Shane English, who appears with Andrew Walker SC for Holland, told Judge John OConnor in the Circuit Civil Court hearing that he knew this at the time and that there was no reality to it.

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On January 24th, I stood in this courtroom and was handed a list of 13 witnesses which was nonsense, Mr English said. There was no chance anybody was going to call 13 witnesses.and it was a most blatant attempt to try and bully the plaintiff.

Irish Times reporter Holland, of Ranelagh, Dublin, is suing Mr Waters for 75,000 damages for defamation of character arising from a speech he made to a Renua political conference in 2017 in which he referred to the journalist who started the lie in relation to the untimely death of Savita Halappanavar in University Hospital Galway in 2012.

Ms Holland exclusively broke the story in The Irish Times under the headline "Woman denied termination dies in hospital", a story that went around the world and won her multiple awards.

Mr Waters, a former Irish Times journalist, of Sandycove, Dublin, denies having defamed her and told Judge OConnor he was entitled to what he described was and remains his honestly held opinion delivered in a keynote address around the Eighth Amendment referendum.

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Feargal Cavanagh SC, who appeared with Bray, Co Wicklow, solicitor Brendan Maloney for Mr Waters, told the court in a final submission, that Ms Holland, under the Civil Liability Act could have issued proceedings against Renua, who had put a recording of the speech up on Facebook, as a concurrent wrongdoer but had come to court against one defendant,

He said Ms Holland knew that Mr Waters had not known his address was being recorded or that it would be posted on line and holding him vicariously liable for what Renua had done would be unjust. Once he had known about the Facebook publication he had taken steps to have it taken down.

It would be manifestly inequitable and unfair to hit him with damages, he told Judge OConnor. He said that in the event of the court finding against Mr Waters it would have to consider if a journalist who had won awards and written a book about the Savita Halappanavar case had suffered any damage.

Mr English, in his submission, said damage was presumed under the Defamation Act and the fact that Ms Holland had not been fired from the Irish Times was not a matter for consideration.

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Judge OConnor is to give a written judgement in early July.
A judge has jailed an 80-year old former Limerick Scout Leader to six years and eight months in prison for molesting five young boys, all scouts, who still believed in Santa in the 1970s and early 1980s.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford imposed a 16-month prison term on Jim Harmon of Pinewood, Shannon for each of the five boys he indecently assaulted over a six-year period between 1976 and 1981 at locations in Clare and Limerick.

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Addressing the five complainants in court - all now men in their 50s - Judge Comerford said that they have been denied justice for a very, very long time.

Harmon was aged 33 to 38 during the period of the indecent assaults and the counts of indecent assaults took place at Cratloe in south east Clare, Holy Island on Lough Derg, Garryowen, Limerick and the Ennis Road, Limerick.

Victim impact statement

One of the five in his victim impact statement said that he has carried what happened to him for decades and those decades are matched by the others who brought this case.

He said: I therefore hope the court can appreciate that five of us in our 50s nearly have 250 years of hurt; the ripples add many more years to this, this is the impact of evil.

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The man said that Harmons victims were young children seven and eight years of age, children who still believed in Santa who were supposed to have innocence in their lives, making their Communions.

He said that the lives of Harmons victims have been forever altered and corrupted by the deviant nature of a predator.

He said: We know that predators do not operate in isolation so are we five just the unluckiest children - or are there more?

Describing Harmon as a prolific paedophile, another victim told the court that this predator used a position of trust to deceive parents and their children to repeatedly molest vulnerable young boys with no regard for the impact his actions had on his many young victims.

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The man said that he is thankful for the decent life he has achieved despite the devious efforts of Jim Harmon to destroy my innocence for his now perverted pleasure.

Judge Comerford noted that one of the five informed his mother that Jim Harmon - who lived in the Garryown area of Limerick at the time of his offending - had indecently assaulted him as far back as 1981 while in the scouts.

The boys mother in turn informed local scouting authorities, who took action against Mr Harmon and dismissed him from his senior scouting role in 1982.

Judge Comerford said that it didnt go any further and gardai were not informed at the time by the scouting authorities or Mr Harmon's offending.

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Complaints

Judge Comerford said that a complaint by one of the five to gardai in 1996 about Mr Harmon went nowhere while the DPP recommended that no prosecution take place against Mr Harmon concerning a complaint by the same man in 2014 and made the same direction concerning a separate complaint by another victim in 2016.

Judge Comerford stated that it was only after Scouting Ireland had set up a helpline for those abused by adults in the organisation that another man came forward to make a complaint against Mr Harmon and the older complaints were reviewed.

Judge Comerford said that the current exhaustive' Garda investigation that resulted in Mr Harmons guilty pleas involved gardai taking 80 witness statements.

Counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly BL (instructed by State Solicitor, Aisling Casey) said that in the 1970s Mr Harmon was well respected in Limerick scouting circle and had the trust of families to bring their boys away on overnight camping trips.

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One of the five, Ruairi Hickey (54) told gardai that Harmon molested him when he was 9 or 10 while the two played chess on a scouting trip to Holy Island in Co Clare.

Two other boys were on the same scouting trip and in his victim impact statement, Mr Hickey - originally from Limericks North Circular Road - said: I remember seeing the other two walking away and being powerless, knowing and dreading what was to come."

Mr Hickey also recalled another scout visit with Harmon to OBriens Estate, Cratloe, Co Clare where Harmon lined up the boys present in their underpants and measured their bodies with a soft measuring tape.

The only one of the five to waive his anonymity, Mr Hickey said that Harmon measured him from his inner thigh to his hip, brushing against his genitals.

Mr Hickey said that Harmons abuse was regular.

Harmon was Leader of the 2nd Limerick Troop and another victim said on camping trips, Jim Harmon told scouts that they werent allowed to wear underpants under their pyjamas.

He said at night, Mr Harmon would come into the tent at night and put his hands into their pyjamas.

Referring to Jim Harmon, the man told gardai that Oh f**k, who is going to be in the tent tonight?

He said another time, Harmon had boys strip to their underwear on the pretence of undergoing a physical examination where he felt their genitals and told them they had passed "and they were great young men.

Mr Connolly told the court that in a "remarkable coincidence another one of the five first disclosed Harmons abuse for the first time during a telesales call in the early 2000s to a man who also happened to be a victim of Harmons.

Both men had lived in Limerick and were in the local scouts.

Sgt Niall Donovan of Roxboro Garda Station, Limerick, told the court that Harmon has one previous conviction in 2017 at Waterford Circuit Court for indecent assault of a young boy scout in 1976 where he received a suspended one year and three months.

Sgt Donovan said that Harmon married a widowed woman in 1994 and was step-father to her five children. He said that the couple took in a six-year-old under a foster care arrangements with the HSE. Mr Harmon's wife died in 2000.

Sgt Donovan said that Mr Harmon worked as ground crew for the RAF from 1960 to 1973 and worked with now defunct semi-state agency, Shannon Development from 1973 to 2003 where he had a number of roles including Euro Information Officer.

Counsel for Mr Harmon, Donal Cronin BL said that Mr Harmon is alone in this world after becoming estranged from his family following the Waterford case.

Mr Cronin said that Mr Harmon was himself a victim of similar type behaviour in the past and expresses profound regret for his actions.

He said more than 40 years have passed since Mr Harmon left the scouts and there has been no further evidence of wrongdoing.

Speaking after Mr Harmon was jailed today, one of the five outside Ennis courthouse said he was happy with the sentence imposed.

He said: I wanted him convicted. I wanted him going somewhere. I wanted him to hear the cell door close behind him.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.
A threefold increase in the rate of asylum seekers being granted refugee status in Northern Ireland has placed strain on the social housing system, MLAs have been told.

A change to UK's immigration policy designed to clear the backlog of asylum applications has had a significant impact on the provision of services in Northern Ireland, officials told members of the North's Executive Office Committee on Wednesday.

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While hotels and other temporary accommodation options are used to house asylum seekers first arriving in Northern Ireland, if these individuals are subsequently granted refugee status they can access social housing via the North's Housing Executive.

Orla McStravick, from the Refugee and Asylum Support unit within the Executive Office, said the Home Office move to streamline the application process had resulted in a significant increase in the rate at which asylum seekers are receiving decisions on their applications for refugee status.

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She told MLAs that officials were operating within a rapidly changing legislative and operational environment.

As members will be aware, the Home Office approach to immigration has been at the forefront of national politics and discourse for some time, she said.

This has resulted in a suite of changes nationally that have a significant impact in the devolved space.

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Challenging devolved impacts have arisen as a result of the Home Office committing to clearing the asylum backlog and stop small boats crossing in the channel.

Since streamlined asylum processing was introduced last year there has been a threefold rise in people being granted refugee status month-on-month.

Whilst we welcome that people are getting their asylum decisions more quickly, this increase in the volume and pace has caused challenges within the devolved area of responsibility as we try to support those leaving the asylum state to settle permanently here.

Many refugees who get a positive decision rely on support from the Housing Executive for accommodation, and the increase in numbers have placed strain on that housing system.

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This has in turn put pressures on the ability to ensure health and education provision as people are moved to temporary accommodation, while a suitable permanent home is sought.
The Taoiseach said he has significant concerns about University Hospital Limerick (UHL), and that challenges remain with overcrowding in hospitals.

On Tuesday, the Health Service Executive (HSE) said a support team will be put in place in UHL in an attempt to ease overcrowding.

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Simon Harris said the team will begin its work immediately and over the next four weeks, it will help to devise a number of actions to help pressures in UHL.

The team includes Grace Rothwell, the national director of acute hospitals, Orla Kavanagh, director of nursing and integration at Waterford University Hospital, and retired emergency medicine consultant, Dr Fergal Hickey from Sligo.

      .



A massive 650 million on agency staff in the health service.



A whopping 140 million on management and legal consultancy.



Thats before we get to the runaway 2.2 Billion for the Childrens Hospital pic.twitter.com/IgH17C6M68 Advertisement  Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) May 1, 2024

It will work with the team in place in the hospital to manage patient flow and to de-escalate the current pressures being experienced, Mr Harris said.

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However, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said that UHL needs 288 extra beds and to hire 200 staff, including 20 emergency department nurses.

She told the Dail that more than 11,000 patients waited on hospital trolleys last month.

University Hospital Limerick again had the highest figure of any hospital in the State, closely followed by University Hospital Galway, Ms McDonald said.

The trolley crisis is now a year-round emergency.

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She also called on the Government to lift its recruitment embargo, describing it as dangerous.

The system is at breaking point, yet the Government, with its eyes wide open, is choosing to block the hiring of healthcare staff, the Dublin TD added.

By imposing and maintaining this embargo, it has chosen to make a bad situation worse. The consequences of the embargo are felt right across the health system.

She added: While the Government refuses to directly employ the healthcare professionals our system needs, it is spending a fortune on hiring agency staff. Government spending in this area has more than doubled, to 650 million euros. You could not make this up.

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Under the Government, young doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals are being educated and trained to emigrate.

The message sent to those who have already left is not to come back, even though we need them now more than ever.

Mr Harris said the Government has given the health service enough funding to hire 2,268 additional people this year.

When you include disability services, which the Minister of State Deputy (Anne) Rabbitte, has responsibility for, this Government has provided funding to hire 3,000 additional people this year, he added.

Despite their exceptional work and hard efforts, many of us in this House and I as Taoiseach have significant concerns about University Hospital Limerick.

We have significant challenges with overcrowding. In a number of hospitals, we have seen significant improvements over the course of this year and last year.

Ireland Patients at UHL remain squeezed together despite n... Read More

Now, the Minister for Health (Stephen Donnelly), with the HSE, is eager to see how you can embed the good practices with patient flow into some of the hospitals, particularly UHL, which are not going nearly as well.

Last week, an inquest into the death of 16-year-old Aoife Johnston returned a verdict of medical misadventure.

She died in December in 2022 in UHL from meningitis after contracting sepsis, and was left for more than 16 hours without antibiotics.
The Arizona legislature approved a repeal of a long-dormant ban on nearly all abortions on Wednesday, advancing the Bill to Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, who is expected to sign it.

Two Republicans joined Democrats in the Senate on the 16-14 vote in favour of repealing a Civil War-era ban on abortions that the states highest court recently allowed to take effect. The repeal Bill narrowly cleared the Arizona House last week.

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Ms Hobbs said in a statement that she looks forward to quickly signing the repeal into law.





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The devastating consequences of this archaic ban are why Ive called for it to be repealed since day one of my administration, she said.

Arizona women should not have to live in a state where politicians make decisions that should be between a woman and her doctor, Ms Hobbs continued.

While this repeal is essential for protecting womens lives, it is just the beginning of our fight to protect reproductive healthcare in Arizona.

The revival of the 19th century law had put Republicans on the defensive in a battleground state for the presidential election.

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Across the country, women are living in a state of chaos and cruelty caused by Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement on Wednesday.

What is happening in Arizona is just the latest example, she continued. While Arizona Democrats have worked to clean up the devastating mess created by Trump and his extremist allies, the states existing ban, with no exception for rape or incest, remains in effect.

If the repeal Bill is signed, a 2022 statute banning the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy would become Arizonas prevailing abortion law. Still, there would likely be a period when nearly all abortions would be outlawed, because the repeal will not take effect until 90 days after the end of the legislative session, likely in June or July.

Arizona state Attorney General Kris Mayes called the vote a win for freedom in our state, but expressed concern that without an emergency clause, Arizonans would still be subject to the near total-abortion ban for some time.

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Rest assured, my office is exploring every option available to prevent this outrageous 160-year-old law from ever taking effect, she said.

The near-total ban on abortions, which predates Arizonas statehood, permits abortions only to save the patients life  and provides no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. In a ruling last month, the Arizona Supreme Court suggested doctors could be prosecuted under the 1864 law, which says that anyone who assists in an abortion can be sentenced to two to five years in prison.

Voting on the bill stretched more than an hour, amid impassioned speeches about the motivations behand individual votes.

This is about the Civil War-era ban that criminalises doctors and makes virtually all abortions illegal, the ban that the people of Arizona overwhelmingly dont want, said Democratic state Senator Eva Burch. Were here to repeal a bad law. I dont want us honouring laws about women written during a time when women were forbidden from voting because their voices were considered inferior to men.

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There were numerous disruptions from people in Senate gallery, as Republican state Senator Shawnna Bolick explained her vote in favour of repeal, joining with Democrats.

GOP state Senator Jake Hoffman denounced Republican colleagues for joining with Democratic colleagues, calling it an affront to his partys principles.

It is disgusting that this is the state of the Republican Party today, Mr Hoffman said.

Advocates on both sides of the abortion issue arrived outside the Arizona Senate on Wednesday to emphasise their views. They included people affiliated with Planned Parenthood and faith-based groups opposed to abortion.

A school-age girl kneeled in prayer in front of a table holding a large statue of the Virgin Mary, while a man with a megaphone shouted at passersby to repent.

The law had been blocked since the US Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v Wade decision guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion nationwide.

Planned Parenthood officials vowed to continue providing abortions for the short time they are still legal and said they will reinforce networks that help patients travel out of state to places such as New Mexico and California to access abortion.

Advocates are collecting signatures for a ballot measure allowing abortions until a foetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks, with exceptions  to save the parents life, or to protect her physical or mental health.

Republican politicians, in turn, are considering putting one or more competing abortion proposals on the November ballot.

A leaked planning document outlined the approaches being considered by House Republicans, such as codifying existing abortion regulations, proposing a 14-week ban that would be disguised as a 15-week law because it would allow abortions until the beginning of the 15th week, and a measure that would prohibit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know they are pregnant.

House Republicans have not yet publicly released any such proposed ballot measures.
At least 24 people were killed when a section of a highway in southern China collapsed early on Wednesday, according to state media.

Eighteen cars fell down a slope after a 59ft (18m) section of the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway collapsed, according to authorities in Meizhou city in Guangdong province.

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The incident happened at around 2am.

Parts of Guangdong province have seen record rainfall and flooding in the past two weeks, as well as hail.

Some villages in Meizhou flooded in early April, and the city has seen heavy rain in recent days.

Witnesses told local media they heard a loud noise and saw a large hole open up behind them after driving past the section of the road just before it collapsed.

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Video and photos in local media showed smoke and fire at the scene, with highway rails slanting downwards into the flames.

A pile of blackened cars could also be seen on the slope leading down from the carriageway.

The ground beneath the highway appeared to have caved in, along with the section of the road that had broken off.

Rescue workers took 30 people to the hospital, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The Australian prime minister announced new funding on Wednesday to help women escape domestic violence and crack down on misogynistic online content.

It comes in reaction to an uptick in homicides committed by current and former male partners that he described as a national crisis.

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Anthony Albanese said his government would invest 925 million Australian dollars (480 million) over five years to support women and children escaping violence financially.

The government also proposed new measures to tackle factors that it says exacerbate violence against women, such as violent online pornography and misogynist content targeting children and young people.



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The measures would include legislation to ban deepfake pornography and more funding for an Australian regulator to pilot age-assurance technologies to protect children from harmful online content.

This is, indeed, a national crisis, and its a national challenge, and were facing this with a spirit of national unity, Mr Albanese told reporters after a meeting with state and local authorities.

Tens of thousands protested in cities around Australia over the weekend to draw attention to the deaths of 34 women killed over the past 12 months, allegedly caused by acts of gender-based violence.

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The government leaders will meet again in three months to discuss progress.

Im satisfied its a further step forward, Mr Albanese told reporters.

Can we be satisfied when a womans losing her life on average every four days? Of course not, the prime minister said.

Ill be satisfied when we eliminate this as an issue, when were not talking about this as an issue, when women are not feeling as though they have to mobilise in rallies.

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The Australian Institute of Criminology reported that in the 12 months through June 2023, 34 Australian women were killed by an intimate partner.

That is the latest complete fiscal year for which the institute has data and represented a 31% increase in victims from the same 12-month period a year earlier when 26 women died.

Thirty-four women have died so far in Australia this year, according to Australian femicide researcher Sherele Moody.
Walt Disney World will host dozens of portraits of service members and veterans by former US president George W Bush.

The George W Bush Institute will lend the 60 colour portraits to the Florida theme park resort.

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The paintings of service members and veterans will be displayed for a year at Epcots American Adventure pavilion starting next month.



Portraits of service members and veterans painted by George W Bush (George W Bush Presidential Centre via AP)

Accompanying each painting is a veteran biography written by the former president. The exhibit also will include information and resources created to support veterans and their families.

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My hope is that those who have the opportunity to see this special exhibit will also remember the leadership, service and sacrifice behind each of the heroes painted and the unique challenges our servicemembers and their families face when transitioning out of the military, said Ken Hersh, president and chief executive of the George W Bush Presidential Centre.
The first migrants set to be deported to Rwanda have been detained.

The Home Office said a series of operations took place across the country this week, with more activity due to be carried out in the coming weeks.

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Officials have not yet said how many people have been detained, or where they were taken into custody.

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It comes ahead of the Governments bid to get flights to send migrants to the east African nation off the ground by July, after the Safety of Rwanda Act became law last week.

UK Home Secretary James Cleverly said: Our Rwanda partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation to deliver it.

(PA Graphics)

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Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground.

This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs.
A pro-Palestinian demonstration that paralysed Columbia University ended in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night, with riot police bursting into a building occupied by demonstrators and making hundreds of arrests.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, clashes broke out between rival groups at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) early on Wednesday,

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New York City officers entered Columbias campus late on Tuesday after the university requested help, according to a statement.





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New York City Mayor Eric Adams said nearly 300 people were arrested in police crackdowns on the protests at Columbia University and City College.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said about 170 of the 280 arrested at Columbia University and City College have received summonses.

A tent encampment in Columbias grounds was cleared, along with Hamilton Hall, where a stream of officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window.

Protesters calling on the Ivy League university to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza had seized the hall about 20 hours earlier.

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After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalised, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, the statement said.

The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.



New York Police Department officers arrest Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University (Marco Postigo Storel/AP)

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Police spokesman Carlos Nieves said he had no immediate reports of any injuries.

The arrests occurred after protesters ignored an earlier ultimatum to abandon the encampment on Monday or be suspended, and unfolded as other universities stepped up efforts to end demonstrations that were inspired by Columbia.

Fabien Lugo, a first-year accounting student who said he was not involved in the protests, said he opposed the universitys decision to call in police.

This is too intense, he said. It feels like more of an escalation than a de-escalation.

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Meanwhile, violence broke out at UCLA overnight between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters, and police in riot gear arrived but did not immediately intervene.





People threw chairs and shoved and kicked one another. Some armed with sticks beat others.

Before the riot police arrived, a group piled on one person who lay on the ground, kicking and beating them until others pulled them out of the scrum.

Mary Osako, a senior UCLA official, told campus newspaper the Daily Bruin: Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass spoke to the universitys chancellor and said police would respond to the schools request, according to a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, from her spokesman, Zach Seidl.

The clashes took place just outside a tent encampment, where pro-Palestinian protesters erected barricades and plywood for protection  and counter-protesters tried to pull them down.

Security was tightened at the campus on Tuesday after officials said there were physical altercations between factions of protesters.

Lectures were cancelled on Wednesday at UCLA.



Pro-Palestinian protesters reinforce barricades around their encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (Jae C Hong/AP)

Police have swept through other campuses across the US over the last two weeks, leading to confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests.

In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders have struck agreements to limit the disruption to campus life and forthcoming commencement ceremonies.

Just blocks away from Columbia, at The City College of New York, demonstrators were in a stand-off with police outside the public colleges main gate.

Video posted on social media by news reporters on the scene late on Tuesday showed officers putting some people to the ground and shoving others as they cleared people from the street and pavements. Many detained protesters were driven away on city buses.



Pro-Palestinian students and protesters sit in an encampment at Columbia University (Marco Postigo Storel/AP)

After police arrived, officers lowered a Palestinian flag on the City College flagpole, balled it up and tossed it to the ground before raising an American flag.

Brown University, another member of the Ivy League, reached an agreement with protesters on its Rhode Island campus on Tuesday.

Demonstrators said they would close their encampment in exchange for administrators taking a vote to consider divestment from Israel in October. The compromise appeared to mark the first time a US college has agreed to vote on divestment in the wake of the protests.

Columbias police action happened on the 56th anniversary of a similar move to quash an occupation of Hamilton Hall by students protesting racism and the Vietnam War.

Earlier on Tuesday, the police department said officers would not enter the grounds unless at the college administrations request or for an imminent emergency. Now, law enforcement will be there until May 17, the end of the universitys commencement events.

In a letter to senior NYPD officials, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the administration made the request that police remove protesters from the occupied building and a nearby tent encampment with the utmost regret.



Police arrest pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University in New York (Marco Postigo Storel/AP)

She also referred to the idea, first suggested by Mayor Adams earlier in the day, that the group that occupied Hamilton was led by individuals who are not affiliated with the university.

Neither provided specific evidence to back up that contention, which was disputed by protest organisers and participants.

NYPD officials made similar claims about outside agitators during the huge, grassroots demonstrations against racial injustice that erupted across the city after the death of George Floyd in 2020.

In some instances, top police officials falsely labelled peaceful marches organised by well-known neighbourhood activists as the work of violent extremists.

Before officers arrived at Columbia, the White House condemned the stand-offs there and at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, where protesters had occupied two buildings for more than a week until officers with batons intervened early on Tuesday and arrested 25 people.

President Joe Biden believes students occupying an academic building is absolutely the wrong approach, said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

Later, former president Donald Trump phoned in to Sean Hannitys show on Fox News Channel to comment on Columbias turmoil as live footage of police clearing Hamilton Hall aired.

Mr Trump praised the officers, but it should never have gotten to this, he said.



President Joe Biden said protesters occupying an academic building is absolutely the wrong approach (Alex Brandon/AP)

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7.

Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages.

Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.

As ceasefire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it was not clear whether those talks would inspire an easing of protests.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests antisemitic, while Israels critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition.

Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organisers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting over the war.

On Columbias campus, protesters first set up a tent encampment almost two weeks ago. The school sent in police to clear the tents the following day, arresting more than 100 people, only for the students to return.



New York Police officers surround the south lawn at Columbia University as protesters are cleared from Hamilton Hall and the encampment (NYPD/AP)

Negotiations between the protesters and the college came to a standstill in recent days, and the school set a deadline for the activists to abandon the tent encampment on Monday afternoon or be suspended.

Instead, protesters defied the ultimatum and took over Hamilton Hall early on Tuesday, carrying in furniture and metal barricades.

A small group of Palestinians demonstrated on Wednesday in central Gaza in solidarity with the pro-Palestinian protests taking place in the US.

At a camp for displaced people in the city of Deir al-Balah, signs read: Thanks for your solidarity! THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY. Other posters thanked several other American universities where pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been taking place, including Harvard, MIT, Northwestern and George Washington universities.

Four officers were injured on Wednesday as police tried to remove protesters tents from a central square at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin.

A campus police spokesman said a state trooper was hit in the head with a skateboard and three sheriffs deputies suffered injuries directly related to the physical resistance from protesters.

At least a dozen people were arrested. Police removed all but one tent while clashing with the demonstrators. But scores of protesters resumed chanting and, a few hours later, had erected more tents on the square.
Columbia University issued a shelter-in-place order on Tuesday evening as the New York Police Department descended on the campus in riot gear to dispel protesters.

More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested over the last two weeks on university campuses in Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Connecticut, Louisiana, California and New Jersey.

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Some demonstrators were arrested in violent clashes with police in riot gear.



Pro-Palestinian protesters chant near an entrance to Columbia University (Michael M Santiago/AP)

The White House condemned the standoffs at Columbia on Tuesday and California State Polytechnic University Humboldt earlier in the week.

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Other universities have sought to negotiate agreements with the demonstraters in the hopes of having peaceful commencement ceremonies.

On Tuesday afternoon, New York City mayor Eric Adams urged the Columbia protesters to walk away and advised them to continue your advocacy through other means.

He added: This must end now.

Protesters at Columbia and California State Polytechnic University Humboldt had occupied two buildings until officers with batons intervened overnight.

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Damage to another university in northern California is estimated to be in the millions (Mary Altaffer/AP)

Police arrested 25 people, and officials estimate the damage to the northern California campus to be upwards of one million dollars.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7.

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Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages.

In return, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.
Warsaws main synagogue was attacked with firebombs overnight by an unknown perpetrator, but there was minimal damage and nobody was hurt, Polands chief rabbi said on Wednesday.

The incident was strongly condemned by political leaders.

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The attack on the Nozyk Synagogue happened at around 1am, the countrys American-born chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, told the Associated Press.

He said the synagogue was hit with three firebombs, or Molotov cocktails, and only suffered minimal damage by tremendous luck or miracle.

A black area that appeared to be the result of flames could be seen at one spot on the building.

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Damage on the facade of the Nozyk Synagogue in Warsaw, Poland, following a firebomb attack (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)

Polands president, Andrzej Duda, wrote on social media site X, formerly Twitter, that he condemned the shameful attack, adding: There is no place for antisemitism in Poland! There is no place for hatred in Poland!

Foreign minister Radek Sikorski noted that the incident fell on the 20th anniversary of Poland joining the European Union along with nine other countries, most of them Central European nations that had been under the Soviet sphere of influence for decades.

Thank God no-one was hurt. I wonder who is trying to disrupt the anniversary of our accession to the EU, he wrote on X. Maybe the same ones who scribbled Stars of David in Paris?

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France said last year that it had been the target of a Russian online destabilisation campaign which used automated social media accounts to whip up controversy and confusion about spray-painted Stars of David that appeared in Paris streets and fed alarm about surging antisemitism during the Israel-Hamas war.

Poland, which until the Holocaust was the home of Europes largest Jewish community, numbering some 3.3 million, now counts a few thousand Jewish inhabitants in its population.
Jermaine Bollinger - "Cre8ion" | INOV8 Public Relations

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (April 30, 2024) - Renowned Christian artist Jermaine Bollinger is excited to announce the release of his new single "I Belong To You," from the album Cre8ion, to Christian AC radio stations worldwide. Written and produced by Bollinger, the song showcases his vast talents as a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter.

"I Belong To You" is a heartfelt proclamation of faith and commitment, reflecting Bollingers deep-rooted beliefs and his journey in faith through music. The song merges introspective lyrics with Jermaines distinctive sound, creating an uplifting and engaging listening experience.

With an impressive track record that includes over ten #1 singles, Jermaine Bollinger continues to influence the Christian music scene profoundly. His unique ability to integrate various musical styles into his work is evident in "I Belong To You," making it resonate with a diverse audience.

Jermaine Bollinger remains a pivotal figure in Christian music, consistently delivering messages of hope and grace through his songs. "I Belong To You" invites listeners to embrace their unique place in the world, assured that they belong to something greater.

The track is also available on all major digital streaming platforms.

Watch the Lyric Video:

https://youtu.be/E_kcKj2HGIw

Connect with Jermaine Bollinger:

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Bonzas administrators have confirmed that the company is not currently in a position to issue refunds to its passengers, as 183 flights with 33,000 passengers scheduled to fly over the next seven days remain in limbo.

Bonza appointed Hall Chadwick as administrators on Tuesday after its aircraft lessor, AIP Capital, tried to seize its fleet. Hall Chadwick confirmed all Bonza flights had been cancelled until Friday at the earliest. It is unclear what will happen to flights due to take off after this date.

Bonza entered administration on Tuesday. Credit: Eamon Gallagher

Hall Chadwick said late on Wednesday that it understood passengers frustration and that we appreciate customers patience at this time.

The administrators have had meetings overnight and this morning with key industry participants located within Australia and overseas. These meetings are ongoing and will continue tonight and tomorrow, a statement said, adding that the company had also met AIP Capital.
THE ROAD TO PATAGONIA

90 minutes (M)





Theres a fine line between adventure and misadventure. It looms partway through Matty Hannons South American odyssey when he and his girlfriend, Heather Hillier, decide to swap their motorcycles for four horses.

They dont know how to saddle a horse or ride. Heather is terrified of her charges, but one of them is even more frightened of the surfboards, which are an essential part of the couples luggage.

The intrepid travellers learned how to ride on the hoof.

Matty and Heather, however, are nothing if not adaptable, and they eventually work things out even if their altered transport arrangements add countless kilometres to their trek.
Police are investigating after a woman was found dead at a unit block in the north of Brisbane.

A crime scene was declared at the York Street complex in Nundah after officers attended about 4.30pm.

Several police officers could be seen at the scene on Tuesday evening.

Investigators are initially treating the womans death as non-suspicious, and a report will be prepared for the coroner, the Queensland Police Service said in a statement on Wednesday morning.

No further information was provided.
There have already been agitators. On Wednesday, a handful of men  some wearing Israeli flags and Zionist T-shirts  walked through the camp and singled out a Palestinian student for questioning, confirmed in footage seen by this masthead. The same day, when Monash students set up their own camp on its lemon-scented lawn, that doesnt even smell like lemons, according to arts student and organiser Grace Hill, counter-protesters bearing an Israeli flag arrived. Protesters with Israeli flags launch a counter-protest at the Monash University encampment on Wednesday. Credit: Justin McManus But on the whole, students, staff and the odd security guard say the Australian camps have been much more chill than the US, where demonstrations have spread across the country. In New York on Wednesday (AEST), police in riot gear were called in by Columbia University and arrested dozens of protesters who had broken through windows and made barricades with furniture in one of its buildings. Hours later, pro-Israel supporters attacked the encampment. Australian universities have warned students that safety is paramount but made no moves to clear them out.

Both Melbourne and Monash universities say they have a long history of student protest, but wont tolerate occupation of buildings, property damage, violence, harassment or racism, or the disruption of university activity such as lectures. Varisha Ariadna (left), Nabil Hassine and Merrick Craven at the University of Melbourne camp. Credit: Simon Schluter Theyre keeping a watch on us, said Ariadna at the Melbourne camp. I think they think well tire ourselves out. But were growing. Weve probably doubled in size since we started. That was last Thursday, two days after tents were first pitched at the University of Sydney. There are now encampments at six universities across Australia, and most, including Monash, are run in partnership with national group Students For Palestine. Ariadna stressed the Melbourne Uni camp was not affiliated with any group off campus.

A protest sign at the University of Melbourne. Credit: Simon Schluter She learnt how to organise big demonstrations, from handling permits to handling police, as a teenager in the School Strike 4 Climate movement. Now in her second year of university, she said UniMelb for Palestine began organically, led by local Palestinian students. Weve had support of course from other pro-Palestinian groups, and the community, she said. The weekly Free Palestine march through Melbournes CBD changed its route to visit the encampment on Sunday. We come to uni to think critically, but soon as it impacts the status quo, we get told to shut up, Ariadna said. Some Jewish groups have called on universities to evict the camps or risk creating no-go zones for Jewish students and fomenting antisemitism.

The students at the Melbourne camp, some of whom are Jewish, say they will camp until their demands are met, including having universities disclose their research funding deals with weapons manufacturers and foreign militaries. But they stress they dont want to make anyone feel unsafe. Students set up a new protest camp at Monash University on Wednesday. Credit: Justin McManus. Calling something peaceful like this extremist or antisemitic downplays the real scourge of antisemitism, Hassine said. At lunchtime on Thursday, the Australasian Union of Jewish Students will hold a rally at the University of Melbourne to stand up to hate on campus after what they say have been months of intimidation. Noah Loven, who runs the group and is a Monash student, said the rally was intended to remind Jewish students who have been afraid to identify as Jewish on campus that their community was behind them.

Not all Jewish students have the same experience, but many tell us theyre avoiding campus or, in a handful of extreme cases, have dropped out altogether, Loven said. Stand-off: A supporter of Israel and a supporter of Palestine film each other at Monash on Wednesday. Credit: Justin McManus The new Monash camp sits on a campus with the highest number of Jewish students in the country, he said. I swung by and it has started off peaceful, but we see whats happened in the US and we worry about escalation. Loading The real concern, he said, was external actors visiting and hijacking the camp to inflame tensions. He called on universities to increase security checks.Free speech and protest is a cornerstone of democracy  but we want universities to enforce anything that crosses the line into vilification of Jews.

Universities, long the centre of public debate, have become a flashpoint for tension as the Palestinian and Jewish diasporas both grapple with the war. In a letter to the University of Melbourne this week, The Zionist Federation of Australia detailed an earlier incident in which pro-Palestine student protesters entered a classroom to take a survey of those against the war and took photos, which some Jewish students found intimidating. Hassine said the camp was determined not to provoke tensions on campus. While theres fun on the lawn, sadness hangs overhead too.There are no more schools in Gaza, no universities. About half of those barricaded inside the Palestinian enclave are children. The Melbourne camp recently held a moment of silence for academics killed in the war. I look at my younger siblings, and I get a lump in my throat, Hassine said. I know Im lucky to live here, to measure my life  everything I have to do, study, jobs  in hours. In Gaza, they live second by second. Any plane overhead can be it. Im thinking about that a lot here.
A former immigration detainee accused of violently assaulting a couple during a home invasion in Perth had his ankle monitor removed following advice from the Albanese governments board of experts in March despite being accused of curfew breaches and other state offences.

Perth woman Ninette Simons was attacked with her husband Philip during an alleged home robbery on April 16, said she wanted to know why Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, who is accused with two other men of posing as police to gain entry to her house before assaulting her, was not required to wear an ankle monitor.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he wants preventative detention applications made as soon as possible. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

I thought I was going to die, Simons said of the ordeal in which she was allegedly assaulted, adding the governments monitoring regime had let her and the community down.

The West Australian government is seeking answers from the Commonwealth over the incident, while two members of the Community Protection Board set up by Labor declined to comment when contacted.
The United States, aligned with Russia and states in the Persian Gulf, is thwarting a push by Australia and other nations, including France, Rwanda, the Netherlands and Nigeria, to establish the first international treaty to curb plastic pollution.

The failure of a proposal to cut plastic pollution emerged at a United Nations meeting in Ottawa, Canada, on Wednesday (AEST). It called for a global commitment to reach a target to reduce primary plastic polymers  meaning plastics made from petrochemicals that have not been processed before.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek wants a global treaty to cut plastic pollution. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen/Joe Armao

The proposal would have required signatory countries to set a limit on global plastic production that would be deemed sustainable and a requirement for countries to transparently report their production.

The United Nations conference, which wrapped up on Tuesday night in Ottawa, was the penultimate scheduled meeting set aside to develop a plastics treaty. The proposal was dubbed the bridge to Busan because the South Korean city will host the final conference designated to negotiate the treaty. That meeting will take place in November.
There is a jarring disconnect between the political talk and the policy action when Australians are told of the national crisis of violence against women.

The talk is all about urgent solutions such as $925 million for women who are escaping male violence, or a new register for high-risk offenders, or tougher rules to curb online misogyny and violent porn.

But the action is too slow. The outcome from the national cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning is another step towards a solution. It is not a step-change with a truly powerful response.

Anthony Albanese called the meeting because he wanted action from federal and state governments on emergency support services, bail laws, the justice system and online safety.
CSLR is funded by industry, and it means that there is now an avenue for a consumer to make a claim of up to $150,000 if it is determined that someone in the financial services sector, including a finance broker, has engaged in misconduct, White said.
Bryan, OH (43506)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 52F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 52F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Dubai has launched a blueprint for Artificial Intelligence (AI), a yearly plan that will focus on harnessing the technologys potential to improve quality of life around the world.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240430433819/en/

Dubai launches global blueprint for artificial intelligence (Graphic: AETOSWire)

The plan begins with the appointment of a CEO for AI in each government entity, and will be followed by the establishment of an AI and WEB3 Incubator, which will develop into the largest global hub for AI and technology companies. The hub will attract innovators, startups and AI leaders from around the world and support of development of their ideas into successful enterprises or real-world applications.

The plan also includes the introduction of AI Week into schools and colleges to help integrate AI applications into the educational system. This will enable students to develop skills that align with future market needs such as coding, and introduce them to the latest tools and best practices in this field.

The blueprint will see the launch of the Dubai Commercial License for Artificial Intelligence, which will support the development of the sector by attracting specialized companies and individuals to Dubai, stimulate investments, and solidify Dubais position as a preferred business destination for technology and innovation companies. As part of the plan, land will be allocated for data centers, which will contribute to the development of world-class infrastructure that can support Dubais digital transformation journey.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said: In 1999, we launched Dubais digital transformation, a venture that has continued to achieve milestones leading to the recent unveiling of the Dubai Digital Strategy last year. Our record-breaking accomplishments have established us as the premier hub for billion-dollar global enterprises in the technology and artificial intelligence sectors within the region.

His Highness added, "In recent years, the evolution of artificial intelligence has accelerated, presenting numerous opportunities for nations and governments adept at utilizing it, while posing challenges for those unable to keep pace. This required swift and adaptive action plans responsive to the rapid changes in technology and artificial intelligence.

Dubais annual plan for accelerating the adoption of AI and implementations across all sectors is a major component of Dubais ambition to become the best city in the world for technology utilization and the fastest to adopt advanced applications.

*Source: AETOSWire

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240430433819/en/
In a remarkable display of efficiency and dedication, Kesar Gateway, spanning more than 1.5 million square feet, has been completed in a record-breaking time 28 Months earlier than its proposed completion date of March 2026, marking a new milestone in the company's illustrious history of delivering ahead of schedule."At Kesar, we have always believed in setting benchmarks rather than merely meeting them. The early delivery of Kesar Gateway is a testament to our ethos of delivering beyond expectations," remarked Sachin Gopal Gupta, Managing Director at KESAR INDIA LIMITED. "With a history of delivering projects ahead of schedule, we have once again showcased our ability to uphold our values of integrity, quality, and transparency."The successful completion of the project can be attributed to the company's strategic decision of not relying on customer's funds but instead to infuse its own capital into the development. At the heart of this approach lies a fundamental shift in perspective, that is, in willingness to invest in delivering quality results by investing their own capital into projects, instead of relying on funds from external sources. This approach demonstrates commitment, control, and flexibility. It also boosts confidence, accountability, and innovation. By prioritizing internal resources, company enhances project outcomes and fosters a culture of excellence and resilience.This milestone serves as a testament to Kesar's enduring legacy of exceeding anticipations, delivering more than promised & longstanding commitment to outperforming expectations. The company has consistently proven its ability to deliver projects ahead of schedule, with 5 other projects successfully handed over before time in central India. This accomplishment also highlights Kesar's unwavering dedication to quality and customer satisfaction. By delivering Kesar Gateway 28 Months ahead of schedule, Kesar has once again set a new standard of excellence in the industry.Kesar Gateway solidifies Kesar's commitment to developing exceptional projects that redefine benchmarks. With a development potential of 1 million+ square feet, Kesar Gateway is a gated residential project which offers 8+ acres of recreational and commercial spaces with direct connectivity to NH 44. Beyond its architectural prowess, Kesar Gateway serves as a cornerstone for the development of the Nagpur NH-44, marking this as one of the most prominent residential developments of the last two decades. Its impact extends beyond its physical boundaries, influencing the rates and desirability of nearby projects and areas, and cementing its status as a transformative force in Nagpur's real estate landscape.
Redpanda, the streaming data pioneer, today announced that ShareChat, Indias largest social media company, achieved a 70% reduction in cloud infrastructure costs with the help of Redpandas Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC) deployment option. By leveraging BYOC, ShareChat maintained data sovereignty while achieving a much more efficient data architecture, saving the organization significant time and resources.

Thanks to Redpandas efficient services, were saving millions of USD annually and are now able to operate much more efficiently, said Arya Ketan, Senior Principal Engineer at ShareChat. We are now scaling up new use cases on our event-streaming architecture without worrying about spiraling infrastructure costs. Redpanda is an integral component in our architecture, supporting highly critical use cases.

After evaluating a range of options, the company selected Redpanda for numerous benefits, including:

Reduced costs and complexity: ShareChat not only significantly reduced its cloud infrastructure expenses, it also reduced operational costs by using Redpanda Clouds monitoring and alerting capabilities.

ShareChat not only significantly reduced its cloud infrastructure expenses, it also reduced operational costs by using Redpanda Clouds monitoring and alerting capabilities. Improved scale-up/scale down: ShareChat needed to scale up its clusters in response to events in India, such as Diwali or Indian Independence Day, when they can experience upwards of 50% increases in traffic, peaking at more than 2 GBps.

ShareChat needed to scale up its clusters in response to events in India, such as Diwali or Indian Independence Day, when they can experience upwards of 50% increases in traffic, peaking at more than 2 GBps. Flexibility and control: Redpanda's BYOC approach ensures data sovereignty, allowing ShareChat to maintain full control over its data and comply with data protection laws.

Redpanda's BYOC approach ensures data sovereignty, allowing ShareChat to maintain full control over its data and comply with data protection laws. Reliability and data security: Redpanda's Tiered Storage guarantees data persistence, while zero data loss and hands-off reliability engineering ensure a worry-free experience for ShareChat.



Redpandas BYOC deployment option is a fully managed cloud service that enables data sovereignty and dramatically lowers data movement costs by storing the users data and underlying security credentials on only the users cloud infrastructure. With BYOC, enterprises get a secure self-hosted environment with all of the benefits of a fully managed solution, including operations, monitoring and maintenance.

On Thursday, May 2nd at the Kafka Summit in Bangalore, ShareChats Vivek Chandela and Srijan Saket will give a presentation on how the company migrated to a streaming data pipeline for its ML models. For more information on how ShareChat is running Redpanda BYOC at scale, please visit: https://redpanda.com/blog/sharechat-byoc-tco

About Redpanda

Redpanda is the streaming data platform for developers. API-compatible with Apache Kafka, Redpanda introduces a breakthrough architecture and disruptive capabilities that make it an easy, fast, scalable, and cost-effective engine of record for both real-time and historical enterprise data. Innovators like Lacework, Jump Trading, Vodafone, Moodys, Hotels Network and Alpaca rely on Redpanda to process hundreds of terabytes of data a day. Backed by premier venture investors Lightspeed, GV and Haystack VC, Redpanda is a diverse, people-first organization with teams distributed around the globe. To learn more, visit our website at redpanda.com and follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @redpandadata.

About ShareChat

ShareChat (Mohalla Tech Pvt Ltd) is India's largest homegrown social media company, with 400+ million MAUs across all its platforms. Founded in 2015 by Ankush Sachdeva, Bhanu Pratap Singh and Farid Ahsan, ShareChat is valued at US$5 billion and has social media brands such as ShareChat App and Moj under its portfolio. Today ShareChat App is India's leading social media platform and has over 180 million monthly active users spread across the country. Launched in July 2020, Moj is the largest Indian short video platform with close to 300 million Indians consuming content each month on the app. Investors in ShareChat include Temasek Holdings, Google, The Times Group, Alkeon Capital, Moore Strategic Ventures (MSV), Harbourvest, India Quotient, Mirae-Naver Asia Growth Fund, Tiger Global, Snap, Twitter, Lightspeed, SAIF Partners (now Elevation Capital) and business stalwarts like Pawan Munjal and Ajay Shridhar Shriram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240430773749/en/
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On 27-28 April, 168 communists gathered to found the Revolutionary Communist Party (RKP) in Stockholm. Now we are setting out to find all of Sweden's communists, who want to organise to crush capitalism.

[Originally published in Swedish at marxist.se]

In the summer of 2022, our Swedish organisation, together with International Marxist Tendency comrades around the world, launched the campaign: Are you a Communist? Get organised! to find and organise those who have concluded communism is the only solution to the problems of capitalism.

After that, the IMT grew by 34 percent in just six months. In Sweden, we have gone from just over 130 members in 11 branches, to 250 in 30 branches in one year. During the summer and autumn, 196 people scanned QR codes on Are you a Communist? posters and stickers and wrote into marxist.se asking to join.

The response showed something very clearly: there is a massive layer of mainly young people who are no longer intimidated by the right-wing's anti-communist propaganda, on the contrary. The more the capitalists, the right and the reformists defend the genocide in Gaza, the more they spew their racist bile, the more they attack the working class: the more young people realise that if these people are attacking communism, that must be exactly what is needed.

Now we have also taken the step of forming parties in several countries. The International Marxist Tendency, in turn, is being relaunched as the Revolutionary Communist International this summer at the World School of Communism.

Since our Swedish section (formerly Revolution) decided to launch the campaign to form the RKP, a further 154 people have signed up to join. The messages we have received show precisely the need to openly declare a Revolutionary Communist Party, part of a Revolutionary Communist International:

I want to join the RKP because I don't believe in capitalism as an ideology and it's time for a change. We need to start organising ourselves if we are to have a chance of revolution and survival. I want to join the RKP because I think parties like the Social Democrats and the Left Party have misunderstood what they need to fight for. They have proven time and time again that they do not fight for workers and low-income earners but instead compromise with capitalists and then call themselves Democratic Socialists if even that is not seen as too radical. It is time we showed our discontent and united behind a Communist Party. Always wanted to fight for the working class. Proud to join the RCI. LONG LIVE MARXISM. Hi, I'm an 18-year-old kid from the suburbs and feel like the world is all fucked up because of capitalism. I'm a little educated in Marxism, socialism, etc. For me, it has always been obvious that you should take care of everyone in society, which is something that has been forgotten over the years. I don't know what I would like to do in the RKP but I want to explore how a REAL Marxist party views the world situation.

It is by and for these people that the RKP has been formed. Those who look to communism and who want to take up the struggle here and now.

RKP and RCI: tools of the revolution

The Congress was opened by Ylva Vinberg from our Executive Committee, who explained that the RKP is not like other parties.

We are not a political party like the others. We will not stand here and promise that we will solve all the problems in society We are not politicians and we do not stand for 'party politics'. We are revolutionaries. We tell the truth: only the working class, set in motion, can fight back and win. And only revolution can guarantee that victories are lasting. We are not a party that says: join our party, become an election worker campaigning for our representatives to get a comfortable position with a high salary in parliament. Joining the RKP is not working for someone else's career. You are building the party, this is your party, you are taking the step to become a revolutionary, you are working for the emancipation of the working class, nothing more, nothing less."

As communists, we recognise that the only way to achieve true communism is to work to destroy capitalism on a global scale. From the climate crisis, to wars and economic crises, none of the major problems can be solved within a single country. A communist party that only works for a revolution in Sweden would not be worthy of the name communist. The RKP therefore also differs from other left-wing parties in that it belongs to a real international. It is not a loose collection of branches. The IMT, soon to be the RCI, is one and the same organisation: with the same programme, the same ideas and traditions. We work to provide the leadership that the working class needs to smash capitalism in a socialist revolution, all over the world.

The only way to achieve true communism is to work to destroy capitalism on a global scale / Image: RKP

This was also clear throughout the Congress, which was attended by four comrades from Denmark, two from Switzerland, two from the UK, 13 from Finland, one from Norway and Niklas Albin Svensson from the IMT leadership. At the beginning of the congress, we also received greetings from comrades in Brazil, USA, the UK and Switzerland who told us how they are building in their countries to spread the ideas of communism where they are.

During the session that launched the Revolutionary Communist International, Niklas Albin Svensson explained the inability of the capitalists to emerge from the crisis that began in 2008, and how their attacks on the working class, and the ever-growing contradictions within capitalism, have led to wave after wave of class struggle and revolutions around the world.

This is the basis of the growth we have seen for our International. We have held fast to the ideas of Marxism and can now join with those who reject all half measures, who look beyond all reformist solutions and demand a revolutionary one.

During the discussion, several of our international guests spoke about the poverty that is increasing in the wake of the crisis of capitalism in their countries, how they see the same layers of communists in their countries, and how they are building to organise them. In Denmark, they have also launched a Revolutionary Communist Party and will hold a founding conference for the party in October. In Switzerland and the UK, the comrades will hold their founding congresses this May. The Finnish comrades told how they have gone from 14 comrades on 8 March this year, to 24 now, aiming to hold their first own congress in January next year.

Others spoke about how our US section is participating in the university occupations sweeping the country; about the crisis and potential for revolution in the Middle East, and the need to build the RCI there; as well as the climate crisis and the need for a revolution to guarantee the future of humanity.

Leo Marklund explained that the formation of the RCI means that we Trotskyists are reclaiming our rightful place as part of the communist movement, and urged everyone to attend the World School of Communism this summer. He also explained the impact that the founding of the RCI and the RCI Manifesto will have. He told us how one person (now a member) had seen one of our posters, scanned the QR code and then read the RCI manifesto that had been posted that day. She then sent the following to the website:

The founding of a new genuine communist international gives me hope for the fight against capitalism. Long live communism!

The potential for the RKP in Sweden

On Saturday, the crisis of capitalism in Sweden was discussed, and what massive potential there is for class struggle in this country. Fredrik Albin Svensson from our Executive Committee explained:

We grew up in a period in Sweden with no or little protests, no major strikes, where we could only reach out to a minority, of a minority, of a minority. But it's a period where healthcare has gone from being one of the best in the world to having the least number of beds per capita in the EU. Right now, 172,000 people are waiting for surgery. 88,000 have been on the waiting list for over three months. They have taken schools, social security  everything  cut it down and privatised it beyond recognition. At the same time, we are seeing a level of poverty not seen in 70 years in Sweden. Pensioners looking for recyclables in rubbish bins. Ordinary workers who go to Matmissionen [a social supermarket whose shelves are filled with donated surplus stock] to afford food. In other words, poverty is back in Sweden.

From the situation in healthcare, increasingly harsh working and living conditions in industry, all comrades who came into the discussion explained how the situation is getting worse everywhere, how this will lead to intensified class struggle and what role we can play in it.

Valter Karlsson, an upper secondary school student in Stockholm, told us how discontent over fish parasites in food, bread and water for lunch and cold classrooms at his school led his classmates to ask him what they could do. He told them we can go on a school strike. He explained that, when you are an open communist, people will come to you, because they know we have ideas on how to fight back. This is especially true in schools, where there are no trade unions and hardly any political organisations present at all, to channel the struggle, or for that matter, to block it, as the leaders of the Swedish trade unions do.

Comrades talked about how we participated in the Palestine movement / Image: RKP

On Sunday, we also discussed what role the RKP should play in the class struggle and how we should build our party. Comrades talked about how we participated in the Palestine movement, about how they have tried to win their colleagues to the party at their workplaces and build RKP branches at schools. Charlie Sahlin talked about how we now have a branch of six comrades at Schillerska high school in Gothenburg. Calle Niemi from Umea talked about how they have travelled to Skelleftea, Lulea, Pitea, Sundsvall, Hudiksvall, Boden and Ornskoldsvik  as well as Vaasa in Finland  to build new RKP branches.

This is what we will now be doing across the country this summer: following in August Palm's footsteps, touring Sweden to build a truly nationwide party. The potential is clear even in small towns, as explained by several comrades from Karlstad, who not only built two branches there, but also a branch in Kristinehamn. In one year, we have established ourselves in a whole host of new cities: Boras, Vaxjo, Varberg, Kristinehamn, Orebro, Norrkoping, Skelleftea and Ornskoldsvik.

As Ylva Vinberg explained in her closing speech:

We will go out into Sweden and search with light and lantern, from Alidhem in Umea, to Farsta in Stockholm, from Osby in the south to Vilhelmina in the north, for communists to organise. In the streets and squares, in the factories and in the hospitals, in the schools and in the supermarkets, everywhere we shall, step by step, sow an RKP seed.

This is what the RKP is aiming at first and foremost: winning the communist youth. To do that, as many comrades explained, we must be seen as communists. Comrades told of how they made speeches in cafes, on the streets, standing on rubbish bins. They told us how they came to demonstrations, high schools and new towns carrying flags with hammers and sickles.

But we will also throw ourselves into the coming class struggle.

As Leo Marklund explained in the session How to Build the Revolutionary Communist Party, this work is about more than just shouting that we are communists. When we build in workplaces and intervene in struggle, we must learn to explain our solutions in a way that can connect with those who are not yet communists.

The task of a communist is to connect with the consciousness that exists and through it prove the need for revolution. You build on the best conclusions that the workers in a workplace or a particular movement have drawn and show a way forward in the struggle, the next logical step.

As Leo explained, this requires both practice and theoretical training. Many comrades emphasised what Lenin explained in What is to be done?: Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary organisation. The message went down well. We sold a record number of books for SEK 54,000. Our newly published book, Lenin's Imperialism, sold 58 copies.

But perhaps the strongest evidence of the enthusiasm that prevailed at the Congress was the fundraiser, which brought in SEK 863,000!

In addition, comrades collectively raised their membership fees by 5750 SEK over the weekend. As Sebastian Ingvarsson explained during the session, How communists finance their party:

We build with the same methods that the labour movement was once built with, with ordinary workers and the sacrifices of young people. Today, the rest of the left has made itself dependent on state support. That's why, one by one, they are being forced to cut back and close down, as the government cuts press subsidies. We will not do that. As communists, we realise that since we want to overthrow the bourgeois state, we cannot depend on it.

Now we will embark on an intense May and summer of party building, starting on 1 May. Comrades across the country will then travel down to Malmo to join the Eurovision demonstrations against Israel's participation. We will hold a press conference to announce the formation of the party to the Swedish media. We will organise participation at the World School of Communism in Varberg where we will take part in the inauguration of an eight-metre high Lenin statue. Then we will embark on a summer tour to build the RKP across the country.

There is no more important task than organising to overthrow capitalism. As Ylva Vinberg said in her closing speech:
Usje sees 58% jump in net profit in 1Q24

Muriel Bal By 01 May 2024

Cementarnica Usje AD of North Macedonia, part of the Titan group, reported a six per cent increase in domestic sales to MKD840.2m (US$14.6m) in the 1Q24 while export sales are up seven per cent YoY to MKD348.1m.



The company also posted a three per cent YoY increase in operating revenue to MKD1.2bn in the first three months of 2024. Operating costs were down 10 per cent to MKD812.7m. As a result, net profit surged 58 per cent YoY to MKD299.9m.

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Vietnam exporters looking further afield

ICR Newsroom By 01 May 2024

Cement sales in Vietnam continue to struggle versus their year-ago levels. Sales were down 17 per cent YoY to 5.113Mt in March 2024, from 6.161Mt a year earlier, according to the Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA). However, they did show a strong uptick from February, rising 130 per cent MoM. Of the total, VICEM companies saw sales down 23 per cent YoY to 1.625Mt. Other VNCA-affiliated companies report contractions of 12 per cent YoY to 1.077Mt. Non-VNCA members reported sales of 2.41Mt, down 17 per cent YoY.

Cement exports rose 10 per cent YoY to 1.712Mt while clinker exports were down 18 per cent YoY to 1.107Mt. VICEM cement exports were up 24 per cent YoY at 256,574t and clinker exports were up 73 per cent YoY to 146,127t. Other VNCA members reported a 296 per cent YoY increase in cement exports to 335,174t and clinker exports amounted to 22,328t from zero exports a year earlier. Non-VNCA members saw cement exports contract 12 per cent YoY to 1.12Mt, while clinker exports dropped 26 per cent YoY to 938,175t.

January-March 2024

In the year-to-date so far, total cement sales were 11.443Mt, down 18 per cent compared to the January-March period of 2023. VICEM companies reported a 16.5 per cent YoY contraction to 3.506Mt, other VCNA members saw an 11 per cent YoY fall to 2.338Mt, and non-members reported a 9.7 per cent YoY decline to 5.6Mt.

Cement exports from Vietnam rose one per cent YoY in the first quarter of 2024, amounting to 4.619Mt, up from 4.554Mt a year earlier. Cement exports by VICEM companies fell nine per cent YoY to 642,833t, other VCNA-affiliated companies reported a 84 per cent YoY jump to 861,211t, and non-members saw cement exports decline eight per cent YoY to 3.115Mt.

Clinker exports increased 4.3 per cent to 3.43Mt from 3.288Mt in the first quarter of 2023. Clinker exports by VICEM companies rose 60 per cent YoY to 322,178t, other VCNA members saw clinker exports rise 475 per cent YoY to 112,152t, while non-member companies reported a two per cent YoY contraction to 2.996Mt.

Exports by country

The Philippines remains the key export destination for Vietnam cement despite a 0.4 per cent YoY decrease in the 3M24 to 1.595Mt. The USA is the second most important cement export market, with a jump of 13.8 per cent YoY to 985,890t. Closely followed by Australia, which reported a massive 757 per cent increase in cement exports in the first quarter, amounting to 951,252t. Cement exports to Singapore rose 104 per cent YoY to 591,644t. Exports to South Africa rose 8.9 per cent to 274,284t. Cement deliveries to Malaysia slipped 8.4 per cent to 172,618t, while sales to Papua New Guinea rose 32.9 per cent to 104,960t. Exports to Hong Kong and Taiwan fell below 100,000t, shrinking 34.4 per cent YoY and 53.7 per cent YoY, respectively. Exports to China declined 69.8 per cent YoY to just 44,600t, down from 147,869t in the first quarter 2023.

The average export price of cement was US$42.77/t in the first quarter of 2024, down from US$46.13/t in the same period a year earlier.

Bangladesh was the key export market for Vietnamese clinker, amounting to 2.198Mt, an increase of 21.9 per cent YoY. The Philippines took over from Taiwan as the second most important market, with clinker exports rising 13.6 per cent YoY to 394,900t, while clinker exports to Taiwan fell 56.6 per cent YoY to 153,800t. Clinker sales to Malaysia rose 26 per cent YoY to 259,894t. Meanwhile, no clinker sales were reported to China, down from 158,600t in the 1Q23 and clinker exports to Hong Kong fell 9.1 per cent to 40,000t.

The average export price of clinker was US$31.38/t in the 1Q24, down from US$38.56/t in the 1Q23.

Outlook

Amid lingering domestic weakness, and despite a relatively weak start to the year for exports, foreign sales will bolster the Vietnam cement sector in 2024. Vietnam will remain the largest exporter of cement and clinker in the world. Diversification of export markets will drive growth. Vietnamese cement exporters are expected to continue to look further afield amid looming uncertainties in east Asia on the back of the Chinese real estate crisis. China was the most important destination for Vietnam clinker in 2021, amounting to 21.91Mt for the year and 4.57Mt in the 1Q21. This contrasts sharply with no sales in the 1Q24. China was also the second most important destination for Vietnam cement in 2021, amounting to 3.209Mt for the year. Thus far this year, sales have amounted to just over one per cent of that figure.

Lower cement and clinker prices will help boost demand for Vietnamese exports. The price of cement exports to Australia is almost US$10 less per tonne than last year and roughly US$5/t lower for the USA. Vietnam is well placed to continue increasing exports to the USA and Australia to take advantage of massive infrastructure projects there. Vietnam was the second most important cement importer to the USA, after Turkey, in the first month of 2024, according to the latest data from the US Geological Survey (USGS). The US governments Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a US$1.2 trn spending package, while major infrastructure projects in Australia include extensions to the Sydney Metro, the suburban rail loop in Victoria and the Melbourne metro tunnel.

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Two friends who drowned in the waters near Signal Mountain's Rainbow Lake Trail on Sunday evening have been identified.

They were Greffania Merilus, 23, of Cohutta, Ga., and Gullson Elve, 20, of Birchwood.

At 7:13 p.m., a 911 call was made reporting two people who were underwater at the popular recreation area.



Signal Mountain Fire and Police Department arrived on the scene and hiked about one mile down the trail and found a female on land waiting for them.



She told the officials that 3-4 people hiked on Rainbow Lake Trail to the large creek. One female attempted to cross the creek, fell into a hole/drop off and went under the water. A male jumped in the creek to rescue her and he went under the water as well.



Signal Mountain Fire and Police personnel jumped in the water to rescue both victims. They found the female in the water, pulled her out and conducted life safety measures but that was unsuccessful.

Signal Mountain Fire and Police requested a mutual aid response to help assist with recovery efforts to find the male under the water. Waldens Ridge Emergency Services, Dallas Bay VFD and STARS Dive Teams responded to the scene. They were able to recovery the body.



Detective David Holloway, Signal Mountain Police, reported, This is a tragic accident. The family members were not from Hamilton County. They appear to be from Georgia.
The Military Officers Association of America Chattanooga Chapter will host a Veterans Appreciation event at AT&T Field on May 25 at 7:15 p.m. The Lookouts will play the Mississippi Braves.

The event includes a ticket to the ball park and a buffet style dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs with coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad, home fried chips, desert and drinks for $25 each for ages 3 and up. All veterans are invited.

Make check payable to: MOAA Chattanooga Chapter and mail to CDR James Hargrove at 1739 Bayfront Drive, Soddy Daisy, TN. 37379. Confirmation must be received before May 10.
Two Soddy Daisy Police supervisors testified Tuesday that their jobs were threatened when they said they were going to alert the district attorney to a probe involving a key witness in the Justin Whaley case.

Lt. Jake Elrod and Capt. Eric Jenkins took the stand at a motion hearing seeking a new trial in the case in which the former EMT got a nine-year sentence for vehicular homicide.

Attorney Lee Davis said after the hearing, "Following testimony yesterday in the case involving Justin Whaley, Soddy Daisy Police Chief Billy Petty suspended Capt. Eric Jenkins and Lt. Jake Elrod with pay 'pending the outcome of this court case.' This suspension was directed by Soddy Daisy City Manager Burt Johnson, who linked the suspension directly to the officers' testimony in court."

The supervisors said they believed attorneys should know that Sgt. Jeremy Wright had been untruthful when he was questioned about allegedly showing a photo that included his penis to two young females.

Mike Sneed, who recently retired as Soddy Daisy Police Chief, said the alleged nude photo was never produced and the two females did not want to prosecute so he felt there was nothing to proceed on.

He said a finding of untruthfulness against a police officer "is something that would end a career."

Judge Boyd Patterson said, "There is clearly a split or fracture in the Soddy Daisy Police Department. I'm not saying who is right or wrong."

Attorney Davis argued that information about "untruthfulness" of a police officer who was a central figure in the case was grounds for a new trial.

Prosecutor Parker Garrett said Sgt. Wright's testimony about smelling alcohol on Whaley's breath was backed up by two other officers and the petition for a new trial should be denied.

Lt. Elrod said he was advised prior to the Whaley trial last October that several years back that Sgt. Wright had shown a photo of his penis to a girl about 18 or 19 and her juvenile cousin at the Planet Fitness gym.

He said Sgt. Wright had gone through a body building program and the photo showed before and after.

Lt. Elrod said he asked Sgt. Wright about the situation and he denied such a photo - only one that showed before and after from the waist up. However, he said Sgt. Wright went immediately to the office of Capt. Jenkins and admitted there was such a picture.

Lt. Elrod said he took the matter to Chief Sneed and was told to look into the matter. He said he then tried to talk to the two females, but only one would speak to him briefly on the phone.

The witness said the fact that Sgt. Wright went to Capt. Jenkins and said there was such a picture after telling him there wasn't meant he had "absolutely made a misrepresentation" during an investigation.

Lt. Elrod said he and Capt. Jenkins both believed the information needed to go to prosecutors and attorneys in the Whaley case, but he said Chief Sneed and City Manager Burt Johnson neither one took any action to move it forward. He said he was told that City Attorney Sam Elliott agreed with that assessment.

The witness said Chief Sneed told him that if he went forward he would be "perjuring yourself." Lt. Elrod said, "That made me fear for my job. I took that as a threat."

He said he and Capt. Jenkins and a detective went to City Manager Johnson on the issue. He said the city manager is the only official in Soddy Daisy who can hire and fire police personnel. He said the group did not hear back from Mr. Johnson. He said when they checked later he said he had been too busy on the budget to give it much thought.

Lt. Elrod said he felt "that we couldn't withhold evidence that might be needed by the defense. We felt that it needed to be told." He said it was felt the information should be forwarded to the DA before the Whaley trial, which was last October. But he said "things just stopped" after inaction by higher-ups at the Soddy Daisy Police Department.

Capt. Jenkins said when Sgt. Wright left Lt. Elrod's office after the photo issue was first brought up that Sgt. Wright told him, "What Jake don't know is there's another picture with my penis (showing)."

Capt. Jenkins said he was then shown a photo by Sgt. Wright in which the genital area was on display, but there was a black spot over the penis.

Capt. Jenkins said after he had told Lt. Elrod about the second photo that Sgt. Wright asked him, "Why did you rat me out?" He said he replied, "Because you lied."

He said he asked Sgt. Wright why he lied and he said, "I was scared."

Capt. Jenkins also said that Chief Sneed warned him about "perjuring yourself." He said he took that as "he was threatening me with a crime."

Capt. Jenkins said 26 days after getting no answer from City Manager Johnson he and Lt. Elrod made an appointment with the district attorney's office. He said they first spoke with Kevin Loper, who is over office operations.

He said prosecutor Loper then called District Attorney Coty Wamp into the meeting. He said as they told their account "they were visibly upset."

Capt. Jenkins said he is still concerned over losing his job. He said, "I have a wife and three kids."

He said he asked City Manager Johnson whether he would be fired and he was told, "It depends how much pressure I get after Tuesday (date of the hearing)."

Capt. Jenkins said, "It was very hard that we had to go down there. It was sad."

The hearing is to be continued on May 21 with Chief Sneed still on the witness stand.
Many watch as major news unfolds now in NYC. In a courthouse at the lower end of Manhattan, the former number 3 at the DOJ, Michael Colangelo is spearheading the Stormy Daniels hush money trial. With a smell of election interference, a Democrat judge slapped a gag order on Republican Trump but not the other parties. Today the judge fined Trump for violating the order and threatened him with jail if he continues.

On the Upper Westside, a mob of fanatic, chanting agitators have grown in number at once respected Columbia University. There college officials for days have been powerless to end threats to Jewish students and professors or reopen the school to regular classes days before final exams.

It escalated last night as a not mostly peaceful, but mostly masked violent mob smashed windows to enter and take over a campus building. Now to end the occupation, the agitators demand amnesty, not being held accountable for any of their actions.

This is actually monumental. As a presidential candidate is in court over Stormy Daniels, blocks away some privileged youth at a very expensive private college stormed one of the campus buildings in defense of a middle eastern terrorist group. That kind of insane chaos typifies the state of the nation under Joe Biden and his progressive party as voters watch the storms in New York City.

Ralph Miller

* * *

Now, I don't know anything significant about any of the numerous and frivolous, legal and illegal trials and tribulations that Mr. Trump is being subjected to right now. The whole business seems to be similar to a bunch of crows harassing a hawk in flight -- the crows are very noisy and very serious about it all, but the hawk is in no danger and really couldn't care less.

Right now, I cannot get my head around the notions of 'hush money' and 'gag orders.' Is there really a great difference between the two concepts?

The impression I get is that 'hush money' is a private payment made to someone, asking them to keep their mouth shut, while a 'gag order' is a public and quasi-legal order demanding that someone keep their mouth shut.

Maybe there's more to that than meets my eye, but I think using both of those terms in the same sentence and implying there is a difference is laughable.

It reminds me of the common old 'apples and oranges' argument, which supposedly involves two utterly different things. But apples and oranges are so much alike that most of the descriptive terms we use for them are indistinguishable. Fruit? Yes. Round? Yes. Juicy? Yes. Sweet? Yes. Colorful? Yes. Tree-borne? Yes. Seeds inside? Yes. You get my point ... .

Seriously, could you -- using only words, no actual fruit, no juice, no pictures, etc. -- could you really teach someone the actual, practical difference between an apple and an orange?

Seriously, could you -- using only words -- really teach someone the difference between 'hush money' and a 'gag order'?

Evidently the difference lies in which side of the bench you're on.

Larry Cloud
In celebration of National Pet Therapy Animal Day, CHI Memorial dedicated a bronze sculpture of Sadie, a former pet therapy dog, in honor of all pet therapy dogs that volunteer with their human companions through the hospitals pet therapy program.

Sadies owner and current volunteer, Wayne Gratigny, commissioned local artist Maria Willison to create the bronze sculpture in Sadies memory. Wayne and Sadie, a rescued Golden Retriever, restarted CHI Memorials pet therapy program in 2012.

I had seen how my grandson reacted to therapy dogs when he was in another hospital and thought it would be great to have dogs visit patients here, Mr. Gratigny said. I had five golden retrievers at the time, but Sadie was the most gentle and attentive to people.

The sculpture of Sadie is located in the CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga Entrance B lobby near the gift shop and cafeteria. Badges of past CHI Memorial therapy dogs will be in a drawer in the pedestal.

The hospitals pet therapy program was paused in 2020, but Mr. Gratigny came back as soon as he could with another of his Goldens  Omar, a rescue from Istanbul.

The pet therapy dogs bring such joy and comfort to our patients and their families. And our employees enjoy the visits just as much as the patients, shared Jean Payne, CHI Memorial director of volunteer services.

Mr. Gratigny hopes hospital visitors will see Sadies sculpture and be encouraged to join the pet therapy program. Currently, eight pet therapy dogs and their human companions volunteer each week at CHI Memorials Chattanooga and Hixson campuses. The program will soon expand to the Georgia campus as well.

Anyone interested in becoming a pet therapy volunteer or learning more about CHI Memorials program can visit memorial.org/volunteer or call 495-8610 for more information.




University of Tennessee at Chattanooga junior Chamyra Teasley has been honored with the prestigious Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award, given by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to 10 individuals in higher education throughout the state who demonstrate a lasting, meaningful impact through service; are valued by peers and community leaders; and embody the legacy of the late Rep. Harold Love Sr.the namesake of the award.Ms. Teasley, pursuing a bachelors degree in engineering management with a minor in political science, has packed a lifetimes worth of memories into one academic year.As Student Government Association (SGA) president, she has hobnobbed with UTC leadership and dignitaries, including UT System President Randy Boyd and Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly.Alongside Vice Chancellor for Access and Engagement Stacy Lightfoot, she co-moderated A Conversation with Bernice King and Ilyasah ShabazzA Legacy of Leadership and Service for the UTC MLK Day 2024 celebration. She was a featured speaker at commencement in December and will return to the McKenzie Arena podium during undergraduate ceremonies this Saturday, May 4.But the icing on the cake was being honored for her community service efforts.To me, its always great to get recognized for the work that you put in, said Ms. Teasley, a native of Clarksville, Tn. I dont do the work to get recognized; I do it to help others. And I guess its just great to know that people believe in what Ive done and theyre proud of the work that Ive done on our campus.It feels really, really amazing to see that someone else outside of our campus has seen the work that Ive done.Ms. Teasley was nominated for her work with her leadership team to help communicate that the SGA is an advocacy group for UTC students to have a voice on campus. As part of her SGA work, she helped bring a Student Leader Summit on campus, inviting SGA leaders from universities across the state for a three-day program in Chattanooga.She serves as a resident assistant in the engineering residential learning community while holding two internshipsone in the UTC IT Department and one with The House Campus Ministries. She has also worked in the Office of Student and Family Engagement, learning how to plan and host inclusive events to allow everyone to enjoy activities on campus.There are 10 awards in the state at every leveland only five students get this awardso this places Chamyra among the very top students in Tennessee, UTC Chancellor Steven R. Angle said. This is an elite group and thats where she belongs. Its very satisfying to see her acknowledged for everything she does.According to the award programs website, community service recognition for higher education students and faculty/staff at the campus level was created in Tennessee through legislation enacted by the General Assembly in 1991. In 1997, the awards were named for Love, who was instrumental in passing the enabling legislation.
The Chattanooga Theatre Centre's next Youth Theatre production, Disney Pixar's Finding Nemo, Jr., will open Friday, May 10, and run through Sunday, May 19.

Review for the production:

Disney Pixars Finding Nemo, Jr. is a musical adaptation of the beloved 2003 movie Finding Nemo. Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. But when Nemo is captured and taken to Sydney, Australia, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic adventure across the ocean. With the help of lovable characters such as optimistic Dory, laid-back sea turtle Crush, and the supportive Tank Gang, Marlin and Nemo both overcome challenges on their journey to find each other and themselves.

This production features two casts of young performers led by Director Scott Dunlap with Musical Director Michael Dexter and Choreographer Marie Dance.

Performances:

Friday, May 10, 7:30 p.m. (Ebb Cast)

Saturday, May 11, 2:30 p.m. (Flow Cast)

Sunday, May 12, 2:30 p.m. (Ebb Cast)

Friday, May 17, 7:30 p.m. (Flow Cast)

Saturday, May 18, 2:30 p.m. (Ebb Cast)

Sunday, May 19, 2:30 p.m. (Flow Cast)

Click here for tickets.
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Illustration by Ibrahim Rayintakath

Fifteen years ago, Sherry Hoppen was a mom of three, a ministry leader in her church, and a volunteer at her local pregnancy center when her younger brother was killed in a drunk driving accident. The tragedy triggered her own slow spiral into alcoholismone that nearly destroyed her marriage and her life.

Over the next decade, Hoppen evolved from a casual drinker to an addict who barely recognized herself, always secretly drinking or causing scenes at family holidays due to her dependence. Like many who struggle, she thought she could fix herself and moderate her drinking, even as she daily hid vodka-filled water bottles inside her purse.

I was scared to tell anybody because I knew if I did, my drinking days were over, Hoppen said. And I didnt want people to see [our family] fail.

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Her husband was a church elder, she led the childrens church choir, and they were beloved businesspeople in their small Michigan community.

I couldnt imagine letting anybody see what was really going on, she said. I didnt want to go to rehab because  everybody knows if you go to rehab, including my kids.

It took Hoppen four more years after recognizing her dependence to commit to sobriety. Her story as a churchgoing suburban mom concealing alcohol addiction is increasingly common.

In 2023, around 9 percent of adult women in the US struggled with alcoholismabout 11.7 million women. This means that in an average church of 500 people, at least 20 women attending likely struggle with alcohol dependence as well.

If you add in women who might admit to being uncomfortable with their relationship with alcohol, its a lot more. This discomfort, often called gray-area drinking, is the kind of hush-hush thing women Google on incognito mode in the middle of the night.

Alcohol abuse is rarely discussed with or even known by a womans closest friends or spouse. Most of us assume that regular churchgoers, Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, and pregnancy center volunteers arent the ones dealing with substance abuse.

While men have a higher risk of struggling with alcoholism, the gap between men and women has been shrinking in recent years. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from the past two decades found that rates of alcohol-related deaths have increased more in women than men, especially those in their 30s.

Drinking is a gendered experience: Women are more easily and quickly addicted and more affected by long-term health consequences. Underage drinking, which is more common among young girls than boys, has major impacts on brain development.

In her 2013 book Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, Ann Dowsett Johnston quotes a research director at the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Womens Health, saying that alcohol is the issue affecting [teen] girls health and it is being marketed as liberation.

Theres no reason to think the percentage is different for Christian women and secular women who struggle with drinking, although some Lifeway surveys have shown that Christians generally drink less than their secular peers. Substance abuse doesnt discriminate, but the church has a long way to go in ministering to women in this category. Like secular women, Christian women are often unknowingly swayed by cultural shifts and advertising.

Until recent decades, alcohol brands marketed themselves primarily to men: emphasizing images of dark, frosty beers ready after a long day of work or playing up the sweet burn of scotch that tasted of refined masculinity. In the 1990s, however, the industry recognized that women were an undertapped market.

David Jernigan, director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Johns Hopkins University, points to the increase in alcohol marketing toward women in the late 1990s with the introduction of sugary drinks for entry-level drinkers. A decade later, skinny versions of premade cocktails launched for women who wanted low-calorie options. Rates of alcohol use disorder rose by 83 percent between 2002 and 2013, on par with the rise in feminized alcohol marketing.

Simultaneously, more Christians were shunning the hard boundaries of teetotaling fundamentalism, preferring not to be labeled legalistic. This combination of factors meant church ladies and stay-at-home moms joined the ranks of those tipping back far more frequently than ever before. Its your right to indulge, they were told.

With more alcoholic beverages targeted at women, the normalization of drinking to assuage the stress of motherhood amplified quickly. As social media grew, so too did mommy wine culture memes and rose all day slogans celebrating alcohol as an end-of-day necessity that women deserved.

Before becoming sober curious, writer Halee Gray Scott didnt identify as an alcoholic but questioned her drinking. I caught myself anxiously watching the clock for 5 p.m., when I could open up a bottle of Pinot Grigio, she wrote for CT.

Alcohol use only increased during the pandemic, with an average of 488 deaths per day in the US during COVID-19s height in 2021. With lost social connections (including church), many turned to alcohol as a way to deal with stress, isolation, and uncertainty.

And its not just the US. Twenty years after the alcohol industry began marketing to women, the UK has an epidemic of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer among women in their 20s, Jernigan said. The cancer doctors in the UK are blown away; they have never seen anything like this.

Alcohol affects womens bodies in more significant ways than mens. Initially, female bodies absorb more alcohol and take longer to metabolize it, resulting in higher blood alcohol levels that happen faster and remain longer.

This often results in steeper long-term consequences as well. Among these are higher risks of liver disease, shrinkage in brain development, heart damage, and a variety of cancers, including breast cancer. It also puts women at higher likelihood for experiencing sexual violence or attack.

But the reasons women drink are notable too: Women are more likely to have suffered childhood abuse and past sexual assault than men, and mental health in young adult women has been declining for years. Many people with substance abuse issues have experienced significant trauma. The more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) a person has, the more likely they are to develop addiction in adulthood. Addiction is an attempt to soothe a wound, but admitting an issue with substances can be seen as a moral failureespecially among evangelical women, and mothers in particular.

Christian mothers have historically been viewed as stabilizers of the home when men succumbed to drunkenness. These women led the temperance movement in the early 20th century, specifically to address the harms alcohol was causing in society and family life. Women were more likely than men to vote to shutter the saloons that were destroying their homes, wrote Jennifer Woodruff Tait in an article for CT.

Today, with cultural messaging and marketing targeted directly at mothers with brands like Mom Juice or Mom Water, and the fear of many women in the church of appearing legalistic in their denouncement of alcohol, the double standard is apparent.

I think the church would be more forgiving of a man who was an alcoholic than they would be of a young mother, said Laura Cain, a 17-year volunteer with the Christian ministry Celebrate Recovery. We are expected to be super holy and saintly, and theres so much pressure on women.

This false messaging of empowerment in an alcohol-obsessed society, paired with assumptions about churchgoers, makes it difficult for the Christian woman to share her struggle.

And the recovery worldwithin church and withouthasnt caught up to the epidemic of womens drinking problems.

Advocate Kristen McAvoy says she was addicted to Xanax and alcohol while attending church and a small group Bible study. Nobody knew what she was going through.

I was the most involved Ive ever been in church in my life at that time, she told CT. I would go to church sometimes on Xanax or when I was drinking.

Now sober from both substances for three years, she says she was terrified to admit to her small group that she had a problem like this. Even now, while hosting a very public sobriety platform on Instagram, McAvoy still feels like addiction is a taboo topic and is nervous discussing sobriety in church settings.

Its one thing to ask friends to pray for your stress levels and quite another to confess to substance abuse. Many Christian women, hamstrung by reputation and image, feel incapable of revealing their struggle, believing they will eventually conquer it alone. This is rarely the case.

McAvoy said that the only reason she confessed her problem at church is because her pastor transparently shared his own experience with addiction, creating a safe space for her own admission. Despite many churches aims to be welcoming, Christians are often fearful of revealing their faultscreating a superficial culture of perfection.

Secular addiction researcher Yohan Hari famously said, The opposite of addiction isnt sobriety; its connection. This might be why the most successful recovery effort of all time is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). AA began as a faith-based program, based on the idea of what Hari calls social recovery.

Christian therapist and sobriety expert Caroline Beidler, who is 10 years sober, calls AA meetings the downstairs churchalso the title of her book. She agrees that Christian women specifically have a kind of double stigma in recovery. Beidler, who cofounded a recovery house and speaks at sobriety events for women regularly, said there are far fewer resources for women than men with alcohol use disorder.

I live in a small town in Eastern Tennessee, and when I see a woman in a meeting, Im surprised because there are hardly any women attending, she told CT.

Neither culture nor the church is well-equipped to work with women facing addiction. In many church settings, as alcohol is normalized and even considered missional, there is often little consideration that someone might struggle with substance abuse. Nor are there ample opportunities to admit ones struggle in a safe environment.

Many churches serve wine for Communion. In some contexts, its common at unofficial church social gatherings to serve alcoholand in some churches, at more official events.

When I was drinking, I would go out with my church small group on the weekends and drink with them. A mission team I joined had trip-planning meetings at a bar, where people would sip whiskey and wine while brainstorming outreach events. At a church retreat, my cabinmates suggested we sneak some wine inwhile I was trying to escape alcohols call by being at the retreat.

Because churches often have close connections with AA and social services, they should be the perfect place to ask for help. But meetups with titles like Pastors and Pints, Wined Down Wednesday, and Beer and Hymns or other alcohol-infused gatherings are confusing and unhelpful while implying that the church is not the place to seek help.

In The Recovery-Minded Church, Jonathan Benz writes that even experienced pastoral caregivers with all the right recovery resources at their fingertips see their role as making referrals rather than as being a partner to walk with.

Too often, church leaders care for addicts ends with this referral step, Benz writes. That is actually just the beginning, not the end, of an opportunity to encounter the prodigal God who loves you beyond your wildest imagination.

But if alcohol is a part of the church culture, officially or not, that role may not be clearly visible. A few jokes from church members about needing wine after wrangling kids into the service, and someone may permanently give up on sharing their strugglesor falsely believe that everyone drinks to calm down.

Erin Jean Warde, author of the book Sober Spirituality, was working as a priest at her Episcopal church when she realized she had to deal with her own alcohol dependence. Ministry leaders often find it more difficult to seek help due to added shame and the threat of job or reputation loss.

When Warde tried to get sober, she used the 40 days of Lent as her excuse to stop drinking. But even then, friends reminded her she could technically still drink on Sundays, when the Lenten fast is not observed.

Even inside the safest excuse to take a sober curious break, she wrote, I was not free from people encouraging me to drink.

Warde felt no support in her quiet quest to quit drinking and put it off for fear of becoming an outsider in her church community. Even worse, the only local AA meeting was held in her own church basement.

Hadley Sorensen, a mom of three living in the Washington, DC, area, understands this well. Like many Christian women facing issues with alcohol, no one else thought she had a problem. She was a successful woman, active in her church and community, with a strong marriage and plenty of friends.

I didnt appear to be doing anything out of the norm, Sorensen said. No one knew I was struggling, but I just had this deep sense of shamelike I was out of alignment with my values and my faith.

Only in the past decade have more addiction resources specifically for women emerged. Though Alcoholics Anonymous has had exclusively female groups for years, popular online communities like Sober Sis and She Recovers now often host in-person retreats as well.

Still, its common for women of faith to feel alienated from secular sobriety support groups. Though AA refers to a higher power, plenty of members are not personally religious and the focus is definitively not on Christ. Many Christians are also wary of New Age concepts and the language of finding my truth common to secular recovery programs.

McAvoy never felt comfortable in those communities. Shes now part of one of the only exclusively Christian, women-focused recovery support groups, She Surrenders, which Hoppen founded.

I really like it because we always incorporate faith into the meetings, said McAvoy. I feel like it was exactly what I had been looking for.

Having support options outside of church is important, because things like anonymity matter to someone taking first steps into recovery. But there are also ways churches can encourage more sharing and recovering out loud. Most women I interviewed agreed that churches need more public testimony and normalization of addiction issues that speak directly to those suffering silently.

All I know is I found Jesus in an AA meeting, because thats where people were really honest and vulnerable and broken, Beidler said. Scripture tells us that God is close to the brokenhearted, so you go to an AA meeting and there are broken hearts sitting in a circle, sharing it all.

Jesus should be just as easy to find in a church sanctuary as a church basement. Through Celebrate Recovery and organizations like The Center for Addiction and Faith, Christian groups are addressing this gap, but there are still ways to improve in evangelical churches more broadly.

Laura Cains pastor launched a chapter of Celebrate Recovery after conducting an anonymous survey of his congregation to see what issues they were dealing with. He was shocked and horrified by how many people said they were struggling with substance abuse problems. Behind the pleasantries of a Sunday morning gathering, the anonymous survey unveiled the truth about an ailing flock.

In recovery meetings, foundational rules like anonymity give people the space to talk without being offered advice. And its often helpful for women to have a smallerand sometimes single-gendergroup in which they can speak openly. Particularly for women with histories of sexual trauma, it can be hard to open up in front of men.

For churches, Cain suggests that small group leaders employ safety rules, like Celebrate Recovery does, to assure confidentiality, anonymity, no interruptions, and a chance for everyone to share, even about sensitive topics.

As Benz writes, churches must move from a position of meeting needs and providing service to empowerment and kinship as they welcome alcohol-dependent people into their communities.

Pastors, leaders, and church members can all step forward and go first with powerful testimonies of what God has done in and through their brokenness. One neednt struggle with substance abuse specifically to understand the pain of trauma, hurt, or addiction.

The truth is we are all broken, Cain said. We are all messed up, and its a relief that I dont have to put a mask on [at Celebrate Recovery] and theyre not expecting me to.

Four years ago, I stood in front of my church and told them through tears how God had empowered me to stop drinking after two decades of struggle. It was the most vulnerable and scary thing Id ever done, but I knew God was calling me to go first. I knew someone else would see themselves in my struggle and finally feel like they werent alone.

For many years prior, I had suffered in silence, unable to find many resources outside of AA (which intimidated me) or feel safe confiding in anyone about my problem. Quitting felt nearly impossible. Its why Im so thankful that Christian women today are starting to step out of the shadows, share openly, and be beacons of light for others who may feel alone in their struggle.

After the service, several people came up to me and confessed their current or past addictions. I received messages online and began to create a space on social media for those suffering in silence to come to the Cross.

Our silent shame robs others of community, solidarity, and support. Churches have an opportunity to meet women in the midst of their brokenness. People ultimately just want to belong, feel seen, and not be judged in their brokenness.

Ruth Stitt, who has been a licensed professional counselor for more than two decades, agrees that women of faith may especially carry more shame and secrecy about an addiction.

Christians who have a certain expectationhaving grown up in the church, maybereally struggle, Stitt said. Even people that I see [in therapy] dont tell the truth on the intake form asking how much they drink.

Cain said the ability to speak openly and at length about ones issues, without interruption or tidy solutions being recommended, is key. I dont try to fix people, she said. I let the Holy Spirit do that.

The last time Sherry Hoppen tried to drink, she gagged so much she couldnt swallow. She believes God physically prevented her from being able to swallow alcohol because this had never happened to her before.

I only saw this in hindsight, she said. At the time, I didnt know if I was sick or what was going on, but that is what I believe to be true today.

She had relapsed too many times than I could possibly count and had nearly given up on the possibility of lifetime sobriety. But that day, God lifted that burden from her hands.

I ended up on my living room floor, flat on my face, and just told God, I surrender, she said. I said, Ill do whatever you want  and in that moment, I knew it was over.

Ten years later, she leads the female Christian sobriety support group McAvoy attends and has published her memoir, Sober Cycle.

Shes far from alone. As more Christian women become vocal about their addictive experiences with alcohol and change evangelical church culture, we can all work to open a safe space to others who wouldnt otherwise ask for help.

Ericka Andersen is a freelance writer living in Indianapolis. She is the author of Leaving Cloud 9 and Reason to Return: Why Women Need the Church and the Church Needs Women.
Illustration by Michael Marsicano

Of the many letters the apostle Paul wrote, few survived. We have a good deal of his communication to churches as a wholeletters to groups of believers in particular cities. This makes sense. Such letters were read publicly and often; they were copied and disseminated and celebrated as Scripture soon after the ink had dried.

Paul sent a number of letters to individuals as well. To read his biblical writings is to sense that you are glimpsing only a fraction of his relational network and influence. Almost all of those letters have been lost.

But there are exceptions.

It was a tall order for personal letters to ascend to the level of canon. It helped to be bound up with a great figure, a leader of a great community. Timothy, for instance, was a towering second-generation church leader; he was also the bishop of Ephesus, a major city of the Roman Empire and a major Christian center. Titus was a pillar of the Gentile mission and served as the bishop of Crete. Their eponymous letters had huge communities to champion their inclusion in Scripture.

A mystery for the ages, then, is why Pauls letter to Philemonthe leader of a house church in the minor city of Colossaesurvives at all. Its the most personal letter we have from Paul. It runs only 25 verses.

The letter reveals a story. In it, a man named Onesimus has fled his master Philemon. Onesimus was most likely a household slave, a bondservant high in the pecking order.

To call him a runaway slave is true, though it is misleading for modern readers, who might imagine Onesimus attempting to escape through something like the Underground Railroad.

In fact, some scholars argue that Onesimus sought out Paul but planned to return to his master. Steven M. Baugh, an emeritus professor of New Testament at Westminster Seminary California, wrote, It seems most likely that Onesimus intentionally ran away from Philemon and ran to Paul in order to seek his intercession on his behalf with Philemon over some quarrel between the master and slave. This letter is Pauls intercession.

Its hard for us today to understand why Onesimus might want to return to enslavement. But the explanation is simple: If Onesimus has an important position helping his wealthy owner, he would not quickly trade it for a life as a poor peasant.

Slaves belonging to the households of the wealthy or moderately wealthy in some ways lived a better life than the free poor of the city, wrote historian James S. Jeffers in The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era. Unlike the free poor, such slaves normally were assured three meals a day, lodging, clothing and health care. Many slaves, Jeffers adds, were better educated than the freeborn poor.

That said, the traditional and most common interpretation of Onesimuss motives is that he took Philemons money and had no intent of going back.

And there would have been plenty of money. Many slaves with organizational skills and business acumen were charged with overseeing the businesses of their masters. These were known as oikonomos, or stewards (the source for our word economy).

Philemon, a wealthy businessman and Christian convert of Pauls, lived in Colossae. He would have had a number of slaves to assist in his ventures. Due to the risk of robbery along the route to major trade centers, men like Philemon would not travel with their goods themselves. Instead, they would entrust the task to reliable slave stewards like Onesimus.

But in this case, instead of returning to Philemon with his money, Onesimus may have pocketed the cash and hopped on a ship to Rome. And soon, we find him at Pauls side, serving him in prison and becoming a follower of Christ under Pauls instruction.

Whether he fled to seek Paul or happened to hear of him through the local Christian community in Rome, we cant be sure. But it is strange that a runaway slave would spend so much time around a religious figure under suspicion, serving house arrest, surrounded by agents of the state.

Why did Onesimus take the risk and come to Paul? Its as if he knew something about Paul that weve forgotten.

In the decades before the birth of Jesus, a spirit of zealotry hung thick in the air in northern Israel. The land was a hotbed of resistance and uprisings against Romesometimes armed revolts, sometimes theft from Roman depots where the odious Roman taxes were stored.

But Rome was no rookie. Keeping people subjugated was a wicked art, and the empire had centuries of practice.

Insurrectionist commanders were executed by horrific means such as crucifixion or impalement. And Rome knew it was not enough to cut off the head; to snuff out rebellion, whole communities had to be dealt with.

Soas the ancient historian Josephus tells usRome began sacking entire rebel villages, selling their inhabitants as slaves on the many slave markets. Slave dealers during this era often followed behind Roman legions on military campaigns, gathering human spoils and filling Roman coffers.

One of the villages in Galilee would especially bedevil Rome in the hundred years surrounding Christs resurrection. It was the far northern village of Gischala.

After some infraction there in the final years B.C. or early years A.D., the details of which are forgotten to history, the Romans rounded up the people of Gischala, carted them away, and enslaved them.

If the early churchs memory is correct, Pauls parents were among them.

In A.D. 382, the pope commissioned a young and astonishingly bright scholar named Jerome to update the archaic Latin Bible. Scholars who knew Greek were a dime a dozen, but Jerome was one of the few with mastery in Hebrew as well as Greek.

Two decades later, working from a monastery in Bethlehem, he finished the monumental task of the Vulgate, the worlds most influential Bible translation. He also managed to write, among other works, four commentaries on Pauls letters.

In Jeromes commentary to Philemon, he records the early churchs memory of Paul:

They say that the parents of the apostle Paul were from Gischala, a region of Judaea, and that, when the whole province was devastated by the hand of Rome and the Jews scattered throughout the world, they were moved to Tarsus a town of Cilicia.

Another translation of Jeromes commentary may put the Latin fuisse translatos more accurately. It says Pauls parents were taken to Tarsusthat is, taken against their will.

Some people have speculated that Pauls ancestors were opportunists. Maybe they left Israel because leatherworking and tentmaking was better business in a major Roman hub like Tarsus.

But thats not what the early church said.

This taken euphemism means that Rome dealt with Pauls parents the way they almost always dealt with defiant people. According to German scholar Theodor Zahn, they were taken prisoners of war and sold as slaves in Tarsus. Paul may have been a child then, Zahn says, or he may have been born partway into his parents slavery obligation.

Roman slavery was not the same as American chattel slavery. Roman citizens often freed their slaves, Jeffers wrote. In urban households, this frequently happened by the time the slave reached age 30. We know of few urban slaves who reached old age before gaining their freedom.

According to the classicist Mary Beard, many contemporaries saw this slavery-to-citizenship path as a distinguishing feature of Romes success. She writes, Some historians reckon that, by the second century CE, the majority of the free citizen population of the city of Rome had slaves somewhere in their ancestry.

This is why many Bible translations have chosen to use the term servant or bondservant rather than slave. Enslavement was certainly a gross affront to human rights. But New Testament slavery was not the kind of slavery North Americans often think of. Roman enslavement generally had an end. And in many cases, it even created opportunities for social advancement, especially for children of the enslaved.

A few centuries after Jerome, Photios I, the bishop of Constantinople, walked around his famed library and pulled down some volumes and documents that have since been lost in the sands of time. Only his letter citing those documents remains. Drawing not from Jerome but from another early church source historians still havent identified, he wrote,

Paul, the divine apostle  who had laid hold of the Jerusalem above as his fatherland, had also as his portion the fatherland of his ancient ancestors and physical race, namely Gischala (which is now a village in the region of Judea, being called of old a small town). But because his parents, together with many others of his race, were taken captive by the Roman spear and Tarsus fell to his lot where he was also born, he gives it as his fatherland.

Photios has Paul born in Tarsus to his enslaved parents. Now, just because a tradition exists doesnt mean its true. Plenty of traditions dont square with Scripture and must be left aside.

But not this one.

Jerome Murphy-OConnor, a Pauline scholar and New Testament professor at the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem, wrote that the likelihood that he or any earlier Christian invented the association of Pauls family with Gischala is remote. The town is not mentioned in the Bible. It had no connection with Benjamin. It had no associations with the Galilean ministry of Jesus.

Translation: If youre going to invent a legend about Pauls background, youre going to come up with something cool. Youd put him in an important place, with a story that cements his heritage in the biblical narrative. Not in an obscure town that doesnt even appear in Scripture.

As historical church traditions go, this is about as reliable as they get. German scholars like Zahn and Adolf von Harnack refer to this type of detail as unerfindbarroughly, unfathomable, unless its true. English translations of this term clarify it as too definite to have been invented.

One of the great conundrums of Pauline scholarship is why few experts in the English-speaking world talk about this. Douglas Moo, a leading Paul scholar at Wheaton College, said in an interview, I have run across very few books on Paul that even mention it. In his biography of Paul, N. T. Wright casually remarks that this is a later legend.

But its hardly a legend, and its scarcely later.

Scholars of Jerome and Origen, another early church father, agree that Jeromes statement about Pauls parents, written in A.D. 386, is not original. In fact, little from Jeromes commentary is original.

Ronald E. Heine, an Origen scholar at Bushnell University, said that Jerome is basically translating Origen. Caroline Bammel, an early church historian at Cambridge, put it more bluntly when she wrote that Jeromes work in his commentaries is largely plagiarized from Origen.

Origens Philemon commentary, like much of his work, has been lost. But through Jeromes translationsor appropriationsof other Origen commentaries, scholars are confident it comes from Origen. In this commentary we have the exposition of Origen dressed in the garb of Jeromes Latin, Heine wrote.

This places the tradition about Pauls heritage not in Jeromes time but in Origens, the early 200s. And Origen was writing from Caesarea, next door to Galilee and in a city where Paul spent two years (Acts 23:2324; 24:27). The elderly storytellers around him who kept the oral tradition would have grown up under the leadership of the second and third generations of the church.

Contrary to being some later legend, this is the earliest known exposition of the Epistle to Philemon, Heine writes. In all likelihood, [it] represents the first commentary ever written on the epistle.

In the German academy, the idea that Paul was a manumitted slave has been a live conversation for 150 years. Eminent 20th-century scholars like Von Harnack and Zahn, along with Martin Dibelius, gave Jeromes story credence.

Plenty of other German scholars take seriously the assertion that Pauls parents came from Galilee, wrote theologian Rainer Riesner, who teaches today at the University of Dortmund.

Some even go so far as to pinpoint which Galilean rebellion may have led to the enslavement of his parentsthe uprising in 4 B.C., when Varus, the Roman governor of Syria, burned entire cities and crucified 2,000 people. In Galilean cities like Sepphoris, Josephus wrote in the Antiquities of the Jews, they made its inhabitants slaves.

If this is correct, the fact that Saul of Tarsus shows up in Jerusalem two decades later as a young teenager makes perfect sense. When Paul told the commander in Acts 22:28 that he was born a Roman citizen, that word, gennao, can refer to birth or adoption. Freed Roman slaves were often adopted into their masters family and given a Roman name and citizenship.

This also explains why he has the name Paul, a very Roman name that no Pharisee would give their very Hebrew child.

Contrary to popular thought and pulpit references, Saul does not take on the name Paul after becoming a follower of Christ. The name Saul is with him from the beginning and continues to be used after his conversion (Acts 11, 13).

In Hebrew contexts, he uses his Hebrew name, Saul. In Greco-Roman contexts, he uses the cognomen (the third part of a Roman name) Paullus, which he would have inherited from the family that owned him.

Though he could have inherited the name Paullus from any number of Roman families, there was one particularly famous family with that namethe Aemilian tribe, according to 20th-century classics scholar G. A. Harrer. We cannot know for sure, but Harrer speculates that if Pauls owner came from that tribe, his Roman name could have been L. Aemilius Paullus, also known as Saul.

Wherever the family name originated, Riesner said in an interview, Pauls father was manumitted by his Roman master and automatically earned [Roman] citizenship.

Its easy to forget how strange a person Paul is. He and Luke seem to tell such different stories of Pauls life that its stumped some scholars.

In Acts, Luke paints a picture of Paul as a Roman and Tarsian citizen, at home in the Hellenistic Jewish worlds lax adherence to the ancient customs. Paul, however, refers to himself elsewhere in very Jewish terms: a Hebrew of Hebrews; Aramaic-speaking; of the tribe of Benjamin; a Pharisee; a zealot (Phil. 3:56).

If you didnt have the Book of Acts, youd likely presume Paul was from Galilee or Jerusalem based on the way he talks. After all, a person did not become a Pharisee outside Palestine, Riesner writes in Pauls Early Period.

It was virtually unheard of for someone to be both a Galilean zealot Pharisee and a Roman citizen in Tarsus. For instance, some might claim one could not be a Hebrew of Hebrews and a Hellenistic Jew. But thats precisely what Paul was.

Paul was not a Greek-speaking Jew who had lost his language, lost his culture, and was living in the lap of Roman luxury.

Then as now, there was a strong differentiation between Jews who lived in and defended their homeland and those who made a more comfortable life elsewhere. Paul intentionally signaled that he was rooted in and fiercely committed to his heritage.

At the same time, though, Paul was an oddity among Romans, because Hellenized Jews rarely spoke Aramaic. Pauls fluency in the language is so significant that it is the climax of the scene recorded in Acts 21 and 22.

In the second half of Acts 21, Pauls presence in the Jerusalem temple causes an uproar. Hes mistaken for an Egyptian false prophet who had deceived many people a few years earlier, and a mob becomes so violent that Roman soldiers have to physically carry Paul away.

But Paul, in his native and educated Greek, addresses the Roman commander. Hearing Pauls Greek, the commander realizes they have the wrong guy; this is clearly no Egyptian.

Paul then asks if he can address the mob.

He mounts the steps and begins speaking to the peoplein Aramaic, the language that had filled their ears as infants bobbing on their mothers shoulders. When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet, Luke says (22:2).

Just as fourth- and fifth-generation Americans do not normally speak the languages of their immigrant ancestors, it was unheard of for diaspora Jews to speak Aramaic. That was the language of Israel. Unless Pauls family had been very recently removed, he would not have been a native speaker.

Theres another inconsistency on Pauls resume: Paul had moved to Jerusalem as a teen to study with Gamaliel, a renowned Jewish teacher (5:34). This was not an honor that ordinary diaspora kids or Hellenistic Jews usually received. But if Pauls parents were zealots, forcibly transplanted to Tarsus, then his pedigree might have marked him as special.

Many modern scholars strongly doubt that a pious Jew like Paul could be a Roman citizen, Riesner told me. Reconciling the Pharisee, Hebrew of Hebrews, Aramaic-speaking zealot Paul with the Roman citizen, globetrotting, Greek-speaking Paul seems impossible. Unless, that is, we consider the early churchs recollection of Pauls upbringing as a child in an enslaved family.

The manumission of Pauls father solves these problems, Riesner told me.

Riesner comes from a long line of German scholars who have thought the same. The great liberal Adolf von Harnack and the great conservative Theodor Zahn were both strong defenders of this tradition, he told me. They did not even agree on the Resurrection, but they agreed on this.

So why arent more Christians in the English-speaking world talking about this?

One theory is simply that German scholars of the 20th century read Greek and Latin much better than current American or British scholars do. By the time those Germans began their posts at elite universities, they could take up Homer or Origen in Greek, or Jerome in Latin. They could read not just for research but for fun.

New Testament studies in the English-speaking world, in contrast, tends to emphasize only the corpus of New Testament Greek. Many New Testament researchers simply cannot read Homeror Origen, for that matter. Thus, after World War II, when the center of scholarship shifted from German-speaking to Anglophone universities, this part of the Paul conversation may have gotten lost in translation and in the flipping of dictionary pages.

The church fathers grew up quickly here in America, Heine, the Origen scholar, told me. Its only very recently that patristic studies have received proper attention, he said.

Whatever the exact reasons, some of our scholarship clearly suffers from a lack of familiarity and trust for the work of the early church.

One of the words Paul sometimes uses to identify himself as a young man is zealot (usually translated in places like Galatians 1:14 as zealous). We have generally taken this to mean that he was full of zeal or on fire for God. But theres good reason to believe that Paul was identifying himself with the particular Jewish sect violently opposed to anyone infringing on Torah observance, which included Romans.

If thats so, what kind of zealot was Paul before he encountered Christ?

Through his experience with slavery, Paul had learned that Rome wasnt altogether evilthe empire had conferred citizenship upon him, after all. Paul retained the zealot perspectives of his upbringing, but they had changed. No longer directed against Rome, his zealotry was for his ancestral traditions. His persecution of the Christians was an expression of that zealotry.

Even after his conversion, Paul appears reluctant to reveal his Roman citizenship in front of fellow Hebrews, who may still associate him with the zealots. He puts up with beatings that he could have prevented by invoking his citizenship (Acts 16:1640). As the Roman philosopher Cicero wrote, to bind a Roman citizen is a crime, to flog him an abomination, to slay him almost an act of parricide.

Its only when there are few or no Jewish onlookers that Paul seems willing to play his citizenship card. In the scene in Acts 22, Paul is sequestered in the soldiers barracks when he shocks them with the news.

Its possible that not until Pauls later years would many Jerusalem apostles have known about his citizenship. Its hard to be a great Jewish leader and also a citizen of the empire oppressing your people.

But if you were raised a slave in a Roman city and then freed, it makes good sense how you could be both a citizen of the empire and not entirely warm toward the empire.

Zealots practiced their zealotry in different ways. Some extremists took to assassinating political figures, Romans, or Rome-sympathizing Jews. Others engaged in more specific religious violence, such as abducting uncircumcised Hellenistic Jews and circumcising them by force.

For those of this mindset, their hero was Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron. Just as the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, Phinehas had burned with anger over men who were taking Moabite women and joining in their fertility cult worship. In Numbers 25, he fetched a spear and followed a man and his Midianite lover into a tent, stabbing them both through with a single thrust and turning away Gods wrath.

In his biography of Paul, N. T. Wright explains, When Paul the Apostle describes himself in his earlier life as being consumed with zeal for his ancestral traditions, he was looking back on the Phinehas-shaped motivation of his youth.

Phinehas is young Pauls hero. Paul is desperate to deliver the Jewish people through the same kind of violent zeal.

In the pages of Scripture, then, its little coincidence how we meet him.

In the budding messianic movement later called Christianity, there was a standout preacher named Stephen. Not only could he preach, but he helped lead a group serving Hellenistic Jewish widows whose needs went unmet because they were seen as second-class compared to Hebrew widows (Acts 6). In young Pauls mind, Stephen was desecrating Jewish notions of monotheism and of violating the rabbinic traditions, just as Jesus did.

If the zealots were looking for a target, Stephen would do just fine.

Paul then incites the eras equivalent of a lynching. Its not led by local Hebrews but by members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia (6:9).

As Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary scholar Eckhard J. Schnabel wrote in his Acts commentary, The freedmen  were Jews who had been manumitted as slaves by their owners or were the descendants of emancipated Jewish slaves.

If the early church is correct about Pauls parents, then, whether Paul was born to a freed father or was born into slavery and later freed, Paul would have been considered a freedman.

The members of this synagogue of freedmen go on to produce false witnesses against Stephen in order to drum up a case against him (v. 13).

It would be strange for a Hebrew of Hebrews Jerusalem insider to work exclusively with former slaves in setting up this ruse. If Paul is an important upper-crust local, his association with former slaves also makes little sense. Pulling off bearing false witness required a tremendous level of trust among a group. Any leak and the schemers themselves would face the punishment they were seeking for their victim (Deut. 19:1621).

It makes much more sense if this synagogue of freedmenmany of whom were from Cilicia, the capital of which was Pauls hometown Tarsuswere close friends and compatriots who saw the world as Paul did.

Luke might assume that Paul belonged to this particular synagogue, Riesner writes.

And so very possibly, Paul, the freed slave, is surrounded by freed slaves from his same region. He stands in the inner ring, leading these conspirators in the first Christian martyrdom. He then makes plans to pursue and destroy budding messianic communities across the Roman Empire.

First on the list? Damascus.

Of course, en route, Paul is confronted by a heavenly visitor, knocked down, and blinded for three days (Acts 9). The world has not been the same since.

Not only does the early churchs telling of Pauls backstory better explain Paul, but it also better explains the way he talks.

We take it for granted that Paul writes the way he does. We take it as normal. But if the rest of the New Testament can serve as a guide, its not.

Everyone is formed by their background. Our vocabularies and mental toolboxes betray the evidence of our upbringing. And Paul is obsessed with the language of slavery. In his writings, he speaks constantly of it: Of bondage. Of freedom. Of adoption. Of shackles. Of exodus. Of citizenship. The two most common openings to Pauls letters are Paul, an apostle of Christ and Paul, a slave of Christ.

Meanwhile, the entire rest of the New Testament rarely uses slavery language. Paul only wrote a quarter of the New Testament by word count, but simple word searches show that slavery themes occur disproportionately in Pauls material.

And there are subtle references tucked among the more obvious ones. At the end of Galatians, for instance, Paul says, From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus (Gal. 6:17).

Its easy to assume that Paul is referring to the scars he acquired through the many beatings he endured. The problem is, Galatians is likely Pauls earliest letter, according to Wright. Pauline scholar Richard N. Longenecker also argued that Galatians was written very early in Pauls ministry, before the Council at Jerusalem.

Those whippings, beatings, and stoningsand their resulting scarswould come later. So what marks is Paul talking about?

Theres also something funny about his word choice.

There are many words in Greek for scar; you might choose any number of them before using the one Paul does here, the Greek word stigmata.

If you can will yourself to forget the later medieval Latin meaning of the word, stigmata in Pauls day, according to Johannes Louw and Eugene Nidas lexicon, meant A permanent mark or scar on the body, especially the type of brand used to mark ownership of slavesscar, brand.

If Paul were born into a slave family, he would have had a brand pressed into his flesh to mark his owner. Paul is emancipated by the time were introduced to him, but the brand would have remained. And Paul, whos a master at interpreting the old through the lens of the new in Christ, is able to reinterpret even this.

Pauls identity is still that of a bondservant. Only now, he knows who his true master is. Paul, a slave of Christ.

These sorts of examples are not accidental. Slave analogies are the background scenery that fills Pauls imagination.

In his book Reading While Black, Wheaton College professor Esau McCaulley recounts the story of Howard Thurman:

The story is often told of Howard Thurmans experience of reading the Bible for his grandmother, a former slave. Rather than have him read the entire Bible, she omitted sections of Pauls letters. At first he did not question this practice. Later he works up the courage to ask her why she avoids Paul: During the days of slavery, she said, the masters minister would occasionally hold services for the slaves. Old man McGhee was so mean that he would not let a Negro minister preach to his slaves. Always the white minister used as his text something from Paul. At least three or four times a year he used as a text: Slaves, be obedient to them that are your mastersas unto Christ. Then he would go on to show how it was Gods will that we were slaves and how, if we were good and happy slaves, God would bless us. I promised my Maker that if I ever learned to read and if freedom ever came, I would not read that part of the Bible.

Many believers today struggle to read Paul because of this troubled legacy of interpretation. Throughout American history, many misread and then weaponized Paul against the oppressed. Some still do.

Though Christians would eventually come to end slavery in the Roman empire and lead the charge for abolition in the West, slave owners the world over also backed their ideology with the Bibleleaning especially on Pauls words.

But Paul was neither a proponent of slavery nor an abolitionist, despite efforts to use his letter to Philemon to make him out as one or the other. In truth, neither option was available to him.

Its difficult for modern readers to understand that in the Roman Empire of Pauls time, abolitionist thought was virtually nonexistent. According to Jeffers, No Greek or Roman author ever attacked slavery as an institution.

It was a given that slavery would always exist. Alexis de Tocqueville wrote, All available evidence suggests that even those ancients who were born slaves and later freed, several of whom have left us very beautiful texts, envisioned servitude in the same light.

Instead, the first Christians had their minds almost exclusively fixed on the Second Coming, which they believed was imminent. There wasnt time to reform entrenched Roman injustices.

And even if early Christians had harbored abolitionist ambitions, at the time of Pauls ministry, Christians numbered fewer than 1 in 1,000 people in the Roman Empire. They were held in suspicion and persecuted. Their leaders were regularly executedincluding, eventually, Paul. Christians had no voice. Not yet.

But make no mistake. If Paul could accomplish no great things, he could accomplish small things with great love. And those small things would turn the world upside down. Pauls revolution, Scot McKnight writes in his commentary on Philemon, is not at the level of the Roman Empire but at the level of the household, not at the level of the polis [city] but at the level of the ekklesia [church].

As British scholar F. F. Bruce put it in his biography of Paul, the Letter of Philemon brings us into an atmosphere in which the institution [of slavery] could only wilt and die.

Its hard to imagine a time when bondservice was such a given that not a single writer of the era would directly challenge it. But perhaps more than any ancient writer, Paul salted the soil of slavery.

When we ignore the memory of the early church, we ignore that Paul was possibly the least likely person to condone slavery. His parents were slaves. He may have been one, too.

What if Onesimus knew this? The runaway bondservant may have traveled more than 1,000 miles to seek the help of a man he suspected would especially understand his predicament.

The apostle claims he is sending Onesimus back as if he were his own heart (Phm. 1:12). The word used here is not the customary Greek word kardia. Instead, Paul used the word splanchna, denoting ones innermost feelings. Joseph Fitzmyer comments Paul sees Christian Onesimus as part of himself. The use of splanchna in this letter shows how personally Paul was involved in the matter. Why was Paul so personally involved? He knew what it was like to walk in Onesimuss sandals.

When Paul entrusts his letter to Onesimus and sends him back to his master Philemon, the apostle both gently pleads and forcefully charges Philemon to receive Onesimus back no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother (v. 16).

Paul further tells him to welcome Onesimus back as if he were welcoming Paul himself. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me, he says. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it backnot to mention that you owe me your very self (v. 1819). Just a few verses later, he not-so-subtly hints that once he gets out of prison, hell be swinging through to stay with Philemon. He will know whether Philemon did the right thing.

This is unheard of in the ancient world, to welcome a runaway slave as one would welcome one of the great leaders of a movement.

Its this radical equality that made Christianity such a threat to the rulers. No contract, class, or caste could threaten the image of God on every human being. As Paul reminded bondservants and owners alike, they were equals before God. You know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and with him there is no partiality (Eph. 6:9, NRSV).

Sadly, Paul was executed by the Roman emperor Nero before he could make it back to Colossae. Maybe well never know what happened to Onesimus or how Philemon responded to that letter.

But its possible the outcome has been hiding in plain sight by the very fact that the letter survived.

Over the past century, scholars have concluded that the characters and stories included in the Bible are not chosen simply randomly or because they are compelling. As John reminds us, Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written (John 21:25).

According to Cambridge biblical scholar Richard Bauckham, the characters that made the cut did so because they were recognized by the early church.

The Gospels overwhelmingly include details of the figures who were still leading the church some 30 years into its existence. Its one reason why Mary the mother of Jesus, who tradition holds lived on for decades in Ephesus, gets so much airtime in Scripture and her husband Joseph, who died early, has not a single word of dialogue. There is a kind of survivor bias in Scripture.

As influential as Stephen may have been, his story mostly serves to introduce the bigger story of Paul, who shapes the growing church for many years.

Peters betrayal and reconciliation to Jesus is one of the very few stories included in all four Gospels, very possibly because Peter was well known by the young Christian community and remained in it for decades, probably often recounting the tale.

Of the many personal communications from Paul that have probably been lost, why then was the letter to Philemon preserved? Why was this letter in particular kept, read publicly, copied by hand, and disseminated all over the known world?

Just as the Gospels seem to favor the stories of those still known in the Christian communities, and as Pauls surviving personal letters were tied to leaders of large communities, we have strong reason to infer the same here. Philemon, Onesimus, or both may also have been well-known and influential in the early church.

We know from the letter that Philemon was part of a house church in Colossae, a minor city in modern-day Turkey. Its doubtful that churches everywhere would have taken much interest in the origin story of a small house-church host who had to be admonished by Paul.

But in nearby Ephesus, the regions capital city and one with a large Christian community, there is a story that would make the letter worthy of rescue. Of celebration.

Timothy was the first bishop of the churches of Ephesus. Early church historians record that he was martyred by the Roman emperor, just as his mentor Paul had been.

But before that, he had time to build a roster of pastors. One of Timothys pastors was known as a true shepherd of shepherds. A pastor of pastors. The kind who visited those in prison and cared for orphans and widows in their distress (James 1:27). He seemed to truly understand the plight of the marginalized, as if he himself had once been marginalized.

When it was time to choose a new bishop after Timothys martyrdom, church tradition and many modern scholars agree, there was an obvious choice. The Ephesian church chose the shepherd of shepherds.

This man served wonderfully for decades. And in his old age, he too was killed by Rome.

His name was Onesimus.

Mark R. Fairchild is a retired professor of Bible and religion at Huntington University and a Fulbright Scholar. His forthcoming book on Paul will release in 2025 with Hendrickson Publishers.

Jordan K. Monson is an author and professor of missions and Old Testament at Huntington University.
Home News 13-year-old Christian girl abducted, forced into Islamic marriage in Pakistan

A Christian father in Pakistan is looking for justice after his teenage daughter was recently kidnapped and forced into marriage.

On April 4, 2024, 13-year-old Sania Ameen was abducted near her home in the remote village of Anjotar Sialkot in Punjab, Pakistan. The girl's father, Ameen Masih, said his daughter was forcibly taken by a local man and two accomplices while on her way to shop for groceries for the family.

Masih reported that on the day of the abduction, he and his wife received a distressing call from another daughter about Sania's disappearance. They hurried back home and immediately began searching for their missing daughter. Several eyewitnesses in the area said that Sania was unwillingly abducted by a man named Saif Ali and his associates. Masih quickly filed a complaint against Ali with the authorities, but it was not registered by the police, who instead blamed Masih for being an irresponsible father who failed to protect his daughters.

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Despite Masih's desperate appeals, local law enforcement has not a First Information Report (FIR) against the alleged abductors. Authorities justified the kidnapping by stating that Sania willingly married and converted to Islam, despite her status as a minor, and closed the case within three days.

In response, Ameen submitted another written application to the police station house officer, officially requesting the registration of a complaint against Ali and the two others for multiple crimes, including kidnapping, harassment, religious conversion and the fabrication of documents to alter her age. The complaint also states Ali and his partners abducted Sania for the purpose of sexual assault and exploitation. However, the police have yet to file a report on Masih's behalf.

"We urge the authorities to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrator with the full force of the law, setting a precedent that dissuades any would-be kidnappers and exploiters from preying on the daughters of vulnerable communities like ours," Masih said. "His punishment may help the majority community understand the gravity of these issues and empathize with the pain of parents who are powerless as their daughters are abducted and forcibly converted before their very eyes. These are girls who are not even physically or mentally prepared for such atrocities. They are naive and underage."

Masih also said that regardless of the religious bias that Christians face in Pakistan and the social support of the culprits, this marriage of a minor is undoubtedly a crime and a violation of Pakistani law.

"We urge the government authorities, treating us as equal citizens of this land, to assist us in retrieving our daughter," said Masih. "She has been forcefully detained and physically abused by her abductors before our very eyes, under the watch of law enforcement."
Home News Dr. Phil tells Ed Young God wants him to speak out against 'woke mob,' talks church's role in society

Phil McGraw recently spoke at Pastor Ed Youngs Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, where he weighed in on the importance of the churchs role in society and revealed he believes God wants him to speak out against the woke mob attempting to re-write the truth.

The church brings something to the family unit that causes cohesion, that causes values to be thought of and talked about and prayerfully considered, McGraw, a clinical psychologist and television personality, said.

If you are married and you do have two parents in [the] family and you are going to church, that's your best shot of those children going into a lifestyle that will be drug-free, alcohol-free, abuse-free, divorce-free, that's your best shot, he continued. Family in America is under attack. We need to fight back with the tools we have, and one of the tools that we have is our active relationship with God.

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The former Dr. Phil host appeared at Fellowship Church to promote his new book, Weve Got Issues: How You Can Stand Strong for Americas Soul and Sanity and media network, Merit Street Media.

Hes passionate, he told Young, about speaking out against the woke mob trying to rewrite truth.

Weve got some strange ducks out there peddling all kinds of alternatives to God and religion, he said. As a result, Ive seen things in our country that made me think, Wow, I know some things I need to talk about. And people are less willing to speak out now than they have been in the last 75 years because of cancel culture. If you take a position, boy they're going to come after you, the hounds are going to be on you, and get you canceled  I don't care. I guess I've been around so long that somebody has to stand up and speak out. I just believe that's what God wants me to do.

In his book, McGraw, who hosted Dr. Phil on CBS for over 20 years, lays out principles he believes are essential for societal survival, urging individuals to identify and pursue their purpose with prayerful consideration.

He also notes that from 1998 to 2023, the American public registered the following declines in these concepts being very important to them: Patriotism (70% to 38%) Religion (62% to 39%), Having Children (59% to 30%) and Community Involvement (47% to 27%).

This is a book of unification, but it's unifying [for] that 70 percent or 80 percent in the middle, who don't speak up most of the time, he said. They just kind of live and let live. And you can only do that until people start hijacking your narrative, until they start hijacking science or biology, history and common sense. At some point, you got to say, Enough's enough and too much is too much, and this is too much. So I'm pushing back, and that's what this book is all about.

McGraw, who has been married to his wife, Robin, since 1976, said hes always attempted to model a praying life for the couples two sons.

It was important to me, as a father, to model to those children that they see their father in a prayerful relationship with the Heavenly Father, because I won't be here forever, he said. I know in my heart that when I'm gone, they won't be alone because they will have a well-practiced relationship with their Heavenly Father.

I have the peace of mind knowing they will never be alone. They will never be without a father because when their worldly father is gone, their Heavenly Father will be there, and I will have shown them how to do that. And those are the kinds of things we need to fight back [against], this relativism that's being peddled, all this history is being rewritten, science is being rewritten, biology is being rewritten.

In his conversation with Young, McGraw also tackled issues like government control, income inequality and marriage, calling for a focus on healing "damaged personal truths" that deviate from God's vision.

He addressed parental responsibility in managing children's smartphone use and warned of the dangers posed by predators online. He recommended that children avoid owning smartphones until at least 16 years old, and urged parents to get their kids involved in offline activities.

"We need to be parents, not co-parents with the government," he asserted. "Kids need to face challenges and learn resilience, not just get participation trophies.

The TV personality also highlighted America's need to return to meritocracy and not reward "bad behavior."

This is not a socialist society. We're not a Marxist society. We are a capitalist society. We need to stop apologizing. You work hard, you do good, you reap the benefits.  Did anybody not read The Little Red Hen?  Apparently, Congress can't figure that out.

He also underscored his new network's commitment to factual reporting, free from bias or agendas. "We aim to tell people what happened and let them decide," he emphasized.

In an op-ed for The Christian Post, Dr. Richard Land, who previously served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said McGraw has done his fellow Americans a great service by writing Weve Got Issues.

He cited, in particular, McGraws focus on the impact of cultural decline on the younger generation, especially in terms of self-worth, socialization and educational attainment.

He has provided a handbook, if you will, of how Americans can have meaningful discussions about very important cultural and moral issues and at the same time provided research material extremely relevant to the discussion, Land wrote.

I cannot unpack all the issues discussed in this highly engrossing and challenging volume. Perhaps one example will suffice to whet your appetite to read it yourself. I really hope people will form book clubs to read and discuss the critically important issues he raises in his written dialogue with his fellow Americans.


Home News Georgia to require age verification for pornography, social media websites

Georgia has become the latest state to institute age verification requirements for pornography and social media websites.

Georgias Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 351 into law last week. The measure, known as the Protecting Georgias Children on Social Media Act of 2024, was previously approved by the Republican-controlled Georgia Senate in a 48-7 vote and passed by the Republican-controlled Georgia House of Representatives in a 120-45 vote.

It received bipartisan support, with 31 Republicans and 17 Democrats voting for the bill in the Senate, and 93 Republicans and 27 Democrats supporting the House legislation.

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The legislation requires schools to develop a curriculum for students in grades six through 12, educating them about the risks and benefits of social media use. Schools are to prevent children from accessing pornography as well as restricting their access to social media at school.

Commercial entities must use a reasonable age verification method before allowing access to a public website that contains a substantial portion of material that is harmful to minors.

The bill lists a digitized identification card, including a digital copy of a drivers license as well as government-issued identification as examples of what constitutes a reasonable age verification method. A wide variety of sexually explicit content falls into the category of material that is harmful to minors.

A commercial entity that knowingly and intentionally publishes or distributes material that is harmful to minors on a public website which contains a substantial portion of material that is harmful to minors is liable if the commercial entity fails to perform reasonable age verification of the individual attempting to access the material, the legislation states.

The bill states: A commercial entity that violates this Code section is liable to an individual for damages resulting from a minor accessing material harmful to minors, including court costs and reasonable attorneys fees as ordered by the court.

Companies that allow minors to access sexually explicit material face fines of up to $10,000 per violation. The measure also prohibits the retention of identifying information by a commercial entity after an age verification is performed.

Additional provisions in the measure require social media companies to develop age verification measures to ensure that no one under 16 uses their platforms without first receiving parental permission.

Platforms will be required to prohibit the display of any advertising in the minor account holders account based on such minor account holders personal information, except age and location as well as the collection or use of personal information from the posts, content, messages, text, or usage activities of the minor account holders account other than what is adequate, relevant, and reasonably necessary for the purposes for which such information is collected, as disclosed to the minor.

Senate Bill 351 will take effect on July 1, 2025. Its passage comes as several states have implemented age verification requirements for pornography websites.

The National Decency Coalition, which supports state efforts to combat the pervasiveness of online pornography through [state] legislation requiring age-verification to prevent children from gaining access, lists Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Virginia as additional states that have implemented similar measures.

In response to state laws implementing age verification, Pornhubs parent company, Aylo, has blocked access to the pornography websites in those states.

In recent years, Pornhub and its sister sites have faced accusations in lawsuits that it has enabled, hosted and profited from videos for child sex trafficking and non-consensual exploitation of women and minors.
Home News Jack Graham says lack of biblical worldview biggest issue facing the Church: 'People don't know what the Bible says' (part 2)

Read part 1 of Graham's interview with The Christian Post here.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  One of the biggest issues facing the Church today is the attack on the family and biblical worldview, as demonstrated by the rise in deconstruction and biblical illiteracy  but there is a solution, according to Jack Graham, senior pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.

Family is the biggest point of interest for most people, in churches and out of churches, the 73-year-old pastor told The Christian Post. And we're seeing the attacks on family, as we've known it, and on a biblical worldview. We talk a lot at our church  and we have a large Christian School at Prestonwood  about biblical worldview.  How do you view the world? Do you view the world through the lens of Scripture? Or do you view Scripture through the lens of the world? And, of course, we choose to view the world through God's Word. And when you do that, the Bible applies to every life situation.

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According to Graham, the family is the foundation of civilization, divinely ordained to flourish through a biblical perspective.

People want to know, 'What does the Bible say to my family, to my children, how I raise my kids?' We're seeing this whole movement of deconstruction now. We're seeing young people grow up in Church and then potentially abandon their faith. What we want to do is preventative medicine, he said.

I believe the Church right now needs to be on the cutting edge of preventative work in terms of our children, preparing them to answer the big questions that are coming their way, and to equip parents to be able to answer their children's questions so that when their children leave home, they'll have a faith to live by and not to abandon.

The megachurch pastor told CP that the Church is also dealing with the question of marriage like never before, adding: The Bible is clear on male and female; He created them. So, we're not going to be flying rainbow flags in the church that's reaching families for Christ, because it is an opposition to the Bible.

We have to deal with it. We have to give people a reason to believe and a reason to know, but people don't know their Bibles, he said. That's why I keep getting back to the Bible. People just don't know what the Bible says. So we go by our feelings, or we go by culture, we go by what our friends are saying, or even maybe what our parents said. We're just trying to get people to open their Bibles and to help explain what the Bible says about all these issues.

As part of his mission to establish biblical literacy among believers, Graham hosts the Bible in a Year with Jack Graham podcast. Currently on its second season, the podcast is designed to bring the Scriptures to life through cinematic storytelling, enhanced by an original soundtrack performed by a 61-piece orchestra.

Though it has its pitfalls, Graham said technology has revolutionized how people engage with Scripture and expanded the reach of the Gospel.

"I've always done media," he explained, reflecting on his journey from radio to television with his PowerPoint Ministries. But the digital era, he said, has opened new horizons.

With over 50 million downloads, the "Bible in a Year with Jack Graham" podcast has become the No. 1 religious podcast on both Spotify and Apple, and it holds the 14th position among all global podcasts.



All glory to God, he said.

"Initially, I thought a couple hundred thousand downloads would be a success," Graham added. There's such a hunger for God's Word, and that's the secret of this whole thing. People want to know, what does the Bible actually say? We've heard people talk about what it says, but what does it say?

Next, Graham and pray.com aim to take this digital ministry further by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), which he said has unlimited potential as over 3 billion people in over 7,000 people groups are unreached by the Gospel.

"AI can take my voice and turn it into Spanish, French, Hindi and more," he explains. "We aim to reach over 100 million people and then, ultimately, a billion."

He acknowledged the concerns surrounding AI but said hes optimistic about its potential for spreading the Gospel. "I said to our church pastoral team yesterday, 'Let's reach a billion people with the Gospel of Christ.'"

There is an extreme interest in the Bible, Graham said. The more Satan resists, where sin abounds, grace much more abounds, according to the Scripture, and I just believe that we overcome evil with good. And with all the people wanting to cancel the Bible and check the Bible off, the Bible lives because the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, indestructible Word of God, and God's Word will prevail over all of its enemies.

Dont be discouraged. We can't quit now, because God is opening doors like we've never seen before.

Now in his seventh decade of life, Graham said he remains energized and optimistic about using his platform and gifts to fulfill the Great Commission. As Prestonwood Baptist Church continues to grow and adapt to changing times, its commitment to spreading God's Word remains steadfast, he said.

God's given me an incredible amount of energy and opportunity, he said. The Scripture says, Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for your labor in the Lord is not in vain. So even the smallest act in Jesus' name, the work of the Lord is never in vain. If you're not dead, you're not done. And so we keep going, all of us, because the urgency and the emergency of our times are too important. We keep going.

I don't intend to ever stop preaching the Gospel. And so as long as God gives me breath, I'll keep doing it.
Home News 'Most wanted' New York fugitive arrested at the Vatican with knives during papal audience

A New York man who was on the state's most wanted list was arrested last month in Italy after being found with weapons in crowded St. Peter's Square during a papal audience.

Moises Tejada, 54, whom the New York state prison service's investigations unit classified as violent, was arrested on April 10 by Italian police while in possession of three concealed knives, according to Reuters.

The arrest of American Moises Tejada in the vicinity of Saint Peters Square on Wednesday, April 10, has sparked shock and worry, given that the individual is sought by the NY Authorities for his alleged participation in a series of violent crimes.



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The arrest occurred on the same day the square was packed with tourists and pilgrims from around the world while Pope Francis was holding a general audience.

Law enforcement did not reveal whether Tejada posed a threat to the pope, according to Reuters.

Tejada was first convicted by a court in Suffolk County, New York, in 1999 of robbery and kidnapping for robbing a realtor after handcuffing him to a pole and pointing a gun at him while pretending to be a potential customer, according to a 2004 appeal.

He was sentenced to 20 years to life after committing a similar crime against another realtor, according to an appeals court that upheld his prior conviction.

New York state corrections officials said Tejada started serving time in state prison in March 2000 on his kidnapping and robbery convictions and was returned to prison in January 2022 after violating the terms of his May 2018 parole, according to Catholic News Agency.

Tejada told authorities that he came to Rome via Moldova after spending time in Ukraine, where he was aiding in the war effort against Russia, according to Italian outlet La Repubblica.

In March 2022, Tejada was again released on parole from the maximum-security Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, New York, but authorities issued a warrant for his arrest that October after he neglected to report to his parole officer, according to CNA.

The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is reportedly working with federal law enforcement to extradite Tejada from Italy to the United States.

Tejada sued the New York Department of Corrections in 2022 after claiming to have suffered "severe and permanent injuries when he slipped and fell due to water which had accumulated and remained on the floor of the bathroom" at Rikers Island in 2021.
Home News Portland Catholic Church vandalized with pro-abortion graffiti

A Portland Catholic Church was vandalized with pro-abortion graffiti over the weekend, marking the latest example of attacks directed at churches over abortion.

Andy Ngo, a senior editor at The Post Millennial, shared a post on X Sunday with pictures of vandalism at a Catholic Church in Portland, Oregon. Those attending mass this morning at St. Patricks Church in northwest Portland, Ore. arrived to find it had been vandalized again with a pro-abortion message, he said.

The images shared by Ngo documented graffiti on the doors of the church reading F--- U and My body my choice. An almost identical message was spray-painted on the ground at the exterior of the church, although the word you was written out.

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Noting that the door is still stain-bleached of a removed hateful message, Ngo added, Multiple Christian houses of worship have been attacked in Portland since 2020 by far-left extremists but the left-wing leadership [district attorney] and law enforcement do not treat them as bias crimes.

He also said the photo source wants to remain anonymous.

As Ngo highlighted in his X post, attacks on churches in Portland have become a common occurrence since 2020 although vandalism of houses of worship nationwide accelerated following the publication of the U.S. Supreme Courts leaked draft decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization in 2022. The draft decision showed that the justices were poised to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

The vandalism directed at churches continued after the Supreme Court handed down the official Dobbs decision overruling Roe and determining that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion. An image shared on social media in July 2022 reveals that St. Patricks was one of the churches targeted by pro-abortion vandals in the immediate aftermath of the Dobbs decision.

In 2022, the graffiti on the wooden doors at the front of the church read My body my choice while the words F--- you were written on both of the walls adjacent to the doors. The message contained in the graffiti at St. Patricks in 2022 and 2024 suggests that in both cases, the vandals had a pro-abortion motive.

Even before the Dobbs decision was on the horizon, St. Patricks found itself subject to vandalism. According to a 2021 report published in the National Catholic Reporter, In June, vandals lit fires and wrote graffiti on the grounds at St. Patrick Church in Northwest Portland; a month later additional graffiti appeared on the historic churchs wooden front doors.

The National Catholic Reporter illustrated how several other Catholic churches in Portland fell victim to vandalism in the same time period, specifically St. Andrews, St. Francis of Assisi and Holy Redeemer.

A spreadsheet compiled by the advocacy group CatholicVote that's keeping track of all acts of vandalism directed at Catholic churches in the U.S. since 2020 lists attacks on St. Marys Cathedral in February 2021, All Saints Catholic Church in June 2022, the Archdiocese of Portland Office in July 2022, Holy Family Catholic Church in November 2023 and the Grotto Monastery in February 2024 as additional instances where Portland Catholic churches were targeted.

With the exception of the attack on St. Marys Cathedral and the incident at the Grotto Monastery, no arrests were recorded in the spreadsheet. The Family Research Council included a fire at a vacant Korean church in Portland on its list of acts of vandalism directed at churches in the first three months of 2023.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a report earlier this year that identified attacks on houses of worship as the largest threat to religious liberty in 2024. The body of bishops Committee on Religious Liberty warned that There is no greater threat to religious liberty than for ones house of worship to become a place of danger, and the country sadly finds itself in a place where that danger is real.
Home News 'She Reads Truth' devotional Bible sells over 1 million copies

The She Reads Truth devotional Bible has sold more than 1 million copies, and to mark the milestone, it recently received a Platinum Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

Lifeway, B&H Publishing and Holman Bible Publishers issued a press release on Monday announcing the sales milestone for the She Reads Truth devotional, which was released in 2017.

The devotional Bible derived from the work of Amanda Bible Williams and Raechel Myers, the founders of the She Reads Truth social media community centered on regular Bible reading.

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Were so thankful for our partnership with Raechel, Amanda and the whole She Reads Truth team, said Andy McLean, Lifeways director of Bibles and Reference, as quoted in the press release.

To be able to lock arms with ministry partners to get Bibles into the hands of a million women is a remarkable thing. We are honored to come alongside the She Reads Truth team and steward this Bible.

McLean also commended the physical beauty of the devotional Bible, adding that we should want the medium to reflect the beauty of the message.

The Bible has a lot to say about beauty. We have a beautiful message in the gospel. We have a beautiful message in the story of redemption from creation to restoration, he said.

The She Reads Truth online community began in 2012 with the Twitter trend of #SheReadsTruth bringing together a small group of women who wanted to create a network that promoted regular Bible reading.

By 2017, the community had more than 800,000 followers across multiple social media platforms, with Williams telling The Christian Post in an interview at the time that this growth had less to do with "some savvy marketing or business strategy" and more to do with "simplicity" and "design."

"The simplicity of our mission and aim frees women to engage with our community, knowing that Scripture will always be our primary reason for gathering," Williams said.

"The other honest answer is design. Our content and creative teams create truly beautiful, superbly designed images, apps, and books for the community. Their talent, and their dedication to honoring God with excellent work, is second to none."

The devotional Bible created by the She Reads Truth leaders included a reading plan, multiple detailed maps, as well as supplemental readings to aid readers with overall context.

"Devotional Bibles did not offer tools for reading and understanding that our readers desired, while study Bibles often felt too intimidating for those encountering Scripture for the first time," Williams told CP in 2017.

"The She Reads Truth Bible was designed with our 'shes' in mind. It is smart, inviting, and engaging, and we believe it lends the already-beautiful gospel the aesthetic beauty it deserves."
Home News States sue over Biden's Title IX rule changes forcing schools to affirm transgender identity

At least five Republican-led states have filed lawsuits against the Biden administration for expanding the definition of sex in Title IX civil rights law to include "gender identity," a move state leaders fear will force schools to deprive women of protections or risk losing their federal funding.

On Monday, attorneys general in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana and Idaho filed two separate lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Education's new Title IX regulations, slated to go into effect in August. Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits schools that receive federal funding from discriminating against women based on their sex.

Critics say the rule change will require schools to allow trans-identifying students or teachers to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. In addition, the revised Title IX requires teachers to use the pronouns that align with a trans-identifying student's self-expressed gender identity. The new regulations come as several Republican-controlled states have laws prohibiting trans-identified students from using bathrooms that correspond with their stated gender identity.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a standalone lawsuit against the Biden administration, with America First Legal serving as co-counsel. The lawsuit argues that the Department of Education's new Title IX regulations rely on misinterpreting the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. The 2000 ruling found that an employer cannot discriminate against a worker for identifying as gay or transgender.

"Bostock held only that terminating an employee 'simply for being homosexual or transgender' constitutes discrimination 'because of  sex' under Title VII," the Texas lawsuit states.

"The Court 'assum[ed]' that the term 'sex' means 'biological distinctions between male and female,' and it made clear that its decision did not 'sweep beyond Title VII to other federal or state laws that prohibit sex discrimination' or address other issues not before the Court, such as 'sex-segregated bathrooms, locker rooms, and dress codes."

Texas contends that the Title IX revision "exceeds" the department's authority and stresses that the "correct interpretation" of Title IX's definition of "on the basis of sex" does not include gender identity or sexual orientation.

"Texas will not allow Joe Biden to rewrite Title IX at whim, destroying legal protections for women in furtherance of his radical obsession with gender ideology," Attorney General Paxton said in the Monday statement. "This attempt to subvert federal law is plainly illegal, undemocratic, and divorced from reality. Texas will always take the lead to oppose Biden's extremist, destructive policies that put women at risk."

Another issue addressed in the lawsuit is the rolling back of Trump-era policies that Paxton's office said helped ensure students accused of sexual harassment received a "fair hearing."

The new rules have also redefined "harassment" to include activities like calling someone by the pronouns that don't align with their gender identity, according to the lawsuit.

The Republican attorneys general in Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana and Idaho filed a separate lawsuit against the Title IX rule expansion.

Louisiana's State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley informed The Christian Post last week that he was working with the Louisiana governor's and attorney general's offices to "explore every option available to challenge the Biden administration on this new rule."

In their lawsuit, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and her colleagues argued that the department is attempting to "remake" the country's educational system by expanding the definition of "sex" in Title IX to include "gender identity." They assert that the term "gender identity" does not have a clear and accepted meaning.

"This is all for a political agenda, ignoring significant safety concerns for young women students in pre-schools, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities across Louisiana and the entire country," Murrill stated.

"These schools now have to change the way they behave and the way they speak, and whether they can have private spaces for little girls or women," she added. "It is enormously invasive, and it is much more than a suggestion; it is a mandate that well exceeds their statutory authority. This all coming from the people who don't even know how to define the word' woman.' I'll always stand up for children and families across this state."

Other states, such as Florida, have already indicated they will not abide by the new Title IX rules.

Florida rejects Joe Bidens attempt to rewrite Title IX, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a social media video. We will not comply, and we will fight back.
Home News UMC ends funding ban on LGBT advocacy groups, scraps punishment for officiating gay weddings

The United Methodist Church General Conference voted to drop a ban on funding LGBT advocacy groups and removed a required punishment for pastors who officiate gay weddings after thousands of theologically conservative congregations left the mainline Protestant denomination in the last two years.

On Tuesday, delegates approved a petition that struck from the UMC Book of Discipline Paragraph 806.9 language that prohibits the General Council on Finance and Administration from "ensuring that no board, agency, committee, commission, or council shall give United Methodist funds to any gay caucus or group, or otherwise use such funds to promote the acceptance of homosexuality."

The change was among the bulk of legislation approved by a vote of 667-54, which also loosened restrictions on the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals and mandatory punishments for clergy who officiate same-sex weddings.

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Measures passed in Tuesday's consent calendar scrapped elements of the Traditional Plan enacted at the 2019 General Conference to bolster UMC's restrictions on same-sex marriage and ordination of noncelibate homosexuals.

According to UM News, other measures approved Tuesday include the striking of a ban on "self-avowed practicing" LGBT individuals from being considered for ministry. The delegates also voted to scrub the requirement for a one-year suspension without pay for any pastor who officiates a same-sex wedding and to allow gay pastors with good standing to be appointed to positions across annual conferences.

The Rev. Jeff Campbell, the top executive of UMC Discipleship Ministries, told UM News he welcomed the removal of the funding ban, saying it freed his agency "to fully serve all those who seek our support without worry of unnecessary, discriminatory oversight."

"Discipleship Ministries staff remains committed to challenging and supporting all leaders for our missional task of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world," he added.

For decades, the UMC has faced a debate over whether to change its Book of Discipline's biblical stance on LGBT issues, which labeled homosexuality "incompatible with Christian teaching."

Although numerous attempts at past General Conferences to change the various provisions failed, many theological progressives within the denomination refused to follow or enforce the rules.

In December 2022, for example, the UMC General Board of Church and Society gave a $2,000 grant to Reconciling Ministries Network, an LGBT advocacy organization that is not an official part of the UMC, to develop a Vacation Bible School curriculum.

A GBCS spokesperson argued in an earlier interview with The Christian Post that the grant was compatible with the Book of Discipline since the money would not be going to LGBT advocacy directly.

In response to the longstanding debate and progressives' resistance to the rules, approximately 7,500 mostly conservative congregations disaffiliated from the UMC from 2019 to 2023.

Most of these departing congregations have affiliated with the Global Methodist Church, a theologically conservative denomination launched in 2022 in response to the UMC debate.

Due to the large number of conservatives that have left the UMC in advance of the General Conference, many expected the churchwide legislative gathering to finally remove the Book of Discipline rules banning the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of people in same-sex relationships.
Home Opinion Does the Bible speak of demonic ruler reigning over Iran?

The Middle East is witnessing a shift in power dynamics as the influence of Russia grows while that of the United States declines. Moscow has established ties with every country in the region, and its alliance with Iran and Syria has raised concerns for Israel, England, and the United States. Turkey has also joined forces with Iran and Russia and recently pulled its support for Israel while continuing to back its neighbor in the South, Syria, from the Kurds.

Yet, despite other threats in the region, many believe that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the greatest danger to both Israel and the stability of the Middle East. But why? Why has Iran historically been an enemy of Israel and a destructive force in the Middle East under the leadership of the Ayatollah?

According to the Book of Daniel, a strong demonic entity is said to have controlled the region of Iran for thousands of years. This entity is believed to be responsible for the violence and is actively planning to cause more chaos in Israel.

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In Daniel chapter 10, Daniel details a spiritual vision and revelation he received in 536 B.C. (at the end of the seventy-year captivity of the Jews): In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.

But even before the rule of Cyrus, Elam, an ancient region in the Near East located in modern-day Iran and Iraq, was a rival kingdom to Mesopotamia, particularly Assyria (Isaiah 22:6). Elam is often depicted as a formidable military force, feared and respected by its neighbors. In the formative years of Israels establishment, the forces of evil led by Satan and his legion of demons worked tirelessly through the Elamites to sow the seeds of destruction and chaos in the region. Their evil plans aimed to disrupt Gods divine plan for His chosen people, causing immense suffering in the process.

Over time, the prophetic pronouncements against Elam became warnings and, eventually, judgments on the Elamites. Major prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel vividly described the destruction and uncertain future of a once-mighty kingdom (Isaiah 11:11, 21:2; Jeremiah 49:34-39; Ezekiel 32:24-25).

Before the Achaemenid Empires rise in the 6th century B.C., references to Persia are scarce in the Old Testament. However, figures like Darius I and Cyrus II are mentioned in Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel, as they played a crucial role in facilitating the return of Jewish exiles from Babylon and rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple.

It is during this pivotal time of the Jews being set free that Daniel is given an explanation of the demonic forces at hand in the Persian Empire. Daniel 10:13-14 reads as follows, The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come. In Daniel 10:20, the angel went on to say, Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.

The Hebrew word for prince is sar, to rule; to have dominion over. Other titles than prince are chief, captain, ruler, governor, chief captain, and keeper. According to The Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament), the Hebrew word sar can be translated as to superintend or to be in charge. This word conveys the idea of an overseer with the implied authority to accomplish a mission.

In their well-rounded theological book Spiritual Warfare in the Storyline of Scripture, Chuck Lawless and William Cook piece together what precisely this demon represented in the pages of Daniel. They write, This prince was most likely a hostile angelic power. The Hebrew word sar, translated prince in this chapter, sometimes refers in Daniel to human rulers (9:6, 8; 11:5). But it is also used of angelic powers (10:13, 21; 12:1). Since the angelic prince Michael here opposes the prince of Persia, it is likely that the latter is an angelic power as well.

Although Christians believe the spiritual realm is real and hold fast to Pauls statement that we dont wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers (Eph. 6:12), we can so quickly lose sight of the demonic forces that are at work in our daily lives.

In the book of Daniel, we see the spiritual warfare that occurred when God was delivering His people from the Babylonian captivity. The story reveals that a demonic ruler over Persia attempted to block Gods activity in the region. In response, Michael the Archangel was sent to overcome this demonic force and remove the spiritual blockade that prevented Daniels prayer from being answered.

The revelation of Daniel into the spiritual realm reminds us that our battle is not only physical but spiritual as well. As Christians, it is essential always to be prepared for spiritual warfare. We must not ignore that there is more at play in the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East or the United States. We need, as the Bible commands, to be Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour (AMP, 1 Peter 5:8).
Home Opinion Left-wing activists are showing who's really in charge on Ivy League campuses

The Lefts winter of discontent appears to be transitioning into a summer of rage as college campus unrest heats up with the warmer weather.

Well-funded and well-organized anti-Israel protests are spreading from one college campus to another. And they are becoming a feature in Americas Democrat-run cities as mobs of radicals have been able to shut down roads, bridges, busy intersections, and businesses with impunity.

Unlike in 1968 when similar student unrest was eventually met with force when protests got out of line, most of Americas institutions have become willingly or unwillingly helpless in the face of this chaos.

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There wont be a Richard Daley-type Democrat to restore order during protests at this years Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Those days are long gone. Good luck to the Windy City.

Left-wing political leaders and college administrators have been paralyzed by this threat. Most of their responses have been mealy-mouthed or evasive, despite the fact that several protests have turned violent and have been boiling over with antisemitism.

They are effectively letting activists have a hecklers veto over their institutions.

When the activists abuse other students and faculty  whose crimes are being Jewish or Zionist  Ivy League administrators offer hybrid online learning as the solution.

Think about that for a moment. The best that these temples of diversity, equity, and inclusion can offer to people whove literally been the victims of bigotry and intolerance is COVID-era Zoom learning and canceled graduation ceremonies.

In the institutions that pride themselves on being the most academically elite in the world and pillars of diversity and tolerance, we see weakness, idiocy, and hate in the boldest of colors. Thats what is being exposed.

And its important that they are being exposed, because as ridiculous and pathetic as some of the protesters are, they wield a disproportionate amount of power.

The Ivy League establishment now totally accepts the Lefts moral and ideological framework.

All they have to offer in resistance is a few voices on the outside pleading for a return to sanity or feeble attempts to shift blame. My feeling is that these calls for moderation will fall on deaf ears. The Lefts activist base sees blood. They know that the establishment cant resist kowtowing to their demands  from the presidents of Columbia and Harvard to the president of the United States.

Hamas and Iran have called the student radicals leaders of the future, and its hard to deny thats true. Ivy League and other elite colleges have been the pipeline to power in this country.

These are the people who will staff the White House and the human resource departments of the worlds largest companies. They are the foot soldiers of the countless nongovernmental organizations that soak up billions of taxpayer and donor dollars to promote left-wing causes.

Id like to point out a few examples of our nations leaders of the future.

Here we have the flag of a terrorist organization. Great stuff:

No big deal, just a protest leader calling for mass murder. Oh, and he delivered this screed directly to Columbia University administrators, and they did nothing:

Zionists dont deserve to live.



Meet Khymani James, a leader of Columbia Universitys anti-Israel Gaza Solidarity Encampment.



He said this during a live-stream which included a meeting with the school over threatening social media posts.



My latest:pic.twitter.com/E0Bv4Etltr  Kassy Akiva (@KassyDillon) April 25, 2024

The best and brightest:

This lobotomized zombie beat out 95% of people who applied to Columbia https://t.co/r9zq64ifyf  Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) April 25, 2024

This one really gets me. They dont even know why they are protesting. You would expect students at New York University and Columbia to, like, know stuff?

NEW: Pro-Palestine protester has no clue why she is protesting and then asks a friend why they are protesting who also has no clue.



Remarkable.



Reporter: "Why are you protesting?"



Protester: "Demanding that NYU stops! I honestly don't know what NYU is doing  Do you know what  pic.twitter.com/cI46n6YNht  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 24, 2024

There you have it. This is the Ivy League, where nose rings are in, facts are out, and tuition is nearly $70,000 a year.

Now, there are some on the Right who think we spend too much time covering and talking about the current meltdown in higher education. I can understand where they are coming from.

Why devote this much time to unrest at privileged universities when we have so many other, bigger problems that affect far more people?

Obviously, issues like millions of illegal aliens coming into our country, a fentanyl and drug crisis thats destroying the lives of countless young Americans, and the mass chemical castration of children based on gender ideology are all much worse problems than whatever civil discord happens at Columbia University or the University of Southern California.

However, I think its important to give continued coverage to the insanity that is tearing away at the Lefts political coalition.

And this is about more than just politics and strategy. Its about revealing to the world whats at the heart of our elite institutions. What happens at universities wont just stay at universities, as we should all know at this point.

It is, after all, the universities that are the source of some of the most toxic malignancies in our society. They are at the heart of the cultural revolution.

To top it all off, its these people and failed institutions that now want the American taxpayer to cover some or most of the nearly $2 trillion in student loan debt thats piled up over recent decades.

The message from campus radicals is that America is the number one terrorist in the world  now pay off my loans.

Maybe its universities like Harvard  sitting on a nearly $50 billion endowment  that should foot the bill. Yet, the Left wants Americans to pony up for this scam.

This is why we need to keep a spotlight on the escalating college campus situation, outside of the sanitized lens that most of the left-wing media would like to put on it.

We need to let the American people see whats become of higher education; they need to see what that vision of the world is and how they cope with conflict. If we do, maybe more people will open their eyes to the problem and things will finally begin to change.

Originally published at The Daily Signal.
Home Opinion No, I dont believe suddenly, American students care deeply about Palestinians

No, I dont believe for a split second that suddenly, college students all over America really care about the plight of the Palestinians. I dont believe this any more than, a few years ago, people around the globe were suddenly concerned about the plight of Black Americans when they marched for BLM. Not a chance. Instead, this is just the latest manifestation of raging against the machine, of standing up to the man.

As expressed by Khymani James, one of the Columbia University anti-Israel protest leaders who is Black and identifies as trans, non-binary, and queer, just as, in the past, Haitian revolutionaries had to kill their masters in order to gain their independence, its the same with Hamas and the Palestinian people today. They, too, must kill their white supremacist masters.

And, he adds, What is a Zionist? A white supremacist.

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That about sums it up.

To be sure, there are Muslims worldwide who, on some level, stand with the Palestinians, although not when it comes to their home countries absorbing Palestinians into their own societies as equal citizens. And there are students in America who, no doubt, are moved by the images of suffering Palestinian families.

But these same students were not equally moved by the incredibly graphic images of Israelis massacred by Hamas or by the documented reports of the women raped and abused. Nor have they been moved by the suffering of the more than 130 hostages, including babies, who have been in captivity for more than 200 days, in complete violation of every international or universal standard of ethics. The protesters compassion is not just selective; it is hypocritical and skin-deep.

And without a doubt, these are not simply, pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests. They are pro-Hamas, anti-Jewish protests.

Thats why Muslims demonstrating in Sydney, Australia on October 10, just three days after the slaughter and before Israel had begun its retaliation, were already chanting, Gas the Jews.

Thats why, at Princeton University, a Hezbollah flag was found at the anti-Israel encampment.

Thats why, at a recent protest in Vancouver, CA, the organizer Charlotte Kates glorified the Beautiful, brave and heroic resistance of the Palestinian people, which did not begin on October 7, which has continued for over 75 years, which has continued over 120 years.

Thats why protesters at Columbia chanted, We are Hamas.

So, on the one hand, as I and others have argued, these protests are just the latest manifestation of antisemitism and have little or nothing to do with compassion for suffering Palestinians.

But there is something else going on, and these protests represent something larger, as did the BLM protests of 2020.

Back in the 60s and 70s, it was wearing the Che Guevara t-shirts. He became an iconic, god-like figure, often pictured side by side with Jesus on hippie garb. He made rebellion chic, even violent rebellion. He stood up to the man!

After that, it was the latest iteration of LGBTQ+ Pride, with each wave surpassing the previous wave (accordingly, trans pride now takes precedence over gay pride, which in turn took precedence over Black pride or feminist pride, etc.).

In 2020, it was the BLM logo. Now its the keffiyeh or the colors of Hamas.

Terrorism is cool, as long as its against the machine, represented by the White European Jew in particular and the university establishment in general.

As Matt Walsh wrote, instead of race riots, right on cue, we have this insurgent movement to Free Palestine. Which is really just a race riot, repackaged, and draped in a green, black, and white flag.

He continued, These students [meaning, at Columbia University], for the most part, dont necessarily see this as a BLM reboot, but thats what it is, and thats what political forces much more powerful than the students are determined to turn it into. Those forces see an opportunity that really has very little to do with Israel or Gaza. And if they succeed, there will be a lot of violence and disruption this year that extends far beyond Columbia and Morningside Heights.

Similarly, Bill OReilly noted that, The lead group generating the chaos is Students for Justice for Palestine. Founded in 1993, it is based in Berkeley, California. A prominent leader is Dr. Hatem Bazian, a lecturer at the University of California. That means taxpayers are funding him. SJP apparently keeps no books, but it is estimated it has a presence on more than 200 campuses.

OReilly points out that, Bazian is quoted as saying: How come we (Americans) don't have an intifada in this country? He added, They're going to say that it's a Palestinian being too radical. Well, they haven't seen radicalism yet.

Put another way, On with the uprising! Bring the Intifada home!

Or, instead of chanting, From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free, substitute with, From sea to shining sea, America will be free.

This is what underlies the spirit of these protests, a spirit that claims to stand for the oppressed but instead stands for uprising, for the overthrowing of authority, and ultimately, for murderous, barbaric evil.

It is a spirit encapsulated by the words of Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad, spoken last November: We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do it again and again. The Al-Aqsa Deluge [the name Hamas gave its 7 October onslaught - ed.] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth. Will we have to pay a price? Yes, and we are ready to pay it. We are called a nation of martyrs, and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs.

Enough, then with the pious platitudes of the protesters (putting aside those who sincerely care). They are standing with evil. They are playing with fire. Eventually, they will be burned.
Home Opinion Plummeting US fertility rates: What can we learn from Israel?

After all the recent hyperbole of the alleged danger of losing American Democracy, the mainstream media is finally picking up on a story of true existential importance for the United States. Recent alarming fertility data brought even CNN to note The fertility rate in the United States has been trending down for decades, and a new report shows that another drop in births in 2023 brought the rate down to the lowest its been in more than a century. Billionaires known for predicting global trends have been sounding the alarm about this issue for years. Elon Must, who has frequently warned of this danger, recently retweeted yes to population collapse is the biggest threat to civilization. The plunging birthrate is a civilizational threat that must be turned around. Its time for America to look to the uniquely high birthrate in Israel for the answer of a shared religious-based consensus on the importance of children.

Across economically advanced countries, fertility rates continue to plummet. To sustain a population, a country must maintain a 2.1 average per woman. In Europe, that average is only 1.46 and going down while in the US rate is going below 1.6. Throughout advanced economies in East Asia, the birth rates are around and declining. In contrast, advance-economy Israel has a whopping 3.1. According to Israeli research center Taub:

Fertility in Israel stands at 3.1 children per women the highest fertility rate in the OECD, and almost one full child above the next highest fertility countries, Mexico and Turkey. To put Israels fertility in historical perspective, among Western countries fertility was last as high as 3.1 in the US toward the end of the baby boom in the mid-1960s, in Italy in 1931, in Germany in 1914, in the UK in 1908, and in France in 1889. 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

This cannot be explained by the uniquely high birthrates among ultra-religious Jews, as they make up only around 10% of the Israeli population. Additionally, this cannot be explained by Jewish culture considering that throughout the other economically advanced nations Jewish birthrates are generally lower than that of their country of residence.

Some argue that the high Jewish Israeli birthrate can be explained by social welfare policies making it easier for families to afford children. However, this falls short of an explanation as similar social policies in other advanced countries have virtually no impact on the birthrates. South Korea has had the lowest birth rate in the world even after pouring around half a trillion dollars into social programs and incentives for having children. Various European countries, particularly in the Scandinavian nations, have thrown extravagant amounts of money at the problem to no avail.



The Israeli birthrate is also unique in pervasiveness through society. In other nations, higher birth rates are generally inverse to income levels, education levels, and secularism. Wealthier and more educated and secular women generally have fewer children. Israel cuts against this dynamic, as Taub writes strong pronatalist norms cut across all educational classes and levels of religiosity  at least in the Jewish population ... Israeli women with a college degree have the same number of children as those whose highest level of education is high school ... a higher percentage of children in Israel are being born to older and more-educated parents than is the case in other developed countries.

Pediatrician and researcher Robert Hamilton studied the issue and wrote in the Wall Street Journal that the Israeli baby boom seems to arise from cultural norms sustained by religion ... Israel treasures (children) and he further claimed, (Its high fertility rate) reflects a consensus among Israels communities (secular and religious).



Breakpoint researchers John Stonestreet and Roberto Rivera found the beliefs about the importance of children in Israel come from shared religious values, these beliefs have shaped how many Jews, even secular ones, view children. Having children is not a purely private act. It has communal dimensions.

Decades ago, America was similar to Israel in its shared consensus, sustained by religious belief, valuing the importance of children to our future. At the time, American religiously-based cultural norms ran throughout society to affect both secular and religious Americans with respect to family and children. Except for the unique periods like the great depression, America was known for having a high fertility rate and a high value placed on children, like modern Israel. Other nations have shown that social programs cannot fix our current fertility crisis.



We need to regain what Alexis de Tocqueville claimed about America in Democracy in America: There is no nation on Earth in which the Christian religion holds greater sway over the souls of men than in America. May we regain that consensus, founded on religious values, that children are a gift from God and should be brought into the world and cherished.
Archbishop of York praises church magazines

I love church magazines! It's one of the first things I look for if I find myself in a new church. And  despite a massive move to digital communications  it seems I'm not the only one.

The Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has praised the work of church magazine editors in a special message. He said: "Well-produced magazines can play a vital role in helping churches reach out into their local communities, and to bring the Christian gospel into many people's homes.

"Even in a digital world, paper-based communications can help build bridges for local churches."

Archbishop Cottrell  the second most senior bishop in the Church of England  was speaking as Parish Pump, a service providing editors with news, features, illustrations and puzzles, celebrates its 25th anniversary.

He explained: "I'm deeply appreciative of the effort put in by numerous church magazine editors, and of the important, creative support that Parish Pump has provided over the past 25 years. I congratulate its editor, Anne Coomes, on her commitment to first-class communications through those years."

Parish Pump has supplied up to 3,000 publications of all denominations each month since its launch at the Christian Resources Exhibition in May 1999. The online resource regularly reaches many tens of thousands of readers in the UK and overseas.

Journalist Anne Coomes has edited the subscription service throughout the quarter century from her home near Macclesfield, Cheshire in northern England.

She said: "These magazines may be the only Christian literature that many people ever see, and so they are a wonderful way in which local churches can communicate the gospel to their communities."

The increase in online communications and the difficulty in recruiting editors has led many churches to stop producing a printed magazine. The number of Parish Pump's subscribers now stands at nearly 1,400.

Anne said: "Each month, I receive news of magazines closing down  but also of new ones opening up. Overall, the trend is downwards, and that's a shame as not everyone is able to go online. Magazines can reach people who would never search out a church website.

"The suspension of printed magazines during Covid was very difficult for many churches and editors. Many began posting their magazine online and that trend has continued."

Coomes estimates that she has served a generation of churchgoers during her 25 years editing Parish Pump. At its peak, she estimates that around 600,000 people were being reached by material from her service each month.

She added: "Church magazine editors are often the least-resourced people in local ministry. There is plenty of help for youth ministry for example, but very little for anyone producing a magazine. I am so glad that we could help fill that gap.

"Our vision has always been to make the riches of the national church and its writers easily available to hard-pressed church magazine editors."

Anne, who co-founded and owns Parish Pump, intends to celebrate the Silver Anniversary with friends and contributors.

Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK, and a former communications director with the CofE.
Persecuting Kate Forbes

It's happening again. After the demise of Humza Yousaf as Scottish First Minister and with perverse predictability, the witch-hunt within Scotland's wokerati is on again. It's time for the 'Anyone but Kate' campaign because while it appears that having a Muslim First Minister is something to be celebrated, a Scottish Christian Presbyterian in Bute House is to be feared, sneered at and viciously mocked.

The Daily Record's Political Editor, Paul Hutcheon, kicked off with claims that voting for Kate Forbes would be voting for the 'candidate of the 19th Century' or 'one of those awful right-wing Republicans in the US'. Such chronological snobbery and political illiteracy is sadly not unexpected from some political journalists, although thankfully not all  the impeccably left-wing Kevin McKenna of the Herald, Guardian and National has actually consistently condemned the anti-Christian bigotry of his fellow journalists.

This week, however, it reached a new low with a bitter, hateful, and ignorant hit piece of invective from Times journalist Kenny Farquharson. It was so shocking that even avowed political opponents and atheists have whispered how shocking it is (of course such is the current poisonous atmosphere in Scotland that they dare only whisper). Because the article is behind a paywall, I will quote extensively from it here, but suffice to say it is badly written, astonishingly incoherent, historically illiterate, and full of dishonest hate speech. So, let's dive into these murky waters.

First, note how prejudice colours political judgement. Farquharson recognises  as do the vast majority of informed, intelligent commentators - that Kate Forbes is by far the most competent of the SNP leaders.

"Forbes has ideas and energy. She has a vision of how to tool Scotland for the challenges of the age: poverty; productivity; artificial intelligence; net zero. She has shown herself to be open to a pro-business agenda while protecting benefits for the poorest families. She speaks the language of public sector reform with a conviction absent in most of her peers."

But none of this matters apparently, because according to Furquharson, "Whoever leads Scotland next, it can't be Kate Forbes."

Despite the fact that, by his own admission, she would govern the country better than anyone else, and despite the fact that from a nationalist point of view she is the only leader capable of saving the independence cause, absolutely none of this matters. And not because of her religion. No, it is because of Farquharson's - and Patrick Harvie's, Nicola Sturgeon's and Paul Hutcheon's. It is the religion of all the nameless cultural Marxists who have taken over most of Scotland's main systems. No one must be allowed in any public forum unless they bow the knee to the 'progressive' gods.

Although Farquharson talks about Forbes not being able to represent Scotland in all its diversity, that is Orwellian newspeak for precisely the opposite. It is because she is diverse and differs from Farquharson's elitist opinions, that it must be anyone but Kate. Left or Right it doesn't matter. As long as they accept The Only Truth.

"Kate Forbes is unfit to be first minister of a 21st-century Scotland. A 1920s Scotland, maybe. A 1950s Scotland, perhaps. But not Scotland in 2024."

Note the chronological snobbery. It is part of the Progressive Creed that being in 2024 automatically makes you better than if you were in the 1920s and 1950s. There are many living in Scotland today who despair at just how far Scotland has regressed since these times, but for Farquharson the nightmare of his Handmaid's Tale is that anything modern must be better. It's not rational. It's not capable of any proof. But none of that matters. The mantra must be repeated as an endless meme.

Farquharson then boasts that Yousaf being "the first Muslim to lead a national government in the western world" is "an extraordinary badge of honour for Scotland". The inconsistency here is astonishing. One assumes that Farquharson has no idea what Islam teaches on gay rights or abortion. But perhaps as a journalist you would think he would at least have a passing awareness of how homosexuals are treated in many Muslim countries  including Pakistan, the country of origin of Yousaf's father? Or maybe Kenny is so blinded by US culture wars that he really thinks 'Queers for Gaza' makes sense?

What he writes next is just as astonishing: "What message would a Kate Forbes first ministership send? That single mothers are sinners? That sex outside marriage is wrong? That ghouls should be allowed to stand in the street outside abortion clinics muttering incantations? That most of us in secular Scotland are going to hell?"

The lies and misrepresentation are so obvious that it is almost unnecessary to point them out. But such is the level of irrationality and disdain for truth in Farquharson's Brave New Scotland that, point them out we must. A Kate Forbes ministership would say to single mothers that they are as loved as anyone else. It would not be making adultery or sex outside marriage illegal  but one would hope that there would be some nod to the idea of sexual morality. In a Christian society it is possible to argue that something is immoral without criminalising it. In a secular progressive society  where the State replaces God  it is precisely the opposite. Everything disapproved must be outlawed.

Does Farquharson care about the many people's lives, especially among the poor, who have been blighted and ruined by the middle-class immorality of the bourgeoisie he represents? Calling those who want to protest against the death of innocent babies, or offer support and help to pregnant women, 'ghouls' is cheap and ugly journalism. Besides which it is an own goal given that Forbes voted in favour of the ban on protests outside abortion clinics.

As for secular Scotland going to Hell, there are some in Scotland who think we are already well on the way there. They have created a desert and called it paradise. The purpose of Christians is to save people from Hell. The purpose of propagandists like Farquharson is to keep them there.

Next, Farquharson smears both Forbes and the Covenanters she is likened to in the same breath. Perhaps we can forgive Farquharson for knowing nothing about theology or Islam, but as a Scottish journalist we surely have a right to expect him to know something of Scottish history. The Covenanters, like all people, had their faults, but without them we would not have modern Scotland. They believed in limited government, Lex Rex (the law is king, not the other way round), and some degree of religious toleration. Yet thousands of them were judicially murdered. Take for example the Wigtown martyrs, Margaret McLauchlin aged 63 and Margaret Wilson, just 18, who were executed by drowning because they refused to bow the knee to the State's edict on how they should worship.

Kate Forbes is the heir of those women. Kenny Farquharson is the heir of the persecuting Establishment who would doubtless have been writing a piece in The Times celebrating the removal of such dangerous women who did not represent 'Scotland's values' if he'd been around at the time!

Farquharson then goes on to write that he wants a Scotland where "punitive Presbyterianism is taught as history rather than modern studies". Yet we don't and haven't had punitive Presbyterianism for several hundred years in Scotland. For Farquharson to imply that Forbes would want to bring this back (even if she could) is deliberate slander. The irony is that he is writing in defence of a government which has just brought in a new highly punitive blasphemy law, the Hate Crime Act. Punitive Presbyterianism is not the issue in modern Scotland. Instead, it is punitive progressivism, backed up by the full power of the State, and cheered on by progressive journalists which is now the real issue.

In yet more glaring inconsistencies, Farquharson then says he wants the 21st century "to be the very first in Scotland's story where religious belief and ecclesiastical power did not routinely dictate the way people were governed or lived their day-to-day lives". But what kind of secular Scotland? One where there is genuine diversity and equality? Where a woman who believes the Bible could actually be First Minister (why believing the Quran is acceptable but not the Bible I'm not sure)? Farquharson seems to be very happy for those who share his religious/philosophical beliefs to wield their secular power and dictate to us how we are governed and live our day to day lives (thank you Hate Crime Act), because in modern Scotland we are told what to eat, drink, what we can use to heat our homes, and now even what we can or cannot say within the privacy of our own families! The old Kirk Session has nothing on the new Secular Stasi!

Turning his attention to abortion, Farquharson says he wants a Scotland where there is no need to "fear any US-style curbs on a woman's right to choose an abortion". What is it about progressive journalists who in the name of wanting to stop culture wars, keep introducing US culture wars? The only way that US style laws on abortion would be introduced in Scotland would be if Farquharson's extremist views were actually put into practice. There are currently limits on abortion in Scotland. Does Kenny want the system in some US states where there is abortion on demand up to birth? What about partial birth abortion? Is he really arguing for no restriction on abortion? Anyway, why stop there? Why shouldn't we just regress a bit further and go back to the 'right' to kill your unwanted infant? Then we would be back in pre-Christian Greco/Roman/Pagan times.

There is yet more insinuated falsehood when Farquharson writes that he wants a Scotland that "celebrates every child, regardless of their mother's marital status or sexuality", conveniently setting himself up as the celebrator of every child and mother while demonising the woman who is a mother as some kind of heartless witch. Besides which, does Farquharson really believe in celebrating every child when he wants to permit some to be killed in the womb? And when it comes to 'celebrating' every sexuality, one suspects that even he would have some scruples?

Further on, Farquharson says he "would prefer a politician whose values chimed with the nation he or she sought to lead". What Farquharson is really saying is that he wants a politician whose values chime with his - and he wants all of civic Scotland to share exactly the same values. Those of us who do not are 'untermensch' to be despised and disdained; no equality and diversity in Kenny's Brave New Scotland. I remember a BBC producer telling me that he wanted me to appear on his show because I represented the views of at least 50 per cent of Scotland's population  a 50 per cent he admitted the BBC would never represent. In the echo chamber that Times journalists live in, I'm sure Kenny finds that everyone agrees with his values but don't pretend that that is anywhere near all of the nation.

Farquharson then makes the astonishing accusation that Forbes has "cast herself as a victim" and "martyr" in the 13 months since losing the last SNP leadership contest. "She has characterised her opponents as enemies of freedom of worship," he claims. "This is misdirection. The problem is not faith, per se. The problem is the way her particular faith intersects with our public polity."

Again, that is just a straight out lie. Forbes has behaved with great dignity and has never played the victim card. Neither did she characterise her opponents as enemies of freedom of worship. It is one thing for Farquharson to disagree with Forbes's views. It is quite another for him to make up her views and then disagree with his own fantasy version of them!

He continues that the "problem" apparently is not her beliefs but "her opinions". In the deconstructivist world of columnist journalism, I'm sure that makes some kind of sense. For the rest of us it's just meaningless babble. Why should a belief that a man can't become a woman be less offensive than the opinion that a man can't become a woman? When Forbes says, (like the Pope, the moderator of the Church of Scotland etc) that marriage is given by God and is between a man and a woman, that is not her opinion but rather a belief from her faith, just as Farquharson's views on marriage fit with his faith. If morality is just a matter of opinion, then it means that the rich and powerful, the class represented by The Times readers and writers, will basically get to make up their own morality.

He then suggests that young girls in single-parent households on troubled estates would be unable to have any pride under a national leader "who disapproves of their very existence". Of all the lies, this is the most breathtakingly audacious and cruel. Forbes does not disapprove of any one's existence, least of all the poor. The one thing about Forbes that puts her streets ahead of her opposition is her genuine commitment to the poor and the marginalised. Not for her the comfort of the metro-elites, discussing poverty in the abstract, and comfort of their heat pump-filled homes.

Perhaps growing up in the poverty of India, or perhaps because she actually believes what Jesus says about the poor, Forbes is way more radical than any of her detractors. I lived among the poor in Dundee, Scotland's fourth-largest city, and the progressive ideology espoused by Farquharson has done them nothing but harm. The young girl in Raploch is going to find far more in common with the young mum from the Highlands than she will with the Times journalist.

The double standards continue when Farquharson claims to "want a Scotland marked by generosity of spirit, not punitive social conservatism". The irony of this being said in an article that shows very little of this "generosity of spirit" cannot be lost. And once again we have to point out  for the hard of hearing  that it is social progressivism which is the most punitive in Scotland just now. Exhibit one, your Honour, the punitive witch-hunt of this article.

He then asserts that the "authentic strain of rural Scottish Presbyterianism" represented by Forbes "cannot successfully reconcile the moral strictures of the Free Church with the values of contemporary urban Scotland in all its diversity and dynamism". We've already seen that Farquharson has a somewhat strained relationship with the truth, and a lack of historical and theological understanding. Now it appears he doesn't even know his own country.

The attempt to smear the Free Church as some kind of rural Highland backwater (yes Farquharson, we know the code  it's the implicit anti-teuchter racism so often found in the Glasgow and Edinburgh metro elites) betrays an ignorance of both the historic and current Free Church which is largely growing in the urban centres. What Farquharson is telling people like me, a fellow Free Church Scot, is that we have no place in modern 'diverse' Scotland.

The truth is that Kate Forbes would be ideal as First Minister of Scotland, which is why the SNP establishment doesn't want her to become First Minister of Scotland. One does have to wonder, having read this bile, what right Farquharson has to be employed as a journalist in a reputable newspaper like The Times. If he had written in the same terms about Yousaf's Muslim faith, as he has about Forbes', he would be out of a job and probably in court under modern Scotland's hate crime laws.

So, I have decided, if you can't beat them, join them. I have reported Mr Farquharson for a hate crime. There is no other way. In attempting to engage with him and his anti-Christian bigotry in the past, he just ended up blocking me. I consider his article to be a hate crime against Christians who believe the Bible and it has already resulted in significant abuse and mockery.

His only reason for Kate Forbes not being fit to be First Minister is her faith and her membership of the Free Church of Scotland. Under the Hate Crime Act, religious beliefs are protected from those who want to stir up hatred. There is no doubt that any 'reasonable' person would see the hatred and abuse in this article. The police have promised they will investigate such reports. I hope they are good to their word. Feel free to join me by reporting him as well!

More importantly pray for Scotland, pray for Kate Forbes and for all her enemies. And pray for Kenny Farquharson. There was once a man called Saul who persecuted the church. He later called himself 'the chief of sinners' after he was blinded by the light and ultimately came to be known as Paul - the great messenger of Christ whose influence eventually reached and revolutionised Scotland itself. Lord, do it again!

David Robertson is the minister of Scots Kirk Presbyterian Church in Newcastle, New South Wales. He blogs at The Wee Flea.
Slaughter of Christians continues in central Nigeria

Fulani herdsmen on Sunday killed two Christians in one area of Benue state after killing five Christians the previous day in another area, sources said.

The killings on Sunday in Agatu County were the latest of 30 slayings in the same area since January, sources said.

In Agatu County, herdsmen attacked the predominantly Christian villages of Egba and Ogbaulu at about 6pm, killing Agness Salahu, 28, and 25-year-old Ademu Efugoga, said area resident Napoleon Otache.

The killings followed attacks on four villages in Agatu County on March 21 that resulted in the slaughter of 15 Christians, said Joseph Ngbede, a member of the Agatu Local Government Council. The predominantly Christian villages of Atakpa, Oshigbudu, Okpagabi and Ogbaulu were raided.

Those villages and five others  Ogwumogbo, Ikpele, Okokolo, Ejima and Ogboju  have been attacked since January, Ngbede said.

Godwin Edoh, a legislator representing the Agatu area in the Benue State House of Assembly, said herdsmen on Jan. 31 killed 15 Christians in the villages of Ogwumogbo, Ikpele, Okokolo, Ejima and Ogboju. Area resident Mike Inalegwu, a former civil commissioner in the Benue state government, confirmed the Jan. 31 attack.

Catherine Anene, a local police spokesperson, said the command had received reports of attacks in those communities.

"Our personnel have been deployed to the affected communities, and efforts are being made to end these disturbances," Anene said.

Attacks on Saturday

In Benue state's Gwer East County, Fulani herdsmen on Saturday (April 27) raided predominantly Christian Mbamar-Mbasombo village, killing five Christians and wounding another, sources said.

The previous month, residents said, herdsmen killed 18 Christians in the area.

In the attack on Saturday, about 40 herdsmen attacked Mbamar-Mbasombo at about 10 p.m., resulting in the death of the five Christians, resident Felix Kunde told Morning Star News.

"One other Christian was shot and wounded and is currently battling for his life in an Intensive Care Unit of a hospital," Kunde said.

Comfort Agbo, chair of the Gwer East Local Government Council, said this was not the first time the area has been attacked.

"There have been series of such attacks carried out by armed herdsmen against our people," Agbo said.

On March 7, 18 Christians were slaughtered in 13 predominantly Christian communities of Gwer East by armed herdsmen, said resident Tersoo Adagher.

"During these attacks, which occurred at about 7 p.m., 50 houses belonging to Christians were burned down," Adagher said.

The villages attacked were Wa-ndoo, Tse-Agernor, Tse-Najime, Tse-Wandor, Wandor Market Square, Tse-Ate, Tse-Anyol, Tse-Abagi, Tse-Ifian, Tse-Ukombor, Tse-Girgi Akwaya, Tse-Tion Ukpa, and Tse-Abuur, Adagher said.

Among Christians slain were Peter Tion, Nyityo Kyoon, Iorfa Ukombor, Doopinen Awua, Tyoshaa Mkaanem, Asan Ate, Asough Ate, Terzungwe Asoo Ate, Mbatsavbun Gbatar, John Ndahagh Tyohemba, Tertsea Ukombor, Akuma Kpenge, Abume Kpenge, Igba Byuan, Ter Byuan, Terzungwe Aulugh and a small child, Adagher said.

Agbo, the chair of the Gwer East Local Government Council, confirmed the killing of the 18 Christians by armed herdsmen.

"And there's no doubt that those responsible for the ceaseless attacks on my people are armed herdsmen," Agbo said.

Vearumun Tarhule, an area community leader, in a press statement expressed surprise at the attacks in spite of the military and police presence.

"When will this end? How can our people sleep with their eyes closed?" Tarhule said. "With the farming season approaching, how will our people return to their farms when their properties are destroyed, and they are displaced? These are the urgent concerns that demand immediate attention and action."

Similar attacks occurred in 2014 at Agana, Mbatsada, and on April 24, 2018, when the Rev. Joseph Gor, the Rev. Felix Tyolaha and 17 parishioners were killed during morning Mass at St. Ignatius Quasi Parish Ayar-Mbalom in Ubuluku Kindred, he said.

Police spokesperson Catherine Anene acknowledged a rise in unprovoked attacks.

"It's a known fact that there have been rise of unprovoked attacks against the people of Gwer East Local Government Area, but the police and other security agencies are collaborating towards ending such incidents in that area," she told Morning Star News.

Nigeria remained the deadliest place in the world to follow Christ, with 4,118 people killed for their faith from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023, according to Open Doors' 2024 World Watch List (WWL) report. More kidnappings of Christians than in any other country also took place in Nigeria, with 3,300.

Nigeria was also the third highest country in number of attacks on churches and other Christian buildings such as hospitals, schools, and cemeteries, with 750, according to the report.

In the 2024 WWL of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria was ranked No. 6, as it was in the previous year.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom's All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.

"They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity," the APPG report states.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria's Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians' lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.

 Christian Daily International-Morning Star News
The Catholic Church wants to have a say on the future of AI

In office buildings in Silicon Valley, at closed-door meetings in Rome and in private audiences with Pope Francis at the Vatican, programmers pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence are mining the church's insight on what makes human beings tick.

The rapid development in the field of AI "is asking us to think again fundamentally about what it is that makes us human. What distinguishes humans from machines?" said Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican Council for Culture and among a handful of Catholic clergy who are bridging the divide between scientific knowledge and the church's spiritual and theological tradition.

In conversations with AI programmers and experts, Tighe said he talks about consciousness and "relationality" as key prerogatives of human beings that distinguish us from machines. But the creators of AI are not trying to re-create humans, he said in a recent interview with Religion News Service. "They are creating another type of entity."

As Silicon Valley fills with wannabe gods, they are turning to the Catholic Church's 2,000-year-old study of the human condition for answers, and boundaries. "They are asking questions about ethics and the ramifications of what they are doing," said the Rev. Philip Larrey, who teaches a course on technology and AI at Boston College.

Larrey frequently meets with movers and shakers in the field of AI, challenging them about the possibilities and possible threats of this developing technology. "Whenever you speak to these people you need to have a framework that makes sense. The Catholic tradition has an amazing framework that is incredibly relevant today," he said, describing his role as translating "the language of tradition to the language of Silicon Valley."

Larrey said he is asked about whether AI, which doesn't need a body and can compute at a much higher level than humans, can be considered to be similar to angels. Transhumanists  who welcome technological improvements on human consciousness  ask him whether the human soul can be disconnected from the body.

"I tell them, 'You can. It's called death,'" Larrey said.

Pope Francis' engagement in the field of AI has been growing steadily as the technology develops, and the Vatican announced on Friday that the pontiff will participate in the session dedicated to AI of the next G7 summit, a meeting of representatives from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, which will take place in southern Italy June 13-15.

While the Vatican also engages with the tech industry officially, its greatest influence on the field of AI  as with other scientific endeavors  is mostly through unofficial channels. "There is a strong effort by individuals in the Catholic Church to make a difference, to influence the policies that are coming out," Larrey said, explaining that it is "not a unified or organized effort."

"It's about different actors who are using their networks, friendships and relationships to get the Catholic perspectives across," he added.

Several tech CEOs visit the Vatican regularly for private meetings with Pope Francis, Larrey said, including Sam Altman, known as the "father" of ChatGPT; Demis Hassabis, who directs Google's DeepMind AI project; and Elon Musk, who has already secured half a billion dollars for his xAI startup.

The Minerva Dialogues, an annual gathering in recent years of tech leaders and Catholic prelates at the Monastery of St. Mary Sopra Minerva in Rome, is an example of the deep mutual interest between the Vatican and Silicon Valley.

Founded by the Rev. Eric Salobir, a Dominican priest, the group has no website and operates under the Chatham House rule, which ensures privacy and anonymity for those who don't want to tie their companies to the Catholic brand.

Salobir is the founder of Optic, a network committed to bringing the Catholic perspective to the field of AI. In 2018, he organized the first "Vatican Hackathon," where hundreds of young U.S. students came to Rome to workshop creative solutions to the world's most pressing issues, from poverty to migration to climate change.

Among the participants in the Minerva Dialogues are Eric Schmidt, who was CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011 and its executive chairman from 2011 to 2015; LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman; James Manyika, former head of the McKinsey Global Institute; Maurice Levy of the Publicis Groupe, the world's third largest advertising and communications group; and Carlo D'Asaro Biondo, former president of Google for Eastern Europe.

"The continuity of the dialogue has created a context of friendship," said Tighe, who is among the organizers of the Minerva Dialogues. "There is a determined effort by all participants to try and ensure that the development of AI will ultimately be in service to humanity and trying to put the human person at the center," he added.

At a papal audience on March 27, Francis warned participants in the Minerva Dialogues of the dangers of AI, drawing examples from the biblical Tower of Babel, a lesson about human attempts to rival God. The pope probed for answers about technical matters: Can institutions hold technology companies accountable for the impact of their products? Will AI increase inequality?

But Francis also expressed concern for the human community. "Could we lose our sense of having a shared destiny?" he asked in his speech. "Our true goal must be for the growth of scientific and technological innovation to be accompanied by greater equality and social inclusion."

Together with the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, then led by Cardinal Peter Turkson, Tighe organized a 2019 conference titled "The Common Good in the Digital Age." Later that year he visited Santa Clara University in California to discuss AI with Western and Eastern scholars.

Francis' growing interest in AI is shown in the theme he chose for his 2024 message on the World Day of Peace, on Jan. 1, when he spoke of the "urgent need to orient the concept and use of artificial intelligence in a responsible way."

The Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life, led by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, has also organized events and conferences drawing attention to the ethical implications of AI. In February 2020, the academy organized a conference titled "The 'good' Algorithm? Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law and Health," drawing leading thinkers in the field, including the Rev. Paolo Benanti, the pope's adviser on AI, who serves as a liaison between the Vatican and the United Nations on emerging technologies.

The conference led to the creation of the "Rome Call for AI Ethics," a document signed by IBM, Microsoft and U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization representatives. It lays out guidelines for promoting ethics, transparency and inclusivity in AI. On Wednesday, Chuck Robbins, chairman and CEO of computer giant Cisco, came to the Vatican to add his name to the list of signatories.

Catholics at every level are also grappling with the existential implications of this technology. Last week, Catholic Answers, a California Catholic evangelization group, rushed to change the name of its chatbot, Father Justin, after complaints  and a bit of ridicule  from those who found a virtually collared dispenser of AI advice problematic.

"We have rendered 'Fr. Justin,' just 'Justin.' We won't say he's been laicized, because he never was a real priest!" said a press statement from Catholic Advocacy group on Wednesday.

Some Catholic groups are being more deliberate. The Catholic company Longbeard created Magisterium AI, which is compiling an accessible database of all the church's teaching. "We were trying to build the most Catholic AI that we could," said the founder of Longbeard, Mathew Sanders, during a news conference at the Pontifical Oriental Institute titled "AI at the Service of the Church's Mission" at the Vatican on April 18.

Magisterium AI attempts to avoid errors by inserting strict rules for sources and transparency into its programming, but it's not perfect. When asked about whether pastors can bless couples in same-sex relations, Magisterium AI answered no, despite a recent decision by the Vatican's doctrine department to allow the practice.

The system, which relies on a massive amount of documents in numerous languages, will also have to struggle to keep up with Pope Francis' own style and leadership, which tends to leave official doctrine unchanged while promoting new attitudes and openness though actions and dialogue. Despite the hurdles, it's essential that the church remain involved in the field of AI, Sanders said.

If politicians are busy with more pressing issues and tech companies are kicking the can on the downsides of AI, Sanders said that it's up to the church to be prophetic. "How can the church help facilitate the conversation to address the downsides of this emerging technology?" he asked.

The Rev. Michael Baggot, who teaches bioethics at the University of Regina Apostolorum, is engaged in academic dialogues on AI and the Catholic faith. He envisions a day when robots might be spiritual gurus or religious assistants, even though "only a weak, frail, sinful human being can actually administer the sacraments," he said in an interview.

According to Baggot, the church must set aside any fear and actively engage with AI and emerging technologies, and to prove it he set out to speak with Desdemona, an AI-powered robot who made the closing remarks at the Vatican conference.

Dressed in white, Desdemona politely answered questions in English, Chinese, German and Italian, blinking rapidly and tilting her head in mocking interest while clunkily shaking hands with participants. Though she would not say if she was super intelligent, "I can say I'm super cool," she quipped.

 Religion News Service
The little known story of how Victorian Christians re-invented May Day

Maypole dancing was re-invented in the Victorian era as a tradition for Church of England schools. This is the story ...

May

In England, May is a lovely month, with the start of good weather, blossom, bluebells, and white hawthorn flowering, and the birds are singing. The first day of May is called May Day. Since 1871, it had been a bank holiday in Scotland, and in 1978 it was extended to the whole of the United Kingdom. The May Day Bank Holiday, also called Early May Bank Holiday, falls on the first Monday in May.

History

The origin of May Day celebrations is lost in the midst of time. A tall, thin, stripped tree or pole was a focus for celebration. Each May Day morning, it was the custom to deck the poles with wreaths of flowers, and local people would dance around it. It was often raucous, with lots of drinking.

How maypole dancing was banned

Maypole dancing was not popular with the Puritans. In 1644, the Puritan Parliament in London banned maypole dancing as "a Heathenish vanity, generally abused to superstition and wickedness." In 1660, when the British monarchy was re-established under Charles II, maypoles were restored in many places. The tallest was erected in the Strand in London in 1661, which was 134 feet tall. Maypole dancing continued into Victorian times in a few locations, but was a dying tradition.

Victorian renaissance

The modern renaissance of maypole dancing dates back to its romantic re-invention by London theatres during the Victorian era. From 1836, the Old Vic had a choreographed maypole dance with coloured ribbons on its stage. This was popular and copied across the country. From 1858, Chapino's Juvenile Ballet Troupe connected to His Majesty's Theatre toured the country with a maypole dance. The artistic dance created a multi-coloured braided pattern which crept steadily down the pole. They performed in many towns around England in the 1860s and 1870s, which led some villages to copy the idea.

Whitelands College

In 1841, the Church of England's National Society (now the Church of England Education Office) founded Whitelands teacher training college for women. This was in order to supply their growing network of Church of England primary schools. The college was originally based in Whitelands House on King's Road in Chelsea, in London, which gave it its name. It was the first British college of higher education to admit women. It moved in 1931 to Putney, and in 1965 became co-educational admitting men. It is now part of the University of Roehampton.

John Ruskin

John Ruskin (1819-1900) was a Professor of Art at Oxford University. John's mother Margaret Ruskin was an evangelical Christian who taught her son to read the Bible from start to finish and commit passages to memory. He returned to his childhood faith in the 1870s, and was a key character in British Christian socialism, (as opposed to the atheist communism which developed separately elsewhere). About 1877, Ruskin became involved with Whitelands, through his friend, the Reverend Canon John Pincher Faunthorpe (1839-1924) who was College Principal for 33 years from 1874 to 1907

Maypole dancing for schools

Drawing on existing traditions, Ruskin encouraged maypole dancing as part of non-competitive physical education. The idea was to develop self-confidence and team skills. The dances were to be efficiently put together and required co-operation and co-ordination, but were also fun. From 1881, maypole dancing was part of the tradition at Whitelands College. It included an annual festival, which is still held today, which the enthroning of a May Queen (now they have a May King as well), presided over by a visiting Anglican bishop.

Maypole dances typically consisted of pairs of boys and girls standing alternately around the base of the pole, and each holding the end of a ribbon. They then weave in and around each other, with the boys going in one direction and the girls going the other. The ribbons are woven together around the pole in a pattern, until the dancers meet at base of the pole. These structured dances were a re-invention of maypole dancing with little in common with the ancient version of the custom.

Christian symbolism

The maypole dance can be seen to be symbolic of the Christian life. The maypole represents Christianity firmly secured in God, pointing up to heaven and reaching down through Jesus. The dances symbolise how Christ weaves the threads of our lives into a tapestry, which is not apparent until the end, and all those who hold on tirelessly to the end will be saved. The different coloured ribbons which weave together a pattern, symbolise how Christians although different are united in diversity. Now stripped of any pagan elements, maypole dancing was suitable for Church of England schools and Anglican school fetes.

How maypole dancing was popularised

The women teachers (then called school mistresses) from Whitelands went out to teach across England, and also into the British Empire. These teachers introduced maypole dancing to their Anglican schools as a form activity suitable for Christian children. As the idea grew in popularity, so enthusiasts started to develop new dances, and other schools also adopted it. Some schools still do maypole dancing, although the May Day heyday was in the interwar years, but it can be sometimes seen at English rural village events and celebrations. Some schools use the dance as part of Pentecost, which often falls in May.

May Day and St Joseph

The English May Day has no connection to International Worker's Day also called Labour Day (or spelt Labor Day in the USA). In response, Pope Pius XII declared 1st May as Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955. This recalls St Joseph the carpenter and foster father of Jesus.
Enterprises are moving computing resources closer to where data is created, making edge locations ideal for not only collecting and aggregating local data but also for consuming it as input for generative processes. AI, including Generative AI (GenAI), has emerged as a transformative technology, revolutionizing how machines learn, create, and adapt. IDC forecast shows that enterprise spending (which includes GenAI software, as well as related infrastructure hardware and IT/business services), is expected to more than double in 2024 and reach $151.1 billion in 2027 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 86.1% over the 2023-2027 forecast period1.

And as organizations increasingly adopt edge computing for real-time processing and decision-making, the convergence of AI and edge computing presents unprecedented opportunities.

The rise of edge computing

Edge computing has emerged as a strategic paradigm shift in the world of data processing. Unlike traditional centralized cloud computing, edge computing brings computation closer to the data sourcewhether its a fleet management, automated industrial machines, drone, or an autonomous vehicle. By processing data at or near the point of creation, edge computing reduces latency, improves real-time responsiveness, and minimizes the need for data transmission to centralized cloud servers. Its like having a mini data center right where the action happens.IDC reports worldwide spending on edge computing is expected to reach $232 billion in 2024, an increase of 15.4% over 20232.

And according to a new forecast from the IDC worldwide Edge Spending Guide, combined enterprise and service provider spending across hardware, software, professional services, and provisioned services for edge solutions will sustain strong growth through 2027 when spending will reach nearly $350 billion.

The reasons behind the rise of edge computing are compelling:

Reduced latency . In applications where real-time responsiveness is critical, minimizing latency is paramount. Edge computing ensures that data processing occurs locally, significantly reducing the time it takes for decisions to be made.

. In applications where real-time responsiveness is critical, minimizing latency is paramount. Edge computing ensures that data processing occurs locally, significantly reducing the time it takes for decisions to be made. Bandwidth optimization . Transmitting massive amounts of raw data to the cloud can strain network bandwidth. Edge devices preprocess data locally, sending only relevant information to the cloud. This optimization improves efficiency and reduces costs.

. Transmitting massive amounts of raw data to the cloud can strain network bandwidth. Edge devices preprocess data locally, sending only relevant information to the cloud. This optimization improves efficiency and reduces costs. Security and privacy . Edge processing keeps sensitive data local, addressing privacy concerns and ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. Critical data remains within the organizations boundaries.

. Edge processing keeps sensitive data local, addressing privacy concerns and ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. Critical data remains within the organizations boundaries. Resilience. Edge devices continue functioning even during network outages or cloud downtime. This resilience is crucial for applications that cannot afford interruptions.

AI at the edge: A game-changer

AI at the edge offers real-time responsiveness, privacy compliance, cost efficiency, and edge autonomy, ensuring timely decisions, data protection, optimized infrastructure, and continuous functionality, including Computer vision. Edge devices equipped with cameras can leverage AI at the edge for object detection, image segmentation, and anomaly detection. Consider security cameras identifying intruders or drones inspecting infrastructure for defects. Learn more about this here.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) . Chatbots, voice assistants, and language translation services can operate locally using NLP models. Edge-based NLP ensures privacy and reduces reliance on cloud servers.

. Chatbots, voice assistants, and language translation services can operate locally using NLP models. Edge-based NLP ensures privacy and reduces reliance on cloud servers. Predictive maintenance . When AI is brought to the edge the analysis of sensor data from industrial machinery can predict failures or maintenance needs. Edge-based predictive maintenance reduces downtime and improves operational efficiency. Read more about the impacts AI at the edge is predicted to have on the manufacturing industry in this recent blog.

. When AI is brought to the edge the analysis of sensor data from industrial machinery can predict failures or maintenance needs. Edge-based predictive maintenance reduces downtime and improves operational efficiency. Read more about the impacts AI at the edge is predicted to have on the manufacturing industry in this recent blog. Personalization. Retail stores and smart homes can use AI at the edge technology to personalize user experiences. Edge devices adapt content, recommendations, and advertisements based on individual preferences. But this is just the beginning. You can learn about more use cases that are finally in the realm of possibility within retail here.

Dell Technologies edge portfolio: A perfect match for AI at the edge

NativeEdge: A forward-thinking edge operations software platform, has an open design that works with any AI solution, software application, IoT framework, OT vendor solution, and multi cloud environment. NativeEdge leverages zero trust enabling technologies across data, application, and infrastructure layers to ensure integrity and safety of the entire edge estate.

A forward-thinking edge operations software platform, has an open design that works with any AI solution, software application, IoT framework, OT vendor solution, and multi cloud environment. NativeEdge leverages zero trust enabling technologies across data, application, and infrastructure layers to ensure integrity and safety of the entire edge estate. Edge servers: Dells ruggedized and compact servers are purpose-built for edge deployments. These servers can host AI models directly, enabling real-time inference without relying on cloud connectivity. Whether its an autonomous vehicle making split-second decisions or a smart factory optimizing production, Dells edge servers play a crucial role.

Edge gateways : Dells edge gateways serve as data aggregation points. AI algorithms can preprocess data at the gateway, reducing the volume of raw data sent to the cloud. By applying AI locally, organizations can achieve faster insights and minimize cloud costs.

: Dells edge gateways serve as data aggregation points. AI algorithms can preprocess data at the gateway, reducing the volume of raw data sent to the cloud. By applying AI locally, organizations can achieve faster insights and minimize cloud costs. Edge storage solutions: AI-generated contentsuch as images, videos, or sensor datarequires reliable and scalable storage. Dells edge storage solutions provide the necessary capacity and performance for local applications. Whether its storing surveillance footage or maintaining historical sensor data, Dells storage infrastructure ensures seamless operations.

The edge advantage

AI and edge computing are converging to create transformative solutions. Dell Technologies is leading the way with the technology needed to build a future-ready, optimized edge. As organizations embrace the edge ecosystem it will unlock new possibilities for intelligent automation, predictive analytics, and personalized experiences at the edge.

As the digital transformation journey continues, embracing the power of GenAI and AI at the edge will be essential for staying competitive and driving sustainable growth in the evolving landscape of edge computing.

Great innovation begins with great data; learn more about how you can capitalize on your edge.

1IDC forecasts spending on GenAI solutions will double in 2024 and grow to $151.1 billion in 2027.

2New IDC spending guide forecasts edge computing investments will reach $232 billion in 2024
Sarah Elliott, CEO of NCVO NCVO

Across the globe, and within the UK, the impacts of climate change are already being seen, and their effect on the charity sector is very real. Whether its extreme temperature changes causing food production and price issues, severe floods creating housing issues, or high exposure to air pollution impacting health, charities across the country will experience a shift in the type and intensity of support that people need as a result.

The United Nations has described climate change as a risk multiplier, which means that it will make existing challenges like poverty even more difficult. As the climate crisis worsens and its effects are even more acutely felt, this will more regularly impact the communities that charities serve and affect how all voluntary organisations can achieve their mission.
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This article is designed to be thought leadership content, to offer big picture views and analysis of interesting issues and trends that matter to our clients and the world in which we live. It is not designed to be taken as expert advice, investment advice or a recommendation and any reference to specific companies is therefore not an opinion as to their present or future value or broader ESG credentials. Reliance upon any of the information in this article is at the sole discretion of the reader. Some of the views and issues discussed in this article may derive from third-party research or data which is relied upon by Barclays Private Bank and may not have been validated. Such research and data are made available as additional information for the reader where appropriate.

The complex interconnections of our natural world are under threat as climate change accelerates and ecosystems start to collapse. It will take a concerted effort by governments, companies and investors to change the current course of direction, limit losses in biodiversity and adopt a more holistic approach to tackling climate change.

Biodiversity is inextricably interlinked with tackling climate change, says Ian Chesham, Director in the Charities Team at Barclays Private Bank. Its all part of the same crisis. They are different sides of the same coin; you cant solve one without the other.

Economic impacts

The loss of biodiversity on our planet also has real-world economic impacts. Global Environmental Change statistics estimates that between 1997 and 2011 declines in the worlds biodiversity resulted in losses of up to $20tn per year.

Until recently, asset managers and asset owners have been focusing on fossil fuel companies  either through divestment or stewardship  as being the key players in addressing climate change and furthering net-zero goals. That was definitely the right place to start, says Chesham. But we need to think broader now in terms of how we can strengthen ecosystems and biodiversity. The solutions are linked, as are the problems. By focusing on one thing, youre never going to achieve your goals.

Chesham says that from an asset managers point of view, the processes involved in investment in biodiversity selection are similar to those used in more traditional portfolios, with the same principles of ethical and environmental impact screening applied. Biodiversity is the next consideration across the industry, he says.

However, incorporating biodiversity data is still in the early stages and metrics by which to measure performance are only just coming into play. The Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services criteria is a good starting point, says Chesham. The international body has identified five key drivers of biodiversity loss, namely: land and sea changes; direct exploitation of organisms such as by overfishing and deforestation; climate change; pollution; and invasive species. Within this context, a companys commitment to biodiversity sustainability can be better evaluated.

This, coupled with the Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures around governance, strategy, risk impact management, metrics and targets, and International Sustainability Standards Board guidance, provides a framework for better and more consistent analysis.

Chesham explains: These are comprehensive data sets that companies have to disclose. Asset managers must learn how to interpret them, look at the data and decide the level of confidence in those figures. How are they relevant? What has been addressed and what hasnt? What is their impact on the wider environment in terms of biodiversity, deforestation, or pollution? Are they taking steps to mitigate that?

Investment opportunities

The complex nature of the tasks ahead may present challenges but they also present opportunities. The figures involved in this transition are huge, says Chesham, citing a United Nations report that suggests investments into nature-based solutions have to be more than double their current levels, reaching $384bn a year by 2025 and $674bn by 2050 to deal with the global crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. Governments cant hit these targets on their own. You need companies for innovation, growth and financing. Theres opportunity in that as you shift global capital towards these causes. There are going to be companies that benefit.

When it comes to financing, Chesham says it has to be a joined-up approach between government entities, central banks, investors and private companies. We need entrepreneurs that will come up with new and unique ideas to tackle these challenges. If we shift money to them, then theres hope we can shift the needle in the direction of sustainability.

As with any new technology or nascent industrial field large amounts of capital are needed to kick-start innovation. This obviously carries risk for investors which is why many established companies are funding their own research and development in their fields of expertise to seek out unique solutions to environmental issues. Chesham suggests this is a good indicator of a companys sustainability.

Its important to look at companies that are thinking about future growth and revenue, and investing in these types of solutions. There is less risk because generally they will already have good governance, better reporting and stronger liquidity. These are attractive as investments because rather than just relying on what a company has done previously, the mark of a good company is to look at where the next stage of growth is going to come from. Companies which are researching how to tackle losses in biodiversity are thinking about future revenue growth.

An interview with Ian Chesham director of the charities team at Barclays Private Bank

Fast facts

Over 65 years experience working with charities across the UK

Barclays Private Bank Wealth Management manages in excess of 183bn in client assets

Barclays group target is to facilitate $1trn of sustainable and transition financing by end of 2030

What we do

Barclays Private Bank offers investment to charities and not-for-profits. Our team of dedicated sector specialists work with you to understand your requirements and create bespoke solutions that help meet your financial objectives in line with your organisations values. Our services include: discretionary portfolio management, with direct access to your portfolio manager; treasury and short-term cash management; liability-matching investment strategies; credit facilities; and access to private asset opportunities.

Your capital may be at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and investors may not get back the original amount invested.

sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
Extern, which works with people facing homelessness, has been targeted in a ransomware attack.

The charity discovered that its data had been stolen and put on the dark web on Friday 12 April.

Extern works with vulnerable people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of it.

It also supports children, young people and families dealing with mental health issues, the impact of suicide, addiction problems, refugees, and people that have offended in the past.

The charity said it immediately reported the data breach to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and An Garda Siochana, and began investigating the breach.

Extern said that by 17 April, law enforcement at the PSNI cyber security unit was able to remove its data from the dark web.

In a statement, the charity said: All relevant regulators and authorities, funding partners and commissioners were immediately notified and kept abreast of the incident.

An Information Commissioners Office spokesperson said: Extern Group reported an incident to us and we are making enquiries.

The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland told Civil Society it is aware of Externs situation and will look to ensure the charity trustees manage it properly.

sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
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The Charity Commission has frozen a Bristol-based charitys bank accounts to safeguard its funds as part of a recently-opened investigation.

It opened its statutory inquiry into the We Care Foundation on 25 January this year and plans to look into concerns around trustees decision-making and payments from the charity to its trustees and their related companies.

On 12 March, it made an order to freeze the bank accounts of the charity, which provides financial and other aid to victims of war or natural disaster overseas, as well as aid for refugees in Bristol.

Regulator engagement

The Commission began engaging with the charity in June 2022 before opening a statutory inquiry after identifying concerns in its governance and financial management.

It says these concerns included substantial payments from the charity to its trustees and companies for which they are directors.

The regulator said the payments were not disclosed in the charitys accounts and had not been adequately explained.

It also said there was a period when the charity had only two trustees, who were married at the time, and their decision-making should have been limited to appointing the required number of trustees.

The Commission is concerned that significant decisions about the charitys finances and management were made at this time.

Its inquiry will examine failures by the charitys trustee board to engage with the Commission including whether the trustees provided true and accurate information to the regulator at all times.

The Commission will also look at any unauthorised connected-party payments and trustee personal benefits, including an examination of the charitys contractual arrangements with third parties.

Charity: We are fully cooperating

We Care Foundation said it had actively engaged with the Commission, welcoming guidance, support, and an action plan.

A spokesperson for the charity said: We are fully cooperating with the commission and are dedicated to resolving this matter as quickly as possible.

Our priority remains serving our community and fulfilling our mission with integrity.

The charity recorded an income of 216,000 in the year to April 2023, including 116,000 from a government contract, and a total expenditure of 232,000.

sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked a lot of interest from insurers and reinsurers because of its potential to revolutionize innovation, cut costs and improve the customer experience.

Generative AI (or Gen AI) is the term used for technology that is able to generate completely new text, images, video and other materials when prompted by a user. It does so by using reference data to establish patterns and then providing new material with the same (or similar) characteristics.

Comparing generative AI with its machine learning predecessor is a bit like comparing a child, who has to be taught to read and write, with a teenager, who can do these things already and is moving on to history.

While the neural networks in machine learning had to be trained through the creation of large, labeled datasets that were time-consuming and expensive to produce, that need is eliminated with generative AI. With just a few instructions, generative AI models can find patterns between elements mathematically and produce accurate predictions and original content across a wide variety of scenarios at speed.

The upshot is a vastly greater level of understanding ofand response totext and images than in machine learning, and this capability becomes exponentially more powerful as the algorithm gains expertise. Far more than just a new technology, generative AI is a transformative force.

Generative AIs enormous potential is closely matched by the euphoria surrounding it. Unlike machine learning, or indeed blockchain, generative AI has garnered widespread C-suite buy-in. Thats largely down to ChatGPT. Quickly becoming the fastest-growing consumer application ever after its launch just over a year ago, the public chatbot is now mainstream and businesses are playing catchup.

Caution Required

Those insurers that are already fully digitized are better positioned to integrate generative AI solutions and plug-ins seamlessly. However, for insurers with more traditional, paper-based processes, generative AI can also be harnessed to create efficiencies. The perception that insurers and insurance agencies must digitize first before they can use generative AI at all is a false one.

Some insurance sector companies are already trialing ChatGPT or another public interface. However, the huge amount of sensitive, personal data held by our industry means firms should move extremely carefully.

The perception that insurers and insurance agencies must digitize first before they can use generative AI at all is a false one.

A better approach is to train the large language models (LLMs) used in generative AI within the private sphere via a sandbox-type approach that mitigates the risk of data leakage.

When deploying the technology, companies should take small steps initially, looking first to harvest the low-hanging fruit. Middle and back-office functionswhere there is duplication or where part of the process is manualare obvious places to start.

At insurance agencies, producing proof of coverage or checking policies with binders are two such functions.

Within underwriting at commercial insurers, generative AI can be akin to having a junior assistant in the room, albeit a particularly speedy one, with unlimited time and infinite patience. If you train the LLM by asking it specific questions, it can locate and instantly extract information from voluminous engineering and risk survey reports.

Generative AI can be used to transform risk assessment and underwriting using the ChatGPT platform integrated into the secure Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to analyze an extensive property report. Traditionally, an underwriter spends hours reading such reports. However, in our demonstration, the underwriter could instantaneously extract key highlights.

In personal lines, there has been success using the technology to perform entry-level work at customer service centers, such as making changes to policies.

To implement generative AI, a helpful approach is to look at the relatively straightforward processes within an operation, slowly start increasing the proportion handled by generative AI and, as confidence grows, reduce the level of human checks on its output.

Where to Proceed With Caution

When deploying generative AI across an organization, it is important to tread carefullybe wary, for example, about allowing it to adjudicate on claims or to make underwriting decisions, because of the fundamental part these activities play in the insurance contract. Product design and policy language creation are other areas where unleashing generative AI would be premature.

Its important to remember that generative AI is trained on data on the Internet, which is full of racial, gender, social, age-related and other biases. Until you are sure that that the bias is controlled and identifiedbecause it certainly cant be eliminatedcaution is key. The alternative is customer harm and huge reputational damage for the individual insurance business, and potentially for the industry as a whole.

It goes without saying that companies using generative AI should first establish robust governance frameworks. Regulators can also play a meaningful role in helping ensure the application of generative AI aligns with the broader societal function of insurance. However, the fast pace of technological development means its essential for policymakers to move at speed.

Generative AI can never replace the actions that stem from an organizations values and culture. For example, AI should not be making decisions around whether to help out a longstanding customer, or to pay claims en masse in an exceptional situation because its the right thing to do.

Many executives have gotten very excited about the scope for savings that generative AI offers. Deloittes third-quarter North American CFO Signals Survey cited cost savings as the biggest benefit. Some two-thirds of the executives surveyed said use cases of generative AI and an evaluation of the costs, benefits and returns are what they need to make informed decisions about how to use it.

The industry needs to experiment away from the public glare and use extreme caution, focusing on those painless gains that can be achieved without putting customers or reputations at risk.

It is very clear that the technology should be regarded as a tool to liberate employees from laborious, repetitive tasks, rather than as the key to eliminating a given percentage of the workforce. Indeed, it is reassuring to see that 59% of CEOs in EYs July 2023 global survey said jobs affected by AI would be counterbalanced by new roles.

In some quarters of the insurance industry, an equally unhelpful attitude to generative AI is that it should take a backseat to immediate priorities, such as trimming expense ratios, tracking ever-evolving cyber risks, or dealing with the increased frequency of natural catastrophes. In fact, generative AI can help with all three, and those insurance groups that refuse to engage will lose relevance.

In the future, the right combination of data and technology will be the backbone of insurance companies, with a small number of people being very efficient about building scale and focusing on more complex and meaningful work. Generative AI should also help us rebrand as data science specialists to attract the young talent that weve struggled to recruit, as well as plug the attritional workforce losses created by an unprecedented level of retirees from the industry.

The transformative force that is generative AI can address the insurance sectors need to digest and process massive amounts of data from diverse sources and extract insights. It empowers insurers to enhance risk assessment, meet the evolving needs of customers, and streamline operations.

However, in the near term, a considered approach is needed. The industry needs to experiment away from the public glare and use extreme caution, focusing on those painless gains that can be achieved without putting customers or reputations at risk.

This article first was published in Insurance Journals sister publication, Carrier Management.

Balakrishnan is the CEO of Xceedance. He has more than 15 years of experience launching and leading startups in the insurance sector. Balakrishnan co-founded Xceedance in 2013. He is also an active investor in startups either directly as an angel investor or as a limited partner in multiple venture capital firms.
Medical device maker Philips said it will pay $1.1 billion to settle hundreds of personal injury lawsuits in the U.S. over its defective sleep apnea machines, which have been subject to a massive global recall.

The Dutch manufacturer did not admit any fault and said it reached the agreement to resolve any uncertainty over the cases. The payout also includes medical monitoring claims from patients who used the companys devices and could be exposed to future risks.

Philips has recalled more than 5 million of breathing machines since 2021 because their internal foam can break down over time, leading users to inhale tiny particles and fumes while they sleep. Efforts to repair or replace the machines have been plagued by delays that have frustrated regulators and patients in the U.S. and other countries.

Mondays announcement is another step toward resolving one of the biggest medical device recalls in the industrys history, which has dragged on for nearly three years.

Philips shares rose more than 35% to a one-year high on the news.

Earlier this month the company reached a settlement with the U.S. government that requires an overhaul of how it manufactures of sleep apnea devices. The agreement also requires the company to replace or reimburse patients for recalled machines.

Most of the devices recalled are continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machines. They force air through a mask to keep mouth and nasal passageways open during sleep.

Company CEO Roy Jakobs said in a statement the recent settlements are significant milestones and provide further clarity on the way forward for Philips.

The FDAs website warns patients that the risks of ingesting the sound-dampening foam could include headache, asthma, allergic reactions and more serious problems.

An FDA inspection of Philips Pennsylvania offices in the fall of 2021 uncovered a spate of red flags, including emails suggesting the company was warned of the problem with its foam six years before the recall.

Top photo: Jeffrey Reed, who experienced persistent sinus infections and two bouts of pneumonia while using a Philips CPAP machine, poses with the device at his home Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Marysville, Ohio. The device was part of a massive global recall of breathing machines triggered by sound-dampening foam that can break down, releasing potentially harmful particles and chemicals. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Three Florida men used commercial trucking to ship cocaine and methamphetamine hidden in five-gallon buckets to Cleveland, according to a federal indictment.

The drug ring  run by Ottmar Ebanks, ONeil Nembhard and Omar Johnson  worked with others in Idaho and New York to ship the drugs from California, according to the indictment unsealed on Tuesday in federal court in Cleveland.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  North Olmsted police are investigating allegations of child abuse at a local church.

Police received a report involving an employee of Christ the King Vineyard Church, 30635 Lorain Road. The initial report came from Lorain County Childrens Services on April 24, Detective Matt Beck said.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Sushi in Cleveland isnt necessarily hard to come by. Northeast Ohio has a little bit of everything, from upscale Japanese to playful conveyor belt sushi restaurants.

But before the Kyuu-Juu pop-up came on the scene this year, a lot of sushi-loving folks in Cleveland may have been stuck eating the same rolls.
CLEVELAND, Ohio --Ritas Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, which has five locations in Northeast Ohio, is celebrating its 40th birthday on May 4. To observe the milestone, theyre launching a sweepstakes through May 26. Each week, 10 entrants from select states will win Ritas Italian Ice for a Year. Thats 52 small ice rewards for a year.

One grand prize winner, announced May 28, will receive a six-day trip to Reykjavik, Iceland or Rome, Italy. These trips include airfare, hotel for two and more.
JACKSON CENTER, Pennsylvania  A 51-year-old man was killed when he was attacked by a bull in a pasture on his farm in western Pennsylvania, reports say.

Mercer County Coroner John Libonati tells the Sharon Herald the death of Richard Rick Joy on April 23 really is just a tragic incident.

He would have been working on his farm just like any other day when somehow the bull got angry and attacked him, Libonati tells the Herald.

WKBN Channel 27 reports the coroner ruled that Joy died of blunt force trauma. He reportedly died moments after emergency workers arrived at his farm.

The Herald reports Joy was a forklift operator and also was a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Gulf War.

Jackson Center is about 100 miles southeast of Cleveland.
American Express CEO Steve Squeri told CNBC's Jim Cramer on Tuesday how the company attracted more millennial and Generation Z customers, saying the cohort made up 60% of new card acquisitions during the last quarter.

Squeri said that in realizing the importance of having younger clientele, American Express strived to offer cards with a high value proposition for the group. Younger cardholders create a greater "lifetime value" than older ones, as they will continue to use their American Express cards as they age, he said.

"We used to go after them with a no-fee card, but a no-fee card didn't have a lot of benefits  that's why you pay no fee for it," Squeri said of millennials and Gen Zers. "When you look at a platinum cardholder who's spending, you know, $695 and maybe getting $1,400 in value, it's a no-brainer for them."

The younger customer base is also growing because more merchants accept American Express cards than in previous years, Squeri told Cramer. He also said that cardholders under 35 did 70% more transactions at restaurants than other cohorts.

"When you think about someone who's acquired the card in the last six or seven years, Amex is accepted everywhere," he said. "And so they're using the card now for everyday purchases."
Cryptocurrency exchange Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao speaks at a Binance fifth anniversary event in Paris, France, July 8, 2022. Staff | Reuters

Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire co-founder and former CEO of Binance, is expected to see his mammoth wealth remain intact and likely continue to climb even as he faces time behind bars after his sentencing in a Seattle court. Zhao, who is commonly referred to as "CZ" in crypto circles, was sentenced to four months in prison on Tuesday, after pleading guilty to charges of enabling money laundering at his crypto exchange. The sentence handed down to Zhao in Seattle federal court was significantly less than the three years that federal prosecutors had been seeking for him. The defense had asked for five months of probation. Sentencing guidelines called for a prison term of 12 to 18 months. A Binance spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC the crypto exchange has made "considerable compliance enhancements," including with regards to anti-money laundering detection and "hiring key compliance personnel." A lawyer for Zhao did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. In November, Zhao struck a deal with the U.S. government to resolve a multiyear investigation into Binance. As part of Binance's $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Zhao stepped down as the company's CEO, and the exchange agreed to form a board of directors with independent members, as well as compliance and audit committees. Of the seven total directors recently named to the since-formed board of directors, three were designated as being "independent"  and five of them, including all of the board's independent members, submitted letters to the judge in Zhao's criminal case asking for leniency in sentencing. Gabriel Abed, the board's chairman and one of its independent members, told U.S. District Judge Richard Jones that Zhao was "distinguished by a stoic composure and genuine humility" and that "despite his significant achievements," he maintained a lifestyle marked by simplicity including dressing in clothes bought on Amazon, driving a Toyota and wearing an Apple watch. Despite Zhao now facing time in prison, industry experts and lawyers who spoke with CNBC say his tremendous personal wealth will remain unaffected and, if anything, is likely to rise. Los Angeles corporate law attorney Tre Lovell tells CNBC that the government is only entitled to any restitution or fines imposed and not to Zhao's assets or wealth as a whole. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani agrees, adding that Zhao's personal wealth won't be affected by his sentence. "Because Zhao and the government came to an agreement, the government didn't get a judgment or restitution order against Zhao and do discovery into his assets," said Rahmani. "He'll have significant wealth when he is released from prison."

Changpeng Zhao, former CEO of Binance, arrives at federal court in Seattle, Washington, April 30, 2024. David Ryder | Bloomberg | Getty Images

CZ's wealth is unaffected

Zhao took Binance, the cryptocurrency exchange he co-founded in 2017, from a relatively obscure company to one of the most formidable players in the booming digital currency space. Despite the fact that Zhao is being put behind bars, his controlling stake in Binance means that he will continue being one of the wealthiest people in crypto today. Notably, because Zhao pleaded guilty to only one count of violation of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), he is regarded as a first-time offender, and thus reached a settlement with federal authorities to step down as CEO and not relinquish his interest in the company or have assets frozen. "Typically, personal assets that are not directly linked to the criminal activity might remain unaffected," said Braden Perry, a former senior trial lawyer for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. "His assets could also be managed on his behalf while he is incarcerated." That's a different situation from Sam Bankman-Fried, the controversial ex-CEO and founder of crypto exchange FTX. Bankman-Fried, who's commonly referred to as "SBF," saw his wealth reduced to zero after his crypto empire collapsed into bankruptcy in 2022. "In relation to CZ's personal wealth ... he would still be able to retain his share in Binance, as well as maintain his crypto holdings which also contribute an unknown, yet material, amount to his overall wealth and net worth," Joshua de Vos, research lead at CCData, told CNBC via email. "Since there is no misappropriation or bankruptcy proceedings, it is highly unlikely that CZ would see his wealth reduced to zero as was the case with SBF," de Vos said. What's more, Zhao has gotten off much easier in sentencing than former crypto rival Bankman-Fried. Bankman-Fried received a 25-year prison term for crimes connected to the operation of his crypto exchange. Unlike Zhao and the charges brought against Binance, Bankman-Fried's bankrupt exchange faced allegations of fraud and misuse of customers' funds.

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Crypto rally offers Zhao a boost

Experts say that Zhao's net worth is likely to continue rising as buoyant crypto prices, which tend to support trading activity on Binance, boost his own personal fortune. "CZ will now be one of the wealthiest people in prison," said Yesha Yadav, law professor and associate dean at Vanderbilt University. That's even after a litany of legal troubles, including the Department of Justice's case against it, and several other high-profile lawsuits  including one from the Securities and Exchange Commission which remains ongoing. The SEC has accused Binance of making multiple unregistered offers and sales of crypto asset securities. It is not yet clear when that case will reach a conclusion. Zhao had an estimated personal net worth of $33 billion on March 8, 2024, up from $10.5 billion the same time last year, according to Forbes' World's Billionaires list, which ranks the richest peopole using stock prices and exchange rates. Bloomberg's Billionaires Index, a separate measure of the world's wealthiest, pegs Zhao's net worth at an even higher sum, $42.9 billion. CNBC was unable to independently verify Zhao's overall net worth. But Zhao is widely reported to have an estimated 90% stake in Binance, and his fortune is largely derived from his equity ownership in the company. Binance is by far the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, processing $18.1 trillion worth of trading volume in 2023, according to data from crypto market data firm CCData. Around 80%  or $14.4 trillion  of that came from derivatives products like futures contracts, while the remaining $3.7 trillion came from spot trading. Derivatives trading is a key part of Binance's business. And even though Binance has seen its market share drop to 41.6% since Zhao stepped down as CEO in November 2023, the company remains the dominant player overall  leagues ahead of South Korean exchange Upbit, Dubai-headquartered Bybit, and U.S. giant Coinbase. Zhao has said previously he has personal investments in bitcoin and Binance's own BNB token, however he's not disclosed the value of those holdings. Binance Coin, or BNB, is up 83% so far this year to $576. Lucas Kiely, chief investment officer of digital wealth platform Yield App, said that Zhao's "significant stake in the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume positions him to potentially benefit from the overall growth of the crypto market." The recent approval of a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund in the U.S. has led to renewed interest in the crypto market, and helped trigger a wave of fresh institutional investment, according to Kiely  and that's sure to be a boon to Binance. "Such developments could contribute to the growth of Binance and, by extension, CZ's wealth," he told CNBC. Zhao has been hit with a partial knock to his overall fortune  he was forced to pay a $50 million fine, in addition to the $4.3 billion in fines and forfeiture Binance was ordered to pay for violating the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act and sanctions on Iran. Yadav noted that it's also possible Zhao makes some contribution to the billions Binance owes to the government. Yadav tells CNBC that even though CZ's vast wealth is not directly under threat by virtue of his conviction and the sentencing today, there may still be some indirect effects. "Negative long-term impact on Binance will diminish the value of CZ's investment in the crypto exchange," said Yadav. "Conversely, however, CZ may even benefit if Binance begins a path to recovery following today's sentencing, the plea deal and monitorship arrangement, and regains its market share over time as a result."
Tesla shares fell nearly 6% on Tuesday following news that CEO Elon Musk was pressing ahead with more job cuts at Tesla , impacting an estimated 500 employees in its Supercharger team.

The stock closed at $183.28 and is now down 26% for the year.

According to The Information, Musk sent an email to managers at Tesla overnight announcing the departure of key executives, including Senior Director of EV Charging Rebecca Tinucci, and Director of Vehicle Programs Daniel Ho. In the email, Musk also expressed consternation that Tesla management hadn't thinned out the company's staff more promptly at his direction.

Several employees whose roles were cut and one person who is still working at Tesla in California confirmed with CNBC the details of the ongoing reorganization, asking to remain unnamed to discuss sensitive issues. Other laid-off Tesla employees posted publicly about Tesla shrinking the Supercharger team.

In cutting that group, Tesla revealed it's throttling the expansion of its Supercharger network in the U.S. The move comes after Tesla struck partnerships with Ford , GM and other industry players ensuring they would manufacture cars using the Tesla NACS (North American Charging Standard) for compatibility with Tesla charging stations, and allowing those companies' customers to use Tesla stations.

The layoffs now underway are part of a massive cost-cutting measure by Tesla following a 9% drop in revenue in the first quarter this year, the steepest year-over-year decline since 2012. Profits were cut in half during the first three months of 2024 as Tesla discounted cars and issued incentives to spur demand.

Current and former employees told CNBC that Tesla began laying off some employees as early as January, with the broader cuts picking up this month. They said some colleagues who thought their jobs were safe received termination notices on Friday and Tuesday.

Tesla gave no warning to investors about a pullback in plans to build out charging infrastructure. Nor did the company give a heads up to some charging network partners, including small and medium-sized businesses that install and maintain EV charging equipment for Tesla at key locations around the United States.

Andres Pinter, co-CEO of Supercharger network contractor Bullet EV, told CNBC, "My team woke up to a sharp kick in the pants this morning. Emails we sent to twenty or so different charger construction contacts were bounced with the same autoreply reading, 'This email address is no longer valid. Any future emails sent to this address will not be received.'"

Pinter said he thinks "It will take years for the other charger networks to catch up," but Tesla abandoning a near-term plan to expand aggressively in the U.S. leaves room for other players.

Musk wrote on X that "Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace for new locations and more focus on 100% uptime and expansion of existing locations."

Tesla makes money from environmental credits and fees for charging sessions, and already operates about one in three public, electric vehicle charging stations in the U.S.

Transportation has been responsible for 25% of carbon emissions from human activity globally, according to estimates by the non-profit International Council on Clean Transportation. While Musk has more recently talked up AI initiatives at Tesla, and its quest to develop self-driving technology, the company reiterated in its annual report out this week that its mission is to "accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.".

The decline in Tesla's stock on Tuesday followed a 15% rally on Monday, the best trading day of the year. The rally came after news reports said a visit by Musk to China had yielded an important deal with Baidu for mapping tech that could power future self-driving software in the country for Tesla.

Tesla has long promised but has not yet delivered autonomous vehicles.

In a note to investors out this week, JL Warren Capital founder Junheng Li wrote that there are too many "missing critical details," to justify the gains on Monday. "We believe that the take rate and incremental revenue from the localized FSD assuming the similar level of autonomous as TSLA's latest v12  will be significantly lower in China than in the US."

Xpeng, Nio and other EV makers currently offer level 2 systems that are given away to buyers as an incentive in China.

WATCH: Tesla's tentative autonomous driving deal in China is not enough to make it 'magnificent' yet
Amazon reported a strong first quarter after the closing bell Tuesday. Shares rose more than 1% following the release. The upside, however, was tempered by a lower-than-expected outlook. Revenue increased 13% year-over-year to $143.31 billion, beating expectations for $142.5 billion, according to estimates compiled by LSEG. Earnings per share based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) increased to 98 cents, compared with 31 cents last year and the 83-cent estimate. Operating income also more than tripled to $15.3 billion, a quarterly record that significantly exceeded the $11.26 billion forecast and came in well above the high-end of management's previous guidance of $12 billion. Amazon Why we own it : Amazon may be widely known for online shopping, but its cloud business is the real breadwinner. Advertising is another fast-growing, high-margin business. Investment in robust e-commerce logistics infrastructure makes its online storefront the place to be as management works to aggressively decrease delivery times and reduce overall cost to serve. Prime leverages free shipping and video streaming with tons of other perks to keep users paying every month. Competitors : Walmart , Target , Microsoft and Alphabet Most recent buy : Aug. 23, 2023 Initiated : February 2018 Bottom line This was a great quarter from Amazon that, in our view, points to further upside ahead. The benefits of Amazon's cost control measures were on full display during the first three months of 2024 as operating expenses were lower than expected across the board  most notably, in fulfillment costs, which benefited from all the regionalization efforts. Both e-commerce and cloud were humming. While the outlook for the current (second) quarter was a bit light, we wouldn't be surprised to see it prove conservative when the actual results are reported over the summer. Two reasons come to mind: the rebound in demand for Amazon Web Services cloud and management's focus on further reducing the overall cost to serve its e-commerce customers. As a result, we're bumping our price target up to $200 per share from $190. But we're keeping our 2 rating on the stock, recognizing it's still a bit too hot near all-time highs set on April 11. AMZN YTD mountain Amazon YTD Quarterly commentary Last quarter, we proclaimed the "cloud is back." Amazon Web Services turned in another stellar performance in Q1. AWS sales are now a $100 billion annual run rate business. Quarterly profitability was also fantastic. Last week, Microsoft 's Azure and Alphabet 's Google Cloud numbers were strong. AWS cloud sales soared 17% to a better-than-expected $25.04 billion in the quarter. But the unit's operating profit margin was jaw-dropping  expanding over 13 percentage points, or 1,300 basis points, resulting in a nearly $2 billion boost to operating income versus expectations. However, management noted on the post-earnings conference call that Q1 is expected to be the low point of the year for capital expenditures. That's because the company plans to lean into the strong demand for generative AI and cloud computing  ramping up investments to support AWS infrastructure, which could pressure the AWS profit margin a bit. CEO Andy Jassy said that cost-cutting efforts from cloud customers are complete and that they are again leaning into investments. "We see considerable momentum on the AI front where we've accumulated a multibillion-dollar revenue run rate already," he added. Nonetheless, we think the investments make sense considering the opportunity in front of us. As gigantic as AWS already is, Jassy pointed out that 85%, if not more, of global IT spend is still on-premise "before you even calculate gen AI, most of which will be created over the next 10 to 20 years from scratch and on the cloud." So, we're just still just scratching the surface of what this business can become over time. In our Week Ahead preview commentary, we did call out North America e-commerce as a likely swing factor for operating income  and indeed, the segment shined in the first quarter. Sales in North America grew 12% to $86.34 billion, leading to a 455% rise in operating income to $4.98 billion thanks to a further reduction in the cost-to-serve, which led to improved operating leverage. While an International e-commerce sales increase of 10% to $31.94 billion missed estimates, the segment saw $903 million in operating income. Expectations had called for a $571 million loss following a $1.25 billion loss in the year-ago period. The first quarter saw the fastest delivery times to Prime customers ever, Jassy said on the call, as customers look to Amazon for more purchases in categories such as Everyday Essentials, increasing total spend and purchase frequency. Looking ahead, management noted they see plenty of work left to be done on reducing the cost-to-serve. As an example, Jassy cited, "work to increase the consolidation of units into fewer boxes. As we further optimize our network, we've seen an increase in the number of units delivered per box, an important driver for reducing our cost." Amazon's fast-growing advertising business grew 24% to a better-than-expected $11.8 billion in the first quarter. On the call, Jassy said, "Prime Video Ads, very early days, just launched a few months ago. it's off to a really good start." Last week, Club names Meta Platforms and Alphabet also saw improvements in their ad businesses. Guidance Amazon expects second-quarter net sales to be between $144 billion to $149 billion, growing 7% to 11% year over year. That's a miss compared to the $150.1 billion expected. However, thanks to disciplined cost management, operating income guidance is expected to come in much closer to the mark at $10 billion to $14 billion versus $12.73 billion expected. The midpoint of the sales and operating income estimates point to an operating margin target of 8.2%, which compares with an 8.5% estimate for the second quarter. It also represents a strong expansion versus the 5.7% in the second quarter of 2023. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long AMZN, MSFT, GOOGL. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, speaks with CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin (not pictured) on April 11th, 2024. CNBC
Super Micro Computer shares are selling off at the moment, but major Wall Street firms are hopeful about the company's long-term prospects. Super Micro, one of the vendors that builds Nvidia-based servers, released quarterly results on Tuesday after market close. The company reported adjusted earnings of $6.65 per share in its fiscal third quarter, higher than the $5.78 per share that analysts polled by LSEG had forecasted. Super Micro also bumped up its fiscal 2024 revenue guidance above its previously estimated range and what analysts are expecting. But a revenue miss dragged shares of Super Micro 16% lower on Wednesday. The company reported revenue of $3.85 billion in its last quarter, which came slightly below the $3.95 billion consensus estimate. Despite this pullback, Wall Street banks largely remained bullish on the stock. JPMorgan, Barclays and Bank of America all reiterated their overweight-equivalent ratings. JPMorgan has the highest price target out of the three, with analyst Samik Chatterjee's $1,150 objective implying about 34% upside for the stock from its Tuesday closing price of $858.80. "We continue to be positively surprised by the robust revenue momentum and the sustained industry demand momentum, with Super Micro's ramp reinforcing its robust leading position in the market, all of which leads us to maintain our Dec-24 price target of $1150, which now implies 30%+ upside," Chatterjee said. Bank of America analyst Ruplu Bhattacharya sees the stock rallying to $1,090, while Barclays analyst George Wang has set a $1,000 price target. All three analysts noted artificial intelligence-propelled tailwinds as growth drivers for the stock, with Wang also highlighting the company's strong competitive moat as a catalyst. "We also see a new wave of demand from sovereign AI as we head into CY25 as Middle East (UAE and Saudi Arabia) as well as Sweden, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia should provide more AI revenue headroom over the next few quarters," Wang added. On the other hand, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo maintained their neutral-equivalent ratings for shares of Super Micro. While Wells Fargo thinks the stock could rise to $890, Goldman Sachs' $800 target implies a roughly 7% slide. "While the potential margin dilutive impact from AI server sales and/or competition (e.g., DELL, ODM) is a concern, SMCI reiterated its long-term 14-17% gross margin target and we believe elevated product costs from liquid cooling should normalize over time," wrote Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng. "Separately, SMCI said it could need additional capital to support growth." However, Ng pointed out that demand continues to appear strong, which should further support Super Micro's future deliveries of AI supercomputers.
The Team plan offers access to all three of Anthropic's latest Claude models, with increased usage limits, admin tools and billing management, as well as a longer "context window," meaning the ability for businesses to have "multi-step conversations" and upload long documents like research papers and legal contracts for processing, according to Anthropic. Other features coming include "citations from reliable sources to verify AI generated claims," per the release.

"So much of what we were hearing from enterprise businesses is people are kind of using Claude at the office already," Amodei said.

The new plan for businesses, dubbed Team, has been in development over the last few quarters and involved beta-testing with between 30 and 50 customers in industries such as technology, financial services, legal services and health care, Anthropic co-founder Daniela Amodei told CNBC in an interview, adding that the idea for the service was partially borne out of many of those same customers asking for a dedicated enterprise product.

The generative artificial intelligence startup is the company behind Claude, one of the chatbots that, like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google 's Gemini, has exploded in popularity in the past year. Anthropic, founded by ex-OpenAI research executives, has backers including Google, Salesforce and Amazon , and in the past year, it's closed five different funding deals totaling about $7.3 billion.

Anthropic's first iOS app is free for users across all plans and also available starting Wednesday. It provides syncing with web chats and the ability to upload photos and files from a smartphone.

There are plans to launch an Android app, too. "We actually just hired our first Android engineer, so we are actively working on the Android app," Amodei told CNBC, adding that the engineer starts next week.

News of the Team plan and iOS app comes more than a month after Anthropic's debut of Claude 3, a suite of AI models that it says are its fastest and most powerful yet. The new tools are called Claude 3 Opus, Sonnet and Haiku.

The company has said the most capable of the new models, Claude 3 Opus, outperformed OpenAI's GPT-4 and Google's Gemini Ultra on industry benchmark tests, such as undergraduate-level knowledge, graduate-level reasoning and basic mathematics. This is also the first time Anthropic has offered multimodal support: users can upload photos, charts, documents and other types of unstructured data for analysis and answers.

The other models, Sonnet and Haiku, are more compact and less expensive than Opus. The company declined to specify how long it took to train Claude 3 or how much it cost, but it said companies like Airtable and Asana helped A/B test the models. In a release Wednesday, Anthropic confirmed that other current clients using Claude include Pfizer, Asana, Zoom, Perplexity AI, Bridgewater Associates and more currently.

The generative AI field has exploded over the past year, with a record $29.1 billion invested across nearly 700 deals in 2023, a more than 260% increase in deal value from a year earlier, according to PitchBook. It's become the buzziest phrase on corporate earnings calls quarter after quarter. Academics and ethicists have voiced significant concerns about the technology's tendency to propagate bias, but even so, it's quickly made its way into schools, online travel, the medical industry, online advertising and more.

Around this time last year, Anthropic had completed Series A and B funding rounds, but it had only rolled out the first version of its chatbot without any consumer access or major fanfare. Now, it's one of the hottest AI startups, with a product that directly competes with ChatGPT in both the enterprise and consumer worlds.

Claude 3 can summarize up to about 150,000 words, or a sizeable book, about the length range of "Moby Dick" or "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Its previous version could only summarize 75,000 words. Users can input large data sets, and ask for summaries in the form of a memo, letter or story. ChatGPT, by contrast, can handle about 3,000 words.

In January, OpenAI came under fire regarding its enterprise offering, for quietly walking back a ban on the military use of ChatGPT and its other artificial intelligence tools. Its policies still state that users should not "use our service to harm yourself or others," including to "develop or use weapons." Before the change, OpenAI's policy page specified that the company did not allow the usage of its models for "activity that has high risk of physical harm, including: weapons development [and] military and warfare."

Anthropic's stance on the military use of Claude is similar to OpenAI's updated policy.

"The way that we draw the line there today is we don't discriminate based on industry or based on business, but we have an acceptable use policy that says what you can and can't use Claude for," Amodei told CNBC, adding, "Any business in the world that's not in a sanctioned country, of course, [and] meets basic business requirements, can use Claude for all kinds of back-office applications and things like that, but we have ... very strict guidance around Claude not being used for weapons, basically anything that can cause violence or harm people."
A Palestinian flag is held by a cash machine during Dorset Palestine Solidarity Campaign's protest outside the branch of Barclays Bank, April 20, 2024 in Dorchester, United Kingdom.

Barclays does not invest in companies that supply weapons used by Israel in Gaza, the British bank said on Wednesday, after one of its branches in London's financial district was targeted by pro-Palestinian activists.

The bank has also faced criticism for providing financial services to defence firms that produce equipment used by the Israeli Defence Force.

Besides urging customers to boycott the bank, demonstrators have expanded protests to include defacing buildings and branches, using red paint to symbolise the bloodshed in Gaza.

Barclays' branch in Moorgate, central London, was the latest to be hit on May 1, traditionally a day of activism across many countries.

"We have been asked why we invest in nine defence companies supplying Israel, but this mistakes what we do," the lender said on its website.

"We trade in shares of listed companies in response to client instruction or demand and that may result in us holding shares. We are not making investments for Barclays and Barclays is not a 'shareholder' or 'investor' in that sense in relation to these companies," it said.

Barclays, which hosts its 2024 shareholder meeting on May 9, said its role as a bank was to provide financial services to defence companies, including U.S., UK and European ones that supply products to NATO and other allies.

The bank said it would "continue to monitor developments in Gaza closely", in view of the civilian death toll and targeting of aid workers in the region.

New York City police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators holed-up in an academic building on Columbia University campus late on Tuesday.

Similar clashes between activists and counter-protesters were also seen on Wednesday at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On a rooftop overlooking Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., Julian Torres stands next to row after row of solar panels his company, Scale Microgrids, helped install as part of a larger system of renewable energy that has saved the college about $1 million per year in utility costs.

Torres, the company's chief investment officer, is among many people and institutions worried that such projects will be nearly impossible in the coming years due to a planned change in banking regulations.

The plan, part of an international agreement widely known as "Basel III endgame," is meant to prevent a global financial crisis by increasing the amount of capital that banks must hold for certain investments to cushion them against potential losses.

Torres said the proposed rule "potentially makes projects unfinanceable with the implied costs" and that he's already heard from bankers who have said they won't be able to continue funding renewable energy projects like the ones Scale Microgrids designed and installed at Gallaudet.

Major banks, renewable energy companies, environmental groups and more than 100 lawmakers have also expressed concerns about the proposed framework for the change being prepared by the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Banks help fund the vast majority of renewable energy projects through tax equity investments, which allow the banks to benefit from federal tax credits for renewable energy. Currently, renewable energy draws $18 billion to $20 billion annually through tax equity investments, according to the American Council on Renewable Energy. Spurred by tax credit demand, that market is expected to more than double to $50 billion within the next few years.

However, the amount of capital that banks would need to fund renewable energy projects through tax equity investments would quadruple under the proposed framework.

That could result in annual tax equity investments in the renewable energy sector declining as much as 90%, according to policy analysis firm Capstone.

"Many people joke that we're on the 'solar-coaster,'" Torres said about the ups and downs of renewable energy. "But this is probably the biggest challenge we face right now."

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers that "broad and material changes" are needed to the proposed framework and that he was "aware of the commentary" around the impact to green energy.

The higher capital requirements for renewable energy projects in Basel III puts the regulation on a collision course with the Biden administration's push for cleaner and greener energy sources. Biden championed a 2022 law that included an expansion of tax credits for clean energy.

Dominic Lacy, Gallaudet's chief operating officer, said the university needed to replace its aging infrastructure and decided to switch to more renewable energy sources. The final system includes Tesla batteries, solar panels and engines that can run on renewable natural gas if that becomes a viable option in the future.

"If we didn't have access to that tax credit, we would have had to figure out a different way to replace the infrastructure; it would have been incredibly difficult," he said. "Quite frankly, I don't know that we would have been able to replace our energy at the scale at which we did."

The financial regulators overseeing the framework received more than 200 comments on the 1,087-page proposal.

In a joint letter, the American Bankers Association, which represents the largest banks, and the Bank Policy Institute warned that renewable energy projects would be "uneconomic" under the proposed rule's new capital requirements.

The Clean Energy State Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of state energy agencies, also wrote to the regulators with concerns about a higher capital requirement, saying they saw little reason those investments would need to be weighed as riskier than they currently are.

"The clean energy industry's experience with tax equity investments does not warrant such a radical change," the group's letter read. "We urge you to consider the impacts of such a rule on state and national climate goals as well as the economic impacts of slowing down the clean energy transition."

Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., led 106 Democrats in a letter asking the agencies to "reconsider this change in the proposed rule and consider alternatives that accurately reflect the risk profiles of tax equity investments."

The financial regulators are expected to take comments into consideration and release a final framework later this year.
CVS Health on Wednesday reported first-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings that missed expectations and slashed its full-year profit outlook, citing higher medical costs that are dogging the U.S. insurance industry.

Shares of the company closed more than 16% lower on Wednesday, and were headed for their worst day since November 2009.

The drugstore chain expects 2024 adjusted earnings of at least $7 per share, down from a previous guidance of at least $8.30 per share. Analysts surveyed by LSEG were expecting full-year adjusted profit of $8.28 per share.

CVS also cut its unadjusted earnings guidance to at least $5.64 per share, down from at least $7.06 per share.

The company said its new outlook assumes that higher medical costs in its insurance business during the first quarter will persist throughout the year. CVS owns health insurer Aetna.

Insurers such as Humana and UnitedHealth Group have seen medical costs spike as more Medicare Advantage patients return to hospitals for procedures they delayed during the pandemic, such as joint and hip replacements.

Medicare Advantage, a privately run health insurance plan contracted by Medicare, has long been a key source of growth and profits for the insurance industry. But investors have become more concerned about the runaway costs associated with those plans, which cover more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries.

"As we close the quarter, it became apparent we were experiencing broad-based utilization pressure in our Medicare Advantage business in a few areas," CVS CEO Karen Lynch said during an earnings call Wednesday. She noted that outpatient services and supplemental benefits were elevated during the period and exceeded the company's projections.

CVS's insurance segment also saw new pressure in inpatient and pharmacy utilization, some of which were seasonal or "one-time in nature," according to Lynch.

The company is committed to improving its Medicare Advantage margins next year, Chief Financial Officer Thomas Cowhey said during the call. But CVS is also facing challenges from the federal government's 2025 reimbursement rates that have disappointed providers of Medicare Advantage plans, as well as hurdles related to provisions in the government's Inflation Reduction Act.

"The combination of those things just makes a tough year for 2025 pricing harder," Cowhey said.

Here's what CVS reported for the first quarter compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

Earnings per share: $1.31 adjusted vs. $1.69 expected

$1.31 adjusted vs. $1.69 expected Revenue: $88.44 billion vs. $89.21 billion expected

CVS reported net income of $1.12 billion, or 88 cents per share, for the first quarter. That compares with net income of $2.14 billion, or $1.65 per share, for the same period a year ago.

Excluding certain items, such as amortization of intangible assets and capital losses, adjusted earnings per share were $1.31 for the quarter.

CVS booked sales of $88.44 billion for the quarter, up nearly 4% from the year-earlier period. That increase was driven by its pharmacy business and insurance unit.

Meanwhile, CVS said sales in its health services segment, which includes the pharmacy benefit manager Caremark, declined during the period. That was mainly due to the loss of a large unnamed client, the company noted.

In January, Tyson Foods said it had dropped CVS' Caremark and instead chose PBM startup Rightway to manage drug benefits for its 140,000 employees starting this year. That came months after Blue Shield of California, one of the largest insurers in the nation's most populous state, also dropped Caremark and instead partnered with Amazon Pharmacy and Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs company.

Those decisions add to an upheaval in the health-care industry, as startups promising lower costs and transparency challenge the largest PBMs and pressure them to change their own business models.

The first-quarter results come as CVS pushes to transform from a major drugstore chain into a large health-care company. CVS deepened that push over the last year with its nearly $8 billion acquisition of health-care provider Signify Health and a $10.6 billion deal to buy Oak Street Health, which operates primary-care clinics for seniors.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans on Oct. 20 to launch his own social networking platform called Truth Social.

Trump Media shares dropped sharply Wednesday, closing down by more than 9.5%.

Trump Media, which trades under the DJT ticker, closed at $45.16 per share, a loss of $4.77 per share.

The company, which owns the Truth Social app, is still trading well below the more than $70 per share it opened at in its public trading debut on March 26.

Trump Media in a regulatory disclosure Tuesday confirmed that former President Donald Trump received an extra 36 million shares of the company in a so-called earnout bonus.

Trump, who already owned more than 78 million shares, received the windfall because the share price remained above a benchmark of $17.50 for 20 trading days over the month since the stock began being publicly traded.

Trump's stake in Trump Media now stands at 65% of the company's shares, and is worth $5.7 billion at a share price of $50.

The former president is barred from selling those shares during the six months following the execution of Trump Media's merger with the shell company Digital World Acquisition Corp. in late March.
DuPont reported better than expected first quarter results Wednesday morning. Even better, management signaled that the chemical company is moving past most of the destocking headwinds that plagued it this year. Net sales declined roughly 3% year over year to $2.9 billion, beating expectations of $2.8 billion, according to LSEG. On an organic basis, sales were down 6% versus the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 79 cents was down 6% year over year but was a big beat against the LSEG estimate of 65 cents. It also came in well above management's guidance of 63 cents to 65 cents. DuPont Why we own it : We added this specialty chemical maker as an industrial way to play the recovery in the semiconductor and electronics industries, which have strong multiyear outlooks due to advancements in AI. Although the company has been dealing with excess inventory in a few business lines, it should soon turn the corner. We also appreciate the company's strong balance sheet and management's commitment to share repurchases. Competitors : 3M , PPG Industries Most recent trade : Feb. 14, 2024 Initiated : Aug. 7, 2023 Bottom line Based on the reaction to DuPont's results  shares of DuPont rose 7% to a new multiyear high  investors believe this is just the first great quarter of many to come. We agree. Over the past few years, DuPont has taken aggressive steps to reshape and realign its portfolio around global macro themes that boost demand for its specialty products and services. The part of the business that attracted us to the story last year was its largest end market by sales  electronics (29%)  which we felt was on the precipice of a multiyear recovery after the downturn from 2022 to 2023. After a few quarters of bottoming, we're finally seeing early signs of a market recovery. But the electronics story is more than just a few quarters story. On the conference call, CEO Ed Breen said the E & I business will grow in the high single digits in 2025 as fab utilization  shorthand for chip manufacturing  continues to improve. Increased spending on AI will accelerate that growth, since DuPont's semiconductor-related products are levered to advanced node chips for data centers and other key AI applications, such as mobile products. As for the rest of the business, the destocking in the Water unit and some parts of the Industrial Technologies segment appear to have bottomed, and the company has since seen an increase in orders to back up its call for a return to growth. Elsewhere, the Protection business is back on track for low single-digit growth, and even DuPont's Next-Gen Automotive business, which is levered to electric vehicles but also hybrid vehicles, is seeing stable demand. Given all these positive factors, DuPont should deliver on its guidance of sequential improvement throughout the year. And once the destock is over across every business line, we expect the stock to command a higher multiple. As a result, we are raising our price target to $85 from $78. We are maintaining our 2 rating with the stock trading at its high, but a pullback to the mid-$70s could be a good level to upgrade it to a 1. Quarterly results Organic sales in the Electronics & Industrial business declined 2% year over year, with volume and prices both down 1%. Still, the results were better than expected. Within the segment, Semiconductor Technologies sales rose 10% thanks to the start of the recovery in semiconductor demand, which is expected to increase throughout the year as semiconductor fab utilization rates continue to improve. Some of DuPont's biggest customers are Taiwan Semi and Samsung, so as these manufacturers crank out chips, DuPont should see its volumes rise. Interconnect Solutions sales increased by mid-single digits, representing the second consecutive quarter of year-over-year volume growth as the broad electronic markets bounced back. The one problem child is still Industrial Solutions, where sales fell about 20% due destocking of its Kalrez O-rings and the products line within biopharma. On the bright side, DuPont expects orders to improve over the next several quarters in Kalrez while biopharma's recovery is expected later in the second half of the year. At Water & Protection, organic sales fell 10% due to lower volumes. Within that segment, Safety Solutions sales fell in the low teens on volumes as the channel worked through inventory destocking, mostly for Tyvek medical packaging products. The good news is that management believes its customers' inventory is nearing normalization. At Water Solutions, organic sales were down in the mid-teens on lower volumes due to distributor inventory destocking and weaker industrial demand. But as we've pointed out over the last few months, orders have been picking up which leads Breen to believe the destock is bottoming and will begin to recover in the second quarter. And in Shelter Solutions, the destock looks complete after sales were flat in the first quarter and expected to rise sequentially in the second quarter. Guidance Following the better-than-expected first quarter and the positive order trends across its businesses, DuPont raised its outlook for the full year. It now expects net sales to be in the range of $12.1 billion to $12.4 billion, above the Street's expectations of $12.1 billion. This new outlook reflects a continued electronics recovery and some easing of channel inventory destocking in industrial-based businesses. The operating EBITDA outlook was raised to a range of $2.9 to $3.05 billion, which is above Street estimates of about $2.9 billion. In addition, management raised its adjusted EPS outlook by $0.20 at the low end and $0.10 at the high end to the range of $3.45 to $3.75. This is well above analysts' estimates of $3.44. The outlook assumes a return to year-over-year sales and earnings growth in the second half of the year, driven by the ongoing electronics market recovery and return to volume growth in its water and protection business. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long DD. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

Dupont corporate headquarters Mark Makela | Getty IMmages
The Federal Trade Commission will wave through Exxon Mobil 's roughly $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources after reaching an agreement with the energy giant, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC.

The FTC will not block the deal now that the regulator and Exxon have reached a consent agreement, the source said. The agreement will bar Pioneer's former CEO Scott Sheffield from joining the Exxon board.

The push to remove Sheffield was due to concerns about his prior discussions with OPEC, according to the source.

Exxon and the FTC both declined to comment. The agreement was first reported by Bloomberg News.

Exxon first announced the deal for Pioneer in October, in an all-stock transaction valued at $59.5 billion. Exxon said the acquisition would more than double its production in the Permian Basin.

"Pioneer is a clear leader in the Permian with a unique asset base and people with deep industry knowledge. The combined capabilities of our two companies will provide long-term value creation well in excess of what either company is capable of doing on a standalone basis," Exxon chairman and CEO Darren Woods said in a press release at the time.

Shares of Exxon and Pioneer were both little changed in extended trading Wednesday.

 CNBC's Pippa Stevens and Mary Catherine Wellons contributed reporting.
US Police officers patrol on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), after clashes erupted in Los Angeles on May 1, 2024. Etienne Laurent | AFP | Getty Images

Supporters of Israel attacked a pro-Palestinian protest camp at the University of California in Los Angeles on Wednesday, hours after New York City police arrested some 300 protestors, as days of mounting tensions on some U.S. college campuses boiled over. Eyewitness videos from UCLA, verified by Reuters, showed people wielding sticks or poles to hammer on wooden boards being used as makeshift barricades to protect the pro-Palestinian protesters before police were deployed to the campus. On the other side of the country, New York police arrested pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupying an academic building at Columbia University and removed a two-week-old protest encampment that had inspired similar protests at campuses across the country and abroad. Arrests at Columbia and nearby City College of New York numbered about 300, Mayor Eric Adams said, with many of them charged with trespassing and criminal mischief. The clashes at UCLA and in New York are part of the biggest outpouring of U.S. student activism since the anti-racism rallies and marches of 2020. The protests were triggered by the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip and the ensuing Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave. Students have rallied or set up tent encampments at dozens of schools across the U.S. in recent days, expressing opposition to Israel's war in Gazaand demanding schools divest from companies that support Israel's government. Many of the schools have called in police to quell the protests. With the presidential election coming in November, Republican lawmakers have accused some university administrators of ignoring antisemitic rhetoric and harassment, some demanding that Columbia's president resign. Many protesters, some of whom are Jewish, reject allegations of antisemitism.

Counter protesters attack a pro-Palestinian encampment set up on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as clashes erupt, in Los Angeles on May 1, 2024. Etienne Laurent | AFP | Getty Images

UCLA protesters report violent attacks

UCLA officials declared on Tuesday that the encampment was unlawful, violated university policy and included people unaffiliated with the campus. Footage from the early hours showed counter-demonstrators, many of them masked and some apparently older than students, throwing objects and trying to smash or pull down the wooden and steel barriers erected to shield the encampment. Some screamed pro-Jewish comments as pro-Palestinian protesters tried to fight them off. "They were coming up here and just violently attacking us," said pro-Palestinian protester Kaia Shah, a researcher at UCLA. "I just didn't think they would ever get to this, escalate to this level, where our protest is met by counter-protesters who are violently hurting us, inflicting pain on us, when we are not doing anything to them." Demonstrators on both sides used pepper spray, and fights broke out; pro-Palestinian demonstrators said the counterprotesters threw fireworks at them and beat them with bats and sticks. Benjamin Kersten, a UCLA graduate student and member of the group Jewish Voice for Peace, called it "a devastating night of violence." "The encampment would be a peaceful effort were it not for the continuous presence of counterprotestors and agitators," he wrote in a text message. "While Congress holds more hearings on whether Jewish students feel safe enough on campuses, Jewish students are among those withstanding attacks from Zionist protestors." Police said UCLA called them to restore order and maintain public safety "due to multiple acts of violence" within the encampment. Broadcast footage later showed police clearing a central quad beside the encampment and erecting a metal crowd barrier in front of it. The atmosphere was calmer on Wednesday. Hundreds of police officers and squad cars were on campus and lining its perimeter. It was unclear how many arrests were made or the number of people who were injured.

NYPD officers arrest a student as they evict a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University, in New York City on April 30, 2024. Charly Triballeau | AFP | Getty Images

Columbia demonstrators arrested
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Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc., during Stanford's 2024 Business, Government, and Society forum in Stanford, California, April 3, 2024. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Just ahead of its blowout first-quarter earnings report on April 25, Google laid off at least 200 employees from its "Core" teams, in a reorganization that will include moving some roles to India and Mexico, CNBC has learned. The Core unit is responsible for building the technical foundation behind the company's flagship products and for protecting users' online safety, according to Google's website. Core teams include key technical units from information technology, its Python developer team, technical infrastructure, security foundation, app platforms, core developers, and various engineering roles. At least 50 of the positions eliminated were in engineering at the company's offices in Sunnyvale, California, filings show. Many Core teams will hire corresponding roles in Mexico and India, according to internal documents viewed by CNBC. Asim Husain, vice president of Google Developer Ecosystem, announced news of the layoffs to his team in an email last week. He also spoke at a town hall and told employees that this was the biggest planned reduction for his team this year, an internal document shows.

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"We intend to maintain our current global footprint while also expanding in high-growth global workforce locations so that we can operate closer to our partners and developer communities," Husain wrote in the email. Alphabet has been slashing headcount since early last year, when the company announced plans to eliminate about 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its workforce, following a downturn in the online ad market. Even with digital advertising rebounding recently, Alphabet has continued downsizing, with layoffs across multiple organizations this year. Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat announced in mid-April that the company's finance department would undergo restructuring, entailing layoffs and moving positions to Bangalore and Mexico City. The company's search boss, Prabhakar Raghavan, told employees at an all-hands meeting in March that Google plans to build teams closer to users in key markets, including India and Brazil, where labor is cheaper than in the U.S. The latest cuts come as the company enjoys its fastest growth rate since early 2022, alongside improving profit margins. Last week, Alphabet reported a 15% jump in first-quarter revenue from a year earlier and announced its first-ever dividend and a $70 billion buyback.

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"Announcements of this sort may leave many of you feeling uncertain or frustrated," Husain wrote in the email to developers. He added that his message to developers is that the changes "are in service of our broader goals" as a company. The teams involved in the reorganization have been key to the company's developer tools, an area Google is streamlining as it incorporates more artificial intelligence into the products. In February, Google announced a major rebrand of its chatbot from Bard to Gemini, the same name as the suit of AI models that power it. Alphabet is gearing up for its annual developer conference, Google I/O, on May 14, where the company traditionally reveals new developer products and tools underway during the prior year. Husain said in a memo explaining the developer changes that generative AI is at an "inflection point." "Recent advances in Generative AI across the industry, including Google's Gemini, are changing the very nature of software development as we know it," Husain wrote. In a separate email, Pankaj Rohatgi, Google's security engineering vice president, told his team, "In order to optimize for our business goals, we are expanding work to other locations, which will result in some role eliminations and proposed role eliminations." The Core layoffs also include the governance and protected data group, which will be at the center of regulatory challenges facing the company, particularly as lawmakers across the globe focus more on developments in AI. The European Union's Digital Markets Act, which went into effect in March, aims to clamp down on anti-competitive practices in tech. Evan Kotsovinos, Google's vice president of governance and protected data, addressed the upcoming changes last week. Kotsovinos in an email said the team's success means responding to "escalating regulatory focus" and is contingent on "moving faster." Raghavan, Google's senior vice president overseeing search, recently referenced heightened competition, a more challenging regulatory environment, and slower organic growth as the company's "new operating reality." When reached for comment, Google confirmed the Core reorganization and layoffs, and a spokesperson told CNBC that employees will be able to apply for open roles within Google and to access outplacement services. "As we've said, we're responsibly investing in our company's biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead," the spokesperson said in an email. "A number of our teams made changes to become more efficient and work better, remove layers and align their resources to their biggest product priorities."
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Good morning! Sales of AbbVie 's Humira are plummeting as the once-top-selling drug fights competition from cheaper biosimilars in the U.S. and abroad.



But AbbVie has two key drugs that treat many of the same conditions as Humira, and they are proving to be worthy successors to the company's flagship medication.



That was clear after AbbVie on Friday reported first-quarter revenue and adjusted profit that topped Wall Street's expectations, partly driven by strength in the drugmaker's immunology business. The pharmaceutical giant also hiked its annual profit forecast.



Humira revenue plunged more than 30% to $2.3 billion during the first quarter, according to AbbVie.



For years, AbbVie has built up a wall of patent protections around the drug, effectively extending its market exclusivity well beyond its main U.S. patent expiration in 2016. But Humira lost exclusivity in the U.S. last year amid the launch of nine biosimilars, some of which have been available in Europe since 2019. A 10th biosimilar was launched in February.



Yet biosimilars barely took a bite out of AbbVie's monopoly. As of February, biosimilars captured around 4% of AbbVie's share of the Humira market, according to a quarterly report from Samsung Bioepis.



But that changed after CVS 's pharmacy benefits manager Caremark dropped Humira from some of its major national formularies for health plans on April 1 and recommended biosimilar versions of the medicine instead. Formularies are lists of preferred drugs for reimbursement.



The market share for Humira biosimilars rose from 5% to 36% within a week of the change, according to data cited by Axios. In April, Swiss company Sandoz's biosimilar known as Hyrimoz contributed to the majority of new prescriptions for Humira biosimilars. That product is being co-marketed by a CVS subsidiary called Cordavis.



But AbbVie is still "successfully navigating" Humira's patent cliff, the company's CEO Rick Gonzalez said on the earnings call last week.



Data indicates that "not all of the Humira prescriptions are moving to a biosimilar," Chief Commercial Officer Jeffrey Stewart added during the call. He said 20% of patients are moving to new drugs, including AbbVie's immunology treatments Skyrizi and Rinvoq.



Skyrizi raked in $2 billion in revenue for the first quarter, which was roughly in line with Humira's revenue for the period. Meanwhile, Rinvoq brought in $1.1 billion in sales for the first quarter.



Those newer drugs are growing rapidly: Skyrizi's sales jumped 48% from the same period a year ago, while Rinvoq's revenue spiked 59%.



Skyrizi is the "clear market leader" among U.S. biologics for psoriasis, with 35% of the market share, AbbVie executives said during the call. The company is slated to launch the drug in ulcerative colitis patients, which executives said they expect to be a "strong" market after a potential approval later this year.



In inflammatory bowel disease, Skyrizi is taking a "significant share" of sales from J&J's blockbuster drug Stelara, according to AbbVie executives. Stelara is expected to lose exclusivity in the U.S. in 2025.



Meanwhile, Rinvoq is seeing uptake rise among patients with inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, among other indications.



Still, CVS' decision to exclude Humira from some of its formularies raises some doubt over how well sales of the medication will hold up in the U.S., especially if other pharmacy benefit managers eventually follow suit.



Humira competition could also heat up in other ways: Health insurer Cigna announced on April 25 that it plans to make certain Humira biosimilars available with no out-of-pocket payment to eligible U.S. patients using its specialty pharmacy business beginning in June.



Alvotech and Teva Pharmaceuticals also announced a deal with an unspecified company to boost access to their biosimilar Simlandi, which mimics Humira's most popular formulation and can be directly substituted at the pharmacy.



We'll continue to watch how the competitive landscape for Humira plays out this year.

Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.
Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday said it plans to pay $6.5 billion over 25 years to settle nearly all of the thousands of lawsuits in the U.S. claiming its talc-based products caused ovarian cancer, pending approval of the claimants.

Those cases have for decades caused financial and public relations trouble for J&J, which contends that its now-discontinued talc baby powder and other talc products are safe for consumers. About 99% of the talc-related lawsuits filed against J&J and its subsidiaries stem from ovarian cancer.

The company recorded a charge of about $2.7 billion in the first quarter to raise its reserve for talc claims to about $11 billion.

The deal, pending approval by claimants, would allow J&J to resolve the lawsuits through a third bankruptcy filing of a subsidiary company, LTL Management. Courts have rebuffed J&J's two previous efforts to resolve the lawsuits through the bankruptcy of that subsidiary, which was created to absorb the company's talc liabilities.

J&J will begin a three-month voting period for claimants, in hopes of reaching a 75% support threshold needed for a bankruptcy settlement that would end the litigation entirely and prevent future lawsuits. Claimants did not have the opportunity to vote in LTL Management's previous bankruptcy cases, J&J executives said on a call with investors on Wednesday.

J&J has the "significant support of the overwhelming majority of the claimants" based on conversations with their lawyers or representation, the executives added.
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon responds to a question during a keynote conversation at CES 2024, an annual consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 10, 2024.

Qualcomm reported fiscal second-quarter earnings on Wednesday that surpassed Wall Street expectations, and provided a strong guide for the current quarter.

Shares rose about 4% in extended trading.

Here's how it did versus LSEG consensus estimates for the quarter ended March 24:

Earnings per share : $2.44 adjusted vs. $2.32 expected

: $2.44 adjusted vs. $2.32 expected Revenue: $9.39 billion adjusted vs. $9.34 billion expected

Net income during the quarter was $2.33 billion, or $2.06 per share, versus $1.7 billion, or $1.52 per share, in the year-earlier period.

Qualcomm said it expected between $8.8 billion and $9.6 billion in sales in the current quarter, higher than Wall Street expectations of $9.05 billion. Analysts were looking for earnings guidance of $2.17 per share, versus the company's forecast of between $2.15 and $2.35.

The company said on the earnings call that it expected overall handset revenues to decline during the current quarter by "mid-single digit percent" because of a lack of summer smartphone launches, which is a typical seasonal pattern.

Qualcomm's most important business is its handsets business. It sells processors, modems and other parts for smartphones  primarily Android devices, but also some modem parts in iPhones.

Handset sales rose 1% year over year to $6.18 billion, signaling that the smartphone market may be recovering after a few years of post-Covid slumping. Qualcomm called out strong demand for "premium tier" smartphones that require the most advanced chips, especially in China. It said quarterly revenue from Chinese phone makers jumped 40% from the year-earlier period.

"We have not seen signs of weakness in the Android premium market in China," Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said on an earnings call with analysts. "A lot of the strength is really coming from premium devices on Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo."

Qualcomm calls the phones that use its best chips "AI-powered smartphones," citing features such as generative email completion, live translation, and virtual assistants that use the chips specialized "NPU" AI section. One such phone is Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra, which launched earlier this year.

"We are seeing the very first instances of on-device AI and Gen AI being launched in premium devices and that is resonating well with the consumer," Amon said, adding that the company is targeting performance per watt as its primary artificial intelligence benchmark.

The company's automotive business, which sells chips to automakers, also showed signs of growth, rising 35% year over year to $603 million. Qualcomm said it expected consecutive double digit percentage growth in the division in the current quarter. Revenue in the "Internet of Things" business  lower-cost chips and chips for virtual reality  declined 11% year over year to $1.24 billion.

Those three business lines are reported together as QCT, the company's chip business, which saw a 1% year-over-year sales increase to $8.03 billion.

The company's licensing business, QTL, in which it collects fees from companies that want to integrate 5G or cellular technology into their products, increased 2% to $1.32 billion from the year-earlier period.

Qualcomm said it paid $895 million in dividends and repurchased $731 million in shares during the quarter, and raised its quarterly dividend to 85 cents from 80 cents previously.
Richard Branson doesn't want to be defined by his money.

Specifically, he finds it "quite insulting" when he is introduced as "the billionaire Richard Branson," rather than as the co-founder of Virgin Group, he tells CNBC Make It. The reason: Nobody should view their net worth as an ultimate measure of success, and it's "very sad" when making money is the sole focus of a person's life, he says.

"Maybe in America, 'billionaire' is a sign of success, but that rankles me," says Branson. "I think that your reputation is what you create."

In Branson's case, his reputation is often defined by Virgin Group, a venture capital and holding company that owns businesses in a wide variety of industries, from airlines and telecommunications to spaceflight.

The company is largely responsible for his estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, according to Forbes  but he chafes at the idea he created it to make money.

"Your reputation is [whether] your team of people who work with you are proud of what they've created," Branson says. "Paying the bills at the end of the year is important, but what entrepreneurs are doing all over the world today  and the only reason they're succeeding  is that they're making a difference in other people's lives. And that's all that really matters."

Whenever Branson launches a new venture  citing Virgin Atlantic in 1984 and Virgin Mobile in 1999  he asks himself two questions, he says:

If I create this, can it be better than what everybody else is doing?

Can it make a real difference in the world?

Financial success has often followed, but Branson is adamant that money has never been his chief motivating force.

His first successful business venture, a youth culture magazine called "Student," was primarily meant to challenge "stale" traditional publications, Branson has noted. It tackled cultural issues like popular music and campaigning against the Vietnam War.

"I wanted it to survive. And yes, I wanted to have enough advertising to pay the printers and the paper manufacturers," he says. "But money was certainly not the motivation for running a magazine."
Protestors clash with the police as they block the exists of the parliament building to prevent the ruling Georgian Dream Party's deputies from leaving within a protest against the bill on 'Transparency of Foreign Influence,' in Tbilisi, Georgia on April 30, 2024. (Photo by Davit Kachkachishvili/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons were reportedly used by riot police against protesters in Georgia's capital of Tbilisi as demonstrations over a so-called foreign agent bill escalated.

Clashes lasted until late into Tuesday night, with police trying to disperse protesters which the Georgian Internal Affairs Ministry said were breaking demonstration laws by blocking entrances and exits to the country's Parliament. Sixty-three people were arrested, the ministry said.

"Totally unwarranted, unprovoked and out of proportion use of force ongoing in Tbilisi against peaceful protesters," Georgia's president, Salome Zourabichvili, said in a post on social media platform X.

The bill would force nongovernmental organizations, campaign groups and media platforms who receive at least 20% of funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents." They would also be under close scrutiny by Georgia's Justice Ministry and be made to share sensitive details with authorities, or be faced with large fines.
Bruce Garelick walks following a hearing at the Manhattan Federal Court, in New York City, July 20, 2023. Amr Alfiky | Reuters

The federal criminal trial of a man accused of insider trading in shares of a shell company ahead of its announcement of a plan to merge with Trump Media began Tuesday, just blocks from where former President Donald Trump was sitting at his criminal trial in a case related to a hush money payment. The first witness in the insider trading case against Bruce Garelick was Andy Litinsky, a co-founder of Trump Media. Litinsky himself is involved in complicated civil litigation against Trump in several jurisdictions, over how many shares he is owed in Trump's eponymous social media company. "It's a long story," Litinsky sighed on the stand in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Garelick has decided to take his chances with a jury after his two co-defendants, the brothers Michael Shvartsman and Gerald Shvartsman, pleaded guilty on April 3 to insider trading charges in the case.

The allegations

Garelick is accused of sharing non-public material information about the merger plans by the shell company, Digital World Acquisition Corp., with his boss, the Florida venture capitalist Michael Shvartsman and Gerald in 2021. All three men were accused of buying up DWAC stock ahead of the merger announcement based on non-public information, then selling the shares after the price soared on the heels of an announcement of the deal with Trump in October 2021. "Now, whatever your views on the former president, he makes a big splash in the news," assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Hanft told the 12-member jury in her opening statement. Garelick was on DWAC's board of directors in the months leading up to the merger announcement. As such, he was barred from sharing material non-public information about the company that might be used by others to buy shares and exploit a price rise after the information became public. "What did the defendant do? Exactly what he wasn't allowed to do," said Hanft. The prosecutor said that although Garelick only made about $50,000 in allegedly illicit profits from his DWAC trades, Michael Schvartsman made $18 million, Gerald Shvartsman made $5 million, and others who were tipped off as a result of Garelick's alleged tips also made money.

Garelick's lawyer, Jonathan Bach, told a radically different story about his client in his opening statement.

The defense argument

"Bruce Garelick is innocent," Bach said. "He did not engage in insider trading. He did not commit any crime. Bruce is an honest, ethical man." "He never told anybody, not a soul, anything about what he learned as a board member at DWAC," the attorney said. Bach said Garelick did buy some DWAC shares, but stopped acquiring its stock when he began to learn information that could affect the share price if the news became public. "He followed the rules," said Bach, who argued that it was "silly" to suggest that Garelick was willing to throw away decades of work in the investment sector by engaging in illegal trading for such a relatively small amount of personal profit. The defense attorney also sought to draw a distinction between Garelick, who lived and worked remotely in Providence, Rhode Island, in 2021 and Michael Shvartsman, who lived and worked in the Miami area. Garelick "was in many ways an outsider" in Shvartsman's business and social circles, Bach said. "You're not going to see any evidence, at all, that Bruce tipped anybody. Because he didn't. Bruce was not a tipper," Bach said. "You will see evidence that others gave tips." Bach also alluded to the nature of Michael Shvartsman's circles, saying they were made up of "people who treated each other in very unusual ways." Twice during his opening statement, Bach suggested to jurors that their verdict would hinge on the question of Garelick's "state of mind" at the time of the conduct prosecutors claim was criminal. Garelick, Bach argued, "acted in good faith at all times." Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Shahabian then called Litinsky to the witness stand. Litinsky was a contestant on Trump's NBC reality television show "The Apprentice" years before he and his Apprentice "roommate" Wes Moss pitched Trump on the idea of starting a company, Trump Media, that would include a social media app.

Donald Trump, right, and producer Andy Litinsky, left, attend the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on March 9, 2011. Michael Kovac | Wireimage | Getty Images

In his testimony, Litinsky detailed the events that led up to Trump Media's merger agreement with DWAC. Shahabian repeatedly had Litinsky describe the confidentiality agreements in letters of intent that Trump Media signed with two prospective merger partners, DWAC and Bennessere Capital Acquisition Corp. The agreements specifically prohibited the parties from sharing information about the potential deal without outsiders. "Did you share information" with outsiders? Shahabian asked Litinsky. "No, I did not," Litinsky replied. "It is confidential and it would be against the rules to do that." Asked if he traded stock based on the confidential information, Litinsky likewise replied, "No," noting, "It would be against the rules." The prosecutor's line of question was intended to underscore to jurors the rules that Garelick is accused of breaking.

Three years' work and no pay
The Palace of Students of the Odesa Law Academy is on fire due to a Russian missile attack in Odesa, Ukraine, on April 29, 2024, which has killed five people

A Russian attack on Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa is being investigated, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said Tuesday.

Five people died in the attack on a busy seafront park, and 32 others were injured, with the majority of them still receiving treatment in hospital Tuesday.

Kostin said in a statement on X that by seemingly targeting civilians in the strike, Russia "cynically disregards all norms of international humanitarian law."

"Yesterday evening, in the enemy's insidious attack on Odesa, five people were killed and over 30 injured. Among the wounded are two children and a pregnant woman. Five of the hospitalized are in critical condition."

"The strike was carried out with an Iskander ballistic missile equipped with a cluster munition. This is an indiscriminate weapon, the use of which can lead to significant civilian casualties. Metal fragments and missile debris were recovered within a 1.5 km radius from the attack site," he said.

The investigation has grounds to believe that Russian forces officers decided to use this particular weapon "deliberately to kill as many Ukrainian civilians as possible," Kostin said.

The investigation is ongoing, he said, pledging to hold those responsible to account. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians.

 Holly Ellyatt
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty on Wednesday told lawmakers that data from an estimated one-third of Americans could have been compromised in the cyberattack on its subsidiary Change Healthcare, and that the company paid a $22 million ransom to hackers.

Witty testified in front of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, which falls under the House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce. He said the investigation into the breach is still ongoing, so the exact number of people affected remains unknown. The one-third figure is a rough estimate.

UnitedHealth has previously said the cyberattack likely impacts a "substantial proportion of people in America," according to an April release. The company confirmed that files containing protected health information and personally identifiable information were compromised in the breach.

It will likely be months before UnitedHealth is able to notify individuals, given the "complexity of the data review," the release said. The company is offering free access to identity theft protection and credit monitoring for individuals concerned about their data.

Witty also testified in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance on Wednesday, when he confirmed for the first time that the company paid a $22 million ransom to the hackers that breached Change Healthcare. At the hearing before the House legislators later that afternoon, Witty said the payment was made in bitcoin.

UnitedHealth disclosed that a cyberthreat actor breached part of Change Healthcare's information technology network late in February. The company disconnected the affected systems when the threat was detected, and the disruption has caused widespread fallout across the U.S. health-care sector.

Witty told the subcommittee in his written testimony that the cyberattackers used "compromised credentials" to infiltrate Change Healthcare's systems on Feb. 12 and deployed a ransomware that encrypted the network nine days later.

The portal that the bad actors initially accessed was not protected by multifactor authentication, or MFA, which requires users to verify their identities in at least two different ways.

Witty told both committees Wednesday that UnitedHealth now has MFA in place across all external-facing systems.
UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 1, 2024.

UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty confirmed for the first time that the company paid a $22 million ransom to hackers who breached its subsidiary Change Healthcare and caused widespread fallout across the health-care sector. Witty's comments were made during a Wednesday hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance.

Change Healthcare provides payment, revenue management and other solutions like e-prescription software. The company disconnected affected systems when the threat was detected, leaving many doctors temporarily unable to fill prescriptions or get paid for their services.

UnitedHealth told CNBC in April that it paid a ransom to try and protect patient data. Earlier reports had discovered a $22 million transfer on Bitcoin's blockchain, but the company had not confirmed the figure until now.

"The decision to pay a ransom was mine," Witty said. "This was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

UnitedHealth is one of the largest companies in the world, with a roughly $450 billion market cap. Its business unit Optum  which provides care to 103 million customers  and Change Healthcare  which touches one in three patient records  merged in 2022.

Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in his opening remarks that the Change Healthcare breach serves as a "dire warning about the consequences of too-big-to-fail mega-corporations."

"Companies that are so big have an obligation to protect their customers and to lead on this issue," Wyden said.

Witty told the committee that cybercriminals accessed Change Healthcare through a server that was not protected by multi-factor authentication, or MFA, which requires users to verify their identity in at least two different ways. He said UnitedHealth now has MFA in place across all external-facing systems.

"As a result of this malicious cyberattack, patients and providers have experienced disruptions and people are worried about their private health data," Witty said. "To all those impacted, let me be very clear: I am deeply, deeply sorry."

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., held up a bright yellow copy of "Hacking for Dummies" during the hearing, saying the breach is UnitedHealth's responsibility to fix.

"This is some basic stuff that was missed, so shame on internal audit, external audit and your systems folks tasked with redundancy, they're not doing their job," Tillis said.

A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said that UnitedHealth discovered that a cyber threat actor accessed part of Change Healthcare's information technology network in late February.

Witty said Change Healthcare's core systems are back online, though some of its secondary support functions are still being restored.

UnitedHealth said in February that the ransomware group Blackcat was behind the attack. Blackcat, which also goes by the names Noberus and ALPHV, steals sensitive data from institutions and threatens to publish it unless a ransom is paid, according to a December release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

UnitedHealth confirmed in April that files containing protected health information and personally identifiable information were compromised in the breach. The company said a data review is ongoing, so it could be months before the company can notify affected individuals.

Witty said Wednesday that UnitedHealth is working with regulators to assess the breach and to inform people if their information has been compromised "as soon as possible."

Early in March, UnitedHealth launched a temporary funding assistance program to help support providers that have experienced cash flow disruptions due to the cyberattack. There are no fees, interest or other costs on top of the payments, and providers have 45 days to repay the funds once their standard payment operations resume.

During the hearing, Witty said the company has not yet asked anyone for loan repayments, and it will be up to providers to determine when their operations have officially returned to normal.

Witty did not directly disclose whether UnitedHealth will provide additional support to providers who may be contending with other loans and interest payments because of the breach.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., pressed Witty to share how UnitedHealth is working to ensure something like the Change Healthcare breach will not happen again. Witty said the company plans to share what it discovers about the breach with others, adding that there's a need to focus on reducing the rate of cyberattacks on the health-care sector.

"We are clearly trying to take our responsibility in this attack. We are also trying to learn from it," he said.
In this article VIK Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT

A trader works inside a booth, as screens display Viking cruise company logo, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Stefan Jeremiah | Reuters

Viking is not your typical cruise operator. Aboard its smaller, upscale vessels, you won't find any kids. In fact, the cruise line doesn't hide the fact that it is going after the high-income baby boomer. Casinos? Not on these cruise ships. In Viking Holdings' prospectus, the company said its cruises are for the "thinking person," underscoring its efforts to appeal to the baby boomer traveler who seeks adventure and new experiences. "They have the money, they have the time and, in my belief, the moment you try to do everything for everybody, you know what happens? You do nothing well. So we are very, very clear focused," Torstein Hagen, CEO and chairman of Viking, told CNBC.

watch now

The luxury cruise line was targeting a $10.4 billion valuation in its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, making it the third-largest cruise operator after Royal Caribbean and Carnival . Norwegian Cruise Line is the fourth largest. Viking started trading Wednesday at $26.15 a share under the ticker "VIK " after pricing at $24 a share. It closed its first trading day with a gain of more than 8%, ending at $26.10 per share. Viking upsized its IPO after existing shareholders decided to sell an additional 9 million shares amid strong demand from mutual fund investors, according to a source familiar with the situation.

A trader walks past a screen which displays the Viking cruise company logo, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Stefan Jeremiah | Reuters

In 1997, Viking had four ships. It has quickly grown its fleet to 92 vessels, 80 of which are river-based ships that travel down the world's biggest rivers, including the Seine in France and the Nile in Egypt. "We're different because when you talk about the big cruise lines, they're large in the Caribbean," Hagen said. "We have a tiny sliver in the Caribbean. The rest is Europe." The timing of Viking's IPO coincides with a strong rebound in cruise bookings. On April 25, Royal Caribbean raised its guidance for 2024 amid a bright outlook for the sector. "Cruising has really come into the forefront as a competitive choice in travel," Jason Liberty, CEO of Royal Caribbean, said to CNBC in a recent interview. "The overall travel industry is $1.9 trillion. The cruise industry is $56 billion of that. I think cruising is at a much different level than it was pre-pandemic." While the company's prospectus showed Viking brought in $4.71 billion in sales in 2023, it did report a net loss for the year. What is getting investors excited is the company's revenue per passenger of $7,251, which is much higher than that of any other publicly traded cruise line. Viking's premium price point allows it to make more money on each customer. Investors will also be looking for details on Viking's expansion plans. Earlier this month, Norwegian Cruise Line said it ordered eight new ships scheduled for delivery over the next 12 years.

A model of a Viking cruise ship is displayed at the New York Stock Exchange. Stefan Jeremiah | Reuters
Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Wednesday: Bank of America reiterates Amazon as buy Bank of America said it sees margin upside following the company's robust earnings report. "In our view, a major positive from the call was CEO commentary that margins can continue to expand while Amazon invests." Bank of America reiterates Super Micro as buy Bank of America lowered its price target to $1,090 per share from $1,280 but said it's standing by the stock following earnings on Tuesday. " Super Micro reported F3Q revenue slightly below Consensus." Barclays reiterates Advanced Micro Devices as overweight Barclays said the chipmaker is "best positioned" following earnings on Tuesday. "In all, AMD remains one of the best positioned names in AI coupled with an improving core business." Morgan Stanley reiterates Tesla as overweight Morgan Stanley said investors should expect a "volatile tape" but added that it's sticking with the stock. " Tesla leadership has a history of upping up the intensity when its back is against the wall. Investors should expect a volatile tape as the company enters an 'unfamiliar' phase in its strategic lifecycle." JPMorgan reiterates Apple as overweight JPMorgan said it sees an attractive entry point ahead of Apple earnings on Thursday afternoon. "The sentiment has improved despite tough data points as the focus has shifted to owning the potential AI upgrade cycle; however, the upcoming earnings print will still matter for investors in offering insights into the magnitude of the cyclical challenges on account of pressured consumer spending as well as the headwinds in relation to market share moderation in China." Evercore ISI adds Nvidia to the best core ideas list Evercore added Nvidia to its top-picks list. "A Tectonic Ecosystem Play in the AI Computing Era." Wedbush upgrades Seagate to outperform from neutral Wedbush said in its upgrade of the stock that it sees margin upside. "Finally, with differentiated enterprise drives traditionally having seen margins of 40%+, we see room for STX to significantly lift its profitability in the out years as suggested by our new FY2026 earnings estimates." HSBC upgrades Endava to buy from hold HSBC said it sees an EPS bottom for the software company. "Upgrade Endava to Buy (from Hold) with new target price of USD45 (from USD44): we see EPS bottoming out in 3QFY24 as cost optimization measures should start impacting net income positively." TD Cowen downgrades Skyworks to hold from buy TD Cowen said in its downgrade of the Apple supplier that it sees too many headwinds. "Furthermore, while gross margin will take time to recover as utilization and Broad Markets pick back up, we believe risk/reward skews negative until there is greater visibility into a Mobile content catalyst. We downgrade SWKS shares to Hold and accordingly adjust our estimates lower to account for this dynamic." Deutsche Bank downgrades Starbucks to hold from buy Deutsche said it sees "broad-based headwinds" for the coffee giant following its earnings report on Tuesday. "We are downgrading SBUX to Hold following a challenging F2Q print that showed signs that headwinds are more pervasive and persistent than we expected, and we have limited visibility into the pace and magnitude of a recovery." KeyBanc upgrades Dollar Tree to overweight from sector weight Key says fundamentals are improving for the discount retailer. "We believe 'Breaking the buck' still has a multiyear runway for the Tree banner." JPMorgan upgrades Fifth Third to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said it sees earnings upside for the regional bank. "Among our regionals, we expect Fifth Thirds earnings to benefit relatively more near term from higher long term rates and upgrade the stock to Overweight relative to peers, driven by the earnings upside." JPMorgan upgrades 3M to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said shares of the company are compelling at current levels. "We are upgrading 3M to OW on a combination of an attractive valuation, an increasingly cleaned up balance sheet, with the dividend cut catalyst behind them now, and a turn in earnings momentum on a bottom in electronics, with better visibility on remainco fundamentals, while its still highly non-consensus, with only 1 buy rating." Bank of America reiterates Pinterest as buy Bank of America said it sees "multiple tailwinds to aid growth & margins" following earnings on Tuesday. "We rate Pinterest Buy. It offers a differentiated user experience with content and advertising powered by its proprietary taste graph and a fundamental alignment between Pinner and advertiser objectives." JPMorgan downgrades Logitech to neutral from overweight JPMorgan downgraded the computer peripherals software company and said it sees a "challenging macro." "We are downgrading shares of Logitech , even as the quarter showed continued signs of robust execution, as we believe the rebound of the product portfolio to healthy growth in the medium term will remain constrained by a challenging macro and efforts to drive growth will likely need to return to robust promotional levels." Loop reiterates Meta as buy Loop lowered its price target on the stock to $550 per share from $555 but said it's sticking with shares of Meta. "Our estimates for Meta are relatively unchanged, about 1% lower EPS in 2025." Goldman Sachs upgrades SiriusXM to neutral from sell Goldman upgraded the stock mainly on valuation. "We upgrade shares of SiriusXM to Neutral (from Sell) following recent underperformance."
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With any currently supported conversation, though, open up the thread within Messages  then:

Tap the three-dot menu icon in the screens upper-right corner.

Select Change colors from the menu that appears. (And if you arent seeing it yet, even in an RCS-enabled conversation, give it a few days and check back again. This ones actively rolling out right now, so it should reach you soon  if it hasnt already!)

Pick the color scheme you prefer, then tap the Confirm button at the bottom.

Every Android Messages conversation can have its own distinctive color, if you take the time to set it up. JR Raphael, IDG

Repeat for any other compatible conversations, and youll always know exactly what youre looking at even with a fast glance  and without having to give it an ounce of active thought.

Android Messages trick #9: Enriched inline media

You know a fantastic way to waste time? Ill tell ya: moving from one app to another just to glance at something someone sent you (like those blasted Bangles video Crissy is always blasting your way).

Well, get this: Googles Android Messages app can let you preview and even watch entire YouTube videos without ever leaving your current conversation  and it can give you helpful previews of web links right within the app, too.

The key is to make sure youve got the associated options enabled:

Tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner of the main Messages screen.

Select Messages settings, then tap Automatic previews.

Make sure the toggle next to Show all previews is on and active.

Now, the next time someone sends you a video link, youll see the videos thumbnail and description right then and there, within the Messages conversation:

Videos expanded in-line within Messages  easy peasy. JR Raphael, IDG

With web pages, Messages will show you just enough of a preview to let you make an educated decision about whether you want to tap the link or not.

Web links gain useful extra context once you enable the right option within the Android Messages settings. JR Raphael, IDG

Almost painfully sensible, wouldnt ya say?

Android Messages trick #10: Smarter shortcuts

If I had to pick the simplest Android Messages trick for enhancing your efficiency, itd be embracing the built-in shortcuts Google gives us for faster message actions.

From the main Messages screen, you can swipe left or right on any message to perform an instant action  archiving the conversation, permanently deleting it, or toggling it between read and unread status.

All youve gotta do is mosey your way back into the Messages apps settings areas and tap on the Swipe actions item to set things up the way you want

Step-saving swipes within Messages  now available for your customization. JR Raphael, IDG

and then, just remember to actually use those gestures moving forward. (That parts on you.)

Android Messages trick #11: Automated cleanup

Certain services love to send confirmation codes via text messaging when you sign in or try to perform some action. It may not be the most advisable or effective form of extra security, but  well, its better than nothing. And for better or for worse, its a pretty common tactic.

Core security considerations aside, the most irksome part of these confirmation codes is having em clutter up your messages list at every Goog-forsaken moment. But the Google-made Android Messages app can actually take care of that for you, without any ongoing effort  if you take about 20 seconds to make the right tweak now.

Heres the secret:

Tappity-tap that comely character in the upper-right corner of the main Messages screen (yknow, the one whose appearance has a striking resemblance to your oversized head).

Tap Messages settings in the menu that comes up, then select Messages organization.

Within that curiously created section, youll see only one option: Auto-delete OTPs after 24 hrs. OTP may not exactly be an everyday, universally known abbreviation, but fear not  for it isnt an erroneous reference to an early 90s rap hit with equally ambiguous meaning. Nope: It stands for one-time password, which is the same thing were thinking about here.

Flip that toggle into the on and active position, then flip a finger of your choice to all the confirmation codes in your messages list and rest easy knowing theyll be auto-purged a day after their arrival from that point forward.

Whos down with OTP? Every last homie. (I apologize.)

Android Messages trick #12: Instant reactions

Slack-style reactions may seem silly on the surface, but they serve an important communication purpose in allowing you to quickly acknowledge a message without having to carry the conversation on further. Whether its a thumbs-up, a clapping hands symbol, or even perhaps an occasional burrito emoji, it really can be a handy way to say Yup, got it (or Yup, want beefy goodness) without having to use a single word.

You probably know you can summon a reaction within the Android Messages app by pressing and holding a specific message within a conversation and then selecting from the list of available emoji options  right? But beyond that, Messages packs an even faster way to issue a reaction in the blink of an eye.

And here it is: Simply double-tap your finger onto any individual message within a conversation. Thatll apply the heart reaction to it without the need for any long-press or symbol selection.

Itd be nice if there were a way to customize which reaction is used for that action by default  so that, obviously, we could all change it to the burrito emoji, since thats what any sane person uses most often  but if and when a heart will do the job, now youve got a super-easy way to bring it into any conversation with a fast finger tap.

Android Messages trick #13: Less annoying iPhone interactions

Last but not least in our list of magnificent Messages enhancements is something specific for your conversations with the Apple-adoring animals in your life. And it relates to those very same sorts of reactions we were just going over.

One obnoxious side effect of Apples no one exists outside of iOS mentality, ysee, is the way the iPhones equivalent of those reactions show up on Android. Plain and simple, they show up as  well, plain and simple text messages, instead of coming through as reactions.

Surely youve encountered this, right? Those pointless messages you get from iGoobers that say stuff like Loved Please stop texting me, Crissy'?

Well, get this: Googles Android Messages app is actually able to intercept those absurd platform-specific reactions and turn em into standard reactions instead of plain-text interruptions. And itll take you all of 12 seconds to enable the option:

Head back into the Messages apps settings.

Tap Advanced.

Look for the line labeled Show iPhone reactions as emoji and make sure the toggle next to it is in the on position.

All thats left is to breathe a heavy sigh of relief  and to send Crissy a well-deserved burrito reaction.

Hey: Dont let the learning stop here. Get six full days of advanced shortcut knowledge with my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. Youll discover tons of time-saving tricks!
Distinguishing between ordinary anxiety and clinical anxiety disorders is important yet often overlooked. As explained by professionals like David H. Rosmarin, who leads the Center for Anxiety therapy practice, the blurred boundaries between everyday worries and pathological conditions can lead to misconceptions and misdiagnoses.

Rosmarin stressed the prevalence of misattributed distress, citing instances where individuals mistake stress for anxiety and highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of emotional nuances. With mental health discussions increasingly permeating societal discourse, terms like "narcissism" and "gaslighting" have become commonplace, yet the distinction between transient emotional states and clinical conditions remains elusive.

The normalization of mental health conversations signifies progress in destigmatizing psychological struggles, yet it also breeds confusion, as lay interpretations often pathologize commonplace emotions. This oversimplification, as Rosmarin notes, hampers emotional intelligence, limiting individuals' ability to accurately articulate and address their inner experiences.

According to psychiatrist Tracey Marks, anxiety can be both a normal reaction and a pathological condition. Everyday situations like a first date or a work presentation can trigger temporary anxiety, accompanied by physiological effects such as sweating or a racing heartbeat. This momentary anxiety serves a functional purpose, signaling potential danger or preparing for challenges, and typically subsides after the event. However, in today's anxiety-inducing world, characterized by climate change, political tensions, and social unrest, experiencing distressing reactions to perceived threats is commonplace.

Marks said that an anxiety disorder manifests when anxiety significantly disrupts daily life. Symptoms like physical discomfort or persistent worry about social situations may indicate conditions like social anxiety or generalized anxiety disorder. Individuals with these disorders may exhibit avoidance behaviors, experience difficulty relaxing, or constantly worry about various aspects of life, regardless of logic.

"One of the characteristics of generalized anxiety, is that you can worry about anything. You can worry about world peace," Marks said, Vox reported.

Furthermore, anxiety is distinct from stress, as explained by Rosmarin. Stress arises from an imbalance between demands and resources, such as time or money, whereas anxiety often occurs despite having adequate resources. Even in favorable circumstances, individuals may find themselves overwhelmed by hypothetical worst-case scenarios, distinguishing anxiety from fear, which responds to concrete threats rather than future risks or uncertainties.

Nick Haslam, a psychology professor at the University of Melbourne, pointed out the subjective nature of anxiety boundaries, suggesting that lay individuals often categorize all distressing experiences as "anxiety" due to a lack of emotional intelligence. Haslam emphasizes the need to accurately identify emotions, noting the limited emotional vocabulary resulting from inadequate emotional education beyond primary school. He argues that simplistic categorizations of emotions into "good" and "bad" further complicate understanding appropriate responses to situations, making coping with complex feelings challenging.

Haslam said that individuals who struggle to articulate their emotions face difficulties in managing nuanced feelings, exacerbating the tendency to pathologize normal experiences. Marks echoed this sentiment, clarifying that feeling uneasy in new social settings, while common, does not equate to social anxiety.

Moreover, psychologist Juli Fraga warns against self-diagnosing anxiety disorders based on generalized online content, emphasizing that situational anxiety often stems from underlying relational traumas rather than clinical conditions.

"Even if you do have anxiety, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have an anxiety disorder," Fraga said.
In the quest for healthier sugar alternatives, researchers from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and other Chinese institutes explored the neural responses to various sweeteners, including stevia, in mice.

Published in Neuroscience Research, their findings propose stevia as a promising sugar substitute with brain-compatibility resembling sucrose.

Lead researcher Yingjie Zhu highlighted the global obesity crisis and the rising trend of sweetener usage in the food industry. Their study aimed to uncover if specific brain regions could discern differences between sugar substitutes and sucrose.

"Obesity is a significant issue worldwide, and the use of sweeteners as a substitute for sucrose is a current trend in the food industry," Yingjie Zhu, co-author of the paper, told Medical Xpress.

"Although they all possess sweetness, many sugar substitutes have noticeable differences compared to sucrose when consumed. Therefore, our initial idea was to investigate whether there would be a specific brain region in the central nervous system that could reflect the differences between these sugar substitutes and sucrose in real-time."

Stevia, derived from South American plant leaves, is renowned for its intense sweetness and minimal impact on blood glucose levels. The study focused on assessing how mice brains responded to prolonged consumption of stevia compared to sugar and other sweeteners like xylitol, glycyrrhizin, and mogroside.

Using in vivo fluorescence calcium imaging, the team monitored the activity of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) in mice fed various sweeteners over six weeks. Remarkably, stevia intake elicited PVT activity akin to sugar consumption, indicating its potential as a brain-compatible sugar substitute.

"We found that, given an abundance of food supply, compared to other sugar substitutes, the activity in the PVT brain region induced by stevia was most similar to that induced by sucrose," Zhu explained.

This suggests that stevia could potentially be the most brain-compatible sugar substitute. Therefore, in the relevant food and beverage industries, stevia should receive more attention."

Zhu also emphasized that stevia's similarity to sugar in neural responses suggests its viability as a healthier alternative. The study's findings may encourage food and beverage industries to consider incorporating stevia to mitigate calorie intake.

Looking ahead, Zhu expressed interest in exploring stevia's effects on the human brain using fMRI technology.
The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) this week published four guides designed to give AI developers and cybersecurity professionals a deeper dive on the risks addressed by the organizations influential 2023 AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF).

Issued in draft form, the documents are the latest building blocks put in place by federal agencies following US President Joe Bidens October 2023 executive order setting how the US government will require the tech industry to mitigate different types of AI risk.

Although all make good background reading for decision-makers in tech, the first three cover areas of more acute concern for people in cybersecurity:
Police climb a ladder attached to a tactical vehicle to enter Hamilton Hall. Photo: Caitlin Ochs/Reuters

Last night, the NYPD bypassed the barricades and a crowd of protesters and press surrounding Columbias Hamilton Hall by going over them. Literally.

Officers in riot gear drove up to the building in a tall black truck twice the height of a pedestrian and climbed a ladder that extended into a second-floor window to enter the building, while another group of officers gathered at the front doors, apparently awaiting orders to enter.

New Yorkers didnt know what to make of the heavy police presence locking down the surrounding blocks  or the truck itself. An NBC reporter who asked the NYPD only got the trucks nickname  the bear. Onlookers assumed the immense machine was a piece of military-grade equipment known as MRAPs, or mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, which were handed down to local police departments by a Pentagon program that started in the 1990s.

An NYPD MRAP carrying an armored ESU team just pulled up blocks from Columbia University. Among the men on the roof is head of DCPI Tarik Sheppard pic.twitter.com/ZwWxCpV1Ba  Liam Quigley (@_elkue) May 1, 2024

The truck looks military-grade. But it wasnt handed down by the Pentagon. After the Obama administration ordered local police in 2015 to return the military equipment they got through that program, officers became more dependent on other kinds of tactical trucks, like this one, made by the private Massachusetts-based company Lenco. Theyre called BearCats, and theyre SWAT vehicles used by police departments across the U.S.  including the LAPD  that are advertised as being smaller and easier to drive than MRAPs and arent capped with gun turrets. (They havent been a popular thing to see for some folks, according to the captain of a SWAT team that uses them in Wisconsin.)

The NYPD had its first BearCat by 2004. Five years later, the department had four, at a cost of around $225,000 each. (The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for more information on the trucks.) But truck obsessives consider seeing one in New York City to be a rare catch, and finding one with a ladder extension is so rare that its not clear if the NYPD ever used one before last night.

The trucks are used by the departments Emergency Service Unit, which has a broad mandate to both help retrieve keys from unlocked cars and carry out paramilitary operations, according to a 2009 New York Times article, which reported that the BearCats were used to arrest four men in 2009 who were suspected of planning a synagogue bombing. We drove right up to them, a detective told the Times. Theyre pretty devastating.

Yeah, the NYPD deployed a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle to aid in the crack down on peaceful, unarmed student protesters. These are military vehicles designed specifically to withstand improvised explosive device (IED) attacks & ambushes. What a joke. https://t.co/WjcfsgwWSZ  Tariq Kenney-Shawa (@tksshawa) May 1, 2024

The trucks are advertised as a way to get into difficult situations to free trapped hostages (thus, the ladder) and are known for being basically impossible to shoot through, with bulletproof shells that have high-ballistic, multi-hit protection. At the same time, ports on the sides of the truck allow officers inside to fire weapons, just like in a tank. Even the ladder racks, sold separately as a mobile adjustable ramp system, are bulletproof.

Last night, the ladder allowed police to simply bypass crowds on the street level (though they also reportedly drove through a bus stop, destroying the glass shelter). But it also allowed officers to work above the sight line of any observers. With no outside reporters allowed into Hamilton Hall during the sweep, it was impossible to know what was going on during the arrests on higher floors, and the NYPD has not released any information about the arrested protesters as of this morning.
A boarded-up Gould Plaza at NYU as pro-Palestine students and activists continue to protest for divestment and the closure of NYUs Tel Aviv program. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

When a group of NYU students discussed where to set up their Gaza protest encampment last week, they knew it had to be at Gould Plaza in front of the universitys business school on West 4th Street. That area was chosen because its one of the only outdoor spaces that is private property on NYUs campus, said a member of the NYU Palestine Solidarity Coalition who asked to be identified only as a Jewish NYU undergraduate because of an ongoing university investigation.

Etta, another student organizer, said they had gotten advice from Columbias student organizers about picking the right location. Columbias encampment was effective, they thought, because it was centrally located, out in the open, and therefore impossible to ignore. While Washington Square Park is NYUs de facto quad, the students didnt think that demonstrating on public property sent a message to the university itself. Students at other schools, like the New School and the Fashion Institute of Technology, had occupied campus buildings, but the NYU students wanted their encampment to be outdoors. We wanted to make sure that it was somewhere that didnt put up a wall between the community and NYU, Etta said.

What happened after they set up their tents at Gould was familiar  NYU demanded students clear out the camp that day, and when they didnt, administrators requested police intervention. At this point we consider all protesters occupying Gould Plaza to be trespassers, the schools letter to the NYPD stated. That evening, the police showed up in riot gear, tore down the tents, and made 120 arrests. The next day, the school enclosed the plaza with a seven-foot-high plywood wall and plastic traffic barriers. Metal police barricades blocked off the stairs.

Recent coverage of campus occupations like the one at NYU has framed them as spontaneous actions that have strained the relationship between administrations and students. But barricading Gould Plaza wasnt NYUs first move to head off protests. Since October, the school has increasingly, even preemptively, shut down access to its once-open spaces. The university that describes itself as a campus without walls is now closer to a fortress.

Students protesting in front of the Paulson Center on April 26. Photo: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images

Just days after October 7, NYU roped off the grand staircase in the Kimmel Center for Student Life, historically one of the primary protest locations on campus. The school did not provide any explanation for the closure for months, but administrators later cited safety concerns related to unspecified nearby protest activity. Students and faculty criticized the move (Bring Back Kimmel Stairs Movement Unsure Where to Hold Protest, wrote a campus satire page). Local historian Asad Dandia, who graduated from NYU in 2016, remembered that students regularly protested the rise of Donald Trump on those steps. This was also where students camped to protest NYUs ties to prisons, hosted a vigil after Russia invaded Ukraine, demanded more abortion coverage, and mourned those killed in the ongoing conflict in Sudan. As one student posted on Reddit, I dont like going into Kimmel anymore because we dont get treated as students  The issue theyre trying to solve is nonexistent.

In January, NYU restricted access to Bobst, its main library, after students held a pro-Palestinian poetry reading in its lobby; students are now prohibited from checking in guests. The same month, the school also closed off a ground-floor atrium in the Paulson Center, a massive glass structure that contains dorms, classrooms, a gym, and performance spaces. Unlike the Bobst library or the Kimmel student center, Paulsons atrium is governed by two paragraphs of a 2012 agreement that designates the lobby as open to the public, which NYU conceded in order to appease neighbors disgruntled by the schools expansion plan. However, the university, citing security concerns, now requires an NYU ID to enter. The closure of the Paulson Centers atrium to the public in the name of undefined security issues has certainly not created a less prejudiced campus, a group of Jewish faculty wrote in a letter to university leadership. But the school has told students that the closure is temporary but indefinite, and that the 2012 agreement allows the university to close the atrium on a temporary basis for maintenance and repair or for security reasons.

After the April 22 encampment, NYU has added more barriers and checkpoints around campus buildings. But many see the plywood walls at Gould as a particularly blunt symbol of the administrations response. Within hours of being erected, the barricades were covered with messages and stickers critical of NYU and slogans related to Gaza and Palestine. Jonathan Randall was passing by the wall on Wednesday when he decided to join another man putting up pro-Palestine stickers on what he called NYUs apartheid wall on Wednesday. Putting up a wall didnt really do anything, said a freshman inside the Paulson Center who requested anonymity. People are still going to protest.

This reflects the prevailing sentiment on campus, which is critical of the administrations response  last week, faculty of one of NYUs colleges passed a vote of no confidence in university president Linda Mills by an overwhelming margin (though the universitys board of trustees reaffirmed their support for Mills). The student paper also published a letter from parents and loved ones of NYU students condemning the schools response to protesters.

The university recently reversed one of these closures. In late March, it reopened a narrow section of the Kimmel staircase (Its Better Than Nothing, read the student newspaper headline). In an email to students, Martin Dorph, NYUs executive vice-president, acknowledged that there were a variety of views about the use of the steps and said the university had unilaterally decided to grant the demands of, as Dorph put it, others in our community who, for their own sense of safety, prefer the stairs remain closed. But he also said that the majority of the staircase had to remain closed for safety reasons, stating that the Kimmel staircase as designed was too steep, didnt have enough handrails, and was inaccessible (even though there are four elevators just around the corner from the stairs).

However, in response to the students in the encampment, who, like their peers at campuses across the country, are demanding that the school disclose and divest any holdings in funds associated with Israel, as well as close its Tel Aviv program, the university has doubled down; on Thursday, school representatives announced it would not divest and reiterated its commitment to the Tel Aviv site.

Shut out of Gould Plaza, student protesters have simply moved on. On Friday, the NYU Palestine Solidarity Coalition set up another encampment, this time on a public walkway between Houston and Bleecker Streets outside NYUs Paulson Center. Riot police were briefly mobilized, but organizers negotiated with NYU to take down their tents  sleeping instead under tarps and blankets  in order to stay. Although the new encampment is smaller and less visible than the one at Gould Plaza, up to 100 students remain inside days later, and hundreds more gather for occasional rallies. The school now threatens those remaining overnight with unspecified disciplinary processes.

We have fought the battle for public space over and over and over again, said Ryna Workman, a coalition organizer and law student, on the first night of the new encampment. As NYU continues to close down open outdoor spaces for protests, this is the last space left.
From left, Jeffrey Dodson, executive director of the Hudson Housing Authority; John Madeo, executive vice president of development and general counsel at Mountco Constructio;, and Eu Ting-Zambuto, director of development at Mountco Construction, at the Hudson Common Council meeting Monday.
Schenctady County assistant district attorney Nicolaus McDonald speaks for the prosecution before Schenectady County Court Judge Matthew Sypniewski prior to sentencing of Markeith Buchanan who was found guilty in the shooting death of John Bass in 2022. Buchanan was sentenced to 40 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter and two felony weapons possession counts, Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
Lord Cameron, international schmoozer, intimate of executive jet lounges, looked in on Parliament for an hour or so. Good of him. It was just a House of Lords committee. An afternoon net against slowish bowling.

'I know you've come a long way to be with us,' said Lord Ashton (Con).

Too right. His lordship was enjoying a grand tour through Outer Mongolia and 'the Stans' (Tajikistan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan  they use consonants as lethal weapons in that part of the world) in a 42million Embraer Lineage when his young honey of an aide rose from her white-leather seat and said 'don't forget the Lords International Relations and Defence committee next Tuesday, minister'. Lord Cameron: 'Groan, those old boobies. I bet Houghton whinges about defence spending.'

Lord Cameron has been enjoying a grand tour through Outer Mongolia and 'the Stans' - Tajikistan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan  in a 42million Embraer Lineage

General Lord Houghton (Crossbencher) is a former chief of defence staff. He now earns goodish nosebag advising Thales, a French arms manufacturer. Sure enough, he was furious  actually squeaking with indignation!  that Rishi Sunak's recent 75billion increase in defence spending had not been bigger.

He called it 'late on parade' and expressed surprise that Lord Cameron 'put such a low price on conventional deterrence'. Put a low price on arms? Thales would never do such a thing.

Lord Cameron returned fire and basically told Houghton he should be cartwheeling all the way to the bank. If displeased by that answer, the general should go into the international aid world. They're getting masses of our moolah, too. Lord Cameron was delighted to say that our generosity to Africa was geysering almost as extravagantly as in the old days. Mr Sunak cut aid spending but that was 'not my policy', said Cameron. 'I am working with the Government to improve matters' and 'Britain is back in Africa'. It sounds expensive.

General Lord Houghton (Crossbencher) is a former chief of defence staff. He now earns goodish nosebag advising Thales, a French arms manufacturer

Incidentally, Lord Houghton was not the only committee member who declared a financial interest in the arms trade. Lord Ashton did, too, on behalf of his wife who apparently has a slice of the action at BAE Systems and is said to answer to the nickname of 'Bomber'.

Dave's committee appearance was not the only foreign affairs excitement of the day. Andrew Mitchell, deputy foreign secretary, earlier took questions in the Commons. He was just in from Manhattan, having attended some United Nations beano on population and development. The time and money wasted on these shindigs is worthy of the reign of Nero. Sir Julian Lewis (Con, New Forest East) put Mr Mitchell in his box quite neatly by raising some Ukraine matter and asking him to 'take this message back to his boss'. Mitchell the gentleman's gentleman.

The Lords International Relations and Defence committee, where Lord Cameron and General Houghton clashed over spending

Giles Watling (Con, Garrick Club) also brought Mr Mitchell down a few thousand feet by inviting him to join him and that old tusker Sir Edward Leigh (Con, Gainsborough) on a trip to Calais.

One imagines such an expedition might include rather a lot of clanking plastic bags from Duty Free and a post-prandial stroll on the ferry deck. Mr Mitchell turned a greenish tinge and called Brother Watling's offer 'an unbelievably tempting offer', though he was not quite heard to accept it.

We ALSO had a former head of MI6, Sir Alex Younger, at the Commons Foreign Affairs committee. Sir Alex was wonderfully smooth: expensive cream shirt, a soft drawl (hard to overhear in hotel lobbies), crinkly eyes, flashes of a sad, unconvincing smile. He opened by asking the members to introduce themselves. It's normally the other way round. The MPs meekly gave their names and constituencies. How easy to take these bozos psychological captive.

He spoke without notes in elegant sentences, greasing the pan with some self-deprecation ('I was head of counter-terrorism for a reasonably significant time'). He admitted the Iraq War spawned terrorism. He thought 'the threat environment' was 'deteriorating'. And he used words like 'sanguine' and 'interplay' and 'disaggregated' and 'fissiparous'. The committee's chairman Alicia Kearns blinked a bit at that last one. Fissiparous? Isn't that a resort in North Cyprus?
Everywhere one looks young people seem unhappy. They also almost certainly detest the Tories more than ever.

They have many grouses, most of them legitimate. Top of the list, according to polls, is the shortage of affordable housing, which is most acute in London and the South-East.

The young justifiably lament that it's so much harder for them to get on to the housing ladder than it was for their parents and grandparents. The cost of renting even a modest flat has soared in real terms.

No surprise, then, that the number of young people intending to vote Conservative in the next election is vanishingly small.

Nor should there be any surprise that Labour is planning to cash in on their disenchantment. It has vowed to loosen planning laws, which are said to be too restrictive.

Wes Streeting reacting to Policing minister Chris Philp appearing to confuse the countries of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Question Time

Policing minister Chris Philp appears on Question Time to discuss migration last week

Sir Keir Starmer has promised that, if elected, Labour will build 1.5 million new homes over five years, which equates to 300,000 a year. This is somewhat higher than the Tories' recent record. Last year about 240,000 new dwellings were constructed in England.

Whether Labour really will fulfil its target is doubtful. After all, the Tories aimed to build 300,000 new homes a year and have fallen short, though not for want of trying. It's not easy to find the space to build enough houses where they're wanted.

Nevertheless, many young people will go along to the polling station at the general election in the belief that the shortage of decent accommodation, caused by incompetent, uncaring Tories, will be reversed by that nice Sir Keir Starmer.

The young don't generally ask themselves the following question. Is there a reason  aside from Tory failings  that helps to explain why the housing crisis is much worse for this generation than for previous ones?

If one compares the 1970s with the past decade, one finds broadly similar levels of housebuilding. And yet 50 years ago the young didn't grumble about the expense and shortage of homes in the way they do now.

W hat has changed, of course, is population growth, which is largely driven by immigration. Over the past 20 years the population of England has rocketed. People arriving here need somewhere to live.

That uncontrolled immigration has been a major cause of the housing crisis is barely acknowledged by most young people, who tend to be far more relaxed about mass migration than older folk.

There was an illuminating example on BBC1's Question Time last week of this widespread reluctance to connect very high numbers of new arrivals with our housing problems.

The programme was aired from Tottenham, North London, and the audience was ethnically diverse, as well as unsympathetic to the Government. If there were any Tories present, they certainly kept their heads down.

One subject of debate concerned Rwanda. It expanded into a general discussion about immigration. A member of the panel, Victor Adebowale, the chairman of the NHS Confederation, dwelt on the 'benefits of migration', and suggested that wanting to curtail it might be racist. His remarks provoked enthusiastic applause.

Several contributions from the audience, black and white alike, were strongly critical of the Rwanda scheme, and supportive of immigration. The two Tories on the five-person panel  journalist Charles Moore and Government minister Chris Philp  agreed that immigration brings benefits, while adding that it should be controlled. Their comments drew little applause.

There then followed a debate about housing. A young man asked: 'How will you solve London's housing crisis and give young people like me the security you had?' Owning his own house was a 'dream'.

Shadow Health Minister Wes Streeting declared that more homes must be built. The audience agreed. No one  including the two Tories on the panel, who perhaps felt they had already been subjected to enough verbal battering  suggested that one way of addressing the housing crisis was to rein in immigration, which is running at record levels.

That poor young man, who believes he has no prospect of ever owning his own home, is probably unaware that the unprecedentedly high levels of immigration over the past 20 years have been a major contributory factor.

There's no mystery about the relationship between the shortage of homes and high immigration. It is a fact. And yet few politicians dare mention it. Most debate on the subject is therefore dishonest.

It would be perfectly honest to be in favour of high levels of immigration and to openly accept the inevitable effect on the supply of housing. What is dishonest is the pretence that there is no connection.

In January, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) forecast that the UK population will increase from 67 million at the time of the 2021 census to nearly 74 million by 2036. According to the ONS, the growth will be overwhelmingly due to net immigration.

It actually assumes that governments will succeed in bringing this down from a record 745,000 in 2022 to about 315,000 by mid-2028, where it is expected to settle.

N ew figures showing that fewer visas are being handed out to students and foreign workers suggest that the Government is beginning to get to grips with the problem. Nonetheless, there's no reason to revise the ONS forecast that the UK population will grow by roughly 10 per cent in the space of 15 years.

That means an awful lot more homes. The Right-leaning Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) has analysed the ONS figures, and predicts that 5.7 million homes will have to be built between 2021 and 2036  that's 380,000 a year, far more than Labour envisages. The CPS reckons that net migration will account for 41 per cent of the demand for extra housing.

If these figures are anywhere near correct  and they confirm the pattern of the past two decades  the demand for homes will continue to outstrip supply. That implies that house prices will remain high, and young people will still be denied the availability of affordable housing enjoyed by their parents and grandparents.

There was an illuminating example on BBC1's Question Time last week of this widespread reluctance to connect very high numbers of new arrivals with our housing problems

An inflatable dinghy carrying migrants crosses the English Channel on March 6, 2024 in Dover

There's a limit to the number of homes any government can build in London and the already congested South-East. I suspect that Labour will struggle to reach its target of 300,000 a year in England. Whether it succeeds or not, a lot of the countryside will be concreted over.

Of course, the consequences are equally apparent in the rental sector. According to the statistically impeccable Migration Watch, immigrant households in London in 2017 accounted for nearly two thirds of all households in the private rented sector, and nearly a half in social housing. I daresay those proportions have increased.

It is intellectually incontinent to be in favour of high immigration while grumbling about the housing crisis. Yet one so often hears discussions on radio and television in which the lack of decent homes is blamed entirely on the Tories' inability to build enough of them. Immigration is very seldom mentioned.

Can't we be honest? Unless immigration is brought under control, there won't be enough homes, and the young will continue to feel disadvantaged and alienated. This is a truth which shamefully few politicians, Tory or Labour, have the courage to declare.
Marshall Blucher was the Prussian general whose just-in-time arrival secured Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815.

The Duke of Wellington (Con) called it 'a damned nice thing, the nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life'. Had Blucher's forces arrived a few hours later, the battle could have gone the other way.

Rishi Sunak is also running things 'damned nice'. He arrived for PMQs knowing recent days had, good grief, actually gone quite well. The Rwanda policy suddenly seemed to be working. Immigration numbers were down. Post-Brexit trade was up. If the general election is to be Mr Sunak's Waterloo, might these policies be his Blucher? Or has the old Prussian arrived too late this time?

Sir Keir Starmer, though short and chunky, is no Napoleon. The Labour leader glided in, for once without deputy Angela Rayner.

Defector Dan looked like an intern who'd been asked to run a stool sample to the lab

Rishi Sunak speaking during PMQs in the House of Commons on Wednesday

As you possibly heard, Mrs Rayner has developed a nasty case of strangles and may have to be put down by the equine vet. Sir Keir will cope with that just fine. Angela is not his sort of nag.

Behind the nasal knight sat Dan Poulter (Lab, Central Suffolk and North Ipswich), who just defected from the Tories.

Sir Keir disgorged himself of a long spiel about how everyone was now joining his 'changed' Labour Party. Mr Sunak chirruped how pleased he was to see Dr Poulter in the chamber.

This was a dig at the bloke's attendance record. Before last weekend, I had forgotten that he was still an MP, so seldom was he seen.

Little Rishi had another reason for being glad to see the defective doctor. He had a list of some disobliging things Dr Poulter recently said about his local Labour council  oh dear, his new comrades.

This was widely enjoyed. Defectors are never much liked at Westminster. Dr Poulter, far from radiating joy, looked like an intern who had just been asked to run a stool sample down to the lab.

Sir Keir gnawed the dryish bone of a '46billion spending commitment' he thinks Mr Sunak has made with his vague talk about scrapping the national insurance tax. Sir Keir's aim: Frighten the giblets off oldies and float the idea that the Tories will scrap state pensions. Mr Sunak: 'Of course we can rule that out.'

Labour's pursuit of this 46billion 'black hole'  which like most black holes is an elusive concept, comprehensible only to boffins  is interesting in that it suggests Labour has little else to say. It also shows that Sir Keir, for all his adenoidal halo-polishing, is comfortable with dishonesty.

Dr Dan Poulter (seated behind Keir Starmer), who quit the Tory Party in anger over its handling of the NHS, sitting the Labour benches for the first time since his defection during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday

To a sketch writer who believes all senior politicians are liars, this is reassuring.

A Tory standing near the Speaker's chair was making a racket by whacking a wooden wall to show support for Mr Sunak. Speaker Lindsay Hoyle was driven to exasperation by this din and said whoever was responsible would have to pay for any damage done to the fixtures and fittings. That did the trick. If they can't stick it on expenses, they won't do it.

For a while, it seemed no one was going to mention the delicious mess the Irish government has got itself into over trying to impose a hard border in Ulster to stop our illegal immigrants legging it down south.

Carla Lockhart (DUP, Upper Bann) put that right with a wordy rant against the republic government's 'hypocrisy'. Lady May (Con, Maidenhead) looked rueful. Mr Sunak did his best not to laugh at Dublin's predicament.

After PMQs, a home office minister did a statement on immigration numbers and Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch did one on trade growth. All this good news was too much for the opposition. Only one Labour backbencher was present for Mrs Badenoch's statement. On the subject of immigration, the Scots Nats' Alison Thewliss went v pink and called the Government 'fascist'. Oliver Dowden in jackboots? It's not impossible, I suppose.

A debate was also held on school truancy. It was sparsely attended.
Lord Lloyd-Webber, honoured with the Garter by King Charles after reducing him to tears with his coronation anthem, fails to strike a universal chord with his tribute.

Tasked by Charles with creating a piece of music to rival the still-performed works of Walton, Howells and Vaughan Williams from the 1953 crowning, it doesn't seem to have caught on.

None of Monday's Coronation Day anniversary musical celebrations at Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral or St George's Chapel will include Andrew's Make A Joyful Noise.

'It must be hummable,' the King told the composer, who revealed that HM had 'goosebumps and tears' when he heard it. Is the anthem, like the quiche which replaced Coronation Chicken, to be consigned to royal history?

Andrew Lloyd Webber's composition commissioned by King Charles failed to make it to Coronation Day anniversary celebrations

Tasked by Charles with creating a piece of music to rival the still-performed works of Walton, Howells and Vaughan Williams, it doesn't seem to have caught on

George Galloway, embarrassed by ITV's Good Morning Britain presenter Richard Madeley, who asked him about his blatant sycophancy towards Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein, resorts to childish retaliation.

He tweets about Madeley's 1994 arrest and acquittal for shoplifting: 'If I believed everything I read on the internet I'd think Richard Madeley stole two bottles of champagne and was a shoplifter,' mewls George. 'He isn't. He just forgot to pay for them.' Grow up, Galloway!

Britain's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell recalls a boast by Richard Branson in 2012 that he would fly the contestants in his soon-to-be-launched spacecraft. 'I swear to God he said, 'We'll sponsor the show and the first act will appear in space,' recalls Simon. 'So I'm thinking, 'Perfect!' I kept calling him, saying, 'When's the spacecraft ready?' Never heard another word.' Grounded Beardie is still staring at the stars.

Richard Branson boasted to Simon Cowell that he would fly BGT contestants in his soon-to-be-launched spacecraft

War correspondent Jeremy Bowen still bristles at the BBC's censorship of his 15-year-old report from Gaza, when an editor objected to his description of the Israeli military occupation as 'brutal'.

'He said he'd rather I didn't call it brutal,' recalls Bowen. 'I said I'm not going to change my script; I thought, 'Screw him!' And then it went out and they had snipped the word 'brutal' out.'

Why did curmudgeonly Brian Cox, describing the prospect of a knighthood as 'b******s', accept a CBE in 2003? 'I did it out of respect for my late sister who was a royalist. I thought it would be churlish to turn it down.' You can always send it back, Coxy!

Brian Cox accepted a CBE in 2003 'out of respect for my late sister who was a royalist'

Donny Osmond fan Ed Balls sang Love Me For A Reason when he had the toothy warbler on Good Morning Britain.

'I waited, thinking Donny was going to sing back [the next line of the song] 'Let the reason be love,' recalls Balls. 'There was a pause and Donny said, 'Ed, let me do the singing.'
Arrogance says she doesn't care what the haters say and she loves her husband

His run-ins with the law started at 14 and he's been in and out of prison ever since

A woman who gained online fame after documenting her life as a 'prison wife' has insisted her husband is not using her for her money - despite spending $80,000 on gifts for him while he was incarcerated.

Arrogance, from Puyallup, Washington, first met Zyion at a barbecue years ago, not knowing he had just been released from prison, but was immediately intrigued by him.

'I was like, "Who is that chocolate drop?"' the 33-year-old recalled. 'I'm like, "Oh, I need him, I'm going to get him."'

But their love story was slow to start as the pair did not strike up a conversation until a few weeks after they met.

Arrogance, 33, first met Zyion at a barbecue years ago, not knowing he had just been released from prison, but was immediately intrigued by him

Their love story was slow to start as the pair did not strike up a conversation until a few weeks after they met

Zyion said a few weeks after the barbecue his cousin asked why he hadn't contacted Arrogance, to which he indigently replied that she hadn't contacted him - only to find out she actually had.

'She sent me a pair of eyes - some emojis,' he recalled.

'I'm fresh out of prison,' Zyion exclaimed. 'I didn't know what an emoji was.'

Zyion said his run-ins with the law started when he was just 14 with trips to juvenile institutions that turned much lengthier prison sentences.

'By the time I'm done with this ankle bracelet I've given this adult prison system 10 years of my life,' he said.

Zyion and Arrogance married in July 2019, but he was back behind bars just a few months later in September, and was then sentenced again just before Covid.

'I actually got to prison a week before Covid, they shut the whole prison down - no visits, no nothing,' he explained.

'We didn't have visit for two years,' Arrogance chimed in. 'We had video visits for a year.'

The couple say that Arrogance received backlash when she started sharing her life as a 'prison wife' online, particularly after revealing how much she spend on gifts for him - which she estimates totaled $80,000 (pictured with the tracksuits she bought him)

She showed off the lavish gifts she'd given to her husband, including a rack full of matching designer track suits and over $1,000 worth of cologne

The loved-up woman says she doesn't understand people who ask her what she's getting out of being married to a man in prison

'But we got those taken away,' Zyion interjected. 'We were doing too much stuff that wasn't PG13.'

Arrogance said she remained faithful to her husband the whole time he's been in prison and continued supporting him.

'I'm not one of those who are "oh he did the crime so I'm not going to do the time,"' she said in a video posted to social media when Zyion was in prison.

'We going to do time together baby, I didn't give him no hard time,' she said sassily.

Arrogance said she spent the time he was in prison dedicated to her husband and going to school - but had ways she kept herself from missing him too much, including a personalized comforter set.

'I said: "I'll hug this pillow until I can hug you,"' Arrogance recalled. 'And I kept it on until he got released four years later.'

The couple say that Arrogance received backlash when she started sharing her life as a 'prison wife' online, particularly after revealing how much she spend on gifts for him - which she estimates totaled $80,000.

She showed off the lavish gifts she'd given to her husband, including a rack full of matching designer track suits and over $1,000 worth of cologne.

The loved-up woman says she doesn't understand people who ask her what she's getting out of being married to a man in prison, with many commenting on her stories warning he would leave her when he's released.

'I said: "I'll hug this pillow until I can hug you,"' Arrogance recalled. 'And I kept it on until he got released four years later'

Now, the couple are expecting a baby which was conceived while Zyion was in jail, the couple were allowed conjugal visits

'It's deeper than that,' she insisted, with Zyion saying he urges her not to read the negative comments.

'Hate is you expressing love in a negative way,' he said.

Arrogance and Zyion were allowed conjugal visits after two-and-a-half years of Zyion being in prison, partly due to Covid.

'You have to be basically a straight A student,' Arrogance explained. 'We stay in a trailer [in the prison compound], they're really really nice.'

Arrogance explained the trailers they use for the conjugal visits are set up like a 'little house.'

'You set it up how you want during those 48 hours,' Zyion added.

Arrogance said she always made sure to 'deep clean' before they met up in the trailer.

'I sanitize everything,' she explained. 'I won't even sit on the couches or I put sheets on everything I'm telling you I know the stuff I was doing in the conjugal, so I could just imagine what others was doing.'

The couple - who are now expecting a baby boy that was conceived during one of the conjugal visits - admitted that their family members sometimes struggle with their relationship.

'My sisters and his family members, some of them were very judgmental,' Arrogance explained.

Arrogance said her older sister Dorothy was particularly skeptical of their relationship (pictured is Dorothy)

She said her older sister Dorothy was particularly skeptical of their relationship.

'I just felt like he wasn't on her level at the time, [then] all of a sudden he wants to marry her after he's fighting a case?' she recalled incredulously. 'I'm like f that I think he's using her.'

Arrogance admitted that during Zyion's incarnation she didn't reveal as much of her relationship with her sister because she would be judgmental in certain situations.

'I hated it [when Arrogance and Zyion started dating],' Dorothy admitted.

Arrogance said her sister was largely concerned with who was paying the bills and things that were 'out of her concern.'

'I didn't like how much they talked - it really irritated my soul,' Dorothy said. 'We would be talking mid conversation it's like, "oh Z is calling I got to call you back."

'I'm like "what do you guys have to talk about?"' she exclaimed. 'I think she probably spent $1,000 in a week on phone calls which was ridiculous to me.'

'I don't feel like she lived her life in those four years,' the loyal sister continued. 'I think she just was stuck in a rut.

Dorothy said Zyion needs to 'prove' to her that he's 'worth all that money that she spent.'

'She could have been traveling the world with me,' Dorothy pointed out.

However, Arrogance argues that if she'd listened to other people she wouldn't be in her relationship right now.

'This is the happiest I've been in any relationship,' she added.

According to Zyion, his relationship with Arrogance has 'elevated' his life, 'because being with a woman of her stature, you have to grow up.'
The man with the largest penis in Britain claims he's been 'inundated' with 'explicit' messages from women since his recent appearance on television.

Matt Barr, who has a penis that measures 12.2 inches, is now recognised in the street, with people 'whispering' at him as he walks past.

The 40-year-old, from London, left This Morning viewers and the show's presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard squirming in their seats last week, as he discussed the downsides of being so well endowed.

Now Matt has revealed that his inbox is filling up daily with messages from women interested in meeting him.

'It's unusual to see that women are excited by me,' the AI specialist said. 'I've not replied to any of them, as I don't think it's appropriate  but I've been tempted.

Matt Barr, who has a penis that measures in at 12.2 inches, is now recognised in the street, with people 'whispering' at him as he walks past

The 40-year-old from London went on This Morning last week and has since been sent many explicit messages from both men and women

'I went on the show with a purpose, not to find hook-ups.'

He said that lots of women want to experience sex with him and are 'offering for me to come round to their houses'.

'I've had a few saying: "I may have a boyfriend, but you're always welcome over", because I'm bigger than them.'

Aside from women, he's also had a few 'seedy' messages from men. Matt has also received requests for photographs of his member.

He said: 'I've been asked so many times for a picture of me [erect]. Often, these people are offering hundreds of pounds to see it.

'I've thought about doing it, and the video requests, because it's good money. But I don't want to go down that route, as it'll open up an unknown future that I don't want to think about.

'Some of the messages are very explicit, saying what they want to do with me and my penis.

'Most of the time, though, it's invites  or people saying that their friend is lonely and could use my company.'

The current record-holder for the world's largest penis is Roberto Esquivel Cabrera, from Saltillo, Mexico, who claimed to have a penis measuring a whopping 18.9 inches.

But a radiologist Dr Jesus Pablo Gil Muro accused him of exaggerating the length. He examined Mr Cabrera, said that the man refused to take off all of the bandages around his penis and wouldn't let the doctor see the skin.

Matt says women have invited him over to their homes before because he is 'bigger' than their boyfriends

Matt's penis measures in at more than 11inches, giving him the biggest penis in Britain (size demonstrated by Ben on This Morning)

Jonah Falcon, from New York, was the previous record holder. He is famed for having a 13.5-inch penis and accused Mr Cabrera of being a fraud.

Matt has not been approached by anyone in person but there have been plenty of stares while on his way to work.

Matt added: 'I've had people look at me funny and then whisper something to their friend. But I've not yet been approached.

'It's been hard to leave the house, as I never know if someone's going to do or say something inappropriate.

'But for now, I'm carrying on as normal and accepting who I am.'

Last week, he discussed how the size of his penis comes with its own set of problems, including difficulties when he was dating.

Matt explained: 'It's difficult, because it's not something you really spring on people as a surprise, because it just does scare people away generally.

'But obviously [you don't want to be] creepy and bring it up too early. [So] how you start that conversation?'

He added that the size of his penis had got him into trouble once during a yoga class, when he was asked to leave as it was thought he was aroused due to the size of his appendage.

According to Matt: 'I was wearing a very baggy shirt and shorts [but because of the] yoga positions, people just got the wrong idea.

'And that's the way it sometimes goes, but you can you can dress normally, baggy clothing, and it's not too difficult.'

But that wasn't the worst experience he has had - describing a worse situation, Matt revealed that once he went on a date, during which the woman he was seeing had an 'ulterior motive'.

While Matt thought it was a 'normal date', it turned out he'd been asked out by the woman as she wanted him to appear on her OnlyFans and use him to make money.

When This Morning host Ben Shephard asked if Matt had considered having an operation to minimise the size of his penis, he explained that he likely wouldn't.

Matt explained: 'I have looked into this - it's very expensive surgery, it costs about 15,000 roughly.

'It's not done very often. It's only done normally, in the cases of tumours and things like that. In the case of normal function, it's not common.'
What could be more nerve-shredding than the prospect of a date with a complete stranger? Each week, we pair up two readers whove never met before and hope love will bloom, with some very mixed results. But clearly fortune occasionally favours the brave... for even we couldnt have predicted just how well this weeks plucky pair would get on. Read the full story of their Blind Date below.

Ellie, 39

VITAL STATISTICS

Single for six months, no children (would like them!)

CURRENT ROLE

Business owner, PR agency.

WOULD LIKE TO MEET

A tall, attractive, kind animal lover who would like to start a family.

Ellie, 39, says Bartley immediately put her at her ease at the start of their blind date

DATING PAST

I got divorced after seven years with my husband in 2017. Then I met someone in 2020, but we split up last November. Ive just turned 39 and I really want children. My biological clock is ticking louder and louder! So while Id like love and a family, I will go ahead and have children on my own if need be. Mum says Im scaring men off by talking about it, but I need to be open and honest from the off.

PRE-DATE NERVES?

Yes, I get a little nervous before any first date, and more so when having lunch with a complete stranger. This was scary.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS?

I clocked Bartley at our table straight away because he looked slightly nervous. He smiled and stood up to greet me, giving me a kiss on the cheek. He is slightly taller than me (Im 5ft 10 and he is 6ft) plus he had a warm smile and made good eye contact. He immediately put me at my ease.

EASY TO TALK TO?

Yes, we covered past relationships and we did talk about wanting children. Whereas Bartley is open-minded and hopes to become a father, I made it clear Im determined to become a mum. We laughed a lot and got on so well that after our meal we mutually decided to go on elsewhere. Even though I had a friend on standby, she was happy to stand down while Bartley showed me all the London sights. We walked along the South Bank, then got a boat to Woolwich, where Bartley lives.

Ellie and Bartley walked along the South Bank and then took a boat to Greenwich

EMBARRASSING MOMENTS?

I knocked my drink over and some of it went on to Bartleys shoes, but he didnt mind. What a gent!

DID SPARKS FLY?

Yes, definitely. Its refreshing that Bartley is a real grown-up and easy on the eye. Because we spent ten hours together (although it didnt feel like it), we easily fell into holding hands. A woman who saw us walking along the street even stopped to say how lovely we looked as a couple. We spent the early evening listening to live music, and, yes, we might have had a kiss at the end. The best things really can happen when you go outside of your comfort zone.

SEE HIM AGAIN?

Yes. After a drink in Bartleys local pub, he put me on the last train to my friends house. He asked for my number and I gave it to him. Were in touch and Bartley is hoping to visit over the May Day bank holiday.

WHAT DO YOU THINK HE THOUGHT OF YOU?

I think he really liked me. I explained Im in the middle of launching a mental health and suicide prevention community interest company to help support people. This is a cause Im very passionate about having lost my dad to suicide when I was four. Bartley was very complimentary about it.

WOULD YOUR FAMILY LIKE HIM?

Absolutely. Hes got a good sense of humour. My friends would like him for making me smile. Im still smiling about our fun weekend.

ELLIE'S VERDICT: 10/10

LIKED? Bartley put me at my ease.

REGRETS? None at all.

COFFEE OR CAB? Coffee.

Bartley, 47

VITAL STATISTICS

Single for four years. No children. One dog.

CURRENT ROLE

MD for an education business that supports disadvantaged children.

WOULD LIKE TO MEET

Someone kind-hearted and affectionate, who loves dogs and cherishes lifes simple pleasures.

Bartley, 47, says Ellie had a massive smile and came across as a positive and bubbly person

DATING PAST

Ive always been in long-term relationships. I was with my last partner for five years, but our split coincided with Covid and it was tough. Since then, Ive had various dates and made valuable friendships but they lacked a deeper connection.

PRE-DATE NERVES?

Not really, I approached the date with an open mind.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS?

Very positive. Ellie walked in, looking stunning in a pale pink dress which matched my shirt. She had a massive smile, appearing as happy to see me as I was her, and came across as a positive and bubbly person. I greeted her with a hug and kiss and let her decide where she wanted to sit.

EASY TO TALK TO?

Yes, we both joked that the other seemed normal and asked why we decided to go for a blind date. Ellie has good northern banter, but there is a lot of depth to her, too. Shes attractive, has good values and is passionate about causes and the people in her life. Ellie is one of those people that make you better by just being around her. We both recognise that when youre building a relationship, you have to work hard.

EMBARRASSING MOMENTS?

We had a spontaneous encounter with a lady who told us what an attractive couple she thought we were, and said Ellie was beautiful. We had to explain wed only just met and were on a blind date.

Ellie and Bartley pose in front of Big Ben while taking in the sights of London after lunch

DID SPARKS FLY?

Yes. Im surprised Ellie is single. Beauty is one thing, but when you scratch the surface, shes very inspiring. We laughed a lot and there was definite chemistry between us. Did we kiss? Yes  all good first dates end with a kiss.

SEE HER AGAIN?

Of course! Shes invited me to a concert in Leeds in a few weeks and Ive got tickets for another one in London Ive invited her to.

WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE THOUGHT OF YOU?

Id like to think Ellie found me funny and attractive  she seemed to enjoy herself on the date. We have messaged one another a few times since.

WOULD YOUR FRIENDS LIKE HER?

Yes, Ellie has an infectious personality. Shes quick-witted and funny. My friends and family have the same self-deprecating humour, so Ellie would fit right in.

BARTLEY'S VERDICT: 10/10

LIKED? Ellie - she's the whole package.

REGRETS? No, not now!

COFFEE OR CAB? Coffee.

Interviews: SAMANTHA BRICK
Rosin and Matt went head to head in last night's final episode of BBC One show

BBC One show Interior Design Masters has reached its aesthetic crescendo at regal Blenheim Palace - with the two remaining contestants taking polar opposite approaches to try and impress the judges.

Designers Rosin and Matt went head-to-head in the last episode of the series, which aired on Tuesday, with the pair challenged to revamp two holiday lodges in the grounds of the historic country pile where Sir Winston Churchill was born.

An emotional Rosin was crowned winner after she won over the judges - Michelle Ogundehin and US designer Jonathan Adler, with her highly eclectic design, which featured bold, floral patterned wallpaper - including on the ceilings, a bright yellow living room and scallop fringes galore.

The marmite design divided viewers though, with many suggesting the collision of colour and use of patterns was 'headache-inducing' and at odds with the peaceful, rural setting.

Wham bam! Rosin's winning design in the final episode of Interiors Design Masters featured bold colours, wallpapered ceilings and lots of scallop fringeing

The living room of the winning design was painted yellow - but judges Michelle Ogundehin and US designer Jonathan Adler said they loved the vibrant vision of Rosin's holiday lodge

'Dream come true' The moment Rosin was crowned the latest winner of the BBC One design show

The show's host Alan Carr moves in to console Matt, who many said was 'robbed' of victory

Meanwhile Matt opted for a 'brooding' look, using panelling and black paint for the hallways, a black dado rail in the living room area and a gold leaf kitchen island.

He tied in modern gold chandeliers and baroque wall arts to reflect the grandiose decor of the palace - and presenter Alan Carr declared 'Matt for the win'...but then later uttered the same words to rival Rosin.

However, sadly for Matt, the judges were more impressed with Rosin's blast of colour, suggesting that Matt's sofa wasn't big enough in the living room and he'd spent too much time on pannelling rooms.

When the winner was finally announced by judge Michelle, Matt looked as moody as his decor at the results, viewers noted.

On social media, many suggesting the talented young designer had been 'robbed' - suggesting that Rosin's dizzying decor was too much for a tourist stay.

One wrote: 'Matt on Interior Design Masters really can't hide how p****d off he is at losing.'

Another wrote: 'Rosin is lovely BUT Matt was robbed. His scheme was classy and professional & he nailed the brief.'

A furious viewer raged: 'One designer followed the brief and the other went wild. Totally wrong decision and unfair. Matt, you won.'

Matt had, said viewers, followed the brief of incorporating regal themes from Blenheim Palace; the two lodges sit in the grounds of the Oxfordshire pile

Matt to black: The designer painted the bedroom, kitchen units and a dado rail in the living area in dark shades

How's Matt's kitchen looked: he told the programme that he had no regrets about his design

Guest judge Jonathan Adler wanted a bigger sofa for kicking back in in Matt's living room

Rosin's shock when her name is read out; meanwhile Matt struggled to hide his disappointment

The runner-up 'didn't try to hide' his annoyance at not winning the show, noted one viewer

Many suggested Matt should have been awarded the top prize, because he 'followed the brief'

Another didn't mince their words, writing: 'I laughed... as if that blast of horrendous mess of colour was top design - if they gave me that lodge at Blenheim I would leave. Loved the other one - classy and relaxing. The winner was like the vomit room. Sorry - love the series but really?'

Rosin's colourful rooms - including wallpaper on the ceiling also won fans though, including one who penned: 'Im so glad she won! Love Matt, but Rosin wins for me every time, she is amazing!'

Judge Michelle said Matt was a little too focused on panelling with his design

In the pink: Rosin matched a pale pink kitchen with her bold nature-inspired wallpaper in the kitchen

Scalloped design - including on the headboard in Rosin's bedroom - was very trendy, said designer Jonathan Adler

The designer, who began decorating her parents home and has an unashamed love of bright colours, said lifting the trophy 'really is a dream come true'.

Meanwhile, a disappointed Matt told viewers: 'No regrets at all. I did me, showed what I could do, stick to my guns and you know it's got me this far. I'm happy.'

Rosin will now get the chance to design a homeware collection with La Redoute.

Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr is available on BBC iPlayer.
Around 3 million pensions worth a staggering 65 billion are estimated to be lost, meaning many people are missing out on thousands of pounds.

According to financial journalist Claer Barrett, speaking on Lorraine today, with some simple admin, you can find out if one of your pensions is among them - which could be worth upwards of 20,000.

She told Lorraine that pensions can be lost when people move home, or change jobs, and with people now changing job more than ever, their pensions can fall through the cracks.

She added: 'If you think about how employment has changed since when our parents had a job for life or a very small number of jobs, nowadays, the average worker does seven or eight roles within their working life.

'If you're younger, it's going be even more. Since they changed the law 12 years ago, your employer has to give you a pension providing you earn over a minimum amount around 10,000.

According to financial journalist Claer Barrett (pictured) it's worth doing some admin work to find out if you have any missing pensions, which could be worth thousands

'So that's a lot of little pension pots that we collect throughout our working life and often it's not until retirement, or maybe we hit a significant birthday, that we actually think, "crikey, what have I got?".'

According to Claer, it can be 'worse for women' because 'it's harder for firms to find us because we're more likely to change our names, married, divorced, and also, women tend to have less in their pensions because we don't earn as much, and we take breaks to have children, so it's even more imperative that women get the detective work done'.

She added that the good news is that with lost pensions, the money will still be there, and still invested, so it should hopefully have grown over time.

So how do you find your missing pension pots?

Claer said: 'There are loads of free resources that we can use to find out where our pensions are.

'So go through your CV and work out where you used to work. Also, it's a great excuse to get in touch with old colleagues, because they might know who the pension provider for your firm was, because it's workplace pensions we'll be talking about.

'Then you need to get in touch with either the company, or if the company doesn't exist anymore, the pension provider.'

Claer noted that there are three websites to mention.

Claer shared a number of resources that can help you find missing pensions, including the Pension Wise website (pictured)

She listed them, saying: 'First of all, Money Helper. That's the government's money website. They have a great big section on their website about tracking down a lost pension. It also connects to another service called the pension tracing service, which again, the government provides.

'Now you can do a template letter on Money Helper once you find out the details of who your pension might be.

'There's also another private service which is free called Gretl, as in Hansel and Gretel... that doesn't just look for pensions, that looks for all kinds of other lost things, lost bank accounts, lost investments, lost child trust funds, which are another thing that tends to go missing.

'Then we also have another one to mention, which is Pension Wise. Now, once you find all of your pension pots, I would then go to Pension Wise - if you're over 50-years-old, you get a one hour appointment.

'Again, it's a government backed service. It gives you guidance on what you could do with those pensions. '

Financial journalist Claer Barrett (pictured, left) discusses how to find your missing pensions during Lorraine this morning (Lorraine pictured, right)

Depending on where you live, this could be an online video call, or an in-person meeting.

Finally, there is one other thing to bear in mind, according to Claer.

She said: 'Pensions fall outside of our wills. If we die, and there's money left in our pension, who gets it depends on who we have nominated as our beneficiary at the time - normally when we started the pension.

'If you are a young worker, you might have put your mum and dad, and they might not be with you anymore. You might have put an ex partner who you've since divorced.

'So that's something that you need to do with every single pension that you do - track down and trace make sure that you filled out that form and nominated beneficiaries form.'
Princess Tatiana and Queen Anne-Marie chatted away at the event in Athens

Princess Tatiana of Greece looked in high spirits as she attended an Olympic Handover ceremony with her mother-in-law after her separation announcement.

The Greek royal, 43, cut an elegant figure as she opted to don a vibrant sapphire-blue matching ensemble whilst accompanying Queen Anne-Marie, 77, to the event on 26 April.

After almost 14 years of marriage, Princess Tatiana and Prince Nikolaos shocked royal fans when they unexpectedly announced their separation on April 19.

Prince Nikolaos' mother, Queen Anne-Marie, sat next to her husband's estranged wife as the pair arrived together at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.

According to HELLO! Greece, Venezuela-born Tatiana will keep her Princess title after the divorce, although given the Greek monarchy has been defunct since 1967, it carries social prestige rather than any constitutional meaning.

Princess Tatiana, 43, cut an elegant figure as she opted to don a vibrant sapphire-blue matching ensemble

She looked in high spirits as she attended the event in Athens today amid her separation announcement

Prince Nikolaos' mother, Queen Anne-Marie, sat next to her former daughter-in-law as the pair arrived together at the the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens

After almost 14 years of marriage, Princess Tatiana and Prince Nikolaos shocked royal fans as they unexpectedly announced their separation on April 19. Above: The pair pictured in 2011

Tatiana grinned as she put her best fashion foot forward in a patterned in blouse and flare trouser co-ord and tan-coloured heels.

She opted for stylish accessories, such as a patterned white box-clutch bag and a gold necklace with matching dangly earrings.

The royal opted for smoky eye makeup, with eyeliner, sparkly eye-shadow and mascara with a hint of lip gloss. She also let her blonde tresses hang loose in a chic, wavy blowdry.

Queen Anne-Marie, who is the widow of the late Constantine II, sported a monochrome polka dot dress and a cream jacket.

The pair were pictured chatting away as they watched the historic event unfold at the first modern Olympic stadium in the world.

The outing, which came just one week after the announcement, saw honoured quests of the Hellenic Olympic Committee signify the handover from Greece to France.

Greek Olympian Antigoni Ntrismpioti passed the iconic flame to the French Olympic gold and silver medallist in figure skating, Gabriella Papadakis.

She then gave to France's multiple Paralympic swimming gold medallist Beatrice Hess.

Queen Anne-Marie, who is the widow of the late Constantine II, sported a monochrome polka dot dress and a cream jacket as she went to the event with her former daughter-in-law

The Princess, 43, accompanied Queen Anne-Marie, 77, to the event on 26 April

The pair were pictured chatting away as they watched the historic event unfold at the first modern Olympic stadium in the world

Prince Nikolaos married Venezuelan-born Princess Tatiana, 43, in August 2010, and the pair had only been pictured together at a thanksgiving service for his father in Windsor in February. Constantine died in Athens last year of a stroke at the age of 82.

The wedding - which was described as 'Mamma Mia, but with aristocrats' - was attended by royalty from around the world, including monarchies from the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Spain.

In a statement put out on the Greek royal family's website, it stated: After fourteen years of marriage, [Tatiana and Nikolaos] have chosen to amicably dissolve their union.

'This decision was reached with great care and mutual respect, reflecting the depth of their appreciation for one another and the moments they have shared.

'Their future interactions will continue to be guided by these same principles of respect and understanding, as they transition into a relationship rooted in a strong friendship.

'They will continue to live and build their lives in Greece, a place they both call home. The Family will always support them.'

Down-to-earth Tatiana already seemed at odds with the extravagance of Greek royal life, asking the nobles and princes present to trade their formal wear for caftans and sandals.

Shortly after her wedding, she admitted: 'I do not feel like a princess. I do not feel that I married a prince, with a title. Well actually, yes, he is my prince, but nothing more.'

Tatiana was born in Venezuelan capital Caracas and went to boarding school in Switzerland before studying sociology at Georgetown.

Tatiana smiled as she put her best fashion foot forward in a patterned in blouse and flare trouser co-ord

Prince Nikolaos (right), 54, and Princess Tatiana (left), 43, wed in August 2010

The pair went to the event just one week after the palace made a public announcement about the separation

The couple met during a ski holiday in Switzerland in 2003 and announced their engagement six years later - with the wedding one of the high society events of the year.

Shortly after their wedding, Princess Tatiana left her job as an events' organiser for designer Diana Von Furstenberg, MailOnline previously reported.

She lived in Chelsea in London and visited Greece with Nikalaos for the first time in 2004, before moving there permanently in 2013.

Nikalaos, who was raised in Britain, had always dreamed of living in Greece, but his wife didn't feel the same way.

The aristocrat didn't speak any Greek, and told Vogue about her feelings on arriving into the country - which already hinted at how uncomfortable she was.

She told the fashion magazine: 'I remember when we drove in, it felt like everyone was traveling in the opposite direction.'

The wedding, on the island of Spetses, Greece, was a high society event of the year attended by royal dignitaries from across Europe

Prince Nikolaos and Princess Tatiana pictured in 2010, before their marriage, attending the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling

Prince Nikolaos and Princess Tatiana were pictured together in February this year for the late King of Greece's Thanksgiving service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle

In the same interview, she revealed that her new royal life was rather different to how you might expect.

She continued: 'I live a very simple life here. I work, I go to the supermarket, I cook, I walk my dog, and the Greek people have welcomed me like they would anyone else.'

Greek media has reported murmurs of estrangement in recent months - with the appearance at the Windsor memorial service in February the last time they were seen together in public.

The couple do not have any children. Prince Nikolaos is the third child of King Constantine II, Greece's last reigning monarch, who passed away on January 10 last year after suffering a stroke.
Princess Amalia said her time in Spain made her life in the Netherlands 'somewhat possible' again

Princess Amalia has spoken about being forced to move to Madrid after being threatened by organised crime groups in the Netherlands.

The heir to the Dutch throne said she was 'very grateful' to everyone who helped protect and keep her safe from kidnapping threats from organised crime gangs.

Amalia was forced to abandon plans to live in student halls over security fears, just weeks after she started at Amsterdam University to study politics, psychology, law and economics in October 2022.

The 20-year-old said her time in Spain made her life in the Netherlands 'somewhat possible' again and thanked everyone who helped her make the swift move possible.

Amalia spoke for the first time about her ordeal during celebrations for her father's birthday, where she was joined by her parents, Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and her sisters, Princess Ariane, 17, and 18-year-old Princess Alexia.

Princess Amalia said she felt as though she had more freedom in Spain than she would have done in the Netherlands

Princess Amalia looks in high spirits as she celebrated King's Day on the weekend

Princess Amalia, Queen Maxima, King Willem-Alexander, Princess Alexia of The Netherlands and Princess Ariane look joyous on King's Day

She spoke to Dutch outlet NOS and said: 'I must honestly say that it was a wonderful time, which also made life here somewhat possible.

'I'm extremely grateful and I'm happy to be back. I was able to find my freedom a little more there than was possible here.'

She also spoke with students from Emmen about university, adding that it is 'hard to study' and that she has to do a lot of work, but she finds her subjects interesting and is 'happy' to have the opportunity.

According to Bild, Amalia was asked how it felt to be back in the Netherlands but she had to be careful with her answer.

The royal said: 'I can't make any statements on the subject of safety. But the Netherlands is my home, so it's nice to be here again.'

Amalia, the eldest of three sisters, is said to speak fluent Spanish thanks to her mother, Queen Maxima, who is Argentine by birth.

Her father King Willem-Alexander also spoke about having his eldest daughter back.

He said, according to the German tabloid: 'Of course it's terrible when you see that your own daughter, who was so excited to spread her wings after Corona, wasn't able to spread those wings. Luckily it worked out in Madrid.'

Princess Amalia was joined by her whole family for King's Day as they chatted to the press

King Willem-Alexander said it was lucky that things worked out for her in Madrid, according to Bild

Princess Amalia is joined by her two teenage sisters as they pose for photos

The heir to the throne shares a funny moment with her father, King Willem-Alexander

The monarch has previously thanked King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain for 'a touching show of friendship at a difficult time' - after they 'helped arrange' Amalia's year-long stay in their country.

According to Dutch papers Nos News and AD, he said: 'A visit to Spain always feels like an embrace. Not only for us, but also for our eldest daughter.

'Last year, circumstances required her to live in Madrid. From there she was able to continue her studies at the University of Amsterdam. This was made possible by the kind efforts of many of your countrymen and yourself.

'A touching show of friendship at a difficult time. I would like to sincerely thank you and all others who helped arrange this.'

In his remarkably personal speech, the monarch added that the Dutch royal couple have a 'special place in our hearts' for Spain since it is where he met his wife Maxima for the first time, 25 years ago.

Officials would not confirm details of Amalia's initial departure from her studies in Amsterdam, but the move came weeks after reports that Amalia and Prime Minister Mark Rutte were mentioned in communications by organised crime groups - leading to fears of kidnappings.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at the time: 'I'm very sorry for her and I'm obviously very concerned about it.'

He added that Dutch authorities were doing everything to ensure that the princess is safe.

Princess Amalia is said to have been living in Amsterdam once again since February, and is continuing her studies

Princess Amalia during her first state visit with parents King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and King Felipe, Queen Letizia

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands (pictured right) made a touching speech in honour of King Felipe of Spain (pictured left) for 'helping arrange' his daughter's stay in Madrid

Her father, King Willem-Alexander, said in the podcast Through the Eyes of the King that the situation had 'had a very hard impact' on his daughter and his family

The Dutch royal family pose with umbrellas as they celebrate King's Day

'She can't live in Amsterdam and she can't really go outside (the palace)... It has enormous consequences on her life. There is no student life for her like others have,' said an emotional Queen Maxima at the time.

Amalia herself told reporters during a royal family tour of the Caribbean early last year that she missed 'the normal life of a student', having hoped she would be able to enjoy the student experience like her peers.

'Sadly the reality was different,' she said.

Her father, King Willem-Alexander, said in the podcast Through the Eyes of the King that the situation had 'had a very hard impact' on his daughter and his family.

'The uncertainty, the lack of freedom, that is not how you want to raise your children and what you want to pass on to your children,' he said.

NOS previously said the threat to Amalia had not completely disappeared, but she was able to return from Madrid to live and study in the Netherlands again due to unspecified 'measures'.

It was not clear what circumstances had changed that allowed for her safe return.

She is said to have been living in Amsterdam once again since February, and is continuing her studies.
Queen Mary and King Frederik posed for a snap with Princess Benedikte on her 80th birthday at Frederick VIII's Palace, in Amalienborg, one day after being accused of photoshopping their first official royal portrait.

The Danish royals shared the family portrait on their official Instagram page on Tuesday, which featured Queen Margrethe, 84, beside her two younger sisters Princess Benedikte, 80, and Queen Anne Marie of Greece, 77.

Mary, 52, and Frederik, 55, had invited Benedikte and family to a birthday lunch in Frederick VIII's Palace, where she was born and raised.

However the palace is today the residence of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Denmark- who took over the throne in January.

Benedikte, who sat in between her two sisters, looked picture perfect in a cream blazer and pale pink skirt.

Queen Mary and King Frederik posed for a snap with Princess Benedikte on her 80th birthday at Frederick VIII's Palace, in Amalienborg (pictured: Front row L-R Queen Anne Marie of Greece, Princess Benedikte, 80, Queen Margrethe , 84, back row L-R, Gustav Heinrich Richard, 14, Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, 49, Countess Ingrid von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, King Frederik, Queen Mary, Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, 59, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, 53, and Count Richard von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth)

Benedikte's daughter Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, 53, looked chic in a cream ensemble.

Alexandra stood next to her son Count Richard von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, who donned a smart navy suit and her husband Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, 59.

Meanwhile Princess Alexandra's daughter Countess Ingrid von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth looked stylish in a pink floral gown.

Elsewhere in the snap Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, 49, who is the third child and youngest daughter of Princess Benedikte, donned a colourful skirt which she paired with a cream long sleeved top.

She stood next to her son Gustav Heinrich Richard, 14, who is Princess Mary of Denmark's godson and Princess Benedikte grandchild.

The wholesome family snap comes one day after royal watchers accused Queen Mary and King Frederik of photoshopping their first official royal portrait weeks after their British counterparts were slammed for putting out a 'fake' Mother's Day picture.

The royal couple's official picture was released last week and featured the Australian-born queen standing alongside the king.

Eagle-eyed fans claimed that: 1. The image of Queen Mary was a separate portrait. 2. Her hand placement over King Frederik's proved this. 3. Frederik looked like he'd 'rolled out of bed', while his wife looked regal

Queen Mary of Denmark donned the Danish palace's emerald set for the first time in her debut royal portrait as Queen consort. The set is only ever worn by the queen

Queen Mary wore a deep green velvet and lace gown along with the crown's 'most complete' heirloom jewel set featuring matching emeralds.

Many praised the photo's 'beauty' but also questioned whether it had been manipulated, with some claiming the couple 'obviously' took their single portraits and had photoshopped them together.

'Beautiful photo, but another digitally enhanced royal photo,' one woman commented on the picture - receiving multiple 'likes'.

'Was this photoshopped? I mean it looks like they were photographed separately then put together? Mary looks exquisite and Frederik, well the king looks like he just rolled out of bed,' wrote one woman.

'Terrible translation. So stiff and awkward. AI,' another questioned. Others pointed out the placement of Queen Mary's hand in front of King Frederik's, claiming it looks out of place.

'It looks like Queen Mary has been put into the photo of Fred. The hand position is identical,' said one fan.

The palace has confirmed the picture is real and says 'the Royal House's official gala portrait has not been manipulated'.

This photograph released for the twins' 13th birthday pictures Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine standing together - but people don't think it is legit

Many claimed any photoshopping would make sense given the recent affair rumours which circulated after the then prince was spotted hanging out with friend and socialite Genoveva Casanova in Spain last year.

'She has so much tension! and are they even together in the room, looks like a montage,' said another.

'Why did he cheat I am so angry at him,' said another. 'Oh she looks beautiful, but so tense! Something's not right,' assumed another.

Others continued to talk about the couple's alleged indifference without commenting on whether the photo could have been fabricated.

'That's one chilly looking Mary. I don't think she's all that wild about having to stand that close to Freddy!'

The palace has told Daily Mail they don't comment on rumours when asked about the alleged affair.

It isn't the first time that royal watchers have questioned a photo put out by the Danish palace.

On January 8 they produced a picture of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine for their 13th birthday.

But the family's fans claimed the children were posing exactly as they had in a group photo which looked to be taken on the same day.

This lead to people questioning whether the twins had been edited together for the birthday tribute.

People have become less trusting of royal photos following the disastrous Mother's Day picture release of Kate Middleton and her children on behalf of Kensington Palace.

16 'errors' were found in the portrait which became the first official portrait of the royal house to be recalled by picture agencies.

Royal aides claimed the image of the Princess of Wales and children, was taken by Prince William.

Princess Charlotte's hand to Kate's zip, Prince Louis's jumper and Prince George's arm were all glaringly 'wrong' in the picture.

Other issues relate to Charlotte's skirt and knee, Louis's jumper and hand, Kate's hair and George's sleeve  as well as the ledge and step in the background.
The family of a tragic TV star have described the harrowing moment they found her body after her alleged suicide.

Miriam Rivera was the 'world's first transgender reality TV star' but her death aged just 38 in 2019 remains shrouded in mystery.

The Mexican model appeared on the controversial British dating series There's Something About Miriam in 2003 which centred around a cruel twist: Miriam could only tell the contestants she was transgender after the winner had been announced.

Channel 4 is exploring the fallout from the show in new documentary Miriam: Death Of A Reality Star, including Miriam's sudden death at her mother's apartment in Hermosillo, Mexico.

The final episode of the documentary, The Aftermath, shows her mother Maria and brother Paco recall the heartbreaking moment they realised she had died.

Miriam Rivera's brother Paco Mendoza has described the harrowing moment he found his sister's body

At the start of episode three, Paco appears in the documentary for the first time and relives the moment he travelled to the family home after news broke of his sister's death.

Remembering, he told the documentary: 'The whole drive took forever, thinking the same think over and over again, the possible causes, how, where?

'The moment I walked in here, I saw my mum. She was already crying. But I couldn't see the body.

'She grabbed me and said, "Help me. I want to get her down".

'I don't remember who helped me but two people grabbed her and we put here here in that place and we covered her with a sheet.'

Miriam's mother Maria said she realised what had happened after finishing work. At around 3pm she went into the courtyard and found Miriam's body.

She said: 'Her face was beautiful, and her eyes. I spent a few hours with her.'

Mexican authorities held Miriam's death as suicide and it was never investigated further.

Like Paco, Miriam's mother Maria doesn't believe she died by suicide - and insists other people must have been involved

Miriam Rivera was the 'world's first transgender reality TV star' and her death aged just 38 in 2019 remains shrouded in mystery (pictured while filming Big Brother in 2004)

However, both Paco and Maria believe there is more to the story than has so far been uncovered.

Paco said: 'When they take it as a suicide they stop investigating. But to tell you the truth I still have doubts. I don't think she could have done it by herself.'

Meanwhile Maria believes it 'can't be possible' that her daughter died by suicide and believes others were involved.

Miriam's husband Daniel Cuervo has also always insisted she was murdered.

In the documentary, he revealed that Miriam had contacted him on the day that she died to tell him she was coughing up blood, and he told her to go to hospital. But hours later he was told she had died, and it was claimed it was suicide.

Mr Cuervo has in the past told Daily Mail Australia that he believed his wife's death may have been 'passed off' as a suicide after she refused to accept work as a prostitute.

When Mr Cuervo learned of Miriam's death, he enquired about the possibility of flying the body to New York.

He was informed the body had already been cremated, leaving no opportunity to perform an autopsy.

Miriam appeared on Sky's controversial dating show There's Something About Miriam, where she didn't reveal she was transgender until the end. She was just 21 at the time

Maria said she had just finished work when she found Miriam's body in the courtyard

Miriam's other brother Ariel does accept the official decision about her death - that she died by suicide

In the documentary, Paco recreates the journey to seeing his sister for the final time

Mr Cuervo claimed an unknown male called him when he was trying to arrange Miriam's funeral and said: 'Don't come back to Mexico or we'll kill you too.'

But Miriam's other brother, Ariel, and her close friend Daniella Real both accept the official decision made about her death.

Real believed the reality show gave Miriam fame, which was negative and permanently harmed her. Meanwhile Ariel believes she was struggling with depression.

Daniella says in the documentary: 'She was really upset. All the drugs, all the struggle, to come back to the same place without anything.

'All the troubles of the past, they started coming to her. The sadness killed her.'

After There's Something About Miriam aired, years of torture from the media and the public followed Miriam.

Criticism of the show included a comment from the British Medical Journal, which wrote: 'The premise was not a celebration of transgender people's lives.

'It was designed to elicit horror from the winning contestant, discovering that his dream date had a penis.'

Miriam's long-term friend Daniella Real said she struggled in the final years of her life

Miriam suffered with declining mental health after the show - and a terrible assault in 2007 damaged her confidence even further.

Her friends have previously spoken out about an assault in 2007 that saw Miriam be pushed out of the fourth-story window of her New York apartment. She later disappeared for six months, claiming she had been kidnapped at gunpoint.

Miriam spent most of her time after the attack in Europe, never again engaging in showbiz or music - which was her dream before - and instead getting caught up in the party scene.

She was, during this time, also understood to have taken up sex work to pay off hospital bills, which racked up.

Sky later removed There's Something About Miriam from its platforms and apologised

New Channel 4 documentary Miriam: Death Of A Reality Star is exploring her life and rise to fame in more detail

This is the moment Tom Rooke, the winner of the There's Something About Miriam, was told she was actually transgender

There's Something About Miriam ended up in huge controversy for Sky One, which broadcast the show in the UK - despite being a success at the time.

The Channel 4 documentary marks 20 years since the original reality show, and five years since Miriam's death.

Sky later apologised and removed There's Something About Miriam from its platforms.

The show was originally meant to air in November 2003 but legal proceedings stopped it airing until February 2004.

The six male contestants alleged conspiracy to commit sexual assault, defamation, breach of contract, and personal injury in the form of psychological and emotional damage.

Miriam: Death Of A Reality Star is available to watch now on Channel 4.
MasterChef's decision to serve up a 'twist' by bringing back failed ex contestants to take part in the latest series of the BBC One cooking show has proved unpalatable for some fans.

Billing the latest episode as 'Comeback Week', the show's bosses have invited ten former contestants to have another bite of the MasterChef cherry - to see if they can improve on their previous performances.

In the latest episode which aired on Tuesday, viewers were re-introduced to five past contestants: circus artist Chris, 44, lecturer Farokh, 38, DJ Lyndsay, 43, company secretary Mary, 60, and project coordinator Matthew, 34.

Characterful Farouk, who was born in Iran but now lives in East London, describes his cooking style as 'experimental' and got to the final ten in 2022 - before he 'destroyed' a pork tenderloin dish in a panic in the semi-final.

Double trouble? Drama lecturer Farokh was one of ten contestants returning for Comeback Week on MasterChef...but his second outing proved as stressful as his first in 2022

The characterful lecturer, who describes himself as an 'experimental cook', said he hoped for redemption upon his return - but judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace showed him the door once more

Farokh cooked a pork and apple dish in 2022 that he burnt in a panic. This time around, his revamped dish was a little more of a hit - although Gregg Wallace said it was undercooked and could have been presented better

He explained to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that he was relishing his chance at foodie redemption, saying: 'I have been dreaming of this moment to see if I could have done any differently'.

The first time around, in series 18, Farouk was described by Torode as 'frantic', and the cook appeared dripping in sweat during his semi-final challenge in which he cooked the pork and apple dish, which he burnt 'several times'.

Welcome back: John Torode and Gregg Wallace offered a warm welcome to the returning contestants

Left, the cook on the show in 2022, and appearing in this week's episode, right

Take two? He revamped the tenderloin dish - adding sage, corn and black pudding, and named it 'Porky Sisyphus rides again'.

However, he didn't fare much better and was eliminated along with Lyndsay.

Looking dispirited, the drama lecturer told the show the competition was much tougher this time around but said he couldn't change how he cooked.

He said: 'I am who I am. I will never be a chef, but I will always be an experimental cook.'

The three winners - Matthew, Chris, and Mary - will get to cook again, this time against new contestants in the quarter-final.

Bringing back ten former contestants hasn't gone down well with many of the MasterChef faithful

Circus artist Chris, 44, (centre), lecturer Farokh, 38, (left) and company secretary Mary, 60, right, in the latest episode

Many viewers didn't enjoy the 'twist' though, saying it wasn't fair that cooks who'd failed the first time around could get a second chance.

One wrote: 'I think #masterchefuk has lost the plot! Very unfair on the current contestants bringing back past contenders! They should have done a standalone series with past contestants!'

Elsewhere, someone penned: '#masterchefuk dont see the point of this... why did they bring them back? Think it's a bit wrong tbh'

Another comeback kid: Former MasterChef The Professionals contestant Matthew Kyle was on hand to help with the judging in the latest episode

Another added: 'Not sure I get why they brought back past years failed contestants on #MasterChefUK tonight. Think it must be a right old kick in the teeth for this years contestants who have been eliminated already.'

And one viewer opined: 'Didnt really enjoy Failed Cooks Try Again version of #MasterChefUK tonight. Wonder if next time will be better?'

There were some who appreciated the creativity of the show's bosses though, including one who wrote: 'Loved tonights #MasterChefUK and this weeks rounds. Great to see former contestants back and nice touch having Matthew back, was one of my favourites on #MasterChefTheProfessionals.'

Episodes of MasterChef are available on BBC iPlayer
As I read the WhatsApp message from one of my best friends, my heart started to thump.

The only one in our group chat whos still single was dating a new man and asked for our thoughts. He seems great, good for you! we all chorused in reply.

Then we hastily set up a breakaway group on the app  without her  to air our true opinions

But her furious message showed several of us had posted some thoughts into the main group by mistake. She now knew the rest of us agreed he was far too young at ten years her junior, and that there was something a little off and dodgy about him.

Setting up a splinter group can lead to all sorts of trouble, especially if someone accidentally reveals that one exists to those who are excluded

Welcome to the modern perils of the WhatsApp subgroup, those splinter cliques we set up to gossip and moan about all the other people in our bigger group chats.

Going on a hen do thats running wildly over budget? Set up a subgroup with a few of the other hens to bitch about the bride or maid of honour, or whoever is pushing the pricey party.

In a big office group chat with colleagues while you all work on a project together? Youll need a subgroup to moan about your boss or the team member not pulling their weight.

And I dont think theres ever been a group of school mum mums who havent set up a splinter WhatsApp group.

If youre reading this and thinking what on earth is she talking about?, Im sorry to say it probably means you are the friend who hasnt been invited to the breakaway chat and is still posting in the main group, blissfully unaware that the real conversations happen elsewhere.

But for all the clandestine joy these subgroups can bring those in the know, you really need to concentrate when using them. Fail to ensure youre in the right chat when messaging and you could end up with run-ins like the one above.

Her feelings hurt, our friend flounced and left the group in a rage, only to ask to rejoin 20 minutes later. Shed been so huffy we left her to stew for three hours before adding her back in.

This is why I have a love-hate relationship with WhatsApp and the countless groups and subgroups I juggle every day. Im in so many, its exhausting  and theres the constant fear that Ill accidentally post in the wrong one.

As well as groups with friends, there are others with family, colleagues, industry associates  I work in fashion  and more chats set up for weddings, holidays and social occasions, most with at least one splinter group to boot.

The writer only found out she was not included on a trip to a Beyonce concert when one of her friends, who was in a secret breakaway group, dropped a message about the event into the wrong chat group

My main group comprises me and 11 girlfriends whove been friends for more than 30 years since primary school. Despite our bond, there have been many dramas along the way, most recently when five of them set up a breakaway group to organise tickets to a Beyonce concert last year, ignoring the fact that Im a huge fan.

Inevitably, one slipped up with a cant wait for Beyonce message to the main group and all hell broke loose.

Comments from those of us who hadnt made the cut included, How dare you go on a trip and not invite the rest of us? and Who do you think you are with your secretive group?, as well as What else do you talk about in your private chat?

It felt akin to being left out in the school playground and gave me a real, if temporary, sense of insecurity within the group knowing Id been excluded. And thats the problem. While subgroups are a guilty pleasure for so many of us, they always carry a whiff of backstabbing or playground bullying. We all ended up going to the Beyonce gig in the end, after the rest of us bought tickets separately  but tensions were high.

And for a while, there was an element of mistrust and a sense of wondering what other groups might exist below the radar.

WhatsApp has been a menace at work, too. A few years ago, I was being bullied at the fashion company where I worked as a buyer. I had a few mornings off work to visit my sick father in hospital, but my manager, a director of the company, said on what she thought was a breakaway group, but was actually the departmental chat: I hope her dad really is ill and shes not sneaking off for job interviews, otherwise that would be abhorrent.

As soon as I saw the message, my heart sunk. Id been feeling out of place and isolated in the company, and this made me feel worse. It also made me dread what else they had said in their splinter group chat. There was zero remorse from the woman who sent the message and no apology, so she clearly meant what shed said and stood by it.

I decided the only abhorrent thing was our toxic work culture and resigned a few months later, having found a new job (on my own time).

Several weeks into my new role, a WhatsApp notification pinged on my phone screen inviting me to join a work subgroup with a few other women in my team. But I think perhaps Ill sit this one out...
Princess Charlotte is set to turn nine tomorrow, with royal watchers all over the world eagerly anticipating a new picture of the young royal.

Many are wondering if the Prince and Princess of Wales will share a new snap of their only daughter, following the fallout from Kate Middleton's photoshop scandal earlier this year.

It's believed that the mother-of-three delayed realising a snap of her youngest son, Prince Louis, to mark his sixth birthday last month.

Kensington Palace typically releases portraits of the Wales children early in the morning to mark their birthdays.

However, in a break with tradition, William and Kate shared a photo of their younger son on Tuesday afternoon rather than at midnight on his birthday as is customary with new royal portraits. They also shared an unseen wedding photo to mark their 13th wedding anniversary.

Princess Charlotte is set to turn nine tomorrow, with royal watchers all over the world eagerly anticipating a new picture of the young royal (pictured on her eighth birthday)

The Princess of Wales took Prince Louis's birthday snap to mark her youngest child turning six last month

The Princess of Wales pictured holding a camera as she takes part in a a photography workshop with the charity 'Action for Children' in Kingston in June 2019

The Mail's Rebecca English revealed that the couple had initially decided not to issue one at all given their recent appeals for privacy at such an unprecedented time for their family, but changed their minds because they wanted to thank fans for their kind wishes to Prince Louis.

And in conversation with The Express royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams added that once they'd decided to release a photo there were likely a lot of discussions about the best approach, given the furore over Kate's edited Mother's Day photo.

Overall, Richard said the timing could 'emphasise Kate's need for time, space and privacy.'

Describing the 'vexed' issue of her Mother's Day portrait, he described the backlash as a 'highly embarrassing contretemps'.

He added that not rushing out a birthday photo of Louis could also 'emphasise her need for time, space and privacy which she expressed so movingly' in the video message revealing she has cancer.

Earlier this year, the Princess of Wales detailed how the cancerous cells were discovered, while she was undergoing surgery for a different condition in January.

2022: This image of Princess Charlotte, taken at the Wales' Norfolk home Anmer Hall, was shared to mark the youngster turning seven. Royal watchers noted the resemblance to her father in this image

2021: Princess Charlotte is pictured on her third birthday

She explained that she had not spoken out about it earlier because she wanted to have time to 'explain everything' to George, Charlotte and Louis and assure them 'I'm going to be ok'.

In March, royal fans went into meltdown after Associated Press issued a 'kill notice' on a photo of the Princess of Wales and her three children that had been released for Mother's Day.

It was the first official photo that was published of Kate after she underwent abdominal surgery in January.

That evening, the Associated Press became the first agency to 'kill' the photo over an 'inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand'.

While AP said there was no suggestion the photo was fake, it retracted it because it said on closer inspection, the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet the agency's photo standards.

The following day, the Princess of Wales admitted that she edited the Mother's Day photo herself and apologised for 'any confusion' it had caused.

In 2018, Princess Charlotte's birthday photo included a snap with her new little brother Louis

The Prince and Princess of Wales have been spotted searching for a festive fir in Windsor Great Park alongside their two eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte (pictured together in December 2022)

A statement from the Princess of Wales said: 'Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.

'I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C'

Two weeks later, the Princess of Wales announced she was battling cancer - amid mounting pressure for the Palace to comment on her condition.

It is believed that the Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis on 22 March as this was the day George, Charlotte and Louis broke up from Lambrook School in Bracknell for their Easter break.

The announcement may have been timed so that her children would not immediately face questions in the playground after the news was made public.

The family are reported to have spent the Easter holidays together as they adjust to Kate's diagnosis, which was discovered in post-operative tests following her major abdominal surgery.

In the emotional message, which was filmed in Windsor, Kate revealed the news had come as a 'huge shock' and that she and William 'have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family'.

Kate was last seen with her family attending church at Sandringham on December 25, 2023

Speaking from a bench surrounded by daffodils and spring blossom, she said: 'It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.

'As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.

'Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.'

Kate revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer after undergoing a planned operation at The London Clinic in January.

The insider also claimed to PEOPLE magazine Kate and William are also prioritising family time as 'having fun together when they can is very important'

She explained: 'In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,' she said.

'The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present.

READ MORE: Kate and William share unseen wedding portrait: Prince and Princess of Wales release stunning picture to mark their 13th wedding anniversary Advertisement

'My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.'

The announcement sent shockwaves around the world and came after weeks of speculation - and wild conspiracy theories - about her health. It also createc a fresh crisis for the Royal Family at a time where King Charles is also battling cancer. In January Sarah, the Duchess of York, was diagnosed with skin cancer, just six months after being treated for breast cancer.

However, this week will hopefully be a quiet relief for Kate who has previously discussed how much she loves her children's birthdays.

The royal has previously said that she's known for staying up late the night before her children's birthdays to whip up a homemade cake for their special day.

Back in 2019 on the one-off special A Berry Royal Christmas, she told Mary Berry: 'I love making the cake.

'It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up until midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing and I make far too much but I love it'.

The Waleses were intending to release a photograph for Louis' birthday despite the frenzy over the manipulated family picture issued by Kensington Palace on Mother's Day, sources close to the family said last month.

However, the snap of the beaming young prince has finally been released, with the account wishing him a very happy birthday.

The photo was taken by his mother, the Princess of Wales, who often photographs her children's birthday portraits.

The caption reads: 'Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today.'

As the beaming prince looks into the camera, he is lying on his front and looks all grown up with his brunette hair swept to the side, and a smart checked shirt.

He appears to be wearing dark trousers and is lying on a fleeced blanket.

The Waleses have released a new photo of Charlotte each year to mark her birthday.

Last year Charlotte was pictured snuggling up to the family's black cocker spaniel Orla - as she recreated her seventh birthday portrait.

The birthday girl dressed in a 23 blue-and-white striped jumper from Boden, white button-up blouse and pair of blue jeans.

Looking happy and relaxed in front of the camera, Charlotte appears to be lying in a meadow for her annual birthday portrait.

Although the couple didn't reveal exactly where the photo was taken, it appears to be a very similar setting to previous family portraits - which were shot in the grounds of Amner Hall in Norfolk.

The image was taken by the photographer Millie Pilkington - whom Kate and William used for Prince Louis' fifth birthday portrait too.

For her sixth birthday, Charlotte wore a Rachel Riley floral summer dress and her widest smile as Kate captures something of her impishness too. Similar traits are shared by the women on her mothers side of the family.
Queen Camilla was joined by Theresa May, Cherie Blair and Carrie Johnson as she relaunched the Wash Bags Project at Buckingham Palace today.

The royal, 76, first launched the initiative, which provides toiletries to victims of sexual abuse, back in 2013.

For the occasion, the Queen opted for an elegant blue collared dress, black suede heels and her a green Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet.

During the reception for 300 guests, Camilla said she was inspired to start the project after speaking with rape and sexual abuse survivors during her visits to the Sexual Assault Referral Centres from 2009 onwards.

The bags - which are donated by Boots and distributed by In Kind Direct- are offered at the centres after victims undergo forensic examination, as a small gesture of comfort during a difficult time.

Queen Camilla speaks with Cherie Blair (R) as she hosts a reception recognising those who support survivors of sexual assault

The Queen was pictured deep in conversation with Cherie Blair, 69, who founded her own foundation to help get women into business in 2008.

Meanwhile, Camilla was also pictured seen happily chatting with Theresa May, who served as the UK's second female Prime Minister from 2016 to 2019.

The Wash Bag Project has teamed up with In Kind Direct, a charity founded by the King in 1996, to distribute the kits.

The bags - containing toothpaste, toothbrush, body lotion, shower gel, shampoo, comb, and face cloth - are given to victims after they have been forensically examined.

In her speech, Camilla cited how nearly 800,000 women and 275,000 men suffer attempted or actual sexual assault every year in England and Wales.

The Queen said: 'Your stories and your experiences are vital tools as we seek to bring about change: to forge a world in which people, whoever and wherever they are, do not live in fear of being abused.

'As I have often heard victims say: speaking about the experience is one of the key ways to survive it. By sharing with one another today, we can strengthen our alliance against sexual abuse in all its forms [...]

'The aim of the washbags was to create something that would be a crumb of comfort to those finding themselves in this horrendous position.'

Pictured: Queen Camilla enjoys a conversation with former UK Prime Minister Theresa May this afternoon

Queen Camilla looks at wash bags as she hosts a reception recognising those who support survivors of sexual assault and the relaunch of the Wash Bags Project

Following this warm interaction with Carrie, Camilla was introduced to Zara McDermott - who has previously spoken about being the victim of revenge porn as a teenager - and her mother

Queen Camilla (pictured today) originally launched The Wash Bags Project in 2013 after speaking with rape and sexual abuse survivors during her visits to the Sexual Assault Referral Centres,

Elsewhere, Camilla discussed a letter she received from the family of a sexual assault survivor - who she gave the fake name Jane - who was grateful for the small act of kindness in the wake of an attack.

The victim's mother wrote: 'We were preparing to leave and were all feeling very low and subdued. Janes personal contact then returned with a wonderful bag of toiletries and items to pamper and relax her.

'This simple act completely changed the atmosphere and lifted our moods. It was such a lovely and completely unexpected gesture, which reminded my daughters and I of the kindness of strangers at a very dark time.'

Camilla continued: 'As you can imagine, this letter moved me deeply. The phrase the kindness of strangers at a very dark time is, to me, the guiding principle of everything that you all do: reaching out a hand of friendship to people who have been de-humanised in the most brutal way; giving comfort to those who are traumatised; and offering hope that physical and emotional healing are possible, as Jane can vouch for.

'To each one of you, I would therefore like to say  thank you. Thank you for sharing your stories, thank you for your kindness, thank you for not remaining strangers to those enduring the darkest of times, and, most of all, thank you for standing up and committing yourselves to bringing an end to these heinous crimes  forever.'

As well as working with organisations supporting sex abuse victims, Camilla has has also worked extensively in the area of domestic abuse, as Patron of SafeLives, and has worked with many organisations such as Refuge and Womens Aid in the UK, and many others internationally.

In 2021, Camilla became Patron of the Mirabel Centre  Nigerias first Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

At the launch of the Wash Bag Project in 2013, Camilla said: When you are ill, the first thing that you want to do is wash your hair and clean your teeth. The same applies here.

It is a small something to make women and girls who go through such a terrible ordeal feel just a little bit human again.'

Shadow Minister for Victims and Sentencing Kevin Brennan speaks with Carrie Johnson as they attend a reception hosted by Queen Camilla recognising those who support survivors of sexual assault

Earlier in the afternoon, Carrie Johnson shared a joke about motherhood with Queen Camilla as she was warmly greeted by the royal at a Buckingham Palace reception.

As the royal arrived for the engagement, Carrie, 36, lined up next to Love Island star Zara McDermott to be greeted by the Queen.

In footage captured by the Daily Mail's royal editor Rebecca English, Carrie - who looked elegant in a red midi dress - curtsied for the Queen as they shook hands.

The two women then exchanged a peck on either cheek before trying to recall their last meeting.

Carrie began by saying: 'Hello, it's so nice to see you!'

The two women then exchanged a peck on either cheek before trying to recall their last meeting.

Pictured: Carrie Johnson was warmly greeted by Queen Camilla at a reception at Buckingham Palace today

The Queen then replied: 'It's very nice to see you [...] It's been a long while. Not since you had [child] number three.'

In response, the mother-of-three said: 'I know, it's chaos! Chaos. So lovely to see you.'

Carrie and Boris welcomed their third child Frank Alfred Odysseus in July 2023. The couple already share Wilfred, four, and Romy, two.

The Queen's initiative is a cause that is no doubt close to Carrie's heart - as she has bravely spoken about being targeted by the black cab rapist John Worboys when she was 19 years old.

Carrie Johnson said after meeting Camilla: 'I am such a supporter of the Queen. I really am. She has been incredible. These events are far more important than one might think. They are not just photo calls. They do bring people together who can affect change.'

Carrie explained that a previous event she had been invited to by the Queen, she met campaigners Diana Parkes and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, the mother and best friend of Joanna Simpson, killed by her abusive estranged husband, pilot Robert Brown. At the time they were fighting to keep him being released from prison early.

She added: 'They came up to me and said "This is what has happened to us. We have this guy, Robert Brown, who is coming out of prison in a few months time. We have tried to get media traction, we have tried to speak to the government, but no one will listen to us." Together we knocked down a few doors and he is still in prison. When we met they didnt think that was possible. The Queen directly put us in touch. She knows what she is doing, she is very savvy. She cares, she really cares. These events are really quite amazing.

Speaking to Carrie, Camilla appeared to say: 'Very nice to see you again, I haven't seen you for a long while. Not since you had number three."'

Zara McDermott, who fronted a BBC documentary Uncovering Rape Culture and has spoken bravely about her own experience of revenge porn, said: 'The forensic can feel really invasive and traumatic so having something thats makes them feel a lot more normal and human after that is very very important.'

The bags - containing toothpaste, toothbrush, body lotion, shower gel, shampoo, comb, and face cloth - are given to victims after they have been forensically examined

Queen Camilla hosted 300 guests at Buckingham Palace to recognise people who support victims of sexual assault

'You can tell she cares deeply about it. The reality is that rape conviction rates are abysmal. Its appalling. While governments tackle that issue, I still feel more can be done.

'And thats why the Queen putting a spotlight on these issues and saying this really matters, we need to give women a voice is important. A lot of the time victims of rape and sexual assault really feel like they diont have a voice, no-one really cares. It doesnt matter what happens to them. But even this really simple scheme of wash bags, such as really simple, small thing, can make such a difference. When you are at your worse, small things like that can make all the difference.

'Small things like having a shower and a cup of hot tea can make such a difference. Gestures like someone running the bath for you

'My husband told me when he was mayor of London he did something with Camilla, they went to a refuge, and he said how incredible she was, how inspiring she was. Its so commendable.

'She doesnt lecture people, she listens. She is such a decent person. Its always such an honour to come, shes very clever and knows the people she is bringing together.'

Following this warm interaction, Camilla was introduced to Zara McDermott - who has previously spoken about being the victim of revenge porn as a teenager - and her mother.

Zara said: 'The forensic can feel really invasive and traumatic so having something thats makes them feel a lot more normal and human after that is very very important

'Its quite a simple idea. It makes such a difference to someone who has been through a traumatic time. I know its a passion project for the Queen"

Queen Camilla shakes hands with Carrie Johnson as she hosts a reception for the relaunch of The Wash Bags Project

As the royal arrived for the engagement, Carrie lined up next to Love Island star Zara McDermott to be greeted by the Queen

Pictured: Carrie Johnson with son Frank Odysseus in July 2023. Carrie also shares son Wilfred and daughter Romy with Boris Johnson

Former prime minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson arrive at the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in May 2023

Queen Camilla shakes hands with a guest as she hosts a reception recognising those who support survivors of sexual assault

James Cleverly, Home Secretary, who last year apologised joking about spiking his wife's drink with a date rape drug in comments made at a Downing Street reception, was also invited

He said the Queen was admirable and was at the reception to celebrate her "commitment".

When the Queen was shown the wash bags, which contain toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel, shampoo, lip salve, face cloth, both lotion and a comb, with Emma Aldridge who is charity network manager for In Kind Direct, she said: Im so glad its still going thanks to Boots and your help.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, Women's Aid offers free support via their instant messaging service and hotline.
Queen Camilla revealed King Charles was 'thrilled' to return to royal duties this week and joked that she had been 'trying to hold him back' during his cancer treatment.

The Queen, 76, spoke about the monarch's dedication to his work' during her reception at Buckingham Palace to relaunch the Wash Bags Project today.

The monarch, 75, returned to public duties yesterday after doctors said they were pleased with his progress following his cancer diagnosis in February.

On Tuesday, Charles, who has been a patron of Macmillan Cancer Support for over 20 years, made a trip to a London treatment centre.

Speaking to Teresa Tideman, chairman of In Kind Direct, the Queen said today: 'I think he was really thrilled to be out.'

In conversation with a guest at today's palace reception, Queen Camilla revealed that King Charles was 'really thrilled to be out' this week

Giving insight into how Charles has been feeling the past few months, Camilla added: 'I've been trying to hold him back.'

In response, Ms Tidman joked: 'Good luck with that.'

The King - who is still undergoing cancer treatment - was accompanied by the Queen, who is president of cancer support charity Maggie's, and the pair were presented with posies after meeting with staff and patients in the cancer centre.

Charles' engagement came after doctors gave him the all-clear to restart public events will raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis.

The monarch also hopes the trip can highlight some of the innovative research supported by Cancer Research UK, which is taking place at the hospital.

Today, Camilla welcomed 300 guests at Buckingham Palace to recognise people who support victims of sexual assault.

Camilla, 76, also delivered a hard-hitting speech to attendees including Cherie Blair, Carrie Johnson and Theresa May in which she thanked them for 'standing up and committing yourselves to bringing an end to these heinous crimes'.

The reception was also held to relaunch her Wash Bag Project, which provides a wash bag of toiletries, donated by Boots and distributed by In Kind Direct, to people who have been affected by rape and sexual abuse.

His Majesty - who is still undergoing cancer treatment - visited University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre on Tuesday

Accompanied by Camilla, the monarch returned to public duties after doctors said they were pleased with his progress following cancer treatment

Queen Camilla speaks with Cherie Blair (R) as she hosts a reception recognising those who support survivors of sexual assault

Highlighting organisations supporting victims of rape and sexual assault has been a cause close to the Queen's heart for more than a decade.

This Wash Bags Scheme was inspired by the Queen when she was Duchess of Cornwall in 2013 after hearing shock tales of rape and sexual abuse from survivors during visits to Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs).

Camilla arrived in the White Drawing Room and met guests including Carrie Johnson, Love Island star and documentary maker Zara McDermott and health secretary Victoria Atkins.

Speaking to Carrie, Camilla appeared to say: 'Very nice to see you again, I haven't seen you for a long while. Not since you had number three.'

To much laughter, Boris's wife replied: 'I know. Chaos, chaos.'

The Wash Bag Project has now teamed up with In Kind Direct, a charity founded by the King in 1996, to distribute the kits.

Among the 300 guests were charities, police forces, health services and heroes from centres the Queen has seen front-line work such as Rape Crisis South London, The Women's Centre Cornwall, The Havens, Croydon RASASC, and the Mirabel Centre in Nigeria.

Pictured: Queen Camilla enjoys a conversation with former UK Prime Minister Theresa May this afternoon

Queen Camilla looks at wash bags as she hosts a reception recognising those who support survivors of sexual assault and the relaunch of the Wash Bags Project

The bags - containing toothpaste, toothbrush, body lotion, shower gel, shampoo, comb, and face cloth - are given to victims after they have been forensically examined.

The Queen also met broadcaster Emma Barnett, Theresa May and Cherie Blair.

Zara McDermott, who fronted a BBC documentary Uncovering Rape Culture and has spoken bravely about her own experience of revenge porn, said: 'The forensic can feel really invasive and traumatic so having something that's makes them feel a lot more normal and human after that is very very important.

'It's quite a simple idea. It makes such a difference to someone who has been through a traumatic time. I know it's a passion project for the Queen'

James Cleverly, Home Secretary, who last year apologised joking about spiking his wife's drink with a date rape drug in comments made at a Downing Street reception, was also invited

He said the Queen was 'admirable' and was at the reception to celebrate her 'commitment'.

When the Queen was shown the wash bags, which contain toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel, shampoo, lip salve, face cloth, both lotion and a comb, with Emma Aldridge who is charity network manager for In Kind Direct, she said: 'I'm so glad it's still going thanks to Boots and your help.'

Carrie Johnson, 36, said after meeting Camilla: 'I am such a supporter of the Queen. I really am. She has been incredible.

Following this warm interaction with Carrie, Camilla was introduced to Zara McDermott - who has previously spoken about being the victim of revenge porn as a teenager - and her mother

Queen Camilla (pictured today) originally launched The Wash Bags Project in 2013 after speaking with rape and sexual abuse survivors during her visits to the Sexual Assault Referral Centres,

Shadow Minister for Victims and Sentencing Kevin Brennan speaks with Carrie Johnson as they attend a reception hosted by Queen Camilla recognising those who support survivors of sexual assault

'These events are far more important than one might think. They are not just photo calls. They do bring people together who can affect change.'

Carrie explained that a previous event she had been invited to by the Queen, she met campaigners Diana Parkes and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, the mother and best friend of Joanna Simpson, killed by her abusive estranged husband, pilot Robert Brown.

At the time they were fighting to keep him being released from prison early.

She added: 'They came up to me and said "This is what has happened to us. We have this guy, Robert Brown, who is coming out of prison in a few months time. We have tried to get media traction, we have tried to speak to the government, but no one will listen to us."

'Together we knocked down a few doors and he is still in prison. When we met they didn't think that was possible. The Queen directly put us in touch. She knows what she is doing, she is very savvy. She cares, she really cares. These events are really quite amazing.

'You can tell she cares deeply about it. The reality is that rape conviction rates are abysmal. It's appalling. While governments tackle that issue, I still feel more can be done.

'And that's why the Queen putting a spotlight on these issues and saying 'this really matters, we need to give women a voice" is important.

'A lot of the time victims of rape and sexual assault really feel like they didn't have a voice, no-one really cares. It doesn't matter what happens to them.

'But even this really simple scheme of wash bags, such as really simple, small thing, can make such a difference. When you are at your worse, small things like that can make all the difference.

Zara McDermott, who fronted a BBC documentary Uncovering Rape Culture and has spoken bravely about her own experience of revenge porn, said: 'The forensic can feel really invasive and traumatic so having something thats makes them feel a lot more normal and human after that is very very important.'

Speaking to Carrie, Camilla appeared to say: 'Very nice to see you again, I haven't seen you for a long while. Not since you had number three."'

'Small things like having a shower and a cup of hot tea can make such a difference. Gestures like someone running the bath for you

'My husband told me when he was mayor of London he did something with Camilla, they went to a refuge, and he said how incredible she was, how inspiring she was. It's so commendable.

'She doesn't lecture people, she listens. She is such a decent person. It's always such an honour to come, she's very clever and knows the people she is bringing together.'

Making her speech in the Picture Gallery, Camilla said: 'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Buckingham Palace, as we gather to recognise and thank those who support survivors of sexual violence.

'Each one of you has a powerful story to tell: whether you work in this country or overseas; whether you are based in a refuge, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre, a charity, Parliament, or, most important of all, you are a survivor.

'Your stories and your experiences are vital tools as we seek to bring about change: to forge a world in which people, whoever and wherever they are, do not live in fear of being abused.

'As I have often heard victims say: speaking about the experience is one of the key ways to survive it. By sharing with one another today, we can strengthen our alliance against sexual abuse in all its forms.

'Now, we are also here to mark the relaunch of the washbags initiative, with huge thanks to Boots and In Kind Direct, without whom it wouldn't have been possible. The washbags began as the seed of an idea in 2012, when I started learning more about the horrific impact sexual violence, and its aftermath, has on survivors.

'You do not, of course, need me to remind you that every year in England and Wales alone, nearly 800,000 women and 275,000 men suffer attempted or actual sexual assault  although the true figures are likely to be much higher.

'The aim of the washbags was to create something that would be 'a crumb of comfort' to those finding themselves in this horrendous position. In 2017, with the support of many of you in this room, I was delighted to launch the initiative at Boots' headquarters in Nottingham.

The bags - containing toothpaste, toothbrush, body lotion, shower gel, shampoo, comb, and face cloth - are given to victims after they have been forensically examined

Queen Camilla hosted 300 guests at Buckingham Palace to recognise people who support victims of sexual assault

'I mentioned just now how important it is to listen to survivors. I have had the privilege, over the years, of meeting and receiving letters from numerous people who, sadly, have experienced sexual assault.

'Some have visited SARCs and been given a washbag when the ordeal of the forensic examination was over. I have a copy of one such letter here and have received generous permission to quote from it. This lady wrote to me about her very brave daughter, whom I shall call Jane.

'Two years ago, Jane attended a SARC, with her mother and sister, for a full forensic examination just hours after being attacked. This was described by her mother as 'a horrible, if necessary, event. We were preparing to leave and were all feeling very low and subdued.

Jane's personal contact then returned with a wonderful bag of toiletries and items to pamper and relax her. This simple act completely changed the atmosphere and lifted our moods. It was such a lovely and completely unexpected gesture, which reminded my daughters and I of the kindness of strangers at a very dark time'.

'As you can imagine, this letter moved me deeply. The phrase 'the kindness of strangers at a very dark time' is, to me, the guiding principle of everything that you all do: reaching out a hand of friendship to people who have been de-humanised in the most brutal way; giving comfort to those who are traumatised; and offering hope that physical and emotional healing are possible, as Jane can vouch for.

'To each one of you, I would therefore like to say  thank you. Thank you for sharing your stories, thank you for your kindness, thank you for not remaining strangers to those enduring the darkest of times, and, most of all, thank you for standing up and committing yourselves to bringing an end to these heinous crimes  forever.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, Women's Aid offers free support via their instant messaging service and hotline.
The Prince and Princess of Wales delighted royal fans when they released a never-before-seen wedding photo to mark their 13th anniversary this week.

But it turns out, the stunning black-and-white photo - which was taken by photographer Millie Pilkington - was hiding in plain sight long before that.

In August 2017, the Prince of Wales, 41, appeared in conversation with Lady Gaga as part of Heads Together's #oktosay film series.

The mental health organisation Heads Together was launched by the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke of Sussex in 2016.

In the video, Prince William is seen FaceTiming the pop star from his London office.

The Prince and Princess of Wales released this previously never-before-seen portrait from their wedding to celebrate their 13th anniversary this week

After sharing footage of Kensington Palace and the Hollywood hills, the royal is shown sitting down at his desk and opening his laptop.

On the desk, Prince William had four of framed portraits on display - including one of his beloved black labrador Wigeon, who passed away in 2010.

While the other two frames are largely blocked by William's laptop, the one placed furthest away houses the black-and-white portrait from the couple's wedding day.

The image shows Prince William wearing a black military uniform - having worn his Irish guards attire for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

The heir to the throne is pictured with a hand on Kate's waist as she holds her floral bouquet in front of her inside Buckingham Palace.

During his conversation with Lady Gaga, the pair discussed the powerful films that have been released showing people from all walks of life discussing their mental health challenges under the #oktosay banner.

William pledged to ensure his children grow up feeling able to talk about their emotions.

The Prince said for too long it has been taboo or weak to talk about personal issues. Elsewhere, he warned that while the traditional stiff upper lip has its place, it should not be at the expense of mental wellbeing.

Prince William had four of framed portraits on display in the 2017 video - including one of his beloved black labrador Wigeon, who passed away in 2010

In August 2017, the Prince of Wales, 41, appeared in conversation with Lady Gaga as part of Heads Together's #oktosay film series

In May 2021, Lady Gaga opened up about her mental health battles on the Apple TV+ series The Me You Can't See, which Prince Harry also appeared on.

During the series, Harry took aim at King Charles' parenting and said: 'My father used to say to me when I was younger, he used to say to both William and I, "Well it was like that for me so it's going to be like that for you".

'That doesn't make sense. Just because you suffered doesn't mean that your kids have to suffer, in fact quite the opposite.

'If you suffered, do everything you can to make sure that whatever negative experiences you had, that you can make it right for your kids.'

Kate, who is undergoing chemotherapy for an undisclosed cancer, married future king Prince William at Westminster Abbey in April 2011 after eight years of dating.

Lady Gaga opened up about her mental health battles on the Apple TV+ series The Me You Can't See , which Prince Harry also appeared on (pictured)

Pictured: the Princess of Wales announced in an emotional video released in March 2023 that she has been diagnosed with cancer

The pair are facing their most difficult challenge so far amid the Princess's diagnosis, with Kate appealing for time, space and privacy as she continues her treatment.

The couple's official wedding photographer was Hugo Burnand but they also hired Ms Pilkington to be a private photographer. Ms Pilkington is also the photographer who took the picture of King Charles and Queen Camilla released last Friday.

Last month, Kate praised her husband William for his support during 'an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family' in an emotional message to the nation announcing her health news.

'Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance,' she said.

Kate, 42, told how her diagnosis had come as a huge shock and that she and William 'have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family'.
TOKYO, May 01 (News On Japan) - A South Korean man suspected of involvement in the case of a couple's bodies found in Nasu Town, Tochigi, was arrested early Wednesday morning.

The suspect, 20-year-old Kang Kang-ki, is believed to have played a role in setting fire to the bodies of Ryutaro Takarajima (55) and his wife Sachiko (56) on October 16th.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, Kang surfaced as a suspect through surveillance camera investigations. After being put on a wanted list, he was located Tuesday afternoon in a hotel in Yamato City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and arrested early Wednesday morning.

The police have not disclosed whether the suspect has admitted to the charges.

In this case, Ryoken Hirayama (25) and another individual were already arrested. Kang is believed to have been one of the two executors who went to the scene in Nasu Town at Hirayama's request.

The Metropolitan Police are continuing to search for the other executor and are urgently trying to identify any other individuals involved.

Related: Arrested Man Points to Mastermind in Tochigi Double Homicide

Source: TBS
Queen Rania of Jordan cut a sophisticated figure as she arrived at her New York hotel today.

The royal, 53, looked elegant in a white long-sleeved blouse with silver embellishment, which matched her hoop earrings.

The mother-of-four paired the chic blouse with a black pencil skirt with an asymmetric hem and silver zip.

Finishing off the ensemble, Rania wore some white high heels and a black leather woven handbag.

Rania styled her brown hair in loose waves and opted for her signature brown smokey eye and nude lipstick.

Queen Rania of Jordan looked elegant in a white long-sleeved blouse with silver embellishment, which matched her hoop earrings

Last month, it was announced that Rania is set to become a grandmother for the first time as her son Prince Hussein is expecting his first child with Princess Rajwa.

'The Royal Hashemite Court is pleased to announce that Their Royal Highnesses Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, Crown Prince, and Princess Rajwa Al Hussein, are expecting, with Gods help and grace, their first child, in the summer of this year,' a statement on the website reads.

'And the Royal Hashemite Court, congratulating His Majesty King Abdullah II, son of Al Hussein, and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, on this occasion, to wish Their Royal Highnesses the good offspring a good health.'

The joyous announcement comes after Rajwa's tragic loss of her father in February - just months after she married into the Jordanian royal family.

Khaled bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al Saif died at the age of 71.

In a heartfelt post on Instagram, Prince Hussein shared a picture of him embracing Khaled, who became his 'beloved' father-in-law after marrying Princess Rajwa last June.

'With profound sadness and sorrow, we bid farewell to my beloved father-in-law. We will always remember his kindness, generosity, and integrity. May God bestow mercy upon him and grant us patience and strength,' he wrote.

Hussein, 29, and high-flying architect Rajwa, 29, were married in June last year at Zahran Palace in Amman.

Rania styled her brown hair in loose waves and opted for her signature brown smokey eye and nude lipstick in New York today

Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and his wife Princess Rajwa are expecting a baby this summer. Pictured at their wedding in June

The couple - who got married in a prestigious wedding last June - will soon be parents, the royal household has revealed

The happy occasion is also set make Queen Rania , 53, (pictured) a grandmother and King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, 62, a grandfather, for the first time

Following a short service, Abdullah II and Rania hosted a lavish reception at the Al Husseiniya Palace, which was attended by more than 1,700 guests - including the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Rajwa dazzled in a white gown by Lebanese designer Elie Saab, which featured a lengthy train embroidered with flowers, and a sparkling diamond tiara.

Abdullah II and Rania proudly watched as their son was wed during an Islamic ceremony known as a 'katb ktab' held in a gazebo and conducted by the Royal Hashemite Court Imam Dr Ahmed Al Khalaileh.

Rajwa was educated in Saudi Arabia before then moving to the US for university.

While living in New York, she studied Architecture at Syracuse University - obtaining her Bachelor of Arts.

During her undergraduate degree, Rajwa flew to Dubai with her class to study the city's sustainable developments.

Following her graduation, she then went on to study Visual Communications at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles - where reality star Lauren Conrad and fashion designer Monique Lhuillier also studied.
Harvey Weinstein accuser Jessica Mann put on a very somber display as she left the New York courtroom where she faced up to the media mogul for the first time in four years - after his rape conviction against her was overturned by the Court of Appeals.

Weinstein, 72, has been serving 23 years in a New York jail for two alleged sex attacks against aspiring actress Mann and production assistant Mimi Haley, however that prison sentence was sensationally overturned last month, with a judge ordering the disgraced movie producer be given a retrial.

But while the media mogul is now gearing up for a second day in court, he won't be freed from prison, having also been handed a further 16-year sentence in Los Angeles in 2022 - a decision that his legal team in California is also now appealing.

Mann, 34, was a key accuser against Weinstein in the 2020 trial where he was convicted for third-degree rape, having given sensational testimony against him in which she described his body as 'deformed' with 'extreme scarring' and said he had no testicles.

Key Harvey Weinstein accuser Jessica Mann looked somber yet determined while leaving the courthouse on Wednesday

Mann, 34, was a key accuser against Weinstein in the 2020 trial where he was convicted for third-degree rape

DailyMail.com took exclusive photos of Weinstein entering the Manhattan court on Wednesday in a wheelchair, with handcuffs on his wrists

She appeared to be the only accuser in court during his appeal hearing.

In a sign of how significant the case is, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg walked into court on Wednesday and sat in the second row of the public gallery.

Mann was sitting on the same row as Bragg.

Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg told the court that they were asking for Weinstein to be remanded in custody.

They called it a 'strong case in 2020 when the defendant was tried and convicted' and it 'remains a strong case in 2024.'

The court heard that the appeal ruling was 'non equivocal on the issue of consent' and there was 'nothing consensual about the conduct complainants described.'

Prosecutors told the court: 'We believe in this case and will be trying this case.

'Jessica Mann is here in court. She's here to show she's not backing down and is committed to seeing justice is served again.

'The defendant may have power and privilege but she has the truth. We have every belief the defendant will be convicted again after trial.'

In the 2020 trial, Mann gave a vivid description of her relationship with Weinstein, which began after meeting him at a party in late 2012 or early 2013

Mann (pictured) appeared to be the only accuser in court during his appeal

It appears that Mann was accompanied out of the court by two women

Her appearance in court comes four years after her explosive testimony against Weinstein, in which she described his body as 'deformed' with 'extreme scarring'

A new trial was ordered after it was determined Justice James M. Burke, who presided over Weinstein's New York City case in 2020, made a 'crucial' mistake during the initial trial.

The appeals court in New York overruled the conviction after four other women were allowed to testify about Weinstein's previous behavior, even though their claims were not part of the prosecution.

The ruling last week concluded that a trial judge permitted jurors to see and hear too much evidence not directly related to the charges he faced.

The appeals court cited this as the main reason Weinstein's conviction had been overturned.

The next court date will be May 29, with Weinstein remaining in custody. A tentative trial date was set for after Labor Day, meaning that it could be in September.

In the 2020 trial, Mann gave a vivid description of her relationship with Weinstein, which began after meeting him at a party in late 2012 or early 2013.

She told the court she first met Weinstein at a party during that time after she moved from Washington state to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, but said she didn't know who he was when he introduced himself.

Weinstein, 72, has been serving 23 years in a New York jail for the two sex attacks against aspiring actress Mann and production assistant Mimi Haley

The new trial was ordered after it was determined Justice James M. Burke, who presided over Weinstein's New York City case in 2020, made a 'crucial' mistake during the initial trial

When he pulled her aside later, he told her he was interested in her as an actress, but not her Brazilian roommate, Talita Maia, who she came to the party with. Mann said she felt 'guilty,' but gave Weinstein her number.

Mann testified that he raped her twice - in New York and Los Angeles - during an 'extremely degrading' relationship with the producer that lasted for years.

During her testimony, she also admitted that she was 'manipulative' towards Weinstein, and when asked why she didn't break off contact with the producer at the first sign of trouble, she said she didn't want to offend him because 'his ego was so fragile.'

She described him as 'physically deformed or intersex' and may have been a burn victim due to 'extreme scarring' on his stomach.

Mann said after she met Weinstein, he started offering her invitations to events and, on one occasion, asked her and her roommate to his hotel suite to give them the vampire script he had been talking about - even though it had already been cast.

She said Weinstein started undressing before going into the bedroom and calling her name. When she went to the bedroom, she said he grabbed her arm, closed the door and started 'trying to kiss me like crazy.'

Mann told jurors that Weinstein then performed oral sex on her. She said she feigned orgasm to get herself out of the encounter.

Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of raping Mann (pictured at court in 2020 after his conviction)

Mann, one of two key accusers in Weinstein's case, testified that he raped her one morning in March 2013 in a New York hotel room. She is pictured left in court and right in a 2013 film

He was also convicted of sexually assaulting production assistant Mimi Haley, seen walking into his sentencing in New York in 2020

'I sort of locked up and got really quiet. I was worried about my friend out there by herself. I faked an orgasm to get out of it. He asked me how it was, if I liked it. I was nervous, so I told him it was the best I ever had,' she testified.

Mann said she then started having a twisted relationship with the mogul in which they had multiple consensual sexual encounters, including a failed threesome.

'I was confused after what happened and I made a decision to be in a relationship with him,' she said. Mann said that while she wasn't sexually attracted to Weinstein, she felt compassion for him and wanted his approval.

The failed threesome occurred in February 2013 when Weinstein allegedly had Mann meet him and actress Emanuela Postacchini at a Los Angeles hotel and he tried to persuade the women to have sex with him.

Postacchini, who was called as a prosecution witness, told jurors that Mann went into the bathroom and was 'crying in the fetal position on the ground.'

Mann also alleged Weinstein raped her at the Doubletree hotel in Manhattan in March 2013, after injecting his penis with an erection-inducing drug.

She accused Weinstein of raping her again eight months later when she was working as a hairdresser at a Los Angeles hotel after she told him she was dating an actor.

Weinstein became the face of the #MeToo movement after dozens of women came forward alleging sexual abuse. The ruling on Thursday was described as 'a major step back' by his accusers.
She's the goddaughter of King Charles and has run in royal circles her entire life - but Princess Olympia of Greece recently had a very un-regal moment while out partying with friends.

The model, 27, travelled to the Isle of Bute in Scotland last month to visit her friend Lady Lola Crichton-Stuart.

During the trip, Olympia accidentally locked herself out of her room and was forced to crawl through an open window.

Poppy Delevingne - who previously dated Olympia's brother Prince Constantine Alexios - filmed the model's attempts to break into the room before sharing it on social media.

The hilarious footage shows Olympia half-way through the window with her legs dangling out the other side.

Princess Olympia of Greece travelled to the Isle of Bute in Scotland last month to visit her friend Lady Lola Crichton-Stuart

During the trip, Olympia accidentally locked herself out of her room and was forced to crawl through an open window

However, Olympia - who was dressed in blue jeans and Chelsea boots - managed to successfully squeeze herself through the small opening.

Once she'd made it through, the red-faced Princess turned to face the camera and couldn't contain her giggles.

Poppy ended the video by labelling Olympia a 'little cat burglar', as reported by the Daily Mail's columnist Richard Eden.

What's more, the group staying in Scotland had one than just the one connection to the British Royal Family.

The pair's hostess Lola, 24, who is a model, is the daughter of the late racing driver Johnny Dumfries, who held the title Marquess of Bute.

The Maquess is said to have been a close friend of King Charles.

In November 2023, Olympia was dubbed the most eligible single in the world in the December 2023 issue of Tatler, just days after her aristocrat ex, Peregrine Pearson, was pictured kissing Sophie Turner.

'This young royal is as eligible as they come - especially now, with her razor-sharp peroxide blonde bob,' the magazine said.

Poppy - who previously dated Olympia's brother Prince Constantine Alexios - ended the video by labelling Olympia a 'little cat burglar'

Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark and Poppy Delevingne attend a Incredible Occasion hosted by Poppy Delevingne at the InterContinental London Park Lane

'This summer has been her single-girl era, flitting around Ibiza, Greece, New York and Notting Hill in sparkly stilettos.'

Maria-Olympia's grandfather is King Constantine, a relation of Prince Philip, who was exiled from Greece following the 1967 coup.

The family continue to use their royal titles decades after the abolition of the monarchy.

Maria-Olympia split from Peregrine, son and heir of the 4th Viscount Cowdray, in September, after three years together. However, they had not been seen in public together in the months before their break up.

Friends began whispering about the state of their relationship when the property developer was absent from the Chelsea-based model's 27th birthday party in July.

Maria-Olympia split from Peregrine, son and heir of the 4th Viscount Cowdray, in September. However, they had not been seen in public together since last November (pictured in November in 2022)

Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark attending the Chanel and W Magazine dinner in New York in September 2023

She has 'unfollowed' Peregrine on Instagram and deleted all traces of him on her account on the picture-sharing social media app.

Meanwhile, Peregrine, whose family has a reputed 224million fortune, was snapped passionately kissing Sophie Turner just one month after her ex Joe Jonas filed for divorce.

Olympia grew up in the London borough of Chelsea and studied Photography at the Parsons School of Design in New York.

She counts Diane von Furstenberg's model granddaughter, Princess Talita Natasha von Furstenberg and the Hilton sisters among her close friends - and is known for her glamorous lifestyle.

Alongside her photography, Olympia also works as a model and has appeared in magazines such as Teen Vogue, Tatler and W.

Olympia is the eldest of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie Chantal's five children and the only girl of the bunch.

The family, who have houses in London and in Gloucestershire, spend their summers in Harbour Island, Bahamas, and their winters in Gstaad, Switzerland - where Prince Pavlos proposed to Marie-Chantal on a chair lift in 1994.
Tourists are obsessed with a London-inspired alleyway in an Australian city

Travellers are in awe of a magical 'English' alleyway that boasts Tudor Revival architecture, ornate entrances with wrought-iron gates, and mechanical knights that joust - but there's one detail that has people taking.

Thousands all over the world looked up where they could find the picturesque London walkway - only to realise the spot is located in Western Australia.

London Court, named in 1937 for the city it emulates, is a four-storey, open-roofed shopping arcade in Perth's central business district.

'It's a unique place to discover and enjoy in Perth,' a traveller said. 'Take a short trip to old English culture. In the middle of busy modern life, I never expected such ancient antiquities and architecture to still be available and well-maintained.'

'Lovely little lane that instantly "transfers" you to London,' another wrote. 'Listen to the clock bell and head to Mini Espresso!'

London Court is a four-storey, open-roofed shopping arcade in Perth, Western Australia

London Court is located in a whimsical thoroughfare between two of Perth's busiest streets

London Court is located in a whimsical thoroughfare between two of Perth's busiest streets: Hay Street Mall and St Georges Terrace.

The latter end of the alleyway also consists of a mechanical Saint George battling the dragon - an important icon in British folklore.

A visitor noted: 'A little piece of England. Interesting arcade with a chiming clock with a mechanical display happening at the entrance. Definitely worth a visit!'

'Immediately felt like I stepped into the Middle Ages,' another added.

Many have also compared the area to the world of Harry Potter.

'My first impression upon entering was Diagon Alley!' a super-fan said. 'The walkway also reminds me of St Paul de Vance in France.'

Many have compared the area to the world of Harry Potter

Shoppers have praised the array of boutiques that sell footwear, clothing and home decor

There are also two statues at either end of London Court: one of Dick Whittington and his cat, and the other of Sir Walter Raleigh.

Visitors will find intricate gargoyles, shields, crests and more fitted around the space, with stunning terracotta tiles paying tribute to the Elizabethan era.

Shoppers have praised the array of boutiques that sell footwear, clothing and home decor.

Other wares on offer include jewellery, art, watches and chocolate.

'Love the feel of this place,' a fashion lover said. 'So many quaint little shops. I love how it takes you to a different world. The temperature cools down and city noise also lessens. Really magical.'

'It's a great mall built like Tudor London - lots of variety of goods and great price tags,' another added.

'It truly looks exactly like old London,' a mum said. 'The clock even sounds like Big Ben when it chimes.'
Travellers are venting their frustrations over an 'Aussie favourite' holiday destination that has been overrun by tourists.

Ubud, located amongst the lush hills of central Bali, is famous for its tropical jungles, lavish stays, vibrant markets, ancient temples and sweeping rice fields.

However, the pursuit for the perfect Instagram post has seen tens of thousands flood the area and turn it into a crowded, gridlocked 'mess' that is far from luxurious, according to travellers' complaints.

'What happened with Ubud? I just arrived this afternoon and was so disappointed by the amount of traffic and the people here,' a woman wrote on Reddit.

'I was here 14 years ago and can't remember it being so busy and [stressful]. I'm so down I knew Ubud would be busy but not that busy, especially in April. I am travelling one month now in Bali and I think it's almost worse than Canggu.'

Expectation vs reality: Travellers are saying Ubud used to be a stunning hidden gem but it's popularity has turned it into a crowded gridlocked 'mess'

One guest said their hotel offered to shuttle visitors into the town centre, but had to pause the service in peak travel months because of the traffic

Many more travellers were quick to agree, with one saying they had a 'horrible experience' on their most recent trip to Ubud because there was 'tourist drivel everywhere' rather than the 'historical and cultural' attractions they remember.

'I first saw Ubud in 2004. Basically a single long street with a market at one end. I remember Jazz bar, there was one little shop that had internet access. Beautiful place,' they recalled.

'Went back in 2018 with my wife - thought I'd got lost and ended up in peak hour Melbourne commuter traffic or something.'

One guest said their hotel offered to shuttle visitors into the town centre but had to pause the service in peak travel months because of the traffic.

'We first visited Ubud in August 2017, so the dead-smack high season and traffic was bad. We then visited in February of this year and traffic was worse in low season than it was in August 2017!' they said.

Another recalled when they visited in 2004, Ubud was a 'beautiful place' with 'a single long street with a market at one end'

Many pointed out one bad experience in Ubud should not turn travellers off Bali altogether and recommended those planning a visit should find nearby quieter towns to stay

'We asked our hotel shuttle driver about it and he said that traffic has become so bad that the hotel can't even drop its guests off in Ubud centre in the months of June, July, and August. Totally insane.'

'Last time I was there it was a pretty chill place. This time, it was totally over the top with non-stop traffic jams, hundreds of people clogging up the very poor footpaths and basically it was an unhappy place to be,' someone else agreed.

Another said they planned a five-night stay in Ubud but cancelled after a day because of the chaos.

'Ubud is busy all year long thanks to social media,' one user complained.

Many pointed out one bad experience in Ubud should not turn travellers off Bali altogether and recommended those planning a visit should find nearby quieter towns to stay.

'Catch a cab 20 minutes north to the area around Tegallalang and it's like Ubud 20 years ago,' one person suggested.

'I stayed 3km out and only went into the centre when I needed to,' a second said.

'I just came back from two weeks in Ubud. Our 12th time there in 10 years. It's still beautiful but busier. We just walk everywhere. The little villages like Nyuh Kuning are getting busier - they are like the old Ubud centre - and close to the monkey forest. Some beautiful little restaurants enjoy,' a third chimed in.
The UK will lead a prostate cancer revolution, set to stop four in ten deaths from the disease.

The biggest trial in a generation will test the effectiveness of diagnosis techniques, with a national screening programme almost certain to follow.

In a major victory for the Daily Mail, the results of the 42million trial are expected to 'transform' practice, saving thousands of lives a year.

Doctors say it will also create a 'treasure trove' of data, samples and images that will help in the global fight against the disease, which kills 12,000 Brits every year.

Professor Hashim Ahmed, chair of urology at Imperial College London, described it as the 'biggest, most exciting trial in prostate cancer screening and diagnosis.'

Professor Hashim Ahmed (pictured), chair of urology at Imperial College London , described it as the 'biggest, most exciting trial in prostate cancer screening and diagnosis.' One of six experts leading the trial, he told the Mail: 'This is the biggest academic study in prostate cancer ever funded in the last two or three decades. It's going to significantly shift the needle on what we understand about prostate cancer and how we diagnose it early and screen for it'

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One of six experts leading the trial, he told the Mail: 'This is the biggest academic study in prostate cancer ever funded in the last two or three decades.

PROFESSOR HASHIM AHMED: Britain will let its men down if we do not start properly screening prostate cancer Advertisement

'It's going to significantly shift the needle on what we understand about prostate cancer and how we diagnose it early and screen for it.

'I think it's one of the most exciting things in any cancer area that we've seen for a long time.

'It will truly have a transformative effect on future generations of men.'

GPs will soon start sending letters to recruit around 12,500 men for the first phase of the programme, which is expected to last around three years.

They will be asked to join a screening programme testing a variety of methods including the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test, specialist 15-minute MRI scans known as 'prostagrams', genetic testing, or a combination of different methods.

Scientists will compare the results to the general population with the same eligibility criteria -men aged 50 to 75, or over 45 if Black or with a history of prostate cancer.

They hope to determine the most effective method for early detection and which can differentiate between aggressive disease and low-risk cancers, unlikely to require treatment.

Up to 300,000 men will then be invited to participate using the chosen method in the second phase of research.

They will be followed for at least a decade to track survival data, alongside quality of life and any reduction in harms.

If there a clear signs of early success, experts believe it could be enough to convince the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) to recommend national screening within three years.

Dr Matthew Hobbs, Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK which commissioned the trial, said it was a 'pivotal moment in the history of prostate cancer research'.

He said: 'What we're doing here is hugely ambitious not just in cost, but in time and numbers.

'But that is to deliberately gold plate the evidence so that we can make sure we change practice.

'We know that earlier diagnosis saves lives, but previous trials haven't been able to prove that enough men would be saved using PSA tests alone, while they did show that these old screening methods caused significant unnecessary harm to men.

'We must now prove that there are better ways to find aggressive prostate cancer that will save even more lives while causing less harm.'

The Mail has fought for nearly 25 years to raise the profile of the most common cancer in men, recently relaunching its End The Needless Prostate Deaths campaign.

More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average in the UK, making it the most common cancer in men. Around 12,000 men die every year from the disease  the equivalent of one every 45 minutes

The disease usually has no symptoms until the cancer has grown large and more difficult to treat. At present, men who visit the doctor's with symptoms such as frequent or trouble urinating may be offered a PSA test, although many GP refuse them. Pictured, human prostate cancer cells under a microscope

While survival rates have tripled in the past 50 years, projections indicate that by 2040 the number of men diagnosed every year in the UK could rise to 85,000 from 52,000 now.

The disease usually has no symptoms until the cancer has grown large and more difficult to treat.

At present, men who visit the doctor's with symptoms such as frequent or trouble urinating may be offered a PSA test, although many GP refuse them.

A PSA score above three is generally seen as a 'red flag' for possible prostate cancer but the test is only around 55 per cent accurate, meaning thousands can be sent for biopsies or other further tests unnecessarily.

The unreliability of the PSA test is why as yet, there is no national screening programme, despite 142 men a day in the UK being diagnosed with the disease.

Designed in consultation with the UK NSC and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), it is hoped the TRANSFORM trial will provide the evidence needed to get it over the line to join breast, cervical and bowel cancer screening.

Rakesh Heer, a clinician and Professor of Urology at Imperial College London who is also involved in the trial said: 'TRANSFORM is not only the most important diagnosis trial in more than two decades, but it could also prove a game changer for prostate cancer research as a whole.

'This treasure trove will help researchers around the world create and validate innovative new tests, treatments, and AI tools.'

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Previous trials using PSA and biopsy to screen for prostate cancer have shown that it is possible to prevent between eight and 20 per cent of prostate cancer deaths depending on how regularly men are screened.

Scientists estimate that these new approaches have the potential to more than double this impact and reduce prostate cancer deaths by up to 40 per cent.

The trial has been designed to ensure those most at risk are well represented with black men, who have double the risk of prostate cancer, making up one in ten of those invited to participate.

Ros Eeles, Professor of oncogenetics at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: 'This trial is a game-changer because it will allow us to rigorously test genetic markers on a large scale in men from diverse ancestries.

'This could give us the information we need to use genetic risk scores to identify men at risk of aggressive cancer who will need regular tests, while sparing men at low-risk unnecessary biopsies and treatments.'

Andrew Stephenson, Minister for Health and Secondary Care, said: 'It's fantastic to know that more people are surviving cancer in the UK than ever, but we know that's partly down to early diagnosis.

'Screening for the most common cancer in men is complex but we're backing groundbreaking trials like this to improve diagnostic processes and save thousands more lives.'

This is our last, best hope and we have to start NOW

By PROFESSOR HASHIM AHMED

The debate over prostate cancer screening has been raging for two decades.

Why is this? We know that more than 12,000 men every year in the UK die of this cancer and that screening with PSA blood tests can save lives. However, with any screening programme, there is a balance between the benefits of finding and treating cancer early, and the harms of screening.

First, we know many men without cancer will have a high PSA blood test and have unnecessary biopsies.

Second, we also know that one in three of the male population above the age of 50 will have tiny areas of 'prostate cancer' which do not grow or spread. So much so, that there is a separate debate raging over the past five years about whether we should even call them 'cancer'.

Leading the way: Professor Hashim Ahmed

Third, when a man has a high PSA blood test, the biopsy tests we used to do to find cancer were random, with tissue samples taken haphazardly from the prostate. As a result, there was a good chance we would find these low-risk cancers and men would be treated unnecessarily.

Fourth, biopsies have side effects and complications. Finally, treatments such as surgical removal of the prostate or radiation carry side-effects with risk of urinary, sexual and back-passage problems.

Over the past decade the UK has led the charge in reducing those harms. First, by using highly accurate MRI scans, we can find those cancers that need treatment and avoid finding many of the inconsequential low-risk cancers. Second, most men with low-risk and some with medium-risk prostate cancer are managed safely with active surveillance rather than immediate active treatment. Third, surgical and radiotherapy techniques have improved.

Finally, targeted focal therapy to destroy individual areas of cancer rather than the whole prostate leads to vastly lower side effects and can be effectively used in two out of five men with early prostate cancer.

So if we have done so well in reducing the harms of screening, why do we not just launch a screening programme?

The problem is that all of these changes have been carried out in men who get referred by their GP. We do not know whether they are enough to reduce the harms, while retaining the survival benefit, once we start screening hundreds of thousands of the male population. To shift the debate and convince everyone, the TRANSFORM trial is needed to weave together the benefits of screening in saving lives and the reductions in harm. This is our last, best hope for screening.

It will take many years and a huge amount of resources, but if we don't start now we will spend the next two decades carrying on our debate on screening, and let down generations of men.

Professor Ahmed, of Imperial College London, is chief investigator of the TRANSFORM study

WHAT IS PROSTATE CANCER? How many people does it kill? More than 11,800 men a year - or one every 45 minutes - are killed by the disease in Britain, compared with about 11,400 women dying of breast cancer. It means prostate cancer is behind only lung and bowel in terms of how many people it kills in Britain. In the US, the disease kills 26,000 men each year. Despite this, it receives less than half the research funding of breast cancer and treatments for the disease are trailing at least a decade behind. How many men are diagnosed annually? Every year, upwards of 52,300 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK - more than 140 every day. How quickly does it develop? Prostate cancer usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs someone has it for many years, according to the NHS. If the cancer is at an early stage and not causing symptoms, a policy of 'watchful waiting' or 'active surveillance' may be adopted. Some patients can be cured if the disease is treated in the early stages. But if it is diagnosed at a later stage, when it has spread, then it becomes terminal and treatment revolves around relieving symptoms. Thousands of men are put off seeking a diagnosis because of the known side effects from treatment, including erectile dysfunction. Tests and treatment Tests for prostate cancer are haphazard, with accurate tools only just beginning to emerge. There is no national prostate screening programme as for years the tests have been too inaccurate. Doctors struggle to distinguish between aggressive and less serious tumours, making it hard to decide on treatment. Men over 50 are eligible for a PSA blood test which gives doctors a rough idea of whether a patient is at risk. But it is unreliable. Patients who get a positive result are usually given a biopsy which is also not fool-proof. Scientists are unsure as to what causes prostate cancer, but age, obesity and a lack of exercise are known risks. Anyone with any concerns can speak to Prostate Cancer UK's specialist nurses on 0800 074 8383 or visit prostatecanceruk.org Advertisement
READ MORE: Marijuana to be officially reclassified as less dangerous drug

The DEA will look to reclassify marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3

Doctors have declared the Government's push to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a 'political move that goes against science' and 'glosses over' serious risks of addiction and psychosis.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is announced plans to downgrade marijuana from a schedule one substance to schedule three, putting it in the same safety category as some types of Tylenol and steroids.

If the rule is officially adopted, marijuana will be considered less risky than LSD, ecstacy, codeine, Adderall and cocaine. It would be the agency's biggest policy change in 50 years, though it would not outright legalize the drug.

However, medical experts told DailyMail.com that reclassifying cannabis could mislead the public into believing the drug is safe, and dismiss serious risks like addiction, heart disease, and severe psychiatric illness.

There is particular concern about the impact of mind-altering high-potency marijuana that dominates the market today, with levels of psychoactive THC around 13-15 percent, on average. In the 1970s, the average joint contained around two to four percent THC.

Emily Rose Perrin, who suffered cystic fibrosis, was suffocated and killed by her mother who is believed to have been experiencing psychiatric illness related to cannabis use

Kiaire McCoy got hold of his mother's ex-boyfriend's loaded gun and shot himself earlier this year. The gun owner was supposed to be watching Kiaire but 'zoned out' while high on marijuana

Data suggests weed-related addiction, mental illness, and hospitalization, have soared in states like California where recreational cannabis has been legalized.

The drug has also been blamed for hundreds of child deaths due to parents ignoring their responsibilities while high, or entering a dangerous psychosis.

And earlier this year, the case of Bryn Spejcher, a 32-year-old audiologist who went into a weed-induced psychosis and stabbed her boyfriend over 100 times, thrust the harms of cannabis into the spotlight.

Dr Roneet Lev, an emergency medicine physician and addiction specialist at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, told DailyMail.com: 'This is a sad day for the children of America who are being exposed to more of this.'

'We're not following the science and it's right there in front of us.'

However, official death data shows the number of fatalities related to the drug remain low, at around 300 a year, compared to roughly 10,000 from schedule one heroin.

What's more, the DEA says there are no annual deaths from marijuana overdoses.

But is it really less dangerous than ecstasy, cocaine, codeine and Adderall?

Bryn Spejcher, a 32-year-old audiologist in California, went into violent psychosis after smoking marijuana, which she was normally against. She stabbed her boyfriend 108 times, as well as herself and her beloved dog

Federal research has shown that cannabis use is growing, particularly in Americans under the age of 30

Recent CDC figures suggest perhaps not, when it comes to hospitalizations. Between December 30, 2018, and January 1, 2023, there were nearly 540,000 ER visits related to cannabis.

In comparison, there's around 3,200 visits per year for MDMA (or ecstasy) - 56 times fewer than those related to weed.

Most of these admissions are related to the psychiatric effects of marijuana.

One study published last year found that regular cannabis users were more than twice as likely to suffer serious psychological distress than those who did not use weed.

What's more, one 2019 UK study found that those who smoked high-potency marijuana were five times more likely to develop psychosis. There have also been anecdotal reports of high-potency marijuana vapes linked to psychotic breaks, suicidal thoughts, and deaths by suicide.

Scientists believe that the THC in cannabis interferes with signals in the brain that contol mood, attention and memory, as well as feelings of reward and pleasure.

The DEA classifies drugs into five categories based on how likely they are to be abused. Schedule one drugs, which marijuana currently falls under, have the highest chance of abuse and 'the potential to create severe psychological and/or physical dependence.

Other schedule one drugs include heroin, LSD, ecstacy, and MDMA.

Schedule two drugs include cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, fentanyl, and Adderall. Meanwhile, current schedule three drugs are ketamine, some anabolic steroids, and testosterone.

Schedule four includes Xanax, Valium, and Ambien, among others, and the least dangerous, schedule five, include cough medicines with less than 200 miligrams of codeine, such as robitussin AC, and the arthritis medicine Lyrica.

Schedule three drugs are still controlled substances and subject to rules and regulations, and people who traffic in them without permission could still face federal criminal prosecution.

Researchers have noted that drugs in Schedule one have no medicinal benefits, while scheduling marijuana down acknowledges that it has some medical uses.

But experts say addiction is a common issue with marijuana - it just often flies under the radar.

Recreational marijuana is legal in 24 states, though others have legalized it only for medicinal purposes

Scientists have a hard time agreeing on where the addiction threshold is for marijuana, but studies estimate about four million Americans qualified as having a 'marijuana use disorder' in 2015, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

That group accounts for about nine percent of all marijuana-users. But addiction rates nearly doubled - rising to 17 percent - among people that started getting high in their teenage years.

Additionally, a study in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that nearly one in five people who smoke cannabis met the criteria for dependence.

Dr Lev noted that the addiction rate 'could be as high as 50 percent' for those who stasrt using at young ages and opting for potency above 10 percent THC.

Other mental health risks of regular cannabis use has also been shown in studies. Danish researchers delved into the records of more than 6.6 million people in Denmark born between 1985 and 2021 and found of those addicted to cannabis, about 41 percent of those individuals were diagnosed with major depression.

They also found chronic marijuana use quadrupled a persons risk of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Other drugs in Schedule one have similar effects. One review found that heavy use of MDMA, for example, may inhibit the production of serotonin, decreasing mood and sense of pleasure.

Additional research has found that long-term LSD use can trigger psychosis and schizophrenia in some users.

Recent research has shed light on marijuana's risk to physical health. A study of 400,000 adults published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, for example, found that any type of cannabis use was 'associated with a higher number of adverse cardiovascular outcomes.'

The strength of cannabis has increased exponentially in recent decades

This included daily weed users having a 25 percent higher risk of heart attack and a 42 percent increased chance of suffering a stroke.

Additionally, research from November found that adults over 54 years old who smoked marijuana daily had a 34 percent higher risk of heart failure.

An accompanying study researchers found hospitalized people over 65 years old who had used marijuana  but not cigarettes  were 20 percent more likely to suffer a major heart event or stroke.

Researchers warned data was 'strongly pointing' to the fact that 'cannabis use at any point in time, be it recreational or medicinal,' was not without risks.

There is little concrete data on deaths directly caused by marijuana and some Schedule one drugs like LSD and MDMA, though the estimates are small compared to drugs like cocaine.

While marijuana death estimates range from about 100 to 300 per year, a CDC report found that between 2019 and 2012, there were 24,486 deaths from cocaine overdose. This was a 54 percent increase from 2015 to 2019.

The rates of hospitalization due to marijuana, meanwhile, are staggering.

Research from 2022, for example, suggested that recreational marijuana users were 25 percent more likely to end up needing emergency hospital treatment. And, according to data from the US Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the risk of being involved in a cannabis-related accident is significantly higher in states where the drug is legal.

Additionally, the CDC reported that between December 30, 2018, and January 1, 2023, there were nearly 540,000 cannabis-involved emergency room visits among people under 25 years old.

Data from a 2021 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report found over 787,000 emergency room visits due to marijuana, most of which - 45.2 percent - were among those ages 26 to 44.

This was similar to ED visits for methamphetamine use, which totaled nearly 800,000. These include ADHD medications like Adderall.

Dr Lev noted that lowering the classification could give users the false impression that consuming marijuana is harmless, when research paints a more grim picture.

However, not all experts agree that re-classifying cannabis is a bad idea.

Dr Anna Lembke, a professor of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine, told DailyMail.com that 'cannabis is clearly addictive' but said that rescheduling marijuana acknowledges that it has some medicinal benefits as well.

'I think it's a good move,' she said. This is because schedule one drugs cannot be federally researched, except by few institutions, leading to inconsistent data about the risks and benefits.

'Putting it into schedule three makes it possible for researchers to gather robust clinical data to see what the use cases are, including its medical efficacy for various conditions, as well as risks, benefits, and alternatives,' Dr Lembke said.

She noted marijuana being a schedule one drug has led to poorly designed studies with flawed methodology and only short-term design, which gives the public a skewed perspective.

'Right now what we have is a lot of poorly done studies on cannabis making it difficult to know what to tell patients about cannabis available at their local state dispensary,' she said.

Dr Lembke said she hopes the rescheduling leads to additional data and ultimately the FDA approval of some forms of cannabis rather than leaving it up to the states.

'All we have right now is a hodgepodge system at the state level with varying degrees of oversight and regulation, and no robust evidence base for when and how to use it.'

'Cannabis is clearly addictive. And is also clearly has medicinal properties, at least when used short term. So we need to figure out how so we can use it for its medicinal properties but also make sure that we protect people from the adverse consequences, including the very strong potential for addiction.'

Dr Lev noted that while she doesn't discourage people from using cannabis, there is currently not enough evidence on the risks for benefits for people to know exactly what they're getting into.

'We aren't telling people to not use but to make an informed decision, and right now we have an ill informed public,' she said.

'People need to be making informed decisions, and marijuana is not at that point in terms of public health information.'
Ten staff members posed as fake patients at a regional Victorian hospital to pretend it was busy during a visit from the health minister.

An investigation by the Health Department confirmed Colac Area Health had staff registered as patients in the Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) when Victoria's Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas visited on August 9, 2023.

An investigation into the saga confirmed that some medical staff were sitting in the waiting room while others were in beds, with one even occupying a trolley in the back corridor.

Another staff member arrived by ambulance and was triaged despite not requiring medical treatment.

The investigation found that staff members went along with what was happening under the belief it was what Colac Area Health 'expected of them' and as a result, won't be disciplined.

Ten staff members posed as fake patients at a regional hospital to pretend it was busy during a visit from the health minister

It was found that there was a possibility patient care could have been impacted but resources were not found to have been diverted away from genuine demand at the time.

'The Investigator was satisfied on the basis of the available information that each of those actions were taken in order to make it appear to the Minister that the UCC was busier than it actually was on the day of the visit,' the Department of Health said in a report on the matter.

'Each of those individuals were registered as patients in the UCCs intake system prior to the Minister arriving and their registrations were cancelled and the patients left the UCC after the Minister departed, without any treatment being administered.

'The staff working in the UCC that day were generally aware, or soon became aware, that the patients presenting to the UCC did not require medical treatment, and they generally directed their focus on treating those patients who did require medical care.'

Wise Workplace Solutions and the department agreed that putting the health of potential patients at risk was 'incredibly disappointing and entirely inappropriate'.

Colac Area Health, which has accepted the recommendations, has been asked to convey the seriousness of what occurred to their staff and encourage them to speak up about unethical decisions in the workplace.

Ms Thomas said she was visiting to see the positive impact of equipment upgrades on staff and patients.

'I'm very disappointed,' she said on Wednesday.

'I don't need our health services to be staging fake patients for me to know that our health system is facing challenges.'

Ms Thomas said she did not notice 'anything was untoward' during her visit and that she only found out about the investigation in late August.

'It's certainly not something that ever crossed my mind, that a health service would work to deceive a government minister in such a way,' she said.

'Our health system is filled with incredibly talented, dedicated and committed nurses doctors, allied health care workers  This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable to me, as it is to them.

'Taking actions to potentially put the health and safety of patients requiring care from our public health system is a very, very serious matter.'

Minister Mary-Ane Thomas (second from left) with staff at the Colac Area Health clinic during her visit

Professor Steve Moylan, Colac Area Health Interim CEO, told Daily Mail Australia that they are 'sorry for what occurred' in the Urgent Care Centre.

'It is highly regrettable and weve accepted all recommendations from the independent investigation,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'Whilst the investigation found there was no impact to patient care, we know the incident posed a potential risk and thats something we will ensure doesnt happen again.

'Colac Area Health is committed to learning from this incident and to keep building a better health service for our community, including by acting on the recommendations to strengthen our internal culture and also consider any further action.'

The incident was first raised by a whistleblower who brought the allegations to the Victorian Public Sector Commission.

Ambulance Victoria's internal investigation into the involvement of the ambulance is underway.
A young mother was left fighting for her life after 'nightmare' weight loss surgery in Turkey.

NHS healthcare assistant Chloe Quick was given a '50/50' chance of pulling through after suffering a bleed during the 1,500 gastric sleeve op.

Her spleen  a fist-sized organ in the abdomen  ruptured and she was placed in a medically-induced coma to protect her brain.

Ms Quick, 23, from Hereford, survived her near-death ordeal and is now recovering at a private clinic in Istanbul.

However, she faces a growing bill of over 5,000 to get back to the UK after needing emergency care overseas.

NHS health care assistant Chloe Quick, 23, who was only given a '50/50' chance of pulling through, is now facing a growing bill of over 5,000 to get home after needing emergency care overseas

Gastric sleeve ops can cost around 7,000 in British private clinics. The op removes part of the stomach to help overweight patients slim.

Just hours after completing the procedure at an unnamed private hospital on April 26, Ms Quick reportedly suffered a pain in her abdomen.

Blood gushed from a surgical drain placed in her abdomen as part of the procedure, according to a GoFundMe page.

Staff reportedly told the young mother this was normal.

She later collapsed and had to be rushed to emergency care. Urgent investigations revealed her spleen had ruptured, causing an internal bleed.

Friends have set up an online fundraiser in an attempt to help Ms Quick get home to her two-year-old son

It is unknown if this is directly related to the surgery. Spleen ruptures can occur after injuries to the abdomen like a car accident.

Ms Quick, who is mother to a two-year-old boy, was placed in an induced coma as part of her treatment.

Her best friend Leah Mattson, who has set up a GoFundMe to help the family, said Ms Quick cried out 'how much is this going to cost?' before staff took her away.

She added: 'They had to perform emergency surgery to re-do the sleeve and repair her spleen. They had to put her into a medically induced coma.

'The staff told Chloes dad that there was a 50/50 chance of her pulling through this and the next 24 hours were crucial.

'This was life or death for Chloe, her family and close friends have been so worried the last few days not knowing if she was going to make it home to her two-year-old son.'

Despite apparent initial assurances that this extra treatment wouldn't cost the family any more, they say they have now been saddled with a 5,300 bill for this unexpected treatment and to get Ms Quick home.

This pic, supplied by the family, shows Ms Quick's surgical scar, it is unknown if this was following the original procedure or after the emergency care she received

Part of the cost is understood to be because Ms Quick must spend extra days in hospital as she risks suffering dangerous blood clots if she flies too soon.

Ms Mattson said friend is facing a nightmarish situation, adding: 'Chloe has always worried about money and the only thing she was scared of before her surgery was handing over that large amount of money.

'Never did she believe she would nearly not come home.

'I feel sick for her, she just came so close to losing her life and now they are asking for money she doesnt have.'

Ms Mattson herself is riddled with feelings of guilt after inspiring Ms Quick to get the surgery done abroad after her own operation in Turkey.

'I had this surgery myself and was an inspiration to Chloe to get it done as mine was successful, it breaks my heart and eats me up that hers went wrong,' she said.

People can donate to the fundraiser here.

Surgeons have grown increasingly concerned about the number of Brits heading to medical tourism hubs like Turkey in recent years.

UK Government data has recorded over 25 deaths of Brits following medical procedures in the country.

Survivors of botched operations also often need follow-up care in Britain, usually by the NHS.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) found 324 Brits have needed medical treatment or corrective surgery after having gone under the knife overseas since 2018.

This has surged 94 per cent in three years, the organisation claimed, as increasing numbers of Brits seek to look more like their celebrity idols.

Turkey was the largest source of botched ops, the BAAPS figures suggested.

Almost 80 per cent of Brits who needed corrective ops in the last year were treated originally in surgical tourism hubs like Istanbul and Ankara.

Procedures to treat botched cosmetic ops cost the NHS millions of pounds each year.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons analysed 324 cases of Brits needing medical treatment or corrective surgery after having gone under the knife overseas since 2018

BAAPS estimates the average cost to the health service of treating a Brit botched overseas is about 15,000, putting the total bill since 2018 at about 4.8million.

This bill represents the cost of resources like medication and dressings, as well as the time surgeons and other NHS staff must spend on such cases.

While the 15,000 figure is an average, surgeons have previously told this website more serious cases can cost upwards of 100,000 to the taxpayer.

Some cases include patients suffering infections from improperly cleaned wounds or of surgical tools or objects being left in body after an operation.

Campaigners and surgeons have repeatedly warned patients about the dangers of seeking budget surgery abroad.

These include performing procedures on patients who 'should never have gone under the knife' due to their health increasing the risk of complications.

Such complications can leave patients both out of pocket and facing long term aesthetic or health problems.

Survivors have previously told MailOnline of being stitched up so tight wounds burst open when they moved, with others describing being left with necrotic nipples from botched boob jobs.

Some Turkish operators also offer procedures like 'extreme BBLs' and 'mega liposuctions' that no reputable UK surgeon would dream of attempting.

British surgeons have warned that some Turkish clinics seem to be using the NHS as a surgical aftercare service to look after patients after they've been sent home and this contributes, in part, to why their procedures are so cheap in the first place
When Ella Pick struggled to keep up with her friends during a girls' holiday in Zante because she felt ill, she blamed her hangover.

But the 19-year-old's world was turned upside down when doctors revealed she had an incurable brain tumour.

The check-out worker, from Boston in Lincolnshire, was heartbreakingly given a year to live.

Although there's no proof her symptoms during her holiday to the Greek island last June were down to her brain tumour, similar ones are known to occur.

Miss Pick said she felt 'off' towards the end of a week-long trip to Zante with four of her friends to celebrate the end of college.

Ella Pick, 19, said she felt 'off' towards the end of a week-long trip to Zante with four of her friends to celebrate the end of college last June but blamed it on her boozing and partying

She began experiencing severe migraines upon returning home before her left eye drifted inwards

However, her symptoms worsened when she returned home.

Miss Pick said: 'Everything kind of started when I went away with my girls to Zante for a holiday. It was amazing.

'For the first two or three nights, I felt absolutely fine. We were all having the best time.

'Then I didn't exactly feel ill, I just didn't feel myself. I wasn't drinking as much or going out as much.

'I thought maybe it could be a hangover. I just felt off. Now I look back and think I clearly wasn't well.'

Miss Pick, pictured with her friend's on holiday, said she had an amazing holiday but felt 'off'

Now she looks back on her holiday to Zante and knows she didn't feel well. At the time she thought it was just a hangover

She added: 'We got home and I felt absolutely fine then a week or so later I started getting severe migraines.

'The pressure in the back of my head was awful. I've always suffered with migraines but never to that extent.

What is a DIPG, or diffuse midline glioma? Also called DIPGs, diffuse midline gliomas are the second most common type of primary high grade brain tumour in children. But the type of fast growing tumour can also occur in adults. They grow in the midline between the two halves of the brain. They most commonly grow in the pons in region of the brain stem, the thalamus and the spinal cord. Symptoms include: Problems with walking, coordination or balance

Weakness in the arms and legs

Difficulty controlling facial expressions or one side of the face appearing different from the other

Speech difficulties

Problems with swallowing and chewing

Double vision or difficulty controlling eye movement.

Headaches (especially in the morning)

Nausea

Fatigue Source: The Brain Tumour Charity Advertisement

'Then my left eye drifted inwards towards the middle of my face. I went for an eye test and they referred me to the hospital and said it was 'major concern'.'

Miss Pick was rushed to hospital after a particularly severe migraine in the shower.

Although she had experienced migraines for several years, it is not known if these were related to the tumour or not.

Doctors discovered a lump on her brain which was eventually diagnosed as a diffuse midline glioma.

The cancer is incurable and inoperable, with Miss Pick given an estimated 12 months to live last July.

Diffuse midline gliomas, or DIPGs, typically strike children. The fast growing tumour can also occur in adults, too.

It grows in the midline, between the two halves of the brain, and kills the majority of those who get it within a year, the Brain Tumour Charity says.

It commonly causes problems with balance and walking, weakness in the arms and legs, difficulty controlling facial expressions, speech difficulties, problems with swallowing and chewing and double vison or problems controlling eye movement.

It can also cause nausea, fatigue and headaches.

Following her diagnosis, Miss Pick was forced to turn down an interview for her dream job working as cabin crew for British Airways.

She said she feels 'numb' since her prognosis and wants to make as many memories with her friends and family as possible with whatever time she has left.

Miss Pick said: 'I just felt completely numb. It still doesn't feel real.

'Everyone else around me is hurting more than I am.'

She added: 'They can't exactly say how long I have because I can't have a biopsy because of where the tumour is.

'If I were to have a biopsy, they would more than likely paralyse me so they can't exactly say how many months I have.

After a CT scan and MRI, doctors discovered a lump on her brain that was later identified as a diffuse midline glioma in her brain stem

The cancer (pictured on the scan) is incurable and inoperable - with Miss Pick given an estimated 12 months left to live in July last year

Miss Pick is now trying to make memories with her friends and family. She underwent a six-week course of radiotherapy last year in the hope of slowing the progression of the tumour

'I've gone back to work and would just rather go on with life as normal. I've been on a few holidays with my family - we're just trying to make the most of the time we have.'

She underwent a six-week course of radiotherapy last year in the hope of slowing the progression of the tumour.

Her latest scan revealed the tumour was stable and 'not growing' after the course of treatment.

Miss Pick said: 'There's always different trials with different drugs. I'd be willing to try anything.

'You never expect something like this to happen at 18. It's like a movie. It's not actually sunk in even though I've known for nine months.

'I'm just trying to get away as much as possible and stay positive.'
TOKYO, May 01 (News On Japan) - Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced on April 30th that the number of vacant homes across the country has reached 9 million, setting a new record high.

The count of vacant homes has been consistently rising, with an increase of 510,000 homes compared to the survey conducted five years ago.

The phenomenon of "akiya," or empty houses, is not new in Japan, but the scale at which it is occurring is unprecedented. This surge is attributed to Japans aging population and its declining birthrate, factors that have led to a shrinking household size and a surplus of homes that no longer have occupants.

Vacant homes can lead to a myriad of economic and social issues. Economically, they cause property values to plummet, not only affecting individual property owners but also reducing municipal tax revenues, which are crucial for local governments. Socially, these empty properties can lead to neighborhood decline, creating pockets of urban blight and reducing the overall quality of life for residents.

Moreover, these vacant homes are often concentrated in rural areas where the population exodus to urban centers like Tokyo and Osaka is more pronounced. This rural depopulation exacerbates the problem, leaving entire neighborhoods deserted and infrastructure underused.

The Japanese government has recognized the severity of the issue and has implemented various measures to address it. These include promoting the renovation and repurposing of akiya into rental properties, encouraging prefectures to buy and demolish derelict houses, and providing subsidies for younger generations to move into these areas.

However, these measures face significant hurdles. The cost of renovating old and often dilapidated houses can be prohibitive. Additionally, the bureaucratic process involved in claiming ownership of these properties, many of which have unclear ownership due to heirs being unknown or uninterested, can be daunting.

Source: ANN
It comes after $700million payment to states over claims it misled customers

Deal would allow pharma giant to resolve more than 54,000 lawsuits over talc

Johnson and Johnson is set to make one of the biggest payouts in history over claims its talc powder causes ovarian cancer.

Under the proposed deal, the pharma giant would pay nearly $6.5billion over 25 years to tens of thousands of people who have filed lawsuits against the company.

J&J is urging those suing them to accept the deal, saying it is better than waiting for a trial which may take decades to begin and does not guarantee a payout.

But they will need at least 75 percent of the 54,000 people who have filed against the company to vote in favor of the deal over the next three months for it to be accepted.

The pharma giant has already paid out billions over its talc powder  which has now been discontinued  including $700million to states over misleading advertising and more than $2.12billion to 22 women who said it gave them cancer.

Earlier this month, it paid $45million to the family of a mother-of-six in Illinois who died after developing a cancer linked to the powders.

J&J, based in New Jersey, has admitted no wrongdoing and continues to insist that its talcum powder is safe, did not contain asbestos and did not cause cancer.

J&J is set to pay nearly $6.5billion to settle the more than 54,000 lawsuits it faces over claims its talc powder has triggered ovarian cancer

Lora Stahl, 56, from Nebraska, pictured here with her husband Herb and grandson, is one of the more than 54,000 people saying J&J's baby powder gave them cancer. She previously suffered from ovarian cancer

If accepted, the payout would be one of the largest in history  surpassing the $6billion to be paid by the Sackler family over the opioid crisis and well above the $3billion paid by GSK in 2012 to resolve allegations it failed to report safety data.

Erik Haas, J&J's worldwide vice president of litigation, said according to CNBC: 'We firmly believe this plan is in the best interests of claimants and should receive a favorable and immediate confirmation from the bankruptcy court.

'As that track record shows, most of bearing claimants have not recovered, nor are they expected to ever recover, anything at trial.

'At the rate at which cases have been tried, it would take decades to try the remaining cases meaning most claimants will never see their day in court.'

The pharma giant's stockprice jumped three percent on the news of the proposed deal from $148.49 to $150 per share.

Many of the claims are being brought by women who say they developed ovarian cancer because of the powder, or people who were diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer around the heart.

These cancers are linked to asbestos, which some studies say could be found in small amounts in talc powders.

Under the deal, J&J would file for the bankruptcy of a subsidiary company called LTL Management which would then payout to settle all current and future claims.

A bankruptcy is a legal device used by businesses or individuals to declare they cannot repay their debts and allow for a settlement to be reached over payments.

It was not clear how much everyone suing the company would receive under the deal, but this could run into the millions for many.

The deal marks the third time J&J has offered a bankruptcy deal in the New Jersey federal court.

The two previous ones were thrown out by judges, although they did not involve votes from those suing the company.

Among those suing J&J is 56-year-old Lora Stahl from Nebraska, who claims she had to have a hysterectomy and was robbed of the chance to grow her family after the baby powder caused a cancerous tumor to form in her ovaries.

She was diagnosed with stage two ovarian cancer at the age of 35, with doctors having to remove her uterus, cervix and ovaries to halt the disease's spread.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, she said: 'I was still in my childbearing years, my husband and I were still young. I was lying there, and it just hit me, "Oh, my gosh, I can't have kids anymore. We're done having a family, we don't have a choice. It's not my choice anymore."

Another claimant is 24-year-old Emory Valadez from California, who said the firm's baby powder caused him to develop a rare and deadly cancer.

Talc powder was popular for decades in the US for its ability to keep skin dry and to help avoid rashes, being used on both adults and babies.

But the powder, made from a naturally occurring mineral, can also contain small amounts of asbestos according to some studies  a carcinogen known to cause cancers when repeatedly inhaled.

Once asbestos fibers enter the body, they can lodge in soft tissue permanently, causing severe cellular damage and inflammation  which may lead to cancer.

In March this year, J&J received a new chance to contest the scientific evidence linking talc to ovarian cancer in the centralized litigation in New Jersey federal court.

The judge overseeing the cases said that recent changes in the law and new scientific evidence require a fresh review, and he asked J&J to present new arguments on the science by late July.

J&J said it will continue to defend itself against the lawsuits while trying to gather votes on the settlement.

The company said it has prevailed in 95 percent of ovarian cases tried to date, including every ovarian case tried over the last six years.
US health officials will begin testing ground beef for bird flu amid concerns that the virus could enter commercial meat supply.

Federal health officials have insisted that meat is safe, but there are growing fears concerned about the virus that has been spotted in commercial milk after tearing through farms across the country.

Three studies conducted by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) will test for particles of avian flu in beef sold in grocery stores or in the muscles of dairy cows sent to slaughter.

The research will also look for evidence that cooking meat thoroughly  opting for a burger well done  will kill the virus.

An ex-FDA food safety expert previously urged DailyMail.com readers to only eat well-done beef and avoid runny eggs while the outbreak rages.

Ground beef will be tested for avian flu. If it's detected, American's beloved burgers may not be as available for Memorial Day

To date, no avian flu has been found in beef cattle. But before last month, it had never been seen in dairy cows either.

In fact, testing on grocery store milk suggested one in five of the products contain the virus, though experts insist the fragments are inactive and cannot infect people who drink the contaminated milk

A USDA official said in a statement: USDA has a rigorous meat inspection process, where USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) veterinarians are present at all federal livestock slaughter facilities.

The virus is only active when dairy is not pasteurized, a process that kills harmful bacteria and viruses. The department said the same goes for cooked beef.

Yet some doctors are urging more caution.

Dr Darin Detwiler, former FDA and USDA food safety advisor, told DailyMail.com recently that Americans should avoid rare meat and runny eggs while the outbreak in cattle was ongoing, as improperly cooked animal products are more likely to carry viruses and bacteria.

Avian influenza A (H5N1) first emerged in 1996 but since 2020, the number of outbreaks in birds has grown exponentially, alongside an increase in the number of infected mammals.

The strain has led to the deaths of at least 90 million wild birds and land and marine mammals also infected. The virus was also found in goats, which were previously believed not to be susceptible.

Government health officials insist the traces of bird flu in milk are inactive and that the findings do not indicate that milk on grocery store shelves is unsafe

There has also been a case in a Texas farmer, the first human affected in the US.

Dr Barb Petersen, a dairy veterinarian in Amarillo, Texas, explained that workers at a local farm where cattle have tested positive for the virus are suffering tell-tale symptoms.

She said: 'People had some classic flu-like symptoms, including high fever, sweating at night, chills, lower back pain,' as well as upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea.

They also tended to have 'pretty severe conjunctivitis and swelling of their eyelids'.

There is some fear that avian flu could transform into a strain that could lead to the next pandemic.

To be considered a pandemic, it must fulfill three criteria  it spreads easily among humans, primarily through the air, its something the immune system has never faced, and it has to cause human disease

Many farmers are in constant contact contact with cows and the flu has been known to infect people at close proximity to animals.

At least half of the more than 900 people whove been infected with the virus since 1996 have died.
US officials may have sent taxpayer money to fund risky research in a Chinese lab known to be carrying out bioweapon research.

Disgraced researcher Dr Peter Daszak suggested to a Congressional subcommittee that the intelligence community was aware of the coronavirus experiments carried out at the Wuhan Institute of Virology years before the pandemic - which many fear may have started the outbreak.

The government sent money to the Chinese facility despite concerns it was being used by the Chinese government to manufacture bioweapons, according to Dr Daszak's testimony.

Further, the researcher said the WIV is astonishingly still in possession of 15,000 samples of other coronaviruses that may belong to the US government through past taxpayer-funded research.

Dr Daszak told the subcommittee: 'To the last of my knowledge, [samples] were in the freezers in Wuhan - over 15,000 of them.'

The revelation came Wednesday in his testimony given at the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

President of the EcoHealth Alliance Dr Peter Daszak said the intelligence community 'had low to moderate confidence that there was some activity [in manufacturing bioweapons]'

Rep Morgan Griffith accused Dr Daszak of lying in research progress reports in an effort to cover up the EHA's potential liability in sparking a pandemic

Dr Daszack, president of the EcoHealth Alliance, a New York-based research group which funneled US taxpayer money to the WIV, also admitted his company is still receiving a staggering $16million a year in US taxpayer cash.

When asked how aware the US intelligence agencies were of the risky coronavirus research going on at WIV, Dr Daszak hinted that this had been the case.

When asked if he knew whether the US intelligence services knew the Wuhan lab was being used to manufacture bioweapons, Dr Daszak responded: 'Two agencies I think have low-to-moderate confidence that there was some activity.

He added: 'The other agencies were unable to comment.'

The hearing comes as the subcommittee recommends Dr Daszak - who is British but lives in the US - be criminally investigated and banned from receiving any future public funding, along with his company.

The zoologist has repeatedly tried to cover-up inquiries into the WIV's role in the pandemic.

He and fellow infectious disease experts Ralph Baric and Linfa Wang circulated a statement that was later published in The Lancet in the early months of Covid in which 27 prominent scientists from nine countries strongly condemned 'conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin.'

In a leaked email from 2020, however, Dr Daszak appeared to express gratitude to Dr Anthony Fauci for downplaying the theory the virus was created in a lab.

Rep. Ronny Jackson, who sits on the subcommittee, told DailyMail.com in a statement: 'His direct role in providing funding for the Wuhan Lab and his lies and personal involvement in the COVID cover up that followed were directly responsible for the public health and economic disaster that followed.'

The subcommittee members also accused Dr Daszak of trying to downplay his collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology and his organization's gain-of-function research.

The chairman of the subcommittee Rep Brad Wenstrup gave a damning conclusion that the research firm was in fact performing dangerous research and declared the organization a 'threat to national security.'

'Dr Daszak has proven that he is not a responsible steward of the American peoples tax dollars,' he continued.

He said in a press release accompanying a new report about the scandal: 'Dr Daszak and his organization conducted dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute for Virology, willfully violated the terms of a multi-million-dollar NIH grant, and placed U.S. national security at risk.

'This blatant contempt for the American people is reprehensible. It is imperative to establish higher standards of oversight at the NIH. The Select Subcommittees detailed and comprehensive report today holds Dr Daszak and EcoHealth Alliance accountable and sheds light on severe shortcomings in our public health systems.'

Dr Peter Daszak (pictured left alongside Dr Anthony Fauci) oversees EcoHealth Alliance

However, other members of the subcommittee noted the report did not prove Covid came from a lab leak or that EHA was involved in any research.

In his exchanges with Dr Daszak, Rep Wenstrup pressed him on why, in 2018, he 'downplayed' his relationship with China in an effort to secure a federal grant for a project entitled DEFUSE.

DEFUSE was meant be a collaboration between US scientists and the WIV and proposals show the project sought to create a novel virus with the same rare features seen in Covid.

The proposal was ultimately denied funding and there are no official records the experiments were actually carried out. Nonetheless, virology experts have called the records are a clear 'blueprint' to create Covid-19.

Rep Wenstrup referenced documents that show how EcoHealth tried to mislead the Pentagon on how risky the experiments were to secure funding and to 'stress the US side of the proposal' despite intending to carry out experiments in China.

In a comment on the proposal, Rep Wenstrup highlighted that Dr Daszak wrote he was 'trying to downplay the non-US focus' of the project.

When Rep Wenstrup asked Dr Daszak why he sought to conceal China's role in the research, Dr Daszak said EHA 'didn't want too much American taxpayer dollars going to China.'

And ranking member Rep Raul Ruiz also noted 'internal documents and testimony do suggest that [EcoHealth] potentially misled the federal government on multiple occasions raising serious questions about their overall commitment to the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.'

The above is an email from Peter Daszak to researchers included in the 2018 proposal talking about work to be done by scientists as part of the DEFUSE project

The above is an email from Peter Daszak to researchers included in the 2018 DEFUSE proposal

The above is an excerpt of an email from the March 2018 DEFUSE proposal

Ultimately, Dr Daszak said the proposal, and his comments, were irrelevant because DEFUSE was not chosen for funding.

However, when asked if the WIV could have carried out the research without EHA's knowledge, Dr Daszak said it was possible, but he had no knowledge such work was occurring.

Additionally, when later asked if any proposed or ongoing research conducted by or in collaboration with the EHA could be used as a bioweapon, Dr Daszak answered: 'Of course.'

Later in the hearing, in a heated exchange with Rep Morgan Griffith of Virginia, the Congressman accused Dr Daszak of lying in research progress reports that EHA submitted to the federal government in an effort to cover up the organization's potential liability in sparking a pandemic.

In an early progress report discussing coronavirus research and possible origins of Covid, EHA initially stated bat-to-human viral spillover was 'very rare.'

However, approximately two years later, a new progress report - which was turned in late - changed that likelihood from rare to possibly millions.

Rep Griffith said: 'You changed... the likelihood of bat coronavirus spillover into humans, from "very rare" in early 2020... to possibly over a million spillovers annually... by late 2021.

'You don't think this is a significant change?

EXCLUSIVE: America's frightening new bat lab: $12m taxpayer-funded NIH research facility in Colorado will import bats from Asia and infect them with deadly diseases - in project with China-linked scientists A new taxpayer-funded lab is being built in Colorado that will import bats from around the world and experiment on dangerous diseases, DailyMail.com can reveal. Advertisement

Dr Daszak said no, to which Rep Griffith responded: 'Wow. You know what? I practiced in the criminal courts for many, many years. And I will just tell you - if you were my client, I would tell you that that dog wont hunt, and the judge aint gonna believe that.'

The leader of EHA said he had an explanation as to why the change was made in the progress reports, but the subcommittee did not allow him time to respond.

The researcher and EcoHealth Alliance have been under fire for years for the possible role they played in Covid.

The organization works on virus research and is at the center of the Covid lab leak theory.

It has long been accused of running experiments at the Wuhan Institute of Virology that boost the infectiousness of pathogens, paid for by the NIH.

EcoHealth Alliance was awarded $8million in government research grants between 2014 and 2021, which it subcontracted to research facilities. The Wuhan Institute was one of eight teams awarded grants at that time.

But a 2023 audit found there was a lack of oversight by the NIH and EHA at the Chinese facility.

Anthony Bellotti, president and founder, the watchdog group White Coat Waste Project, said in a statement to DailyMail.com: 'We're glad that Peter Daszak finally had to answer for lying, wasting taxpayers' money, breaking the law, abusing animals, and threatening public health.

'It's high time EcoHealth and Daszak were held accountable because our investigations have documented how they've gotten off scot-free so far and raked in $60 million of new taxpayers cash just since the pandemic began.

'Taxpayers have a right to know what really happened in Wuhan and shouldn't be forced to fund any more of EcoHealth's wasteful and dangerous virus hunting and animal experimentation.'
Sharing glasses and bottles of water with a sick friend or family member may not infect you with the common cold virus after all, World Health Organization experts have suggested in a landmark report.

New guidance by a coalition of nearly 50 doctors overturned the commonly believed idea that infected droplets transferred from hard surfaces and skin are the cause of respiratory viruses like colds and flu.

The decision settled a Covid-era debate about whether some viruses like Covid spread mostly through inhaling infected air, or from contaminated surfaces.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, experts in virology welcomed the conclusion that surfaces are not as vital as previously thought, which they say should have been confirmed early on in the pandemic.

Experts in virology spoke to DailyMail.com about the change, noting that the germs spread on surfaces, such as cups and even hands, do not contribute to the spread of lung infections like the cold and flu

The longstanding dogma among infectious disease experts and scientists was that droplets under five microns were airborne while droplets that were larger shot out like bullets and spread three to six feet

Dr Don Milton, an expert on respiratory viruses and co-author of the new WHO guidance, told DailyMail.com: We know that for gastrointestinal infections [hand washing and being careful touching surfaces like cups] are going to be important.

How important they are for respiratory viruses, I think is probably a lot less.

The WHO guidance applied to all pathogens that cause lung infections, including Covid, influenza, and rhinovirus.

The report did not include non-respiratory infections, such as GI infections like norovirus, which can be spread via germs on the hands.

Until late 2020, the WHO had only considered a few infections as airborne, such as tuberculosis and measles. Most of them were classified as droplet transmission.

Until late 2020, the WHO had only considered a few infections as airborne, such as tuberculosis and measles

Covid was classified the same way at first. That messaging prompted millions of people in early 2020 to disinfect every surface, including groceries and mail. This even drove a shortage of cleaning supplies at the time.

But evidence grew that Covid could be transmitted via aerosolized particles. Suspended particles can remain in the air for hours, casting a pathogenic cloud over an infected person that follows them wherever they go.

Dr Stuart Ray, an infectious diseases expert at Johns Hopkins Medicine, told DailyMail.com: I think the lessons from Covid helped us understand that that cloud of particles can move, adding that people should still wash their hands to be safe.

The longstanding dogma among infectious disease experts was that droplets under five microns were airborne while droplets that were larger shot out like bullets and spread three to six feet.

But scientists have recently discovered that infectious particles come in a range of sizes, and tiny particles can remain in the air for far longer and spread longer distances.

The report came after doctors across a range of specialties in addition to virology, including engineers and aerosol scientists, worked for two long years to reach a conclusion. Dr Milton, who has long thought respiratory viruses spread through the air, found the delay frustrating.

He said: When we showed that we could culture the virus from peoples exhaled breath [in 2013] I thought we were going to get over the hill at that point, but clearly there are still a ways to go.

Some of that resistance is because some of the solutions require investment in infrastructure and require people to do things, and those are two hard things to do  put money up and change what you do.
There is something dysfunctional about management and continuity at HSBC.

Chief executive Noel Quinn, having spent seven months auditioning for the top job, has decided to quit after less than five years at the helm.

Contrast this with the record of rival global banks. At JP Morgan, Jamie Dimon has been at the top since 2006, Brian Moynihan at Bank of America since 2008 and Bill Winters at Asian rival Standard Chartered since 2018.

Quinn wants a personal break from the top job at the 131billion lender, having taken a hatchet to a previous strategy of being the worlds local bank.

Gone are branch networks in France, Canada, the US and Argentina. Ambition is focused on core operations in Hong Kong and China. HSBC in the UK, essentially the old Midland Bank, has relocated to Birmingham.

Stepping down: HSBC chief exec Noel Quinn (pictured) has decided to quit after less than five years at the helm

The strategy has worked. The share price is 15 per cent higher than when Quinn took over.

The shares trade at a premium of 60 per cent to StanChart which does some of the same stuff.

Aside from traditional banking, HSBC has vast investment banking and trade operations serving Asia. It has almost central bank status in Hong Kong where it is the main conduit between the region and New York.

Doubling down on China pre-Covid looked clever. Except since then, Chinas growth rate has halved, the property sector has subsided and suspicion of Beijings strategic goals has sparked what amounts to a US-China trade war.

None of this is likely to disturb anyones sleep at HSBCs monumental headquarters in Hong Kong.

The bank has survived through the opium wars of the mid-19th century, the Mao revolution and found opportunity under the capitalist renaissance begun by Deng Xiaoping.

There is a mismatch between this history of surviving the tumult in the region, including the more recent security clampdown in Hong Kong, and recent leadership at HSBC.

Since Mark Tucker took over as chairman, it now faces a third change of leadership. Finance director George Elhedery and Nuno Matos, who runs retail banking and wealth, are seen as possible successors to Quinn.

Given that he made his desire to leave known at the turn of the year, it is extraordinary that the board does not have a successor in place.

Quinn kept 8 per cent Chinese-controlled shareholder Ping An, which wants a break-up of the bank, at bay. His premature departure does not signal stability.

Copper bottomed

Anglo American chairman Stuart Chambers has a titanic task. BHP has opened the door to a takeover but the Aussie bid is unlikely to be the final word. Chambers rightly is consulting shareholders.

An imaginative solution for the London miner would be to determine its own future by spinning out under-performing assets and doubling down on copper without betraying its South African heritage.

As it stands, BHPs bid is unattractive. It has also irritated the South African authorities which have never forgiven BHP for previous spin-offs.

Other players, including cash rich Rio Tinto and experienced deal makers Glencore, will be watching closely.

Copper is the worlds most wanted commodity and the price at $10,155 per tonne is at a two-year high.

Glencore is at the forefront of mining metals for use in a zero-carbon economy. It is 44 per cent part owner of the Collahuasi high altitude mine in Chile in which Anglo American has a matching stake.

So it has more than a passing interest in what happens next. It is a major producer of cobalt and nickel, which are key to electric vehicles.

Glencores latest projection, amid strong income at its trading arm, is underlying earnings of 2.4billion to 2.8billion this year. It is not short of firepower.

Good game

The importance of supporting Britains video games industry was highlighted during Microsofts battle for Activision Blizzard last year.

Gaming employs 25,000 creators in the UK and contributes 3.7billion to GDP.

Industry body TIGA is urging the next government to put it on an equal footing with the movies with an Independent Tax Games Credit and an accelerator programme to support early stage developers. Makes sense.
For Elizabeth Fletcher from Hemsworth, in West Yorkshire, the state pension is a lifeline.

The 90-year-old is among the one-in-four pensioners who treasure it as their main source of income in retirement.

Crucially Elizabeths 201-a-week state pension and pension credit payments also fund the fees for her new care home, which she moved into on January 15.

So when the Government suddenly stopped all payments to Elizabeth just 11 days after shed settled in on January 26, her new life was thrown into chaos.

Over the following nine weeks, Elizabeth went on to miss out on nearly 2,000-worth of payments.

Lifeline: Elizabeth Fletcher, 90, from Hemsworth, in West Yorkshire (pictured with daughter Wendy) uses her state pension to fund the fees for her care home

And despite her daughter Wendys best efforts to find out why her mother no longer received any state pension, she was unable to get any answers from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Without the money, Wendy, 63, who lives nine miles away in Wakefield, says she feared her mother would be evicted from the care home.

Wendy says: It has been incredibly stressful. My mother is not very well and cannot deal with the problem, so I have taken it upon myself. But it seems to be impossible to get through to the DWP for help.

I have been tearing my hair out and doing everything I possibly can.

Wendy says she alerted the pensions department on January 26 to the fact that her mother was moving into a care home.

Until January, Elizabeth received attendance allowance, which helps with extra costs if you have a disability severe enough that you need someone to help look after you in your home. Wendy notified the DWP of her mothers change in circumstances when she moved into the care home.

She expected her mothers attendance allowance to stop but was shocked when the state pension and pension credit payments were also immediately halted.

I tried to do everything by the book but it has been a nightmare, says Wendy.

The invoices kept coming through from the care home and Ive been worried she will be evicted for non-payment.

Elizabeth, mother of five and grandmother of five, was known as the Shirley Bassey of the North in her youth, when she sang at working mens clubs.

She worked in various roles throughout her lifetime, including hospital assistant.

Wendy says it became clear Elizabeth needed full-time care when she could no longer remember how to do simple tasks, such as make a cup of tea. Her symptoms present as dementia, Wendy believes.

Wendy, who worked in the police force for more than 40 years, most recently as a police community support officer, has leukemia and has taken early retirement. She says the ordeal has taken a big toll on her own physical and mental health.

The former officer has spent hours making calls to the pensions department, but despite her efforts, no one helped get the payments resumed.

After hour-long waits to speak to an official, Wendy says she was met with rude, unhelpful and inexperienced workers who were unable to resolve the issue. On three occasions, the line was dropped mid phonecall.

Mistakes: In 2020, the Government admitted it had made systematic errors in state pension calculations. In total, 237,000 elderly women were affected

She says: They kept putting the phone down. I dont know whether its because it got too complicated for them but the call would just end abruptly.

Each time the call was terminated, Wendy faced another hour-long wait to speak to another worker. The frustration brought her to tears.

In March, out of desperation as she feared her mother would soon get evicted from the care home, Wendy contacted her local MP Andrea Jenkyns, who wrote to the DWP.

Nine weeks after the payments were halted, Wendy was relieved to see that 1,809.45 had been deposited into Elizabeths account. But she received no letter or phone call to explain.

The money just turned up one day. They have not given me any apologies and have not told me why it happened, she says.

When approached by Money Mail, the DWP confirmed the payments would resume as normal.

A spokesman says: We have reinstated Mrs Fletchers pension payments and issued arrears to cover the suspension period. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.

It is understood that the payments were stopped due to an administrative error made by the pensions department.

Money Mail has seen cases in the past where state pension payments have been incorrectly cut or suspended when the recipient reported a change in circumstances.

In one case, a widows state pension was cut following the death of her husband, while other suspensions have been down to computer glitches.

In 2020, the Government admitted it had made systematic errors in state pension calculations.

In total, 237,000 elderly women were affected. Estimates suggest they are owed nearly 1.5 billion in underpaid state pension.

Last week, MPs wrote to the DWP raising concerns about yet another group of women who have potentially been underpaid state pensions.

Divorced women who reached state pension age before 2016 may have been shortchanged if they wrongly missed out on top-ups related to their ex-husbands contributions.

Sir Steve Webb, a former pensions minister and partner at consultancy LCP who has been at the forefront of highlighting underpayments, says the mistake in Elizabeths case was unacceptable but not surprising.

The DWP operates at such scale that the individual can get lost, he says.

You would imagine this sort of situation happens all the time and it will happen increasingly frequently as more of us live longer and need care, so the DWP should have systems in place to make it seamless.
With the FTSE 100 achieving record highs and notching up a second consecutive month of gains in April, it looks like investment firms have been reaping the rewards.

Hargreaves Lansdown issued a strong quarterly trading update highlighting good momentum through Isa season into the new tax year.

The investment platform saw net client inflows of 1.6billion, well ahead of the consensus forecast of 1.4billion.

Hargreaves Lansdown reported net client growth of 34,000 in the March quarter, up from 23,000 a year earlier, while share dealing volumes averaged 794,000 per month, up from 672,000 in the three months to December 2023.

Assets under administration rose by 5.3 per cent to a record 149.7billion as of March 31, up from 132billion a year earlier.

New clients: Hargreaves Lansdown reported net client growth of 34,000 in the March quarter, up from 23,000 a year earlier, while share dealing volumes averaged 794,000 per month

The good news saw Hargreaves Lansdown shares advance 3.6 per cent, or 28.2p, to 813.8p.

But not all the news from the financials was well-received.

FTSE 100-listed wealth manager St Jamess Place shed 2.1 per cent, or 9.2p, to 435.6p as its net flows were a touch shy of consensus, though client funds under management increased to 179billion from 168.2billion at the end of December.

Insurer Prudential was among the blue-chip fallers, down 5.5 per cent, or 40.4p, to 701p, after its results showed a sales slump at its Chinese mainland joint venture in the first quarter.

Pru also failed to deliver the share buyback that many investors were expecting.

At the end of a positive month, the FTSE 100 index inched down 0.04 per cent, or 2.9 points, to 8144.13 yesterday after earlier hitting another intra-day high just shy of the 8200 level at 8199.95.

Stock Watch - IG Design Group IG Design Group jumped nearly 30 per cent after a strong full-year trading update which forecast significant growth in profit and margin. The stationery products manufacturer expects to report a full-year adjusted pre-tax profit of 20.7million  well up from the 7.4million delivered in 2023. The financial performance in the current year has been ahead of expectations, the business said. Shares soared 29.6 per cent, or 36p, to 157.5p.

The FTSE 250 also did well in April but fell in the months final session, slipping 0.6 per cent, or 119.4 points, to 19965.39.

Drinks bottler Coca-Cola HBC was among the FTSE 100 risers, up 0.5 per cent, or 14p, to 2590p, on the back of solid quarterly numbers, with management reiterating its full-year guidance.

And Howden Joinery added 0.4 per cent, or 3.5p, to 876p as the trade kitchen and joinery supplier reported a rise in first-quarter depot revenue and hailed an encouraging start to the year.

Among other FTSE 250 gainers, industrial valve manufacturing company Rotork rose 2.3 per cent, or 7.4p, to 323.4p after a first- quarter trading update showed growth in order intake of the low single digits, which was positive compared to the previous year.

Utilities company Telecom Plus added 1.3 per cent, or 22p, to 1736p as it said its full-year adjusted pre-tax profit was set to be towards the upper end of market expectations after a record year.

But Metro Bank lost 4 per cent, or 1.4p, to 33.3p as the challenger bank saw its total lending fall 9 per cent year-on-year to 11.8billion, although deposits edged up by 4 per cent in the first quarter.

Builders merchant Travis Perkins slipped 1.1 per cent, or 8.5p, to 753p after news that its chairman Jasmine Whitbread is to step down at the end of the month, weeks after chief executive Nick Roberts quit.
Classics: Adidas said its Samba and Gazelle designs are flying off the shelves

Adidas has been boosted by demand for its Samba and Gazelle terrace shoes  whose fans include Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.

The German sportswear giant said both 90 designs are flying off the shelves, helping total sales at the firm to rise 4 per cent to 4.7billion in the first three months of the year.

The Prime Minister jokingly gave a fulsome apology to other lovers of the Samba shoes last month after he was accused of ruining their cool credentials when wearing them in Downing Street with navy chinos and a white shirt.

He said he was a long-time devotee of the shoes and other styles of fun Adidas trainers after being given some for Christmas by his brother.

Starmer, meanwhile, has been spotted wearing the Gazelle model.

But fans also include celebrities such as Sienna Miller, Bella Hadid, Rihanna and Hailey Bieber and Adidas said demand for Samba and Gazelle shoes is very strong and growing.
Cost cutting: Royal Mails owner IDS is calling on Ofcom to speed up a review and allow it to urgently bring in sweeping changes

The boss of Royal Mails owner has slammed ministers and regulators over their failure to reform the postal service.

International Distributions Services (IDS) chief executive Martin Seidenberg urged Ofcom to speed up a review and allow it to urgently bring in sweeping changes. IDS, at present, is fighting back against a takeover offer from billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, who co-owns West Ham United.

In a presentation to investors, Seidenberg said: We have been calling for reform for more than four years and the lack of action by government and Ofcom has held back Royal Mails transformation.

Current rules mean the postal service must deliver letters nationwide for the same price, six days a week, costing up to 675million a year.

Royal Mail wants to cut second-class deliveries to every other weekday to reduce costs, saying delays to reform have held the company back.

But IDS still needs the Government and Ofcom to accept its proposals. Seidenberg said: We call on Ofcom to accelerate their review and start consulting on changes.
Anglo Americans chairman has vowed to meet with shareholders to discuss a looming takeover battle for the miner.

City grandee Stuart Chambers, who has form selling off blue-chip companies, yesterday said he will hold talks with the firms top 30 investors.

Anglo last week rejected a 25-per-share offer from rival BHP.

The offer valued Anglo at 31billion, but the London-listed company said the bid was opportunistic and undervalued it.

Australian giant BHP  which is the worlds biggest listed mining group  is mulling a higher bid for Anglo.

Takeover battle: Anglo American chairman Stuart Chambers, who has form selling off blue-chip companies, yesterday said he will hold talks with the firms top 30 investors

City experts have said BHPs approach could kick off a bidding war as competitors eye up Anglos copper mines in Peru and Chile.

Glencore and Rio Tinto are potential rival bidders, analysts have said.

Quizzed about a potential takeover at Anglos annual general meeting in the City, Chambers told shareholders: Its not the board that decides, but you.

One shareholder thanked Chambers for rejecting the comedy offer from BHP, saying he valued the company at 41 a share.

However, Chambers, 67, has been criticised for his track record of selling other household name companies while in charge.

He oversaw the 26billion sale of Cambridge-based chipmaker Arm to Japanese investor Softbank in 2016.

Arm snubbed London and chose New York for its listing when it floated again last year.

He was also chairman of FTSE 100 drinks can manufacturer Rexam when it was bought by American rival Ball Corporation in 2015.

And he was chief executive of glass manufacturer Pilkington when it was sold to Japans Nippon Sheet Glass in 2005.

Miners want to boost their copper production capacity to cash in on soaring demand. The metal is used in everything from cars to power grids and construction.

Analysts expect a copper shortage this year while demand grows, as it is crucial to the energy transition. Copper prices hit a two-year high yesterday due to the supply squeeze.

Glencore, meanwhile, said its total copper production was around 239,700 metric tonnes in the first quarter  down 2 per cent on a year earlier. In an investor update, Glencore left its full-year production forecast unchanged.

But profit from its trading unit is expected to be at the top end of annual guidance between 2.4billion and 2.8billion this year.

Russ Mould, investment director at broker AJ Bell, said: Its fair to say that Glencore is one of the most ambitious companies in the mining sector. Glencore wants to be the biggest and the best.
OSAKA, May 01 (News On Japan) - May 1st marks the celebration of the international labor movement known as May Day. In Osaka, a rally was held where attendees called for the extension of recent substantial wage increases to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well.

Approximately 20,000 people participated in the May Day rally organized by Rengo Osaka, braving the rain. The rally emphasized spreading the momentum of significant wage increases, which have been realized successively at major corporations this spring, to SMEs and workplaces without unions.

Rengo Osaka's president, Hirokazu Tanaka, stated, "We must advance the normalization of trade, including work practices, to achieve sustainable wage increases."

A city council member from Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, also attended the gathering. They highlighted the ongoing situation on the Noto Peninsula four months after an earthquake and appealed for continued support. The assembly concluded with the adoption of a declaration aiming for a society where no one is left behind.

Source: ANN
Reform UK has suspended a local election candidate over homophobic and conspiracy theory-backing social media posts, MailOnline can reveal.

Nigel Farage's party has kicked out Philip Durling, who was due to stand in Stevenage, Herts, after this website uncovered his activity on platforms including Gettr, which is popular with the US alt-right.

Earlier this month he shared cartoons suggesting male same-sex couples who adopted children are paedophiles who 'buy' only boy children.

He also criticised the fact that the British nations all had non-white leaders for the first time - Rishi Sunak, Humza Yousaf in Scotland and Vaughan Gething in Wales - sarcastically writing: 'Apparently the great replacement is just a conspiracy theory'.

The Great Replacement Theory is a rightwing trope that suggests there is a deliberate plot to flood the West with non-white migrants.

A Reform UK spokesman said: 'He is suspended and Reform UK no longer supports his candidacy, so if elected he will not be a Reform UK councillor.'

Just weeks ago Reform leader Richard Tice admitted his party had its share of 'muppets and morons'.

It came as the Reform candidate in tomorrow's Blackpool South by-election was accused of engaging with conspiracy theories on his YouTube page.

Just weeks ago Reform leader Richard Tice admitted his party had its share of 'muppets and morons'.

Nigel Farage 's party has kicked out Philip Durling, who was due to stand in Stevenage, Herts, after this website uncovered his activity on platforms including Gettr, which is popular with the US alt-right.

According to the Mirror, Mark Butcher (pictured campaigning in March with MP Lee Anderson) told followers in 2018 it was 'get real people, wakey wakey, red pill time' - seemingly a reference to a scene in the sci-fi classic The Matrix where the main character can choose to swallow a red pill to escape into the 'real world' from a computer-generated fantasy.

According to the Mirror, Mark Butcher told followers in 2018 it was 'get real people, wakey wakey, red pill time' - seemingly a reference to a scene in the sci-fi classic The Matrix where the main character can choose to swallow a red pill to escape into the 'real world' from a computer-generated fantasy.

Among the subjects covered were the Kalergi Agreement, a great replacement conspiracy about a plot to replace white Europeans.

Labour is hoping for victory in the Blackpool South by-election on Thursday, which was called after Conservative MP Scott Benton resigned in the wake of a lobbying scandal.

A Reform spokesman told the paper: 'This is clearly some very late night philosophical ramblings about the state of the nation five-and-a-half years ago. He raises questions about a number of matters, while accepting that they are all questionable and conspiracy theories, dismisses voting for the main parties and Ukip, but pledges to fight against division and that he isn't going to give up on the country.'

Earlier this month Reform UK's leader Richard Tice warned his candidates not to use social media while drunk after the party dropped seven of them for 'inappropriate' online posts.

Mr Tice  who hopes to stand a candidate in every seat at the next general election  defended Reform's vetting process by saying it acted quickly and stressing that 'every party has its fair share of muppets and morons'.

The insurgent party, which is polling just a few points behind the Conservatives, has already ditched a number of its candidates for a range of offences, including offensive comments about black, Jewish and Muslim people.

Mr Tice said: 'We're very clear to all our candidates, 'For heaven's sake, if you're going to have a glass of wine on a Friday night then don't use social media, it's not sensible'.

'And that if someone lets us down hereafter then frankly, if it's inappropriate, if it's unacceptable, then we're going to part company. You can have your freedom of speech and freedom of expression, but that doesn't mean you have the right to represent Reform UK as a parliamentary candidate.'

He also claimed it was more difficult for 'a small, entrepreneurial fast-growing party' to vet its candidates.

'Every party has their share, frankly, of muppets and morons  you've seen it with the sexual weirdos going on in the Tory party, we've seen it with the anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and George Galloway's party,' he said.
When she was born at Kensington Palace on May 1, 1964, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones was seventh in the line of succession.

Weighing 6lb and 2oz, she was the first direct descendant of a sovereign in 145 years - since Queen Victoria's birth in 1819 - to have been born at Kensington Palace.

And the last royal to be born in a palace rather than a hospital.

Her father, Anthony Armstrong-Jones, was not present for the birth but arrived an hour afterwards. Beaming, he then told the press: 'She's a super baby'.

Lady Sarah, pictured shortly after her birth, was the last Royal baby to be born in a palace and not a hosptital

Princess Margaret with her children Lady Sarah on her lap and Viscount Linley as they left Liverpool Street Station in 1968 on their way back from a trip to Sandringham

Prince Edward, right, at the nursery school in Buckingham Palace with his cousin Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, centre

Lady Sarah Armstrong-jones Arriving For A Performance Of Cinderella in 1976

Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones and her mother, Princess Margaret, at the Gala Premiere of International Velvet in 1978

Sarah was two-and-a-half years younger than her brother, David Armstrong-Jones.

Her grandmothers - the Queen Mother and Lady Rosse - were among the first relatives to see her.

Other family visitors included the Queen and Angus Ogilvy, the husband of Princess Alexandra, Margaret's cousin.

Lady Sarah was the fourth royal baby of the year, after the births of the Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, Princess Alexandra's son James, and the Duchess of Kent's daughter Lady Helen Taylor.

Lady Sarah, who turns 60 today, is not a working royal but is regularly seen at family events.

Today, she is famed for her down-to-earth nature and her close relationship with the late Queen.

Indeed, the Queen was described as a 'surrogate mother' to Margaret's children and was particularly close to Lady Sarah, who is believed to have reminded her of her late sister.

One royal insider previously revealed: 'The Queen adores Sarah and seeks out her company as often as possible. She is her absolute favourite younger Royal.

'They are hugely at ease in each other's company. Much giggling can be heard when they are together. They share a sense of loyalty, fun, duty and the ridiculous.'

One acquaintance said: 'Sarah is very unassuming; shy and almost embarrassed with no grandeur at all. Take royal events  she'll be on the balcony, but she never pushes herself to the middle or the front, like some.'

At the time, her parents, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, were the toast of swinging London, their Kensington Palace apartment the scene of hedonistic parties.

But the marriage, a rebound affair after Margaret decided not to marry divorced equerry Peter Townsend, was notoriously tempestuous.

Fuelled by alcohol and affairs on both sides, their 18-year union was once described as a 16-year break-up.

At just 13, her parents' divorce was 'terribly upsetting' for Sarah.

As Margaret was granted custody, the children stayed in Kensington Palace. Sarah was sent to Francis Holland School in Chelsea, a smart all-girls' day school, followed by Bedales with her brother.

The mixed boarding school in rural Hampshire  alma mater of actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Minnie Driver  was a fashionable, arty, bohemian choice.

It had no uniform and nurtured artistic expression above all else. It was what both parents wanted  and it ensured Sarah inherited a love of art.

This 'progressive' institution was the polar opposite to the starchiness of a royal upbringing.

One contemporary said that when Lady Sarah turned up 'she was practically in a velvet-collar coat and tweeds although everyone else was hanging out in their kickers'.

However it was quite possibly this school  with its warm, nurturing atmosphere  that made her the woman she is now.

Sarah had grown up knowing that her mother had little time or patience for babies and small children.

Despite Snowdon's reluctance, nannies and housemaids were in charge and the children were instructed never to wake their mother before 11am  a rule that was keenly enforced by Nanny Sumner, whose old-fashioned methods were in direct conflict to the modern ideas of Snowdon.

Her father, however, doted on her and it is from him she is said to have inherited her 'immense charm'.

Both her parents passed on their artistic eye to their children as Sarah, now a painter, and her brother David, a world-famous furniture designer, were taken around galleries in their youth.

The late Queen was described as a 'surrogate mother' to Margaret's children and was particularly close to Lady Sarah, who is believed to have reminded her of her late sister

Lady Sarah, centre, was Lady Diana Spencer's chief bridesmaid in July 1981. She is pictured with Clementine Hambro and Catherine Cameron

Lady Sarah with the Prince and Princess of Wales at Guards Polo in Windsor in 1983. Prince Edward stands to the left

Lady Sarah accompanies Princess Diana to the Royal Variety performance at the Victoria Palace Theatre in 1984

Lady Sarah attends a birthday party for her mother Princess Margaret's 60th Birthday at Spencer House in St James's in 1990

One of the most beautiful Royal brides, Lady Sarah stepped out of the car in an incredible dress by Jasper Conran

Today, David, who was formerly Lord Linley, has inherited his late father's title and is the Earl of Snowdon.

On BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, David said that his mother was 'very good at taking me to see just one object, so we would go to the National Gallery to see the Leonardo, or we would go to see the Vermeer - but only that.

'So she would constantly be dragged away by us, saying: "Well, can't we just go and see that?" And she would say: "Well, you can come back again if you want." So one actually became very keen to go back.'

Sarah went on to complete a foundation course at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, followed by a printed textiles course at Middlesex Polytechnic, paving the way for her training at the Royal Academy Schools.

Working as a painter under the professional name Sarah Armstrong-Jones, she has since exhibited at galleries including The Redfern Gallery in London.

She has also continued her parents' love of nurturing the arts, acting as Vice President of the Royal Drawing School and of the Royal Ballet School.

The young Sarah never felt herself to be above her art school contemporaries and while she may have shared her 21st birthday with Prince Edward, Lady Helen Windsor and James Ogilvy at Windsor Castle, she also included all of her friends from art school.

Sarahs art college and Bedales friends  people with Rasta hair  were the most varied and exciting people there, recalls one guest.

She had various good-looking, arty boyfriends. But it was when she met Daniel Chatto whilst working as a wardrobe assistant on Heat and Dust, in which dashing actor Daniel had a small role, that her love life became serious.

The son of actor Tom Chatto, and theatrical agent Ros Chatto (who was the mistress of another theatrical agent, Robin Fox), Daniel appeared in around a dozen films and TV programmes, often period dramas based on the novels of W. Somerset Maugham or Charles Dickens.

He soon gave up his acting career, however, to focus on painting, a passion shared with Sarah.

Together he and Sarah set up home in Kensington while still unmarried  a fact that is said to have angered Princess Margaret  where they still live in a small, pretty, Grade II listed terrace house.

They also have a Georgian country farmhouse near Midhurst in Sussex, given to Sarah by her godfather, the late art-loving philanthropist Simon Sainsbury.

The informal country life of dogs, horses and annual sheepdog trials  which she judges  is the essence of Sarah, a royal who has never been lured by pomp and ceremony.

Indeed her wedding to Chatto in July 1994 was such a short, simple affair that chauffeurs were caught by surprise: the Queen, Prince Philip and Diana had to wait at the City church of St Stephen's Walbrook after the service for their cars to come back.

Her veil was anchored by the Snowdon Floral Tiara, created from brooches given to Princess Margaret by her husband, and the wedding portraits show the newlyweds flanked by the Queen and the Queen Mother.

Although her childhood lacked the stability she has created for her own family  according to royal insiders, she found her mother's early indiscretions 'almost unbearable'  Sarah remained a loving, dutiful daughter until the end.

Her mother's death in 2002  after a series of strokes and four years of suffering  saw her children by her side.

Sarah, says a royal source, had been 'selfless and often left her own family overnight to drive to KP to care for her mother'.

Margaret's death brought the Queen even closer to her only niece, in her new role as something of a surrogate mother.

Sarah was the only guest who would accompany the Queen to Craigowan Lodge  a relatively modest stone building a mile from Balmoral Castle.

The Queen would retire to the secluded seven-bedroom house several times a year to read, write letters, walk and ride with Sarah for company.

King Charles is also fond of his cousin and, in earlier years, the pair were often found sketching and doing water colours on the Balmoral estate, chatting easily or hunched over their easels in harmonious silence, as they have been for years.

Sarah served as a bridesmaid at Charles and Diana's wedding and was friends with her even before their engagement, having only a three-year age gap.

Prince Harry's Confirmation at Eton with his Godmother, Lady Sarah Chatto standing directly behind him in 2005

Lady Sarah with her husband, Daniel and their sons , Samuel and Arthur at Ascot in 2012

Lady Sarah with her son, Samuel Chatto, at the Mey Highland Games in 2019

Lady Sarah Chatto walks to St George's Chapel, Windsor to see her Godson, Prince harry marry Meghan Markle in 2018

Lady Sarah sits behind Princess Beatrice at the State funeral of the late Queen in 2022

Often the first choice for godmother, Sarah counts Prince Harry, Prince Edwards daughter, Louise, and the Duke of Gloucesters daughter, Rose, among her godchildren.

She now has two sons, Samuel and Arthur, who are seen with Sarah at royal events including during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations and the Queen's funeral.

After attending Eton College, Samuel studied History of Art of Edinburgh University and is now pursuing a career in pottery.
The son of the Holocaust survivor whose life story was made famous in the Tattooist of Auschwitz has told how Hollywood star Harvey Keitel's portrayal of his father in a new Sky adaptation left him in tears.

Gary Sokolov's father Lali, a Slovakian Jew, was forced to work as the tattooist at the Nazis' death camp in occupied Poland.

It was in that role that he met his future wife Gita, when she stood before him terrified as he tattooed a number on her arm.

Lali and Gita were separated in 1945 but found each other by chance after the war and went on to marry before having son Gary in 1961 following their emigration to Australia.

Their story is depicted in Sky's retelling of Heather Morris's bestselling novel the Tattooist of Auschwitz, which was released to great acclaim in 2018 after the author spent three years interviewing Lali.

Lali is portrayed during his time at Auschwitz by The Little Mermaid Star Jonah Hauer-King, 28, and then Taxi Driver's Harvey Keitel, 84, as an elderly man.

Mr Sokolov, who is now in his early 60s and lives in Melbourne, said in an interview with Sky to promote the show: 'There were moments when I couldn't tell the difference between my father and Harvey Keitel.

'He was my father on every single level. If he wasn't, I wouldn't have spent so much time in tears.'

The son of the Holocaust survivor whose life story was made famous in the Tattooist of Auschwitz has told how Hollywood star Harvey Keitel's portrayal of his father in a new Sky adaptation left him in tears. Above: Harvey Keitel as Lali Sokolov; Lali with his wife Gita

Gary Sokolov was born in 1961. His parents married in October 1945 after their ordeal at Auschwitz. Above: Gary with his mother and father

Morris met Lali after being told by his and Gita's son Gary that he wanted to tell his story, which he had kept secret for decades because he feared he would be viewed as a Nazi collaborator.

It was only after his wife died in 2003 that he felt able to recount what happened to him and Gita.

Morris, a former social worker, spent the next three years meeting Lali several times a week, getting every aspect of his story down on paper.

Lali died aged 90 in 2006 after developing a close friendship with Morris.

The author initially tried to get his story turned into a film but then opted to write her novel.

Mr Sokolov said that his father found in Morris 'someone he trusted enough to tell his story'.

'He needed to tell it. I can't imagine, knowing Heather, that he could have told it to anyone else.

'The world needs to know this story, especially now, where hope is really important.'

Keitel, who is best known for his collaborations with director Martin Scorsese, said: 'I am honoured to hopefully bring to light through our dramatization of Lali's story the horror of the Holocaust and keep this history relevant as there are fewer Holocaust survivor's alive to tell their own stories.'

Mr Sokolov, who is now in his early 60s and lives in Melbourne , said in an interview with Sky to promote the show: 'There were moments when I couldn't tell the difference between my father and Harvey Keitel'. Above: Mr Sokolov attending a screening for the show in London on April 9

Melanie Lynskey as Heather Morris, interviewing Sokolov (played by Harvey Keitel) in later life

Melanie Lynskey as Heather Morris and Harvey Keitel as Lali Sokolov

Harvey Keitel as the older Lali Sokolov in his Melbourne apartment

He said he prepared for the role by reading books by survivors Eli Wiesel and Viktor Frankl and also watching videos of interviews with Lali.

His preparation - which included wearing prosthetics to make him look more like Lali - paid off, according to Mr Sokolov.

'The way he portrayed Dad was beyond anything I could ever had expected,' he said.

'There is a saying in Jewish culture, kavod - which is the ultimate level of respect  and he gave that to my Dad.

'Just talking about it makes me cry! When Heather sent me a photo, I had to do a double take. I looked at it. Looked away. Looked again.

Lali and Gita Sokolov in later life. Their romance survived against all the odds

Lali and Gita joyfully embrace in a photo that was taken after their wartime ordeal in the Holocaust

'I wasn't sure if it was my father or Harvey Keitel. When I watched the series, I was in tears within the first ten seconds of the trailer because Harvey looked and sounded like my father.

'He had that little bit of hardness in his eyes that my father had. His eyes were my father's eyes  when he spoke about my mother he was tearing up, which is what my dad did.

'I didn't feel as though I was watching Harvey in the series, I thought I was watching my father.'

Lali, who was born in Slovakia in 1916, was herded off to Auschwitz in a packed cattle train in horrendous conditions.

Like every other prisoner who was not immediately sent off to die, he was given a number which became his name. His - 32407 - was tattooed on his arm by a French academic named Pepan.

He was initially sent to work on the construction of new housing blocks as the camp expanded.

When Lali contracted typhoid soon after arriving at Auschwitz, he was cared for by Pepan, who set him to work as his assistant.

Polish actress Anna Prochniak (right) as Gita. Like Lali she was deported to Auschwitz but survived

Prochniak portraying Gita in The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which debuted today on Sky

When Pepan was shipped out of Auschwitz one day, Lali was made the main tattooist.

Lali met Gita in July 1942 when she was presented in front of him. Years later he would tell Morris how, as he tattooed her number on her arm, he fell in love.

With the help of Lale's personal SS guard, he smuggled letters to her. These letters led to visits outside her block in Birkenau.

He also smuggled her his extra rations and got her moved to a better work station.

In 1945, the Nazis began forcing prisoners on death marches to other camps as the Russians closed in amid Germany's ensuing defeat in the war.

It was then that Lali and Gita were separated when she was sent away.

Lali also eventually left the camp and made his way back to his home town of Krompachy in Czechoslovakia.

Incredibly, the pair were reunited when Gita stepped out in front of his horse and cart.

Lali had been on his way to Bratislava - the entry point for survivors returning home - to look for her.

A new Sky adaptation of Morris's novel is being released this week. The six-part series stars both Jonah Hauer-King (left) and Harvey Keitel as Lali, whilst Polish actress Anna Prochniak (right) portrays Gita

The couple emigrated to Australia in 1949 after getting married in the final months of 1945.

Asked how he felt after seeing the six-part show, Mr Sokolov said: 'I don't have the words. The respect that was given to my father and my mother and their story was beyond anything I could have imagined. I really hope the world feels the same way.

Heather Morris' book was published in 2018

'It's what I wanted for my parents: for the world to know their story. So, yes, it's fantastic. Am I allowed to cry?'

He was also full of praise for Melanie Lynskey's portrayal of Morris in the show, saying the New Zealander did a 'phenomenal job'.

He added: 'I didn't understand until I watched the show what Heather herself had been through, hearing my Dad's stories and then going home to her family.

'Heather filled a hole for my Dad when my mother passed away.

'I remember Heather saying to me that whatever happens, I'll always take care of your Dad.

'I don't think anyone else could have done the job that Heather did with my Dad. She gave my Dad so much respect.

'In fact, the thing that really struck me overall was that each and every person on the show gave my parents' story respect.'

Polish actress Anna Prochniak portrays Gita. The show's director Tali Shalom-Ezer, said: 'When I read the scripts I felt like all the questions I had when I read the book were answered.

'Lali only started to tell his story 60 years after he left Auschwitz and we know the nature of memory is that events can be jumbled up.

'There were questions for me about how he felt about his special position. I'm glad we're getting to explore some of that.'
Republicans are demanding a criminal investigation into a key figure in the COVID origins scandal for his links to gain of function research in Wuhan and repeated rejections that the virus came from lab.

EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak - who received federal funding for coronavirus research in Wuhan, China, before the COVID-19 pandemic - will be pressed Wednesday by Republicans.

Daszak is thought to have critical knowledge about the Wuhan Institute of Virology's (WIV) extensive coronavirus efforts before the outbreak of COVID-19 - and the GOP wants answers.

On Wednesday, ahead of a Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing with Daszak, the body released a report calling for a criminal investigation into the scientist and EcoHealth for violating his government grant agreements and legal reporting requirements.

'Peter Daszak is the closest this committee will ever get to questioning a Chinese spy,' Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, who sits on the committee, exclusively told DailyMail.com in a statement.

'His direct role in providing funding for the Wuhan Lab and his lies and personal involvement in the COVID cover up that followed were directly responsible for the public health and economic disaster that followed.'

EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak (Left) with former NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci (Right)

Daszak has long studied coronaviruses and sought U.S. government funding for research in collaboration with the WIV and NIAID well before the COVID-19 pandemic began

'As the saying goes, 'follow the money' and the money was flowing directly from Dr. Fauci and the NIH to Daszak's EcoHealth Alliance and his gain-of-function research,' Jackson continued. 'This IS where COVID originated and this IS who funded it!'

Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., told DailyMail.com exclusively ahead of Wednesday's hearing, 'I want to confront him on the way that he got refunded for his research.'

He claimed that Daszak's gain of function research was fully refunded by the U.S.

In addition, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., previewed to DailyMail.com that she is looking forward to Daszak's answers on why EcoHealth was awarded U.S. government funding in the first place.

'Why are we the American taxpayers giving money to EcoHealth,' she said. 'If you're subletting some of these grants to different organizations, you should know what they're doing with the money.'

When reached for a comment about the committee's call for a criminal investigation into Daszak and EcoHealth, a company spokesperson told DailyMail.com: 'We did not have access to the SSCP report until it was released this morning. Dr. Daszak will respond to the Committee's questions at the hearing.'

Last month, Daszak was accused of helping a top aide of Dr. Anthony Fauci - David Morens - subvert federal transparency laws by communicating on nongovernmental accounts, saying 'we'll communicate with you via Gmail from now on.'

The EcoHealth founder then mentioned having '15,000 samples in freezers in Wuhan,' that could help them 'do the full genomes of 700+ [coronaviruses].'

On Wednesday, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, will grill Daszak on his correspondence with Morens, Fauci and the WIV regarding COVID-19 origins.

Wenstrup sent a subpoena to Morens demanding he turn over documents from his personal email account about COVID-19, coronavirus grant funding and his communications with Fauci and former NIH Director Francis Collins, among other top health officials.

He was expected to receive those materials from the former Fauci aide Tuesday ahead of the Daszak's hearing the following day.

The Ohio Republican previously said a whistleblower provided him the materials indicating Morens' use of his personal email.

WHO team member Peter Daszak leaves his hotel after the World Health Organization (WHO) team wrapped up its investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on February 10, 2021

Morens was a senior advisor to former NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci during the pandemic, and according to his LinkedIn account he still works there in the same capacity

Another email shows Morens appearing to disclose Fauci's attempts to provide 'damage control' for EcoHealth.

'Tony is now fully aware I think and is I am told involved in some sort of damage control,' Morens told Daszak.

Republicans previously revealed that EcoHealth and the WIV, in partnership with NIAID, submitted a proposal to federal officials seeking funding to create a novel coronavirus in 2018.

And Wenstrup has accused EcoHealth of using taxpayer dollars 'to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.'

'These emails raise serious concerns about federal health officials potentially covering up the pandemics origin,' Wenstrup stated previously.

The subject line of one of the messages between Morens' personal email and EcoHealth's Daszak includes a reference to a National Institute of Health (NIH) grant proposal that provided $661,980 for a 2019 project titled 'Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence.'

Another subject line from his personal email reads 'COVID-19 update (312): China, SARS-CoV2 origin, animal reservoir, WHO mission,' indicating the two were discussing the origins of the disease.

A third email from Morens had a subject line that referenced 'our suspended R01,' possibly indicating that funding for the bat coronavirus research project was stopped at some point.

However, during his transcribed interview with the Select Subcommittee in January, Morens 'denied deleting any federal COVID-19 origins records,' according to the lawmaker.

EcoHealth, run by Daszak, in partnership with the Wuhan Institute sought federal funding for gain of function research

Morens also admitted previously to the committee in a closed interview that 'I will delete anything I dont want to see in the New York Times.'

'I always try to communicate over gmail because my NIH email is FOIAd constantly,' Morens told the committee at the time.
This is the shocking moment a bridge collapsed while a mayor recorded a video addressing the dangers of a storm in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Santa Tereza Mayor Gisele Caumo was warning residents about the rainstorm on Tuesday morning shortly after the bridge became detached from the road pavement.

The pressure from the water that overflowed from the Barramansa Stream appeared to pick up strength and suddenly knocked the bridge off its foundation.

'This is our situation. See, being carried away by the forces of the waters,' Caumo said. 'So, I ask you to be careful, cautious, especially when traveling. I ask everyone's full attention to the situation on the bridge.'

Debris could be seen on the side of the bridge dragging it downstream as the live recording on via her Instagram account was cut off.

Mayor Gisele Caumo was recording a video to warn residents in the southern Brazil city of Santa Tereza about the dangers of a rainstorm on Tuesday when a bridge connecting two neighborhoods collapsed

A woman and her son survived after their home was swept away by a landslide on Tuesday in Vale do Taquari, one of the 76 cities in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul that have been impacted by a rainstorm

The storm hit Rio Grande do Sul on Monday and caused significant damage across 76 cities.

Three people have been confirmed dead as of Tuesday, according to the state's Civil Defense department. At least five people have been treated for injuries and 18 others have been reported missing.

Two people were killed Monday when the car they were traveling on was swept by floodwaters in the municipality of Paverama.

The storm has forced 242 people to abandon their homes and stay in shelters while 95 people have been left homeless.

A bridge in the Brazilian municipality of Santa Tereza was destroyed by floodwaters on Tuesday

The fire department recovered a vehicle that was swept away by floodwaters Monday in Paverama. The two occupants in the car were killed

A woman and her son were fortunate to escape and be rescued after their home was swept away by a landslide, according to Brazilian news outlet G1.

The son fled through the roof of the home while his mother was plucked out by neighbors. Her husband remained missing as of Tuesday afternoon.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite said the storm's destruction was similar to the one that killed more than 50 people in November because of rising levels in the rivers.

Luciano Chaves, who oversees the state Protection and Civil Defense, recommended that residents remain home and avoid traveling.

The National Institute of Meteorology said it expected it expected over 2.3 inches of rain per hour on Tuesday and about 3.93 inches to fall per day until May 6.

'The week begins with a storm due to an area of low atmospheric pressure that should favor the formation of instability in areas of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina,' the agency said. 'However, between Wednesday and Thursday, a frontal system over the ocean intensifies rain in these areas, with significant and more widespread volumes, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusts of wind.'
A Columbia University student who demanded food and water and claimed the school was blocking their access to 'humanitarian aid' crumbled when under questioning from reporters in the latest show of cluelessness from the encampment.

Students pleaded for 'basic humanitarian aid' to be delivered to those illegally occupying Hamilton Hall and said it was the schools' responsibility to ensure they had access to food and water.

'First of all we're saying they are obligated to bring food to students who pay for a meal plan here,' said organizer Johannah King-Slutzky, who describes herself as an 'expert for progressive and leftist causes.'

Holding court on the steps of Hamilton Hall, where students staged an insurrection-like riot on Monday night, smashing windows and barricading themselves inside, she told reporters: 'I mean, well I guess it's ultimately a question of what kind of obligation Columbia feels it has to its students.

Columbia University protesters demanded food and water be brought to their encampment so they don't 'die of dehydration and starvation' during a press conference on Tuesday

Reporter grills Columbia student after she demands the university help feed protestors occupying Hamilton Hall:



"It seems like you're saying, 'we want to be revolutionaries, we want to take over this building, now would you please bring us some food'." pic.twitter.com/vNczSAM4T1  The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 30, 2024

The request came hours after activists stormed Hamilton Hall forcing the university to close its campus

'Do you want students to die of dehydration? This is basic humanitarian aid we're asking for. Like, could people please have a glass of water?'

When challenged by reporters who pointed out the irony of demanding food and water from the school whose rules they were breaking, she backtracked.

'Nobody is asking them to bring anything we're asking them to not violently stop us from bringing in basic humanitarian aid. We are looking for a commitment from them that they will not.'

When pushed on whether or not staff had in fact been blocking food and water from being brought in, she retreated even further.

'I'm not, I don't know to what extent it has been attempted but we're looking for a commitment.'

The spokesperson for the protest insisted that Columbia is still, 'obligated to provide food to students who pay for a meal plan.' Pictured: Pro Palestine activists at the school gates on Tuesday

The occupation was an escalation of the unrest which has been rocking Columbia since April 17 when an encampment sprung up. Pictured: A Palestinian flag waves from a statue of Alexander Hamilton outside Hamilton Hall on April 30

'If the answer is no then you should allow basic, it's crazy to say because we're on an Ivy League campus, but this is basic humanitarian aid we're asking for. Could people please just have a glass of water?'

The spokesperson addressed media who had gathered at Hamilton Hall to grill them about the occupation.

'It's a question of what kind of community and obligation Columbia has to its students,' the spokesperson said.

'We're asking them to not violently stop us bringing in basic humanitarian aid.'

The occupation is an escalation of the unrest which has rocked the campus in recent weeks ever since an encampment sprung up on the South Lawns on April 17.

Protesters are demanding that Columbia divest from companies with ties to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas.

More than 100 activists have already been arrested at the school since the encampment began. Students have set up tents on the school's main campus. A first encampment was broken up by NYPD officials. But, university officials have vowed not to take similar steps for the current protest.

The university gave students an ultimatum to leave, but few followed the instructions. Officials then started to suspend students before a group raided Hamilton Hall.

'We will not leave until Columbia meets every one of our demands,' one activist screamed from a balcony in the building after the takeover.

According to the Columbia Spectator, the group who made it inside the building threw their belongings aside before beginning their immediate efforts to barricade the doors.

Images from the mass demonstration show sleeping bags, coats, rucksacks and blankets strewn across the ground and piled up in front of doors.

The students stormed the building located along the South Lawn, which has been the scene of the university's anti-Israel encampment for over a week.

They quickly climbed the stairs, dragging down tables and chairs from classrooms which they then used to barricade the doors from the inside.

The building was locked down in less than five minutes, according to the student publication, and protesters allowed no one to enter.

Students pleaded for 'basic humanitarian aid' to be delivered to those illegally occupying Hamilton Hall

Protesters are demanding that Columbia divest from companies with ties to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas

The NYPD warned the occupation could spread to other Columbia buildings or campuses across the country

At a Tuesday press conference, the NYPD stated some of the external agitators at the Columbia protests have been known to the force 'for many years.'

Assistant Commissioner Rebecca Weiner warned the occupation had the potential to spill into other campus buildings, as well as other universities across the country.

'This is not about what's happening overseas, it's not about the last seven months, it's about a very different commitment to at times violent protest activity as an occupation,' she said of the external agitators.

'They haven't got a right to be on campus and this violates university polices and most importantly, presents a danger to students and the university and communities.

'When we see what we saw last night, we think these tactics are a result of guidance being given to students from these external actors.'

The force confirmed it remains on standby to assist the university should officials decide the enlist their help.

Police confirmed those occupying Hamilton Hall could be charged with trespass and burglary, while those in the encampment could be hit with trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

Occupants of Hamilton Hall have now been threatened with expulsion and could face criminal charges

Mayor Eric Adams warned at a press conference on Tuesday that the protests have been infiltrated by external agitators

Mayor Eric Adams warned external actors were sowing 'chaos' and he pleaded with protesters to disperse.

'They are actively creating serious public safety issues. Maybe some of the students don't understand what they are involved in,' Mayor Adams said.

'We urge those violating Columbia's order to leave the area and leave the area now. If you are a parent of guardian of a student please call your child and urge them to leave before the situation escalates in any way.'

In a campus update on Tuesday, President Minouche Shafik threatened those within Hamilton Hall with expulsion.

'Our top priority is restoring safety and order on our campus,' the update read.

'We made it very clear yesterday the work of the University cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules.

'Continuing to do so will be met with clear consequences. Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situationvandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrancesand we are following through with the consequences we outlined yesterday.'
A one-punch killer who spent 11 years behind bars for a deadly unprovoked attack on a young man has spoken out for the first time since being released.

Kieran Loveridge, 30, was released from Broken Hill prison two weeks ago, after he fatally struck 18-year-old Thomas Kelly with a single punch in Sydney's Kings Cross back in July 2012.

The attack led the New South Wales Government to introduce strict mandatory sentencing laws for drunk violence and controversial lockout laws, which forced nightclubs and bars to refuse entry after 1.30am.

Loveridge told The Daily Telegraph he was just a kid who 'messed up' by punching Thomas and had never meant to kill him.

Thomas Kelly (pictured) died after an attack from one-punch killer Kieran Loveridge in 2012

Loveridge (left) was released from prison two weeks ago

'I was 18, I was still at school when that happened. I wasn't off the rails, I just went out and made a mistake,' he said.

'I went out that night and unfortunately I made a mistake, and I woke up going, "Far out, I'm going to jail."'

He said he was 'extremely remorseful' for his crime, something Thomas' parents do not believe.

'They have been there in court when I have said sorry to them. I'm not sure what else I can do,' Loveridge said.

He now aims to educate young men about the dangers of alcohol and violence.

Loveridge, who assaulted four others on the night he killed Thomas Kelly, initially got a sentence of just four years, but on appeal this was raised to a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 13 years and eight months.

Thomas' parents Kathy and Ralph initially supported the parole, but last month said they did so based 'on a pack of lies' and that Loveridge had shown no remorse.

At the April parole hearing, they learned Loveridge had been repeatedly violent during his years in prison, assaulting several people, including punching a bikie in the face.

Loveridge (pictured) had been repeatedly violent during his years in prison

Thomas' parents (pictured with his sister Madeleine) claim they were not told about Loveridge's violence in jail when they gave their blessing for his parole

In the most recent incident, just weeks before the parole hearing, Loveridge was drunk and violent towards corrections officers.

'It's hard to believe that the State Parole Authority think that he won't be a risk to the community, or a low risk, as they say,' Mr Kelly told the ABC 7:30.

'Given that he had an outburst on the 27th of February it shows that he is still the same person that he was 12 years ago.'

She said they only found out about the extent of Loveridge's behaviour in prison at the parole hearing 'as the judge was basically summing everything up'.

'It was disgusting,' Ms Kelly said.

'It was just appalling that we've been kept in the dark about that, because we really went in with our submission and supported the parole on a pack of lies.

Thomas' brother Stuart (pictured) took his own life four years after his brother's tragic death

'Had we known that, we definitely would not have supported it.'

Mr Kelly believes 'it's only a matter of time' before Loveridge commits further crimes once he is given parole.

Kathy Kelly does not believe that Loveridge is sorry for killing her son.

'Absolutely not... of course, he hasn't been able to contact us, I understand that. But there are ways to reach out to the family and show that you are sorry.

'There has never been an apology for what he did. I don't believe there's ever been any remorse whatsoever.'

When Loveridge was convicted, Thomas' younger brother Stuart made a heartbreaking statement outside the court.

'I now no longer have an older brother. Instead I have a hole in my life that somehow I'm meant to come to terms with and accept,' he said.

Stuart Kelly later took his own life.

'We lost our beautiful son... four years later our other child Stuart took his own life as a result of the loss of his older brother,' Ms Kelly said after Loveridge's parole hearing.

'He was only 14 years old when Tom was killed... our family may never find forgiveness for Mr Loveridge.

'We continue to grieve every day for our two boys... we have been handed a double life sentence.'

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A man who died after falling from a wind turbine has been remembered as a loving father and big-hearted larrikin.

Daniel Squillari, 34, fell 20metres when a wind tower he was working on collapsed at Lake Proserpine on the Whitsunday Coast in north Queensland last week.

The father-of-two was helping build a meteorological mast at the site when tragedy struck.

His colleagues gave him CPR until paramedics arrived.

The young dad has been remembered as a big-hearted larrikin with a huge personality as the community rallies around his partner Tamara and their children

Mr Squillari was assessed for critical injuries but tragically died at the scene.

He began his career as a metal fabricator in Cairns before securing a position at Sundown Engineering where he completed his training as a young man.

Former owners Ian and Michelle Coubrough described Mr Squillari as a hard worker and skilled aluminium welder.

'He was a very loving family man,' Ms Coubrough told the Cairns Post.

'He was a hard-working person and he was very good at what he did.'

Mr Squillari was assessed for critical injuries but tragically died at the scene

The young dad has been remembered as a big-hearted larrikin with a huge personality as the community rallies around his partner Tamara and their children.

'His absence leaves a void that can never be filled and [is] deeply missed,' Ms Squillari posted on social media.

'His love and light will forever live on in our hearts and thank you for all your love and support.'

All operations have been suspended at the Lake Proserpine worksite while Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) investigates the accident.

Daniel Squillari, 34, fell 20metres when a wind tower collapsed at Lake Proserpine on the Whitsunday Coast, in north Queensland, on Thursday afternoon (stock image of the area)

'WHSQ is investigating an incident involving the construction of a wind monitoring tower that occurred on April 25,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'WHSQ inspectors have attended the incident scene and their inquiries into the matter are continuing.

'As this is an active investigation, WHSQ is not able to provide further information at this time.'

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
A popular brand of instant noodles has been urgently recalled over fears it could cause shppers to fall ill if they consume it.

Food Safety Australia New Zealand issued the warning for 65 gram packets of Mr Lees Noodles Henking Coconut Chicken Laksa on Tuesday.

Batches of the product with best before dates of June 14, 2024, have been found to contain an undeclared allergen, milk.

The noodles, which are manufactured by HenKing Foods Pty Ltd, have been sold at Harris Farm and independent grocery stores across NSW and Queensland.

Mr Lees Noodles Henking Coconut Chicken Laksa (pictured) has been urgently recalled after an undisclosed allergen was discovered in the product

They have also been available online nationally and in vending machines in the ACT and NSW.

Food Safety warned those who have a milk allergy or intolerance 'may have a reaction if the product is consumed'.

'Consumers who have a milk allergy or intolerance should not consume this product,' the recall reads.

Anyone who purchased one of the recalled batch will be able to receive a full refund.

'Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice,' the recall reads.
A warning has been issued to customers of budget airline Bonza after it was placed into voluntary administration.

Travellers were left stranded in airports across Australia on Tuesday morning amid urgent talks about the future of the airline.

Finance analyst Evan Lucas said customers may find it hard to receive a refund for cancelled flights, despite the airline's assurance it would give them their money back.

'In terms of getting your money back it is unlikely now it went into voluntary receivership 4:30 yesterday afternoon, unfortunately,' he said on Sunrise on Wednesday morning.

Yesterday, the airline claimed that refunds would be processed within 21 days.

'The refund will be paid to the payment method you used at the time of making the booking,' it said.

Mr Lucas said that Bonza's effort to challenge Australia's three major airlines ended in failure

Mr Lucas said that Bonza's effort to challenge Australia's three major airlines ended in failure, mirroring the fate of previous airlines that had attempted to vie with these industry giants.

'The fourth carrier has always been a problem in this country,' he explained.

'We have Virgin, Qantas and Rex. Every time we get a fourth one, there isn't enough [demand].'

He said Bonza aimed to compete with the big players by flying to destinations such as Rockhampton, Port Macquarie.

'That was good but it's not sustainable.'

He said the company had not been paying the leases for their Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft which have since been repossessed.

'Yesterday came as it did because they weren't paying the leases on the planes,' he said.

'If you are not paying the bills, you can't operate your business.'

Mr Lucas said it was important for Aussies to understand that while the company is based in Australia, it is 'an American airline with American problems around its funding'.

Evan Lucas said customers are unlikely to receive refunds after it plunged into administration

The company has appointed external administrators Hall Chadwick, who say the move will allow 'an independent insolvency practitioner to take control of the company', during which creditors' claims will be put on hold.

Federal Transport Minister Catherine King said a hotline had been set up for affected passengers but admitted the chances of Bonza resuming operations was small.

'We have been speaking to the (administrators) overnight, they're trying to get the airline back up and running, I think they have got to look at the books a fair bit. It's unlikely that will happen,' she told ABC TV.

'Planes are certainly cancelled until May 2 at the very least, and then customers will need to get on to the Bonza website or on to the administrators to find out what the next steps are.'

Bonza chief executive Tim Jordan apologised to customers and said the company's ongoing viability was being discussed.

'We're working as quickly as possible to determine a way forward that ensures there is ongoing competition in the Australian domestic aviation market,' he said.

The Sunshine Coast-based company was unveiled in October 2021 and its first flight took off in January 2023.

It operates Boeing 737-Max-8 planes and is backed by 777 Partners, an investment group based in Miami, Florida.

It originally flew 27 routes to 17 destinations but started cutting services during its first six months.

Earlier in April, the Australian Financial Review newspaper reported advisory firm KordaMentha had been called in to help the company, which Bonza denied.

Bonza's LinkedIn profile says it has between 51 to 200 employees.

The airline operates flights from select airports on Australia's east coast but does not have flights to or from Sydney and Brisbane.

It flies to many regional destinations including Albury, Mildura, Mount Isa, Tamworth and Port Macquarie.
TOKYO, May 01 (NHK) - Wednesday marks five years since Japan's Emperor Naruhito ascended the throne. During this period, the Emperor has explored his role as a symbol of the state. He also searched for new ways to engage with people amid the coronavirus pandemic, including making use of online platforms.

During his first news conference after his enthronement, the Emperor said he will treasure opportunities to meet many people and listen to their stories.

He has remained true to this commitment, traveling to various places across Japan with Empress Masako for annual events. Following the precedent set by their predecessors, the Imperial couple have visited areas hit by natural disasters to offer encouragement to survivors.

During the initial year of 2019, the couple visited the northeastern prefectures of Miyagi and Fukushima, which were severely affected by heavy rain.

However, the coronavirus pandemic forced the couple to suspend such visits for nearly three years. Instead, they strived to build relationships with people through online interactions.

In March and April this year, they visited communities in the Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan that were hit by the New Year's Day earthquake. These were their first such visits following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. ...continue reading
The mother of a Bondi Junction stabbing victim has shared the shock and anger at learning of her daughter's fate after seeing her being given CPR during a live TV news feed.

Elizabeth Young, the mother of Jade Young, says having her daughter's last moments broadcast to millions of people was an 'appalling breach of privacy and an insult to human dignity.'

Mother-of-two and architect Jade, 47, was with her youngest daughter at the shopping centre in Sydney's east when Joel Cauchi stabbed her and five others to death on April 13.

Elizabeth Young, the mother of Bondi Junction stabbing victim Jade Young,

READ MORE: Hundreds farewell Westfield Bondi Junction victim after she was killed in stabbing attack Ms Young, a 47-year-old mother and architect, was one of six people killed by Joel Cauchi Advertisement

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald Ms Young said media outlets 'scraped the bottom of the barrel of humanity' by sharing images of her dying daughter.

'I point my finger at the individual for seeing fit to capture the moment and then sharing it, and the mainstream channel for putting it to air,' she wrote. 'For what reason? I can only think it is to satisfy the increasingly morbid curiosity of society.'

Ms Young accused media outlets and of 'commodifying' her daughter's death and turning it into 'casual content'.

She said the same media organisations approached her family within hours of the tragedy 'offering their condolences  and the opportunity to share our familys story'.

'These same media organisations reported the failure of a certain popular social media platform to take down videos, without acknowledging their own complicity. I am not surprised at their hypocrisy, but I am angry,' she wrote.

Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has been in a legal fight with Australia's eSafety Commissioner over refusing to take down videos of the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, 55, while he preached in western Sydney on April 15.

'Sharing violent images or personal material from the lives of victims of crime is not free speech  it is enormously profitable for some but its speech with a steep price for the victims,' Ms Young said.

Mother-of-two Jade Young was one of six stabbing victims who lost their lives at Bondi Junction on April 13

The role of the media and social media has come under intense scrutiny since the stabbings Bondi Junction and of the bishop at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley.

Less than a day after Ashlee Good was identified as one of the victims from Bondi Junction, her family requested that the media remove photos of her and their family, which had been published without their consent.

The morning after the rampage university student Ben Cohen was falsely named as the knifeman by Channel Seven's Weekend Sunrise program.

After engaging high-profile defamation lawyers to sue the network Mr Cohen last week settled with Seven for an undisclosed sum.

Mr Musk is fighting a legal action against Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inmam Grant, who declared video of the bishop's stabbing, which was livestreamed from the church, must be taken down.

While other social media platforms, such as Facebook, abided by the order X has geo-blocked the material from Australia but allowed it to be posted on overseas accounts.

The Federal Court is deciding whether this is acceptable with the eSafety Commissioner arguing Australians can still access the video if they have special software.
Another former immigration detainee has been charged after allegedly failing to meet his visa conditions.

The 31-year-old Afghanistan-born man was arrested by the Australian Federal Police in Brisbane on Tuesday.

He allegedly breached the conditions of his Commonwealth visa twice in April by failing to comply with mandated curfews.

He has been charged with two counts of failing to comply with curfew conditions.

The 31-year-old faces a maximum penalty of five years behind bars and a $93,900 fine.

Another former immigration detainee has been charged after allegedly failing to meet his visa conditions (pictured is Villawood Immigration Detention Centre)

He is due to face Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The man is understood to be one of the 150 men released from detention in November after the High Court ruled indefinite detention was unlawful.

The move has sparked major controversy with calls mounting for Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to resign.

Another freed detainee, Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, 43, is one of three people charged over the alleged brutal bashing of 73-year-old Ninette Simmons.

Released detainee Jamshidi Doukoshkan and two other attackers allegedly beat 73-year-old Ninette Simons (above) unconscious at Girrawheen in Perth's north on April 16

Recently released immigration detainee Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan (above), who is accused of bashing an elderly woman in her own home

West Australian police say three people assaulted Ms Simmons and her 76-year-old husband Philip, alleging his hands were tied behind his back while they stole $200,000 in jewellery.

On Monday, a 45-year-old Sudanese man was arrested in Melbourne and charged with allegedly failing to abide by his visa-mandated curfew and to maintain a monitoring device.

It is alleged the man breached the conditions of his Commonwealth visa on three occasions between April 20 and April 29 this year by failing to comply with residential curfew obligations and maintain his monitoring device.

He is expected to return to court on 22 May.
A woman has been left 'hysterical' after finding a South American marmoset monkey in her conservatory.

The 'distressed' homeowner called animal rescuers to her home in Wolverhampton after finding a 'strange wild animal with a bushy tail' jumping around her property.

Volunteers, expecting to discover a fox or a squirrel at the scene, were shocked when the monkey showed his face and leapt onto the kitchen counter.

The marmoset, thought to have been an unwanted pet dumped by his owner, was eventually lured into a cage and sent back to an animal rescue centre where charity Wings and Paws are attempting to find a suitable home after two weeks rehabilitating him back to full strength.

The animal has since been named Marcel in a nod to the monkey owned by Ross Geller in the US sitcom Friends.

A woman has been left 'hysterical' after finding a South American marmoset monkey (pictured) in her conservatory

The 'distressed' homeowner called animal rescuers to her home in Wolverhampton after finding a 'strange wild animal with a bushy tail' jumping around her property

The marmoset, thought to have been an unwanted pet dumped by his owner, was eventually lured into a cage and sent back to an animal rescue centre

The monkey spent some time on the kitchen counter in the house. Experts said the animal seemed tame but said it was not ideal that it had made Wolverhampton its home, given the cold climate in stark contrast to South America

Marcel, who is 5,400 miles away from his native South America, is tame and friendly around humans.

Volunteer Gemma Warner said the homeowner had only told rescuers that the animal 'was small with a bushy tail'.

READ MORE: Is runaway monkey homesick? Missing macaque is seen near park on day three of his great escape Advertisement

She added: 'So from what she said, we thought it was just a squirrel or maybe a baby fox - but what we didn't expect was to find a marmoset in her kitchen.

'We were taken aback to say the least and she was very relieved when we finally got him into a cage and out of her house.

'He was very skinny and hungry but he was clever enough to know he needed to find the humans.

'Its lucky we found him because the cold would have killed him if he'd been left on the streets of Wolverhampton. It's not their usual habitat as you can imagine.'

Ms Warner said Marcel liked to sit on volunteers' laps and groom their hair 'in order to make friends' and they had all been won over by the 'lovely little chap.'

She added: 'He has been with us a couple of weeks now. We've been feeding him up and he's ready to move on.

'But we don't want him to become another pet in a cage. We will do what is right for Marcel, whether this is rehoming him or him staying with us.'

Wings and Paws, which is based in Wolverhampton but covers the whole of the West Midlands, has tried to find Marcel's owners but no one has come forward.

Ms Warner said: 'We have been in touch with Monkey World in Dorset but are yet to hear back from them.

'That would be the best place for him but because he is so tame, we're not sure if he would get bullied by the others if he was integrated.

'We checked with the likes of Dudley Zoo as they would be in touch with any local breeders and we can't find a legitimate owner who has lost a pet.'

The marmoset is reported to be very friendly around humans. Volunteer Gemma Warner said: 'We checked with the likes of Dudley Zoo as they would be in touch with any local breeders and we can't find a legitimate owner who has lost a pet'

The animal has since been named Marcel in a nod to the monkey owned by Ross Geller in the US sitcom Friends

The pet made a memorable appearance in the show, standing on the shoulders of David Schwimmer who played Ross

Marmosets are mainly found in the tropical rainforests of South America, with a few populations in Central America.

They mostly eat sap and gum from trees, but they also eat the leaves, fruit, seeds and flowers, as well as insects, snails, lizards, frogs and baby birds.

It is legal in the UK to keep them as pets, but the RSPCA advises against it, as they need a warm climate and lots of stimulation.
Two bullying nurses who picked on colleagues and patients at a hospital and even told a suicidal person to 'go on, you might as well do it' have been struck off.

Alicia Andrews, 35, and Tabitha Williams, 42, were banned from working after creating an 'intimidating, hostile, degrading and humiliating environment' on their ward.

Their behaviour was so bad student nurses reported the pair to Bangor University after witnessing their poor patient care at Llandudno General Hospital in North Wales.

A student nurse said Ms Andrews 'would essentially encourage' the patient expressing suicidal thought to take their life - and Mrs Williams 'would laugh about it,' a hearing heard.

Other student nurses recalled that Ms Andrews would be sarcastic and hostile towards patients, while Mrs Williams would make student nurses feel 'very uncomfortable' and ignored.

The nurses worked at Llandudno General Hospital in North Wales (pictured)

A student nurse said Mrs Williams and Ms Andrews would ask her to do all blood glucose observations - after just three weeks of being on the ward.

Ms Andrews would also enable a student nurse to take observations of patients' blood sugar levels, with her own login details, despite the student not being trained.

She also left a student nurse to monitor the electrocardiogram of a 'distressed' patient unsupervised.

The student nurses said they left 'angry' and 'shocked' by their behaviour on the ward.

Another student recalled Ms Andrews saying about another patient: 'I wouldn't worry, he will be RIP'd soon' in a 'sarcastic' and 'very cold' manner.

A witness also told the hearing that Mrs Williams would tell a patient with dementia who would often cry loudly to 'stop it', 'shut up' and 'give it a rest.'

Speaking about the pair, one of the student nurses said: 'Many times I'd hear them talk about other student nurses on the ward, saying they weren't good or couldn't do certain things.

'I just keep myself to myself and would get on with it.'

Another student nurse added: 'The way they treated some of their fellow nurses was also awful. I remember, one was redeployed onto the ward as a supernumerary, but the way they treated her was disgraceful.

'She was often ignored and treated as incompetent. They didn't support her with the duties she sometimes needed help with, and laughed at her behind her back.'

Ms Andrews, who started working on the ward in February 2020, told a patient expressing suicidal thoughts words to the effect of: 'Go on, you might as well do it' and laughed.

She also told a patient words to the effect of: 'Your breath stinks' and said in relation to a patient: 'I wouldn't worry, he will be RIP'd soon'.

Mrs Williams, who started working on the ward in March 2018 and promoted to deputy ward manager in February 2021, told a patient words to the effect of: 'She's rotting from the inside.'

She also told a patient words to the effect of 'stop being dramatic' and 'stop making that noise', and did not check on them when they were weaving/bringing up bile. She also told a patient words to the effect of 'stop it', 'shut up' or 'give it a rest'.

The conduct of both nurses was a 'significant departure from the standards expected,' and 'fundamentally incompatible' with remaining on the NMC register.

Both nurses were referred to the NMC after allegations that they demonstrated 'bullying and intimidating behaviour' towards co-workers over a nine month period - particularly student nurses.

Alicia Andrews and Tabitha Williams were handed striking-off orders following a series of hearings of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)'s Fitness to Practise Committee.

The panel said: 'Both Mrs Williams' and Ms Andrews' actions created and contributed to an intimidating, hostile, degrading and humiliating environment for student nurses and staff on the ward.

'The environment created by Mrs Williams and Ms Andrews also extended to patients.'

For help, call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org
Survivors of the infamous Soho nail bombing that left three people dead and 83 injured gathered last night to remember the victims 25 years on.

To mark the Soho pub bombing that left three dead and 83 injured have said the 25th anniversary is a chance to say f*** you to those that assumed the community would be cowed by violence and hatred.

On April 30 1999 a nail bomb was detonated at the Admiral Duncan pub in the heart of Soho, it was the third and final bombing by the Right-wing extremist David Copeland.

Copeland had strolled in, ordered a drink, put down his bag and left - then the bomb went off.

The blast from the explosion was so large it blew out the windows of the pub and destroyed a car across the street. The perpetrator - Copeland was later convicted of murder in 2000.

The neo-Nazi also let off blasts in Brixton, Brick Lane injuring 140 people in total.

LGBT revellers and survivors of the infamous Soho pub bombing that left three dead and eighty three injured have said the 25th anniversary is a chance to say f*** you

The Admiral Duncan pub in Soho was the third and final bombing by the Right-wing extremist David Copeland (pictured). Copeland was later convicted of murder in 2000

Emergency services responding to the Admiral Duncan pub bombing. Mr Fellowes was in the pub when the bomb went off, killing four people, and he was one of over 70 people who were injured

Copeland, who was 22 at the time, told police he wanted the bombings to 'set fire to the country and stir up a racial war'.

25 years on from Copeland's atrocities, The Admiral Duncan is still thriving, but signs of the tension Copeland sought to exploit is still visible.

Carlos emigrated to the UK from Brazil two years ago and told MailOnline that he felt safer in Brazil.

He said: 'I've been here two years - Brazil is more tolerant than London. London is OK but Brazil we would never have had this.

'These days I don't think these attacks are that uncommon. People are crazy these days, we can never say these things won't happen again.

'If you can stab someone, you can put a bomb here - we are never safe.'

Chris and Richard met in Soho 20 years ago and have been in a happy relationship ever since.

The harrowing event has been writ large on the heritage of the pub

But 25 years after the bombing, life goes on for London's LGBT scene

25-year-old Carlos says he feels safer in Brazil than in London

A silent vigil was held for the victims of the bombing yesterday meters from the incident

Chris and Richard met in Soho 20 years ago and have been in a happy relationship ever since.

For Chris however the night of April 30 1999 holds special significance.

He revealed: 'We remember the attack, but we still thought it wouldn't happen. We thought we had moved beyond that hate, even back in 1999, so it was a shock.

Richard added: 'It was so unexpected. We'd all settled into a happy place. We thought everyone was getting on. But they weren't.

Chris agreed: 'The UK still has work to do, there are fights to be had.'

Copeland caused three nail bomb explosions in the space of 13 days in April 1999 - the final of which went off LGBTQ pub the Admiral Duncan in Soho.

There, three people - including a pregnant woman - were killed. Copeland was jailed for life in 2000 and must serve a minimum of 50 years.

54-year-old David Bell had a lucky escape from the bar 25 years ago.

He told the MailOnline: 'That day thank god I wasn't here, it was similar weather as today.

'We all heard and came down to Soho afterwards - it was shocking.

'These days, at the moment, it's worse for gay people. I was knocked out last week on the way home. It's gone back a bit, there's more hate against the gay community now.'

Crystal, one of the venue's resident drag artists, has a message for Copeland: F*** you

Her colleague Letishae choed the resistance, saying: 'Our communities are growing stronger'

In 2024, while Copeland is rotting in jail with blood on his hands, the Admiral Duncan and the LGBT community is thriving.

Crystal, one of the venue's resident drag artists, has a message for him.

They said: 'Tonight is a f*** you - life goes on!

'I had just moved to London 25 years ago it was very scary. My drag is a persona and the door staff help us. The risk is very real though, you can't walk through the city holding your boyfriends's hand.'

Her colleague Letishae choed the resistance, saying: 'Our communities are growing stronger. It forces us to take care of our own.

'We don't need outside acceptance, we rally around and protect one another. We can never predict or plan fpr the future.

'25 years on, it's the same pub and the same energy. We're more visible than ever and more out than ever.'
A forecaster who has successfully predicted every presidential winner for the last 40 years has revealed Robert F Kennedy Jr.'s prospects for this year's election.

Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University in Washington, DC, has quashed RFK's hopes of entering the White House.

He dismissed him as a 'third party candidate' who is likely to 'fade as it gets closer to the election.'

'It's not even clear how many ballots RFK junior is going to get,' he told Fox 5, describing why he does not see him as a threat to Biden's Democrat nomination.

Lichtman devised a system for predicting election outcomes, which he terms '13 Keys to the White House.' He recently said that 'a lot would have to go wrong' for Joe Biden to lose the White House to Donald Trump

Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University in Washington, DC , has quashed RFK's hopes of entering the White House

He dismissed RFK as a 'third party candidate' who is likely to 'fade as it gets closer to the election'

He says his keys technique enables him 'to predict the outcome of the popular vote solely on historical factors and not the use of candidate-preference polls, tactics or campaign events.'

He judges candidates on 13 key criteria, and who ever wins more is his prediction to win the election.

One of the keys involves a third-party candidates. But, Lichtman dismissed Biden losing that key saying RFK's 8.5 percent polling is likely to fade as November draws near.

He also hit back at pundits who say Biden should step down to make way for a younger candidate, insisting the Democrat's 'only chance' of winning is with their incumbent running.

Despite polls showing Biden in trouble nationally and behind in several swing states, Lichtman believes its still in the president's favor to retain office, with two of his 13 keys - lack of serious primary challenge and incumbency - already in Biden's favor.

'That's two keys off the top,' he said. 'That means six more keys would have to fall to predict his defeat. A lot would have to go wrong for Biden to lose.'

However, he acknowledged the president has already lost two keys.

The first is mandate, after losing US House seats in 2022 and the second is charisma.

'He is no John F. Kennedy or Franklin Roosevelt,' Lichtman said. 'There are also four shaky keys which would have to fall to predict Biden's defeat.'

Among those are how he performs on foreign policy, social unrest and the threat posed by a third party challenger.

'Third party, how strong will RFK emerge as we get closer to the election? He's been all over the map so far.'

However, he added that he 'really does not expect' Biden to lose on this key.

By contrast, there are currently prolific scenes of social unrest across the country as university campuses explode into pro-Palestine protests over Israel's bombing of Gaza.

Despite polls showing Biden in trouble nationally and behind in several swing states, Lichtman believes its still in the president's favor to retain office

Lichtman devised a system for predicting election outcomes, which he terms '13 Keys to the White House '

While he said this year's result is too early to call, he declared that 'a lot would have to go wrong' for Joe Biden to lose to Donald Trump in November

The conflict as well as the war in Ukraine may also prove fatal for Biden, according to Lichtman's system.

'A lot would have to go wrong on these keys for Biden to lose, but that is still possible,' Lichtman added.

The professor slammed pundits who rely on polls for their predictions, insisting they only present a snapshot of sentiment at the time.

An example of this was the 1988 election in which Republican candidate George H. W. Bush lagged behind his Democratic opponent, Michael Dukakis, by 17 percent.

But Bush ultimately went on to trounce his by 49 states to one.

Lichtman has successfully predicted the winner in every election since 1984.

It should be noted that while he technically was incorrect in 2000, predicting Al Gore would win, he believes that to be a stolen election and said that Gore won the popular vote.

However, he also takes credit for getting Trump's 2016 victory correct despite Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote.

He admits that regardless of result, no system can ever be completely foolproof.

'It's nerve-racking because there are a lot of people who'd love to see me fail.' And if he does? 'I'm human. It doesn't mean my system's wrong. Nothing is perfect in the human world.'
The Abu Dhabi-backed investment firm that was trying to take over the Telegraph newspaper group formally abandoned its bid yesterday.

RedBird IMI announced that it is scrapping plans to buy the news publisher, a decision that puts the business back up for sale.

It comes amid moves to bring in legislation to ban foreign states from owning British news titles.

RedBird IMI struck a deal with the Barclay family  long-time Telegraph proprietors  last year to take over the news group, which also includes The Spectator magazine. It saw the fund pay off debts the Barclays owed to their bank, Lloyds.

But the bid faced opposition from MPs at the prospect of a foreign nation taking control of the paper.

RedBird IMI announced that it is scrapping plans to buy the news publisher, a decision that puts the business back up for sale

Yesterday Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, who had raised concerns about the deal's impact on free speech, said: 'The free press is a cornerstone of our democracy, and we cannot take it for granted.'

She said she would 'monitor the outcome' of the transition.

RedBird IMI is majority owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice president of the United Arab Emirates.

A spokesman for the fund said they believed the sale 'would have benefited the Telegraph and Spectator's readers, their journalists and the UK media landscape

'Regrettably, it is clear this approach is no longer feasible.'
EXCLUSIVE

A teenage girl found dead in mysterious circumstances shared a child with the 32-year-old man who was arrested after her body was discovered.

Yolonda Mumbulla, 19, was found dead in her North Bondi unit on Tuesday morning after her partner Aaron Carey, 32, claimed to have found her not breathing.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal the troubled couple who were allegedly taking drugs together the night before, had a child together last year.

Mr Carey in unearthed social media posts gushed about his new family.

'I love you so much babe. Thank you for starting a family with me,' he wrote in 2023.

'I'm the luckiest guy ever to have you in my life Yolonda.

'You make me the happiest man ever. I love you so much.'

Ms Mumbulla was pronounced dead at the scene and when police arrived a short time later they arrested Mr Carey, who was wanted on an unrelated outstanding warrant.

Teenage mum Yolonda Mumbulla and her partner Aaron Carey seen in a filtered photo on social media

Mr Carey in unearthed social media posts gushed about his new family

Emergency services were called to the unit on Hardy Street at North Bondi, where police discovered the body of Yolonda Mumbulla (pictured), 19, at about 9.20am on Tuesday

The pair were known to police, with an apprehended domestic violence order (ADVO) between them, which included standard conditions preventing them from associating.

NSW Police are now investigating if a drug overdose led to what detectives have declared a 'suspicious' death.

Following inquires, officers executed a search warrant at an address in nearby Flood Street in Bondi, about 5.10pm on Tuesday.

'During the search, police seized 1g of Methylamphetamine and cannabis at the scene,' a NSW Police spokesperson alleged.

'The 32-year-old man was charged with the outstanding warrant for larceny value less than or equal to $2000, three counts of enter vehicle or boat without consent of owner/occupier, destroy or damage property less than or equal to $2000, hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty, and goods suspected stolen in/on premises.'

The block of units in Hardy Street, North Bondi, where Ms Mumbulla's body was found is pictured

Mr Carey shared his excitement in starting a family together after making their relationship 'Facebook official' in January 2023

Mr Carey was refused bail to appear before Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday, while a 34-year-old man was issued a field court attendance notice to appear at Waverley Local Court on Tuesday June, 18, 2024.

A go-fund-me fundraiser was launched on Tuesday night to raise funds to give her 'the send off she deserves'.

'With such sad and sudden news, we ask for your help in giving her a beautiful send off,' friend Alyah Pera wrote.

'Yolonda always had such an uplifting spirit, she was funny, full of joy and she was always there to help anyone.'

Other friends of the teenager took to social media to share tributes, following her tragic death.

'I love you sis, Im so lost rn (right now) it was only just a few days ago I was gonna ask when you wanted to have a mummy play date,' Holleebree Morris wrote.

Rest in peace sis. It's so heartbreaking. I'm so lost for words. I love you forever girl. Us always,' friend Mariah Ronayne said in a separate post.

Ms Mumbulla's body was wrapped in a weighted red rug and wheeled out on a gurney by an undertaker and placed into the back of a forensics van on Tuesday night.

Detectives will investigate the cause of Ms Mumbulla's death

Ms Mumbulla's body was wrapped in a weighted red rug and wheeled out on a gurney by an undertaker and placed into the back of a forensics van on Tuesday night

A post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine her cause of death.

Forensics officers were seen inside fourth floor unit on Tuesday afternoon, while detectives spoke with residents of the large apartment complex and neighbours on Hardy Street.

A neighbour told Daily Mail Australia the unit complex is notorious for loud disturbances.

'It's a housing commission block, there is always fights and loud music coming from the units,' she said

'I used to live in a housing block so I know what they're like, now I live next door, this specific block has a lot of junkies living there.'
Co-workers of the Oregon human resources manager accused of drugging his daughter's pre-teen friends with spiked smoothies at a sleepover say he has shown 'creepy' behavior in the past.

Michael Meyden, 57, was released on $50,000 bail in March after being charged with multiple felonies when the 12-year-olds tested positive for benzodiazepines in hospital.

Now, his co-workers are speaking out about Meyden, saying his interest in their children would make them uncomfortable.

One colleague said: 'He always wanted to know about our families. He'd ask about my kids, how old they are, what extracurriculars they liked. Then he'd tell me what his kids were up to. It seemed really innocent at the time.'

However, the unnamed co-worker began to see the supposed sinister side, with Meyden going as far as 'liking' his daughter's cheerleading photos on Facebook.

Co-workers of the Oregon human resources manager accused of drugging his daughter's pre-teen friends with spiked smoothies at a sleepover say he has shown 'creepy' behavior in the past

Michael Meyden, 57, was released on $50,000 bail in March after being charged with multiple felonies when the 12-year-olds tested positive for benzodiazepines in hospital. Pictured: Meyden at his 2008 wedding to wife Yukiko Ishida, the couple filed for divorce in October

'He would ask questions about her, he knew my kids names and ages. He kept track of that stuff. I thought he was just being nice.'

Meyden even had a reputation around his office for being happy and jovial and interested in everyone, according to the New York Post.

In March, he was arrested on the allegations of drugging the pre-teens at a sleepover.

One terrified girl who had refused the smoothies desperately tried to keep her unconscious friends safe from assault at the party in August, a court has heard.

She sent a series of frantic text messages pleading for rescue as Meyden allegedly prowled the home in Lake Oswego, Oregon, to see if the tranquilizers had taken effect.

'Mom please pick me up and say I had a family emergency,' I don't feel safe,' she wrote as Meyden returned upstairs briefly.

Meyden pictured in the search warrant for his $1.3million home in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where is alleged to have drugged his daughter's friends

Meyden and his wife Yukiko Ishida-Meyer shared the $1.3million home in Lake Oswego but filed for divorce in October last year and his current address is listed as an RV park in Vancouver

'I might not respond but please come get me. Please. Please pick up. Please. PLEASE!!'

Meydens now deleted LinkedIn profile identifies him as an Arizona State University graduate who worked for energy company Avangrid.

He and his wife Yukiko Ishida-Meyer shared the $1.3million home in Lake Oswego, Oregon, but filed for divorce in October last year and his current address is listed as an RV park in Vancouver.

The three girls had joined Meyden's daughter for the 'spa night' sleepover at his home on August 26.

Meyden was 'highly involved' in the event taking them out to get their nails done and picking up pizza for their dinner, according to the affidavit.

Before going to bed, Meyden allegedly made them two smoothies each and 'insisted' they drink them.

'Mr. Meyden specifically gave each of the girls specific colored reusable straws to distinguish their own drink,' the probable cause affidavit claims.

'Mr. Meyden was adamant that the girls drink out of their own cups.'

Meyden in a picture from his now deleted LinkedIn profile

One girl drank both her smoothies, and another girl drank one glass, but the third said she did not like the smoothies and barely drank any at all, police say.

Authorities claim that one of the girls said that the drinks appeared to have 'tiny white chunks;' in them and that Meyden's own daughter appeared to have drunk a significant amount.

The girls then retired to the basement where two slept in a bedroom and the others on a pull-out couch.

The only undrugged girl remained awake and saw Meyden allegedly come into the basement and pull the heavily drugged girl away from her.

When he disappeared upstairs, the girl pulled her unconscious friend back next to her only to find Meyden return and pull her away again, the affidavit says.

'He put his finger underneath the nose of the awake girl 'as if to see if she was soundly asleep, he then waved his hand in front of her face,' she told police.

As Meyden allegedly retreated, she began calling and texting her parents and was eventually able to reach a family friend, who picked her up and took her to her home.

As word spread the parents of the other two girls arrived to retrieve their daughters at 3am, but Meyden was allegedly reluctant to let them in, telling them their children were asleep.

He surrendered at the Clackamas County Jail in March and pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing on Wednesday before being released on $50,000 bail

The parents took the girls to Randall Children's Hospital where they tested positive for benzodiazepines, tranquilizers more usually used to calm anxiety or as a sleeping aid.

The girl who drank two smoothies told police she began to feel woozy, hot and clumsy, shortly after finishing the second.

She then 'blacked out' and fell into a 'thick, deep sleep' unlike any she had previously known, the affidavit says.

Meyden has been charged with three felony counts of causing another person to ingest a controlled substance, three felony counts of applying a schedule IV controlled substance to the body of a minor and three misdemeanor counts of delivering to a minor a schedule IV controlled substance.

He surrendered at the Clackamas County Jail in March and pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing on Wednesday before being released on $50,000 bail.

'Mr. Meyden is presumed innocent,' his attorney Mark Cogan said.

'We have not seen the evidence. The indictment was issued by a grand jury behind closed doors where no judge, no defense attorney, was allowed.

'And we hope that people will reserve judgment until all the facts are known.'
Ms Higgins' fiance urged her to drop the matter on Tuesday

Linda Reynolds has pledged to pursue her defamation case against Brittany Higgins, despite an impassioned plea from the former staffer's fiance David Sharaz to drop the matter.

Senator Reynolds launched two defamation proceedings in the WA Supreme Court against Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz over social media posts published in 2022 and 2023 that she claimed damaged her reputation.

The Liberal senator said the posts implied she pressured Ms Higgins, her former junior staffer, not to pursue her rape complaint with police in 2019 and that she interfered with Bruce Lehrmann's rape trial in 2022.

In April, a Federal Court judge found on a balance of probabilities that Ms Higgins was raped by Mr Lehrmann in Senator Reynolds' office in Parliament House in 2019 - but that no one tried to stop her from filing a police complaint.

Mr Sharaz's attempt to resolve his own case with the senator via mediation on Tuesday was unsuccessful and he was forced to concede defeat, citing financial issues.

In the middle of court proceedings, he posted a statement on social media revealing he had settled his own matter and urged Senator Reynolds to drop the matter against Ms Higgins.

On Wednesday, Ms Reynolds confirmed to Daily Mail Australia she would not drop the case, citing 'unwarranted and hateful abuse' she received as a result of Ms Higgins' allegations.

David Sharaz is pictured with Brittany Higgins outside the WA Supreme Court in March

Linda Reynolds is pictured with her lawyer Martin Bennett outside the court in March

She said: 'Since 2021, my staff and I have been subjected to unwarranted and hateful abuse as a result of allegations Ms Higgins made about my conduct, a primary allegation of political cover-up Justice Lee recently found to be entirely false.'

'Ms Higgins' and Mr Sharaz's concerted attack on me, supported by Labor in Federal Parliament, has taken an enormous toll on my physical and mental health, and that of my staff.

'Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz continued to defame and disparage me on social media, raising other allegations which have led to these court actions.'

Ms Reynolds said she welcomed WA Supreme Court Justice Paul Tottle's decision on Tuesday to keep the July trial dates for her defamation hearing against Ms Higgins.

'I look forward to the trial so that we can bring an end to this dispute and move on,' she said.

The senator also said Mr Sharaz's decision to release a statement during court proceedings on Tuesday was 'calculated'.

In his statement, Mr Sharaz said: 'Despite our best efforts Linda Reynolds has not accepted attempts to resolve this matter through mediation and Brittany may now be exposed to another trial. It will be her third.

Linda Reynolds' lawyer Martin Bennett is pictured speaking with reporters outside court on Tuesday

David Sharaz released a statement during court proceedings on Tuesday (pictured)

'I cannot afford to defend myself over a six-week trial. As a result, I have today informed the court that I will not fight Reynolds' legal action any more.

'I now appeal for Senator Reynolds to settle her litigation against Brittany, a rape victim, by agreeing to disagree, and putting all of this behind them. Its time to move on.'

Ms Reynolds said it was unclear what Mr Sharaz's statement meant 'in a practical sense'.

'However, the calculated release of the statement during the hearing, and the - in my view, misleading - references to confidential mediation discussions do not assist the resolution of the proceedings,' she said.

Outside court on Tuesday, Ms Reynolds' lawyer Martin Bennett expressed confusion over Mr Sharaz's lawyer Jason MacLaurin's statement that his client had limited financial means.

Mr Bennett said: 'He lives in a chateau in France. He hasn't got a job and he's got a QC and a junior solicitor, two solicitors representing him.'

Mr Sharaz and Ms Higgins moved to France in December, about a year after she was awarded $2.4million in compensation from the Commonwealth over the way her rape allegations were handled in 2019.

'If he's impecunious as he asserts in France, he'll go bankrupt,' Mr Bennett said.

'He'll have to ask his trustee in bankruptcy if you can live overseas or travel overseas - you can't do it as a right if you're bankrupt in Australia.'

Brittany Higgins is pictured with her partner David Sharaz after moving to France in December

David Sharaz and Brittany Higgins bought a house in France in December (pictured)

Mr Bennett also said Senator Reynolds saw Mr Sharaz's mid-hearing social media post as 'insulting and aggravating'.

READ MORE: Read Linda Reynolds' brutal response to Brittany Higgins' apology after bombshell ruling in defamation trial Brittany Higgins is pictured Advertisement

'All of this was deliberately planned,' Mr Bennett told reporters.

'An attention-seeking stunt to manipulate the media... It's another attack on Senator Reynolds.'

Ms Higgins apologised to Ms Reynolds following the Federal Court decision about her rape in April, but she did not agree with Justice Michael Lee's findings that there was no cover-up.

The verdict was delivered in Lehrmann's defamation case against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over an episode of The Project in 2021 during which Ms Higgins' rape claims were aired for the first time.

Lehrmann had maintained his innocence prior to the damning findings in April.

In her apology, Ms Higgins said: 'Senator Reynolds and Fiona Brown have also been hurt and for that I am also sorry.

'My perceptions and feelings about what happened in the days and weeks after my rape are different from theirs. I deeply regret we have not yet found common ground.'

Senator Reynolds responded by saying she wanted Ms Higgins to accept Justice Lee's findings that there was no political cover-up.

'If Ms Higgins does not accept Justice Lee's findings on the claims of cover-up and mistreatment then, regrettably, it will have to be proved again in our trial set for July this year,' she said.

The matter is set down for hearing on July 24.
LOS ANGELES, May 01 (News On Japan) - In the case where Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter was prosecuted for making unauthorized transfers from Ohtani's account, it has been revealed that the mastermind behind the illegal gambling had converted the received money into cash at casinos.

Kazuhiro Mizuhara is facing charges of bank fraud for illegally transferring over $16 million (approximately 2.5 billion yen) from Ohtani's bank account for gambling purposes.

According to ESPN on April 30th, subsequent investigations revealed that the gambling operators had converted about $500,000 (approximately 78 million yen) of this money into casino chips at venues such as Las Vegas, enjoyed playing, and then cashed out when they won.

Mizuhara lost over $7.9 million (about 1.2 billion yen) in casinos over a year starting June 2022, and it is possible that some of Ohtani's money was used in these losses.

Law enforcement authorities are continuing their investigation into the gambling operators, suspecting money laundering activities involving the use of casinos.

Source: ANN
A Northern Territory teenager who became an instant millionaire after winning a fishing competition has made a shock admission on live television.

Keegan Payne made headlines across Australia on Sunday after hooking a barramundi worth $1million in Katherine, 317km south of Darwin.

His catch was tagged as part of a nine-year Million Dollar Fish angling competition.

However, his celebrations were interrupted by a harsh question from Sky News Australia host Peter Stefanovic on Wednesday morning.

Mr Stefanovic asked point-blank if there was any truth to rumours Keegan had once stolen an off-road vehicle and a quad bike from former employer.

In a stunning admission, Keegan said the allegation was true - and offered a sincere apology to his old boss for stealing from him.

Keegan Payne (pictured) won $1million was hooking a 67cm barramundi in a Northern Territory fishing competition

'There is a claim online that you and your friends stole and damaged a Polaris Ranger and Polaris quad from a business a few years back. First of all, is that true?' Peter Stefanovic asked.

Mr Payne responded: 'Yes.'

'So, what happened?' Stefanovic asked.

Keegan, who looked genuinely remorseful, told Stefanovic he and his friend 'weren't thinking at the time' and he regretted his actions 'big time'.

Daily Mail Australia can now reveal the teen is back in touch with his old boss, Bob Cavanagh from Cav's Mowing, and has offered to pay him back for the stolen vehicles.

'Out of the blue this morning, his father rang me and said, "Keegan wants to repay you," and you could have knocked me down with a feather,' Mr Cavanagh said.

'He said Keegan has always felt so terrible for what he did.'

The teenager will repay his old boss Bob Cavanagh after stealing two vehicles from him

Mr Cavanagh took on Keegan as a worker for his ground maintenance business when he was 15.

But during Covid lockdowns, Mr Cavanagh decided to move to Queensland, leaving his equipment unsupervised.

Keegan and a friend took the opportunity to steal his quad and buggy.

'They were only 16, you know. There's not too many of us go through life without stuffing up somewhere along the line,' Mr Cavanagh said.

'If you can be given a second chance, that's what I was prepared to do for those two boys. I hope they have made the best of it.

'There's no point going through this life carrying grudges.'

Mr Cavanagh said the theft was a 'one-off' mistake from an otherwise 'good kid'.

Keegan Payne (pictured) thought the 67cm barramundi he reeled in from the Katherine River on Sunday would make a nice meal for his family

'Keegan was going very well. We were training him in different things , and then the first Covid lockdown came in the Northern Territory,' he added.

'It was a difficult time for everybody, but I think it was particularly difficult for Keegan and his mates.'

'When I became aware of him stealing the vehicles and joined the dots, I made the difficult task of calling his father, who I've known for over 20 years.

'I had to say, "Look, I think your young lad has been involved in a theft," and he said, "Oh, that explains it, he's been very quiet."'

Mr Cavanagh received another call half an hour later and was told Keegan had admitted to taking the quad and buggy.

'I organised a meeting at my place with the two boys and their parents and we sat down under a tree at home and we had a talk,' he said.

'We had some quite big contracts that we needed to look after and I asked him, how are we going to do that now?

'It was about showing the consequences [for what] they had done. Keegan felt terrible, you know.'

Keegan and his friend agreed to work for Mr Cavanagh on weekends to repay him for the damage they caused, but the plan fell through after two weekends due to a lull in business.

'He ended up being like a janitor at an aged-care home. I saw him eight to 12 months later and he still couldn't look at me, he was just so ashamed of what he'd done,' Mr Cavanagh said.

Mr Payne said his family (pictured) can now afford to take a holiday and is planning a trip to America

Keegan became an overnight celebrity on Tuesday upon collecting the $1million prize for his 67cm barramundi.

'This is crazy for us. We're a big family. There's eight of us. This is more money than we could ever ask for. This is just great,' he said at the cheque-giving ceremony.

'It means so much. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. I'm happy, really happy.'

He added, 'I can buy what I want, maybe help dad and mum out with the home loans,' and said the family could now afford to take a holiday to America.

Mr Payne also intends to buy a new boat and a car this week.

Each season, more than a hundred fish with special tags are set free into waterways throughout the Northern Territory as part of a tourism campaign

Most of these fish hold a value of $10,000, while a select few carry the grand prize of $1million.

Mr Cavanagh described Mr Payne (pictured winning the prize money) as a 'good kid' who made a 'one-off' mistake
EXCLUSIVE

A man accused of being the biggest producer of animal exploitation content in New South Wales can be unmasked as a Yowie enthusiast.

Colin Baker, 38, who goes by the online pseudonym 'Beast Boy', was arrested at a property in Moorland, about 30km north of Taree, at 7.30am on Tuesday.

In footage of the arrest, several officers escorted the man in a black T-shirt, shorts and sandals out of his home and towards a waiting police car.

RSPCA officers were later seen picking up a small white dog before removing it from the property in a kennel.

Baker is accused of using encrypted messaging apps to allegedly share bestiality material featuring dogs, sheep, goats, chickens and a dead kangaroo.

A photo posted on social media shows Baker wearing a shirt with 'Yowie Country' emblazoned on the front as he gives two thumbs-up.

It was the same shirt Baker was seen wearing as he was handcuffed and led away from the Moorland property on Tuesday.

Colin Baker, 38, is accused of being one of NSW's worst bestiality producers, known within the network as 'Beast Boy'

He is pictured being arrested by police officers on Tuesday

RSPCA officers were seen removing a small white dog from the property

The man was arrested at a home in Moorland, on NSW's Mid North Coast, on Tuesday morning

He was seen being led by plain-clothes and uniformed officers to a waiting police vehicle

He was charged with eight counts of bestiality, six counts of producing bestiality material, four counts of disseminating bestiality material, as well as possessing child abuse material, and using a carriage service to access and solicit child abuse material. Police expect there to be more charges.

The 38-year-old was refused bail and appeared in Taree Local Court on Tuesday.

The arrest comes after police discovered the online persona 'Beast Boy' after executing a series of search warrants across the Greater Sydney area.

Police took electronics and hard drives from the home on the Mid North Coast to be forensically examined in the coming weeks.

A dog that was allegedly sexually abused by the man was also seized by the RSPCA.

Police said inquiries under Strike Force Trawler would continue.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Prostate cancer is becoming a greater scourge as men live longer.

Over the past two decades, the number diagnosed with this pernicious disease has increased by a staggering 50 per cent.

It remains the most common form of cancer among males, with 52,000 cases recorded each year.

Despite medical progress, the mortality rate has actually risen since 1980, with sadly over 12,000 men dying of it annually.

Methods of screening men for prostate cancer are set to be trialled in a bid to save thousands of lives in the UK each year (File Image)

The reasons these figures are so obstinately high are not difficult to detect. First, because this disease is largely symptomless, it is devilishly tricky to diagnose early.

Some men are still reluctant to undergo intimate check-ups. And because medical tests have been notoriously unreliable, there has been no nationwide screening programme, such as for breast cancer.

Which is why the Mail has fought passionately to raise awareness of and increase resources for prostate cancer. Today, our End Needless Prostate Deaths campaign has scored a huge victory.

Health chiefs have announced a 42million screening trial that could revolutionise detection of the disease.

With luck, the groundbreaking research, which will use MRI scans and other techniques, should give significantly more accurate results.

This would allow for quicker treatment before the cancer becomes more aggressive  ultimately saving thousands of lives.

This important breakthrough is timely, too, as King Charles was making a return to public duties to highlight the importance of finding cancer early after his own diagnosis.

When a national breast cancer screening programme was introduced, women's survival rates soared.

We are now a giant step nearer to giving prostate cancer sufferers the same attention  and sparing many needlessly early deaths.

Low principles

Oozing self-righteousness, Sir Keir Starmer likes to paint himself as a politician of high principle. But is he?

When pandering to the trans lobby, he condemned Labour MP Rosie Duffield for declaring that only women have a cervix. 'It's not right,' he said. This fuelled the violent threats she received from activists.

But after the Cass Review exposed how NHS doctors were taking the scalpel to confused youngsters questioning their gender and prescribing them harmful puberty blockers, Labour's leader is now advocating a diametrically opposite view.

In an interview yesterday, Sir Keir finally admitted that Ms Duffield was 'biologically right'. Churlishly, he refused to apologise but added: 'Rosie and I get on very well.'

This is simply untrue. As Ms Duffield wrote in the Mail earlier this month: 'Have I heard a word from him? No!'

Oozing self-righteousness, Sir Keir Starmer likes to paint himself as a politician of high principle. But is he?

Our free speech PM

By failing to defend Ms Duffield against the aggressive trans mob, Sir Keir stands accused of helping to crush free speech.

Luckily, Rishi Sunak isn't so spineless. In a speech, the PM launched a full-throttled attack on the pestilence of cancel culture.

He condemned the intolerant woke brigade who seek to silence disfavoured views on topics such as transgenderism and race.

The shutting down of people's lawfully-held standpoints, making them scared to speak out, was 'chilling', he said. 'That is not what this country stands for.'

Ahead of a crucial general election, it is reassuring that at least one main party leader understands that free speech is the bedrock of our democracy.
Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not need to check Angela Rayner's legal advice about the sale of her former council house because he believes her.

The Labour leader attempted to claim that the document was similar to medical advice as he said he did not need to look at it.

He denied claims that he wanted to maintain plausible deniability if a police investigation into her living situation finds she has broken rules.

He refused to say he is '100 per cent confident' in Ms Rayner, saying instead: 'I'm pretty confident'.

When pressed why he would not say '100 per cent confident' he replied: 'Look, don't try to play a game on this.'

Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not need to check Angela Rayner's legal advice about the sale of her former council house because he believes her

Deputy Labour leader Ms Rayner has faced weeks of questions about the sale of her former council home.

Greater Manchester Police is investigating her over a number of claims, including that she may have broken electoral law and rules on council tax.

Ms Rayner commissioned legal advice, which she said proves she did nothing wrong. It has been read by senior Labour officials but not by Sir Keir.

Asked why he had refused to look at the document himself, Sir Keir, a former lawyer, said he did not need to because he believed her.

He denied claims on ITV's Good Morning Britain yesterday that it was a case of 'see no evil, hear no evil'.

'The question at the end is quite a straightforward question which is do you believe Angela Rayner about where she says she was living,' he said.

'The answer to that question from me is yes. I don't need legal advice to tell me whether I believe Angela Rayner when she tells me where she was living.'

The Labour leader also said he would not read the document because it was personal - and compared the situation to demanding someone's medical notes.

'If a member of my shadow cabinet tells me that they're off to have an operation I don't ask to see the medical advice, I don't ask for their medical notes,' he said.

'I believe her, I've talked to her about it. The legal advice is not going to help me on the question I've already answered, which is that I believe Angela Rayner.'

The Labour leader attempted to claim that the document was similar to medical advice as he said he did not need to look at it

Ms Rayner has insisted she lived at the home in Stockport, which she bought for a discount in 2007 under the Right to Buy scheme, for the entire time she owned it.

But neighbours have claimed she had actually moved in with her husband, who lived a mile away, in 2010. They say that her brother lived at the property before she sold it in 2015, shortly before she was elected to Parliament for the first time.

The row has raised questions over whether she should have paid thousands of pounds in capital gains tax on the 48,500 profit she made.

Richard Holden, the Tory chairman, said: 'Labour are still desperately trying to cover up why Sir Keir Starmer hasn't looked at Angela Rayner's legal advice.

'Either Sir Keir is worried Angela Rayner has done something wrong and is trying to distance himself from it, or he is deliberately turning a blind eye to the scandal engulfing his deputy leader.

'Sir Keir Starmer should show some leadership, grasp the details of the scandal, or people will rightly wonder who is running the Labour Party if not him.'
Ministers were last night accused of 'watering down' proposals to make it harder for big tech firms to frustrate the competition watchdog.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill seeks to introduce a 'pro-competition regime' which will address the 'far-reaching market power of a small number of tech firms', such as Google and Apple.

It aims to tackle the most powerful firms' grip on the economy by opening up markets to greater competition.

Peers had amended the Bill amid fears that big tech could use their legal might and finances to frustrate the competition watchdog.

The House of Lords had voted to restore the original wording of draft legislation relating to the power of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to impose conduct requirements on firms.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill seeks to address the 'far-reaching market power of a small number of tech firms', such as Google and Apple (stock image)

But at the 'ping pong' stage in Parliament yesterday, the Commons overturned the peers' amendments.

READ MORE: Google parent company Alphabet's CEO Sundar Pichai is set to become a billionaire thanks to AI boom Advertisement

Yet a number of MPs expressed concerns that a change made by the Government from 'appropriate' to 'proportionate' would widen the scope for decisions by the watchdog to be disputed by companies.

Conservative former minister Damian Collins said the Government had suggested the word change was a 'tidying up exercise', but he said: 'It is really important at this point that we're clear, the House is clear what it is intended from this change.

'And there is a concern that this opens up, effectively, a sort of full merits appeal basis, something that we've been - in all the debates on this Bill going through both Houses - keen to avoid.

'And I think the Government has rightly resisted calls from big tech companies to bring that in, because that is a recipe for multiple and lengthy litigations, just as there is on every single measure of tech regulation that exists as a whole; that is not the intention.'

Ministers have been accused of 'watering down' a bill to make it harder to frustrate the competition watchdog (stock image)

At the 'ping pong' stage in Parliament yesterday, the Commons overturned the peers' amendments (stock image)

Labour's Alex Davies-Jones said the Government must reverse the 'watering down' of the legislation.

She told the Commons: 'What is more important to this Government? Appeasing big companies or acting for the good of the exact people they are supposed to represent.

'And if it is not to appease big companies, why will the Government not revert back to ensuring the CMA's interventions are "appropriate" rather than "proportionate".'

She said the change would have a 'significant impact' on the scope of big tech firms to challenge the CMA under judicial review.

'While the Tories' watering down of this legislation and its wording may initially appear trivial, in fact this will only encourage big tech to challenge the decisions of the CMA,' she added.

'If we want this legislation to actually be workable, to be worth the paper it is written on, we must ensure it is clear, it is precise and it is unambiguous.'
NYPD riot cops stormed Columbia University to quickly disperse protesters at an encampment and an occupied building in less than two hours.

Panicked pro-Palestine demonstrators tumbled down stairs as they tried to flee when cops flooded the Ivy League campus on Tuesday night.

Almost 100 people were arrested at the New York City university, according to NBC. Police stated there were no injuries or people resisting arrest.

Around 40 of those detained were picked up in on the first floor of Hamilton Hall, which students violently took over early Tuesday. Cops swooped in on the building through a window after using flash bangs to clear the way.

President Minouche Shafik called in the police 'to restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests and fears the demonstrations had been co-opted by external agitators.

University administrators have asked the NYPD to maintain a presence on campus until at least May 17, two days after graduation.

#BREAKING: Police have begun entering the Hamilton Hall building through a second-floor window, deploying tear gas inside. Reports indicate there is an unconscious student in front of Hamilton Hall pic.twitter.com/IgoXOi6ZI6  R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) May 1, 2024

NYPD cops dressed in riot gear have stormed through a window of a Columbia University building occupied by dozens of pro-Palestine protesters to begin clearing them out

The operation came after a rogue group of protesters smashed their way into the university's historic Hamilton Hall to stage an occupation over night

Dozens of cops poured in using a ramp attached to a Lenco ballistic engineered armored response vehicle to access an upper window

Officers used flashbang grenades to distract the protesters holed up inside, then stormed in weirding riot shields to arrest the occupiers

Police look on during pro-Palestinian demonstrations as the NYPD cracks down on protest camps at Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City

Pro-Palestinian supporters confront police during demonstrations

NYPD officers arrive in riot gear to evict a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University

Dozens of cops poured into Hamilton Hall via a window using a ramp attached to a huge armored truck. Video showed the police hammering at locked doors before sweeping in with riot shields.

Footage showed protesters being dragged out of the campus, some carried by several officers if they refused to walk, and loaded on to buses.

Just after 10pm, the campus was cleared out and locked down by police with many protesters heading north to City College of New York, where police were also raiding a similar encampment.

An encampment first sprung up at Columbia on April 17 after Shafik was hauled before Congress to address anti-Semitism on campus.

Around 9pm on Tuesday, officers stormed the university as the crowd chanted and yelled at them, some confronted the officers and pushed barricades to try and block their path.

A shelter in place warning was issued to students on Morningside campus in the moments before officers descended.

In a statement, the university said the decision to call in police was, 'made to restore safety and order to our community'.

'We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions,' the statement read.

Playtime is over.



NYPD is dragging protesters out of Columbia University.



US and Israel and Antifa are now both currently trending pic.twitter.com/bVaNBrDe9J  Real Life Footage (@RealLifeFootage) May 1, 2024

NYPD is arresting Columbia student protesters and bussing them away after school officials calling police in pic.twitter.com/75plr4MDoB  Bahar Ostadan (@BaharOstadan) May 1, 2024

Police arrest protesters during pro-Palestinian demonstrations at The City College Of New York

Footage showed protesters being dragged out of the campus, some carried by several officers if they refused to walk, and loaded on to buses

Police speak with protesters they arrested and loaded on to buses on April 30

The police operation was concluded within around two hours of cops storming the campus

Video from the college showed hundreds of cops in riot gear and armed with zip-tie handcuffs and pepper spray surrounding the campus

A protester is seen being placed in to flexible handcuffs on April 30 shortly after the cops swarmed

Hundreds of NYPD officers swarmed on Columbia University at around 9pm on Tuesday

Pro-Palestinian supporters confront police during demonstrations at The City College Of New York

'After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice.

'Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.'

Former president Donald Trump praised officer's response to the situation, but said it should have come 'a lot sooner.'

'There's tremendous damage that's been done to that building, when you look at it it's a landmark and it's really been damaged by these people,' he told Fox News. 'People have to respect the law and order of this country.'

He also hit out at president Joe Biden and called for him to speak up more strongly against anti-Semitism.

The occupation of Hamilton Hall was the latest escalation in the unrest which has rocked the school in recent weeks. Protesters have been demanding the college divest from companies with links to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas.

Cops were forced to enter Hamilton Hall via a window after protesters barricaded themselves inside

These large NYPD passenger buses just passed the Columbia campus entrance pic.twitter.com/HU4rnpCcsQ  Steven Romo (@stevenromo) May 1, 2024

Student linked arms as they vowed to defend the encampment ahead of any engagement with police

Students were warned non-compliance 'may result in further discipline' as officers clad in riot gear descended

Cops were armed with zip ties and pepper spray as they stormed the campus at around 9.3-pm on Tuesday

College officials have been battling to shut down the encampment, stating it violates university polices. Following the occupation of Hamilton Hall, Shafik warned that those involved would face expulsion.

More than 100 activists had already been arrested at the school prior to Tuesday's operation.

A first encampment was broken up by NYPD officials. But university officials had vowed not to take similar steps for the current protest.

They gave students an ultimatum to leave, but few followed the instructions.

'We will not leave until Columbia meets every one of our demands,' one activist screamed from a balcony in the building after the takeover.

Officials then started to suspend students before a group raided Hamilton Hall.

'We believe that the group that broke into and occupied the building is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University,' officials continued.

'Sadly, this dangerous decision followed more than a week of what had been productive discussions with representatives of the West Lawn encampment.

Police shut down a previous encampment at Columbia and the university had vowed not to take similar measures going forward. However, an escalation in protest tactics appears to have reversed this decision

A shelter in place alert was issued for the Morningside campus just began to mobilize on Tuesday night

Protesters have been demanding the college divest from companies with links to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas

NYPD officers stand next to barricaded students at Columbia University in New York City on April 30

'The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.'

But the move was condemned by the Columbia University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which said its members had been locked out of campus.

'NYPD presence in our neighborhood endangers our entire community. Armed police entering our campus places students and everyone else on campus at risk,' a statement read.

'We hold university leadership responsible for the disastrous lapses of judgement that have gotten us to this point.'

The statement added faculty had spent the trying to defuse the situation, but were 'rebuffed or ignored.'

At a press conference prior to the raid, NYPD Assistant Commissioner Rebecca Weiner warned the protest had been co-opted by external agitators who were not affiliated with the university.

She stressed the occupation had the potential to spill into other campus buildings, as well as other universities across the country.

'This is not about what's happening overseas, it's not about the last seven months, it's about a very different commitment to at times violent protest activity as an occupation,' she said.

Police arrived after college officials asked them to come in to 'restore safety and order'

Prior to the the NYPD had warned the protests has been co-opted by 'dangerous' external agitators

The decision to call in police was condemned by the Columbia University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors

BREAKING: POLICE AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY BARRICADING OBSERVERS, MEDICS, JOURNALISTS, STUDENTS INTO JOHN JAY AFTER PUSHING THEM ALL THE WAY BACK pic.twitter.com/w3p6NLpNa3  Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (@ColumbiaSJP) May 1, 2024

Members of the New York Police Department strategic response team move towards an entrance to Columbia University on April 30

'They haven't got a right to be on campus and this violates university polices and most importantly, presents a danger to students and the university and communities.

'When we see what we saw last night, we think these tactics are a result of guidance being given to students from these external actors.'

Police confirmed those occupying Hamilton Hall could be charged with trespass and burglary, while those in the encampment could be hit with trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

The raid at Columbia came as cops flooded other campuses in the Big Apple including the City College of New York.

Video taken at the campus showed protesters letting off flares near the gates to the school.
A coles customer has lashed out at the supermarket giant accusing it of ripping off customers by selling reconstituted meat.

The shopper was left furious after claiming he had unknowingly bought sub-quality beef from Cessnock, in the NSW Hunter Valley.

'Brought this from Cessnock Coles the other day and apparently they aren't making enough money from us that we are now getting reconstituted meat that's glued together Instead of what's labelled not happy Jan,' he wrote on Facebook.

The customer shared a photo of his haul after paying $9 for the packaged meat.

Flanks of 'thinly sliced oyster blade' Australian beef were seen with large holes in them.

In a blistering social media post the customer had a beef with Coles claiming it is selling reconstituted meat

The packaging says the beef is 'always sourced from Australian farms'.

Reconstituted meat is a liquefied meat product that contains fewer fats, pigments and less myoglobin than unprocessed dark meats.

Social media users were mixed in their response with many suggesting the man received exactly what he paid for.

'You paid for a crap cut of steak and you got a crap cut of steak... a lesser quality cut of beef,' one said.

A second added: 'Its not glued. Its fat in the meat. It would be wayyyy more expensive to add gluing meat together to the process line and do this than it is to sell it how its cut.

Coles says they partner with Australian farmers and suppliers 'who share our passion for meat, including where it comes from, and how it is produced'

'Meat glue is predominantly found in this such as ham or turkey loaf.'

Others suggested the Coles customer should take their business somewhere else.

'Support local. Go to the butcher shop & this will be avoided,' one wrote.

'Instead of complaining on Facebook, why didnt you take the meat back to Coles?' another added.

In response to questions from Daily Mail Australia, Coles responded: 'We always strive to meet our customers expectations and the quality of our meat is very important. We never add any binding ingredients to our fresh beef steaks. This pack of meat is not to our high-quality standards and should have been identified and graded out at production.'

'As always, we encourage customers to return any item theyre not 100% happy with to their nearest store for a full refund or replacement.'
A man who was allegedly threatened with a knife by ex-soldier Travis Johnston while holding his 19-month-old son said he immediately thought of the tragic stabbing murders in Bondi Junction.

Marty Cooper was holding his son Forrest at the counter of the Torquay Pharmacy in Victoria on Saturday when Johnston, 44, allegedly kicked him from behind.

'When I saw him walk from me and attack another guy with a knife my mind swung to Bondi,' Mr Cooper, 38, told the Geelong Advertiser.

'It was like 'Holy s***, this is another Bondi', this guy is in a shop with a massive knife and he could walk around and stab everyone in here. It was panic stations.'

Mr Cooper's fears were amplified because his partner Juliet Adelstein is from Sydney and her family lives in Bondi Beach, which is just down the road from Bondi Junction.

Marty Cooper is pictured on the left, holding his son Forrest, while allegedly being threatened by ex-soldier Travis Johnston

READ MORE: One man stabbed and two others assaulted by knife-wielding man in seaside town A man (pictured) was caught on CCTV wielding a knife in a pharmacy Advertisement

There were about 15 people, including children, in the store at the time, with terrified customers running to the back of the premises to get away from the alleged knifeman.

Johnston, a 44-year-old military veteran, was arrested shortly after the incident, which was caught on CCTV, and has been remanded in custody even since.

Mr Cooper said Johnston motioned to stab his son and he dreaded the alleged attacker might also stab his partner, who was on the street.

'The thought of this guy stabbing my partner was probably the scariest thing because I had all this time to watch it, as opposed to the incident itself where I had no time to think,' the former amateur boxer said.

The two alleged victims quickly made a plan to 'stop anyone from being killed', Mr Cooper said.

They were told by staff in the shop that they thought Johnston was an ex-SAS soldier.

But their plan to stop any further violence was not needed as Johnston was soon arrested.

He appeared in the Geelong Magistrates Court on Monday charged with reckless conduct endangering serious injury, two counts of unlawful assault, intentionally causing injury, assault with a weapon and affray.

He is scheduled to return to court on May 22.

The alleged assault was the latest of a spate of knife attacks that have shocked Australia.

As well as the massacre in the Bondi Junction Westfield shopping mall, which left six people, five of them women, dead, there was also a shocking assault on a bishop during a livestreamed church service.

Travis Johnston (pictured), a 44-year-old military veteran, was arrested shortly after the incident

Assyrian religious leader Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Sydney's west on April 15 when a teenager wearing a hoodie walked up to the altar and allegedly stabbed him multiple times.

Horrifying footage of the incident, which was being broadcast live on the church's YouTube page, showed Bishop Emmanuel look up in astonishment as the attacker suddenly rains down blows on his face and head.

Sally Irwin, an assistant pharmacist in the the Torquay Pharmacy, said that 'Given what has been happening lately, it has affected all of us, it's frightening.'
Anthony Albanese will ban 'deepfake' and artificial intelligence pornography as part of a $925million bid to combat the shocking rise in violence against women.

The Prime Minister convened a National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday following a surge in women being allegedly killed by men known to them since the start of 2024.

Speaking immediately after the meeting with the nation's state and territory leaders, Mr Albanese announced a suite of new measures to reduce violence, which he described as a 'scourge' on society.

Mr Albanese noted community concerns about 'toxic male views online' and 'young men's exposure to violent imagery' on the internet.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday after a surge in women being allegedly killed by men known to them since the start of the year

To combat this problem, Mr Albanese will 'introduce legislation to ban the creation and distribution of deepfake pornography'.

'Sharing sexually explicit material using artificial intelligence will also be subject to serious criminal penalties,' he added.

Twenty-seven women have been killed across Australia already this year, with men known to them charged or arrested in relation to their deaths.

The alarming spike in alleged domestic violence deaths in 2024 has prompted national rallies and outcry.

'One woman every four days. This is indeed a national crisis,' Mr Albanese said.

'Violence against women is not a women's problem to solve. It is a whole of society problem to solve. Men in particular have to take responsibility.'

The Labor government has faced intense scrutiny over the past month following a war of words with billionaire X owner Elon Musk as it attempts to crack down on online content.

Mr Albanese, Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland on Wednesday attempted to justify the newly announced legislation surrounding deep fakes and AI.

'The content that digital platforms service through algorithms and systems, particularly to young Australians, has an impact in re-enforcing harmful and outdated gender norms,' Ms Rowland said.

She said violent pornography is serving to 'normalise gendered violence' and that digital platforms 'must ensure community standards are respected online as well as offline'.

Ms Rishworth added that violence against women will only end with generational change, and that young boys need 'positive role models' to 'counter negative stereotypes'.

Mr Albanese, along with Ms Rishworth, announced a leaving violence program, which will receive $925million in funding in the May Budget.

Eligible women will be able to access up to $5,000 in financial support to leave abusive relationships.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that all levels of government need to address domestic violence differently

Molly Ticehurst (pictured) was allegedly murdered by her ex boyfriend Daniel Billings in the NSW central west town of Forbes

Mr Albanese also addressed the controversy surrounding his attendance at a women's rally at the weekend.

He's faced significant backlash since Sunday after footage emerged of him saying 'do you want me to speak or not? I'm the Prime Minister'.

Mr Albanese told the crowd he had initially been asked not to speak, prompting rally organiser Sarah Williams to say that was 'a flat-out lie' as she started to weep.

But in a longer video taken before Mr Albanese spoke to the crowd, Ms Williams can be heard saying she did not want politicians, including the Prime Minister, to address the protest.

On Wednesday, Mr Albanese gave his most in depth response yet, telling the public: 'I was happy to speak, happy to not speak, the video before then clearly indicates what the view was over whether that was appropriate or not.

'This is a really serious issue. We're talking about a woman dying at the hands of their partner every four days.

'This isn't about me. I attended a rally, I was proud to do so, I think as a national leader it's appropriate that I do that. And I stand by that.

'If you look at the footage I congratulated the organisers of the rally there and said very positive things. I wish everyone who organised that all the very best. It was a very good thing.'
A woman brandishing a knife who had two children in her car allegedly drove on the wrong side of the road before hitting a traffic light pole.

Police were called after the 23-year-old woman from the Cairns suburb of Manunda, in Far North Queensland, allegedly armed herself with a knife on April 21.

Dramatic footage shows the moment the woman crashed after police said she placed her two children in her car and drove away from officers.

Officers alleged 'the woman drove on the wrong side of the road and directly at police, before colliding with traffic lights on Ray Jones Drive near Rigg Street'.

Footage captured by the dashcam of another driver showed the grey SUV swerving around traffic before hitting a traffic light pole

Police then pull the woman from the driver's seat, they allege she had been brandishing a knife

'She was arrested and both children and a dog were removed from the vehicle unharmed,' a Queensland Police statement read.

'After a short confrontation at the collision scene the woman was arrested by officers.'

In the footage, a grey four-wheel-drive could be seen as it drove around traffic stopped at an intersection before it slammed into the traffic light.

As smoke poured from the bonnet, multiple police officers pulled the woman from the front seat and threw her to the ground.

She was then dragged her away from the wreck and put on the grass on the other side of the road.

'Police will allege the woman bit a police officer when she was taken to Cairns Hospital for precautionary checks following the collision,' a Queensland Police statement read.

The woman from Cairns was charged with a raft of offences including dangerous driving

The driver was charged with one count each of going armed as to cause fear, evasion, dangerous operation of a vehicle, obstruct police, serious assault domestic violence offence, serious assault police, and driver not ensuring passengers wear seatbelts.

She was refused bail and appeared briefly before Cairns Magistrates Court on April 23.
TOKYO, May 01 (News On Japan) - In Tokyo, the Chinese population has been on the rise, with Adachi Ward seeing more than double the number from ten years ago.

A Chinese man shares, "Its a day off, so we're getting together with friends to have a meal."

In Takanotuka, Adachi Ward, the rapid increase in the Chinese population has led to what some are calling a "Chinatization" of the area.

A visit to a newly opened fresh food store in March reveals Chinese vegetables that are said to be delicious when stir-fried.

Additionally, the store offers dragon fruit, a popular Chinese fruit with a hard peel revealing a translucent flesh, among other ingredients unfamiliar in Japan.

Li Chunliang, owner of MIRAKU Fresh Market, notes, "I thought wed have many Chinese customers, so I decided to open a shop here. About 70% of our customers are Chinese."

A local resident comments, "There are many Chinese people living in our apartment building too."

A resident of Takanotuka for over 60 years expresses concern, "It feels like there have been more in the last two to three years. Its worrying, like the Japanese are disappearing."

The number of Chinese fleeing abroad has surged in recent years.

A Chinese resident of Takanotuka says, "The rent is cheap," and when asked if the rent is affordable, confirms, "Yes, its cheap. About 70,000 yen for a 2DK apartment."

That day, a traditional Chinese dance lesson was taking place, attended solely by Chinese individuals, gathered through a community on social media.

A Chinese traditional dance instructor from Hong Kong notes, "There are about 300 people in each group, and we have 7 to 8 groups. It's a lot. They help each other with visa extensions and job issues in mother group chats."

These communities of Chinese mothers are numerous. When asked why they want to live in Japan, a parent says, "I think Japan has great educational and welfare systems. Medical expenses for children are also free," adding, "We plan to continue living in Japan. The competition in China is fierce, and it's easy to accumulate stress."

Some have fled China for unexpected reasons.

A 34-year-old woman who runs a store for Chinese daily necessities moved to Japan ten years ago and opened her dream store three years ago. She explains why she came to Japan: "In Japan, you dont have to worry about relationships with friends or relatives. You dont have to think about marriage or issues with in-laws."

Last year, marriage numbers in China hit a record low, with intense societal pressure to marry contributing to the migration to Japan.

The owner of a store for Chinese goods reflects, "Living alone here is very comfortable. I dont want to go back to China."

Chou, a 31-year-old from Hunan who moved to Japan seven years ago and runs a Hunan cuisine restaurant in Kameido, Tokyo, originally managed a restaurant in Heilongjiang, China. Known for its fiery spices, his popular menu item is a spicy rice bowl heaped with beef and lots of chili peppers.

Chou shares, "A friends sister once came to Japan to study and said the Japanese are kind and the cities are clean, which made me admire the place."

Chou also manages apartments for Chinese nationals. Most of his tenants are students who wish to work in Japan after learning the language.

Chou observes, "Salaries in Japan are high, and the manners are good. After living in Japan for a while, life in China doesnt suit me anymore. Many people want to live in Japan long-term."

Source: ANN
His mother Joan, 78, found dead at her Perth home

A man charged with murdering his mother has faced court for the first time as neighbours describe her death as a 'shock to the system'.

Joan Drane, 78, was found dead inside her home of four decades in Yangebup, in Perth's southern suburbs, at about 7.15am on Monday.

Police allege Andre Lafayette Drane, 54, murdered his elderly mother sometime between Saturday and Monday.

It's understood neighbours raised the alarm after blood - including bloody footprints - were spotted outside the home on Monday morning.

Drane fronted Fremantle Magistrates Court for the first time on Tuesday with what appeared to be an injured hand and leg.

Police believe Andre Lafayette Drane, 54, allegedly murdered his 78-year-old mother sometime between Saturday and Monday (he is pictured)

It's understood neighbours raised the alarm after blood - including bloody footprints - were spotted outside the home on Monday morning (pictured, police on the scene)

He reportedly limped onto the stand wearing a white t-shirt and jeans and spoke only once to confirm his name, PerthNow reports.

Drane was remanded in custody to reappear in court on May 29.

It comes as neighbours reveal their shock at the death of the long-time resident with several leaving flowers outside Ms Drane's home.

One woman said the news was a 'shock to the system'.

'Devastated, I couldn't believe it... I'm still in shock,' she told 7News.

Western Australian premier Roger Cook described the alleged murder as 'complex and traumatic'.
Anthony Albanese has deflected questions about his speech at a violence against women protest where the organiser accused him of lying.

The protest in Canberra on Sunday, organised by women's violence charity What Were You Wearing, was demanding action after the deaths of at least 26 women in 2024 at the hands of men, many their partners.

Mr Albanese told the crowd he had initially been asked not to speak, prompting rally organiser Sarah Williams to say that was 'a flat-out lie' as she started to cry.

The Prime Minister was grilled about the interaction by reporters on Wednesday following a national cabinet meeting, and asked if he could have handled the situation better.

'This is a serious issue. We are talking about a woman dying at the hands of their partner every four days and I have no interest in this,' he said.

Anthony Albanese has deflected questions about his speech at a violence against women protest where the organiser accused him of lying

'This is not about me, I attended a rally, I was proud to do so. I as a national leader, it is appropriate that I do that and I stand by that.'

Mr Albanese said he was happy to speak or not at the rally and added he had congratulated the organisers for the march.

Another reporter asked if Mr Albanese 'regretted' the fact that Ms Williams was left in tears.

'I don't want to see anyone in that situation, feel badly about anything, about any circumstances. I wish Sarah well,' he said.

'The (Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence) Commission has reached out to Sarah's organisation to provide a briefing that will occur.'

In footage from Sunday's rally before Mr Albanese spoke to the crowd, Ms Williams can be heard saying she did not want politicians, including the PM, to address the protest.

'I actually, to be honest, don't really want anyone to speak because I don't think they should be given the microphone,' she is heard saying, as Mr Albanese stood nearby.

'I do think it's going to be the s*** Sarah show ...and I'm going to become the next Brittany Higgins'.

'I'm happy for my What Were You Wearing team to talk with the ministers, hear what they have to say and then we'll consider the decision of them speaking in about ten minutes.'

It was at this moment Mr Albanese said: 'Do you want me to speak or not? I am the Prime Minister.'

Anthony Albanese (third from left) was captured saying, 'I'm the Prime Minister,' in a tense exchange with domestic violence rally organiser Sarah Williams (far right, in hi-vis) on Sunday

Ms Williams, looking directly at Mr Albanese, replied: 'But I'm not having any attacks towards myself or the organisation.'

'Speaking or not speaking,' she asked the crowd, who appeared to respond overwhelmingly in favour of Mr Albanese speaking.

Ms Williams had earlier said the PM's office had told her he wouldn't be able to speak at the rally but would take part in the march.

'The Prime Minister of this country lied to his country today,' she wrote on Sunday.

'Albanese's office made it clear he was just walking and was not interested in speaking. Myself and WWYW never denied him from speaking. He never asked to speak'.

Ms Williams also claimed she overheard Mr Albanese say, 'I'm the prime minister. I run this country.'

Ms Williams said she wanted an apology from Mr Albanese for causing her distress, and to be included in consultations about what was needed from government to alleviate domestic violence.

Meanwhile, national cabinet has agreed to a $925million fund that will provide $5,000 to women escaping domestic violence, as part of a suite of reforms.

Under the reforms, the federal government will provide $925million over five years to set up the leaving violence program, which will provide financial aid and support referrals to women looking to get out of dangerous situations.

Ms Williams (pictured) who is an advocate against domestic and sexual violence, burst into tears while the Prime Minister spoke to the crowd

The measures will be funded in federal budget in May.

Those eligible will be able to access $5,000 in support and receive access to referral services and risk assessments.

National cabinet also agreed to implement measures aimed at addressing misogyny online, specifically aimed at young people.

As part of the move, laws will be introduced that will ban the creation and distribution of deepfake pornography.

A pilot program will be set up for age assurance technology to block access for children to online content such as pornography.

A review of the online safety act will also be carried out a year ahead of schedule.

National cabinet will hold a further meeting on domestic and family violence in the next financial quarter.

Mr Albanese said tangible action was needed to address the issues.

'This is indeed a national crisis, and it's a national challenge, and we're facing this with a spirit of national unity,' he told reporters in Sydney.

'We want to change this in a way in which we all have to take responsibility, because violence against women is not a women's problem to solve, it's a whole of society problem.

'Men in particular have to take responsibility.'

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'This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community

Columbia University has released a statement defending its decision to send hundreds of NYPD officers on to campus to break up pro-Palestine rallies.

'A little after 9 p.m. this evening, the NYPD arrived on campus at the Universitys request. This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community,' the statement read.

On Tuesday night, New York City cops dressed in riot gear stormed through a window of Hamilton Hall, which students violently took over earlier in the day, to flush out dozens of pro-Palestine protesters.

Dozens of people were arrested near the building after cops armed with zip ties and pepper spray broke in via a window.

The raid comes after Columbia leaders asked the NYPD to come to the campus after threats of suspensions and expulsions failed to disperse the protestors.

On Tuesday night, New York City cops dressed in riot gear stormed through a window of Hamilton Hall , which students violently took over earlier in the day, to flush out dozens of pro-Palestine protesters

This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community,' Columbia University said. (pictured: A protestor being restrained by officers)

NYPD officers are seen arrested a protestor as she sits on the ground with a keffiyeh around her neck

'We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice.

'Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.

'The leadership team, including the Board of Trustees, met throughout the night and into the early morning, consulting with security experts and law enforcement to determine the best plan to protect our students and the entire Columbia community.

The statement continued: 'We made the decision, early in the morning, that this was a law enforcement matter, and that the NYPD were best positioned to determine and execute an appropriate response.

'We believe that the group that broke into and occupied the building is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University. Sadly, this dangerous decision followed more than a week of what had been productive discussions with representatives of the West Lawn encampment.

'We severely curtailed the number of people on Morningside campus starting Tuesday morning. Over the course of the day, we updated our community on access to campus buildings, and will continue to do so through the next few days.

'The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.

A protestor is seen through a rainy NYPD bus window as officers loaded them on after evicting them from the school building

An encampment first sprung up at the school on April 17 after the university's president Minouche Shafik was hauled before Congress to address anti-Semitism on campus

Another protester is seen with her hands behind her back and keffiyeh around her neck as an officer walks her

'Early Tuesday, protesters chose to escalate to an alarming and untenable situation  including by vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, blockading entrances, and forcing our facilities and public safety workers out  and we are responding appropriately as we have long made clear we would.

'The safety of our community, especially our students, remains our top priority.'

An encampment first sprung up at the school on April 17 after the university's president Minouche Shafik was hauled before Congress to address anti-Semitism on campus.

Prior to the NYPD raid, the Ivy League said students who occupied the building will 'face suspension.'

'Protesters were informed that their participation in the encampment violated numerous university policies. We gave everyone at the encampment the opportunity to leave peacefully.'

'By committing to abide by University policies, they would be allowed to complete the semester.'

Protestors are seen linking their arms together as police officers entered Columbia University

Members of the New York Police Department strategic response team move towards an entrance of Columbia University just before the raid

During a press conference just before police stormed on campus, NYPD Assistant Commissioner Rebecca Weiner warned the protest had been co-opted by external agitators who were not affiliated with the university.

She stressed the occupation had the potential to spill into other campus buildings, as well as other universities across the country.

'This is not about what's happening overseas, it's not about the last seven months, it's about a very different commitment to at times violent protest activity as an occupation,' she said.

'They haven't got a right to be on campus and this violates university polices and most importantly, presents a danger to students and the university and communities.'

'When we see what we saw last night, we think these tactics are a result of guidance being given to students from these external actors.'
Surveillance video shows the moment a transgender sex offender attempted to kidnap a young boy during recess at his elementary school.

Solomon Galligan, 33, was caught on camera walking onto a field at Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado around 2:20 pm April 22, according to an affidavit from the Aurora Police.

In the surveillance footage, Galligan is seen walking up to the children in the field as one potential victim ran when Galligan tried grabbing them but fell over a towel and lunged at another.

Parents were shown the footage for the first time at a meeting on Monday and their reaction was predictably shocked.

'We hope that children embellish a little bit, but the footage there showed exactly what was stated. It was hard. It was really hard,' Dante White said.

Surveillance video shows the moment a transgender sex offender attempted to kidnap a young boy during recess at his elementary school

Solomon Galligan, 33, was caught on camera walking onto a field at Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado around 2:20 pm April 22, according to an affidavit from the Aurora Police

White says the school has apologized for its failure in in the incident after he and other families watched the video. The next step is going to be vital.

'We've prescribed a couple of items that we wanted done,' said White. 'We want an independent investigation of it, we want people put on administrative leave, we want people fired.'

Parents also asking for more safety training, more fencing around the school and more surveillance equipment, according to CBS News.

'This is something that you fear as a parent. They're in the custody of adults that are supposed to be trained professionals, and they weren't. They categorically failed across the board, from the administration on site to the administration at Cherry Creek to the heads of security,' White added.

'We're asking for accountability.'

The district has promised to make improvements and is continuing meeting with parents.

'We are doing a thorough investigation. We're looking at exactly what happened and what transpired afterwards as well. We take safety as a high priority,' said Lauren Snell, a spokesperson for the school district said.

Witnesses informed police that children were yelling 'stranger danger' to alert adults that there was an unwanted person on school grounds.

He was caught on camera walking onto a field at Black Forest Hills Elementary School (pictured) in Aurora, Colorado

Galligan stopped what he was doing, left the vicinity, and headed east.

According to the complaint, the child the man pursued informed authorities the suspect had long dreadlocks and was dressed in a dark pantsuit and a blue hoodie.

The child reported he had white powder on his face and smelled of alcohol.

Immediately after the incident, a parent alerted school staff that a man matching the suspect's description was spotted at a nearby Walgreens.

When law enforcement approached Galligan at the drugstore, he claimed to have been assaulted and asked to be taken to the hospital.

An officer ran a background check at the hospital and discovered that Galligan was a registered sex offender.

The suspect fled after students at the school yelled 'stranger danger' to alert teachers of his presence

Officers discovered Galligan was a registered sex offender and was previously convicted in 2011

He had previously been convicted in 2011 for nonconsensual grabbing, touching or groping another's intimate body parts, per the affidavit.

Galligan was arrested for second-degree kidnapping. He is currently being held in the Arapahoe County jail under a $25,000 cash or surety bond.

Galligan has previously shared posts about his gender transition back in 2011.

'So I'm starting my hormone shots and I really can't wait I'm on my hormone pills I've been on them for almost 4 months,' the post read.

'I wake up all depressed and crying but in the end its gonna be totally worth it you know what I mean I'm really excited my measurements are already changing and I'm super thrilled.'
Manhattan is in chaos as hundreds of police officers stormed universities in a coordinated strike to clear out pro-Palestinian protesters who refused to leave.

Protesters threw flares and barricaded themselves inside an administrative building at the City University of New York, about 20 blocks north of Columbia University.

NYPD officers moved in after 9.30pm to disperse crowds outside as flares turned the college's famous arch red and protestors chanted and waved flags in support of Gaza.

Once the protest was dispersed, NYPD officers lowered a Palestinian flag that was raised outside the CCNY gate, and put up an American flag.

Students and protestors at City College of New York also clashed with police on Tuesday night as the city cracked down on pro-Palestine protestors at college campuses

Pro-Palestine protesters are outside CCNY at 139th st & Amsterdam Ave entrance to the campus. NYPD cops are blocking the entrance. Student protesters from inside the gate have lit flares to the cheers & chants from protesters outside the gate. pic.twitter.com/CKM5yVLKX2  Ash J (@AshAgony) May 1, 2024

Many protesters chose to leave Columbia as police surrounded the campus instead of being arrested, and walked north to CCNY to join the protest there

'An incredible scene and proud moment as we have assisted CCNY in restoring order on campus, culminating in raising Old Glory once again on their campus flag pole,' NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry wrote as he posted the video.

However, one of the officers tossed the Palestinian flag to the ground after it was lowered, like he was throwing a piece of garbage away.

Other videos showed the protesters using drills to fasten pieces of wood together to create a makeshift barriers as police appeared ready to move in.

Police did not enter the CCNY campus and the tent encampment remained in place, though there were rumors it would be cleared on Wednesday.

This prompted hundreds of other protesters to arrive and try to force their way inside the university, where police had erected a barricade to stop them getting in.

NOW: SRG officers arrest a protester after he hit an officer with an empty water jug



There are probably 200 officers here  organizers ordered people to disperse pic.twitter.com/T6NDxS4Kda  katie smith (@probablyreadit) May 1, 2024

One video showed a protester bashing police over the head with an empty five-gallon water jug with a sticker that read 'Israel is committing genocide in Gaza'

Police earlier cleared out protesters at Columbia University after weeks of a tent encampment protest escalated when a group took over Hamilton Hall.

Columbia, which was the epicenter for the anti-Israel encampments that have spread across the US, saw hundreds of cops flood the Ivy League campus and dozens arrested to stop the encampment.

Many protesters chose to Columbia leave as police surrounded the campus instead of being arrested, and walked north to CCNY to join the protest there.

This spawned a separate protest outside the gate and across the street, which police dispersed and made dozens of arrests.

Videos posted on social media showed skirmishes between the protestors and police as arrests were made.

Protesters light flares and shout from the inside of locked gates to CCNY as hundreds of other demonstrators rally outside

Protesters shout as a mob amasses in support of their cause outside the gates

Pro-Palestinian supporters confront police during demonstrations at The City College Of New York as the NYPD cracks down on protest camps

Protesters push against police barricades outside CCNY

One video showed a protester bashing police over the head with an empty five-gallon water jug with a sticker that read 'Israel is committing genocide in Gaza'.

Police used pepper spray on protesters, with at least one journalist seen on video being caught in the crossfire.

'WE WILL NOT STOP WE WILL NOT REST,' the CUNY Gaza Solidarity Encampment posted on X along with video of protestors with flares climbing a fence on the campus.

'As our encampments are being raided by NYPD SRG with brutal force, all we can think about at this time is our brothers and sisters facing imminent invasions in Rafah- ALL OUT TO CCNY AND ALL EYES ON PALESTINE,' the account tweeted.

The tent encampment was set up on Friday and, like Columbia's, demanded CCNY divest from companies that did business with Israel.

'CUNY Gaza Solidarity Encampment in full bloom. Lots of faculty and PSC union members here,' CUNY professor James Hoff wrote on Twitter with a photo of the tent city.

STUDENTS AT CCNY HAVE TAKEN OVER THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AND ARE DEFENDING IT pic.twitter.com/RiP7lcDW9m  ashok kumar  (@broseph_stalin) May 1, 2024

Pro-Palestine protesters are outside CCNY at 139th Street & Amsterdam Avenue

Overwhelming numbers of police mass outside the entrance to CCNY, ready to clear out protesters

Mass arrests at City College right now, around 100 protesters stuck between two lines of police in front of the campus pic.twitter.com/0hbesNMHCY  Hell Gate *subscribe today!* (@HellGateNY) May 1, 2024

Having brought the protest outside the gate under control, police form a line to prevent more protesters from approaching

CCNY earlier in the day announced that all classes would be moved online until further notice.

President Vince Boudreau wrote in a letter to staff and students that the university respected the right to protest and the values of academic and speech freedom, but this was tested by the Hamas attack on Israel and the invasion of Gaza that followed.

He said it tried to reconcile tensions between free speech and safety, but that the encampment posed additional problems as many of the protesters were not part of CCNY.

'This demonstration has been more contentious and violent than anything we've seen on campus before,' he wrote.

The university sent a letter to members of the encampment warning them of the dangers and instructing them to dismantle it.

A man waves a Palestinian flag outside CCNY as police load arrested protesters on to buses

Many protesters chose to Columbia leave as police surrounded the campus instead of being arrested, and walked north to CCNY to join the protest there

Protesters hold up signs in solidarity with the protesters inside CCNY

Police line up to prevent protesters getting inside CCNY to join the tent encampment

'We are also urging all members of our community to stay away from campus,' Boudreau said.

'This is obviously a wrenching moment for the CCNY community and for me personally. I know that you join me in the fervent hope that this encampment can be brought to a peaceful solution.'

NYU did not have any police involvement, but protesters threw fake blood outside the home of its president, Linda Mills, on Tuesday.

The attack was not done by students, but 'by external community members in solidarity with NYU students'.

'Linda Mills: Your administration is complicit in genocide. Blood on your hands. Long live Gaza,' they said.

Police just pepper sprayed a member of the press at CCNYs encampment pic.twitter.com/AZZ7dnbJqI  Hebh Jamal (@hebh_jamal) April 30, 2024

Police used pepper spray and on protesters, with at least one journalist seen on video being caught in the crossfire

The scene at CCNY encampment has grown absolutely out of control. NYPD with riot gear have started to snatch and brutally arresting protestors and throw them in police busses. pic.twitter.com/pqcqwuBQdh  Kimberly Izar (@kimizar1) May 1, 2024

The tent encampment was set up on Friday and, like Columbia's, demanded CCNY divest from companies that did business with Israel

Clashes outside of CCNY were part of a wider NYPD effort to deal with encampments at college campuses across the city, at the request of the universities.

The protests started on April 17 at Columbia, as students demanded the Ivy League university divest from companies that do business with Israel.

The protests carried on despite university threats of suspensions and expulsion. Early Tuesday morning, Columbia students violently took over a university building.

By the evening, Columbia leaders asked the NYPD to come in and clear out the protestors.

Around 9pm, officers stormed the university as the crowd chanted and yelled at them, some confronted the officers and pushed barricades to try and block their path.

NYU did not have any police involvement, but protesters threw fake blood outside the home of its president, Linda Mills, on Tuesday

A puddle of fake blood reportedly outside the president of NYU's home

A shelter in place warning was issued to students on Morningside campus in the moments before officers descended.

In a statement, the university said the decision to call in police was, 'made to restore safety and order to our community'.

'We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions,' the statement read.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice.

'Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.'
A fed-up criminologist and former cop lashed out at a panel of politicians in a furious spray for playing politics instead of addressing the violence against women crisis.

Agriculture minister Murray Watt, Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie and NSW Opposition leader Mark Speakman appeared on Monday night's episode of Q&A to discuss the gendered violence emergency.

The highly charged episode took a turn when Vincent Hurley, a former NSW detective and criminologist at Macquarie University, lashed the politicians for 'bickering amongst themselves' instead of finding solutions.

'That just goes to show the point that you are overlooking the murder of women out here. You're putting politics above these people behind me. How dare you?' he said.

Criminologist Vincent Hurley lashed the politicians on a Q&A panel on Monday night for 'bickering amongst themselves' during a discussion about domestic violence

Mr Hurley said men with a history of any form of domestic violence should not be given bail (pictured, Q&A host Patricia Karvelas, Minister Murray Watt and Senator Bridget McKenzie)

'How dare you go into politics, in an environment like this, when one woman is murdered every four days and all you two can do is immediately talk about politics?

'That is just disgraceful.

'Is it any wonder frontline services aren't getting the money that they want?'

Mr Hurley said federal spending on frontline services was laughable when compared to the government's $300billion investment in the AUKUS submarine deal.

'For God's sake, how long do we have to listen to politicians like you and the rest of you high-horsing about, "We have to have a royal commission," "We have to do this". Everyone here knows what the answer is,' he continued.

Q&A host Patricia Karvelas asked Mr Hurley for his recommendations.

'If a male has a history of crimes of violence, of any form of domestic violence, coercion, physical, emotional, they should not have the presumption of bail,' he said.

'They should not get bail. At all. There will be people who vehemently disagree about the rule of law, about the right of individuals, about the innocence before guilty.

'But what does society want? We want those poor girls up there from those high schools One in every four of them are likely to be sexually assaulted after the age of 15. And you all sit here and pontificate about what we're doing.'

The criminologist said domestic violence incidents needed to be redefined as 'intimate terror acts' and called for more funding for frontline services.

'There's enough legislation there for police to go and arrest them. New South Wales Police have had a pro-arrest policy for at least 30 years,' he said.

'And we cannot arrest our way out of this. But for the immediate concern of the women here, they need to have that offender taken off the street to give them breathing space to get away to a women's refuge.

'Over the decades, all governments of all persuasions, state and federal, you have patient-dumped people with mental health and drug issues onto the street, which is the underlying causes of domestic violence.

'It is more than just domestic violence. You don't need a royal commission. That money needs to go into frontline services  now.'

Daniel Billings, 29, allegedly murdered Molly Ticehurst, 28, at the home they used to share in Forbes, 375km west of Sydney, in the early hours of Monday, April 22

It comes as pressure mounts on the government to respond to a domestic violence with 28 women allegedly dying at the hands of men in 2024.

Among the cases is Daniel Billings, 29, who is accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend Molly Ticehurst, 28, on April 22.

Many domestic violence services have argued a Royal Commission in NSW will be too expensive and time-consuming as services experience record demand.

The federal government on Wednesday announced a $925million investment over five years to establish the Leaving Violence Program.

Delia Donovan, CEO of Domestic Violence NSW, says the funding is insubstantial and fails to address the immediate crisis.

'I am frustrated at today's announcement that does very little to address the current emergency. Services are unable to meet demand, resources are over-stretched, and women are [allegedly] being murdered,' she said.

'Where is the funding for our specialist domestic and family services? In April of this year the federal government spent $4-5 billion upgrading a fleet of six submarines.

'Why are women and children not seeing this type of investment in their safety?'

Domestic Violence NSW has recommended an investment of $145million to domestic and family services to simply meet the current demand.

1800RESPECT or 1800 737 732

NSW Domestic Violence Line 1800 65 64 63
An Aussie mum has spoken out after falling victim to a Facebook hacker who drained thousands of dollars from her small business bank account.

Justine, co-owner of baby clothing brand Pip & Lenny, found herself with just $1.71 left in the company's coffers after a hacker stole the rest.

The realisation hit when ANZ Bank notified the mother-of-four about 10 strange withdrawals from the account.

Each transaction was for $1,250, amounting to $10,000.

'Every dollar, gone. We didn't realise that it could happen. It's been devastating to be honest,' Justine told Daily Mail Australia.

She said the hackers gained access to her personal Facebook account which was linked to her debit card.

Exploiting this access, the hackers funnelled the funds into advertising their own dodgy business on Facebook.

'They've been setting up lots of ads to advertise their own business, and that's how the money was spent,' Justine said.

Justine (seen here with her family) might have to close the baby clothing business she co-owns due to a Facebook hacker's attack

The hackers managed to drain thousands from her business account

Baffled by the breach despite having robust two-factor authentication in place and no suspicious activity on her account, Justine said: 'I honestly have no idea how it's happened.'

She also said that she never clicks on suspicious links and is diligent about her cybersecurity.

Justine said that if the money isn't recovered, she and her business partner might have to shut down their clothing company.

'This business is our livelihood. We've got four children each, so eight kids between us, and we work on it endlessly day in, day out,' she said.

'It's just been a devastating blow to our business.

'To be drained of our funds means that we can no longer get stock to our shop, we can't pay our bills, we can't pay our own mortgages because ultimately that's where we get paid from.'

Adelaide mum Justine (right) is pictured with her business partner Bec (left)

While the pair have been 'in contact' with people at Facebook, the company has not yet confirmed if it will cancel the ads and refund them.

However, one worker at Meta, Facebook's parent company, has managed to track down the thief.

'A follower gave us a direct email for someone who works at Facebook and she's been amazing. She said she has found the hacker and their email address.

'So we are really keeping everything crossed that we will get the money back.'

Justine thanked customers for supporting their brand (products pictured) through the difficult time

Now Justine is investigating how they can better protect their business in the future, as she issues a warning to Aussies.

'Just make sure that you've got your two-factor authentication set up and having different passwords for all of your personal and business accounts,' Justine said.

'One thing we've learned from this is to have a bank account that's set up just for your Facebook ads so there's only low funds in it compared to your main account.'

ANZ has also offered to investigate the fraud.

Justine said she was overwhelmed by the support she received from her customers after the scam.

'Lots of people have been placing orders and we've been really humbled by it.'

WHAT IS TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION? Two-factor authentication (2FA) is an additional layer of security for accessing online accounts. It requires users to provide two different forms of identification before granting access. Typically, this involves something the user knows (like a password) and something the user has (like a unique code sent to their phone or generated by an authentication app). This adds an extra level of protection against unauthorised access, even if a password is compromised. Advertisement

Earlier last year, businessman Paul Trefry issued a warning about a sophisticated text message scam targeting ANZ customers, after they conned him out of $130,000.

The criminals sent a text message to Mr Trefry from the same number used by ANZ Bank. It appeared in the same message thread as legitimate text messages from the bank, which made him think it was not a scam.

The text message warned his account had been compromised and he needed to transfer his money over to a new 'safer' account, which turned out to be the crooks.

'I'm running a business, and not having a business credit card makes things very difficult, so the second option was better for me,' he said.

Over the next four days, Mr Trefry sent across $130,000 to the account which the scammers ran.

Earlier last year, businessman Paul Trefry issued a warning about a sophisticated text message scam targeting ANZ customers, after they conned him out of $130,000.

ANZ recovered some of the money, but Mr Trefry (pictured) was still left $85,000 out of pocket

ANZ's fraud team didn't contact Mr Trefry about his odd transfers until a week after he received the fake alert. By that point, he'd already lost $130,000.

'They asked me about a transfer of $17,500 into an account, and I said, 'well, guys, I'm just following your instructions,' and they said, 'no, we wouldn't instruct you to transfer money into different accounts'.

'...He (the ANZ rep) said, 'look, it's a really elaborate scam which these guys have been doing, and they copy ANZ's protocol to a tee, unfortunately, there's not gonna be a great deal we can do for you'.'

He called for ANZ to do more to alert its customers about current scams.

'They've got a liability to their customers to notify them about this type of thing,' he said.

'They've known about it for a long period of time.

'It's simple to send a text message to your customers saying that this service has been compromised and check the text messages before you do anything.'

ANZ recovered some of the money, but Mr Trefry was still left $85,000 out of pocket.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Meta for comment.
EXCLUSIVE

A Perth grandfather who says he was promised $11 million to bring 'a little gift' into Australia from Laos is now accused of being a major heroin trafficker.

Barry James Calverley, 68, who returned from South East Asia in January, is now potentially facing life in jail - but his lawyers claim he was duped.

The mining industry consultant said he was instructed in a WhatsApp message to travel to Laos and meet a man called 'Privham' in a hotel to collect documents.

When he was asked to take a green camping chair bag along with an envelope back to Australia, a court heard he was 'suspicious' and 'was aware something was not right'.

When Calverley's return flight from Hanoi touched down at Sydney Airport on January 24, Australian Border Force officers allegedly found $2.25million of heroin inside the bag.

WA grandfather and mining industry consultant Barry Calverley (above) flew to Laos in January and returned with a Vietnamese-brand camping chair in which ABF officers allegedly found 5kg of heroin

Calverley, 68, was allegedly promised $11m to bring back documents from Laos and says he was innocently 'duped' into taking 'little gift', a camping chair bag which police say held $2.25m worth of heroin

Magistrate Mark Whelan was told Calverley was carrying documents in the envelope which promised him the reward of US$7.2million.

Legal aid lawyers said Calverley, a 30-year oil, gas and resources industry safety officer, 'was suspicious of "the little gift" and he would not have taken anything illegal.

'This is a classic case of a senior man being duped,' the court was told.

'A person planning to import these substances would not be carrying around the envelope.

'(The) materials support him believing he had a reason to be going to Laos thinking he's going to get this very large sum of money and then carrying these documents that  any well-planned importer wouldn't even think about having.

'They make a nonsense of the whole arrangement. Sadly he has succumbed to this belief and if not granted bail, is at great risk in the prison system.'

Appearing via audio visual link on Wednesday from maximum security Macquarie prison near Dubbo NSW, the grandfather's lawyer pleaded for him to be released on bail.

Downing Centre Local Court heard that Calverley, a wine connoisseur from Ferguson, WA, was finding prison life difficult.

'He would be detained in custody for a very significant time before going to trial,' the court heard.

'He has a long history of medical concerns.'

These included cardiac issues, dermatitis and psoriasis, which was argued, could not be adequately treated at Macquarie jail.

Calverley is charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, which Australian Federal Police was a 'quantity of heroin (which) would have been enough for 25,000 street deals'.

Magistrate Whelan denied Calverley's bail application and ordered him to appear on remand on January 29 next year.
A small ranching community in Colorado has torn itself apart as newly-released wolves have butchered an astonishing amount of cattle in just days.

Conway Farrell, a rancher from Grand County, about 30 minutes outside of the Rocky Mountains, said his father discovered a dead calf on Sunday, the fifth cattle lost in 11 days.

'Yeah, I'm p****d. Everybody up here is getting edgy and at our wit's end,' Farrell told the Coloradoan. 'It feels like youre getting slapped in the face every freakin minute.'

In December, state wildlife officials set wolves loose into a remote forest in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. The release stemmed from a voter-approved reintroduction program that aims to re-populate the endangered species.

Now, Farrell said tensions have risen between ranchers and Colorado Park and Wildlife officers in the town.

'We see them in the grocery store and everybody is sitting there trying to act fake and like we are all happy, yet whats going on behind the scenes every day is as disturbing as heck,' he said.

Grand County rancher Conway Farrell said that his father discovered a dead yearling, or baby cow, on Sunday, the fifth cattle lost in 11 days

Farrell, who previously hesitated to speak out, decided that he had to as his frustration over the ongoing problem has grown. (pictured: the dead calf found on Ferrell's land)

Proposition 114 required the Parks and Wildlife Commission to 'develop a plan to restore and manage gray wolves in Colorado, using the best scientific data available' and 'hold statewide hearings to acquire information to be considered in developing such plan,' according to CPW.

The state wildlife agency has a policy that prevents them from sharing the movements of the wolves based on their collar numbers, including one wolf that died.

Ferrell and his fellow ranchers decided to use their own game cameras over the past months to track the predators on their own.

He said he and other ranchers have 'high confidence' that wolf 2309 and wolf 2312 from the Weneha pack are responsible for the recent attacks.

He added the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis has created a 'disgustingly huge disconnect' between ranchers and wildlife officials.

'Once Gov. Polis opened that gate to release the first wolf, to me that means they are the state's responsibility,'' he said.

'But if you put their fladry up, in the agreement it says the state is not liable for anything and it is your responsibility. How fair is that?'

On Tuesday, the Colorado Department of Agriculture said that it will dedicate up to $20,000 toward 'nonlethal deterrents' to the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, including nighttime patrols and herd protection for ranchers and their cattle.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife told the Coloradoan: 'CPW will again review this specific situation with USFWS to ensure actions are in compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations and the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan.'

Ferrell emphasized it also hasn't been easy to deal with the presence of the officers around Kremmling, a small town with a population of just 1,500.

'We can't even go to school to pick up our kids without running into one of these guys,' he explained.

In December, wolf packs were released as part of a voter-approved reintroduction program that aims to re-populate the endangered species

Ferrell said tensions have risen between ranchers and Colorado Park and Wildlife officers since the wolves were set free

'I don't believe in stress, but I'm starting to.'

'You just get up and go to work. Yeah, you got problems but you fix them every day. But they have us to where we cant fix the problem we have,' he added.

In December, two juvenile female wolves, two males and one adult male, were released after they were captured in Oregon and came from Oregon's Five Points Pack, Noregaard Pack and Wenaha Pack.

Prior to being released, the CPW collected genetic material  tissue and blood samples  before fitting each animal with a GPS satellite collar for tracking.

The wolves were also given vaccines and treated for endo and ecto-parasites.

According to the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, the wolves can travel up to 140 miles from where they were freed.

In February, Wyoming ranchers started to worry about the wolves' presence after they were released near the state border line.

'Wolves can travel 50 miles a day, (so) that doesnt surprise me at all,' Howard Cooper told Cowboy State Daily.

Wolves have been spotted in Walden - just 20 miles from Wyoming - meaning the predators could theoretically cross into the Cowboy State.

Like Ferrell, Cooper opposes the reintroduction of gray wolves into the neighboring state and has even backed up a lobbyist group that aims to prevent further wolf releases.

In Colorado it is illegal for the general public to hunt or kill wolves as they are are federally protected.

But by stepping over the line, a wolf that enters Wyoming's 53 million-acre 'predator zone' - encompassing roughly 85 percent of the state - goes from a 'State Endangered' animal to one that can be shot on sight.

In March, a pack of recently-released wolves were tracked making their way towards state lines and edging closer to the Wyoming border.

Two wolves were confirmed to have recently entered Moffat County, located less than 50 miles away from the Wyoming border.

In February, Wyoming ranchers started to worry about the wolves' presence after they were released near the state border line

In the state of Colorado it is illegal for the general public to hunt or kill wolves as they are are federally protected

John Michael Williams, a Colorado resident who administers a 'Colorado Wolf Tracker' Facebook page estimated that the duo would potentially cross the border four to six weeks after they were spotted.

'If I had a crystal ball, what do I think? I think that sometime within the next four to six weeks, well have one cross, or maybe a couple cross over.'

'And I think well see some of them getting shot,' Williams told Cowboys State Daily.

The Colorado Sun reported that at least one wolf was killed after crossing into Wyoming.

The publication cited reports by ranchers and other stakeholders, but Wyoming officials declined to confirm the death.

Rather, they claimed the information was confidential under an 11-year-old state policy intended to mask the identity of people who legally kill wolves in the state.

Reintroduction has proven to be a contentious point. Gray wolves were nearly hunted to extinction in the 20th century.

In 1905, the federal government infected the animals with mange. A decade later, Congress passed a law requiring their elimination from federal land.

By 1960, the animals had been all but wiped out from their former range - under the same pretense, that they posed a threat to livestock and big game.
Tensions escalated at a construction site after union members stopped work on a multi-billion dollar project and attempted to prevent non-union colleagues from entering the worksite.

On Wednesday, CFMEU members working on the Cross River Rail Project in Brisbane entered their second day of strike action.

Months of enterprise bargaining negotiations between contractor CPB and the CFMEU broke down after the union rejected a pay deal, which sparked the strike action.

The CFMEU has demanded that the new EBA include a $2,000 pay rise for some workers and 20 extra rostered off days a year.

Sources familiar with the union's demands revealed that under the proposal, an entry-level worker would receive a pay increase of $15,000, bringing their annual salary to an eye-watering $240,000.

Tensions escalated at a construction site after union members stopped work on a multi-billion dollar project

Video footage captured on Wednesday afternoon shows union workers joining arms to block non-union workers from re-entering the work site.

In the footage, one man forcefully tries to breach the line from the front while another approaches from behind in an effort to separate the workers' linked arms.

Non-union workers were repeatedly challenged to 'try and cross' the blockade by the union workers.

A non-union tradie dismantled the fencing at the site, allowing his coworkers to enter through the gap, before a union worker called him a 'f***ing dog,'

A worker, who wished to stay anonymous, slammed the CFMEU for keeping non-member worker with 'families to feed' from working.

'At the gates (the union) had a force stopping people entering the site  it's f*cking crazy' the worker told the Courier Mail.

The union said CPB had been provided with a list of concerns months ago, including improved job security, the introduction of a heat policy and the inclusion of traffic controllers and cleaners in the EBA.

In the footage, one man forcefully tries to breach the line from the front while another approaches from behind in an effort to separate the workers' linked arms

The CFMEU organised the strike on the Cross River Rail Project (pictured, planned path) after four months of negotiating with the overseeing construction company reached an impasse

'After slaving under a substandard Australian Workers Union agreement for more than four years, Cross River Rail workers have stood up and said enough is enough,' CFMEU Assistant State Secretary Jade Ingham said.

He said tradies were sick and tired of seeing their workmates maimed and killed.

'This summer, more than 30 workers have been hospitalised, and one labour-hire worker has died of heat stress, yet CPB refuses to agree to workers' requests for an effective heat policy,' the union secretary said.

'Cross River Rail workers have joined the CFMEU in droves because CPB will not listen, the AWU will not speak up for them, and the Queensland Government only cares about staged photo ops and spin.

'Civil construction workers are not second-class citizens, and for the first time they have an opportunity to have a say in their future.

'The CFMEU will back them all the way.'

A spokesperson for CPB Contractors said they have been regularly negotiating with the Australian Workers Union and the CFMEU since late 2023 over the pay dispute.

'While these meetings were productive, an agreement has not yet been reached between the parties,' the spokesperson said.

'We stand firm against any unlawful tactics used to intimidate workers and delivery partners supporting this essential infrastructure project for Queensland communities.

The Assistant Secretary of the union's Queensland and NT branch, Jade Ingham (pictured), said they don't know when the dispute will end

'As always, CPB Contractors will not tolerate acts of intimidation towards its people or any workers on our construction sites.

'The safety and wellbeing of all our workers on Cross River Rail and every CPB Contractors' project is our highest priority.'

The spokesperson revealed CPB have applied to the Federal Court for an 'urgent injunction' against the union on Tuesday.

'(The injunction) is in response to intimidation tactics towards people working on the Cross River Rail project,' the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

The Cross River Rail is a 10.2km rail line that includes 5.9km of twin tunnels running under the Brisbane River and the CBD.

Four new underground stations are being built at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street and Roma Street, in addition to a new above-ground station at Exhibition and a rebuild for seven stations between Dutton Park and Salisbury.

The project also includes three new stations on the Gold Coast, the construction of two train stabling facilities and the installation of a new world-class signalling system.
A driver in New Zealand was shocked to return to her car and discover a car park had been erected and she had been fined NZ$85 ($77).

Josephine Williams parked in an empty gravel clearing in Westgate, a regional town centre in Auckland on Monday.

Ms Williams had been using the car park for months with between 50 and 100 other commuters before catching a bus into the CBD.

But after returning to her car this week she was stunned to see a Wilson Parking fine on her windscreen.

'To my unfortunate surprise - and many others - I was greeted by an NZ$85 (AUD$77) parking ticket for a breach and a flyer from Wilson Parking saying paid parking had started that day,' Ms Williams told Stuff.

'But what breach exactly was made? How was I supposed to know paid parking started that day when there was nothing at all displayed anywhere in the car park?'

After returning to her car Ms Williams was stunned to see a Wilson Parking fine on her windscreen

By 6pm on Monday a large red and white Wilson sign had been erected at the carpark entrance displaying '12 hours for $4'.

'Wilson deliberately put their sign up sometime after 9am and then took it upon themselves to fine every single car that was already parked there from the morning,' Ms Williams said.

Wilson Parking refutes this, stating the car park was initially set up with 'clear signage' on April 22.

'It was not set up around parked cars on 29 April as suggested,' a Wilson spokesperson said.

Ms Williams said dashcam footage of her arriving into the carpark at 7.45am on Monday shows there are no paid parking or Wilson signs.

After contacting Wilson Parking's parent company, Ms Williams had her fine waived.

Ms Williams said dashcam footage of her arriving into the carpark at 7.45am on Monday shows there are no paid parking or Wilson signs

Wilson Parking said more signs were added to all entry points of the car park on April 29

She is concerned other drivers fined might not be as fortunate.

'I'm lucky that I know the law and my rights, but some other people might not. What about students or the elderly or people who don't know English well?'

'$85 (AUD$77) is a lot of money - it would have been two weeks' worth of grocery shopping for me,' Ms Williams said.

Wilson Parking said more signs were added to all entry points of the car park on April 29.

'In acknowledgment of the increased signage added on the 29th at the entry we've made the decision to refund all payments made until 30 April and waive any breach notices issued up to this date,' a spokesperson said.

The company denied it had issued breach notices before signs were erected.

'Payment options were available and signed from 22 April - but no infringement notices were issued prior to the 29th,' a spokesperson said.
The Department of Homeland Security revealed that it sent over 200,000 migrants on a controversial parole program to 45 cities across the United States between January and August 2023.

The policy, which was enacted in October 2022, allowed migrants who had not entered the country illegally to fly directly into America.

Migrants were also required to have a sponsor in the US and pass various vetting tests.

It was initially announced for Venezuelans, before adding Haitians, Nicaraguans and Cubans amid one of the worst migrant crises in American history under President Joe Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Around 80 percent of the migrants were sent to four cities in the state of Florida: Miami - which got 91,821, more than any other city - Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa Bay were among the top 15 destinations, according to the DHS.

The Department of Homeland Security revealed that it sent over 200,000 migrants on a controversial parole program to 45 cities across the United States between January and August 2023

It was initially announced for Venezuelans, before adding Haitians, Nicaraguans and Cubans amid one of the worst migrant crises in American history under President Joe Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

Under fire Secretary Mayorkas says the program led to a reduction in people from those nations illegally crossing the border.

'It is a key element of our efforts to address the unprecedented level of migration throughout our hemisphere, and other countries around the world see it as a model to tackle the challenge of increased irregular migration that they too are experiencing,' Mayorkas said.

New York City, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco were also in the top 10 of destinations.

Another 1.6million migrants are waiting to get into the country via this same program, DHS claims.

Multiple states, including Florida, have attempted to sue to stop the program but have thus far been unsuccessful.

'Biden's parole program is unlawful, and constitutes an abuse of constitutional authority. Florida is currently suing Biden to shut it down, and we believe that we will prevail,' said Governor Ron DeSantis' press secretary, Jeremy Redfern.

Since Biden took office, the U.S. has seen record-high numbers of illegal border crossings.

Customs and Border Protection has apprehended more than 7.6 million migrants illegally crossing the southern border  the majority of which are traveling from Central and South American countries in efforts to claim asylum in the U.S.

Under fire Secretary Mayorkas says the problem led to reductions in people from those nations illegally crossing the border

The crisis at the border has been a scandal for the Biden administration throughout his presidency, with former President and 2024 opponent Donald Trump promising to fix the problem.

Trump is ready to reshape American policy and detailed in interviews with TIME Magazine what some of these sweeping overhauls would include.

Top 10 cities where migrants were flown via DHS program 1. Miami - 91,821 2. Fort Lauderdale - 60,461 3. New York - 14,827 4. Houston - 7,923 5. Orlando - 6,043 6. Los Angeles - 3,271 7. Tampa - 3,237 8. Dallas - 2,256 9. San Francisco - 2,052 10. Atlanta - 1,796 (Source: DHS) Advertisement

In a wide-ranging interview at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida on April 12, the former president confirmed he would use detention camps to house illegal immigrants during deportation efforts.

He also didn't rule out deploying the military to round up the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the country. As of January 2022, the illegal immigrant population in the U.S. was estimated to stand at 11.35 million.

Trump has repeatedly said he would take aggressive actions to address the border issue on Day One of a second term after President Joe Biden reversed almost all of his policies and plunged the country into an all-out illegal immigration crisis.

His proposals would include tapping local law enforcement, National Guard and, if necessary, members of the U.S. Military to round up illegal immigrants for deportation.

TIME National Politics Reporter Eric Cortellessa asked Trump if he would override the Posse Comitatus Act, which states the U.S. military cannot be deployed against civilians.

'Well, these aren't civilians,' the former president replied. 'These are people that aren't legally in our country. This is an invasion of our country. An invasion like probably no country has ever seen before.'

'They're coming in by the millions. I believe we have 15 million now. And I think you'll have 20 million by the time this ends,' Trump predicted. 'And that's bigger than almost every state.'

He also said it isn't likely he would have to house these immigrants in detention camps because he plans to deport them swiftly  but he didn't rule out building more holding centers if needed during the operation.

'No, I would not rule out anything,' Trump said. 'But there wouldn't be that much of a need for them [detention camps], because of the fact that we're going to be moving them out. We're going to bring them back from where they came.'
EXCLUSIVE

One of two young female prison workers accused of having illicit relationships with inmates is the daughter of a decorated senior corrections officer.

Jessica Jade Elguindy was arrested at her home at Spring Farm in Sydney's south-west last Friday and taken to nearby Narellan police station.

The 25-year-old was charged with engaging in a relationship with an inmate causing a safety risk, accessing/modifying restricted computer data and misconduct as the holder of a public office.

Elguindy is an administrative assistant with Corrective Services NSW and according to an online profile has been employed by the department for the past six years.

Her father Walid 'Wally' Elguindy has worked in the prison system for 30 years and is general manager of strategic population management.

Prison employee Jessica Jade Elguindy has been charged with engaging in a relationship with an inmate causing a safety risk, accessing/modifying computer data and misconduct as the holder of a public office

Two years ago he was awarded the Australian Corrections Medal, the highest distinction specifically bestowed on prison staff, in the Australia Day Honours List.

'Mr Elguindy's work is critical to the good order of the state's prison network,' a background note supplied to media stated at the time.

When contacted by Daily Mail Australia, Mr Elguindy said he was not in a position to comment about his daughter's circumstances.

'I haven't got anything at this stage to say in relation to that,' Mr Elguindy said. 'It's a difficult time and there's nothing I can say at the moment.'

Detectives from the Corrective Services Investigation Unit within the NSW Police Force commenced an investigation into Jessica Elguindy in January.

Investigators had received reports of an allegedly inappropriate relationship between Elguindy and a male inmate at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre in Sydney's north-west.

During the course of those inquiries, another employee at the prison, 25-year-old Amber Clavell, was allegedly found to be engaged in similar conduct at the same jail.

Clavell was arrested at the jail on April 23, taken to Penrith police station and granted bail after being hit with five criminal charges.

Jessica Elguindy's father Walid 'Wally' Elguindy has worked in the prison system for 30 years and is general manager of strategic population management for Corrective Services NSW

She is accused of engaging in a relationship with an inmate causing a safety risk, bringing a prohibited drug into a prison, supplying a prohibited drug and two counts of accessing/modifying restricted computer data.

The next day police arrested two inmates aged 27 and 30 at Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre and charged both with using/possessing a mobile phone in jail.

The Australian newspaper has reported footage taken on a smuggled phone relevant to the investigation has been circulating within the prison.

The Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre at Berkshire Park is a minimum-security facility for men and part of the Francis Greenway Correctional Complex.

The other prisons in the complex are the men's medium security John Morony Correctional Centre and maximum-security women's Dillwynia Correctional Centre.

Last month Kevin Corcoran was sacked as Corrective Services Commissioner after an inquiry into an officer who been raping inmates at Dillwynia for five years.

Investigators had received reports of an allegedly inappropriate relationship between Elguindy (above) and a male inmate at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre in Sydney's north-west

Wayne Astill was arrested in 2019 for the sexual assault of 14 female prisoners and eventually jailed for a maximum 23 years.

Mr Corcoran was found to have not properly discharged his responsibilities, having approved the appointment of Dillwynia's governor despite his concerns about her management.

Under Elguindy's bail conditions she must not communicate with Clavell or approach any NSW prison without approval of the director of custodial services.

Clavell is not to have any contact with prosecution witnesses or alleged co-offenders and faces the same restrictions about attending jails.

A spokesman for Corrective Services NSW said the department was aware two staff members had been charged with various offences.

'As the matters are before the courts, it would be inappropriate to comment further,' the spokesman said.

The Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre (above) at Berkshire Park is a minimum-security facility for men and part of the Francis Greenway Correctional Complex

Notes provided upon Mr Elguindy being awarded the Australian Corrections Medal praise the officer for his work as boss of strategic population management.

'Mr Elguindy leads a team of five who actively manage the flow and placement of inmate cohorts into prison beds across the NSW correctional centre network, appropriate to their security risk, classification and gender,' the notes state.

'The CSNSW Executive Committee relies heavily on Mr Elguindy to provide crucial information to ensure the vital needs of the prison system are met, staff and inmates are always safe and operational requirements are always met.

'He remains calm and methodical in confrontational situations, while also taking into account the welfare of inmates under his care and balancing the constantly evolving needs of CSNSW.'

Clavell and Elguindy are due to appear in Penrith Local Court on May 15 and May 29 respectively. The inmates will face the same court on June 5.
Anthony Albanese's new measures to help combat violence against women have been slammed as 'disgraceful' for ignoring the realities that women face when fleeing abusive relationships.

The Prime Minister has set aside $925million over the next five years to assist women leaving violent relationships as part of a broad plan to tackle the crisis - which sees one woman die in Australia every four days at the hands of their partner.

Under the scheme, women in danger will be eligible for a $5,000 payment to help them escape.

Speaking immediately after a National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Mr Albanese also announced a plan to 'introduce legislation to ban the creation and distribution of deep fake pornography' in order to combat 'toxic male views online'.

'Violence against women is not a women's problem to solve. It is a whole of society problem to solve. Men in particular have to take responsibility,' he said.

Dr Jess Ison, researcher at La Trobe Rural Health School, told Daily Mail Australia that while eSafety and education for young people is crucial for long-term prevention, she questioned whether the move was a Band-Aid solution to a complex problem.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to address violence against women

The Prime Minister is pictured at a protest calling for action to tackle the crisis

'What always concerns me in moments like this is that one or two things get funded and announced in a knee-jerk reaction, but there isn't the sustained and much bigger approach.

'There is no quick and easy fix, but sometimes it seems like the government thinks it can just throw money at it.'

Dr Kirsty Duncanson, a senior crime and justice lecturer, questioned whether it was a 'misdirection to focus on pornography'.

'The focus here needs to be on high risk and serial perpetrators,' she said.

'Governments need to be looking at improving police responses to people experiencing violence... especially for marginalised groups.

'What we need to be doing is focusing on what's happening in day to day life as well as the systemic gender inequality that already exists in society.'

Dr Ison also noted the one-off $5,000 payment for women fleeing violent relationships 'will run out very quickly'.

She said that without sustained support for long-term housing and mental health, women may feel they have no other option but to return to the violent relationship.

'Money isn't everything, but it absolutely helps,' she said. 'It's not the whole story.'

Greens spokesperson for women Larissa Waters said the government's plan doesn't go far enough to support victims.

Greens spokesperson for women Larissa Waters was critical of the policy

The Prime Minister has set aside $925million over the next five years to assist women leaving violent relationships as part of a broad plan to tackle the crisis - which sees one woman die in Australia every four days at the hands of their partner

'$925 mil over 5 years? That's all women get?' she asked.

'To help them reach out to support services - but not to FUND those services?! Which only receive half the funding needed to meet demand? After 50BILLION to Defence? And no national prevention program or Govt-run DV death toll?

'Disgraceful.'

Ms Waters argues that the government should have prioritised funding the frontline support services which help at-risk women.

Instead, she said the policy will 'simply increase demand on an already stretched sector'.

'The sector has called for $1billion per year to be able to help everyone who seeks it, and the federal government is providing just under half that. Nothing about today's announcement fixes that woeful underfunding.

'The pittance for women's safety today after $50billion to Defence announced last week is an indictment on the government's priorities.

'Nothing for frontline services. Nothing for housing. No new money for prevention. No DV death toll collected by government instead of volunteers.'
A group of female Labor MPs have written a letter of complaint to the Animal Justice Party after it used pictures of their faces surrounded by blood spatter in an anti-duck shooting advertisement.

The ads, which appeared on social media, were designed to criticise the Victorian Labor government's refusal to ban the controversial practice.

But several of the MPs targeted have demanded an apology from the Animal Justice Party, claiming the blood spattered portrayals promote violence.

The letter was co-signed by Labor MPs Katie Hall, Belinda Wilson, Christine Couzens, Nina Taylor, Kat Theophanous, Alison Marchant, Sonya Terpstra and Ella George.

The advertisements, which appeared on social media, were designed to criticise the Victorian Labor government's refusal to ban the controversial practice (pictured: Labor MP Nina Taylor)

The letter of complaint was co-signed by Labor MPs Katie Hall, Belinda Wilson, Christine Couzens, Nina Taylor, Kat Theophanous, Alison Marchant, Sonya Terpstra (pictured) and Ella George

READ MORE: Australia's youngest MP recalls the horrible moment her past as a stripper was first exposed by a cruel troll Advertisement

'We are seeking an apology for the distress this has caused to the female Members of parliament who were shocked to see images of their faces surrounded by blood splatter for the purposes of your political partys advertising,' the letter, obtained by the Herald Sun, reads.

'We are appalled that these images are being funded and endorsed by your political party.

'As you would be aware, we have a crisis in this country with respect to violence against women.

'Part of the cultural problem that needs to be addressed is the depiction of violence against women.

'Images such as the ones distributed of us were triggering to some of us.

'As you would be well aware women in politics are exposed to a range of gendered and sometimes violent threats.'

The outraged MPs suggested there were other ways the party could promote its concerns about duck hunting.

Animal Justice Party Victorian convenor Bronwyn Currie apologised for the ads.

'The image was designed to highlight the cruelty of the bloody and brutal duck hunt and make it clear that as members of the government, Labor MPs had the power to end it,' Ms Currie told the paper.

'The AJP is opposed to any form of violence. Our MPs and broader membership have been consistently visible and active in opposition to violence against women.'

But she said that violence against animals, such as duck hunting, was also a contributor to violence against humans.

'The indifference to, or acceptance of, the barbaric activity of duck hunting as "sport" and "recreation" is a broader example of societys apathy towards violence,' she said.
The Tamil family who won a long battle to avoid being deported from Australia says new laws brought in by Albanese government would have seen them jailed with two young girls wrenched away from their parents.

Priya Nadaraj and Nades Murugappan fled Sri Lanka as asylum seekers in 2018 before they met in Australia and had their two girls Kopika Nadesalingam and Tharnicaa Nadesalingam while living in the central Queensland town of Biloela.

Ms Nadaraja said laws proposed by the federal government would have put her and her husband in jail when they were fighting deportation with the children ripped from them.

Priya Nadaraj (pictured right) says her family could have been thrown in jail under new laws proposed by the Albanese government

'This shouldn't happen to other people like us,' she told the ABC.

'In 2019, when the last government put my family on a plane to Sri Lanka, we were terrified.

'We did not know what would happen to us in Sri Lanka, and we could not leave our community here in 'Bilo'.

'We fought to keep our family and community together.'

Under the new laws, which are in response to a looming High Court decision that could free 200 detainees unwanted by Australia, people who refuse to cooperate with attempts to deport them can face up to five years jail.

Simone Cameron, who led the campaign that finally saw the Tamil family allowed to stay in 2022, said Australians would view the new laws as unacceptable.

'Nobody in the Australian community should accept this cruelty being done to their friends, their workmates or their neighbours,' she said.

'The Albanese government must stop this cruelty, and drop this bill.'

The bill, which is stalled in parliament after the government attempt to rush it through in March, would also give Immigration Minister Andrew Giles the power to ban travel from countries that refused deportation from Australia.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil called the extra powers 'common sense' and said they are necessary to compel people to cooperate with authorities 'when they have no right to be here'.

After a long fight with immigration authorities, which almost saw the family deported to Sri Lanka, they finally gained the right to stay in Australia in 2022

The powers would help the government avoid the embarrassment of another 200 unwanted people being released from immigration detention by the High Court.

This would follow the High Court's decision in November to release 154 people held in indefinite detention who could not be deported to their origin countries for various reasons.

One of those freed Kuwaiti-born Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, 43, has been charged over his alleged role in a violent home invasion that left Perth Grandmother Ninette Simmons, 73, with severe facial injuries.

Other freed detainees have been arrested for a string of crimes across the country leading to intense political pressure on the Albanese government to show they are keeping the country safe from foreign-born criminals.

However, there are serious fears the proposed new laws could affect thousands of people living in the community on bridging visas.

Human Rights Law Centre Senior Lawyer Laura John told a Senate committee the bill could not be passed as it violated human rights.

'It confers a virtually unlimited power on the minister for Immigration to coerce any visa holder to assist with their own deportation, regardless of their age, health or connections to Australia,' she said.

'It continues an alarming trend of using the migration system to criminalise people on the basis of their visa status, with a penalty which is wholly disproportionate to the benign conduct it seeks to punish.

'It creates an unprecedented, unilateral and unchecked power for the minister to impose a travel ban, separating families and excluding entire countries of people on the basis of their nationality.'

Priya Nadaraj and Nades Murugappan and their children were held in immigration detention in 2018 when their bridging visas expired and they were found not to meet Australia's refugee requirements.

They were almost deported in August 2019 and had even boarded a plane back to Sri Lanka when minute injunction succeeded in keeping them in Australia.

Following a sustained campaign, including by Biloela residents who had come to think of the family as locals, they were returned to the town in 2022 and given permanent residency.
Columbia University protesters smashed windows, upended furniture and caused damage throughout Hamilton Hall during the occupation before police stormed the campus and arrested more than 100 protestors Tuesday night.

Around 40 protesters were arrested on the first floor of the building after police swooped just after 9pm ending the pro-Palestine encampment that stretched on for nearly two weeks and included students taking over the hall.

Pictures and video taken of the aftermath show the hall's trashed interior strewn with activists' belongings.

Columbia's President Minouche Shafik called in the NYPD in to 'restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests, which also included a massive encampment on the school's lawns.

The raid saw demonstrators arrested across the campus and at nearby City College New York, where similar protests unfolded.

Columbia University protesters smashed windows, upended furniture and caused damage throughout Hamilton Hall amid their brief occupation

Images and video showed extensive damage to Hamilton Hall after protesters were evicted on Tuesday night

NYPD riot cops released dramatic video showing the moment they stormed Columbia University's occupied Hamilton Hall

Images taken after the raid show the hall's trashed with activists' belongings

NYPD cops dressed in riot gear stormed through the window of a Columbia University building occupied by dozens of pro-Palestine protesters to begin clearing them out

New York City police officers use a ramp on an armored vehicle to enter Hamilton Hall via a second-floor window at Columbia University after pro-Palestinian protestors barricaded themselves in the building

Police use a vehicle named 'the bear' to enter Hamilton Hall from a public street, which was occupied by protesters, as other officers enter the campus of Columbia University

Police stormed Hamilton Hall through an upstairs window after students used furniture to barricade the entrance.

Pictures show how chairs and desks have been turned upside down to become makeshift barriers. The cost of damage to the building is likely to total thousands of dollars.

The occupation followed weeks of unrest at Columbia, which began with the establishment of the encampment on April 17.

Protesters set up tents after Shafik was grilled before Congress about anti-Semitism on campus.

They repeatedly ignored calls to disband, with the demonstrations ramping up early Tuesday with the violent takeover of Hamilton Hall.

After two weeks of chaos, which saw classes moved online and facilities shuttered, Shafik finally called in the police who managed to clear out the campus in just two hours.

University administrators have now asked the police to maintain a presence until May 17, two days after graduation.

Damage to the historic Hamilton Hall is estimate to total thousands of dollars following its short-lived occupation

Video from the college showed hundreds of cops in riot gear and armed with zip-tie handcuffs and pepper spray surrounding the campus

NYPD officers arrive in riot gear to evict a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University

The NYPD announced that it had cleared the building just before 11pm with no injuries.

Hours earlier, video showed cops sporting riot gear descending on the campus armed with zip-tie handcuffs and pepper spray.

Until Tuesday, Shafik had held off asking police to intervene following backlash to the decision to use law enforcement to disperse a previous encampment.

However, the decision to call the NYPD was taken after the increasingly violent tactics and concerns the protest had been infiltrated by 'outside agitators' with no ties to the university.

In a statement, the university said the decision to call in police was, 'made to restore safety and order to our community'.

'We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions,' the statement read.

'After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice.

'Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.'

The NYPD confirmed those occupying Hamilton Hall could be charged with trespass and burglary, while those in the encampment could be hit with trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

Windows were left shattered and furniture over turned as protesters used the office supplies to create makeshift barriers

Members of the NYPD prepared to enter Columbia University campus after protestors took over Hamilton Hall overnight yesterday

Cops swarmed on Hamilton Hall carrying riot shields as they swept through the building

Members of the NYPD surround and breach Hamilton Hall where demonstrators barricaded themselves inside on the Columbia University campus on April 30, 2024 in New York City

Protestors and students face off with the NYPD at Columbia University. SWAT MRAP approaches Hamilton hall

Police stormed the building where protestors had set up camp

NYPD law enforcement officials stand by on closed streets surrounding Columbia University in a comprehensive operation to clear campus of students who barricaded themselves in a building on campus and established an encampment while protesting in support of Palestinians

Cops were armed with zip ties and pepper spray as they stormed the campus at around 9.3-pm on Tuesday

The police operation was concluded within around two hours of cops storming the campus

Protesters have been demanding the college divest from companies with links to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas.

They have taken inspiration from previous student-led protests, such as the successful 1985 campaign to get the university to divest from South Africa 's apartheid regime.

Shafik has so far rejected calls for an Israeli divestment, but said the issue could be reviewed by the school's Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing.

However, the offer was deemed insufficient by the protesters and the demonstrations went ahead.

The clearing of the demonstrations is by no means the end of the problems being faced by the beleaguered Shafik.

Shortly after police began their raid, her own faculty released a statement condemning the decision and blaming her administration for allowing tensions to reach a boiling point.

Many Jewish students and their supporters are angry that it took so long for officials to crack down on the protests amid allegations of anti-Semitism.

The demonstrations also came at a time when many students were cramming for finals, causing maximum disruption.

Pro-Palestinian supporters confront police during demonstrations

Columbia President Minouche Shafik called in the NYPD in to 'restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests which also included a massive encampment at the school

Officers with the New York Police Department raid the encampment by pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday

The NYPD had warned the protests has been co-opted by 'dangerous' external agitators

The decision to call in police was condemned by the Columbia University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors

Demonstrators linked arms to protect their fellow protestors barricaded inside Hamilton Hall from authorities as members of the NYPD surround the Columbia University campus to clear the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on April 30

Dozens of helmeted police flooded Columbia University's campus in the heart of New York City on April 30 to evict a building occupied by pro-Palestinian student protesters and detain demonstrators

Police were first called to Columbia on April 18 and made more than 100 arrests.

However, a new encampment soon sprouted up to replace it which remained for a further two weeks. Similar demonstrations cropped at other universities across the country, which have also since been shut down.

At the same time police were flooding Columbia, they were also pouring onto another campus in the Big Apple.

Protesters threw flares and barricaded themselves inside an administrative building at the City University of New York, about 20 blocks north of Columbia University.

NYPD officers moved in after 9.30pm to disperse crowds outside as flares turned the college's famous arch red and protestors chanted and waved flags in support of Gaza.

At a press conference before the raids, NYPD Assistant Commissioner Rebecca Weiner warned the protest had been co-opted by external agitators who were not affiliated with the university.

She stressed the occupation had the potential to spill into other campus buildings, as well as other universities across the country.

The request for police intervention came hours after activists stormed Hamilton Hall forcing the university to close its campus

Footage taken from a stair well in Hamilton Hall shows offices rapidly working to remove chairs and other obstacles used by the students to barricade themselves in

Members of the NYPD detain protesters from the pro-Palestinian protest encampment and Hamilton Hall

Police arrested nearly 100 people as they cleared the university of demonstrators who were issued a notice to disband their encampment after negotiations failed to come to a resolution

'This is not about what's happening overseas, it's not about the last seven months, it's about a very different commitment to at times violent protest activity as an occupation,' she said.

'They haven't got a right to be on campus and this violates university polices and most importantly, presents a danger to students and the university and communities.

'When we see what we saw last night, we think these tactics are a result of guidance being given to students from these external actors.'
A brawl erupted at his murder arraignment between his and Decoff's families

A bloody brawl broke out between the family of a young woman mowed down in a road rage incident and relatives of the man accused of killing her.

Destini Decoff, 26, died in the hospital on April 4, less than 72 hours after she was hit by Ryan Sweatt's Honda Civic on Route 85 north of Milford, Massachusetts.

Sweatt, 36, told police he had been threatened with a knife by the four men in Destini's car, but police alleged he made two U-turns before running her over.

He faced Framingham District Court on Tuesday after being charged with murder at an arraignment attended by relatives on both sides.

Once the hearing was over, the two family groups faced off in the hallway outside and hurled abuse at each other before a fight broke out.

Destini Decoff, 26, was fatally injured when the car she was travelling in became caught up in a road rage incident on Route 85 north of Milford in Massachusetts

Tense moments with fists flying in Framingham after charges against Milford man involved in alleged road rage case in Hopkinton 3 weeks ago were updated to murder after Destini Decoff died of her injuriesvictims mother demanding justice #7News pic.twitter.com/u7yhSISDJz  Steve Cooper (@scooperon7) April 30, 2024

Decoff's aunt, Dawn Anderson, claimed Sweatt's girlfriend attacked her first, giving her a cut on her neck that was bleeding after the brawl.

'She came towards me and tried to grab the top of my hair but as you can see my hair's slicked back so that kind of didn't work and I got her on the ground,' she told Boston 25.

'Destini will get her justice somehow, someway, but that family is sick, sick, sick, sick.'

It was unclear if anyone was charged over the brawl.

Sweatt's lawyers insisted he never meant to kill Decoff and he struck her by accident, but police alleged that claim was inconsistent with evidence.

'This is not a road rage case as reported by the media. This was an accident that resulted when Ryan tried to get away from the group of people who came out of their car to attack him,' Sweatt's lawyer said.

Ryan Sweatt, 36, faced Framingham District Court on Tuesday after being charged with murder at an arraignment attended by family of both parties

Decoff's and Sweatt's families hurled abuse at each other in the hallway after the hearing, which escalated into a bloody brawl before court officers pulled them apart

'He did not see the person who was struck. He stopped his car after the impacted and cooperated with the police.

'There is a lot more to what was reported in the news and as the facts come to light, I am confident it will become obvious this was a just a tragic accident.

'Ryan is a peaceful person who has always maintained a clean record with a long history of gainful employment. He was going home from work when the accident happened.'

Decoff's mother, Tracy, was unconvinced, insisting the young woman's death was intentional and murder.

'If Massachusetts had the death penalty thats what I would want,' she said.

She said she hoped Sweatt 'burns in hell' after surveillance footage showed him turning round and steering into the group of friends, rather than driving off.

'He turned around multiple times and he coulda just kept going,' witness Brett Martin said.

Destini was taken to hospital suffering from a brain bleed, collapsed lungs, and fractures to her shoulder, tibia and ribs

Her mother Tracy switched off her life support system three days after she was hit and swore to win justice for her daughter

'He could have kept going. He chose to turn around, chose to come back. He knew what he was doing when he went towards that girl.

'I didn't see her go up in the air. But I saw her come down, hit the pavement. It wasn't good from there.'

'I saw her mid-air kind of coming down towards the street, her jacket must've been 20 feet away from her. However she got hit, those clothes flew off.'

Sweatt told police he had left work and was driving home to Milford when the other car pulled in front of him, and its driver slammed on the brakes.

A police officer caught up with Sweatt and saw damage to his windscreen after seeing him speed away.

'They're trying to kill me,' he told the officer, gesturing back to the people gathered around Destini who was lying in a pool of blood.

Destini was taken to the hospital suffering from a brain bleed, collapsed lungs, and fractures to her shoulder, tibia and ribs.

She had an emergency operation to remove her spleen and part of her skull to relieve pressure on her swollen brain but never regained consciousness.

Tracy switched off her daughter's life support system three days after she was hit and swore to win justice for her daughter.

'With every ounce of my being I hope that mf burns directly in hell!' she wrote on Facebook.

'Today my biggest fear as a mother became my reality. My first-born child and best friend is no longer with me.

'I don't break promises and I promise you with every ounce of my being I will get justice for you regardless of what it takes.

'Go spread those beautiful wings and fly without pain and suffering.'

Tracy Decoff thanked medics at Umass Memorial Medical Center who tried to save her daughter's life and gave her a print-out of Destini's last heartbeats

'My first born child and best friend is no longer with me,' Destini's mother wrote, 'I don't break promises and I promise you with every ounce of my being I will get justice for you '

Tracy thanked medics at Umass Memorial Medical Center who tried to save her daughter's life and gave her a print-out of Destini's last heartbeats.

'I know from working in the medical field you are supposed to hold in your emotions,' she wrote.

'All the doctors, all different types of trauma surgeons were amazing.

'The anesthesiologist cried with me saying how sorry she was. Those trauma ICU nurses are unmatched by no other! Hugging and crying with my other kids and family.

'I had a nurse that wasn't even my daughter's nurse telling me she's from Medway and how popular my daughter is there. 'Medway loves her' is what she said.

'After they called it this nurse let me help her make my daughter's final handprints and printed her heartbeat put in a bottle.

'So many of them said we can tell underneath all her injuries she's a pretty girl.

'I said absolutely beautiful. I will treasure these forever.'
The father of a seven-year-old girl who was crushed to death aboard a packed migrant boat as they tried to cross the Channel has recounted the horrible moment he realised he could not save his daughter.

Ahmed Alhashimi, 41, found himself trapped on an overloaded dinghy, battling for air, screaming and begging people to move when the craft capsized near Calais on Tuesday morning.

He told the BBC today how he fought to keep hold of his daughter Sara's hand amidst the growing panic but lost her to the stampede and could not prevent her from being trampled to death.

'That time was like death itself. We saw people dying. I saw how those men were behaving. They didn't care whom they were stepping on - a child, or someone's head, young or old,' Ahmed said through tears. 'I could not protect her. I will never forgive myself. But the sea was the only choice I had.'

Ahmed, an Iraqi who spent 14 years in Europe after fleeing his homeland, later revealed he had spent years applying for asylum in the EU, only to be rejected time and again.

He and his family were facing deportation back to Iraq, leaving them with only one option - to make a break across the Channel for British shores.

'If people were in my place, what would they do? Those who (criticise me) haven't suffered what I've suffered. This was my last option,' he declared.

Sara (pictured) died while trying to cross the Channel to Britain last week

Sara (right) pictured with her father Ahmed

Five people, including a child, died while trying to cross the English Channel from France to the UK aboard the horrendously overcrowded dinghy

Five people, including young Sara, were trampled to death or suffocated beneath the heaving mass of bodies on the dinghy, which capsized just off the coast of Wimereux, near Boulogne-sur-Mer just south of Calais.

The vessel was horrendously overcrowded - 112 people were crammed onto the boat by ruthless human traffickers who are suspected of charging the helpless migrants up to 1000-a-head to board the inflatable dinghy.

French police had attempted to intervene, but were pushed back by migrants and smugglers who swung sticks at them and threw flares.

As the crowd of migrants pressed tightly together, Ahmed desperately tried to hold onto Sara, who had fallen beneath the feet of other passengers and was being trampled as the dinghy began to capsize.

But her hand slipped away as the sheer weight of her fellow passengers tore her arm away from Ahmed's grasp.

'I'm a construction worker. I'm strong. But I couldn't pull my leg out. No wonder my little girl couldn't either. She was under our feet,' said Ahmed.

By the time the boat was pulled ashore, Sara was dead, the air forced out of her tiny body by the crushing weight of humanity scrambling to save themselves.

She is survived by the rest of her family - her father Ahmed, his wife Nour Al Saeed, and their two other children, 13-year-old Rahaf and eight-year-old Hussam.

Sara (right) with her brother Hussam, (left) and sister, Rahaf (centre)

A family drawing depicting father Ahmed and mother Nour Al Saeed, Sara and her brother and sister Hussam and Rahaf

The massively overcrowded small boat with 112 people on board briefly ran aground off the northern French coast at Wimereux, near Boulogne-sur-Mer. Migrants are seen aboard the boat a second time, setting off for a successful crossing, after the tragedy occurred earlier in the day

Migrants were seen beating back the French police using only wooden sticks and firecrackers

The dinghy got into difficulty off the coast of Wimereux between Calais and Boulogne

While Ahmed is Iraqi, Sara was born in Belgium and had spent most her life in Sweden.

It is understood that Belgium reportedly denied Ahmed asylum because his hometown of Basra, in Iraq, was considered safe.

He told the BBC he had spent 14 years in the EU and his children had spent the last seven years staying with relatives in Sweden.

But they were recently informed they were going to be deported, despite all three of the children being in school and both parents being in work.

This news is what prompted Ahmed to resort to attempting the perilous Channel crossing, arguing he had no other choice but face deportation.

'I spent 14 years in Europe and have been rejected,' he said flatly, adding that if there was 'a 1% chance I could keep the kids in Belgium or France or Sweden, I would keep them there'.

The family-of-five had already tried to cross the Channel three times, but had been stopped twice after police had caught them on the beach.

Eva Jonsson, Sara's primary school teacher in Udevalla, Sweden, described the seven-year-old as 'kind and nice' in a video message to the BBC.

She went on to describe the tragedy as 'very unfortunate', adding she had taught another of Ahmed's children and that she was 'really shocked' at the news they were set to be deported.

Once the migrants were in the boat, the officers said there was no more they could do

Emergency vehicles were seen beside an ice cream shop on the beach at Wimereux in France yesterday morning

A helicopter of the Emergency medical services takes off from Wimereux on April 23

Ahmed and his family returned to the French shoreline, where French authorities have provided shelter for them as they wait to bury Sara's body.

Many of the other migrants meanwhile recovered the craft and later reattempted the crossing, reaching British waters several hours later where three suspected people traffickers were arrested.

A criminal enquiry is underway, but it is already clear that the boat was unseaworthy, not properly inflated and dangerously overcrowded.

Craig Turner, deputy director of investigations for the National Crime Agency said: 'This tragic incident once again demonstrates the threat to life posed by these crossings and bring into focus why it is so important to target the criminal gangs involved in organising them.

'We will do all we can with partners in the UK and France to secure evidence, identify those responsible for this event, and bring them to justice.'

A group of young men 'rushed the boat' just as it set off, according to claims.

Guirec Le Bras, the prosecutor in Boulogne, has also opened an enquiry into 'manslaughter, criminal association and the assistance of foreigners in an irregular situation'.

Once the migrants had got into the boat, the French police stopped trying to prevent them leaving, the BBC reported.
EXCLUSIVE

The devastated partner of a man accused of being one of NSW's worst animal abusers has broken down recalling how he was completely blindsided by his boyfriend's alleged double life.

Mick Mepham was at his home in Moorland, near Taree, on Tuesday when a team of police and RSPCA inspector's stormed the rural property at about 7.30am and arrested his partner, Colin Baker, 38.

Police will allege Baker, who goes by the online pseudonym 'Beast Boy', used encrypted messaging apps to share bestiality material featuring dogs, sheep, goats, chickens and a dead kangaroo.

He is also accused of possessing child abuse material and using a carriage service to access and solicit child abuse material, with more charges expected to be laid.

Fighting back tears, Mr Mepham said he was 'shocked and confused' when he first learnt about the allegations from officers who pulled him aside to speak to him as Baker was being arrested.

Colin Baker's partner Mick Mepham (pictured) said he was horrified to learn the allegations against his boyfriend

Colin Baker, 38, (pictured) is accused of being one of the worst animal exploitation producers in NSW

'What the f***. How can anyone [allegedly] do that?' he told Daily Mail Australia outside the couple's home on Wednesday.

'It is beyond comprehension... Then to hear it [allegedly] happened in my own f***ing home,' he said, angrily banging his fist into the side of his front door.

'I keep asking myself, ''how didn't I know?'' [he was allegedly committing those offences].

'You can never truly know someone.'

During the raid, authorities seized several items from the property - including Baker's computers, hard drives, and Mr Mepham's beloved seven-year-old dog, Loppy.

For Mr Mepham, the most devastating part of the situation has been learning from police officers that his partner had allegedly been sexually abusing her behind his back then having her taken away by the RSPCA.

'I love that dog so much. She is my little rock,' he said, his eyes swelling with tears.'I called her Loppy because she flops her head on your shoulder when you pick her up.

Baker is pictured being arrested by police officers on Tuesday

RSPCA officers are pictured removing Loppy from the property

'She was a rescue. I took her in about three years ago. That dog has been through so much already.

'The hardest part is she didn't trust anybody when I first got her and it took six months before she would trust me... And to think..,' he said trailing off and shaking his head.

'I just want her home.'

Mr Mepham said he met Baker, who is originally from Texas, in south Queensland, on Grindr three years ago while the pair were living in Binnaway, in Central West NSW.

After being forced to move out of their last property when their landlord sold up, the couple struggled to find another rental and made the decision to relocate to 478km east to Moorland, on the NSW Mid Coast.

While Mr Mepham picked up work at a local furniture store, he said Baker was unemployed and he 'could not get him to work'.

Instead, Baker stayed at home on his computers all day with the couple's two pets - Mr Mepham's dog, Loppy, and Baker's dog Jake - who passed away three months ago from cancer.

Mr Mepham, who is around 15 years older than Baker, said he was 'digitally illiterate' and paid no attention to Baker's activity on the multiple computer screens the accused animal abuser had set up at home.

He said the couple had a loving relationship and there were never any signs that anything was amiss.

Aside from their two dogs, Mr Mepham said there were no other farm animals on their property and he has no idea where his partner was allegedly accessing the other animals he allegedly abused.

Baker had a profile on a gay porn platforms. Pictured above is one of the photos used on his account

Mr Mepham said he has been completely blindsided by his partner's alleged double life

Mr Mepham said he has been angry with himself as he struggles to come to terms with how Baker could of allegedly been committing such vile acts under his nose without him noticing.

'I love animals. I consider myself like an animal activist. Sometimes there are snakes on the property. I always safely catch them and relocate them.'

Mr Mepham said Baker called him from jail yesterday to ask if he could call his mother for him.

During the conversation, Baker said 'there is a lot more to the situation' than Mr Mepham knows and he will 'always love me'.

He said it was difficult to reconcile the person he loved and the person who allegedly committed such horrifying acts.

Mr Mepham spent the last night in a hotel to get away from their house as he continues to process the roller coaster of emotions over the traumatic past 24 hours.

Now, he is struggling to comprehend the logistics of his new life, with the couple's car and wifi registered in Baker's name.

Police will allege Baker abused dogs inside his Moorland home (pictured)

A ramshackle shed that sits alongside the rural property

But most importantly, he just wants Loppy back - who he has been told has been taken to Newcastle and may not be returned for up to six months.

'Now I have to pay $25 a day for her while she's there. I don't know how I'm going to do that,' he said.

'I feel like a fish out of water right now. It is like someone has died and is haunting me - except he isn't dead.'

Daily Mail Australia can also reveal Baker had profiles on a gay porn website, featuring photos of him dressed in leather straps and posing naked with a teddy bear in front of his genitals.

In one online bio, he wrote: 'Just hit me up', while another reads 'need a hot f***'.

Court documents obtained by Daily Mail Australia reveal police will allege Baker sexually abused several animals and filmed the acts in Moorland between 2020 and 2024.

On three separate occasions in 2020, he allegedly had sex with a chicken, ram, and a dead kangaroo - and filmed the act with the marsupial.

Over the next two years, his attention allegedly turned to abusing a large brown dog - who Daily Mail Australia understands to be Jake.

The couple moved to the rural rental property about two and a half years ago

During that period, he allegedly made the dog sodomise him while recording the act before distributed the exploitation material online. Police will allege that process happened twice in August 2022.

Police will further allege he also distributed those videos again in early 2023 to people online.

However, many of the alleged offences took place over the past two months.

Police will allege he raped Loppy on 15 March - before raping a Golden Retriever the following day.

During that same time frame, police will allege he accessed child abuse material including 7 photos and 27 videos - including one showing little boys being sexually abused by men.

There were also allegedly 364 files of child abuse material found on a hard drive seized from his home on Tuesday.

Baker appeared appeared in Taree Local Court on Tuesday, where he was refused bail.

He is next due before court on 8 July.

As police investigations continue, under Strike Force Trawler, anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

The police allegations against Baker 2020 1 January - Baker allegedly raped a chicken 2 February - Baker allegedly had sex with a dead kangaroo Sometime between 1 January - 31 December - Baker allegedly raped a ram 2021 Sometime between 1 January 2021 - 31 December 2023 - Baker allegedly raped a sheep 2022 1 August - Baker allegedly made a large brown dog sodomise him and made a video. 8 August - Baker allegedly made a large brown dog sodomise him and made an eight minute video of the act. 2023 8 February - he allegedly sent two videos - one nine minutes and another eight minutes in length - of him engaging in bestiality with the large brown dog to someone online. 2024 Sometime between 12 March - 29 April - Baker allegedly sends 9 bestiality photos to someone online 15 March - Baker allegedly made a video of himself raping a small white dog 16 March - Baker allegedly sexually rapes a Golden Retriever 25 March - Baker allegedly accesses child abuse material featuring young boys and adult men Sometime between 30 March and 27 April - Baker allegedly accesses seven photos and 27 videos of child abuse material 30 April - Police allegedly find 364 files of child abuse material on Baker's hard drive Advertisement
Criminal charges over Victoria's fatally flawed COVID-19 hotel scheme have been dropped, with the workplace watchdog criticising the decision by prosecutors.

Worksafe charged the Department of Health in September 2021 with 58 breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, after a 15-month investigation into the bungled system.

But the case has been canned days out from trial after the County Court threw out evidence unearthed during a separate judicial inquiry.

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas at parliament on Wednesday confirmed the charges against the department had been dropped by the Office of Public Prosecutions a day earlier.

'WorkSafe is deeply disappointed by the decision to discontinue criminal proceedings,' a spokesperson said in a statement.

The judicial inquiry into the program found 99 per cent of Victoria's second wave of Covid-19 cases could be traced back to private security guards who became infected at the Rydges on Swanston and Stamford Plaza hotels in May and June 2020

'As an independent regulator, WorkSafe strives to enforce the highest standards of health and safety for workers and the community it serves.'

The case fell apart after an April 9 ruling by the County Court to exclude evidence produced by the 2020 judicial inquiry, led by Judge Jennifer Coate, into the hotel quarantine scheme.

The ruling was that 10 witnesses provided statements to the Coate inquiry on the health department's behalf and under legislation, the statements could not be used against the department in the criminal proceeding.

The prosecutors office did not appeal the decision and said it 'substantially weakened' their case.

'As a consequence of the evidentiary ruling, a determination was made that there were not reasonable prospects of conviction in relation to the charges before the court,' the office said in a statement.

Opposition Leader John Pesutto, a lawyer by trade, questioned prosecutors' justification for not proceeding with the trial.

'If evidence were not admissible that came out of the Coate inquiry, there are other ways you can adduce evidence in a criminal proceeding,' he said.

'A lot of Victorians today will be wondering why no one, whether (through) the Coate inquiry or now the abandonment of this criminal proceeding ... is going to be held accountable for one of the worst disasters in Victoria's recent history.'

More than 40 charges alleged the department failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, that persons other than employees were not exposed to health and safety risks arising from conduct of its undertaking.

Another 17 charges allege the department failed to provide and maintain an environment as safe and without risk to health for its employees.

The second wave resulted in more than 18,000 new infections, 800 deaths and a lockdown that lasted 112 days

In March 2023, a magistrate found there was sufficient evidence to support a conviction and sent the matter to the County Court for trial, which was scheduled to begin on Monday.

But the department applied to the court to have the matter discontinued - and the Office of Public Prosecutions agreed to it - on Tuesday.

The department was responsible between March and July 2020 for the state's first hotel quarantine program.

The judicial inquiry into the program found 99 per cent of Victoria's second wave of COVID-19 cases could be traced back to private security guards who became infected at the Rydges on Swanston and Stamford Plaza hotels in May and June 2020.

The second wave resulted in more than 18,000 new infections, 800 deaths and a lockdown that lasted 112 days.
Christopher Bell was having a few beers with workmates when he decided to jump behind the wheel of a Bobcat he had never driven before - it had tragic consequences.

The 53-year-old drove around in circles at the Bangholme site in Melbourne's south-east, repeatedly driving towards his three colleagues on the afternoon of September 7, 2022.

The group considered the mood to be jovial but it quickly turned to tragedy when Bell accelerated towards George Tereva and ran him over.

Mr Tereva was trapped under the machinery, suffering a deep cut to his calf and abrasions to his back and pelvis.

Paramedics were called and while Mr Tereva was initially breathing and conscious, his condition quickly deteriorated and he died in hospital.

Christopher Bell (pictured) was having a few beers with workmates when he decided to jump behind the wheel of a Bobcat he had never driven before - it had tragic consequences

READ MORE: Her daughter was killed in the Bondi Junction stabbings... but how she found out has left her furious Elizabeth Young, the mother of Bondi Junction stabbing victim Jade Young, is pictured Advertisement

Bell left the scene before police arrived but returned an hour later and did a blood alcohol test that showed a reading of 0.1.

He admitted drinking four or five beers but claimed Mr Tereva encouraged him to drive the Bobcat.

Bell told police he shouldn't have been operating the excavator but denied performing any circles, instead saying the machinery bucked forward before the fatal collision.

It took 11 months for detectives to charge Bell with manslaughter by criminal negligence and he was extradited from NSW to face the charges in August 2023.

In a pre-sentence hearing in the Victorian Supreme Court on Wednesday, Mr Tereva's long-term partner, mother and daughter all submitted statements.

His mother Pauline told Justice Christopher Beale her son was a beautiful boy who was so full of life.

'I can't stop thinking about what happened and how he must have suffered,' she said through tears.

'I have a lot of anger and frustration over the senselessness of it all.'

Bell kept his head down throughout her statement and appeared to be holding back tears.

His barrister Angie Wong said Bell was deeply remorseful and took full responsibility for his offending.

'The guilt and the horror is something that weighs upon him heavily,' Ms Wong said.

'This is a case of stupidity rather than wickedness ... but it had extremely grave consequences.'

Prosecutor Erin Ramsay conceded Bell had genuine remorse, and he did not intend to run over and kill Mr Tereva.

But she submitted he did deliberately drive towards Mr Tereva, even after the 34-year-old said he wasn't going to move.

Ms Ramsay said it was clear Bell lied to detectives as CCTV footage showed him performing the circles and driving at the group repeatedly, and those lies led to the 11-month delay in charges being laid.

But Ms Wong said detectives were able to assess the Bobcat and CCTV footage shortly after the incident, so Bell shouldn't be solely to blame for the delays.

She submitted her client had diagnosed ADHD and post-traumatic stress disorder, which could be linked to his offending as he was more impulsive and used alcohol to cope.

Christopher Bell, 53, drove the Bobcat around in circles at the Bangholme site in Melbourne's south-east, repeatedly driving towards his three colleagues on the afternoon of September 7, 2022. A stock image of a Bobcat is pictured

Ms Wong conceded a jail term was the only appropriate sentence but said Bell's time in custody would be more onerous due to his mental health conditions.

Justice Beale accepted Bell had genuine remorse and his very early guilty plea warranted a substantial discount on sentence.

But the judge also noted Bell's lies to police and his assertion that Mr Tereva encouraged him to get behind the wheel, even though other witnesses did not hear such encouragements.

Bell will be sentenced on June 14.
A huge 1billion scheme for three tower blocks, including more than 400 homes, near Blackfriars Bridge has been approved despite neighbours' concerns.

A 195m office block and two residential towers - 155m and 95m tall - will go ahead despite protests that it will harm views from St James's Park and the Foreign Office.

The scheme for 18 Blackfriars Road will see the tower be taller than the nearby distinctive landmark 1 Blackfriars Road, informally known as The Vase or The Boomerang, which stands at 163m.

Southwark Council approved the plan on Monday, creating 433 new homes which will be 'fossil fuel free, 100 per cent electric and Net Zero Carbon in operation'.

Of these, 40.5 per cent will be affordable housing, and generate 11m in social housing funding.

 Slide me  Plans for 18 Blackfriars Road will see it tower above landmark The Boomerang. Pictured is the London Skyline as it stands, and how it may look with the new towers

A view of what the new development could look like as part of the London skyline

The controversial proposals have come under fire from Westminster City Council.

It lodged a formal objection, saying the new towers will 'significantly' detract from the views from St James's Park, along with those from the Foreign Office.

Neighbours also protested the scheme, including those living on Waterloo's Roupell Street.

It is known for its rows of relatively untouched beautiful 19th Century houses seen in shows such as Call the Midwife, Mr Selfridge and Doctor Who.

Residents slammed the 'unprecedented size' of the buildings proposed, according to The Standard.

But it was claimed that the developer, Hines, plans to emphasise the character of Roupell Street's two-storey houses through contrast.

Two Grade II-listed buildings currently reside on the site and will be retained but will have alterations made.

A mock-up of what a mixed-use area with retail and cafes could look like in the development

A Google Street view of the area of 18 Blackfriars Road, where the planned towers will be built

The plans will now be referred to the Mayor of London, who will choose whether to intervene or not.

Ross Blair, of developer Hines UK, said: 'Our plans will transform an undeveloped piece of land, most of which has lain empty for over 20 years, into much needed new homes and first class, sustainable and tech-enabled offices, built around a central hub which we hope will become a brand new convening space for the local community.

'Businesses of all sizes and from all sectors are demanding more from their offices because their employees are demanding more from them. 18 Blackfriars is all about rising to that challenge and delivering the office of the future.

'We believe our plans for 18 Blackfriars will set a new standard in premium quality workspace in London, both fully integrated into its hyper-local community and seated right at the heart of our capital city.

'Bringing this scheme to life underlines our long-term conviction in London as a thriving, global centre for culture, education and business.'
The grieving father of teenage mother who died in suspicious circumstances has opened up about the harrowing moment he found out she was dead and that he's lost without her.

Yolonda Mumbulla, 19, was found dead in her North Bondi unit on Tuesday morning after her partner Aaron Carey, 32, claimed to have found her not breathing.

Ms Mumbulla was pronounced dead at the scene.

When police arrived a short time later they arrested Carey, who was wanted on an unrelated outstanding warrant for larceny.

Her shattered father Derek Mumbler is completely 'cut up' over the loss of his youngest daughter.

'She is my beautiful daughter,' the father-of six told The Daily Telegraph.

Yolonda Mumbulla (pictured) was found unresponsive in her North Bondi unit on Tuesday morning

Derek Mumbler (pictured) said he is 'lost' without his youngest daughter

'This shouldnt happen. It shouldnt.'

'Im so lost.'

Mr Mumbler recalled how detectives came to his home on Tuesday morning to deliver the harrowing news that Yolonda had died.

'It shocked me big time,' he recalled.

'Its still hard to process it all at the moment.

'I miss my daughter. I miss her.'

Yolonda regularly travelled from North Bondi to visit her dad in Macquarie Fields in recent years.

'She was here last week. She was here for a couple of days,' he said.

'She was alright. I was glad to see her. We sat down and talked.

'We had a beautiful relationship.'

Mr Mumbler said his daughter - who descends from the Yuin and Yaegl tribes, left James Meehan High School in Year 11.

Daily Mail Australia previously revealed the troubled couple who were allegedly taking drugs together the night before, had a child together last year.

Mr Carey gushed about his new family in a social media post from January 2023.

'I love you so much babe. Thank you for starting a family with me,' he wrote.

The unit in North Bondi where Yolonda's body was found is part of a notorious public housing apartment block in the otherwise largely affluent suburb

'I'm the luckiest guy ever to have you in my life Yolonda.

'You make me the happiest man ever. I love you so much.'

However, Mr Mumbler claimed he didnt know Carey 'from a bar of soap.'

The unit where Ms Mumbulla was living is part of a squalid public housing apartment block in the otherwise largely affluent suburb.

A neighbour told Daily Mail Australia the unit complex is notorious for loud disturbances.

'It's a housing commission block, there is always fights and loud music coming from the units,' she said

'I used to live in a housing block so I know what they're like, now I live next door, this specific block has a lot of junkies living there.'

The pair were known to police, with an apprehended domestic violence order between them, which included standard conditions preventing them from associating.

Yolonda and her partner Aaron Carey welcomed a child together in 2023

NSW Police are now investigating if a drug overdose led to what detectives have declared to Yolonda's 'suspicious' death.

Following inquires, officers executed a search warrant at an address in nearby Flood Street in Bondi on Tuesday night, where police allegedly seized one g of methylamphetamine and cannabis at the scene.

Carey was charged with the outstanding warrant for larceny value less than or equal to $2000, three counts of enter vehicle or boat without consent of owner/occupier, destroy or damage property less than or equal to $2000, hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty, and goods suspected stolen in/on premises.'

Mr Carey was refused bail to appear in Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.

A second man, 34, was issued a field court attendance notice to appear at Waverley Local Court on June, 18.

Specialist forensic officers remained at the unit until late Tuesday as they continued investigations into her injuries.

It is understood that multiple lines of inquiry into Ms Mumbullas cause of death remain open.

A strike force was set up to investigate Ms Mumbullas death and lines of inquiry include misadventure, NSW Police said on Wednesday.
A restaurant on England's south coast says it has become the latest to fall victim to the craze of dine-and-dashers after a group of six people stuffed their faces with 240 of food and booze before legging it without paying the bill.

The Farm pub and restaurant in Eastbourne shared images of several people it claimed had eaten and drank for free on Sunday as they downed double vodka Red Bulls, bottles of prosecco and pints of lager.

The alleged dine-and-dashers also helped themselves to roast dinners and a burger at the cosy Sussex gastropub - then fled after their bank card declined, even taking their unfinished drinks with them.

Staff at the pub shared images of the alleged dine-and-dashers on Facebook in a bid to shame them - and told MailOnline they were livid at the brazenness with which the shameless thieves had filled their bellies before fleeing.

Management posted the pictures of their own CCTV of the four people that they said '"forgot" to pay' on Facebook, adding, tongue in cheek: 'How forgetful of them'.

The Farm on Eastbourne's Friday Street shared images of what it said were alleged dine and dashers who left without paying

It shared images of an alleged dine-and-dasher in a black top and jeans (left) and another alleged thief in a blue polo shirt (right)

The Farm shared the images on Facebook, claiming tongue-in-cheek that the diners '"forgot" to pay'

It has shared the pictures to make the alleged dine-and-dashers 'famous', adding that it had reported them to Sussex Police

The post, made on Tuesday, has been shared more than 300 times by locals - and is the latest example of alleged dine-and-dashing to hit the UK as experts claim reports of the crime are on the rise.

Among the group was a man in a blue polo shirt, black trousers and white trainers, another man in jeans and a black t-shirt, a woman in a full-length black jacket and black clothing and another person in jeans, black shoes and a grey jumper.

Staff at the pub, who spoke to MailOnline on condition of anonymity, said the incident had knocked their 'faith in human nature'.

'A group of six came in and we took their order, then one of them came up to the bar to pay,' one worker said.

'Something felt off. It was mostly drinks they were ordering - what was funny was that we asked if they wanted to split two Red Bulls for the vodkas and they said, "Well, if it makes it cheaper".

'Two women in the group got up and we looked at them as they were going to walk down the corridor and one of them had a pint of lager in her hand and a glass of prosecco, and she just smiled.

'His card declined twice and he said, "hang on a minute, I'll just grab another card". We went outside and they had vanished.'

Staff added that the group had been 'unsavoury' and 'larger than life' as they ordered several vodka Red Bulls, a bottle of prosecco and pints of lager as they sat down.

They then ordered more of the same as they tucked into Sunday roasts, running up a bill of around 240 in all.

The worker added: 'We gave them the benefit of the doubt. We gave them 24 hours to come back, which they didn't, and that's when we decided to put them all over social media.

'These people can't just get away with it. They feel they can - I don't know what drives them to do this.

'It knocked my faith in human nature a bit - the minority ruins it for the majority. They're scumbags - they're just scumbags. It's a terrible thing to do.'

The pub has reported the incident to Sussex Police. MailOnline has contacted the force for comment.

The claim comes after a spate of dine-and-dash incidents across the country - which a leading hospitality industry figure claims many restaurants are powerless to stop.

Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, says dine-and-dashing is on the rise amid stretched police resources, making alleged food thieves feel they are untouchable.

'In all honesty I think there is an escalation because people have been able to get away with it, with limited or no action taken by the police in many circumstances,' Mr Kill told Yahoo! News UK.

'The greater the chance of getting away with it, the more people will take that chance.

'It is also clear that police have limited or no time to deal with petty crime and businesses feel that these crimes are not being taken seriously, resulting in people walking free without recourse.'

Michael Kill, boss of industry body NTIA, says dine-and-dash incidents are on the rise because police do not have the resources to investigate them

A family-of-eight allegedly racked up an unpaid 329 bill when they sat at the Bella Ciao Italian restaurant in Swansea

The Indian restaurant Tamarind Bay in Exeter where the party of 20 ordered curries and naan as well as several bottles of fizzy pop and beers before fleeing, leaving behind a 270 bill

The thieves enjoyed a large meal of curries, naans and chips before walking out without settling the 270 bill

The group also got through dozens of drinks including beers and Coca Cola, pictured above

Last week, a married couple alleged to be serial dine-and-dashers in South Wales were charged with fraud and theft offences.

Bernard McDonagh, 41, and his wife Ann McDonagh, 39, have been charged with five counts of fraud and four of shoplifting.

The charges come after staff at the Bella Ciao Italian restaurant in Swansea claimed a family-of-eight left the establishment without paying for their meal on Friday evening, racking up a 329 bill.

The diners ordered expensive steaks, double desserts and 15 bottles of pop, but started to send back a number of half empty plates, which raised eyebrows among staff members.

CCTV footage went viral a week ago, with more than 12 million people viewing the post. Like the incident in Eastbourne, it appeared to show a mother attempting to pay with a savings account card which was declined twice.

She allegedly told staff that her son would wait inside while she went to get her 'other card', but did not return and moments later her son also vanished from the premises.

The family-owned restaurant learned that there was no way to contact the diners as the number they used to take the booking was allegedly 'fake'.

The restaurant's manager, Tyrone Reese, reported the incident to the police.

A South Wales police spokesman said: 'Two people have been charged with multiple offences following reports of several incidents of non-payment of restaurant bills and shoplifting.'

The pair, of Sandfields, Port Talbot, were released on bail and will appear before Swansea magistrates on May 8.

And last week, a group of 20 diners at the Tamarind Bay restaurant in Exeter allegedly left the owners 270 out of pocket after tucking into curry, chips and naan bread with chutneys, washing them down with fizzy drinks and beers.

They are then said to have fled without paying their dues. Manager Saiful Rahman said the incident, alleged to involve a family of Travellers, 'took the biscuit'.

He said that one man with his family of four, including two children, suddenly got up saying he was going to buy a birthday cake for the table next to them from the Tesco across the road.

Waiters realised the excuse was part of the scam after they were followed by two other tables in the group.

In an attempt to stop the cheapskates from running off without paying, waiters tried to chase them down as they got into their vehicles and drove off towards Exeter city centre.

The families ignored requests for payments, leaving behind a huge mess when they brazenly walked out of the restaurant.

Devon and Cornwall Police say enquiries are ongoing - even after MailOnline tracked down some of the vehicles seen fleeing the scene to a Travellers encampment 50 miles away.

And earlier in April six women allegedly ran up a 140 bill at the Wheelbarrow Castle pub in Worcester.

And a separate group of women at the La Bella Vista in St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex left a 425 bill behind after enjoying roast beef, kids bolognese and prawns.

Leaving a restaurant without paying is a crime and carries a prison sentence of up to two years.
New laws in Australia will crack down on deepfake pornography and other misogynist content to help combat the shocking rise in violence against women.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that $925m will be allocated over five years to help women escaping violent relationships and to combat 'toxic male extremist views about women online' following crisis talks with state leaders on Wednesday.

This includes new legislation to make illegal the creation and non-consensual distribution of deepfake porn, as well as the sharing of sexually-explicit material using artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology.

Deepfake porn is when a picture or video has been 'convincingly altered and manipulated' to show someone doing or saying something that never took place.

It comes after Mr Albanese called a snap national cabinet meeting on Wednesday in response to public outcry over the lack of action from politicians over the 'scourge' of violence against women.

Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland also addressed growing fears about how online content was 'normalising gendered violence'.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured talking at Wednesday's press conference) held crisis talks in response to Australians thinking the government was not doing enough to tackle the increased violence towards women

The government announced $925m has been allocated for a number of initiatives, including combating deepfakes and revenge porn (stock image)

READ MORE: Young woman found dead in flat identified as two men are charged with serious offences Emergency services were called to the unit on Hardy Street at North Bondi, where police discovered the body of Yolonda Mumbulla (pictured), 19, at about 9.20am on Tuesday Advertisement

Ms Rowland announced $6.5m in the upcoming federal budget for a pilot of 'age-assurance technologies' to reduce children's exposure to harmful content.

'I'm well aware as a parent myself to two young girls, there is a weight that parents are feeling about how to help their children navigate the online environment,' she told reporters.

'Reducing this exposure to harmful and degrading pornography will better protect the women and children of Australia and we will have more to say about our plans to strengthen online safety.'

While 'revenge porn' remains a concern, in recent months the impact of deepfake distribution in Aussie schools has been highlighted.

When asked on Wednesday how Australia can reduce access to deepfakes, especially since most of it is posted from overseas, Ms Rowland said new laws would work in a similar way to the existing legislation regarding the sharing of intimate images.

'We perceive that this will be part of that ongoing piece of work to ensure that that kind of material is not made available, and it has the appropriate records to be taken down because (in) many of these cases, what the affected person wants to see is the material taken down,' she said.

'We are confident that, based on existing precedent that we have in relation to this type of content that forms deepfakes, that we can have meaningful and impactful change in this area.'

Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland (pictured on Wednesday) announced part of the money will be used to reduce children's exposure to harmful content online

Federal Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said parents need to be given more 'support and resources' when talking to their children about online material, and said the government needs to help end the violent content on the internet.

'We know that to end violence against women, we do need generational change and we need positive role models for young boys to ensure that those negative stereotypes are countered,' she said.

'And that influencers that promote damaging attitudes towards women are also countered.'

Deepfake pornography is poised to have far-reaching consequences for Australians.

'The peril lies in the fact that the real individuals have no control over what deepfakes, created using advanced AI techniques, might communicate,' Elegant Media founder and Melbourne-based AI expert Anuska Bandara told news.com.au.

New laws in Australia will crack down on deepfake and misogynist content to help combat violence against women. Pictured is Mr Albanese at a rally on Canberra

'Exploiting this technology, scammers are leveraging deepfakes to influence unsuspecting individuals, leading them into dangerous situations or even engaging in the distribution of explicit content,'

'The ramifications of this misuse pose a significant threat to the wellbeing and safety of the younger generation as they navigate the online landscape.'

One woman in Australia, on average, has been killed every four days since the beginning of the year.

Mr Albanese told reporters there is no overnight solution to violence against women and children.

'My government is absolutely committed to making progress to end family, domestic and sexual violence in one generation through our National Plan,' he said.

'I am satisfied it is a further step forward. Can we be satisfied when a woman is losing her life on average every four days? Of course not.'

If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual abuse or family violence contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 .
A four-month-old baby boy has been left in a coma after his Italian grandmother accidentally used wine to dilute his powdered milk.

The baby is in an ethyl coma after the woman confused a wine bottle for the dark-coloured glass water bottle when preparing the milk, according to local reports.

The grandmother, from Francavilla Fontana in the southern Italian province of Brindisi, reportedly gave the baby the bottle around midday on Monday. He drank a bit of the powdered milk and wine mixture before rejecting the bottle.

She realised her mistake after smelling the bottle and rushed her grandson to the nearby Perrino Hospital, where he was given urgent treatment.

The little boy's stomach was pumped, before he was intubated and transferred to the intensive care unit of the Giovanni paediatric hospital in Bari yesterday.

The baby is in an ethyl coma after his grandmother accidentally used wine when preparing his milk as she confused the wine bottle for the dark-coloured glass water bottle, local media reports (file image of a baby drinking from a bottle)

His condition is said to be stable and improving. His life is not considered to be in danger, according to local media.

The public prosecutor's office has been notified of the case and will reportedly look at the baby's medical files to determine whether to file criminal charges.

Local police are also investigating the incident.
A lumberjack has begged social media sleuths to leave him alone after they mistook him for a suspect in the felling of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree - because they both have the same name.

Daniel Graham, 30, from near Alnwick in Northumberland, says his phone has been blowing up with calls and texts since police charged another man named Daniel Graham, 38, from Cumbria, in connection with the tree's destruction in September.

The self-employed forestry contractor shares pictures of himself carrying out tree works to promote his business - and believes they led armchair detectives to wrongly identify him as the man named by police last night.

Speaking to MailOnline, the logger fears the mistaken identity could see his livelihood disrupted. His message to online sleuths? 'Stop pestering me'.

'No, it's not me. I'm the wrong guy,' he said on Wednesday morning, hours after prosecutors said namesake Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, 31, had been charged with causing criminal damage to the Sycamore Gap tree and Hadrian's Wall.

Daniel Graham, 30, has been mistaken for another man, also called Daniel Graham, 38, who was charged in connection with the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree

Mr Graham (pictured here at work as a forestry contractor) believes social media sleuths have wrongly come after him because he shares images of himself felling trees professionally

Another Daniel Graham, who is 38 and lives almost 100 miles away, was charged alongside Luke Carruthers, 31, in connection with the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree (pictured)

Mr Graham shares images of himself carrying out professional logging jobs across the north of England on Facebook to promote his forestry contracting business

Daniel Graham believes photos and videos of his professional logging work have convinced armchair detectives he is the suspect

Daniel Graham - who is not the man with the same name charged in connection with the Sycamore Gap felling - has begged social media sleuths to leave him alone

MailOnline has verified Mr Graham's identity, confirming he is not the same Daniel Graham who was charged last night.

He first became aware of his namesake after getting home from work yesterday, when he found he had dozens of calls, texts and Snapchat messages from friends.

'At first it was friends taking the p***, but then people started getting in touch thinking it was me,' Mr Graham said.

'Some of it was quite nasty - people asking if it was me or just sending messages like, "Oh my god", thinking it was me.'

He suspects that wannabe social media sleuths wrongly identified him as the other Daniel Graham - of no relation whatsoever - because his Facebook is full of pictures of him carrying out professional forestry works across the north of England.

His year-round work sees him planting new trees, felling those ready to come down and preparing firewood for plantation owners - 'all things timber', as he described it to our reporter. He uses social media to share footage of himself on the job and to find new work.

'I do a lot of my business through Facebook - I'm well-known as a forestry contractor in the area,' he continued.

'So if you put in my name and anything tree-related I'm probably the first person that comes up and people just think it must be me.

'The problem is I get a lot of phone calls and texts regarding my business, so now I've got to filter through all of this as well just to get to the ones I actually need to read.'

Mr Graham lives about 30 miles from the Sycamore Gap at Hadrian's Wall - and labelled the alleged felling was 'an act of vandalism'.

And while the other Daniel Graham is eight years older and from almost 100 miles away in Carlisle, the forestry worker is worried that the wrong identification will stick and potentially disrupt his business.

'I'm worried that down the line people will forget the age and where people come from and they will just remember the name Daniel Graham and I'll be stuck with it.

'It's annoying and frustrating - I can see it impacting my business down the line. It is just a coincidence.

'I don't even know anyone else called Daniel Graham and now there's another one basically on my doorstep.'

To those messaging him he has a few choice words: 'Stop interrupting my business. Stop pestering me.'

The Sycamore Gap tree was around 200 years old when it was cut down in September, causing damage to Hadrian's Wall, which it sits alongside.

As a professional forestry contractor Mr Graham plants and chops down trees all year round

His work sees him preparing felled logs as firewood for owners of tree plantations across the north of England

The Sycamore Gap tree was among the world's most famous pieces of foliage before its 200-year life was prematurely ended last year

It appeared in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which was filmed along Hadrian's Wall and starred Morgan Freeman and Kevin Costner (above)

The felling of the tree in September last year sparked national outrage and condemnation (pictured: a flower laid at the scene)

The National Trust harvested saplings from the Sycamore Gap tree and have planted them (above) in the hope of keeping its legacy alive

Known for its appearances in TV shows and films such as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, the tree's felling sparked national outrage.

Northumbria Police made a number of arrests in the wake of the incident. A teenager and man in his 60s were later both told that they will face no further action.

Prosecutors say the older Mr Graham and Mr Carruthers have been charged with causing criminal damage to the tree and to Hadrian's Wall. They will appear at Newcastle Magistrates' Court on May 15.

Police chiefs and prosecutors have warned the public against sharing information online that could collapse any case against those who have been charged.

Gary Fothergill, specialist prosecutor for CPS North East's Complex Casework Unit, said last night: 'It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.'

Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Fenney, the senior investigating officer with Northumbria Police, added: 'We recognise the strength of feeling in the local community and further afield the felling has caused.

'However we would remind people to avoid speculation, including online, which could impact the ongoing case.'

The National Trust, which owns the land on which the tree stood, is hopeful the sycamore will live on after scientists found that salvaged seeds and cuttings are showing positive signs of being viable for new growth.

The charity announced that it is hopeful more than 30 per cent of the mature seeds and half of the cuttings it collected from the tree's remains will be viable.

It is also optimistic that the trunk of the original tree will regrow, but it may be up to three years before this is known for sure.

The charity said it is also working on a 'fitting tribute' to the tree to ensure its legacy lives on following an an unprecedented public response to the felling.
Cabinet Minister Kemi Badenoch warned that there was no 'cost-free' solution to the migrant crisis today as the first failed asylum seeker arrived in Rwanda with 3,000 of taxpayers' money in his pocket.

The unnamed man was sent to Kigali on a commercial flight last night under a voluntary scheme that is separate to the Government's new forced deportation scheme that is due to start in the summer.

Business and Trade Secretary Mrs Badenoch said that the man's decision to go to Rwanda of his own volition showed the East African nation was safe and should be 'trumpeted'.

Critics questioned the cost of the scheme, with one Tory telling Politico's Playbook: 'At the rate we're paying migrants in cash to leave we'll need a new pledge to ''stop the notes''.'

But Ms Badenoch hit back, telling Times Radio: 'If we were not sending people there, even at this minimal cost, I would be accused, for example, of the very high costs of keeping people in this country.

'There is no cost free option here....Assuming that policing our borders can be done for no money whatsoever is, it's just not serious. It's going to cost us something, whatever it is we do.'

She also echoed other ministers this week, who said that a row with Ireland over migrants heading across the Northern Ireland border showed that the deportation law was acting as a deterrent already.

Business and Trade Secretary Mrs Badenoch said that the man's decision to go to Rwanda of his own volition showed the East African nation was safe and should be 'trumpeted'.

The Hope Hostel in Rwanda (pictured) is one of the locations migrants will be sent to

Rishi Sunak wants to relocate thousands of failed asylum seeker to the third country

The migrant, whose name is unknown, was flown out of the UK yesterday evening and arrived in Kigali.

He was put on a commercial flight and given around 3,000 from the British taxpayer to help relocate under the terms of a deal with Rwanda.

It marks the first time the government has relocated a failed asylum seeker to a third country.

The man's attempt to stay in Britain was rejected at the end of 2023, before he accepted the offer to start a new life in the central African nation.

A source told The Sun: 'This proves it's possible and legal for Britain to remove failed asylum seekers to Rwanda successfully and smoothly.'

In March, The Home Office confirmed the voluntary relocation plan for those found in Britain without the right to be here.

In 2023, 19,000 failed asylum seekers were voluntarily taken out of the UK, after being told they would never be granted the rights of legal migrants.

There are still tens of thousands of migrants in the system who cannot be sent back to their home countries.

Ministers said it is cheaper to send migrants to Rwanda than to support them in Britain, even after giving them money and flights.

Bungling Home Office officials reportedly admitted they can't find thousands of migrants who are set to be deported to Rwanda, it was reported yesterday.

An updated document assessing the impact of the partnership with the east African country states that Rwanda has agreed to accept 5,700 people.

But in an embarrassing admission by the Home Secretary James Cleverly's department, it says only 2,143 continue to report and their whereabouts are known.

Sources admitted to The Times that there was significant risk that they could have absconded now that the deportation bill has passed through Parliament.

However, the Home Office has said that the remaining 3,557 people may not have absconded but are not subject to reporting restrictions.

The Home Office currently gives those seeking asylum somewhere to live and a 49 a week allowance, for each person in a household, to pay for food and clothes.

It is thought the first deportation flights to Rwanda will take off in the next 10 to 12 weeks, according to the Prime Minister, with the Guardian reporting migrants were being detained across the UK from Sunday.

The Home Office currently gives those seeking asylum somewhere to live and a 49 a week allowance

Mr Sunak yesterday declared he is 'not interested' in taking back migrants from Ireland

Those who are being detained have all arrived in the UK illegally between January 2022 and June 2023 - according to the Migrant and Economic Development Partnership document - mainly by small boat Channel crossings.

It states: 'Of the 5,700 people Rwanda has in principle agreed to accept, 2,143 continue to report to the Home Office and can be located for detention.'

Meanwhile, migrants living in Dublin's tent city today thanked Mr Sunak for refusing to allow them back to Britain - because they 'don't want to go to Rwanda'.

Around 1,700 asylum seekers are living in tents in the Irish capital after crossing the border over fears that they would be sent to Rwanda if they stayed in Northern Ireland.

Mr Sunak yesterday declared he is 'not interested' in taking back migrants from Ireland - when the EU was refusing to take back Channel migrants who came from France.
A protester has made an explosive outburst at a parliament inquiry into proposed legislation which will make it easier for transgender people to register a sex change.

Pride in Protest activist Quay-Quay Quade disrupted proceedings with an expletive-filled tirade at the parliamentary inquiry held in NSW Parliament in Sydney on Wednesday.

The lower house committee is considering legislation called the Equality Legislation Amendment Bill 2023.

Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Reverend Anthony Fisher was in the middle of giving evidence at the committee hearing which was being livestreamed online.

He was just one minute into his submission when he was rudely interrupted mid-sentence by Ms Quade, who was sitting behind him.

'There is a troubling anti-religious undercurrent,' he began before Ms Quade stood up and began yelling.

The protestor, Quay Quay Quade (pictured right) disrupted proceedings held at the inquiry in the lower house of the NSW Parliament, in Sydney on Wednesday

READ MORE: Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt Question Time at Parliament House in chaotic scenes The pro-Palestine demonstrators yelled 'shame' at the politicians and called for a ceasefire (pictured, a Free Palestine rally outside Brisbane's Parliament House in March) Advertisement

'That's a load of f***ing bull****,' she said.

Ms Quade appearing to be filming on her phone during the outburst, forced a surprised Archbishop Fisher to discontinue his address.

The live broadcast was cut as Ms Quade was removed from the room.

Outside parliament, Ms Quade slammed the inquiry as a 'sham'.

'This inquiry is totally just theatre so that it looks like the Labor party is doing something,' she told the ABC.

When the hearing resumed, Archbishop Fisher spoke about the injustices experienced by the LGBTIQ+ community.

'We sympathise with all efforts to discourage or forbid unjust discrimination against LGBT people,' he said.

Archbishop Fisher also raised concerns that the proposed bill would put gender specific places at risk and impose difficulties on conducting religious activities such as single sex prayer and weddings between a male and a female.

'It's one thing to disagree with world religions on such matters, but quite another to deny them the right to practice their faith by making official documents deceptive regarding a person's biological or birth sex,' he said.

Ms Quade (pictured) labelled the inquiry into the proposed legislation as useless after speaking to supporters outside NSW parliament

Proposed by independent MP Alex Greenwich, the proposed law aims to change 20 acts of parliament, including a controversial amendment to the Births, Deaths, and Marriages Registration Act 1995.

The amendment seeks to change existing laws that requires people to undergo surgery, to change their sexual orientation to align with their gender identity.

The bill would allow a person aged 16 or older to change their sexual orientation, by signing a statutory declaration, which is a legally binding document, to affirm they identify by a certain gender.

NSW is the only state in Australia that requires a person to have the procedure, before their sex change can be formally registered.

Amanda Cohn, the Greens NSW LGBITQ+ spokesperson said the proposal would allow NSW to have the same rules as other states.

Reverend Fisher (pictured left) said the bill would have implications on faith based activities that are required in many religions

Dr Eloise Brook, health and communications manager for The NSW Gender Centre, an organisation that has been providing support to transgender communities for more than 40 years, said the change would allow the integration of transgender people in society.

'These documents open doors of possibility and connection with families,' Ms Brook said.

The state government is yet to declare their position on the proposed bill and said they would await the findings of the inquiry.

The government has indicated their concerns that the bill could lead to identity theft, which could compromise the safety of the community at large.

A report on the proposed legislation will be tabled in June.
Five teenagers who allegedly tried to force a Jewish man into a car boot have been arrested over the attempted kidnap in north London.

Hackney Police confirmed that three 17-year-olds, a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old were arrested in connection with the incident in Stamford Hill on Friday, and they have since been released on bail.

Police launched a probe into the alleged anti-Semitic hate crime after footage posted online showed the man appearing to be targeted by the group.

The men are seen parking and getting out their car before they seem to demand he get into the boot.

The Jewish man backs away from the men in the street while on the phone before one appears to jump towards him in a threatening manner.

Only when the Jewish man threatens to call the police do the men get back in their car and start driving away.

The incident comes amid mounting concerns about anti-Semitic abuse in Britain, fuelled by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict following the militant group's terror attacks last October 7.

A young Jewish man was threatened by a group who stopped their car to approach him

Neighbourhood watch group Shomrim appealed for information about the 'attempted kidnap'

Hackney Police confirmed that three 17-year-olds, a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old were arrested in connection with the incident in Stamford Hill on Friday

The clip was shared on X, accompanied by the words: 'Jewish male threatened by 4 males who demanded he gets into the boot of their car.'

Shomrim said they and the Metropolitan Police were appealing for any information on and sightings of the car involved, a black VW T Cross with the licence plate number EA24 VXF.

Shromrim's online post told the 'incident ended when the victim said he was calling police and other vehicles approached'.

They appealed for anyone who can help to contact Hackney Police, using the crime reference CAD 3224 28/04/24.

The incident happened in Moundfield Road in Stamford Hill, near Tottenham in north London, an area with a significant Orthodox Jewish community.

Shomrim, a local community watch group, warned Stamford Hill was being targeted due to being a 'Jewish neighbourhood'. Many residents dress in traditional black hats and coats, making them easily identifiable.

The neighbourhood in North London is home to the biggest population of Hasidic Jews in Europe and has long been plagued by anti-Semitic assaults, but these appear to have increased in intensity since the October 7 terror attacks on Israel.

Today, Stamford Hill is home to an estimated 25,000 ultra-orthodox Jews, according to local officials.

Many follow a highly observant and communal religious life, dressing in traditional clothes and shunning potentially corrupting influences like the TV or Internet - although exceptions can be granted for business reasons.

The community in Stamford Hill has regularly suffered harassment and intimidation.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'An investigation is underway after a reported kidnapping attempt of a male in Stamford Hill.

'At around 17:24hrs on Friday, 26 April, the victim  a Jewish male  was walking on Moundfield Road, N16 when a car pulled up beside him and two males got out of the vehicle.

'The victim was approached by one of the males and allegedly told the victim to get into the boot of the car, shortly before driving off.

'The incident was reported to the police and an investigation was launched by officers based in Hackney.

'We are aware of a video being shared online and this will form part of our enquiries. We are in contact with the Shomrim and our enquiries are ongoing. No arrest have been made at this time.

'Anyone with information should call 101, giving the reference CAD 5836/26APR. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.'

Horrified viewers responded online, with one saying: 'That is absolutely terrifying.'

Another wrote: 'He's just a boy. How dare they treat people like that.'

Shomrim was also told: 'That's surely a crime but it looks more like idiots behaving like such more than a genuine attempted kidnap.'

Footage of the alleged kidnap attempt was shared by Shomrim on X, formerly Twitter

The outrage comes after Gideon Falter, who leads the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), was threatened with arrest for appearing 'openly Jewish' at a pro-Palestine march last week

The Mail On Sunday reported previously how a Holocaust memorial was covered up in London's Hyde Park for fear it could be targeted by vandals in a pro-Palestine demo.

Officials in Hyde Park earlier hid Britain's first public memorial to the 6million victims of the Nazi genocide under a blue tarpaulin in a move one Holocaust survivor called 'shameful'.

The monument was then guarded by Metropolitan Police officers to stop it being targeted by pro-Palestine protesters who marched through London in protest against the war in Gaza.

Holocaust survivor Noemi Ebenstein, 82, urged the world to wake up to the scourge of anti-Semitism following another day of swastikas being waved through London.

On seeing the covered shrine, she said: 'It is shameful. Seeing this, it feels like they are winning.

'Those who are Jew haters, those who are Holocaust deniers, they are winning because we are afraid of them.

'I just wish the Western world would stand up to these people, instead of running away, covering up monuments and being apologetic.'

Tory peer Lord Pickles, the UK's special envoy on post-Holocaust issues, said the sight of the memorial wrapped in plastic sheeting 'sends a terrible message to Jews in London and across the UK'.

Lord Pickles, who has been spearheading moves to get a national Holocaust memorial built next to the Houses of Parliament, said: 'The sight of this precious memorial to the Holocaust being wrapped in plastic sheeting is truly shocking.

'Have we become so cowed and fearful in this country that instead of expecting pro-Palestinian protesters to obey the law, we hide away the memorial to save it from vandalism?'

Scotland Yard was facing yet more anger from Jewish groups on Saturday after a Holocaust memorial was covered up over fears it would be vandalised by pro-Palestine activists

The memorial consists of two boulders lying within a gravel bed, surrounded by a copse of silver birch trees. It is inscribed in both English and Hebrew with the words 'For these I weep. Streams of tears flow from my eyes because of the destruction of my people,'

'Shameful': Holocaust survivor Noemi Ebenstein, 82, called for tougher action on anti-Semitism after the monument in Hyde Park was covered up as a 'precautionary measure'

The outrage comes after Gideon Falter, who leads the Campaign Against Antisemitism, was threatened with arrest for appearing 'openly Jewish' at a pro-Palestine march last week.

He had planned to lead a counter protest with the CAA but called it off citing fears for the safety of Jewish participants.

Instead, just a few dozen counter-protesters gathered at Pall Mall where they were protected by rows of police as up to 200,000 pro-Palestinians marched past.

Officers arrested two men, one for holding a placard with a swastika on it and another for an alleged racist remark towards counter-protesters.

Police were also investigating other offensive signs, including one comparing Israelis to the Ku Klux Klan, and another stating that the media and Government are 'controlled by Zionists'.

Nine in ten British Jews say that they would avoid travelling to a city centre if a major anti-Israel demonstration was taking place, according to polling by the CAA.

Royal Parks said they liaised with the Met over protests and said: 'The Hyde Park Holocaust memorial is routinely covered with tarpaulin during various events as a precautionary measure.'

The Met's Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said before the march: 'Our objectives this weekend are to protect the right to protest and to keep the peace.'

There have been regular marches in the capital condemning Israel's attacks on Gaza in its response for the October 7 massacre by Hamas militants which killed 1,200 civilians with a further 235 taken hostage from southern Israel.
Cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch today accused historians of exaggerating the importance of colonialism and the slave trade to the growth of Britain as a world power.

The Business Secretary and Equalities Minister said that UK's economic success is instead the result of 'British ingenuity and industry' as she welcomed a new book by a rightwing think tank.

Despite the British Empire once being geographically the largest the world has ever seen, political economist Kristian Niemietz claimed Britain's growth was not financed by the slave trade or its imperial possessions.

Writing for the Institute of Economic Affairs, Dr Niemietz has argued that colonialism made only a 'minor contribution' to Britain's economic development, 'and quite possibly none at all', with the benefits outweighed by the military and administrative cost of running an empire.

He added that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was no more important to the British economy than sheep-farming or brewing, and most trade was with North America and Western Europe rather than the colonies, even if some individuals did become 'very rich' from 'overseas engagement'.

Writing in support of the work, Mrs Badenoch said the book was 'a welcome counterweight to simplistic narratives that exaggerate the significance of empire and slavery to Britain's economic development'.

The Business Secretary and Equalities Minister said that UK's economic success is instead the result of 'British ingenuity and industry' as she welcomed a new book by a rightwing think tank.

Despite the British Empire once being geographically the largest the world has ever seen, political economist Kristian Niemietz claimed Britain's growth was not financed by the slave trade or its imperial possessions.

She said: 'This paper... shows it was British ingenuity and industry, unleashed by free markets and liberal institutions, that powered the Industrial Revolution and our modern economy.

'It is these factors that we should focus on, rather than blaming the West and colonialism for economic difficulties and holding back growth with misguided policies.'

But specialist historians have criticised the claims, saying they are based on 'cherry-picked' data and 'straw man' arguments.

In a blog post, Alan Lester, professor of historical geography at the University of Sussex, said: 'Historians have demonstrated in thousands of research publications that British investors' ability to appropriate land and subordinate people in some 40 overseas colonies, ensuring a supply of commodities such as tea, cotton, opium, rubber, meat and wool produced with free or low-cost labour, made a significant contribution to Britain's economic growth.

'Because this is so self-evident, to challenge it would be absurd.'

Prof Lester said the claim that military costs of empire outweighed the economic benefits was 'risible', and while the Government at times thought the cost of empire was too high, they mostly 'adjudged that the returns to British investors and settlers made such expenses worthwhile'.

He concluded: 'If Britons had continued to invest in the maintenance of colonial rule and the denial of self-determination to their colonial subjects against their own aggregate material interests for over 300 years, what does that say about the spirit of British entrepreneurship.'

Mrs Badenoch, who is seen as a frontrunner to replace Rishi Sunak if the Tories lose the next election, made a similar intervention on the subject earlier this month as she tries to woo grassroots Tories.

In a speech she attacked claims Britain is only wealthy because of 'colonialism and white privilege'.

The Business Secretary told the CityUK international conference the establishment of Parliamentary democracy and the rule of law was at the heart of the country's success.

She also hit out at calls for mandatory ethnicity quotas in the financial sector, jibing that her job often involved 'killing bad ideas'.

She highlighted that financial services 'exploded' after the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when James II was deposed by Parliament and a swathe of reforms were brought in under Mary II and William of Orange.

Ms Badenoch said the ideas that took root in England eventually 'spread around the world, sometimes freely sometimes not, but eventually they do lift billions out of poverty and lead to unimagined wealth globally'.
A 16-year-old boy received just one piece of popcorn chicken on a 2 wrap for school dinner with canteen staff telling him to 'add salad' after he complained.

The student was given the food at University Academy Holbeach in Lincolnshire.

His grandmother Liz Cooper has said she was 'disgusted' after seeing a photo of the paltry meal and said her grandson will now be switching to packed lunches.

'That's not a lot of protein to keep a 16-year-old boy going all afternoon', she told the BBC.

'The chicken was the size of a piece of popcorn chicken, not even a goujon or a chicken nugget, it was smaller than that.'

The 16-year-old boy received just one piece of popcorn chicken on a 2 wrap for his school dinner with canteen staff telling him to 'add salad' after he complained

His grandmother Liz Cooper (pictured) has said she was 'disgusted' after seeing a photo of the paltry meal and said her grandson will now be switching to packed lunches

The student was given the food at University Academy Holbeach in Lincolnshire (pictured)

The wrap is advertised as the sweet chilli crispy wrap on the schools canteen menu costing 2.

Ms Cooper complained in writing to the secondary school, who told her the caterers agreed to look at the quality of the wraps and increase the quantity of chicken provided.

A spokesperson for University Academy Holbeach said: 'The issue identified happened a number of weeks ago and was raised immediately with our external catering company.

'Regrettably, on that occasion, the food provided to one of our students fell below what we would expect.

'The catering company agreed that the food did not meet their usual standards and assured us that it will not happen again.

'We continue to monitor this, and to work closely with them to ensure the quantity and quality of food provided meets the required standard.'

Other options on the canteen's menu include a BBQ crispy chicken wrap for 2, a ham & cheese panini for 1.95 and pepperoni pizza & chips for 2

University Academy Holbeach was given a 'Good' rating from education watchdog Ofsted in 2019

Other options in the canteen include a BBQ crispy chicken wrap for 2, a ham & cheese pannini for 1.95 and pepperoni pizza & chips for 2.

University Academy Holbeach is a non-selective 11-19 school which was founded by the University of Lincoln in 2011.

It was given a 'Good' rating from education watchdog Ofsted in 2019.

The University of Lincoln formed the Lincolnshire Educational Trust in 2014 which is now responsible for running five academies.

The row over the chicken wrap comes after a headteacher forced to apologise to parents for 'completely unacceptable' school dinners last month.

Jason Ashley, head of Redbridge Community School in Southampton, criticised the catering company who hold the school's catering contract.

In a letter to parents, Mr Ashley shared photos of the food which is also being served to staff. Dishes include chips and beans and a tuna jacket potato.

He said if the food had been served to his own children, he would be 'exceptionally unhappy'.

The former Ofsted inspector also said portion sizes had 'gotten smaller in recent times' whilst 'prices have increased.'

Headmaster of Redbridge Community School in Southampton criticised the school's catering company last month

Pie and mash served at Redbridge Community School last month

Photos of what appears to be a veggie burger served at Redbridge Community School

And in 2022 Craig Laird, whose children attend Bulwell Academy in Nottingham, slammed the trust-run secondary school is serving up 'inadequate' lunch options.

Some of the menu items highlighted include a single slice of pizza 'which looks like it has been bought from Aldi's basic range' and pasta with a 'blob' of sauce served in a 'polystyrene tea cup'.

The father-of-four also hit out at the school over a 'disgusting' sliced baguette stuffed with a 'block of cheese'.

And he feared the meals are not up to nutritional standards, fuming: 'Our kids are being treated worse than in a prison'.

Leaders at the school, which has more than a 1,000 students, insisted its catering staff 'worked hard' to ensure menu items meet nutritional standards.

The row over shoddy school dinners come after Britons shared the 'disgusting' and 'unidentifiable' dishes of food served up to them in NHS hospitals last month.

Images shared with MailOnline showed how some of the shocking dishes included an orange that had gone partly black, an 'unidentifiable' pie and millionaire shortbread which was 'hard as a brick'.

Parents of students at Bulwell Academy in Nottingham complained about a 'disgusting' sliced baguette stuffed with a 'block of cheese' in 2022

Some of the menu items highlighted by parents include a single slice of pizza (pictured) 'which looks like it has been bought from Aldi's basic range'

Others have complained about pasta with a 'blob' of sauce served in a 'polystyrene tea cup' (pictured)

An 'omelette' that was served to a woman during a 24-hour stay in hospital

A handful of chips and dry looking chicken goujons served to an NHS patient

Fishfingers and a handful of chips which was served to an NHS patient

Five croquettes and some form of pie which appears to have been mushed up was given to a patient at Salford Hospital

The sausage, mash and soup a patient in Basingstoke Hospital was served

In one particularly appalling NHS example, a woman was served an 'omelette' during a 24-hour stay which looks more like an alien lifeform than anything belonging on a plate.

She said: 'I was in hospital for 24 hours and asked for an omelette for lunch. This is what I got! Disgusting.'

However, the food served to patients in private hospitals tells a rather different story - with people served pizza and chips, a fresh feta salad and even a smoked salmon dish.

Another woman was served two unappealing meals in hospital - fish fingers and chips followed by chicken goujons and chips.

The serving of chips seemed rather meagre and fried breaded meat looked dry in both instances.

And at Salford Hospital, one patient was served five croquettes and what appeared to be some form of mushed up pie.

A horrific looking bangers and mash with soup combo was served to one man in Basingstoke Hospital which his daughter compared to poo.
Sadiq Khan dismissed a rival candidate's fears of rising crime in London during a television mayoral debate just a week before the terrifying sword attack took place in Hainault.

During a debate on LBC on April 23 Mr Khan was challenged by Conservative candidate Susan Hall who said there were 'gangs running around with machetes' in London.

She added: 'That's the stories I'm hearing from the people that are running the night economy. That is not good.'

Mr Khan replied: 'I say in a respectful way, I think the Tory candidate should stop watching The Wire. We're not living in Baltimore, USA, in the noughties.'

Cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch criticised Mr Khan for 'laughing' at the Conservative candidate on LBC, accusing him of failing in his responsibilities as London's mayor as the capital experiences an increase in violent crime.

During a debate on LBC Sadiq Khan (pictured) was challenged by Conservative candidate Susan Hall who said there were 'gangs running around with machetes' in London

Susan Hall (pictured) is the Conservative candidate for London mayor

Conservative candidate Susan Hall (pictured) said there were 'gangs running around with machetes' in London

A week after the Labour candidate accused his rival of overindulging in the American crime drama TV series The Wire, a 14-year-old boy 'died on the spot' after being struck by a swordman in Hainault.

The terrifying 22-minute ordeal began after a van crashed into the side of a house in a quiet neighbourhood in East London at around 6:54am on April 30.

A 36-year-old man wearing a yellow hooded jumper then prowled the pavements swinging a samurai-style sword, nearly 2ft in length.

Graphic footage shared online shows the suspect pulling the child into the road after fatally injuring him as horrified neighbours watched on.

The schoolboy victim, understood to be the son of two teachers, stood no chance, witnesses said.

The suspect was tasered and arrested on suspicion of murder, although he is yet to be questioned as he remains in hospital being treated for injuries sustained in the van crash.

At a press conference Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell confirmed that four other people, including two police officers, were wounded in the horrifying attack.

The female police officer came close to losing her hand in the sword attack but should be able to make a full recovery after 'years of physio', the Met chief revealed today.

Her male colleague was also left with severe injuries to his hand following the rampage.

Officers can be seen demanding the 36-year-old suspect drop his weapon as he stands with sword in hand in front of a garage

Dramatic CCTV footage emerged showing the moment a sword-wielding man was tasered and arrested by police

Mr Bell said the suspect had been tasered at the scene and arrested 22 minutes after the first call to police was made

The terrifying 22-minute ordeal began after a van crashed into the side of a house in a quiet neighbourhood in East London at around 6:54am on April 30

Reacting to the tragic developments on Tuesday, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: 'I'm sure I speak for the entire city when I say our thoughts are with this young child and his family.'

The mayoral candidate was asked about knife crime increasing by 54 per cent since he took office in 2016.

Mr Khan said he hadn't thought about the election since he heard of the incident and his focus was on those caught up in the event.

Cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch said on Wednesday the incident demonstrated the need for stronger enforcement around knife crime.

She accused Mr Khan of failing in his responsibilities as London's mayor as the capital experiences an increase in violent crime.

In an interview with LBC, Ms Badenoch said: 'Just a few days ago he was on LBC laughing at the Conservative candidate Susan Hall talking about machete wielding in London.

'I don't think he takes it seriously. He is responsible for enforcement.'

But Mr Khan's campaign accused the minister of 'seeking to politicise the awful murder of a child' and said he continued to prioritise securing more funding for the police.

A spokesman for Sadiq Khan said: 'It's quite extraordinary that the Tories are seeking to politicise the awful murder of a child. They have lost all direction and all sense of decency.

'Meanwhile, Sadiq is remaining in constant contact with London's emergency services about yesterday's tragic events. His priorities remain securing more funding for the police, and tackling the causes of crime by investing in young people.'

MailOnline also approached Sadiq Khan's campaign for a comment on why he dismissed Susan Hall's warnings of 'gangs running around with machetes'.

A spokesman said: 'Sadiq was challenging some of the misinformation being spread by some of his opponents about London, including footage of an attack in New York to try and paint a very bleak picture of London.

'Keeping Londoners safe is Sadiq's number-one priority, and he is investing a record 151million in this year's budget for policing and crime prevention and tackling the causes of crime by investing in youth clubs, against a backdrop of massive cuts by the Tory government.'

Reacting to the tragic developments, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan released a statement on X

In an interview with LBC, Kemi Badenoch (pictured) accused Mr Khan of failing in his responsibilities as London's mayor as the capital experiences an increase in violent crime

Since London Mayor Sadiq Khan took office in 2016, knife crime has increased by 54 per cent and it is rising at its fastest rate for five years

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer yesterday paid tribute to the victims of the shocking daylight attack.

Mr Sunak said the Hainault stabbings were 'shocking', adding that 'such violence has no place on our streets'.

King Charles also 'saluted' the courage of the police officers who worked to bring the violence to an end.
Girls have developed urinary tract infections because they did not want to use their school's gender-neutral toilets, the Equalities Minister said.

Kemi Badenoch said it was 'terrible' to learn that pupils had come down with infections, despite the unnamed school believing they were 'following the guidance'.

Mrs Badenoch revealed the case when making a 'call for input' from the public, inviting submissions to the Government of examples where institutions are potentially breaching the Equality Act by failing to provide single-sex spaces.

In remarks to LBC, she said: 'We are looking for examples where a public institution is either issuing guidance or has a policy that is not in accordance with the Equality Act when it comes to single sex spaces.

Kemi Badenoch is asking for real-world examples of bad guidance on single-sex spaces

The government wants to 'ensure single-sex spaces are maintained' despite the legal minefield

Labour's Bridget Phillipson claimed Mrs Badenoch 'does love nothing more than a culture war'

'If I were to give an example, [it would be] of a school that had gender-neutral toilets and young girls there didn't want to use the same toilets as boys so they weren't going to the toilet at school and got urinary tract infections.

'This is obviously a terrible thing but the school thought they were following the guidance, because they had used some policy analysis that done was by an organisation that wasn't looking at the equality law', she explained.

Speaking to Times Radio she confirmed there was 'a report, and this was confirmed by doctors, that there were girls who were not using the toilet in some schools and getting urinary tract infections because they didn't want to share their toilets with boys'.

She branded that situation 'a scandal', but Labour's Bridget Phillipson said Mrs Badenoch 'does love nothing more than a culture war'.

The shadow education secretary told Times Radio: 'It is so transparent what she is doing.

'She is pitching to Conservative members for the leadership contest to come in the Conservative Party, and frankly our country deserves a lot better than it always being about the Conservative Party.'

The 'call for input' comes a day after the Health Secretary announced plans to overhaul the NHS Constitution to 'ensure that biological sex is respected'.

The Government says that 'confusion' about the law is leading organisations to think that people have a legal right to access single-sex spaces according to their self-identified gender.

However this is not strictly true, as in certain situations, single-sex spaces are able to 'exclude transgender people', even those with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), the Govenment's Equality Hub says.

The Equalities Minister did not mention the school by name.

But last year, parents at Walsall Academy, near Wolverhampton, spoke out about the gender-neutral toilets leaving girls refusing to drink throughout the day because they are too scared to use them

Eddie Hughes, Conservative MP for Walsall North, wrote to the school after being contacted by parents and pupils.

And one female student reportedly developed a UTI after she felt uncomfortable using the toilets.

At the time, Walsall Academy said there were still 'other traditional style toilets nearby which students are able to use if they wish'.

In the same round of interviews, Mrs Badenoch accused historians of exaggerating the importance of colonialism and slavery to the growth of Britain as a world power.

She said that UK's economic success was instead the result of 'British ingenuity and industry'.
From Morris dancing at the crack of dawn to pagans leaping over fire, eccentric revellers from across Britain have been doing their bit to usher in May Day.

The ancient festival dates back almost a thousand years and marks the beginning of summer.

Believed to have been inspired by three older festivals - Beltane fires, Walpurgisnacht and Floralia - the celebrations take place on the first day of May.

And in the UK, it's a chance for thousands of Britons to mark some of the country's more colourful traditions.

At Glastonbury, pagans have been pictured leaping over fires, while in Oxford, hundreds of revellers have packed out the city's streets to hear boy choristers perform.

In Cerne Abbas, Dorset, Morris dancers have been strutting their stuff through the village. While elsewhere, Brits have marked the festival by maypole dancing in or crowning a May Queen.

Check out all the pictures of today's May Day festivities, below.

In Gloucestershire, members of the Stroud Morris dancing group were up at the crack of dawn to kick off their May Day celebrations

Smokin'! In Glastonbury, people marked Beltane celebration in a traditional way - by leaping over a fire. The eccentric tradition is a nod to the ancient Celtic pagan fertility rite of spring

Students and revellers in Oxford dressed to impress as they listened to the Magdalen College Choir singing hymns from the top of the Great Tower

Many in Oxford appear in high spirits - with one even taking to climbing on top of his friend's shoulders to mark May Day

Students in Oxford had been waiting since dawn for the action to begin, with hundreds pictured in the city centre ahead of the celebrations

In Leicester, there was a moody feel in the air as members of the Leicester Morris Men performed in the mist and fog by Old John Tower at Bradgate Park

Glastonbury Chalice Well was a sea of colour as people came out to observe a modern interpretation of the Celtic pagan fertility rite (this time without leaping over fire!)

At the University of St Andrews, in Scotland, students wearing traditional red gowns joined the traidtional 'Gaudie' procession through the town and down the pier

Dozens were pictured packing out the pier to commemorate former student John Honey, who in 1800 rescued members of the crew of the Janet of Macduff which had run aground off the East Sands

Despite freezing temperatures and a sea fog, hundreds of hardy students from St Andrew's university in Fife took to the waters of the Firth of Forth at daybreak on May Day

The bone-chilling plunge in the sea is meant to give the students 'good luck' ahead of their exams

And in Edinburgh, performers put on a fiery display late on Tuesday evening as part of the Beltane Fire Festival on Calton Hill

As well as stripping down to their undies, rituals were also performed to protect cattle, people and crops, and to encourage growth. And a special series of bonfires were kindled, whose flames, smoke and ashes were deemed to have protective powers - or so the legend goes...

The streets in Oxford were awash with colour as local Morris dancers showed off their skills

Hundreds of people packed into Oxford to watch the Magdalen College choir sing - including a trio of students dressed as bananas...

Many had been up before dawn to take part in the May Day celebrations in Oxford, as part of the city's annual celebrations

At Cerne Abbas, in Dorset, members of the Wessex Morris dancing group came together to perform at sunrise - under the watchful gaze of the 'Dorset Ooser' (pictured far right)

Down in the village of Cerne Abbas, the Wessex Morris Men welcomed in May Day with a traditional performance outside the Royal Oak pub

Morris dancers were also seen marching through the centre of the Dorset village, which is home to the Cerne Abbas Giant, which is a figure carved onto the side of the hill

Revellers across the UK were up before sunrise to usher in May 1, including the members of the Wessex Morris Men in Dorset

It was a gloomy-looking start for the Miserden Morris dancing group as they performed at sunrise on Rodborough Common, in Stroud, western England

Colourful dancers from the Mersey Morris and Mockbeggar Morris dancing groups celebrate the 'sun upping' on Bidston Hill near Birkenhead in northwest England

Across towns and villages, Morris dancers took centre stage. Pictured are the Wessex Morris Men in Cerne Abbas, Dorset

Members of the Hook Eagle Morris perform outside the Shack Cafe near to Hook in Hampshire as they see in the May Day dawn.

This colourful member of Chapel-en-le-Frith Morris dance beams a smile on the top of Eccles Pike in Derbyshire during a misty dawn to herald the beginning of summer

Performers take part in the Beltane Fire Festival on Calton Hill, Edinburgh on April 30

Members of the Leicester Morris Men leap into May Day during a dawn display by Old John Tower at Bradgate Park, in Leicester

Some of the Leicester Morris Men's group were kitted out in colourful outfits and hats featuring flowers, as part of their traditional May Day attire

Students in Oxford appear to be mesmerized by the performance of the Magdalen College Choir, who were singing hymns from the top of the Great Tower in the city
Chaos erupted at two top US colleges overnight after brutal clashes broke out between pro and anti-Israeli protesters at UCLA in Los Angeles - hours after cops in New York cleared a Gaza encampment at Columbia University.

There were scenes of mayhem with 'horrific acts of violence' as activists brawled openly in the grounds of UCLA deep into the night with fireworks hurled into crowds and objects thrown before police intervened.

The fighting erupted just hours after cops in New York dramatically raided halls at Columbia University in New York City and arrested 300 pro-Palestine protesters who had occupied the building.

Mayor Eric Adams blamed the majority of the trouble at the Ivy League college on outside agitators.

'There is a movement to radicalize young people, and I'm not going to wait until it's done and all of a sudden acknowledge the existence of it,' he added.

'This is a global problem that young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children and I'm not going to allow that to happen as the mayor of the city of New York.'

At the same time as the altercations were taking place in California, a protester on the campus of the University of Arizona was struck in the head with a rubber bullet as four people were arrested with cops using 'non lethal chemical munitions.'

In New Orleans, state police and local police worked in tandem to disperse a crowd of protesters on Tulane University's campus.

That resulted in six arrests and the suspension of seven students. An investigation has been launched into whether or not faculty were actively in the protests. Meanwhile, group of protesters ransacked a library in Portland State University, also on Tuesday.

These incidents unfolded amid a deepening national crisis with dozens of universities around the United States struggling to contain similar protests.

Around 200 pro-Israel supporters clashed with pro-Palestinian activists late on Tuesday night

Police drag a protester out of the line and into custody as law enforcement clears an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Arizona campus, early Wednesday

Police face off against pro-Palestinian supporters at an encampment on the Library Mall of the University of Wisconsin on Wednesday

A firework reportedly thrown by pro-Israel supporters explodes close to the student encampment at UCLA overnight

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator (centre) is beaten during violent scenes at UCLA last night

A pro-Palestinian protester is treated 'after being maced' during violent clashes at UCLA

Violence erupted through the night at UCLA before cops finally intervened to restore calm

Rival protesters brawled openly in the campus of UCLA overnight in scenes of mayhem

A pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of California, Los Angeles overnight

Pro-Israel supporters attempting to dismantle a Pro-Palestine encampment

On Tuesday night, cops raided a Columbia University hall where activists had occupied the building

In UCLA last night protesters and counter-protesters were seen clashing with sticks, and tearing down metal barricades, TV footage showed. Others were seen launching fireworks or hurling objects at each other in the dark - lit up with laser pointers and bright flashlights.

The Los Angeles police department said that 'officers have been deployed, and are currently on the UCLA campus, to assist in restoring order.'

The nationwide protests have posed a challenge to university administrators trying to balance free speech rights with complaints that the rallies have veered into anti-Semitism and hate.

The unrest has swept through US higher education institutions like wildfire, with many student protesters erecting tent encampments on campuses from coast to coast.

In another of the newest clashes, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, police moved in Tuesday to clear one encampment, detaining some protesters in a tense showdown.

A week-long occupation was brought also brought to an end at northern California's Cal Poly Humboldt while Portland State University's campus, in Oregon, was closed Tuesday 'due to an ongoing incident' in the library.

Local media reported around 50 protesters had broken into the building a day earlier.

And Brown University reached an agreement in which student protesters will remove their encampment in exchange for the institution holding a vote on divesting from Israel - a major concession from an elite American university.

Shocking footage from the scene at UCLA showed both sides openly clashing as college security abandoned the scene and local police were nowhere to be seen.

Just before 11pm local time in Los Angeles, the violence escalated when the pro-Israeli side surrounded the pro-Palestine group. During this standoff, a firework was thrown at the camp.

The video showed both sides using pieces of wood as makeshift weapons. The walls of the encampment were smashed, at least one person could be seen being dragged on the ground by another group.

'Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight, and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support,' UCLA's vice-chancellor Mary Osako said in a tweet.

The LAPD said in a message that their presence was requested on campus at UCLA due to 'multiple acts of violence.'

These clashes lasted for around 90 minutes before Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that law enforcement was about to be deployed at the college. At 1:30am local time police officers and the California Highway Patrol arrived.

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS: A state trooper pepper sprays pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Texas in Austin earlier this week

Demonstrators barricade their encampment after counter protesters attempted to remove it

Protesters in support of Palestinians in Gaza help one another rinse their eyes amid skirmishes at UCLA

Protesters in Portland State University raided the school library to graffiti pro-Palestine messages on the walls

Counter-protesters try to remove barricades at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of California

Protesters and counter-protesters were seen clashing with sticks, and tearing down metal barricades, TV footage showed

Pro Palestinian protesters stand inside an encampment on the campus of the University of California,

NEW YORK: NYPD cops dressed in riot gear stormed through the window of a Columbia University building occupied by dozens of pro-Palestine protesters to begin clearing them out

Members of the California Highway Patrol lined up preventing the two groups from engaging

The decision to call in police was condemned by the Columbia University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors

Members of the NYPD surround and breach Hamilton Hall where demonstrators barricaded themselves inside on the Columbia University campus on April 30, 2024 in New York City

Police use a vehicle named 'the bear' to enter Hamilton Hall from a public street, which was occupied by protesters, as other officers enter the campus of Columbia University

Columbia University protesters smashed windows, upended furniture and caused damage throughout Hamilton Hall amid their brief occupation

TEXAS: This was the scene earlier this week in Austin when state troopers pepper sprayed pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Texas

The Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza, and the ensuing Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave, have unleashed the biggest outpouring of U.S. student activism since the anti-racism protests of 2020.

This week alone has seen police at the University of Texas in Austin, Tulane University in New Orleans, the University of North Carolina and the University of Connecticut forcibly remove pro-Palestine protest encampments.

At Columbia University, the NYPD will remain at the scene until May 17 to prevent further encampments from being created.

Just blocks away from Columbia, at The City College of New York, demonstrators were in a standoff with police outside the public colleges main gate.

Video posted on social media by news reporters on the scene late Tuesday showed officers putting some people to the ground and shoving others as they cleared people from the street and sidewalks. Many detained protesters were driven away on city buses.

After police arrived, officers lowered a Palestinian flag atop the City College flagpole, balled it up and tossed it to the ground before raising an American flag.

Brown University, another member of the Ivy League, reached an agreement Tuesday with protesters on its Rhode Island campus.

Demonstrators said they would close their encampment in exchange for administrators taking a vote to consider divestment from Israel in October.

The compromise appeared to mark the first time a U.S. college has agreed to vote on divestment in the wake of the protests.

Columbia's police action happened on the 56th anniversary of a similar move to quash an occupation of Hamilton Hall by students protesting racism and the Vietnam War.

The police department earlier Tuesday said officers wouldn't enter the grounds without the college administrations request or an imminent emergency.

Now, law enforcement will be there through May 17, the end of the university's commencement events.

In a letter to senior NYPD officials, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the administration made the request that police remove protesters from the occupied building and a nearby tent encampment 'with the utmost regret.'

Shafik also referenced the idea, first put forward by New York City Mayor Eric Adams earlier in the day, that the group that occupied Hamilton was 'led by individuals who are not affiliated with the university.'

Neither provided specific evidence to back up that contention, which was disputed by protest organizers and participants.

NYPD officials made similar claims about 'outside agitators' during the huge, grassroots demonstrations against racial injustice that erupted across the city after the death of George Floyd in 2020.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik called in the NYPD in to 'restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests which also included a massive encampment at the school

Cops were armed with zip ties and pepper spray as they stormed the campus at around 9.3-pm on Tuesday

In some instances, top police officials falsely labeled peaceful marches organized by well-known neighborhood activists as the work of violent extremists.

Before officers arrived at Columbia, the White House condemned the standoffs there and at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, where protesters had occupied two buildings for more than a week until officers with batons intervened early Tuesday and arrested 25 people.

President Joe Biden believes students occupying an academic building is 'absolutely the wrong approach,' said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.

Later, former President Donald Trump called into Sean Hannitys show on Fox News Channel to comment on Columbias turmoil as live footage of police clearing Hamilton Hall aired. Trump praised the officers.

'But it should never have gotten to this,' he told Hannity.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.

As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasnt clear whether those talks would inspire an easing of protests.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as anti-Semitic, while Israels critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition.

Although some protesters have been caught on camera making anti-Semitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.

On Columbias campus, protesters first set up a tent encampment almost two weeks ago. The school sent in police to clear the tents the following day, arresting more than 100 people, only for the students to return.

Negotiations between the protesters and the college came to a standstill in recent days, and the school set a deadline for the activists to abandon the tent encampment Monday afternoon or be suspended.

Instead, protesters defied the ultimatum and took over Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, carrying in furniture and metal barricades.

Ilana Lewkovitch, a self-described 'leftist Zionist' student at Columbia, said its been hard to concentrate on school for weeks. Her exams have been disrupted with chants of 'say it loud, say it clear, we want Zionists out of here.'

Lewkovitch, who is Jewish, said she wished the current pro-Palestinian protests were more open to people like her who criticize Israels war policies but believe there should be an Israeli state.
Humza Yousaf will face a no confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament today amid the SNP's continuing meltdown at Holyrood.

Scottish Labour will press ahead with efforts to rally MSPs in support of a motion declaring no confidence in Mr Yousaf's Scottish Government.

If passed by MSPs, the motion would compel the First Minister to resign immediately under the terms of the Scotland Act.

Holyrood would then be given 28 days to elect a new First Minister as Mr Yousaf's replacement before an election is called.

Although he has already announced his decision to stand down, Mr Yousaf plans to hang on as First Minister until a new SNP leader is chosen.

Many in the SNP fear that could be a drawn-out and divisive process with both John Swinney and Kate Forbes continuing to weigh up whether to stand.

If both decide to run for the leadership, the SNP could be plunged into another bitter contest - little more than a year after the brutal battle that saw Mr Yousaf elected.

Humza Yousaf will face a no confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament today amid the SNP 's continuing meltdown at Holyrood

Both Kate Forbes and John Swinney are continuing to weigh up whether to stand as Mr Yousaf's replacement as SNP leader and First Minister

Today's no confidence motion was tabled by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar after Mr Yousaf last week terminated a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens.

That move blew up in Mr Yousaf's face after the Scottish Greens then turned on him by vowing to vote against him at Holyrood, which prompted his decision to quit.

Scottish Labour's no confidence motion - set to be debated at Holyrood this afternoon - is unlikely to pass due to the likelihood the Greens will abstain now Mr Yousaf has announced his departure.

Mr Sarwar said he wanted to use the motion to highlight the need for a Scottish Parliament election following the turmoil in the SNP.

He added that the 'genie was out of the bottle' for the SNP, adding: 'I think this is a dysfunctional, chaotic, divided political party.'

The decision to press ahead with the vote, he said, was a 'point of principle', adding: 'We also want to highlight the democratic deficit as they themselves described it when they were talking about Westminster and the Conservatives.

Mr Sarwar said he was 'desperate' for a Scottish election alongside a Westminster general election, set to be held later this year, adding his party was 'ready for elections'.

Today's no confidence motion was tabled by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar after Mr Yousaf last week terminated a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens

Meanwhile, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross withdrew a motion of no confidence in the First Minister following his decision to stand down.

Declaring 'job done', Mr Ross added: 'I'm delighted that the Scottish Conservative motion of no confidence in Humza Yousaf achieved its purpose by forcing him to resign.

'While, on a personal level, I wish him well for the future, he was a disaster as First Minister and it's in Scotland's interests that he goes.'

Neither Mr Swinney nor Ms Forbes - who came a close second to Mr Yousaf in last year's SNP leadership contest - have yet to confirm if they will run.

A new poll suggested Ms Forbes, the former finance secretary, is the most popular candidate to succeed Mr Yousaf among the Scottish public

But John Swinney, the former deputy first minister, is better liked among SNP supporters.

When asked who the best candidate for Scotlands next first minister would be, research by Ipsos found 26 per cent backed Ms Forbes, with 20 per cent supporting Mr Swinney.

However among SNP voters, 30 per cent preferred Mr Swinney  who served as Nicola Sturgeon's deputy first minister for more than eight years  while 21 per cent opted for Ms Forbes.

Allies of Ms Forbes have branded Mr Swinney a 'Sturgeon apologist' and 'continuity' option.

The two politicians clashed bitterly during the last campaign, when Mr Swinney said Ms Forbes - a devout Christian - was not an 'appropriate' person to be leader due to her opposition to gay marriage.
China today launched the first sea trials for the nation's most advanced aircraft carrier that President Xi Jinping hopes will form the basis of his plan to transform his People's Liberation Army (PLA) into a world-class fighting force.

The start of maritime tests by the Chinese navy this morning came nearly two years after the mammoth vessel, named the Fujian, was first unveiled in June 2022.

Entirely designed and built domestically, the Fujian is considerably larger and more advanced than China's two existing aircraft carriers - the Shandong, commissioned in late 2019 and based on the Liaoning, a Soviet-era carrier which China bought second-hand from Ukraine.

Displacing some 80,000 tonnes of water and measuring a whopping 1036 feet (316 metres) in length, the gargantuan craft features a full-length flight deck with an advanced catapult-launch system for jets - and, in a not-so-subtle gesture, takes its name from the Chinese province opposite democratically governed Taiwan.

Able to carry up to 40 fighter jets - plus anti-submarine helicopters, drones and other transport - it is cast as a rival to the USS Gerald Ford, the world's most advanced aircraft carrier and the pride of America's Navy.

The Fujian's launch to sea comes as experts sounded the alarm over Beijing's efforts to buy up gold at record rates - and dump hundreds of billions of dollars in US bonds - amid fears China is preparing to safeguard its economy against Western sanctions ahead of a possible invasion of the island.

The Fujian prepares to set out for maiden sea trials from Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard in eastern China's Shanghai, Wednesday, May 1, 2024

The sea trials will primarily test the reliability and stability of the aircraft carrier's propulsion and electrical systems

Displacing some 80,000 tonnes of water and measuring a whopping 1036 feet (316 metres) in length, the gargantuan craft features a full-length flight deck with an advanced catapult-launch system for jets

The Fujian will form the basis of President Xi Jinping's plan to transform his People's Liberation Army (PLA) into a world-class fighting force

Ahead of its first sea test today the Fujian had been stationed at Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard undergoing stationary tests and adjustments.

State TV reported the aircraft carrier had set out to sea just after 8am (0000 GMT) this morning on its first seafaring voyage.

China Daily quoted the PLA Navy (PLAN) as saying the carrier was 'among the most important military hardware' the country is developing, adding that the Fujian's test run at sea was intended to assess the 'reliability and stability of the carrier's propulsion and electric power systems.'

China's shipbuilders discounted nuclear power as a means of propulsion, meaning the Fujian will be slower and have a smaller range than the US' Ford-class aircraft carrier.

But this decision also means the Fujian was cheaper, easier and faster to build, and is still equipped with three advanced electromagnetic catapults that can launch fully fuelled and armed aircraft - technology that is currently only in use on a handful of US vessels and France's lone carrier.

The Fujian has a much greater capacity than Paris' Charles De Gaulle and will be complemented by a horde of China's J-15B fighter jets along with its fearsome fifth-generation aircraft - the Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang FC-31 stealth platforms.

It was described by Alexander Neill, an expert on the Chinese military at the Pacific Forum, as Beijing's first proper carrier that builds upon the previous two platforms which constituted an 'experiment' in carrier operations.

'The Liaoning helped the Chinese navy get into aircraft carrier operating mode for the first time... The Shandong was an experiment in gearing up the shipbuilding industry to supply the PLA Navy with these kinds of ships.

'Now, once they have the Fujian in service, they will be experimenting with carrier operations at scale and at pace,' he told the FT.

The sea trials are a final step before the aircraft carrier is put into service by China's navy, a process that is expected to take up to a year. The Shandong conducted nine sea tests before it was commissioned.

But once all three are operating in a military capacity, China will boast the second-largest aircraft-carrying fleet in the world behind the US - and the fourth vessel, rumoured to be a nuclear-powered variant - is already under development.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, prepares to set out for maiden sea trials from Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard in eastern China's Shanghai, Wednesday, May 1, 2024

The sea trials are a final step before the aircraft carrier is put into service by China's navy, a process that is expected to take up to a year

J-20 stealth fighter jets perform in the sky during the 14th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition on November 9, 2022

The 'Mighty Dragon' Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter aircraft

The launch of the Fujian comes as China continues to stretch its year-and-a-half-long buying spree of gold, stocking up on the precious metal considered a stable, safe investment.

A World Gold Council report said China now holds a stunning 2,262 tonnes of gold worth roughly $170.4 billion (135 billion) - and Beijing in the meantime has offloaded more than $400 billion worth of US Treasury bonds since 2021.

There is also speculation that China holds significantly more gold reserves than the officially announced total.

The concerted effort to invest in the historically stable asset while dropping huge amounts of US debt has led analysts to suggest China is seeking to reduce its dependency on the American dollar, which in turn would mitigate the impact of any Western-imposed economic sanctions.

Jonathan Eyal, associate director at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think-tank, said of China's gold strategy: 'The relentless purchases and the sheer quantity are clear signs that this is a political project which is prioritised by the leadership in Beijing because of what they see is a looming confrontation with the United States.

'Of course it's connected also to plans for a military invasion of Taiwan,' he told The Telegraph.

He went on to speculate that China's move to diversify its investments and dump US debt was sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting torrent of Western sanctions levied against Moscow.

More than $300 billion worth of Russian assets were frozen in Europe and the US - a huge financial blow as the Kremlin seeks to finance its ongoing war.

John Reade, chief market strategist at the World Gold Council, said the sanctions against Russia's central bank sparked a flurry of gold-buying amid non-Western aligned countries and 'caused many non-aligned central banks to reconsider where they should hold their international reserves'.

China is buying up gold at record rates in a move experts claim could mean it is preparing to safeguard its economy against Western sanctions ahead of a possible invasion of Taiwan

A World Gold Council report said China now holds a stunning 2,262 tonnes of gold worth roughly $170.4 billion

China conducts long-range live-fire drills in waters off Taiwan's coastline

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 26, 2024

China's relationship with the West, particularly its grand rival the United States, is rocky to say the least, and China's threatening posture towards Taiwan is just one of many pinch points.

There have long been tensions between Beijing and Taipei but these have escalated considerably in recent years, with President Xi openly stating his desire to 'reunify' the island with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Chinese military aircraft routinely embark on threatening sorties toward the island, and on Saturday sent almost two dozen aircraft over the Taiwan Strait with some crossing the sensitive median line separating the two territories.

Taiwan's defence ministry said that from 9:30am (0130 GMT) on Saturday it had detected 22 Chinese military aircraft, including Su-30 fighters, of which 12 had crossed the median line to Taiwan's north and centre.

The line once served as an unofficial border between the two sides over which neither sides' military crossed, but China says it does not recognise the line's existence.

Besides China's consistently threatening posture toward Taiwan, the test also comes at a time of escalating tensions in the South China Sea between Beijing's vessels and other territories allied to the US.

The Philippines this week accused Chinese coast guard ships of damaging its fishing vessels with high-powered water cannons on the Scarborough Shoal.

The chain of reefs sits inside Manila's 200-nautical-mile (370km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but Beijing claims it as sovereign territory along with 90% of the South China Sea.

An international tribunal invalidated China's claim in 2016, but Beijing does not recognise the ruling.
Mourners at the funeral of a Merchant Navy war hero who served on D-Day were left fuming after a traffic warden slapped a ticket on a cortege limousine parked outside the church.

After celebrating the heroic life of Legion d'Honneur winner Donald Hunter, 98, family and friends left St Mildred's Church in Kent to find the yellow penalty ticket on the car.

The vehicle, in which the grieving family had travelled to the funeral, was partially parked on zigzag lines behind the hearse when it was spotted by a traffic warden.

Representatives from the Merchant Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Engineers and the Royal Norwegian Naval Attache were all present at the funeral.

Mr Hunter's son Ian, told Kent Online: 'It wasn't right to come out of a military funeral for my father and see a parking ticket for the car. Myself and the rest of the family are not very happy.'

After celebrating the heroic life of Legion d'Honneur winner Donald Hunter, family and friends left St Mildred's Church in Kent to find the yellow penalty ticket on the car (pictured)

In 2004, the French Embassy presented Donald Hunter (pictured) with the Legion d'Honneur for his part in the Normandy Landings

Ian added: 'It was a very moving service for a great man, and I am very proud to be his son.'

'I'm disappointed for my father, who did so much for the country and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds.'

Mr Hunter was just 18 when he and his comrades took part in the merchant naval wing of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944.

His convoy came under heavy fire from German gun emplacements as it steamed through the Dover Straits.

The war veteran's fundraising efforts included spearheading a campaign for a Merchant Navy memorial statue at Marine Parade on Dover seafront in 2008.

In 2004, the French Embassy presented him with the Legion d'Honneur for his part in the Normandy Landings.

The National Order of the Legion was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 and is the highest French order of merit that can be awarded for excellent military or civil conduct.

Mr Hunter was also awarded the prestigious Norwegian King's Commemorative Gold Medal in 2020.

The Reverend Canon Lindsay Hammond, who led the service for Mr Hunter at St Mildred's, told Kent Online: 'It was disappointing to come out of the church, from a lovely service for someone who had served his country with great distinction, to find that the funeral car had received a penalty notice.

'I understand that our civil enforcement officers have a difficult job to do, but we also have to accommodate funerals in a far-from-easy location.'

Donald Hunter (pictured) was just 18 when he and his comrades took part in the merchant naval wing of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944

The funeral directors appealed the ticket and it was cancelled by council chiefs.

A spokesman for Ashford Borough Council said: 'The vehicle in question had been left unattended, partially on zigzag lines which is a driving offence.

'It is our legal duty to enforce road traffic orders and issue penalty charge notices (PCN) in accordance with the Traffic Management Act.

'We must act fairly and consistently and therefore if any of our enforcement officers witness a contravention then they must issue a PCN.

'On appeal of this PCN, we can confirm that it has been cancelled.

'We appreciate that this must have been a very sad and upsetting time for family and friends attending the service and if our actions have caused any further upset then we are sorry for that.'
A GoFundMe has raised over $150,000 or the parents, who are expecting a baby

Multiple children were playing on the bouncy castle near Casa Grande, Arizona

A two-year-old boy has died in Arizona after a bouncy castle was lifted off the ground by high winds, according to local authorities.

Parents of Bodhi Naaf, named as Karl and Cristy, are 'grappling with unimaginable grief' following the incident - which took place near Casa Grande - a GoFundMe set up on their behalf has said.

Public donations have raised over $150,000 for Bodhi's parents Karl and Cristy since the 'tragic accident'.

A statement from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office explained: 'Several children were playing in a bounce house when a strong gust of wind sent it airborne into the neighbouring lot.

'A two-year-old child was transported to the hospital where he passed away.'

Two-year-old Bodhi Naaf's death has left parents Karl and Cristy (seen with the toddler) in 'unimaginable grief' as they prepare to have their second child

Karl (right) works at the Phoenix Fire Department, who released a statement saying: 'We are all devastated by this tremendous loss of life. The fire service prides itself on being one big family'

They also shared a fundraiser for the couple which has raised over $150,000

The fundraiser, set up by 'dear friend' Ashley Al-Khouri, added that the couple are expecting a second child May 31, 'adding to their challenges'.

'This devastating loss has left Karl and Cristy grappling with unimaginable grief,' it continued.

'Amidst their sorrow, they face the daunting task of preparing for the arrival of their newborn.

'As a community, we want to offer our support and alleviate the financial burden that accompanies such tragedies.'

Reports added that a second child was also injured in the event and taken to hospital with injuries which were not considered life-threatening, with KPHO-TV saying that a girl had broken her arm.

Karl, the boy's father, works at the Phoenix Fire Department, who released a statement saying: 'We are all devastated by this tremendous loss of life. The fire service prides itself on being one big family.

'Our membership and our department are doing everything we can to support Karl and Cristy during this difficult time.'

A 2022 study by the University of Georgia found that there have been 28 deaths worldwide since 2000 in bounce house accidents caused by weather events, along with 479 injuries.

Arizona is one of 19 US states which regulate bouncy castles - requiring owners to undertake annual inspections and record any emergency calls, as well as insuring the inflatable structures.
A group of female BBC news presenters taken off air last year after missing out on top presenting roles have branded the selection process a 'sham' and 'rigged', an employment tribunal heard today.

The four women, aged 48 to 55, accuse the corporation of age and sex 'discrimination' over the way the broadcaster handled the recruitment process for new chief presenter roles.

One of them said that the BBC 'grinds you down. It breaks you' when it comes to pay claims. The group are also making equal pay claims against the corporation.

Martine Croxall, 55, Karin Giannone, 50, Kasia Madera, 48, and Annita McVeigh, 55, are taking part in the bombshell case in London against the broadcaster.

Ms Croxall, appearing at the preliminary hearing, revealed she was paid 139,000 and had been through three pay disputes with the BBC.

The court heard how news presenter Matthew Amroliwala is being used in the case as the male comparator in the equal pay claims.

The chief presenter jobs were originally taken by two men, Mr Amroliwala and Christian Fraser, as well as three female news hosts Maryam Moshiri, Yalda Hakim and Lucy Hockings.

It comes after the BBC merged its domestic and international news channels and ran a selection process for the top chief presenter roles on the service.

(From left) Annita McVeigh, Martine Croxall, Karin Giannone and Kasia Madera arrive at London Central Employment Tribunal this morning for their hearing against the BBC

(From left) Kaisa Madera, Geeta Guru-Murthy, Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone and Martine Croxall pictured enjoying a drink together on April 5 last year

In their witness statements, which appear to be similar, the women said: I am one of five female chief presenters with BBC News, aged 48 to 55, at the time of the detriments, who have suffered (direct/indirect) discrimination on the grounds of age and sex victimisation for union rep activities, victimisation for carrying out protected acts (bringing equal pay claims), harassment (violation of dignity, creation of a hostile, degrading, intimidating environment in the workplace, causing us to suffer ill-health and reputational damage).

The women believed they have not been paid equally compared with their male counterparts since February 2020 and there was a gap of about 36,000 a year in pensionable salary as of February 2023.

The BBC says the application process was rigorous and fair, the BBC News website reported. It also denies the four were paid less than an equivalent male colleague.

Court documents, quoted by the BBC News website said: It is denied that [the BBC] has subjected [the presenters] to age or sex discrimination, harassment or victimisation, or has breached the sex equality clause.

It is understood that they claimed management had already chosen who they wanted before people had even applied.

But BBC bosses were said to have rejected the claims after an internal review took place.

Following new vacancies at the channel, Ms McVeigh is understood to have both taken chief presenter roles and recently appeared on air.

Like Ms Croxall, neither Ms Giannone nor Ms Madera have appeared on the news channel in over a year.

BBC News presenter Martine Croxall (pictured when she became emotional during a broadcast about Prince Philip's death in April 2021) has been off air since March last year

It is understood Ms Croxall, who has been at the BBC since 1991, has been discussing her future at the BBC with bosses.

In Ms Croxalls original claim form, from 2023, it is alleged that just ahead of the July 2022 announcement on the reorganisation of the news channels, the BBC's channels manager Jess Brammar privately assured four other chief presenters  two men and two younger women- that their jobs were safe.

In witness statements made available in the court, at London Central Employment Tribunal, the group raise serious concerns that the appointment to the roles was not conducted fairly.

In Ms Croxall's statement, which is similar to those of the three other women, she claimed the women had suffered 'discrimination on the grounds of age and sex'.

She claimed they had suffered 'harassment' with a 'hostile, degrading, intimidating environment in the workplace' which caused 'ill health' and 'reputational damage'.

Ms Croxall said: 'This was because of a sham recruitment exercise where our jobs were closed even though the redundancies were not genuine as the work still exists.'

She added: 'A whistleblower statement will show recruitment in Jan 2023 of BBC News Chief presenters was rigged. This led to the five of us losing our jobs and being kept off air for a year, when we challenged the process.'

Speaking at the hearing, Ms Croxall had claimed 'discrimination' was 'baked in' to the BBC's pay structures. She added that the BBC 'grinds you down and breaks you', adding 'that's why I'm here'.

The case is understood to have also originally included Geeta Guru-Murthy, but she has now appeared to have withdrawn from it.

It was claimed four of the women were demoted and three faced sizeable pay cuts. One was said to have had 'her pay cut for half of her job'.

Ms Croxall's statement claims: 'No men and no women younger than us suffered these detriments.'

She said that the five women, including Ms Murthy, had 'suffered the same or very similar detriments'.

In her witness statement Ms Croxall says reports from the corporation's own clinical psychologists show the 'negative physical and mental health impacts' of the treatment 'meted out to us'.

She also said that pay for its news channel chief presenters had 'again' become 'tainted by sex'.

It was even claimed that the BBC director-general Tim Davie had told one of the presenters, Ms Madera, in October 2022 that 'some people had been at the news channels for too long'.

She accepted a pay revision in July 2020, she said, after it had 'become apparent' the BBC had allowed pay for news channel chief presenters to 'again become tainted by sex'.

Today's case has been billed as the most high-profile employment tribunal action since Samira Ahmed (pictured centre in November 2019, with supporters including BBC colleague Carrie Gracie, right, who had a victory of her own) won her gender pay action against the BBC

The BBC News presenters offered almost the same witness statements to the tribunal.

It comes after the women had taken part in the application process to be chief presenters on the relaunched news channel, which combined domestic and global services. But they claim the process was predetermined, claiming the corporation already knew who it wanted.

When they challenged the process, they claimed they lost jobs and were not on air for a year.

The women in their witness statements claimed there was a statement from a whistleblower that backed up their version of events.

In the hearing today the four BBC news presenters provided evidence to back their claims that they were not given equal pay. The evidence comes ahead of a full hearing that is set to follow.

In Ms Croxalls claim form from 2023, it is written: Just ahead of the announcement, Channels manager Jess Brammar privately assured four other chief presenters (two men and two younger women) their jobs were safe, but admitted she couldnt say much for legal reasons.

In the claim, it was added: We were set up to fail in the jobs process.

The claim form said: We have been kept off air for months against our will.

The document added: The stress of the bogus process, a year of uncertainty and publicity about our careers has caused us distress and is affecting our health.

Ms Brammars appointment in 2021 to the role of executive news editor at the BBC was controversial after she was accused of sharing 'biased' Left-wing views on social media.

The court heard how news presenter Matthew Amroliwala is being used in the case as the male comparator in the equal pay claims.

The case comes after Mr Davie said he was looking to find a fair resolution to the situation.

Meanwhile, the tribunal also risks reigniting the controversy over the Corporations treatment of female employees.

Todays case has been billed as the most high-profile employment tribunal action since Samira Ahmed won her gender pay action against the BBC in 2020.

As well as Ms Ahmeds victory, former China editor Carrie Gracie won back pay and an apology from the BBC in 2018 over unequal salary levels.

It led to the formation of a group of female staff at the Corporation, called BBC Women, who took management to task over its record on fair treatment.

Ms Croxalls case, as listed by the employment tribunal, is also believed to include the claim that she suffered detriment from being a member of a trade union.

It has been suggested that the BBC has paid more than 1million in salaries, as well as so-called acting-up pay and freelance cover costs, during the period spent off-air by the five women.

The BBC declined to comment.
A Gold Coast mum who was caught drink driving twice within three hours by the same police officer has been banned from getting behind the wheel of her Tesla.

Tina Kristine Regecova, 50, pleaded guilty to two counts of driving under the influence of liquor and one of driving while suspended when she appeared in Southport Local Court on Wednesday.

The Tamborine Mountain was first pulled over in her white Tesla SUV around midday on April 12 near Mount Nathan on the Gold Coast hinterland when she failed a roadside breath test.

Regecova was taken to Coomera police station, were she returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.199, almost four times the legal limit.

Her licence was suspended on the spot but was back behind the wheel less than three hours later.

Tina Kristine Regecova, 50, (pictured outside court on Wednesday) had insomnia and drank alcohol to help her sleep

The Gold Coast mum was nearly four times over the legal limit, recording 0.199 the first time she pulled over and 0.183 the second time

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She was pulled over again by the same policeman, who can be heard saying as he approached the Tesla: 'I told you not to drive'.

Regecova told police that she didn't know she was not permitted to get behind the wheel. She was taken back to the police station where she recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.183.

The court heard on Wednesday that Regecova had been struggling with insomnia and had other health concerns after returning from overseas.

She had also been fasting when she decided to have some drinks on top of her prescribed Melatonin to help her sleep, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

Regecova said she did not feel 'impaired' the next morning and when she was first pulled over by the police, she had been driving to pick up her son.

During her sentencing, Regecova was told drinking and driving twice was 'serious misconduct',

But the judge accepted it had been out of character and acknowledged that Regecova had since completed several programs.

She was fined $750 and disqualified from driving for at least two years.

No conviction was recorded.

At the time of Regecova's arrest, Queensland Police announced a crackdown on bad and illegal driver behaviour on the Pacific Motorway and across the Gold Coast hinterland.

The Tesla driver (pictured being pulled over a second time within three hours) was fined $750, disqualified from driving for at least two years. N no conviction recorded

'We're sending a clear message that risky driving behaviours will not be tolerated,' Inspector Kayleen James said.

'Whether it's speed, intoxication, or improper load securing  these are choices that can have deadly consequences.

'This operation is part of our commitment to reducing the road toll and making our roads safer for everyone.'
An heroic British aid worker dubbed the 'Angel of Mostar' has helped evacuate nine sick and severely wounded kids from war-torn Gaza by airlifting them in a private jet after they crossed the border to Egypt.

Sally Becker told of her 'relief' of helping the children get the specialist treatment they need - including double amputee Ahmed Shabbat, 3 - after the plane landed in Trieste, Italy, on Tuesday.

And incredible footage showed how another young lad Yousef Hatab, who lost his lower leg when a missile struck his apartment building, waved as he was wheeled to safety.

Sally said about the mercy mission, which is the first privately funded airlift of children from the war-torn region: 'I just hope other countries will open their doors to help more children in urgent need of specialist treatment.'

The aid worker - who got her nickname after saving hundreds of children in the Bosnian War - spent months planning the mercy mission with partners Gaza Kinder Relief and Project Pure Hope.

Sally Becker (pictured) told of her 'relief' of saving the children - including double amputee Ahmed Shabbat, 3 - after the plane landed in Trieste, Italy, yesterday

Yousef Hatab, left, who lost his lower leg, was also aboard the private jet flight to Italy

Joudi who has Thallasemia and needs blood transfusions, was among the nine children on the plane out of Egypt

And after first negotiating with Palestinian and Israeli authorities to bring the kids to Egypt, she met them with a team of doctors at a military base in Cairo.

The children and their mothers were then flown to Italy, where they were ushered onto a fleet of ambulances and brought to the Burlo Garofolo children's hospital at around 1am.

Sally said: 'I was so relieved when we finally landed as it was looking really unlikely at times. Our colleagues at Gaza Kinder Relief have spent months establishing connections with the various authorities in Egypt.

'And the Italian embassy has been amazing, remaining open for several hours into the late evening in order to issue the visas in time for the medevac flight'

'I'd been watching all the images on TV and usually I would go and help, but Gaza is a different story. It's basically blocked on all sides. I can't just cross the border and evacuate the children myself.'

Sally said she was comforted that she could finally get little Ahmad the treatment he needed - and was amazed at the resilience of the kids she'd helped.

She said of his evacuation: 'It was fantastic because that poor little boy suffered enough. Now he'll just be spoiled rotten no doubt.

'Most of their baggage was filled with toys they had been given in Egypt and the plane was filled with gifts from the Refugee Foundation.

'But what is most astounding is their resilience. I expected them to be severely traumatized and instead, they are so accepting of what happened to them.'

Sally, who runs British charity Save A Child, received referrals of injured kids from the Gaza Kinder Relief agency, which has helped dozens of children get medical treatment.

But Sally also approached humanitarian groups Project Pure Hope and Direct Relief, to fund a private charter jet, so that specialists could help some of the children in Europe.

She revealed how she feared the mission might be scuppered at the final moment as she encountered issues with paperwork and logistics.

She said: 'It wasn't until 2am on Monday that we finally had the clearance for the children to fly, and we were flying at 9am in the morning - there was just hours to spare.

Children being offloaded from ambulances after arriving in Trieste, Italy, April 30, 2024

Ahmad Shabbat, who lost most of his family and both limbs in bombing in Gaza at the start of the war, was on board the mercy flight

Children and their travel companions waiting to board a flight to Italy from Cairo, Egypt, April 29, 2024

'Gaza Kinder Relief had to get them all moved in the last couple of days to Cairo and one little girl, Julia, only crossed the Gaza border the night before, so we didn't even know if they would make it in time.'

Sally's plane touched down with three doctors and a nurse on board at a military base in Egypt on Monday, where the sick and injured kids were waiting for them with their mothers and siblings.

Five had explosive injuries and amputations while the remaining four were suffering from a range of sicknesses, which included long-term congenital conditions.

Sally said about meeting them: 'When we receive these referrals straight from the hospitals I get to see the injuries when they first happen and it's just awful.

'Of course, it's different now because several weeks or months later their wounds have healed to some extent, and they are in need of revisional surgeries so they can be fitted with prosthetic limbs

'But it's like the photos have come to life. Suddenly this shocking picture of a child that could be any of the thousands of children who were injured is holding my hand.'

The kids later disembarked at Trieste Airport airport at around 1am on Tuesday, where the local authorities had lined up emergency vehicles for them.

But Sally remembered the moment when 14-year-old Kamal, who had lost a leg just below his groin, refused to be carried off the plane and came down the steps himself.

She said: 'They wanted him to go on a stretcher or in a wheelchair, and he absolutely refused. He was walking with his crutches no matter what.'

'He'll get, as they all will, advanced prosthetics made especially for them in Bologna once their wounds are sufficiently healed.'

Despite the comfort of knowing that she had helped these children, Sally said it was a sad fact of modern-day conflict that so many civilians are caught in the firing line.

She said: 'If there has to be war, then I wish it could be like it was not so long ago, when armies would fight their battles in some far-flung field and the women and the children would stay safe at home.

'Instead it's the women and the children who suffer most of all.'
A woman has issued a stern warning to the gunmen who wrongfully targeted her home during a terrifying drive-by shooting.

At least six shots were fired into the Myall Street home in Merrylands in Sydney's west at about 10pm on Tuesday.

CCTV from a neighbouring property showed a white Hyundai hatchback driving past the duplex, which was then peppered with bullets from the vehicle.

Disability support worker Sheena Williams was inside the home at the time, along with five others, including several children.

Sheena Williams (pictured) issued a stern warning to the gunmen after her home was wrongfully targeted by a drive-by shooting on Tuesday night

Chilling CCTV footage captured the moment the white Hyundai hatchback (pictured centre) drove up to the property before multiple gun shots were fired

READ MORE: Carpenter shot dead in a horror drive-by attack in Sydney's west

Carpenter Bol Deng (pictured), 20, was found unresponsive on the footpath and was treated by paramedics but was unable to be saved after he was shot outside the front of his house Advertisement

'We watch on the news everyday that it's (shootings) getting so close to home but for it to actually be at our front door is another story,' she told 7 News.

'We've come here for a better life and this is what we get.'

No one was injured.

Ms Williams pleaded with the gunmen to stay away after police declared the incident as a case of mistaken identity.

'Whoever did this, I tell you, don't come around this house, we have nothing to do with whatever business you're in,' she said.

An abandoned hatchback was found alight shortly afterwards 10km away in Bass Hill

Police are investigating whether the dumped burnt out car is linked to the Merrylands shooting.

Acting Superintendent Darren Beeche said the home was wrongfully targeted in a case of mistaken identity.

'People in the house that was hit I believe had nothing to do with crime gangs or drugs,' he told reporters.

'These people have had bad intelligence, late intelligence and it's usually a cowardly act by a coward in the middle of the night and unfortunately they often get the wrong place.'

The latest drive-by shooting is the second incident in just days, after a young family living in a home in Blacktown were targeted on Saturday night.

The incident was another case of mistaken identity, with the family now on the hunt for a new home over fears for their safety.

Anyone with information, has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

A drive-by shooting has rocked western Sydney after a house was sprayed with bullets

NSW Police were seen at house and at the scene of the burnt out car
A Michelin-starred restaurant has launched a delivery option for a fraction of the price of traditional high-end dishes, serving a tasting menu for 60.

One of the top 50 restaurants in the world is teaming up with Uber Eats to launch an exclusive five-course menu that puts a luxurious twist on your standard takeaway.

Ikoyi, located on the Strand, first launched in 2017 and has since earned two Michelin stars and a spot at number 35 on the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list in 2023.

As part of the Uber Eats Host series, which allows customers to have more affordable access to high-end restaurants, Ikoyi's executive chef Jeremy Chan has developed a limited-edition menu for 60.

This consists of five different dishes inspired by classic takeaway items and the flavours used in the restaurant itself.

A Michelin-starred restaurant has launched a delivery option for a fraction of the price of traditional high-end dishes, serving a tasting menu for 60

Ikoyi, located on the Strand, first launched in 2017 and has since earned two Michelin stars and a spot at number 35 on the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list in 2023

The five courses include Mutton Merguez & Green Goddess Slaw, Fried Chicken, Smoked Scotch Bonnet and Raspberry, Jollof Rice and Crab Custard, Suya Tamari Pork, Mustard Greens and Kumquat, as well as Flower Sugar Cake, Batak Berry and Garigette Strawberry.

Although takeaway fans might be baulking at the price of 60 per person for a home delivery, this pales in comparison to the restaurant's dine-in prices.

The current cost of the restaurants current tasting menu is a hefty 320, five times more than the new delivery option.

This makes ordering in a viable option if you are looking for an haute cuisine experience that saves you 260.

For an additional 25 per person, a drinks pairing is also available, which features two cocktails designed specially to be enjoyed with the menu, as well as an Eko Lager and a palate cleansing soft drink.

Speaking about the menu, Jeremy Chan, Executive Chef and Co-Founder of Ikoyi, said: I often enjoy delivery food at home myself when Im not working. When Uber Eats approached us, we were delighted to partner with them and share some of the tastes and flavours of Ikoyi for people to enjoy at home for the first time.

Matthew Price, Uber Eats General Manager UK, Ireland and Northern Europe added: This menu is truly incredible and this will be the only chance to taste it!

The Ikoyi Uber Eats menu will be available in central London for two days only in May, with Uber One members able to order it on May 10.

Jeremy and the Ikoyi team will then be cooking it up for everyone else in the area who wants to try it on May 11 between 5pm and 10pm.

As part of the Uber Eats Host series, which allows customers to have more affordable access to high-end restaurants, Ikoyi's executive chef Jeremy Chan has developed a limited-edition menu for 60

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In February, Britain's best restaurants were revealed in the new Michelin Guide 2024 - but how close is your nearest option for a finest dining night out?

An interactive MailOnline map shows where to find the best eatieries in Britain as the 2024 edition of the coveted guide is released.

The newest upgrades include a Three Star pick in London - Brett Graham's The Ledbury in Notting Hill - as well as three new Two Star and 11 extra One Star restaurants across the rest of the capital.

Cumbria adds two new One Stars - Cedar Tree by Hrishikesh Desai in Brampton and Lake Road Kitchen in Ambleside, while Birmingham has welcomed its first ever Two Star restaurant, chef Aktar Islam's Opheem.

Places can be awarded zero to three Michelin stars based on five areas: quality of ingredients, mastery of flavour and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in the cuisine, value for money and consistency of food.
A feckless father who asked a friend to take a DNA test for him so he could avoid paying child maintenance support has been jailed for 12 months for fraud.

William Boswarva, 29, wanted nothing to do with his baby boy after he got the child's mother pregnant on a one-night stand.

When the mother asked Boswarva for child maintenance he sent another man armed with his driving licence and photo ID to the medical centre for the identity test.

As the test was taken during the pandemic, the other man was wearing a mask meaning he could fool staff working at the centre.

When Boswarva was arrested he claimed there had been 'some kind of mix up' admitting that while he did have sex with the woman, he had taken the test and did not believe he was the father.

William Boswarva, 29, was jailed for 12 months at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday after getting a friend to take a DNA test for him so he could avoid paying child maintenance

Boswarva was jailed for 12 months yesterday at Liverpool Crown Court after the judge ruled he had to 'send out a clear message of deterrence'

A jury at Liverpool Crown Court, however, did not accept his story, with the man of Lockfields View, Vauxhall in Liverpool, being convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud.

Jailing him for 12 months yesterday the judge Recorder Neil Owen-Casey said that he had 'to send out a clear message of deterrence.'

During the trial the jurors heard that the defendant had attempted to put pressure on the child's mother in order to convince her to have an abortion and told her he wanted 'nothing to do' with the baby.

He discovered that the woman was pregnant when she uploaded a picture from a scan to Instagram following their one night stand.

Boswarva was then alleged to have told her that he did not want a child and offered her money for a termination before cutting contact.

Kyra Badman, prosecuting, told the city's crown court that when the baby's mum applied for child maintenance Boswarva denied he was the father and requested a DNA test.

An appointment was made at Crosby Medical Centre on August 3, 2021 and a man purporting to be the defendant turned up and gave a saliva sample and signed that he was Boswarva.

When arrested Boswarva gave a DNA sample and the two did not match and he said there had been some 'kind of a mix up.' He refused to retake the test while in custody.

When arrested Boswarva gave a DNA sample and the two did not match and he said there had been some 'kind of a mix up

Miss Badman said that in an impact statement the child's mum spoke of the emotional impact of his denials that he was the father.

The court heard that he has ten previous convictions for 11 offences including two last year.

Andrew Jebb, defending, said, 'He made a very bad decision in this case.'

He pointed out that since the offence he has had a suspended sentence imposed which he has dealt with successfully. 'A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since the offence in 2021.'

Recorder Owen-Casey told the defendant that the person who turned up for the DNA test was wearing a Covid mask which 'gave you the perfect method to conceal the identity of the person attending for the sample.'

He said that because Boswarva does not work or claim benefits he has been assessed of needing to pay child maintenance at a nil rate but will be liable as the child's biological father until he is at least 16 and his circumstances may change.

The judge said the defendant had tried 'to avoid the consequences of his brief liaison. I am satisfied that you deliberately attempted to evade those consequences.'

He said it was clear his actions had caused the baby's mum 'stress and anxiety and clearly emotional anguish.You have made her feel she did something wrong and she has not done anything wrong at all.

'What she seeks is the truth for the benefit of her child, this not about money as far as she is concerned. What she does want is to be truthful to professionals and within the community. You managed to deny her that opportunity or rights that the child may have.

'At the heart of this is a child who is being denied the opportunity to know who his biological father is.'

He told Boswarva, `'You attempted to cheat the system in a clearly selfish manner..You placed the blame wrongly on others and claimed the test must have been mixed up.

'Deterrence must be made clear to those who think this type of fraud is possible,' he added.
Underpowered British bobbies are not properly equipped to deal with violent incidents like yesterday's sword rampage in Hainault, a former officer said today.

Two members of the public were seriously injured and a 14-year-old boy killed during a 22-minute reign of terror.

The Met said officers arrived at the scene within 12 minutes and used Pava incapacitant spray and a Taser but these had 'limited impact'. Two officers were attacked and sustained serious injuries.

The suspect was later surrounded by other officers, who used a Taser to overpower him. Only about 7,500 of the Met's 34,000 police officers currently trained to carry the non-lethal devices.

The Met has said it is investing millions in improving the kit available to officers, including upgraded body armour which fits better and makes officers safer.

Today the Police Federation led calls for every frontline cop to be equipped with one of the devices, which fire two barbs that attach to the target's skin before releasing a current that overrides a person's ability to make voluntary movements.

Former London police officer Norman Brennan spearheaded a campaign to allow officers to be armed with batons, stab resistant vests and Pava spray. He said it was time to 'bring ourselves up to date' and give police more means to protect themselves.

Norman Brennan said police officers need more equipment to help protect themselves

'Every single proactive frontline officer should be given a Taser and should also be double crewed,' he told MailOnline.

'But Tasers are not always effective. They may not discharge, and if someone is wearing a baggy coat or thick jumper the barb may not hit the skin.

'If the Taser had not worked for the female police officer arresting the Hainault suspect she could have been seriously injured.

'The only way to deal with people to deal with people carrying machetes, knives and swords and pose an imminent threat to you and the public is a firearm.

'We keep saying how wonderful it is that our police run towards danger, but we wouldn't send an Army to fight a war ill-equipped.'

Tasers can be used to repel or subdue violent attackers before armed officers arrive, but Mr Brennan warned there was often a risky wait until they could reach the scene.

'Notice who arrived last - it was the firearm response teams - and in rural areas they can take even longer to arrive,' he said.

'I believe it's time that the romantic image of the unarmed bobby is assigned to the history books.

'Every Police Shift in Britain should have at least one officer armed with a sidearm so they can respond to incidents like yesterdays.'

Dramatic CCTV footage emerged showing the moment the sword-wielding suspect in Hainault was Tasered and arrested by police

Officers can be seen demanding the 36-year-old suspect drop his weapon as he stands with sword in hand in front of a garage

A heroic female officer who was involved in Tasering and arresting the suspect. She was not the one who was injured. Former London police officer Norman Brennan called for all response officers to have Tasers

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said today that he was reviewing whether officers 'should have wider access' to Tasers.

But he argued giving police firearms would not the answer.

'I am not someone who is a fan of moving to fully armed policing,' he told LBC. 'We should be proud of our largely unarmed model, that is something to be envied and protected.'

A total of 14,626 knife offences were recorded by police in the capital last year - an average of 40 a day and up by a fifth on 2022.

There was also an increase in gun crime, with 1,208 recorded over 2023 - up by more than 200 compared to the previous year.

Earlier today, Sir Mark said a female police officer suffered 'horrifically serious' arm injuries during yesterday's attack and had undergone several hours of surgery.

'The surgeon spent many, many hours basically putting her arm back together,' he said.

A male officer also suffered serious hand injuries and is recovering in hospital.

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Sadiq Khan was elected London Mayor in May 2016. This cumulative graph shows the number of homicides for the final part of 2016 and then each of the following eight years

This graph shows the number of homicides each year of Mr Khan's term as Mayor

The boy who died was a pupil at Bancroft's, the same school attended by Grace O'Malley-Kumar who was killed in Nottingham last summer as she tried to save her friend Barnaby Webber from a knife attacker.

The boy's mother works at Holy Family Catholic School, which published a statement on its website addressed to parents and carers that said: 'It is with great sadness that I share with you the news of the death of the child of one of our staff members.

'Mrs Anjorin's son was taken from this life suddenly this morning on his way to school. Please keep Mrs Anjorin, her husband and their other children in your prayers.'

Sir Mark told the broadcaster: 'People say officers run towards danger.

'What you've actually seen on some of the videos that are around social media and on news sites... you actually see what that really looks like.

'You've got officers running towards someone who's waving a sword.'

The sword rampage in East London has renewed focus on the issue of knife crime in the capital in the lead up to the mayoral elections.

Sir Mark claimed the capital is safer than Birmingham, Manchester and West Yorkshire when it comes to serious violence.
When is a terror attack not a terror attack? When the victims are women.

It would be hard not to draw this conclusion after recent horrific events in Sydney, Australia.

On April 13, Joel Cauchi killed six people and stabbed 12 more, including a nine-month-old baby girl inside the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre. The vast majority of the victims were women. This was no coincidence, as we would quickly learn.

Joel Cauchi, 40, murdered six people - five of them women - in Westfield Junction shopping centre in Sydney. Several others, including a baby girl, were injured

New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb said: 'It's obvious to me and it's obvious to detectives that it seems to be an area of interest that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men.'

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese followed with an understatement Australian women could be forgiven for finding deeply insulting: 'The gender breakdown is, of course, concerning.'

The attacker's father Andrew Cauchi even admitted his son may have targeted women was because 'he wanted a girlfriend... He's got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain.'

In spite of these clear acknowledgements, police immediately ruled out any connection to terrorism, saying: 'No information we have received, no evidence we've recovered, no intelligence that we have gathered... would suggest that this was driven by any particular motivation, ideology or otherwise.'

Artist Pikria Darchia, 55, was fatally stabbed, along with four other women, by Joel Cauchi at a Sydney shopping mall in April

Jade Young was another of the victims. She was stabbed to death aged 47 at Westfield Bondi Junction

Yet, just two days later, a 16-year-old boy stabbed clergy members and members of the congregation at a Sydney church. The very next day, police declared it a 'terrorist act' - defined by Australian police as an 'ideologically motivated' offence - with Albanese boldly speaking out against 'violent extremism' in the country.

What must be concluded from this?

That deliberately killing women is not considered ideological or extremist. Tell that to the one in three women on the planet who are raped or beaten in their lifetime. That statistic is not random chance.

Ideology is defined as a set of ideas or beliefs of a group or an individual. What is misogyny, then, if not an ideology? A belief system that has dominated patriarchal societies for thousands of years.

Of course, the two cases were different. Both will have their own complexities and investigations are ongoing. I'm not suggesting they should be treated identically. I'm not even suggesting that the Bondi Junction attack should have been immediately declared a terrorist attack. But I firmly believe the possibility should not have been so quickly and dismissively ruled out.

By doing so, the authorities implied that the apparently deliberate targeting of women with fatal violence could not possibly be related to any 'ideology'.

Sydney locals and friends of the victims gather at a makeshift memorial outside the shopping centre

Yixuan Cheng was the last victim to be identified - she was a 27-year-old economics student from China, studying a masters degree at the University of Sydney

This problem isn't unique to Australia. It's a much wider societal oversight. When women are murdered by men because they are women, we do not consider it to be a form of terrorism. But we have no trouble quickly attaching that label to other kinds of ideologically-motivated attacks (particularly those not carried out by white men).

You might wonder if the label really matters. But the designation has a massive impact. It sends the message that this is something those in power care about enough to label it high priority. That they see it as serious.

Mass murders of women by men who have made misogynistic statements or been involved in extreme misogynistic communities online are far from rare. But you probably haven't heard of most of them because motive is rarely mentioned. The perpetrators are not described as terrorists. The word extremism doesn't come up.

In 2014, Elliot Rodger murdered six people and injured 14 others in Santa Barbara, California. In a sickening manifesto, he wrote: 'I will destroy all women... I will attack the very girls who represent everything I hate in the female gender.'

As part of the killing spree, he targeted the Alpha Phi sorority (a female society at a university) whose members he deemed the 'hottest' at his college, 'the kind of girls I've always desired but never been able to have'.

But police didn't designate it an extremist attack. Instead, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff described the shootings as 'the work of a madman', calling Rodger 'severely mentally disturbed'. Local media headlines didn't mention the misogynistic nature of the attack.

Dawn Singleton, 25. Her police officer fiance rushed to the scene to help colleagues only to be told his wife-to-be was one of the victims

Ashlee Good, 38, died in the attack. Her nine-month-old daughter was also targeted and sustained life-threatening injuries

Rodger had been heavily involved in so-called 'incel' websites and forums: where men who consider themselves 'involuntarily celibate' blame women for denying them sex, and plot their 'revenge' in the form of physical and sexual violence.

In 2021, Jake Davison carried out the first mass-shooting Britain had seen in a decade, killing five people and injuring two others in Plymouth, Devon.

Within 24 hours, police said they did not consider it a terrorist attack or linked to extremism.

This is despite Davison being active in incel forums, uploading misogynistic rants about women online. His mother had previously reported him to the Prevent anti-terror scheme.

Days before the shooting, he'd searched online for incel serial killers.

Remember the van attack of 2018 in Toronto, Canada, when a van was driven at pedestrians, killing ten people and injuring 16 others? Even if you heard about the attack, you're unlikely to know that the majority of victims were women, or that perpetrator Alek Minassian told police he had been radicalised online and was acting in the name of 'incel ideology'.

'I was angry that [women] would give their love and affection to obnoxious brutes,' he said.

New South Wales Commissioner Karen Webb said: 'It's obvious to me... that it seems to be an area of interest that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men'

Minutes before he launched his deadly attack, he posted on Facebook: 'The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys [names incels use to describe attractive men and women]! All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!'

Yet, authorities told the media: 'The driver's actions... appeared intentional, but did not seem to have been an act of terrorism.'

'The city is safe', declared the Toronto police chief. But how can a city be safe when its women are not?

These are a handful of the countless examples.

In such cases, killers are usually described as 'lone wolves', 'disturbed' and 'mentally ill'. There may well be components of mental illness in many such cases, but it is wrong and damaging to suggest that this is the sole issue. Mental illness is rarely mentioned when discussing acts of Islamist terrorism, for example, even when it is present.

Millions of people globally experience mental illness without committing acts of violence. And though mental illness might make someone particularly vulnerable to malicious ideologies such as misogynistic extremism, it doesn't mean we should ignore the role those ideologies play in events.

Yes, we need to talk about treatment and support for mental illness, but we also need to reflect on the underlying societal issues that result in some 96 per cent of mass murderers being men. We also need to confront the fact that around a hundred people in the past decade alone have been killed or seriously injured by men who have been influenced by extremist misogyny.

We need to recognise hatred of women as a serious social problem and describe massacres found to have been explicitly carried out in its name as 'terrorism'.

The label is important because it gives investigators extra powers and makes specific actions available to them. It releases particular funds and enables officers to draw on special experts and influences the political action taken as a result.

Last week in Australia, the Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, announced a coronial inquest and government review to consider whether the Bondi Junction attack demonstrated a need to strengthen mental health support. He also ordered a review of the powers held by security guards. But he didn't announce any investigation or action to be taken on misogyny and male violence against women. If the possibility of this being a misogynistic terror attack had remained on the table, that might have been different.

Joel Cauchi in a photo from his school yearbook. The vast majority of the victims were women

The family of Faraz Tahir, who was the only man killed. He was a security guard at the mall and tried to intervene in the attack

How we describe and respond to tragic events like this matters. It reinforces that we consider it unacceptable in our society.

But, of course, that's part of the problem. Sexism and misogyny aren't unacceptable, or even unusual. Men murdering women is nothing new. It happens all the time. Once every three days, on average, in the UK alone. How can we recognise misogyny as a form of extremism when it is all around us, all the time?

When writing my book, Men Who Hate Women, which explores misogynistic online communities and their offline impact, I spent months undercover on incel forums. This week, I returned there to see the response to news of the Bondi Junction attack. Here are some direct quotes from forum users. No doubt some readers may find them distressing - but they are important to acknowledge if we want to fully confront the dangers women face.

'So happy to know that he is incel motivated... as good as a sushi chef slicing down sushi rolls,' one user wrote.

'Men need women, if enough men don't have access to females they gonna show their anger in another form,' another said.

'He scored a pretty good blow with killing that Stacy... I can't even feel bad she died.'

And finally: 'Just watching and enjoying personally.'

Until we recognise the role of online extremism in mainstreaming misogyny, forums like this will continue to thrive. Vulnerable men will continue to be radicalised. And unless we realise that deliberately targeting women with violence is an act of terror and take action to prevent it, attacks like this will keep happening.
A veteran US diplomat has quit her post after an 18-year-career in protest of Biden's unwavering support for Israel as she claims that others within the State Department are fearful of publicly expressing their views regarding the war in Gaza.

The Arabic language spokesperson of the US State Department and one of the most recognized faces of US diplomacy for Arab media, Hala Rharrit, resigned over Washington's Gaza war policy, in the third resignation from the department since the war began.

Rharrit uploaded her resignation on her personal LinkedIn, stating: 'I resigned April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service in opposition to the United States' Gaza policy.'

After almost seven months into the Biden administration's unstinting support for Israel in it's bloody war against Hamas, Rharrit became the first career diplomat to resign in protest of a policy that she believes will set back Washington's interests on the Arab world for a generation.

The former deputy director of the Dubai Media Hub revealed she felt that the continual flow of US weapons into Israel was enabling and making worse the devastating humanitarian crisis that is sweeping Gaza, reported the Washington Post.

Hala Rharrit, the former Arabic language spokesperson of the US State Department, resigned in protest of Biden's unwavering support of Israel after an 18-year-long career

US President Joe Biden, left, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023

Rharrit revealed she felt that the continual flow of US weapons into Israel was enabling and making worse the devastating humanitarian crisis that is sweeping Gaza. Pictured: Rafah, Gaza, May 1, Palestinians, including children, collect remaining belongings from the rubble of destroyed houses after Israeli attacks on the house

The destruction caused by the Israeli attacks on Gaza is viewed from the Nir Am region in southern Israel, on May 01, 2024

Within the State Department, she explained how other diplomats are now afraid to show support towards the war-torn city, or express viewpoints in contrast to official policy - unlike most other issues within her career where she had been encouraged to thoroughly discuss and debate.

She also added that some of her former colleagues are fearful of being targeted, and even disciplined, by the State Department for sharing views that may go against US policy.

'People are scared to talk to each other. People don't know how other people feel. So they try to assess, you know, how are you feeling? People are scared to mention Gaza at work. They just want to pretend it's not happening,' she told The Post.

Since October, Rharrit had refused to give Arab media interviews concerning Gaza as she felt the 'provocative' talking points would worsen the situation, than calm it.

'They oftentimes completely ignored Palestinians. Early on, it was very, very heavy on 'Israel has a right to defend itself.' Yes, Israel has a right to defend itself, but there was no mention of the plight of the Palestinians,' she said.

'I, in good conscience, could not go on Arab television with those talking points. All that that would have done is have caused someone to want to throw their shoe at the TV, want to burn an American flag or, worse, throw a rocket at our troops.'

'I said, 'I will not be the reason why someone hates America more,' she added.

Speaking to NPR, Rharrit claimed she was reprimanded for her decision.

'I was accused of having misconduct, that it was a conduct issue, that I was refusing to do my job. I was told get back on air or curtail or resign. Curtail means cut your assignment short. Or resign - I mean, I was given an ultimatum,' she said.

The former diplomat also chillingly shared her fears about how some day, children have been left orphaned by the war may eventually 'pick up a gun and seek revenge', claiming the West is enabling and encouraging a generational cycle of revenge that will not ensure the safety of Israelis.

A view of damage in Khan Yunis of Gaza after Israeli attacks, on April 30, 2024. The streets and alleys in city, in the southern Gaza Strip, are unrecognizable after Israel withdrew, leaving behind devastation

Since October, Rharrit had refused to give Arab media interviews concerning Gaza as she felt the 'provocative' talking points would worsen the situation, than calm it. Pictured: Palestinians, including children, collect remaining belongings from the rubble of destroyed houses after Israeli attacks in Rafah, Gaza, on May 1, 2024

Weeks of Israeli attacks turned the buildings in the city into rubble

Before resigning, Rharrit, who joined the State Department as a political and human rights officer, admitted she focused on other aspects of her job including monitoring Arabic media channels to report internally about their coverage of the ongoing conflict and US policy.

She told NPR that if she had the opportunity to speak directly to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, she would urge him to stop the violence and unconditional military support.

'Just think about the 20,000 orphans in Gaza. How are they going to grow up wanting peace? How will they not each want to pick up a gun and avenge the killing of their parents? This vicious cycle is only enabling more insecurity, more hate, more destabilization,' she said.

'The answer is not more bombs. The answer is diplomacy. The answer is us leveraging our influence on Israel, working with our regional partners across the Arab world to put pressure on Hamas to get to a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel, which is a two-state solution that the US has long supported.

'Arms and bombs are not going to achieve that, only diplomacy will'.

In response to inquiries about the resignation, a State Department spokesperson informed Reuters yesterday that the department offers channels for its personnel to express differing viewpoints regarding government policies.

Members of the NYPD surround and breach Hamilton Hall where demonstrators barricaded themselves inside on the Columbia University campus on April 30

Counter-protesters stand near an encampment of protesters in support of Palestinians in Gaza on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Los Angeles, May 1, 2024

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators engulfed in tear gas regroup and rebuild the barricade surrounding the encampment set up on the campus of UCLA

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza during a protest calling for their return, after meeting families of hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, May 1, 2024

'There are channels through which our workforce can share their points of view when they disagree with a certain policy or a certain action that the US government is taking,' said Vedant Patel, deputy State Department spokesman.

He added that dissenting opinions 'help lead to stronger, more robust policymaking.'

'Ultimately, anybody's decision on whether they want to continue to repeat, remain employed somewhere or not, that is ultimately a decision for them to make.'

Rharrit's resignations come after, Annelle Sheline, a foreign affairs officer in the State Department's human rights bureau, stepped down in protest over the Biden administration's support for Israel in late March, saying it had made her job promoting human rights 'almost impossible'.

Earlier, veteran State Department official Josh Paul, a former director overseeing US arms transfers, resigned over Biden's 'destructive, unjust' supply of arms to Israel just days after the war on Gaza began.

And in January, a senior Palestinian-American official in the US Education Department, Tariq Habash, resigned from his post, saying he could no longer 'stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives.'

Despite mounting international criticism of Israel's offensive that has killed over 34,000 Palestinians, and even the criticism from centrist Democrats, the Biden Administration has continued to provide its ally with a steady stream of weapons.

On Wednesday, the US Senate joined the House of Representatives in passing an aid bill that is set to provide $26billion in aid for Israel and Palestine, with $4billion set aside to replenish Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system (pictured)

Last week, the White House was reportedly considering an additional $1billion weapons deal with the country while centrist Democrats have discussed cutting off military aid unless Israeli behavior changes.

Several senior US officials have also condemned strikes that have killed aid workers, children and other civilians.

On Wednesday, the US Senate joined the House of Representatives in passing an aid bill that is set to provide $26billion in aid for Israel and Palestine, with $4billion set aside to replenish Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, and $9billion for humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

The ongoing conflict has also sparked widespread anti-war demonstrations across the United States, with university campuses across the country being ravaged by protests.

And though Blinken is in the Middle East seeking to broker a ceasefire and increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory, Israeli leaders have declared they plan to invade the southern city of Rafah no matter what  a decision Biden and other top officials fear could be disastrous.
Police have arrested pro-Palestine protesters blockading a Government department and BAE Systems sites as they call for end to UK arms sales to Israel.

Organisers said more than 1,000 workers and trade unionists demonstrated outside BAE Systems sites, as well as the London offices of the Business and Trade department, with the aim of showing solidarity with Palestinian workers.

The Workers for a Free Palestine group said it was escalating its tactics by targeting BAE Systems and the Government department on the same day.

Members of the group protested outside factories in Glasgow, South Wales and Lancashire.

A Metropolitan Police statement said: 'We are policing a protest in Admiralty Place and Horse Guards Parade. Officers have made three arrests after protesters blocked access to a building. Protesters must stay within the law.'

Pro-Palestine protesters block the entrances of Department of Business and Trade in Westminster in a protest calling government to stop arm sales to Israel today

Protesters form a blockade outside weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Samlesbury, Lancashire, today

Protesters form a blockade outside weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Govan, Glasgow, today

Tania, a trade unionist and organiser for Workers for a Free Palestine taking part in the London protest - who did not want to give her full name, said: 'Our movement forced the issue of an arms embargo onto the table and polling shows the majority of the British public want to see arms sales to Israel banned, yet the Government and also the Labour Party continue to ignore the will of the people.

'The Government has sought to play down the scale of its arms supplies to Israel, but the reality is UK arms and military support play a vital role in the Israeli war machine, and evidence that three British aid workers were killed by a drone partly produced in the UK shows the extent of British complicity in Israel's genocide.'

Today's protests were the latest in a series of demonstrations outside factories in recent months.

In Glasgow, local demonstrators blockaded entrances to BAE Systems in Govan holding signs with messages such as 'stop arming genocide' and 'solidarity not complicity'.

They chanted 'Free, free Palestine' and 'up, up with liberation, down, down with occupation'.

Protesters gather outside the Business and Trade department in London to show solidarity with Palestine today

The Metropolitan Police said it made three arrests after protestors blocked access to a building

Pro-Palestine displayed banners calling for the genocide to end in Gaza

A large banner was unfurled with read 'Ceasefire Now' in outside the Department of Business and Trade offices in London

The protest took place near Admiralty Place and Horse Guards Parade

A protestor carries a 'Honk for Palestine' sign while wearing a Ceasefire Now t-shirt in Glasgow

Protesters hold a banner which reads 'This Factory Arms Genocide' in Glasgow

Many of the protestors covered their faces with masks and hats

Protesters form a blockade outside weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Glasgow

Members of staff wait outside as protesters form a blockade at weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Glasgow

Protesters form a blockade outside weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Samlesbury, Lancashire

Protesters call for BAE Systems to stop arming Israel in Samlesbury, Lancashire

Protesters with signs calling for workers to 'unite against genocide' in Samlesbury today

Protesters with signs calling for an end of the 'occupation' in Lancashire today

Speaking in Glasgow demonstrator Jamie - who did not wish to give a surname, said: 'Our fundamental aim is for the UK Government to introduce an arms embargo, it's the morally right thing to do.

'It's vital that action is taken, it's been almost seven months of death and destruction in Palestine and the idea that that is being committed by weapons that are being produced in our neighbourhoods is horrifying.

'Our long term goal is an arms embargo from the government but our short term aim here today is to just disrupt business as usual for BAE, to disrupt the manufacture, to cost them time, cost them money and slow down the trade of weapons to Israel.'

A BAE Systems spokesperson said: 'The ongoing violence in the Middle East is having a devastating impact on civilians in the region and we hope the parties involved find a way to end the violence as soon as possible.

'We respect everyone's right to protest peacefully. We operate under the tightest regulation and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment.'

The UK Government has been asked for comment.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 4.55am on Wednesday, May 1 2024, police were called to a report of a demonstration outside the grounds of a business premises on Govan Road, Govan, Glasgow. Officers remain at the scene.'
The number of migrants crossing the Channel on small boats has hit a new record high for the first four months of the year, jumping 27% on 2023.

A total of 7,567 people made the journey from January to April, provisional Home Office figures show.

That is 27% higher than the number of arrivals recorded in the first four months of last year (5,946) and an increase of 13% compared to figures logged for the same period in 2022 (6,691).

On Tuesday alone, 268 people arrived in the UK in five boats and crossings continued on Wednesday, with dozens more being brought into Dover.

They arrived throughout the morning, disembarking in bright orange lifejackets. Conditions are currently favourable for crossings, with the sea calm.

A total of 7,567 people made the journey from January to April, up 25 per cent on 2023

A group of migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent by the RNLI on Tuesday after being picked up

Some 2,132 people crossed in 42 boats in April, an average of 51 people per boat last month

Some 2,132 people made the journey in 42 boats in April, suggesting an average of 51 people per boat last month.

This is higher than the average for March - 48 people per boat - but lower than the peak of 56 people per boat in September 2023.

The news threatens to overshadow the Government celebrating the first failed asylum seeker being relocated to Rwanda.

The unnamed man is the first to have voluntarily moved to Africa after being offered up to 3,000 financial aid and sent on a commercial flight to the central African country.

The voluntary scheme which left on, which was widened to include Rwanda earlier this year, is separate from the Government's controversial plan to deport to the East African country people crossing the Channel in small boats.

But Kemi Badenoch said the news that he had moved to Rwanda should still be 'trumpeted'.

The Business Secretary told Times Radio: 'One of the big arguments about this scheme was Rwanda wasn't a safe country, and actually people are volunteering to go there.'

She said it would counter 'myths' about Rwanda and the controversial removals policy, calling the small nation 'a leader on the continent' both economically and in 'law and order'.

However Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, claimed the man's removal to Rwanda shows 'the Tories are so desperate to get any flight off to Rwanda before the local elections that they have now just paid someone to go'.
Sadiq Khan is being backed by Luke Skywalker ahead of tomorrow's London mayoral election - with actor Mark Hamill urging voters to support the Labour politician.

The Hollywood star claimed a vote for Mr Khan was a vote 'for a fairer, safer & greener London' in a post to his millions of social media followers.

The 72-year-old, best known for playing Skywalker - a Jedi - in the Star Wars films, hailed the incumbent mayor as a 'driving force in cleaning up London's air'.

Hamill also spoke of how he lived in the capital 'for years' while filming, with his first child Nathan born in St John's Wood.

Mr Khan is bidding for an historic third term as London mayor at Thursday's mayoral election.

A final Savanta survey showed Mr Khan leading Tory rival Susan Hall by 10 percentage points ahead of polling stations opening tomorrow morning.

The Labour mayor's re-election bid has been dogged by continuing anger at his expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to all boroughs.

Ms Hall has claimed that Mr Khan is plotting new 'pay-per-mile' charges for London drivers if he wins a new term, although he has strenuously denied this.

Sadiq Khan is being backed by Luke Skywalker ahead of tomorrow's London mayoral election - with actor Mark Hamill urging voters to support the Labour politician

Hamill, pictured playing Skywalker - a Jedi - in the Star Wars films, hailed the incumbent mayor as a 'driving force in cleaning up London's air'

A final Savanta survey showed Mr Khan leading Tory rival Susan Hall by 10 percentage points ahead of polling stations opening tomorrow morning

Alongside a picture of himself and Mr Khan, Hamill posted on social media: 'I LOVE London!

'Lived there for years while filming & our 1st child was born there, in St. John's Wood.

'I wholeheartedly support Sadiq Khan for Mayor on May 2. He's been a driving force in cleaning up London's air & choosing #HopeOverFear

'For a fairer, safer & greener London, please vote for Sadiq Khan!'

The Savanta survey for the Centre for Lonon put Mr Khan on 42 per cent support in the capital, with Ms Hall on 32 per cent.

The gap of ten percentage points was down from 13 points in a Savanta poll published last week.

Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta said: 'Our final poll before Londoners choose their next mayor suggests that the race has tightened in the last few days before polling day.

'Of course there remains a high level of uncertainty around this election, with changes to the electoral system and voter ID laws making cast-iron predictions challenging, but the findings still suggest a closer race than many are bargaining for.

'While we still predict a broadly comfortable victory for Khan over Hall, our research has consistently suggested that the current mayor has serious challenges as a candidate.

'Londoners seem divided on his time in office so far - and a different, more popular opponent could have made a difference.'
Sadiq Khan is coming under deepening pressure ahead of tomorrow's London mayoral election as the capital is hammered by another fatal knife attack.

The incumbent mayor saw his poll lead over the Tories cut to the smallest of the campaign in the wake of the sword carnage in Hainault that left a teenager dead and a police woman maimed.

He is still 10 points ahead of Susan Hall with a day to go, but the lead in a poll by Savanta for the Evening Standard is a far cry from polls at the start of the race for City Hall which gave him a 25-point advantage.

Mr Khan saw savaged by Cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch today for mocking Ms Hall's knife crime worries last week, just days before the latest bloodshed.

Last week he told her to stop watching The Wire, the bleak cult US drama about police and drug crime in Baltimore.

Today Met chief Sir Mark Rowley revealed a female police officer came close to losing her hand in yesterday's sword attack in Hainault but should be able to make a full recovery with 'years of care and physio'. A 14-year-old boy was killed and two other people suffered serious injuries.

Mrs Badenoch told Sky News: 'I was quite shocked by the story and stunned that this is still happening on the streets of London. This is, I think, the 70th death by knife crime in the last year, if the statistics I have been given are correct and this is a situation that needs to be tackled with as much urgency as possible.'

She added that policing was a matter for the mayor of London, saying: 'This is his duty to resolve and in my view he is failing, Sadiq Khan is failing.

The incumbent mayor (pictured today with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer) saw his poll lead over the Tories cut to the smallest of the campaign in the wake of the sword carnage in Hainault that left a teenager dead and a police woman maimed.

He is still 10 points ahead of Susan Hall with a day to go, but the lead in a poll by Savanta for the Evening Standard is a far cry from polls at the start of the race for City Hall which gave him a 25-point advantage.

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Today Met chief Sir Mark Rowley revealed a female police officer came close to losing her hand in yesterday's sword attack in Hainault but should be able to make a full recovery with 'years of care and physio'. A 14-year-old boy was killed and two other people suffered serious injuries.

Mrs Badenoch told Sky News policing was a matter for the mayor of London, saying: 'This is his duty to resolve and in my view he is failing, Sadiq Khan is failing.

'It is one of the things that we have seen become totemic in terms of the campaign taking place at the moment.

'Obviously tomorrow there are mayoral elections in London and just a few days ago he was laughing at his Conservative opponent, Susan Hall, who brought up knife crime and people wielding machetes.

'He laughed at her and said she should stop watching The Wire. That to me suggests he is not taking this issue seriously enough, he should have been talking about what h was doing, rather than laughing at the issue.'

But a shadow minister claimed it was too soon to make 'political points' about the stabbings.

Bridget Phillipson, Labour's shadow education secretary, told Sky News: 'This was a tragic and awful, awful incident.

'Sadly we have seen rising levels of knife crime across our country, I've certainly seen that in my community in the North East.

'I know that Sadiq Khan has been making progress in tackling knife crime in London, but I'm not sure, given how close this is to this terrible incident, that really it's the time to be seeking to make political points around this.

'I think we need to focus on making sure the police have got the support that they need and that where there are lessons we need to learn if those are identified then we take action on it.'
This is the moment pro-Palestine protesters smash through the glass windows and doors of one of Barclays' biggest officers in Manchester before covering it in red paint.

Police officers in Greater Manchester have launched an investigation after the building, which is also home to BNY Mellon bank, was targeted by campaigners from Palestine Action.

A 53-year-old woman has since been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and remains in custody while police investigations are ongoing.

Video footage shared by the group on social media showed five masked individuals, all in black, taking metal tools to the glass doors and shattering. Another person is seen spraying the entrance to the red building in red and white paint.

Protesters targeted the building accusing both Barclays and BNY Mellon of 'investing in Israel's largest weapons firm, Elbit Systems'.

Elbit Systems UK previously said, however, that it provides equipment to the British Army and that any direct links with Israel were 'grossly misleading'.

Palestine Action protesters were seen smashing into Barclays and BNY Mellon offices in Manchester last night

Another person is seen spraying the entrance to the red building in red and white paint

Police officers in Greater Manchester have launched an investigation after the building was targeted by campaigners from Palestine Action

The incident targeting the offices on 3 Hardman Street appears to have taken place in the middle of the night, with the loud noises from the protesters crashing into the building echoing through the quiet street.

Owning up to the vandalism, Palestine Action said this morning: 'The Manchester office both Barclays and BNY Mellon was shattered and sprayed inside out. Both banks are investors in Israel's biggest weapons producer, Elbit Systems.'

'We will not tolerate genocide profiteers on our streets,' the group added before calling for Elbit to be shut down.

Officers were seen at the scene this morning, confirming it received a call at around 3.30am reporting 'criminal damage'. No arrests have been made at this time and investigations are ongoing.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson told MailOnline: 'At around 3.30am this morning (Wednesday 1 May 2024), we were called to reports of criminal damage at building on Hardman Street in the city centre.'

It is not the first that Barclays bank have been targeted by pro-Palestine protesters accusing the chain of allegedly funding Israel's attacks.

Video footage shared by the group on social media showed five masked individuals, all in black, taking metal tools to the glass doors and shattering

Officers were seen at the scene this morning, confirming it received a call at around 3.30am reporting 'criminal damage'

No arrests have been made at this time and investigations are ongoing. Pictured: Officers at the scene this morning

In January, a mass protest show activists meet at branches all over the UK from London to Leeds, Leicester to Nottingham, with security having to be stepped up in some locations.

Europe's largest Palestinian rights organisation, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), had called on people to boycott Barclays.

'Barclays Bank holds over 1 billion in shares, and provides over 3 billion in loans and underwriting to nine companies whose weapons, components, and military technology are being used by Israel in its attacks on Palestinians,' the group said at the time.

'This includes General Dynamics, which produces the gun systems that arm the fighter jets used by Israel to bombard Gaza, and Elbit Systems, which produces armoured drones, munitions and artillery weapons used by the Israeli military.'

MailOnline has contacted Barclays and BNY Mellon.
Antony Blinken has urged Hamas to agree to a ceasefire deal and said the terror group will bear the blame if the talks collapse.

The US Secretary of State is meeting Israeli leaders in his push for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, saying 'the time is now' for an agreement that would free hostages and bring a suspension in the nearly seven months of war in Gaza.

The current round of talks appears to be serious, but the sides remain far apart on one key issue - whether the war should end as part of an emerging deal.

Blinken told Israeli President Isaac Herzog at a meeting in Tel Aviv today: 'We are determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home and to get it now, and the only reason that that wouldn't be achieved is because of Hamas.

'There is a proposal on the table, and, as we've said, no delays, no excuses.'

The deal would also allow much-needed food, medicine and water to get into Gaza, he said. The US politician described the deal as 'extraordinarily generous' and said Hamas would bear the blame for any failure to get a deal off the ground.

But the terror group has accused Blinken of unfairly putting the blame for the delayed ceasefire agreement on them and pressuring them into giving in.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza during a protest calling for their return, after meeting families of hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Palestinians walk past destroyed houses in the north of Al Nusairat refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 29 April 2024

A view of destroyed buildings due to the Israeli attacks, as extent of destruction comes to the surface following the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the some areas, including Al-Mecusi, in Gaza City, Gaza on April 24, 2024

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said: 'Blinken's comments contradict reality. It is not strange for Blinken, who is known as the foreign minister of Israel, not America, to make such a statement.

'Even the Israeli negotiating team admitted Netanyahu was the one who was hindering reaching an agreement.'

Abu Zuhri said that the group was still studying the recent ceasefire offer.

Hamas is seeking a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Netanyahu says Israel needs to destroy the remaining Hamas formations in Rafah in southern Gaza for its own security, with or without a deal with Hamas.

Blinken is on his seventh visit to the region since the war erupted in October in his bid to secure what has been an elusive deal between Israel and Hamas that could avert an Israeli incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering.

After meeting Herzog and also families of Americans held by Hamas at his hotel, Mr Blinken briefly greeted several dozen demonstrators calling for an immediate hostage release deal who had gathered outside.

Chanting 'SOS, USA, only you can save the day' and 'In Blinken we trust, bring them home to us', the protesters urged him to make their case to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Blinken will meet Netanyahu and his War Cabinet later on Wednesday.

Blinken told the families there is a very strong proposal on the table and that Hamas needs to say yes to it.

'That is our determination, and we will not rest, we will not stop until you're reunited with your loved ones,' he said.

Antony Blinken is welcomed by Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog, as he arrives at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, April 30, 2024

Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip. Monday, April 29, 2024

Palestinians inspect the destroyed buildings after the Israeli attack on the Bureij refugee camp as Israeli attacks continue in Gaza City, Gaza on April 22, 2024

Antony Blinken meets with the families of the hostages kidnapped in the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, outside of a hotel, in Tel Aviv, Israel, May 1, 2024

An aerial view of destruction after Israeli army's attacks on Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Deir Al Balah, Gaza on April 27, 2024. It is stated that 8 Palestinians were killed and at least 30 people are wounded

Members of the committee, consisting of the ministries of Health and Endowments and the Civil Defense Unit, conduct a search operation for bodies and bones, stuck under the rubbles of destroyed buildings as Israeli attacks have caused major destruction on Jabalia Refugee Camp in Jabalia, Gaza on April 30, 2024

Palestinians walk between destroyed houses in the north of Al Nusairat refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 29 April 2024

Blinken's comments came on the last leg of his regional visit, with previous stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, where he urged Hamas to accept the latest proposal, calling it 'extraordinarily generous' on Israel's part.

But the United States has also criticised Israel for its plan to invade Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city where some 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering from fighting elsewhere, saying that any major offensive there would bring potential harm to civilians and should be avoided.

Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to invade Rafah, which he says is Hamas's last stronghold, and on Tuesday pledged to do so 'with or without' a ceasefire deal.

The deal currently being discussed - with brokering by the US, Egypt and Qatar - would see the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for a six-week halt in fighting as part of an initial phase, according to an Egyptian official and Israeli media.

Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would also be released, including some serving long sentences - but a sticking point remains over what happens next.

Hamas has demanded assurances that an eventual release of all hostages will bring a complete end to Israel's nearly seven-month assault in Gaza and a withdrawal of its troops from the devastated territory.

Israel has offered only an extended suspension, vowing to resume its offensive once the first phase of the deal is over.

The issue has repeatedly obstructed efforts by the mediators during months of talks.

While the talks appeared to be gaining steam, on Wednesday an Egyptian official said Hamas has asked Egyptian and Qatari mediators to provide clarity on the terms of the latest ceasefire proposal being discussed, a demand that could delay progress.

The official, who has close ties to the talks and who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to freely discuss the deal, said Hamas wants clear terms for the unconditional return of displaced people to the north of Gaza and to ensure that the second stage of the deal will include discussing the gradual and complete withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the entire Gaza Strip.

The official said the current deal does not fully explain who would be allowed to return north and how it would be decided.

While the talks continue, the fighting in Gaza goes on.

Late on Tuesday, an Israeli air strike hit a house in central Rafah, killing at least two children, according to hospital authorities. The bodies were taken to the Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital.

A Palestinian woman reacts as she sits amidst the rubble of Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital after the Israeli military withdrew from the complex housing the hospital on April 1, 2024, amid the ongoing battles Israel and the Hamas militant group

A view of burned and destroyed Al-Shifa Hospital due to the Israeli attacks that continue in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on April 1, 2024

A general view shows the destruction in the area surrounding Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital after the Israeli military withdrew from the complex housing the hospital on April 1, 2024

An Associated Press journalist saw them at the hospital morgue as their relatives mourned the deaths.

On Wednesday, Israel's military said it is operating in central Gaza, where it said jets struck militants, including one said to be setting up explosives.

The war was sparked by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 raid into southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages.

Israel says the militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

It has driven around 80 per cent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities, and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine.
Columbia University protestors who stormed Hamilton Hall were marched onto awaiting NYPD buses last night to applause from cheering locals.

The NYPD confirmed that 119 people were arrested at Columbia after cops moved in to clear protestors from the occupied building and a nearby encampment.

Hundreds of officers stormed the campus, with officers going through an upstairs window at the historic building, after students barricaded the entrance.

Protestors, many of whom covered their faces with masks or keffiyehs, were then marched out unmasked and loaded onto three awaiting NYPD buses.

Police said that between 40 and 50 of those arrested had been inside the occupied Hamilton Hall. While 173 were arrested at City College.

Footage taken last night shows lines of protestors lined up with handcuffs as officers in riot gear escort them onto the transport.

As the buses left the scene crowds that had gathered to watch cheered as the protestors were finally led away from the university.

Around 100 people were arrested last night after cops moved in to clear protestors from the occupied building and a nearby encampment on the school's lawn

Protestors, many of whom covered their faces with masks or keffiyehs, were marched out unmasked and loaded onto three awaiting NYPD buses

Hundreds of officers stormed the campus, with officers going through an upstairs window at the historic building, after students barricaded the entrance

NYPD bus carries arrested students at Columbia University in New York City on April 30

The NYPD said that those who occupied Hamilton Hall would be charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing.

Those who had been camped out on the lawn at the university meanwhile would face trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

Even though the crowds have now been dispersed a police presence would remain for a further two weeks.

Pictures and video taken of the aftermath show the hall's trashed interior strewn with activists' belongings.

Columbia's President Minouche Shafik called in the NYPD in to 'restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests.

A similar raid saw demonstrators arrested across at nearby City College New York, where similar protests unfolded.

Protestors at City College in Harlem had raised a Palestine flag on the campus, which officers last night replaced with the stars and stripes.

Footage taken on the ground shows one officer tossing the flag aside before later raising Old Glory on the flagpole.

Crowd cheers on the NYPD bus filled with Columbia protestors leaving campus.@CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/4eFkphkEBx  Ali Bauman (@AliBaumanTV) May 1, 2024

Protestors at City College had raised a Palestine flag on the campus, which officers last night replaced with the stars and stripes

Footage taken on the ground shows one officer tossing the flag aside before later raising Old Glory on the flagpole

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning, Mayor Eric Adams berated the schools for allowing the flying of the flag.

He said: 'That's our flag folks, it might be fine to some people but not to me. My uncle died defending this country.

'It's despicable that schools will allow another country's flag to fly in our country. So blame me for being proud to be American. We are not surrendering our way of life.'

Adams also blamed 'outside agitators' for "training and co-opting" what was a peaceful protest and turning it into something potentially violent.

Pictures show how chairs and desks had been turned upside down to become makeshift barriers inside Hamilton Hall. The cost of damage to the building is likely to total thousands of dollars.

The occupation followed weeks of unrest at Columbia, which began with the establishment of the encampment on April 17.

Protesters set up tents after Shafik was grilled before Congress about anti-Semitism on campus.

They repeatedly ignored calls to disband, with the demonstrations ramping up early Tuesday with the violent takeover of Hamilton Hall.

After two weeks of chaos, which saw classes moved online and facilities shuttered, Shafik finally called in the police who managed to clear out the campus in just two hours.

The NYPD announced that it had cleared the building just before 11pm with no injuries.

Hours earlier, video showed cops sporting riot gear descending on the campus armed with zip-tie handcuffs and pepper spray.

Until Tuesday, Shafik had held off asking police to intervene following backlash to the decision to use law enforcement to disperse a previous encampment.

However, the decision to call the NYPD was taken after the increasingly violent tactics and concerns the protest had been infiltrated by 'outside agitators' with no ties to the university.

Police use a vehicle named 'the bear' to enter Hamilton Hall from a public street, which was occupied by protesters, as other officers enter the campus of Columbia University

NYPD cops dressed in riot gear stormed through the window of a Columbia University building occupied by dozens of pro-Palestine protesters to begin clearing them out

NYPD riot cops released dramatic video showing the moment they stormed Columbia University's occupied Hamilton Hall

Images and video showed extensive damage to Hamilton Hall after protesters were evicted on Tuesday night

Columbia University protesters smashed windows, upended furniture and caused damage throughout Hamilton Hall amid their brief occupation

In a statement, the university said the decision to call in police was, 'made to restore safety and order to our community'.

'We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions,' the statement read.

'After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice.

'Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.'

Protesters have been demanding the college divest from companies with links to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas.

They have taken inspiration from previous student-led protests, such as the successful 1985 campaign to get the university to divest from South Africa 's apartheid regime.

NYPD officers arrive in riot gear to evict a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University

Windows were left shattered and furniture over turned as protesters used the office supplies to create makeshift barriers

Members of the NYPD prepared to enter Columbia University campus after protestors took over Hamilton Hall overnight yesterday

Members of the NYPD surround and breach Hamilton Hall where demonstrators barricaded themselves inside on the Columbia University campus on April 30, 2024 in New York City

Shafik has so far rejected calls for an Israeli divestment, but said the issue could be reviewed by the school's Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing.

However, the offer was deemed insufficient by the protesters and the demonstrations went ahead.

The clearing of the demonstrations is by no means the end of the problems being faced by the beleaguered Shafik.

Shortly after police began their raid, her own faculty released a statement condemning the decision and blaming her administration for allowing tensions to reach a boiling point.

Many Jewish students and their supporters are angry that it took so long for officials to crack down on the protests amid allegations of anti-Semitism.

The demonstrations also came at a time when many students were cramming for finals, causing maximum disruption.

Police were first called to Columbia on April 18 and made more than 100 arrests.

However, a new encampment soon sprouted up to replace it which remained for a further two weeks. Similar demonstrations cropped at other universities across the country, which have also since been shut down.

Protestors and students face off with the NYPD at Columbia University. SWAT MRAP approaches Hamilton hall

Cops were armed with zip ties and pepper spray as they stormed the campus at around 9.3-pm on Tuesday

The police operation was concluded within around two hours of cops storming the campus

Columbia President Minouche Shafik called in the NYPD in to 'restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests which also included a massive encampment at the school

Officers with the New York Police Department raid the encampment by pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday

At the same time police were flooding Columbia, they were also pouring onto another campus in the Big Apple.

Protesters threw flares and barricaded themselves inside an administrative building at the City University of New York, about 20 blocks north of Columbia University.

NYPD officers moved in after 9.30pm to disperse crowds outside as flares turned the college's famous arch red and protestors chanted and waved flags in support of Gaza.

At a press conference before the raids, NYPD Assistant Commissioner Rebecca Weiner warned the protest had been co-opted by external agitators who were not affiliated with the university.

She stressed the occupation had the potential to spill into other campus buildings, as well as other universities across the country.

'This is not about what's happening overseas, it's not about the last seven months, it's about a very different commitment to at times violent protest activity as an occupation,' she said.

'They haven't got a right to be on campus and this violates university polices and most importantly, presents a danger to students and the university and communities.

'When we see what we saw last night, we think these tactics are a result of guidance being given to students from these external actors.'
Two people are dead and another is fighting for life have been killed in a horror multi-vehicle crash which shut down a major city tunnel for hours.

The pile-up occurred in the northbound lanes of Brisbane's Legacy Way Tunnel in shortly after 3pm on Wednesday.

A black Audi S3 which was heading north in the tunnel at Mount Coot-Tha, collided with a silver sedan, which then smashed into a truck.

The Audi driver aged in his 50s and a female passenger aged in her 20s who was travelling in the sedan died at the scene.

The female sedan driver was rushed to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Children's Hospital in a critical condition.

Two people were killed in a horror multi-vehicle crash (pictured) in Brisbane's Legacy Way Tunnel on Wednesday

The crash sparked traffic chaos (pictured) as motorists were making their back from work

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The truck driver was also taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Harrowing photos of the crash show the mangled wreckages of the Audi and sedan.

One of vehicles was in a crumpled heap next to a concrete barrier with several parts from the exterior dangling from the side.

An exhaust pipe which was detached from the rear of the vehicle, were among several parts of the interiors of the car that was visible from the crash scene.

Debris from the wreckage of the vehicles had been scattered for several metres inside the tunnel.

Forensic crash investigators spent the night examining the scene.

It's not known if speed was a contributing factor in the crash.

Queensland police duty officer Acting Inspector Stephen Crabbe described the crash scene as 'extensive'

'Police are appealing for information in relation to a black Audi s3 that would have been travelling northbound on the Centenary Motorway through the Legacy Way tunnel,' he told reporters on Wednesday night.

An Audi and sedan were were completely destroyed in the crash that claimed two lives

The Legacy Way tunnel links the Western Freeway at Toowong in the city's east with the inner-north.

Eastbound and westbound lanes was closed for several hours into the night as commuters headed home from work, causing massive delays.

Investigations remain ongoing and anyone with information has been urged to contact police.
The first migrants set to be deported to Rwanda have been detained.

The Home Office said a series of operations took place across the country this week, with more activity due to be carried out in the coming weeks.

Officials have not yet said how many people have been detained, or where they were taken into custody.

Women are understood to be among those detained by Home Office enforcement officers in a series of raids this week after being picked to be sent to Rwanda.

Department officials refused to say how many people had been held so far, arguing that ongoing operations prevented them from doing so. They confirmed more than two people had been detained, with both men and women in custody.

It comes ahead of the Government's bid to get flights to send migrants to the east African nation off the ground by July, after the Safety of Rwanda Act became law last week.

Enforcement action is said to have taken place throughout the UK - in England, Wales and Scotland as well as Northern Ireland - since midday on Monday.

Children are not expected to be detained as part of the operations

In one video, a team of about six officials  all thought to be from the Home Office's Immigration Enforcement unit  arrive at a terraced house and enter through the front door.

The first illegal migrants set to be removed to Rwanda have now been detained, following a series of nationwide operations this week

Officials have not yet said how many people have been detained, or where they were taken into custody

More than 7,000 migrants have already crossed the Channel so far this year in small boats

The action is a part of the plan to deliver flights to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 weeks. Pictured: A flight to Rwanda in 2022

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A female officer is then seen opening an internal door and announcing: 'Immigration.'

A man dressed in dark-checked trousers and a light-coloured hoodie then walks out of the bay-fronted house and steps into the rear of a detention vehicle.

A security grille is then locked behind him.

In a second sequence, officers arrive at another terraced house and then leave with a bearded young man dressed in black trousers and a black hoodie.

The man walks out of the white-rendered property with his hands handcuffed in front of him, and is placed in a van.

The faces of both men were obscured in the videos and the locations of the detentions have not been disclosed.

It is not known at this stage how many people have been held in total.

Downing Street said: 'The next stage of Prime Minister's plan to stop the boats has begun.

'We're working at home and abroad to deliver on this priority.'

Home Secretary James Cleverly said: 'Our Rwanda partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation to deliver it.

'Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground.

'This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs.'

Operational teams within the Home Office have been working at pace to safely and swiftly detain individuals in scope for relocation to Rwanda.

More activity due to be carried out in the coming weeks.

The migrants were taken to immigration removal centres where they will be held ahead of the first flights to Rwanda in nine to 11 weeks time.

Home Office Director of Enforcement Eddy Montgomery said: 'Our specialist operational teams are highly trained and fully equipped to carry out the necessary enforcement activity at pace and in the safest way possible.

'It is vital that operational detail is kept to a minimum, to protect colleagues involved and those being detained, as well as ensuring we can deliver this large-scale operation as quickly as possible.'

The Home Office has increased its detention capacity to more than 2,200 detention spaces, trained 200 new caseworkers to quickly process claims and has 500 highly trained escorts ready.

Home Office Director of Enforcement Eddy Montgomery said: 'Our specialist operational teams are highly trained and fully equipped to carry out the necessary enforcement activity at pace and in the safest way possible'

One official was seen with a handheld battering ram on one of the raids

Immigration officials ushered migrants into caged vans ahead of their flights to Rwanda

The Home Office has increased its detention capacity to more than 2,200 detention spaces, trained 200 new caseworkers to quickly process claims and has 500 highly trained escorts ready

he Home office said Rwanda has proven its ability to offer asylum seekers a chance to build new and prosperous lives with accommodation, education, training and employment

It said the country has a strong and successful track record in resettling people, hosting more than 135,000 refugees, and stands ready to accept thousands more who cannot stay in the UK

Mr Cleverly said last week that a series of commercial charter flights have already been booked, and an airport has been put on standby, though to be the Ministry of Defence base Boscombe Down, near Salisbury, Wilts.

Rwanda scheme Q&A What is the Rwanda scheme? Ministers believe the prospect of being sent to Rwanda will deter illegal migrants from crossing the Channel. The Government is gambling that the first flights to East Africa will have a stark impact on Channel arrivals, and demonstrate to voters that the problem is finally in hand. The Government said that any asylum seeker attempting to enter the UK 'illegally' from a safe country, could be sent to Rwanda and have their claims processed there. Is it ready to launch? The Rwanda policy is ready to launch and detentions have begun today. Operational teams within the Home Office have been working at pace to safely and swiftly detain individuals in scope for relocation to Rwanda. More activity is due to be carried out in the coming weeks. Last month sources said 100 to 150 migrants had already been identified for the first tranche of removals. Who will be sent to Rwanda? Under two recent Acts of Parliament the Government has powers to disregard asylum applications from those who arrive in the UK by 'irregular' routes such as by small boat. Measures have also been taken to severely restrict migrants' access to legal appeals. However, some limited appeal rights are retained. It said the country has a strong and successful track record in resettling people, hosting more than 135,000 refugees, and stands ready to accept thousands more who cannot stay in the UK. Officials said the government's Safety of Rwanda Act and internationally binding Treaty reaffirm and ensure the safety of Rwanda and this policy. Will there be legal action? Probably. Migrants who are told they are facing removal to Rwanda are expected to lodge individual appeals. Pro-migrant charity Care4Calais said last week it planned to initiate challenges as quickly as possible. The PM previously revealed that 25 courtrooms and 150 judges have been earmarked to hear such cases promptly, in a bid to avoid delaying flights. How will migrants be flown out? Rishi Sunak said an airfield was on standby to handle the removals. A Ministry of Defence base  Boscombe Down near Salisbury, Wilts  was used for the aborted removals flight in June 2022 and the Home Office has been carrying out rehearsals there in recent months. It is understood to have been in negotiations with several private charter companies. Previously, firms involved in removals flights have pulled out after being targeted by Left-wing groups. It is understood the RAF is on stand-by to step in. What happens when they arrive in Rwanda? They will claim asylum under Rwandan law and be provided with free housing, healthcare, education and other support. A range of safeguards prevent any migrant who is flown to Rwanda from Britain from being sent to any other country, apart from back to the UK if necessary. How much will it cost? The Government will pay Rwanda 370 million under the deal, plus a further 120 million once the first 300 migrants have been sent to Kigali. On top, there will be a cost of 20,000 per individual removed and 150,874 per head in 'processing and operational costs'. Home Office estimates suggest the cost per individual of the relocations would be roughly 169,000 'over the multiyear lifetime of the scheme'. Advertisement

The Safety of Rwanda Act became law on April 25 and, along with a new treaty with Rwanda, ministers believe they have overcome legal objections raised about the policy by the Supreme Court last November.

However, questions have been raised about the timing of the raids, which were carried out less than 24 hours before polls open in elections expected to prove difficult for the Tories.

Immigration is one of the top concerns of the public, alongside the economy and the state of the NHS, opinion polls have consistently shown.

Millions of people will vote tomorrow for local councillors, elected mayors and police and crime commissioners (PCCs), and there is also a Westminster by-election in Blackpool South.

The Conservatives are expected to lose that by-election and hundreds of seats on councils, with a Labour source saying: 'Is there any more blatant sign that [former immigration minister Robert] Jenrick was right about this all being symbolic before an election than this mad flurry of stories?'

Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesman, added: 'The Rwanda plan has taken a deeply cynical headline grabbing turn.

'The plan was always deeply immoral and coming at eye watering cost to the taxpayer, no amount of flashy PR will change that.

'This propaganda push, rushed out on the eve of the local elections, is a new low even for this government.

'Time and time again we have seen this immoral and expensive policy fail, a scrambled PR push won't change that.'

Downing Street denied that the decision to detain asylum seekers today was connected to tomorrow's votes, with the PM's press secretary telling journalists, 'There isn't really a day to lose when people are dying in the Channel having been induced into boats by gangs'.

It is understood Home Office officials strongly suspect legal challenges will be made in light of the detentions ahead of Rwanda flights but are confident they will be able to defend any such action thanks to the laws and policies in place.

Officials also fully expect applications for immigration bail to follow but stressed that anyone released from detention will be subject to strict bail conditions.

Migrants can only be detained if there is a realistic prospect of their removal from the UK. This means they could be released on bail in future if no action is being taken to deport them.

The Home Office may have to refer migrants for a bail hearing if they have been detained for four months or more.

One Home Office raid took place on Holmfield Road, in Coventry, at around 5.30am.

Neighbours along the residential street said a house targeted was occupied by two men who 'kept a low profile' and worked shifts at a hospital.

They spoke of their shock after the raid on the terraced property that had been used by asylum seekers for around ten years.

Locals said the current occupants 'kept themselves to themselves' and were rarely seen, only staying for six months at a time, before enforcement officers swooped on the quiet tree-lined street this week.

One homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'We heard movements early Monday morning at 5.30am so the raid must have taken place then.

'The property itself has been housing for asylum seekers for over ten years.

'It is a landlord owned property and Serco usually attend for any maintenance issues and things like that.

'There's normally five males living at the property but they only stay for around six to nine months at a time and then move on.

'The recent lot were just a couple of men, the male detained was in his late 20s/early 30s I would guess.

'They are normally really quiet and keep themselves to themselves - I didn't even know they had been detained to be honest.

'Personally, we think this is very convenient how the government are fast tracking the scheme with the election fast approaching. They're not statistics but human beings.'

Another neighbour added: 'I've only moved to the area myself very recently and am waiting for my family to come from Romania.

Last year, there were 67,337 asylum applications to the UK. Of those, 29,437 came from people who arrived in small boats. The Government claims the Rwanda scheme will act as a deterrent, however it only has the capacity to send 200 people a year to the East African country

'I wouldn't know anybody from the house. My neighbours have been very kind but I've never seen anybody coming or going from that house.

'There's lots of people coming in and out at different times as I think they work at the hospital'

A third local, who also did not wish to be named, added: 'It's quite shocking to have something like this happen on our quiet street.

'I didn't know the guys, they kept a low profile - which is understandable I suppose if they were here illegally.

'But they seemed pleasant and friendly enough.'

Laura, a 39-year-old mother-of-three, said: 'There's quite a bit of turn around in that house.

'I know there were some new tenants five or six months ago. I've never seen any females going in.

'I've lived here since 2012. The man who lived there previously moved out.

'I would have been in bed at that time. It's a quiet street, I've never had any trouble before.

'It's not really fair, we've still got rights as human. I doubt he speaks much English, he must be terrified.'

The first asylum seeker has been deported to Rwanda under Rishi Sunak 's migrant crackdown

The Hope Hostel in Rwanda (pictured) is one of the locations migrants will be sent to

Rishi Sunak wants to relocate thousands of failed asylum seeker to the third country

The Home Office confirmed there were 268 arrivals across the Channel by small boat yesterday.

It meant the number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel has hit a new record high for the first four months of a calendar year, jumping 27 per cent on 2023's total for the same period of 5,946 to 7,567.

It is an increase of 13 per cent compared to figures logged for the same period in 2022 (6,691).

Since the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act became law after receiving Royal Assent on Thursday, 900 migrants have made the journey in 18 boats.

This includes 268 people who arrived in the UK in five boats on Tuesday. Crossings continued on Wednesday.

Some 2,132 people made the journey in 42 boats in April, suggesting an average of 51 people per boat last month.

This is higher than the average for March - 48 people per boat - but lower than the peak of 56 people per boat in September 2023.

The figures come as the National Crime Agency (NCA) said a fourth man had been arrested on suspicion of immigration offences after five migrants died last week while trying to cross the Channel.

Dozens more migrants were intercepted in the Channel today by UK Border Force and brought to Dover.

The Home office said Rwanda has proven its ability to offer asylum seekers a chance to build new and prosperous lives with accommodation, education, training and employment.

It said the country has a strong and successful track record in resettling people, hosting more than 135,000 refugees, and stands ready to accept thousands more who cannot stay in the UK.

Officials said the government's Safety of Rwanda Act and internationally binding Treaty reaffirm and ensure the safety of Rwanda and this policy.

The Treaty responded to the Supreme Court's findings in December by strengthening Rwanda's asylum system to ensure no one will be returned to an unsafe country after relocation.

It came as the first asylum seeker was deported to Rwanda under Rishi Sunak's migrant crackdown on Monday evening.

The migrant, whose name is unknown, was flown out of the UK to Kigali. He was put on a commercial flight and given around 3,000 from the British taxpayer to help relocate under the terms of a deal with Rwanda.

It marks the first time the government has relocated a failed asylum seeker to a third country.

The man's attempt to stay in Britain was rejected at the end of 2023, before he accepted the offer to start a new life in the central African nation.

In March, The Home Office confirmed the voluntary relocation plan for those found in Britain without the right to be here.

In 2023, 19,000 failed asylum seekers were voluntarily taken out of the UK, after being told they would never be granted the rights of legal migrants.

The Home Office currently gives those seeking asylum somewhere to live and a 49 a week allowance

Mr Sunak yesterday declared he is 'not interested' in taking back migrants from Ireland

There are still tens of thousands of migrants in the system who cannot be sent back to their home countries.

Ministers said it is cheaper to send migrants to Rwanda than to support them in Britain, even after giving them money and flights.

Bungling Home Office officials reportedly admitted they can't find thousands of migrants who are set to be deported to Rwanda, it was reported yesterday.

An updated document assessing the impact of the partnership with the east African country states that Rwanda has agreed to accept 5,700 people.

But in an embarrassing admission by the Home Secretary James Cleverly's department, it says only 2,143 continue to report and their whereabouts are known.

Sources admitted to The Times that there was significant risk that they could have absconded now that the deportation bill has passed through Parliament.

However, the Home Office has said that the remaining 3,557 people may not have absconded but are not subject to reporting restrictions.

The Home Office currently gives those seeking asylum somewhere to live and a 49 a week allowance, for each person in a household, to pay for food and clothes.

Those who are being detained have all arrived in the UK illegally between January 2022 and June 2023 - according to the Migrant and Economic Development Partnership document - mainly by small boat Channel crossings.

The document stated: 'Of the 5,700 people Rwanda has in principle agreed to accept, 2,143 continue to report to the Home Office and can be located for detention.'
A pensioner drowned in a freak accident when he became bogged down in a muddy field during torrential rain caused by a major storm system that struck the UK.

Calvin Baxter, 78, had visited a friend's home and was using a footpath which cut across two fields to walk back when he is believed to have become stuck in the thick mud caused by Storm Babet.

His body was found two days later after friends and family raised the alarm to say he had disappeared.

A coroner has now concluded that Mr Baxter probably became 'stuck' and drowned after succumbing to the severe weather conditions.

Mr Baxter went missing on October 20 last year  during the height of Storm Babet which tore across north and western Europe, including the UK which suffered heavy rainfall and high winds for days.

Calvin Baxter, 78, had visited a friend's home and was using a footpath which cut across two fields to walk back when he is believed to have become stuck in the thick mud caused by Storm Babet

A coroner has now concluded that Mr Baxter probably became 'stuck' and drowned after succumbing to the severe weather conditions. Pictured: Framlingham in Suffolk during Storm Babet

The retired electrician, of Wickham Market, Suffolk, visited a friend in the village for coffee every Friday morning but on this occasion is understood to have forgotten he couldn't be there.

Mr Baxter drove to their home as usual and, realising they were not in, started to walk home on the footpath.

READ MORE: Homeowner falls through crumbling path eroded by huge waves during Storm Babet - as residents fear their homes could be next Advertisement

The handbrake on his car was found to be jammed when his family came to collect it after his death, the inquest in Ipswich heard, which probably explains why he didn't drive home.

During the walk, he bumped into another walker, Nathan Hobbs, at about 11am.

In a statement read to the hearing, Mr Hobbs said Mr Baxter seemed 'in good spirits' and he was not overly concerned about his welfare.

This is believed to be the last time the pensioner was seen alive. His friend spotted his car when they returned home and raised the alarm when they were unable to contact him.

A search was begun by the police, before a group of walkers found Mr Baxter's body in the field off Dallinghoo Road on October 22. A post-mortem examination found he had drowned.

Locals gave evidence to the inquest on Monday about the weather conditions they experienced during Storm Babet.

While they said the fields didn't normally flood, they had on this occasion. One said she had tried to walk the same route herself but had to turn back as her wellington boots became lodged in the mud.

Recording a narrative conclusion, assistant coroner Dr Daniel Sharpstone said he believed Mr Baxter had become 'stuck' in the quagmire.

During height of Storm Babet which tore across north and western Europe, including the UK which suffered heavy rainfall and high winds for days. Pictured: People use a boat to travel down the village of Debenham, Suffolk, during storm Babet on October 20 last year

On the balance of probabilities, his death was likely to have been caused by prolonged exposure to the elements before he drowned.

Friends and family at the inquest described Mr Baxter as a king and generous man who helped others whenever he could.

He spent four years caring for his disabled mother before she passed away and then looked after his late partner when her health took a turn for the worse.

Several people died during Storm Babet, which hit the UK on October 18 and left several people dead. There was widespread flooding and travel chaos.

More than 800 homes were flooded in Suffolk alone in 60 separate incidents, as two months of rain fell in just four days.

Suffolk County Council declared a major incident  while the Met Office had only issued a yellow weather warning for the region.

A separate inquest held today also heard how company director Trevor Furniss, 66, died in Storm Babet while wading through neck-deep roaring floodwaters to get to his dog.

The 66-year-old became disorientated while trying to navigate the fast-moving water around his home in Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, on October 20 last year.

He had made it to a neighbours property in his Land Rover but left it there and went back to the house to carry his wife and son, Oliver, back inside after they failed to negotiate the treacherous water in a Mercedes car.

Locals gave evidence to the inquest on Monday about the weather conditions they experienced during Storm Babet (photo from October 20, 2023, in Suffolk)

Mr Furniss, a trained surgeon who became involved in a number of health-related businesses, then tried to return to his car to get his German Shepherd dog.

Katie Arnold, a livery manager at a nearby farm, told the hearing in Shrewsbury how she saw him walking upstream.

The water was up to his chest. I saw him go under the water for a second or two, she said.

Now he was up to his neck. His coat got stuck on a branch. He was holding onto a branch, he was asking us to get help. When I turned my back he went under and he didnt come back up.

Neighbour Ed Brown said the dangerous conditions occurred at the confluence of three brooks, adding: There was nothing anybody really could have done to alleviate a flooding of that magnitude.

Stanford University-educated Mr Furnisss widow, Deborah, described him as a fantastic husband and dad. The force of the floodwaters had caused damage to their home that would take two years to fix, she added.

Shropshire assistant coroner Heath Westerman recorded the death as an accident caused when Mr Furniss tried to get to his car or to get to his dog.

He said: He knew the risks and he decided to take these risks. The sheer force of Storm Babet had a huge impact on the whole country but particularly our area. His death was not preventable.
Flash flooding has devastated parts of Saudi Arabia this week with shocking footage showing cars being swept away by the deluge as roads were submerged amid torrential downpours.

Clips shared on social media showed how major highways in the Kingdom were overrun by devastating floodwater that cascaded down typically dry and rocky outcrops and swept through cities and towns below.

Residents were seen abandoning their cars in the street to run to safety in Qassim - one of the worst hit areas, as other partially submerged vehicles tried to plough through feet of standing water.

A thunderstorm also engulfed Qassim overnight, dumping incessant rainfall on the province for around seven hours.

Clips shared on social media showed how major highways in the Kingdom were overrun by devastating floodwater

The deluge cascaded down typically dry and rocky outcrops and swept through cities and towns below

Residents were seen abandoning their cars in the street to run to safety in Qassim - one of the worst hit areas

Rainwater pours off a busy street

'The sound of thunder was loud and lightning was illuminating the city,' residents told reporters

The flooding was so severe that several residents were trapped in their homes, with one Saudi citizen telling an AFP reporter: 'Water accumulated to a height of more than four inches in front of the residence and stopped us from going out to the street.

'The sound of thunder was loud and lightning was illuminating the city.'

This week's heavy rainfall follows the intense rains that lashed the Gulf in mid-April, killing 21 people in Oman and four in the United Arab Emirates, which saw the heaviest rainfall since records began 75 years ago.

Saudi Arabia's national meteorological centre earlier this week issued red alerts for Qassim and other areas including eastern province on the Gulf, the capital Riyadh and Medina province bordering the Red Sea.

It warned of 'heavy rain with strong wind, lack of horizontal visibility, hail, torrential rains, and thunderbolts'.

Schools in Eastern Province and Riyadh also cancelled in-person instruction and moved classes online.

The Medina education department posted on X pictures of maintenance workers repairing electricity and air-conditioning units and removing standing water from schools.

There was some standing water on roads in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Wednesday, but traffic was not significantly disrupted there.

Saudi Arabia's national meteorological centre earlier this week issued red alerts for Qassim and other areas including eastern province on the Gulf, the capital Riyadh and Medina province bordering the Red Sea

City centres were almost empty as residents sheltered from heavy rainfall

Cars drive through rain water in the Saudi capital Riyadh following strong winds and heavy rain overnight that flooded roads in different regions of the desert kingdom on May 1, 2024

A car is reflected in standing water in the Saudi capital Riyadh following strong winds and heavy rain overnight that flooded roads in different regions of the desert kingdom on May 1, 2024

Saudi Arabian authorities shuttered schools in several regions as flash floods inundated roads, the latest instance of heavy rains disrupting life in the Gulf region

Rainstorms and flooding are not unheard of in Saudi Arabia, especially in winter, and larger, more densely populated cities can struggle with drainage.

But other cities have famously underdeveloped drainage and sewage systems, with urban planners overseeing the region's rapid development in the late 20th century failing to anticipate the frequency of heavy rainfall - or how such a rapid accumulation of water can impact typically arid terrain.

Such problems are a regular occurrence in Jeddah, the port city on the Red Sea coast, where residents have long decried poor infrastructure.

Floods killed 123 people in the city in 2009 and 10 more two years later.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia currently assessing the situation in affected areas, with weather warnings still in place as of Wednesday afternoon.

The rains that lashed Saudi Arabia this week come less than a month after the UAE and Oman were battered by horrendous floods that killed more than 20 people across the two territories.

Terrifying clips shared on social media showed how cars were filled with water, forcing hundreds of motorists to abandon their vehicles and swim to safety.

Some vehicles were completely submerged, with the top of their roofs barely breaking the water's surface.

A few wealthy drivers in luxury motors bragged of 'floating' their way through the carnage - but most saw their vehicles stall as they became stuck in the deluge.

Two men use an inflatable bed to float above the water as downpour causes heavy flooding in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on April 17, 2024

Shocking videos shared on social media showed how cars were filled with water, forcing hundreds of motorists to abandon their vehicles and swim to safety

In this video grab from AFPTV, a man wades through a flooded street in Dubai on April 16, 2024

People wade through submerged streets at flooded area as heavy rains negatively affect daily life in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on April 17, 2024

Rainwater also poured into homes, pushing people out of their houses and into the streets to seek shelter in higher structures.

The floods swamped the airport and many of the surrounding roads, forcing dozens of flights to be cancelled as travellers crammed into the concourse to shelter from the torrential downpour.

In the hours after the floods hit, there was speculation that cloud-seeding - a technique used regularly by the UAE which sees aircraft fire salt flares into clouds to speed up condensation and induce rainfall - may have been partially responsible for the deluge.

But experts later said the technique could not be responsible for the floods, estimating it can only increase seasonal rainfall by 10-30 per cent.

Instead, they suggested that an abnormal weather system was already headed for the region and blamed the brutal flooding on Dubai's poor drainage systems.

Giles Harrison, Professor of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Reading, said: 'The UAE does do operational cloud seeding, but there is huge difference between what this can achieve  targeting individual, developing clouds with seeding material released from an aircraft  and the Dubai rainfall, which was associated with a large weather system advancing across the region.'

His colleague Professor Maarten Ambaum added: 'The UAE does have an operational cloud seeding programme to enhance the rainfall in this arid part of the world, however, there is no technology in existence that can create or even severely modify this kind of rainfall event.'
Rishi Sunak took aim at Tory defector Dan Poulter at Prime Minister's Questions today, reading out a recent attack he made on Labour as the former minister made his debut on the opposition benches.

Dr Poulter, who also works as an NHS medic, crossed the floor last week ahead of the local elections after 14 years as the Tory MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.

He used his defection to lash out at the government's handing of the health service. But he faced clapback from former colleagues who suggested he had been performing his role half-heartedly for some time.

After Sir Keir Starmer welcomed his new recruit, the Prime Minister was greeted with laughter and cheers when he responded: 'I'm glad to actually see (Dr Poulter).

'That's because he recently pointed out that residents of his local Labour council are, and I quote in his words, ''charged much more in council tax but in return receive lower quality services''.

'He's been wrong about some things recently but on that point, he's absolutely right and this week, people everywhere should vote Conservative.'

Dr Poulter, who also works as an NHS medic, crossed the floor last week ahead of the local elections after 14 years as the Tory MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.

After Sir Keir Starmer welcomed his new recruit, the Prime Minister was greeted with laughter and cheers when he responded: 'I'm glad to actually see (Dr Poulter).

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer opened Prime Minister's Questions by welcoming Dr Poulter to the Labour benches.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer opened Prime Minister's Questions by welcoming Dr Poulter to the Labour benches.

The leader told the Commons: 'I'd also like to welcome the member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich to these benches. After nearly two decades as a Tory politician, and an NHS doctor, he's concluded that if you care about the future of our country and our NHS that it's time for change. It's time for this changed Labour Party.

'As of today, he's our newest Labour MP, but I'm sure he won't mind me saying that I hope he loses that title on Friday [when the results of the Blackpool South by-election are revealed].

'When a lifelong Tory and doctor says that the only cure for the NHS is a Labour Government isn't the time the Prime Minister admits he has utterly failed?'

Rishi Sunak later used PMQs to insist the state pension would not be cut to fund his ambition to scrap national insurance contributions altogether.

The Prime Minister said Sir Keir Starmer should 'stop scaremongering' after the Labour leader repeatedly pressed for details on how the move would be funded.

In the spring Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a 2p cut in national insurance and outlined a 'long-term ambition' to abolish it altogether.

Labour argues the policy would amount to 46 billion and 'puts people's retirement at risk'.

After Sir Keir switched attention to national insurance contributions and pensioners, Mr Sunak noted the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said the link between national insurance and public services funding is 'illusory' before he joked: 'Just like Labour's economic plans.

'But it's crystal clear, there's one policy that's going to give tax cuts for working Britain and it's the Conservative Party.'

But Sir Keir asked: 'Has he found the money to fund his 46 billion promise to abolish national insurance?

'Whenever he's asked about the date of the election or people's pensions, he acts as if answering straight forward questions is somehow beneath him.

'But pensioners and those who are planning their retirement deserve better than his contempt for their questions, because if 46 billion was cut from its funding, the value of the state pension would almost half.'

He added: 'So I don't apologise for asking on their behalf again, whether he will finally rule out cutting their state pension to fulfil the enormous blackhole in his spending plans.'

Mr Sunak replied: 'Of course we can rule that out, and (Sir Keir) should stop scaremongering, because it's thanks to the triple lock that we've increased pensions by 3,700 since 2010 and they will rise in each and every year of the next Parliament.

'But it's Labour that always hits pensioners hard, it is his mentors Blair and Brown that broke their promises, raised pension taxes by 118 billion and delivered an insulting 75p rise in the state pension.'

Sir Keir questioned if Mr Sunak would rule out forcing people to delay their retirement to help fund the pledge, with Conservative peer Lord Frost previously suggesting the state pension age should be raised to 75.

Mr Sunak replied: 'I've answered this multiple times to (Sir Keir), I'm happy to say it again. This is the party that has delivered and protected the triple lock.

'But I know, ultimately he is not worried about any of this because we all remember that he's got his very own personal pension plan. I think we all remember it, indeed it comes with its very own special law.

'It was called the pension increase scheme for Keir Starmer QC, it's literally one law for him and another one for everyone else.'

Sir Keir also asked if Mr Sunak would remove the winter fuel allowance from pensioners, with the Prime Minister saying there had been an increase in support last winter before he criticised remarks about pensioners made by a Labour tax adviser.

In his concluding remarks, Sir Keir said: 'Is it any wonder that his MPs are following Tory voters in queuing up to dump his party.

'Even the mayors that he's apparently pinning his political survival on don't want to be seen anywhere near him because until he starts setting out how he's paying for his fantasy economics, he's got a completely unfunded 46 billion promise that puts people's retirement at risk.

'How does it feel to be one day out from elections with the message 'Vote Tory, risk your pension'?'

Mr Sunak replied: 'Tomorrow voters will have a choice and it'll be a choice between mayors like Andy Street and Ben Houchen who are delivering, or mayors like Sadiq Khan who just simply virtue-signal.'
A pro-Hamas activist who spoke at Columbia despite being banned in Germany for supporting terror is a communist from New Jersey who openly supports the October 7 massacre of Israelis.

Charlotte Kates, a major figure in the pro-Palestine movement in colleges for over two decades, has been a constant presence at anti-Israel encampment at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

The New Jersey native is the international coordinator of Samidoun Prisoners Solidarity Network, a group with ties to the PFLP that is listed in Israel as a terror group and banned in Germany as such.

Kates, a lawyer, was seen on Friday in Vancouver praising the terrorist attack by Hamas, which left 1,700 Israelis dead and sparked the war in Gaza, where 30,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed.

'We say today, long live October 7!' Kates yelled outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, calling the attack a show of 'beautiful, brave and heroic resistance of the Palestinian people.'

Kates is seen Friday in Vancouver praising the terror attack by Hamas, which left 1,700 Israelis dead and sparked the war in Gaza, where 30,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed

The New Jersey native is the international coordinator of Samidoun Prisoners Solidarity Network, a group with ties to the PFLP listed in Israel as a terror group and banned in Germany

Kates has been promoting armed resistance of Palestinians from the comfort of North America since her days at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She is seen with her husband Her husband Khaled Barakat at the European Parliament

'We stand with the Palestinian resistance and their heroic and brave action on October 7,' she said. 'Long live October 7.'

Kates went on defending terror groups, adding: 'It is long past time to delist Palestinian and Lebanese resistance organizations from Canadas so-called list of terrorist entities.

'Hamas is not a terrorist organization. Islamic Jihad is not a terrorist organization. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is not a terrorist organization. Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization.'

She continued: 'These are resistance fighters. These are our heroes. These are those who are sacrificing so that we can live and speak and struggle and fight. These are the people whose blood is being shed to defend humanity and to defend the world.'

Her husband Khaled Barakat is an alleged senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the US government for its links to Hamas and Hezbollah.

The group is known for suicide bombings and airline hijackings and its military wing has boasted about having participated in the Hamas attack on Israel.

The PFLP has been involved in several suicide bombings and claimed responsibility for a 2014 attack on a Jerusalem synagogue which killed four rabbis and a policeman. Barakat has denied he is linked to the organization.

However he and Samidoun, and by extension Kates, have been banned from Germany over alleged anti-Semitism, due to the 'celebration of October 7' by Samidoun members. The couple currently reside in Canada.

Kates has reportedly been a constant presence at anti-Israel encampment at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver

Kates is seen at the Vancouver campus as she participates in the anti-Israel encampment

Kates has been promoting armed resistance of Palestinians from the comfort of North America since her days at Rutgers University in New Jersey, asking people to support terrorism as the path for the freedom of Palestinians.

As a law student she was one of the leaders of New Jersey Solidarity and organized the Third North American Student Conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement, which had the goal to ''organize against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.'

In a New York Times profile published in 2003, the then-Law student describes herself as a communist, claiming she has dreamed since childhood of the 'utopian vision' of the Soviet Union.

Kates said she became a paying member of the American Communist Party at the age of 13 and bragged about reading Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and having a poster of Che Guevara in her dorm room.

Her dorm also featured a poster that read: 'Long Live the Proletarian Feminism of the Heroic Red Women Fighters of Peru.'

The communist told the Times she came from 'working class parents,' with her mom working as a service representative at a bank and her dad retired from his job driving heavy equipment. Her brother, Benjamin Kates III, worked as a US marshal in Texas and is now a law enforcement specialist.

She claimed her activism goes as far back as seventh grade when she protested her school to loosen the dress code and reduce lunch fees, in a movement she called the 'lunch costs too much campaign.'

The then-student stirred chaos at Rutgers with stunts that saw her place a banner on campus that read 'From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free.'

Columbia University students hosted the pro-Hamas couple who said 'there is nothing wrong with being a Hamas fighter' two weeks before its campus exploded in anti-Israel protests

The event was titled Resistance 101 and took place on March 24 on campus, with Barakat and Kates attending via video link from Canada

She also organized the 'people's convention' as an undergraduate at the school and campaigned for radical candidates for City Council in New Brunswick. The slate received 27 percent of the vote.

Kates told the Times she refused to condemn suicide bombings because 'it is not our place in the United States to dictate the tactics Palestinian groups use in the liberation struggle.'

She was also featured in the New York Post the same year, in a piece titled 'Rutgers gets 'F' For Putting Anti-Semitism 101 on the Schedule.'

In the article, which highlighted Rutgers' controversial National Student Conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement, Kates told the Post she supported suicide bombers.

'Palestinian resistance in all its forms has been a very powerful tool of justice,' she said.

'All forms, from armed struggle to mass protest.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to the University of British Columbia for comment on this story.

Despite her vast history of supporting terrorism, Kates and Barakat were invited to give a talk at Columbia university last month. Barakat openly referred to his 'friends at Hamas and Islamic Jihad' during the two hour session, while Kates told attendees, 'there is nothing wrong with being a fighter in Hamas'.

Their event was organized by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest Group which has orchestrated the encampment currently besieging the Ivy League school.

Charlotte Kates is the international coordinator of Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network which has been banned from Germany after its members allegedly celebrated Oct 7

Kates appeared with her husband Khaled Barakat, who has been accused of being a senior official with the terrorist organization PFLP, an allegation he refutes

During the meeting, Kates insisted that the designation of certain pro Palestine movements as terrorist organizations is a deliberate tactic to undermine Gaza's resistance movement.

'The fact is, that Hamas is a mass-Palestinian movement that is in a leadership role and there is nothing wrong with being a member of Hamas, being a leader of Hamas, being a fighter in Hamas,' Kates said.

'These are the people that are on the front lines defending Palestine for its liberation.'

President Minouche Shafik slammed the talk for going ahead without the university's permission and strongly condemned as an 'abhorrent breach of our values'.

She stated the speakers were 'known to support terrorism and promote violence' and that the they have since been banned from campus.

A week later, the university suspended four students for their involvement with the event, Columbia Spectator reports.

As reported by the Vancouver Sun, Kates moved to Canada over a decade ago after a dispute with pro-Palestine activists at Rutgers.

Four of the students who attended the seminar were later suspended. Pictured: Pro-Palestine protesters gather on the campus of Columbia on April 23, 2024

President Minouche Shafik condemned the external speakers and has since banned them from campus

Kates, a lawyer, also works with US National Lawyers Guilds International Committee, which has been representing pro-Palestine protesters in encampments at universities across the country.

Jewish groups in Canada have been pushing president Justin Trudeau to list Samidoun as a terror group, but the organization remains listed as a non for profit organization in the country.

Israeli Ambassador Iddo Moed told the Vancouver Sun on Monday that 'Samidoun is known to be directly linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is already a listed terrorist organization.'

Moed added: 'They have been inciting and glorifying terrorist attacks and massacres since October 7, Saturday morning. They were already hanging signs from bridges in Vancouver.

'This is a serious source of concern.'
Columbia student protestors were finally shut down by police force Tuesday night after weeks of unrest spurred by the school's Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

Protesters have been demanding the college divest from companies with links to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas.

NYPD officers apprehended pro-Palestinian students on the Ivy League campus who had taken over Hamilton Hall, causing considerable damage and destruction to the building.

Wednesday morning, the NYPD reported that more than 280 students from Columbia and City College were arrested Tuesday.

While the fate of those students currently sits in the hands of New York's finest and their respective universities, DailyMail.com takes a look at some of the most absurd moments from the last several weeks of pro-terror protesting.

Asking for 'Humanitarian Aid' in Hamilton Hall

It is so wildly offensive for these Columbia protesters to call their DoorDash demands humanitarian aid.  Brianna Wu (@BriannaWu) April 30, 2024

Columbia PhD student Johannah King-Slutzky, a self-described 'political strategist for leftist and progressive causes,' along with some of her fellow keffiyeh-donning activists, held a press conference outside the building they'd taken over.

King-Slutzky claimed that the university was obligated to provide food to students who had barricaded themselves inside the hallowed building because they pay for meal plan at Columbia.

She said that the university's decision about how to deal with such a request will depend upon 'what kind of community and obligation Columbia feels it has to its students.'

'Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation?' she asked.

'It's crazy to say because we're on an Ivy League campus, but this is like basic humanitarian aid we're asking for. Like, could people please have a glass of water.'

One reporter in the crowd challenged the radical student, who is writing her dissertation about Marxist history, on the legitimacy of the request that the school provide resources to students who had executed a hostile takeover of a building.

'It seems like you're saying, "we want to be revolutionaries, we want to take over this building, now would you please bring us some food,"' he said.

King-Slutzky said the group was looking for a 'commitment' from Columbia that no one attempting to deliver food and water to the protestors would be met with violence - at the time of her saying this, no one had been stopped violently or otherwise.

After weeks of rabble-rousing, pro-terror Columbia student protestors took over Hamilton Hall at Tuesday around 1am

New York Police Department officers detain dozens of pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University Tuesday night after they barricaded themselves at the Hamilton Hall building near Gaza Solidarity Encampment

Protestors shout 'We are Hamas!' and ask for privacy

Last week, just days into the Passover holiday, Columbia protestors gathered on the quad to chant various slogans and activist battle cries to carry their point further across campus.

One-such protestor was seen shouting 'We are Hamas!'

'Hamas make us proud, kill another soldier now,' shouted another.

Hamas is the unrepentant radical Palestinian terror group that committed the atrocity on October 7, which included murdering civilians, raping Israeli women, and taking hundreds of hostages, many of whom have yet to be returned.

October 7 was quick to be branded by some campus radicals as a legitimate means of resistance to Israel's alleged occupation of Gaza.

Ahead of and during the Passover holiday, the environment on campus became so untenable for Jewish students that a campus rabbi warned them to stay home amid the incredibly anti-Semitic environment.

All along, student protestors have maintained the position that they have a 'right to privacy' and media should stop showing up to record them as they shout in support of terrorism.

One student confronted Free Beacon journalist Jessica Costescu, who was attempting to take a video of Mohamed Abdou, a North African-Egyptian Muslim anarchist activist-scholar, who she'd spotted speaking outside the encampment.

The young-looking student sported a keffiyeh, oversized plaid jacket, and a nose ring, as she repeatedly in a monotonous voice asked the journalist to stop recording for 'safety's sake, and for privacy.'

String Dance for Peace

Earth Day programming pic.twitter.com/MZRNPbqSAq  Shayoni Mitra (@ShayoniMitra) April 23, 2024

In one especially odd display of solidarity with Palestinians in war-torn Gaza, university students performed a red string dance to celebrate Earth Day on the sunny Columbia quad full of encampment tents.

Students wore keffiyehs, COVID masks, and some generally odd outfits to shield their identities as they became tangled in red string through interpretive movement.

Fellow activist students stood around the large knot taking shape, clapping and holding banners that read 'Decolonize Decarbonize.'

Praying for all of the Columbia students being misgendered by NYPD tonight.  Ben Appel (@benappel) May 1, 2024

Keffiyeh sporting protest supporters watch as members of the NYPD detain protesters from the pro-Palestinian protest encampment and Hamilton Hall where demonstrators barricaded themselves inside

'Zionists don't deserve to live'

In one of the more salient moments of the Columbia encampment saga, one of the loudest student protest leaders, Khymani James, was revealed to have publicly said, over and over again, that 'Zionists don't deserve to live.'

A video of James, a non-binary junior at the Ivy League school, resurfaced last week that had initially been a 90-minute livestream he posted of himself sitting through a disciplinary meeting after posting threatening messages online.

In a recording of the stream, James meets with employees of Columbia's Center for Student Success and Intervention over an Instagram post in which he warned Zionists in his DMs that he 'fights to kill.'

An employee asked him: 'Do you see why that's problematic in any way?' He responded: 'No.'

He continues to defend his position, that all Zionists 'don't deserve to live,' sprinkling cackles and erratic-seeming shifts in tone throughout the video.

'Zionists dont deserve to live comfortably, let alone Zionists dont deserve to live ... I feel very comfortable, very comfortable, calling for those people to die,' he said just before the stream ended.

After uproar over the video ensued, Columbia banned James from campus under an 'interim suspension,' meaning he may or may not be allowed to return to classes.

James, who has previously voiced aspirations of one day becoming a member of the US House of Representatives, has since issued a sort of apology, in which he apologized for his exact wording, but remained steadfast in his position that 'Zionism is an ideology that necessitates the genocide of the Palestinian people. I oppose that in the strongest terms.'

Images and video showed extensive damage to Hamilton Hall after protesters were evicted on Tuesday night

The Gaza solidarity crowd smashed windows, upended furniture and caused damage throughout Hamilton Hall during their brief occupation

The Messy Finale

Tuesday night, police raided Hamilton Hall, arresting more than 100 students and without causing any injuries, shutting down the most outrageous part of the demonstration to date. It was their second trip to the uptown campus that ended in 100+ arrests.

The NYPD confirmed those occupying Hamilton Hall could be charged with trespass and burglary, while those in the encampment could be hit with trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

The university's problems are far from over, though. As authorities began their raid, Columbia faculty released a statement condemning the decision to end the protest and blaming President Minouche Shafik's administration for allowing tensions to reach a boiling point.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has also moved out in front of the issue, claiming the protest had been co-opted by external actors and it was long past time to shut the whole things down.

Jewish students and their supporters are angry that it took so long for officials to crack down on the protests amid allegations of anti-Semitism.

Regular Columbia students were also shooed away from campus by the protestors and the administration during the last weeks of classes and time leading into finals week.
Petra Ecclestone's husband Sam Palmer has claimed his 'pet hate' is tipping low-paid staff during a foul-mouthed rant on Instagram.

The property agent, 39, - who married the Formula 1 heiress Petra, 35, in 2022 - lashed out at the custom, in his second bizarre diatribe of the week.

Sam lives with his wife, who is worth an estimated 240million, and their children in their $30,5million Los Angeles mansion. She is the daughter former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and one of the heirs to his 1.9billion fortune.

But in his latest video, Sam expressed his annoyance at being asked to tip staff in staff in restaurants, coffee shops and bakeries.

Reclining on a sofa and moaning to his 25,700 followers, the 39-year-old said: 'Today's pet hate: tipping of staff.

Petra Ecclestone 's husband Sam Palmer has claimed his 'pet hate' is tipping low-paid staff during a foul-mouthed rant on Instagram

The property agent, 39, - who married Formula 1 heiress Petra, 35, in 2022 - lashed out at the custom, in his second bizarre diatribe of the week.

'You have to do it everywhere you go now; order a coffee, go to the bakery - flip that little screen over... 15, 20, 25 per cent.

'And then they stand there right where you press it so you always have to press 20 per cent.

'What the f*** for? Ordering a drink? That's what I'm supposed to do.'

Continuing with his rant, he added: 'I know what you're going to say, "oh, but these people don't get paid, they only get paid on tips".

'How on earth have we bought into that? Restauranteurs don't pay for their staff but the customer does.

'It used to be that you used to get good service. Now the service is pretty much s*** everywhere you go.

'And if you don't pay it, they chase you out the restaurant like you're some some sort of lepper. F*** off. Tips, we're the plebs.'

The estate agent claimed customer service was 's***' and said those who did not tip restaurant staff would be 'chased out' and treated like 'leppers'

Sam and Petra Ecclestone tied the knot during a lavish wedding in July 2017. They are pictured with their children, Lavinia, Andrew and James, and their youngest daughter

The couple live together with their family in their $30.5million mansion in Los Angeles, California

The video is the second bizarre rant by the estate agent this week after he fumed about cheaters in an earlier video on his Instagram.

During the clip, he expressed his annoyance at people who are unfaithful but still 'make a big show' of their relationship on Instagram.

He did not reference anyone in particular who had cheated and did assure his followers: 'Don't worry, I'm not going to rat you out'.

In the post he asked his followers what their pet hates were and then gave his own answer, saying: 'Today's pet hate, people that cheat on their partners and make a big show on them on Instagram.

'You know the ones, don't worry, I'm not going to rat you out. But you know when the old Mother's Day comes up or birthdays and they out the old picture up of the old family.'

Petra Ecclestone's husband Sam Palmer went on an earlier bizarre rant about cheaters in a video posted to his Instagram on Monday

He penned in the caption: 'Pet hate of the day - the cheats who over compensate on Instagram. Just look for the comment MY (world emoji) #pethate #petpeeve #pethateoftheday #cheats #family'

Petra and Sam tied the knot in July 2022, enjoying a lavish ceremony at Petra's 170 million London mansion, but now live together in Los Angeles

Pointing out what the captions would be on those pictures he said: 'My world, my rock, backbone of the family.'

He continued: 'I love the ones that have been caught out by their old woman even more. Make a big show of her on Instagram - 'oh look how gorgeous my wife is' - yeah cos you don't want to go through the old divorce.

'Shrewd move, bye see you.'

Petra and Sam tied the knot in July 2022, enjoying a lavish ceremony at the F1 heiress's 170 million London mansion.

The pair now live together in Los Angeles in their sprawling seven-bedroom, 13,500sq ft mansion.

The luxury pad was built by Emily White, a former Snapchat executive, and her financier husband Bryan Kelly, meaning it was never on the market.

The couple share daughter Millie, three, together and Petra's daughter Lavinia, 11, and twin boys James and Andrew, eight, from her marriage to ex husband, James Stunt.
The majority of Americans are convinced that the Chinese government is using TikTok to manipulate the U.S. public opinion as politicians press to ban the app.

New data found that 58 percent of Americans agree that the Chinese government uses social media app TikTok to 'influence American public opinion.'

The data came from a two-day Reuters/IPSOS poll conducted on Tuesday that asked 1,022 U.S. adults nationwide for their opinion.

In the other hand, 13 percent of Americans disagreed with the statement - and did not think that the app, which is owned by China's ByteDance, is being used to control public opinion.

Republicans were more likely than Democrats to see China as using the app to exploit Americans and their beliefs.

The majority of Americans are convinced that the Chinese government is using TikTok to manipulate the U.S. public opinion as politicians press to ban the app

New data found that 58 percent of Americans agree that the Chinese government uses social media app TikTok to 'influence American public opinion.' Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping

The remaining 29 percent of responders were unsure or didn't answer the question.

TikTok says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on data security efforts and would not share data on its 170 million U.S. users with the Chinese government.

The company told Congress last year that it does 'not promote or remove content at the request of the Chinese government.'

President Joe Biden last week signed legislation giving ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban.

TikTok has vowed to challenge the ban as a violation of the protections of free expression enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and TikTok users are expected to again take legal action.

A U.S. judge in Montana in November blocked a state ban on TikTok, citing free-speech concerns.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll found 50 percent of Americans supported banning TikTok, while 32 percent opposed a ban and the rest were unsure.

The poll only surveyed U.S. adults and doesn't reflect the views of people under age 18, who make up a significant portion of TikTok's users in the United States.

About six in 10 poll respondents aged 40 and older supported a ban, compared with about four in 10 aged 18-39.

The poll showed 46 percent of Americans agreed with a statement that China is using the app to 'spy on everyday Americas,' an allegation Beijing has denied.

President Joe Biden last week signed legislation giving ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban

Biden's rival, Republican Donald Trump, who has criticized a potential ban and is the majority owner of the company that operates his social media app Truth Social, has not joined

The app is ubiquitous in America. Even Biden's re-election campaign is using it as a tool to win over voters ahead of the November 5 presidential election.

Biden's rival, Republican Donald Trump, who has criticized a potential ban and is the majority owner of the company that operates his social media app Truth Social, has not joined.

A majority of Americans, 60 percent, said it was inappropriate for U.S. political candidates to use TikTok to promote their campaigns.

Biden's signing of the law sets a Jan. 19 deadline for a sale - one day before his term is set to expire - but he could extend the deadline by three months if he determines that ByteDance is making progress on divesting the app.

The poll, which was conducted online, gathered responses from 1,022 U.S. adults nationwide and had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.

TikTok did not immediately respond when DailyMail.com reached out to request a comment.
A retired teacher helped investigators solve her murder from beyond the grave after her text messages were used to track down her alleged killer.

Carol Webber, 74, was shot dead on in her senior living apartment in Houston, Texas on April 13, hours after she warned friends about her boyfriend in chilling final messages.

'Cliff was drunk and came into my apartment and threatened to kill me and was forceful and mean,' she said in one of the texts, hours before her death.

The suspect, Clifton John Allen 66, was charged with her murder this week, as detectives claim he killed Webber after becoming her power of attorney in hope of stealing her savings.

Carol Webber, 74, was shot dead on in her senior living apartment in Houston, Texas on April 13, hours after she warned friends about her boyfriend in chilling final messages

Clifton John Allen 66, was charged with her murder this week, as detectives claim he killed Webber after becoming her power of attorney in hope of stealing her savings

In text messages just hours before she was murdered, Webber warned friends that her boyfriend 'threatened to kill me'

Webber had been living alone at the Treemont Senior Living center, and was said to have been left without many friends or family in her final years.

Two women, who remained anonymous, told ABC13 that they were supporting Webber by ministering with her and praying with her, and were the ones to receive her chilling final text messages.

'Carol was a very vulnerable person. She suffered a lot of tragedies and hard things in her life,' one of the women said.

'She was older, in her 70s, living alone and didn't have anybody, and when she came to the Treemont, I believe this person targeted her. She started handing things to him because he was her only support.'

It is unclear when she began a relationship with Allen, who also lived at Treemont and reportedly worked at a nearby bookstore.

According to reported court documents, he convinced Webber to transfer over her power of attorney and will to him, before becoming increasingly controlling and aggressive with her.

Webber's cries for help were seen in her final text messages, where she told of her struggle at breaking up the allegedly abusive relationship.

The 74-year-old retired teacher was said to be 'vulnerable', and friends said they believed Allen 'targeted' her because of it

Allen, seen in court this week, owns a lengthy rap sheet including a previous conviction for manslaughter, and records found he was out on parole in Louisiana

'I am trying to end my relationship with Cliff and he will not bring me my power of attorney (or) my will, and my insurance' she wrote in one text. 'I need prayer for this. Thanks.'

In another text, she said: 'Cliff was drunk and came in my apartment and threatened to kill me and was forceful and mean'.

'(He) took my money and credit cards and because I went to church. He told the man downstairs that he had power of attorney and had the right to tell me what church I could go to'.

'I asked for a room to sleep in cause he had a key to my room.'

Court documents added that Webber had been personally confiding in people that she was growing fearful of Allen in the lead up to her death.

'It had been building up over the week, her anxiety over Cliff,' one of her friends who received the texts said.

'She was complaining over his controlling nature. He wouldn't let her go to church. We encouraged her to revoke the power of attorney, and so she actually confronted him sometime the week before she was killed and asked for her papers back.'

Allen is currently being held on a $350,000 bond and is charged with murder.

Webber warned friends that after she transferred her power of attorney, Allen became controlling and threatening, including instructing her over what church to attend

Both had been living at the Treemont Senior Living Center (pictured) in Houston, Texas

The suspect also owns a lengthy rap sheet including a previous conviction for manslaughter, and records found he was out on parole in Louisiana.

His presence at the senior living center has raised eyebrows, as one of the women questioned: 'Why on earth would they allow him to lease an apartment next to some of the most vulnerable residents of our community?'

'My primary concern is how the elderly get swept away, and people don't provide or pay attention to them.'

Treemont Senior Living was also accused of failing to notify other residents about the murder. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An 'extremely rare' killer whale calf named 'Frosty' after its milky all-white skin has been spotted in a pod off the coast of California.

Frosty has a rare genetic condition that means its black patches are much lighter than other killer whales, giving it its distinctive white appearance.

The four-year-old whale was spotted on Monday off the coast of Newport Beach in California.

It's not clear if Frosty is male or female, but it was last spotted a year ago, and the captain of the boat watching cruise, Dani Fasser, told Fox he was 'extremely lucky' to locate the pod.

He said: 'We were watching a pair of giant fin whales, and all of a sudden, she [a passenger] saw puffs in the distance, which were definitely not a dolphin.'

Video of the encounter shows passengers gasping 'in awe' as the whales swim up to and frolic around the boat.

At first. two large adults with standard coloring appear, blowing puffs of air and flipping through the water.

Then under the water. a distinctive white back appears, rolling over to reveal Frosty's unique all white back and sides.

Its not known what exact condition causes Frosty's unusual coloring, but it is possibly thought to be leucism or a syndrome called Chediak-Higashi.

Jessica Roam, an education and communications Manager at Newport Landing and Daveys Locker Whale Watching, told Fox29: 'Our whale-watching boat the Catallac was the first to spot the famous killer whale pod about nine miles off the coast of Newport Beach this morning during one of our morning whale-watching cruises.

'Sightings of killer whales are few and far between along the Southern California coastline, so it was a very special encounter.'

Frosty's pod have been spotted as far north as British Columbia.

Their last reported sighting was in Morro Bay, California, in October 2022.

Killer whales are very social animals and will stay with their mothers in the same pod for their entire lives.

They establish complex social hierarchies within each pod, led by female members of the group.

Pods typically have two to 15 members but sometimes larger groups come together to hunt or mate.
A woman is being investigated for manslaughter in the death of her uncle, whom she wheeled into a Brazilian bank to obtain a loan.

Erika de Souza, 42, was already aware that her Paulo Braga, 68, had died when she attempted to withdraw $3,250 from the bank on April 16, the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police said in a report filed with the state Public Ministry on Tuesday.

'She knew this fact (of death), as he is (in the video) with his head down and without any movement, however, right before entering, she holds him by the neck so that he has his head up, simulating a person alive,' Civil Police chief Fabio Souza said in his findings, which were obtained by TV Globo.

De Souza, a mother-of-six, is being held in pretrial detention and is facing vilification of a corpse and attempted theft through fraud charges.

The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police announced Tuesday that they are now investigating Erika de Souza (left) for manslaughter following the death of her uncle, Paulo Braga (right), whom she wheeled into a bank on April 16 to obtain a loan while he was already dead

Rio de Janeiro Civil Police Chief Fabio Souza said in a report that Erika de Souza 'knew' her uncle was already dead and held 'him by the neck so that he has his head up, simulating a person alive' moments before she placed a pen by his hand to sign a document to obtain a $3,250 loan

Surveillance video cameras showed Braga being removed from a ride share app car in the mall parking lot and de Souza later wheeling Braga through the mall while he sat motionless in the wheelchair.

Additional security camera footage captured de Souza standing next to Braga and then walking away to the restroom.

A bank employee was then seen leaving her seat and approaching Braga to support his head after it tilted backward, not knowing that he was already dead. De Souza returned with a cup of water for her uncle and tried to give it to him.

The now-viral cell phone video recorded by one of the bank workers showed how de Souza bizarrely told Braga, 'Uncle, are you listening? You need to sign,' as she placed a pen near his right hand.

At one point, de Souza told the teller, 'He doesn't say anything, that's just how he is,' and turned to her uncle and mentioned that she was going to take him to the hospital if he wasn't feeling well.

The bankers were worried with de Souza's behavior and called the police. Paramedics were dispatched to the bank and tried to revive Braga.

Erika de Souza visited her uncle, Paulo Braga, just days before he was released from a medical facility and then died April 16

Erika de Souza approaches the corpse of her uncle, Paulo Braga, at a bank branch in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 16 moments before she tried to withdraw a $3,250 that had been previously approved

Investigators found that Braga had already been dead for about two hours because there were cadaver marks visible on his head.

'There is no doubt that Erika knew about Paulo's death, but, as it was her last chance to withdraw the money from the loan, she entered the bank with the corpse, simulated for several minutes that he was alive, even pretending to give water, took the pen and held his hand close to the hand of Paulo's corpse,' Souza said.

'However, as the bank employees did not disperse their attention, he was unable to sign.'

Souza report also indicated that de Souza had set up her own bank account to get the money from Braga and that she also went to the bank by herself to withdraw the loan money.

The loan had already been approved but the funds were not withdrawn because Braga had been hospitalized for a week and was not discharged until April 15, the day before he died.

Souza's statement stressed that Braga was already dead when de Souza took him to the bank.

'Inside the branch, she continues with this simulation while waiting for assistance, as she remains holding her neck and when she lets go, his head "falls" backwards, which is impossible to happen to a living person,' Souza said.

'So, she holds it again and pretends to be talking, but she lets go of her neck once again and her head falls down again, holding her back.'

Bank employees started filming the pair and ended up calling for an ambulance and police while Erika de Souza used her hand to keep Paulo Braga's head upright and told him: 'Uncle, are you listening? You have to sign it. I can't sign for you'

Erika de Souza was spotted on a surveillance video pushing a wheelchair with the lifeless body of her uncle, Paulo Braga, before she tried to take out $3,250 from his bank account

De Souza's son, Lucas Nunes, revealed she has been under medication and had tried to commit suicide on several occasions.

In 2023, a psychiatrist requested that she be hospitalized because she had become too dependent on sedatives and hypnotics.

'She has been going through difficult times. She has been experiencing disorders,' Nunes said. 'She has psychological and psychiatric support.'

The family has claimed that Braga had requested the loan March 25.

He intended to use the money to repair the home where he lived with de Souza and three of her children.

'My mother raised six children. And she never needed to steal or deceive anyone to do so,' Nunes added.

'My mother guided her children towards life, and she guided them very well, teaching us the path of studies, the path of what is correct.'
Labour's candidate to be West Midlands mayor has been reported to police as a poll shows the election result is too close to call.

Richard Parker has been accused by local Tories of breaching electoral law over the 'home address' he gave in his nomination form.

The 60-year-old businessman said he lives in a flat in Birmingham city centre but his opponents say he has only just started renting it out, while neighbours told the Mail they had never seen him there.

His main property is said to be the house he and his wife have owned since 2005 in a Worcestershire village, outside the region he wants to run.

Eligibility criteria for the mayoral race state that candidates must have 'lived within the West Midlands Combined Authority Area during the 12 months period prior to the date of their nomination and the date of the election'.

West Midlands Police has been urged to investigate whether Mr Parker has given a false statement in his nomination form, an offence under the Representation of People's Act 1983.

Richard Parker has been accused by local Tories of breaching electoral law over the 'home address' he gave in his nomination form.

His main property is said to be the house he and his wife have owned since 2005 in a Worcestershire village, outside the region he wants to run.

In a letter to the chief constable, local Conservative MP Gary Sambrook wrote: 'I am appalled that someone who wants to hold the prestigious office of the Mayor of West Midlands thinks it's OK to try to hoodwink the voting public in this way, and I would urge you as a matter of urgency to investigate this in the public interest.'

But a spokesman for Mr Parker insisted: 'Richard Parker has lived and worked in the West Midlands for 40 years. There are no grounds to question his eligibility.

'The last-minute shameful political game playing is a total waste of police time.

'It is the antics of a Conservative party desperate for a headline who are out of ideas, out of time and out of touch. Only a vote for Richard Parker on Thursday will end the Conservative lies and chaos.'

It comes after a poll found Thursday's crucial mayoral race is on a knife-edge.

YouGov put Tory incumbent Andy Street on 41 per cent and Mr Parker on 39, but the results are within the margin of error, making the outcome too close to call.

Reform UK is on 9 per cent, prompting senior Tories to urge voters tempted by the upstart right-wing party not to let Labour's candidate in.

Former Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said: 'I hope our friends in Reform will look at this poll and lend their vote to Andy Street. The high cost for householders of the Labour party in Birmingham is a warning of the incompetence the West Midlands would face without Andy Street.'

And Dudley South MP Mike Wood said: 'This poll clearly shows that Thursday's mayoral election is neck-and-neck, but that if people give their vote to Reform rather than to Andy Street then we will end up with Birmingham Labour's candidate as our Mayor.'

West Midlands Police said: 'We can confirm that we have received an allegation and are currently assessing it.'

It is understood that officers will discuss the matter with the returning officer for the election.
An Afghan asylum seeker hotel resident who attacked two men with meat cleaver in the lobby has been jailed for 12 years.

Sher Wali, 49, of Long Ditton, Surrey, carried out the ferocious attack near the reception area of the Crowne Plaza Hotel - which was being used as an Afghan Citizen Resettlement Centre at the time.

Four men were in a small sitting area next to the reception area of the hotel, located in Surbiton, southwest London, when Wali came up to them holding a black plastic bag which he said had a mobile phone in it.

He said he had come to ask one of the men to look at the phone before reaching into the bag and grabbing a meat cleaver which he used to attack two of the group at around 1.30pm on Sunday, July 9, 2023.

He was found by officers in his room shortly afterwards and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Sher Wali, 49, of Long Ditton, Surrey, carried out the ferocious attack on July 9, 2023

He started the attack at the reception area of the Crowne Plaza Hotel (pictured on the day of the attack) - which was being used as an Afghan Citizen Resettlement Centre at the time

Police guard a cordon on the Portsmouth Road in Long Ditton, Surrey, following the attack on July 9

When interviewed by police, Wali claimed he and his family had been subject to harassment and torment from the victims and other guests. He claimed that he didn't want to kill the two victims, as he had just wanted to scare them.

But it transpired he had bought the meat cleaver two or three days before the attack, which Wali denied had been pre-planned.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Jon Brushneen, of Surrey Police, said: 'This was a terrifying incident which took place in the middle of the day in a busy area and witnessed by many people.

'Wali's internet search history, uncovered during this investigation, revealed that the attack was premeditated, and this was taken into consideration during sentencing.

'Both of Wali's victims were left seriously injured as a result of this attack, and I hope the fact that he has received a custodial sentence will help to provide them with some closure and allow them to start moving on with their lives.'

On the day of the attack emergency services, including Surrey Police, the London Fire Brigade, and medics from the London Ambulance Service rushed to the scene.

On the day of the attack emergency services, including Surrey Police, the London Fire Brigade, and medics from the London Ambulance Service rushed to the scene

Police remained at the scene the day after the double stabbing on Monday, July 10

Both victims were rushed to hospital and the nature of their injuries were described as 'serious'.

Wali will have to serve at least eight years of his 12-year custodial sentence.

If he can satisfy a parole board he is fit to be released after this time, he will then serve the remainder of his sentence on licence, in addition to a further four-year extended licence.

This could mean he serves up to eight years on licence and, if he breaches the conditions of his release during this time, will be required to serve the remainder of this term in prison.

A lifetime restraining order is also in place for both victims against the defendant.
Alabama's House of Representatives passed a bill in early April that enshrines Juneteenth as a holiday.

The catch is, Alabamians would have to choose to take off work on Juneteenth or on the president of the Confederacy's birthday, which is already a state holiday.

This is set to put Alabama state employees in an awkward spot.

They can either celebrate Juneteenth on June 19 - the holiday commemorating the day black people in the US were freed from slavery - or they can celebrate the birthday of Jefferson Davis on June 3, who led the Confederate states during the Civil War and fought to keep slavery alive.

'Employees shall be given the option to observe either Jefferson Davis' birthday or Juneteenth as a state holiday,' the bill reads.

Now that the bill has been passed through the state house, it will head to the State Senate and then to Republican Governor Kay Ivey.

State Rep. Juandalynn Givan (pictured) sponsored the legislation that makes state employees choose Juneteenth or Davis' birthday and called it a 'compromise' she didn't like but will live with

People march during a Juneteenth reparations rally on Broad Street on June 17, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey

Jefferson Davis (portraited) lived from 1808 to 1889 and led the Confederate states throughout the Civil War

Alabama state representative Juandalynn Givan and other black lawmakers have been lobbying for Juneteenth to become a holiday in Alabama for years. Juneteenth is already a federal holiday.

Givan told the Washington Post that she would have much preferred to have Juneteenth as a holiday full stop and not have the either-or compromise with Davis' birthday, which is already a state holiday.

'It was a compromise. Did we like it? No. But can we live with it? Yes. Are we hopeful for the future? Absolutely,' said Givan who sponsored the bill.

Davis, a Mississippi Senator prior to his stint as president of the Confederacy, was captured by Union soldiers in Georgia in May 1865, roughly a month after Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia.

Several people aired their outrage on X at the compromise bill, with one saying Alabama was trying to appease 'both the rednecks and blacks' with this move.

Crews are seen removing one of the country's largest remaining monuments to the Confederacy, a towering statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia

It isn't clear if Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (pictured) would sign the bill. Still the bill needs to be introduced in the state senate before it gets to her desk

A Confederate flag flies on a 100 foot flagpole next to Interstate 65 near Verbena, Alabama, Sunday July 17, 2005

'Backwards state. Still celebrate the Confederacy & allows the giant confederate flag fly on I-65,' they wrote.

Another person wrote: 'Alabama allows state workers to reveal that they're racist through choice of holidays.'

Somebody else told Alabama lawmakers to 'let go of the f**king slavery.'

The Montgomery Adviser published a lengthy gallery of photos in June 2020 ahead of Juneteenth showing all the places in Montgomery, Alabama where tributes to the Confederacy still exist.

A highway, a high school, and a street all bear Davis' name. There is also a painting of Davis in the state capitol building in Montgomery, and as recently as 2000, there was a star outside the building marking the exact spot where Davis was inaugurated as the Confederate president on February 18, 1861.

Several southern states including Alabama have Davis' birthday as an official state holiday, NPR reported.

Robert E. Lee's birthday - January 19 - is very close to Martin Luther King Jr. Day and is also state holiday in Alabama and Mississippi.

Finally Confederate Memorial Day, which is supposed to celebrate fallen Confederate soldiers, is an official state holiday in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas.
A 'cursed' wooden steamship that vanished in Lake Superior in 1909 with 14 crew members on board has finally been discovered.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society say they found the Adella Shores after it went missing on May 1, 1909, in Whitefish Point, Michigan.

Adella Shores - which locals feared had been cursed after its sober owners christened it by smashing a bottle of water on its hull rather than booze - was found more than 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in over 650 feet of water.

The 195-foot ship was built in Gibraltar, Michigan, and weighed in at 735-ton, being owned by the Shores Lumber Company.

Footage taken of the wreckage show the large wooden appears to have remained largely intact in the water.

Adella Shores was found more than 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in over 650 feet of water

The 195-foot ship was built in Gibraltar, Michigan, and weighed in at 735-ton, being owned by the Shores Lumber Company

The boat was named after the daughter of the owner of the owner of Shores Lumber Company, Adella.

Adella's sister Bessie had christened the ship with a bottle of water as the family had been strict about their consumption of alcohol.

Old time sailors see that as having been a bad lucky omen, with the Adella later going on to sink twice in shallow waters in fifteen years.

Both of those times it was refloated and put back into service before it disappeared in 1909.

On April 29th, the ship was upbound for Duluth, Minnesota, with a load of salt and had been following a larger steel steamship through a thick ice flow.

As both ships came around Whitefish Point, they were met with a fierce gale and the Adella fell behind and out of sight of the Morrell.

The ship and all fourteen crewmembers were never seen again, with some debris being found but no bodies.

The Captain of the larger steamship they had been following thinks the smaller boat might have struck a large ice flow and punctured her hull, sinking quickly.

In the summer of 2021, Director of Marine Operations with the society Darryl Ertel and his brother Dan were running grids with sonar and found the ship

The boat was named after the daughter of the owner of the owner of Shores Lumber Company, Adella

On April 29th, the ship was upbound for Duluth, Minnesota, with a load of salt and had been following a larger steel steamship through a thick ice flow

As both ships came around Whitefish Point, they were met with a fierce gale and the Adella fell behind and out of sight of the Morrell

In the summer of 2021, Director of Marine Operations with the society Darryl Ertel and his brother Dan were running grids with sonar and found the ship, seen here

Ertel said: 'I pretty much knew that had to be the Adella Shores when I measured the length of it, because there were no other ships out there missing in that size range.

'As soon as I put the ROV down on it for the first time, I could see the design of the ship and I could match it right up to the Adella Shores.'

Marine historian Fred Stonehouse added: 'Not only is she a member of the 'Went Missing' club those ships on the Great Lakes that disappeared with all hands decades later, to be discovered. She still tells a very poignant and fascinating story.

'The folks that are out there actively hunting for shipwrecks like the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society are helping to answer that story.

'And they keep looking for the ones that are not yet told and not yet found. For that, they deserve the highest commendation.
Columbia University finally sent in the New York Police Department on Tuesday night to clear anti-Israel protesters mouthing pro-Hamas messages.

But DailyMail.com can now reveal that administrators may need to look in-house next if they truly want to clean house.

For a new investigation has uncovered an endorsement of Hamas media outlets in  of all places  Columbia's storied journalism school.

Mounted on either side of the entryway to Pulitzer Hall  named after Joseph Pulitzer, the founder of the university's journalism school and the namesake of the coveted Pulitzer Prize  there is a memorial purporting to honor 'journalists' killed in the Israel-Gaza war.

The honorees were selected from a list compiled by the non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

However, 21 of the 98 names displayed were employed by Hamas' propaganda TV and radio stations, 11 worked for outlets affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, and at least three were active alleged terrorists before their deaths.

The school has not publicized the memorial, but in February Columbia's journalism professor Nina Berman shared a picture of it to her personal Instagram account, accompanied by the following warning: 'Anyone commenting with doubts about the legitimacy of these journalists or suggestions that they are terrorists will be promptly blocked.'

Though while Columbia Journalism School may regard its display as a tribute to 'journalists,' facts suggest otherwise.

Mounted on either side of the entryway to Pulitzer Hall  named after Joseph Pulitzer, the founder of the university's journalism school and the namesake of the coveted Pulitzer Prize  there is a memorial purporting to honor 'journalists' killed in the Israel-Gaza war.

DailyMail.com can now reveal that administrators may need to look in-house next if they truly want to oust all terrorist sympathizers from campus.

Mohamed Khalifeh, a director at 'Al Aqsa Television,' is just one of 15 memorialized names who worked for the Hamas-operated media network operating in Gaza.

In 2010, the Obama administration sanctioned Al Aqsa TV as a terrorist entity.

'Al-Aqsa is a primary Hamas media outlet and airs programs and music videos designed to recruit children to become Hamas armed fighters and suicide bombers upon reaching adulthood,' the US Treasury Department noted.

'[We] will not distinguish between a business financed and controlled by a terrorist group, such as Al-Aqsa Television, and the terrorist group itself,' the department concluded.

In 2007, the producers of Al-Aqsa TV's animated children's show star, a Mickey Mouse-like character named Farfour, were exposed for promoting radical Islam, hatred of Jews, and encouraging children to arm themselves with AK-47 assault rifles.

The station's response to global outrage was to depict an 'Israeli' character beating Farfour to death, before replacing Farfour with a bee named Nahool, which also preached violence.

Al-Aqsa TV also openly celebrated a terrorist bus bombing in Tel Aviv in 2012 that wounded 22 Israelis.

'God willing, we will soon see body bags,' an Al-Aqsa announcer said on air.

In 2016, Obama's State Department designated Al-Asqa TV's director, Fathi Ahmad Mohammad Hammad, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

In addition to running Al-Aqsa TV, Hammad is Hamas' interior minister and, according to State Department, served as a senior military commander who 'coordinated terror cells' and supervised tunnel construction under Gaza.

The Obama administration had good reason for concern.

'Though social media alone, ISIS was able to recruit over 100,000 foreign terrorist fighters to come to Iraq/Syria and fight between 2014 and 2017,' retired FBI counterterrorism Special Agent James G. Conway told DailyMail.com.

'Media today plays a key role in international terrorism,' said Conway, who now owns Global Intel Strategies, an international police training company. 'Al-Aqsa [TV], as the prominent Hamas media entity, plays a key role in promoting and promulgating the Hamas message' of incitement to violence and genocide.

(Left) Mohamed Khalifeh, a director at 'Al Aqsa Television,' is just one of 15 memorialized names who worked for the Hamas-operated media network operating in Gaza (Right) Iyah El-Ruwagh, a host for the Al Aqsa radio network, is one of six who worked for the Hamas-controlled radio station

Another six names on the Columbia memorial worked for the Hamas-controlled Al-Aqsa radio station, a sister entity of Al-Aqsa TV. Among them are Iyah El-Ruwagh, who worked as a host for the radio network.

The US has not designated Al-Aqsa radio as a terrorist organization, but it is undeniable that Hamas controls the outlet and uses it for propaganda purposes.

Hamas established the radio station after taking control of the Gaza Strip in 2006 when it installed its first director, Ibrahim Daher, who reportedly still runs the station today.

In a 2014 interview with The Washington Post, Daher, who once described the station as an instrument of 'incitement,' was clear about his aims.

'The main thing we stress is the activity of the resistance, and how much people support it,' he said. 'We aren't interested in showing other things, like any success by the Israelis or how businesses were hurt by the war, or Gazans who have fled the city because of it.'

The station has reportedly also encouraged civilians in Gaza to act as human shields for Hamas militants.

Georgetown University's Center for Strategic and International Studies released a report in 2023 labeling the radio station and Hamas' other media outlets 'propaganda campaigns'.

Also included in the memorial are eleven other so-called 'journalists' who worked for outlets controlled by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which was designated as a terrorist organization in 1997 by the government.

At least one of these 'journalists' have been accused by Israel of being 'actively involved in attacks against IDF forces.'

Hamza Al Dahdou, an Al Jazeera correspondent and the son of Al Jazeera bureau chief Wael Al-Dahdouh, and Mustafa Thuria, a cameraman for Agence-France Press were both killed by an Israel airstrike in January.

Following the strike, the IDF released documents purporting to show that Dahdouh was a member of Islamic Jihad and that Thuria served in Hamas's Gaza City Brigade.

At least two of the honored 'journalists' have been accused by Israel of being 'actively involved in attacks against IDF forces.' (Left) Mustafa Thuria, a cameraman for Agence-France Press was killed by an Israel airstrike in January (Right) Hamza Al Dahdou was accused of being a member of Islamic Jihad

According to an Israeli government-sponsored think tank, with close ties to Israeli intelligence, yet another 'journalist' memorialized by Columbia  named Mohammad Jarghoun (above)  was a member of Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades.

According to an Israeli government-sponsored think tank, with close ties to Israeli intelligence, yet another 'journalist' memorialized by Columbia  named Mohammad Jarghoun  was a member of Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades.

It's certainly strange that two revered institutions of American journalism would memorialize 'journalists' involved in the production of terrorist propaganda, especially when publicly available information raises serious questions about the integrity of their outlets.

It is stranger still that they would lionize alleged terrorists  though CPJ claims to explicitly exclude such individuals.

'We do not include journalists [in the honored journalists' list] if there is evidence that they were acting on behalf of militant groups or serving in a military capacity at the time of their deaths,' CPJ states on its website.

Columbia University didn't readily respond to requests for comment.

But the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)  the non-profit that complied the list of names for the memorial on Columbia's behalf and whose website  said in a statement that its research 'to date' has found no evidence that any of those memorialized 'were engaged in militant activity'.

The CPJ has also committed to '[continuing] to investigate the circumstances of each case.'

Todd Bensman is a two-time National Press Club award-winner and a fellow for the Middle East Forum. He earned his undergraduate degree in journalism from Northern Arizona University and his master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism.
More than one million Aussies who have visited pubs and clubs have had their personal details including their addresses and phone numbers exposed in a major data breach.

The private information may have been shared to an overseas developer by tech company OutABox, a firm located in Sydney, that designs IT products and solutions for gaming and hospitality venues across NSW.

Prominent politicians are reported to be among the Aussies who have had sensitive information compromised as a result of the bungle which has impacted dozens of venues that fall under the ClubsNSW banner, prompting a NSW Police investigation.

The list includes many pubs and RSL clubs across the state, including City of Sydney RSL.

Information compromised includes addresses, signatures, dates of birth, phone numbers and driver's licence photographs.

City of Sydney RSL is among dozens of pubs and clubs caught up in a major data breach

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It's understood OutABox contracted an offshore developer to build a series of software systems for licensed premises.

Th tech firm then provided the developer with full access to back-end systems at venues, which houses data from customers, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The data is stored on computers and serves capable of storing large quantities of digitised information.

The developers are understood to have had access to the personal details from names, phone, numbers and addresses to facial recognition displays and drivers license scans.

The full list of affected venues has been put up on the haveibeenoutaboxed.com website.

'Anyone who has visited any of these venues since 2020 likely has their visit logged and personal data leaked,' it states.

NSW detectives have launched an investigation into the data breach.

2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham said that the situation is 'causing a lot of worry in the NSW parliament'.

OutABox said that it was aware and responding to a cyber incident potentially involving some personal information'.

Fairfield RSL has also been caught up in the data breach

'We have been in communication with a group of our clients to inform them and outline our strategy to respond,' a statement read.

'Due to the ongoing police investigation, we ae not able to provide further information at this time.'

OutABox added it was aware of a 'malicious website', containing false statements which they say has been set up to harm their business.

'We believe this is linked and urge people not to repeat false and reputationally damaging misinformation,' the firm added

Daily Mail Australia contacted OutABox for further comment.

Clubs NSW held an emergency meeting with affected venues on Wednesday.

The peak body is 'deeply concerned' by the data breach and is now working with the affected venues and authorities.

'The clubs concerned are working towards notifying all impacted patrons. We can advise that the appropriate authorities have been notified by the third-party IT provider and the NSW Government has also been advised,' a spokesperson said.

More than one million Aussies have had their personal details exposed in the latest major data breach (stock image)

The spokesperson indicated that OutABox is a a third party IT service provider used by dozens of hospitality venues across NSW.

Club and pub patrons are advised to take extra caution when reviewing or opening links contained in emails or texts.

A spokesman from NSW Police told Daily Mail that officers from the State Crime Command's Cybercrime Squad are investigating the data breach.

'As the investigation is ongoing, no further information is available at this time,' the spokesman said.

Clubs NSW was contacted for further comment.
George Santos put on lipstick, a wig and a red feather boa as he brought out his drag persona for the first time in nearly a decade.

The disgraced former New York congressman released his first five videos to a Cameo account for his character 'Kitara Ravache' after users paid between $275 and $350 for the personalized messages.

Santos announced on Monday he was bringing Kitara 'out of the closet' after 18 years for a 'limited time.'

The 35-year-old politician previously denied dressing in drag when images were first uncovered, but later admitted it was him in the pictures. Now, he is fully embracing the character to help bring in more income after he was booted from Congress.

'It's your favorite, Kitara. After 18 years in the closet, George Santos pulled me back out  whatever,' Santos said on one of the clips shared on his Cameo.

The Long Island liar was expelled from the House of Representatives on December 1 in a 311-114 vote. He is only the sixth House member to ever be expelled.

George Santos posted his first few Cameo messages dressed as his drag persona Kitara Ravache in red lipstick, a red feather boa and a brown wig

As of Wednesday morning, there are 62 personalized video messages left that people can commission from the disgraced lawmaker for the price of $275

On Tuesday afternoon, the messages were going for $350 when there were 71 left to be purchased. But by Wednesday morning the cost dipped to $275 with 62 left in the limited offer.

The video requests include asking for personalized birthday messages, a pep talk or could request he answer a question dressed in his drag character.

Santos became infamous for lies told during his campaign for Congress in 2022. But he served for less than a year before his lies finally got him booted from Congress.

Most of the requests asked of Santos were completely unserious.

In one of the videos already completed, the Kitara character is asked to tell the individual receiving the message 'not to worry about your flat butt.'

'You know, it's fine, it's whatever. I hope you're not a bottom because then you have no attributes left. But anyway, other than that, do more squats,' Kitara advised the video recipient.

Former NY Rep. George Santos (pictured in drag in 2008) opened his Cameo this week for people to request video messages with him dressed in drag as his persona Kitara Ravache

'Hey you messy b****es! So, Kitara is coming out of the closet after 18 years thanks to all of you. So, get ready because it's going to be very limited and it's going to be for a great cause,' Santos said in a video posted to his Cameo account

When initially reported last year, Santos denied he ever dressed in drag or cross-dressed at gay pride events in Brazil, but later admitted to it and is now using his former persona to bring in funds.

In a selfie-video posted publicly to his Cameo account, Santos, wearing a white t-shirt and clearly not in drag, said: 'Hey you messy b****es! So, Kitara is coming out of the closet after 18 years thanks to all of you. So, get ready because it's going to be very limited and it's going to be for a great cause.'

'So get ordering, because it's going to be fun,' Santos said.

It appears Santos has not dressed in drag since 2008. A photo from 16 years ago from a Brazilian drag queen, who claims to be Santos' friend, shows them both dressed in drag.

But now, Santos is slipping back into his heels and dress to deliver messages people are able to request on Cameo, which is a platform that allows celebrities and personalities to charge for their video messages.

'Y'all weren't ready for this drop?' Santos wrote on his X account. 'I've decided to bring Kitara out of the closet after 18 years!'

Santos was originally charging $350 for the messages but dropped the price on Wednesday to $275. He noted that 20% of the proceeds will be divided evenly among two separate charitable organizations

Cameo helps guide users through requesting a video message from Santos, as Kitara. The public can request birthday messages, pep talks and even roasts

In one video message, Santos was asked to tell someone friend 'not to worry about your flat butt.' As Kitara, the politician said: 'I hope you're not a bottom because then you have no attributes left. But anyway, other than that, do more squats'

He added, 20 percent of the proceeds will be divided and donated to Tunnel2Towers, a charity dedicated to supporting first responders, and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a pro-Israel organization.

It's unclear where the rest of the money is going, but it can be assumed to line the pockets of the disgraced lawmaker, who changed his party affiliation to independent last month.

Santos announced in March he would challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Nick LaLota in the race to represent New York's 1st congressional district and a few weeks later said he would do so as an independent.

But on April 23, Santos dropped out of the race.

Santos pathologically lied about his life and himself when running for Congress in 2022. The tall tales were not revealed until after the election and he was expelled from Congress last year

Santos said the offer of Cameo videos is only 'for a couple of days' and he is prepared to deliver at least 71 more video messages dressed in his drag queen persona.

His Cameo account claims there are only 71 messages left for people to purchase as of Monday afternoon.

Along with lying about his previous drag queen status, Santos also told tall tales about his heritage, his educational background, his work history and claiming his mother died during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Biologists have said that a TikTok viral monkey may have been stolen from a colony in Florida despite its owner's claims that he rescued the baby vervet from a lab.

TikToker Kim Raymond Feaste, 31, has garnered over 3.4 million followers on the account he shares with his pet monkey 'Thabo'.

On the account, called Thabo and Ray, Feaste uploads videos of his five-year-old vervet monkey on the loose, going to Walmart and eating chicken wings.

Feaste claims to have rescued his TikTok co-star from a lab in Las Vegas, where the monkey's mother was allegedly killed.

However, expert biologists who are skeptical of Feaste's claims say that this is not likely.

TikToker Kim Raymond Feaste, 31, has garnered over 3.4 million followers on the account he shares with his pet monkey 'Thabo'

On the account, called Thabo and Ray, Feaste uploads videos of his five-year-old vervet monkey on the loose, going to Walmart and eating chicken wings

Feaste claims to have rescued his TikTok co-star from a lab in Las Vegas, where the monkey's mother was allegedly killed

'Labs do not give away monkeys,' Dr. Deborah 'Missy' Williams, an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University who has overseen the Dania Beach monkey colony since 2014, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. 'They euthanize them,' she added.

Williams is accusing Feaste of taking the vervet from the Dania Beach monkey colony near the Fort Lauderdale airport five years ago.

The biologist has sent complaints to police throughout the country and emails to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stating her claims.

Besides videos that Feaste, who is originally from Tampa, has taken at the colony and her own suspicions, Williams does not have any concrete evidence to prove her theory.

Feaste insists that Thabo did not come from Fort Lauderdale, and his critics have no evidence to prove that he did.

When asked for evidence proving that the monkey is from a lab, Feaste said, 'there is no such paperwork needed or required by any governmental agency that possessing Thabo would have fallen under. If there was, I would have it.'

Feaste says that even if Thabo did come from the colony in Fort Lauderdale - taking the monkey wouldn't be illegal because vervet monkeys are not protected. He also claims to have the permit necessary to snag the animal.

Expert biologists who are skeptical of Feaste's claims say that it is not likely that he rescued the monkey from a lab in Las Vegas

One of the most shocking videos uploaded to the TikTok account features Thabo behind the steering wheel of a car, operating the vehicle as it cruises down the road

Another shows Thabo leaping around a Walmart store, perching on computer displays, climbing shelves and jumping in ball pits

'If there was an injured monkey in Fort Lauderdale I could just literally get it in my possession and then at that point it would be illegal for me to release it and not keep it,' he said.

FWC officials declined to comment on the situation, stating that they do not comment on active investigations - but did not elaborate on the nature of the probe.

Feaste addressed Williams' allegations in a TikTok. 'Deborah has been stalking us for eight months now,' he claimed in the caption of a video featuring Thabo wearing a diaper.

'Deborah needs to mind her business and leave you and baby boy alone,' one user commented.

One of the most shocking videos uploaded to the TikTok account features Thabo behind the steering wheel of a car, operating the vehicle as it cruises down the road.

Another shows Thabo leaping around a Walmart store, perching on computer displays, climbing shelves and jumping in ball pits.

Feaste frequently shares food with Thabo and shares videos of the pair munching on watermelon, chicken wings and even a lollipop.

Thabo and the other monkey from Dania Beach colony were originally imported from Africa for medical research - but then escaped from the farm that housed them in the 1940s, according to scientists.

The monkeys now live in relative freedom amongst the mangroves and industrial warehouses near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Williams protects the monkeys and feeds them bananas and other owners of local businesses are protective over them.

Feaste frequently shares food with Thabo and shares videos of the pair munching on watermelon, chicken wings and even a lollipop

Feaste insists, 'My monkey has been well taken care of,' he said. 'We live in mansions and have lots of money and live a good life'

'They're my babies,' said Rebecca Knowles, a fleet maintenance coordinator at an environmental company where about 20 of the monkeys live. 'Whenever I'm here having a bad day, I walk outside and see them playing and stuff, like little humans.'

Because they live in a densely populated urban area, a number of the monkeys have sadly died in car collisions or due to electrocution by powerlines.

Animal advocates insist that, regardless of Thabo's origins, he belongs in the wild and not as a pet.

Vervet monkeys become too aggressive for owners to handle at the age of five, Thabo's current age.

Owners are forced to remove their teeth or get rid of the animals completely when they become too violent.

Feaste insists that this is not an issue with Thabo. 'My monkey has been well taken care of,' he said. 'We live in mansions and have lots of money and live a good life.'

'There are monkeys getting their brains open and [they're] putting microchips inside of them in labs as we speak,' Feaste said, 'but you're worried about Thabo and Ray off the Internet.'
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene revealed she will force a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson next week after Democrats said they would come to the rescue.

She is following through with her threat to put Johnson's job on the chopping block after he ushered in a sprawling $95 billion foreign aid package - including nearly $61 billion for Ukraine as it fights Russia.

The Republican firebrand brought props to her news conference: a 'MUGA' hat for Make Ukraine Great Again and shots of Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries smiling, hugging and both holding the gavel.

'Next week I am going to be calling this motion to vacate,' Greene announced Wednesday morning.

'Absolutely calling it. I can't wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker and have to go home to their primaries,' she taunted one day after Democrats said they would vote down Green's motion to oust the speaker, deflating her attempt.

'And have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, I think that'll play well. I'm excited about it.'

On Tuesday night Johnson hit back at Greene, telling NewsNation she is 'not proving to be' a serious lawmaker.

Greene holds a 'MUGA' hat - 'Make Ukraine Great Again'

'Next week I am going to be calling this motion to vacate ,' she announced to reporters Wednesday morning

He once again brushed off her threat.

'I don't spend a lot of time thinking about her,' the speaker said. 'I got to do my job, and we do the right thing, and we let the chips fall where they may. That is my philosophy. That is how we are governing.'

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has joined Greene in her bid to wrest the gavel from Johnson, insisted Greene is the 'most serious representative up here.'

While many fellow Republicans have insisted throwing the House back into chaos in an election year could have political consequences, Greene claimed it would be Johnson who loses House Republicans the majority.

'Were not going to have a House majority [next year] if we keep Mike Johnson,' she said.

Massie's attacks also turned personal. 'Let's be honest, we have Mike Johnson because nobody hated Mike Johnson.'

'There was nothing in his prior life, political or private, that qualified him for this job,' he went on.

Johnson, the former conference vice-chair, was the fifth speaker-designate that Republicans turned to to fill the role after no one else could get the majority of House votes.

'A lot of people have ideas about why he's betrayed as I think it's just pretty simple: He's over his head.'

Massie called Johnson a 'lost ball in tall weeds' and insisted he is 'unequipped to negotiate with Chuck Schumer.'

'This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country,' Johnson fired back in a simple statement after their press conference.

The attacks came as Johnson celebrates his 25th wedding anniversary with wife Kelly.

'I have never been more grateful for this extraordinary woman with whom I have been blessed to build a life and an amazing family. A quarter century has gone by so fast. I'm so thankful for every moment of it,' Johnson wrote in a sweet tribute on X on Wednesday.

Greene, meanwhile, said she 'couldn't wait' to put her fellow Republicans on record for whether they support Johnson and the bipartisan legislation he has put on the floor recently or whether they were willing to 'fight.'

'Can't wait to see my Republican conference show their cards and show who we are. Because voters deserve it. Is the is the Republican Party - have they finally learned their lesson? Have they finally heard the message from voters back at home? Are they willing to actually fight? Are they going to just keep going along to get along?'

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene revealed she will force a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson next week after Democrats said they would come to the rescue

The attacks came as Johnson celebrates his 25th wedding anniversary with wife Kelly

Greene filed her motion to vacate in late March after Johnson put a pair of bipartisan year-long spending bills on the floor to fund each agency of government and has been waiting in the wings to take the speaker down ever since.

In recent days her fellow detractors have grown frustrated over Johnson putting legislation to fund Ukraine to the tune of $61 billion and to reauthorize warrantless spying through FISA Section 702 on the House floor.

A game-changing memo circulated among House Democrats Tuesday morning, essentially deflating Greene's headline-grabbing threat: 'We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Motion to Vacate the Chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed.'

'I have never been more grateful for this extraordinary woman with whom I have been blessed to build a life and an amazing family. A quarter century has gone by so fast. I'm so thankful for every moment of it'

Johnsons with their four children

'"An excellent wife is the crown of her husband." (Prov. 12:4),' Johnson wrote on X

A successful vote to table the motion prevents it from proceeding to a final vote.

Greene, in response, said she will force a vote on the House floor.

'Mike Johnson is officially the Democrat Speaker of the House. Here is their official endorsement of his Speakership. What slimy back room deal did Johnson make for the Democrats' support?' she wrote on X.

'If the Democrats want to elect him Speaker (and some Republicans want to support the Democrats' chosen Speaker), I'll give them the chance to do it.'

'I'm a big believer in recorded votes because putting Congress on record allows every American to see the truth and provides transparency to our votes. Americans deserve to see the Uniparty on full display. I'm about to give them their coming out party!'

Democrats have made it official: they will come to the rescue of Speaker Mike Johnson should Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene force her motion to oust him to the House floor

A game-changing email circulated among House Democrats Tuesday morning, essentially deflating Greene's headline-grabbing threat: 'We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Motion to Vacate the Chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed'

Two other Republicans, Massie and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., joined on to Greene's effort after he put $60 billion in Ukraine funding on the House floor.

A handful of others, Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., and Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., have refused to say how they would vote. Johnson could only afford to lose two GOP votes and remain speaker if he did not have Democratic help.

Their leader being saved by Democrats did not sit well with hardliner Republicans, though most declined to commit to joining Greene on her sinking ship.

'It's really sad, it's disturbing. I don't know where we go from here,' Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told DailyMail.com of Johnson's liberal bailout. 'Some of us are wondering if this is not like a psy-op for the democrats. They're gonna say we support you in public because they want at the end of the day for him to be vacated. Don't know if it's like 4-D chess.'

'In some ways, it's almost like they're just trying to push her to do it' and launch the motion, said Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala. 'I would like Speaker Johnson to be willing to do more of our agenda so they wouldn't be willing to save him.'

'It's just strange. They didn't come for [former Speaker Kevin] McCarthy but they're coming to keep him,' Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., mused.

McCarthy notoriously said former Speaker Nancy Pelosi had promised him Democrats would help him if a Republican filed a motion to vacate. In the end none did.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who voted to vacate McCarthy said he would not support kicking out Johnson, and didn't think Democrats saving him would matter in the end.

'I think it'll be another week that'll be difficult and we'll all forget about it.'

Democrats are offering their motion to table in return for Johnson putting Ukraine aid on the floor.

'I don't think we give these things away for free,' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told reporters.

'I do think that the vote on Ukraine aid has weighed heavily on many members of the caucus. I also think the fact that the person bringing the motion is Marjorie Taylor Greene, which has also felt like, who are we going to vote throw our support for, which is a rock and a hard place for a lot of members.'

Johnson told reporters he had not spoken to Democrats about saving him and did not cut any deals with them to do so.

'This is the first I've heard of it,' he said.

But Democrats swooping in to save a Republican speaker could have political implications down the line.

Asked if he was comfortable being saved by Democrats, Johnson said: 'You hope you have the support of everyone, the entire country. ..The speaker of the House serves the whole body. I am a conservative Republican, a lifelong conservative Republican.'

The last motion to vacate that ended Speaker Kevin McCarthy's career left the House paralyzed for three speakerless weeks.

'We want to turn the page,' insisted Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar. 'We don't want Marjorie Taylor Greene to dictate the schedule.'
California has in recent years been dogged by rampant homelessness, drug addiction, and eye-watering living costs that forced residents out in droves to Arizona, Texas and further afield.

Now, it looks like the Golden State is bouncing back.

California grew by some 67,000 people last year, its first gain since 2019, says an estimate from the state Department of Finance.

This ends a population decline that's dogged Gov. Gavin Newsom  widely seen as a future Democratic presidential candidate  through much of his tenure.

California grew by some 67,000 people last year, and the crowds are out at Hollywood Boulevard, in Los Angeles

Home construction has picked up in California, but costs remain well above the national average

The small increase represents only a growth rate of 0.17 percent.

That is by no means a surge.

But officials say it signals a return to steady population growth after years of Covid-19 disruption.

Poll Is the 'California Dream' over? Yes No Not sure Is the 'California Dream' over? Yes 41 votes

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Newsom took a victory lap.

'People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream,' he said.

On the West Coast, they 'can experience the success of the world's 5th largest economy,' he added.

The population gain is attributed to more people immigrating to California from overseas.

Also, fewer people are dying from the coronavirus pandemic, and fewer are leaving California for cheaper living elsewhere.

Legal immigration to California from other countries slumped in the pandemic amid tighter rules under then-president Donald Trump.

It bounced back in 2023 with a net gain of 114,200 people, to nearly pre-pandemic levels.

State officials called it a 'stable foundation for continued growth.'

Democratic Gov Gavin Newsom says people are returning for the 'California Dream'

James Gallagher, the state assembly Republican leader, says Newsom should quit 'bragging'

But that growth will likely be a lot smaller than in decades past, said Eric McGhee, an expert at the Public Policy Institute of California.

'It's going to be better for the state in terms of its total population,' McGhee said.

But California is still set to lose 'more congressional districts in the 2030 census,' he added.

More people still left California for other states in 2023 than moved to California from other states, but it was far less than previous years.

In 2021  when coronavirus cases were still surging and more people were working remotely  California lost a net 355,648 people through domestic migration.

Last year, that was down to 91,189, closer to pre-pandemic levels.

Still, Newsom's critics say California is not out of the woods yet.

The state continued to suffer from high living costs, uncertain power supply, a housing and homelessness crisis, and widespread concerns about crime.

The return to population growth does not appear to be a revival of the state's stunning growth streak in the 19th and 20th centuries.

'The governor bragging about that is sort of like the guy who lost thousands of dollars at the casino last night bragging about being up 20 bucks at the blackjack table,' quipped James Gallagher, the Republican leader in the state Assembly.

California grew by some 67,000 people last year, its first gain since 2019

More people means more homeless: California has the worst levels of unhoused people in any US state

'I don't understand why the governor and the Democratic super-majority just continue to turn a blind eye to it. They sort of act like nothing's wrong when there is a lot wrong.'

California's gas prices, utility bills and housing costs are among the highest in the country.

The state's homelessness problem has only worsened despite lawmakers throwing billions of dollars at the problem.

California is also in the middle of consecutive multibillion-dollar budget deficits.

Newsom's efforts to cut living costs, including by trying to reduce some medical expenses, are a drop in the bucket.

Critics say California's heyday is in the rearview mirror.

After joining the United States in 1850 on the heels of a gold rush, California was a demographic marvel for its first 169 years  adding population every year.

People flocked to the Golden State for its stunning terrain, weather and super-sized economy, which is larger than those of all but four countries.

That streak ended in 2020, when California lost population for the first time, in a pivotal census year that saw the state lose a congressional seat.

For a two-year period, Californians moving to Texas made up the largest state-to-state flow of people in America, census data show.

The state's population growth estimate appears at odds with recent Census Bureau numbers.

The state estimate was based on several factors, including births and deaths, driver's license address changes, vehicle registration, and enrollment in the government-funded health insurance programs of Medicaid and Medicare.

With agencies.
A grandmother who was allegedly bashed by a recently released detainee has questioned the immigration minister amid growing calls for him to be sacked.

Ninette Simons, 73, and her husband Phillip, 76, were targeted in a home invasion on April 16 when three men allegedly entered their Girrawheen home in Perth pretending to be police officers.

Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, 43, was one of the men who allegedly bashed Ms Simons.

Jamshidi Doukoshkan had been one of the 154 men released from immigration detention after the High Court ruled indefinite confinement was unlawful late last year.

Ms Simons told Immigration Minister Andrew Giles that she felt let down by authorities after he finally reached out to her on Wednesday.

The cancer survivor accepted Mr Giles' apology but demanded to know why the Commonwealth's own community protection board ordered for Jamshidi Doukoshkan's ankle monitoring bracelet to be removed weeks before she was allegedly attacked, despite being out on bail for previous offences.

Ninette Simons, 73, (pictured) was allegedly bashed by a recently released immigration detainee in her home. She told the immigration minister on Wednesday she no longer feels safe

Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, 43, was allegedly one of the men who bashed Ms Simons.

READ MORE: Released immigration detainee was already on bail before allegedly carrying out violent home invasion Recently released immigration detainee Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan (above), who is accused of bashing an elderly woman in her own home, has been in and out of court this year Advertisement

'How did he end up in our lounge room is what I can't fathom?' Ms Simons asked Mr Giles.

'I don't feel very safe here anymore, unfortunately, I don't, I'm doing my best to live here.'

WA Labor MP Anne Aly also visited Ms Simons' home on Wednesday but refused to comment on why, The West Australian reported.

Two weeks on, Ms Simons is still shaken by the harrowing ordeal

'They've let me down and the rest of the public as well,' she told Nine News.

Jamshidi Doukoshkan appeared in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Monday, charged with aggravated home burglary, assault, detaining someone, robbery and impersonating a public officer.

He had previously faced Perth Magistrates Court on February 20 charged with two counts of failing to comply with his monitoring conditions by breaching a 10pm-6am curfew.

That day, the Kuwaiti had been granted $5,000 bail after it was not opposed by the counsel for the Commonwealth, which merely warned that 'further breaches may not have the same response'.

Jamshidi Doukoshkan was warned by a magistrate he was 'on very thin ice'.

Jamshidi Doukoshkan was due to face court again on April 5 but the charges were dropped on March 22, according to The West Australian.

That same day, a court order that required Jamshidi Doukoshkan to remain at a fixed address was discontinued after it had been in place for about one month.

Following the decision not to proceed with those charges, Jamshidi Doukoshkan was arrested again.

Three men pretended to be police officers and made their way into the home of Ninette Simons (pictured after the alleged bashing)

This time, he was caught trespassing and driving with an expired licence and fined $400 in Perth Magistrates Court on April 10.

He was apprehended on Sunday and charged over the home invasion at Girrawheen.

The Federal Opposition has repeatedly called for Mr Giles and Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil to be sacked immediately.

'If they can't explain what they're going to do to make sure that this never happens again, then they should both resign,' Liberal Senator James Paterson said.

Mrs Simons said the attack had left her traumatised and severely injured.

'I am not the same person I used to be, I can hardly stand or walk. I used to be able to go for dancing and its highly unlikely I will do it again,' she said.

'The dizziness is driving me crazy.'

Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan is back behind bars after he was arrested over the alleged home invasion and bashing of Ninette Simons

Western Australian Opposition Leader Libby Mettam said Premier Roger Cook had failed on his promise that detainees in the community would be closely monitored by police.

An Australian Border Force spokesperson said the Department of Home Affairs was aware an individual who held a Bridging Visa R had been arrested by WA Police on Sunday.

'The safety and security of the community remains the absolute priority for the Australian Border Force and Department of Home Affairs, and we will continue to work closely with our state and territory partners,' the spokesperson said.

Inquiries are ongoing and one alleged offender remains on the run.

Jamshidi Doukoshkan was remanded in custody to face court again on June 10.
The Home Office today detained the first set of migrants set to be deported to Rwanda, with flights due to take off at the beginning of July.

Just one week after Rishi Sunak's Safety of Rwanda bill became law, the first phase of operations have got underway, with more activity due to be carried out in the coming weeks.

Officials have not yet confirmed how many people have been detained or where they were taken into custody.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said teams were 'working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here', referring to it as a 'pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration'.

He explained: 'This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs.'

The Home Office has increased its detention capacity to more than 2,200 detention spaces, trained 200 new caseworkers to quickly process claims and has 500 highly trained escorts ready.

Here, MailOnline explains everything you need to know about the Prime Minister's controversial scheme.

The Home Office today detained the first set of migrants set to be deported to Rwanda

What is the Rwanda scheme?

Ministers believe the prospect of being sent to Rwanda will deter illegal migrants from crossing the Channel.

The Government is gambling that the first flights to East Africa will have a stark impact on Channel arrivals, and demonstrate to voters that the problem is finally in hand.

The Government said that any asylum seeker attempting to enter the UK 'illegally' from a safe country, could be sent to Rwanda and have their claims processed there.

Is it ready to launch?

The Rwanda policy is ready to launch and detentions have begun today.

In a video published today, a team of about six officials  all thought to be from the Home Office's Immigration Enforcement unit  arrived at a terraced house and entered through the front door.

A man dressed in dark-checked trousers and a light-coloured hoodie walks out of the bay-fronted house and steps into the rear of a detention vehicle.

Operational teams within the Home Office have been working at pace to safely and swiftly detain individuals in scope for relocation to Rwanda.

More activity is due to be carried out in the coming weeks.

Last month sources said 100 to 150 migrants had already been identified for the first tranche of removals.

The Government is gambling that the first flights to East Africa will have a stark impact on Channel arrivals (File Image)

Who will be sent to Rwanda?

Under two recent Acts of Parliament the Government has powers to disregard asylum applications from those who arrive in the UK by 'irregular' routes such as by small boat.

Measures have also been taken to severely restrict migrants' access to legal appeals. However, some limited appeal rights are retained.

It said the country has a strong and successful track record in resettling people, hosting more than 135,000 refugees, and stands ready to accept thousands more who cannot stay in the UK.

Officials said the government's Safety of Rwanda Act and internationally binding Treaty reaffirm and ensure the safety of Rwanda and this policy.

Will there be legal action?

Probably. Migrants who are told they are facing removal to Rwanda are expected to lodge individual appeals.

Pro-migrant charity Care4Calais said last week it planned to initiate challenges as quickly as possible.

Rishi Sunak said an airfield was on standby to handle the removals while 25 courtrooms and 150 judges have been earmarked to avoid delaying flights

But the PM previously revealed that 25 courtrooms and 150 judges have been earmarked to hear such cases promptly, in a bid to avoid delaying flights.

How will migrants be flown out?

Rishi Sunak said an airfield was on standby to handle the removals. A Ministry of Defence base  Boscombe Down near Salisbury, Wilts  was used for the aborted removals flight in June 2022 and the Home Office has been carrying out rehearsals there in recent months.

A range of safeguards prevent any migrant who is flown to Rwanda from Britain from being sent to any other country, apart from back to the UK if necessary (File Image)

It is understood to have been in negotiations with several private charter companies.

Previously, firms involved in removals flights have pulled out after being targeted by Left-wing groups. It is understood the RAF is on stand-by to step in.

What happens when they arrive in Rwanda?

They will claim asylum under Rwandan law and be provided with free housing, healthcare, education and other support.

A range of safeguards prevent any migrant who is flown to Rwanda from Britain from being sent to any other country, apart from back to the UK if necessary.

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How much will it cost?

The Government will pay Rwanda 370 million under the deal, plus a further 120 million once the first 300 migrants have been sent to Kigali.

On top, there will be a cost of 20,000 per individual removed and 150,874 per head in 'processing and operational costs'.

Home Office estimates suggest the cost per individual of the relocations would be roughly 169,000 'over the multiyear lifetime of the scheme'.

Which airline will deport migrants?

Rishi Sunak has said it will be '10 to 12 weeks' before the first plane carrying asylum seekers takes off on a one-way trip to Rwanda.

The Prime Minister promised 'multiple flights a month through the summer and beyond' and said an airfield was on standby with charter planes booked 'for specific slots'.

The first Rwanda deportation flight on the runway before it was grounded by judges in June 2022. It was operated by UK firm Privilege Style

Titan Airways took to X in 2022 to deny it planned to operate deportation flights to Rwanda

Although his Rwanda law finally passed through Parliament on Monday, finding an airline to operate the flights has been a major practical challenge - with the negative publicity around the scheme making it toxic for mainstream carriers.

Instead, ministers have been forced to turn to lesser known charter operators, but these have also faced intense lobbying from human rights groups seeking to scare them off.

Adding to the pressure on potential partners, three United Nations officials warned companies this week that they could be held responsible for any violations of international human rights rules.

One of the possible airlines is Privilege Style, based in Mallorca, and says its VIP customers include major Spanish companies and La Liga teams.

It has also operated deportation flights for various EU countries and in December 2020 allegedly helped remove a group of people from the UK to Jamaica.

Privilege Style was due to deport people to Rwanda in June 2022 before the flight was grounded at the last minute after intervention by the European Court of Human Rights.

The Mallorca based airline had faced calls and public demonstrations urging it to abandon the arrangement and later confirmed it would not put on any more flights.

In a statement the operator said: 'It's important for us to clarify that we will never operate the flight to Rwanda since the one scheduled in June 2022, the reason for this controversy, was suspended and never flew; that we won't operate flights to Rwanda in the future.'

British ministers may have also hoped to find an ally in Rwanda's state airline, which is wholly owned by the Rwandan government.

AirTanker has a 27-year contract to operate its Airbus A330 MRTTs, known as RAF Voyagers - on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. Pictured is a group of soldiers, including Prince Harry, returning from Afghanistan on an RAF Voyager in 2013

The east African nation's flag carrier, RwandAir, was approached by British ministers last year, but it declined to take part because of potential damage to their 'brand'.

The same concerns about publicity make it all but certain that other commercial airlines are also off limits.

'RwandAir said ''No' because of the potential damage to their brand,' a Home Office insider told the FT, pointing out the 'irony' of the flag carrier distancing itself from a scheme that Rwanda's government has said it is 'proud' to be a part of.

Titan Airways is also contracted by the Home Office to carry out deportations, including in March 2017 when one of these flights was stopped by a group of human rights activists known as the Stansted 15.

The group cut through the Essex airport's perimeter fence in March 2017 and took smiling selfies as they locked themselves together around the Boeing 767.

They were prosecuted under the Aviation and Maritime Security Act, but had their convictions overturned by Court of Appeal judges who agreed the legislation was intended for terrorists rather than protesters.

Titan Airways is one of several charter airlines to have come under pressure to clarify its stance on operating flights to Rwanda by the charity Freedom from Torture.

Founded in 2007, AirTanker is a British company with a fleet of 14 Airbus A330 MRTT multi-role tanker transport aircraft.

The firm mainly works for the UK Government, and in 2008 agreed a 27-year contract to operate its tankers on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. The planes are known as Voyagers while in RAF service.

The contract is believed to be worth some 400million a year, and in 2018 became embroiled in controversy after it emerged some of the aircraft were being used by Thomas Cook and Jet2 because the RAF had no use for them.

Nearly 80,000 migrants have arrived across the Channel since Boris Johnson unveiled the scheme in April 2022 - with its total cost soaring past 500,000million.

But with the policy finally approved, an emboldened Mr Sunak has vowed to get the first planes into the air within 10 to 12 weeks - citing a string of numbers as evidence of the preparatory work that has already been done.

These include getting 200 caseworkers ready to identify asylum seekers who will be served with 'removal directions', if they haven't already, and increasing spaces in detention centres to 2,200 in order to hold the deportees until they can leave.

Some 150 judges have been earmarked to deal with last-minute legal appeals in 25 courtrooms, while an airfield has also been put on standby - with 500 escorts already trained and another 300 ready in the coming weeks.

Only 1,850 small boat migrants were removed from the UK last year - a tiny fraction of the overall numbers.

Refugee charities oppose the policy as unethical and unworkable, and multiple legal challenges have both delayed it from being enacted and dramatically increased the cost for taxpayers.
Roger Ver, who allegedly raked in millions of dollars selling his stash of Bitcoin, was arrested in Spain this weekend for fraud charges and ducking capital gains taxes.

The Department of Justice's indictment claims California-born Ver didn't report the capital gains he made from selling tens of thousands of bitcoins in 2017, allegedly netting him $240 million and losing the US Treasury $48 million in tax money.

Ver, 45, calls himself 'Bitcoin Jesus,' and his high-flying social media pages makes clear why he bestowed himself the self-righteous nickname.

He's dedicated to evangelizing about cryptocurrency's potential to change the world and lessen people's reliance on government issued currency like the U.S. dollar.

His days of jetting around the world to glamorous cities and yachting around Caribbean islands to spread the good word of Bitcoin has now come to abrupt halt.

Roger Ver, the so called 'Bitcoin Jesus' on a yacht in St. Barts, a Caribbean island that's become a frequent haven for millionaires and billionaires

Ver, right, seen in St. Kitts promoting Bitcoin Cash, an offshoot of the original Bitcoin

Ver has a loyal fanbase on social media and just released a book six weeks ago

Ver used to be a resident of Santa Clara and Honolulu

Days before he was indicted for mail fraud, tax evasion and submitting false tax returns, Ver wrote a cryptic message on X: 'Dont expect bad people to do good things.'

It's not clear who he was talking about in the post, though he's likely not talking about himself.

The crypto 'Jesus' calls himself the world's 'first investor in Bitcoin and Blockchain startups' - and often posts lavish photos online of him talking at conferences, meeting clients on yachts in exotic locations, and bragging about his wealth.

He has also amassed a loyal fanbase, with just shy of 70,000 Instagram followers.

Just six weeks ago, he bragged about his new 'bestselling' bitcoin book hit the shelves, called 'Hijacking Bitcoin: The hidden history of BTC.'

Ver does have a criminal history, previously pleading guilty and serving a 10-month prison sentence for selling explosives on eBay in 2002.

Authorities seek to extradite Ver, who's most recent residence was in Tokyo, from Spain and back to the US to stand trial.

Ver used to be a resident of Santa Clara, California, living in a home there from 2004 to 2014 that is worth $3.5 million.

While in Santa Clara, the indictment says Ver owned two computer equipment companies companies, MemoryDealers.com Inc. and Agilestar.com Inc., and began acquiring bitcoin for himself and the companies in 2011.

Ver allegedly failed to pay a so-called exit tax on capital gains after he renounced his citizenship

Ver, second from the right, is pictured in Dubai. He calls himself the world's first investor in Bitcoin and Blockchain startups

Pictured: Ver's old home in Santa Clara, California, which is now worth $3.5 million

Ver left Santa Clara in 2014 to live in St. Kitts, and allegedly renounced his US citizenship in the process

Ver, seated back right, in Tokyo, where his last known residence was, according to the indictment

Ver then left the rich Silicon Valley city for the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis, allegedly obtaining citizenship there on February 4, 2014. Shortly after, Ver supposedly renounced his citizenship in a process called expatriation.

Expatriated individuals, even though they aren't citizens anymore, are required under U.S. law to file tax returns that report capital gains from the sale of 'world-wide assets', including sales of bitcoins, and to report the fair market value of any and all assets that are still in one's possession.

The indictment says that Ver, if expatriated, was required to pay what's called an 'exit tax' on any capital gains.

Ver and his companies allegedly owned 131,000 bitcoins - then worth $871 each - by February 4, 2014, the day he underwent expatriation, according to the indictment.

His companies purportedly owned 73,000 bitcoins, around 55 percent of his total holdings.

Where Ver began to go wrong, according to the indictment, is when he hired a law firm and an appraiser to assist with the tax issues related to him renouncing his US citizenship.

Pictured: Ver with his trademark Bitcoin Cash shirt in Tokyo

By allegedly undervaluing his companies and not reporting his own personal stash of bitcoin, Ver was able to sell $240 million worth of bitcoin in 2017 tax free, the indictment claims

Ver, right, standing next to a recently installed bitcoin ATM, machines where you can buy and sometimes sell the cryptocurrency

Street view images of the Honolulu apartment building Ver used to live in from 2007 to 2014

Ver allegedly 'provided false or misleading information to the law firm and appraiser that concealed the true number of bitcoins he and his companies owned.'

The indictment claims that based on what Ver told them, the firm filed false tax returns undervaluing the two companies' bitcoin holdings, while also not reporting that Ver owned bitcoin personally.

Three years later, the indictment accuses Ver of selling tens of thousands of his companies' bitcoin holdings on crypto exchanges, making him $240 million in cash.

'Even though Ver was not then a U.S. citizen, he was still legally required to report to the IRS and pay tax on certain distributions such as dividends from MemoryDealers and Agilestar, which were U.S. corporations,' the indictment read.

After the alleged sale, the indictment accuses Ver of concealing it from his accountant, which led to his 2017 income tax return not reporting the massive bitcoin sale.

Ver owes the IRS $48 million, according to the indictment.

If convicted on all eight charges against him, Ver could face a maximum sentence of just under 80 years in federal prison.

It isn't clear if prosecutors from the Central District of California will extend Ver a plea agreement or if Ver would agree to one.
Chicago's progressive mayor tried to bully his way into the funeral of a murdered cop - and only backed down on being warned the victim's sister would eject him.

Brandon Johnson only scrapped his plan to attend the memorial for Luis Huesca after the 30 year-old slain cop's sister threatened to 'make a scene' if she saw him.

That's according to Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara, who revealed the behind-the-scenes saga in an interview with Chicago Sun Times.

On Monday, hundreds of people attended funeral services for the fallen officer Huesca, who was shot and killed during a brutal carjacking while on his way home from work last week.

But Mayor Johnson, who initially said he would attend the funeral in the schedule released Sunday night, notified reporters at the last minute that he would not be present.

Huesca's family are distraught that their loved one's killer is on the loose and angry at Johnson for his progressive stance, which they say is worsening violent crime across the Windy City.

The change to Johnson's plans came after Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza wrote in an early morning post on X that Huesca's mother asked her to tell Johnson that 'he was unwelcome' at the funeral.

Luis Huesca, 30, was shot multiple times in the Gage Park neighborhood on April 21 and was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center

Mayor Brandon Johnson(pictured) tried to bully his way into the murdered Chicago police officer Luis Huesca's funeral despite being told by the family to stay away, reports say

On Monday, hundreds of people attended funeral services for the fallen officer Huesca, who was shot and killed during a brutal carjacking while on his way home from work last week

Huesca, 30, was shot multiple times in the Gage Park neighborhood on April 21 and was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

He served as a Chicago Police officer for six years and was just two days shy of his 31st birthday. He was heading home from work when he was fatally shot.

Caschaus Tate, 20, was arrested and charged with one felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon last week in connection with the shooting.

He is described as an 'associate' of Xavier L. Tate Jr., 22, who is wanted for first-degree murder in the death of Officer Huesca.

Xavier Tate was not yet in police custody as of Monday night,

In an X post shared shortly before the funeral started, Mendoza wrote: 'Last night at Ofc. Huesca's visitation, his grief-stricken mother asked Rep. Angelica Guerrero Cuellar & me to please tell the mayor he was unwelcome at her son's funeral.'

According to Catanzara, the Huesca family had delivered their message for Mayor Johnson to stay away as early as last Wednesday.

'Somebody close to the family' called Catanzara, saying they 'did not want certain people at his services', he said.

The unwelcome members include Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who immediately agreed to honor the family's wish.

The mayor's office 'initially agreed' but started 'pushing back' on Thursday, Catanzara said.

'The final sentence that Lily told my lobbyist was, 'If he [Johnson] shows up there, I will make a scene and throw him out myself,'' Catanzara recalled.

He 'thought everything was squared away' until the Huesca family texted him on Sunday: 'Is the mayor really coming?'

The progressive mayor only backed off when Huesca's sister threatened to 'make a scene', according to Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara, who revealed the behind-the-scenes saga in an interview with Chicago Sun Times

Last night at Ofc. Huesca's visitation, his grief stricken mother asked @RepAGC (Rep. Angelica Guerrero Cuellar) & me to please tell @ChicagosMayor he was unwelcome at her son's funeral. We both called him before 10pm asking he please honor her wishes. This went out at 10:35pm. pic.twitter.com/yN3pSGlKvK  Susana A. Mendoza  (@susanamendoza10) April 29, 2024

He rushed to the funeral home, only to learn from someone with the Chicago Police Department that they had told the family that 'the mayor is mandatory to be here,' Catanzara said.

He recalled telling the police officer: 'You're lying to the family. There is nothing mandatory about the mayor's attendance, and shame on you for even trying to tell the family that this is the only option they have.'

'At one point, there was an implication that the honors funeral is tied to the mayor's attendance. That was the guilt trip that we're laying on this family,' Catanzara said.

During a conversation with CPD Supt. Larry Snelling on speaker phone, one police officer told Huesca's mother in Spanish, that it was 'mandatory that the mayor had to show up,' Catazara recalled.

At the wake on Sunday night, Huesca's mother reaffirmed their message again with Mendoza and state Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar.

'They didn't want the mayor to attend because they don't think he supports the police,' said Abdon Pallasch, Mendoza's spokesperson.

Still, the mayor's office released a schedule Sunday night, saying that Johnson would attend the funeral.

According to Catazara, the mayor's advance team showed up at Saint Rita Cascia Shrine Chapel hours before the funeral on Monday morning.

'It is not too late to honor Fallen Officer Huesca by respecting his mother's wishes,' Mendoza wrote in a post that went out 30 minutes before the funeral started, asking the mayor to honor the family's wishes.

Mayor Johnson, who initially said he would attend the funeral in the schedule released Sunday night, notified reporters at the last minute that he would not be present

CPD Supt. Larry Snelling was reportedly on speaker phone when one police officer told Huesca's mother in Spanish, that it was 'mandatory that the mayor had to show up'

'Our family feels so frustrated and furious that our brother is not here,' Huesca's sister Lily O'Brien(second from right) said in a video posted by the FOP before the funeral

An updated schedule released at 8.51am said Johnson would not be present at Huesca's funeral.

'Our family feels so frustrated and furious that our brother is not here,' Huesca's sister Lily O'Brien said in a video posted by the FOP before the funeral.

'He had somebody else that murdered him [who] is running around, and he's still free. The anger that we feel with how violent that Chicago has turned. How this is now the status quo.

'How this is normalized. This week, it's my brother. Next week, it's your brother or somebody else's son or somebody else's mother,' Obrien's said.

Johnson said in a written statement Monday morning: 'We continue to send our deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of Officer Luis Huesca as they heal from the loss of their beloved son, nephew, brother and friend.

'As mayor, I vow to continue supporting our police and first responders, uniting our city and remaining committed to working with everyone towards building a better, stronger, safer Chicago.'
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has been forced to return an Egyptian child's coffin to Sweden after it was revealed to have been stolen from the country in 1970.

The 3,000-year-old coffin was used to bury an Egyptian child named Paneferneb and has been on display in the Boston museum since 1985.

But this year, it was revealed to have been stolen from the Gustavianum, the Uppsala University Museum in Sweden, around 1970.

It is not yet known who stole the coffin from the Swedish Museum or how, but it resurfaced 15 years later when the Boston Museum bought it from a man named Olof S. Liden.

Liden presented allegedly forged documents falsely claiming the coffin had been excavated by artist Eric Stahl in Amada, Egypt, in 1937.

The 3,000-year-old coffin was used to bury an Egyptian child named Paneferneb

This year it was revealed to have been stolen from the Gustavianum, Uppsala University Museum in Sweden, in around 1970

The 43-inch ceramic coffin dates from between 1295 and 1186 BC and was in fact unearthed by the British School of Archaeology in Egypt in 1920 at Gurob, Egypt.

It was excavated by archaeologists, Hilda Urlin and her husband, Flinders Petrie, who became famous for their recovery of the Proto-Sinaitic script, often considered the first alphabetic writing system.

Their dig was sponsored by the Swedish Uppsala University who then kept the coffin.

It remained at the Swedish museum from 1922 until around 1970 when it disappeared.

No one knew where it went, and it was missing for more than a decade until 1985 when the Boston Museum were contacted by Liden.

Liden falsely told the museum that the coffin had been excavated by artist Stahl in 1937.

The Boston Museum bought the coffin from Liden and displayed it until, by chance, curators stumbled upon a photo that raised questions about the truth of his claims.

They found a picture of the coffin in the 2008 book Unseen Images: Archive Photographs in the Petrie Museum that said that the coffin had belonged to the Uppsala museum.

No one knew where it went and it was missing for decades until 1985 when the Boston Museum bought it

The 43-inch ceramic coffin dates from between 1295 and 1186 BC

They contacted the Uppsala and the story unfolded with the two museums deciding to work together to return the piece to Sweden.

Victoria Reed, senior curator of provenance at the MFA, said: 'It has been wonderful working with our colleagues in Uppsala on this matter, and it is always gratifying to see a work of art return to its rightful owner.

'In this case, we were fortunate to have an excavation photograph showing where and when the coffin was found, so that we could begin to correct the record.

'Anytime we deaccession and restitute a work of art from the museum, it serves as a good reminder that we need to exercise as much diligence as possible as we build the collection.'
Daniel Radcliffe reignited a row with JK Rowling this week admitting that just because the author made him a star, his views on gender ideology do not have to align with hers.

The actor, 34, initially fell out with the Scottish writer after he penned an article declaring 'transgender women are women' shortly after Rowling criticised using the phrase 'people who menstruate' rather than women.

Now, the Harry Potter star and the author he owes he career to no longer speak. It comes after Rowling insisted last month that she would never forgive the younger stars of the film franchise for speaking out against her views on trans rights.

Radcliffe and his young co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who played the starring trio, have all taken a strong stance against the author instead confirming their continued support to the trans community.

But the older actors such Ralph Fiennes and the late Robbie Coltrane, who were established long before landing their roles in the noughties hit defended the writer's right to her own opinion - even expressing sympathy at the sheer amount of hate she had received.

JK Rowling's controversial views have divided the Harry Potter cast. While many of the younger stars have hit out at the author's views, some of the older, more-established cast stood by the Scottish writer

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint (pictured left-to-right with Rowling in 2010) have all spoken out against JK Rowling's views on trans rights

Radcliffe has long been a supporter of the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ suicide-prevention hotline and crisis-intervention resource (pictured in 2001)

Rowling has said she is unlikely to forgive Radcliffe and Watson for taking the stance that they have on trans people

Earlier this week, Radcliffe admitted 'nothing in my life' would have happened if it was not for the 58-year-old writer, but added that it did not mean he 'owes' what he 'truly believes' to Rowling for his 'entire life'.

His spat with Rowling had begun in 2020 when she called out an article that used the phrase 'people who menstruate' instead of women.

She mocked the piece writing: 'I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?'

Shortly afterwards, Radcliffe penned an article for The Trevor Project - an LGBT+ suicide prevention charity that said 'transgender women are women'.

He added: 'Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.'

Radcliffe also apologised to those who he said may feel as though their enjoyment of the Harry Potter series had been 'tarnished or diminished'.

Now three years later, Radcliffe has revealed the pair no longer speak which he said makes him 'really sad'.

Radcliffe has previously called adults 'condescending' for expressing concerns over children transitioning. Pictured: The Harry Potter actor in New York on March 28, this year

Emma Watson has also spoken out in the past in opposition to JK Rowling's views on trans people (pictured in Paris in 2022)

Watson has repeatedly spoken out in favour of trans rights both before (top) and after (bottom) Rowling's comments in June 2020

Meanwhile Watson said in a Tweet following Rowling's initial comments: 'Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they arent who they say they are.'

The 33-year-old, who played school chum Hermione Granger, previously shared an image of herself in a t-shirt reading: 'Trans rights are human rights.'

At the 2022 Baftas she also appeared to make a subtle dig towards Rowling. Host Rebel Wilson had called her onto the stage, adding 'she calls her self a feminist, but we all know she's a witch.'

Watson then replied 'I'm here for all the witches' which many viewers deemed was the actress making a jibe at Rowling.

That same year, Ruper Grint, who played Ron in the films, described Rowling as his 'auntie' but added in an article in The Times: 'I dont necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but shes still my auntie. Its a tricky one.'

Since starring in Harry Potter, Radcliffe has made around 95million - but says he doesn't owe her 'the things he truly believes' just because she made him a star

Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the Potter films, has expressed support for trans people but said he viewed Rowling as an 'auntie' which made his relationship with her 'difficult'

Katie Leung (pictured here alongside Radcliffe in one of the Harry Potter films) also distanced herself subtly from Rowling's comments

Other younger members of the cast have also joined their chorus in recent years including Bonnie Wright (Ginnie Weasley), Chris Rankin (Percy Weasley) and Katie Leung (Cho Chang).

Wright said simply in a tweet following Rowling's comments: 'Transwomen are women. I see and love you.'

Leung started a thread on Twitter in 2020 that purported to offer her thoughts on Cho Chang's character - before sharing links to a number of organisations supporting transgender people of colour.

Tom Felton, however, who played Harry Potter's school nemesis Draco Malfoy, also appeared to avoid picking a side in a 2020 interview with BBC Radio 4.

He said: 'I am quick to remind myself and others that Potter for some reason has brought more people together across the world and more generations than probably anything else has in the past 20 years and I'm quick to celebrate that.

'It came from one person and that's her so I'm very grateful.'

Responding to the initial backlash from those who benefited from her book series she said it was 'nonsense' to suggest she 'hated' trans people.

'I respect every trans persons right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them,' she wrote in 2020.

Some Potter stars, such as Robbie Coltrane (pictured) have defended Rowling's stance on trans rights

Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, said she had poured much of her fortune into 'making the world a better place'

Ralph Fiennes, who played Potter saga-spanning villain Lord Voldemort, said he could not understand why Rowling received so much vitriol

'Id march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe its hateful to say so.'

Yet last month, Rowling, who has become the face of feminist campaigners calling for the protection of women-only spaces, said she was unlikely to forgive those stars who first spoke out in support of trans people following her comments.

Responding to a tweet that asked whether the likes of Radcliffe and Watson would apologise to the author, 'safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them', she said: 'Not safe, I'm afraid.'

'Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women's hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces,' the writer added.

Despite losing the support of many of the younger cast members of Harry Potter - most of whom are millennials - the older generation of actors who starred in the films have remained her allies.

Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the films, told the Telegraph in 2022: 'Theres a bunch of stuff about Jo I dont want to get drawn into the trans issues, talking about them, because its such an extraordinary minefield.

'One of the things that people should know about her too - not as a counter-argument - is that she has poured an enormous amount of her fortune into making the world a much better place... through her charity Lumos.

'And that is unequivocally good. Many of us Harry Potter actors have worked for it, and seen on the ground the work that they do.'

Radcliffe shot to fame playing Harry Potter in the movie adaptations of her beloved children's books. Pictured: Radcliffe, Rowling, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson in 2004

He said: 'Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person. But that doesn't mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life'

Daniel acknowledged the author - who he has hasn't spoken to since she began voicing her opinions on trans issues - had played a key role in the path his life has taken, but insisted that doesn't mean he 'owes' his beliefs to her (Rowling pictured in December 2023)

Meanwhile Ralph Fiennes, who played Voldemort, in 2021 that he could not understand the 'level of hatred' directed towards the author, adding that he found it disturbing.

'(The) verbal abuse directed at (Rowling) is disgusting, its appalling. I mean, I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women,' he told The New York Times.

'But its not some obscene, uber-right-wing fascist. Its just a woman saying: "I'm a woman and I feel like I'm a woman and I want to be able to say that I'm a woman".'

The late Robbie Coltrane, who played the half-giant gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid in the Potter films, also defended Rowling before his death in October 2022.

He told the Radio Times in 2020 that the author's critics 'hang around waiting to be offended', adding: 'They wouldn't have won the war, would they?'

Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood in the Potter films, initially said Rowling was on 'the wrong side of this debate', but later rowed back on some of her comments in February 2023.

She praised Rowling for amplifying the voices of those who choose to detransition after believing they were trans - but added to the Telegraph that she did not want to add to trans people's 'pain'.

The author, 58, has frequently expressed her views that biological sex is more important than gender identity and that women's spaces should remain single-sex (JK Rowling pictured in 2022)

In recent months the furor around Rowling's views has intensified. Last month she repeatedly misgendered trans women in a post on social media in light of Scotland's new public hate crime bill - which could see people arrested for misgendering a person.

In the string of tweets she used the wrong pronouns when referring to high-profile figures in the trans community, such as newsreader India Willoughby, as well as a number of convicted sex offenders such as rapist Isla Bryson.

Rowling has denied accusations she is transphobic, and police said recent tweets in which she misgendered trans women did not fall foul of Scotland's new hate crime laws, which outlaw 'stirring up' hate against transgender people.

Just this week it was revealed the NHS will declare sex is biological just weeks after the Cass report found there was 'remarkably weak evidence' for gender-affirming techniques in children such as puberty blockers.

It also said that 'for the majority of young people, a medical pathway may not be the best way' to help when they are 'presenting with gender incongruence or distress'.

The Harry Potter author responded on X, formerly known as Twitter, to the publication of the Cass review on gender treatment

In a series of tweets after following the Cass report's publication, Rowling wrote: 'Over the last four years, Hilary Cass has conducted the most robust review of the medical evidence for transitioning children that's ever been conducted. Mere hours after it was released to the press and public, committed ideologues are doubling down.

'These are people who've deemed opponents 'far-right' for wanting to know there are proper checks and balances in place before autistic, gay and abused kids - groups that are all overrepresented at gender clinics - are left sterilised, inorgasmic, lifelong patients.

'I understand that the review's conclusions will have come as a seismic shock to those who've hounded and demonised whistleblowers and smeared opponents as bigots and transphobes, but trying to discredit Hilary Cass's work isn't merely misguided. It's actively malign.

'Even if you don't feel ashamed of cheerleading for what now looks like severe medical malpractice, even if you don't want to accept that you might have been wrong, where's your sense of self-preservation? The bandwagon you hopped on so gladly is hurtling towards a cliff.

'And if I sound angry, it's because I'm bloody angry. I read Cass this morning and my anger's been mounting all day. Kids have been irreversibly harmed, and thousands are complicit, not just medics, but the celebrity mouthpieces, unquestioning media and cynical corporations.

'The consequences of this scandal will play out for decades. You cheered it on. You did all you could to impede and misrepresent research. You tried to bully people out of their jobs for opposing you. Young people have been experimented on, left infertile and in pain.

'I thought the last tweet was going to be my last, but I just burst into tears. The #CassReview may be a watershed moment, but it comes too late for detransitioners who've written me heartbreaking letters of regret. Today's not a triumph, it's the laying bare of a tragedy.'

The report by Dr Cass, which was commissioned nearly four years ago, made a series of recommendations to overhaul NHS trans services to improve the care that children receive.

She found that there is a 'lack of high-quality research' on the effects of giving children puberty blockers and hormones, and recommended that NHS England establish its own research programme.
Riot police in Georgia have allegedly beaten up the leader of Georgia's main opposition party after he stood up to the country's new 'Putin-inspired' law as cops used tear gas and stun grenades to break up huge protests outside parliament.

Levan Khabeishvili, who heads the United National Movement Party, which is pro-NATO and pro-European Union, shared a photo of himself after he had sustained horrific injuries after a night of fighting between protesters and police in Tbilisi.

The politician could be seen with a swollen black eye, a bloodied and broken nose, and a missing tooth after claiming he had been kidnapped and attacked for opposing the ruling party's 'foreign influence' law.

Khabeishvili later appeared in the Georgian parliament with his face wrapped in bandages as he opposed the legislation, which has been dubbed by critics as 'Kremlin-inspired'.

'If someone thinks we won't smile because we lose a tooth or can't open our eyes, they are very mistaken. We will smile because Georgia will win,' the politician told the chamber after being brought in in a wheelchair.

Georgia's main opposition party leader Levan Khabeishvili was allegedly beaten up 'by police' after standing up against a new 'kremlin-inspired' bill

The politician was seen later in parliament covered in bandages following the attack

Georgian police disperse demonstrators with water cannons during a protest against a draft bill on 'foreign agents' near Georgian Parliament building in Tbilisi

Demonstrators fight with riot police during an opposition protest near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as 'Russia-inspired'

Riot police detain a protester during a rally against a draft bill on 'foreign agents' near the Parliament in Tbilisi

Georgia's deputy interior minister, Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, argued Khabeishvili had 'broken into the police cordon and resisted police to hinder their activities, receiving injuries as a result'.

The outbreak of violence seen on Tuesday night followed two weeks of demonstrations against the proposed foreign agent law that is reportedly set to destroy any hope of the Black Sea state joining the EU.

Khabeishvili claimed the legislation was similar to that seen in Russia, used by tyrant Vladimir Putin to silence dissent.

Georgia's opposition parties, the EU and the US have all criticised the bill, which would force NGOs, civil rights groups and media to register as 'foreign agents' if more than 20% of their funding comes from abroad.

The EU has warned that Georgia would face insurmountable barriers to joine the bloc if the legislation is allowed to come into force, ultimately pushing the country back into the orbit of Moscow.

Georgian politicians clashed in Parliament on Wednesday as they held the second vote regarding the bill, with one pro-government MP reportedly throwing a book at a member of an opposition party.

On Tuesday, masked and helmeted riot police flooded the streets in Georgia's capital and were spotted firing water cannons, tear gas, and launching stun grenades in a bid to break up a rally that had gathered outside the parliament building.

Horror images showed the chaos unraveling as demonstrators and riot police went head-to-head in the streets.

Protesters were pictured throwing kicks and punches at armed cops who had raised their plastic shields in a bid to protect themselves from the angered civilians.

Some individuals were seen donning gas masks while others bravely faced the police with no protection.

The EU, which has granted Georgia candidate status, on Wednesday 'strongly condemned' the violence and called on the government to respect the right of peaceful assembly.

'Use of force to suppress it is unacceptable,' the bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said on X, formerly Twitter.

Police also fired rounds of rubber bullets, the AFP news agency reported, and over 60 people were arrested.

Protestors clash with the police as they block the exists of the parliament building to prevent the ruling Georgian Dream Party's deputies from leaving

Riot police use a water cannon during an opposition protest

On Tuesday, masked and helmeted riot police flooded the streets in Georgia's capital and were spotted firing water cannons, tear gas, and launching stun grenades in a bid to break up a rally that had gathered outside the parliament building

Police also fired rounds of rubber bullets, the AFP news agency reported, and over 60 people were arrested

Tuesday's rally continued overnight into the early hours of Wednesday morning, with around 2,000 people blocking traffic outside parliament on Tbilisi's main avenue

'This is undoubtedly a turning point for our country. Despite the police savagery witnessed last night, our protests will only grow louder in the days and weeks ahead,' Khabeishvili told The Times after being discharged from hospital.

The country's interior minister said six officers were injured during Tuesday night's demonstration, as authorities attempted to escalate their crack-down on the three-week-old protest movement.

READ HERE: Victory for protesters in Georgia as government halts plan to bring in Putin-like authoritarian laws following two days of demonstrations Advertisement

Tuesday's rally continued overnight into the early hours of Wednesday morning, with around 2,000 people blocking traffic outside parliament on Tbilisi's main avenue and a number of other key roads, facing riot police who attacked protesters with their rubber batons.

Following the night of immense violence in the Georgian capital, the country's rights ombudsman, Levan Ioseliani, called for an investigation into the use of 'disproportionate force' against protesters and journalists - who had also reportedly been caught up in attacks.

The interior ministry insisted police had intervened - but only once it was too late and the peaceful protest had turned violent.

Protesters fear that the proposed foreign influence bill could be used to crush critical voices ahead of the parliamentary elections later this year.

A similar authoritarian law came into force in Russia in 2012 and has since been used to muzzle the voices that attempt to challenge the Kremlin - including prominent critical figures, media outlets, and civil society groups.

Several European leaders have warned the proposed bill is 'incompatible' with European norms and values - but the government of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze is confident in his decision.

Police attempt to detain a demonstrator outside the Georgian parliament

Images posted online showed security forces using batons, riot shields and tear gas against the crowds

Police fire water cannon as the protesters attempt to block parliament exits over the 'Transparency of Foreign Influence' bill

Protesters dance during a rally against a controversial 'foreign influence' bill, which Brussels warns would undermine Georgia's European aspirations

His government insists the bill is about ensuring transparency and rejects any notion that the law is against European values - or that it has been inspired from Russian legislation.

The crackdown in Tbilisi came just two days after Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream Party, which came to power in 2012, appeared to vow retribution against opposition leaders.

The party was forced to suspend plans to push through the foreign agent law after huge protests swept through the capital.

But billionaire Ivanishvili stated that this year his government would not back out.

Protesters began building barricades in the centre of Tbilisi in preparation for more protests on Wednesday evening.

'Today the whole world can see Bidzina Ivanishvili's government for what they are: a band of thugs who are determined to snuff out free speech and take Georgia back to the dark ages of Russian rule,' Khabeishvili said.

Parliament endorsed the bill in the first reading earlier this month and it must pass two more readings before becoming law.
Trump has told NATO members they will be 'on their own' unless they increase defence spending if he wins a second term in office in November.

The former US president said that if he was elected again, continued US support for Ukraine would be depending on NATO members matching the contributions.

'If you're not going to pay, then you're on your own,' Trump told NATO countries in an interview with Time magazine.

At a campaign rally, Trump told his supporters that Russia could 'do whatever the hell they want' to any NATO country not meeting its financial obligations for defence.

The 77-year-old doubled down on these claims in the Time interview published yesterday and said: 'I wouldn't give [a penny] unless Europe starts equalizing.'

Donald Trump (pictured) has told NATO members they will be 'on their own' unless they increase defence spending if he wins a second term in office in November

A soldier stands as they fire a handmade small multiple rocket launch system toward Russian troops near a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine April 27, 2024

Ukrainian servicemen fire an artillery in the direction of Siversk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on April 01, 2024

'If Europe is not going to pay, why should we pay? They're much more greatly affected. We have an ocean in between us. They don't,' he added.

Under the Biden administration, the US has sent more than $100billion (79.5 billion) in military aid to Ukraine - EU nations have given the same.

NATO members have agreed on a long-term support package for Ukraine last month, which will see alliance members commit $100billion over five years to ensure long-term support, even amid a Trump presidency.

The proposals, led by outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, will give the security bloc a more direct role in coordinating the supply of arms, ammunition and equipment to Ukraine as it fights Russia's invasion, diplomats say.

Until now, NATO has focused on non-lethal aid for Ukraine for fears that a more hands-on approach could trigger an escalation of tensions with Russia.

Its members have provided billions of dollars in arms, but at their own discretion on a bilateral basis.

Under the new plans, NATO will be granted control of the US-led ad-hoc coalition known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which coordinates the sourcing and supply of lethal weapons and military kit to Kyiv.

The move is designed in part to guard against any cut in US support if Trump returns to the White House, with Stoltenberg saying it would 'shield the mechanism (of providing aid to Ukraine) against the winds of political change'.

'It goes some way to protecting in case of Trump. But it is impossible to create something Trump-proof,' one diplomat said.

Trump has previously railed against the US provision of funding to Ukraine and said he would 'end the war in a day' if he were in the White House.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who met with Trump in March, said after their meeting that he believes Trump would 'not give a penny' to Ukraine if he is elected.

The proposals, led by outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (pictured), will give the security bloc a more direct role in coordinating the supply of arms, ammunition and equipment to Ukraine as it fights Russia 's invasion, diplomats say

Ukrainian service members of the 37th Marine Brigade fire a 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer toward Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in a front line in Southern Ukraine, March 30, 2024

Ukrainian servicemen practice combat exercises as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 28, 2024

'If the Americans do not give money and weapons, and also the Europeans, then this war will be over,' Orban said.

'And if the Americans do not give money the Europeans are unable to finance this war on their own, and then the war will end.'

Trump signalled to Time that he would also reconsider US military support for other NATO allies should he be re-elected.

One of these allies receiving long-standing US military support is South Korea, where US troops are stationed to serve as a deterrence to North Korea.

Trump said that this 'doesn't make any sense' as South Korea was a 'very wealthy country', implying that it could defend itself. 'Why would we defend somebody?,' he asked in the Time interview.
A pair of lead Republicans in the House are demanding to know why the Department of Justice has not yet investigated Michael Cohen despite the former Trump fixer admitting he lied to Congress.

Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik wrote the Justice Department (DOJ) six months ago with a criminal referral for Cohen. The DOJ confirmed receipt of the letter but has never followed up.

Cohen admitted in October to lying to Congress in 2019 when he falsely told the House Intelligence Committee behind closed doors that he was not instructed by Trump to inflate his net worth.

'So you lied under oath in February of 2019? Is that your testimony?' he was asked by Trump attorney Alina Habba at the end of October in the ongoing $250 million New York civil fraud trial into Trump's finances.

A pair of lead Republicans in the House are demanding to know why the Department of Justice has not yet investigated Michael Cohen despite the former Trump fixer admitting he lied to Congress

'Yes,' Cohen replied.

'The Biden Administration's attempts to stonewall this investigation is yet another example of Biden's lawfare against President Trump,' Stefanik, N.Y., the House's number three Republican, said in a statement to DailyMail.com.

'Michael Cohen has no credibility. He is an admitted liar,' said Turner, R-Ohio.

Cohen, meanwhile, may be undermining his own credibility as a witness, as he's been taking to TikTok to talk about the case and requesting donations. 'Trump 2024?' Cohen said on the video-sharing platform. 'More like Trump 20-24 years.'

Cohen served a stint in federal prison for breaking campaign finance laws by facilitating the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about the alleged affair.

Trump has currently been in court in New York over hush money charges related to the payment. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in relation to the hush money payment Cohen made to Daniels just before the 2016 election.

Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik wrote the Justice Department (DOJ) six months ago with a criminal referral for Cohen. The DOJ confirmed receipt of the letter but has never followed up

Drawing of Trump asleep in court for his hush money trial

The pair noted that Michael Colangelo - a Manhattan prosecutor and former top Justice Department attorney - was leading the prosecution for the case accusing Trump of illegally concealing hush money payments to silence allegations of an affair with Stormy Daniels, with Cohen as their 'star witness.'

Trump's lawyers have insisted the payment was not to influence an election while Cohen said that is exactly what it was for.

Cohen turned on Trump as the walls closed in and he realized he was going to jail for his legal troubles.

Cohen was previously convicted for lying to Congress in 2018 about work he conducted on a Trump Tower business deal in Russia.

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges, which included five counts of tax evasion and bank fraud. He was sentenced to three years in prison and slapped with a $50,000 fine.

He was also disbarred from practicing law in New York state.

At the time, he said the lie to the House Intelligence Committee was an effort to align with Trump's 'political messaging.'

Stefanik and Turner also noted the DOJ 'brought the first contempt-of-Congress prosecutions seen in nearly forty years' against two other Trump aides, Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon, for ignoring a congressional subpoena.

'Perjury and false statements before Congress are crimes that undermine the integrity of the constitutional duty to conduct oversight and inquiriesfar more so than contesting the lawfulness of a subpoena,' they wrote. 'Yet, despite an admission from Mr. Cohen that he lied under oath to Congress, the Biden Justice Department did nothing.'

Cohen was the first to be charged by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller for lying to Congress during his investigation into the Trump campaigns connections to Russia.

Mueller concluded after 22 months that there was not enough evidence to show collusion and while he made no determination on obstruction, he said he was unable to 'exonerate' the president.

Trump's attorneys grilled Cohen over his previous convictions during an intense cross examination last month during the civil fraud trial.

Habba attacked Cohen's credibility by referencing comments made by prosecutors during his 2018 sentencing.

The sentencing judge at the time also noted that Cohen's crimes showed a 'pattern of deception that permeated his professional life' and declared that he had 'abused his relationship to a powerful individual', referring to Trump.

Habba cited statements saying Cohen was 'motivated by personal greed' and had 'repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends.'

Cohen reported to prison in May 2019, but was granted release to home confinement following a COVID-19 outbreak in federal prisons.
READ MORE: How marijuana could be reclassified as a safer type of drug

President Joe Biden has been accused of yet another election year ploy to appeal to younger voters with his historic move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

It would not legalize the drug nationally, but instead change legal restrictions surrounding its use and study.

Critics say his campaign is 'grasping at straws' to find new ways to reverse his declining youth support and believe it could increase drug use across the country.

Biden has already forgiven more than $160 billion in student loans, after wiping $6 billion more for 317,000 students who went to art school.

Republican strategist Curt Anderson told DailyMail.com: 'Legalizing drugs makes America more lethargic and dumber, which obviously helps the Biden campaign.'

Democrats meanwhile have said the move is a long time coming and follows on from Biden pardoning all minor federal marijuana convictions.

President Joe Biden's Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is planning to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I controlled substance to Schedule III, lessening restrictions on the drug

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is expected to propose changing marijuana from Schedule I, which has the highest potential for abuse, to Schedule III, alongside the likes of ketamine and some anabolic steroids.

Democrats have been largely in favor of the rescheduling, saying cannabis has far less dangerous health impacts than other Schedule I substances while its current clarification has also led to the imprisonment of many Americans.

Though some in the GOP are supportive of designating cannabis as a less harmful substance, a large cohort of the conference believes the move will increase drug use in the U.S.

And they are also saying this is a move by Biden to attract younger voters, among whom his support has been wavering.

'I think he's probably grasping at straws in terms of how he's going to appeal to younger people across the country,' Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., told DailyMail.com.

'They grab on to this or that to see if they can kind of bolster some of the support they've lost,' he continued. 'It is peculiar that they look at it right now. And to me, that's probably mostly politically motivated.'

Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, agreed, telling DailyMail.com, 'I assume everything is an election year gimmick.'

Vance also agreed that the arrests of Americans for small amounts of marijuana is generally disproportionate to the crime, but added there is a balance that needs to be struck between heavy handed drug enforcement and public spaces filled with smokers and smells of marijuana.

'The Biden Admins efforts to remove marijuana as a Schedule I drug is irresponsible and will directly lead to more drug use in the United States,' Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., posted on X.

'This will not make Oklahoma families stronger, streets safer, or workplaces more productive.'

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., reacted to the rescheduling calling it 'major news for businesses, tax deductions, & research barriers.'

Rescheduling marijuana does not legalize it, rather it lessens federal restrictions around its research and legal penalties associated with the substance

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who has long advocated for cannabis reform and famously asked if Joe Biden was high in a 2020 Democrat presidential candidate debate, told DailyMail.com he is grateful that the White House is moving on marijuana rescheduling.

'It's a great step that the Biden administration is moving in the direction of not making this a Schedule I Drug,' he said at a press conference Wednesday.

The event was held to discus the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, a bill aiming to decriminalize cannabis and remove it from scheduling under the Controlled Substances Act.

Booker called marijuana's current scheduling absurd and outrageous. He also said the need for rescheduling pot is 'urgent' and that he welcomes the Biden administration's work on this.

'I was pleased by yesterday's news that the DEA under the Biden administration is preparing to take a truly historic step rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule I substance to a Schedule III under the controlled substances act,' Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, N.Y., said at a Wednesday press conference.

'Reclassifying cannabis is necessary, and it's a long overdue step,' he added.

'I think changing the schedule probably makes sense at this point and I think there is a strong scientific consensus and popular agreement that giving the state's this authority makes a lot of sense,' Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told DailyMail.com.

'I don't think that this is going to determine the outcome of the election,' he continued. 'I don't think anyone thinks that it will.'

Health and law enforcement officials current and former also weighed in on Biden's marijuana moves.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., (Center) Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., (Left) and Sen.Ron Wyden, D-Ore., meet with reporters to discuss the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, a move to decriminalize cannabis and remove it from scheduling under the Controlled Substances Act on Wednesday

'The decision to reschedule marihuana is not supported by the science. Its a political act in an election year, and the result could be harm to many Americans, especially young people,' former acting DEA Administrator Timothy Shea told DailyMail.com in a statement.

'Biden Administration ignored the science, the regulatory process, and international treaties to get a predetermined result,' he continued.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to the DailyMail.com that the scheduling review is currently before the Department of Justice, to which the DEA belongs.
Patriotic frat boys valiantly protected an American flag on the campus of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill even while being pelted by water bottles from pro-Palestine protestors.

Footage emerged on social media showing the group of male students from the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity holding onto the stars and stripes during a Tuesday protest. Pro-Palestine groups lobbed bottles of water at the group who clutched the flag as they were screamed at by masked protestors.

One person was seen carrying an Israel flag as others threw objects and water at him as the group held the flag high so as not let it touch the ground.

Despite the best efforts of the hardy group, the protestors eventually managed to hoist the Palestine flag on the Chapel Hill campus.

Still, the men's action drew attention online with a GoFundMe set up for the frat that has raised more than $228,000.

Students at the University of North Carolina were seen attempting to hold hordes of pro-Palestine protestors away from the American flag

Brendan Rosenblum, a junior and Jewish student at UNC-Chapel Hill, had water bottles thrown at him as he stood in the middle of the quad by with an Israeli flag while protesters tried to replace an American flag with a Palestinian one. Classes today have just been cancelled. pic.twitter.com/hUkPTXtLxj  Bryan Anderson (@BryanRAnderson) April 30, 2024

Footage emerged on social media showing the group of male students holding onto the stars and stripes during a protest on Tuesday

One person was seen carrying an Israel flag as others throw objects and water at him as the group held the flag high so as not let it touch the ground

'We are overwhelmed by you glorious, Patriotic Americans who value good beer and great times,' the fraternity wrote on the GoFundMe.

'We are in contact with multiple leaders from fraternities whose members helped defend the flag, including Alpha Epsilon Pi and others, in addition to Pi Kappa Psi. Our gratitude goes to all of them and we will update supporters on what comes next,'

After American flag was replaced by Palestine's flag, UNC Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts responded by personally walking out into the midst of the protest and removing the Palestine flag, ABC11 reported.

Roberts stood guard as he restored the American flag back onto the flagpole and applauded as workers did so. Footage taken shows Roberts clapping his hands as some students can be heard chanting 'USA!,USA! USA!'

Not long after the flag was restored, a decision was made to have it taken down where it was folded into its traditional triangle shape and taken away.

The flag pole was then left empty, prompting protestors who had gathered to disperse.

Following the chaos, classes were canceled for the rest of the day and non-mandatory operations were suspended.

Police had moved in to clear out an encampment and detained some of the protestors in a tense showdown.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators clash with police after replacing an American flag with a Palestinian flag Tuesday

Pro-Palestine groups lobbed bottles of water at the group who clutched the flag as they were screamed at by masked protestors

Despite the best efforts of the hardy group, the protestors eventually managed to hoist the Palestine flag on the Chapel Hill campus

Workers gather barricades at Polk Place at the University of North Carolina on May 1

The American flag is surrounded by a temporary barrier at Polk Place at the University of North Carolina on May 1 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The Daily Tar Heel reported that 36 people protestors were detained within the encampment.

Six of those 36 were later arrested and transported to the local magistrate's office, the outlet said, with all six charged trespassing before being released. The university said three of those arrested had been students, while the other three were not affiliated with the school.

In a statement Roberts said: 'For the last several months, we have spoken regularly and respectfully with the demonstrators on our campus, consistently supporting their right to assemble and express their views.

'We have been clear that students and community members can assemble and make their voices heard, but University policies must be followed.

'During events in recent weeks, the student demonstrators abided by our policies.

'That changed Sunday evening when protesters - including outside activists -- backtracked on their commitment to comply with these policies, including trespassing into classroom buildings overnight.

Protestors at City College of New York had raised a Palestine flag on the campus, which officers last night replaced with the stars and stripes

Footage taken on the ground shows one officer tossing the flag aside before later raising Old Glory on the flagpole

'This group has now made it clear they will no longer even consider our requests to abide by University policies and have ended our attempts at constructive dialogue.'

In a similar fashion, police in New York City restored the American flag after protestors at City College of New York raised a Palestine flag on the campus.

Footage taken on the ground shows one officer tossing the flag aside before later raising Old Glory on the flagpole.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning, Mayor Eric Adams berated the schools for allowing the flying of the flag.

He said: 'That's our flag folks, it might be fine to some people but not to me. My uncle died defending this country.

'It's despicable that schools will allow another country's flag to fly in our country. So blame me for being proud to be American. We are not surrendering our way of life.'
China-Serbia forum highlights community with shared future for mankind

Xinhua) 09:17, May 01, 2024

President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua and Manja Grcic, director general of Tanjug News Agency, sign an agreement on news exchange and agree to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in news reporting and communication in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Fu Hua attended a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" here on Tuesday, and delivered a keynote speech at the event. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

BELGRADE, April 30 (Xinhua) -- China and Serbia should actively leverage their advantages of exchanges and cooperation at all levels to contribute wisdom and strength to the development of bilateral relations and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, agreed participants at a China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday.

Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the forum brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries.

At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements."

The report interprets the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind from multiple perspectives such as history, theory, culture and practice, representing the latest achievement of Xinhua's studies of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy.

The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future."

Addressing the forum, President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua said building a community with a shared future for mankind, a core concept of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, has contributed oriental wisdom to addressing global challenges. It is a concentrated expression of the common value pursuit of all mankind and has delivered tangible benefits for people of all countries.

China and Serbia are "iron-clad friends" who have stood together through thick and thin, Fu said, noting that as both countries move forward towards modernization, their collaboration vividly exemplifies promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Fu, also chairman of the academic committee of New China Research, said Xinhua attaches great importance to exchanges and cooperation with Serbian media and think tanks, and is willing to work with the Serbian side to continue telling well the story of China-Serbia friendship.

He said that through high-quality, multidimensional news coverage and think tank research, Xinhua aims to comprehensively showcase the bright prospects of China-Serbia relations in the new era, build a communication bridge and provide intellectual support for bilateral cooperation in various fields, and continue to act as an envoy for the China-Serbia friendship to bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Ji Zhengju, vice-director of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the sustained and stable development of sound relations between China and Serbia plays an important role in better building a community with a shared future for mankind.

From this perspective, it is of great significance to strengthen cultural exchanges so as to jointly promote high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative through people-to-people connectivity and lay a solid foundation for enhancing the friendship between China and Serbia, added Ji, who is also director of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau.

Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming highlighted the special significance of the forum held on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Serbia. He said he believes the forum and the report will provide strong intellectual support for the development of China-Serbia relations and make positive contributions to the spread and implementation of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Manja Grcic, director general of Tanjug News Agency, said Tanjug, since its establishment, has always focused on China. Noting that cooperation between Serbia and China in jointly building the Belt and Road has achieved fruitful results and thus provided abundant resources for news reporting, Grcic said her agency will continue to focus on such cooperation with objective and truthful reports so as to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples and contribute to the development of bilateral relations.

Goran Vesic, Serbia's minister of construction, transport and infrastructure, told the forum that the Serbian economy has developed rapidly in recent years, which is indispensable from China's support, and Chinese investments are highly welcomed in Serbia.

Serbia hopes to initiate higher-quality infrastructure cooperation with China, and promote the construction of smart roads, said the minister, adding that he believes pragmatic cooperation between the two countries will reach a higher level under the guidance of the two heads of state.

Following the event, Xinhua News Agency and Tanjug News Agency signed an agreement on news exchange and agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in news reporting and communication.

President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua attends a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Fu Hua delivered a keynote speech at the event. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua attends a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Fu Hua delivered a keynote speech at the event. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua attends a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Fu Hua delivered a keynote speech at the event. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua attends a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Fu Hua delivered a keynote speech at the event. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
Anti-Israel protestors across US college campuses have shaken the nation over the last weeks, systemically setting up illegal encampments and sparking questions about the money behind the demonstrations.

Organized encampments have appeared across the country's most respected universities after first showing up at Columbia in New York City. Violent clashes between protesters and police have followed at various schools including UCLA and the University of Texas at Austin.

Many have pointed fingers at a company called Crowds on Demand, which provides paid protesters as a service, accusing it of hiring left-wing agitators to manufacture the movement.

But in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, CEO Adam Swart denied that his company has any involvement with the protests, and has actually denied requests from both sides.

'We've been inundated with requests by both sides. Not just in regards to the campuses, but just broadly in regards to this Israel-Palestine issue, we've been getting tons of requests over the past few months,' Swart said on Tuesday.

'We have heard from grown ups who want to do activity on college campuses... lots of requests, including from very high profile wealthy donors on on both sides to get involved.'

Organized encampments have appeared across the country's most respected universities after first showing up at Columbia in New York City

Crowds on Demand CEO Adam Swart said the similar tents at the protest are a sign there are larger groups funding the demonstrations

Crowds on Demand, however, is not accepting any requests related to the war in Gaza, Swart added, because it's not the kind of issue he likes to get involved in. Swart emphasized that his company only hires protesters who already believe in a cause but may not be able to afford spending their day at a protest.

While his company is not taking the jobs, Swart believes someone is, because as an expert on this type of operation, he recognizes the telltale signs pointing to big money behind a cause, like similar tents and expensive banners seen at Columbia University over the last week.

'I do, to be clear, think there is money behind the pro-Palestine protests - 100 percent. I'm just saying we're staying out of it,' he said.

Swart said it's possible for tax-exempt advocacy organizations to not disclose their donors, and thus anyone could be funding their causes, opening the door to enemy foreign powers like China or Russia to sow discord in the US.

Swart denied that his company has any involvement with the anti-Israel campus protests

'If this is coming from abroad, and I believe that it might be in some part, that is very troubling,' he added.

The People's Forum, a tax-exempt advocacy group who often hosts propaganda events for the regimes of countries like Venezuela and Cuba, has been accused of being behind the Columbia protests.

The Washington Free Beacon reports the group, which has received $12million from Goldman Sachs, may have provided materials for the so-called occupation of Hamilton Hall.

Over 100 masked activists met at the group's Manhattan headquarters, a base for all kinds of leftist activism, to plan their moves on Monday, participating in breakout sessions that taught 'resistance' methods.

There, Peoples Forum executive director Manolo De Los Santos told the group to 'give Joe Biden a hot summer' and 'make it untenable for the politics of usual to take place in this country.'

He then claimed 'Zionist' Columbia administrators 'want to be more like their masters in Israel.'

Daniel DiMartino, a PhD student at Columbia and a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, told DailyMail.com The People's Forum is a group that aims to lobby for enemies of the US.

A Crowd on Demand protest is seen above. Swart emphasized his company only hires protesters who already believe in a cause but may not be able to afford protesting

'The People's Forum is one of several foreign-funded organizations whose goal is to create havoc in America and defend tyrannical regimes like China's, Russia's, Cuba's and Venezuela's,' the Venezuela native said.

'I saw it firsthand when they hosted employees and officials from the Venezuelan socialist regime in 2022 in New York City. They don't care about human rights, not of Palestinians or Jews and certainly not of Venezuelans.'

The New York Times reported last year that the Chinese Community Party was indirectly funding the People's Forum.

Meanwhile New York mayor Eric Adams has warned that outside agitators have been instructing students as they took over Hamilton hall in Columbia.

'What should have been a peaceful protest, it has basically been co-opted by professional outside agitators,' he said.

A video shown by the mayor shows Lisa Fithian, an infamous agitator at US protests for over half a century, showing protesters how to occupy a building.

The People's Forum, a tax-exempt advocacy group who often hosts propaganda events for the regimes of countries like Venezuela and Cuba, has been accused of being behind the Columbia protests.

Peoples Forum executive director Manolo De Los Santos told the group to 'give Joe Biden a hot summer' and 'make it untenable for the politics of usual to take place in this country

Adams called Fithian 'the nation's best-known protest consultant', noting she gets paid as much as $300 a day to run demonstrations and teach how to take over streets during protests.

CNN has reported that at least half of demonstrators at Columbia are not affiliated with the university.

The anti-Israel protest at the University of Texas at Austin also appears to include outside forces, according to Jamie Hammonds, a content creator who covers homelessness and current events and has attended all the protests at the campus.

Hammonds told DailyMail.com he attended over 30 Gaza protests that remained peaceful, before agitators showed up last week.

They were throwing water on the police, hurling insults, throwing water bottles, they were definitely provoking the cops to a confrontation,' he said.

Hammonds said he encountered a group that held signs that read 'Veterans against genocide' and admitted they were not students or even from Austin.

A video shown by the mayor Adams shows Lisa Fithian, an infamous agitator at US protests for over half a century, showing protesters how to occupy a building

Adams called Fithian 'the nation's best-known protest consultant'

'They were wearing camouflage, and they were holding signs. They were very much provoking the police,' Hammonds said.

'They were right in the middle of it. Yelling slurs at them, calling them some of the most vile names that you an imagine.'

Most of the protests across the US campuses have been partly organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a campus group with more than 250 chapters across the country.

SJP was founded by UC Berkeley lecturer Hatem Bazian, who has repeatedly justified terror attacks against Israel and Intifada (uprising) in the US.

Just days after the October 7 attacks, Bazian shared a video titled: 'Here's why Hamas says its attack on Israel wasn't unprovoked.'

The Detroit Free Press once quoted him as saying: 'The Day of Judgment will not happen until the trees and stones will say, "Oh Muslim, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him."'

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is one of the main organizers of a protest that brought Columbia University to a standstill

A new report reveals the group got millions from several charities with alleged links to Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. Students are pictured receiving checks from AMP

Bazian also once apologized after sharing a cartoon of a stereotypical Orthodox Jewish man celebrating the murder and rape of Palestinians and another of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un wearing a kippah and demanding money from the U.S.

The group has received millions from several charities with alleged links to Hamas, per a report by the think tank Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP).

SJP founder and Berkeley lecturer Hatem Bazian reportedly co-founded AMP

The ISGAP report asserts that SJP has become an effective and well-funded network for organizing protests around the country, but that its failure to register as a charity or formal organization left its funding sources and operations murky and unregulated.

Hints of financial backing could be seen at the Columbia 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment', including students erecting several identical high-end tents costing hundreds of dollars each, and handing out free Dunkin' Donuts coffee, $12.50 sandwiches from Pret-a-Manger and $10 rotisserie chickens to participants.

The nonprofits funding SJP include the Westchester People's Action Coalition (WESPAC), Tides, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), its parent organization Americans for Justice in Palestine (AJP), and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).

The ISGAP report said SJP had the closest financial links with WESPAC, which acts as a 'financial sponsor' for the organization, routing tax-free donations through its accounts to SJP chapters.

The anti-Israel protest at the University of Texas at Austin also appears to include outside forces, according to Jamie Hammonds, a content creator who covers homelessness and current events and has attended all the protests at the campus

The report said SJP also gets extensive organizational aid from American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), a nonprofit under investigation by the Virginia attorney general and accused of being a reincarnation of a charity found liable for funding Hamas.

This week the protests at colleges have continued to highlight the discord in the country regarding the war in Gaza.

On Tuesday night, NYPD officers carrying zip ties and riot shields stormed Columbia Universitys Hamilton Hall which was being 'occupied' by pro-Palestinian protesters.

The protesters had seized the administration building more than 20 hours earlier in a major escalation as demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war spread on college campuses nationwide.

A statement released by a Columbia spokesperson said officers entered the campus after the university requested help. A tent encampment on the schools grounds began nearly two weeks ago to protest the Israel-Hamas war.

On Tuesday night, NYPD officers carrying zip ties and riot shields stormed Columbia Universitys Hamilton Hall which was being 'occupied' by pro-Palestinian protesters

Hours after students occupied the Columbia building, dueling protesters clashed at the University of California in Los Angeles, kicking and beating each other with sticks

'After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice,' the school said.

'The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.'

Hours after students occupied the Columbia building, dueling protesters clashed at the University of California in Los Angeles, kicking and beating each other with sticks after pro-Israel demonstrators tried to pull down barricades surrounding a pro-Palestinian encampment.

After a couple of hours of scuffles between demonstrators at UCLA, police wearing helmets and face shields slowly separated the groups and quelled the violence, but UCLA canceled classes Wednesday and urged people to avoid the area where the fighting broke out.
He became a soldier in 2015 then turned himself in to U.S.-backed rebels

A Minnesota man who once fought for ISIS in Syria is scheduled to be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison - after he said he regrets joining the terrorist group.

Abdelhamid Al-Madioum, 27, surrendered to U.S.-backed rebels in 2019 and was held under harsh conditions at the Ghweran prison in Hasakah.

He returned to the U.S. in 2020 and pleaded guilty in 2021 to providing material support to a designated terrorist organization.

Prosecutors have recommended 12 years behind bars for Al-Madioum who is expected sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery on Wednesday.

'I joined a death cult, and it was the biggest mistake of my life,' Al-Madioum said in a letter to the judge.

Abdelhamid Al-Madioum, 27, is scheduled to be sentenced up to 12 years in prison for fighting with ISIS and said he regrets joining the terrorist group

'I've been changed by life experience: by the treachery I endured as a member of ISIS, by becoming a father of four, a husband, an amputee, a prisoner of war, a malnourished supplicant, by seeing the pain and anguish and gnashing of teeth that terrorism causes, the humiliation, the tears, the shame.'

The Justice Department said Al-Madioum, a native of Morocco and naturalized U.S. citizen, was recruited by the terrorist group online when he was 18-years-old.

He slipped away from his family on a visit to their native Morocco in 2015. Making his way to Syria, he became a soldier for ISIS, until he was maimed in an explosion in Iraq. Unable to fight, he used his computer skills to serve the group.

The defense claimed Al-Madioum joined ISIS because he wanted to help Muslims who he believed were being slaughtered by Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime in that country's civil war.

ISIS recruiters persuaded him 'to test his faith and become a real Muslim.'

'I will be very honest with you, I thought I was going to come and help people,' Al-Madioum told CBS News from the Ghweran prison.

Al-Madioum was a fighter for less than two months before he lost his right arm below the elbow in the explosion that also left him with two badly broken legs and other severe injuries. He may still require amputation of one leg, the defense said.

He surrendered to U.S.-backed rebels in 2019 and was held under harsh conditions at the Ghweran prison (pictured) in Hasakah until he was transferred to the US in 2020

While recuperating in 2016, he met his first wife Fatima, an ISIS widow who already had a son and bore him another in 2017. They lived in poverty and under constant airstrikes.

He was unable to work, and his stipend from IS stopped in 2018. They lived in a makeshift tent.

He married his second wife, Fozia, in 2018. She also was an ISIS widow and already had a 4-year-old daughter. They had separated by early 2019.

He heard later she and their daughter together had died. The first wife also is dead, having been shot in front of Al-Madioum by either rebel forces or an IS fighter in 2019, the defense said.

The day after that shooting, he walked with his sons and surrendered to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which held him under conditions the defense described as 'heinous' for 18 months until the FBI returned him to the U.S.

As for Al-Madioum's children, the defense memo said they were eventually found in a Syrian orphanage and his parents will be their foster parents when they arrive in the U.S.

Prosecutors acknowledge that Al-Madioum has provided useful assistance to U..S. authorities in several national security investigations and prosecutions, that he accepted responsibility for his crime and pleaded guilty promptly on his return to the U.S.

Al-Madioum, a native of Morocco and naturalized U.S. citizen, was recruited by the terrorist group online when he was 18-years-old

'The defendant did much more than harbor extremist beliefs,' prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo. 'He chose violent action by taking up arms for ISIS.'

Al-Madioum was among several Minnesotans suspected of leaving the U.S. to join the Islamic State group, along with thousands of fighters from other countries worldwide.

Roughly three dozen people are known to have left Minnesota to join militant groups in Somalia or Syria. In 2016, nine Minnesota men were sentenced on federal charges of conspiring to join ISIS.

Al-Madioum is one of the relatively few Americans who've been brought back to the U.S. who actually fought for the group.

According to a defense sentencing memo, he's one of 11 adults as of 2023 to be formally repatriated to the U.S. from the conflict in Syria and Iraq to face charges for terrorist-related crimes and alleged affiliations with ISIS. Others received sentences ranging from four years to life plus 70 years.
A motorcyclist escaped death when he was struck by a small plane attempting to make an emergency landing on a highway in the southwestern Colombian province of Valle del Cauca.

The near-tragic accident took place Sunday moments after Federico Gomez had taken off from Santa Ana Airport in the city of Cartago.

Gomez noticed that the engine on his Raptor Scott was shutting down and was losing altitude, according to Cartago Fire Department second lieutenant Jairo Bernal.

He tried to land along a stretch of the Panamericana Highway, which links Cartago and the municipality of Ansermanuevo, when the private plane plowed into the motorcyclist.

Paramedics treat a motorcyclist moments after he was knocked of his motorcycle by a small plane that was attempting to make an emergency landing on a highway near Santa Ana Airport in Cartago, Colombia, on Sunday. The pilot, Federico Gomez, and the motorcyclist were taken to an area hospital. Gomez was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and is home recovering. The biker remains hospitalized

Colombian authorities have indicated that the small plane's engine shut off moments after taking off from Santa Ana Airport, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing on a highway, where he crashed into a motorcyclist

Footage of the crash's aftermath showed the motorcyclist, in his 50s, lying on his back while first responders tend to him.

In a second video, Gomez can be seen picking up his wallet from the ground.

Social media users were quick in rushing to judgement and accused Gomez of stealing the wallet before Santa Ana Airport general manager, Yamil Varela, cleared the confusion and confirmed he was the pilot looking to obtain his identification.

Both men were rushed to an area hospital.

Federico Gomez told DailyMail.com: 'At this moment. I am affected by this whole issue, and I do not want to comment on it'

Colombia's Civil Aviation Authority is investigating the cause of the accident

Paramedics provide aid to a man who was knocked off his motorcycle moments after a small plane crashed into him on a highway while attempting an emergency landing in Cartago, Colombia

Gomez was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and is now recovering at home.

He told DailyMail.com in a text message that he preferred not to talk about the accident.

'At this moment, I am affected by this whole issue, and I do not want to comment on it,' he said. 'I hope you understand.'

The motorcyclist remains hospitalized and is being treated for to polytrauma.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Colombia opened an investigation into the cause of the accident.
A new book by a food historian has revealed that the countries of origin of many famous national dishes are not the ones you may think.

In a new book called La Cucina Italiana Non Esiste - which translates as Italian Cuisine Does Not Exist - food historian Alberto Grandi claims that Italians discovered tomato sauce in the Americas.

Mr Grandi says they did so when they emigrated to the region where tomatoes are native in the 19th century.

Speaking to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Mr Grandi said: 'Pizza became red in America'.

'Before that it was plain focaccia, sometimes adorned with pieces of tomato.'

A new book by a food historian has revealed that the countries of origin of many famous national dishes are not the ones you may think. Pictured: File image of a pizza topped with prosciutto and arugula

Indeed, Grandi, a business history and European history teacher at Parma University, has made a career around busting myths regarding some of Italy's most celebrated culinary foodstuffs.

While he has never questioned the quality of Italian food produce, he added: 'We confuse identity with the roots, which we are crossbreeding'.

Tomatoes are one such example of this - as they were not initially popular in Europe because they resembled their deadly cousin the nightshade, and because of an early example of fake news.

This was courtesy of rumours circulating that some upper-class Europeans died after eating them when, in fact, it was as a result of lead poisoning from their pewter dinnerware.

Grandi suggests that pizza with a tomato base was actually popularised in the US after Italians who emigrated to the States in the 19th century.

The food historian expert added that, by the Second World War, there were more pizzerias in America than Italy.

The story of foods erroneously being adopted by nations they were not originally from is not just limited to Italy, however.

In what may come as a shock to many pastry lovers, croissants are not French.

They were actually invented in the Austrian capital of Vienna, Austria, where some say they were presented to Duke Leopold in 1227 as a Christmas treat.

Croissants were actually invented in the Austrian capital of Vienna, Austria, where some say they were presented to Duke Leopold in 1227 as a Christmas treat

Others claimed that the pastries mimicking the moon on the Turkish flag were prepared to celebrate the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the 1600s.

Parisians are said to have adapted the recipe after the first Viennese bakery closed in 1838.

Perhaps the most famous story regarding the origin of the croissant is that Queen Marie Antoinette - who was born in Vienna - missed the Austrian pastry so much that she asked French bakers to make them for her.

A further example of mistaken food origins would be individuals associating tempura with Japan or vindaloo with India, as both of these dishes have Portuguese origins.

Catholic missionaries brought the method of deep frying to Japan in the 16th century, while vindaloo is derived from the Portuguese 'vinha de alhos', which references the dish's two main ingredients, wine and garlic.

Vindaloo was created because wine and garlic aided Portuguese sailors in preserving fresh ingredients.

Vindaloo was created because wine and garlic aided Portuguese sailors in preserving fresh ingredients

They chose to transform it after reaching Goa by using local spices and chillies, helping it become one of the most popular and fiery curries in the world.

Not even Portugal can escape culpability when it comes to claiming a foodstuff as its own that is actually from elsewhere.

Its notorious piri piri seasoning, which has itself become popular in the UK due to its use by Nando's, was discovered in the Americas in the 15th century during Portugal's mercantile era and brought back to the colonies in Africa.

It did not even reach Portugal until relatively recently, only arriving in the country during the late 1960s.
Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer put Donald Trump on blast over abortion rights ahead of his visit to her state, calling his stance 'baloney' as he attempts to navigate the contentious issue which has become a political landmine in the 2024 election.

The Republican presidential candidate is headed to the battleground state for a rally on Wednesday.

It is his first campaign rally since the hush money trial began nearly three weeks ago in New York and comes after he told TIME Magazine in an interview he would let red states monitor pregnancies, saying 'I think they might do that.'

In that same interview, Trump declined to commit to vetoing federal restrictions on abortion if they came to his desk and said it was 'irrelevant' whether he was comfortable with states prosecuting women who have abortions 'because the states are going to make those decisions.'

'You cannot trust what Donald Trump says when it come to abortion rights. He and all three of his appointees to the United States Supreme Court lied to Congress and lied to the American people,' Whitmer told reporters on Wednesday.

'They went and reversed Roe v Wade and that is exactly why we've got chaos across the country with different rights for different people,' she said.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer at a roundtable on reproductive rights in Flint, MI ahead of Donald Trump's visit to the state on Wednesday

Whitmer was joined at the event put on by the Biden campaign by a doctor, advocates, a veteran and students

In a cover interview with TIME, Trump said he would let red states 'monitor' pregnancies and declined to commit to vetoing a bill restricting abortion should it make it to his desk if he is reelected

Abortion has proven to be a motivating issue for voters to cast ballots for Democrats in recent elections including in Michigan.

Exit polling in the battleground state for the 2022 midterm showed it as the top issue in the election. Michigan voters that year reelected Whitmer and enshrine the right to an abortion in their state constitution.

Whitmer was in Flint, MI ahead of Trump's visit for a roundtable on reproductive rights set up by the Biden reelection campaign on which Whitmer is a co-chair.

At the same time, Florida's six week abortion ban went into effect on Wednesday. Democrats around the country have been speaking out on abortion including Vice President Kamala Harris who is traveling to Jacksonville, FL.

In his TIME interview, Trump said there would 'never be that chance' on whether he would veto a federal abortion restrictions bill make it to his desk because it would need 60 Senate votes to pass.

'You're never going to have 60 votes. You're not going to have it for many, many years, whether it be Democrat or Republican,' Trump said, sidestepping the question.

'No one should take any comfort in the fact that yes he wants an abortion ban, but he won't get it because he doesn't think we'll have 60 votes in the Senate. Baloney!' Whitmer responded. 'No one would have imagined we'd be here in this moment.'

She warned that access to abortion is 'very much in jeopardy' even in states like Michigan which passed an abortion rights law last year along with the ballot initiative in the midterms.

Trump at a really in Schnecksville, PA on April 13. His visit to Michigan on Wednesday will be his first campaign rally since his hush money trial began

Trump had been looking to defuse the issue for Republicans ahead of the November election in recent weeks.

He announced his stance is to leave the issue to states earlier this month.

That same week the Arizona Supreme Court ruled a 1864 law banning nearly all abortion including in cases of rape and incest in the state could be enforced.

The ex-president has also taken heat from anti-abortion rights groups and some Republican lawmakers who have put pressure on the Republican nominee to support federal restrictions.

At his most recent rally in Pennsylvania before the hush money trial got underway, Trump notably did not mention the overturning of Roe v Wade at all, something he has previously touted at numerous campaign events.

Democrats have put Republican on defense across the country over abortion ahead of November.

'Trump is worried the voters will hold him accountable for the cruelty and chaos he created. Hes right. Trump ripped away the rights and freedom of women in America,' President Biden said in a statement on the Florida six-week ban taking effect on Wednesday.

Trump once called the Florida law a 'mistake.' But anti-abortion advocates praised the Florida six-week ban on Wednesday.

SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser called it an 'enormous victory for women and children, set to protect 50,000 lives a year starting today.'

Pro-abortion rights advocates marching against Florida's six-week abortion ban which takes effect on Wednesday. Advocates have collected enough signatures for an abortion rights measure on the November ballot in the state

In Michigan, Whitmer called on Republican and Independent voters who supporter abortion access in the battleground state in the midterms to join her again this election year. She said work is not done.

Whitmer was joined by several women at her roundtable including family medicine physician Dr. Aisha Harris who said 'tying the doctors hands behind their backs when they want to provide something is not going to be safe for people.'
Humza Yousaf today survived a no-confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament as the SNP dodged having to face a Holyrood election.

Scottish Labour had tabled a motion of no confidence in Mr Yousaf's Scottish Government in the wake of the SNP's meltdown.

But it was defeated by 70 votes against to 58 votes in favour, with no abstentions, in the Holyrood chamber this afternoon.

It means Mr Yousaf - who has announced his intention to resign but wants to hang on until his replacement is chosen - escaped having to quit as First Minister immediately.

The SNP also avoided having to scramble to find a new leader within 28 days under the threat of being plunged into a snap Scottish Parliament election.

Mr Yousaf won today's vote after being backed by the Scottish Greens, despite him having last week junked a power-sharing deal with the pro-independence party.

The result served as a reminder that any new SNP leader will still have to rely on friendly relations with the Greens, even if the 2021 Bute House deal has ended.

In a debate on today's no confidence motion, prior to the vote, the SNP were mocked for attempting to replace Mr Yousaf with party veteran John Swinney.

Mr Swinney has already had a four-year stint as SNP leader and was most recently Nicola Sturgeon's deputy first minister from 2014 to last year.

During that time, he also had a beleaguered spell as Scotland's education secretary.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross told MSPs: 'If John Swinney is successful, we face the dreadful prospect of Nicola Sturgeon's prodigy being replace by Nicola Sturgeon's right-hand man.

'Of going from the man who ruined Scotland's NHS to the man who ruined Scotland's education system. Of going from one failed leader to a leader who has already failed.'

Humza Yousaf today survived a no-confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament as the SNP dodged having to face a Holyrood election

A no-confidence motion was defeated by 70 votes against to 58 votes in favour, with no abstentions, in the Holyrood chamber

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross mocked the SNP for attempting to replace Mr Yousaf as First Minister with party veteran John Swinney

Both Kate Forbes and Mr Swinney are continuing to weigh up whether to stand as Mr Yousaf's replacement as SNP leader and First Minister

If today's motion had been passed by MSPs, it would have compelled Mr Yousaf to resign as First Minister immediately under the terms of the Scotland Act.

Holyrood would then have been given 28 days to elect a new First Minister as Mr Yousaf's replacement before an election was called.

Although he has already announced his decision to stand down, Mr Yousaf plans to hang on as First Minister until a new SNP leader is chosen.

Many in the SNP fear that could be a drawn-out and divisive process with both Mr Swinney and Kate Forbes continuing to weigh up whether to stand.

If both decide to run for the leadership, the SNP could be plunged into another bitter contest - little more than a year after the brutal battle that saw Mr Yousaf elected.

During the debate on the no-confidence motion, Mr Ross was forced to apologise to Mr Swinney after he referred to the former deputy first minister as 'not so honest John'.

Alison Johnstone, the Presiding Officer, stopped Mr Ross to demand he apologise for the remarks.

The Scottish Tory leader was first reprimanded for referring to Mr Swinney as 'honest John'.

But when Ms Johnstone reminded him not to use nicknames, Mr Ross said: 'Oh sorry, I thought it was on accuracy because it would be not so honest John with some of the things we've heard recently.'

He then added: 'I will apologise. I'm very sorry for any hurt caused.'

Today's no confidence motion was tabled by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar after Mr Yousaf last week terminated a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens and vowed to lead a minority administration.

That move blew up in Mr Yousaf's face after the Scottish Greens then turned on him by vowing to vote against him at Holyrood, which prompted his decision to quit.

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said in today's debate there was 'no ill-will' towards Mr Yousaf.

He also lashed out at Scottish Labour for pressing ahead with the no-confidence motion despite Mr Yousaf having already announced his departure.

Mr Harvie said: 'This proposal portrays the true motives of others: chaos for the sake of chaos.'

He added: 'Let's just consider what would happen if it passed.

'A month to seek another government, then an election around the time that voters around the country were heading off on their summer holidays, a new government formed perhaps by August  leaving just a little more than a year-and-a-half until the legally required dissolution for the 2026 election.'

Today's no confidence motion was tabled by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar after Mr Yousaf last week terminated a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens

Prior to the vote, Mr Sarwar said he wanted to use the motion to highlight the need for a Scottish Parliament election following the turmoil in the SNP.

He added that the 'genie was out of the bottle' for the SNP, adding: 'I think this is a dysfunctional, chaotic, divided political party.'

The decision to press ahead with the vote, he said, was a 'point of principle', adding: 'We also want to highlight the democratic deficit as they themselves described it when they were talking about Westminster and the Conservatives.'

Mr Sarwar said he was 'desperate' for a Scottish election alongside a Westminster general election, set to be held later this year, adding his party was 'ready for elections'.

Mr Ross earlier withdrew a motion of no confidence specifically in the First Minister following Mr Yousaf's decision to stand down.

Declaring 'job done', Mr Ross added: 'I'm delighted that the Scottish Conservative motion of no confidence in Humza Yousaf achieved its purpose by forcing him to resign.

'While, on a personal level, I wish him well for the future, he was a disaster as First Minister and it's in Scotland's interests that he goes.'

Neither Mr Swinney nor Ms Forbes - who came a close second to Mr Yousaf in last year's SNP leadership contest - have yet to confirm if they will run.

A new poll suggested Ms Forbes, the former finance secretary, is the most popular candidate to succeed Mr Yousaf among the Scottish public

But Mr Swinney, the former deputy first minister, is better liked among SNP supporters.

When asked who the best candidate for Scotland's next first minister would be, research by Ipsos found 26 per cent backed Ms Forbes, with 20 per cent supporting Mr Swinney.

However among SNP voters, 30 per cent preferred Mr Swinney  who served as Nicola Sturgeon's deputy first minister for more than eight years  while 21 per cent opted for Ms Forbes.

Allies of Ms Forbes have branded Mr Swinney a 'Sturgeon apologist' and 'continuity' option.

The two politicians clashed bitterly during the last campaign, when Mr Swinney said Ms Forbes - a devout Christian - was not an 'appropriate' person to be leader due to her opposition to gay marriage.
Milton Keynes City Council has forked out more than 100,000 in the past two years to compensate drivers for car damage caused by potholes - as opposition councillors rage that the money should be used to simply repair the roads.

The council in Buckinghamshire paid motorists a whopping 82,000 in 2022 and a further 22,000 last year, according to a Freedom of Information request.

Conservative councillors in Milton Keynes say they're disappointed that the money was not spent to improve the city's infrastructure instead.

Tory councillor and transport spokesperson Liam Andrews said: 'The consistent disregard for taxpayers money by our Labour-led Council is clear for all to see.

'We have called on the Council to take a more strategic approach to pothole repairs but weve seen no plan, and individual pothole repairs have fallen dramatically.'

He added: 'The Conservative Government has committed an additional 25million for our roads over 10 years, on top of existing funding, but seem to be wasting it.

'If the Council was more focused on getting the work done, residents wouldnt have to go through the stress of getting their cars fixed and having to claim. And taxpayers money could actually be spent on the citys priorities,' he told the Citizen.

Tory councillor Liam Andrews called the payments a 'consistent disregard for taxpayers money by our Labour-led council'

Meanwhile, Labour Councillor Jennifer Wilson-Marklew says Milton Keynes has been recognised for having some of the best quality roads in the country - despite receiving less money from central government year on year

Labour Councillor Jennifer Wilson-Marklew said: ''We spend an awful lot of money fixing potholes, but something that sits underneath that is that we need to be resurfacing the roads more regularly.

'And because of government cuts, we're not doing that as much as we'd like to.

'We are not able to fix every pothole, but Milton Keynes has been recognised for having some of the best quality roads in the country and this is despite receiving less money from central government year on year.'

A total of 15,301 potholes have been repaired across Milton Keynes throughout the council year.

Milton Keynes's eye-watering payments come just days after it was revealed that potholes on British roads are costing the economy 14 billion - and may take 11 years to fix.

Research undertaken by the Centre for Economics and Business Research revealed that damage and accidents caused by potholes, as well as congestion, all contributed to the eyewatering bill footed by Britons every year.

Emissions related to severe changes in speed to avoid potholes also contributed to the 14bn they cost the UK.

A similar report published last month by the Asphalt Industry Alliance corroborated that the crumbling state of Britain's roads have caused the cost of the pothole backlog to rise by nearly 1.5bn since last year.

The Daily Mail is currently campaigning for an end to the nation's pothole plague, which is costing drivers millions in repair bills and putting cyclists' lives at risk.

Overall, the AIA found there were 8,000 fewer miles of road classified as 'good' compared with last year, a fall of 4 per cent.

And one in every nine miles of local road is now in 'poor condition' and likely to require maintenance in the next 12 months.

Despite the deteriorating state of the nation's roads, only 1.4million potholes were filled in 2022/3, down from 1.7million in the previous year.

The AIA's Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey found shortfalls in pothole repair budgets among local authorities had reached a record high.

Councils in England and Wales said they only received two-thirds of what they needed during the current financial year to stop local roads further deteriorating, the ALARM survey found.

Meanwhile, the compensation paid out for accidents and damage caused by poorly maintained roads has risen from 8.9million to 11.6million  despite the number of submitted claims falling.
A former Hamas hostage whose U.S. citizen husband is still captured by the terrorist organization in Gaza has spoken out after seeing proof that he is still alive.

'I feel like I'm broken up into pieces,' said the devastated wife of Keith Siegel, whose proof-of-life video was released just days ago during the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Keith Siegel has been held by Hamas for 207 days. He sobbed in the heartbreaking video released by Hamas to prove the U.S. citizen is still alive.

South African-Israeli Aviva Siegel told CBS: 'I know that Keith has had enough. My family has had enough. My country has had enough.

Aviva Siegel, a former Hamas hostage whose U.S. citizen husband is still captured by the terrorist organization has spoken out

Keith Siegel has been held by Hamas for 207 days - he sobbed in the heartbreaking video released by Hamas to prove the U.S. citizen is still alive

'Seeing my father today only emphasizes to all of us how much we must reach a deal as soon as possible and bring everyone home,' Elan Tiv, Aviva and Keith's 33-year-old daughter, says in a video message response to seeing Keith Siegel's proof of life video

Siegel was a hostage herself - but was freed 51 days after being kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. Keith was left behind and it has been over 150 days since she has seen her husband.

Aviva Siegel was forcibly taken from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where she and her husband lived for 40 years.

Her son, Elan, previously revealed that she worked closely with doctors to help sick children from both Israel and Palestine.

In an interview with NPR, Siegel said that until the video of her husband was released on Saturday, she had no idea if he was still alive.

'I want to tell my family that I love you very much,' Keith says in the video. 'It's important to me that you know I'm okay, and I really hope you are too.'

'Seeing my father today only emphasizes to all of us how much we must reach a deal as soon as possible and bring everyone home,' Elan Tiv, Aviva and Keith's 33-year-old daughter, says in a video message released by the mother and daughter in response to Saturday's proof-of-life video.

'I demand that the leaders of this country watch this video and see their own father crying out for help.'

Aviva Siegel previously told hostage relatives and members of Israel's war cabinet how guards had broken her husband's ribs and described how he languishes in prison 'barely' able to sit or eat.

Siegel and her daughter met face-to-face with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Tiv said she felt 'grateful' to be in the room with Blinken. She said they all feel, including American citizens and Israel, 'really grateful for what the United States has been doing.'

Keith Siegel (pictured, in Saturday's video) was kidnapped by Hamas at his home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the October 7 attacks

In an interview with NPR, Aviva Siegel said that until the video of her husband was released on Saturday, she had no idea if he was still alive

Aviva Siegel told CBS, 'I know that Keith has had enough.' 'My family has had enough. My country has had enough,' the distraught wife said

Siegel and her daughter met face-to-face with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken

Blinken landed in Israel to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the seventh time since October 7, when Hamas militants invaded Israel.

The Secretary of State is determined to get a ceasefire and spoke with Netanyahu about increasing humanitarian aid and negotiating a deal to release American hostages of Hamas.

'No delays, no excuses. The time is now,' Blinken said at a press conference alongside Israel's President Isaac Herzog.

Israel said that it has taken steps to allow more aid in by land and by sea - but the UN are still warning that famine is coming, while Netanyahu says the military's invasion of Rafah will happen soon.

The current round of talks appears to be serious, but the sides remain far apart on one key issue - whether the war should end as part of an emerging deal.

Blinken told Israeli President Isaac Herzog at a meeting in Tel Aviv today: 'We are determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home and to get it now, and the only reason that that wouldn't be achieved is because of Hamas.

'There is a proposal on the table, and, as we've said, no delays, no excuses.'

The deal would also allow much-needed food, medicine and water to get into Gaza, he said. The US politician described the deal as 'extraordinarily generous' and said Hamas would bear the blame for any failure to get a deal off the ground.

But the terror group has accused Blinken of unfairly putting the blame for the delayed ceasefire agreement on them and pressuring them into giving in

Meanwhile, back in the U.S. chaos is unraveling at college campuses across the country as pro-Palestine and pro-Israel activists descend into 'all-out brawls.'

There has been mayhem at college campuses across the country, including at Columbia University in New York City, where after activists ignored pleas to dismantle their camps, the police were forced to move in and arrest students.

Columbia University protesters smashed windows, upended furniture and caused damage throughout Hamilton Hall during the occupation before police stormed the campus and arrested more than 100 protesters Tuesday night.

Around 40 protesters were arrested on the first floor of the building after police swooped just after 9pm ending the pro-Palestine encampment that stretched on for nearly two weeks and included students taking over the hall.

Pictures and video taken of the aftermath show the hall's trashed interior strewn with activists' belongings.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik called in the NYPD in to 'restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests which also included a massive encampment at the school

Images and video showed extensive damage to Hamilton Hall after protesters were evicted on Tuesday night

Columbia's President Minouche Shafik called in the NYPD in to 'restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests, which also included a massive encampment on the school's lawns.

The raid saw demonstrators arrested across the campus and at nearby City College New York, where similar protests unfolded.

Trouble ensued deep into the night on campus at UCLA as pro and anti-Israel protesters clashed in scenes of 'horrific acts of violence' that devolved into 'all-out brawls' which also saw a firework thrown into a crowd of people.

The violence at UCLA began when a group of pro-Israel activists showed up on campus with the intention of removing the anti-Israel and pro Palestine camp, reports KTLA.
Here are some of the best fast food deals from Taco Bell, Chipotle and others

Americans will celebrate Cinco de Mayo on Sunday with margaritas and tacos

Fast food lovers can start planning their Cinco de Mayo celebrations this year by scoping out these cut-price deals.

Cinco de Mayo - the May 5 holiday commemorating the Mexican Army's win over the French Army during the Battle of Puebla in 1862 - is this Sunday.

What started as a historical celebration is now best known as an excuse to throw back margaritas and tacos.

Here are some of the best deals on offer.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell Rewards members will be able to purchase five crunchy or soft tacos for only $5 on Sunday. This promotion is limited to one per customer

Taco Bell Rewards members will get to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the restaurant chain's famous tacos.

This year, consumers in the Taco Bell Rewards program can purchase five crunchy or soft tacos for just $5.

Rewards members who want to obtain this deal must order online or through Taco Bell's mobile app. The promotion is limited to one per customer.

Chipotle

Chipotle customers who order any of the restaurant chain's menu items online or on the app will not have to pay a delivery fee from now until May 5

Chipotle started its special Cinco de Mayo promotion today and it will be available to all of the chain's customers - not just its rewards members.

Guests who are hoping to enjoy menu items like tacos or burrito bowls at home can order them online or on the Chipotle app, without having to pay a delivery fee.

This limited-time promotion will end on May 5. Customers must use CINCO24 when ordering.

El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco customers will have the chance to participate in one of the restaurant chain's deals that are being offered from May 3 to May 5

El Pollo Loco's LOCO Rewards members will get to choose between multiple Cinco de Mayo deals at the restaurant starting on May 3.

Members who purchase a Carnitas Stuffed Quesadilla will receive a second one for free this Friday.

Those who hope to receive more free items can order a Carnitas Tacos Combo and receive two Carnitas Tacos for free.

Consumers can then celebrate the May 5 holiday by ordering at least $10 worth of El Pollo Loco food on the app.

They will receive two free Shredded Chicken Crunchy Tacos without having to pay a delivery fee.

LOCO Rewards members can even obtain a $20 off catering order if they place one that's worth $100 or more this week, and all customers who purchase a $50 gift card will receive a $10 eBonus card.

On The Border

Guests who eat at any On The Border restaurant can enjoy $5 specials on drinks like the Cinco Rita and Mexican draft beer

On The Border customers can enjoy a variety of drink deals starting today that will last until May 5.

Guests can enjoy $5 specials on drinks like the Cinco Rita and Mexican draft beer.

The restaurant chain is also offering a daily premium drink special starting at $9.99, featuring drinks like the Pineapple Rita, The Perfect Patron, and the 1800 Meltdowns.

Customers who aren't hyped about the drink deals can order On The Border's signature queso, which, like the Cinco Rita and Mexican draft beer, only costs $5.

Taco John's

Taco John's restaurants will offer their guests a free Taco Bravo with a purchase of $5 or more on Cinco de Mayo

Taco John's restaurants will be offering their customers a taco deal for one day only - May 5.

On Cinco de Mayo, guests can enjoy a free Taco Bravo at any US location with a purchase of $5 or more.

To get this one-day deal, you must join or be part of the restaurant chain's loyalty program by May 4.

Ch u y's

Guests who dine in at Chuy's restaurants can purchase a Regular House 'Rita in any flavor for $6 on May 5

According to Chuy's website, Cinco de Mayo is 'a day so full of fun and flavor,' and customers will have no better choice than to fill their cups and 'lift 'em up and live it up.'

Chuy's locations will be helping customers do so on May 5 by offering special food and drink deals for anyone who eats at the restaurant.

Chuy's will be offering its guests $6 Regular House 'Rita's and $10 Grande House 'Ritas.

Guests who are hoping for a little extra alcohol in their margaritas can ask their server for a $1 tequila floater.

For anyone that is looking to get a great foo deal instead can order their Chips 'N' Dips with Queso, Queso Compuesto, Lil' Chuy Gooey. or the Boom-Boom Pow for $5.

Tijuana Flats

Tijuana Flats restaurants are offering discounts on several menu items, including their famous Mexican Pizza. The discounted prices will run from May 3 to May 5

The Tijuana Flats restaurant chain is not letting their declaring bankruptcy ruin Cinco de Mayo.

Tijuana Flats locations is celebrating the holiday all month long with specials on menu items like enchiladas and Mexican Pizza.

Several menu items will be available for guests to purchase for only $5 from May 3 to May 5, and the restaurant chain will also offer $5 discounts.

Consumers who do not want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at the restaurant can purchase a Tijuana Flats Fiesta Bundle Meal Kits for $46.99.

Hooters

Various Hooters locations in Southern Florida will offer a combo deal that has two Legendary "83" Margaritas and a plate of Tex-Mex Nachos for $20

Chicken wings are one of Hooters' popular food orders, but it may not be a popular menu item that night at their Southern Florida locations.

According to WFLA, the restaurant chain will be offering a combo deal that has two Legendary "83" Margaritas and a plate of Tex-Mex Nachos for $20.

This special will be applied to guests who dine at one of the participating restaurants.

Customers outside of that area are advised to call the nearest Hooters restaurant to see if that drink deal applies to that restaurant.

Moe's Southwest Grill

Guests who are rewards members at Moe's Southwest Grill can build their own burritos and bowls for $5.55 on Cinco de Mayo

On Sunday, Moe's Southwest Grill Rewards members can enjoy Build-Your-Own Burritos and Bowls for only $5.55.

The restaurant chain confirmed in a Facebook post that the deal will only be available for rewards members at participating locations.

Orders that qualify for this Moe's Southwest Grill holiday deal include the Homewrecker, the Moe Meat Moe Cheese, and the Edgy Veggie.

Dave & Buster's

Dave & Buster's, a popular family-fun business, will offer its restaurant guests a Tres Tequila Rita Margarita for $5 on Sunday

Dave & Buster's locations are known for their enormous arcades and spacious restaurants.

This Sunday, guests who walk into its restaurants, and order a Tres Tequila Rita Margarita for only $5.

El Torito

El Torito restaurants will be offering an all-day Happy Hour on May 3 and May 4 and an All-You-Can-Eat Brunch on May 5

El Torito restaurants will celebrate Cinco de Mayo from May 3 to May 5 with their famous food and drinks.

Guests can walk in and enjoy an all-day Happy Hour on May 3 and May 4, which includes $4 to $10 specials.

Customers hoping to get their grub on for a discounted price will likely enjoy the chain's All-You-Can-Eat Brunch offer in the morning on May 5.

The restaurant will keep the party going on May 5 by offering drink specials and $4 tacos all afternoon and evening.

Del Taco

Del Taco reward members will get a free burrito when they spend $10 or more on an order from May 3 to May 5

From May 3 to May 5, Del Taco will offer rewards members incredible deals to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Guests who are Del Yeah! Rewards members can get a free burrito when they spend $10 or more.

Customers who aren't looking to dine-in at any Del Taco location can enjoy not having a delivery fee as long as they spend $15 or more on an online order.

Torchy's Tacos

Torchy's Tacos has been promoting giveaways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo on its Instagram account. Their prizes include a Yeti Red Cooler and a $500 Torchy's Tacos gift card

Torchy's Tacos began offering special promotions in April and the restaurant chain is giving its guests the chance to win fun merchandise.

The restaurant chain is giving its customers the chance to win items like a Yeti Red Cooler and a $500 Torchy's Tacos gift card.

An Instagram post made by Torchy's Tacos last week indicated that the giveaways will last until May 5.
A Christian headteacher who was banned from teaching for 'misgendering' a pupil who identified as male had his rights to freedom of speech and religion infringed upon by the ban, the High Court has heard.

Joshua Sutcliffe is pursuing an appeal against a May 2023 prohibition order issued after he was found guilty of 'unacceptable professional conduct' while working at The Cherwell School in Oxford between 2015 and 2018.

At a hearing in London today, Mr Sutcliffe's lawyers argued the decision to ban him, which may be reviewed after two years, featured an 'unjustified interference', was 'unsafe' and included 'perverse' findings.

A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel concluded last year that he did not treat a transgender student with 'dignity and respect' by failing to use their 'preferred pronoun' in class and while appearing on ITV's This Morning.

It also found Mr Sutcliffe failed to safeguard pupils' wellbeing when saying God had stopped a person from being gay because it was wrong, and deemed him 'unprofessional' for sharing his religious beliefs in class.

Joshua Sutcliffe (pictured May 2023) was banned from teaching after he misgendered a pupil

Mr Sutcliffe's ban is based on events that date back to 2017 when he was sacked from Cherwell School, a state secondary in Oxford, after praising a group of students during a maths lesson by saying: 'Well done, girls.'

The 33-year-old admitted he failed to use the preferred male pronouns of a trans pupil, but he claimed this was unintentional and he apologised immediately.

Appealing the decision this week, Mr Sutcliffe's lawyers told the court on Wednesday that there is, regardless, 'no legal requirement to use preferred pronouns' and that Mr Sutcliffe had a right 'not to believe gender identity belief'.

Mr Sutcliffe wrote on Twitter/X today: 'It is an important day for freedom in the U.K.

'This perverse decision by the TRA must be overturned. Very grateful for the ongoing support of Christian Concern.'

The Department for Education (DfE), which accepted the TRA's recommendation to ban Mr Sutcliffe, opposes the appeal bid, arguing it has been brought too late and has 'no merit'.

Government lawyers said the banned teacher had failed 'to distinguish between his role as a teacher and his activities as a preacher'.

Michael Phillips, representing Mr Sutcliffe, said in written arguments that the teacher believed that 'one's biological sex is an immutable and essential aspect of one's personhood and to tamper with it is a denial of something sacred'.

Such a belief was legally protected, as was 'the conviction that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman, and opposition to homosexual unions', the court was told.

Mr Phillips said it was a breach of Mr Sutcliffe's rights to find that he was required to use 'preferred pronouns' and was not allowed to talk about 'the protected characteristic of "ex-homosexual"' nor show a video on masculinity without debate.

He said teachers had a discretion over what to teach in form time but there was no obligation to hold debate on alternative views.

Mr Phillips added that there was no evidence of any harm to pupils over the video incident, and that there was an obligation 'to expose pupils to ideas that they might not agree with in order to equip them for life'.

The barrister said the transgender student's alleged 'adverse mental health' was not solely due to the use of pronouns, with the TRA being 'wrong' to find using 'preferred pronouns' was in his 'best interests'.

Mr Sutcliffe was found not to have acted 'maliciously', was a 'competent' teacher and showed 'high standards' in his personal life, the court was told.

A judge heard he had previously adopted a 'compromise' of referring to students by their name.

The TRA wrongly analysed his case and refused to recognise his 'conscientious objection' to 'compelled transgender pronoun use' which meant 'his only recourse was to change his job', Mr Phillips said.

Iain Steele, for the DfE, said in written arguments that the TRA had 'correctly considered' Mr Sutcliffe's case.

'He seeks to make this a case about freedom of religion and freedom of expression, but in truth it is a case about a serious failure to treat pupils with dignity and respect and to safeguard their wellbeing,' he said.

Mr Sutcliffe's ban is based on events that date back to 2017 when he was sacked from Cherwell School, a state secondary in Oxford

The TRA found the incidents at the Oxford school had an 'adverse effect' on the transgender pupil's health and attendance and Mr Sutcliffe 'failed even to consider what was in the best interests' of the student, the court was told.

Mr Steele said: 'There is no issue of "compelled" use of preferred pronouns or violation of "conscientious objection" to using them.'

On the masculinity video, Mr Steele said Mr Sutcliffe was not banned from expressing his views 'but needed to have regard to the potential negative impact on pupils and take steps to mitigate this'.

'The appellant failed to provide any opportunity for discussion or the sharing of differing views or perspectives,' he added.

The lawyer said Mr Sutcliffe's 'level of insight and remorse was at best limited', with the panel being 'entitled to find that there was a serious risk of the appellant repeating the same type of misconduct'.

The hearing before Mr Justice Pepperall is due to conclude on Wednesday.
A Florida man was caught disguising himself as a woman in a hilarious wig and dress to evade cops after an alleged boat theft.

Joshua Kolotka, 33, was spotted leaving a house dressed as woman while deputies were investigating a theft in Lakeport last Wednesday, according to the Glade County Sheriff's Office.

The 33-year-old man is seen sporting a white cardigan on top of a blue patterned midi dress, sunglasses, and a hilarious blonde short wig in a photo shared by the sheriff's office.

He was arrested on the scene immediately and booked into the Glades County Jail on no bond, authorities said.

Joshua Kolotka, 33, is seen sporting a white cardigan on top of a blue patterned midi dress, sunglasses, and a hilarious blonde short wig in a photo shared by the sheriff's office

On Thursday, officers released a mugshot revealing him with a buzz cut, devoid of any disguise

The investigation stemmed from a recovered stolen boat located at the Old Caloosa Lodge in Lakeport.

But when deputies started canvassing the area in search for the suspect, described as a 33-year-old white male, they stumbled upon a peculiar scene.

'They observed Joshua Kolotka exiting a residence dressed as a woman in an attempt to disguise himself,' the sheriff's office wrote in a release.

He was arrested for two Okeechobee County warrants, along with the theft of a John Deere Gator and the stolen boat.

On Thursday, officers released a photo featuring Kolotka in a blonde wig, alongside a mugshot revealing him with a buzz cut, devoid of any disguise.

Authorities added that numerous other items, possibly stolen from the same area, were located on-scene.

He was arrested for two Okeechobee County warrants, along with the theft of a John Deere Gator(pictured in a stock image above) and the stolen boat

The post garnered significant attention from social media users, who were shocked by Kolotka's attempt to evade law enforcement

The Glades County Sheriffs Office is working with the Seminole Police Department to identify some of the stolen items from other theft cases in that area, they said.

The post garnered significant attention from social media users, who were shocked by Kolotka's attempt to evade law enforcement.

One person joked: 'He did make a pretty girl' with another user saying: 'The real culprit is his stylist!'

Numerous users also expressed gratitude to deputies, as one said: 'Oh my goodness the things you all must come across on a daily basis!! Be safe and thank you for all you do.'
NYC cops ripped down a Palestine flag that had replaced the Stars and Stripes

New York City cops ripped down a Palestine flag that had been hoisted above City College and replaced it with the American flag, after officers arrested nearly 300 people in a night of chaos on campuses throughout the city.

The NYPD's deputy commissioner for operations Kaz Daughtry called it a 'proud moment' as the officers raised Old Glory on the Harlem campus.

Footage taken on the ground shows one officer tossing the flag aside before raising the Star-Spangled Banner on the flagpole.

173 people were arrested from City College, in Harlem, while 119 were arrested at Columbia on charges of trespassing, criminal mischief and burglary.

Hundreds of officers stormed Columbia, with officers going through an upstairs window of Hamilton Hall, after students barricaded themselves inside.

Protestors, many of whom covered their faces with masks or keffiyehs, were then marched out unmasked and loaded onto three awaiting NYPD buses.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning, Mayor Eric Adams berated the schools for allowing the flying of the flag.

Footage taken on the ground shows one officer tossing the flag aside before later raising Old Glory on the flagpole

Protestors at City College had raised a Palestine flag on the campus, which officers last night replaced with the stars and stripes

NYPD cops dressed in riot gear stormed through the window of a Columbia University building occupied by dozens of pro-Palestine protesters to begin clearing them out

He said: 'That's our flag folks, it might be fine to some people but not to me. My uncle died defending this country.

'It's despicable that schools will allow another country's flag to fly in our country. So blame me for being proud to be American. We are not surrendering our way of life.'

Adams also blamed 'outside agitators' for 'training and co-opting' what was a peaceful protest and turning it into something potentially violent.

Mayor Adams later told CBS Mornings: 'Once the Columbia University team and leadership in their letter acknowledging that outside agitators were on their campus grounds, we looked at our intel and information.

'I was briefed by the intelligence division and they were able to identify organizations and individuals who were not students but were professional agitators.

'We realized after the breaking into Hamilton Hall, some of the tactics, some of the methods, these are clearly being used across the globe and we understood how really dangerous this situation had become.'

Adams said that one person identified by authorities was 'married to someone that was arrested for terrorism' but would not elaborate further when questioned.

During a press conference, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban showed off one of the chains used to secure Hamilton Hall, saying it explained why it was necessary for police to storm the building.

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon directed at the University community, President Shafik praised the NYPD.

Shafik said: 'Early Tuesday morning, tensions on our campus rose to new heights when a small group of protestors broke into Hamilton Hall, barricaded themselves inside, and occupied it throughout the day.

'This drastic escalation of many months of protest activity pushed the University to the brink, creating a disruptive environment for everyone and raising safety risks to an intolerable level.

'I made the decision to ask the New York City Police Department to intervene to end the occupation of Hamilton Hall and dismantle the main encampment along with a new, smaller encampment.

'These actions were completed Tuesday night, and I thank the NYPD for their incredible professionalism and support.'

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, right, and Mayor Eric Adams, left, appear at a press conference as Caban holds up chains and a lock removed by officers during their operation to clear protestors from Columbia University

173 people were arrested from City College, in Harlem, while 119 were arrested at Columbia on charges of trespassing, criminal mischief and burglary

Protestors, many of whom covered their faces with masks or keffiyehs, were marched out unmasked and loaded onto three awaiting NYPD buses

Hundreds of officers stormed the campus, with officers going through an upstairs window at the historic building, after students barricaded the entrance

NYPD bus carries arrested students at Columbia University in New York City on April 30

Police said that between 40 and 50 of those arrested at Columbia had been inside the occupied building on the campus.

Footage taken last night shows lines of protestors lined up with handcuffs as officers in riot gear escort them onto awaiting transport.

As the buses left the scene crowds that had gathered to watch cheered as the protestors were finally led away from the university.

The NYPD said that those who occupied Hamilton Hall would be charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing.

Those who had been camped out on the lawn at the university meanwhile would face trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

Even though the crowds have now been dispersed a police presence would remain for a further two weeks.

Former President Donald Trump told a group of his supporters in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Wednesday: 'It was a beautiful thing to watch. New Yorks finest.

'You saw them go up in ladders, theyre breaking the windows and getting in and thats dangerous. And they went in, they knocked it out and they were incredible.'

In a post to Truth Social hours before, he also said: 'New York City's Finest have been incredibleits not over yet, but the way they walked in, they were not afraid of anything.'

Pictures and video taken of the aftermath show the hall's trashed interior strewn with activists' belongings.

Pictures show how chairs and desks had been turned upside down to become makeshift barriers inside Hamilton Hall. The cost of damage to the building is likely to total thousands of dollars.

The occupation followed weeks of unrest at Columbia, which began with the establishment of the encampment on April 17.

Protesters set up tents after Shafik was grilled before Congress about anti-Semitism on campus.

They repeatedly ignored calls to disband, with the demonstrations ramping up early Tuesday with the violent takeover of Hamilton Hall.

After two weeks of chaos, which saw classes moved online and facilities shuttered, Shafik finally called in the police who managed to clear out the campus in just two hours.

The NYPD announced that it had cleared the building just before 11pm with no injuries.

Hours earlier, video showed cops sporting riot gear descending on the campus armed with zip-tie handcuffs and pepper spray.

Until Tuesday, Shafik had held off asking police to intervene following backlash to the decision to use law enforcement to disperse a previous encampment.

However, the decision to call the NYPD was taken after the increasingly violent tactics and concerns the protest had been infiltrated by 'outside agitators' with no ties to the university.

Police use a vehicle named 'the bear' to enter Hamilton Hall from a public street, which was occupied by protesters, as other officers enter the campus of Columbia University

NYPD riot cops released dramatic video showing the moment they stormed Columbia University's occupied Hamilton Hall

Images and video showed extensive damage to Hamilton Hall after protesters were evicted on Tuesday night

Columbia University protesters smashed windows, upended furniture and caused damage throughout Hamilton Hall amid their brief occupation

In a statement, the university said the decision to call in police was, 'made to restore safety and order to our community'.

'We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions,' the statement read.

'After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice.

'Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.'

Protesters have been demanding the college divest from companies with links to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas.

They have taken inspiration from previous student-led protests, such as the successful 1985 campaign to get the university to divest from South Africa 's apartheid regime.

NYPD officers arrive in riot gear to evict a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University

Windows were left shattered and furniture over turned as protesters used the office supplies to create makeshift barriers

Members of the NYPD prepared to enter Columbia University campus after protestors took over Hamilton Hall overnight yesterday

Members of the NYPD surround and breach Hamilton Hall where demonstrators barricaded themselves inside on the Columbia University campus on April 30, 2024 in New York City

Shafik has so far rejected calls for an Israeli divestment, but said the issue could be reviewed by the school's Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing.

However, the offer was deemed insufficient by the protesters and the demonstrations went ahead.

The clearing of the demonstrations is by no means the end of the problems being faced by the beleaguered Shafik.

Shortly after police began their raid, her own faculty released a statement condemning the decision and blaming her administration for allowing tensions to reach a boiling point.

Many Jewish students and their supporters are angry that it took so long for officials to crack down on the protests amid allegations of anti-Semitism.

The demonstrations also came at a time when many students were cramming for finals, causing maximum disruption.

Police were first called to Columbia on April 18 and made more than 100 arrests.

However, a new encampment soon sprouted up to replace it which remained for a further two weeks. Similar demonstrations cropped at other universities across the country, which have also since been shut down.

Protestors and students face off with the NYPD at Columbia University. SWAT MRAP approaches Hamilton hall

Cops were armed with zip ties and pepper spray as they stormed the campus at around 9.3-pm on Tuesday

The police operation was concluded within around two hours of cops storming the campus

Columbia President Minouche Shafik called in the NYPD in to 'restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests which also included a massive encampment at the school

Officers with the New York Police Department raid the encampment by pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday

At the same time police were flooding Columbia, they were also pouring onto another campus in the Big Apple.

Protesters threw flares and barricaded themselves inside an administrative building at the City University of New York, about 20 blocks north of Columbia University.

NYPD officers moved in after 9.30pm to disperse crowds outside as flares turned the college's famous arch red and protestors chanted and waved flags in support of Gaza.

At a press conference before the raids, NYPD Assistant Commissioner Rebecca Weiner warned the protest had been co-opted by external agitators who were not affiliated with the university.

She stressed the occupation had the potential to spill into other campus buildings, as well as other universities across the country.

'This is not about what's happening overseas, it's not about the last seven months, it's about a very different commitment to at times violent protest activity as an occupation,' she said.

'They haven't got a right to be on campus and this violates university polices and most importantly, presents a danger to students and the university and communities.

'When we see what we saw last night, we think these tactics are a result of guidance being given to students from these external actors.'
Parker's parents believe their son's death was preventable and have filled a civil lawsuit and are pushing for criminal charges

A young college graduate has become the fourteenth person to fall to his death over a perilous Santa Barbara cliff.

Jacob Parker, a recent graduate of the University of California, tripped over a concrete balcony fence and fell fifty feet to his death at the bottom of Isla Vista's cliffs.

The 23-year-old become the fourteenth person to do so in the last thirty years, Fox News reported.

The tragedy occurred two weeks ago when Parker was celebrating at a party on Del Playa Drive, a popular area for student housing, at a house that backs up onto the cliffs.

Parker was allegedly trying to make his way through a crowd on a concrete balcony overlooking the sea, his family told Fox News.

Jacob Parker, (pictured) a recent graduate of the University of California , tripped over a concrete balcony fence and fell fifty feet to his death at the bottom of Isla Vista's cliffs

A young college graduate has become the fourteenth person to fall to his death over a perilous Santa Barbara cliff

The tragedy occurred two weeks ago when the student was celebrating at a party on Del Playa Drive

However, unable to make his way through to a gazebo Parker climbed over a 42-inch tall metal wire fence onto a 33-inch wide concrete ledge, bordered by a metal rail along the cliff's edge.

As he tried to jump back over into the party area Parker tripped and fell to his death at the bottom of the cliffs.

'He had so much potential. I was just looking forward to seeing what he would accomplish in life. This was just the beginning,' Parker's mother, Deborah, told Fox News.

Parker's parents, Deborah and George, believe their son's death was preventable.

The Parker's argue that Santa Barbara's November safety plan required all new fences to be six feet tall following a previous death of a University of Santa Barbara student last year.

The couple have filed a civil lawsuit against the city and pushing for criminal charges including involuntary manslaughter in an effort to seek justice for their son and prevent further accidents.

'I'm heartbroken. I'm crushed,' George Parker told Fox News.

'I'm at the point where this is now my work. Not just getting enforcement, but I really want to push for criminal charges.'

Parker's mother described her son as a young man with 'so much potential'

Parker climbed over a 42-inch tall metal wire fence onto a 33-inch wide concrete ledge, bordered by a metal rail along the cliff's edge

The student tragically fell fifty feet to his death over the Isla Vista cliff

Parker's mother, Deborah (left), said she was 'just looking forward to seeing what he would accomplish in life'

'I don't just want money,' George explained, 'I want people in jail.'

George called the fencing behind the Isla Vista waterfront properties as a 'clear and present danger that has been ignored' and called the cliffs a 'serial killer.'

'There is not an active criminal investigation,' the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

However, 'deputies did issue a citation on the day of the incident to the adult host of the party at the residence for a violation of 36-6 of the County code (public nuisance- see subsection c4)' the statement added.

'That report will be forwarded to the DA's Office for review soon.'

'These tragedies will continue until the county puts teeth in its enforcement of codes and standards for property owners who economically exploit students and have way too much power,' Beth Krom, the mother of another UCSB student who died in 2009 wrote on Facebook.

Adding: 'Life is cheap in Isla Vista. It breaks my heart to know that another family has been destroyed.'
A teenager with a rare degenerative disease who died fighting the NHS' bid to withdraw treatment have brought a Court of Appeal bid about her ability to have made her own medical decisions.

Sudiksha Thirumalesh, who had a rare mitochondrial disorder, was involved in a court fight with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust before her death in September last year.

Her parents Thirumalesh Chellamal Hemachandran and Revathi Malesh Thirumalesh are now bringing a challenge to the Court of Appeal after a judge ruled the teenager was not able to make her own decisions concerning her medical treatment.

In the decision in August last year, Mrs Justice Roberts found the teenager had a 'complete inability to accept the medical reality of her position'.

But Bruno Quintavalle, representing Ms Thirumalesh's parents, told the court in London that experts had found the student had no 'impairment of the mind'.

Sudiksha Thirumalesh (pictured), who had a rare mitochondrial disorder, was involved in a court fight with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust before her death in September last year

Ms Thirumalesh was an adult and able to communicate her unwavering will to live

He said on Wednesday: 'The report shows a young woman very well aware of what she's facing, very well aware of what the medical treatments entail, and very clear that she rejects the care pathway that the hospital wanted her to accept.'

In written submissions, Mr Quintavalle continued: 'At root, all that there was... was a disagreement between Sudiksha and her treating clinicians; Sudiksha could make a decision, it was just not the decision that the trust wished her to make.'

The barrister continued that Mrs Justice Roberts's decision 'significantly expands' the reach of the law about mental capacity, adding the ruling 'risks removing capacity from a large class of patients who do not accept their doctors' diagnoses or prognoses'.

READ MORE: Fresh ordeal for grieving family of teen girl with rare degenerative disease who died fighting NHS legal battle to get doctors to withdraw treatment as they're told to repay thousands in child care benefit

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University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust is opposing the appeal.

In written submissions, the trust's barrister Vikram Sachdeva KC said the requirement for a patient to believe 'all relevant information' about their treatment does not mean they cannot disagree with a doctor's advice or take different viewpoints into account.

He said: 'Where there is medical consensus as to the consequences of having or not having treatment, this is information which a person must understand, in the sense of believing or accepting as true.

'If there is a range of credible views as the consequences of having or not having a particular treatment, then a person needs to understand that there are different views as to the consequences of having or not having treatment and to use and weigh up this information.'

The Court of Protection, the specialist family court where Ms Thirumalesh's case was heard, was previously told the teenager wanted to travel to North America for a potential clinical trial.

Mr Sachdeva said Mrs Justice Roberts had considered the medical evidence about Ms Thirumalesh's prognosis and the consequences of the potential treatment, with the judge describing the odds of her being able to undergo this treatment as 'exceptionally slim'.

The barrister continued: 'A failure to accept this relevant information as true meant that Sudiksha did not understand all relevant information and therefore was unable to make a decision for herself in relation to her treatment.'

Her parents Thirumalesh Chellamal Hemachandran and Revathi Malesh Thirumalesh are now bringing a challenge to the Court of Appeal

The hearing before Lady Justice King, Lord Justice Singh and Lord Justice Baker is due to conclude on Thursday, with a decision expected in writing at a later date.

The teenager's parents - backed by the Christian Legal Centre and leading mental health charity Mind  are continuing with their daughter's legal battle on her behalf.

'Sudiskha 100 per cent had capacity until the end and the evidence shows this. This ruling had devastated her,' her father Thirumalesh Hemachandran said.

'We are determined to get this overturned, not only to get justice for our daughter but to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else.'

The case is notable when compared to other end-of-life cases because Ms Thirumalesh, who had the same mitochondrial disorder as baby Charlie Gard, was an adult and able to communicate her unwavering will to live.

The judgement was made despite two court appointed psychiatrists stating she did have 'capacity', with one noting that she was 'comfortable, smiling, alert and in clear consciousness'.

Mental health charity Mind is intervening in the case over concerns it could have 'catastrophic' implications for others.

Lawyers at the organisation fear that the judgment made at the Court of Protection in August could set an 'erroneous precedent'.

Lyra Nightingale, senior lawyer at Mind, warns that if left to stand it could be 'dangerous' for anyone who disagrees with their doctors.

'If left intact, it could have profound implications for people both with and without mental health problems,' she said.

Ms Nightingale said: 'We do not want to see an erroneous precedent set that people who disagree with their doctors are deemed to lack mental capacity to make their own decisions.

'This would be dangerous for everyone.'

She said that whether or not someone 'believes or trusts' their doctors should never be the legal test for capacity.

The lawyer added that Mind were also hoping to establish a 'solid evidence base' for such rulings.

'It can ultimately mean the difference between whether a person can decide for themselves the way they live  and die,' she added.

'This is why Mind is involved in this case We have great concern about just how catastrophically this ruling could impact those of us with mental health problems.'

Granting leave for the appeal last November , Lady Justice King said there was a 'real prospect of an appeal succeeding and there are compelling reasons for these important issues to be considered'.
An OnlyFans model has been forced to issue an abject apology for 'insulting' Russian people and Putin's armed forces.

Olya Kasyanenko, 27, claimed Ukrainian women are more beautiful than Russian women.

She is facing a police probe over her online comments, and has been fined but may be subjected to tougher action.

In one video, she said Novorossiya - as Putin and his army call invaded regions of eastern Ukraine - 'sucks', and suggested Russians were 'freaks'.

And she alleged Russian women are 'not very pretty', while Ukrainians were a super nation.

She is originally from Makiivka in eastern Ukraine but now lives in Russian city Krasnodar, and has a Russian passport.

Olya Kasyanenko, 27, (pictured) claimed Ukrainian women are more beautiful than Russian women

She is facing a police probe over her online comments, and has been fined but may be subjected to tougher action

Kasyanenko is accused of 'inciting ethnic hatred' as well as insulting Russians and the armed forces

She said: 'There are Ukrainians in Donetsk.

'You don't understand, Ukrainians are the prettiest people.

'Ukrainian women are the most beautiful in the whole world.

'There were different bloods mixing here, and there was no such thing [in Russia].'

She laughed as she said: 'That's why such freaks came to be.'

Kasyanenko is accused of 'inciting ethnic hatred' as well as insulting Russians and the armed forces.

Pro-Kremlin news outlet Mash reported: 'Several years ago she moved to Krasnodar and became a great specialist in eugenics.

'She believes that Ukrainians are a super nation, but Russians are not.

The model initially said she was being 'sarcastic' in her comments, and expressed surprise her critics did not understand this

Reports say she was fined 780, and still faces investigation

'Even during broadcasts, she demonstrates great knowledge of history and national Ukrainian folklore.

'The Krasnodar police did not appreciate such rhetoric - now they are carefully studying her video.'

The model initially said she was being 'sarcastic' in her comments, and expressed surprise her critics did not understand this.

But later she was forced by Telegram channel Crimean Smersh - run by pro-war fanatic Alexander Talipov - to issue a humbling apology.

This channel shares personal data of people not supporting Putin's illegal invasion.

She said: 'I, Olga [Olya] Kasyanenko, born on 15 March 1997, offer my sincere apology to the citizens of the Russian Federation for discrediting the armed forces on the Internet and also demonstrating extremist symbols.'

'You don't understand, Ukrainians are the prettiest people', the OnlyFans model said

As well as being on OnlyFans, she has 120,000 followers on live streaming outlet Twitch, and 25,000 on Instagram, banned in Russia

She also expressed sorrow for 'making negative comments about the people living in different parts of Russia'.

Reports say she was fined 780, and still faces investigation.

Loyalist Tsargrad TV accused her of 'hatred of everything connected with our country'.

She said she would refuse to help a pro-Putin rebel soldier in the Donbas 'without legs or arms, even if they begged for assistance'.

As well as being on OnlyFans, she has 120,000 followers on live streaming outlet Twitch, and 25,000 on Instagram, banned in Russia.
Voters in Georgia's Republican state primary have a quirky question on this year's ballots.

As well as selecting judges and lawmakers, they get to weigh in on whether the UN will usurp the US government and order Americans around the next time a pandemic strikes.

The unusual question is attracting attention, as it's similar to conspiracy theories about the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) trampling over US sovereignty in a health crisis.

Blue-helmet troops would impose lockdowns and forcibly vaccinate millions of Americans, according to the fearmongers.

Georgia voters are weighing in on whether the UN and its health agency seek to take control in America's next health crisis

Conspiracy theorists say the UN wants to force vaccines on millions of Americans

The theory's appearance on GOP ballots adds weight to an idea that's been widely debunked.

Still, it showcases lingering concerns about vaccines and the loss of civil liberties during COVID-19, which are more pronounced among conservatives.

Georgia's Republican Party and the WHO did not answer DailyMail.com's requests for comment.

Voters in the Peach State are being asked whether 'unelected and unaccountable international bureaucrats  should have complete control over management of future pandemics in the United States.'

The ballot question names the 'UN-controlled World Health Organization' as the culprit and says it would be empowered to 'regulate your healthcare and personal health choices.'

The seven other questions focus on more mundane worries, such as voting rules, taxes, and lobbying, according to News4JAX.

Voter questions are common for both main parties' primaries in Georgia.

They are nonbinding, meaning they gauge support for policies but don't change laws.

Conservatives remain concerned about vaccine mandates and lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic

The World Health Organization Headquarters in Washington DC: conspiracy theorists worry that it would take charge in the next pandemic

They are effectively an opinion poll.

The question about the WHO managing a health crisis on US soil uses similar language to conspiracy theories that have spread on social media.

The theories went viral after UN officials announced plans for a global pandemic treaty in December 2021.

The world body seeks an international deal to strengthen pandemic response after the huge loss of life caused by COVID-19.

Drafts of the text show that it wouldn't give the WHO powers to take control in the US  or on the soil of any other member.

Jesse Bump, a Harvard University health expert, says it's only an 'attempt to encourage better performance' by governments.

That has not stopped fears about the pandemic convention swirling on social media.

An Instagram post in January warned that the deal would lead to governments losing control of their own territory.

'UN troops can be deployed on your soil to round up and forcibly vaccinate the population,' said the post.

Clips of news articles on social media have suggested the Biden administration is selling out the country.

Georgia Republican Ryan Sewell poses for a photo of his Trump buttons at the GOP presidential primary in March

'Biden Admin Negotiates Deal to Give WHO Authority Over US Pandemic Policies.' said a headline in The Epoch Times.

FactCheck, PoliticFact and other fact-checking sites have posted warnings about the theories.

They say they could undermine trust in governments and the UN.

Healthcare scares are one of the most common themes of conspiracy theories in the US, according to a survey by Oddspedia.

They are significantly more popular among Republican voters than with Democrats, researchers said.

Many conservatives railed against lockdowns and vaccine mandates in the pandemic, saying they undermined basic freedoms.

Concerns over the health downsides of vaccines, their efficacy, and the role of such health chiefs as Anthony Fauci persist to this day.

Lawmakers in Tennessee last month turned a conspiracy theory about 'chemtrail' emissions from airplanes into state law.

They passed a Republican-led bill that forbids 'intentional injection, release, or dispersion' of chemicals into the air.

Republicans are bigger fans of conspiracy theories than are Democrats, Oddspedia researchers said

COVID-era fears about the downsides of vaccines and the role of health chief Anthony Fauci persist to this day

Georgia's Republican state primary voters have already started voting on the WHO pandemic question, ahead of the May 21 election.

Three weeks of early in-person voting began on Monday.

Voters are also choosing nominees for congressional and state legislative seats, as well as for local sheriffs, district attorneys and county commissioners.

May 21 also is the general election for judicial candidates, who run on a nonpartisan basis.

Mail-in ballots were sent last week; people can continue to request a mail ballot through May 10.

Among the top races are a state supreme court contest between incumbent Justice Andrew Pinson and challenger John Barrow.

In the 3rd Congressional District, a seat is opening up as incumbent Republican US Rep. Drew Ferguson steps down.

Six Republicans seek their party's nomination to succeed him.

Runoffs will be held June 18 in races where candidates don't win a majority in May.
More than one in 10 young people who identify as LGBTQ attempted suicide in 2023, a survey from suicide prevention organization Trevor Project has found.

The survey, which focuses on the mental health of LGBTQ youth, was circulated to 18,000 people from ages 13 to 24.

Nearly 40 percent of LGBTQ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, while 46 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people between the ages of 13 and 17 had similar ideations.

Transgender men were the most at risk, with more than 50 percent of them reporting considering suicide and 18 percent of them attempting it.

Among LGBTQ teens aged 13 to 17, a total of 16 percent attempted suicide. This is higher than the average among all LGBTQ youths, which sits at 12 percent.

Nearly 40 percent of LGBTQ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year

Close to half of transgender and nonbinary young people had considered a suicide attempt in 2023

Even more troubling, half of those surveyed reported not being able to get mental health care when they needed it.

When broken down further, suicidal ideation vastly differs among different groups in the LGBTQ community.

Those identifying as pansexual had both the highest rate of considering suicide and attempting it, with gay, lesbian, bisexual and queer people reporting relatively similar rates of attempting suicide.

Across racial groups, Native American LGBTQ youth were by far and away the most likely to consider or attempt suicide, according to the survey.

The Trevor Project said that 'anti-LGBTQ+ victimization' was the main factor in young people's increased likelihood for suicide, something the organization has found in its previous surveys.

'Once again, this year's survey shows that considering or attempting suicide is not uncommon among LGBTQ+ young people,' said Dr. Ronita Nath, the Vice President of Research at the Trevor Project. 'However, many of the contributing risk factors for suicide are preventable, and often rooted in victimizing behaviors of others.'

The Trevor Project at the 2023 LA Pride Parade on June 11, 2023 in Hollywood, California

LGBTQ activists and their supporters rally in support of transgender people on the steps of New York City Hall, October 24, 2018 in New York City

From left to right: Antoni Porowski, CEO of The Trevor Project Amit Paley and Jonathan Van Ness attend TrevorLIVE NY 2019 at Cipriani Wall Street on June 17, 2019 in New York City

Victimization includes bullying, which, for those surveyed aged 13 to 17 is more prevalent because they're still in school.

Forty nine percent of youths in that age group experienced bullying because of their identity and those who were bullied were more likely to report thoughts of suicide.

The social climate in the US is something LGBTQ youth also feel victimized by, with 90 percent saying that 'their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics.'

The survey didn't go into details on what political developments these young people could be referring to, but according to the ACLU, there are 489 anti-LGBTQ bills circulating in state legislatures.

The vast majority of the bills the ACLU is tracking involve banning trans women from female school sports. Others bills mandate that those who seek gender reassignment surgery reach the age of majority before they can do so.

Legislative priorities like these are prevalent in southern and midwestern states, and they're likely why 45 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people reported considering moving to a different state.

A girl waves a rainbow flag during a rally after the bill for same-sex marriage was approved by the Chilean senate on December 7, 2021 in Santiago, Chile. Chile, which legalized same-sex civil unions in 2015, has been discussing gay marriage since 2017

A giant trans flag unfurled outside the Supreme Court in October 2019

The Trevor Project said more acceptance is the prescription for the elevated mental health struggles LGBTQ youth are facing.

The survey found that LGBTQ people who said they lived in accepting environments 'attempted suicide at less than half the rate' of those living in unaccepting communities.

Further, transgender and nonbinary people who had their preferred pronouns used and had access to gender-affirming clothing and school bathrooms 'had lower rates of attempting suicide compared to those who did not.'

Amit Paley, the CEO and executive director of the Trevor Project, told CBS News three years ago that LGBTQ youth are proud of who they are, despite the challenges they're facing, and need role models to reinforce that pride.

'We are seeing that 85 percent of LGBTQ young people are have pride in being LGBTQ,' Paley said in 2021.

'We know that when you see images of people who are successful, when there is less discrimination and stigmatization in society, that helps young people to be proud of themselves and that allows them to succeed and to thrive.'
A farmer was being quizzed by police tonight after a man was shot dead and another seriously injured following a suspected burglary.

Officers were called to reports of a break-in at a remote Peak District farmhouse early this morning.

They found a man with fatal injuries inside the property and another seriously hurt in the road outside around 1.20am. Both had been shot.

Officers cordoned off a large section of a country lane, in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, and launched a murder investigation.

The injured man was taken to hospital for treatment and arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary. A third suspect was also arrested on suspicion of the same offence this afternoon after being stopped by police in a vehicle on the A6, near Chapel-en-le-frith.

Police pictured at the scene in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire after a man was shot dead and another seriously injured following a suspected burglary

A fourth man was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. He remains in police custody and was named locally but the Mail is not identifying him.

Neighbours said the incident appeared to have been a 'burglary that went wrong.'

A woman, who lives close the farm, said: 'The farm is in a remote location, quite deep in the valley and set back from the main road.

'I suspect it was an opportunistic burglary that has gone wrong.'

Another local said: 'This is a small community, everyone knows everyone around here.'

Another woman added: 'Obviously, it's shocking when something like this happens on your doorstep. I've had people ringing me asking if I'm okay. This is normally a sleepy, little town.'

Chief Superintendent Dave Kirby, of Derbyshire police, said he believed the incident was a 'targeted attack' and there was no wider risk to the public.

'We appreciate the impact this incident is having on this small rural community and we'd like to thank local residents for their help with this investigation so far,' he said.

'We are aware there has been some speculation locally around this and, while we are in the early stages of the investigation, we believe this is a targeted incident. At this stage we don't believe there is any wider risk to the public.

'Residents in the area will see an increased police presence in the area for some time as investigations continue and we will provide further updates as soon as we are able.

'In the meantime, I'd ask anyone who has any information to please contact us, in confidence.'
A group of female BBC news presenters say they are paid 36,000 a year less than their male counterparts as they sue the broadcaster after missing out on top roles and being taken off-air, an employment tribunal has heard.

The four women, aged 48 to 55, accuse the BBC of age and sex 'discrimination' over the way the broadcaster handled the recruitment process for new chief presenter roles.

Martine Croxall, 55, Karin Giannone, 50, Kasia Madera, 48, and Annita McVeigh, 55, are taking part in the bombshell case in London against the broadcaster.

The tribunal heard that the quartet believed they had not been paid equally compared with their male counterparts since February 2020 and there was a gap of about 36,000 a year in pensionable salary as of February 2023.

The BBC says the application process was 'rigorous and fair', the BBC News website reported. It also denies the four were paid less than an equivalent male colleague.

(From left to right) Karin Giannone, Martine Croxall, Kasia Madera and Annita McVeigh leaving the Central London Employment Tribunal this afternoon

Ms Croxall, appearing at the preliminary hearing, has worked at the BBC since October 1991 and revealed she was paid 139,000 and been through three pay disputes

A decision has yet to be made on whether the women can make a claim on equal pay.

One of them said that the BBC 'grinds you down. It breaks you' when it comes to pay claims. The group are also making equal pay claims against the corporation.

Ms Croxall, appearing at the preliminary hearing, has worked at the BBC since October 1991 and revealed she was paid 139,000 and been through three pay disputes.

The court heard how news presenter Matthew Amroliwala is being used in the case as the male 'comparator' in the equal pay claims.

The chief presenter jobs were originally taken by two men, Mr Amroliwala and Christian Fraser, as well as three female news hosts Maryam Moshiri, Yalda Hakim and Lucy Hockings.

It comes after the BBC merged its domestic and international news channels and ran a selection process for the top chief presenter roles on the service.

In their witness statements, which appear to be similar, the women said: 'I am one of five female chief presenters with BBC News, aged 48 to 55, at the time of the detriments, who have suffered (direct/indirect) discrimination on the grounds of age and sex victimisation for union rep activities, victimisation for carrying out protected acts (bringing equal pay claims), harassment (violation of dignity, creation of a hostile, degrading, intimidating environment in the workplace, causing us to suffer ill-health and reputational damage).'

(From left) Kaisa Madera, Geeta Guru-Murthy, Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone and Martine Croxall pictured enjoying a drink together on April 5 last year

Court documents, quoted by the BBC News website said: 'It is denied that [the BBC] has subjected [the presenters] to age or sex discrimination, harassment or victimisation, or has breached the sex equality clause.'

It is understood that they claimed management had already chosen who they wanted before people had even applied.

But BBC bosses were said to have rejected the claims after an internal review took place.

Following new vacancies at the channel, Ms McVeigh is understood to have both taken chief presenter roles and recently appeared on air.

Like Ms Croxall, neither Ms Giannone nor Ms Madera have appeared on the news channel in over a year.

It is understood Ms Croxall, who has been at the BBC since 1991, has been discussing her future at the BBC with bosses.

In Ms Croxall's original claim form, from 2023, it is alleged that just ahead of the July 2022 announcement on the reorganisation of the news channels, the BBC's channels manager Jess Brammar 'privately assured' four other chief presenters  two men and two 'younger' women- that their jobs were 'safe'.

In witness statements made available in the court, at London Central Employment Tribunal, the group raise serious concerns that the appointment to the roles was not conducted fairly.

In Ms Croxall's statement, which is similar to those of the three other women, she claimed the women had suffered 'discrimination on the grounds of age and sex'.

She claimed they had suffered 'harassment' with a 'hostile, degrading, intimidating environment in the workplace' which caused 'ill health' and 'reputational damage'.

Ms Croxall said: 'This was because of a sham recruitment exercise where our jobs were closed even though the redundancies were not genuine as the work still exists.'

BBC News presenter Martine Croxall (pictured when she became emotional during a broadcast about Prince Philip's death in April 2021) has been off air since March last year

She added: 'A whistleblower statement will show recruitment in Jan 2023 of BBC News Chief presenters was rigged. This led to the five of us losing our jobs and being kept off air for a year, when we challenged the process.'

Speaking at the hearing, Ms Croxall had claimed 'discrimination' was 'baked in' to the BBC's pay structures. She added that the BBC 'grinds you down and breaks you', adding 'that's why I'm here'.

The case is understood to have also originally included Geeta Guru-Murthy, but she has now appeared to have withdrawn from it.

It was claimed four of the women were demoted and three faced sizeable pay cuts. One was said to have had 'her pay cut for half of her job'.

Ms Croxall's statement claims: 'No men and no women younger than us suffered these detriments.'

She said that the five women, including Ms Murthy, had 'suffered the same or very similar detriments'.

In her witness statement Ms Croxall says reports from the corporation's own clinical psychologists show the 'negative physical and mental health impacts' of the treatment 'meted out to us'.

She also said that pay for its news channel chief presenters had 'again' become 'tainted by sex'.

It was even claimed that the BBC director-general Tim Davie had told one of the presenters, Ms Madera, in October 2022 that 'some people had been at the news channels for too long'.

She accepted a pay revision in July 2020, she said, after it had 'become apparent' the BBC had allowed pay for news channel chief presenters to 'again become tainted by sex'.

Today's case has been billed as the most high-profile employment tribunal action since Samira Ahmed (pictured centre in November 2019, with supporters including BBC colleague Carrie Gracie, right, who had a victory of her own) won her gender pay action against the BBC

The BBC News presenters offered almost the same witness statements to the tribunal.

It comes after the women had taken part in the application process to be chief presenters on the relaunched news channel, which combined domestic and global services. But they claim the process was predetermined, claiming the corporation already knew who it wanted.

When they challenged the process, they claimed they lost jobs and were not on air for a year.

The women in their witness statements claimed there was a statement from a whistleblower that backed up their version of events.

In the hearing today the four BBC news presenters provided evidence to back their claims that they were not given equal pay. The evidence comes ahead of a full hearing that is set to follow.

In Ms Croxall's claim form from 2023, it is written: 'Just ahead of the announcement, Channels manager Jess Brammar privately assured four other chief presenters (two men and two younger women) their jobs were safe, but admitted she couldn't say much 'for legal reasons'.'

In the claim, it was added: 'We were set up to fail in the jobs process.'

The claim form said: 'We have been kept off air for months against our will.'

The document added: 'The stress of the bogus process, a year of uncertainty and publicity about our careers has caused us distress and is affecting our health.'

Ms Brammar's appointment in 2021 to the role of executive news editor at the BBC was controversial after she was accused of sharing 'biased' Left-wing views on social media.

The court heard how news presenter Matthew Amroliwala is being used in the case as the male 'comparator' in the equal pay claims.

The case comes after Mr Davie said he was looking to find a 'fair resolution' to the situation.

Meanwhile, the tribunal also risks reigniting the controversy over the Corporation's treatment of female employees.

Today's case has been billed as the most high-profile employment tribunal action since Samira Ahmed won her gender pay action against the BBC in 2020.

As well as Ms Ahmed's victory, former China editor Carrie Gracie won back pay and an apology from the BBC in 2018 over unequal salary levels.

It led to the formation of a group of female staff at the Corporation, called BBC Women, who took management to task over its record on fair treatment.

Ms Croxall's case, as listed by the employment tribunal, is also believed to include the claim that she suffered detriment from being a member of a trade union.

It has been suggested that the BBC has paid more than 1million in salaries, as well as so-called 'acting-up' pay and freelance cover costs, during the period spent off-air by the five women.

The BBC declined to comment.
Scotland Yard's investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been given another 192,000 by the Home Office.

It brings the total spent on the hunt to find her to 13.2million since she disappeared 17 years ago as a three year old.

The confirmation of the latest funding for Operation Grange comes two days before the anniversary of the day she vanished from an apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007, while on holiday with her parents, sparking a worldwide hunt.

This month will also be Madeleine's 21st birthday.

Home Office minister Lord Sharpe of Epsom revealed the latest round of funding in response to a written parliamentary question by Conservative peer Lord Black of Brentwood.

Scotland Yard's investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been given another 192,000 by the Home Office

The confirmation of the latest funding comes two days before the anniversary of the day she vanished from an apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007, while on holiday with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann (pictured)

Lord Sharpe said: 'For the year 2024-25 the Home Office has agreed to provide up to 192,000 to the Metropolitan Police Service through special grant funding for Operation Grange, the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

READ MORE: Scotland Yard detective probing Madeleine McCann's disappearance called to give evidence in defence of prime suspect Christian Brueckner at unrelated rape trial Advertisement

'At March 31 2024, the total cost of the investigation was 13.2 million.'

He added: 'Operation Grange's special grant budget currently funds a team of three police officers and one member of police staff, all of whom operate on a part-time basis.

'Special grant funding is reviewed annually by the Home Office.

'The department also liaises regularly with the Operation Grange investigation team to assess progress and challenge the use of funds as necessary.'

It comes amid a Scotland Yard detective probing Madeleine's disappearance has been called to give evidence in defence of their prime suspect Christian Brueckner at an unrelated rape trial.

Detective Constable Mark Draycott has been a key part of the Operation Grange investigation since British police took over from Portuguese investigators 13 years ago.

Draycott flew to the Greek capital Athens in 2017 to interview witness Helge Busching, 52, who claimed that Brueckner had confessed to killing Maddie.

The sensational development means for the first time detectives from Scotland Yard who have been investigating the 2007 disappearance of then three-year-old Madeleine will have to disclose under oath what they know.

It brings the total spent on the hunt to find her to 13.2million since she disappeared 17 years ago as a three year old

Pictured: The holiday complex where the McCanns were staying in Portugal's Algarve region in May 2007, when their three-year-old daughter vanished without a trace

Busching reportedly said Brueckner had admitted to snatching her from a hotel in Portugal and told him she had not cried out.

It was in this statement that he told Operation Grange that Brueckner said to him at a hippy festival in Orgiva, Spain, that Madeleine 'didn't scream' when she was taken from the holiday apartment where she was staying.

Officers from Operation Grange contacted counterparts in Germany and Brueckner's background convictions for rape and paedophile emerged and as a result he became the prime suspect.

In 2011 under the then Home Secretary, Theresa May, Scotland Yard was asked to take over the investigation following a request from her boss PM David Cameron and Operation Grange was set up.

Brueckner is not currently on trial as a suspect in the McCann case and is instead facing charges in Braunschweig Regional Court for three rapes and two cases of sexual abuse of children.

The development comes after it was also revealed that a former British detective, Dave Edgar, who was hired by Kate and Gerry McCann from 2008 to 2011 when Scotland Yard took over, will also be questioned as part of Brueckner's defence.

Busching claimed that he had called Mr Edgar in 2008 and tipped him off about Brueckner but he has no recollection of taking the call and told MailOnline that if he had 'known the details he would have acted'.

In his evidence Busching told the court he had seen videos of Brueckner raping two women  one elderly and one younger  but they have never been recovered and defence lawyers doubt they exist.

Prime suspect Christian Brueckner is currently facing charges in Braunschweig Regional Court for three rapes and two cases of sexual abuse of children in an unrelated trial

On November 18 last year, prosecutors confirmed Brueckner would stand trial for various charges of sexual abuse against women aged between 10 and 80

He claimed he found the footage in 2006 and the following year Madeleine vanished from the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz and her parents from Rothley, Leicestershire, have since led a worldwide campaign to find her.

It has since emerged that Busching is suffering from intestinal cancer and his prognosis by one witness was described as 'bad' meaning he may not live to give evidence at any future trial.

Brueckner is currently serving seven years for the rape of a elderly American woman on the Algarve and was jailed in 2019.

He is currently on trial for a string of sex attacks against women and children in the same area between 2000 and 2017 in Braunschweig, Germany, where he used to live.
A cat who has been missing for an extraordinary 12 years has been reunited with his delighted owner.

Finn the cat disappeared from his home in Barnstaple, Devon, as an eight week old kitten in 2011 after going out as usual one evening.

Owner Michelle Watkin searched for days on end, hanging posters and reporting him missing to vets and microchippers Petlog.

'Finn went out as usual one evening, but disappeared without trace,' said Ms Watkin.

'I put up lost pet posters and leaflets through doors, reported him missing to local vets, walked the streets looking for him and reported him missing to Petlog, who he is chipped with.

Finn the cat, pictured, disappeared from his home in Barnstaple, Devon, in 2011

Owner Michelle Watkin searched for days on end, hanging posters and reporting him missing to vets

'I got Finn as an eight-week-old kitten and his disappearance was devastating and traumatic. There were no sightings and I feared the worst.'

But, 12 years later Ms Watkin received a phone call from her vet saying they had found a microchipped cat just two miles away.

The chip was scanned and Ms Watkin's details appeared - Finn had been found and within the hour was brought home to her.

'I'm so happy to have him back,' said Ms Watkin. 'He's become semi-feral due to, we think, living rough, but had been being fed by someone.

'He's slowly settling back home and I'm gaining his trust! It's going to take time but I'm just happy he's home, after all this time.

'Please get your pets microchipped and ensure your contact details are kept up to date. If you find a lost or seemingly stray cat, immediately try and get them checked for a chip.

'If your pet is missing report it to your microchip database, local vets, and use social media. Above all, never give up hope.'

Bill Lambert, spokesperson for The Kennel Club which manages Petlog, said: 'We're so pleased that Finn was found safely and could be reunited with his family, after all this time, because of his microchip.

'Sadly not all pets are so lucky. Microchipping gives owners the best chance of being reunited with their pet if they go missing, but it is only effective if your contact details are up to date.

A whopping 12 years after he went missing, Ms Watkin received a phone call from her vet saying they had found a microchipped cat just two miles away

'Cat owners in England should also be aware that they have until 10 June 2024 to microchip their cat, to comply with new laws.

'Amid the trauma and heartbreak of losing a pet, in the future owners could also face fines if their cats are not microchipped - so it is really important not to leave this until the last minute.'

A microchip is the size of a grain of rice which is inserted under the skin at the back of an animal's neck.

It permanently identifies pets and connects them with an owner's contact details, which are held on a database, like Petlog, enabling vets, local authorities and animal charities to scan the chip and match it to the owner's details to reunite stolen, lost and found pets.

Currently, it is a legal requirement for all dogs to be microchipped in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. From 10 June 2024, pet cats in England must be microchipped.
Republicans are demanding President Joe Biden personally condemn the 'hate-filled little Gazas' that have popped up at college campuses all over the country.

On Wednesday, GOP Sen. Tom Cotton used that language to describe university settings, saying they've turned into 'disgusting cesspools of antisemitic hate full of pro-Hamas sympathizers, fanatics and freaks.'

'When will the president himself and not his mouthpieces condemn these hate-filled little Gazas?' Cotton asked.

At the White House press briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted that Biden had done his part - despite not answering questions about the college demonstrations or addressing it in a speech or public appearance.

'He is monitoring the situation closely. So is his team. And I would just add that no president, no president, has spoken more forcefully about combating antisemitism than this president,' Jean-Pierre said.

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton (left) demanded Wednesday that President Joe Biden denounce the 'hate-filled little Gazas' that have popped up at college campuses, as press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the president's response

President Joe Biden spent Tuesday in Wilmington, Delaware filming a mysterious campaign-related project. He has not personally answered questions on the student-led demonstrations this week

She was the most recent in a trio of White House spokespeople to field questions about Biden's feelings about the mass demonstrations.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates put out a statement Tuesday after Columbia University students and some outside agitators took over Hamilton Hall and hung a banner that read 'intifada,' among other signs.

The phrase is used to encourage violence against Jews and Israelis.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called forcibly taking over a building on Columbia's campus 'absolutely the wrong approach' when asked about the demonstrations during a Tuesday morning press call.

'Forcibly taking over a building is not peaceful,' Jean-Pierre reiterated Wednesday.

On Tuesday Biden traveled to Wilmington, Delaware for a mysterious campaign event, filming some sort of content at the same high school where he rolled out Kamala Harris as his VP pick.

He didn't answer questions while on the trip and the pool of reporters who follow him were held in a separate auditorium for hours.

Pro-Palestinian protesters took over Columbia's Hamilton Hall and hung a flag that said 'infifada,' which generally calls for violence against Jewish people and Israelis

The president has no public events on his schedule Wednesday until a political fundraiser in the early evening.

Overnight in New York, the NYPD was called in to break up pro-Palestinian protests and encampments at Columbia and other college campuses.

The White House wouldn't say if this was the appropriate response - or if the president had been in touch with New York's Democratic Mayor Eric Adams.

'That is a decision for colleges and universities to decide on,' Jean-Pierre said.

Jean-Pierre was pressed several times on whether the president viewed the protests as 'legitimate.'

'We believe and understand, understand that this is a painful moment for many communities,' she answered. 'And we also believe people have the right, Americans have the right to peacefully protest.'

'Hate speech should not be allowed, we should condemn that,' she also answered.
No injuries have been reported as police remains on the scene at the school

The district asked people to stay away from the middle school on Wednesday

A shooter has been 'neutralized' after trying to break into a Wisconsin middle school.

The unidentified intruder was taken down Wednesday morning after trying to enter Mount Horeb Area Middle School in Wisconsin.

Cops have yet to offer further detail, including whether the suspect was injured or killed, how old they were and if they were connected to the school.

The Mount Horeb Area School District said on Facebook: 'Community members, there has been an active shooter at our middle school this morning.

'The individual did not breach entryway. Police department is helping to scope out our building to ensure the safety of our students and staff. I will keep you posted.'

The district later added that the 'threat has been neutralized outside of the building.'

No injuries have been reported at the middle school in Mount Horeb, which is about a half-hour driver from Madison.

The Mount Horeb Area School District has been put on lockdown after an active shooter entered a middle school on Wednesday

A big police presence was seen outside the middle school after the suspect was neutralized

Officials have asked people to stay away from the middle school

Officials have asked people to stay away from the middle school.

'We are in the process of activating our reunification plan and further details will be provided.'

A big police presence was seen outside the middle school as officers made sure the building was safe.

A message on the Dane County Emergency Managements website said there was an active shooter 'armed with a rifle and considered dangerous.'

The district issued an update after saying the threat was neutralized.

'As an update, our students will remain in hard lockdown throughout all of our buildings. Law-enforcement is circulating throughout the middle school to confirm the safety of all students,' the district said on Facebook.

'Again, do not report to any of our schools at this time. Once we confirm the safety of all we will begin the process of reunification offsite with families.'

A suspect has not yet been identified and it's unclear if they were taken into custody.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Mount Horeb police department.

The district said the search inside the building has so far not yielded additional suspects.

'As importantly, we have no reports of individuals being harmed, with the exception of the alleged assailant,' they added.

People gather at a site designated for parent and student reunifications following a report of a armed person outside Mount Horeb Middle School

Intermediate center students were evacuated though 'there was no threat at that location,' per officials.

'Buses are aware and preparing to escort them to our reunification site,' the district said.

'We are in the process right now of a systematic release of middle school students to use restrooms interior to the middle school. They are not being released at this time.

'You would be so proud of our students and staff, and were so grateful for our first responders.'
This video is no longer available

This video is no longer available

A female asylum seeker who braved 31 attempts to reach the UK after fleeing her war-torn homeland in the Middle East, including a disastrous trip that saw five killed, now fears that she could be sent to Rwanda under the new government policy.

Heivin, an 18-year-old from Iraqi Kurdistan, was relieved to have reached dry land after making the perilous journey across the channel in a dinghy transporting fellow migrants from different nationalities on Saturday morning.

'I'm really happy that I have arrived,' she told Sky News from London, less than a week after the crossing which left five including a young child dead.

'It's a good country and I am safe. But I don't know. Somehow I'm still surprised that the journey has ended.'

Asked whether she feared now being deported in line with the contentious new Rwanda Bill, she said: 'I hope it doesn't happen. I'm not happy that they've passed the law that could send us to Rwanda. I really hope it doesn't happen to me.'

Heivin told Sky News' Adam Parsons she was relieved to be in a 'good country' and 'safe'

She is one of approximately 7,500 people who have made the daring journey in 2024 alone

Heivin left home and travelled for around a year before reaching Britain on her 31st attempt

Heivin is one of approximately 7,500 people who have made the daring journey across the English Channel in small boats to reach safety in Britain since the start of the year, according to official government figures.

She left her homeland in Kurdistan around a year ago, crossing Europe into France in the hopes of ultimately reaching safety in Britain.

She told Sky News she had tried 30 times to reach England from the coast of northern France after surviving, sleeping in woods and living around underpasses in the hope of starting a new life.

'Especially when you're on your own, and a young woman. It can be very dangerous,' she told the outlet.

Heivin's last attempt saw the small boat she was on hijacked by another group, leading to a clash that resulted in the deaths of five people including a seven-year-old girl.

The group were reportedly armed with sticks and knives, boarding the crowded boat of 112 on April 23.

Three men, a woman and a child were reported to have died in a crush on board the boat.

A fourth person has now arrested as part of an investigation into the deaths, according to the National Crime Agency.

Heivin ultimately managed to cross into Britain on Saturday after a wait of 'three to four hours' for the smugglers who organised the journey.

'It was really cold and my clothes were soaked through. I kept thinking that... something would go wrong. But we made it, thank God,' she said.

Those crossing were ultimately picked up by a Border Force vessel and taken to the mainland.

Crossings have continued to rise in recent years as asylum seekers risk their lives to reach Britain, facilitated by illegal people smugglers.

In 2022, just under 100,000 people requested asylum, those crossing by small boats accounting for around 45 per cent of that figure.

The figure had peaked in 2002 at around 103,000 before falling to 22,600 in 2010.

Numbers tended to decline in the Noughties, before rising again through the 2010s and dramatically spiking since the pandemic.

The government now insists its controversial Rwanda Bill will serve as a deterrent for migrants coming across the Channel from France.

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill became an Act of Parliament after being granted royal assent on Thursday.

Seven-year-old Sara (pictured) died while trying to cross the Channel to Britain last week

Rishi Sunak speaks during a news conference on his flagship Rwanda migration policy, in London, Britain, 22 April 2024

An inflatable dinghy carrying migrants crosses the English Channel on March 6, 2024 in Dover

Some migrants fleeing conflict have said the risk of being deported to Rwanda is a risk worth taking, however.

Maryam Shinwari, 24, who is living in a tent near Dunkirk since fleeing life under the Taliban in Afghanistan, told The Mirror: 'We must get to London.'

Danayet Abrha, 25, from Eritrea, also recently devastated by regional conflict, says that she would have stayed in her birth country had it been safe to do so, but now she must travel to the UK.

Speaking about her friends who have already come over, she said: 'They're doing well and tell us it's worth risking the journey.'

Rights groups and legal experts also warn the Rwanda Bill may not have the intended effects.

Last week, Amnesty International dubbed the passing of the bill a 'national disgrace'.

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK's Chief Executive, said: 'Today will leave a stain on this country's moral reputation.

'The UK parliament has passed a bill that takes a hatchet to international legal protections for some of the most vulnerable people in the world and it is a matter of national disgrace that our political establishment has let this bill pass.'

'Switching off human rights protections for people who the Government thinks it can gain political capital from attacking sets an extremely dangerous precedent,' Deshmukh continued.

'A continued obsession with feeding the public misinformation about asylum issues - stoking resentment and division - has now led to one of the most shameful acts of any Parliament in this country's history.

'It's a new low to expel people seeking asylum to Rwanda - a country with its own large refugee population and a host of human rights issues.

A family drawing depicting father Ahmed and mother Nour Al Saeed, Sara and her brother and sister Hussam and Rahaf

An overcrowded small boat with 112 people on board briefly ran aground off the northern French coast at Wimereux, near Boulogne-sur-Mer. Migrants are seen aboard the boat a second time, setting off for a successful crossing, after the tragedy occurred earlier in the day

Antonia Torr, Immigration Partner at City law firm Fladgate, said last week: 'It is clear... that the Government believes that the Rwanda Bill will break criminal gangs profiting from illegal migration and act as a deterrent for small boat crossings.

'There is no evidence that the Rwanda scheme would deter small boat crossings at all and the Government know this  their own impact assessment says as much.

'The Prime Minister states that channel crossings are fundamentally wrong as "people are jumping the queue".

'There are no legal routes for refugees to come to the UK so there is no queue.

'A better use of tax payers money would be to process the backlog of asylum applications so that those with legitimate claims could start a fresh in the United Kingdom and contribute as opposed to being left in limbo.'

The first asylum seeker to be deported to Rwanda under the policy was flown out of the UK yesterday evening.
Harvey Weinstein was seen for the first time today since his 2020 conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week.

The disgraced film mogul, 72, had his hands cuffed as he was pushed in a wheelchair out of a prison van and into a courthouse in Manhattan on Wednesday. Weinstein, wearing a navy blue suit with the tag still visible on his sleeve, was jailed for 23 years for rape and sexual assault for the New York case.

But in a shocking turn the New York Court of Appeals ruled that the movie producer did not receive a fair trial when he was convicted - effectively erasing his 23-year prison sentence and ordering a retrial.

Judge Curtis Farber remanded Weinstein in custody and set a tentative trial date for after Labor day, meaning that it could be in September.

The next court date will be May 29.

DailyMail.com snapped exclusive photos of Harvey Weinstein entering Manhattan court on Wednesday

This is Weinstein's first appearance at the New York court since his 2020 conviction was overturned by a state appeal court

The disgraced film mogul, 72, had his hands cuffed as he was pushed in a wheelchair out of a prison van and into a courthouse in Manhattan on Wednesday

Weinstein, wearing a navy blue suit and tie, was jailed for 23 years for rape and sexual assault for the New York case

Last week's ruling concluded that a trial judge permitted jurors to see and hear too much evidence not directly related to the charges he faced.

Prosecutors said they intend to retry him on charges that he forcibly performed oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and raped an aspiring actor in 2013.

After his New York conviction was overturned he cried tears of joy and insisted he wasn't a rapist, his spokesman has said.

Weinstein has been serving 23 years in a New York jail for the two sex attacks against aspiring actress Jessica Mann and production assistant Mimi Haleyi.

Jessica Mann, who testified against Weinstein in the trial, showed up at the courthouse on Wednesday

He was handed a further 16 years after a jury in LA found him guilty of three rape and sexual assault charges in 2022.

In a sign of how significant the case is, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg walked into court on Wednesday and sat in the second row of the public gallery.

Jessica Mann, who testified against Weinstein in the trial - he was convicted for third degree rape on her - was sitting on the same row as Bragg.

Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg told the court that they were asking for Weinstein to be remanded in custody.

They called it a 'Strong case in 2020 when the defendant was tried and convicted' and it 'remains a strong case in 2024.'

The court heard that the appeal ruling was 'non equivocal on the issue of consent' and there was 'nothing consensual about the conduct complainants described'.

Prosecutors told the court: 'We believe in this case and will be trying this case.'

'Jessica Mann is here in court. She's here to show she's not backing down and is committed to seeing justice is served again.

'The defendant may have power and privilege but she has the truth. We have every belief the defendant will be convicted again after trial.'

Prosecutors said that they wanted the trial to happen in the fall, possibly September.

Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala told the court: 'We're not asking for bail. Mr Weinstein has very very serious medical issues'.

He praised the Department of Corrections for taking care of Weinstein's needs.

He said: 'He's sharp as a tack. He's as smart as he ever was. He's read hundreds and hundreds of books. I have no issue whatsoever about his mental abilities.'

Aidala dismissed the idea it was a 'strong case' and said that Weinstein was cleared of the most serious charges including first degree rape.

Aidala claimed that Mimi Haleyi, whose claims led to Weinstein being found guilty of criminal sexual act, may have perjured herself during the trial.

According to Aidala, Weinstein recently told him: 'Let's go to trial and prove my innocence.'

As Weinstein was wheeled out - he was not in handcuffs or leg shackles - he shook hands with all of his legal team, one by one, and gave a thumbs up to his spokesman, who was sitting at the end of the row.

Mann stared directly at him.

Harvey Weinstein is pictured in court on Wednesday for his first public appearing since his conviction was overturned. The tag on his sleeve has since been removed

Weinstein is pictured sitting next to his legal team on Wednesday. Prosecutors told the court: 'We believe in this case and will be trying this case'

Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala told the court: 'We're not asking for bail. Mr Weinstein has very very serious medical issues'

During his four years in jail Weinstein has been beset by health issues including heart problems, mobility issues and diabetes.

Last week he was taken to Bellevue Hospital in New York where doctors conducted a slew of tests on him.

Attorney Arthur Aidala said Weinstein was moved to the hospital after his arrival on Friday into Rikers Island.

Aidala said: 'They examined him and sent him to Bellevue. It seems like he needs a lot of help, physically. He's got a lot of problems. He's getting all kinds of tests. He's somewhat of a train wreck health wise.'

'He was not treated well. They refused to give him even a sip of water, no food, no bathroom break,' Aidala said. 'He's a 72-year-old sickly man.'

Weinstein was once the most powerful man in Hollywood who made hits like Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love with his film companies Miramax and The Weinstein Co.

He dominated Hollywood in the 1990s and won 81 Oscars as he became part of the world elite and grew especially close to Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Now The Weinstein Co. is bankrupt, his wife Georgina Chapman has divorced him and his empire is in ruins.

One of Weinstein's main accusers in the case, Mimi Haleyi, has said she is unsure if she is ready to testify again should the case be retried.

The reversal of his conviction is the second major #MeToo setback in the last two years, after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a Pennsylvania court decision to throw out Bill Cosby's sexual assault conviction.

Weinstein's conviction stood for more than four years, heralded by activists and advocates as a milestone achievement, but dissected just as quickly by his lawyers and, later, the Court of Appeals when it heard arguments on the matter in February.

New York State of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore ruled that Weinstein's appeal could proceed in 2022.

Weinstein, pictured with ex-wife Georgina Chapman in happier times, was a titan of the movie industry before allegations of sexual abuse made him the face of the #MeToo movement

Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of raping Jessica Mann (pictured at court in 2020) at her home in Manhattan in 2013

He was also convicted of sexually assaulting production assistant Mimi Haleyi, seen walking into his sentencing in New York in 2020

The allegations against Weinstein first emerged in a 2017 New York Times article which named actress Rose McGowan, pictured on the first day of his New York trial in 2020

McGowan, pictured with Weinstein in 2007, claimed that the Miramax boss raped her in 1997

At the time, his lawyer Arthur Aidala argued that women who did not form part of the criminal allegations should not have been allowed to take the stand and testify about alleged sex abuse by his client.

He also alleged that one juror did not disclose they'd previously written a book on sexual predators, which he said should have disqualified them from serving.

Weinstein denied the charges against him and insisted that his relations with the women were consensual.

More than 80 women came forward to accuse the Oscar-winning producer of sexual assault and harassment.

The allegations first surfaced publicly in a New York Times story in 2017 detailing decades of alleged abuse.

Actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd were among those who were named in the piece as accusers.

The allegations sparked a sea change in attitudes towards sexual misconduct in the workplace.
The Home Office is poised to launch more raids in a bid to round up migrants it wants to deport to Rwanda after a series of dawn arrests this week.

Up to 20 illegal migrants were detained in the UK-wide operation, which saw immigration officials take people, including women, into custody.

The Government department has refused to release many details about the arrests, but has suggested that more raids could happen as part of the 'large-scale operation'.

It said that it intends to get planes to the east African country underway in 'the next 9 to 11 weeks', after the Safety of Rwanda Act became law last week following a troubled journey through Parliament.

James Cleverly has hailed the start of the operation as 'a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration'.

It comes amid the FDA union launching a judicial review into the Rwanda bill as it accused the government of being 'cowardly' and 'reckless' for 'ignoring legal conflicts for civil servants'.

The Home Office is poised to launch more raids in a bid to round up migrants it wants to deport to Rwanda after a series of dawn arrests this week

Up to 20 illegal migrants were detained in the UK-wide operation, which saw immigration officials take people, including women, into custody

The Home Secretary said: 'Our Rwanda Partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation to deliver it.

'Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground.

'This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs.'

Union FDA announced it had launched a judicial review of the Safety of Rwanda Act.

Its general secretary, Dave Penman, said they weren't prepared 'to shy away from it as we must protect the interests of our members and the integrity of the Civil Service Code'.

READ MORE: Moment first illegal migrants set to be deported are handcuffed, put in vans and detained in dramatic Home Office dawn immigration raids Advertisement

He said: 'This is not a decision that we have taken lightly. The government has had plenty of time to include an explicit provision in the Act regarding breaking international law commitments which would have resolved this, but it chose not to.

'Civil servants should never be left in a position where they are conflicted between the instructions of ministers and adhering to the Civil Service Code, yet that is exactly what the government has chosen to do.

'This is not an accident, or down to poor drafting. It's a political choice from the government, made not for the good of the country but to avoid upsetting either of the warring factions within its own party.

'It's also irresponsible. Those seeking to undermine the integrity and impartiality of the civil service have seized on the difficulties the government has had in implementing this policy, to accuse civil servants of acting politically.'

Enforcement action is said to have taken place throughout the UK - in England, Wales and Scotland as well as Northern Ireland - since midday on Monday.

Children are not expected to be detained as part of the operations.

Home Office Director of Enforcement Eddy Montgomery said: 'Our specialist operational teams are highly trained and fully equipped to carry out the necessary enforcement activity at pace and in the safest way possible.

'It is vital that operational detail is kept to a minimum, to protect colleagues involved and those being detained, as well as ensuring we can deliver this large-scale operation as quickly as possible.'

It is not known at this stage how many people have been held in total.

The Safety of Rwanda Act became law on April 25 and, along with a new treaty with Rwanda, ministers believe they have overcome legal objections raised about the policy by the Supreme Court last November.

The Government department has refused to release many details about the arrests, but has suggested that more raids could happen

A group of people thought to be migrants crossing the Channel in a small boat in August 2023

FDA union general secretary Dave Penman confirmed it had launched a judicial review of the Rwanda bill

More than 7,000 migrants have already crossed the Channel so far this year in small boats

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However, questions have been raised about the timing of the raids, which were carried out less than 24 hours before polls open in elections expected to prove difficult for the Tories.

Immigration is one of the top concerns of the public, alongside the economy and the state of the NHS, opinion polls have consistently shown.

Millions of people will vote tomorrow for local councillors, elected mayors and police and crime commissioners (PCCs), and there is also a Westminster by-election in Blackpool South.

The Conservatives are expected to lose that by-election and hundreds of seats on councils, with a Labour source saying: 'Is there any more blatant sign that [former immigration minister Robert] Jenrick was right about this all being symbolic before an election than this mad flurry of stories?'

The Home Office has increased its detention capacity to more than 2,200 detention spaces, trained 200 new caseworkers to quickly process claims and has 500 highly trained escorts ready.

Downing Street said: 'The next stage of Prime Minister's plan to stop the boats has begun.

'We're working at home and abroad to deliver on this priority.'

Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesman, added: 'The Rwanda plan has taken a deeply cynical headline grabbing turn.

The action is a part of the plan to deliver flights to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 weeks. Pictured: A flight to Rwanda in 2022

Last year, there were 67,337 asylum applications to the UK. Of those, 29,437 came from people who arrived in small boats. The Government claims the Rwanda scheme will act as a deterrent, however it only has the capacity to send 200 people a year to the East African country

The Hope Hostel in Rwanda (pictured) is one of the locations migrants will be sent to

'The plan was always deeply immoral and coming at eye watering cost to the taxpayer, no amount of flashy PR will change that.

'This propaganda push, rushed out on the eve of the local elections, is a new low even for this government.

'Time and time again we have seen this immoral and expensive policy fail, a scrambled PR push won't change that.'

Downing Street denied that the decision to detain asylum seekers today was connected to tomorrow's votes, with the PM's press secretary telling journalists, 'There isn't really a day to lose when people are dying in the Channel having been induced into boats by gangs'.
For Shlomo Mantzur's 86th birthday on March 17, his family celebrated with his favourite ice cream: pistachio.

They laugh as they talk about his sweet tooth. He also likes halva (a dessert made from ground sesame seeds, tahini and sugar) and silan (date syrup).

All the children from his kibbutz were invited, writing messages for him on hearts, which they hung on a specially carved wooden tree.

'We also went to an ice cream factory and made pistachio ice cream in his honour,' his 22-year-old granddaughter Yuval tells me. 'We hope the next time it will be with him.'

The guest of honour was missing at his own birthday party. The grandfather of 12 was taken captive by Hamas terrorists who broke into his home in Kibbutz Kissufim on October 7 last year.

Shlomo Mantzur with his wife Mazal who hasn't seen her husband since he was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7

Shlomo with Mazal and his daughter Batya. The family this year celebrated his 86th birthday without him

On that morning, eight residents and six Thai labourers were murdered, and four people were abducted and taken to Gaza, just 5km away. Shlomo is the oldest hostage.

'He was kidnapped without his hearing aid, we worry he can't hear anything,' says Yuval. 'He only weighs 57kg, he's small and skinny. We always laughed that I weigh more than him.'

READ MORE: Nearly 50 traumatised Israeli revellers have killed themselves since Nova festival was attacked by Hamas on October 7 Advertisement

I meet Shlomo's granddaughter Yuval and her mother Batya, 56, at the headquarters of the Hostage and Missing Families Forum (formed by the families of the abductees) in Tel Aviv, just minutes from Hostage Square  a public plaza in front of the Museum of Art, close to the head office of the Israel Defense Force.

Since the October attack, this has been the site of rallies and protests during the Israel-Hamas war calling for the release of the hostages.

Among the installations is a 25-metre mock Hamas tunnel, which simulates a claustrophobic, dimly lit passage through which people can walk.

Etched on the walls are names of the hostages, and heartfelt messages from families and well-wishers. There is also a 200-seat dinner table set for Shabbat for those who were abducted.

The people I speak to are on a roller-coaster of trauma, rage and grief.

For most of his life, Shlomo has lived in Kissufim, a kibbutz with a population of 300 which relies mainly on dairy production and poultry farming.

He manages the kibbutz chicken coop and is the handyman who loved fixing things whether watches, jewellery, or putting up shelves.

The poster of Shlomo calling to 'bring him home now'. The grandfather of 12 is one of the eldest captives being held by the terrorist group

Shlomo and wife Mazal pictured here on their wedding day in 1964. The couple's 60th anniversary was on March 1 but Mazal couldn't bring herself to celebrate the occasion

'He's the best grandfather,' Yuval smiles. 'I always tell him my secrets and he gives me good advice  like on boys! Whenever I have an argument with mum he would say to me, 'Take it easy, help her'.'

Batya adds: 'He had the biggest heart ever, and a great smile. Anything you ask for he's there for you.'

Like all Israelis on October 7, Yuval's family received a red alert code on their phones at 6.30am to say there a terrorist attack was underway. Yuval immediately called her grandparents to find out what was going on.

'I told them to stay in the [safe room], and that I loved them,' she says. 'He was just so casual about it. He said everything is going to be okay. He didn't want us to be worried.'

The last contact they had with Shlomo was at 7.30am. Amidst all the chaos, no one knew what was going on. Yuval resorted to posting on Instagram, pleading with anyone with information to come forward.

It wasn't until 2am the following day that Mazal, Shlomo's 78-year-old wife, contacted them and spoke of the horror that they had endured.

The elderly couple were at home when they heard shooting at the door. Then, five men burst into the living room.

Mazal begged them not to kill her, before running to the bathroom to hide. But they found her.

'One of them said to her, 'We won't kill you, don't worry. Just give us the car keys',' says Batya.

The others, meanwhile, had snatched Shlomo from the nearby safe room and handcuffed him. He was still in his pyjamas.

On his 86th birthday all the children from Shlomo's kibbutz were invited, and they wrote messages for him on hearts, which they hung on a specially carved wooden tree

Shlomo pictured with his granddaughter Yuval. She said dancing was her way to escape from the ordeal

Yuval and Batya standing holding the missing person poster of Shlomo. Batya said her mother 'still cries. She is very sad and quiet'

'They slapped him on the face on the way to the car,' says Batya. 'My mother asked, 'Why are you doing that he's an old man?'. My dad told them, 'I haven't done anything to you'.'

While the terrorists were distracted, Mazal ran to a neighbour's house, who took her into their safe room.

That's how she survived. It was also the last time she saw her husband. She couldn't bring herself to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on March 1.

'She misses him,' says Batya. 'They do everything together. From time to time, she still cries. She is very sad and quiet.'

His family remember Shlomo's big heart and smiles but they hid a great sadness in his life.

Shlomo was born in Iraq in 1938, the eldest of six children. His earliest memory is of the Farhud, a Nazi-inspired pogrom that was carried out against the Jewish population of Baghdad in June 1941.

Muslim rioters killed at least 175 Jews, injured 1000, and robbed and destroyed 900 Jewish home, ending more than TWO THOUSANDS YEARS of peaceful existence for the city's Jewish minority.

'We recently found his diary, where he wrote that Muslims broke into his parents' house, beat his father and killed their dog,' says Yuval.

'He then went to the roof and saw them playing with a baby like it was a ball,' adds Batya. 'They stabbed the baby and gave it to his mother. She was crying for her baby and they said, "You want your baby? Here's you baby!".'

Shlomo's family left Iraq in 1951 after life for Jews there became even more difficult. They lived in crowded refugee camps in the newly founded state of Israel before finally moving to the kibbutz when he was 16.

Pictured here is the carved wooden memory tree which was made for the grandfather of 12

There, he met and fell in love with Mazal. They got married when he was 26 and she was 17, and they have Five children.

Nearly seven months on from the atrocity, Shlomo's family have no idea how he is being treated by his captors, whether he is being kept in a tunnel or in a house.

'It's very painful not to know anything. In each story, there is a beginning, middle and an end. We don't have the end,' says Batya. She pauses for a minute, as she wipes away her tears.

'The mind is working overtime. You keep thinking 'What if'. But we stay optimistic. We want to believe that his captives will treat him well, because he's adorable and he also speaks their language [Arabic].

'Because that's who he is: from the small kids to the oldest man, he gets on with everyone.'

I ask Yuval how she is coping throughout this ordeal. Dancing, she says, is her escape from it all. 'I keep hearing his voice telling me to do what I love. It gives me the power to go on.'

As for the rest of the world, Yuval has one message: 'Please keep reading about the hostages. They're not just a photo. The world needs to know who they are. It has to be at the forefront of people's minds. They have to return. All of them.'
There is 'not a chance' Prince William will meet up with his brother Harry when the Duke is in London next week, according to the Mail's talk show, The Reaction.

The Daily Mail's Andrew Pierce told this week's episode it seemed unlikely with Princess Kate receiving treatment for cancer and the stress that had been caused by Harry's book 'Spare'.

But Mr Pierce and his co-host Sarah Vine both wanted the Duke of Sussex to use the visit to see his cancer-stricken father King Charles.

It is believed Harry will fly to London next Wednesday for the Invictus Games' 10th anniversary ceremony as it is his son Prince Archie's fifth birthday the day before.

Mr Pierce did predict father and son will meet during the visit but was adamant the brothers would not.

There is 'not a chance' Prince William will meet up with his brother Harry when the Duke is in London next week, according to the Mail's talk show, The Reaction

Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce debated whether Harry would see King Charles when he flies to London for the Invictus Games' 10th anniversary

He put this down to 'Spare' Harry's controversial account of his and Meghan Markle's departure from royal life.

He said: 'Kate is still being treated and recovering. I think a lot of her stress I would directly associate with Prince Harry and the book.

'I think it has been very difficult for her and the King. He is not getting any younger.'

Whether Harry and Charles will meet is the subject of 'huge speculation' even after the welcome news the 75-year-old monarch's condition is responding to treatment with his return to public duties this week.

The King marked his return by visiting a chemotherapy ward in a London hospital and spoke to a number cancer patients.

It is unclear whether it would be advisable for father and son to meet given their troubled past and Harry's acrimonious split from his brother Prince William and his wife Princess Kate.

When Harry arrives, it is understood he will stay in a hotel and not one of the royal palaces.

Mr Pierce said: 'I hope the King sees him [Prince Harry]. The relief is she [Meghan] is not coming. She is staying in American with the children.'

But Mr Pierce and his co-host Sarah Vine both wanted the Duke of Sussex to use the visit to see his cancer-stricken father King Charles

Mr Pierce told this week's episode it seemed unlikely Harry would see William with Princess Kate receiving treatment for cancer and the stress that had been caused by Harry's book 'Spare'

Prince Harry is set to return to Britain in just a few days for the Invictus Games 10th anniversary, but he will come solo as Meghan stays in Montecito

Ms Vine agreed: 'I hope he sees his father. I hope it is nice for them. I hope it is not too stressful for the King because after all he is undergoing cancer treatment.

'People ask me often; do I ever think there is going to be a reconciliation? I think it is quite hard to see how, after all the things that he has said and done.

'I would like to think it was possible.

'I don't know, I think sometimes when families go through difficult illnesses it can really bring them together, but it does not seem to be doing so.

'If I was the King and my son was coming over for an event, I would expect him to stay with me, I would not be putting him in a hotel. That is the thing.

'Clarence House has got about three anterooms you could just him in one of those on a put-up bed.'

Both Mr Pierce and Ms Vine agreed problems could arise if Harry arrives and complains about perceived slights to the King.

The Reaction is available every Wednesday on the Daily Mail's YouTube channel.
Despite opposition from 70 Democrats and 21 Republicans, the House passed a bill to police anti-Semitism on college campuses on Wednesday.

Supporters say it is needed to clamp down on such incidents amid a sea of anti-Israel protests at universities while opponents say it could 'chill' free speech.

The bill that passed 320-91 would require the Education Department to enforce federal anti-discrimination laws by using the definition of anti-Semitism defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

Rep. Jerry Nadler a Jewish Democrat from New York, warned that the bill 'threatens to chill constitutionally protected speech.'

Rep. Jerry Nadler a Jewish Democrat from New York, warned that the bill 'threatens to chill constitutionally protected speech'

Lawler, above, shot back: 'You have Democrats like Jerry Nadler saying, Well, I'm against this. Meanwhile, he was a co sponsor on a bill that literally did the same exact thing that this bill is going to do just several congresses ago. So that should tell you how far the Democratic Party has shifted when it comes to combating antisemitism'

'Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination,' he went on during a Rules Committee hearing. 'The bill sweeps too broadly.'

Nadler has supported a bill that codified multiple definitions of anti-Semitism in past congressional terms. 'I was mistaken to do so,' he said.

The definition the IHRA lists for antisemitism is: 'a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.'

The Alliance further describes antisemitism:

'Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.'

It goes on: 'Antisemitism frequently charges Jews with conspiring to harm humanity, and it is often used to blame Jews for 'why things go wrong.' It is expressed in speech, writing, visual forms and action, and employs sinister stereotypes and negative character traits.'

Examples of antisemitism by IHRA

ro-Palestinian protesters gather outside Fordham's Lincoln Center campus after a group created an encampment inside the building on May 01, 2024 in New York City

Pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside Fordham's Lincoln Center campus after a group created an encampment inside the building

Police in anti-riot gear file in to a Columbia University building that pro-Palestine student protesters had taken over. They arrested around 300

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., introduced the legislation along with a number of other Jewish members: Reps. Max Miller, R-Ohio, Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.

But the bill has brought together a political horseshoe of right-wing and leftist free speech advocates.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who also voted to advance the bill out of committee, questioned why it incorporated 'international law into a statute.'

'We are certainly conceptually in favor of trying to push back on all of the ridiculousness in the world, but legislating is serious business,' he told DailyMail.com. 'I just think whenever you start getting into legislating 'hate' my antennas go up.'

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted to advance the bill out of the Rules Committee but expressed skepticism of it.

'The bill has a problem beyond violating the 1st [Amendment],' he wrote on X along with a screen grab of all the examples of antisemitism that would be included under the IHRA definition.

'Should people in America be prosecuted for saying these things in all contexts? I think not. This is a poorly conceived unconstitutional bill and I will vote no.'

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she would vote against the bill because it 'could convict Christians of anti-Semitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews.'

Other examples of anti-Semitism under the IHRA

Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective  such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions

Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor

Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation

Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis

Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis

Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel Advertisement

One of the examples of anti-Semitism listed by the IHRA is 'using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.'

Democratic Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries came to support the bill even though he had urged Johnson to take up a different one that would have allowed the White House broader authority over an antisemitism task force.

'We should be doing everything possible in a serious and sensible way to combat antisemitism, to crush antisemitism to bury it in the ground and make sure that it can never rise again,' he told DailyMail.com.

Columbia University was forced to call the NYPD for the second time in a week on students who took over a building on campus, arresting some 300 students and clearing them out.

Meanwhile Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., accused said the bill led by Lawler is 'doing real harm to the issue of antisemitism, which I feel very strongly about.'

Jayapal claimed the bill has a definition that is so broad' that many Jewish groups do not support it.

'So why would you do that? Except if you want to weaponize antisemitism, and you want to use it as a political ploy,' she said. 'Let's remember that many of these Republicans didn't say a word when Donald Trump and others in Charlottesville other places were saying truly antisemitic things.'

A number of free speech groups put heat on members to vote against the bill.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called on members to oppose the bill: 'Federal law already prohibits antisemitic discrimination and harassment by federally funded entities. H.R. 6090 is therefore not needed to protect against antisemitic discrimination; instead, it would likely chill free speech of students on college campuses by incorrectly equating criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism.'

'Today, Congress will vote on legislation that will stifle free speech on campus and unconstitutionally restrict expression protected by the First Amendment,' FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, wrote on X.

Lawler said it was 'incumbent upon Congress to act' because 'these school administrators have allowed rabid anti semitism to creep up' and President Joe Biden 'has no ability to show up at Columbia and speak out against it.'

'You have Democrats like Jerry Nadler saying, Well, I'm against this. Meanwhile, he was a co sponsor on a bill that literally did the same exact thing that this bill is going to do just several congresses ago. So that should tell you how far the Democratic Party has shifted when it comes to combating antisemitism.'
This is the shocking moment two alleged arsonists are seen running from an Ohio home before it blew up in flames and killed the homeowner inside.

Surveillance footage captured by the next-door neighbor's doorbell video showed two men fleeing the scene as the house went up in a fireball.

The ferocious fire tore into the two-story structure at a home on 200 block of Lincoln Avenue around 1.30am early Wednesday morning.

Firefighters from the Canton Fire Department were alerted to the blaze by neighbors who woke up to the smell of smoke.

Firefighters found the body of man behind the door, their identity has not yet been disclosed, Canton Fire Division Chief Steve Henderson said, Cleveland 19News reported.

Two people were captured on surveillance running from the scene

y Firefighters were alerted to the deadly house fire on Lincoln Ave. around 1.30am Wednesday

The home in Northwest Canton where the deadly fire took place may have to be torn down

Investigators from the Canton Fire Department and State Fire Marshal's Office believe that evidence at the scene suggests that the fire was intentionally set.

The deceased was transported to a waiting ambulance and was later taken to the county morgue, fire officials say.

Little is known about the homeowner at this time, but one of the neighbors, described him as 'a nice person...always fun ... always happy' as per the news outlet.

Officials are offering up to a $5,000 reward for any valuable information in the deadly arson, according to Cleveland News19.

The boarded and burnt out structure that has the remains of American flag hanging and signs posted up that read 'Arson' may now have to be torn down, fire officials said.

DailyMail.com reached out to the Canton Fire Department for further details.

Anyone with with information is asked to contact the Canton Fire Department at 330-649-5900 and or the State Fire Marshal at 800-589-2728.
A court worker has won a discrimination claim against her male boss who got upset when she described his behaviour with a new female colleague as 'cringy'.

Sheri Balogun, who worked in administration at the city's magistrates, used the word - which means embarrassing - when complaining about manager Matthew O'Bryan.

O'Bryan falsely claimed that Ms Balogun accused him of being 'all over' the woman and demanded she be disciplined, a Manchester employment tribunal heard.

Now, Ms Balogun is now in line for compensation after successfully suing Justice Secretary Alex Chalk over O'Bryan's behaviour.

In early January 2021 it was heard that a new female member of the team was being given training by two male staff - one of which was Mr O'Bryan.

A court worker has won a discrimination claim against her male boss who got upset when she described his behaviour as 'cringy'. Pictured: Manchester Magistrates Court

Ms Balogun said training should not have been provided face to face at this time due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions in place.

The administrative officer went on to speak to another colleague about the training and described it as 'cringy'.

Cringy - or cringey - is defined by the Oxford dictionary as 'causing feelings of acute embarrassment or awkwardness'.

Ms Balogun said she felt this way because Covid guidelines were not being followed and she viewed it as a 'double standard'.

Days later, Mr O'Bryan met with Ms Balogun to have a private conversation in the court's post room.

He told the tribunal that the administrative officer had told him that he had been 'all over' the new starter which she had found 'cringy'. But, Ms Balogun denied saying the first comment and said this was 'nonsensical'.

Mr O'Bryan said this conversation upset him and had 'played on his mind' over the following few days so he contacted his manager and sent her a text telling her the comments 'technically classed as slander'.

The tribunal said there was no evidence to suggest the new starter had felt uncomfortable or raised a complaint about the training in relation to Mr O'Bryan and the other male colleague.

Ms Balogun was offered mediation in November 2021 and refused this before raising a grievance against Mr O'Bryan for discrimination.

O'Bryan falsely claimed that Ms Balogun accused him of being 'all over' the woman and demanded she be disciplined

In early January 2022, Mr O'Bryan then raised a grievance against Ms Balogun as she had made 'serious allegations' about his conduct.

He said their 'relationship broke down' and was now 'untenable', adding: 'I believe Sheri holds a personal grudge towards me and I am unsure of the reason why.'

The administrative officer sued for victimisation in light of the 'substantiated complaints raised about her' made after she raised her grievance.

The tribunal acknowledged the difference between the use of the word 'cringy' in comparison to 'all over' - the latter of which was found to be untrue.

EJ Allen said: '"Cringy" is a word which requires unpacking and further consideration. "All over" is a more serious and significant allegation.

'We would have found the additional words used as a lie to have been a detriment when compared to what it was the claimant had acknowledged had been said, even had we not found that the lie, in and of itself, had amounted to a detriment for [Ms Balogun].'

A remedy hearing to decide Ms Balogun's compensation will be held at a later date.
A Pennsylvania man, who had been jailed three times, turned over a new leaf to become the state's youngest judge at the age of 27.

Hanif Johnson, a student at Penn State University in 2012, once walked into a courtroom in shackles and handcuffs for a hearing on charges of simple assault, conspiracy, and harassment.

Twelve years later, Johnson found himself sitting on the bench as the youngest judge ever elected in the state of Pennsylvania.

In 2017, he defeated Republican candidate Claude Phillips with 73 percent of the vote to win the election for the Dauphin Magisterial District.

Reflecting on his troubled teenage years, he wrote on social media, 'The chance of losing my freedom and also all the work I did to stay out of trouble... That's a huge reason I have an open mind and a different perspective.'

Hanif Johnson, who had been jailed three times, turned over a new leaf to become the state's youngest judge at the age of 27

Hanif Johnson, a student at Penn State University in 2012, once walked into a courtroom in shackles and handcuffs for a hearing on charges of simple assault, conspiracy, and harassment

At Harrisburg High School, he decided to try out for the track team, a decision that forever changed his life

Born and raised in Harrisburg, Johnson had a difficult childhood before he discovered his passion in track and field.

'My mother was an addict, my dad was an addict, my grandmother was an addict, my aunt was an addict, my uncle was an addict, my grandfather was an addict, my entire immediate family was all addicts,'

'We had 8 people sleeping in a 2 bedroom at one point of time my mom had the biggest heart and took other family's kids in all the time,' he wrote.

At Harrisburg High School, he decided to try out for the track team, a decision that forever changed his life.

'One day, I decided this ain't the way I want to live my life, so I started running track. Track actually saved my life,' he told Huffpost in a 2018 interview.

He won the 2007 PIAA Triple Jump State Champion before he became the Track and Field Team Captain at Penn State University.

By the time he stood trial for hazing as a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, he already had two cases on record.

'The police don't tell us nothing at all why they are arresting us. They take us downtown and make us sit there for 13hrs,' he said of his first offense.

The second arrest occurred when he was observing the deliberation of a case that he was interested in, he said.

After graduation, Johnson served as a family resource specialist in his hometown to help at-risk youth, but the interactions with law enforcement propelled Johnson to pursue a career in law

Last year, Johnson was re-elected as the magisterial district judge with 96 percent of the votes

'During a recess the police snatched me up I pushed him I didn't know he was an officer. They arrested me charged me with intimidation of a witness during a murder trial.

'I went to the casino the night before, so I have $500 in my pocket I bailed out. My old gym teacher was a bails bondsman. Got the call from state college they said the D.A said turn myself in...'

In 2012, Johnson, the president of his fraternity Omega Psi Phi and two other students stood trial for hazing allegations.

'No one on the Jury looks like me I had to pay 12k for a simple assault case. I went to court in shackles and handcuffs...it was wild they came back with a VERDICT OF NOT GUILTY,' he said.

'I couldn't even work for Uber after being found Not guilty. My arrest record was used against me.'

'I went to jail for two weeks, then I went to trial. Thank God I won,' Johnson recalled. 'That was one of the happiest days; I just felt like my life was going to be taken from me.'

After graduation, Johnson served as a family resource specialist in his hometown to help at-risk youth, but the interactions with law enforcement propelled Johnson to pursue a career in law.

A magisterial district judge is a position elected by residents and doesn't require a law degree, so Johnson took a brave step to embark on the campaign.

'Being that I live in that area, they know me, I know the people, I know what's going on,' the father of two said.

'You have single moms that can't pay a parking ticket; I have the control to make life easier for her, rather than someone from out of town who don't understand that $100 ticket might be too much for her and she ends up in jail over that ticket.'

While he was on the campaign trial, people closed the door in his face while laughing at him, he said.

'But after the fourth or fifth conversation, I would ask them who they are voting for, and they would say me,' he said.

Last year, Johnson was re-elected as the magisterial district judge with 96 percent of the votes.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro revealed that he will cut diplomatic relations with Israel due to its military actions in the Gaza Strip.

The left-wing leader accused the Israeli government of committing 'genocide' in its war against Hamas during a speech following an International Worker's Day march in Bogota on Wednesday.

'Tomorrow diplomatic relations with the State of Israel will be broken for having a government, for having a genocidal president,' Petro said. 'If Palestine dies, humanity dies and we are not going to let it die.'

Petro has previously criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but has not condemned Hamas' actions.

He now seeks to join South Africa's case of accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice

'I believe that today all of humanity in the streets, by the millions, agrees with us and we with them,' Petro said. 'It cannot be, it cannot return, the times of genocide, of the extermination of an entire people before our eyes, before our passivity, cannot come.'

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro announced Wednesday he will be breaking relations with the Israeli government over its war actions in Gaza

A Palestinian child stands in the rubble of a home that was destroyed following an Israeli attack in Gaza, where at least 34,500 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel that left 1,170 dead

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met (left) with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) on Wednesday discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, secure the release of hostages, and increase humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave

A demonstrator is escorted by cops after about 300 protesters were arrested at Columbia University, where students and outsiders have gathered to protest the Israeli government

The Colombian president's remarks come as anti-Israeli protests have spread across United States college campuses, including Columbia University, where students and outsiders have set up encampments.

About 300 arrests were made at Columbia and City College on charges including trespass, criminal mischief and burglary, Police Commissioner Edward Caban told a news conference Wednesday.

'Public safety was a real concern, especially after the protesters escalated the situation by breaking and entering into a university building, and the NYPD was called in to do their job,' he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting with Netanyahu on Wednesday to go over plans for a ceasefire in Gaza, securing the release of hostages and increasing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.

Petro's most recent warning to Israel was in March, when he said he would cut ties with the county if it did not comply with a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Israel responded that it will not give in to any pressure or threat.

On February 29, Petro announced that the Colombia would stop purchasing weapons from Israel after more than 100 people were killed in Gaza while getting food from Egyptian trucks delivering aid.

'This is called genocide and is reminiscent of the Holocaust, even if the world powers do not like to recognize it,' the president wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Israeli troops walk in the Gaza Strip, were military strikes have killed at least 34,500 people since October 2023

Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip

The NYPD moved to clear Hamilton Hall on April 30, less than 24 hours after it was occupied by anti-Israeli protesters at Columbia University

Colombia is the third country in Latin America to break relations with Israel after the start of the war on October 7, 2023 when Hamas launched an attack that left 1,170 people dead.

The Israeli response has left at least 34,500 dead, mostly women and children, in Gaza.

Bolivia severed relations in October, asserting that Israel was committing 'crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people.'

Belize followed suit in November after questioning Israel for its 'incessant indiscriminate bombings in Gaza that have killed 11,000 innocent civilians.'

Other countries such as Chile and Nicaragua have voiced their opposition to Israel but without breaking relations.
A school has been left grieving for the second time in less than a year after the senseless killing of 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin yesterday.

A flag was flown at half-mast at Bancroft's School in Woodford Green, East London, today as students and teachers mourned the loss of 'much-loved' pupil Daniel.

His tragic death comes less than a year after that of Nottingham attack victim Grace O'Malley-Kumar, who had also been a pupil at the independent day school.

In a letter sent to shocked parents this morning Bancroft's headteacher said it was 'scarcely believable' that the school was now facing 'fresh sorrow' at Daniel's death.

In another shocking twist, it is also understood that the brothers of Daniel and Grace know each other, and have previously been pictured together at a social event.

Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, who were both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, were stabbed to death by paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane in Nottingham in June 2023.

Daniel Anjorin, the 14-year-old boy killed by a man who went on a rampage wielding a sword

A flag is flown at half-mast at Bancroft's, independent school in Woodford Green, east London

Science teacher's son Daniel was killed during a sword rampage outside his home in Hainault yesterday as he began his journey to school.

READ MORE: Nottingham stabbing victim Grace O'Malley-Kumar's parents back calls for their daughter to be awarded the George Cross Advertisement

In a letter sent to parents, the school's headteacher, Simon Marshall, wrote: 'Naturally this event will have a profound effect on the whole school, but this will be especially true of his peers.'

'It seems scarcely believable that less than a year on from the terrible death of Grace O'Malley-Kumar in the Nottingham attacks we are facing fresh sorrow,' the letter added.

In another statement on Bancroft's website, Daniel, who joined the school aged seven, was described as a 'true scholar' with a 'positive nature and gentle character'.

It read: 'We are devastated by the heartbreaking news of the death of Daniel Anjorin, who attended our school. This has left us in profound shock and sorrow.

'Daniel joined Bancroft's at seven years old and quickly became a core member of our community. He was a true scholar, demonstrating commendable dedication to his academic pursuits.

'His positive nature and gentle character will leave a lasting impact on us. Losing such a young pupil is something we will always struggle to come to terms with.'

Grace O'Malley-Kumar, a university student who was murdered in a knife attack in Nottingham last summer, was a formerly a pupil at Bancroft's, independent school in Woodford Green

The school described Daniel as a 'true scholar' with a 'positive nature and gentle character'

Meanwhile Grace's father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, described the attack in Hainault as 'horrific' and said Daniel's parents will be 'distraught'.

He told Good Morning Britain: 'It's absolutely appalling. You can't even imagine what the parents are going through. This is just the most difficult thing for any parents to endure.

'It's something that we've endured now for many months, and I can tell you that [the distress] the family are feeling is only felt by a few like us who have lost children in these absolutely appalling circumstances.'
A drunken yob who went on the run for 16 years to avoid justice after terrorising a shopkeeper has finally been jailed.

Jakub Szweczak, 45, intimidated the shop worker into handing over free alcohol, before acting aggressively in front of a young family outside.

He was arrested at the scene in Norwich, Norfolk, in December 2007 after a friend he was with brandished a knife at shop staff and later admitted affray.

But he fled before he could be sentenced the following year, claiming his partner was pregnant and he 'didn't want to be in prison' when she gave birth.

He was found and arrested again this year, leading to an appearance at Norwich Crown Court earlier this month when he was jailed for 18 months.

Jakub Szweczak, 45, intimidated the shop worker into handing over free alcohol in Norwich, Norfolk in 2007

Sergeant Amanda Baker, who led the original investigation, said: 'This sentence is the perfect reminder that, no matter how much time has passed, we will not stop looking to prosecute those who have committed crimes in our county.'

The defendant, who is Polish, caused a 'drunken nuisance' at the City Convenience Store on Christmas Day 2007.

He was 'drunk and unsteady on his feet' when he and a friend tried to purchase alcohol from the store but were refused.

Szweczak then asked for 'free alcohol', which was also refused, but was then allowed to buy vodka before he swore at staff.

The pair next went outside and banged on a passing BMW car, with their 'aggressive' behaviour leading a neighbouring cafe owner to 'lock the door and turn off the lights'.

Szweczak and his friend then acted aggressively in front of a Mercedes car in which sat a couple and their two young children.

Norwich Crown Court heard the men repeatedly returned to the City Convenience Store, at one point being given a bottle of booze which they broke against the shop window, before demanding more 'free alcohol'.

They were chased out of the store by a brave shop worker clutching a piece of wood, only to return a final time with Szweczak's co-defendant wielding a rusty knife, leading to police being called.

He was found and arrested again this year, leading to an appearance at Norwich Crown Court (pictured) earlier this month when he was jailed for 18 months

Michael Clare, representing Szweczak, said it was a nasty offence which was the result of 'drunkenness, rather than pre-planning'.

While the co-defendant held the knife, he accepted his client was 'party to that'.

Regarding the Bail Act offence, Mr Clare added it was not 'sophisticated' absconding and that Szweczak had moved to the Capital to be with his girlfriend when she went into labour.

Sentencing him on April 22, Judge Katherine Moore said: 'The unhappy events of Christmas Day 2007 occurred because you and your co-defendant had both had too much to drink.'

Going on to describe how they caused a 'drunken nuisance' during their 'number of trips' to the shop, she added he had subsequently 'quite deliberately absented yourself' and in so doing 'evaded justice for a substantial period of time'.

The fact he 'vanished' and 'no one knew where you were' had 'added to the disquiet of the shopkeepers in Magdalen Street'.

Norfolk Police were approached for a comment.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday that he would sign a 'no spoiler pledge' if President Joe Biden did the same.

Kennedy argued at an event in New York that he's no 'spoiler' because if the election was today former President Donald Trump would beat Biden - whether he's in the race or not.

The shellacking would be worse, Kennedy said, if just Trump and Biden are on the ballot, as Trump would be able to flip Virginia and Maine.

'I perform much, much better against President Trump than President Biden does,' the ex-Democrat stated.

He then offered to drop out if polling just weeks before the election no longer showed that, as long as Biden agreed to do the same.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday that he would sign a 'no spoiler pledge' if President Joe Biden did the same

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. outlines what his 'no spoiler pledge' would look like Wednesday at an event in New York City

'This is a "no spoiler pledge," which we're announcing today. This is a pledge that I offer to take if President Biden also takes it,' he explained. 'Both parties agree to co-fund in mid-October a 50 state poll with 30,000 or more likely voters.'

He said this large survey pool would essentially insure a zero margin of error.

'The survey will test the results of a head-to-head race, pitting President Biden against President Trump. And a second head-to-head race, pitting me against President Trump,' Kennedy said. 'Both parties, whomever performs weakest against President Trump in a two-man contest will drop out of the presidential race.'

Polling by Zogby Analytics, which was unveiled at the Kennedy event, showed Kennedy being able to squeak out a win against Trump, if it was a two-person contest.

The likelihood of a sitting president and a candidate from one of the two major parties dropping out of the race in mid-October is virtually none.

'Robert F. Kennedy Jr is a spoiler- recruited by the MAGA GOP and propped up by Trump's largest donor. His VEEP-like performance today does nothing to dispel that notion - it only reinforces how deeply unserious his campaign is,' Democratic National Committee spokesperson Matt Corridoni told DailyMail.com in a statement.

Kennedy - a prominent anti-vaxxer who left the Democratic Party in October to pursue a third-party run - still has to get his name on every state's ballot.

So far the Kennedy campaign has achieved ballot access in Michigan - a top swing state - Utah and California.

In Michigan Kennedy and his running mate, lawyer and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan, will represent the little-known Natural Law Party, which already has a reserved spot on the ballot.

In similar fashion, in California, the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket will represent the American Independent Party of California.

In other states, the Kennedy campaign has pursued signature-gathering efforts, the usual - but burdensome way - independent candidates have to get on the ballot.

The campaign has said it has gathered enough signatures to appear on the ballots in Hawaii, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa and Nevada but those efforts haven't been without problems.

In Nevada the signatures gathered could be tossed out because Kennedy needed to have a running mate named on the paperwork he filed.

The Nevada signatures were gathered before Shanahan was announced as Kennedy's VP pick in March.

Nevada's secretary of state office said an official there told the Kennedy campaign the wrong information but that state law would still have to be followed.

In turn, the Kennedy campaign has threatened to sue Nevada.
The pro-Palestine encampment at UCLA sent out demands for vegan and gluten-free food as they rebuild their barricades after a night of violent clashes with counter-protesters and authorities.

The list of requested items, first reported by Fox News, included 'urgent' demands for 'wood for barrier', 'knee and elbow pads' and 'gas masks.'

Under a list of food requirements to be delivered to the camp the protesters requested 'vegan food', 'gluten free food' and 'hot food for lunch'.

A list of banned foods include anything packaged, coffee, bagels, bananas and nuts.

The protesters also cautioned that all donations must be 'BDS compliant'.

Counter protester attack a pro-Palestinian encampment set up on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles

Demonstrators restore a protective barrier at an encampment on the UCLA campus on Wednesday

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement is attempting to coordinate boycotts of any product or company that is linked to or supports Israel.

Other demands included sleeping pads, rope, zip ties and Aquaphor balm.

Violence and chaos engulfed UCLA's campus last night as pro-Israel protesters clashed with the pro-Palestine protesters currently encamped on the grounds.

'Horrific acts of violence' devolved into 'all-out brawls' which also saw a firework thrown into a crowd of people on Tuesday night.

The violence at UCLA began when a group of pro-Israel activists showed up on campus with the intention of removing the anti-Israel and pro- Palestine camp, KTLA reported.

The broadcaster said that the pro-Israel side threw a firework at the protesters and deployed 'what may have been bear spray.'

Local media broadcasts showed the protesters cowering, covering themselves with umbrellas from the spray. So far, at least one person was taken away by an ambulance for treatment.

At around 12:30am, after hours of confrontations and violence, Mayor Karen Bass confirmed that the LAPD had been called in.

California Highway Patrol officers patrol near the pro-Palestinian encampment on Wednesday

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators engulfed in tear gas regroup and rebuild the barricade surrounding the encampment set up on the campus of UCLA

At around 12:30am, after hours of confrontations and violence, Mayor Karen Bass confirmed that the LAPD had been called in

Counter-protesters stand near an encampment of protesters in support of Palestinians in Gaza on the campus of the University of California

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator (C) is beaten by counter protesters

The chaos is shown on Tuesday night on campus in UCLA

Pro-Israel supporters attempting to dismantle a Pro-Palestine encampment

Helmeted riot police were pictured arriving on the UCLA campus in their protective gear as they tore down barriers and attempted to enter the pro-Palestinian encampment.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were then engulfed in tear gas as they tried to regroup and rebuild their barricade.

Around 100 pro-Israel counter-protesters attempted to seize the barricade and stormed the ongoing Palestine solidarity encampment in Dickson Plaza, UCLA's student newspaper the Daily Bruin reported.

'As police stand watching the demonstrations and skirmishes between protesters, more and more officers are filing behind them, some wearing has masks. A few officers are standing near Haines Hall' the newspaper wrote on X.

The account added: 'Police on scene remain at a standstill watching a chaotic scene at Dickson Plaza. 'Resistance is justified when Palestine is occupied!' shout protesters through a megaphone.

The newspaper reported that some counter demonstrators chanted 'USA, USA!' as they followed police to the encampment site.

The Los Angeles Police Department said on X that it was responding at the university's request due to 'multiple acts of violence' within the large protest encampment.

In an email sent by the vice chancellor of strategic communications at the school, Mary Osako reportedly wrote: 'Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight.

'The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene. We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end'.

Colombia University students in New York also made demands for food and water to be delivered to their encampments.

One students even claimed the school was blocking their access to 'humanitarian aid' by not doing so.

Students pleaded for 'basic humanitarian aid' to be delivered to those illegally occupying Hamilton Hall and said it was the schools' responsibility to ensure they had access to food and water.

Protesters are demanding that Colombia divest from companies with ties to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas.

More than 100 activists have already been arrested at the school since the encampment began.
Megyn Kelly - Host of the Megyn Kelly show - asked some tough questions about the Columbia University pro-Palestine protestors, many of whom were arrested by the NYPD last night.

Namely, the blonde bombshell wants to better understand the 'look' of the rabble-rousers.

'Why are they so unattractive?' she asked, really laying into the radical student activists.

'I really legitimately want to know. Why are all the protestors so homely?'

She further theorized that the 'attractive' and 'smart' peers of the odd and/or schlubby looking protestors are 'not drawn to this nonsense. They're living their lives being successful.'

Hoards of students across the country, who Megyn Kelly has deemed generally unattractive, have showed up to protest the 'genocide' occurring in Gaza and their respective schools' ties to Israel

'It's the unattractive and/or dumb people who feel the need to do this to feel like they matter. Sorry, hard truth,' closed the host.

Primarily, Kelly was, and has been, extremely unimpressed with the actions of the radical students causing major disruptions on their campuses in the name of solidarity with Gaza.

Ahead of Tuesday night's NYPD raid, which cleared the anti-Israel Columbia students out of Hamilton Hall, which they had taken over by force the night prior, Kelly criticized the students and the school for allowing the 'nonsense' to go on for so long.

'Yesterday (Monday), a deadline set by Columbia's president for the encampment to be disbanded came and went,' Kelly said.

'And now Columbia is vowing to suspend the students inside the encampment, but it seems they want to hand out the punishments in private. So as not to embarrass the little snowflakes.'

The Ivy League university's administration - led by President Minouche Shafik - has been hotly criticized from both supporters of the protestors and those who believe the protests are outrageous, illegal, and anti-Semitic, for allowing things to reach a boiling point.

Columbia's nightmare saga began with a group of protestors setting up an encampment on the school's quad at the upper Manhattan campus.

From there, the students, who were protesting the university's financial and other relationships with Israel, in addition to the Jewish state's treatment of Palestinians during its ongoing war with Hamas, become more outlandish in their actions.

Soon, the disorderly movement began spreading across the country to other US campuses, where similar encampments have caused all sorts of trouble.

In recent days, protestors have even begun gathering on campuses across the globe - including at school in Europe, Canada, and Australia.

Students at the University of Michigan tie keffiyehs around one another's heads as they occupy a segment of their campus with an encampment of their own

The blonde bombshell Sirius XM host at one point made fun of the Columbia protestors' cupcake delivery, joking that Ozempic might be the more useful item to drop off

Protestors at Emerson College in Boston: Kelly said that those showing up to condemn Israel are either dumb or unattractive, which is why they feel they need the attention

A little later on in her program, Kelly made fun of the 'rope-pulley system' developed by Columbia students who are sympathetic to the pro-Palestinian protestors who had taken over Hamilton Hall to deliver goods to the invaders.

'You cannot make this up,' she said, the protestors were being delivered 'tins of cupcakes' by their fellow revolutionary peers.

'I would say that, given my theory that only the unattractive people - or dumb - are the ones who are doing this kind of protesting, you should send some coverup and some Ozempic, which would be a smarter and more useful delivery to the protestors,' she said.
Just when you think Donald Trump can't outdo himself, he gives an explosive new interview to Time magazine and changes the landscape of the 2024 presidential election.

In this profile, all-too-aptly-titled 'How Far Trump Would Go', the former and would-be next president left no key issue facing America untouched.

But one exchange in particular might just have shifted everything:

Q: Do you think states should monitor women's pregnancies so they can know if they've gotten an abortion after the ban?

Trump: I think they might do that.

Q: Prosecuting women for getting abortions after the ban Are you comfortable with it?

Trump: The states are going to [decide]. It's irrelevant whether I'm comfortable or not.

Yet clearly, Trump  a man never short of opinions  is comfortable with this idea.

This is horrifying for women everywhere. It is dystopian and, as so often said, the unimaginable stuff of 'The Handmaid's Tale': Women as property, as chattel and broodmares, nothing more.

Just when you think Donald Trump can't outdo himself, he gives an explosive new interview to Time magazine and changes the landscape of the 2024 presidential election.

In this profile, titled 'How Far Trump Would Go', the former and would-be next president left no key issue facing America untouched. But one exchange in particular might just have shifted everything...

Women need to reframe this argument. 'Abortion' is a damaging, deliberately brutish catch-all. What this is about, more correctly, is reproductive rights. It's about the self-determination of women.

The majority of Americans agree.

A year after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2021, a Pew Research poll found that 62 percent of American adults thought abortion should be legal in 'all or most cases'.

Since the Supreme Court's ruling, every time abortion has been on the ballot  even in red states  reproductive rights have won.

That tells you that the average voter has a more nuanced take than the average politician.

Most rational people know that women aren't seeking painful, often heartbreaking late-term abortions because, like the silly women they are  whoops!  they just changed their mind. As if a fetus is a pair of shoes.

Late-term abortions are vanishingly rare. In America, as of 2015, more than 90 percent of terminations occurred before the 13th week. Fewer than 1 percent were performed after 24 weeks.

The idea that men's sexual and reproductive health would ever be legislated, would ever require the permission of state or federal government, is so fantastical as to be laughable. Yet women alone are made to suffer.

In 2016, Trump ran on the promise that he would overturn Roe v. Wade. On the campaign trail, he told Chris Matthews in a televised town hall that getting rid of Roe wouldn't be enough  that any woman who accessed an abortion would have to face grave consequences.

'There has to be some form of punishment [for women who have abortions],' Trump said.

Is he for real?

This is a guy currently sitting in a Manhattan courtroom  unfairly criminalized, he tells us, persecuted to a messianic degree  for paying hush money to the porn star with whom he allegedly cheated on his wife.

Another woman's lawyer has testified about an affair she also claims to have had with a married Trump, and the money he paid to keep her story quiet.

This is the individual to legislate women's sexual morality? To tell women how to conduct their reproductive health  and endorse states enacting womb surveillance?

This is the individual to legislate women's sexual morality? To tell women how to conduct their reproductive health - and endorse states enacting womb surveillance?

For a party that claims to be about less government intervention, this is the most invasive form of overreach imaginable: Some bureaucratic functionary privy to the goings-on in every and any woman's uterus, perhaps even reporting her if she deviates not from her doctor's best advice or her own autonomous decision-making, but from the diktats of faceless paper-pushers.

Americans of every stripe and political persuasion should be terrified, for this prospect is not limited to allowing states to criminalize abortion.

Far-right agitators are also seeking to:

1. Enact a federal abortion ban. Trump has said repeatedly he will not sign one, but who can believe him? I am among generations of women who grew up with Roe v. Wade, told repeatedly that it was the settled law of the land  and then it was gone.

2. Give embryos, from the moment of conception, full legal rights as part of the Life at Conception Act. This is backed, per Time, by 80 percent of the Republican caucus, with dark implications for IVF. In February of this year, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are 'children' and that anyone destroying them could be held responsible. I doubt this movement will get very far, because there is too much money at stake: the IVF industry is worth tens of billions.

3. Restrict access to mifepristone, a crucial drug approved 20 years ago that induces early abortion and can be taken at home. The Supreme Court will rule on its use this term, and Trump's supporters are also looking to enforce the Comstock Act, which would criminalize mailing the drug. Trump, coward that he is, would not tell Time whether he supports banning this drug, saying only that 'I feel very strongly about it'.

4. Next up: Restricting access to birth control. In July 2022, 195 Republicans in the House voted against the 'Right to Contraception Act'.

If this all feels like hyperbole, like the kind of political exaggerations that could never come to pass, think again.

It is already the case that women who live in states with new, archaic bans  and let's be real, we're talking about poor women who can't afford to travel or access the best doctors  are barred from abortions past a certain date even if their fetus has grave birth defects that would leave them in agony, or to die an excruciating death hours after being born.

How is that humane?

Florida recently passed a six-week ban, signed into law by Ron DeSantis, who either doesn't know or doesn't care about the way female biology works.

Far too many women don't realize they're pregnant at six weeks. That ban went into effect today.

In 2021, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed a law banning abortion beyond six weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest. It also allows any random civilian to report a doctor or patient involved in abortion to the police.

Weeks ago, Arizona disinterred a long-dormant ban (dating back to 1864) that prohibited abortion from the moment of conception with one provision, to save the mother's life.

Late Wednesday afternoon, lawmakers voted to repeal, with every Democratic senator and two defecting Republicans supporting the motion.

That tells you everything.

In 2021, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed a law banning abortion beyond six weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest. It also allows any random civilian to report a doctor or patient involved in abortion to the police.

Florida recently passed a six-week ban, signed into law by Ron DeSantis, who either doesn't know or doesn't care about the way female biology works. Far too many women don't realize they're pregnant at six weeks. That ban went into effect today.

Even Trump knows how dangerous these restrictive laws are to him politically.

Just three weeks ago, he made the point of publicly stating that Florida and Arizona have gone too far, and their new bans need to be changed.

So which is it, President Trump? States should be able to surveil pregnant women from conception until birth  'it's irrelevant whether I'm comfortable or not'  or some laws are too prohibitive?

Let's work through what state surveillance of a pregnancy looks like.

A woman goes to her doctor and takes a pregnancy test  because, in this Brave New World, over-the-counter pregnancy tests are presumably no longer available.

Everything about a pregnancy must be known to the government, so the doctor alerts the state to each and every patient, along with their gestational timeline.

What if someone travels across state lines for an abortion?

Is a doctor a criminal if they falsely record an aborted fetus as a miscarriage?

If one woman can't access mifepristone but her friend in another state can, and mails it to her, do they both risk prison time?

This is the Pandora's Box unleashed by Trump. He shouldn't be allowed to slither out of it.

Amanda Zurawski found out her much-wanted pregnancy wasn't viable after 18 weeks.

But because of Texas's dangerous new law, her doctors weren't allowed to perform an abortion, which would have prevented the subsequent infection that almost killed Amanda twice.

The damage was so severe that Amanda may never conceive again.

Her story was featured in one of the strongest ads released by the Biden-Harris campaign so far.

It ends with one indelible line: 'Donald Trump did this'.

In his Time interview, the former president covered everything from crime, to immigration, the Middle East, tariffs and trade  and yet he had very little to say about the specifics of his plans for American women.

But oh, he said enough. And this issue is now on the ballot in every battleground state.

Mark my words: The defining issue in this election will not be the border, crime, the economy or Israel.

It's reproductive rights. Women's rights.

In the wake of the Time interview, President Biden released a pithy, potent statement: 'Trump doesn't trust women I do'.

Trump got his way in overturning Roe. How poetic, how justifiably symmetrical, if it costs him this election.
A man has been charged with the murder of 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin in Hainault.

Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, 36, has been charged over the death of the schoolboy, who was killed during an alleged sword rampage in east London on Tuesday.

The teenager tragically lost his life during the 22-minute ordeal, while four other people were seriously injured - including two members of the public, and two police officers who rushed to help.

Monzo has also been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary, and possession of a bladed article.

The dual Spanish and Brazilian national, from Newham E16, will appear at Barkingside Magistrates' Court, in Ilford tomorrow.

Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, 36, from Newham, has been charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary, and possession of a bladed article

Daniel Anjorin, pictured here with his mother Grace, was tragically killed during an attack in Hainault on Tuesday

Daniel, pictured here wearing a red and blue Spiderman costume, died after being mortally wounded during the fatal incident

The Metropolitan Police says it has informed the families of all those affected.

Monzo is accused of crashing a van into a fence in Laing Close just before 7am on Tuesday and then attacking two members of the public with a sword.

It is alleged he then killed Daniel before seriously injuring two police officers as they tried to stop him, one of whom nearly lost her hand.

Scotland Yard said initial attempts to use incapacitant spray and Taser on the suspect were not effective.

Police swarmed the quiet residential streets close to Hainault Tube station, before a suspect was cornered and taken down after being Tasered multiple times.

Monzo, who is understood to have family living in the Hainault area, was initially taken to hospital after he was injured crashing the van.

Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith, who is leading the investigation for the Met Police, said earlier: 'This is an incredibly tragic incident that has resulted in a young boy losing his life and his family devastated. On behalf of the family, I would ask that their privacy is respected.

'This is a complex investigation due to the number of crime scenes, forensic evidence, hours of CCTV footage and witnesses we need to speak to. I know that many people will want answers and we are working to provide them as soon as we can.

'I would also echo previous calls for patience as my officers carry out a painstaking investigation to deliver justice for Daniel, his family, those injured and the wider community.

'We are starting to build a picture of what happened on Tuesday and I want to thank everyone who has come forward to share dashcam, doorbell and mobile phone footage with us.

'Likewise, thank you to witnesses, who were no doubt terrified by what they saw, and who have made vital contributions to our investigation. Anyone who has not yet spoken to police and has any information should contact us as soon as possible.'

The boy, pictured here on a family outing, had been leaving his home just before 7am when he was caught up in the horrifying ordeal

Daniel Anjorin (pictured) went to the 24,990-a-year Bancroft's school in Woodford Green

Floral tributes left to Daniel Anjorin at a police cordon near the scene of the Hainault sword attack

A teddy bear and a sign reading 'RIP Little Angel' with a love heart is left close to the scene of the incident

People lay floral tributes in memory to Daniel on Wednesday, a day after he was killed in a fatal incident

Jaswant Narwal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London North, said: 'The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Marcus Arduini Monzo with the murder of 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin, who was fatally stabbed in Hainault on Tuesday 30 April.

'A further four people  including two police officers  were seriously injured, and Monzo has also been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary, and possession of a bladed article.

'He will appear at Barkingside Magistrates' Court on 2 May 2024.

'Our thoughts remain firmly with the family of the Daniel and all those who have been impacted by this horrific incident.

'We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that they have a right to a fair trial.

'It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.'

Daniel's heartbroken family paid tribute to the 'wonderful child' who was 'well loved' and 'hard working' earlier on Wednesday before the charges were announced, saying his loss 'leaves a gaping wound in the family'

'No family should have to go through what we are experiencing today. Any family will understand it's an absolute tragedy,' they told Sky News.

The 14-year-old schoolboy, who is one of three children from a respected churchgoing Nigerian family, was mortally wounded as he left his home in Laing Close just before 7am.

Friends of Daniel's parents say they are struggling to cope with the devastatingly violent loss of their son, and have turned to their deep-seated personal faith to get through it.

Those who knew Daniel described the teenager as an 'amazing young man' who 'bought his family joy' during the 14-year life which was tragically cut short.

Members of the community gather close the scene of the incident as they come together to remember Daniel tonight

A police officer lays floral tributes brought by members of the public on the corner of Laing Close and New North Road in Hainault

A card with the words 'To Daniel Anjorin' and a hand drawn pink flower lays on a bouquet of flowers

A card from one family of well wishers is addressed to Daniel's loved ones saying 'we are all thinking of you'

People from the local area, including members of River Hawks FC, gather to pay tribute to Daniel in Hainault tonight

A collection of flowers and a number of candles are placed on the ground in memory of Daniel Anjorin

Family friend Janti Charalambous said, whose son was in the same year as Daniel at Snaresbrook Primary School, said at the scene: 'Daniel was an amazing young man.

'He was good at his studies. He was good at his sports. Very much loved by many, many people and came from a wonderful family.

'The family are in shock. Obviously there are very heartbroken. He was such a young boy taken away from his family.

'What can we say? It's sad that it's happened in a family, a community like this. It's heartbreaking.

'At least they got their time to spend with Daniel, 14 years.'

She added that the family's 'faith is sustaining them' and 'we are all supporting them in any shape or form that they need'.

She said: 'He was a joyful boy - he brought his family joy and his life has just been taken away.

'He was much loved, his family are much loved.

'I was talking to my son and he was so heartbroken, he can remember Daniel driving his little car and playing in the street.

'He said he can't imagine it happening to his own brother.

'We've known the family for many years now and we are praying for them.'

Ade Caxton-Cole, who made friends with Daniel's mother Grace Anjorin when her child attended the same prep school, added: 'They have hope and we have hope that we will all be seeing him one day so long as we have hope in Christ.

'Faith is keeping them, the Lord is keeping them.'

Daniel went to the 24,990-a-year Bancroft's school in Woodford Green  where Nottingham stabbing victim Grace O'Malley-Kumar, 19, was also a pupil. The flag on the school's building flew at half-mast today.

The youngster, whose mother is a science teacher, was described as a 'true scholar' with a 'positive nature and gentle character' in a statement from the school today.

It read: 'Daniel joined Bancroft's at seven-years old and quickly became a core member of our community. He was a true scholar, demonstrating commendable dedication to his academic pursuits.

Forensic officers working at the scene of the attack in Hainault, east London, on Tuesday afternoon

Police were scrambled to the scene following reports that a car had driven into a house

Police remain at the scene on Wednesday, with cordons still up near Hainault Underground station

'His positive nature and gentle character will leave a lasting impact on us. Losing such a young pupil is something we will always struggle to come to terms with.

'We are now doing all we can to support our entire community through this most painful situation. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Daniel's family during this incredibly difficult time.'

Headteacher Simon Marshall wrote a letter to parents expressing 'great sadness and shock' at Daniel's death.

He described the teenager as a 'much-loved' member of the school, and added: 'It is with great sadness and shock that I am writing to inform you of the tragic death of Daniel Anjorin, one of our pupils. Our thoughts and prayers at this moment are with Daniel's family and friends.'

The statement went on: 'It seems scarcely believable that less than a year on from the terrible death of Grace O'Malley-Kumar in the Nottingham attacks we are facing fresh sorrow.'

A friend of the schoolboy described him as a 'very good person' who excelled in maths, loved football and supported Arsenal.

Cyan Thompson, 19, told the Independent: 'I'm way older but Daniel was better than me at maths. I was planning on playing football with him later today, but that's not going to happen.

'He was like a prime Messi, he could get past me very easily. He was small but very jinky. He was a very determined guy. I support Man City, he supports Arsenal, it was a good rivalry.'

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley gives an update about his officers on LBC radio today

A police forensics officer at the scene of the fatal incident in Hainault on Tuesday

Daniel's mother works at Holy Family Catholic School in Walthamstow, east London.

The school published a statement on its website that said: 'Mrs Anjorin's son was taken from this life suddenly this morning on his way to school. Please keep Mrs Anjorin, her husband, and their other children in your prayers.'

During the chaos in Hainault which tragically cost Daniel his life, four other people were left seriously injured.

These included two police officers who had responded 12 minutes after an initial 999 call was made to the Met reporting that a van had crashed into a house.

After they arrived the officers were attacked and sustained serious injuries, with one almost having her hand completely severed.

Today Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said a female police officer suffered 'horrifically serious' arm injuries in the Hainault attack.

He told LBC that the officer had undergone several hours of surgery yesterday and faces 'a long journey of recovery' after nearly losing her hand.

He said: 'The surgeon spent many, many hours basically putting her arm back together.'

A male officer also suffered serious hand injuries and is recovering in hospital.

Speaking about the victim, Sir Mark said: 'The first thing you have to say is for the parents involved, who've lost their 14-year-old, that is just horrific, and it's everyone's worst nightmare. I'm sure we're all thinking about them.'

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the incident as 'shocking', adding: 'Such violence has no place on our streets'.

The Prime Minister also told the Commons today: 'I know that the thoughts of the whole House are with the people of Hainault in east London following yesterday's appalling attack.

'Such violence has no place on our streets. It is absolutely heart-breaking that a teenage boy has died and I can't imagine what his family are going through, and we send them our heartfelt condolences and offer our very best wishes to all those injured.

'I would just like to reiterate my thanks to the police and other emergency first responders for embodying the highest standards of public service under such awful circumstances.'
A Canadian woman has died after falling sick on her vacation to Jamaica and returning home only to be turned away from two local hospitals.

Kelly Beckerley-Murphy, 65, traveled to Jamaica for what was supposed to be a weeklong vacation with her best friend.

In an unfortunate twist - just shortly after the pair arrived on Sunday Beckerley began to have difficulty breathing and was rushed by ambulance to a Montego Bay hospital.

While on the way to the hospital, the 65-year-old suffered from respiratory failure and cardiac arrest, her daughter Shannon Horner said.

Beckerley was resuscitated but remained unconscious in a hospital bed in Jamaica while she waited to be transported back home to St. Catharines.

Kelly Beckerley-Murphy, 65, traveled to Jamaica for what was supposed to be a weeklong vacation with her best friend

While on the way to the hospital, Beckerley (pictured right) suffered from respiratory failure and cardiac arrest, her daughter Shannon Horner (pictured left) said

During her more than a week-long stint in hospital, Beckerley developed pneumonia, sepsis and a 'horrific bed sore,' according to her daughter.

Family of the 65-year-old were told by her insurance provider, CAA Niagara, that there were no beds available in Ontario to accommodate her.

However, both Niagara Health and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care said there were beds available in those facilities.

Eventually, a bed was eventually found to accommodate Beckerley-Murphy at St. Catharines hospital, where she was admitted on April 16.

Beckerley tragically died surrounded by her family late on Thursday night at the local hospital.

Horner said her mother 'should have been home eight days sooner.'

'That's eight days that our family will never get back,' she said.

Horner is left wondering if things might have turned out differently had her mother been able to return to Canada sooner.

'It's awful. It's a freaking tragedy,' Horner told the St. Catharines Standard.

Horner had previously created a GoFundMe to help gather support and bring her mother home to Canada while she was stuck in the Jamaican hospital. The GoFundMe raised $2,760 and received 37 donations.

According to what Horner wrote on the GoFundMe, they managed to send Beckerley's husband Ted out to Jamaica to 'be by her side and advocate for her.'

Beckerley tragically died surrounded by her family late on Thursday night at the local hospital

The most recent update shared on the GoFundMe was on April 20. It said, 'My mom is currently back from Jamaica she is in stable but critical condition.

'She is currently on a ventilator and is in a coma. She had a cardiac arrest due to respiratory failure in the ambulance on the way to Jamaica.

'They are concerned about cognitive function due to lack of oxygen during this time. My mom hasn't regained consciousness since.'

Situations like Beckerley's happen far too frequently, according to Will McAleer, executive director of Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THIAC).

McAleer said that most incidents go unreported when Canadians become sick and get stuck in foreign hospitals with no indication of when they can return home.

'We don't think that's an equitable level of accessibility that we would expect under universal health care,' he said.

St. Catharines member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Jennie Stevens said she plans to take action after learning of Beckerley's case.

'The end of life is such a crucial part of saying goodbye and healing with your family,' she said.
The job of SNP leader is a poisoned chalice that no one in the party wants, the Tories have taunted.

Douglas Ross said yesterday that the dearth of candidates stepping forward to replace Humza Yousaf was a damning verdict on the Cabinet.

The Scottish Conservative leader said the SNP had run out of road and out of talent as he launched a savage attack on the few names being touted as potential candidates for the top job.

There are fears the SNPs heavyweights are hatching a plot to shoehorn continuity candidate and former deputy leader John Swinney into the hot seat without a contest.

But the party is deeply divided over a replacement for Mr Yousaf, with growing support emerging for Kate Forbes, who lost in her leadership bid last year.

A glum Humza Yousaf during yesterdays vote of no confidence at Holyrood

It emerged last night that Mr Swinney and Ms Forbes had been locked in secret informal talks yesterday over the vacant leadership position.

At Holyrood, Mr Ross mocked the SNP benches for failing to put forward a single candidate four days after Mr Yousafs resignation.

He added: The would-be successors to Humza Yousaf are hardly rushing out the box to seize the poisoned chalice to lead the SNP.

In another dramatic day:

 The Greens damaging influence on the political landscape continued as they helped to defeat Labours no confidence vote in the SNP Government;

 Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused the SNP of 17 years of scandal, incompetence and political self-interest and demanded an early election;

 The SNP has said it will run a short leadership campaign if there is a contest, with Mr Yousafs successor due to be announced near the end of the month;

 A smirking Nicola Sturgeon faced calls to support an early election after she had previously railed against an unelected Rishi Sunak becoming Prime Minister;

 Ms Sturgeon, who appeared at parliament for the first time since her husband was arrested on embezzlement charges, said she has not decided who to back as SNP leader;

 Mr Yousaf continued to lead the country as First Minister despite announcing his resignation this week and admitting he had paid the price for his incompetence.

Mr Ross blamed Labour for failing to get majority support for the motion of no confidence, which was supported by the Conservatives and Lib Dems.

The backing of the Greens, sacked just a week ago from Mr Yousafs government, helped the SNP to secure a majority of votes and stave off the threat of an early election.

Mr Ross said it now looked as though Nicola Sturgeons health secretary will either be replaced by Nicola Sturgeons deputy or Nicola Sturgeons finance secretary.

He added: What a damning verdict on the current Cabinet. Each of the individuals sitting on the front bench today, hand-picked by Humza Yousaf to run the departments of this government, have ruled themselves out.

They dont want to do it.

Never mind the Opposition having no confidence in this government, it seems none of the ministers have confidence in themselves either.

Both of the frontrunners, though, represent continuity. Kate Forbes ran Scotlands economy when it lagged behind the rest of the UK.

Her Budgets put up taxes on Scottish workers and failed to pass on vital relief to Scottish businesses.

And Kate Forbes has also said that she wants to hold an independence referendum within three months of the general election.

She is even more radical a nationalist than Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf.

Then theres Honest John Swinney. If he is successful, Scotland faces the dreadful prospect of replacing Nicola Sturgeons prodigy with Nicola Sturgeons right-hand man; of going from the man who left Scotlands NHS in crisis to the man who left Scotlands schools in crisis; of going from one failed leader to another leader who has already failed.

Mr Sarwar said the country faced even more chaos as SNP infighting threatened to destabilise the Government further.

He said that failing to call an early election had created a democratic deficit and that foisting another unelected First Minister on the country was untenable.

He added: It is now clear that the SNP as a political party is so chaotic, divided and dysfunctional, that it cant deliver competent government and is failing Scots every day.

I dont believe changing the face at the top is going to change that.

Mr Sarwar added: There are already SNP ministers briefing journalists that if Kate Forbes was to become leader they would actively look to stop her being able to form a government. That would be even more chaos.

And John Swinney, the man who has been at the heart of the SNP Government for the last 17 years, the heart of the SNP leadership for the last 40 years.

The finance secretary that broke the public finances and the worst education secretary in the history of the Scottish parliament. Hardly the competence or the change our country needs.

Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie reminded Ms Sturgeon of her angry rhetoric during the leadership changes at Westminster after Boris Johnsons resignation in 2022.

Smirking on the sidelines as her statement came back to haunt her, Mr Rennie said: Let me remind the chamber what Nicola Sturgeon said when Rishi Sunak replaced Liz Truss as Prime Minister.

She said we couldnt have a revolving door at Downing Street, that the office of Prime Minister was not the plaything of one political party and that it would be a democratic outrage if it didnt go to an election and for the people to decide.

If thats the principle that the SNP rightly applied to Westminster and the UK, why do they now hold Scotland to a lower standard?

Earlier, Ms Sturgeon said she had not decided who to back as SNP leader. She said: Ill make up my own mind, Im not going to tell other members how to vote.

What I would say is that I hope the contest is positive, I hope it is forward-looking, and I hope it focuses on the things the SNP needs to do to continue its very strong election-winning streak.
Late last weekend, the shady personalities who still think the Scottish National Party belongs to them began to move on three determined fronts.

Their first job was to get rid of the busted flush that is Humza Yousaf. A deal to save his political skin with Ash Regan and Alba? How very dare he.

We know not what threats were made or menaces invoked, but by breakfast on Monday they had deposed him.

The second mission was to secure, as his replacement  and, ideally, by unopposed acclamation  a safe, biddable pair of hands.

The obvious choice was that ponderous Volvo of the Nats, John Swinney, and throughout Monday quite a few SNP eminences stepped out to endorse him.

Within hours of Humza Yousaf announcing he would quit, the sour old whispers were being heard about Forbess faith, says John MacLeod

The political titan that is Ian Blackford, for instance, intoning to Radio 4 as if his words were being carved in granite as he spoke.

And the third objective was to sink the Bismarck. At all costs, Kate Forbes must be denied the SNP leadership  ideally, deterred from even considering a run  and, within hours, the sour old whispers were being heard about her Highland Presbyterian faith and, as one columnist absurdly described them last year, her jaw-dropping moral opinions.

The immediate problem for the SNP elite  at least, those members of it not currently helping the police with their inquiries  is less that Ms Forbes is a member of the Free Church of Scotland than that all her warnings, last spring, have been more than vindicated.

That Humza Yousaf was not fit to be First Minister: he had made a Horlicks of every Scottish Government position he had ever held.

That the Bute House Agreement, tying in the SNP with the Scottish Greens  really, just two of them, both to greater or lesser degree wired to the Moon  was a disaster waiting to happen.

That the whole trans thing was death in the pot. And, above all, that continuity would not cut it.

Nor has it. Still in the concrete slippers of Nicola Sturgeons right-on, Edinburgh salon student-union obsessions, all at sea on our energy crisis, uncomfortable with and indeed hostile to business and enterprise and quite out of touch with the realities of life in small town and rural Scotland  and tanking in the polls  the Nationalist project is foundering from stem to stern.

Hence the sustained, smart-aleck smearing of Kate Forbes for daring to have a meaningful religious faith  hitting a new low, yesterday morning, in a column so incoherent, so nasty and of such stupefying bigotry that at least one Free Church minister has reported it to the police.

Yet two extremely interesting things have not happened.

John Swinney, as of yesterday afternoon, had not announced his candidacy  and a cowed, tearful Kate Forbes had not come out with a Shermanesque withdrawal from the race.

A coronation is one thing: Mr Swinney, perhaps, has rather less appetite for a contest.

Especially when an immediate and obvious issue would be his past, woeful SNP leadership from 2000 to 2004, losing ground and seats in successive election campaigns under a personality quite unable to register with the Scottish public.

I still remember a mortifying moment, at the Scottish Press Awards in 2001, after a brief chat with John Swinney.

A lad by my side, a young Harrisman of normal intelligence  and this weeks after a general election  turned to me in puzzlement. Who was that guy?

And, after her bruising in the spring of 2023, Kate Forbes is these days steelier  and wilier.

The very fact of Humza Yousaf as First Minister attests that sincere religious faith  he himself is an observant Muslim  is no barrier to high public office.

Two post-war Prime Ministers, Harold Macmillan and Sir Alec Douglas-Home, were earnest Christians. So were such personalities as the late Eric Heffer, Frank Field and the SNPs Gordon Wilson.

And, in the immediate context of Highland Presbyterianism, we might point out a few home truths.

For one, is it such a bad thing if someone running the country attends church? Weekly, publicly bows their head in the house of prayer?

Is ever conscious of the frailty of human nature, the brevity of life, their moral duty to others and the absolute equality of all men and women, everywhere, before God?

For another, only the woefully misinformed assume that the merest snatch of Gaelic psalm immediately locks you into something between the Loyal Orange Order and the Monday Club.

The first electorally successful socialist movement in Britain  the Crofters Party, which won six Parliamentary seats in the 1880s  was very much the creation of Free Church adherents in the West Highlands.

And even the least herbivorous of todays denominations, the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, was the first in Britain  back in 1961  unequivocally to condemn apartheid; and has thrice had a black Moderator.

We also do nuance. You will find very few Christians who condemn abortion in all circumstances.

And, once you concede that, you can accept, in Bill Clintons deft words, that abortion should be safe, legal  and rare.

Incidentally, Kate Forbes was one of the many MSPs, the other day, to vote for restrictions on the right to protest within the vicinity of our abortion clinics.

Not that BBC Scotland could be bothered to tell us. Nor, these days, are Highland believers particularly exercised about homosexuality.

These days, even in the Western Isles, we all know gay people. Theyre just... people. Nephews, classmates, lads serving you at Tesco; that nice chap at the bank.

And, if the overwhelmingly Presbyterian Western Isles is such a loveless and sectarian place, prejudice dripping off the very walls, why has it  five times in a row, now  happily elected a Catholic MP?

If you declare, then, that  solely on account of her religious faith  Kate Forbes is unfit to be First Minister (even as, laughably, you add that you want a Scotland marked by generosity of spirit), you have chosen, to besmirch and insult an awful lot of Scots.

Kate Forbes is a gentle, Bible-believing Christian. In a tolerant, multicultural, liberal society that should not be a problem, one minister has already observed, but as we already noted, Scotland is not a tolerant, multicultural, liberal society.

There can be no sadder indictment of the past 17 years than that. But the problem is, really, another faith all together.

Its the religion of Patrick Harvie, Lorna Slater, Nicola Sturgeon and a ton of lazy commentators; all the nameless cultural Marxists who have taken over everything from our museums and police stations to our banks and our primary schools.

And, as they have increasingly reduced us to a cancel culture land of fear, look upon all this and ask yourself one question.

Who are the real bigots?
Wyoming officials have sparked fury after approving a $3,000 grant from taxpayer money for a drag queen event hosted by Wyoming AIDS Assistance.

The Drag Queen Bingo, held Saturday night in Laramie, is an R-rated fundraiser event serving alcohol and featuring 'sexually explicit' content.

According to the nonprofit Wyoming AIDS Assistance, money raised from the event is to support people living with HIV and AIDS.

Two days after the sold-out drag show was held, the Joint Health, Labor and Social Services Committee approved a motion to draft a bill that would prevent the state from funding the event.

'My constituents and the public are very upset that what appears to have happened is that taxpayer dollars went to pay for a drag show,' Rep. Jeanette Ward said on Monday.

'Taxpayer funds going to sexually explicit material of any kind is inappropriate,' she added, as reported by Cowboy State Daily.

Wyoming officials sparked fury after approving a $3,000 grant from taxpayer money for the Drag Queen Bingo event hosted by Wyoming AIDS Assistance. Pictured: the event pictured last year

The Drag Queen Bingo, held Saturday night in Laramie, is an R-rated fundraiser event serving alcohol and featuring 'sexually explicit' content

It's unclear how much money it has raised in 2024, but according to the drag queen event's social media, tickets were sold out in only 24 minutes

The Wyoming Department of Health approved a nearly $3,000 grant to organizers of the annual drag queen event earlier this month.

A warning on its website reads: 'This is not your grandmother's church parlor bingo. It's rated 'R' for really inappropriate for kids, and really going to raise some money for the Client Assistance Fund and HIV/AIDS awareness in Wyoming!'

Stefan Johansson, director of the Department of Health, insisted that the funds were not for the drag show aspect of the event Monday.

'It was for the specific activities that the mission of Wyoming AIDS Assistance and our communicable disease unit share to help folks with HIV, AIDS and STDs,' he said.

The two $1499 grants were spent on rental of a ballroom, advertising of the event, and rapid HIV testing offered at the event, according to the organization.

Legislators demanded the money to be revoked, as the funds allocated through a reimbursement have not been paid out yet to the group.

'If something does happen and it comes to our attention after the fact, we need to at least be able to say we need that money back,' State Rep. Sarah Penn said.

'I think that provides some guidelines so that when people are receiving these grants that they understand that if certain parameters, if certain aren't met, they may lose their funding,' she added.

The two $1499 grants were spent on rental of a ballroom, advertising of the event, and rapid HIV testing offered at the event, according to the organization

The event, which began in 2003, collected $1,000 in its early years and raised a shocking amount of $44,000 last year

Penn, who brought the motion in the first place, said she found the event 'discombobulated' given alcohol was served.

A promotion for the drag show reads: 'Complete with salty language, dirty jokes and booze-a-plenty, parental discretion is strongly advised!'

Penn stated that alcohol consumption could lead to unprotected sex and contribute to the spread of HIV.

'We have an event that says this is focused on prevention and yet we know that the event is also promoting these types of behaviors,'

'We're using taxpayer dollars, and I don't think the taxpayers are agnostic on this,' she added.

Rep. Tamara Trujillo chimed in by questioning: 'Does it make sense to have an educational meeting and notification event with alcohol on the one thing that's causing the problem?'

Just motioned to draft a bill to address the WY Health Dept tax dollar grant to fund drag show bingo, in the name of HIV "prevention education." pic.twitter.com/zyqwEzsve9  Representative Sarah Penn (@Rep_Sarah_Penn) April 29, 2024

The Wyoming Department of Health is now reportedly issuing grants to fund "R-rated" dr*g bingo night.



This is what your hard-earned tax dollars are going towards. pic.twitter.com/vFneGkNWl7  Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 22, 2024

The annual Drag Queen Bingo 'includes an emphasis on disease prevention and testing in addition to its fundraising purpose,' according to health department public information officer Kim Deti.

The event, which began in 2003, collected $1,000 in its early years and raised a shocking $44,000 last year.

It's unclear how much money it has raised in 2024, but according to the drag queen event's social media, tickets were sold out in only 24 minutes.

Johansson did not answer if the state funds would be revoked, only saying his department will review their policies and guidelines to grant the money.

the nonprofit group would submit its request to the department and anything not covered

Penn said: 'I think we should have specific standards in place if we're spending other people's money.'
Former President Donald Trump was back on the campaign trail where he slammed the pro-Palestine protesters and called on colleges to 'vanquish the radicals' at his first rally since his hush money trial began more than two weeks ago.

'You saw it last night. That's one good thing that really happened,' Trumps said after New York City police cracked down on protesters who had occupied Hamilton Hall at Columbia University.

Speaking at a rally in Waukesha, WI on Wednesday afternoon, the ex-president said 'New York was under siege last night.'

The New York Police Department confirmed that 119 people were arrested at Columbia after cops moved in to clear protestors from the occupied building and a nearby encampment.

'The radical extremists and far left agitators are terrorizing college campuses,' Trump said.

The ex-president urged college presidents to 'remove the encampments immediately, vanquish the radicals and take back our campuses for all the normal students who want a safe place from which to learn.'

Donald Trump speaking at a campaign rally in Waukesha County, WI on Wednesday where he praised police for clearing Columbia and slammed college protests

Trump shakes hands with a man dressed as Uncle Sam at his Wisconsin rally

Hundreds of officers stormed the campus, with officers going through an upstairs window at the historic building, after students barricaded the entrance.

Trump went after the university president slamming 'a woman' for waiting so long and being 'so weak.'

Police use a vehicle named 'the bear' to enter Hamilton Hall from a public street, which was occupied by protesters, as other officers enter the campus of Columbia University

Hundreds of officers stormed the campus, with officers going through an upstairs window at the historic building, after students barricaded the entrance

'They could have done this with the tents and it would have gone quickly, and no problem,' Trump said. 'But they did an incredible job. They went into one of the big buildings, a big landmark building. Boy, it got the hell beat out of it last night.'

He called the clearing of Columbia a 'beautiful thing to watch - New York's finest.'

The former president praised police across the country and said he's going to give police 'their power back.'

During the event, Trump claimed that Biden is nowhere to be found and mocked the president.

The White House on Tuesday condemned the pro-Palestine Columbia University protesters who stormed Hamilton Hall and unfurled a banner that read 'intifada.'

'President Biden has stood against repugnant, Antisemitic smears and violent rhetoric his entire life. He condemns the use of the term "intifada," as he has the other tragic and dangerous hate speech displayed in recent days,' spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement obtained by DailyMail.com.

President Joe Biden condemned the use of the term 'intifada' his spokesperson said Tuesday after demonstrators at Columbia University Monday night unfurled a banner that encouraged violence against Jews

Trump's visit to the battleground state as Trump's first campaign rally since the hush money trial began more than two weeks ago. The president is charged with falsifying business records to cover up payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Court is out on Wednesdays which allows the ex-president to hit the campaign trail for the day.

Trump's visit to Wisconsin is his second in just over a month. Recent polls show an extremely close race in the battleground state. The latest CBS News and Emerson polls from April show Trump with a slight edge but within the margin of error. The Fox News poll last month showed the race in a dead heat.

From Wisconsin, Trump was also headed to Michigan on Wednesday for a second event.
Nationalist heavyweights were warned against bullying during the leadership contest as the backlash grows over efforts to anoint John Swinney as continuity First Minister.

Several senior SNP figures, including nearly half of Humza Yousafs current Cabinet, have urged former Deputy First Minister John Swinney to become the partys next leader.

But former business minister Ivan McKee warned against repeating mistakes of last year with another continuity candidate.

MP Joanna Cherry also called for a senior figure in the party to step in and condemn vile and bigoted bullying aimed at former Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, who is regarded as the only likely challenger to Mr Swinney.

Ms Forbes, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, has faced criticism from sections of the SNP for her views on issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion.

Kate Forbes has faced criticism from within the SNP

The issue dominated the early stages of the last campaign when she stood against Mr Yousaf and narrowly lost out.

Ms Cherry, MP for Edinburgh South West, yesterday shared a message on social media which said: If John Swinney wants to be FM he can show some leadership and condemn utterly the vile and bigoted bullying currently being directed towards Kate Forbes and promise there will be no room in an SNP he leads for those involved.

Alongside it, Ms Cherry wrote: I agree with this. During the last leadership contest I asked the president of the party to intervene when Kate was being attacked. He declined.

Now that the party is without a president, somebody close to the top needs to step in.

A series of senior SNP figures, including Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, deputy leader Keith Brown and Cabinet ministers Neil Gray, Jenny Gilruth, Mairi McAllan and Shirley-Anne Somerville, have all backed Mr Swinney to become the partys next leader.

MPs Ian Blackford, Pete Wishart and Alyn Smith have also expressed their support.

Ms Forbes has won backing largely from the backbenches, including Mr McKee, former rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing, Christine Grahame and Michelle Thomson.

Writing in the Daily Record, Mr McKee urged his party to have a leadership contest rather than a coronation.

He said the partys electoral fortunes are not what they were, nor where they should be and we need to understand that and act accordingly.

More of the same isnt going to cut it. Weve tried that.

Mr McKee added: In difficult times it can be tempting to cling to what we think feels comfortable, but that is precisely when we should be seeking to grasp the opportunities before us, not to be timid.

Its only a few hours since the resignation of the First Minister. People need time to reflect on where we are and consider what needs to happen next.

Rushing to endorse a continuity candidate at this early stage is eerily reminiscent of what happened in last years contest  and we all know now how well that turned out.

Mr Yousaf was widely regarded as the continuity candidate in last years election and won the support of most senior figures in the party.

But Ms Forbes took 48 per cent of the final member vote after stating continuity wont cut it and demanding change.

Mr McKee said: A coronation may be superficially attractive, but now is precisely when we should be engaging with those members, to hear their voices, and through that engagement to motivate and mobilise them for the impending general election campaign.

We need to be honest with ourselves. The decision as to who leads our party, and our country, needs to be based on who has the clearest vision and can best reach those persuadable voters.

An Ipsos survey found Ms Forbes is the most popular contender among Scottish voters to become the next First Minister, but Mr Swinney is the favoured choice of those who voted SNP.

Ms Forbes was chosen from a list of possible SNP leadership candidates by 26 per cent of respondents, compared to 20 per cent who opted for Mr Swinney.

But Mr Swinney was selected by 30 per cent of SNP voters, compared to 21 per cent who chose Ms Forbes.

In yesterdays Mail, Mr Ewing said the SNP would be left with a de facto deal with the Greens if Mr Swinney becomes the next First Minister.
Humza Yousaf has urged SNP members to judge leadership candidates on their policies rather than their religious beliefs.

In his first interview since his humiliating resignation, the outgoing First Minister issued a plea to candidates not to talk each other down following last years bitter contest.

But he also admitted he and his campaign team need to accept their share of responsibility for the divisive and deeply personal contest held last year.

Much of the early phase of that campaign was dominated by scrutiny of his main rival Kate Forbess views as a member of the Free Church of Scotland on issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion.

Former Finance Secretary Miss Forbes has previously said she endured relentless smears and personal attacks during the brutal campaign.

First Minister Humza Yousaf during the no confidence debate in Holyrood

Asked by the BBC if he felt Scotland could have a First Minister who opposed gay marriage, Mr Yousaf said: You can be a person of faith and be First Minister.

What people will judge any potential candidate on are their policies.

That is the right discussion to have  not whether somebody of faith can be First Minister.

He went on to say: Whatever happens, if it is a contest my plea is to any candidate to make sure we are talking each other up not talking each other down, because the only people that benefit from that are our opponents.

When journalist James Cook told him that would be unlike last time, Mr Yousaf agreed: Unlike last time.

But when told he was making a dig at Ms Forbes, he said: No its not, because I played, Ive got to play my role in that as well.

So actually I am self-reflecting on the fact I was involved in that campaign and of course ultimately won that last leadership contest.

And I look back at what my behaviour was during that, and my teams behaviour.

So, look, this is self-reflection and of course just a bit of advice from the outgoing leader of the party that unity is everything if your party wants to be successful.

Mr Yousaf also said in the interview that he paid the price for the way he ended the partnership agreement with the Greens.

He insisted he had made the right decision for his party and country by ending the Bute House Agreement, but went on: I have to acknowledge the manner in which I did it caused great upset, and thats on me.

I do of course reflect a lot and I do regret how this has ended.

He said that he would have liked a different ending to his time in office but said he acted because he felt the agreement was going to come to an end anyway with the Greens planning a vote of its membership.

Mr Yousaf said: In my mind, whether it was a matter of days or whether it was a matter of weeks, the Bute House Agreement was going to come to an end.

Thats why I say, as I have said from the beginning, that ending the Bute House Agreement was the right thing to do for the party and the country that I lead.

But I accept fully the manner in which it was done clearly caused upset and therefore Ive paid the price of that.

In an interview with Sky News, Mr Yousaf said it was complete and utter rubbish that he was pushed out in order to allow John Swinney to take over.
An 18-year old from Scotland County, North Carolina, has won nearly $2 million during one of his first experiences with the lottery.

Donnie Leviner told NC Education lottery he had a gut feeling he should buy the scratch-off ticket.

The newbie said he had only bought a handful of lottery tickets before his big win.

'Something just told me to buy it,' he said.

'I was in disbelief,' Leviner said. 'I really didn't think it was true.'

Donnie Leviner, an 18-year old from Scotland County, North Carolina, won nearly $2 million during one of his first experiences with the lottery

Leviner said he initially visited Sneads Grove Convenience on Sneads Grove Road in Lauren Hill (pictured) to run an errand

Leviner said he initially visited Sneads Grove Convenience on Sneads Grove Road in Lauren Hill to run an errand.

'I initially just went there to fill up the lawn mower,' he said.

But as luck would have it, that's where Leviner bought the winning $20 Big Cash Payout ticket.

Leviner had to make a choice when he came to claim his award on Monday.

He would have the option of taking the prize as a flat amount of $1.2 million or as an annuity of $100,000 spread over 20 years.

The youngster ultimately chose the lump sum of $1.2 million.

After the necessary state and federal deductions, Leviner took home $858,006.

With great power comes great responsibility, and Leviner said although he isn't sure what he wants to spend the money on, he knows he wants to 'spend it wisely.'

The lottery raised $1.6 million for Scotland County, which was used to fund school upgrades

The $2 million top prize and eight $100,000 prizes were offered at the July debut of Big Cash Payout. It is still up for grabs to collect two $2 million and five $100,000 prizes.

The lottery raised $1.6 million for Scotland County, which was used to fund school upgrades.

To learn more about the ways the lottery impacted Scotland County's education initiatives last year, go to www.nclottery.com and select the 'Impact' tab.
A gunman remains on the loose after a house in Sydney's south-west was sprayed with bullets in the fourth shooting to rock the city in a week.

Three people were inside the home at Briggs Place at St Helens Park when an unknown shooter fired at the property at about 7pm on Wednesday.

Witnesses told police a dark-coloured Audi sedan was seen leaving the location after the shooting, which damaged the house and a car.

There were no reports of injuries.

Officers have established a crime scene outside the home with anyone with information urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

The shooting comes just one day after another home in western Sydney was sprayed with bullets with a burnt-out car discovered nearby.

Three people were inside the home at Briggs Place at St Helens Park (pictured) when an unknown shooter fired at the property at about 7pm on Wednesday

Officers have established a crime scene outside the home in Sydney's south-west

The shooting is the fourth to rock Sydney in a week (pictured, police in St Helens Park)

A family-of-six were inside the home on Miles Street in Merrylands when it was targeted at about 10pm on Tuesday night.

A burnt-out Hyundai hatchback was found in Bass Hill, about 10km from the home.

Officers believe the shooter was in a light-coloured car.

NSW Police Acting Superintendent Darren Beeche said the incident was a suspected gang-related drive-by, but likely got the wrong house.

'The family in that house I believe had nothing to do with crime, gangs or drugs,' he told a press conference on Wednesday.

'These people have bad intelligence and it's usually a cowardly act by a coward in the middle of the night and unfortunately they often get the wrong place.'

A burnt-out Hyundai hatchback was discovered in Bass Hill, about 10km from Merrylands where a family-of-six were targeted in a suspected drive-by shooting on Tuesday night

Police are seen at the scene of a suspected drive-by shooting in Merrylands on Tuesday

On Saturday, a young family were left shaken after their home in Blacktown, in Sydney's west, was mistakenly targeted in a suspected drive-by shooting.

The family ducked for cover as bullets pierced the front window of their home with one bullet just missing a five-year-old's head.

Last Thursday, a home in Constitution Hill was sprayed with bullets.

Four people escaped injury after the home was targeted at about 3.30am.
A Police Scotland civilian finance chief has been handed a secret early retirement pay-off after making a failed bullying claim against the Chief Constable.

Deputy Chief Officer David Page, who earned up to 195,000 a year, accused Jo Farrell of prolonged patterns of bullying.

Mr Page lodged his grievance shortly after she took up her post in October last year, inheriting financial turmoil as the service faced budget cuts of up to 20million

But a Scottish Police Authority (SPA) probe established she had no case to answer.

Mr Page, a former Army intelligence officer, has been off sick since he made the claim, and yesterday it emerged he had taken voluntary early retirement.

The SPA said it could not provide details of his settlement.

Probe into bullying cleared Chief Constable Jo Farrell

Scottish Tory justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: The paying public are entitled to know the terms of substantial payouts involving highly paid individuals in charge of state bodies, especially where there have been allegations of wrongdoing.

After more than a decade of policing scandals, it is incumbent on ministers, the SPA and the Chief Constable to rebuild the trust of frontline officers and the public.

Ms Farrell  former chief constable of Durham Constabulary  apologised last year after she commandeered a police vehicle to be driven 120 miles from Edinburgh to her home in Northumberland, after her train was cancelled.

Gary Ridley, the assistant chief officer at Durham, was also in the car from Edinburgh and was dropped off at his home in Gateshead.

Mr Page, 61, went off sick shortly after Ms Farrell took up the 248,724-a-year job and his concerns partly related to Mr Ridleys unpaid advice to her on issues including budget challenges, strategic planning and reducing bureaucracy.

Mr Page had similar responsibilities and it is understood he claimed he was treated with disrespect, which amounted to alleged bullying behaviour  a claim that was later rejected.

At a meeting of Holyroods criminal justice committee last year, Ms Farrell defended bringing in Mr Ridley, saying: Having been in policing for more than 30 years, I have a network of people whom I know bring value to policing, and Mr Ridley is one of them.

Outlining the scale of the financial crisis at Police Scotland, Mr Page told the SPA in September last year that slash and burn budget cuts would be needed and that every penny is a prisoner.

The SPA confirmed that Mr Page had left the force after eight years service.

It said he exited the organisation under terms consistent with the current approved voluntary redundancy/voluntary early retirement scheme but refused to comment on the detail of the sums involved for data privacy reasons.

The Mail understands Mr Page has taken early retirement, which could involve a lump sum payout.

According to the SPAs annual accounts, the cash equivalent transfer value of Mr Pages pension in March last year was 306,000.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: The Chief Constables aim is to bring the frontline of Scottish policing to the strongest position possible within the resources available.

Mr Page was contacted for comment.
New York's mayor last night blamed a 'global movement to radicalise young people' after pro-Palestine campus protests across the US once again erupted into violence.

Eric Adams claimed students had been persuaded to storm college buildings and barricade themselves in by 'professionals at radicalising our children'.

A top NYPD counter-terrorism official said activists dressed like 'Black Bloc' agitators  a far-Left extremist group  had trained students and armed them with 'makeshift weapons'.

Rebecca Weiner warned of the 'mainstreaming of rhetoric and tactics associated with terrorism' at universities, which have faced a wave of demonstrations.

Tensions have risen for weeks on campuses as pro-Palestine protesters have demanded colleges divest investments from Israel after the war, which began on October 7 last year.

At several colleges students set up tent camps and university leaders tried to negotiate a resolution amid fury from Jewish students who felt under threat from anti-Semitic chanting.

New York cops detain protesters from a pro-Palestine encampment and Hamilton Hall, April 30

Police arrest protesters during pro-Palestinian demonstrations at The City College Of New York (CUNY) on April 30, 2024

On Tuesday night riot police were called in at Manhattan's City College and Columbia University. Dozens of people had forced their way into Hamilton Hall, an academic building, blocked the doors and flew banners out the window which read 'intifada' (uprising).

The NYPD said that 282 people were arrested by police who deployed a ladder on top of a riot van to access the second-floor window as they were pelted with bottles and rubbish bins.

Columbia University warned that any students who occupied the hall will be expelled.

In a press conference, Mr Adams said: 'Globally there is a movement to radicalise young people...

'Young people are being influenced by people who are professionals at radicalising our children.'

Ms Weiner, deputy commissioner of the NYPD intelligence & counterterrorism division, said that individuals who were known to law enforcement were involved in the protest.

She added: 'These students don't come in the door knowing how to barricade themselves behind barriers they've created. These are all skills that are taught and learned.

'You see people wearing headbands associated with foreign terrorist organisations.

'We do not want campuses where people are supposed to be learning being turned into places where people are committing vandalism, property damage and crimes.'

A heavy police presence surrounded both CUNY and CCNY campuses on Tuesday as local law enforcement cleared tent encampments set up by pro-Palestinian protesters

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators regroup and rebuild the barricade surrounding the encampment set up on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), May 1

More than 1,600 protesters have been taken into custody on US campuses since April 18.

There were crackdowns on campuses including UCLA in Los Angeles, where police clashed with demonstrators.

At the University of Wisconsin, dozens of police cleared out a camp of protesters.

Thirty-two people were arrested at California State Polytechnic University after an occupation by students.

At Tulane University in New Orleans, 14 people were arrested, and at the University of Arizona, campus police sprayed chemicals as they broke up a demo.
For hours, the anarchy was relentless: fireworks hurled as weapons, batons wielded with brutal intent, bodies thrown to the ground and beaten.

Smoke from fireworks hung in the air, along with tear gas, as the two sides fought it out blow by bloody blow.

This was the shocking scene yesterday morning at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), when more than 100 pro-Israeli counter-protesters clashed with a pro-Palestinian tent encampment set up by students in UCLA's grassy central square a week ago.

Onlookers described what was happening as 'complete lawlessness' and 'insanity', while students on all sides were shocked at the violence.

Standing behind the flimsy barricades of plywood and netting of the pro-Palestinian camp, one student described her fear and anger.

'It was, like, three hours of non-stop violence, similar to a terrorist attack, and uninterrupted,' she claimed. 'Not only was it not stopped by the police  they [the police] came for us.'

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator (C) is beaten by counter protesters attacking a pro-Palestinian encampment set up on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), May 1

Counter-protesters try to remove barricades at a pro-Palestinian encampment on May 1

Officers stand guard amid clashes near an encampment on the UCLA campus, on May 1

Covering her hair with a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf, her expression hidden behind sunglasses and a blue Covid mask, the 20-year-old  who refused to give her name  said she had been at the encampment for six days before the riots broke out.

'It was Zionists and white supremacists,' she alleged.

UCLA is the ultimate laid-back California college, which attracts the most applications from the young across the US.

It is renowned for its excellence in education, research, and pleasant off-campus life of swimming and surfing.

Like other college campuses, however, its daily life has been paralysed by violent clashes.

Fourth-year economics student Jason Flaieh arrived at the scene at about 2am after spotting the first signs of trouble in posts on X.

'I met a guy who had a rock thrown at him, he was pepper-sprayed and hit by a metal bar, and that was just the start of it,' he said.

'It was insane when the counter-protesters arrived. They were trying to take down the barricades, throwing stuff into the encampment, people were being pepper-sprayed. It was the worst of humanity.'

The ferocity of the fighting at UCLA seemed to have caught the authorities by surprise.

Videos show protesters hurling stones and other missiles at each other and fireworks exploding over the encampment.

At one point, a group piled on to a person on the ground, kicking and beating them with sticks until others pulled the victim from the scrum.

After hours of scuffles, police wearing helmets and face shields formed lines and slowly separated the groups. The violence was eventually quelled.

Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said afterwards: 'The violence unfolding at UCLA is abhorrent and inexcusable.'

By early morning the campus was quiet, but bristling with police officers and UCLA security guards.

Hours after students occupied the Columbia building, dueling protesters clashed at the University of California in Los Angeles, kicking and beating each other with sticks

Counter-protesters hold objects at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, May 1

California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment, the morning after it was attacked by counter-protestors at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

A police helicopter hovered overhead, and the square was covered in torn posters and items of clothing. Students walking to lectures were told that classes were cancelled for the day.

'This has torn the country apart,' says a dogwalker who was appalled at the violence. He says he is pro-Israel and that 'a lot of these kids are misinformed' and 'anarchists looking to create problems.'

Meanwhile, Jason cannot see an easy end to the disturbances. 'It's up to the school [university] but if they shut it down, there's going to be bad publicity. If they let it go on, there'll be more trouble. It's a lose-lose situation.'

He is due to graduate in six weeks but wonders if this will happen. 'My brother is at USC [University of Southern California] and his graduation has been cancelled,' he added.
Labour will allow thousands of small boat migrants to claim asylum in Britain, it was reported last night.

The party said it would consider the asylum claims of all those who have entered the UK illegally since March last year.

The move opens up a key battleground for this year's general election, as Labour's vowed to overturn the Government's Illegal Migration Act which bars migrants who arrive illegally from claiming asylum.

But some senior Labour figures fear there is a 'Rwanda-shaped hole' in their plans and that the party needs to come up with an alternative deterrent scheme.

Labour believes the Government's flagship Rwanda scheme is 'not credible' and Sir Keir Starmer yesterday said he's 'not going to flog a dead horse' should he win the keys to No10.

The Labour party said it would consider the asylum claims of all those who have entered the UK illegally since March last year. Pictured: deputy leader Angela Rayner with Keir Starmer, May 1

Sir Keir Starmer yesterday said he's 'not going to flog a dead horse' should he win (pictured May 1 during PMQs at the House of Commons)

The party instead plans to speed up the rate at which asylum claims are decided, including a new 1,000-strong unit to quickly process returns. However, a party spokesman denied there would be an 'amnesty'.

A Labour source told The Times: 'The only way to get a grip of the broken asylum system is to look at claims in the 'perma-backlog', remove those with no right to be here and let those with genuine claims who have fled persecution get on, rebuild their lives and start contributing to our economy and society.'

A Labour spokesman added: 'The most important thing is that we speed up the way in which claims are being processed, the way in which we then have returns agreements in place and deal with the backlog that there is.'

Labour has opposed the Rwanda scheme at every turn. But some senior figures are becoming worried their own proposals could be left badly exposed if the scheme proves to be an effective deterrent.

One shadow minister told the Mail: 'I don't like the Rwanda scheme and I don't think it's the most effective way to deal with this problem  you would be much better off having a returns agreement with the EU. But we don't have that either.

'You cannot tackle this problem just by smashing the gangs, you do need a deterrent. And in that sense we do have a Rwanda-shaped hole in our plans.'

Another senior figure told the New Statesman the scheme could be kept in place until Labour is able to negotiate returns agreements with other countries. 'We can't just come in, tear it up, and have nothing to put in its place,' the source added.

Rishi Sunak speaks during a news conference on his flagship Rwanda migration policy, in London, Britain, 22 April 2024

Last month, Labour frontbencher Jenny Chapman, a close ally of Sir Keir, insisted that the Rwanda scheme would not work but added 'we might be having a different conversation' if it proves successful.

But Sir Keir last night said he would not budge on his opposition to the scheme, regardless of how effective it proves.

In an interview with Sky News, he said he would not keep the scheme even on a temporary basis, adding: 'I don't believe in the scheme. I don't think it will work. I know we have to stop the boats. I want to get going with our plan.

'Stop the boats on day one, which requires us to stop the gangs that are running this vile trade or to work with law enforcement across the borders to make sure that people are not getting the boats in the first place.'
Scores of pro-Palestine encampments are being erected at universities across the country as American campuses are crippled by violent clashes at encampments of students expressing solidarity with Gaza.

Newcastle University was the latest to attract crowds pitching tents around university buildings and hoisting Palestinian flags in protest of the ruinous war in the Levant.

Leeds students also announced plans to camp 'indefinitely' outside their student union, occupying land opposite the building and pledging to remain until the university, in their view, is 'no longer complicit in the oppression of the Palestinian people'.

In Bristol, hand-painted banners were erected between tents, emblazoned with messages of defiance as students lobbied their university to cut ties with arms companies and back calls for a ceasefire as the war rages on.

Tents, banners and gazebos have also been set up in Manchester, Sheffield, Newcastle and Warwick with demonstrators refusing to leave until the universities meet their demands.

People gather during a protest in support of Palestinians, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at Newcastle University, in Newcastle on May 1

Protesters say they are willing to stay 'indefinitely' at universities across the UK in solidarity

A protest at the University of Newcastle organised by pro-Palestine supporters

Universities in Britain have staged sit-ins similar to those emerging in the United States

Newcastle University was the latest to attract crowds pitching tents around university buildings

Last night Jewish community leaders urged universities to shut down encampments over fears Jewish students may be 'harassed and excluded'.

Bristol University told The Bristol Tab they 'fully respect the rights of our students to peacefully protest within the law'.

The 'bristoloccupy4palestine' group took part in an occupation of university buildings last month, but were shut down by the university, the outlet reported.

A member of the group said they were 'steering clear of... asserting too many demands' at present until they can be 'fleshed out in a more democratic way'.

In Leeds, demonstrators with the Leeds Students Against Apartheid Coalition rallied against what they claimed was the university's 'complicity in Israel's crimes against humanity'.

'Its partnerships with arms companies and Israeli universities are especially dangerous in light of Israel's incessant bombing campaigns in Gaza and intensifying settler violence in occupied Palestine,' the coalition said in a statement.

A banner reading 'IDF off campus' was seen at the event where activists are planning to host fundraisers and know-your-rights training by the end of the week.

In February a Jewish chaplain at Leeds University was forced into hiding with his young family after receiving death threats over his role as an IDF reservist.

In Sheffield, a coalition of 'staff, students and alumni' from both the universities of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam began a similar encampment.

They said there had been a mass walk-out from lectures, and that many were ready to camp 'indefinitely' in support of Gaza, where more than 34,000 people have been killed in Israel's ground and air assaults since Hamas' bloody incursion into Israel on October 7.

'We've got gazebos and picnic tables and a generator for power. We'll stay indefinitely until the university meets our demands,' a student said, as reported by The Guardian.

And in Newcastle, students protested an alleged partnership between the university and defence and security company Leonardo SpA, claimed to have involvement in producing equipment for Israeli jets.

Last October, the company did open a technology research site in the city and hosted an event attended by at least one faculty member from the university - although it was unclear to what extent the firm worked directly with the institution.

Leonardo did launch a data science partnership with the National Innovation Centre for Data hosted at the university last summer.

Last weekend, Warwick University students staged a sit-in protest, acknowledging the adjacent demonstrations in the United States and calling on their peers in Britain to do more to 'escalate'.

David Maguire, the vice-chancellor of the University of East Anglia (UEA), said that protests had so far been peaceful but agreed that US-style clashes 'could happen here', as reported by The Guardian.

More camps are due to be set up at universities including Swansea, Edinburgh and Lancaster.

Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel, said: 'Universities should take immediate legal action to remove these encampments before Jewish and other students are harassed and excluded.'

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator (C) is beaten by counter protesters attacking a pro-Palestinian encampment set up on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), May 1

Counter-protesters hold objects at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, May 1

A spokesman for Jewish charity Community Security Trust said: 'While the right to protest is important, university authorities must ensure that other students do not have their lectures or exams disrupted, and that any examples of hate speech or support for terrorism are dealt with robustly.'

The demonstrations follow protests on US campuses, where demonstrations have turned ugly with counter-protesters meeting the encampments with force.

At UCLA, a masked pro-Israeli group ambushed a pro-Palestinian camp, shocking footage showing figures in hoodies bashing activists with bats and setting off flares.

Police had established control by dawn on Wednesday. The college cancelled classes in response to the assault.

Hundreds of protesters have also been arrested at Columbia amid similar events, with police officers clearing encampments and an occupied building.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken hiked up pressure on Hamas on Wednesday to accept the latest proposal for a cease-fire with Israel, saying the 'time is now' for an agreement that would free hostages and bring a pause in the nearly seven months of war in Gaza.

But a key sticking point appeared to remain - whether the deal would completely end Israel's offensive as Hamas has demanded.

Blinken met with Israeli leaders throughout the day on the last stop of his seventh visit to the region since the war erupted in October, trying to push through what has been an elusive deal between Israel and Hamas.

The U.S. and fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar hope to avert an Israeli offensive into the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where some 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering.

Throughout months of talks, Hamas has said the freeing of all the hostages it holds must bring a permanent halt to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

A handout photo made available by Israel's government shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) in Jerusalem on Wednesday

Israel continues to deploy soldiers, thanks and military aircraft and armored vehicles near the Gazar border as Israel's attacks on Gaza continue

The proposed deal now at the center of talks raises that possibility, according to leaked details that were confirmed by an Egyptian official and a Hamas official.

But Hamas is seeking to strengthen the language to ensure a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the entire Gaza Strip, the Egyptian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal negotiations.

The group said it is likely to give its response to the proposal on Thursday.

In public, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has staunchly rejected stopping the war before Hamas is destroyed.

In a sign of the challenges in the negotiations, Netanyahu in his talks with Blinken on Wednesday repeated his vow to launch the offensive on Rafah, which he says is Hamas' last stronghold in Gaza.

Blinken said Israel has made 'very important' compromises in cease-fire efforts and it is now up to Hamas to get the deal done.

'There's no time for further haggling. The deal is there,' Blinken said, shortly before he was to leave Israel.

A woman holds a banner and shouts slogans with families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza during a protest calling for their return, outside a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and families of hostages in Tel Aviv Wednesday

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media at the port of Ashdod, in Ashdod, Israel, Wednesday

Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Israeli President Isaac Herzog (right) talk during their meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel on Wednesday

Earlier in the day, he said in talks with Israel's ceremonial President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv that Hamas would bear the blame for any failure to get a deal. 'No delays, no excuses. The time is now,' he said.

Blinken said the deal would also allow much needed food, medicine and water to get into Gaza, where the war has sparked a humanitarian crisis, pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine and driven around 80% of the population of 2.3 million from their homes.

Blinken said there has been 'meaningful progress' in efforts to increase the flow of aid.

On Wednesday, Israel reopened its Erez crossing for deliveries into northern Gaza for the first time since it was damaged in Hamas Oct. 7 attack.

Hanging over the cease-fire negotiations is the possibility of an Israeli attack on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population has fled, cramming into vast tent camps and other shelters.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu vowed to go ahead with the assault with or without a cease-fire deal.

'The operation in Rafah doesn't depend on anything. The prime minister made this clear to Secretary Blinken,' Netanyahu's office said after the two met Wednesday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) walks with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (right) at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in Kerem Shalom, Israel on Wednesday

Israeli troops walk in the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Hard-line members of Netanyahu's coalition, on whom he depends to keep his government in power, have railed against any deal that prevents a Rafah attack as a victory for Hamas.

The United States has staunchly supported Israel's campaign of bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza since Hamas' unprecedented attack on Oct. 7 into southern Israel.

But the U.S. has grown increasingly critical of the staggering toll borne by Palestinian civilians and has been outspoken against a move on Rafah.

American officials say they oppose a major offensive but that if Israel conducts one, it must first evacuate civilians.

In Rafah, Palestinians clung to hope that, after months of reported near-deals, this time a cease-fire would be sealed and avert an attack.

Salwa Abu Hatab, a woman who fled Khan Younis who is now in a tent camp, said she wants to go home.

An Israeli soldier holds a machine gun near the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel before he enters Gaza Strip on Wednesday

'Do you think we like life in tents? We are tired and suffering,' she said. 'Every day they say there is a truce and negotiations, and in the end it fails. We hope they will succeed this time.'

'If the invasion happens, we do not know where to go,' said Enas Syam, a woman from Gaza City carrying her child in the camp. 'There is no safe place left.'

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza continued.

Late Tuesday, a strike hit a house in Rafah, killing at least two children, according to hospital authorities.

An Associated Press journalist saw the children's bodies at Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital as their relatives mourned.

The Israel-Hamas war was sparked by the Oct. 7 raid into southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages.

Hamas is believed to still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Since then, Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and wreaked vast destruction.

Throughout his regional visit, with previous stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Blinken urged Hamas to accept the cease-fire proposal, calling it 'extraordinarily generous' on Israels part.

The cease-fire proposal lays out three stages of six to seven weeks each, according to details first reported in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group.

The first phase would bring a pause during which Hamas would release women and elderly civilians in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

In a series of timed steps, Israeli troops would withdraw from a coastal road in Gaza, then from central Gaza and displaced people would return north.

In the meantime, talks would start on restoring 'a permanent calm,' the Egyptian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal negotiations.

The next stage would bring implementation of the calm, including Hamas' release of all remaining hostages - soldiers and civilians - and a withdrawal of Israeli forces out of Gaza.

The Egyptian official said Hamas sees the language about the withdrawal as too vague and wants to specify a complete withdrawal to avoid different interpretations.

The last stage would see the release of bodies of dead hostages and the start of a five-year reconstruction plan.

The plan says that Hamas would agree not to rebuild its military arsenal.
The latest in a long line of legal challenges was launched against the Rwanda policy tonight by a civil service union, who claimed its members could be breaking international law if they implement the scheme.

The first migrants earmarked for removal to Rwanda were detained on Wednesday.

The dramatic immigration raids were a major boost for Rishi Sunak as millions of voters head to the polls in Thursday's local elections.

Images showed handcuffed migrants being placed in prison-style vans following an undisclosed number of arrests nationwide. Further operations are planned.

Detainees will get legal aid to potentially challenge their inclusion in the scheme.

Other legal challenges are also expected, and on Wednesday night the FDA union, which represents senior civil servants, lodged an application for judicial review. The union said it was concerned Home Office civil servants could be in breach of international law as they implement the Safety of Rwanda Act.

The legislation gives ministers the ability to ignore late-night 'pyjama injunctions' issued by Strasbourg's European Court of Human Rights. FDA general secretary Dave Penman said: 'The Government has had plenty of time to include an explicit provision in the Act regarding breaking international law commitments which would have resolved this, but it chose not to.

The first illegal migrants set to be removed to Rwanda have now been detained

Operational teams within the Home Office have been working at pace to detain individuals

'Civil servants should never be left in a position where they are conflicted between the instructions of ministers and adhering to the civil service code, yet that is exactly what the Government has chosen to do. Faced with a Government that is prepared to act in this cowardly, reckless way, it is left to the FDA to defend our members and the integrity of the civil service.'

The raids were the first concrete sign that the 500million Rwanda scheme could finally take off after years in limbo.

But on Wednesday night the latest in a long line of legal challenges was launched against the Rwanda policy by a civil service union. It claimed its members could be forced to break international law.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said immigration teams were 'working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here' so removals flights can get off the ground.

The Home Office said the Rwanda removals programme, code-named Operation Vector, began on Monday lunchtime and will involve 800 uniformed officers from its Immigration Enforcement unit.

Migrants arrested at their shabby properties had earlier failed to attend appointments at immigration offices, it is understood.

A Home Office spokesman said the detentions were 'another milestone' toward the Government's pledge to bring in the Rwanda scheme and 'stop the boats'.

Photos showed immigration teams were equipped with battering rams but the equipment was not needed, sources said, and Operation Vector was described as 'fairly peaceful' with very little resistance. However protest groups have carried out a series of demonstrations outside Immigration Enforcement premises in Salford, Croydon, Swansea and Solihull this week, with at least ten arrests.

A source close to the Home Secretary said: 'During the detention operations ahead of getting flights to Rwanda there have been incidents of people trying to disrupt lawful enforcement operations. Police have arrested people involved and helped enforcement officers perform their duties unhindered.

The Home Office yesterday confirmed there were 268 arrivals across the Channel by small boat on Tuesday

The dramatic immigration raids were a major boost for Rishi Sunak as millions of voters head to the polls in Wednesday's local elections

'Attempts to disrupt this detention activity will be dealt with because the principle has to be: mobs don't decide who can or cannot stay in the UK and the only people who would welcome it if they did are criminal smuggling gangs.'

Mr Cleverly said: 'Our Rwanda partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation to deliver it.'

Eddy Montgomery, Home Office director of enforcement, added: 'Our specialist operational teams are highly trained and fully equipped to carry out the necessary enforcement activity at pace and in the safest way possible. It is vital that operational detail is kept to a minimum, to protect colleagues involved and those being detained, as well as ensuring we can deliver this large-scale operation as quickly as possible.'

Migrants detained this week have been taken to Home Office immigration removal centres where they will await allocation to a Rwanda flight. It means they will be in detention for between nine and 11 weeks until the first take-off, which Mr Sunak has indicated will be in mid-July.

Officials 'fully expect' that detainees held this week will apply for bail, most likely after being in the centres for four weeks.

If bail is granted they will be placed under enhanced conditions in a bid to avoid them absconding, it is understood.

Officials have insisted they have 'robust' measures in place to trace anyone who tries to flee. Ahead of the scheme's roll-out, the Home Office has increased the capacity of detention centres to more than 2,200 beds, put 200 caseworkers in place to quickly process claims and trained 500 escorts to accompany migrants on the flights.

The Safety of Rwanda Act became law on April 25 after a long and fraught passage through Parliament. Along with a new treaty with Kigali, ministers believe they have overcome legal objections raised about the policy by the Supreme Court last November. It emerged earlier this week that one African migrant has already left the UK for Rwanda under a separate voluntary scheme. He will receive up to 3,000 plus a five-year support package.

The Home Office yesterday confirmed there were 268 arrivals across the Channel by small boat on Tuesday. The running total since the start of the year is now 7,567, up 22 per cent on the same period last year.

FDA union general secretary Dave Penman confirmed it had launched a judicial review of the Rwanda bill

More than 7,000 migrants have already crossed the Channel so far this year in small boats

The Home Office is poised to launch more raids in a bid to round up migrants it wants to deport to Rwanda after a series of dawn arrests this week.

Up to 20 illegal migrants were detained in the UK-wide operation, which saw immigration officials take people, including women, into custody.

The Government department has refused to release many details about the arrests, but has suggested that more raids could happen as part of the 'large-scale operation'.

It said that it intends to get planes to the east African country underway in 'the next 9 to 11 weeks', after the Safety of Rwanda Act became law last week following a troubled journey through Parliament.

James Cleverly has hailed the start of the operation as 'a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration'.

It comes amid the FDA union launching a judicial review into the Rwanda bill as it accused the government of being 'cowardly' and 'reckless' for 'ignoring legal conflicts for civil servants'.

The Home Secretary said: 'Our Rwanda Partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation to deliver it.

'Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground.

The action is a part of the plan to deliver flights to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 weeks. Pictured: A flight to Rwanda in 2022

Last year, there were 67,337 asylum applications to the UK. Of those, 29,437 came from people who arrived in small boats. The Government claims the Rwanda scheme will act as a deterrent, however it only has the capacity to send 200 people a year to the East African country

The Hope Hostel in Rwanda (pictured) is one of the locations migrants will be sent to

'This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs.'

Union FDA announced it had launched a judicial review of the Safety of Rwanda Act.

Its general secretary, Dave Penman, said they weren't prepared 'to shy away from it as we must protect the interests of our members and the integrity of the Civil Service Code'.

He said: 'This is not a decision that we have taken lightly. The government has had plenty of time to include an explicit provision in the Act regarding breaking international law commitments which would have resolved this, but it chose not to.

'Civil servants should never be left in a position where they are conflicted between the instructions of ministers and adhering to the Civil Service Code, yet that is exactly what the government has chosen to do.

'This is not an accident, or down to poor drafting. It's a political choice from the government, made not for the good of the country but to avoid upsetting either of the warring factions within its own party.

'It's also irresponsible. Those seeking to undermine the integrity and impartiality of the civil service have seized on the difficulties the government has had in implementing this policy, to accuse civil servants of acting politically.'

Enforcement action is said to have taken place throughout the UK - in England, Wales and Scotland as well as Northern Ireland - since midday on Monday.

Children are not expected to be detained as part of the operations.

Home Office Director of Enforcement Eddy Montgomery said: 'Our specialist operational teams are highly trained and fully equipped to carry out the necessary enforcement activity at pace and in the safest way possible.

'It is vital that operational detail is kept to a minimum, to protect colleagues involved and those being detained, as well as ensuring we can deliver this large-scale operation as quickly as possible.'

It is not known at this stage how many people have been held in total.

The Safety of Rwanda Act became law on April 25 and, along with a new treaty with Rwanda, ministers believe they have overcome legal objections raised about the policy by the Supreme Court last November.
Former President Donald Trump mocked President Biden for reading 'pause' on the teleprompter and asked a Wisconsin crowd if 'sleepy' or 'crooked' was Joe's better nickname.

The presumptive Republican nominee was referencing Biden's speech to union members a week ago where he read the instructions aloud.

The 77-year-old told the rally at Waukesha County Expo Center, on a day off from his hush money trial, that he didn't need technical help during his speeches.

'Now think if I read my teleprompter and I'm going well let's see there because of the weakness in the economy I'd like to...pause...pause...pause...what was that? That's unbelievable.

Former President Donald Trump mocked President Biden for reading 'pause' on the teleprompter and asked a Wisconsin crowd if 'sleepy' or 'crooked' was Joe's better nickname

'Pause. You know, I was watching it, I said 'that was weird'' Trump said during his rancorous rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

'They actually don't have pause on my teleprompter, you know, they have a blank space, like you see if there's a response,' Trump, who often goes completely off prompter, said.

'If there's no response you just keep going, you don't have a pause. Some speechwriter saying pause, they're not gonna know,' Trump said.

Just hours later at a rally in Michigan, Trump stepped away from the podium to adjust his own teleprompter, telling the boisterous crowd 'these teleprompters are just gonzo folks, they're gonzo.'

At another point, Trump mocked Biden in Wisconsin for not speaking out as protests spring up across the country on campuses.

'Do you think if he did say  ok look let's not kid ourselves,' Trump said at the podium.

'Ladies and gentlemen, President Biden is coming to give you his words of inspiration,' Trump said in a soft voice as the crowd laughed.

'Now does anybody think that it will be so inspiring that everybody will say 'oh, we have to go home, we love our country,'' Trump went on in his usual voice.

'No, they'll say 'do you believe the guy that's the president of that country?'' Trump continued.

'This guy, he's.. he's...' Trump trailed off rolling his eyes. 'Yeah he needs something,' he added pointing to someone in the crowd who appeared to have chimed in.

He then conducted an impromptu poll with the MAGA faithful by asking them to cheer for their favorite nickname, 'Sleepy' or 'Crooked'.

'Crooked' appeared to win. 'That Crooked Joe is a bad guy,' he said. 'I thought it was going to be a lot closer than that, wow.'

Trump went on to claim that Biden 'hasn't been heard from' and stated 'when you have a problem you should go out and talk about it and talk to the people.'

The presumptive Republican nominee was referencing Biden's speech to union members a week ago where he read the instructions aloud

Trump shakes hands with a man dressed as Uncle Sam at his Wisconsin rally

Donald Trump speaking at a campaign rally in Waukesha County, WI on Wednesday where he praised police for clearing Columbia and slammed college protests

The ex-president claimed there's a problem 'there's a big fever in our country, but he's not talking.'

The former president suggested it would not make a difference or would in fact make it worse.

Across the country, pro-Palestinian encampments have sprang up at college campuses.

While the White House condemned protesters who stormed Columbia University's Hamilton Hall and unfurled a banner that read 'intifada' before it was cleared by police Tuesday night, President Biden has remained quiet on the subject.

During his rally in Wisconsin, Trump urged college presidents to 'remove the encampments immediately, vanquish the radicals and take back our campuses for all the normal students who want a safe place from which to learn.'
No injuries inside the school were reported as police remains at the school

The district asked people to stay away from the middle school on Wednesday

A 14-year-old boy has been shot dead by police as he approached a middle school brandishing a rifle.

The intruder, who has not been named, was gunned down ]Wednesday morning while trying to enter Mount Horeb Area Middle School in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.

Parents described children hiding in closets, afraid to communicate on phones, and one middle schooler said his class initially fled the school gym on in-line skates.

Schoolchildren and nearby residents and businesses said they heard about five gunshots, presumably when police opened fire.

After hours of terror, school district superintendent Steve Salerno said the 'gunman' did not breach the entry gates before he was killed by responding police.

The Mount Horeb Area School District has been put on lockdown after an active shooter entered a middle school on Wednesday

Mount Horeb Area School District first alerted parents to the shooter in a text message sometime before 11am.

'They are armed with a rifle and should be considered dangerous. For your safety stay inside, lock all doors, and avoid the area until further notice,' it said.

The district then posted on Facebook about 11.30am, after the gunman had already been shot at least 15 minutes earlier.

Police 'scoped out' the campus and bomb squad checked a car connected to the gunman as the school was locked down from 11.16am until about 12pm.

'An initial search of the middle school has not yielded additional suspects,' the district said after it received the all-clear.

'As importantly, we have no reports of individuals being harmed, with the exception of the alleged assailant.

'You would be so proud of our students and staff, and we're so grateful for our first responders.'

A big police presence was seen outside the middle school after the suspect was neutralized

No injuries have been reported inside the middle school in Mount Horeb, which is about a half-hour drive from Madison.

'Our students will remain in hard lockdown throughout all of our buildings. Law enforcement is circulating throughout the middle school to confirm the safety of all students,' the district wrote on Facebook.

'Again, do not report to any of our schools at this time. Once we confirm the safety of all we will begin the process of reunification offsite with families.'

A big police presence was seen outside the middle school as officers made sure the building was safe.

Some middle schoolers were evacuated as the active shooter situation unfolded, but most of their classmates are still inside.

Only students from the adjoining elementary school had been released by 5pm as school officials waited for police to finish investigating.

'We are working to continue to ensure children are safe, comfortable, and fed,' the school district wrote.

Officials have asked people to stay away from the middle school

School buses remained lined up for blocks outside and authorities had used police tape to surround the middle school, the nearby high school and playing fields between the two buildings.

Jeanne Keller said she heard about five gunshots while in her shop The Quilting Jeanne, just down the block from the campus that includes the middle school.

'It was maybe like pow-pow-pow-pow,' Keller told The Associated Press by phone. 'I thought it was fireworks. I went outside and saw all the children running... I probably saw 200 children.'

One middle schooler said his class was in the school gym practicing in-line skating when they heard gunshots.

Max Kelly, 12, said his teacher told the class to get out of the school. He said they skated to a street, ditched their in-line skates and ran to a nearby convenience store and gas station and hid in a bathroom.

Kelly was reunited with his parents and sat on a hillside with them early Wednesday afternoon waiting for his younger siblings to be released from their own schools. He still wore socks, his shoes left behind.

'I don't think anywhere is safe anymore,' said his mother, 32-year-old Alison Kelly.

People gather at a site designated for parent and student reunifications following a report of a armed person outside Mount Horeb Middle School

Shannon Hurd, 44, and her former husband, Nathian Hurd, 39, sat in a car waiting for their 13-year-old son, Noah, who was still in the locked-down middle school.

Shannon Hurd said she first heard what happened via a text from Noah saying he loved her. She said she nearly fell down the stairs at her work as she ran to get to the school.

'I just want my kid,' she said. 'They're supposed to be safe at school.'

Stacy Smith, 42, was at the bank Wednesday when she saw police cars rush by and soon got a school district text warning of an active shooter.

She initially could not reach her two children  junior Abbi and seventh-grader Cole. Finally, she reached Abbi by phone but the girl whispered that she was hiding in a closet and couldn't talk. She eventually connected with both children and learned they were OK.

'Not here,' she said in disbelief. 'You hear about this everywhere else but not here.'
The woman found dead in a flat in Sydney's eastern suburbs has been identified as a young mother, as two men have been charged with serious offences in the wake of the tragic discovery.

Emergency services were called to the unit on Hardy Street at North Bondi, where police discovered the body of Yolonda Mumbulla, 19, at about 9.20am on Tuesday.

Despite the work of paramedics, she could not be revived.

Ms Mumbulla was remembered by distraught friends and family for her 'uplifting spirit'.

'She was funny, full of joy and she was always there to help anyone,' Alyah Pera, who set up a GoFundMe page for her funeral, wrote.

It's understood she had given birth in the last year.

NSW Police subsequently arrested a 32-year-old man, who is believed to be her boyfriend, at the location.

Emergency services were called to the unit on Hardy Street at North Bondi, where police discovered the body of Yolonda Mumbulla (pictured), 19, at about 9.20am on Tuesday

Her body was removed from the crime scene on Tuesday night

Following inquires, officers executed a search warrant at an address in nearby Flood Street in Bondi, around 5.10pm on Tuesday.

'During the search, police seized 1g of Methylamphetamine and cannabis at the scene,' a NSW Police spokesperson said.

'Police also arrested a 34-year-old man at the address who was also taken to Waverley Police Station.

The 34-year-old was charged with two counts of possessing a prohibited drug.

'The 32-year-old man was charged with the outstanding warrant for larceny value less than or equal to $2000, three counts of enter vehicle or boat without consent of owner/occupier, destroy or damage property less than or equal to $2000, hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty, and goods suspected stolen in/on premises,' the NSW Police spokesperson added.

He was refused bail to appear before Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday, while the 34-year-old man was issued a field court attendance notice to appear at Waverley Local Court on Tuesday 18 June 2024.

Police are now investigating what actually caused Ms Mumbulla's death, amid reports she had been taking drugs with her boyfriend the night before she was found unresponsive.

Police roped off the entrance to the large housing commission block in Sydney 's eastern suburbs

Forensics officers were inside fourth floor unit on Tuesday afternoon, while detectives spoke with residents of the large apartment complex and neighbours on Hardy Street

'A crime scene has been established and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident has commenced,' a NSW Police statement said

Ms Mumbulla's body was wrapped in a weighted red rug and wheeled out on a gurney by an undertaker and wheeled into the back of a forensics van on Tuesday night.

A post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine her exact cause of death.

Forensics officers were inside fourth floor unit on Tuesday afternoon, while detectives spoke with residents of the large apartment complex and neighbours on Hardy Street.

A neighbour told Daily Mail Australia the unit complex is notorious for loud disturbances.

It's a housing commission block, there is always fights and loud music coming from the units, she said

I used to live in a housing block so I know what they're like, now I live next door, this specific block has a lot of junkies living there.
EXCLUSIVE

The body of Samantha Murphy will have been abandoned in the Victorian bush for three months come Saturday without any trace of her ever having been found.

The beloved mother-of-three was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street, Ballarat East, to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest on the morning of February 4.

Despite numerous searches, Victoria Police detectives appear no closer to finding her body despite having her alleged killer in custody.

Hope is fading in the hunt for Samantha Murphy's body

Police used a cadaver dog during the search for the body of Samantha Murphy in Enfield State Park in Ballarat on April 11

A Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the investigation remained 'very much active and ongoing'.

'We are continuing to do all we can to locate her,' the spokesperson said.

In March, detectives charged 22-year-old tradesman Patrick Orren Stephenson with the 51-year old's murder.

It is understood he has continued to maintain his right to silence while awaiting his next court appearance in September.

Detectives from Victoria Police's Missing Persons Unit have been in a race against time to find Ms Murphy's body.

In the three months since she vanished, the area around Ballarat has seen heatwaves, bushfires and heavy rain as search teams tried to retrace her steps.

Wild animals including foxes are also known to have large populations in the dense bushland in the forests surrounding Ballarat.

If left uncovered in the harsh bush, experts believe a body can quickly decompose, destroying important DNA evidence.

'The time taken for a body to decompose depends on climatic conditions, like temperature and moisture, as well as the accessibility to insects,' the Australian Museum stated.

'In summer, a human body in an exposed location can be reduced to bones alone in just nine days.'

Experts believe if Ms Murphy's body has been buried, or dumped down one of Ballarat's many mine shafts, detectives could still be able to extract important evidence.

'A body that is buried 1.2m under the ground retains most of its tissue for a year,' the museum stated.

The hunt for Samantha Murphy's body

Police look for clues in Buninyong during another search in March

Police have been forced to scour rugged terrain in the search for Ms Murphy's body

While insects can decimate a body both buried or left uncovered, wild animals are also a real threat in the area where Ms Murphy went missing.

Last month, police brought in specialist cadaver dogs from New South Wales to scour the Victorian bush at multiple locations in dense scrub spanning a vast stretch of countryside.

Teams of officers focused their search within Enfield State Park, 30km south of Ballarat - but another search team was also working 25km away in thick scrub in the Durham Lead Nature Conservation Reserve.

The nature reserve is just south of Buninyong where Ms Murphy's phone was last detected by mobile phone towers at 5pm on the day she vanished.

The Ballarat region is notorious for foxes and wild dogs roaming the bush.

A fox and wild dog bounty has been running in Victoria since 2011, with large numbers of foxes being recorded out of the area in years gone by.

Wild dogs have long posed a problem for police searching for missing people in rugged terrain.

David Prideaux was 50 when the experienced hunter went on a trip with his brother-in-law in Victoria's rugged Alpine National Park on Mount Stirling and simply vanished in June 2011.

His body was never found, with experts stating at the time their belief that wild dogs would have spread his remains over several kilometres in the spring thaw of 2011.

Patrick Orren Stephenson has not helped police find Ms Murphy's body

Mick Murphy speaks during a rally against men's violence on April 12

Barwon prison boss David Prideaux vanished without a trace in thick bush. His body has never been found

Just weeks ago, Ms Murphy's long suffering husband Mick Murphy told Channel 9 he had not stopped searching for her.

'On that particular day, I was outside and thought she'll be coming up the road pretty soon,' he said.

'Then she didn't.'

Mr Murphy said searched daily, either by driving through town or spending two hours walking through a pine plantation.

'Sometimes I go for a drive and it might not be anywhere particular, or I go for a walk for two hours. It varies every day,' he said.

'It's very good for my mind and if I sat at home I wouldn't do myself any favours.'

Missing Persons Unit Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt has previously stated police would never give up looking for Ms Murphy.

'I want to assure those in the Ballarat community that police remain focused on doing everything we can to return Samantha to her family,' he said last month.

Anyone with any information about Ms Murphy's disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A young woman was left devastated after she lost $50,000 she had been saving for a deposit on a new home in a banking scam.

Melbourne woman Julie Khoo answered a call at work she believed was from HSBC in October 2023.

Minutes later two transactions drained a total of $50,000 from her account.

Ms Khoo has been a loyal HSBC customer for over 10 years and the heartbreaking scam came shortly after the death of her father just three months earlier.

In October 2023 Julie Khoo answered a call at work she believed was from the HSBC fraud department

Two transactions drained a total of $50,000, her daily transfer limit from her account

She said the 'well-spoken' caller claimed he was from HSBC's fraud team and was alerting her of suspicious activity on her account.

The con-artist on the other side of the phone spent 30 minutes convincing her the call was legitimate, providing details only her bank would know.

Ms Khoo was asked for her passcode to prevent a fraudulent transaction, with the caller stressing they needed the information 'right now'.

Her daily transfer limit of $50,000 was then stolen from her account.

Ms Khoo realised something was wrong when the caller asked for her credit card details.

She contacted HSBC hoping they would stop the transactions and provide her with some guidance.

'I knew that the money left my account but I didn't know it was gone,' Ms Khoo told 7News.

'I truly believed that they could claw back the funds.'

'They told me they would look into it, to go into the branch the next day, and to report to the police.'

Ms Khoo said she was told by the bank's branch manager it wasn't necessary to make a police report, but she did anyway.

She lashed out at the bank saying she was disappointed by HSBC's response.

Ms Khoo said six months since the scam, she has only been updated twice by email and is still waiting for her money to be returned.

After migrating to Australia from Malaysia in 2017, and now losing her deposit for a new home, Ms Khoo said the scam has left her shocked.

'I couldn't look at myself. I was embarrassed and ashamed,' she said.

I screen all my calls now  my confidence is shattered.

An HSBC Australia Scam Victims Facebook page has been set up where customers post their experiences and offer advice

'We understand being a victim of a scam is a stressful and distressing situation and we remain focused on doing everything we can to protect our customers,' HSBC said.

Unfortunately, Ms Khoo is one of many HSBC customers to fall victim to scammers.

An HSBC Australia Scam Victims Facebook page has been set up where customers post their experiences and offer advice.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), has revealed that HSBC customers lost more than $6.3 million in a 'spoofing' text message scam in the eight months to March 2024.

Daily Mail Australia contacted HSBC for comment on Ms Khoo's case.

In reply, the bank said that due to privacy reasons they cant discuss specific customer situations.

'We understand being a victim of a scam is a stressful and distressing situation and we remain focused on doing everything we can to protect our customers,' they said.

'Protecting our customers is our priority and we continue to enhance existing initiatives and implement new ones, while also playing our part in supporting the wider financial services industry on this issue.'

HSBC said it continues to educate their customers and will never ask them to provide PINs, passwords or verification codes on a phone call, in response to a text message or email.

Ms Khoo says the bank is not going far enough to protect customers.

'Scammers targeted HSBC customers for a year because they could get away with it, and its HSBCs inaction that allowed it to continue,' she said.

'This is not good enough.'
Episode Guide:

In this episode Caroline and Jack bring you the moment the Judge, Mark Lucraft KC sent the jury out to start their deliberations. After more than three months of hearing evidence the decisions are now up to them. Before he did this he reminded the jury of the key evidence in the case and what they need to consider during their deliberations. Legal expert David Banks also walks us through why this is now the most sensitive part of the trial process.

Warning: This podcast references court proceedings which detail the death and alleged abuse of a child in detail.

Follow the evidence as the jury hears it, in twice-weekly reports from broadcaster and journalist Caroline Cheetham, along with news reporter Jack Hardy.

Theyll take you into London's Old Bailey, bringing you the detail as the evidence unfolds, examining key moments and carrying out exclusive interviews with detectives, victims, and experts.

Follow us on X @thetrialpodcast

Contact us at thetrial@mailmetromedia.co.uk

Leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - +447796657512 (start your message with 'Trial')

Listen to all episodes of The Trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon

Browse more brilliant titles like The Trial on the Mail Podcast hub.
Young people are terrified that climate change will destroy Earth by the time they grow up, but the world is not actually ending, argues Cambridge professor Mike Hulme.

Humanity is not teetering on a cliff's edge, he says, at risk of imminent catastrophe if we don't reach net-zero carbon emissions by a certain date.

And he has made it his mission to call out the people who claim we are.

In his most recent book, Climate Change Isn't Everything, Hulme argued that belief in the urgent fight against climate change has shot far past the territory of science and become an ideology.

Hulme, a professor of human geography at the University of Cambridge, dubs this ideology 'climatism,' and he argues that it can distort the way society approaches the world's ills, placing too much focus on slowing Earth from warming.

Cutting down on fossil fuel use, Mike Hulme argues, is only one piece of the puzzle: 'Bad things are going to happen, and the climate will continue to change, but we can shave off some of the worst excesses of that changing climate.'

He suggests that rather than focusing exclusively on cutting fossil fuels out of the picture entirely, the nations of the world should focus on improving quality of life for people - even if that requires fossil fuel use.

The problem, he said, is this narrow focus takes attention away from other important moral, ethical, and political objectives - like helping people in the developing world rise out of poverty.

DailyMail.com spoke with Hulme about why he thinks climatism is a problem, how it should be balanced out, and what keeps him hopeful about the future of humanity.

As with other 'isms' - like cubism or romanticism - ideologies provide a way of thinking about things, explained Hulme.

'They're like spectacles that help us to make sense of the world, according to a predefined framework or structure,' he said

To be clear, Hulme does not claim that all ideologies are wrong.

'We all need ideologies, and we all have them - whether you're a Marxist or a nationalist, you're likely to hold an ideology of some form or other,' he added.

Professor Mike Hulme has written extensively about how climate change is a problem - just not the most important problem facing humanity.

As Hulme sees it, many journalists, advocates, and casual observers of climate change have become devotees of climatism, inaccurately attributing many events that happen in the world as being caused by climate change.

He gives the examples of a fire, flood, or damaging hurricane.

'No matter how complex a particular causal chain might be, it's a very convenient shorthand to say, 'Oh, well, this was caused by climate change,'' Hulme said.

'It's a very shallow and simplistic way, I would argue, to try to describe events that are happening in the world.'

Researchers have shown that warming oceans do lead to more frequent and more severe storms: Twice as many cyclones now become category 4 or 5 as they did in the 1970s, scientists have found, and Atlantic storms are three times as likely to become hurricanes.

Hulme doesn't argue that the effects of climate change are not happening, though, just that stopping climate change won't stop disasters from happening altogether.

'Fundamentally, we're going to have to deal with hurricanes, and we're not going to deal with them just by cutting our carbon emissions,' he said.

The solutions, he argues, will include better forecasting, better early warning systems, better emergency plans, and better infrastructure.

'There are all sorts of things that we can do to minimize the risks and dangers of hurricanes, that are way more effective in the short term than trying to cut our carbon emissions,' said Hulme.

The danger of climatism, he pointed out, is that it leads people down a false chain of events: If all of these things happening in the world are caused by climate change, then all we have to do is stop climate change, and all the other things will stop themselves.

'So whether it's Putin's war, or whether it's the Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza, whether it is a hurricane hitting Miami - if all of these things are caused by climate change, let's get rid of climate change,' said Hulme.

'And that clearly is a very inadequate way of thinking about the complexities of most of the problems we we face in the world today.'

This distorted thinking can make people forget about other important concerns, he argues.

As an example, Hulme points to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 17 areas that the world's governments have identified as top priorities for humanity.

The SDGs include building peace and justice, eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, and ensuring clean sanitation and water for billions of people on the planet.

'These are really important goals, and the danger is if we obsess about just climate change, if we think that climate change holds the key to wellbeing and a better future, we take attention away from interventions that will make progress on the sustainable development goals,' he said.

As an example, Hulme points to Western European governments that are not willing to put money into the transition away from open wood burning cookers in many rural villages in the global south, which cause very high mortality levels, particularly amongst women and children.

'Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) is much cleaner, much more efficient, much easier for women and girls to get access to,' he said. 'But in the name of climate change, well, we can't put money into LPG transition, because that's a fossil fuel.'

Others are coming around to see things his way, though.

'LPG for clean cooking can and should be permitted as a transitional fuel to save lives in the short-term until we can provide universal access to alternative low-emissions clean cooking systems,' experts from the World Bank and Columbia University wrote in March.

A woman in Guatemala cooks on a wood stove. Wood and coal stoves in homes contribute to poor health outcomes, especially for women and children. But Hulme says that transitioning away from wood stoves to safer liquid petroleum ones has been tough, as Western European countries refuse to subsidize fossil fuels.

Mike Hulme argues that a narrow focus on cutting out fossil fuel use will hurt efforts to bring people in the developing world out of poverty.

READ MORE: 2020 is the deadline to avert climate catastrophe, experts claimed in 2016 A number of benchmarks should have been met by 2020, according to climate scientists in 2016: Renewable energy - mainly wind and solar - should have made up at least 30 percent of the world's electricity supply, and no additional coal-fired power plants should have been approved after that date. Advertisement

If society were to put climate change priorities into their proper proportions then, Hulme said it would still be on the list.

It just wouldn't be the only item on the list, and it wouldn't be at the top.

'There's 17 SDGs, and two of them are related to climate. So that begins to rebalance, or re-proportion, the amount of effort and attention we might wish to pay,' said Hulme.

Beyond these mixed up priorities, Hulme also takes issue with what he sees as an obsession with deadlines: 'There's this idea of the ticking clock counting down to Ground Zero - we've only got five years, 10 years, two years - however long different commentators put the deadline.'

He calls this line of thinking 'deadline-ism,' a sort of sub-ideology of climatism, and he says he finds it unhelpful.

'It's like holding a gun to your head and saying, 'You've only got three seconds to make a decision.'

And under those circumstances, most human beings would not make a very good decision,' he said.

Perhaps even worse, it has the potential to undermine the gravity of the true threat posed by climate change.

One danger of deadlines can be that they cultivate a sense of fatalism: 'Well, if we've only got three more years, clearly we're not going to solve it in three years time. So what the heck, let's give up,' Hulme said.

The other danger is cynicism: The average person sees deadlines come and go, but the world is still here, and as far as most people can tell, climate disaster has not befallen us.

'We've had many of these supposedly decisive years, said Hulme. 'And you know, it's not surprising that people may become somewhat cynical or fatigued by this type of rhetoric.'

Mike Hulme argues that setting deadlines for climate change can exhaust the public and lead to a sense of cynicism, as deadlines come and go but life continues.

Hurricanes will always be something we have to deal with, Hulme said, regardless of climate change targets. Instead, he says we should invest in prediction and protection efforts.

Hulme's critics have argued that he is over-egging the pudding - that his picture of climatism as a rampant and harmful ideology is overstated or inaccurate.

'[Hulme's] claim that mainstream climate policy pays no attention to social and economic context and to non-climate priorities is simply not credible,' wrote development economist Simon Maxwell in his review of Climate Change Isn't Everything.

'It is certainly true that the climate and development worlds have in the past run on parallel and poorly connected tracks. That was probably true in the 2000s,' Maxwell wrote. 'But today? The literature is awash with references to climate compatible development, climate-smart development, climate-resilient development, just transition, and many other formulations of the same kind.'

Hulme disputed the idea that he is over-egging the pudding on climatism - after all, the whole basis of his argument is that climatists are the ones making a bigger deal out of it than they should be.

'I'm quite happy to have an argument or discussion about whether I'm over-egging the pudding, as opposed to the people who I think are over-egging the pudding,' he said, pointing to his deep experience in the field.

'I've been observing concerns about how climate change is talked about, framed, and reacted to in public for many, many years.'

And this public framing has led to a phenomenon called 'eco-anxiety,' which Hulme said he sees among his students at Cambridge University

'They have absorbed these claims of tipping points, and they take these things literally, and feel that there is no future for them because the climate is going to go out of control,' he said. 'They feel that it will be too late, and everything will collapse.'

As an educator of young adults, and as someone who has studied climate change over a 40-year career, Hulme sees a pastoral dimension to his role.

'I see people unnecessarily going down a spiral of despair and hopelessness that I find deeply concerning and worrying,' he said.

Part of what makes this so unfortunate is that he still sees many reasons to feel hopeful about the future.

Chief among them, the irrepressible ingenuity and spirit of humans and their social formations.

In his most recent book, Mike Hulme outlines his arguments about the ideology of climatism, which he sees as short-sighted.

'Despite what I've just said about mental health and eco-anxieties, the vast majority of humans have this irrepressible spirit,' Hulme said.

He emphasized that the risks associated with climate change are important things to attend to.

'We do need smart climate policies, whether it's mitigation or adaptation,' he said.

'We need energy transitions away from carbon-emitting energy sources, and that energy transition is going to come through innovation. It's going to come through smart people doing smart things more efficiently, with the human ingenuity and creativity that we've been granted, making use of the material resources that the planet offers.'

In the end, it's faith in humanity that Hulme holds on to.

But he's a realist, too.

'For good or ill, through the last 200 years of human development, we've set in motion this resetting of the climate system, and we're not going to eliminate that any time soon,' he said. 'We've got to accept the fact that there is going to be residual climate change for a long, long time to come.'

Bad things are going to happen, Hulme acknowledged, and the climate will continue to change. But smart mitigations can shave off some of the worst excesses of that changing climate.

'That doesn't mean we give up,' he said. 'It's never too late to do the right thing. There is no cliff edge, after which we all fall down.'
Most teenagers already struggle to get enough sleep.

Now, experts have discovered the most popular children get the least  especially girls.

A team from Orebro University in Sweden asked 1,300 teenagers to report how much sleep they got each night.

They were also asked to nominate up to three friends and those who received the most nominations were defined as more popular.

Analysis revealed popular teenagers slept less than their peers, losing up to 27 minutes of sleep per night.

Most teenagers already struggle to get enough sleep. Now, experts have discovered the most popular children get the least  especially girls (stock image)

When the researchers looked at boys and girls separately, they discovered that popular girls, in particular, were more likely to experience difficulties falling or staying asleep or waking up too early.

Popular boys did not experience these symptoms to the same extent.

The researchers said the fact that boys and girls have different friendships might go some way to explaining the difference.

First author Dr Serena Bauducco said: 'Girls express more care and concern with their friends and engage in helping behaviours more than boys.

'This might mean they carry these concerns when it's time to fall asleep.'

Overall, the researchers said being popular might require more time to be dedicated to friends, which could result in less time for sleeping.

More emotional investment, too, could lead to sleeping difficulties.

While some may expect phones and social media use to be behind the link, the team said they do not believe this to be the case (stock image)

While some may expect phones and social media use to be behind the link, the team said they do not believe this to be the case.

That's because previous studies have also shown a link between popularity and worse sleep even before the development of smartphones, they said.

'Teenagers are arguably the most sleep deprived population throughout the lifespan,' Dr Bauducco added.

'Previous studies show that 30 minutes of extra sleep can lead to improved mental health and school performance.'

As school days start early many teenagers may try and catch up on sleep at the weekends  but the researchers warned this could backfire.

'Suppose a teen sleeps in on Sunday until 1pm,' Dr Bauducco said. 'Falling asleep that night to be ready for school the next day will be a struggle, because they won't feel tired.

'Delaying wake-times too much can contribute to maintaining the problem of sleep debt racked up during the week.'

Writing in the journal Frontiers in Sleep, the team said they believe that discussing social norms around sleep and expectations of friends around bedtime are a missing component of existing sleep interventions for teenagers.
Astronomers and data scientists working with a boost in computer power on loan from Google have discovered 27,500 new asteroids, some perilously close to Earth.

Their collaboration hopes to speed up the development of 'a comprehensive map of the solar system' needed for 'planetary defense,' according to one Harvard astrophysicist, Matthew Holman, who helped develop the asteroid-hunting software.

Nearly 1.7 billion points of light, documented in 412,000 infrared images from the US National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) archives, were scanned by the project's novel 'killer asteroid'-hunting algorithm.

'This is super important,' as one former NASA astronaut leading the project put it.

'This is the key to protecting the Earth from being hit by asteroids: knowing where all these are.'

Astronomers and data scientists working with a boost in computer power on loan from Google have discovered 27,500 new asteroids (above in green) some perilously close to Earth (in blue)

As one former NASA astronaut leading the project put it: 'This is the key to protecting the Earth from being hit by asteroids: knowing where all these are'

Since 2002, that retired NASA astronaut, Stanford-educated astrophysicist Dr. Ed Lu, has served as the executive director of the nonprofit B612, where he now leads the group's Asteroid Institute.

'At this moment, we are now one of the largest discoverers of asteroids on Earth,' Dr. Lu said, discussing the team's identification of tens of thousands of new asteroids.

'But what makes this interesting is that we don't own a telescope. We don't operate a telescope,' he continued. 'We're doing this from a data science perspective.'

The B612 Asteroid Institute's algorithm  known as the Tracklet-less Heliocentric Orbit Recovery, or THOR  trawled NOIRLab's astronomy image archive to distinguish which reflected points of light were really nearby asteroids.

THOR could calculate, based on evidence from just two images, sometimes taken on different nights and via two different telescopes, if those points of light were, in fact, one asteroid in orbit around our solar system.

'What is exciting is that we are using electrons in data centers, in addition to the usual photons in telescopes, to make astronomical discoveries,' according to Dr. Lu.

The THOR algorithm was crafted by B612's Asteroid Institute in collaboration with the University of Washington's DiRAC Institute.

Since 2002, retired NASA astronaut and Stanford-educated astrophysicist Dr. Ed Lu, has been an executive director of the nonprofit B612, where he now leads the group's Asteroid Institute. Above at right, a NASA photo of Dr. Lu taken during his astronaut career on October 10, 2000

Nearly 1.7 billion points of light documented in 412,000 images from the digital archives of the US National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) were scanned by the project's novel asteroid-hunting software. Above, another view on the new asteroid map

The raw computing power needed to identify viable asteroid candidates across these disparate telescopic images would have once made the process all but impossible, even in the recent past.

But Google Cloud's distributed network of computing power allowed THOR to identify its 27,500 new, 'high-confidence asteroid discovery candidates' in only about five weeks.

'This is an example of what is possible,' Massimo Mascaro, a technical director for Google Cloud's office of the chief technology officer, said.

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'I can't even quantify how much opportunity there is in terms of data that is already there collected, and, if analyzed with the proper computation, could lead to even more results,' Mascaro explained.

According to a press statement from the B612 nonprofit, their collaboration with Google Cloud will eventually put THOR to work on 5.4 billion observations from different astronomical surveys and equipment  celestial mysteries which may prove to be asteroids or other outer space objects.

The Asteroid Institute announced that it is also exploring the feasibility of employing Google's AI technologies in an effort to automate the vetting and verification of potential asteroid candidates, as first reported by their THOR algorithm.

In the past, the initial verification of these candidates has been left to a volunteer army of high school students, undergraduate college students, postgraduate researchers, scientists, and professional astronomers.

But, if these AI-assisted expansions of their project are successful, Dr. Lu said that the reduction in this time-consuming human verification work will help the institute adapt THOR's process for much more vast and expansive astronomy datasets, like those coming soon from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which now under construction in Chile.

'This is a sea change,' Dr. Lu said.
With an estimated two billion monthly active users, WhatsApp is the most popular mobile messenger app worldwide.

But it seems many of the platform's users are in countries where it has been controversially banned, such as China and North Korea.

Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp at Meta, said 'tens of millions' of people in these countries are using technical workarounds to secretly access the chat app.

One example is virtual private networks (VPNs), which make users look like they're connected to the internet in a different location.

However, China has recently ramped up its campaign against WhatsApp by removing it from Apple's App store.

WhatsApp is the most popular mobile messenger app worldwide with approximately two billion monthly active users, according to Statista

READ MORE: WhatsApp launches major change that makes it much faster to find chats Users can choose between three filters, which will appear at the top of chat list Advertisement

WhatsApp is blocked in China, North Korea, Syria and Qatar, while the app's features are heavily restricted in Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

'We have a lot of anecdotal reports of people using WhatsApp [in these countries],' Cathcart told BBC News.

'You'd be surprised how many people have figured it out.'

According to the tech boss, WhatsApp staff can see where users are by looking at their registered phone number, which has the telltale international country codes at the front.

'What we can do is look at some of the countries where we're seeing blocking and still see tens of millions of people connecting to WhatsApp,' he said.

In China, the government has blocked WhatsApp since 2017, although VPNs have offered people in the country a potential loophole since then.

People who visit China have to set up a VPN to access WhatsApp there, as well as other banned Meta apps like Facebook and Instagram.

However, last month, the Chinese government ordered Apple to remove WhatsApp from the Chinese App Store, making it even harder for people to use it.

Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp at Meta (pictured), said 'tens of millions' of people in these countries are using technical workarounds to secretly access the chat app

READ MORE: WhatsApp backtracks on subtle change The change was introduced for both iOS and Android in April (stock image) Advertisement

China also ordered Apple to remove Threads, Meta's social network that's similar to Elon Musk's platform X.

The tech giant said it had been forced to do so by the Chinese government's Cyberspace Administration of China, which cited national security concerns.

'The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns,' Apple said in an statement.

'We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree.'

It's unclear if WhatsApp is still accessible on the Google Play store for Android smartphones in China and Meta has refused to comment further.

Cathcart called China's decision to remove WhatsApp 'unfortunate', but added that the country was never a major market for the app.

China  renowned for having a tight control over its citizens' lives  instead favours WeChat, owned by developed by Shenzhen tech giant Tencent.

The Great Firewall of China has become the collective term for Chinese legislation that blocks internet services in the country.

WhatsApp is letting users connect to the messaging app via proxy servers for the first time to allow users to stay online even when an internet shutdown or block is in place

Proxy servers are intermediary gateways between users and web servers that let them go online

And under Chinese law, firms can be compelled to support, co-operate with and collaborate in national intelligence work.

Cathcart also said WhatsApp's proxy service, launched last year, has kept the app accessible in countries where there have been internet shutdowns, such as Iran.

Internet shutdowns are intentional disruptions to internet access and digital communications, often done by governments to silence dissidents online.

The boss described its efforts to provide instant messaging to people bound by 'authoritarian governments' as 'a constant battle'.

'We take a lot of pride in the fact that we're providing secure private communication that is free from surveillance of authoritarian governments, or even censorship from government, to people all around the world who otherwise wouldn't have it,' he said.
A beachgoer has urged couples not to throw gender reveal parties along the coast due to the remnants such parties leave behind.

A woman shared a video showing a path of pink confetti littering the white sands, asking future parents to 'not ruin our beaches.'

Scientists have determined that traditional confetti is made of microplastics that contaminate oceans, poisons wildlife, and can take 1,000 years to break down.

The litter on the beach adds to the many gender reveal parties that have left marks on the environment - a 75-mile fire was started in California and pink confetti was scattered throughout Yosemite National Park.

A video resurfaced asking expecting parents not to litter confetti on the beach during their gender reveal parties (pictured)

Confetti can harm the environment, causing the toxic microplastics to end up in the ocean and can poison wildlife

Traditional metallic confetti is made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), metallic foil and other plastics that contain can harm the environment and wildlife.

Animals like fish, shellfish and seabirds are attracted to the glistening sheen of the confetti and can mistake it for food.

When the microplastic - small plastics that measure about five millimeters in length - collects in the animal's stomach, it can poison them or cause them to die from starvation.

EXCLUSIVE READ MORE: Startling new documentary tracks global spread of toxic microplastics from the bottom of oceans to inside the human brain Expert revealed first-ever evidence of microplastics found inside the human brain. Advertisement

Some people have turned to biodegradable confetti as an alternative, but even this option is harms the environment and takes weeks to break down, giving wildlife ample time to eat it.

'The beach isn't a compost bin. People shouldn't leave anything biodegradable,' one person commented on the TikTok video posted in July of last year, which was reported on Tuesday by The Cool Down.

Confetti sales have soared in recent years, with a million pounds of it sold in the US each year and even paper confetti is too small to recycle, according to San Jose, California's Waste Management.

The organization warns people to avoid using confetti outside so it doesn't become litter and clarified that only undyed confetti can be composted because the dye may contain toxic heavy metals.

There are alternatives people can use instead of confetti such as dried flower petals, leaf cutouts and seeds.

Couples have gone to great lengths over the year with hopes of hosting an impressive gender reveal party - and most are at the cost of the environment.

Parents to be in California sparked a fire in 2020 after using 'smoke bombs' in a photo shoot, which created a 75-mile blaze.

Wildlife advocates have since become tired of the disastrous displays and are now calling for heft fines for those who use the environment as their reveal backdrop.

Beth Pratt, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation California, previously told McClatchy News: 'Certainly glitter or other microplastics hugely impact wildlife.

Parents to be in California sparked a fire in 2020 after using 'smoke bombs' in a photo shoot, which created a 75-mile blaze

A wildlife expert shared her horror after seeing a couple leave behind pink confetti in Yosemite National Park this past January

She noted a couple who left remnants in Yosemite National Park.

'We need to start issuing heavy fines if entitled people are going to keep causing resource damage in our national parks,' Pratt shared on X regarding an image of the gender reveal.

'And maybe people need to start taking a test before than can visit to show they understand these areas are protected places and home to wildlife.'
In news that will come as no surprise to most Britons, the Met Office has confirmed that April was the sixth wettest since records dating to 1836.

In all, there was 55 per cent more rainfall than the long term average, the forecasting body said.

It has also been the wettest April since 2012, the provisional statistics show.

Forecasters measure Spring from March to May  and so far the Met Office says we've seen 96 per cent of the long term average for the entire season.

Spring has been so wet that both England and Wales have already seen more than their long-term average rainfall for the entire season.

In news that will come as no surprise to most Britons, the Met Office has confirmed that April was the sixth wettest since records dating to 1836. Pictured: pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on April 19

READ MORE: Long to rain over us! King Charles' reign has been the WETTEST on record, study finds Scientists from Reading University analysed the average rainfall in England dating back to 1836 to reveal the British monarchs with the rainiest reigns Advertisement

The UK as a whole has seen 96 per cent of its average springtime rainfall.

At this point, we'd normally only have had around two thirds (66 per cent) of average rainfall.

As well as being wet, the weather was also dull, with sunshine levels just 79 per cent of the long-term average for the month.

Many areas exceeded their long-term average monthly rainfall, with Scotland having its fourth wettest April with 148.9mm of rain  more than 60 per cent of its average and the wettest April since 1947.

Met Office Scientist Emily Carlisle said: 'April has been a continuation of the past few months: often wet, windy and unsettled.

'April showers were present from the beginning of the month, with frontal systems bringing persistent rain across the UK.

'Although a high-pressure system moved over the UK on the 20th bringing some drier weather, by the end of the month, low pressure was back in charge, bringing with it more rain.'

The month started warm, particularly along the southeast coast  with temperatures hitting 21.8C in Writtle, in Essex.

But temperatures dropped, and remained only slightly below average for most of the last two weeks of April.

This balanced out the warmer temperatures at the start of the month and resulted in a provisional average mean temperature of 8.3C for the UK, only 0.4C higher above the 1991-2020 long-term average.

In all, there was 55 per cent more rainfall than the long term average, the forecasting body said

Cloudy conditions often resulted in overnight temperatures being held up, with the average minimum temperature being above average (+0.8C).

There were just 122.9 hours of sunshine in April, 79 per cent of the long term average.

There was only one 'named' storm  Storm Kathleen, which brought heavy rain and strong winds to Scotland, Wales, parts of Northern Ireland and the west coast of England.

Paddy Graham-Jonesof Albert Bartlett, a leading UK potato supplier said fields of potatoes have rotted due to the wet weather.

Speaking of one field, he told Sky News: 'I was hoping I would find one good potato here, but there's not one left. They're all rotten.'
The summer of 2023 saw record breaking heat waves and heat-related deaths, and officials have warned that the US may experience another round in just a few weeks.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) has released its seasonal temperature outlook for June, July, and August, forecasting higher than average temperatures for most of the country.

At least 20 states spanning throughout the Northeast and the Midwest are in hot zones where temperatures could be above the normal.

The extreme heat is a a result of El Nino, caused by a shift in the distribution of warm water in the Pacific Ocean around the equator, which typically carries dryer and warmer air to the northern US.

At least 20 states spanning throughout the Northeast and the Midwest are in hot zones where temperatures could be above the normal

Many states predicted to experience a warmer than usual summer are across the Western half of the US including Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, and most of the Northeastern states, like New York and Massachusetts, are the places most likely to see higher than normal temperatures.

A lower section in the state of Alaska is the only place that may experience below normal summer temperatures.

This March was the hottest March in more than 170 years of record, NOAA reported. The rest of spring is expected be pretty warm too.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has warned that temperatures are likely to be between 1 and 2 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than average from now until June.

But large portions of the northern Great Plains, the Midwest, southeastern New Mexico, and western Texas are likely to experience heat between 1.8 and 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than normal during that time period.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) has released its seasonal temperature outlook for June, July, and August , forecasting higher than average temperatures for most of the country

This forecast comes as the world sees the fading of El Nino, which weakens the trade winds and causes hotter and dryer conditions in the northern U.S. and Canada.

When this happens La Nina, which is associated with cooler temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, isn't far behind.

'La Nina tends to follow strong El Nino events,' an April outlook from the Climate Prediction Center said. 'Transition from El Nino to ENSO-neutral is likely by April-June 2024 (85 percent chance), with the odds of La Nina developing by June-August 2024 (60 percent chance).'

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This cycle occurs every three to seven years, and affects everything from precipitation patterns, likelihood of drought, and frequency of storms.

However, weather experts have noted that the shift does not mean a respite from last year's intense summer.

'This obviously isn't our grandmother's transition out of El Nino  we're in a much warmer world so the impacts will be different,' Michelle L'Heureux, a climate scientist with the Climate Prediction Center said, CNN reported.

La Nina events are also responsible for stronger hurricane seasons in the Atlantic Ocean.

The last event began in 2020, the same year that saw so many hurricanes, officials ran out of names and had to turn to the Greek alphabet to track storms.

A combination of atmospheric stability from La Nina and heat that is partially strengthened by the climate crisis means a higher possibility of more hurricanes.

Climate researchers at the University of Colorado have predicted 23 named storms for this year. Meanwhile scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have anticipated 33 named storms-their highest count ever.

The warning for summer 2024 is also based on data last year that reported an average 13 heat related deaths occurred during the month of July.

The hot weather warnings come just a few days after the National Weather Service (NWS) has updated and expanded HeatRisk, its heat tracking website.

The tool provides updates about how bad hot weather is going to affect a region, and the website also includes preparedness education and 'beat the heat' resources for those who want to think ahead for the next heat wave.

'Last year was the warmest year on record for the globe, and we just experienced the warmest winter on record.' NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in an announcement.

'HeatRisk is arriving just in time to help everyone, including heat-sensitive populations, prepare and plan for the dangers of extreme heat.'
Google was down for more than one hour on Wednesday.

DownDetector showed issues appeared around 11am ET, but the glitch dissipated by around 12:30pm ET.

Users in the US, the UK, Australia, parts of Europe, South America and Asia reported problems with Search, the website and Google Drive.

It is unclear how many users were impacted and what caused the glitch.

Google was down for more than one hour on Wednesday during a worldwide outage that plagued users worldwide

DownDetector showed issues appeared around 11am ET, but the glitch dissipated around 12:30pm ET

DownDetector's outage map for the US highlighted that users had reported problems in New York City, San Francisco and parts of the Midwest.

In the UK, Glasgow and Cambridge was also in the red - but America appeared to be feeling more of the outage than other nations.

Americans reported that they were seeing a server error when attempting to connect to Chrome, which is also lagging for some users.

Approximately 64 percent of problems reported to DownDetector cited Search as the main issue, 30 percent with the website and a small seven percent cited Google Drive.

Users shared their frustrations on Elon Musk's X, with some saying Google Maps was also experiencing a glitch.

Approximately 64 percent of problems reported to DownDetector cited Search as the main issue, 30 percent with the website and a small seven percent cited Google Drive

It is unclear how many users have been impacted and what caused the glitch. But people impacted were sharing the issues on X

One Google user shared a screen shot on the social media platform that reads: '502. That's an error. The server encountered a temporary error and could not complete your request. Please try again in 30 seconds. That's all we know.'

However, the outage did not seem to be impacted all users in countries issue problem reports to DownDetector.
Remote workers can fire up their laptops from Italy's most beautiful locations

That dream of living la dolce vita is now much easier for non-EU nationals to turn into a reality - because Italy has launched a digital nomad visa.

Ordinarily, residents of a non-EU country are limited to a 90-day stay in Italy, or any other EU country, in a 180-day period. The digital nomad visa bypasses this rule and allows them to stay for up to a year.

And it's already proving popular. According to language learning platform Promova, Google searches for 'Italy digital nomad visa' are up 660 per cent.

If successful, applicants could open their laptops and fire up the Wi-Fi in dreamy destinations from the Amalfi Coast to the stunning Tuscan countryside. But as with any visa application, there are certain conditions that candidates must meet.

Remote workers must earn at least 28,000 (23,955/$29,833) per year - which is triple the minimum level required for exemption from Italian healthcare costs.

Remote workers could open their laptops in the picturesque Tuscan countryside every morning - thanks to Italy's new digital nomad visa

They'll also have to prove they have 'suitable accommodation' for the length of their stay and that they have been a digital nomad or remote worker for at least six months previously.

The one-year visa can be renewed annually if the conditions and requirements that allowed it to be issued remain the same.

The visa is being managed under Article 27 of Italy's immigration code, which is specifically aimed at attracting 'highly skilled workers'.

To apply, you'll need to book an appointment at an Italian Consulate - before you arrive in Italy - and take your passport, proof of employment, proof of income, proof of accommodation, health insurance and a criminal record certificate (if you have one).

To take advantage of Italy's new digital nomad visa, remote workers must earn at least 28,000 (23,955/$29,833)

If you're self-employed, you'll need to apply for an Italian tax VAT number and seek advice on the best way to pay local taxes.

Once your visa is approved, you'll have eight days from your arrival in Italy to apply for a residence permit, known in Italian as permesso di soggiorno.

However, not everyone will be able to apply for the visa. Anyone who has been convicted of a crime within the past five years will be automatically rejected from the process.
Raving isn't just for millennials or Gen-Zs, as one 79-year-old is on a mission to prove.

Retiree Alan Grofe has become a much-loved fixture on the EDM festival scene, and DailyMail.com bumped into him at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami this March with his daughter and stepson.

Wearing one of his distinctive neon T-Shirts emblazoned with his nickname 'Rave Pops,' there was no stopping Grofe as he energetically pulled some moves amid the sweaty crowds by the drum and bass stage.

Thanks so his infectious energy, 'Rave Pops' has featured in dozens of TikTok videos and a clip of him at the 2016 Sunset Music Festival in Tampa went viral.

Back in the less manic confines of his Florida home, the grandfather-of-five, who has been to 45 raves to date, says that raving has taught him that 'you're never too old to do something you love!'

Retiree Alan Grofe has become a much-loved fixture on the EDM festival scene, and DailyMail.com bumped into him at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami this March

The dancer is often seen wearing one of his distinctive neon T-Shirts emblazoned with his nickname 'Rave Pops'

Grofe was first introduced to electronic music by his DJ son Gavin in 1995. Detailing the chain of events, he says: 'He was in the basement spinning drum and bass. I was totally in awe of it'

The grandfather-of-five says that raving has taught him that 'you're never too old to do something you love!'

The former tech and healthcare entrepreneur continues: 'I had an assumption that I would never be accepted and respected by my young fellow ravers.

'I have learned from others that by just being yourself, with openness, accessibility, and a happy demeanor, you can win their hearts and minds.'

Grofe was first introduced to electronic music by his DJ son Gavin in 1995.

Detailing the chain of events, the California native says: 'He was in the basement spinning drum and bass and I was totally in awe of it.

'It took me two more years of cajoling him to get him to let me go out to a rave with him in 1997.

'That was in Washington, D.C., at a large club called the Capital Ballroom. It's quite a magnificent building dating back to 1924 and it had different with rooms for house, trance, drum and base, and hip hop.'

At that first rave experience, Grofe said he made sure to stand behind the best dancers who were 'by far, mostly women,' and he learned to dance to the various music styles.

As a child he had been in a ballroom dancing troupe, so he had a good sense of rhythm and from that first encounter, he was hooked.

As a child Grofe had been in a ballroom dancing troupe, so he had a good sense of rhythm and from that first encounter, he was hooked

In 1999, Grofe says he went on to have one of his most memorable clubbing experiences when he went to see Sasha and John Digweed, and Paul Van Dyk perform at the now defunct nightclub Twilo in New York where his daughter Paige worked at the time.

On the festival side of things, Grofe says he loved the long-running electronic dance event Starscape, which was held at Fort Armistead Park in Baltimore.

He recalled: 'I attended Moonrise, which later morphed into the Starscape Festival, for nine straight years and that was when outdoor festivals were virtually unknown.

'Many festivals later, it is still the one to remember.'

While his 80th birthday is around the corner along with his 55th wedding anniversary Grofe, who is also a keen runner, has no plans to slow his dancing antics down.

For those considering the 'world of rave,' Grofe says it is a must-do

The spritely septuagenarian pictured with his daughter Paige

Asked what his dream rave would be, the spritely septuagenarian responds: 'Ahh, what a question! A three-day festival on the beach in Bali.

'It would be with three or four stages scattered around that wonderful environment with a number of them floored with a totally danceable surface, replicating the wonderful wooden floor at the Capital Ballroom mentioned previously.

'It would have state-of-the-art sound and visuals so that among the artists, my favorite DJ Eric Prydz could do his magic!'

For those considering the 'world of rave,' Grofe says it is a must-do.

Explaining what is so special about EDM culture, he concludes: 'It is a combination of the communal nature of the experience, with so many like-minded people of all ages enjoying a wide variety of uplifting EDM music, and the sheer joy and physical exhilaration of non-stop dancing as if no one is watching!

'Although it is not used as much anymore, the early theme that set the stage for it all was "PLUR" - Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect - which I still practice to this day.

'I love it when young people come up to me and tell me they want to be like me when they grow up. My answer to them is that that have my permission.

'Regardless of your age, just go and let the good vibes and music wash over you.'
The Tattooist of Auschwitz became a best-selling novel upon its 2018 release and has now been brought to screen in a harrowing and emotional Holocaust drama.

The powerful novel and six-part series is based on the incredible true story of Ludwig 'Lali/Lale' Sokolov and his wife Gita Furman, who fell in love after meeting at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during the Holocaust.

The compelling story follows Slovakian Jew Lali, who was forced to work tattooing registration numbers on his fellow prisoners during his imprisonment to secure a marginally safer position in the camp.

As well as detailing the horrors Lali experienced in the Nazi extermination camp, it also follows his courageous journey with Gita as they fell in love against all odds.

New Zealand author Heather Morris, who told her friend Lali's story in her bestselling book, spoke exclusively to Daily Mail Australia ahead of the Stan series' May 2 release.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz became a best-selling novel in 2018 and has now been brought to screen in a harrowing Holocaust drama (pictured: Jonah Hauer-King and Anna Prochniak)

Heather detailed her emotional reaction to watching Lali's story play out on screen, and reflected on watching the series with Lali and Gita's only child, Gary Sokolov.

Lali spent three years telling Heather his powerful life story before his death in 2006 aged 90, after his wife Gita passed away in 2003 at the age of 78.

The couple rarely spoke to their son Gary, now in his 60s, about their imprisonment in Auschwitz-Birkenau due to their trauma, and he first learnt the full truth of their emotional story by reading Heather's manuscripts.

'Gita and Lali, her words were, "we will ever only talk about this in the privacy of our bedroom",' Heather explained.

Heather shared the heart-wrenching reaction Gary, who lives in Melbourne with his family, had watching their harrowing love story on screen, saying he felt like it had given him his late parents' back.

Heather said: 'When Gary saw [the series] - and I was sitting beside him as he watched the series play out - he was breaking bones in my hands squeezing it so much, my shoulder was soaking wet from him sobbing on it.

New Zealand author Heather Morris, who penned the bestselling book, spoke exclusively to Daily Mail Australia about the incredible story ahead of the Stan series' May 2 release

'He just kept saying "thank you for giving me back my dad, you gave me back my dad, I can't distinguish".'

Heather also detailed the emotional moment Gary met actress Anna Prochniak, who plays his mother Gita alongside Jonah Hauer-King as his father Lali.

'[Gary] didn't know as much about his parents' life as I did, because they hadn't talked to him,' she shared.

'He learnt about it by reading the manuscript the year before the book was published, particularly with Gita, and when he saw Anna in the role - and then he met her - and he was just a mess.

'He said "you gave me the mother I never knew", of course, because she never spoke about her time. Anna did such a brilliant portrayal of Gita.'

'Seeing Jonah and Anna just embrace him, and him in return, they are so connected now in what they have given him,' she added.

Unlike the novel, the six-part series is framed by an older version of Lali, played by Harvey Keitel, telling his story to Heather, portrayed by Melanie Lynskey.

The powerful novel is based on the incredible true story of Ludwig 'Lali' Sokolov (pictured with Heather), who fell in love with his wife Gita Furman after meeting at Auschwitz-Birkenau

Heather detailed her emotional reaction to watching Lali's story play out on screen, and reflected on watching the series with Lali and Gita's only child, Gary Sokolov

Heather admitted she was reluctant to bring herself into the story, because she wanted the focus to stay solely on Lali, but was persuaded by the opportunity for an actor to play an older Lali, as she knew him.

She said: 'Initially, of course, I said look it's not my story, I didn't want it to be seen that way. But when it was pointed out that it was an opportunity for an actor to play Lali the man that I knew, how good would that be, and I said "OK, you won me over".'

Heather admitted it was 'weird' seeing New Zealand actress Melanie, known for her role in Yellowjackets, playing her, but said she just wanted Melanie to be there to 'interact' with Harvey, rather than being a perfect impersonation of her.

She shared: '[Melanie] was charming and wonderful and after spending time with her - and she'd watched many videos of me talking and lectures and interviews - and then had to say to me that she was nothing like me, and how could she portray me.

'So I was very grateful for her having that time with me to come to an agreement of "well don't play me, play a simile of me, because your role there is to be that person for Harvey to interact with". And she was brilliant.'

Heather, who was a script consultant on the series, said American actor Harvey watched many videos of Lali in a bid to learn about the real-life man, with Gary saying he was indistinguishable from his real-life father.

Heather told how Gary was left in tears and blown away by Harvey Keitel's (left) portrayal of his father (Lali is pictured right), saying he felt like he was given his father back

Unlike the novel, the six-part series is framed by an older version of Lali, played by Harvey Keitel, telling his story to Heather, portrayed by Melanie Lynskey

'[Harvey] wanted to know all the nitty-gritty about my interaction [with Lali], because that's what he was playing, the interaction between him and I - and that was something personal between me and Lali,' Heather shared.

'He was very keen to understand as much as he could, he was cheeky and charming in dragging that out of me, but he did and he went above and beyond.'

In bringing conversations between Heather and Lali to screen, viewers are given a glimpse into Lali's historical trauma, and the struggles Heather had in taking on his pain while listening to his harrowing story.

Heather was working in social work in a hospital in Melbourne - where Lali also lived - at the time, writing Lali's story alongside her job, and admitted there were moments where she didn't think she could go on.

'There were times, of course, where my guard did fall down and it did transfer to me,' she said.

'I wasn't aware of it and it took others - my family or my colleagues - who would smack me around and say "come on, you know what's happening, you've got to find a strategy to deal with it".

Heather said she was reluctant to bring herself into the story, but was persuaded by the chance for an actor to play an older Lali, as she knew him (Heather and Harvey are pictured)

'Several times, I went back and said "I can't do this Lali, I can't do it", and he would look at me and say "of course you can".'

'I wasn't there as a journalist or a reporter or somebody who wanted to write a story, I was there and he became my friend, and that's where it went from that point on,' she added.

Despite her doubts, Heather insisted Lali never wavered in believing that she could tell his story and would not be surprised at the novel's success, saying it was always what he expected.

'Lali would just say to me "I told you that you could do it". This is what he expected, there was never any doubt for him. For him, he would have said "what took you so long?",' she shared.

Heather originally wrote The Tattooist Of Auschwitz as a screenplay, and Lali read her work and was heavily involved with her attempts to produce the script, before she later published his story as a novel, 12 years after his death.

Heather addressed backlash her novel received when it was first published around historical accuracy, insisting she was only ever telling Lali's story, not writing a history of the Holocaust

'He has very much read everything, and of course, for him, he would just point out where I hadn't portrayed him as being a good looking man enough! He had so much faith that I would do this,' she shared.

Gita never spoke about her time in Auschwitz-Birkenau and said Lali's motivation for finally telling their story decades on was to tell people about the love of his life.

'For him, it was always I want the world to know about this girl,' Heather said. '[He said] "I knew in that moment I could never love another, tell the world about my Gita".'

Heather went on to address backlash her novel received when it was first published around historical accuracy, insisting she was only ever telling Lali's story, not writing a history of the Holocaust.

'For me it's a matter of, I have not written a story of the Holocaust, I've just written a Holocaust story,' she said.

'I need to be true to the memory of the man who told me that story. I wasn't in any way going to go and alter his memory to fit the facts, where facts were found to be not the same - for example, using the word penicillin - it was the word he used to me and I found it him using that word on video tape.

Like the book, the series follows Slovakian Jew Lali (Jonah is pictured in the role) as he is forced to work tattooing registration numbers on his fellow prisoners during his imprisonment

'We should have just had medicine, but we corrected that, immediately it was pointed out to us. But I still come back to, I have written a man's story.'

She also praised the series for giving them the space to explore the 'fallibility' of memory and how recollections can change, particularly as a method of protection due to trauma.

'That's the great thing about the way the movie series has been told, we do use that opportunity to show the fallibility of memory,' she continued.

'That's how it played out, he would tell me a vignette or a storyline and he would tell me in a certain way - and it was probably how he wanted to remember it - and probably six months or 12 months later and we would be talking about something similar, and he would say, "this is how actually how it really was".'

'You can't blame him for doing that, and I won't,' she went on. 'I won't judge him for giving me a sanitized version of something while he was getting to know me.

'The fact that later when he got to know me and we became good friends that he did trust me to tell me what really happened.'

One day, he meets fellow Slovakian Jew Gita (Anna) when she is brought to have her number tattooed, starting their incredible and almost inconceivable love story

Heather praised the production company for handling Lali's story with such authenticity and told of the 'incredible lengths' they went to in bringing her novel to screen.

'I'm so excited by how it has been handled by the production company and those involved. Every single person from the cast to the crew, to the set designers brought so much care and attention to the authenticity to the story,' she shared.

'The consultations they did in the background with the Auschwitz community and the other people involved in the recording and of course, the documenting of the Holocaust. They went to incredible lengths.'

Many of the leading cast are Jewish, while French-Canadian actor Adam Karst portrayed Frenchman Pepan and German Jonas Nay played SS guard Stefan Baretzki, adding further authenticity.

There were therapists on set to support the cast due to the difficulties of recreating the harrowing subject matter on a set resembling the concentration camp.

The series weaves together two stories, an older Lali (Harvey) telling his story to Heather (Melanie), and him being deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1942.

The series then follows their unforgettable and courageous journey as they attempt to conceal their romance and keep each other alive through the horrors of the camp

It follows a younger Lali (Jonah) as he is made to work tattooing his fellow prisoners' registration numbers on their arms upon their arrival in the concentration camp.

One day, he meets fellow Slovakian Jew Gita (Anna) when she is brought to have her number tattooed, starting their incredible and almost inconceivable love story.

The series then follows their unforgettable and courageous journey as they attempt to conceal their romance and keep each other alive through the horrors of the camp.

In parallel, many decades later, an older Lali is seen grieving the death of his wife Gita and finding the courage to tell his remarkable story to his friend Heather.

The Stan Original Series The Tattooist of Auschwitz premieres on May 2, only on Stan.
EXCLUSIVE

Paul Hogan's son will make a mercy dash back to Australia as the Crocodile Dundee star's drug addict grandson prepares to be sentenced.

Todd Hogan, who lives in New Zealand, will return for his jailed son Jake Hogan's court hearing next week, a lawyer told Magistrate Mark Whelan on Wednesday.

Jake Paul Hogan, 34, who carries the name of his famous grandad, affectionately known as 'Hoges', has been in jail after bail was refused in March.

The former tradie will be sentenced next week for breaking into apartment blocks 'to fuel his high-level drug habit' and for breaching an apprehended violence order against a woman he allegedly terrorised.

Downing Centre Local Court heard that a psychiatric report is being prepared on the trained carpenter whose life had spiralled out of control earlier this year.

Jake Hogan, the grandson of Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan, is in jail awaiting sentencing for break-ins committed after he spiralled out of control on drugs

Jake Paul Hogan, above with his dad Todd Hogan. Todd will make a mercy dash from New Zealand next week to attend Jake's sentencing hearing

Jake previously had a nice home, a car, a steady job and a girlfriend whom he hoped to marry.

But he became a homeless drug addict, sleeping in abandoned buildings and stealing clothes and bicycles to sell.

He lost his friends and became estranged from his family, and would cycle around for hours each day high on ice making tearful phone calls to the few people who hadn't abandoned him.

Jake - whose father is one of Paul and his first wife Noelene Hogan's five children - is the brother of Network Seven TV reporter Mylee Hogan.

A former acquaintance revealed that Jake was traumatised by a family tragedy that occurred long before he was jailed for menacing a woman and stealing to fund his drug habit.

Jake's mother, Marie, had suffered a 'very sad' decline in the weeks leading up to her death from multiple sclerosis when Jake was aged 17 in 2006.

After her death, Paul Hogan made his own mercy dash from California - where he was living with second wife Linda Kozlowski and their young son, Chance - to attend his daughter-in-law's funeral.

Todd eventually remarried, to registered nurse Jane, and the couple now live in New Zealand.

Jake remained in Sydney and appeared to lead a normal and largely blameless life until he began a relationship with a young mother called Rachel Young.

Jake had some substance abuse issues, but when his relationship broke down and his hopes of having his own family disappeared he 'became seriously addicted to drugs that just completely took over his life,' the court heard.

Currently in prison - believed to be Silverwater Jail - Jake is in protection because of the fame of his grandfather.

Jake is the grandson of Hollywood celebrity Paul Hogan whose break-out role as Mick 'Crocodile' Dundee (above) won him a Golden Globe award and earned him millions

Jake as a boy with his mother Marie and dad Todd in about 1990. Tragedy struck the family with Marie being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and dying from the disease in 2006

The court heard that ahead of Todd Hogan flying in to visit his son and attend the hearing in person, Jake's sentencing assessment report had 'a lot of positive information' but it was yet to be verified.

Jake was caught earlier this year on what police described as 'high quality CCTV' breaking into different luxury blocks after 'blatantly loitering' outside.

According to a police statement of facts, Jake could plainly be seen breaking into an apartment block in the inner Sydney suburb of Pyrmont, dressed in a black muscle T-shirt with 'Los Angeles' in gold lettering, shorts and white New Balance sneakers.

On another occasion he was wearing a black 'L'HISTOIRE' singlet and black shorts to break into a block in nearby Waterloo.

Police later found him carrying Trojan brand wire cutters, a black torch, Allen keys and an adjustable wrench.

Jake also breached an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order five days after it was taken out by a woman, texting her the word 'DOG' while she was in the Prince of Wales Hospital.

The woman then received a further 42 calls from different payphones over four hours while in her hospital bed with him either 'crying on the phone... or becoming very angry and yelling'.

The police facts detail Jake's high numbers of arrests and breaches and prior charges including custody of a knife in a public place, malicious damage, drug possession, shoplifting, and possessing stolen goods.

Jake Hogan has been in jail bail refused since March in prison - believed to to be Silverwater Jail - and in protection because of his famous grandfather

Jake Hogan is 'a good person with a very kind and good personality and a supportive family', but ice addiction and homelessness made him a desperate man

Instead of working in his chosen trade, courts have heard how Jake carried around housebreaking instruments and lingered outside swanky apartment blocks looking for opportunities to steal.

Jake's acquaintance said he 'wasn't a bad person, but he has completely lost his way. He has never got over his mum dying. So he has real abandonment issues.

'He is actually a good person with a very kind personality and a supportive family,' the person said.

'He was still so upset about his mum dying. He never got over it because he never processed it properly.'

Paul Hogan, above with his second wife Linda Kozlowski in 2013, made his own mercy dash back to Australia in 2006 when Jake's mother Marie died from multiple sclerosis

When his relationship with girlfriend ended, that 'destroyed his dreams of having a family and then brought up all sorts of past trauma.

'He was just shattered. He lost all of his friends and [became] isolated from his family. He was stealing clothes from shops and bikes, loitering because he was homeless.

'He used to break into swimming pool rooms and sleep in one of those buildings in Pyrmont.'

Jake was finally taken into custody and refused bail after being caught shoplifting at Coles and Myer in Sydney's CBD.

He was arrested on February 5 after a staff member spotted him stealing two Dare Iced Coffees at Coles World Square.
EastEnders hunk Davood Ghadami looked completely unrecognisable from his former character on Monday as he showed off his ripped physique on Instagram.

The 41-year-old, who played the role of Kush Kazemi in the BBC soap, stunned fans with his mussular frame as he took to social media to post several topless beach snaps.

The actor, who has clearly been working out since he was last on TV screens, posed on the beach in a pair of black swim trunks and showed off his abs.

He captioned the snap with 'Getting prepared' to hint to fans that he may have landed a new acting role.

Fans also showed their love for Davood's new rugged look as they complimented his bushy beard and muscly arms.

EastEnders hunk Davood Ghadami looked completely unrecognisable from his former character on Monday as he showed off his ripped physique on Instagram

The 41-year-old, who played the role of Kush Kazemi in the BBC soap, stunned fans with his muscly frame as he took to social media to post several topless beach snaps

One wrote: 'Beard is looking' followed by a flame emoji;

'Better than a Daniel Craig moment. Swoon';

'Look at that gorgeous bod'.

The well-known actor appeared in Eastenders from 2014 until 2021, when his character was ultimately killed off in a shocking cliffhanger episode during serial killer Gray Atkins evil reign over Albert Square.

During the episode, Kush was pushed in front of an oncoming underground train by Gray, who was obsessed with Kush's fiancee Whitney Dean.

He was Gray's third victim after the lawyer killed wife Chantelle, and then Tina Carter when she rumbled him.

Shortly after his stint on the BBC soap, Davood joined the cast of Holby City as Eli Ebrahimi.

However, his role only lasted 18 months after it was announced the beloved medical show had been axed after 23 years.

The well-known actor appeared in Eastenders from 2014 until 2021, when his character was ultimately killed off in a shocking cliffhanger episode (pictured in 2020)

During the episode, Kush (right) was pushed in front of an oncoming underground train by serial killer Gray Atkins', who was obsessed with Kush's fiancee Whitney Dean (left) (pictured 2021)

The last time Davood was seen on screens was in July 2023, and he delighted fans with a surprise appearance in a special Casualty episode.

The episode, which aired on July 15, saw Davood's character Eli treat a patient involved in a terrible road incident.

Last year, he also starred in a one-off episode of Death In Paradise spin-off, where he portrayed a 'not so nice' role after years of portraying the 'good guy' in Eastenders.

Davood also reached the quarter-finals on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 with pro dance partner Nadiya Bychkova, 34.

Shortly after his stint on the BBC soap, Davood joined the cast of Holby City as Eli Ebrahimi

It comes before Davood admitted that he would miss playing Kush terribly, however was glad he had a dramatic exit as he made history as the first-ever character on the show to be killed this way.

He said at the time: 'Ill be sad to see him go but Ive loved every minute of playing the character.

'I have really enjoyed being part of that final storyline, my time over the six and a half years has culminated in something that people will remember.

'Its a nice thing to have a full stop to the end of Kushs story. Although its the end of the line for Kush, he has given me lots of happy memories and I will miss him greatly.'
Baby Reindeer stars Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning appeared in good spirits as they stepped out to the Love Lies Bleeding gala film screening in London on Tuesday.

The pair could be seen posing arm-in-arm and smiling broadly as they arrived at the event.

Comedian and actor Richard, 34, cut a casual figure in a red jumper which he wore under a brown jacket, while he donned a pair of navy blue jeans and white trainers.

Seven-part Netflix-series Baby Reindeer is billed as a 'captivating true story' based on Richard Gadd's experience of being stalked by a random stranger.

In the show, Mr Gadd's stalker is revealed as a Scottish woman in her 40s called Martha Scott living in Camden, played by actress Jessica, 38.

Baby Reindeer stars Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning appeared in good spirits as they stepped out to the Love Lies Bleeding gala film screening in London on Tuesday

The pair could be seen posing arm-in-arm and smiling broadly as they arrived at the event, with comedian Richard, 34, donning a casual a red jumper which he wore under a brown jacket

Jessica wore a black blouse with a brown abstract design, which she teamed with a black cardigan, and matching jeans and boots.

It comes after Legal experts claimed Netflix smash Baby Reindeer is 'high risk' for lawsuits and more could have been done to protect the identities of real life people portrayed in the show.

Lawyers exclusively told MailOnline that the streaming giant and show creator Richard Gadd should have changed more key details to stop 'arm chair detectives' trying to hunt out the real-life people based on the show's characters.

The seven-part Netflix-series is billed as a 'captivating true story' based on Richard Gadd's experience of being stalked by a random stranger he offered a cup of tea and abused by a high-profile comedy agent some years earlier.

In the show, Mr Gadd's stalker is revealed as a Scottish woman in her 40s called Martha Scott living in Camden, north London - all of which are seemingly accurate to the woman accused of being the real stalker.

Rory Lynch, a lawyer specialising in defamation and privacy at Gateley Legal, said that identifying details like this not being changed, and the apparent use of real text messages sent to Mr Gadd from his stalker could lead to 'jigsaw identification'.

Mr Lynch said the real 'Martha' may have grounds to sue for defamation if she could prove allegations made in the show are untrue and have caused her 'serious harm', such as being harassed online.

He told MailOnline: 'I think what Gadd's done is quite high risk because he's publicised the fact that this happened to him, and it was traumatic and now he's taken it to the big screen.

Jessica wore a black blouse with a brown abstract design, which she teamed with a black cardigan, and matching jeans and boots

Baby Reindeer delves into Richard's harrowing real-life stalking ordeal and brutal sexual abuse as he plays a fictionalised version of himself called Donny Dunn (pictured)

Gunning plays Martha in Baby Reindeer, the fictionalised version of Richard Gadd's real-life stalker

Richard said the show is based on real-life events, including being raped by a TV executive. Pictured: Tom Goodman-Hill as Darrien O'Connor in the show

'You could argue that maybe he should have been a bit more careful about changing facts a bit more.

'Making her different, maybe doing it the other way around and making it a man as the stalker rather than a woman. Or, you know, just changing it up a bit more as there are obviously so many similarities.'

This could be put forward as an argument for the show not protecting her real identity in a defamation case, he claimed.

Mr Lynch continued: 'I would just try and make it as different as you can to what actually happened while still getting the story across.

'Not Scottish, and not a lawyer and not having a bar in London, but perhaps set it in a library in Manchester or something like that.'

He added that there could also be a privacy issue regarding scenes that show Gadd's stalker.

But he said that Mr Gadd's legal team would have likely been 'pretty confident' in clearing the show legally as it is 'clearly a drama, not a documentary'.

Baby Reindeer, produced by Clerkenwell Films, which was acquired by BBC Studios in 2021, has become a global phenomenon since it aired earlier this month.

In the show Gadd plays a fictionalised version of himself - a fledgling comedian called Donny Dunn - who is stalked by Martha, a woman he met while working in a pub in Camden.

During the course of Mr Gadd's disturbing three-year ordeal, he is sent more than 40,000 emails, 350 hours of voicemail, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages and 106 pages of letters.

Netflix later confirmed that every email that Donny receives in the show are 'the real emails' Richard Gadd was sent from his stalker - all bemusingly finished with 'sent from my iPhone' despite Martha not owning one.

Mr Gadd maintains that he changed names and specific details of the story to protect the identities of those involved, even claiming that 'Martha' 'would not even recognise herself' in the show.

But the 34-year-old has since been criticised for 'not doing enough' to protect his stalker's identity, with viewers claiming they have used information from the show to find her online.

The show tells the story of how, after the chance pub encounter, 'Martha' became obsessed with Richard (who is named Donny in the series)

Gadd has revealed he first encountered 'Martha' when he was working in a pub and offered her a cup of tea because she was crying

Now, police have even been involved after Sean Foley (pictured) was falsely accused of being the abuser

After reposting Gadd's insistence to stop the speculation, Foley revealed he had contacted the police

The woman accused of being the real 'Martha' - who MailOnline is not naming - has since claimed she will be suing Mr Gadd and Netflix.

After allegedly discovering the real Martha, internet sleuths moved on to trying to identify the high profile comedy agent Darrien O'Connor - played by Tom Goodman-Hill - that allegedly raped Mr Gadd.

The conspiracies have become so damning that police are now involved after fans began to falsely accuse prestigious theatre director Sean Foley of being the 'real-life' abuser.

Last week social media trolls started to accuse theatre director Sean Foley, 59, of being the inspiration behind Richard's abuser - despite having no evidence.

It was announced on April 18 that Foley would be stepping down from his role as artistic director at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in the summer.

Fans were convinced that the timing of his departure with the release of the show could not be a coincidence and soon lambasted Foley with their theories - which lack any proof.

They were also struck by the likeness between Foley and actor Tom Goodman-Hill - and the fact Gadd and Foley had worked together on an episode of the comedy drama series Urban Myths in 2018.

Foley directed an episode titled Princess Diana, Freddie Mercury and Kenny Everett starring Gadd, according to IMDB.

Fans have been working tireless to work out the real identities of the characters in Netflix's Baby Reindeer, particularly the stalker named as Martha Scott

But on Tuesday Sean revealed on X, formerly Twitter, that he had contacted police who are investigating the posts made against him.

He said: 'Police have been informed and are investigating all defamatory abusive and threatening posts against me.'

West Midlands Police confirmed: 'We're investigating after a man reported receiving threatening messages on social media.

'Enquiries are at an early stage and we are in the process of gathering information from the victim.'

However, legal experts have warned online sleuths against trying to 'expose' the real-life characters in the show.

Alexandra McCready, head of reputation and privacy at Vardags, said people speculating about serious crimes such as stalking and sexual assault are at risk of being sued.

She told MailOnline: 'Speculating that someone is guilty of a crime like stalking or sexual assault, even through the medium of social media, can be legally actionable in defamation if there is no evidence to back-up that allegation and the target turns out to be entirely innocent.

'If that online speculation turns into threats and abuse directed towards the person involved, that can become a criminal matter, as with the recent targeting of Sean Foley.

'Internet users, especially those with large social media followings, would be well advised to steer clear of unevidenced speculation about who the real life individuals are.'

MailOnline has contacted Richard Gadd and BBC Studios for further comment.
Amie Rohan welcomed a baby boy, Archibald Alexander, with partner Jaison Todd in April.

And the former AFL WAG, took to social media to praise her partner after they celebrated their two year-anniversary on Tuesday.

'2 years with you but oh how it feels like so much longer. We've made a lifetime worth of memories in these past 2 years but this moment right here tops them all,' she captioned the post.

'I always knew you would be an amazing father (the way youve taken on my girls like they're your own made me see that very early on) but seeing you with Archie is something else - you're a natural,' she added.

The pair first met in February 2022 and went Instagram official in October of that year.

Amie Rohan welcomed a baby boy, Archibald Alexander, with partner Jaison Todd in April

The ex-wife of Geelong star Gary Rohan gave birth to her first child with Jasion on April 16 at 4:32am.

'A very healthy (& big) bubba boy, born naturally weighing 9lbs and 52cm long, our hearts are bursting at the seams,' Rohan wrote on social media on Thursday.

In February, Amie told the Herald Sun she was thrilled to be expecting a new baby with Jaison.

And the former AFL WAG, took to social media to praise her partner after they celebrated their two year-anniversary on Tuesday

'I love being pregnant. I feel my most womanly and most wholesome when I'm pregnant' she said.

'I'm feeling so much elation this entire pregnancy and there's so many big life changes for us.'

Amie said that she and Jaison were considering marriage and already living together.

'With everything I've been through we're taking each day as it come. I said I'd never get married again but who knows, I'm not closed off to the thought of it.'

'2 years with you but oh how it feels like so much longer. Weve made a lifetime worth of memories in these past 2 years but this moment right here tops them all,' she captioned the post

Amie was married to Geelong Cats forward Gary Rohan for four years.

The childhood sweethearts suffered a heartbreaking split after the death of their first daughter just five hours after she was born in 2018.

The former couple share two daughters together.
Billy Idol ceremoniously lit the Empire State Building red and blue, in honor of the 40th anniversary of his second solo studio album Rebel Yell, while in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday.

The 68-year-old British rocker's two-disc reissued 'expanded edition' of the record features 13 bonus tracks including the never-before-released track Best Way Out of Here as well as a cover of Rose Royce's 1978 song Love Don't Live Here Anymore.

'It does not at all [feel like 40 years]. I mean, there's a few lines and stuff,' Billy told ABC News on Monday night, motioning to his wrinkles.

'It doesn't feel too long, you know? It's amazing. Really? Yeah. I can't believe it; seem to have gone by in a flash, you know?'

Idol (born William Michael Albert Broad) continued: 'The music has held up. These songs from Rebel Yell really hold up. They're still fun to do, you know? So somehow other Rebel Yell lies without a face to them. They don't really get old. They seem to still be fresh somehow. I can't believe it.'

Billy Idol ceremoniously lit the Empire State Building red and blue, in honor of the 40th anniversary of his second solo studio album Rebel Yell, while in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday

The 68-year-old British rocker's two-disc reissued 'expanded edition' of the record features 13 bonus tracks including the never-before-released track Best Way Out of Here as well as a cover of Rose Royce's 1978 song Love Don't Live Here Anymore

Rebel Yell - which peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard 200 - was originally released in 1983 so it'll technically be the 41st anniversary on November 10th.

The three-time Grammy nominee - who relies on hairstylist Anna Silverstein - was decked out in his signature black leather jacket over a matching top, jeans, and combat boots.

Billy even performed his hits Rebel Yell and White Wedding inside the 102-story Art Deco skyscraper alongside his longtime music partner, Steve Stevens.

The Grammy-winning guitarist - who turns 65 next Sunday - played lead guitar, bass guitar, guitar synthesizer, synthesizer, and keyboards on the album originally recorded at Electric Lady in New York City.

Idol and Stevens (born Schneider) then took the elevator up 86 flights to the observation deck for a look at the incredible view of the Big Apple.

'I think the thing is, me and Steve is that we give each other space. We don't crowd each other. And, and then I think we're really into what we can do for each other, you know?' the Generation Sex frontman said of their partnership.

'I, when I met Steve and I really saw how talented he was, what a great guitar player, I just knew he could do anything I wanted to do he could do it in spades. And that meant I could do anything with this guy. And so, yeah, man, we could play together forever. And that's what seems to be going on here.'

Motioning to his wrinkles, Billy told ABC News on Monday night: 'It does not at all [feel like 40 years]. I mean, there's a few lines and stuff. It doesn't feel too long, you know? It's amazing. Really? Yeah. I can't believe it; seem to have gone by in a flash, you know?'

Idol (born William Michael Albert Broad) continued: 'The music has held up. These songs from Rebel Yell really hold up. They're still fun to do, you know? So somehow other Rebel Yell lies without a face to them. They don't really get old. They seem to still be fresh somehow'

The three-time Grammy nominee - who relies on hairstylist Anna Silverstein - was decked out in his signature black leather jacket over a matching top, jeans, and combat boots

Billy even performed his hits Rebel Yell and White Wedding inside the 102-story Art Deco skyscraper alongside his longtime music partner, Steve Stevens (L)

The Grammy-winning guitarist (L) - who turns 65 next Sunday - played lead guitar, bass guitar, guitar synthesizer, synthesizer, and keyboards on the album originally recorded at Electric Lady in New York City

Idol and Stevens (born Schneider) then took the elevator up 86 flights to the observation deck for a look at the incredible view of the Big Apple

The Generation Sex frontman said of their partnership: 'I think the thing is, me and Steve is that we give each other space. We don't crowd each other. And, and then I think we're really into what we can do for each other, you know...Man, we could play together forever. And that's what seems to be going on here'

Billy spends his days off with his girlfriend China Chow (R, pictured in 2022) and his two toddler granddaughters through his 34-year-old daughter Bonnie Blue Broad (L, from his affair with Linda Mathis)

The 1989 birth of Bonnie resulted in the end of Idol's nine-year relationship with Hot Gossip dancer Perri Lister (R, pictured in 2020), with whom he fathered 35-year-old son Willem Wolfe Broad (L)

The University of Sussex drop-out - who gets 11.1M monthly listeners on Spotify - is next scheduled to headline the music festival SunFest in West Palm Beach, FL this Friday

Billy spends his days off with his girlfriend China Chow and his two toddler granddaughters through his 34-year-old daughter Bonnie Blue Broad (from his affair with Linda Mathis).

The 1989 birth of Bonnie resulted in the end of Idol's nine-year relationship with Hot Gossip dancer Perri Lister, with whom he fathered 35-year-old son Willem Wolfe Broad.

The University of Sussex drop-out - who gets 11.1M monthly listeners on Spotify - is next scheduled to headline the music festival SunFest in West Palm Beach, FL this Friday.
Fans seemed to thinking he confused Osment, 36, and Osteen, 61, in lyrics

Kendrick Lamar appears to have confused actor Haley Joel Osment with pastor Joel Osteen in his new Drake diss track, Euphoria .

The 36-year-old artist in the song raps the lyrics: 'Am I battlin' ghosts or AI? N**** feelin' like Joel Osteen/Funny, he was in a film called A.I. /And my sixth sense tellin' me to off him.'

Osment, 36, appeared in both in 1999's The Sixth Sense from director M. Night Shyamalan and 2001's A.I. Artificial Intelligence from filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

Osteen, 61, who presides over Houston's Lakewood Church, did not appear in either motion picture.

Osteen made national headlines in 2017 after receiving considerable pushback after initially keeping the doors to his church closed when Hurricane Harvey struck the area.

Kendrick Lamar, 36, appears to have confused actor Haley Joel Osment with pastor Joel Osteen in his new Drake diss track, Euphoria. Pictured in France in 2022

Osment, 36, appeared in both in 1999's The Sixth Sense and 2001's A.I. Artificial Intelligence; Osteen, 61, did not appear in either motion picture

A number of users on social media appeared to believe that the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical artist had mixed up the celebrities with similar-sounding names.

'I dont know anything about the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar,' one user wrote, 'but Kendrick just dropped a 6-min diss track & mixed up prosperity gospel preacher Joel Osteen with Haley Joel Osment from The Sixth Sense.'

Another user said, 'I did NOT have Kendrick Lamar mistaking Hayley Joel Osment for Joel Osteen on my 2024 Bingo card.'

One user said: 'Kendrick bodied. But one note. Joel Osteen & Haley Joel Osment are in fact two different people.'

Another user quoted Osment's famous line from The Sixth Sense, saying, 'Haley Joel Osment sees stupid people. By people I mean Kendrick Lamar.'

One fan of Lamar said that people had misinterpreted the artist's sophisticated blend of lyrics, integrating elements to diss Drake on multiple levels.

'The Joel hale Osteen line is actually crazy, saying he's seeing ghosts he's rapping against like Haley Joel Osteen from the 6th sense but also Joel Osteen is a [mega] church pastor that has a cult following but it just pretending to be a preacher to make millions from his following,' the user explained.

The user continued: 'Saying Drake is a fake rapper with a cult following and all his raps are ghost written. That one is one of the best bars I've ever heard.'

The track referenced Osment's role in 1999's The Sixth Sense from director M. Night Shyamalan alongside Bruce Willis

It also alluded to Osment's 2001 film A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Alongside filmmaker Steven Spielbergand costar Jude Law

A number of users on social media appeared to believe that the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical artist had mixed up the celebrities

One fan of Lamar said that people had misinterpreted the artist's sophisticated blend of lyrics

Drake earlier this month released and then deleted a diss track aimed at the Humble performer titled Taylor Made Freestyle. Pictured in LA in 2019

The Compton, California native held little back from his Toronto-born rap rival in the diss track released Tuesday.

The song opens with the lyrics, 'Them super powers gettin' neutralized, I can only watch in silence/ The famous actor we once knew is lookin' paranoid and now is spiralin'/ You movin' just like a degenerate, heavy antic, it's feelin' distasteful/ Why calculate you, not as calculated, I can even predict your angles.'

Drake earlier this month released and then deleted a diss track aimed at the Humble performer titled Taylor Made Freestyle, incorporating AI technology to replicate the voice of the late Tupac Shakur.

The Like That artist, in response, referenced Shakur on his new diss track against Drake with the lyrics: 'Somebody had told that me you got a ring, on God, I'm ready to double the wage / I rather do that, than let a Canadian n**** make Pac turn in his grave.'
Benny Blanco confessed on Monday that his culinary prowess has the ability to turn on his girlfriend Selena Gomez.

The 36-year-old music producer  who confirmed his romance with Selena in December  took to his Instagram to document a romantic gesture for the pop star: a lavish steak dinner he had prepared for her.

'I woke up early this morning and I was like, "I want to do something nice for my girlfriend,'" he began. 'I was thinking, whenever I want to put a smile on her face or get laid, I just make her steak.'

The artist then demonstrated how he gets Selena in the mood.

He skillfully fried potatoes, crafted his own salad dressing, whipped some cream and grilled the steak before delivering the dish to Selena's home.

Benny Blanco confessed that his culinary prowess has the ability to turn on his girlfriend Selena Gomez on Monday

The 36-year-old music producer took to his Instagram to document a romantic gesture for her: a lavish steak dinner he had prepared for her

'Im going to write a cute little note and leave it by her bed so she can eat it later,' he said as he entered Selena's bedroom, where she was asleep.

'I love you! Sleep well! I made you steak!' Benny scribbled on a napkin with the meal before giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

The video concluded with the pop star returning the gesture by squeezing his hand.

The Only Murders In The Building star then marked the thoughtful gesture by sharing a snapshot of her boyfriend's note on her Instagram Story, accompanied by a simple white heart.

Benny had previously disclosed that another way to win Selena's affection was through fried pickles.

While [reparing a homemade batch for her on Valentines Day 2024, he quipped to his followers, 'Fried pickles get laid.'

The culinary video comes after Benny claims he was 'the last one to know' that he was in love with Selena.

Speaking to WSJ. Magazine, Benny shared: 'I was the last one to know.

'I woke up early this morning and I was like, "I want to do something nice for my girlfriend,'" he began

'I was thinking, whenever I want to put a smile on her face or get laid, I just make her steak' he added

He skillfully fried potatoes, crafted his own salad dressing, whipped some cream and grilled the steak before delivering the dish to Selena's home

'Its crazy how your partner could just be sitting there the whole time, right in front of your eyes, and you dont even notice.

'And then you have that Clueless moment where youre like, "Wait, Im in love."'

Benny and Selena share a longstanding connection as music collaborators.

They initially crossed paths as teenagers and later joined forces on Gomez's sophomore album, Revival, before officially becoming romantically involved in June of last year.

Since then, the couple have been openly affectionate about their relationship, frequently sharing moments of intimacy on their Instagrams.

In February, the Lose You To Love Me hitmaker posted intimate photos of Blanco holding her close as she sat on his lap.

She also posted a snapshot of them engaged in a passionate kiss backstage at the 2024 Golden Globes in January, following her defeat for the best actress in a television series award to The Bear star Ayo Edebiri.

Even in the face of disappointment, she proclaimed herself a victor, captioning the photo with her boyfriend, 'I won.'

'Im going to write a cute little note and leave it by her bed so she can eat it later,' he said as he entered Selena's bedroom, where she was asleep

The Only Murders in the Building star then marked the thoughtful gesture by sharing a snapshot of her boyfriend's note to her Instagram Story, accompanied by a simple white heart

On December 7, Selena confirmed the romance when she liked an Instagram post from the account @popfactions that reported the 'rumored' romance.

After the account published another post that read, 'Selena Gomez Seemingly Confirms That She Is In A Relationship,' Selena wrote, 'Facts.'

Selena has previously been involved in high-profile relationships with celebrities including Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Zedd, Nick Jonas and Taylor Lautner.

Benny was previously rumored to have been romantically linked with Elsie Hewitt, a model and actress from London (who has since been associated with Jason Sudeikis).
Sarah Snook stepped out with her family to watch her former Succession co-star Brian Cox in his new play Long Day's Journey Into Night in London on Monday.

Actress Sarah, 36, wore a brown coat which she teamed with navy blue trousers and a multi-coloured scarf as she walked alongside her parent.

Her actor husband Dave Lawson, 45, who Sarah married in 2021, was seen walking close behind wearing a navy blue coat and a pair of denim jeans in the same colour.

The trio were seen queuing with members of the public outside the West End's Wyndham's Theatre ahead of the performance.

Brian, 77, who played Sarah's on-screen father Logan Roy in HBO satirical black comedy-drama series Succession, joined Sarah and her family members at the pub for 20 minutes after the play before heading off.

Sarah Snook stepped out with her family to watch her former Succession co-star Brian Cox in his new play Long Day's Journey Into Night in London on Monday (Sarah, centre, is seen with her mother, right, and husband Dave Lawson, left)

Fresh from playing the beastly patriarch in Succession, Brian has returned to his theatre roots, taking on another grandiose head of the family in his play

Fresh from playing the beastly patriarch in Succession, Brian has returned to his theatre roots, taking on another grandiose head of the family.

Brian stars in a new revival of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night in the West End alongside Oscar and Tony nominee Patricia Clarkson.

In the production Brian plays the flawed father of the dysfunctional Irish-American Tyrone family while Patricia plays his opium-addicted wife.

Set in August 1912 at the Tyrones' summer home in Connecticut, this powerful play by Eugene, which is semi-autobiographical, follows a single day in the lives of the family.

As the day begins to lead into the night, the Tyrones grapple with their own shortcomings, addictions, and struggles, blaming and resenting one another in the process.

Written by O'Neill between 1939 and 1941 and posthumously published in 1956, Long Day's Journey Into Night earned O'Neill the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1957 and the Tony Award for Best Play.

It comes after Brian said his favourite line from Succession was when his character Logan Roy told his children they were not serious people.

The star appeared on the latest edition of The Starting Line Podcast, where he spoke with host Rich Leigh about the popular TV series from creator Jesse Armstrong, which wrapped up last year after four seasons.

The trio were seen queuing with members of the public outside the West End's Wyndham's Theatre ahead of the performance

Her actor husband Dave Lawson, 45, who Sarah married in 2021, was seen walking close behind wearing a navy blue coat and a pair of denim jeans in the same colour

Brian, 77 (right), who played Sarah's on-screen father Logan Roy in HBO comedy-drama series Succession, joined Sarah and her family members at the pub for 20 minutes after the play

Brian Cox stars in a new revival of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night this in the West End alongside Oscar and Tony nominee Patricia Clarkson

Reviews for the revival have hailed the the two leads as giving 'an acting masterclass' with Patricia in particular lavished with praise for her hauntingly accurate depiction of an addict

'It was a great role because he was also - he was a flawed man, but he was not - he was a serious man,' Cox said of portraying the media mogul on the critically-acclaimed HBO drama from 2018 until its 2023 conclusion.

Cox said the line he liked the best came in the second episode of the fourth season amid a tense discussion between Logan Roy and his four kids - Connor Roy (Alan Ruck), Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) - over the pending sale of his multimedia empire, Waystar Royco.

'My favorite line in the whole show is when he says to the kids, "I love you, but youre not serious people,"' Cox said. 'And its true - theyre not - its about avarice, its about greed and thats not what hes talking about.'

The Dundee, Scotland native said that Logan's biggest foible was his love for his children, as three of the four spend the majority of the series plotting to curry the aging media magnate's favor, and in turn, be named his successor.

'The thing about Logan, he was a self-made man,' the Emmy Award-winning actor said. 'He was brutalist in his attitude, but also, and this was right the way back, his one weakness - which shouldve been his strength - was that he loved his children.

'If he didnt love his children, things wouldve been a lot things wouldve been a lot happier ... he loves his children - thats the thing he loves them all, but he sees them as wrecks.'

Cox said he felt Logan's initial preferred successor in the storyline was Shiv - Snook won the Emmy this year for her portrayal of the character - but eventually shifted toward her husband Tom Wambsgans, played by Matthew Macfadyen (who collected two Emmys for his work on the series).

'The person that he thought was going to be alright was his daughter, which shes proved to be a bigger wreck than anybody,' Cox said.

Brian says his favourite line from Succession was when his character Logan Roy told his children they were not serious people

Cox opened up about portraying the media mogul on the critically-acclaimed HBO drama from 2018 until its 2023 conclusion

Cox said the line he liked the best came in the second episode of the fourth season amid a tense discussion between Logan Roy and his four kids over the pending sale of his multimedia empire, Waystar Royco

Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) and Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) faced off with their father in the heavy exchange

Cox said the Tom character - who is named the company's U.S. CEO in the latter moments of the series' finale - was earmarked by Logan for the throne when he cared for him in a season three episode when Logan fell ill with a UTI during a critical shareholders meeting, taking him to the bathroom multiple times.

'Actually if you think about it ... the way he was going with Tom, and how Tom was caring for him when he had this UTI, horrible UTI moment, and Tom actually showed some compassion,' Cox said.

'He acknowledges that compassion, so that Tom becomes the heir - he becomes the heir apparent.

'Hes like Logan - theres an innocence about him that gets caught in a violence.'
Georgia Love has weighed in on the 'national crisis' of male violence against women in Australia.

The former Bachelorette star, 34, took to social media on Tuesday to call out men who argue male violence in Australia does not involve them.

'If you have males in your life right now saying "not all men", arguing or whining that they're being attacked or who are angry about the vitriol and angst from the community towards men and the discussions around toxic male behaviours and patterns, please understand they are part of the problem,' she wrote on her Instagram Story.

'Anger from males on this topic is a major red flag and shouldn't be allowed to let slide without being called out.'

Georgia went on to offer advice for men and how they can support and help in changing the growing problem.

Georgia Love (pictured) has weighed in on the 'national crisis' of male violence against women in Australia

'Understanding, acceptance and positive male voices are what will help right now. Male anger and tiny, fragile egos are only creating a bigger divide and making others feel more afraid,' she added.

'No, not every man is capable of violence, assault or murder. But every man does have a role to play in changing what is happening.'

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning on the back of a spate of deaths in the first four months of 2024.

The former Bachelorette star, 34, took to social media on Tuesday to call out men who argue that male violence in Australia does not involve them

Georgia went on to offer advice for men and how they can support and help in changing the growing problem. Pictured with her husband Lee Elliot

Speaking immediately after the meeting with the nation's state and territory leaders, Mr Albanese announced a suite of new measures to reduce violence, which he described as a 'scourge' on society.

The PM noted community concerns about 'toxic male views online', and 'young men's exposure to violent imagery' on the internet.

To combat this problem, the Prime Minister will 'introduce legislation to ban the creation and distribution of deep fake pornography'.

'Sharing sexually explicit material using artificial intelligence will also be subject to serious criminal penalties,' he added.

Domestic violence statistics in Australia 2 in 5 women in Australia, almost 40 per cent, have experienced violence since the age of 15. Men are more likely to be the perpetrators of abuse and violence. When women are the victims, the harm is greater with much higher chances of being hospitalised compared to when women are the perpetrators. In 2021, 9,000 women were homeless due to domestic and family violence. According to the equity economics report, 7,600 women and their children returned to live with the perpetrator because they had to choose between being homeless or an abuse partner. Domestic violence is estimated to cost the Australian economy $25billion. Source: Domestic Violence NSW Advertisement

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning on the back of a spate of deaths in the first four months of 2024

There has been an alarming number of crimes against women in 2024 in which men known to them have been charged over their deaths.

'One woman every four days. This is indeed a national crisis,' Mr Albanese said.

'Violence against women is not a women's problem to solve. It is a whole of society problem to solve. Men in particular have to take responsibility.'

Mr Albanese, along with Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth, announced a leaving violence program, which will receive $925million in funding in the May Budget.

Eligible women will be able to access up to $5,000 in financial support to leave abusive relationships.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit their website. In an emergency, call 000.
He recently confirmed his divorce from his wife after 11 years of marriage.

And now, U2 star Adam Clayton, 64, has been spotted out for the first time since the announcement as he attended Dylan Jones and Mark Cecil's preview dinner at SAMBA ROOM, SUSHISAMBA's latest lounge in London.

The guitarist looked incredibly dapper as he sported a black three-piece suit consisting of a black blazer and tailored trousers.

He also opted for teaming the smart suit with a white shirt and left a hint of his chest on display.

Adam appeared relaxed and in high spirits as he struck up a smile for the cameras.

And now, the U2 star, 64, has been spotted out for the first time since the announcement as he attended Dylan Jones and Mark Cecil's preview dinner at SAMBA ROOM in London with pal Gary Kemp, also 64 (right)

Adam Clayton recently revealed he and his wife Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho, 45, have divorced after more than a decade (pictured together 2015)

Joining him at the event was none other than singer-songwriter Gary Kemp, 64, who cut a smart figure in a navy blue suit.

The dapper ensemble boasted a single-breasted blazer, a fitted white shirt, and a pair of tailored trousers to match.

London Evening Standard's Editor-In-Chief Dylan also cut a dapper figure in a navy double-breasted blazer.

He opted for teaming the blazer with a pair of denim jeans and a white shirt as he joined his pal Mark Cecil.

Meanwhile, Mark donned a black three-piece suit consisting of a black blazer and tailored trousers to match.

The event comes after Adam revealed he and his wife Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho have divorced after more than a decade.

The musician and lawyer, 45, said their split was amicable and that they will co-parent their six-year-old daughter Alba together.

The news was confirmed by a representative for the couple, who shared a statement to the Sunday World that read: 'After more than 10 years of marriage, musician Adam Clayton and lawyer Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho have amicably divorced.

London Evening Standard's Editor-In-Chief Dylan also cut a dapper figure in a navy double-breasted blazer

He opted for teaming the blazer with a pair of denim jeans and a white shirt as he joined his pal Mark Cecil (right)

'Both will continue to be fully involved in the care of their daughter and they request that the family's privacy be respected.'

Adam and Mariana tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at a registry office in Dublin in 2013.

The couple then held a second ceremony days later on the French Riviera at the 14th-century chateau in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, with Adam's bandmates Bono and The Edge in attendance.

At the time it was reported Adam was swapping Dublin for London, where Mariana worked as an associate director of Hauser & Wirth art gallery, after a career as a human rights lawyer.

They went on to welcome daughter Alba in July 2017, taking out a personal advert in the Irish Times newspaper to share their happy news with the world.

The notice simply read: 'Adam and Mariana Clayton are delighted to announce the birth of their beautiful baby girl Alba.'

Former manager of rock band U2 Paul McGuinness, 72, (left) also attended the event and was joined by former Creative Director of the BBC Alan Yentob (right)

Famous developer Tameem Antoniades and British visual artist Marc Quinn also attended and cut smart casual figures

Meanwhile, Lauren Kemp, Charles Aboah, and Camilla Lowther appeared all smiles as they struck up a pose for the cameras during the event (pictured L-R)

Gary, Oliver Peyton, and Charles (pictured L-R) cut dapper figures in smart three-piece suits as they ensured to get several snaps of the evening

Adam welcomed his first child, a boy, with an unnamed French woman in 2010, making him the final member of U2 to become a father.

He previously had a high-profile romance with supermodel Naomi Campbell, even getting briefly engaged in 1994, before their split the same year.

Adam also popped the question to Susie Smith, a former assistant to Paul McGuinness, in 2006, but the couple broke up in February the following year.

Referencing his bachelorhood during an interview with Q magazine in 2001, he said: 'I think one of the great things about bands is that they allow you to be irresponsible for longer - whether or not in the end that's a really healthy position to take.

'I guess I've been lucky in that I f***ed about until my mid-30s and now I can have more of a balanced outlook. I think not having a family and kids, I know what I need.'

Adam and Mariana dated for around four years before tying the knot, with Adam popping the question during the Rio De Janeiro Carnival in Brazil in 2012.

In another snap, Marc, Camilla, and Alan appeared in high spirits as they enjoyed a night of fine dining (pictured L-R)

Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Justine Simons also attended the event in a chic blue denim smock dress (pictured with Paul)

He opened up about the start of their romance in June 2017, after receiving the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his support of the MusiCares MAP Fund, which gives musicians access to recovery treatment.

In his speech, Adam recalled: 'I was in Brazil and I met a lawyer who was smart and beautiful. We started dating.

'I got married in sobriety to Mariana. I didnt think that would happen. Shes never seen me drinking, but she does know me crazy.

'Thank you, Mariana, for the wonderful life we have together and for making every day more meaningful.'
Married At First Sight villain Dean Wells revealed on Tuesday he was recently baptised in the Sydney Harbour after apparently turning over a new leaf.

The reality TV star, 46, took to Instagram with a video explaining he has been reading the Bible 'for about eight years now' and wanted to make his Christian faith official.

In the footage, Dean could be seen standing in the waters of Port Jackson with a member of his local church clergy who helped immerse him.

The video also cut between shots of Dean standing with members of his church as they prayed, while Dean explained what was happening in a voiceover.

'I got baptised in the harbour the other day. It was a beautiful crystal clear day. A lot of people don't know I've been reading the Bible for about eight years now,' he said.

Married At First Sight villain Dean Wells, 46, revealed on Tuesday he was recently baptised in the Sydney Harbour after apparently turning over a new leaf. Pictured with a member of his clergy

Dean went on to say he turned to his local church to help him understand the 'real messages' in the Bible, and has been attending a 'regular Friday Bible class'.

He then encouraged his followers to look deeper into the faith, saying: 'If you haven't read the Bible, don't just dive into it yourself.

'Go to your local church and find someone who can help you extrapolate the real messages.'

The reality TV star took to Instagram with a video explaining he has been reading the Bible 'for about eight years now' and wanted to make his Christian faith official

In the footage, Dean could be seen standing in the waters of Port Jackson with a member of his local church clergy who helped immerse him

He finished: 'I read the Bible pretty much every Friday and I learn something new every Friday. I recommend everyone go out and try it. It just makes your life better.'

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, baptism is the sacrament of admission to the church, symbolised by pouring, sprinkling, or immersing oneself in water.

It comes after Dean and his fiancee Aimee Woolley hosted a wild engagement party in March at the Shore Beach Club in Manly.

The video also cut between shots of Dean standing with members of his church as they prayed, while Dean explained what was happening in a voiceover

The couple were joined by friends and family, and were delighted by a drag performer who at one point took the bride-to-be, 25, for a spin on the dance floor.

Dean and Aimee shared the happy news of their engagement last year after Dean popped the question in front of two camels in the desert.

Dean and Aimee first sparked rumours they were dating in August, 2022 when they were seen cuddling and kissing in a restaurant.

The lovebirds went official in September that year after they both walked the red carpet at Maxim Magazine's 11th birthday party in Sydney's Pott's Point.
Jennifer Lawrence had high words of praise for her friend Amy Schumer, and her mettle in facing personal attacks for her activism.

'Amy's choice to use her voice to speak for justice puts her under immense fire,' the Academy Award-winning actress, 33, told Variety as part of a profile on Schumer, 42.

Lawrence continued: 'I wouldn't say she navigates it so much as she throws her middle fingers up and walks away from negative comments like a gas station fire in a Michael Bay movie.'

Schumer told Variety about an instance in March in which she was verbally abused, months after stating her support for Israel following Hamas' October 7 attack on a music festival, triggering the ongoing heightened conflict in the Middle East.

Schumer said she was in Brooklyn near the subway, working on an upcoming film titled Kinda Pregnant, when a passerby yelled at her, 'F*** you, Amy Schumer! You're a Zionist! You love genocide!'

Jennifer Lawrence, 33, had high words of praise for her friend Amy Schumer, 42, and her mettle in facing personal attacks for her activism. Pictured in Paris in February

The Trainwreck actress, who has past turned off her social media comments amid vitriolic remarks, said that she's gotten used to it at this point.

'It didn't even raise my heart rate,' Schumer said of the incident on the set. 'I didn't cry. Nothing.'

Schumer said that she 'can't help' herself in making remarks that could generate controversy and a backlash against her.

'A lot of people can help it, but I've never been able to,' she told the outlet. 'But I also want to be helpful. Do you know what I mean?'

In the chat with Variety, Schumer said she found inconsistencies with the public's perception of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

'The focus is so razor-sharp on Jewish people but not on Hamas,' she said. 'It's very strange.

'So I'd recommend people read a book - Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth by Noa Tishby. Or anything - Jewish people wrote everything down.'

Schumer and Lawrence were seen posing for a selfie three years ago

Schumer and Lawrence posed for a picture at the Womens March protest in Washington DC in October of 2021

Schumer and Lawrence teamed up as presenters at the 2016 Golden Globes in LA

Schumer, who appears in the upcoming Jerry Seinfeld-directed Netflix film Unfrosted, spoke about the ongoing social conflict stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict.

'It's gotten to this place, where you can't speak up for other Jews without people feeling like it's a slight to the conditions in Gaza,' Schumer said.

Schumer said her support for Israel was not to be confused with support for their government leaders.

'I don't agree with anything that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is doing, and neither do the Israelis I know,' Schumer said. 'Of course what's going on in Gaza is sickening, horrifying and unthinkable. And, I don't think it's OK to hate anyone because they were born Jewish.'

In the interview, Schumer also said that a long-running comedy project she had with Lawrence, in which they would play siblings, was unlikely to come to fruition.

'I dont think it will ever happen,' she said. 'It was just, like, life kept going. My family was going through a rough time. I dont want to say any more than that.'

She added, 'The way were hoping our careers go, we might do something with more grit and teeth.'

Lawrence told Variety she felt the moment had passed for the aforementioned project: 'Now that were older, a sister comedy might not resonate as much. But we have every intention of working together.'
Carla Gugino 'couldn't be more excited' to play Vivien Leigh in director Nick Sandow's upcoming biopic The Florist, which will be set a year before her tragic 1967 death at age 53 following a 20-year battle with chronic tuberculosis.

'I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to excavate a woman as complex, contradictory, and compelling as Vivien,' the 52-year-old SAG Award nominee told Variety on Tuesday.

'From the moment I read the script, I knew The Florist was a journey I had to pursue.'

Carla will begin filming her role as the Indian-born Brit at the end of this summer in Philadelphia, and screenwriter Jayce Bartok 'put the script together based on a box of love letters' between Vivian and blue-collar florist Joseph Penn.

Leigh (born Hartley) reportedly met the WWII veteran when he delivered a bouquet to her New York City flat and 'amidst the backdrop of madness, they become each other's sources of truth, beauty, and love.'

Carla Gugino (L) 'couldn't be more excited' to play Vivien Leigh (R) in director Nick Sandow's upcoming biopic The Florist, which will be set a year before her tragic 1967 death at age 53 following a 20-year battle with chronic tuberculosis

The Tony winner was preparing to star in Sir John Gielgud's Broadway adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Ivanov at the Shubert Theatre while treating her bipolar disorder with ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) in order to dull the paranoia, outbursts, and hallucinations.

Vivian's ex-husband #2 Sir Laurence Olivier evidently blamed her fragile mental and physical state for the end of their 20-year marriage in 1960.

'She never stopped loving him. It would have lasted, I'm absolutely convinced, had it not been for the bipolarity, which was at its worst in the second half of their marriage,' author Alan Strachan wrote in his 2019 biography Dark Star.

'And he found it impossible to deal with. He couldn't cope with dealing with Vivien's bipolarity and looking after his own career, which he was obsessive over He was sad that the marriage collapsed, but it was inevitable They were both realists.'

Leigh is still regarded as one of the greatest actresses, having won Academy Awards for both her iconic performances as Southern belles - Victor Fleming's 1939 epic Gone with the Wind and Elia Kazan's 1951 film version of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Meanwhile, Gugino - best known for The Watchmen - is a Florida-born former child star who recently starred in Zelda Williams' zom-rom-com Lisa Frankenstein, Netflix's animated film Orion and the Dark, and Netflix miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher.

'The first question that I ask when I'm reading something and figuring out if I want to do it is, "Does it scare me," because, if I feel like it's something I know exactly how to do, then I'm just not going to be very inspired,' the half-Italian, half-Irish beauty told Interview on April 5.

The 52-year-old SAG Award nominee told Variety: 'I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to excavate a woman as complex, contradictory, and compelling as Vivien. From the moment I read the script, I knew The Florist was a journey I had to pursue' (pictured last Thursday)

Carla will begin filming her role as the Indian-born Brit at the end of this summer in Philadelphia, and screenwriter Jayce Bartok (pictured April 10) 'put the script together based on a box of love letters' between Vivian and blue-collar florist Joseph Penn

Leigh (born Hartley) reportedly met the WWII veteran when he delivered a bouquet to her New York City flat and 'amidst the backdrop of madness, they become each other's sources of truth, beauty, and love' (pictured in 1961)

The Tony winner was preparing to star in Sir John Gielgud's (L, pictured in 1966) Broadway adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Ivanov at the Shubert Theatre while treating her bipolar disorder with ECT (electroconvulsive therapy)

Vivian's ex-husband #2 Sir Laurence Olivier (R, pictured in 1957) evidently blamed her fragile mental and physical state for the end of their 20-year marriage in 1960

Alan Strachan wrote in his 2019 biography Dark Star: 'She never stopped loving him. It would have lasted, I'm absolutely convinced, had it not been for the bipolarity, which was at its worst in the second half of their marriage. And he found it impossible to deal with. He couldn't cope with dealing with Vivien's bipolarity and looking after his own career, which he was obsessive over He was sad that the marriage collapsed, but it was inevitable' (pictured in 1958)

Leigh is still regarded as one of the greatest actresses, having won Academy Awards for both her iconic performances as Southern belles - Victor Fleming's 1939 epic Gone with the Wind (pictured) and Elia Kazan's 1951 film version of A Streetcar Named Desire

Gugino - best known for The Watchmen (pictured in 2009) - is a Florida-born former child star who recently starred in Zelda Williams' zom-rom-com Lisa Frankenstein, Netflix's animated film Orion and the Dark, and Netflix miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher

The half-Italian, half-Irish beauty currently plays veteran journalist Grace Gordon Greene in Amy Chozick and Julie Plec's 10-episode political drama The Girls on the Bus, which airs Thursdays on Max

'Some people can look at a role and go, "I know exactly how to play it and I'm jumping in and doing it." There's something in me that has to be open to not having the answer yet, whether that comes from a childhood where I had a lot of unknowns and instability and, therefore, functioned with some element of fear as energy, or if it's actually just the creative.'

Carla currently plays veteran journalist Grace Gordon Greene in Amy Chozick and Julie Plec's 10-episode political drama The Girls on the Bus, which airs Thursdays on Max.

Gugino will also appear in Scott McGehee and David Siegel's Great Dane drama The Friend as well as Ilya Naishuller's action comedy Heads of State for Amazon MGM Studios.
The Bachelor's Bella Varelis channeled her dark side as she attended the launch of the new Vodka Cruiser Cola flavour in Sydney on Tuesday night.

The former reality star-turned-influencer stepped out in a sheer, black lace dress that exuded elegance and mystery.

She paired her look with a dark coat, perfectly complementing the night's festive ambiance.

Bella, who took a moment to pose with a single red rose, seemed reflective and poised, a contrast to her vibrant and bubbly television persona.

The event, held at a trendy Saga Bar, was not only a celebration of the new vodka flavour but also a gathering of a bevy of reality stars.

The Bachelor's Bella Varelis channeled her dark side as she attended the launch of the new Vodka Cruiser Cola flavour in Sydney on Tuesday night

Bella, who took a moment to pose with a single red rose, stepped out in a sheer, black lace dress that exuded elegance and mystery

Among the guests was Married At First Sight bride Carolina Santos, who turned heads in a sophisticated black jumpsuit cinched at the waist with a Gucci belt, embodying a sleek and modern look.

Adding to the star-studded guest list were the delightful duo from SketchSHE, Lana Kington and Madison Lloyd.

The pair, known for their viral musical sketches, opted for coordinated black outfits that blended seamlessly with the evening's theme.

Among the guests was MAFS bride Carolina Santos, who turned heads in a sophisticated black jumpsuit cinched at the waist with a Gucci belt, embodying a sleek and modern look

Adding to the star-studded guest list were the delightful duo from SketchSHE, Lana Kington and Madison Lloyd

Former Love Island Australia beauty Cassidy Mcgill also attended the launch party.

Cassidy sported a chic black dress that subtly hugged her figure, complemented by a striking black leather coat adorned with a luxurious fur collar.

Her blonde hair was styled in a soft, relaxed manner, swept back to reveal her radiant face highlighted by a natural makeup look.
Australian model Natalie Roser has departed her modelling agency less than two weeks after joining OnlyFans.

The 33-year-old is considered one of the country's top commercial models, having worked for juggernaut brands such as Guess, Ark and ModelCo.

But she's since moved on from her previous agency and signed with Merci Management for her modelling bookings in Australia.

'Excited to announce that I'm now represented by @mercimanagement for all my Aussie modelling,' Natalie announced on her Instagram.

'Start of an exciting new chapter.'

Australian model Natalie Roser has departed her modelling agency less than two weeks after joining OnlyFans

Her exciting news was met with well wishes from her friends and followers in the comments.

'So exciting! Congratulations beauty xx,' one user wrote.

'Totes excited,' added another.

In April, Natalie announced that she joined the adult content subscription OnlyFans  a platform where she boasts over 1.5 million followers.

She explained this decision as a way to 'further connect' with her audience, but not everyone is convinced it's the right move.

The 33-year-old, who has worked with juggernaut brands such as Guess, Ark and ModelCo, signed with merci management for her modelling bookings in Australia

According to some of Australia's leading modelling agents, while selling raunchy photos of herself can be a lucrative side hustle, it comes with significant risks.

'Good modelling work is harder and harder to get these days as the market is competitive,' revealed one modelling agent to The Daily Telegraph.

'There's so many girls to choose from and while there is absolutely nothing wrong with having an OnlyFans account, it does limit which brands will work with you.'

The concern is that 'wholesome' brands might shy away from associating with models on OnlyFans due to the platform's reputation for explicit content.

In April, Natalie announced that she joined the adult content subscription OnlyFans  a platform where she boasts over 1.5 million followers

'If you are associated with OnlyFans, you are associated with explicit nudity even if you don't do it yourself,' the agent added.

While most OnlyFans creators provide adult photos and videos to their paying subscribers, Roser recently told Confidential the site had changed in recent times.

Natalie explained the site has made some changes recently and her page is 'all above board and very classy'.

'I don't want to catfish people into coming to this platform thinking they are going to pay to see the whole show... it is just the chat, I am really enjoying talking to people,' she said.

She further explained it's a great way for her to get to know people who can 'tip and support her'.

Natalie is married to former Home and Away actor Harley Bonner.

She explained this decision as a way to 'further connect' with her audience, but not everyone is convinced it's the right move. Some of Australia's leading modelling agents say it comes with significant risks

In September 2022, she confirmed that she and her husband were no longer living together in their Newcastle home.

She said Harley had moved to Thailand shortly after their wedding in February that year to study energy healing and meditation.

While Natalie admitted that she 'doesn't understand' that world, she still supports Harley as he 'fulfils his dreams'.

'He is so happy. It is definitely an unconventional first year of marriage,' she said.

'He is fulfilling his dreams and who would I be to stand in his way of doing something that he has wanted to do for so long?'

Natalie said letting Harley travel solo in their first year of marriage was preferable to him doing it later down the track when they have children.
Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor Joy made a jaw-dropping display on Wednesday as they stepped out in very stylish looks for the Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga media call in Sydney.

The Thor star, 40, looked every inch the Hollywood heartthrob in a chic layered ensemble with a white T-shirt, undone beige button-up and a black jacket.

He paired the look with a simple pair of black jeans before accessorising with brown boots, several long necklaces and silver rings during his appearance.

Meanwhile, Anya, 28, turned heads in a dark mauve outfit from Rick Owens, pouring her figure into a ruched body suit worth $895 and a high-waisted fishtail skirt in leather worth $4,610.

The Split star rocked her usual icy blond locks, letting the tresses tumble down her back as she tucked them behind her ears.

Chris Hemsworth, 40, (right) and Anya Taylor Joy, 28, (left) made a jaw-dropping display on Wednesday as they stepped out for the Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga media call

She completed her look with a smoky eye and mauve lipstick as she posed up a storm with Chris and their director George Miller.

It comes after Chris, who spent part of his outing hiding his eyes behind a pair of dark shades, took blame for the criticism of his 2022 movie Thor: Love and Thunder.

Chris did not pull any punches when it came to his involvement in the fourth film of the popular Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise directed by Taika Waititi.

The Thor star looked every inch the Hollywood heartthrob in a chic layered ensemble with a white T-shirt, undone beige button-up and a black jacket

He paired the look with a simple pair of black jeans before accessorising with brown boots, several long necklaces and silver rings

Meanwhile, Anya, 28, turned heads in a dark mauve outfit from Rick Owens, pouring her figure into a ruched body suit worth $895

She also wore a high-waisted fishtail skirt in leather worth $4,610

He told Vanity Fair in his cover piece: 'I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself. I didnt stick the landing.'

The actor also admitted he was frustrated with the superhero after portraying him in those four standalone flicks in addition to four Avengers films.

He explained: 'Sometimes I felt like a security guard for the team.

The Split star rocked her usual icy blond locks, letting the tresses tumble down her back as she tucked them behind her ears

She completed her look with a smoky eye and mauve lipstick as she posed up a storm with Chris and their director George Miller (left)

It comes after Chris took blame for the criticism of his 2022 movie Thor: Love and Thunder which was directed by Taika Waititi

He told Vanity Fair in his cover piece: 'I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself. I didnt stick the landing'

'I would read everyone elses lines, and go, "Oh, they got way cooler stuff. Theyre having more fun. Whats my character doing?"'

Chris went on to say he would like to be taken more seriously as an actor including taking work out of the action genre.

He said he wants to take the craft more seriously without being 'an overly self-important, pretentious wanker'.
Chrishell Stause flashed her megawatt smile on Tuesday evening as she exited the London Palladium in the United Kingdom with Emma Hernan and G Flip.

It was there that the 42-year-old reality television personality spoke about her rise to fame and success at a one-night-only event called Up Close and Personal.

The former soap opera actress dazzled fans in a long, pink, ruffled skirt and floral bustier with a matching jacket.

The fashionista added metallic purple open-toe mules and she carried a small white handbag with a silver bow detail.

Meanwhile, Emma was clad in a lavender three-piece pantsuit while Chrishell's longtime partner G Flip wore an all-black pantsuit.

Chrishell Stause flashed her megawatt smile on Tuesday evening as she exited the London Palladium in the United Kingdom with Emma Hernan and G Flip

The former soap opera actress dazzled fans in a long, pink, ruffled skirt and floral bustier with a matching jacket

Emma was clad in a lavender three-piece pantsuit while Chrishell's longtime partner G Flip wore an all-black pantsuit. The two stars were there to support Chrishell

Stause stepped out in metallic purple open-toe mules and she carried a small white handbag with a silver bow detail

Chrishell, who became a household name on Netflix's Selling Sunset, accentuated her waist with a coordinating belt with a square-shaped, stone buckle.

The beauty wore her length blond locks in flirty waves that tumbled over her shoulder as she clipped the front portion back.

Her visage was flawlessly made up with pink blush and a matte pink color on her plump pout.

She drew attention to her hazel eyes with black eyeliner and fluttery lashes.

And the superstar accessorized with silver-toned hoop earrings.

For her part, Emma wowed in a busty corset that highlighted her perky chest.

The sleeves of her structured blazer were adorned with flower accoutrements and the collar of her blazer was satin.

Her bleach blonde hair was arranged in a side part and loose, flowing waves.

The 42-year-old reality television personality spoke about her rise to fame and success at a one-night-only event called Up Close and Personal

Chrishell, who became a household name on Netflix's Selling Sunset, accentuated her waist with a coordinating belt with a square-shaped, stone buckle

Stause was bright-eyed as she carried a bouquet of flowers out of the venue. She smiled from ear to ear as she greeted awaiting fans

The beauty wore her length blond locks in flirty waves that tumbled over her shoulder as she clipped the front portion back

Stause was bright-eyed as she carried a bouquet of flowers out of the venue.

She smiled from ear to ear as she greeted awaiting fans.

G Flip, full name Georgia Flipo, wore chunky black sneakers with black and white laces.

Their light-colored locks spilled out from underneath a black Kangol hat.

The Australian-bred music artist, who wed Chrishell in March 2022, wore glamorous dark sunglasses over their eyes.

The fashion-forward star layered a button-up shirt underneath their double-breasted blazer.

It comes after earlier this month Chrishell teased her appearance in London online.

She wrote to her 3.8 million Instagram followers: 'LONDON will be to you SO soon!!

'Grab your tickets with link in my bio if you havent & swipe to see my 2 VERY special guests!'

Following a photo of the event flyer was a snapshot with her, G Flip, and Emma.

G Flip, full name Georgia Flipo, wore chunky black sneakers with black and white laces. Their light-colored locks spilled out from underneath a black Kangol hat

The trio shared a laugh after the successful show

G Flip, who hails from Australia, flashed a grin

She drew attention to her hazel eyes with black eyeliner and fluttery lashes

G Flip wore glamorous dark sunglasses over their eyes

And two days ago the trio touched down in London in preparation for the intimate show, in which Chrishell discussed her journey.

She teased in an Instagram caption, along with photos from a lunch date with Emma, Emma's mother Stephanie Hernan, and G Flip: 'London crew is here!!! The love I have for this table...'

The media fixture added, 'Ticket link is in my bio & story for anyone that wants to see us all live Tuesday night here at the Palladium! Can not wait!'

And finally, she listed hashtags, '#London #Londontravels #thepalladium #palladium #squad.'
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The first meeting of the Joint Committee between Libya and the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) has agreed that cooperation will initially focus on supporting the capacities of the Libyan authorities involved in border security and management, with the aim of securing the territory of the Al-Assa border area and the Ras Jedir border post
Uma Thurman celebrated her 54th birthday on Monday night with a festive-looking chocolate cake decorated with candles and sparklers spelling out 'WHATEVER.'

The Oscar and Emmy nominee - who boasts 1.4M Instagram followers - captioned her Instastory: 'Grateful for all the love!'

In the background of Uma's photo was her Polaroid-snapping 11-year-old daughter Luna Thurman-Busson, whom she welcomed during her on/off seven-year relationship with billionaire ex-fiance Arpad Busson, which ended in 2014.

Thurman sparked romance rumors with Apeiron Investment Group founder Christian Angermayer when they attended the TIME100 Gala in Manhattan's Lincoln Center last Friday.

The German-born, London-based billionaire kicked off his own 46th birthday celebration as they canoodled at the black-tie bash inside Frederick P. Rose Hall.

'Grateful for all the love!' Uma Thurman celebrated her 54th birthday on Monday night with a festive-looking chocolate cake decorated with candles and sparklers spelling out 'WHATEVER'

Christian later shared a coy Instagram snap of him posing with the Pulp Fiction alum, which he captioned: 'Couldn't have wished for a better birthday eve!'

Uma previously interviewed Angermayer at the Milken Institute in 2021 about the emergence of psychedelics as part of the potential solution to the mental health crisis.

Thurman has two adult children - son Levon Roan Hawke, 22; and daughter Maya Ray Hawke, 25 - from her five-year marriage to her Gattaca leading man Ethan Hawke, which ended in 2005.

The nepo-babies are following in their folks' famous footsteps with Maya playing writer Flannery O'Connor and Levon playing an escaped prisoner in the 53-year-old Oscar nominee's directorial feature effort Wildcat, which hits limited US theaters this Friday.

Levon gushed on Instagram April 19: 'Go to theater and check out my sister Maya give an absolutely incredible performance in this beautiful and hypnotizing movie Wildcat directed by my brilliant father.'

The Kill Room producer-star will fly to France between May 14-25 to attend the world premiere of her new draft-dodging drama Oh Canada at the Cannes Film Festival.

Uma portrays Richard Gere's onscreen wife Emma in Paul Schrader's big-screen adaptation of Russell Banks' 2021 novel Foregone about the 60K American men who fled North to avoid serving in the Vietnam War.

On Tuesday, THR reported that French distributor ARP has picked up all French rights to release the film also starring Jacob Elordi and Michael Imperioli.

In the background of the Oscar nominee's photo was her Polaroid-snapping 11-year-old daughter Luna Thurman-Busson, whom she welcomed during her on/off seven-year relationship with billionaire ex-fiance Arpad Busson, which ended in 2014

Uma sparked romance rumors with Apeiron Investment Group founder Christian Angermayer (R) when they attended the TIME100 Gala in Manhattan's Lincoln Center last Friday

The German-born, London-based billionaire kicked off his own 46th birthday celebration as they canoodled at the black-tie bash inside Frederick P. Rose Hall

Christian later shared a coy Instagram snap of him posing with Thurman, which he captioned: 'Couldn't have wished for a better birthday eve!'

The Pulp Fiction alum previously interviewed Angermayer at the Milken Institute in 2021 about the emergence of psychedelics as part of the potential solution to the mental health crisis

Uma has two adult children - son Levon Roan Hawke (L, pictured April 11), 22; and daughter Maya Ray Hawke (R), 25 - from her five-year marriage to her Gattaca leading man Ethan Hawke, which ended in 2005

The nepo-babies are following in their folks' famous footsteps with Maya playing writer Flannery O'Connor and Levon playing an escaped prisoner in the 53-year-old Oscar nominee's (2-L) directorial feature effort Wildcat, which hits limited US theaters this Friday

Thurman will fly to France between May 14-25 to attend the world premiere of her new draft-dodging drama Oh Canada (in which she portrays Richard Gere's onscreen wife Emma) at the Cannes Film Festival

Netflix still has not announced a release date for Victoria Mahoney's sequel The Old Guard 2 starring The Kill Room producer-star (R) and Charlize Theron (L), who wrapped production back in September 2022

Meanwhile, Netflix still has not announced a release date for Victoria Mahoney's sequel The Old Guard 2 starring Thurman and Charlize Theron, who wrapped production back in September 2022.

'I think they're hitting the last stage of post-production,' Matthias Schoenaerts, who portrayed Booker, told Collider in February.

'As far as I've understood, I think there's been a switch at Netflix high up. I think there's a different CEO, so that leads to a reconsidering of release, and how and when, and that's not up to me. I don't know. But I know we're hitting the last stage of post-production, so it's gonna show up at some point.'
Robert Irwin has shared his heartbreak after parting ways with South Africa.

Taking to Instagram, the 20-year-old posted a gallery of images of his time in South Africa while hosting the reality series I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!

In his caption, he wrote: 'South Africa adventures so sad to be leaving this place, but I cannot WAIT to get back soon.'

The Wildlife Warrior - who earlier this year split from girlfriend Rorie Buckey - was accompanied by his mother Terri, 59, Australia Zoo General Manager Luke Reavley and his husband Mitch while filming in the jungle.

Robert also shared several clips of his close-up encounters with native animals.

Robert Irwin, 20, (pictured) has shared his heartbreak after parting ways with South Africa

Channel 10 have confirmed Robert Irwin will be returning as co-host for the 2025 season of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, a Channel 10 spokesperson recently vehemently denied reports that suggested Irwin's tenure at the network might be ending.

'What a load of croc! We've heard a lot of furphys over the past 10 seasons, but media reports about Robert no longer hosting I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! take the cake and are completely fake,' they said in a statement.

'We've just wrapped an excellent season and can't wait to do it all again next year.'

Taking to Instagram, Robert gallery of images of his time in South Africa while hosting the reality series I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!

The Wildlife Warrior was accompanied by his mother Terri, 59, (right) Australia Zoo General Manager Luke Reavley (left) and his husband Mitch (second to left) while filming in the jungle

Robert also shared several clips of his up-close encounters with native animals

The Woman's Day's report, which hinted at a potential move back to rival network Seven, was quickly quashed by our source within Channel 10.

An insider at the network praised the wildlife warrior for his recent hosting gig.

'Robert's easygoing and faultless live TV skills have won over the nation. But contrary to reports, his career at Ten is far from over; Robert is definitely staying with us,' they said.

'Robert has been an absolute treasure on the show. His wildlife expertise, and genuine charm has resonated well with viewers, and we're thrilled to have him back.'
Australian actress Tasneem Roc is sharing what she learned from a Hollywood legend.

Tasneem, 45, began her acting career on the popular 1997 series Heartbreak High and went on to land roles in Home And Away, Spirited and the drama series, Reef Doctors.

And now the Sydney-raised actress is starring opposite Brooke Shields in the Netflix romantic comedy Mother of the Bride.

Tasneem revealed the Blue Lagoon star offered her a surprising piece of advice.

'She pulled me aside during a take where I am revealing this dress to her and she was like, "your neck". I said, "what?"' Roc told the Daily Telegraph.

Australian actress Tasneem Roc (pictured) is sharing what she learned from a Hollywood legend

'And she said, "Just be careful," because they way that I had my head, I was giving myself a double chin. That was the tip that she gave me.'

Brooke Shields stars in the rom-com as the jittery helicopter mom to her calm daughter, played by Miranda Cosgrove, while Roc plays the role of Camala.

'I'd say this is the biggest thing I've done so far,' Tasneem told the publication.

Tasneem is starring opposite Brooke Shields in the Netflix romantic comedy 'Mother of the Bride' and she revealed the Blue Lagoon star offered her a surprising piece of advice

'They (the cast) were very gracious, very gregarious, they made a lot of time to talk to everyone,' she added.

Brooke's character Lana also has to deal with seeing her college ex, played by Benjamin Bratt, who in real life used to romance Julia Roberts but is now married to Bond girl Talisa Soto, and is best known for appearing on Law & Order.

'Its official MOTHER OF THE BRIDE is coming out on @Netflix on May 9th globally!! We are so excited for you to see it, 45 day countdown,' Shields wrote.

'She pulled me aside during a take where I am revealing this dress to her and she was like, 'your neck'. I said, 'what?' and she said, 'just be careful' because they way that I had my head, I was giving myself a double chin. That was the tip that she gave me,' Roc told the Daily Telegraph

The movie was shot on location in Thailand for six weeks and will come out May 9.

Brooke stars as Lana, a woman who travels to the Southeast Asian kingdom when her daughter announces she is getting married there in a month's time to her boyfriend, played by Sean Teale.

The drama around the hasty nuptials is further complicated when Lana discovers her future son-in-law is the offspring of the man who broke her heart decades ago (Bratt).
Two of the most iconic sitcom stars of all-time - Seinfeld's Jerry Seinfeld and Michael Richards - reunited on the red carpet... with the latter's first public appearance in eight years.

Seinfeld, 70, posed on the red carpet with the 74-year-old Richards at the premiere for Seinfeld's feature directorial debut, Netflix's Unfrosted at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, just a day after he sparked health concerns from a recent interview.

The outing was a rare one for the reclusive Richards, his first red carpet appearance in almost exactly eight years.

That was appearance found the duo posing together at the 2nd Annual Fatherhood Lunch hosted by Seinfeld at The Palm in Los Angeles on April 20, 2016.

Richards has still kept a rather low profile for nearly the past two decades, after he unleashed a viral racist rant at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood in November 2006.

Two of the most iconic sitcom stars of all-time - Seinfeld's Jerry Seinfeld and Michael Richards - reunited on the red carpet... with the latter's first public appearance in eight years

That was appearance found the duo posing together at the 2nd Annual Fatherhood Lunch hosted by Seinfeld at The Palm in Los Angeles on April 20, 2016

The stars of Seinfeld - Michael Richards, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander

Seinfeld stepped out in a sharp with a black dress shirt and black tie under his gunmetal jacket.

He completed his look with matching gunmetal pants and shiny black dress shoes for the red carpet look, with a black watch peeking out from his coat.

Richards opted for a white and light grey paisley dress shirt under a dark grey suit coat, matching pants and black shoes with some lightly tinted glasses.

The Seinfeld stars were seen shaking hands on the red carpet for his new movie premiere, ahead of its May 3 debut on Netflix.

Seinfeld makes his feature directorial debut with Unfrosted, which he also produces and co-wrote with Spike Feresten, Andy Robin and Barry Marder.

The film is loosely based on the true story of the creation of Pop-Tarts, following the corporate battle between Kellogg's and Post to create the ultimate breakfast pastry.

While Seinfeld has worked somewhat consistently since his eponymous TV series went off the air in 1999, Richards has been just as reclusive professionally as he's been personally.

Richards' last role was as Daddy Hogwood in 2019's Faith, Hope & Love, and before that it was as series regular Frank Baxter in Kirstie Alley's short-lived Kirstie, which ran one season between 2013 and 2014.

Seinfeld stepped out in a sharp with a black dress shirt and black tie under his gunmetal jacket

He completed his look with matching gunmetal pants and shiny black dress shoes for the red carpet look, with a black watch peeking out from his coat

Richards opted for a white and light grey paisley dress shirt under a dark grey suit coat, matching pants and black shoes with some lightly tinted glasses

The Seinfeld stars were seen shaking hands on the red carpet for his new movie premiere, ahead of its May 3 debut on Netflix

He also appeared in three episodes of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David's HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2009, plus a role in Seinfeld's Bee Movie in 2007 and his own The Michael Richards Show, also lasting one season in 2000.

Between The Michael Richards Show and Bee Movie, Richards was embroiled in controversy when he was caught on camera unleashing a racist tirade at Black and Hispanic audience members during a stand-up set at the Laugh Factory.

After a group of Black and Hispanic audience members arrived late, video from the crowd recorded Richards saying, 'Shut up! 50 years ago we'd have you upside with a f***ing fork up your a**!'

When one of the audience members said something else, Richards responded, 'You can talk you can talk you can talk, you're brave now motherf***er. Throw his a** out now, he's a n****r! He's a n****r! He's a n****r!'

The crowd was clearly stunned as one of the audience members Richards was addressing said, 'That was uncalled for,' though Richards yelled, 'It's uncalled for you to interrupt me, you cheap motherf***er!'

Later that month, Richards appeared live via satellite on Late Show with David Letterman to apologize.

"For me to be at a comedy club and to flip out and say this crap, I'm deeply, deeply sorry,' he said on the show,' later adding, 'I'm not a racist, that's what's so insane about this.'
Daniel Radcliffe has reignited a row with JK Rowling over trans views by saying his beliefs don't have to align with the author's just because she made him a star.

The actor, 34, and fellow Harry Potter stars Emma Watson, 34, and Rupert Grint, 35, have been outspoken in their support of gender ideology - that biologically male trans women are actually women.

Yet although Radcliffe admitted 'nothing in my life' would likely have happened if not for beloved author Rowling, 58, he said that didn't mean he didn't owes her 'the things he truly believes'.

Despite the multi-millionaire's view that trans women are women, just this week it was revealed the NHS will declare sex is biological.

It came after the Cass report found there is 'remarkably weak evidence' for gender-affirming techniques in children such as puberty blockers.

It also said that 'for the majority of young people, a medical pathway may not be the best way' to help when they are 'presenting with gender incongruence or distress'.

Daniel Radcliffe has reignited his row with JK Rowling after admitting her views on trans people have left him 'really sad' (Pictured in October 2023)

The author, 58, has frequently expressed her views that biological sex is more important than gender identity and that women's spaces should remain single-sex (JK Rowling pictured in 2022)

Since starring in Harry Potter, Radcliffe has made around 95million - but says he doesn't owe her 'the things he truly believes' just because she made him a star

Radcliffe shot to fame playing Harry Potter in the movie adaptations of her beloved children's books. Pictured: Radcliffe, Rowling, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson in 2004

Rowling has faced frequent attacks online from the trans community for saying that biologically male trans women should not be allowed in women's spaces.

Her spat with Radcliffe started after she called out an article that used the phrase 'people who menstruate' instead of women, writing: 'I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?'

Shortly afterwards, Radcliffe penned an article for an LGBT+ suicide prevention charity that said 'transgender women are women'.

This week he told The Atlantic he had not spoken to Rowling for years, which upset him.

Yet despite the Cass report and Rowling's suggestion he should apologise to detransitioners harmed by puberty blockers, Radcliffe refused.

Instead, he said: 'I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment than that.'

He said: 'Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person. But that doesn't mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life.'

He added: 'It makes me really sad, ultimately, because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.'

In response to the publication of the Cass report last month, Rowling insisted she wouldn't forgive stars who had spoken out against her, including Daniel and his Harry Potter co-stars.

When one fan said they were 'just waiting for Dan and Emma [Watson' to offer a 'very public apology' knowing they'd be safe in the knowledge the author would forgive them, she wrote: 'Not safe I'm afraid. Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women's hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces.'

Radcliffe has long been a supporter of the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ suicide-prevention hotline and crisis-intervention resource.

He said: 'I'd worked with the Trevor Project for 12 years and it would have seemed like, I don't know, immense cowardice to me to not say something.

'I wanted to try and help people that had been negatively affected by the comments.

'And to say that if those are Jo's views, then they are not the views of everybody associated with the Potter franchise.'

Daniel said: 'It makes me really sad, ultimately, because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic'

Daniel acknowledged the author - who he has hasn't spoken to since she began voicing her opinions on trans issues - had played a key role in the path his life has taken, but insisted that doesn't mean he 'owes' his beliefs to her (Rowling pictured in December 2023)

He said: 'Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person. But that doesn't mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life'

The Kill Your Darlings actor has long been a supporter of the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ suicide-prevention hotline and crisis-intervention resource (pictured in 2001)

In a series of tweets after following the Cass report's publication, Rowling wrote: 'Over the last four years, Hilary Cass has conducted the most robust review of the medical evidence for transitioning children that's ever been conducted. Mere hours after it was released to the press and public, committed ideologues are doubling down.

'These are people who've deemed opponents 'far-right' for wanting to know there are proper checks and balances in place before autistic, gay and abused kids - groups that are all overrepresented at gender clinics - are left sterilised, inorgasmic, lifelong patients.

'I understand that the review's conclusions will have come as a seismic shock to those who've hounded and demonised whistleblowers and smeared opponents as bigots and transphobes, but trying to discredit Hilary Cass's work isn't merely misguided. It's actively malign.

'Even if you don't feel ashamed of cheerleading for what now looks like severe medical malpractice, even if you don't want to accept that you might have been wrong, where's your sense of self-preservation? The bandwagon you hopped on so gladly is hurtling towards a cliff.

'And if I sound angry, it's because I'm bloody angry. I read Cass this morning and my anger's been mounting all day. Kids have been irreversibly harmed, and thousands are complicit, not just medics, but the celebrity mouthpieces, unquestioning media and cynical corporations.

'The consequences of this scandal will play out for decades. You cheered it on. You did all you could to impede and misrepresent research. You tried to bully people out of their jobs for opposing you. Young people have been experimented on, left infertile and in pain.

'I thought the last tweet was going to be my last, but I just burst into tears. The #CassReview may be a watershed moment, but it comes too late for detransitioners who've written me heartbreaking letters of regret. Today's not a triumph, it's the laying bare of a tragedy.'

The report by Dr Cass, which was commissioned nearly four years ago, made a series of recommendations to overhaul NHS trans services to improve the care that children receive.

She found that there is a 'lack of high-quality research' on the effects of giving children puberty blockers and hormones, and recommended that NHS England establish its own research programme.

The report also called for the creation a separate service for those wanting to 'de-transition', where a gender transition is stopped or reversed, and recommended a 'follow-through service' for 17 to 25-year-olds to protect teenagers 'falling off a cliff edge' in care when they hit 17.

In a response to someone claiming Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson would be 'safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them' for clashing with her on the topic, the Harry Potter author wrote 'not safe'

The Harry Potter author responded on X, formerly known as Twitter, to the publication of the Cass review on gender treatment

Dr Cass warned that her review had been hampered by how polarised the debate on trans care for children has become. She said medical professionals had been left '[too] afraid to openly discuss their views'.

READ MORE Which Harry Potter stars have backed JK Rowling - and who has spoken out against the author amid transgender controversy? Advertisement

The report found those who socially transition at an earlier age or before seeing a medical professional were 'more likely to proceed to a medical pathway'.

She said 'the importance of what happens in school' cannot be overestimated and said parents must not be excluded from conversations over their children's welfare.

Unregulated private clinics were singled out for some of Dr Cass's toughest criticism as she echoed GPs' warnings over prescriptions issued by services based abroad.

The review said family doctors had 'expressed concern about being pressured to prescribe hormones after these have been initiated by private providers'.

Radcliffe has spoken out in the past to say adults are 'condescending' for expressing misgivings over gender transitioning in children.

Speaking at a roundtable with six trans and non-binary children organised by LGBTQ suicide prevention charity The Trevor Project in 2023, the actor said: 'There are also people who also have a slightly condescending but well meaning attitude of, 'people are young... and it is a huge decision.'

Daniel has previously called adults 'condescending' for expressing concerns over children transitioning. Pictured: The Harry Potter actor in New York on March 28, this year

Emma Watson has also expressed her opposition to JK Rowling's views on trans issues (pictured in September 2023)

He asked the group of trans youths: 'I would love to hear from all of you about why we can trust kids to tell us who they are.'

He added that there are 'some people in the world who are not trying to engage in this conversation in any kind of good faith'.

Radcliffe said: 'I think a lot of the time it's just because people don't know a young trans person so there's just this theoretical idea about this in their head.'

The November before he had fired a thinly veiled shot at Rowling by claiming young, queer and transgender fans of the franchise were upset by her stance.

His comments were a barbed reference to Rowling's tweets from June 2020 in which she ridiculed an article's description of women as 'people who menstruate'.

In response at the time, Radcliffe hit out at the author, saying: 'To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you'.

Referencing Ms Rowling's comments, Radcliffe said that he wanted to let members of the LGBT+ community know 'not everybody in the franchise felt that way'.

He added: 'The reason I felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing Potter, I've met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that.

'And so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important.'

Meanwhile Watson, who became famous after playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, has previously spoken out on the trans debate.

Ms Watson wrote: 'Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren't who they say they are.

'I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.'

Their fellow co-star Rupert Grint has also previously spoken up, telling The Times in 2020: 'I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers.

'Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgement.'

In March the following year, he explained his decision to voice his opposition to Ms Rowling's comments saying that while he has 'huge respect' for the author, he can still disagree with her views.

Speaking to Esquire, he added: 'I am hugely grateful [for] everything that she's done. I think that she's extremely talented, and I mean, clearly, her works are genius.'

Elaborating on his reasoning, he added: 'I think also you can have huge respect for someone and still disagree with things like that.

'Sometimes silence is even louder. I felt like I had to because I think it was important to. I mean, I don't want to talk about all that Generally, I'm not an authority on the subject.

'Just out of kindness and just respecting people. I think it's a valuable group that I think needs standing up for.'
Married At First Sight's Lauren Dunn has hit back after her ex Jono McCullough accused her of having a partner during filming.

The PR maven, 32, and the health business owner, 39, were matched up on the dating experiment but their rocky romance came to a tense end before Final Vows.

Lauren was left furious after learning that Jono had been secretly texting fellow bride Ellie Dix, who had been paired up with Ben Walters before leaving the experiment.

Jono has since started a relationship with Ellie, and took to their joint TikTok account to make a series of bombshell claims about his on-screen 'marriage' to Lauren.

He shockingly alleged that Lauren told him she had a secret 'partner' outside of the dating experiment, claims which Lauren has firmly denied.

Married At First Sight's Lauren Dunn has hit back after her ex Jono McCullough accused her of having a partner during filming

'She had someone she was interested in, she was good enough to tell me on the first day of the honeymoon,' Jono claimed. 'She said, "hey I have someone outside, I'm not interested in a relationship, let's just look after each other and have fun".'

'She said I was cheating on her and clearly that wasn't happening, she had someone else outside of the experiment,' he added of his texting scandal with nurse Ellie, 32.

Jono went on to claim that Lauren had burst into tears at the final dinner party because their co-star confronted her over the claims, not because of him and Ellie.

He said: 'At the final dinner party, she did cry, because the table tore shreds through her.

In a TikTok video, Jono shockingly alleged that Lauren told him she had a secret 'partner' outside of the dating experiment, claims which Lauren has previously denied

The PR maven, 32, and the health business owner, 39, were matched up on the dating experiment but their rocky romance came to a tense end before Final Vows

'They said, "how dare you call Jono a cheater, when you had a boyfriend the whole time", and she did get upset, but guys, it wasn't because of Ellie and I.'

Lauren has previously adamantly denied claims she had a 'secret boyfriend' during filming, and has once again hit back after Jono's remarks.

Her representative told Yahoo: 'She has well and truly moved on with her life and hopes Jono can do the same.'

An insider previously said Lauren was 'head over heels' with a mysterious man she met in Bali during filming, but she has adamantly denied the claims.

Lauren was left furious after learning that Jono had been secretly texting fellow bride Ellie Dix, who had been paired up with Ben Walters on the show. The couple have since started dating

'It's just a bit ridiculous. I didn't have a Bali boyfriend,' she told Daily Mail Australia as she set the record straight.

'I told Jono at the very beginning of the experiment. We were talking about our past hookups and who we'd been with. I mentioned I had a holiday fling before the show.

'I feel like me being honest about that has come back to blow up in my face later down the line. It's almost being used against me.'
It's not long until the return of the long-awaited new series of Doctor Who as Ncuti Gatwa makes his official debut as the fifteenth Doctor.

However fans can be sure to expect the unexpected as the new series sees the world of the Time Lord and Strictly Come Dancing merge in an epic Glee-style dance scene.

Professional dancer Johannes Radebe and head judge Shirley Ballas will be swapping the tango for the TARDIS as they join Ncuti and his sidekick Millie Gibson for the Swinging Sixties scene.

And fans won't have long to wait as the scene will be in the second episode, The Devil's Chord, set for release on BBC iPlayer at midnight on May 11, and is a homage to the 1960s and The Beatles in particular.

Speaking about the fun collaboration during a Q&A event ahead of the new series, Millie, 19, who plays Ruby Sunday, said: 'I remember reading The Devil's Chord and getting the biggest goosebumps at the end. It just seemed like this incredible episode.

Doctor Who will merge with Strictly Come Dancing for an epic Swinging Sixties dance scene set to air in episode two of the upcoming series

Professional dancer Johannes Radebe and head judge Shirley Ballas will be swapping the tango for the TARDIS as they join Ncuti and his sidekick Millie Gibson for the Swinging Sixties scene

'And I was like, "Wait, we dance with Johannes and Shirley from Strictly, OK. Next page". It's just like the craziest thing. And it was crazy to film it.'

Ncuti added: 'And I mean, that day we were dancing with them, we had a ball. We had so much fun.

'I loved The Devil's Chord episode so much. Loved reading it and then working and shooting it. We had an amazing choreographer who whipped us into shape with such kindness.

'He made the choreography accessible. So we had a lot of help and a lot of fun.'

Last November Shirley confirmed she was set to make a guest appearance in the BBC sci-fi show and revealed she was 'very excited' for people to see her as she appeared alongside screenwriter and producer Russell T. Davies on BBC Morning Live.

On the show host Gethin Jones teased with Russell that there was someone else in the studio who could 'potentially' be in the new series.

Russell replied: 'Do you mean the top secret information that Shirley Ballas is going to appear in Doctor Who?'

Asked what she could reveal about her star appearance in the show, the ballroom champion kept her cards close to her chest, but revealed filming the show 'was one of the best days of my life.'

Last November Shirley confirmed she was set to make a guest appearance in the BBC sci-fi show and revealed filming the show 'was one of the best days of my life'

Speaking about the fun collaboration during a Q&A event, Millie, 19, said: 'I remember reading The Devil's Chord and getting the biggest goosebumps at the end. It just seemed like this incredible episode'

Ncuti added: 'And I mean, that day we were dancing with them, we had a ball. We had so much fun (pictured Johannes Radebe)

'I can tell you the filming was one of the best days of my life. We're doing a guest appearance with Jojo (Strictly professional Johannes Radebe) where I actually get to perform with Jojo and so many other dancers on the show, so I'm very, very excited for people to watch.'

Russell added: 'I was on set that day let me tell you, there was no way I was missing that, Dame Shirley Ballas on Doctor Who.'

It comes after Ncuti confessed he is a 'more vulnerable Doctor' who will appeal more to Gen Z.

Appearing on Good Morning America on Tuesday, host Robin Roberts asked: 'A long line of actors have played the doctor but you say this is a doctor for Gen Z?'

Ncuti then explained: 'Yeah, I would say so. I would say this iteration is a more vulnerable doctor.

'One of the more open with his feelings doctors that we have seen and it reflects our society and the conversations that we are having today.'

Ncuti made his debut as the Time Lord on Christmas Day in a special episode of the show last year but his first full series will air next month.

The first two episodes from the upcoming series will drop on BBC iPlayer at midnight on May 11 before then airing on BBC One later that evening.

The new season of Doctor Who will see Ncuti return as the Fifteenth Doctor, alongside Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, after they made their debut on Christmas Day last year in The Church on Ruby Road.

Within the upcoming series, audiences will see the Doctor and Ruby travel through time and space on adventures to unknown lands, to the Regency era in England, to outer space worlds and the sixties.
Ruth Wilson oozed elegance in a chic burgundy suit as she attended The Woman In The Wall screening at The Whitby in New York City on Tuesday.

The actress, 42, looked incredibly glamorous in the tailored two-piece as she posed for some snaps before taking seat to chat about the series.

Ruth, who stars as lead character Lorna Brady in the six-part BBC drama, teamed her look with white mini heels.

She upped up the ante with a statement white rosette necklace and swept her brown tresses behind her chiseled face.

The beauty appeared alongside creator Joe Murtagh on stage to speak about the hit series.

Ruth Wilson, 42, oozed elegance in a chic burgundy suit as she attended The Woman In The Wall Screening at The Whitby in New York City on Tuesday

The actress looked incredibly glamorous in the tailored two-piece as she posed for some snaps before taking seat to chat about the series

The Woman In The Wall, was released in the UK back in August and examines the legacy of one of Ireland's most shocking scandals, the inhumane institutions known as the Magdalene Laundries.

Ruth's character Lorna Brady, from a fictional town of Kilkinure, wakes one morning to find a corpse in her house.

Chillingly, she has no idea who the dead woman is or if she herself might be responsible for the apparent murder.

Lorna has long suffered from extreme bouts of sleepwalking after she was confined to the Kilkinure Convent aged 15. The institution was home to one of Irelands infamous Magdalene Laundries.

The Catholic-run workhouses, where untold horrors are said to have taken place, housed women branded 'undesirable' by the church and orphaned children. They were shockingly in operation until 1996.

Lorna was incarcerated at one of the Magdalene Laundries before giving birth to her daughter Agnes, who was cruelly taken from her and whose fate she has never known.

During the BBC's new series, the ambitious and elusive Detective Colman Akande (played by McCormack) is on Lorna's tail for a crime which is seemingly unrelated to the dead woman shes discovered in her house.

The trailer depicts Lorna struggling with the loss of her daughter, until she discovers that she might be still alive and hunts for her whereabouts.

Ruth, who stars as lead character Lorna Brady in the six-part BBC drama, teamed her look with white mini heels

She upped up the ante with a statement white rosette necklace and swept her brown tresses behind her chiseled face

The beauty appeared alongside creator Joe Murtagh on stage to speak about the hit series

Ruth and Joe couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces as the posed before the screening

Ruth appeared to need some assistant as she rested a crutch stick on her chair to help her get on and off

The Woman In The Wall, was released in the UK back in August and examines the legacy of one of Ireland's most shocking scandals, the inhumane institutions known as the Magdalene Laundries

Ruth's character Lorna Brady, from a fictional town of Kilkinure, wakes one morning to find a corpse in her house

Elsewhere, the detective appears to be investigating the apparent murder of a priest who was linked to Lorna's past.

Made by Motive Pictures for BBC and SHOWTIME, The Woman in The Wall is written by Joe Murtagh, directed by Harry Wootliff and Rachna Suri, with Susan Breen as producer.

Executive producers are Simon Maxwell, Sam Lavender, Joe Murtagh, Ruth Wilson and Harry Wootliff, with Lucy Richer for BBC.

The Magdalene Laundries were institutions, generally run by Catholic religious organisations, that operated for more than 200 years from the 18th century to the late 20th Century.

The laundries, depicted in the award-winning film 'The Magdalene Sisters', put an estimated 10,000 women and girls as young as nine through uncompromising hardship from the foundation of the Irish state in 1922 until 1996.

Run by Catholic nuns, the laundries have been accused of treating inmates like slaves, imposing a regime of fear and prayer on girls sometimes put in their care for becoming pregnant outside of marriage.

They were established to house unmarried mothers, but later expanded to house girls who were considered 'promiscuous', the criminal, mentally unwell and girls who were seen as a burden on their families.

In the past, Ireland's strict Catholic morality made it deeply shameful to become pregnant before marriage, and women would be rejected by their families and society as sinful.

The Woman In The Wall examines the legacy of one of Ireland's most shocking scandals, the institutions known as the Magdalene Laundries (Ruth pictured as her character Lorna Brady)

During the BBC's new series, the ambitious and elusive Detective Colman Akande (played by Daryl, pictured) is on Lorna's tail for a crime

The power of the Church and the stigma associated with unmarried mothers were so overwhelming that for decades the harsh treatment of these women and their children were taboo subjects, and many were forgotten.

While the Magdaline Laundries were especially prevalent in Ireland, there were also homes across Australia, Canada and England.

In Australia, girls faced verbal abuse, long hours of work and long hours of silence in the convents. Women were often injured while working with hard machinery and faced dangers of spreading diseases.

In Canada, a network of asylums housed women without public funding. By the late 1800s in England, many laundries had resembled penitentiary workhouses.
Sienna Miller stunned fans as she showcased her incredible figure in a 3,900 gown at a star-studded birthday party, just four months after giving birth to her second child.

The fashionista, 42, and her boyfriend Oli Green, 27, welcomed their first child together, a baby girl, in January. Sienna also has a daughter Marlowe, 10.

The actress has barely aged a day since starring in Layer Cake and Alfie more than twenty years ago - and previously credited yoga and her love of Marmite as the secret to her age-defying looks.

Sienna joined the likes of make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury and models Poppy Delevingne and Cora Corre at Lady Lola Bute's 25th birthday party, held at the family's Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute.

Sienna stood out from the crowd in a 3,900 floor length silk mesh dress created by Annie Doble of Annie's Ibiza.

Sienna Miller stunned fans as she showcased her incredible figure in a 3,900 gown at a star-studded birthday party, just four months after giving birth to her second child

Sienna stood out from the crowd in a 3,900 floor length silk mesh dress created by Annie Doble of Annie's Ibiza (pictured with Annie Doble and Camille Charriere)

It featured hand-beaded crystals in the shape of a cobweb and a backless design, while the sheer nature of the dress highlighted her lithe figure.

She teamed the look with a nude bodysuit and a bronzed tan, having just got back from a family holiday in Croatia.

The designer also produced a custom-made outfit in a 1920s Egyptian fabric for Lady Lola.

As Lola and Annie shared photos of the bash on Instagram, Sienna firmly cemented her status as a fashion icon as she posed for a photo with Annie and Camille Charriere.

Sienna previously gave an insight into her health and fitness regime and told Vogue: 'I do yoga three times a weekmore because Im just searching for some equanimity. Its very easy to feel exhausted by these schedules and time zones.'

The actress, who lives in New York, said at the time she wasn't a big fan of the spin class SoulCycle.

She said: 'Sometimes I cringe a little bit at the motivational aspect of it, but thats just because Im English and were not used to saying, "You see your dream! Go get it"'.

'Cooking is a focus for me,' Sienna shared, 'But I wouldnt say healthy  Im more of a home cook: roasts, some Asian food, pastas and sauces and soups. In terms of, like, chia seed and whatever grains, no. Im like, "Fried eggs and Marmite toast".'

The actress looked incredible just two weeks ago as she holidayed in Croatia

The fashionista, 42, and her boyfriend Oli Green, 27, welcomed their first child together, a baby girl, in January

The actress has barely aged a day since starring in Layer Cake and Alfie more than twenty years ago (pictured in Layer Cake in 2004)

The party saw hundreds of guests flown out to the remote Scottish island for the party of aristocrat Lady Lola including Sienna Miller (pictured)

Charlotte Tilbury was among the well-heeled guests enjoying the festivities

Lady Lola Bute celebrated her 25th birthday in style in her ancestral home this week

Guests shared snaps inside the home, including in the bedrooms they were saying in

The party saw hundreds of guests flown out to the remote Scottish island for the party of aristocrat Lady Lola, who is the daughter of the late John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute and fashion designer Serena Bute.

Guests had a weekend-long celebration, dancing in the 19th Century Gothic revival dining hall, and sleeping in grand bedrooms that look straight out of a fantasy novel.

Princess Olympia of Greece and Lady Mary Charteris, danced with members of the Guinness family, who downed Iron Bru during a festival-themed party in the day before switching to more sophisticated dirty martinis with their black tie attire in the evening.

Rare snaps from inside the Mount Stuart House were also shared, including a grand staircase, ornate ceiling pattern and even the somewhat old-fashioned toilet.

Sienna showed off her baby bump at the Vogue World in December, before giving birth a month later to a baby girl

The manor, which is the seat of the Marquess of Bute, a title now held by Lola's brother, has been held since 1157.

However, the current home, which is Category A listed, was built in the late 1870s, replacing an earlier house.

This weekend however, the home got a huge makeover, with giant inflatable mushrooms and teepee as part of the party set-up.

After partying the night away, guests also enjoyed time on the island, heading out to sea and wondering along the beach.

Keeping with the Scottish theme, Lola also enjoyed a bagpipe band, and drummers in kilts.

The party was organised by Lola's half-sister, Jazzy De Lisser.

Jazzy is the daughter of Serena and her first husband Robert De Lisser.

Despite her party girl antics, Lola is sober, having sought help for 'unhealthy coping mechanisms' following the suicide of her boyfriend Kai Schachter and the accidental overdose of her best friend Ila Scheckter.

After Kai's death, she founded charity Eternity to bring attention to suicide, addiction and mental health which she said helped her to 'heal and cope with grief in a healthy way'.

Her father, John Crichton-Stuart spent much of his time on his namesake Scottish island at his ancestral home, Mount Stuart, and had chaired the Board of Mount Stuart Trust since 2005.

The 7th Marquess, once ranked 616th in the Rich List, was also a Formula 1 driver in 1986 as he partnered Ayrton Senna and raced under the name Johnny Dumfries.
Lorraine Kelly could barely contain her laughter on Wednesday's episode of her eponymous show as she blushed over a collection of naked knitted dolls.

The chat show host, 64, was speaking to a pair of mischievous pensioners who are famed for creating an array of cheeky, unclothed 'woolly dollies'.

Knitting away on the day-time show, the Somerset women, dubbed 'Britain's naughtiest knitters', revealed they had created a series of characters in a bid to raise money for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

Two of their most beloved models include a near-naked hairy policeman and a woman called Barbara whose boobs are said to be 'too small'.

Agreeing that Barbara needed some work in the chest area, Lorraine blushed as she cheekily quipped: 'Bigger is better for all sorts of reasons'.

Lorraine Kelly struggled to contain her laughter on Wednesday as she made VERY cheeky quip during a segment about naked dolls and said 'Bigger is better for all sorts of reasons'

The chat show host, 64, was speaking to a pair of mischievous pensioners who are famed for creating an array of cheeky, unclothed 'woolly dollies'

One of the knitting ladies said: 'The only complaint we have had is that Barbara's boobies aren't big enough.'

Lorraine agreed: 'Its true. It's absolutely true. Yeah they need to be bigger. They do. Keep up the good work and anyway Bigger is better for all sorts of reasons.'

The two women earlier revealed on the show that a cafe which displayed the fun figures had received a complaint about the doll's lack of clothing.

One woman allegedly reported the funny dolls as she said she could not walk her grandchildren to school.

Because she has to walk past the charity shop window where they are displayed, she does not think they are appropriate for display.

Since the complaint, the cafe has used A4 sheets of paper to cover the dolls away from children who are in the eye-line of the shop's display window.

Despite the single complaint at the shop, viewers of the ITV programme flocked to X, formerly known as X, to share their thoughts.

One penned: 'Please give these 2 ladies a knitting show'

Knitting away on the day-time show, the Somerset women, dubbed 'Britain's naughtiest knitters', revealed they had created a series of characters in a bid to raise money for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance

Two of their most beloved models include a near-naked hairy policeman and a woman called Barbara whose boobs are said to be 'too small'

Agreeing that Barbara needed some work in the chest area, Lorraine blushed as she cheekily quipped: 'Bigger is better for all sorts of reasons'

'These two ladies are hilarious! The little giggle she just did when her friend said they just had 1 person moan about them!! Brilliant'

'Giggling away. Those ladies have seen some things'

'Poor Barbara! Body shamed on live TV!!!'

In response to the few who disagreed with the shop's decision to keep them in the window, Lorraine quipped: 'knitted naughty bits, I think it is the way forward'.

The two women earlier revealed on the show that a cafe which displayed the fun figures had received a complaint about the doll's lack of clothing
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The acting Libyan Minister of Oil and Gas, Khalifa Abdel Saddok, led a high-level Libyan delegation to the Riyadh Economic Forum, where he discussed with his senior counterparts in the energy and oil sectors ways of strengthening international cooperation and achieving sustainable growth in the sector
Vanessa Feltz has told fans to 'brace yourselves' as she prepares to host a new radio show on LBC after leaving TalkTV.

The broadcaster, 62, is joining the station to host a new Saturday programme, starting Saturday 4 May, as part of a refreshed weekend schedule.

The star, who is also a regular on This Morning, will front her own Saturday afternoon show, from 3pm to 6pm, offering opinion, analysis and a deep dive on what matters to the British public.

Speaking about the new gig, she said: 'After a long and passionate courtship, I've finally succumbed to the allure of LBC.

'Actually I was powerless to resist. Global's dynamism is mesmerising and it is THE high octane station from which to broadcast, in this riveting election year.

Vanessa Feltz has told fans to 'brace yourselves' as she prepares to host a new radio show on LBC after leaving TalkTV

It comes after Vanessa left TalkTV after two years as the station undergoes a big schedule shake-up ahead of it being taken off air to move online

'I can't wait to join the Global family and get cracking. Brace yourself for May 4  May the fourth be with you!'

Tom Cheal, LBC's Senior Managing Editor, said: 'Vanessa is a leading light in broadcasting who is outspoken, incisive and understands what matters to LBC listeners. We're delighted to have her on board.'

It comes after Vanessa left TalkTV after two years as the station undergoes a big schedule shake-up ahead of it being taken off air to move online.

TalkTV will be taken off air and move online in the summer, with the announcement coming just weeks after Piers Morgan left his daily show on the channel.

Vanessa said: 'I've had the most fabulous two years at TalkTV.

'It's been a joy and a revelation to work on a fledgling station. Among many experiences, it was my honour to break the news of the passing of Her Majesty, the Queen to viewers and broadcast live throughout that momentous time.

'As TalkTV steps back from linear TV, its time for me to also step back and focus on my other commitments and new projects ahead.'

Scott Taunton, EVP President of Broadcast for News UK, added: 'Vanessa is a unique broadcaster and has made a unique contribution to TalkTV over the last two years. She steps back with our thanks and best wishes.'

The star will front her own Saturday afternoon show, from 3pm to 6pm, offering opinion, analysis and a deep dive on what matters to the British public

The This Morning favourite left her Radio 2 show, where she earned 400,000 a year in 2022 to move to Talk Radio and Talk TV after more than 20 'years of 3.30am starts'.

TalkTV, which launched in 2022, has struggled to attract viewers on its linear platform.

In February, Piers announced he was leaving the channel to focus on the Uncensored YouTube channel, saying that daily, fixed TV schedules have been 'an increasingly unnecessary straitjacket'.

A statement from Scott Taunton, TalkTV's president of broadcasting, said in a briefing to staff: 'Two years ago, we would not have been brave enough to launch a channel without a linear presence.

'But audiences of all ages have moved fast and smartphones are now the primary device where news is consumed. We need to adapt to this as a priority.'

In February, Piers Morgan announced he was leaving the channel to focus on the Uncensored YouTube channel, saying daily, fixed TV schedules have been 'an unnecessary straitjacket'

He added: 'We are therefore intending that Talk comes off linear television from early summer and our focus will be on streaming.'

'Talk will continue broadcasting as a live streaming news and opinion channel, distributing through streaming platforms to include YouTube, Amazon Fire, Samsung, LG and others.

'A large proportion of our live viewing is already through streaming on televisions and we intend to continue to grow this.

Scott said clips will continue to be shared through social media, and that while there is 'no doubt over Talk's future as an audio and video channel, it just won't be distributed on linear'.

TalkTV currently has 869,000 YouTube subscribers. Piers Morgan Uncensored has 2.4 million.

TalkTV, a venture from News UK, the publisher of The Times and The Sun, launched in 2022.
Judy Finnigan and her husband Richard Madeley appeared as loved-up as ever as they enjoyed a lunch date at The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead.

The TV personality, 75, walked hand-in-hand with her husband of 37 years as they arrived at the north London pub together on Tuesday afternoon.

Judy stepped out wearing a flowing grey top with a pair of black trousers, which she accessorised with a Chanel necklace and big sunglasses.

The mother of four wore her blonde hair loose and carried her belongings in a black leather handbag during the outing.

Richard, 76, was sporting a padded black jacket over a white T-shirt, which he wore with a pair of blue jeans and New Balance trainers.

Judy Finnigan and her husband Richard Madeley appeared as loved-up as ever as they enjoyed a lunch date at The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead

The TV personality, 75, walked hand-in-hand with her husband of 37 years as they arrived at the north London pub together on Tuesday afternoon

Judy stepped out wearing a flowing grey top with a pair of black trousers, which she accessorised with a Chanel necklace and big sunglasses

Following their meal, Richard showed off his chivalrous side as he opened the door of their cream VW Beetle as his wife stepped inside.

The couple celebrated 37 years of marriage this year, as they revealed they have now been living together a total of 40 years.

Judy and Richard are parents to Chloe, 36, and Jack, 38. Judy is also mother to sons Dan and Tom Henshaw from her first marriage to their father David.

Announcing the news live on air with host Susanna Reid, Richard in January, he said: 'I can't believe it actually... because it seems about 15 years but yeah it's my 37th wedding anniversary!'

To which his co-host Susanna, 52, replied: 'Wow, congratulations Richard and Judy!'

Richard added: 'Actually, because we were together a few years before that, it's actually sort of 40 years of being under the same roof, which is just ridiculous!'

Susanna then joked: 'Long service medals all round... or just for Judy!', with Richard adding: 'I think just for Judy, yeah!'

Richard then gave an insight into how he plans to celebrate the special occasion with Judy.

The mother of four wore her blonde hair loose and carried her belongings in a black leather handbag during the outing

Following their meal, Richard showed off his chivalrous side as he opened the door of their cream VW Beetle as his wife stepped inside

He said: '[We're] going to a posh dinner, thank you very much!'

It came after Richard revealed he used to have blazing rows before going live on air with wife Judy.

The couple presented This Morning together from 1988 until 2001 before they went on to host their own daily chat show, Richard & Judy until 2009.

Now a regular host on GMB without Judy, Richard opened up about the challenges of working with his wife.

Interviewing fellow couple Abbey Clancy and Peter Crouch on Tuesday morning, Richard revealed: 'if you've had a row, you can't hide it'.

He said: 'I do remember this, when Judy and I were presenting together, you know, every day, a bit like you on the podcast, if you've had a row... you can't hide it.

'So we'd be sitting there, we'd had a massive row in the car on the way to Liverpool to do the show and not talking basically, then you do the show.

'Within 30 seconds of going on air, people would be ringing our phone saying: "They've had a row, haven't they!" and people can tell when you're not getting on.'

The couple celebrated 37 years of marriage this year, as they revealed they have now been living together a total of 40 years

Richard, 76, was sporting a padded black jacket over a white T-shirt, which he wore with a pair of blue jeans and New Balance trainers

It came after Richard revealed he used to have blazing rows before going live on air with wife Judy
Chris Hemsworth proved to be the perfect gentleman as he offered his co-star Anya Taylor-Joy an arm for support as they walked through Sydney on Wednesday.

The actor, 40, and Anya, 28, are on the Australian leg of their press tour for their film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, set for release later this month.

Chris leant a helping hand as Anya struggled to walk through the Circular Quay at Sydney Harbour due to her impractical figure-hugging outfit and sky-high heels.

The actress, who plays Imperator Furiosa, looked incredible in the brown PVC mermaid style skirt which she teamed with an off-the-should tan top, which showed off a hint of sideboob.

Anya, who has replaced Charlize Theron as Furiosa in the latest installment, looked thankful for Chris' support. Despite his valiant attempts, he led her straight into the path of a puddle.

Chris Hemsworth proved to be the perfect gentleman as he offered his co-star Anya Taylor-Joy an arm for support as they walked through Sydney on Wednesday

The actor, 40, and Anya, 28, are on the Australian leg of their press tour for their film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Chris leant a helping hand as Anya struggled to walk through the Circular Quay at Sydney Harbour due to her impractical figure-hugging outfit and sky-high heels

While the dress looked impressive, video footage showed Anya struggling to walk in the tight fitting number which only got worse when the train became wet.

Chris, meanwhile, opted for a much more practical outfit in a loose olive-green jacket over a simple white T-shirt paired with grey trousers.

The two leading stars looked in good spirits as they chatted away before posing in front on an impressive billboard with the film's name.

It comes as Chris felt 'reinvigorated' by his role in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

The Thor star, who is married to Elsa Patsky and has three children, went straight into filming the Fury Road prequel after suffering a back injury while making 'Extraction 2' and didn't have time to have surgery to fix the problem but he threw himself into the project and it made him feel better.

He told Vanity Fair: 'I said, "Look, I dont have a choice [about filming with the injury]". And as soon as I got to rehearsals, everything lifted. I just got reinvigorated. Suffering without a purpose is awful. Suffering with purpose can be rejuvenating and replenishing.

'Id grown so tired of myself, and now I had to lose myself in a character.'

During the interview Chris admitted he also experienced a crisis of confidence in his Hollywood career - fearing he was not winning the roles he wanted - but the Mad Max film helped soothe his fears.

Speaking about his career woes, Chris explained: 'I was worried about everything. Nothing was as enjoyable as it once was, or I had imagined it was. I was making back-to-back movies and doing the press tours, and I was married and had three young kids, and it was all happening at the same time in a very short window.

The actress, who plays Imperator Furiosa, looked incredible in the brown PVC mermaid style skirt which she teamed with an off-the-should tan top, which showed off a hint of sideboob

Anya, who has replaced Charlize Theron as Furiosa in the latest installment, looked thankful for Chris' support, but despite his valiant attempts, he led her straight into the path of a puddle

While the dress looked impressive, video footage showed Anya struggling to walk in the tight fitting number

Chris opted for a much more practical outfit in a loose olive-green jacket over a simple white T-shirt paired with grey trousers

The gown, which hugged her figure perfectly, featured a sophisticated one-shoulder design, adding an extra touch of glamour to her look despite the dreary weather

Anya appeared in high spirits as she chatted to the crew

The Hollywood stars then headed to a waiting taxi

It comes as Chris felt 'reinvigorated' by his role in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Chris proved he was the perfect gentleman as he gave a helping hand

The two leading stars looked in good spirits as they chatted away before posing in front on an impressive billboard with the film's name

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the fifth movie in the long-running series, will be released in cinemas on Friday, May 24

The film is the long awaited prequel to George Miller's electric Mad Max: Fury Road

'Youre sort of just running on fumes, and then youre showing up to something with little in the tank and you start to pick things apart: Why am I doing this film? Why isnt this script better? Why didnt that director call me for that or why didnt I get considered for this role? Why dont I get the call-up from Scorsese or Tarantino? I had begun to take it all too serious and too personal.'



Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the fifth movie in the long-running series, will be released in cinemas on Friday, May 24.
Kendrick Lamar's new song Euphoria is being branded a 'Drake diss track', with the name a reference to the HBO show the Canadian rapper famously co-produced.

The 36-year-old musician's new track contains heavy references to Drake, 37 amid their long-running feud which dates back to 2013.

Lamar's six minute track sees him call out Drake, real name Aubrey Graham Drake, directly, calling him a 'manipulator and habitual liar', and he criticises his parenting skills.

He also accuses the Canadian star of commercially selling out, saying he only makes music to 'pacify' his fans.

Kendrick certainly doesn't hold back with his lyrics, saying he doesn't like the way the rapper walks or talks.

Kendrick Lamar's new track Euphoria, appears to be a Drake diss track. Euphoria is the name of an HBO show Drake produced (pictured: Kendrick at The 2023 Met Gala)

Lamar's track sees him call out Drake, real name Aubrey Graham Drake, (pictured) directly, calling him a 'manipulator and habitual liar', and he criticises his parenting skills

He muses: 'This ain't been 'bout critics, not about gimmicks, not about who the greatest. It's always been about love and hate, now let me say I'm the biggest hater.

'I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress.'

He also raps: 'I make music that electrify 'em, you make music that pacify 'em.

'I can double down on that line, but spare you this time, that's random acts of kindness. Know you a master manipulator and habitual liar too.

'But don't tell no lie about me and I won't tell truths 'bout you.'

A TikTok from Complex also added: 'The show name is Kendrick's way of addressing the rumour that Drake likes younger women without even having to put a bar on it'.

'The cover art is a screenshot of the Webster's dictionary description of the word "euphoria", but could also have implications of a "Back to Black" situation, referring to Drake's 2015 diss track aimed at American rapper Meek Mill.

The feud originates back to 2013, when Kendrick appeared at the BET Awards.

Kendrick also appeared to have confused actor Haley Joel Osment with pastor Joel Osteen in his new track, Euphoria. Pictured in 2022

While performing, he said his skills had 'tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pyjama clothes'.

Euphoria lyrics... Tommy Hilfiger stood out, but FUBU never had been your collection I make music that electrify 'em, you make music that pacify 'em I can double down on that line, but spare you this time, that's random acts of kindness Know you a master manipulator and habitual liar too But don't tell no lie about me and I won't tell truths 'bout you. Advertisement

Many believed that this was a dig at Drake.

In 2023, J Cole and Drake described themselves, along with Lamar, as the 'big three' of rap, on the song First Person Shooter.

Then Kendrick responded on the song Like That, saying 'there is no big three - it's just big me'.

The next month, Drake released Push Ups, which saw him make fun of Lamar's height.

And in Taylor Made Freestyle, he called Kendrick a coward for not responding.

This all comes after Kendrick clumsily appeared to have confused actor Haley Joel Osment with pastor Joel Osteen in Euphoria.

The artist in the song raps the lyrics: 'Am I battlin' ghosts or AI? N**** feelin' like Joel Osteen/Funny, he was in a film called A.I. /And my sixth sense tellin' me to off him'.

Osment, 36, appeared in both in 1999's The Sixth Sense from director M. Night Shyamalan and 2001's A.I. Artificial Intelligence from filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

Osteen, 61, on the other hand did not appear in either motion picture, but presides over Houston's Lakewood Church.

Osment, 36, appeared in both in 1999's The Sixth Sense and 2001's A.I. Artificial Intelligence; Osteen, 61, did not appear in either motion picture

A number of users on social media appeared to believe that the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical artist had mixed up the celebrities

A number of users on social media appeared to believe that the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical artist had mixed up the celebrities with similar-sounding names.

'I dont know anything about the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar,' one user wrote, 'but Kendrick just dropped a 6-min diss track & mixed up prosperity gospel preacher Joel Osteen with Haley Joel Osment from The Sixth Sense'.

Another user said, 'I did NOT have Kendrick Lamar mistaking Hayley Joel Osment for Joel Osteen on my 2024 Bingo card'.

One user said: 'Kendrick bodied. But one note. Joel Osteen & Haley Joel Osment are in fact two different people'.
Lupita Nyong'o put on an animated display as she posed with a cat while attending a photocall for her new film A Quiet Place: Day One.

The actress, 41, looked in good spirits as she cuddled the feline while posing at the IET London: Savoy Place on Wednesday.

Lupita cut a stylish figure for the event as she slipped into a baby pink blazer along with a pair of matching trousers.

The Oscar-winner added height to her frame with a pair of white heels and also sported an eye-catching De Beers diamonds collar necklace.

Lupita was joined at the photocall by her co-star Joseph Quinn who looked dapper in a dark brown blazer with a matching shirt and tan trousers.

Lupita Nyong'o put on an animated display as she posed with a cat while attending a photocall for her new film A Quiet Place: Day One

The actress, 41, looked in good spirits as she cuddled the feline while posing at the IET London: Savoy Place on Wednesday

A Quiet Place: Day One is a sequel to the original film A Quiet Place and follows Lupita's character Sam who must survive an invasion in New York City by blood-thirsty alien creatures.

The cat she was holding during the photocall is also in the film as the trailer shows her cradling it as she walks through the city.

Claudia Schiffer raised eyebrows when she brought along a cat to the premire of Argylle in January where she kept it in a yellow bag.

The event comes after Lupita recently admitted she wants to keep her new relationship with Joshua Jackson out of the public eye after being burned in the past.

The actress was open with the breakdown of her relationship with her ex Selema Masekela, revealing that it was 'devastatingly extinguished by deception'.

Lupita has since found love with her new partner Joshua, 45, but she insisted she will be going back to the 'old ways' of keeping her love life private.

Historically, Lupita hasn't been public about her relationships, as she told Porter: 'And that was very, very sage of me. I'm going back to those days, by the way.'

The couple are 'exclusive and serious,' according to insiders, who claim Lupita 'saved' him after his divorce when he didn't think he would ever find love again.

Lupita cut a stylish figure for the event as she slipped into a baby pink blazer along with a pair of matching trousers

Lupita was joined at the photocall by her co-star Joseph Quinn who looked dapper in a dark brown blazer with a matching shirt and tan trousers

The Oscar-winner added height to her frame with a pair of white heels and also sported an eye-catching De Beers diamonds necklace

The cat she was holding during the photocall is also in the film as the trailer shows her cradling it as she walks through the city

Claudia Schiffer raised eyebrows when she brought along a cat to the premire of Argylle in January where she kept it in a yellow bag

Lupita has reportedly been a 'revelation' for the former Dawson's Creek star  but she is yet to build a 'relationship' with Joshua's ex-wife Jodie Turner-Smith.

Josh and Lupita are exclusive and serious,' an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'They get each other, and she has been such a calming force for him.

'They are in love and Josh feels saved. That might sound extremely corny but after his relationship with Jodie, who he thought was it for him, finding love with Lupita has been a revelation. It is everything to him that he has been able to find love again. He is very excited for their future.'

They continued: 'Lupita and Jodie don't have much of a relationship, but Lupita is not looking to cause any problems.

'Jodie will be in Joshua's life forever and Lupita understands that dynamic, and Lupita will tackle those roads when the timing is right.'

The event comes after Lupita recently admitted she wants to keep her new relationship with Joshua Jackson (pictured) out of the public eye after being burned in the past

The insider added that Joshua loves how 'unquestionably smart' and 'strong' Lupita is and would not be averse to working with her on a future film.

'They have zero issues about potentially working together in the future,' the source said.

'They think it would be a lot of fun to be lovers or enemies on film, mixing business and pleasure seems to be something they would be interested in if the story was right.'

A Quiet Place: Day One will be released on June 28.
Kourtney Kardashian showed off her incredible postpartum figure in low-waisted denim jeans just six months after giving birth to her son Rocky.

The TV personality, 45 who recently celebrated her birthday with a luxury holiday in the sun, flashed her slim frame in the loose-fitting bottoms.

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Kourtney subtly promoted sister Kylie Jenner's new clothing brand Khy, days after her denim collection dropped.

In the snap, Kourtney was gifted a pair of dark-washed jeans with yellow personalised stitching of her maiden name initials, 'KK'.

But Kourtney was a little displeased as she took to Instagram tagging sister Kylie to ask for a new pair with her correct initials.

Kourtney Kardashian, 45, showed off her incredible postpartum figure in low-waisted denim jeans just six months after giving birth to her son Rocky

The TV personality, who recently celebrated her birthday with a luxury holiday in the sun, flashed her slim frame in the loose-fitting bottoms

Kourtney wished to have "KB" stitched onto her jeans, her new name Kourtney Barker - after tying the knot to husband Travis Barker, 48.

She joked: '@khy these are cute but... do you think I can get a KB instead?'

Kourtney recently said that she loves her body the way it is after welcoming her fourth child.

The Poosh founder has embraced her postpartum body after giving birth to son Rocky in November 2023.

She recently pushed back at a troll who criticized her new curves, declaring, 'I LOVE this body that gave me my 3 big babies and my little baby boy.'

'I love that body kourt!' posted one fan after seeing the photo.

'This body after 4 kids is stunning,' commented another follower.

'45 never looked so good,' wrote her adoring husband.

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Kourtney subtly promoted sister Kylie Jenner's new clothing brand Khy, days after her denim collection dropped

Kourtney recently said that she loves her body the way it is after welcoming her fourth child

The reality star shared a sweet snap with her arm around husband Travis as he held baby Rocky, five months, during her birthday trip

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians alum shares Reign, Penelope, 11, and Mason, 14, with her ex-partner Scott Disick.

Barker shares Alabama, 18, Landon, 20, and step-daughter Atiana De La Hoya, 25, with ex-wife Shanna Moakler.

The couple will soon celebrate their second wedding anniversary. The pair were legally married at a courthouse ceremony May 15, 2022 before traveling to Portofino, Italy for a lavish ceremony seven days later.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looked incredible as she stripped down to red lingerie.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, the model, 37, showed off her toned abs and cleavage in the plunging bra and matching knickers.

Rosie showed off the set as she posed and twirled for the camera and captioned the video: 'red hot for spring'.

She wore her blonde hair in soft waves and sported a bronzed tan and polished make-up look.

Rosie told fans: 'Guys, I'm loving his red for spring it is hot. I personally love to wear this style at home when I'm just chilling out or to sleep. I love the full brief as well, it's really comfortable.'

Fans took to the comment section to tell Rosie: 'Jason is a lucky man' and 'Goddess'.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looked incredible as she stripped down to red lingerie. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, the model, 37, showed off her toned abs and cleavage

Rosie showed off the set as she posed and twirled for the camera and captioned the video: 'red hot for spring'

The posts come just days after Rosie celebrated her birthday late last month and shared some glam pictures of herself wearing a pink dress.

She was snapped blowing a candle on top of a stunning three-layer cake made by @thepinkcooker as she was surrounded by her loved ones.

'But he wanna lick the icing off #37,' she captioned her sizzling carousel.

The catwalk favourite rocked a set of glamorous gold jewellery from Tiffany&Co, including cuff bracelets and high tide earrings.

Rosie was spotted looking all partied out her boozy birthday celebrations in London that evening.

The model was spotted leaving Lou Lou's private members club with pals, followed by a trip to the Chiltern Firehouse.

Rosie showed off her incredible figure in her sheer pink midi dress, which had a drink stain on it, with a leotard underneath.

She boosted her height in lace-up heels and carried her belongings in a small white shoulder bag.

Rosie stayed at the venue until 4am, when she was escorted to her car by her driver.

Rosie told fans: 'Guys, I'm loving his red for spring it is hot. I personally love to wear this style at home when I'm just chilling out or to sleep. I love the full brief as well, it's really comfortable

Fans took to the comment section to tell Rosie: 'Jason is a lucky man' and 'Goddess'

The posts come just days after Rosie celebrated her birthday late last month and shared some glam pictures of herself wearing a pink dress

The Victoria's Secret alum looked ethereal in a skin-tight baby pink midi dress with turtleneck and long-sleeves, which further enhanced her incredibly toned and slender physique

The mother-of-two shares son Jack, six, and daughter Isabella, two, with fiance Jason Statham.

She and Jason, whom she has been with since 2010, enjoyed a getaway to an Italian farmhouse towards the end of March.

The pair are yet to get married, but revealed their engagement after Rosie flashed her impressive diamond ring at the 2016 Golden Globes.
Gemma Collins oozed body confidence as she flaunted her sizzling curves in a black swimsuit on her Instagram page on Wednesday.

The former TOWIE star, 43, showcased her glowing tan in the form-fitting one piece, which she teamed with a pair of wedges and glitzy square sunglasses.

The reality personality revealed her natural beauty by going make-up free in the photo, while wearing her long blonde hair loose.

Alongside the snap, Gemma encouraged her followers to 'embrace' their bodies and have confidence in the caption of the social media image.

Gemma went on to complain about the lack of clothes on the high street for plus size women, while asking where everyone is shopping at the moment.

Gemma Collins oozed body confidence as she flaunted her sizzling curves in a black swimsuit on her Instagram page on Wednesday

Alongside the snap, Gemma encouraged her followers to 'embrace' their bodies and have confidence in the caption of the social media image

Gemma's sentiments were echoed by Bake Off star Laura Adlington, who commented that she thought the options were 'dire' at the moment

She said: 'Whatever your body confidence is embrace it. Still need huge changes in fashion I was saying it ten years ago, girls where we all shopping on the high street atm?'

Gemma's sentiments were echoed by Bake Off star Laura Adlington, who commented that she thought the options were 'dire' at the moment.

She said: 'It's absolutely dire at the moment!!! Best place is probably Never Fully Dressed.'

Gemma wrote back: 'Agree with that hun for sure [praise emoji]'.

The photo post comes shortly after Gemma got to meet her 'idol' Rebel Wilson after her show at the London Palladium.

Gemma had previously admitted she is a 'huge fan' of the actress, 44, even once attempting to track her down her hotel to try and meet her.

After the event, An Evening With Rebel Wilson, Gemma was finally able to meet the Aussie star, saying it was a 'huge moment'.

She shared a beaming photo of the two blonde bombshells posing backstage together to her Instagram on Tuesday.

Gemma dazzled in a sparkly silver jacket and sequinned green dress, while Rebel stunned in a black and glittery mesh gown from Lafayette 148.

The photo post comes shortly after Gemma got to meet her 'idol' Rebel Wilson after her show at the London Palladium

She has previously admitted she is a 'huge fan' of the actress, 44, even once attempting to track her down her hotel to try and meet her

After the event, An Evening With Rebel Wilson, Gemma was finally able to meet the Aussie star, saying it was a 'huge moment'

With their wavy blonde hair, glamorous makeup and bright white smiles, fans couldn't help but comment how similar the pair looked.

One follower commented saying: 'Love this photo, you definitely could pass as sisters, looks & personalities.'

While others wrote: 'Now thats a powerful pairing; What an iconic duo; Legendary Icons!!' and Gemma's best pals Jedward chimed in to add: 'Iconic Duo REMMA forever!'

And it appears that Gemma also agrees with the comparison, saying she would love it if the Pitch Perfect star was 'real life sister'.

Ahead of the show, the reality star filmed herself going shopping to get Rebel some luxury gifts from Diptyque.

Addressing her followers she said: 'I'm super excited, I am off to see - oh my god I wish she was my real life sister, I am obsessed with her - Rebel Wilson tonight.

'I hope she loves candles as much as me, if she's my sister I think she will. I'm so obsessed with her and literally so excited to see her tonight and this is a huge moment to meet Rebel Wilson.'

She also shared a photo of Rebel posing with her nephew Hayden, after revealing the youngster is also a big fan of the movie star.

With their wavy blonde hair, glamorous makeup and bright white smiles, fans couldn't help but comment how similar the pair looked

And it appears that Gemma also agrees with the comparison, saying she would love it if the Pitch Perfect star was 'real life sister'

In her Instagram caption, Gemma gushed: 'Im so proud of you Rebel youre spectacular heres to reaching higher in life for all with your inspirational book Rebel Rising Ive got all the respect & love for the journey youve been on!

'Your heart & drive to go for things in life is such Girl Power on every level and Im so happy youve found your Disney Princess X'.

Back in 2021, Gemma voiced her love of Rebel, recalling that she had even tried to orchestrate a meeting with her.

Speaking on her podcast about the Mars mission, she mused about who she would want to take with her if she ever went to space.

Gemma declared: 'Rebel Wilson. Last time I looked at her Instagram, she's in London. I want to meet her. Me and my nephew Hayden are huge fans.'

She went on: 'I even recognised one of the carpets that was in her Instagram picture and then I found out what hotel she was in.

'And I even rung the hotel reception and said, 'Look this is going to sound really weird, it's Gemma Collins here, but me and my nephew absolutely love Rebel Wilson. And if there is anyway you could kindly get a message to her that we love her. And maybe if she wants to hang out with me and Hayden she can.

'Literally me and Hayden watch her movies back to back. She would be my perfect companion to take up to space.'

She also shared a photo of Rebel posing with her nephew Hayden, after revealing the youngster is also a big fan of the movie star

In her Instagram caption, Gemma gushed: 'Im so proud of you Rebel youre spectacular heres to reaching higher in life for all with your inspirational book Rebel Rising Ive got all the respect & love for the journey youve been on!'

Back in 2021, Gemma voiced her love of Rebel, recalling that she had even tried to orchestrate a meeting with her

While she also allegedly took inspiration from Rebel when trying to lose weight ahead of her wedding to fiance Rami Hawash.

It was previously reported that Gemma has been motivated by Rebel's recent body transformation, who shed 80 pounds after vowing to make 2020 her 'year of health'.

Like Rebel, Gemma had wanted to lose weight in order to better her chances of having a child.

Rebel had previously recalled that she visited a fertility doctor in 2019, who told her she would 'do much better' and have higher chances of retrieving and freezing her eggs if she lost weight and was healthier.

She and her fiancee Ramona Agruma welcomed their daughter Royce by surrogate in November 2022.

A source told Closer: 'Gemma was inspired by Rebels journey, and shes said Rebels helped her realise she can do the same and motivated her to be the UKs Rebel Wilson.

'Shes even more determined to reach her size 14-16 goal, especially so she can be in the best possible shape to try for her longed-for baby.'

They added: 'Gemma has been joking that Rebels going to help her get a sexy size 16 figure, but behind the scenes shed love to get back to the best shape possible to have a child. Shes hoping her baby dream will come true.'

While she also allegedly took inspiration from Rebel when trying to lose weight ahead of her wedding to fiance Rami Hawash (pictured)
Rebel Wilson broke down in tears as she was praised for helping fans who are struggling with body dysmorphia.

The actress, 44, become increasingly more emotional as she spoke with Chris Evans on his Virgin Radio UK show on Wednesday.

As she chatted about her new memoir Rebel Rising, a member of Chris' team, named Vassos, detailed a time where her book helped his friend, who suffers with body issues.

Rebel was completely moved by Vassos' story as she explained her main moral of the story was to help fellow fans who are struggling with their weight.

Rebel said: 'Can I just say thank you so much for reading and, you know, engaging this and to me, like it, even if this book just reaches ten people, and people find motivation and things to change parts of their life because I've obviously had to change.

Rebel Wilson, 44, broke down in tears as she was praised for helping fans who are struggling with body dysmorphia

The actress become increasingly more emotional as she spoke with Chris Evans on his Virgin Radio UK show on Wednesday

Vassos said: 'Yesterday I just reached the section where you write a letter to your body. I literally within a minute of me reading that page, I get a phone call from a really good friend of mine and Im one of her confidants, and she's having issues.

'She's always had issues with body dysmorphia, and she's on that first hot day of the year and she's panicking and I said, look, it will things will. You know, you will find the bridge off this.

'And I said, can I just read you something that I've literally just wrote. Oh. And I read it to her. I read what you wrote. You said, "okay, like I love my body, but it's time. It's time for a change. I should shut up".'

'And that really helped her. So there's there's all the top like, showbiz stories as well but there's but there's real help, too.'

Rebel added: 'Vassos thank you for saying that because, like, that really is why I And I know I'm getting emotional, but, that's why I wrote it, because I know there's so many people that relate to that kind of stuff.

'And, and I know what it's like to, you know, be invisible, be visible, like, to, be concerned about your weight, to gain weight, to lose weight, to be feeling all sorts of things with your body and and so.

'Yeah and so I could write about it in quite a lot of detail in the book to try to help people and make feel them less alone.

Vassos continued: 'Well thank you on her behalf.'

As she chatted about her new memoir Rebel Rising, a member of Chris' team, named Vassos, detailed a time where her book helped his friend, who suffers with body issues

As she chatted about her new memoir Rebel Rising, a member of Chris' team, named Vassos, detailed a time where her book helped his friend, who suffers with body issues

Rebel looked incredibly glamorous in a bright pink blazer and leather look trousers, teamed with Gucci shoes

For her Virgin Radio UK radio appearance, the Aussie actress stepped out in a chic ensemble

Rebel looked incredibly glamorous in a bright pink blazer and leather look trousers, teamed with Gucci shoes.

For her Virgin Radio UK radio appearance, the Aussie actress stepped out in a chic ensemble.

It comes after Sacha broke his silence after Rebel's redacted memoir was released in the UK on Thursday last week.

The book was published in the US earlier this month, and features a chapter titled Sacha Baron Cohen And Other A**holes, where Rebel makes claims about Sacha's behaviour during the filming of the 2016 film Grimsby, which he has strongly denied.

However the UK copies feature the wording crudely blacked out due to what Rebel brands 'peculiarities' of English law.

In response to the book's UK release, Baron Cohen's legal team has deemed this decision by publishers HarperCollins a vindication, following the creator's strong denial of Wilson's claims.

'HarperCollins did not fact check this chapter in the book prior to publication and took the sensible but terribly belated step of deleting Rebel Wilson's defamatory claims once presented with evidence that they were false,' the statement, presented in Deadline, said.

'Printing falsehoods is against the law in the UK and Australia; this is not a ''peculiarity'' as Ms Wilson said, but a legal principle that has existed for many hundreds of years.

It comes after Sacha Baron Cohen broke his silence after Rebel's redacted memoir was released in the UK on Thursday

'This is a clear victory for Sacha Baron Cohen and confirms what we said from the beginning  that this is demonstrably false.'

After redacted edition was finally published, publisher HarperCollins confirmed to MailOnline that details had been removed.

They told MailOnline: 'The book contains some redactions in chapter 23 on pages 216, 217, 218 and 221, as well as an explanatory note at the beginning of the chapter.'

After the allegations were detailed in the US version of the book, Sacha's spokesperson said: '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.'
Rupert Grint cut a casual figure as he stepped out for a stroll with his partner Georgia Groome in Notting Hill, London on Wednesday.

The actor, 35, opted for a laid back look for the day as he sported a black T-shirt with matching trousers and a dark jacket.

Georgia also kept it casual as she opted for a grey printed jumper with blue jeans and a pair of black shoes.

Rupert's outing came soon after his Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe reignited his row with JK Rowling over transgender issues.

Daniel said his beliefs don't have to align with the author's just because she made him a star.

Rupert Grint cut a casual figure as he stepped out for a stroll with his partner Georgia Groome in Notting Hill, London on Wednesday

The actor, 35, opted for a laid back look for the day as he sported a black T-shirt with matching trousers and a dark jacket

He also wore a black cap along with a pair of sunglasses during the outing

JK Rowling has been outspoken about her views on trans issues and has said biological sex is more important than gender identity.

Yet although Radcliffe admitted 'nothing in my life' would likely have happened if not for beloved author Rowling, 58, he said that didn't mean he didn't owes her 'the things he truly believes'.

Rowling has faced frequent attacks online from the trans community for saying that biologically male trans women should not be allowed in women's spaces.

Her spat with Radcliffe started after she called out an article that used the phrase 'people who menstruate' instead of women, writing: 'I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?'

Shortly afterwards, Radcliffe penned an article for an LGBT+ suicide prevention charity that said 'transgender women are women'.

Despite Daniel's view that trans women are women, just this week it was revealed the NHS will declare sex is biological.

It came after the Cass report found there is 'remarkably weak evidence' for gender-affirming techniques in children such as puberty blockers.

It also said that 'for the majority of young people, a medical pathway may not be the best way' to help when they are 'presenting with gender incongruence or distress'.

Georgia also kept it casual as she opted for a grey printed jumper with blue jeans and a pair of black shoes

Georgia, who is best known for starring in Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, tied her brunette locks into an updo

Rupert's outing came soon after his Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe reignited his row with JK Rowling over transgender issues

This week he told The Atlantic he had not spoken to Rowling for years, which upset him.

Yet despite the Cass report and Rowling's suggestion he should apologise to detransitioners harmed by puberty blockers, Radcliffe refused.

Instead, he said: 'I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment than that.'

He said: 'Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person. But that doesn't mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life.'

He added: 'It makes me really sad, ultimately, because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.'

In response to the publication of the Cass report last month, Rowling insisted she wouldn't forgive stars who had spoken out against her, including Daniel and his Harry Potter co-stars.

When one fan said they were 'just waiting for Dan and Emma [Watson' to offer a 'very public apology' knowing they'd be safe in the knowledge the author would forgive them, she wrote: 'Not safe I'm afraid. Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women's hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces.'

Rupert has been less vocal about the divide between the Harry Potter author and the child stars of her films.

Daniel said his beliefs don't have to align with the author's just because she made him a star

The author, 58, has frequently expressed her views that biological sex is more important than gender identity and that women's spaces should remain single-sex (JK Rowling pictured in 2022)

Radcliffe shot to fame playing Harry Potter in the movie adaptations of her beloved children's books. Pictured: Radcliffe, Rowling, Grint and Emma Watson in 2004

In a response to someone claiming Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson would be 'safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them' for clashing with her on the topic, the Harry Potter author wrote 'not safe'

However, in January 2022, he did liken Rowling to an aunt who he doesn't 'necessarily agree with' over her views on trans people.

He told The Sunday Times: 'I liken JK Rowling to an auntie. I don't necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she's still my auntie. It's a tricky one.'

Rupert was cast as Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone aged just 11.

He went on to star in all eight films, which ranged from 2001 to 2011, earning him at least $70 million (52 million).

Elsewhere in the Sunday Times interview, Rupert Grint admitted he still finds it 'very hard' to 'detach' himself from Ron having played Harry Potter's best friend for 10 years.

He explained: 'I measure my life in Harry Potter movies. They're so ingrained in me.

'I find it very hard to detach myself from being Ron - we merged into the same person. I can't believe it started 20 years ago. It definitely sculpted who I am.

'I mentally closed the door on it even though I'm constantly faced with it - there's the play, the theme park and it's always on TV.'
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Tuesday announced sanctions against Tunisia and its athletes following the expiry of the deadline for complying with the World Anti-Doping Code
Kendall Jenner has shared the secrets of her beauty regime revealing her go-to products to create the 'spring French girl make-up look'.

The 28-year-old model has opened up about her skincare and make-up rituals in a new 'Beauty Secrets' video for Vogue.com.

She said she starts her day with ginger tea and gold under-eye patches before starting gua sha - a traditional Chinese healing method of using a smooth-edged tool to stroke your skin.

Kendall explained: 'I usually start with a little gua sha using a 100 per cent virgin coconut oil and I love it 'cos it's thick and the gua sha just slides.

'So the reason I do it before I wash my face is because I'm using a lot of heavy oils and to make sure the oils come off of my face, I cleanse after.'

Kendall Jenner has shared the secrets of her beauty regime revealing her go-to products to create the 'spring French girl make-up look.' The 28-year-old model has opened up about her skincare and make-up rituals in a new 'Beauty Secrets' video for Vogue.com

She said she starts her day with ginger tea and gold under-eye patches before starting gua sha - a traditional Chinese healing method of using a smooth-edged tool to stroke your skin

She uses Shea Moisture 100 Per Cent Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Face Lotion and a spritz of Heritage Store Rosewater for her gua sha ritual and then washes it off with Jan Marini Bioglycolic Face Cleanser.

Kendall added: 'I am super, super anal about washing my face because I am acne-prone.

'I had acne my whole childhood. Some of my adult life.

'So I am super on top of my routine ... I feel like I'm in a good place right now. I get hormonal acne, sometimes I'll get little breakouts when I'm around my period.'

The catwalk star added that she swears by Kylie Cosmetics Lip Butter but insisted it's not because it's from her sister Kylie's line, adding: 'I swear it's not because it's my sister. So good for you, girl. It is so silky and smooth.'

Kendall finishes her skin care with La Mer moisturising cream, EltaMD SPF and a spritz of Caudalie Beauty Elixir Face Mist.

She then revealed her make-up must-haves - starting with Chanel foundation and L'Oreal Paris Infallible Full Wear Waterproof Concealer, adding Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream Bronzer and Kylie Cosmetics Lip and Cheek Glow Balm.

Kendall explained: 'I usually start with a little gua sha using a 100 per cent virgin coconut oil and I love it 'cos it's thick and the gua sha just slides'

She added: 'So the reason I do it before I wash my face is because I'm using a lot of heavy oils and to make sure the oils come off of my face, I cleanse after'

Kendall added: 'I am super, super anal about washing my face because I am acne-prone. I had acne my whole childhood. Some of my adult life. 'So I am super on top of my routine ... I feel like I'm in a good place right now. I get hormonal acne, sometimes I'll get little breakouts when I'm around my period'

For her brows, Kendall applies L'Oreal Paris Lumi Glotion to her arches and bridge of her noses and then uses Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pencil.

She said of her make-up: 'I've always preferred a very natural look, not only on myself but everybody else.'

Kendall finishes with a little pressed powder, before adding some eyeshadow from L'Oreal's La Palette Nude and Panorama Mascara.

She then concludes her look with some 'French girl vibes' by using a L'Oreal Colour Riche Original Satin Lipstick in red and 'smudging it' across her lips with her finger., adding: 'I'm into this no liner, kind of smudged out lip moment. I saw this on TikTok and success! ... This is my spring French girl make-up look.'
Gisele Bundchen has wished her father Valdir Bundchen a happy birthday with a sweet Instagram post.

The supermodel, 43, shared a snap of herself kissing her father on the head along with gushing message to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday morning.

She praised her father's character and wished him good health in the heartfelt snap.

The message, written in Portuguese, translates to English: 'Happy birthday daddy! May you continue to be the incredible guy you are. I wish you lots and lots of health so you can enjoy life with us. I love you so much and I'm very proud to be your daughter!'

Gisele was raised by her father Valdir and her now late mother Vania. In addition to Gisele, the couple had five other daughters: Raquel, Graziela, Gabriela, Rafaela, and Gisele's fraternal twin Patricia.

Gisele Bundchen has wished her father Valdir Bundchen a happy birthday with a sweet Instagram post

In her 2018 memoir, Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life, Gisele dished on the dynamics of such a large household.

'When I was growing up in Horizontina, [Brazil], there were six of us girls at the dinner table, six voices rising up to talk or laugh or disagree at once,' she wrote.

'One day my dad made a rule: if one of us had something to say, we needed to raise our hand.'

She also noted that she had 'the best childhood in the world.'

Gisele's post comes four months after the passing of her mother, Vania Nonnenmacher, who died at age 75 from cancer in January.

Gisele paid tribute to her late mother at the time, writing on Instagram: 'Beloved mom, It hurts to know that I wont be able to hug you anymore, but I know that you will always be watching over us. You were an angel on earth, always helping everyone around you. I am so grateful to be your daughter and to have learned from you. Thank you for being the best role model of love, strength, compassion, courage, and grace.

'I will forever cherish the beautiful memories we shared and will live by the values you taught me. You will live forever through the many lives that you touched.

'Thank you for giving me five best friends for life. Your love will always guide us.

'I will see you in my dreams. Love you.'

It comes four months after the passing of Gisele's mother, Vania Nonnenmacher, who died at age 75 from cancer in January

The cover model posted a family photo of her mother, and dad Valdir surrounded by Gisele and her sisters Patricia, Rafaela, Graziela, Gabriela and Raquel, and another featuring them during childhood.

Meanwhile, Gisele is in a new romantic relationship with Joaquim Valente following her divorce from Tom Brady.

In March, Bundchen spoke publicly about her new relationship for the first time in a candid interview with The New York Times.

'This is the first time I am seeing someone that was a friend of mine first,' she admitted without naming her new partner.

The cover model previously posted a family photo of her mother, and dad Valdir surrounded by Gisele and her sisters Patricia, Rafaela, Graziela, Gabriela and Raquel as she paid tribute to her mom back in January

Bundchen with her mother

The model continued: 'It's very different. It is very honest, and it's very transparent.'

Last month, she addressed the speculation and romance rumors surrounding her and Valente.

'I think, at this point, unfortunately, because I'm divorced, I'm sure that they're going to try to attach me to anything,' she told Vanity Fair in her April cover interview.

'He's our teacher, and most importantly, he's a person that I admire and that I trust,' she explained.

Meanwhile, Gisele is in a new romantic relationship with Joaquim Valente following her divorce from Tom

'It's so good to have that kind of energy [and] to have my kids around that type of energy.'

In February, Bundchen and Valente were seen sharing a passionate kiss after a Valentine's Day date in Miami.

While they waited to confirm their relationship status, they had been previously seen enjoying activities such as paddle boarding and riding horses together as well as taking trips to Costa Rica and her native Brazil.
Sofia Vergara has revealed why she did not want to have children with ex-husband Joe Manganiello - after welcoming her first and only child Manolo 32 years ago.

In a candid interview, the 51-year-old actress shared her true thoughts on motherhood, explaining that during her marriage to Magic Mike star Joe, 47, it never felt like the right time for them to have a child.

'There's things in life that might sound like good ideas, but they're not,' she explained in the digital issue of People.

'I was a mother already,' she said, referring to 32-year-old son Manolo, whom she shares with her first husband, Joe Gonzalez.

'I know what it means to be a good mother or to try to be the best mother that you can, and that takes a lot of sacrifices, takes a lot of energy,' she shared, before explaining that she didn't believe she was capable of doing that again at a certain point in her life.

'I totally respect where anyone wants to be a mom after 50. I didn't think because of my career, the way I live my life, the way my marriage was, that it was fair to bring a kid to this world, and I'm not going to be able to give 100 per cent.'

Vergara split from Joe last year and they finalized their divorce this year - and last year, she admitted that their break up was due, at least in part, to the fact that he wanted children, while she did not.

Sofia Vergara has shared why she decided to not have more children after welcoming her son Manolo 32 years ago. The 51-year-old told the digital issue of People that it just was not the right time to have a baby with husband of seven years, Magic Mike star Joe Manganiello

'There's things in life that might sound like good ideas, but they're not,' she explained. 'I was a mother already,' she said referring to son Manolo, 32, with her first husband Joe Gonzalez

But while Sofia was candid about her feelings on motherhood, she did not touch on her lengthy legal battle with ex Nick Loeb who has threatened to use their frozen embryos which were created in 2013.

However, the siren did open up about her close bond with her only son, saying of their relationship 'It is great that I had him young, because now I'm going to be 52, and he's 32.'

'I wish I was older sometimes, because I would've been more mature, more prepared to be a mother, but that was what I got and what happened,' she noted.

'So I just kept going and try not to look back at it, because it is what it is. But it is fun because I kind of grew up together with my son.'

Speaking of her experiences welcoming a child while she was still a teenager, the actress confessed: 'It happened to me very, very young. I was not even 20 years old, so I don't even remember that much of my life without being a mother.'

Sofia also said that motherhood 'changes you, and it's very rewarding and gives you a lot of headaches too.'

But she is more than ready for grandkids.

'I already kind of like what he does with me. Manolo has a dog, and on the weekends he just drops the dog at my house. And I used to drop him at my mom's house during the weekend so that I could at least go out every once in a while.'

She also said she is doing fine after her divorce from Manganiello.

'Life has not always been easy... but I've never felt stronger,' she told the site.

She already has son Manolo, 32, right, with her first husband Joe Gonzalez

She also said she is doing fine after her divorce from Manganiello. 'Life has not always been easy . . . but I've never felt stronger,' she told the site

Vergara split from Joe last year and they finalized their divorce this year. Seen in 2022

And having earned her position as one of Hollywood's most glamorous pin-ups at the age of 51, Sofia confessed that she has no plans to show any signs of aging - admitting that she will 'fight' nature for as long as she possibly can.

'I'm going to fight it every step of the way!' said the Griselda actress.

And Sofia also confirmed that she is happily dating, having previously been linked to top surgeon Dr Justin Saliman.

'I think now that I'm older, it's great because you know exactly what you like,' the actress said. 'I just do what makes me feel confident and beautiful.'

And she loves to keep herself looking her very best.

'I think because I'm Latin, we always grow up thinking about looking good, doing your hair, your makeup. It's something that makes you feel good,' she said.

'I love beauty products. I love makeup, I love clothes. And I think now that I'm older, it's great, because you know exactly what you like, what looks good on you, what doesn't look good on you. I don't do what is in fashion. I just do what feels good, makes me feel confident and beautiful.'

Vergara also said she was 'very nerdy' in school.

'I liked school. I had to study a lot. I wasn't one of those kids that had to just go to class. No, I had to put in the time and the work. I had a big Latin family, of courseI mean, it's giganticand I was always with them. I was always around kids and girls my age and my friends. It was great.'

And Sofia also confirmed that she is happily dating. She has been linked to Dr Justin Saliman. 'I think now that I'm older, it's great because you know exactly what you like,' the actress said. 'I just do what makes me feel confident and beautiful' (Pictured in Santa Monica, CA in March)

And the star has a new dog, a four-month-old Chihuahua

As a teenager she was 'very skinny and not very voluptuous at that time.'

She said: 'So it took me some years to fill in, and then I started feeling confident. But at the beginning I was like, "Oh, I don't have anything." And then God punished me. [Laughs].'

This comes after she shared a look at the scary and long scar on her knee after undergoing 'major' surgery.

The star revealed last week she underwent medical procedure but did not explain exactly what it was for.

The Modern Family veteran had on a strapless white dress with her knee propped up as she bit into a rainbow colored slice of cake.

'Here you work and enjoy even with the mocha pata!!!' she wrote in her caption.

Last week she thanked her 'handsome' doctor boyfriend Dr. Justin Saliman for helping her out.

Vergara shared a look at the scary and long scar on her knee after undergoing 'major' surgery. The star revealed last week she underwent medical procedure but did not explain exactly what it was for

'If u ever get a mayor (sic) knee surgery make sure u Get a handsome doctor who will sleep with u that night!!!!' the America's Got Talent judge wrote in an Instagram story with a picture of her boyfriend standing by her bed.

'Luv u Dr @jdsaliman,' she said, completing the posting with a red heart.

The snap shows the Modern Family star's knee wrapped up in a bandage between a splint on the bed and the good doctor, who is wearing navy blue scrubs, is smiling down on her with his hand on her leg.

It's unclear how the Griselda star hurt her knee of if the orthopedic surgeon is the one who performed the undisclosed procedure.

According to his website, Saliman is the inventor of the Novo Stitch Pro Meniscal Repair system, which allows a surgeon to repair meniscus tears rather than remove the damaged area.

The couple have been dating since October 2023, but they have mostly steered clear of talking about the other on social media.
Tyra Banks revealed that life after turning 50 is nothing like she imagined as a child growing up in Inglewood, California.

The supermodel, who began her career as a model at the age of 15, revealed that she previously 'thought 50 was great granny' when she was 'in elementary school.'

'I thought I would have little glasses and just have a quilt on my lap and watch soap operas all day,' she admitted in PEOPLE's Beautiful Issue.

Now, five months after ringing in the milestone birthday in Australia, the America's Next Top Model creator said her life is 'totally different than' what she thought '50 was going to be when' she was just a little girl.

Tyra Banks revealed that life after turning 50 is nothing like she imagined as a child growing up in Inglewood, California; seen in 2022

'I'm poppin'. I am not insecure about myself. I ain't trippin'. I often say 'Child, [I'm] 50!' before I say something. That statement gives me permission to say whatever the heck I feel like saying,' she mused.

With age, Banks says she has found confidence and freedom to 'do Zoom meetings with no makeup.'

'I'm a momma and an entrepreneur,' the Vogue cover girl raved. '50 feels good.'

When asked what she thought other women approaching 50 should know, the Life-Size actress warned that hot flashes are 'not the end of the world.'

'Use that time that you wake up in the middle of the night to just take care of some things because it will wake you up. Read that book, do that crossword puzzle. Watch the end of that show that you were just so amazed with,' she advised.

Ultimately, Banks urged readers to not be 'ashamed' about getting older because we are 'all going to go through it.'

'Now we can do it together and talk about it, which is really cool and much better than what our parents had to do' she said.

She continued: 'I remember back in the day that gray hair was like, oh, you just hid that. You did not show that that was a no-no.'

The supermodel, who began her career as a model at the age of 15, revealed that she previously 'thought 50 was great granny' when she was 'younger in elementary school' (pictured in 1990)

'I thought I would have little glasses and just have a quilt on my lap and watch soap operas all day,' she admitted in PEOPLE's Beautiful Issue 2024

'Now I see women saying. 'I am gray. And not only is that okay, it's amazing, it's beautiful,' Banks declared, before praising Sarah Jessica Parker and Andie McDowell for embracing their gray streaks.

The mother-of-one, who said she was wearing a wig for the photo shoot, noted that while her 'fake hair doesn't have gray hair in it,' her 'real hair does.'

'I walk around town with my natural cornrows, with my gray edges tamed with a little baby hair juice, but not with dye, ' she insisted. 'Today we celebrate women and we still have a long way to go, but we are getting there to where we feel good and not ashamed of the changes and the natural beauty that our body goes through.'

As for some misconceptions about aging, the former catwalk queen said turning 50 has allowed her not to bite her tongue or feel the need to 'please everybody.'

'Now, I speak my truth. I demand respect. And it feels good. I can't wait until 60 comes along because I'm probably going to be cursing everybody out,' she told People.

Banks also commended her mother, Carolyn London, for not being 'obsessed with aging in a negative way.'

Now, five months after ringing in the milestone birthday in Australia, the America's Next Top Model creator said her life is 'totally different than' what she thought '50 was going to be when' she was just a little girl (seen in 2022)

With age, Banks says she has found confidence and freedom to 'do Zoom meetings with no makeup' (pictured in 2022)

'She has gray hair, she loves her gray hair. She wishes she had more gray hair. And so I think it taught me to not fear getting older. I don't fear that. I see it as a privilege and I think it's because of my mama,' Banks added.

She also pointed out that her mom 'was all about the Vaseline' and would 'rub it all over her eyes.'

'I was a Vaseline girl too. I've now upgraded to other things, but I, every now and then I'll take that Vaseline and I'm like, maybe that's why I ain't got no wrinkles,' she said.

While looking back on beauty or style trends that she regrets partaking in, the model said that she wished she didn't pluck her eyebrows to make them 'so skinny.'

'I look back at those pictures, I'm like, 'That was beautiful? We look crazy.' So I regret that one,' she mused.
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Chris Pine is reportedly having some problems with the woman who lives next door to him in Los Angeles.

He and his next door neighbor in the Hollywood Hills, music attorney Helen Yu, are beefing over some tree roots that have allegedly crossed over onto her property line, it has been claimed.

Yu has filed a lawsuit against the Star Trek actor for what she alleges is destruction of her property due to his trees, TMZ reported.

She claims Pine, 43, planted a row of Ficus trees  which have notoriously out-of-control-roots  that have spread onto her lot and are allegedly ruining her yard.

But the actor  who attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner  has his own beef with Yu, it was also reported.

He claims in documents seen by TMZ that her fence encroaches on his property line and that part of the disagreement has stalled mediation on the issue.

Chris Pine and his next door neighbor in the Hollywood Hills, music attorney Helen Yu, are beefing over some tree roots that have crossed over onto her property line; pictured in March

Chris' home is the one marked with the larger circle in these pics (it also has several cars parked there). Helen's property is marked by a smaller circle. Chris' property also features a treehouse-style structure directly next to Helen's house (also pictured). A larger tree on Chris's property is next to Helen's boundary

Yu is seen here at home for an article in Billboard magazine

Pine is doing the rounds promoting his directorial debut Poolman  which he also co-wrote and stars in.

Fans have noticed The Princess Diaries actor wearing some quirky outfits lately.

Pine revealed the outfits were a nod to Darren Barrenman, the pool man he plays in the film.

The film also stars Danny Devito, Annette Bening, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ariana DuBose and DeWanda Wise.

Recently, Pine opened up about what it was like to grow up with actors as parents. Both his dad Robert, who starred on CHiPs, and his mom Gwynne were working actors for a time.

'Going into the '80s it got rougher and rougher,' Chris told People. 'My dad, the work got sparser and sparser, and then the real estate crash in '87 or '88 pretty much wiped my family out.

'Then it was some really rough years, and then my mom went back to school. I have so much respect for what she did. She went back to UCLA and got her BA. She went back and got her Master's at Antioch,' he explained.

He also explained that his mom worked multiple jobs when he was a kid to make ends meet.

Yu has filed a lawsuit against the Star Trek actor for what she claims is destruction of her property due to his trees, TMZ reported

She claims Pine, 43, planted a row of Ficus trees  which have notoriously out-of-control-roots  have spread onto her lot and are ruining her yard

He claims in documents seen by TMZ that her fence encroaches on his property line and that part of the disagreement has stalled mediation on the issue

But the actor  who attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner  has his own beef with Yu, it was also reported

The treehouse is partially covered by a large trees near a small hill on the actor's own property

Pine is doing the rounds promoting his directorial debut Poolman  which he also co- wrote and stars in

Fans have noticed The Princess Diaries actor wearing some quirky outfits lately. Pine revealed the outfits were a nod to Darren Barrenman, the pool man he plays in the film

The film also stars Danny Devito, Annette Bening, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ariana DuBose and DeWanda Wise

Recently, Pine opened up about what it was like to grow up with actors as parents. Both his dad Robert, who starred on CHiPs, and his mom Gwynne were working actors for a time

'Going into the '80s it got rougher and rougher,' Chris told People. 'My dad, the work got sparser and sparser, and then the real estate crash in '87 or '88 pretty much wiped my family out'; seen in 2022

'They put 2 kids through college and private school, put my mother through school, paid off their debts," Chris said.

"I have a deep understanding of how very quickly it can go, how very good it can be, and how very quickly people are not returning your phone calls," he said.

'The kind of deep respect I have for my father now, becoming a man  because I think I'm still becoming a man  to know what he had to do for his family,' he said.

'It requires a strength and a humility. I don't know if I would have that similar strength.'
Vanderpump Rules stars Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney glowed when they were spotted out in New York City Tuesday night.

They were leaving a taping of Watch What Happens Live, where they finally revealed the opening date of their Los Angeles sandwich shop Something About Her.

Ariana, 38, and Katie, 37, have spent roughly two years preparing to launch their business but have had to cope with multiple delays.

However, during their late-night talk show appearance this week, they announced that they have now set their opening date for May 22.

After delightedly breaking the news, the two women were the image of good cheer as they spilled out onto a Manhattan sidewalk.

Vanderpump Rules stars Ariana Madix (right) and Katie Maloney (left) glowed when they were spotted out in New York City this Tuesday night

They were leaving a taping of Watch What Happens Live, where they announced the opening date of their Los Angeles sandwich shop Something About Her

Ariana cut a comfortable figure in a flowing pink top and a matching set of loose-fitted trousers, all with a floral print.

She changed into the relaxed ensemble after modeling a tight-fitted, strapless sequined cocktail dress on Watch What Happens Live.

Meanwhile, when Katie exited the taping, she was still in her show outfit of a shimmery black blouse and matching miniskirt.

Katie and Ariana's respective exes Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval own two Los Angeles bars together, TomTom and Schwartz and Sandy's.

The two women have spent years gearing up for the debut of their own business Something About Her, only to hit multiple roadblocks in the process.

One issue was their disputes with their chef and consultant Penny Davidi over matters such as salary, as seen on Vanderpump Rules.

Last month, Katie appeared on the podcast Popping Off With Teddi Mellencamp and Emily Simpson and shared that she and Ariana had parted company with Penny.

Katie and Ariana's appearance on Watch What Happens Live came on the heels of news that the filming of Vanderpump Rules has been delayed.

During their late-night talk show appearance this week, they shared that they have finally set their opening date for May 22

Ariana changed into her relaxed streetwear ensemble after modeling a tight-fitted, strapless cocktail dress on Watch What Happens Live

Although the reality show typically shoots from May through July, the production has now been postponed, insiders informed TMZ.

Sources insisted the program is not being axed, but that the cast merely needed some time to sort out the ongoing fallout from 'Scandoval' - including a bombshell revenge porn lawsuit against Ariana and Tom Sandoval.

'Scandoval' was the roiling controversy that erupted last year when Ariana broke up with Tom after discovering that he had conducted an affair with her friend Rachel Leviss, who was then then known as Raquel.

Rachel was subjected to a backlash so fierce that she quit Vanderpump Rules and retreated to a mental health facility for two months.

However she resurfaced last August to give a wide-ranging tell-all interview about the scandal on Bethenny Frankel's podcast.

'I feel like Ive been portrayed as the ultimate villain,' Rachel told Bethenny on Just B. 'My mistakes that Ive made on camera live on forever.'

During that interview, she claimed that Tom had recorded an intimate FaceTime conversation with her without informing her first.

She filed suit against him and Ariana this February, accusing Tom of 'secretly recording their private communications,' as well as 'capturing sexually explicit footage' of her 'without her knowledge or consent.'

Season 12 of Vanderpump Rules is delayed; Katie, Ariana, Tom Sandoval, Lisa Vanderpump, James Kennedy, Lala Kent, Tom Schwartz and Scheana Shay pictured for season 11

The cast are said to need time to sort out the ongoing fallout from 'Scandoval' - including a bombshell revenge porn lawsuit against Ariana and Tom Sandoval, pictured in 2021

Rachel alleged further that Ariana 'distributed, disseminated, shared, and publicized the illicit videos intentionally' after she discovered them on Tom's phone.

Her complaint, obtained by DailyMail.com, contended: '"Scandoval" captured the publics attention in a massive way, went completely viral, and injected new life into Vanderpump Rules.

'It also caused mayhem in Levisss life, culminating in months-long in-patient treatment at a mental health facility and her departure from the show.'

The complaint alleged: 'Fomented by Bravo and Evolution in conjunction with the cast, Leviss was subjected to a public skewering with little precedent and became, without exaggeration, one of the most hated women in America.'

Shortly thereafter, a Bravo insider said Tom was 'so crushed' by the lawsuit and that 'None of them ever realized that this would take the toll on Rachel that it did.'

'Scandoval' was the controversy that erupted last year when Ariana left Tom after discovering that he had conducted an affair with her friend Rachel Leviss (right); pictured 2022

Speaking to DailyMail.com, the source added: 'Tom honestly thought that he and Rachel would ride off into the sunset together. He was obsessed with her. He loved her so much and was so sure that she was the one he would spend forever with. For her to turn around and sue him is so absolutely shocking.'

More recently, Tom filed legal documents countering Rachel's lawsuit, which his team characterized as a 'thinly veiled attempt to extend her fame and to rebrand herself as the victim instead of the other woman,' according to Page Six.

Rachel's attorneys Mark Geragos and Bryan Freedman responded with a statement on her behalf to DailyMail.com, stating: 'Sandovals response in the face of irrefutable evidence that will be presented in court is disturbing.'

The statement continued: 'Leveraging such claims for media attention and perpetuating victim-blaming is not just deplorable but actionable.'
Jeff Goldblum doesn't want his children to rely on his estimated $40 million fortune once they become adults.

The Jurassic Park star, 71, hopes his sons Charlie, eight, and six, five, will be able to earn their own living - without depending on his bank account.

During an appearance on the Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi podcast, Goldblum said he wanted his kids to be able to find their own jobs.

'Now that I'm raising kids, I'm no conventionalist, but I know the system that we're in, and I think sooner than later, I don't want to scare them, they should figure out... but hey, you know, you've got to row your own boat,' Goldblum, who shares his children with wife Emilie Livingston, explained.

'It's an important thing to teach kids,' Bozzi said, before Goldblum added: 'I'm not going to do it for you. And you're not going to want me to do it for you.'

Jeff Goldblum's children aren't going to be able to rely on their famous father's fortune later in life

'You've got to figure out how to find out what's wanted and needed and where that intersects with your love and passion and what you can do. And even it if doesn't, you might have to do that anyway,' he said.

Indeed, Goldblum was able to build a career doing what he loves - and it's his hope his children are able to do the same.

Goldblum described how he dreamed of being actor before he found fame.

'I would write on the steamy glass shower door every morning, when I was taking a shower before school, "Please God let me be an actor." And then it was a secret, I didn't even tell my parents and I'd wipe it off before I left,' he told Bozzi.

'So nobody would know. It was like secret fries,' he said.

He was able to build up his comfortable nest egg with iconic roles in Jurassic Park, Independence Day, The Fly, and much more.

Goldblum shares his two children with his wife Emilie Livingston, whom he met at Equinox in Hollywood.

'We were at Equinox on Sunset Blvd., the gym. I saw her from across a crowded room, and I marched up to her, entranced, and began some kind of conversation,' he previously told Wired magazine.

The actor shares his two children with wife Emilie Livingston; pictured March 2024

The actor has had iconic roles in films such as Independence Day

His impressive resume includes 1993's Jurassic Park

Emilie competed at the Olympic Games in 2000 as a rhythmic gymnast on Team Canada.

Goldblum opened up about becoming a parent late in life during an interview with Today and remarked that he was happy to have been able to start a family.

The actor described parenthood as 'amazing, it's revivifying, and makes my relationship with Emilie, frankly, enhanced.'

The couple pictured in Milan in 2022

He gushed of his spouse: 'Seeing (my wife) in this new role is unbelievable. She's heroic beyond imagination,' he said.

Goldblum did acknowledge, however, that he was occasionally intimidated by the intense aspects of parenthood.

'It's challenging and it's sometimes maddening and very volatile...they can be like feral creatures unleashed,' he stated.

His marriage to Emilie marked the third time he walked down the aisle. He was previously married to Patricia Gould and Geena Davis.
Elisabeth Moss talked candidly about the power dynamic between Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder on the set of 1999 flick Girl, Interrupted.

The 41-year-old actress - who has been promoting FX on Hulu series The Veil - found herself in the middle of two 'camps' set up between the A-listers which she discussed on the latest episode of Lets Talk Off Camera With Kelly Ripa released on Wednesday.

In the flick Elisabeth portrayed Polly 'Torch' Clark who was a burn victim with schizophrenia alongside Winona, now 52, who played Susanna Kaysen and Angelina, now 48, who played Lisa Rowe in a role she earned the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for.

The Handmaid's Tale actress was only about 15 or 16 years old when she filmed the critically-acclaimed project as she opened up about the experience: 'My mom was still with me going to set.

'We were shooting in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I was with all these movie stars. It was Winona Ryder! And Angelina Jolie!'

Elisabeth Moss (pictured in November 2022) talked candidly about the power dynamic between Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder on the set of 1999 flick Girl, Interrupted

The 41-year-old actress found herself in the middle of two 'camps' set up between the A-listers which she discussed on the latest episode of Lets Talk Off Camera With Kelly Ripa released on Wednesday

In the flick Elisabeth portrayed Polly 'Torch' Clark who was a burn victim with schizophrenia alongside Winona, now 52, who played Susanna Kaysen and Angelina, now 48, who played Lisa Rowe in a role she earned the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for

The former star of Mad Men described being on set as 'being dropped into The Wizard Of Oz' and said that Angelina and Winona - who were in their 20s at the time - could not be more different.

Elisabeth said: 'There were two camps. There was the Winona Ryder camp and the Angelina Jolie camp.'

She went on to explain that the thespians involved did not actually choose what camp they were in as it was 'based on what was on camera' which meant that she was in Ryder's camp.

Elisabeth said: 'I was so intimidated by the Angelina Jolie camp.

'I had no thoughts of ever being able to be in that camp. It was so cool. It was all the cool girls.'

The talented actress said that years later she had spoke to Angelina and said it was 'lovely' while also candidly admitting 'at the time, it was just incredibly intimidating.'

Chat show host Ripa, 53, asked the star if she ended up talking about the two different camps.

Elisabeth responded: 'I never brought it up. Im sure she would have no idea what I was talking about anyway.'

The former star of Mad Men described being on set as 'being dropped into The Wizard Of Oz' and said that Angelina and Winona - who were in their 20s at the time - could not be more different as Elisabeth said: 'There were two camps. There was the Winona Ryder camp and the Angelina Jolie camp.'

The talented actress (pictured in September 2022) said that years later she had spoke to Angelina and said it was 'lovely' while also candidly admitting 'at the time, it was just incredibly intimidating'

As she portrayed a burn victim in the film, the star revealed that it would take about three hours every morning to get her face prosthetics on which made for interesting interactions with Winona.

She explained: 'I would forget that I had [the prosthetics] on.

'You wouldnt take it off at lunch or anything. I would go with Winona, because we became kind of good friends, I would go with her to the store or something. People on set thought that that was actually what I looked like.'

Elisabeth recalled that her castmates had not realized that she wasn't an actual burn victim until later.

She said: 'I wasnt famous. Nobody knew who I was. So the crew actually thought, unfortunately, that had really happened to me.

Elisabeth (pictured September 2022) recalled that her castmates had not realized that she wasn't an actual burn victim until later as she said: 'I wasnt famous. Nobody knew who I was. So the crew actually thought, unfortunately, that had really happened to me'

'It took a long time for them to realize it was not real. They did such a good job.'

Girl, Interrupted had a very impressive ensemble cast including the late Brittany Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, Clea DuVall, Vanessa Redgrave, Jared Leto, and Jeffrey Tambor.

It was centered around a directionless teenager, Susanna (Winona), is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.

The James Mangold directed film grossed $48million worldwide and was considered a commercial and critical success.
Christian Slater and his wife Brittany Lopez revealed they are expecting their second child together at the Los Angeles premiere of his film Unfrosted on Tuesday.

The longtime couple, who met on vacation in Florida's Little Palm Island when she was 21 and he was 39, went public with the exciting news as they walked the red carpet at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

As the duo posed for photographs together, Lopez, 35, debuted her baby bump as she turned to the side while standing next to Slater, 54, in a long floral dress.

The Mr. Robot star looked dapper in a charcoal grey suit, white dress shirt and black tie at the special screening for upcoming comedy film, directed by Jerry Seinfeld.

Christian Slater and his wife Brittany Lopez revealed they were expecting their second child together at the Los Angeles premiere of his film Unfrosted on Tuesday.

He and Lopez already share a four-year-old daughter, whose name has not been publicly revealed.

Slater welcomed his first two children Eliana, 22, and Jaden, 25, during his marriage to journalist Ryan Haddon.

Back in 2019, after the birth of his youngest, Slater told People he was enjoying watching her newborn 'really acknowledge' and smile at him.

'Before, it would just be this involuntary thing,' he raved. 'Now, she sees and smiles, and that's a beautiful milestone.'

At the time, he also joked about how 'complicated' parenting has become since the Nineties.

'I thought your kid could get a couple of germs and be fine, build up the immune system. But now you have to wash everything,' he mused on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

He continued: 'The bottles, they break down into eight different pieces, and it's a puzzle you have to put together.'

The performer admitted that the newborn stage was just 'a constant job' of constantly cleaning and 'late nights.'

The longtime couple, who met on vacation in Florida's Little Palm Island when she was 21 and he was 39, went public with the exciting news as they walked the red carpet at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood

As the duo posed for photographs together, Lopez, 35, debuted her baby bump as she turned to the side while standing next to Slater, 54, in a long floral dress

The Mr. Robot looked dapper in a charcoal grey suit, white dress shirt and black tie at the special screening for upcoming comedy film, directed by Jerry Seinfeld

He went on to brag that his spouse 'was happy to see that' he 'did possess some skills' from raising his two eldest children.

'I was able to contribute something, and that I did know how to change some diapers,' he explained. 'She wasn't expecting me to be as involved as I have been.'

Slater and his wife married in a secret Miami-area courthouse ceremony back in December 2013.

The couple celebrated their engagement with a New Year's Eve bash in 2012, and hundreds of friends and family were in attendance.

He and Lopez already share a four-year-old daughter, whose name has not been publicly revealed; seen in 2018

'It kind of already feels like we did the wedding,' he said at the time.

Despite the private affair for the official wedding, Christian and Brittany planned a familial event for their wedding later that year.

'It will be good, intimate and small and family members. It will be nice,' he told People, at the time. 'Honestly, you gotta get a planner and do all that, but we will get it organized.

'We had a big engagement party on the 31st of December and it was nice, it was like a New Year's and we had all the family come... so we are just going to do a nice backyard situation,' he said.
Selena Gomez showed off her shapely legs as she she attended an event for her Rare Beauty line in New York City on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old pop star was appearing at her brand's third annual Mental Health Summit, where she spoke onstage with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

For her latest public engagement, she was decked out in an elegant cream cocktail dress that featured an asymmetric hem and a ruched cowl.

Sweeping her dark hair back into a high ponytail, she accented her unmistakable features with makeup including a dark shade of lipstick.

She added a splash of dazzle to the ensemble with a set of hoop earrings and a matching gold bracelet, accessorizing with a white handbag.

Selena Gomez showed off her shapely legs as she she attended an event for her Rare Beauty line in New York City on Wednesday

The 31-year-old pop star was appearing at her brand's third annual Mental Health Summit, where she spoke onstage with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

For her latest public engagement, she was decked out in an elegant cream cocktail dress that featured an asymmetric hem and a ruched cowl

The 5'5" actress lent herself a bit of extra stature by rounding off her stylish ensemble with a pair of nude heels.

She enjoyed an onstage reunion with Vivek, with whom she previously conducted a Social Summit during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.

The Surgeon General was originally appointed by Barack Obama, then briefly served under Donald Trump and was reinstated by Joe Biden.

Held virtually on World Mental Health Day, the 2020 meeting allowed Selena to discuss the impact of chronic loneliness with Vivek, who was not in office then.

When Selena spoke to him in 2020, she confessed that she suffered a period of depression early in the lockdowns as she 'couldnt deal with it that well.'

However she pulled herself out of her low point by writing and 'spending a lot more time with my family,' as well as other 'quality people' in her life.

Her latest summit with the Surgeon General comes after her new boyfriend Benny Blanco dished about their sex life.

Benny is himself a high-flyer in the music industry, as a record producer and songwriter who has worked with a variety of artists including Halsey, Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Charlie Puth and Kanye West.

She added a splash of dazzle to the ensemble with a set of hoop earrings and a matching gold bracelet, accessorizing with a white handbag

The 5'5" actress lent herself a bit of extra stature by rounding off her stylish ensemble with a pair of nude heels

She enjoyed an onstage reunion with Vivek Murthy, with whom she previously conducted a Social Summit during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020

She confirmed her romance with Benny Blanco in December, leaving her fans stunned by revealing they had been secretly dating for six months

Benny recently shared an Instagram image of a steak he made Selena, spilling that 'whenever I want to put a smile on her face or get laid, I just make her steak'

Benny has just published a new cookbook called Open Wide, an achievement he celebrated on Tuesday with a cake made to look like the volume

Selena posted a suggestive Instagram snap that evening of herself licking the cake - specifically, the image of Benny in the frosting, just below the waist

He let slip a few details about his romance with Selena while sharing an Instagram image of a steak dinner that he had prepared for her.

'I woke up early this morning and I was like: "I want to do something nice for my girlfriend,'" said the 36-year-old musician. 'I was thinking, whenever I want to put a smile on her face or get laid, I just make her steak.'

Benny has just published a new cookbook called Open Wide, an achievement he celebrated on Tuesday with a cake made to look like the volume.

Selena posted a suggestive Instagram snap that evening of herself licking the cake - specifically, the image of Benny in the frosting, just below the waist.

She confirmed her romance with Benny in December, leaving her fans stunned by revealing they had been secretly dating for six months.
Azealia Banks has inserted herself in Kendrick Lamar and Drake's beef by calling the former a 'nepo baby' leading to ire from many social media users including her own fans.

The 32-year-old rapper took to Instagram on Wednesday to respond to Kendrick's much talked about diss of Drake

In her social media post she makes the puzzling statement which read: 'Kendrick is a nepo baby and that's the only reason why he's in the forefront.'

The HUMBLE. hitmaker comes from humble beginnings as his father Kenneth 'Kenny' Duckworth is a former gang hustler who had worked at KFC.

His mother Paula Oliver is a hairdresser who had previously worked at McDonald's.

Azealia Banks has inserted herself in Kendrick Lamar (pictured right) and Drake's beef by calling the former a 'nepo baby' leading to ire from many social media users including her own fans.

The 32-year-old rapper took to Instagram on Wednesday to respond to Kendrick's much talked about diss of Drake

Many flooded to Azealia's comments section to question her statement as one said: 'Nepo baby? I'm not even a huge Kendrick fan but GKMC [Kendrick's 2012 album good kid, m.A.A.d city] alone earned him a seat at the table. I like your work, but... frankly, you've never performed at that level [shrug emoji]'

Both of his parents are from the South Side of Chicago and relocated to Compton, California in 1984.

Many flooded to Azealia's comments section to question her statement as one said: 'Nepo baby? I'm not even a huge Kendrick fan but GKMC [Kendrick's 2012 album good kid, m.A.A.d city] alone earned him a seat at the table.

'I like your work, but... frankly, you've never performed at that level [shrug emoji]'

Another couldn't believe that Azealia was accusing Kendrick of having celebrity parents who have succeeded in the same career as they wrote: 'Kendrick is nepo baby??'

She certainly seemed to be taking Drake's side in the beef as the rest of Azealia's statement read: 'Kendrick Lamar is so puny Runty and unf***able there's nothing he can do to "win" anything.

'I'm completely sorry but the little man anger is never ever going to be a thing.'

She added a lengthy caption as she praised rapper Cory Gunz writing: 'Because if we really wanna get into it. @corygunz is washing everybody. Cory Gunz does not get enough credit and Im really tired of watching these rap boys arguing on Twitter like girls and not being accused of having mental health issues or being demonized as villains when All I did was speak my opinion.

'These dudes are out here ordering gang hits on one another. Theyre all in love with each other starting p**** a** beef when not a single one of them is f***in with Cory Gunz, Styles P, Cyhi Da Prince, Future or any other male rapper that acts like he has some d*** in his pants. Ffs'

The HUMBLE. hitmaker (pictured in August 2017) comes from humble beginnings as his father Kenneth 'Kenny' Duckworth is a former gang hustler who had worked at KFC and his mother Paula Oliver is a hairdresser who had previously worked at McDonald's

She (pictured in July 2015) certainly seemed to be taking Drake's side in the beef as the rest of Azealia's statement read: 'Kendrick Lamar is so puny Runty and unf***able there's nothing he can do to "win" anything. I'm completely sorry but the little man anger is never ever going to be a thing'

Several social media users questioned Azealia's statement on her Instagram post

On Tuesday Kendrick finally dropped a retaliatory diss track against nemesis Drake - questioning the biracial rapper's ethnicity in shock lyrics.

Drake, 37, slammed the 36-year-old Grammy winner's physical stature and suggested that his pop collaborations have caused him to lose his edge in his barbed tracks n songs Taylor Made Freestyle and Push Ups.- which in itself came after Lamar slammed Drake on the album We Dont Trust You in March.

Now Lamar has dropped track Euphoria which addresses Drake directly and whether he 'feels black enough' - as well as branding him an absent father and 'master manipulator'.

Lamar raps: 'How many more fairytale stories about your life 'til we've had enough? How many more Black features 'til you finally feel that you're Black enough?'

Drake was previously slammed by Pusha T for a 2007 photo featuring him in blackface while Pusha T also revealed Drake had a child on 2018 diss track, The Story of Adidon - which was unknown to the public at the time.

Elsewhere in the track, Lamar raps: 'Know you a master manipulator and habitual liar, too/But dont tell no lie bout me, and I wont tell truths bout you.'

Taking direct aim at Drake's legal threat from Tupac Shakur's estate over using AI generated vocals of the late star, he rapped: 'Somebody had told me that you got a ring/On God, Im ready to double the wage/Id rather do that than let a Canadian n---a make Pac turn in his grave.'

'The very first time I shot me a Drac, the homie had told me to aim it this way/I didnt point down enough/Today, I show you I learned from those mistakes.'

On Tuesday Kendrick finally dropped a retaliatory diss track against nemesis Drake - questioning the biracial rapper's ethnicity in shock lyrics

Drake, 37, slammed the 36-year-old Grammy winner's physical stature and suggested that his pop collaborations have caused him to lose his edge in his barbed tracks n songs Taylor Made Freestyle and Push Ups.- which in itself came after Lamar slammed Drake on the album We Dont Trust You in March

'This aint been bout critics, not about gimmicks, not about who the greatest / Its always been about love and hate, now let me say Im the biggest hater / I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk /I hate the way that you dress I hate the way you sneak diss, if I catch flight, its gon be direct.'

Lamar also accused Drake of being an absent father to son Adonis, six, rapping: 'I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin' 'bout that.'

Even the song's title appeared to be a jab as Drake is notably an executive producer on HBO drama, Euphoria.

The drama appeared to ignite back in March, when Kendrick dissed Drake and J. Cole on the song Like That from Future and Metro Boomin's album We Don't Trust You.

The song is Drake's second diss track against Lamar and was dropped on Instagram last week.

Lamar raps: ' How many more fairytale stories about your life 'til we've had enough? How many more Black features 'til you finally feel that you're Black enough?' - Drake is of white Jewish Canadian and black American descent - seen with parents Sandi and Graham

Taking direct aim at Drake's legal threat from Tupac Shakur's estate over using AI generated vocals of the late star, he rapped: 'Id rather do that than let a Canadian n---a make Pac turn in his grave.'; Tupac pictured in 1996

Lamar also accused Drake of being an absent father to son Adonis, six, rapping: 'I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin' 'bout that' (Drake pictured with Adonis in January)

'Taylor Made Freestyle,' he captioned the post, adding: 'While we wait on you I guess.'

Snoop reacted to the track in humorous fashion on Instagram, stating to the camera: 'They did what? When? How? Are you sure? Y'all have a good night.

'Why everybody calling my phone, blowing me up? What the f**k? What happened? What's going on? I'm going back to bed. Good night.'

Lamar threw multiple lyrical jabs to both Drake and J Cole, furiously rapping the stand out line: 'Motherf**k the big three, n***a, it's just big me.'

The line was seemingly a direct response to a bar Cole dropped in his collaboration with Drake called First Person Shooter.

'Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K. Dot [Kendrick]? Is it Aubrey [Drake]? Or me? / We the big three, like we started a league,' J Cole said.

Lamar didn't miss the chance to take another a jab at Champagne Papi, cleverly referencing his latest album title, For all the Dogs.

Fore all your dogs gettin buried/ Thats a K with all these nines, he gon see Pet Sematary. Woof!'

Drake is complying with Tupac's estate after he was sent a cease and desist letter for using AI to recreate the late rapper's voice in his Lamar diss track, Taylor Made Freestyle.

The drama appeared to ignite back in March, when Kendrick dissed Drake and J. Cole on the song Like That from Future and Metro Boomin's album We Don't Trust You - Lamar pictured 2022

After taking down the track on his social media accounts on Friday, the rapper, 37, and his team are also reportedly working with Tupac's estate to get the song removed from all other platforms online.

Drake gave no explanation for removing the song from his Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, account.

According to TMZ, his team and representatives have been in direct contact with the late rap star's estate after receiving the cease and desist demands on Wednesday and have had multiple, productive discussions.

This comes after attorneys for Tupac's estate sent out a letter to Drake for the 'flagrant violation' and for insulting Lamar, who they said was 'a good friend to the Estate' and 'has given nothing but respect to Tupac and his legacy publicly and privately.'

They also set a 24-hour deadline to remove the song and explain how the soundalike was created, including what recordings were used to recreate Tupac's voice with AI.

The letter added that the estate was 'deeply dismayed and disappointed' by the unauthorized usage as it was 'a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.'

Last week, Drake dropped Taylor Made Freestyle, which used artificial intelligence to clone both Tupac and Snoop Dogg's voices in his second diss track against Lamar.

On Wednesday, the late rapper's estate has sent Drake a cease and desist letter seeking the removal of the song, according to Rolling Stone.

Sent by attorney Howard King, the letter gave Drake 24 hours to take the track down or else they would pursue legal action against him.

The letter claimed the estate 'would have never' approved of the AI recreation of Tupac.
Zawe Ashton and Trinny Woodall looked glamorous at the National Theatre Up Next Gala on Wednesday evening.

The actress, 39, flashed her legs in a figure-hugging black thigh-split gown, teamed with lace-up stilettos.

She accessorised with dainty silver jewellery and carried her belongings in a white clutch bag.

Meanwhile, Trinny wore an ankle-length short-sleeved silver dress with a blinding silver coat over her shoulders.

The trench coat was covered in glitter and long-sleeved and only slightly shorter than her dress which had a ruched hem.

Zawe Ashton and Trinny Woodall looked glamorous at the National Theatre Up Next Gala on Wednesday evening

The actress, 39, flashed her legs in a figure-hugging black thigh-split gown, teamed with lace-up stilettos

Trinny offset her stunning dress and blinding sequinned silver trench coat with a pair of satin yellow shoes

The businesswomen, 60, offset her stunning outfit with a pair of satin yellow shoes with low heels and a strap around the ankle.

She accessorised with silver bangles and earrings but the high neck of the dress prevented her from wearing a necklace.

Up Next is the National Theatre's biennial fundraising held at the Olivier Theatre, London, to address the inequalities in the Arts.

Zawe and her fiance Tom Hiddleston, who she's been with since 2019, welcomed their first child in October 2022.

Tom recently opened up about fatherhood during an appearance at the Miami Film Festival.

The 43-year-old actor - who recently opened up about the future of his Marvel TV series Loki - was honored with Variety's Virtuoso Award on Wednesday.

While hitting the red carpet before the event (via 7 News Miami ), Hiddleston was asked about the impact that becoming a father has had on his life.

Andrew Garfield cut a dapper figure in a dark blue velvet tuxedo

He caught up with Clint Dyer at the event

Katherine Kingsley put on a very leggy display in a black blazer dress and heels

Dame Harriet Walter looked typically chic in a grey floral suit

Gary Lineker donned a grey suit on the night

Andy Serkis wore a black tuxedo, while Lorraine Ashbourne wowed in a plunging ruffle gown

Hugh Skinner, Monica Dolan, Lesley Sharp and David Morrissey posed for a group snap

Clint Dyer and Saskia Reeves dressed to impress

Zoe Wannamaker and Gawn Grainger appeared happy on the night

'Its just changed everything. It changed the center of my life completely. Theres a before and an after, and Im happy to be living in the after,' he said.

'Its the most profound honor to be here. Im so grateful to Variety and the Miami Film Festival and Miami Dade College for inviting me,' he added.

Hiddleston and Ashton, a British actress and playwright, started dating in 2019 and they got engaged in June 2022.

Just a few months later, they welcomed their first child in October 2022, though they have yet to reveal the child's name or gender.
Tasha Ghouri flashed some cleavage as she posed up a storm in scorching hot South African desert shots for the new Ann Summers SS24 festival campaign, which launched on Thursday.

The Love Island star, 25, posed suggestively in a series of barely there swimming costumes and outfits that conjured images of post-apocalyptic thriller Mad Max: Fury Road.

One shot saw her stun in a pink-sequinned halter neck body suit and knee-high chunky black lace-up boots.

In another, she wore a hot pink bodysuit and similar boots with black laces criss-crossed up her thighs.

Tasha flashed some thigh in a sheer gold dress which she wore over black bikini bottoms - but no bikini top.

Tasha Ghouri posed up a storm in scorching hot South African desert shots for the new Ann Summers SS24 festival campaign, which launched on Thursday

She looked effortlessly sexy as she sat down on one of the huge speakers and rested a foot on another

The Love Island star pranced around and posed suggestively in a series of barely there swimming costumes and outfits

She looked effortlessly sexy as she sat down amongst a dump of huge speakers and rested a foot on one.

Changing outfits, Tasha donned a top hat with goggles on top and a blue-silver sequinned bodysuit with fishnets.

Tasha was joined by several models on the shoot and they posed behind her as they graced a swimming pool.

She also flashed some thigh in a sheer gold dress which she wore over black bikini bottoms - but no bikini top.

Two joined Tasha, who pulled a funny face, at the speakers with one wearing a similar top hat and goggle combo.

Both placed an arm or two above their heads but Tasha perched on the corner of a speaker, her hands between her legs.

Tasha and two models wore silver bejewelled rabbit masks and all made kissy faces and one blew a kiss as well.

She then reminded fans of her dancing background when she effortlessly balanced on one leg with only a thin railing for support.

The blonde beauty will appear in several more campaigns for Ann Summer this season as their brand ambassador.

Sizing for the new range is inclusive, ranging from cup size 32A - 38G, and bottoms and bodysuits are available in sizes 6 -18 / XS  XXL. Prices start at 14.

In another, she wore a hot pink bodysuit and similar boots with black laces criss-crossed up her thighs

Back on the speakers, Tasha donned a top hat with goggles on top and a blue-silver sequinned bodysuit with fishnets

Tasha flashed some thigh in a sheer gold dress which she wore over black bikini bottoms - but no bikini top

She looked beautiful as she looked down, showing off her earrings made of large pastel-coloured sequins

Tasha was joined by several models on the shoot and they posed behind her as they graced a swimming pool

Tasha and a model wore similar black and gold swimwear: Tasha's a swimsuit and the model's a bikini

Two more joined Tasha, who pulled a funny face, at the speakers with one wearing a similar top hat and goggle combo

Both placed an arm or two above their heads but Tasha perched on the corner of a speaker, her hands between her legs

Tasha and two models wore silver bejewelled rabbit masks and all made kissy faces and one blew a kiss as well

Tasha reminded fans of her dancing background when she effortlessly balanced on one leg with only a thin railing for support

She displayed her toned abs and flaunted her enviable figure in a blue bikini as the sun prepared to set

Then she placed both hands on her hips in a plunging black one piece next to two models who wore bikinis

She stunned in a pink bikini in front of a gushing ocean and again returned to her elegant one-leg pose
Andy Lee has announced his engagement to girlfriend Rebecca Harding after 10 years together.

The comedian, 42, revealed the exciting news on the latest episode of his Hamish and Andy podcast on May 1.

Speaking with his podcast co-host Hamish Blake, Andy shared intimate details of his proposal, before inviting his fiancee on the show.

'I asked Bec to marry me on Sunday,' Andy announced.

Hamish said he was overjoyed and that he and his wife Zoe Foster Blake were both 'crying' with happiness over the news.

Andy Lee has announced his engagement to girlfriend Rebecca Harding after 10 years together (both pictured)

'Is it a bit quick? That's all I wanna ask,' he also joked.

Rebecca, 33, also shared an update to her Instagram account while showing off the stunning diamond engagement ring.

'People keep saying weve rushed into this but we dont care what people say!' she captioned her post.

Andy and Rebecca, who are currently undertaking a $5million renovation project after buying a historic mansion in Melbourne's east, went to their 'new old house' under the guise they needed to film videos for social media ahead of starting the build.

The comedian, 42, revealed the exciting news on the latest episode of his Hamish and Andy podcast on May 1

Rebecca showed off the stunning diamond ring in an Instagram post on Thursday

Pretending to get something out of the marble fireplace, Andy was on one knee when he produced a napkin - which symbolised how they met.

Andy and Rebecca met in 2014 at a Melbourne cafe where she was working as a waitress. The TV personality ended up leaving his email address on a napkin for her, and the rest is history.

'When I was down there, I stayed on one knee and I gave her another napkin - because when I first met her at the cafe, I wrote on a napkin my details - and I gave her another napkin,' Lee said of the proposal.

The comedian revealed the exciting news on the latest episode of his Hamish and Andy podcast on May 1

Andy and Rebecca met in 2014 at a Melbourne cafe where she was working as a waitress. The TV personality ended up leaving his email address on a napkin for her, and the rest is history

Rebecca and Andy went public with their relationship at the 2015 Australian Open.

In 2022, the couple confirmed they had briefly split for six months in 2016 after Rebecca felt 'immense pressure' dating someone in the public eye.

However, they soon realised they were meant to be during their time apart.

For years, the rumour mill has been spinning with speculation about the pair getting engaged.

Andy went public with Rebecca at the 2015 Australian Open (pictured)

For years, the rumour mill has been spinning with speculation about the pair getting engaged

In February, Andy was forced to assure The Hundred viewers hadn't secretly married his longtime sweetheart.

Andy made the announcement as he was responding to a joke from co-star Tom Gleeson, who brought up his well-publicised love life.

'Andy has got something to announce, he's just eloped!' Tom said.

'Stick around till the end of the show, if that's the case... It's not the case,' Andy hit back.

In 2019, radio host Fifi Box questioned their marital status after the station received an email from a publicist referring to the couple as 'Andy and his fiancee Bec'.

Engagement rumours were sparked again in 2020 when Andy posted a photo of Rebecca hiding her left hand while celebrating her 30th birthday

In 2022, the couple confirmed they had briefly split for six months in 2016 after Rebecca felt 'immense pressure' dating someone in the public eye

A month earlier, former Today show host Georgie Gardner had also tried to get a definitive answer on where the couple were in their personal life.

'Gosh, Andy. She is wife material. Just saying, she is wife material,' she told Andy, who was a guest on the program.

The funnyman replied: 'Has my mum been texting you? What the hell is going on?'

Engagement rumours were sparked again in 2020 when Andy posted a photo of Rebecca hiding her left hand while celebrating her 30th birthday.

'Is there a ring she's hiding with her left sleeve?' one eagle-eyed follower wrote, keen to see if the pair were about to share exciting news.
Kim Kardashian is coming in white-hot with her latest photo shoot.

The SKIMS mogul, 43, modeled a skintight spaghetti strap dress from the brand's cotton line, sharing photos of the look Wednesday on the company's Instagram.

She looked statuesque as she flaunted her signature curves in the cotton rib long cami dress in marble.

The dress goes for $74 on the SKIMS website, also available in light heather gray, soot and stone.

Kardashian's latest SKIMS shoot comes after the brand revealed she wears a size small bra and a size XS onesie this week, leaving some fans in disbelief.

Kim Kardashian modeled a skintight spaghetti strap dress from SKIMS' cotton line, sharing photos of the look Wednesday on the company's Instagram

She looked statuesque as she flaunted her signature curves in the cotton rib long cami dress in marble

'Kim is beautiful but she's not an XS,' one Instagram follower commented on the western-themed shoot.

'Can you either just stop putting Kim Kardashian's size on there or actually give the real size,' they added. 'I don't know if anybody's actually falling for it. She's not an extra small.'

SKIMS previously revealed that she wears a small bra and extra small bikini.

Kardashian previously visited Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House last week to discuss criminal justice reform.

'Honored to join Vice President Harris, criminal justice advocates and four incredible small business owners who received pardons at the White House Second Chance event!' she shared on Instagram.

As part of the event, President Joe Biden granted clemency to 16 people who were convicted of non-violent drug crimes.

'We got to hear the lived experiences of how convictions impact your life from the pardon recipients and discussed the changes the Small Business Administration made to allow people with criminal convictions to take out loans!,' wrote Kardashian.

'Much more to do but grateful for progress!' she added.

Meanwhile, Kardashian is making moves in the TV industry, joining Emma Roberts and Pretty Little Liars creator I. Marlene King as producers on the upcoming Netflix series Calabasas.

Kardashian's latest SKIMS shoot comes after the brand revealed she wears an XS onesie this week, leaving some fans in disbelief

Kardashian previously visited Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House last week to discuss criminal justice reform

Meanwhile, Kardashian is making moves in the TV industry, joining Emma Roberts and Pretty Little Liars creator I. Marlene King as producers on the upcoming Netflix series Calabasas

Kardashian most recently starred alongside Roberts, 33, in American Horror Story: Delicate , season 12 of Ryan Murphy's FX anthology series

Based on Via Bleidner's 2021 book If You Lived Here You'd Be Famous By Now, the show follows a girl from the Midwest whose family moves to the SoCal neighborhood popularized by Kardashian's famous family.

The show marks the fourth scripted project in the works as a producer, following Netflix's The Fifth Wheel, in which she'll also star.

She's also attached to an untitled thriller project at Amazon and a legal drama by Ryan Murphy, in which she'll play a character inspired by her own divorce attorney Laura Wasser.

Kardashian most recently starred alongside Roberts, 33, in American Horror Story: Delicate, season 12 of Murphy's FX anthology series.
Sydney Sweeney was spotted while walking through the Mexico International Airport in Mexico City on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old actress was wearing a long off-white coat with the tag still on the sleeve as she added light slacks and white sneakers.

The pinup kept her black sunglasses on while her white blonde hair was down in waves.

Sweeney was escorted by several male airport attendants as she waved to the cameras.

This comes after the Euphoria star was spotted having a great time with friends during a vacation in Hawaii where she modeled several different bikinis.

Sydney Sweeney was spotted while walking through the Mexico International Airport in Mexico City on Wednesday

The 26-year-old actress was wearing a long off-white coat with the tag still on the sleeve as she added light slacks and white sneakers

The actress posted photos and video from her vacation in Hawaii with friends Liv Meyer and Kelley McCartney.

'Ok gtg back to work now, this has been fun,' the Euphoria star wrote next to the photo drop.

The trio seemed to have an amazing time exploring the lush island terrain.

The pals bought matching white shirts with 'Hawaii' written on the back with a colorful graphic.

The Anyone But You actress put on a cheeky display for the camera as they gaze out at the sapphire blue ocean and azure sky.

Adventures included suiting up for a zip line.

Sweeney smiled for the camera before taking off on her trip high above the tree tops wearing a long sleeve black body suit and shorts with a red vest and blue protective helmet.

The threesome also traveled to a water fall where they took turns jumping from the forested cliff into the water below.

Sweeney seemed to be holding her nose on the way down before she hit the water.

The pinup kept her black sunglasses on while her white blonde hair was down in waves

Sweeney was escorted by several male airport attendants as she waved to the cameras

The Madame Web star donned a black and brown cover up as she enjoyed an outing on a luxury yacht.

The barefoot beauty accessorized with a couple of ankle bracelets made from shells.

She seemed to enjoy goofing around at the pool of her resort.

The friends seemed to enjoy goofing around at the resort.

Meyer allowed the other two to pile swim tubes over her head while carrying a porpoise float in one hand and another innertube in the other.

Meyer, a professional photographer, seemed to use her creative skills to capture a portrait of their footsteps in the sand.

This comes after the Euphoria star was spotted having a great time with friends during a vacation in Hawaii where she modeled several different bikinis

The actress posted photos and video from her vacation in Hawaii with friends Liv Meyer and Kelley McCartney

'Ok gtg back to work now, this has been fun,' the Euphoria star wrote next to the photo drop.

The Immaculate star glammed up for an outing, wearing a tropically themed multi colored bandeau top and shorts with a matching cover up.

She wore dark sunglasses and natural looking makeup and placed a yellow flower over her right ear as she posed for the camera.

The busy actress has returned to Los Angeles and re-united with her fiance Jonathan Davino.

She has two films currently in post production; the thriller Echo Valley, and Ron Howard's Eden, about a group of friends who turn their back on society and move to the Galapagos Islands.
Rebecca Harding looked very chic on Wednesday as she stepped out at the Michael Hill Flagship Opening in Melbourne - but she wasn't wearing her engagement ring.

The model, 33, was all smiles after partner Andy Lee finally popped the question that morning after 10 years of dating, though she was missing her telltale diamond.

Arriving on the arm of fashion stylist Elliot Garnaut at Chadstone, Bec was a vision of beauty garbed in a black dress with a very conservative neckline and long sleeves.

She accessorised with a pair of sheer black stockings, a designer bag, and trendy black boots as she pinned back the upper layer of her brown locks.

The Lui Body founder let her natural beauty shine through with a minimal makeup look as she slipped a ring onto her middle finger.

Rebecca Harding, 33, (pictured) looked very chic on Wednesday as she stepped out at the Michael Hill Flagship Opening in Melbourne - but she wasn't wearing her engagement ring

Despite announcing her engagement to now fiance Andy just hours before on his Hamish and Andy podcast, the absence of her diamond ring was a glaring omission.

Andy got down on one knee in the historic Melbourne mansion the pair are currently renovating, 10 years after they first met in a local cafe where she was waitressing.

It's unknown why Bec chose not to wear her engagement ring, but all was put right Thursday morning when she finally flashed the massive diamond on Instagram.

The model was all smiles after partner Andy Lee finally popped the question that morning after 10 years of dating, though she was missing her telltale diamond

Arriving on the arm of fashion stylist Elliot Garnaut (right) at Chadstone, Bec was a vision of beauty garbed in a black dress with a very conservative neckline and long sleeves

It's unknown why Bec chose not to wear her engagement ring, but all was put right Thursday morning when she finally flashed the massive diamond on Instagram. Pictured with Andy Lee

Elsewhere at the jewellery event, model Francesca Hung turned heads in a stunning but simple black gown which cinched in her waist.

The former Miss Universe Australia, 30, looked a classic beauty in the strapless frock which she paired with a set of black pumps.

Her elegant attire served to highlight her silver necklace and blinding diamond ring as she let her long dark tresses tumble over one shoulder.

Elsewhere at the jewellery event, model Francesca Hung, 30, (pictured) turned heads in a stunning but simple black gown which cinched in her waist

The former Miss Universe Australia looked a classic beauty in the strapless frock which she paired with a set of black pumps

Her elegant attire served to highlight her silver necklace and blinding diamond ring as she let her long dark tresses tumble over one shoulder

The Bachelor star Anna Robards, 37, also made an appearance in all-black attire, slipping into basic slacks and a zipped up jacket for the occasion.

Former Neighbours actor Olympia Valance, 31, opted for a baby blue suit she paired with white pointed pumps and a matching Jacquemus handbag worth $1,080.

Meanwhile, Love Island star Anna McEvoy, 32, slipped into a brown monochrome look with loose fit slacks, an oversized coat and designer handbag.

Jeweller and influencer Charlene Davies made quite the show posing up a storm in a blue halter gown adorned with flowers.

The Bachelor star Anna Robards, 37, (pictured) also made an appearance in all-black attire, slipping into basic slacks and a zipped up jacket for the occasion

Former Neighbours actor Olympia Valance, 31, (pictured) opted for a baby blue suit she paired with white pointed pumps and a matching Jacquemus handbag worth $1,080

Meanwhile, Love Island star Anna McEvoy, 32, (pictured) slipped into a brown monochrome look with loose fit slacks, an oversized coat and designer handbag
After she was excluded from the recent Dance Moms reunion, Abby Lee Miller is speaking her mind.

The retired dance instructor, 58, admitted she was 'harsh' on some of her former students as she reflected on the reality show for 'Dance Moms: Behind the Curtain', an upcoming episode of IMPACT x Nightline.

'No matter how harsh I was on the kid, they werent gonna get it,' she told ABC News' Juju Chang in a clip.

'They just didnt have the talent,' Miller added. 'They didnt have it.'

She clarified, 'I don't want to hurt anyones feelings. I want to get them to be better and be the best they can be.'

Abby Lee Miller admitted she was 'harsh' on some of her former students as she reflected on Dance Moms for an upcoming episode of IMPACT x Nightline

'No matter how harsh I was on the kid, they werent gonna get it,' she told ABC News' Juju Chang in a clip

Miller previously taught kids at the Abby Lee Dance Company, which was the focus of Dance Moms' eight-season run from 2011 to 2019.

The choreographer frequently lost her temper with some of her students and butted heads with their parents on the show.

She previously told DailyMail.com she wasn't asked to participate in Lifetime's Dance Moms: The Reunion special, which premieres Wednesday.

'I saw the trailer and all I can say is that producers clearly cannot come up with anything new,' she said in March.

'They are still using the same old footage, still using the same old conflicts, and still trying to make me look as bad as possible,' added Miller. 'They are still using me.'

The special reunites Miller's former proteges JoJo Siwa, Kendall Vertes, Chloe Lukasiak, Kalani Hilliker, Brooke Hyland and Paige Hyland.

'Those beautiful girls that are on this reunion are girls that I helped to raise,' said Miller.

'The girls who break down in tears on the trailer are girls that would not have become who they are without me,' she added. 'I helped raise them.'

Miller continued: 'They are now successful, confident, and pretty damn wealthy. They all got paid $50,000 to do this reunion. I was not asked to be in it, and I didnt get paid anything. Save your tears for the pillow.'

She clarified, 'I don't want to hurt anyones feelings. I want to get them to be better and be the best they can be'

Miller previously taught kids at the Abby Lee Dance Company, which was the focus of Dance Moms' eight-season run from 2011 to 2019

The choreographer frequently lost her temper with some of her students and butted heads with their parents on the show

In 2022, Miller sold her Pittsburgh dance studio after nearly 30 years in an off-market deal for $300,000

Although Maddie Ziegler was not in attendance, she previously said she feels 'at peace' after leaving the 'toxic environment' of Miller's studio in 2016.

'She trained me, she helped me, but also, I knew I would be okay without her and I was sick of being in a toxic environment,' she told Cosmopolitan in 2022.

'I was like, "This is not for me. I cant do this,"' added Ziegler, 21. 'I haven't spoken to her since.'

After Adriana Smith accused Miller of making a racist remark against her when her daughter Kamryn was on season eight, Miller said she 'I genuinely understand and deeply regret' her words.

She was also sued for assault in 2014 by Paige Hyland when she was 13. Paige, now 23, also filed an emotional distress lawsuit, which was dropped.

She previously told DailyMail.com she wasn't asked to participate in Lifetime's Dance Moms: The Reunion special, which premieres Wednesday

'I was not asked to be in it, and I didnt get paid anything,' said Miller

The special reunites Miller's former proteges JoJo Siwa , Kendall Vertes, Chloe Lukasiak, Kalani Hilliker, Brooke Hyland and Paige Hyland

Miller said that beating Burkitt lymphoma and serving a year in prison for fraud, she doesn't 'get that upset over things.'

'It's hard to deal with the moms, all of that's hard, but I don't fly off the handle as quickly as I did,' she told Us Weekly in 2019.

'And when the kids don't win, I'm like, "Yeah, but you were great,"' added Miller.

In 2022, Miller sold her Pittsburgh dance studio after nearly 30 years in an off-market deal for $300,000.

Miller explained the 'bittersweet' decision in a video on Instagram. 'I sold my property - I didn't sell my name,' she said.

'I didn't sell my brand. I didn't sell my life's work,' added Miller. 'I sold brick, mortar, cinder blocks and an amazing dance floor that is still in mint condition. The best floors that I ever stood on.'

Dance Moms: The Reunion airs Wednesday at 8/7c on Lifetime. IMPACT x Nightline's 'Dance Moms: Behind the Curtain' premieres Thursday on Hulu.
Katie Price's boyfriend JJ Slater's fashion company has reportedly suffered a 31k loss.

It comes as Katie was declared bankrupt for a second time after failing to pay over 750,000 in unpaid tax - and will now face losing her home unless HMRC can recover the money.

Outside of reality TV, JJ, 31, who is currently enjoying a lavish getaway in Cyprus with the glamour mode, 45, is the founder and owner of a fashion brand called Fully Blessed.

And The Sun has now revealed new financial documents show his company has made a loss of 31,006.

JJ told MailOnline: 'As all entrepreneurs know, starting a new business takes investment. It takes courage to invest in yourself and pursue a passion.

Katie Price 's boyfriend JJ Slater's fashion company has suffered a 31k loss

It comes as Katie was declared bankrupt for a second time after failing to pay over 750,000 in unpaid tax - and will now face losing her home unless HMRC can recover the money

'My business partner (Josh Edwards) and I are absolutely committed to following our dreams and building a brand for the people. This takes time, investment and a lot of hard work, we really appreciate the exposure in this infant stage of our business there is plenty more to come!

'We would also like to take this chance to thank everyone that has supported us so far, we will continue to invest to make the best possible products for our amazing customers. Thank you.'

Running to the year ending July 31, 2023, he was yet to report a profit and records show he had no stock.

Items on the brands website include T-shirts, hoodies and candles, and prices range from 20-90.

MailOnline has contacted JJ's representatives for comment.

Katie and her boyfriend got matching tattoos during their romantic trip to Ayia Napa, Cyprus.

Just five months into their whirlwind romance, the couple took their relationship to the next step and got similar inks on each other's arm.

In an exclusive pictured obtained by The Sun , Katie, 45, and JJ, 31, showed off their new tattoos on the top of their left wrist.

The smitten couple got a permanent ink of their pet names for one another, with the writing 'baby darling'.

Katie dodged yet another court hearing to jet off on holiday with JJ amid her double bankruptcy.

The mother-of-five appears to be desperately trying to earn some quick cash as she signed up to a celebrity video messaging site on Monday amid her double bankruptcy.

The former glamour model has started to sell video messages on Cameo after failing to turn up to her bankruptcy hearing in court last week allegedly due to health issues.

Katie proved her money woes weren't far from her mind as she shared her latest plan to make funds on Instagram.

Katie and her boyfriend JJ Slater got matching tattoos during their romantic trip to Ayia Napa, Cyprus

Just five months into their whirlwind romance, the couple took their relationship to the next step and got similar inks on each other's arm

She is charging fans 120 each personalised video and shared a screenshot of her new profile on social media to advertise.

She wrote: 'Book a personal video message from me on Cameo'.

Her bio on Cameo reads: 'Katie Price is an English model, author, and podcaster known for I'm a Celebrity...Get me out of Here!, Celebrity Big Brother, and her glamour modeling work.'

There are a selection of message types to choose from, including Mother's Day greetings, birthday videos, pep talk, advice and even a 'roast'.

It comes as Katie was declared bankrupt for a second time after failing to pay over 750,000 in unpaid tax - and will now face losing her home unless HMRC can recover the money.

She was due to give evidence about her finances at the High Court, but at the start of the hearing, lawyers said that she had told them at the last minute she couldn't attend due to health issues. A judge described this excuse as 'scanty'.

READ MORE: Katie Price set to lose thousands after court rules nearly half of her OnlyFans monthly income is to be deducted amid bankruptcy Advertisement

According to The Sun , Katie left the UK and was spotted at the airport with JJ on Friday, while videos of her plugging products which were filmed in the UK continued to be published on her Instagram page over the weekend.

A source told The Sun: 'Katie and JJ are on holiday in Cyprus. They were seen at the airport looking very loved-up before jetting off together.'

MailOnline contacted representatives of Katie Price for comment at the time.

The reality star is now facing the threat of arrest by police after failing to attend a court hearing over her bankruptcy.

The court heard that Katie's personal assistant had sent a statement from a consultant psychiatrist saying she had anxiety and depression , as well as other issues affecting her mental health.

Barristers for the trustees of Katie's first bankruptcy asked the judge to order her attendance at a future hearing and said she should be 'on notice' that she could be arrested if she did not attend.

Darragh Connell, representing the trustees, told the court: 'It is important that she is on notice of the fact that this is a possibility.'

In written submissions, he said: 'The respondent should be in no doubt that any future non-attendance without a reasonable excuse will constitute contempt of court and necessitate an application for a warrant for her arrest.

'As with any other litigant, the respondent must comply with the orders of the Insolvency and Companies Court or face severe consequences.'

Mr Connell said Katie had been aware of the hearing 'for a considerable period of time' and her evidence 'simply is not good enough'.

He said: 'It is clear that the evidence filed very late is of a variety that is deeply, deeply unsatisfactory and we are in a very serious situation as a consequence.

Katie standing in front of her home, dubbed Mucky Mansion, which she could lose over her debts

'In these circumstances, there is deep concern from the trustees that what is happening here is an attempt at the 11th hour to kick things off into the long grass and that should not be allowed to happen.'

Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Mark Mullen said 'similarly brief' letters had been sent before previous court hearings which Ms Price also did not attend.

While he described the court as 'sympathetic' to people with health conditions, he said: 'There is a consistent pattern of last-minute adjournments being sought on the basis of scanty medical evidence.

'This can't be allowed to drag on on such an unsatisfactory basis.'

Judge Mullen ordered that Katie attend the next hearing unless she gave a reasonable excuse and that she provide medical information so adjustments could be made to 'facilitate' her giving evidence.

He said: 'It is a fact that those who do not attend without a reasonable excuse for public examinations are likely to be arrested.

'It is important that Ms Price is under no illusion that just like any other bankrupt, she is expected to attend unless there are reasonable reasons why she should be excused.'

Alex Reid, Katie's former partner, was present at the hearing. The former glamour model owes him 250,000 plus legal costs following a court ruling in 2019.

Katie allegedly shared sexual videos and photographs of the former cage fighter, 48. Alex sued his ex-wife for 'distributing private information  some of it of a sexual nature', which he said 'violated his right to privacy.'

Debt collectors were pictured outside her 'mucky mansion' earlier this year in an attempt to collect the money, it is understood.

Last month, a judge at the High Court ruled that she be declared bankrupt after an official from HMRC said she has failed to pay any money owed or responded to any correspondence since the demand was made for the unpaid tax last year.

It is the second bankruptcy faced by Katie as she is being chased by creditors for a 3.2million payment over the failure of her company Jordan Trading Ltd which sells perfume and cosmetics.

Judge Sebastion Prentis sitting at the High Court Rolls Building said Katie had been served with a petition on November 27 2023 with a demand for 761,994.05.

The amount is made up of unpaid tax from self-assessment on her earnings from between 2020 and 2022 as well as penalties and surcharges.

The judge said she also owed 140,000 in unpaid VAT and added:' As with the unpaid tax no payment has been made.'

Katie previously revealed that she didn't feel able to attend court to discuss her finances.

Speaking exclusively to the Mail's comedy podcast last month, she said: 'I just can't cope with going to a court. Mentally, I can't do it.'

Katie went on and explained: 'Since my breakdown. When you are ill and depressed everything accumulates.

'If you can't cope with something or you haven't paid that bill. Communicate, don't ignore because when you ignore it, it just gets worse.

'It does upset me because they don't know how hard I've tried mentally to get out of that rut that I was in. A rut that I hung myself and thought I'd died.'

Alex Reid leaving the Rolls Building in central London after attending a bankruptcy hearing for his former partner Katie Price on Friday

Katie was served with papers in October by HMRC informing her of the debt owed  and she has failed to respond to the demand.

The judge said: 'There is a substantial debt due from Miss Price due to HMRC and therefore I will make a bankruptcy order.'

Katie was first made bankrupt in 2019 when her company went bust.

She has failed to appear at an insolvency hearing on six previous occasions with the model submitting an excuse for her no show each time.

A HMRC source said every effort will be made to recover the money and if not paid then assets owed by Katie will be seized.

It comes just weeks after Katie was fined 880 after being caught driving a Range Rover at a service station on the A14 in Kettering, Northamptonshire in August 2023 despite having no licence or insurance .

She was handed eight penalty points and also ordered to pay 972 in costs on top of the financial penalty.
Experts say this is dangerous, and could lead to a host of diseases.

Experts have warned against a new gruesome health fad in which people drink deer blood in the hope of turning back the clock on their brains and bodies.

In an image posted to X, formerly Twitter, one user shares his used nicotine pouch covered in deer blood, which he says is a 'nutrient dense neutropic [brain health supplement]' that 'saves the digestive system energy'.

However, doctors have warned that engaging in this odd wellness 'hack' could expose you to terrifying zombie deer disease - a growing threat in the US.

The lethal condition, known medically as chronic wasting disease, causes deer to develop 'zombie-like' symptoms, like fatigue, disinterest in food, drooling and difficulties walking.

Some authorities have warned that it's possible that the the disease may pass from animals to human following contact with blood or tissue from a sick deer.

The gruesome illness was retroactively ruled as the cause of death in two hunters in 2022, who suffered telltale symptoms of the disease, in a controversial scientific paper.

This twitter user shared a picture of a Zyn nicotine pouch, which he has supposedly soaked in deer blood.

At least 33 states in America and parts of Canada have seen reports of a virus dubbed 'zombie deer disease' in animal populations. Indiana, not included in this map, was the latest to confirm a case. No cases have ever been confirmed in people.

Sam Ghali, an ER doctor, replied to ClassyRedneck's original tweet saying, 'I really cant believe Im saying this but do NOT soak ANYTHING in wild animal blood and put it in your mouth.'

The Florida based provider followed up with a second post saying, 'this is how zombie apocalypses get started.'

Chronic wasting disease occurs when the proteins in a deer's body become misshapen - interrupting the brain's normal function and causing a host of odd 'zombie-like' behaviors.

This includes slow, lethargic movements, a lack of interest in food and difficulty controlling bodily fluids according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. It's nearly 100 percent fatal.

CWD is one of a type of diseases caused by prions, not by virus or bacteria, which are incredibly difficult to treat and somewhat mysterious to scientists. Prions are also responsible for diseases like mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jakob.

It may take more than a year for an infected animal to develop symptoms.

Showing a picture of a light-pink Zyn, a nicotine pouch meant to help curb smoking cravings, X user ClassyRedneck11 shared what he said is a 'bio hack' - a term used to describe a health tip that has anti-aging benefits.

He, supposedly, dips the pouches in deer blood before tucking them into his mouth between his gum and lip.

'Zyn soaked in deer blood, dont fade this bio hack The content of the blood especially in wild game renders it a very powerful neutropic, even more so when reacting with nicotine,' X user ClassyRedneck11 posted on April 28.

It's unclear what the ClassyRedneck meant when he called the bloody bag 'neutropic', but it's possible he was referring to a class of supplements called nootropics.

These chemicals are advertised as brain enhancers. The theory behind them is that contain the precursors for making the molecules that make the brain run smoothly, called neurotransmitters.

There isn't great evidence that proves that nootropic supplements work, Katrina Green, a neuropharmacologist from the University of Wollongong who studies how nutrition impacts the brain, told the Guardian.

'Its a psychoactive substance, yet the regulations around these substances are so much more relaxed, and we have such little idea about what the impacts on the brain might be,' Dr Green said.

Yet they're popular amongst internet personalities looking to hack their brain and get the most out of their brain function.

The current scientific information online about deer blood does not list it as having nootropic-like effects.

A deer with chronic wasting disease. It has the tell-tale, emaciated look.

Aside from CWD, there are a few other nasty, well-known diseases that you can pick up from coming in contact with tainted deer blood.

First, there's brucellosis. You can get this disease if you eat or touch a deer that has this bacterial infection.

In humans, it can cause fever, bodily pain, swelling of the testicles, headache and fatigue according to the CDC.

Then there is deer parapoxvirus, which has been found in New Zealand and the US. This disease causes scabby boils to form on infected nicks and cuts- much like other forms of pox virus, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

You can also pick up bugs that you might be familiar with - like E. Coli, which can lead to urinary tract infections, diarrhea and vomiting.

Finally, there's a disease called tularemia- which gets into deer after they've been bit with an infected tick. If you eat or touch a deer with this disease, you can develop pneumonia, fever and skin ulcers, according to the CDC.

Suffice to say, experts like Dr Ghali have a clear cut response to the people interested in trying this trend - don't.
JPMorgan Chase said its assets in Russia may be seized after lawsuits in Russian and US courts, the bank said in a filing on Wednesday.

The bank faces several legal challenges over its Russian dealings after the US and European nations imposed economic sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

The value of claims and orders to freeze assets exceed JPMorgan's available assets in Russia, the largest US lender said. JPMorgan declined to comment beyond the filing.

A Russian court earlier this month ordered the seizure of funds in JPMorgan accounts after Russian state-owned bank sued to regain its funds blocked abroad.

Meanwhile, JPMorgan sued VTB Bank as the US lender sought to block VTB's effort to recover $439.5 million.

JPMorgan Chase said its assets in Russia may be seized after lawsuits in Russian and U.S. courts

JPMorgan Chase boss Jamie Dimon

JPMorgan accused Russian courts of ignoring the bank's contractual rights and obligations, and disregarding its inability to make various payments because of sanctions laws.

A Russian court directed that JPMorgan's New York lawsuit be stopped.

JPMorgan said US law prohibits it from releasing funds to sanctioned companies, including VTB, which was put on the US Department of the Treasury's sanctions list in February 2022.

The move is unlikely to affect American consumers directly.

It is the latest example of US banks getting caught between Western sanctions against regimes and overseas interests.

JPMorgan, which is run by CEO Jamie Dimon, is the biggest bank in the US by assets.

In the two years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration has implemented sanctions, oil price caps and trade restrictions against Moscow.

Last month, President Biden signed into law a sweeping foreign aid bill that includes new powers for US officials to locate and seize Russian assets in the US, CNBC reported.

It also boosted an ongoing American effort to convince European allies to release Russian state assets to assist Ukraine.
US retailers confirmed another 169 closures last week - bringing the total so far this year up to almost 2,600.

Stores that announced the shuttering of locations included Express, Outfox Hospitality, Shop 'n Save, Urban Outfitters and Walmart.

Physical stores in shopping malls, strip malls, downtown centers and on main street in towns have been under threat from online retail and changing tastes.

'Year to date, in 2024, major US retailers have announced 7.4 percent fewer openings and 12.3 percent more closures compared to the same time last year,' read a report by Coresight Research on closures announced over the week ending April 26. The full list is below.

US retailers confirmed another 169 closures in just one week. Walmart said it would shut its Neighborhood Market store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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The total of 2,587 closures in the first 17 weeks of the year is almost 300 more than at the same time last year, but a thousand less than the number of openings.

Walmart plans to close one Neighborhood Market store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on May 17.

The 169 closures Annoucned week ending April 26  Expresss additional 103 store closures planned for this year  Outfox Hospitalitys 35 store closures  Ashleys 13 store closures  Urban Outfitters estimated seven (additional) store closures planned for this year  Anthropologies estimated five (additional) store closures planned for this year  Free Peoples three store closures planned for this year In addition, Shop n Save, The Buckle and Walmart announced the closure of one store each. Advertisement

Walmart Neighborhood Markets are smaller versions of its traditional Walmart stores but have been largely unsuccessful and the retailer closed multiple last year.

'Usually big-box retailers when they try to go small with city stores, it doesn't usually work,' Alexander Milovic, professor of marketing at Marquette University, told local station TMJ4. 'A grocery store like that runs on smaller profit margins.'

Discount grocery retailer Shop 'n Save also announced it would close one store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 13, according to the report.

Last week, cafe and deli market chains Foxtrot and Dom's Kitchen & Market - both operated by Outfox Hospitality - abruptly closed all of their stores in multiple states.

The closures affected 33 Foxtrots and two Dom's Grocery Stores in Chicago, Austin and the Washington DC area.

'We explored many avenues to continue the business but found no viable option despite good faith and exhaustive efforts,' the company said in a notice on its website.

Founded in 2014, Foxtrot Market started as an upmarket neighborhood grocery store. The stores feature a coffee shop and seating for guests, which turned into a wine bar at night. The retailer also tried to juggle retail sales.

Last week, fashion retailer Express filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and said it intended to close more than 100 stores.

The retailer, whose portfolio of brands also includes Bonobos and UpWest, listed assets and liabilities in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion, according to a filing with the bankruptcy court in Delaware.

As part of the bankruptcy process, the company said it would close approximately 95 Express retail stores and all of its 12 UpWest stores.

Foxtrot Market was founded in Chicago in 2014 as an upmarket neighborhood grocery store

The total of 2,587 closures in the first 17 weeks of the year is 12.3 percent more than had been scheduled by the same time last year

An Urban Outfitters store in Brooklyn's trendy Williamsburg neighborhood closed this month

Launched in 1980, Express was once a destination for well-priced office attire but has been battling with soft consumer demand due to slowing spending and increased price sensitivity.

UpWest, the company's lifestyle spinoff brand, was launched in 2019 and sold casual clothes and sleepwear for men and women.

Clothing retailer Urban Outfitters was reported by Coresight to have scheduled the closure of an additional 7 stores.

Local outlet Brooklyn Paper reported this month that Urban Outfitters closed its store in the trendy area of Williamsburg in Brooklyn.
More stores are ditching self-checkout machines amid rising thefts and customer complaints.

It was predicted that the all-self-checkout format would eventually become the norm. But, instead, several big box chains in the US and Canada are continuing to cut back on the technology at a number of their stores.

Walmart has scrapped self-checkout lanes entirely at two stores in Shrewsbury, Missouri, and Cleveland, Ohio.

The retailer said it would replace kiosks with staffed checkout lanes which will 'give our associates the chance to provide more personalized and efficient service.'

Dollar General and Target have also made sweeping changes to the automated stations in stores - and now another retailer is following suit.

Walmart has decided to scrap self checkout lanes in some of its stores - and many shoppers are thrilled with the decision

Franchise owner Scott Savage has removed all the self-checkout lanes at his Giant Tiger discount store in Stratford, Ontario.

Rather than issues with theft, he told CBC he made the change because many of his older customers dislike using the machines.

'The biggest complaint you have from everybody is, "You don't pay me to work here,"' Savage said.

'They would line up at my regular registers, and they would just prefer that service.'

Several customers told the Canadian outlet how they were happy with the decision to ditch the automated registers at the discount retailer, which sells home goods, clothing and groceries.

'I like the person-to-person contact,' said Leslie Clayton-Winget. 'You can't say to a machine, "Have a good day."'

Following the announcement that Walmart was scrapping some of its self checkout lanes, an amusing photo went viral of a self-checkout machine in Walmart ironically right next to a sign claiming the retailer was 'investing in American jobs.'

One DailyMail.com reader joked that if they are doing the work of scanning items, they should also be on Walmart's payroll.

'If there are self-checkouts, where is my W2 at the end of the year,' they wrote in an email. 'If I have to check myself out then I need a discount to be compensated for my time that I am your employee.'

Franchise owner Scott Savage has removed all the self-checkout lanes at his Giant Tiger discount store in Stratford, Ontario (Pictured: A store in Ottawa)

A photo of the self-checkout machines in Walmart ironically placed beside a poster claiming the company is 'investing in American jobs' went viral

Self-checkout machines were introduced to slash labor costs and supposedly streamline the shopping experience for customers, but in reality the technology is vulnerable to theft.

'Most of the rollback of self-checkouts is due to retailer concerns over theft,' Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, told DailyMail.com earlier this year.

'Theft rates at self-checkouts are reasonably high both because of deliberate actions and accidental mistakes. Forcing more customers to used manned checkouts resolves a lot of these issues and saves retailers money.'

'Most of the rollback of self-checkouts is due to retailer concerns over theft,' said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData

Self checkout lanes are also more vulnerable to customer errors while scanning or weighing items.

Some produce - such as fruit, meat and freshly baked goods - do not have barcodes and need to be manually entered into the system. Customers can either intentionally or accidentally key in a cheaper product code creating losses for stores.

A study last year by personal finance website LendingTree found 15 percent of self-checkout users admitted purposefully stealing from a machine.

This figure rose to 31 percent when analyzing Gen Z shoppers and 21 percent for millennials.

Earlier this year, Walmart president and CEO John Furner told ABC that shrinkage - the industry term for the loss of merchandise due to theft - has increased at the retailer in recent years.

He said Walmart is removing self-checkout in locations where there are more instances of shoplifting and mis-scanned items.

'There are a few stores where we've made the decision that they'll come out of, but we haven't made that decision in every store,' he told the outlet.

'Over the next few years, we're really going to lean into new types of technology that can make the checkout process even better for customers.'

In March, Dollar General announced it was pulling self checkout stands entirely from 300 of its stores with the highest level of shoplifting and mis-scanned items.

In 9,000 other locations it said it is converting some of its self checkout registers to regular cashier checkouts, and limiting self checkout purchases to five items or less in a further 4,500 stores.

Dollar General is among the retailers which have announced sweeping changes to automated registers in stores across the US

Target has moved to 'express self checkout' at most of its 2,000 stores, meaning customers can only buy 10 items or fewer

Instead of cutting back on self checkout lanes entirely, Target earlier this year announced it was limiting the number of items shoppers can buy at the automated registers.

Following a trial in select stores across the US, Target has moved to 'express self checkout' at most of its 2,000 stores, meaning customers can only buy 10 items or fewer.

The company also said it was opening more staffed cash registers in new locations.

'Checking out is one of the most important moments of the Target run, and we know that a fast, easy experience - whether at self-checkout or the lanes staffed by our friendly team members - is critical to getting guests on their way quickly,' the company said in a statement.

Customers have long complained about snaking lines in store and long wait times to get help at a self checkout station if there is a technical glitch or an item needs to be approved by a staff member.
McDonald's has confirmed it is cooking up plans to beef up its menu with a bigger burger - which could dwarf Burger King's Whopper.

The fast food chain on Wednesday confirmed the new supersized burger - and said it will be testing it in select restaurants in the US and worldwide to make sure customers like it.

'Our team of chefs from around the world have created a larger satiating burger,' CFO Ian Borden said.

'We'll be testing this burger in a few markets later this year ensuring that it has universal appeal before scaling it across the globe.'

Bosses think customers want better value - so they are rushing out the new larger burger that they promise will offer 'superior value' to anything at rivals. So while no price has bee set, it is thought to cost around $6 to $8.

McDonald's has also not yet released the name but said the bigger burger will tested in select restaurants soon -so they can get feedback and tweak the size, recipe and price if needed. It is not yet sure what fixings or sauce it will come with.

McDonald's has confirmed it will soon roll out a larger and more filling burger. Here DailyMail.com imagined a larger version of the Quarter Pounder

McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said the burger will break the bank. He is pictured in 2018

In December, the company's CEO Chris Kempczinski said the planned bigger burger won't break the bank: 'We think we're going to be able to deliver a great tasting large burger at a superior value to what customers can get anywhere else.'

It is understood it will be a totally new burger or range - rather than a change to its existing burgers.

The new bigger burger comes after the chain's Best Burger initiative. It kicked off at the start of the year and sees changes to both the preparation and ingredients. For example, burgers get a tighter sear on the grill and buns are made from with a softer brioche-style recipe

Currently, McDonald's most substantial single-patty burger is the Quarter Pounder, which competes roughly with Burger King's Whopper.

Although both are made up of patties that are claimed to weigh four ounces before they are cooked, the Whopper has 670 calories while the McDonald's Quarter Pounder with cheese contains just 520 calories.

'We've listened to our customers. And we understand their desire for larger, high-quality burgers that fill you up,' Jo Sempels, who oversees markets where McDonald's has licensed its brand, said during an investor event in December when the chain first mooted the new product.

While the implication is that the larger burger would offer better value for money, exact prices are also not yet clear.

Fast food restaurants in California have been raising menu prices in recent weeks after a state-mandated rise in the minimum wage to $20-an-hour for those working in the sector.

McDonald's has experimented with bigger burgers - but by offering larger versions of what it has on offer.

In January, the Double Big Mac - which has four beef patties instead of two and extra sauce - returned for a limited time. It cost around $7 and was a hit while on sale for a month.

McDonald's is bringing back the Double Big Mac on January 24 - but it could just be for a limited time

McDonald's is opening CosMc - a spinoff which focuses more on coffee and drinks than food

In December McDonald's also indicated it would open another 10,000 chains globally in the next three years or so, increasing its current tally of around 41,000 as of September to 50,000 by 2027.

McDonald's has also started rolling out CosMc - a spinoff which focuses more on coffee and drinks than food and which is said to be Starbucks-inspired.

The first is in Bolingbrook, Illinois. A further nine are set to launch by the end of 2024, with one located in Dallas-Fort Worth and another in San Antonio.
Under fire for its new immigration law, the United Kingdom has deported its first asylum seeker to Rwanda, as part of a voluntary program for migrants who have been refused asylum , British media reported on Tuesday April 30.

A week ago, the British parliament adopted a very controversial law allowing migrants who arrived in the United Kingdom illegally to be deported to Rwanda. Rishi Sunaks conservative government plans to begin evictions in this context by July.

But on Monday, a man left the UK, agreeing to be deported to Rwanda after his asylum application was rejected late last year. This man, who is believed to be from the African continent, traveled on a commercial flight, according to British media. He agreed to be deported to Rwanda and receive a payment of up to 3,000 pounds sterling (around 3,500 euros) in exchange, government sources said, according to the Times.

The government hopes to deport 5,700 asylum seekers by the end of the year

Contacted by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the British Interior Ministry did not confirm this information. We are now able to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as part of our partnership for migration and economic development, said a government spokesperson. This agreement allows people without UK immigration status to be relocated to a safe third country where they will be helped to rebuild their lives, the source added.

The British government said on Tuesday it hoped to deport an already identified group of 5,700 asylum seekers to Rwanda by the end of the year, after the adoption of its controversial law intended to discourage illegal crossings of the Channel . They were selected from more than 57,000 people who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom via the Channel between the beginning of January 2022 and the end of June 2023, according to an AFP count based on official figures.

Backed by a new treaty between London and Kigali, the new law aims to expel migrants who arrived illegally, wherever they come from, to Rwanda, which will examine their asylum request. Whatever the outcome, they will not be able to return to the UK.

The text stipulates that Rwanda is a safe country and provides that the government will be able to override possible injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights aimed at preventing expulsions. From the UN to Christian churches, calls have multiplied to urge the United Kingdom to abandon its project.

In recent days, Ireland has claimed to be facing an influx of migrants from the United Kingdom, blaming its neighbors migration policy.
India can emulate Japan's post-Meiji transformation by harnessing innovation, embracing change and cultivating a risk-taking culture

In the 76th Independence Day speech on August 15, 2022, the Prime Minister called for innovation with a focus on indigenous innovations highlighting Jai Anusandhan.

Innovation is the key to India realising a self-reliant, competitive and USD 30 trillion economy by 2047. Innovation has the potential to unlock major productivity gains and will allow the nation to leapfrog towards higher value-added products and services across sectors.

In the last few years, globally we have witnessed a fundamental and rapid shift from a knowledge economy to an era of artificial intelligence (AI) and virtuality. During the same time, the unprecedented nature and scale of the pandemic affirmed the importance of having an innovation ecosystem for finding new cures  vaccines, medicines and diagnostics.

For a country with a legacy of scientific and technical knowledge base, the private sector in India has previously made modest investments in research and development (R&D). India has taken a different approach to innovation to meet its unique challenges. The transformational digital public infrastructure, starting with the Aadhar platform, is a case in point.

Similarly, against the backdrop of concerns regarding public health, access and affordability of medicines and protecting the domestic industry, Indias approach to innovation in the biopharmaceutical sector is primarily based on public-sector-led collaborative innovation, where the private sector has merely been encouraged to invest in R&D in priority areas.

While in many cases, publicly supported research provides a wellspring of initial discovery, it is the private sector that must develop new technologies and bring them to the market. To be a leader in a rapidly changing marketplace across sectors, private sector innovation is critical.

How does one measure innovation? One way could be to determine how much a company spends on R&D as a percentage of its revenue annually. As patents secure exclusive rights to an invention, the innovative index of a company can be additionally judged by the number of grated patents, patent applications filed, whether the filings are in multiple countries, the quality of the patents and so forth.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerces 161st Report on IPR Regime in India (July 2021) expresses concern that the rate of increase in the number of patents in India in the last four years has been very low compared to the US and China. It goes on to say that this is co-related to the microscopic spending on R&D which is a meagre 0.7 per cent of Indias GDP.

Globally, companies with the highest R&D spend are big tech US companies like Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, Intel Corp. and bio-pharmaceutical companies like Roche, J&J, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co. This list also includes three companies from China  Huawei, Tencent Holdings and Alibaba; Samsung from S. Korea; and European automobile manufacturers like Volkswagen and Mercedes- Benz.

Regarding the biopharmaceutical sector, the removal of product patent protection for drugs in 1970 allowed reverse engineering, which led to the exponential growth of the domestic generic industry and helped India be the pharmacy of the world. At the same time, however, the lack of effective patent protection profoundly impacted corporate investment in R&D and the discovery of new molecules. Zydus Cadilas Saroglitazar, launched in 2013, remains so far, the only compound that was entirely indigenously discovered.

India has the potential to spur its innovative spirit by leveraging its strengths, embracing change and fostering a risk-taking culture. Japans transformation after the Meiji Restoration from being an importer and imitator of foreign technologies, to a global powerhouse in innovation that has defined the worlds technological landscape exemplifies that necessity is the mother of invention.

There is no silver bullet for creating an enabling environment for innovation. Bryce Hoffman in his book Red Teaming shows how disruptive innovation requires critical and contrarian thinking. So, to inculcate the scientific temper and risk-taking and entrepreneurship spirit, there is a dire need to shift the emphasis of our education system from rote memorisation and conformity.

Second, we must vigorously pursue closer collaboration between academia and industry to commercialise innovation. It is a matter of great pride that Prof. Rahul Purwar, IIT Mumbai obtained marketing approval for the first indigenously developed cell and gene therapy for the treatment of cancer.

Last but not least, a robust, meaningful and predictable intellectual property rights system can most optimally provide economic incentives to inventors and investors to invest risk capital in inventive activity  a very high-risk undertaking.

(The author is Managing Partner, Corporate Law Group, a New Delhi-based law firm; views are personal)
On International Labour Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to worker welfare and advocate for fair, empowering policies

On May 1st, as we celebrate International Labour Day, these words of Karl Marx resonate with renewed significance. May Day is not merely a day of rest; it is a powerful reminder of the resilience and collective strength of workers worldwide. It is a day to honour the countless individuals who have fought for the rights and dignity of labourers and to recognise the ongoing struggle for justice in the workplace.

Every year on May 1st, International Labour Day serves as a poignant reminder of the struggles, sacrifices and triumphs of workers worldwide. It is a day to honour the contributions of labourers across various countries and industries, while also acknowledging the ongoing battle for labour rights and social justice. As we commemorate International Labour Day on May 1, 2024, let us reflect on the significance of this day and recommit ourselves to advocating for the rights and welfare of workers.

The roots of International Labour Day trace back to May 1, 1886, when workers in Chicago staged a massive protest demanding an eight-hour workday.

This pivotal event led to the establishment of International Workers Day, symbolising the collective struggle for fair labour practices. Since then, May Day has evolved into a global movement, with workers from all walks of life coming together to advocate for their rights. May Day holds immense significance in highlighting the importance of workers rights. It serves as a platform to address issues such as fair wages, equal opportunities, maternity benefits, healthcare and safe working conditions. By amplifying the voices of workers, May Day fosters solidarity and empowers individuals to strive for better living standards and dignity in labour.

In India, May Day was first celebrated in 1923 by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan in Madras (now Chennai). Led by visionary leaders like Singaravelu Chettiar, this event marked the beginning of a movement to champion the rights of workers. Since then, May Day has been observed with fervour across the country, with various labour organisations leading rallies and campaigns to advocate for workers welfare.

Dr BR Ambedkar, a towering figure in Indias labour movement, played a pivotal role in advocating for the rights of marginalised labourers. He emphasised the principles of equal pay for equal work, maternity benefits, eradication of discrimination and fair treatment of workers. Through his leadership and advocacy, Dr Ambedkar laid the groundwork for a more inclusive and equitable society.

While we have made significant strides in advancing labour rights, challenges persist. Many workers, especially those in the informal sector, continue to face exploitation and lack of protection. We must address these issues and work towards creating a more just and equitable working environment for all.

As we celebrate International Labour Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to the welfare of workers. We must advocate for policies that promote fair labour practices, empower workers and ensure their wellbeing. As International Labour Day dawns upon us once again on May 1st, 2024, let it serve not just as a commemoration of past struggles, but as a beacon lighting our path towards a future where every workers dignity is honoured, every voice is heard and every dream finds its fulfilment in a world of equality and justice.

(The writer is an associate professor, views are personal)
India's talent, resources and infrastructure position it to excel in the semiconductor sector and becoming a global leader

As our lives become increasingly reliant on technology, semiconductors have become the essential foundation of society. These tiny chips are the powerhouses behind our electronic devices, communication systems and even the functioning of our agricultural implements medical equipment and vehicles. India has recognised the enormous socio-economic potential and strategic importance of this silent revolution of technology and is taking the lead in building a robust semiconductor ecosystem and developing a talented workforce.

Indias goal of becoming self-sufficient and a global leader in semiconductors is supported by the fact that the semiconductor industry is expected to generate over one million job opportunities for semiconductor design engineers, manufacturing engineers, R&D scientists, operators, technicians and skilled workers in chip design and semiconductor fabrication, packaging and sales facilities over the next five years.

Around 30 per cent of the new global capability centres established in India during the December quarter of last year were in the semiconductor space, indicating a growing interest in leveraging the local talent pool in areas such as front-end design, performance testing and post-silicon validation, according to the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) and Zinnov latest report. The worlds leading chip design companies, including Intel, Texas Instruments, AMD, Nvidia and Qualcomm, have design and R&D centres in India. AMD recently inaugurated its largest global design centre in Bengaluru.

In March, an event- Indias Techade: Chips for Viksit Bharat, witnessed the foundation stone of three semiconductor projects worth Rs 1.25 lakh crore.

Tata Electronics in partnership with Taiwans Power Chip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC), set up the countrys first semiconductor fab plant in Dholera (Gujrat) with an investment of Rs 91,000 crore and another plant in Morigaon(Assam) with investment of Rs 27,000 crore, with the first chips to begin coming off the production line in 2026. US-based semiconductor manufacturer Micron India plant with an investment of Rs 22,500 crore in Sanand(Gujarat), is expected to roll out the first Made in India memory chips by December. It is contributing its bit to the Chandrayaan-3 mission Semiconductor Corporation of India(SCL) proposed to update and expand its chip facility in the Mohali plant with an investment of Rs 20,000 crore, to enhance its contribution to ISRO and other space research organisations globally.

95 Percent Import Dependency: Despite the upward trajectory of Indias current semiconductor chip ecosystem, the country remains dependent on the US, Taiwan, China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, with over 95 per cent of semiconductors imported from these countries.

To reduce this dependency on imports, India recognised the strategic importance of a robust domestic semiconductor industry. It unveiled the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) offering 50 per cent capital expenditure support to new entrants, production-linked incentive (PLI) and design-linked incentive (DLI) schemes with an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore, as well as state Government incentive support, international partnerships and a focus on talent development. The Electronic and IT Ministry plans to train over 85,000 engineers in chip design over the next five years to address the skill gap. Such focused efforts aim to steer the ecosystem through nurturing policymaking to develop a self-sufficient ecosystem.

Moreover, the geopolitical uncertainties involving the China-US trade war have compelled companies to seek alternative production bases or sourcing locations outside China. Amid this relocation in the industry, India and Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia have been preferred for front-end manufacturing in the future. Indias entry into this ecosystem is timely and strategically important for diversifying the global supply chain and positioning India as a global hub for semiconductor design, manufacturing and technology development, fostering the creation of employment opportunities for the nations youth.

Present Landscape and Scope of Growth: Bengaluru and Hyderabad together host about two-thirds of Indias semiconductor global capability centres (GCCs), which is over two-thirds of the total 55 semiconductor GCCs in the country. With more than 95 GCC units and a specialised workforce of 50,000, this demonstrates Indias strong commitment to the semiconductor industry. Presently, Indias semiconductor market is valued at an estimated $15 billion and is expected to reach $55 billion by 2026. Smartphones and wearables, automobile components, computers and data storage account for more than 60 per cent of the market.

Challenges: Semiconductor manufacturing is an extremely complex process that requires precision at the smallest level. Since the global chip world is closely connected, Indian companies need to collaborate with countries like Taiwan and South Korea to gain access to advanced technology that will enable them to support emerging applications with more chip content, such as autonomous machines, smart medical devices, futuristic communications at 6G onward and AI across electronics.

Bridge the skill gap: India needs to bridge the skill gap, especially for advanced chip design and fabrication. The global semiconductor manufacturing industry has a talent pool of 2.3 million, with nearly 25 per cent of senior talent being Indian.

To attract and retain this talent, Indian companies are holding roadshows in Taiwans chip manufacturing centre of Hsinchu. Communications and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw says, The engineers who have decided to return to India from the US are younger, while those from Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia are generally over 45 years and with more experience. We expect many of them to come back to participate in Indias high-tech manufacturing revolution.

Road Ahead: The future of the semiconductor industry in India holds immense promise. It will play a crucial role in shaping the countrys advanced technological landscape, driving economic growth and positioning India as a global leader in innovation. The semiconductor industry will also generate opportunities for an entrant and Indian talent working in this sector globally, many of whom wish to return to their roots.

Indias ambition to become a self-reliant and dominant player in the semiconductor industry is clear. With the talent, resources and infrastructure in place, India is poised to make significant strides in the semiconductor sector and establish itself as a global leader in the years to come.

-The Author is Vice-Chairman of Sonalika ITL Group, Vice-Chairman (Cabinet Minister rank) of the Punjab Economic Policy and Planning Board, Chairman of ASSOCHAM Northern Region Development Council and President, of Tractor and Mechanisation Association (TMA). Views expressed are personal
The BJPs election focus has shifted away from recent China tensions, opting instead to highlight Nehrus actions during the 1962 conflict

China has been generally missing from election manifestoes and campaigning so far. Former Army Chief Gen Naravane at a literary festival in Ajmer recently called China Indias primary threat adding confrontation along LAC was a good thing as it exposed this ground reality that Delhi was shy to admit. EAM S.Jaishankar and especially Defence Secretary Giridhar Armane have made unkind references to Beijing.

In his book Four Stars of Destiny Naravane has written extensively about the India-China confrontation which started under his watch. It was a serious failure of intelligence which allowed the Chinese PLA to occupy nearly 2000 square km of territory on the Indian side of LAC corresponding to their 1956 claim line. The avoidable tragedy at Galwan and the refusal of the Chinese to restore the status quo ante April 2020 even after 21 rounds of military dialogue (the last round on 21 February) place India at a serious disadvantage. In 1998 India gave China as the reason for conducting nuclear tests which incensed the Chinese, requiring then foreign minister Jaswant Singh to travel to Beijing to untie the knot. I was witness to the repair exercise in Beijing even as then our Army was retaking Tololing Heights, Kargil. Singh had to say that China was not a threat. Later then defence minister George Fernades called China the number one threat though it was misreported as  No 1 enemy. This caused a diplomatic furore as China is acutely sensitive to being seen as or worse a threat by any country.

The Government is careful in its articulations on China as it hopes to secure full disengagement diplomatically. But the gloves came off Feb /Mar. Jaishankar speaking at the Raisina dialogue said that China should not be allowed to play mind -games to counter which India must use other means (implying US help) to seek better equilibrium. His comments came a day after Armane at the INDUS-X FORUM in Delhi unprecedently called Beijing a bully adding we expect our friend US will be there in case we need their support. Not since 1962 have we sought unequivocally US military support. This is bound to have upset China. Worse, no Indian official had ever called China a bully. Surprisingly China has not reacted.

Naravanes book and excerpts have been withheld by the Government in damage control after publishers circulated excerpts of Operation Snow Leopard Night 29/30 August 2020 which belittle the Governments political control in war and explosive comments on Agniveer. Armed with material from the horses mouth, the opposition is targeting the Government in China and Agniveer  during election rallies where foreign policy is an issue. How Army intelligence cleared the book for publication is a mystery.

In parliament on 10 Feb 2021. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had informed Parliament about withdrawals in the North Pangong Tso Lake Fingers area. But he made no mention of vacation from Kailash Heights, which presumably was implied in mutual withdrawal. But Singh added: Chinese side is aware of our resolve not to allow an inch of territory to be taken.

Former NSA, Shiv Shankar Menon in his writings has observed: we dont know what happened in South Bank (Kailash heights) as we know about North Bank (Pangongtso Lake).

Recently Congress leader Jairam Ramesh cited an X post by Chushul Councillor Konchok Stanzin of autonomous Ladakh Hill Development Council that the Rezangla battle 1962 memorial was dismantled as it fell in the buffer zone negotiated with China during the vacation of Kailash Heights. That undisputed Kailash Heights in Indian territory had been made a buffer zone is a revelation that the Government never even informed parliament.

In the critical operational situation replete with vertical and horizontal escalation that developed at Kailash Heights that critical night, no political guidance had been provided by CCS/RM/PM to Naravane which became clear from his conversation with Singh urgently seeking orders. With Naravanes book and excerpts embargoed for release, the book may never materialise as it showed the political direction of a war-like situation in poor light. But Naravane will know why he didnt become CDS even as critical Kailash heights are lost for perpetuity.

In the election campaign, no BJP leader has so far mentioned Galwan or Kailash heights which were examples of valorous use of force against China as it could open a can of worms. Keeping Naravane out of the fray, the opposition is attacking the Government for losing 2000 sq km of land as well as 26 of 65 patrolling points. Campaigning in Pune and speaking to the media on 12 April, Jaishankar emphasized there was no encroachment by China; it has not occupied any of our land; but the situation is sensitive, competitive and challenging. The PM, HM and RM have all also denied loss of territory.

In his interview with Newsweek in response to a question on China, PM Modis terse reply was: New Delhi ties with Beijing are important and the prolonged situation at the border should be addressed urgently, for peace and tranquillity to be restored and sustained at the borders. The Chinese welcomed the statement adding sound and stable ties were in common interest. Restoring the LAC to April 2020 as sought by India, the Chinese will never do. Its tough to conceive of a compromise formula. Consequently, the C word is almost missing from the BJP election discourse, cleverly diverted to Nehrus follies in 1962. But Naravane deserves praise.

(The writer, a retired Major General, was Commander, IPKF South, Sri Lanka and a founder member of the Defence Planning Staff, currently the Integrated Defence Staff. Views are personal)
The destinies of India and Bangladesh are intertwined and the relationship between the two countries could be a valuable contributor to regional connectivity, Bangladeshi envoy Mustafizur Rahman said here on Tuesday.

In an interactive session at a think-tank, Rahman also said South Asia is one of the least integrated regions in the world and a "synergistic approach" could ensure regional integration.

"The destinies of our two countries and people are intertwined, not only due to our geographical proximity, shared history, culture, heritage and value system, but also because of the indelible bond that was forged when we stood together, shedding blood together in 1971 for the independence of Bangladesh," he said.

The Bangladesh high commissioner also referred to the common vision of India and Bangladesh to build a stronger South Asia.

"In recent years, the leaders of Bangladesh and India have emphasised the significance of building a stronger South Asia," he said at the Ananta Centre.

"The government of Bangladesh is currently focusing on economic diplomacy with the ambitious goal of establishing Dhaka as the centre of transit and trade in Asia," he said. "Bangladesh aims to serve as the gateway to landlocked Nepal, Bhutan and Northeast India," he added.

Rahman said efforts are underway to establish Bangladesh as a hub of connectivity encompassing roads, railways, waterways, air linkages and power transmission.

"South Asia is one of the least integrated regions in the world. A synergistic approach to fostering regional integration is possible," he said.

The envoy said connectivity stands out as a vital element for regional cooperation. "I believe, Bangladesh-India relationship is a valuable contributor to regional connectivity and regional integration," he said.

Rahman also lauded India's 'neighbourhood first policy'.

"India's 'neighbourhood first policy' is also committed to creating mutually beneficial relationships with all the countries in the region," he said.

"However, it is important to explore more sub-regional and regional connectivity initiatives to promote regional integration," he added.

The high commissioner said Bangladesh could be a significant partner for the India-Myanmar-Thailand highway project to further enhance connectivity in the region.
Sparking criticism and raising concerns, British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca has for the first time acknowledged in court documents in the UK that its Covid-19 vaccine, which is known as Covishield in India, has the potential to cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), a rare side effect associated with blood clotting.

This condition involves the formation of blood clots accompanied by a low platelet count, which is critical for blood clotting. As per media reports in the UK, the pharma giant is facing up to 51 litigations, being sued in class action over claims its vaccine caused death and serious injury in dozens of cases. In India, it was one of the widely administered Covid vaccines to reduce severe Covid-19 complications.

Developed in collaboration with University of Oxford, AstraZenecas vaccine was manufactured in India by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII). As many as 1,749,417,978 doses of Covishield vaccine have been administered in India, in what was the worlds largest vaccination programme from January 2021, according to the vaccine dashboard of the governments web portal CoWIN as on April 29, 2024.

Taking cognizance of the development, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the Indian Government should work to urgently address the alleged side-effects of the Covidshield vaccine as millions of people in India were administered the shot during the Covid pandemic.

Bharadwaj expressed concern over the alleged link between the vaccines side-effects and a series of sudden deaths in India, claiming that Covidshield was banned in several European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Finland, Norway and Denmark, at the beginning of 2021 due to apprehensions about its safety.

Speaking about complications related to the Covidshield vaccine, Bhardwaj told a news agency, We have seen numerous videos on social media recently showing people collapsing and dying immediately after performing activities, which was not observed before the pandemic. Many people speculate a connection to the coronavirus vaccine and such reports are a matter of concern as they escalate tension.

However, in India, the doctors said there was no need to worry. They said that if a person has received the AstraZeneca vaccine, known as Covishield in India, two years ago, the likelihood of experiencing any adverse effects now is extremely low. Adverse effects, if they occur, typically manifest within a few weeks of vaccination, said Dr Sudhir Kumar, Neurologist, Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad.

Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, Co-Chairman of the National Indian Medical Association, added that this particular outcome is reported only in the first month following the first dose, not afterwards. In India, Dr Kumar added that the incidence of TTS after the vaccine is not known.

Only isolated case reports have been reported. So, TTP is extremely rare after Covid vaccination, considering millions of vaccine doses have been administered, the expert said.

TTS is thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, which is basically clot in blood vessels of the brain or elsewhere, along with a low platelet count. It is known to occur in very rare instances following certain types of vaccines and also from other causes. According to the WHO, adenovirus vector vaccines in particular have been rarely associated with this condition, Dr Jayadevan asserted.

Dr MV Padma Srivastava, Chairperson - Neurology, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram, however, told a news agency, I have read the recent report which states that TTS (Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) is happening. In rare events, I can say that the vaccine has caused certain consequences and TTS.

More than 17 million people have received the vaccine in the United Kingdom and the European Union to date, with fewer than 40 cases of blood clots reported as of last week. In a statement AstraZeneca said, Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines.

TTS typically manifests with symptoms such as severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg swelling, shortness of breath, and neurological deficits. Diagnosis involves blood tests to assess platelet levels and imaging studies to detect blood clots.

Last year, a WHO report had said TTS emerged as a new adverse event following immunisation in individuals vaccinated with COVID-19 non-replicant adenovirus vector-based vaccines.
A day after The Washington Post named an Indian official for allegedly plotting to eliminate Sikh extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, India on Tuesday said the report made unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter.

The newspaper, citing unnamed sources, named a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer in connection with the alleged plot to assassinate Pannun.

The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

There is an ongoing investigation of the high level committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others, he said.

Jaiswal was responding to media queries on the report.

Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful, Jaiswal said.

The report in The Washington Post claimed that a man referred to as CC-1 in the indictment filed on the alleged murder plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was a RAW officer, Vikram Yadav.

Yadav forwarded details about Pannun to the hired hit team, the report said. Vikram Yadav, an officer who allegedly worked with the Research and Analysis Wing, had hired a hit team and plotted an attack on Pannun on American soil, the report said.

According to the report, Vikram Yadav, who is allegedly working with a different government organisation now, forwarded details about Pannun, including his New York address, to the hit team. The Washington Post claimed that the Ministry of External Affairs declined to respond to its article. In November last year, US federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Pannun. He is wanted in India on terror charges.

Gupta, aged 52, found himself apprehended in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, following charges from the US Justice Department. The indictment detailed Guptas agreement to pay $100,000 for Pannuns assassination, with an initial payment of $15,000 made on June 9, 2023.

India had staunchly denied the US allegations, stating that the so-called conspiracy to murder Pannun was contrary to government policy. The government also constituted a high-level inquiry committee on November 18, 2023, to probe Pannun murder plot allegations.

He holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada. He has been designated as a terrorist by the Union home ministry under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

On December 7, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Parliament that India instituted an inquiry committee to look into the inputs received from the US in the case as the matter has a bearing on national security.

The allegations about the failed plot to kill Pannun came to fore weeks after the Canadian Prime Minister claimed in September of a potential involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. India had strongly rejected the charges.
In the ever-evolving landscape of cyber warfare, a name that stands as a stalwart defender of peace in cyberspace is Major Vineet Kumar whose story began in Ranchi, Jharkhand where he displayed a powerful aptitude for technology as a child prodigy.

A TEDx speaker and guest instructor at esteemed institutions like the National Police Academy, Railway Staff College and Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi, Kumar's influence in cybersecurity education and training is profound.

At the young age of 16, Kumar floated the pioneering initiative National Anti-Hacking Group (NAG) followed by the Global Association of Ethical Hackers (GEHA). He further went on to be recognised as the youngest Microsoft-certified systems engineer in 2008 and later also received the UN Youth Achievement Award.

Kumar further went on to act as an Advisor to the Jharkhand Government. While at 22, he served as the Chief Technology Officer and Head of State Government Agency, Cyber Defense Research Centre at the Jharkhand Government. He is also a commissioned officer of the Territorial Army.

His academic pursuits led him to Cyber Defence and Information Assurance at Cranfield University and the Joint Services and Staff College in the United Kingdom followed by leadership studies at Cambridge University. Additionally, he expanded his expertise in Cyber Defence through studies at the Geneva Center for Security Policies in Switzerland.

Further, driven by an unwavering commitment to creating a safe cyberspace for netizens, the social entrepreneur founded CyberPeace, presently recognised as the worlds first non-profit organisation dedicated to cybersecurity and think-tank with offices in three countries, impacting over 200 million netizens and stakeholders across 112 nations.

Under his leadership, CyberPeace has launched several groundbreaking initiatives aimed at promoting cybersecurity, fostering digital hygiene and combating cyber threats. Among these initiatives, the CyberPeace Corps stands out as a global community of cybersecurity experts and enthusiasts united in their mission to collaborate and share knowledge to combat cyber threats.

Kumar's leadership has also led to the inception of several impactful programmes and initiatives on the national level like The CyberPeace Initiative, which in collaboration with Google.org aims to tackle misinformation and other cyber security challenges through innovative solutions and partnerships and also create cyber warriors and master trainers.

Global CyberPeace Challenge or GCC happens to be the worlds largest cybersecurity competition with participants from over 120 countries, aims to recognise and award talent that can build solutions to some of the most pressing cybersecurity problems faced by society. The objective of the challenge is to tap into the innovative approaches adopted by participants to solve critical real-world problems in the technical and policy challenges.

Through these initiatives, CyberPeace and Kumar continue to make significant strides in fostering cyber peace and creating a safer digital world for all.

On an international level, Kumar has registered his presence with several Dialogues at the global and national level under the G20 Summit. He also hosted the first ever Global CyberPeace Summit in collaboration with C20 and G20, that featured representation from all across the globe and encouraged dialogues on techno-social issues and presented the CyberPeace protocol 2023 during the G20 presidency.

Kumar's journey embodies a steadfast commitment to promoting cyber peace and creating a safer digital world for all. With over 20 years of experience in the cyber security domain, Kumar also known as the Cyber cowboy of the Red Land is the pioneer of the concept of CyberPeace amongst nations in the proliferating era of cyber warfare when cyber competency has become a competitive advantage for the nations.

The apex bodies in the field of business, governance, social sectors, educational bodies, aviation and bodies affiliated to international organisations, United Nations Youth Assembly have all credited the contributions of Kumar and also ceremonially recognised & awarded his selfless efforts. Kumar is now working on his goal to reach 3 billion netizens by 2030 through his various programmes and initiatives and urges netizens to strive to become more cyber resilient and cybersmart to safeguard not only themselves but also their families and communities.
Punjab Congress on Tuesday suffered a significant setback as partys former MLA Dalvir Singh Khangura Goldy tendered his resignation from all party posts, expressing dissatisfaction with the partys decisions. Speculations are rife that Goldy may align with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and emerge as its potential candidate from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency.



Goldy, a prominent figure in Punjab politics and a former MLA from Dhuri, had been actively involved in the partys election campaigns for the past three months. However, his disillusionment grew apparent when the Congress overlooked him and nominated Sukhpal Singh Khaira, a three-time MLA, for Sangrur  a home constituency of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.



Despite efforts by party leaders, including Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, to persuade him to stay, Goldy remained firm in his decision to resign. In a terse three-line resignation letter addressed to Warring, he expressed his displeasure with the state leadership and relinquished his primary membership from the party.



Taking to social media to announce his resignation, Goldy emphasized the gravity of his decision, acknowledging the difficulties it entailed for him and his family. This move follows Goldys earlier expressions of discontentment over the denial of the party ticket, urging the Congress high command not to betray the trust of its members.



Beginning his journey as a student leader at Panjab University in Chandigarh, Goldys political journey has seen both triumphs and setbacks. Despite an unsuccessful bid in the 2022 assembly polls from Dhuri against Bhagwant Mann and the subsequent bypoll for Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, Goldy remained optimistic about his future in the party. However, the recent turn of events has led him to sever ties with the Congress, leaving behind a void in the partys electoral strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.



A day before, Goldy had hinted at a potential departure from his political roots, sparking widespread speculation. Goldys cryptic social media post on Monday alluded to his contemplation of a new political path, suggesting dissatisfaction with his current party affiliation. As Goldy had also shared a photo indicating his departure for the national capital, rumours swirled about his possible induction into the BJP.



Earlier also, Goldy had taken to the social media to openly express his dissatisfaction over declaration of Khairas candidature from Sangrur. However, after Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, and Khaira personally reached out to him, Goldy had agreed to join the party campaign and support Khairas candidature.



Now with Goldys departure, the Congress, especially Khaira, faces a challenge in Sangrur, a key constituency in Punjab politics. As the party grapples with internal dissent and external competition, the BJP's potential absorption of Goldy into its ranks could reshape the political landscape in the State, especially Sangrur  which the Chief Minister Mann had recently dubbed as AAPs capital.



Amidst this uncertainty, the BJP awaits an opportunity to leverage Goldys potential shift, while BJP leaders like former MLAs Arvind Khanna and Kewal Singh Dhillon have also emerged as contenders for the party ticket from Sangrur.



The ruling AAP has fielded the Cabinet Minister and Barnala MLA Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from the seat, currently represented by Khalistan sympathizer Simranjit Singh Mann of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar).


BJP candidate Bansuri Swaraj filed her nomination on Tuesday for the New Delhi seat ahead of the polls for Lok Sabha 2024 elections draped in her mother former Foreign Minister Sushma Swarajs saree in the presence of Union Minister Sardar Hardeep Puri and her father former Governor of Mizoram Swaraj Kaushal. She also offered prayers to Lord Ram and performed a puja before heading to file nominations.

One witnessed a large crowd of women supporters in her roadshow ahead of the general election polls slated to be held in the national capital on May 25. Party workers carrying flags bearing images of Lord Ram and Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated the occasion by dancing to the beat of dhols and raising victory slogans.Three factors work in Bansuris favour- Modi, Swaraj and nari shakti (women power).

Swaraj held a grand roadshow from Tuglaq road to the Jamnagar House where she filed her nomination. In her roadshow, one could see supporters and party workers raise slogans including Kyo pade ho chakar ne, koi nahi hai takkar me and abki bar 400 par.

Talking to The Pioneer, supporters, especially women, attributed the reason behind their support and vote to the saffron partys candidate as Prime Minister Narendra Modis face and work.

An 80 year old woman voter said that Bansuri represents nari shakti, which is her reason to vote for her and walk in the roadshow in the scorching sun. Additionally, supporters also see her mother Former Foreign Minister Sushma Swarajs reflection in her personality, making her more trustworthy to be elected given her mothers legacy.

After filing her nomination at the office of the district magistrate-cum-returning officer, Bansuri asserted that BJP will sweep all seven states in the national capital and said, This is a national election and BJP is loaded with self-confidence. PM Modi has done a lot of work; we are going among people with our performance report card.

Outside the office, one could witness an atmosphere of festivity with party workers and supporters enthusiastically raising slogans. Few also danced on the tunes of a band being played outside while Bansuri was filing her nomination for the general elections..

The INDIA alliance candidate from the Aam Aadmi Party Somnath Bharti is contesting against Swaraj on the seat. Attacking the jailed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, she said, However, if we speak about Delhi, CM Arvind Kejriwal does politics of hatred and because of that he has not let PM Modis people welfare scheme be implemented in the National Capital like Ayushman Bharat. If people make me win then I am going to ensure that the people welfare scheme of PM Modi Ayushman Bharat will be implemented in Delhi as well.

Party workers and supporters wore saffron clothes and waved flags bearing images of Lord Ram and Modi as Bansuri Swaraj made her way to file her nomination papers. The streets reverberated with slogans of Phir ek bar Modi sarkar and Hamara neta kaise ho, Bansuri jaisa ho as her roadshow passed, with both men and women participating in equal numbers.

Puri, while speaking to the media following the process, attacked the Congress on the issue of reservation and inheritance tax.

He said, No one among us has said that we want to change the Constitution. As far as changing the Constitution is concerned, a false scenario is being spread in this regard. They have tried to spread a false narrative. They have to pay the price. We are just at two-phase, polling at five phases is still to be conducted, and we will get 400 paar. One of their professors Sam Pitroda said that they will bring an inheritance tax, but when he himself had to pay inheritance tax, they covered it up. Bansuri ji will have a great performance and victory.

Placards featuring images of Modi and Bansuri Swaraj were prominently displayed while some attendees wore t-shirts emblazoned with Team Bansuri.

The roadshow, which started from Tughlak Lane, drew a large number of party workers, leading to traffic disruptions.

Delhi BJP president Virendraa Sachdeva, who was also present for Bansuris nomination filing, said, The way workers are enthusiastic here, this shows that we are going to win all the seven seats in Delhi. Bansuri Swaraj will win the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat.
The BJP in Chhattisgarh will hold a Vision of Developed India convention in Raipur on Thursday to debate potential opportunities for the next 25 years. New opportunities are opening for youth as India is spending on infrastructure at record levels and progressing towards self-reliance. By discussing these, "we can reap all the benefits of coming opportunities", the party said.

The convention will be held at the Maharaja Agrasen College Auditorium. Ministers Arun Sao, Ram Vichar Netam, BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde and professionals from more than 15 fields will attend.












Brahmananda Narayana Hospital, a distinguished healthcare institution under the banner of Narayana Health, has been recognized with a prestigious accolade at the 9th IHW Summit Awards 2024 in Mumbai. The hospital's unwavering commitment to patient safety and centricity has earned it the esteemed title of "Best Hospital in Patient Safety & Centricity Category" in Jharkhand.



Brahmananda Narayana Hospital, accredited by NABH and renowned for its tertiary care services, stands as a beacon of excellence in the healthcare landscape. The recent recognition in the Patient Safety category at the IHW Summit Awards underscores the institution's dedication to maintaining the highest standards of patient safety.



In an era where patient safety is paramount, Brahmananda Narayana Hospital has distinguished itself through its implementation of stringent protocols, innovative technologies, and comprehensive training programs. This multidisciplinary approach, coupled with a culture of continuous improvement, has propelled the hospital to the forefront of patient safety practices in the region.



Expressing gratitude for the honor, Vinit Raj, Facility Director of Brahmananda Narayana Hospital, emphasized the institution's unwavering commitment to prioritizing patient safety. He reiterated the hospital's belief that every patient deserves the highest level of care and reaffirmed their dedication to upholding the highest standards of safety, quality, and excellence.



As Brahmananda Narayana Hospital celebrates this remarkable achievement, it remains steadfast in its mission to provide compassionate, comprehensive, and safe healthcare services to the residents of Jamshedpur and beyond. The recognition serves as a testament to the hospital's enduring commitment to excellence and its tireless efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of every patient entrusted to its care.


Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that the ongoing Lok Sabha election was a choice to save the Constitution and democracy in the country.

Addressing an election rally in Champa town of Janjgir Champa constituency, Kharge said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat too had to clarify that they were neither going to change the constitution nor they are ending reservations.

All this was being done by Bhagwat only because the leaders of the BJP were claiming that the constitution would be changed and reservation in educational institutions and jobs would be stopped, he said.

Kharge, while speaking in support of Congress candidate Shiv Daharia, reiterated that the Congress had waged a war against the BJP to protect the rights of the poor, Dalits, tribals and OBCs.

The BJP was against the poor and downtrodden and wants to snatch their rights, he alleged.

He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had become frustrated after sensing that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc was heading towards a majority in the Lok Sabha elections.

Modi was making such statement about "mangalsutra" and "Hindu-Muslims because he fears defeat, Kharge said.

The Lok Sabha election is being fought by Congress to keep India united and save the Constitution and democracy, Kharge added.

Janjgir Champa will see voting in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 7.
A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed the bail pleas of former Deputy Chief Minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia in the corruption and money laundering cases lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in relation to the alleged excise policy scam case. Special judge for CBI and ED, Kaveri Baweja, denied the relief, saying the stage was not right to grant the bail.

Now, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said Sisodia will approach the high court against a Rouse Avenue courts Tuesday order, refusing bail to him in the alleged excise policy scam case.

The court had reserved the order after hearing arguments from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as well as the counsel appearing for Sisodia.

The CBI as well as the ED had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to the licence holders, licence fee was waived or reduced and licences were extended without the competent authoritys approval.

The beneficiaries allegedly diverted illegal gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection, the probe agencies have alleged.

Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023 for his alleged role in the scam.








: Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) witnessed a momentous occasion today as it commemorated the 126th Birth Anniversary of its visionary founder, Dr. Tonse Madhava Anantha Pai. The grand celebration, held at the Manipal Tata Medical College, Jamshedpur, was marked by the inauguration of the "Dr TMA Pai Hall," a tribute to the enduring legacy of Dr. Pai.



The ceremony, held in the Lecture Hall and Auditorium of the Academic Block, brought together faculty, students, and esteemed guests in a spirit of reverence and gratitude. Dr. TMA Pai's visionary leadership continues to shape the ethos of MAHE, and the inauguration of the hall serves as a fitting tribute to his remarkable contributions to education and healthcare.



Dr. TMA Pai's enduring legacy serves as a beacon of inspiration for generations of students and educators at Manipal Tata Medical College. The inauguration of the "Dr TMA Pai Hall" stands as a proud moment for the MAHE community, symbolizing a renewed commitment to upholding the values instilled by its founder.



The event concluded with heartfelt reflections from faculty, students, and staff, highlighting the profound impact of Dr. TMA Pai's visionary leadership on the MAHE community and beyond. His legacy continues to resonate through the halls of the institution, inspiring excellence and innovation in education and healthcare.



As MAHE commemorates Founders Day and inaugurates the "Dr TMA Pai Hall," it reaffirms its dedication to honoring the visionary ideals of its founder and perpetuating his legacy for generations to come.


A fire broke out in a paint factory located in Govindpura Industrial Area of Bhopal on Monday afternoon. During this time a cylinder or some other equipment exploded. Due to which two workers were injured who were admitted to Hamidia Hospital.

The incident of fire occurred at 2.30 in the afternoon. Fire brigade from Govindpura fire station reached the spot and brought the fire under control.

Firefighter Vijay Tripathi of Govindpura Fire Station said, Michael Industry is in front of Shubh Hospital. Where paint and powder coating takes place. A fire broke out in this. By the time we reached the spot, the fire was under control.

Firefighter Tripathi said, there was a light explosion during the fire in the factory. Due to which two workers were injured. They are said to be working in this factory. Other employees of the factory took him to Hamidia Hospital. Where the treatment is being done. It is not known what caused the blast. The condition of the workers is said to be fine.
District Election Officer cum Deputy Commissioner Shekhar Jamuar held a review meeting with the officials regarding the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections, in the auditorium of the Collectorate on Monday.

In the, meeting all the nodal officers of the compulsory service were discussed on the subject of postal ballot and information was taken about the voters voting through postal ballot and preparations related to voting through postal ballot.

The District Election Officer said in the meeting that voting through postal ballot has to be ensured by fully complying with the instructions issued by the Election Commission of India. In the meeting, instructions were given to not keep the EPIC card received at the post office level pending and to distribute 100% voter identity cards at the address of the concerned voter card holders. In the meeting, instructions were given to operate the Media Certification and Monitoring Cell effectively. Instructions were also given for the location of the control room to be operated on the day of polling and deputation of personnel. Web casting was also discussed in the meeting. Under AMF, the concerned sub-divisional officer was asked to ensure the review of other arrangements including drinking water, electricity at the polling stations at his level.

Deputy Development Commissioner Pashupatinath Mishra, Additional Collector Matiyash Vijay Toppo, Sub-Divisional Officer Garhwa Vijay Kumar, Sub-Divisional Officer Shri Banshidhar Nagar Prabhakar Mirdha, Civil Surgeon Garhwa Dr Ashok Kumar, Deputy Election Officer Sushil Kumar Rai, District Public Relations Officer Sanjeev Kumar Singh and othersy were present in the meeting.
With voter interest coming down in the first two phases of the Lok Sabha elections in different parts of the country, Haryana has decided to take a new initiative and rope in musical bands to play election-theme songs for encouraging young voters to exercise their franchise.

Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal said these bands will encourage people to cast their vote on the day of polling and also promote awareness and education regarding the election. Soon we will be doing the first band play, hopefully in Panchkula. The band will perform and election-theme music will be played, he said. Later, these bands will be engaged districts having a higher percentage of young voters, he said.

Notably, 1,99,81,982 voters across the state are eligible to cast their votes when polling will be held on May 25 in 10 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state in the sixth phase of general elections. The number of voters in the 18 to 19 age group is over 3.65 lakh while the voters aged between 20 to 29 years are over 39 lakh.



Agarwal said that this year, the Election Commission of India has made Chunav ka Parv  Desh ka Garv the slogan for Lok Sabha elections so that citizens participate enthusiastically in the elections. He appealed to the youth across the state, including those who will vote for the first time, saying that when the youth engage with the electoral process, they will understand the power of democracy and the importance of their vote.



He said that the voter turnout in Haryana was recorded at 70 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, this time our goal is to take it to at least 75 per cent, he said.



Notably, several unique initiatives have been undertaken by the state election department, including launching the Voters- in-Queue app, sending polling invitations to voters akin to wedding invitations, and setting up 31 polling booths in the multi-storey societies of Gurugram. Through the Voters-in-Queue app the voters can obtain information about the queue at polling centres from the comfort of their homes and can go to vote as the crowd decreases. The apps primary advantage is that it will save voters time by eliminating the need to wait in long queues, he said.



Agarwal said voter awareness campaigns are also being carried out to increase voter turnout. I am hopeful that Haryana will register record polling this time, he said.



Nearly 20,000 polling stations will be set up by the time polling is held, which will be 600-700 more than last time, he said.



The CEO said the law enforcement agencies have so far seized over Rs 27 crore worth of drugs, liquor and unaccounted-for cash in Haryana since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the Lok Sabha elections came into effect. On the MCC, he said through the c-VIGIL mobile app citizens are keeping a close eye on any poll code violations.



As soon as people receive information about violations of the MCC, they send their complaints to the Election Commission. These complaints are resolved within 100 minutes, he said. It is the result of citizens vigilance that so far over 2800 complaints have been received in Haryana, of which 2400 were found correct and immediate action was taken, he said.



To ensure smooth conduct of polls, several meetings with police departments related to security related arrangements have been held, he said.
Garhwa police arrested one Upadhyay Singh, son of Mundrika Singh of Nawadih village and recovered a country-made pistol and a live cartridge. Sub-Divisional police officer Neeraj Kumar said that to conduct peaceful polling in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and on the instructions of Superintendent of Police Deepak Kumar Pandey district police conducting continuous raids against anti-social elements . Some unsafe polling stations have been identified, where violence had also taken place in the last Lok Sabha elections. He said that after identifying those polling stations, special raids are being conducted against the anti-social elements around there.

He said that on on a tip off that Upadhyay Singh, a resident of Nawadih village of Garhwa police station area, is carrying illegal firearms with him. This information was given to the Superintendent of Police and after his instructions, a special raid team was formed under his leadership. He said that the raid team conducted a raid at Upadhyay Singh's house. During this, a loaded country made pistol was recovered from their. On opening the barrel, a live cartridge was recovered.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, after meeting AAP national convenor and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar Jail on Tuesday, said that Kejriwal is in better health, and he is getting regular insulin and medical check-ups.



Mann, sharing Kejriwals message, said that the AAP supremo had asked the people to vote. Vote to save our democracy and the Constitution. Vote against the dictators. Dont let the politics of hatred win, elect the politics of work, he said.



Addressing the media after the meeting, Mann said that they talked about families and their shared family AAP. He asked me about all the facilities being given to the people of Punjab, and asked if we are facing any problems due to the code of conduct or the pressure of the Central Government. I told him that everything is functioning smoothly. We are ready to give our share of 130 lakh metric tons of wheat to the Centre. The farmers are getting paid timely, he said.



Mann further said that he apprised Kejriwal about his visits to Gujarat and Assam and his campaign in Punjab. I told him that we (AAP) are getting an overwhelming response from the people everywhere. People know that Kejriwal is put behind the bars wrongfully. People are ready to vote out dictators, he added.



Sharing Kejriwals message, he said: Kejriwal ji wants you to not worry about him, he is okay, he will keep fighting. He will fight for the rights of the people and to save our democracy.



Earlier also, Mann had met Kejriwal in Delhis Tihar jail. At that time, he had complained about the treatment that Kejriwal is getting in jail. This time, Mann said that Kejriwal jis health is better as he is now getting insulin, but the meeting was conducted similarly as the last time. Mann was made to sit on the other side of the glass and they talked through an intercom phone.



They think they can arrest Kejriwal, break his spirit and stop the Aam Aadmi Party, but they are highly mistakenArvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party will brave these hard times and come out on the other side much stronger, he said.



Give up Kejriwals milni moh and attend to farmers: Jakhar too Mann

Chandigarh: Punjab BJP state president Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday prodded Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his amplified love for jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking Mann to now focus on the burgeoning farmer concerns and protests in Punjab instead of flying every time in a chopper to Tihar jail to meet beleaguered Kejriwal.



At a time when distressed farmers are protesting and sitting on railway tracks, Bhagwant Manns sorties in choppers and milni (ceremonial meeting) with Kejriwal continues. Previously, Mann tried to act as an advocate of farmers, now hes left farmers in the lurch, said Jakhar.



Maintaining clearly that a stronger Punjab will lead to a stronger nation, the state BJP president said that its an avoidable confrontation with farmers and Mann should focus his energy on ensuring that the protest ends on railway tracks and elsewhere, which he added, was not only causing distress to farmers, it was also a cause of suffering for the common man in Punjab.


The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday arrested former Managing Director of the Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation (MARKFED) Manoj Soni in connection with the alleged custom rice milling scam.

He was presented before the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court which sent him into five days ED custody till May 4.

The agency detained Soni from the Anti Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing (ACB/ EOW) office in Raipur where he had gone to record his statement.

In January 2024, the Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau /Economic Offences Wing (ACB/EOW) had registered an FIR in connection with the alleged custom rice milling scam based on a complaint of the Enforcement Directorate.

In the custom milling case, the ED report claimed that corruption had been committed in the process of depositing rice to the state Civil Supplies Corp and the Food Corp of India by rice millers after custom milling of rice.

In this process, corruption was done on a large scale and money was collected. Various government officials misused their position and colluded with the rice millers and received undue benefits causing financial loss to the government.
A printing press operator committed suicide by hanging with the ceiling near Baba Shadi Hall located in Gautam Nagar police station area of Bhopal. Police have found a suicide note from the spot.

In this, three people have been accused of not returning the loan amount. There is also mention of suicide due to distress.

It is being told that the deceased had different loans worth about Rs 50 lakh. Due to not getting the money from the creditors, he had become a defaulter in the bank. His property was about to be confiscated and due to which he committed suicide.

Ravindra Kushwaha of EWS Karond, has a printing press in MP Nagar area. The second press is in Gautam Nagar police station area. Due to heavy printing work, he used to work even at night. He went home after working at the printing press around 10 in the evening on Thursday night. When the employee reached the printing press on Friday morning, he found the door locked from inside. When the door did not open even after several attempts, the employee peeked through the window. Inside, Ravindra Kushwaha was seen hanging.

The employee had told the police that the owner was unhappy with the loan default.

Employee Mahendra Ahirwar told that his boss Ravindra Kushwaha had taken loan amount and done flex and other printing related work for a company. The company was not making payment even after the goods were supplied. Due to this, Ravindra Kashwaha started feeling sad and stressed.

Deceased's brother Devendra Kushwaha told that the brother had left an 8-page suicide note. The day after the body was found, the police searched the shop and seized the suicide note. In which there is mention of being troubled by debt and borrowers not returning the money. Manish, a vendor from Dewas, is prominently mentioned in this note.
Asserting that it is the duty of the State to safeguard and enforce rights guaranteed to transgenders under the Constitution, the Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi police to provide necessary security to a person from the transgender community intending to file nomination for the Lok Sabha elections.

The court order came after the petitioner Rajan Singh, who intended to file his nomination from South Delhi Parliamentary Constituency with the support of Rashtriya Bahujan Congress Party, had alleged there was a life threatening attack earlier this month at his office in Badarpur. He had sought directions for appropriate security and protection of his fundamental rights.

After the order, Rajan Singh expressed his gratitude at the Courts dedication to upholding constitutional principles and safeguarding the rights of all citizens, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. He said, this ruling not only ensures his safety but also reinforces the importance of equality and inclusivity in the electoral process.

Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta had observed that Article 14 of the Constitution ensures equality even for participation in the election process and any discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity impairs this provision.

Article 14 of the Constitution of India ensures equal protection of laws in all spheres of State activity, including participation in the election process. Any discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity impairs the equality before law and violates the Article 14 of the Constitution of India. The duty lies on the State for the purpose of safeguarding and enforcing the rights of the transgenders guaranteed under the Constitution, the court said in its order on April 29.

Petition is disposed of with directions to DCP (South) to provide necessary security to the petitioner for filling up the nomination form from South Delhi Parliamentary Constituency. SHO concerned shall also share his mobile number with the petitioner for aforesaid purpose, the court ordered.

Rajan Singh is poised to file his nomination soon in a constituency where established political figures like Ramvir Singh Bidhuri of the BJP and Sahiram Pehlwaan of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are also contenders. Despite the competitive electoral landscape, Singhs primary motivation for entering the race is to amplify the voices of the transgender community. Regardless of the elections outcome, the 25-year-old is committed to advocating for greater visibility and representation for transgender individuals in the political sphere, he said.
ESL Steel Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Group and a prominent steel producer in India, reaffirmed its dedication to societal progress by organizing an inter-centre quiz competition aimed at fostering a thirst for knowledge among students.

The competition, held in collaboration with Sarthak Sustainable Development Foundation, sought to transcend traditional learning boundaries by encouraging students to apply their knowledge practically. It was part of ESL Steel Limited's ongoing efforts to support community development and provide platforms for educational enrichment beyond textbooks.

Distinguished guests, including local dignitaries and educators, commended ESL Steel Limited and its partners for orchestrating the event. They were impressed by the students' enthusiasm, even in adverse weather conditions, and lauded the company's commitment to holistic community development.

Ashish Ranjan, Head of CSR, ER & PR at ESL Steel Limited, emphasized the company's focus on nurturing talent and fostering a vibrant learning environment. He highlighted initiatives like the quiz competition as catalysts for talent development and teamwork.

Rakesh Mishra, Deputy Head of CSR at ESL Steel Limited, expressed satisfaction with the competition's outcome, noting the unwavering confidence displayed by the contestants. He pledged to continue organizing such events to empower students and enhance their learning experiences.

The competition witnessed participation from various groups, with winners recognized across different categories. Projects like "Prerna," undertaken in collaboration with Sarthak Sustainable Development Foundation, aim to provide quality education to socio-economically disadvantaged students, thereby fostering their overall development.



The various winners amongst the categories in which the children were competing In Group A (Prerna Tutorials (5 teams): 1st position was secured by Prerna Tutorials, Modidih; 2nd position was won by Prerna Drawing Centre, Chandaha; and 3rd position by Prerna Tutorials, Kumatand.

In Group B (Prerna centre (5 teams); 1st was by Prerna Centre, Chandaha; 2nd position was secured by Prerna Centre, Siyaljori; Prerna Centre, Yogidih stood 3rd.

While in Group C (Vedanta ESL Excel 30 centre (5 teams)  Team 1 won.


Terming life and liberty as exceedingly important, the Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Enforcement Directorate on the timing of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals arrest ahead of the general elections in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, which continued hearing on the Kejriwals plea challenging his arrest for the consecutive day, posed several queries to Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the ED, and sought his reply on Friday.

Life and liberty are exceedingly important. You cant deny that, the bench told Raju and sought his reply, saying, the last question is with regard to the timing of the arrest, which they have pointed out, the timing of the arrest, soon before the general elections.

The bench also flagged the long time gap between initiation of adjudication proceedings in the case and the action of arrest, saying the section 8 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) provides a maximum limit of 365 days.

The apex court is likely to continue hearing on Kejriwals plea on Friday as the two judges will be sitting in different combinations from Wednesday.

It said, Mr. Raju, we have some questions, which we would like you to answer, when you make your submissions. First is without there being any adjudicatory proceedings, can the ED initiate a criminal proceedings in view of several judgements of this court on PMLA. The bench said in this case there are no proceedings of attachments so far and if there are any such proceedings, then the ED will have to show how petitioner (Kejriwal) is connected to it.

Justice Khanna said the verdict on the bail plea of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is in custody in the excise policy scam case, was divided into two parts  the first part was in favour of Sisodia and the second part was against him. You (Raju) have to tell us which part of Sisodia verdict does the petitioner (Kejriwal) case lie, the bench said.

Justice Khanna said the third important question relates to EDs power of arrest as it is the reason why Kejriwal has repeatedly approached the court.

Look, they have not openly stated but it is quite apparent why they are repeatedly coming up against the remand because what they believe is that the threshold of section 19 of PMLA casts an onus on the prosecution and not on the accused, he told Raju. Elaborating his question, Justice Khanna said that under section 19 of the PMLA, the threshold is fairly high whereas the onus shifts on the accused when he seeks bail under section 45 of the Act.

The bench told Raju, So, how do we interpret it? Do we make the threshold much higher and ensure that the standard is the same as to find the person who is guilty but then we have to deal with benefit of doubt and other things? It added that what is bothering the court is the time gap between the initiation of proceedings and the repeated complaints being filed because all this have consequences as PMLA provides for a maximum of 365 days.

At the outset, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, took the court through the statements of witnesses, approvers and accused in the case and said that only five statements had named the Aam Aadmi Party chief. He pointed out that the ED was initially opposing the bail plea of accused arrested in the case but after they had named the Delhi chief minister, the probe agency chose to not oppose their bail plea.

On Monday, the top court questioned the non-appearance of Kejriwal before the ED despite repeated summonses for recording of statements, and asked if he can challenge the arrest in a money laundering case related to the excise policy scam on the ground of non-recording of his version. Kejriwal is currently lodged in the Tihar jail here under judicial custody after his arrest on March 21 in the case.
Security has been further tightened at Bhopal's Raja Bhoj Airport, after an email threatening to blow it up with a bomb. Secondary ladder point checking of passengers is being done by CISF (Central Industrial Security Force).

Raja Bhoj Airport Authority had received a threatening email on Monday night. This mail was tagged to 60 different airport authorities of the country. The airport authority has informed the police. Gandhi Nagar Police has registered an FIR. Police have registered a case against unknown person under Section 507 and Aircraft Act.

Bhopal Airport Director Ramji Awasthi said that we are always 100 percent alert regarding security. Apart from this, we have asked the concerned agency to do secondary ladder point checking. It has been activated. Under this, apart from the checking done during normal days, there are some different parameters. This checking is done in different sequences. For example, if someone's passenger checking has been done then he can be cross checked again. This can also be done just before passengers board the plane.

About 40 flights arrive and depart from Bhopal Airport every day. The daily footfall is between 3000 to 4000.

According to TI Sunil Mehar of Gandhinagar police station, we have written to the cyber cell in this matter. The mail is sent from the proxy server. It is often used to hide your location. Apart from this, we are also checking the CCTV of the airport for the last few days.

Raja Bhoj Airport Chief Security Officer Vishal Kumar Sharma lodged a complaint at Gandhi Nagar police station on Monday. He said that on April 29, at 9.37 am, the mail came on the official email of the Airport Director. In which it was said that there will be bomb attacks on other airports and aircraft of the country including Bhopal.

On 8 September 2022 also, an IndiGo flight was allegedly threatened with a bomb at Raja Bhoj Airport. After which an atmosphere of chaos was created at the airport. There was information about a bomb being found in an IndiGo flight from Bhopal to Agra and it was said that it would be detonated with a 350 kg detonator.

According to TI Sunil Mehar of Gandhinagar police station, a mail came on the mail ID of the Airport Authority on Monday. The sender of the mail had written in English that three bombs have been planned in different flights. They will explode in some time. Apart from Bhopal, this mail was also tagged at 60 airports.






In a significant development that has reverberated through Punjabs political landscape, senior IPS officer Gurinder Singh Dhillon on Tuesday made a notable transition from law enforcement to politics. Dhillons decision to join the Congress party comes on the heels of his recent voluntary retirement from the police service, just weeks before his scheduled superannuation.



With an illustrious career spanning over three decades, Dhillons entry into the political arena has sparked considerable interest, especially amid speculation that he could be the Congress candidate from the Ferozepur Lok Sabha constituency.



Notably, Congress has, so far, announced its candidates for 12 segments, out of the total 13, while holding back the announcement for Ferozepur. Senior IPS officer, who was serving as the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), was set to retire on May 31, this year.



Dhillon, along with his wife, were inducted into the party at New Delhi, where All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Punjab affairs Devender Yadav formally welcomed them.



During the ceremony, Dhillon expressed his admiration for Rahul Gandhis leadership qualities, citing his personal interactions with the former Congress president during Punjab led of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The yatra provided Dhillon with a unique opportunity to accompany Rahul Gandhi for a significant stretch, fostering a close rapport with the Congress leader.



In fact, before joining, Dhillon also changed his profile pic on X (formerly twitter), posting a one with Rahul Gandhi. I came in close interaction with him (Rahul Gandhi) during the Bharat Jodo Yatra as I walked with him for 130 kms from Fatehgarh Sahib to Jammu city. After that he came for sewa at Golden Temple and stayed for three to four days. (Senior Congress leader KC) Venugopal ji wanted me on duty inside Darbar Sahib. During these two visits, I interacted with him (Rahul Gandhi) and Venugopal ji very closely. I understood the Congress feel and touch. And I found myself impressed by the leadership qualities of Rahul ji, said Dhillon.



Reflecting on his decision to join the Congress, Dhillon emphasized his commitment to serving the people and contributing to the party's ideology and vision.



Yadav, addressing the media, hailed Dhillons decision to join the Congress and highlighted his potential as an asset to the party. Yadav underscored the importance of Dhillons vast experience and leadership qualities, indicating that the party would entrust him with responsibilities in line with his capabilities.



While there is speculation that Dhillon could be fielded as the Congress candidate from Ferozepur, he emphasized his willingness to serve the party in any capacity, prioritizing grassroots engagement and understanding the needs of the public. The party is also considering the name of former MP Sher Singh Ghubaya for the seat.



Born out of a desire to continue serving the people and contribute to the betterment of society, Dhillon's transition from a decorated police officer to a political aspirant underscored the multifaceted nature of public service. Serving the border state from militancy to serious issues by being on various posts or wings, Dhillon said that he always tried to give the best possible. Whatever diverse experience I gained from the police service, I place at the disposal of the Congress party and its leadership, he added.



Dhillon further expressed, Engaging in electoral battles may seem tempting, but my foremost request to the party is to allow me to serve as a humble servant. I aspire to walk alongside the general public, empathize with their challenges, and address their concerns. If, in due course, the people express their desire for my candidacy, I will consider it. Additionally, I am committed to adhering to the directives of the party high command, unwaveringly following their instructions as a disciplined party member.



On April 24, a 1997-batch IPS officer had posted on X, stating, I have taken VRS from my Police service. I am feeling uncaged. Lets see where wind of destiny pollinates me. Starting his career as Deputy Superintendent of Police in Jalandhar, Dhillon was elevated to the Indian Police Service in 2012 and allotted to the 1997-batch on account of his seniority. He had served in various positions in intelligence, anti-drug Special Task Force, Bureau of Investigation, and other wings.


Six-time Madhya Pradesh MLA Ramniwas Rawat joined the BJP on Tuesday, in a major jolt to Congress. Rawat served as a minister in the Digvijay Singh government and was previously the executive president of MP Congress. He has now aligned himself with the BJP, with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav present during his induction.

Notably, Rawats defection came while senior party MP Rahul Gandhi is on a visit to the state.

Ramniwas Rawat represents the Vijaypur constituency of Sheopur district. He has been elected MLA six times from Vijaypur.

Rawat had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections against Narendra Singh Tomar from the Morena seat and lost by a huge margin.

Ramniwas Rawat is a prominent leader of the OBC community.

The latest blow to the Congress party in Madhya Pradesh comes just a day after its candidate for the Indore Lok Sabha constituency, Akshay Kanti Bamb.

The Congress took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that its candidates were threatened in Surat and Indore. The Congress' Surat candidate's nomination form was rejected over discrepancies, paving the way for the BJP nominee to get elected unopposed from the seat in Gujarat.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "Since 1984 the Congress has not won Surat and Indore Lok Sabha seats. Yet in 2024 Congress candidates in both seats were threatened, intimidated and bulldozed into withdrawing their nominations."

Speaking about Rawat joining the party, BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agarwal said, There is resentment in the Congress. They (Congress) are constantly making baseless allegations but they do not even realise that the ground beneath them is constantly slipping. It is an open rebellion against their leadership."

Rahul Gandhi is making baseless statements, its (Congress) anti-Sanatan attitude, anti-Constitution attitude, their governments are doing politics of Muslim appeasement and snatching the rights of OBCs, this has been repeatedly proved, that is why Ramniwas Rawat and other Congress workers are leaving the Congress party," Agarwal said.

Meanwhile, Congress leader KK Mishra said that despite trying hard, they could not stop Rawat from joining BJP.

"Undoubtedly, Ramniwas Rawat has been a senior leader of the Congress party. I respect him a lot. He has given a lot to the party and the party has also given a lot to him. I regret his leaving the party.

We were all trying to convince him that he should serve the party, but when he had already made up his mind, what can be done about it," Mishra told.Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh are being conducted in four phases.
In another blow to Maoists, security forces on Tuesday gunned down as many as 10 Naxalites, including three women, in a forest along the borders of Narayanpur and Kanker districts in Chhattisgarh.

This is the second major strike on Naxalites by security forces in 15 days. On April 16, 29 Naxalites were gunned down in Kanker district.

The latest gunfight took place at around 6 am in the forest between Tekmeta and Kakur villages in Abhujmad area, considered a stronghold of Naxalites, involving the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Special Task Force (STF), Inspector general of Police Bastar (Range) Sundarraj P said.

The operation was launched on Monday based on inputs about the presence of armed Maoists in the area.

After the exchange of fire, the bodies of 10 Naxalites were recovered from the spot.

An AK-47 rifle and cache of other weapons and explosives were also seized from the spot.

The identity of the deceased Maoists were yet to be ascertained.

With this incident, 91 Maoists have been killed this year by security forces in Bastar region, according to the police.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai greeted security personnel for killing the Maoists.
After withdrawal of name by Congress candidate Akshay Bam in Indore, State Congress President Jitu Patwari said that Congress will not support any independent candidate in Indore. The public has the option of NOTA.

Congress will hold rallies, meetings in Indore and demand the people of the city to save democracy.

Patwari said that Indore is counted among the cleanest cities in the country, but BJP made it the most polluted politically. The power of the vote is in danger due to what happened on Monday.

Indore became first in murder of democracy. Rahul Gandhi asked me about the developments in Indore that Sumitra Mahajan also lives in Indore. How did they let all this happen? She didn't say anything.

Patwari said that BJP is now giving rise to political mafia. We may be lacking, the Congress organization may be weak, but the party is strong. Which won 9 seats of Indore with public votes. The work he did in Indore has brought shame to Indore and it is being celebrated properly. Now this fight is not between BJP and Congress, but between BJP and the people.
Union minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday said the Congress was using all types of tricks -- fear, confusion, rumour and now deepfake -- for its propaganda.

Thakur refuted the Congress' charge that democracy was under threat or that reservations will be taken away by the BJP government.

"It was during Congress regime that democracy was finished by imposing Emergency," Thakur told PTI Videos at Lucknow airport.

The minister is in the state to attend several programmes that includes the filing of nominations by party leaders.

"Congress is using fear, confusion, rumour, deepfake and all kinds of tricks. The way foreign powers try to destabilise any country, the Congress is using all kinds of tricks for its propaganda."

The BJP has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against the Congress, alleging that it circulated the "deepfake and morphed" video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to derail the poll process, and demanded strict action against the party.

"They (Congress) have been lying constantly. They say reservation will be finished, democracy will be finished. The Modi government ruled for 10 years, there was no talk of reservation. It will never end in the Modi regime. We have given the rights to SC, ST and OBC. On the other hand, the Congress has snatched their rights," Thakur said.

Reservation is under threat in Congress-ruled states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telengana, he said.

"Congress humiliated Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar. It was in the Modi regime that Constitution Day was celebrated and 'Panch Teerth' were made. Our slogan is 'sabka saath sabka vikas'," he said.

Thakur said Uttar Pradesh will create a new record and play an important role in achieving the "400 paar" target in this year's Lok Sabha elections.

"Be it in 2014 or 2019, UP played a role. We have to take the achievements of Modi government to every household," he said.

The minister also said that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi may have joined hands again but the two "shehzadas' "will not be able to much".
A 32-year-old man arrested in the case of the firing outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan's residence here allegedly hanged himself in the police lockup on Wednesday, officials said.

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Maharashtra police has taken over the probe into the custodial death of Anuj Thapan, and CCTV footage of the lockup will be examined, they said. Thapan was accused of supplying weapons to the shooters who opened fire outside Khan's residence in Bandra on April 14, and arrested by the Mumbai crime branch a week later. He hanged himself with a piece of bedsheet in the toilet of the first-floor lock-up, located in the crime branch building inside the police commissioner's office compound in south Mumbai, an official said.

The incident came to light at 1 pm on Wednesday when a crime branch official noticed that Thapan had been in the toilet for a long time. When the door was forced open, he was found hanging from the toilet's window, the official said. He was rushed to the nearby state-run Gokuldas Tejpal hospital, where he was declared dead during treatment, the official said.

There were five other accused in the lock-up at the time of the incident. Two co-accused of Thapan in the firing case had been taken out for investigation, the official said. The state CID has taken over the probe into Thapan's custodial death and it will investigate whether there was any negligence on the part of crime branch officials, he said.

Usually, if an accused informs the lockup in-charge that he wishes to go to the toilet, a police personnel accompanies him. The CID will look into whether these norms were followed, the official added.

Later in the evening, Thapan's body was sent to the state-run J J Hospital for in-camera postmortem, to be conducted by forensic doctors in the presence of a magistrate, while an accidental death case was registered at Azad Maidan police station.

A senior police official told PTI that there were five police personnel posted at the crime branch lockup, and as per the high court guidelines, CCTV cameras are also installed inside. "After examining the CCTV footage, we will find out what exactly happened," he said.

Thapan and Sonu Kumar Bishnoi (32) were arrested by a crime branch team from Fazilka in Punjab on April 26. The two had allegedly supplied weapons to `shooters' Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta for firing at Salman Khan's residence. As per the police, the duo visited Panvel near Mumbai on March 15 to deliver two country-made pistols and 38 live rounds to Pal and Gupta. Thapan and Sonu's village in Punjab is very close to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's village.

Lawrence, currently lodged in Sabarmati central prison in Ahmedabad, and his younger brother Anmol Bishnoi, believed to be in the US or Canada, have been named as wanted accused in the firing case.

Thapan and Sonu were also accused, along with Lawrence and Anmol Bishnoi, in an earlier case of firing registered at Gangapur in Punjab, the official said, adding that Thapan was an important link in that case.

Speaking to the media here, Thapan's lawyer alleged that police "seemed to have used force" (during interrogation). "We are demanding an inquiry, by the CBI or state police," he added.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday celebrated the countries continued cooperation at their seventh and final Leaders Retreat in Jakarta, an annual meeting between the two Southeast Asian leaders that was also attended this year by their successors.

Lees visit to Indonesia is one of his last working trips before he hands over the reins of his administration to a new leader. The eldest son of Singaporean founding father Lee Kuan Yew announced his resignation earlier this month after two decades at the helm. His deputy prime minister and finance minister, Lawrence Wong, will succeed him in May.

Widodo, Indonesias first president from outside the traditional Jakarta elite who is widely known by the nickname Jokowi, will be succeeded by Prabowo Subianto, who takes office in October.

All four top officials met Monday at the colonial-style Presidential Palace in Bogor, just outside Jakarta, as the retreat became a passing of the guard for both countries.

Im glad that President Jokowi and I are handing over the bilateral relationship in good state to our successors, Lee said at a joint news conference with Widodo after the meeting. I have every confidence that Mr. Prabowo and DPM Lawrence will continue to bring the relationship to greater heights.

Singapores Prime Ministers Office said in a statement ahead of Lees visit that the two leaders would take stock of the significant progress made in bilateral cooperation during their tenures.

Previously, the two countries ratified three milestone agreements, including a defense cooperation agreement and separate treaties on extradition and airspace.

The agreements were signed during the 2022 leaders retreat and came into effect this year. At this years retreat, the leaders oversaw the signing of several agreements, including an update on defence cooperation which Lee said reflects the two countries robust defence ties. A similar defense agreement was first signed by the two countries in April 2007, but didnt to go into effect after opposition in Indonesias Parliament.

The defence cooperation agreement will significantly boost Singapores ability to carry out naval and military exercises amid regional tensions over Chinas growing military strength.

The island city-state lacks maritime, land and airspace to effectively train its military. Indonesia, which holds huge land and maritime areas, has agreed to let Singapore carry out naval exercises with other nations in the Bravo area of the South China Sea four times a year  terms that previously faced criticism from Indonesian lawmakers.

We completed these agreements, and they went into force last month, Lee said. This shows that when we work together in a spirit of friendship and openness, we can address even the most complicated issues in a pragmatic and mutually beneficial manner. Widodo said they also discussed regional and global issues.

We agreed to continue to encourage peace in the Middle East region and vowed to strengthen ASEAN centrality, Widodo said, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He added that Indonesia and Singapore agreed to cooperate on food security, energy transition, digital economy and healthcare.
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Key Points:

The US and Saudi Arabia are nearing a defense pact that could reshape Middle East geopolitics.

The agreement may lead to the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, contingent upon progress towards a Palestinian state.

Challenges remain, including achieving a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and securing US Congressional approval for arms transfers.

US-Saudi Defense Pact: A Catalyst for Middle East Transformation?

A potential defense treaty between the United States and Saudi Arabia could significantly reshape the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East, with implications for regional security, diplomatic relations, and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the details of the agreement are still under negotiation, its core elements suggest a significant shift in alliances and priorities.

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Strengthening Security and Countering Influence

The proposed pact would offer security guarantees to Saudi Arabia, enhancing its defense capabilities against potential threats. This includes the possibility of the kingdom acquiring advanced weapons systems from the United States, pending approval from the US Senate. In return, Saudi Arabia is expected to limit the use of Chinese technology in sensitive networks, addressing concerns about foreign influence in critical infrastructure.

The agreement aims to bolster both countries positions against Iran, a regional rival with growing influence. Additionally, it could serve as a counterbalance to Chinas expanding economic and technological footprint in the Middle East.

The Israel Factor: A Path to Normalization?

One of the most significant aspects of the proposed pact is its potential to pave the way for formal diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Following an agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia, the two nations plan to approach Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about joining the deal. This would mark a historic breakthrough, signaling a new era of cooperation and potentially easing long-standing tensions in the region.

However, Saudi officials have repeatedly emphasized that normalization with Israel hinges on progress toward a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The kingdom advocates for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with guarantees for both Israeli and Palestinian security.

Challenges and Uncertainties

Despite the potential benefits of the proposed US-Saudi defense pact, several complex factors necessitate careful consideration and strategic planning to ensure its successful implementation and long-term viability.

A central concern revolves around the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, a critical condition for Saudi Arabias participation in the agreement and normalization of relations with Israel. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a multifaceted issue with a long and intricate history, marked by deep-seated disagreements and ongoing political hurdles. Navigating this complex landscape and achieving a mutually acceptable two-state solution will require extensive diplomatic efforts and a sustained commitment from all involved parties.

Furthermore, the transfer of advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia, a key component of the proposed pact, is contingent upon approval from the US Congress. Concerns regarding human rights and the potential for regional arms proliferation may lead to opposition within the legislative body. Successfully securing congressional approval will necessitate addressing these concerns and demonstrating the strategic value of the agreement for US interests and regional stability.

Additionally, the potential impact of the defense pact on the wider geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East requires careful evaluation. The agreement may elicit reactions from Iran and other regional actors, potentially leading to heightened tensions and increased complexity in the regions political landscape. Effectively managing these dynamics and mitigating potential risks will be crucial for ensuring the pacts long-term success and contribution to regional stability.
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A fresh inquest has been ordered into the killing of Billy McGreanery in Derry more than 50 years ago.

Northern Irelands Attorney General Brenda King ordered the new inquest on Tuesday, hours before new legacy laws come into effect.

Mr McGreanery, aged 41, was shot dead by a member of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards  referred to as soldier A  at the junction of Eastway, Lonemoor Road and Westland Street, on the evening of September 14, 1971.

He underwent surgery at Altnagelvin hospital and died around four hours later during the early hours of Wednesday, September 15.

The Historical Enquiries Team of detectives said Mr McGreanery was not carrying a firearm and posed no threat when he was targeted.

In 2011, Sir Peter Wall, then chief of the Armys general staff, apologised to his family.

The then minister for the Armed Forces, Andrew Robathan also offered an apology in the House of Commons.

In 2013, KRW Law wrote to the Attorney General seeking a new inquest and in 2017 the case was referred to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).

The PSNIs Legacy Investigation Bureau reviewed the case before a full investigation.

Ultimately, the PPS determined on Monday that the soldier would not be prosecuted in relation with the killing.

Following that decision, the familys solicitor Gary Duffy from KRW Law wrote to the Attorney General asking that the inquest now be ordered.

The AGs office said Ms King is mindful that a fresh inquest is likely to be faced with difficulties including the availability of witnesses, the fact that Soldier B has died and the potential impact on the inquests ability to find facts if a witness asserts the privilege against self-incrimination.

A statement said: While these matters clearly sound on the utility of a further inquest the Attorney nonetheless considers that it is advisable to order a new inquest in this case.

Mr McGreanerys nephew, also named Billy McGreanery, said the family was uplifted by the news of the inquest.

He said: This gives us a glimmer of hope for the future.

We still have the resolve to fight on and get justice for our uncle Billy, despite the major setback yesterday.

We welcome the acknowledgement by the Attorney General that there are still questions that need to be addressed, and we hope that an inquest does take place at some stage to give us these answers.

Mr Duffy said: Yesterdays PPS refusal to prosecute anyone in connection with the killing of Billy McGreanery was gut-wrenching for the family.

However, their distress has been alleviated to an extent in light of the Attorney Generals decision that a new inquest would be advisable.

The announcement couldnt be any timelier, coming as it does less than 24 hours after the PPS decision, and indeed less than 24 hours before the Legacy Act cut-off date.

Yet again this case presents as an example of how the current legacy processes can and do work in certain instances for families. The Legacy Act serves to dismantle all of the existing legal mechanisms and puts us into a conflict-resolution dark era.

Sara Duddy from the Pat Finucane Centre welcomed the news, adding: We now are appealing to the Labour Party, should they win the next election, to make good on their promise to repeal the shameful Legacy Act so that this inquest can go forward.

We are also awaiting the outcome of the Legacy Act legal challenge that is due to be considered by the Court of Appeal in June. Families like the McGreanerys are resilient and will continue to fight for truth and justice for their loved ones.
A County Derry care worker who defrauded a bed-bound pensioner out of more than 3,000 after stealing her bank card, has been sentenced at a local court.

Samantha Noble of Glack Mor, Limavady, appeared before the town's magistrates court, sitting in Coleraine, today (Wednesday) to face ten charges of fraud by false representation and two charges of attempted fraud by false representation.

The 31 year-old mother-of-three was further charged with theft.

The court heard that the offences were committed between November 5 and November 7 2023.

An earlier court hearing was told that Noble's victim was a 77 year-old pensioner 'who was bed bound and still is bed bound'.

The court heard that over the course of two days, Noble made 33 transactions using the stolen bank card.

These transactions were made both instore and online at retailers including Boots, Sally Beauty and Moran's Supermarket as well as Amazon and PayPal.

ATM transactions were also made by Noble.

The court was told that the transactions amounted to 3,501.95.

Following a report from the injured party, police attended Ulster Bank in Limavady and also viewed CCTV from various retail premises which allowed them to identify Noble from the footage.

When arrested for the offences, Noble produced the stolen bank card and pin from her purse and handed it over to police.

The court heard that the defendant also made full admissions during interview.

Noble's barrister, Sinead Rogan said that a doctor's report, which was before the court, indicated that her client had been suffering from postpartum depression at the time of the offences.

She went on to say that Noble had enjoyed working in her job and had 'very positive things to say about the injured party in the case'.

Ms Rogan stated that since committing the offences, Noble and her partner have separated and she has been 'isolated by many members of her family'.

It's had a detrimental effect on her life, continued Ms Rogan, adding that her client had also attempted suicide.

The court heard that Noble has shown 'high levels of remorse' and had sold her car and wedding dress, which was of high sentimental value, to gather up 3,500 in compensation.

During sentencing, District Judge Peter King told Noble that he had 'digested' a number of documents ahead of sentencing, including the pre-sentence report, papers in the case and the doctor's report.

He said it was a case where the most likely disposal was custody however he felt that compensation and an enhanced combination order would do justice.

Judge King sentenced Noble to an enhanced combination order of 90 hours community service and 12 months' probation.

In addition, he ordered her to pay compensation of 3,501.95 to the victim.
Children's Health Ireland has warned parents to never allow children on or outside near a ride-on lawnmower, saying that a life-changing injury from a lawnmower blade "only takes a second".

The health organisation revealed that at least two children present to a hospital each season following accidents on the vehicles, and Childrens Health Ireland (CHI) trauma teams treat children with devastating injuries regularly from ride-on lawnmowers.

These injuries can be severe, and reported hospital cases include amputations of upper and lower limbs.

CHI operates paediatric healthcare, and consists of hospitals at Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght as well as an Urgent Care Centre at Connolly hospital in Blanchardstown.

They add that while the inherent risks of ride-on lawnmowers can affect all ages, toddlers are particularly at risk. CHI advise that only safe way to mow the lawn when young children are present is to have another adult watch them indoors and far from the very real danger.

Catherine de Blacam, a Consultant Plastic Surgeon in CHI at Crumlin warned that children should be nowhere near ride-on lawnmower machinery or activity, even if they are supervised by an adult.

"Adults should never, ever allow a child to be a passenger or to sit on their knee on a ride-on lawnmower. The accidents that we see every year happen when a child is riding on with a parent and falls off or when they are following the lawnmower and slip under it. The child then gets caught in the moving blades and, as you can imagine, these injuries are devastating and potentially life-threatening.

CHI also outlines a number of other safety precautions for ride-on lawnmowers, such as advising that no riders other than the operator should be allowed on a riding mower, as well as to remove stones, toys and sticks from the area before mowing.
An operation has been undertaken in Dublin to move hundreds of asylum seekers who had been sleeping in a large encampment of tents in the city centre.

In recent months, migrants have been sleeping rough beside the citys International Protection Office on Mount Street as the state struggles to source enough accommodation for people seeking asylum.

The operation to move the makeshift camp that began early on Wednesday morning comes amid increasing diplomatic tensions between the UK and Ireland after the Irish Government expressed concern about an upsurge of asylum seekers entering the state via the land border from Northern Ireland.

Council workers, some dressed in white overalls, were involved in clean-up efforts to remove the tents and wash down the camp area in and around Mount Street.

Asylum seekers congregated in groups waiting with their luggage as buses and taxis arrived to take them to another site where basic facilities will be offered.

Mount Street was cordoned off during the operation, with a large number of gardai present. Access was only granted to residents of the street and workers involved in the removal operation. Health personnel also participated in the multi-agency initiative.

A similar operation to remove tents from the area was undertaken in March, but another makeshift encampment soon built up again.

A Government statement outlined details of Wednesdays operation: A joint operation between the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; the Department of Justice; An Garda Siochana; Dublin City Council; the Office of Public Works; and the HSE (Health Service Executive) is under way on Mount Street, Dublin.

The purpose of the operation is to ensure the safe movement of people seeking international protection from the tents on Mount Street to International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas)-designated accommodation.

The Ipas-designated accommodation has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security.

Irish Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the encampment was inhumane and unsustainable.

She said the situation demonstrated a failure of Government policy on migrant accommodation.

The conditions on Mount Street for the 200 men who were forced to sleep here in tents had become inhumane and unsustainable, she told the PA news agency.

And I did yesterday in the Dail, and indeed on previous occasions, call on the Taoiseach and the Government to address the situation and to find appropriate safe and secure accommodation for the men who are in the tents.

Im glad to see that that has been done. I will be pressing now to ensure that the accommodation is safe and secure and that its appropriate, so that we dont see this sort of build-up of people living in such desperately unsanitary and unhealthy conditions again on Mount Street or indeed anywhere else.

Noel Wardick, from Dublin City Community Cooperative, an organisation that has been providing support to the asylum seekers sleeping rough, said it was vital that the alternative accommodation was appropriate.

He said that was the key failure of the last removal operation in March.

The jury is out from the point of view we dont know where the men are going, he said.

And we dont know the conditions on the site. So we would expect that the state has provided sufficient sanitation, water, hygiene, and blankets, warm accommodation.

However, that wasnt the case on the 16th of March when they last dismantled the site in a very shambolic, ham-fisted and chaotic manner.

So lets hope all those lessons were learned and the men are in a vastly improved situation.
The Irish premier has reiterated his Governments position that police will not be sent to the Northern Ireland border amid an ongoing diplomatic row which saw UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak seeking urgent clarification on the matter.

Diplomatic tensions between London and Dublin have increased in recent days after Irelands justice minister claimed there had been an upsurge in asylum seekers crossing the border following the passing of the UKs Safety of Rwanda Act.

On Tuesday, the Irish Government said 100 police officers would be made available for frontline immigration enforcement duties, although Dublin insisted they would not be assigned to physically police the border with Northern Ireland.

On Wednesday, Mr Sunak urged the Irish Government not to send police into border areas following a dispute about asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic.

He said the Irish Government must uphold its promises to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and avoid setting up checkpoints to prevent asylum seekers entering the country.

Answering questions in the Commons, Mr Sunak said ministers were seeking urgent clarification that there will be no disruption or police checkpoints at or near the border, and that there must not be cherry-picking of important international agreements.

He added: Now, its no surprise that our robust approach to illegal migration is providing a deterrent but the answer is not sending police to villages in Donegal. Its to work with us in partnership to strengthen our external borders all around the common travel area that we share.

Asked about Mr Sunaks comments, Irish premier Simon Harris reiterated that no gardai (Irish police) will be sent to border areas, saying: Of course there wont be.

Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday, the Taoiseach said he had no idea if the UK had directly sought clarification from his Government on whether there would be checkpoints on the border.

Both governments have acknowledged the existence of an operational agreement which provides for the reciprocal return of asylum seekers between the UK and Ireland, but Downing Street has said it contains no legal obligations to accept them.

The Prime Minister said he was not interested in a returns deal if the European Union did not allow the UK to send back asylum seekers who had crossed the English Channel from France.

Mr Harris, who pointed out that there were upcoming elections in the UK, stressed the importance of countries upholding agreements.

He said: Im not getting involved in British politics and Im very well aware there is local elections due in the UK tomorrow, and Ive no interest as Taoiseach of this country of being involved in day to day back and forth in the House of Commons.

What I do have an interest in is agreements. Agreements between two countries and I very much welcome the British Prime Ministers comments in relation to the importance of countries upholding agreements. Well uphold the agreement we have with Britain under the common travel area, the standard operating procedure that we have in place.

I also welcome the comments of the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, where he referred to the importance of the two countries working together to protect the common travel area from abuses.

Regularising our laws in relation to the arrangement we have with Britain is only one of a number of things we intend to do to ensure we have a firm, effective migration system.

Mr Sunaks comments came in response to a question from DUP MP Carla Lockhart, who accused the Irish Government of hypocrisy given its stance on the border during Brexit negotiations.

Asked about the diplomatic dispute, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said Mr Harris had provided Mr Sunaks Government with a propaganda coup in the run-up to elections.

Speaking to Irish national broadcaster RTE, she added: Its never a good place for the Irish Government to be scoffed and laughed at in the House of Commons.

Downing Street has repeatedly stressed that the UK is under no legal obligation to accept returns of asylum seekers from Ireland, and would not do so while France continued to refuse to accept returns from the UK.

There is an operational agreement on the common travel area with Ireland which Dublin says provides for returning asylum seekers, but the Prime Ministers official spokesman said this was not legally binding and nobody had been returned to the UK under its terms.

One person has been returned to Ireland under the agreement since it was signed four years ago, the spokesman added.

On Wednesday, the spokesman said: We obviously work with them on a range of issues, including in relation to security issues in the common travel area, but the UK has no obligation to accept returns.

Labour said it agreed with the Government that the UK should not accept returns from Ireland while Britain is not able to return people who arrive here from the EU.

The UK Government has claimed the reported increase in asylum seekers entering Ireland from Northern Ireland demonstrated that its Rwanda scheme was already acting as a deterrent.

Irish deputy prime minister Micheal Martin has previously said justice minister Helen McEntees figure of 80% of total border crossings was not evidence-based while DUP MP Ian Paisley told the Commons it was made up.

It is not clear how many asylum seekers have cross from Northern Ireland into the Republic, with Downing Street saying it did not have that data as the border is not policed.

A spokesman for the Irish premier said that no call or meeting has been scheduled for Mr Sunak and Mr Harris to discuss the matter.
It is an indisputable matter of fact that initial funding for health was increased in the budget agreed by the Stormont powersharing Executive, MLAs have been told.

The director of public spending at the Department of Finance, Joanne McBurney, said that while no Stormont minister had received what they wanted in the spending plan, the Department of Healths baseline funding had risen by almost 2 billion since 2020.

Health Minister Robin Swann refused to back the draft 2024/25 budget agreed by his ministerial colleagues last week.

While the health service has been allocated more than half of the 14.5 billion resource budget available to the devolved government, the Ulster Unionist minister has said it falls well short of the money needed to maintain services at safe levels.

He has called on the Assembly to make changes to the budget and has refused to rule out resigning if it passes in its current form.

The Department of Finance said the allocation given to health is a 6.3% rise based on the previous years budget, while Mr Swann insisted what he was receiving was a 2.3% cut in expenditure.

Part of the different interpretation is based on whether the comparison is made between the starting point allocation at the beginning of the financial year, or the expenditure at the end of the financial year, when additional payments from Westminster have been factored in.

Ms McBurney told the Finance Committee that it was always going to be an incredibly challenging budget.

She added: With increased demands on services and rising the costs, the Executive simply does not have the budget to do everything it would want to do.

Providing additional funding for one area means less funding for another, that was the harsh reality facing the Executive when they were agreeing the budget.

Ms McBurney told MLAs that the approach to setting the budget had been agreed by the Executive on February 15, and that this had included that the final financial position for 2023/24 could not be used as the starting point for budget 2024/25.

She said: The Department for Health was allocated over half of the overall resource DEL (departmental expenditure limits) provided to departments, 51.2% of the overall resource DEL outcome.

As a result of the ongoing prioritisation of health, the allocation of a further 472 million in this budget will see the Department of Healths baseline funding increase by almost 2 billion since the last Executive returned in 2020.

Asked by DUP MLA Diane Forsythe what would be the consequences for other departments if health had received more spending, Ms McBurney said: The only way at this stage to get more funding to health is to take that funding off somewhere else and there was no minister who implied they could live with anything less than what they got.

In fact all of them were asking for significantly more than what they received.

DUP MLA Phillip Brett said it was important that there is honesty around the facts and figures.

He added: Rather than being a decrease to the opening position of last year, as some people have tried to indicate, this is actually a 6.5% increase from last year.

Ms McBurney said: We would say from the opening position it is.

I think the Department of Health have looked towards the closing position for the year.

Our argument against that would be, one  you dont know what additional allocations you are going to get in-year, and two  your closing position had a number of transfers from Whitehall departments, in particular including quite large sums for the immigration health surcharge which they should also be getting this year.

So, it is not right to compare the end of one year with the start of the next.

Mr Brett said: It is an indisputable matter of fact that the departments resource DEL, their opening position, is higher than it was last year?

Ms McBurney responded: Yes.

The DUP MLA asked if the health minister had submitted alternative spending proposals.

Ms McBurney said: The health minister certainly set out clearly what his issues were with the budget but I am not aware of any other costed proposals coming in from where the money should be taken in order to give to the Department of Health.
The Prime Minister has urged the Irish government not to send police into border areas amid a row over asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic.

Rishi Sunak said the Irish government must uphold its promises to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and avoid setting up checkpoints to prevent asylum seekers entering the country.

Diplomatic tensions between London and Dublin have increased in recent days after Irelands justice minister claimed there had been an upsurge in asylum seekers crossing the border following the passing of the UKs Safety of Rwanda Act.

On Tuesday, the Irish government said 100 police officers would be made available for frontline immigration enforcement duties, although Dublin insisted they would not be assigned to physically police the border with Northern Ireland.

Answering questions in the Commons, Mr Sunak said ministers were seeking urgent clarification that there will be no disruption or police checkpoints at or near the border and that there must not be cherry-picking of important international agreements.

He added: Now, its no surprise that our robust approach to illegal migration is providing a deterrent but the answer is not sending police to villages in Donegal. Its to work with us in partnership to strengthen our external borders all around the Common Travel Area that we share.

His comments came in response to a question from DUP MP Carla Lockhart, who accused the Irish government of hypocrisy given its stance on the border during Brexit negotiations.

Downing Street has repeatedly stressed that the UK is under no legal obligation to accept returns of asylum seekers from Ireland, and would not do so while France continued to refuse to accept returns from the UK.

There is an operational agreement on the Common Travel Area with Ireland which Dublin says provides for returning asylum seekers, but the Prime Ministers official spokesman said this was not legally binding and nobody had been returned to the UK under its terms.

One person has been returned to Ireland under the agreement since it was signed four years ago, the spokesman added.

On Wednesday, the spokesman said: We obviously work with them on a range of issues, including in relation to security issues in the Common Travel Area, but the UK has no obligation to accept returns.

Labour said it agreed with the Government that the UK should not accept returns from Ireland while Britain is not able to return people who arrive here from the EU.

The Government has claimed the reported increase in asylum seekers entering Ireland from Northern Ireland demonstrated that its Rwanda scheme was already acting as a deterrent.

Irish premier Simon Harris confirmed there will be no police sent to border areas.

Asked if the UK Government had sought clarification from Dublin that there will be no police checkpoints at the border, Mr Harris said he had no idea.

Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday about reports of border police, he said: Of course there wont be.

Im not getting involved in British politics and Im very well aware there is local elections due in the UK tomorrow and Ive no interest as Taoiseach of this country of being involved in day to day back and forth in the House of Commons.

But what I do have an interest in is agreements. Agreements between two countries and I very much welcome the British Prime Ministers comments in relation to the importance of countries upholding agreements. Well uphold the agreement we have with Britain under the Common Travel Area, the standard operating procedure that we have in place.

I also welcome the comments of the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, where he referred to the importance of the two countries working together to protect the Common Travel Area from abuses.

Regularising our laws in relation to the arrangement we have with Britain is only one of a number of things we intend to do to ensure we have a firm, effective migration system.

I think that is the bigger thing that has been done in recent days by my colleague Minister for Justice (Helen McEntee) is around faster processing times for people from Nigeria. I believe that will have a more significant impact in the weeks and months ahead.

It is not clear how many asylum seekers have crossed the border into Ireland.

Irish deputy prime minister Micheal Martin said his colleague Helen McEntees figure of 80% of total border crossings was not evidenced-based, while DUP MP Ian Paisley told the Commons it was made up.

Downing Street said it did not have data on crossings as the border is not policed.
Six MACE stores in Louth were honoured at the recent MACE Excellence Awards for achieving exceptional standards in retailing, which was held in Lawlors Hotel, in Naas in Co Kildare, and hosted by BWG Foods, owners and operators of the MACE brand in Ireland.

This years MACE Excellence Awards, held in association with Solution Management Associates (SMA) are only awarded to MACE stores that pass an intensive year-long inspection, including three unannounced audits, visits from mystery shoppers and a BWG-led compliance audit for every store as part of the qualifying criteria.

The Louth stores who received a MACE Excellence Award are:

Jewel Akber, Akbers MACE Blackbull, Akbers MACE Omeath, Akbers MACE St Alphonsus and Akbers MACE West Street

John Breen, Breens MACE Hale Street Ardee

Niall Walsh, Walshs MACE Clogherhead

Congratulating the winners, Keith Crawford, MACE Sales Director, said: The MACE Excellence Awards recognise those who, through their commitment to outstanding retail standards and customer service, continue to set the benchmark for the brand and marketplace overall.

"Increasingly high standards are undoubtedly contributing to the continued success of MACE. I want to congratulate Jewel Akber, John Breen, Niall Walsh and their teams. Their efforts have been truly outstanding and their recognition is very well-deserved.

MACE is the longest serving convenience brand in Ireland, serving local communities for more than 60 years. Operated by independent retailers, the network includes local community stores as well as forecourt shopping, with over 160 MACE stores located around the country.
Three leading Irish female entrepreneurs will offer insight into the experience of starting and growing successful companies at an Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs event with THRIVE4women at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) on Wednesday 8 May.

Entrepreneurs Adrienne Magnier of Zarasyl, Aisling Kirwan of Positive Carbon, and Sinead Crowther of Soothing Solutions will address the gathering and answer audience questions at the event which starts at 6.30pm at the Recital Room in the Carrolls Building.

Now in its second year, Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs is supported by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG. Those attending the Dundalk event will have the opportunity to apply for the Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs support programme itself.

The Inspiring initiative seeks to ignite a flame among women with entrepreneurial ambitions to start a business, but who may not have yet taken steps towards making their aspiration a reality. It is designed to appeal to women from a variety of backgrounds who are seeking a change of direction, including female professionals and women in senior corporate positions, or those with doctoral and postdoctoral qualifications.

Research shows that almost one in five women in Ireland aspire to start their own business and the initiative is focused on encouraging women to follow through on their entrepreneurial ambitions and establish businesses that are scalable, innovative, and focused on export markets.

The 8 May event is just one of a range of events around the country aiming to inspire future female entrepreneurs and inform them about the supports available. The Dundalk event is being hosted by Thrive4Women. Tickets are free but those hoping to attend are requested to register in advance as spaces are limited. Places can be booked here

Sinead Crowther, co-founder of Soothing Solutions, was named the Enterprise Ireland High-Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Founder of the Year for 2023. Founded in 2017, the Louth-based healthcare firm manufactures a range of honey jelly pops called Tonstix to help children suffering from sore throats and coughs.

Adrienne Magnier founded Zarasyl in 2018 to bring innovative dermatological and wound care products to the global animal health market. The formulation was the result of a decade of research at Cambridge University (UK). Zarasyl is now widely available in the veterinary market in Ireland, the UK and the USA.

Aisling Kirwan is the co-founder of Positive Carbon, which provides food waste data to commercial kitchens to enable them to substantially reduce their food waste, waste collections and reach sustainability goals. Aisling had been working in the food waste sector for over eight years across Ireland, the UK, Australia, and Chile, before establishing Positive Carbon in 2020, with her former colleague, Mark Kirwan.

The event is organised by Lavina McGahon, Manager of the THRIVE4Women Programme, which is delivered by the Regional Development Centre in DkIT.

MC for the evening is Paula Fitzsimons, the founder of Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs and national director of a range of business development initiatives including Going for Growth, Starting Strong, ACORNS and Back for Business.

Lavina McGahon, THRIVE4women Programme Manager, Dundalk Institute of Technology said: THRIVE4women has been at the forefront of supporting women in the region to launch STEM careers and businesses, and now we are truly delighted to host this event, giving a platform to three very successful female entrepreneurs to spread their stories of resilience and success.

"MC for the night is Paula Fitzsimons, the visionary force behind Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs initiative. Her dedication to empowering women, fostering entrepreneurship, and creating lasting networks has ignited many female entrepreneurs, and we genuinely look forward to being inspired.

We hope this event stimulates thought and discussion, generating some ideas on starting businesses of your own and following in the footsteps of Adrienne Magnier, Aisling Kirwan and Sinead Crowther. We expect everyone will be wowed by the determination, resilience and focus these women show on their business journey! Their stories are important and need to be heard by everyone.

National Director of Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs, Paula Fitzsimons, said: The objective of this compelling and inspiring initiative is to increase the number of female- led innovative businesses of scale, focused on export markets.

"Through the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) research, we know that more women in Ireland are aspiring to start new businesses and that the rate of early-stage female entrepreneurs that aspire for significant growth is also increasing.

Building on this fertile ground, we want to introduce the possibility of an entrepreneurial career to particular groups of high achieving women that may not have considered it previously, and where we believe untapped, entrepreneurial potential lies.

The Dundalk event is the latest in a series of Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs events taking place across the country in 2024, including events in Dublin and Galway that have already taken place.
ORANGEBURG, S.C.  South Carolina State University on Tuesday, April 30, bestowed emeritus status to seven former faculty members who served students in social work, English, education, and health sciences.

The honorees are:

Marie Artis, assistant professor emerita.

Dr. Bessie Cooke, associate professor emerita.

Dr. Ghussan Greene, professor emerita.

Dr. Albert Hayward, professor emeritus.

Dr. Bernice Moore-Green, professor emerita.

Dr. Kenneth Mosely professor emeritus.

Dr. Charlie Spell, associate professor emeritus.

The following are abbreviated biographies of the honorees. Click here to read the full letters of recommendation.

Marie Hamberg Artis

Artis retired from South Carolina State University in 2016 after 30-plus years of service, which included the following positions:

Director of the Career Development Center.

Director of Alumni Affairs.

Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement.

Assistant professor and academic program coordinator of the Social Work Program for 12 years.

Additionally, Artis faithfully served on a variety of committees at the departmental, college, and university-wide levels. As a survivor of the Orangeburg Massacre and loyal daughter of South Carolina State University, she has served in many roles at her beloved alma mater.

Dr. Bessie Davis Cooke

In 1995, Cooke joined the faculty at South Carolina State University as an assistant professor in the Early Childhood Program, Cooke supervised early childhood candidates and taught several courses during her tenure. Cooke coordinated the early childhood program and aligned key assessments for the program. She served as coordinator of the Early Childhood Program from 2000 until her retirement in December 2012. In 2003, she was promoted to associate professor.

Throughout her tenure at SC State, she maintained her certification by the South Carolina State Board of Education in nine areas: early childhood education, elementary education, social studies, elementary principal, elementary supervisor, middle school mathematics, middle school science, middle school social studies, and middle school language arts. She taught 10 different courses.

Cooke was recognized as Professor of the Year in the School of Education in 1998.

In 1994, Cooke received her Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in curriculum and instruction, with a specialization in early childhood education. She received her Master of Education degree from Howard University in 1975 in elementary curriculum and instruction and her Bachelor of Arts from Claflin University in social science in 1971.

Dr. Ghussan Greene

Greene, who was not present for the ceremony, retired as a tenured professor of English in 2015 after 30 years of outstanding and inspirational service as mentor, teacher, scholar and coordinator of English teacher education.

Her service to the university began in 1985 as an assistant professor in the Department of English and Modern Languages. She founded the university's peer tutorial writing center, which she maintained and oversaw through writing Title Ill grants, and was instrumental in the university establishing the Writing Across the Curriculum Policy,

She served as chair of the Department of English and Modern Language from 2006 to 2015, and she proved an effective shepherd during a time of much change and growth. Among her numerous accomplishments as chair, she oversaw the development of the journalism minor which quickly grew to become a communications program.

Dr. Albert Hayward

Hayward joined the SC State faculty as coordinator of chemistry and biology education and assistant professor of science education in 2001.

He served in many capacities at SC State University to include assistant professor of science education, associate professor of science education, director of The University Summer School, executive director of Felton Laboratory School, Professor of science education, university student teacher supervisor, coordinator of science education, sponsor director for SC State charter schools and dean of the College of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

He was named Professor of the Year in the Department of Teacher Education on three occasions and Professor of the Year for the College of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences for two separate academic years.

Hayward received his Ph.D. from Atlanta University in biology/mycology in 1982, his Education Specialist in educational administration from The Citadel in 1987, a Master of Science in science education from Atlanta University in 1976, and a Bachelor of Science in biology/science education from Voorhees College in 1974.

Dr. Bernice Moore-Green

Moore-Green joined South Carolina State University in 1979. She held South Carolina certification as a secondary school teacher and certification as a secondary school principal. In her first seven years at South Carolina State, she was a research fellow and served as an adjunct faculty with the departments of education and social sciences.

In 1986 she joined the School of Education as an associate professor in a tenure track position. In 1987 she was promoted to chair of the Department of Secondary Education. In 1988, it was determined that she could better serve the Institution in the role of associate dean of education.

She was Professor of the Year for the Department of Teacher Education in 1999. In 2001, she was Professor of the Year for the School of Education.

She received her doctorate from Kansas State University in 1978 in curriculum and instruction, her Master of Education from South Carolina State College in 1973 in social studies education, and the Bachelor of Arts in history with a minor in teacher education in 1967 from Barber-Scotia College.

Dr. Kenneth Don Mosely

Mosely served the university as a teacher, researcher, and administrator in the Health and Physical Education Department from 1978-2004 and retired in 2005..He taught several physical education courses and advised majors in the department of over 400 students including nighttime tutoring.

Mosely's administrative role was the department chair. Under his leadership, the department developed and implemented two graduate-level options and three undergraduate professional options in physical education which are both still in the program today.

For 17 years, Mosely ran the swimming program, and intramural program, and administered several Youth Programs. He even volunteered to teach swimming to ROTC cadets, and he certified lifeguards. He developed the first Special Olympics track meet at South Carolina State College that ran for 15 consecutive years.

Mosely was not a student at SC State, but he has been a lifetime member of the National Alumni Association here since 2015. Mosely has given a monetary award since 1978 to one student in the Health Sciences Department with the highest GPA.

Dr. Charlie Spell

In 2000, Spell worked as an Assistant Superintendent in Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five. During this time, he worked closely with the SC State Department of Education in placing student teachers for clinical experiences. He joined the university faculty as an assistant professor in educational leadership in 2005.

He served as interim chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and chair of the Department of Education.

Spell received his Bachelor of Science Degree in instrumental music in 1971, his master's degree in education counseling in 1973, and his Doctor of Education in education administration in 1994 from SC State.
ESB Networks wish to remind all Groups and Parties involved in the upcoming Local and European elections that the erection of posters on electricity poles is strictly prohibited and poses a serious safety risk to members of the public as well as ESB Networks staff and contractors.

Hazardous situations have been created in the past by people erecting posters on live electricity poles. ESB Networks wires and equipment are always live. Attaching anything to electricity poles exposes you to the risk of electric shock, burns and falling from a height. Posters attached to poles have caused poles to catch fire and fall. It is never safe to interfere with electricity equipment.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming elections Michael Murray, ESB Networks Public Safety Manager, said: ESB Networks regularly advise members of the public to always stay clear of electricity poles and wires through our various campaigns.

"It is important that these messages are taken on board in the interest of safety. ESB Networks has previously been required to interrupt the electricity supply to households and businesses in order to safely remove posters.

You should always stay safe and stay clear of electricity wires and cables as these are always live and potentially dangerous. If you see a potentially dangerous situation or in the event of an emergency involving the electricity network, please contact ESB Networks on our 24/7 emergency phone number: 1800 372 999.
Hugine Suites is a living and learning community at SC State. ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- South Carolina State University has launched a new housing registration system, StarRez, which will allow the Office of Residence Life and Housing to track applications and placements.

We are committed to elevating the experience of all students and their families at South Carolina State University, SC State President Alexander Conyers said. We believe the addition of StarRez is a significant step in those efforts.

StarRez brings our housing registration system into the 21st century and should maximize our effectiveness so that residential students have smooth processes from the day they apply to move-in day and beyond, Conyers said.

A digital platform that takes tedious paperwork out of the equation, StarRez is used by more than 1,300 colleges and universities. The system allows SC State to communicate easily with students and parents throughout the process of securing housing and during their stays in university housing.

We are extremely excited about onboarding this new housing software which offers advanced features and tools that will streamline processes, automate tasks, and ultimately increase efficiency in managing housing related operations and enhance user experience, said Dr. Tamara Jeffries-Jackson, SC State vice president for student affairs.

Gearing up for the Fall 2024 semester, the Office of Residence Life and Housing on Tuesday opened the application process for both new and returning students. Students will access StarRez through the SCSUApps Portal on the universitys website.

StarRez will allow students to:

Complete the application process.

Confirm preferences.

Sign the housing contract.

Students also will need to pay the application fee:

For returning students, the application fee is $150.

For new students, the housing application fee is included in the $160 enrollment fee.

Students can pay fees using the Transact payment system through the SCSUApps Portal on the universitys website. They may also pay at the SC State Cashiers Office on the first floor of the Crawford-Zimmerman Building.

Jeffries-Jackson emphasized the importance of returning students acting as soon as possible. The sooner they complete their applications and pay their fees, the quicker the Office of Residence Life and Housing can reserve space and accommodate preferences.

Once students are cleared financially to attend for the Fall Semester through the Office of Student Financial Services, the university will confirm their housing placement in StarRez.

On-campus housing has been at a premium in recent years because of enrollment growth, prompting the SC State Housing Foundation to lease additional space off campus for upperclassmen.

SC State will continue using off-campus space this fall. The university also may use modular housing units on a temporary basis until more on-campus housing is available.

SC State will renovate Sojourner Truth Hall, a 14-story residence hall, beginning this summer. That project is expected to take about a year, making 384 more beds available on campus in Fall Semester 2025. The university also hopes to build a new residential complex on the campus and work with private developers toward additional off-campus facilities.

Important contact information

803-533-3675

Cashiers Office

803-536-8546

803-536-8529



Student Financial Services

803-536-8550

For additional information about StarRez, visit www.starrez.com/.
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several Bay Area prosecutors announced a settlement with a large funeral services company over alleged violations of consumer protection laws. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

The nations largest funeral services provider will pay $23 million in civil penalties as part of a settlement in an Alameda County lawsuit that claimed the company sold cremation packages that violated consumer protection laws, state prosecutors said Wednesday.

The lawsuit alleged Service Corporation International, which operates in California as Neptune Society and Trident Society, with locations in Oakland, Walnut Creek and other parts of the Bay Area, failed to provide a full refund when customers canceled cremation services they bought before they died.

In addition to the penalties, the settlement will require Service Corporation International to pay full restitution to customers who canceled the cremation packages in question, officials said.

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Whether in higher education, home insurance, or the funeral service industry, deceptive business practices will not be tolerated, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.

He joined forces with Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli to file the lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court.

Service Corporation International said that although it had strong legal defenses, it agreed to the settlement with no admission or findings of wrongdoing. We are settling the action to avoid the uncertainties and expense associated with continuing litigation and so that we can move forward with a full focus on serving families, the company said in a statement.

The company added that all of its California-affiliated locations strive to comply with state and federal laws.

According to prosecutors, Neptune Society and Trident Society offered customers a standard plan for cremation services. The plan included two contracts: one for marked-up merchandise, the other for discounted cremation services.

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The packages were priced below other cremation services to entice customers, according to prosecutors. But whenever customers requested a refund, Service Corporation International refunded only the portion allocated to the cremation services, even though state law requires a full refund for pre-need cremation packages at any time before the services are provided.

Service Corporation International also routinely informed customers they had 30 days to cancel their plans and receive a full refund, according to the attorneys.

The settlement requires Service Corporation International to change its practices to comply with the law.

Price said the settlement holds Service Corporation International accountable for what she described as a practice of using deceptive price manipulation to defraud customers and skirt legal obligations that require them to place all funds paid for pre-need cremation services in trust.

Jenkins and Frugoli said the settlement also sends a message to the cremation services industry.

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THIS week, I caught up with Cork woman Amy Greene, who now lives in Perth, Australia, who talks about missing her family, a Covid pregnancy and birth far away from home, and her move to open a beauty business.

How did you end up in Australia?

I moved over here back in 2012 with my cousin Mark Dineen and my best friend Ellen Coughlan. It was really Marks idea to move over and we just simply tangled along.

If Im being honest, I didnt really research Australia too much and barely had any savings, but I took a chance and still to this day I dont have any regrets moving out here.

When we first arrived 12 years ago, we went from sleeping on friends floors and couches and even ended up living in a four-bedroom house with about 11 people all living under the same roof.

What is life like in your new home?

I now live with my blended family. My partner Felipe, whos from Brazil, my eldest daughter Sophia Chloe, who is nine years old, and our youngest daughter, Bella-Dior, who is two and a half.

Ive also been lucky enough to have my mother Veronica living with us too on and off for the past two years (she was finally able to come over once the borders opened back up after Covid).

Amy Greene, originally of Blackrock, who has made her home in Perth, Australia, with her partner Felipe and daughters Sophia Chloe and Bella-Dior

She came over on a visitor visa (subclass 600). A shout-out to any grandparents wanting to come over here, this is the best, cheapest and fastest visa for you to apply for.

What has been the biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge living over in Australia has always been that strange feeling of having to wait and watch the clock for it to be early enough in Ireland to pick up the phone to share all of lifes pivotal news, such as my engagement, finding out I was pregnant, the birth of my daughter, buying a business, the arrival of Sophia Chloe...

Coming from Brazil to Perth and not having my closest family, extended family and my best friends beside or standing with me can be so hard at times.

Tell us about your career?

Im now a proud owner of the most amazing beauty salon based in Subiaco, just outside Perth city, called Complete Beauty Clinic.

I was given the opportunity by the original owner, who I met through casual work where she just wanted to offer the salon to someone she knew would put love and care into her baby.

Now, three years on, I am still grateful every day for this opportunity as I had no experience as an owner, but she could see my passion and drive and here we are now.

I know if I hadnt been living in Perth at the time, I wouldnt have been given this opportunity to become a business owner. Right place at the right time.

Family connections?

My sister, Jessica, moved to Perth in 2013, stayed here for two years, and moved back to Ireland once her visa ran out.

After struggling with getting long-term rentals, work and gaining longer visas, however, she always had the determination to move back to Perth, as we always had the goal of raising our kids together.

She finally made the move back after 10 years, after building up her experience, to come back on a skilled visa with her partner Alex and their little dachshund dog Lilah.

Amy Greene, originally of Blackrock, who has made her home in Perth, Australia, with her family

Her experience in moving here now compared to 10 years ago is totally different, she has her long-term visa in place, she set up interviews before her flight, and landed a job the day she got here with no experience in the real estate industry. She got her house and even two cars within the first three weeks.

She might be a bit of an organised freak, but shows, if it doesnt work out the first time, you can also put the head down and really make the life you want.

What has been your most memorable moment in your new home?

The most memorable moment living here was on December 9, 2021, when I gave birth to Bella-Dior. A Covid baby and a very scary time.

Although we were free to roam around our city, Covid was on the rise and no-one was allowed into the borders, hence that meant no family member was with me during this time.

No-one saw me pregnant and no-one was there for the birth and afterwards.

When the borders finally opened, I found myself standing at Perths airport with a three-month old baby, waiting for my brother Jonathan and mother Veronica to come through the doors. It was such a surreal moment. Shaking, scared, nervous, crying, and happy all at the same time.

My family came through and met their granddaughter for the very first time in real life. A memory Ill always hold onto.

If you were back in Cork for one day, how would you spend it?

If I was back in Cork for one day Meeting friends and family is the most important thing and introducing them to my two beautiful girls.

I would go to KCs chipper in Douglas (chippers over here arent the same). I would go to my local bars, the Silver Key in Blackrock, John Os in Douglas, and also make a trip down to Mahon Point.

I would go into the city for a wander, walking down Patrick Street would bring back so many nice memories growing up in Cork city.

Itll never be the same walking through Perth city compared to back home. Youll always see a friendly face and know every Tom, Dick and Harry walking down Pana.

Overall, living abroad, Ive has had many ups and downs, with a lot of people being sick, and have missed my culture on many occasions.

Ive missed funerals, weddings, birthdays, and many more special occasions, but I truly believe this is where Im meant to be.

Im a proud Irish girl from Cork living in Perth, Australia.

Any special shout-outs to people back in Cork?

The biggest shout-out and my biggest supporter and fan in life is my dad Michael, aka Grandad Greene.

Although he hates being so far away from his two girls and granddaughters, he fully supports me and my family living in Australia as he knows the opportunities and the life we have made here are next to none.

Dad makes it his mission to come out at least once a year and holds himself accountable by making weekly payments to travel agents to pay off his flight costs constantly, so that way, when he comes for a visit, its never a big shock or having to save loads to come out and spend quality time with us.

I think this way we will never go at least one year without seeing each other, and my two girls count down the days for every November when Grandad Greene comes to visit.
THE Diocese of Cork and Ross has urged anyone who may have concerns about a former Cork priest jailed in England this week for historical child abuse to come forward.

James Murphy, with an address at The Alders, Mallow, was sentenced to 31 months in prison after pleading guilty in February at Inner London Crown Court to seven offences of indecent assault relating to four boys aged between five and 11 years. The period of offending was between 1975 and 1988, said London Metropolitan Police.

A statement issued by the Diocese of Cork and Ross said that Murphy had served in parishes in England until 1992 before returning to Ireland and being appointed to minister in parishes in the diocese.

Former priest James Murphy, 77, of The Alders Mallow, Co Cork. Picture: Metropolitan Police

At that time, there was no indication or report that he had abused minors in London parishes, read the statement.

In 2000, when he pleaded guilty to charges relating to offences committed in London in earlier decades, his right to minister as a priest was immediately withdrawn and he has not ministered anywhere since.

It said the Bishop of Cork and Ross and the priests in the two parishes where he had ministered, St Patricks, Cork, and Glounthaune, had addressed the issue at Sunday Masses and reassured people who might make contact with concerns that they would receive support.

The diocese has not had any contact with James Murphy since he was sentenced to prison. The diocese has not received any report that he offended during his time in Cork.

Anyone who may have a concern or a report to make is encouraged to contact the gardai or Tusla or the Diocesan Director of Safeguarding.
A CONSTRUCTIVE and valuable meeting was said to have taken place this week between city council officials and tenants living in local authority-owned flats slated for regeneration.

A group of more than 50 residents attended an information session about the proposals to demolish the flats at Noonans Rd, St Finbarrs Rd, Fort St, and Dean St, and the arrangements in the meantime such as transfers and maintenance.

It followed on-site visits by council chief executive Ann Doherty and deputy chief executive Brian Geaney last year.

Local councillors Mick Finn, Sean Martin, Paudie Dineen, and Fiona Kerins were also in attendance as was election hopeful William OBrien who had helped raise the residents living conditions.

It was a constructive meeting where issues like poor communication about what is currently happening and what the overall plans are going on from the councils perspective were addressed, Independent councillor Mick Finn told The Echo.

A commitment for better communication and information was made by the housing officials.

The residents have had to put up with very poor conditions for many, many years so we need to see more action.

Some have already been transferred out and over 30 units have been boarded up already, which is good, but the prevailing conditions must be constantly monitored for all those who are still on site.

Mr Finn said that all residents are being encouraged to express their interest in council properties that are coming up on the choice based letting (CBL) system and that this will be the main option for residents of the flat complexes in the short term.

The redevelopment of these flats could take years, so short-term solutions must be available for residents to transfer... they can always go back to the newly built complexes when that time comes, he continued.

Independent candidate William OBrien, who is running for a seat in the South Central ward in the local elections, said he believed there was a communication gap between residents and the local authority and said the meeting this week was positive.

It was a very valuable meeting because people walked away knowing that they have a point of contact now from the regeneration directorate, which is a project liaison officer, to try and help the transition of moving out that bit easier.
MORE than 50,000 passengers are expected to pass through Cork Airport this May bank holiday weekend.

As the first month of the summer travel season, passengers will be jetting off on weekend breaks to cities across Britain  with thousands of others taking the opportunity to jet off to sunnier seasides across southern Europe.

This weekend is also expected to be busy, due to an influx of inbound visitors to the southern parts of Ireland.

Both Aer Lingus and Ryanair will be increasing their services at Cork Airport for the busy summer period.

This week will see the resumption of the Aer Lingus twice-weekly service to Dubrovnik and three-times-weekly service to Palma de Mallorca.

Ryanair will be increasing its frequencies on services to mainland Europe, including routes to Alicante, Poznan, and Valencia. Lufthansa will increase frequencies on its route to Frankfurt.

These offerings will operate throughout the high-season of travel through to the beginning of September.

Passengers intending to travel this weekend are advised to arrive at least 90 minutes before their flight is due to depart, along with pre-booking car parking in advance.

Cork Airport communications manager Barry Holland said: As the May bank holiday weekend beckons, its easy to see that summer is just around the corner.

For passengers intending to travel over the summer months, Id strongly recommended to pre-book car parking online where the best value and rates can be found across all three car parks.

Cork Airport said recently that its summer schedule will feature 2.4m seats across 48 routes, operated by eight airlines.
A Brazilian national living in Cork launched a campaign of harassment against an ex-partner, bombarding her with emails which included many death threats and one where he said, If I get any of you I wont kill, I will torture a lot.

38-year-old Rodrigo Azevedo, formerly of The Abbey, Henry Street, Cork, pleaded guilty to harassment of his partner and also harassing another woman who was his manager at work.

Yesterday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, he was jailed by Judge Helen Boyle and it was made a condition of the suspension of part of the sentence that he would stay away from both women for the next 15 years and have no contact of any kind with them.

The sentence imposed on him was two years and three months, with the final six months suspended.

Another condition of the suspension of that last period was that he would continue to engage with medical treatment.

Harassment

Detective Garda Gary Purtill investigated the two harassment complaints which actually started in his workplace and were directed at his manager.

Colleagues became concerned about his mental health when the content of email communications from Rodrigo Azevedo became more unsavoury.

The emails began to be directed at his manager but at such a volume that a quarantine box was set up so that the emails could be diverted and the recipient spared insofar as possible.

The emails included various death threats, including one stating, I will kill and give some meaning to my life. Another said, I will kill you, that is what comforts every day. One email simply said, Idiots. Another said, Hey. F*** you. 390 emails and texts in this vein were sent between November 2022 and March 2023.

From March 2023 he sent death threats to his ex-partner. In one he said, It is my dream to kill.

Another referred to Brazil and said of his Cork-based ex-partner, If she ever comes over here she is dead. In another email he said, If I get any of you I wont kill, I will torture a lot.

Defence senior counsel Alice Fawsitt said the accused had no previous convictions, apart from one public order offence at Luton airport.

Ms Fawsitt said Mr Azevedo was keen to return to Spain.

The defence lawyer said that all of the harassment was by electronic means.

She added, He is not doing well in prison.

'Multiple threats to kill'

Judge Helen Boyle noted that there were two separate injured parties, both of whom received multiple and frequent emails causing stress and embarrassment at work.

She said the content was very serious, and it included multiple threats to kill recipients and others.

The judge said the defendants ex-partner had threats to kill and torture made against her and she suffered ongoing psychological and effectively physical results.

This was a sustained campaign of harassment conducted via electronic means. I note it is not easy for her. Make no mistake, the impact is very serious on her and other injured parties.

You have pleaded guilty and saved victims the trauma of giving evidence.

While you have made efforts to address whatever is driving you to do this it is not enough. Four counselling sessions is not enough. It is doing untold damage to people around you. You have a very long way to go, Judge Boyle said.

The sentence was backdated to November 13 2023 when he went into custody.

The judge recommended that he be given prescribed medication and attend a prison psychiatrist.
A Dublin heroin-dealer who was followed by gardai through the streets of Cork getting on and off a bus and ultimately transacting an exchange with two local man and now he has been jailed for six years.

Sergeant Paul Leahy gave evidence of the drugs operation at the sentencing hearing for Philip Knowles at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Judge Jonathan Dunphy imposed a sentence of eight years on 35-year-old Philip Knowles of St. Marks Crescent, Clondalkin, Dublin, who pleaded guilty to his part in the crime of having 54,900 worth of heroin for sale or supply.

The transaction between Knowles and two other men was observed by a garda surveillance operation that kept tabs on their movements from the Dubliners arrival in Cork until the moment that he handed over a package to others.

Sergeant Leahy said the surveillance commenced at Merchants Quay where two Cork men were seen talking to Philip Knowles at the 202 bus stop. Knowles got on to the bus with one of the men, travelling towards the north side of the city. They got on the bus sitting at the back facing each other. Their activities were being monitored on the bus.

They got off at Cathedral Road together and met another man at the end of St. Marys Avenue next to the Pigeon Club.

A third man crossed to the opposite side of Cathedral Road. One of them at this stage was on an electric bike looking back. At the end of St. Marys Ave, this man put his hand out to Philip Knowles who handed him a white bag he was carrying. That was when gardai intercepted all three individuals.

The other two men were sentenced for their parts in the crime previously.

One of the previous convictions for Mr Knowles was a sentence of seven years for importation of cocaine to the UK and he served three and a half years of that.

Aggravating factors in the present case included his lack of cooperation. He did not even identify himself on CCTV when it was shown to him by gardai. However, he did ultimately plead guilty to having heroin for sale or supply. Other mitigation includes the effects of homelessness on him, his addiction difficulties and the fact that he may have been operating under some burden of drugs debt.

I dont have to remind anyone of the devastating effects of heroin. And he was an integral part of the supply chain, the judge said.
Cork Opera House has revealed the stellar cast for its exciting premiere of Summer Revels.

The show is led by one of Corks brightest lights on Londons West End, Claire OLeary, fresh from her recent run at The London Palladium in Andrew Lloyd Webbers new Wizard of Oz.

Claire is joined by Cork theatre icons Declan Wolfe of RTEs The Den and The Improv Panto;Michael Sands from The Sound of Music, Annie and The Young Offenders, and Trevor Ryan from The Sound of Music.

The 17-strong professional ensemble also includes several Cork musical theatre performers including Marie ODonovan, Therese OSullivan, Alex Glennon and Fiona Kennedy.

They are joined by Bandons Alison Arnopp of The Royal Shakespeare Company, who makes a welcome return to the Cork Opera House stage.

Alison Arnopp of the Royal Shakespeare Company will make a welcome return to theh Cork Opera House stage.

Emerging Cork artist, Precious Abimbola, makes her professional debut at the Revels showcase.

This eclectic cast also features characters from the worlds of circus and magic with Cormac Mohally Lord of Strutt and local psychological magician Daniel Cremin.

Musical director Cathal Synnott of Riverdance will lead a band of Dylan Howe Rowan, Patrick Lynch and Anastacia Beary.

Acclaimed Cork directors Killian Collins and John OBrien lead the creative team of writers, designers and performers in this epic, fun family show.

Describing the show, Mr OBrien said: Its a riotous family show with pop, musical theatre, comedy, sketches, magic and circus all combining to make a super fun show celebrating the creativity of Cork.

Theres a great blend of youth and experience with an energetic, all-singing, all-dancing company of brilliant Cork people, said Mr Collins.

Declan Wolfe will be among the well known faces on the line-up of Summer Revels!

The Summer Revels! writers room brings together Cork playwrights Katie Holly and John McCarthy, as well as the award-winning sketch comedian Sally OLeary and presenter of the Im Grand Mam podcast, Kevin Twomey.

With a nod to the legendary Summer Revels! that lit up Cork Opera House during the 70s and 80s, this new script will follow the hilarious and haphazard characters as they perform their show-within-a-show against all the odds  the talent, the egos, the hilarity and the magic that goes into making sure that the show must go on.

Previews will begin at Cork Opera House on July 24 ahead of a July 27 opening night, with the show running until August 11.
A Ukrainian refugee in Cork was sentenced to two years imprisonment with the last nine months suspended for causing the death of a fellow Ukrainian near Cork Airport after they had been drinking heavily throughout of that day.

Initially, the accused reported that the victim suffered cardiac arrest while standing outside his car.

Judge Helen Boyle commended the garda investigation which quickly established that she got into the deceaseds car while intoxicated and reversed it when he was standing behind it, reversing the car over him and causing his death.

Judge Boyle said that an aggravating factor in this case was the fact that the defendant was intoxicated and that this put the careless driving causing death at the higher end of this offence, which carries a maximum possible sentence of two years.

Ksenija Vasylenko, 43, admitted careless driving causing the death of Andrii Nesterov, who was aged around 50, after 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, last October 8 2023.

Ms Vasylenko has been in custody since that date and her sentence today as backdated to then.

She said she prays for the family of the deceased and hopes that someday they will find it in their hearts to forgive her.

Investigation

The fatal incident came to light when a member of staff at Cork Airport Hotel called for an ambulance for a man experiencing cardiac arrest.

Emergency personnel arrived to find the deceased lying on the ground with obvious injuries to his leg and head. He died very soon afterwards.

On investigation it was quickly established that Ms Vasylenko had been present at the time.

Initially, she denied being in the drivers seat of the deceased mans car at the time of the fatal incident but ultimately she admitted it after being shown dashcam footage from this car of the incident occurring.

Det. Garda Gary Brennan said, A person could be seen walking at the rear of the Hyundai vehicle. Six seconds later the vehicle is put into reverse and driven in reverse when Mr N is at rear of the vehicle. The front right side of the vehicle comes up and the deceased becomes visible on the ground (in front of the car).

Ms Vasylenko is then seen approaching the victim on the ground . Ms Vasylenko is observed lifting his body and attempting to drag him in the direction of the vehicle. Ms Vasylenko then leaves.

It is seen that she then arrived back at the hotel where she was residing.

When questioned she said she did not realise she had driven over the deceased.

Later she admitted having a lot of alcohol prior to the incident.

A toxicology report on the deceased also confirmed that he had a high quantity of alcohol.

Family 'deeply affected by the loss'

A victim impact statement from the family of the deceased was handed into court but not read publicly.

Judge Boyle said today that the family were deeply affected by the loss.

They have had to leave their war-torn home in Ukraine and now live in Poland. The family thanked that country for supporting them there and also paying for the remains of her husband to be sent there for burial.

The accused said through Jane Hyland defence senior counsel that she never meant for this to happen, she was devastated that this happened and that she had caused the loss of a father for a young family.

Ms Hyland said, She is extremely remorseful. If she could turn back time she would. She says she will pray for his family and for his soul to rest in peace and hopes that at some time they will find a place in their hearts for forgiveness for her.

Judge Boyle commended gardai for their quick and thorough investigation of this case.

Addressing the accused, Judge Boyle said, You also fled war in Ukraine. Your husband is restoring electricity to war-torn areas. You are doing well in prison. You are working and attending the educational unit and acting as interpreter for a number of inmates.

Because of the aggravating factor of alcohol this offence is at the highest end.

As well as the two-year sentence with the last nine months suspended, the judge disqualified her from driving for eight years.
STUDENTS from 19 schools across Cork have raised more than 357,500 for The Hope Foundation through a series of fundraising events, including bake sales, raffles, fun runs, and quizzes.

The fundraising efforts were undertaken by 143 transition year and fifth-year students who travelled to Kolkata, India, for one week in early 2024 as part of The Hope Foundations School Immersion Programme.

One year ago, these students signed up and began fundraising for the charity with a minimum target of 2,500 each to donate to The Hope Foundation.

On top of this target, each student further covered their own travel-related costs to India.

Student Ema Soltesova from St Angelas College said the trip with the Hope Foundation was an adventure I will never forget.

Everything from the fundraising to experiencing the culture in Kolkata and meeting the children who benefit from Hope and the fundraising we did was a real eye-opening experience.

During their one-week visit to the City of Joy with Hope, students immersed themselves in Kolkatas vibrant culture and celebrated the festival of Holi.

They also made visits to Jain and Hindu temples and explored various historical landmarks.

In addition, the students witnessed first-hand how far their fundraising money goes towards reducing inequalities that street and slum-connected communities face in Kolkata.
Sheep graze off of Flannery Road near Goose Haven Road in Solano County. The group California Forever is trying to build a new city in a rural part of the county. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

The political fight over whether to allow a billionaire-backed developer to create a new city on 17,500 acres of ranchland in Eastern Solano entered a new phase this week as the group behind the plan says it has collected more than enough signatures to get the project on the November ballot.

The developer, California Forever, says it submitted 20,472 voter signatures to the Solano County Registrar of Voters, about 60% more than the 13,062 needed to get it on the ballot.

California Forever CEO Jan Sramek said the fact that so many Solano voters were willing to sign their names to put the measure on the ballot means that they believe the new community will be an economic engine where they see a future for their family and friends.

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That number reflects the breadth and depth of the support, he said. We have heard loud and clear from thousands and thousands of people that they are fed up with the malaise that has plagued California for the last 20 years.

Under Solano Countys Orderly Growth Initiative, all urban development must occur within the city limits of the countys seven cities unless a majority of voters say otherwise at the ballot box.

While California Forever will likely have no problem getting the initiative on the ballot, the group has a hard campaign ahead. A coalition of well-organized opponents, which includes ranchers, environmentalists and local elected officials, recently commissioned a poll that showed county sentiment on the new city is overwhelmingly negative.

The poll, conducted in March by FM3, found that 70% of residents said they would vote no if the election were held today. The poll showed that voters are well aware of the proposed city, with 76% saying they have heard about it. Of voters who said they had heard about it a lot, 79% said they were opposed.

Duane Kromm, a leading opponent and former member of the Solano County Board of Supervisors, said there was never much doubt that the proponents would be able to put the measure on the ballot.

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Getting signatures is a function of how much money you want to spend and these guys have a billion dollars, Kromm said. We always assumed they would spend enough money to get enough signatures. The odds are very high that it will qualify for the ballot.

Now that the signatures have been submitted, the county registrar will begin the verification process over the next 30-90 business days.

California Forever is proposing a dense, walkable city that would be across a large park from the riverfront town of Rio Vista.

Solano County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mitch Mashburn on Tuesday called the ballot initiative an unprecedented situation for Solano County in terms of scale and scope that could eventually nearly double the population from 448,000 to more than 800,000.

Mashburn said the initiative includes a long list of unanswered questions and an absence of specific plans and environmental studies to address them. If the initiative qualifies for the ballot, Machburn said he would recommend that the Board of Supervisors order a report assessing impacts of the proposed community.

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We have an obligation to the public to have access to objective information on the proposed community and its impacts, both negative and positive, Mashburn said.

He said the report would be presented to the Board of Supervisors this summer, in accordance with timelines for the initiative process as set forth in state law.

At a California Forever news conference celebrating the signature submission, project backer Michael Fortney, who heads up Partnership for California Forever, said, Solano County voters want to have their voices heard.

This November, Solano County will have a choice to make: Do we want to stay stuck in the status quo that is clearly not working for so many working families across Solano? Or, do we want a better future? he said.
A NEW survey by the ERSI has shown that students attending either all-boys or all-girls schools would rather be in a mixed school.

In Ireland, fewer than 20% of respondents in single-sex schools preferred their schools gender mix, compared to almost 90% in co-educational schools.

This is despite one third of all Irish students attending a single- sex school, with this figure slightly above the national average in Cork, where 37.7% of all students attend an all-boys or all-girls school, compared to 62.3% who attend a mixed school.

The percentage of single-sex schools is particularly high in Cork city, where single-sex secondary schools outnumber mixed schools.

The city has five all-boys schools and 10 all-girls schools, representing 57% of all city secondary schools, along with 11 mixed schools.

In Cork county, there are 42 mixed schools, considerably more than single-sex schools, with eight all-girls and eight all-boy schools, a breakdown of 73% to 27%.

Students, regardless of attending single-sex or co-educational schools, favoured co-educational settings, while preferences varied among staff and parents, the ERSI report explained.

The report also found that girls tend to be more positive about coeducational schools influence on their social development, with 86% of girls believing co-educational schools are better compared to 77% of boys, though 44% of girls thought single-sex education was better for their academic development, compared to just 26% of boys.

Ireland has the second-highest proportion of single-sex schools in Europe, second only to Malta, with the ERSI report stating that the majority of the schools were founded by religious orders who drove the decision to enrol only one sex.

As the religious orders withdraw, both primary and secondary schools which previously accepted exclusively males or exclusively females have made the decision to accept both in recent years.

These include Presentation Secondary School, Ballyphehane, and St Patricks College on Gardiners Hill, both traditionally all-girls schools but set to become mixed from September 2024.

There are several schools in Cork which only recently became mixed schools, and still have a significantly higher population of the gender that traditionally attended.

In the current school year, there are 22 girls and 269 boys in North Monastery Secondary School in Our Ladys Mount; 106 girls and 13 boys in Nano Nagle College, Farranree, and 424 boys and 10 girls in Colaiste na Toirbhirte in Bandon.

Colaiste Eamann Ris on the south side of the city, which began accepting girls as well as boys in 2019, changing its name from Deerpark CBS, now has 277 female students and 441 male students.

Principal Aaron Wolfe told The Echo: We didnt want to be a boys school that has girls, we wanted to be a mixed school, and part of that was changing our name. If we stayed Deerpark CBS it would always be a boys school that had girls now.

So in September 2019 we started with a new uniform, new name, new logo, a new principal, so it reopened as a new school.

In their first year they had just 12 female students, and they then had to close because of covid, but we reopened with 120 new students, 60 boys and 60 girls, and weve been getting half-and-half since, he said.
Michael Bolton

Updated at 10:21

An operation was undertaken in Dublin on Wednesday morning to move hundreds of asylum seekers who had been sleeping in a large encampment of tents in the city centre.

In recent months, migrants have been sleeping rough beside the citys International Protection Office on Mount Street as the state struggles to source enough accommodation for people seeking asylum.

The operation to move the makeshift camp that began early on Wednesday morning comes amid increasing diplomatic tensions between the UK and Ireland after the Government expressed concern about an upsurge of asylum seekers entering the state via the land border from Northern Ireland. Council workers, some dressed in white overalls, were involved in clean-up efforts to remove the tents and wash down the camp area in and around Mount Street. Asylum seekers congregated in groups waiting with their luggage as buses and taxis arrived to take them to another site where basic facilities will be offered. Mount Street was cordoned off during the operation, with a large number of gardai present. Multi-agency initiative A similar operation to remove tents from the area was undertaken in March, but another makeshift encampment soon built up again.

A Government statement outlined details of Wednesdays operation: A joint operation between the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; the Department of Justice; An Garda Siochana; Dublin City Council; the Office of Public Works; and the HSE (Health Service Executive) is under way on Mount Street, Dublin.

The purpose of the operation is to ensure the safe movement of people seeking international protection from the tents on Mount Street to International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas)-designated accommodation.

The Ipas-designated accommodation has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security.

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the encampment was inhumane and unsustainable.

Glad to see alternative accommodation is now being provided by Gov, will press to ensure it is safe and secure, she posted on X.

Gardai escort women and children away from Mount Street. Photo: Cate McCurry/PA Wire

Noel Wardick, from Dublin City Community Cooperative, an organisation that has been providing support to the asylum seekers sleeping rough, said it was vital that the alternative accommodation was appropriate.

He said that was the key failure of the last removal operation in March.

The jury is out. From our point of view we dont know where the men are going.

The jury is out. From our point of view we dont know where the men are going.

And we dont know the conditions on the site. So we would expect that the state has provided sufficient sanitation, water, hygiene, and blankets, warm accommodation.

However, that wasnt the case on the 16th of March when they last dismantled the site in a very shambolic, ham-fisted and chaotic manner.

So lets hope all those lessons were learned, and the men are in a vastly improved situation.

Minister for Enterprise and Employment Peter Burke said that while he did not know the details of where people were being moved from Mount Street, he was certain they would be well cared for, security would be provided, and they would have health care and wraparound services.

There are a number of officially accredited IPASS areas where they have been taken, where they will have health care services, where they will have food, food, shelter and accommodation. That's so important for them. This has been a very difficult situation the government has responded to.

Vulnerable people

We know that government has given 2500 beds, brought into circulation from the 1st of January. We have a significant challenge. Looking at pre-pandemic figures, it's up nearly 200 per cent. People come into our country and the government has prioritised women and children first.

But it's important that we had a public safety issue in terms of people, very vulnerable people on Mount Street. It was a public health issue for them as well and for residents and area businesses.

"So I would welcome that those vulnerable people are being cared for and moved on because that's so important. We're dealing with human beings.

When asked if the people being moved from Mount Street would be living in tents in the new location, Mr Burke said he did not have the details, but acknowledged that some would live in tents.

I accept it's a very challenging situation, but the government is working. We have a rules-based immigration system. If you look at people who are designated in countries that have been fast tracked, safe countries, their applications have reduced by 50 per cent over the last number of weeks.

"And what does that prove? It proves that Ireland has a fair rules-based immigration system and we as a government are implementing that.

But we are in a challenging environment. And the way we would resolve this is when we sign up to the asylum migration pact, because what that will do, it will allow us link into Europe, working together to get data sets and allow us to deal with secondary movements where people have applied for asylum in other countries, and we need to ensure that that's operational.

The State will provide new accommodation, and new arrivals will absolutely not be going into tents on Mount Street, he said.

Authorities clearing the street. Photo: Cate McCurry/PA Wire

Aubrey McCarthy, the founder of Tiglin, the charity that helps people overcome addiction and homelessness, has described the situation on Mount Street as absolutely untenable.

The charitys outreach hub in Pearse Street had over 500 people seeking assistance on Tuesday night, he told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

Mr McCarthy told of how he had observed the number of tents on Mount Street increase in recent days with tents doubling up on both sides of the street.

At our outreach hub, which is the Lighthouse on Pearse Street last night, we had over 500 people queuing for hot food, clothing, sleeping bags, sanitary products. And also we are limited to three toilets.

"So there's a queue then of people trying to wash, trying to use the bathroom. And that certainly has doubled since the start of this year. So even in the last number of days, there has been a huge increase in tents on Mount Street.

The situation was not sustainable, he said, as there were only two portable toilets at the back of Grafton Court, for the people sleeping in tents.

I think the problem is, it is a perfect storm, our housing crisis, the numbers coming in. I think we've been sort of caught off guard. And now what's happened with the UK as well.

The co-founder of the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, Lucky Khambule, has described the conditions for those living in tents on Mount Street as really unbelievable.

It was not the fault of the individuals seeking protection that the tents were in place. They were given no options, he told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

While Mr Khambule accepted that people had to be moved, he was concerned that there could be a repeat of the situation in March when people were moved to Crooksling, Tallaght, but subsequently returned to Mount Street.

We are afraid that it might be the same thing as well. The fact that people are not told where they are going, no one knows where they are going. How safe will they be?

"They take into account the opposition that comes when people come in those areas. What about the communities in those areas that they're talking about? It's a dicey situation at the moment.

Mr Khambule said that the facilities in Crooksling, to where people had been moved in March, had improved tremendously, with tents and beds and wash facilities. He hoped there was a plan in place for new arrivals. At present if a person presents at the International Protection Office, he did not know if accommodation was available.

If accommodation was not available then the person would end up on the street. It will be up to the volunteers to find a place for that person, to feed that person. And the government won't be there. So I hope there is a plan for the people that will come today.

Additional reporting from Vivienne Clarke
High Court reporters

The State is seeking to appeal against a High Court decision that held that Irelands designation of the UK as a safe third country is unlawful, the High Court heard on Tuesday.

Ms Justice Siobhan Phelan last month ruled that the Irish law underpinning the designation did not contain the full suite of safeguards required by EU law.

The safe third country designation, which is relatively similar to a scheme existing between EU member states, was made by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee in December 2020 in response to the UKs exit from the EU.

It enabled Ireland to deem inadmissible an application for asylum from someone who arrived from the UK. The person could then be returned to the UK for their asylum application or situation to be determined there.

While the two High Court challenges to the designation centred on alleged risks arising from potential onward transfer to Rwanda, Ms Justice Phelan made no findings that related to the UKs policy.

Instead, she found shortcomings in the safeguard requirements prescribed in Irelands International Protection Act of 2015, which underpinned the designation.

Given she held that the designation was unlawful as a matter of EU law, the judge said she did not need to go on to decide whether it is unsustainable by reason of alleged exposure to a risk of ill-treatment due to the UKs relationship with Rwanda.

On Tuesday, the States senior counsel, David Conlan Smyth, told the judge that the Minister for Justice, Ireland and the Attorney General will ask the court to allow them to appeal her decision.

Ms Justice Phelan scheduled for this matter to return before her in two weeks.

Separately, the judge was also told that two South African applicants want to appeal against her dismissal of their challenge to the Minister for Justices designation of South Africa as a safe country of origin. This designation enables Department of Justice officials to fast-track asylum applications from South Africa.

The safe origin declaration and accompanying faster processing applies to 10 non-EU countries: South Africa, Algeria, Botswana, Albania, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
James Cox

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said she "stands over" the figure that 80 per cent of asylum seekers arriving here have crossed the border from the North.

There has been confusion after Tanaiste Micheal Martin said the figure wasn't "statistical", with suggestions that ministers are contradicting each other.

Ms McEntee told a Dail debate on the EU Migration and Asylum Pact today that Ireland needs to opt into the agreement, because "going it alone" hasn't worked for other countries.

She also defended her remarks about how many asylum seekers have entered the Republic from the North.

"We ask people where they come from, and they tell you. If they don't have a bus ticket, or a plane ticket, we can't verify, but we know the information that's provided to our teams.

"Similarly, if somebody says they have come directly from Nigeria, there are no direct flights from Nigeria, but we can't confirm or deny that. People have to look at the information that they have.

"They are the ones interviewing these people, they know where they come from, and they're able to give me that information. That's where that figure [80 per cent from Northern Ireland] has come from, and I absolutely stand over that."

Ms McEntee has linked the numbers of refugees coming over the border to the passing of the UKs Safety of Rwanda Act.

This has led to tensions with the British government, and UK prime minister Rishi Sunak again commented on the situation on Wednesday.

In the UK House of Commons, Mr Sunak said: Now, its no surprise that our robust approach to illegal migration is providing a deterrent, but the answer is not sending police to villages in Donegal. Its to work with us in partnership to strengthen our external borders all around the Common Travel Area that we share.

Meanwhile, an encampment of homeless refugees, described as a 'tent city', outside the International Protection Office on Mount Street, Dublin, was cleared on Wednesday.

The people who had been sleeping rough in Mount Street were offered accommodation in Crooksling or City West
Since ChatGPT arrived on the net in 2022, AI-generated content has soared more than 8,000%, according to a study released Tuesday by Copyleaks. The study, which covers a period from 2013 to March 2024, found a surge of 8,362% in AI content on the internet from November 2022, when ChatGPT-3.5 was released, to March 2024.

When OpenAI released ChatGPT-3 in June 2020, there was only a modest increase in web pages containing AI content. That changed with the release of version 3.5. Since then, 1.57% of some one million web pages analyzed for the study contain AI-generated content, noted Copyleaks, which offers AI-based text analysis and plagiarism services.

That 1.57% is massive, considering the amount of time AI technology has been available, Chris Rodgers, founder and CEO of CSP, a specialized SEO agency in Golden, Colo., told TechNewsWorld.

The surge in AI content is primarily fueled by significant advancements in natural language processing and deep learning technologies, explained Copyleaks CEO and co-founder Alon Yamin.

These advancements have made it easier and faster to generate high-quality text, enabling AI models like ChatGPT to produce human-like content efficiently, he told TechNewsWorld.

Additionally, Yamin continued, the demand for scalable and cost-effective content creation across various industries, such as e-commerce, marketing, and media, has further propelled the adoption of AI-generated content, driving its exponential growth on the web.

AI Content Surge No Surprise to Industry Experts

Technology watchers arent surprised by Copyleaks findings.

AI is getting a ton of hype pushing more and more people to try these AI tools, noted Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst at the Enderle Group, an advisory services firm in Bend, Ore.

The tools mostly work reasonably well and are relatively easy to learn and use, he told TechNewsWorld. They allow you to create decent content far more quickly, resulting in greater proliferation than pre-AI tools.

One group that immediately saw the value of AI content was one in a position to flood web pages with it. This might not be a popular thing to say, but give marketers any chance to take a shortcut to success, and it will be used, declared Joe Karasin, CMO and founder of Karasin PPC, a marketing agency in Lapeer, Mich., that specializes in Google ads.

This is why automated bidding in Google Ads is so popular, he told TechNewsWorld. Instead of having to do the math and the legwork to be competitive, it operates on a principle of set it and forget it.'

Brian Prince, founder and CEO of Top AI Tools, an AI tool, resource, and educational platform in Boca Raton, Fla., agreed. When people and businesses can find a shortcut, making tasks faster and easier, they will use it, he told TechNewsWorld.

Keeping that in mind, he continued, Im not surprised that brands started using AI to create content as soon as generative AI reached the stage where it was possible.

Google Gooses AI Content

Google may have opened the gates to AI marketing content by changing its stance. Once Google said it didnt care how content is generated, as long as it meets certain criteria, marketers took that as a green light to start churning out AI content, CSPs Rodgers said.

People saw that they could scale out content very, very quickly and that they could replace human writers and offset costs, he continued. So, Im not surprised how much its exploded because of those things.

Prince, however, maintained that AI-generated content has a minor place in marketing materials and social media content. Its not about using AI to generate content, he said. AI can assist human writers by helping them organize their ideas and spark creativity. It can also help edit, resulting in cleaner, easier-to-read content.

For tasks like social media, AI can help you take a single concept and slant it in endless ways, he continued. Then, human writers can modify and personalize it.

AI also plays a unique role in video development, he added, democratizing the production of videos and graphics by simplifying it through programs like Synesthesia, Dall-E, and Canva.

AI Benefits for Digital Platforms

Copyleaks Yamin also noted that AI-generated content could make a positive contribution to the internet and other digital platforms. AI-generated content offers several potential benefits to the web, he said. It enhances user experiences by providing personalized recommendations, improving search engine results, and automating routine tasks like customer support and data analysis.

This efficiency saves time and resources and opens up new content creation and dissemination possibilities, he continued. Moreover, AI content can facilitate accessibility by automatically translating and adapting information to diverse audiences, thereby broadening the reach and impact of online content.

While AI content has its benefits, it also has harmful potential. The rapid growth of AI-generated content, fueled by the increased accessibility of this technology, has led to AI-powered fraud becoming a top concern in the verification industry, said Pavel Godman-Kalaydin, head of AI/ML at Sumsub, a global deepfake detection and identity verification company.

Deepfake technology continues to pose a significant threat, he continued. Advancements in AI have made it easier and cheaper for criminals to create incredibly realistic audio, photo, and video manipulations to deceive individuals, he told TechNewsWorld.

In North America alone, a 1740% increase in deepfakes was detected between 2022 and 2023 with a 10-times increase globally. Criminals now have access to easy-to-use AI systems that can easily generate a fake persona or impersonate an existing person, leading to media manipulation, misinformation, and disinformation, Godman-Kalaydin added.

Fostering Trust and Accountability

As AI technology evolves, Yamin noted, solutions that provide visibility around AI use and sensible AI regulations are a continued need for the public to have a sense of trust and safety.

Clear labeling and disclosure standards should be implemented to improve transparency and accountability in AI-generated content, he added. Users should be aware of AIs involvement in content creation through standardized indicators or disclaimers.

Enhancing transparency in the use of AI-generated content is crucial for fostering trust and accountability, agreed Mark N. Vena, president and principal analyst of SmartTech Research in San Jose, Calif.

Promoting industry standards and best practices for transparency in AI content creation can encourage companies to adopt transparent practices voluntarily, he told TechNewsWorld. By implementing these measures, stakeholders can work towards building a more transparent and trustworthy environment for AI-generated content on the web.

Yamin added: The swift integration of AI-generated content into web platforms reflects AI technologies transformative potential and the pressing need for effective governance and ethical guidelines. While the speed of adoption underscores AIs efficiency and utility, managing its implications for accuracy, transparency, and user trust remains a critical challenge for stakeholders.
A trail near Sequoia Point in Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, where leaders are returning about 5 acres of city land to an Indigenous group. Thirty-three Native American tribes and groups will receive $108 million in grants for projects including the return of ancestral land, climate and wildfire resilience projects, and habitat restoration. Salgu Wissmath/The Chronicle 2022

Two Indigenous groups in the Bay Area will receive millions in newly announced state funds to support the return of tribal land and stewardship projects across California  part of the states efforts to acknowledge and correct historical wrongdoings to Native Americans.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that 33 Native American tribes and groups will receive $108 million in grants for projects including the return of ancestral land, climate and wildfire resilience projects, and habitat restoration. Funding came from state budgets from the last two years, officials said.

Two of the 33 awardees are based in the Bay Area: the Sogorea Te Land Trust in Oakland and the Tamien Nation in San Jose. The Tamien Nation will receive $6 million, and the land trust will receive $150,000, according to a spokesperson from Newsoms office.

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These awards are an acknowledgment of past sins, a promise of accountability, and a commitment to a better future  for the land and all its people, especially its original stewards, Newsom said in a statement, adding that partnerships with Native tribes will also help the state address the climate crisis.

The state grants come as the Indigenous-led movement to return municipal and private land to Indigenous hands  known as Land Back  has gained momentum in the Bay Area and across the country.

The Tamien Nation, a landless tribe that is not federally recognized, plans to use its funding to develop a new tribal land conservancy and acquire a 235-acre parcel, according to Chairwoman Quirina Luna Geary.

Tamien Nation Chairwoman Quirina Luna Geary. The Tamien Nation will receive $6 million in state funds to support the return of tribal land and stewardship projects. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle 2023

The acquisition  which will be the first 100% tribally controlled land in the South Bay in over 200 years  marks the beginning of a healing process for our community, Geary said in a statement.

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This land back initiative ensures that our citizens will have a place to ground themselves in language, culture, and ceremony, while working towards restoring and sustaining a healthy ecosystem, and building enduring relationships and partnerships for future generations, Geary added.

The South Bay site, in a headwaters tributary to Coyote Creek, has high conservation value related to proposed restoration and beneficial fire management, a project description says. The tribe plans to conduct riparian and Native grassland restoration, environmental education activities and mid-slope wetland restoration on the property.

Corrina Gould, the Ohlone co-founder of the Sogorea Te Land Trust, said her group was extremely happy to receive the state grant.

It will allow Sogorea Te Land Trust the ability to plan over the next year for the land that was recently returned to us from the city of Oakland, Gould said, referring to a parcel of municipal property at Sequoia Point in Joaquin Miller Park to which the trust was granted exclusive rights by city officials as tribal reparations.

Corrina Gould, co-founder of the Sogorea Te Land Trust and chair and spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan. The land trust will receive $150,000 in state funds. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2020

In March, Berkeley became the latest city to transfer a sacred Ohlone site to the Sogorea Te Land Trust, a women-led nonprofit that has gained deeds or access to nearly a dozen parcels in the East Bay, historically Ohlone land, since 2015.

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The land trust plans to use the funding for its Rinihmu Puteireken Sovereign Fires Project, which will create a cultural gathering place and a Native habitat restoration area on 3.8 acres in Joaquin Miller Park, according to state documents. The group said a tremendous amount of fire management and fuel reduction efforts, in collaboration with tribal forestry experts, will be needed at the long-neglected city property.

The vision of this project is to recreate a thriving, ceremonial gathering place where Indigenous people can come together, and educate the public about tribal ecological restoration, according to a project description.

The 33 awardees are part of the states Tribal Nature-Based Solutions grant program, launched last July to support tribal initiatives  while helping to achieve the states world-leading climate and conservation goals, according to a news release.

The program in December 2023 provided early funding to its first awardee, the Hoopa Valley Tribe in Humboldt County, which acquired more than 10,000 acres of forested property.
A person rides past the Google sign outside the Google offices in Sunnyvale on April 18. Google has fired 50 employees who were involved in protests over the tech companys cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. Terry Chea/Associated Press

Fifty Google workers who were fired after a pro-Palestine demonstration inside work offices earlier this month have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that the tech giant unlawfully retaliated against them.

The fired workers are seeking reinstatement to their jobs, back pay, and guarantees from Google leadership that the company wont retaliate against workers for lawful collective protest, according to Jane Chung, a spokesperson for the protesters. Their complaint was filed Monday evening, Chung said.

The protests on April 16, at the companys offices in Sunnyvale, New York and Seattle focused on Googles Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing contact with Israel.

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During the protests, employees sat and patiently waited for ten hours to share their concerns about Project Nimbus, as well as their demands, with Google executives, Chung said in a press release Tuesday. Instead, Google decided to order for the arrest of 9 protesters sitting in the companys offices in Sunnyvale, California and New York City.

On Tuesday, Google stood by its decision to fire the employees.

This is a very clear case of employees disrupting and occupying work spaces, and making other employees feel threatened and unsafe, said a company spokesperson. By any standard, their behavior was completely unacceptable  and widely seen as such. We carefully confirmed and reconfirmed that every single person whose employment was terminated was directly and definitively involved in disruption inside our buildings. We are confident in our position and stand by the actions weve taken.

The April 16 protest in Sunnyvale ended with the arrests of five workers who refused to leave a sit-in inside the office of Thomas Kurian, the CEO of Google Cloud, the Chronicle previously reported. Initially, Google fired 28 workers, but its investigation continued and more workers were later dismissed. In total, Google fired more than 50 workers in response to the protests, according to the Associated Press.

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Criticism of the contract rose after Israel retaliated against militant group Hamas, which on Oct. 7, attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 250 hostages. Since then, Israels military campaign in Gaza has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead and over 77,000 injured, sparking protests across the U.S.

On Tuesday, one of Googles fired employees released a statement.

Google is attempting to instill fear in employees by illegally punishing and retaliating against those expressing dissent about Googles profit and complicity in genocide, said Zelda Montes. We must resist Googles repression of worker organizing, and demand that Google be held responsible for their retaliatory actions against employees asking for ethical applications of their labor. We, the workers, will not stop organizing our collective power to ensure an end of technology for apartheid and genocide.
Block appears to be squarely in the governments sights. Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York are reportedly probing extensive compliance lapses at the parent company of Square and Cash App. NBC News says a former Block employee has handed over documents to federal authorities, painting a picture of how the company failed to gather required risk-assessment information from customers and subsequently processed illegal transactions.

The documents allegedly show that Block greenlit multiple crypto transactions involving known terrorist organizations. Furthermore, Square reportedly processed thousands of transfers involving nations under economic sanctions. From the ground up, everything in the compliance section was flawed, the whistleblower allegedly told NBC News. It is led by people who should not be in charge of a regulated compliance program.

Most transactions allegedly involved credit cards, dollar transfers or Bitcoin and werent reported to the government as mandated by law. In addition, Block reportedly refused to correct company processes when notified of the breaches.

The investigation follows a separate report from NBC News in February highlighting two different whistleblowers who flagged the same issues at Block. They cited questionable Cash App transactions with entities under sanction by the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, operations known to sell personal information and credit card data for illegal purposes, and offshore gambling sites barred to U.S. citizens.

The practice allegedly spanned multiple years. NBC News says it reviewed around 100 pages of documents from the whistleblower involving people or organizations in countries under US sanctions, including Russia, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. Some of them were reportedly from as recent as 2023.

Block

The whistleblower claims Blocks management was aware of the alleged offenses. Its my understanding from the documents that compliance lapses were known to Block leadership and the board in recent years, Edward Siedle, a former SEC attorney representing the whistleblower, told NBC News.

The whistleblower says that, besides senior management, Blocks board was told about the compliance issues. Coincidentally or not, several board members made unexpected exits recently, including former US treasury secretary Lawrence Summers, who resigned in February, and Sharon Rothstein, who had been on the board since 2022. Block told NBC News that they were leaving to devote more time to other activities and that their exits werent a result of any disagreements with the company on any matter relating to the companys operations, policies or practices.

Federal authorities have taken a greater interest in modern financial platforms in recent years after at least some of them had become something of a Wild West. Of course, FTXs fraudulent practices and subsequent collapse led to a seismic decline in the cryptocurrency industry. Although it isnt clear if the feds have gotten involved, Elon Musks X (the husk of what was once Dorseys Twitter) reportedly violated US sanctions by accepting blue-check subscription payments from terrorist organizations.
Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products .

The US government is unloading the 5.34-petaflop system for far less then it paid for it.

If you've been thinking about picking up a new supercomputer but were waiting on a good price, now might be a good time to put in your bid. Right now, the US government, via GSA Auctions, is auctioning off the Cheyenne Supercomputer to the highest bidder with three days remaining. While we haven't tested this one ourselves, we assume its 145,152 CPU cores will easily out-perform our current top pick for a laptop. You also won't need to upgrade the memory anytime soon, as there's a full 313,344GB of RAM currently installed, and the storage capacity tallies up to around 36 petabytes. No need to delete files to make room for new games or other media downloads.

The deal was spotted by Ars Technica, who also point out that the fiber optic and CAT5/6 cabling are not included in the sale. While the price the government paid for the supercomputer has not been disclosed, it's safe to assume the cost was well into the millions, considering the price tags of other supercomputers. As of this writing, the bidding has reached $28,085, though the reserve has not yet been met. There are still three days to go and there's currently no deposit required to place a bid.

The reason for such a hefty discount (other than the fact that Cheyenne has been decommissioned) could be faulty quick disconnects causing water spray and the fact that approximately one percent of nodes have "experienced failure" and "will remain unrepaired." One other caveat to note before you start making room in your arena-sized climate-controlled garage is that shipping is not included. As GSA Auctions notes on the details page, "moving this system necessitates the engagement of a professional moving company" and that "the purchaser assumes responsibility for transferring the racks from the facility onto trucks."

But where else will you find such steep savings on a machine that can carry out 5.34 quadrillion calculations per second? Cheyenne is also surprisingly energy-efficient, consuming 25 percent less energy per computation than its predecessor, Yellowstone. The massive supercomputer helped researchers understand the rapid intensification of hurricanes, how wildfires impact air quality, and simulated years of climate functions to predict outcomes decades in advance. It should definitely provide you with enough processing power for extreme multitasking at work while handling even the most demanding games after hours.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Beats today announced the Solo 4, a $200 set of familiar-looking cans with significant upgrades inside, even if they look almost entirely the same as the Solo 3.

At this price, the Solo 4s dont have any active noise cancellation and, according to Billy Steele, who tested the new headphones, they sound a bit thin. However, sound is generally improved, and the boost to 50 hours of playback (along with USB-C) is a major improvement over the predecessor. Theyre available to buy now.

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Beats also surprised us with new sub-$100 Solo buds, wireless (non-ANC) earbuds with 18 hours of playback. One focus is comfort, with ergonomic acoustic nozzles and vents assisting with audio performance and relieving the pressure on your ears. The Solo Buds will be available in June for $80.

 Mat Smith

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And penalize low-effort aggregators.

Instagram is overhauling its recommendation algorithm for Reels to support and increase original content. It could greatly impact aggregator accounts and other accounts that mostly report other users work. The company is also changing how it ranks Reels to boost smaller accounts.

The apps changes around original content could be pretty immediate. Instagram says it will actively replace reposted Reels with the original clip in its suggestions when it detects two pieces of identical content. Aggregator accounts that repeatedly publish posts from others will be penalized even more harshly. Ive come across many accounts (often through Reels) that are simply the same viral clip (that isnt even original) posted and reposted as far as I was willing to scroll. These changes could shrink the chances of coming across lazier content like that.

Continue reading.

Its for selling customer location data.

The Federal Communications Commission has slapped the largest mobile carriers in the US with a collective fine worth $200 million for selling access to their customers location information without consent. AT&T was ordered to pay $57 million, while Verizon has a $47 million fine. Meanwhile, Sprint and T-Mobile are facing a penalty with a combined amount of $92 million, as the companies merged two years ago. Apparently, the carriers sold real-time location information to data aggregators, and this data ended up in the hands of bail-bond companies, bounty hunters and other shady actors.

Continue reading.

But its more like a Polaroid.

Engadget

Fujifilms Instax cameras have been around for a while, but the new Instax mini 99, which was released this month, looks more like my X-T2 and other Fujifilm models than yet another plasticky Polaroid. From a distance, it looks like a pricey digital camera, but it costs only $200. It also has modes and filters to customize your tiny instant photos. That flexibility, combined with the understated look, makes for an instant camera I might actually buy (and use).

Continue reading.
The site of the blaze that took 140 firefighters more than five hours to extinguish at the corner of Octavia Boulevard and Oak Street is seen behind caution tape on Aug. 2, 2023. Nine months after the blaze, San Francisco Fire Department investigators said they could not make a determination about what caused it. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Nine months after flames consumed a building under construction in San Franciscos Hayes Valley, investigators have concluded they cannot determine whether the fast-moving fire was an accident or arson, according to an incident report reviewed by the Chronicle.

The report was produced following a public records request.

Fourteen condominium units were under construction in the building, located at Octavia Boulevard and Oak Street, when the fire erupted before dawn on Aug. 1. It took 140 firefighters more than five hours to extinguish the blaze.

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Flames eventually overtook the entire construction site and spread to nearly a dozen adjacent residences, San Francisco Fire Department investigator Edward Labrado wrote in the report.

While investigators were unable to discover the source, Labrado noted that previous incidents at 300 Octavia (Blvd.) involved incidents relating to homeless activity.

Investigators ruled out some potential causes, like a lightning strike, but were otherwise unable to determine whether the fire was an act of arson, San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Mariano Elias said in an interview. Arson is among the most difficult causes to prove because all the evidence is burned, Elias said.

We want to find the answers, but they are not always able to be found, Elias said.

Months before the fire, a Hayes Valley neighborhood group wrote a letter to Mayor London Breed and other leaders, imploring them to intervene in what they described as dangerous conditions on Octavia Boulevard. Some said they observed people tapping into power from utility poles near the scaffolding of the building that later burned.

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Duane "Keefe D" Davis' lawyer gave a new update about his client ahead of the upcoming trial for the murder of Tupac Shakur.

Carl Arnold, the defense attorney representing Keefe D, reportedly plans to subpoena the late hip-hop icon's friend and former Death Row Records CEO, Suge Knight, to join his witness list. The rapper was the one driving the car when Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas in September 1996, according to The U.S. Sun.

Knight is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence at RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego but for a different crime -- a hit and run that left his Heavyweights Records co-founder Terry Carter dead and filmmaker Cle Sloan injured in 2015.





While Arnold plans to summon Knight for a testimony, he confirmed to the outlet that his client -- who is indicted with murder charges for his involvement in Tupac's killing -- "will not be giving evidence."

A family associate of Keefe also told the outlet that "there is zero benefit from letting Keefe take the stand or face any detailed examination by professional lawyers."

"Keefe is a loose cannon when it comes to running his mouth. It is what has got him in trouble. Given that he confessed to his role in two police interviews and [did not] face legal actions, you would have thought he'd have shut his a** up. But no, he couldn't stop but wanted to get some fame."

"Being on the stand with a professional trial attorney going after your every word, he would likely cause himself problems and end up helping the case against him," the associate added.

"In the last decade, he was asked by TV shows and media outlets to talk about the Tupac killing, and he saw it as a money-making scheme."

Last week, Davis' lawyer said his client lied in his previous statements to make money with his story. He even published a memoir in 2019 titled "Compton Street Legend: Notorious Keffe D's Street-Level Accounts of Tupac and Biggie Murders, Death Row Origins, Suge Knight, Puffy Combs and Crooked Cops."





In the upcoming November trial, Arnold said he would argue that his client only confessed to the crime for money and fame and is confident that Keefe will be found innocent. He said that the police and prosecutors do not have enough proof that Keefe was in Las Vegas during Shakur's shooting.

"Mr. Davis was not in Las Vegas at the time. There is no murder weapon, and they don't have the car used during the shooting as evidence," he said.




Mark Consuelos came clean with his wife about kissing another woman.

On Tuesday's episode of "Live With Kelly and Mark," the "All My Children" actor admitted to his wife and co-host that he kissed another woman during his recent trip to Italy for the soccer game of Campobasso 1919.

He recalled what happened when the soccer team he co-owns took home the victory and told his wife about the "passionate smooch" -- which took place through a plexiglass.

"In the adulation, in the celebration, on the field, we found out that the other team tied, and we are champions... We ran over to our fans, 500 fans [behind the big plexiglass]," the 53-year-old actor told Ripa.

"I'm running, and I see this lady -- let's call her my aunt, maybe someone else's aunt -- and we look at each other, and we're so excited, and there's this glass, and we come to the glass, and you know what? I kissed her."

His story made the audience burst out laughing while his wife posed a hilarious concern. Instead of worrying about her husband kissing someone else, she asked if the moment was caught on camera.

"Do we have footage of this? We don't have footage of it?" she asked.

Unfortunately, Consuelos could not show evidence of the kiss. Instead of answering the question, he described the kiss in detail.

"I actually closed my eyes. I closed my eyes, and my back foot went up like that," he shared, demonstrating the kiss before adding, "I laid one on her. It was a smooch, but it was passionate."

The laughter continued when Kelly said that her husband "never closes [his] eyes" and went on to ask him if he had "an emotional affair."

"No," he answered while laughing. "No, it could have been a guy by the way. I don't know."

"Don't try to save yourself now. You already qualified this as somebody's aunt," Kelly chimed in before adding, "Are you concerned because the scenes I saw unfolding on the plexiglass where the footballers taking their clothes off and climbing the plexiglass... is that the same plexiglass you then made out with?"

"Oh yeah," her husband responded.

"We have a lot to unpack this week," she answered back, causing the audience to laugh even more.

Through the years, the couple -- who eloped in the famous Las Vegas wedding chapel in 1996 -- has shared snippets and stories about their relationship on social media or through their talk show.

They celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary last February by recreating their Las Vegas wedding photo inside the Nevada Chapel of The Bells.




A Houston restaurant cook has been accused of putting his genitals in customer's food and possession child pornography because he had "frequent urges."

Othello Larenzo Holmes, 27, is charged with five counts of possessing child pornography and engaging in indecent assault.

The inquiry commenced on April 4 when a Harris County deputy responded to a call at Kulture, a downtown Houston restaurant, to meet with its manager. According to records, the manager presented deputies with a video capturing Holmes inserting his genitals into uncovered food items at the establishment.

Holmes purportedly admitted to placing his genitals in jelly, saying "he had a sexual urge, however, he stopped himself before he ejaculated." He further confessed to experiencing these urges frequently and disclosed a history of sexual offenses and the need for assistance, per court records.

Upon contact by phone, a manager at Kulture Restaurant informed KPRC-2 that Holmes had served as a cook at the establishment for several months but has since ceased employment.

Holmes reportedly granted permission in writing for the examination of his mobile device on April 15th.

Per official records, law enforcement personnel extracted more than 100 pictures and five video clips featuring child pornography. The files depicted children ranging from infancy to adolescence, participating in activities such as sexual intercourse and various sexual acts, as detailed in the records.

Records indicate that Holmes was incarcerated at the Harris County Jail with a bail set at $500,000.

"Houston streets are safer tonight because we took a pedophile off the street," Marcus Davis, the owner of Kulture restaurant, said.

Chris Tritico, a political analyst said "it's a crime to intentionally damage the food or harm the food for the purpose of getting people sick," Fox-26 reports.
Quantum Physics &

Books by Marilyn L. Redmond, BA. ABH, IBRT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWRRtgNLCz0

Marilyn L. Redmond is an international award winning writer and award winning poet. Her writing includes information and tools that support growth and development for healthy, happy lives in prosperity. She offers her experience and wisdom from many years of searching. In addition to her printed books, she has many eBooks available, which are all on Amazon. Also, her writing has been published in magazines, newspapers, news releases, 6 anthologies and on the internet. .

What People Are Saying About Marilyn and Her Work!

Brilliant, profound, and to the point. This little book is a classic and will be read long after she is gone. I love how she writes. Now that a couple of years have passed since we broke through 2012..it is even more significant. Don't underestimate this book. It haunts you over time, as the truth of the message becomes more and more revealed. Linda Schiller-Hanna, founder, Natural Psychic School of Metaphysics; Founder, Angel Love Healing Center; Speaker, Edgar Cayce's ARE Intuition Trainer

This little book is priceless. I found it to be one of the most valuable works I have every read. I felt Marilyn Redmond speaking from her heart to mine about things she must have experienced because her book has "the ring of truth" which makes reading it like listening to a wise friend tell you things you've been searching for all your life.

I recommend that everyone who wants to live a more loving and honest life read this book, not just once, but really study it and as far as possible, commit it to memory and use it to begin living at a higher level. Lachlan Mitchell, Coexisting Disorder Coordinator, Bathurst Community Corrections Service, Australia

I found this book very enlightening and helpful in many ways. There is an explanation for questions about the shift from third dimension through fourth and into the fifth. Choosing to replace fear with LOVE, the highest vibration. And protecting our beautiful planet. Honoring nature. I highly recommend this book for clarity and much needed guidance to save our planet, thus ourselves. Jeannie Anderson, Reiki Master

It was truly inspirational and put a smile on my face. What a superbly wonderful book, beautifully written, composed and the message is pure and uplifting. Thank you for allowing me to work on this. Louise Atherton, editor of her book

In the video interview, Marilyn shares about understanding the energy in your life as defined by Tesla. With a higher frequency, you can attract your inheritance and birthright from the universe. Marilyn then describes each of her books. Roses Have Thorns describes her early path through poetry. It is available by contacting her at angelicasgifts6@outlook.com.

Paradigm Busters, is the ultimate "how to" book for finding "the real you" and moving into a love based life. Finding Reality Beyond Fear follows Paradigm Busters. It offers slogans for maintaining a mature life and in addition, the information for you to move into Christ Consciousness.

The Real Meaning of 2012 is information from Saint Germaine explaining the different dimensions of energy. Her latest book is A Spark of Truth, which reveals the beginning of the fear and oppression in our lives and how that affects our lives today. https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Truth-Rev-Marilyn-Redmond/dp/0944851630

Her message is we are returning to the love within which we are created. We are on the path to maturity and becoming our true selves. Each book has simple terms for describing information and tools for growth that work. We can leave the past problems and difficulties behind for living in the moment which is called "The Gift".

Marilyn has 11 books on Amazon, 195 videos on YouTubes, and writes two monthly columns, brings spiritual growth through her books that are sent internationally to prisons. She is included in "Who's Who in America and Manchester's Who's Who for Professionals and Executive. In addition, Marilyn has produced and hosted two radio shows.

Check out her website, https://www.angelicasgifts.com /

Books: at https://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Redmond/e/B0069WIKDC

Barnes and Nobel https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Marilyn+Redmond?_requestid=16065424

195 videos on You Tube at https://www.youtube.com/user/puyallup98372

Blog at http://marilynredmondbooks.blogspot.com./
Two adults face abduction charges in last weeks disappearance of Mint Butterfield, 16, the child of Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield. Courtesy of Butterfield family

The Marin County District Attorney on Wednesday charged two people with child abduction in the case of Mint Butterfield, the teenage child of Slack co-founder and former CEO Stewart Butterfield, who was found after going missing last week.

Christopher Dizefalo and Sarah Atkins allegedly willfully and unlawfully enticed away and concealed Mint, according to a criminal complaint the District Attorney Lori Frugoli filed Tuesday afternoon.

The charge is based on investigative reports received from the Marin County Sheriffs Office, Frugoli said in an email.

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On Sunday, Mint was found in San Franciscos Tenderloin neighborhood inside a van belonging to Dizefalo, the Marin County Sheriffs Office said. Dizefalo, 26, was arrested and booked into the Marin County Jail, where he remained on Tuesday, records showed.

It was unclear whether Atkins had been arrested. She was not listed in jail records.

Mints mother, Caterina Fake, reported her child missing April 21, after she was unable to find the teen, who had left a note indicating they had left the family home in Bolinas, said Adam Schermerhorn, a sergeant with the Marin County Sheriffs Office. Fake told police she had last seen the teen around 10 p.m. the previous night.

Police searched for Mint, who uses the pronouns they and them, in the Tenderloin, a neighborhood they were known to frequent when mother and child also shared a residence in San Francisco, Schermerhorn said.

It remains unclear how Mint left their Bolinas home, as they did not have access to a vehicle or phone.

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Retailer Co-op has introduced white eggs across all its stores in a move which it says will better support British free range producers.

The announcement means that both white and brown eggs will be sold following the extension of Co-op's supply base.

The supermarket chain said this was part of "ongoing efforts to champion the best of British and support our higher welfare commitment".

It is estimated that of the 40 million egg-laying birds in the UK, only about 250,000-300,000 are breeds that lay white eggs.

Co-op's has added the hen breed Lohmann LSL to its supply pool, a breed known for its white eggs, welfare, longer laying cycle and increased feed utilisation.

White eggs will represent around 10% of Co-ops entire egg supply at launch, with the ambition to move to 30% by year three, the retailer confirmed.

Mark Kempsell, Co-op agricultural specialist, said: Were proud of this next step in welfare following our commitment to sell 100% free range eggs across our stores.

"This is part of our ongoing commitment to champion the best of British all year around, and were thrilled this will be further supported by our long-term plan to roll out white eggs.

Co-op was one of the first UK supermarkets to ban caged eggs and move to only source British free-range eggs in 2008.

It extended this commitment to all eggs used as an ingredient in own-brand products in 2010.
An agricultural risk expert is warning farmers to urgently check their silage clamps in the wake of a string of hefty fines for silage pollution.

Farmers in Devon, Somerset and Northern Ireland have recently been ordered to pay fines ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 after silage clamp leaks polluted local watercourses.

Silage effluent, which can be up to 200 times more toxic than untreated sewage, poses a significant threat to aquatic life, wildlife, and broader ecosystems.

The Rivers Trust's annual report revealed in February that farm pollution contributes to 62% of waterways in England failing to meet good standards for chemical and biological pollution.

Rupert Wailes-Fairbairn, a risk management expert at insurer broker Lycetts, says it is vital that farmers check their silage clamps now  before the first cut  to prevent highly-toxic run-off from entering nearby waterways.

Its essential that all parts of the silage storage system, from pipes to tanks, are well maintained, explained Mr Wailes-Fairbairn.

Silage clamps and all drainage systems should be carefully inspected checked to make sure they are airtight and leak-free.

A deep clean can more easily identify leaks, but he said farmers should be careful not to damage protective lining, asphalt or concrete surfaces.

Farmers should also check that the floor is sound, that cracks are properly repaired and that wall coatings and overlapping protective films are intact.

He said: Collection channels and drains should be regularly cleaned out to ensure they are watertight and drains flushed with water before filling the clamp, to ensure they are free from leaks or blockages.

After filling it, effluent levels should be regularly monitored and nearby watercourses checked for signs of pollution."

Mr Wailes-Fairbairn said farmers must be proactive in their approach to managing silage storage.

"The consequences of negligence are not only environmentally disastrous but also financially very damaging, as the substantial fines for pollution incidents are not covered by insurance.
The farming industry has raised serious concerns over the decision by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to halt farm safety inspections.

Fears have been raised that the decision by the regulator could pose significant risks to the health and safety of agricultural workers.

HSE announced that it is switching to a focus on occupational health issues rather than preventative general health and safety inspections.

The watchdog said it will continue to provide investigative inspections in response to serious incidents such as on-farm accidents or deaths.

But the Farm Safety Partnership (FSP), which is now chaired by the NFU, warned that the industry "cannot afford to compromise on the safety of our farmers".

Speaking for the first time as FSP chair, NFU Deputy President David Exwood said HSE's decision to halt inspections was 'deeply troubling'.

"We urge the government and HSE to reconsider and continue to work collaboratively with farmers to help ensure they are compliant," he added.

The lack of public awareness surrounding this decision raises serious questions about their prioritisation of safety within the farming sector."

The HSE has assured the farming industry that investigative inspections will continue in response to serious incidents.

But the lack of all regular inspections, training and events will leave a notable gap in proactive and preventative safety measures that could prevent accidents and save lives.

According to the latest available figures, the industry has one of the highest rates of fatalities and serious injuries in any UK workplace.

To help bring this number down, Mr Exwood said farmers needed to work on changing the culture of farm safety. "This decision by HSE completely goes against that goal," he said.

We are calling on Defra to recognise the critical safety implications of this decision, urgently review the potential impacts and establish a clear plan to prioritise the safety of those in the sector.

"We will be engaging in conversations to support the development and implementation of policies and practices that safeguard the livelihoods of those working in agriculture.
The NFU is urging new Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to prioritise rural crime as incidents such as theft and hare coursing continue to plague farms.

The union is calling on farmers to join its campaign by signing an open letter to every new PCC following tomorrow's (2 May) elections.

Machinery theft, fly-tipping, dog attacks on livestock and hare coursing continue to impact rural communities, costing the 49.5m in 2022 alone, figures show.

However, the NFU said that this financial impact 'only scratches the surface', with many incidents 'underestimated and underreported'.

Its letter outlines key recommendations to address rural crime, including ensuring such priorities are detailed in the PCCs Police & Crime Plan.

Forces must recruit a dedicated rural crime specialist and engage regularly with the farming community and their representatives.

Police must also work with farm businesses on effective crime prevention strategies, the letter asks.

NFU vice president Rachel Hallos said the upcoming PCC elections provided a timely opportunity to shine a light on rural crime in the UK.

Rural communities have had to deal with highly organised criminal gangs targeting the countryside to dump huge amounts of waste and steal livestock, valuable machinery or expensive GPS equipment.

"Not only does this make farmers and their families feel unsafe in their home and workplace, it also affects them financially and heavily impacts their ability to do their job of providing food for the nation.

The public clearly value the pressing need for action against rural crime, with nearly three-quarters of the public calling for it to be treated more seriously by the police."

The open letter to the newly elected commissioners aims to emphasise the importance this issue holds in many rural communities across the country.

Survey work carried out for the NFU in October 2023 showed that 71% of the public believe rural crime should be treated more seriously by the police.

Ms Hallos said the NFU was asking PCCs to ensure priorities for addressing rural crime are detailed in their Police & Crime Plan and for the recruitment of a dedicated rural crime specialist.

"I urge all candidates to meet with their local farmers to truly understand the impact of crimes can have first-hand and commit to tangible plans to better help combat rural crime.

What does the letter ask for?

The NFU is calling on farmers to join its campaign by signing an open letter to every newly elected PCC.

The letter outlines key recommendations to address rural crime, including:

 Ensuring priorities for addressing rural crime are detailed in the PCCs Police & Crime Plan.

 Recruiting a dedicated rural crime specialist.

 Engaging regularly with the farming community and their representatives.

 Delivering effective response and investigation of crimes impacting farm businesses.

 Working with farm businesses on effective crime prevention strategies.

 Developing a strategy to counter the impact of Organised Crime Groups in operating in rural areas.

 Providing greater rural crime training for officers and control centres.
One of the notorious 1980s video nasties Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker has been lauded as Brilliantly insane (Cool Ass Cinema) and a horror gem, well-crafted, ripe for analysis should not go overlooked (Bloody Disgusting) and now, thanks to Severin Films, you can witness the film like never before. The company announces a brand-new Special Edition Dual 4K UHD and Blu-ray is set for its UK release on 13 May 2024.

Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker

In a surprising change of direction, William Asher  veteran of gentle TV delights such as I Love Lucy and Bewitched  directed one of the most joltingly brutal, psychosexual shockers of the 80s, the eye-poppingly violent and demented Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker, which can now be experienced for the first time ever in UHD.

This controversial horror stars character actor Susan Tyrrell (Fat City, Cry-Baby) in a show-stealing performance (Bloody Disgusting), as the insanely brilliant lead Cheryl Roberts, who will stop at nothing to ensure her nephew, high-school student Billy Lynch (Jimmy McNichol  Smoky Bites the Dust, California Cowboys), never returns to his parents home.

Following a devastating car accident, Billy is forced to live with his strangely overprotective psychotic aunt, who soon becomes implicated in a grisly murder that sees a police investigation led by an equally unhinged police detective (Bo Svenson  Inglorious Basterds, Kill Bill: Vol. 2). Seven times Emmy nominee Julia Duffy (Palm Royale, Scream Queens, Newhart) and Bill Paxton (Aliens, Apollo 13, Twister), in one of his first film roles, also star in this jaw-dropping hunk of genre insanity (Pop Culture Beast).

The former DPP 39 Video Nasty  also known as Night Warning  is now scanned in 4K from the negative with hours of new Special Features including new audio commentaries and is presented in a stunning new slip case.

Meet the Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker as Severin Films bakes up this this must-own physical release.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Audio Commentary with Star Jimmy McNichol

Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Producer Steve Breimer And Co-Writer Alan Jay Glueckman, Moderated By Mondo Digitals Nathaniel Thompson

Audio Commentary with Co-Producer and Unit Production Manager Eugene Mazzola

Extreme Prejudice  Interview with actor Bo Svenson

Point and Shoot  Interview with Director of Photography Robbie Greenberg

Family Dynamics  Interview with Editor Ted Nicolaou

Cast and Crew Interviews with actors Jimmy McNichol, Susan Tyrrell and Steve Eastin, Make-Up Artist Allan A. Apone and Producer Steve Breimer

Trailer

TV Spot

Title: Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker Special Edition UHD/Blu-ray Release Date: 13 May 2024 Cat No: SEVU8791 Run time: 93 mins

Title: Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker Standard Blu-ray Release Date: 13 May 2024 Cat No: SEVBD8807 Run time: 93 mins

by Matt Shine for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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A crowd gathers near the 24th Street BART Station before a May Day march and rally for Palestine in the Mission District in San Francisco on Wednesday. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle Jessica Boswell holds a sign as dozens gather at Harry Bridges Plaza to protest the war in Gaza in front of the Ferry Building in San Francisco on Wednesday. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle U.S. Navy veteran Jim Martinez of San Francisco wears a shirt decorated with various pins as he protests in support of Palestinians outside San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle Demonstrators at a May Day protest march rally outside San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle Union members march on Fremont Street toward Union Square during a May Day workers rights protest in San Francisco on Wednesday. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle Protesters participate in a March for Palestine rally through the Mission District in San Francisco on Wednesday. Loren Elliott/Special to The Chronicle Protesters participate in a March for Palestine rally through the Mission District in San Francisco on Wednesday. Loren Elliott/Special to The Chronicle A large crowd marches down Mission Street in a May Day march and rally for Palestine in the Mission District in San Francisco on Wednesday. Protests are happening all across the Bay Area and state today as people join a nationwide student movement against the war in Gaza. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle High school teacher Sunshine Roque, 33, marches down Mission Street with a large crowd in a May Day march and rally for Palestine in the Mission District in San Francisco on Wednesday. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle A protester wears a Palestinian solidarity watermelon earring during a March for Palestine rally through the Mission District in San Francisco on Wednesday. Loren Elliott/Special to The Chronicle Protesters participate in a March for Palestine rally at the 24th Street BART Station plaza in San Francisco on Wednesday. Loren Elliott/Special to The Chronicle A large crowd gathers near the 24th Street BART Station before a May Day march and rally for Palestinians in the Mission District in San Francisco. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle A protester spray-paints Stop the Genocide on the wall of a business on Mission Street during a March for Palestine rally in San Francisco on Wednesday. Loren Elliott/Special to The Chronicle A large crowd marches down Mission Street in a May Day march and rally for Palestinians in the Mission District in San Francisco on Wednesday. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle Protesters participate in a March for Palestine rally through the Mission District in San Francisco on Wednesday. Loren Elliott/Special to The Chronicle

Hundreds of May Day protesters marched through San Francisco city streets and dozens more rallied outside a closed Port of Oakland, both groups chanting for workers rights  a cause made more urgent than ever by the war in Gaza, participants said.

The San Francisco protest, inspired by the May Day Vietnam War protests of 1971 that resulted in the largest mass arrest in U.S. history, is an annual pro-labor rally. This years event mingled with ongoing pro-Palestinian movements, including boisterous protests that have swept over American college campuses.

Hundreds of students have been arrested nationwide, and a violent attack at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA early Wednesday raised concerns of similar unrest at UC Berkeley, Stanford and other Bay Area campuses.

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Across the Bay Area, blended May Day and Gaza demonstrations took place Wednesday morning and afternoon. Around 4 p.m., dozens of people gathered for a rally outside BARTs West Oakland Station, many waving Palestinian flags, wearing keffiyehs or holding signs that denounced Israels military invasion of Gaza. Speakers told the crowd that theyd shut down the Port of Oakland, and participants clapped and cheered; four months earlier, pro-Palestinian groups calling for a cease-fire had similarly disrupted operations.

The goal of today was to shut down the Port of Oakland, which we achieved, said the Rev. Allison Tanner, a pastor at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church in Oakland and organizer of an interfaith contingent that shows up to actions throughout the Bay Area to push for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Tanner wore a stoll stitched in the colors of the Palestinian flag, with the slogan Apartheid free Palestine and an embroidered picture of the separation wall that runs along the West Bank, adorned with red poppies  Palestines flower.

The rally ended peacefully around 5 p.m.

Mary Cook, leaning against a student workers united for Palestine sign at the edge of the BART parking lot, said she had devoted much of the day to demonstrating, starting with a rally in downtown Oakland. Im just here to support the students and workers, Cook said as people packed up signs around her.

In San Francisco, May Day events began around 10 a.m. when labor groups from across the Bay Area met outside the 24th Street BART Station, where they briefly stopped traffic. Protesters holding signs in support of Palestinians shut down the intersection and handed out flyers about the war in Gaza before marching toward Civic Center.

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Under the hot midday sun, they walked for two hours toward City Hall, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans. One protester riding along in a white pickup shouted over a microphone, From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

Protesters blared horns and smacked drums. As they passed beneath a Highway 101 overpass heading downtown, dozens of police officers stood guard, preventing protesters from entering the freeway.

Claire Lau of the Chinese Progressive Association, a nonprofit that works with immigrant workers in San Franciscos Chinatown and across the city, said the organization hosts an annual May Day march to highlight the contributions of laborers. But this year was especially important given the ongoing crisis in Gaza, Lau said.

We are here to celebrate workers rights and the legacy of fighting for workers rights, including the eight-hour work day, Lau said. And the organization hoped to see American tax dollars currently spent on the war in Gaza diverted to local projects supporting working-class immigrants.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2024) - Hillcrest Energy Technologies (CSE: HEAT) (OTCQB: HLRTF) (FSE: 7HI), a ("Hillcrest" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that, further to its news releases dated January 31, 2024, February 9, 2024 and April 17, 2024, the Company has closed the third and final tranche of its oversubscribed non-brokered private placement in the amount of 6,762,000 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.25 per Unit for gross proceeds of $1,690,500 (the "Final Tranche"). The total placement size, cumulative of all tranches, was 12,874,000 Units for gross proceeds of $3,218,500 (the "Private Placement").

Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.30 per Common Share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance. However, the Warrants will be subject to an accelerated expiry upon 30 business days' notice from the Company in the event the Common Shares trade for ten (10) consecutive trading days any time after four (4) months from the date of issuance at a volume-weighted average price of at least $0.50 on the Canadian Securities Exchange.

In connection with the closing of the Final Tranche, the Company paid commissions and finders fees in the amount of $630 in cash finder's fees and issued an aggregate of 2,520 share purchase warrants (the "Finder's Warrants") to certain arm's length finders, and the Company further issued 459,540 Units to two arm's length service providers in connection with the Private Placement. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Share at a price of $0.25 per Share until April 30, 2027, subject to an accelerated expiry upon 30 business days' notice from the Company in the event the Common Shares trade for ten (10) consecutive trading days any time after four (4) months from the date of issuance at a volume-weighted average price of at least $0.50 on the Canadian Securities Exchange.

In connection with the Private Placement, three (3) subscribers, including Don Currie, CEO and Director of the Company, sold an aggregate of 2,657,000 Common Shares and used the proceeds to facilitate their participation in the Private Placement. As disclosed in the Company's news releases dated February 9, 2024, and April 16, 2024, Don Currie's participation in the Private Placement constitutes a "related party transaction" but is exempt from the valuation and minority approval requirements set forth in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement, including the Final Tranche, for technology and product development, commercialization, general working capital, and the payment of $300,000 in fees to service providers providing marketing and investor relations services to the Company. Active investor relations contracts of the Company have been disclosed pursuant to the policies of the CSE, and the Company intends to disclose any future Promotional Activity (as such term is defined in the policies of the CSE) as the Company arranges for the provision of such services. All newly issued securities issued by the Company in connection with the Private Placement are subject to a four month and one day hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws.

About Hillcrest Energy Technologies Ltd.

Hillcrest Energy Technologies is a clean technology company focused on providing advanced power conversion technologies and digital control systems for next-generation powertrains and grid-connected renewable energy systems. From concept to commercialization, Hillcrest is investing in the development of energy solutions that will power a more sustainable and electrified future. Hillcrest is publicly traded on the CSE under the symbol "HEAT," on the OTCQB Venture Market as "HLRTF" and on the Frankfurt Exchange as "7HI". For more information, please visit: https://hillcrestenergy.tech/.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Investor Relations

Don Currie

info@hillcrestenergy.tech

O: +1 604-609-0006

Toll-free: 1 855-609-0006

Or

Walter Frank/Jennifer Belodeau

IMS Investor Relations

hillcrest@imsinvestorrelations.com

O: +1 203-972-9200

Public Relations

Jamie L. Hogue

jhogue@hillcrestenergy.tech

O: +1 602-793-9481

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

Some of the statements contained in this news release are forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-Looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "expects," "intends," "is expected," "potential," "suggests" or variations of such words or phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "should," "would," "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information is provided as of the date of this news release. The forward-looking information reflects our current expectations and assumptions and is subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any anticipated future results, performance or expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. No assurance can be given that these assumptions will prove correct. Forward-Looking statements and information are not historical facts and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control. Investors are advised to consider the risk factors under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's MD&A for the year ended Dec. 31, 2023, available at www.sedarplus.ca for a discussion of the factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance and achievements to be materially different from any anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

# # #

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207562

SOURCE: Hillcrest Energy Technologies Ltd.
Leveraging expertise gained from club development and operating track record spanning more than 1,100 clubs in Japan, Fast Fitness Japan will expand its Anytime Fitness business operations in Germany

Fast Fitness Japan Inc. (headquartered in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; CEO, Representative Director: Kiyoaki Yamabe), which directly operates and franchises Anytime Fitness 24-hour 365-day fitness clubs as the master franchisee in Japan, is pleased to announce it has acquired Eighty-8 Health Fitness, GmbH, obtaining master franchisee rights to Anytime Fitness in Germany. Eighty-8 will continue to operate as a local subsidiary of Fast Fitness Japan as the master franchisee for Anytime Fitness in Germany.

In conjunction with the expansion of the Anytime Fitness business in Germany by Fast Fitness Japan, we have brought on Mr. Florian Dermuhl as managing director of the local subsidiary. Mr. Dermuhl is well versed in franchise management in Germany and possesses a wealth of experience as a manager of fitness companies in Europe. Looking ahead in Germany, Fast Fitness Japan will leverage Mr. Dermuhl's leadership combined with the strengths it has cultivated in expanding and operating branches in Japan, which has earned high praise from the U.S. headquarters, as it strives to expand the Anytime Fitness business. We will also actively explore opportunities for overseas expansion in the future in addition to Germany, continuing to make great strides forward by establishing a high-quality presence with members of Anytime Fitness both in Japan and abroad, and providing workout locations offering high customer satisfaction in overseas locations as well.

As stated in its corporate philosophy "Get to a healthier place!", the Fast Fitness Japan Group is a business committed to realizing a society where everyone can live healthy and fulfilling lives, through the operation of Anytime Fitness 24-hour fitness gyms, the pioneer of 24-hour gyms in Japan. In its Medium-Term Management Plan (fiscal year ending March 31, 2024 fiscal year ending March 31, 2026) announced in November 2023, Fast Fitness Japan started the "development of new growth fields" as one of its medium-term growth strategies, and has aimed to develop new growth fields by expanding overseas and developing new brands.

Self Esteem Brands, LLC, the parent company of Anytime Fitness' U.S. headquarters, has set the target of 10,000 clubs by 2030, up from the current approximately 5,600 clubs globally (as of February 2024). The U.S. headquarters of Anytime Fitness has had high hopes that Fast Fitness Japan, which boasts a track record of developing and operating more than 1,100 clubs domestically, would go beyond Japan to expand globally. Accordingly, Fast Fitness Japan had been considering the best methods to employ for its overseas expansion, such as expanding into countries or regions yet to be granted master franchisee rights for Anytime Fitness, or providing support to countries or regions where master franchisee rights have been granted to help accelerate club expansions.

Fast Fitness Japan choose the German market for various reasons after giving comprehensive consideration, including that the market is worth 790 billion yen, that the market is booming due to the high estimated fitness participation rate of nearly 10.3%1 (as opposed to 3.68% in Japan2), and that there are many fitness gyms other than Anytime Fitness in a relatively low price range, suggesting value-oriented needs for mid- to high-priced gyms. Fast Fitness Japan therefore determined that the size of the market is equivalent to or greater than the current size in Japan.

Remarks from Kiyoaki Yamabe, CEO and Representative Director of Fast Fitness Japan Inc.: "We are delighted to have obtained master franchisee rights for Anytime Fitness in Germany, a market with a high fitness participation rate where we project a need for high added-value fitness gyms. The track record we have built opening and operating clubs in Japan has earned high marks, and I would like to extent my thanks to Self Esteem Brands, LLC who offered strong support to help us obtain the master franchisee rights in Germany. We will continue to work closely with the headquarters in the United States to further accelerate the opening of new clubs in Germany as well as other countries."

1. Source: Ken Research (as of December 2022)

2. Source: Club Business Japan Fitness Business Editorial Department: Trends in Japan's Fitness Club Industry FY2022 Edition

What is Anytime Fitness?

Anytime Fitness is a fitness gym franchise that originated in the United States and has now expanded to more than 5,000 clubs around the world. Since Japan's the first club opened in Chofu City, Tokyo in 2010, Anytime Fitness has expanded to over 1,100 clubs nationwide with a membership topping 800,000 as a network of gyms fitting people's diverse lifestyles.

https://www.anytimefitness.co.jp/

About Fast Fitness Japan (Listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Securities Code 7092)

Japanese Master franchisee operating Anytime Fitness 24-hour 365-day fitness gyms in all 47 prefectures of Japan. Under the corporate philosophy of "Get to a healthier place!," Fast Fitness Japan operates the Anytime Fitness business with the aim of achieving a society where everyone can live a health and fulfilling life.

Company name: Fast Fitness Japan Inc.

Representative: CEO, Representative Director Kiyoaki Yamabe

Location: 10F, Shinjuku i-LAND WING, 6-3-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Established: May 21, 2010

https://fastfitnessjapan.jp/en/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240429997139/en/

Contacts:

Contact information for this release

PR and IR Department, Fast Fitness Japan Inc.

MAIL: release@anytimefitness.co.jp
Ashley brings over 25 years' experience in business and strategy development within the biopharmaceutical industry

Will spearhead partnering discussions as the company enters the next phase of its growth

Appointment is part of a broader expansion of Epsilogen's team, facilities and core competencies

Dr David Chiswell is stepping down for personal reasons and will be replaced by current board member Dr Peter Finan

Epsilogen, a global leader in the development of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to treat cancer, today announces the appointments of Ashley Nagle as Chief Business Officer (CBO) and Peter Finan, currently a Non-Executive Director, as Non-Executive Chairman. The changes are made with immediate effect as part of a broader company expansion.

Ashley brings over 25 years of experience leading business and strategy development, licensing and deal-making within the biopharmaceutical industry. Most recently, Ashley served as VP of Business Development at RemedyBio, a discovery and development precision immunotherapy company. During his career Mr Nagle has worked with both small and large organisations, including Lonza Biologics, Almac Sciences, Fulcrum Pharma, OncoSynergy, NexGenix and SeaGull Therapeutics, where he was Chief Executive Officer. Ashley holds a BSc in Chemistry from University College Cork, an MSc in Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Sciences from the University of Aberdeen and an MBA from the University of Lincoln.

Ashley's appointment comes amidst a broader company expansion that will enable Epsilogen to unlock the potential of both IgE antibodies and their engineered derivatives as an entirely new treatment modality for patients with cancer. Since the start of 2023, the company has expanded its management team with the appointments of Nick Robbins-Cherry as CFO, Andrew Calam as VP of Clinical Operations and Elizabeth Hardaker as VP of Biology. Over this period, Epsilogen has also built a world class scientific team based in state-of-the-art laboratories in West London. This investment has added internal core competencies in antibody discovery, evaluation, engineering, production and pharmacological assessment, all complementing its existing expertise within the IgE field.

Pete replaces Dave Chiswell as Non-Executive Chairman, who is stepping down for personal reasons after five years in the role. Pete has more than 30 years' experience in drug discovery within the biopharmaceutical industry and is a Partner at Epidarex Capital. During his career Pete has also served as Global Head of the Respiratory Disease Area and Site Head for the Novartis Institute of BioMedical Research in the UK and as Executive Director of the Novartis Developmental and Molecular Pathways Platform based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Pete holds a BSc and Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Leeds.

Dr Tim Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Epsilogen, commented: "I am delighted to welcome Ashley to the Epsilogen team. He has an excellent track record in business development within the biopharmaceutical industry and we expect his experience and insights to have an immediate impact. Epsilogen has made substantial progress over the last 12 months on all fronts and Ashley will spearhead our partnering discussions going forward.

I would like to thank Dave for all his passion and hard work in guiding Epsilogen as Non-Executive Chair over the last five years. His wealth of experience has been invaluable to the progress we have made so far, and we wish him the very best for the future. At the same time, I would like to welcome Pete on stepping up into the role. Pete has been a key member of the Epsilogen team for many years and was pivotal in its formation."

Ashley Nagle, Chief Business Officer of Epsilogen, added: "I am excited to be joining a company with such a potentially disruptive therapeutic approach and one that has already generated encouraging early clinical and preclinical data. I look forward to working closely with Tim and the rest of the team to fully unlock the value of this class of antibodies and leverage my strategy and business development expertise to drive Epsilogen forward."

Dr Dave Chiswell, outgoing Non-Executive Chairman of Epsilogen, said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all of the Epsilogen team and am proud of what we have achieved together. The company is in excellent hands and is in a good position to execute the next phase of its development, as it pursues its ambition to revolutionise cancer treatment with IgE antibodies."

About Epsilogen Ltd

Epsilogen is a global leader in the development of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to treat cancer. IgE's natural function is to provide immunological defence against certain parasites. This functionality makes it an ideal treatment of solid tumours due to its strong potency, enhanced tumour access and long tissue half-life.

Epsilogen's lead product candidate, MOv18 IgE, is the first therapeutic IgE antibody to enter the clinic and encouraging data from a completed Phase I trial demonstrated MOv18 IgE to be safe and well tolerated with early signs of clinical activity. Epsilogen has recently successfully completed large scale GMP manufacture of MOv18 IgE (the first time this has been achieved for an IgE antibody) and will initiate a Phase Ib trial in Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer Patients later this year. The company is also developing a proprietary IgEG antibody platform combining elements from both IgE and IgG antibodies into novel and proprietary antibody molecules with enhanced functionality.

Epsilogen began operations in 2017 as a spin-out of King's College London and has attracted venture capital financing from Epidarex Capital, Novartis Venture Fund, 3B Future Health, British Patient Capital, ALSA Ventures and Schroders Capital amongst others. Find out more at epsilogen.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240430482968/en/

Contacts:

Communications advisor to Epsilogen Ltd:

Simon Conway

Senior Managing Director

FTI Consulting

epsilogen@fticonsulting.com

+44 (0)20 3727 1000
Dassault Systemes (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA) today announced the launch of a digital out-of-home media campaign inviting three million people in London to see and understand how virtual worlds are impacting real life in areas such as health, cities and manufacturing.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240430981120/en/

From April 28-May 5, Piccadilly Circus will be illuminated by a massive, 780-square-meter screen showcasing groundbreaking innovations created with Dassault Systemes' virtual twin technology, highlighting how imagination and innovation contribute to a thriving, more sustainable world.

Every 10 minutes, an exclusive, 40-second immersive video using a 3D effect will project viewers into an experience featuring 3D animations that transition from the world's first fully functional model of a human heart, to humans and robots working together to make products from upcycled parts, to futuristic aircraft in cities, to a pod for growing plants in any environment including on the moon. It offers a glimpse at the preventative patient care, sustainable production and cleaner transport that can only be achieved by leveraging the virtual world to model possibilities, make better choices and collaborate before springing into action.

Furthermore, the general public will be invited to delve deeper into the experience through an augmented reality application on their smartphones. By using the app, they can discover how Piccadilly Circus could look in a more sustainable future, as well as share their experience on social media and read more about virtual worlds.

The campaign, created with the company Ocean Outdoor, will be supported by social media activities, content creation and advertisements in U.K. and French media, before, during and after the video is live.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Dassault Systemes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions: http://www.3ds.com

Connect with Dassault Systemes on

X Facebook LinkedIn YouTube

ABOUT DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Dassault Systemes is a catalyst for human progress. We provide business and people with collaborative virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. By creating virtual twin experiences of the real world with our 3DEXPERIENCE platform and applications, our customers can redefine the creation, production and life-cycle-management processes of their offer and thus have a meaningful impact to make the world more sustainable. The beauty of the Experience Economy is that it is a human-centered economy for the benefit of all consumers, patients and citizens. Dassault Systemes brings value to more than 350,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com

Dassault Systemes. All rights reserved. 3DEXPERIENCE, the 3DS logo, the Compass icon, IFWE, 3DEXCITE, 3DVIA, BIOVIA, CATIA, CENTRIC PLM, DELMIA, ENOVIA, GEOVIA, MEDIDATA, NETVIBES, OUTSCALE, SIMULIA and SOLIDWORKS are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of Dassault Systemes, a European company (Societas Europaea) incorporated under French law, and registered with the Versailles trade and companies registry under number 322 306 440, or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners. Use of any Dassault Systemes or its subsidiaries trademarks is subject to their express written approval.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240430981120/en/

Contacts:

Dassault Systemes Press Contacts

Corporate France Arnaud MALHERBE arnaud.malherbe@3ds.com +33 (0)1 61 62 87 73

North America Natasha LEVANTI natasha.levanti@3ds.com +1 (508) 449 8097

EMEA Virginie BLINDENBERG virginie.blindenberg@3ds.com +33 (0) 1 61 62 84 21

China Grace MU grace.mu@3ds.com +86 10 6536 2288

India Kriti ASHOKkriti.ashok@3ds.com+91 9741310607

Japan Wen YANG wen.yang@3ds.com +81 3 4321 6549

Korea Jeemin JEONG jeemin.jeong@3ds.com +82 2 3271 6653
Der Goldpreis haussiert und schwingt sich von Hoch zu Hoch. Getrieben von geopolitischen Unsicherheiten sowie der Aussicht auf eine lockere Geldpolitik der FED gehen Experten aktuell von weiter steigenden Notierungen bis sogar in den Bereich von 3.000 US-Dollar je Unze Gold aus.



Im Schatten des Basispreises notieren Goldproduzenten aus der zweiten Reihe sowie Explorationsunternehmen noch weit weg von ihren historischen Hochststanden entfernt und bieten dadurch erhebliches Aufholpotential.



In diesem kostenlosen Report geben wir Ihnen Favoriten an die Hand, die aufgrund von Sondersituation die Chance auf eine Kursvervielfachung besitzen.



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THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS DEEMED BY THE COMPANY TO CONSTITUTE INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) NO. 596/2014 AS IT FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW PURSUANT TO THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED. UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INFORMATION IS CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

Temporary Suspension of Listing pending publication of Annual Financial Report

Genflow Biosciences Plc (LSE:GENF)(OTCQB:GENFF) ("Genflow" or "the Company"), an emerging leader in the field of longevity research, focused on developing therapeutic solutions for the prevention of age-related diseases, provides the following update in relation to the publication of its Annual Financial Report ("Annual Report").

The Company was required to publish its Annual Report for the financial year ending 31 December 2023 by 30 April 2024. However, due to the audit process taking longer than planned, and other unforeseen circumstances beyond its control, the Company requires a short amount of additional time. The delay is not related to the Company's cash flow or other underlying economic position.

As a result, at the Company's request, the listing of the Company's ordinary shares on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange will be temporarily suspended with effect from 7.30 a.m. on 1 May 2024 pending publication of the Annual Report.

Contacts

Genflow Biosciences Harbor Access Dr Eric Leire, CEO Jonathan Paterson, Investor Relations +32-477-495-881 +1 475 477 9401 Jonathan.Paterson@Harbor-access.com

Joint Corporate Brokers Clear Capital Markets Capital Plus Partners Ltd Bob Roberts, +44 203 869 6080 Dominic Berger, +44 203 821 6167 Keith Swann, +44 0203 821 6169 Jon Critchley, +44 0203 821 6168

About Genflow Biosciences

Founded in 2020, Genflow Biosciences Plc. (LSE:GENF) (OTCQB:GENFF), a biotechnology company headquartered in the UK with R&D facilities in Belgium, is pioneering gene therapies to decelerate the aging process, with the goal of promoting longer and healthier lives while mitigating the financial, emotional, and social impacts of a fast-growing aging global population. Genflow's lead compound, GF-1002, works through the delivery of a centenarian variant of the SIRT6 gene which has yielded promising preclinical results. Scheduled to begin in 2025, Genflow's clinical trial aims to explore the potential benefits of GF-1002 in treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the most prevalent chronic liver disease for which there is no effective treatments. Please visit www.genflowbio.com and follow the Company on LinkedIn and Twitter/X.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Genflow Biosciences PLC

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Kupfer wird oft als das Gold der Energiewende bezeichnet, weil es aufgrund seiner hervorragenden elektrischen Leitfahigkeit eine zentrale Rolle in vielen Technologien spielt, die fur nachhaltige Energiesysteme entscheidend sind. Experten gehen aufgrund der Angebotsknappheit von einem Superzyklus aus.

Korrektur als Einstiegschance

Nach Hochststanden im Mai korrigierte das rote Metall stark. Die Abwartsspirale verstarkte sich in den vergangenen Tagen aufgrund schwacher Konjunkturdaten aus den USA und China. Langfristig konnte sich die aktuell laufende Korrektur als exzellente Einstiegsmoglichkeit herausstellen.

3 Kupferaktien mit hohem Potential

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (OTCQB: DTCFF) (FSE: DTC), ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company developing novel immune-oncology therapeutics and drug delivery technologies, is pleased to announce the successful completion of a pre-clinical vaccination trial using its ARM-002TM vaccine against pancreatic cancer. The vaccine was shown to be therapeutically effective against pre-established pancreatic cancer especially when combined with the anti-PD-1 immune-checkpoint inhibitor.

In the context of an in vivo pre-clinical study, Defence tested its ARM-002TM vaccine pulsed with a pancreatic cancer lysate in combination with the anti-PD-1 immune-checkpoint in animals with pre-established Pan02 tumors. Animals' follow-up revealed that the vaccine is indeed potent as all treated animals remained alive for over 40 days (equivalent to almost 5 years in the human scale) with tumor growth heavily impaired/blocked compared to other treatments/controls. Since Defence is interested in targeting "hard-to-treat" cancers, these results represent an important infliction point and an incentive to redirect its Phase I trial using the ARM-002TM anti-cancer vaccine to target pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer begins when uncontrolled cellular growth occurs in the pancreas. It is rarely diagnosed at early stages when the chance of curing the disease is the greatest as it often doesn't cause symptoms until it metastasises to other organs. This classifies this type of cancer as a "hard-to-treat" cancer as patients at that point face limited treatment options.

Treatment for pancreatic cancer depends on the cancer stage as well as its location. Although the first goal of pancreatic cancer treatment is to get rid of the cancer, this unrealistic option often shifts to improving quality of life and keeping the cancer from growing or causing more harm. As such, treatments available for pancreatic cancer often involve surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or a combination, and are associated with limited clinical benefits or life-related complications. For instance, even if surgery to remove the whole pancreas is performed, patients would then rely on taking medicine their entire life to replace the hormones and enzymes made by the pancreas. Alternatively, chemotherapy (often combined with radiation therapy) can shrink the cancer, but it is often associated with resistance and/or relapse. As these standards of care fail in large set of patients, the next available option relies on immunotherapy, which uses the body's immune system to kill cancer cells.

"Defence's goal is to bring our proprietary and innovative immune therapies to the clinical stage for the benefit of the cancer patients. We often say that our Accum platform is highly versatile as it can lead to the development of verticals promoting different products for multiple indications. This also applies to a single product as it can be adapted to various diseases as demonstrated with our ARM-002TM vaccine in vivo pre-clinical studies, which was shown to impair the growth of solid T-cell lymphoma, melanoma and now pancreatic cancer," says Mr. Plouffe, Chief Executive Officer of Defence Therapeutics.

Pancreatic Cancer Market size is estimated to surpass USD 36 Billion by the end of 2036, growing at a CAGR of 18% during the forecast period of 2024-2036. In 2023, the industry size of the pancreatic cancer was over USD 6 Billion. The growth of the market can be attributed to the rising prevalence of cancer cases among people across the world.

https://www.researchnester.com/reports/pancreatic-cancer-market/5299

About Defence:

Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded clinical-stage biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases.

For further information:

Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director

P: (514) 947-2272

Splouffe@defencetherapeutics.com

www.defencetherapeutics.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Neither the CSE nor its market regulator, as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207496

SOURCE: Defence Therapeutics Inc.
-Over 2,500 delegates from 84 countries around the world registered to attend

-Among them will be representatives of governments, heads of large companies, as well as representatives of international organizations such as the UN, EBRD, OPEC, and SCO

-This year's programme is focused on New Uzbekistan: the big country with big opportunities

-Uzbekistan to attract more than $70 billion in FDI over the next five years

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Government of Uzbekistan is delighted to announce the event programme and key partners for the third annual Tashkent International Investment Forum, launching tomorrow.

Led by the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade (MIIT), The Forum aims to accelerate Uzbekistan's growth and development, aligned with the "Uzbekistan 2030" strategy, which includes increasing Uzbekistan's GDP to $160 billion and attracting $250 billion investment into the country.

Taking place at the Tashkent City Congress Hall, The Forum will be opened by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Dignitaries from across the world are due to attend, with keynote speakers including Mikayil Jabbarov, Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan; Serik Zhumangarin, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan; Minister of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan; Minister of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic; Minister of Energy of the Republic Kazakhstan; Minister of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan; Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef; Minister of Commerce., Industry and Investment Promotion of Oman; Minister of Economy, UAE, Minister of Finance, Hungary; Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, Director-General, OPEC Fund for International Development.

The two-day event includes a series of round tables and panel sessions, as a platform to exchange ideas and plans to support Uzbekistan's foreign direct investment success. Topics for discussion include the investment opportunities available in specific sectors such as energy, infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, mining and the digital economy.

A discussion on the development of fintech in Uzbekistan, one of the fastest growing and most innovative segments of the Uzbek economy, features guest speakers Djasur Djumaev, CEO, Uzum - the first tech unicorn from Uzbekistan, Nicolas Kurdiani, CEO, TBC Bank and others. Another debate on investing in green energy will include contributions from Marco Arcelli, CEO, ACWA Power; Seifi Ghasemi, CEO, Air Products; Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO, Masdar.

In addition, The Forum will address themes such as investing in women's entrepreneurship, inspiring young people in business, scaling up of SMEs and new approaches to sustainable investment. The event will close with a prestigious signing ceremony of investment and trade agreements, underscoring the role of The Forum in transforming Uzbekistan's economic prospects and progress.

Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Laziz Kudratov:

"The agenda for this year's Tashkent International Investment Forum reflects the significant and diverse investment opportunities that Uzbekistan offers, and we are pleased to welcome an esteemed list of investors, officials and dignitaries from all over the world to share ideas and create new partnerships. We are looking to build on the success and momentum generated by the 2023 Forum, securing further deals and foreign investment, and propelling 'New Uzbekistan' forward."

A wide-reaching and radical reform programme, matched with an ongoing process of managed economic liberalisation, is transforming Uzbekistan's economy, and global investors and multinationals are taking note - so concludes a new report, commissioned by the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade (MIIT) of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Coinciding with the opening of the Tashkent Investment Forum, the New Uzbekistan report details the expansive and radical economic reforms which have seen Uzbekistan's economy pivot from traditional sectors such as cotton and grain production to IT outsourcing, green energy and e-commerce.

As well as reflecting the impressive economic metrics Uzbekistan has recorded in recent years - from 6% GDP growth and a 25% increase in foreign trade in 2023 to 2x growth in average monthly wages (US $) over the past five years - the report charts the government's 2030 Strategy, which include securing membership of the World Trade Organisation and an increase in the private sector's share of the economy to 85%.

Moreover, the report gauges international investor perceptions of Uzbekistan and its market reform program, drawing commentary from leading Emerging Market specialists including Franklin Templeton, Rothschild & Co, the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Asian Development Bank, and the London Stock Exchange, among others.

The Tashkent International Investment Forum is supported by International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) and ACWA Power the leading investor in Uzbekistan's energy sector as platinum sponsors, and Uzum the first unicorn from the country as bronze sponsor. One of the major announcements at The Forum concerns the launch of Trade Connect Central Asia+ (TCCA+), a pioneering regional economic cooperation initiative and a flagship program introduced by ITFC. The launch will bring together ministers and policymakers in the region along with heads of selected international organizations and International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to discuss ways and means to unleash intra-regional trade and investment potential, particularly within the context of TCCA+ Program launch.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/government-ministers-global-business-leaders-and-foreign-investors-convene-for-the-flagship-tashkent-international-investment-forum-may-2-3-2024-302132811.html
A group of prospective students walk by a tent encampment in White Plaza on Tuesday during a campus tour at Stanford University. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Pro-Palestinian Stanford University faculty rallied Tuesday evening alongside about 150 protesters at a student-organized encampment, which remained standing for a fifth day in defiance of university orders.

The rally took place on White Plaza, a grassy square by the Stanford student union, which students have occupied since Thursday, when university administrators ordered the protesters to leave. Overnight camping is prohibited on the plaza. Student protesters are demanding that the university divest from companies that they allege are paying for war crimes by Israel, and some Stanford faculty echoed their demands Tuesday evening.

We too have a voice and a duty to speak out to ask how Stanford can be better, said Kelda Jamison, an anthropologist and fellowship program manager at Stanford Humanities Center, at the rally, To demand action that our labor be turned to actually creating a university liberated of apologies for genocide, of complacency in the face of catastrophic violence, enacted in our name and with our money.

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The war in Gaza, which Israel launched after Hamas killed more than 1,200 Israelis in an Oct. 7 terrorist attack, has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead.

The university responded to questions about the protesters demands for divestment by stating that its board of trustees makes decisions about divestment through a defined process, has not received a formal divestment petition and that the universitys endowment has no direct holdings in Israeli companies or defense contractors beyond small exposures resulting from passive funds that track broad indexes such as the S&P 500.

At Tuesday evenings rally, faculty decried recent arrests of student protesters on college campuses nationwide. Early Tuesday morning, police arrested 35 pro-Palestinian protesters at Cal Poly Humboldt a week after students took over a campus building and set up barricades around it.

Sending cops to college campuses is a war against young people, said Maxe Crandall, associate director of Stanfords feminist, gender and sexuality studies program, at the rally. Time again all over the world, you see power executing its revenge on young people because of the social change you are demanding and embodying. But nothing can break you.

Hilton Obenzinger, a Jewish American novelist who taught American Studies at Stanford, spoke at the rally. He called the Israeli killing of people in Gaza genocide and said he opposed it being conducted in our name.

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People then and today will criticize your tactics, Obenzinger said. Many will say you have no right to disrupt people who want to go to classes. You arent disrupting anything except murder.

A Sri Lankan Stanford anthropology professor, Sharika Thiranagama, drew parallels between the war zone she grew up in during the 1980s in the northern Sri Lankan city of Jaffna and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today. She called for Stanford to divest.

A university should not only fight against inviting the military and the police into its campus, it should also not be making profit from the death of others, Thiranagama said at the rally.
LONDON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Zing, one of the most prolific Twilio consulting partners, has raised an additional 1.25 million from existing shareholders Maven Capital Partners to support its expansion in the United States (US).

Headquartered in the United Kingdom (UK), Zing builds exclusively on the Twilio technology stack, helping organizations around the world deliver amazing customer experiences. Through its propriety quick-build platform, customers accelerate the roll-out of their Twilio implementations, while retaining complete control of the underlying code.

In recent years, Zing has experienced significant organic growth in the US, fueled partly by increasing demand from organizations seeking to capitalize on the rapid advancements in generative and conversational artificial intelligence (AI).

This infusion of capital will see Zing establish a dedicated US operating entity and execute its go-to-market strategy as it brings the power of Twilio's AI capabilities to bear.

Julian Hucker, CEO of Zing says, "Organizations are increasingly seeking to leverage cutting-edge technologies to enhance customer experience (CX) and operational efficiencies, particularly within their contact centers. Twilio Flex's CustomerAI technology is transformative, reducing agents' workloads and streamlining workflows through such things as AI-driven post-work automated summaries, and real-time customer sentiment analysis.

"With conversational AI and virtual assistant technologies projected to fuel a 24% growth in the contact center market in 2024 (Gartner), this is a key moment for CX innovation. These new technologies can provide massive benefits, but they must be deployed and used in the right ways. We've built a business on ensuring that they are," adds Hucker.

Spinning out from ProspectSoft in 2022 with the backing of Maven Capital Partners, Zing has supported 100+ customers across the globe including; Age UK, Car Finance 24/7, The Norwegian Refugee Council, and Oxfam, and is a Twilio Preferred Parter (the highest level of partnership). Its mission remains to build nothing short of the world's leading Twilio consulting partner.

Tom Purkis, Partner at Maven Capital Partners says, " Following our initial investment in the spin-out, Zing is now at the forefront of enabling organizations worldwide to get the most out of cutting-edge cloud communications technology. The surge in demand for its expertise in the US underscores how essential it is as a communications software partner for thousands of businesses. We look forward to working with Julian and the team to build on the company's success as it continues to grow globally."

Notes to Editors

About Zing www.zing.dev

Zing is a leading Twilio Preferred Partner, helping organizations around the world build and deliver exceptional user experiences. We build exclusively on the Twilio Stack, combining the best in communications and customer data to enable organizations to reach customers across any channel while delivering personalized services.

Zing launched as an independent company in 2022 and has gone on to support 100+ customers as we work towards becoming the world's leading Twilio consulting partner. We're headquartered in the UK but support organizations around the globe. Learn more about Zing and how we work at www.zing.dev.

About Maven Capital Partners UK LLP www.mavencp.com

Maven (a subsidiary of Mattioli Woods plc) is a leading private equity house focused on the provision of flexible funding for high growth businesses, and one of the most active SME investors in the UK. Headquartered in Glasgow, and with offices throughout the UK, Maven has over 100 investment and support professionals providing a truly nationwide coverage. Maven has over 790 million funds under management and available to invest, and manages assets for a variety of client funds, including Venture Capital Trusts, MBO Fund, UK regional fund mandates, and Maven Investor Partners, a syndicate of institutional, family office and experienced investors.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/twilio-preferred-partner-zing-secures-additional-1-25m-funding-to-support-us-expansion-302132167.html
Finastra selects OpenFin to unlock advanced user experiences, enhanced productivity and tailored workflows for Kondor customers

PR Newswire

LONDON, May 1, 2024

Banks can accelerate their treasury transformation by seamlessly interacting with Finastra's trading and risk management tools, and fintech partner ecosystem, via a web browser or desktop app

LONDON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Finastra, a global provider of financial software applications and marketplaces, and OpenFin today announced a partnership to redefine the user experience of Finastra Kondor, a leading bank treasury management system. With OpenFin's technology, Finastra will strengthen Kondor's visual real estate with enhanced workspaces and workflows to drive greater efficiencies and streamline the decision-making process for banks. The partnership is part of a wider Kondor evolution, which includes leveraging microservices, embedded AI and partner ecosystems to deliver intuitive and persona-based experiences, available via Treasury as a Service (TaaS) and cloud capabilities.

Powered by OpenFin's Workspace "Anywhere" technology, Kondor users will have easy access to the solution either in web browsers such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge or as a lightweight desktop app. Whether curating personalized experiences via the micro-UI workspace, or consuming partner applications via unified dashboards, banks benefit from a more seamless, intuitive and value-added treasury management experience wherever they are working.

"Enriching Kondor with OpenFin's software reflects our ongoing commitment to placing our customers at the center of the solution experience," said Herve Carrere, Chief Product & Technology Officer, Treasury & Capital Markets at Finastra. "Through robust technology and TaaS, we're giving banks the tools to fast-track their transformation, future-proof their business to evolve with new demands and optimize their entire treasury operations - from full back-office processing through to real-time coverage of credit, market and liquidity risk in the front office. The seamless workspace experience also ensures that users can easily access these tools in the way that works best for them."

"Our collaboration with Finastra enhances Kondor's already impressive capabilities, making it even more powerful in the complex landscape of treasury trading," said Adam Toms, Chief Operating Officer at OpenFin. "Together, we are setting a new standard for what financial institutions can expect in terms of performance and user experience."

Finastra Kondor is a best-of-breed treasury trading system that meets financial institutions' needs for sophisticated treasury functionality, while enabling growth and ensuring compliance. Renowned for its robust capabilities in supporting complex trading, risk management and operations, the solution is the backbone of numerous financial institutions, enabling them to navigate the intricate landscape of global markets with precision and agility.

OpenFin is a leading provider of Chromium-based workspace technology to the financial industry, deployed to more than 3,800 banks and buy-side firms. Its technology is specifically designed to meet the rigorous standards and dynamic needs of financial services, providing a robust foundation for platforms like Kondor.

For further information please contact:

Sofia Romano

Head of PR, EMEA

T: 07552865009

E: sofia.romano@finastra.com

Finastra.com

Mitra Roknabadi

Chief Marketing Officer, OpenFin

T: +1 (310) 498-8183

E: mitra@openfin.co

openfin.co

About Finastra

Finastra is a global provider of financial software applications and marketplaces, and launched the leading open platform for innovation, FusionFabric.cloud, in 2017. It serves institutions of all sizes, providing award-winning software solutions and services across Lending, Payments, Treasury & Capital Markets and Universal Banking (Retail, Digital and Commercial Banking) for banks to support direct banking relationships and grow through indirect channels, such as embedded finance and Banking as a Service. Its pioneering approach and commitment to open finance and collaboration is why it is trusted by over 8,000 institutions, including 45 of the world's top 50 banks. For more information, visit finastra.com.

About OpenFin

Move Fast. Break Nothing. OpenFin is the operating system for enterprise productivity, enabling app distribution, workspace management and workflow automation. Used by 90% of major global banks, OpenFin deploys more than 4,500 desktop applications to more than 4,000 firms. OpenFin investors include Bain Capital Ventures, Barclays, In-Q-Tel, CME Ventures, DRW Venture Capital, HSBC, J.P. Morgan, ING Ventures, NYCA Partners, Pivot Investment Partners, Standard Chartered and Wells Fargo Strategic Capital among others. The company is based in New York with an office in London and presence in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2401502/OpenFin_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/finastra-selects-openfin-to-unlock-advanced-user-experiences-enhanced-productivity-and-tailored-workflows-for-kondor-customers-302132727.html
EQS-News: Aroundtown SA / Key word(s): Tender Offer/Financing

Aroundtown SA successfully completes GBP and USD exchange and tender offers, and including previous Euro transactions accepts a total combined volume of 2.8 billion



01.05.2024 / 10:07 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF APPLICABLE LAWS OR REGULATIONS AROUNDTOWN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES GBP AND USD EXCHANGE AND TENDER OFFERS, AND INCLUDING PREVIOUS EURO TRANSACTIONS ACCEPTS A TOTAL COMBINED VOLUME OF 2.8 BILLION 1 May 2024 Aroundtown ("the Company" or "AT"), announces the successful results of its voluntary exchange and tender offers for the GBP 400 million perpetual notes (ISIN: XS2017788592) and the USD 700 million perpetual notes (ISIN: XS1634523754), (the "Offer"). An average of 90% of the existing perpetual notes were submitted into the Offer and accepted by the Company. As a result, AT will issue USD 494 million and GBP 345 million of new perpetual notes across two different series and simultaneously repurchase USD 60 million and GBP 35 million of perpetual notes via the tender offer (see detailed breakdown below). Existing perpetual notes ISIN Amount outstanding prior to transaction % and absolute principal amount accepted in the Offer Principal amount repurchased via the tender offer Resulting nominal amount outstanding post transaction XS1634523754 USD 641.5m1) 86% / USD 554m USD 60m USD 87.6m2) XS2017788592 GBP 400m 95% / GBP 380m GBP 35m GBP 20.4m Total nominal amount of USD 700 million, net of USD 58.5 million held in treasury. Net of USD 58.5 million held in treasury which will be cancelled post transaction. New perpetual notes Nominal amount to be issued Coupon in EUR First call date USD 493.7m 5.836%3) August 2029 GBP 344.8m 6.950%4) May 2029 Swapped into Euro coupon from 7.875% in USD, until first reset date Swapped into Euro coupon from 8.625% in GBP, until first reset date Together with the previous transactions for the euro denominated perpetual notes, AT together with Grand City Properties S.A. ("GCP", together with AT the "Group") offered an exchange for all perpetual notes which haven't been called in 2023 and 2024 and for the ones with call dates approaching in the next 12 months. A combined amount of 79% or ca. 2.8 billion aggregate nominal amounts of existing perpetual notes were submitted across all offers and accepted by the Group. As a result, the Group issued ca. 2.5 billion of new perpetual notes across 5 different series and simultaneously repurchased over 230 million of perpetual notes via the tender offers, following the final closing of the Offer (Euro amounts of foreign currency perpetuals are based on current FX rates). The result of the offers supports the Group's credit metrics under S&P's credit rating methodology as the new perpetual notes regain or extend the 50% equity content under S&P methodology. Under IFRS and for all bond covenants, all perpetual notes, including the existing perpetual notes which were not submitted in the offers, will continue to be recognised as 100% equity. As a result of the offers, the Group will see a long-term reduction in perpetual note coupon payments going forward, which is accretive to the Group's FFO. About the Company Aroundtown SA (symbol: AT1), trading on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, is the largest listed and highest rated (BBB+ by S&P) German commercial real estate company. Aroundtown invests in income generating quality properties with value-add potential in central locations in top tier European cities mainly in Germany/NL. Aroundtown SA (ISIN: LU1673108939) is a public limited liability company (societe anonyme) established under the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, registered with the Luxembourg Trade and Companies Register (Registre de Commerce et des Societes, Luxembourg) under number B217868, having its registered office at 37, Boulevard Joseph II, L-1840 Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Contact Timothy Wright

T: +352 288 313

E: info@aroundtown.de

www.aroundtown.de DISCLAIMER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY ANY SECURITIES. THE SECURITIES MENTIONED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAVE NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE SECURITIES ACT), AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES ABSENT REGISTRATION OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT. THERE WILL BE NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS DIRECTED AT AND IS ONLY BEING DISTRIBUTED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM TO (I) PERSONS WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005 (THE ORDER), (II) HIGH NET WORTH ENTITIES, AND OTHER PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE COMMUNICATED FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49 OF THE ORDER, AND (III) PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS RELEVANT PERSONS). THIS COMMUNICATION MUST NOT BE READ, ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS. IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (EEA) AND THE UNITED KINGDOM, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY OFFER IF MADE SUBSEQUENTLY IS DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS WHO ARE "QUALIFIED INVESTORS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129, AS AMENDED (THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION) (QUALIFIED INVESTORS). ANY PERSON IN THE EEA OR THE UNITED KINGDOM WHO ACQUIRES THE SECURITIES IN ANY OFFER (AN INVESTOR) OR TO WHOM ANY OFFER OF THE SECURITIES IS MADE WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED AND AGREED THAT IT IS A QUALIFIED INVESTOR. ANY INVESTOR WILL ALSO BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED AND AGREED THAT ANY SECURITIES ACQUIRED BY IT IN THE OFFER HAVE NOT BEEN ACQUIRED ON BEHALF OF PERSONS IN THE EEA OR THE UNITED KINGDOM OTHER THAN QUALIFIED INVESTORS, NOR HAVE THE SECURITIES BEEN ACQUIRED WITH A VIEW TO THEIR OFFER OR RESALE IN THE EEA OR THE UNITED KINGDOM TO PERSONS WHERE THIS WOULD RESULT IN A REQUIREMENT FOR PUBLICATION BY AROUNDTOWN OR ANY OF THE MANAGERS OF A PROSPECTUS PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 3 OF THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MAY CONTAIN PROJECTIONS OR ESTIMATES RELATING TO PLANS AND OBJECTIVES RELATING TO OUR FUTURE OPERATIONS, PRODUCTS, OR SERVICES, FUTURE FINANCIAL RESULTS, OR ASSUMPTIONS UNDERLYING OR RELATING TO ANY SUCH STATEMENTS, EACH OF WHICH CONSTITUTES A FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT SUBJECT TO RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES, MANY OF WHICH ARE BEYOND THE CONTROL OF AROUNDTOWN SA. ACTUAL RESULTS COULD DIFFER MATERIALLY, DEPENDING ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS.



01.05.2024 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.eqs-news.com


Autel Energy Europe, a leading provider of EV charging products and services, has successfully concluded its Autel Partner Summit at the prestigious Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam. From April 24th to 25th, the summit not only showcased Autel's visionary Europe strategy but also provided partners with unique insights into the company's vision and a comprehensive overview of Autel's latest revolutionary product line.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240501790167/en/

Autel Energy Europe Hosts 2024 Partner Summit in Amsterdam (Photo: Business Wire)

The summit brought together influential figures, key players from the EV industry, esteemed clients, and industry members for engaging discussions and presentations. Notable speakers from industry giants such as Hubject shared their expertise and insights into the future of electric mobility, enriching discussions and inspiring attendees to push the boundaries of innovation in EV charging infrastructure.

Autel unveiled its newest innovations at the summit, headlined by the MaxiCharger Megawatt Charging System, offering peak power of 1500A and 1.2 MW charging power. Tailored for heavy-duty electrical vehicles, it accommodates diverse user cases such as public overnight charging and depot charging. Additionally, Autel introduced the MaxiCharger DC Compact Cable Management System Upgrade Version and the Autel Smart Box Kit, showcasing its commitment to advancing EV charging technology.

On the second day of the Partner Summit 2024, Autel organized a special visit for clients to their partner, Orange Charging, to experience the unveiling of Autel's MaxiCharger DC HiPower. This cutting-edge charging solution features state-of-the-art technology, including the Max. 640kw charging system, delivering up to 400km of range in just 10 minutes. Moreover, its intelligent Power Distribution capability enables simultaneous charging of up to 8 vehicles, enhancing efficiency and utilization of charging infrastructure.

Ting Cai, CEO of Autel Europe, stated, "With notable speakers from industry leaders like Hubject, the summit reflects our commitment to driving innovation in the EV industry. Our groundbreaking technologies, such as the MaxiCharger Megawatt Charging System and the MaxiCharger DC HiPower, demonstrate our dedication to revolutionizing EV charging infrastructure and shaping a cleaner, more efficient future for mobility."

Highlighting Autel Energy's remarkable financial growth, the company has experienced significant success in the European market over the past four years. This underscores Autel's position as a leading player in the EV charging sector and its commitment to driving progress in sustainable transportation.

Additionally, the Megawatt Charging System will be displayed at Power2Drive Europe C6-330 in Munich in June. We welcome all attendees to visit our booth and explore the cutting-edge features of the Megawatt Charging System firsthand.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240501790167/en/

Contacts:

Jiaqi Liu, jiaqi.liu@autel.com
Stuart Simpson, Vertical Aerospace's CFO and seasoned FTSE100 executive, appointed to CEO as company moves to pivotal phase of certifying its VX4 aircraft and commercialisation.

Founder and current CEO, Stephen Fitzpatrick, continues his role as Board member, focused on business strategy and delivering on the company's vision.

Ben Story, who brings 30 years of fundraising, business strategy and leadership experience from roles at Rolls-Royce, Citi and Transport for London, appointed to Vertical's Board.

Vertical Aerospace Ltd. ("Vertical" or the "Company") (NYSE: EVTL; EVTLW), a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering zero emission aviation, has made several leadership appointments as the company moves towards a pivotal phase of certifying its VX4 aircraft and commercialisation.

Stuart Simpson, Vertical's CFO and seasoned FTSE100 executive with a career which spans 30 years and includes leadership roles across the technology, automotive and logistics sectors, has been appointed to CEO, effective immediately. He will be responsible for leading the execution of the company's strategy as it progresses towards certification of the VX4 aircraft, bringing it to market, and launching further fundraising activity.

Founder and current CEO, Stephen Fitzpatrick, who recently committed additional capital to the company, will continue to play a prominent role in Vertical as a Board member, focused on business strategy and working with the executive team to deliver on the company's vision.

Stuart joined Vertical Aerospace in 2023 from Avast, a FTSE100 global leader in digital security and privacy, where he was Group CFO and a member of the leadership team that was responsible for the company's $9 billion merger with NortonLifeLock in 2021.

Prior to that, Stuart held the roles of Interim Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Royal Mail Group, overseeing the Group's return to the FTSE100 during his tenure. Concurrently, he was a Board member at GLS Group, a global, technology led, parcel service provider.

Stuart also has extensive automotive industry experience in the UK and internationally, having held several Director roles at General Motors globally and senior positions at Rolls Royce and Bentley Motor Car Company. The process for appointing a new CFO is underway, with Stuart continuing to oversee the company's financial function in the interim.

In addition, Vertical has strengthened its Board with the appointment of Ben Story, a former Director and Executive Team member at Rolls-Royce, Board member at Transport for London and Managing Director at Citi. Ben brings 30 years of experience at the highest level of industrial technology, energy, transportation, and global finance and will bring invaluable experience to the company along its path to commercialisation.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Founder and Board Member, Vertical Aerospace, said:

"I am immensely proud of all that the team has achieved over the past four years as Vertical leads the world into a new era of electric flight and becomes a British engineering success story. Vertical is now ready to move into an incredibly important phase of development as we begin testing our more advanced, piloted, full-scale prototype, progress towards certification and are preparing for industrialisation.

Stuart's extensive leadership experience in high growth technology based companies make him incredibly well qualified to lead the company into this next phase and I know he shares my passion to bring the benefits of electric aviation to the world. I look forward to seeing what Vertical is going to achieve under his leadership.

Stuart Simpson, CEO, Vertical Aerospace, said:"It's been phenomenal to experience the progress the business has made since I joined, and I could not be more excited to move into this role. I share Stephen's confidence that our experienced team, technology, and compelling business model of working with leading industry partners position us very well to successfully develop one of the most advanced electric aircraft in the world.

I look forward to working with our formidable team in progressing our path to certification, bringing in additional investment and taking the VX4 to market."

The changes come as the final assembly of the new generation full-scale VX4 prototype nears completion, with the aircraft on track to begin a robust test flight programme ahead of intended public demonstrations at Farnborough International Airshow and Heathrow Airport later in 2024. This prototype features next generation propellers, will use Vertical's proprietary battery technology for the first time, and incorporates much more of the company's leading aerospace partners' technology.

Mike Flewitt, Chairman of Verticalsaid: "Vertical is moving into a really exciting phase of its corporate evolution, and Stuart and Ben are both fantastic appointments to take the business through it. Both have significantstrategic and fundraising experience and in their new roles, they will strengthen what is already a very strong team with decades of experience in certifying and bringing new aircraft to market. I look forward to working alongside both and Stephen as we create a new chapter in travel."

Ben Story, Board Member of Vertical, said: "I've been following the exciting progress Vertical has been making in this nascent sector, and the talented team has achieved so much in a relatively short amount of time. I look forward to playing my part in taking the business into this next exciting phase and bringing the VX4 to market."

About Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace is a global aerospace and manufacturing company pioneering electric aviation.

Vertical is creating a safer, cleaner and quieter way to travel. Vertical's VX4 is a piloted, four passenger, Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with zero operating emissions. Vertical combines partnering with leading aerospace companies, including Honeywell, Rolls-Royce and Leonardo, with developing its own proprietary battery and propeller technology to develop the world's most advanced and safest eVTOL.

Vertical has 1,500 pre-orders of the VX4 worth $6bn, with customers across four continents, including Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, Japan Airlines, GOL and Bristow. Headquartered in Bristol, the epicentre of the UK's aerospace industry, Vertical was founded in 2016 by Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder of the OVO Group, Europe's largest independent energy retailer.

Vertical's experienced leadership team comes from top tier automotive and aerospace companies such as Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Heathrow, GM and Leonardo. Together they have previously certified and supported over 30 different civil and military aircraft and propulsion systems.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that relate to our current expectations and views of future events. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Any express or implied statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding anticipated management and Board changes, the design and manufacture of the VX4, our business strategy and plans and objectives, including our announced public flight demonstrations, our ability and plans to raise additional capital to fund our operations, statements regarding completion of the committed funding from Company's founder and majority owner, the features and capabilities of the VX4, as well as statements that include the words "expect," "intend," "plan," "believe," "project," "forecast," "estimate," "may," "should," "anticipate," "will," "aim," "potential," "continue," "are likely to" and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. Forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including, without limitation: our limited operating history without manufactured non-prototype aircraft or completed eVTOL aircraft customer order; our ability to raise additional funds when we need or want them, or at all, to fund our operations; our limited cash and cash equivalents and recurring losses from our operations raise significant doubt (or raise substantial doubt as contemplated by PCAOB standards) regarding our ability to continue as a going concern; our potential inability to produce or launch aircraft in the volumes or timelines projected; the potential inability to obtain the necessary certifications for production and operation within any projected timeline, or at all; the inability for our aircraft to perform at the level we expect and may have potential defects; our history of losses and the expectation to incur significant expenses and continuing losses for the foreseeable future; the market for eVTOL aircraft being in a relatively early stage; any accidents or incidents involving eVTOL aircraft could harm our business; our dependence on partners and suppliers for the components in our aircraft and for operational needs; the potential that certain strategic partnerships may not materialize into long-term partnership arrangements; all of the pre-orders received are conditional and may be terminated at any time and any pre-delivery payments may be fully refundable upon certain specified dates; any circumstances; any potential failure to effectively manage our growth; our inability to recruit and retain senior management and other highly skilled personnel; we have previously identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting which if we fail to properly remediate, could adversely affect our results of operations, investor confidence in us and the market price of our ordinary shares; as a foreign private issuer we follow certain home country corporate governance rules, are not subject to U.S. proxy rules and are subject to Exchange Act reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less frequent than those of a U.S. domestic public company; and the other important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 14, 2024, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. We disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent required by applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240501912279/en/

Contacts:

For more information:

Justin Bates, Head of Communications

Justin.bates@vertical-aerospace.com

+44 7878357463



Vertical Media Kit

Available here.
Oakville, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - FendX Technologies Inc. (CSE: FNDX) (OTCQB: FDXTF) (FSE: E8D) (the "Company" or "FendX") a nanotechnology company developing surface protection coatings, will present virtually and host one-on-one meetings with investors at the Sidoti May Virtual Investor Conference on May 9, 2024.

Dr. Carolyn Myers will be presenting on Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 9:15 am EST. and can be accessed live here: https://sidoti.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xZIDuJasQ9O6zi_N9kdNYA. FendX will also host virtual one-on-ones with investors who have registered to attend the conference at www.sidoti.com/events.

About Sidoti & Company, LLC ("Sidoti")

Sidoti & Company, LLC (www.sidoti.com) is a provider of independent securities research focused specifically on small and microcap companies and the institutions that invest in their securities. They provide corporate access through eight investor conferences they host each year. Their small- and microcap-focused nationwide sales force with relationships with approximately 500 clients in North America, enables them to provide multiple forums for meaningful interaction for small and microcap issuers and investors specifically interested in companies in the sector.

About FendX Technologies Inc.

FendX is a Canada-based nanotechnology company focused on developing products to make people's lives safer by reducing the spread of pathogens. The Company is developing both film and spray products to protect surfaces from contamination. The lead product under development, REPELWRAP film, is a protective surface coating film that, due to its repelling properties, prevents the adhesion of pathogens and reduces their transmission on surfaces prone to contamination. The spray nanotechnology is a bifunctional spray coating being developed to reduce contamination on surfaces by repelling and killing pathogens. The Company is conducting research and development activities using its nanotechnology in collaboration with industry-leading partners, including McMaster University. The Company has exclusive worldwide licenses to its technology and IP portfolio from McMaster, which encompass both film and spray coating nanotechnology formulations.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Carolyn Myers"

Carolyn Myers

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Contacts:

Dr. Carolyn Myers, CEO and Director

1-800-344-9868

Alyssa Barry, Investor Relations

1-833-947-5227

investor@fendxtech.com

For more information, please visit https://fendxtech.com/ and the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including with respect to: the plans of the Company; and products under development and any pathogen reduction benefits related thereto. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and involve several risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and that actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Important factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include: product candidates only being in formulation/reformulation stages; limited operating history; research and development activities; dependence on collaborative partners, licensors and others; effect of general economic and political conditions; and other risk factors set forth in the Company's public filings which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, the reader is urged to refer to the Company's such filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors should change.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207417

SOURCE: FendX Technologies Inc.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Exploits Discovery Corp. (CSE: NFLD) (OTCQB: NFLDF) (FSE: 634) ("Exploits" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has engaged HiSeis, an industry leader in hard rock seismic surveys, for the interpretation of the seismic dataset on its Bullseye gold property in Central Newfoundland. This data was provided by the Company's neighbour, New Found Gold Corp. ("NFG"), in March 2024 in exchange for permissions to extend their survey lines through the Bullseye claims. NFG's aggressive 3D seismic survey covered 47km2 of its Queensway North project area that straddles the Appleton structural zone where seven high-grade gold discoveries have been announced over the past 16 months. The Company anticipates the seismic interpretation will be completed by this summer.

Ron Schop, CEO of HiSeis, stated, "We are excited to be working with Exploits at its Bullseye property, with the goal to extract maximum value from the 2D and 3D seismic data that we acquired last year. Seismic is the only geophysical method today that can effectively produce subsurface data at the scale required to understand the deeper structures that drive mineralization in proximity to the Appleton fault. We will be using our EpiCentre platform to combine all the common datasets and efficiently and effectively interact with the talented exploration team at Exploits."

Jeff Swinoga, Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Engaging the same reputable consultants as NFG underscores our commitment to leveraging top-tier expertise. The seismic data holds promise in revealing potential deep-seated structures beneath our Bullseye gold property that may have the potential to host localized high-grade gold mineralization. HiSeis is in the process of incorporating all relevant geophysical information as well as the geological and assay data generated from over 13,000 metres of diamond drilling data completed at Bullseye since 2023. The forthcoming interpretation will be valuable in designing drill programs for greater exploration success at depth within the four target areas recently announced at Bullseye. We will also continue to refine our search for high grade gold mineralization at our large Gazeebow South property further north along the Appleton Fault Zone."





Figure 1: Property-scale map showing coverage of the 2023 seismic survey conducted by NFG over a portion of Exploits' Bullseye exploration property (noted in yellow).

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6393/207554_3fd858038476b806_002full.jpg

About Exploits Discovery Corp.

Exploits is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of mineral projects in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Exploits is utilizing its experienced, talented local team and geologic understanding with the vision to become one of the most successful explorers in Canada.

About HiSeis

HiSeis is a mining technology company and a specialized global leader in integrated hard rock seismic solutions. HiSeis provides a full end-to-end service from design & acquisition of 2D and 3D seismic surveys, to advanced processing and geological interpretation of the subsurface. HiSeis has completed 150+ seismic surveys across four continents over the last 12 years, with an established client base of over 50 customers, ranging from multinational mining companies to local junior explorers.

On Behalf of the Board

/s/ "Jeff Swinoga"

President and CEO

For more information, please contact:

Shanda Kilborn

VP, Corporate Development & Investor Relations

+1 (778) 819-2708

shanda@exploits.gold

https://exploitsdiscovery.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected including, but not limited to, market conditions, availability of financing, actual results of the Company's exploration and other activities, environmental risks, future metal prices, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry. All the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required by applicable law.

Acknowledgments

Exploits Discovery would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Junior Exploration Assistance Program from the Department of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207554

SOURCE: Exploits Discovery Corp.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Bayridge Resources Corp. (CSE: BYRG) ("Bayridge" or the "Company") an emerging uranium and lithium exploration company, is pleased to announce the formation of an Advisory Council to assist in the further development of the Company and the appointment of Mining Industry Veteran R. Timothy Henneberry, P. Geo. as the Inaugural Advisor.

Mr. Henneberry is a Professional Geoscientist registered in British Columbia with 44 years experience in domestic and international exploration and production for precious and base metals, uranium and industrial minerals. After focusing his early career in precious metal production, he shifted to junior mining consulting and shortly thereafter to the management side of junior mining.



He was a founding Director and Chief Executive Officer of Appleton Exploration Inc. (now Phenom Resources Corp.), Indigo Exploration Inc., and Pike Mountain Minerals Inc. (now Carebook Technologies Inc.). He was a former Director and Interim Chief Executive Officer of Sojourn Ventures Inc. (now Arcwest Exploration Inc.) and 66 Resources Corp. (now Nexus Uranium Corp.) and a former Director of Broadway Gold Mining Ltd. (now Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc.) and Raindrop Ventures Inc. (now Torrent Gold Inc.). He currently serves as Director after co-founding Silver Sands Resources Corp., Tana Resources Corp., Hilo Mining Ltd. (now European Energy Metals Corp.) and Questcorp Mining Inc. and serves as Director of iMetal Resources Inc.



Mr. Henneberry has worked in southwest US uranium since 2013, and in the Athabasca Basin since 2020. He currently serves as the technical advisor for Atomic Minerals Corp. and the QP for Basin Uranium Corp. and Max Resource Corp.

About Bayridge Resources Corp.

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.

For more information, please contact:

Saf Dhillon, Director, Chief Executive Officer and President

E-mail: saf@bayridgeresources.com

Tel: 604-484-3031

Forward-looking information

All statements included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that Bayridge expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Such statements may involve, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the Company's intention to develop its portfolio of uranium and lithium assets; the recent private placement enabling the Company to commence work immediately at its projects and provide sufficient capital to complement its technical team and effectively market the Company. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by Bayridge based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. In addition, these statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will prove inaccurate, certain of which are beyond Bayridge's control. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Bayridge does not intend to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events.

The CSE has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved the contents of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207560

SOURCE: Bayridge Resources Corp.
Dublin, Ireland--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Tonisity International Limited ("Tonisity"), an animal health and nutrition company based in Ireland, is pleased to announce that its flagship product, Tonisity Px, has been the subject of a peer-reviewed article[1] in the Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology journal, a leading international journal of comparative immunology. This article outlined the efficacy of Tonisity Px against Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus ("PEDV").

The Peer-Reviewed Article

This article is the first report to show a beneficial impact on PEDV using a commercially available swine feed product - Tonisity Px - that is already registered for use throughout Asia, Europe, South America, North America, Australia and Africa. Tonisity Px is unique in that it is delivered as a supplementary liquid drink that is consumed voluntarily, in a manner somewhat similar to milk replacer. This means that it can be used even in neonatal pigs who are still primarily dependent upon suckling the sow's milk. Piglets of this age are the ones most commonly affected by PEDV, with mortality rates of 50-80%[2].

Overall, results indicate that Tonisity Px supplementation is a viable intervention to support the intestine and to aid tissue recovery in response to PEDV in piglets. The results of this study also serve to clarify the behavior of key intestinal health biomarkers in live pigs with PEDV infection, based upon the immunologic work performed independently by our co-authors from the Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University in Ukraine.

The study examined the effects of administering Tonisity Px via the drinking water to 14-day-old PEDV-infected piglets. Outcomes were measured on indicators of intestinal integrity, immune response, tissue repair and virus shedding. Piglets were followed for 21 days, with samples taken at 1, 5, 14 and 21 days after infection.

The piglets who consumed Tonisity Px shed less PED virus on days 5 and 14 post-infection and had cleared the virus by day 21 post-infection. This outcome was in contrast with the control group which had detectable virus excretion up to the end of the study (day 21 post-infection).

At the intestinal level, the Tonisity Px piglets had a more intense immune response and faster tissue repair than control piglets. This study is the first report of this panel of biomarkers in the face of live pigs with PEDV infection, which also makes the study important on an immunological level.

Dr. Ava Firth, Director of Research and Development for Tonisity, and one of the original developers of Tonisity Px, along with Dr. Stefan Buzoianu, Senior Scientist of Tonisity, noted, "This study affirms the sound science and physiology that is the foundation of all Tonisity products. The significance of these findings cannot be overstated as no other product in the world is effective in combating this deadly disease. Tonisity Px and our other products have been successful globally, with over 65 million animals having consumed them in a variety of situations. Our entire team is working hard to accelerate market penetration so that more animals, producers and related businesses can benefit from the positive health, environmental and economic outcomes that our products create."

About PEDV

PEDV is a contagious coronavirus that attacks the intestine of pigs. PEDV is especially lethal to young piglets, with outbreaks leading to 50-80% mortality rates in this age group. The virus was first recognized in Europe in the 1970s and has since spread globally. The prevention of PEDV infection relies mainly on biosecurity measures. Despite the application of attenuated vaccines, highly virulent PEDV strains are still present and are causing significant economic losses to swine producers in many countries.[3]

Quantifying the exact financial losses caused by PEDV over the last decade in various countries can be challenging due to varying reporting standards and economic impacts. However, significant outbreaks in major pork-producing countries have led to considerable economic losses:

United States : The outbreak that began in 2013 caused widespread devastation, particularly in 2014. The total losses attributed to PEDV in the U.S. were estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, considering the death of an estimated 7 million piglets and the resultant increase in pork prices [4],[5] .

China : As the world's largest pork producer and consumer, China has experienced severe impacts from PEDV, particularly during the outbreaks in the early 2010s. The virus has been endemic in the country, and while specific financial figures are harder to come by, the economic impact is significant in terms of lost production and increased costs for biosecurity and control measures [6] .

South Korea : In South Korea, an outbreak in 2013-2014 led to the culling of thousands of pigs and substantial economic losses. The government and industry spent considerable resources on control measures and vaccine development[7],[8].

Economic impacts generally include direct costs such as animal deaths, reduced growth rates, and increased veterinary care, as well as indirect costs like enhanced biosecurity measures, disruptions to trade, and losses in export markets. The cumulative global impact over the last decade likely runs into billions of dollars[9].

About Tonisity's Swine Products

Tonisity Px is a patented isotonic protein drink that directly feeds the intestinal cells of livestock, such as piglets, thus improving nutrient absorption. Tonisity Px is administered to piglets in the first week of life and around weaning and is voluntarily consumed even by newborn piglets. The result is higher weight gain, lower mortality and less need for medications for these animals - all producing a high return on investment for producers.

Tonisity is dedicated to research and has completed over 235 swine trials throughout the world. In an overview of 91 commercial and R&D studies examining pre-weaning mortality, Tonisity Px was shown to consistently reduce pre-weaning mortality by 22%. This amounts to an extra pig for every three litters. Administration of Tonisity Px also results in higher weaning weights and 3 kg extra weight at finisher stage, with an improved feed conversion rate. This technology results in a reliable 3:1 return on investment (5:5-1 in a recent China study[10]) at weaning and 5-6:1 at finishing.[11]

Tonisity PxW contains the same key bioactives aimed at nourishing the intestine and is delivered through waterlines to newly-weaned pigs, with no extra labour required. The weaning period and the first 2-3 weeks after weaning are a major danger period for pigs. Often, newly-weaned pigs struggle to maintain sufficient water intake. Reduced water intake correlates to reduced feed intake, which creates a growth lag and contributes to morbidity and mortality.[12],[13]

Tonisity PxW improves water intake by up to two times in the first few days after weaning. Pigs given Tonisity PxW for five days post-weaning had a 36% reduction in post-weaning mortality and a 18% decrease in post-weaning morbidity. Tonisity PxW has also been shown to improve end-Nursery weights by 300 grams when compared to a competitor product[14]. Trials indicate that the return on investment on Tonisity PxW is a minimum of 4.5:1.

Tonisity's swine products can also be given to pigs of any age at other stress points in production, such as weaning, before and after transport, and for sows, at farrowing or during lactation. While both products have been demonstrated to improve the performance of healthy pigs, trial data also shows that they are particularly useful in support of dehydration and recovery from illnesses such as Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome[15] and PEDV[16].

Tonisity's swine products are patented in all key markets and are currently being sold in Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Australia. The swine products are manufactured in Ireland.

For More Information on Tonisity

Tonisity is an animal health and nutrition company based in Ireland that is currently focusing its patented technology in three specific markets: (1) isotonic products for the enhancement of swine production; and (2) novel companion animal nutrition products; and (3) isotonic products for the enhancement of ruminant production. Tonisity is focused on creating positive physiological changes by addressing the issue of intestinal health of young animals, thus improving their overall health, leading to better lifetime performance. With respect to novel companion animal products, Tonisity is poised to become the first mover and market leader in a targeted nutrition approach for pets - which is a rapidly growing market across the globe. For more information on Tonisity's livestock business, visit www.tonisity.com. For more information on Tonisity's companion animal business, visit www.doggyrade.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Mathieu Cortyl"

Mathieu Cortyl

Commercial Director

Email: mathieu@tonisity.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and information that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect Tonisity's current expectations. When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information.

The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include information relating to the business plans of Tonisity, including the development of new product lines in both the swine and companion animal product lines.

Such statements and information reflect the current views of Tonisity. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: Tonisity's ability to raise capital to maintain its growth and business objectives, Tonisity's ability to negotiate and enter into binding agreements with counterparties in geographic markets that are part of its expansion plans, changes in laws and regulations that could adversely affect Tonisity's business, growth or results of operations, Tonisity's ability to attract and retain customers and consumers and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are a number of important factors that could cause Tonisity's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others: limited business history of Tonisity; risks related to Tonisity's corporate strategy including that previous and future acquisitions do not meet expectations; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities; unanticipated costs and expenses, fluctuations in commodity prices, and general market and industry conditions; protection of Tonisity's intellectual property; disruption at any of Tonisity's facilities including as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic; effect of public health crises, including the current COVID-19 pandemic; Tonisity's supply chain management; availability of suppliers of raw materials; limited or disrupted supply of key ingredients; the availability of key ingredients for Tonisity's products; failure to expand production capacity; effect of product innovation; failure to retain current customers and/or recruit new customers potential volatility of share price; no assurance of active market for shares; dividends; global financial conditions; the effect of product labelling requirements; price of raw materials; consumer trends; publication of inaccurate or unfavourable research and reports; management and conflicts of interest.

Tonisity cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on Tonisity's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, readers should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Tonisity has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors.

The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Tonisity as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While Tonisity may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time, except as required by applicable laws.

[1] Dmytro M. Masiuk, Andrii V. Kokariev, Stefan G. Buzoianu, Ava M. Firth and Victor S. Nedzvetsky, "An Isotonic Protein Solution Favorably Modulated the Porcine Intestinal Immune Response and Cellular Adhesion Markers and Reduced PEDV Shedding In Vivo." Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 271 (2024) 110753 (the "Peer Reviewed Article"). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetimm.2024.110753

[2] Zimmerman, J.J. Diseases of Swine; Wiley-Blackwell, 2012; ISBN 9780813822679

[3] Jung, K., Saif, L.J., 2015. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus infection: Etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis and immunoprophylaxis. Vet. J. 204, 134-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.02.017.

[4] Alvarez, J., Sarradell, J., Morrison, R., & Perez, A. (2015). Impact of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea on Performance of Growing Pigs. PLoS One, 10(3): e0120532. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0120532

[5] Schulz, L. L., & Tonsor, G. T. (2015). Assessment of the economic impacts of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in the United States. Journal of Animal Science, 93(11), 5111-5118. doi:10.2527/jas.2015-9136

[6] Wang, D., Fang, L., & Xia, S. (2016). Porcine epidemic diarrhea in China. Virus Research, 226, 7-13. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2016.05.026. PMCID: PMC7114554. PMID: 27261169.

[7] Kim, S.-H., Lee, J.-M., Jung, J., Kim, I.-J., Hyun, B.-H., Kim, H.-I., Park, C.-K., Oem, J.-K., Kim, Y.-H., Lee, M.-H., & Lee, K.-K. (2015). Genetic characterization of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in Korea from 1998 to 2013. Archives of Virology, 160(4), 1055-1064. doi: 10.1007/s00705-015-2353-y. PMCID: PMC7086719. PMID: 25666198.

[8] Park, J.-E., Kang, K.-J., Ryu, J.-H., Park, J.-Y., Jang, H., Sung, D.-J., Kang, J.-G., & Shin, H.-J. (2018). Porcine epidemic diarrhea vaccine evaluation using a newly isolated strain from Korea. Veterinary Microbiology, 221, 19-26. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2018.06.007.

[9] What's PEDV really costing pork producers? National Hog Farmer. https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/livestock-management/what-s-pedv-really-costing-pork-producers-

[10] China study 21-024-P-P

[11] USA Study 18-014-P-P (PWM -22.8% & final weight +3.2 %): ROI = 3.2:1 at weaning and 5.9:1 at finishing;

UK Study 20-002-P-P (PWM -21% & final weight +2.5 %): ROI = 3.3:1 at weaning and 8.6:1 at finishing.

USA Study 17-061-P-P in disease situation (PRRS): ROI = 7.05:1

[12] Pluske J, Le Dividich J, Verstegen M. Weaning the Pig - Concepts and Consequences. Weaning pig Wageningen Academic Publishers, 2003.

[13] Kruse S, Traulsen I, Krieter J. Analysis of water, feed intake and performance of lactating sows. Livest Sci 2011;135:177-183.

[14] US Study 20-047-P-P

[15] Trials 17-061-P-P USA, 20-038-P-P USA

[16] Peer-Reviewed Article, note 1.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207575

SOURCE: Tonisity International Limited
Saudi launch aligns with Vision 2030 healthcare transformation strategy and highlights Huma and Bayer's commitments to advancing care delivery in the Kingdom

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer, a leading global life sciences company, and Huma Therapeutics Limited ("Huma"), a leading global digital health company, today announced the launch of their innovative heart health screening tool in Saudi Arabia. This marks the first global launch since the Bayer Aspirin Heart Health Risk Assessment went live in the US in 2023, and is aimed at supporting key objectives of the Vision 2030 national strategy for Saudi Arabia.

The Bayer Aspirin Heart Health Risk Assessment is a digital-only tool that rapidly evaluates an individual's risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) over the next decade, without the need for invasive blood tests and blood pressure measurement[i]. Huma developed the algorithm by leveraging 15+ years of longitudinal data from over 500,000 individuals from the UK Biobank Dataset. Clinical validation of the algorithm in the European Society of Cardiology found that the Heart Health Risk Assessment had very good predictive ability when compared to the standard of care.

The launch of the Heart Risk Assessment in Saudi Arabia aligns with the country's Vision 2030 healthcare sector transformation strategy , which has made the reduction of the clinical and economic burden of cardiovascular disease a national priority. Cardiovascular diseases, like stroke and heart failure, are among the leading causes of death in Saudi Arabia, and the Vision 2030 strategies aim to reduce the disease burden through prevention. Bayer has set a similar intention, through the company's mission of "Health for All, Hunger for None" and long heritage in heart health to create comprehensive initiatives around cardiovascular disease prevention, advancing access to life-saving solutions for all. This launch in Saudi Arabia is an early step in the company's long-term, global plan.

In addition to the Heart Health Risk Assessment, Huma and Bayer are separately supporting additional healthcare initiatives in Saudi Arabia in support of Vision 2030. Huma has recently launched a diabetes care pathway within the Seha Virtual Hospital , an ambitious and innovative telemedicine platform launched by the Saudi Ministry of Health in order to expand care access and improve care delivery as part of the Vision 2030 objectives. Bayer has committed to screening 1,000,000 citizens who might be at risk to develop cardiovascular disease as part of the 'Protect Your Heart' campaign in partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Health.

The launch of the Heart Health Risk Assessment tool also aligns with the recently introduced Biotechnology Strategy of Saudi Arabia. This strategy aims to leverage advanced technologies, such as digital health tools, to improve healthcare outcomes and foster innovation in the country's healthcare sector.

Dan Vahdat, CEO and Founder of Huma, said: "Saudi Arabia is fast becoming a world leader in digital-first healthcare. Having recently achieved Saudi FDA Class C regulatory clearance for our disease-agnostic, configurable Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) platform, Huma is well-positioned to support the ambitious healthcare transformation put forward by the Ministry of Health as part of Vision 2030. We are proud to be supporting heart health at scale with the launch of the Heart Health Risk Assessment and we look forward to further collaborations with the Ministry of Health as part of our commitment to fostering a healthier future for the people of Saudi Arabia."

Mohamed Galal, Vice President of Middle East and Pakistan at Bayer said: "cardiovascular diseases pose a significant burden globally, and the Middle East is no exception. Bayer is dedicated to working in collaboration with governments and key partners to address this challenge and improve the quality of life for the people of the Middle East. Our partnership with Huma to expand the Heart Health Risk Assessment tool to Saudi Arabia underscores our commitment to leveraging digital health solutions for preventive care. By enhancing access to heart health screening and promoting early detection, we aim to contribute to the efforts of Vision 2030 in reducing the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and ensuring a healthier future for the region."

Maged ElShazly, Bayer's Managing Director & Country Commercial Lead Consumer Health in Saudi Arabia, commented on the partnership expansion, "Our collaboration with Huma is a testament to Bayer's commitment to advancing digital health solutions that can make a real difference in people's lives. The launch of the Heart Health Risk Assessment tool in Saudi Arabia is a significant step towards achieving the goals of the Vision 2030 strategy. We are proud to be part of this initiative that prioritizes prevention and early detection of cardiovascular diseases, which are among the leading causes of death in the country. We look forward to continuing our work with Huma and the Saudi Ministry of Health to further support the health and wellbeing of the Saudi population."

Beyond Saudi Arabia, Bayer and Huma plan to bring the Heart Health Risk Assessment to Latin America in the coming year.

About Huma

Huma Therapeutics is a global digital health technology company that advances digital-first care delivery and research to help people live longer, fuller lives. Its award-winning technology platform is used by more than 3,000 hospitals and clinics, with over 1.8 million active users in healthcare and over 700,000 participants across research.

Huma's technology powers:

virtual care tools ranging from digital-first screening and population health initiatives to at-scale remote patient monitoring (RPM)

companion apps to support patients through treatment and drug therapies

digital clinical trials, including decentralised trials, to accelerate medical research

Huma's regulated Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) platform is the first disease- and device-agnostic platform to achieve EU MDR Class IIb, US FDA 510(k) Class II and Saudi Class C regulatory clearance. The SaMD platform is regulated to accept artificial intelligence algorithms and monitor patients of all ages.Please visit www.huma.com and follow us on LinkedIn at Huma.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, "Health for all, Hunger for none," the company's products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2023, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 47.6 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.8 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com

Contact Bayer :

Sami Joost

Head of Communications, Public Affairs & Open Innovation - Middle East

Email: sami.joost@bayer.com

For Medical Information: med-info.me@bayer.com

For Safety Reporting: pv.me@bayer.com

Find more information at www.bayer.com.

Contact Huma :

Meena Tafazzoli

Chief of Staff

Email: meena.tafazzoli@huma.com

Phone number: +44 7551 586725

Find more information at www.huma.com. This PRL is being issued by Hill+Knowlton Strategies on behalf of Bayer, for further information please contact: dana.bugaighis@hillandknowlton.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

[i] Does not replace an assessment by a qualified healthcare professional. Always talk to your doctor or healthcare professional about your heart health.

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The mood at a student encampment on Stanford Universitys campus was growing tense Tuesday, following a charged few days in which the administration issued more than a dozen letters threatening disciplinary action to students who have been protesting for a cease-fire in Gaza. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle A bicyclist passes a tent encampment in White Plaza in support of Palestine at Stanford University on Tuesday. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

An Israeli American lecturer was passing the tents on Stanford Universitys White Plaza on Tuesday when she saw a sign that read From San Jose 2 Palestine / death 2 settler colonial projects.

I want to know the definition of settler colonial, the lecturer said to a student protester near the sign.

Ill tell you what it is, responded the student, who is Palestinian and said that most of his family was in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza strip preparing for an Israeli military onslaught. Ive seen with my eyes settlers come into houses and kick people out.  If theres a country thats built on that project, we call for its death, the student told the lecturer.

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Im sorry, the lecturer said, this calls for violence.

A group of prospective students walk past a tent encampment during a campus tour at Stanford University on Tuesday. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

The emotional exchange occurred as the Palo Alto university became the next frontier for student-organized protests against the war in Gaza, which erupted after Hamas killed more than 1,200 Israelis in an Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Israel responded with a military offensive that has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead.

Both the lecturer and the student asked that the Chronicle not publish their names. The lecturer said she wanted to keep personal politics out of her classroom. The student said he was concerned for his safety.

On Thursday, Stanford students set up about two dozen tents and hung hand-painted banners and Palestinian flags in White Plaza, a grassy square outside Stanfords student union. They said they will refuse to move until the university divests from what it says are companies that fund Israels war in Palestine.

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On Friday, administrators warned demonstrators that anyone who remained overnight faced discipline or even arrest. The encampment remained standing over the weekend, but no students had been arrested as of Tuesday afternoon. Instead, protest organizers said Monday that at least 13 students were threatened with disciplinary action by the universitys Office of Community Standards, which administers formal disciplinary processes.

A letter from Stanford University to the pro-Palestinian student encampment at White Plaza. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

The students received a letter from the university, a copy of which was reviewed by the Chronicle, stating that the encampment violated the universitys prohibition against overnight camping, as well as policies regarding banners, flyers, chalking, posters, campus disruptions and amplified sound.

The letter does not explicitly state the student receiving it would be placed under disciplinary proceedings.

Emily Williams, a Stanford junior acting as a spokesperson for the protesters, said at least three students who received the letter, including one who has been out of town, have not been to the encampment.

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We think thats not fair and what theyre trying to do is target and find people that they think are protesters, she said.

A pedestrian walks past a column of posters on a path near the tent encampment in White Plaza. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

University spokesperson Luisa Rapport told the Chronicle via email that students were being referred to the Office of Community Standards process for actions that violate the universitys viewpoint-neutral policies, but could not comment on individual cases.

There is evidence connecting individuals to specific policy violations, Rapport wrote. Those involved will be able to provide a defense to the Office of Community Standards.

Williams said the protesters would dismantle their encampment if Stanford cuts financial ties and ends academic or corporate partnerships with companies that they allege are funding war crimes by Israel as well as disclose the universitys investment portfolio. The companies, Williams said, include information technology company Hewlett-Packard, energy company Chevron and aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin.

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The Chronicle has reached out to the companies for comment.

Two masked protesters embrace each other at a tent encampment in White Plaza on Tuesday. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Rapport said that divestment decisions are made by the Stanford Board of Trustees through a defined process and that the board has not received a formal divestment petition.

The universitys endowment has no direct holdings in Israeli companies, or direct holdings in defense contractors, beyond small exposures resulting from passive funds that track broad indexes such as the S&P 500, Rapport wrote. Those exposures are de minimis in the context of Stanfords overall endowment portfolio.

Protesters demands echo those of a statement on divestment that Stanford students voted in favor of in their student body general election last week, according to election results posted by the Associated Students of Stanford University, the universitys student government group.

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Williams said she thinks Stanford students support the cause, evidenced by the fact that this encampment  with about two dozen tents  is much larger than a previous one that protesters had set up in October and which was dismantled under an agreement with the university in February.

Tuesday afternoon, about 50 student protesters gathered for lunch and to listen to a speech by Hatem Bazian, a UC Berkeley lecturer who co-founded Students for Justice in Palestine. Stanford faculty who support the encampment held a rally that evening, calling for divestment and criticizing recent arrests of student protesters at similar encampments across the country.

Hatem Bazian, a UC Berkeley lecturer and founder of Students for Justice in Palestine, speaks at a tent encampment in White Plaza in support of Palestine at Stanford University on Tuesday. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Part of the clash between protesters and their critics is over methods. The Israeli American lecturer who debated the Stanford student protester from Gaza said she thinks they should not put up a sign that uses violent words such as death.

Go back to what youve started with, calling for cease-fire, she said. This doesnt help the people of Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian student protester defended the sign and message of the movement.

The project she is defending is the same project that left my cousins under the rubble and made my family have to eat tree leaves in Gaza, he told the Chronicle after the exchange.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ScentAir, a global leader in scent marketing and delivering innovative customer experiences for 30 years, is expanding its range of home fragrance products for the United Kingdom.

Known for its global commercial partnerships, ScentAir transforms spaces with innovative scent strategies and premium-quality fragrances and diffusers. It's most recognized in the UK market for its pioneering work with The View from The Shard.

ScentAir's professional fragrances are available in cartridges to be paired with ScentAir's Whisper HOME diffusers. Together, the home scenting system provides fragrance for about 30 days before a replacement cartridge is needed. The company's latest format introductions allow people to enjoy engaging scents in their everyday living spaces in more ways.

New products include:

Candles - 3 oz, clean-burning candles give you room-filling fragrance for up to 20 hours. Choose from fragrances: Golden Bamboo, Green Clover & Aloe, White Tea & Thyme

Auto fragrance - Hit the road with long-lasting fragrance for cars, trucks or small spaces for up to 30 days. Available in Golden Bamboo, Green Clover & Aloe, White Tea &Thyme

"The introduction of new product formats offers our customers a fresh way to enjoy ScentAir fragrances in their homes, encouraging exploration of new scents, thoughtful gifting, and the creation of captivating experiences through fragrance layering," said Stephanie Soittoux, Manager of EMEA Marketing and eCommerce. "These new items provide an ideal opportunity for first-time buyers to acquaint themselves with ScentAir through smaller introductory products."

Explore the UK product line by visiting ScentAir.com .

ScentAir: Trusted by Brands, Loved by Families

About ScentAir

ScentAir Technologies, LLC., privately held and founded in 1994, provides best-in-class ambient scent marketing solutions to many of the world's most recognized brands. As the global leader in olfactory marketing, the Company creates memorable impressions for both small businesses and global enterprises, elevating their customer experience through the power of scent. Based in Charlotte, NC, USA, and corporate offices in the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. The Company's 525+ global team members service customers in 119 countries through its dedicated global supply chain and manufacturing operations in North America, Europe, and Asia.

ScentAir is committed to the creation of customized scent strategies that boost clients' brand sentiments, customer loyalty, and sales. To learn more, go to ScentAir.com.

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Wide-Spread Clinical Evidence using the MolecuLight Imaging Platform Reveals its Significant Global Adoption and Proven Utility in Wound Care

TORONTO and LONDON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- MolecuLight Inc. , the leader in point-of-care digital wound measurement and real-time bacterial detection through fluorescence imaging, announces that its MolecuLight wound imaging platform is being prominently featured in several presentations and posters at the European Wound Management Association (EWMA) 2024 Annual Conference , being held from May 1 - 3, 2024 in London, United Kingdom. The annual EWMA meeting is the largest wound care conference in Europe and one of the largest events globally for wound care professionals.

"We are humbled by the widespread adoption of MolecuLight point-of-care devices among clinicians worldwide who see it as an invaluable and transformative tool in their wound care practices", says Anil Amlani, MolecuLight's CEO. "The impressive collection of at least 11 talks and posters from multiple and diverse facilities globally shows how the MolecuLight imaging device is becoming a new standard-of-care in this specialty. The diverse array of presenters from North America, Europe, and South America underscores the global reach of the MolecuLight imaging technology. The clinical evidence showing at EWMA is echoed in the 80+ peer-reviewed publications which span the globe, showing the significant benefit of the MolecuLight i:X and DX to clinical wound assessment, practice, and outcomes."

Dr. Jonathan Johnson, a wound care thought leader and health equity expert based in Washington, DC, will speak at EWMA on how MolecuLight's groundbreaking technology overcomes disparities in wound assessment on dark skin tones. "It's critical to spotlight the healthcare obstacles disproportionately impacting minority populations," he says, "and EWMA provides the perfect forum to reach a global audience with this vital work." When asked about his upcoming presentation, Dr. Johnson shares, "I'm honored to share my latest research showing how MolecuLight enhances bacterial detection in wounds regardless of skin tone, a critical limitation of traditional clinical assessment. This technology is helping break down significant barriers to equitable care. By supporting the adoption of MolecuLight imaging, we are paving the way for a healthier, fairer future."

"As the lead author of two studies to be presented at this iteration of EWMA featuring MolecuLight, I am thrilled to showcase how fluorescence signals can revolutionize bacterial management, ultimately leading to optimized wound outcomes", says Rosemarie Derwin, an experienced nurse, educator, and researcher from Dublin, Ireland, "Our research underscores how essential adequate and objective bacterial removal from the wound bed is in our efforts to achieve healing, and ultimately improve our patients' quality of life", she concludes.

The collection of 4 presentations and 7 posters featuring the MolecuLight imaging devices show how clinical decision-making is informed and enhanced through its digital wound measurement feature, detection of high bacterial burden in wounds at the bedside, and, remarkably, its ability to monitor and track wound size and bioburden over time while minimizing operator bias. Presented studies span the wound care continuum, including:

Accuracy of MolecuLight across all skin pigmentations and chronic wound types,

Detection of biofilm with MolecuLight,

Wound area reduction achieved by removing fluorescence signals,

Combined use of thermal and fluorescence imaging in a single MolecuLight device,

Novel diagnostic approaches using MolecuLight to treat pyoderma gangrenosum, and

Enhanced patient adherence and engagement.

The findings that will be presented illustrate the significant clinical improvements to multiple aspects of wound care provided by the MolecuLight platform.

A selection of the clinical posters and presentation featuring the MolecuLight i:X and DX from European Wound Management Association (EWMA) 2024 Annual Conference are as follows:

(a) Select Clinical Presentations and Workshops citing the MolecuLight point-of-care devices include:

Workshop: Painting Wounds on the Skin for Education Purposes

Workshop including MolecuLight by Astrid Probst

Wednesday May 1 st , 17:15 - 18:45 BST, South Gallery 18-19





Workshop including MolecuLight by Wednesday May 1 , 17:15 - 18:45 BST, South Gallery 18-19 Integrating Point-of-Care Bacterial Fluorescence Imaging and targeted debridement with Continued Wound Measurement for Enhanced Wound Area Reduction Monitoring

Presentation on MolecuLight by Rosemarie Derwin

Thursday May 2 nd , 17:50 - 17:58 BST, South Gallery 17





Presentation on MolecuLight by Thursday May 2 , 17:50 - 17:58 BST, South Gallery 17 The Impact of High Skin Pigmentation on the Clinical Diagnosis of Wound Infection and the Ability to Enhance Diagnosis with Fluorescence Imaging of Bacteria

Presentation on MolecuLight by Dr. Jonathan Johnson

Friday May 3 rd , 8:50 - 8:58 BST, South Gallery 11-12





Presentation on MolecuLight by Friday May 3 , 8:50 - 8:58 BST, South Gallery 11-12 Does bacterial fluorescence imaging improve chronic wound biofilm detection over standard clinical assessment and blotting?

Presentation on MolecuLight by Laura Jones-Donaldson

Friday May 3 rd , 8:50 - 8:58 BST, South Gallery 22





Presentation on MolecuLight by Friday May 3 , 8:50 - 8:58 BST, South Gallery 22 Agreement of microbiological identification by aspiration puncture versus biopsy guided by bacterial fluorescence in the diagnosis of complex wound infection

Presentation on MolecuLight by Carol Serna Gonzalez

Friday May 3rd, 11:05 - 11:13 BST, South Gallery 22

(b) Select Clinical Posters citing the MolecuLight point-of-care devices include:

EP064 Advanced wound care of pyoderma gangrenosum through fluorescence imaging guided debridement

Charles Andersen , USA

Wednesday May 1 st , 11:45 - 13:30 E-POSTER SCREEN 3, SURGICAL APPROACHES





, USA Wednesday May 1 , 11:45 - 13:30 E-POSTER SCREEN 3, SURGICAL APPROACHES EP043 Audit of antimicrobial prescribing trends in 1447 outpatient wound assessments: Baseline rates and impact of bacterial fluorescence imaging

Thomas Serena , USA

Wednesday May 1 st , 11:45 - 13:30 BST, E-POSTER SCREEN 2, ANTIMICROBIALS





, USA Wednesday May 1 , 11:45 - 13:30 BST, E-POSTER SCREEN 2, ANTIMICROBIALS EP217 Empowering patients through fluorescence imaging: key insights for advancing wound care success from survey results

Charles Andersen , USA

Thursday May 2 nd , 10:00 - 11:15 BST, E-POSTER SCREEN 3, EDUCATION





, USA Thursday May 2 , 10:00 - 11:15 BST, E-POSTER SCREEN 3, EDUCATION EP345 The clinical utility of auto-fluorescence imaging in detecting the presence of bacteria in wounds - a systematic review

Rosemarie Derwin , Ireland

Thursday May 2 nd , 17:00 - 18:30 BST, E-POSTER SCREEN 3, WOUND ASSESSMENT





, Thursday May 2 , 17:00 - 18:30 BST, E-POSTER SCREEN 3, WOUND ASSESSMENT EP416 Multimodal imaging device for real time bacterial load and thermal imaging: A study of synergy in clinical wound assessment workflow

Charles Andersen, USA

Friday May 3 rd , 12:45 - 13:30 BST, E-POSTER SCREEN 3, DEVICES & INTERVENTION 2





Friday May 3 , 12:45 - 13:30 BST, E-POSTER SCREEN 3, DEVICES & INTERVENTION 2 EP540 Fifty shades of red fluorescence

Laura Jones-Donaldson, Canada

DISPLAY ONLY, E-POSTER BROWSING STATIONS





DISPLAY ONLY, E-POSTER BROWSING STATIONS EP698 Using auto-fluorescence imaging to aid early diagnosis of wound infection in a patient with dark skin tone

Nadine Price, UK

DISPLAY ONLY, E-POSTER BROWSING STATIONS

The MolecuLight i:X and DX are the only imaging devices for the real-time detection of elevated bacterial burden in wounds that are class II FDA-cleared, CE-Marked and approved by Health Canada. With clinical evidence including over 80 peer-reviewed publications , the devices are used by leading wound care facilities globally.

About MolecuLight Inc.

MolecuLight Inc. is a privately owned medical imaging company with global presence that offers fully commercialized point-of-care digital wound measurement and real-time bacterial detection through fluorescence imaging platform technology. MolecuLight's suite of commercial devices, which include the MolecuLight i:X and DX fluorescence imaging and digital wounds measurement systems and their accessories, have scientifically proven capabilities that enhance wound care practices and outcomes across all places of service. MolecuLight procedures performed in the United States benefit from an available reimbursement pathway which includes two CPT codes for physician work to perform "fluorescence imaging for bacterial presence location, and load" and facility payment for Hospital Outpatient Department (HOPD) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) settings through an Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) assignment.

CONTACT: Laura Jones-Donaldson, MolecuLight Inc., ljones@moleculight.com, T. +1.416.542.5507, www.moleculight.com

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Thesis Gold Inc. (TSXV: TAU) (FSE: A3EP87) (OTCQX: THSGF) ("Thesis" or the "Company") is pleased to report an updated Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") at the Company's newly combined 100% owned Lawyers-Ranch Project. The Project now boasts a combined Measured & Indicated Mineral Resource of 4.0 Moz and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 727 koz, at respective grades of 1.51 and 1.82 g/t AuEq*, hitting an important milestone for project scale. The Lawyers-Ranch Project is road-accessible and together the projects form a contiguous, 495 km2 land package in the prolific Toodoggone Mining District in northern British Columbia.

Highlights: 2024 Updated Mineral Resource Estimate

Significant Mineral Resource Growth Measured & Indicated Mineral Resource 4.0 million ounces (Moz) grading 1.51 grams per tonne (g/t) gold equivalent (AuEq*) contained within 82.0 million tonnes; AuEq* calculated using 80:1 Ag:Au ratio (with Au US$1,850/ounce [oz], Ag US$24/oz, and recoveries at 92 and 88% respectively). Representing over 85% of the total Mineral Resource ounces and a 27% increase in AuEq* ounces (Figure 1). Inferred Mineral Resource 727 thousand ounces grading 1.82 AuEq* contained within 12.4 million tonnes. An increase of 76% AuEq* ounces. Total tonnage 94.4 million tonnes at 1.55 g/t AuEq* a 32% increase in tonnes. This MRE outlines both pit-constrained resources-defined by a conceptual pit at a cut-off grade of 0.4 g/t AuEq* and out-of-pit Mineral Resources that have a cut-off grade of 1.5 g/t AuEq*, which demonstrate excellent continuity.

Substantial Silver Value At an 80:1 Ag:Au ratio, silver represents 25% of the Mineral Resource value for AuEq* . Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources contain 84.0 million silver ounces , and Inferred Mineral Resources contain 8.3 million silver ounces , respectively, an increase of 58% and 34 %.

Potential for Continued Growth In 2023, the drilling program at Ranch was strategically aimed at defining near-surface, high-grade zones. This focus was specifically designed to maximize the impact on the upcoming PEA update (Q3 2024) and establish an initial Mineral Resource. All zones remain open for significant expansion potential. Ranch has >20 drill ready targets for potential new discoveries and multiple additional gold-silver mineralization targets generated for follow-up.



Ewan Webster, President and CEO, commented, "Today's combined Mineral Resource is a major milestone for the project and a key step in our strategic plan to unlock the full potential of these outstanding assets. This process began in 2023 when we launched a targeted drilling campaign focused on the highest-impact areas of Lawyers and Ranch. The drill results supported two key 2024 catalysts: today's updated global resource for both Lawyers and Ranch, and its integration into an improved PEA. We're on track, with a 32% increase in gold equivalent ounces, identification of higher-grade zones, and a revised mine plan that positions the project to deliver substantial improvements on already strong economics. We foresee this materializing in a significant underground potentially mineable Mineral Resource and secondly as you can see in the sensitivity table for Ranch, there is the opportunity to develop much higher-grade starter pits to jump-start production and reduce the pay-back period. I see today's resource as just the beginning, with substantial growth ahead, particularly at Ranch, where we have only scratched the surface."

The updated Mineral Resource Estimate is a key component in the upcoming update to the Preliminary Economic Assessment, slated for completion in Q3 2024. This MRE outlines both pit-constrained resources-defined by a conceptual pit shell with Mineral Resources at a lower cut-off grade of 0.4 g/t AuEq*-and out-of-pit Mineral Resources, with a lower cut-off grade of 1.5 g/t AuEq* and that demonstrate excellent continuity utilizing an industry standard conceptual stope optimizer software. While they are indicative of the potentially mineable Mineral Resources through conceptual open-pit and underground mining methods, this will be determined through a cross-over analysis in the upcoming updated PEA. The cross-over analysis will assess the most advantageous depths for transitioning from open-pit to underground mining methods to enhance economic efficiency, and overall conversion of Mineral Resources to potentially mineable Mineral Resources. At the Lawyers area drilling suggests that higher grade material is situated at the bottom of the conceptual pit-constrained Mineral Resource and extends below into the out-of-pit zone at both Cliffs Creek and Dukes Ridge, where underground mining could allow production earlier in the mine life. Moreover, the cut-off grade sensitivity analysis of the MRE at the Ranch project, shows a clear opportunity of near-surface, high-grade material by initiating production from higher-grade starter pits. These options will be evaluated in the updated PEA, with a strategy to integrate high-grade underground Mineral Resources and starter pits from Ranch early on to establish an optimized mining schedule to reduce the payback period. In addition, given the location and grade of the defined additional ounces and the revised mine plan contemplated in the upcoming PEA, there is an expectation that there will be a higher conversion of ounces in the MRE (M&I and Inferred) into potentially mineable ounces in the updated PEA relative to the previous PEA on only the Lawyers Project.

Table 1: Summary of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources on the Lawyers-Ranch Project

Mineral Cut-off Classification Tonnes Au Ag Cu AuEq*

Au Ag Cu AuEq* Resource AuEq* (k) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (g/t) (koz) (Moz) (kt) (koz) Area (g/t)















Pit-Constrained Mineral Resource Estimate Lawyers 0.4 Measured 35,987 1.1 38.5 - 1.58 1,268 44.5 - 1,825 Indicated 40,406 0.99 26.8 - 1.32 1,285 34.8 - 1,721 M&I 76,393 1.04 32.3 - 1.44 2,554 79.4 - 3,546 Inferred 5,291 0.93 26.9 - 1.26 158 4.6 - 215 Ranch 0.4 Indicated 4,259 2.01 9.5 0.06 2.21 275 1.3 3 303 Inferred 5,207 1.79 5.3 0.12 2.03 300 0.9 6 339 Total 0.4 Measured 35,987 1.1 38.5 0 1.58 1,268 44.5 0 1,825 Indicated 44,665 1.09 25.2 0.01 1.41 1,561 36.1 3 2,023 M&I 80,652 1.09 31.1 0 1.48 2,829 80.7 3 3,848 Inferred 10,498 1.36 16.2 0.06 1.64 458 5.5 6 554 Out-of-Pit Mineral Resource Estimate Lawyers 1.5 Indicated 1,359 2.01 77.4 - 2.98 88 3.4 - 130 Inferred 1,325 2.33 65.5 - 3.15 99 2.8 - 134 Ranch 1.5 Inferred 579 1.76 4.9 0.19 2.07 33 0.1 1 39 Total 1.5 Indicated 1,359 2.01 77.4 0 2.98 88 3.4 0 130 Inferred 1,903 2.16 47.14 0.06 2.82 132 2.9 1 173 Total Mineral Resource Estimate All Combined Measured 35,987 1.1 38.5 0 1.58 1,268 44.5 0 1,825 Indicated 46,023 1.11 26.7 0.01 1.46 1,648 39.5 3 2,153 M&I 82,010 1.11 31.9 0 1.51 2,917 84.0 3 3,978 Inferred 12,401 1.48 20.9 0.06 1.82 590 8.3 8 727

Notes:

Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues. The Inferred Mineral Resource in this estimate has a lower level of confidence than that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resource could potentially be upgraded to an Indicated Mineral Resource with continued exploration. The Mineral Resources were estimated in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions (2014) and Best Practices Guidelines (2019) prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by the CIM Council. Historical mined areas were removed from the block-modelled Mineral Resources. Economic assumptions used include US$1,850/oz Au, US$24/oz Ag, 0.76 US$:CDN$ FX, process recoveries of 90% and 92% Au for Lawyers and Ranch, respectively, 88% Ag for both projects, 85% Cu for Ranch, a C$15/t processing cost, and a G&A cost of C$5/t. The resulting gold equivalency ratio of Au:Ag ratio was 1:80 and Au:Cu was 1:7315. The constraining pit optimization parameters were C$3.25/t mineralized and waste material mining cost and 52 pit slopes. Pit-constrained Mineral Resources are reported at an AuEq cut-off of 0.4 g/t. The Out-of-Pit Mineral Resources include blocks below the constraining pit shell within underground mining shapes. A mining cost of C$85/t mineralized, in addition to the economic assumptions above, results in an underground (UG) AuEq cut-off of 1.5 g/t. Mining shapes are generated using stope optimization with an objective of maximizing the total metal above the cut-off with a minimum dimension of 1.5 m (W) by 15 m (H) by 15 m (L). All "take all" material within the mining shapes is reported, regardless of whether the estimated grades are above the optimized cut-off grade. Details of the MRE will be provided in a Technical Report with an effective date of April 26, 2024, prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 standards, which will be filed under the Company's SEDAR+ profile within 45 days of this news release.

Table 2: Measured, Indicated and Inferred Ranch Project Pit-Constrained Sensitivity Table

Measured and Indicated Cut-off Tonnes Au Ag Cu AuEq* Au Ag Cu AuEq* AuEq* (k) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (g/t) (koz) (Moz) (kt) (koz) (g/t)

















1.5 2,272 3.01 14.9 0.09 3.32 220 1.1 2 243 1 3,150 2.49 12 0.07 2.74 252 1.2 2 278 0.9 3,328 2.4 11.5 0.07 2.65 257 1.2 2 283 0.8 3,511 2.32 11 0.07 2.55 262 1.2 2 288 0.7 3,696 2.24 10.6 0.07 2.46 266 1.3 2 293 0.6 3,895 2.15 10.2 0.06 2.37 270 1.3 2 297 0.5 4,097 2.07 9.8 0.06 2.28 273 1.3 3 300 0.4 4,259 2.01 9.5 0.06 2.21 275 1.3 3 303 0.3 4,384 1.96 9.2 0.06 2.16 277 1.3 3 304 Inferred Cut-off Tonnes Au Ag Cu AuEq* Au Ag Cu AuEq* AuEq* (k) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (g/t) (koz) (Moz) (kt) (koz) (g/t)

















1.5 2,530 2.8 6.9 0.21 3.17 228 0.6 5 258 1.0 3,662 2.28 6.1 0.16 2.57 268 0.7 6 303 0.9 3,999 2.15 6 0.15 2.44 277 0.8 6 313 0.8 4,279 2.06 5.8 0.15 2.33 284 0.8 6 321 0.7 4,519 1.99 5.7 0.14 2.25 289 0.8 6 327 0.6 4,773 1.91 5.6 0.13 2.16 293 0.9 6 332 0.5 5,008 1.84 5.4 0.13 2.09 297 0.9 6 336 0.4 5,207 1.79 5.3 0.12 2.03 300 0.9 6 339 0.3 5,366 1.75 5.2 0.12 1.98 301 0.9 7 341

Table 3: Measured, Indicated and Inferred Lawyers-Ranch Combined Project Pit-Constrained Sensitivity Table

Measured and Indicated Cut-off Tonnes Au Ag Cu AuEq* Au Ag Cu AuEq* AuEq* (k) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (g/t) (koz) (Moz) (kt) (koz) (g/t)

















1.5 20,831 2.61 72.4 0.01 3.53 1,748 48.5 2 2,363 1.0 34,493 1.93 54.1 0.01 2.61 2,139 60 2 2,899 0.9 38,822 1.79 50.3 0.01 2.43 2,235 62.8 2 3,031 0.8 44,097 1.65 46.5 0.01 2.24 2,340 66 2 3,175 0.7 50,665 1.51 42.6 0 2.05 2,455 69.4 2 3,333 0.6 58,580 1.37 38.7 0 1.86 2,575 73 2 3,498 0.5 68,485 1.23 34.9 0 1.67 2,702 76.8 3 3,673 0.4 80,652 1.09 31.1 0 1.48 2,829 80.7 3 3,848 0.3 96,170 0.96 27.3 0 1.3 2,955 84.5 3 4,022 Inferred Cut-off Tonnes Au Ag Cu AuEq* Au Ag Cu AuEq* AuEq* (k) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (g/t) (koz) (Moz) (kt) (koz) (g/t)

















1.5 3,565 2.73 26.3 0.15 3.26 313 3 5 374 1.0 5,452 2.14 21.9 0.11 2.56 375 3.8 6 448 0.9 6,013 2.01 20.8 0.1 2.41 388 4 6 465 0.8 6,637 1.88 19.9 0.09 2.26 402 4.3 6 483 0.7 7,381 1.75 19.2 0.09 2.11 416 4.5 6 500 0.6 8,223 1.62 18.3 0.08 1.96 430 4.8 6 518 0.5 9,261 1.49 17.2 0.07 1.8 444 5.1 6 536 0.4 10,498 1.36 16.2 0.06 1.64 458 5.5 6 554 0.3 12,318 1.19 14.8 0.05 1.45 472 5.9 7 574

For an in-depth look at the updated Mineral Resource Estimate and its potential impact, please view the video (link), showcasing the developments and prospects at Thesis Gold.





Figure 1: Resource growth



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6169/207447_aa18991ce4d6cb37_001full.jpg

Quality Assurance and Control

Results from samples were analyzed at ALS Global Laboratories (Geochemistry Division) in Vancouver, Canada (an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited facility). The sampling program was undertaken by Company personnel under the direction of Rob L'Heureux, P.Geol. A secure chain of custody is maintained in transporting and storing of all samples. Gold was assayed using a fire assay with atomic emission spectrometry and gravimetric finish when required (+10 g/t Au). Drill intervals with visible gold were assayed using metallic screening. Rock chip samples from outcrop/bedrock are selective by nature and may not be representative of the mineralization hosted on the Project.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Michael Dufresne, M.Sc, P.Geol., P.Geo., and Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET both Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Puritch, President of P&E Mining Consultants Inc., is independent of Thesis Gold.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Thesis Gold Inc.

"Ewan Webster"

Ewan Webster Ph.D., P.Geo.

President, CEO, and Director

About Thesis Gold Inc.

Thesis Gold is unlocking the combined potential of the Lawyers-Ranch Gold-Silver Project in the Toodoggone mining district of north central British Columbia, Canada. A 2022 Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Lawyers project alone projected an open-pit mining operation yielding an average of 163,000 gold equivalent ounces annually over a 12-year span1. By integrating the Ranch Project, the Company aims to enhance the economics and bolster the overall project's potential. Central to this ambition was the expansive 2023 drill program, which continues to define a high-grade out-of-pit Mineral Resource at Lawyers and augment the near-surface high-grade deposits at Ranch. The project now boasts a combined Measured & Indicated Mineral Resource of 4.0 Moz and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 727 koz, at respective grades of 1.51 and 1.82 g/t AuEq. The Company roadmap includes, new metallurgical work, a robust 2024 exploration and drill program and a combined updated Preliminary Economic Assessment slated for Q3 2024. Through these strategic moves, Thesis Gold intends to elevate the Ranch-Lawyers Project to the forefront of global precious metals ventures.

1Preliminary Economic Assessment: Lawyers Gold & Silver Project (2022). JDS Energy & Mining.

For further information or investor relations inquiries, please contact:

Dave Burwell

Vice President Corporate Development

Email: daveb@thesisgold.com

Tel: 403-410-7907

Toll Free: 1-888-221-0915

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds from the Company's recently completed financings and the future plans or prospects of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to business, market, and economic risks, uncertainties, and contingencies that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Company's most recent annual management's discussion and analysis, which is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.com . The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207447

SOURCE: Thesis Gold Inc.
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LAUSANNE, Switzerland, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE: ADCT) today announced that it will host a conference call and live webcast on Monday, May 6, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. EDT to report financial results for the first quarter 2024 and provide updates on recent progress against key catalysts from the pipeline.



To access the conference call, please register here. Registrants will receive the dial-in number and unique PIN. It is recommended that you join 10 minutes before the event, though you may pre-register at any time. A live webcast of the call will be available under "Events and Presentations" in the Investors section of the ADC Therapeutics website at ir.adctherapeutics.com. The archived webcast will be available for 30 days following the call.

About ADC Therapeutics

ADC Therapeutics (NYSE: ADCT) is a commercial-stage global leader and pioneer in the field of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). The Company is advancing its proprietary ADC technology to transform the treatment paradigm for patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

ADC Therapeutics' CD19-directed ADC ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) received accelerated approval by the FDA and conditional approval from the European Commission for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy. ZYNLONTA is also in development in combination with other agents and in earlier lines of therapy. In addition to ZYNLONTA, ADC Therapeutics has multiple ADCs in ongoing clinical and preclinical development.

ADC Therapeutics is based in Lausanneand follow the Company on LinkedIn.

ZYNLONTA is a registered trademark of ADC Therapeutics SA.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "would", "expect", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "seem", "seek", "future", "continue", or "appear" or the negative of these terms or similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially from those described. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the Company's ability to achieve the decrease in total operating expenses for 2024 compared to 2022, the expected cash runway into 4Q 2025, the effectiveness of the new commercial go-to-market strategy, competition from new technologies, and the Company's ability to grow ZYNLONTA revenue in the United States; Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi) ability to successfully commercialize ZYNLONTA in the European Economic Area and market acceptance, adequate reimbursement coverage, and future revenue from the same; approval by the NMPA of the BLA for ZYNLONTA in China submitted by Overland ADCT BioPharma and future revenue from the same, our strategic partners', including Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, ability to obtain regulatory approval for ZYNLONTA in foreign jurisdictions, and the timing and amount of future revenue and payments to us from such partnerships; the impact, if any, from data reported by the University of Miami for their IIT in FL; the timing and results of the Company's or its partners' clinical trials including LOTIS 5 and 7, ADCT 601 and 602 as well as the Company's early-stage pipeline research projects, actions by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities with respect to the Company's products or product candidates; projected revenue and expenses; the Company's indebtedness, including Healthcare Royalty Management and Oaktree and Blue Owl facilities, and the restrictions imposed on the Company's activities by such indebtedness, the ability to repay such indebtedness and the significant cash required to service such indebtedness; and the Company's ability to obtain financial and other resources for its research, development, clinical, and commercial activities. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements is contained in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F and in the Company's other periodic reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, achievements or prospects to be materially different from any future results, performance, achievements or prospects expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this document. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release, except as required by law.

CONTACTS:

Investors and Media

Nicole Riley

ADC Therapeutics

Nicole.Riley@adctherapeutics.com

+1 862-926-9040
The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) selects Datamaran as its solution for data-driven ESG governance supporting the development of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS)

LONDON, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), Europe's advisory body on financial and sustainability reporting, has chosen Datamaran, the market leader in Smart ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) software, as its solution for ESG governance and workflow management to support its research informing the development of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).



Talking about the need for Datamaran, Patrick De Cambourg, the Chair of the EFRAG Sustainability Reporting Board, said: "EFRAG's mission is of crucial importance to make reliable and comparable disclosures on all material sustainability matters a reality, and ensure that financial disclosures and sustainability disclosures have the same level of quality and rigor. Relying on cutting-edge AI technology for analysing disclosures, double materiality assessments, and regulation tracking is necessary to ensure that our research and standard setting are based on objective evidence and a scalable and data-driven approach, and Datamaran is a highly valuable tool for our team in that regard."

Marjella Lecourt-Alma, CEO and co-founder of Datamaran, said: "We are excited to work with EFRAG and support them as they build the first-ever mandatory sustainability reporting standards. Over the past years, the scale and the scope of sustainability challenges have increased dramatically - this is true for corporate leaders, as well as regulators. Ten years ago, we started Datamaran to enable data-driven decision-making on sustainability, leveraging the latest AI technology - today this is a movement called Smart ESG. We are pleased to welcome EFRAG into our community as they adopt the Smart ESG way."

Under this new agreement, EFRAG's team will utilise the Datamaran platform for ongoing monitoring and analysis of corporate disclosures, to keep up-to-date with global developments in standards and regulations, as well as stay on top of ESG-related news from around the world. The platform will give the team valuable data-backed insights and summaries powered by generative AI to inform their work, and achieve their mission of serving the public interest in Europe in financial and sustainability reporting.

The Datamaran platform provides unparalleled evidence-backed insights into the global ESG landscape by aggregating and summarising data from thousands of sources, including regulators, policymakers, corporate reports, and news outlets on 100 ESG topics that break down into over 400 individual factors. With this increased level of visibility, the team at EFRAG will have an unhindered view of the ESG landscape.

As the developers of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) that are mandatory under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), EFRAG's work plays a critical role in driving ESG best practices to improve corporate sustainability outcomes in the region, reducing the environmental impact and creating benefits for society. The CSRD came into effect on January 1, 2024, and applies to more than 50,000 companies operating in the region, including 10,000 non-EU headquartered businesses.

In Q1-24, Datamaran launched a new Targets feature as well as enhancements to its double materiality module , providing market-leading, data-driven Smart ESG capabilities. Smart ESG software empowers companies with evidence-based, AI-powered workflow tools to prioritise ESG issues, bring expertise in-house, and monitor real-time issues to strengthen governance and inform C-Suite decision-making.

About EFRAG

EFRAG is a private association established in 2001 with the encouragement of the European Commission to serve the public interest. EFRAG extended its mission in 2022, following the new role assigned to EFRAG in the CSRD, providing Technical Advice to the European Commission in the form of fully prepared draft EU Sustainability Reporting Standards and/or draft amendments to these Standards. Its Member Organisations are European stakeholders, National Organisations and Civil Society Organisations. EFRAG's activities are organised in two pillars, a Financial Reporting Pillar: influencing the development of IFRS Standards from a European perspective and how they contribute to the efficiency of capital markets and providing endorsement advice on

About Datamaran

Datamaran empowers business leaders to confidently navigate the ever-changing ESG landscape with evidence-backed and AI-powered governance and workflow tools that enable them to focus on what matters most.

As the market leader in Smart ESG software, the world's most trusted brands, such as Bridgestone, Dell, Kraft Heinz, and PepsiCo, use Datamaran to identify and prioritise issues material to their operations, deepen their teams' ESG knowledge, monitor risks and opportunities in real-time, and authentically own their ESG strategy in-house.

https://www.datamaran.com/

Media Contact: Datamaran@tiltonconsultancy.com
(All dollar amounts expressed in US dollars unless otherwise noted)

Silver X Mining Corp. (TSXV:AGX)(OTCQB:AGXPF)(F:AGX) ("Silver X" or the "Company") is pleased to report its financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, for the Nueva Recuperada Project (the "Project") in Central Peru.

Q4 2023 Financial Highlights

Q4 2023 Cash costs of $18.22 per Silver Equivalent ("AgEq") ounce produced (1)(2) and All-In-Sustaining Cost ("AISC") (1)(2) of $24.96 per AgEq ounce produced, reflective of the sustaining capital expenditure invested in the development of the Tangana mining unit ($2.0 million adding $6.74 per AgEq ounce produced to the AISC).

and All-In-Sustaining Cost ("AISC") of $24.96 per AgEq ounce produced, reflective of the sustaining capital expenditure invested in the development of the Tangana mining unit ($2.0 million adding $6.74 per AgEq ounce produced to the AISC). Generated revenues of $4.3 million in Q4 2023, representing a 12 per cent increase when compared to $3.9 million of revenues in Q4 2022. This is reflective of the successful ramp up since the operational pause and upgrades during the third quarter of 2023.

Operating loss of $1.0 million in Q4 2023. Net loss before tax of $5.9 million in Q4 2023.

Jose Garcia, Silver X Mining's CEO, said, "I am excited to share the progress we have made in the last quarter of 2023 after a successful restart of our operations. As we look back to our Q4 2023 results, our cost reduction and initiatives at Nueva Recuperada are yielding good results. Despite the challenges we faced during 2023, our team has made. Tremendous effort in reconducting our operations successfully."

"We recently released our Q1 2024 production, with 363,795 oz AgEq processed, which sets a strong precedent for upcoming quarters. The momentum at Nueva Recuperada remains strong as we continue to progress towards our ambitious goal of processing 700 tonnes per day of good grades. Looking ahead, we anticipate that the positive trajectory observed in Q4 2023 and in Q1 2024 will persist throughout the second quarter and the remainder of the 2024 year. These developments affirm our commitment to driving growth and shareholder value creation," he added.

FY 2023 Financial Highlights

Generated revenues of $15.7 million for the year ended 2023 representing a 12 per cent increase when compared to 13.9 million of revenues in FY 2022.

Operating loss of $2.6 million in FY 2023. Net loss before tax of $10.8 million in FY 2023.

FY 2023 Cash costs of $19.94 per Silver Equivalent ("AgEq") ounce produced (1)(2) and All-In-Sustaining Cost ("AISC") (1)(2) of $28.48 per AgEq ounce produced, reflective of the sustaining capital expenditure invested in the development of the Tangana mining unit ($7.8 million adding $8.53 per AgEq ounce produced to the AISC).

Notes:

Cash costs per AgEq ounce produced and AISC per AgEq ounce produced are non-IFRS financial ratios. These are based on non- IFRS financial measures that do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers. Please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures" section of this news release for further information. AgEq ounce produced was calculated using the average sales prices of each metal for each month, and revenues from concentrate sales does not consider metallurgical recoveries in the calculations as the metal recoveries are built into the sales amounts.

Summary of Selected Financial Results

The information provided below are excerpts from the Company's unaudited interim Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A"), which can be found on the Company's website at www.silverxmining.com/investorreportor on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Note:

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA per share are non-IFRS ratios with no standardized meaning under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. For further information, including detailed reconciliations to the most directly comparable IFRS measures, see "Non-IFRS Measures" in this news release and the MD&A.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recorded:

Net loss before tax of $10.8M, compared to a net loss before tax of $17.5M in the year ended December 31, 2022.

EBITDA loss of $8.0M, compared to an EBITDA loss of $15.6M in the year ended December 31, 2022.

loss of $15.6M in the year ended December 31, 2022. Adjusted EBITDA loss of $3.6M, compared to an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $2.7M in the year ended December 31, 2022.

The increase in loss in the current year was primarily due to increased operating revenues from the sale of mineral production of $15.7M compared to $13.9M in the prior year (increase of $1.8M), offset by increase of cost of sales of $18.3M compared to $14.2M in the prior year (increase of $4.1M). In the current period, the Company also incurred an impairment of $4.4M on its Coriorcco & Las Antas property in Peru. In the comparative period, the Company incurred an impairment of $9.1M of goodwill, an impairment of $1.1M on its Julian Property in Ecuador and a loss on conversion of convertible debenture of $2.1M.

For the three months ended December 31, 2023, the Company recorded:

Net loss before tax of $5.9M, compared to a net loss before tax of $13.6M in the three months ended December 31, 2022.

EBITDA loss of $5.2M, compared to an EBITDA loss of $12.7M in the three months ended December 31, 2022.

loss of $12.7M in the three months ended December 31, 2022. Adjusted EBITDA loss of $1.1M, compared to an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $0.4M in the three months ended December 31, 2022.

The increase in loss in the current period was primarily due to increase in operating revenues from the sale of mineral production of $4.3M compared to $3.9M in the prior year (increase of $0.4M), offset by increase of cost of sales of $5.3M compared to $4.1M in the prior year (increase of $1.2M), resulting in a operating loss of $1.0M compared to an operating loss of $0.2M in the prior period. In the current period, the Company also incurred an impairment of $4.4M on its Coriorcco & Las Antas property in Peru. In the comparative period, the Company incurred an impairment of $9.1M of goodwill, an impairment of $1.1M on its Julian Property in Ecuador and a loss on conversion of convertible debenture of $2.1M.

Financial Position

The available cash during the period decreased by $0.5 million reflecting the net outflow from its continuing development of the Tangana mine unit, which saw higher development rates during the period. This was offset by the Company's non-brokered private placement of net proceeds of $1.8M completed during the year. The Company continues to actively manage the existing payables either through the cash flow generated from the operations and/or through other available sources of financing to further improve its working capital.

Operational Results

Notes:

Average Realized Price, production cost per tonne processed, AgEq sold, cash cost per AgEq ounce produced and AISC per AgEq ounce produced are non-IFRS ratios with no standardized meaning under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. For further information, including detailed reconciliations to the most directly comparable IFRS measures, see "Non-IFRS Measures" in this news release and the MD&A. AgEq ounces processed and produced were calculated based on all metals processed and produced using the average sales prices of each metal for each month during the period. Revenues from concentrate sales does not consider metallurgical recoveries in the calculations as the metal recoveries are built into the sales amounts. Average realized price corresponds to the average prices for each metal on the following month after delivery, used to calculate the final value of the concentrate delivered in a given month before any deductions.

Non-IFRS Measures

The Company has included certain non-IFRS financial measures and ratios in this news release, as discussed below. The Company believes that these measures, in addition to measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, provide investors an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company. The non-IFRS measures and ratios are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These financial measures and ratios do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers.

Cash Costs, All-In Sustaining Cost, EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA

The Company uses cash costs, cash cost per AgEq ounce produced, AISC, AISC per AgEq ounce produced, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to manage and evaluate its operating performance in addition to IFRS measure because the Company believes that conventional measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS do not fully illustrate the ability of its operations to generate cash flows. The Company understands that certain investors use these measures to determine the Company's ability to generate earnings and cash flows for use in investing and other activities. Management and certain investors also use this information to evaluate the Company's performance relative to peers who present this measure on a similar basis.

Cash costs is calculated by starting with cost of sales, and then adding treatment and refining charges, and changes in depreciation and amortization.

Total cash production costs include cost of sales, changes in concentrate inventory, changes in amortization, less transportation and other selling costs and royalties. Cash costs per AgEq ounce produced is calculated by dividing cash costs by the AgEq ounces produced.

AISC and AISC per AgEq ounce produced are calculated based on guidance published by the World Gold Council (and used as a standard of the Silver Institute). The Company presents AISC on the basis of AgEq ounces produced. AISC is calculated by taking the cash costs and adding sustaining costs. Sustaining costs are defined as capital expenditures and other expenditures that are necessary to maintain current production. Management has exercised judgment in making this determination.

The following table reconciles cash costs, cash costs per AgEq ounce, AISC and AISC per AgEq ounce produced to cost of sales, the most directly comparable IFRS measure:

Note:

For the year ended December 31, 2023, excludes $ 320K of evaluation costs related to the Revenues-Virginius Mine M&A project in Ouray County, Colorado.

During the period, the cash cost was increased with the increase of the level of tonnage of ore processed, which amounted to 34,299 tonnes for Q4 2023 and 125,877 tonnes for FY 2023 (33,392 tonnes in Q4 2022 and 96,721 tonnes in FY 2022). This resulted in higher production and sales volumes during the period.

The capital expenditure deployed in the development of the Tangana mining unit during the period was the main cost contributor to the AISC. The sustained investment within the mine development will enable the Company to access new production fronts and transition to higher head grades areas.

The following table reconciles the Net Loss to the EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA:

The following table shows the calculation of the cash costs and AISC per AgEq ounce produced:

Production Cost Per Tonne Processed

A reconciliation between production cost per tonne (excluding amortization and changes in inventories) and the cost of sales is provided below. Changes in inventories are excluded from the calculation of Production Cost per Tonne Processed. Changes in inventories reflect the net cost of concentrate inventory (i) sold during the current period but produced in a previous period or (ii) produced but not sold in the current period. The Company uses Production Cost Per Tonne Processed to evaluate its operating performance in addition to IFRS measure because Company believes that conventional measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS do not fully illustrate the ability of its operations to generate cash flows. Management and certain investors also use this information to evaluate the Company's performance relative to peers who present this measure on a similar basis.

Average Realized Price

Average realized price is a non-IFRS financial measure. The Company uses "average realized price per ounce of silver", "average realized price per ounce of gold", "average realized price per ounce of zinc" and "average realized price per ounce of lead" because it understands that in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors and analysts use this information to evaluate the Company's performance as compared with "average market prices" of metals for the period.

Average realized metal prices represent the sale price of the metal. Average realized price corresponds to the average prices for each metal on the following month after delivery, used to calculate the final value of the concentrate delivered in each month before any deductions:

Cautionary Note regarding Production without Mineral Reserves

The decision to commence production at the Nueva Recuperada Project and the Company's ongoing mining operations as referenced herein (the "Production Decision and Operations") are based on economic models prepared by the Company in conjunction with management's knowledge of the property and the existing estimate of measured, indicated and inferred mineral resources on the property. The Production Decision and Operations are not based on a preliminary economic assessment, a pre-feasibility study or a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. Accordingly, there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with the Production Decision and Operations, in particular: the risk that mineral grades will be lower than expected; the risk that additional construction or ongoing mining operations are more difficult or more expensive than expected; and production and economic variables may vary considerably, due to the absence of a current NI 43-101 compliant technical report that demonstrates economic and technical viability and allows classification of some measured and indicated resources to be classified as mineral reserves.

Refer to the Company's MD&A for more details of the financial results and for reconciliations of the Company's non- IFRS performance measures to the nearest IFRS measure. The full version of the unaudited interim financial statements and accompanying management discussion and analysis can be viewed on the Company's website at www.silverxmining.comand on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. All financial information is prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and all dollar amounts are expressed in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

Qualified Person

Mr. A. David Heyl, B.Sc., C.P.G who is a qualified person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release for Silver X. Mr. A. David Heyl is a consultant for Silver X.

About Silver X Mining Corp.

Silver X is a rapidly expanding silver developer and producer. The Company owns the 20,000-hectare Nueva Recuperada Silver District in Central Peru and produces silver, gold, lead, and zinc from the Tangana Mining Unit. Our mission is to be a premier silver company delivering outstanding value to all stakeholders and we aim to achieve this by consolidating and developing undervalued assets, creating value by adding resources and increasing production while aspiring to social and environmental excellence. For more information visit our website at www.silverxmining.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Jose M. Garcia President and CEO

For further information, please contact:

Sebastian Wahl

Vice President, Corporate Development T: +1 647 259 6901 x 101

E: s.wahl@silverxmining.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation ("forward-looking information"). Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain acts, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". All information contained in this press release, other than statements of current and historical fact, is forward looking information. Forward- looking information contained in this press release may include, without limitation, exploration plans, results of operations, expected performance at Recuperada Silver Project (the "Project"), the ability of the new zones at the Project to feed production at the Company's Nueva Recuperada Plant in the near term, the Company's belief that the Tangana system will provide considerable resource expansion potential, that the Company will be able to mine the Tangana Mining Unit in an economic manner, and the expected financial performance of the Company.

The following are some of the assumptions upon which forward-looking information is based: that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner; demand for, and stable or improving price for the commodities we produce; receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals, permits and renewals in a timely manner; that the Company will not experience any material accident, labour dispute or failure of plant or equipment or other material disruption in the Company's operations at the Project and Nueva Recuperada Plant; the availability of financing for operations and development; the Company's ability to procure equipment and operating supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis; that the estimates of the resources at the Project and the geological, operational and price assumptions on which these and the Company's operations are based are within reasonable bounds of accuracy (including with respect to size, grade and recovery); the Company's ability to attract and retain skilled personnel and directors; and the ability of management to execute strategic goals.

Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to those risks described in the Company's annual and interim MD&As and in its public documents filed on www.sedar.comfrom time to time. Forward- looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Silver X Mining Corp.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Psyched Wellness Ltd. (CSE: PSYC) (OTCQB: PSYCF) (FSE: 5U9) (the "Company" or "Psyched Wellness"), a life sciences company focused on the production and distribution of health and wellness products derived from the Amanita Muscaria mushroom, is pleased to announce that, further to its press releases dated May 30, 2023 (the "May 30 Release") and June 12, 2023 (the "June 12 Release"), September 1, 2023 (the "September 1 Release"), September 5, 2023, January 17, 2024 and April 19, 2024 (the "April 19 Release"), it has closed the final tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") effective April 30, 2024 (the "Tranche 2B Closing Date") for gross proceeds of US$2,500,000 ("Tranche 2B") upon satisfying the Tranche 2B closing conditions and receiving a closing notice. Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings attributed to them in the May 30 Release.

"Through the completion of Tranche 2B alongside Gotham and our newfound partnership with Justin and Douglas, we are embarking on an exciting chapter for our Company," said David Shisel, Chief Operating Officer of the Company.

Pursuant to Tranche 2B, the Company has issued 48,889,284 Units at a price of C$0.07 per Unit for gross proceeds of US$2,500,000, approximately C$3,422,250, based on an exchange rate of US$1.00 = C$1.3689 as at April 25, 2024, as published on the website of the Bank of Canada.

Each Unit consists of one (1) Common Share and one (1) Warrant. Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one (1) Additional Share at a price of C$0.10 per Additional Share at any time for a period of sixty (60) months from the date of issuance, exercisable on a cashless basis, subject to acceleration and compliance with the policies of the CSE, as further outlined in the May 30 Release.

All securities issued under Tranche 2B are subject to: (i) a four (4) month and one (1) day hold period from the date of issuance and (ii) applicable legends as required pursuant to the U.S. Securities Act. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for working capital and general corporate purposes.

In connection with closing Tranche 2B, pursuant to the Amended and Restated Investor Rights Agreement (as defined in the September 1 Release):

Gotham (as defined in the June 12 Release) is entitled to designate up to one (1) additional individual to become a member of the Board, replacing one existing member of the Board (who shall not be the First Nominee (as defined in the June 12 Release) or Second Nominee (as defined in the September 1 Release)), bringing the total Board representation of Gotham to three (3) members, and maintaining the board size at seven (7), provided that no more than three (3) Board members, at any time, will be employees or partners of the Investors (as defined in the June 12 Release) or their affiliates; and the Tranche 2B investors entered into lock-up agreements with the Company to refrain from selling any Units acquired in Tranche 2B (and any securities underlying such Units acquired in Tranche 2B) for a period of twelve (12) months following the Tranche 2B Closing Date.

Corporate Update

Further to April 19 Release and pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Transaction Documents (as defined in the April 19 Release), the Company has issued Zerkalo (as defined in the April 19 Release) an aggregate of 35,066,632 Advisory Warrants (as defined in the April 19 Release).

Each Advisory Warrant entitles Zerkalo to acquire one Common Share at a price of C$0.10 per Common Share at any time for a period of sixty months from the date of issuance, subject to certain vesting conditions. Subject to the Transaction Documents not being terminated prior to the applicable vesting date, 23,377,755 Advisory Warrants shall vest in quarterly installments over the span of ten quarters and the remaining 11,688,877 Advisory Warrants shall vest only upon the completion of the Product's (as defined in the April 19 Release) launch.

The Advisory Warrants and the Common Shares underlying their exercise are subject to: (i) a four (4) month and one (1) day hold period from the date of issuance and (ii) applicable legends as required pursuant to the U.S. Securities Act.

For further information, please contact:

Jeffrey Stevens

Chief Executive Officer

Psyched Wellness Ltd.

Tel: 647-400-8494

Email: jstevens@psyched-wellness.com

Website: http://www.psyched-wellness.com

About Psyched Wellness:

Psyched Wellness is a Canadian-based health supplements company dedicated to the distribution of mushroom-derived products and associated consumer packaged goods. The Company's objective is to create premium mushroom-derived products that have the potential to become a leading North American brand in the emerging functional food category. The Company is in the process of developing a line of Amanita muscaria-derived water-based extracts, teas and capsules designed to help with three health objectives: promote stress relief, relaxation and assist with restful sleeping.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the objectives, distribution, and development of the Company's business and products and future activities following the date hereof, including the distribution of mushroom-derived products and associated consumer packaged goods; the Company's objective to create premium mushroom-derived products that have the potential to become a leading North American brand in the emerging functional food category; the development of the Company's Amanita muscaria-derived water-based extracts products and the uses and potential benefits of Amanita Muscaria; the anticipated use of the proceeds from the Offering; and Gotham nominating an additional Board member.

Forward-looking information in this news release are based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: the Company carrying out its objectives, distribution, and the development of its business and products and future activities following the date hereof as intended; the Company creating premium mushroom-derived products that have the potential to become a leading North American brand in the emerging functional food category; the Company developing its Amanita muscaria-derived water-based extracts products and them having the uses and potential benefits of Amanita Muscaria; the Company's allocating the proceeds from the Offering as intended; the Zerkalo will complete its services and hit their milestones under the terms of the Transaction Documents; the Zerkalo partnership will not be terminated; and Gotham will nominate a third Board member.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the Company's inability to carry out its objectives, distribution, and/or the development of its business and products and future activities following the date hereof; the Company's inability to achieve its objective to create premium mushroom-derived products that have the potential to become a leading North American brand in the emerging functional food category; the Company's inability to develop its Amanita muscaria-derived water-based extracts products and/or the products not having the uses and/or potential benefits of Amanita Muscaria; the Company's inability to allocate the proceeds from the Offering as intended; risk that Zerkalo will be unable to complete its services and/or hit their milestones under the terms of the Transaction Documents; risk that the partnership will not have its intended impact on the Company, its business and/or its shareholders; risk that the partnership will be terminated; and risks associated with Gotham nominated a third Board member.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207441

SOURCE: Psyched Wellness Ltd.
Dueling groups of protesters clashed at the UCLA early Wednesday, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Ethan Swope/Associated Press

The overnight violence at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the UCLA campus early Wednesday morning elevated a growing fear that protests at UC Berkeley, Stanford and other Bay Area universities could give way to similar bloody brawls, with officials saying public safety would take precedence over free speech.

A group of masked pro-Israel counterprotesters attacked the UCLA encampment just before midnight, as pro-Palestinian demonstrators defended the camp with lumber, pepper spray and other objects, according to media reports. The skirmish, which included fistfights and fireworks, lasted a few hours, with Los Angeles police in riot gear arriving, hours after violence broke out, to assist campus police.

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It was the worst of several attacks on the encampment since it was erected last Thursday.

Hours earlier, University of California President Dr. Michael Drake announced that UCLA had declared that the encampment was unlawful and violates university policy. Protesters faced suspension or expulsion, officials said. On Wednesday evening, the university began ordering the protesters to disperse or face arrest but protesters stayed.

Violence between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counterprotesters erupted early Wednesday at UCLA. Dueling groups grappled in fistfights, shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. William Gude/The Associated Press

Drakes support of the UCLA declaration came with a warning to other campuses across the UC system.

The University of California must be as flexible as it can involving matters of free expression, including expression of viewpoints that some find deeply offensive, he said in a statement Tuesday. But when that expression blocks the ability of students to learn or to express their own viewpoints, when it meaningfully disrupts the functioning of the University, or when it threatens the safety of students, or anyone else, we must act.

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Across the Bay Area on Wednesday morning, all eyes were on UCLA as officials and encampments considered the impact of the violence.

At Stanford, first-year student Eman S., a spokesperson for the protesters, worried about a similar attack on a pro-Palestinian camp erected in White Plaza, where up to 40 people were sleeping at night in more than a dozen tents. She cautioned a journalist against divulging the exact number of tents for security reasons, and didnt want her last name used for safety reasons as well.

She had seen what happened at UCLA, saying that campus police there stood back while counterprotesters attacked the encampment.

If it were someone from the pro-Palestinian side doing that, I think the police would step in immediately, she said. They did nothing.

A person is carried away as counterdemonstrators confront a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA early Wednesday in Los Angeles. Violence erupted as protests sweep across college campuses in America. Ethan Swope/Associated Press

Gov. Gavin Newsom echoed Emans concerns, saying the limited and delayed response of campus police was unacceptable  and it demands answers.

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Students at the Stanford encampment said that a steady stream of outsiders show up at the plaza, some just to see it and others to provoke students.

Ive been called a terrorist a couple times already, said one student who would only identify herself as Adriana.

Stanford officials have declared the encampment in violation of university policies, including a ban on overnight camping and amplified sound. Students could be subject to discipline or arrest. No actions had yet been taken, however, to enforce the policies.

On Wednesday morning, Los Angeles officials woke up to the aftermath of a prestigious university in disarray.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the violence abhorrent and inexcusable.

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Helicopter footage shows violence between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counterprotesters early Wednesday at UCLA. ABC/The Associated Press

University officials canceled classes Wednesday due to the distress caused by the violence and urged the community to avoid Royce Quad, where the violence erupted.

The encampment was still standing Wednesday morning. Tensions remained heightened on and off campus, with some urging outsiders to help defend the encampment.

One thing you can do for us right now is to gather ski goggles, helmets, shields and respirators, urged the Peoples City Council  Los Angeles, an abolitionist, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist collective that counts 65,000 followers on X. Find as many as you can. Gather them all. Get them to UCLA right now or as early this morning as you can. Students will hold the line. We will not abandon the camp. We need you.

A person looks out as demonstrators clash at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA early on May 1. Dueling groups of protesters have clashed at the campus encampment. Ethan Swope/Associated Press

Groups of protesters scuffle at UCLA early Wednesday. Dueling groups clashed on the UCLA campus, resulting in violence. Validated UGC/Associated Press

So far, the encampments at Cal, S.F. State, Stanford and other local campuses remained this week, with no violent clashes, standing in sharp contrast to UCLA and New York City, where New York police arrested 300 people at Columbia University and City College.

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It was unclear whether local officials would increase security in the aftermath of the Southern California violence. Officials at UC Berkeley and Stanford University did not respond to requests for comment on the issue.

At UC Berkeley, before a large crowd of students began to gather near the encampment by early afternoon, the scene was quiet in the morning as students wandered past the tents set up in Sproul Plaza as they headed to class under bright blue skies.

Colby Anderson, a 28-year-old political science major walking by the 60 tents, said he supports the protest, especially the demand for the UC to divest from companies that support Israel.

As far as I know its been really peaceful, he said. I havent noticed any disturbances.

He doubted that the school would move aggressively to clear the tent village as long as it remained nonviolent, due to its proud history in the 60s as the home of the Free Speech Movement.

It is in the tradition the school itself likes to talk about, of free speech, he said. They very much like to lean on that as part of the schools legacy.

A pro-Palestinian protest at the UC Berkeley campus seen from inside the student encampment on Wednesday. Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle

Kaylee Morrison, 19, a freshman molecular cellular biology major, said she also supported both the message of the protesters and their right to camp out on campus.

Free speech  I think were really big on that here, she said.

Morrison was dismissive of the idea that Cals pro-Palestine protest could be the site of a confrontation with counterprotesters or violence like at UCLA.

I dont think it will happen here, she said. This is Berkeley.

Protests at San Francisco State also remained peaceful as of Wednesday morning.

We respect the rights of students to peacefully protest and will work to keep them and the entire campus community safe, university spokesperson Kent Bravo said in a statement.

He did not say whether the university had plans to beef up security.

The sprawling student encampment there had doubled in size since it cropped up Monday morning, with more than 60 tents, many of them staked with Palestinian flags, standing in Malcolm X Plaza, the universitys main quad.

A group sits for a poetry reading at an encampment in support of Palestine at San Francisco State University on Wednesday. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle

One demonstrator, a 27-year-old graduate student named Sprout, said they were galvanized to join the demonstration  and to camp on the quad  after following the news on the ground from various Palestinian reporters.

A canopy in the middle of the encampment was home to a team of volunteers who acted as medics and were equipped with numerous supplies, walkie-talkies and emergency plans should anything major occur, Sprout said.

A security team made up of students was also patrolling the encampment, said Sprout, who added that in some ways  for many of the students  being part of the encampment brought a kind of security they hadnt always felt on campus.

Students said they didnt expect violence but were prepared to face opposition.



We havent witnessed much tension  or any major counterprotests, said Jacob, a 20-year-old journalism student and member of the camps media liaison team.

Sprout said they were committed to the cause and planned to remain at the encampment to support Palestinians.

Id never seen a dead child before, but in the last six months, Ive seen more dead children than I can count, Sprout said. And if that doesnt move people, then I dont know that I want to be around people who are not moved by that.
OPTIONS 113 CLAIMS COVERING 24 SQUARE KILOMETRES

Kingston, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Delta Resources Limited (TSXV: DLTA) (OTC Pink: DTARF) (FSE: 6GO1) ("Delta" or "The Company") is pleased announce that it continues to further expand its land position at the Delta-1 property in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Delta has acquired the exclusive rights to acquire a 100% interest in the Laurie and Horne properties, adding to its Delta-1 property package. Together, the properties consist of 113 claim units covering approximately 24 square kilometres. The claims are contiguous with the Delta-1 property (see map below).

Figure 1: Map showing the location of the Sky Option relative to the Delta-1 Property.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8482/207503_figure1.jpg

Delta has reached an agreement with Sky Gold Corp ("Sky") whereby, Delta will assume agreements with a previous vendor to acquire a 100% interest in both properties. Upon signing of the agreement, Delta will issue 1,400,000 shares of the Company to Sky and pay the sum of $75,000. Sky will retain a 1% Net Smelter Return Royalty ("NSR"). Delta will have the option to buyback a 0.5% NSR at anytime for $1M and will have a right of first refusal on the second 0.5% NSR. 1,000,000 common shares are subject to a one-year transfer restriction and 400,000 shares are subject to a four month and one day hold period from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

Delta will also pay the original vendor the sum of $350,000 over a three (3) year period ($50,000, $100,000 and $200,000 respectively in years 1, 2 and 3) and incur a total of $1M in exploration expenditures over the same period. The terms are divided equally between both Laurie and Horne properties.

The agreement is subject to regulatory approval.

Delta now controls an area of 131 square-kilometres straddling the Shebandowan Structural Zone in the Shebandowan Greenstone Belt.

The Delta-1 property is located in the Shebandowan Greenstone Belt and covers a 19 kilometre strike extent of the Shebandowan Structural Zone, a gold-endowed, crustal-scale structure that hosts Delta's Eureka Gold Zone.

Qualified Persons

Andre C. Tessier, P.Eng, P.Geo. and CEO of Delta Resources Limited, is the Qualified Persons as defined by NI-43-101 and is responsible for the technical data in this release.

About Delta Resources Limited

Delta Resources Limited is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on growing shareholder value through the exploration of two very high-potential gold and base-metal projects in Canada.

DELTA-1 is Delta's flagship project, where the Company is building on a large gold inventory 50 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, Ontario, at surface and adjacent to the Trans-Canada highway. To date, the gold mineralization is defined over a strike length of 2.0 km, from surface to a vertical depth of 250 m. Highlights include drill intercepts such as 5.92 g/t Au over 31 m (incl. 14.8 g/t Au over 11.9 m), and 1.79 g/t Au over 128.5 m. The property covers 131 square kilometres and Delta has identified a 5 km long corridor of intense alteration and deformation at the property, on strike with the gold zone, that has yet to be thoroughly explored.

The DELTA-2 property covers 205 square kilometres in the prolific Chibougamau District of Quebec. The property holds excellent potential for gold-rich polymetallic VMS deposits as well as hydrothermal-gold deposits. Delta targets VMS deposits such as the LeMoine past producer where 0.76 Mt were mined between 1975 and 1983, grading 9.6% Zn, 4.2% Cu, 4.5 g/t Au and 84 g/t Ag.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DELTA RESOURCES LIMITED.

Andre Tessier

President and CEO

www.deltaresources.ca

We seek safe harbor. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The TSX Venture Exchange has not approved nor disapproved of the information contained herein.

For Further Information:

Delta Resources Limited

Andre C. Tessier, CEO and President

Tel: 613-328-1581

atessier@deltaresources.ca

or

Frank Candido, Chairman

Tel: 514-969-5530

fcandido@deltaresources.ca

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Some statements contained in this news release are "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases (including negative or grammatical variations) or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and involves risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual facts to differ materially. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by management. The forward-looking information contained in this press release constitutes management's current estimates, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered thereby. We expect that these estimates will change as new information is received. While we may elect to update these estimates at any time, we do not undertake to update any estimate at any particular time or in response to any particular event.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207503

SOURCE: Delta Resources Limited
LifeSphere Clarity drives efficiencies and reinvents the way Boehringer Ingelheim's pharmaceutical operations approach safety signals

BOSTON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ArisGlobal, a market leader in Life Sciences technology and the creator of LifeSphere, announced today that research-driven global pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim is adopting the transformative new functionality of LifeSphere Clarity.

LifeSphere Clarity picks up where traditional signal detection ends, providing access to knowledge graphs, association graphs, medical case clustering, and more advanced capabilities to drive better understanding the "why" of safety-relevant occurrences and more efficient and standardized risk management for patient safety and pharmacovigilance teams.

Boehringer Ingelheim's own patient safety teams created an on-premise advanced signal detection technology. ArisGlobal acquired the technology in 2023, and has continued to develop the product, most notably transitioning the offering to the cloud under the name LifeSphere Clarity. Today, LifeSphere Clarity adds value to ArisGlobal's established LifeSphere Signal & Risk Management solution by enabling healthcare organizations to assess the downstream impact of safety signals more effectively and drive significant efficiency gains, especially as adverse event data grows in size and complexity.

The roadmap for the LifeSphere Signals ecosystem is then set to build on this, including Proactive Signal Detection and harnessing real-world data (RWD), powered by LifeSphere NavaX - ArisGlobal's cognitive computing engine, paving the way for advanced AI and Generative AI (GenAI) functionality.

LifeSphere Clarity, which provides a powerful, flexible, and highly scalable cloud-based solution benefiting from intelligent automation, subscribing teams can:

Automate possible causal pathways for efficient serial case assessment during signal screening/validation;

Access intuitive data visualization tools and easily generate aggregate reports, surfacing reliable and fully traceable insights from data;

Identify signal noise, leading to both greater accuracy and efficiency in safety monitoring and risk-benefit evaluation.

Dr. Robert Buchberger, Sr. VP Patient Safety and Pharmacovigilance at Boehringer Ingelheim, said, "We are very proud of the original signals innovation, developed in-house at Boehringer Ingelheim. It is gratifying to note that this solution will now benefit the entire industry. The use of advanced technology and its inherent flexibility allows us to remain one step ahead in safety data analytics, satisfying a key part of our mission to transform lives for generations."

Ann-Marie Orange, CIO and Global Head of R&D at ArisGlobal, said: "A key tenet of our LifeSphere roadmap is to deploy the most advanced, proven technologies for the direct and tangible benefits of our clients, and ultimately patients. Working closely with Boehringer Ingelheim on Clarity's conception and harnessing the power of knowledge graphs through an optimized cloud solution within our LifeSphere ecosystem, has further enabled us to fulfil Safety teams' evolving needs as pressures on resources continue to intensify. Clarity, as with the wider LifeSphere portfolio, helps biopharma companies expedite critical R&D processes and deliver more for patients, through advanced, efficient risk management."

About Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim is working on breakthrough therapies that transform lives, today and for generations to come. As a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, the company creates value through innovation in areas of high unmet medical need. Founded in 1885 and family-owned ever since, Boehringer Ingelheim takes a long-term, sustainable perspective. More than 53,000 employees serve over 130 markets in the two business units, Human Pharma and Animal Health.

About ArisGlobal

ArisGlobal is the creator of LifeSphere, a market leader in global patient treatment technology solutions that is transforming the way today's most successful life sciences companies develop breakthroughs and bring new products to market. More than 500 global pharmaceutical and biotech companies (90% of the Top 10 pharma brands) actively use LifeSphere, ArisGlobal's open R&D and compliance platform today. Headquartered in the United States, ArisGlobal has regional offices in Europe, India, Japan, and China. For more updates, follow ArisGlobal on LinkedIn or via www.arisglobal.com.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/arisglobal-helps-boehringer-ingelheim-transform-safety-signal-processing-by-leveraging-latest-lifesphere-solutions-302132238.html
Female-specific results from first-of-its-kind clinical trial

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Teaching first graders takes a lot of energy. So when Julia Garcia started feeling worn out, teaching became extremely difficult.

"I got very tired and couldn't lift heavy things," she remembers. "I had dizzy spells and could barely walk. I thought 'my life is wreaking havoc on me.'"

Doctors struggled to pinpoint the problem, frustrating Julia and her husband Jose, both desperate for answers.

"Someone would diagnose one thing, then someone else would diagnose something else," Jose said. "I felt helpless. We didn't know which path to take."

Julia's case isn't unusual. Because when it comes to detecting and treating heart disease, the healthcare system often tilts in favor of men.1

"Heart disease is regularly undetected, misdiagnosed and undertreated in women. Part of the reason is that historically, clinical heart research mainly studied men. So detection, treatment and standards of care often favor men over women," said Dr. Roxana Mehran, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

In 2021, Dr. Mehran led an international commission studying gender inequities in heart health care. And in 2020, she became one of two principal investigators in the Medtronic SMART study.

"The SMART study finally gives us female-specific data that allows us to more effectively treat women with aortic stenosis (AS). It's a critical step forward in treating women with heart disease," said Dr. Mehran.

"Pivotal Moment"

The groundbreaking SMART clinical trial focused on women with AS, a potentially deadly heart condition. In patients with AS, the aortic heart valve thickens and narrows to the point that blood flow is severely restricted. Left untreated the condition can be fatal;2 treatment often requires replacement of the patient's aortic heart valve.3 While the study looked at both men and women with small annulus (heart valves), women typically have smaller heart valves than men, so nearly 90% of the patients in the study were women.

"It's a pivotal moment in women's health," said Nina Goodheart, senior vice president of the Structural Heart and Aortic Operating Unit at Medtronic. "For the first time, this trial gives physicians data from a head-to-head trial that tells them which transcatheter heart valve performs better, specifically in women with aortic stenosis. They've never had access to such female-specific data before."

The trial studied 716 patients at 83 sites in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia (EMEA), and the United States. It compared the performance of the Medtronic Evolut transcatheter aortic heart valve replacement (TAVR) system against the Edwards Sapien TAVR system, in patients with severe aortic stenosis and smaller heart valves. The groundbreaking findings, released on April 7, concluded that the Medtronic Evolut TAVR system performed better, particularly in terms of post-procedure hemodynamics (blood flow).

"We have to stop thinking that men and women are the same because they're not," added Goodheart. "A woman's physiology is different, so she may also present different symptoms. We urgently need to start addressing this underrepresentation of women in clinical trials. That's why the SMART study results are so important in the history of women's health."

In the case of Julia Garcia, who was not involved in the SMART study, cardiologists eventually determined that she too suffered from AS - her aortic valve was almost completely closed. Doctors recommended replacing her diseased valve with the Medtronic Evolut TAVR system. Cardiologist Dr. Jorge A. Alvarez of the Cardiology Clinic of San Antonio, TX, says they got to Julia in the nick of time. "Had her case gone undiagnosed much longer we may not be talking about the positive impact we had on her," he said.

"I wasn't afraid at all," Garcia said. "I was more afraid of what I had been going through. I knew I was in good hands. I felt better almost immediately after the surgery. I have a new life."

More needs to be done

Garcia's experience demonstrates not only the promise of heart valve replacement treatment, but also how much farther the healthcare system has yet to go in detecting and treating heart disease equally in men and women.

Even though heart disease is the number one killer of both sexes, many people don't know the symptoms of heart problems can be significantly different for women than men.4 Even doctors aren't always aware of the differences, and the reasons lie in the data. Research has found that female patients are included in less than 40 percent of clinical studies.5

"The SMART trial is an exciting starting point, but we have a lot more work to do to close the gender gap in medicine," Goodheart said. "This trial shows we can change the trajectory of medical care. Now we're going to need everyone - physicians, hospitals, governments, medical societies, insurers and companies - to work together and focus on re-shaping the future of medical treatment for women."

Learn more about Medtronic here.

Important Safety Information

TAVR risks may include, but are not limited to, death, stroke, damage to the arteries, bleeding, and the need for a permanent pacemaker.

See important safety information: https://bit.ly/43FqGf3

1 The Heart Disease Gender Gap: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-heart-disease-gender-gap

2 Ross J Jr, Braunwald E. Aortic stenosis. Circulation.?July 1968; 38(1 Suppl):61-67.)

3 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/aortic-stenosis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353145

4 https://give.brighamandwomens.org/7-differences-between-men-and-women/#:~:text=Men%20typically%20develop%20this%20plaque,to%20the%20accumulation%20of%20cholesterol.

5 https://newsroom.heart.org/news/women-still-underrepresented-in-clinical-research-science-and-medicine-that-could-save-them-from-their-no-1-killer

Julia Garcia, received Medtronic Evolut heart valve

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Medtronic on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Medtronic

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/medtronic

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Medtronic

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Woburn, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - SinglePoint Inc (CBOE: SING) ("SinglePoint" or "the Company") subsidiary Boston Solar, a proud partner of the Boston Red Sox and a leading provider of solar energy solutions, is pleased to announce the progression of its partnership with a Boston charter school, bringing sustainable energy solutions to the city of Boston. As the projects move from permitting to construction phase, Boston Solar is poised to deliver comprehensive engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services, underscoring its commitment to providing solar for all and driving positive change through renewable energy initiatives.





Boston Solar



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6548/207564_000a6bcf64040b22_001full.jpg

The solar sector continues to receive unprecedented funding and federal support. An additional $7 billion dollars has been announced last week by President Joe Biden. This funding is aimed to serve over 900,000 low to middle income homes. This signals another commitment to the long-term upside for the residential and small commercial sector a sector Boston Solar nearly exclusively serves.

The charter school initiative encompasses the installation of solar energy systems across two buildings, further cementing Boston Solar's dedication to advancing sustainable practices within educational institutions. The first building will feature a 69.84kW DC solar array, comprising a total of 144 Hanwha Q.CELL 485 solar panels. Additionally, the second building will host a 37.83kW DC system, incorporating 78 Hanwha Q.CELL 485 solar panels. Both systems will utilize SolarEdge inverters with Unirac racking, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency.

"We are very excited to partner with our local schools in their commitment to sustainability," said Michael Morlino, President of Boston Solar. "By leveraging our expertise in solar energy solutions, we aim to empower educational institutions with clean, renewable energy options while providing valuable learning opportunities for students about environmental stewardship."

The projects' transition from permitting to construction signifies a significant step forward in Boston Solar's mission to make solar energy accessible and affordable for all. As construction commences, Boston Solar remains dedicated to delivering high-quality, turnkey solutions that not only meet the energy needs of its clients but also contribute to a greener, more sustainable future for generations to come.

For more information about Boston Solar and its services, please visit www.bostonsolar.us.

About Boston Solar

Boston Solar is a subsidiary of SinglePoint Inc. (CBOE: SING) Since its founding in 2011, Boston Solar has installed more than 5,000 residential and commercial solar arrays, powering thousands of homes and businesses in New England, primarily in Massachusetts. The mission of Boston Solar is to provide superior clean energy products, exceptional customer service, and the highest-quality design in residential and commercial installations.

Boston Solar has accumulated several distinctions of recognition of the company's outstanding triumphs:

Honored with the 2020 Guildmaster Award from GuildQuality, the award acknowledged how Boston Solar demonstrated exceptional customer service within the residential construction industry.

Named a Top Solar Contractor by Solar Power World magazine for five consecutive years.

Applauded by the Boston Business Journal's "Largest Clean Energy Companies in Massachusetts" list.

Boston Solar is a Solar Energy Business Association of New England (SEBANE) member. www.bostonsolar.us

About SinglePoint Inc.

SinglePoint Inc. is a renewable energy and sustainable lifestyle company focused on providing environmentally friendly energy efficiencies and healthy living solutions. SinglePoint is initially focused on building the largest network of renewable energy solutions and modernizing the traditional solar and energy storage model. The Company is also actively exploring future growth opportunities in air purification, electric vehicle charging, solar as a subscription service, and additional energy efficiencies that enhance sustainability and a healthier life. For more information, visit the Company's website (www.singlepoint.com).

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential plans and objectives of the Company, the use of proceeds, anticipated growth and future expansion, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.

There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Technical complications, which may arise, could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The Company undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Media Contact:

Nicholas Andrade, Marketing Assistant.

info@bostonsolar.us

Investor Relations Contact:

SinglePoint Inc

investor@singlepoint.com

888-682-7464

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207564

SOURCE: Hawk Point Media Group.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Sitka Gold Corp. ("Sitka" or the "Company") (TSXV:SIG)(FSE:1RF)(OTCQB:SITKF) is pleased to announce the first drill hole DDRCCC-23-057 ("Hole 057") of the 2024 drill campaign has intersected significant gold results south of the current Blackjack Gold Deposit resource. Hole 57 was the first of two holes completed during the 2024 winter diamond drilling program at the Company's 386 square kilometre, road accessible RC Gold Project ("RC Gold" or the "Project") located in Yukon's Tombstone Gold Belt ("TGB"), approximately 100 kilometres east of Dawson City. (see Table 1). Hole 57 intersected 191.0 metres (m) grading 1.16 g/t gold including 11.0 m of 5.80 g/t gold within 89.0 m of 2.03 g/t gold confirming persistent gold mineralization continues 175 metres below and 45 metres to the southeast of DDRCCC-23-047 ("Hole 47"), which returned the best drill hole results to date with 219.0 m of 1.34 g/t gold, including 124.8 m of 2.01 g/t gold and 55.0 m of 3.11 g/t gold (see news release dated September 26, 2023).

DDRCCC-24-057 Highlights:

191.0 m of 1.16 g/t Au from 327. m including; 89.0 m of 2.03 m g/t Au from 419.0 m 11.0 m of 5.80 g/t from 459.0 m 2.0 m of 21.20 g/t from 468.0 m

from 327. m including;

"The results from Hole 57 are very significant as they confirm that the higher-grade gold mineralization discovered in Hole 47 last year continues a further 45 metres to the southeast and 175 metres to vertical depth and remains wide open", stated Cor Coe, Director and CEO of Sitka. "While hole 57, which was a fairly aggressive step out from our discovery at Hole 47, has successfully demonstrated the potential of this area to add significant, higher-grade tonnage to our growing gold resource, it also highlights the persistent gold mineralization being exhibited within the the metasediments, in addition to the intrusive rocks of this system. We believe that this will ultimately contribute to a very large gold endowment within the cluster of intrusive rocks and surrounding metasediments that make up the Clear Creek Intrusive Complex. Our 2024 diamond drilling program at RC Gold is off to a great start and we are eagerly awaiting the pending assay results for Hole 58."

Hole 057 was drilled to a length of 550.2 m and was a step-out to the west from hole DDRCCC-23-047 (see news release dated September 26, 2023) designed to test the southeastern extension of the well-mineralized quartz monzonite intrusion intersected in Hole 47. It intersected two broad zones of feldspar megacrystic quartz monzonite intrusion (49.9 - 160.9 m and 446.6 - 509.9 m; see Figure 5) within a large package of biotite schist, phyllite, and quartzite of the Late Proterozoic Yusezyu Formation (Hyland Group). A narrow lamprophyre dyke was intersected from 241.6 - 243.2 m along with abundant narrow (1-2 m) quartz monzonite dykes cross cutting throughout the Yusezyu Formation metasediments. Both intrusions were cut by abundant 1-2 cm sheeted quartz veins, quartz-arsenopyrite veins, and dominantly arsenopyrite veins with narrow cm scale sericite alteration halos.

The second hole of the program, DDRCCC-24-058 (Hole 58), was collared approximately 70 metres north of Hole 057 and drilled to a length of 535.9 m. Hole 58 has been logged and sampled and assays are currently pending.

Hole 57 was variously mineralized throughout almost its entire length, returning 505.0 m of 0.50 g/t gold from 13.0 to 518.0 m (see Table 1). Higher grade intervals within the hole included 191.0 m of 1.16 g/t gold; 89.0 m of 2.03 g/t gold and 11.0 m of 5.80 g/t gold. The highest grade interval was 2.0 m 21.2 g/t gold. Hole 57 has successfully extended the gold mineralization identified in Hole 047 a further 175 m to depth and 45 m to the southeast (Figures 1 and 2). Of particular significance, Hole 57 has returned the most consistent gold mineralization seen on the RC property to date hosted in strongly silicified and veined metasediments (Figures 4).

Hole 57 is the first hole to be completed of up to 15,000 metres of diamond drilling at RC Gold this year in proposed winter and summer diamond drilling campaigns. The key objectives of drilling this year will be to further expand and define targets within the well-endowed Clear Creek Intrusive Complex area, which currently hosts the Blackjack and Eiger gold deposits - both of which remain open in all directions - and the Saddle zone (see Figure 3). Additionally, the drilling aims to advance other high-priority drill-ready targets elsewhere on the district-scale, 386 square kilometre property.

Figure 1: Work map showing drill hole locations at the Blackjack gold deposit

Figure 2: Cross section of DDRCCC-24-057 showing simplified geology and the extent that mineralization has been extended to depth.

Figure 3: Plan map of the Northern Extent of the Clear Creek Intrusive Complex where several drill intervals and surface samples have demonstrated the high-grade nature of the Reduced Intrusion Related Gold System present. Yellow stars indicate where outcrop rock samples or drill hole intervals have returned >10 g/t gold. Several additional targets with the potential to host intrusion related gold deposits of significant size and grade have yet to be drilled within this approximately 3 km x 5 km area. The Saddle Zone target area remains largely untested by drilling and contains the largest and strongest gold-in-soil anomaly on the property.

Figure 4 Examples of drill core from DDRCCC-24-057 showing high grade gold mineralization in strongly altered, silicified and veined biotite schist and quartzite (metasediments).

Figure 5. Example of drill core from DDRCCC-24-057 showing high grade gold mineralization in strongly altered feldspar megacrystic, quartz monzonite.

Table 1- Assay highlights for DDRCCC-24-057

HoleID Azimuth () Dip () From (m) To (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) DDRCCC-24-057 060 -060 13.0 518.0 505.0 0.50 including 327.0 518.0 191.0 1.16 including 419.0 508.0 89.0 2.03 including 419.0 432.0 13.0 2.77 including 453.4 508.0 54.6 2.54 including 459.0 470.0 11.0 5.80 including 466.0 470.0 4.0 12.27 including 468.0 470.0 2.0 21.20

*Intervals are drilled core length, as insufficient drilling has been completed at this time to determine true widths

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

On receipt from the drill site, the HTW/NTW-sized drill core was systematically logged for geological attributes, photographed and sampled at Sitka's core logging facility. Sample lengths as small as 0.3 m were used to isolate features of interest, otherwise a default 2 m downhole sample length was used. Each sample is identified by a unique sample tag number which is placed in the bag containing the core to be assayed. Core was cut in half lengthwise along a predetermined line, with one-half (same half, consistently) collected for analysis and one-half stored as a record. Standard reference materials, blanks and duplicate samples were inserted by Sitka personnel at regular intervals into the sample stream. Bagged samples were placed in secure bins to ensure integrity during transport. The samples were delivered by Sitka personnel or a contract expeditor to ALS Laboratories' preparatory facility in Whitehorse, Yukon, with analyses completed in North Vancouver.

ALS is accredited to ISO 17025:2005 UKAS ref. 4028 for its laboratory analysis. Samples were crushed by ALS to over 70 per cent passing below two millimetres and split using a riffle splitter. One-thousand-gram splits were pulverized to over 85 per cent passing below 75 microns. Gold determinations are by fire assay with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) finish on 50 g subsamples of the prepared pulp (ALS code: Au-ICP-22). Any sample returning over 10 g/t Au was re-analyzed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish on a 50 g subsample (ALS code: Au-GRA21). In addition, a 51-element analysis was performed on a 0.5 g subsample of the prepared pulps by an aqua regia digestion followed by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) finish (ALS code: ME-MS41).

About the flagship RC Gold Project

The RC Gold Project consists of a 386 square kilometre contiguous district-scale land package located in the heart of Yukon's Tombstone Gold Belt. The project is located approximately 100 kilometres east of Dawson City, which has a 5,000 foot paved runway, and is accessed via a secondary gravel road from the Klondike Highway which is usable year-round and is an approximate 2 hour drive from Dawson. It is the largest consolidated land package strategically positioned mid-way between Victoria Gold's Eagle Gold Mine - Yukon's newest gold mine which reached commercial production in the summer of 2020 - and Victoria Gold's former producing Brewery Creek Gold Mine.

On January 19, 2023 Sitka Gold announced an Initial Mineral Resource Estimate prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") guidelines for the RC Gold Property of 1,340,000 ounces of gold(1). The road accessible, pit constrained Mineral Resource is classified as inferred and is contained in two zones: The Blackjack and Eiger deposits. Both of these deposits are at/near surface, are potentially open pit minable and amenable to heap leaching, with initial bottle roll tests indicating that the gold is not refractory and has high gold recoveries of up to 94% with minimal NaCN consumption (see News Release July 13, 2022). The Mineral Resource estimate is presented in the following table at a base case cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t Au:

Gold Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate

Notes

1. Mineral resource estimate prepared by Ronald G. Simpson of GeoSim Services Inc. with an effective date of January 19, 2023. Mineral Resources are classified using the 2014 CIM Definition Standards.

2. The cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t Au is believed to provide a reasonable margin over operating and sustaining costs for open-pit mining and processing

3. Mineral resources are constrained by an optimised pit shell using the following assumptions: US$1800/oz Au price; a 45 pit slope; assumed metallurgical recovery of 85%; mining costs of US$2.00 per tonne; processing costs of US$8.00 per tonne; G&A of US$1.50/t.

4. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

5. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

To date, 56 diamond drill holes have been drilled into this system for a total of approximately 19,962 metres including 16 drill holes totalling 6,515 metres completed in 2023 focused on expanding the initial resource. The drilling in 2023 produced results of up to 219.0 m of 1.34 g/t gold including 124.8 m of 2.01 g/t gold and 55.0 m of 3.11 g/t gold in drill hole DDRCCC-23-047 at Blackjack (see news release dated September 26, 2023). The Company recently completed two drill holes totalling 1,085 metres during the winter phase of a planned 15,000 metre diamond drilling program at the RC Gold Project for 2024. All core samples for these drill holes have been delivered to the lab and assays are currently pending.

*For more detailed information on the underlying properties please visit our website at www.sitkagoldcorp.com

RC Gold Deposit Model

Exploration on the Property has mainly focused on identifying an intrusion-related gold system ("IRGS"). The property is within the Tombstone Gold Belt which is the prominent host to IRGS deposits within the Tintina Gold Province in Yukon and Alaska. Notable deposits from the belt include: Fort Knox Mine in Alaska with current Proven and Probable Reserves of 230 million tonnes at 0.3 g/t Au (2.471 million ounces; Sims 2018)(1); Eagle Gold Mine with current Measured and Indicated Resources of 233 million tonnes at a grade of 0.57 g/t Au at the Eagle Main Zone (4.303 million ounces; Harvey et al, 2022)(2); the Brewery Creek deposit with current Indicated Mineral Resource of 22.2 million tonnes at a gold grade of 1.11 g/t (0.789 million ounces; Hulse et al. 2020)(3); the Florin Gold deposit, located adjacent to Sitka's RC Gold project, with a current Inferred Mineral Resource of 170.99 million tonnes grading 0.45 g/t (2.47 million ounces; Simpson 2021)(4) and the AurMac Project with an Inferred Mineral Resource of 347.49 million tonnes grading 0.63 gram per tonne gold (7.00 million ounces)(5).

Sims J. Fort Knox Mine Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, USA National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report. June 11, 2018. https://s2.q4cdn.com/496390694/files/doc_downloads/2018/Fort-Knox-June-2018-Technical-Report.pdf Harvey N., Gray P., Winterton J., Jutras M., Levy M.,Technical Report for the Eagle Gold Mine, Yukon Territory, Canada. Victoria Gold Corp. December 31, 2022. https://vgcx.com/site/assets/files/6534/vgcx_-_2023_eagle_mine_technical_report_final.pdf Hulse D, Emanuel C, Cook C. NI 43-101 Technical Report on Mineral Resources. Gustavson Associates. May 31, 2020. https://minedocs.com/22/Brewery-Creek-PEA-01182022.pdf Simpson R. Florin Gold Project NI 43-101 Technical Report. Geosim Services Inc. April 21, 2021. https://sedar.com/GetFile.do?lang=EN&docClass=24&issuerNo=00005795&issuerType=03&projectNo=03236138&docI d=4984158 Banyan Gold News Release Dated February 7, 2023 (Technical Report to be filed within 45 days of news release) https://banyangold.com/news-releases/2024/banyan-announces-7-million-ounce-gold-updated-mineral-resource-estimate-aurmac-project-yukon-canada/

Upcoming Events

Sitka Gold will be attending and/or presenting at the following events*:

121 Mining Investment Conference, London, England: May 15 - 16, 2024

Yukon Mining Alliance Property Tours, Dawson City, Yukon: June 20 - 26, 2024

Takestock Investor Forum, Stampede Event, Calgary, Alberta: July 3, 2024

Precious Metals Summit, Beaver Creek, Colorado: September 10 - 13, 2-024

*All events are subject to change.

About Sitka Gold Corp.

Sitka Gold Corp. is a well-funded mineral exploration company headquartered in Canada. The Company is managed by a team of experienced industry professionals and is focused on exploring for economically viable mineral deposits with its primary emphasis on gold, silver and copper mineral properties of merit. Sitka currently has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the RC, Barney Ridge, Clear Creek and OGI properties in the Yukon and the Burro Creek Gold property in Arizona. Sitka owns a 100% interest in its Alpha Gold property in Nevada, its Mahtin Gold property in the Yukon and its Coppermine River project in Nunavut.

The Company recently announced an NI 43-101 compliant initial inferred Mineral Resource Estimate of 1,340,000 ounces of gold(1) beginning at surface and grading 0.68 g/t at its RC Gold Project in Yukon (see news release dated January 19, 2023). A total of approximately 7,585 metres of additional diamond drilling within 18 drill holes has been completed at RC Gold since the announcement of the Mineral Resource Estimate.

Simpson, R. January 19, 2023. Clear Creek Property, RC Gold Project, NI 43-101 Technical Report, Dawson Mining District, Yukon Territory

The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Cor Coe, P.Geo., Director and CEO of the Company, and a Qualified Person (QP) as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

SITKA GOLD CORP.

"Donald Penner"

President and Director

For more information contact:

Donald Penner

President & Director

778-212-1950

dpenner@sitkagoldcorp.com

or

Cor Coe

CEO & Director

604-817-4753

ccoe@sitkagoldcorp.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements

This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things, the use of the proceeds raised under the Offering and the Company's anticipated work programs.

In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that the Company will complete its anticipated work programs and use the proceeds of the Offering as currently anticipated.

These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, market uncertainty, the results of the Company's anticipated work programs and that the Company will not use the proceeds of the Offering as currently anticipated.

Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.

SOURCE: Sitka Gold Corp

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Saturn Oil & Gas Inc. (TSX: SOIL) (FSE: SMKA) (OTCQX: OILSF) ("Saturn" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the initial production results for its most recently drilled nine gross (9.0 net) wells, including the Company's first development of the Brazeau field in Central Alberta for Cardium light oil and natural gas. In addition, Saturn continued its successful development of conventional horizontal wells in Southeast Saskatchewan, with outstanding average initial production rates.

The following table summarizes Saturn's Q1 2024 drilling results:

Area of Development Avg. IP30 per Location

(boe/d) Guidance

Type Curve

(boe/d) Performance vs. Type Curve

(%) Avg. Capital Invested per Well

($MM) Capital Efficiency

($ per boe/d) SE Sask - Mississippian, Spearfish (5) 105 79 +33 1.18 11,240 Central Alberta - Cardium (4) 710 552 +29 4.51 6,350 Avg. Q1 2024 Wells (9) 374 289 +29 2.66 7,110

Total capital costs for drilling, completion, equip and tie-in of the nine wells brought onto production in Q1 2024 was $23.9 million, which is approximately 5% below budgeted expenditures.

Central Alberta Drilling Update

During the first quarter the Company completed four gross (4.0 net) horizontal wells targeting Cardium light oil in the Brazeau area with an average initial 30-day ("IP30") average production per well of approximately 710 boe/d (50% light oil and NGLs), representing our best Cardium development wells to date. The standout well of the group was the Brazeau 100/03-17-045-11W5 well, and is the Company's best performing well drilled since inception, with an IP30 rate of 723 boe/d (50% light oil and NGLs). Saturn has 121 gross (101 net) de-risked additional booked and unbooked horizontal drilling locations in the Brazeau area of Central Alberta.

Southeast Saskatchewan Drilling Update

Saturn completed five gross (5.0 net) conventional horizontal wells with three Mississippian aged Frobisher and Tilston zone targets and two Spearfish zone targets in the first quarter of 2024, exceeding expected type curve IP30 average production rates by 33%. The highlight of the group was the Glen Ewen 101/03-01-004-02W2 ("Glen Ewen 03-01") Frobisher well which had IP30 production of 195.6 boe/d, with 95% light oil, which de-risks up to three gross (3.0 net) new drilling locations in the area. In 2023 Saturn field shot, processed and interpreted its first proprietary 3D seismic data in Southeast Saskatchewan which helped identify the Wier Hill 103/14-18-006-04W2 ("Wier Hill 14-18") location. Weir Hill 14-18 was drilled as a dual lateral well, had an IP30 rate of 154.4 bbl/d of 100% light oil, and its success yielded up to three gross (3.0 net) new development locations in the area. Saturn has 429 gross (381 net) additional booked and unbooked conventional drilling locations in Southeast Saskatchewan.

Outlook

Saturn has followed up its success in previous years drilling in Southeast Saskatchewan to enhance its IP30 initial production rates and overall return on invested capital. Saturn has recently finished drilling one gross (1.0 net) Open Hole Multi-Lateral ("OHML") well in the Viewfield area of Southeast Saskatchewan with eight horizontal legs of up to two miles each. The OHML well is expected to be put onto production in May 2024.

Corporate production for April 2024, based on field estimates, is approximately 28,000 boe/d (77% light oil and NGLs).

The Company plans to release its first quarter financial results on or about May 14, 2024. Saturn will host a webcast at 10:00 AM MDT (12:00 PM Noon EDT) on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, to review the first quarter 2024 financial results and provide additional colour on the Company's operational highlights.

Participants can access the live webcast via https://saturnoil.com/quarterly-results-webcast-registration/. A recorded archive of the webcast will be available afterwards on the Company's website.

About Saturn Oil & Gas Inc.

Saturn Oil & Gas Inc. is a growing Canadian energy company focused on generating positive shareholder returns through the continued responsible development of high-quality, light oil weighted assets, supported by an acquisition strategy that targets highly accretive, complementary opportunities. Saturn has assembled an attractive portfolio of free-cash flowing, low-decline operated assets in Southeastern Saskatchewan, West Central Saskatchewan and Central Alberta that provide a deep inventory of long-term economic drilling opportunities across multiple zones. With an unwavering commitment to building an ESG-focused culture, Saturn's goal is to increase reserves, production and cash flows at an attractive return on invested capital.

Saturn's shares are listed for trading on the TSX under ticker 'SOIL' on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under symbol 'SMKA' and on the OTCQX under the ticker 'OILSF'.

Further information and a corporate presentation are available on Saturn's website at www.saturnoil.com .

Saturn Oil & Gas Investor & Media Contacts:

John Jeffrey, MBA - Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +1 (587) 392-7900

www.saturnoil.com

Kevin Smith, MBA - VP Corporate Development

Tel: +1 (587) 392-7900

info@saturnoil.com

READER ADVISORY

BOE PRESENTATION

Boe means barrel of oil equivalent. All boe conversions in this news release are derived by converting gas to oil at the ratio of six thousand cubic feet ("Mcf") of natural gas to one barrel ("Bbl") of oil. Boe may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A Boe conversion rate of 1 Bbl: 6 Mcf is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Given that the value ratio of oil compared to natural gas based on currently prevailing prices is significantly different than the energy equivalency ratio of 1 Bbl: 6 Mcf, utilizing a conversion ratio of 1 Bbl: 6 Mcf may be misleading as an indication of value.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements typically contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "intend", "estimate", "propose", "project", "scheduled", "will" or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking statements in this press release may include, but is not limited to, the drilling of development wells and the business plan, timing of putting wells on production, the operational and capital guidance of the Company and the breakdown thereof, cost model and strategy of the Company.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Saturn, including expectations and assumptions concerning: the timing of and success of future drilling, development and completion activities, type curve expectations, the performance of existing wells, the performance of new wells, the availability and performance of facilities and pipelines, and the availability of capital, labour and services. In addition, assumptions have been made regarding and are implicit in, among other things, our capital expenditure and drilling programs, drilling inventory and booked locations, production and revenue guidance and future growth and development plans. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which have been used.

Although Saturn believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Saturn can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; the uncertainty of reserve estimates; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks), constraints in the availability of services, commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations, actions of OPEC and OPEC+ members, changes in legislation impacting the oil and gas industry, adverse weather or break-up conditions and uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures. These and other risks are set out in more detail in Saturn's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2023.

All dollar figures included herein are presented in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise noted.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207552

SOURCE: Saturn Oil & Gas Inc.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - PharmaDrug Inc. (CSE: PHRX) (OTC Pink: LMLLF) ("PharmaDrug" or the "Company"), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of controlled-substances and natural medicines such as psychedelics and previously approved drugs, is pleased to announce that Sairiyo Therapeutics Inc. ("Sairiyo"), a company that is fifty-one percent (51%) owned by PharmaDrug and fourty-nine percent (49%) owned by PharmaTher Holdings Ltd. (CSE: PHRM) (OTCQB: PHRRF) ("PharmaTher"), has completed its clinical and regulatory package to evaluate Sairiyo's patented reformulated enteric coated version of orally bioavailable cepharanthine ("PD-001") as a potential treatment for infectious diseases and oncology in a Phase1 clinical study in Australia.



Robert Steen, CEO and Chairman of PharmaDrug commented, "We are extremely excited to reach this milestone in the development of PD-001. With the application package now completed and the corporate subsidiary already set up in Australia, Sairiyo only needs to finalize its agreement with a research hospital in order to submit the application to the relevant regulatory bodies and ethics committees."



Sairiyo's wholly-owned subsidiary in Australia, Sairiyo Therapeutics Australia Pty Ltd., will work with an Australian clinical research unit to submit the clinical and regulatory package to the Australian Human Research Ethics Committee for approval to conduct the human clinical study.

In pursuit of its clinical strategy for PD-001, Sairiyo aims to conduct its first-in-human clinical study of PD-001 in Australia to capitalize on drug development incentives in Australia, which could earn a 43.5 percent rebate from the Australian Federal Government's Research and Development tax incentive program. Upon completion of the clinical study, Sairiyo intends to submit an Investigational New Drug application for PD-001 to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commence clinical trials in the United States.

About PD-001 (Enteric-coated Oral Cepharanthine)



Cepharanthine is a natural product and an approved drug used for more than 70 years in Japan to successfully treat a variety of acute and chronic diseases. In clinical research, cepharanthine has been shown to exhibit multiple pharmacological properties including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, immuno-regulatory, anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-parasitic effects1,2. However, historically cepharanthine's low oral bioavailability has represented a major obstacle to realizing its full clinical potential.

Compared to generic cepharanthine, PD-001 has been shown in rodent and non-rodent models to possess markedly improved oral bioavailability (more easily absorbed). These findings support the development of an orally administered formulation, and in so doing, removes the undesirable requirement for frequent intravenous dosing to maintain therapeutic levels of drug in circulation. Sairiyo endeavours to develop an efficacious oral therapeutic to potentially improve outcomes for infectious disease and oncology applications.

PD-001 is protected by US Patent US10576077, with a patent expiration date of March 23, 2036.

About PharmaDrug Inc.

PharmaDrug is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of controlled-substances and natural medicines such as psychedelics and previously approved drugs. PharmaDrug owns 51% of Sairiyo Therapeutics ("Sairiyo"), a biotech company that specializes in researching and reformulating established natural medicines with a goal of bringing them through clinical trials and the associated regulatory approval process in the US and Europe. Sairiyo is currently developing its patented reformulation of cepharanthine, a drug that has shown substantial third party validated potential for the treatment of infectious disease and rare cancers. Sairiyo is also conducting R&D in the psychedelics space for the treatment of non-neuropsychiatric conditions. PharmaDrug also owns 100% of SecureDose Synthetics Inc. ("SecureDose"), a pharmaceutical research and development company focused on the development of synthetic formulations of currently existing drugs for potential commercialization and distribution.

For further information, please contact:

Robert J. Steen, Chairman and CEO

rob@pharmadrug.ca

(416) 400-7086

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information:

THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED NOR DOES IT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results of the Company. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate to the integration of the SecureDose business, the ability achieve the anticipated benefits of the Transaction and the development of the Company's business. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements.

Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; general capital market conditions and market prices for securities; the actual results of the Company's future operations; competition; changes in legislation affecting the Company; the ability to obtain and maintain required permits and approvals, the timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals..

A description of additional risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in the Company's disclosure documents on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

The Company's securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulations under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. However, the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law.

References:

Saito T, Hikita M, Kohno K, Tanimura H, Miyahara M, Kobayashi M. Enhanced expression of the multidrug resistance gene in vindesine-resistant human esophageal cancer cells. Oncology. 1994 Sep-Oct;51(5):440-5. doi: 10.1159/000227380. PMID: 8052486. Zhou P, Zhang R, Wang Y, Xu D, Zhang L, Qin J, Su G, Feng Y, Chen H, You S, Rui W, Liu H, Chen S, Chen H, Wang Y. Cepharanthine hydrochloride reverses the mdr1 (P-glycoprotein)-mediated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell cisplatin resistance through JNK and p53 signals. Oncotarget. 2017 Nov 27;8(67):111144-111160. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.22676. Erratum in: Oncotarget. 2021 Jan 05;12(1):61-62. PMID: 29340044; PMCID: PMC5762312.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207582

SOURCE: PharmaDrug Inc.
NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Li-Metal Corp. (CSE:LIM)(OTCQB:LIMFF)(FSE:5ZO) ("Li-Metal" or the "Company"), a developer of lithium metal anode and lithium metal production technologies critical for next-generation batteries, is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced private placement of units of the Company for aggregate gross proceeds of US$750,000.

Proceeds from this financing will to be used to accelerate the commercialization of Li-Metal's anode technology, and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The full details of the financing are contained in the Company's press release dated April 19, 2024 which can be found on the Company's website at www.li-metal.com or at its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

About Li-Metal Corp.

Li-Metal is a Canadian-based vertically integrated battery materials company and innovator commercializing technologies to enable next-generation batteries for electric vehicles and other applications. We believe our patented lithium metal technology, next-generation battery anode technology and production methods are significantly more sustainable than existing solutions and offer lighter, more energy-dense and safer batteries. Li-Metal's battery materials support battery developers' ability to power more cost-effective electric vehicles that go farther and unlock the future of transportation. For more information, visit: www.li-metal.com.

Li-Metal Investor Contact:

Srini Godavarthy

ir@li-metal.com

Tel: +1 647 494 4887

SOURCE: Li-Metal Corp.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Strategic alliance will allow for employers to seamlessly pay employees and contractors in 100 currencies across more than 190 countries

TORONTO, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Borderless AI , a leading Employer of Record (EOR) services provider, announced its strategic partnership with Nium , the global leader in real-time, cross-border payments, aiming to revolutionize cross-border payments in the EOR industry. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in enhancing efficiency, transparency, and speed in global employment and payroll solutions.

The traditional EOR process often faces delays and inefficiencies in cross-border payments, leading to administrative bottlenecks and hindered business operations. With Nium's cutting-edge technology integration, Borderless AI is able to streamline operations, offering faster, more efficient, and secure payment solutions. This enables organizations to confidently navigate international complexities, seamlessly pay employees and contractors, and manage remote teams more efficiently.

Nium's advanced payment infrastructure and global network facilitate seamless fund transfers across borders, eliminating intermediaries and significantly reducing transaction times. Borderless AI can now provide clients with instant transfer of funds through Nium's platform, enabling efficient management of payroll, taxes, expenses, and financial obligations across more than 190 countries.

"Our collaboration with Nium represents a significant leap in delivering multi-country payroll and unmatched value to our customers," said Willson Cross, CEO of Borderless AI. "By leveraging Nium's innovative technology, we empower businesses to efficiently manage their global workforce while ensuring timely and secure cross-border payments."

Some benefits derived by organizations like Affiniti Finance and MG2 Corporation include:

Faster and more affordable cross-border payments.

Worldwide access to 190+ countries and 100 currencies, with funds available real-time in 100 markets.

Helps scale globally in a compliant manner, by adhering to local regulations and maintaining robust security measures.

"Borderless AI is contributing to the changing Employer of Record industry and we are excited to be a part of their journey," said Prajit Nanu, CEO and Co-founder of Nium. "By integrating our real-time cross-border payment solutions with Borderless AI's EOR expertise, we empower businesses to transcend geographical barriers and unlock new opportunities for growth."

In conjunction with this partnership and to strengthen its industry expertise, Borderless AI is officially announcing the addition of Rajesh Venkatesh as Chief Payments Officer and Umesh Maini as Chief Product Officer to its executive team. Both leaders bring invaluable experience from the global payments space. Venkatesh previously served as Chief Product Officer at Nium and worked as a payments executive for a combined 15 years at PayPal and eBay. Maini previously served as Chief Product Officer at Buckzy - a cross-border payments network and embedded finance platform - and has worked as a payments executive at Western Union and TD Bank.

This strategic alliance underscores Borderless AI and Nium's shared commitment to innovation and excellence in global employment solutions, paving the way for businesses to navigate cross-border operations efficiently and unlock new growth possibilities. For more information, visit us here .

About Borderless AI:

Borderless AI is a global payroll solution that leverages the power of generative AI to automate and speed up the process of onboarding, managing, and paying international team members. With Borderless AI, businesses can compliantly hire and manage talent worldwide without establishing a foreign entity while alleviating the complexities and risks associated with hiring global employees. With a focus on innovation and customer service, Borderless AI developed Alberni, the world's first AI agent for global HR. Alberni uses conversational AI to simplify global employment tasks from contract creation to expense management. The company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and has raised $27 million in seed funding to date, backed by Susquehanna and Aglae Ventures .

About Nium:

Nium, the leader in real-time, cross-border payments, was founded on the mission to deliver the global payments infrastructure of tomorrow, today. With the onset of the global economy, its payments infrastructure is shaping how banks, fintechs, and businesses everywhere collect, convert, and disburse funds instantly across borders. Its payout network supports 100 currencies and spans 190+ countries, 100 of which in real-time. Funds can be disbursed to accounts, wallets, and cards and collected locally in 35 markets. Nium's growing card issuance business is already available in 34 countries. Nium holds regulatory licenses and authorisations in more than 40 countries, enabling seamless onboarding, rapid integration, and compliance - independent of geography. The company is co-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore.

Media Contact

Inkhouse for Borderless AI

BorderlessAI@Inkhouse.com

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Federal authorities are investigating an E. coli outbreak that has affected at least a dozen people in California and Washington, believed to be linked to organic walnuts sold in food co-ops or natural food stores. Michael Short/Special to the Chronicle

Federal authorities are investigating an E. coli outbreak that has affected at least a dozen people in California and Washington, believed to be linked to organic walnuts sold in food co-ops or natural food stores.

To date, seven hospitalizations and two instances of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a severe kidney condition, have been reported, according to according to a bulletin from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been no known deaths.

Most of these infections were traced back to organic walnut halves and pieces supplied by Gibson Farms in Hollister, which has issued a voluntary recall for the nuts. The recalled products have expiration dates from May 21, 2025, to June 7, 2025, and the lot codes 3325-043 and 3341-501.

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The walnuts were distributed across 19 states and may have been repackaged in plastic clamshells or bags. The Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether additional products or states may be affected.

A list of retail establishments that received the walnuts is available on the FDA website, including several popular Bay Area stores  Lukes Local in San Francisco, New Leaf Community Market in Half Moon Bay, Star Grocery in Berkeley, Country Sun Natural Foods in Palo Alto and Olivers Market in Santa Rosa.

The E. coli outbreak is believed to be linked to organic walnuts sold in bulk bins in food co-ops or natural food stores. Michael Short/Special To The Chronicle

E. coli infection symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting. The symptoms can begin up to nine days after consuming contaminated food. While most people recover without treatment within five to seven days, some infections can lead to serious kidney problems, severe bloody diarrhea and potentially life-threatening illness.

The CDC advised consumers to check their walnuts for the recall and dispose of affected products. They also recommend cleaning any items and surfaces that may have come into contact with the walnuts using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.

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People experiencing severe E. coli symptoms should contact their health care provider.
Beloved bamboo baby brand, Kyte Baby, opens new warehouse in the UK and launches UK website

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyte Baby , the leading brand in bamboo sleepwear for babies and children in the United States, announced its expansion to the United Kingdom, where it is opening a new warehouse for UK distribution. Although the brand offers worldwide shipping on its online store, this recent expansion allows a more streamlined shopping experience and expedited delivery for its UK customers.

Kyte Baby's signature fabric is made from silky soft, breathable bamboo rayon, and is designed for delicate, eczema-prone skin. Since its inception in 2014, the brand has built a tight-knit community of over 1 million people and counting, who share a love for the high-quality, purposefully-designed sleepwear. Kyte Baby is the brand behind the award-winning Sleep Bag, a wearable blanket with an innovative design for safe and comfortable infant sleep.

Now, families in the United Kingdom purchasing bamboo sleepwear for their babies are no longer subject to slow delivery times or customs duty. When shopping on the brand's UK website, customers can expect to receive their order as soon as the very next day. Customers are given the option to choose standard shipping for 3.95 to receive their order within 3-5 business days, or next-day delivery for 7.95 with a midday cut-off to receive their order the next working day. Orders totalling 65 or more are eligible for free standard shipping.

Kyte Baby's UK expansion is welcome news for parents who are already familiar with the brand, as well as those who are looking for a solution to their baby's sleep struggles or simply wanting high-quality essentials for the whole family. Those who are interested in the brand's products will have the opportunity to feel the signature fabric for themselves next month in Birmingham, England.

Kyte Baby will be exhibiting at The Baby Show, the UK's leading pregnancy and parenting event, at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham on 10-12 May 2024. All members of the public are welcome and may purchase tickets from The Baby Show website . Visitors at the event will be able to shop the entire Kyte Baby website for 20% off from 10-17 May 2024, and will also be automatically entered to win a 350 gift card when they sign up for the Kyte Baby newsletter. Two runners-up will each receive a 150 gift card.

About Kyte Baby:

Founded in 2014 in Dallas, Texas, Kyte Baby is the brainchild of Ying Liu. When looking for better quality material for her sensitive baby's skin, her research led her to the soothing and sustainable properties of bamboo. Out of this, Kyte Baby was launched. Using this environmentally-intelligent fabric, the company's line features clothing for babies, toddlers, and moms.

Media Contact

Brilliant PR

kytebaby@brilliantprm.com

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Appdome MobileEDR removes complexity and friction with new unified Enterprise Mobile Endpoint Detection and Response and Mobile Threat Defense Solution

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Appdome, the mobile app economy's one-stop shop for mobile app defense, today announced Appdome MobileEDR, a new enterprise mobile app protection service that consolidates Mobile Threat Defense (MTD) and Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) capabilities into a single agentless product offering. MobileEDR leverages the 300+ defenses of the Appdome platform and provides real-time mobile threat and attack detection, deep mobile device inspection and anywhere enforcement to keep enterprise networks and resources safe from malware, supply chain and other attacks.

Legacy MTD and mobile EDR solutions have failed to adequately protect against the growing proliferation of mobile threats. To work, these early offerings required user-dependent software agents, such as separate mobile apps or profiles, to be installed on the user's mobile device(s). These added agents, apps and profiles raised privacy concerns among employees, slowed adoption and could be disabled by the mobile end user, leaving gaps in device inspection and mobile threat detection. Likewise, these early offerings often impose a manual implementation burden and complex SDKs on resource constrained mobile development teams, leading most teams to shelve or abandon MTD and mobile EDR deployment. Appdome is eliminating this friction and delivering the world's first agentless, no code, no server solution for enterprise mobile apps to ensure maximum enterprise adoption and protection.

"Mobile EDR and threat detection solutions have failed to gain wide adoption for several reasons - privacy concerns and compliance, implementation complexity of SDKs, and lack of mobile end-user trust with MTD apps and agents on their BYOD devices," said Richard Stiennon Chief Research Analyst with IT-Harvest. "The Appdome approach gives organizations the full power of Mobile EDR and MTD, including protection, response, and visibility without the friction of SDK, server, and agent-based approaches."

The Appdome MobileEDR is an in-app mobile EDR and MTD solution coded into enterprise mobile applications by Appdome's patented no-code, unified mobile app defense platform. By delivering the needed device inspection, threat detection and telemetry capabilities in the mobile app itself, Appdome provides continuous and comprehensive monitoring of Android and iOS devices, including mobile smartphones, embedded apps, VR apps, and wearable apps. All mobile threat inspections are performed throughout the lifecycle of use for each mobile app, without any server, server call outs or other external attestation. This ensures full runtime protection, improves stability and responsiveness, and eliminates signal spoofing common with server attestation services.

"We've built the first mobile EDR/MTD solution that addresses the reality of how organizations need to detect and respond to mobile threats in the enterprise," said Tom Tovar, co-creator and CEO of Appdome. "SolarWinds taught all of us that malware on a mobile device can compromise an enterprise network and to protect the enterprise network, you need broad adoption and persistence in your mobile EDR/MTD solution. It does no good if it's not used or it can be turned off."

Key features of Appdome MobileEDR solution include:

In-App Enterprise Delivery: Appdome MobileEDR is the only solution that can be deployed in both internally developed and 3 rd party mobile applications without any code, coding, SDKs or servers. All mobile EDR/MTD capability is added in the enterprise application and hardened against reverse engineering and attacks by design.

Appdome MobileEDR is the only solution that can be deployed in both internally developed and 3 party mobile applications without any code, coding, SDKs or servers. All mobile EDR/MTD capability is added in the enterprise application and hardened against reverse engineering and attacks by design. In-Use Mobile Threat Inspection : Once embedded in an enterprise mobile app, Appdome's Threat-EKG feature functions as a persistent mobile EDR/MTD solution during the lifecycle of use for each mobile application. That means, it operates when the enterprise mobile application is in use (and does not operate when it's not in use). This eliminates any privacy concerns and allows the mobile EDR/MTD to detects mobile threats relevant to the enterprise business in real time.

: Once embedded in an enterprise mobile app, Appdome's Threat-EKG feature functions as a persistent mobile EDR/MTD solution during the lifecycle of use for each mobile application. That means, it operates when the enterprise mobile application is in use (and does not operate when it's not in use). This eliminates any privacy concerns and allows the mobile EDR/MTD to detects mobile threats relevant to the enterprise business in real time. Broadest Mobile Threat Detection : Appdome packs 300+ mobile app security, anti-malware, anti-spyware, anti-vishing, anti-fraud, social engineering, geo-compliance, and anti-bot defenses into MobileEDR to offer enterprises the most comprehensive mobile device inspection, EDR and MTD on the market.

: Appdome packs 300+ mobile app security, anti-malware, anti-spyware, anti-vishing, anti-fraud, social engineering, geo-compliance, and anti-bot defenses into MobileEDR to offer enterprises the most comprehensive mobile device inspection, EDR and MTD on the market. Anywhere Enforcement : The Appdome MobileEDR's Anywhere Enforcement model allows enterprises to use mobile threat detection and defense data across the entire enterprise infrastructure, including the mobile app, mobile app server, IAM service layer, UEM/MAM/MDM, or firewall/WAF. This ensures that enterprises can get the full benefit of deep device inspection on managed and unmanaged mobile devices.

: The Appdome MobileEDR's Anywhere Enforcement model allows enterprises to use mobile threat detection and defense data across the entire enterprise infrastructure, including the mobile app, mobile app server, IAM service layer, UEM/MAM/MDM, or firewall/WAF. This ensures that enterprises can get the full benefit of deep device inspection on managed and unmanaged mobile devices. Adaptive Mobile Trust : Appdome MobileEDR is the only mobile threat detection and defense system that empowers the enterprise to set the level of trust to use in evaluating on-device mobile threats. Enterprises can use either Zero-Trust, to ensure the device is free of any specific threat before allowing connection, login or activity in the mobile app. Or, Enterprises can use Dynamic Trust which evaluates the device state dynamically throughout the lifecycle of mobile app use.

: Appdome MobileEDR is the only mobile threat detection and defense system that empowers the enterprise to set the level of trust to use in evaluating on-device mobile threats. Enterprises can use either Zero-Trust, to ensure the device is free of any specific threat before allowing connection, login or activity in the mobile app. Or, Enterprises can use Dynamic Trust which evaluates the device state dynamically throughout the lifecycle of mobile app use. Appdome ThreatSource: Appdome MobileEDR comes ready to use with application userID or sessionID to give enterprises even deeper investigation and telemetry on threats and attacks impacting their users and network.

Appdome MobileEDR comes ready to use with application userID or sessionID to give enterprises even deeper investigation and telemetry on threats and attacks impacting their users and network. Appdome ThreatScope Mobile XDR: Telemetry data is visualized in ThreatScope, which provides instant visibility and rapid, agile response to any threat or attack against Android & iOS apps.

"Enterprises need more flexible and agile ways to stay ahead of mobile threats, malware, NSOs, and protect their employees and networks effectively," said Chris Roeckl, Chief Product Officer at Appdome. "MobileEDR is the only mobile EDR and MTD that goes beyond the basic device inspection to include geo-compliance, social engineering defenses and more. We can't wait to get this product into the hands of enterprises everywhere."

Appdome will be demonstrating the new Appdome MobileEDR solution at the RSA Conference 2024 in San Francisco May 6-9, 2024 in booth #2339. For more information about Appdome MobileEDR, please visit our web site at https://www.appdome.com/enterprise-mobile-app-security/mobile-endpoint-detection-and-response/.

About Appdome

The Appdome mission is to protect every mobile app and mobile user in the world. . Appdome provides the mobile industry's only Unified Mobile App Defense platform, powered by a patented mobile coding engine, Threat-Events Threat-Aware UX/UI Control, and ThreatScope Mobile XDR. Using Appdome, mobile brands eliminate complexity, ship faster and save money by delivering 300+ Certified Secure mobile app security, anti-malware, anti-fraud, mobile anti-bot, anti-cheat, geo compliance, MiTM attack prevention, code obfuscation, social engineering and other protections in Android and iOS apps with ease, inside the mobile DevOps and CI/CD pipeline. Leading ?nancial, healthcare, government and m-commerce brands use Appdome to protect Android and iOS apps, mobile customers and mobile businesses globally. Appdome holds several patents including U.S. Patents 9,934,017 B2, 10,310,870 B2, 10,606,582 B2, 11,243,748 B2 and 11,294,663 B2. Additional patents pending.

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ATLANTA, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Superior Essex, a global leader in the magnet wire and communication cables industry, has successfully completed the acquisition of the remaining minority interest in Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire from Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. Effective April 30, 2024, the completion of this transaction establishes Superior Essex as the sole owner of the brand, assets, and operations previously conducted by the global joint venture with Furukawa Electric.



Superior Essex plans to relaunch its magnet wire business under a new company name, to be announced later in 2024, while continuing to operate all current facilities of the Essex Furukawa joint venture worldwide. This includes the magnet wire facilities in Japan and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) that were contributed by Furukawa Electric in October 2020.

Daniel Choi, CEO of Superior Essex, expressed his gratitude for the partnership and satisfaction with the completion of the acquisition, stating, "Over the last several years we have been able to accomplish many great things working with the team from Furukawa Electric. I am proud of what was created and thankful for their contributions."

The acquisition of Furukawa Electric's stake in Essex Furukawa marks a significant milestone for Superior Essex, solidifying its control over global operations and reinforcing its commitment to delivering exceptional products and services to customers worldwide. With this acquisition, Superior Essex is well-positioned to continue its legacy of innovation and excellence in the wire and cable industry.

"Superior Essex plans to continuously respond to market demands in the xEV automotive industry, power, electrification, and renewable energy markets-paving the way for future technologies as a global leader," Choi added. "We will also strengthen our position by actively pursuing decarbonization and sustainability."

About Superior Essex Inc.

Superior Essex is the parent brand of Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire, Superior Essex Communications, Essex Energy Italy, IVA, Lacroix + Kress, Hi-Wire, and Essex Brownell. It has over 3,000 employees in 11 countries, on three continents. Superior Essex is the leading, global provider of magnet wire and is on the forefront of communications fiber application as well as Power over Ethernet.
Wind River, a global leader in delivering software for mission-critical intelligent systems, today announced that it has collaborated with Elektrobit to demonstrate foundational software for autonomous, electric, software-defined vehicles.

In this collaboration, Wind River provides VxWorks as the real-time operating system, Elektrobit offers its 2nd generation EB corbos AdaptiveCore software and EB corbos Studio tools and has created the AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform based software framework for autonomous driving domain controllers. Elektrobit's best-in-class implementation of the AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform, combined with the ISO 26262 ASIL-D certified VxWorks operating environment, lays a complete pre-integrated foundation for developing enhanced automotive safety levels for ADAS Electronic Control Units (ECUs). The innovative solution is on demonstration at the Beijing Auto Show at the Elektrobit booth.

"We are delighted to further grow our continued efforts with Elektrobit to advance autonomous driving technologies. Elektrobit's proven software solutions, combined with the industry leading VxWorks, can help drive innovation in the automotive market while delivering on functional safety, security, and reliability," said Woody Zou, General Manager, China, Wind River.

"The combination of Elektrobit's AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform and the trusted VxWorks real-time operating system helps create safe, secure, flexible, and high-performance ECUs to support automakers accelerate the development of their autonomous domain controllers and promote the mass production of new electric vehicles. We look forward to delivering more successful projects together in the future," said Demetrio Aiello, Head of Product Engineering, Elektrobit.

The two automotive software pioneers have continued to build on their long-standing global relationship, having achieved a number of major design wins together. Combining their efforts, Wind River and Elektrobit can help automakers and Tier 1 suppliers develop advanced features and functions more quickly and easily, thereby reducing time to market for the next generation of intelligent vehicles.

The industry leading global embedded real-time operating system (RTOS)1, VxWorks is also the only RTOS that supports Open Container Initiative (OCI) compliant containers. VxWorks meets the high-performance needs of automotive innovators such as Elektrobit. It simplifies software deployment and management and reduces development and operating costs, to develop and deploy intelligent edge software better and faster without sacrificing security and performance.

Find more information about Wind River work in automotive at www.windriver.com/solutions/automotive.

About Elektrobit

Elektrobit is an award-winning and visionary global vendor of embedded and connected software products and services for the automotive industry. A leader in automotive software with over 35 years of serving the industry, Elektrobit's software powers over five billion devices in more than 600 million vehicles and offers flexible, innovative solutions for car infrastructure software, connectivity security, automated driving and related tools, and user experience. Elektrobit is a wholly-owned, independently-operated subsidiary of Continental. For more information, visit elektrobit.com.

About Wind River

Wind River is a global leader in delivering software for mission-critical intelligent systems. For more than four decades, the company has been an innovator and pioneer, powering billions of devices and systems that require the highest levels of security, safety, and reliability. Wind River software and expertise are accelerating digital transformation across industries including automotive, aerospace, defense, industrial, medical, and telecommunications. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio supported by world-class global professional services and support and a broad partner ecosystem. To learn more, visit Wind River at www.windriver.com.

1 VDC Research, The Global Market for IoT Embedded Operating Systems

Wind River is a trademark or registered trademark of Wind River Systems, Inc., and its affiliates. Other names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240501941172/en/

Contacts:

MEDIA CONTACT

Jenny Suh

Wind River

510-749-2972

jenny.suh@windriver.com
Regulatory News:

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) will host a live audio webcast of its 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. ET. The meeting will be held in a virtual format only and can be accessed at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/PM2024. Presentation slides, script and an archived recording of the webcast will be available at the same link. The recording will be available for approximately one year from the date of the meeting.

During the meeting, Andre Calantzopoulos, Executive Chairman of the Board, and Jacek Olczak, Chief Executive Officer, will address shareholders and answer questions. Only shareholders of record with a valid 16-digit control number will be allowed to ask a question or make a comment.

The audio webcast may also be accessed on mobile devices by downloading PMI's free Investor Relations App at www.pmi.com/irapp.

Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future

Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company, actively delivering a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products. Since 2008, PMI has invested over $12.5 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes. This includes the building of world-class scientific assessment capabilities, notably in the areas of pre-clinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research, as well as post-market studies. In 2022, PMI acquired Swedish Match a leader in oral nicotine delivery creating a global smoke-free champion led by the companies' IQOS and ZYN brands. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized versions of PMI's IQOS devices and consumables and Swedish Match's General snus as Modified Risk Tobacco Products. As of December 31, 2023, PMI's smoke-free products were available for sale in 84 markets, and PMI estimates that approximately 33 million adults around the world use PMI's smoke-free products. Smoke-free business accounted for approximately 37% of PMI's total full-year 2023 net revenues. With a strong foundation and significant expertise in life sciences, PMI announced in February 2021 its ambition to expand into wellness and healthcare areas and, through its Vectura Fertin Pharma business, aims to enhance life through the delivery of seamless health experiences. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240501577435/en/

Contacts:

Philip Morris International

Investor Relations:

Stamford, CT: +1 (203) 904 2410

Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4666

Email: InvestorRelations@pmi.com



Media: David Fraser

Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4500

Email: David.Fraser@pmi.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - The BC Bud Corporation (CSE: BCBC) (OTCQB: BCBCF) ("The BC Bud Co" or the "Company"), a house of high-quality cannabis brands based out of British Columbia, Canada, applauds the DEA and US Federal movement towards rescheduling cannabis.

The Biden administration is poised to reclassify cannabis as a substance of lower risk, marking a historic and timely shift that recognizes the medicinal benefits of a long-criminalized and unfairly stigmatized drug. This move carries significant implications for cannabis-related research and the industry as a whole.

The US Department of Justice is anticipated to suggest the rescheduling of cannabis as a Schedule III controlled substance. This classification aligns it with prescription medications like ketamine and Tylenol with codeine.

"The BC Bud Co has long awaited this historic shift and remains dedicated to evaluating opportunities across North America and soon globally to introduce our brands to evolving consumer markets," stated CEO Brayden Sutton. "We are confident in our positioning for growth, despite the challenges present in the cannabis sector. Preparation for this change has involved ongoing discussions with key US contacts over an extended period. With conditions becoming increasingly favorable for commerce in the cannabis space, we are committed to advancing these discussions further."

Focused on Responsibility, Maturity and Longevity

The BC Bud Co. stands out as a responsible yet street-smart participant in the cannabis market. Backed by a history of financial prudence and deep-rooted experience in the industry, the company has primarily relied on funding from its founders and management, laying a robust foundation for sustainable growth with ready access to capital as needed. By consciously opting to remain asset-light, the company prioritizes its products and the consumer experience over infrastructure and human capital.

Exploring M&A Opportunities

Primed for strategic growth in North America and beyond, The BC Bud Co. is actively pursuing promising Merger and Acquisition prospects, though at this time no specific transactions have progressed beyond initial negotiations. Drawing upon its wealth of industry expertise, the company is ready to forge potential partnerships in the United States and abroad. Moreover, The BC Bud Co. is actively scouting for US-based advisors to access top-tier, value-enhancing opportunities.

Direct Delivery Initiatives

Aligned with its dedication to customer-centric services, The BC Bud Co. is ramping up its focus on direct delivery services to bolster the accessibility and transparency of its premium cannabis products with new BC-based partners.

Anticipating a Prosperous 2024

As Canada enters its sixth year of cannabis legalization, The BC Bud Co. looks ahead with optimism, particularly as the sector navigates a bottoming-out phase. Positioned strategically, the company is poised to seize emerging opportunities for a prosperous and transformative 2024. The BC Bud Co. welcomes stakeholders, partners, and the public to join in its journey toward ongoing success. For further details, please visit www.TheBCBC.com or reach out via email at info@thebcbc.com.

About The BC Bud Co.

The BC Bud Co. is a publicly traded Canadian cannabis company headquartered in British Columbia. Renowned for its responsibility, maturity, and unwavering commitment to quality, the company is steadfastly dedicated to overcoming the challenges inherent in the cannabis sector while striving for sustained growth.

Investor Relations

Phone: 1-(778)-656-0377

Email: info@thebcbc.com

Web: www.thebcbc.com

Disclaimer

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "should" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events. This press release contains forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain regulatory approval, the continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, including the effects of COVID-19. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the statements will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207572

SOURCE: The BC Bud Corporation
Kerecis, the company pioneering the use of sustainably sourced fish skin and fatty acids in cellular therapy and tissue regeneration and protection, will present two symposiums and 27 abstracts on its intact medical fish skin at the European Wound Management Association (EWMA) this week. The company will also host a medical education event on the utilization of fish skin grafts on Wednesday, May 1. Finally, Kerecis' founder and CEO will summarize the company's journey at the EWMA Innovation Forum Thursday, May 2. Kerecis will be exhibiting at booth Nr. G30 at EWMA, which takes place in London from May 1 to May 3.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240501756159/en/

Fertram Sigurjonsson, founder and CEO of the medical-fish-skin company Kerecis, will describe his entrepreneurial journey at the European Wound Management Association (EWMA) Innovation Forum Thursday, May 2, at 10 a.m. Kerecis is the only approved manufacturer of medical devices containing intact fish skin globally. (Photo: Business Wire)

"It is great to see all these abstracts being presented EWMA. They represent the commitment of the medical community to organically grow the body of clinical evidence supporting the efficacy of the Kerecis fish skin," said Fertram Sigurjonsson. "There is a lot of innovation taking place in the field of wound and tissue damage. We look forward to participating in the EWMA Innovation Forum to learn about the latest innovations."

Kerecis will be the subject of the following events at the conference:

Intact Fish Skin for Chronic Wound Care Dr. John Lantis, chair. Industry-supported symposium. Thursday, May 2, 4 to 5 p.m. in the South Gallery Room 8-9-10

Fish Skin for Wound Management: Are There Advantages? Dr. Franziska Remy-Wohlfender, chair. Thursday, May 2, 9:30 to 9:50 a.m. at the Veterinary Wound Healing Association side conference, South Gallery Room 27-28

Kerecis medical education event: Improving Outcomes with Fish Skin Grafts in Orthopedic, General Surgery and Pediatric Wound Care -Prof. Guido Ciprandi, Marcus Duda, MD, and Elsa Valsdottir, MD. Wednesday, May 1, 7 p.m. Please register at events@kerecis.com

Overcoming the Hurdles from Idea to Market G. Fertram Sigurjonsson, EWMA Innovation Forum, Thursday, May 2, 10 a.m. at the South Gallery Room 22. To request an invitation to this event, please email innovation@ewma.org.

The following abstracts containing scientific and clinical updates and trial results for the Kerecis fish skin:

EP144: Christoph Wallner, Sonja Schmidt, Jana Holtermann, Marcus Lehnhardt, Enhancing Burn Wound Management: Fish Skin Grafts Expedite Healing and Improve Outcomes

EP375: Richard Bruno, Association of Hemoglobin A1c and Wound Healing with Application of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Fish Skin

EP376: Richard Bruno, Utility of Fish Xenograft in Diabetic Plantar Foot Ulcerations

EP296: Richard Bruno, Fish Skin Xenografts in the Management of Gas Gangrene Foot Infections

EP054: Woo Jin Song, Revolutionizing Hard-to-heal Wounds with Fish Skin Acellular Dermal Matrix: Pioneering Excellence and Efficacy

EP267: Roxana Reyna, OP: Successful Use of Decellularized Piscine Graft in a Pediatric Extensive Wound Reconstruction

EP397: Peter Lovato, Non-Healing Diabetic Plantar Hallux Wounds Healed with Distal Medial Partial Plantar Fasciotomy and Fish Skin Grafting

EP065: Alexandra Savage, Phillip Smit, Marina Carro, Mark Melendez, Innovative Solutions in Reconstructive Surgery: A Case Series on Complex Back Closures Using Omega-3

EP008: Marcus Duda, A Novel Application of Fish Skin Graft for Reinforcement of Transtibial Amputation

EP462: Eric Lullove, Use of a Fish Skin Graft with Synthetic Covering in Lower Extremity Wounds: A Pilot Study of Efficacy and Cost

EP067: Ryan O'Quinn, Healing of Difficult Mohs Surgical Scalp Wounds with Exposed Bone Using Decellularized Fish Skin Grafts

EP422: Rimvydas Statkus, Peter Lovato, Patrick McEneaney, Kimberly Nolan, Successful Treatment of Complex Lower Extremity Wounds with Subcutanceous Ossification in Heinz-Lippmann Disease: Case Report

EP744: Savatore Pacella, Reinforcement of the Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System (Smas) with Intact Decellularized Fish Skin in Deep Plane Facelifting: a Novel Salvage Technique

EP378: Peter Lovato, Rimvydas Statkus, Patrick McEneaney, Use of Fish Skin Grafting in Diabetic Wounds with Known Peripheral Arterial Disease

EP460: Rene Amaya, Novel Application of Fish Skin Grafts in Neonatal Wounds

EP654: Shufen Neo, Enming Yong, Li Zhang, Case Report: Achieving Filling of Hard-to-Heal Diabetic Foot Wound Cavity with Physician-modified Cut-up Fish Skin Graft to Achieve Good Wound-Bed Contact

EP745: Ashtyn Vogt, Elise Steinberger, Jeremy Tan, Skin and Bone Intact Fish Skin to Reconstruct Traumatic Orbital Floor and Wall Defects

EP578: Elsa Valsdottir, Acellular Fish Skin for Severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa

EP742: Rimvydas Statkus, Peter Lovato, Patrick McEneaney, Kimberly Nolan, Hyperpigmentation of Legs and Feet after Use of Minocycline for a Wound Infection

EP739: Rimvydas Statkus, Patrick McEneaney, Peter Lovato, Kimberly Nolan, Successful Healing of Multiple Fasciotomy Wounds Secondary to Acute Compartment Syndrome with the Use of Skin Substitutes and Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT).

EP738: Rimvydas Statkus, Patrick McEneaney, Peter Lovato, Kimberly Nolan, Surgical Applications of External Fixator, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) and Application of Skin Substitutes for Complex Lower Extremity Wounds: Multiple Case Report

EP737: Rimvydas Statkus, Patrick McEneaney, Peter Lovato, Kimberly Nolan, Complex Lower-Extremity Trauma Wounds Successfully Treated with Surgery, Application of Skin Substitutes and Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT).

EP334: Kirsten Smith, Fish Skin Graft for Closure of Complex Stage 4 Pressure Wounds of Trunk in Non-Operative Patients in the Outpatient Setting

About Kerecis

Kerecis develops products from fish skin and fatty acids for cellular therapy, tissue regeneration and protection. When grafted onto damaged human tissue or implanted, the patented material supports the body's own processes to heal and regenerate. Because no disease-transfer risk exists between cold-water fish and humans, the Kerecis fish skin is only gently processed and retains its similarity to human tissue. The gentle processing preserves the skin's original three-dimensional structure, maintaining its inherent natural strength, complexity and molecules (such as fatty acids). Clinical studies have found that the Kerecis products heal wounds faster than competing products and are found cost effective. Kerecis is the only approved manufacturer of medical devices containing intact fish skin globally.

Kerecis is the fastest-growing and one of the top five companies in the U.S. biologics-skin and dermal-substitute market, according to SmartTRAK Business Intelligence. Kerecis' expanding product portfolio includes SurgiBind/SurgiClose, which are used for reconstructive surgery in hospital operating rooms; GraftGuide, which is mostly sold to burn centers; and MariGen and Shield, which are sold to healthcare facilities to treat chronic wounds such as diabetic wounds, as well as post-Moh's surgery wounds.

Kerecis is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The fish skin used in Kerecis' products derives from wild and sustainable fish stock caught in pristine Icelandic waters and processed with 100% renewable energy in the town of Isafjordur, close to the Arctic Circle. Kerecis is part of Coloplast, the leading global supplier of intimate healthcare products. For more information, visit https://www.kerecis.com.

Trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240501756159/en/

Contacts:

Kay Paumier

Communications Plus

kay@communicationsplus.net

408-370-1243 (office)

408-806-1177 (mobile)
Apollon Formularies Plc - Intention to Withdraw from AQUIS

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, May 01

1 May 2024

Apollon Formularies Plc

("Apollon" or the "Company")

Intention to Withdraw from AQUIS

London, England - Apollon Formularies PLC (AQSE: APOL), an innovator in medical cancer research, announces that it intends to withdraw its ordinary shares from trading on the Aquis Growth Market, with the last day of trading expected to be 3 June 2024, subject to shareholder approval.

The Company continues to progress the divestment of its intellectual property, proprietary formulations and other assets associated with its cancer research business to a Canadian company in the same field, as announced on 21 November 2023. Further information will be available in the Company general meeting circular, referred to below. However, Apollon can no longer support the high cost of being a quoted company while this process is concluding.

The Company is preparing and will shortly post a general meeting circular to shareholders who will in due course be asked to vote on a withdrawal resolution from the Aquis Growth Market.

There will be no alternative exchange or platform to trade the Company's ordinary shares once withdrawal has taken place, however, the Company will explore potential mechanisms for the ongoing sale and purchase of its ordinary shares using platforms tailored to unlisted companies. It has not yet identified such a platform.

The directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

For additional information, please visit www.apollon.org.uk or contact:

Apollon Formularies



Tel: +44 771 198 0221

Stene Jacobs stene@apollon.org.uk

Peterhouse Capital Limited (Corporate Adviser)

Tel: +44 207 220 9795

Guy Miller gm@peterhousecapital.com

About Apollon and Apollon Jamaica

Apollon Formularies plc is an international medical cannabis and medicinal mushroom pharmaceutical company. Apollon Formularies Jamaica Limited is a pharmaceutical company incorporated and operating in the Commonwealth of Jamaica since 2016. Apollon Jamaica is licensed by the Jamaican government's Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) to cultivate (R&D), perform research and development, process, and sell medical cannabis therapeutic products that include legal medical cannabis to treat various illnesses under medical supervision.
GREATER DES MOINES, Ind., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- To further advance regional workforce needs, the Greater Des Moines Partnership's DSM Workforce Collaborative has outlined strategic objectives and goals. The DSM Workforce Collaborative focuses on strengthening the current and future workforce with a collective voice by identifying workforce opportunities and implementing solutions to help meet business and education needs in Greater Des Moines (DSM). It is made up of business, human resources, education and state leaders who began to convene in late 2023 to build and drive strategic talent retention strategies for the region.

The DSM Workforce Collaborative is focusing on the following goals:

Grow connections between education and industry to share best practices and drive action toward innovative solutions.

Support industry and kindergarten-through-post secondary programming alignment by expanding work-based learning (WBL) awareness, opportunities and curriculum.

Build a deeper understanding of current and needed skills in the region and create skill-building opportunities for talent.

"The Partnership regularly connects talent acquisition teams and business leaders with work-based learning coordinators from school districts across the region," said Jenae Sikkink, Senior Vice President of Talent Development and Inclusive Strategies at The Partnership. "These connections and partnerships create unique student opportunities and open career pathways for future talent. We hear repeatedly from businesses the value they see in opening their doors to students through internships, certificates, pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programming. We look forward to continuing to lead and advance these efforts across the region."

"We are excited to ramp up our efforts dedicated to implementing innovative solutions that bridge the gap between education and business in Greater Des Moines," said Lexi Shafer, Director of Workforce at The Partnership. "We look forward to working on these three goals that are focused on strengthening our community by increasing work-based learning and skill-building opportunities. Talent retention is a key component to the work we do at The Partnership, and we are committed to retaining talent in the region through the DSM Workforce Collaborative's efforts."

Learn who is part of the DSM Workforce Collaborative by visiting The Partnership website.

About the Greater Des Moines Partnership

The Greater Des Moines Partnership is the economic and community development organization that serves Greater Des Moines (DSM), Iowa. Together with 23 Affiliate Chambers of Commerce, more than 6,500 Regional Business Members and more than 400 Investors, The Partnership drives economic growth with one voice, one mission and as one region. Through innovation, strategic planning and global collaboration, The Partnership grows opportunity, helps create jobs and promotes DSM as the best place to build a business, a career and a future. Learn more at DSMpartnership.com.

Contact:

Kyle Oppenhuizen

koppenhuizen@DSMpartnership.com

(515) 286-4972

Learn More About DSM USA

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/688037/Greater_Des_Moines_Partnership_Logo.jpg

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A child rides a scooter with the pride flag during the San Francisco Pride Parade in San Francisco. A new survey finds LGBTQ young people report high rates of bullying, anxiety and attempted suicide amid a landscape of poor access to mental health and other supportive services. Mason Trinca/Special to the Chronicle 2018

The current American political landscape, including repeated attacks on LGBTQ rights that lately have focused on young people, is a major cause of stress for almost all young queer people that affects their overall quality of life, according to a national survey released Wednesday by the Trevor Project.

About 90% of the 18,000 respondents to the annual survey reported that politics negatively impacted their well-being, including their sense of self and safety.

The survey found that more than 1 in 10 LGBTQ youth had attempted suicide in the previous year; nearly 1 in 5 transgender young men had attempted suicide, the group with the highest rate. Those numbers, which echo previous years, are multiple times higher than for non-LGBTQ-identifying young people.

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Overall, LGBTQ youth reported high rates of bullying, feelings of hopelessness or desperation, and thoughts of suicide, the Trevor Project survey found. And theyre experiencing those challenges amid a landscape of poor access to mental health and other supportive services.

Its very clear that our country is grappling with a young mental health crisis, and this mental health crisis is particularly pronounced for LGBTQ young people, said Ronita Nath, vice president of research for the Trevor Project. What continually strikes me, when I look at this data, is that despite the high rates of need, half could not access the mental health care they desired.

The survey polled people ages 13-24 who identify as LGBTQ. The Trevor Project is a national nonprofit focused on ending suicide among LGBTQ youth.

Symptoms of depression and anxiety were prevalent: 53% and 66%, respectively. About 39% of those polled said they or their family had considered moving to a different state because of local anti-LGBTQ politics. Nearly half of children ages 13-17 said they had been bullied in the previous year, and 23% of all young LGBTQ people said theyd been threatened with physical harm because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Lance Preston, who runs a call center for LGBTQ young people seeking mental health help, said he was especially disturbed to see the high rate of youth reporting that politics were negatively affecting them. And its not just anti-LGBTQ legislation that is on their minds  Preston said calls spiked after the death of Oklahoma trans student Nex Benedict, who died by suicide after being badly bullied at school.

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Its a constant attack every day, something new, said Preston, executive director of Rainbow Youth Project; the group, which is based in Indiana, arranged a hotline for California students impacted by anti-LGBTQ school policies.

I think young people see that not only in their own areas but across the country, and it reduces them to hopelessness, Preston said. They see all this stuff and they feel so misunderstood, and like no one even wants to take the time to understand.

Marian Mejia is programs coordinator for Positive Images, a nonprofit that supports LGBTQ youth in Sonoma County, and said the group sees many of the mental health challenges identified in the survey manifest in the weekly support group meetings they run; Mejia is queer and nonbinary and uses they/she pronouns. Young people are dealing with bullying and not feeling supported at school or at home, Mejia said, and also are aware of whats happening politically and culturally.

Were having parents reach out because their children dont want to go to school anymore, Mejia said. Young people talk about their schools not welcoming queer alliance clubs or making it difficult for students to use their preferred bathrooms. Some kids report being bullied and adults and teachers not doing anything to mediate that harm, Mejia said.

Mejia, who is 24, said she felt well supported by her mother and others when she was growing up, but its hard to to hear about attacks on the LGBTQ community and not feel emotionally beat up. Thankfully I have a therapist  shout out to my therapist, Mejia said. Its heavy, and I have to figure out how to hold my own feelings as well as be there for my community. Thats not always easy.

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Most striking to some LGBTQ experts was the gap between young people who wanted mental health care and were unable to access it. More than 80% of respondents said they wanted care, and of those only half were able to get it.

Many respondents reported not being able to get mental health care because they could not afford it or they were worried about getting their parents permission; about a quarter said they were worried that seeking care would out them to parents or others.

Among transgender and nonbinary youth, 13% said they were on gender-affirming hormones and only 2% were on puberty blockers. Nearly two-thirds who were on hormones said they worried about losing access to that care.

Theres this specter of people having endless access to something that is actually incredibly difficult to get, said Eric Stanley, a professor in gender and womens studies at UC Berkeley, noting the small number of youth on puberty blockers in particular. Blockers have become a focal point of the national attack on gender-affirming care for minors.

Young people are suffering, isolated, without access to things that they need, without access to proper support. You could see how the numbers around suicide ideation and attempted suicide are so high, Stanley said.

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Nath said if theres hope to be gleaned from the survey results, its that supporting young people can have a significant positive impact on their mental health.

When asked how allies and adults should support LGBTQ youth, the most common answer was Trusting that I know who I am, followed by Standing up for me. Many of the attacks on gender-affirming care for minors have been centered on the idea that young people are confused about their identity or may change their minds.

Across the board, young people who had access to affirming homes and schools had much lower rates of suicide, Nath said. There are ways forward for us. There are things we can all do, individually and as communities, to make sure they thrive and live their best lives.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call the free 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 24 hours a day, or text HOME to 741741 to reach a crisis counselor anytime.

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SCHAUMBURG, IL / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Proactive Worldwide is pleased to announce that Dr. Paige Charlins, a distinguished Health Care and Life Science Analyst, has been invited to serve as a main panelist at the upcoming Colorado RNA Club Industry Session on May 1, 2024. The event will take place virtually, bringing together universities across Colorado.









The Colorado RNA Club's Industry Session is an annual event that plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between academia and industry. This session is designed specifically to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from all participating colleges and universities across Colorado in understanding the dynamics of the life sciences industry. It provides a platform for attendees to learn about local and national companies, explore various career paths in the industry, and gain insights into the practical aspects of working in life sciences.

Jennifer Zeman, Chief Operating Officer with Proactive Worldwide, shared, "Dr. Charlins' participation as a panelist underscores Proactive Worldwide's commitment to fostering educational initiatives and supporting the next generation of scientists and researchers. Her expertise in academic research and industry dynamics will provide attendees valuable perspectives, helping them navigate their potential career paths effectively."

During the panel, Dr. Charlins will share insights from her extensive experience as a senior analyst and consultant at Proactive Worldwide, where she specializes in domestic and international pharmaceutical consulting. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to engage directly with Dr. Charlins, gaining valuable knowledge and advice from her professional journey and expertise.

For more information about the Colorado RNA Club, please visit https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/rbi/events/evenings-with-rna/colorado-rna-club

About Proactive Worldwide:

Proactive Worldwide (PWW) is a global specialty market research company exclusively focused on competitive analysis. We enable leading organizations worldwide to identify vulnerabilities, forecast market trends, and strategically navigate growth. Our approach is comprehensive - analyzing competitors, suppliers, customers, and regulatory landscapes through primary and secondary intelligence gathering. With a 29-year track record of success, PWW's custom methodology, skilled research and analysis teams, and in-house industry experts converge to deliver impactful insights that reveal hidden opportunities and critical challenges. Learn more at https://www.proactiveworldwide.com/.

Contact Information

Kelley Loiacono

Chief of Staff

kelleyl@proactiveworldwide.com

847-483-9300

SOURCE: Proactive Worldwide

View the original press release on newswire.com.
13 Commercial Buildings in Five States at Public Auction. Online Auction June 4th-6th

MURFREESBORO, TN / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / An unprecedented opportunity arises as 13 premier commercial properties spanning Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina are set to go under the hammer. With a legacy of ownership spanning over two decades, these properties offer a unique investment proposition in the heart of bustling economic regions.

Commercial Real Estate Auction

Property Images

This collaboration brings together the expertise and resources of multiple esteemed auction professionals, ensuring a seamless and successful auction experience for both sellers and buyers alike. Comas Montgomery Realty & Auction Co., in conjunction with Pearce & Associates, Rowell Auction Company, Taylor Auction, Walker Auction and Chris Pracht Auction Company, is excited to present this exceptional opportunity to investors and businesses seeking prime commercial real estate.

Mark your calendars for June 4th-6th, as the online bidding auction will conclude on these dates, offering astute investors the chance to stake their claim in these prized locations. Spearheading this landmark event is Comas Montgomery Realty & Auction Company for the Tennessee properties, in collaboration with esteemed auction partners across the region:

Pearce & Associates Auction Company for the Alabama properties

Rowell Auction Company for the Georgia properties

Taylor Auction and Walker Auction for the Mississippi properties

Chris Pracht Auction Company for the South Carolina properties

This collaboration ensures a seamless and efficient auction process, backed by decades of combined expertise in real estate transactions.

The portfolio boasts a diverse range of assets, including freestanding buildings and multi-tenant structures, catering to various business needs and industries. These properties hold immense potential for investors seeking strategic acquisitions.

Through the convenience of online bidding, interested parties from around the world can participate in this dynamic auction event. The digital platform provides accessibility and transparency, facilitating efficient transactions and maximizing opportunities for all involved.

"This auction presents a rare opportunity to acquire prime commercial real estate assets with a proven track record of success," remarked Carl D. Montgomery, President at Comas Montgomery Realty & Auction Company. "With properties strategically located across five states and under the stewardship of a single owner for over 20 years, investors have the chance to capitalize on stable income streams and long-term appreciation potential."

The auction begins on June 4th and concludes on June 6th, offering a limited window of opportunity to acquire these commercial assets. Interested parties are encouraged to register early and participate actively to capitalize on this exclusive offering.

For more information about the auction and to view the property details, please visit www.comasmontgomery.com.

About Comas Montgomery Realty & Auction Co.: Comas Montgomery Realty & Auction Co. is a leading real estate auction company specializing in the sale of residential, commercial, and agricultural properties. With a commitment to excellence and integrity, Comas Montgomery Realty & Auction Co. has earned a reputation for delivering outstanding results for its clients.

Contact Information:

Carl Montgomery

President & Auctioneer

615-589-0078

SOURCE: Comas Montgomery Realty & Auction Co

View the original press release on newswire.com.
As part of its strategic plan to increase its extensive portfolio of corrosive fluid transfer pump technology, Finish Thompson Inc. has identified a need to strengthen its global presence. To this end, FTI has made three key personnel changes to its international sales team.

ERIE, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Finish Thompson Inc. is proud to announce significant expansion to their international sales team as the company continues to grow its global footprint in the corrosive fluid space.

As part of its strategic plan to increase its extensive portfolio of corrosive fluid transfer pump technology, Finish Thompson Inc. (FTI) has identified a need to strengthen its global presence. To this end, FTI has made three key personnel changes to its international sales team:

Abdel Balkhir will oversee Europe and Turkey

Husain Vora will be responsible for the Middle East and Africa

Starting in June, Ankit Grover will cover South Asia

"We made a conscience decision in 2014 to proactively increase our presence overseas," says Casey Bowes, CEO of Finish Thompson. "We started with the formation of our Finish Thompson Europe Center in Frankfurt, Germany, and have continuously grown throughout the globe, thanks to experienced and dedicated salespeople, including Abdel, Husain, and Ankit."

Abdel Balkhir has been a sales leader at Finish Thompson since May 2011, during which time he oversaw parts of Europe, as well as the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Abdel will be returning to his roots in Belgium as the new regional manager for Europe and Turkey.

Husain Vora will step into Abdel's former role in the Middle East and Africa as the regional manager for MEA. Vora comes to Finish Thompson after serving as sales manager for Wings Tech Supply in the UAE. Prior to this role, he spent 10 years as the business development manager for Standard Group in the UAE.

Ankit Grover joins the FTI team as the regional manager for the South Asia region. Ankit comes to Finish Thompson from Ingersoll Rand, where he was regional manager, north process flow technologies. Prior to this role, he worked with Sulzer pumps as a junior sales manager.

Finish Thompson's international team is led by Frank Palucci, vice president of international sales.

About Finish Thompson, Inc.

Finish Thompson Inc. (FTI), an international leader in the corrosive chemical transfer industry, has been dedicated to its customers' needs since 1951. For nearly 75 years, FTI has fostered a culture of foresight and adaptability to stay in touch with industry trends and growth. Today, we manufacture more than 10 different lines of pumps, including drum and barrel pumps, centrifugal pumps, and air-operated double diaphragm (AODD) pumps. FTI is proud to serve distributors and customers on five continents and support nearly 40 different industries across the globe.

Visit the FTI newsroom for more information, and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Contact:

Kimberly Day

814-455-4478 x314

kday@finishthompson.com

SOURCE: Finish Thompson Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Greenbank Capital Inc. (CSE:GBC) ("Greenbank" or the "Company") announces that the Ontario Securities Commission has issued a revocation order revoking the failure-to-file cease trade order issued against Greenbank on December 4, 2023 (the "FFCTO"). The FFCTO was issued for failing to file its annual audited financial statements and related management discussion and analysis and certifications for the financial year ended July 31, 2023 as required by National Instrument 52-109 - Certification of Disclosure in Issuers' Annual and Interim Filings ("NI 52-109") by October 31, 2023. ("Required Filings"). Between March 5, 2024 and March 7, 2024 the Company filed the Required Filings. The Required Filings are available for review under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.com). Following the filing of the Required Filings, the Company is up to date with its continuous disclosure obligations. Greenbank will be following up with the Canadian Securities Exchange to remove the suspension and resume trading of Greenbank's common shares, which resumption when effected will be confirmed in a follow up press release. Greenbank confirms that its business has not changed, remains active, and there are no changes to its current business plan.

About Greenbank Capital Inc.

GreenBank is a business-transformation firm, which aims to nurture early-stage and growth companies to their full potential. Through modern approaches to the provisions of consultancy services, GreenBank takes a stake in companies it hopes to nurture and gives the opportunity to the founders and executives of those companies to benefit from the years of collective experience of the GreenBank management team.

The team are based in London, Reykjavik and Toronto and works diligently across borders to ensure that businesses in the GreenBank portfolio reach their core objectives. The businesses the Company typically works with are start-ups or early-stage and include mining and mineral exploration companies. From this emergent state, Greenbank aims to quickly implement strong business practices by, where possible and required, deploying operations, communications, data strategy and financial expertise.

Whether a business desires to become a successful private company, lists publicly or is seeking a profitable exit, GreenBank tries to add value at every stage as a strategic partner. GreenBank is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange, under the symbol "GBC", and on the OTC markets (OTCMKTS: GRNBF) as well as the Frankfurt Boerse (FRA: 2TL).

For further information, please contact:

Vilhjalmur Thor Vilhjalmsson, CEO and Chairman, GreenBank Capital

Tel: +354 8697296

Email: vilhjalmur@jvcapital.co.uk

SOURCE: Greenbank Capital Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Irish-headquartered global education technology company, Prodigy Learning, is delighted to announce that it is officially joining forces with Minecraft Education to deliver engaging, easy to teach computer science curriculum assessments within the Minecraft Education universe. Together we will be bringing credentialing into Minecraft Education in key, in-demand skills areas starting with Prodigy Learning's Coding in Minecraft program.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240501975405/en/

Students working through Prodigy Learning's 'Coding in Minecraft,' a computer science credential program delivered through Minecraft Education. The program engages young and diverse learners through game-based learning in an immersive computer science and coding curriculum and rewards their learning with industry recognized credentials. Prodigy Learning has just announced that it is officially joining forces with Minecraft Education to deliver engaging, easy to teach computer science curriculum assessments within the Minecraft universe. (Photo: Business Wire)

This collaboration brings together the immersive world of Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time, with the innovative educational solutions of Prodigy Learning, offering new opportunities for educators and students alike.

Coding in Minecraft by Prodigy Learning is a computer science credential program delivered through Minecraft Education. The program engages young and diverse learners through game-based learning in an immersive computer science and coding curriculum and rewards their learning with industry recognized credentials. It is an easy to teach solution enabling educators with little or no computer science experience to deliver a standards-aligned curriculum.

Today's announcement builds on the successful adoptions of Coding in Minecraft in school systems including Alaska, Idaho, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington State, Northern Ireland and New South Wales and expands the reach of this award-winning product.

The partnership will officially kick off with the availability of the first two credentialing products, Coding in Minecraft and a new Cyber product (Fall 2024). These products will now be offered for licensing through Microsoft and channel resellers worldwide in addition to existing Prodigy Learning channels.

These offerings are just the beginning, with more innovative solutions on the horizon.

Commenting, Andrew Flood, Chief Executive Officer of Prodigy Learning, said:

"The partnership between Minecraft Education and Prodigy Learning marks a significant milestone in educational technology. By combining the strengths of both organizations, we are setting a new standard for game-based learning and assessment, opening doors to endless possibilities for student achievement and growth. In the age of AI, our partnership will help build the workforce of tomorrow and create economic opportunity."

Commenting, Allison Matthews, Head of Minecraft Education at Microsoft, said:

At the heart of this partnership is a shared commitment to empowering educators and engaging students. We are bringing together Minecraft Education's game-based learning platform and Prodigy Learning's expertise in credentialing to create a comprehensive educational experience. This will enable students to gain critical skills such as computational thinking, reasoning and problem solving for in-demand job roles."

Find out more on codingcredentials.com

ENDS

Prodigy Learning

Prodigy Learning is an award-winning global EdTech business, providing innovative online platforms that empower learners to develop and prove their skills. These solutions range from skills assessments in education through to job-ready digital skills credentials.

Minecraft Education

Minecraft Educationis a game-based learning platform that inspires creative, inclusive learning through play. Millions of educators and students in 115 countries use Minecraft Education, building future-ready skills like problem solving, creativity, and critical thinking. The platform offers standards-aligned STEM curricula, professional development, and fun challenges designed for all types of learners, developed with partners like BBC Earth, the Nobel Peace Center, NASA, UNESCO, World Wildlife Federation, and Code.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240501975405/en/

Contacts:

Jim Devlin, jim@devlincomms.ie; 087 2631057
USA News Group Commentary

Issued on behalf of Ares Strategic Mining Inc.

VANCOUVER, BC, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to bolster the domestic supply chain for critical minerals and materials, the Biden Administration recently announced a $17.5-million investment to develop more affordable, sustainable production processes throughout the USA. The announcement came just days after the Center for Strategic & International Studies's (CSIS) Project on Critical Minerals Security launch, meant to build the resilient supply chains needed for national, economic, and energy security. These initiatives are meant to build out a more robust supply of the 50 mineral commodities within the current United States Critical Materials List, each representing materials essential to economic and national security, however, for 43 of these critical minerals, the USA imports more than half of its supply. The mining industry is pushing forward to develop these types of commodities with miners making progress, including Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (CSE: ARS) (OTCQX: ARSMF), MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP), Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE-A: UUUU) (TSX: EFR),Arcadium Lithium plc (NYSE: ALTM), and Freeport-McMoran Inc. (NYSE: FCX).

Among the more overlooked commodities on the critical minerals list is fluorspar, the only non-metallic commodity on the list that's 100% imported into the USA-according to the USGS. This lesser-known miner plays an important role in the green energy solution, given its wide use within the lithium-ion battery supply chain, as it's important in the manufacturing of lithium-ion battery electrolytes, cathode, anode and separator bindings, as well in the processing of natural graphite.

However, there is a new domestic fluorspar supply in the horizon in the form of Ares Strategic Mining Inc.'s (CSE:ARS) (OTC:ARSMF) Lost Sheep Fluorspar Project, located in Utah. Consisting of 353 claims spanning a 5,982-acre area, the Lost Sheep Mine is in the process of construction towards commercial production. Back in March, Ares announced the completion of its mine planning, and the commencement of its mine's installation construction.

"Seeing the project get closer to production is extremely encouraging and motivating," said James Walker, President and CEO of Ares. "The visually confirmed fluorspar mineralization from the current drill program was an unexpected bonus and provided us with still further confidence in our upcoming operation. The ramp currently under construction is the biggest development towards the largest fluorspar operation ever seen at the Spor Mountain Range, which has almost 100 years of mining history. The Company and its staff are excited at the tangible near-term and long-term prospects and are looking forward to commencing operations and being the only domestic supplier of metspar and acidspar in the United States."

This progress comes months after Ares closed a $10.5-million financing, using the funds to complete the full payment to the plant manufacturer to begin fabrication. The company's ongoing diamond drilling program has assisted Ares' technical staff to define the extents of fluorspar mineralization and has aided in delineating the placement and design of ramps to facilitate mining operations scheduled for later in 2024.

Another critical required for the ongoing energy transition are rare earth magnets, which are expected to see global demand grow five-fold by 2040. Currently the most promising domestic project is being developed by MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP), which is already producing magnet precursor materials in a North American pilot facility. Recently, MP received a $58.5 million award to advance its construction of the USA's first fully-integrated rare earth magnet manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas. As part of a Section 48C Advanced Energy Project tax credit allocation administered by the Department of Energy, MP Materials is set to apply the funds to the manufacturing facility which began construction in April 2022, and expects to commence commercial production of precursor materials this summer, and finished magnets by late 2025.

MP has already secured a buyer, as it sets off to supply these products to General Motors, to support its North American EV production. MP will obtain the raw materials for the factory from its rare earth mine and separation facility in Mountain Pass, California-the only large-scale and operational site of its kind in the U.S.

"[In 2023] we exceeded 40,000 tons of REO production for the third consecutive year, achieved first production and sales of NdPr, and added substantial depth to our team and capability set," said James Litinsky, Chairman and CEO of MP Materials. "Our magnetics division completed construction in Fort Worth and began trial production of rare earth metal."

Wanting to make its mark as a global leader in critical mineral production with a focus on uranium, rare earth elements and heavy mineral sands, Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE-A: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) recently announced the acquisition of Base Resources Limited for $240 million to create an enhanced critical minerals company. Key to the deal is Base Resources' world-class, advanced-stage, low-cost and large-scale Toliara heavy mineral sands project.

"The acquisition of Base Resources and the Toliara project represents a monumental leap forward for the Company, as we continue to execute on a truly revolutionary REE, uranium and critical mineral combined strategy," said Mark S. Chalmers, President and CEO of Energy Fuels. "For the past four-plus years, Energy Fuels has innovated a new way to produce critical minerals, that we believe is more cost competitive than traditional approaches, by leveraging our uranium processing expertise and infrastructure to develop a secure, U.S.-centric REE oxide supply chain."

Once in production, the Monazite from Toliara will provide a large portion of the raw materials needed for Energy Fuels' rapidly expanding and world-competitive REE oxide production facility at its Mill in Utah. The acquisition bolsters Energy Fuels' core US-based uranium business, while also providing an additional steady, low-cost source of uranium from Toliara itself over the life of the project.

While not a solely-domestic source, Arcadium Lithium plc (NYSE: ALTM) continues to aim for dominance as a provider of lithium, after its historic merger between Allkem and Livent earlier this year. Through its full calendar year of 2023, Arcadium's combined company revenues were $2.0 billion on a pro forma basis. Among the combined company's projects include the potential James Bay project in Quebec, Canada, which is touted as a sustainable, hard-rock operation, that will maximize the usage of renewable energy.

"We are excited to officially begin operating as Arcadium Lithium, leveraging the strengths of two highly complementary organizations and continuing to grow as one of the leading producers of lithium chemicals globally," said Paul Graves, President and CEO of Arcadium Lithium. "As a larger, more diversified and vertically integrated company, we are better positioned to meet the needs of our customers and have even greater flexibility to take advantage of opportunities available throughout market cycles."

Perhaps one of the most well-recognized of the critical minerals list is copper, which is the specialty of mining giant Freeport-McMoran Inc. (NYSE: FCX) that boasts several large mining projects including one of the world's largest copper and gold deposits in Indonesia, but also significant operations in North America and South America, including the large-scale Morenci minerals district in Arizona.

"Market fundamentals for copper are positive, supported by copper's increasingly important role in the global economy and limited available supplies to meet growing demand," said Kathleen L. Quirk, President of Freeport in the company's latest financial report. "Freeport is strongly positioned for the future as a leading producer of copper with multiple options for future growth and an experienced team with a track record of accomplishment."

Quirk is set to succeed current Freeport CEO Richard Adkerson, who is stepping down after a 20-year tenure. But before his departure, Adkerson is strongly encouraging the US government to improve its mine permitting process if it hopes to boost domestic supplies of critical minerals.

"The U.S. government needs to stop giving lip service to permitting," said Richard Adkerson at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, as reported by Reuters. "The question is, given our political system that we have today and the dysfunctionality of it, how do you go from getting a project verbally accepted to getting actions done?"

Earlier in the conference, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated to the audience that she supported efforts in the U.S. Congress to reform the country's mining laws, some of which were first approved in the 19th Century.

Article Source: https://usanewsgroup.com/2024/04/29/this-company-is-bringing-essential-mining-back-to-the-u-s-fueled-by-government-action/

CONTACT:

USA NEWS GROUP

info@usanewsgroup.com

(604) 265-2873

DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this publication should be considered as personalized financial advice. We are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular financial situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. This is a paid advertisement and is neither an offer nor recommendation to buy or sell any security. We hold no investment licenses and are thus neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. The content in this report or email is not provided to any individual with a view toward their individual circumstances. USA News Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market IQ Media Group, Inc. ("MIQ"). MIQ has been paid a fee for Ares Strategic Mining Inc. advertising and digital media from the company directly. There may be 3rd parties who may have shares of Ares Strategic Mining Inc., and may liquidate their shares which could have a negative effect on the price of the stock. This compensation constitutes a conflict of interest as to our ability to remain objective in our communication regarding the profiled company. Because of this conflict, individuals are strongly encouraged to not use this publication as the basis for any investment decision. The owner/operator of MIQ own shares of Ares Strategic Mining Inc. which were purchased in the open market, and reserve the right to buy and sell, and will buy and sell shares of Ares Strategic Mining Inc. at any time without any further notice commencing immediately and ongoing. We also expect further compensation as an ongoing digital media effort to increase visibility for the company, no further notice will be given, but let this disclaimer serve as notice that all material, including this article, which is disseminated by MIQ has been approved by Ares Strategic Mining Inc.; this is a paid advertisement, we currently own shares Ares Strategic Mining Inc. and will buy and sell shares of the company in the open market, or through private placements, and/or other investment vehicles.

While all information is believed to be reliable, it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate. Individuals should assume that all information contained in our newsletter is not trustworthy unless verified by their own independent research. Also, because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, there will likely be differences between the any predictions and actual results. Always consult a licensed investment professional before making any investment decision. Be extremely careful, investing in securities carries a high degree of risk; you may likely lose some or all of the investment.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/new-funding-initiatives-propel-us-towards-greater-self-sufficiency-in-critical-minerals-302133262.html
BEIJING, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hosted by Tsinghua University and its partners, the 2024 World Digital Health Forum emerged as a cornerstone of the ZGC Forum's AI Theme Day. Held in Beijing's tech-centric Haidian District, this event attracted over 700,000 online attendees from around the globe. The forum was a collaboration with the Haidian District People's Government, the Chinese Institute of Electronics, Tsinghua University School of Clinical Medicine, and the China Association for the Promotion of Science and Technology Industrialization, highlighting pioneering innovations and fostering global partnerships to enhance patient well-being.

The Forum showcased an impressive lineup of speakers, each contributing unique insights into the evolving digital health landscape. Notable among them were Dong Jiahong, President of the Academic Committee at Tsinghua University School of Clinical Medicine, and Andrew Chi-Chih Yao, Dean of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences at Tsinghua University and the recipient of the 2000 Turing Award. Speeches from Mustafa Shehu, President of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, and Martin Taylor, WHO Representative in China, enriched the overall perspectives presented at the Forum. Attended by 19 academicians and 70 deans, the event spurred extensive discussions on the future of healthcare in an era increasingly shaped by AI.

A highlight of the Forum was the release of the "Tsinghua Urban Health Index," which provides a comprehensive assessment of health services across 296 Chinese cities, establishing a new benchmark in health metrics to aid governmental and regional health planning. In addition, the "World Digital Health Forum Declaration" was ratified, laying down a robust framework for universal access to healthcare, and underscoring the importance of collaboration, ethical standards, and innovation-driven changes in global healthcare practices.

The Principal's Dialogue, a pivotal segment of the Forum, brought together leaders from premier universities to discuss advancing new productive forces and constructing a robust medical talent-cultivating system. During this session, Tsinghua University highlighted its plans to develop an integrated education system connecting hospitals, medical schools, and research institutions. This approach aims to nurture students who are not only skilled in interdisciplinary collaboration but also deeply grounded in humanistic values. The dialogue explored the transformative impact of AI and digital technologies in enhancing diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficacy. They particularly noted the potential for these technologies to enable real-time, remote medical guidance in regions with limited medical resources, enhancing a balanced healthcare delivery nationwide. Additionally, panelists stressed the importance of maintaining an ethical and patient-centric approach in developing and adopting digital health technologies. They advocated for dynamic systems that can adapt to the evolving needs of patients throughout their lifetimes.

The 2024 World Digital Health Forum facilitated high-level discussions and catalyzed future innovations in the digital health sphere. It aims to advance the digital health industry, integrate digital technologies with health and life sciences, and foster new developments in health careers. In doing so, it seeks to enhance global health outcomes and contribute to the collective well-being of communities globally.

Media Enquiries:

Global Communication Office, Tsinghua

overseas@tsinghua.edu.cn

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2402661/Tsinghua_University.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/2024-world-digital-health-forum-ai-at-the-forefront-of-healthcare-innovation-302133294.html
Georgia branch leader receives the Lee Ann Petty Heart of Service Award, Regions Bank's highest honor for community involvement.

By Candace Higginbotham

Regions Bank on Wednesday announced Kascia Polk, manager of Regions' Villa Rica, Georgia, branch, has been awarded the 2024 Lee Ann Petty Heart of Service Award, Regions' highest honor for community involvement.

Regions Chairman, President and CEO John Turner presented the award to Polk at the annual Chairman's Club celebration, which honors the bank's top performers.

"I appreciate all you do to make a positive difference and for shining a light on our core values," Turner said as he announced Polk as this year's winner. "Your story is an example for all of us. Our mission is to make life better for the people and places we serve, and you put that mission into action in how you serve others every day. That is the spirit of community involvement championed by Lee Ann Petty throughout her time with Regions, and that spirit continues to drive how we put others first."

The Lee Ann Petty Heart of Service Award, launched last year, recognizes a Regions associate whose extraordinary volunteerism and outreach make a lasting impact in ways that are consistent with the bank's core values, including Do What is Right and Put People First.

Longtime Regions associate Lee Ann Petty served as volunteer services coordinator in Regions' Community Affairs division. She passed away on Dec. 30, 2020, following a courageous battle against cancer. Her commitment to serving others continues to inspire thousands of Regions associates.

Regions is proud to honor Kascia Polk with the award that pays tribute to Petty's legacy. From teaching financial wellness classes and serving in leadership positions in civic organizations to founding and operating a nonprofit to enrich the lives of underserved schoolchildren - Polk has dedicated her life to serving others. Her recognition coincides with National Volunteer Week, a time to recognize those who lend their time, talent and voice to make a difference in their communities.

"I'm honored and humbled to be recognized with the Lee Ann Petty Heart of Service Award," Polk said. "I personally believe helping others is the key to happiness and fulfillment in life, and we must all work together to lift up those in our communities in need."

Polk has been with Regions for seven years, but as this heartfelt video illustrates, her service to the community began years before that. She was always studious, and education was very important throughout her life. She was active with her children's school and was a member of the PTA. Naturally curious with an adventurous spirit, she and her children frequently took weekend exploration trips together.

In 2012, during a particularly challenging time in her life, she recognized the need to give back. She decided to make those Saturday educational excursions available to more children - especially those whose families may not have the resources to make those kinds of trips. Beyond the Front Porch began serving Douglas County students in August 2012.

Beyond the Front Porch is thriving today, serving hundreds of K-12 students on free or reduced lunch each year. Many have gone on to attend college; one is currently attending MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The organization has taken students to destinations in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, including the Tennessee Aquarium, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

"Kascia is a trusted colleague and friend who works tirelessly to build a better community," said Mia Hubbard, consumer banking executive for Regions in Georgia and the Carolinas. Hubbard noted how Polk shares the same energy and enthusiasm with her customers and colleagues.

"Kascia is very passionate about financial wellness, and she is the catalyst for helping more members of the community by sharing advice and guidance through our financial education seminars and webinars," Hubbard continued. "As a result, we've seen customers wait to be assisted by Kascia because they know she genuinely cares about their financial wellbeing. She's a great example for someone who may not have had this modeled in their home. Kascia reflects the values of servant leadership and gives others hope and reason to believe that they can meet their life goals."

Polk also serves as a trustee for the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce. According to Sara Ray, CEO and president of the chamber, Polk is an essential part of the community.

"Kascia is not the type of person who is going to support initiatives or projects for self-serving purposes," Ray said. "She genuinely is leaning in to help fill the needs of our community."

"Kascia has a true servant leader's heart," added Gina Sian, head of the Making Life Better Institute programs. "The selection committee for this year's award was deeply moved and inspired by her leadership and persistent determination. We celebrate her work in building and growing Beyond the Front Porch, and now in teaching other communities to follow suit. She showed us the impact that one person can have with an idea that fills a need, a drive to see past barriers, and a heart that moves others to action."

In recognition of Polk's service, Regions is making a $2,500 donation to Beyond the Front Porch. She will receive a commemorative plaque and five bonus vacation days - to take time for herself after dedicating so much time to others.

About Regions Financial Corporation

Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $155 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation's largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,250 banking offices and more than 2,000 ATMs. Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.





View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Regions Bank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Regions Bank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/regions-bank

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Regions Bank

View the original press release on accesswire.com
HBM Healthcare Investments AG / Key word(s): Monthly Figures

Key Figures 30.04.2024



01.05.2024 / 17:47 CET/CEST



in CHF Performance in % 30.04.2024 MTD FYTD CYTD NAV 254.66 2.6 2.6 13.2 Share Price 186.40 -3.7 -3.7 2.1 Total Net Assets (in million) 1'745 HBM Healthcare Investments AG Bundesplatz 1 CH-6300 Zug - Switzerland Tel. +41 41 710 75 77 Fax +41 41 710 75 78 E-Mail: hbm@hbmhealthcare.com Web: www.hbmhealthcare.com Wenn Sie keine Mitteilungen von HBM Healthcare Investments mehr wunschen, konnen Sie diese hier a bbestellen . Should you wish to unsubscribe from all HBM Healthcare Investments news, please unsubscribe here. Disclaimer: This message may contain confidential or privileged Information and is intended only for the use of the addressee named above. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you are hereby notified that you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or information herein. If you have received this message by error, please advise the sender immediately and delete this message. The publication is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities. Statements regarding the past performance may not be understood as indication for the current or future performance. The value of investments and the income therefrom may fluctuate. A good past performance may possibly not be repeated in the future. It is possible that the investor will not be paid back the full amount invested. Performance data does not take into account any commissions and costs charged when units of the Fund are issued and redeemed. An investment entails risks, which are fully described in the individual offering documents. Some information quoted was obtained from external sources HBM considers to be reliable. HBM cannot guarantee the adequacy, accuracy, timeliness or completeness of or be held responsible or liable for errors of fact regarding such data and information obtained from third parties, and this data may change with market conditions. 06/2023 If the email looks unformatted, please use this alternative link .

News Source: HBM Healthcare Investments AG





End of Media Release


With the acceleration of globalization, China automobile industry is facing new opportunities for international development. As a leader in the domestic automobile industry, Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd. has always stood at the forefront of the times and actively expanded overseas markets.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240430032530/en/

2024 Dongfeng Global Partners Summit (Photo: Business Wire)

On April 23rd, PV meeting of 2024 Dongfeng Global Partners Summit was held in Wuhan. On April 26th, CV meeting was held in Shiyan. A total of more than 300 overseas dealers, partners and media representatives from nearly 100 countries gathered together, focusing on Dongfeng Motor's overseas market and seeking new development of international business.

At the Summit, the research and development capabilities, product layout and core technologies of Dongfeng passenger cars and commercial vehicles were systematically introduced. The medium-term industrial planning objectives, brands, products, channels and after-sales service strategies were reported. The regional sales targets in 2024 and 2025 and the differentiated channels, brands and product solutions were confirmed.

The Summit also released eight initiatives to build a "close and cleaning" relationship between overseas partners, advocating the establishment of a cooperative partnership of respect, integrity, compliance and win-win, which fully demonstrated Dongfeng's determination to stand with the vast number of overseas partners for common development.

After the Summit, the guests from afar visited the vehicle factory and tried to ride and test drive, and experienced the advantages and performances of the products at the same time. Many dealer partners are full of praise for this conference. The partner from CIS region said: "Dongfeng is our partner after selection and repeated consideration. We sincerely believe that Dongfeng is an established enterprise with profound background and excellent strength. Working with an experienced and powerful enterprise like Dongfeng, we are full of confidence in the future."

Website:

http://www.dongfeng-global.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DongfengMotorCorporationGlobal

https://www.facebook.com/DongfengMotorCorporationSA

https://www.facebook.com/DongfengMotorCorporationME

https://www.tiktok.com/@dfmotor

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240430032530/en/

Contacts:

Company: China Dongfeng Motor Industry Imp. Exp. Co. Ltd

Contact: Chen Gang

Email: gjb-chengang@dfmc.com.cn

Tel: +8627-8430 1225
After a yearlong crackdown in the Tenderloin, Gov. Gavin Newsoms office revealed data showing arrests and drug seizures by California Highway Patrol officers. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

State police have made more than 500 arrests and partnered in investigations that seized nearly 700 pounds of fentanyl since their deployment into San Francisco one year ago, the results of a special operation in the citys long-troubled Tenderloin neighborhood, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.

The California Highway Patrol and California National Guard crackdowns were part of a wave of coordinated busts by local, state and federal law enforcement that began in spring 2023, with the intention of dismantling the downtowns booming and increasingly deadly open-air drug markets.

Over the last year, we have made significant, measurable progress for safety in San Francisco, Newsom said in a statement. While there is more to do to improve public safety, crime rates are significantly down as we work with our local partners to continue to reverse the tide.

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A recent Chronicle review of police data shows that reported crimes across the board in San Francisco are lower than they were at this time last year, though criminologists say its too soon to pinpoint exactly whats driving these drops. Cities across the country also experienced falling crime in 2023, according to preliminary FBI data.

Still, local leaders say the multiagency coordination has been a force multiplier in its efforts to tackle the citys drug markets. Its a feat that Mayor London Breed and other city officials had long said was too big to take on alone, prompting them to ask for assistance from state and federal partners.

The efforts are making a difference, but we still have more work to do, Breed said in a statement. I'm grateful for the dedicated and sustained support of Governor Newsom to deliver the California Highway Patrol and the California National Guard to work with our local and federal law enforcement officers.

Critics of the recent operations, including attorneys with the San Francisco Public Defenders Office, have compared the tactics to 1990s-era war on drugs, which disproportionately punished Black and brown communities while failing to help those struggling with addiction. San Franciscos pace of overdoses this year remains comparable with that of last year, when the city marked a record-breaking 810 overdose deaths.

Newsoms office said the state police figures included 90 arrests for alleged crimes involving fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid that is found in the vast majority of the citys overdose victims last year.

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The state figures are in addition to the 1,780 drug dealing and possession arrests made by San Francisco police and other agencies and presented to local prosecutors from May 1, 2023, to the end of April of this year, according to city data reviewed by the Chronicle.
Southern Company

PROPEL, a first-of-its-kind innovation hub for 2-year and 4-year Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), announces the launch of a pioneering cybersecurity consortium. The PROPEL HBCU Cybersecurity Consortium (HCC), created in partnership with Southern Company, was founded on the principles of collaboration, leadership, innovation and foresight.

This Consortium not only unites academia, industry and government but more importantly serves as a nucleus for HBCUs to complement their curriculums to be more industry skill aligned and agile to the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.

"PROPEL's consortium will set a benchmark for developing a future workforce that is well equipped to address and solve the cybersecurity needs of today and tomorrow," said chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company Chris Womack. "Leveraging the insights, tools, resources and access to real-world opportunities that industry and government entities can bring to the table now will help further develop and enrich the transformative skills our future workforce must have. These skills are essential in how we continue to protect our critical infrastructure and be better prepared to face the cyber challenges ahead."

The HCC is comprised of four pivotal elements: resource hub, professional development, accelerated learning and workforce pipeline. It is designed to facilitate connection between industry, students and faculty with the latest trends, emerging technologies, training and a collaborative space that fosters the development of new courses and opportunities. Additionally, the HCC will provide real-life, challenged-based industry projects, conduct cutting edge research, collaborate with industry leaders and experts and open pathways to employment and beyond.

"The dynamic and ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape has generated a myriad of leading career opportunities that have become critical across virtually every business sector - with a mere nine percent of those individuals being Black professionals," said PROPEL President Dr. Lisa Herring. "In partnership and collaboration with our co-founder, Southern Company, we're cracking the code in a sector that is grossly underrepresented by diverse talent and an industry in need of a greatly expanded workforce."

PROPEL is proud to launch HCC's first two programs both aimed at elevating HBCU faculty and student expertise and skills in cybersecurity.

Faculty Fellows - A curated, year-long engagement and professional development track designed exclusively to upskill cybersecurity educators. This program also offers fellows the financial support to gain critical industry certifications.

Student Accelerator - A year-long immersive experience designed for 3rd and 4th year students to advance their skills, knowledge and career preparedness. Students gain access to industry leaders, tools, training, and the latest resources, enabling them to emerge as highly competent professionals ready to tackle the challenges of the cybersecurity industry.

The applications for both programs will be accepted through May 8, 2024.

Currently, 32 HBCUs with cybersecurity curriculum and degree offerings comprise the first consortium institutions. Those institutions include Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Albany State University, Benedict College, Bowie State University, Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Drake State Community Technical College, Florida A&M University, Fort Valley State University, Hampton University, Howard University, Meharry Medical College, Miles College, Mississippi Valley State University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University Law Center, Southern University and A&M College at Baton Rouge, Southern University and A&M College at New Orleans, Southern University of New Orleans, Stillman College, Tuskegee University, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, University of District Columbia, University of Virgin Islands, West Virginia State University, Winston Salem State University.

The HCC aims to attract more corporate partners and industry experts to forge a robust pipeline of qualified professionals, effectively tackling the cybersecurity talent shortage. For more information about HCC, how to join as an industry partner or to apply for programs.





View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Southern Company on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Southern Company

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/southern-company

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Southern Company

View the original press release on accesswire.com
PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Today, News is Out and Word In Black, together announced the 16 fellows selected for The Digital Equity Local Voices Lab, a new initiative powered by Comcast NBCUniversal to place journalists at 16 Black and LGBTQ+ serving news publications across the country.

During the year-long fellowship, the group will receive the training and resources needed to tell stories within marginalized communities through media and technology and celebrate the work being done by Black and LGBTQ+ leaders in their communities.

"Through Project UP, we are proud to donate $1 million to launch this unique, first-of-its-kind program that will support coverage of Black and LGBTQ+ topics in the media as well as emerging journalists with a passion for reporting on issues of importance to these communities," said Dalila Wilson-Scott, EVP and Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast Corporation and President, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation.

"Comcast is one of the earliest corporate leaders in LGBTQ+ inclusion, so it should come as no surprise that they understand the value of local LGBTQ+ media," said Mark Segal, founder of the Philadelphia Gay News and member of News is Out. "Their investment in our growth is also an investment in the future leadership of LGBT media and intersectional LGBTQ+ media."

The fellows will receive best practices, learnings and mentorship from journalists and media professionals at News is Out, Word In Black, and NBCUniversal. In addition, they will report on stories of Black and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and creatives in their communities, share training and resources on using technology more in their daily lives, report on policy related to technological access and connectivity, and share the work being done to advance digital equity.

"I am excited to be a part of a fellowship that is specifically geared toward the promotion of diversity, inclusivity and intersectionality," said Davi B. Ulloa-Estrada, News is Out and Philadelphia Gay News fellow. "We are missing such crucial and different perspectives on world issues, so I look forward to being a part of this project."

"This fellowship program is the epitome of what journalism means to me - using innovation and creativity to fuel a passion for multimedia storytelling and uplift the voice and perspective of the overlooked," said Word In Black and Washington Informer fellow, Jada Ingleton. "It means so much to know that I'll be in a position to produce stories that could enact change and affect lives the same way generations of journalists impacted mine."

The Local Media Foundation (LMF) is managing the fellowship and Lab and facilitating content creation to reach diverse audiences between the 16 publishers, Comcast NBCUniversal and NBCU Academy. Word In Black and News is Out are collaboratives that were launched by LMF.

The 16 fellows are:

Megan Sayles, AFRO News (Baltimore)

Menra Mapfumo, The Atlanta Voice (Atlanta)

J.L. Odom, Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco)

Melissa Whitler, Dallas Voice (Dallas)

Marlissa Collier, Dallas Weekly (Dallas)

ReShonda Tate, Houston Defender (Houston)

Ebony "JJ" Curry, Michigan Chronicle (Detroit)

Leah Mallory, New York Amsterdam News (New York City)

Davi B. Ulloa-Estrada, Philadelphia Gay News (Philadelphia)

Christine Shelby, The Sacramento Observer (Sacramento)

Kira Doyle, Seattle Medium (Seattle)

Devored Horton, The St. Louis American (St. Louis)

Victoria F. Vega, Tagg Magazine (National)

Henry Carnell, Washington Blade (Washington, D.C.)

Jada Ingleton, The Washington Informer (Washington, D.C.)

Lu Calzada, Windy City Times (Chicago)

In February, the three organizations announced the launch of The Digital Equity Local Voices Lab and application period. The Lab is part of Project UP, Comcast's $1 billion initiative to connect people to the Internet and advance digital equity and economic mobility through programs and community partnerships that open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators across Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Comcast Corporation on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Comcast Corporation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/comcast-corporation

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Comcast Corporation

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Top Five Conveyor Car Wash Company Expands Footprint in Wisconsin and Minnesota

THOMASTON, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Tidal Wave Auto Spa, one of the nation's fastest-growing express car wash companies, celebrated two grand openings in the Midwest this week with their brand-new Beaver Dam, WI, and Waconia, MN locations.

To celebrate the grand openings, both new locations are offering eight days of free car washes from May 1-May 8. This limited-time promotion provides an opportunity for car owners to experience Tidal Wave's premium wash option, Graph-X4, at no cost. Additionally, any new customer that joins a Clean Club unlimited wash membership plan during Grand Opening week will enjoy their first month of unlimited washes for only $9.97 - saving up to $40.

"We're excited to expand our footprint in the Midwest," said founder and CEO Scott Blackstock. "The opportunity to bring our convenient and industry-leading car wash to more people is what it's all about, and we are proud to join the Beaver Dam and Waconia communities this week. Our team is committed to making car care easy, efficient, and enjoyable, and we look forward to providing our exceptional car wash experience to our customers in both communities for years to come."

Beaver Dam, WI Location: 105 Frances Lane, Beaver Dam, WI 53916

Nearby locations: Burlington

Waconia, MN Location: 564 Olive St S, Waconia, MN 55387

Nearby locations: Eagan, Lino Lakes

Tidal Wave Auto Spa is committed to providing every customer with an exceptional car wash experience through industry-leading car care technology, clean and attractive locations, and friendly customer service at every location. Stop by for a single wash or join Tidal Wave's Clean Club for the ultimate experience. Members can wash every day of the month for one convenient monthly payment and save time with exclusive club member wash lanes - plus, memberships can be used at any Tidal Wave location. For those needing to wash multiple cars, Tidal Wave offers discounted monthly family plans and fleet plans for businesses with five or more vehicles.

Tidal Wave Auto Spa currently operates two Wisconsin locations and eight Minnesota locations. The company will open several additional washes throughout Wisconsin in the coming months, including brand-new Platteville, Marshfield and Weston locations. For additional information, including upcoming locations, fundraising, fleet plans, and more, please visit: https://www.tidalwaveautospa.com/.

About Tidal Wave Auto Spa

Tidal Wave Auto Spa is an industry-leading conveyor car wash company founded in 1999 by Scott and Hope Blackstock in Thomaston, GA. Tidal Wave is committed to providing cutting-edge car care technology and exceptional customer service at each of their 257 locations sprawling 27 states across the South, Midwest, and Northern United States. In 2020, Tidal Wave partnered with Golden Gate Capital to facilitate their accelerated growth across the country. Tidal Wave is one of the top five conveyor car wash companies in the country and has been included in the Inc. 5000 list for America's Fastest Growing Companies since 2020. The company was recognized as a 2023 Champion of Charity Honoree by Professional Carwashing & Detailing and has raised over $3 million dollars for organizations in their communities.

Contact Information

Heather Coleman

Marketing Manager

media@tidalwaveautospa.com

Andrea Traylor

Senior Director of Digital Marketing

andrea.traylor@tidalwaveautospa.com

2058212220

SOURCE: Tidal Wave Auto Spa

View the original press release on newswire.com.
GRENOBLE, France and PRINCETON, N.J., May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Koelis, SAS ("Koelis" or the "Company", www.koelis.com), a leader and innovator in prostate care, announced today the release of new features at the prestigious American Urological Association Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX. Koelis will be holding live and interactive demos at its booth #951 from May 2nd to May 5th to demonstrate its novel capacity integrating AI-enhanced prostate MRI features into its exclusive Trinity platform.



The Koelis Trinity system enables urologists to perform 3D targeted "fusion biopsy" in prostate cancer. Trinity integrates 3D ultrasound imaging with proprietary MRI-US fusion image guidance that features the Company's unique prostate motion tracking software (OBT Fusion). The compact Koelis Trinity system does not require interfaces with either external ultrasound equipment or external sensors. The versatility of the Trinity platform is enabling Koelis to lead the ongoing paradigm shift in prostate cancer care to more accurate biopsy diagnoses and more choices for less invasive treatments.

Koelis is releasing its new "Promap Contour" software that has been developed in collaboration with companies innovating in CAD and AI software, among which Deephealth (a wholly owned subsidiary of Radnet), Siemens Healthineers, and others in progress. The Promap Contour software will enable healthcare providers to utilize their compatible CAD/AI solution to automatically process Prostate contours and lesions on MRI that can then be seamlessly transferred to the Koelis Trinity platform for 3D MRI/US fusion procedures.

Urologists and radiologists will be able to collaborate to enhance workflow efficiencies along the prostate cancer clinical pathway. The aim is to provide access to PACS/cloud connectivity and automated prostate MRI segmentation to be readily imported into the Koelis Trinity platform. The Koelis Trinity system will utilize that imaging data to create a 3D patient-specific prostate map for guidance of both diagnostic and treatment procedures.

Antoine Leroy, PhD, Koelis founder and CEO, declared: "Always responding and innovating to meet the needs of urologists and their patients, Koelis is proud to enhance connectivity and add an AI dimension to its products. We strongly believe that promoting workflow efficiency with a solution like DeepHealth's, we can facilitate the adoption of Koelis fusion biopsy as a new standard of care in the USA."

Koelis technology is currently available in 50 countries with over 500 systems in use in the USA, Europe and Asia. The Koelis Trinity platform has been utilized in 1 million patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.

About Koelis

Headquartered in Grenoble, France, Koelis has been a pioneer and leader of MRI-US fusion image guidance technology since 2006. Featuring proprietary 3D ultrasound and prostate motion tracking software.

For Koelis media inquiries, please contact:

Thomas Martins Pinheiro

Communications Manager

Phone: +33 (0)4 58 17 68 10

Email: thomas.martins-pinheiro@koelis.com





A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d8d0afda-6909-4bf4-9fbd-6b5ddf0a919a




(NYSE:KFS) Kingsway Financial Services Inc. ("Kingsway" or the "Company") announced today that a letter to its shareholders from John T. Fitzgerald, the Company's President and CEO, has been made available (the "Letter"). The Letter can be found on the Company's website at: https://bit.ly/23AL

About the Company

Kingsway is a holding company that owns or controls subsidiaries primarily in the extended warranty and business services industries. The common shares of Kingsway are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "KFS."

The Company serves the extended warranty industry through its operating subsidiaries IWS (iwsgroup.com), Penn Warranty (pennwarranty.com), Preferred Warranties (preferredwarranties.com) and Trinity Warranty Solutions (trinitywarranty.com).

The Company serves the business services industry through its operating subsidiaries CSuite (csuitefinancialpartners.com), Ravix (ravixgroup.com), Secure Nursing Service (securenursing.com), SPI Software (spisoftware.com) and Digital Diagnostics, Inc (ddimagingusa.com).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and/or Shareholder Letter may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are not historical facts, and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected and projected. Words such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "seeks" and variations and similar words and expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements; however, the absence of any such words does not mean that a statement is a not a forward-looking statement. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance, but reflect Kingsway management's current beliefs, based on information currently available. A number of factors could cause actual events, performance or results to differ materially from the events, performance and results discussed in the forward-looking statements. For information identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as expressly required by applicable securities law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Additional Information

Additional information about Kingsway, including a copy of its Annual Reports can be accessed on the EDGAR section of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov, on the Canadian Securities Administrators' website at www.sedar.com, or through the Company's website at www.kingsway-financial.com.

For Media Inquiries:

Hayden IR

James Carbonara

(646) 755-7412

james@haydenir.com For Company Inquiries:

Kingsway Financial Services Inc.

Kent Hansen, CFO

(312) 766-2163

khansen@kingsway-financial.com

SOURCE: Kingsway Financial Services, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. (TSXV: PEMC) ("Pacific Empire", "PEMC" or the "Company"), a British Columbia copper-gold explorer, is pleased to announce that its ongoing private placement, previously announced by news release dated April 22, 2024, has been increased from C$500,000 to C$722,500 due to excess demand.

The Company now intends to complete a non-brokered private placement offering of up to 14,450,000 units ( "Units") at a price of C$0.05 per Unit (the "Offering"), for total gross proceeds of up to C$722,500 (the "Offering"). Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder thereof to acquire an additional Common Share at an exercise price of C$0.08 per Common Share for 36 months after the date of issuance (the "Closing Date").

The funds will be used for exploration on its flagship Trident copper-gold-silver porphyry project and for general working purposes.

The securities issued at the closing of the Offering will be subject to a four month plus one day hold period from the date of issue, as well as to any other re-sale restrictions imposed by applicable securities regulatory authorities. Subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable securities legislation, PEMC may pay finder's fees with respect to certain subscriptions from arm's length subscribers in accordance with the TSX Venture Exchange Policies.

Closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or around May 6, 2024 and is subject to all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Pacific Empire

Pacific Empire is a copper exploration company based in Vancouver, British Columbia and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol PEMC. The Company has a district scale land position in north-central British Columbia totaling 22,541 hectares.

British Columbia is a "Green" copper jurisdiction with abundant hydroelectric power, access and infrastructure in close proximity to the end market.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

"Brad Peters"

President and Chief Executive Officer

Pacific Empire Minerals Corp.

Tel: +1-604-356-6246

brad@pemcorp.ca

www.pemcorp.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation: closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or around May 2, 2024, the funds will be used for exploration on its flagship Trident copper-gold-silver porphyry project and for general working purposes, are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mineral exploration; fluctuations in commodity prices; title matters; environmental liability claims and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain officers, directors or promoters with certain other projects; the absence of dividends; competition; dilution; the volatility of our common share price and volume and the additional risks identified the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO US NEWSWIRE SERVICES

NOR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207673

SOURCE: Pacific Empire Minerals Corp.
HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / HNR Acquisition Corp (NYSE American:HNRA) (the "Company" or "HNRA") is an independent upstream energy company with oil and gas properties in the Permian Basin. The Company today announced that members of management will attend the EF Hutton Annual Global Conference at the Plaza Hotel in New York on May 15, 2024. Joseph V Salvucci, Chairman, Dante Caravaggio, President & CEO, and Mitch B. Trotter, CFO, will be available to meet with conference attendees.

The conference has a unique one-on-one format - there are no general presentations. These one-on-one meetings will be scheduled and conducted in person at the conference venue. If you would like to attend the EF Hutton Annual Global Conference on May 15, 2024 and register for a one-on-one meeting with HNRA, please register here.

About the EF Hutton Annual Global Conference

The EF Hutton Annual Global Conference will showcase dynamic public and private companies across multiple sectors in an intimate conference setting. The conference has a unique one-on-one format (no general presentations). This event features key executives from public and private companies to convey their unique stories to an extensive audience which includes institutional investors, high-net worth individuals, corporate clients, and exclusive members of the press. Investors and executives will have the opportunity to interact with each other in a friendly, high-energy environment. Investors can select up to eight meetings. Meetings may be 2x1 and 3x1 formats. More information is available on the conference website.

About EF Hutton

EF Hutton, LLC is an investment bank with its headquarters in New York. The bank provides strategic advisory and financing solutions to middle market and emerging growth companies. EF Hutton has a proven track record of providing superior strategic advisory to clients across the globe in any sector, with unique access to capital from the USA, Asia, Europe, UAE and Latin America. For more information, visit EF Hutton's website.

About the Oil Field Property

In November 2023, the Company acquired LH Operating, LLC ("LHO") including its holdings in New Mexico of oil and gas waterflood production comprising 13,700 contiguous leasehold acres, 342 producing wells and 207 injection wells situated on 20 federal and 3 state leases in the Grayburg-Jackson Oil Field. The Grayburg-Jackson Oil Field is located on the Northwest Shelf of the prolific Permian Basin in Eddy County, New Mexico.

Leasehold rights of LHO, now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, include the Seven Rivers, Queen, Grayburg and San Andres intervals that range from as shallow as 1,500 feet to 4,000 feet in depth. The December 2023 reserve report from our third-party engineer, William H. Cobb and Associates, Inc. ("Cobb"), reflects LHO to have proven reserves of approximately 15.4 million barrels of oil and 3.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas. The mapped original-oil-in-place ("OOIP") in the LHO leasehold is approximately 876 million barrels of oil in the Grayburg and San Andres intervals and 80 million barrels in the Seven Rivers interval for a total OOIP of approximately 956,000,000 barrels of oil.

Our primary production is currently from the Seven Rivers zone. In addition to proven reserves, the Company believes we may access an additional 34 million barrels of oil by adding perforations in the Grayburg and San Andres formations. With proven oil reserves of over 15 million barrels, combined with the potential 34 million additional barrels from the Grayburg and San Andres zones, LHO should produce oil and a revenue stream for more than two decades with a slow decline rate.

About HNR Acquisition Corp

HNRA is an independent upstream energy company focused on maximizing total returns to its shareholders through the development of onshore oil and natural gas properties in the United States. HNRA's long-term goal is to maximize total shareholder value from a diversified portfolio of long-life oil and natural gas properties built through acquisition and through selective development, production enhancement, and other exploitation efforts on its oil and natural gas properties.

HNRA's Class A Common Stock trades on the NYSE American (NYSE American:HNRA) and our public warrants trade on the NYSE American (NYSE American:HNRAW). For more information on HNRA, please visit the Company's website: https://www.hnra-nyse.com/

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expected. Words such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "seeks," "may," "might," "plan," "possible," "should" and variations and similar words and expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or future results, based on currently available information and reflect the Company's management's current beliefs. A number of factors could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events and results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors - including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts and the risks relating to our business - that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on EDGAR (see www.edgar-online.com) and with the Securities and Exchange Commission (see www.sec.gov). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as expressly required by applicable securities law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Relations

Michael J. Porter, President

PORTER, LEVAY & ROSE, INC.

mike@plrinvest.com

SOURCE: HNR Acquisition Corp

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Thaher Miah joins UNA to help provide a lifeline for the victims of the LUNA and UST crash by partnering with major crypto centralized exchanges.

LISBON, PORTUGAL / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / UNA (www.una-coin.com), an innovative cryptocurrency platform, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Thaher Miah as its new advisor. Miah, a distinguished leader at Coinstore centralized exchange, brings a wealth of expertise and a robust network within the cryptocurrency market to UNA. His primary mission at UNA will be to forge partnerships with major centralized exchanges including Binance, OKX, Bybit, KuCoin, Gate, MEXC, and Kraken.

This strategic hire comes at a crucial time for UNA, which has recently unveiled a groundbreaking initiative aimed at supporting the victims of the $LUNA and $UST collapse in May 2022. UNA has set aside 50% of its tokens for holders of $UST and $LUNA who suffered financial losses during the infamous cryptocurrency crash on May 6th and 7th, 2022. The total estimated losses from this event approach $200 billion USD, affecting millions of investors worldwide. The cost to claim UNA for users, projects and exchanges is zero.

"I'm thrilled to be working with Thaher on UNA." States UNA's founder, Enigma, also the founder of EnigmaFund Venture Capital and Excelsior. "We've been amazing friends and colleagues for some time and this is an incredible opportunity to be working side-by-side on something we feel so passionate about."

Miah's role will involve extensive coordination with centralized exchanges to ensure that they are aware of UNA's compensation efforts. By collaborating closely with these platforms, Miah aims to facilitate the process of snapshotting user holdings from the specified dates, thus enabling users to claim their share of UNA tokens efficiently.

"Joining UNA represents a unique opportunity to directly address and mitigate some of the challenges and hardships faced by the cryptocurrency community. Our goal is to empower both the exchanges and their users by providing them with the means to recover from their losses," said Thaher Miah. "I am excited to lead this initiative, ensuring that as many affected users as possible are informed about and can benefit from the UNA claim."

The collaboration between UNA and these leading exchanges is anticipated to not only support the recovery of individual investors but also strengthen the overall resilience and credibility of the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

For more information about UNA and the ongoing claims process, please visit www.una-coin.com.

About UNA

UNA is building the community recovery Operating System of Web3 built on the back of innovative tokenomic game-theory, utility and economic modeling.

Their mission is to revitalize, resurrect and recapitalize massive disenfranchised dormant communities, and fold them into a new trustless DeFi economy. As part of their future plans, UNA intend to use the community, treasury and tokenomic tools repetitively to achieve the same results with other collapsed communities such as BitConnect and SafeMoon.

At $UNA, 50% of the supply can be freely claimed by anyone that had UST/ LUNA at the depeg, 6th/ 7th of May.

www.link3.to/una

Media Contact

Organization: EnigmaFund

Contact Person: Khine Zin

Website: http://www.enigma-fund.com

Email: enigma@enigma-fund.com

Contact Number: +4402032901955

Address: R. Rodrigo da Fonseca 88

City: Lisboa

State: Lisbon

Country: Portugal

SOURCE: EnigmaFund

View the original press release on accesswire.com
By Light Blade Recent pronouncements by some Western politicians and media outlets regarding Chinas so-called excess capacity reflect growing anxieties, not objective economic analysis. These claims distort Chinas hard-earned comparative advantages via accusations of unfair competition by painting Chinas high-quality, globally beneficial production capacity as a threat to the world economy. This narrative is a thinly veiled attempt to discredit Chinas economic rise. It represents a new cognitive warfare being waged against Chinas economic model. China, however, remains confident in its development path. Speculation and unfounded accusations will not deter China from pursuing its industrial transformation and modernization through high-level opening-up and high-quality development. The Wests recent rhetoric surrounding Chinas overcapacity reveals a complex interplay of anxieties and the evolving global order. The rise of developing nations and their integration into the process of economic globalization challenges the centuries-old center-periphery model of industrial division of labor. This model, once solidified by Western dominance in science, technology, finance, and military power, now faces disruption as developing countries emerge as new hubs of manufacturing, innovation, and development. The Wests anxieties stem from a confluence of factors. The global financial capital has hollowed out the real economy in developed nations by weakening their manufacturing. Consequently, the narrative of Chinas overcapacity serves as a tool to suppress technological and industrial progress in developing countries, effectively maintaining the Western grip on the global supply chain. This is not a battle over capacity, but a clash between the entrenched interests of the established order and the developing worlds struggle for a more equitable system. In essence, the overcapacity claim is a false narrative masking the Wests overcapacity in anxiety. Its time for a paradigm shift that recognizes the evolving strengths of developing nations and fosters a more balanced global economic landscape. Economic globalization and market-driven division of labor have fueled the prosperity of the planet. Traditionally, natural resources dictated comparative advantages between countries. However, the spread of technology at a global scale and stronger strategies in certain developing countries are changing the equation. New factors like industrial policy, strategic planning, and innovation are playing a more significant role. By cultivating these advantages and strategically integrating resources, nations can elevate their industrial and value chains for global competition. This fosters a more efficient global division of labor, optimizing resource allocation and boosting market mechanisms. Ultimately, it leads to a more efficient global production system and a potential rise in overall human well-being. However, history shows that economic laws can be disrupted by political intervention that potentially hinders a smooth transition towards a more efficient global system. Britains once-unmatched industrial dominance was a relic of the past. As new players emerge, the old industrial leadership often resorts to desperate measures. The UKs frantic attempts to maintain its role as global industrial center with political and military muscles serve as a stark example. Similarly, the post-WWII era saw the US wield its military, political, and financial might to curb the industrial resurgence of Europe and Japan, clinging to its position in the global division of labor. Today, China is capitalizing on its institutional advantages, strategic planning, and a robust capacity for learning and innovation. This has enabled the country to accumulate a competitive edge that challenges the US-led monopoly in various industries. While Chinas focus on industrial advancement undoubtedly benefits global prosperity, it threatens established monopolies. The US responded with protectionism and veiled containment tactics in an attempt to derail Chinas industrial ascent. The notion of overcapacity is not a market-driven conclusion, but a crafted narrative mirroring the desperate attempt to retain a bygone era of dominance. Chinas ascendancy in the three new sectors  electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and solar cells  offers high-quality products, boosts global economic growth, and promotes price stability. This competitive edge, driven by strategic planning aligned with economic laws, exemplifies developing nations leveraging market forces to leapfrog on industrial chains and reshape the global division of labor. However, anxieties over maintaining dominance have led the United States and the West to curb Chinas progress through decoupling and breaking up the global supply chain, which stands in the way of reasonable restructuring of the global supply chain. It exposes the inherent politicization beneath what seems to be pure economic moves. Unequal economic standings of countries are the result of some countries wielding military, political, financial, and cultural power to manipulate and distort free market adjustments. These actions aim at solidifying, and even perpetuating, an unequal center-periphery structure of the global economy. Over the past few hundred years, the West has led the process of industrialization and globalization, and at the same time cultivated an implicit perception that the Western-dominated global industrial division of labor and international economic order will remain unchanged. However, Chinas surging manufacturing strength is disrupting this long-held perception. Its rise to a leading role in global manufacturing is not only inevitable from an economic perspective, but also a historical trend unfolding in front of our eyes. This breakthrough shatters the illusion of Western supremacy, paving the way for a more balanced and less monopolized world economy. In this sense, it makes a compelling case for developing nations seeking self-reliance and charting their own paths to prosperity.
Crime has dropped significantly across Oakland so far this year, raising cautious hopes that the crime wave that marked the city in 2023  and drew unwanted negative attention  is receding. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle 2021

Editors Note: After this story was published, the Chronicle learned that Oakland has been publishing weekly reports on citywide crime statistics that are misleading for understanding year-over-year trends, particularly in the category of burglaries and theft. In the interest of transparency, we have added this editors note to every article containing data that relied on Oakland's misleading crime reports. We wrote about the source of the data problem and Oakland's response on July 10, 2024, and you can read that story here.

The following is the original version of this story. We have not amended the data.

Oakland officials are hailing data showing that crime has fallen significantly, after a spike in 2023 drew national attention and raised concerns among residents about the direction of the city.

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Crime is down 33% overall in Oakland so far this year compared with the same period in 2023, according to the latest police statistics through April 28, with significant drops in categories including homicides, assaults, rapes and burglaries.

The improving numbers, which City Hall officials attribute to changes in the operation and organization of the Police Department, raise hopes that the city may be beating back its crime wave, which has dragged on Oaklands business environment and raised questions about its post-pandemic vitality.

Yet, despite the overall decline, one type of crime has continued to worsen. Robberies, which play a critical role in public safety concerns and the perception of security, are up 11% in the first four months compared with last year. Because of that, the overall level of violent crime, which rose 21% last year, has remained flat in 2024 as rising robberies offset gains in other categories such as homicides.

City Hall officials say they are optimistic about the figures, but they acknowledge there is plenty of work to be done.

Oakland is turning the corner and the public safety investments we have made are paying off, Mayor Sheng Thao said in a statement. Our hard fought progress is fueled by strengthening our police department, reviving the proven violence prevention initiative Ceasefire, collaborating with the state and federal government, and partnering with Oakland based businesses.

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David Muhammad, executive director of the Oakland-based National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, said the city has a lot of work ahead to get back to the low numbers of crimes such as homicides before the pandemic. But overall, he said, he applauded the data.

Theres some normal reduction because things had gotten pretty high and pretty bad  what some would call regression to the mean, he said. But in reality things are trending in the right direction, and Im incredibly encouraged by it.

Changes in policy and priorities

City Hall officials credited the turnaround this year to an audit they undertook at the beginning of 2023 after homicide numbers, which rose in many cities from 2020 to 2022, failed to fall back in Oakland the way they had in other places.

The audit, which was carried out by the nonprofit California Partnership for Safe Communities and funded in part by Kaiser Permanente and the Department of Justice, found that the city had walked away from its Ceasefire crime-reduction program from 2016 to 2020, even though it had been credited by the city with a significant decline in homicides in prior years.

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Ceasefire is a violence interruption strategy meant to identify the people most likely to be perpetrators or victims of violent crime and to team them with experienced police officers, mentors and other community members to preemptively stave off violence. The city said the program led to a 42% drop in homicides from 2012 to 2017.

In 2021, then-Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong started a separate program called the Violent Crime Operations Center, with a focus on improving clearance rates, or the percentage of recorded crimes that resulted in arrest. The audit found that Armstrongs crime operations center had pulled officers and resources away from Ceasefire  and contributed to a more reactive style of policing that was counterproductive.

Oakland officials disbanded the VCOC and began moving resources and staffing back to Ceasefire operations, said Brooklyn Williams, a mayoral aide who heads a portfolio around education and safety. She attributes the falling crime numbers in part to the revival of Ceasefire.

Changes at the top of the Department of Violence Prevention, which participates in the Ceasefire program along with the OPD, also helped achieve these goals.

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We believe that identifying and engaging with the people at the highest risk is the most effective intervention strategy, Holly Joshi, who took over the department in November 2023, said in a statement. To this end we relentlessly pursue those driving violence in an effort to build relationships, provide intensive support, and inspire the behavioral changes needed to create pathways out of violence.

In addition to the overall drop in crime so far in 2024, homicides are down 17%, assaults 7%, rapes 21% and burglaries 50%, according to the most recent police statistics.

City Hall officials are also enthusiastic about the May start date for Floyd Mitchell, the citys new police chief. Still, they said they understood how much work remained to restore both the reality  and perception  of security in the city.

James Dudley, a professor of criminal justice at San Francisco State and a retired officer of more than 30 years at the SFPD, agreed.

The idea of homicides being down 17% in a YTD (year to date), a third of the year, looks really good, he said. Whatever efforts Oakland has done to get homicides to 25 should be lauded  but they really gotta keep the clamps on, to keep it going down for the rest of the year.

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He noted that Oakland, as it has for many years, still sees a significantly higher violent crime rate than other cities in the region. San Francisco, for example, which has about double the population of Oakland, has had only about 10 homicides this year.

Theyve got to continue to press on it, he said, of Oaklands crime fighting efforts. Even with a 10% or 15% reduction, its still high for the region.

More work to be done

Phing Yamamoto, the owner of Oaklands more than 40-year-old Colonial Donuts, knows these issues better than most now. Her store on Lakeshore Avenue, a 24-hour shop in the citys bustling Grand Lake district, has been robbed four times in the past year.

The last two times, including the most recent one on March 1, the perpetrators took the cash register. The incidents have cost Yamamoto thousands of dollars from the theft and ensuing changes made to the shop in the aftermath  such as installing a walk-up window for patrons after midnight, instead of counter service as before, plus lighting and new registers.

Its sad we have to resort to this, Yamamoto said. Business is down now, she said, and shes concerned about retaining staff because of the insecurity that everyone feels.

She did hear from a private security guard on the block that car break-ins, a scourge in the area, have been falling in the past few weeks. Francis Zamora, the mayors spokesperson, said robberies, while up year over year, had also been trending downward citywide in recent weeks.

Yamamoto said she didnt know whether there had been any arrests in the case; the last time the police spoke to her about it, they mentioned the DA and what they said were challenges with charging suspects. The police department said it was still working on a request for more information about the investigation from the Chronicle.

Millie Cleveland, a chairperson for the Coalition for Police Accountability, a citizens group in Oakland, said she believes the police department still spends too much time dealing with internal issues and scandals. She hopes the new chief will bring stability and better priorities. But she hailed the new crime statistics and the citys renewed emphasis on the Ceasefire program.
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - F3 Uranium Corp. (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FUUFF) ("F3 Uranium" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Red Cloud Securities Inc., as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters (collectively, the "Underwriters"), pursuant to which the Underwriters have agreed to purchase for resale 13,392,857 flow-through units of the Company (each, a "FT Unit") at a price of C$0.56 per FT Unit (the "Offering Price") on a "bought deal" basis in a private placement for gross proceeds of C$7,500,000 (the "Underwritten Offering").

Each FT Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") to be issued as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (each, a "FT Share") and one half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant shall entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share at a price of C$0.56 at any time on or before that date which is 24 months after the Closing Date (as defined below).

The Company will grant to the Underwriters an option, exercisable up to 48 hours prior to the Closing Date, to purchase for resale up to an additional 2,008,929 FT Units at the Offering Price for additional gross proceeds of up to C$1,125,000 (the "Over-Allotment Option", and together with the Underwritten Offering, the "Offering").

The Company will have the right to include a list of subscribers to purchase up to 892,857 FT Units at the Offering Price for gross proceeds of up to C$500,000 under the Offering (the "President's List"). The President's List will be allocated under the Over-Allotment Option and, for greater certainty, all purchasers under the Over-Allotment Option will receive FT Units on the terms of the Offering and subject to certain resale restrictions as described below.

A total of 8,928,571 FT Units under the Underwritten Offering, representing gross proceeds of up to C$4,999,999.20, will be offered by way of the "listed issuer financing" exemption under Part 5A under National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106") in all the provinces of Canada with the exception of Quebec (the "Selling Jurisdictions"). The Common Shares issuable pursuant to the sale of these FT Units are expected to be immediately freely tradeable under applicable Canadian securities legislation if sold to purchasers resident in Canada. The remaining FT Units to be sold under the Offering, including the FT Units sold under the Over-Allotment Option and President's List, will be offered by way of the "accredited investor" and "minimum amount investment" exemptions under NI 45-106 in the Selling Jurisdictions. The Common Shares issuable from the sale of such FT Units will be subject to a restricted period in Canada ending on the date that is four months plus one day following the closing of the Offering as defined in Subsection 2.5(2) of Multilateral Instrument 45-102 - Resale of Securities.

The Offering is expected to close on May 23, 2024 (the "Closing Date"). The Company will pay to the Underwriters a cash commission of 5.5% of the gross proceeds raised in respect of the Offering (the "Underwriters' Commission"). In addition, the Company will issue to the Underwriters warrants of the Company (each warrant, a "Broker Warrant"), exercisable for a period of 24 months following the Closing Date, to acquire in aggregate that number of Common Shares which is equal to 5.5% of the number of FT Units sold under the Offering at an exercise price equal to C$0.56 per Common Share. All FT Units sold to purchasers under the President's List will be subject to a reduced Underwriters' Commission of 2.75% and that number of Broker Warrants equal to 2.75% of the number of FT Units sold to purchasers under the President's List.

The proceeds of the Offering will be used by the Company to fund exploration of the Company's projects in the Athabasca Basin.

There is an offering document related to the Offering that will be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at the Company's website at www.f3uranium.com. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision.

About F3 Uranium Corp.

F3 Uranium is a uranium project generator and exploration company, focusing on projects in the Athabasca Basin, home to some of the world's largest high grade uranium discovery. F3 Uranium currently has 18 projects in the Athabasca Basin. Several of F3's projects are near large uranium discoveries including Triple R, Arrow and Hurricane.

The TSX Venture Exchange and the Canadian Securities Exchange have not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

F3 Uranium Corp.

750-1620 Dickson Avenue

Kelowna, BC V1Y9Y2

Contact Information

Investor Relations

Telephone: 778 484 8030

Email: ir@F3uranium.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dev Randhawa"

Dev Randhawa, CEO

Cautionary Statement: F3 Uranium Corp.

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws, which is based upon the Company's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs. The forward-looking information included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the Company's expectations with respect to the Offering; the use of proceeds of the Offering; completion of the Offering and the date of such completion. Forward-looking statements or forward-looking information relate to future events and future performance and include statements regarding the expectations and beliefs of management based on information currently available to the Company. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information often, but not always, can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "potential", "is expected", "anticipated", "is targeted", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

Forward-looking statements or forward-looking information are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to: general business and economic conditions; regulatory approval for the Offering; completion of the Offering; changes in commodity prices; the supply and demand for, deliveries of, and the level and volatility of the price of uranium and other metals; changes in project parameters as exploration plans continue to be refined; costs of exploration including labour and equipment costs; risks and uncertainties related to the ability to obtain or maintain necessary licenses, permits or surface rights; changes in credit market conditions and conditions in financial markets generally; the ability to procure equipment and operating supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis; the availability of qualified employees and contractors; the impact of value of the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar, foreign exchange rates on costs and financial results; market competition; exploration results not being consistent with the Company's expectations; changes in taxation rates or policies; technical difficulties in connection with mining activities; changes in environmental regulation; environmental compliance issues; other risks of the mining industry; and risks related to the effects of COVID-19. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that could cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. For more information on the Company and the risks and challenges of its business, investors should review the Company's annual filings that are available at www.sedarplus.ca. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and F3 Uranium Corp. disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207680

SOURCE: F3 Uranium Corp.
Backed by European artists and songwriters, Sony Music Group's 'YOUR VOICE, YOUR POWER, YOUR VOTE' campaign launches across the European Union in multiple languages

BRUSSELS, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Music Group today announced the launch of YOUR VOICE, YOUR, POWER, YOUR VOTE - A non-partisan campaign to encourage voter participation in the European Union elections with a focus on young people and underrepresented groups.

Run in partnership with the European Youth Forum, which represents over 100 youth organisations across the continent, the YOUR VOICE, YOUR POWER, YOUR VOTE campaign will unveil a collection of films, across multiple platforms in multiple languages, featuring Sony Music Group's roster of artists and songwriters.

Artists and songwriters from across the European Union featured in the campaign include:

Finland: Goldielocks

France: Soso Maness

Germany: $OHO BANI, Clueso, Lotte, Alvaro Soler, HE/RO, Joris, and Culcha Candela

Italy: IL VOLO

The Netherlands: Sam Feldt and Mr Belt & Wezol

Poland: Szczyl

Portugal: Dino D'Santiago

Spain: Rozalen

Sweden: Jackie Mere

"2024 is an election year for almost half the global population, and civil societies thrive when everyone contributes to the democratic process," said Towalame Austin, Executive Vice President for Global Philanthropy and Social Impact, Sony Music Group. "Young people are key to a vibrant society. They care about the world we live in and are active and engaged every day through widespread movements, activism and more. However, while social action ensures their voices are heard, voting is also key to ensuring they are listened to. We are delighted that our artists and songwriters have come together to support the Campaign ahead of the June European elections."

Maria Rodriguez Alcazar, President of the European Youth Forum, added: "Through our partnership with performing artists, we aim to mobilise even more young voters for the upcoming 2024 European elections. Young people are a vital part of our societies. We are the mobilising power behind many movements, we participate in political debates online and we engage with our communities through youth organisations. This makes us integral to shaping democratic life. Young people deserve representatives who genuinely care about our lives and prioritise our concerns and ideas. Turning up to vote this June will make our voices heard and ensure that we are not overlooked in the decision-making process."

Between 6th and 9th June 2024, the European elections will take place in the 27 EU Member States, with around 366 million EU citizens called to vote. YOUR VOICE, YOUR POWER, YOUR VOTE is designed to educate, engage and promote civic participation, building on Sony Music Group's existing social justice initiative to encourage civic engagement.

Visit the website for more information and resources.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-music-group-artists-and-songwriters-unite-in-campaign-to-boost-youth-voter-turnout-for-eu-elections-302133112.html
Irelands absence of female CEOs is a reminder that theres still work to do for women to have equal opportunities in top jobs read more

Ireland finds itself in a less than flattering position alongside Luxembourg within the European Union, as it lacks any female CEOs in its listed companies. This development is particularly disappointing for a nation of 5 million people, known for its swift societal transformations.

As reported by Bloomberg, the retirement of Margaret Sweeney, CEO of Irish Residential Properties REIT Plc, marks a significant milestone. With her departure, all 31 companies listed on Euronext Dublins website will be led by men.

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Highlighting a broader trend, Bloomberg cites a study by the European Institute for Gender Equality, revealing that only 8 per cent of CEO positions at the largest listed companies across the EU28 were occupied by women in 2023.

Gender disparity in EU management roles

This disparity underscores the ongoing challenges facing gender representation in corporate leadership roles across Europe.

According to data released by Eurostat in 2020, there are 6.7 million individuals occupying managerial positions across the 27 Member States of the European Union. Of this total, 4.3 million are men, constituting 63 per cent of all managers, while 2.5 million are women, making up the remaining 37 per cent.

Moreover, women hold slightly over a quarter of board member positions in publicly listed companies within the EU, accounting for 28 per cent of board memberships. Additionally, they represent less than one-fifth of senior executive roles, comprising only 18 per cent of such positions in 2019. This disparity indicates that despite comprising approximately half of the employed population in the EU, women still face significant under-representation in managerial roles.

In a study conducted by Eurostat in March 2020, it was revealed that based on the rate of progress observed from 2006 to 2023, it would take 162 years to close the gender gap in political empowerment, 169 years to close the gap in economic participation and opportunities, and 16 years to bridge the gap in educational attainment. The timeline for closing the gender gap in health and survival remains indefinite.

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These studies show that gender inequality at work is complicated. They highlight the need for ongoing work to break down barriers and make workplaces better for women so they can be fully involved and represented in leadership roles.

In McKinsey & Companys 2023 report titled Women Matter Spain, it is noted that while the corporate landscape has evolved to be more inclusive of women, a significant obstacle persists: the enduring presence of the glass ceiling. This metaphorical barrier continues to impede womens advancement into leadership roles within organizations. Additionally, the report highlights another challenge known as the leaky pipeline, which describes the phenomenon of fewer women progressing up the corporate hierarchy as one moves higher within the organization. These constraints collectively underscore the ongoing hurdles that women face in achieving full professional advancement and representation in corporate leadership.

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Glimmer of hope

The Global Gender Gap Report 2022, published by the World Economic Forum, presents data from the Global Gender Gap Index, which assesses the representation of women and men in professional, technical, senior official and managerial roles. Over the past five years (2017-2022), there has been a consistent global rise in the proportion of women occupying senior and leadership positions. In 2022, the global gender parity score for this category reached its highest point yet at 42.7 per cent, indicating significant progress towards gender equality in these roles.

Irelands absence of female CEOs is a reminder that theres still work to do for women to have equal opportunities in top jobs. It shows that even in countries known for change, like Ireland, there are barriers for women in leadership roles. Its a sign that we need to keep working to make sure women can get ahead in their careers everywhere.
Accused Anuj Thapan who attempted suicide in custody has been declared dead by doctors at the hospital read more

Accused Anuj Thapan, one of the two arms suppliers, who was involved in the firing case outside Salman Khans Bandra residence, has died by suicide in the Mumbai Police custody as per News18.

The accused in DCB CID CR No 39/2024, was rushed to the hospital and was declared dead there.

Former Maharashtra senior police officer PK Jain told NDTV that any death in a lock-up is reported as a murder case. All the policemen in the police station will be questioned by the CID (criminal investigation department), Mr Jain said.

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There have been cases when people have died by suicide with a noose made from pajamas inside lock-ups A policeman always guards the lock-up to ensure inmates dont escape, and also to keep an eye on suicide attempts, he added.

Accused Anuj Thapan who attempted suicide in custody has been declared dead by doctors

at the hospital," Mumbai Police said. It added, Accused Anuj Thapan arrested in the case tried to commit suicide in custody. He was rushed to a nearby hospital.

On Monday, a special court remanded to police custody till May 8 of three accused arrested in connection with the firing at actor Salman Khans Bandra apartment.

Special MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) judge A M Patil sent Vicky Gupta (24), Sagar Pal (21), and Anuj Thapan (32) to police custody, and Sonu Chander Bishnoi (37) to judicial custody on medical grounds.

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Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi , claimed responsibility for the attack hours later, saying, Salman Khan, do not take us lightly. This is the first and last warning. After this, the firing will happen at your home.

While briefing the media over the incident, on Sunday, CM Eknath Shinde said, This is an unfortunate incident. Police are investigating it. The accused will be caught, and stringent action will be taken against them. Those who take the law into their own hands wont be spared.
AstraZeneca has admitted in a UK court that its COVID-19 vaccine, sold as Covishield in India, can cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in very rare cases. This has raised safety concerns among those who took the jab. However, doctors say there is no need to panic and this is not new information read more

Since the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZenecas admission that its COVID-19 vaccine can cause a rare side effect of blood clotting has come to light, concerns have arisen about its safety among those who took the jab in India. The vaccine was marketed as Covishield in the South Asian country and was manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII).

This comes as AstraZeneca reportedly accepted in a court in the United Kingdom that its COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Oxford University, could cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in very rare cases.

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What is TTS? Should those who took the Covishield vaccine worry? Lets take a closer look.

What is TTS?

Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome is a rare condition that leads to blood clotting and low platelet count.

TTS is a very rare condition resulting from an abnormal immune response. Although it has several causes, it has also been linked with adenovirus vector vaccines, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman of the Indian Medical Associations National Covid-19 Task Force, told the news agency IANS.

The symptoms of TTS include consistent headaches, blurred vision, shortness of breath, pain in the chest, leg swelling, or persistent abdominal pain.

Also known as vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia (VIPIT) or vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), the rare condition was reported in some people who got adenoviral vector COVID-19 vaccines such as AstraZenecas Vaxzevria (sold as Covishield in India) and the Johnson & Johnsons Janssen shots.

The case against AstraZeneca

According to the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, AstraZeneca has confessed for the first time that its COVID-19 vaccine may cause TTS.

The pharmaceutical giant is facing 51 litigations in the UK High Court. The victims and grieving relatives are seeking 100 million pounds in damages, alleging that the COVID-19 vaccine caused severe harm and deaths, according to reports.

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While AstraZeneca is contesting the claims, it has accepted, in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February that its Covid vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS, The Daily Telegraph reported.

A woman reacts as she receives a dose of the Covishield vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, at a vaccination centre in New Delhi, on 12 January 2022. Reuters File Photo

Releasing a statement on Tuesday (30 April), AstraZeneca said, Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines.

Should people worry?

No, there is no need to panic.

Doctors say the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine are far greater than its rare side effects. Moreover, it was already known that AstraZenecas jab could cause TTS.

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A senior health ministry official told Indian Express, TTS is a very rare side effect, rarer still in Indians and South Asians as compared to Europeans. But there is enough evidence to show that vaccination saved lives  the benefits outweighed the risks.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the vaccine is safe and effective for all individuals aged 18 and above, and TTS was a rare adverse event.

The first cases were reported in Europe within months of the launch of immunisation drives, with some countries even stopping the use of AstraZenecas vaccine for a while, noted Indian Express.

A 2022 study in Lancet Global Health revealed that AstraZeneca had reported rates of 8.1 TTS cases per million who got the first dose and 2.3 cases per million after people got the second jab. The highest number of these cases were found in Nordic countries  17.6 per million doses  and the lowest in Asian nations  0.2 per million doses, as per the Indian Express report.

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A man gets a dose of Covishield at a shopping mall in Mumbai, India, on 11 August 2021. Reuters File Photo

In India, 175 crore shots of Covishield were administered. At least 36 cases of TTS and 18 deaths from the condition were confirmed in 2021  the year India launched the COVID-19 vaccination drive  by the government panel on Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI), the newspaper report mentioned.

It must be noted that the adverse effects of the vaccine would have occurred within days or weeks of taking the jab, experts say.

The adverse effects related to vaccine usually occur within a few weeks (1-6 weeks) after the administration. Hence, people in India who took the vaccine two years ago need not worry, Dr Sudhir Kumar, a neurologist at Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad, told India Today.

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Notably, the product information that came with Covishield warned about TTS, while adding that the majority of the events occurred within the first 21 days following vaccination and some events had a fatal outcome.

Dr Jayadevan, who is quoted earlier in the story, said that clotting was an issue when the first vaccine dose was administered and in the month after vaccination. Therefore, in 2024, people are not at risk of TTS. Also, heart attacks and strokes we see in practice are not caused by TTS, which is an exceptionally rare immunological reaction that leads to clots in certain locations such as the brain and elsewhere, he said, as per The Hindu.

After the reports about AstraZenecas admission surfaced, Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj asked the Centre to urgently address the issue. The Central government should urgently address the alleged side-effects of the vaccine because millions of people in India have been vaccinated with Covishield, he said to PTI on Tuesday.

Social media users in India also expressed concerns about the vaccine.

Speaking to Indian Express, Dr Anurag Agarwal, Dean of Biosciences and Health Research at the Trivedi School of Biosciences of Ashoka University, called peoples reaction surprising. The rare side effect was well documented and scientifically accepted even when the vaccination drives were going on. The benefit of vaccination at the height of the pandemic outweighed the risk.

Moreover, doctors say those who received the vaccine are less likely to die from COVID-19. People who are vaccinated have an overall lower risk of death from COVID as well as complications such as post-COVID heart attacks and strokes afterward, Dr Jayadevan told IANS.

With inputs from agencies
Floridas recent enforcement of a near-total abortion ban has marked a dramatic shift in the state. Healthcare logistics and costs for women seeking abortions are set to undergo significant transformations. The impact will be felt not just in Florida, but in several Southeastern states too. We explain why read more

A strict six-week abortion ban is now in place in Florida. Image used for representational purpose/AP

It is early hours of Wednesday in the state of Florida in the United States. A sweeping and controversial six-week abortion ban has just come into effect here. With this, womens access to reproductive healthcare in Florida and in the Southeast states in the US has changed dramatically.

What does the law entail? How did Florida prepare for the implementation of this near-total ban on abortion? What will logistical and financial challenges for women look like now? Is there a chance the ban can be overturned?

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We explain.

What does the law entail?

Floridas near-total abortion ban, which took effect recently, prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. This is typically around six weeks of pregnancy, often before many women even realize they are pregnant.

The law includes exceptions to save the life of the pregnant woman and in cases where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. However, these exceptions require documentation such as a restraining order, police report, medical record, or other court order.

Providers who perform abortions outside of these parameters could face severe penalties, including fines and potential loss of medical licenses.

The law has sparked significant public outcry and legal challenges from pro-choice advocates and organisations. However, the Florida Supreme Court has allowed the law to take effect.

How did Florida prepare for the ban?

In the days leading up to the enforcement of the ban, abortion clinics across Florida witnessed an unprecedented surge in demand.

Healthcare providers like A Womans Choice in Jacksonville doubled their usual volume of procedures, striving to accommodate as many patients as possible under the looming deadline.

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The ban is not just a local issue but one with far-reaching implications across the Southeastern US. Florida, previously one of the more accessible states for abortion services in the South, had served as a critical access point for women from neighbouring states with even stricter laws.

Logistical, financial challenges for women

With Floridas doors now closed on most abortion services, women are left with dwindling options, facing long travels and increased costs to seek abortions out-of-state.

The economic strain is palpable. Many women are now required to fund travel to states like Illinois or New York, where abortion laws are less strict. This means not only paying for the procedure but also for airfare, hotels, and other travel expenses. There will also be the logistical challenges of arranging childcare and taking time off work.

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Palm Beach County-based Emergency Medical Assistance is a part of a national network of about 100 groups. They collaborate to offer financial aid and other services to women who are looking to get an abortion. Earlier, the organisation only had to arrange funds for the abortion, and perhaps the cab ride till the clinic. But now, they will have to provide funding and logistical support for transportation to a different state with better abortion laws, accommodation, and meals, according to CBS News.

Is there a chance the ban can be overturned?

Florida is one of several states that have introduced bans on abortion since the US Supreme Court, featuring three justices appointed by former President Donald Trump when he was President, revoked the nationwide right to abortion in 2022.

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Florida voters will have a chance to reverse the six-week limit via a referendum. According to Pew Research Centre, 56 per cent of the adults in Florida believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

The referendum in Florida will coincide with Novembers presidential election, where, too, abortion is a big issue.

Politically, the ban in Florida has already ignited a firestorm of debate. Vice President Kamala Harris visiting Jacksonville to discuss the implications of the ban, framing it as a direct consequence of the conservative shift in the Supreme Court under former President Donald Trump.

The issue of abortion is poised to be a central battleground in the forthcoming elections, with Democrats hopeful that the widespread backlash against the restrictive laws could mobilize voters, especially in swing states like Florida. Meanwhile, Republicans, like Governor Ron DeSantis who championed the six-week ban, defend the legislation as a protection of unborn life, reflecting deep-seated ideological divisions that are only growing starker.
Estonia has accused its neighbour Russia of jamming GPS navigation devices in the airspace above the Baltic states. There have been reports of a surge in such incidents since last year. Heres why GPS jamming is concerning read more

Rise in GPS jamming around the world raise fears of an increased risk of aviation accidents. Representation image. Pixabay

Imagine a passenger aircrafts worst nightmare. Lost for directions mid-air as a false signal is picked up by a GPS receiver, confusing the pilot and air traffic control by showing the wrong time or coordinates without warning.

This has reportedly been the case for Estonias aviation sector for some months. The European nation has accused neighbouring Russia of jamming GPS navigation devices in the airspace above the Baltic states.

Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahknas accusation, for which he provided no proof, followed Finnairs decision to pause flights to Tartu in the eastern part of the country for one month because of GPS disturbances. The Kremlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment, reports Reuters.

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There have been increased cases of GPS jamming worldwide, especially since last year, sparking concerns about heightened accident risks.

What is GPS jamming and spoofing?

GPS, short for Global Positioning System, is a network of satellites and receiving devices used for positioning, navigation and timing on Earth in everything from ships and planes to cars.

GPS is one of the most important navigation tools in aviation, which has replaced expensive ground devices that would transmit radio beams to guide planes towards landing. However, it is also fairly easy to use store-bought tools to block or distort GPS signals and militaries have invested in technology that can do so.

GPS jamming involves a frequency-transmitting device to obstruct or disrupt radio communications, typically achieved by emitting ground-based signals that overpower satellite-based signals.

Spoofing, considered disruptive and riskier than jamming, might involve one countrys military sending false GPS signals to an enemy plane or drone to hinder its ability to function.

Why is it a concern for airlines?

Most modern airliners have a variety of sensors and sources to determine their positioning, in addition to GPS, meaning they can fly if there is interference.

However, according to pilots and industry experts, airlines still rely primarily on GPS. If jamming or spoofing occurs, GPS might have to be switched off and cannot be reset for the remainder of the flight in many cases. That can cause stress and delays for take-off and landing because certain procedures require GPS.

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GPS navigation is also the only form of navigation for some private jets.

Earlier, a disturbance in jamming prompted Finnish airline Finnair to pause flights to Tartu in eastern Estonia for one month after two of its flights couldnt land due to GPS disturbances.

However, AirBaltic safety manager and flight captain Janis Kristops said in a Reuters report that the Tartu incident with Finnair was rare. Most major airports have a variety of navigation tools available if GPS isnt working, he said.

How common are incidents of GPS jamming?

In December, the aviation advisory body OPSGROUP highlighted a notable increase in GPS spoofing incidents impacting both private and commercial jets in conflict zones across the Middle East, including Iraq, Iran, and Israel, as well as the Black Sea region.

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As per Lauri Soini, the head of the Finnish Pilots Associations safety and security committee, GPS interference is now taking place at lower altitudes and in a wider area than six months ago. It has begun to come to the north side of the Gulf of Finland as well. And the same has happened in Sweden, where it has reached the Swedish airspace, Lauri Soini, himself a Finnair pilot told Reuters.

Finnair reportedly paused flights to eastern Estonia for a month due to GPS disturbances. AFP

Cases of GPS jamming have been observed in locations as distant as Britain and Germany, as per Reuters reports quoting Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.

This is part of Russias hostile activities, which have been carried out before, but now their intensification is being observed, stated Landsbergis, emphasising Lithuanias call for a unified response from targeted nations and NATO allies.

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Also read: What is GPS spoofing and why is it a concern for Indian airspace?

How is the industry tackling the threats?

Authorities are now shifting focus towards training pilots to promptly identify and verify instances of jamming and spoofing as devising a comprehensive technological solution to mitigate risks proves challenging for the airline sector.

In November 2023, Indian aviation watchdog DGCA issued a circular to airlines and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) outlining measures to address threats posed by jamming and spoofing of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) following reports of GPS interference.

With inputs from Reuters
Orinda homeowner Steve Cohn, who is losing his State Farm coverage, says he pays about $4,000 a year now and would have to pay about $13,000 for an alternative plan through the states insurer of last resort. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

The talk of the town in Orinda  the small, affluent city nestled on the eastern side of the wooded Berkeley hills in Contra Costa County  is not about a recent spate of home burglaries or the downtown movie theater going dark two nights a week to save on electricity.

Instead, the buzz is all about the California home insurance crisis  a far drier subject, but a particularly dire one in Orinda.

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Like many others statewide, Orinda residents have been hit by major insurance companies notifying customers that their homeowners policies wont be renewed.

But the recent news that Californias largest home insurer, State Farm, would not renew 30,000 homeowner and other personal residential policies statewide in the coming months has had an outsize impact on Orinda.

A Chronicle analysis of data provided by State Farm to the state Department of Insurance found that 1,700 homeowners in Orinda will lose their State Farm coverage  the most in any ZIP code in the state. The nonrenewals affect about 55% of Orinda homeowners with State Farm policies, the largest percentage in the Bay Area.

About 1,700 homeowners in Orinda, where the movie theater must go dark two night a week to save on electricity, are losing their State Farm coverage  the most in any ZIP code in the state. Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle

Since State Farm insures roughly half of the 7,000 homes in Orinda, that means the companys nonrenewals will hit close to a quarter of the citys homeowners. And that comes on top of other insurers that have taken similar actions over the past two years.

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State Farms blow was a massive impact on top of everything else, said Darlene Gee, Orindas mayor. It has had a measurable impact in terms of how people are feeling, the concern, the frustration.

On a visit Wednesday to Orindas downtown, anchored by the Art Deco Orinda Theatre, it was easy to find people who were affected by the home insurance crisis or had a friend or neighbor who was.

Its an issue with the whole city, resident Shahrooz Haghighi said as he hurried into Peets for his morning coffee. It seems like the insurance companies dont want to insure people living in a woodsy area anymore.

State Farm spokesperson Sevag Sarkissian referred the Chronicle to a statement released by the company when it announced the nonrenewals as well as an industry statement explaining Californias insurance problems, but did not respond to questions about why Orinda was hit so hard by the promised nonrenewals.

Some policyholders said they were told by their insurance agents that the decision was based on the areas fire risk.

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Regardless of the reason, those hunting for new homeowners policies are finding little, if anything, available.

Yasaman Nazmi Lee is head of her Orinda neighborhoods Firesafe group, which seeks to reduce fire danger. She had already lost her policy from another insurer before State Farms announcement, and has called virtually every insurance company and some brokers as well.

She found few options other than one company that offered coverage for homes valued at up to $1.2 million  something not commonly found in Orinda or much of the rest of the Bay Area, where the average house price is about $1.25 million.

Theres nothing out there, she said. Ive spent a lot of time on this and there are no good options.

Others are just starting their search but expect the same results.

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Some, like Alexander Gailas, 75, an Orinda real estate agent and resident, said his insurance agent warned him that hell probably have to go with the state-created FAIR Plan  Fair Access to Insurance Requirements, designed as a last-resort home insurance provider for those who have exhausted all other options.

The program, however, offers limited coverage, has a $3 million cap and covers only property damage and home replacement  not water damage, liability and other areas usually included in home insurance policies. People getting FAIR policies often get wraparound policies from private insurance companies to help cover those issues.

Orinda homeowner Steve Cohn says he has been with the same insurer since he built his home 40 years ago, but now he is losing coverage. Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle

While FAIR insurance offers less coverage, it typically costs more. Steve Cohn, an Orinda resident whos been told hell lose his State Farm coverage, pays about $4,000 a year for his insurance now. Signing up for the FAIR plan will cost about $10,000, he said, and a wraparound policy for other coverage will add about $3,000 to the bill. And the cost to join the FAIR Plan will be rising, the president of the plan said Thursday without offering details.

The dearth of available homeowners insurance is causing concern not just over the risk of being uninsured but about what happens to those who are still paying mortgages on their homes. Most mortgage companies required their customers to have homeowners insurance in order to obtain or keep their home loans.

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What are the thousands of people, like those in Orinda, supposed to do? Lee wondered.

Gailas said he hasnt yet encountered any homebuyers whove been unable to obtain insurance and get a mortgage, but he expects the insurance crisis will soon affect the real estate market.

Of course it will, he said. It will make the challenge of closing a transaction a lot harder and could possibly limit sales to people able to pay cash, he added.

Gailas said the crisis was a long time coming and that he was not surprised when insurers stopped issuing new policies.

I just didnt think it was going to happen to longtime customers, he said.

Carl, 76, an Orinda resident whos been a State Farm customer for 50 years, said he was so angered by the nonrenewal notice that he penned a letter to the companys CEO, Michael Tipsord. He asked that his last name not be used, saying he fears it could hamper his search for a new insurer.

To now be told that our 50 years of loyalty and hundreds of payments to State Farm mean nothing to you is shockingly beyond reason, he wrote. State Farm must reassess your denial of 50 years of loyal customer payments and reverse your sudden and arbitrary repudiation of your responsibilities to your reliable, long-term customers!

He categorized the response he received from a lower-ranking State Farm official as unresponsive and unhelpful.

I got a letter back from somebody saying Tough s, were canceling your liability insurance and earthquake insurance as well, he said. Those types of policies typically require homeowner policies.

Mayor Gee said that while Orinda has a deserved reputation as an affluent city, the situation will create hardships, particularly for longtime homeowners.

Orinda is lucky, she acknowledged. We are generally collectively a very well off community, but we have residents who have lived here 40 to 60 years. Their property value may be high, but with their liquid cash flow and fixed income, they are desperately worried.

Theres little the city can do, she said, other than lobby its legislators and California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to take action  and soon.

There doesnt seem to be any urgency on the state level, she said.

State Department of Insurance spokesperson Gabriel Sanchez said Lara is confident our Sustainable Insurance Strategy will improve conditions for the overall market. California is on track for enacting the states largest insurance reform in over 30 years.

Last September, Lara announced a set of regulations known as the Sustainable Insurance Strategy. Consumer advocates widely agree the reforms will allow insurers to raise their rates higher to persuade companies to write new business. Those reforms are scheduled to be adopted by the end of the year, but it could be much longer until insurance companies begin using those reforms and coming back.
There has been a surge in bear attacks in Japan  a staggering 198 have been reported in the last 12 months. Now the government intends to initiate a trial of an artificial intelligence system designed to detect wild bears more effectively read more

Two bears walking down the street in Hokkaido, Japan. File image/AFP

Japan is facing a mounting challenge with an increasing number of bear attacks on humans, prompting the government to explore innovative solutions. In response to the alarming statistics of bear-related incidents, plans are underway to implement artificial intelligence (AI) systems aimed at early detection and warning.

The Japanese government, in collaboration with local authorities, is spearheading a pioneering effort to trial an AI-powered bear detection system. The systems primary objective is to swiftly identify wild bears through surveillance camera footage and promptly alert relevant agencies to mitigate potential threats.

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This proactive measure is slated to commence its pilot phase in Toyama Prefecture during the upcoming summer months, marking a significant step towards enhancing public safety in bear-prone regions.

Rising bear attacks

The urgency to address the surge in bear attacks is underscored by the startling statistics from the previous fiscal year. With a staggering 198 bear-related incidents recorded across 19 prefectures in the last twelve months alone, including six deaths and 219 injuries, concerns over public safety have reached unprecedented levels.

Factors contributing to this alarming trend include dwindling food sources for bears, attributed to poor crop yields, and encroachment into human habitats.

Experts attribute the surge in bear encounters to the inconsistent availability of staple foods for bears, coupled with rural depopulation, reported The Guardian. Additionally, a decline in the number of children in rural areas, whose active presence typically deters bears, is considered another contributing factor.

Bear sightings, referred to as kuma in Japan, are commonplace, particularly in the northern regions of the country. These areas, characterised by expansive mountain ranges, dense foliage, and pristine rivers, offer an optimal habitat for bears. Abundant food sources such as acorns, beechnuts, fruits, and insects contribute to their thriving population in these regions.

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Recent incidents, such as the bear attack captured on dashcam footage in Hokkaido, underscore the urgency of addressing Japans bear-human conflicts.

Crazy dashcam footage of a bear attacking motorists in Hokkaido, Japan: bear attacks have been on the rise in recent years and hit a record high in 2023. pic.twitter.com/6OtxhHK8dv  Jeffrey J. Hall  (@mrjeffu) April 29, 2024

The encounter, showcases the formidable size and speed of Ussuri brown bears.

The bear population in Japan is on the rise, as indicated by recent estimates. One estimate suggests that the number of black bears has surged to approximately 44,000, a significant increase from the estimated 15,000 in 2012. Its worth noting that this figure excludes Hokkaido, where approximately 12,000 Ussuri brown bears are believed to reside. The population of Ussuri brown bears in Hokkaido has more than doubled since 1990.

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How will AI be used?

The envisioned AI system represents a pivotal innovation in bear management strategies. By leveraging AI algorithms, the system will analyse real-time camera feeds from governmental, municipal, and private networks to swiftly detect bear movements and alert relevant authorities. This proactive approach aims to prevent potential human-bear conflicts by enabling prompt response measures.

If proven effective during the trial phase in Toyama Prefecture, the AI-based bear detection system is poised for nationwide deployment. With Japans diverse topography and varying bear populations, the expansion of this initiative holds promise in safeguarding communities across the country from bear-related risks.

In parallel with the AI trial, additional initiatives are underway to bolster bear monitoring and mitigation efforts. Hanamaki City in Iwate Prefecture is implementing a surveillance system utilising 30 cameras along rivers, known bear habitats. This integrated approach combines technological innovation with community involvement to enhance bear management practices while minimising harm to both humans and bears.

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Through collaborative efforts between government agencies, local communities, and technological innovators, Japan is poised to navigate its bear-human coexistence with greater vigilance and resilience.

With inputs from agencies
An esteemed economist, Minouche Shafik was thrilled to become president of one of Americas most prestigious colleges. But her name will now be tied with dramatic images of New York police arresting pro-Palestinian students at the Columbia University campus. Heres what we know about her read more

President of Columbia University Minouche Shafik testifies before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing on "Columbia in Crisis: Columbia University's Response to Antisemitism" on Capitol Hill in Washington. File image/AP

Campuses across the United States are embroiled in pro-Palestinian protests. Columbia Universityi in New York is at the centre of the upheaval. Last week, Columbia Universitys president, Nemat Minouche Shafik, testified before a House committee about the schools response to allegations of campus antisemitism.

Following the testimony, Shafik requested, in a letter released by the University, that the New York City Police Department remove people encamped on the campus South Lawn who were in violation of the Universitys rules and policies and were trespassing. According to CNN, more than 100 people have been arrested, as per the figures cited by law enforcement.

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Shafik is no stranger to navigating complex international issues, having previously worked at some of the worlds most prominent global financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, during the European debt crisis and the Arab Spring.

However, this time her name is tied with dramatic images of New York police arresting pro-Palestinian students at the Columbia University campus, less than a year after taking up the role.

But who is Minouche Shafik?

What we know about Minouche Shafik

Born in Alexandria in Egypt, Nemat Minouche Shafik was four years old when her family fled the country and moved to the United States.

I was born into a comfortable family in a society marked by severe inequality, the British-American told the Columbia Magazine in autumn 2023.

But she said my familys prospects changed dramatically in the mid-1960s, when most of our land and property was seized by the Egyptian state as part of Gamal Abdel Nassers nationalisation program.

Shafik found herself an immigrant in the American South during the desegregation era, amid explosive racial tensions, an experience that had a profound effect, she said.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters gather near a main gate at Columbia University in New York, just before New York City police officers cleared the area after a building was taken over by protesters earlier in the day. AP

A graduate of prestigious universities in the United States and the United Kingdom, Shafik went on to occupy various senior posts at the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Bank of England, before being named head of the London School of Economics.

Shafik is also a member of the House of Lords, the second chamber of the UK parliament, a role from which she is currently on leave.

What role does Shafik play in the protests?

Columbia University had already been embroiled in debates, including about the costs of higher education, before Shafik became president last year, making her the first woman to hold the post.

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But the war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas attack on Israel in October, began a course of turmoil for the college.

Shafik saw the resignations of the presidents of two other universities  including Harvard  brought about over claims they were not doing enough to combat anti-Semitism on their campuses.

Columbia sophomore, David Lederer, waves a large flag of Israel outside the student protest encampment on the campus of Columbia University in New York. AP

On 17 April, it was Shafiks turn to be questioned by Congress on the issue. She firmly defended her actions and condemned anti-Semitism that is so pervasive today.

That same day, Columbia students set up tents on the campus lawns to demand an end to the war in Gaza and that their university cut all ties with Israel.

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Shafik called on New Yorks police a day later to help disperse the protesters, leading to more than 100 students being arrested.

That started a high-profile standoff that continued into this week.

In the Columbia Magazine, Shafik said she decided to become president of the extraordinary institution because it was the most cosmopolitan, outward-looking of Americas top universities.

And at a time when universities have a crucial role to play in addressing societal problems, I think that Columbia is positioned to be a tremendous force for positive change, in New York City and around the world, she said.

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Her students, on both sides of the fence, seem to have taken her at her word.

With inputs from AFP
Canada has adjusted regulations to permit international students to engage in off-campus work alongside their studies, while also changing eligibility criteria for the much-sought post-graduate work permit. It is also making changes to its laws including the start-up visa programme to curb the high influx of foreigners read more

Recent changes in work regulations for international students in Canada are set to impact their ability to balance work and study. Effective 30 April, 2024, a temporary policy allowing students to work more than 20 hours per week off-campus has been terminated.

Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marc Miller, stated, The temporary policy allowing students to work more than 20 hours per week off campus will come to an end on 30 April, 2024, and it will not be extended. This decision, part of broader initiatives by the Canadian government, aims to address a surge in international student enrolments across the country.

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What are the revised work limits?

International students with valid study permits will now be restricted to a maximum of 20 hours of work per week during the academic year. However, they can still work extra hours during the approaching summer break.

The weekly limit will increase to 24 hours come September. Exceeding these limits could lead to jeopardising ones study permit, potentially resulting in its revocation and the students subsequent return to their home country before completing their program.

What are the reasons behind the change

The decision to revise work limits is backed by research indicating that students who work over 24 hours weekly are at a higher risk of dropping out, with over 28 hours associated with a considerable decline in academic performance.

Miller emphasised the importance of maintaining the primary focus on studying while acknowledging the role of off-campus work in providing students with work experience and financial support.

Working off campus helps international students gain work experience and offset some of their expenses. As international students arrive in Canada, we want them to be prepared for life here and have the support they need to succeed. However, first and foremost, people coming to Canada as students must be here to study, not work. We will continue working to protect the integrity of our student programme, said Miller.

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Canada initially waived the 20-hour work cap for international students during the Covid-19 pandemic to address labour shortages. However, with the situation improving, the government has reinstated the work limits.

Most countries hosting international students impose similar restrictions on work hours. For instance, Australia recently adjusted its policy to allow students to work 48 hours every two weeks, while the US requires additional criteria for off-campus work eligibility.

What are the changes in Post-Graduation Work Permit eligibility?

Starting 15 May, 2024, international students enrolled in college programs delivered through public-private curriculum licensing arrangements will not qualify for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) upon graduation. This change affects new enrollments, while existing students will remain eligible if they meet all other criteria.

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These alterations follow the governments decision to increase the cost-of-living threshold for study permit qualification in December 2023.

What are the changes in PGWP?

Effective February 15, 2024, changes to the post-graduation work permit program (PGWP) have been implemented, allowing students completing masters degree programs, even under two years, to qualify for a 3-year PGWP, provided they meet all other eligibility criteria.

However, starting September 1, 2024, students enrolled in curriculum licensing agreement programs will no longer be eligible for a PGWP. Special measures for distance learning and PGWP validity have been extended until August 31, 2024.

International students graduating from designated learning institutions (DLIs) may be eligible for a PGWP, granting them an open work permit in Canada. The duration of the PGWP depends on the level and length of the study program, with graduates of programs at least two years in length eligible for a 3-year PGWP.

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Applicants can apply for a PGWP from abroad if they leave Canada after completing their education, and theres a 180-day window for application submission after finishing the study program.

Changes in Start-Up Visa Program & Self-Employed Persons Program

In July last year, Canada aimed to enhance its start-up visa program, but a recent announcement has altered the landscape for aspiring immigrant entrepreneurs. Effective 30 April, 2024, Canada has capped the number of permanent residence applications associated with no more than 10 startups per designated organisation.

This significant change comes as a response to the pressing need to reduce backlog and enhance processing times for immigration applications. As per the release issued by the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), there are currently approximately 82 designated organisations comprising venture capital funds (VCFs), angel investors, and business incubators. This implies that not more than 820 applications will be accepted, assuming the number of designated entities remains constant.

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This move is intended to reduce backlog and improve processing times. Miller announced a full pause on application intake for the Self-Employed Persons Program starting 30 April, 2024, to address processing delays. While these changes are aimed at streamlining immigration processes, they have garnered mixed reactions from entrepreneur-funding sectors and immigration experts.

According to a 2022 report by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), Canada stands as the third most favoured destination for Indian students. The report disclosed that there were 319,130 Indian students studying in Canada. Notably, Indian students occupy the majority of international student seats in colleges and universities throughout the country.

With inputs from agencies
Experts in the US recommend that women be screened for breast cancer every other year beginning at the age of 40. The nudge toward earlier screening is meant to address two issues: the increasing incidence of breast cancer among younger women and the higher breast cancer death rate among Black women compared to White women read more

A woman undergoes a mammogram for breast cancer detection. According to an influential US task force, regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer should start younger, at age 40. File image/Reuters

Breast cancer cases are increasing among younger women in the US. As guidelines around screening for the disease evolve, the US preventive services task force has made a significant shift, now recommending that regular mammograms commence at age 40.

Previously, the task force stated that women could begin breast cancer screening as early as age 40, with a stronger recommendation that they do so every two years between the ages of 50 and 74. This change, outlined in the Journal of the American Medical Association, emphasises screening every other year for women aged 40 to 74.

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However, it raises questions about screening frequency, particularly in comparison to recommendations from other medical groups. With breast cancer still a major concern, we discuss the updated guidelines and their implications.

Whats changed? Why is it important?

The announcement Tuesday from the US preventive services task force makes official a draft recommendation announced last year. The recommendations were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Its a win that they are now recognising the benefits of screening women in their 40s, said Dr Therese Bevers of MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston. She was not involved in the guidance.

Other medical groups, including the American College of Radiology and the American Cancer Society, suggest mammograms every year  instead of every other year  starting at age 40 or 45, which may cause confusion, Bevers said, but now the starting age will align with what many other organisations are saying.

Breast cancer death rates have fallen as treatment continues to improve. But breast cancer is still the second-most common cause of cancer death for US women. About 240,000 cases are diagnosed annually and nearly 43,000 women die from breast cancer.

A radiologist uses a magnifying glass to check mammograms for breast cancer in Los Angeles. File image/AP

The nudge toward earlier screening is meant to address two vexing issues: the increasing incidence of breast cancer among women in their 40s  its risen two per cent annually since 2015  and the higher breast cancer death rate among Black women compared to White women, said task force vice chair Dr John Wong of Tufts Medical Centre in Boston.

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Sadly, we know all too well that Black women are 40 per cent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, Wong said. Modelling studies predict that earlier screening may help all women, and have even more benefit for women who are Black, he said.

When is the right time to get the first mammogram?

Age 40 is when mammograms should start for women, transgender men and nonbinary people at average risk. They should have the X-ray exam every other year, according to the new guidance. Other groups recommend annual mammograms, starting at 40 or 45.

The advice does not apply to women whove had breast cancer or those at very high risk of breast cancer because of genetic markers. It also does not apply to women who had high-dose radiation therapy to the chest when they were young, or to women whove had a lesion on previous biopsies.

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What about women who are 75 and older?

Its not clear whether older women should continue getting regular mammograms. Studies rarely include women 75 and older, so the task force is calling for more research.

Bevers suggests that older women talk with their doctors about the benefits of screening, as well as harms like false alarms and unnecessary biopsies.

Breast cancer cases among younger women are on the rise in the US. Pixabay

What if you have dense breasts?

Mammograms dont work as well for women with dense breasts, but they should still get the exams.

The task force would like to see more evidence about additional tests such as ultrasounds or MRIs for women with dense breasts. Its not yet clear whether those types of tests would help detect cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage, Wong said.

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Does this affect insurance coverage?

The US Congress already passed legislation requiring insurers to pay for mammograms for women 40 and older without copays or deductibles. In addition, the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover task force recommendations with an A or B letter grade. The mammography recommendation has a B grade, meaning it has moderate net benefit.

With inputs from AP
According to Delhi Police, the schools that got the bomb threats include Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Mother Mary School in Mayur Vihar, Delhi Public School of Dwark, DAV School, Amity School, Pushp Vihar, Saket and Noida and Sanskriti School of New Delhi district read more

MHA has said that the bomb threat emails appear to be a hoax. PTI

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has assured that the bomb threats received by over 50 schools were a hoax call, after the Delhi Police cleared some schools, giving much relief to parents as many students were sent back home on Wednesday.

There is no need to panic. Mails appears to be hoax. Delhi Police and security agencies are taking necessary steps as per protocol, a home ministry official said.

Also read: Students sent back home after over 50 Delhi-NCR schools receive bomb threats, police say no need to panic

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Over 50 schools across the national capital received bomb threats on Wednesday morning, prompting evacuations and investigations by Delhi Fire Service and bomb squad teams.

According to Delhi Police, the schools that got the bomb threats include Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Mother Mary School in Mayur Vihar, Delhi Public School of Dwark, DAV School, Amity School, Pushp Vihar, Saket and Noida and Sanskriti School of New Delhi district.

Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena inspected one of the schools in Delhis Model Town.

#WATCH | DelhiLG VK Saxena reaches DAV School in Model Town which received an email regarding a bomb threat earlier today. https://t.co/dvmY19Exei pic.twitter.com/OlYnmnu0Vr  ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

Delhi police reached very quickly and the entire area has been cordoned off and search operations are going on. Dog squads, and bomb disposal units are also working. I want to assure the people of Delhi that Delhi Police is fully prepared and we will try to prevent any untoward incident from happening. Delhi Police has found out from where these emails are coming, investigation is underway. All I would like to say is that the culprits will not be spared and will be given strict punishment, the LG said.

#WATCH | On bomb threat to several schools in Delhi-NCR, Delhi LG VK Saxena says, "Delhi police reached very quickly and the entire area has been cordoned off and search operations are going on. Dog squads, and bomb disposal units are also working. I want to assure the people of pic.twitter.com/JhcfvbkKjX  ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

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What has the investigation shown so far?

Meanwhile, a preliminary investigation has revealed that several emails were sent to different schools from yesterday till today with no mention of a dateline.

Initial investigation shows that since yesterday, mails have been sent to many places and it seems to be following the same pattern, the police said, adding that the mail mentioned Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) which could mean that it was sent to multiple addresses.

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However, no bombs have been found on any of the school premises yet.

Weve checked all the schools and nothing has been found, there is no need to panic, DCP Central, Devesh Kumar Mahla said.

Initial investigation indicates that the mails might been sent from outside the country. However, the Delhi Police suspects that the IP addresses may have been masked through VPN.
DRDO Vigilance Department reports accessed exclusively by Firstpost show that a former Director General (DG) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is believed to have moved confidential company documents out of the premises of BrahMos Aerospace read more

A senior DRDO scientist is believed to have taken confidential documents out of BrahMos Aerospace in an alleged breach of security. Source: DRDO website

A former Director General (DG) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is believed to have moved confidential company documents out of the premises of BrahMos Aerospace, according to DRDO Vigilance Department reports accessed exclusively by Firstpost.

The documents say that there is an instance that confirms that there are definite chances of movement of important company documents out of BrahMos premises by Sudhir Mishra, former DG, DRDO.

Mishra retired as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of BrahMos Aerospace on 30 November, 2021.

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How Sudhir Mishra allegedly moved the documents out

On the afternoon of his retirement day, a logistics company named Big Logistics India Pvt Ltd, was hired to take out roughly 40 boxes of various sizes along with several documents. The material was taken out of the companys headquarters without an out pass, the Vigilance Department report claimed.

Investigation document accessed exclusively by Firstpost

Firstpost accessed the entries made for Sultan, a person understood to be associated with the logistics firm, in a register.

Almost a month after his superannuation, on 28 December, 2021, Mishra, a senior DRDO scientist, returned a number of files, company documents, and information. The materials he returned contained a file that was labelled CONFIDENTIAL.

The returning of the documents resulted in the security breach coming to light. That led to an investigation detailing a significant lapse in security protocols at the firm.

Responses from DRDO, Sudhir Mishra

The Directorate of Public Interface (DPI), DRDO, told Firstpost that they had received a complaint against Mishra. They acknowledged that a fact Finding Inquiry Committee was formed by Secretary, Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D) and Chairman, DRDO based on the complaint.

However, the committee didnt find any evidence to back the allegation levied, DPI DRDO said.

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ALSO READ: Exclusive: DRDO responds to Firstpost story on security breach at BrahMos HQ by ex-DG

Mishra told _Firstpost, _The allegations in the report mentioned in the story are all false. Why will I return something? I had nothing with me which I am supposed to return [] I have worked in government of India for 38 years, and I know the value of each and every paper. Not a single paper that has been labelled classified, not a single official paper has gone out with me. What I have taken out is my personal belongings which everybody does when you retire.

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He pointed out that every government organisation keeps an inventory of all its items. So there has to be some loss or write-off in the inventory where is it? Theres no loss. If something is missing, it should be missing from the inventory. Loss to the exchequer should be mentioned.

He called the allegations an attempt to damage his reputation. When you lead an organisation for so many years, there are people who are affected, some times favourably, some times adversely. So once you depart they try to create stories and rumours and do this kind of reputational damage, he said.

He emphasised that the DRDO Fact finding committee has formally investigated the matter and refuted all allegations after discussing with all concerned officials. He said that the adverse reports are being circulated now as DRDO is about to declare results of Consultancy position of Dr Raja Rammana Chair, for which he might be in the selected list.

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BrahMos spokesperson did not respond to Firstposts requests for comment.

Security lapses

Although the investigation committee was told that no material had gone out of the BrahMos Aerospace office, there were various instances of unnoticed and undocumented items being removed from these premises.

The CCTV footage for a critical 15-day period, the documents show, were found to be missing. There were lapses in maintaining a mandatory 90-day backup of CCTV footage, too.

Moreover, the out pass register of returnable and non-returnable items for 90 days was not very well-maintained. The data in both the registers looked to be mixed.

A trend of security breaches at DRDO

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In the past couple of years, there have been quite a few instances of data breaches and security lapses surrounding DRDO scientists.

In 2023, Pradeep Kurulkar, a senior DRDO scientist was sacked after investigations suggested that he was leaking information to suspected Pakistani spies. Kurulkar had reportedly been honey-trapped virtually.

A year prior to that, a 29-year-old native of Telangana, was arrested on charges of leaking sensitive information about one of Indias weapons development programmes to a Pakistani spy. The man was an engineer with the DRDO laboratory in Hyderabad.

In 2018, there were reports of two scientists from the DRDO being detained by the Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) for leaking confidential documents to a suspected Pakistan-based ISI agent. They, too, were suspected to have been targets of honey trapping.

This story has been updated to accommodate the response by DRDO and Sudhir Mishra. DRDO responded on May 2, while Mishra responded on May 3. Firstposts original story was published on May 1.
Delhi Police said that the schools that received the threats were evacuated while search operations were underway. Bomb detection teams, bomb disposal squads and the Delhi Fire Service officials were rushed to the schools in the morning read more

Classes at more than 50 schools in different parts of Delhi began on a frightening note after they received bomb threats via email on Wednesday prompting evacuation measures.

Delhi Police said that the schools that received the threats were evacuated while search operations were underway. Bomb detection teams, bomb disposal squads and the Delhi Fire Service officials were rushed to the schools in the morning.

The Delhi Police special cell is currently probing the matter.

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Which schools received the threat?

According to Delhi Police, the schools that got the bomb threats include Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Mother Mary School in Mayur Vihar, Delhi Public School of Dwark, DAV School, Amity School, Pushp Vihar, Saket and Noida and Sanskriti School of New Delhi district.

Most students at the schools have been sent back home.

Mother Mary school was reportedly conducting an examination when the bomb squad arrived at the spot leading to the termination of the tests.

#WATCH | Visuals from Mother Mary's School, Mayur Vihar which received an email this morning regarding a bomb threat. The school is being evacuated and a thorough checking of the school premises is being done. Dog squad and Delhi Police have reached the spot. https://t.co/JymGzBQa4s pic.twitter.com/hI6tygA9Lw  ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

#WATCH | Visuals from Delhi Public School, Noida which received an email regarding a bomb threat. As a precautionary measure, the students are sent back home.



According to Delhi Police, several schools have received emails regarding the bomb threat today. Investigation is https://t.co/TQ6Z2dOp67 pic.twitter.com/RSFqukW3ZR  ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

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The schools received the bomb threats early in the morning.

In a mail, DPS Noida said, This is to inform you that the school has received an email that threatens the safety and security of the students. As a precautionary measure, we are sending the students back home immediately.

What has the investigation shown so far?

Meanwhile, a preliminary investigation has revealed that several emails were sent to different schools from yesterday till today with no mention of a dateline.

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Initial investigation shows that since yesterday, mails have been sent to many places and it seems to be following the same pattern, the police said, adding that the mail mentioned Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) which could mean that it was sent to multiple addresses.

However, no bombs have been found on any of the school premises yet.

Weve checked all the schools and nothing has been found, there is no need to panic, DCP Central, Devesh Kumar Mahla said.

#WATCH | Delhi: On bomb threat to several schools, DCP Central, Devesh Kumar Mahla says, "We've checked all the schools and nothing has been found, there is no need to panic." pic.twitter.com/Nm3e9rVcff  ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

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Initial investigation indicates that the mails might been sent from outside the country. However, the Delhi Police suspects that the IP addresses may have been masked through VPN.

LG responds

Delhis Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena wrote on X, Spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR. Directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits & ensure there are no lapses.

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Spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR. Directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits & ensure there are no lapses.  LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) May 1, 2024

The LG urged parents and students not to panic and called for cooperation with the administration to ensure their safety.

Delhi Edu Min Atishis message

Delhi Water and Education Minister Atishi urged parents and students not to panic, assuring that the government is in constant touch with police officials.

Some schools have received bomb threats today morning. Students have been evacuated and those premises are being searched by Delhi Police. So far nothing has been found in any of the schools. We are in constant touch with the Police and the schools. Would request parents and citizens not to panic. School authorities will be in touch with parents wherever needed, she said.
A local currency settlement system between the two countries would help in promoting the use of Indian Rupee and Nigerian Naira for cross-border transactions read more

India and Nigeria have agreed to an early conclusion of a local currency settlement system agreement to further strengthen economic ties between the two countries.

According to the department of commerce, a seven-member delegation from India led by Additional Secretary in the commerce ministry Amardeep Singh Bhatia visited Abuja, Nigeria for the second session of India-Nigeria Joint Trade Committee (JTC) on April 29-30. It was held after a gap of five years.

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Both sides have identified several focus areas to enhance bilateral trade and mutually beneficial investments.

The sectors include crude oil, natural gas, pharmaceuticals, unified payments interface (UPI), local currency settlement system, power and renewable energy, agriculture and food processing, education, transport, railway, aviation, and MSMEs development.

Both sides agreed to the early conclusion of a local currency settlement system agreement to further strengthen bilateral economic ties, the department has said on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

A local currency settlement system between the two countries would help in promoting the use of Indian Rupee and Nigerian Naira for cross-border transactions.

There are several Indian companies present in Nigeria in telecom, hydrocarbons, textiles, chemicals, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, plastics, IT and auto sectors.

Indian automobile companies have a significant presence in Nigeria.

Indias main exports to Nigeria include machinery and instruments, drugs, pharma and fine chemicals, transport equipment, electronic goods, and manufacture of metals. Imports mainly include petroleum, crude and products, non-ferrous metals, wood and wood products, and cashew nuts.

The bilateral trade stood at USD 11.85 billion (exports USD 5.2 billion and imports USD 6.7 billion) in 2022-23. The trade was about USD 15 billion in 2021-22.

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Further, a senior commerce ministry official delegation also visited Australia and New Zealand.
Sources have revealed that all the schools received the threat emails from a single IP address. In fact, all the schools received the same email, the screenshots of which have been making rounds on social media read more

The bomb threats that created huge panic in multiple schools across Delhi reportedly originated from a server located in Russia. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Wednesday said that Delhi Police was able to trace the email address used to send the threatening messages to almost 100 schools.

Sources have revealed that all the schools received the threat emails from a single IP address. In fact, all the schools received the same email, the screenshots of which have been making rounds on social media.

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Delhi Polices Cyber team has now joined the investigation. The news of the emails being sent from a Russian domain, however, hasnt been confirmed by the police.

Also read: Situation in Delhi schools safe, bomb threats appear to be a hoax, says MHA

The police are now tracking the IP address of the email address. Sources have told ANI that these kinds of emails are usually sent using a VPN connection to enable the sender to mask the original IP address. The Cyber team is confident of tracing the IP address. Sources in the investigation team also say that the Dark Web could have been used to send the threat mail.

According to Delhi Police, the schools that got the bomb threats include Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Mother Mary School in Mayur Vihar, Delhi Public School of Dwark, DAV School, Amity School, Pushp Vihar, Saket and Noida and Sanskriti School of New Delhi district.

Also read: Students sent back home after over 50 Delhi-NCR schools receive bomb threats, police say no need to panic'

LG Saxena, who visited Delhis Model Town where one school received the threat, said, " Delhi Police has found out from where these emails are coming, investigation is underway. All I would like to say is that the culprits will not be spared and will be given strict punishment."

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#WATCH | On bomb threat to several schools in Delhi-NCR, Delhi LG VK Saxena says, "Delhi police reached very quickly and the entire area has been cordoned off and search operations are going on. Dog squads, and bomb disposal units are also working. I want to assure the people of pic.twitter.com/JhcfvbkKjX  ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

Teams from Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad are conducting a joint investigation on the matter and are covering all angles to identify the culprit or culprits.

Initial investigation shows that since yesterday, mails have been sent to many places and it seems to be following the same pattern, the police said earlier.

While most schools got clearance from the Delhi Police, senior officials from the force, including the Special CPS and CP, are currently holding a meeting to assess the situation.

With inputs from agencies
The Mamata Banerjee-led party took the measure hours after Ghosh shared the stage with BJPs Kolkata North candidate Tapas Ray, calling him a true mass leader. Ray joined the Bhartiya Janata Party after quitting TMC in March read more

West Bengals Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday removed its Bengal general secretary Kunal Ghosh for making statements which did not align with the party.

The Mamata Banerjee-led party took the measure hours after Ghosh shared the stage with BJPs Kolkata North candidate Tapas Ray, calling him a true mass leader. Ray joined the Bhartiya Janata Party after quitting TMC in March.

Tapas Ray is a true mass leader. His doors are always open for party workers and people. I have known him for several decades. Unfortunately, our paths are now different as Tapas-da despite our best efforts to retain him was unsuccessful, Ghosh said.

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Both Ray and Ghosh exchanged pleasantries on stage with the former saying, If you ask anybody from the TMC or any other political party, everybody will praise me. Nobody will speak ill about me. I thank Kunal for his kind words.

Ghoshs dodgy statements

Kunal Ghoshs dismissal from party ranks was gaining momentum after the leader said in March that he wanted to relinquish all party posts as he felt he was a misfit within the system.

He also slammed a section of TMC for being hand-in-glove with the BJP.

The party leader, however, dismissed claims that he would not join any other party.

They are behaving as if TMC is a fiefdom of a few leaders. In North Kolkata, we have Sudip Bandopadhyay who is more of a BJP leader than a TMC MP. He is behaving like another Shajahan Sheikh. He is soft towards the BJP because of corruption cases being probed by the BJP, he said.

Removes TMC name from X bio, clarifies later

In the same month, Ghosh mysteriously removed the name of the party from his X handle.

He also posted, Incompetent, group-centric, and selfish leaders. Will continue to deceive all year round, yet faces tough competition from Didi, Abhishek, @AITCofficial. Victory depends on the enthusiasm of party workers, not personal gain, which may not be repeated.

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The leader later clarified that he will always remain a team soldier and will always consider Mamata Banerjee his leader.
Due to injury, Russian star Natalia Osipova missed San Francisco Ballets first night of its encore run of Swan Lake at War Memorial Opera House on Tuesday, April 30. Robbie Jack/Getty Images/Robbie Jack

One of San Francisco Ballets highly anticipated international guest stars has withdrawn from her role in the companys encore run of Swan Lake.

Upon arrival at the War Memorial Opera House on Tuesday, April 30, attendees found a note in the lobby announcing that Natalia Osipova, among the ballet worlds most famous dancers, would not be performing the role of Odette-Odile due to injury.

In her stead, the Ballets newest principal dancer Jasmine Jimison took on the lead role, making her company Swan Lake debut.

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Everybody in the audience was so disappointed, said Angelika Quirk of San Rafael, a former professional member of the Hamburg State Opera Ballet in attendance for the performance. I havent seen anybody as accomplished as (Osipova). I was truly looking forward to it.

A note posted on Tuesday, April 30, announces a casting change for that nights performance of Swan Lake. Matthias Gafni/The Chronicle

In announcing Osipovas injury onstage and introducing Jimison on Tuesday, Artistic Director Tamara Rojo did not provide details about the Russian stars condition. The following day, Kate McKinney, a Ballet spokesperson, confirmed that Osipova would not be performing at all in the role in Helgi Tomassons production of Swan Lake, which she was billed to play on Friday, May 3.

More Information Swan Lake encore: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, May 1-2; 8 p.m. Friday, May 3; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 4; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5. $29-$475. War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., S.F. 415-865-2000. www.sfballet.org

Ms. Osipova was expecting to dance in Swan Lake until shortly before the curtain last night, McKinney told the Chronicle, adding that she most recently danced in rehearsal on Sunday, April 28. Between the fall and this spring, shes spent about four weeks rehearsing with us and preparing for these performances.

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The Ballet wrapped up its initial run of 11 Swan Lake performances earlier this year and in March touted Osipova with emerging talents Jacopo Tissi and Daniel Camargo. Earlier this month, however, Tissi withdrew due to similar unforeseen circumstances, according to McKinney.

That leaves Camargo, who is still scheduled to perform with principal dancer Nikisha Fogo on Saturday, May 4. A final encore performance with Misa Kuranaga and Angelo Greco is set for Sunday, May 5.

Quirk said that despite the last-minute replacement, Jimisons performance was mostly exquisite, although she noted that Jimison faltered during some of the more demanding sequences during the third act. She added, I wish the Ballet would make it up in the next season by bringing her (Osipova) back and giving ticket holders the first opportunity to see her.

The Ballet does not have plans for makeup performances with either artist, McKinney said.

Marilyn Coyne of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra noted that the audiences response on Tuesday was tremendous and applauded Rojos programming choices.

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Osipova, 37, is a former principal of the Bolshoi Ballet and is celebrated for her powerful technique and passionate performances. She is currently a principal with Britains Royal Ballet and last year toured globally with Force of Nature, a show she produced.
The issue of vacation came up after the apex court, which posted the West Bengal matter for arguments on Thursday, told both the sides that arguments be concluded before the apex court goes on summer vacation, which will commence from May 20. read more

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said people who criticise that the apex court and high courts take long vacations dont understand that judges dont have holidays even on Saturdays and Sundays.

The observation came from a bench of justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said those who criticise that top court and high courts take long vacations does not know how judges work.

The issue of vacation came up after the apex court, which posted the West Bengal matter for arguments on Thursday, told both the sides that arguments be concluded before the apex court goes on summer vacation, which will commence from May 20.

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All those who criticise that Supreme Court and high courts are on long vacations, they dont know how judges work, Mehta told the bench when it was hearing a lawsuit filed by the West Bengal government that has accused the CBI of going ahead with its probe without securing the prerequisite nod from the state.

People who criticise, they dont understand that we dont have holidays on Saturdays and Sundays. There are other assignments, conferences, Justice Gavai said.

Mehta, who was appearing for the Centre in the West Bengal matter, told the bench that judges of the top court deal with 50-60 cases on a daily basis and they deserve vacation.

It is the toughest job in the country, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was also appearing in the matter, said.

The bench said during vacations, the judges write judgements in cases heard by them.

Long judgements have to be written during vacations, the bench observed. It said the judgement in the matter can then be written during the summer vacation.

People who do not know the system, criticises it, Mehta said.
The students protests in the US have spread not just within the country, but also to Britain, Italy, France and Germany, among others. Even more dismaying is the protestors in Germany reportedly calling for a Caliphate read more

(File) Students continue to maintain a protest encampment in support of Palestinians at Columbia University, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, U.S., on 26 April, 2024. Reuters

Its a whirlwind with dangerous portends for everyone, everywhere. The students protests in the US have spread not just within the country, but also to Britain, Italy, France and Germany, among others. Politicians from other countries have supported the students, perhaps wanting to avoid a US-like confrontation. Worse, the reaction of the state has been damning, to say the least, with protests in Ohio and Berlin being just a few examples of heavy use of force. Even more dismaying is the protestors in Germany reportedly calling for a Caliphate in Germany. That would be hilarious, if it werent so potentially dangerous.

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The run-up to the conflagration

The events at Columbia University are a lesson in how not to handle students protests. Remember, these started last year in October, with students asking for not just a ceasefire, but for universities to cut off all ties with Israel. Sure, there were heated debates and a lot of shouting. But matters went rapidly downhill with a House hearing on alleged anti-Semitism on the campus, where the faculty admitted to a moral crisis, quite in contrast to another antisemitism hearing, when the presidents of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania were grilled.

Two of those presidents ended up resigning, in part because of that hearing, after a huge public debate. On the very day of her testimony which promised a robust action against anti-Semitism, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine with an account on X (formerly Twitter) with over 14,000 followers announced an occupy campaign in the centre of the campus to launch the Gaza Solidarity Encampment demanding divestment and an end to Columbias complicity in genocide.

Matters were worsened as a prominent Rabbi advised Jewish students to stay at home. The next day, the police were called in, and arrested about a hundred-odd protestors, effectively lighting a match to what was till then a peaceful (though noisy) protest. Among those arrested was , daughter of Democratic US Rep. Ilhan Omar, a known troublemaker when it comes to Muslim politics. Within days, the protests spread to New York and other cities, and thereafter across much of Europe. In the middle of all this, nobody seemed to remember that Hamas was still holding Jewish hostages.

The US President called out antisemitism and calls for violence, even while allowing the right to peaceful protest. Interestingly, reports suggest that both sides were doxxed and harassed. In response, organisers of the protest, Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, distanced themselves from non-student protestors who had used inflammatory language, and even held interfaith Passover joint prayers, saying that presenting them as anti-Jewish was a slur.

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But this began to rapidly go out of these parameters as more organisations joined in.

Organisations involved

Columbia has a (proud) history of standing against state repression from the 1960s, protesting against the Vietnam War, and divesting from the defence industry. Those are traditions that obviously appeal to students of all faiths. A look at the groups involved, however, shows a slightly different picture.

The organisation CUAD consists of Jews, Muslims and Palestinians, and its website while supporting a Palestine state, incidentally also mentions Kashmir. Then theres the Columbia chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, a two-decade-old group that spearheads the BDS movement (boycott divestment and sanction) with representation in over a hundred colleges. The BDS movement itself had a fleeting association with Kashmir some years ago, which is available on their . Then theres the hijab-wearing Asna Tabassum of Indian origin, a brilliant student who was denied her valedictorian speech due to her pro-Palestinian sympathies, and Nerdeen Kiswani who heads Within our Lifetimes with a huge Twitter following, who is accused by Israeli groups of being hugely anti-Semitic.

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And then theres the money

The money however comes from a motley set of organisations. Theres a Westchester Peoples Action Coalition Foundation which works for a more equitable world and is fully justified legally in funding such causes, as also the Rockefellers Brothers Fund, a philanthropic organisation which gave some half a million dollars to a Palestinian rights organisation.

Included also is the George Soros Foundation, which also funds the rather controversial Jewish Voice for Peace, which had an event with a Palestinian activist Leila Khaled for hijacking planes. It has strong ties with Stand With Kashmir (SWK) while the Soros Foundation backs the Kashmir cause. There is a strong movement against what is seen as Israel cosying up to India, and much of this is seen in various websites that have begun to twin the Palestine and Kashmir cause. The American Muslims for Palestine for instance is relaying news of the 400,000-person march in Washington and has stood against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

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All of these organisations seek support which indicates their own sources of funding. Reportage also points to a rather shadowy group  based in Canada  called Samidoun which was banned in Germany after it praised the Hamas attack and is labelled a terrorist group by Israel. It has offices in at least 18 countries, and it is also vocal on Indian  colonisation of Kashmir, and calling on Toronto to stand up and be counted. However, the point is that this is not about Kashmir but the propensity of some institutions to power up protests when it suits them. The possibility of malign foreign funding remains, since it is actually unnatural for foreign intel agencies not to fish in troubled waters. US officials are worried about the link to terrorist organisations like the Popular Liberation Front for Palestine. That a Hamas fundraiser would join in a protest and push it with all its might is a given. Meanwhile, Chinese media is sympathising with the protestors, which is ironic in spades.

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In standing back and considering these protests, some facts stand out. First, there is no doubt that the serious human rights situation in Palestine has inflamed students in a university that is proud of its liberal heritage. But this doesnt explain the sheer spread of the protests, particularly at a time of election. Second, the hasty pushback (in just two days of protests) from the administration, was goaded in turn by various members of the Congress, and clearly precipitated matters. Third, police action, even in Europe, has been brutal by any standards. The comparison with Indian police action  equipped with nothing much more than lathis  is inescapable. If Delhi had responded thus, the condemnation would have been worldwide.

Fourth, the original agenda of the protestors has been steadily enlarged by a number of organisations and outfits, all of whom also happen to be at one with the Kashmir issue, and at war with India. This is extremely worrisome and could be yet another handle to belabour this government with at a different time. Fifth, there is a wealth of disinformation on social media which is being peddled by all sides, but as of now, its the Palestine issue which has got traction, which is unsurprising, given Benjamin Netanyahus policy.

Sixth, at this crucial time its beginning to tell on US elections, with a huge divide apparent in statements by some including Lindsey Graham that Palestine should simply be levelled. Another one wants to use nukes. In short, the establishment is on the side of Israel, while the student bodies, and possibly a section of Jews are on the other.

Most worrying for all is the rise of radicalism among the youth across the US and in Europe. The calls for a Caliphate may seem ridiculous, but it is going to inflame the already strengthening far Right and lead to a violent pushback and even stronger immigration controls. Those are not the only ramifications for India. As a notes, protests, police action and media coverage interact to inflame a situation, with the one using the other for its own purposes.

Politicians now in full campaign mode must take note. These flames of dissent could spread easily eastward. Given Indias noisy social media and television shouting matches, escalation would be a given.

The author is a Director (R&A) at the Centre for Land Warfare. She tweets at @kartha_tara. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
Justice Dipankar Datta invoked the principle of res judicata to warn the EVM-doubters from re-litigating, without new and substantial evidence, an issue that has been conclusively settled read more

On 26 April, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, disposed of a civil suit filed by Association for Democratic Reforms against the Election Commission, by rejecting the formers demand for return to paper ballot, 100 per cent manual or mechanical counting with VVPAT slips (to tally them against EVM results) and voters being given physical access to VVPAT slips before these are collected. The apex court considered all these demands impractical, problematic and prone to mischief.

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The court observed that VVPAT slips made of 9.9 cm x 5.6 cm thermal paper coated with chemical to ensure print retention for five years, are very soft and sticky, which makes the counting slow and tedious. VVPAT slips of five EVMs per Assembly constituency or Assembly segment of a parliamentary constituency are any way physically tallied against the EVM results. Moreover, manual counting is prone to human errors and might lead to deliberate mischief. Also, giving voters physical access to VVPAT slips is problematic and impractical. It could lead to misuse, malpractices and disputes.

Justice Dipankar Datta in his concurring judgment invoked an important principle of lawres judicata. It means that parties would be barred from re-litigating issues that have been conclusively settled. While this principle might not be as rigidly upheld in cases of substantial public interest, the principle should apply if re-litigation is pursued without substantial evidence to validate the irreversible harm or detriment of public good.

It might be recalled that the integrity of the EVMs were upheld in a string of judgements. Madras High Court (2001), Delhi High Court (2004), Karnataka High Court (2004), Kerala High Court (2002), Bombay High Courts Nagpur Bench (2004)each went into all aspects of technological soundness and administrative measuresruled that EVMs were credible, reliable and completely tamper-proof. The Karnataka High Court (2004) had regarded the EVMs as a great achievement in electronic and computer technology and a national pride. These judgements were delivered in the pre-VVPAT era.

During the VVPAT era, three-member Supreme Court bench in its order dated April 8, 2019, settled the matter in N Chandrababu Naidu & Ors v. Union of India & Anr when it decreed that VVPAT paper trail of five EVMs per Assembly Constituency or per Assembly segments in a parliamentary constituency should be mandatory tallied with results on EVMs. The Election Commission has been following the same.

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It might be remembered that EVMs publicly came under fire from several political parties shortly after the 15th Lok Sabha Elections, 2009. The issue reached Madras High Court, Bombay High Court and Madhya Pradesh High Court. The Supreme Court while disposing a petition filed by V.V. Rao and Ors observed that the petitioners could approach the Election Commission in this matter. The Election Commission had invited political parties, petitioners, and individuals to visit its headquarters in Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi between August 3 and August 8, 2009, to demonstrate their allegations on specimen EVMs. One hundred specimen EVMs, obtained on a random basis from warehouses across ten Indian states, were kept on display before those visitors to prove their charges. The critics failed to establish any of their claims.

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The VVPAT itself was developed in pursuit of a suggestion that the Election Commission received from political parties in October 2010. The prototype was developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), the PSU that had previously developed EVM, within a short span of 2010-11. The field trials were held in five locations of the countryLadakh, Thiruvananthapuram, Cherrapunjee, East Delhi and Jaisalmer in July 2011 in cooperation with the political parties. Even before the verdict two judge Bench in civil suit Dr. Subramanian Swamy v Election Commission of India came on October 8, 2013, regarding introduction of the VVPAT came, the Election Commission had put VVPAT into action on September 4, 2013, in by-election in Noksen (ST) Constituency in Nagaland.

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Elections/by-elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies have been held by the Election Commission exclusively on EVM since 2004. The variety of results obtained, often to the detriment of the party in power, militates against any conspiracy theory about manipulation. However, despite introduction of the VVPAT, doubts continued to be raised, apparently out of partisan reasons. After the results of the elections to five states viz. Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand were declared on March 11, 2017, in which the BJP performed rather strongly, there was a renewed attack on the credibility of the EVMs. The Uttarakhand High Court had to issue a gag order on political parties, NGOs, and individuals from speaking irresponsibly about the EVMs when the Election Commission was dealing with the matter.

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The Election Commission put up a strong defence, by placing all technical facts on the table, referring to the judicial pronouncements and comparison of Indian EVMs with voting machines used in a few other countries. One of the interesting facts provided was that the new M3 version of EVMs, produced after 2013, has a new feature called Tamper Detection and Self Diagnostics.

The tamper detection feature makes an EVM inoperative any moment anyone tries to open the machine. The Self diagnostic feature checks the EVM fully after it is switched on. Any change in its hardware and software would be detected. On May 12, 2017, the Election Commission held a meeting with all national and State level political parties to explain to them the inviolability of the EVMs.

On 20 May, 2017 Election Commission of India announced an EVM Challenge, in which three delegates from a willing political party could participate, to demonstrate whether any hacking of the EVM was possible. By the end of the seven-day deadline only two political parties viz. NCP and CPI(M) had applied. Since none of them had specified their choices of EVMs from the five poll-gone states, the Commission brought 14 EVMs randomly in sealed condition kept in the strong rooms from 12 constituencies of Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh for the EVM Challenge scheduled on 3 June. On the appointed day the representatives of both the interested parties turned up at Nirvachan Sadan. The representatives of CPI(M) clarified that they did not wish to enter the EVM Challenge but merely cleared doubts by the technical team. The NCP delegation also expressed unwillingness to enter the challenge, and merely wanted the memory and battery numbers, which could be provided to them only after EVMs that were in sealed conditions were unpacked. Their doubts apparently stemmed from the local body elections in Maharashtra, which in fact were not conducted by the Election Commission at all, but the State Election Commission, set up under a different provision of the Constitution.

June 3, 2017, was not going to end EVM-scepticism. It was occasionally revived at the time of elections. In January, 2019 a person called Syed Shuja, who was never heard about before or afterwards again, organised a press conference in London where he promised to show how an EVM could be hacked. Shuja never came to London, but addressed the journalists over video conferencing. The event came to a cropper as he made no attempt to live up to his claim. Kapil Sibal, Congress leader and former Law and Justice Minister, who had taken a flight to London to attend the publicised event evidently made a fool of himself.

(This is Part 1 of a two-part series)

The writer is author of the book The Microphone Men: How Orators Created a Modern India (2019) and an independent researcher based in New Delhi. The views expressed herein are his personal.
Xi Jinping has announced the splitting of the Strategic Support Force into three different verticalsInformation Support Force, Cyberspace Force and Aerospace Force. Heres why read more

On 31 December, 2015, the Chinese PLA underwent a most talked about transformation leading to the creation of the Strategic Support Force (SSF). It was supposedly designed to better integrate space, cyber, and electronic warfare capabilities into PLA operations.

Rand in a research paper of 2017 mentioned, It appears that information warfare, including space warfare, long identified by PLA analysts as a critical element of future military operations, has entered a new phase of development in which an emphasis on space and information warfare, long-range precision strikes, and the requirements associated with conducting operations at greater distances from China has necessitated the establishment of a new and different type of organisation.

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Xi Jinping took credit for the creation of the SSF and exploited it to gain an unprecedented third tenure as President in 2023. The SSF was touted as a unique organisation responsible for supporting all other PLA entities with space, cyber, and electronic warfare capabilities. Under a year into his third term, on 19 April, 2024, Xi announced the splitting of the same SSF into three different verticalsInformation Support Force (ISF), Cyberspace Force and Aerospace Force.

While the Information Support Force (ISF) would be a new branch, the other two, Cyberspace and Aerospace forces would emerge from the erstwhile SSF. As per Japan Times, The changes are aimed at better adapting Chinas military to the informatisation conditions of modern warfare. The restructuring will lead to better deployment of satellite systems, cyberspace, and when conducting electronic warfare.

These verticals will now function directly under the Central Military Commission (CMC), driving the message that they would be under the watchful eye of Xi Jinping. With this restructuring the PLA would comprise four armsarmy, navy, air and rocket forcesas also four independent verticals, the existing Joint Logistics Support Force and the new three, created by splitting the SFF.

For how long this reorganisation was on the cards is unknown, however, what is clear is that no restructuring is implemented without detailed deliberation and assessment at the highest levels. This is so because restructuring creates instability and uncertainty in an organisation. It takes time for the organisation to settle down and re-commence its functioning. Too many changes also send a wrong message to adversaries.

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The restructuring also conveys that there were either shortfalls in the functioning of the SSF or that it had been initially tasked to build requisite capabilities within the cyber and space forces which it fulfilled. The capability development aspect appears to be possibly correct as the deputy head of the erstwhile SSF as also its political commissioner were transferred to the newly created ISF, with the former deputy leading it.

Xi was himself present for the launching of the ISF and mentioned that the organisation will play a crucial role in advancing the Chinese militarys high-quality development and competitiveness in modern warfare. The PLA daily wrote about the creation of the ISF, In modern warfare, victory hinges on information. The struggle is between systems, and whoever commands information superiority holds the initiative in war.

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It is evident that the ISF would be exploited, apart from projecting the Chinese narrative in future operations, also to broadcast what Xis desires through the PLA thereby enhancing his hold on the organisation. Of the three, the ISF remains the most essential organisation.

The Chinese defence ministry spokesperson, as part of his press briefing, described Cyberspace Force as, reinforcing national cyber border defence, promptly detecting and countering network intrusions and maintaining national cyber sovereignty and information security. There was also a mention that it would be responsible for offensive cyber operations, implying that the CMC would determine target nations for cyberattacks. Many Western nations as also India have faced cyberattacks from China.

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On the Aerospace Force, the spokesperson mentioned it will strengthen the capacity to safely enter, exit and openly use space. Space is the next dimension of warfare and is gaining importance all across the world. Space will play a major role in future conflicts. Most modern armed forces, including India, have created space commands.

By placing these newly created organisations under the CMC, the Chinese are confirming that these new structures need close supervision and direction. Further, as proved by the erstwhile logistics support force, effectiveness and integration is better when central organisations are directly controlled by the CMC, rather than being employed through layers of command.

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Various views are being projected on why the SSF was split within years of being touted as the most profound change in the PLA. Some analysts have mentioned that corruption scandals of the rocket force could be the reason. This may be partially true as technology dominated organisations demand high investment which provide incentive for corruption. Hence, by placing them under the CMC, a direct check could be maintained.

The second reason being touted is the balloon incident of Jan-Feb 2023. A Chinese unguided surveillance balloon, carrying monitoring equipment, was shot down over continental US by fighter aircraft at a height of 65,000 ft. The Chinese claimed it veered off course while the US insisted it was on an intelligence gathering mission.

It led to deterioration in ties between the two nations. The launching and monitoring of the balloon would have been the responsibility of the SSF and under it the Aerospace Force. There are reports that Xi did not take kindly to this lapse. Closer monitoring by the CMC would prevent such reoccurrences.

The third possible reason being mentioned is lessons from ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. In these conflicts projecting the correct narrative is essential in order to gain ascendancy over the opposition. India has experienced Chinese information warfare aimed at defending its claims over Arunachal Pradesh. Renaming parts of the state with Chinese names and projecting its views on multiple media networks is ongoing.

Similar has been the experience of nations competing with China over shoals in the South and East China seas. These operations will now be spearheaded by the ISF. Similarly, cyber and space are domains which can no longer be ignored.

India also possesses its own cyber and space commands, which operate in close conjunction with specialist organisations including ISRO and DRDO. The Indian air chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, mentioned at a recent conference, The traditional boundaries of the land, sea, air, cyber and space domains are increasingly becoming blurred, bringing about a paradigm shift in war fighting.

Currently Chinas relations with most of its neighbours are at an ebb as also are its relations with the US. It is aware that at some stage it would act against Taiwan or possibly India. It would then need to project the right narrative to justify its actions as also support ground operations by cyberattacks and exploitation of space. It is possibly with this view that China has restructured its SSF into three different verticals.

The author is a former Indian Army officer, strategic analyst and columnist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
Elon Musk has often used recreational drugs, allegedly. That is why the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) has raised doubts about his ability to lead SpaceX and whether the organisation should be given an FCC license with Musk at the helm read more

Concerns over SpaceXs Starlink satellite network have escalated following allegations of CEO Elon Musks erratic behaviour and alleged drug use.

The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) has raised significant doubts about SpaceXs suitability to maintain and expand its satellite operations and is calling for scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as per a report by Fortune.

In a filing submitted on Wednesday, the UCCA challenged SpaceXs request to open a satellite spectrum band for new users. Instead, they argued for an investigation into SpaceXs fitness to hold satellite licenses, considering that Musk is at the helm.

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Arthur Belendiuk, the UCCAs lead regulatory attorney, emphasised the FCCs responsibility to ensure that license holders meet specific qualifications and serve the public interest.

Central to the UCCAs concerns is a report from The Wall Street Journal which carried a report in great detail about Musks alleged use of various illegal recreational drugs, including ketamine, LSD, cocaine, mushrooms, and ecstasy.

Although Musk has denied these allegations, the UCCA contends that such behaviour may violate FCC rules requiring licensees to possess appropriate character qualifications, citing a precedent from the 1970s when the FCC denied a license renewal application due to drug use.

The UCCA also cited news reports alleging that Musk denied a Ukrainian request to use Starlink during the Russian invasion and that the company does not prevent the Russian military from using the satellite terminals. Belendiuk condemned this behaviour as part of a pattern of abuse of the Starlink system, urging an immediate FCC investigation.

The UCCA has called on the FCC to hold a hearing to determine whether Musk is fit to remain a licensee and to consider revoking or restricting SpaceXs access to the airwaves.

In response, Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr criticised TheUCCAs comments as procedurally improper and substantively meritless, stating that the filing misapplies laws and rules irrelevant to the case.

SpaceXs Starlink network currently operates over 5,500 active satellites, with plans to launch up to 42,000 more.

(With inputs from agencies)
Speaking after an emergency meeting of state and federal leaders to address the issue, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced A$925.2 million ($600 million) to make permanent a programme of financial support for those escaping domestic violence read more

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese (wearing hat) attends a rally to a call for action to end violence against women, in Canberra, on Sunday. Albanese has described domestic violence as a "national crisis" after thousands rallied around the country against violence toward women. AP

Australia will spend almost A$1 billion on payments for those fleeing domestic violence and introduce new measures to police pornography and violence on the internet in response to what the government is calling a national crisis of gendered violence.

Thousands took to the streets on Saturday to protest violence against women, which the government says has killed a woman every four days this year. Five women were killed during a mass stabbing in April, the same month a high-profile defamation case concluded a rape took place in parliament.

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Speaking after an emergency meeting of state and federal leaders to address the issue, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced A$925.2 million ($600 million) to make permanent a programme of financial support for those escaping domestic violence.

Today is about who we are as a nation and as a society, he said. This is an issue for the whole of society, not just for governments. Its an issue for civil society, its an issue for the media, its an issue for all of us.

Australia will also introduce legislation to ban the creation and non-consensual distribution of deepfake pornography, where people digitally alter pornographic images into the likeness of someone else.

Thirty-four women were killed by an intimate partner in Australia in the year ending June 30, a 28% jump from the previous year, despite only a 4% rise in overall homicides.

Attacking toxic male extremist views online, Albanese also announced a range of measures to police porn on the internet and promote healthier attitudes towards women.

A A$6.5 million pilot will test ways to stop children from accessing inappropriate content online with the results informing new rules for internet companies being developed by the online safety regulator.

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But in a sign of how difficult implementation is likely to be, the e-Safety Commissioner is already embroiled in a court battle to have social media platform X remove posts showing an Australian bishop being stabbed during a sermon. Owner Elon Musk has pledged to fight the move, which he called censorship.

Albanese said his government did not underestimate how difficult policing content on the internet would be but the online players need to understand exactly what the consequences are of a free-for-all all online.
RBI, the biggest Western bank in Russia, wants to buy a stake in construction group Strabag linked to Oleg Deripaska for 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion), a contested deal that has renewed international pressure on the Austrian lender. read more

In a setback to RBIs plans to unlock funds stranded in Russia, Austrian authorities have reportedly advised Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) to reconsider a deal associated with a Russian oligarch amid concerns about potential repercussions from the United States, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

RBI, the biggest Western bank in Russia, wants to buy a stake in construction group Strabag linked to Oleg Deripaska for 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion), a contested deal that has renewed international pressure on the Austrian lender.

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In recent weeks, Austrian central bank officials have warned RBI about the deal, cautioning it could backfire if the U.S. penalises the bank, said one person with direct knowledge of those discussions.

The central bank is responsible for oversight of Western sanctions in Austria and also watches for broader financial stability. Shares in RBI fell nearly 4% after the Reuters report, closing at 17.38 euros, against a 0.3% drop across the European banking sector. RBI is buying the stake in Vienna-based Strabag from a company the construction group identified as earlier controlled by Oleg Deripaska, opens new tab.

The move had come under fire from the U.S. Treasury because Deripaska is sanctioned, exacerbating tensions between Washington and RBI, which is already under scrutiny from U.S. sanctions enforcement agency OFAC.

Other Austrian public officials have also privately cautioned the bank against the sale, believing it could be declared a breach of sanctions, said two people with direct knowledge of those discussions.

One of those people said RBI had been warned by U.S. authorities that they could not give their blessing for the deal and could impose a penalty if it pressed ahead.

Although it is unclear what that penalty might be, U.S. authorities have the power to fine or even take the drastic step of shutting a bank out of dollar payments.

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The sale is embarrassing for Austria, given international criticism of the country for being too friendly towards Russia, one of the people with direct knowledge of officials thinking told Reuters.

A spokesperson for RBI said the acquisition of Strabag shares remains subject to the compliance review of RBI, adding that it will not buy the shares from Mr. Deripaska nor any other sanctioned person or entity.

A central bank spokesperson declined to comment. A spokesperson for Deripaska said he had had nothing to do with Strabag for a long time and would not comment, describing Western sanctions against him as totally misguided and based on false information.

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RUSSIA BOND

Two years after Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, RBIs continued presence in Russia underlines the ties between Moscow and Vienna - whether via Russian gas pipelines or Vienna serving as a hub for cash from Russia and former Soviet states.

RBIs Russia business is a money spinner but has tarnished the groups image. Investors welcomed the prospect of the Strabag deal but the bank was forced to drop a planned bond sale when the U.S. objections emerged in a Reuters report.

The change of tone in Vienna, where officials and ministers have so far sought to stymie international pressure on RBI, is a rare challenge at home to the bank that is part of an industrial group underpinning Austria with wide political influence.

RBI has resisted pressure to cut ties with Moscow, although it says it has long explored doing so.

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Strabag is one of Europes biggest construction firms and built the Olympic stadium for the Sochi winter games and luxury apartments in Moscow. Senior U.S. Treasury officials underscored their concerns in meetings with the bank and Austrian authorities earlier this year, sources have told Reuters.

They believe Deripaska will benefit from the sale. One person familiar with the banks thinking previously told Reuters that in light of the U.S. position, the bank itself was preparing to drop the deal.

RBI is a financial lifeline for millions of Russian customers who want to send euros or dollars abroad. Western regulators want this to change. So far, key Austrian officials, irked by what they see as U.S. bullying of a small, neutral country, have fought the banks corner.

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Recently, Austria pressured Ukraine to remove RBI from a Ukrainian blacklist, holding out on backing fresh EU sanctions on Russia until it did.
Among the many proposals made during the meeting, one is to invoke the decades-old United States Refugee Admissions Program to accommodate and welcome Palestinians who have US ties who fled to Egypt read more

Some Palestinians might be able to come to the US as refugees as the Biden administration is considering providing safe haven to Gazans looking to flee the war between Israel and Hamas.

With Israels plan to expand its assault to Rafah, which currently houses millions of Gazans, becoming imminent, a provision for Palestinians to stay in the US is expected to come as a respite to those who are anticipating displacement.

Meanwhile, the world is pinning hope on Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal as the mediators  US, Egypt and Qatar  push for a fresh agreement that would also see the handover of Israeli hostages.

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How will US go about it?

CBS News has accessed internal federal government documents that show that senior US officials in recent weeks have conferred the plausibility of ways to resettle those Palestinians from Gaza who have immediate family members living in America as permanent residents or are US citizens.

Among the many proposals made during the meeting, one is to invoke the decades-old United States Refugee Admissions Program to accommodate and welcome Palestinians who have US ties who fled to Egypt.

Palestinians who have American relatives can be processed as refugees, however, this plan would require the US to coordinate with Egypt, the documents show.

After they pass their medical and security screenings as well as meet a series of eligibility criteria would be flown to the US with refugee status. Once in the US, Palestinian refugees can avail permanent residency, resettlement benefits like housing which will in turn open the chances for obtaining American citizenship.

UK mulls similar plans?

Last month, over 60 charities, law firms and other organisations sent a letter to the UK Home Secretary calling for the creation of a similar visa program for Palestinians trapped in Gaza as the one Britain offers to Ukrainians.

The letter, signed by organisations like Refugee Council, Care4Calais and the Helen Bamber Foundation, said, existing immigration routes are insufficient and not working and justified how a simpler visa program would benefit Palestinians by reuniting with their immediate and extended family members in the UK.

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The Home Office, however, showed no interest to create a route for Palestinians to come to Britain.

In fact, the UK granted citizenship to a Palestinian living in Israel in March on grounds of persecution.

The man, who did not wish to be named, faced an enhanced risk of persecution in Israel, his legal team said.
Launched in June 2022, the Fujian, Chinas first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults, enable the vessel to launch aircraft more regularly. read more

China has launched its third aircraft carrier the Fujian, which embarked on its maiden sea trial on Wednesday morning. Image Courtesy: Xinhua

China on Wednesday started the sea trial of its first domestically-built aircraft carrier, the Fujian.

According to a South China Morning Post report, citing state news agency Xinhua, the Fujian was unmoored from its dock at the Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai at about 8 am.

Launched in June 2022, the Fujian, Chinas first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults, enable the vessel to launch aircraft more regularly.

According to the report, first signs of preparations came on Tuesday with the announcement of rare maritime traffic controls around the Yangtze Rivers mouth, effective from 4.30 am to 3 pm on Wednesday, which military experts said could be paving the way for the trial.

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The Jiangnan shipyard, responsible for constructing the carrier, is situated at the mouth of the Yangtze.

Maritime authorities had also released a subsequent notice indicating that military operations are scheduled to take place in the East China Sea starting from 7 am on 1 May until 9 am on 9 May. They have delineated a specific area of water within which unrelated vessels are prohibited from entering.

According to the report, citing Xinhua, the initial sea trials will primarily test the reliability and stability of the aircraft carriers propulsion and electrical systems.

Since its launch in June 2022, the Fujian has completed its mooring trials, outfitting work and equipment adjustments. It has met the technical requirements for sea trials, South China Morning Post report quoted Xinhua as saying.

Significant milestone

Chinas third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, marks a significant milestone as the nations first carrier designed domestically. With plans to expand its fleet to six carriers by 2035, China aims to bolster its naval prowess, potentially ranking second globally behind the US in terms of blue-water naval strength.

Fujian inaugural trial heralds the beginning of a rigorous testing phase, expected to span several years before the carrier is deemed fully operational. Chinas existing carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, underwent 10 and nine trials, respectively.

In contrast, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the only other carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults, was commissioned in 2017 but did not embark on its maiden deployment until 2022.

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Originally a Soviet Kuznetsov-class vessel, Chinas first carrier, the Liaoning, underwent extensive refitting before its commissioning in 2012.

Following its design, the PLA Navys second carrier, the Shandong, was constructed. Like its predecessors, the Fujian adheres to conventional carrier design, yet distinguishes itself as a supercarrier, boasting advancements surpassing its smaller predecessors, which relied on less efficient ski-jump ramps for aircraft takeoff.

Maritime concern for Taiwan

According to South China Morning Post report, amid these developments, Taiwans defence ministry has expressed concerns over the Fujians capabilities, emphasising the potential threat it poses to the island.

Some analysts have labeled the Fujian as a significant maritime concern for Taiwan, reported Japan Times

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Last year, Taiwans Defence Ministry, as reported by Japan Times, highlighted in its annual report that the Fujians presence could enhance Chinas capacity to encircle the island. This, in turn, could impede or thwart attempts by the US military and its allies to come to Taipeis aid in the event of a Chinese incursion, added the report.

However, despite Chinas advancements in aircraft carriers, there are notable hurdles to overcome. Observers have pointed out a substantial disparity between the proficiency of sailors training and the demands of actual combat, said the report.

With inputs from agencies
Sea trials will primarily evaluate the reliability and stability of the aircraft carriers propulsion and electrical systems. Chinas Xinhua news agency noted that since its launch in June 2022, the Fujian has completed mooring trials, outfitting tasks, and equipment adjustments read more

Chinas third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, commenced its inaugural sea trials Wednesday, as reported by state-controlled media.

The vessel, boasting next-generation launch tracks capable of catapulting a broader spectrum of aircraft, departed from the Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard at approximately 8 am, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Xinhua reported that the sea trials will primarily evaluate the reliability and stability of the aircraft carriers propulsion and electrical systems.

It noted that since its launch in June 2022, the Fujian has completed mooring trials, outfitting tasks, and equipment adjustments, meeting the necessary technical prerequisites for conducting the trials.

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China has hailed the Fujian as a pivotal component of its military arsenal, bringing Beijing closer to its ambition of projecting its military prowess globally, in line with President Xi Jinpings vision of establishing a world-class military by mid-century.

Compared to its predecessors, the Shandong, commissioned in 2019, and the Liaoning, purchased from Ukraine in 1998 and domestically refurbished, the Fujian is larger and more technologically sophisticated. Its utilisation of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, a Chinese rendition known for smoother acceleration and reduced stress on airframes, underscores Chinas technological advancements.

The Chinese system, experts argue, promises greater energy efficiency and durability, accommodating a wider array of aircraft for launch. Upon commissioning, it will join the ranks of the US Navys Ford-class nuclear-powered carriers as the only other vessels equipped with such technology.

Chinese state media asserts that the Fujian, upon completion, will exceed 80,000 metric tons in displacement, surpassing any warship ever built in Asia and becoming the worlds largest non-American aircraft carrier.

By comparison, the Shandong and Liaoning boast displacements of approximately 66,000 metric tons and 60,000 metric tons, respectively, employing the ski jump method for fixed-wing aircraft launch, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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The Liaoning underwent ten sea trials before entering service, while the Shandong completed nine before formal commissioning.

With inputs from Agencies
The cheesy Cubano from Clandestina Cocina, a Cuban pop-up, as seen at the West Oakland farmers market. Colin Peck/Special to The Chronicle

I have a lot of feelings tied up in sandwiches. If my emotions were an investment portfolio, a financial analyst might advise me to diversify.

My favorite thing to eat is a torta ahogada  the drowned sandwich from Jalisco, Mexico  and Ive been known to dabble in a bit of sandwich therapy. But theres one that represents my connection to my mixed heritage: the Cubano sandwich.

My dad was half Cuban. I have few memories of my grandfather, who left Cuba when he married my grandmother, but I credit him for my love of coffee. He and my dad left the earth when I was a kid, taking with them my connection to that part of my bloodline. But I always had the Cubano, which I viewed as a way to participate in the culture. As a teenager, and into my 20s, I chased the dish, looking to mend a severed connection. I thought, perhaps naively, I could find a hidden spark inside the compressed, cheesy pork sandwich.

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Recently, I tasted one that dredged up those sentiments  and gave me a renewed appreciation for the dish.

Constructing the Cubano, full of shredded pork, cheese, mustard and pickles, at Clandestina Cocina. Colin Peck/Special to The Chronicle

Cuban cuisine might be underrepresented in the Bay Area, but the region is home to one of the finest Cubanos Ive ever had. This impressive sandwich comes from Clandestina Cocina, a Cuban pop-up run by Lilian Duran, who uses the popular dish to bring attention to lesser-known parts of her culture and cuisine. Durans Cubano ($18) is delicious and innovative  a monument of the dishs evolution.

However, she, like me, has complicated feelings about the sandwich.

To Duran, the sandwich is foreign. Its not something she grew up eating in Cuba  her closest association is a roast pork sandwich known as pan con lechon. The Cubano as we know it today is a product of immigration. It originated from the Cuban mixto, a sandwich of mixed meats and cheese, according to the book The Cuban Sandwich: A History in Layers. After the Cuban revolution, immigrants and exiles settled in Florida, bringing various preparations of the sandwich. In Tampa, salami is a common inclusion, while Miami is credited for pressing it. The main disconnect for Cubans, like Duran, is access; most simply cant afford the ingredients.

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An iron press weighs down a Cuban sandwich at Clandestina Cocina, found at the West Oakland farmers market. Colin Peck/Special to The Chronicle

Durans version is her reclamation of the sandwich.

She starts by swiping a roll with mustard, then layers on smoked ham, garlicky roast pork, pickles and Swiss cheese. She places it on a hot plancha, then smashes it with an iron press, concentrating all her weight into her arm. The pressure and heat cause the cheese to gush out, turning into crisp cheese coins. After slicing it on the diagonal, she serves it with thin plantain chips and her own innovation: a side of verdant mint sauce. The latter is the perfect foil for the sandwich, giving it a bright herbaceousness that eloquently cuts the indulgence. With the help of the sauce, the massive, juicy sandwich achieves majestic balance. I always ask for extra.

Duran left Havana in 2015. Five years later, she started Clandestina Cocina as a pop-up from her home. She would sell plates of peppery braised beef, also known as ropa vieja, through social media. Two years later she joined La Cocina, an incubator in San Francisco that helps food entrepreneurs formalize their businesses. (Full disclosure: My significant other works at La Cocina.) Now, youll regularly find Clandestina at the Livermore and West Oakland farmers markets.

Lilian Duran is the owner of Cuban pop-up Clandestina Cocina. She says the Cubano is her least favorite menu item. Colin Peck/Special to The Chronicle

The Cubano is Durans least favorite item. Ultimately, she decided to include it on her menu as a tribute to her family in Florida, who migrated there after the revolution. She might not have the same nostalgic connection to the dish, but her family does. To her cousins, the sandwich is a symbol of the island.

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Thats what they know of Cuba, its what makes them feel Cuban, Duran said. Its not their fault that they werent able to go back.

The Cubano doesnt exactly make me feel Cuban, nor does it give me direct insight into the culture, but its a totem of the family Ive buried.

As for Duran, she hasnt returned to Cuba since 2018. Today, shes an American citizen. While the sandwich inspires conflicting emotions, it, too, now represents her. Im not from here, (Im) not from there, Duran said. And I guess the sandwich is the same.

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Clandestina Cocina operates a stand at farmers markets in Oakland and Livermore. Colin Peck/Special to The Chronicle
Dubai Airports has advised travelers departing from Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) to check the status of their flights with the respective airlines, arrive early for security screening and boarding, plan their route in advance using smartphone apps to receive real-time traffic updates and alternate routes read more

To protect public safety and reduce interruptions, authorities said they have implemented continuity plans and are actively monitoring the situation Image Courtesy AP

Passengers are warned by Dubai airports and airlines to make advance plans and factor in additional time for their travels, as anticipated precipitation may cause traffic jams. Additionally, the alert advised travelers to utilize Dubai Metro whenever feasible.

Dubai Airports has advised travelers departing from Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) to check the status of their flights with the respective airlines, arrive early for security screening and boarding, plan their route in advance using smartphone apps to receive real-time traffic updates and alternate routes, and use Dubai Metro whenever possible. Due to the impending bad weather that is predicted for Thursday, the metro services will be available until five a.m. on Friday.

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Before arriving at the airport, travelers are advised by the operator of the airport to check the status of their flight with the airlines.

Similar warnings were sent out on Wednesday by Emirates, the main airline of Dubai, alerting travelers planning trips on Thursday to the possibility of traffic delays brought on by the predicted thunderstorms.

Heavy thunderstorms are forecast in Dubai on May 2. If youre traveling to @DXB, you may experience road delays. We recommend adding extra travel time to reach the airport, and using Dubai metro where possible, the airline said on X.

Additionally, Flydubai has recommended customers to leave early from their home to give themselves more time to get to the airport by car or public transportation.

Passengers are also advised to update their contact details via the manage booking section and check the flight status onflydubai.com for the latest updates regarding their flight, it said.

Passengers are advised to check in online before they leave for the airport.

The National Center for Meteorology (NCM) says locals could expect rain showers and thunderstorms from Wednesday evening through early Friday morning, however the weather event is expected to be less severe than recent storms in April. Hail is conceivable, particularly in coastal and western regions. It is expected that the unsteady weather would subside during the weekend.

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To protect public safety and reduce interruptions, authorities said they have implemented continuity plans and are actively monitoring the situation. This comes after the nation came to a complete halt on April 16 and the following weeks due to the most rainfall ever recorded in over 75 years.
Days after The Washington Post report identified a R&AW official involved in the assassination plot of Khalistan separatist Pannun, the US on Tuesday said it expects accountability from the Government of India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committees work read more

Days after The Washington Post report identified a R&AW official involved in the assassination plot of Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the US on Tuesday said that it expects accountability from the Government of India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committees work, and Washington is regularly working with them and inquiring for additional updates.

Addressing a briefing on Tuesday, Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson, US Department of State, said, Well also continue to raise our concerns directly with the Indian government at senior levels.

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#WATCH | On The Washington Post's article revealing Indian Prime Minister Modi's 'inner circle', was aware of the assassination plot on a Sikh activist in New York, Principal Deputy Spokesperson, US Department of State, Vedant Patel says, "So we continue to expect accountability pic.twitter.com/43vw5BIpRY  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2024

On Monday, The Washington Post revealed that an R&AW operative, identified as Vikram Yadav, was implicated in a plot to assassinate Pannun in the US, allegedly sanctioned by the former head of the Indian intelligence agency Samant Goel. Pannun is a prominent figure in the Khalistan movement, serving as the legal advisor and spokesperson for the banned group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which advocates for an independent Sikh state. The Indian government has designated Pannun as a terrorist.

Reacting to The Washington Posts article, India had said that the report in question was speculative and irresponsible.

The article in question contains unwarranted and unsubstantiated allegations on a matter of grave significance, Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said on Tuesday.

Jaiswal added that a High-Level Committee set up by the Indian government is carrying out an investigation into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists, and others.

The US spokesperson also spoke about Israels imminent Rafah operation, saying that Washington has not yet seen a credible plan that would address the varying areas of concerns.

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#WATCH | On regardless of whether or not a ceasefire & hostage release deal is reached, is it still the case that the US hasn't seen a credible plan for entering Rafah, Principal Deputy Spokesperson, US Department of State, Vedant Patel says, "That is correct, it continues to be pic.twitter.com/eCVjkydBt5  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2024

Primarily the ability to address the serious humanitarian concerns surrounding again, Rafah is a region with more than 1 million people seeking refuge. Its an area that continues to be an important conduit for humanitarian aid, as well as safe departure for foreign nationals. So any kind of operation that does not address some of these key concerns would certainly be opposed by us, said Patel.

He said that the US is continuously engaging with its partners in Israel and is having conversations at all levels.

Well continue to press forward on those conversations and ask what their plans may or may not be as it pertains to Rafah, said Patel.

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Talking about its partnership with Pakistan regarding combat terrorism, the US said that the two countries have a shared interest in combating threats to regional security.

We support Pakistans efforts to combat terrorism and ensure the safety and security of its citizens in a manner that promotes the rule of law and protection of human rights, said the US spokesperson.

Patel said that US and Pakistan is working together on security issues including, a high-level counter-terrorism dialogue, funding, robust counterterrorism capacity and building programs, and supporting a series of military-to-military engagements.

With inputs from agencies
Speaking two days after Blinken once more expressed opposition to an assault due to worries for the safety of civilians sheltering in the southern Gaza city, Blinken reiterated the United States clear position on Rafah, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller read more

Blinken conceded that more aid was being delivered since Israel last month gave in to US pressure and reopened more channels into the beleaguered enclave Image Courtesy AFP

In discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed US opposition to an Israeli attack on the densely populated Gaza city of Rafah. Netanyahu has pledged to proceed, according to a US official.

Speaking two days after Blinken once more expressed opposition to an assault due to worries for the safety of civilians sheltering in the southern Gaza city, Blinken reiterated the United States clear position on Rafah, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

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Blinken met Netanyahu for two and a half hours at his Jerusalem office, first by himself and then with aides. This was Blinkens sixth journey to the Middle East since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

The top US diplomat has been attempting to advance an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would result in the temporary cessation of hostilities and the release of captives.

Netanyahu had promised on Tuesday to enter Rafah regardless of the outcome of the negotiations.

Blinken told Miller that Hamas is the one impeding a ceasefire when they spoke about the agreement with Netanyahu.

Additionally, Blinken has been advocating for more help to reach Gaza, where the UN has issued a starvation warning.

Blinken conceded that more aid was being delivered since Israel last month gave in to US pressure and reopened more channels into the beleaguered enclave.

The speaker reiterated the importance of accelerating and sustaining that improvement, added Miller.

Following Hamass October 7 attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,170 people, largely civilians, according to Israeli official numbers, the Gaza war broke out.

The health ministry in the Hamas-run area of Gaza reports that Israels retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,568 individuals in Gaza, the majority of them were women and children.

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On October 7, Palestinian militants also kidnapped about 250 captives. According to Israel, 129 people are still in Gaza, 34 of whom are thought to be dead.
Young men who live in tents are largely left alone in Dublin but there have been protests in smaller communities opposed to the number of migrants living in hotels and hostels. read more

Irish police began dismantling approximately 200 tents that housed asylum seekers in Dublin early on Wednesday to address a contentious issue surrounding migration in the country.

The tents, which had become a focal point of heated debate, were located on Mount Street in the center of the capital and had been present for about a year. According to the government, police and other officials were relocating migrants from the tents into accommodation.

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Young men who live in tents are largely left alone in Dublin but there have been protests in smaller communities opposed to the number of migrants living in hotels and hostels.

Prime Minister Simon Harris said on Tuesday people would not be allowed to return to the camp once it was cleared. Once we clear Mount Street and provide people with a safer setting and access to sanitation, we need to make sure that the laws of the land are applied and it is not allowed to happen again because we do not live in a country where makeshift shantytowns are allowed to just develop, he said.

A Reuters witness said police had blocked off Mount Street and removed blue tarpaulin that hung over the small tents. People queued for buses after being moved on. Ireland is trying to accommodate record numbers of refugees while struggling with a housing shortage for residents.

Protests over the housing situation and the extra pressure of new arrivals have mostly been peaceful but far-right activists attacked police last December after three children were stabbed by a man Irish media identified as born in Algeria.

Six people were arrested last week after a standoff with police at a building in Wicklow, south of Dublin, that is intended to house asylum seekers. The government agency responsible for housing asylum seekers began handing out tents to some new arrivals last December after running out of accommodation.
Prior to the altercation, Gene D. Block, the chancellor of UCLA, issued a warning stating that demonstrators, who included both members of the UCLA community and others unaffiliated with our campus, had established a camp the previous week read more

On Wednesday, clashes erupted during pro-Palestinian protests on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, as footage from US television media revealed. This is not the only university in the country to experience similar unrest.

CNN said that warring pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli organizations broke out shortly before sunrise.

According to a spokesman for the city mayor, Zach Seidl, the LAPD is responding immediately to (the university Chancellors) request for support on campus. Seidl posted on social networking site X.

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TV footage showed protestors and counter-protesters fighting with sticks and destroying metal barricades.

Others were observed using laser pointers and powerful spotlights to light up each other as they threw objects at each other or let off pyrotechnics.

Prior to the altercation, Gene D. Block, the chancellor of UCLA, issued a warning stating that demonstrators, who included both members of the UCLA community and others unaffiliated with our campus, had established a camp the previous week.

Many of the demonstrators, as well as counter-demonstrators who have come to the area, have been peaceful in their activism, Block warned in a letter posted on the university website on Tuesday.

But the tactics of others have frankly been shocking and shameful.

We have seen instances of violence.

These incidents have put many on our campus, especially our Jewish students, in a state of anxiety and fear, he said.
The Kenya Red Cross said it rescued 36 people by air and 25 others by land. The Narok County government said it deployed two helicopters to carry out evacuations in the expansive conservation area. read more

A lodge is seen in the flooded Maasai Mara National Reserve, that left dozens of tourists stranded in Narok County, Kenya, Wednesday, May 1, 2024.- AP

At least 181 people killed across Kenya due to floods and landslides since March, with hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes, the government and Red Cross said on Wednesday, as dozens more were killed in neighbouring Tanzania and Burundi.

As heavy rains lashed the country, more than a dozen hotels, lodges and camps have been inundated, prompting the authorities to evacuate tourists by air.

Tourist accommodation facilities were also submerged when a river within the Maasai Mara overflowed its banks. Situated in southwestern Kenya, the Maasai Mara reserve draws tourists from around the world due to its renowned annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania.

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A river broke through a clogged tunnel in Mai Mahiu area in western Kenya on Monday, sweeping houses away and damaging roads and leaving 48 people dead while more than 80 others missing.

Search and rescue operations across the Mai Mahiu area are ongoing. President William Ruto on Tuesday ordered the military to join in the search.

Locals say rescue efforts have been slow due to lack of equipment to dig through the debris.

The government has urged people living in flood-prone areas to evacuate or be moved forcefully as water level in two major hydroelectric dams rise to a historic high.

Torrential rain and floods have destroyed homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure across the region. The death toll in Kenya exceeds that from floods triggered by the El Nino weather phenomenon late last year.

Military personnel accompanied by sniffer dogs had joined the search, Maiyo said. Earlier on Wednesday, government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said the total death toll had risen by 10 to 179.

Kenyas national highways authority said it had closed a section of a highway leading to the city and at least three other roads across the country due to flooding and debris.

With inputs from agencies.
The study carried out by the scientists of Space Applications Centre suggests that the extent of water ice in the northern polar region is twice that in the southern polar region, ISRO said in a statement. read more

A study conducted by scientists from the Space Applications Centre (SAC)/ISRO suggests that the amount of subsurface ice in the first couple of metres is about five to eight times larger than the one at the surface in both poles.

The study was carried out by the scientists of Space Applications Centre (SAC)/ISRO, in collaboration with researchers at IIT Kanpur, University of Southern California, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.

ISRO in a statement said that the study also suggests that the extent of water ice in the northern polar region is twice that in the southern polar region. As such, drilling on the moon to sample or excavate that ice will be primordial for future missions and long-term human presence, the space agency said.

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It also said that as for the origin of this ice, the study confirms the hypothesis that the primary source of subsurface water ice in the lunar poles is outgassing during volcanism in the Imbrian period.

The results also conclude that the distribution of water ice is likely governed by Mare volcanism and preferential impact cratering.

The research team used seven instruments comprising radar, laser, optical, neutron spectrometer, ultra-violet spectrometer, and thermal radiometer onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to understand the origin and distribution of water ice on the Moon.

Accurate knowledge of the distribution and depth of water ice occurrence in the lunar poles, as presented in the investigations, is crucial for constraining the uncertainties in selecting future landing and sampling sites for missions aimed at exploring and characterizing lunar volatiles, the statement added.

This result also supports a previous study of SAC, ISRO pointing out the possibility of the presence of water ice in some of the polar craters, utilising polarimetric radar data from the Chandrayaan-2 Dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument.

Alongside, the presented comprehensive understanding of the occurrence of water ice in the lunar poles, in this study, is crucial for supporting ISROs future in-situ volatile exploration plans on the Moon, it said.
A law to pave the way for sending asylum seekers to Rwanda if they arrived in Britain without permission was approved by parliament in April, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants the first flights to take off in July read more

People believed to be migrants, disembark from a British Border Force vessel as they arrive at the Port of Dover in Dover, Britain, on 29 April, 2024. Reuters

British authorities have started to detain migrants in preparation for them to be sent to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 weeks, the government said on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks flagship immigration policy.

A law to pave the way for sending asylum seekers to Rwanda if they arrived in Britain without permission was approved by parliament in April, and Sunak wants the first flights to take off in July.

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More than 7,500 migrants have arrived in England on small boats from France so far this year, and the government says the policy will deter people from making dangerous journey across the Channel. Five people died trying to make the crossing last week.

Human rights charities and unions opposed to the policy are expected to launch fresh legal challenges to stop the flights from taking off after the UK Supreme Court declared the policy unlawful last year.

Images released by Britains interior ministry on Wednesday showed a man being put in a van by immigration enforcement officials, and another being led out of his house in handcuffs.

Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground, interior minister James Cleverly said in a statement on Wednesday.

Care4Calais, a refugee charity, said the detentions had started on Monday.

A spokesperson said that the groups helpline had received calls from tens of people, adding that they still did not know who would be earmarked for the first deportation flight, or when it would be attempted.

Britain sent its first asylum seeker to Rwanda under a voluntary scheme, The Sun Newspaper reported on Tuesday, a separate programme to the deportation policy.

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People are very frightened, said Natasha Tsangarides, Associate Director of Advocacy at charity Freedom from Torture, saying the fear of being detained and sent to Rwanda would push some people to go underground and disengage with their support system.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement on social media that the figures mean that his changes to the countrys visa system were working read more

The UK government has witnessed a significant fall in the number of dependents, or close family members such as a spouse and children, accompanying overseas students after its crackdown on student visas effective from early this year.

In an update issued on Tuesday from January to March this year compared to the same period in 2023, the Home Office said that dependents had drastically fallen by almost 80 per cent amid over 26,000 fewer student visa applications made.

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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement on social media that the figures mean that his changes to the countrys visa system were working.

The number of students bringing family members and dependants to the UK was too high. This wasnt fair, he said.

Our changes are working - student dependant numbers are now down by 80 per cent, he said.

Under rules effective from January, most international students except those on research courses cannot bring along family members. They can no longer switch their visa either before completing their course, which the government claimed misused the student visa as a backdoor to work in the UK amid a wider Home Office clampdown on institutions selling immigration, not education.

Indians have led the international student visa tally in recent years and these figures indicate that a downward trend noted earlier this year is likely to mean fewer Indian students choosing UK universities.

Ever-spiralling numbers were eroding the British peoples confidence in our immigration system, burdening public services and suppressing wages, said UK Home Secretary James Cleverly, whose office released the interim data to highlight the impact of his visa crackdowns.

When I promised to deliver the largest-ever cut in legal migration, I knew we must also work to show the impact of our action as soon as practically possible. This data shows a significant fall in numbers on the first of our measures to take effect whilst underlining why necessary action was taken to cut unsustainable numbers of care worker dependents, he said.

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The minister said there is more still to come in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak-led government plans to cut migration.

According to official statistics from February, between 2019 and 2023 the number of Indians granted study visas rose by 85,849 - making up the highest cohort of international students in the UK. However, the 1,20,110 study visa grants to Indian nationals in 2023 was 14 per cent fewer than in 2022 - already indicating a downward trend amid the tightening visa norms.

The governments review of the post-study Graduate Route, which allows overseas students to look for work and gain experience for up to two years after their degree, is widely expected to further restrict international students options in the UK when the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) submits its report later this month. This, experts believe, will see more Indians turning away from applying to UK universities after topping the tally of this visa route since it was launched in 2021.

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Under other measures, restrictions on foreign care workers from bringing dependents came into effect from March 11 - the impact for which the Home Office said is expected to become evident in future statistics. While doctors and nurses remain able to bring close family members, the tougher measures are aimed at a crackdown on worker exploitation and abuse within the social care sector.

There is clear evidence that care workers have been offered visas under false pretences, recruited into non-existent jobs or paid far below the minimum wage required for their work, exploiting them while undercutting British workers, the Home Office said.

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This weeks data also includes the final data before the general salary threshold for those arriving on the Skilled Worker visa rose from GBP 26,200 to GBP 38,700 earlier this month. Taken together, the Home Office says its visa crackdowns will mean that approximately 300,000 people arriving in the UK last year would no longer be able to.

Reducing legal and illegal migration is among the priorities for the Sunak-led government ahead of a general election, expected in the second half of the year. The latest statistics come as the government flew out its first failed asylum seeker to Rwanda under a voluntary scheme, which offers illegal migrants GBP 3,000 to willingly relocate to the east African country.

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The compulsory deportation scheme for illegal migrants is also expected to be enforced soon after the controversial Safety of Rwanda Bill became an act this month after clearing Parliament.
The demonstrations  the most sweeping and prolonged unrest to rock US college campuses since the Vietnam war protests of the 1960s and 70s  have already led to several hundred arrests of students and other activists read more

Students look out from a window as NYPD officers evict a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University, in New York City. AFP

Dozens of helmeted police marched on to Columbia Universitys campus in the heart of New York City on Tuesday and began evicting a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters.

AFP journalists could see police climbing up to the second story of Hamilton Hall from a laddered truck and disappear inside, as student newspaper the Columbia Spectator said arrests were being made.

Hamilton Hall had been barricaded at dawn by students who vowed they would fight any eviction, as they protested the soaring death toll from Israels war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

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These are students.



In no world should our kids be met with guns when using their constitutional right to peacefully assemble. https://t.co/w5KxvkOw6h  Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) May 1, 2024

Before long, officers were seen leading handcuffed protesters to police vehicles outside campus gates.

About fifty detainees were placed on a bus by the police, all of whom had zip ties fastened around their hands. The scene was surrounded by police cars with their lights blazing in red and blue.

The action came as university administrators around the United States struggle to contain pro-Palestinian demonstrations on dozens of campuses.

Officers burst through a second-floor window to enter Hamilton Hall, then led protestors in zip ties into law enforcement buses parked near campus.

Dozens of other officers swarmed over the nearby protest encampment, as onlooking students standing just outside the campus jeered them with shouts of Shame, shame!

Police boarded about 50 detainees onto a bus, each of them with their hands bound behind their backs by zip ties, the entire scene illuminated with flashing red and blue lights of police vehicles. Ambulances and other emergency services vehicles stood at the read.

Free, free, free Palestine, chanted protesters outside the building. Others yelled Let the students go.

In a statement, the institution stated that the facility had been vandalised and blockaded, leaving administration with no choice except to summon police to campus for the second time in less than two weeks.

We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation, the statement went on to say.

Columbia University officials earlier on Tuesday threatened academic expulsion of the students who seized Hamilton Hall.

The demonstrations  the most sweeping and prolonged unrest to rock US college campuses since the Vietnam war protests of the 1960s and 70s  have already led to several hundred arrests of students and other activists.

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Many of them have vowed to maintain their actions despite suspensions and threats of expulsion.

We will remain here, drawing from the lessons of our people (in Gaza) that stay put, and hold their ground even under the worst conditions, a protester wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh headscarf, who declined to give her name, told reporters outside the hall earlier in the day.

As she spoke, protesters were seen using ropes to hoist crates of supplies up to the buildings second floor, apparently signaling the students were hunkering down.

President Joe Bidens White House had sharply criticized the seizure of Hamilton Hall, with a spokesman saying it was absolutely the wrong approach.

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That is not an example of peaceful protest, the spokesman added.

The protests have posed a challenge to university administrators trying to balance free speech rights with complaints that the rallies have veered into anti-Semitism and hate.

The unrest has swept through US higher education institutions like wildfire, with many student protesters erecting tent encampments on campuses from coast to coast.

At Columbia, demonstrators have vowed to remain until their demands are met, including that the school divest all financial holdings linked to Israel.

The university has rejected the demand, with president Minouche Shafik saying earlier that talks with students had collapsed.

Columbia has warned that students occupying the building face expulsion.

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The university outlined in a press update Tuesday that those in the encampments and Hamilton Hall number in the dozens, while nearly 37,000 attend Columbia.

A nationwide movement

In one of the newest clashes, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, police moved in Tuesday to clear one encampment, detaining some protesters in a tense showdown.

Meanwhile at northern Californias Cal Poly Humboldt, a week-long occupation was brought to a dramatic end early Tuesday when police moved in to arrest nearly three dozen protesters who had seized buildings and forced the closure of the campus.

In Oregon, Portland State Universitys campus was closed Tuesday due to an ongoing incident in the library, college authorities said, after local media reported around 50 protesters had broken into the building a day earlier.

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And Brown University reached an agreement in which student protesters will remove their encampment in exchange for the institution holding a vote on divesting from Israel  a major concession from an elite American university during the protests.

Footage of police in riot gear summoned at various colleges has been viewed around the world.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk voiced concern at the heavy-handed steps taken to disperse the campus protests, saying freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly are fundamental to society.

He added that incitement to violence or hatred on grounds of identity or viewpoints  whether real or assumed  must be strongly repudiated.

Shafik said many Jewish students had fled Columbias campus in fear. Anti-Semitic language and actions are unacceptable, she said.

Protest organizers deny accusations of anti-Semitism, arguing their actions are aimed at Israels government.

The Columbia student group insisted their protest was peaceful and warned authorities against a crackdown similar to those that marred the anti-Vietnam War movement.

The Gaza war started when Hamas militants staged an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that left around 1,170 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

During their attack, militants also seized hostages, 129 of whom Israel estimates remain in Gaza, including 34 whom the military says are dead.

Israels retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,535 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territorys health ministry.

With inputs from agencies
Chickpea Panisse at Violetto, an Italian fine dining restaurant coming to St. Helena. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

St. Helenas bid to become Wine Countrys most exciting culinary destination will get another boost in May with the arrival of Violetto, a tasting menu spot from a chef who has worked at major Michelin-starred restaurants.

Set inside a grand 1907 mansion a few minutes north of downtown St. Helena, Violetto will weave northern Italy and southern France into refined dishes like truffle-stuffed hen and braised Wagyu beef cheek.

Its within walking distance of St. Helena, but then once you step on the property, you really feel part of the environment, said chef Thomas Lents, former chef de cuisine at the three-starred Quince. Its great how it transports you to such a tranquil setting.

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Violetto is the latest proof that St. Helena is emerging from its decade-long culinary downturn that saw many beloved institutions shutter, including the three-Michelin-starred Meadowood, Tra Vigne, Cindys Backstreet Kitchen and Terra. Others tried to reawaken the town and fell short, including Cyrus chef Douglas Keanes Two Birds One Stone and Acacia House, the much-buzzed-about restaurant from S.F. celebrity chef Chris Cosentino.

Zachary Dortenzio, restaurant general manager, left, and Chef Thomas Lents, right, pose for a portrait at Violetto. Lents' resume includes the three-Michelin-starred Quince. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

The latter space will now house Violetto.

Acacia House opened in 2017 as part of a new adults-only resort, Los Alcobas. The hotel and restaurant closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and did not reopen for over a year. When it did, it had new management, Hyatt, and a new name, Alila Napa Valley. (Cosentinos partnership with the property quietly ended in 2022.)

Violetto arrives at a more promising moment. St. Helenas modern-day renaissance arguably began in 2022 when Press Restaurant, fresh off a head-to-toe rebrand, brought the town its first Michelin star since the Restaurant at Meadowood burned down in the 2020 wildfires. Last month, Press announced the launch of a fancy cafe slated for this summer. It will join several notable openings from the past year: Charlies from a former French Laundry chef; the Bay Areas first Texas-style breakfast taco joint; NoMa, a chic cafe for design lovers; and C29, the sister restaurant of Santa Monicas famed Capo.

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Truffled Petaluma hen at Violetto, which arrives at the height of St. Helenas culinary renaissance. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

When designing the Violetto menu, Lents was inspired by the history of Napa Valley and the immigrants who shaped the local wine industry. His food will blend Old World concepts and techniques with innovation and Californian ingredients.

Im not importing a lot of stuff from Italy and Im not looking to do super specific representations of classic cuisine, he said. Were using that as a basis of our inspiration. Its what Napa did with wine and what were hoping to do with the ethos of northern Italian and southern French food.

Patrons can choose between a four- and seven-course tasting menu at dinner ($95 and $130, respectively); an a la carte menu will be available in the lounge and on the wraparound porch. The opening menu will have lamb loin layered in a lamb mousse, preserved mushrooms and fava beans, and risotto, consisting of aged Italian rice, chicken liver ragu, morels and nettles. Its like spring in a bowl, Lents said of the risotto.

Wagyu beef cheek at Violetto, an Italian tasting menu spot that opens in St. Helena on May 15. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

For drinks, expect low-ABV, Italian-inspired cocktails  like the Violetto made with gin, elderflower, violet liqueur and egg white  and a French- and Italian-heavy wine list. There are so many places in Napa where you can get great Napa wines, said Lents. When the valley goes out, sometimes they want to drink something different. (Lents confirmed that the resorts locally famous margarita topped with a delicate layer of salty foam will remain on the menu.)

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Because its a hotel restaurant, Violetto will also serve breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch. It will be the only restaurant in St. Helena offering a tasting menu at lunch (three courses, $45), and as with the wine list, Lents hopes this attracts the local wine crowd. Hes planned some more approachable dishes for midday, like porchetta, swordfish piccata and a saltimbocca sandwich. The valley likes to have lunch and were excited to have that, he said. Its not just the place where you can grab a burger but if thats what you want, we have that, too.

Those who previously dined at Acacia House will notice a significant design refresh. Most notably, the 40-seat dining room no longer includes an open kitchen. The idea was to create a more intimate environment.

Every place has (an open kitchen) nowadays, said Lents. I dont need to be the star. I want the dining experience to be the star.

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Bitter Hearts Club cocktail consisting of gin, Cynar, Campari and sweet vermouth. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle
Some Qantas customers have reported viewing strangers complete travel information through the app, with at least one instance of a user allegedly canceling another persons tickets read more

Qantas Airways announced Wednesday an ongoing investigation into concerns affecting its frequent flyer application. Reports from various media sources suggest a potential data breach, allowing users unintended access to fellow passengers travel details.

According to local media, some Qantas customers have reported viewing strangers complete travel information through the app, with at least one instance of a user allegedly canceling another persons tickets.

In response, the airline issued a statement on its website, acknowledging the situation and affirming immediate actions to address the matter. It stated, Were urgently working to resolve the issue impacting the Qantas app this morning, and noted an examination into whether recent system alterations might be related to the problem.

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Despite inquiries, Qantas refrained from offering additional specifics regarding the incident, neither in its initial statement nor when contacted separately by Reuters.

With inputs from Reuters
The ICJ ordered Israel in January to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians after South Africa accused Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza. read more

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday that Ankara is looking to join South Africas case at the International Court of Justice as a plaintiff accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.

Addressing the media, Fidan said on Wednesday with his Indonesian counterpart that his country has decided to join South Africas case against Israel at the United Nations highest court.

Fidan said that Turkey will submit the declaration of official intervention before the ICJ to implement this political decision upon completion of the legal text of work.

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Turkey will continue to support the Palestinian people in all circumstances, he said. The ICJ ordered Israel in January to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians after South Africa accused Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza.

The ruling which places Israel under ongoing legal scrutiny, provides little solace to Israeli officials in a genocide case initiated by South Africa, which delves into the heart of one of the globes most persistent conflicts.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday  the time is now  and warned that Hamas would bear the blame for any failure to reach an agreement to halt the war in Gaza.

Blinken greeted the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza who were protesting outside a meeting between him and Israels president, telling them that setting their loved ones free was at the heart of everything were trying to do.

During his seventh visit since the onset of the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas in October, Blinken is striving to facilitate a ceasefire agreement. The proposed truce aims to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for halting the fighting and facilitating the delivery of essential supplies such as food, medicine, and water into Gaza. Additionally, the deal is expected to involve the release of Palestinian prisoners.

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On October 7th, Hamas terrorists launched an unprecedented attack into southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people mainly civilians and the abduction of around 250 hostages. Israel kept saying that terrorists still hold approximately 100 hostages and the remains of over 30 others.

The war has driven around 80% of Gazas population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine.

With inputs from agencies.
On college campuses, many pro-Palestinian protesters are advocating for their institutions to divest funds from Israeli military operations. However, some Jewish students have expressed concerns about the protests being antisemitic and have voiced fears for their safety. read more

Demonstrators clash at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA late Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. Dueling groups of protesters have clashed at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. - AP

University of California, Los Angeles, cancels all classes Wednesday after overnight clashes between protesters on campus.

Overnight clashes erupted at the University of California, Los Angeles, where opposing groups of protesters engaged in violent clashes involving shoving, kicking and wielding sticks. The clashes erupted after pro-Israel demonstrators attempted to dismantle barricades encircling a pro-Palestinian encampment.

On college campuses, many pro-Palestinian protesters are advocating for their institutions to divest funds from Israeli military operations. However, some Jewish students have expressed concerns about the protests being antisemitic and have voiced fears for their safety.

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Earlier today, police intervened at Columbia University, entering a building occupied by anti-war protesters and dispersing a demonstration that had brought the schools activities to a standstill.

After a couple of hours of scuffles between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators at UCLA, police wearing helmets and face shields slowly separated the groups and quelled the violence. The scene was calm as day broke. UCLA canceled classes on Wednesday and urged people to avoid the area where the clashes happened.
Under the rule change proposed by the State Department on Tuesday, the departments Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) will no longer be required to licence or approve defence articles, reducing some administrative burdens for companies seeking to make defence products in Australia or the UK read more

US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the Australia - United Kingdom - US (AUKUS) partnership, after a trilateral meeting, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California US on 13 March, 2023. Reuters File

The US State Department and Australias Department of Defence on Tuesday unveiled a plan to reduce licensing requirements for transferring military gear and sensitive technology among the United States, Australia and Britain under the AUKUS pact.

AUKUS, formed in 2021 to address shared worries about Chinas growing power, was designed to allow Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines and other advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles from the United States.

However, the sharing of closely guarded technology, which is governed by strict US International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), has been a hurdle for cooperation.

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Under the rule change proposed by the State Department on Tuesday, the departments Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) will no longer be required to license or approve defense articles, reducing some administrative burdens for companies seeking to make defense products in Australia or the UK.

This exemption is designed to foster defense trade and cooperation between and among the United States and two of its closest allies, the State Department said in its posting in the Federal Register.

These exemptions will be a game changer for AUKUS countries and revolutionizes how the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia cooperate on defense trade, Kevin Rudd, Australian ambassador to the United States, said in a written statement.

For the first time, AUKUS defense industries will be able to work in a seamless, licence-free environment, making it easier for us all to develop the scientific, technological and industrial capabilities we need for our security and to promote global stability, Rudd said.

Australias Department of Defence said in a statement the proposed changes by the AUKUS partners would remove the requirement for 900 export permits, valued at A$5 billion a year, from Australia to the United States, and remove the requirement for 200 permits on defense exports from Britain to Australia.

License-free trade would be enabled for more than 70% of defense exports subject to ITAR from the United States to Australia, and for 80% of defense trade subject to Export Administration Regulations, it added.

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The UK was set to release similar rule changes, a State Department official told reporters, adding that the U.S. move exempts the vast majority of current licensed defense trade between the three countries.

The State Department said the new rule would still generate an excluded items list, making approval necessary for articles with national security import. That includes items governed by an international arms control agreement called the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and inputs for nuclear devices and some landmines, the State Department official said.

A list of authorized users would also be generated to help sensitive technologies remained contained.

Bill Greenwalt, a former senior Pentagon official for industrial policy and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the exclusion list is so broad as to make the policy changes almost meaningless.

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The message in that list is that we really dont trust our closest allies to do much with us or are confident in their ability to positively contribute in those areas, he said.

Jeff Bialos, a former senior Defense Department official now a partner with the Eversheds Sutherland law firm, said the State Department has resisted blanket exemptions for Britain and Australia since they were first proposed by the Pentagon nearly 25 years ago, while he was in office.The U.S. Commerce Department announced it was scaling back export control requirements for Australia and the United Kingdom this month. The Commerce Department only handles licensing of some defense-related items, not the broader range of items covered by the ITAR regime, which is governed by the State Departments Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

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A public comment period on the US and Australian rules will begin on May 1 and end on the 31st.
The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on nearly 200 entities, while the State Department designated over 80 individuals and entities. Specifically, the US imposed sanctions on 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong. read more

In a fresh wave of sanctions against Russia in response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the US on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on hundreds of firms, countries and people tied to Russias weapons development program.

The Treasury and State departments have accused over a dozen Chinese firms of aiding Russia in circumventing sanctions and individuals associated with the death of Russian dissident Alexey Navalny.

The sanctions imposed by these departments target various aspects of Russias military-industrial complex, including its chemical weapons programs. Additionally, they focus on entities in third countries that facilitate Russias acquisition of weapons components. These actions come as Russias invasion of Ukraine enters its third year.

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The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on nearly 200 entities, while the State Department designated over 80 individuals and entities. Specifically, the US imposed sanctions on 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong.

This move follows repeated warnings from Washington regarding Chinas assistance to Russias military, notably highlighted during recent visits to China by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Firms in several countries, including China, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are alleged to have assisted Russia in acquiring technology and equipment from abroad. These penalties are intended to restrict their access to the US financial system and prohibit American citizens from engaging in transactions with them.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the action will further disrupt and degrade Russias war efforts by going after its military-industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it.

These sanctions follow President Bidens recent announcement that the United States would promptly supply much-needed weaponry to Ukraine. This decision coincided with the signing into law of a $95 billion war aid measure, which also included support for Israel, Taiwan, and other global areas of concern.

Wednesdays sanctions announcement included importers of cotton cellulose and nitrocellulose, crucial components used in the production of gunpowder, rocket propellants and other explosives. The sanctions also target Russian government entities, individuals linked to Russias chemical and biological weapons programs, and companies associated with Russias natural gas construction projects.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly railed against several rounds of U.S. and Western sanctions, claiming last year that they are illegitimate sanctions on his country.

Yellen said with the sanctions and supplemental funding combined, our support for Ukraine and our relentless targeting of Russias military capacity is giving Ukraine a critical leg-up on the battlefield.

With inputs from agencies.
At a US congressional hearing, Thea Lee, the Labour Departments deputy undersecretary for international affairs, stated that Beijing has rendered it essentially illegal to carry out independent audits of human rights in Xinjiang read more

International companies cannot responsibly operate in Xinjiang and should leave the western Chinese region due to forced labor concerns, a US Labor Department official said on Tuesday.

The US government says Chinese officials continue to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, and rights groups have pressured Western companies there to audit their operations over forced labor concerns.

Chinas government vehemently denies allegations of abuses.

Thea Lee, deputy undersecretary for international affairs at the Labor Department, told a US congressional hearing that Beijing had made it essentially illegal to conduct independent human rights audits in Xinjiang.

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If it is impossible to do that, then the only responsible thing to do is not to operate in that atmosphere, Lee told the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, without naming individual companies.

Chinas embassy in Washington said in an emailed statement that the allegations of forced labor were nothing but a lie concocted by the US side in an attempt to wantonly suppress Chinese enterprises.

Chinese officials have acknowledged vocational training centers, in Xinjiang, but say were intended to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism. They have also said the Sinicisation of Islam in the country is inevitable.

On Feb. 9, German chemicals giant BASF said it would sell its stakes in two joint ventures in Xinjiang, after rights groups documented abuses including forced labor in detention camps.

Volkswagen too has said it was in talks with its joint venture partner in China over the future direction of its business activities in the region.

Beijing in 2017 launched a harsh security crackdown in Xinjiang. Some experts say alleged mass internment of Uyghurs peaked in 2018, but that abuses have continued with labor transfers becoming more prominent.

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Still, Chinas government has sought to make Xinjiang a heavy industry hub, and it is important for the processing of aluminum and for producing auto parts, solar components and other goods that make their way into global supply chains.

The US Congress has passed laws to pressure China over its Xinjiang policies, including the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act that bars imports from the region. The Department of Labor does not set rules on how US companies can operate in China.

Lee said Chinas transfer of Uyghur laborers to other parts of the country had been growing, but that it was difficult to verify the extent of the program.

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I have not seen an effective way to address the challenges of monitoring the labor transfer program of workers outside of Xinjiang, Lee said.

She said data on Chinese websites is periodically removed, and that there is no free access to workplaces to assess workers origins.
In the case, the eight newspaperswhich are part of MediaNews Group, an investment business controlled by Alden Global Capitalclaimed that the firms had illegally stolen millions of their stories in order to train AI products, such as Microsofts Copilot and OpenAIs ChatGPT read more

A group of newspapers, including the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune, sued Microsoft and OpenAI in New York federal court on Tuesday, accusing them of misusing reporters work to train their generative artificial-intelligence systems.

The eight newspapers, owned by investment firm Alden Global Capitals MediaNews Group, said in the lawsuit that the companies unlawfully copied millions of their articles to train AI products, including Microsofts Copilot and OpenAIs ChatGPT.

The complaint follows similar ongoing lawsuits against Microsoft and OpenAI, which has received billions in financial backing from Microsoft, brought by the New York Times and news outlets The Intercept, Raw Story and AlterNet.

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An OpenAI spokesperson said on Tuesday that the company takes great care in our products and design process to support news organizations. A spokesperson for Microsoft declined to comment on the complaint.

The newspaper cases are among several potential landmark lawsuits brought by copyright owners against tech companies over the data used to train their generative AI systems.

A lawyer for the MediaNews publications, Steven Lieberman, told Reuters that OpenAI owed its runaway success to the works of others. The defendants know they have to pay for computers, chips, and employee salaries, but think somehow they can get away with taking content without permission or payment, he said.

The lawsuit said Microsoft and OpenAIs systems reproduce the newspapers copyrighted content verbatim when prompted. It said ChatGPT also hallucinates articles attributed to the newspapers that harm their reputations, including a fake Denver Post article touting smoking as an asthma cure and a bogus Chicago Tribune recommendation for an infant lounger that was recalled after being linked to child deaths.

The plaintiffs also include the Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register and Twin Cities Pioneer Press. They asked the court for unspecified monetary damages and an order blocking any further infringement.
Following the violent clashes, police burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralysed the school while inspiring others. read more

Officers with the New York Police Department arrest Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York.- AP

Violent confrontations broke out on Wednesday at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) between pro-Palestinian protesters and a group of counter-demonstrators, according to live video coverage provided by a U.S. broadcaster.

Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support, she said The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene. We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end, Mary Osako, a vice-chancellor at UCLA said in a statement.

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Columbia University said that it had no alternative but to request help from the NYPD and has requested police presence on campus until May 17, limiting access to residents and essential staff only.

Most of the arrests happened at Columbia, with approximately a dozen protesters reportedly trying to obstruct officers from entering the campus, according to the official. Tactical teams at Columbia initially set up a perimeter around the campus to manage the protesters and prevent further arrests, as said by the official. Subsequently, officers entered the campus through multiple entry points.

Protesters first set up a tent encampment at Columbia almost two weeks ago. The school sent in police to clear the tents the following day, arresting more than 100 people, only for the students to return.

The October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists followed by an Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave has sparked a surge of student activism in the United States since the 2020 anti-racism protests.

Aerial footage from KABC, an ABC affiliate, depicted people wielding sticks or poles to assault makeshift barricades erected to shield pro-Palestinian protesters. Some of these protesters were seen holding placards or umbrellas.

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On Tuesday night, the New York City police arrested numerous pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had occupied an academic building on the Columbia University campus in New York. Additionally, they dismantled a protest encampment that the Ivy League school had been attempting to remove for nearly two weeks.

Meanwhile, The U.S. diplomat has urged Hamas to accept an extraordinarily generous truce deal proposed by Egyptian mediators, which would see 33 hostages released in exchange for a larger number of Palestinian prisoners and a halt to the fighting, with the possibility of further steps towards a comprehensive deal later.
Pedestrians walk by a memorial on March 26 at the corner of Ulloa Street and Lennox Way in San Francisco for a family of four killed by an SUV that crashed into a bus stop where they were waiting. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

When the driver of an SUV hurtled at high speed into a bus shelter near the busy intersection of West Portal Avenue and Ulloa Street in March, hitting and killing a family of four, it shook San Francisco. Cries for street safety reforms came from every direction, including the Chronicle editorial board.

Investigations into the cause of the horrific incident are ongoing. So are calls for action to redesign the crash area to ensure that similar incidents of traffic violence can never happen again.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency recently released a proposal for the bustling intersection, which on any given day is host to buses, Muni trains, Muni inspector vehicles, private vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

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The draft of a proposed reconfiguration of several streets around West Portal Station would limit the flow of private vehicle traffic in the intersection, opening it up for pedestrians and transit vehicles to move through more safely. Private vehicles heading toward the station on Ulloa Street and West Portal Avenue would be forced to turn right, to head away from it. The design would stop cars from driving through the bustling intersection.

Many of the suggestions seemed like common sense; it doesnt take a traffic engineer to understand why allowing cars to make left turns in front of oncoming trains emerging from a tunnel near multiple busy transit stops is a bad idea  putting pedestrians in danger if drivers feel like they have to rush to avoid a collision.

But instead of the community coming together to agree on some of these basic safety upgrades in the wake of the tragedy, chaos ensued.

Some West Portal merchants, business owners and residents spoke against the plan, citing concerns that it would impact neighborhood businesses by cutting parking spots and pushing traffic onto other, overburdened side streets where there are also safety concerns. They demanded the process slow down to include more community feedback.

Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who represents the West Portal neighborhood, initially appeared ready to blaze forward in the face of this opposition. But SFMTAs proposed safety upgrades are now on hiatus.

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This weekend, a press release from Melgar announced the creation of the Welcoming West Portal Committee, a new group that wants to create a second, new traffic safety proposal.

The proposed plan is over, Deidre Von Rock, president of the West Portal Merchants Association, told the editorial board. Well be starting fresh with actual data.

This, however, would imply the SFMTAs proposal for West Portal and Ulloa was rushed out from scratch. It wasnt.

In 2019, the agency piloted changes to West Portal to speed up trains delayed by private vehicle traffic. Data was gathered to study its success. The latest plan drew from these efforts.

However, Von Rock and others say they want the city to look at West Portal and Ulloa, and four other intersections in the neighborhood. Theyd like to review the number of bus stops on Ulloa, study the traffic impact on four adjacent streets, and scrutinize the passenger loading and drop-off zones in the neighborhood.

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Its a lot to figure out, and the more players there are involved the longer it could take.

Thats time we dont have.

A few weeks ago, we had a definitive plan to improve an intersection that is broadly viewed as dangerous, confusing and contentious  and one that SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin told the editorial board, has been notably problematic since the tunnel opened in 1918.

Now, we have no hard and fast plan, but we do have yet one more committee.

Is this new approach a delay tactic? Or will it lead to not just better designs, but more of them?

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All the neighbors the editorial board talked to, on all sides of the debate, said theyd requested support for years from the SFMTA concerning dangerous areas in West Portal to little avail. In those conversations, they highlighted other areas of the district that they believe deserve just as much attention as the one where the recent deadly crash occurred, which they felt had long been ignored. A five-way intersection at Vicente and Wawona streets was one example.

New members of the Welcoming West Portal Committee, and Melgar, expressed hope that by launching a community-led process to redesign one intersection, long-overdue attention could finally be brought to other problematic streets in the neighborhood.

We dont want to stay in the 1950s, Karen Tarantola, president of the Greater West Portal Neighborhood Association, told the editorial board. It would be great if we have discussions with the committee on how we can move forward.

Its true, perhaps this horrific collision could finally bring improved street safety not just to one intersection in West Portal, but to several  so long as conflicting opinions on an approach dont stymie progress indefinitely.

Calls for greater neighborhood safety and calls for improving West Portal Station, however, dont have to be mutually exclusive. Progress can be made incrementally.

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Which brings us to the perpetual San Francisco conundrum: How much community input should the city consider before instituting a plan?

One thing, however, is certain: We cant let the status quo remain.

If months progress, no action plans emerge and efforts fizzle out, itll be more than just a disappointment.

About Opinion The editorial positions of The Chronicle, including election recommendations, represent the consensus of the editorial board, consisting of the publisher, the editorial page editor and staff members of the opinion pages. Its judgments are made independent of the news operation, which covers the news without consideration of our editorial positions.

Safety delayed is safety denied, Joe Girton, a neighborhood resident and proponent of the SFMTA plan, told the editorial board. The longer we wait the more we risk.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals barred U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez from accepting new criminal cases for three years in response to his actions in the courtroom, which included handcuffing a drug defendants 13-year-old daughter. Provided by uscourts.gov

The federal judge who has declared multiple California gun-control laws unconstitutional was reprimanded Wednesday by a judicial panel for ordering a drug defendants 13-year-old daughter to enter the jury box, where the judge handcuffed her and warned her about the dangers of drugs.

The actions of U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego would have the effect of undermining the publics trust and confidence in the judiciary, a 12-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in an order barring him from accepting new criminal cases for three years.

Benitez was appointed to the court by President George W. Bush in 2004. He is best known for a series of rulings that began in 2017, when he blocked enforcement of Californias ban on possessing guns that can hold more than 10 cartridges, saying it violated the constitutional right to bear arms for self-defense.

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That law was reinstated by the 9th Circuit but is being reconsidered under standards set by the Supreme Court in 2022 that barred the government from restricting firearms unless the laws were part of the nations historical tradition of regulation, dating back to colonial times.

Since then, gun advocates have filed challenges to other state laws in the San Diego court, and Benitez has agreed to hear them as cases related to his 2017 case. One recent ruling struck down a law requiring background checks for purchasers of ammunition in California, a law the 9th Circuit has allowed to remain in effect during the states appeal.

After Benitez overturned another gun law in 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom described the judge as a stone-cold ideologue  a wholly owned subsidiary of the gun lobby.

Wednesdays order was unrelated to guns and was based instead on Benitezs actions in February 2023 in a sentencing hearing for a man who had violated the terms of his parole after serving time for a drug conviction. The mans 13-year-old daughter, who had written a letter in support of her father, was sitting in the back of the courtroom. When Benitez asked the man why the girl was there, the panel said, the defendant replied that his daughter seemed to be on the same road, and he wanted to get her off that path.

The judge then called the daughter to the front of the courtroom, told her to sit in the jury box and ordered her placed in handcuffs, the panel said. He asked her how it felt, and she replied that she didnt like it.

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(I)f youre not careful, young lady, youll wind up in cuffs, and youll find yourself right there, Benitez told the girl, who was in tears, according to witnesses quoted by the panel. Looking at her, he added. I hope you remember this mean, old face. He released her after a minute or two, then extended her fathers probation term.

Later in the same court session, the panel said, Benitez summoned another drug defendants young son to the front of the courtroom and told him to learn a lesson from his fathers case, or else you may either find yourself dead on a curb somewhere or here in a jury box before a judge who sends you to  sends you to jail.

Benitez spoke in a calm tone in both cases, the panel said. But it said he had exceeded his authority by ordering the 13-year-old girl to be handcuffed.

(C)reating a spectacle out of a minor child in the courtroom chills the desire of friends, family members, and members of the public to support loved ones at sentencing, said members of the panel, headed by the 9th Circuits chief judge, Mary Murguia. In response to the courts investigation, the judges said, Benitez rejected their assessment that his actions were ill-advised and damaging to the publics trust in the judiciary and instead blamed others, particularly the defendants lawyers.

The order bars Benitezs court from assigning new criminal cases to him for three years and allows another federal judge to decide whether to remove Benitez from criminal cases that are already on his docket. It does not affect civil cases, including challenges to gun laws. The panel found no misconduct in the second case, saying the judge had spoken respectfully to the defendants son to express concern about his fathers behavior.

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Benitez did not immediately respond to the Chronicles request for comment. The judge drew support Wednesday from Chuck Michel, president and general counsel of the California Rifle & Pistol Association, the states National Rifle Association affiliate.
Then-President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on immigration and border security at the U.S. Border Patrol Calexico Station in Calexico (Imperial County) on April 5, 2019. Trump says he will compel local police to enforce federal immigration law if hes reelected in November. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images In this March 12, 2018, file photo, Angela Henriquez, second from left, hugs her children, Jessica, left, and Fernando at a news conference in San Francisco announcing a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to end a program that lets immigrants live and work legally in the United States. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

SACRAMENTO  Former President Donald Trump says he will compel local police to enforce federal immigration law if hes reelected, which would put him in direct conflict with California laws passed during his presidency prohibiting police from doing just that.

Trump made his comments about local police in an interview with Time published Tuesday as he continues his campaign to retake the White House from President Joe Biden.

Presidents dont have direct authority over local police, but Trump suggested to Time that he could withhold federal funding if they didnt comply.

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Theres a possibility that some wont want to participate, Trump said, and they wont partake in the riches.

His plan could run into particular trouble in California, a border state with a large immigrant population, where lawmakers in 2017 passed a sanctuary state bill that aimed to thwart Trumps earlier efforts to increase deportations.

The law, SB54, restricts local police officers ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. It bans them from asking a persons immigration status or participating in immigration enforcement, including arrests. It also bars California law enforcement agencies from deputizing them for purposes of immigration enforcement.

During his presidency, Trump sought to withhold federal law enforcement grants from cities including San Francisco that had passed so-called sanctuary laws prohibiting police from aiding immigration enforcement.

San Francisco sued the Trump administration over the policy, and won legal victories in the case at the federal district court and appellate court levels. Biden ended the Trump administrations efforts to appeal the case to the Supreme Court when he took office, handing San Francisco a final victory in the case.

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Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell University, said if Trump tries the same thing during a second administration, it will likely get tied up in litigation again.

Courts would have to make a final decision as to whether he could deny funding to those jurisdictions, he said.

Kevin Johnson, dean of UC Davis Law, said Trump might be able to get around some of the legal roadblocks he encountered in his first term if he restructured the federal grants to require cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a condition of accepting the money.

But he said the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that protects state sovereignty, in particular, would stand in Trumps way of overriding state and local sanctuary laws.

I think he would run into fierce political resistance in some states and some legal resistance, Johnson said.

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In general, it would be harder for Trump to deputize local police for immigration enforcement in places like California that have passed sanctuary laws, Yale-Loehr said.

Trump tried to overturn SB54 during his presidency, but the Supreme Court rejected his effort. His administration had argued that the law conflicted with and thwarted enforcement of U.S. immigration policy. California officials argued that the law made it more likely immigrants would report crimes to local police if they didnt worry that could lead to them being deported.

Rep. John Duarte, R-Turlock, said he agreed with Trumps plan in principle, though he questioned whether Trump would need to deputize local police if he won the White House.

Theres been an enormous leadership vacuum on immigration law, he said, referring to Biden. Under President Trump, I dont know that wed need local authorities to enforce immigration law because the vacuum probably wont be there.

Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, said it would be incredibly scary if Trump tried to compel local police to help with deportations.

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All of this is deeply concerning, he said. We should trust Donald Trump when he tells us what he wants to do.
TAIYUAN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- As the five-day May Day holiday draws near, data from major Chinese travel platforms indicated that visits to off-the-beaten-path cities, self-guided driving tours and concert-focused excursions have become new trends in holiday travel. According to a market forecast by Trip.com, hotel bookings in county-level markets have spiked by 68 percent year on year during the holiday, outpacing the national average growth rate. Data also shows a rise of 42 percent in countryside trips compared to the same period last year. As infrastructure improves and hospitality capabilities expand, travel destinations in lower-tier markets are embracing a surge in popularity. Liu Yang, who works in Shanghai, plans to spend her holiday with friends in Xinchang County, Shaoxing, in east China's Zhejiang Province. Liu said the convenient transportation, well-equipped hotels, and reasonable prices in Xinchang make it stand out. She also noted the appeal of visiting popular filming locations, highlighting the allure of county travel as a brief escape from metropolitan life. Many tourists also prefer to fly or take a train first and then rent a car upon arrival. This trend is supported by quality tourism routes and favorable policies, such as toll-free access on expressways nationwide for passenger cars with up to seven seats during the holiday. Fliggy's data exhibits a nearly 50 percent year-on-year increase in car rental bookings in popular domestic cities during the holiday period, with local demand surging more than twice. According to Ctrip's car rental department, cities like Datong, Taiyuan, Yantai, Ningbo, and Hulun Buir have seen fast growth in car rental orders. Meanwhile, the resumption of international flight routes and China's visa-free policy for certain countries have fueled outbound tourism. Ctrip reports a 132 percent year-on-year increase in overseas self-drive car rental orders, with new customers accounting for 60 percent. Fliggy's overseas car rental bookings have surged nearly fourfold year-on-year. Attending concerts or music festivals in cities has also emerged as a new tourism trend, with hundreds of concerts and music festivals expected to be held nationwide during the holiday. Fliggy's data shows a doubling of hotel bookings around concert venues compared to the previous year. On the Ctrip platform, hotel bookings in Taiyuan, capital city of north China's Shanxi Province, have increased by 105 percent year-on-year during the holiday. According to Shanxi's culture and tourism department, the tourism boom was driven by the city's full schedule of concerts during the holiday. The enthusiasm of travelers remains high, and travelers can smoothly book transportation, accommodation, and museum tickets ahead of their trips thanks to the convenient booking systems, said Li Hong, a professor at Beijing International Studies University.
California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment after it was attacked early Wednesday by counterprotesters at UCLA in Los Angeles. Mario Tama/Getty Images

More than 1,000 protesters of Israels war in Gaza have been arrested on college campuses nationwide, a number that is rapidly increasing. While protesters have accused the colleges of suppressing their free speech, legal experts say officials are staying within the law as long as they penalize students for their actions and not their opinions.

On campus, you have a right to express your opinions in a way that respects other peoples rights, said Joel Paul, a professor of constitutional law at UC College of the Law in San Francisco. That doesnt mean that you have the right to disrupt other people in their studies, disrupt campus, blockade people in their buildings.

Colleges can regulate expressive conduct as long as their goal is to maintain order and protect people and property rather than suppressing free speech, said Zachary Price, another constitutional law professor at UC San Francisco. But if you allow some speech activity you must be content-neutral and apply the same standards to all sides.

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The schools argument that protest actions can be treated as conduct rather than speech has drawn support from U.S. courts, Price said. He cited the Supreme Courts 1968 ruling upholding prosecution of a Vietnam War protester for burning his draft card. In the 7-1 decision, Chief Justice Earl Warren said the young mans actions, regardless of his motives, could be punished as conduct disruptive of the military draft.

Price also noted the courts ruling in 1984 upholding a ban on overnight camping at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, the site of a protest against policies on homelessness. Although the park was open to the public, the justices ruled 7-2 that the overnight camping ban was a reasonable restriction on the time, place and manner of the lands use, similar to the colleges current justification for their limits on campus protests.

California is more protective of students rights than other states in one area, the right of free speech at private institutions.

Because the Constitutions First Amendment prohibits only the government from interfering with freedom of speech, it does not restrict the authority of officials at Columbia University in New York, for example, to limit or ban protests on campus. But in California, the Leonard Law, sponsored in 1992 by state Sen. Bill Leonard, R-San Bernardino, applies the state Constitutions free-speech protections to students at private colleges and universities, like Stanford and the University of Southern California.

That did not stop USC, however, from canceling the graduation speech of class valedictorian Asna Tabassum last month. Tabassum said she was being silenced because of her pro-Palestinian views, but USC Provost Andrew Guzman  while maintaining that there is no free-speech right to speak at a commencement  said the cancellation was for security reasons. USC later canceled its main on-campus graduation ceremony for the year but will still hold ceremonies at individual schools within the university.

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Colleges can impose restrictions on students presence and conduct at different sites on campus, said UC San Franciscos Paul. The presidents office or another administration building can be kept off limits, he said, while the campus quad at UC Berkeley has become, effectively, a traditional public forum where student gatherings and protests are generally permitted, he said.

Demonstrators can still be prohibited from making so much noise that they disrupt other classes, or from harming other students, Paul said. It may be foolish to call police on campus to remove protesters, but its not illegal, he said, as long as officers do not use excessive force or target only one group of protesters.

That became a heated issue Tuesday night and Wednesday morning at UCLA, where a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus was violently attacked by counterprotesters. University officials contacted Los Angeles police, but officers did not show up for several hours, and then did not break up the violence for more than an hour, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Paul said police have full authority to decide not to arrest someone, but also have an overriding legal duty to treat opposing sides equally. And Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the limited and delayed campus law enforcement response at UCLA was unacceptable.

The right to free speech does not extend to inciting violence, vandalism, or lawlessness on campus, Newsom said in a statement Wednesday. Those who engage in illegal behavior must be held accountable for their actions  including through criminal prosecution, suspension, or expulsion.

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Other schools have also taken steps to expel campus protesters. That cant be done unilaterally, Paul said, because students who pay tuition or fees have rights under their contract with the college. He said he was a member of the disciplinary committee at American University, a private school in Washington, D.C., where students facing expulsion or other punishment could bring in lawyers to argue their cases under rules established under President Barack Obama for institutions receiving federal funds.
More than 200 San Francisco families that recently experienced homelessness will receive $1,000 monthly cash payments as part of a new guaranteed income program funded largely by Google. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

More than 200 San Francisco families that recently experienced homelessness will receive $1,000 monthly cash payments as part of a new guaranteed income program funded largely by Google.

The program  called It All Adds Up  is part of a first of its kind five-year study on the impact that guaranteed basic income has on Bay Area families. It is operated by San Francisco nonprofits Compass Family Services and Hamilton Families, and will be studied and evaluated by New York Universitys Housing Solutions Lab.

Guaranteed income programs have been around for centuries, but recently the concept has been gaining traction among policymakers who see it as a promising tool to combat the nations crises of homelessness and affordable housing, address wealth disparities and prevent people from falling deeper into poverty.

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Cities and counties across the Bay Area, including Oakland, San Francisco and Santa Clara County, have all launched pilot basic income programs in recent years. But Hamilton Families CEO Kyriell Noon said this will be the first to focus specifically on families in the Bay Area teetering on the edge of homelessness.

We know it works, Noon said about such programs. What we're trying to do is gather enough compelling data to take to City Hall, Sacramento, (the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development) and change policy.

The launch of the program comes as San Francisco struggles to provide enough shelter beds and services for its homeless families. The city pledged in 2017 to eliminate homelessness among families, but the problem has only worsened. Lately, new immigrant families have become particularly vulnerable to homelessness in San Francisco.

A 2021 report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition found that it took more than four minimum wage jobs for a household to comfortably afford a two-bedroom apartment in the San Francisco area.

Its unacceptable that we live in a place where theres so much wealth and resources, Noon said, and yet there are families choosing between eating and paying rent.

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Under the new program, 225 families will be randomly selected to receive $1,000 monthly cash payments for a year, while another 225 families, who represent the control group, will receive $50 a month. Participants are able to use this money however they choose.

To be eligible for the program, families must be nearing the end of a rental subsidy program provided by Compass Family Services or Hamilton Families. The nonprofits began enrolling families in November, and as of the end of April, about 30 families were enrolled in the program, according to Noon. More families will be added each month until all 450 spaces are filled.

Were hoping that this will provide a softer landing for families who are exiting our subsidy programs and help them maintain financial stability, Noon said.

New York Universitys Housing Solutions Lab will assess the success of the program based on the number of families that stay stably housed or return to homelessness, as well as changes in the familys income, employment status and health.

Googles nonprofit arm is largely funding the program, as well as five other basic-income pilot programs, as part of the companys commitment in 2019 to invest $1 billion toward increasing housing supply and combating homelessness in its backyard.

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Thursday Night

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to occasional showers later during the night. Low around 50F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
China views European spying allegations as a 'serious problem'

Beijing summons the German ambassador, calls British allegations 'a political farce.'

By Yitong Wu and Kwong Wing for RFA Cantonese 2024.04.29 -- China's responses to allegations of spying in Germany and the United Kingdom suggest that the ruling Communist Party has plenty to lose from closer public scrutiny of its overseas influence operations, analysts told Radio Free Asia in recent interviews.

The arrests highlighted concerns over Beijing's attempts to infiltrate democracies and extend its political influence far beyond its borders.

Beijing on Friday summoned Germany's Ambassador Patricia Flor to protest the arrests of four people for allegedly spying for China.

"I was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today," Flor said via her X account on Friday. "A quite telling move - but, after all, a good opportunity to explain a few things."

The summons came after German prosecutors on April 22 accused three people of providing information to Chinese intelligence that could have a military purpose, and accused Guo Jian, a parliamentary aide to far-right MEP Maximilian Krah, of spying on the parliament and on overseas dissidents for China.

Flor, who was last summoned in September 2023 after German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock referred to Communist Party leader Xi Jinping as a "dictator," added: "We do not tolerate espionage in Germany, regardless of which country it comes from."

She noted that it is for the courts to decide whether the accusations against the four defendants are true or not.

Six accused of spying

Flor's summoning came after German police arrested four people on suspicion of spying for China, and as police in the United Kingdom charged two people with spying for China.

Christopher Cash, 29, a former researcher for a prominent British lawmaker in the governing Conservative Party, and Christopher Berry, 32, appeared in a London court on April 26 after being charged with providing prejudicial information to China in breach of the Official Secrets Act.

Neither defendant entered a plea, and only confirmed their names and addresses at a brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in London said the claims of spying for China were "completely fabricated and nothing but malicious slander."

"We ... urge the U.K. side to stop anti-China political manipulation and stop putting on such self-staged political farce," the spokesperson said in comments posted to the embassy website on April 22.

Chen Yonglin, a former political attache at the Chinese Consulate General in Sydney, said diplomatic summonses are usually only used in response to a major incident, and that Beijing's response shows a deep level of concern over spying allegations.

"They will summon the ambassador [only] when they run into a very serious problem," Chen said.

"The Chinese government is going to be very concerned, now that its overseas espionage activities are being cracked down on."

Interference

Chen said the summons actually constituted "interference in the internal affairs" of Germany, an accusation frequently leveled by Chinese officials at any criticism of its rights record.

"The Western political system must protect and maintain itself and its values, because it is being affected by infiltration by the Chinese Communist Party on a large scale," he said.

Germany-based legal scholar Qian Yuejun said the incident revealed Beijing's lack of understanding of the separation of powers in a democratic system.

"As an employee of the German Foreign Ministry, the German ambassador to China has no power to influence the progress of the Chinese espionage case through the German judicial system," Qian said.

He said Flor's response was also revealing.

"Stealing information from the European Parliament isn't a simple act of theft," he said of the as-yet-unproven allegations. "It undermines Europe's liberal democratic system."

"The ultimate goal is to infiltrate, and even subvert, [that] system."

He said the summoning of Flor hadn't apparently worked in Beijing's favor, however.

"It unleashed another wave of media frenzy in Germany, bumping the issue of Chinese Communist Party espionage up to a higher priority in the German press," Qian said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content April not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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ODNI Releases 11th Annual Intelligence Community Transparency Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ODNI News Release No. 13-24

April 30, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) today released the Annual Statistical Transparency Report (ASTR) Regarding the Intelligence Community's (IC) Use of National Security Surveillance Authorities for Calendar Year 2023. The report, published every year since 2014, provides the public with statistics and context regarding the government's use of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act authorities, National Security Letters, and other national security authorities.

This report provides insights into the rigorous, multi-layered oversight framework that governs the IC, and the release of this report is consistent with the requirement in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, as amended (codified in 50 U.S.C.  1873(b)), and the IC's commitment to the Principles of Intelligence Transparency.

###

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Suspected Mossad Agent Arrested In Malaysia

Sputnik News

20240330

Ian DeMartino

Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country and has been a steadfast supporter of Palestine. It has no formal relations with Israel and in December, the country banned all Israeli ships from docking at Malaysian ports.

Police in Malaysia arrested an Israeli man suspected to be a member of the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, on Friday.

The man, identified by as 36-year-old Shalom Avitan, according to some media reports, was reportedly arrested in Kuala Lumpur at a local hotel. Authorities say he had six handguns, three of which were loaded, and more than 200 rounds of ammunition. Avitan reportedly gave the authorities a fake French passport but surrendered his Israeli passport during questioning.

The suspect reportedly said that he was there to hunt another Israeli citizen, and the Israeli media has reported that Avitan was a member of the Musli crime family who was attempting to assassinate another crime family's leader.

"We do not fully trust this narrative as we suspect that there may be another agenda," the Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said at a press conference late Friday night. Razarudin added that they do not believe the suspect was working alone and said they were probing the possibility that the suspect has links to the Mossad.

On Saturday, three Malaysian nationals, including a married couple, were arrested under suspicion of helping the Israeli suspect. The couple is accused of providing the alleged agent with weapons, while the third Malaysian is under investigation for acting as the suspect's driver.

A pistol was found in the vehicle of the couple, authorities say they suspect they brought weapons from a neighboring country. They noted that the suspect came in from the United Arab Emirates where border security is tight. Cryptocurrency was involved in the purchase of the weapons, the Malaysian authorities said.

In response to the Israeli suspect's arrest, security measures have been stepped up for Malaysia's king, Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as well as other top officials.

The Mossad has long been suspected of operating in Malaysia. In 2018, a Gaza-born electrical engineer was gunned down by two motorcyclists suspected of being linked to the Mossad. In 2022, a man was kidnapped in Malaysia, allegedly as part of a Mossad plot.

While legal gun ownership is possible in Malaysia, it is limited to citizens and requires every weapon to be licensed. The country also has some of the strictest punishments in the world for firearm violations. The suspect is being investigated under the Passport Act of 1966 and the Firearms Act for unlicensed possession of weapons. If charged and found guilty, he could be sentenced to death.

A Sputnik

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April 29 Red Sea Update

U.S. Central Command

Press Release | April 29, 2024

USCENTCOM

April 29, 2024

Release Number 20240429-01

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA, Fla. -- Between 10:00 a.m. and 5:20 p.m. (Sanaa time) on April 29, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) and three UAVs from Yemen into the Red Sea towards MV Cyclades, a Malta-flagged, Greece-owned vessel. Initial reports indicate there were no injuries and the vessel continued on its way.

Earlier, at 7:49 a.m., U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully engaged and destroyed one Houthi launched airborne unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a flight path towards USS Philippine Sea and USS Laboon in the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damages reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.

It was determined the UAV presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.



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Thai top diplomat on resignation: Work would slow without deputy PM position

Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara's decision to quit raises concerns about continued diplomatic efforts in Myanmar crisis.

By Nontarat Phaicharoen for BenarNews 2024.04.29 -- Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Thailand's erstwhile foreign minister, said Monday that he resigned because he could not have performed his diplomatic duties effectively after the prime minister dropped him as a deputy PM through a cabinet shuffle.

In the scant seven-plus months that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's government has been in power, Parnpree, as Thailand's top diplomat, was instrumental in ensuring the release of Thai workers taken hostage by Palestinian militant outfit Hamas after it attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

He was also spearheading Thailand's first humanitarian aid delivery effort to war-torn Myanmar since the February 2021 Burmese military coup, which led to a civil war on multiple fronts that has since displaced nearly 2.6 million people.

Being removed as deputy PM while being retained as foreign minister was "a little unusual," Parnpree told reporters on Monday, a day after the Srettha government's first cabinet shuffle was announced in the Royal Gazette on Sunday.

"In the position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is common to also have the role of deputy prime minister to lend dignity when we travel abroad, making foreign affairs operations smoother," Parnpree said.

"Now that it's reduced to just one position, I think that the work I will continue to do in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may not be as quick and smooth as it should be. I believe that if they think there is someone more suitable, I am willing to let someone else take over."

In Parnpree's resignation letter, a copy of which BenarNews obtained, the 67-year-old said that he had dedicated himself to both roles and did not believe that performance was a reason for the change in his status.

Prime Minister Srettha said that Parnpree was being dropped as deputy prime minister so he could focus on his foreign ministerial work.

"I apologize if I made him uncomfortable about anything and thanked him for his work," Srettha told reporters on Monday.

"I believe that if we need to work across ministries, we can still work as a team... holding both positions [deputy prime minister and foreign minister] is no longer necessary," he said, adding that he had begun to reach out to potential candidates for the position.

In the interim, Srettha said that Phumtham Wechaychai, a deputy prime minister and commerce minister, would assume responsibility for foreign affairs.

However, one academic, Olan Thinbangtieo of Burapha university, said he was concerned about the potential impact Parnpree's resignation could have on the efforts to address the crisis in neighboring Myanmar.

"[S]ociety recognizes that he is a knowledgeable and capable person, and his work has been evident. I believe it will affect the resolution of the Myanmar problem," Olan, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Political Science and Law, told BenarNews.

Parnpree played a key role in initiating the Humanitarian Assistance Corridor project in March and April to provide aid to Myanmar's citizens affected by the internal conflict in Kayin state. He had also expressed Thailand's willingness to enable Myanmar's peace process.

"Thailand's primary concern is to see peace restored in Myawaddy, not just for the sake of trade relations," Parnpree told reporters on April 12, while on a visit to the border region.

"If the various groups in Myanmar can engage in talks among themselves, Thailand would be pleased and ready to act as a mediator and coordinate efforts."

Around two months ago, the Myanmar government introduced new conscription regulations, prompting some citizens to flee to Thailand to avoid being drafted.

The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the Karen National Union (KNU), and the People's Defense Force (PDF) launched a major offensive, declaring control over Myawaddy, a strategically important town near the Thai border.

Meanwhile, in the weekend's cabinet shuffle, Prime Minister Srettha removed himself as finance minister.

"Every period that we manage the country, there is a need, a demand for problem-solving which necessitates personnel changes," he told reporters on Monday.

"It's not just the executive branch ... the legislative branch also needs adjustments to ensure that the most suitable or knowledgeable people are in charge. It does not mean that those who are moved lack the ability to manage."

Jon Preechawong in Bangkok contributed to this report.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content April not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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AFRICOM STRENGTHENS PARTNERSHIPS WITH COTE D'IVOIRE

U.S. Marine Corps General Michael Langley, Commander, U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Major Michael Woods, Command Senior Enlisted Leader visited Cote d'Ivoire April 28-29, 2024, to reinforce the longstanding partnership between the United States and the Ivoirian government.

By U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs , United States Africa Command Stuttgart, Germany Apr 30, 2024

COTE D'IVOIRE  U.S. Marine Corps General Michael Langley, Commander, U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Major Michael Woods, Command Senior Enlisted Leader visited Cote d'Ivoire April 28-29, 2024, to reinforce the longstanding partnership between the United States and the Ivoirian government.

During his visit, General Langley engaged in high-level discussions with both military and civilian leadership, including President Alasane Ouattara and the Chief of Defense Lt. Gen. Lassina Doumbia, emphasizing the shared commitment to regional stability and security cooperation. The visit underscored the importance of collaboration between the United States and Cote d'Ivoire in addressing common security challenges, including violent extremism and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

"Our enduring partnership with Cote d'Ivoire underscores our mutual commitment to fostering peace and enhancing regional security to ensure a prosperous future for all Ivoirians." said U.S. Ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire Jessica Davis Ba.

General Langley commended the dedication and professionalism of the Ivoirian defense forces, highlighting their pivotal role in regional security initiatives. "The Ivorian military exemplifies a commitment to excellence and serves as a cornerstone of regional stability," said Langley. "Through joint training exercises and information sharing, we have made significant strides in countering terrorism and violent extremism."

The U.S. and Ivoirian militaries cooperate on a number of joint training exercises through AFRICOM. Cote d'Ivoire participates in the International Military Education and Training program and contributes to the Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative, facilitated by the United States, which aims to develop an interoperable peacekeeping capacity among African nations.

"The U.S. remains committed to supporting Cote d'Ivoire's efforts to enhance security and stability within its borders and across the region," stated Langley. "Our partnership is founded on mutual respect and a shared vision of promoting peace and prosperity in Africa."

General Langley reiterated the U.S. commitment to working alongside Cote d'Ivoire and other African nations to promote a secure and prosperous future for the continent. AFRICOM is providing more than $65 million in 2024 with much of that investment focused on counterterrorism and border security in northern Cote d'Ivoire.

U.S. Africa Command, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, is one of 11 U.S. Department of Defense combatant commands, each with a geographic or functional mission that provides command and control of military forces in peace and war. U.S. Africa Command employs the broad-reaching diplomacy, development, and defense approach to foster interagency efforts and help negate the drivers of conflict and extremism in Africa.

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Opening ceremony of exercise African Lion 2024 in Tunisia emphasizes partnership

By Maj. Joe Legros April 30, 2024

TUNIS, Tunisia -- The seventh consecutive year of African Lion exercises in Tunisia commenced with an opening ceremony at El Aouina Air Base in Tunis, April 29, 2024. This year's event marks a significant milestone as U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) leads the exercise for U.S. Army Africa Command, which is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the African Lion exercise series.

Under the leadership of SETAF-AF, African Lion 2024 in Tunisia showcases the commitment of the U.S. military to maintaining robust relationships with allies and partners, embodying the core principles to its approach in Africa: partner-led and U.S.-enabled.

"We are very grateful for our Tunisian hosts. They continue to demonstrate their professionalism and hospitality," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. John A. LeBlanc, SETAF-AF deputy commanding general. "This multinational engagement is designed to prevent conflicts, deter adversary aggression and ensure readiness to respond effectively to any crisis."

AL 2024 in Tunisia features diverse training activities aimed at fostering interoperability and readiness among participating forces. Multiple training areas will be utilized throughout the country, including Bizerte, El Aouina Air Base in Tunis, the Port of Gabes and the Ben Ghilouf Training Area.

Ben Ghilouf will feature live-fire exercises, including heavy artillery with High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and a field training exercise. Concurrently in Bizerte, the focus will be chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training, as well as explosive ordnance disposal operations.

Additionally, a range of academic courses covering military intelligence, civil affairs, air-ground integration, public affairs and legal studies focused on the rule of law will be conducted during the exercise period.

The exercise runs until May 10, 2024, in Tunisia, but will continue until May 31 in three other host nations: Morocco, Ghana and Senegal. While more than 1,000 military personnel from both the U.S. and Tunisia are participating here, more than 8,000 multinational service members from 27 countries and contingents from NATO will participate in the exercise.

"It's important to highlight the fact that those numbers include members of the Army, Air Force and Marines," said LeBlanc. "I happen to be a New Hampshire National Guardsman myself, and I'm very pleased elements of the U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard have flown all the way to Tunisia for African Lion as well."

Partnerships with African allies further enhance the exercise's impact, with Ghana, Kenya, Libya and Nigeria participating in Tunisia, showcasing the collective commitment to regional security and stability.

About African Lion

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of AFRICOM's premier and largest annual, combined, joint exercise African Lion. This year's exercise will take place April 19 through May 31 and is hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia with more than 8,100 participants from over 27 nations and contingents from NATO. African Lion 24 focuses on enhancing readiness between the U.S. and partner nation forces. This joint all-domain, multi-component, and multinational exercise, employs a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperability among participants and set the theater for strategic access.

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New York Army Guard Soldiers Heading to North Africa

By Eric Durr, New York National Guard April 30, 2024

LATHAM, N.Y. -- Seven hundred New York Army National Guard Soldiers will take part in the multinational African Lion training exercise in Tunisia and Morocco in May.

Most of the New York National Guard Soldiers involved in the exercise are part of the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, and will be training in Morocco in the second half of the month.

The regiment is headquartered in Utica and has elements in Geneseo, Morrisonville, Ithaca and Glenville.

The 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, will deploy 120 Soldiers with a battery of 105 mm M114A1 howitzers, based at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in New Windsor, to Tunisia in early May.

The exercise will be the largest U.S. military training event conducted on the African continent. Over 8,100 military personnel from 27 countries and NATO will participate in training events in Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal.

National Guard units from Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Dakota, Vermont and Virginia will also train alongside U.S. active duty forces, including the U.S. Army and Air Force Reserve, and a large cohort of allied and partner nations. Military doctors and dentists will also visit local villages to provide humanitarian assistance as part of the exercise in Morocco.

"Multinational exercises like African Lion allow us to work shoulder to shoulder with multiple international partners and be part of a unique multinational force," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Frank Engle, the commander of the 108th Infantry. "We relish the opportunity to demonstrate our proficiency on the continent."

Engle's battalion will participate in operations in Morocco with Soldiers from the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team headquarters based in Syracuse, the 152nd Brigade Engineer Battalion from Buffalo, and the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, operating out of Camp Smith, near Peekskill.

During the training, the 108th Infantry will fire tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missiles, known as TOWs, and Javelin anti-tank missiles.

African Lion 2024 is the 20th anniversary of a training exercise that initially involved just the U.S. Marine Corps and the Moroccan military.

The exercise, coordinated by U.S. Africa Command, enhances regional cooperation and security in North and West Africa.

The New York National Guard Soldiers will be taking part in live-fire exercises as part of drills involving naval gunfire and even B-52 bombing missions in Morocco.

"This will be easily the biggest thing I've ever seen," Engle said.

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Croation army conducts mil-to-mil APS-2 maintenance exchange with AFSBn-Africa in Italy

By Cameron Porter, 405th AFSB Public Affairs Officer April 30, 2024

LIVORNO, Italy -- For the third year in a row, Army Field Support Battalion-Africa, located at Leghorn Army Depot in Livorno, executed a bilateral military-to-military Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 maintenance exchange and engagement with the Croatian army.

At the Leghorn facilities April 16-20, APS-2 maintenance experts from AFSBn-Africa conducted an exchange of ideas and processes with maintainers from the Croatian army in order to share best practices and improve readiness for both armies, while fostering important partnerships and alliances.

In Livorno, AFSBn-Africa is charged with receiving, maintaining, storing and issuing APS-2 at Leghorn Army Depot as well as at locations forward, known as equipment configuration and hand off areas. Currently, AFSBn-Africa has mission command of an ECHA site in Czechia supporting DEFENDER 24, and in the next few days the battalion will be issuing hundreds of APS-2 vehicles and equipment pieces to a gaining tactical unit from the U.S. participating in DEFENDER.

"Opportunities like this aren't afforded to every military unit or Soldier," said Maj. Duane Dumlao, the AFSBn-Africa executive officer, referring to the Croatian army visit to Leghorn. "Mil-to-mil exchanges afford our team a chance to show how we conduct APS-2 maintenance operations to our allies and partners, like the Croatian army."

"We find a common ground during these exchanges where both of us can learn from each other and improve our processes and capabilities. It's all about readiness, and this is other opportunity to build readiness," Dumlao said.

"This is our third year of doing this," Dumlao said, "and they always send new people each year so more and more of these Croatian soldier maintainers get to learn from us. Hopefully in the future we get to visit one of their facilities in Croatia and learn more from them, as well."

In November, more than 30 Polish air force personnel who have been selected to work at the new APS-2 site in Powidz, Poland - officially known at the Long Term Equipment Storage and Maintenance-Complex - conducted a site visit to Leghorn Army Depot to see how an APS-2 site operates. The week-long visit gave the Polish military personnel an opportunity to put eyes on a fully operational APS-2 worksite.

AFSBn-Africa is one of four battalions assigned to the 405th Army Field Support Brigade. The AFSBns have mission command of six APS-2 storage locations in five countries. They are Leghorn Army Deport, the Coleman APS-2 worksite in Mannheim, Germany, and the LTESM-C in Powidz, Poland, as well as APS-2 sites in Dulmen, Germany; Eygelshoven, Netherlands; and Zutendaal, Belgium.

The 405th AFSB's APS-2 program provides turn-key power projection packages ready to deploy at a moment's notice while helping to reduce the amount of equipment needed from the deploying forces' home stations. APS-2 sites help reduce deployment timelines, improve deterrence capabilities and provide additional combat power for contingency operations. APS-2 equipment may also be drawn for use in training and exercises, like DEFENDER 24, happening now.

Africa battalion is also responsible for linking national logistics capabilities and providing logistics solutions to Army units and joint forces South of the Alps through U.S. Army Materiel Command's Life Cycle Management Commands. Organizations AFSBn-Africa directly support - helping to enable readiness across two theaters of operations - are U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa, Southern European Task Force-Africa, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and other strategic partners and allies.

The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. Forces throughout Europe and Africa - providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging the AMC materiel enterprise to support joint forces.

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April 30, 2024

Release

U.S. and UAE Conduct Joint Military Dialogue

Department of Defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Dave Herndon provided the following readout:

Senior delegations from the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) met April 29-30 in the Pentagon for the annual U.S.-UAE Joint Military Dialogue (JMD).

The JMD is the foremost bilateral defense forum for advancing the U.S.-UAE defense partnership, including reviewing shared security interests as well as discussing a wide range of strategic objectives for the relationship and challenges in the region.

The delegations discussed a broad range of regional and defense issues, including regional threats, current regional security dynamics, counterterrorism, maritime security, air and missile defense, and security cooperation. Specific discussions focused on integrated air and missile defense and cooperation on emerging capabilities. In addition, the U.S. Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA) Director, Mr. Michael R. Laychak, and the UAE Assistant Undersecretary for Support and Defence Industries, Major General Mubarak Saeed Al Jabri, formalized a bilateral technology security partnership with the signing of the Cooperative Technology Security Program (CTSP) Execution Plan.

The United States and the UAE reaffirmed their commitment to a strong bilateral defense relationship and recognized the UAE as a key partner in addressing regional challenges. Both sides agreed on the importance of the U.S.-UAE strategic partnership as one based on shared interests and shared priorities.

The UAE delegation was led by Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lt. Gen Eisa Al Mazrouie. The U.S. delegation was led by Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Amanda Dory.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3760788/

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April 30, 2024

By C. Todd Lopez, DOD News

DOD's FY 2025 Budget Focuses on Defense, People, Teamwork

Last month the Defense Department released its fiscal year 2025 budget request, about $849.8 billion in all, and now Congress has invited DOD leaders of all stripes to Capitol Hill to discuss what's in the budget and what the department's thoughts were when creating that budget.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, as the top Defense Department leader, told lawmakers today at the House Armed Services Committee that the DOD budget request centers, broadly, on defending the nation, taking care of service members and their families, and strengthening relationships with like-minded U.S. partners and allies.

"Our budget request for fiscal year 2025 will advance all three of these priorities," Austin said during his testimony.

Defending the nation is of course the No. 1 priority for the Defense Department. And the DOD budget for FY 2025  which runs Oct. 1, 2024 through Sept 30, 2025  has a lot to make sure the DOD can carry out that No. 1 mission.

"The president's request will invest in cutting-edge capabilities across all domains," Austin said. "That includes $48.1 billion for naval and shipbuilding capabilities, $61.2 billion to reinforce U.S. air dominance, and $13 billion to bolster Army and Marine Corps combat capabilities."

The department's efforts in space, the secretary said, get about $33.7 billion, while cybersecurity tools get about $14.5 billion.

Also, a top priority is the modernization of America's nuclear triad, which involves ground-based missiles  commonly referred to as intercontinental ballistic missiles  submarine-launched ballistic missiles and air-launched cruise missiles, dropped from bomber aircraft.

This year's budget directs about $49.1 billion towards recapitalization of all three legs of the nuclear triad. That includes a focus on both the Columbia-class submarine and the B-21 bomber.

"This budget request will support our outstanding troops and their families," Austin said. "That includes raising base pay and housing allowances; investing in better housing; making childcare more affordable; and funding vital work to prevent sexual assault and suicide in the military."

For service members, this year's budget request includes a 4.5% pay raise, the third such raise over the past three years.

Austin has said America's long-term security and success requires teamwork, which includes working with Congress, other parts of the U.S. government, the defense industry and especially with American partners and allies.

"This [budget] request will help the Department further deepen our teamwork worldwide," he said. "Our network of allies and partners remains a strategic advantage that no competitor can match. And you can see its power in our strengthening ties across the Indo-Pacific, in today's expanded and united NATO, and in the 50-country Ukraine Defense Contact Group that I convene."

As the global security environment grows more complex, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the pacing challenge posed by China, and ongoing threats posed by Iran and North Korea, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., said he's seen relationships between the U.S. and partners grow stronger.

"What I have seen in the seven months ... I've been in the job, I've engaged about 170 times with counterparts, my counterparts from around the world," he said. "And what I've found is as the world's gotten more complex, our work with our allies and partners has strengthened."

NATO, he said, has gotten stronger and larger. But partnerships are not Europe-centric, they are global.

"As I engage with the nations in Europe, they're focused on the Indo-Pacific, and Indo-Pacific nations are also focused on Europe because all these [threats] are a global threat to all of us," he said. "And you know that dialogue is definitely increased."

Brown said the partners he speaks with are interested in the health of the global defense industrial base, which is responsible for making the tools nations need to defend themselves.

"They are concerned about our collective defense industrial base and bringing capability," he said. "One thing I do find as I engage around the world is that U.S. capability, U.S. equipment, is highly desired. We've got to be able to provide that capability and equipment and those are the things that they are keenly interested in. They're also interested in our ability to work and be able to interoperate even when they have their own defense industrial base that they're also trying to increase as well."

One area the DOD is working on to help strengthen the defense industrial base is munitions production.

"In order to maintain our competitive edge, we're going to have to continue to invest in mutations," he said. " We've done that, with your help. As you know, for FY 24, we asked you for a number of multi-year procurement authorities and you supported us with that request. And over the last three years or so we've invested north of $75 billion in munitions."

Last week, the president signed into law a $95 billion security supplemental bill, which among other things, provides security assistance to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. But the money that bill provides will also help strengthen the ability of America's industrial base to produce munitions, said Austin.

"In the supplemental that you just approved for us, there are resources in that supplemental that ... we apply to the industrial base and help them expand to increase our capacity to meet the current demand and the demand in the future," Austin said. "I want to thank all the members for that."

In January, DOD released its first "Defense Industrial Strategy." The FY 2025 budget request leans on that strategy to shore up critical domestic and allied supply chains for sectors such as microelectronics, casting and forging, and batteries and energy storage. The budget request also includes investments to in the U.S. submarine industrial base.

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April 30, 2024

By Joseph Clark, DOD News

Austin to Meet With Key Regional Allies on Upcoming Hawaii Trip

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will meet with key regional allies this week as he travels to Hawaii to preside over the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command change of command ceremony.

Austin is expected to hold a series of engagements with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines, further marking what defense officials say is historic progress toward regional security integration.

"Our partners across the region are drawing closer to each other, they're drawing closer to us and, together, we're doing more than ever to advance our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific," a senior defense official said today while previewing the engagements.

On Thursday, Austin will meet with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles.

The meeting follows Australia's announcement last week of its new national defense strategy which commits to a 20% increase in defense spending over the next decade.

The two leaders are expected to discuss U.S. force posture in Australia, as well as cooperation between the two countries to strengthen Australia's defense industrial base through the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordinance Enterprise - a long term initiative to bolster research, development and manufacturing of critical weapons systems.

The defense official previewing the discussion underscored the close ties between the two officials, calling the Australian minister one of Austin's "most constant interlocutors, not just in the Indo-Pacific but around the world."

Austin is also scheduled to meet with Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru. The meeting follows Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official state visit to the U.S. last month where the two countries announced significant strides in strengthening defense cooperation.

In a joint news conference during the visit, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S., Japan and Australia will partner in creating a networked air defense architecture. The U.S. and U.K. will also be standing up trilateral military exercises with Japan, among other deliverables.

In the upcoming meeting, the two defense leaders are expected to expand upon discussions that include command and control, regional security, and the deepening cooperation between the U.S. and Japan on defense industrial and science and technology matters.

In his meetings with his counterparts, Austin is also expected to discuss U.S. force posture in Australia and Japan and security throughout the region.

Following the bilateral meetings with his counterparts, Austin will convene the 13th trilateral defense ministers' meeting among the U.S., Australia and Japan.

Officials described an agenda focusing on a range of regional topics and how the three countries can further expand initiatives aimed at peace and security throughout the Indo-Pacific.

The three leaders will also discuss cooperation on science and technology, and they are expected to sign a new trilateral agreement outlining cooperation on research, development, test and evaluation for strategic capabilities.

The agreement encourages standardization and interoperability on defense technology and aims to make the countries' already strong ties on science and technology more efficient and cost effective.

Austin will then host a quadrilateral meeting with the Philippines Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro and their Japanese and Australian counterparts.

The meeting marks the second-ever joint meeting among the four countries' defense ministers.

The defense leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen security among the four nations.

These discussions come at a critical time for defense cooperation throughout the region, a defense official said, noting China's recent harassment of Philippine vessels operating in the South China Sea.

"Japan and Australia have been some of our most vocal and staunchest allies in speaking up about the completely unacceptable nature of this behavior," the official said.

The official also noted the Philippines' efforts to highlight China's concerning behavior throughout the region.

"How we, as allies, not only operate together, but how we think about addressing the really worrisome operational behavior and coercion that we see taking place in a number of places across the region, is obviously a topic that we're going to focus on together," the official said.

On Friday, Austin will preside over the Indo-Pacom change of command ceremony.

During the ceremony, Austin is expected to recognize outgoing Indo-Pacom commander Navy Adm. John Aquilino's efforts that were instrumental in strengthening U.S. partnerships throughout the region.

Austin will also recognize Aquilino's successor, Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo, and the thousands of U.S. service members who serve in the region.

Additionally, the secretary will have an opportunity to meet with the leaders of the Freely Associated States, which include the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.

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Nordic defence ministers sign NORDEFCO's new Vision

Finnish Ministry of Defence

30.04.2024

Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen attended the ministerial meeting for Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO) in Torshavn, the Faroe Islands on 29-30 April 2024.

On Tuesday 30 April, the defence ministers signed the political steering document for the Nordic defence cooperation, new Vision 2030 for NORDEFCO. The Vision will guide Nordic defence cooperation in the coming years.

The weakened security situation in the neighbouring regions and the Nordic alliance have created the conditions for even deeper Nordic defence cooperation.

"The new Vision means major changes to NORDEFCO and to the cooperation between the Nordic countries. The greatest change is that operational cooperation is now also included. The Nordic countries share a land border that is almost 1,500 kilometres long with Russia. Together we have more than 250 fighter planes and more than 350,000 soldiers, and we are also fully prepared to defend every corner of our territory," Minister of Defence Hakkanen says.

The main focus of the Vision is on improving interoperability. Cooperation on capabilities and defence materials will be developed as well. The key areas for cooperation also include military mobility, logistics and security of supply.

"We will invest even more in the security of NATO in the coming years. NORDEFCO and the capability of the Nordic countries to work together will strengthen the whole alliance and Euro-Atlantic security," Minister Hakkanen says.

Inquiries: Johanna Hamalainen, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 086, and Kristian Vakkuri, Head of Communications, for communications matters related to the meetings, tel. +358 295 140 123.

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Declaration from the NORDEFCO Ministerial Meeting in Faroe Islands 29-30 April 2024

Finnish Ministry of Defence

30.04.2024

Today, the Nordic Ministers of Defence, a representative of the Minister of Statehood and Foreign Affairs of Greenland and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade of the Faroe Islands met in Torshavn. The Ministers discussed Russia's full-scale and brutal attack on Ukraine, the security situation in the Arctic and the North Atlantic, the future for Nordic defence cooperation as well as NATO-related issues.

At the meeting, the Nordic Ministers of Defence signed the new Vision 2030 for enhanced Nordic Defence Cooperation. It reflects the new strategic reality with war in Europe and Finland and Sweden joining NATO. Vision 2030 lays out an ambitious plan for the cooperation in the years to come, and it will guide the Nordic work on strengthening the deterrence and defence of NATO.

The Ministers reiterated strong and unwavering support to Ukraine. The Nordic countries stand united in supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Nordic countries have donated app. 13 billion EUR of defence related support to Ukraine. The Nordic countries are coordinating donations e.g. of air defence systems, fighter jet capabilities, infantry fighting vehicles and ammunition. A special focus for Nordic countries and other participating nations in the NORDEFCO++ initiative has been on the production of ammunition both to support Ukraine but also to strengthen the production capacity in a long-term perspective to ensure regional security of supply.

The rules-based international order and European security is under pressure. Against this backdrop, the Ministers discussed the importance of Nordic defence cooperation and the security situation in the Arctic, North Atlantic and Nordic region. Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO is a historic milestone that offers a unique opportunity for strengthened Nordic defence cooperation to uphold credible deterrence and defence, enhancing the security in the Euro-Atlantic area. The Ministers emphasised the importance of NATO's Regional Plans for the Arctic, North Atlantic and Nordic region, the significance of the trans-Atlantic strategic lines of communication and the ambition of maintaining peace and stability in the region. The ministers also discussed cyber security issues and emphasized the need to tackle threats against critical infrastructure and increasing resilience to withstand the complexity of hybrid threats.

The Ministers reaffirmed the ambition to increase situational awareness and further strengthen military mobility and cross-border activities in the Nordic region. This includes the development of strategic corridors in line with NATO decisions, with a long-term goal of "Seamless Movement in a Borderless Nordic". The Nordic counties are committed to the enablement of allied operations in the Nordic region.

Finally, the Nordic Ministers of Defence agreed that their Chiefs of Defence will take forward the work on the Nordic Defence Concept on Nordic operational military cooperation with a view to present it at the NORDEFCO Defence Ministerial meeting in Copenhagen in November 2024. The Nordic Defence Concept fully supports NATO's operational planning and plays an important role in achieving the goals of the Vision 2030.





Torshavn, the 30th of April 2024,





Troels Lund Poulsen

Minister of Defence of Denmark





Hgni Hoydal

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade of the Faroe Islands





Mininnguaq Kleist

Permanent Secretary of Statehood and Foreign Affairs of Greenland





Antti Hakkanen

Minister of Defence of Finland





Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland





Bjrn Arild Gram

Minister of Defence of Norway





Pal Jonson

Minister for Defence of Sweden

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China Coast Guard expels two Philippine vessels that illegally intruded in waters off China's Huangyan Dao

Global Times

By Wang Qi and Fan Wei Published: Apr 30, 2024 12:50 PM

The China Coast Guard (CCG) announced that it has expelled two Philippine vessels that illegally intruded in waters off China's Huangyan Dao (also known as Huangyan Island) in the South China Sea on Tuesday.

According to a briefing released by CCG via its WeChat account on Tuesday morning, the two Philippine vessels expelled by CCG were identified as Philippine coast guard vessel 4410 and official ship 3004.

Gan Yu, a spokesperson for the CCG, said on Tuesday that after Philippine vessels ignoring China's repeated warning, the CCG has taken necessary measures such as following up, warning with water cannons, blocking and expelling illegal intrusions by Philippine vessels.

The on-site operation by the CCG has been reasonable, legitimate, professional, Gan said, noting that the behavior of the Philippine side infringed on the sovereignty of the Chinese side and seriously violated international law and the basic norms of international relations. The spokesperson urged the Philippines to immediately cease its illegal behavior.

China indisputably holds sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent waters. The CCG has continued to conduct law enforcement activities to safeguard rights and enforce the law in China's jurisdictional waters, resolutely defending national sovereignty and maritime interests, Gan said.

According to video clips exclusively obtained by the Global Times from the CCG, Philippine official vessel 3004 was stopped by the CCG 12 nautical miles away from China's Huangyan Dao, while Philippine coast guard vessel 4410 tried to enter the lagoon on Huangyan Dao using a dangerous maneuver. The CCG was forced to use water cannons to warn the vessel, and this decisive move had an immediate effect, forcing vessel 4410 to leave the area.

A source close to the matter told the Global Times that the Philippines once again brought a large number of journalists on board with vessels for so-called "reporting" purposes. This is yet another indication that the illegal infringement by the Philippine side is a premeditated act of provocation.

Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times that professional control measures taken by the Chinese side are required to prevent the escalation of a possible maritime confrontation.

Since the second half of 2023, vessels from Philippine Navy, the Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), under the guise of providing supplies to fishermen, have taken turns trying to forcibly intrude into the lagoon of China's Huangyan Dao, which has pushed Beijing and Manila on the brink of a repeat of the Huangyan Dao standoff in 2012.

If Philippine vessels achieve the objective of "intruding into the lagoon" on Huangyan Dao, the 2012 flashpoint will be repeated, Chen said.

The Philippines' latest provocation came after senior officials from the current Marcos administration once again denied that China and the Philippines had reached a "gentleman's agreement" on the South China Sea.

According to Chen, China's temporary special arrangement and the consensus and tacit understanding between China and the Philippines over a period of time in the past have spared the two countries the cost of frequent maritime confrontations and diplomatic rivalries and the negative spillover effects they generate, and thus provided a stable environment for Philippine fishermen's fishing activities near Huangyan Dao, representing a real "win-win" situation.

However, the Marcos administration's hardline policy, expansionist tendency and duplicity have compromised the tacit understanding between China and the Philippines and greatly weakened the foundation of mutual political trust, which is tantamount to driving history backwards, Chen noted.

Amid ongoing tensions in the South China Sea, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez recently claimed that he is expecting the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to be fully ready in its defense posture against "any threats" in the region by the end of the term of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, especially with the help of the US.

The Philippines provocation also coincide with the ongoing Balikatan, or 'shoulder-to-shoulder' drills between US and Philippines, which took place outside of the Philippines' 12 nautical miles so-called "territorial waters."

Analysts said that the Philippines' repeated provocations relating to Huangyan Dao also reflected the Marcos Jr. administration's tendency to "rely on the US for self-importance" and "leverage its strength" on the South China Sea issue.

The Philippines is using its actions on Huangyan Dao as an important point of leverage to collaborate the US "Indo-Pacific strategy" to contain China, Chen said.

However, while this behavior may win praise from Washington, the frequent and tense confrontations are a huge drain on the military, marine police and diplomatic energies of Manila, and it has no value other than a waste of economic inputs that raise the risk of unforeseen scenarios at sea, Chen said.

While the leaders of China and the Philippines have repeatedly confirmed in their meetings that "the South China Sea issue is not the entirety of China-Philippines relations," the Marcos Jr. administration has made the Huangyan Dao a priority issue in its handling of relations with China, which seriously violates the consensus between the two countries, Chen said.

If the Philippine side furthers its provocation, China has no option than to put in place upgraded control measures in order to prevent the situation from further escalation and safeguard its territorial sovereignty, Chen said.

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Joint vision to enhance Nordic defence cooperation

Government Offices of Sweden

30 April 2024

In connection with the NORDEFCO ministerial meeting on 29-30 April in Torshavn, Faroe Islands, the Nordic defence ministers signed Vision 2030, a steering document on Nordic defence cooperation going forward.

The defence ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway, Iceland's foreign minister and representatives of the governments of the Faroe Islands and Greenland met to discuss the security situation in the neighbourhood, including the Arctic and North Atlantic regions, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and NATO.

The defence and security developments of recent years have been the focus of Nordic defence cooperation. During Sweden's term as chair of NORDEFCO in 2023, new political and military objectives were formulated to enhance cooperation within the Nordic region and in relation to NATO. On 30 April, the Nordic defence ministers signed a new vision for the development of Nordic defence cooperation up to 2030.

Vision 2030 will strengthen Nordic defence cooperation in eight areas:

Strategic dialogue and consultations on current issues and the security situation

Ability to conduct and command multinational combined operations

Host nation support and logistical support to enable joint operations

Military mobility to, between and through the Nordic countries

Capabilities based on strategic and operational requirements

Defence materiel cooperation for increased interchangeability

Security of military supplies for increased resilience.

Total defence to secure adequate support to the defence sector from all sectors of society, in all threatening scenarios and situations

"The Nordic countries are united in the assessment that Russia will remain a threat to European and global security for the foreseeable future. We are equally united in the understanding of the need for collective actions to counter this threat. For the first time in modern history, with the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, our countries have chosen the same path for our security policy," the Nordic defence ministers say.

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Yemeni army releases moment of attack on Israeli ship

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Apr 30, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The armed forces of Yemen published the moment of the attack on the Cyclades ship on Tuesday night.

According to Yemen's al-Masira network, this ship, which was bound for occupied Palestinian ports, was attacked by several drones in the Red Sea early this morning.

The spokesman of the Yemeni armed forces announced on Tuesday morning that the country's military targeted 2 American destroyers and 2 Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in a fresh operation in solidarity with Palestinians.

We conducted military operations against enemy warships in the Red Sea, including 2 American destroyers, using a number of drones, Brigadier General Yahya Saree was quoted by Yemen's Al-Masirah news channel.

While calling the operation successful, Saree said that Yemen's Navy, Missile and Air Force conducted a joint operation in the Red Sea and the strike was accurate.

The spokesman added that the vessel Cyclades in the Red Sea and the MSC Orion in the Indian Ocean were also targeted using a deceptive and camouflaged method, saying the two vessels were heading to Eilat port in the occupied Palestinian territory.

He reiterated that Yemen's military operations are in support of the oppressed people of Palestine and the defense of the country's own sovereignty.

In the end, the spokesperson of the Yemeni armed forces emphasized that the operations will continue as long as US-backed Israeli regime continues it siege on Gaza and goes ahead with its genocidal war there.

2050



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Yemen warns US of escalating action against security

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Apr 30, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Yemen's Supreme Political Council has warned the US not to make any attempts that could threaten Yemen's security and stability.

Yemen's Supreme Political Council has reiterated its consistent stance on regional stability and security in the Red Sea, the Makran Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Indian Ocean, according to IRNA, citing the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen news network on Tuesday.

The council has warned the US against taking any actions that may escalate tensions and threaten Yemen's security and stability, emphasizing that any such actions will have consequences beyond Yemen's borders.

Stating that the current dubious actions to discourage Yemen and weaken its effective role in defending Palestine will not succeed, the council reaffirmed its unwavering support for Palestine in confronting the brutal aggressions of Zionists and its American and Western allies.

The council has also stressed the importance of maintaining Yemen's internal unity against the plots of the US and Britain, emphasizing that the actions of the Yemeni armed forces are not in violation of international law or human rights.

Finally, the council has made it clear that all ships, except those linked to the Israeli enemy, are safe to cross the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab al-Mandab.

Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine's struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory's Palestinian Resistance movements carried out a surprise retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity.

Yemeni Armed Forces have said that they won't stop their attacks until unrelenting Israeli ground and aerial offensives in Gaza, which have killed at least 34,535 people and wounded another 77,704 individuals, come to an end.

The US and Britain in December announced a military coalition to target Yemen in support of Israel.

3266**2050



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Hezbollah fighters blow up Israeli Merkava tank

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Apr 30, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah says its fighters have destroyed a Merkava tank of the Israeli regime's army in Metula town in the north of occupied Palestine.

According to a statement from Hezbollah, as reported by Beirut-based Al Manar TV, they fired guided missiles at an Israeli Merkava tank that was bombarding Lebanese villages and endangering civilians from the Metula site. The tank was destroyed, and all its crew were killed or injured.

The statement also said that fighters from the Islamic Resistance targeted a group of Israeli soldiers at the Metula site, inflicting confirmed losses with appropriate weapons.

Earlier today, Hezbollah announced that in response to the "Israeli" enemy's attacks on the resilient southern villages and civilian homes, the Islamic Resistance fighters targeted Doviv and Avivim settlements.

Hezbollah has been engaged in operations against Israeli positions at Lebanon's border since October 8, a day after the regime unleashed its war on Gaza following the Al Aqsa Storm Operation by the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, earlier that day.

Hezbollah says it has inflicted heavy losses on the regime, but Israeli authorities hide the real numbers of military fatalities and the extent of the material damage caused.

The movement has also time and again said that its operations targeting the northern parts of the occupied territories are aimed at providing support to the Palestinian resistance fighters battling the Israeli forces in Gaza, which is located at the border with the southern parts of the Israeli-occupied land.

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Hezbollah targets two Zionist settlements

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Apr 30, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The Islamic Resistance of Lebanon announced that it conducted missile attacks on two Zionist settlements in northern occupied Palestine.

According to Al Mayadeen, the Islamic Resistance of Lebanon announced that several rockets were fired at the gathering of Zionist soldiers in the Zionist settlements of Dufif and Avivim in northern occupied Palestine.

The Lebanese Islamic Resistance emphasized that these attacks were carried out in response to the Zionists' attacks on residential areas in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese Hezbollah fighters attacked a Zionist military base in the occupied Kfarchouba on Monday.

Since the onset of Al-Aqsa storm operation on October 7, 2023, a large number of Zionist settlers in the north of the occupied territories have been forced to leave their homes due to the fear of Lebanon's Hezbollah rocket attacks.

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ICC may issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, officials: Israeli media

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Apr 30, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Israeli media reports say that there is a possibility the International Criminal Court (ICC) will secretly issue arrest warrants for officials of the Zionist regime for their role in the genocide in the Gaza Strip.

According to IRNA's Tuesday morning report quoting the Palestinian Sama news agency, the Hebrew language Israeli daily, Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a Zionist official as saying that ICC may secretly issue the arrest warrants for the officials of the regime and they will come to know about it only when traveling outside Israel.

According to the Zionist media report, the US government is trying to prevent the top UN court in The Hague Court from issuing an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of the Zionist regime.

On the other hand, the Hebrew-language Walla news site also reported on Netanyahu's incessant calls to Biden to prevent any arrest warrant for him.

Even though the Israeli regime denies the charge of genocide in Gaza, the ICC in its ruling on a case filed by South Africa, found it is "plausible" that Israel has committed acts that violate the Genocide Convention.

The case led to one of the most unprecedented isolations of the Zionists in international forums so far. Israel is facing further criticism for not abiding by the ICC ruling delivered in January with directives to the Zionist regime.

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2 US destroyers, 2 Israeli vessels targeted: Yemeni army spox

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Apr 30, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The spokesman of the Yemeni armed forces announced on Tuesday morning that the country's military targeted 2 American destroyers and 2 Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in a fresh operation in solidarity with Palestinians.

We conducted military operations against enemy warships in the Red Sea, including 2 American destroyers, using a number of drones, Brigadier General Yahya Saree was quoted by Yemen's Al-Masirah news channel.

While calling the operation successful, Saree said that Yemen's Navy, Missile and Air Force conducted a joint operation in the Red Sea and the strike was accurate.

The spokesman added that the vessel Cyclades in the Red Sea and the MSC Orion in the Indian Ocean were also targeted using a deceptive and camouflaged method, saying the two vessels were heading to Eilat port in the occupied Palestinian territory.

He reiterated that Yemen's military operations are in support of the oppressed people of Palestine and the defense of the country's own sovereignty.

In the end, the spokesperson of the Yemeni armed forces emphasized that the operations will continue as long as US-backed Israeli regime continues it siege on Gaza and goes ahead with its genocidal war there.

Earlier on Monday, media sources also reported a missile attack on a ship near Al-Mokha port in Yemen.

Reuters quoted the British Maritime Trade Operations Agency as saying that it had received a report of a security incident 54 nautical miles northwest of Yemen's Al-Mokha. The agency said initial reports indicated a missile attack on a ship, without providing further detail.

The Yemeni army launched its operations over the regime's genocide in the Gaza Strip. It has, though, repeatedly announced that all other ships, except Israelis or Israel-bound, are free and safe to sail through the strategic waterway.

However, over the past month, Yemenis have also launched attacks on US and British ships in retaliation for the two countries' aggression against the Arab country.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Heroism and Hope Forum Representatives: "We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there - with or without a deal."

Israel - Prime Minister's Office

Events and Speeches

The 37th Government

30.04.2024

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, met with representatives of hostages' families and bereaved families from the Heroism forum and the Hope forum.

Prime Minister Netanyahu:

"The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there - with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory."

The Prime Minister listened to their call to continue achieving the goals of the war and to withstand the international pressure.

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April 22, 2024: Modern warfare has been radically changed by the introduction of FPV (first person view) UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). These UAVs are an omnipresent aerial threat to armored vehicles and infantry on foot. Each FPV UAV costs less than a thousand dollars. Operators use the video camera on the UAV to see what is below and find targets. Armed FPV operators are several kilometers away to decide when their quadcopter FPV UAVs will drop explosives on an armored vehicle, which has thinner armor on top, or infantry in the open or in trenches. To do so the UAV operators often operate in pairs with one flying behind the other and concentrating on the big picture while seeking a likely target. When such a target is found by the reconnaissance UAV, the armed UAV is directed to the target. The two FPV UAV operators are usually in the same room or tent and can take control of new UAVs, which are lined up and brought outside for launch when needed. The reconnaissance UAVs are often unarmed so they can spend more time in the air looking for targets.

The Ukrainians developed the FPV UAV in 2022 when only a few FPV UAV attacks were recorded. The Ukrainian Army was the first to appreciate the potential of FPV UAVs. By the summer of 2023 the Russian Army also began to use FPV drones in greater numbers. Since then, the number of FPV UAV attacks has grown exponentially on both sides. By early 2024, there were over 4,000 Russian FPV UAV attacks and the Russians kept video records of each one. Only twelve percent of those attacks led to the destruction of the target, which could be a vehicle or group of infantry or even a sniper who was firing through a window from inside a building. In this case the armed FPV UAV would fly through the window and explode in the room the sniper was in. The only defense from this was having a nearby open door the sniper could run to or dive through as the FPV UAV approached. Sometimes that isnt possible because the armed FPV UAV is coming down from above the window and then in. You dont see those coming until it is too late. Many FPV UAV attacks miss completely or barely and inflict no injuries. All the FPV UAV activity does make sounds and troops in the vicinity fear the sounds and feel quite anxious when those are around. While only twelve percent of FPV UAV attacks caused fatalities or serious injuries, another fifteen percent did some damage. Another twenty percent missed their target, or it was not possible to prove what happened.

Both sides now use the FPV UAVs but there are substantial differences on how the FPV UAVs are put to work in combat. The Ukrainians seek out high-value targets like armored vehicles, Electronic Warfare equipment, anti-aircraft systems and storage sites for munitions or other supplies. Russian trucks carrying supplies are another prime target.

This new threat had led to work on improved defensive measures. First priority goes to ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) systems which armored vehicles, trucks and even troops on foot require to survive FPV UAV attacks. There is another problem when the attacker changes the control frequencies their UAVs use for effective remote control. This is more of a problem for Russian defenders than Ukrainian as the Russians are controlled by slow bureaucratic leaders and production systems while the Ukrainians are much more flexible. Many FPV UAVs have a backup system for these situations that include returning to the launch site or completing an attack on a target that has been sighted and the FPV UAV is already headed for. This means the range of the defensive ECM signal must be more than 100 meters to avoid getting hit by a FPV UAV programmed to continue heading for the target if its control signal was jammed or lost because of FPV UAV equipment failure.

Another requirement for adequate defense is the presence of metal screens or grills to defeat FPV UAV attacks that get past the protective ECM signals. Note that the thinnest armor is over areas on the top side of the tank, particularly the turret and especially behind the turret, where the engine is. Damage the engine so that the tank can no longer move, and the suddenly immobile target becomes easier to destroy. Tank crews will often abandon their immobile vehicle.

Another way to improve FPV UAV defenses is to modify existing APS (Active Protection System) equipment to recognize and attack FPV UAVs. Most NATO nations now have APS on their tanks. Germany successfully completed acceptance tests of the Israeli Trophy APS they were purchasing for their Leopard 2 tanks. The October 2021 tests consisted of firing ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles), RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and shells from tank guns or artillery that often fire such shells equipped with shaped charge warheads at tanks, at a Trophy equipped Leopard 2.

This is not the first Leopard 2 to use an APS. Turkish Leopard 2 and M60 tanks were equipped with the Ukrainian Zaslon APS in 2018 and were successful enough for Turkey to obtain a manufacturing license to build Zaslon. Several other countries have ordered Zaslon because it is one of the few APS systems that proved itself in combat. Moreover, Zaslon is more flexible to install as it uses individual modules and can be used on tanks equipped with ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor). On the downside, Zaslon will injure nearby infantry, which is a major problem for many nations. Zaslon has been in service for as long as Trophy and worked against Russian weapons in 2015, but saw little exposure to combat after that until the Turks noticed it.

Trophy is considered the most useful and combat proven APS, and over 2,000 systems have been installed or are on order for Israeli Merkava, American M1 and Leopard 2 tanks as well as other Israeli and American armored vehicles. For example, in mid-2020 American M1 tanks arrived in Europe equipped with Trophy APS. The Israeli manufacturer began delivering 261 M1 APS kits in late 2019. These equip all the M1 tanks in four combat brigades. A few Trophy equipped M1s are also available for testing and training.

The United States was late in adopting APS, mainly because few American operated M1 tanks seemed to need it and the army procurement budget was shrinking. By 2012 APS came to be seen as a necessity. In 2018 the army finally got the money to upgrade M1 tanks with Trophy. This came after Trophy had been tested on the M1. Trophy was added at the same time 62 ARAT (Abrams Reactive Armor Tiles) were installed to cover the running gear and tracks as additional protection against RPGs, which are often fired at this area to cripple tank mobility. The ARAT tiles add another two tons, in addition to about a ton for Trophy.

Trophy has been around since 2009 and has spent a lot of time exposed to ATGMS and RPGs. Between testing and actual combat, Trophy has been fired on over 6,000 times and successfully defeated all attacks. Trophy has accumulated over a million operating hours so far and no vehicle equipped with Trophy has had a crew member injured. Like earlier active defense systems such as the naval Phalanx, you cannot leave the system on if there is no threat. That wears out the electronics and there is always a small risk of the system being accidentally triggered by something other than a threat.

The U.S. eventually noted that Western tanks, like the M1 and Leopard 2 are increasingly vulnerable to ATGMs and improved RPGs. This was demonstrated in northwest Syria from 2016 to 2018 as Turkey lost over a dozen Leopard 2 and older American M60 tanks to Kornet and other ATGMs. Turkey tried several different defensive solutions but finally selected the Ukrainian Zaslon APS for their tanks. Israel was not considered because since 2000 Turkey has been ruled by an anti-Israel government.

Most tanks in Ukraine have APS because there is still a threat from ATGMs and RPGs. It makes sense to modify existing APS equipment to help deal with the FPV UAV threat.
Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas hold talks in Beijing, achieve positive progress: Chinese spokesperson

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 16:35, April 30, 2024

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of China, representatives of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) recently came to Beijing for in-depth and candid talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation, and achieved positive progress, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian told a daily press briefing in response to a related query that the two sides fully expressed their political will to achieve reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, discussed many specific issues, and made positive progress.

"They agreed to continue this dialogue process and strive for the early realization of Palestinian unity," Lin said, noting that the two sides highly appreciate China's firm support for the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, and thanked China for its efforts to promote Palestine's internal unity and reached an agreement on the next step of dialogue.

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STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL TASK FORCE FOR THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA

Republic of the Philippines - Department of Foreign Affairs

NSC PRESS RELEASE

30 April 2024, Manila

Today is a sad day for Filipino fishermen. That China would go to great lengths to obstruct a Philippine humanitarian mission to assist our fishermen in their fishing grounds is not only shocking but appalling.

Earlier today, China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels harassed, blocked, water cannoned, rammed vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) en route to Panatag Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) to conduct a regular humanitarian and assistance mission to Filipino fishing boats in and around the area.

In line with the transparency policy in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), members of the press - local and foreign - are routinely invited to embed in these regular BFAR Humanitarian and Assistance Missions for fisherfolk throughout the WPS and our other maritime areas. Today, the embedded press on the PCG and BFAR vessels have not only witnessed but also experienced first-hand - alongside the determined PCG and BFAR personnel - the illegal, coercive, aggressive, and dangerous actions of the agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their CCG and CMM.

At this time, both PCG and BFAR vessels have regrouped approximately twenty (20) nautical miles from Panatag Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc). They are conducting damage assessments and are reorganizing.

Initial reports from PCG and BFAR personnel onboard, as reflected by live media reports, indicate that the PCG vessel suffered some damage to a part of its superstructure from targeted high-pressure water cannoning by CCG vessels. As regards the BFAR vessel, it sustained damage to its HVAC, electrical, navigation, and radio systems and superficial hull damage as the vessel was subjected to at least eight (8) instances of targeted high-pressure water cannoning from CCG vessels and was rammed a total of three (3) times by both CCG and CMM vessels.

These latest demonstrations of China's illegal and irresponsible behavior highlight their egregious disregard for the Philippines' lawful exercise of its rights and entitlements in our own EEZ. Clearly, China has no regard for the welfare of our fishermen who only want to make a decent living in the WPS. China's act of obstructing civilian ships carrying only supplies for our fishermen calls into question the sincerity of their call for dialogue and peaceful approaches to de-escalate the situation in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines will continue to act peacefully and responsibly, consistent with a rules-based international law, on the basis of UNCLOS and the valid and binding 2016 Arbitral Award. Peace and stability in the region cannot be achieved if countries, big or small, do not exercise due regard for the well-established and legally-settled rights of others.

The Philippines will not be deterred from pursuing legitimate and lawful activities in our maritime zones, including in BDM which is a vital source of livelihood for our fisherfolk. END

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Guterres calls for independent probe into Gaza mass graves

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 7:17 PM

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he is "deeply alarmed" by reports of mass graves in several locations in the besieged Gaza Strip.

"There are competing narratives around several of these mass graves, including serious allegations that some of those buried were unlawfully killed," Guterres said on Tuesday.

The UN chief demanded a transparent inquiry and impartial investigation into the matter.

"It is imperative that independent international investigators, with forensic expertise, are allowed immediate access to the sites of these mass graves, to establish the precise circumstances under which hundreds of Palestinians lost their lives and were buried, or reburied."

"The families of the dead and missing have a right to know what happened. And the world has a right to accountability for any violations of international law that may have taken place."

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is reportedly investigating Israel's savage military offensive in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and could issue arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders.

Hundreds of bodies were recently found at mass graves at Nasser Medical complex, Shifa Hospital and several other locations following Israeli raids on the sites. Reports say the bodies were buried beneath piles of waste and included women and the elderly.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Guterres said an invasion of Rafah would have a "devastating impact on Palestinians in Gaza".

"All members of the Security Council, and many other governments, have clearly expressed their opposition to such an operation. I appeal for all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to prevent it."

He said more than 1.2 million people were seeking refuge in Rafah after fleeing from Israeli bombardments in the north of Gaza.

"They have very little to eat, hardly any access to medical care, little shelter, and nowhere safe to go. In northern Gaza, the most vulnerable - from sick children to people with disabilities - are already dying of hunger and disease. We must do everything possible to avert an entirely preventable, human-made famine," Guterres said.

The Israeli premier has renewed his threat of a ground invasion of the southern Gazan city despite the ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire.

Rafah has hosted around one and a half million Palestinians displaced since the start of the Israeli genocidal war.

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Russia slams US hypocrisy in ICC probe of Israel, arrest warrant for Putin

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 7:02 PM

Russia has censured the United States for hypocrisy in opposing an International Criminal Court investigation into Israel's crimes in its months-long war on the besieged Gaza Strip and supporting an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin issued by the same court.

In a post on Telegram on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that "Washington fully supported, if not stimulated, the issuance of ICC warrants against the Russian leadership."

However, "the American political system does not recognize the legitimacy of this structure in relation to itself and its satellites," she said, denouncing such a position as intellectually "absurd."

Back in March 2023, The Hague-based ICC issued the arrest warrant, accusing Putin of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. It said there are reasonable grounds to believe that Putin bears individual criminal responsibility.

Last year, US President Joe Biden said the ICC decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin was justified.

The Kremlin has already called the move outrageous and legally void, as Russia is not a signatory to the treaty that created the ICC. Russia withdrew from the ICC treaty under a directive signed by Putin in 2016.

US lawmakers are in the process of drafting a bill aimed at responding to the ICC in case it decides to issue arrest warrants against high-ranking Israeli officials accused of committing war crimes in Gaza.

On Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Washington did not support the ICC investigation, questioning the competency of the tribunal. "We don't believe that they have the jurisdiction," she added.

While Israel is not a member of the ICC, Palestine was admitted as a member state in 2015.

The ICC, which can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression, is currently conducting investigations into reported war crimes committed by the Israeli military.

It has been looking into accusations of war crimes involving the Israeli military factions since 2014.

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Yemen warns US against new aggression targeting its security

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 4:44 PM

Yemen's top policy-making body has issued a stern warning to the United States that any move aimed at destabilizing the Arab country would lead to massive chaos in the region, especially in key waterways surrounding Yemen.

Yemen's Supreme Political Council said in a statement on Tuesday that consequences of any military action by the US and allies targeting Yemen would spread well beyond the borders of the Arab country.

The Council warned that launching a large-scale military action against Yemen will not cause any change in the country's staunch support for Palestine and its opposition to nearly seven months of Israeli aggression on Gaza that has killed 34,500 Palestinians.

Yemen has been a key element of a regional campaign targeting Israeli and US interests, which seeks an end to the brutal war on Gaza.

The Yemenis have either seized or launched drone and missile attacks on ships linked to the Israeli regime, the US or Britain that have been sailing in regional waters in recent months. Attacks have also been launched from Yemen on ports controlled by the Israeli regime since October, when Israel started its war on Gaza.

Yemen's ruling Houthi Ansarullah movement has reiterated that attacks on shipping will continue until Israel completely stops its aggression on Gaza.

Maritime sources said on Sunday that a ship sailing near Yemen's Socotra island in the Indian Ocean near the Gulf of Aden had been attacked by drones.

The Sunday statement by Yemen came after Lebanon's al-Akhbar newspaper said in a report that the US is preparing a large-scale aerial offensive against Yemen.

The report said the attacks are aimed at boosting Yemeni forces that that bare opposed to Ansarullah and are allied with the United Arab Emirates.

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UNRWA says 182 staff members killed in Israeli hostilities in Gaza

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 4:15 PM

UNRWA says at least 182 of its employees have been killed since the start of the Israeli military aggression in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the UN agency, said in a post on social media that Israeli attacks in Gaza had also damaged 160 of the agency's facilities, killing a total of 400 people sheltering inside the buildings.

During a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, Lazzarini also called for countries to back an independent investigation into killings and detentions of its staff and damage to its premises once the Israeli savagery ends in the besieged Palestinian territory.

UNRWA has accused Israel of targeting its facilities during more than seven months of conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Lazzarini said the prospects of an Israeli invaison of Gaza's southern city of Rafah "will all depend on whether a ceasefire deal will be reached this week".

"There is an extraordinary deep anxiety in Gaza" right now, as people fear a possible invasion of Rafah, he said.

"People have not yet been asked to evacuate from Rafah," he added. "But there is a sense that if there is not a ceasefire deal this week, it could happen at any time."

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas is considering a new ceasefire proposal. A delegation of senior Hamas officials will rejoin the ceasefire talks in Egypt.

The Palestinian delegation, led by Hamas deputy head Khalil al-Haya, is expected to submit the movement's response to the new Israeli proposal after consultations with other resistance leaders.

The movement insists on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the unrestricted return of displaced Palestinians and the flow of more humanitarian aid.

Also, Hamas has repeatedly said it will not accept a deal that does not include a permanent ceasefire.

According to media reports, a high-ranking Israeli delegation will also join the Cairo talks.

Dozens of captives were released from Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails during a previous weeklong truce in late November.

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Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah 'with or without ceasefire deal'

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 1:50 PM

Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to carry out the planned ground invasion of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, whether or not a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal is reached with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.

"The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its objectives is out of the question," the head of the Israeli regime said on Tuesday, according to a statement from his office.

"We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there - with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory."

Earlier in the day, the Israeli military's chief of staff Herzi Halevi also said the military had approved final plans for the phased invasion of Rafah as well as the refugee camps in the central part of Gaza in the next 72 hours.

Rafah, situated in the Gaza Strip's closed southern border with Egypt, is home to around 1.5 million Palestinians who have been displaced due to Israel's ongoing genocidal campaign in the besieged territory.

Israel had designated Rafah a "safe zone," but in recent months it has been threatening a full-scale military aggression, leaving the people sheltering there terrified with nowhere to go.

The assault has mounted fears over a new carnage against Palestinians and drawn global condemnations.

Netanyahu's remarks come as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Israel to advance truce talks between the occupying regime and Hamas.

The deal is meant to free hostages, bring some relief to the population in Gaza and avert an Israeli offensive into Rafah.

Hamas has already said the movement is serious about reaching an agreement on ceasefire in Gaza, but will not give in to any pressure from the United States.

Israel began its brutal onslaught on October 7 after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The regime has killed at least 34,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since early October.

During its operation, Hamas took 253 Israeli settlers into captivity. It is believed that 129 of the captives remain in Gaza  not all of them alive  after 105 were released during a week-long truce in late November.

Some of the captives were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the besieged territory.

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April 29: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 12:23 PM

By Press TV Website Staff

Amid Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 34,500 Palestinians so far, including more than 16,000 children, resistance groups in Palestine and across the region continue their operations against the Tel Aviv regime and its Western backers.

The major operations carried out by the Palestinian and regional resistance groups on Sunday, April 29, are as follows:

Al-Qassam Brigades' operations on April 29: (Gaza Strip)

Bombed a gathering of Israeli soldiers stationed in the "Netzarim" axis with mortar shells.

Carried out an operation from southern Lebanon at the headquarters of the 769th Eastern Brigade, "Jibour Camp," in northern occupied Palestine, with a rocket barrage.

Al-Quds Brigades' operations on April 29: (Gaza Strip)

Bombed "Sderot," "Nir Am," and settlements of the Gaza envelope with a barrage of rockets.

Shot down an Israeli military quadcopter drone while it was carrying out spying activities east of Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip.



Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades' operations on April 29: (Gaza Strip)

Bombed a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles in the "Netzarim" axis with heavy-caliber mortar shells.

In a joint operation with Martyr Omar Al-Qasim Forces and the Abdulqader Al-Husseini Brigades, targeted the "Zikim" military base with 107-type missiles.

Targeted the position of Israeli army vehicles in the "Netzarim" axis with three 80-mm mortar shells.

Martyr Omar Al-Qasim Forces' operations on April 29: (Gaza Strip)

Launched a string of mortar shells at a cavalcade of Israeli military vehicles in the Juhr Al-Dik and "Netzarim" axes.

Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades' operations on April 29: (Gaza Strip)

In a joint operation with Al-Quds Brigades, targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the "Netzarim" axis, south of Gaza City, with a concentrated rocket barrage.

Mujahideen Brigades' operations on April 29: (Gaza Strip)

Bombed the "Netzarim" axis with a number of mortar shells.

Targeted Israeli forces stationed in the "Netzarim" axis south of Gaza City with a barrage of mortar shells.



Hezbollah's operations on April 29: (Lebanon)

Eastern sector:

At around 14:15 local time, Israeli soldiers were targeted in the vicinity of the Ruwaisat al-Alam site in Lebanon's Kfar Shuba with artillery shells.

At around 18:10 local time, Israeli soldiers positioned in the Metulla settlement were targeted with appropriate weapons.

Western sector:

At around 17:05 local time, missile and artillery attack was carried out against Khirbet Maar base, targeting Israeli soldiers deployed there.

Yemeni military's operations on April 29: (Yemen)

Two US navy ships in the Red Sea were targeted with missiles.

An Israeli-linked ship, CYCLADES, was targeted with a missile in the Red Sea.

An Israeli ship, MSC ORION, was targeted with a missile in the Indian Ocean.

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Yemen raps US for obstructing peace, blocking efforts to halt Gaza genocide

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 11:01 AM

The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has denounced the United States over its role in scuttling UN-brokered peace efforts in the impoverished Arab nation, and its failure to stop the Israeli military's onslaught against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"The United States constitutes an obstacle to peace in Yemen, and prevents the ongoing criminal massacre in Gaza from coming to an end," the ministry said in a statement released on Monday.

Pointing to the Yemeni pro-Palestine maritime operations in the Red Sea, the ministry said they "have humanitarian objectives, and are meant to pressure the Zionist regime into stopping its vicious aggression and lifting its all-out blockade on Gaza."

The ministry went on to note that the resolution of the Yemen conflict will not stop the country's naval units from carrying out anti-Israeli operations, emphasizing that the United Nations has been reminded that the agreement with Saudi Arabia for the Yemeni peace roadmap has nothing to do with unfolding developments in Gaza, and that neither Americans nor Britons should be involved in it.

The statement added that the latest remarks by Tim Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen, about Yemeni attacks on Israeli-affiliated commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in response to the war on Gaza show that the US is preventing the establishment of peace in Yemen, and is blocking an end to the killings in Gaza and the removal of the siege.

Lenderking told Saudi English-language daily newspaper Arab News in an interview published on April 25 that "the onus (is) on the Houthis to stop the Red Sea attacks, adding, "That can prompt us all to begin to dial back, to de-escalate, to return the situation in Yemen to where it was on Oct. 6, which had considerably more promise and possibility than what exists now, and that's where we want to return the focus."

On the Gaza war, Lenderking said, "We cannot escape what's happening in Gaza," adding, "Not one single day goes by when the people I talk to about Yemen don't also talk about Gaza. So we know this is a searing and very, very important situation that must be dealt with."

The Yemeni foreign ministry statement further criticized Washington for standing "against the will of all world nations, including its own people who are expressing fierce opposition to the involvement of the Biden administration in the heinous crimes that Zionists are committing against Gazans."

"The US has rather resorted to the brutal suppression of pro-Palestine protests at its own university campuses than to respond to global demands [for an end to Gaza war]. Such conduct has exposed the hollowness of its slogans about democracy," the ministry pointed out.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have staged numerous pro-Palestinian strikes since October 7, when the Israeli regime began the Gaza war.

American and British warships have been carrying out attacks against the Arab Peninsula nation as means of trying to halt strikes that it has been conducting against Israeli vessels or those heading towards the ports lying in the occupied Palestinian territories.

At least 34,488 Palestinians have been killed and 77,643 others wounded in the brutal Israeli military onslaught that was launched following Al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation staged by Gaza's resistance groups.

The US has been the main supporter of Israel, proving it with munitions and political support in its brutal war on Gaza. Washington has also used its veto power to protect Israel against UN resolutions.

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Israel to launch Rafah invasion if no deal reached on captives in 72 hours: Report

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 10:45 AM

The Israeli military has reportedly finalized plans to launch an all-out military offensive against the densely-populated southern Gaza city of Rafah in the next 72 hours.

The Israeli Ynet news site reported on Tuesday that the occupation army's chief of staff Herzi Halevi had approved final plans for the phased invasion of Rafah as well as the refugee camps in the central Gaza strip.

The report said that the next 48 to 72 hours will see either a deal on captives or the commencement of the assault.

Israeli tanks are lined up on the border between Gaza and the occupied territories and ready to start the raid, it added, noting that the attack can be halted or delayed in case of progress in talks over captives.

Israel waged the US-backed Gaza onslaught on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out a historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

During its operation, Hamas took 253 Israeli settlers into captivity. It is believed that 129 of the captives remain in Gaza  not all of them alive  after 105 were released during a week-long truce in late November.

Some of the captives were killed in Israeli air strikes on the besieged territory.

Rafah, situated in the Gaza Strip's closed southern border with Egypt, is home to around 1.5 million Palestinians who have been displaced due to Israel's genocidal war on the besieged territory.

Israel had designated Rafah a "safe zone," but in recent months it has been threatening a full-scale military aggression, leaving the people sheltering there terrified with nowhere to go.

The assault has mounted fears over a new carnage against Palestinians and drawn global condemnations.

In February, World Health Organization (WHO) doctors warned that the Israeli offensive against Rafah would create "a human disaster beyond imagination".

The Tel Aviv regime has so far killed at least 34,535 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 77,704 others.

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April 30, 2024: Iran launched over 300 hundred UAVs and ballistic missiles at Israel on April 13th. This was in retaliation for an April 1 Israeli air strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria that killed two senior IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) leaders. Iran retaliated with an unprecedented direct attack on Israel using missiles and UAVs launched from Iran rather than just using the usual Iran-backed proxies of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Israeli air defenses, American aircraft and warships, British aircraft and Jordanian aircraft and air defenses offshore destroyed all of the Iranian UAVs and missiles headed for inhabited areas in Israel. The Jordanians took down Iranian drones violating Jordanian airspace. British jet fighters operated from a base Britain has long maintained on the island of Cyprus. It only takes 40 minutes for an aircraft to fly from the Cyprus base to Israel. Despite the hundreds of UAVs and missiles launched at Israel, the only damage done occurred at an Israeli air force base in southern Israel. The damage was described as minor and there were a few civilian casualties, mainly from the debris of intercepted UAVs and missiles falling to the ground.

After their attack was concluded, Iran said that their retaliation was over. The implication was that if Israel retaliated it would be an unjustified act war. Iran might just appeal to the UN and world opinion to declare Israel the aggressor.

Meanwhile Iran-supported groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and various other terror groups like ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) were ordered to attack Israel. Iran is so desperate to destroy or weaken Israel that it cooperates with extremist Arab Sunni Moslems, who rarely cooperate with each other and often attack members of the minority Shia Islam factions like Iran.

Iran is unique in that it is a nation of Indo-European people living in a region dominated by Arab Sunnis and a relatively small number of Israeli Indo-European and Semitic Jews. Hatred of Jews and Christians is an old custom in the region which is changing as more affluent Gulf Arabs seek to do business with the even more affluent Jews of Israel and Christians of Lebanon. These new attempts to establish cooperation were disrupted by Hamas, a Sunni Palestinian group that has been around since the 1980s and recently sought to drive Israelis out of Gaza, an area that Hamas ruled for nearly two decades and, until October 2023, only occasionally attacked Israel. Hamas radicals convinced many Hamas Gaza Palestinians to attack Israel and seek to replace Israel with a Palestinian State.

That effort failed but some residual violence is still taking place outside Gaza, in the Palestinian Left Bank territory, which holds three million Palestinians ruled by corrupt leaders who, when it is in their interest, encourage Palestinians to attack Israelis. Shia Iran rarely gets involved with what goes on in the Christian and Sunni Palestinian Left Bank. Iran does sponsor Hezbollah, a large Shia Arab militia in southern Lebanon that frequently fires rockets, supplied by Iran, into Israel. Iran has long been content to just support Hezbollah and use the militia to engage in any mischief Iran approves of. Hezbollah also collects information about Israeli activities for the Iranians. Israel knows this and only bashes Hezbollah a bit while obtaining information about Hezbollah and Iranian activities in the area by using informants, often Lebanese Christians who do this so they can obtain refuge in Israel if they are threatened in Lebanon.

Espionage and efforts to revive ancient animosities have become common activities in Lebanon, which has been a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-national state for centuries. Iranian interference is not appreciated by the locals because the Iranians are active in an effort to promote violence against Israel. The locals realize this is a bad idea because the Israelis are the best armed group and militarily powerful group in the region. Israel also has the Americans and several European nations as trading partners and allies. As an old saying goes, choose your friends carefully and your enemies even more carefully. This attitude has been practiced for thousands of years in the Middle East and applies now more than ever.
Fight for Sudan's El-Fasher sparks concerns over 'large-scale massacre'

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 8:19 AM

The fight for the Sudanese city of El-Fasher has raised concerns about an imminent large-scale massacre in the humanitarian hub in the Darfur region.

Violent clashes have been reported in El-Fasher and surrounding villages since mid-April. The city had been relatively calm since the war erupted in Sudan last year between the army and a rival paramilitary force.

Reports say the fighters loyal to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are preparing for an "imminent assault" on El-Fasher.

El-Fasher "is on the precipice of a large-scale massacre. This is not conjecture. This is the grim reality facing millions of people," Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, told journalists following a UN Security Council meeting on Sudan on Monday.

"There are already credible reports that the RSF and its allied militias have razed multiple villages west of El-Fasher, and as we speak, the RSF is planning an imminent attack on El-Fasher," which "would be a disaster on top of a disaster," Thomas-Greenfield said.

The RSF has been fighting the army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, for control of the North African country since April 15 last year in a war that has killed thousands of people and displaced eight million amid warnings of famine.

El-Fasher is the latest flashpoint in a year-old war between Sudan's military and the Rapid Support Forces.

Foreign powers are accused of fueling the fight, especially the United Arab Emirates.

UN sanctions monitors have described as "credible" accusations that the United Arab Emirates had provided military support to the RSF, a charge the UAE denies.

El-Fasher functions as the main humanitarian hub in the vast western region of Darfur, home to around a quarter of Sudan's 48 million people.

Earlier this month, top United Nations officials warned the Security Council that about 800,000 individuals residing around El-Fasher are currently facing an alarming and imminent threat.

"Fighting in El-Fasher could unleash bloody intercommunal strife throughout Darfur," Rosemary DiCarlo, political affairs chief of the UN, said on April 19.

"The violence poses an extreme and immediate danger to the 800,000 civilians who reside in El Fasher," also warned the UN aid operations director, Edem Wosornu.

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US Congress threatens ICC with retaliation over arrest warrants for Israeli officials

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 7:34 AM

American lawmakers are in the process of drafting a bill aimed at responding to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in case it decides to issue arrest warrants against high-ranking Israeli officials accused of committing war crimes in Gaza.

The legislation is being drafted in a retaliatory move against the ICC to prevent it from issuing arrest warrants against Israeli officials. It could also include sanctions against certain officials of the ICC, according to American news outlet Axios.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday that the US did not support the ICC investigation, questioning the competency of the tribunal. "We don't believe that they have the jurisdiction," Jean-Pierre said.

Michael McCaul, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also anticipated the unveiling of a House bill that mirrors Senator Tom Cotton's proposal to impose sanctions on ICC officials who are part of inquiries targeting the US and its partners, he told Axios.

Representative Brad Sherman also said that the US should "think of whether we stay a signatory" to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. "We have to think about talking to some of the countries that have ratified [the treaty] as to whether they want to support the organization," he said.

Pro-Israeli Democratic lawmakers, Representative Ritchie Torres and Senator John Fetterman, have also expressed concern regarding possible warrants, urging for action from both Congress and US President Joe Biden to block them.

"I know Congress will ensure consequences for such an absurd decision," Sherman said in a post on a social media platform.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson has criticized the possible warrants as "disgraceful" and "lawless," cautioning about severe repercussions if not dealt with.

"If unchallenged by the Biden administration, the ICC could create and assume unprecedented power to issue arrest warrants against American political leaders, American diplomats, and American military personnel," Johnson said.

He urged the Biden administration to "immediately and unequivocally demand that the ICC stand down" and "use every available tool to prevent such an abomination."

The ICC, located in The Hague, the Netherlands, is currently conducting investigations into reported war crimes committed by the Israeli military.

It has been looking into accusations of war crimes involving the Israeli military factions since 2014.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly requested the intervention of Biden to avert the issuance of arrest warrants.

"As we have publicly said many times, the ICC has no jurisdiction in this situation and we do not support its investigation," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, who declined to comment over the details of Netanyahu's call with Biden, told Axios.

Although neither Israel nor the US are members of the ICC, Israeli officials face potential risk of arrest in various other countries due to the imminent issuance of warrants.

Having joined the ICC, the majority of European nations are obligated by law to detain individuals targeted by an ICC arrest warrant.

Israel, which currently faces genocidal crimes at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has killed 34,488 Palestinians since last October when it waged a bloody war on the Gaza Strip. Over 77,643 other Palestinians have also been injured, and around 8,400 may be trapped under rubble.

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Gaza aid flotilla delayed after Guinea Bissau removes flag due to Israel pressure: Activists

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 7:17 AM

Activists say a humanitarian aid flotilla aiming to set off from Turkey to deliver urgent aid to the besieged Gaza Strip has been further delayed after Guinea Bissau removed its flag from two vessels under the Israeli regime's pressure.

Activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which is comprised of human rights activists, including lawyers, doctors and nurses who came together to deliver aid directly to Gaza, announced over the weekend that the convoy of vessels was unable to set sail over the past few days after the West African country of Guinea Bissau withdrew its flag from the vessels.

"The Guinea-Bissau International Ships Registry (GBISR), in a blatantly political move, informed the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that it had withdrawn the Guinea Bissau flag from two of the Freedom Flotilla's ships, one of which is our cargo ship, already loaded with over 5,000 tons of life-saving aid," the activists said.

The move came after Guinea Bissau authorities apparently had been making several "unusual and political" requests for sensitive information about destinations, estimated arrival dates and times, cargo manifest and potential additional port calls.

According to the Gaza aid flotilla's organizers, the reason for the withdrawal of the vessels and subsequent delay of the flotilla's schedule is directly a result of pressure from Israel and the United States.

"Normally, national flagging authorities concern themselves only with safety and related standards on vessels bearing their flag," the coalition said.

The three-strong flotilla had been due to sail on Friday from ports in Turkey with more than 5,000 tons of aid on board.

The purpose of the flotilla is to "put the genocide in Gaza firmly on the agenda of international decision-makers and states, and to create a strong initiative to end the Israeli aggression and lift the embargo on the territory," the activists had stated.

The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) is the primary organizer of the civilian Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

Activists of 12 national human rights groups from various countries, including Germany, Malaysia, Palestine, Norway, Argentina, Spain, Canada, and South Africa, accompanied by journalists, will reportedly participate in the effort.

In 2010, a similar mission with ships carrying over 600 activists from more than 30 countries, gained worldwide attention after an Israeli raid on a flotilla that included a Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, killed 10 people and sparked a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel.

Israel waged its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The Tel Aviv regime has so far killed at least 34,488 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 77,643 others.

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Manila says China obstructs, damages its ships at disputed shoal

Scarborough Shoal is located within the Philippine exclusive economic zone but under de-facto control by China.

By RFA Staff 2024.04.30 -- The Philippines said that Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons at two of its ships on Tuesday, causing some damage in the latest confrontation near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

The shoal, called Bajo De Masinloc in the Philippines and Huangyan Dao in China, is within the Philippine exclusive economic zone but is under de-facto control by China.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said in a statement that the Philippine coast guard ship BRP Bagacay and fishery patrol ship BRP Bankaw were carrying out "a legitimate maritime patrol" in the waters near the shoal.

"During the patrol, the Philippine vessels encountered dangerous maneuvers and obstruction from four China Coast Guard vessels and six Chinese maritime militia vessels," Tarriela said.

Chinese vessels fired water cannons at the BRP Bankaw first, and afterwards at the BRP Bagacay, causing damage to both ships, he said.

Philippine media reported that Chinese coast guard ship 3305 also collided with the BRP Bankaw, damaging its railings.

A video clip released by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the BRP Bagacay being shot at with powerful streams of water by Chinese vessels 3105 and 5303. As a result, the Philippine ship's suffered damage to its railing and canopy.

"This damage serves as evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China Coast Guard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels," the Philippine spokesman said, adding that the Philippine ships continued their maritime patrol despite the harassment.

The Chinese Coast Guard has also installed a 380-meter floating barrier that covers the entire entrance of the shoal, "effectively restricting access to the area," Tarriela noted.

Chinese spy ship

China Coast Guard Spokesperson Gan Yu said that on April 30, Philippine Coast Guard Ship 4410 and Government Ship 3004 ignored China's repeated warnings, insisting on "invading the waters" adjacent to China's Huangyan Island.

"In accordance with the law, the Chinese Coast Guard took necessary measures such as follow-up, water cannon warnings, and blockade control to drive away illegally intruding Philippine ships," the statement said.

China claimed its operations were "professional, standardized and legal," saying the Philippines' actions "infringe on China's sovereignty and seriously violate international law and basic norms of international relations."

It urged the Philippines to stop what it called "infringement" on territory where China claims sovereignty, saying the Coast Guard would continue to carry out "rights protection" in the area.

China's state media reported on Tuesday morning that Chinese ships expelled two Philippine vessels that "intruded into the waters adjacent to Huangyan Dao."

China's state-run tabloid Global Times quoted a Chinese analyst as saying that "professional control measures taken by the Chinese side are required to prevent the escalation of a possible maritime confrontation."

The Philippines says its ships that routinely sail to the area around the Scarborough Shoal to distribute fuel and food supplies to fishermen have been harassed by Chinese vessels.

China claims historical rights over most of the South China Sea even though a landmark international arbitration case brought by Manila in 2016 rejected those claims entirely.

The Scarborough Shoal was under the Philippines' control until 2012 when a standoff resulted in China's taking over.

The latest confrontation took place as a major U.S.-Philippines annual military exercise is underway, this year with the participation of France and Australia.

Exercise Balikatan 2024 has just completed a five-day multilateral maritime exercise component that began on Apr. 25.

The combined naval force of one U.S. and one French warship, together with two Philippine vessels, was constantly shadowed by Chinese surveillance ships, as well as other surface combatants, according to the Philippine military, quoted in domestic media.

Surveillance ships, commonly known as "spy ships" for their reconnaissance capabilities, have been frequently spotted at the times the United States and its allies stage major naval drills, including the biennial Rim of the Pacific.

Radio Free Asia contacted the Chinese foreign ministry for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

More than 16,000 troops from the Philippines and the U.S are taking part in the Balikatan 2024 which is scheduled to end on May 10.

Edited by Taejun Kang.

Jason Gutierrez in Manila contributed to this report.

Updated with China Coast Guard statement.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content April not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Riot Police Attempt To Break Up Large Protest Against 'Foreign Agents' Bill In Tbilisi

By RFE/RL's Georgian Service April 30, 2024

TBILISI -- Georgian security forces used tear gas against protesters in a crackdown on a large demonstration outside parliament late on April 30 after lawmakers debated a foreign agents bill that is regarded by many as mirroring one used by the Kremlin to silence its critics.

Thousands of demonstrators remained in the streets even after police officers attempted to break up the protest using tear gas and water cannons. There were an unknown number of arrests and injuries.

At least two incidents in which a masked person punched demonstrators in the face were recorded by an RFE/RL reporter at the scene.

Riot police earlier used pepper spray and batons to clear some protesters who were trying to prevent lawmakers from leaving the back entrance of parliament.

The demonstration was the latest in a series of mass protests over the past two weeks against the legislation put forward by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Critics call the bill "the Russian law," and President Salome Zurabishvili, who has distanced herself from the policies of the ruling party, has promised to veto it if it is formally adopted in a third reading, as expected.

However, the government has the votes to override a veto and has said it will do so. Lawmakers ended the session on April 30 without a vote, and the debate will resume on May 1.

Levan Ioseliani, public defender of Georgia, said there were reports of possible excesses of force by law enforcement officers circulating on social media and called on demonstrators "not to go beyond the scope of the peaceful assembly."

Ioseliani warned that the use of any kind of force or special means by law enforcement officers "must meet the strict test of necessity and proportionality." The use of pepper spray aimed at the face is not allowed, he said, adding that the use of any special means must be preceded by a warning.

The demonstration came a day after Georgian Dream staged a large counterdemonstration outside the parliament building in support of the bill, ferrying in people from all over the country.

Ex-Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, the influential billionaire founder of the Georgian Dream party, lashed out at opponents of the bill during the rally in support of the proposed legislation, while accusing foreign intelligence agencies of interfering in the Caucasus country's internal politics.

Another former prime minister, Irakli Garibashvili, currently the chairman of Georgian Dream, and other party leaders say the legislation is intended to increase transparency in the country's political environment.

In a statement announcing the fresh protest, some 20 NGOs said that "by adopting the Russian law," Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream "are planning repression against the people...election-rigging, censorship, and a Soviet-style totalitarian regime."

If adopted, the law would require organizations and groups to register as "foreign agents" if they receive more than 20 percent of funding from abroad.

The battle over the legislation has highlighted Georgia's precarious relationship with Russia.

Anti-Russian sentiment can often be strong in Georgia. Russian troops still control around one-fifth of Georgian territory, most of it taken during a lightning war in 2008 that was ostensibly about breakaway efforts in two northeastern regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

While the government remains against Russia's occupation and also supports Ukraine in its war with Russia, it has also made moves to align itself more economically with Moscow, and the opposition has accused Ivanishvili of using his influence to push the country in a pro-Russia direction.

The European Union, which gave Georgia candidate status in December, has said that adoption of the bill, which is "incompatible" with the bloc's values, would disrupt the country's membership hopes.

On April 29, two influential U.S. lawmakers said the bill was mirroring the one pushed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling the draft legislation "incredibly concerning" and urging Georgia's government to listen to its people and reverse it.

"Putin used this 'foreign agents law' to drastically curb free speech, all but eliminate Russian civil society, and further solidify his brutal rule as a dictator," Representatives Gerry Connolly (Democrat-Virginia) and Austin Scott (Republican-Georgia), the co-chairs of the Congressional Georgia Caucus, said in a statement.

"It is incredibly concerning for the Republic of Georgia, a democratic partner of the United States that has received EU candidate status, to introduce and advance legislation that mimics Putin's same anti-democratic instrument," Connolly and Scott said in their statement.

"We continue to support the Georgian people in their path to Euro-Atlantic inclusion and urge leaders to heed their calls for a flourishing and unimpeded civil society, independent judiciary, and a government that respects the rule of law and holds those who engage in corruption accountable," the statement said.

The U.S. lawmakers issued their statement after the parliament's Legal Committee approved the second reading during a stormy session that saw all opposition members expelled from the premises.

Online and print media reporters were also banned from attending the session, with organizers only giving access to accredited news outlets due to "security" reasons.

The press center also banned visitors, with the exception of those "invited by the relevant structures," from entering the building.

Georgian Dream introduced the legislation last year but was forced to withdraw it following mass protests. The party's parliamentary group brought the law back with minor wording changes and passed its first reading on April 17, again triggering unrest.

The final reading of the bill is scheduled to be debated on May 17.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-parliament-foreign- agents-bill-protests/32927371.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Georgian 'Foreign Agent' Bill Would Hamper NGOs, OSCE Official Warns

By Nino Gelashvili April 30, 2024

A draft bill Georgia's government is pushing through parliament, the so-called "foreign agents" bill, will place a blanket label on civil society organizations and human rights defenders that creates an atmosphere of "mistrust, fear and hostility" making it difficult for the country's civil society to operate, according to a senior official at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Matteo Mecacci, director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) at the OSCE, told RFE/RL's Georgian Service on April 30 that the bill, which has sparked huge protests in the capital, Tbilisi, and called into question the Caucasus nation's subsequent path towards membership in the European Union, will have "negative consequences for civil society.

"The draft law imposes restrictions on civil society organizations for receiving foreign funding, which is too broad. Some of the provisions are also vague which increases the risk of arbitrary application," he explained.

"If the essence and content of the draft law is approved, the impact on civil society will still be negative," he added.

Georgia's parliament was set to vote on April 30 on the second reading of the controversial bill that critics at home and abroad say mirrors Kremlin legislation that has been used in Russia to silence critics and dissent.

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets of Tbilisi for more than two weeks to protest the legislation introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The United States, Britain, and the European Union, which granted Georgia candidate status in December, have all criticized the bill. EU officials have said it could halt Georgia's progress toward integration with the bloc.

If adopted, the law would require organizations and groups to register as "foreign agents" if they receive more than 20 percent of funding from abroad.

"I understand that the majority of civil society organizations in Georgia receive financial support from international donor institutions, (and indeed almost all larger organizations voluntarily reveal the list of their donors)," Mecacci said in written remarks to questions from RFE/RL.

"This draft law, if adopted, would therefore turn the vast majority of civil society institutions overnight into 'foreign agents' or 'representatives of foreign powers,' which is contrary to the spirit of international cooperation."

At a pro-government rally in Tbilisi on April 29, former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire who founded the ruling Georgian Dream party and remains influential, claimed that a "global party of war" had hijacked the EU and NATO and was using those institutions to undermine Georgian sovereignty.

Critics say the legislation is similar to a law in Russia that first targeted NGOs and rights groups before being expanded to include media organizations, individual journalists, YouTube vloggers, and others who receive money from outside of Russia. Kyrgyzstan has passed similar legislation and lawmakers in Kazakhstan have been mulling such a move.

Such "foreign agent" laws have a "chilling effect" on civil society, said Mecacci, who headed the OSCE election observation mission to Georgia in 2013 and was a member of the Italian parliament.

"A blanket label on civil society organizations and human rights defenders as foreign agents or anything similar creates an atmosphere of mistrust, fear and hostility that makes it difficult for civil society to operate, Mecacci explained.

"The European Court of Human Rights has also said clearly that this kind of labelling is not just unjustified and prejudicial, but also has a strongly stigmatizing effect on their activities."

Backers of the Georgian bill defend it by claiming it is similar to legislation in Western countries, including the United States.

That comparison was misleading if not flat-out false, argued Mecacci.

"There is a fundamental difference between the draft law under discussion and legislation in the U.S. and some other countries.

"In the latter, the legislation does not label civil society simply for receiving foreign funding, but rather seeks to ensure that private companies or nonprofits that take part in advocacy or lobbying efforts on behalf of a foreign power, register with the authorities, and then that this information is made publicly available," he said.

"Such legislation does not apply to independent civil society organizations or media as such, and the mere receipt of funding from abroad is not sufficient to presume that they are "agents" of a foreign power and put into question their independence. The issue is not the origin of the funding received by the organization, but the nature of its activities and the work they conduct in the country."

The Georgian bill is nearly identical to a proposal that the governing party was pressured to withdraw last year after large street protests.

The only change in wording from the previous draft law says noncommercial organizations and news media that receive 20 percent or more of their funding from overseas would have to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power." The previous draft law said "agents of foreign influence."

Although Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili says she would veto the law if it is passed by parliament in the third reading, the ruling party can override this by collecting 76 votes. Then the parliament speaker can sign it into law.

The final reading of the bill is scheduled to be debated on May 17.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/georgian-foreign-agent- bill-osce-ngos/32927822.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Palestinian Political Groups Reject Israel's Proposal to Send Arab Troops to Gaza - Hamas

Sputnik News

20240330

TUNIS (Sputnik) - Political groups making up the Alliance of Palestinian Forces have rejected Israel's proposal to send Arab troops to the Gaza Strip, Palestinian movement Hamas said on Saturday.

On Friday, Axios reported, citing two senior Israeli officials, that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during his recent visit to the United States, suggested forming a multinational contingent with Arab troops to bolster Gaza's law and order and ensure safe humanitarian aid delivery.

"The factions of the Alliance of Palestinian Forces reject the Israeli proposal to send Arab forces to govern Gaza and warn against its consequences," Hamas said in a statement.

The statement also claimed that the Israeli proposal was "a new Zionist trap and a lie."

"Turning to certain Arab countries for help, it [Israel], together with the US, seeks to avoid a horrible defeat they have suffered ... to get the occupation army out of the huge moor it finds itself trapped in the Gaza Strip," the statement read.

Aside from Hamas, the Alliance includes Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and several other organizations that have their own military wings.

On Thursday, the International Court of Justice said that Israel must ensure the unhindered access of humanitarian aid and all necessary services to the Gaza Strip.

 Sputnik

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Secretary Antony J. Blinken Remarks to Press

US Department of State

Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization

Amman, Jordan

April 30, 2024

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good evening, everyone. Since October 7th and the conflict between Israel and Hamas, we've put a focus on trying to make sure that those so desperately in need in Gaza get the humanitarian assistance they require. And this has been part of our work every single day. It's also been the focus of every single one of my trips to the region.

The United States remains the largest provider of humanitarian assistance and assistance in general to the Palestinian people, but we're determined that people get the assistance that they need. And we're doing that in parallel with seeking to secure the ceasefire and the release of hostages. That's also the best way to create an environment in which we can maximize assistance getting in, ease the suffering of people, and also to create the conditions for an enduring, lasting peace.

In their recent conversations, including on April 4th, President Biden has made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli Government the imperative of taking concrete, measurable steps to improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those who need it as well as to protect civilians and those who are delivering the assistance to people in need.

Here today in Jordan, I had an opportunity to meet with Gazan women who were able to get out of Gaza and are now here in Jordan. I heard their stories. I heard the suffering that they endured and that their friends and family continue to endure every day. I also met with the king, King Abdullah, as well as Foreign Minister Safadi, and among other things we focused on the coordination of providing assistance to Gazans and the critical role that Jordan is playing in doing that.

And I also had an opportunity to meet with the senior UN envoy Sigrid Kaag and an entire team of humanitarians from different agencies that are working and coordinating their efforts every single day, and especially to hear from them the progress that's been made but also the work that remains to be done. And that's vitally important.

With me on this trip is our new envoy for humanitarian affairs in the Middle East, Lise Grande, someone who is deeply experienced, most recently running the U.S. Institute for Peace but before that a long career doing humanitarian development work, including at the United Nations. She's taking the baton from Ambassador Satterfield. You'll remember that President Biden appointed him one week after October 7th. He's done extraordinary work to try to improve conditions for Gazans and create a better flow of humanitarian assistance. But we're delighted that Lise has taken on this effort and carrying the baton forward. The President, myself, have tremendous confidence in her abilities to take this on.

What we've seen in the last few weeks is clear and demonstrable progress in getting more assistance into Gaza and getting more of it around within Gaza. And in particular, we've seen the opening of new crossings, including Erez, which was hugely important. We see now the use of Ashdod and the port to flow things into - from Israel and then into Gaza. We have other efforts that have been undertaken. We have our maritime corridor that we've been working on that I'd say about a week from now will be ready to go. That will also significantly increase the assistance - not a substitute for these land access routes but an important complement to them.

And right here in Jordan, we're seeing a direct route from Jordan to northern Gaza through Erez, the first shipments leaving today. And in fact, the pallets that you see right here are exactly what's going into Gaza - again, directly from Jordan. The Jordanians are doing a remarkable job putting this together. We're supporting that effort directly, and then this is moving much more effectively and efficiently into Gaza and to the people who need it in the north.

So this is real and important progress, but more still needs to be done. And in particular, we have to make sure that our focus is not only on inputs but on impact and really measuring whether the aid that people need is actually getting to them in an effective way. And there we have some ongoing challenges that have to be met to make sure that the volume of assistance that needs to get in is getting there, the variety of assistance is getting in - not only food but also medicine and other things that people critically need.

We still have to have a deconfliction mechanism that is effective and works. That's a work in progress. It needs to happen. We need to make sure that there are enough drivers and enough trucks within Gaza so that once the assistance gets to Gaza there's an effective distribution mechanism. And it's also critically important that there be a clear, affirmative list of items, of products that are - that were required for the well-being of people in Gaza, that there is a clear list, that it's well understood, and that we don't have arbitrary denials of products that need to get into Gaza.

And finally, and maybe equally significantly, as critical as food obviously is, it's not enough because you also need the entire ecosystem of support that continues to be lacking - it's water, it's sanitation, it's desalination, and it's medicine and the medical facilities to make sure that people can get care. All of this is essential if the well-being of the people of Gaza is going to be met and attended to.

So we're going to drive forward on all these fronts. Today, having heard directly from the humanitarians and the UN, I am now able to go to Israel tomorrow and go over with the Israeli Government the things that still need to be done if the test is going to be met of making sure that people have what they need, and we'll be doing that tomorrow directly with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other members of the Israeli Government.

So let me leave it there for now, and I'm sure we'll have an opportunity to report more tomorrow on our stop in Israel.

MR MILLER: Michael.

QUESTION: Yeah, Mr. Secretary - is this working? Mr. Secretary, I'm Michael Gordon, Wall Street Journal. You said yesterday in Riyadh that the U.S. had not yet seen a humanitarian plan from Israel that gives you the confidence that civilians can be effectively protected if Israel is to proceed with a Rafah operation. Today, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel has already begun evacuating civilians in Rafah and that, quote, "there [would] be an operation there soon." My question is: Do you have a firm commitment from Israel that it will not proceed with a Rafah operation until they have presented the United States with an updated and detailed humanitarian plan that gives you such confidence? And do you have information from Israel or otherwise to believe a Rafah operation is imminent?

And then a last point of clarification. The Israeli prime minister also said today that Israeli forces would enter Rafah with or without a deal, meaning if a ceasefire was arranged and it expired, they would come in after that. Does this decision to conduct an operation with or without a ceasefire deal complicate or even jeopardize your efforts to get a normalization agreement and to lay the groundwork for a Palestinian state? Does it complicate the effort to get a ceasefire? Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thanks, Michael. Look, our views on Rafah I think are very well known. The President's been very clear about it. I've been clear about it and repeated it as recently as yesterday. Where our focus is right now with - along with the humanitarian effort, our focus right now is on getting a ceasefire and hostages home. That is the most urgent thing, and it's also I think what is achievable, because the Israelis have put a strong proposal on the table. They've demonstrated that they're willing to compromise, and now it's on Hamas. And no more delays, no more excuses - the time to act is now.

So our focus is on this, and we want to see in the coming days this agreement coming together, because, again, that is the best way, the most effective way, to really deal with the suffering of the people and also to create an environment in which we can hopefully move forward to something that's really sustainable and that has lasting peace for the people who so desperately need it and lasting security for Israelis as well.

MR MILLER: Missy.

QUESTION: Hi, Mr. Secretary. I have two questions. The first one is on aid to Gaza. You've mentioned impact, and it now seems that the biggest emerging problem is the aid shipments increases distribution of aid within the strip, but Israel and the UN continue to blame each other for the distribution problems within Gaza. You mentioned some of them - the trucks, deconfliction, other things. What specifically does the U.S. Government think needs to be done and by whom to address those problems?

And then the second question about human rights. This administration came into office saying it would put human rights at the center of its foreign policy. But six months into the war, there's a widespread perception in many parts of the world that the U.S. is failing to call out violations of IHL by Israel in Gaza and that there's a double standard when it comes to human rights in Israel. Whether or not that perception is justified or not, what steps are you taking to ensure that this perception doesn't undermine your global human rights agenda, which I know is something that you personally care about?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Look, first on the aid, what I heard today from the UN and the other humanitarians and notably from the senior UN envoy, and this is Sigrid Kaag, is a determination to work closely and effectively with all concerned to make sure that the aid is getting in and then getting to people who need it. And this is not about pointing fingers and playing a blame game. It's about taking the practical, concrete steps that are necessary to make this work as effectively as it possibly can. And I heard a determination to do that. I'm going to make sure that Israel has the same determination, because that's the only thing that counts.

And it's clear that there are some things that need to happen that haven't happened that - to really maximize these efforts and maximize the impact, not just the inputs. And for example - you mentioned a couple of them - we need to get more trucks into Gaza itself so that once the aid is there it can get distributed. We need to make sure that there's a steady flow of drivers who can get in and be there to drive these trucks. There's got to be a sufficient supply of fuel to make sure that the trucks can move around. There are things like road repairs that continue to have to take place.

And then as I mentioned, there's everything else that's attendant to this, particularly when it comes to repairing water pipelines. The Israelis are working on that, not only the lines that go into Gaza but within Gaza, the distribution networks. The same thing for sanitation. Anyway, there's a really important list of things that need to get done, and we want to make sure that everyone is working together to actually get it done.

When it comes to human rights, look, let me be very clear, there is no double standard. We apply the same standards to everyone around the world, including Israel. We do the work on a regular basis when we have reports of human rights violations. And we work through that, and we work through the process, and we do it the same way with Israel as we would do with any other country, and whether that's an ally or partner or whether that may be an adversary.

And so you've seen that - some of the work that we're doing, including applying the Leahy Law and other steps that we're taking. And again, we'll let the results speak for themselves. We will let the work that we're doing and the conclusions that we reach and the actions we take speak for themselves.

Thank you.

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Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

April 30, 2024

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman today. The Secretary discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire that secures the release of hostages and emphasized that Hamas should accept the proposal on the table. The Secretary also discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve enduring peace in the region, including through a pathway to an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel. Secretary Blinken thanked King Abdullah for Jordan's leadership in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, including joint U.S.-Jordan airdrops that to date have delivered over 1,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza. The two leaders discussed joint efforts to expedite the flow of additional urgently needed aid to Gaza from Jordan through land routes. The Secretary also commended the King's commitment to economic modernization and vital public sector reforms.

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Secretary Antony J. Blinken And UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag Before Their Meeting

US Department of State

Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Amman, Jordan

April 30, 2024

MS KAAG: (Inaudible.) I'd like to obviously welcome you, Secretary of State Antony Blinken. And my team, we're delighted to have precious moments of your time to update you and brief you very much on all the work that's ongoing in pursuit of Security Council Resolution 2720, upscaling humanitarian assistance and ensuring that it reaches the people in Gaza. It means so much.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, Sigrid, thank you very much, and I was very anxious to have this opportunity, even though we're always in regular contact, to hear directly from you, from the entire team that's doing extraordinary work to try to make sure that the people in Gaza get the help and support, the assistance they need. This is a critical moment in making sure that everything that needs to be done actually is being done, but your expertise, the work that you're doing every single day really informs what we're doing in trying to - trying to help advance. So thank you for - everyone for getting together today, and we're just anxious to hear from you.

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May 1, 2024: The US Air Force has invested heavily in its new F-35A fighter and is planning to purchase 1,763 of them at a cost of about $450 million each. While an F-35A costs $130 million, the cost of maintaining and operating each aircraft throughout its expected service life increases to nearly half a billion dollars each. Over the last 40 years, over 4.500 F-16s have been built and put into service. Currently about 3,000 F-16s are still flying. Since it first entered service, F-16s have shot down 76 aircraft while five F-16s have been lost to ground fire and one was lost in flight as two F-16s accidentally collided. One aircraft was able to land safely while the other F-16 was lost and its pilot killed.

Plans to replace F-16s with F-35s are in danger of being rendered obsolete because the fighting in Ukraine demonstrated that the air war has moved to lower altitudes and is being fought with UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) costing less, often much less than $15,000 each. These UAVs often have human operators who are five or ten kilometers away but still close enough to the fighting to be attacked by hostile UAVs. In Ukraine the vast majority of surveillance and attack missions are carried out by UAVs, leaving little work for manned aircraft. Transport aircraft and some specialized surveillance like AWACS are still around but four and twin engine AWACS aircraft are being replaced by UAVs. While surveillance UAVs may last for a year or two in wartime, the majority of UAVs are armed with explosives and used once to attack a target. Those attacks are not always successful because of ground fire or electronic warfare efforts that cause the attacking UAV to crash.

The U.S. Air Force has noticed all this and is considering the elimination of many current F-16s and reducing the number of F-35s purchased and put into service. Currently the plan is for over 5,000 F-35s to be built by 2035 for the U.S. and its allies. As of early 2024 there are no F-35s in service because of problems with the software. Unlike the F-16, the F-35 is heavily dependent on its software to achieve what the aircraft was designed to do. When the software doesnt work, neither does the F-35.

F-16s are still in service and are now a stable and reliable design. So far, the average F-16 has served f0r about 17 years. During that time, it spent about 200 hours in the air each year. In wartime, or a period when hostilities are a possibility for F-16s, flight hours can reach over 300 hours a year. An F-16 spends three to four hours in the air each time it is sent out on a mission. These flights can be for training or combat. Since the 1990s combat missions have not been very dangerous for F-16s because these fighters were used as bombers and smart bombs or missiles were used. These weapons could be used high enough and far enough away from enemy anti-aircraft weapons to keep the F-16s safe from enemy fire. But not safe from obsolescence and replacement by cheaper and more useful UAVs. This shift is being demonstrated in Ukraine. While Ukraine requested F-16s and these are now arriving, there wont be much for them to do. Originally the plan was the F-16s could deal with the few modern Russian combat aircraft operating along the border between Russia and Ukraine.

Over two years of combat in Ukraine have demonstrated that the best way to deal with enemy aircraft and missiles is with anti-aircraft missiles like Patriot and the European IRIS-T. Patriot is particularly effective at intercepting Russian missiles. Meanwhile the increased use of UAVs provided most of the airstrikes and surveillance the troops needed. Soldiers prefer air support delivered by UAVs because the troops control the UAVs. Soldiers used UAVs to find targets and then used explosives equipped UAVs to damage or destroy the targets. With manned aircraft the troops on the ground have to depend on someone on the ground communicating effectively with armed aircraft providing support. This is inefficient and dangerous compared to using UAVs. Calling airstrikes takes time and the attacks sometimes hit friendly troops. These problems are largely eliminated when the troops employ UAVs to find and attack targets. These attacks are not only happening more quickly and accurately, but they are a lot cheaper than when a manned aircraft is involved. And that is why the new F-35 is at risk because it has been replaced by cheaper, more reliable and, for the troops, safer UAVs in the ground support role. The air force doesnt like where this is going because it means less work, less need, and a reduced annual budget for the air force.

In early 2024 Ukraine created a new branch of their military, the UAV Force. This is in addition to the Ukrainian Air Force and its manned aircraft. The UAV Force does not control the UAVs Ukrainian forces use regularly but will contribute to developing new UAV models and organizing mass production for those new models that are successful. UAVs have been an unexpected development that had a huge impact on how battles in Ukraine's current war are fought. UAVs were successful because they were cheap, easily modified, and expendable.

Early on both Russian and Ukrainian forces were using cheap, at about $500 each, quadcopter UAVs controlled by soldiers a kilometer or more away using FPV (First Person Viewing) goggles to see what the day/night video camera on the UAV can see. Adding night vision at least doubles the cost for each UAV, so not all of them have that capability. Each of these UAVs carries half a kilogram of explosives, so it can instantly turn the UAV into a flying bomb that can fly into a target and detonate. This was an awesome and debilitating weapon when used in large numbers over the combat zone. If a target isnt moving or requires more explosive power that the UAVs can supply, one of the UAV operators can call in artillery, rocket, or missile fire, or even an airstrike. Larger, fixed wing UAVs are used for long range, often over a thousand kilometers, operations against targets deep inside Russia. Since 2022 the use of UAVs by both sides has escalated and so far about 10,000 UAVs have been put to work providing surveillance and attack services for both sides.

A major limitation to the expansion of UAV operations was the need for trained UAV operators. These operators need over a hundred hours of training before they are able to start operating these UAVs, and another hundred hours of actual use before they are able to make the most out of the system. These small UAVs are difficult to shoot down until they get close to the ground and the shooter is close enough, as in less than a few hundred meters, away to successfully target a UAV with a bullet or two and bring it down. Troops are rarely in position to do this, so most of these UAVs are able to complete their mission, whether it is a one-way attack or a reconnaissance and surveillance mission. The recon missions are usually survivable and enable the UAV to be reused. All these UAVs are constantly performing surveillance, which means that both sides commit enough UAVs to maintain constant surveillance over a portion of the front line, to a depth, into enemy territory, of at least a few kilometers. This massive use of FPV-armed UAVs has revolutionized warfare in Ukraine and both sides are producing as many as they can. Military observers from other countries are reporting that warfare has undergone a fundamental change because of the widespread use of UAVs in Ukraine. Many armed forces at peace are reluctant to change, despite the evidence from Ukraine that any future war will provide the more prolific user of UAVs with a significant edge in combat.
Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Safadi

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

April 30, 2024

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi. Secretary Blinken thanked Jordan for its strong coordination in facilitating the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, including through airdrops and overland deliveries. The Secretary underscored the necessity of expediting the flow of humanitarian assistance to those in need. The two leaders also discussed diplomatic efforts to achieve an enduring end to the war in Gaza that provides lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike, as well as the urgent need to prevent the conflict from spreading.

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UK sanctions corrupt politicians in Uganda who stole from vulnerable communities

The UK has imposed sanctions on Ugandan politicians charged with corruption

30 April 2024

UK imposes sanctions on Ugandan politicians including the Speaker of Parliament following corruption charges for stealing from the poorest communities in Uganda.

This is the first time the UK has used the Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions regime on individuals involved in corruption in Uganda.

New sanctions are part of the UK's continued effort to crack down on serious corruption around the world.

Deputy Foreign Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, has announced sanctions on high profile Ugandan politicians charged with corruption, and the Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, today (30 April).

It is the first time the UK government has used the Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions regime on individuals involved in corruption in Uganda.

The three individuals, two of whom were previously ministers responsible for Uganda's poorest region, Karamoja, and have been charged with corruption at Uganda's Anti-Corruption Court, will be subject to travel bans and asset freezes.

The two former ministers sanctioned - Mary Goretti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu - stole thousands of iron sheets used for roofing and infrastructure from a Ugandan government-funded project aimed at housing some of the most vulnerable communities in the region, providing them to prominent politicians and their families instead.

The Speaker of the Parliament, Anita Annet Among, benefited from the proceeds.

Over 60% of people in Karamoja live in poverty and many suffer from the devastating impacts of drought and insecurity.

Deputy Foreign Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, said:

The actions of these individuals, in taking aid from those who need it most, and keeping the proceeds, is corruption at its worst and has no place in society. The Ugandan courts are rightly taking action to crack down on those politicians who seek to line their own pockets at their constituents' expense. Today the UK is sending a clear message to those who think benefiting at the expense of others is acceptable. Corruption has consequences and you will be held responsible.

The three individuals sanctioned:

Anita Annet Among, who has been the Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda since 2022.

Mary Goretti Kitutu, who was the Minister for Karamoja Affairs between 2021 and 2024.

Agnes Nandutu, who was the State Minister for Karamoja Affairs between 2021 and 2024.

These measures follow previous UK sanctions under the Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime, which has targeted individuals involved in serious corruption cases across the world, including Bulgaria, Lebanon, Moldova, Russia, South Africa, South Sudan, and Venezuela.

Since its introduction in April 2021, the UK has introduced sanctions on 42 individuals and entities under this regime globally to combat corruption across the world.

Background

An asset freeze prevents any UK citizen, or any business in the UK, from dealing with any funds or economic resources which are owned, held or controlled by the designated person and which are held in the UK. It will also prevent funds or economic resources being provided to or for the benefit of the designated person or entity

A travel ban means that the designated person is an excluded person under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971, and must be refused leave to enter or to remain in the United Kingdom (any leave given to a person who is an excluded person is invalid).

Under the UK's Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regulations 2021, individuals and entities anywhere in the world can be sanctioned for their involvement in bribery or misappropriation of property involving a foreign public official.

This could include those who facilitate, profit from or try to cover up serious corruption, as well as making efforts to prevent authorities from carrying out justice for these actions.

UK Aid was not involved in the Ugandan Government project.

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Geneva Palais briefing note: Caught in the Crossfire - Lebanon's children under fire

UNICEF

This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva

30 April 2024

GENEVA, 30 April 2024 -- "A new report from UNICEF in Lebanon underscores the deepening suffering of children in the country, as Lebanon grapples with a cascade of crises, compounded by conflict.

"The report, Caught in the Crossfire: The Impact of Six Months of Conflict on Children in Lebanon, finds a surge in humanitarian needs across Lebanon, on the back of air strikes that have progressively hit deeper into a country already suffering protracted economic and political crisis.

"UNICEF has previously warned of Lebanon's unrelenting, overlapping emergencies and their impact on children and education. Today these are compounded by almost daily airstrikes. Together with those children killed and scores injured, 30,000 children have been displaced. Infrastructure that children rely on is being destroyed, including significant damage to water stations, thus denying 100,000 people access to safe drinking water. Around 23 healthcare facilities - serving 4,000 people - are also closed due to the hostilities. Should the conflict continue to escalate, UNICEF warns that the repercussions for children will be devastating.

"The current conflict has aggravated a pre-existing education crisis in Lebanon. Even before the current conflict, over 700,000 children were out of school and not learning. And today in southern Lebanon, the recent violence has caused more than 70 schools to be closed as well.

"As a consequence of the ongoing economic crisis, it is estimated that more than half of the Lebanese population is living below the poverty line, while an estimated 90 per cent of Syrian refugee households live in extreme poverty.

"Combined, the situation is also having a profound toll on the mental health and physical well-being of children and their families, with alarming levels of psychological distress reported. Reports of anxiety and trauma have surged - not only due to displacement, but also in response to the relentless shelling and air raids. Among Palestinian parents and caregivers across Lebanon, almost one in two children - 47 per cent - express anxiety.

"The report also offers an overview of UNICEF's results for children amid this current crisis. But even with our greatest efforts, a permanent ceasefire is essential. Without that, Lebanon is at risk of a full-scale war which would have a devastating impact on the 1.3 million children living in the country, as well as the rest of the children in the region."

###

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'Extraordinary, deep anxiety' in Gaza over feared Rafah attack

30 April 2024 - Ordinary Gazans remain in a "constant state of trauma" over an impending full-scale Israeli attack on the enclave's southernmost city of Rafah amid a growing number of strikes there, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Tuesday.

"There is an extraordinary, deep anxiety prevailing right now in Gaza because the question everybody asks is whether, yes or no, there would be a military offensive," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told journalists in Geneva.

Following several reports by the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, of "intensive strikes on Rafah" that caused dozens of fatalities, Mr. Lazzarini said a full-scale invasion of Rafah - currently home to around one million displaced Gazans - depended on "whether or not a ceasefire deal will be reached this week".

Despite renewed international pressure for a humanitarian pause, including from the United States, no breakthrough in negotiations has yet been announced.

Hunger still a huge threat

In the meantime, Gaza's hunger crisis has not gone away, the UNRWA chief said, pointing to "a spreading hunger and a looming famine", especially in the northern part of the enclave.

"The good news is that my colleagues have reported that there is more food available in the market - so increase the availability - but it still does not mean that the food is accessible just because there is absolutely no cash circulating in the northern part of the Gaza Strip."

Safe water emergency

Echoing concerns in a regular update on the crisis, OCHA noted that the situation remains dire in Rafah, where residents "face severe challenges in accessing basic services such as healthcare, clean water and sanitation facilities".

The UN aid coordination office added that the coastal water board had warned that the entire water and sanitation system was "nearing collapse".

To address rising needs for safe drinking water, the Gazan utility and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) unveiled a solar-operated water desalination station in Rafah last week. It can produce enough potable water for 400 families at a school sheltering displaced people.

To help meet still-desperate nutrition needs, UNICEF and more than a dozen humanitarian partners have also expanded outpatient treatment services for acutely malnourished children to more than 100 sites across Gaza, including more than 50 in Rafah and three dozen in the north.

Some aid relief progress

In a glimmer of good news, Mr. Lazzarini said that more humanitarian supplies have entered the enclave in past weeks than in previous months, but it is "still far from enough to reverse the negative trend we have seen".

UNRWA's requests to send aid convoys continue to be "systematically denied" by Israel, he continued, adding that the laborious process of having to unload and reload supplies to allow for inspection increased delays that were already impacted by operating hours of the crossing into Gaza that vary "from one day to another".

Bodies 'dumped'

The crossing into Gaza could also be closed at a moment's notice and "many times a week" by the Israeli authorities, the UN official said, "because they are just dumping released detainees or dumping sometimes (Palestinians') bodies who have been taken to Israel and back to the Gaza Strip".

After renewing his call in common with the UN Secretary-General for the "unconditional and immediate release" of all Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, the UNRWA chief underscored deep concerns for all Gazans detained by the Israeli Security Forces.

Citing testimonies of released detainees, Mr. Lazzarini explained that they described being "routinely rounded up, stripped to their underwear and loaded into trucks, blindfolded and bound".

Once arrested, the detainees remained incommunicado and faced "shocking inhumane treatment, including waterboarding, severe beatings, attacks by dogs and being forced to hold that stress position for hours, sometimes 12 hours, 24 hours".

Detainees who Israel suspected of Hamas affiliation were also forced to wear a diaper instead of being able to go to the toilet and were also "pressured" to state that UNRWA was "politically affiliated" in the Gaza Strip, in violation of its neutral status.

182 fallen staff

Gazan health authorities report that at least 34,500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 77,700 wounded in Israeli attacks since 7 October. To date, 182 UNRWA staff have been killed and more than 160 of the agency's premises have been damaged or totally destroyed, the Commissioner-General reported.

"Most of these premises were sheltering displaced people and more than 400 people have been killed in these premises," he said, before condemning the use of these facilities for military purposes after they were vacated, many in northern Gaza.

This "blatant disregard of the United Nations" must be investigated once the war ends to prevent it becoming the "new standard" in warfare, Mr. Lazzarini insisted.

Defending UNRWA

Turning to unproven allegations of Hamas collusion involving UNRWA staff, the Commissioner-General repeatedly stressed the agency's neutrality, backed by the recently published findings of the Colonna inquiry, and noted that a separate UN investigation into 19 individuals had completely cleared one staff member of any wrongdoing and had been paused into four other cases, since no further information had been provided to justify the accusations.

Speaking in French to reject serial, unfounded allegations that have circulated since the outbreak of hostilities that hundreds of UNRWA staff were members of armed groups, Mr. Lazzarini said "for the moment, these were just 'statements' lacking any substantiating information."

ICJ rejects petition to censure German arms exports

In a related development on Tuesday, the UN's top court rejected a call to take action against Germany over the country's arms exports to Israel.

Nicaragua had petitioned the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue "provisional measures", alleging "Germany's participation in the ongoing plausible genocide and serious breaches of international humanitarian law and other peremptory norms of general international law occurring in the Gaza Strip".

The ICJ ruled against the measure by 15 to one, indicating in a short statement that "the circumstances" of the case as presented to the court "are not such as to require the exercise of its power under Article 41 of the Statute to indicate (the implementation of) provisional measures".

The court, which is based in The Hague, recently issued provisional measures against Israel, in a case brought by South Africa, in response to a request from South Africa, which accused Israel of genocide in Gaza.

The ICJ ordered Israel to take "all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full cooperation with the United Nations, the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians throughout Gaza".

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Gaza war spillover compounds misery for most vulnerable in Lebanon

30 April 2024 - Children as young as four are being forced to go to work in Lebanon amid a "massive collapse" in humanitarian funding and escalating hostilities on the country's southern border with Israel that threaten to spiral into a "full-scale war", UN child experts said on Tuesday.

In a call for an immediate end to the war in Gaza which sparked intensifying exchanges of fire between armed militants Hezbollah and the Israeli military, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that airstrikes are hitting "deeper and deeper" into Lebanon, with 344 people killed to date, including eight youngsters.

"Together with those killed and the scores who have been injured, 30,000 children have now been displaced" out of some 90,000 since Hezbollah fighters stepped up strikes targeting northern Israel following Hamas-led terror attacks on southern Israel on 7 October and Israel's subsequent intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip, said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.

"Even with our greatest efforts, a permanent ceasefire is essential," Mr. Elder insisted. "Without that ceasefire, Lebanon is at risk of a full-scale war, which will be utterly devastating for the country's 1.3 million children as well as well, of course, for the region's children."

Inside Lebanon, the UN official reported that key water station infrastructure has been destroyed, leaving "around 100,000 people now denied access to clean drinking water". Around 23 health facilities serving 4,000 people are also closed as a result of the violence.

Entire families sent out to beg

In a sign of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Lebanon linked to the crisis, the UN agency warned that new food insecurity data indicated that rates of wasting were found to be unexpectedly high among children living in informal tented settlements for the displaced.

"We had indications that the crisis was getting worse in terms of nutrition because we have seen a three-fold increase to children being referred to our malnutrition programmes over the past 12 months," said Ettie Higgins, UNICEF Lebanon deputy head of office. "And these are now programmes that in some cases were suspended in parts of the country because of the lack of humanitarian funding."

As a result, communities are now "sending the entire family out for begging; they're forcing children as young as four to work in agriculture...I spoke to a doctor recently who said that he had seven-year-olds coming to him with back problems because of the heavy loads of trash that they're carrying on a daily basis."

The UNICEF officer noted that children could expect to earn "maybe $2 per day, just to be able to eat and put a meal on the table. So, these stories unfortunately are getting more and more frequent and more and more severe and tragic."

Displaced have lost everything - again

Even before the latest hostilities, Lebanon faced a deep economic crisis - made worse by the COVID-19 emergency and chronic political instability - which has left around half the Lebanese population living below the poverty line.

Even more vulnerable are the one million-strong Syrian refugee population, nine in 10 of whom live in "extreme poverty", according to the UNICEF report on the crisis, Caught in the Crossfire: The impact of six months of conflict on children in Lebanon.

The majority of those now displaced in the south of the country are Lebanese, and many who work in farming and olive growing have lost their livelihoods for a second time, explained Ms. Higgins.

"We've been supporting families...to get back on their feet since the economic crisis began three or four years ago, since 2019, and they have again lost everything," she told journalists in Geneva via videolink from Beirut.

"Many who have been working in agriculture, such as in olive farms, have also been destroyed, and even if they were able to go back, even tomorrow, the type of suffering that they're subject to is going to be long-term because of the huge amount of unexploded ordnance that is now in many of these agricultural areas, meaning that it would be very, very difficult for them to re-establish themselves."

Funding collapse

Amid growing needs and a spike in tensions between Lebanese and Syrian refugee communities, which could be defused with prompt humanitarian action, the UNICEF officer warned that a number of donor countries had "significantly reduced" critical funding.

"We are facing a massive collapse in humanitarian funding over the past three months, four months in Lebanon," Ms. Higgins said. "This has forced us to cut back virtually all of our services, including the provision of safe drinking water and simple things like getting rid of sewage from communities that are already overburdened."

Syria influx

Following the outbreak of the Syria crisis in 2011, many Lebanese villages that are now reeling from the hostilities welcomed more than a million refugees "into their schools, their clinics, their, their communities", the UNICEF officer continued.

Today, "we are seeing tensions really spike and having an impact on children on a daily basis," she continued, noting the high level of trauma displayed by Palestinian refugees now living in "terrible conditions in the camps here" while also suffering the "secondary trauma" of seeing what is happening to fellow Palestinians in Gaza.

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A ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words - Statement by Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

(New York, 30 April 2024) After almost seven months of brutal hostilities that have killed tens of thousands of people and maimed tens of thousands more, Gaza is bracing for even more suffering and misery.

The world has been appealing to the Israeli authorities for weeks to spare Rafah, but a ground operation there is on the immediate horizon.

For the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled to Gaza's southernmost point to escape disease, famine, mass graves and direct fighting, a ground invasion would spell even more trauma and death.

For agencies struggling to provide humanitarian aid despite the active hostilities, impassable roads, unexploded ordnance, fuel shortages, delays at checkpoints, and Israeli restrictions, a ground invasion would strike a disastrous blow.

We are in a race to stave off hunger and death, and we are losing.

Meanwhile, the remaining hostages are yet to be released. Famine is taking hold. The rules of war continue to be flouted.

Civilians must be protected, and their needs must be met.

We welcome Israel's recent reopening of the Erez crossing in northern Gaza to move aid from Ashdod port and Jordan. We also welcome efforts to bring in aid by sea. All aid deliveries must be facilitated and protected.

These improvements in bringing more aid into Gaza cannot be used to prepare for or justify a full-blown military assault on Rafah.

The simplest truth is that a ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words. No humanitarian plan can counter that. The rest is detail.

MEDIA CONTACT:

In New York: Eri Kaneko, kaneko@un.org, +1 917 208 8910

OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org or www.reliefweb.int

30 April 2024



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Press Conference at UN Geneva by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini: Transcript of Introductory Remarks

UNRWA

30 Apr 2024

30 April 2024

I had a longer Member State briefing than expected this morning. What I suggest to do now is to share one or two latest developments on the ground, but also to share with you some of the messages I have shared with the Member States and also to comment on the review, Catherine Colonna's report, and maybe also a little update on the OIOS report.

When it comes to the situation on the ground, I mean, basically, our colleagues are telling us that there is an extraordinarily deep anxiety prevailing right now in Gaza because the question everybody asks is, "Yes or no, would there be a military offensive?" And the likelihood of a military offensive all depends on whether or not a ceasefire deal will be reached this week. Just to let you know that people have not yet been asked to evacuate from Rafah. But there is a sense that if there is no deal this week, this can happen at any time.

My colleagues on the ground are also describing, basically, a constant state of trauma among the people. And, basically, they came with a new acronym. We are not talking anymore about PTSD, but we are talking more about CTSD, which would mean Constant Traumatic Stress Disorder, prevailing in the Gaza Strip.

And obviously this is not too surprising. This morning, I commented also on the latest development in the north, where we are engaged in a race against the clock, to reverse. In fact, there's spreading hunger and a looming famine, especially in the northern part. The good news is that my colleagues have reported that there is more food available on the market. So, this increases availability. But it still does not mean that the food is accessible -- just because there is absolutely no cash circulating in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. We believe that much more needs to be done. It is true that there have been more supplies entering during the month of April, but this is still far from enough to reverse the negative trend we have seen.

I have also mentioned this morning when I met the Member States, the issue about the blame game -- you might have heard -- between the Israeli Authorities, mainly COGAT, and the United Nations. On one hand, the Israelis are saying "What? We are providing all the necessary food. The problem is on the side of the United Nations." Let me just give you a few facts regarding this. First, this is not true. This is not our reading. Look at, starting with UNRWA, whenever we ask for a convoy going from the south side to the north, our convoys are systematically denied. So, we still have no access. Whenever permission is given to deliver anywhere else in the Strip, the process is always complicated and very cumbersome.

When it comes to entering Gaza. We have this system of offloading, downloading, offloading, downloading the trucks, which makes things extraordinarily difficult. Also, we have the operating hours of the crossing, which vary from one day to another one, with a limited number of hours where we can operate. And most of the time, many times a week, we have also the crossing of being closed, because they are just dumping released detainees or sometimes dumping bodies that have been taken to Israel and back to the Gaza Strip.

Now, talking about the detainees, I have also briefed the Member States about the report we issued about a week ago. It was the first time that, in fact, UNRWA has released such a report. In my meeting this morning, I have reminded them that, of course, hostages are still in captivity with Hamas and that both the Secretary-General and myself, and other UN officials, keep asking for the unconditional and immediate release of the hostages.

But I have also shared to this morning our deep concern regarding the Gazans detained by Israeli Security Forces. The report you have seen recently has been based on a number of testimonies collected by the Agency. Why by the Agency? Because we are at the crossing. We are at Kerem Shalom because we are manning the main logistical hub at the entry of Gaza. And these people basically have been released at this place. And according to the testimonies that we have collected, people have told us that they are routinely rounded up.

When they were arrested, they were routinely rounded up, stripped to their underwear, and loaded into trucks, blindfolded, and bound. Most of the time, once arrested these detainees remain incommunicado and they are subjected to shocking inhumane treatment. Among inhumane treatment they have described to us waterboarding, severe beatings, attacks by dogs, being forced to hold a stress position for hours, sometimes 12 hours, 24 hours, and being forced to wear diapers instead of accessing the toilet. And among the detainees who have been released, we had also a number of UNRWA staff, and they have also reported to us that while under interrogation they were asked a lot of questions about their work UNRWA. And they basically were being pressured to state that the Agency is politically affiliated in the Gaza Strip.

This morning, I have also highlighted the fact that, as you know, the Agency is under a lot of strain now called for the agency to be dismantled. But the Agency has also been targeted over the last six or seven months in Gaza -- our staff, but also our premises, as well as our operations.

I just reminded them that since the beginning of the war, we have 182 staff members now who have been killed, and more than 160 premises which have been damaged or totally destroyed. And most of these premises were sheltering displaced people -- and more than 400 people have been killed in these premises. We have also seen that whenever we vacated premises, mainly in the north of the Gaza Strip, they have then been used for military purposes.

We have also heard about the allegations regarding tunnels underneath some of our premises. And basically, I was calling on Member States to make sure that, at the end of the war, once we have a ceasefire, that that we put in place an independent investigation to look into this blatant disregard of the United Nations in order to avoid that this becomes also in the future, the new, standard.

I also briefed this morning about where we stand on the OIOS report. But in fact, you were briefed by Stephane Dujarric on Friday. Just to reiterate what he has said, we started with 12 allegations conveyed orally to me that I submitted to OIOS. Later on, OIOS received seven additional allegations -- five in March and two in April. Out of the 19, one person has been completely cleared and is now reinstated. And four people out of the 19, the investigation is now on hold because there is no further or additional information available for the time being.

When it comes to the Catherine Colonna report, you had access already a week ago. You have seen that she has stressed the fact that the Agency has an important and robust system and mechanism to deal with neutrality breaches. That is, in fact, above average in the region. But obviously we can do more and there are a number of recommendations -- 50 -- that the Secretary-General and myself, committed now to implement. You have seen the eight categories that she has looked into.

We have published last week, already, a four-pager informing the Member States about our intent and how we will follow up on these recommendations. And I hope that by mid-May, we will have a first preliminary action plan to be shared. Now we will have four categories of recommendations. One, the recommendation for which the agency has already taken steps and we have just to wait to align them with the recommendations of the report. We have additional recommendations, which we consider a quick fix and can be implemented. Then we have recommendations which require additional resources within the organization. And, lastly, we have recommendations where we require the support of Member States or a host country. We committed to report back on a regular basis, on where we stand with this recommendation.

Maybe just a comment on the funding situation. In January, you remember that, once the allegations have been made public, up to 16 countries suspended their contribution to the Agency. The good news is that as of today, most of the donor countries have resumed their contribution to the Agency. We just have a handful of countries that will still need to take a decision. We know that the main contributor, being the US, has indicated that they will not be able to support the agency before March 2025. But, meanwhile, in all Member State briefings, they are recommending other countries to support UNRWA, and we still wait, otherwise, the decision of other countries, including the one we are in just now [Switzerland].

The good news also on the funding is that we have new donors, or countries who, before, never contributed to the Agency. And I want to also to flag the success in private fundraising. In six months, the Agency has mobilized more than US$ 115 million in private fundraising, which is an indication also of the extraordinary grassroots solidarity expressed towards Palestinians and also to the Agency.

Let me just conclude with one or two comments.

The first one is that I was at the Security Council ten days ago and, basically, reminded the Member State that all the calls for the Agency to be dismantled, not only in Gaza, but also in East Jerusalem and in the West Bank have nothing to do with neutrality. Neutrality issues can be addressed. But the objective behind it is clearly to strip the Palestinians of their refugee status. And, basically, we keep hearing that UNRWA is part of the problem because it perpetuates refugee status. It's as if you say that a humanitarian response in a conflict perpetuates the conflict. What perpetuated the conflict is the absence of a political solution.

So, I told Member States that, more than ever, the lasting temporary Agency that we have been over the last 75 years, if really today there is a genuine commitment to reactivate and bring back the two-state solution on the table, the agency can retrieve its temporary nature by supporting the transition leading to the two-state solution. The transition leading to a day after.

ENDs-

Background Information:

UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency's area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.

UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.

UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

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Secretary-General's opening remarks at press encounter

United Nations Secretary-General

30 April 2024

[Scroll down for opening remarks in Arabic]

As Passover ends, I once again express my solidarity with the victims of the unconscionable Hamas terror attacks of 7 October, with the hostages, and with their families and friends.

Passover reminds us that the persecution of the Jews is as old as history itself. We all have a duty to speak out against all forms of antisemitism, in communities, in the media, and online.

Nearly seven months after 7 October, the situation for people in Gaza is worsening by the day.

I have called consistently for a humanitarian ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and a massive surge in humanitarian aid.

Unfortunately, that has not happened - yet.

But negotiations are once again underway.

For the sake of the people of Gaza, for the sake of the hostages and their families in Israel, and for the sake of the region and the wider world, I strongly encourage the government of Israel and the Hamas leadership to reach now an agreement.

Without that, I fear the war, with all its consequences both in Gaza and across the region, will worsen exponentially.

Recent weeks have seen airstrikes on the Rafah area.

A military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.

It would have a devastating impact on Palestinians in Gaza, with serious repercussions on the occupied West Bank, and across the wider region.

All members of the Security Council, and many other governments, have clearly expressed their opposition to such an operation. I appeal for all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to prevent it.

More than 1.2 million people are now seeking shelter in Rafah governorate, most of them fleeing the Israeli bombardment that has reportedly killed over 34,000 people. They have very little to eat, hardly any access to medical care, little shelter, and nowhere safe to go.

In northern Gaza, the most vulnerable - from sick children to people with disabilities - are already dying of hunger and disease.

We must do everything possible to avert an entirely preventable, human-made famine.

We have seen incremental progress recently, but much more is urgently needed -- including the promised opening of two crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza, so that aid can be brought into Gaza from Ashdod port and Jordan.

Under international humanitarian law, civilians must be protected - and they must be able to receive the essentials they need to survive, including food, shelter, and health care.

A major obstacle to distributing aid across Gaza is the lack of security for humanitarians and the people we serve. Humanitarian convoys, facilities and personnel, and the people in need, must not be targets.

We welcome aid delivery by air and sea, but there is no alternative to the massive use of land routes.

I again call on the Israeli authorities to allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and humanitarian workers, including UNRWA, throughout Gaza.

Dear members of the media,

The health system in Gaza has been decimated by the war. Two-thirds of hospitals and health centres are out of action; many of those that remain are seriously damaged.

Some hospitals now resemble cemeteries.

I am deeply alarmed by reports that mass graves have been discovered in several locations in Gaza, including Al Shifa Medical Complex and Nasser Medical Complex.

In Nasser alone, over 390 bodies have reportedly been exhumed.

There are competing narratives around several of these mass graves, including serious allegations that some of those buried were unlawfully killed.

It is imperative that independent international investigators, with forensic expertise, are allowed immediate access to the sites of these mass graves, to establish the precise circumstances under which hundreds of Palestinians lost their lives and were buried, or reburied.

The families of the dead and missing have a right to know what happened. And the world has a right to accountability for any violations of international law that may have taken place.

Hospitals, health workers, patients and all civilians must be protected and the human rights of all must be respected.

Dear members of the media,

I would like to conclude with a few words about UNRWA.

We recognize the irreplaceable and indispensable work of UNRWA to support millions of people in Gaza, the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

Following the report by Ms. Catherine Colonna on mechanisms and procedures to ensure UNRWA's adherence to the humanitarian principle of neutrality, an action plan is being put in place to implement the recommendations of the report.

I appeal to donors, host countries and staff to cooperate with this effort.

Most countries have suspended contributions to UNRWA but many of them have resumed them. We are optimistic that others will join. And some Member States are giving to UNRWA for the first time and the generosity of private donors around the world is also heartening and unprecedented. But we still have a funding gap.

I call on Member States, both traditional and new donors, to pledge funds generously to ensure the continuity of the agency's operations.

UNRWA's presence across the region is a source of hope and stability. Its education, healthcare and other services provide a sense of normality, safety and stability to desperate communities.

Dear members of the media,

This is the moment to reaffirm our hope for, and contributions to, a two-state solution -- the only sustainable path to peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians, and the wider region.

The United Nations is totally committed to supporting a pathway to peace, based on an end to the occupation and the establishment of a fully independent, democratic, viable, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian State, with Gaza as an integral part.

Thank you.

*********************************************************

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317th AW completes first C-130J Max Endurance Operation with external fuel tanks

Published April 30, 2024

7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- The 317th Airlift Wing achieved a significant milestone on April 20, 2024, by becoming the first unit in Air Mobility Command's history to complete a C-130J Super Hercules Max Endurance Operation equipped with external fuel tanks. This operation, dubbed Hazard Leap, highlighted the wing's extended range capabilities and established a new standard in operational endurance.

During the operation, one C-130J Super Hercules from the 40th Airlift Squadron embarked on a remarkable 26-hour and 33-minute single-aircraft mission to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, with only one fuel stop in Hawaii, demonstrating the C-130J's ability to operate for extended periods without stopping.

The MEO from Dyess AFB to Guam showcased the wing's ability to rapidly deploy into the Indo-Pacific Area of Responsibility and be ready to immediately conduct any follow-on missions.

To accomplish the mission, the team split into two fully augmented crews. Capt. Anna Santori, a pilot from the 40th AS and Hazard Leap crew, provided insights into the benefits of the extended range. "The external tanks have new capabilities for us, allowing us to fly farther without refueling. It gives us about 17,000 pounds of fuel, which translates to roughly four extra hours of flying." Santori said.

In May 2023, the 317th Airlift Wing became the first C-130J unit in AMC to experiment with external fuel tanks. The integration of external fuel tanks not only enhances the wing's ability to reach remote locations in a single hop but also provides the flexibility to carry extra fuel to offload for the joint force in austere environments.

The purpose of the MEO, as Santori described, is to fly as far as possible with the external tanks, refuel only once, minimizing ground time and maximizing range. The preparation involved careful planning of the flight route, analyzing wind patterns and devising contingency plans for unforeseen circumstances such as thunderstorms or modified flight paths.

Reflecting on the significance of completing Hazard Leap, Capt. Santori emphasized its implications moving forward. "Knowing that we have the capability to rapidly deploy and reach distant theaters within a shorter time frame, expands the expectation of C-130s," she stated.

"The successful completion of Hazard Leap is a testament to our team's dedication and the remarkable capabilities of the C-130J Super Hercules," said Maj. Alex Leach, Mission Commander and 40th AS assistant director of operations. "This operation set a new standard for our squadron and this airframe; it serves as a stepping-stone for future missions."

Building on the success of Hazard Leap, the 317th AW is now preparing for Exercise Hazard Spear, scheduled to run until May 4, 2024. This exercise is set to be a pivotal training event for the Wing, with a focus on declaring Initial Operational Capability for multiple Accelerated Mission Sets in the Indo-Pacific region and validating its ability to rapidly integrate with the joint force.

In tandem with Hazard Spear, the 317th AW will integrate with the 4th Marines in Guam and support Marine Aircraft Group 24 and MWSS-174 during Exercise BALIKATAN 2024 in the Philippines. This collaboration underscores the Wing's commitment to strengthening interoperability with allied and partner forces in the region.

As the 317th AW prepares for Hazard Spear, the Maximum Endurance Operation showcases the vital role of continued innovation and excellence, bolstering regional operations and demonstrating readiness in the Indo-Pacific region.



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Yemen's Houthis claim attack on Portuguese-flagged ship in Arabian Sea

By VOA News April 30, 2024

Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Tuesday that they struck a Portuguese-flagged container ship in a drone attack in the Indian Ocean.

The MSC Orion was attacked on Friday, 600 kilometers (372.8 miles) off the coast of Yemen, suggesting the Houthis, or their sponsors in Iran, might have the ability to strike deep into the Arabian Sea. The ship was sailing between the ports of Sines, Portugal, and Salalah, Oman, according to LSEG and other ship-tracking data.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the attack early Tuesday but did not explain why it took days for the group to acknowledge the attack.

The ship "sustained only minor damage and all crew on board are safe," said the Joint Maritime Information Center.

The crew found debris from a drone on board after the attack, the center said.

The MSC Orion has been associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime, controlled by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group.

The ship was likely targeted because of its "perceived Israeli affiliation," the Joint Maritime Information Center said in a report.

The strike is part of the Houthis' missile campaign against international shipping in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel's military actions in Gaza.

The Yemen-based Houthi militant group fired three ballistic missiles at a Malta-flagged, Greece-owned container ship in the Red Sea on Monday, the U.S. military and maritime security agencies said.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) identified the ship as the MV Cyclades, saying there were no injuries on board.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said an explosion hit close to the ship, causing some damage, but that the ship was safe and heading to its next port of call.

Private security firm Ambrey said the ship was traveling from Djibouti to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and that it was targeted "due to its listed operator's ongoing trade with Israel."

The Houthis have conducted attacks since November in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

CENTCOM also said Monday it destroyed a Houthi aerial drone that was flying toward a U.S. Navy destroyer and a U.S. Navy cruiser in the Red Sea.

"It was determined the UAV presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region," CENTCOM said in a statement.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

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May 1, 2024: Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began there has been a major Russian effort to destroy the Ukrainian economy. That effort involved about a thousand ballistic missiles, 2,800 armed UAVs (Unmanned aerial Vehicles) and some 7,000 GPS guided bombs. Only about three percent of this firepower was used against military targets, the rest were directed at the Ukrainian economy. The Russians were seeking to destroy all major sources of electrical power and by doing so black out the country and disable war supply and sewage removal systems. Russia is going in this direction because they have been unable to defeat the Ukrainian military. Ukrainian resourcefulness has disrupted and often disabled Russian efforts to win militarily. For example, Ukraine developed a series of remotely controlled and difficult to detect USVs (Unmanned Surface Vessels) that were used to destroy a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and forced the surviving warships to take refuge a thousand kilometers from the Crimean Peninsula where the fleet had been based for centuries.

The USVs were difficult to detect, especially at night and were even able to get into well protected harbors used by the Russian warships. This campaign eliminated threats to the sea lane along the west coast of the Black Sea for commercially shipping carrying Ukrainian agricultural exports of distant markets around the world. Incoming shipping brought needed goods to Ukrainians in general.

Russia followed the Ukrainian example and adopted the use of UAVs for reconnaissance, surveillance and attacks on any targets detected. The UAVs were cheap, abundant, and persistent. That worked both ways, especially on land where soldiers could be tracked down and killed by UAVs. Troops on both sides had to beware of attacks by UAVs. In some cases, Russian troops were attacked by Russian UAVs who identified Russian troops as Ukrainians. These friendly fire incidents were more common for Russian troops because the Ukrainian developed more effective techniques to monitor where their troops were.

There were morale and attitude issues at work as well. The Russians were the invaders and while that didnt bother Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his generals, the invasion was less popular with Russian troops, who were suffering heavy casualties, as in nearly half a million killed, missing and/or disabled so far. The Ukrainians were more frequently defending and had developed tactics and techniques that increased the casualties among the less experienced Russian attackers. The morale among Ukrainian troops was much higher than their Russian counterparts. Ukrainians were defending their country while the Russian invaders were dismayed that they were operating as invaders facing Ukrainians defending their country.

Because of those morale problems the Russian depended more on bombardment using the 10,000 missiles, UAVs, and guided bombs. Using most of these weapons against civilian infrastructure led to accusations of committing war crimes. Russia denies any misbehavior, but the fact that over 90 percent of their long range weapons are used against towns, cities and ports has led to accusations of war crimes. Russia denies it is committing war crimes, but their normal military operations are considered war crimes by the Ukrainians and their NATO allies. Russian propaganda has not been able to do much about changing international attitudes about who does what to who in Ukraine.
Netanyahu says Rafah offensive will happen with or without cease-fire and hostage release deal

By VOA News April 30, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday to carry out a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah regardless of whether there is an agreement with Hamas for a cease-fire and release of hostages held in Gaza.

"The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate Hamas' battalions there  with a deal or without a deal, to achieve the total victory," Netanyahu's office quoted him as saying in a meeting with families of hostages.

Netanyahu has said it is necessary for Israeli forces to enter Rafah to fully defeat Hamas, which carried out an attack on Israel in October that killed 1,200 people.

Hamas also took about 250 hostages during the attack, and it is believed to still be holding about 100, along with the remains of 30 or more hostages who have either been killed or otherwise died in the ensuing months.

More than half of Gaza's population is sheltering in Rafah, located along the border between Gaza and Egypt.

"A military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters.

"I appeal for all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to prevent it," he added.

U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths later added his own plea.

"The world has been appealing to the Israeli authorities for weeks to spare Rafah, but a ground operation there is on the immediate horizon," he said in a statement.

"The simplest truth," Griffiths said, "is that a ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words."

Many Palestinians fled to Rafah to escape Israeli attacks, and the United Nations has warned of a potential humanitarian disaster if Israel conducts a major ground offensive in the city.

Guterres also said scaling up aid to Gaza is urgent, especially to the north where some people, including children, have already begun to die from hunger and disease.

"We must do everything possible to avert an entirely preventable, human-made famine," he said. "We have seen incremental progress recently, but much more is urgently needed  including the promised opening of two crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza, so that aid can be brought into Gaza from Ashdod port and Jordan."

The White House said Monday U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to work with Egypt and Qatar to ensure the implementation of a proposed cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

In phone calls with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Biden urged the leaders to do all they can to push for the release of hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

A White House statement described the hostage release as "the only obstacle to an immediate ceasefire and relief for the people of Gaza."

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been involved in months of talks aimed at halting the war. A proposal now under consideration includes a cease-fire lasting about six weeks, the release of hostages held by Hamas, the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and an increase in humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Hamas officials met with representatives from Egypt and Qatar in Cairo on Monday to discuss the proposal.

The talks come as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting the region to discuss the situation with officials in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.

Israel's counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 34,500 people, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Blinken says 'time to act is now' for Hamas to accept cease-fire deal

By VOA News April 30, 2024

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept a proposed cease-fire deal in its conflict with Israel, saying that there are "no more excuses" and "the time to act is now."

"Our focus right now is on getting a cease-fire and hostages home. That is the most urgent thing, and it's also I think what is achievable because the Israelis have put a strong proposal on the table. They've demonstrated that they're willing to compromise, and now it's on Hamas," Blinken told reporters as he wrapped up a visit to Jordan.

He also stressed the importance of getting more humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"This has been part of our work every single day. It's also been the focus of every single one of my trips to the region," Blinken said, adding that he will discuss the issue when he holds meetings in Israel on Wednesday.

Earlier, the top U.S. diplomat held separate talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and King Abdullah II before meeting with Sigrid Kaag, U.N. senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza.

Blinken thanked Abdullah for Jordan's leadership in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, including joint U.S.-Jordan airdrops that to date have delivered over 1,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

The two leaders discussed joint efforts to expedite the flow of additional urgently needed aid to Gaza from Jordan through land routes. Blinken also commended the king's commitment to economic modernization and vital public sector reforms.

Later on Tuesday, Blinken met with Palestinians from Gaza at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs before meeting with Kaag. Blinken told Kaag he was anxious to hear directly from her, adding, "The entire team is doing extraordinary work to ensure that people in Gaza get the help and support and the assistance they need."

Israel declared war on Hamas after its October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages.

Israel's counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, a figure that Israel says includes several thousand Hamas fighters.

A delegation from Hamas participated in talks Monday in Egypt, which with Qatar has been seeking to broker a deal that would halt the Israeli offensive and see hostages freed.

U.S., Saudi talks

In Riyadh earlier this week Blinken said the United States is close to finishing a security agreement with Saudi Arabia that would be offered if the country makes peace with Israel.

"The work that Saudi Arabia, the United States have been doing together in terms of our own agreements, I think, is potentially very close to completion," Blinken told an audience at the World Economic Forum on Monday.

He said the two nations have done intensive work over the last month on Israeli-Saudi normalization.

Blinken disclosed that he was scheduled to be in Saudi Arabia and Israel on October 10 last year to focus specifically on the Palestinian part of the normalization deal because that is an essential component. But it did not happen because of the Hamas terror attack on Israel.

"In order to move forward with normalization, two things will be required: calm in Gaza and a credible pathway to a Palestinian state," Blinken said.

U.S. officials have said creating a pathway to a Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel is key to lasting peace and security in the Middle East and to Israel's integration in the region.

The Saudis have demanded, as a prerequisite, to see an Israeli commitment to the two-state solution.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the two-state solution and the return of the Palestinian Authority to control Gaza, demands that are widely supported by the international community.

Nimrod Goren, a senior fellow for Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute, told VOA in an email, "Saudi Arabia has been gradually opening towards Israel for a decade. Significant progress was made in the months prior to the Hamas attack of October 7, with the hope of linking an Israeli-Saudi normalization agreement to a pre-presidential election, U.S.-Saudi defense pact. The war stalled the process, but talks are continuing and are at a decisive phase."

If Netanyahu's opposition to the two-state solution remains unchanged, Goren said, he might struggle to secure normalization with Saudi Arabia.

VOA's Cindy Saine contributed to this report.

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Rival Palestinian groups meet in China to discuss political reconciliation

By VOA News April 30, 2024

China says rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah expressed a political will for reconciliation during talks Tuesday in Beijing.

Representatives of the groups were invited by China and "had discussions on many specific issues and made encouraging progress," said Lin Jian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

The meeting is China's latest attempt to mediate conflicts in the Middle East as an alternative to the United States and its Western allies, which have shown strong support for Israel.

The Beijing meeting comes nearly six months after Israel declared war on Hamas in Gaza in response to the militant group's October 7 attack on southern Israel.

Fatah's rule of the West Bank is under threat due to an increased Israeli presence in the region.

The two Palestinian factions have clashed since political disputes in 2007 when Hamas fighters expelled Fatah from the Gaza Strip during a short war.

Hamas and Fatah discussed a unity government in 2006 after Hamas won Palestinian legislative elections. Ismail Haniyeh, former Hamas prime minister, refused to head a government that recognized Israel, while President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction sought "peace agreements" with Israel.

The two groups reached an agreement under which the unity government, including Hamas, would "respect" Fatah's peace agreements. But Hamas avoided the agreement and did not recognize Israel.

Israel and the U.S. refused to recognize the unity government and imposed economic sanctions. The unity government collapsed, leading to disputes that ended with Hamas' 2007 takeover of Gaza.

Hamas is still devoted to destroying Israel. The U.S. and European countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist group.

China has long been aligned with the Palestinian cause as a part of its Cold War strategy to bolster relations with the developing world and undermine Western support for Israel.

The groups "highly appreciated China's firm support for the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights," Lin said. They "thanked the Chinese side for its efforts to help strengthen Palestinian internal unity and reached an agreement on ideas for future dialogue."

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.

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Philippine, Chinese coast guard vessels involved in new confrontation in South China Sea

By VOA News April 30, 2024

The Philippines says one of its boats was damaged during an altercation with Chinese coast guard vessels in a disputed area of the South China Sea Tuesday.

The Philippine Coast Guard issued a statement saying two of its boats were delivering food and fuel to fishermen working near the Scarborough Shoal, a fisheries-rich atoll seized by China in 2012 despite it being inside the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. Video footage taken by a news crew from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on board one of the ships shows the other ship blasted with water cannons by two of the Chinese ships. The Philippine ship sustained damage to its railing and canopy.

The Philippine coast guard says China has installed a floating barrier across the entrance to the shoal.

The Chinese coast guard says it expelled the two Philippine vessels, which Manila denies.

Tuesday's incident was the latest confrontation between coast guard vessels from China and the Philippines near disputed reefs in the South China Sea in recent months. Manila says one of its ships was damaged and four crewmen injured back in March during a mission to deliver supplies and a fresh rotation of troops to a Philippine warship intentionally grounded on the Second Thomas Shoal to maintain the archipelago's claims on the submerged reef.

China has claimed sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, ignoring competing claims by regional neighbors including the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

An international arbitration tribunal in the Hague said in 2016 that China's claims had no legal basis - a decision Beijing has rejected.

Some information for this report came from Reuters, Agence France-Presse.

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Gun attack on Shiite mosque in western Afghanistan kills 6 worshippers

By Ayaz Gul April 30, 2024

Taliban authorities in Afghanistan said Tuesday that an overnight attack on a Shiite mosque in a western region bordering Iran had killed at least six people, including a child.

An Interior Ministry spokesman reported that an "unknown armed person" stormed the mosque in the Guzara district in Herat province and sprayed worshippers with bullets before fleeing.

"Six civilians were martyred and one was injured," Abdul Mateen Qani said on social media platform X.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly shooting, Reuters reported Tuesday night, citing the group's Telegram channel.

The extremist Sunni group has taken credit for plotting almost all recent attacks on Shi'ite mosques, hospitals, and public gatherings in the country.

Hassan Kazemi Ghomi, the Iranian ambassador in Kabul, condemned Monday's attack, calling IS-K a "common external threat" to both countries and the region at large.

"We consider Afghanistan our partner in the fight against terrorism, and cooperation in this area will be a top priority," Ghomi, also the special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, wrote on X.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, denounced the mosque shooting.

"Investigations and accountability for perpetrators and protection measures for Afghanistan's Shi'a communities are urgently needed," the UNAMA stated on X.

IS-K has also routinely plotted deadly bomb attacks against leaders and prominent religious scholars linked to the ruling Taliban.

The violence has increased since the then-insurgent Taliban reclaimed power in 2021 when the United States and NATO withdrew their troops from Afghanistan after 20 years of war with the Taliban.

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Malian forces kill Islamic State commander

By Mohammed Yusuf April 30, 2024

Mali's military government says its forces have killed a senior Islamic State commander, Abu Huzeifa, during a joint operation with Burkina Faso and Niger. Huzeifa, who had a $5 million bounty on his head, has been linked to high-profile attacks in Africa's Sahel region, including the killing of four U.S. soldiers. Some experts say the junta will use this success to justify its stay in power.

Malian authorities said Monday their forces killed Islamic State commander Abu Huzeifa in a security operation in the northern region of Menaka.

Huzeifa, a Moroccan, was wanted for acts of terrorism and the deaths of civilians and security officers, including four U.S. soldiers killed in Niger in 2017.

Oluwole Ojewale is a regional coordinator at the Senegal-based Institute of Security Studies. He said the killing of a terror commander does not equate to the end of terrorism.

"It is always celebrated within the security community and the communities that they have also terrorized. But there's no sufficient evidence to show that maybe those groups begin to decline after the killing of their strategic leaders. But I think it's a symbolic victory, particularly for the military government in Mali in the context of the security rearrangement that has been going on in that region for a while, now they came into power, the taking of Kidal and this particular one," said Ojewale.

The killing comes several weeks after Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger formed a joint force to fight the insurgent groups. The three West African nations are battling terror threats and attacks by groups affiliated with the Islamic State and al-Qaida.

Experts say the killing of a terror group leader rarely changes the attacks against civilians and security forces.

David Otto, head of security and defense analysis with the Geneva Center for Africa Security and Strategic Studies, said the ability of Islamic State to launch more attacks and remain a threat will depend on how Abu Huzeifa ran the group's affairs.

"It depends on the structure or how centralized the leadership was of the Sahel province. So if he had all the power, then of course, it would disrupt at a strategic level and may have some operational impact negative to what the group wants to achieve. But if he were to have commanders that were already in line of succession, then of course it's just going to be a new replacement. Now the problem is that the new man could be more dangerous than himself, but he could also be a much weaker leader," he said.

Attacks by terror groups have killed thousands and displaced more than 500,000 from their homes in the Sahel in recent years. They are also accused of committing human rights violations against the population living in areas under their control.

Just like in Burkina Faso and Niger, Mali's military overthrew the civilian-led government, accusing it of failing to effectively fight the jihadists.

Political and media freedoms have been shrinking in Mali for years, but Ojewale fears the military junta will use the killing of a commander to further suppress critical voices.

"They can use that to justify their stay in power. There is a constant erosion of civil liberty. Just a few days ago, they are locking the media out, which resulted in a complete blackout. That has happened in Mali, that is happening in Burkina Faso, that is also happening in Niger. The opposition, dissenting voices, cannot express themselves. To the extent to which that is taking place, then we can't give them a thumbs up for whatever they are doing," he said.

Mali's government ordered French troops to leave the country 2022 and for the U.N. mission to close its mission in the country last year. Meantime, it formed closer relations with the Russian government and the Wagner mercenary group.

Now, with the killing of the IS commander, regional experts say the prospect of the military returning power to a civilian government seems distant.

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Maldives expected to accelerate shift from India to China following parliamentary polls

By Anjana Pasricha April 30, 2024

The sweeping victory of Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's People's National Congress in recent parliamentary elections is seen as a strong endorsement of his policy since he took office six months ago to pursue close ties with China and reduce the archipelago's dependence on neighboring India.

Having won three-quarters of the seats including allies, that policy could be fast-tracked, setting back India's efforts to limit China's influence in the Indian Ocean region, according to analysts in New Delhi. The April 21 elections handed more than 70 seats to Muizzu's party and its allies in the 93-member assembly.

"There will be certainly some worry in India that now there is one-party rule in the Maldives, there will be momentum to President Muizzu's policies in favor of China and tilted against India," said Harsh Pant, director of studies at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

Muizzu is expected to strengthen strategic ties with Beijing and press ahead with Chinese-funded infrastructure projects that had been blocked by the outgoing opposition-controlled parliament.

His party has promised an infrastructure boom, including apartments, bridges and a new airport.

"We will bid farewell to the enduring anguish of housing insecurity, a pressing and longstanding concern burdening the Maldivian populace," his office said last week after the election results were announced. The push for infrastructure projects comes even as the International Monetary Fund has warned that the Maldives faces a high risk of debt distress.

China established its footprint in the Maldives a decade ago under a pro-Beijing administration that had joined Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. But its influence diminished under Muizzu's predecessor, former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who had flagged concerns about Maldives' huge debt to China and built strong ties with India.

The ground for strengthening ties with Beijing was set by the Maldivian president during a visit to China in January - he made his first official overseas visit to China instead of making New Delhi as had been customary. Both China and Maldives agreed to a "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership."

Following last week's landslide parliamentary victory by Muizzu's party, Beijing's foreign ministry said it is ready to strengthen cooperation with Maldives.

Small countries like Maldives and Sri Lanka, sitting along vital shipping routes for trade in the Indian Ocean are the new focus of a geopolitical tussle between Asian rivals China and India.

India had been the primary defense partner for Maldives that lies close to its southern tip, but analysts say the strong parliamentary victory has given its new leader the mandate to strengthen strategic ties with Beijing. The two countries signed a military assistance agreement last month, which according to the Maldivian Defense Ministry would be given for free.

After its signing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning said that "normal cooperation between China and the Maldives does not target any third party and will not be disrupted by any third party."

The view in New Delhi is different. "China will want to use Maldives as a springboard or a launchpad to have more eyes and ears in the region, to maintain pressure on India and deter its ability to be the dominant player in the Indian Ocean," according to Sreeram Chaulia, dean at the Jindal School of International Affairs.

Strategic ties that India built under Muizzu's predecessor have already taken a hit as the Maldivian leader vows to boost the country's own defenses. The last of about 90 Indian troops in the archipelago who crewed helicopters and assisted in humanitarian evacuations are due to leave the country by May 10 - most have already returned to India after the Maldivian president said he would not allow Indian soldiers in the country.

"Dislodging India and bringing in China as a defense partner is certainly something which one will have to observe," said Pant. "While the expectation was that he would balance ties between India and China, now they appear to be going one-way. So step-by-step engagement, defense diplomacy, then buying some limited defense equipment from China might be the first few steps that we might see."

Analysts also expect Chinese naval presence in the Maldives is likely to increase. A Chinese survey ship, Xiang Yang Hong 3, docked in Maldivian waters in February raising concerns in India. According to local media reports in the Maldives, the ship has now come to the country for a second visit.

China says the ships enhance scientific understanding of the ocean. But India fears that such vessels could collect data of military value.

"Number of visits of Chinese naval vessels will go up, that is for sure. Joint exercises could also happen," according to Sankalp Gurjar, assistant professor in geopolitics and international relations at India's Manipal Academy of Higher Education.

However analysts say Muizzu, who had campaigned on an "India-Out" platform, could also moderate his anti-India stand as the tiny archipelago of half a million relies on its giant neighbor for several essentials such as food and healthcare. Earlier this month, New Delhi allowed limited exports of commodities, such as sugar, wheat, rice, and onions, to the Maldives, despite having placed curbs on their exports to control prices in the domestic market.

"They need economic assistance from many players. India is continuing to commit economic aid, foreign assistance, development partnership work and that is one means by which we will try to maintain leverage," said Chaulia.

Analysts say New Delhi has taken a cautious stand as diplomatic ties fray and will adopt a "wait and watch" policy.

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Botswana's diamond industry gets boost amid global uncertainty

By Mqondisi Dube April 30, 2024

Botswana's diamond trade is on the rise despite industry uncertainty over efforts to sanction Russian stones. De Beers has relocated its auctions headquarters from Singapore to Botswana, while the secretariat of the Kimberley Process, a trade regime that certifies rough diamond exports to eliminate trade in conflict gems, also moved to the African nation.

De Beers, which has a long-standing sales agreement with Botswana, sells 10 percent of its diamonds through auctions.

De Beers' Executive Vice President Paul Rowley said the relocation of its auctions office is part of an effort to streamline its business operations and facilitate the further development of Botswana's diamond sector.

"The auction platform coming across, it will bring some additional customers and also auction sales will also enable us sell to small players and perhaps some Botswana nationals will be able to register and engage in that platform. That will be very exciting from that perspective," he said.

The relocation comes as the diamond industry reels from effects of a traceability initiative introduced by the Group of Seven leading industrialized countries, or G7, in a bid to sanction Russian diamonds.

Under the arrangement, all diamonds entering G7 markets are routed through Antwerp, Belgium, to ascertain their origin.

The tracking system, however, has caused disruptions to the supply chain, according to Rowley.

"Obviously there have been the G7 issues in the past few months. We continue to work closely with the G7 and try to find a solution that works for the industry as well as for the G7. We obviously all support [Russian] sanctions; it's absolutely understandable. What we are concerned about are the unintended consequences of perhaps having a single node, which we think is very inappropriate," he said.

The relocation of De Beers' auctions office coincides with the Kimberley Process secretariat commencing its operations in Botswana.

The Kimberley Process is a global initiative by the diamond industry to eliminate trade in conflict gems.

In mid-May, the Kimberley Process will hold its intersessional meeting in Dubai, where the G7's tracking system is expected to come under intense debate.

The G7 countries and Russia are all members of the Kimberley Process.

World Diamond Council President Feriel Zerouki told VOA that the G7 traceability scheme needs to be reviewed.

"The WDC believes that mechanisms for assuring a diamond's provenance should be efficient, effective and equitable. However, we don't believe that the approach of a single Antwerp entry point meets this test. Antwerp is not the source of any diamonds, so it's basically not the best place to certify where a diamond has originated from," she said.

Botswana's minister of minerals, Lefoko Moagi, meanwhile, hailed the establishment of the Kimberley Process secretariat in Gaborone.

"The Kimberley Process is an international and multi-stakeholder organization whereby we aim to increase ethical conduct in diamond trade and to prevent conflict diamonds from entering legitimate trade in rough diamonds. Therefore, this is very key for us; we will protect our diamonds with everything that we have," said Moagi.

Botswana is the world's second-largest producer of diamonds after Russia and is leading calls for the G7 traceability initiative to be revised.

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Abu Hamza

Abu Hamza is the nickname of the spokesperson for Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement (PIJ). Abu Hamza is considered one of the first wanted people on the Israeli assassination lists due to his being considered the main artery of the psychological and media warfare imposed by the Islamic Jihad Movement. Abu Hamza is similar to Abu Ubaida, the same voice, the same style, the same finger signal when warning, and the same words used in both characters.

Abu Hamza is a male given name of Arabic origin. It is a compound name of Abu [son of ] and Hamza, meaning lion. Because of its strength and toughness, it is a title and nickname given to several people: Abu Hamza Al-Thumali : Narrator of four Shiite imams; Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir : The second leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq; Abu Hamza al-Qurashi : The former official spokesman for ISIS; and Abu Hamza Al-Sukkari : a trustworthy hadith scholar.

Abu Hamza al-Sukkari is one of the imams of the Muslims, and a trustworthy hadith narrator, who died in the year 167 AH. Ibn al-Mubarak said about him:  Abu Hamza al-Sukkari is a group.  Ibn al-Mubarak was asked about the imams whom he emulates, and he mentioned Abu Bakr and Omar, until he ended up with Abu Hamza. On that day he will be alive. Abu Hamza al-Sukkari did not sell sugar, but he was named al-Sukkari because of the sweetness of his words.

Abu Hamza was famous for his generosity. If a man from his neighbors fell ill, he would give in charity the equivalent of the patients expenses, due to the illness that was taken away from him. He was famous for his asceticism, saying:  I have not been satisfied for thirty years unless I have a guest.

Ahmad ibn Hanbal said : I have no problem with his hadith. He is more beloved to me than Husayn ibn Waqid. Abbas al-Dawri said : Abu Hamzah was trustworthy. Ahmad ibn Shuaib al-Nasai said: Trustworthy, and Abd al -Dawri said : He was trustworthy. Allah bin Al-Mubarak : Abu Hamzah is the author of hadith, and he said: Al-Sukari and Ibrahim bin Tahman have authentic books.

A nom de guerre [FR : name of war] is a pseudonym that someone uses for a particular task or job. People who engage in armed conflict or resistance often use noms de guerre to conceal their identity. Revolutionaries and resistance leaders, such as Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, Golda Meir, Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, and Josip Broz Tito, often adopt their noms de guerre as their proper names after the struggle.

On Friday 30 August 2014 the Islamic Jihad movement called for a massive celebration in Gaza City of the victory of the resistance achieved during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which lasted 51 days. The celebration included a military parade by fighters of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Jihad, during which the Brigades announced its new spokesman.

Dunya Al Watan reported "The black-robed young man, Abu Hamza, was able to steal the spotlight during the celebration in which a large number of citizens gathered, and was broadcast by dozens of cameras belonging to local and international media. Abu Hamza said during a speech he delivered at the gathering: This is not the last battle with the Israeli occupation, but it is a battle on the path to liberating all of Palestine, stressing that the Palestinian people and their resistance were able to achieve what other countries and armies could not achieve, and that the battle put the enemy at a crossroads and proved that the Zionist project is on track. Palestine entered the battle of the beginning of the end.

"The appearance of Abu Hamza sparked controversy among Gazans, who asked many questions about the fate of Abu Ahmed, the former spokesman for the Brigades, and the truth about what was raised about his martyrdom during the aggression, but sources in the Jerusalem Brigades confirmed that Abu Ahmed is fine and in good health. The former spokesman, Abu Ahmed, enjoyed the trust and appreciation of the Palestinians who knew him at the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada through his voice that was blaring on local radio, where he was known for his nationalist positions and his constant emphasis on unity with all factions.

"As for Facebook, it was like an inauguration ceremony for ambassadors, as the masked young man stole the hearts of the Palestinians, and Facebook was flooded with expressions of celebration and welcome for the first appearance of Abu Hamza". Facebook users unanimously agreed that the first appearance of Abu Hamza was successful, as he appeared confident and in control of his performance, and they wished him success in his performance. Conveying the voice of the resistance and showing the image that befits it.

"Facebook users went on to talk about an upcoming competition between Abu Hamza and the war icon and Al-Qassam spokesman Abu Ubaida over the hearts of the Palestinians. Abu Ubaida or the man with the red stripe represented a special case during the aggression on the Gaza Strip, as he occupied the conversations of the Palestinians who were glued to the television screens to follow his statements throughout the 51 days of the war. "Between the black and the red, the hearts of the Palestinians yearn and beat for the statement of liberation that will one day bring down the graves so that the sun of freedom will shine on the faces of their companions."

The place or time of his appearance is not specified. He appears in press conferences , sometimes in Gaza mosques , or in news agencies , or on a street, or on any other satellite channel. The social networking site Twitter closed his account several times, most recently on May 11, 2021. This happened hours after the truce in the Battle of Saif al-Quds.

Abu Hamza described the Israeli occupation army and its crimes in the most horrific words and remind them of what happened to them in the past at the hands of the Palestinians. He had previously said to them: Oh army of defeats and caravans of rats coming to the proud Gaza, tell Yoav Galant (Minister of Security) and Herzi Halevy (President of Israel). Al-Arkan, about what happened to you west of Beit Lahia and east of Khan Yunis and Beit Hanoun.

On 14 November 2019 Abu Hamza revealed that the Brigades introduced a new Buraq 120 missile for military service for the first time. Abu Hamza said, in a press statement, The Al-Quds Brigades military media will publish a video clip showing the full details of the missile and the stages of its manufacture, preparation, and launch.

Abu Hamza added, The assassination of Commander Bahaa Abu Al-Atta will only increase our strength and solidity, declaring that the brigade leadership is in a constant meeting and evaluation of what is happening in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and occupied Jerusalem, and that the hands of its fighters in all military units are still on the trigger and working according to a system An integrated military force, which is at the disposal of the movements leadership.

Abu Hamza stressed that the Palestinian factions had confused the occupation's calculations and inflicted heavy losses on all levels in the last battle. Abu Hamza thanked the factions, which rejected humiliation and the policy of assassinations and isolation, and the companies participated in the final battle with all their military and human capabilities.

At dawn on Saturday 7th October 2023, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and other Palestinian factions in Gaza, launched the Al-Aqsa Flood military operation against Israel, Abu Hamza said 09 October 2023 that the resistance in Palestine is at its best and will continue the battle with full force, noting that the battle is continuous and expanding according to the plans drawn up. Abu Hamza explained - in an audio recording - that "it was necessary for the resistance to take the initiative and ignite the 'Al- Aqsa Flood ' operation," calling on Palestinians everywhere, specifically in the West Bank, to be part of the Al-Aqsa Flood and to make the message of unity of the squares continue with all force and vigour, as he put it.

Abu Hamza praised the "brave act of any Arab" who stands in what he called "an epic that has its aftermath at all levels", stressing that the unity of the arenas in the entire region is present in confronting the enemy. He stressed that "the resistance's achievements constantly defeat the enemy," considering that the Palestinians are closer to freedom than ever before".

On 30 October 2023 Abu Hamza said that the resistance, led by the Al-Quds Brigades and the Al-Qassam Brigades, continued chapters of pride and pride, and records achievements after achievements, on the path to victory. He added: "Tell them (Gallant and Halevy) what happened to you in the Zaytoun neighborhood today, and how you were lured like fools into ambushes of death and fields of terror." Abu Hamza continued, saying: We continue our battle, and with us are our guerrilla people, who are still seeking through their blood the highest meanings of sacrifice on the path to their freedom.

He pointed out, "What is happening in the wall of false Zionist illusion, which appears, in appearance, to be a single row, but the facts say that the repercussions of the Al-Aqsa flood battle have begun to appear clearly through the heaping of accusations and the distribution of failures." Likewise, Abu Hamza stressed that the battle scenes, at the strategic level, will witness a shift at all levels, and in all directions, in the interest of the resistance and the project of liberating all of Palestine.

On 09 November 2023, Abu Hamza issued a statement, in which he declared the groups readiness to release two Israeli hostages for humanitarian reasons. Our people are being subjected to the most heinous crimes and massacres in complete silence. Our fighters are repelling the enemys tank columns and mercenaries on all fronts of the battle. We are facing with all defiance and steadfastness a world war, who clear target is the genocide of our Palestinian people. The enemy, in the midst of madness, targets everything, even its own prisoners in the hands of Saraya Al-Quds and the Palestinian resistance. We are an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation and we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Al-Qassam Brigades.

We disclaim our responsibility towards the enemy prisoners in light of the barbaric bombing of every inch of Gaza. We announce our readiness to release Mrs. Hanna Kastir for humanitarian and health reasons, noting that we may not be able to provide her with healthcare in the face of exhaustion of fuel, electricity, medicine, and all life essentials. We declare our readiness to release the boy Yaghil Yaakov for humanitarian reasons and for his young age, noting that the prisons of the occupation are filled with hundreds of prisoners from the children of Palestine.

We reassure our people and all those who love and support us across the world, that Saraya Al-Quds (Al-Quds Brigades) and the Resistance are a thousand thousand times well, and our enemy, attempting to advance on different fronts for several long days, is tasting pain and horror in their tanks, which have become mobile coffins, with the help of God.

It is believed that Palestinian Resistance groups in Gaza hold hundreds of Israeli prisoners, captives, and hostages. Both Al-Qassam Brigades and Al-Quds Brigades announced their readiness to release civilians in their custody, accusing Israel of obstructing their efforts.

Abu Hamza said in a video recording 09 November 2023, stressed that the Al-Quds Brigades, from the beginning, declared that they were an integral part of the Al-Aqsa flood , and stand shoulder to shoulder alongside the mujahideen brothers in the Al-Qassam Brigades, and added, The youth, heroes, and mujahideen of the Al-Quds Brigades are like a roaring wave in this flood, sometimes with artillery and missile force, and with elite sniper heroes. At other times, armor and other military formations that repel tank columns and enemy army mercenaries on all fronts of the fighting.

Abu Hamza praised the steadfastness and steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, who he said were being subjected to a war of extermination imposed on them, where houses were being bombed on the heads of their residents and blood was being shed. The Israeli occupation vowed that it would not achieve victory against a people who knew only the path to victory, and we will destroy your hopes on the land of Gaza, just as we destroyed the hopes of your ancestors on the walls of Acre.

He reassured the Palestinian people, and all the lovers, supporters and advocates in the world, that the Al-Quds Brigades and the Resistance are a thousand thousand fine and that the enemy, which has been trying for many days to advance from several axes, is drinking pain and terror with its tanks that have become mobile coffins. Abu Hamza also said that the Palestinians "are facing a global war whose clear goal is to annihilate the Palestinian people, and the enemy is targeting everything, even its prisoners, who are now in the grip of the Al-Quds Brigades and the Resistance Brigades."

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Iceland and Sweden's joint team participates in world's largest cyber defence exercise

Government of Iceland

30 April 2024

Ministry for Foreign Affairs

NATO's cyber defence exercise Locked Shields 2024 has concluded with Iceland participating in a joint team with Sweden, the newest member of the Alliance. The exercise is organized and executed by NATOs Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, of which Iceland is a member.

The Icelandic team consisted of a group of 20 specialist from the public and private sectors. This year the focus was on giving members of the financial sector an opportunity to participate in the exercise. Therefore, the Icelandic group included experts from the Central Bank of Iceland, Iceland's Financial Market Data Centre (RB), Arion Bank, Islandsbanki and Kvika Bank as well as from Reykjavik Metropolitan Police, Iceland's national CERT, CERT-IS, and the Directorate for Defence at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

"To protect Iceland and our citizens against today's challenges, such as hybrid and cyber threats, a comprehensive whole of society approach is needed. That is why we are extremely grateful to the organizations and private companies that took the time to participate in Locked Shields. Public-private cooperation is essential in strengthening Iceland's cyber defences. This was also a welcomed opportunity to strengthen our defence cooperation with Sweden in this area," said Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Locked Shields is the largest cyber defence exercise in the world, with more than 4,000 experts from 40 countries taking part this year. During the exercise, which is set up as a competition, the teams are tasked with thwarting fierce cyber and computer attacks by hostile parties. During the exercise, the teams defended against around 8,000 cyber-attacks.

Participation in the exercise is an important part of strengthening cyber defence in Iceland and is part of the government's cyber action plan that was approved last year alongside a new cyber security strategy for Iceland. Good and close cooperation between the public and private sectors plays a key role in strengthening civil defence in an ever-changing security landscape.

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Shenzhou-17 crew return to Earth after completing 1st extravehicular repair task for damages caused by space debris impact

Global Times

By Fan Anqi and Wang Qi Published: Apr 30, 2024 09:04 PM

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, carrying taikonauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Tuesday, following six months aboard the Tiangong space station.

The three astronauts are all in good health condition, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the Xinhua News Agency reported. China announced that the Shenzhou-17 mission was a complete success.

The Shenzhou-17 mission was launched on October 25, 2023, taking over control of Tiangong from the outgoing Shenzhou-16 crew days later. The crew departed the station at 8:43 am on Tuesday and landed at Dongfeng landing site at 17:46 pm.

Recovery crews were on the scene moments after the return capsule touched down. Mission commander Tang Hongbo was the first out of the capsule. In front of the camera of China Central Television, Tang expressed that he is very proud for the country. "I departed in autumn and came back in spring. My mood is just the like current days in April, the most beautiful season of a year," Tang said.

Tang, who had first flown to space in the Shenzhou-12 mission in 2021 and then in the Shenzhou-17 mission, has not only become the taikonaut with the longest space flight time to date, but also the one with the shortest interval between two flight missions.

"Such an experience accumulated valuable lessons for us in the routine implementation of flight crew rotation and training," CMSA spokesperson Lin Xiqiang said.

Shenzhou-17 is the second mission after Tiangong space station entered the application phase.

Prior to Shenzhou-17's journey, research team had discovered damage on the solar wing cables of the station's Tianhe core module due to space debris impact, resulting in partial power loss.

To fix the damage, the Shenzhou-17 crew brought repair tools with them to the space station, and through two extravehicular activities, they managed to complete China's first extravehicular repair task, eliminating the impact on the core module's solar wings, the Global Times learned from the CMSA.

"This fully demonstrated the role of humans in space and showed that human care of spacecraft can better address unexpected issues in orbit," Lin said.

Over the past few decades, especially in recent years, the rapid increase of human space activities has led to a growing concern over the issue of space debris. Up recently, the Chinese space station has actively implemented space debris avoidance measures on multiple occasions.

To cope with the challenge, China has improved its precise forecasting capabilities for the space station, optimizing space collision warning and reducing false alarm rates by 30 percent. China has also been conducting high-resolution inspection of the external status of Tiangong to analyze the probability and mechanics of small debris impacts.

The Shenzhou-18 crew who has just arrived at their space home on Friday will carry out reinforcement measures with protective devices to apply on the weak points on the exterior of the space station.

Lin noted that a space station impact leak monitoring and positioning system has also been deployed, improving emergency pressure response plans and increasing the time available for fault handling by five times.

The CMSA has been publishing OEM orbit parameters on their website, so as to establish a flight safety communication mechanism with other spacefaring countries, timely exchange and sharing of relevant information, with the aim of jointly maintaining the safety of spacecraft in orbit.

Apart from impact repair tasks, the Shenzhou-17 crew has conducted a total of 84 space application experiments, producing over 60 types of more than 200 samples in various fields such as space life sciences and biotechnology, aerospace medicine, and space materials science.

These samples will be brought back to Earth along with the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft for in-depth analysis and research. The samples are expected to achieve a number of important research results in areas such as high-performance multi-element alloys, functional crystal material preparation, and inhibiting bone loss through the differentiation of stem cells.

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Republic of Singapore personnel training at RAAF Base Richmond

Issued by Defence Media

29 April 2024

Defence is supporting the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) as it conducts air mobility training from RAAF Base Richmond between 27 April and 4 June 2024.

As part of the annual RSAF training, a Singaporean C-130H Hercules transport aircraft and approximately 140 Singaporean personnel are undertaking flying activity including airdrop and parachute operations over western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, and regional New South Wales.

The support of local communities in these areas is greatly appreciated by exercise participants.

The training involves day and night flying on weekdays, and flying at low level in airspace and airfields commonly used by RAAF aircraft. There is no planned weekend flying activity.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) will support the exercise with airbase operations support, air traffic control services and other logistical and operational support. ADF jumpers, parachutes, and aircraft will not be involved.

Air Commodore Bradley Clarke, Commander of Air Mobility Group, said the training detachment would allow RAAF and Australian Army members to engage closely with RSAF personnel.

"Singaporean C-130 crews deploy to RAAF Base Richmond for this training each year," Air Commodore Clarke said.

"Our support allows us to more easily integrate with Singapore in future, and positively contributes to Singapore's own security.

"Singapore has provided air mobility support to Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations throughout the region, including to Australia during floods and bushfires."

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Spartan strengthens partnerships in PNG

By Flight Lieutenant Claire Campbell

30 April 2024

Flying across the highlands of Papua New Guinea, a RAAF C-27J Spartan conducted airlift operations in support of its close partner, the PNG Defence Force and PNG government.

Part of the Defence Pacific Air Program (DPAP) 2024, the aircraft from 35 Squadron has supported PNGDF troop movements, delivered essential supplies to remote areas and strengthened this special partnership.

DPAP is an Australian Government program to increase presence and the sovereign aviation needs of the South West Pacific, as C-27J pilot Flight Lieutenant Ben Howlett explained.

"Utilising the C-27J Spartan, we're able to access fields in both the coastal areas and highlands, as well as the islands around PNG to support the government and their defence force," Flight Lieutenant Howlett said.

"The C-27J is particularly adept at operations around PNG as well as the South West Pacific. It can access more austere fields and lends itself very well to airlift operations, including humanitarian and disaster relief."

DPAP has provided an opportunity for RAAF aviators to train in essential skills and gain experience in conducting a variety of operations in the region alongside their PNG counterparts.

Sergeant Walter Torova is the acting Command Sergeant Major within PNG Air Transport Wing Movements. He explained how RAAF personnel have helped his team develop new skills.

"We have learned a lot from RAAF Movements personnel, who demonstrated loading and unloading procedures, strapping and netting of cargo, and how to operate the forklift," Sergeant Torova said.

"My favourite thing about working with the RAAF is travelling on their aircraft, seeing the different provinces of PNG."

DPAP and 35 Squadron also assisted the PNG government to deliver emergency relief supplies during the recent earthquake in the East Sepik region, as C-27J co-pilot Flying Officer Hayden Krammer explained.

"The opportunity to assist one of our partner nations in a time of need is one of the most rewarding experiences that I have been a part of and one of the reasons I joined the RAAF," Flying Officer Krammer said.

"The days were long but I would do it again in a heartbeat."

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Aircraft support continues for Solomon Islands

By Major Tom Maclean

30 April 2024

Australian military aircraft have continued to play a major role in the air bridge that links Solomon Islands during its national elections, moving police, military and civilian specialists from multiple countries into and around Solomon Islands.

RAAF C-130J Hercules and C-17 Globemaster aircraft regularly fly into Honiara International Airport, while C-27J Spartan aircraft deliver personnel and cargo to outlying airfields.

Squadron Leader Craig O'Malley, of 382 Squadron, said the team of Air Force and Army members on the ground helped new arrivals quickly clear immigration and customs so they could get to work.

"Everyone has been working hard to ensure it's a smooth process," Squadron Leader O'Malley said.

Over the weeks leading up to the elections, the team has unloaded tonnes of cargo from aircraft, often in either sweltering heat or the occasional tropical torrential downpour.

One particularly challenging piece of cargo was a Bell 412 helicopter that was loaded onto a C-17 and flown in for the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.

Private Jordan Schooth, of 1st Joint Movements Unit, said the many complex tasks had been professionally rewarding.

"It took a lot of people and coordination to move the helicopter," he said.

"We had to be really careful because of its long tail. We had to make sure it didn't hit the ceiling inside the C-17 when we were rolling it out of the aircraft and onto the ground."

All the activity has also presented training opportunities. Local firefighters employed at Honiara International Airport received a familiarisation tour on a C-27J Spartan and learned how to work with deployed ADF personnel.

About 300 ADF members have deployed to support Solomon Islands to facilitate a safe and secure election period.

Election observers from Australia also took time to visit deployed ADF personnel. Federal and state members of parliament, as well as other representatives of the Australian Government toured a C-27J Spartan to learn how it is being used to deliver and collect ballots from remote airfields.

The observer tour also provided a chance for old friends to reunite. Finance officer Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Lam, of 17th Brigade, was excited to see NSW Member for Blacktown Stephen Bali. They went through Army training together as recruits at Kapooka in 1996.

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There isn't a 'China overcapacity,' but a US overcapacity of anxiety stemming from a lack of confidence: Chinese FM

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Apr 30, 2024 09:20 PM

The US accusation of "China's overcapacity" is not a market-driven conclusion, but a crafted narrative to manipulate perception and politicize trade, with the real purpose being holding back China's high-quality development and depriving China of its legitimate right to development, Lin Jian, spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a routine press briefing on Tuesday, in a latest response to Washington's false narratives targeting Chinese new energy vehicles (NEVs).

There isn't a "China overcapacity," but a US overcapacity of anxiety stemming from a lack of confidence and smears against China, the spokesperson said.

The remarks were made in response to media questions regarding the rhetoric by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his recent visit to China. He pointed fingers at China over so-called "unfair trade practices and the potential consequences of industrial overcapacity to global and US markets," naming some industries including electric vehicles, batteries, and solar panels.

The "China overcapacity" accusation may look like an economic discussion, but the truth is, the accusation is built on false logic and ignores more than 200 years of the basic concept of comparative advantage in Western economics, Lin said.

When China's electric vehicle exports account for only 12 percent of its production, it's labeled as "overcapacity." But consider this: Germany exports 80 percent of its automobile production, followed by Japan's 50 percent, and the US' 25 percent.

"Wouldn't that be considered more serious overcapacity?" Lin asked.

Moreover, according to estimates from the International Energy Agency, to realize carbon neutrality, the world will need 45 million NEVs by 2030, 4.5 times that of the demand of 2022.

"When the global capacity is still far below the market demand, how could there be overcapacity?" Lin asked.

In contrary to the US' narrow-minded narratives in new energy development, China has taken an open stance in the field, welcoming businesses worldwide to develop cooperation together for win-win outcomes, as it is well reflected at the 2024 18th Beijing International Automotive Exhibition Beijing Auto Show, which takes place from April 25 to May 4.

The auto show features more than 1,500 exhibiting companies, 278 new energy models and 117 global premieres, including 30 premieres by multinational companies.

The event was attended by executives from renowned international car companies such as BMW, Volkswagen, and Nissan, demonstrating their regard for the Chinese market and their expectations for working more closely with China.

Recently, German carmakers Volkswagen and BMW announced additional investments in China totaling five billion euros each, aiming to ramp up their layouts in the manufacturing of electric and smart vehicles in China.

These facts and statistics not only reveal global automakers' optimism for the growth potential of China's mega-sized market and their confidence in China's development outlook, but also are the most convincing argument against the so-called "Chinese overcapacity," Lin said.

Chinese experts also refuted the US' intensified discourse of "overcapacity" narratives.

Speaking with the Global Times on Tuesday, Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, said that actual demand for NEVs remain huge in both China and around the world.

The NEV market in China is undergoing rapid expansion, and the implementation of the new trade-in policy alone has the potential to drive up to two million electric vehicle sales this year, according to Cui, reflecting positive market prospects for the booming sector.

Overcapacity is only caused by enterprises lacking competitiveness, leading to unsold inventory, which is surely not the case in China's NEV industry, Cui said, noting that Chinese NEV manufacturers are reputable enterprises, and there is strong demand for their products in the market.

"Both domestically and internationally, there is no overcapacity in the NEV sector," he said.

The US' repeated accusations of "overcapacity" against China stem from concerns about the rapid development of China NEV industry potentially impeding the growth of American car manufacturers. "This highlights the narrow-minded approach of the US in attempting to isolate Chinese companies from the global market," said Cui.

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Xi's visit to France can build friendship, instill confidence: Chinese envoy

Global Times

By Chen Qingqing Published: Apr 30, 2024 12:43 AM

The upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to France holds profound historical significance. It will be a journey to showcase friendship, instill confidence and lead cooperation, Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye told a press briefing on Monday.

At the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron of France, President Aleksandar Vucic of the Republic of Serbia and President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, President Xi will pay state visits to France, Serbia and Hungary from May 5 to 10, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.

This marks President Xi's return to France and Europe after a gap of five years. It is also Xi's first state visit of the year and the highlight of celebrations for the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Lu said.

The visit holds significant importance for advancing the development of China-France and China-EU relations in the new era and influencing the evolution of the international landscape, the Chinese envoy noted.

Lu pointed out that China-France relations were nurtured by previous leaders such as Chairman Mao Zedong and General Charles de Gaulle.

Over the past 60 years, guided by the spirit of independence, mutual understanding, foresight, and mutually beneficial cooperation, China-France relations have weathered the changing international landscape, he noted.

They have consistently remained at the forefront of China's relations with Western countries, demonstrating increasing strategic maturity and stability, and exerting profound influence on great power relations and global dynamics, Lu said.

"Xi's visit, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, will provide an opportunity to revisit the spirit of China-France cooperation and chart the future of bilateral relations from a historical and strategic perspective," the Chinese diplomat said.

France is a core member of the EU, and China-France relations are an important component and strong engine of China-Europe relations. China has always viewed China-Europe relations from a strategic height and a long-term perspective, considering Europe as a comprehensive strategic partner and an important force in a multipolar world, Lu said.

During Xi's visit, there will be comprehensive and in-depth strategic communication with Macron on China-France and China-Europe relations.

This will encourage France to uphold strategic autonomy and openness in cooperation, and drive Europe to form a more independent, objective, and friendly understanding of China.

It will also resist negative trends such as "de-risking" and "reduced dependence" on China, ensuring that China-France relations continue to lead China-Europe relations toward stability and progress, Lu said.

China and France should accelerate cooperation in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, green manufacturing, and sustainable development, the ambassador said.

Furthermore, they should further promote agricultural cooperation, represented by "from French farms to Chinese tables," and build closer ties in terms of industry chains, capital flows, and personnel exchanges.

It is believed that President Xi's visit will inject new impetus into cooperation in various fields between China and France, guiding both sides to explore new areas and avenues of cooperation, he said.

In response to questions about the common ground where China and France could work together in addressing hotspot issues such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Ukraine crisis, Lu noted that on the issue of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, China and France have consistently held similar positions, both advocating for a negotiated resolution through the "two-state solution," supporting an immediate ceasefire, protecting civilians, and alleviating humanitarian situations.

As two major powers from the East and the West and responsible great powers, China and France will continue to maintain close communication and coordination on international and regional hotspot issues.

They will actively uphold the international system centered around the UN and the international order based on international law, jointly promote negotiations and dialogue to resolve regional conflicts and turbulence, and work together to build a peaceful, stable, and secure world, Lu said.

On the Ukraine crisis, the Chinese government has maintained an objective, neutral, and balanced stance since the beginning of the crisis, without favoring any party. It is because of this stance that China can engage in dialogue with various parties involved in the crisis, including Russia, Ukraine, Europe, and the US, Lu noted.

"We have consistently advocated for peace talks and dialogue, and opposed any country adding fuel to the fire of this crisis. The conflicts and wars that have arisen in today's world are detrimental to the progress and prosperity of human society," he said.

The endpoint of any war is the negotiating table, and it is better to return to the negotiating table early rather than engage in a conflict where both sides end up losing before resuming talks, Lu stressed.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, Xi clarified China's position at a video summit with Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, outlining the "four principles." President Xi later called for joint efforts in four areas and shared three observations.

In February 2023, the Chinese government released a position paper on the political resolution of the Ukraine issue, presenting a 12-point proposal. The proposal includes not only general principles such as respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and adhering to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter but also a roadmap, including ceasefire, initiation of talks, protection of civilians and prisoners of war, guaranteeing food shipments, and the safety of nuclear power plants.

It also includes ideas for the post-war European security architecture. If Europe and France carefully read the Chinese document and truly understand China's position, they will find that China's proposals are in line with the current situation and provide a feasible path for the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis, Lu said.

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China, United States should be partners rather than rivals

People's Daily Online

By Zhong Sheng (People's Daily) 09:13, April 30, 2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 26 met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Expounding on the lessons from the 45 years of development in China-U.S. relations, Xi said building a community with a shared future for mankind is the basic starting point for China to view the China-U.S. relationship, and stressed the importance to follow through on the San Francisco vision. His remarks charted the course for China and the United States to maintain a stable, healthy and sustainable relationship.

Whether China and the United States will be partners or rivals is the fundamental question that must be answered first in handling their relationship. It is the "first button of a shirt" that determines whether the China-U.S. relationship can develop stably.

If the United States consistently regards China as its primary rival, the relationship between the two countries will only be plagued by constant troubles and a multitude of issues.

China always believes that planet Earth is big enough to accommodate the common development and respective prosperity of China and the United States.

Over the past 45 years, the relationship between the two countries has gone through wind and rain, and the two sides can draw a few important lessons. China and the United States should be partners rather than rivals; help each other succeed rather than hurt each other; seek common ground and reserve differences rather than engage in vicious competition; and honor words with actions rather than say one thing but do another.

Xi said he proposed mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation as the three overarching principles for the relationship, which are both lessons learned from the past and a guide for the future.

China views and develops China-U.S. relations from the global vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, which is responsible for the people, for the world and for the future.

The world today is undergoing transformation not seen in a century. How to respond to it is a question of the times and of the world. China's answer is to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xi stressed that countries live in an interdependent world and rise and fall together. With their interests deeply intertwined, all countries need to build maximum consensus for win-win and all-win outcomes.

In the face of a complex international situation, the international community expects both China and the United States to strengthen dialogue, manage differences, and promote cooperation.

As two major countries, China and the United States should undertake responsibilities for world peace, create opportunities for the development of all countries, provide the world with public goods, and play a positive role in promoting global unity.

Jointly developing a right perception, jointly managing disagreements effectively, jointly advancing mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly shouldering responsibilities as major countries, and jointly promoting people-to-people exchanges should serve as the underpinning for the mansion of China-U.S. relations.

Recently, teams from both China and the United States have been working to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state during their meeting in San Francisco. There has been an increase in dialogues, cooperation, and positive interactions in various fields, indicating a stabilizing trend in China-U.S. relations. Blinken's visit to China is part of the efforts of the two sides to deliver on the common understandings reached by the two presidents in San Francisco, maintain dialogue, manage differences, promote cooperation and enhance coordination in international affairs.

The two sides reached a five-point consensus based on a comprehensive exchange of views. They agreed to continue to work hard to stabilize and develop China-U.S. relations in accordance with the guidance of the two heads of state, maintain high-level exchanges and contacts at all levels, continue to carry out exchanges between the two militaries, further promote China-U.S. cooperation on drug control, climate change and artificial intelligence, take measures to expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, and maintain consultations on international and regional hotspot issues.

The San Francisco vision is a task entrusted by the two heads of state, which should be fully implemented without compromise.

The two sides should value peace, prioritize stability, and uphold credibility, which is a principle that the two countries must adhere to this year in developing their relations.

China is willing to cooperate, but cooperation should be a two-way street. China is not afraid of competition, but competition should be about progressing together instead of playing a zero-sum game. China is committed to non-alliance, and the United States should not create small blocs. While each side can have its friends and partners, it should not target, oppose or harm the other.

Currently the China-U.S. relations have been generally stabilized from further deterioration, but negative factors are still growing and accumulating.

The United States keeps making mistakes with its words and actions on the Taiwan question, breaking political commitments it has made. Its endless measures to suppress China's economy, trade, and technology are infringing on the rights of the Chinese people to develop. The United States is obsessed with forming exclusive blocs and manipulate bloc politics, undermining China's strategic security interests. If the United States stubbornly pushes the strategy to contain China's development, China will resolutely oppose it and respond with firm countermeasures.

Only when the "first button" is fastened correctly can China-U.S. relations truly stabilize, improve and move forward. The United States should develop a right perception of China, work with China in the same direction, put a floor of no conflict and no confrontation, and refrain from setting the relationship back, provoking incident or crossing the line. It should honor its commitments with action and turn the San Francisco vision into reality.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian's Regular Press Conference on April 30, 2024

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

2024-04-30 20:22

At the invitation of Gambian President Adama Barrow, President Xi Jinping's Special Representative and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zheng Jianbang will travel to the Gambia from May 4 to 5 to attend the 15th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Banjul.

CCTV: Sources said that the two Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas held reconciliation talks recently in Beijing. Can you share some details?

Lin Jian: At the invitation of the Chinese side, representatives of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) recently came to Beijing to have in-depth and candid dialogue on promoting Palestinian reconciliation. The two sides fully expressed their political will of realizing reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, had discussions on many specific issues, and made encouraging progress. They agreed to continue this dialogue process so as to achieve Palestinian solidarity and unity at an early date. They highly appreciated China's firm support for the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, thanked the Chinese side for its efforts to help strengthen Palestinian internal unity, and reached agreement on ideas for future dialogue.

Beijing Daily: We noted that 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition is in full swing. Heads of famous international automakers, including BMW, Volkswagen, and Nissan, attended the exhibition in Beijing, which says a lot about their great interest in the Chinese market. What's your comment?

Lin Jian: Over 1,500 Chinese and foreign companies have gathered at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Auto China 2024). Many world-known automakers have shown up with new products and technologies. Chinese and foreign customers and exhibitors have come to the booths of Chinese car makers in a steady stream. Statistics show that the Auto China 2024 is showcasing 278 new energy vehicle models and 117 global premieres, including 30 premieres by multinational companies. We also noticed that Germany's Volkswagen and BMW have recently announced respectively to scale up investment totaling EUR 5 billion in China and increase input to produce electric and smart vehicles. These facts and statistics not only reveal global automakers' optimism for the growth potential of China's mega-sized market and their confidence in China's development outlook, but are also the most convincing argument against the so-called "Chinese overcapacity."

As Premier Li Qiang stressed when visiting the exhibition, China and global NEV markets are growing steadily and there is plenty of room for market demand. Intelligent connected NEVs are to some extent the product of global industrial cooperation. The future of NEVs relies on various parties leveraging their respective advantages and deepening the division of labor and collaboration. China will further build a unified national market, pursue higher-standard opening up, keep easing market access, and advance the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment. We will continue to treat Chinese and foreign-funded businesses as equals, and promote more extensive exchange and cooperation between Chinese and foreign automakers in capital, technology, management and human resources. They are welcome to share in China's market opportunities, grow together in technological and industrial revolutions, and achieve mutual success.

We are confident that foreign businesses will continue to stay, invest and flourish in China. China will not slow down efforts to provide an even better business environment and stronger, more integrated support for foreign businesses. China will only open its door even wider to the world.

CRI: We noted that China Wildlife Conservation Association has recently released the information of pandas that are going to be sent to the San Diego Zoo in the United States. Can you brief us on the new round of cooperation between China and the US on giant panda conservation?

Lin Jian: We learned that based on the agreement on giant panda international conservation and research cooperation signed by China and the US in February, two giant pandas named Yun Chuan and Xin Bao from China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda have been chosen to be sent to the San Diego Zoo. Experts from both countries have conducted multiple rounds of field assessment and exchanges and will make full preparation in accordance with the requirements and technical standards for international cooperation on giant panda conservation to ensure the health and safety of giant pandas in the US.

The San Diego Zoo is the first US institution to have cooperation with China on giant panda research. Since the cooperation began, the two sides have carried out joint research on the conservation of wild giant pandas, rearing and breeding, and disease prevention and treatment. Together, they've overcome technical difficulties and successfully bred six cubs through six pregnancies, playing a positive role in improving the conservation of giant pandas and forging closer bonds and enhancing friendship between the two peoples.

This round of cooperation will focus on prevention and treatment of major diseases and protection of habitats and wild giant panda populations, and contribute to the building of giant panda national parks in China. We believe as China-US cooperation in this area deepens, it will enhance the capacity for cooperation and research on endangered wildlife and biodiversity conservation and contribute to the conservation of endangered wildlife and the friendship between Chinese and Americans.

Rudaw Media Network: In the past, there have been attacks on infrastructure in various parts in Iraq. However, it's the first attack on the Khor Mor gas field on April 26 in Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Following this attack, do you have concern about your security like your institutions' and companies' security in the region, fearing they may become targets?

Lin Jian: China expresses concern over the attack on the gas field in Iraq's Kurdistan Region and grief for the victims. China stands ready to work with Iraq to protect the safety and security of Chinese institutions, projects and personnel in Iraq.

Xinhua News Agency: During his visit to China, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly expressed his concern to the Chinese side about the global economic consequences of China's "industrial overcapacity". He said that the question of "overcapacity" is the one that is "front and center" in the China-US relationship, "This is a movie that we've seen before, and we know how it ends a with American businesses shuttered and American jobs lost." What's your comment?

Lin Jian: During Secretary Blinken's visit, China made its position clear on this issue. The "China overcapacity" accusation may look like an economic discussion, but the truth is, the accusation is built on false logic and ignores more than 200 years of the basic concept of comparative advantage in Western economics. All countries produce and export products of their comparative advantage and this is the nature of international trade. If a country should be accused of overcapacity and asked to cut capacity whenever it produces more than its domestic demand, then what would countries trade with? If exporting 12 percent of Chinese-made EVs is called overcapacity, then what about Germany, Japan and the US who export 80, 50 and 25 percent respectively of their automobiles? Wouldn't that be considered more serious overcapacity? Let's not forget that according to the statistics of the International Energy Agency, to realize carbon neutrality, the world will need 45 million NEVs by 2030, 4.5 times that of the demand of 2022. When the global capacity is still far below the market demand, how could there be "overcapacity"?

The US knows full well that this "overcapacity" allegation is against economic common sense and industry facts, yet still labels China with it. The US claim of "China overcapacity" is not a market-driven conclusion, but a crafted narrative to manipulate perception and politicize trade. The real purpose is to hold back China's high-quality development and deprive China of its legitimate right to development. There isn't a "China overcapacity", but a US overcapacity of anxiety stemming from lack of confidence and smears against China.

As President Xi Jinping pointed out, China welcomes a confident, open, prosperous and thriving United States, and hopes the United States will also look at China's development in a positive light. The US said it does not seek to contain China's economy or bar China's progress in science and technology. We urge the US to honor those words, and stop spreading the false "overcapacity" narrative, stop going after China's new energy sector with unfair and non-market means and stop impeding the global effort to achieve green transition and development.

Reuters: Two questions from Reuters. So the Chinese Coast Guard said it expelled Philippine Coast Guard ships and vessels that intruded into waters near the Scarborough Shoal. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment? A second question. According to reports, French President Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet President Xi in Paris. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment?

Lin Jian: On your first question, Huangyan Dao has always been China's territory. The Philippine Coast Guard vessel and official vessel entered waters of Huangyan Dao without Chinese permission, which seriously infringed on China's sovereignty. China Coast Guard took necessary measures to expel them in accordance with the law. China urges the Philippines to stop making infringement and provocations at once and not to challenge China's resolve to defend our sovereignty.

On your second question, since last year, China and the EU have fully resumed in-person exchanges at all levels and activated dialogues and cooperation in various fields. China-EU relations have shown sound momentum of steady progress, which is in the interest of both sides and what the international community expects of us. China-EU relations carry strategic significance and global influence. They are crucial to world peace, stability and prosperity. In a world fraught with uncertainties and instability, China and the EU need to form the right perception of each other, enhance mutual understanding and trust, focus on consensus and cooperation, overcome obstacles and difficulties, properly manage differences, and work together to address global challenges.

During his visit to France, President Xi Jinping will hold a trilateral meeting upon request with President Macron and President Von der Leyen. China stands ready to work with France and the EU to take this meeting as an opportunity to make the China-EU relations more strategic, stable, constructive and mutually beneficial, promote steady and sustained progress in China-EU relations, and contribute to the prosperity of both China and Europe and a peaceful world.

Bloomberg: Just want to follow up on the South China Sea. We understand the Philippines' ship was damaged. Could you comment on the damage? And the Philippines said that three Chinese Coast Guard ships fired water cannon at two Philippine vessels in the South China Sea. And as a result, one of the ships suffered damage. Could you comment on this?a

Lin Jian: I answered that question just now. Let me stress that China Coast Guard took necessary measures in accordance with the law, and the way it handled the situation was professional, proper and lawful.

***

In observance of the Labor Day, the MFA regular press conference will be adjourned from May 1 (Wednesday) to 3 (Friday), and resumed on May 6 (Monday). During the holiday, you can reach the spokesperson's office by fax, email or WeChat as usual.a

Wish everyone a happy holiday.

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INTERVIEW: 'China's people are increasingly aware of human rights'

Politics professor Xia Ming looks at possible drivers of political change under Chinese Communist Party rule.

By Wang Yun for RFA Mandarin 2024.04.30 -- Twelve years ago, Xia Ming, a politics professor at The City University of New York, published a book in Hong Kong titled "Political Venus," which examined possible pathways towards a more democratic China.

He recently sat down with RFA Mandarin to revisit the book in the light of more recent events, including an indefinite third term for ruling Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, a flagging economy, ongoing tensions between cash-strapped local governments and Chinese citizens, and the 2022 "white paper" movement that brought an end to three years of draconian restrictions under Xi's zero-COVID policy. The following is an edited translation of the original interview:

RFA: How is democracy relevant to China today?

Xia Ming: I think one of the most specific implications for China today is that every Chinese person could potentially play a role in changing their destiny, in determining the future development of the country, and their own basic right to survival.

In a democracy, the country belongs to the people, is governed by the people, and enjoyed by the people. China today is totally owned and enjoyed by those in power. The main benefits of China's economic development over the past 40 years have actually been monopolized by bureaucrats or oligarchs.

When the economy is doing well, the people don't see many of the benefits, especially migrant workers and the rural population. But when there's an economic crisis, ordinary people bear the brunt of the impact, or are cut out of the economy altogether. The most fundamental thing here is that there's no democratic, decision-making body.

RFA: In your book, you talk about the elite a lot a differentiating between the political, intellectual and economic elite. Why is that differentiation important?

Xia Ming: The idea of an elite ... includes not just the political elite, but also the economic and cultural elite. They can, in a pluralistic society, cooperate with and keep an eye on each other, in service of that society.

In China, Mao was a populist ... a marginalized person [who] actually wiped out elite culture in China, including its traditional culture. Economic reforms gradually saw the emergence of a new group of elites, via the college entrance examination, through market economics, and through celebrity culture in sports, economics, politics and education.

The problem today isn't that these elites exist; it's that the Chinese Communist Party wants to take all the winnings for itself. It wants the political elite to subjugate all of the other elites, and take their jobs. In other words, Chinese Communist Party leaders now want to be doctoral supervisors, hold Ph.D.s, be the richest people, and be on the front page of every newspaper.

RFA: What about the people at the bottom of the ladder? What role could the lowest socioeconomic class play in China's democratization?

Xia Ming: Over the past 40 years, awareness of democracy and human rights has been constantly on the increase among those at the bottom rungs of Chinese society.

My own research ... has shown that these people are increasingly aware of their rights, and at the same time, are less and less dependent on the regime. People are also increasingly taking part in "mass incidents," which is to say, collective forms of resistance.

China basically stopped publishing its own data on mass incidents in 2008, but the last time I saw any of the data, there were about 140,000 mass incidents a year. Mass incidents [protests and demonstrations] take place every day in every province of China.

I believe that when the Chinese people stand up for their own rights and interests, they inflict structural wear and tear on the Communist Party's authoritarian system, which causes structural fatigue. That system could be forced into changing when the government finally discovers that the benefits of running this system no longer outweigh the costs.

RFA: Right now in China, there is a totalitarian system in which all of the elites depend on the system, on the political elite. How can this be avoided?

Xia Ming: During Jiang Zemin's time in power, particularly before 2007, there was a tendency within the Chinese Communist Party to push the party in the direction of social democracy. [Jiang's] Three Represents ideas intended to turn it into a party with diverse social interests, which meant opening it up to private entrepreneurs and encouraging capitalists to join. So it's possible for that mechanism to loosen up in certain situations.

[This continued until] Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping went to war on civil society. At that time, the accumulation of civil power and the proliferation of civil society groups actually posed a huge threat to party rule, yet that change was promoted by leaders from within the party. That's why I'm still hopeful that some change will come from within the Chinese Communist Party itself.

RFA: Looking at the suppression of the private sector in China today, is it fair to say that China's current supreme ruler wants to downplay or even eliminate the role of other elite groups?

Xia Ming: Yes. There is a winner-takes-all attitude among the political elite in China right now, which is suppressing and even devouring the other elite groups. For example, people like Jack Ma are being forced to redistribute all their assets and shares.

The Chinese elite right now is a monopoly, with the political elite having the final say, even in the arts, in academia, and in education. That's why we see Xi Jinping Thought Research Centers wielding power over entire universities.

Another thing is that China now has a closed political elite. A more open elite would attract a lot of naturally talented people, who would form an influx from outside.

But now, the restrictions of the household registration system and educational reforms mean that the candidates for entry into the elite jobs are coming from the second generation of officials, the second generation of rich people, and the second generation of revolutionary families.

So, the influx of people into that group has been shut down, and the elite is now closed, which means that they ... live lives that are totally separate from those of ordinary people, and that they are willing to sacrifice the interests of the majority to serve their own interests.

This tendency towards oligarchy is very pronounced. That's why the Chinese Communist Party is cracking down on the private sector. The ongoing harvesting of assets from private enterprises strengthens the power of the state.

RFA: In the book, you also talk about the "gangsterization" of Chinese politics alongside the tendency towards mass incidents. Why do you see these two processes as parallels?

Xia Ming: We have a tendency to mythologize the Chinese Communist Party's ability to govern. Yes, China's ability to govern itself is far greater now than it was in imperial times, because it's a centralized government based on technology, on high-tech equipment, that makes it very effective.

But we shouldn't be too superstitious about its effectiveness. The regime is actually failing in a lot of places, and is quite incompetent. These failings manifest particularly further down the social ladder, and it has failed to penetrate into a lot of places, particularly rural areas. There are a lot of places in which it's failing.

There are so many police in China, but they are mostly concentrated in the big cities. That leaves a lot of space for China's jianghu culture, which is a Chinese tradition in which the most marginalized people look out for their own survival, because their lives are seen as cheap anyway.

This underworld offers a channel for social mobility, via the collusion that exists between gang bosses and corrupt officials in local governments, who let the gangs do a lot of their dirty work for them. So, the lowest levels of government in China have been "gangsterized."

RFA: You argue in the book that people's anger is often directed at local governments, and that they tend to idealize the role of the central government. Do you think that has changed much since the three years of the zero-COVID policy?

Xia Ming: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is still playing this political game, acting as peacemaker in the event of conflicts between local people and local governments, offering some concessions to the people, criticizing the local government, and appearing to solve the problem. This pattern continues today.

One of the most prominent manifestations is the huge local government debt crisis, which has triggered conflicts with ordinary people, particularly when it comes to local government financing platforms. It's still leaving it to local governments to handle those conflicts with the people.

Now that the flow of revenue from real estate has collapsed, people are becoming more aware that everything their local government is doing is directly linked to central government [policy]. So, when Xi Jinping says the party should lead in everything, across the whole country, he's also making himself the target for lightning to strike in the form of popular unrest. So, it's harder under the current circumstances for the central government to avoid accountability.

RFA: During the "white paper" protests of November 2022, the first to stand up and resist were the educated children of the urban middle class. They were the reason that the zero-COVID policy was lifted. Are these people now the main force for change in China?

Xia Ming: I'm reading a book by [former New York Times China correspondent] Ian Johnson called "Sparks." He talks about how intellectuals and independent historians have kept this spark alive over the past few decades in China, by spreading ideas and keeping a record of wrongdoing by the Chinese Communist Party, constantly driving away the darkness.

He muses that the sparks may just be like flickers of candlelight, but could one day turn into bright sunshine. When I wrote "Political Venus," I was trying to keep that spark alive.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Roseanne Gerin.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content April not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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China's state media support protests on US campuses but not at home

By Wenhao Ma April 30, 2024

State media in China, where social protest is strongly discouraged or punished, have been vocally supporting the pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. campuses while decrying what they describe as a heavy-handed crackdown on free speech by authorities.

"Can blindly using violence to suppress students be able to quell domestic dissatisfaction with the government?" wrote Jun Zhengping Studio, a social media account operated by the News Broadcasting Center of the People's Liberation Army, in an April 26 commentary.

"If American politicians really have a sense of democracy and human rights, they should stop supporting Israel, stop endorsing Israel's actions, and do more things that are conducive to world peace. Otherwise, the only one who will suffer backlash is the United States itself."

The People's Daily, China's state-owned newspaper, said in a video that American students are protesting because they "can no longer stand the double standards of the United States."

On social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying echoed that comment and implied the U.S. government was cracking down on protests at home while supporting protests abroad.

She posted a clip of U.S. police arresting protesters with the question, "Remember how U.S. officials reacted when these protests happened elsewhere?"

The protests this month at scores of universities, including New York's Columbia University and George Washington University in the U.S. capital, have opposed Israel's war against Hamas militants in Gaza over the large number of civilian casualties. The student protesters are demanding that their schools divest from companies with ties to Israel and are calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the protests are a symbol of American democracy, but he criticized the protesters for remaining silent on the attack by Hamas militants in October that killed more 1,200 Israelis and sparked the conflict.

Critics say antisemitic rhetoric emerged at some of the protests, and there have been clashes with police.

As of Monday, more than 900 students had been arrested, mainly for trespassing because of protest camps they erected on university property.

In an email to all faculty members and students, American University stated that the school's policy of supporting free speech has not changed, but it explicitly prohibits "disruptive" behavior such as setting up camps.

"Any demonstration that continues to interfere with university operations or violate policies after engagement and de-escalation will not be permitted, and those responsible will face conduct actions, disciplinary sanctions, or arrest as appropriate," the email said.

Reactions differ

The handling of the protests has been in stark contrast with the Chinese authorities' crackdown on domestic dissent and any form of street protest.

China's strict zero-COVID measures and censorship of critical voices during the pandemic spurred street protests in many Chinese cities in November 2022 that became known as the White Paper movement. Protesters would hold up blank sheets of white paper to symbolize support for the protests while not actually saying or doing anything, in hopes of not getting into trouble.

Nonetheless, Chinese police arrested and surveilled those caught holding up white paper. Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye accused "external anti-China forces" of being behind the protests and called them a "color revolution."

Critics were quick to point out Beijing's double standard when Chinese state media backed U.S. college protesters.

Sean Haines, a British man who worked for Chinese state media from 2016 to 2019, told VOA that Chinese state media's extensive coverage of Western demonstrations is a consistent policy.

"At Xinhua, when we chose the running order for news, foreign protests were always promoted," he said, "especially if it was around election times. 'Look how scary foreign democracies are, aren't you glad China doesn't have this?'"

He said footage of protests is easy to find in places with a free press, such as the United States and the West, while there are almost no images of protests in China, a one-party authoritarian state where public demonstrations are quickly stopped.

"It's ironic." he said. "China is using [the] West's free speech, openness, right to protest a against itself."

Although Chinese authorities have not declared support for any side in the Israel-Hamas war, they were reluctant to condemn the militants' October attack and repeatedly blamed Israel and the U.S. for the conflict in Gaza.

At the same time, antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiments, including conspiracy theories, have been allowed on China's highly censored social media.

A popular claim is that U.S. support for Israel is not because of history and democratic values but because a Jewish cabal secretly controls U.S. politics and business.

Hu Xijin, a special commentator and former editor-in-chief of China's state-run Global Times, posted on social media site Weibo on April 19 that all walks of life in the U.S. "cannot suppress the protests of college students everywhere, which shows that the Jewish political and business alliance's control over American public opinion has declined."

Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.

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Secret Documents Show Iranian Forces Assaulted And Molested Teen Killed In Custody, Says BBC

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda April 30, 2024

"Highly confidential" documents uncovered by British broadcaster BBC indicate that Nika Shakarami, a 17-year-old Iranian protester, was sexually assaulted and killed after being detained by security forces during unrest sparked by the Women, Life, Freedom protests in 2022.

According to a report published by the BBC on April 30, the documents contain detailed minutes and a report of Shakarami's case as compiled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It reportedly includes the names of the individuals responsible for her death and senior commanders who allegedly tried to cover up what occurred.

RFE/RL has not been able to independently verify the BBC report.

"This document summarizes the appalling actions taken against Nika Shakarami, detailing her arrest and the subsequent cover-up attempts by senior commanders," the BBC said.

Shakarami went missing during protests in September 2022 in Tehran over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody for allegedly wearing her head scarf improperly.

In her last communication with her friends, Shakarami said she was being chased by security forces.

Eight days later, Nika's body was returned to her family. The government said she had committed suicide.



The BBC report said documents showed Shakarami was forcibly taken into a refrigerated van, where she was handcuffed and assaulted by a male officer. As she was being assaulted, Shakarami fought back, prompting the officers to beat her with batons, they added.

Nasrin Shakarami, Nika's mother, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda in an exclusive video message that "the forensic medical certificate indicated that my daughter died from multiple blows from a hard object to her head."

The BBC's investigation revealed that a former Iranian security officer confirmed the authenticity of the documents through contacts within the IRGC's archive, utilizing an "official code issued daily to senior intelligence officers." Questions remain about how the former agent still had access to the changing security codes.

"The document explicitly states that after being apprehended, Ms. Shakarami was placed in a van with several security agents," according to the BBC. One of the agents, as per the document, admitted to becoming "aroused" during the assault, although he later denied certain actions attributed to him.

In the document, Behruz Sadeghi, a member of the security team, is quoted as saying that it was "completely dark" inside the van and "we could only see each other with the light from our mobile phones."

When Shakarami became restive, Sadeghi says, two of his colleagues, Arash Kalhor and Sadegh Manjazi, moved to forcibly restrain her.

"She started cursing again which led to Arash Kalhor gagging her with his sock, while Sadegh laid her on the van floor and sat on her to calm her down."

The documents quoted Kalhor as saying in a statement that, when Shakarami started yelling and struggling again, "I turned on my mobile phone and saw Sadegh Manjazi sitting on her with his hand in her trousers."

Iranian authorities and the IRGC did not respond to inquiries made by the BBC about the documents.

Following her death, the authorities were ordered by senior officials to ditch Shakarami's body on a quiet street next to the Yadegar Imam highway in Tehran, the BBC reported, citing the documents.

During the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests, Iranian state media attempted to claim that Shakarami had committed suicide by jumping from an unfinished building near her aunt's home, where she was living.

Her family has stated that they were not allowed to see her body, only viewing parts of her severely damaged head and face.

"Who do we complain to when no one in the government will take responsibility for killing Nika?" her mother said in despair.

The incident was similar in some ways to what Amini endured before her death.

Authorities have said she fell into a coma soon after her arrest because of health problems. But her family says she was in good health, while eyewitnesses said the 22-year-old was beaten while she was being detained.

Public anger at Amini's death has been widely seen as one of the biggest threats to Iran's clerical establishment since the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979.

At least 500 people have been killed around the country since authorities began a crackdown on her supporters, with thousands more detained or harassed.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/bbc-documents-iranian-forces- teen-killed-custody/32928048.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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US Approves Transfer of Bombs, Fighter Jets to Israel Amid Rafah Concerns - Reports

Sputnik News

20240329

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Biden administration approved the transfer of billions of dollars of military equipment to Israel, amid concerns about a potential Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

The United States will provide Israel with more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, the report said, citing State Department and Pentagon officials.

The MK84 bombs have been connected to mass-casualty incidents during Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip, the report said.

The US will also send 25 F-35A fighter jets and engines, the report said.

A Sputnik

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PM call with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel: 30 April 2024

The Prime Minister spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this afternoon.

30 April 2024

The Prime Minister spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this afternoon.

They discussed the current hostage negotiations, and the Prime Minister expressed his solidarity with the hostage families and hope that the negotiations are concluded to allow hostages to return home as soon as possible.

The Prime Minister welcomed Israel's commitment to increasing the flows of aid into Gaza. He reiterated the urgency and importance of continuing to get much more aid in and emphasised there needed to be greater access to facilitate these deliveries, including via the vital land routes. The UK continued to push for an immediate humanitarian pause to allow more aid in and hostages out.

The Prime Minister reiterated the UK's support for Israel's security and said our focus is on de-escalation which is essential and in everyone's interest. Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the UK for its recent support to further limit Iran's ability to destabilise the region.

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Top UN court refuses request for Germany to halt military aid to Israel

By VOA News April 30, 2024

The United Nations' top court on Tuesday rejected Nicaragua's request for an emergency order for Germany to halt military aid to Israel.

The court said that the current circumstances presented by Nicaragua were not such that the court needed to issue emergency measures.

The court also rejected a request by Germany to dismiss the case entirely.

Nicaragua alleges that Germany is breaching the 1948 Genocide Convention by supplying military aid to Israel amid the Gaza war.

"Germany is failing to honor its own obligation to prevent genocide or to ensure respect of international humanitarian law," Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez, Nicaragua's ambassador to the Netherlands, said at the hearings.

Germany, a longtime supporter of Israel, argued that it has exported few weapons to the country since Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel.

Israel, which is not a party of the case, denies it is committing genocide in Gaza and insists that it is acting in self-defense. Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people and seized over 240 hostages during its attack.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military campaign, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

South Africa asked the International Court of Justice to take emergency measures against Israel last December, alleging the country is responsible for apartheid against Palestinians.

Israeli legal adviser Tal Becker told judges in that case that Israel is fighting a "war it did not start and did not want."

The International Court of Justice ruled in favor of South Africa, ordering measures for Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza.

A separate investigation into Israel by the International Criminal Court could issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.

The International Criminal Court inquiry was launched in 2021. It covers possible war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinian militants going back to 2014. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed concern in recent days that the court could soon press charges.

This report incudes information from Reuters.

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Former Kazakh Interior Minister Detained Over Deadly 2022 Unrest

By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service April 30, 2024

The Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office said investigators have detained former Interior Minister Erlan Turghymbaev on a charge of abuse of office and power.

In a statement on April 30, the office said Turghymbaev's detention was linked to "ongoing investigations into the events that took place in January 2022," a reference to nationwide demonstrations that were sparked by protests against an abrupt fuel price hike in the Central Asian nation's southwestern town of Zhanaozen.

The unrest that quickly spread across the country turned into unprecedented anti-government protests that saw more than 200 people killed.

Much of the protesters' anger was directed at former President Nursultan Nazarbaev, who ruled Kazakhstan from 1989 until March 2019, when he handed over power to his then-ally Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev. Despite moving into the background, Nazarbaev was widely believed to have remained in control.

The protests were violently dispersed by police and military personnel, including troops from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) that Toqaev invited into the country, claiming that "20,000 extremists who were trained in terrorist camps abroad" had attacked Almaty, the country's largest city.

The authorities have provided no evidence proving Toqaev's claim about foreign terrorists.

Following the unrest which claimed at least 238 lives, including 19 police officers, the chief of the Committee for National Security (KNB) and one of Nazarbaev's closest allies, Karim Masimov, and three of his deputies were arrested.

Masimov was later sentenced to 18 years in prison, while his deputies, Anuar Sadyqulov and Daulet Erghozhin, were sentenced to 16 years and 15 years, respectively. A court in Astana found all three men guilty of high treason, attempting to seize power by force, and abuse of office and power.

Another former deputy of Masimov, Marat Osipov, was sentenced to three years in prison on a charge of abuse of office.

In February of this year, another former deputy and a nephew of Nazarbaev, Samat Abish, was convicted on a charge of abuse of power and handed a suspended sentence of eight years.

Abish's older brother, Qairat Satybaldy, was arrested in March 2022 and later sentenced to six years in prison on corruption charges.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/turghymbaev-kazakhstan-detention- protests-abuse-unrest/32927445.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Border conflicts cause shortages, high prices for Myanmar traders: report

Trade with China, Bangladesh and Thailand has been hurt by conflict between junta and insurgent forces.

By RFA Burmese 2024.04.29 -- Border traders throughout Myanmar are grappling with rising commodity prices and shortages of goods as fighting between the junta and forces battling to end military rule disrupts trade, an independent think tank said.

Myanmar's military junta controls 11 of the country's 17 border trade posts, with China, India, Thailand and Bangladesh, after recently losing territory to anti-junta forces, the Institute for Strategy and Policy, or ISP-Myanmar, said in a report released on April 13.

On the Thai border, fighting over the last month between the military and insurgents for control of Myawaddy town - Myanmar's busiest border crossing - has led to the suspension of all trade for weeks.

Myawaddy, across a border river from the Thai town of Mae Sot, accounts for almost one-fourth of Myanmar's total trade. In normal times, goods worth an average of US$5.5 million pass through the town every day, ISP-Myanmar added.

"The customs department, the trade department and the Myanmar Economic Bank are unable to operate at the moment," a Thai border trader, who declined to be identified for security reasons, told RFA.

"These three entities seem to be caught in a cycle of blame, with none taking full responsibility," he said.

The junta's Ministry of Commerce announced on April 11 that some trade with Thailand would be moved by ships between the southwestern Thai town of Ranong and Myanmar's Yangon.

Shift to maritime and air routes

Some trade has also been suspended along the Chinese border after three posts were seized by ethnic minority insurgents and other rebel forces who launched an offensive in northeast Myanmar in October.

"The impact is significant for all merchants, both in terms of imports and exports," said a fruit trader, who preferred to remain anonymous for safety reasons. "Approximately 90 percent of the fruit sector relies on sales to China."

In western Myanmar, trade with Bangladesh in some parts of Rakhine State "has come to a complete standstill," according to one businessman.

A surge of fighting between junta troops and the rebel Arakan Army - which has attacked several junta posts on the Bangladesh border in recent months - has completely stifled border trade, the businessman said.

"All operations have ceased. We are unable to work under these conditions," he said.

Small businesses throughout Myanmar are feeling the effects of the disruption, a member of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry said.

A lot of traders are shifting their focus to sea and air routes to move goods despite the higher costs and longer waits, he added.

"In the current situation, people will undoubtedly find a way to trade," he said. "If all stakeholders can collaborate and coordinate with mutual understanding, we may be able to overcome these obstacles and resume trade."

Translated by Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Matt Reed and Taejun Kang.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content April not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Thai-Myanmar trade hub reopens after 10 day shutdown for battle

Junta troops' recapture of border villages leaves four dead, residents said.

By RFA Burmese 2024.04.30 -- The major border crossing point for trade between Thailand and Myanmar reopened on Tuesday after being closed for 10 days because of fighting between Myanmar junta forces and insurgents battling to end military rule, residents told Radio Free Asia.

Trucks once again crossed the main bridge for trade linking the Myanmar town of Myawaddy and Thailand's Mae Sot although some damage to facilities from the fighting had yet to be repaired, a trader said.

"Administrative work related to border trade is being done using a paper system instead of the online system," one businessman who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of border trade told RFA. "This is due to the fact that the damage caused by the fighting is being repaired."

Thai authorities closed the bridge after insurgents from the Karen National Liberation Army and their allies attacked the main junta military base in Myawaddy in early April. There have been clashes, including junta airstrikes, since then but the fighting has eased in recent days after anti-junta forces withdrew from the main positions they had captured.

The businessman said the cargo bridge, known as the Friendship Bridge No. 2, reopened at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and trucks had started operating as usual.

Another trader, who also declined to be identified for safety reasons, told RFA that the customs department had lost its internet connection, complicating trade procedures.

"It's like going back in time," he said. "Before the bridge was closed, work was done online, now, it has to be done by paper, which makes it a bit difficult."

Agricultural products, including dried cassava and chillies, are the main items being exported from Myanmar to Thailand, while construction materials, household goods and food products mostly go the other way into Myanmar.

In Myawaddy, junta military personnel, who regained control of the junta's Battalion 275 headquarters in Myawaddy on Wednesday, as well as police, immigration and customs teams, were on duty on their side of the bridge, the second businessman said.

Friendship Bridge No. 1, which is used by travelers moving between the two countries, was reopened on Saturday after being temporarily closed because of the fighting. Some banks in Myawaddy had yet to reopen, residents added.

Casualties

While the border reopened, parts of eastern Myanmar's Kayin State were still plagued by violence.

Junta forces raided two villages in the Kawkareik area, Kawt Bein and Kawt Pa Laing, in recent days as they retook territory from the Karen guerrilla force, and at least four civilians, including a woman, were killed, villagers told RFA.

RFA contacted Kayin state's junta spokesperson Saw Khin Maung Myint for more information, but he did not respond by the time of publication.

Many villagers in the area remain displaced by the fighting, residents said.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content April not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Myanmar refugees flee conflict and conscription

By Tommy Walker April 30, 2024

The battle between Myanmar's military and rebel groups for control of the southeastern border town of Myawaddy has seen thousands of refugees cross into neighboring Thailand in April.

But while many return to Myanmar when there is a lull in the fighting, others are seeking a more permanent escape from the conflict.

Myanmar is experiencing a critical time during its over three-year-long post-coup conflict with rebel groups gaining significant territory and launching unprecedented attacks on the Myanmar regime.

Armed ethnic groups have captured bases in northern Shan state and Rakhine state since October.

The most significant success came via the Karen National Union, or KNU, who earlier in April announced it had forced the surrender of hundreds of Myanmar's military soldiers who had been in control of Myawaddy.

The junta have since regained a foothold by occupying a base in Myawaddy, but are still fighting to retain full control from the KNU and its allies.

Local media report that junta reinforcements were advancing on Myawaddy as of Monday evening.

The border town connects billions of dollars' worth of trade passing between Myanmar and Thailand each year.

Saw Thoo Kwei is a small business owner in Myawaddy. He said the situation in the town has deteriorated since the recent conflict.

"During a particularly intense period of conflict, I found myself having to seek refuge near the border in Myanmar for one night," he told VOA. "As the situation gradually cooled down, I returned home. [But] I can't stay here long because of the conflict," he added.

The 30-year-old owns a grocery store in Myawaddy, but the weeks of fighting between government troops and rebels have affected everyday life in the town.

"Currently, there is no policing in Myawaddy, not even traffic police. Most government offices are closed. There is no fighting in the city, but people are living in fear. Many civilians are worried about heavy artillery like mortar shells," he said.

His business is also suffering from the uncertainty, which has prompted Saw Thoo Kwei to make plans to leave Myanmar.

"Small businesses don't have many stocks to sell due to road blockages. The fighting in Myawaddy has really hit our business hard. We're seeing fewer customers, which means sales are down, and sometimes we have to shut the shop.

"With the power cuts and prices shooting up, it's getting tough. We have to worry about thieves targeting our shop when things get tense, showing how unsafe Myawaddy can be. My only viable option is to relocate to Thailand," he said.

Since April, the fighting has continued despite the KNU announcing its forces had retreated from one base in the town. The tussle for control of Myawaddy led to at least 1,300 refugees crossing from Myanmar into Thailand, The Associated Press reported on April 20, citing Thai officials.

But that number may be higher as volunteers aiding the refugees told Myanmar Now that 3,000 were returned to Myanmar when fighting in the border town had temporarily quietened.

Thailand shares a 2,400-km (1491-mi) -long land border with Myanmar.

Thailand's border town Mae Sot, which sits across the Moei river from Myawaddy, has long been accustomed to receiving thousands of people from Myanmar, with many fleeing the war.

In one undisclosed safehouse in Mae Sot, nearly a dozen Myanmar refugees have fled the conflict in recent weeks.

Kyaw Zin Oo, a physics teacher from the Ayeyarwady region, told VOA he needed to leave Myanmar to avoid being conscripted by the junta.

"I arrived here 17 days ago. I had two choices, to go with the [Myanmar military] or here. I chose to come to Thailand because I see more of a future here. I have friends who have joined the revolution. I thought about joining but I thought I can still support them from here by donations and sending food to them."

Other refugees, who didn't want to be identified, said they left Myanmar because the junta had targeted them and their family because of their participation in anti-military protests.

Myanmar's military enacted a conscription law in February that makes 14 million men and women eligible to be drafted into the military and says it will conscript up to 60,000 new recruits a year. The Irrawaddy reports that the military has begun recruiting Rohingya people despite the ethnic minority group suffering appalling atrocities by Myanmar's military in 2017.

The junta is looking to bolster its ranks so it can resist the momentum gained by rebel groups in recent months.

Chi Lin Ko, a farm worker from Yangon, sits in a bamboo-crafted hut in a highway lay-by in Mae Sot, pondering his next move. The 19-year-old farm worker left Myanmar over a month ago.

But the prospect of fighting for the military spooked him.

"I received a [military conscription] pamphlet at my home. My neighbors joined, but I came here because I didn't want to join the military. I've heard there is a paid salary, but by enlisting in the military there's no way I can leave after I've joined," he said.

If Chit Lin Ko were to ever pick up arms, it wouldn't be for the Tatmadaw. "If I didn't have any family, I would go and fight with the revolutionary groups," he said.

One of the reasons the teenager left Myanmar was to financially support his family. Myanmar's conflict has devastated the country's economy, which is 10% lower than it was in 2019, according to a December report by the World Bank.

"I have a family and need to look after to them, so I need to make money," Chit Lin Ko said.

The U.N. says at least 45,000 Myanmar refugees have entered Thailand since the military coup over three years ago.

Although Thailand's government has recently pledged to welcome "100,000" Myanmar refugees, Thailand is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and has no specific domestic legal framework for the protection of urban refugees and asylum-seekers.

Since the military seized power in Myanmar, nearly 5,000 people have been killed and over 26,000 people arrested, according to rights groups.

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New York Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Unlawfully Export Dual-Use Electronics Used in Russian Military Drones

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

For Immediate Release

Office of Public Affairs

New York Company Received Over $250,000 from Sanctioned Russian Entity to Purchase and Export Electronic Components

Nikolay Grigorev, 36, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States for his role in an illicit export control scheme to ship electronic components from the United States to companies affiliated with the Russian military. Co-defendants Nikita Arkhipov and Artem Oloviannikov remain at large.

"In pleading guilty today, the defendant admitted he conspired to smuggle over $250,000 worth of sensitive American drone technology to Russian companies fueling Putin's unlawful war against Ukraine," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. "Swift action by agents and prosecutors unraveled a web of fake orders and wire transfers to prevent over 11,500 electronic components from making their way to the Russian war machine. The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those who defy our sanctions and export controls to support Russia's unprovoked and unjustified aggression in Ukraine - whether they're based in New York City or overseas."

"The FBI is relentless in its efforts to prevent sensitive, dual-use technology from being acquired by adversaries," said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. "The technologies in this case supported Russia's war effort and poses a significant threat to the United States and its allies. The FBI continues to tirelessly pursue any illegal transfers that threaten national security and hold accountable those who violate the law."

"When I visited Ukraine last November, I saw firsthand the death and destruction that such drones and other Russian weapons of war have caused, and heard from our counterparts about the importance of stopping the illicit flow of technology to support the Russian war machine," said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division. "Today's plea reinforces our commitment to hold accountable those who violate our laws and our determination to undermine the Russian government's unjustified campaign of aggression against the Ukrainian people."

"Grigorev admitted today that he conspired to supply Russia with U.S.-sourced, dual-use technologies, knowing full well that his actions violated export controls and sanctions designed to stop those items from being sent to Russia and used in the production of drones like those found on the battlefields in Ukraine," said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. "Today's guilty plea reaffirms that my office will pursue anyone who violates our export controls and threatens our national security."

"Today's guilty plea is just the latest example of our unyielding efforts to reduce the flow of electronic components to the Russian military," said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. "Criminal convictions await those who willfully circumvent U.S. export controls and aid the manufacture of Russian drones used against Ukraine."

As alleged in the indictment, Grigorev utilized a Brooklyn-based corporate entity, Quality Life Cue LLC (QLC), to facilitate the scheme. QLC was registered and controlled by Grigorev and Oloviannikov, with Arkhipov utilizing a QLC email account from Russia. Through QLC, the defendants procured dual-use electronic components for entities in Russia involved in the development and manufacture of drones for the Russian war effort in Ukraine. The most notable of these entities was SMT-iLogic, a Russia-based technology company that was sanctioned in May 2023 for its involvement in the supply chain for producing Russian military UAVs used in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Between Oct. 22, 2021, and Feb. 22, 2022, QLC accounts controlled by Grigorev received wire transactions from SMT-iLogic totaling approximately $272,830. These funds were used almost entirely to make payments to a Brooklyn-based electronics distributor (the "Brooklyn Company") or to pay Grigorev's credit cards, which he used to buy goods from the Brooklyn Company. In email and chat communications, the defendants explicitly discussed their efforts to circumvent U.S. export restrictions, including through the use of front companies in third countries, such as Kazakhstan, and they also forwarded invoices listing SMT-iLogic as the recipient of semiconductors and other electronic components purchased from the Brooklyn Company. In addition, in December 2022, in response to negative press coverage of SMT-iLogic, Grigorev forwarded a news article to his co-defendants and stated, "they are already writing about your (sic) guys in articles about how Russia is getting American components for drones." In June 2023, a court-authorized search warrant of Grigorev's residence in Brooklyn resulted in the successful seizure of over 11,500 electronic components that had been purchased from the Brooklyn Company and were awaiting unlawful export to Russia.

As a result of today's guilty plea, Grigorev faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Artie McConnell and Kate Mathews for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case. Natalya Savransky, formerly of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, provided valuable assistance.

Today's actions were coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments' Disruptive Technology Strike Force and the Justice Department's Task Force KleptoCapture. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation states. Task Force KleptoCapture is an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with its allies and partners, in response to Russia's unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine.

Topics: Export Control

National Security

Components: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

National Security Division (NSD)

Office of the Deputy Attorney General

USAO - New York, Eastern

Press Release Number: 24-535

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U.S. says security deal with Saudi close to completion

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 09:42, April 30, 2024

RIYADH, April 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said here on Monday that the United States nears finishing a security deal with Saudi Arabia.

He made the remarks while visiting the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) General Secretariate, where he attended the joint ministerial meeting with the foreign ministers of the GCC countries.

The two sides reviewed means to enhance relations and cooperation and the latest developments in the Gaza Strip, including Rafah, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

According to the report, they stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire and efforts to ensure the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza.

A separate meeting was held between Blinken and Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah at the GCC headquarters on efforts to promote bilateral ties and situations in Gaza.

During his trip to Riyadh, the top U.S. diplomat also attended the World Economic Forum special meeting.

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China makes a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, April 20, 2024.[Photo/Chinaculture.org] On April 20, a beach in France was filled by people and kites flying in the sky from 25 countries and regions. The 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer opened and China made a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the event. Chinese-inflected cultural activities took place at the festival, including a gigantic dragon-headed centipede kite-flying performance at the opening ceremony, workshops for kite-making techniques by artisans from Weifang, as well as performances and experiential activities from lion dances, to martial arts and performances of traditional Chinese instruments and tea ceremonies. China makes a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, April 20, 2024.[Photo/Chinaculture.org] Yan Zhenquan, minister counselor of the Chinese Embassy in France, Jacques Billant, governor of Pas-de-Calais, and Liu Hongge, director of the China Cultural Center in Paris attended and delivered speeches. Liu says the kite is a key image representing the friendship between China and France. In 1958, the two countries produced a film titled Fengzheng (The Kite), the first color children's film made by the People's Republic of China, and the first coproduced with another country. The film tells of the adventures and friendship between Chinese and French children created by a kite. China makes a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, April 20, 2024.[Photo/Chinaculture.org] "As the organizer of guest country activities, the China Cultural Center in Paris continues to leverage the image of kites, using them as a medium to tell stories about kite culture in China and France, foster mutual understanding between peoples, and contribute to the success of the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism," Liu says. The International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer is the largest and most influential kite-themed event in France. Visitors can not only observe a wide variety of kites, from either traditional or modern styles, but also enjoy both small and giant kites alike, they also have the chance to take part in kite-making workshops, art performances and experiential activities. China makes a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, April 20, 2024.[Photo/Chinaculture.org] China makes a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, April 20, 2024.[Photo/Chinaculture.org] China makes a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, April 20, 2024.[Photo/Chinaculture.org] China makes a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, April 20, 2024.[Photo/Chinaculture.org] China makes a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, April 20, 2024.[Photo/Chinaculture.org] China makes a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, April 20, 2024.[Photo/Chinaculture.org] China makes a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, April 20, 2024.[Photo/Chinaculture.org] China makes a wonderful appearance as the first-ever guest country of honor at the 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, April 20, 2024.[Photo/Chinaculture.org]


China 'mischaracterizing' U.N. resolution: U.S. official

ROC Central News Agency

04/30/2024 03:24 PM

Washington, April 29 (CNA) China is mischaracterizing United Nations Resolution 2758 for its own interest by conflating it with its "one-China principle," Mark Lambert, the U.S. Department of State China coordinator and deputy assistant secretary for China and Taiwan, said Monday.

Speaking in a seminar held by the German Marshall Fund, Lambert called for support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in the international community at a time of China's increasing misuse of Resolution 2758.

Resolution 2758 had a clear impact by changing who occupied the China seat at the U.N., Lambert said.

"Today, however, the PRC (People's Republic of China) increasingly mischaracterizes and misuses Resolution 2758 to serve its own interests," Lambert said.

"Beijing mischaracterizes the resolution by falsely conflating it with China's one-China principle, and wrongly asserts that it reflects an international consensus for its one-China principle," he added.

Resolution 2758 was adopted by the 26th U.N. General Assembly in 1971 to solve the issue of China's representation in the U.N. system. It ultimately led to the U.N. expelling Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China (ROC), and the PRC taking its place.

The resolution passed on Oct. 25, 1971, recognizes the PRC as the "only lawful representative of China."

Taiwan and U.S. governments have repeatedly argued, however, that it does not mention Taiwan, does not state that Taiwan is part of the PRC, and does not explicitly authorize Beijing to represent Taiwan in the U.N. system.

According to Lambert, the one-China principle refers specifically to China's position, that it claims Taiwan to be part of China.

"To be clear, Resolution 2758 has absolutely no bearing on countries' sovereign choices with respect to their relationships with Taiwan. Such decisions are clearly outside of the UN General Assembly's purview to dictate," Lambert said.

The U.S. official emphasized that China was aiming to influence decisions made by partner countries regarding their relationships with Taiwan by conflating Resolution 2758 with its one-China principle.

He said the resolution did not constitute a U.N. institutional position on the political status of Taiwan and did not preclude Taiwan's meaningful participation in the U.N. system and other multilateral fora.

"Through its misuse of Resolution 2758, China has denied the international community the ability to gain from Taiwan's valuable contributions to global challenges, which require us all to work together," Lambert said.

Lambert said that a good step would be inviting Taiwan to participate in the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer slated for next month so it can join the effort in fighting emerging health threats and planning for global health challenges.

Had Taiwan been able to share its knowledge of public health ahead of the COVID-19 outbreak, "the world might have been a very different place. Taiwan's exclusion from key international fora has a direct negative impact on the well-being of the global community," Lambert said.

Taiwan took part in the WHA, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), as an observer from 2009 to 2016, when relations between Taipei and Beijing were smoother under the then Kuomintang government in Taiwan.

However, since 2017, China has pressured the WHO not to invite Taiwan to the WHA, in retaliation against President Tsai Ing-wen (ee) from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, who took a harder line against Beijing.

(By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Frances Huang)

Enditem/kb

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US diplomat: Official ties to Taiwan would 'undermine' peace

With Beijing aiming to seize the island, the US must remain the champion of the 'status quo.'

By Alex Willemyns for RFA 2024.04.30 -- The United States should not end nearly half a century of unofficial relations with Taiwan to instead recognize the self-governing island as its own country, a senior U.S. diplomat told Congress on Tuesday.

Taiwan is claimed by China as an inalienable part of its territory, but is governed independently of Beijing with the close support of the United States, with which the democratic island holds "unofficial ties."

Since January 1979, Washington has said Taipei and Beijing need to resolve their differences without conflict, and that the "status quo" of how Taiwan is governed should continue unchanged until then.

Speaking to a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday, Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant U.S. secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said nothing would be gained by shifting that position now to instead recognize Taiwan as an independent country separate from China.

"That framework has stood the test of time for the last 45 years," Kritenbrink said in his testimony to the Senate Subcommittee on East Asia, The Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.

He said it was more "practical" to focus on "tangible means to build Taiwan's deterrent capabilities" to ward off an invasion by China.

"We have preserved peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," he said. "We believe that changing that framework, changing ... the core elements of the U.S. 'One China' policy would be unwise - and rather than contributing to stability, we believe it would undermine it."

"It's important that the United States and our allies and partners continue to be the parties that stand for the status quo, that stand for the responsible maintenance of the status quo," he added.

Conflict not inevitable

The United States has for decades upheld a policy of "strategic ambiguity" over what the U.S. military response would be if Chinese forces were to invade and attempt to annex the island, neither committing American forces to defend it nor ruling it out.

More recently, though, President Joe Biden has bucked that policy to commit U.S. forces to defend the island if it was invaded by Beijing.

That has led some in Congress to suggest Washington should end the "appeasement" of Beijing and recognize the close American ally officially as a country before an invasion is launched - a move experts say could counterproductively provoke China into invading.

U.S. military leaders have also in the past few years offered increasingly near-term predictions of when Chinese President Xi Jinping could invade Taiwan - as early as next year - after Xi in 2022 vowed never to "renounce the use of force" to take the island.

Kritenbrink said a conflict over Taiwan would have a "devastating impact" on the world economy, noting that 50% of all global container traffic passes through the Taiwan Strait and that 90% of the world's most advanced microchips are produced on the island.

That was another reason for the United States not to be seen as provoking any change over Taiwan, with countries across the world supporting the "status quo" of peace on the island, he said.

"We do not see a conflict as being either imminent or inevitable," Kritenbrink said, "and we're doing everything possible ... to contribute to maintaining that peace and stability, and maintaining deterrence, so that Beijing is never tempted to take precipitous action."

Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content April not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan Apr. 30, 2024

ROC Ministry of National Defense

2024/04/30

PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

1. Dateis

6 to 6 a.m. (UTC+8) Monday to Tuesday, Apr. 29-30

2.PLA activitiesis

7 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 5 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities.

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PM call with Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth of Mauritius: 29 April 2024

The Prime Minister spoke to Mauritius Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, this afternoon.

29 April 2024

The Prime Minister spoke to Mauritius Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, this afternoon.

They discussed the progress made in negotiations between the UK and Mauritius on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/the Chagos Archipelago.

Both leaders reiterated their commitment to a mutually beneficial outcome and instructed their teams to continue to work at pace. They looked forward to speaking soon.

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PM call with President Christodoulides of the Republic of Cyprus: 30 April 2024

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus, this afternoon.

30 April 2024

The Prime Minister spoke to Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus, this afternoon.

The Prime Minister thanked him for his work to expand the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid into Gaza by sea, alongside the urgent priority of getting more aid in via land routes. The Prime Minister said he was pleased that Royal Navy support ship RFA Cardigan Bay is sailing from Cyprus to support these efforts.

The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of tackling illegal migration, and the leaders agreed that it was a pan European challenge and one which was growing across the continent.

Both leaders agreed to stay in close touch and continue working together to strengthen the historic ties between the two countries, including on migration, support to Ukraine and wider regional security.

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Zelensky, NATO chief meet on aid for Ukraine

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:24, April 30, 2024

KIEV, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg discussed aid for Ukraine during their meeting in Kiev, the government-run Ukrinform news agency reported Monday.

"Today we discussed Jens' initiative to create a special fund for the financial support of Ukrainian defense worth 100 billion euros (about 107 billion U.S. dollars) for five years," Zelensky told reporters during a media briefing.

The NATO allies have all the instruments to implement such an initiative, Zelensky said, noting that Ukraine expects the new aid to go on top of the assistance under the bilateral agreements on security guarantees.

For his part, Stoltenberg said that some NATO members have agreed to increase their support for Kiev.

Zelensky and Stoltenberg also discussed bilateral ties between Ukraine and NATO and the preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Washington. D.C., the United States.

Stoltenberg invited Zelensky to participate in the summit that will take place on July 9-11.

According to media reports, Stoltenberg arrived here earlier in the day on an unannounced visit.

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Russia shoots down 6 US-made ATACMS missiles launched by Ukraine

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 30 April 2024 3:40 PM

Russia says it has managed to shoot down at least six US-made ATACMS missiles launched by Ukraine toward Crimea.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Russian defense ministry said that Ukrainian forces launched a missile attack against the Crimean Peninsula overnight but Russian air defense systems intercepted six US-made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles over the region.

"Ten Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, six ATACMS tactical missiles manufactured by the United States and two guided 'Hammer' aircraft bombs manufactured by France were shot down by air defenses," the ministry said.

It was revealed on April 24 that Washington had shipped long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. The newly-shipped missiles have nearly double the range of the mid-range ATACMS that the US began sending to Ukraine toward the end of last year.

The long-range ATACMS missiles were reportedly used for the first time in the early hours of April 17, against a Russian airfield in Crimea that was about 165 kilometers from the Ukrainian front lines.

According to Sergei Aksyonov, the head of Crimea, one of the missiles was downed in the village of Donskoye, outside the main city of Simferopol.

"After an ATACMS missile was shot down, undetonated sub-munitions scattered. If you find such a weapon, do not pick it up or come close and call emergency services or the police," he warned.

Kiev has repeatedly urged its Western allies to provide it with long-range ATACMS missiles, which have a range of about 300 kilometers, roughly four times the range of the missiles used by the mobile HIMARS systems that the US began sending to Ukraine in 2022.

Ukraine says the ATACMS missiles will help its forces strike Russian positions far behind the front lines.

Separately, the influential pro-Russian Rybar Telegram channel reported that 30 such missiles had been fired at Crimea in recent days.

It noted that Ukrainian forces had fired eight missiles at the Dzhankoy airbase and four at the airfield in Gvardeyskoye, adding that the missiles were launched from the Kherson region.

Washington has already provided Kiev with HIMARS launchers, capable of firing ATACMS missiles, which can hit Russian targets way behind the frontline between the two warring neighbors.

Russia has warned that the conflict in Ukraine could be prolonged due to the support of Western countries, on top of them the US, for Kiev.

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Austin Calls On Countries That Have Patriot Air Defense Systems To Transfer Them To Ukraine

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service April 30, 2024

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on April 30 appealed to the partners of the United States to transfer Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, which has repeatedly requested more of the air defense systems to help protect Ukrainian cities and infrastructure from Russian attacks.

"There are countries that have Patriots, and so what we're doing is continuing to engage those countries," Austin told the House Armed Services Committee. "I have talked to the leaders of several countries...myself here in the last two weeks, encouraging them to give up more capability or provide more capability."

Austin did not identifying the countries, but among those that are known to possess the systems are Spain, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told NATO members last week that his country needs a minimum of seven additional Patriot air defense systems to counter Russian air strikes.

Austin told the committee that he speaks with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov every week and "he is well aware of what we are doing, how we are engaging other countries, looking for additional capabilities around the world."

Austin's testimony came after two people were killed and six wounded in a Russian strike on Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, regional head Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram as an air-raid alert was announced for most of the country.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said separately that two infrastructure targets were hit during the strike. The air-raid alert was declared for the regions of Rivne, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Donetsk.

A day earlier a Russian missile attack in the Ukrainian port of Odesa killed at least five people and wounded several others, including Serhiy Kivalov, a former lawmaker for the pro-Russian Party of Regions, who founded a law school in the Gothic-style building that was struck.

Kivalov lives at the site, where he runs the Odesa Law Academy.

Hours before the strike Zelenskiy called on the West to speed up deliveries of desperately needed weapons for depleted and outgunned Ukrainian troops.

Zelenskiy made his comments in Kyiv at a joint news conference with visiting NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. He said that small quantities of weapons and ammunition had begun arriving in Ukraine, but he urged that the deliveries gain momentum faster in order to be useful.

"Timely support for our army. Today I don't see anything positive on this point yet. There are supplies, they have slowly begun, but this process needs to be sped up," he said.

"Promptness in supply literally means a stabilization of the front line.... Together we must disrupt the Russian offensive."

An influx of weapons is expected to flow after U.S. President Joe Biden signed a long-delayed $61 billion military aid package last week. Biden said the package would include air defense munitions to help Ukraine protect its cities and infrastructure, artillery shells, and long-range missile systems.

Stoltenberg, visiting the Ukrainian capital for the third time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, acknowledged "serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield."

"For months, the U.S. was unable to agree a package and European allies have been unable to deliver ammunition at the scale we promised," he added. "Ukraine has been outgunned for months and forced to ration its ammunition.... More support is on the way."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-harry-potter- castle/32927804.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Eighteen Ukrainian Soldiers Surrendered in Conflict Zone in Past Week - MoD

Sputnik News

20240330

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A total of 18 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered to the Russian forces in the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

"In the past week, 18 Ukrainian servicepeople surrendered," the ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine has lost over 300 military personnel in the Kupyansk direction over the past week, the ministry said.

"The enemy's losses for the past week include up to 310 military personnel, two tanks, three armored combat vehicles and 22 light vehicles," the ministry said in a weekly update, when speaking of the situation in the Kupyansk direction.

Moreover, 19 field artillery guns were hit, including three US-made M777 and M198 howitzers as well as a French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzer, the ministry added.

Ukraine lost over 1,870 military personnel in combat around the city of Avdeyevka, over the past week, the Defense Ministry said.

"Over the past week, the Ukrainian armed forces have lost more than 1,870 military personnel, 13 tanks, 20 armored combat vehicles and 50 light vehicles. During counter-battery fights, 30 field artillery guns were hit, including five US-made M777 howitzers, a US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer, a German-made self-propelled Panzerhaubitze 2000 and a Grad combat vehicle," the ministry said in a statement.

Furthermore, units of the Battlegoup Tsentr continued advancing deep into Ukraine's defenses and occupying more advantageous positions, the ministry also said. Air strikes, artillery fire and heavy flamethrower systems hit the manpower and equipment of eight brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces, with 64 enemy counterattacks repelled in the area, it added.

Russia has carried out 58 strikes on military targets in Ukraine over the past week, including with its advanced hypersonic missiles, Zircon, the ministry said.

"From March 23 to March 30, Russian armed forces launched one massive and 57 group strikes with high-precision long-range air, sea and ground-based weapons, including Zircon hypersonic missiles and Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles, as well as UAVs on Ukrainian military facilities and the supporting infrastructure," the ministry said in a weekly update.

The strikes hit enterprises of Ukraine's military-industrial complex, decision-making centers of the Ukrainian armed forces, production facilities for uncrewed boats, arsenals, fuel bases, air defense and energy facilities, as well as temporary deployment points for special operations forces and foreign mercenaries, the ministry added.

A Sputnik

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Russian FPV Drones Will Protect Black Sea Fleet From Unmanned Ukrainian Boats

Sputnik News

20240330

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian first-person view (FPV) drones will be able to protect the Black Sea Fleet from unmanned Ukrainian boats, with the training of drone operators for the Russian navy already underway, Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions CEO Dmitry Kuzyakin told Sputnik.

"FPV drones in the future may become an effective and cheap means of defeating the enemy's unmanned boats. I do not rule out that in the future we will see a 'drone war' on the Black Sea ... Today we are working in this direction, keeping in touch with our sailors and training their specialists. Navy specialists have shown a very keen interest in this topic," Kuzyakin said.

Ukraine has repeatedly attempted to use unmanned boats to attack Russian ships, civilian vessels and ports, as well as the Crimean bridge. A separate maritime drone brigade has been reportedly established in the Ukrainian navy.

The Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions is engaged in a full range of FPV combat applications: from operator training to drone production.

A Sputnik

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US Navy Over-Executed Ukraine Funding by $398.8Mln - Inspector General

Sputnik News

20240330

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Navy over-executed supplemental funding for Ukraine by $398.9 million in 2022, the US Defense Department's Office of Inspector General (DoD IG) said in a statement.

On Thursday, Inspector General Robert Storch released a management advisory on the Navy's execution of supplemental funding to aid Ukraine, the statement said. An audit of the Defense Department's execution of the funding found internal control deficiencies that resulted in the Navy over-executing funds, the statement said.

"The advisory found that the Navy over-executed its Ukraine funding three times during Fiscal Year 2022 for a total over-execution of $398.9 million. While the Navy had funds available to reverse the over-execution on those occasions, such funds may not be available in the future, which could lead to a potential Antideficiency Act violation," the statement said.

The DoD IG recommended that the Navy develop and implement internal controls to prevent over-execution of supplemental funds, take corrective actions to address the FY2022 over-execution and update procedure documentation to address specific controls put in place, the statement said.

The Navy has long-term plans to address the problem but should take prompt action to implement controls to avoid future over-execution of funds, the statement said.

The DoD IG will continue to monitor the Navy's progress toward implementation of the recommendations, the statement said.

A Sputnik

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Andriy Yermak and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi Discussed the Issue of Returning Deported Children and Prisoners of War from the Aggressor State

President of Ukraine

30 April 2024 - 20:59

The Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak had a telephone conversation with the President of the Italian Bishops' Conference Cardinal Matteo Zuppi.

The Head of the Presidential Office noted that our country consistently pays special attention to the return of Ukrainian children illegally deported by Russia in the framework of diplomatic dialogue with all states.

"You also continue your work in this direction. Thank you. This is a slow process, but still we are moving forward," he said.

Andriy Yermak also called for assistance to Ukraine in freeing prisoners of war, including combat medics. During the conversation, the parties discussed the ways to speed up this process and to organize the exchange on the eve of Easter.

The Head of the Office of the President informed the Cardinal about the preparations for the Global Peace Summit that will take place in Switzerland this June.

Andriy Yermak and Matteo Zuppi also spoke about the possibility of holding a bilateral meeting aimed at joining efforts.

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Bolstering Air Defense and Ukraine's Progress Toward NATO: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Jens Stoltenberg Met with Students of the National Defense University

President of Ukraine

30 April 2024 - 12:05

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the National Defense University in Kyiv the day before.

They met with the students of the institution, who are undergoing professional military training courses in accordance with NATO standards. The NATO Secretary General called this one of the examples of how the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is increasingly integrating Ukraine into its structure and educational programs.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects of bolstering Ukraine's air defense. The Head of State noted that thanks to the assistance of our partners, our servicemen have mastered modern Western air defense systems and no other country in the Alliance has such a large number of different types.

"Today, our experts can tell exactly which system is ideal for us and what we are lacking. Our air defense is not yet universal, it is changing and being enhanced every day. Not only with air defense systems, but also with electronic warfare, anti-drone systems, and so on," he said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukrainian defenders of the sky today face a complex of different threats, and the struggle of technologies continues.

"I am confident that we will have modern aircraft that will also be a part of this system," he added.

For his part, Jens Stoltenberg noted that once Ukraine becomes a member of the Alliance, it will be fully integrated into the NATO air defense system.

"At the same time, we need to make you as interoperable as possible. And integrate you as much as we can," he said.

The Head of State emphasized the importance for Ukraine to receive an invitation to join the North Atlantic Alliance and spoke about the work of the NATO-Ukraine Council.

"We can convene it without any bureaucratic pauses when Ukraine needs it. This is one of the tools. Today we discussed several new tools with the Secretary General," he summarized.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Jens Stoltenberg also visited an exhibition of captured and destroyed Russian equipment on the university grounds.

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Russian strike kills 3 people in Odesa

By VOA News April 30, 2024

A Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa killed three people early Wednesday, according to a Ukrainian official. Three people were also injured in the strike, the official said.

Ukraine had attacked Crimea on Tuesday with U.S- supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS. The long-range missiles hit locations across the Crimean Peninsula.

"We need a significant speed-up of deliveries to strengthen the capabilities of our soldiers tangibly," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Tuesday. "It is not Russian air bombs and assault operations that should dominate the front line, but our Ukrainian initiative a our air defense, our artillery, our drones."

The president said what Ukraine is "really counting on" is "the promptness of the U.S. deliveries" that should be "felt in the destroyed logistics of the occupiers, in their fear to deploy in any part of the occupied territory ... everywhere where Russia is pushing and where we have to push it back. And also everywhere where new strike threats may arise."

U.S. aid promised to Ukraine has been bogged down in political wrangling for months but has recently been approved by lawmakers to help Ukraine beat back the Russian forces.

The governor of Ukraine's southern region of Odesa declared a day of mourning Tuesday following a Russian missile attack that killed four people and injured more than 20 others.

Governor Oleh Kiper said the Russian attack hit one a popular part of the city where locals and tourists go to walk and play sports. Kiper said a fifth person died after suffering a stroke linked to the attack.

"Monsters. Beasts. Savages. Scum. I don't know what else to say," Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said in a video posted on Telegram. "People are going for a walk by the sea, and they are shooting and killing."

In his nightly video address late Monday, Zelenskyy offered his condolences to the families of those killed and said the wounded were receiving care.

The governor of Ukraine's Kharkiv region said Tuesday a Russian attack on the regional capital killed at least one person and injured several others.

In Dnipropetrovsk, the regional governor said two houses were damaged by Russian artillery and drone attacks, but no one was injured.

Zelenskyy reiterated in his Monday address his call for urgent deliveries of weapons from allies.

"Prompt assistance and protection of life that is timely and courageous enough are what help us all in Ukraine to endure," he said.

Zelenskyy said that on Monday he discussed the significance of timely delivery of weapons to Ukraine with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

"Timely and sufficient decisions on air defense for Ukraine are what we need right now to protect lives," he said.

During the visit in Kyiv, Stoltenberg said that help is on the way to boost Ukraine's war effort against Russia and that allies "are working hard to meet Ukraine's urgent needs."

Stoltenberg said despite Ukraine's losses, it was "not too late" for the country to win its defensive war against Russia if more weapons arrive quickly.

"Ukraine has been outgunned for months, forced to ration its ammunition. ... But it's not too late for Ukraine to prevail," he said at a news conference alongside Zelenskyy.

Stoltenberg criticized monthslong delays in U.S. military aid to Ukraine, adding that such delays had "serious consequences on the battlefield."

The NATO chief acknowledged that the alliance's member countries have also failed to deliver in good time what they promised to Ukraine.

"The lack of ammunition has allowed the Russians to push forward along the front line. Lack of air defense has made it possible for more Russian missiles to hit their targets, and the lack of deep-strike capabilities has made it possible for the Russians to concentrate more forces," Stoltenberg said.

Ukraine and its Western partners are racing against time to deploy critical new military aid that can stave off Russian advances across eastern areas, as well as repel drone and missile attacks.

Zelenskyy said new Western supplies have started arriving, but slowly.

"This process must be speeded up," he said, adding, "some things have started to arrive." He declined to go into detail.

Some information for this report came from Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.

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Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

SANDY, Utah, April 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mountain America Credit Union announces its recognition as a platinum winner of the Utah Worksite Wellness Council (UWWC) Healthy Worksite Awards Program. The UWWC Healthy Worksite Awards Program commends Utah employers for their outstanding dedication to worksite wellness, highlighting initiatives that prioritize employee health and overall well-being.



Mountain America has demonstrated exemplary commitment to employee well-being by implementing effective, result-oriented, and innovative wellness programs. By integrating evidence-based health promotion interventions and strategies, Mountain America has set a precedent for excellence in wellness initiatives in the workplace.

We are thrilled to be recognized as a platinum winner of the UWWCs Healthy Worksite Awards Program, said Sterling Nielsen, president and CEO at Mountain America Credit Union. At Mountain America, we prioritize the health and well-being of our employees, recognizing that their vitality directly contributes to the success of our organization. This award reaffirms our dedication to fostering a culture of wellness and underscores our commitment to supporting our employees in achieving their health goals.

The UWWC Healthy Worksite Awards Program acknowledges organizations of all sizes for their exceptional work in promoting health and wellness within the workplace. These awards recognize efforts to foster employee health, enhance productivity, and cultivate a positive work environment across six key areas of well-being: organizational, physical, emotional, social, financial, and community.

We are honored to receive this prestigious recognition from the UWWC, said Trent Savage, chief human resources officer at Mountain America Credit Union. This award is a testament to our ongoing efforts to prioritize employee well-being and create a supportive and healthy work environment. We remain committed to investing in the health and happiness of our team members, knowing that their success is integral to our overall organizational success.

The evaluation process for the UWWC Healthy Worksite Awards Program uses an assessment tool designed to gauge the implementation of evidence-based health promotion interventions and strategies within the workplace. Organizations are scored based on good, better, and best practices, with platinum status representing the pinnacle of results-oriented worksite wellness programming.

Awardees were celebrated at the 2024 Utah Worksite Wellness Conference Awards Luncheon, held on April 25, 2024, at the Viridian Center in West Jordan, Utah.

For more information about Mountain America Credit Union and its commitment to workplace wellness, visit macu.com.
Newark, April 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Brainy Insights estimates that the USD 190 Billion Azelaic Acid market will reach USD 392 Billion by 2033. Increasing use from the pharmaceuticals industry, rapidly growing strategic initiatives from private players may fuel the growth of the Azelaic Acid Market. Ongoing advancements in pharmaceutical research are showing promising outcomes, especially regarding the utilization of azelaic acid for diverse dermatological conditions. Azelaic acid has demonstrated effectiveness in tackling issues such as acne and hyperpigmentation, including challenging conditions like melasma and rosacea. With the increasing demand for safer and more natural skincare remedies, the integration of azelaic acid as a key ingredient is gaining wider recognition.



The Full Study is Readily Available | Download the Sample Pages of this Report @ https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/sample-request/14210



Data provided by the National Eczema Association highlights that over 31 million Americans grapple with eczema or atopic dermatitis. Recent clinical trials have emphasized azelaic acid's potential as a therapeutic option, whether utilized independently or alongside other treatments, for managing eczema. Its notable anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties position it as a promising contender for addressing such dermatological concerns.



Scope of Biocontrol Agents Market



Report Coverage Details CAGR 7.5% from 2024 to 2033 Market Size in 2023 USD 190 billion Market Size by 2033 USD 392 billion Largest Market North America Base Year 2023 Forecast Year 2024 to 2033 Historical Year 2020-2022 Segments Covered by Type, Regions Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa

Azelaic Acid Market Size by Type (Polymer Grade, Pharma Grade, Technical Grade), Application (Pharmaceutical, Adhesives, Plastics, Lubricants, Personal Care &Cosmetics, Others), Regions, Global Industry Analysis, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2024 to 2033



North America emerged as the largest global Azelaic Acid market, accounting for 40% of the total market. Owing to the presence of the largest competitors in the region coupled with the evolving and ever-increasing cosmetics industry and increasing use of tanning agents in the region. Whereas, Europe is expected to be the fastest-growing in the region owing to loads of mergers and acquisitions and collaborations.



The pharma-grade segment emerged as the dominant force in the market, commanding a substantial revenue share of 54%



The pharma-grade segment emerged as the dominant force in the market, commanding a substantial revenue share of 54%. This dominance is attributed to its high purity and extensive applications across cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and personal care segments. Within the pharmaceutical sector, azelaic acid finds application in ointments for treating conditions like rosacea and acne. Moreover, it serves as a bleaching or whitening active compound in skincare products. Over the forecast period, azelaic acid is anticipated to witness continued robust demand, driven by the growing need for skincare products



Plastics is the dominant segment in the market, comprising of 45% of the market share in the global market.



Plastics is the dominant segment in the market, comprising of 45% of the market share in the global market. Owing to increasing skincare products and rapidly growing dermatological procedures in the market. Whereas, the Pharmaceutical segment is expected to be the fastest-growing in the region, owing to increase in the treatment of various skin care problems: rosacea and acne.



Latest Development:



 Hubei TuoChu Kangyuan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. declared in June 2023 that it had secured a patent for a novel technique to manufacture azelaic acid from renewable resources. This innovative process is anticipated to offer enhanced environmental sustainability and cost efficiency compared to conventional methods of azelaic acid production.



 Similarly, in March 2023, Emery Oleochemicals unveiled plans for the expansion of its azelaic acid production capacity at its Cincinnati, Ohio plant. Scheduled for completion in 2024, this expansion endeavor aims to double the company's existing production capacity for azelaic acid.



Personalized your customization here: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/request-customization/14210



Market Dynamics



Drivers: Increasing use of Azelaic Acid as a tanning agent



The use of azelaic acid as a tanning agent has seen a steady rise in recent years, significantly driving the growth of the azelaic acid market. As a naturally occurring dicarboxylic acid found in wheat, rye, and barley, azelaic acid triggers a melanin-based tanning effect when applied topically on the skin.



The escalating demand for natural sunless tanning alternatives is leading more consumers to prefer products containing azelaic acid over traditional self-tanning or UV ultraviolet methods. Research conducted by the Canadian Dermatology Association in 2022 revealed that over 50% of Canadians who used tanning products in the past year opted for sunless tanners to achieve a safer, natural-looking tan. This increasing preference for natural alternatives is positively influencing the azelaic acid market. Moreover, the compound is considered safe for sensitive skin types and does not produce the orange or green hues associated with some other self-tanner active ingredients.



Restraint: Rising innovations from new formulations in the market



Tremendous involvement of operation cost to cure the tumor is one major restraint that may hamper the growth of the Solid Tumor Therapeutics Market. With higher prices involved with curing tumor cells, patients get limited access to high-quality treatment for cancer.



Opportunity: Rising government initiatives towards cancer cases



Ongoing advancements in pharmaceutical research are showing promising outcomes, especially regarding the utilization of azelaic acid for diverse dermatological conditions. Azelaic acid has demonstrated effectiveness in tackling issues such as acne and hyperpigmentation, including challenging conditions like melasma and rosacea. With the increasing demand for safer and more natural skincare remedies, the integration of azelaic acid as a key ingredient is gaining wider recognition.



Data provided by the National Eczema Association highlights that over 31 million Americans grapple with eczema or atopic dermatitis. Recent clinical trials have emphasized azelaic acid's potential as a therapeutic option, whether utilized independently or alongside other treatments, for managing eczema. Its notable anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties position it as a promising contender for addressing such dermatological concerns.



Challenge: Increasing competition from market players



With more players entering the market, there's a risk of oversupply and market saturation. This can result in heightened competition for customers and limited growth opportunities for existing companies, particularly those without distinct value propositions. Which in turn poses a major challenge onto the growth of Azelaic Acid Market.



You can place an order or ask any questions, please feel free to contact at sales@thebrainyinsights.com | +1-315-215-1633



Some of the major players operating in the Azelaic Acid market are:



 BASF SE

 Croda International plc

 Emery Oleochemicals

 Haihang Industry Co

 Jiangsu Senxuan Pharmaceutical and Chemical Co Ltd

 Matrica S.p.A

 Nantong Hengxing Electronic Materials Co Ltd

 Nantong Jinghua Pharmaceutical Co Ltd

 Wufeng Chicheng Biotech Co Ltd

 Xi'an Sonwu Biotech Co Ltd



Key Segments cover in the market:



By Type:



 Polymer Grade

 Pharma Grade

 Technical Grade



By Application:



 Pharmaceutical

 Adhesives

 Plastics

 Lubricants

 Personal Care &Cosmetics

 Others



Immediate Delivery Available | Buy This Premium Research Report @ https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/buy-now/14210/single



About the report:



The global Azelaic Acid market is analysed based on value (USD Billion). All the segments have been analysed on a worldwide, regional, and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each part. The report offers an in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining critical insight into the market. The study includes Porter's five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, and demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution, and marketing channels analysis.



About The Brainy Insights:



The Brainy Insights is a market research company that provides actionable insights through data analytics to companies to improve their business acumen. They have a robust forecasting and estimation model to meet the client's objectives of high-quality output within a short period. They provide both customized (client-specific) and syndicate reports. Their repository of syndicate reports is diverse across all the categories and sub-categories across domains. Their customized solutions meet the client's requirements whether they are looking to expand or planning to launch a new product in the global market.



Contact Us



Avinash D

Head of Business Development

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THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

CALGARY, Alberta, April 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cielo Waste Solutions Corp. (TSXV:CMC; OTCQB:CWSFF) (Cielo or the Company), a renewable fuel company leveraging market ready licensed technology to produce low carbon fuel from wood by-products, is pleased to announce that, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange), it has elected to extend its previously announced non-brokered private placement offering of unsecured convertible debenture units of the Company (collectively, the "Convertible Debenture Units") at a price of C $1,000 per Convertible Debenture Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C $5,000,000 (the "Private Placement"). The Company has closed and announced two tranches for aggregate gross proceeds of C $2,040,000 and anticipates closing at least one more tranche on or before May 31, 2024.

Each Convertible Debenture Unit is comprised of: (i) one unsecured convertible debenture (each, a "Convertible Debenture") in the principal amount of C $1,000.00 (the "Principal Amount") convertible into common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares" and each such Common Share, a "Conversion Share"); and (ii) 2,500 detachable share purchase warrants (each, a "Warrant") exercisable into Common Shares (each such Common Share, a Warrant Share). The minimum subscription amount is C $20,000.

The Principal Amount of the Debentures, together with any accrued and unpaid interest, will mature and become due and payable in cash on the date that is 24 months from the date of issue of the Convertible Debenture Units (Issue Date), subject to earlier conversion or redemption (the "Maturity Date"). The Principal Amount owing under the Debentures will accrue interest from the date of issuance at 12.0% per annum on a 30/360 calendar basis, payable every six (6) months in cash, except the first payment will be made in November 2024 and will consist of interest accrued from and including the Issue Date. As the Convertible Debentures will be unsecured debt obligations of the Company, each Convertible Debenture will rank subordinate to all secured debt obligations of the Company.

The Principal Amount may be converted, for no additional consideration, into Conversion Shares at the option of the holder of a Convertible Debenture (each, a Holder) at any time after the Issue Date at a conversion price (the Conversion Price) of $0.40 per Conversion Share. However, the Company may force the conversion of the Convertible Debentures (the Forced Conversion), at the Conversion Price, in the event that the volume weighted average price of the Common Shares on the Exchange is greater than C $1.00 for any ten (10) consecutive trading days. In the event of a Forced Conversion, the Company will provide notice to Holders by issuing a news release announcing the details of the Forced Conversion, including the date upon which the Forced Conversion will occur. In addition, the principal amount of the Convertible Debentures may be redeemed by the Company at any time without penalty.

Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Warrant Share at a price of $0.70 per Warrant Share for a period of 24 months from the Issue Date. However, the Company may accelerate the expiry of the Warrants (the Warrant Term Acceleration) in the event that the volume weighted average price of the Common Shares on the Exchange is greater than C $1.00 for any ten (10) consecutive trading days. In the event of a Warrant Term Acceleration, the Company will provide notice to holders of the Warrants by issuing a news release announcing the details of the Warrant Term Acceleration, including the accelerated expiry date of the Warrants.

The Company anticipates using the net proceeds of the Private Placement for the continued advancement of its renewable fuel projects, namely the wood byproduct to Bio-SynDiesel Project in Carseland, Alberta (the Carseland Project), which is currently undergoing front-end engineering and design, and the Companys railway tie to Bio-Syndiesel project in Dunmore, Alberta (the Dunmore Project), as well as general working capital and corporate growth purposes. The Carseland Project will be situated adjacent to an existing synthetic fuel facility owned and operated by Rocky Mountain Clean Fuels Inc. (RMCFI), which deploys patented technology developed by Expander Energy Inc. (Expander).

The Private Placement is subject to the receipt of all required regulatory approvals, as applicable, including the final approval of the Exchange. The Exchange has conditionally approved the Private Placement (subject to approval fo the extension). Commissions of cash and/or non-transferrable warrants (each a Broker Warrant, collectively the Broker Warrants) may be paid in connection with the Private Placement in accordance with applicable laws.

The Debentures and Warrants, as well as Conversion Shares and Warrant Shares, will be subject to a statutory hold period expiring on the date that is four months and one day after the corresponding Issue Date.

None of the securities offered in the Private Placement have been or will be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

ABOUT CIELO

Cielo Waste Solutions Corp. is fueling renewable change with a mission to be a leader in the wood by-product-to-fuels industry by using environmentally friendly, economically sustainable and market-ready technologies. The process and technology does not use food as feedstock as we are proudly advancing our non-food derived model based on our exclusive licence in Canada for patented Enhanced Biomass to Liquids (EBTL) and Biomass Gas to Liquids (BGTL) technologies and related intellectual property, along with an exclusive licence in the US for creosote and treated wood waste, including abundant railway tie feedstock. We have assembled a diverse portfolio of projects across geographic regions and secured the ability to leverage the expertise of proven industry leaders. Cielo is committed to the goal of producing renewable fuels from wood by-products that contribute to a cleaner fuel source and generating positive returns for our shareholders. Cielo shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol CMC, as well as on the OTC Markets under the symbol CWSFF.

For further information please contact:

Cielo Investor Relations

Ryan Jackson, CEO

Phone: (403) 348-2972

Email: investors@cielows.com

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as anticipate, achieve, could, believe, plan, intend, objective, continuous, ongoing, estimate, outlook, expect, may, will, project, should or similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes.

Forward-looking statements are subject to both known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements and information are based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and are subject to certain factors and assumptions. Cielo is making forward looking statements, with respect to, but not limited to: the Private Placement and the terms thereof, including the targeted gross proceeds, the use of proceeds, the minimum subscription amount, the timing of closing of subsequent tranches, the terms of the Convertible Debenture Units, including the Convertible Debentures and Warrants, the hold period applicable to the securities to be issued under the Private Placement, commissions to be paid in connection with the Private Placement and the terms of Broker Warrants, the Forced Conversion and the Warrant Expiry Acceleration, including the notice/announcements to be made in connection therewith; the extension of the Private Placement; and the location of the Carseland Project.

Investors should continue to review and consider information disseminated through news releases and filed by the Company on SEDAR+. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.

Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are described herein. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Companys actual performance and results to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such statements to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise.
Dublin, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Real Estate Drone Services Global Market Report 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The real estate drone services market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $0.42 billion in 2023 to $0.49 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.4%. The growth observed in the historical period can be attributed to increased demand for aerial imagery and mapping services, the cost efficiency and time-saving benefits offered, enhanced property marketing and visualization, improved safety and risk mitigation, regulatory support and compliance, growing adoption by real estate agencies and developers, and rising awareness and education among industry professionals.







The real estate drone services market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $0.96 billion in 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18%. The anticipated growth in the forecast period can be attributed to the expansion into new applications such as property inspection and monitoring, the demand for 3D modeling and digital twins in real estate, market penetration in emerging economies, strategic partnerships with real estate firms and construction companies, regulatory evolution to accommodate drone operations, and an increased focus on sustainability and environmental impact assessment in real estate projects. Key trends expected in the forecast period encompass the increasing demand for aerial photography, the expansion of services for property inspection, the integration of 3D mapping capabilities, the adoption of thermal imaging, the growth in demand for site analysis, and the adoption of drone technology for appraisal.



The anticipated growth in the construction industry is set to drive the expansion of the real estate drone services market. For instance, as of January 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau reported the sale of approximately 668,000 new homes in 2023, indicating a 4.2% increase compared to the previous year's total of 641,000 units. Moreover, in April 2023, the United States Census Bureau revealed that the overall value of residential and non-residential construction in the US grew by over 8% between 2020 and 2021. Consequently, the surge in the construction industry is a key driver behind the growth of the real estate drone services market.



Key players in the real estate drone services market are at the forefront of developing technologically advanced solutions, exemplified by offerings such as 3D virtual tours, designed to enhance data collection capabilities and provide more comprehensive insights. Leveraging three-dimensional visualizations and virtual reality, 3D virtual tours offer immersive and realistic property experiences, elevating property showcasing and decision-making for buyers and investors. For example, in February 2024, Rolington Media LLC, a US-based company specializing in creating immersive 3D virtual tours, introduced cutting-edge 3D virtual tours, professional real estate photography, and advanced drone services. This innovation transforms property presentations for real estate professionals, providing tailored solutions including 3D rendering and 2D floor plans for agents, investors, and property managers. Advanced drone services and superior photography create engaging experiences, attracting buyers and boosting sales in a competitive market. Rolington Media utilizes state-of-the-art 3D real estate technology to convert standard property listings into immersive, self-guided virtual model homes, allowing potential buyers to explore properties comprehensively from the comfort of their own homes.



In June 2021, Volatus Aerospace Corporation, a Canada-based leading provider of integrated drone solutions, successfully acquired ConnexiCore LLC for an undisclosed amount. This strategic acquisition significantly expands Volatus Aerospace's market reach and operational capacities within the drone services industry. ConnexiCore LLC, based in the US, specializes in providing commercial drone services and solutions for the real estate industry.



North America was the largest region in the real estate drone services market in 2023. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the real estate drone services market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the real estate drone services market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

Report Scope

Markets Covered:



1) By Service: Mapping and Surveying; Inspection; Photography and Filming

2) By Platform: Operator Software; Cloud-based

3) By Customer Type: Commercial; Residential



Key Companies Mentioned: Multivista Systems LLC; Terra Drone Corporation; Aerodyne Group; Dronedeploy Inc.; Cyberhawk Innovations Limited



Time Series: Five years historic and ten years forecast.



Data: Ratios of market size and growth to related markets, GDP proportions, expenditure per capita.



Data Segmentation: Country and regional historic and forecast data, market share of competitors, market segments.



Key Attributes

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 175 Forecast Period 2024-2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $0.49 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $0.96 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 18.0%

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:

Multivista Systems LLC

Terra Drone Corporation

Aerodyne Group

Dronedeploy Inc.

Cyberhawk Innovations Limited

Precision Hawk Inc.

Drone Dispatch Inc.

Firmatek LLC

Sky-Futures Ltd.

EagleHawk LLC

Edall Systems LLC

FLIGHTS Inc.

Construction Drone Services Ltd.

RUAS Corp.

Identified Technologies Inc.

Airware Inc.

Aerial Drone Services Inc.

Aerial Vision Ltd.

AERIUM Analytics

Aerolion Technologies

Drone Base Inc.

Martek Aviation Corp.

Drone Services Canada Inc.

Dronegenuity LLC

DJM Aerial Solutions

Aerotas LLC

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/py4efq

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Dublin, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Asia-Pacific Solid-State Battery Market: Focus on Electrolyte Type, Battery Type, Capacity, Application, and Country - Analysis and Forecast, 2023-2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Asia-Pacific solid-state battery market (excluding China) was valued at $64.4 million in 2023, and it is expected to grow with a CAGR of 32.28% during the forecast period 2023-2032 to reach $798.6 million by 2032

The solid-state battery market in Asia-Pacific (APAC) is expanding rapidly, owing to a number of factors. With the rising demand for electric vehicles (EVs), portable devices, and renewable energy storage solutions, there is a greater need for enhanced energy storage technologies that provide higher energy density, more safety, and a longer lifespan.





Solid-state batteries are a considerable improvement over ordinary lithium-ion batteries, providing benefits such as higher energy density, faster charging, and increased safety due to their solid electrolyte composition. These batteries are set to transform a variety of industries, including automotive, consumer electronics, and energy storage.



The APAC area, recognized for its vibrant industrial sector, technological innovation, and strong government support for renewable energy projects, is leading the way in solid-state battery technology breakthroughs. Countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea are in the forefront of solid-state battery research, development, and commercialization, attracting both domestic and international investment.



Furthermore, the region's thriving EV market, fueled by government incentives, environmental restrictions, and customer preferences for clean transportation, offers enormous prospects for the use of solid-state batteries in electric vehicles. Furthermore, the growing use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power increases the demand for innovative energy storage systems in APAC countries.



Overall, the APAC solid-state battery market provides tremendous prospects for industry players to capitalize on the region's growing demand for high-performance, safe, and sustainable energy storage solutions across various sectors.

How can this report add value to an organization?

Product/Innovation Strategy: The product segment helps the reader understand the different polymers used for solid-state battery and their potential in APAC region. Moreover, the study gives the reader a detailed understanding of the different solutions provided by the solid-state battery providers, encompassing aspects such as battery capacity and battery type. In contrast to traditional batteries, solid-state batteries exhibit outstanding thermal resilience, a comparatively lower self-discharge rate, heightened tolerance, and non-flammability.



Growth/Marketing Strategy: The APAC solid-state battery market has seen major development by key players operating in the market, such as business expansion, partnership, collaboration, and joint venture. The favored strategy for the companies has been partnership, collaboration, and joint venture activities to strengthen their position in the APAC solid-state battery market.



Competitive Strategy: Key players in the APAC solid-state battery market analyzed and profiled in the study involve solid-state battery-based product manufacturers, including market segments covered by distinct electrolyte types, capacity, battery type, applications served, and regional presence, as well as the influence of important market tactics.

Moreover, a detailed competitive benchmarking of the players operating in the APAC solid-state battery market has been done to help the reader understand how players stack against each other, presenting a clear market landscape. Additionally, comprehensive competitive strategies such as partnerships, agreements, and collaborations will aid the reader in understanding the untapped revenue pockets in the market.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 106 Forecast Period 2023 - 2032 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $64.4 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2032 $798.6 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 32.2%





Business Dynamics

Trends: Current and Future

Growing Support from the Government Through Investment in Advanced Energy Storage Technologies

Increasing R&D Activities on Solid-State Battery

Business Drivers

Rising Renewable Energy Generation

Rapid Growth of the Electric Vehicle Market

Growing Concerns Related to Lithium-Ion Battery Failure and Explosion

Business Challenges

Intense Competition from Other Advanced Battery Technologies

Lack of Industrial Supply Chain

Business Strategies

Product Development

Market Development

Corporate Strategies

Partnerships, Collaborations, Agreements, Investments, and Contracts

Business Opportunities

Rising Popularity of Solid-State Batteries in the Medical Sector

Advancements in Solid-State Battery Technologies and Chemistries

Supply Chain Analysis

Ecosystem/Ongoing Programs

Consortiums and Associations

Regulatory Bodies

Government Programs

Comparative Analysis

Lithium-Ion Batteries vs. Solid-State Batteries

Comparison in Terms of Power Density of Various Batteries

List of Key Planned Solid-State Battery Projects

Future of Solid-State Battery in EVs and the Role of EV Manufacturers in Advancing Solid-State Battery Development

Current Market Outlook

Research and Development

Solid-State Battery with Pure Silicon Anode

Recent Electrode Design of MIT's Solid-State Battery

Future Market Outlook

Impact of COVID-19 on the Solid-State Battery Market

Snapshot of Sodium-Ion Battery Market

Leading Countries in the Sodium-Ion Battery Market

Leading Companies in the Sodium-Ion Battery Market

Sodium-Ion Battery Market Projections

Start-Up Landscape

Key Start-Ups in the Ecosystem

Competitive Benchmarking & Company Profiles

ProLogium Technology Co., Ltd.

Toyota Motor Corporation

SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.

Hitachi Zosen Corporation

Ganfeng Lithium Group Co., Ltd.

SK on Co., Ltd.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4y1mge

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Atlanta, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the school year comes to a close, RaceTrac is thanking educators with a free medium Crazy Good Coffee during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 6-10. To redeem, educators and school staff simply show a valid faculty or staff ID at checkout. (Limit one redemption per transaction).

Teachers are the backbone of every community, and we want to make sure they know it, said Melanie Isbill, chief brand officer at RaceTrac. As we approach the end of the 2024 school year, we encourage all school staff to visit their local RaceTrac for a well-deserved coffee break on us.

To extend its impact and provide additional support for teachers at the community level, RaceTrac is also partnering with select school districts to give away thousands of dollars in prizes and fuel cards. Through this partnership, the school districts determine how to distribute the awards to deserving teachers. This year, RaceTrac partnered with Cobb County (GA), Dallas ISD (TX), Plano ISD (TX), Hillsborough County (FL) and Orange County (FL) school districts.

RaceTrac has been bringing this Whatever Gets You Going style of convenience to guests since 1934, and proudly operates under the mission of making people's lives simpler and more enjoyable. Whether its a taquito for breakfast or frozen yogurt at 2 a.m., RaceTrac is a judgment-free zone. Its professional, friendly team members are here to welcome guests and ensure they have everything they need to refuel, recharge and get to their next destination.

Learn more about RaceTrac by visiting RaceTrac.com and stay connected on social via Instagram , TikTok , X , Facebook and LinkedIn .

About RaceTrac

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, family-owned RaceTrac has been serving guests since 1934 and now operates over 580 convenience store locations in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee. While operating under its mission of making peoples lives simpler and more enjoyable, RaceTrac stores offer guests an affordable one-stop-shop featuring a wide selection of food and beverage favorites, including Swirl World frozen desserts, freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee and competitively priced fuel.

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Dublin, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Automotive Smart Key Market: Analysis By Technology, By Installation, By Application, By Region, Size, Trends and Forecast to 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global automotive smart key market was valued at US$12.25 billion in 2023, and is expected to be worth US$17.44 billion in 2029.



A notable trend within the automotive smart key market is the shift towards lightweight and eco-friendly materials in key component manufacturing. This shift not only enhances the durability and efficiency of smart keys but also aligns with the broader automotive industry's sustainability goals.

Leading car manufacturers like BMW, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz are actively developing compact and visually appealing smart keys, leveraging lightweight materials for their construction. This trend presents lucrative growth opportunities for the market in the coming years.

The global automotive smart key market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.07% over the years 2024-2029.



Market Segmentation Analysis:

By Technology: Remote keyless entry dominated the market in 2023 due to its widespread adoption in vehicles, offering convenience and enhanced security features. However, the passive keyless entry segment is anticipated to grow rapidly due to its seamless user experience, eliminating the need to physically interact with the key fob. This technology aligns with the increasing consumer preference for convenience and automation, driving its projected growth at the fastest CAGR during the forecasted period.



By Installation: The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) segment dominated the market in 2023 and is also expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecasted period. The OEM segment encompasses smart keys integrated directly into vehicles during the manufacturing process by original equipment manufacturers. These keys are designed to seamlessly mesh with the vehicle's existing systems, offering a unified user experience. Factors propelling growth in the OEM segment include the rising global vehicle production, fueled by technological advancements and consumer demand.



By Application: The Multi Function segment dominated the market in 2023 and is also foreseen to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecasted period. Multi-Function smart keys are designed to offer a variety of advanced features beyond basic keyless entry and ignition, such as remote start, trunk release, and personalized vehicle settings. Factors propelling the demand for Multi-Function smart keys include the increasing consumer demand for convenience, rapid technological advancements enabling feature integration, growing vehicle customization trends, incorporation of advanced security measures like biometric authentication and encrypted communication, and the integration of cutting-edge technologies, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, into smart key systems.



By Region: Asia Pacific dominated the automotive smart key market in 2023. The Asia Pacific region is experiencing a surge in digitalization and the "Internet of Cars," driving higher connectivity through technology-enabled vehicles. The rising demand for smart keys in countries like India, China, and Japan is fueled by increasing vehicle security concerns and the emergence of eco-friendly technologies. Smart keys, once exclusive to luxury vehicles, are now gaining popularity in more affordable car models. Chinese tech giant OPPO recently collaborated with Chinese automaker NIO to develop and test a digital car key based on the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) 2.0 standard. This innovation aims to integrate the feature into OPPO's Wallet App for smartphones and smartwatches.



China's automotive smart key market is experiencing robust growth, driven by several factors. The country's rapidly expanding middle-class population and increasing disposable incomes have led to a growing demand for vehicles equipped with advanced features like smart key systems.

Many automobile company manufacturers are focusing on the PKE devices to provide comfort to the customer, which is generating demand to the market. For instance, Xiaopeng Motors, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer have selected G+D Mobile Security for their smart digital car key solution.



In North America, the automotive smart key market is characterized by high consumer awareness and a strong preference for technologically advanced vehicles. Differentiated factors driving the market's growth in this region include the presence of a tech-savvy consumer base and a robust aftermarket for automotive accessories and upgrades. Consumers in North America are increasingly prioritizing convenience and security, making smart key systems a popular choice for vehicle upgrades.

Moreover, stringent safety regulations and standards set by regulatory bodies like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are compelling automakers to integrate advanced security features, including smart key systems, into their vehicles. The region's mature automotive industry, combined with a strong emphasis on innovation and consumer preferences, positions North America as a key market for automotive smart keys.



Market Dynamics:

Growth Drivers: The market has been growing over the past few years, due to factors such as surging demand for high-end cars, increasing demand for hybrid vehicle and electric vehicles, increasing demand for advanced vehicle security, integration with mobile devices, technological advancements and increasing convenience and user experience. The surging demand for high-end cars has become a key driver in propelling the growth of the automotive smart key market.

As consumers increasingly seek luxury and convenience in their vehicles, the automotive industry has witnessed a notable shift towards incorporating advanced technologies, including smart key systems. High-end car manufacturers are integrating smart key features as a standard offering, providing users with enhanced security, convenience, and seamless access to their vehicles. Moreover, the rise in disposable income among consumers, coupled with evolving lifestyles, has fueled the preference for premium vehicles equipped with state-of-the-art amenities, further driving the demand for automotive smart key systems.



Challenges: However, some challenges are also impeding the growth of the market such as high cost of smart key systems, limited aftermarket availability and complex integration and compatibility. The high cost of smart key systems poses a significant challenge to the automotive smart key market by limiting widespread adoption, particularly in price-sensitive markets.

Consumers may hesitate to invest in these systems due to their added expense compared to traditional key systems, impacting market penetration and hindering growth. Additionally, higher costs can deter OEMs from integrating smart key technology into their vehicles, further impeding market expansion.



Trends: The market is projected to grow at a fast pace during the forecast period, due to various latest trends such as integration of internet of things (IoT) into Smart Key Systems, Infusion of AI technologies, advancements in biometric authentication, shared mobility and car-sharing services and advanced connectivity and over-the-air updates.

The integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) is emerging as a significant trend in the automotive smart key market, revolutionizing the way vehicles are accessed, monitored, and controlled. By incorporating IoT technology into smart key systems, vehicles can be connected to the internet, enabling seamless communication between the vehicle, the driver, and external systems.

This connectivity opens up a host of possibilities, such as remote access and control functionalities through smartphone apps or web portals. Drivers can remotely lock/unlock doors, start the engine, adjust climate control settings, and even locate their vehicle using GPS tracking. Moreover, IoT integration enables real-time monitoring of vehicle health and diagnostics, allowing for proactive maintenance and enhancing overall vehicle safety and reliability.



Competitive Landscape:



The competitive landscape of the automotive smart key market is marked by a variety of players vying for market share in this rapidly evolving sector. These entities range from established automotive manufacturers to tech giants and specialized component suppliers. Manufacturers are constantly striving to develop smart key systems that offer enhanced security, convenience, and integration with other vehicle systems. This includes features such as passive entry systems, remote start capabilities, and smartphone-based keyless entry solutions.

The ability to offer comprehensive smart key solutions that cater to the diverse needs of consumers is crucial in gaining a competitive edge in the market. Moreover, as smart key technology becomes more prevalent across various vehicle segments, competition intensifies.

Players are not only focusing on improving the performance and functionality of their smart key systems but also on optimizing manufacturing processes to reduce costs and improve scalability. This allows them to offer competitive pricing while maintaining high-quality standards. Additionally, the emergence of new players, particularly from the tech industry, adds another layer of competition to the market.



The key players of the global automotive smart key market are:

DENSO

Continental

HELLA GmbH (Forvia)

Garmin Ltd.

Valeo

BMW

Volkswagen

Hyundai Motor

Nissan Motor

Car Keys Express

HUF Group

Tokai Rika Co.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Introduction

2.1 Automotive Smart Key Overview

2.2 Automotive Smart Key Segmentation Overview



3. Global Market Analysis

3.1 Global Automotive Smart Key Market Analysis

3.2 Global Automotive Smart Key Market Technology Analysis

3.3 Global Automotive Smart Key Market Installation Analysis

3.4 Global Automotive Smart Key Market Application Analysis



4. Regional Market Analysis



5. Impact of COVID-19



6. Market Dynamics

6.1 Growth Drivers

6.1.1 Surging Demand for High-End Cars

6.1.2 Increasing Demand for Hybrid Vehicle and Electric Vehicles

6.1.3 Increasing Demand for Advanced Vehicle Security

6.1.4 Integration with Mobile Devices

6.1.5 Technological Advancements

6.1.6 Increasing Convenience and User Experience

6.2 Challenges

6.2.1 High Cost of Smart Key Systems

6.2.2 Limited Aftermarket Availability

6.2.3 Complex Integration and Compatibility

6.3 Market Trends

6.3.1 Integration of Internet of Things (IoT) into Smart Key Systems

6.3.2 Infusion of AI Technologies

6.3.3 Advancements in Biometric Authentication

6.3.4 Shared Mobility and Car-Sharing Services

6.3.5 Advanced Connectivity and Over-the-Air Updates



7. Competitive Landscape

7.1 Global Automotive Smart Keys Market Players: Competitive Landscape



8. Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hosply

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
Dublin, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Propane Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2019-2029F" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The worldwide market for propane is experiencing significant growth momentum, with energy-efficiency and environmental sustainability being the key driving forces. As of 2023, the market stands at a valuation of USD 83.26 billion and boasts a healthy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.35% heading towards 2029, driving the market to $107.75 billion. This robust trajectory is propelled by a global surge in demand for energy-efficient appliances and clean-burning fuels, marking propane as an energy source of choice across diverse sectors.



A major contributor to the robust upward trend of the propane market is the expansion of the petrochemical industry, which relies on propane as a prime feedstock. This underscores the material's versatility and pivotal role in producing a wide array of chemicals and synthetic materials. Moreover, with the added appeal of propane's environmental advantages, such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions, the market is set to see further elevation in its stature, underscored by increased utilizations, such as in the automotive sector with Autogas, and advances in production and storage technologies.





Sustainable Solutions Spur Growth in Residential and Agricultural Sectors



Residential and commercial heating are witnessing a growing inclination towards propane due to its energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The agriculture industry, recognizing propane's eco-friendly energy capabilities, is similarly contributing to the rise in market demand. Propane's uptake in agriculture for an array of operations, including crop drying and pest control, exemplifies its adaptability and efficiency as a clean energy alternative.



Competitive Energy Landscape Presents Challenges and Opportunities



Despite the thriving market for propane, challenges persist in the form of competition from other energy sources like natural gas, which is more cost-efficient and bolstered by extensive pipeline infrastructure. Nonetheless, propane's attributes, such as lower emissions and increased demand in various sectors, establish it as a key player within the energy mix.

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:

BP plc

Chevron Corporation

Royal Dutch Shell plc

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

ConocoPhillips Co.

Reliance Industries Ltd.

PetroChina Company Limited

Sinopec Corp.

Evonik Industries AG

Total SA

Regional Market Dynamics



The Asia-Pacific region has emerged as a dominant force in the global propane arena, benefiting from factors such as urbanization, industrialization, and favorable government policies aimed at curbing pollution. This momentum is supported by significant infrastructure investments and a rising middle class, suggesting a continued upward trajectory for the propane market in this region. Industry players anticipate that this trend will persist, bolstered by ongoing investments and the shift towards sustainable energy solutions.



Key Attributes

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 185 Forecast Period 2024-2029 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $83.26 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2029 $107.75 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 4.3% Regions Covered Global

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/q6w2a

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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TORONTO, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Every April, we are encouraged to do more for the planet, so we walk farther, bike everywhere and recycle everything. But according to a recent survey commissioned by Coors Seltzer, almost three in four Canadians surveyed (72%) feel that doing more for the planet is no longer enough.



Inspired by the so-called laidback Millennial, Coors Seltzer urges Canadians to take a new approach to help restore Canadas waters: doing less. As a brand committed to water conservation and restoration through its multi-year partnership with Change the Course, Coors Seltzer is launching the Call to Inaction, a pledge to do less in the name of water conservation.





Although often stereotyped by older generations as unambitious and entitled, Millennials are showing up more for the planet, often in ways you wouldnt expect. From mixing laundry loads to conveniently forgetting to water the lawn, the Call to Inaction pledge is asking Canadians to follow Millennials lead by doing less to help protect our waterways. With the survey revealing that half of Canadians underestimate the average Canadians daily water usage, encouraging a small decrease in water use could make a big impact, without requiring a big lift!

Since Coors Seltzer launched in Canada in 2021, the brand has worked closely with Change The Course to help protect our waters, said Jeanene Miniaci, Senior Marketing Manager, Flavour & Seltzers. Call to Inaction allows us to educate and continue to champion this important issue while engaging Canadians in a fun way by asking them to be more like the laidback Millennial. So, take the pledge today and commit to doing less, for the good of the planet!

To date, Coors Seltzer has helped fund projects with Change the Course that will contribute to the restoration of 8.4 billion litres of water over their lifetime through 2030. The brand will continue to add to this impact by helping fund an average of 1-2 new Change The Course projects annually.

Canadians can visit CallToInaction.ca this month to sign the pledge and answer the call to inaction. The first 250 to complete the form in full will get the chance to win a $30 reward. Not bad for doing next to nothing.

To learn more, please visit coorsseltzer.ca and follow Coors Seltzer on social @coorsseltzerca . Always drink responsibly.

About Molson Coors

For more than two centuries, Molson Coors has brewed beverages that unite people for all life's moments. From Coors Light, Miller Lite, Molson Canadian, Carling, Madri Excepcional and Staropramen to Coors Original, Blue Moon Belgian White, Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, Vizzy Hard Seltzer, Simply Spiked Lemonade, Blue Run Spirits, Creemore Springs and more, Molson Coors produces some of the most beloved and iconic brands in the beverage industry. While the company's history is rooted in beer, Molson Coors offers a modern portfolio that expands beyond the beer aisle with energy drinks, bottled spirits, ready-to-drink cocktails, cider and more. To learn more about Molson Coors Beverage Company, visit molsoncoors.com .

About Change the Course

Change the Course, a program of the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, is a first-of-its-kind initiative that brings together the public, corporations and on-the-ground conservation organizations to raise awareness about freshwater issues, reduce water footprints and directly support water restoration projects. Change the Course is the leading corporate water restoration and engagement campaign across North America. The initiative has received contributions from over 100 corporate sponsors; supported over 470 water projects across 25 U.S. States, Canada and Mexico; and restored over 59 billion gallons of water. Learn more at Changethecourse.us.

Survey Methodology

This Maru Public Opinion survey conducted on behalf of Coors Seltzer was undertaken by the sample and data collection experts at Maru/Blue . 1,498 randomly selected Canadian adults who are 19+ years old and a Maru Voice Canada online panelist were surveyed from April 10th to April 11th 2024. The results of this study have been weighted by education, age, gender, and region (and in Quebec, language) to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals when compared to the data tables are due to rounding.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8edd87f4-cca2-433c-b906-dec5f49f2c5e

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b231adb3-a1b3-48c1-b905-7cdfc0a12596
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asante Gold Corporation (CSE:ASE | GSE:ASG | FRANKFURT:1A9 | U.S.OTC:ASGOF) (Asante or the Company) announces the filing of updated technical reports for the Chirano and Bibiani mines in Ghana, delineating new Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates and life of mine plans based on proven and probable reserves. All dollar figures are in United States dollars unless otherwise indicated. References to years in this news release relate to the 12-month period commencing February of the applicable calendar year, consistent with the Companys January 31 fiscal year-end. For example, 2025 refers to the 12-month period of February 2025  January 2026.

HIGHLIGHTS

Consolidated Results

Rapid production growth to 449koz in 2025 (+109% vs. 2023 actual) and >500koz in 2028

Production of 2.2 million ounces over next five years, before considering resource conversion potential

Significant increase in Mineral Resources at both mines, net of approximately two years of depletion: 4.6 million ounces (+34% vs. previous technical report) in Measured and Indicated category 2.2 million ounces (+200% vs. previous technical report) in Inferred category

Excellent expansion and mine life extension opportunities at both mines underpinned by substantial resource base, track record of resource delineation and conversion, and planned exploration investment

Bibiani Technical Report

Gold production of 271koz in 2025 (+254% vs. 2023 actual), enabled by cutting the Bibiani-Goaso highway, 2024 investments in main pit expansion, sulphide treatment plant to increase recovery to 92%

Commencement of underground mine development in 2025 with first underground ore processed in 2026; robust underground mine plan underpinned by first-ever underground reserves delineated by Asante

Significant unit cost reduction by 2025 reflecting reduced stripping requirements, increased scale, and increased gold recovery; AISC <$1,100/oz by 2027

2.5 million ounces (+9% vs. previous technical report) of Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources Reflects underground strategy with >0.9 million ounces of underground reserves

1.2 million ounces (+225% relative to previous technical report) of Inferred Mineral Resources

Targeted areas for 2024 resource conversion / additions include Walsh/Strauss, Elisabeth Hill, Russell

Chirano Technical Report

Gold production of 178koz in 2025 (+28% vs. 2023 actual) and >200koz by 2027

Underground mine plan focused on expansion of the Obra and Suraw mines

Lower unit costs from 2025 from increased throughput, efficiencies, improved use of capital

2.1 million ounces (+84% vs. previous technical report) of Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources

1.0 million ounces (+177% relative to previous technical report) of Inferred Mineral Resources

Targeted areas for 2024 resource conversion and additions include depth extensions at Suraw, Akoti South, Tano, Sariehu, Akwaaba, Obra; upgrading resources at GAP, Aboduabo, and Magnetic Hinge

Dave Anthony, President and CEO stated, We are excited to report the results of updated technical reports for the Bibiani and Chirano mines that demonstrate the significant production and margin growth at both operations. This includes a 109% increase in consolidated production to nearly 450,000 ounces in 2025 and a further increase to over 500,000 ounces by 2028 at lower costs. We are also pleased to report a significant increase in mineral resources at both mines, including delineation of the first-ever underground reserves at Bibiani under Asante ownership, which supports long-term strategic planning for expansion and mine life extension opportunities.

Investors are invited to register for a live, interactive webinar to discuss the technical report results at 11:00 am Pacific Time / 2:00 pm Eastern time on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 to be hosted by CEO Dave Anthony and CFO David Wiens at the following link: https://events.6ix.com/preview/asante-gold-investor-update-2.

The updated technical reports entitled NI 43-101 Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate, Chirano Gold Mines Limited, Ghana, West Africa dated April 30, 2024 (with an effective date of December 31, 2023) and NI 43-101 Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate, Mensin Gold Bibiani Limited dated April 30, 2024 (with an effective date of December 31, 2023) were prepared in accordance with Canadas National Instrument 43-101  Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) and have been filed on the Companys SEDAR+ profile (www.sedarplus.ca). The updated technical reports supersede the prior technical report for Bibiani dated August 31, 2022 (with an effective date of February 28, 2022) and the prior technical report for Chirano dated September 30, 2022 (with an effective date of December 31, 2021).

5-Year Outlook (Mineral Reserves Only) - Consolidated

Consolidated gold production from the Bibiani and Chirano mines is envisaged as follows:





This forecast based is solely on Proven and Probable reserves, without consideration of significant resource conversion, production expansion and cost optimization opportunities utilized in the Companys strategic planning at both Bibiani and Chirano.

5-Year Outlook  Bibiani Mine (Mineral Reserves Only)

Key metrics at the Bibiani mine during the 2024-2028 period as envisaged in the technical report include:

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 5-Year

Total 5-Year

Average Operations Ore mined - open pit (kt) 2,594 4,631 4,126 2,285 1,227 14,863 2,973 Waste mined - open pit (kt) 54,771 80,372 64,785 5,376 5,874 211,177 42,235 Total mined - open pit (kt) 57,365 85,003 68,911 7,661 7,100 226,040 45,208 Strip ratio (waste:ore) 21.1x 17.4x 15.7x 2.4x 4.8x 14.2x 14.2x Grade mined - open pit (g/t) 1.90 2.10 1.95 2.29 2.20 2.06 2.06 Ore mined - underground (kt) - 58 812 1,910 2,639 5,419 1,084 Grade mined - underground (g/t) - 1.00 2.05 1.93 2.42 2.18 2.18 Ore milled (kt) 2,661 3,832 4,000 4,000 4,003 18,497 3,699 Grade milled (g/t) 1.76 2.39 2.18 2.25 2.34 2.21 2.21 Gold recovery (%) 79% 92% 92% 92% 92% 91% 91% Production (koz) 118 271 258 267 278 1,192 238 Cash Flow @ $1900/oz Revenue 225 515 490 507 527 2,265 453 Net operating cashflow 55 299 216 232 240 1,042 208 Capex 214 253 193 78 59 798 160 Net cash flow (159) 46 23 154 180 244 49 Net cash flow ($2,300/Oz) (115) 99 88 216 249 537 107 AISC ($/oz) (1) 2,265 1,340 1,457 970 1,088 1,316 1,316

Notes:

Figures expressed on a 100% basis; Asante owns 90% of the Bibiani Mine.

(1) 2024 AISC includes approximately $683 per ounce related to capitalized stripping.

The 5-year outlook for Bibiani envisages rapid production growth enabled by cutting of the Bibiani  Goaso highway, expansion of the main pit, an increase in fleet availability and completion of a plant upgrades in 2024 to drive gold production of 271,000 ounces in 2025, representing a 254% increase relative to 2023 actual production. This is envisaged to be followed by commencement of underground development and mining in the 2025-2026 period which underpins the majority of gold production from 2028 onwards.

The delineation of underground reserves at Bibiani and development of a combined open pit / underground mining plan is driven by the Companys strategy to optimize economic value by reducing previously planned waste cuts in the open pit and providing earlier access to higher-grade underground ore. Supported by the updated resource model and external experts, and leveraging the Companys in-house underground mining expertise and experience at the Chirano a robust underground design and mining strategy was developed during the course of 2023 and early 2024. The previous technical report envisaged mining in the open pit only to a depth of ~432 metres, while the revised mine plan envisages a terminal open pit depth of ~354 metres, below which underground mining will take place. This design includes establishment of an underground conveyor system in 2026 to feed the process plant area directly, and three access points into the main orebody to establish mine infrastructure and commence stoping operations.

Capital expenditures at Bibiani are elevated in the 2024-2026 period primarily as a result of capital projects to deliver (i) stripping related to an expansion of the Bibiani main pit, (ii) underground development activities, (iii) community and social projects, including the planned resettlement of the neighboring Old Town and Zongo communities, (iv) completion of a sulphide treatment plant and other plant upgrades (pebble crusher, jaw crusher, CIL and elution circuit upgrades) that support an increase in gold recovery to 92% and plant throughput to 4 million tonnes per year. In 2024 in particular, this will have a significant impact on reported AISC, with approximately $683 per ounce attributed to waste stripping.

External financing will be required in order to execute these capital projects in 2024. The Company has been in commercial discussions with potential financiers and has received preliminary term sheets which it is currently evaluating. There can be no certainty that the Company will be successful in securing sufficient financing on a timely basis.

While the technical report envisages gold production through 2032 based on mineral reserves, the Companys strategy is to extend mine life well beyond this timeframe through resource conversion, extension of the underground mine, and delineation and expansion of new satellite pits. This strategy is underpinned by the significant resource base at the Bibiani mine (incremental to reserves), high prospectivity of regional geology, and the Companys track record of resource replacement and growth.

5-Year Outlook  Chirano Mine (Mineral Reserves Only)

Key metrics at the Chirano mine during the 2024-2028 period as envisaged in the technical report include:

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 5-Year

Total 5-Year

Average Operations Ore mined - open pit (kt) 2,000 1,774 589 - - 4,363 873 Waste mined - open pit (kt) 14,857 10,954 1,593 - - 27,404 5,481 Total mined - open pit (kt) 16,857 12,728 2,182 - - 31,767 6,353 Strip ratio (waste:ore) 7.4x 6.2x 2.7x - - 6.3x 6.3x Grade mined - open pit (g/t) 1.13 1.14 1.18 - - 1.15 1.15 Ore mined - underground (kt) 1,662 2,250 2,724 2,771 3,129 12,535 2,507 Grade mined - underground (g/t) 1.94 1.88 1.91 2.36 2.49 2.15 2.15 Ore milled (kt) 3,842 4,077 4,077 3,584 3,129 18,709 3,742 Grade milled (g/t) 1.47 1.49 1.56 1.93 2.49 1.75 1.75 Gold recovery (%) 90% 91% 91% 92% 93% 92% 92% Production (koz) 165 178 187 204 234 968 194 Cash Flow @ $1900/oz Revenue 313 338 355 388 445 1,838 368 Net operating cashflow 44 64 106 140 178 532 106 Capex 57 50 49 16 8 180 36 Net cash flow (13) 13 58 124 170 352 70 Net cash flow ($2,300/Oz) 27 56 103 174 227 588 118 AISC ($/oz) 1,822 1,553 1,268 981 821 1,246 1,246

Note: Expressed on a 100% basis; Asante owns 90% of the Chirano Mine.



The technical report envisages Chirano open pit operations continuing through 2026, maintaining a feed balance with the underground mines to optimize its production profile. Underground production is supported by five mines, with a particular focus on the Suraw and Obra mines in the 2026-2028 period. The Companys strategy includes comprehensive rebuild and replacement programs of the underground equipment fleet, to increase productivity and reduce mining costs by increasing equipment size.

While the technical report envisages continuation of production at Chirano through 2028 based on mineral reserves, the Companys strategy is to extend the mine life well beyond this timeframe through resource conversion, development of infrastructure needed to extend the underground mines to lower depth, and delineation of new pits.

The Company also believes that there is a significant opportunity to connect Chiranos northern mines through a conveyer system feeding directly to the process plant, which could provide significant savings through reduced trucking costs. The Company is currently evaluating this opportunity, which has not been included in the technical report.

Mineral Resource Estimate  Bibiani Mine

The following is a summary of the Bibiani Mineral Resource Estimate as of December 31, 2023:





Category

Open Pit Underground Total (Kt) Au

(g/t) Au

(Koz) (Kt) Au

(g/t) Au

(Koz) (Kt) Au

(g/t) Au

(Koz) Resources

(inclusive)

Measured 179 1.30 7 49 1.49 2 228 1.34 10 Indicated 15,856 2.27 1,155 17,678 2.33 1,325 33,534 2.30 2,481 M&I 16,035 2.26 1,162 17,727 2.33 1,327 33,762 2.30 2,490 Inferred 19 1.12 1 15,158 2.36 1,151 15,178 2.36 1,152 Reserves

Proven 180 1.24 10 20 1.44 1 200 1.26 10 Probable 15,100 2.10 1,020 12,120 2.35 920 27,220 2.21 1,940 P&P 15,280 2.09 1,030 12,140 2.35 921 27,420 2.21 1,950

Notes:

(1) Tonnes and ounces have been rounded and this may have resulted in minor discrepancies.

(2) Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves.

(3) The Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of any Mineral Reserves that may be derived from them.

(4) 1 troy ounce = 31.1035g.

(5) A 0.5g/t gold reporting cut-off has been applied for OP Mineral Resources, constrained within a conceptual pit shell using US$1,950 gold price to satisfy RPEEE requirements.

(6) UG Mineral Resources are reported within conceptual MSO shapes prepared using a US$1,950 gold price and a cut-off grade of 0.80g/t Au to satisfy RPEEE requirements.

(7) Density values of 2.75t/m, 2.50t/m and 2.00t/m have been applied to blocks flagged as fresh, transition and oxidised sediments respectively, for all block models.

(8) Geological losses and depletions have been applied.

(9) Inferred Mineral Resources have a lower level of confidence than that applying to Indicated Mineral Resources and have not been converted to Mineral Reserves. It is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration.

(10) Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

As noted above, delineation of the first-ever underground reserves at Bibiani under Asante ownership, and development of a combined open pit / underground mining plan, is driven by the Companys strategy to optimize economic value by reducing excessive waste cuts in the open pit and provide earlier access to higher-grade underground ore. This approach leverages the Companys in-house expertise and experience at the Chirano mine. The previous technical report envisaged mining in the open pit only, resulting in elevated strip ratios. Consistent with this strategy, a new resource model was built from which mining models were modified for dilution and mining losses, taking into account the transition point between open pit and underground mining. As noted above, the revised envisaged main pit depth is approximately ~78 metres shallower due to the transition to underground mining which results in lower open pit reserves and resources, and higher underground reserves and resources.

Over 12,000 metres of RC and diamond drilling is planned in 2024 with 7,500 metres allocated specifically for resource extension and definition. The primary focus will be on three main areas: Walsh/Strauss underground, Elisabeth open pit, and Russell underground.

Mineral Resource Estimate  Chirano Mine

The following is a summary of the Chirano Mineral Resource Estimate as of December 31, 2023:





Category

Open Pit Underground Total (Kt) Au

(g/t) Au

(Koz) (Kt) Au

(g/t) Au

(Koz) (Kt) Au

(g/t) Au

(Koz) Resources

(inclusive)

Measured 2,845 0.90 82 7,918 2.10 534 10,763 1.78 616 Indicated 12,052 1.09 421 17,085 1.91 1,051 29,137 1.57 1,472 M&I 14,898 1.05 503 25,003 1.97 1,585 39,901 1.63 2,088 Inferred 1,711 1.23 68 18,303 1.64 963 20,014 1.60 1,031 Reserves

Proven 2,426 0.72 56 2,864 2.26 208 5,290 1.55 264 Probable 3,748 1.13 136 9,671 2.12 659 13,419 1.84 795 P&P 6,174 0.97 192 12,535 2.15 867 18,709 1.76 1,059

Notes:

(1) Mineral Resource Estimate expressed on a 100% basis; Asante owns 90% of the Chirano Mine

(2) Tonnes and ounces have been rounded and this may have resulted in minor discrepancies

(3) Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves

(4) Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability

(5) Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves

(6) 2024 Mineral Resource Estimates determined using $1,950/oz gold price, Mineral Reserve Estimates determined using $1,700/oz gold price;

(7) The Mineral Reserve estimates contained herein may be subject to legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential exploitation of such Mineral Reserves

The significant increase in resources at Chirano relative to the previous technical report is primarily a result of successful exploration results in 2022 and 2023. This included:

Obra: inferred resource conversion into indicated, shoot extension along strike and down dip

Suraw: resource conversion drilling to upgrade gaps and add inferred resources

Aboduabo: drilling aimed at extension of shoots along strike, down dip continuity and infilling

Upgrading of resources at Suraw and Obra

In 2024, planned exploration activities include approximately 34,000 meters of drilling to continue testing and upgrading resources on the mining lease and adjacent prospecting licenses with key focus on depth extensions at Suraw, Akoti South, Tano, Sariehu, Akwaaba and Obra; upgrading open pit resources at GAP, Aboduabo and Magnetic Hinge.

Qualified Person Statement

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by the Qualified Persons (as defined under NI 43-101) and authors of the Technical Report, David Michael Begg of dMb Management Services Pty Ltd (South Africa), Clive Brown of BARA International, Galen White of Bara Consulting UK Limited, Glenn Bezuidenhout of GB Independent Consulting Pty Ltd, and Malcolm Titley of Maja Mining Limited. None of the Qualified Persons hold any interest in Asante, its associated parties, or in any of the mineral properties which are the subject of this news release.

Other scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by David Anthony, P.Eng., Mining and Mineral Processing, President and CEO of Asante, who is a "qualified person" under NI 43-101.

Non-IFRS Measures

This news release includes certain terms or performance measures commonly used in the mining industry that are not defined under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), including all-in sustaining costs (or AISC), earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (or EBITDA), and free cashflow. Non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore they may not be comparable to similar measures employed by other companies. The data presented is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS and should be read in conjunction with Asantes consolidated financial statements. Readers should refer to Asante's Management Discussion and Analysis under the heading "Non-IFRS Measures" for a more detailed discussion of how Asante calculates certain of such measures and a reconciliation of certain measures to IFRS terms.

About Asante Gold Corporation

Asante is a gold exploration, development and operating company with a high-quality portfolio of projects and mines in Ghana. Asante is currently operating the Bibiani and Chirano Gold Mines and continues with detailed technical studies at its Kubi Gold Project. All mines and exploration projects are located on the prolific Bibiani and Ashanti Gold Belts. Asante has an experienced and skilled team of mine finders, builders and operators, with extensive experience in Ghana. The Company is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Ghana Stock Exchange and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Asante is also exploring its Keyhole, Fahiakoba and Betenase projects for new discoveries, all adjoining or along strike of major gold mines near the centre of Ghanas Golden Triangle. Additional information is available on the Companys website at www.asantegold.com.

About the Bibiani Gold Mine

Bibiani is an operating open pit gold mine situated in the Western North Region of Ghana, with previous gold production of more than 4.5 million ounces. It is fully permitted with available mining and processing infrastructure on-site consisting of a newly refurbished 3 million tonne per annum process plant and existing mining infrastructure. Asante commenced mining at Bibiani in late February 2022 with the first gold pour announced on July 7, 2022. Commercial production was announced November 10, 2022.

For additional information relating to the mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates for the Bibiani Gold Mine, please refer to the 2024 Bibiani Technical Report filed on the Companys SEDAR profile (www.sedarplus.ca) on April 30, 2024.

About the Chirano Gold Mine

Chirano is an operating open pit and underground mine located in the Western Region of Ghana, immediately south of the Companys Bibiani Gold Mine. Chirano was first explored and developed in 1996 and began production in October 2005. The mine comprises the Akwaaba, Suraw, Akoti South, Akoti North, Akoti Extended, Paboase, Tano, Obra South, Obra, Sariehu and Mamnao open pits and the Akwaaba and Paboase underground mines.

For additional information relating to the mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates for the Chirano Gold Mine, please refer to the 2024 Chirano Technical Report filed on the Companys SEDAR profile (www.sedarplus.ca) on April 30, 2024.

For further information please contact:

Dave Anthony, President & CEO

Frederick Attakumah, Executive Vice President and Country Director

info@asantegold.com

+1 604 661 9400 or +233 303 972 147



Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release constitute forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, production and all-in sustaining costs forecasts for the Bibiani and Chirano Gold Mines, estimated mineral resources, reserves, exploration results and potential, development programs, expansion and mine life extension opportunities, completion of plant upgrades and completion of external financing by the Company. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, the Companys inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its planned activities, the Companys inability to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and the price of gold. The reader is referred to the Companys public disclosure record which is available on SEDAR (www.sedarplus.ca). Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply 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. Except as required by securities laws and the policies of the securities exchanges on which the Company is listed, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

LEI Number: 529900F9PV1G9S5YD446. Neither IIROC nor any stock exchange or other securities regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bafc10cd-720f-4efa-98a9-f6a280e578d3
LOUISVILLE, KY, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Through the support of bourbon CEOs and distillers, collectors and aficionados, the West End School, a tuition-free, all-boys school located in Louisville, has launched one of the most ambitious bourbon raffles ever seen. Up to $200,000 worth of hard-to-find, vintage and ultra-rare bourbons  22 lots  currently are being raffled off nationwide. For tickets: ultimatebourbonraffle.org

In a show of solidarity, bourbon industry executives, enthusiasts, collectors and school supporters have donated important, collectable bottles and experiences to make this one of the most sought-after bourbon raffles. In fact, 22 winners will be drawn in this raffle, making it one of the most valuable charity raffles to date, said Fred Minnick , who is widely considered the worlds leading bourbon authority.

The school recognizes that its backyard and neighborhood is located in the middle of bourbon country and, after many years of urging from others, school officials decided a raffle was an important way to join forces with the bourbon community. All proceeds from the raffle support underprivileged kids at the West End School and include the soon-to-be-built West End Girls School, expected to be finished in fall 2025.

Live raffle drawing for the 22 lots will take place at 11am (EDT), June 20. Tickets are $100. There will be 22 winners who need not be present to win. Each winner can choose one of the 22 lots until all lots are taken.

Its an ambitious undertaking but the school has the support to get this done, said Paul Perconti, West End School co-founder and Board Chair emeritus. We hope to raise $2 million with this initiative, which will further support fundraising for the West End School, he said.

Wall Street Journal-bestselling author and renowned bourbon critic Fred Minnick , who has formally partnered with the school, led the curation of this effort. Minnick knows first-hand that a raffle of this size can make a difference to the school, the students and their families. I am a Louisvillian and love my community. The West End School is among the very best endeavors happening in our city and am so incredibly thankful the bourbon community has stepped up to raise funds, he said.





Here's an up-close look at the 22 ultra-rare prized lots:

Brown-Forman 150th Anniversary Bottle - This extremely limited bottle celebrating the 150th anniversary of Brown-Forman is a 150-month old-expression that was selected from just six barrels. One of the most valuable bottles ever put out by the distillery. Valued at $8,000

This extremely limited bottle celebrating the 150th anniversary of Brown-Forman is a 150-month old-expression that was selected from just six barrels. 2023 Michters 25 Year Old Bourbon - The oldest bottling from one of America's most admired distilleries. Extremely limited production that is only released on select years. Valued at $9,000



Maker's Mark Private Select Barrel - You and seven friends can craft your own Private Select Barrel as you enjoy all of the bottles in the barrel as well. Partake in an exclusive, private tour at one of the greatest barrel experiences in the industry. Valued at $20,000

Heaven Hill Private Tour & Tasting Experience - Private tour for 4 conducted by Heaven Hill Master Distiller Conor O'Driscoll, ending with a special keepsake bottle.

"You Do Bourbon" experience for four guests; each guest is to receive one of each product (Larceny BP, Elijah Craig BP, and Bernheim BP)

"You Do Bourbon" experience for four guests; each guest is to receive one of each product (Larceny BP, Elijah Craig BP, and Bernheim BP) Heaven Hill Heritage Collection

- Old Fitz BIB Decanter Series VVS 2018 14YO

- Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 18YO Bourbon

- Parkers Heritage Collection 5th Edition 10YO Bourbon Finished in Cognac Barrels Autographed by Parker Beam

- Old Fitz BIB Decanter Series VVS 2018 14YO - Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 18YO Bourbon - Parkers Heritage Collection 5th Edition 10YO Bourbon Finished in Cognac Barrels Autographed by Parker Beam Pappy 5-bottle Vertical Signed by Julian P. Van Winkle III - A full bourbon vertical of the most sought-after bourbon in the world, each bottle signed by Julian Van Winkle III exclusively for this raffle. Valued at $18,000

- Old Rip Van Winkle

- Van Winkle "Lot B"

- Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year Old

- Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year Old

- Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old

A full bourbon vertical of the most sought-after bourbon in the world, - Old Rip Van Winkle - Van Winkle "Lot B" - Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year Old - Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year Old - Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old 1913 Early Times Bottled In Bond Straight Whiskey, 1 Quart - A rare unicorn . A Pre-Prohibition bottle of Early Times, with great clarity and fill level. Valued at $20,000

1 Quart - . A Pre-Prohibition bottle of Early Times, with great clarity and fill level. 2023 King of Kentucky 16 Year Old -The 2023 16-year-old expression of Brown Forman's most exclusive annual release.

Four Gate Collection Signed - A 5-bottle vertical of Four Gates' Kelvin Collaboration, signed by Master Blender Bill Straub

- Four Gate "The Kelvin Collaboration I"

- Four Gate "The Kelvin Collaboration II"

- Four Gate "The Kelvin Collaboration III"

- Four Gate "The Kelvin Collaboration IIII"

- Four Gate "The Kelvin Collaboration V"

- Four Gate "The Kelvin Collaboration I" - Four Gate "The Kelvin Collaboration II" - Four Gate "The Kelvin Collaboration III" - Four Gate "The Kelvin Collaboration IIII" - Four Gate "The Kelvin Collaboration V" Watch Hill Proper Barrels Pick Lot - 16 different bottles representing Watch Hill Proper's amazing Barrel Pick Program.

- NULU Rye

- NULU Bourbon

- Knob Creek Bourbons (Three Different Barrels)

- Jack Daniel's Barrel Proof

- Jefferson's Ocean Aged at Sea

- Peerless Bourbon

- Peerless Rye

- Yellowstone

- Rebel Cask Strength

- Elijah Craig Barrel Strength

- Starlight Cigar Batch

- Russell's Reserve

-Ezra Brooks Cask Strength

- NULU Rye - NULU Bourbon - Knob Creek Bourbons (Three Different Barrels) - Jack Daniel's Barrel Proof - Jefferson's Ocean Aged at Sea - Peerless Bourbon - Peerless Rye - Yellowstone - Rebel Cask Strength - Elijah Craig Barrel Strength - Starlight Cigar Batch - Russell's Reserve -Ezra Brooks Cask Strength Michter's 8 Bottle Vertical Signed - A complete vertical of Michter's Core 4, Barrel Strength Bourbon and Rye, and the 10-Year-Old Bourbon and Rye. Signed by Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson

- 2023 Michters 10 Year Old Bourbon

- 2019 Michters 10 Year Old Rye

- 2019 Michters Barrel Strength Bourbon

- Michters Barrel Strength Rye

- Michters US1 Small Batch Bourbon

- Michters US1 Sour Mash Whiskey

- Michters US1 Small Batch Whiskey

- Michters US1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

- 2023 Michters 10 Year Old Bourbon - 2019 Michters 10 Year Old Rye - 2019 Michters Barrel Strength Bourbon - Michters Barrel Strength Rye - Michters US1 Small Batch Bourbon - Michters US1 Sour Mash Whiskey - Michters US1 Small Batch Whiskey - Michters US1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey 15 Stars 9 Bottle Vertical - A full 9-bottle vertical including the rare Platinum and Triple Cask Bottles, a number of bottles are from the first batch of a series.

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon & Distillery Series - A bottle of the acclaimed Birthday Bourbon and a full vertical of the Distiller's series including the newly released 1924 10-Year-Old.

- 2023 Birthday Bourbon

- Old Forester 1870 Original Batch Whisky

- Old Forester 1897 Bottled In Bond Whisky

- Old Forester 1920 Old Fine Whisky

- Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Whisky

- Old Forester 1924 10 Year Old Whisky

- 2023 Birthday Bourbon - Old Forester 1870 Original Batch Whisky - Old Forester 1897 Bottled In Bond Whisky - Old Forester 1920 Old Fine Whisky - Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Whisky - Old Forester 1924 10 Year Old Whisky W.L. Weller Bourbon 6 Bottle Vertical - A complete 6-bottle release of the most popular wheated bourbon collection, including Craft Your Perfect Bourbon (CYPB) and Single Barrel

Berghoff 10 Year Old Bourbon bottled in 1984. Distilled at Stitzel-Weller in 1974.

Distilled at Stitzel-Weller in 1974. 2022 William Larue Weller - The Highlight of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection

Daniel Weller (Emmer Wheat Recipe) - A Very Limited Release of the most sought-after Weller.

Colonel EH Taylor 4 Bottle Collection - The 4 annual release EH Taylor including the hard-to-find Barrel Proof.

Colonel EH Taylor 4 Grain - The 2017 Limited Release of a 12-Year-Old with a great balance of Bourbon's 4 most popular grains

Colonel EH Taylor 18 Year Marriage - The 2020 Limited Release is a blend of the Distillery's two bourbon mashbills and its wheated bourbon - all at 18 years old.

Colonel EH Taylor Amaranth - The "Grain of The Gods," first cultivated by the Aztecs, produced one of the most remarkable EH Taylor exclusive releases.

2023 Four Roses Small Batch "135" Limited Edition - Four Roses' most anticipated annual release, a blend of 12, 14, 16 and 25-Year-Old whiskeys

These bottles are not just unicorns, they represent some of the greatest releases of the past 100 years. The 1913 Early Times bottle tells the story of the time with pre-hybrid grains and water pure and straight from a stream. The Pappy set needs no introduction, and you wont see bourbon geeks get more eager to rumble than over a King of Kentucky. Perhaps the best part, all of this was donated by members of our community. From Watch Hill Proper to bourbon collector Jonah Goodman, they all represent the best of Louisville, just like the West End School students, said Minnick.

The West End School provides a safe, structured environment for boys from low-income households. More than 99 percent of the schools alumni have gone on to graduate high school, with more than 70 percent of graduates going on to attend private schools on full scholarships.

Marc Abrams, a well-known bourbon expert based in Louisville, also serves as an advisor.

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ABOUT THE WEST END SCHOOL

The West End School has been open for 19 years with the mission of providing a safe, structured environment for boys from low-income households alongside a tuition-free, private school education. More than 99 percent of the schools alumni have gone on to graduate high school, with more than 70 percent of graduates going on to attend private schools on full scholarships. While the school currently serves around 140 students, the addition of the Girls School is expected to double the size of the student body, allowing more students to be positively impacted by the academic program, but also requiring physical expansion of the campus. westendschool.org

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SALT LAKE CITY, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GPS Capital Markets, LLC, a leading fintech firm offering corporate foreign exchange services, today announced that Liesa Wilson, Director of HR, is one of Utah Business magazines HR Achievement Award honorees for 2024. This highly selective annual recognition program honors those individuals who are changing the way we hire, develop, nurture, and retain Utahs best talent.



I can't tell you how excited I am about Liesa Wilson receiving the Utah Business HR Achievement Award. Liesa works tirelessly around the clock and around the globe to make sure every employee feels valued, empowered, and supported, said Brandon Parke, President and CEO of GPS Capital Markets. If you were to ask anyone in our organization who their favorite person is, without a doubt the answer would be Liesa. She exemplifies the best of what GPS represents. Personally, I want to thank her for all that she does each day to make us better.

Liesa Wilson has been with GPS for nearly six years, starting in Human Resources. Liesas skill set and value were quickly recognized within the company, leading to multiple promotions during her time with GPS. Her actions reflect a deep commitment to ethical practices, setting a high standard for integrity and fairness in the GPS workplace. Under Liesas leadership at GPS, the company has repeatedly been recognized as a Best Company to Work For in Utah. She is a champion of inclusion and diversity, which has been a boost for many. Liesa was instrumental in the establishment of GPS Women in Business Employee Resource Group, which has helped give voice and education to those in the company on a variety of topics.

Liesa Wilson said, I'm incredibly honored to be recognized for the HR Achievement Award. Ultimately, when you work in an environment where you are afforded the trust and freedom to present ideas and implement positive changes, everyone wins. I'm grateful this has been my experience and through that process, I have grown both personally and professionally. There is always more to be done, but for me, therein lies the excitement and the challenge.

The annual Utah Business HR Achievement Awards program honors Utahs elite HR professionals. Utah Business will recognize Ms. Wilson and the other 2024 honorees at an awards ceremony at The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City as well as in an upcoming Utah Business magazine feature.

For more information, go to: https://www.utahbusiness.com/events/hr-achievement

ABOUT GPS CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC:

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, GPS Capital Markets, LLC provides corporate foreign exchange services that help companies manage their foreign currency risk and execute foreign currency transactions. Founded in 2002, GPS brings together a senior management team rich in international banking experience from the world's leading financial institutions. GPS has several offices throughout the United States, as well as in Australia, Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom. It combines competitive exchange rates with a host of tailored international financial solutions for its clients. For more information, visit www.gpsfx.com.

Press contact:

GPS Capital Markets

Lindsey Wing

801-979-6114

lwing@gpsfx.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bbcef2d6-927e-48bc-98e8-d55f0f189542
TORONTO, ON, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Days Inns - Canada was named a recipient of the Franchisees' Choice Designation at the 2024 Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) National Convention. This marks the fourth successive year of acknowledgment for Days Inns - Canada, celebrating their outstanding performance in franchise service.

"Being honoured with the Franchisees' Choice Designation from the CFA highlights our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional service and support to our franchisees," said Irwin Prince, President and COO of Days Inns - Canada. "It speaks volumes about our hospitality team's relentless dedication and commitment."

The Franchisees' Choice Designees are CFA member franchise brands that exemplify excellence in franchisee satisfaction. The designation stems from an impartial survey conducted by the CFA, which gauges frafranchisees' evaluations across various domains, including leadership, business planning, marketing, training, operational support, and the franchisor-franchisee relationship.

"We celebrate Franchisees' Choice Designees for exemplifying franchising's core principle of working in partnership, sharing success, and Growing Together," says CFA President and Chief Executive Officer Sherry McNeil. "Our congratulations go out to this year's Franchisees' Choice Designees on receiving this outstanding vote of confidence from their franchisees."

Click here to learn about the Franchisees' Choice Designation and to view a complete list of winners.

With a portfolio of over 105 independently owned and operated hotels across Canada, the Days Inn by Wyndham brand remains committed to delivering exceptional experiences and first-rate accommodations. For more information or to make hotel reservations, please visit daysinn.ca.

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About Days Inns - Canada

Part of Realstar Hospitality, Days Inns Canada is one of the country's leading hotel chains with over 105 independently owned and operated properties and over 8,385 rooms. Its franchises cover a wide range of urban, airport and resort properties in primary and secondary markets across Canada. Every Days Inn by Wyndham in Canada participates in the Wyndham Rewards guest reward program. Part of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH), Days Inn by Wyndham is a globally recognized hotel brand with over 1,600 properties across 23 countries. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is the world's largest hotel franchising company by number of properties, with approximately 8,900 hotels across nearly 95 countries on six continents. For more information about Days Inns Canada, to make an online hotel reservation, to become a Wyndham Rewards member or to learn more about the elevated health and safety protocols with the Count on Us program, visit daysinn.ca or call the bilingual reservations hotline at 1 800 DAYS INN (1-800-329-7466). Like us on Facebook, follow us on X (Twitter), and follow us on Instagram.

About the Canadian Franchise Association

The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) helps everyday Canadians realize the dream of building their own business through the power of franchising. The CFA advocates on issues that impact this dream on behalf of more than 550 corporate members and over 40,000 franchisees from many of Canada's best-known and emerging franchise brands. Beyond its role as the voice of the franchise industry, the CFA strengthens and develops franchising by delivering best-practice education and creating rewarding connections between Canadians and the opportunities in franchising. Franchising is the 12th largest industry in Canada, and franchised businesses contribute over $120 billion per year to the Canadian economy, creating jobs for almost two million Canadians. Learn more at cfa.ca or FranchiseCanada.Online.

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Boston, MA, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blank Rome is pleased to announce that the firm has expanded its national platform with the opening of a new office in Boston, anchored by 13 partners with leading corporate, finance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), tax, litigation, and cannabis practices. Joining the partners are 12 associates and several business professionals. The premier team of nationally recognized attorneys, led by partners Frank A. Segall and Josef B. Volman, join from Burns & Levinson LLP where for more than 25 years they served as chairs of the Corporate, Finance, and Cannabis Practice Groups.

Joining as Boston Office Co-Chairs:

Frank A. Segall, Partner and Co-Chair, Cannabis Practice , a renowned corporate lawyer known as the ultimate deal maker and a pioneer within the cannabis industry, negotiates complex business deals, including mergers, acquisitions, sales, syndications, loans, restructurings, and equity investments.

, a renowned corporate lawyer known as the ultimate deal maker and a pioneer within the cannabis industry, negotiates complex business deals, including mergers, acquisitions, sales, syndications, loans, restructurings, and equity investments. Josef B. Volman, Partner, a go-to dealmaker in the middle-market community, advises clients with respect to M&A, and represents entrepreneurs, venture capital funds, and other investors through all phases of the fundraising process including public offerings.

Joining as Partners:

Joining as Associates: Austin M. Abir, Lauren G. Barrett, Naveed Cheraghchi, Lauren Medeiros Forster, Carmen F. Francella III, Benjamin I. Holman, Michael J. Moyer, Marc A. Polito, Donald J. Slater, Jr., Kaitlin T. Spurling, Michael W. Stack, and Gustav Stickley V.

We are thrilled to welcome this outstanding group of corporate and finance attorneysone of the leading corporate teams in the marketto Blank Rome and have them establish our presence in Boston, said Grant S. Palmer, Blank Romes Chair and Managing Partner. Guided by our strategic plan, we seek measured growth opportunities that support our national profile, enable our attorneys to serve our clients at the highest levels, and strengthen our culture, which is critical to our success. Our new colleagues are renowned practitioners and great people who are a perfect fit. Additionally, this powerhouse team is nationally recognized for their corporate, finance, M&A, securities, and litigation work, as well as their market-leading transactional cannabis practice, which Blank Rome has been looking to develop nationally. This is a very exciting development for our firm and, under the leadership of Frank and Joe, we look forward to expanding our presence and capabilities in Boston to continue to meet the sophisticated business and legal needs of our clients.

There are remarkable synergies between our practices and Blank Romes national platform, making it a natural fit to join the firm and open its Boston office, said Frank A. Segall, Partner and Co-Chair of the Boston Office and Cannabis Practice. Blank Rome has tremendous experience in practices and industries where our clients need expanded counsel, including banking, bankruptcy and restructuring, fund formation, real estate, tax, cybersecurity, technology, and life sciences, to name a few. Working in collaboration with our new, talented colleagues across the firm, we can help our clients see around corners, mitigate risk, and capture new opportunities.

Corporate and Finance Practice

The corporate and finance attorneys joining Blank Rome counsel clients across a broad range of legal services including acting as corporate counsel, and advising on mergers, acquisitions, securities law, private equity, venture capital, and finance. They serve an expansive range of clients including local, national, and international corporations in a wide variety of industries from emerging businesses to established commercial entities. More specifically, the team works with public companies, middle-market companies, closely held private businesses, family-owned enterprises, financing sources, entrepreneurial start-ups, and individuals to help them create and achieve their business goals in an ever-changing environment. The team also represents many financial institutions including banks and private credit funds in sophisticated lending transactions. They are committed to building strong relationships with their clients, being responsive to client needs, and providing the highest quality legal services.

We are thrilled to bring our entire corporate and finance team of 25 attorneys to Blank Rome and have the opportunity to support our clients from the firms national platform with offices in key markets, added Josef B. Volman, Partner and Boston Office Co-Chair. It is rare to have a team like ours that has practiced together for 25 years. We are proud of the family like atmosphere we have fostered among our team and are fortunate to have found an Am Law 100 firm that has the same collegial culture and values. We look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues to serve our clients and community.

The corporate and finance team has received countless awards for their work. For example, Frank, Josef, Caitlin, Alison, Mark, and Chad were recently named to the 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America list, and Frank and Josef have been recognized as Go To Business Transactions Lawyers by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.

Adding an office in Boston with this highly skilled corporate and finance team, which includes several lawyers representing a number of common banking and finance clients, adds exceptional depth and talent to our leading national Finance practice, said Lawrence F. Flick II, Blank Romes Vice Chair and Chair, Financial Services Industry Team.

Cannabis Practice

The cannabis team joining Blank Rome was among the first in the Country to develop and utilize its extensive corporate and finance experience to create a practice specifically targeted to the cannabis industry. Today, the attorneys advise clients navigating the complex legal and business framework surrounding the rapidly growing cannabis industry. They offer unrivaled experience and a full scope of services including cannabis business formation and legal and regulatory compliance; corporate structuring; joint ventures; M&A; fund formation; debt and equity financing; real estate acquisitions and leasing; restructurings, workouts, and receiverships; labor and employment issues; intellectual property protection; 280E taxation issues; and, if necessary, litigation services.

In recognition of their leading position in the cannabis industry, the team has received numerous accolades, including Law360s prestigious 2023 Cannabis Practice Group of the Year, which was presented to only five groups nationwide. Additionally, Frank was named the 2022 Cannabis MVP of the Year by Law360. Over the years, the team and its members have also been recognized for leadership in the field of cannabis law, earning titles such as New England Trailblazer by The American Lawyer and Cannabis Trailblazer by The National Law Journal.

Blank Rome is committed to establishing and supporting a national Cannabis practice, which aligns with what Frank and I and our dedicated cannabis team have built over the last 12 years, said Scott H. Moskol, Partner and Co-Chair of the Cannabis Practice. We have been at the forefront of the industry and as the cannabis market continues to mature, cannabis businesses, investors, and ancillary companies that sell products and services to the cannabis community will need increasingly sophisticated corporate, M&A, tax, regulatory, finance, restructuring, and litigation counsel in key markets across the country. At Blank Rome, we look forward to expanding the legal and business support that we provide to clients operating in the cannabis space to help them succeed in this constantly shifting maze of rules.

About Blank Rome

Blank Rome is an Am Law 100 firm with 16 offices and more than 700 attorneys and principals who provide comprehensive legal and advocacy services to clients operating in the United States and around the world. Our professionals have built a reputation for their leading knowledge and experience across a spectrum of industries and are recognized for their commitment to pro bono work in their communities. Since our inception in 1946, Blank Romes culture has been dedicated to providing top-level service to all our clients and has been rooted in the strength of our diversity and inclusion initiatives. For more information, please visit blankrome.com.

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MONTREAL, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pembroke Private Wealth Management Ltd. (Pembroke), the manager of Pembroke International Growth Fund announces changes to the current investment objectives of the Fund.



On April 26, 2024, holders of Pembroke International Growth Fund voted in favour of a resolution approving amendments to the Funds constituting documents in order to change the investment objectives of the Fund. Such change will come into effect on or about May 17, 2024. The investment objectives will change as follows:

Current Investment Objectives Proposed Investment Objectives



To provide long-term growth through capital appreciation by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of small- to mid-sized foreign companies located outside of the United States.









To provide long-term growth through capital appreciation by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of high-quality foreign companies across all market cap ranges located outside the United States and Canada.







As part of its investment strategies, the investment analysis for Pembroke International Growth Fund shall continue to be based on three levels of decisions. The first involves the decision to underweight or overweight certain regions or countries of the world. The second involves the currency allocation of the fund. The third involves sector and security level analysis of the Fund and is modified to indicate that the present focus on small to mid-cap companies will not change at this time. The objective of this three-level decision making approach is to combine the benefits of top-down analysis with that of a detailed bottom-up security selection. This involves evaluating the financial condition and management of a company and its industry, as well as the health of the overall economy.

These changes will be reflected in the Prospectus and Funds Fund Facts document to be filed shortly on SEDAR+.

For further information on Pembroke Private Wealth Management Ltd. and the Fund, please visit www.pml.ca or call 1-800-667-0716 (Montreal) or 1-800-668- 7383 (Toronto).

About Pembroke

Pembroke Private Wealth Management Ltd. is a wealth advisory firm that provides clients with customized solutions to secure their financial futures. Our clients include individuals, families, and foundations. The firm was founded in 1988 by Pembroke Management Ltd., an institutional money manager that has been investing in growth stocks since 1968.

Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated.

Montreal Office:

1002 Sherbrooke Street West Suite 1700

Montreal Quebec H3A 3S4

Tel: 514-848-0716

Toll-free: 1-800-667-0716

Toronto Office:

150 King Street West Suite 1210

Toronto, Ontario M5H 1J9

Tel: 416-366-2550

Toll-free: 1-800-668-7383
HIGHLIGHTS



Nunyerry North



At Nunyerry North, a ~4,000 m RC drill program is to commence next week following significant results from the maiden drill program. The program will test multiple new targets along strike of known mineralisation and down plunge of existing intercepts.

Significant intercepts from the maiden RC program at Nunyerry North 1 included: 6 m @ 6.12 g/t Au from 37 m (NC017) 11 m @ 2.52 g/t Au from 22 m, including 6 m at 4.19 g/t Au from 22 m (NC014) 13 m @ 1.89 g/t Au from surface (NC004) 4 m @ 5.71 g/t Au from 40 m (NC015) 17 m @ 1.34 g/t Au from 37 m, including 4 m at 3.77 g/t Au from 50 m (NC022) 14 m at 1.14 g/t Au from 39 m, including 4 m at 2.16 g/t Au from 41 m (NC006)

included: The upcoming Nunyerry North drilling program successfully qualified for the Western Australian State Government Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS), awarding up to A$180,000 towards direct drilling costs for the campaign. The EIS is an initiative aimed to encourage exploration in Western Australia for the long-term sustainability of the States resources sector.

Becher (Egina JV)



Egina Earn-in/Joint Venture partner De Grey Mining is scheduled to commence aircore and RC drilling programs in Q2 2024. Programs will include aircore drilling for target generation and RC drilling for follow-up target testing at Heckmair, Irvine and Lowe.

Karratha District

Recent exploration in the Karratha district has advanced several drill targets, including North Whundo , Railway Bore and East Well .

, and . Primary target North Whundo is defined by a significant 1.2 km long Cu-Pd-Au anomaly, with highly anomalous rock chip results including peak values of 4.1 g/t Au+Pt+Pd and

3.9 % Cu .

is defined by a significant 1.2 km long Cu-Pd-Au anomaly, with highly anomalous rock chip results including peak values of . At Railway Bore , rock chip results include 9.6 g/t Au, 11.9% Cu and 26 g/t Ag from malachite rich breccia in a swarm of felsic intrusion-hosted quartz veins.

, rock chip results include in a swarm of felsic intrusion-hosted quartz veins. At East Well , a 450 m long copper pXRF soil anomaly > 200 ppm Cu delineates the intersection of a high-grade quartz vein trend and a Au-PGE-Cu breccia trend.

, a 450 m long copper pXRF soil anomaly > 200 ppm Cu delineates the intersection of a high-grade quartz vein trend and a Au-PGE-Cu breccia trend. A maiden RC drilling program is planned to test these three prospects for Au and Au-Cu (+/-Pt and Pd) mineralisation in early Q3 2024, after completing priority Nunyerry North drilling.

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1 Refer to the Company's news release dated 27 March 2024

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novo Resources Corp. (Novo or the Company) (ASX: NVO) (TSX: NVO & NVO.WT.A) (OTCQX: NSRPF) is pleased to announce that a ~4,000 m RC drill program at Nunyerry North, which is located in the southern Egina Gold Camp (EGC), will commence next week following completion of heritage clearance and earthworks. The follow-up drill program will test significant gold targets generated during the maiden drill program in 2023.

In addition, a maiden RC drill program is planned to test three significant gold and gold-copper(+-platinum-palladium) targets in the Karratha District, which were defined by a combination of mapping, surface geochemistry and historic geophysics (IP chargeability) with programs to be completed at North Whundo, Railway Bore and East Well. This ~3,500 m program is scheduled to start immediately after completion of the Nunyerry North drilling program.

Also in the Egina Gold Camp, Earn-in and JV partner De Grey Mining (De Grey) is scheduled to commence aircore (AC) and RC programs in Q2 2024. AC drilling will be completed for target generation, and RC drilling completed for follow-up target testing at Heckmair, Irvine and Lowe.





Figure 1: Novo tenure showing priority project areas in the Egina Gold Camp and Karratha District

Nunyerry North (70% Novo / 30% Creasy Group)

The Nunyerry North prospect lies in the southern EGC, located ~150 km from Port Hedland. The prospect is located along the southern extent of the Tabba Tabba Shear, a deep tapping gold-fertile structural corridor, where Novo has focussed exploration over the last eighteen months.

Novo completed a maiden RC drilling program of 30 holes for 2,424 m at Nunyerry North in Q4 2023, generating significant gold intercepts in quartz vein arrays (some of which are blind at surface) hosted in a particular basalt unit.

Significant intercepts from RC drilling at Nunyerry North1 include:

6 m @ 6.12 g/t Au from 37 m (NC017)

11 m @ 2.52 g/t Au from 22 m, including 6 m at 4.19 g/t Au from 22 m (NC014)

13 m @ 1.89 g/t Au from surface (NC004)

4 m @ 5.71 g/t Au from 40 m (NC015)

17 m @ 1.34 g/t Au from 37 m, including 4 m at 3.77 g/t Au from 50 m (NC022)

14 m at 1.14 g/t Au from 39 m, including 4 m at 2.16 g/t Au from 41 m (NC006)





Figure 2: Nunyerry North geological interpretation, 2023 drill hole locations and drill target areas.

A program of ~4,000 m follow-up RC drilling is scheduled to commence next week at Nunyerry North, testing strike extensions of known mineralisation where high-grade surface gold in soil anomalism is present; down plunge of existing intercepts; and for repeat lodes at depth.

The upcoming Nunyerry North drilling program successfully qualified for the Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS), awarding up to A$180,000 towards the drilling campaign.

The EIS is a Western Australian State Government initiative that aims to encourage exploration in Western Australia by co-funding 50% of direct drilling costs. The qualification process is highly competitive and only selected projects that meet eligibility criteria are accepted for participation. The EIS funding is designed to address significant knowledge gaps and critical uncertainties in an underexplored area.

The Nunyerry North program comprises deep and early diamond holes to be drilled from June 2024 to fast-track development of the prospect.

Egina Earn-in/JV (De Grey earning 50% interest)

The Egina Earn-in and JV is located in the northwest of the EGC. De Grey plan to commence exploration field programs in Q2 2024, which will include: a high-resolution aeromagnetic survey over the Becher and Heckmair area; ground gravity surveys in select areas; AC drilling planned for target generation; and RC drilling for follow-up target testing at Heckmair, Irvine and Lowe.

Field-based exploration activities will progress subject to access to the Yandeyarra Reserve, cultural heritage surveys and permitting.

Karratha District

Recent exploration in the Karratha District has advanced several drill targets, including North Whundo, Railway Bore and East Well.

A maiden RC drilling program is planned to test these three high-priority prospects for Au and Au-Cu (+-Pt and Pd) mineralisation immediately after completing the Nunyerry North drilling.





Figure 3: Karratha District showing Novo tenure and significant prospects

North Whundo (Cu-Au-PGE target)

North Whundo is an outstanding target, delineated by a significant 1.2 km long Cu-Pd-Au anomaly, with highly anomalous rock chip results including peak values of 4.1 g/t Au+Pt+Pd and 3.9 % Cu (Appendix 1).

North Whundo was defined by Westfield Minerals in the early 1970s as prospective for Cu-Ni, near the contact of a large structurally complex, layered mafic/ultramafic intrusive complex. Westfields conducted mapping, drilling, and induced polarization surveys (IP) and defined three targets2, but did not analyse for Au, Pt or Pb. Results and technical information from Westfield Minerals are historical and do not meet current reporting requirements. Information was disclosed in annual exploration reports filed by Westfield Minerals on the Western Australian Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safetys (DEMIRS) website in 2004 and utilised to assist exploration targeting.

Novo conducted 80 m x 40 m spaced soil sampling in 2023, returning a very high order 1.2 km long high-order Cu-Pd-Au-(Pt) soil anomaly at >550 ppm Cu and 30 ppb Pd. Peak soil values include 1,233 ppm Cu, 125 ppb Pd, 536 ppb Pt and 66 ppb Au. The linear anomaly trends northwest, parallel to the margins of the mafic/ultramafic intrusion with a secondary 1 km long anomaly of the same magnitude trending east-west (Figure 4).

Rock chip sampling by Novo also returned highly anomalous results over 1 km strike including peak values of 4.1 g/t Au+Pt+Pd and 3.9% Cu, and up to 0.74 g/t Au and 3.32 g/t Pd. Mineralisation includes disseminated and stringer forms in moderate south dipping zones, truncated by a swarm of NW trending faults. The target style is interpreted to be structurally modified magmatic Cu-Au-Pd.

Results listed for North Whundo are not necessarily representative of mineralisation across the district.





Figure 4: Karratha district prospects and Cu surface geochemistry over 1XD magnetic data.

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2 Refer to Westfield Minerals N.L 1972 Annual Report Mt Roe  North Whundo M.C.s  WAMEX Open File Data Report A3348.



Railway Bore & East Well

The Railway Bore Cu-Au target is an E-W trending complex array of malachite-bearing brecciated quartz veins and sericite-silica-sulphide altered suite of porphyritic felsic intrusions. The target strikes over 300 m and is open under regolith along strike. Peak rock chip results include 9.6 g/t Au, 11.9% Cu and 26 g/t Ag (Appendix 1).

The East Well Cu-Au-Pd target is a 60 m wide > 200 ppm Cu in soil anomaly (pXRF) trending over a strike of 450 m and with a peak pXRF soil result of 1,750 ppm Cu. Anomalous Cu-Au (+/- Pt-Pd) mineralisation is associated with an E-W shear along the contact of a mafic intrusive suite and basement felsic volcanics. Mineralisation includes malachite-bearing, brecciated and silica-altered gabbro with quartz-carbonate stockwork veining. Rock chip sampling returned peak values including 1.3 g/t Au, 214 ppb Pd, 46 ppb Pt and 0.6% Cu (Appendix 1).

Railway Bore lies immediately southwest of a swarm of narrow high-grade gold quartz veins with peak rock sample values of 133.2 g/t Au and anomalous Cu and Bi. These veins trend over ~5 km strike towards East Well, where they manifest as a single narrow high-grade vein and return values up to 73.9 g/t Au. The strong gold results and geochemical associations along this ~ 5 km trend suggests the presence of a larger, potentially intrusion related system.

The above results at Railway Bore and East Well are not necessarily representative of mineralisation across the district.

Forward Exploration Program

The ~4,000 m RC follow-up drilling at Nunyerry North is scheduled to commence next week.

Novos maiden RC drilling program at the North Whundo, Railway Bore and East Well prospects is scheduled to start in Q2 2024 and will total ~3,500 m to test Au and Au-Cu (+/- Pt-Pd) targets defined by a combination of mapping, surface geochemistry and historic geophysics (IP chargeability and anomalies).

De Grey Mining is scheduled to commence drilling programs in Q2 2024, which includes AC drilling for target generation and RC drilling for follow-up target testing at Heckmair, Irvine and Lowe.

ANALYTIC METHODOLOGY

Rock chip samples of 1  3 kg were submitted to Intertek commercial Genalysis (Intertek) in Perth, Western Australia where they were dried and crushed to -3 mm and pulverized to 75 m or better (prep code SP64), with a > 85% pass, then assayed for Au by 50 g charge fire assay FA50/OE and for 48 elements using four acid digest  MS finish (4A/MS). Selected samples were assayed for Pt and Pd in addition to Au using 50 g charge fire assay FA50/OE. Elements that reported above the upper detection limit for 4A/MS were reanalysed using method 4AH/OE.

A minimum of 2 CRM standards relevant for the style of mineralisation and 2 blanks were submitted per 100 samples.

Soil samples were sieved to < 80 mesh and submitted to Intertek for aqua regia to analyse for 33 elements. Selected samples were assayed using 25 g charge fire assay FA25/MS for Au, Pt and Pd.

A minimum of 2 CRM standards, 2 blanks and 4 field duplicates were submitted per 100 samples.

pXRF readings of soils and rock chips were taken using a NITON XLT5 model and were used to aid field interpretation and identification of anomalous target mineralogy and pathfinder elements. The Niton pXRF machine was calibrated daily and checked against reference material four times per 100 samples and at the start and end of each day.

There were no limitations to the verification process and all relevant data was verified by a qualified person/competent person (as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) and the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code, Appendix 2) respectively) by reviewing QAQC performance of inserted reference material and the analytical procedures undertaken by Intertek.

ABOUT NOVO

Novo explores and develops its prospective land package covering approximately 7,000 square kilometres in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, along with the 22 square kilometre Belltopper project in the Bendigo Tectonic Zone of Victoria, Australia. In addition to the Companys primary focus, Novo seeks to leverage its internal geological expertise to deliver value-accretive opportunities to its shareholders.

Authorised for release by the Board of Directors.

CONTACT

Investors:

Mike Spreadborough

+61 8 6400 6100

info@novoresources.com North American Queries:

Leo Karabelas

+1 416 543 3120

leo@novoresources.com Media:

Cameron Gilenko

+61 466 984 953

cgilenko@citadelmagnus.com

QP STATEMENT

Ms De Luca (MAIG), is the qualified person, as defined under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, responsible for, and having reviewed and approved, the technical information contained in this news release. Mrs De Luca is Novos General Manger Exploration.

JORC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT

The information in this report that relates to rock chip sample results at the Karratha District (North Whundo, Railway Bore and East Well) is based on information reviewed and approved by Ms De Luca, who is a full-time employee of Novo Resources Corp. Ms De Luca is a Competent Person who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Ms De Luca has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and the type of deposits under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. Ms De Luca consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on her information in the form and context in which it appears.

The information in this news release that relates to previously reported exploration results at Nunyerry North is extracted from Novo's announcement titled upgraded Nunyerry North drill results deliver high-grade intercepts up to 6.12 g/t Au released to ASX on 27 March 2024 and which is available to view at www.asx.com.au. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Persons findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original market announcement.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Some statements in this news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian and Australian securities law and regulations. In this news release, such statements include but are not limited to planned exploration activities and the timing of such. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, customary risks of the resource industry and the risk factors identified in Novos annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2023 which is available under Novos profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and in the Companys prospectus dated 2 August 2023 which is available at www.asx.com.au. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date those statements are made. Except as required by applicable law, Novo assumes no obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any change to any forward-looking statement contained or incorporated by reference herein to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting the forward-looking statements. If Novo updates any forward-looking statement(s), no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

APPENDIX

Appendix 1  Rock sample results for the Karratha District

(All sample locations are GPS located on MGA_2020 zone 50.)

Sample ID Type Prospect Au (ppm) Cu (ppm) Pd (ppb) Pt (ppb) Easting GDA94 Z50 Northing GDA94 Z50 A008961 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.411 21875 1377.2 76.6 495,386 7,678,094 A008962 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.013 778 78.7 8.8 495,579 7,678,034 A008963 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.049 659.2 74.1 8 495,569 7,678,043 A008964 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.002 404 22.1 2.9 495,605 7,678,024 A008966 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.099 10915.8 470.9 76.5 495,237 7,678,176 A008967 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.19 17268.4 997 301.6 495,265 7,678,164 A008968 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.04 3985.4 461.6 66.4 495,335 7,678,161 A008969 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.53 38757 3322.2 276.8 495,376 7,678,085 A008970 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.104 14979.3 598.8 114.1 495,163 7,678,265 A008971 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.092 6591.4 864 88.9 495,174 7,678,246 A008972 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.062 6812.6 478.4 81.3 495,222 7,678,200 A008973 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.088 7349.5 465.3 46.4 495,557 7,677,942 A008974 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.078 11403.6 1045.1 109 495,895 7,677,772 A008975 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.013 2629.2 263.9 53.9 495,967 7,677,731 A008976 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.07 8152.6 448.9 66.8 495,956 7,677,748 NVO-9251 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.173 12995.7 709.6 167.7 495,854 7,677,837 W19896 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.051 4296.7 254.4 33.1 495,482 7,677,984 W19897 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.745 15508.5 1321.2 125.8 495,343 7,678,137 W19898 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.211 11003.6 687.7 126.3 495,303 7,678,071 W19899 Rock Chip North Whundo 0.114 5701.1 386.5 69.6 495,471 7,678,000 NVO-01520 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.861 20000* not assayed 496,157 7,672,083 NVO-01521 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.116 538.1 not assayed 496,325 7,672,117 NVO-01522 Rock Chip Railway Bore 133.22 10417.3 not assayed 496,625 7,672,182 NVO-01523 Rock Chip Railway Bore 2.83 571.5 not assayed 496,668 7,672,333 NVO-01524 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.07 39.6 not assayed 496,782 7,672,443 NVO-01525 Rock Chip Railway Bore 13.86 72.6 not assayed 495,964 7,672,111 NVO-01526 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.13 4550.7 not assayed 495,850 7,672,012 NVO-01527 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.255 12646 not assayed 496,464 7,671,603 NVO-9132 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.022 30.2 not assayed 496,092 7,671,683 NVO-9137 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.013 91.5 not assayed 496,190 7,672,383 NVO-9138 Rock Chip Railway Bore 10.173 45.6 not assayed 496,184 7,672,372 NVO-9143 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.066 3746.1 738.3 275.1 496,085 7,671,544 NVO-9144 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.01 55.9 6.1 2.7 496,288 7,671,682 NVO-9145 Rock Chip Railway Bore 9.617 65.1 12.9 3.8 496,345 7,671,695 NVO-9146 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.037 2879.4 2.3 1.5 496,376 7,671,715 NVO-9147 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.054 795.1 13.8 3.3 496,381 7,671,708 NVO-9148 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.003 361.3 10.7 5.3 496,373 7,671,701 NVO-9149 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.012 665.7 147.7 23.9 496,169 7,671,604 NVO-9204 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.0005 11.9 0.25 0.25 496,075 7,672,527 NVO-9205 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.006 68.3 1 1.2 496,270 7,672,549 R00321 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.006 668.1 X X 496,320 7,671,776 R06951 Rock Chip Railway Bore 16.626 161.3 0.25 0.25 496,540 7,672,967 R06952 Rock Chip Railway Bore 8.548 91.9 0.25 0.25 496,514 7,672,939 R06954 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.045 280.3 0.25 0.25 496,409 7,671,730 R06955 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.098 457.6 3.9 1.6 496,359 7,671,711 R06956 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.01 1575.9 8.8 2.9 496,366 7,671,701 R06957 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.06 18.7 0.25 0.25 496,406 7,671,684 R06959 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.012 94365 1.7 1.1 496,441 7,671,772 R06960 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.017 118686 1.7 0.9 496,440 7,671,749 R06961 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.009 642.4 1.6 1.5 496,377 7,671,786 R06962 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.201 7284.1 0.5 0.25 496,408 7,671,810 R06964 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.03 197.7 0.25 0.25 496,521 7,671,826 R06965 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.013 291.3 0.25 0.25 496,607 7,671,806 R06994 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.0005 6.2 0.25 0.5 496,028 7,672,509 R06995 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.0005 4 1 2 496,044 7,672,558 W10966 Rock Chip Railway Bore 1.017 12570 142.8 145.2 496,010 7,671,603 W19958 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.231 20666 0.5 0.25 496,364 7,671,722 W19959 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.149 35516 0.25 0.25 496,365 7,671,716 W19960 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.007 580.2 6 11.3 496,333 7,671,767 W19983 Rock Chip Railway Bore 0.009 7.8 X X 496,141 7,671,716 W19994 Rock Chip Railway Bore 6.462 9281.7 X X 496,158 7,672,233 W19995 Rock Chip Railway Bore 8.147 77.3 X X 496,185 7,672,373 W19996 Rock Chip Railway Bore 5.621 2945.8 X X 496,194 7,671,955 W19997 Rock Chip Railway Bore 7.632 245.8 X X 496,175 7,672,014 18KAR123 Rock Chip East Well 11.214 123.4 not assayed 499,076 7,674,656 18KAR124 Rock Chip East Well 73.923 1415 not assayed 499,048 7,674,614 18KAR125 Rock Chip East Well 6.659 17.2 not assayed 498,912 7,674,556 18KAR126 Rock Chip East Well 0.093 56.3 not assayed 499,016 7,674,626 18KAR127 Rock Chip East Well 0.03 47.2 not assayed 499,019 7,674,615 18KAR128 Rock Chip East Well 0.122 46.8 not assayed 498,985 7,674,590 18KAR129 Rock Chip East Well 0.831 53.7 not assayed 498,986 7,674,587 NVO-9130 Rock Chip East Well 0.051 107.7 not assayed 498,332 7,674,195 NVO-9131 Rock Chip East Well 0.252 4032.8 not assayed 498,369 7,674,220 NVO-9188 Rock Chip East Well 0.005 329.5 4.4 3 498,452 7,674,217 R06966 Rock Chip East Well 11.499 56753 3 X 498,176 7,673,771 R06967 Rock Chip East Well 0.031 3222.7 76 11 498,414 7,674,223 R06968 Rock Chip East Well 0.211 4711.7 86 11 498,655 7,674,325 R06991 Rock Chip East Well 0.096 4913.8 200.2 27.2 498,591 7,674,279 R06992 Rock Chip East Well 0.001 49.4 1.5 0.9 498,612 7,674,279 R06993 Rock Chip East Well 0.003 79.6 3 1.2 498,815 7,674,360 W10054 Rock Chip East Well 0.01 24.6 X X 499,238 7,675,023 W10087 Rock Chip East Well 13.988 703.9 X X 499,354 7,674,998 W10088 Rock Chip East Well 24.954 1101.6 X X 499,339 7,674,992 W10751 Rock Chip East Well 1.325 3724.2 163 32 498,592 7,674,279 W10752 Rock Chip East Well 0.15 6538.7 214 46 498,596 7,674,272 W19998 Rock Chip East Well 5.12 207.1 X X 498,760 7,674,421 * upper detection limit reached and not re-assayed using dilution method 4AH/OE

Appendix 2 - JORC Code, 2012 Edition  Table 1

Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data

(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Sampling techniques Nature and quality of sampling (e.g., cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling.

Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used.

Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report.

In cases where industry standard work has been done this would be relatively simple (e.g., reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire assay). In other cases, more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (e.g., submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information. Rock chips samples were collected by grab sampling 1  3 kg of material which were dispatched to Intertek Genalysis, Western Australia for analysis. Sample sites were selected based to be representative on the lithology sampled, and the same sampling technique was employed at each sample site where possible.

Soil samples of 200g were collected from small pits 2cm  20 cm depth and sieved to <80#. Analysis depends on anticipated target mineralisation and includes aqua regia for all soils with optional fire assay for Au / Pt / Pd analysis.

pXRF readings of soils were taken using a NITON XLT5 model and were used to aid field interpretation and identification of anomalous target mineralogy and pathfinder elements. The Niton pXRF machine was calibrated daily. Drilling techniques Drill type (e.g., core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc) and details (e.g., core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit, or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc). No drilling was undertaken. Drill sample recovery Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed.

Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples.

Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material. No drilling was undertaken. Logging Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies.

Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc) photography.

The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged. No drilling was undertaken. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken.

If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc and whether sampled wet or dry.

For all sample types, the nature, quality, and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique.

Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples.

Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in-situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling.

Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled. Rock chip samples were dried, crushed and pulverised (SP64) by Intertek Genalysis to create a 50 g charge, then assayed for Au (+/- Pt and Pd) by fire assay FA50/OE and for 48 elements using four acid digest  MS finish (4A/MS).

Soil samples required no prep and were analysed for 32 elements by aqua regia digest with MS finish (lab method AR25/MS). Selected grids were analysed by 25g charge Fire Assay-MS finish for Au, Pt and Pd.

pXRF readings of soils were taken using a NITON XLT5 model and were used to aid field interpretation and identification of anomalous target mineralogy and pathfinder elements. The Niton pXRF machine was calibrated daily.

The sampling techniques and sample size is considered appropriate for this style of mineralisation. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total.

For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc, the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc.

Nature of quality control procedures adopted (e.g., standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (if lack of bias) and precision have been established. The rock chip sample assay methodology noted above is considered appropriate for the style of mineralisation tested. The method includes inserting 2 CRM standards and 2 blanks per 100 samples or at least one of each per sample submission.

The soil sample assay methodology has low level detection for gold and multi-elements and is considered appropriate for soil geochemistry for outcropping or near surface mineralisation. The method includes insertion of at least 2 blanks 2 CRM standards and 4 field duplicates per 100 samples.

pXRF readings of soils were taken using a NITON XLT5 model and were used to aid field interpretation and identification of anomalous target mineralogy and pathfinder elements. This is appropriate for first pass reconnaissance and anomaly definition. The machine is calibrated daily and at least four CRMs are inserted per 100 samples and at the start and end of the day.

No QAQC issues were detected. Verification of sampling and assaying The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel.

The use of twinned holes.

Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols.

Discuss any adjustment to assay data. Primary data was collected in the field and stored using database compatible excel templates which were then forwarded to the database manager email for upload to the Geobank (v2022.5) database, buffered through a validation portal that ensures code and primary record compliance. Geobank is a front-end UX/UI tender software platform (developed and sold by Micromine) attached to a SQL v15.1 server.

Assay data were loaded from lab certificates received from the registered laboratory by an internal database manager or external database consultant, and industry-standard audit trails and chain-of-custody was adhered to.

Verification included checking the data against original logs and utilising laboratory certificates.

No adjustments of the assay data were made. Location of data points Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation.

Specification of the grid system used.

Quality and adequacy of topographic control. All surface sample reconnaissance locations were recorded in by hand-held GPS using the GDA94-Z50 co-ordinate system. Data spacing and distribution Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results.

Whether the data spacing, and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied.

Whether sample compositing has been applied. Limited rock samples are taken and are indicative of potential grade tenor. These do not indicate any continuity or scale potential.

Soil samples at North Whundo and East Well were taken on a nominal 80 m x 40 m grid, with infill soil sampling at 40m x 20m spacing at East Well. Railway Bore was sampled at a nominal 60 m x 40 m grid. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type.

If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material. Soil and pXRF sample grids were orientated to best intersect the lithological and structural trends at right angles. Sample security The measures taken to ensure sample security. All samples are stored and managed on site by internal staff. Samples are then transported by reputable companies to a registered laboratory where they are stored in a locked facility before being tracked and processed through the preparation and analysis system at the laboratory. Audits or reviews The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data. No audits have been undertaken.

Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results

(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures, partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites, wilderness or national park and environmental settings.

The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any known impediments to obtaining a license to operate in the area. The prospects are part of the Karratha District and are located on Exploration License E47/3601, approximately 35km south of Karratha. The tenement is subject to the Comet Well Joint Venture agreement, with Novo Resources holding a 80% interest, Gardner Mining Pty Ltd 10% and Bradley Adam Smith 10%.

There are several Registered Heritage Sites within this tenement, however not overlapping with the immediate drilling area.

The prospects fall under the granted Ngarluma Native Title determination WC1999/014 and is subject to a land access and mineral exploration agreement with the Native Title Holders.

The tenements are currently in good standing and there are no known impediments. Exploration done by other parties Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties. In 1969  1970, Westfield completed 474 stream sediment samples and ground magnetics & IP surveys, including over North Whundo. 521 m of RC and 355 m of diamond drilling were completed in the district.

Consolidated Gold Fields (later Noranda Australia) explored for Cu / Zn deposits at Whundo and surrounding areas between 1972  1983 and produced 5840 tonnes at 4.19% Cu, 48.8 ppm Ag and 1.2 ppm Au from a trial mine at Whundo. Later, they completed EM surveys and drilled a best Au of 0.7 g/t associated with elevated Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag. Further drilling was recommended but not completed.

Fox Resources were active between 2009  2017 and completed various EM surveys, rock chip, soil, auger, RC and Diamond drilling and identified a system of nuggety gold hosted in narrow quartz veins near the contact of the Nallana and Tozer Formation and sub-parallel trends to the north. Best gold values returned 80 ppm in rock chips and diamond drilling. Bulk testing in 2014 at East Well produced a grade of 8.8 g/t.

IP surveys and geochemical coverage by these and other explorers are used by Novo to direct reconnaissance and detailed exploration and have been vital in the recognition of the current targets. Geology Deposit type, geological setting, and style of mineralisation. The Karratha district comprises a northeast-southwest orientated ~ 4 km gold and base metal structural corridor south of the Sholl Shear Zone.

Mineralisation is hosted within Archean felsic and mafic intrusions, that intruded both syn and post-bimodal volcanism within an intra-oceanic arc setting during the Prinsep Orogeny (3.2  2.83 Ga). Mineralised and sericite-silica-chlorite altered felsic intrusions (e.g. Railway Bore) that formed syn-collision may be prospective for porphyry-like Au-Cu mineralisation. Mineralised mafic intrusions (e.g. North Whundo) provide the potential for Au-Cu-PGE orthomagmatic or structurally reworked deposits across the tenement. Drill hole Information A summary of all information material to the understanding of the exploration results including a tabulation of the following information for all Material drill holes, including Easting and northing of the drill hole collar, Elevation or RL (Reduced Level  elevation above sea level in metres) of the drill hole collar, dip and azimuth of the hole, down hole length and interception depth plus hole length.

If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case. No drilling was undertaken. Data aggregation methods In reporting Exploration Results, weighting averaging techniques, maximum and/or minimum grade truncations (e.g., cutting of high grades) and cut-off grades are usually Material and should be stated.

Where aggregate intercepts incorporate short lengths of high-grade results and longer lengths of low-grade results, the procedure used for such aggregation should be stated and some typical examples of such aggregations should be shown in detail.

The assumptions used for any reporting of metal equivalent values should be clearly stated. No drilling was undertaken. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths These relationships are particularly important in the reporting of Exploration Results.

If the geometry of the mineralisation with respect to the drill hole angle is known, its nature should be reported.

If it is not known and only the down hole lengths are reported, there should be a clear statement to this effect (e.g., down hole length, true width not known). No drilling was undertaken.

Rock sample results are indicative in nature and, whilst representatively sampling the target lithology, do not contain any width or length information other than a qualitative description of the target.

Mapping and sampling have informed the proposed follow up drilling, which aims to perpendicularly intersect stratigraphy and potential mineralisation. Diagrams Appropriate maps and sections (with scales) and tabulations of intercepts should be included for any significant discovery being reported. These should include, but not be limited to a plan view of drill hole collar locations and appropriate sectional views. Refer to the body of the release for appropriate maps and diagrams. Balanced reporting Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable, representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should be practiced to avoid misleading reporting of Exploration Results. All rock sample results are reported in Appendix 1. Soil sample analytical and pXRF results are not listed here but summarised in diagrams and in the body of the release. Other substantive exploration data Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples  size and method of treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater, geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or contaminating substances. No additional data. Further work The nature and scale of planned further work (e.g., tests for lateral extensions or depth extensions or large-scale step-out drilling).

Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this information is not commercially sensitive. Refer to the body of the release.

(No Section 3 or 4 report as no Mineral Resources or Ore Reserves are reported in this Appendix)

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/104a73f1-047f-48ad-aa74-b2bf42a7dbeb

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/345c47f5-847d-48d5-8593-0d8d203faa49

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e2646636-d8bf-4de7-8a28-13d208e49914

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/57d5eac1-1e5f-474b-b411-861d7b01599b
NEW YORK, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HUMAN Security, Inc , the global cybersecurity leader in protecting enterprises by disrupting bot attacks, digital fraud and abuse, is bolstering its commercial and marketing expertise by welcoming two new C-suite strategic hires while doubling down on its investment in the Public Sector. With their combined commercial and marketing expertise, these executives are leading HUMAN customers and partners through a robust go-to-market motion.



The team here at HUMAN Security has been working to create a cohesive data journey and client consumption experience for our over 500 brands, says Stu Solomon, CEO, HUMAN Security. We are investing in our next stage of growth, which involves scaling with partners. Across the globe we're building our product capabilities, supporting clients, and running an efficient and scaled business to enable this continued growth. With May Mitchell joining as our new CMO and Chris Scanlan as a CRO, this recent addition completes our leadership team and advances us towards the next chapter of expansion.

Chris Scanlan, Chief Revenue Officer, is a seasoned technology leader specializing in cybersecurity with over two decades of experience. Renowned for his transformative approach, he excels in diagnosing business challenges and implementing solutions that elevate performance. He was most recently at ExtraHop as the President and Chief Revenue Officer leading their sales team with commercial strategy, accelerating growth and building their brand in the marketplace.

Scanlan's career is characterized by his ability to instigate organizational change, cultivate high-performing teams, and devise effective go-to-market strategies. With his wealth of experience and strategic acumen in partnerships, tech alliances and channels, Scanlan is poised to make a profound impact on HUMAN's mission in disrupting cybercriminals and combating fraud.

May Mitchell, Chief Marketing Officer, leads global marketing strategy, branding, messaging, communications, demand generation, and partner marketing. Mitchell is focused on bolstering our momentum and building a robust market strategy to expand HUMANs business and create integrated programs where partners can simply leverage to bolster their risk mitigation best practice.

Mitchell brings a 25-year track record of spearheading global marketing and partner strategies for leading cyber disruptors across cloud, and SaaS industries for the likes of Ontinue, iboss, Cylance, Symantec, Forcepoint, and McAfee. She has been recognized by CRN Power 100 Women of the Channel for 10 consecutive years and was recently named by her peers as one of the top 50 marketers in the world for the 2024 OnCon Icon Awards . Her expertise in bold storytelling and scaling new business growth continues to fulfill our mission to disrupt the economics of cybercrime and keep the internet human.

"As an investor, board member and strategic partner with HUMAN, NightDragon has had a front row seat to the companys strong growth and market position, as well as the clear differentiation its technology offers to stop online fraud and cybersecurity attacks at the source," said Dave DeWalt, CEO and Founder, NightDragon. "HUMAN is tackling one of the internet's most essential challenges today: maintaining the human touch in digital experiences, verifying impressions for fraud and abuse while providing confidence for the business to transact and act upon those interactions in real-time.

On top of these new leadership additions, HUMAN is bolstering investments in the Public Sector and strengthening its cybersecurity focus on the west coast. Building on a strong foundation, including a decade-long collaboration with various law enforcement agencies and the Department of Justice, the company is doubling down with the hiring of Joe Rogers as Vice President of Sales for the Public Sector. Chelsea Strong also joined the team as Regional Vice President, leading Enterprise sales in the West. Finally, HUMAN partnered with Carahsoft to make HUMANs industry-leading bot, fraud, and account abuse protection services available to the Public Sector through Carahsofts reseller partners.

Learn more about the Human Defense Platform and how it protects digital businesses, and visit us or book a meeting during RSAC in San Francisco , May 6 - 9.

About HUMAN

HUMAN is a cybersecurity company that protects organizations by disrupting bot attacks, digital fraud and abuse. We leverage modern defense to disrupt the economics of cybercrime by increasing the cost to cybercriminals while simultaneously reducing the cost of collective defense. Today we verify the humanity of more than 20 trillion digital interactions per week across advertising, marketing, e-commerce, government, education and enterprise security, putting us in a position to win against cybercriminals. Protect your digital business with HUMAN. To Know Whos Real, visit www.humansecurity.com .

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/15fdda43-9483-4a9a-834d-25e5baf61021
PITTSBURGH, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Financial Business and Consumer Solutions, Inc. (FBCS) announced that it suffered from a cybersecurity attack in February 2024, which impacted the personal information of almost two million people. The information potentially impacted in the breach includes individuals names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and account information.



Lynch Carpenter, LLP is investigating claims against FBCS related to this data breach. If you receive a data breach notification from FBCS, you may be entitled to compensation.

If you have received a notification from FBCS which states that your information was impacted, please call Connor Hayes at (412) 253-6401, email him at ConnorH@lcllp.com, or fill out our contact form at www.lynchcarpenter.com/contact.

About Lynch Carpenter

Lynch Carpenter is a national class action law firm with offices in Pennsylvania, California, and Illinois. Our firm has represented millions of clients in data privacy matters for more than a decade and has earned national acclaim for complex litigation for plaintiffs across the country. To learn more, please visit www.lynchcarpenter.com.

CONTACT Patrick Donathen

COMPANY Lynch Carpenter LLP

PHONE (412) 322-9243

EMAIL patrick@lcllp.com

WEB lynchcarpenter.com
DENVER, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nymbl Science , a digital health provider and leader in scalable fall prevention and bladder training for aging adults, announced today Bob Mirsky, MD, MMM, FAAFP, has joined the company as its new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Mirsky is a seasoned physician executive with extensive health plan experience across Medicare, Medicaid and commercial lines of business.



Dr. Mirsky has a deep expertise in Medicare Advantage and older adult populations  and we are thrilled to welcome him to our team, said Edward Likovich, Ph.D., and Chief Executive Officer of Nymbl Science. This is an exciting time for our company and with Dr. Mirsky, we are positioned to grow our reach and, ultimately, improve outcomes for even more people.

Nymbl creates technology to remove the physical and emotional barriers that often come along with aging, including falling and bladder control . The company offers easy-to-use, clinically-proven digital tools and resources  generally available through health plans  that empower adults to continue doing the activities they enjoy as they age.

To improve quality of life and health outcomes for aging populations, we must provide them with the right tools to address their medical and psychosocial needs, said Dr. Mirsky. Nymbl is at the forefront of this technology  and I look forward to working together to help people navigate aging more confidently.

Dr. Mirsky has dedicated his career to helping older adults age by addressing the medical, emotional, and social determinants of health focusing on mitigating isolation and loneliness through face-to-face and virtual engagement. In his role with Nymbl, he will help measure the efficacy of Nymbls fall prevention program, interpret insights from older adults using Nymbl and serve as a liaison with health plan partners.

Dr. Mirsky previously served as Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Operations for Aetna Medicare. He has also held leadership roles for North Shore-LIJ CareConnect Insurance Company, the Mid-Atlantic Region of Coventry Health Care, Gateway Health Plan in Pittsburgh, FloridaBlue, and Tenet Health System Florida. Dr. Mirsky practiced family medicine for 10 years in New York and Florida and completed his residency and chief residency at St. Josephs Medical Center in New York.

For more information about how Nymbl empowers adults to age with confidence and helps health plans drive engagement, visit nymblscience.com .

About Nymbl Science

Nymbl is the only company providing digital balance training that is scalable, insightful, and cost saving for our partners and effective and engaging for older adults. Our scientifically validated balance training program trains the brain and body to work together, known as dual-tasking. Using just a smart device, and in only 10 minutes a day, older adults are preserving and enhancing their freedom and enjoyment of life with Nymbl. We believe it is necessary to empower older adults to increase confidence and the ability to fully participate in life, because aging is not less. Join us on our mission to empower millions of older adults to move and live more freely. For more information, visit www.nymblscience.com .

Media Contact:

Communications Strategy Group

Nymbl@wearecsg.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/893d1b6d-c5e2-47f8-8a49-b3492949af9c
Toronto, Ontario, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TVO Today has launched Extradition: The Search for Huseyin Celil, a gripping new podcast investigating the disappearance of a Canadian citizen and Uyghur refugee. Huseyin Celil was arrested under false pretenses while abroad and sent to prison in China. Almost two decades later, his fate remains unknown despite his familys desperate pleas for answers.

From the same team behind the award-winning Unascertained podcast, this six-episode series reveals the complicated global politics behind one mans unjust confinement. It investigates whether the Canadian government has done all it can to get Celil released. The podcast team takes on this cold case to reignite the 17-year long search for Huseyin.

Canadians will remember the massive effort to bring home the Two Michaels in 2021. The series examines why the same hasnt been done for Huseyin Celil, says Katie OConnor, TVOs managing editor of podcasts & digital. Extradition sifts through the web of international politics to get answers on where he is today and whether he is still alive.

Through candid interviews with former Canadian politicians, in-depth insight from experts on China, and new information brought to light through the teams reporting, the podcast explores how Chinas harsh crackdowns on its Uyghur population are reaching far beyond the countrys borders and encroaching on the safety and security of Canadian citizens.

"Our decision to re-open the case of Huseyin Celil and investigate his whereabouts has resulted in new and unexpected revelations, said Yusuf Zine, Extradition producer and host. A timeline of Huseyin's experience in prison from uncovered notes; startling details from a behind-closed-doors meeting between two former ministers; and a cache of contacts that gave us a direct line into the prison where Huseyin is being held. It's a series that pulls back the curtain of China's mass imprisonment of Uyghurs to find a lost and forgotten Canadian man."

Subscribe and listen to Extradition: The Search for Huseyin Celil on Wednesdays via Apple, Google, Spotify or your preferred podcasting platform. Listen to the series trailer here.

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ABOUT TVO MEDIA EDUCATION GROUP

TVO Media Education Group inspires learning that changes lives and enriches communities. Founded in 1970, we are a globally recognized digital learning organization that engages Ontarians of all ages with inclusive experiences and diverse perspectives. Through video, audio, games, courses, newsletters and articles, were investing in the transformative potential of education for everyone. Funded primarily by the Province of Ontario, TVO is a registered charity supported by thousands of sponsors and donors. Visit TVO.me for more information. Stream TVO on your favourite device.

ABOUT INNERSPEAK:

Innerspeak Media is a creative producing duo, founded and led by Kevin Young and Yusuf Zine, based in Toronto, Canada. Our work focuses on storytelling through writing, directing, and editing with specific backgrounds in film, podcasts, and theatre. In 2018, our first feature documentary, I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts, won the Cinema Politica Audience Choice Award, and has screened in multiple countries and film festivals around the world - including at the United Nations. Our previous podcast, Unascertained: The Case of Soleiman Faqiri, won several awards including Amazon Music's Best Canadian Podcasts of 2021. Our work has been featured in major international news outlets such as The Guardian, Al-Jazeera, CBC and more.

Media contact:

Genevieve Grant, TVO | ggrant@tvo.org

Social:

@TVO on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

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HOLLAND, Mich., May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tiara Yachts , celebrating 50 years as a family-owned manufacturer of American-made luxury watercrafts in 2024, announced today its recently launched EX 54 has been named a 2024 Top Product by Boating Industry. The EX 54 is the third Tiara product to receive this recognition in recent years, joining the 48 LS, recognized in 2021, and the 38 LS, which landed on the marine industrys top 50 most innovative products list in 2018.



With three cockpit configurations to choose from, the EX 54 features the luxurious feel of a Tiara Yacht while still being focused on adventure and amenities custom to the Captain. For entertaining, the lounge module features u-lounge seating and an outdoor galley. The adventure module provides amenities for the anglers on board while the all-new glass patio module offers flexible seating and unimpeded views off the stern.

The EX 54 is the embodiment of flexible luxury, said Tom Slikkers, CEO and President of Tiara Yachts. Receiving this recognition from Boating Industry is a true testament to the time and thoughtfulness we place into each of our products for the benefit of our customers. We are eager to continue providing our customers with award-winning luxury yachts.

Additionally, the EX 54 features twin hullside terraces and a swim platform for extended water access. The disappearing bulkhead window creates a seamless transition between the alfresco cockpit zone and the well-appointed salon. Below deck, three peaceful and private sleeping accommodations for six adults alongside two heads provide space and comfort for all onboard.

Boating Industrys Top Products program annually selects the marine industrys top 50 most innovative products and services to recently hit the market based on their impact on the industry, innovations and how they advance the product category, or in some cases, create a new segment of its own.

The full list of 2024 Top Product recipients is listed within Boating Industrys May issue. For more information regarding Tiara Yachts, visit tiarayachts.com.

About Tiara Yachts

Tiara Yachts, founded in Holland, Michigan on February 18, 2024, is one of the oldest privately held boat manufacturers in the United States. The Tiara Yachts model line includes inboard vessels from 39 to 60 feet in EX lines. Outboard powered Tiara Yachts models range from 34 to 48 feet in three distinct Series: Luxury Sport (LS), Luxury Crossover (LX), and Luxury Express (LE). For more information, please visit tiarayachts.com.

Media Contact

Alysa Kirn

akirn@lambert.com

586.354.4669
FARMINGTON, N.M., May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zia Tattoo Removal , spearheaded by the dynamic entrepreneur Danny Montoya, is thrilled to announce the newest technology addition to its laser studio in Farmington, New Mexico. This marks a significant milestone for the local community as Zia Tattoo Removal offers full-spectrum tattoo removal services using the Astanza Trinity Signature laser system.



Zia Tattoo Removal opened its doors in 2023 and has become the go-to destination for those seeking professional and effective tattoo removal solutions in Farmington, New Mexico, and surrounding areas. With the addition of their new ruby laser technology, Zia now provides full-spectrum removal services using three versatile wavelengths - 532 nm, 1064 nm, and 694 nm. These technological advancements allow the studio to expand their service offerings and satisfy their current customer needs.

Danny Montoya expressed his enthusiasm about this new venture. "We are beyond excited to bring this powerful laser technology to our community in New Mexico. Our goal at Zia Tattoo Removal is to provide a safe and transformative experience for our clients, and with the Trinity Signature, we can do just that."

The Astanza Trinity Signature is renowned for its precision, speed, and safety, making it the optimal choice for those seeking tattoo removal. Its cutting-edge features allow Zia Tattoo Removal to perform complete or selective removal, as well as fading for cover-ups, with unparalleled accuracy. This medical-grade technology minimizes discomfort and promotes faster healing, delivering impressive results for clients of all skin types.

Living with an unwanted tattoo is a thing of the past. Zia Tattoo Removal invites the community to experience the Astanza Trinity Signature difference.

About Zia Tattoo Removal

Zia Tattoo Removal, owned and founded by Danny Montoya, is a premier laser studio in Farmington, New Mexico, specializing in advanced tattoo removal services. By harnessing the power of the Astanza Trinity Signature, Zia Tattoo Removal offers safe, effective, and personalized solutions for tattoo modification and removal.

Visit Zia Tattoo Removals website, check out their state-of-the-art services, and get a quote today . Follow them on Instagram and Facebook to stay up-to-date with their latest news and promotions. Contact them at (505) 408-0505 or visit Zia Tattoo Removal at their location, 634 West Main Street, Farmington, NM 87401.

About Astanza Laser

Astanza helps build and expand aesthetic businesses by providing unparalleled support alongside advanced laser technology. Our lasers are trusted by healthcare professionals , aesthetic providers , entrepreneurs , med spas , tattoo studios , correctional facilities , and nonprofit organizations worldwide.

Included with every laser purchase is the Astanza Experience , an all-encompassing support system featuring a 3-Business Day Service Guarantee, Lifetime Training and Clinical Support, and a customizable Business Builder System. Astanzas aesthetic laser technology is comprised of the Trinity , Duality Signature , Eternity TSR , MeDioStar  , PicoStar  , DermaBlate  , and QuadroStarPRO YELLOW laser machines.

Astanza is a certified Great Place to Work , named Inc. 2023 Best in Business Services and Correctional Re-Entry Services , ranks #33 on Fortunes 2023 Best Workplaces in Health Care and #49 on Fortunes 2023 Best Places to Work in TexasTM.
Smithtown, New York, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Americas VetDogs, a New York-based national nonprofit that provides specially trained service dogs to veterans and first responders with disabilities, and the Amazin Mets Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the New York Mets, are thrilled to announce they will co-raise a future service dog for a United States veteran or first responder with disabilities. The Amazin Mets Foundation has funded $150,000 in grants to Americas VetDogs to date.

The New York Mets were the first-ever MLB team to raise a future service dog with Americas VetDogs. The newest Amazin Mets Foundation Pup is a handsome 11-week-old, male, yellow Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever Mix, who will undergo basic training and socialization with the Amazin Mets Foundation staff and the New York Mets players and fans for the next 14 to 16 months. The pup will have a home in the Mets front office and attend select events at Citi Field to expose him to various environments that will help mold him into a confident and calm future service dog. Fans can follow the pup on Instagram, X, and TikTok at @MetsVetDog to stay up to date on his training and community appearances.

The Amazin Mets Foundations goal is to make a positive impact in peoples lives, and our partnership with Americas VetDogs is just one of the many ways were able to achieve that goal, said Alex Cohen, President of the Amazin Mets Foundation and New York Mets Owner. Service dogs bring hope, joy and companionship to our veterans and first responders, and we are thrilled to continue to provide these life changing experiences.

Fans will have a chance to help name the new Mets Vet Dog by voting for their preferred name via a poll on the @Mets X account. Voting is now open, and the winning name will be announced at Citi Field on Thursday, May 2 as the Mets take on the Chicago Cubs at 1:10 p.m. ET.

"Americas VetDogs is proud to continue working with Alex Cohen and the Amazin Mets Foundation in raising another future service dog," said John Miller, president & CEO of Americas VetDogs. "Over the past several seasons, the Mets organization has consistently shown their unwavering commitment to supporting veterans and first responders in this truly unique way. The new puppy will undoubtedly become a cherished member of both the team and front office, and we are excited to watch the newest MetsVetDog begin this journey.

For more on Americas VetDogs and ways to get involved, visit VetDogs.org.

About Americas VetDogs

For more than 20 years, Americas VetDogs (www.VetDogs.org) has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and companionship to veterans with disabilities from all eras. In 2015, VetDogs opened its programs to first responders, including fire, police, and emergency medical personnel. Americas VetDogs is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by the Guide Dog Foundation and serves clients from across the United States. VetDogs relies on contributions from generous individuals, corporations, service clubs, and foundations to fund its mission to help those who have served our country live with dignity and independence. It costs more than $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but Americas VetDogs provides its services completely free of charge to the individual. Americas VetDogs has been accredited by both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International.

About the Amazin Mets Foundation

The Amazin Mets Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the New York Mets. The Foundation is committed to providing needed services and opportunities to children, families, and underserved groups. Since its inception in 2021, the Amazin Mets Foundation has funded over $10 million in grants to over 160 organizations in its community, including the communities surrounding affiliate teams. Learn more at amazinmetsfoundation.org.

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Phoenix, Arizona, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- May 1, 2024  MedAire, the foremost provider of aviation medical and security services, is excited to announce the introduction of MedAire Wellbeing Services in a pioneering collaboration with OdiliaClark, leaders in impairment risk management and workplace wellbeing. This initiative sets a new standard for peer support within the business aviation sphere, offering a targeted approach to mental health and wellbeing tailored for aviation professionals.

The FAA Mental Health & Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee's (ARC) recent deliberations on mental health in aviation highlighted the critical need for peer support enhancements beyond traditional Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Aligning with this foresight, MedAire Wellbeing Services offers a sophisticated peer support system tailored to the distinct needs of aviation crews.

"MedAire has been the go-to resource for aviation professionals, ensuring their health and safety for decades. We appreciate that an effective support system like our Wellbeing Services is vital to strengthening your safety culture. In partnership, we're cultivating a supportive community, making certain that each voice is heard, each person is assisted, and each member is valued." said Bill Dolny, CEO of MedAire

MedAire Wellbeing Services, leveraging the Talk to a Peer methodology, is designed to meet aviation crews' unique challenges. By harnessing digital health advancements, the service connects individuals with Peer Support Volunteers (PSVs)current or former aviation professionals trained in best-in-class training that includes empathy, active listening, and resilience-building. This service promises an understanding and relevant support system, crucial for accessible and reliable mental health assistance.

Using a secure and confidential platform, MedAire Wellbeing Services ensures that aviation personnel can find support 24/7 anywhere in the world, matching them with peers or professionals who share their experiences. This system is built on camaraderie and a foundation of specialised training, safeguarding PSVs from secondary trauma and ensuring a robust support network.

"With MedAire Wellbeing Services, we've positioned our resources at the frontline of the industry's evolving approach to mental health," asserts Richard Gomez, VP of Aviation Products at MedAire. "Our initiative is supported by the FAA ARC's recommendations by bridging the gap between recognising mental health issues and actively addressing them, allowing aviation professionals to operate securely and confidently anywhere in the world."

Adding MedAire Wellbeing Services into MedAire's existing offerings represents a holistic approach to health, aligning physical and mental wellness strategies to the operational tempo of the aviation industry. This integrated support system allows MedAire to anticipate and respond to the evolving wellness needs of the aviation community, fostering a resilient and safe workforce.

"Our collaboration embodies an unmatched level of empathy and understanding within the aviation sector, combining our expertise to offer peer support that's both effective and compassionate," stated Peter Whitten, Sales Director at OdiliaClark. "This initiative reinforces the importance of mental health in maintaining safety and peak performance in aviation."

The global aviation community will get its first look at MedAire Wellbeing Services at EBACE 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland, where MedAire and OdiliaClark will showcase how this innovative service can bolster safety protocols and wellbeing strategies in stand Q68.

About MedAire: MedAire, an International SOS company, is the global leader in aviation and maritime health and safety solutions, with over three and a half decades of expertise committed to ensuring the wellbeing of crew and passengers alike. Providing an unparalleled suite of integrated medical, security, and operational services, MedAire is essential for those who operate in remote environments or require immediate assistance worldwide. Renowned for pioneering some of the industry's most advanced and responsive safety solutions, MedAire is the trusted partner for air and sea operators, from commercial airlines to private yachts. With services including 24/7 access to emergency medical assistance, state-of-the-art telemedicine, in-flight advice, and comprehensive medical training, they ensure that clients are prepared to manage any medical event anytime, anywhere. Their expertly curated health and security risk mitigation strategies and resources make safety and preparedness a seamless aspect of travel. MedAire continues to lead with innovative products, deep industry knowledge, and a passion for member care.

About OdiliaClark: OdiliaClark is a premier provider of mental health support, offering specialised services tailored to safety-critical industries, including aviation, oil & gas, energy, and manufacturing. Its flagship Peer Support Programme, "Talk To A Peer" (TTAP), is internationally recognised for enhancing workplace safety and wellbeing. This innovative programme helps create a culture of resilience by offering proactive, multi-organisational, collaborative support. Connecting employees with trained Peer Support Volunteers across partner organisations maximise engagement with and usage of the programme.

Its diverse team, comprised of experienced aviators, mental health professionals, and sector experts, promotes a healthy work environment. It is committed to improving safety, boosting productivity, and elevating overall wellbeing in every sector, making OdiliaClark a trusted partner in workplace mental health solutions globally.

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For more information about MedAire or OdiliaClark or to schedule an interview, please contact:

For MedAire: Chris Potter, Head of Marketing, Aviation  chris.pottter@medaire.com

For OdiliaClark: Peter Whitten, Sales Director  peter.whitten@odiliaclark.com

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ORLANDO, Fla., May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Ken LaRoe of Climate First Bank was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Florida Award finalist. The Florida program celebrates entrepreneurs from Florida and Puerto Rico. Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors and have a transformational impact on lives. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized the daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world.



LaRoe was one of 22 regional entrepreneurs selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.

Im honored to be included in this years lineup of finalists. Here at Climate First Bank, we use finance as a force for good, funding energy alternatives as the worlds first FDIC-insured bank founded to combat the climate crisis, said LaRoe. We are leading the change one cent at a time and to date weve surpassed over $600M in assets and achieved over $125M in solar financing.

Entrepreneur Of The Year honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future.

Regional award winners will be announced on June 14 during a special celebration and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nations most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.

In addition to Entrepreneur Of The Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network and access needed to unlock their full potential.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year 

Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally.

The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy .

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com .

About Climate First Bank

Climate First Bank is a Certified B Corp, values-based digital community bank offering a complete, full-service portfolio of simple and easy-to-use traditional banking products. These products are powered by technology to meet the expectations of todays consumers. In addition to offering standard banking services, the company places a special emphasis on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and businesses committed to sustainability. Eco-conscious customers will find dedicated loan options for solar photovoltaic (PV), energy retrofits and infrastructure to help combat the climate crisis. The bank reports annually on its impact in line with corporate social responsibility goals, read the most recent Impact Report here. Member FDIC.

Abigail Lacaillade

Uproar PR for Climate First Bank

alacaillade@uproarpr.com
SALT LAKE CITY, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Savage, a global provider of supply chain infrastructure and solutions, has acquired Texon, a Houston, Texas-based midstream service provider of butane blending and energy marketing. The addition of Texon and its team, which will continue to operate under its legacy brand, significantly bolsters Savages existing energy business.

With the acquisition of Texon were adding an excellent team with deep expertise and an outstanding reputation in the energy space. We see tons of opportunities to drive value for our Customers through our combined teams, assets and services, said Kirk Aubry, President and CEO of Savage. Were excited to welcome the Texon team to Savage and continue to connect end-to-end supply chains.

Founded in 1989, Texon has been a pioneer of blending butane into finished gasoline and holds patent rights around the world. Texons proprietary blending systems are customized to test gasoline and optimally blend butane and other natural gas liquids to meet finished product quality, safety and regulatory requirements. Its systems are designed for use in pipelines, depots/terminals, marine docks, and truck loading racks. Texon does business across the continental U.S. and has begun introducing butane blending expertise into the international marketplace.

When we decided to pursue a sale, we set an important goal that wed only consider potential buyers who would invest in the business and provide opportunities for our team to grow and thrive, said Terry Looper, Texons Founder and retiring CEO. We believe Savage is committed to growing Texons business in the right way, with excellent leadership, strategy and resources that will ensure a bright future for our Team Members and Customers. Evercore served as financial advisor to Texon on the transaction.

Savages Infrastructure business supports the energy industry by providing multi-modal transportation and logistics solutions and assets for electricity generation, oil and gas production and refining, and liquid renewable fuels refining. The company operates over 50 rail-connected transload terminals across North America through its robust Savage Transload Network, and is playing a key role in building the supply chain infrastructure required for current and future liquid fuels.

About Savage

Established in 1946, Savage is a privately held, global provider of supply chain infrastructure and solutions, with more than 4,000 Team Members in about 200 locations across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. We strive to always Do the Right Thing, Find a Better Way and Make a Difference. Our Customers and Partners count on us to safely and sustainably move and manage what is essential to their business so they can Feed the World, Power Our Lives, and Sustain the Planet. www.savageco.com

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Washington, D.C., May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Humane, the countrys first national humane organization, encourages families to come together and learn about the fascinating cicada broods (XIX and XIII) emerging this spring.

This year will be the first time in over two centuries that two different broods will emerge at the same time. This type of cicada spends over a decade underground, feeding off tree roots until it is time to emerge and start their brief adult life above ground. Americans across the Midwest and South who witness this natural wonder can use the opportunity to teach their children how every creature plays a vital role in our ecosystem.

Cicadas have always captivated human interest with their remarkable abundance and impressive size, said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president & CEO of American Humane. Despite their commanding exterior, cicadas symbolize the wondrous diversity of life, highlighting humanity's humble role amidst the countless species that share our world.

While to some their appearance may be unwelcome and their chirping annoyingor even alarming- cicadas are essential to their native habitats. They provide many crucial environmental benefits, including:

Aerating the soil. When cicadas burrow and tunnel, they naturally aerate the soil, which helps air, water, and nutrients enrich the roots of plant life.

When cicadas burrow and tunnel, they naturally aerate the soil, which helps air, water, and nutrients enrich the roots of plant life. Fertilizing the soil. When cicadas die, their bodies provide an incredible nutrient boost to the soil, stimulating vegetation, which in turn feeds herbivores.

When cicadas die, their bodies provide an incredible nutrient boost to the soil, stimulating vegetation, which in turn feeds herbivores. Pruning mature trees. Female cicadas lay their eggs at the end of branches, from which the newly born nymphs will drop to the ground before burrowing down and beginning their underground life. Many species of trees benefit from this process and produce more flowers and fruit in the following year.

Cicadas rarely cause significant damage to the plants they feed on, said Jason C. Schaller, Curator of Entomology at ABQ BioPark. However, they are an important food item for a plethora of larger animals including birds, lizards, and various mammals.

In addition to their ecological contributions, there are a lot of other surprising facts about cicadas. This spring, young learners will have a unique, firsthand educational experience, observing one of natures most bizarre animals. Parents can help children learn how cicadas:

Generate 100 decibels of noise. When male cicadas emerge, they vibrate a part of their exoskeleton called the tymbals. The noise can reach 100 decibels as hordes of males search for a mate, which interests scientists because of how little energy they expend.

When male cicadas emerge, they vibrate a part of their exoskeleton called the tymbals. The noise can reach 100 decibels as hordes of males search for a mate, which interests scientists because of how little energy they expend. Naturally repel water. Microstructures that cover the wings of a cicada help keep the insects dry by repelling water. Scientists are attempting to replicate these marvels of nature to use in human technology.

Microstructures that cover the wings of a cicada help keep the insects dry by repelling water. Scientists are attempting to replicate these marvels of nature to use in human technology. Avoid predators by living underground. The unique lifespan of the cicada helps the species avoid predators through their irregular emergence. While they provide food for creatures big and small, they also emerge in large enough numbers to protect themselves from extinction.

Families across the Midwest and South can expect the cicadas to appear when the soil warms to 64 degrees. Parents and educators are encouraged to use this phenomenon to kick start an enthusiasm for the animal kingdom. Learn more at www.AmericanHumane.org/BeKind.

About American Humane:

American Humane is the United States first national humane organization and the worlds largest certifier of animal welfare, helping to verify the humane treatment of more than one billion animals across the globe each year. Founded in 1877, American Humane has been First to Serve the cause of animals and for over 145 years has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in the humane movement. For more information or to support our lifesaving work, please visit www.AmericanHumane.org, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram and subscribe to our channel on YouTube for the latest breaking news and features about the animals with whom we share our Earth.

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MINNEAPOLIS, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) named Jeffrey Kiesel, Restaurant Technologies CEO, as an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Heartland Award finalist. The Heartland program celebrates entrepreneurs from the Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas. Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur of The Year is the preeminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors, and have a transformational impact on lives. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world.

Kiesel was one of 28 regional entrepreneurs selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.

This recognition is only possible with the dedication of a great team working towards a shared vision, and I am proud of all that we have accomplished together over the last 20 years, said Kiesel. It is an honor to be included among the prestigious executives who have made such a significant impact within their industries. I am inspired by all my colleagues who continue to help shape the world around us."

Restaurant Technologies had twelve depots and just 250 employees when Kiesel joined the organization as CEO in 2005. Under his leadership, the organization has shown consistent double-digit growth annually and now services 40,000 customers in 41 depots with 1,500 employees nationwide. Over the last two decades, he has proven the ability to adapt and evolve to meet business needs. He has led the organization through five private equity sales, and through two of the most challenging business times in our generation  the Great Recession and the Covid-19 pandemic.

In addition to the organizations business growth, Kiesel has transformed the organization with its Environmental, Social, and Governance initiatives. Restaurant Technologies recycled over 314 million pounds of used cooking oil in 2023 and, with the help of its renewable energy partners, converted it to renewable diesel or biodiesel. He has also matched donations to the Restaurant Technologies Educational Foundation each year. The foundation has raised over $550,000 for over 50 students since it was established in 2013.

The Entrepreneur of the Year award honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage, and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future.

Regional award winners will be announced on June 20th during a special celebration and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nations most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.

In addition to Entrepreneur of the Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network and access needed to unlock their full potential.

Sponsors



Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Heartland, sponsors also include regional Platinum sponsor, Twin Cities Business; regional Gold sponsor, Padilla; and regional Silver sponsors, Brillect and Robert Half.



About Restaurant Technologies



Restaurant Technologies is the leading provider of commercial kitchen solutions for nearly 40,000 customers nationwide. Since 1999, its Total Oil Management and AutoMist solutions help Control the Kitchen Chaos for quick-service and full-service restaurant chains, independent restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, resorts, casinos, hospitals, and more. By automating the hardest tasks in the kitchen, Restaurant Technologies improves food quality, safety, and efficiency for its customers.



Total Oil Management eliminates the manual handling of cooking oil through an automated solution that delivers, stores, filters, monitors, and removes oil. Restaurant Technologies also works with renewable energy partners to recycle used cooking oil into renewable fuels for a more sustainable business. AutoMist automates hood and flue cleaning to reduce fire risk and create a cleaner, safer work environment.



Headquartered in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, Restaurant Technologies is privately held and operates 41 depots nationwide with more than 1,500 employees. For more information, visit www.rti-inc.com, or follow on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or X @RTIoil.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year



Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally.

The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.



About EY



EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

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LONDON, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Optimove will highlight new advancements to its Customer-Led Marketing Platform at the Gartner Marketing Symposium taking place in London, 13-14 May.

The new advancements in the #1 Journey Orchestration Platform include WhatsApp Integration, Self-Optimizing Streams, and Web Inbox. These enhancements empower marketers to elevate customer engagement and drive business growth. Optimove is featured as a platinum sponsor at the Gartner Marketing Symposium.

This news comes on the heels of the announcement of other advancements at the Optimove Connect Conference on March 21, 2024.

Optimove Advancements:



WhatsApp Integration: With Optimove's WhatsApp Integration, brands can now seamlessly connect with nearly two billion active users worldwide. This integration enables personalized recommendations and content delivery, enriching customer engagement across channels and allowing brands to integrate WhatsApp interactions into any cross-channel journey seamlessly. WhatsApp can be used for AI-orchestrated campaigns and journeys across Optimove.

Self-Optimizing Streams: Rather than running a "winner take all" A/B/n test for multi-campaign streams, Optimove's revolutionary Self-Optimizing Streams utilize AI to determine the best journey for each customer across a series of touchpoints. Over time, OptiGenie learns, adapts, and continuously optimizes the perfect allocation of customers for each treatment, catering to seasonality, relevant products, and changes in customer preferences. Self-Optimizing Streams build on Optimove's existing Self-Optimizing Campaigns and Journeys, enabling marketers to deliver unprecedented, personalized experiences while aligning with business goals.

Web Inbox: This new feature allows businesses to deliver personalized messages directly to a user's inbox on their website, fostering a more direct and interactive connection. The marketer can completely design a message in the Web Inbox to drive engagement through personalization and can be orchestrated into cross-channel journeys alongside all other channels.

According to Pini Yakuel, Optimove Founder and CEO, "At Optimove, we're committed to empowering marketers to realize their multipotentiality via powerful tools that allow them to truly connect with their customers in real time. We ensure brands deeply engage with customers effectively to drive meaningful interactions. These new advancements underscore our commitment to ensuring marketers create personalized customer experiences that maximize customer retention and lifetime value."

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

About the Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo

The Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo is taking place May 13-14 in London and June 3-5 in Denver, providing marketing leaders with actionable advice about the trends, tools and emerging technologies they need to deliver business results. Follow news and updates coming out of the conference on the Gartner Newsroom and on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerMKTG.

About Optimove

Optimove is the first Customer-Led Marketing and Engagement Platform. Its solutions ensure that marketing always starts with the customer instead of a campaign or product. Customer-led marketing has been proven to deliver brands an average increase of 33% in customer lifetime value.

It is the only Customer-Led Marketing Platform powered by the combination of 1) rich historical, real-time, and predictive customer data, 2) AI-led multichannel journey orchestration, and 3) statistically credible multitouch attribution of every marketing action.

Optimove provides industry-specific and use-case solutions for hundreds of leading consumer brands. For more information, go to Optimove.com.
CHICAGO, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InContext Advisors, LLC, an Independent Multi-Family Office, and Cendrowski Corporate Advisors (CCA), a Family Office Tax Structuring and Compliance Services Firm, proudly announce our strategic joint venture.



By combining InContext Advisors reservoir of experienced governance and financial advisors with Cendrowskis robust valuation and tax structuring capabilities, we offer our clients a combined 150 years of expertise in safeguarding and enhancing our clients' wealth through successful deal, estate planning, and tax strategies tailored to suit each clients needs.

This collaboration will fortify our business practice groups and grant our clients access to top-tier legal and financial stewardship. The union underscores our steadfast commitment to the core mission which fuels both our offices through meticulous planning.

"We look forward to better serving our clients through a strategic and ongoing partnership with Cendrowski Corporate Advisors, said Lynda C. Russo, Executive Director of InContext Advisors. Our past collaboration with CCA has, time and again, proven to be a valuable asset to our scope of capabilities.

This venture marks a continuation of the longstanding relationship between CCA and InContext Advisors, said Harry Cendrowski, Managing Director of Cendrowski Corporate Advisors. The powerful combination of InContext's hands-on family office experience with our governance expertise will further strengthen the tailored services we provide our family office clients.

About InContext Advisors, LLC

InContext Advisors, LLC is an independent non-family-owned Multi-Family Office headquartered in Chicago and Naples Florida. InContext Advisors is a full-time family office, and a part-time private equity shop structuring club deals funded exclusively by our family clients. We adopt custom-fit wealth, tax and estate planning strategies, and will often seek creative direct-investment deals to enhance outcomes of various strategies. We have a curated team of 10 professionals, acting as a central hub and spanning all the obligations wealthy family and empire management. We work with clients incumbent professional advisory teams and oversee the activities of existing relationships. Learn more at https://www.incontextadvisors.com.

About Cendrowski Corporate Advisors

Cendrowski Corporate Advisors is a CPA firm and trusted advisor to enterprises, privately owned businesses, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and Bloomfield Hills, MI. Cendrowski was created to serve ultra-high net worth, families, financial institutions, venture capital and private equity firms, middle-market companies, particularly prior to a sale or conveyance of ownership. The firm's members were instrumental in developing the first significant REIT/UPREIT structure for Taubman Centers, Inc. and its Bloomfield Hills-based holding company, Taubman Realty Group LP. Additional competencies include implementing complex tax strategies that help positively influence businesses' operations and finances. Having published seven books on topics including private equity, fraud deterrence, risk management, cloud computing and electronic discovery, Cendrowski continues to make a global impact through thought leadership. Learn more about the firms publications here. Learn more at https://cca-advisors.com/about-the-firm/.
GRENOBLE, France and PRINCETON, N.J., May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Koelis, SAS (Koelis or the Company, www.koelis.com), a leader and innovator in prostate care, announced today the release of new features at the prestigious American Urological Association Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX. Koelis will be holding live and interactive demos at its booth #951 from May 2nd to May 5th to demonstrate its novel capacity integrating AI-enhanced prostate MRI features into its exclusive Trinity platform.



The Koelis Trinity system enables urologists to perform 3D targeted fusion biopsy in prostate cancer. Trinity integrates 3D ultrasound imaging with proprietary MRI-US fusion image guidance that features the Companys unique prostate motion tracking software (OBT Fusion). The compact Koelis Trinity system does not require interfaces with either external ultrasound equipment or external sensors. The versatility of the Trinity platform is enabling Koelis to lead the ongoing paradigm shift in prostate cancer care to more accurate biopsy diagnoses and more choices for less invasive treatments.

Koelis is releasing its new Promap Contour software that has been developed in collaboration with companies innovating in CAD and AI software, among which Deephealth (a wholly owned subsidiary of Radnet), Siemens Healthineers, and others in progress. The Promap Contour software will enable healthcare providers to utilize their compatible CAD/AI solution to automatically process Prostate contours and lesions on MRI that can then be seamlessly transferred to the Koelis Trinity platform for 3D MRI/US fusion procedures.

Urologists and radiologists will be able to collaborate to enhance workflow efficiencies along the prostate cancer clinical pathway. The aim is to provide access to PACS/cloud connectivity and automated prostate MRI segmentation to be readily imported into the Koelis Trinity platform. The Koelis Trinity system will utilize that imaging data to create a 3D patient-specific prostate map for guidance of both diagnostic and treatment procedures.

Antoine Leroy, PhD, Koelis founder and CEO, declared: "Always responding and innovating to meet the needs of urologists and their patients, Koelis is proud to enhance connectivity and add an AI dimension to its products. We strongly believe that promoting workflow efficiency with a solution like DeepHealths, we can facilitate the adoption of Koelis fusion biopsy as a new standard of care in the USA.

Koelis technology is currently available in 50 countries with over 500 systems in use in the USA, Europe and Asia. The Koelis Trinity platform has been utilized in 1 million patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.

About Koelis

Headquartered in Grenoble, France, Koelis has been a pioneer and leader of MRI-US fusion image guidance technology since 2006. Featuring proprietary 3D ultrasound and prostate motion tracking software (OBT Fusion), the Koelis Trinity system facilitates more accurate biopsy diagnosis as well as enabling focal prostate cancer treatment alternatives to traditional total organ treatments such as surgical prostatectomy and radiation. The Companys commitment to minimally invasive prostate cancer treatments includes a multi-center clinical registry (Violette, NCT04582656) in Europe based on Trinity-guided microwave ablation technology. Koelis has offices in Grenoble (France), Princeton (NJ, USA), Saarbrucken (Germany) and Singapore to serve in more than 50 countries. Learn more about Koelis at www.koelis.com.

For Koelis media inquiries, please contact:

Thomas Martins Pinheiro

Communications Manager

Phone: +33 (0)4 58 17 68 10

Email: thomas.martins-pinheiro@koelis.com





A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d8d0afda-6909-4bf4-9fbd-6b5ddf0a919a




WASHINGTON, D.C., May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM), and Competitive Markets Action (CMA), called on President Joe Biden and U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, to dismiss USDAs Pork Checkoff Board Member Stewart Leeth, the chief sustainability officer at Smithfield Foods, a company wholly owned by the Chinese group , and whose purchase in 2013 was financed directly by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The groups call for Leeths removal comes on the heels of the House Committee on Agricultures hearing entitled The Danger China Poses to American Agriculture that was held in April by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn G.T. Thompson, R-PA. It also comes in the wake of countless lobbying firms delisting Chinese clients as lawmakers have weighed blacklisting firms lobbying for the Chinese. Yet the Biden Administration, and Secretary Vilsack have failed to sever its long controversial ties with Chinese-owned Smithfields executive.

The Biden Administration and Secretary Tom Vilsack should immediately remove Stewart Leeth from the Pork Checkoff Board that has long-worked against American producers who pay into the till, said Greg Gunthorp of Gunthorp Farms, a lifelong pork producer in Indiana and supporter of Competitive Markets Action. Chinese-owned Smithfield and their minions that continue to infiltrate American agriculture production are one of the greatest threats facing our food safety and security and we must not allow China to prevail in their quest.

If the Biden Administration and Secretary Vilsack continue to push Chinas Smithfield agenda in a government program that American producers are forced to pay into and keep Leeth on the board, well swiftly see the last remaining independent pork producers in the U.S. fold up shop, said Taylor Haynes, president of the Organization for Competitive Markets. It doesnt get any swampier than the situation we see with Leeth sitting on the Pork Checkoff Board and our government should quickly execute his removal.

The process for removal can be found here.

Background:

According to the Smithfield Times, Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods, a proponent of the EATS Act, H.R. 4417/S. 2019, continues to advocate for the enactment of the legislation that would devastate family farmers across rural America and could put what few independent hog farmers are left in the U.S. out of business. And according to federal lobbying reports, Holland and Knight, one of the largest lobbying firms in Washington, D.C., has been paid nearly $1 million representing the Chinese conglomerate over the past year.

China's Smithfield continues to be a very serious and dangerous threat to the American farmers and ranchers and U.S. food production as the company continues to back and lobby for this bill. This dangerous legislation, led by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-KS, and Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-IA, would nullify more than 1,000 state laws that protect American family farmers from a Chinese influence. The EATS Act, and other legislation like it is being pushed by House Chairman Thompson, but is opposed by more than 2,000 diverse opponents with millions of members that include Moms For America, Farm Action, Competitive Markets Action, the Organization of Competitive Markets, FreedomWorks, the American Grassfed Association, Alabama Contract Poultry Growers Association, Kansas Cattlemens Association, and three of the nations top American-owned pork producers: Heritage Foods, Niman Ranch, and Clemens Food Group/Hatfield Meats, who was featured in Forbes for their ethical pork production.

In addition to the EATS Act, another issue being debated in Congress is the U.S. Dept. of Agricultures scandal-ridden Commodity Checkoff Programs that fund the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and National Cattlemens Beef Association (NCBA). Groups like OCM, CMA, and many of those that oppose EATS support legislation introduced by Sens. Mike Lee, R-UT, Rand Paul, R-KY, Cory Booker, D-NJ, and Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, in the Senate and Reps. Nancy Mace, R-SC, and Dina Titus, D-NV, in the House: H.R. 1249/S. 557, the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act that would reform the checkoff programs by bringing transparency and requiring the programs be audited for compliance; by prohibiting disparagement of one product over another and picking winners and losers in the marketplace; and by prohibiting checkoffs from contracting with lobbying entities like NCBA who lobbied against Country-of-Origin Labeling, and the NPPC who has fought against state ballot measures like Californias Prop 12 that benefit American producers who practice more regenerative and sustainable agriculture.

Further on EATS, 10 U.S. House Republicans, led by House Freedom Caucus (HFC) champion Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-FL, sent a letter that included HFC chairman Bob Good, R-VA, to Thompson and Ranking Member David Scott, D-GA, against the nullification of Prop 12 that followed a similar October 2023 letter to Thompson and Scott signed by 16 House Republicans and led by front-liner Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-NY.

To date, 226 bipartisan Members of Congress have vocalized their opposition to the nullification of Prop 12 by Thompson R-PA, Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-IA, and Sen. Roger Marshall, R-KS, who continue to champion the assault. 171 bipartisan Members of the House sent a letter to Thompson and Scott in August of 2023 and 31 U.S. Senators sent a similar letter to Senate Agriculture Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-MI, and Ranking Member John Boozman, R-AR, last August.

Since the EATS Act was introduced in 2023, the only public opposition Prop 12 has seen from a Democrat in federal office is from USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, D-IA, who has a long record of backing Chinese agriculture interests.

The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Lincoln, Nebraska. The foundation of the Organization for Competitive Markets is to fight for competitive markets in agriculture for farmers, ranchers and rural communities. True competition reduces the need for economic regulation. Our mission, and our duty, is to define and advocate the proper role of government in the agricultural economy as a regulator and enforcer of rules necessary for markets that are fair, honest, accessible and competitive for all citizens.

Competitive Markets Action (CMA) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit based in Washington, D.C., that was formed with the mission of shaping policy to promote more regenerative and sustainable agriculture, and competitive markets in the U.S., and to defend against attacks on states rights by the federal government. CMA works to raise awareness of the harm caused by multinational conglomerates to the American family farmer, the consumer and our U.S. economy as a whole in an effort to bring about legislative and regulatory reforms.

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IG ASIA LLC (IG Asia or the Company), a private Nevis based company, is pleased to announce it has entered into a conditional agreement with Rio Tinto International Holdings Limited (the Vendor) to acquire its 75% ownership interest in the Pribrezhniy porphyry copper deposit (>1Mt contained copper) and five additional underexplored prospect areas located in the most prolific porphyry belt in the Republic of Kazakhstan (the Project", Figure 1) (the Transaction). On completion of the Transaction, IG Asia will acquire 75% of the Project which has a scoping level engineering analysis performed by Rio Tinto Exploration Kazakhstan. The remaining 25% of the joint venture is owned by KazGeology, a Kazakhstan state geological resources entity. Ongoing exploration work has demonstrated significant potential for expansion and further discovery.



TRANSACTION HIGHLIGHTS

Transaction supports IG Asias path toward becoming a leading regional copper explorer and developer



This asset is a flagship project for IG Asia alongside its TN5 project in Mongolia. TN5 is located between world class Oyu Tolgoi and Kharmagtai deposits of Rio Tinto and Xanadu Mines where the target is a large Tier 1 copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry. The Company is proposing technical work at Pribrezhniy with the objective of further increasing upside in the project through a combination of increased mineral inventory and optimized processing.





Pribrezhniy is ideally located within an established mining district



The Project is located in the most prolific porphyry belt in the Republic of Kazakhstan containing several commercial discoveries such as the Aktogay (2.2Bt @ 0.37% Cu), Taysogan, Sayak and Kounrad deposits. Located at the eastern end of the Kounrad group of copper deposits it boasts excellent mining infrastructure with access to power, water, a dual line railway and smelter in the district.

The Project license area covers 832km 2 of exploration ground with the exploration stage of the license being valid until February 2029 to produce a feasibility study on Pribrezhniy and advance two additional prospects within the license.





Transaction terms are focused squarely on the path to project and mine development



Upon completion of the Transaction, the Company shall pay the Vendor USD 2.23M primarily for reimbursement of exploration work performed in 2023. Additional expenditures of USD 11M to reach a prefeasibility level project by 2029.

An additional one-time payment of USD 20M and a NSR royalty are due to the Vendor upon reaching certain nameplate production milestones.





Richard Leveille, former VP Exploration for Freeport McMoran and Director and Chief Copper Consultant for IG Asia commented, " The Pribrezhniy acquisition represents a unique opportunity for IG Asia to leapfrog from a greenfields explorer to having a scoping-level project near excellent infrastructure in a favorable mining-friendly jurisdiction.

Thomas E. Bowens, founder and Executive Director of IG Asia states, The acquisition of the Pribrezhniy deposit is a major development for IG Global and our IG Asia subsidiary. In just over two years our team has advanced IG Asia from a green fields exploration company to a multi tiered exploration and development company. The Pribrezhniy acquisition provides IGA with an advanced copper molybdenum porphyry deposit that has undergone a successful scoping study indicating robust economics. This acquisition provides a major step forward for the company and adds substantial value to our current portfolio of copper, gold and lithium brine projects underway in Kazakhstan and Mongolia. I am very proud of our outstanding IG Asia team. IG Asia is well underway to becoming a major force in the mineral exploration and mining industry in Central Asia.

Figure 1: Location of Pribrezhniy and other deposit areas of interest. P1 = Pribrezhniy; P2 = Prikounradsky; S1 = South Kounrad, NE1 & NE2 = Pribrezhniy Northeast & Northwest. Shabigon is an exclave located 120km west of the main area.

GEOLOGY

Pribrezhniy represents the eastward end of the Kounrad group of copper deposits. The geology comprises typical A, B and D veins in a porphyry system encompassing breccia zones and alteration hosted by monzogranite, monzogranite porphyry and tonalite (Figure 2). Copper mineralization is associated with a late monzonite porphyry phase, but mineralization is also found in an earlier phase of monzogranite that forms a wide arc (Northern, Southern and Eastern Zones).

An additional intrusive phase of monzogranite was assumed to form a barren core. However, at the end of the final evaluation drilling campaign (over 50,000m of diamond drilling was carried out by Rio Tinto Exploration Kazakhstan between 2018-2023), significant intercepts of mineralised breccia were encountered in the previously untested central barren monzogranite in the last few diamond drill holes, including (refer to Table 1 and Appendix A herein):

Table 1: Summary of selected significant intercepts over down-the-hole thicknesses at campaign end.

Drillhole ID Lithology Downhole

interval (m) Weighted ave.,

Cu % Weighted ave.,

Ag g/t PRIB0109 Breccia Hydrothermal 124.7 0.74 2.7 PRIB0111 Breccia Hydrothermal 64.0 0.34 1.3 PRIB0112 Monzogranite 43.6 0.47 0.9



Figure 2: Geology of Pribrezhniy showing north and south mineralized zones either side of a barren core of monzogranite. Holes highlighted in blue are for geotechnical sampling to support starter open pits, 2023 series holes are shown in red. IG developed oxide ore zone subtypes shown in insets: blanket oxide = BOX (red) and supergene subtypes = SUPER (blue) are shown for each zone.





Figure 3: Mineralised core intercepts from drillhole P98, Eastern Zone



a) Oxide.78.8m depth. Hematite-goethite-jarosite weathering with malachite. 40.0m @ 0.39% Cu





b) Sulphide. 199.8m depth. Quartz-chalcopyrite-molybdenite veinlet dissemination with sericite alteration. 18.0m @ 0.64% Cu

Figure 4: Examples of mineralised veinsets from Eastern Zone



a) P105, 207m depth. B-type quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite-molybdenite vein in monzodiorite





b) P106, 168m depth. Quartz-chalcopyrite D-type with sericite selvage cutting rejuvenated A-veins with K-feldspar in granodiorite



Robust metallurgical, hydrogeological, geotechnical and environmental studies were carried out between 2018-2020 to advance a scoping level study including an estimate of mineral inventory:



Table 2: Global Geology mineral inventory after 2021-2022

MINERAL

TYPE TONNES

ORE Mt TONNES CU

METAL Kt TONNES MO

METAL Kt CU GRADE % MO GRADE % CU EQUIVALENT %* OXIDE ONLY 80 213 - 0.27 - 0.27 COMBINED SULPHIDE 722 2,275 100 0.31 0.014 0.38

* Cu equivalent is calculated on a price deck of USD9,000/t for copper and USD44,000/t for molybdenum according to the formula: Cu eq. grade = [(Cu price x Cu grade + Mo price x Mo grade)/Cu price x Cu grade] x Cu grade



Prices are based on rounding down the LME daily metal price for 10 April 2024 to Cu = USD4.2/lb and Mo = USD20/lb



Image 1: Copper oxide mineralization in weathered granite



ECONOMICS

IG Asia performed its own optimization and NSR studies to produce a high-level financial analysis based on the following mineral inventory for a stand-alone heap leach operation recovering from oxide and a combined oxide + hypogene operation where cash flow is generated from oxide during construction of the sulphide concentrator. Both bottom-lines for each scenario were positive with profitability indices >1. Silver, in addition, is present in sufficient quantities in the copper concentrate (up to 70ppm in Cu scavenger circuits) to be a credit in a smelter contract and the Company will look to include it in future resource estimates.

Table 3: In-Pit Mineralisation (satisficer shells) 2023

PIT REVENUE

FACTOR TONNES

ORE Mt AVE CU % TONNES

WASTE Mt TONNES

TOTAL Mt SR NPV10 M$ LoM

Yrs PAYBACK

Yrs IRR % Profit

Index OXIDE ONLY 0.89 43 0.29 119 162 2.74 $147 4.3 2 53 >2 COMBINED

SULPHIDE 0.62 700 0.24 301 1,001 0.43 $716 26.4 9 18 1.6

Given the very favourable economic conditions, enhanced by excellent mining infrastructure (access to power, water, dual line railway and smelter in the district), IG embarked on producing a preliminary 3D model of oxide ore subtypes based on extracting acid leachable copper and cyanide leachable copper phase analyses from the Vendors comprehensive database:

AsCu >65% = BOX (will heap leach)

AsCu 50-64% = OTHER (may heap leach if blended)

CNCu >35% = SUPER (will heap leach)



To yield an estimation of heap leachable oxide resources. Volumes and tonnages for each mineral category are quoted at 0.1% Cu cut-off grade:

Table 4: IG in-house preliminary estimates of oxide ore subtypes based on drill data up to November 2023.

 Name Volume m3 Tonnage t Grade Cu % In-situ Cu content t 1 BOX 6 452 000 16 711 000 0.29 49 000 2 SUPER 11 095 000 28 736 000 0.26 75 000 3 OTHER 916 000 2 374 000 0.28 6 000 Total potentially leachable 47 821 000 0.27 130 000

The estimates represent an order of magnitude assessment, given wide data spacing and lack of rigorous application of mining modifying factors but can be used as an optimistic scenario for an 810-year SX/EW operation fed from within the Prebrezhniy deposit area alone.



NEXT STEPS

IG Asia will use the expenditure commitment of USD 9M to February 2029 to carry out the following strategy:

Oxide Only Project Fully outline and define resources, particularly supergene, eastern extensions and centre within the Pribrezhniy deposit and investigate oxide copper concentrations at the other prospects within the license. Perform heap leach specific testwork on representative ore subtypes.





Combined Sulphide Project Fully outline newly discovered high-grade breccia from surface with an aim to define the full extent of the higher-grade breccia sweetener. Improve sulphide resource definition. Increase level of accuracy in project metrics including water management plan to benefit local users where water is a scarce resource.



Definition Phase Studies

Three main study areas to complete are: Comprehensive ESIA including upgraded 3D hydrogeological model integrated with a water management plan. Preliminary oxide Mine Development Project Plan on SXEW operation over 8 yr LoM. Combined oxide + sulphide Pre-Feasibility Study at +/- 30% level of accuracy.





Three main study areas to complete are:

Image 2: Drilling at Central Zone, Pribrezhniy







Qualified Person, Technical Information

Steve McRobbie, MAusIMM. Vice President Projects of IG Asia LLC, has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves, and has prepared, validated and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release.

About IG Asia

IG Asia is focused on world class opportunities in the mineral-rich countries of Kazakhstan and Mongolia. On the heels of IG Global Groups successful exploration and discoveries at IG Copper and IG Tintic, founder Thomas E. Bowens formed IG Asia recognizing the vast mineral discovery potential of Kazakhstan and Mongolia, and the opportunity presented by the modernization of their attractive foreign investment frameworks. IGGs exceptional technical team and regional experience is its strategic advantage. For more information: www.igasia.com

About IG Global Group LLC

IGG is a private international holding company focused on the exploration and development of world class mineral deposits. The Companys activities include mineral exploration, mining operations and mining services. Founded in 2010 by Thomas E. Bowens, a Certified Professional Geologist, with degrees in Economics, Geological Engineering (Magna Cum Laude) and a masters degree in Geology (the latter two from the Colorado School of Mines). IGG brings together experienced professionals who are innovators in their fields with selected technical consultants who are well-versed in the latest industry exploration and mine development techniques and technologies. For more information igglobalgroup.com.

CONTACT Steven McRobbie, VP Projects: smcrobbie@igglobalgroup.com Stephanie Ashton, VP Business Development: sashton@igglobalgroup.com



APPENDIX A



SELECTED DRILL RESULTS FROM FINAL HOLES OF RTXS 2023 DRILLING CAMPAIGN (Refer Figure 2 for location on the deposit)







Photos accompanying this announcement are available at



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0fd75a4b-5401-466d-bfdc-941282c35801

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https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1ad468a1-2490-4e2d-a319-03e351a8980b

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/65e26b50-43f7-4001-b883-ef9b4403faad

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e7c655f2-f575-439b-8ae8-26abf3e6a72c
Independence, KY, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Call Now Heating and Cooling is pleased to announce its recent acquisition of Phoenix Comfort Systems, marking a significant expansion for the company. With this acquisition, Call Now Heating and Cooling now boasts two convenient locations, doubling its capacity to better serve customers in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati regions.

This expansion means that Call Now Heating and Cooling now has twice the number of dedicated professionals ready to meet your heating and cooling needs. With four Master Licensed HVAC Technicians on staff, Call Now Heating and Cooling offers one of the highest levels of expertise in Northern Kentucky.

Moreover, Call Now Heating and Cooling remains committed to giving back to the community. For every new Heating and Cooling System installation and/or new Maintenance Agreement, a portion of the sale will be donated to Lucky Tales Rescue, supporting their mission to rescue and care for animals in need.

To learn more about Call Now Heating and Cooling and its services, visit their website at https://callnowhvac.com/.

For media inquiries contact Sarah Hartwig via email at sarah@fusionwrx.com.

Attachments
Denver, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The proliferation of generative artificial intelligence applications is fueling unprecedented growth in the data center market. Rapid development, deployment and adoption of generative AI programs has left data center operators scrambling to stand up new facilities and build out the additional capacity needed to meet demand. Growth in the market should create new business opportunities for rural broadband operators and electric cooperatives as data centers expand beyond their typical urban confines.

Data center hubs have historically been deployed in urban areas given their access to power, water and integrated fiber networks. Proximity to Fortune 500 companies and government agencies that rely heavily on data computing and storage has also played a role in data centers favoring urban markets. However, that model is evolving quickly as data center operators are forced to evaluate new markets to secure the energy resources needed to run power-guzzling generative AI applications.

According to a new report from CoBanks Knowledge Exchange, generative AI is set to be a game-changer for the hyperscale data center landscape, enabling new deployment strategies and ultimately benefiting rural America in the process. Data center power consumption is currently wreaking havoc on the energy complex and contributing to a growing imbalance between supply and demand  which is forcing data center operators into secondary and rural markets.

Data center operators have recognized that its easier to move gigabits of data than electrons and have entered locations where land is available and additional power is more attainable, said Jeff Johnston, lead digital infrastructure economist with CoBank. Over time, we expect new data centers will move outside of secondary markets and deeper into rural America.

Developing trends in the data center market, including the need for more power, data computation and storage capacity and internet connectivity, should represent growth opportunities for some rural broadband operators and electric companies, Johnston added.

The recent swell of attention surrounding generative AI appears to be justified as the technology is widely expected to have staying power. Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta are investing billions of dollars into generative AI, which will be deployed horizontally across devices and transcend industries delivering operational efficiencies as well as new products and services.

A breakthrough graphical processing unit chipset technology from semiconductor provider Nvidia is largely responsible for the rapid growth of generative AI. The platform enables large language models to run deep learning algorithms that can recognize, summarize, translate, predict and generate content using enormously large data sets. Generative AI applications leveraging GPU chipsets require significantly more computing resources than legacy AI applications running central processing unit chips.

For instance, the International Energy Agency has indicated a request to ChatGPT requires 2.9 watt-hours of electricity. Thats nearly 10 times as much as the average Google search. Those intensive power requirements, combined with the growth in AI data centers, are driving the supply and demand imbalance in energy markets.

Data center fueled demand for electricity is growing so fast it is forcing some states and power providers to dramatically revise their demand forecasts in real time. And the CEO of chip-design company Arm suggested that without greater efficiency, AI data centers could represent as much as 20% to 25% of U.S. power requirements by 2030, up from ~4% today.

The demand for new data centers, energy and broadband show no signs of slowing down, and rural America will have the opportunity to help serve this need, said Johnston. Some of these opportunities will carry risk for rural infrastructure providers and require capital expenditures. So careful analysis is imperative for those looking to enter the market. Its not for everyone, but the growth opportunity cannot be denied.

Watch a video synopsis and read the report, The Rural Revolution is Coming as Generative AI Drives Hyperscale Data Centers.

About CoBank

CoBank is a cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 77,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country.

CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and also maintains an international representative office in Singapore.

*Jeff Johnston is available for interviews with the media upon request.
NEW YORK, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds those who held the common stock of Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp. n/k/a The Lion Electric Company (NYSE: NGA, LEV) as of the record date of March 18, 2021 for the merger with the then-private The Lion Electric Company of the important June 10, 2024 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you held Northern Genesis common stock as of the record date of March 18, 2021 for the merger with the then-private The Lion Electric Company, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Northern Genesis class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=23699 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than June 10, 2024. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants: (1) used materially deceptive risk factor statements to withhold the truth about problems facing the then-private The Lion Electric Company (Legacy Lion Electric), including supply chain problems with its suppliers and sub-suppliers; (2) misled Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp.s (NGA) stockholders about Legacy Lion Electrics prospects using grossly unrealistic financial projections; and (3) failed to provide NGA stockholders with the net cash value of their shares  the key disclosure about the fundamental purchasing power their NGA shares represented. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Northern Genesis class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=23699 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

-------------------------------

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

case@rosenlegal.com

www.rosenlegal.com
PASCAGOULA, Miss., May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HIIs (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division hosted a signing day for the 2024 graduates of its Shipbuilder Academy today at the shipyard. This year, 25 talented high school students were offered full-time positions at Ingalls, where they will begin their shipbuilding career following the completion of their education.

Through hands-on training, mentorship, and classroom instruction, participants in the Ingalls Shipbuilding Academy (ISA) gain invaluable experience that prepares them with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in a shipbuilding career.

Today is a celebration of the students who have made the decision to develop their skills and be a part of our over 85-year shipbuilding legacy, said Donny Dorsey, vice president of Operations at Ingalls Shipbuilding. Each one of these students has worked hard to get to this point, and we look forward to having them join the Ingalls team.

During the signing ceremony, among parents and special guests, the high school seniors were honored much like high school athletes announcing an intended college. Each student received and signed a contingent offer of employment highlighting their new position at the shipyard. Upon their high school graduation, these students will join the Ingalls workforce.

Photos accompanying this release are available at: https://hii.com/news/hiis-ingalls-shipbuilding-hosts-signing-day-for-2024-graduates-of-shipbuilder-academy/

Two of the students receiving job offers shared their excitement about the ISA program and the opportunity it has provided them.

Christopher Powe, a student at Pascagoula High School, reflected on his journey through the ISA program stating, I have already learned so much, and Im excited to get to work once I receive my diploma. I have heard good things about Ingalls and the possibilities to be successful straight out of high school, and I knew I couldnt pass up this chance with ISA. Powe received a job offer to join the team as a machinist helper apprentice.

Elijah Bliven, a student at Saint Martin High School, expressed his enthusiasm for the program stating, Ive always had interest in everything electrical related, so I jumped on the opportunity to turn my passion into a career. Im grateful for my experience with ISA, and it feels good knowing Im prepared for my next chapter as a shipbuilder. Bliven will be joining the team as a sheet metal helper apprentice.

Since 2016, over 400 students have graduated from the Shipbuilder Academy, allowing Ingalls to proactively invest in local workforce pipelines that are preparing young individuals for careers at the shipyard. The success of the program comes from the partnerships Ingalls has with 13 different high schools along the Gulf Coast including Biloxi, Gulfport, West Harrison, Long Beach, Pass Christian, Pascagoula, Gautier, Moss Point, East Central, Vancleave, St. Martin, Ocean Springs and Alma Bryant.

In addition to establishing the Shipbuilder Academy, Ingalls has made substantial investments in local technical programs by establishing Talent Development Lab programs in 2018 at three local high schools: Pascagoula, Moss Point and Alma Bryant.

The shared goal of these initiatives is to provide students with the opportunity to build a solid future for themselves while nurturing a strong talent pipeline for the next generation of shipbuilders. By investing in education and workforce development, Ingalls reaffirms its commitment to building both ships and careers in the Gulf Coast region.

For more information about careers at Ingalls shipbuilding visit, hii.com/careers .

About HII

HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HIIs mission is to deliver the worlds most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world.

As the nations largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HIIs workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:

HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/

HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII

HII on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII

HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII

Contact:

Kimberly K. Aguillard

228-355-5663

Kimberly.K.Aguillard@hii-co.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2e23616f-69bd-4081-a6e5-b2151e557c11
WASHINGTON, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

What:

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies ( MAPS ), The Marijuana Policy Project ( MPP ), and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws ( NORML ) - three of the most pivotal drug policy reform organizations in the United States - will host a roundtable discussion/Q&A for the media on the news that, on the recommendation of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. If implemented following a rulemaking process, this unprecedented federal drug policy change could provoke reforms across many areas of marijuana-related laws. MAPS has assembled leaders with more than 50 years of combined experience in the cannabis policy reform movement to talk about what these changes are, why they matter, what myths need debunking, and what still needs to be done.

Who:

Moderator - Betty Aldworth , Director of Communications & Post-Prohibition Strategy and long time drug policy reform advocate

Guest - Karen OKeefe - Director of State Policies at Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)

Guest - Paul Armentano - Deputy Director, NORML

Topics will include potential impacts on:

Research & development for cannabis-based medicines

Criminal law and systems-impacted people

Cannabis business banking or interstate commerce

Veterans Affairs and Veterans

and whats next?



Where/When:

Thursday, May 2, 2024

11:00 AM ET

Register online: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2Rot6b4pQ26F6MQXgo4hTQ

Accredited media only. Questions may be directed to maps@kcsa.com .

Why:

Cannabis has been a substance of interest for MAPS since its inception in 1986. Cannabis sits squarely in the MAPS mission that envisions a world where psychedelics and marijuana are safely and legally available for beneficial uses, and where research is governed by rigorous scientific evaluation of their risks and benefits. Most recently in 2021, MAPS was awarded a $12.9M grant from Michigan to research inhaled cannabis for symptoms of PTSD among Veterans .

In August of 2023, the HHS provided a recommendation to the DEA recommending that the DEA reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. The DEAs proposal was circulated on Tuesday April 30, and it serves as a moment in time where the media will be looking for informed sources and validated facts to talk about the future of cannabis in America.

Contact:

maps@kcsa.com
Investors can contact the law firm at no cost to learn more about recovering their losses

LOS ANGELES, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises HireRight Holdings Corporation (HireRight or the Company) (NYSE: HRT) investors that a lawsuit was filed on behalf of investors that purchased HireRight securities pursuant and/or traceable to the Offering Documents issued in connection with HireRights October 2021 initial public offering (the IPO or Offering).

Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy , by phone 310-692-8883 or email : lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or click here to join the case via www.portnoylaw.com . The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses.

On November 1, 2021, HireRight initiated its IPO, selling around 22 million shares of common stock at $19.00 per share.

Then, on January 19, 2023, Seeking Alpha reported findings from brokerage and investment banking firm Stifel, indicating that HireRight had significant exposure to large technology firms, thereby facing heightened employment and hiring risks. Stifel also noted that a substantial portion of the company's growth stemmed from existing client hiring rather than new client acquisitions.

Upon this revelation, HireRight's stock price plummeted by $0.88, or 7.5%, settling at $10.75 per share on January 19, 2023, causing harm to investors.

The class action complaint alleges that the Offering Documents were negligently crafted and contained materially false and/or misleading statements. It is claimed that these documents failed to disclose crucial adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, it is alleged that HireRight was exposed to customers with substantial employment and hiring risk, relying heavily on existing client hiring for revenue growth rather than acquiring new clients. Consequently, it is argued that the company's revenue growth was unsustainable, as it depended on the stability of current customers' hiring and the profitability of securing new clients. The complaint further alleges that HireRight overstated its post-IPO business and prospects, rendering Defendants' positive statements about the company's business, operations, and prospects materially misleading and lacking reasonable basis throughout the relevant period.

Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information.

The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq.

Admitted CA and NY Bar

lesley@portnoylaw.com

310-692-8883

www.portnoylaw.com

Attorney Advertising
Project remains on schedule with 95% of upfront expenditures now committed

(All amounts expressed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated)

Toronto, April 30, 2024 - Torex Gold Resources Inc. (the "Company" or "Torex") (TSX: TXG) provides its Q1 2024 update on the development of its Media Luna Project ("Media Luna"). Unless otherwise stated, progress and milestones referenced in this press release are as of March 31, 2024.

Jody Kuzenko, President & CEO of Torex, stated:

"We continue to demonstrate our ability to deliver excellence in project execution. With the construction period now crossing the two-year mark, Media Luna remains on track for first copper concentrate production before year end and commercial production in early 2025, the combination of which are expected to result in a return to positive free cash flow towards the middle of next year.

"Solid progress was made during the first quarter, with engineering activities now 91% complete, procurement activities 78% complete, and the overall project almost 70% complete. Underground construction and development sat at 64% complete, with vertical and lateral development tracking to plan. In addition, the construction of ore/waste handling systems is advancing well, and 78% of Guajes Tunnel conveyor tables are now installed. We continue to make steady gains on surface construction, with two-thirds of concrete now poured, steel erection progressing, copper flotation cells being installed, and the sediment/decant ponds completed.

"As at quarter end, 95% of the upfront capital expenditures had been committed including 71% incurred. To date, capital expenditures have tracked reasonably well to the initial budget of $874.5 million, noting again that the stronger Mexican peso remains a headwind to contend with. Quarterly expenditures are expected to remain above $100 million through Q3 2024 before declining in Q4 2024 as Media Luna nears completion and commercial production is subsequently declared.

"With available liquidity of more than $400 million as at the end of March, our liquidity position is more than sufficient to fund the $257 million of capital expenditures remaining on Media Luna while meeting our objective to maintain at least $100 million of liquidity on the balance sheet. With production and costs tracking to full-year 2024 guidance, together with the strong gold price, our funding position is expected to strengthen even further through the remainder of the year.

"The successful completion of Media Luna, combined with ongoing exploration success at Morelos, our track record of consistent and reliable production, and the transition back to positive free cash flow in 2025, will provide a world-class platform to drive long-term shareholder value as we grow our operations in Mexico and beyond."

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES

Table 1: Media Luna Project - Project Expenditures (April 1, 2022, through March 31, 2024)

Millions of U.S. dollars Project To Date

Q1 2024 Project expenditures per 2022 Technical Report $848.4 Adjustment for Q1 2022 underspend $26.1 Total budgeted spend post March 31, 2022 $874.5 Expenditures incurred post March 31, 2022 ($617.4) Remaining spend $257.1 Committed expenditures (inclusive of total project expenditures incurred to date) $830.6 Uncommitted expenditures $43.9

Notes to Table

1) Project period commenced on April 1, 2022; excludes capital expenditures incurred prior to Board approval on March 31, 2022.

2) Project period is defined as April 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024.

3) Excludes borrowing costs capitalized.

During Q1 2024, $126.4 million was invested in the project. Expenditures are expected to remain above $100 million through Q3 of this year, before declining in Q4 as the project nears completion. As at quarter end, $830.6 million of expenditures had been committed (95%), including $617.4 million incurred (71%). There has been no change to full-year guidance of $350 to $400 million on project capital expenditures.

As reported previously, the Company has entered into a series of zero-cost collars to hedge against changes in foreign exchange rates of the Mexican peso. The average floor price of the collars is 17.38 Mexican pesos per U.S. dollar and the average ceiling price is 20.0, with the collars covering the remaining project period (through December 2024). Approximately 45% of the remaining expenditures are expected to be denominated in pesos and the level hedged represents approximately 38% of the peso-denominated expenditures. The initial upfront capital cost of developing Media Luna assumed a Mexican peso of 20.0, which, weighted by quarterly expenditures, has averaged approximately 18.0 since the project commenced on April 1, 2022. The peso is currently trading around 17.0.

PROJECT COMPLETION

As at quarter end, development of Media Luna was tracking to plan with the project 69% complete, up from 60% at the start of the quarter. Detailed engineering is at the 91% completion mark, while procurement is 78% complete. Underground development/construction and surface construction are advancing nicely with completion levels at 64% and 47%, respectively. Based on the current schedule, the tie-in of upgrades to the processing plant are still on track to occur over a four-week period during Q4 2024, which will allow for commissioning and first concentrate production in late 2024 and commercial production in early 2025.

Table 2: Media Luna Project - Project Completion (April 1, 2022, through March 31, 2024)



Project To Date

Q1 2024 Procurement 78% Engineering 91% Underground development/construction 64% Surface construction 47% Total Project 69%

Notes to Table

1) Physical progress measured starting as of April 1, 2022; excludes progress made prior to Board approval on March 31, 2022.

2) Project period is defined as April 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024.

3) Total Project is weighted average based on activity levels.

Engineering

As engineering works near completion, both surface and underground teams continue to focus on electrical deliverables, such as electrical schematics, and are working closely with vendors to expedite purchase orders and compress delivery timelines where possible. For underground, drawings were issued for the main garage and service water pump station. On surface, steel fabrication drawings were issued for the copper concentrate storage and loadout and fabrication drawings for paste plant steel were released for fabrication.

Procurement

Steady progress was made on procurement during the quarter, which is now 78% complete from 63% at the start of Q1. Purchase orders were placed for pumps, HDPE pipe, fire protection hydrants and accessories, the sampling building for copper concentrate, the underground LTE system and instrumentation, and control panels for the 230 kV power system. Contracts have been signed for the Guajes conveyor belt splicing, 230 kV substation structural and electrical works, 230 kV switchyard and transmission line installation, as well as the installation of HDPE for fresh and fire water systems.

During the quarter, the ore and waste transfer conveyors, west adit main fans, vibrating screens, rockbreakers and grizzly steel, and 15 kV power cables were delivered to site for the underground installation and construction. Deliveries to site for the surface infrastructure included: cleaner flotation cells, PLC panels, agitators, flocculant systems, copper concentrate filter, froth pumps, carbon steel pipe, and mechanical and structural steel. Approximately 3,600 metres of rubber-lined pipe for the slurry line from ELG to the paste plant has been delivered to site. Importantly, the paste plant filter presses have completed testing and are expected to be delivered in early August.

Underground Development and Construction

As of the end of quarter, 94% of bolts for the Guajes conveyor hanging sections had been placed and 78% of the Guajes conveyor belt tables had been installed (Figure 1). Conveyor belt segments have arrived at site and belt splicing (flaking) has started in anticipation of installation commencing mid-Q2, well ahead of commissioning in August. Additionally, work progressed in the Guajes Tunnel to prepare for the installation of various mine services following the conveyor tables' installation. Breakthrough also occurred in two of the ore/waste passes as well as ore bins 1 and 2, enabling preparation for steel installation at the ore bin tops and bottoms. Work proceeded to excavate the cone for the grizzly at the first rock breaker station. The pilot hole for the 87-metre ventilation raise was completed and reaming began in April.





Figure 1: Following completion of the Guajes Tunnel in December 2023, significant progress has been made on the seven-kilometre conveyor with 78% of conveyor tables installed



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1863/207416_image.jpg

In-mine development continued to advance steadily. The first charging bays for the Sandvik production equipment and Rokion/MacLean support equipment were excavated, with the installation of the charging equipment completed in April. As of the end of the quarter, there were 36 active headings, including 33 in Media Luna Lower (the area of initial production) and 3 in Media Luna Upper.

Surface Construction

Surface construction is progressing to plan, with 67% of the planned concrete for the project now poured. On the north side of the Balsas River, significant progress was made on the installation of the flotation cells at the processing plant (Figure 2). Installation of the Guajes tailings thickener has commenced. Piping installation is underway in the water treatment area and at the processing plant between the grinding and flotation circuits. A new trash screen and discharge chute were installed at the grinding area and mechanical and piping tie-ins were completed during planned maintenance downtime in April. Construction of the steel support towers at the 230 kV substation has commenced as concrete works were substantially completed in Q1 as planned. The e-house for the Guajes conveyor has been placed onto concrete supports at the head station located outside of the Guajes Tunnel.

On the south side of the Balsas River, all concrete for the paste plant thickener area has been poured, with the balance of the plant concrete to be completed during the second quarter to facilitate the start of steel erection in May. Liner has been installed upstream on both the sediment and decant ponds and backfill around the perimeter was completed in April, finalizing these works. Deposition of waste rock into the new west waste rock storage facility has begun.





Figure 2: Construction of the flotation facility is progressing well with installation of the copper and iron sulphide flotation circuits and piping well underway



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1863/207416_d84eb65924df5b8e_002full.jpg

Operational Readiness

In parallel with development and construction activities, the surface and underground operational readiness strategy continues to advance as planned. Operational readiness teams are accountable for ensuring that processes and systems for all new work areas are established and ready in advance of the handover from the project team to operations. This includes workforce transition planning and training, developing the operating strategy (including all standard operating procedures) and maintenance plans for all fixed and mobile equipment, blend and feed strategies, detailed commissioning plans, first fills, concentrate shipment logistics, and all other requirements to ensure a smooth ramp-up. Training for the transition from open pit to underground miners is well underway and the first graduates from the program have joined the underground mine development team. The first battery electric jumbo drill operation training commenced in January in addition to training of long-hole drill and scoop operators. Recruitment from local communities to fill vacant underground positions is also ramping up. Systems have been put in place for technical training progression across various levels of theory, simulator training, and field training. Negotiations are underway with various haulage companies for copper concentrate transport to port distribution facilities. The Company is in the final stages of settling the commercial terms for the offtake agreements with a mix of traders and smelters. Payables are tracking in line with that which was incorporated into the most recent Technical Report dated effective March 16, 2022, and filed on March 31, 2022 ("Technical Report").

PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN

Based on progress made during Q1 2024 and a detailed review of both the surface and underground schedules completed late in the quarter, the overall project end dates are unchanged compared to the prior plan outlined within the last Media Luna update press release published on February 7, 2024, with only modest adjustments to interim activities in the overall schedule (Figure 3).





Figure 3: Project execution plan for the Media Luna Project



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1863/207416_d84eb65924df5b8e_003full.jpg

In terms of the overall project schedule, the Company continues to actively monitor the delivery dates for long lead critical items to ensure vendors meet their delivery obligations. Electrical equipment, specifically, remains a focus to manage schedule risk given the long-lead times for delivery of this equipment (e-houses and switch gear).

The current project plan relative to the Company's Technical Report reflects the Company's estimates for the completion of key project deliverables. These updated deliverables have not impacted the overall project schedule given the original plan had assumed the potential for schedule adjustments and the possibility for supply chain disruptions.

More detail on the Media Luna Project, including the Feasibility Study results, can be found in the Technical Report.

ABOUT TOREX GOLD RESOURCES INC.

Torex is an intermediate gold producer based in Canada, engaged in the exploration, development, and operation of its 100% owned Morelos Property, an area of 29,000 hectares in the highly prospective Guerrero Gold Belt located 180 kilometres southwest of Mexico City. The Company's principal asset is the Morelos Complex, which includes the El Limon Guajes ("ELG") Mine Complex, the Media Luna Project, a processing plant and related infrastructure. Commercial production from the Morelos Complex commenced on April 1, 2016, and an updated Technical Report for the Morelos Complex was released in March 2022. Torex's key strategic objectives are to integrate and optimize its Morelos Property, deliver Media Luna to full production, grow reserves and resources, retain and attract best industry talent, and build on ESG excellence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Torex Gold Resources Inc.

Jody Kuzenko

President and CEO

Direct: (647) 725-9982

jody.kuzenko@torexgold.com

Dan Rollins

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations

Direct: (647) 260-1503

dan.rollins@torexgold.com

QUALIFIED PERSON

The technical and scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Dave Stefanuto, P. Eng, Executive Vice President, Technical Services and Capital Projects of the Company, and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101.

CAUTIONARY NOTES ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements that: with the construction period now crossing the two-year mark, Media Luna remains on track for first copper concentrate production before year end and commercial production in early 2025, the combination of which are expected to result in a return to positive free cash flow towards the middle of next year; to date, capital expenditures have tracked reasonably well to the initial budget of $874.5 million, noting again that the stronger Mexican peso remains a headwind to contend with; quarterly expenditures are expected to remain above $100 million through Q3 2024 before declining in Q4 2024 as Media Luna nears completion and commercial production is subsequently declared; with available liquidity of more than $400 million as at the end of March, the Company's liquidity position is more than sufficient to fund the $257 million of capital expenditures remaining on Media Luna while meeting the Company's objective to maintain at least $100 million of liquidity on the balance sheet; with production and costs tracking to full-year 2024 guidance, together with the strong gold price, the Company's funding position is expected to strengthen even further through the remainder of the year; the successful completion of Media Luna, combined with ongoing exploration success at Morelos, the Company's track record of consistent and reliable production, and the transition back to positive free cash flow in 2025, will provide a world-class platform to drive long-term shareholder value as the Company grows its operations in Mexico and beyond; during Q1 2024, $126.4 million was invested in the project and expenditures are expected to remain above $100 million through Q3 of this year, before declining in Q4 as the project nears completion; there has been no change to full-year guidance of $350 to $400 million on project capital expenditures; approximately 45% of the remaining expenditures are expected to be denominated in pesos and the level hedged represents approximately 38% of the peso-denominated expenditures; as at quarter end, development of Media Luna was tracking to plan; based on the current schedule, the tie-in of upgrades to the processing plant are still on track to occur over a four-week period during Q4 2024, which will allow for commissioning and first concentrate production in late 2024 and commercial production in early 2025; the paste plant filter presses have completed testing and are expected to be delivered in early August; the Company is in the final stages of settling the commercial terms for the offtake agreements with a mix of traders and smelters and payables are tracking in line with that which was incorporated into the most recent Technical Report; based on progress made during Q1 2024 and a detailed review of both the surface and underground schedules completed late in the quarter, the overall project end dates are unchanged compared to the prior plan outlined within the last Media Luna update press release published on February 7, 2024, with only modest adjustments to interim activities in the overall schedule; the project execution plan for the Media Luna Project set out in Figure 3; all concrete for the paste plant thickener area has been poured with the balance of the plant concrete to be completed during the second quarter to facilitate the start of steel erection in May and the Company's key strategic objectives are to integrate and optimize its Morelos Property, deliver Media Luna to full production, grow reserves and resources, retain and attract best industry talent, and build on ESG excellence. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expect", "plan", "strategy", "schedule", "guide", "continue", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur or are "on track" to occur. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties identified in the technical report ("Technical Report") titled ELG Mine Complex Life of Mine Plan and Media Luna Feasibility Study, with an effective date of March 16, 2022, and a filing date of March 31, 2022 and in the Company's annual information form ("AIF") and management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") or other unknown but potentially significant impacts. Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analyses and opinions of management made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments as set out in the Technical Report, AIF and MD&A, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date such statements are made. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. The Technical Report, AIF and MD&A are filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and available on the Company's website at www.torexgold.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207416
VANCOUVER, April 30, 2024 - Liberty Gold Corp. (TSX:LGD; OTCQX:LGDTF) ("Liberty Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the successful upsizing of its non-brokered, private placement financing from C$9.5 million to C$12.5 million (the "Offering").



The terms of the Offering remain unchanged and will consist of the issuance of up to 35,715,362 units of the Company (the "Units") at an issue price of C$0.35 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one common share of Liberty Gold (each, a "Common Share") and 1/2 of a common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one common share of Liberty Gold at a price of C$0.45 for a period of 24 months following completion of the Offering.

The proceeds of the Offering will be used for exploration drilling on seven high-priority target areas identified at the Black Pine Oxide Gold Project in Idaho, engineering, development, economic studies and permitting programs for the Company's projects in the Great Basin and for general working capital.

In line with the Liberty Gold's commitment to efficient capital allocation, the Company confirms that no finders or broker fees are payable in this non-brokered offering.

"This upsize reflects the response from our investors and underscores the compelling value proposition of Liberty Gold," stated Cal Everett, CEO and Director of Liberty Gold. "This additional capital will further strengthen our financial position as we advance Black Pine and pursue our strategic development objectives and our goal of building the resource to the +5 million ounce range."

The Offering is scheduled to close on or about May 17, 2024, and is subject to a number of conditions including, but not limited to, receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The Offering will be conducted on a private placement basis and all securities issued under the Offering will be subject to a hold period which will expire four months and one day from the date of the applicable closing of the Offering. The securities offered 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 securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor will there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

ABOUT LIBERTY GOLD

Liberty Gold is focused on exploring for and developing open pit oxide deposits in the Great Basin of the United States, home to large-scale gold projects that are ideal for open-pit mining.?This region is one of the most prolific gold-producing regions in the world and stretches across Nevada and into Idaho and Utah. We know the Great Basin and are driven to discover and advance big gold deposits that can be mined profitably in open-pit scenarios.?

For more information, visit libertygold.ca or contact:

Susie Bell, Manager, Investor Relations

Phone: 604-632-4677 or Toll Free 1-877-632-4677

info@libertygold.ca

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to Liberty Gold within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements that about the size, timing and completion of the Offering, the use of proceeds of the offering, the timing and completion of the Preliminary Feasibility Study, the timing and completion of formal mine permitting, and the potential quantity and/or grade of minerals and Liberty Gold's mineral resources. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "planned", "expect", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intends", "believe", "potential", and similar expressions, or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "should", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made including, among others, assumptions about future prices of gold, and other metal prices, currency exchange rates and interest rates, favourable operating conditions, political stability, obtaining governmental approvals and financing on time, obtaining renewals for existing licenses and permits and obtaining required licenses and permits, labour stability, stability in market conditions, the timing and success of future plans and objectives in the areas of sustainable development, health, safety, environment, community development; successful resolution of disputes and anticipated costs and expenditures and the timing of regulatory approvals. Many assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Liberty Gold and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

Such forward-looking information, involves known and unknown risks, which may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, risks related to the interpretation of results and/or the reliance on technical information provided by third parties as related to the Company's mineral property interests; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; current economic conditions; future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; the costs and timing of the development of new deposits; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; the timing and success of exploration activities generally; delays in permitting; possible claims against the Company; labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, the completion of exploration as well as those factors discussed in the Annual Information Form of the Company dated March 28, 2024 in the section entitled "Risk Factors", under Liberty Gold's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Although Liberty Gold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Liberty Gold disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Vancouver, April 30, 2024 - Eureka Lithium Corp. (CSE: ERKA) (OTCQB: UREKF) (FSE: S580) ("Eureka Lithium" or "Eureka" or the "Company") announces the appointment of Mr. DJ Bowen, a Director of the Company, to the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Bowen is a self-employed corporate finance consultant. From February 2018 to October 2019, he served as a research analyst with Capstone Asset Management and from July 2020 to November 2021, he served as a director for Traction Uranium Corp. He has also been a director with Reflex Advanced Materials since June 2021 (and its CEO from February 2022 to October 2022). With over 20 years of investment experience, Mr. Bowen has held roles as an Investment Advisor, Portfolio Manager, Quant Trader and programmer of related financial applications.

The Company also announces the resignation of Mr. Jeffrey Wilson as Chief Executive Officer, Corporate Secretary and as a Director of the Company. The Board wishes to thank Mr. Wilson for his services and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.

Corporate Video

To view a new Eureka Lithium corporate video, visit www.EurekaLithiumCorp.com (https://eurekalithiumcorp.com) or the following URL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vvm0zfNFp4

Corporate Presentation

Visit the Eureka Lithium homepage or click on the following URL to view the Company's Corporate Presentation:

https://eurekalithiumcorp.com/EurekaLithium_Q3_2023.pdf

About Eureka Lithium Corp.

Eureka Lithium is the largest lithium-focused landowner in the northern third of Quebec, known as the Nunavik region, with 100% ownership of three projects comprising 1,408 sq. km in the emerging Raglan West, Raglan South and New Leaf Lithium Camps. These claims were acquired from legendary prospector Shawn Ryan and are located in a region that hosts two operating nickel mines with deep-sea port access.

For more information please contact:

DJ Bowen

Chief Executive Officer

Email: info@eurekalithiumcorp.com

Cautionary Statement

Certain statements contained in this news release, including statements which may contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", or similar expressions, and statements related to matters which are not historical facts, such as statements regarding the contemplated completion of the Acquisition and the Concurrent Financing, are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's expectations and are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct, nor that the Acquisition will be completed as contemplated, or at all, or that the Concurrent Financing will be completed as contemplated, or at all. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any future revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved the contents of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207498
Vancouver, April 30, 2024 - Nexus Uranium Corp. (CSE: NEXU) (OTCQB: GIDMF) (FSE: 3H1) (the "Company" or "Nexus") is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced private placement of 2,400,000 units ("Units") at a price of $0.50 per Unit to raise gross proceeds of $1,200,000 (the "Private Placement").

Each Unit consists of one common share (a "Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable to acquire one additional Common Share until April 30, 2026 at an exercise price of $0.60. The Units (including the underlying Common Shares and Warrants) were issued pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption contained in Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions (the "LIFE Financing Exemption") and, accordingly, are not subject to a statutory four month hold period.

In connection with the Private Placement, the Company paid an aggregate of $61,600 and issued an aggregate of 130,200 Warrants to certain finders. The Warrants issued to the finders were not issued pursuant to the LIFE Financing Exemption and, accordingly, are subject to a statutory four month hold period.

The Company plans to use the net proceeds of the Private Placement to fund payments due under its existing option agreements and land holding obligations, to complete exploration work and for general corporate purposes and working capital.

About Nexus Uranium Corp.

Nexus Uranium Corp. is a multi-commodity development company focused on advancing the Cree East uranium project in the Athabasca Basin and the Wray Mesa uranium-vanadium project in Utah in addition to its precious metals portfolio that includes the development-stage Independence mine located adjacent to Nevada Gold Mine's Phoenix-Fortitude mine in Nevada, the Napoleon gold project in British Columbia, and a package of gold claims in the Yukon. The Wray Mesa project covers 6,282 acres within the heart of the prolific Uruvan mining district in Utah and has extensive historical drilling of over 500 holes defining multiple mineralized zones. The Independence project hosts an M&I (measured and indicated) resource of 334,300 ounces of gold (28M tonnes at 0.41 g/t gold) and an inferred resource of 847,000 ounces (9M tonnes at 3.22 g/t gold) of gold with a substantial silver credit. A 2021 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) outlined a low-cost heap leach operation focusing on the near-surface resource with total production of 195,443 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,078 (U.S.) per ounce of gold. The Napoleon project comprises over 1,000 hectares and prospective for multiple forms of gold mineralization, with exploration in the area dating back to the 1970s with the discovery of high-grade gold. The Yukon gold projects are comprised of almost 8,000 hectares of quartz claims prospective for high-grade gold mineralization with historical grab sampling highlights of 144 g/t gold.

Nexus Uranium cautions investors the preliminary economic assessment is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be realized. The Company further cautions investors Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability and further cautions investors the quantity and grade of the reported inferred Mineral Resources are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these inferred Mineral Resources as indicated Mineral Resources.

The Company cautions investors it has yet to verify the historical data and further cautions investors grab samples are selective by nature and are unlikely to represent average grades of sampling on the entire property.

--

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Jeremy Poirier

Chief Executive Officer

info@nexusuranium.com

When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although Nexus believes, in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information in this press release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include, amongst others, the Company's intended use of the net proceeds of the Private Placement. Such statements and information reflect the current view of Nexus. There are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information.

Forward-looking statements are based on certain material assumptions and analysis made by the Company and the opinions and estimates of management as of the date of this news release, including, but not limited to the assumption that the Company's current plans and budgets will not materially change.

These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including, but not limited to management's discretion to reallocate proceeds of the Private Placement, inherent risks associated with the mining industry, the results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties, stock market volatility and capital market fluctuations, general market and industry conditions, as well as those risk factors discussed in the Company's most recently filed management's discussion & analysis.

Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial outlook that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/207538
Former Chief Geologist at First Quantum, MMG, and Chief Geoscientist at IGO Ltd.

TORONTO, May 1, 2024 - Power Nickel Inc. (the "Company" or "Power Nickel") (TSXV: PNPN) (OTCBB: PNPNF) (Frankfurt: IVV) is pleased to announce that internationally recognized geoscientist Dr. Steve Beresford has joined Power Nickel as a Special Advisor.

Dr. Steve Beresford's (FAIG FSEG) career includes being Chief Geologist of three major mining companies, a lecturer and professor, and the founder of several exploration companies. Steve began his exploration career at WMC Resources and has gone onto to do field exploration in 66 countries, largely for magmatic Nickel-Copper-PGE deposits. Steve is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia, and a board member of AGEMERA in Europe. Steve received his BSc honours and PhD from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand).

"I first came across Dr. Beresford when my son flagged this YouTube video on Ni-Cu-PGE deposits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hxWbW2NVdc&ab_channel=GeologicalSocietyofAustraliaInc.1 Watching this video, I was so impressed by his knowledge and expertise on these types of deposits. I thought there were a lot of similarities with Nisk, and that Steve's expertise would be very beneficial if I could convince him of Nisk's potential to be a giant. Ken Williamson VP of Exploration and I had a technical discussion with Dr. Beresford, and we were able to convince him to help. I will let Steve describe in his own words why he has joined and from Power Nickel's perspective, we are very excited to work with, in our view, literally the top expert on the very type of discovery we have at Nisk. We are confident his knowledge will expedite our exploration program and understanding of Nisk to give us the best chance of success," commented Power Nickel CEO Terry Lynch.

In explaining why he joined Power Nickel, Dr. Beresford said: "A base jumper needs over 500 solo dives to commence in a wing suit. I've spent my career working on all forms of Nickel sulfides across the world, working towards focusing on a higher value sub-type of Nickel deposits called Polymetallic Ni-Cu-PGE deposits, zoned high-grade metal deposits where Cu and noble metals (PGE, Au, Ag) form equivalent value to Nickel, not just credits. The world's two largest deposits of any metal are this type of deposit, Norilisk and Platreef.2 Polymetallic deposits remain the premier deposit style through market cycles. NISK has the geodynamic setting and prospect scale characteristics of a zoned metal system, so I'm looking forward to joining the Power Nickel team as we advance and transform NISK into a polymetallic deposit."

As part of his compensation, Dr. Beresford will be paid an up-front $100,000 cash consulting fee for review of the Company's technical information over a period of 12 months and to provide other technical input as may be reasonably required and requested by the Company.

The Company anticipates conducting a further flow-through private placement (the "Private Placement") financing with Quebec investors through Wealth Creation Preservation & Donation Inc. ("WCPD"). WCPD worked with the Company on certain of its flow-through financings in 2023, as a less dilutive way for the Company to raise funds for exploration, with the common shares available for back-end purchase from the front-end flow-through purchasers. The Company plans to issue 250,000 flow-through units at a price of $0.80 per flow-through unit for gross proceeds of $200,000. Each unit is comprised of one flow-through common share (an "FT Share") and one share purchase warrant, with each warrant exercisable to purchase one common share at a price of $0.80 per common share for 3 years from the date of issuance. Each FT Share will qualify as a "flow-through share" for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada). All securities issued under the Private Placement will be subject to a four-month and one-day statutory hold period. The Private Placement is subject to the Company's receipt of TSX Venture Exchange approval.

The Company intends to use the gross proceeds for exploration activities on the Company's NISK property located in Quebec.

______________________________ 1 Reference to the video is for information purposes only and the Company advises that the information in the video is not forming part of the Company's disclosure record. Any references to similarities to NISK is for information purposes only and there are no assurances that NISK will achieve the same results as the properties and projects described in the video. 2 Reference to the type of deposit and similarities to NISK are for information purposes only and there are no assurances that NISK will achieve the same results as these projects.

Qualified Person

Kenneth Williamson, Geo, M.Sc., VP Exploration at Power Nickel, is the qualified person who has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release.

About Power Nickel Inc.

Power Nickel is a Canadian junior exploration company focusing on developing the high-grade Nisk project into Canada's first Carbon Neutral Nickel mine.

The NISK property comprises a significant land position (20 kilometers of strike length) with numerous high-grade intercepts. Power Nickel is focused on expanding the historical high-grade nickel-copper PGE mineralization with a series of drill programs designed to test the initial Nisk discovery zone and to explore the land package for adjacent potential Nickel deposits.

In addition to the Nisk project, Power Nickel owns significant land packages in British Colombia and Chile. The Company is in the process of reorganizing these assets in a related vehicle, through a Plan of Arrangement that will be presented to Power Nickel shareholders of record for their approval.

To obtain Power Nickel's Corporate Presentation, please use the link below:

http://powernickel.com/corporate_presentation.pdf

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor it's Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This message contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" concerning the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential," "indicates," "opportunity," "possible" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such material risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, among others, the timing for the Company close the Private Placement; the timing for the Company to develop the NISK deposit or risk that such development does not occur at all; raise sufficient capital to fund its obligations under its property agreements going forward; to maintain its mineral tenures and concessions in good standing; to explore and develop its projects; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; the inherent hazards associates with mineral exploration and mining operations; future prices of nickel and other metals; changes in general economic conditions; accuracy of mineral resource and reserve estimates; the potential for new discoveries; the ability of the Company to obtain the necessary permits and consents required to explore, drill and develop the projects and if accepted, to obtain such licenses and approvals in a timely fashion relative to the Company's plans and business objectives for the applicable project; the general ability of the Company to monetize its mineral resources; and changes in environmental and other laws or regulations that could have an impact on the Company's operations, compliance with environmental laws and regulations, dependence on key management personnel and general competition in the mining industry.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/power-nickel-engages-global-expert-dr-steve-beresford-to-provide-technical--strategic-advice-302132560.html

SOURCE Power Nickel Inc.
VANCOUVER, May 01, 2024 - Cornish Metals Inc. (AIM/TSX-V: CUSN) ("Cornish Metals" or the "Company"), is pleased to report a positive independent Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") for its 100% owned and permitted South Crofty tin project ("South Crofty" or the "Project") located in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

The PEA validates South Crofty's economic viability, producing a base case after-tax Net Present Value ("NPV") of US$201 million and Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of 29.8%, and confirms the Project's potential to be a low-cost and long-life tin mining operation with a current 14-year life of mine ("LOM"). South Crofty is expected to produce a clean, high-grade tin concentrate and to be an important tin producer in Europe, supplying into the growing demand for this critical metal that is essential for the energy transition.

Highlights

Attractive project economics and financial metrics US$201 million after-tax NPV 8% and 29.8% IRR at base case tin price of US$31,000 /tonne US$235 million after-tax NPV 8% and 32.8% IRR at the current US$32,625 /tonne LME tin price Capital payback period of 3 years after-tax Total after-tax cash flow of approximately US$626 million from start of production, peaking at US$82 million in the second year of production Average annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation ("EBITDA") of US$83 million and 62.1% EBITDA margin in years 2 through 6

Considerable tin production with upside opportunities 49,310 tonnes of tin metal in concentrate produced over a 14-year LOM Average annual tin production of over 4,700 tonnes for years 2 through 6 (~1.6% of global mined tin production) Peak tin production of over 5,000 tonnes in year 4 Average LOM processed head grade of 1.83% tin, upgraded from an average mined grade of 0.94% tin through use of X-Ray Transmission ("XRT") ore sorting and Dynamic Dense Media Separation ("DMS") Growth opportunities from additional in-mine and near-mine exploration with the potential to materially extend the mine life and increase production

Permitted Project with low capital intensity and unit costs Pre-production capital requirement of US$177 million Fully permitted project with existing mine infrastructure, mining permission through 2071 and full planning permission to construct a processing plant to recover tin concentrate LOM average all-in sustaining cash cost ("AISC") of US$13,661 /tonne of payable tin, positioning South Crofty as a low cost tin producer Average AISC of US$12,375 /tonne of payable tin for years 2 through 6

Sustainable mining operation with strong ESG credentials Operations will use modern, trackless, mechanised underground mining methods and latest tin processing technologies Low impact underground operation with paste backfilling of process tailings into existing, historic mine workings Use of 100% renewable electricity supply and exploring options for renewable power generation Preference for using local supply chains supporting the local economy and building on the existing capability and knowledge still present in Cornwall Potential to directly employ up to 320 people with permanent high-skilled and well-paid jobs and create up to 1,000 indirect jobs

Cornish Metals will host a PEA presentation on 1 May 2024 at 3:00pm London time. Please register at: https://www.investormeetcompany.com/cornish-metals-inc/register-investor.

A technical report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 will be filed on SEDAR+ within 45 days of this announcement.



Ken Armstrong, Interim CEO and Director of Cornish Metals, stated: "Congratulations to Cornish Metals' technical team on completion of this Preliminary Economic Assessment of the South Crofty tin project. This PEA is an important milestone for Cornish Metals and our goal of bringing responsible tin mining back to Cornwall and the United Kingdom. South Crofty is a strategic asset as tin is recognised as a critical metal by the United Kingdom and other national governments, while there is currently no primary tin production in Europe or North America.

Most often PEAs are completed prior to entering the mine permitting process. South Crofty has the advantage of having already cleared these hurdles and benefits from an existing mine permit and process plant construction permissions as well as existing mining, transportation and renewable energy infrastructure."

Owen Mihalop, COO of Cornish Metals, stated: "The PEA results are compelling with a post-tax NPV 8% of $201 million and IRR of about 30% at a tin price of US$31,000. This represents a strong foundation for further evaluation of the Project, enabling the Company to move forward with additional preparation work and progress towards a construction decision, with planned first tin production in 2027.

The low all-in sustaining cost of about US$13,700 per tonne of payable tin is an important metric and potentially positions the project within the lowest quartile of the global tin industry cost curve. We believe the opportunities for mineral resource expansion at South Crofty, and beyond, are significant and this will come into focus when the current mine dewatering and shaft refurbishment project is complete by Q3 2025, and new mineral resource definition and exploration drilling can be undertaken in parallel with a potential construction decision for the Project."

PEA Summary Outcomes Operations Mine throughput 500 ktpa Processed throughput 250 ktpa LOM 14 years Total LOM tonnes mined 5,955 kt Average mined tin grade 0.94% Contained tin 56,133 t Total LOM tonnes processed 2,988 kt Average processed tin grade 1.83% Average tin recovery 87.8% Total LOM tin produced 49,310 t Total LOM copper produced 3,844 t Total LOM zinc produced 3,225 t Years 2-6 average annual tin production 4,728 t Capital costs Pre-production US$177 million Post-production+ US$54 million Operating costs Average LOM net cash cost US$12,705 /tonne tin payable Average LOM AISC US$13,661 /tonne tin payable Economic assumptions







Tin price US$31,000 /tonne GB:US$ 1.25 UK corporate tax rate 25% Financials NPV (8%) - Pre-tax / After-tax US$264 million / US$201 million IRR - Pre-tax / After-tax 33.4% / 29.8% Capital payback period After-tax 3.0 years Total LOM Revenue US$1,563 million Total LOM EBITDA US$806 million After-tax Free Cash Flow (from start of production) US$626 million Years 2-6 average annual EBITDA US$83 million Years 2-6 average annual after-tax Free Cash Flow US$65 million

Table 1: South Crofty PEA operating and economic summary

Notes:

NPV effective as at 1 January 2025;

Pre-production capex excludes currently committed items;

Project modelled in GB, values converted to US$ using a flat GB:US$ rate of 1.25.

Financial modelling includes Inferred Resources.





The evaluation at a PEA level of study includes Indicated and Inferred blocks and consequently it is not possible to define a Mineral Reserve. The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied that would enable them to be categorised as Mineral Reserves. There is no certainty that the PEA will be realised.



Sensitivity Analysis

A sensitivity analysis was performed on the base case pre-tax NPV to examine project sensitivity to metal prices, capital and operating costs, grades and process recoveries. Please click here to see a Pre-tax NPV 8% sensitivity analysis to various project parameters graph.

South Crofty Project economics are well supported at a range of tin price assumptions and discount rates. The PEA base-case tin price of US$31,000 /tonne provided by Project Blue, a global consultancy that provides market intelligence on critical materials for the energy transition, reflects anticipated supply shortfalls that will drive the market into a deficit from later this decade.

After-tax NPV

(US$M)

Commodity Price -20% -10% 0% +10% +20% Discount Rate

5% 120 196 272 348 424 6% 105 175 246 317 387 8% 78 139 201 263 325 10% 55 110 164 218 272 12% 37 85 133 181 229

Table 2: Metal price and discount rate sensitivity analysis

Note: Base case prices used - tin: US$31,000/t, copper: US$8,500/t, zinc: US$2,500/t





Project Description

South Crofty is a former producing tin mine located in the historic central tin mining district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The current Project comprises the former producing South Crofty and Dolcoath mines, which were two of the most significant mines in the Cornish tin mining district. South Crofty has over 400 years of operational history until its closure in March 1998. The Project is wholly owned by Cornish Metals.

South Crofty was granted surface and underground development planning permissions by Cornwall Council, the Local Planning Authority, in 2011 and 2013. The underground mining permissions are valid until 2071 and cover a project area of 1,490 hectares with a working depth of 1,500 metres below surface. Cornish Metals also has approximately 7.65 ha (18.9 acres) of surface ownership that include the area covered by surface planning permission to construct a processing plant facility.

Current infrastructure at South Crofty will help support any future development of the Project and includes office and warehouse buildings, the partially refurbished New Cooks Kitchen ("NCK") shaft, a recently built and commissioned water treatment plant and a modern decline that extends to a depth of 120 metres. NCK shaft is one of the five usable main shafts serving the mine workings, and historically was the main service and hoisting shaft. More recent infrastructure advancements, including the ongoing refurbishment and servicing of shafts and construction and operation of the mine water treatment plant, have been implemented to support access into the historical mine. Refurbishment of NCK shaft will significantly improve functionality of the shaft, enable larger equipment to access the mine at an earlier stage in its re-development and ensure continued safe operations as access to underground mine workings is regained.

The Project site has excellent transportation and power infrastructure, including the A30 trunk road located less than 1 km to the north and the national railway line that borders the site to the south. There are modern active port facilities at Falmouth approximately 17 km to the south-east. The Project is located within an industrial area with highly developed power supply and regional distribution, with two 33 kV overhead power lines which cross the Project area, and a dedicated 11 kV power supply to NCK shaft.

Economic Benefits to the UK and Local Communities

Cornwall has a strong history of mining with significant mining capability and knowledge still present in the local workforce. With a local urban population of approximately 59,000, there are sufficient local human resources to staff many skilled, unskilled, or partially skilled jobs at a mine.

The PEA indicates that development of South Crofty could provide substantial economic benefits at the local and national levels, including:

During the pre-production mine development period, the Project is anticipated to generate approximately 175 direct jobs, and additional employment through contracted construction of surface and underground facilities;

During operations, the mine is expected to directly employ up to 320 people with permanent high-skilled and well-paid jobs;

The Project has potential to generate up to 1,000 indirect jobs with local and national contractors and suppliers of products and services;

Using a base case tin price of US$31,000 per tonne, the Project is estimated to pay total UK corporation taxes of 102 million (approximately US$127 million) over the LOM. Additional government revenue will be generated by employee income tax and national insurance contributions;

The Company will provide full training and skills development where necessary in order to maximise employment of local residents at the Project;

Environmental benefits through the ongoing treatment of the South Crofty mine water being discharged into the Red River, having a positive effect on the quality of the river downstream of the discharge point.

Mineral Resource & Mineralised Material Mined

The Mineral Resource at South Crofty is divided into two areas: the Upper Mine Mineral Resource, which is predominantly polymetallic tin-copper-zinc mineralisation hosted in metasedimentary country rock, and the much more substantial Lower Mine Mineral Resource which is tin-only and hosted predominantly.

The PEA indicates that approximately 6 million tonnes of mineralised material, at an average grade of 0.97% SnEq, is amenable to mining, and is based on the NI 43-101 & JORC (2012) compliant Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") published by Cornish Metals in October 2023 as detailed below:

South Crofty Summary (JORC 2012) Mineral Resource Estimate Area Classification Mass

(kt) Grade

Contained Tin /

Tin Equivalent

(kt) Lower Mine

Indicated 2,896 1.50% Sn 43.6 Inferred 2,626 1.42% Sn 37.4 Upper Mine

Indicated 260 0.99% SnEq 2.6 Inferred 465 0.91% SnEq 4.2

Table 3: South Crofty Mineral Resource summary

Notes:

The Mineral Resource estimate is reported in accordance with the requirements of the Joint Ore Reserves Committee of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the JORC Code (2012). The Qualified Person for this Mineral Resource Estimate is: Mr Nicholas Szebor, MCSM, MSc, BSc, CGeol, EurGeol, FGS, of AMC Consultants (UK) Ltd. Mineral Resources for the Lower Mine are estimated by conventional block modelling based on wireframing at 0.4% Sn threshold whilst honouring lode continuity and by ordinary kriging or inverse distance to the power of 3 grade interpolation. Mineral Resources for the Upper Mine are estimated by conventional 3D block modelling based on wireframing at 0.5% SnEq cut-off grade and a minimum width of 1.2m and estimated by inverse distance to the power of 3 grade interpolation. SnEq is calculated using the formula: SnEq% = Sn% + (Cu% x 0.314) + (Zn% x 0.087). Cornish Metals has used metal prices of US$24,500/Tonne Sn, US$8,000/Tonne Cu, and US$2,700/Tonne Zn. Assumptions for process recovery are 88.5% for Sn, 85% for Cu and 70% for Zn. Cut-off grade was calculated assuming a 24,500 $/t tin price and an assumed metal recovery of 88.5% For the purpose of this Mineral Resource Estimate, assays were capped by lode for the "Lower Mine" between 1.5% Sn and 23% Sn and for the "Upper Mine" at 6% for Sn, 4% for Cu, and 20% for Zn. Bulk densities of 2.77 t/m3 and 3.00 t/m3 have been applied for volume to tonnes conversion for the granite hosted and metasediment (Killas) hosted Mineral Resources respectively. Mineral Resources for the Lower Mine have had a minimum mining width of 1.2m applied using 0% Sn dilution. A 1.2m mining width was applied to the Upper Mine during wireframing. Mineral Resources are for the Upper Mine are estimated from near surface to a depth of approximately 350m and for the Lower Mine from a depth of approximately 350m to a depth of approximately 870m. Mineral Resources are classified as Indicated and Inferred based on drillhole and channel sample distribution and density, interpreted geological continuity and quality of data. The Mineral Resources have been depleted for past mining, however, they contain portions that may not be recoverable pending further engineering studies. Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues. Effective date 6th September 2023. Numbers may not compute exactly due to rounding.







Mining Methods

The South Crofty mine will be accessed via the NCK shaft, which will provide initial access to the existing mine levels and new stoping areas. NCK shaft will serve as primary access to the mine for personnel and materials as well as hoisting of material for transfer to the processing plant, which will be located adjacent to the decline.

The mine design will utilise existing development where possible, which will be rehabilitated or slashed for larger equipment, to access production areas. New internal ramps will be developed providing mechanised access to other levels. The ramps are driven at -15% grade and 4.0 metres wide by 4.0 metres high to allow for truck access, ventilation and services. Sections of levels to be used for services distribution and ventilation will only require rehabilitation. Lateral access drives will be mined from slashed levels, haulage ramps and access ramps to stopes and stope access development. Areas that are being utilised for ventilation, services or limited access will be rehabilitated only.

Annual mined material of up to approximately 500,000 tonnes (~1,370 tonnes per day) is planned with longhole stoping mining methods selected. Sub-level longhole stoping is the main mining method and is well suited given the excellent ground conditions, average stope dip of 70 degrees, continuity along strike and vertically for at least 20 metres. The method also allows for selectivity of mining where required.

The mine generally consists of blocks of stopes separated by regions of lower grade material and/or historical workings. Mining direction is generally extracted in a top-down sequence, retreating along access.

Process Plant

The historic Wheal Jane Concentrator, incorporating key metallurgical improvements made between 1991 and 1998 as well as results from the Company's 2023 metallurgical test programme, was utilised as the basis for developing the process plant flowsheet including incorporation of a pre-concentration plant. The pre-concentration plant consists of XRT ore sorting and DMS for all +0.85mm material, with fines reporting downstream without pre-concentration. Pre-concentration reduces the size and cost of the downstream concentrator considerably and draws on the strengths of both pre-concentration technologies, XRT being more effective on coarser size fractions and DMS on the finer size fractions.

The 2023 metallurgical test programme tested the suitability of XRT pre-concentration and DMS and provided representative material to verify historic production records, operating data and flowsheet. The process plant will include:

Underground primary single stage crushing;

Two stage secondary crushing and XRT / DMS separation;

Tertiary crushing of XRT products to produce nominal -15mm material for grinding;

Open circuit rod mill followed by closed circuit ball mill with screens;

Provision for a flotation section to process polymetallic material from year 4 onwards;

Classification and primary gravity concentration using a combination of shaking tables and Multi Gravity Separation ("MGS");

Regrinding of primary gravity tailings followed by secondary gravity concentration using a combination of shaking tables and MGS;

Tertiary ultrafine gravity separation using a combination of Falcon "Continuous" Concentrators and MGS, and;

Tin Dressing to remove sulphides from gravity concentrates and filter the final product for shipment for smelting.

Click here for the South Crofty conceptual process plant layout and external design.



Mine Backfill

South Crofty will be a low impact underground mining operation with no surface tailings storage. Process tailings will be backfilled as a paste into existing void spaces left by historic mining.

The South Crofty tailings material is a typical gravity/floatation processing product. The proportion of fines and material size range means that the whole tailings stream is suitable for paste backfill with samples achieving suitable strength and target densities for reticulation.

The backfill plant has been designed and sized to meet the requirements of the mine with the intent of filling existing void space from previous mining prior to filling new mining voids created by current operations (click here for the South Crofty conceptual backfill plant design). In-cycle backfill is not required, and there is no requirement to undercut paste backfilled areas in the current mine plan.

The mine production is estimated to produce approximately 2.2 million cubic metres of paste backfill over the LOM.

The backfill plant will be located adjacent to the water treatment plant and the process plant to allow for shared services and simplified operations. The backfill plant consists of four main sections: an external thickened tailings receiving tank; filtration equipment; the cement handling system; and the mixing system.

Production Profile

The production profile at South Crofty is based on annual throughput of approximately 500,000 tonnes and annual processing of approximately 250,000 tonnes at an average tin grade of 1.83% (1.88% tin-equivalent). LOM tin production is expected to total 49,310 tonnes (50,320 tonnes of tin-equivalent), averaging over 4,700 tonnes of tin per year in the first five years post ramp-up (years 2 to 6) and peaking at over 5,000 tonnes in year 4. Click here for a graph of the South Crofty indicative production profile.

The use of pre-concentration through XRT and DMS at the front end of the processing plant materially reduces the volume of material processed and required for backfilling to approximately half of the material mined. The impact to grades is also significant, with LOM processed tin grades averaging 1.83%, almost double the average mined grade of 0.94% tin. Processed tin grades in years two through six average above 2%. Click here for a graph of South Crofty mined and processed tin grades.

Capital and Operating Costs

The pre-production capital cost of the South Crofty project is estimated to be US$177 million. The LOM sustaining capital is estimated to be a further US$54 million, comprising mine capital development, a process plant upgrade for polymetallic material in the fourth year from start of production and processing plant sustaining capex.

(US$M) Mine development, equipment and pre-production 9.2 Mine capitalised operating costs 40.5 Process plant 59.7 NCK Shaft refurbishment (east side) and underground infrastructure 12.3 Phase 2 winders purchase and installation 3.9 Other surface infrastructure 6.9 Paste backfill plant 13.2 Owners G&A cost 5.8 Contingency @ 15% (20% for process plant) 25.7 Total 177.2

Table 4: South Crofty pre-production capital costs





The South Crofty underground mining operation is estimated to have a low total unit operating cost, averaging US$103 per tonne of mineralised material, totalling US$611 million over the 14-year LOM.

Unit Cost (US$$/t) Total LOM Cost (US$M) Mining 64.7 385.1 Mine pumping and water treatment 2.9 17.6 Processing 24.8 147.9 G&A 9.3 55.1 Closure cost 0.9 5.6 Total 102.6 611.3

Table 5: South Crofty operating costs





Average LOM net unit cash costs, inclusive of treatment charges and by-product credits from copper and zinc are estimated to be US$12,705 per tonne of payable tin sold. The AISC is estimated at US$13,661 per tonne, potentially positioning South Crofty within the first quartile of the global tin industry cost curve.

Cash Flow Generation

South Crofty's estimated low operating costs and high margin tin sales are expected to support strong after-tax free cash flow generation totalling approximately US$447 million across the Project (US$62million from start of production) and peaking at US$82 million in the second year of production. Click here for a graph of South Crofty after-tax free cash flow profile.

Opportunities and Upside Options

The PEA is based on the latest South Crofty MRE updated in late-2023 that produced a significant increase in contained tin in the Indicated category of the lower mine (see 30th October 2023 news release). Additional in-mine exploration provides the opportunity to extend South Crofty's mine life beyond the current 14-year LOM. In addition, near-mine exploration at targets such as the Wide Formation provide further potential to add to the existing mineral resource base and the scope to increase production rates.

Next Steps

During the remainder of 2024, the Company intends to continue with its published work programme, including, as a top priority, the simultaneous dewatering of the mine and refurbishment of New Cooks Kitchen Shaft.

Further technical work is also underway to advance the Project towards a Feasibility Study, including detailed engineering of the processing plant. This work will inform discussions with qualified local contractors and identify suppliers for long lead time items, in order to enable timely execution of the project construction schedule once a construction decision is taken.

Qualified Persons

The Qualified Persons for the PEA are Mr Dominic Claridge, FAusIMM, Principal Mining Engineer (AMC); Mr Nick Szebor, MCSM, CGeol, EurGeol, FGS, General Manager (Maidenhead, UK) and Principal Geologist (AMC); Mr Mike Hallewell, FIMMM, FSAIMM, FMES, CEng (Independent Consultant); Mr Barry Balding, PGeo, EurGeol, Technical Director - Mining Advisory Europe (SLR); Ms Angela Collins, Dip BA MRTPI, Principal Planner (SLR); Mr Steve Wilson, ACSM, CEng, FIMMM, Managing Director: Europe (P&C); and Dr Barrie O'Connell, ACSM, FIMMM, CEng (Independent Consultant). Qualified Persons under National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) and Competent Persons as defined under the JORC Code (2012).

All QPs have reviewed the technical content of this news release for the South Crofty deposit and have approved its dissemination.

A Technical Report disclosing the PEA in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101 will be prepared by AMC on behalf of Cornish Metals and filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this news release. Messrs Claridge, Szebor, Hallewell, Balding, Wilson and O'Connell, and Ms Collins consent to the inclusion in this announcement of the matters based on their information in the form and context in which it appears.

This news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr Owen Mihalop, MCSM, BSc (Hons), MSc, FGS, MIMMM, CEng, Chief Operating Officer for Cornish Metals Inc., who is the designated QP for the Company.

ABOUT CORNISH METALS

Cornish Metals is a dual-listed mineral exploration and development company (AIM and TSX-V: CUSN) focused on advancing the South Crofty high-grade, underground tin project through to a construction decision, as well as exploring its additional mineral rights, located in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

South Crofty is a historical, high-grade, underground tin mine that started production in 1592 and continued operating until 1998 following over 400 years of continuous production;

The Project possesses Planning Permission for underground mining (valid to 2071), to construct new processing facilities and all necessary site infrastructure, and an Environmental Permit to dewater the mine;

South Crofty has one of the highest grade tin Mineral Resource globally and benefits from existing mine infrastructure including multiple shafts that can be used for future operations;

Tin is a Critical Mineral as defined by the UK, American, and Canadian governments;

Approximately two-thirds of the tin mined today comes from China, Myanmar and Indonesia;

There is no primary tin production in Europe or North America;

Tin connects almost all electronic and electrical infrastructure, making it critical to the energy transition - responsible sourcing of critical minerals and security of supply are key factors in the energy transition and technology growth;

South Crofty benefits from strong local community, regional and national government support.

Cornish Metals has a growing team of skilled people, local to Cornwall, and the Project could generate up to 320 direct jobs.



ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Kenneth A. Armstrong"

Kenneth A. Armstrong P.Geo.

Appendix 1 - South Crofty summary LOM operating and financial model

Appendix 2 - South Crofty simplified concentrator flow sheet

Engage with us directly at our investor hub here: https://investors.cornishmetals.com/link/WrA1Xr

For additional information please contact:

Cornish Metals



Fawzi Hanano

Irene Dorsman investors@cornishmetals.com

info@cornishmetals.com

Tel: +1-604-200 6664

SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP

(Nominated Adviser & Joint Broker) Richard Morrison

Charlie Bouverat

Grant Barker Tel: +44 203 470 0470

Cavendish Capital Markets Limited

(Joint Broker) Derrick Lee

Neil McDonald

Leif Powis Tel: +44 131 220 6939



Tel: +44 207 220 0500 Hannam & Partners

(Financial Adviser) Matthew Hasson

Andrew Chubb

Jay Ashfield cornish@hannam.partners

Tel: +44 207 907 8500



BlytheRay

(Financial PR) Tim Blythe

Megan Ray tim.blythe@blytheray.com

megan.ray@blytheray.com

Tel: +44 207 138 3204





Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Caution regarding forward looking statements

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections, outlook, guidance, estimates and forecasts and other statements regarding future plans, the realisation, cost, timing and extent of mineral resource or mineral reserve estimates, estimation of commodity prices, currency exchange rate fluctuations, estimated future exploration expenditures, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, success of exploration activities, permitting time lines, requirements for additional capital and the Company's ability to obtain financing when required and on terms acceptable to the Company, future or estimated mine life and other activities or achievements of Cornish Metals, including but not limited to: mineralisation at South Crofty, mine dewatering and NCK Shaft refurbishment expectations, timing of completion of a technical report summarising the results of the PEA; the development, operational and economic results of the PEA, including cash flows, capital expenditures, development costs, extraction rates, recovery rates, mining cost estimates; estimation of mineral resources; statements about the estimate of mineral resources; magnitude or quality of mineral deposits; anticipated advancement of the South Crofty project mine plan; future operations; the completion and timing of future development studies; anticipated advancement of mineral properties or programmes; Cornish Metals' exploration drilling programme, exploration potential and project growth opportunities for the South Crofty tin project and other Cornwall mineral properties and the timing thereof, timing and results of Cornish Metals' feasibility study, the Company's ability to evaluate and develop the South Crofty tin project and other Cornwall mineral properties, strategic vision of Cornish Metals and expectations regarding the South Crofty mine, timing and results of projects mentioned. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "project", "target", "schedule", "budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could", "would" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: risks related to receipt of regulatory approvals, risks related to general economic and market conditions; risks related to the availability of financing; the timing and content of upcoming work programmes; actual results of proposed exploration activities; possible variations in Mineral Resources or grade; outcome of the current Feasibility Study; projected dates to commence mining operations; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations. The list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Cornish's forward-looking statements.

Cornish Metals' forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management and reflect their current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date such statements are made. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ from those described in forward- looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Cornish Metals does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law.

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information pursuant to Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 as amended.
MBABANE - Prostate cancer is a silent health threat to men in Eswatini, where its shadow quietly affects the lives of many.

Despite being the third most diagnosed cancer among the top five, its prevalence among males is staggering. Almost 10 per cent of all new cancer cases in the country are prostate cancer, constituting nearly 30 per cent of all male cases. Yet, the struggle against this silent epidemic is largely hidden, marked by the intersecting challenges of stigma, limited healthcare infrastructure, limited awareness and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounding the urgency of addressing this issue.

Early diagnosis, improved access to healthcare, enhanced healthcare infrastructure, and increased awareness can reduce the burden of prostate cancer in Eswatini.

Joel Hlophe from Mbabane, tragically lost his father, Julius, to stage four prostate cancer in November 2020, when he was 72. Julius battle paints a vivid picture of the hidden struggles of stigma until it reaches advanced stages, significantly diminishing chances of survival.

My father started feeling unwell a few years ago, but he struggled to disclose his symptoms on time, but rather relied on over-the-counter pain relief and traditional medication. His only complaint was a persistent headache, which he dismissed as a minor illness, says Joel.

Most men often struggle to disclose their illnesses and often prefer to rely on self-remedy, seeking their cures after consulting with older men, who are perceived as approachable and trustworthy sources of guidance. Traditional medicine remains highly esteemed by some individuals, who regard it as superior to Western medical practices.

Without knowing what was wrong with my father, things took a turn for the worse towards the end of November 2019, and he was taken to Mbabane Government Hospital in the first week of December, where he was diagnosed with prostate cancer at stage four, says Joel.

Disaster

A few months later, Covid-19 was declared a national disaster, adding another layer of complexity to Juliuss already difficult circumstances. The healthcare landscape shifted dramatically, with hospitals overwhelmed, resources stretched thin, and stringent safety measures implemented to curb the spread of the virus. Navigating cancer treatment amid the backdrop of a global pandemic posed unique challenges, as accessing medical care became more complicated.

With appointments rescheduled, procedures delayed, and concerns heightened about potential exposure to the virus, we totally lost hope for my fathers survival. The anxiety and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic worsened the situation, says Joel.

As COVID-19 restrictions were gradually lifted between 2021 and 2022, it is undeniable that the provision of cancer prevention, screening, and diagnosis services was significantly disrupted by the pandemics impact on health services.

An Epidemiologist at Eswatini National Cancer Control Unit, Xolisile Dlamini, notes that: The COVID-19 pandemic had a major role in cancer treatment, access to healthcare and survival. Most of the cancer patients were vulnerable to COVID-19, which increased the mortality rate, mostly between 2020 and 2022.

A fight for early detection

According to the Eswatini National Cancer Control Registry (NCCR), data spanning from 2018 to 2022 reveals that the years 2021 and 2022 showed the highest incidence of stage four diagnoses, representing a critical stage in cancer progression. This trend primarily impacted men aged 66 to 79, at the time of diagnosis. The youngest individual diagnosed at this advanced stage was 43, while the oldest was 98.

Nkosingiphile Zwane, 63, was diagnosed with stage two prostate cancer in 2021. However, this diagnosis came after multiple visits to Mbabane Government Hospital, during which the condition remained undetected. This highlights a troubling issue of limitations in healthcare infrastructure, which leaves many men battling with an unseen enemy.

When I first went to Mbabane hospital in March 2019, my issue was unrelated to prostate cancer, even though it was one of those male health issues. I got worried when the doctors gave me a date to visit the hospital again for prostate cancer screening, notes Zwane.

Difficult

It is challenging for most men to know that they have symptoms of cancer in the early stages without timely checkups.

At 63, I felt fit and healthy. The signs of prostate cancer were not obvious to me. When I was instructed to return to the hospital for prostate cancer screening, I became frightened. I visited the hospital three times without receiving a proper diagnosis, which left me unsettled about my health status, says Zwane.

With the mandatory procedures for prostate cancer screening in Eswatini, coupled with the associated costs of the disease, Zwane found himself with no alternative but to impatiently wait for the scheduled dates. Zwane encountered a common challenge shared by many individuals grappling with undiagnosed illnesses, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment. Those seeking to speed up the process often rely on private healthcare, a costly alternative.

As indicated in the NCCR data, there is a significant number of patients with unknown stages of prostate cancer. This trend has been present over the years, as highlighted in the 2018 data, peaking in 2020 and decreasing in 2022. The medical records for these patients did not indicate the stages of their prostate cancer, meaning the stages were not yet detected, says Dlamini. This raises concerns about the high number of undetected stages, indicating potential gaps in early detection and diagnosis.

Factors

A study, The Burden of Prostate Cancer in Eswatini', highlights that this concerning trend can be attributed to various factors, including limited diagnostic and treatment capabilities. Inadequate cancer screening and diagnostic infrastructure in healthcare facilities worsen the situation. For instance, the countrys screening test, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), has been criticised for potentially overdiagnosing low-risk cancers that may not have clinical consequences if left untreated. Ezulwini Private Hospital, Urologist, Mthokozisi Dube notes that: In case of abnormalities in screening, elevated PSA does not always mean it is prostate cancer.

According to Dlamini, the reduction in undetected stages in 2022 can be attributed to the implementation of a patient navigation system by the Cancer Control Unit. This system tracks patients to ensure follow-up, provides feedback to referring facilities, and facilitates client navigation, thereby assisting patients in managing their healthcare needs across various facilities, following diagnosis without any hassle.

Early diagnosis is crucial for successful prostate cancer treatment. When detected early, many men can be effectively cured. However, if diagnosis is delayed until the cancer has advanced, treatment options become more limited, and survival rates decrease significantly, says Dube.

Regional disparities

NCCR data highlights regional disparities in the distribution of prostate cancer cases, stage at diagnosis, and survival outcomes. The data shows that Manzini and Hhohho regions have the highest number of cases, while Lubombo has the fewest. Population density has been identified as the major factor influencing these disparities. Eswatini people flow to Manzini and Hhohho for economic opportunities, industrial and commercial activities, and educational access, among others.

The data shows the survival status, which indicates variation by region with Manzini having the best outcomes in terms of survival rates, while Shiselweni and Lubombo show higher mortality rates with above 50 per cent of patients deceased. This is attributed to factors such as access to healthcare, treatment efficacy, and early detection programmes tailored to each regions needs.

Access to cancer healthcare facilities poses a significant challenge for many men, especially those residing in remote areas. Most of these diagnostic and treatment facilities are in Mbabane and Manzini. Mpedulo Shongwe, a 67-year-old prostate cancer survivor from Palala in the Lubombo Region, faced difficulties in accessing the necessary medical facilities for his treatment.

The treatment journey was very difficult for me. In my condition, I had to travel to Mbabane Government Hospital which was far and costly, says Shongwe.

Many prostate cancer patients like Shongwe rely on the public health system, which is cheaper compared to the private sector. However, navigating the public systems complex referral process can be daunting.

The whole process for me was complicated. Dealing with the diagnosis, and waiting to be told what to do next felt like trying to find myself through a maze. When I was told that I had to travel to South Africa for additional treatment, that was another big problem on top of everything else, notes Shongwe.

Prostate cancer technologies pose a serious challenge in Eswatini. According to a study titled Prostate Cancer Disparities and Management in Southern Africa, radiation treatment is not accessible in Eswatini, and patients are instead referred to private hospitals in South Africa through the Phalala Fund, incurring an annual cost of US$4.7 million to US$7.8 million. Unfortunately, this fund has ceased accepting new applicants due to financial constraints. However, other surgical interventions to alleviate symptoms, such as transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) or bladder (TURB), are performed locally. Chemotherapy is available through both a government chemotherapy unit and a local private clinic, however, many patients still seek chemotherapy treatment in South Africa.

Increased awareness initiatives required

Socio-economic, geographic, and educational factors significantly influence mens adoption of good health practices. It is well-documented that, overall, men demonstrate poorer health-seeking behaviours compared to women, and this trend is evident among men in Eswatini as well. Dominant masculinity strongly influences key mens health behaviours, emphasising the expectation for men to display strength, especially among older men who are particularly vulnerable to prostate cancer.

Another often overlooked issue is the dominance of women in most local clinics in Eswatini, which serve as the primary point of contact for prostate cancer diagnosis. From nurses to counsellors and users, women predominate, creating an unfavourable environment for men. In many African cultures, it is considered demeaning for men to disclose sexual or reproductive health issues to women, exacerbating this challenge.



While there are prostate cancer awareness and screening programmes, the majority of cases remain undiagnosed and consequently unreported due to stigma and limited awareness. Considerable efforts are still needed to raise awareness about the seriousness of the disease in men and to achieve a level of awareness comparable to that of womens cancer such as breast and cervical cancer, that have been attained through high levels of funding.

Awareness campaigns with roadshows come in handy in the education of the public, which has not yet happened in Eswatini while involving cultural and traditional leaders in the process to demystify myths circulating about prostate cancer and prostate cancer screening, says Dr Dube.



The Eswatini Ministry of Healths standardised cancer care and guidelines for 2020 recommend routine prostate cancer screening only for men aged 50 and above, to be conducted every two years. However, data from 2018 to 2022 revealed the youngest individual diagnosed at an advanced stage was 43 years old. In contrast, in South Africa, men of African origin undergo PSA testing starting at the age of 40, as recommended by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of South Africa.

Dr Dube highlights the importance of international standardisation in cancer guidelines to ensure early detection of the disease. Also, educating clinicians is required to ensure an understanding of these guidelines for better screening. Clinician education can be done through workshops with experts which can also help to deal with issues of physicians beliefs regarding screening, says Dr Dube.

It is important to bridge the gap in understanding, break down barriers to screening, and empower men with knowledge to ensure early detection and improved outcomes in the fight against this insidious disease. To be able to do that collaborations between the public sector, private sector as well as non-profit organisations may assist in resource mobilisation to ensure access to screening facilities. As resource constraints are hindering the roll-out of screening, says Dr Dube.

This work was produced as a result of a grant provided by the Wits Centre for Journalisms African Investigative Journalism Conference and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Mercedes only partially a top F1 team now

Mercedes can only "partially" claim to still being a truly top Formula 1 team, according to former grand prix winner Ralf Schumacher.

Lewis Hamilton, Chinese GP 2024

 Mercedes

The German marque utterly dominated the sport throughout the initial 'hybrid' regulations era between 2014 and 2021.

But three consecutive seasons of sub-standard performance in the current rules era have now cost Mercedes the services of Lewis Hamilton, who is moving to Ferrari from 2025.

However, Schumacher told Sport Bild magazine that Hamilton's slump is not all Mercedes' fault.

Obviously he's no longer the youngest, said the former Williams and Toyota driver, "and it shows. Like many older drivers, he no longer seems to engage with the car and adapt his driving style.

Schumacher thinks Hamilton's departure may even help Mercedes.

As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, he said. It seems as if a little trust has been lost over time, but now we'll see who gets that cockpit.

Wolff's teenage protege Kimi Antonelli has been testing the 2022 Mercedes car at Imola this week - which was the first sub-standard car amid the current slump.

Only partially, Schumacher told Sport Bild when asked if Mercedes is still a top team.

"They have one of the best, if not the best, engines in Formula 1. And yet they are not capable of winning because there are problems in other areas such as aerodynamics. That's why their customer teams like McLaren are currently beating them.

This is not the fault of Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius, Ralf added. It's Toto Wolff's responsibility to ensure that everything is working.

Mercedes will unveil key car upgrades this weekend in Miami, but even Wolff is not sounding very optimistic.

We don't really know what to expect because it's been a tricky season so far, he said at a promotional event in New York. Let's see what the stopwatch says.

When asked if it's too early to write Mercedes off, Schumacher agreed: "That will become clear when the team makes the first improvements to the car in Miami.

"But slowly, you lose faith and trust that they really know what they're doing. It starts with the development of the car but it's also about the strategy in the races and other things.

Mercedes is in a very critical situation, the 48-year-old added. We've often seen dominant teams that lost their way and couldn't find their way back.

Even amid Red Bull's worsening internal situation at present, it certainly doesn't seem likely that Max Verstappen will leap at Toto Wolff's offer of a 2025 cockpit.

It depends how the power struggle at Red Bull develops, said Schumacher, "but Mercedes is still an attractive alternative and possibly the best one.

Toto Wolff can offer him a princely salary, but also lucrative contracts for the time after his career. Mercedes' engine helps as well, but the immediate sporting perspective will be even more important for Verstappen.

(GMM)
Turkey expects to reach new F1 race deal quickly

The Turkish government expects an agreement to be "quickly" reached with Formula 1.

Charles Leclerc, Turkish GP 2021

 Ferrari

It emerged recently that moves are afoot to revive the defunct Turkish GP at the Istanbul circuit, with Pirelli's Turkish subsidiary securing the deal to take over the track's management.

One reported key condition for Pirelli Turkey is the mandatory annual organisation of a Formula 1 race at the venue beginning in 2026.

The deal is now moving forward, Turkish minister of culture and tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said on Tuesday.

The tender for the management of the Formula 1 track in Istanbul was held in early April and was completed successfully, the government minister told the local Istanbul newspaper Milliyet.

Now we have moved to the second stage. The previous tenant must vacate and hand it over to the company that won the bid. In this case, the process of concluding an agreement to hold the grand prix in Istanbul from 2026 will proceed quickly, minister Ersoy added.

Milliyet newspaper added that the agreement must be reached within a month.

Turkey last hosted grands prix at the Istanbul circuit during the covid era.

(GMM)
SITEKI  The Eswatini government, through the Ministry of Health, says it is on high alert following reports of an outbreak of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The RSV is a common respiratory virus that infects the nose, throat, lungs and breathing passages. This comes after reports of surging figures of the influenza virus in the Republic of South Africa. According to the Ministry of Health Principal Secretary (PS) Khanya Mabuza, emaSwati experiencing the symptoms should promptly visit their nearest health facilities and also observe the hand hygiene and wearing of mask at all times, at their workstations. The PS emphasised the need to ensure that everyone exercised extra caution, especially those using ports of entry and those using informal crossing points. Mabuza said the ministry, through its Surveillance Department, would monitor records in health facilities, as well as in ports of entry, to able to act from an informed perspective.

He added that emaSwati should brace themselves for a possible return to some of the protective measures applied during the COVID-19 pandemic era. I would like to urge the nation, on behalf of government, to be on the lookout for the symptoms and isolate themselves once they have been diagnosed to have contracted the viruses. The ministry will do everything in its powers to ensure that it monitors the circulation of the virus, he said. According to a statement released by the Department of Health in SA, members of the public are urged to take extra precautionary measures to protect themselves and their loved ones against respiratory infections, which are expected to increase over the winter season. The statement mentioned that the RSV is currently at peak circulation in SA, while influenza virus infections are starting to increase, though COVID-19 continues to circulate at low levels.

Surveillance

The department further stated that the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) had a surveillance system which monitored the circulation of respiratory viruses throughout the country and had notified the department that this was currently the peak season for RSV, which can be confused by some people with COVID-19 due to common symptoms. The RSV causes illness mainly in young children, but also contributes to respiratory illness in older individuals. Explaining about the RSV and influenza virus, the department stated that it had started to see an increase in cases. While most diseases caused by influenza, RSV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses are mild; these viruses may cause severe illness and even death among the citizens around the country, particularly in individuals with conditions placing them at high risk of severe disease, reads the statement.

It further mentioned that the influenza season is expected to start in the next few weeks and that it was advisable for people, especially those at high risk of severe influenza (adults aged 65 years and older, people with underlying illness such as heart and lung disease and people living with HIV and tuberculosis, as well as pregnant people) to get the influenza vaccine to prevent severe health complications, in case they contracted this virus. Influenza vaccine is available in public clinics free of charge (on first come-first serve basis). The vaccine can also be purchased in the private pharmacies for other people who fall in the high-risk groups as well as for those who do not fall into one of the risk groups, but who would like to protect themselves from the influenza.

The influenza virus spreads mainly from one person to another by respiratory droplets and co-infections with other respiratory viruses can occur, hence it is important for people to always cover their nose and mouth when they cough or sneeze. Some of the common symptoms of this respiratory virus, influenza include but are not limited to runny nose, decrease in appetite, coughing, sneezing and fever, including wheezing.
Huawei's Richard Yu (Yu Chengdong in Chinese) will allegedly no longer serve as the CEO of the Consumer Business Group, instead moving to the position of Chairman. The new CEO will apparently be He Gang, the former Chief Operating Officer (COO).

So far Huawei has never had a Chairman for its Consumer Business Group, so Yu will be the first. The point of the move is to allow Yu to expand his scope of duties within the company.

He will now look after more parts of the group, including those dealing with smart devices and car components - Huawei has been very active in the EV space in China recently. Information from inside sources says the whole idea behind this move is for Yu to have a better focus on the automobile solutions business over the smartphone part.

This isn't unheard of - Xiaomi's Lei Jun shifted his focus from smartphones to EVs a while back, and the company's first car, the SU7, has been wildly successful as a consequence.

Richard Yu has been with Huawei since 1993, and his career at the company will continue, now in an even bigger role than before - that is, if this report pans out, of course.

Via
Two brothers were arrested Wednesday after an argument over finances escalated and household members were reportedly assaulted, according to a magistrates complaint filed in Superior Court.

Lawrence Craig Taimanglo Manglona, 34, was charged with possession of a Schedule II controlled substance as a third-degree felony, and family violence, assault and assault of an unborn child as misdemeanors.

Lorenzo Taimanglo Manglona Jr., 32, was charged with assault, family violence and resisting arrest, all as misdemeanors.

At 8:10 p.m., police were called to a Barrigada home where the two men lived in an extension behind the main house.

A woman told officers she and Lorenzo Manglona were arguing about money and a pregnant woman at the residence intervened. Lawrence Manglona became angry with the pregnant woman, and shoved and punched her, according to the complaint.

Another man at the home told police he tried to separate Lawrence Manglona and the pregnant woman, but Lorenzo Manglona punched him in the face and kicked his chest, the complaint stated.

Before police arrived, the brothers had gone into their room and closed the door, so the officers went to question them.

The two refused to come out or allow entry, and they cursed at the police, the complaint stated. The homeowner gave permission for the police to go in the room.

Once the officers were inside, Lorenzo Manglona forcibly moved his arms and legs as the officer tried to handcuff him. When police searched Lawrence Manglona, they found drug paraphernalia and four bags of methamphetamine, the complaint stated.

Lawrence Manglona, who faces eight years in prison if convicted of the charges, was released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.

His brother, who faces three years in prison, was released on a $1,000 recognizance bond.
Senators once again are calling for Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero to declare a state of emergency for the Guam Memorial Hospital and to appoint Guam Army National Guards Brig. Gen. Dr. Mike Cruz to manage the emergency at GMH.

But this time around, the call for an emergency declaration for GMH is coming from both Democrat and Republican senators.

Democrat Vice Speaker Tina Muna Barnes joined Republican Minority Leader Frank Blas Jr. on the urgent request. Only Republicans previously called for an emergency declaration for GMH.

Cruzs appointment, according to the senators, is the most critical part of their request.

Governor, lives are at stake, and our most important federal partners know it, the senators said in their letter.

The senators said Cruz is a proven leader, with an exemplary track record in times of both conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the governor had yet to read the senators Wednesday letter, she said she does not believe a declaration of emergency is enough to help GMH.

What the cash-strapped hospital needs, the governor said, is additional funding to keep its operations running.

Burst pipe

Muna Barnes and Blas wrote the request letter a day after a burst pipe flooded the GMH lobby and shut down elevator services.

The governor, who visited GMH on Tuesday, said the hospital was able to resolve the burst pipe issue within a few hours and operations quickly went back to normal.

On Wednesday morning, the GMH lobby area where the pipe burst was dry, and all but one elevator was back in operation.

While the immediate response from GMH personnel was commendable, like many in our community, when we saw videos of this maintenance failure, concerns for those onsite were paired with disappointment, Blas and Barnes wrote in their letter to the governor.

Yet againthis critical facility was unable to meet the most basic safety expectations, the senators wrote.

With ongoing financial and operational strains at GMH, staff are overwhelmed by daily tasks and maintenance emergencies, they continued.

The hospitals subpar status quo required more than just a piecemeal response from the government, the vice speaker and minority leader wrote.

They requested the governor to:

Authorize the use of emergency procurement to begin any assessments and repairs to GMH.

Unlock emergency funds of $250,000 to pay for these emergency purchases and contractual agreements.

Use resources from other agencies, like the Department of Public Works, the Department of Public Health and Social Services, and Department of Administration to supplement GMHs manpower and equipment.

Appoint Brig. Gen. Dr. Mike Cruz, the adjutant general of the Guam Army National Guard, to manage the emergency at GMH.

Our office, just today, was made aware of a recent visit by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in response to a reported death at GMH. We can only hope yesterdays flooding does not negatively impact any ongoing assessments from grantors, the senators wrote.

If CMS decertifies the hospital, GMH could potentially lose tens of millions of dollars in federal funding a year. The hospital failed CMS surveys in the past.

It was obvious that action is needed now at GMH, Blas and Barnes wrote.

Governor: GMH needs money

According to Leon Guerrero, outside help was already available to GMH, with the Guam Power Authority, Port Authority of Guam, and DPW regularly going on site to help with maintenance issues.

Leon Guerrero said she couldnt comment on the letter, but said, My question is, so what if we declare an emergency? The (new) hospitals not going to be built. If we declare an emergency, are they then going to get full funding to the hospital to make up for all their deficiencies?

GMH needed money, she said, and was facing a shortfall of $42 million in the upcoming budget year.

The governor said she absolutely supported that amount for the government to subsidize the hospital.

If the Legislatureand rightfully soshould be concerned about the hospitals needs, then lets see it by putting the money where it should be, the governor said.

With the Legislature going into budget season, Barnes and Blas wrote that they stand ready to assist with providing the funds GMH needs to do better and be safer.
He spoke of a judicial system under siege worldwide, with Guam as no exception.

He spoke of attempts to undermine the foundation of democratic leadership, and he said that Guam as a people must vigorously defend democracy together.

Those were among the messages that Guam Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert J. Torres Jr. offered in the Annual State of the Judiciary Address, held Wednesday at the Guam Congress Building in Hagatna.

Torres said instead of enumerating the Judiciarys achievements, he wanted to talk about plans for the future to serve the people in digital fashion, and why the support of the executive and legislative branches is needed.

He was excited to describe the Mobile Protective Orders project, which allows people to file protective orders online without having to visit the courthouse.

Other improvements included an e-court system, which would offer convenient ways for people to obtain court documents, plus centralize case information and make it accessible.

And in a world inundated with digital information, that reach will extend into the courtroom in areas such as evidence management and case management for the probation office, which will result in timelier justice and better client support through less paperwork, he said.

The infrastructure is already in place, the chief justice said, and he expects it to be fully operational by the summer.

Compilation of that data is critical to making informed decisions and the data that hes collected does not reflect a revolving door of too many repeat offenders being released, he said.

Torres said without data, one is just another person with an opinion.

And while people have a right to their opinion, people do not get to write their own facts, he said.

The data hes collected paint a different picture than the public narrative, and he laid out some numbers:

93% of defendants were not arrested for a new crime

97% of defendants were not arrested for violent crime

almost 80% showed up for their court dates without warrants issued for missing them.

The chief justice said many of those who dont communicate with probation officers or those who dont check in often have lack of transportation or lack of means of communication, and they are cues that the community needs to support them.

Lets not give up on them just yet, Torres said.

He spoke of the Judiciarys role as a treatment court, and how judges often must do more than decide cases.

The Drug Court helps addicts find support and resources, and the Adult Reentry Court offers easier ways to get a Guam ID. Torres said theres been an 80% increase in the number of individuals served by treatment courts in 2023.

To deal with a 30% increase in juvenile cases, the Judiciary re-convened the Juvenile Justice Reform Collaborative, involving expertise from across the government spectrum, with the primary goal of cutting them off from a life of adult crime.

Improving court operations and services, increasing public trust and confidence and confidence and embracing and enhancing technology, and promoting a wellness driven workforce are the four pillars of justice promoted by the Judiciarys new strategic plan, made sustainable by better recruiting and retention.

If we work together, if we remember our purpose, there is nothing  nothing  we cant achieve for our people, he concluded.
EZULWINI  As evidence that Eswatinis financial systems are sound, the CBE says it has successfully investigated the investor who wanted to establish a gold refinery in the country and stopped him dead in his tracks of wanting to move money willy-nilly within the country.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Eswatini, Dr Phil Mnisi confirmed to the media that the bank interacted with the so-called investor, who wanted to open a gold refinery in the country. We confirm that it is the central bank which said that we are not going to give you an open cheque for you to move money willy-nilly within this country, because we are a reputable country of integrity, compliant with all standards and this we will not allow, the governor said. Dr Mnisi went on to say that he conducted due diligence on the said investor and the bank put a stop to it, and we said we are not going to continue with it until we are satisfied that it is credible and it is not creating a black market of gold clearing and refinery in this country.

Investment

The governor said the bank took a very firm position to stop the supposed investment and by the time it got to the media, the CBE had already taken a rightful role in this matter. We have to give credit to all authorities in this country because, had this been true as reported, the refinery would have been up today, but it is still not here four years later. So, there are strong and credible systems that this country has. However, the governor said that did not suggest that there would be no elements of any form of corruption or uncleanliness. Mnisi further said the bank would always remain resolute and determined to fulfil its mandate of ensuring a sound financial system in the country.

Probing

We are ready to act, hence we are probing what is happening at ESW and stepping up the probe of what happened at Ecsponent and that is why we have already taken a proactive role of questioning what is happening at Status Capital, the governor said. Though the governor did not mention names, it has been reported in the leaked reports that there were two gold refineries which wanted to open shop at the Royal Science and Technology Park at Nokwane, Matsapha, a special economic zone (SEZ).
The man who has long run maintenance and renovations at the Guam Memorial Hospital will soon be departing from GMH management.

Hospital assistant administrator of operations William Kando confirmed Wednesday morning that he will be processing out of the hospital.

He declined to share whether he was terminated or resigned from the post, but said, Let me put it this way, I wont be saying anything about it until I talked to my lawyer.

Kando would not say when his last day on the job will be. He said it is possible the matter could be brought to the Civil Service Commission.

It all depends where I go with my lawyer, he said.

GMH spokesperson Cindy Hanson said she could not comment on the status of Kandos employment, as a matter of hospital policy.

GMHs Zaldy Tugade was named acting associate administrator of operations for GMH after Kandos recent transition into the subordinate assistant administrator role, Hanson said.

News of Kandos separation comes just after a burst pipe that caused flooding on the first floor lobby of GMH and a shutdown of hospital elevators on Tuesday morning, as well as a recent visit from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to survey complaints at the hospital.

Kando has been in charge of maintenance and renovation work at the aging GMH as an appointee of the Leon Guerrero administration, and was chief planner for the hospital for years prior to 2019.

The departing administrator oversaw operations when the hospital floor plan had to make major adjustments during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently was in charge of maintenance through flooding, wind damage, and an electrical fire during Typhoon Mawar.

More recently, hes been leading efforts to upgrade GMHs leaky roof upgrade, the cooling and ventilation at the hospital, amid controversy and concern over mold growth.

Kando is also involved in an ongoing pay dispute with hospital Administrator Lilian Perez-Posadas, after he transferred from an appointed, unclassified position to an unclassified position in the GMH management team and was denied a pay raise.

Perez-Posadas herself has been out on medical leave for several months and is not expected to return to GMH until June, the PDN reported previously. Dr. Dustin Prins, who is expected to relocate to Texas later this year, has been at the helm of GMH operations in the meantime.

More hospital elevators back up

Meanwhile, three of the hospitals four lobby elevators were observed to be back in service as of Wednesday morning, after a burst chilled water supply pipe on Tuesday sent them offline.

Elevator 4, which was scheduled for maintenance prior to the incident, was still offline, according to a press release from GMH.

Following an assessment conducted by GMHA, all essential utilities, including electrical systems, heat, power, HVAC, and alarm systems, are functioning without any issues.

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero visited GMHA Tuesday afternoon to assess the situation and expressed satisfaction with the hospitals swift recovery efforts, according to the release.

I want to assure the community that hospital operations are back to normal, acting GMH administrator Dr. Prins said in a statement.

The dedication and efficiency displayed by our staff in responding to this situation minimized any disruption to our operations, ensuring that patient care remained our top priority, Prins said.

Oversight sought

Sen. Chris Duenas, who has lately been calling for an oversight of GMH to assess the poor state of the hospitals finances, said the burst pipe was indicative of how much aid the hospital needs from the local government.

Whatever the decision on a new hospital site, GMH would still have to live in the current facility for another five to seven years, Duenas said.

Meanwhile, the $69 million loss that GMH is on track to see through the current and next fiscal year is a particular concern, he said.

This reframes the conversation, and its probably all the more reason why we need to immediately shore up and fix all the deficiencies in this hospital, he said.

With GMHs operating costs going from $150 million to $227 million, something had to be done to stabilize the situation, he said.

That skyrocketing cost meant either the financial team at the hospital was at fault, or there was a new fiscal reality at the hospital that required more money from the government, the senator said.

In any case, Duenas said he is in favor of privatizing management at GMH.
Attorney General Douglas Moylan argues that he cant be removed from his duty to represent government of Guam agencies or prosecute government corruption under the law, in a brief filed in the Supreme Court of Guam this week.

Lawyers for Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero asked the Supreme Court to remove Moylan from investigating or prosecuting GovGuam agencies that his office previously represented, if the AG failed to protect against a conflict of interest in such cases.

The Office of the Governor is one of 22 agencies that the AGs office is actively investigating or prosecuting.

The Supreme Court is weighing the matter of Moylans withdrawal from representing those 22 agencies.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Nathan Tennyson, in a brief filed this week, argues that government officials represented by the AGs office arent protected by attorney-client privilege, as the AGs offices duty to represent the government does not apply to individuals.

Tennyson argues the Guam Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers cant be used to disqualify the office.

A decision disqualifying the AGs office from prosecuting a corruption case against Guam Regional Transit Authority board chairman Alejo Sablan over failure to screen against conflicts of interest contains significant errors of law and fact, the brief filed Monday stated.

The Organic Act makes it clear that the Attorney Generals duty of loyalty is to the People, the brief said.

Filings argue that the governor cant have the Supreme Court remove the elected AG removed from a case.

The governor seeks to force the creation of a separate public prosecutor by disqualifying the elected AG, or to simply replace this Organic Act official with another attorney not selected by the People of Guam, who are the AGs client. This issue is no different than if the Judiciary can replace the democratically-elected governor of Guam with another person, thereby nullifying the Peoples decision, the brief stated.

The deputy AG also argues that only the AGs office can appoint a special prosecutor to prosecute cases, under Guam law.

If the governor wants the AG to do his job under the Organic Act of Guam, she may seek a writ from the court compelling him to do it, Tennyson argues, but she may not ask the court to remove him, or replace him.

Otherwise, options to remove the AG are limited to calling for a recall election, or campaigning against him in the next election, the brief said.

The AGs office asserts the Supreme Court should issue no decision on the governors request for declaratory judgment, and if one does get issued, it should be that the elected AG is the chief legal officer of Guam with full rights to determine how best to serve the People of Guam.
U.S. Border Patrol agents in Texas and Gulf states stopped several criminal gang members from entering the U.S. in the past weeks, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens said on X.

Owens said that so far this fiscal year, the Border Patrol has made more than 270 gang-affiliated apprehensions.

On Wednesday, Owens stated that on Monday, April 29, agents in New Orleans, Louisiana, conducted a vehicle stop and arrested an MS-13 gang member, Lorenzo Alexander Benitez, from El Salvador. Owens said Benitez will be prosecuted for felony reentry after previously being removed from the United States. Owens said that in fiscal year 2024, Border Patrol agents already have arrested 41 MS-13 gang members.

On April 29, Owens posted that over the weekend, Border Patrol agents in Eagle Pass, Rio Grande City and Cotulla, Texas, arrested three criminal sex offenders. All had prior felony convictions for indecency with a child Sexual contact. They will be prosecuted and removed from the United States.

On April 22, Border Patrol agents in Eagle Pass and Orlando, Florida, arrested two convicted sex offenders with previous convictions for sexual assault and crimes against children. They face prosecution and removal. Owens said that so far in fiscal year 2024, Border Patrol agents have arrested 130 criminals with prior sex offenses.

On April 23, he posted that the previous day, Border Patrol agents in Laredo arrested a Mexican man who is an self-admitted Tango Blast gang member with 24 arrests for illegal entry using multiple names and dates of birth.

On April 22, Owens posted that on April 15, Border Patrol agents in El Paso arrested a Mexican man who claimed to be a citizen of Guatemala. During questioning, he confessed to two murders and to being wanted for drug offenses in Mexico. He was repatriated to Mexican authorities.

On April 16, Owens said that on the previous day, Border Patrol agents in El Paso and Laredo arrested two Mexican men who are members of the Paisas gang and who have previous convictions for assault causing bodily injury, discharge of a firearm in a municipality, and driving while intoxicated. They were sent to Mexico.

On April 15, the Border Patrol chief posted that agents in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, which is near El Paso, arrested a foreign national sought for attempted murder in El Salvador. The man faces criminal prosecution and repatriation back to El Salvador to stand trial.

Also on April 15, Owens posted that on April 13, Border Patrol agents in Presidio, Texas, apprehended an undocumented migrant trying to enter the United States who has various tattoos associated him with the Tren de Aragua gang, which this fiscal year raises the number of people associated with the gang to six.
Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company  Masdar has signed a deal with Bapco Energies of Bahrain to jointly explore the development and investment in wind projects in the kingdom with a capacity of up to 2 gigawatts (GW).

Marking a strategic entry into the Bahrain market for the UAEs clean energy champion, the agreement for near-shore and offshore wind farms is Masdars first project of its kind in the region.

At up to 2GW, this clean energy collaboration will support Bahrain to accelerate the decarbonisation of critical industrial sectors and open avenues to develop new markets. Bahrain aims to reduce emissions by 30% by 2035 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2060, as outlined in its National Energy Strategy.

Track record

Masdar Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, said: As a global clean energy pioneer, Masdar will utilise its well-established expertise and track record in delivering wind energy projects globally, both onshore and offshore. It is a privilege to be supporting Bahrain to achieve its net zero ambitions and power a more sustainable future.

Bapco Energies Group Chief Executive Officer, Mark Thomas, said: Today marks a significant milestone in Bapco Energies pathway towards sustainable energy development. Our partnership with Masdar demonstrates our commitment towards diversifying Bahrains energy mix to include cleaner energy sources, underscoring our role as leaders in renewable energy development. This strategic collaboration signifies a bold step towards realising the ambitions outlined in Bahrains National Energy Strategy, propelling us closer to our net-zero goals. Together, we will pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient future for generations to come.

Masdar has developed a number of landmark wind projects across the world, including the 400MW Dumat Al Jandal wind farm, the largest in the Middle East and the first in Saudi Arabia, the 630MW London Array offshore wind project in the UK which powers half a million British homes and the 103.5MW UAE Wind Programme, which utilises innovative technology to capture low wind speeds at utility scale.

Masdar is aiming for a renewable energy portfolio capacity of 100GW by 2030, as well as supporting the target set out in The UAE Consensus to triple global renewables capacity by the end of this decade, and aims to be a leading producer of green hydrogen by the same year.--TradeArabia News Service




Haiti - News : Zapping





Famni Lavalas threatens to leave the CPT

"Fanmi Lavalas" asks the majority bloc to withdraw its decision to appoint engineer Fritz Belisaire as Prime Minister https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-42234-haiti-flash-the-cpt-has-a-designated-and-unelected-president-and-a-contested-prime-minister-video.html . The party of former President Jean Bertrand Aristide threatens to withdraw from the Presitential Transition Council (CPT) if its demand is not taken into account.



The first 200 men of the mission expected

At least 200 men from Kenya are expected to arrive in Haiti on May 23, 2024 as part of the Multinational Mission to Support the Haitian National Police in their fight against armed gangs, the Kenyan press reported Tuesday. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-42233-haiti-news-zapping.html . Furthermore, according to the Kenyan media, the American Government is working to build barracks to accommodate the troops of the Multinational Mission in Port-au-Prince.



Justice follow up : Assassination of journalist Nehemie Joseph

Mirebalais justice acquitted Gary Pierre Paul Charles and Yolette Jeanty in the case of the assassination of journalist Nehemie Joseph on Thursday October 10, 2010 https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-28979-icihaiti-flash-assassination-of-journalist-nehemie-joseph.html were released from all charges and detention, according to an order from the investigating judge, Me Edwidge Dorsainvil. On the other hand, according to the same order, Rony Celestin, Chardou Clerjeune, Elionel Casseus, Angelina Fabiola Cameau, Lochard Laguerre, Douyon Rosevald, Yonel AC and Huguens Charles are designated respectively as intellectual authors and accomplices in the assassination case by Nehemiah Joseph.



CPT : COPAH criticizes the selection of the PM

The Conference of Haitian Pastors (COPAH) strongly criticizes the undemocratic approach and the violation of the agreement of April 3rd, 2024, marked by the arbitrary appointment of a Prime Minister without consideration for other entities of civil society interested in proposing solutions. candidates for this position. The Prime Minister selection process must be based on clearly defined criteria rather than political affiliations.



USA : Good news for air passengers

From now on in the United States, passengers will benefit from a refund if their flight is delayed: 3 hours for domestic flights, 6 hours for international flights. Baggage fees and services not honored will also be refunded.



Embassy and consultancy closed

Embassy of Haiti in Ecuador :

The Embassy of Haiti in Ecuador informs the public in general and the Haitian community in particular that it will close its doors on the following days: Wednesday May 1st (in Haiti) and Friday May 3rd, 2024 (in Ecuador). On the occasion of Labor Day in Haiti.



Consulate of Haiti in Montreal :

The Consulate General of Haiti in Montreal advises the public in general and the Haitian Community of Quebec in particular that its premises will be closed on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, on the occasion of Labor and Agriculture Day. Consular services will resume on Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Kivimaki was sentenced to six years and three months in prison for aggravated computer break-in, 9,231 counts of disseminating information violating personal privacy, 20,745 counts of attempted aggravated extortion and 20 counts of aggravated extortion.

THE DISTRICT COURT of Western Uusimaa on Tuesday found Aleksanteri Kivimaki , 26, guilty of a slew of offences linked to Vastaamo Psychotherapy Centre.

His actions were particularly reprehensible and ruthless, according to the court.

Kivimaki was imputed of offences that were extremely harmful because sensitive information on the victims was shared on the internet with complete disregard for the vulnerability of the victims, the ruling reads according to Helsingin Sanomat.

The District Court of Western Uusimaa viewed that the offences as such warranted a prison sentence of six years and seven months, given their serious nature, the manner in which they were carried out and the disregard demonstrated by the defendant. Prosecutors were calling for the maximum punishment of seven years in prison.

The court showed some leniency at sentencing, though, on grounds that the defendant began discussing compensation with the thousands of victims who have submitted compensation claims during the trial proceedings.

Kivimaki also called for leniency on grounds of the publicity received by the trial, but the calls were rejected by the court.

He unlawfully accessed and copied the patient database of Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo in November 2018. Both the service provider and its patients began to receive extortion messages in the second half of 2020, with bits of the sensitive patient information popping up online.

The district court viewed that no single piece of evidence showed either the culpability or innocence of Kivimaki. It therefore examined the entire body of evidence, finding several elements that pointed to his culpability.

The defendant, for example, was shown to have used the server used in the offences more frequently than he admitted, and used a pertinent encryption key and IP address in a way he denied in court. He also commented on the hacking and extortion on an online message board in a way that was deliberate, purposeful and temporally aligned with the extortion attempts, suggesting a degree of involvement in the offences.

Another piece of evidence cited by the court was a payment made to the extortioner by the National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) in 2020. The 0.1-bitcoin payment was traced through several intermediaries to Kivimaki and an Estonian man.

Kivimaki himself denied all charges in court.

The District Court of Eastern Uusimaa, though, estimated that his protestations were not particularly credible because their justification and narrative changed as prosecutors brought forward more evidence.

Kivimaki clearly tried to align his accounts and presentation with the presented evidence and with the factors that emerged as significant for ruling on the case, it remarked.

In terms of the number of victims, the case is the largest in the history of Finland.

The court did not mull over the compensation claims of the victims, which presently add up to over 5,000. A decision on the claims will be made following a separate trial.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
The ICC's probe, initiated in 2021, delves into activities dating back to the 2014 Gaza War, examining actions by both Israeli military and Palestinian groups.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is reportedly on the brink of issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , for alleged war crimes committed during conflicts with Palestinian militants. This action by the Hague-based court has sparked fierce reactions, especially from U.S. lawmakers who have supported Israel unconditionally.

Reports by NBC and other news sites suggest imminent charges could be laid against key Israeli figures, raising significant legal and diplomatic tensions.

Democratic Representative Brad Sherman criticised the ICCs prospective move, calling it an overreach: The ICC apparently considers warrants on Israeli leaders for legitimate self-defence," Sherman said, further labelling the ICC as a "kangaroo court." His sentiment is widely echoed in the U.S. Congress, where most representatives are pro-Israel and many are sponsored by the Israel lobby.

Critics, however, argue that Israels military responses in densely populated Palestinian areas have been disproportionately severe. The United Nations' International Court of Justice (ICJ) has suggested it is plausible that Israeli actions could constitute acts of genocide and is examining the case brought by South Africa against Israel for the crime of Genocide. This assertion aligns with criticisms from international human rights organisations which have repeatedly condemned Israel's tactics in Gaza as excessively harsh and in violation of international law.

Israeli leaders have sought the support of U.S. President Joe Biden, asking him to intervene and prevent the issuance of any warrants. This appeal underscores the significant diplomatic leverage Israel seeks to employ to deter legal actions by the ICC.

In the U.S., political support for Israel remains strong. Representative Elise Stefanik stated, The ICC is propping up Hamas by attempting to punish the only democracy in the Middle East just for defending itself against barbaric terrorism. Such statements reflect a prevailing narrative in U.S. politics that frequently dismisses international legal critiques of Israeli policy.

Should the ICC go forward with arrest warrants, it would mark a critical point in international law, testing the court's ability to hold powerful states accountable. The implications extend beyond immediate legal consequences, potentially affecting Netanyahus and other officials' ability to travel internationally.

Critics argue that without accountability for actions deemed as war crimes by international standards, there remains a significant gap in justice for Palestinian victims. The situation highlights ongoing challenges within international law to balance national sovereignty against the imperative for global justice.

When last year the same ICC focused attention on Russian President Vladimir Putin, issuing an arrest warrant for him due to charges primarily related to the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied territories in Ukraine to Russia, the reaction from U.S. leaders and congressmen was overtly supportive. Many U.S. officials applauded the ICC's decision as a significant step toward holding Putin accountable for his actions in Ukraine. President Joe Biden endorsed the ICC's decision, stating that the warrant was "justified," highlighting the gravity of the charges, especially the unlawful deportation of children. Several members of Congress from both parties also expressed their approval, viewing the warrant as a critical move in the international effort to address war crimes and human rights abuses perpetrated during the conflict in Ukraine.

Israel on the other hand has so far killed at least 14500 Palestinian children and wounded 3 times that number and displaced over 2 million Gaza residents.

Israel has been accused of various actions that international organisations and critics have labelled as potential war crimes, particularly in the context of its conflicts in Gaza and other Palestinian territories. Here are some of the key accusations:

1. Indiscriminate Attacks and Disproportionate Use of Force: Israel has been accused of carrying out attacks that do not distinguish between military targets and civilians. During operations in densely populated areas like Gaza, the high civilian death tolls have led to allegations of disproportionate use of force.

2. Use of White Phosphorus: Israel has been criticized for its alleged use of white phosphorus, a chemical that can cause severe burns, in civilian areas. Its use in populated areas, as reported during the Gaza conflicts, has been condemned as a potential war crime.

3. Targeting Civilian Infrastructure: There have been numerous reports accusing Israel of deliberately targeting infrastructure essential for civilian life in Gaza, including schools, hospitals, water facilities, and power plants, which can constitute war crimes under international law.

4. Blockade of Gaza: The blockade of Gaza, imposed by Israel, has been described by various human rights organisations as a form of collective punishment against the civilian population, a practice prohibited by international law.

5. Destruction of Housing and Forced Evictions: The demolition of homes and forced evictions in both Gaza and the West Bank have raised serious human rights concerns. These actions are often viewed as violations of international law, especially when they result in displacement without justification or provision of adequate housing or compensation.

6. Settlement Expansions: The expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is considered illegal under international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.

7. Attacks on Medical Personnel and Ambulances: There have been multiple reported incidents where Israeli forces allegedly targeted medical personnel and ambulances, impeding the treatment and transportation of injured Palestinians, which contravenes international humanitarian laws that protect medical services during conflicts.

These accusations have been the subject of various international debates and inquiries, including investigations by the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC), though Israel disputes many of these claims and justifies its actions as necessary for its security.

As of April 30 at 3:20 pm in Gaza (12:20 GMT), the Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported staggering casualty figures with at least 34,535 people killed, including over 14,500 children and 8,400 women. Additionally, more than 77,704 individuals have been injured, and over 8,000 are missing.

In the occupied West Bank, at least 492 people have been killed, including 124 children, and over 4,800 have been injured. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have revised the death toll from the October 7 attacks down from 1,405 to 1,139, with at least 8,730 injured.

The extent of destruction in Gaza includes more than half of the homes being destroyed or damaged, 80% of commercial facilities, 73% of school buildings, and 11 out of 35 hospitals only partially functioning. Additionally, 83% of groundwater wells are not operational, and 267 places of worship have been damaged, according to the latest data from the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, and the Palestinian government as of April 28. The amount of explosives dropped on Gaza equal to 3 Hiroshima atomic bombs.

The most recent manifestation of Israeli war crimes is the discovery of a mass grave at Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals with hundreds of corpses, including patients, doctors, nurses and children, with their hands tied behind their backs and executed by Israeli occupation forces. The US continues to arm Israel and just approved a $26.3bn additional aid to Netanyahus government.

HT
Knights honor six first responders

Knights of Columbus Shield Award winners are Valley Hill Fire & Rescue Chief Tim Garren, Henderson County Sheriff's Lt. Jordan Warren, Assistant EMS Supervisor James Kanupp, Hendersonville Fire Department Battalion Chief Dustin A. Nicholson, Hendersonville Police Officer Jacob Smith and Etowah-Horse Shoe Fire & Rescue Capt. Heather Huggins.

The Hendersonville Knights of Columbus Council 7184 presented the 32nd annual Shield Awards on April 25 to law officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel who show exemplary community service and dedication to serving the public.

Hendersonville Mayor Barbara Volk, Henderson County Board of Commissioners Chair Rebecca McCall and City Council member Jennifer Hensley attended the ceremony to honor this years award winners. Recipients of the 2024 Shield Awards were:
A NEW jewellery shop has opened in Henley and a restaurant is soon to follow suit.

Jewellery Works has taken over the former Henley Scan unit in Reading Road, which had been closed since August when Graham and Eva Rickett moved the business to their home in Kings Road.

The business is run by goldsmith Jaco Jordaan with his wife Natasha and daughter Damia.

Mr Jordaan, who is originally from South Africa, has worked locally as a goldsmith for the last decade and has been in the industry for 30 years.

The shop is the familys first shop in the UK but they previously owned one in South Africa.

Mr Jordaan said they were enjoying meeting customers face to face after working by appointment only since 2019. He said: Weve had a positive response. We have already had new customers walk in and ask for things.

Its lovely to see people and we love the work we do.

Damia, who works as a videographer for the businesss YouTube channel, said: People have come in and asked what we do. It feels a bit like a meet and greet at the moment.

Before we were missing that first part of the conversation and thats the best part.

The shop is equipped to offer a range of specialist services such as stone setting, hand-engraving, the creation of hinged and mechanised rings and handcrafted jewellery. Meanwhile, a new Nepalese restaurant is to open in Reading Road.

Raj Thapa, from Oxford, has launched Pokhara Delight with his wife, Riju Thakuri.

They have taken over the former premises of Bombay Dining and will open after refurbishment.

The restaurant will offer lunch, dinner and takeaway food.

Mr Thapa, who moved to the UK from Nepal in 2008, said: We used to have a restaurant in Oxford, also Nepalese, which we closed.

I have been in hospitality a long time and this restaurant was on the market and I thought: Why not? Ill give it a try. There are no Nepalese restaurants in town.

I started working in restaurants when I was 20. Cooking is my passion. We have a lot of paperwork and a lot of planning to do. Lots of things need to be installed in the kitchen and theres cleaning and renovating.

We have heard many good things about Henley.

Meanwhile, the manager of Bagatelle Toys has celebrated a year of business since relocating.

The toy shop was sold by former owners Maryam Clifford-Turner and Victoria Wingfield Digby to Marlow Toys in April last year and moved from its former location in Bell Street to the other side of the street, closer to the town centre.

Manager Andy Tipping said he felt the new location was better as it received more footfall and he had been meeting town centre manager Paul Carey to talk about communciation between retailers.

Marlow Toys has been in Marlow since 1975.
New York, April 30 (UNI) Columbia University President Minouche Shafik Tuesday requested the presence of New York Police Department (NYPD) officers through at least May 17, two days after the university's commencement.



The measure aims to "maintain order and ensure encampments are not reestablished," Shafik said in a letter to the NYPD regarding the "unrest" on Columbia University's campus.



The negotiations between university administrators and student protesters reached an impasse on Sunday, she said.



On Tuesday night, nearly 100 protesters were arrested by the NYPD, who were called in to clear Hamilton Hall occupied by protesters in the early hours on Tuesday morning.



On April 18, the NYPD arrested over 100 student protesters to clear an encampment on the Morningside campus of Columbia University.

UNI/XINHUA AKS
Chennai, TVS Motor, which manufactures two-wheeler and three-wheeler vehicles, has registered a 25 per cent growth in sales in April, having sold 3,83,615 units this year compared to 3,06,224 units during the same month last year, the company said on Wednesday. Sales of total two-wheelers made in April this year went up by 27 per cent to 3,74,592 units, from 2,94,786 units sold in April 2023. Sales of two-wheelers in the domestic market also grew by 29 per cent to 3,01,449 units in April this year compared to 2,32,956 units sales made in same month of last year. Motorcycle sales recorded a growth of 24 per cent in April 2024 at 1,88,110 units, from 1,52,365 units retailed in April 2023. Sales of scooters in April 2024 grew by 34 per cent to 1,44,126 units as against 1,07,496 units made in April 2023. Meanwhile, sales of three-wheelers in April declined to 9,023 units compared to 11,438 units sold in the same month last year. In the electric vehicle business, sales surged to 17,403 units in April 2024 compared to 6,227 units in the same month last year. "The new Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme 2024 came into effect from April 2024 after FAME II ended in March 2024. Ensuring a smooth transition, TVS Motor recorded electric vehicle sales of 17,403 units in April 2024, indicating continued robust demand," the company said in a statement. On sales made overseas, TVS Motor said its total exports grew by 12 per cent to 80,508 units in April this year, from 71,663 units shipped in the same month last year. Two-wheeler exports made in April 2024 rose by 18 per cent to 73,143 units, from 61,830 units in April 2023, the statement added.

TVS Motor posts 25 per cent increase in sales in April over corresponding period last year
At least eight schools in different parts of Delhi-NCR, including several campuses of Delhi Public School, Amity and Mother Mary's, received emails threatening a bomb attack on Wednesday morning. As a precaution, the schools are being evacuated, and the Delhi Police are conducting a thorough search of the premises, officials said. Bomb disposal squad outside DPS Knowledge Park 5, Greater Noida.(Sourced)

A bomb detection unit, bomb disposal team, and team from the Delhi Fire Service have been mobilised to the schools, where they are conducting a search operation.

Follow- Delhi schools bomb threat news LIVE

"Information was received regarding a bomb in Delhi Public School, Dwarka. Delhi Police, Bomb Disposal Squad and fire tenders have arrived on the spot. Search is underway," Delhi Police said in a statement.

Officials confirmed that Mayur Vihar's Mother Mary's, Amity Saket and Pushp Vihar, DPS Noida, Vasant Kunj, RK Puram, and Sanskriti schools also received similar threats.

ALSO READ- Minister Atishi's request to parents as multiple Delhi-NCR schools receive bomb threats

Initial investigation shows a similar pattern: Delhi Police

"Initial investigation shows that since yesterday, emails have been sent to many places, and it seems to follow the same pattern, Delhi Police said.

The mail does not mention a dateline or BCC, which means that one message has been sent to many places. The investigation is ongoing, it added.

Schools closed as a precautionary measure.

This is to inform you that the school has received an email that threatens the safety and security of the students. As a precaution, we are sending the students back home immediately, DPS Noida's principal's office issued a statement.

Private commuters, please arrange to collect your child from the school premises as soon as possible at the respective gates. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding, it added.

A spokesperson said Amity Pushp Vihar and Saket also received bomb threats and have been evacuated as per police instructions. The schools will remain closedtoday until further notice.

Delhi schools get bomb threat: What we know so far?

1. Multiple schools in Delhi-NCR received bomb threat emails Wednesday morning.

2. Bomb detection units, disposal teams, and Delhi Fire Service personnel are conducting search operations at affected schools.

3. Schools targeted include Mother Mary's in Mayur Vihar, Amity in Saket and Pushp Vihar, DPS campuses, and Sanskriti.

4. Initial investigations show a similar pattern of threatening emails sent to various locations since yesterday, indicating a coordinated effort.

5. Schools have closed as a precaution, sending students home immediately.

Delhi LG seeks detailed report from police

Spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR. Directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits & ensure there are no lapses, Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena said in an X post.

I request the parents not to panic and co-operate with the administration in ensuring safety of schools and the children. The miscreants & culprits will not be spared, he added.

(Inputs from reporters)
By making a caste census the central pitch of its election campaign, the Congress has made this among the most important questions of the 2024 general elections. Is this a wise strategy in terms of potential rewards for the Congress? The answer depends on the relationship between caste and economic inequalities in present-day India and the possible political manifestation or lack of it in the elections. PREMIUM An enumerator staff marks a house during a caste-based census in Bihar in 2023. (HT Photo)

The lack of comprehensive and recent data is a big constraint in answering this question objectively. India does not have any official statistics on income data. Survey-based asset data from the National Sample Survey Offices (NSSO) All India Debt and Investment Survey (AIDIS) is from before the pandemic and only gives us data at the broad social group level, namely, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and those who do not belong to any of these groups. This data shows that it is SCs and STs who face the worst form of relative discrimination when it comes to asset poverty. As far as OBCs are concerned, they are almost equally represented within the ranks of the rich and the poor. This, in a way, reaffirms the need for caution in treating OBCs as a monolithic socio-economic block in India.

To be sure, the AIDIS data also offers other and perhaps, more important insights about the roots of inequality in India. Urban populations have a much larger share in assets than their rural counterparts and the ability to get out of agriculture is an important determinant in overcoming asset poverty. This is in keeping with the well-accepted economic transformation challenge in India which requires shifting labour from low-income farming to high-income non-farm activities. The ability of a caste census that will primarily increase the representation of OBCs within the ambit of reservation and other affirmative action programmes to deal with this transformation challenge will at best be limited. So, will the Congresss pitch of caste census to reduce economic inequality resonate politically? Historical data shows that the Congresss long-term decline was a result of the party losing support across communities rather than among a particular social group. Can the Congress make a political comeback by aggressively wooing just one section of the society this time? Or should it have focused on a more broad-based catch-all political approach in keeping with its historical trajectory? We will know the answer on June 4.

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Makarand Deshpande is known for his versatility in Hindi and regional cinema. The actor-director is currently geared up for the release of his next Monkey Man in India. Makarand, in an interview with Lallantop Cinema revealed that his important sequences from RRR were cut because of date hassles and extended schedule. (Also read: Dev Patel, Sobhita Dhulipala attend Monkey Man premiere in Los Angeles: Pics) Makarand Deshpande reveals why his important scenes from RRR were removed.

Makarand reveals why his scenes in RRR were cut

Makarand recalled that his scenes in the SS Rajamouli directorial were removed because of various reasons. He told that Covid pandemic was also one of the reasons he faced scheduling conflicts.

The actor said, It was such a mammoth film that its schedules were affected by many things; such as COVID and rain. So, it became difficult. Initially, I had a terrific time shooting for the film. But then, because the schedule was stretched a lot, it started becoming difficult for me. I lost out on some scenes also because of the dates, otherwise the presence would have been better. But an actor can only do his bit, what gets edited, you cant really do anything.

For the unversed, Makarand played the role of Jr NTR's friend in RRR. Makarand also told how the RRR team welcomed him on the set. He praised Ram Charan for his humility as the latter called him a bog fan of the actor since Satya.

About Makarand Deshpande

Makarand made his Bollywood debut with Aamir Khan-Juhi Chawla starrer Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). He also acted in Shah Rukh Khan's popular television show Circus (1989). The actor has been parts of movies like Jungle (2000), Sarfarosh (1999), Swades (2004), Makdee (2002) and Satya (1998). He was last seen in Bholaa (2023), Ponniyin Selvan 2 (2023) and Jailer (2023).

Makarand Deshpande's upcoming project

Makarand recently featured in the Telugu historical action-drama Razakar: The Silent Genocide Of Hyderabad. The actor also stated that his first Hollywood project Monkey Man will release in India after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Imran Abbas had talked about being offered the Sanjay Leela Bhansali project during a 2024 interview with ARY Digital's Shaan-e-Suhoor. He had said, "I had not said no to Heeramandi, but it got shelved." Now, the Pakistani actor has taken to Instagram to appreciate Sanjay for clarifying he was, in fact, considered for Heeramandi, after the actor faced backlash for claiming the same recently.

Imran Abbas on being mocked

Imran wrote, I appreciate Sanjay Leela Bhansali for providing this clarification. I would like to encourage my dear netizens and YouTubers to inquire with the other directors I mentioned in my interviews to confirm what the offers made by them. The most disheartening aspect is not lack of belief in me and the perception of me as a liar or a show-off."

He added, "It is evident that some individuals are confined within their limited worldview, unaware of many real-life experiences that others have encountered. For them it's still a fantasy since they are living in a small nutshell. What is even more distressing is when your own people degrade their own celebrities by quoting disrespectful comments from certain YouTubers and so-called journalists, who have faced criticism and are not at all credible even within the Bollywood industry."

What Sanjay said about casting Pak actors

The filmmaker surprised everyone with the revelation that Pakistani actors were also considered for Heeramandi as he said at the series' LA premiere on Monday, "I had multiple castings in my mind, the idea has been there for 18 years. I thought about Rekha ji and then Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji. It was a film back then. I then also thought about Mahira Khan, the Pakistani actress, and Imran Abbas and Fawad Khan were also in my mind at one point of time. But I ended up with this ensemble cast."

More about Heeramandi

In Heeramandi, which debuted on Netflix on Wednesday, Sanjay explores the lives of courtesans in the pre-independence era. It stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Taha Shah, Fardeen Khan, and Shekhar Suman, among others.
Delhi schools bomb threat news LIVE: Noida: Police and Fire Services personnel arrive at the DPS School after a bomb threat was received by the school via e-mail, at Sector 30, in Noida, Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Delhi schools bomb threat news Updates: Multiple schools across Delhi-NCR have received bomb threats via email on Wednesday morning. Delhi Police are conducting thorough searches, and schools are being closed as part of precautionary measures. Delhi schools get bomb threat: What we know so far? 1. Multiple schools across Delhi-NCR received bomb threat emails on Wednesday morning....Read More

2. Bomb detection units, bomb disposal teams, and Delhi Fire Service personnel have been deployed to conduct search operations at the schools.

3. Schools receiving threats include Mayur Vihar's Mother Mary's, Amity Saket and Pushp Vihar, DPS Noida, and Sanskriti.

4. Initial investigations indicate a similar pattern of threatening emails sent to multiple locations since yesterday, suggesting a coordinated effort.

5. As a precautionary measure, schools affected by the threats have closed for the day, with students being sent home immediately and arrangements made for private commuters to collect their children.
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Highlights: The Election Commission of India (ECI) released final voter turnout data for the first two legs of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday, indicating a turnout of over 66% in both phases. In the initial phase on April 19, 66.14% of electors exercised their right to vote, while in the second phase on April 26, the turnout was 66.71%....Read More

With two phases of voting already completed, political parties have heightened their poll campaigns for the remaining constituencies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a mega rally in Maharashtra's Pune on Monday, supporting Mahayuti candidates in Pune, Baramati, Shriur, and Maval. Additionally, Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani filed nominations from Lucknow and Amethi, respectively, where they are incumbent MPs.

The second phase of voting for 88 parliamentary constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories recorded a voter turnout of around 63.50%, according to the ECI. The first phase of polling took place on April 19 in 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories. Out of the total 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, 102 went to polls on April 19, and 88 on April 26. Further voting is scheduled for May 7, 13, 20, 25, and June 1, with the counting of votes and result declaration set for June 4.

All eyes are on two major political alliances: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP-led ruling NDA, and the Congress-led opposition INDIA bloc. The NDA is aiming for its third consecutive term, with slogans like abki baar 400 paar, while INDIA is focusing on economic promises such as MSP for farmers and cash handouts to women in their manifesto.
Simmering discontent among civilians over Border Security Forces (BSF) mobile check posts (MCPs) in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district has intensified after an incident on April 21 when three local youths were allegedly assaulted by the paramilitary forces personnel in Sonapyrdi village.

The influential Khasi Students Union (KSU/East Jaintia Hills unit) filed an FIR against BSF after the incident.

In a counter FIR, the BSF claimed that the three persons involved in the incident were suspected smugglers who resisted arrest when stopped at checkposts.

East Jaintia Hills deputy commissioner, Abhilash Baranwal, said an enquiry into the incident is ongoing.

But we are continuing with the inquiry and will take it to its logical conclusion, Baranwal said over the phone from Khliehriat, the district headquarters. He added that such incidents frequently occur and that the district administration has received several such complaints on several occasions.

Problems and perceptions

A local journalist, Hun T Lyngdoh, said the local population is unhappy with the MCPs and would prefer their removal.

Hun T Lyngdoh said, People feel unsafe with the BSF presence. There are regular complaints of unannounced BSF entries into villages and passage without informing village authorities. While acknowledging the BSF's anti-smuggling mission, she criticised their approach. The absence of dialogue between BSF officers and villagers is not helping at all. In fact, the villagers long for peace and I believe a collective approach to address their concerns will help greatly.

Baranwal explained that the BSF is authorised to enter up to 50 metres into the hinterland to maintain law and order and secure the international frontier against smugglers, criminals, and insurgents. He acknowledged accusations of highhandedness but defended the BSF, saying Their actions target smugglers of various scales and are necessary under the law to achieve positive results.

Explaining the challenge of assessing the effectiveness of MCPs due to a lack of data, Baranwal said authorities are committed to resolving the issue with KSU by engaging citizens and stakeholders. He said: We are more than willing to convene discussions with the BSF and local leaders to find a middle ground that promotes lasting peace and economic growth in the area.

Locations

Harbax Singh Dhillon, BSF inspector general in the state, said the force adopted a proactive strategy to combat illegal activities and smuggling with specific placement of MCPs.

Among the key MCPs are Sonapur under Lumshnong and Rattachera police stations, and the Hungaria loading point under the Umkiang police station, which are located in East Jaintia Hills. The Sonapur MCP, in particular, has significantly reduced smuggling activities, addressing concerns over illegal transportation of various goods from the Silchar side of Assam towards the international border, he said.

An MCP commander, who spoke to HT requesting anonymity, highlighted the impact of the MCPs in curbing illegal activities. While the exact amount of contraband that slipped through before the establishment of the MCPs is unknown, significant quantities of commodities like cattle, sugar, and areca nuts have been seized since, the officer said.

Emphasising the role of joint operations with the Meghalaya police after credible intelligence is gathered, the officer explained their effectiveness in disrupting illegal activities. The overall impact of MCPs is significant, although difficult to quantify, suggesting that individuals involved in illegal activities may have altered their methods in response to increased security measures.

Elaborating on the MCP commander's remarks, Dhillon claimed local residents support the Sonapur MCP since it was established despite opposition from certain segments likely engaged in illegal activities.

BSF Meghalaya has achieved notable seizures at the Sonapur MCP, including approximately 4900 cattle, 31,600 kg of areca nut, 99,000 kg of sugar, and 134 vehicles, he said, adding: These actions have been praised by individuals from diverse sectors, including leaders and civil administration, for their direct impact on the local economy and prevention of resource exploitation.

Dhillon said: The BSF recognises smuggling as a significant issue, especially the clandestine transportation of commodities like sugar, onions, and cattle. We are alarmed by the growing involvement of individuals in smuggling and are actively addressing this concern.

Challenges remain, he said. For example, smugglers and truck drivers carrying illegal consignments often confront troops on duty. Some locals and pressure groups spread false allegations, creating hindrances in BSFs mandated duty, he said.

When asked about how the BSF is addressing these challenges, Dhillon said: The BSF adapts its tactics to combat the smart and cunning smugglers, with the MCPs playing a crucial role. Despite facing opposition, the MCP has proven effective in bringing order to the area and is appreciated by law-abiding citizens.

Dhillon said the BSF's primary focus in Meghalaya Frontier is safeguarding the local economy and securing the youth's future by preventing smuggling and maintaining order.

The BSF Meghalaya Frontier is dedicated to securing the country's international borders despite facing challenges such as dense forests, rivers, and language barriers with the local population. Despite these obstacles, the BSF remains steadfast in its duty to protect the nation, its land, people and resources, the IG said.
The decline in voter turnout in the first two phases of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections  66.1% and 66.7%, respectively, compared with 69.4% and 69.2% in the 2019 polls  has attracted considerable attention. Several theories on both the causes and consequences of this turnout dip are being discussed.

What has led to the decline? And, which party will benefit or suffer the consequences of the turnout in 2024? More importantly, what does historical data on turnout inform us about Indian politics? The short answer is we do not know much about both the causes and consequences of turnout change. And, we must be very cautious in drawing conclusions.

Quite like any other indicator, voter turnout cant always rise (or always fall). It is likely to revert to the mean after multiple increases or decreases. The overall turnout increased between 2009 and 2014 (from 58.2% to 66.4%), and then to 67.4% in 2019. Since 1952, the voter turnout has never increased for three consecutive elections. so, though two-thirds of the Parliamentary Constituencies (PCs) are yet to vote, there is a high probability that the turnout will stagnate at or decline from the 2019 baseline.

The turnout declined by approximately three percentage points combined in two phases over 2019. These are normal fluctuations. To illustrate, the highest decline in turnout, of seven percentage points, was in 1962 (from 62.2% in 1957 to 57.4%), and the highest increase of approximately eight percentage points was in 2014. It is true that in some states and constituencies, the change may be in double digits, but these will be statistical outliers. However, one must also factor in the turnout baseline in different states to make any conclusions based on such large changes. Analysis of election data suggests the turnout rates in north and central states have rarely crossed 70% in the last three decades, whereas the southern and eastern states continuously register above 80%. The migration of a significant portion of the working-age population from Hindi-belt states is an important reason for this gap.

The literature on turnout from various countries indicates that temperature shocks, the length of the election schedule, and voter fatigue or apathy with the political process have very weak correlations with turnout figures. Political competition, i.e., uncertainty around the winner is positively correlated with turnout rates. And, cadre-based parties are much better at mobilising their voters even in low-turnout scenarios.

In India, the turnout rates for assembly elections are higher than those for the general elections. And, in seats where the margins of victory are low, the turnout is higher. However, we do not find any effect of political parties on the turnout. Our knowledge about the variation in turnout rates remains limited because, despite substantial efforts by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to revise the electoral rolls before every election, the presence of names that should not have been on the rolls inflates the denominator and leads to a downward bias for the turnout estimate. This happens because dead voters or those who have permanently moved out of a locality/village remain on the voter list. The National Election Studies (NES) survey conducted by Lokniti-CSDS in 2009 indicated that at least 20% of the registered electors should not have been on the electoral rolls as they either did not live in that locality or were dead. We also need a careful analysis of the effect of Covid-19 deaths on the electoral rolls. There may be state-level variations in the cleaning of the electoral rolls on that account.

Several scholarly analyses of both parliamentary elections as well as assembly elections have shown that there is no relationship between an increase or decrease in voter turnout on the re-election chances of an incumbent party. These findings are robust even after controlling several confounding factors and have been tested using sophisticated statistical tools. So, more than aggregate turnout, what matters for election outcomes is which groups are turning out above/below the average. Researchers rely on survey data to estimate the turnout differential among groups, because the ECI only releases gender disaggregated electors and voters data, not on any other demographic metric, at the constituency level.

To illustrate, the pre-poll survey conducted by Lokniti-CSDS in March 2019 indicated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had an advantage among the voters who were more likely to turn up at the booths. The data suggested that people from the underprivileged castes, Muslims, and the poor were less likely to turn up to vote in 2019. The pre-poll surveys in 2024 point to a very similar pattern of divergence in turnout preferences among the BJP-leaning and Opposition-leaning voters. This was most likely driven by low uncertainty in the final election outcomes as the voters decided to bear the cost of turning up at the booth based on their ability to influence the results.

It is possible that as the campaign for 2024 progressed after the announcements of candidates (and the war of words between the parties over manifestos), the gap in turnout preferences among the BJP-leaning and Opposition-leaning voters either closed or reversed. This can happen if the organisational machinery of various political parties manage to reach out to their respective voters and convince them of the cost of not turning up. There is no gain in highlighting the differences between both online and offline organisational capacities of the BJP and Opposition parties.

Is the high-pitched negative campaign from both sides post the first phase aimed at increasing the emotive quotient in this election, which has been certainly lower than in the previous two? The emotive elements in the 2014 and 2019 campaigns had a definite role in the BJPs ability to win seats, with a higher probability where the turnout rise was sharper. How will the decline in 2024 affect the BJPs chances to repeat its performance? Is the decline higher among the BJP-leaning fence sitters? Is the decline a result of voters unhappiness with the BJP governments performance (but not willing enough to switch sides) or because the party and its candidates have over-relied on Prime Minister Narendra Modis ability to draw voters to the booth?

While we will know the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on June 4, any meaningful conclusion on the effect the turnout had on the outcomes would require several days of careful analysis. This would largely depend on the availability of PC-level results broken into assembly segments, and randomly sampled representative post-poll surveys. Till then, we must not get carried away by any turnout-related myths.

Rahul Verma is fellow, the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi. The views expressed are personal
NY Mayor says some 300 protesters arrested at Columbia University, city college

New York, May 1 (UNI) The New York Police Department (NYPD) has arrested approximately 300 protesters at the campuses of Columbia University and the City College of New York amid pro-Palestine demonstrations across the United States, Mayor Eric Adams said on Wednesday.

"Approximately 300 people were arrested at Columbia [University] and City College; we are pressing the arrests to distinguish between who were students and who were not supposed to be on the ground," Adams said during a press briefing.


A lawyer for Harvey Weinstein says the former movie mogul's California sex crime convictions should be also be tossed after his rape conviction in New York was overturned.

Jennifer Bonjean said on NewsNation's "Dan Abrams Live" on Monday that an L.A. jury convicted Weinstein in 2022 after knowing he was convicted in New York. Now that his case has been tossed, she argues that the California conviction should be tossed on appeal and Weinstein should be let out of jail.

"You have to understand that when that Los Angeles jury walked into that courtroom, not only did every potential juror understand that there were allegations generally in the media that he was alleged to have committed these heinous sex crimes," Bonjean said. "But what they also understood and knew was that he was a convicted felon, he came into that courtroom with the stamp of convicted felon on his back."

Weinstein, 72, is being held in New York as authorities there decide whether they will retry him. He is due back in a Manhattan court on Wednesday, May 1.

New York's high court tossed his conviction in Manhattan because the justices determined that testimony about other alleged sex crimes should not have been allowed at the trial.

Weinstein is serving a 16-year sentence for the Los Angeles rape conviction. He was also serving a 23-year sentence in New York before that conviction was tossed.
Harvey Weinstein remained in a New York City hospital prison ward on Tuesday as his lawyers prepare to retry his Manhattan rape case and challenge a similar conviction in Los Angeles.

Last week, New York's Court of Appeals ruled 4-3 that a Manhattan judge "erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts" and wrongly decided that prosecutors could question Weinstein about his past "bad behavior" if he testified in his own defense.

Shortly after his conviction was overturned, Weinstein was transferred to the New York City jail system on Friday and sent to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for what one of his lawyers, Arthur Aidala, called "a lot of problems."

"He's somewhat of a train wreck, health-wise," Aidala said Saturday.



Manhattan prosecutors have said they plan to retry the case, and his next day in court is set for May 1.



Although his 23-year New York sentence was overturned, he remains in custody because of his 16-year California sentence.

One of his West Coast lawyers said Monday that when Weinstein was tried in Los Angeles in 2022, "every potential juror" knew he'd already been found guilty of similar acts in New York City, according to the Law & Crime website.

"He came into that courtroom with the stamp of convicted felon on his back," Jennifer Bonjean said during an appearance on NewsNation's "Dan Abrams Live." "And they believed that he had been righteously convicted in a fair trial by 12 jurors, of his peers, and that it was done so fairly."

Bonjean also alleged that Weinstein's Manhattan trial was "essentially rigged in the sense that the prosecution cheated by presenting excessive evidence of other bad acts that prevented him from getting a fair shake."

Last week, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said he was "comfortable with our conviction" after New York's highest court last week overturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction and 23-year sentence in the Empire State.

"Our case against Mr. Weinstein is very solid. We didn't use the evidence New York did," Gascon told the Los Angeles Times. "The California law is strong when comes to this kind of evidence."
A Massachusetts lawyer was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he attempted to hire an undercover FBI agent to murder the estranged mother of his children because it was "cheaper" than alternative solutions.

Allen Gessen, 49, first came into contact with an undercover FBI agent by the target of a separate investigation into money laundering. Gessen twice met with the undercover agent, first in Boca Raton and then in New York, and told the agent that he was in the middle of a contentious custody battle with his ex-partner, Zimbabwean model Priscilla Chigariro.

"At these meetings and through a series of encrypted electronic messages, Gessen initiated plans to commit two different crimes utilizing the undercover FBI agent's connections," U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California said in a press release.

"Gessen's objectives quickly transformed from bribing an immigration official to deport his former partner to hiring someone to murder her. Gessen resolved to murder his former partner because it was a 'cheaper way to get rid of her' and was a more permanent solution."

Gessen was originally willing to pay $100,000 to have Chigariro deported but instead decided to pay $50,000 to have her killed. He also revealed to the agent that he'd previously tried to hire a contract killer but backed out because it was too expensive, according to KPIX.

Though Gessen was based out of the east coast, his trial was held in California because he wired $23,000 to an undercover agent based out of San Francisco. In addition to providing funds, he also sent the agent information about Chigariro, including her schedule and whereabouts.

In addition to the 10-year prison sentence, Gessen will also have to serve three years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down by Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley.
At least four people were killed and 27 injured in Russian attacks on cities in Ukraine on Tuesday.

A Gothic-style building known locally as the "Harry Potter Castle" was in flames after a missile strike on the southern port of Odesa.

It is the residence of former MP Serhiy Kivalov. He was among the wounded, according to the BBC.

The castle also houses the Odesa Law Academy, which Kivalov runs.

BREAKING: Russian rocket attack on Odesa 



This is a video of Kivalov Estate (known as the Harry Potter castle) currently burning.



Two people and a dog were killed as a result of an Iskander with cluster ammunition from the occupiers. Eight more people suffered injuries pic.twitter.com/8fk9fGRRZw   Denford  (@TetyanaUkrainka) April 29, 2024

Ukraine reportedly carried out its own strikes on Russian-held Crimea early Tuesday, launching a wave of U.S.-made, long-range missiles.

The newly acquired weapons pounded air bases and air defense installations but Russian authorities claim they were shot down.

Ukraine's troops have struggled to fend off Russian advances on the battlefield.

NATO's leader said Monday that countries in the alliance haven't delivered what they promised to Ukraine in time, the Associated Press reported.

That has allowed Russia to make advances.
More than 23 million low income households could lose internet access, after a pandemic-era program expired on Tuesday due to a lack of federal funding.

The Affordable Connectivity Program - which was part of the larger Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act - set aside $14.2 billion in funds for families with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty line. Most families eligible for the program received $30 in credits per month, while those living on Tribal land received $75.

A survey conducted by Comcast indicated that more than 25% of those who use the program live in rural communities - with 40% of the program beneficiaries residing in the southern states. The overwhelming majority of program participants who responded to the survey expressed fear about losing their jobs and access to healthcare or having their children fall behind in school.

"I'm trying to become a productive member of society, something that they say people on low income are not," disabled community college student Michelle McDonough told CNN. "I'm trying. And, you know, one of the programs that's helping me, they're talking about taking it away - when there are definitely a lot of other things that they probably could take the funding from."

Early on in the program, many internet providers dropped the cost of their cheapest plans to $30, so that families receiving the credit could buy their services. The White House is urging internet providers to keep internet costs low - even though low income families are no longer the guaranteed customers they were during the program.

"We announced earlier this month that we are encouraging providers to take steps to keep their consumers connected at this crucial time by over low-cost, no-cost plans," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday.
A West Virginia man is accused of stealing an ambulance while paramedics responded to the halfway house where he was staying.

Anthony Ray Bell, 37, has been charged with felony stolen auto and several misdemeanor offenses, according to police in Huntington, West Virginia.

Bell allegedly hopped into the unoccupied ambulance while first responders were addressing a medical emergency at a recovery home.

Dash cam footage captured the dramatic two minute drive, during which Bell was visibly sweaty and breathing heavily behind the wheel. He subsequently ditched the vehicle in a nearby neighborhood, but not before throwing it in reverse.

"What's very frustrating is we go to a facility which is treating people who have addiction problems and you're helping one of their fellow companions, and one of the other ones takes the ambulance and leaves," Steve Murray with the Cabell County EMS said, according to WSAZ-TV.

Bell was captured Tuesday. He's being held on $25,000 bond.
Pakistan Deputy PM Ishaq Dar in Gambia for OIC Summit

Islamabad, May 1 (UNI) Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is representing his country at the 15th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit being held in Banjul, Gambia, on May 4 and 5.

Dar landed in Banjul and was received by Gambian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Nani Juwara, Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi and Pakistani Ambassador to Senegal Saima Maymunah Sayed, the Pakistan FO said in a post on X.

Taking to X, Dar said: "I have now arrived in Gambia to represent Pakistan at 15th Summit in addition to holding bilateral meetings with dignitaries from member countries attending the Summit."
A National Security Agency employee was sentenced to over 20 years in prison after he tried to sell top secret information to an undercover FBI agent posing as a Russian spy.

Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 32, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, pleaded guilty to six counts of attempted espionage in connection with his efforts to transmit classified National Defense Information to a fake agent of the Russian Federation, according to federal prosecutors.

Dalke admitted during his time as an information systems security designer with the NSA in 2022, "in order to demonstrate both his 'legitimate access and willingness to share,' he used an encrypted email account to transmit excerpts of three classified documents to an individual he believed to be a Russian agent," said prosecutors.

In return, he asked for an $85,000 payment, and agreed to hand over more classified information to the fake Russian agent at a downtown Denver train station.

Dalke subsequently sent five more files, including a letter that read, in part, "My friends... I am very happy to finally provide this information to you... I look forward to our friendship and shared benefit. Please let me know if there are desired documents to find and I will try when I return to my main office."

Dalke was arrested by FBI agents moments after he sent the top secret files on Sept. 28, 2023.

"This defendant, who had sworn an oath to defend our country, believed he was selling classified national security information to a Russian agent, when in fact, he was outing himself to the FBI," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. "This sentence demonstrates that those who seek to betray our country will be held accountable for their crimes."
The Biden administration is reportedly set to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a move that would be the biggest drug policy change in the U.S. in more than 50 years.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration plan is set to be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, according to the Associated Press.

Marijuana would be declassified from being a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD, and make it a Schedule III drug.

It is considered a historic shift that would recognize the medical uses of cannabis.

The Associated Press says five sources confirmed the agency's plans.

President Joe Biden called for a review of federal marijuana law in October 2022, and has moved to pardon thousands of Americans convicted of marijuana possession.

"My intent by this proclamation is to pardon only the offenses of simple possession of marijuana, attempted simple possession of marijuana, or use of marijuana in violation of the Federal and D.C. laws," said Biden in a White House proclamation.

Critics say rescheduling isn't necessary and could lead to harmful side effects.

Others argue say marijuana should be dropped from the controlled-substances list completely and regulated like alcohol.

38 states have already legalized medical marijuana. Recreational marijuana is approved in 24 of them.
Columbia threatened to expel the pro-Palestine student actvists barricaded inside the university's Hamilton Hall, on Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the students first siezed the building in response to the administration's demand that protestors clear the Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

"We regret that protestors have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions," Columbia spokesperson Ben Chang said in a statement. "Our top priority is restoring safety and order to our campus."

Discord between the Columbia student activists and the university administration has raged for two weeks - since students first erected the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on the university grounds. The student protestors are calling for divestment from Israel, transparency into the college's finances and amnesty for all students involved in the activist groups.

The Columbia campus - which was already restricted to people with university IDs and others let on campus on a case-by-case basis - is now solely open to students who reside in one of the seven on-campus dorms and staff members performing essential functions. The only point of entry on campus is the 116th Street and Amsterdam gate - while other gates will remain locked, according to the Columbia website.

"Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation-vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances-and we are following through with the consequences we outlined yesterday," Chang wrote.

The student activist group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) characterized the administration's actions as a "siege on its students," in a Tuesday Instagram post, that called on students to surround Hamilton Hall.

"Students in the encampment have no access to bathrooms, food or water. The school is arbitraily suspending students who were uninvolved simply for accessing their own library last night," the organization wrote. "Columbia is a repressive police state that funds genocide. This crackdown is abhorrent."

The Columbia administration claimed in their statement that the primary issue with the student movement was "the actions of the protestors, not their cause."

"Disruptions on campus have created a threatening environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty and a noisy distraction that interferes with teaching, learning, and preparing for final exams, and contributes to a hostile environment in violation of Title VI," Chang wrote.

The politics of the encampment have been subject to intense scrutiny from the beginning - there were Jewish activists involved in occupying the lawn and participating in associated activist groups. Students and faculty members even celebrated a Passover Seder inside the encampment.

Some, however, allege that the activism has led to a spike in on-campus antisemitism - with at least one rabbi associated with the university urging Jewish students to return home. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and its members have made repeated public statements asserting that Jewish students are a welcome part of their movement and that their issues are with the Israeli government and the university's administration.

"This is part of the continuing harassment, violence and bad-faith behaviors carried out by Columbia University administration," CUAD wrote in response to the expulsion threats. "Rather than focusing on the demands of CUAD to divest from genocide, the administration has targeted the students who have put all on the line for Palestine."
It was a violent night at pro-Palestinian protests that have overtaken several college campuses across the country.

On UCLA's campus, dueling groups of protesters clashed late on Wednesday. Protesters on both sides got into fights and some used sticks to attack each other.

The altercations happened at a tent encampment built by pro-Palestinian protesters. They had built plywood around their protest site. Pro-Israeli counter-protesters tried to pull the barricades down and that's when the confrontations started.

The incidents went on for several hours before police wearing riot gear formed lines and slowly separated the groups, the Associated Press reported.

The police intervention appeared to settle the protesters.

It is the second time in a few days that clashes broke out on the campus. On Sunday, fights broke out between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel supporters at UCLA.

The incident at the Los Angeles school came hours after on the other side of the country the New York City Police Department descended on Columbia University to disperse anti-Israeli protesters who had taken over Hamilton Hall about 12 hours earlier.

According to officials, those arrested inside the academic building will be charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing.

Others arrested outside the building are expected to be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.

The NYPD could not confirm the number of arrests to HNGN but CNN reported that the number of arrests topped 200.

Protests have spread across U.S. college campuses calling on the schools to divest from companies that support the war in Gaza. As of Wednesday morning, police on multiple college campuses have taken action to remove protesters.



In the southwest, police at the University of Arizona used a "chemical irritant" to clear pro-Palestinian protesters on campus early Wednesday morning. Campus police had ordered the crowd to disperse immediately from what they deemed an "unlawful assembly." When they refused the police advanced in the area of University Blvd & Park Ave. shortly after midnight.

In the upper Midwest, police cleared out a pro-Palestinian encampment on the UW-Madison campus, just two days after it was built, according to Reuters, adding that all but one tent was removed by 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.
In a historic move in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday, the United Methodist Church lifted its 40-year ban on gay clergy.

The church has long contested the issue, having divided into factions and splitting the church in two over its position on homosexuality and gay clergy.

Since 1984, the church has held the ban on clergy members who were "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" and later included performing or celebrating same-sex unions on a "list of chargeable offenses that could result in a church trial," according to a timeline of the church's history per CNN News.

Wednesday's vote signaled a pronounced adjustment in the United Methodist Church's outlook on homosexuality.

The church's legislative body passed multiple rules without objection, including overturning both its ban on gay clergy and the penalties for holding same-sex marriages in an overwhelming 692-51 vote.

In a post on X, Pastor Matt Patrick expressed his delight over the momentous transformation, writing,

"This morning I cried... because a fight I've been in for so long found justice."

"We are no longer saying that being gay is a sin, and we no longer ban LGBTQ people from serving as ministers... Praise be to God."

Church members, overcome with joy, cheered, cried, and hugged following the outcome.

Marilyn Murphy, an observer from the church's South Carolina conference, told the United Methodist News service,

"We've been going on like this since the '70s, and, finally, in just a brief few minutes with no debate, it was gone. And now we can get on with the business of the church."

Additional revisions are expected as the legislative conference continues.
The academic workers' union at the University of California Los Angeles will hold a vote on whether they will side with pro-Palestinian protestors, potentially bringing grading and research for all students on campus to a screeching halt.

The union's executive board held an emergency meeting on Wednesday morning, during which they voted to hold a strike authorization vote as early as Monday - which would give the union the authority to call an official strike.

A UCLA PhD student, speaking to HNGN on the condition of anonymity, said that she "strongly supported" the union taking a strike authorization vote.

"As a student worker I believe it is past time that UCLA entered negotiations with the pro-Palestinian demonstrators," she said. "Their failure to protect students from violent counter-protestors last night shows that further direct action is necessary."

In an email to union members obtained by HNGN, the UCLA academic researchers and post-doctoral students said that the university's "failure" to protect pro-Palestinian students and employees from the counter-protestors, who stormed their encampment early Wednesday morning, was an abdication of responsibility.

"Management has employed police violence or allowed violence to be used against students, faculty and academic workers exercising their right to free speech, the executive board of UAW 4811 wrote. "The use and sanction of violent force to curtail peaceful protest is an attack on free speech and the right to demand change, and the university must sit down with students, unions and campus organizations to negotiate, rather than escalate."

UAW 4811 represents nearly 50,000 academic researchers and post-docs across 10 public universities and one laboratory in California. In the fall of 2022, it was part of the largest strike in the history of American higher education, when academic workers walked off the job for more than a month.



While it's not clear what the immediate impact of this strike could be, the 2022 strike delayed grading during final exams and brought the majority of university research to a halt.

UCLA classes were canceled Wednesday and police helicopters lingered above the university, after 200 counter-protestors stormed the encampment overnight, ripping away wooden pallets and metal barricades. Individuals could also be seen throwing fireworks towards the encampment, in footage shared to social media by the UCLA student newspaper. Members of UAW 4811 were inside the encampment as the violence unfolded, according to the union's executive board.

The incidents went on for several hours before police wearing riot gear formed lines and slowly separated the groups. Academic workers criticized the university - claiming that it failed to ensure the security of students and university employees. Undergrad and graduate students, including some union members, rebuilt the encampment barricade in the light of day, while volunteers distributed food to the activists.

In their communications with union members, the executive board wrote that a strike would be justified "should the university decide to curtail the right to participate in protected, concerted activity; discriminate against union members or political viewpoints; and create or allow threats to members' health and safety."

"UAW 4811 members will take any and all actions necessary to enforce our rights," executive board wrote.
A California company is recalling shelled walnuts that have been sold in dozens of states over E. Coli concerns.

Gibson Farms recalled Organic Light Halves and Pieces shelled walnuts.

The E. Coli can cause a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools. Although most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people can develop a form of kidney failure, especially in young children and the elderly.

The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death.

The walnuts were sold to distributors in California and Washington and then shipped to more than 300 stores nationally, including some Whole Foods locations.

Gibsons Farms Organic Light Halves and Pieces shelled walnuts were sold in bulk boxes in Net Wt. 25 lbs quantities and can be identified by lot 3325-043 & 3341-501 with expiration dates 5/21/25 & 6/7/25.

The CDC of 12 recorded illnesses allegedly linked to the consumption of organic halves and pieces of shelled walnuts.

The FDA says stores in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The people stricken in the outbreak are in California and Washington received the nuts.

An investigation continues to find the source of the contamination.

The nuts are often sold in bulk bins. The company is telling retailers to clean and sanitize bulk bins before refilling them with other nuts.
Jesse Leitch, a father from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was taken aback when he found a time capsule with all sorts of trinkets dating back over 100 years while contractors were installing new pipes in his bathroom.

Among the 12 items were newspaper clippings, rusty toys, photographs, and a handwritten letter from the early 1900s.

As the workers were cutting into the ceiling above the bathroom, they stumbled across souvenirs seemingly left there by previous residents from over a century ago.

"I've always kind of thought about doing stuff like that. You know, if we renovate the place, leave something in the wall for the next guy", Leitch commented.

"I just thought it was extremely cool, and it gave me a connection to the house."

The newspaper clipping was published in 1913, while a business card for a local music shop revealed it had closed its doors in 1907, according to The Daily Mail.

A handwritten letter was among the pile of items, written by someone named Gertrude and addressed to another named Ruth.

The capsule of sorts also included a tiny cast iron pan, which Leitch believed must have belonged to a doll set based on its size, part of a music box, and several dominoes.

'I think we want to clean the rust out of it and try cooking some tiny food with it and see how that works,' said Leitch.

Inspired, he too intends to make his own time capsule to put in the ceiling before patching up the hole.

"I've made some music that we put onto vinyl records. And I think that might be a good way to preserve music for the future."

Leitch disclosed his plan to display some of the ornaments in his home while offering the remaining items to the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
Thai king appoints ex-diplomat Maris as new FM

Bangkok, May 1 (UNI) Thailands retired career diplomat Maris Sangiampongsa on Wednesday was appointed a new foreign minister by a king's decree published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette.

Maris's appointment comes as former Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara unexpectedly stepped down from his post, having asked Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to resign after he was stripped of his status as deputy prime minister while retaining his position as foreign minister during the recent government reshuffle.

Bahiddha-Nukara told media after submitting his resignation letter that his loss of the position of deputy prime minister was not the result of any lack of success in his work, and that he believes in the current international, especially regional, situation, a combination of the positions of foreign minister and deputy prime minister is necessary for him, and thus prefers to vacate both positions at the same time for the next minister.
Prosecutors have reiterated their intent to retry Harvey Weinstein on recently overturned rape charges, as Judge Curtis Farber has scheduled a tentative date for Weinstein's retrial after Labor Day.

Prosecutors revealed that they are aiming for the trial to take place in the fall, possibly in September, according to The Daily Mail.

Farber remanded Weinstein in custody, as the disgraced film producer, 72, will face previous charges that he forcibly performed oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and raped an aspiring actor in 2013.

In a move last week that has shocked the public, specifically survivors of sexual assault, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that the Oscar-winning producer did not receive a fair trial in 2020, ultimately voiding his 23-year prison sentence.

Weinstein had been serving his sentence in a New York jail for the two sex attacks against aspiring actress Jessica Mann and product assistant Mimi Haleyi.

He was also sentenced to 16 years in 2022, following a guilty verdict in a Los Angeles court on three rape and sexual assault charges.

The conviction still stands.

Last week's ruling found that a trial judge had allowed jurors to see and hear too much evidence that was not directly related to his charges.

"We believe in this case and will be trying this case", Prosecutors told the court.

Haleyi, one of Weinstein's main accusers in the case against him, disclosed that she is unsure if she is ready to testify again in a retrial.

The reversal of his conviction is the second major #MeToo setback in the last two years.

A lawyer for Harvey Weinstein says the former movie mogul's California sex crime convictions should also be tossed after his rape conviction in New York was overturned.

Weinstein continues to deny the allegations, insisting that his relations with the victims were consensual.
Daniel Bessner in Harpers Magazine:

In 2012, at the age of thirty-two, the writer Alena Smith went West to Hollywood, like many before her. She arrived to a small apartment in Silver Lake, one block from the Vista Theatrea single-screen Spanish Colonial Revival building that had opened in 1923, four years before the advent of sound in film. Smith was looking for a job in television. She had an MFA from the Yale School of Drama, and had lived and worked as a playwright in New York City for yearstwo of her productions garnered positive reviews in the Times. But playwriting had begun to feel like a vanity project: to pay rent, shed worked as a nanny, a transcriptionist, an administrative assistant, and more. There seemed to be no viable financial future in theater, nor in academia, the other world where she supposed she could make inroads.

For several years, her friends and colleagues had been absconding for Los Angeles, and were finding success. This was the second decade of prestige television: the era of Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Homeland, Girls. TV had become a place for sharp wit, singular voices, people with visionand they were getting paid. It took a year and a half, but Smith eventually landed a spot as a staff writer on HBOs The Newsroom, and then as a story editor on Showtimes The Affair in 2015.

More here.
Enabled by the Tourism Development Fund (TDF), the partnership between IHG and Refad will bring a unique hospitality experience to Al Khobar.

IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world's leading hotel companies, has signed a management agreement with Refad Real estate investment & development company part of Abdulhadi AlQahtani, sons group Company to bring Hotel Indigo & Residences Al Khobar to Saudi Arabia by September 2027.

In line with its commitment to fostering collaboration between its partners, TDF has facilitated the recent signing that will contribute to the sustainability of the Kingdom's hospitality and tourism industries.

Developed as part of the Refad project, which is set to become the most iconic mixed-use lifestyle destination in Eastern Province, Hotel Indigo & Residences Al Khobar will feature more than 200 keys of hotel rooms and serviced apartments in the vibrant corniche district of Al Khobar.

As one of IHG's lifestyle brands, Hotel Indigo properties offer a gateway to some of the world's most inspiring locations. Just as no two neighborhoods are alike, no two Hotel Indigo properties are the same, taking inspiration from the area around each hotel to inform all aspects of the guest experience, from the hotel's boutique design approach to locally inspired restaurants.

Hotel Indigo & Residence will feature two dining options including, the Neighborhood Cafe and Lobby Lounge, along with an Executive Lounge, offering guests a diverse culinary experience. For business travelers, the hotel will provide state-of-the-art meeting facilities spanning 290 square meters across five meeting rooms and a ballroom. Additionally, the hotel will enable access to a range of recreational amenities, including a swimming pool, gym, and spa, ensuring a rejuvenating stay experience.

With 278 open or pipeline hotels globally, each Hotel Indigo hotel draws on the local neighborhood, culture and popular trends in food, drink and design to create a warm and vibrant atmosphere.

IHG currently operates 43 hotels across 6 brands in Saudi Arabia, including Six Senses, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, voco, and Staybridge Suites, and has a strong pipeline of 32 hotels due to open in the next 2-5 years.

Hotel website
Vermejo, the award-winning, conservation travel destination in the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America, announced the opening of Bernal Lake Cabin, a premium, secluded wilderness experience, for guest stays.

Bernal Lake Cabin is a 1,460 square foot, rustically luxurious accommodation, featuring a split-floorplan with two master suites, each boasting a king bed and clawfoot soaking tub. A spacious living room with propane fireplace, third bathroom, children's loft, and heated floors throughout makes the cabin a perfect year-round vacation locale. This all-inclusive offering is replete with meals provided by private chef or on-own, at request, as well as access to the Main Lodge Dining Room, when desired.

The restoration of Bernal Lake Cabin was imagined by Ted Turner Reserves' President, Jade McBride. "Our mission has always been to connect people with nature, and what better way than a completely immersive experience", said McBride. "Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy this vast, rewilded landscape in the spirit of its early inhabitants, explorers, and pioneers. It's unbelievably humbling to encounter this landscape as it was more than 100 years ago." The cabin boasts a private lakefront setting 20 minutes from the nearest guest accommodation and public areas, with ample outdoor living spaces, including a cedar soaking hot tub, designed to extend guests time outdoors. Lake recreation includes kayaking, canoeing, fishing and swimming, along with unfettered access to the nature that surrounds through hiking, mountain biking and all self- and privately guided activities regularly available on Vermejo.

The original structure was built in 1928 by the Vermejo Club, an invitation-only social organization, attracting celebrated members such as Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and Herbert Hoover. The foundation, log beams, and fireplace from this time remain, providing an air of authenticity throughout. Elements of weathered steel siding were added to the exteriors for an aged appearance, and new decking and landscaping welcome each new visitor's approach.

A nod to the group involved in the original construction of the accommodation, some of the very first stays at Bernal Lake Cabin will be members of the Vermejo Legacy Club, an assembly of long-time, loyal guests of the property. "It's a wonderful way to honor the patronage of our most faithful guests, some of whom have been visiting for more than 60 years", said Theresa King, General Manager of Vermejo.

Bernal Lake Cabin's interiors have been designed to evoke a true sense of place: a rustic hideaway for the Chicago business magnets and Hollywood silent picture stars traveling west on the Santa Fe line.

The materials are genuine. Santa Fe-based design firm Los Griegos Studio invested countless hours canvassing New Mexico and Colorado for a collection of regional furniture and fixtures representative of the bygone era. The majority of unupholstered appointments are antique, excluding custom pieces sourced for specific size requirements. Century-old tables and chairs were restored for durability while protecting their aged charm.

Historic rail-route maps, converted kerosene lanterns, and incorporations of natural botanicals ornament the walls, and fabric treatments feature upscale gingham, plaid and Navajo-inspired weave. Adornments include vintage typewriters, classic hardback books of the time and aged duck decoys, romanticizing the pastimes of the period. A true treasure, original art depicting luminescent hummingbirds has been reframed and is on display.

Interested parties may reserve their stay at this new accommodation by calling 877-2TURNER or visiting the website at www.tedturnerreserves.com.

About Vermejo and Ted Turner Reserves

Vermejo, a respected leader in regenerative tourism, offers luxury accommodations and high-touch service in one of North America's most dramatic, natural destinations. With over 550,000 stunning acres of picturesque, rewilded lands, Vermejo is the jewel of Northern New Mexico, replete with snowcapped alpine tundra, vast forests and prairie land, 19 lakes and 137 miles of rivers and streams. Its diverse landscape is a sanctuary to a wide variety of endangered and sensitive species, and home to the great American bison, elk, pronghorn, black bears, beaver and mountain lions. Whether riding horseback through open fields, exploring turn-of-the-century charcoal kilns, rock climbing the via ferrata or fly fishing for Rio Grande cutthroat trout, Vermejo provides the perfect locale for couples, families and group travelers alike.

Vermejo is part of Ted Turner Reserves, a hospitality brand grounded in conservation with a mission to connect people with nature. With 1.1 million acres across three properties in New Mexico, Ted Turner Reserves includes Vermejo, Armendaris and Ladder and one retreat, Sierra Grande. These properties provide an unparalleled opportunity for guests to visit and experience luxurious hospitality, outdoor activities, and unfettered access to nature. Guests also will have the opportunity to learn about renowned businessman, philanthropist, and environmentalist Ted Turner's efforts to restore and preserve these properties and their native species and ecosystems.

Hotel website
Roughly 1.3 million business trips take place every day in the U.S., according to American Express Business Travel. For small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), those trips can lead to a positive impact on a companys bottom line  but can also be challenging to coordinate, budget and manage. But it doesnt have to be.

To help, Hilton leaders share three considerations for SMBs who want to travel smarter and maximize their personal and financial investment in business travel:

1. Enroll in a business travel program

Hilton data uncovered 75% of SMB customers book their own business trips and manage their own travel in-house, without outsourcing. Additionally, 80% of global travelers agree that its important to be able to book their entire trip online, according to the companys 2024 Trends Report.

To address this need, Hilton this year launched Hilton for Business, a first-of-its-kind, free-to-join travel program, offering a comprehensive set of tools to enhance the business travel booking and management experience for SMB owners and their employees. In addition to no minimum spend requirements, one of the key benefits of the program is a quick enrollment and verification process to minimize the time required for the entire company to start booking discounted business travel.

When it comes to travel and travel management, SMBs have unique needs that, until now, have never been fully met. From the company dashboard and consolidation of travel to the ability to separate personal and business profiles within Hilton Honors accounts, all the elements of Hilton for Business were designed to enhance the overall travel experience for SMBs. Mike Gathright, senior vice president, customer experience, Hilton

2. Save money with discounts and loyalty rewards

Smart, budget-conscious consumers know joining rewards programs can result in financial efficiencies and gains. This applies to business owners as well. Owners can save money by identifying those partners and companies that will help them maximize their budget. Programs like Hilton for Business offer special discounted rates as well as travel rewards, like the ability for a company to earn Hilton Honors Points for itself as well as its travelers for each stay and to receive milestone Bonus Points based on the companys cumulative travel with Hilton.

The first step in building a bespoke travel program for SMBs was to listen loudly to the needs of our customers. In doing so we discovered 70% of SMBs identified point earning opportunities as one of the most important features of a business travel program. With those insights, we prioritized that feature of the program to ensure that we were not only meeting  but exceeding  customer expectations while also driving the industry forward. Frank Passanante, senior vice president and global head of sales, Hilton

3. Maximize rewards with a co-branded credit card

For brand loyalists, the ultimate commitment  which leads to maximum rewards  is finding a co-branded business credit card that meets an individuals financial needs and complements their lifestyle choices.

We at Hilton are committed to providing a wide array of offerings that meet the expectations of SMB owners and travelers. Following our recent co-branded credit card announcement, business owners can now accelerate the speed in which they earn and redeem Hilton Honors Points, leading to elevated travel experiences  whether traveling to Columbus, Ohio for a business meeting or Maui, Hawaii for a family vacation. Mark Weinstein, chief marketing officer, Hilton

For more information or to join Hilton for Business, visit HiltonforBusiness.com. For more information on Hiltons co-brand credit card offerings, visit here.

About Hilton

Hilton is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 22 world-class brands comprising more than 7,500 properties and nearly 1.2 million rooms, in 126 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed over 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, was named the No. 1 World's Best Workplace by Great Place to Work and Fortune and has been recognized as a global leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for seven consecutive years. Hilton has introduced industry-leading technology enhancements to improve the guest experience, including Digital Key Share, automated complimentary room upgrades and the ability to book confirmed connecting rooms. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the more than 180 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can't buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a Digital Key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit stories.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
In the dynamic world of hospitality, where every moment counts and guest expectations evolve rapidly, staying ahead is not just a necessity but a strategic imperative. Enter P3 Hotel Software, a pioneer in revolutionizing the guest journey through innovative technology solutions. At the forefront of this revolution is P3's Online Check-in product, a game-changer in streamlining operations and enhancing the guest experience.

This Online Check-in solution was launched 4 years ago, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, and has gone from strength to strength as the hospitality industry recovered and emerged from testing global circumstances. Conversion rates for this product are recorded based on a measurement of the total number of guests receiving the pre-check-in email and the total number of guests completing the online pre-check-in process.

P3s 2024 data shows that clients implementing the companys Online Check-in product are recording an average conversion rate of 26% with rates ranging from 8% to 85% depending on hotel type and implementation strategy.

Redefining Guest Experience through Contactless Solutions

P3's Online Check-in solution isn't just about simplifying front-desk operations; it's about ushering in a new era of contactless experiences tailored to each hotel's unique brand. Integrated seamlessly into the hotel's website, this solution eliminates the need for cumbersome apps or downloads, offering guests a quick and hassle-free check-in process. As a Strategic Oracle Partner, P3s Online Check-in solution is certified with Oracle Validated Integration, guaranteeing a robust and reliable experience for both hotels and guests.

Unlocking the Benefits: From Efficiency to Revenue Maximization

In today's competitive landscape, where labor shortages and shifting guest demands pose significant challenges, hotels must embrace automation to remain competitive. P3's Online Check-in product offers a multitude of benefits, from streamlining operations and enabling instant online payments to enhancing brand presence and boosting direct revenue. By reducing friction points and enhancing the guest experience, hotels can achieve tangible efficiencies while maximising revenue potential.

Deciphering Online Check-in Trends: Insights from the Field

P3's conversion rate data provides intriguing insights into the adoption of online check-in across various market segments. Notably, city center locations show above-average online check-in conversion rates, despite many guests visiting for business trips, which typically lack the excitement associated with leisure travel. Rural settings also witness high online check-in rates, aligning with the enthusiasm of leisure-oriented guests keen to kickstart their vacations seamlessly.

A notable disparity arises between Irish and UK hotels, however, with Irish establishments exhibiting an average online check-in conversion rate of 19%, a value 7% lower than the overall average. UK hotels, on the other hand, report an average online check-in conversion rate of 29%. Cultural differences between hospitality approaches may contribute to this contrast, however, further research is required to determine the impact of these factors on online check-in conversion rates.

Unveiling Best Practices: Insights from P3 CEO Phelim Pekaar

P3 CEO Phelim Pekaar highlights the pivotal role of effective email and SMS communication in driving online check-in conversion rates. He advocates for concise, persuasive messages with strong calls to action (CTAs) placed prominently, emphasizing benefits like skipping queues for a seamless arrival experience. Pekaar recommends sending reminder emails five and three days before the stay, coupled with a text message reminder on the morning of arrival. Additionally, ensuring guests have an email address on file and routinely cleaning mobile numbers are essential practices. Pekaar also highlights the positive correlation between guests booking directly on client hotel websites and online check-in conversion rates. Encountering a familiar branded interface, which mirrors their online booking experience with the P3 Booking Engine, makes guests feel more comfortable and encourages loyalty. This emphasizes the complementary nature of P3s products, with both the booking engine and online check-in products going hand-in-hand to drive up hotel revenue, streamline operations, and foster greater customer loyalty.

The Benefits of P3 Kiosks Collect Your Key Feature on Online Check-in Conversion

P3's integration of online check-in with self-serve kiosks, featuring the "collect your key" element, serves as a vital interim solution until Mobile Key technology becomes available through Apple and Google Wallet. This innovative approach has significantly improved guest experiences at one of P3s client hotel groups, streamlining the check-in process and reducing wait times across a number of properties. Notably, this client has observed a 45% increase in online check-in conversions year-on-year within a recent five-week period, highlighting the practical benefits of P3's solutions. This emphasizes the capabilities of combining online check-in with self-serve kiosks in enhancing guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.

A Strategy Implemented by a P3 Client

A recent innovative approach exemplified by a P3 client highlights the influence of email incentives in bridging the gap between direct bookings and those facilitated through Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). By offering OTA bookers a complimentary drink upon arrival after checking-in online, this client successfully encouraged guests to provide their contact information, thereby enriching the hotel's database for targeted marketing initiatives. The results are compelling: prior to the implementation of the incentive, OTA online check-in conversion rates lagged behind the overall conversion rates by 5.5%. However, within two months of launching the drink incentive, the gap significantly narrowed to a mere 1.25%. Taking the clients most popular London establishment as a case in point, the introduction of the incentive led to an impressive surge in OTA bookers' online check-in conversion rate by 14.87%. This evidence shows how powerful email incentives can be in boosting online check-in conversion rates, strengthening the hotel's direct booking channels, and encouraging more meaningful guest engagement.

P3 Hotel Software's Online Check-in product is not only about convenience; it's about shaping the future of hospitality. By embracing contactless solutions and leveraging insightful trends, hotels can unlock new avenues for efficiency, revenue generation, and guest satisfaction. As the industry evolves, P3 remains steadfast in its commitment to empowering hotels with cutting-edge technology, ensuring that each guest journey is not just memorable but truly extraordinary.

Andrea Mane
On the evening of Thursday, 25th April, The Savoy Hotel, London, welcomed a gathering of young talents and leaders in the hotel, event, and travel industry. The first of many events in London hosted by the HSMAI Europe Rising Leader Council team aimed to facilitate professional and social gatherings for the exchange of experiences and networking among young talents and leaders aged 35 and under.

The agenda for the evening was offering a blend of insightful discussions, engaging dialogues, and valuable networking opportunities. As guests arrived, the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation and excitement, as young professionals and future leaders connected and exchanged experiences.

Chris Keates, Account Director at IHG Hotels & Resorts and member of the HSMAI Europe Rising Leaders Council, set the tone for the evening with a warm welcome, inspiring attendees to make the most of the opportunities ahead. He had an enlightening dialogue with Franck X. Arnold, Managing Director & Regional Vice-President at The Savoy Hotel. Arnold shared invaluable insights from his extensive experience in the hospitality industry. Attendees had the opportunity to engage in a Q&A session, gaining deeper insights into the nuances of leadership in hospitality.

His message resonated with the attendees, urging them not to fear failure on their journey to success. Drawing from personal experience, he candidly shared two instances of failure he had encountered. However, he emphasized the invaluable lessons he gleaned from these setbacks, highlighting the importance of resilience and perseverance. He encouraged attendees to embrace failure as a stepping stone to growth, affirming that each stumble presents an opportunity for learning.

The stage was then set for a panel debate, featuring industry senior leaders such as Shumi Khan, SVP Business Intelligence & Revenue Management Accor Hotels, Debra Patterson, Director Quality and Sustainability at The Savoy Hotel in London, Scott Jakins, GM at Staybridge Suite London Vauxhall, and Franck X. Arnold. Moderated by Terence Baker, News editor, Europe, Middle East & Africa at Hotel News Now, the discussion was focused on guest satisfaction and loyalty, offering fresh perspectives and actionable insights.

The evening ended with a fun Kahoot session and networking, providing attendees with opportunities to connect and collaborate.

At HSMAI Europe, were dedicated to empowering the next generation. Last week, we also hosted interactive virtual meetings for senior leaders on loyalty program enhancement and Total Revenue Management culture. Find summaries in todays Executive Insights.

Ingunn Hofseth

President & CEO

HSMAI Region Europe

About HSMAI Europe

HSMAI  Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International  is a global organization founded in the US in 1927. HSMAI Region Europe is the European arm of the organisation. HSMAI Europe aims to be a key influencer, pioneer and the go-to industry resource for professional development, commercial strategies and sustainability in the hospitality, travel and tourism industry. Read More
Hospitality management platform Cloudbeds has found travellers were booking accommodation further in advance in 2023 across all regions, except in North America. The findings, revealed in Cloudbeds 2024 State of Independent Lodging Report, indicate that the average booking window  i.e. the number of days prior to arrival when travellers reserve a room  increased relative to the previous three years in Europe, LATAM and the Asia-Pacific region.

At 46 days, Europe had the longest average booking window of the four regions  an increase of six days over 2022. In Latin America and Asia Pacific, booking windows were much shorter, at 32 days and 31 days, respectively. According Cloudbeds data, these patterns have remained relatively consistent in recent years, although the gaps among regions have become more pronounced. Meanwhile, the average booking window in North America remained the same, at 40 days prior to arrival.

The trend toward longer booking windows signals a resurgence in travellers confidence to plan trips well in advance. This shift is a boon for hoteliers who faced challenges with unpredictable occupancy due to a surge in last-minute bookings during the pandemic. Such unpredictability complicated planning, rate adjustments, and operational cost management.

While last-minute bookings will persist and continue to offer value by filling unoccupied rooms, hotels stand to gain significantly from promoting earlier reservations. Implementing strategies like early-bird discounts could encourage this behaviour, providing more stability and more total revenue. Adam Harris, co-founder and CEO of Cloudbeds

Cloudbeds findings are grounded in data from a sample of 10,000+ independent properties, encompassing boutique hotels and guest houses, B&Bs, and hotel groups in over 100 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, and the APAC region. For comprehensive global insights into the independent lodging landscape in 2024, download a free copy of Cloudbeds annual State of Independent Lodging Report at https://www.cloudbeds.com/hospitality-industry-report.

ABOUT CLOUDBEDS

Cloudbeds is the leading platform redefining the concept of PMS for the hospitality industry, serving tens of thousands of properties in more than 150 countries worldwide. Built from the ground up to be masterfully unified and scalable, the award-winning Cloudbeds Platform brings together built-in and integrated solutions that modernize hotel operations, distribution, guest experience, and data & analytics.

Founded in 2012, Cloudbeds has been named a top PMS, Hotel Management System and Channel Manager (2021-2024) by Hotel Tech Report, World's Best Hotel PMS Solutions Provider (2022) by World Travel Awards, and recognized in Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 in 2023. For more information, visit www.cloudbeds.com.
Business Travel Professionals Show Optimism, Commitment in Their Career Outlook for 2024, According to Latest GBTA Poll Work life balance, contentment and industry opportunity in their roles fuel loyalty.

Global travel buyers and suppliers also report continued knowledge gaps, desire for clarity and implementation challenges related to New Distribution Capability

As the business travel industry continues to show strong indicators toward reaching a spending forecast of $1.5 trillion USD in 2024, the latest sentiment poll released today from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) reveals an industry workforce of experienced, engaged professionals who are leading the way.

GBTA, the premier trade association for business travel worldwide, unveiled its April 2024 Business Travel Outlook Poll that provides valuable perspectives from across the industry. Drawing on the responses of over 800 business travel buyers, suppliers and other business travel professionals across 41 countries, this 34th installment of GBTAs ongoing survey series reveals the current state of the profession, including gauging the latest sentiment on the implementation of the New Distribution Capability (NDC).

Survey results show a significant majority of global business travel professionals like or love working in the industry, reflecting a sense of optimism and career satisfaction in the sector. Many respondents anticipate they will stay in their current role in 2024, and professionals continue to join from outside the industry. A quarter of industry respondents expect promotions within the next year. Travel buyers remain at the helm of key decision-making for their organization, especially in travel management company (TMC) relationships, hotel and air sourcing. And when it comes to navigating NDC  a technology standard that will transform how airlines sell flights through various distribution channels  many business travel professionals continue to voice challenges in education, information, clarity and rollout details.

GBTAs survey paints a picture of an engaged workforce in the business travel industry. Professionals are focused on core duties, and theres a healthy sense of optimism about career expectations and opportunity in the year ahead. We are also benefiting from those new to the industry  with almost 20% of supplier professionals and 10% of buyer professionals coming to business travel from outside industries. The findings also underscore the importance of continuous learning and collaboration, particularly when managing change like the potential impact of NDC on travel programs. Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA

The Current State of the Global Business Travel Industry Professional

The Travel Buyer as Decision Maker

When asked about various functions and their travel programs role, travel buyers are most likely to be the lead decision makers for overseeing their organizations travel management company (TMC) relationship (67%), hotel sourcing (55%) and air sourcing (54%). Additionally, an average of 18% of their time is spent on meetings and events duties by those respondents (66%) who have those responsibilities as part of their role.

When asked about various functions and their travel programs role, travel buyers are most likely to be the lead decision makers for overseeing their organizations travel management company (TMC) relationship (67%), hotel sourcing (55%) and air sourcing (54%). Additionally, an average of 18% of their time is spent on meetings and events duties by those respondents (66%) who have those responsibilities as part of their role. For Business Travel Professionals, Passion Fuels Commitment

An overwhelming 85% of all stakeholders say they love (32%) or like (53%) working in the business travel industry. Suppliers (37%) are more likely to say they love working in industry compared to buyers (28%). Moreover, the vast majority (82%) plan to stay in the business travel industry in the coming year, with a high intention to remain with their current employer (65%). Suppliers (22%) are more likely than buyers (10%) to have changed companies within the business travel industry in the past year.One in four (27%) survey respondents expect to receive a promotion/job title change in the next year. Stakeholders in APAC (41%) and Latin America (38%) are more likely to expect a promotion in the next year than those based in North America (27%) or Europe (18%).

An overwhelming 85% of all stakeholders say they love (32%) or like (53%) working in the business travel industry. Suppliers (37%) are more likely to say they love working in industry compared to buyers (28%). Moreover, the vast majority (82%) plan to stay in the business travel industry in the coming year, with a high intention to remain with their current employer (65%). Suppliers (22%) are more likely than buyers (10%) to have changed companies within the business travel industry in the past year.One in four (27%) survey respondents expect to receive a promotion/job title change in the next year. Stakeholders in APAC (41%) and Latin America (38%) are more likely to expect a promotion in the next year than those based in North America (27%) or Europe (18%). Additionally, a strong majority (57%) would choose the business travel industry again as their career. This is good news for the 19% of supplier/TMC professionals and 10% of buyer professionals who say they have joined business travel from another industry in the past year  who can expect to have long, successful careers in this new industry they now call home.

The overall job-hopping rate is low, with only 16% reporting they changed companies in the industry in the past year. However, in a notable trend, respondents based in APAC (35%) are more likely than those in Europe (17%), Latin America (15%) and North America (13%) to have changed companies within the industry in the past year.

Compensation Insights and Expectations from Industry Professionals

Most business travel professionals (86%) report an increase in base salary this year, and 16% report a moderate/large increase of more than five percent. Most travel buyers (83%) have or expect to receive a bonus in 2024 in addition to their base salary.Of the buyers that expect to receive a bonus, 31% say their bonus will be higher than it was last year. Additionally, 15% said they received or expect to receive a large/moderate raise  with 32% expecting higher bonuses compared to last year.

Most business travel professionals (86%) report an increase in base salary this year, and 16% report a moderate/large increase of more than five percent. Most travel buyers (83%) have or expect to receive a bonus in 2024 in addition to their base salary.Of the buyers that expect to receive a bonus, 31% say their bonus will be higher than it was last year. Additionally, 15% said they received or expect to receive a large/moderate raise  with 32% expecting higher bonuses compared to last year. Work-Life Balance in Focus

Most professionals surveyed (80%) feel they have a great (35%) or decent (45%) work-life balance. Fewer (17%) say they want more work-life balance. This positive outcome suggests an industry that is focused on prioritizing employee well-being.

NDC and the Business Travel Industry: Knowledge and Implementation Gaps Continue

Buyers Continue to Seek Clarity as Airlines Seek to Advance NDC

Travel buyer responses reflect that the needle hasnt moved much over the past six months in key NDC areas such education, clarity and speed of implementation, with results only deviating a few percentage points versus results from GBTAs October 2023 poll. In the April poll, most buyers acknowledge a continued need for information and education about NDC (71%; same as in the October poll). A significant portion (45%) are still unsure if their travel management company (TMC) is fully prepared (similar to 46% in October).

Travel buyer responses reflect that the needle hasnt moved much over the past six months in key NDC areas such education, clarity and speed of implementation, with results only deviating a few percentage points versus results from GBTAs October 2023 poll. In the April poll, most buyers acknowledge a continued need for information and education about NDC (71%; same as in the October poll). A significant portion (45%) are still unsure if their travel management company (TMC) is fully prepared (similar to 46% in October). Airlines in the Fast Lane, But Are Buyers and Budgets Keeping Up?

While nearly half (42%; compared to 45% in the October poll) of buyers feel airlines are rushing NDC implementation, a third (37%; versus 36% in the October poll) believe intermediaries should be ready to service NDC bookings. Interestingly, this sentiment diverges geographically. North American buyers (49%) are more concerned about airlines pace compared to Europeans (29%). Conversely, Europeans (52%) are more likely to believe intermediaries should adapt faster than North Americans (30%).Adding another layer of complexity, 60% of buyers havent budgeted for potential additional servicing costs associated with NDC bookings and have no plans to do so. Only 5% have allocated a budget for these potential costs.

While nearly half (42%; compared to 45% in the October poll) of buyers feel airlines are rushing NDC implementation, a third (37%; versus 36% in the October poll) believe intermediaries should be ready to service NDC bookings. Interestingly, this sentiment diverges geographically. North American buyers (49%) are more concerned about airlines pace compared to Europeans (29%). Conversely, Europeans (52%) are more likely to believe intermediaries should adapt faster than North Americans (30%).Adding another layer of complexity, 60% of buyers havent budgeted for potential additional servicing costs associated with NDC bookings and have no plans to do so. Only 5% have allocated a budget for these potential costs. Half (51%) of buyers say they have not started to implement NDC (versus 50% in the October 2023 poll). Only one in ten (10%; same as October poll) report their program has implemented it with few (if any) problems while one-quarter (23%; 22% in October poll) say they have started to implement NDC but have had some problems doing so.

Suppliers Face Challenges Distributing NDC Content

The survey also sheds light on supplier experiences. While 38% report a smooth or mostly smooth rollout of NDC content distribution, a significant portion (36%) encountered challenges. This suggests airlines may need to streamline their NDC content delivery processes.

Methodology: 815 responses were received from travel buyers, suppliers and other industry professionals across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific for the poll fielded April 8-24, 2024.

View the complete 34th GBTA poll results and key highlights here, along with the full series of GBTA Business Travel Industry Outlook polls.
The latest Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report for Canada from Lodging Econometrics (LE) reveals, at Q1 2024, there are 314 projects/39,628 rooms in the total pipeline. This new record-high in project counts represents an impressive 11% increase in project counts and a 5% increase in room numbers year-over-year (YOY).

In Canada, there was a surge of projects that moved into the under construction stage in 2023. Currently, there are 70 projects/9,151 rooms under construction in Canada, up an impressive 49% and 58% YOY, respectively. Additionally, at the close of the first quarter, there are 80 projects/9,593 rooms scheduled to start construction in the next twelve months while projects and rooms in the early planning stage reached all-time highs of 164 projects/20,884 rooms, increasing 13% and 1% YOY, respectively.

At the Q1 close, hotel construction projects in the province of Ontario account for 59% of the projects and 60% of the rooms in the total pipeline, for new all-time highs of 186 projects and 23,839 rooms. Following Ontario, the largest number of projects and rooms in the pipeline at Q1 is the province of British Columbia with a record 57 projects/8,290 rooms, then Quebec, with 20 projects/2,403 rooms. These three provinces account for 84% of the projects and 87% of the rooms in the total pipeline in Canada at Q1.

In terms of cities, Toronto boasts the highest number of construction projects in the pipeline with a record-high 67 projects totaling 9,323 rooms, followed by Vancouver with 21 projects/4,079 rooms, then Montreal with 15 projects/1,912 rooms. Ottawa-Hull notably reached a new record of 14 projects with 1,992 rooms, increasing 40% and 27% YOY, respectively.

Five new hotels with 704 rooms opened in Canada during the first quarter. An additional 26 new hotels, accounting for 3,050 rooms, are scheduled to open by year-end. According to LE analysts, a total of 31 new hotels and 3,754 rooms will open in 2024, for a 1% growth rate compared to the 26 new hotels/3,344 rooms that opened in 2023. LE analysts forecast new hotel openings in Canada will continue to rise through year-end 2025 with a total of 39 new hotel openings with 3,869 rooms, marking a 1.1% new supply growth rate increase.

About Lodging Econometrics (LE)

For over 25 years, Lodging Econometrics (LE) has been the industry-leading provider of global hotel intelligence and decision-maker contact information. LE custom-builds business development database programs for hotel franchise companies looking to accelerate their brand growth, hotel ownership and management companies seeking to expand their real estate portfolios, and lodging industry vendors wanting to increase their sales. To learn more about our business development programs contact us: +1 603.431.8740, ext 0025 or [email protected].
Hotel technology specialist SHR has announced the expansion of its Global Advisory Board, strengthening its position as an innovation leader in the hospitality sector.

The Global Advisory Board at SHR is a collective of senior executives across the hospitality landscape, chosen for their expertise and deep industry insights. This platform provides a forum for open dialogue on strategic issues, emerging trends, and the development of cutting-edge solutions that enhance guest experiences, streamline operations, and increase profitability for hospitality businesses globally.

Joining the ranks of an already distinguished lineup, the new members will further diversify and enhance the boards expertise, ensuring SHR and its partners continue to lead in market innovation. The boards agenda for 2024 includes a series of in-person and virtual meetings designed to foster significant networking opportunities and discussions on key industry trends, emerging technologies, and strategies for sustainable business growth.

Existing members from Marcus Hotels, Valencia Hotels, Vagabond, Adrift, Stoney Creek, and others were joined by a range of accomplished leaders and experts from across the industry including Elite Hotels of Sweden, Ligula Hospitality, Windward Management, Great National Hotels & Resorts, Cheval Collection and ZaZa Hospitality.

This expansion underscores SHR's dedication to harnessing collaborative expertise to navigate the industry's dynamic challenges and drive substantial growth.

The hospitality industry's landscape is constantly changing, requiring ongoing innovation and strategic foresight. Our Global Advisory Board is a cornerstone of our commitment to creating an environment where the brightest minds in hospitality can come together, share insights, and co-create the future of our industry. The expertise and insights of our board members are critical in ensuring our technologies and services continue to lead the way in innovation, meeting the growing needs of our partners. We are confident that the collective wisdom of our board members will be instrumental in steering SHR and the industry toward a thriving future. Rod Jimenez, CEO of SHR

The first in-person event was held on 17th April 2024 in Houston, Texas. SHRs Global Advisory Board was initially established in 2019.
Here at HSMAI we are ramping up efforts to invigorate our member base and foster robust market-specific growth. As we move into 2024, our strategic priority to broaden our reach takes center stage, focusing on developing new markets and enhancing the member value proposition through localized engagement.

Engaging Locally

HSMAI recognizes the unique challenges that hotel operators and owners face, particularly in managing the middle of the P&L. To address these issues, HSMAI is increasing its focus on local chapter engagement. This approach emphasizes customizing educational programs to meet the distinct needs of the local market, essential for driving revenue growth cost-effectively. Establishing new chapters and developing localized educational initiatives are key elements of this strategy, catering to both on-property and above-property professionals.

Strategic Developments and Chapter Expansion

2024 marks a significant year for HSMAI, with the chartering of new chapters in key U.S. markets and active developments in Latin America. If you know people who live in these markets, encourage them to join and engage. Notable new chapters include:

Greater Denver Chapter : Set to host its inaugural event on June 12, this chapter aims to strengthen connections among local members and provide tailored educational resources. Check out the leadership of the chapter here: https://www.hsmaidenver.org/

: Set to host its inaugural event on June 12, this chapter aims to strengthen connections among local members and provide tailored educational resources. Check out the leadership of the chapter here: https://www.hsmaidenver.org/ Tennessee Valley Chapter: Based in Huntsville, Alabama, this chapter targets a July 9 chartering, focusing on building a strong community of hospitality professionals.

Expanding in Latin America

In 2024, HSMAI will build on the strength of the HSMAI Brazil Chapter with a larger reach into Latin America is growing stronger with several significant developments:

New Chapters and Leadership Boards: Efforts are underway to charter new chapters in strategic locations across Latin America. With four active chapter developments, each new country will also grow its leadership board, aiming to tailor HSMAIs impact directly to the local needs. Strategic Conferences and Roundtables: The newly formed Latin America Advisory Board has already made strides by hosting one-day strategy conferences in Bogota, Santiago, Mexico City, and Lima. Plans for 2024 include hosting a Revenue Optimization Conference and two executive roundtables in each country, focusing on tackling local challenges and maximizing revenue opportunities. Engagement and Growth: These initiatives are designed not only to educate and empower hotel leaders in these markets but also to create a cohesive network of professionals who can collaborate and drive collective success across the region.

For more information about the growth in these markets or these events, visit: https://hsmailatam.org/.

Future Initiatives

The expansion efforts are not limited to new chapters. We are also revitalizing our presence in established markets such as Dallas and San Francisco, seeking grant partnerships to drive the associations goals forward. ensuring that members can engage locally and benefit from collective expertise.

Celebrating Success and Looking Ahead

The impact of these initiatives is already visible. In the past year, HSMAI chapters across the Americas hosted over 200 educational programs, culminating in the recognition of outstanding chapters at the 2024 Mike Leven Leadership Conference. As we look to the future, the phrase a rising tide lifts all boats encapsulates HSMAIs visionuniting sales, marketing, and revenue leaders in each market to create educational programs that drive demand and optimize revenue collectively.

For those interested in contributing to or learning more about these exciting developments, additional information can be found at the HSMAI chapter websites and by contacting chapter management directly.

Bob Gilbert

+1 703 610 9024

HSMAI

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Have you ever considered the true impact of traditional booking systems on your business's ability to meet the sophisticated demands of today's travelers?

As you well know, the hotel industry has been undergoing a profound transformation, driven by shifts in consumer behavior, advancements in technology, and a significant uptick in competition. Modern travelers seek more than a mere place to sleep; they demand memorable, personalized experiences that align precisely with their individual preferences.

Yet, the conventional hotel booking processwith its reliance on pre-defined room types and rigid rate plansoften falls short of delivering such tailored experiences.

This innovative strategy offers unprecedented personalization and flexibility, potentially revolutionizing the guest experience while empowering hoteliers to better meet and exceed guest expectations.

Why, then, do so many continue to cling to the old ways of doing business? Let's delve deeper into the benefits of embracing attribute-based selling, a method that not only enhances guest satisfaction but also positions your property at the forefront of the competitive hospitality market.

Click here to subscribe to my e-newsletter and gain access to exclusive content that lights the way for the hospitality leaders of tomorrow.

Lets shape the future of hospitality together.

The Limitations of Predefined Room Types and Rate Plans

The conventional method of hotel booking has relied heavily on static room types and rate plans, which are essentially broad categories capturing the basic variations in hotel accommodations. Whether it's a choice between a King or Twin room, or considerations like floor level and view, these options are predefined and often limit personalization.

Room types are based on general features that may not reflect the nuanced preferences of today's travelers. For instance, while one guest might prioritize a quiet room far from the elevators, another might value a room with a stunning city view, preferences that are not always adequately addressed through standard room categorizations.

are based on general features that may not reflect the nuanced preferences of today's travelers. For instance, while one guest might prioritize a quiet room far from the elevators, another might value a room with a stunning city view, preferences that are not always adequately addressed through standard room categorizations. Rate plans are meant to offer guests options like advance payment for a lower rate or free cancellation for added flexibility. However, this approach can still feel restrictive as it bundles features that may not align with every guest's needs, leading to a one-size-fits-all solution where bespoke service should be.

are meant to offer guests options like advance payment for a lower rate or free cancellation for added flexibility. However, this approach can still feel restrictive as it bundles features that may not align with every guest's needs, leading to a one-size-fits-all solution where bespoke service should be. Both room types and rate plans are subject to availability and demand, which can create frustration and dissatisfaction for guests who cannot find or book their desired accommodation. This can also result in lost revenue and occupancy for hotels, as potential guests may choose to go to another property or platform that can better meet their expectations.

As the practice of Revenue Management has evolved, revenue managers have increasingly focused on optimizing hotel inventory to maximize revenues. This strategic focus often leads to a proliferation of room types designed to capture every conceivable guest preference and market segment.

While this can theoretically maximize earnings by offering highly tailored choices, it also complicates the booking process. Guests are frequently presented with an overwhelming array of options on booking engines, making it challenging to quickly understand and make a decision. This complexity can inadvertently impede the booking process, as potential guests may feel paralyzed by too many choices, hindering rather than facilitating the decision-making process

The Concept of Attribute-Based Selling

Attribute-based selling is a new approachto hotel booking that allows guests to customize their stay based on their preferences. Instead of choosing from predefined room types and rate plans, guests can select from a range of attributes, such as bed type, view, amenities, services, and policies, and create their own personalized package.

This way, guests can pay for what they value and avoid what they don't, while hotels can optimize their inventory and pricing based on demand and guest behavior.

Attribute-based selling offers more personalization and flexibility to guests , as they can design their own experience and get exactly what they want. For example, a guest who wants a river view but does not care about bed type can book a room with that attribute, without being constrained by the availability of a specific room type. Similarly, a guest who values free cancellation but does not need breakfast can choose a rate plan that suits their needs, without paying for unwanted features.

, as they can design their own experience and get exactly what they want. For example, a guest who wants a river view but does not care about bed type can book a room with that attribute, without being constrained by the availability of a specific room type. Similarly, a guest who values free cancellation but does not need breakfast can choose a rate plan that suits their needs, without paying for unwanted features. Attribute-based selling also offers more opportunities and benefits to hotels , as they can better utilize their inventory and increase their revenue. For example, a hotel that has three rooms with a river view and different bed types can sell them based on the attribute of the view, rather than the room type, and avoid losing potential guests who have specific preferences. Similarly, a hotel that has different policies and services can offer them as attributes, rather than as rate plans, and charge accordingly, rather than offering discounts or bundling.

, as they can better utilize their inventory and increase their revenue. For example, a hotel that has three rooms with a river view and different bed types can sell them based on the attribute of the view, rather than the room type, and avoid losing potential guests who have specific preferences. Similarly, a hotel that has different policies and services can offer them as attributes, rather than as rate plans, and charge accordingly, rather than offering discounts or bundling. Attribute-based selling can also enhance guest satisfaction and loyalty, as guests can feel more valued and recognized by the hotel. By allowing guests to express their preferences and tailor their stay, hotels can create a more memorable and differentiated experience, and build stronger relationships with their guests. Attribute-based selling can also enable hotels to collect more data and insights on guest behavior and preferences, and use them to improve their offerings and marketing strategies.

Complexity of ABS pricing and revenue management

One challenge of ABS is how to price and manage the revenue of the attributes, rather than the room types or rate plans.

This requires a debundling of the traditional pricing strategy and a more granular and dynamic approach that considers the demand and value of each attribute.

It also requires a sophisticated segmentation and personalization of the offers based on the guest profile and preferences.

While this can create more opportunities and benefits for the hotels, it also poses significant difficulties and risks, especially in terms of forecasting, reporting, and competitiveness.

Challenges of ABS distribution and the role of the CRS

Another challenge of ABS is how to distribute and display the attributes across different channels and platforms, and provide a consistent and seamless booking experience for the guests.

This requires a strong and reliable central reservation system (CRS) that can support the complexity and flexibility of ABS, and integrate with other systems and partners, such as property management systems (PMS), global distribution systems (GDS), online travel agencies (OTA), and metasearch engines.

A robust CRS can also help hotels to manage their inventory and availability more efficiently, and avoid overbooking or underutilization of their attributes.

Moreover, a powerful CRS can enable hotels to create a competitive advantage for their direct sales and a strong value proposition for their brand.comwebsite, by offering exclusive or preferential access to certain attributes, or bundling them with other services or benefits.

Hotels can increase their direct bookings and loyalty, and reduce their dependence and costs on third-party intermediaries.

Therefore, hotels need to carefully evaluate their inventory and attributes, and design a smart and flexible pricing and revenue management strategy that can adapt to the changing market conditions and guest behavior.

Conclusion and final thoughts

The traditional hotel booking process, which relies on predefined room types and rate plans, has several limitations that can affect both guest satisfaction and hotel performance.

Attribute-based selling is a new approach that allows guests to customize their stay based on their preferences, and hotels to optimize their inventory and pricing based on demand and guest behavior.

Attribute-based selling can offer more personalization and flexibility to guests, more opportunities and benefits to hotels, and more satisfaction and loyalty to both parties.

Attribute-based selling is a promising and innovative way to transform the hotel booking process and create a more dynamic and engaging experience for both guests and hotels.

Great opportunities but still many challenges. Is the industry ready? Share your comments!

More from the hospitalitylabs.org

View source
Ekaterina Saburova



Ekaterina's role includes oversight and innovation of marketing and sales for the eight-year-old Hotel, as well as public relations, digital marketing, events, revenue management, and reservations.

Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island announces the appointment of Ekaterina Saburova as Director of Marketing. Arriving at the 34-storey address following a dozen years at Four Seasons properties in Russia, Ekaterina is enthusiastic to inspire the team to promote the Hotel and the cinematic capital of the United Arab Emirates around it so that guests will fall head over heels for the destination, as she has.

I was in love with Abu Dhabi before I got here, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to highlight the renowned Four Seasons in the city, says Ekaterina. There is so much for guests to do and enjoy here, and I look forward to keeping them engaged. From views of the capital to our menu of international dining experiences such as the vintage Chicago-style steakhouse Butcher & Still and renowned Italian cuisine of Cafe Milano, to the therapeutic services of Pearl Spa & Wellness, we offer so much for guests to have an expansive stay in Abu Dhabi even if never leave the property.

Ekaterinas role includes oversight and innovation of marketing and sales for the eight-year-old Hotel, as well as public relations, digital marketing, events, revenue management, and reservations. She leads a team of 20 covering all of the above and sees their diversity  not unlike the broader Hotel team, which counts more than 40 nationalities  as key to the experience and perspectives they offer.

Ekaterinas route to Abu Dhabi took some interesting twists and turns. She grew up in Russia and studied at the State University of Management in Moscow. The Masters degree and PhD she earned in economics left her set for success in finance and insurance, and it didnt take for her long to secure employment in the same. But, soon enough, she found the work tedious and turned instead to hospitality, drawn by a long fascination with hotels.

She got her start with an international hotel group before joining Four Seasons in 2014 as Director of Sales in St. Petersburg. She later switched to marketing, leading efforts for two Hotels over six years, including as Regional Director of Marketing working with properties in GCC countries.

Then Ekaterina began two years as Hotel Manager/acting General Manager for Four Seasons in St. Petersburg. There was a lot for her to learn, she admits, but the experience gained was well worth the challenges from a management standpoint, opening her eyes to the crucial role that each team member plays in the guest experience. Meanwhile, she continued to grow her expertise with a Hospitality Management 360 certificate from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Now back in the saddle leading marketing in Abu Dhabi, Ekaterina has many missions, including getting word out that Four Seasons is a leader in hospitality in the UAE. I see our team as ambassadors for the company and the destination. If the only thing guests experience in Abu Dhabi is their time with us, theyre going to want to come back for more.
Source HSMAI



Here at HSMAI we are ramping up efforts to invigorate our member base and foster robust market-specific growth. As we move into 2024, our strategic priority to 'broaden our reach' takes center stage, focusing on developing new markets and enhancing the member value proposition through localized engagement.

Here at HSMAI we are ramping up efforts to invigorate our member base and foster robust market-specific growth. As we move into 2024, our strategic priority to broaden our reach takes center stage, focusing on developing new markets and enhancing the member value proposition through localized engagement.

Engaging Locally

HSMAI recognizes the unique challenges that hotel operators and owners face, particularly in managing the middle of the P&L. To address these issues, HSMAI is increasing its focus on local chapter engagement. This approach emphasizes customizing educational programs to meet the distinct needs of the local market, essential for driving revenue growth cost-effectively. Establishing new chapters and developing localized educational initiatives are key elements of this strategy, catering to both on-property and above-property professionals.

Strategic Developments and Chapter Expansion

2024 marks a significant year for HSMAI, with the chartering of new chapters in key U.S. markets and active developments in Latin America. If you know people who live in these markets, encourage them to join and engage. Notable new chapters include:

Greater Denver Chapter : Set to host its inaugural event on June 12, this chapter aims to strengthen connections among local members and provide tailored educational resources. Check out the leadership of the chapter here: https://www.hsmaidenver.org/

: Set to host its inaugural event on June 12, this chapter aims to strengthen connections among local members and provide tailored educational resources. Check out the leadership of the chapter here: https://www.hsmaidenver.org/ Tennessee Valley Chapter: Based in Huntsville, Alabama, this chapter targets a July 9 chartering, focusing on building a strong community of hospitality professionals.

Expanding in Latin America

In 2024, HSMAI will build on the strength of the HSMAI Brazil Chapter with a larger reach into Latin America is growing stronger with several significant developments:

New Chapters and Leadership Boards: Efforts are underway to charter new chapters in strategic locations across Latin America. With four active chapter developments, each new country will also grow its leadership board, aiming to tailor HSMAIs impact directly to the local needs. Strategic Conferences and Roundtables: The newly formed Latin America Advisory Board has already made strides by hosting one-day strategy conferences in Bogota, Santiago, Mexico City, and Lima. Plans for 2024 include hosting a Revenue Optimization Conference and two executive roundtables in each country, focusing on tackling local challenges and maximizing revenue opportunities. Engagement and Growth: These initiatives are designed not only to educate and empower hotel leaders in these markets but also to create a cohesive network of professionals who can collaborate and drive collective success across the region.

For more information about the growth in these markets or these events, visit: https://hsmailatam.org/.

Future Initiatives

The expansion efforts are not limited to new chapters. We are also revitalizing our presence in established markets such as Dallas and San Francisco, seeking grant partnerships to drive the associations goals forward. ensuring that members can engage locally and benefit from collective expertise.

Celebrating Success and Looking Ahead

The impact of these initiatives is already visible. In the past year, HSMAI chapters across the Americas hosted over 200 educational programs, culminating in the recognition of outstanding chapters at the 2024 Mike Leven Leadership Conference. As we look to the future, the phrase a rising tide lifts all boats encapsulates HSMAIs visionuniting sales, marketing, and revenue leaders in each market to create educational programs that drive demand and optimize revenue collectively.

For those interested in contributing to or learning more about these exciting developments, additional information can be found at the HSMAI chapter websites and by contacting chapter management directly.

Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHBA, is the President and CEO of Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI). Connect with Bob on LinkedIn.

This article originally appeared on HSMAI.
Hotel Woolstore 1888

Accor announced today that one of Sydney's finest heritage hotels, Hotel Woolstore 1888, is joining its portfolio of Handwritten Collection hotels in May 2024 under a hotel management agreement with the hotel's new owners Shakespeare Property Group.

The iconic Darling Harbour property was originally built in 1888 and is the fourth oldest of 21 surviving wool stores in Sydney, however, with its contemporary design and industrial-chic interiors with modern and pop art, nothing is old-fashioned about this hotel.

First opening as a hotel in 2013, this four-level sandstone and brick building boasts 90 guestrooms, a multi-award-winning neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar, a private dining room and meeting space.

Shakespeare Property Group Vice President Hospitality Assets and Investments, Richard Saab, said: "Partnering with Accor to operate Hotel Woolstore 1888 under its Handwritten Collection brand was an ideal choice for us as we really want the original character of the hotel to shine.

"Handwritten Collection offers flexible brand standards, which is perfect for boutique hotel owners. It enhances the guest experience with a few light brand attributes, while still allowing us to benefit from Accor's high standards of hospitality and globally renowned sales, distribution and loyalty platforms.

"The centralised operations and support team operated by Accor provides strong efficiencies for our hotels managed by the Group."

Hotel Woolstore 1888 is the fifth hotel that Shakespeare Property Group has partnered with Accor on in Australia, following the success of Pullman Cairns International, Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort, Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort and Peppers Marysville.

Accor Pacific Chief Operating Officer PM&E, Adrian Williams, said: "We are thrilled to partner with Shakespeare Property Group again to open this incredible new addition to our growing portfolio of Handwritten Collection hotels.

"We're seeing rapidly increasing popularity and demand in the boutique accommodation market, and Hotel Woolstore 1888 is well placed to capture this growth as a Handwritten Collection hotel.

"Through our Handwritten Collection brand, we're broadening our portfolio of boutique hotels and bringing together small to mid-size hotels that authentically reflect the character and warmth of the people who love and look after them."

The hotel is located in a prominent inner-city location on the corner of Pyrmont and Murray Streets in Darling Harbour, just behind the Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour and the soon-to-be redeveloped Harbourside Shopping Centre.

Handwritten Collection is a global portfolio of one-of-a-kind hotels enriching Accor's offering in the collection brands segment. Since launching just last year, Accor has successfully opened two Handwritten Collection hotels in Australia  Hotel Morris Sydney and Wonil Hotel Perth.

From luxury to economy, Accor has 19 international brands across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and French Polynesia, such as Sofitel, MGallery, Art Series, Pullman, Swissotel, Movenpick, Grand Mercure, Peppers, The Sebel, Mantra, Handwritten Collection, Novotel, TRIBE, Mercure, BreakFree, ibis, ibis Styles and ibis budget, as well as Ennismore's SO/.
avid hotel and Candlewood Suites North Platte

IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG) today announced the opening of its first dual-branded avid hotels and Candlewood Suites property in North Platte, Neb., following the prototypes launch in 2021.

Operating under the ownership of Nightcap Management, LLC, avid hotel and Candlewood Suites North Platte marks the first milestone in an exciting growth trajectory for the dual-brand pairing, with more than 40 additional hotels in the pipeline. Other upcoming dual-branded avid hotels and Candlewood Suites openings this year include Fort Payne, Ala., and West Memphis, Ark.

The 123-room, pet-friendly avid hotel and Candlewood Suites North Platte seamlessly blends hallmark elements from both brands throughout its public areas. These include a 24 hr. Market and bean-to-cup coffee along with complimentary Good all round hot breakfast from avid hotels, as well as the outdoor Gazebo Grill and free laundry facilities from Candlewood Suites. Additional amenities include a pool and a large fitness center. Among the 57 avid hotel rooms, guests can expect thoughtfully designed, right-sized accommodations with sound-reducing features, while the 66 Candlewood Suites rooms offer studio and one-bedroom suites complete with fully-equipped kitchens and spacious living areas.

Michael Works, Owner, Nightcap Management, LCC, said: When the avid hotels and Candlewood Suites prototype was unveiled, we jumped at the opportunity to open the first of this dual-brand pairing. This midscale, limited service and extended stay offering will allow us to accommodate a wider range of travelers and deliver top-notch amenities as well as stress-free comfort with every stay. We are excited and appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with IHG once again to bring this pairing of hotels to life.

The innovative dual-brand concept  combining IHGs fastest-growing, new build brand with one of the most well-known extended stay brands in the industry  is already capturing the attention of both new and veteran IHG owners while driving growth for both avid hotels and Candlewood Suites. Nearly 30 percent of all avid hotels and 27 percent of all Candlewood Suites in the Americas pipeline are adopting this new prototype  helping avid hotels in its commitment to triple its regional estate in the coming years and Candlewood Suites build upon its roster of more than 520 open or in pipeline Americas hotels.

Jennifer Gribble, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, Mainstream Brands, IHG, said: We have an exciting line-up of openings with this new dual-brand pairing across the U.S. and Mexico in the coming years. By combining these two brands, we now can cater to two complementary demand segments under one roof. This allows us to not only mitigate rising costs and maximize potential returns for our owners, but also introduce both short- and long-term guests to new brands and offerings by pairing them with ones they already recognize and trust.

The dual-branded hotels convenient location furthers its attraction for both transient and extended-stay travelers. Professional visitors can enjoy a short trip to the local corporate offices of Union Pacific Railroad and Great Plains Health, while adventure seekers can make a short trek to Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park and State Recreation Area for a day of hiking or fishing.
PLDT Enterprise and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) empowered over 70 local, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Iloilo City through the #eBiznovation Buy Local Bazaar with Tiktok Shop Philippines and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Iloilo. The participants received comprehensive training to unlock new revenue streams and promote their products effectively on the popular social media platform, Tiktok.

Over 70 MSME-participants attended PLDT Enterprise and Smart's #eBiznovation Buy Local Bazaar with Tiktok Shop Philippines in Iloilo City.

The training aimed to equip local business owners with the necessary knowledge and skills to leverage Tiktoks one-stop e-commerce solution, Tiktok Shop. Participants gained insights into basic content creation, smartphone photography and videography, content storyboarding, and internet safety basics.

We recognize the vital role that MSMEs play in driving economic growth and jobs creation. By empowering these local businesses with the tools and knowledge to thrive in the digital age, we are not only supporting their success but also contributing to the overall development of the Philippines, said Jinky Q. Francisco, Head of PLDT Enterprise SMBiz Visayas.

Tiktok Shop PH representatives provided valuable insights into effectively selling products through engaging short-form videos, and discussed various mechanics and techniques, including the do's and donts of selling in the platform. This hands-on training session aimed to help MSMEs leverage the power of social media and e-commerce to reach new customers and grow their business.

We, at DTI, are truly elated with this partnership with PLDT Enterprise and Smart because, in a way, it addresses the need for upskilling of our MSMEs. The great attendance of our MSMEs is a show of their commitment and cooperation. Indeed, this is the way to go, expressed Ma. Dinda Tamayo, Provincial Director of DTI Iloilo, during the training.

Iloilo City marks the first stop in the Visayas region for the #eBiznovation Buy Local Bazaar in 2024, an initiative by PLDT and Smart to support local businesses in their digital transformation journey.

Through this initiative, PLDT, through its corporate business arm, PLDT Enterprise, and Smart reaffirm their commitment to leveraging technology and digital solutions to support the growth and success of local businesses, which align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, which promotes sustainable economic growth, employment opportunities, and decent work for all.
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Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr have praised Jeremy Renners recovery after he was involved in a horrific snowplough accident at the beginning of 2023.

The actor, 53, was helping his neighbours around his Lake Tahoe home clear snow from their driveway when he landed in the path of a seven-tonne snowplough, inflicting serious injuries.

Hemsworth and Downey Jr starred alongside Renner in The Avengers and they learned about his shock accident in a group chat made after shooting the film.

Speaking to Vanity Fair , Hemsworth said Renner had sent them a photo of himself in hospital after his run in with the snowplough and vanished with no further explanation.

He sent us all a sort of doped out, hospital, beat-up image and said, All good, guys. And then I didnt hear from him for a while as he was in the thick of it, the Thor star said.

Renner attended Captain America actor Chris Evans wedding in Cape Cod just eight months after his substantial injuries, a feat Downey Jr called mind blowing.

According to Downey Jr, it was a miracle when Renner arrived at Evans marriage to Portuguese actor Alba Baptista fully recovered and ready to celebrate.

open image in gallery Chris Hemsworth has praised Jeremy Renners recovery after he was involved in a snowplough accident at the start of 2023 ( Getty Images for Disney )

Hemsworth added, There was an astounding sense of gratitude from him around just being alive.

Renners family issued a statement detailing his injuries at the time of the accident, revealing he had suffered blunt chest trauma and orthopaedic injuries.

The right side of Renners chest had collapsed under pressure from the snowplough, his upper torso had been crushed and he had suffered heavy blood loss and had extreme difficulty breathing.

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Renners sister Kym later told CBS 13 of his recovery: We are so thrilled with his progress.

If anyone knows Jeremy, he is a fighter and doesnt mess around. He is crushing all the progress goals. We couldnt feel more positive about the road ahead, she added.

In February, Renner reflected on the near fatal accident as he made an appearance at the Peoples Choice Awards , where he was met by a standing ovation.

Ive got to say, it feels good to be back, Renner said. This years been a heck of a journey and Im happy I get to be here with you, the fans  you guys are the best.
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Chris Hemsworth has addressed his performance in Thor: Love and Thunder, blaming himself for what he believes didnt live up to fan expectations.

The 40-year-old Australian, whos led the Marvel franchise as the titular superhero  based on the Norse god  since 2011s Thor, returned for the fourth installment, Love and Thunder, in 2022.

Directed by Taika Waititi, who took over the film series with 2017s Thor: Ragnarok, the action comedy welcomed back Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Thors ex-girlfriend. Together, the two must defeat Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), before he succeeds in slaying all the gods.

While the film was mostly well-received by critics and fans  it currently sits at 76 per cent on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes  Hemsworth cant shake the feeling that he didnt stick the landing.

I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself, he told Vanity Fair in a new cover story. I didnt stick the landing.

Although Hemsworth is grateful for the opportunity to play Thor for more than a decade, he told the publication that hes grown frustrated with the character.

I would read everyone elses lines, and go, Oh, they got way cooler stuff. Theyre having more fun. Whats my character doing? It was always about, Youve got the wig on. Youve got the muscles. Youve got the costume. Wheres the lighting? Yeah, Im part of this big thing, but Im probably pretty replaceable.

open image in gallery Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Thor: Love & Thunder' ( Marvel )

His latest comments on Love and Thunder echo the remarks he made to British GQ last summer.

I cringe and laugh equally at it. I think we just had too much fun. It just became too silly, he said in 2023. Its always hard being in the centre of it and having any real perspective I love the process, its always a ride. But you just dont know how people are going to respond.

Despite some of the negative reviews that felt the films goofiness was overdone, The Independents Clarisse Loughrey found the movie to be a rare Marvel film that remembers its main audience are kids.

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Its a delightful sequel motor-powered by goofy self-awareness and childlike imagination, she wrote in her four-star review of the movie.

Elsewhere in the Vanity Fair interview, Hemsworth responded to headlines claiming Alzheimers was making him quit Hollywood

Two years ago, the actor underwent genetic testing during the National Geographic docuseries, Limitless, where he found out that he carried two copies of the APOE4 gene. Carrying the gene does not mean that Hemsworth was diagnosed with Alzheimers, but that he is at risk for it.

It really kind of pissed me off because it felt like I had been vulnerable with something personal and shared this, he told the outlet about the headlines, which were not true. No matter how much I said: This is not a death sentence, the story became that I have dementia and Im reconsidering life and retiring and so on.

Up next, Hemsworth stars opposite Anya Taylor-Joy in George Millers prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road titled Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which will be released in cinemas on 24 May.
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Ethan Hawke has revealed what Denzel Washington whispered in his ear the moment he lost an Oscar.

American actor Hawke was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category in 2002 for his role in Antoine Fuquas Training Day, but ultimately lost to Jim Broadbent, who won for Iris.

However, Washington, who also whispered words of advice into Will Smiths ear immediately after he slapped Chris Rock on stage at the 2022 Academy Awards, was on hand to reassure his co-star.

Over the years, its been rumoured what Washington told Hawke  but the latter has now cleared up the mystery on an episode of Whos Talking to Chris Wallace?, a chat show that airs on Max.

During the interview, Hawke finally revealed exactly what the actor told him: You dont want an award to improve your status. You want to improve the awards status.

Elaborating on Washingtons point, Hawke, who called his former co-star the greatest actor of our generation, said: Thats the way he thinks. The Academy Award has more power, because Denzel has a couple. It didnt elevate who he was.

Washington, who has been nominated for 10 Oscars, won Best Actor for his performance in Training Day  12 years after winning Best Supporting Actor for Glory.

Hawke has never won an Oscar, but was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category again in 2015 for his role in Richard Linklaters Boyhood, which was shot over 12 years. He also received two nominations in the Adapted Screenplay category for his work on Linklaters Before Sunset and Before Midnight.

The actor is currently promoting his directorial effort Wildfire, which stars his daughter Maya Hawke as the novelist Flannery OConnor.

open image in gallery Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke in Training Day ( Outlaw/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock )

At the 2022 Oscars, Washington approached Will Smith after the actor hit Chris Rock on stage after the comedian made a quip about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. He won Best Actor for King Richard moments later, and said during his acceptance speech: Im being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people.

I know, to do what we do, weve gotta be able to take abuse. Youve gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, youve gotta be able to have people disrespecting you. Youve gotta smile and pretend that thats OK.
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Daniel Radcliffe has addressed his fall-out with Harry Potter author JK Rowling for the first time since 2020, saying it makes me really sad.

Rowling, who first faced a backlash from several key cast members when she shared controversial remarks about the trans community in 2020, has seen her relationship with stars deteriorate amid increasingly toxic debate.

Radcliffe starred as the titular hero in all eight Potter films, based on her bestselling novels, from 2001 to 2011.

In a new interview with The Atlantic published Tuesday (30 April)  the same day Radcliffe was nominated for a Tony Award  the 34-year-old actor revealed he hasnt spoken to Rowling, 58, in years.

It makes me really sad, ultimately, he said, because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.

Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person, he added. But that doesnt mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life.

open image in gallery Daniel Radcliffe and JK Rowling ( Getty Images )

The author was met with backlash in 2020 after calling out an articles use of the phrase people who menstruate, writing: Im sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?

Around that time, Radcliffe wrote an essay for The Trevor Project as a way of showing support for the trans community and apologised for the pain Rowlings comments have caused the Harry Potter fandom.

Transgender women are women, he wrote for the suicide prevention charity for young LGBT+ people.

Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.

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Meanwhile, Emma Watson, who portrayed Hermione Granger, wrote: I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are, and appeared to make a dig at Rowling at the Baftas in 2022.

Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) also gave his support to the trans community, asserting: I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men.

Rowling has since continued to double down on her anti-trans sentiments.

Earlier this month, following the release of the Cass report, Rowling told Radcliffe and Watson to save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners.

Making suggestions for improvements, the report claims there is remarkably weak evidence for giving children and young people gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers.

Rowling responded by saying this report should be evidence enough for those in favour of gender-affirming care to reconsider their stance.

A Twitter user  who went by the name FarRightHooligan  told the author they were waiting for Radcliffe and Watson to give the author a very public apology.

The author replied: Not safe, Im afraid. Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding womens hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces.
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A new musical about the Post Office scandal is currently in the works and its creators want to get the victims involved.

The scandal came to wider public knowledge thanks to the ITV documentary Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which showed how at least 900 postal workers lives were destroyed when they were blamed for shortcomings in their accounts caused by faulty Horizon software between 1999 and 2015.

The new musical, Make Good: the Post Office Scandal, is based on the stories of two Shropshire workers who faced financial ruin through no fault of their own.

The show will dramatise the workers bravery as they fought to clear their names after being accused of theft, fraud and false accounting because of faulty data.

The musicals writer, Jeanie OHare, is now hoping that some of the postmasters and their families might consider joining the choir in the musical  claiming that it could be a cathartic experience for them.

They have been our guide to make sure we are doing the story right  not only technical stuff but the deep dive into the crushing heartbreak, the shame and what it feels like to be an ordinary person and the power of the state is coming down on you, she said of those affected.

Jim Fortune, who wrote the musicals music and lyrics, shared OHares opinion and said the choir presents a dream opportunity for those affected by the scandal to heal.

He said: Our dream is to build a choir for this show from within the communities, especially postal workers. If they want to join our choir, theyd be very welcome.

open image in gallery Those affected by the Post Office scandal have been invited to join the choir of its musical rendition ( Pentabus )

The writer explained how the confrontation the workers faced with technology will be brought to life in the new musical through its band.

It will deliberately use older, analogue equipment to emphasise the impossible battle the workers had to fight against new, seemingly better technology.

This was during the era when that terrible catchphrase computer says no was in the ether, Fortune said. People were coming up against these magical machines and they werent able to argue their position as a human being.

The focus on the show was always what was happening to the subpostmasters and their families but Horizon is very present as a force operating on their lives that doesnt have to answer for itself.

open image in gallery Angela van den Bogerd, former people services director and head of partnerships at Post Office Ltd, giving evidence to Post Office Horizon IT inquiry (Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry/PA) ( PA Media )

Fortune stressed that the musical will not shy away from the severity of what took place, which remains the subject of a government investigation.

He said: I think song is protest and it is the only and best way that I would know how to deal with emotions and politics at this level  just because were doing it in a theatre, doesnt mean were doing Grease.

The new musical will have a six-week run from October to December this year, with the first performances taking place in Ludlow Assembly Rooms.
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Succession star Brian Cox has slammed the Bible as one of the worst books ever, arguing that the religious text is a collection of propaganda and lies.

The Scottish actor, 77, is best known for his role as sweary media mogul Logan Roy in the acclaimed HBO drama.

During a recent appearance on podcast The Starting Line, the avowed athiest took the opportunity to discuss his views on religious belief.

Asked whether he felt organised religion had impeded human progress, Cox responded: Oh considerably, yes - I think religion does hold us back because its belief systems, which are outside ourselves.

He went on to argue that religion has led us into all kinds of horror, pointing to the Holocaust and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. "The same things are being repeated again and again in belief systems, which do not serve," he said.

Cox also argued that organised religion is patriarchal, saying: I mean, the propaganda goes right way back  the Bible is one of the worst books ever, for me, from my point of view. Because it starts with the idea that Adams rib  you know that [from] Adams rib, this woman was created, and theyll believe it cause theyre stupid enough!

open image in gallery Brian Cox attending the Succession season 4 premiere in New York in 2023 ( Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images )

While the actor accepted that people may need spiritual guidance, he argued that Bible stories are not the solution.

They need it, but they dont need to be told lies, they need some kind of truth, and that is not the truth, said Cox. It is not the truth, its a mythology.

On a personal note, Cox said that hed found his own answers to lifes biggest questions through acting, claiming that theatre is the one true church because it is the church of humanity.

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Last month, Cox spoke to The Independent for an in-depth profile.

During the interview, Cox lamented the soaring cost of taking a family to the theatre.

Ive got sons, he said. I go, No, I cant afford to pay $110 each (about 90) for one night at the theatre. For all of us! For five of us!

He added: Thats the thing about the theatre. Its a great place, but only for people who work in it. Otherwise, you can feel alien.

That why I  in terms of the opposite sex  have always been involved with actresses. Its not because of the obvious thing  that its easy, because you meet them and are working with them. Its because they understand the displacement. They have a deeper understanding that anything we create together is created on a very tectonic foundation.
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Kathy Burke has explained she was recently left really angry with TV hosts Ant and Dec.

The actor, whose credits include Gimme Gimme Gimme and Kevin & Perry Go Large, spoke out against Saturday Night Takeaway presenting duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly while reflecting on the latest series of ITV reality series Im a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, which aired in December 2023.

Speaking on her podcast, Burke expressed disappointment with the pair for not speaking up when ITV enlisted Nigel Farage to be a contestant on the reality series  a decision that led Burke and many viewers to boycott the show.

Burkes latest guest on her podcast Where Theres a Will, Theres a Wake was comedian Seann Walsh, who appeared alongside the former Ukip and Brexit Party leader on Im a Celebrity. Burke told him: I didnt watch this years because of Farage being in it.

When Walsh replied, Good for you, Burke added: Well, it was a step too far. I just thought, you f***ing arseholes. And I was really angry with Ant and Dec. Theyre Irish descent, man!

She continued: And also, I think it was really unfair on the rest of you, on the other contestants.

During Farages time on the show, he clashed with First Dates star Freid Sirieix, who grew infuriated with the former following a chat about the environment. Sirieix also confronted Farage over what he described as a shameful 2016 Brexit poster depicting a line of desperate refugees trying to reach Europe under the headline Breaking Point.

Walsh, who said he had never been petrified of anything more in my life before going into Im a Celebrity, said he felt odd when his campmates, including Farage, would talk about really big moral stuff as it shouldnt be on a light evening show that the kids are watching.

Burke then asked Walsh if he was relieved to think he might not be the most hated person on the show, the comedian said: Thats it. All Im thinking is I hope I dont get out of this and its like the last time. But actually, I had a lovely experience and really enjoyed it.

open image in gallery Kathy Burke says she was really angry with Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly ( Getty Images / Shutterstock )

The last time Walsh was referring to was his controversial appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, which resulted in a scandal. Walsh was caught kissing his professional dance partner Katya Jones on a night out in London, and the pair issued an apology, calling it a drunken mistake.
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At least 24 people died in China on Wednesday after a highway collapsed from torrential rain.

Eighteen cars fell from a slope after a 17.9m long section of the highway in the Guangdong province from the damage to the road, reported official Xinhua News agency. Another 30 people were injured in the incident that occurred around 2am.

The lives of the injured were not currently at risk, reported state broadcaster CCTV, adding that they were receiving emergency care at a hospital. The authorities dispatched about 500 officials to the site to offer assistance, reported the outlet.

Witnesses told local media they heard a loud noise and saw a hole open up several meters wide behind them after driving past the section of the road just before it collapsed. A pile of blackened cars could also be seen on the slope leading down from the carriageway.

Video and photos in local media showed smoke and fire at the scene, with highway rails slanting downward into the flames. Blackened cars could also be seen on the slope leading down from the highway.

The southern region has been seeing heavy rains for the past few weeks, with authorities relocating around 110,000 locals after due to damage to the local infrastructure from the downpour, leading to floods and landslides, reported Bloomberg.

In Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, the government said last week that the city had logged a cumulative rainfall of 60.9cm in April, the highest monthly rainfall since record-keeping began in 1959.

People scrambled to save their homes and belongings from floodwaters after it briefly stopped raining last Wednesday. Locals were seen wading through knee-deep water, retrieving whatever belongings they could from their damaged properties.

Buses and helicopters ferried to safety all the residents of the township of Jiangwan in the Shaoguan region as a new round of floods arrived, the reports said, citing local authorities.

I have never seen such heavy rain in my life, nor have people older than me, said Jiang, a 72-year-old resident who gave only his surname, according to state-run China Daily.

Power lines were downed and mobile telephone networks disrupted across the region, as the rains set off dangerous mudslides, inundated homes and destroyed bridges.

Such extreme flooding is rare for Guangdong in April. A high-ranking official connected it to the deteriorating climate crisis, which increases rainfall as hotter climate holds more moisture.

Asia was the most disaster-prone region in the world last year, rocked by dozens of floods, storms and other climate-related calamaties, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.

Some 79 disasters linked to hydro-meteorological events were reported in Asia in 2023, the WMO said in a report published last week. Over 80 per cent of these were floods and storms that caused more than 2,000 deaths.

Additional reporting by agencies
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The first scientist to publish a sequence of the Covid-19 virus in China said he was allowed back into his lab after he spent days locked outside, sitting in protest.

Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post on Wednesday, just past midnight, that the medical center that hosts his lab had tentatively agreed to allow him and his team to return and continue their research for the time being.

Now, team members can enter and leave the laboratory freely, Mr Zhang wrote in a post on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. He added that he is negotiating a plan to relocate the lab in a way that doesnt disrupt his teams work with the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, which hosts Mr Zhangs lab.

Mr Zhang and his team were suddenly told they had to leave their lab for renovations on Thursday, setting off the dispute, he said in an earlier post that was later deleted. On Sunday, Zhang began a sit-in protest outside his lab after he found he was locked out, a sign of continuing pressure on Chinese scientists conducting research on the coronavirus.

Mr Zhang sat outside on flattened cardboard in drizzling rain, and members of his team unfurled a banner that read Resume normal scientific research work, pictures posted online show. News of the protest spread widely on Chinese social media, putting pressure on local authorities.

In an online statement Monday, the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center said that Mr Zhangs lab was closed for safety reasons while being renovated. It added that it had provided Mr Zhangs team an alternative laboratory space.

But Mr Zhang responded the same day his team wasnt offered an alternative until after they were notified of their eviction, and the lab offered didnt meet safety standards for conducting their research, leaving his team in limbo.

Mr Zhangs dispute with his host institution was the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since the virologist published the sequence in January 2020 without state approval.

Beijing has sought to control information related to the virus since it first emerged. An Associated Press investigation found that the government froze domestic and international efforts to trace it from the first weeks of the outbreak. These days, labs are closed, collaborations shattered, foreign scientists forced out and some Chinese researchers barred from leaving the country.

Mr Zhangs ordeal started when he and his team decoded the virus on 5 January 2020, and wrote an internal notice warning Chinese authorities of its potential to spread  but did not make the sequence public. The next day, Mr Zhangs lab was ordered to close temporarily by Chinas top health official, and Zhang came under pressure from the authorities.

Foreign scientists soon learned that Mr Zhang and other Chinese scientists had deciphered the virus and called on China to release the sequence. Mr Zhang published it on 11 Jan 2020, despite a lack of permission from Chinese health officials.

Sequencing a virus is key to the development of test kits, disease control measures and vaccinations. The virus eventually spread to every corner of the world, triggering a pandemic that disrupted lives and commerce, prompted widespread lockdowns and killed millions of people.

Mr Zhang was awarded prizes overseas in recognition for his work. But health officials removed him from a post at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and barred him from collaborating with some of his former partners, hindering his research.

Still, Mr Zhang retains support from some in the government. Though some of his online posts were deleted, his sit-in protest was reported widely in Chinas state-controlled media, indicating divisions within the Chinese government on how to deal with Mr Zhang and his team.

Thank you to my online followers and people from all walks of life for your concern and strong support over the past few days! Mr Zhang wrote in his post Wednesday.
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A series of bomb threats across dozens of elite schools in the Indian capital region triggered evacuations of students, cancellation of classes, and panic among staff and parents.

More than 60 schools received an emailed threat of a bomb attack on Wednesday morning, Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said, but nothing suspicious has been found yet.

Top schools in and around Delhi, including Mother Mary School at Mayur Vihar, Amity International in Saket, and branches of Delhi Public School in Dwarka and Noida, received similar emails, claiming that there were explosives planted on the campuses.

The threats prompted an emergency situation in the schools with police dispatching bomb disposal squads, fire brigades and sniffer dogs to the schools to conduct a search operation.

Videos showed students queuing outside schools to return home as police officials and sniffer dogs took over the premises and conducted search operations.

School administration in all the schools cancelled classes as a precautionary measure.

"This is to inform you that the school has received an email that threatens the safety and security of the students. As a precautionary measure, we are sending the students back home immediately, a message to parents from the Delhi Public School in Noida said.

The principal of the school, Kamini Bhasin, told ANI the mail stated that bomb has been planted in some areas of the school and we cant take chances as it is a matter of childrens lives.

The students were evacuated to an open area, police and parents were informed and all the students have been sent back, she said.

Delhi police said in a statement: During the initial investigation, it seems that since yesterday till now the mail has been sent to many places and it seems to be on the same pattern.

Date line is not mentioned and BCC is mentioned in the mail, which means one mail has been sent to many places. At present an investigation is being done, it added.

Amity Pushp Vihar and Saket also received bomb threats and have been evacuated on instructions from the police. The school has been closed for today till further instructions, spokesperson, Amity Group, said.

Delhi minister of education, Atishi, said some schools have received bomb threats and so far nothing has been found in any of the schools.

We are in constant touch with the Police and the schools. Would request parents and citizens not to panic. School authorities will be in touch with parents wherever needed, she added.

Police said all the email sources originate from a single source appearing to be outside the country and suspect a VPN could have been used to mask the source of the email.

This is not the first time a threat has been issued in a Delhi school. However, it is the first time in recent memory that multiple schools have been simultaneously targeted with emails threatening bomb attacks.

In February this year, Delhi Police School in RK Puram in the capital received a bomb threat and a case was registered by Delhi police.

In May last year, the Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, was evacuated following a bomb threat that turned out to be a hoax email.
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A report that accused top intelligence officials of Indian prime minister Narendra Modis inner circle of being involved in the failed assassination bid of a US citizen has sparked diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

An investigative report by the Washington Post, citing dozens of current and former officials in the US and India, linked Mr Modis government to the assassination attempt of Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil in the spring of 2023.

The report followed last years US Justice Departments indictment of Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, allegedly hired to commit murder-for-hire of Mr Pannun, who is a designated terrorist in India.

India had, at that time, expressed concern about the linkage and dissociated itself saying it would form an inquiry committee to investigate the concerns and take necessary follow-up action on the findings.

The report on Monday claimed the assassination was ordered by Samant Goel, the previous chief of the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the countrys spy agency, and was sanctioned by senior intelligence officials. It is for the first time that Mr Goels name  earlier withheld in the Justice Department indictment of November 2023  was made public.

The report claimed that an officer in the RAW, identified as Vikram Yadav, was also involved in the assassination plot of Mr Pannun.

The US State Department said it expected accountability from the Indian government on the investigation and will raise concerns directly with senior level officials.

In a press briefing on Monday, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said: We continue to expect accountability from the government of India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committees work, and we are regularly working with them and enquiring for additional updates.

Mr Patel was asked about the concerns over the Posts report that claimed that Indian prime minister Modis inner circle were aware about the plot.

Well also continue to raise our concerns directly with the Indian government at senior levels, but beyond that Im not going to parse into this further and will defer to the Department of Justice, Mr Patel said.

The report led to strong reactions from diplomats from both sides. The White House called it a serious matter and said were taking that very, very seriously.

Indias Foreign Ministry said the Washington Post report made "unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter" while New Delhi is still investigating the issue.

"Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful," ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

In another statement, the Foreign Ministry said it takes strong objection to the remarks of the spokesperson of the US State Department about certain legal proceedings in India.

The allegation and subsequent investigation have become a challenge for both India and the US as the two countries try to forge closer ties under president Joe Bidens administration amid shared concerns about Chinas growing power.

It comes ahead of the G7 summit in Italy in June where Mr Modi is expected to face Mr Biden and other leaders of the grouping. Mr Modi is joining the meeting of the bloc following the invitation by Italian counterpart Georgia Meloni.

The US Justice Department hit the Indian government with the allegation two months after Canada said that it had credible evidence linking Indian agents to the June 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh separatist, in a Vancouver suburb.

The allegations, denied by India, has led to a diplomatic rift between the two countries.
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Isis has claimed responsibility for the deadly shooting at a Shiite mosque in western Afghanistans Herat province that killed six people.

On Monday night, an armed gunman stormed the Imam Zaman Mosque in the Guzara district of Herat province and opened fire on the people offering prayers.

The attacker fled the scene and one person was left wounded in the attack.

The Isis affiliate in the region, known as the Islamic State Khorasan, took responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its Telegram channel late on Tuesday.

It said one of its members attacked a "Shiite temple" in Herat province with machine gun fire.

The Talibans Ministry of Interior said six worshippers, including a woman and a child, were killed in the attack which is being investigated.

"An unidentified armed individual open fired on worshippers with an AK-47, Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesperson for the Talibans Ministry of Interior, said.

ISIS-K, a Sunni extremist group established in 2015, has targeted Shiite Muslims in Afghanistan, particularly the Hazara ethnic minority. Afghanistans Shiite population constitutes around 10 per cent, with the majority being Sunni.

open image in gallery People attend the funeral of a victim of an attack on a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Herat, Afghanistan, ( EPA )

Mohammadi village in Guzara district, where the attack happened, has a majority population of Hazaras.

ISIS-K has significantly escalated its attacks in Afghanistan following the Talibans takeover in 2021. These attacks extended to regions previously untouched by the groups violence, notably areas distant from its stronghold along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in the east.

Disturbing visuals in the aftermath of the attack showed the lifeless body of an infant on the floor. On Tuesday, hundreds of residents gathered to hold the burial of those who were killed and mourned the deaths.

open image in gallery Muslim devotees offer Eid al-Fitr prayers, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at the Guzargah mosque on 10 April ( AFP via Getty Images )

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned the attack and called for immediate action against the perpetrators.

UNAMA condemns last nights attack on a Shia mosque in Herat which killed and wounded at least 7, including a child. As stated in UNAMA reporting: Investigations and accountability for perpetrators and protection measures for Afghanistans Shia communities are urgently needed, it said on X.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front called the attack "genocide and a crime against humanity.

It is with profound sorrow and indignation that we address the recent despicable attack on worshipers in Herat. Once again, our compatriots were ruthlessly targeted while performing prayers at the Imam Zaman Mosque in Andisheh Town, Herat Province, it said.

open image in gallery Afghans mourn at a burial ceremony of the slain Shiite Muslims after gunmen attacked a mosque in Guzara district of Herat province ( AFP via Getty Images )

These attacks aim to stoke sectarian divisions and sow discord among the diverse ethnic communities of Afghanistan, particularly targeting the Hazara citizens, Shiites, and other vulnerable groups, it added.

Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, also condemned the attack and said all Afghans must be able to pray in peace.

I urge prevention, protection & justice for Hazara/Shia who continue to be targeted, including in Herat. Condolences to the families and community, he said.

In October 2023, at least 17 people were killed in one of the deadliest bombings by a suicide attacker affiliated with Isis at a Shiite mosque in northern Afghanistan. The worshippers when the mosque was packed for the Friday prayers.
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A woman has recounted the insane plane behaviour she witnessed on her recent flight, and it has sparked a debate about airplane etiquette.

In a viral video posted to TikTok, user Alex Bennett (@justalexbennett) recalled how a father asked a fellow plane passenger to swap seats with him so that he could sit with his two children. However, the father wasnt entirely honest about what seat hed be swapping the man for.

I witnessed the most insane plane behaviour on the way here, Bennett began the video, which has been viewed nearly 300,000 times since it was posted. She explained that she was sitting behind a man in the aisle seat when a father walked up to the man with his two children and asked if he could take his seat.

Hes like: Hey man, my kids have [the] middle and window [seats] and Ive got this aisle across. Do you mind swapping me aisle to aisle? Bennett recalled.

When the man asked the father if he would be switching his purchased aisle seat for another aisle seat across from them, the TikToker claimed that the father hesitated before giving an answer.

The dad pauses and he said: Middle or aisle? Yeah, aisle, she shared.

The man  who she noted was a bigger, older man  ended up swapping aisle seats with the father so he could sit next to his children, before another woman walked up to the man and informed him that he was now sitting in her seat. Shes like: Hey, Im the aisle seat here. And hes like: Oh, I traded with that guy. He said he was the aisle seat, Bennett explained.

At that point, however, the father who had asked to swap seats refused to look up from his phone during the debacle. The dad had the middle seat, and I think he knew it, Bennett said. Nevertheless, the man could not have been nicer and got up from his seat once again to switch to the middle seat in the row.

I totally understand a dad wanting to sit with his kids, no question. But I think you gotta tell the guy: Im middle. I need a solid here because I need to sit with my kids. But you cant say youre the aisle and then the girls addressing it, Bennett chimed in.

She wrote over the viral clip, Airplane etiquette trading seats, and captioned the post: Airplane etiquette is crazy.

In the comments section, many people were appalled that the father lied to the man about his ticketed plane seat and refused to clarify the situation.

Absolutely not. I would have been like: Sorry dude, you gotta switch back since you lied to me, one TikTok user commented under Bennetts video.

I would have asked him why he lied, in front of his kids. The kids will remember the confrontation, another person wrote.

Deal breaker, a third user said. If he wouldnt be willing to switch back, a flight attendant would be called.

Meanwhile, others admitted that they refuse to swap sweats with strangers on an airplane, like one person who said: A plane is the only place you wont catch me being a people pleaser. My seat is my seat.

This is why my answer is no! Every damn time, said someone else, while another user wrote: Never switch.

In recent months, theres been an ongoing debate surrounding proper etiquette for swapping seats on planes. In July, a CEO went viral when she refused to switch seats with a mother who wanted to sit next to her two children on a flight. Tammy Nelson, the CEO of global jewellery brand CONQUERing, shared on TikTok that she was flying on a Delta Air Lines flight from Cincinnati, Ohio to San Jose, California, when she noticed a woman sitting in her window seat.

I got on the plane and a woman was sitting in my seat and when I mentioned it to her, she said, Oh, you want to sit here? I thought we could switch because these are my kids, Nelson recalled. I said, As long as its a window seat, Im happy to switch. She points to the row behind us and says, Mine is right there. Its the middle seat.

She said the mother was reportedly super annoyed that Nelson had refused to switch seats, before moving back to her own middle seat.
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Selling Sunset star Bre Tiesi is facing accusations of creating a hostile work environment after her former employees filed a lawsuit against her.

Tiesi - who joined season six of the Netflix real estate show in 2023 - was accused of causing three ex employees emotional distress in the lawsuit filed on 25 April in Los Angeles, according to court documents obtained by People.

Lucy Poole, Amanda Bustard, and Kenneth Gomez claimed they were harassed, discriminated against, and/or retaliated against on the basis of their sex, gender, and/or sexual orientation while working for the real estate agent.

After leaving their positions, the plaintiffs claimed they suffered severe emotional distress, loss of earnings, and loss of employment benefits, among other things.

Poole - who worked as a nanny for Tiesi and Nick Cannons one-year-old son, Legendary Love - noted in the filing that she suffers a mental disability and claimed Tiesi called her the names short bus riding b**** and ADHD idiot. Poole alleged the 32-year-old reality star treated her in a vulgar and violent manner if a task was not performed to her satisfaction and forced her to throw away items in her sons closet that could be construed as feminine or girly.

Bustard, her former social media manager, claimed she was subjected to inappropriate and violent behaviour by Tiesi and witnessed her scream at other employees, allegedly saying, Im going to kill her and Im going to slam her head against the wall.

Gomez - who worked as Tiesis assistant and stylist and is described as a member of the LGBTQ community in the filing - alleged that Tiesi would repeatedly make derogatory and demeaning comments about members of the LGBTQ community.

In addition to accusations of harassment, the Selling Sunset star was also accused of violating various California Labor Code sections regarding hours, conditions, and payment of wages. As a result, the plaintiffs are requesting more than $3m in damages be paid to each former employee, according to the lawsuit.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Tiesi for comment.

In March, Christian Georges Dumontet - the estranged husband of former Selling Sunset star Christine Quinn - was arrested following an alleged domestic violence incident that took place in their Los Angeles home. He was charged with assault with a "deadly weapon," according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department.

Quinn was granted a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband on 28 March. Dumontet filed for divorce from the reality star on 5 April. The former couple were married in December 2019 and welcomed their son, Christian Georges, in May 2021.
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South Korea is considering sharing advanced military technology with the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia through the so-called AUKUS partnership, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said.

Shin said the possibility was discussed during two days of meetings between South Korea and Australias defense and foreign ministers that ended in the Australian city of Melbourne on Wednesday.

The United States and the United Kingdom agreed in 2021 to provide Australia with a fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology under the AUKUS agreement to counter a growing military presence from China. AUKUS is an acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The countries could become involved in cooperation on a wider range of security technologies including artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and hypersonic systems through what is known as AUKUS Pillar 2.

Shin welcomed South Korea's invitation from the three AUKUS partners.

We do welcome that AUKUS members are considering Korea as an AUKUS Pillar 2 partner and Koreas defense science and technology capabilities will contribute to the peace and stability of the development of AUKUS Pillar 2 and regional peace, Shin said through a translator.

Japan is also moving toward formal talks to become part of AUKUS Pillar 2s technology development and sharing.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles welcomed South Korean efforts to build on its relationship with Japan, which along with Australia, the United States and India form a security dialogue known as the Quad.

We see this is a very, very positive step forward in the strategic landscape of the region and represents a huge opportunity for Australia to engage with both Korea and Japan, Marles told reporters.

Korea and Australia are working together to uphold the rules-based order within our region and, in fact, within the world, Marles added.
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A further man has been arrested on suspicion of immigration offences after five migrants died trying to cross the English Channel.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said a 23-year-old Sudanese national was detained in Hayes, west London, and is being interviewed by officers.

He has been arrested on suspicion of assisting illegal immigration and entering the UK illegally.

The move comes as two other males from South Sudan and Sudan have been charged over the incident, but disputes about their ages and if they are youths has delayed court proceedings.

The pair said they are 15 and 16 years old, while initial age assessments by immigration officers and a social worker placed them in their early 20s.

Further in-depth assessments have been ordered by Folkestone Youth Court.

The NCA previously said it was working with Kent Police, immigration enforcement teams and Border Force to support the French-led investigation into the incident off the northern French coast on April 23.

A dinghy carrying more than 100 people set off from Wimereux at around 6am but got into difficulty.

Three men, a woman and a seven-year-old girl died.

Some 49 people were rescued but 58 others refused to leave the boat and continued their journey towards the UK, the French coastguard said, with several other boats later embarking on the crossing.

The NCA said more than 50 people who were on board the dinghy which arrived in the UK have now been interviewed.

An 18-year-old man from Sudan has also been arrested over the incident and continues to be bailed pending further inquiries.
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A former Metropolitan Police officer jailed for multiple counts of rape has been described as the devil and a pathetic excuse of a man by his victims.

Cliff Mitchell, 24, had approached one woman with a knife in September 2023 and told her to put her arms behind her back, before tying her and placing duct tape over her mouth.

The court had heard that he laughed at his victim as she cried, told her she was a slut and that no-one would believe her if she said anything because he was a police officer.

Following a trial at Croydon Crown Court, he was found guilty of 10 counts of rape, three counts of rape of a child under 13, one count of kidnap and breach of a non-molestation order.

He has now been jailed for life and must serve a minimum sentence of 13 years and 225 days for his crimes that took place between 2014 and 2023.

Jurors heard that after attacking one woman, he had forced her and another person to get into his car, with the woman only managing to escape by saying she had to get out of the vehicle because she felt sick.

He was jailed for life at Croydon Crown Court ( Google )

She was later seen running through traffic by members of the public before a passer-by noticed what was going on and managed to get her in her vehicle, his trial was told.

In a 999 call played to the court, the distressed woman told the operator hes kidnapped me and hes behind us as she travelled in the car of the passerby who had offered help.

Mitchell had previously been subject to a rape investigation in 2017, which had resulted in no further action, the force said.

Following his arrest, the case was reinvestigated which resulted in Mitchell being charged with an additional three counts of rape of a child under 13 and three counts of rape.

These six charges relate to a second victim and occurred between 2014 and 2017, the Met said.

Mitchell, of Wandsworth, south-west London, was a Pc in the Mets West Area Basic Command Unit and had been serving in Hounslow when a number of the offences were committed.

He was suspended from the force after the allegations came to light and has since been dismissed.

In the sentencing hearing, one victims statement addressing Mitchell read: You have shown no remorse for what you did to us.

You deserve to spend the rest of your life in a cell because you are a serious danger to every woman walking the streets.

You are the devil. You disgust me. I hope you suffer for the rest of your life.

The court heard how the women suffer from post traumatic stress disorder from their ordeals and struggles they now face in daily life.

The other victim, who said she lives in constant fear, said to Mitchell in court: Im holding you account for your actions, you took away my self worth.

You are a pathetic excuse of a man. Im letting myself heal from the trauma.

Sentencing Mitchell on Wednesday, Mrs Justice May said his crimes were so serious a sentence of life imprisonment is required.

The judge said: Cliff Mitchell is clearly a deeply troubled young man [his] serious offending appears to have arisen for desire for control.

The fact he was a police officer, albeit for a short time, will make imprisonment a harsher experience for him.

Mrs Justice May also praised the bravery of the victims for coming forward and giving evidence in the trial, and the police officers involved in the case and the passer-by who helped the kidnapped victim.
Constance Marten, 36, and her partner Mark Gordon, 50 ( PA )

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A jury has failed to reach verdicts in the trial of aristocrat Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon over the death of their newborn baby.

Marten, 37, and Gordon, 50, have been on trial for manslaughter since January after their daughter Victoria died the previous January while they were camping on the South Downs in wintry conditions.

The couple were on the run for nearly two months despite repeated public appeals for their whereabouts. Following their arrest, Victorias remains were found in a Lidl shopping bag in an allotment shed in Brighton, East Sussex, last March.

The couple denied charges of gross negligence manslaughter of Victoria between 4 January and 27 February last year and causing or allowing the death of a child. They also denied charges of perverting the course of justice by concealing her body, along with concealing the birth of a child and child cruelty.

Judge Mark Lucraft KC discharged the jury at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, almost six months after the trial began, and following more than 72 hours of deliberation.

Marten and Gordon may face a retrial.
 Close Marcus Monzo arrives at court charged with murder of schoolboy Daniel Anjorin in Hainault

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More than 115,000 has so far been raised for the family of Daniel Anjorin after the 14-year-old was killed in a samurai sword attack on a suburban east London street while on his way to school.

In less than two days, roughly 6,000 people have donated to the fundraiser, which was set up by a close friend of the schoolboys brother on Tuesday, the day of the horrific incident in Hainault.

The GoFundMe page pays tribute to Daniel in its message, describing him as a very loved boy in the local community who was always full of happiness and joy and very much loved by everybody he came across.

Meanwhile, a hero injured in the sword attack has spoken for the first time since the incident as he recovers in hospital, thanking those who saved his own life.

Henry De Los Rios Polania, 35, an IT engineer from Hainault, has shared a photo on social media from his hospital bed. He was described as a hero for protecting his family from the assailant.

On Thursday, Marcus Monzo, 36, of Newham, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court charged with Daniels murder.
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MPs and Lords have called on the Home Office to act faster to help Afghan families, saying the government has failed to deliver on its promise to bring women rights activists and others who supported the British mission to the UK.

In a letter shared with The Independent, a coalition of 19 MPs from all major political parties and nine peers have written to legal migration minister Tom Pursglove about the governments Afghan resettlement schemes.

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the UK initially pledged to accept 20,000 people over five years under the Home Offices scheme for vulnerable Afghans and those who promoted British values such as democracy, womens rights, freedom of speech and the rule of law. The scheme is known as the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and is separate from the Ministry of Defence (MoD)s scheme, which is exclusively for those who worked for British forces.

Parliamentarians, led by Lib Dem MP Wendy Chamberlain, have called on home office minister Mr Pursglove to act with more haste on delivering these promises, saying: Those who remain [in Afghanistan] face an escalating humanitarian situation and increasing limitations on their basic human rights, especially women and girls.

Over a quarter of the 20,000 places were allocated retrospectively to people who came to the UK during the airlifts from Kabul airport in August 2021, the letter said. Since then the delivery of the remaining pledges has been slow, it continued.

Afghan refugees wait to be processed after arriving on an evacuation flight from Afghanistan, at Heathrow Airport, London on August 26, 2021 ( POOL/AFP via Getty Images )

In the whole of 2022 and 2023 combined, just 1,611 Afghans were brought to the UK through the Home Office and Foreign Office schemes, the letter said.

The third pathway of the ACRS, which is for Afghans promised scholarship places in the UK and security contractors for embassies, brought just 688 of these Afghans to the UK, despite 1,500 places being available. The government is now working on who will be allowed to apply for help in the second phase of this pathway.

However this has been held up, with parliamentarians writing: Stage two of ACRS 3 - expected to support Afghan women and girls or members of oppressed minority groups and initially anticipated in the second year - is yet to be initiated.

MPs and Lords also criticised the government for leaving Afghans in the UK to face ongoing uncertainty and considerable stress while they wait to hear whether they can be reunited with some family members.

Those who were separated from family during Operation Pitting, the UKs evacuation effort in August 2021, had been told that they would be able to apply to bring their family members to the UK. However despite the promise, MPs said that these Afghans already separated for over two and a half years, are still waiting to know how and when they can finally be reunited.

The uncertainty is driving Afghans to desperation, with some attempting to cross the Channel via small boat in an attempt to reach their family in the UK. One 24-year-old Ahmad Nadeem Ebadi spoke to The Independent in Dunkirk, northern France last week, where he was trying to get on a small boat.

His father, who has dual British citizenship, was evacuated by the UK government along with other members of his family in August 2021. Nadeem said: I didnt get a chance to go on the plane. I have tried so many ways to come legally but there is no way.

The letter, which is signed by Tory MPs Caroline Nokes and Sir Julian Lewis and Green MP Caroline Lucas among others, continued: For Afghans waiting in the region, we are concerned that temporary visas have run out and that many are at imminent risk of being returned to Afghanistan. For those still in Afghanistan, the risks only continue.

Neighbouring Pakistan has been deporting Afghan refugees, with some 600,000 people returning since last October.

There are also a few hundred former Afghan special forces soldiers who worked closely with British troops living in Pakistan. Their resettlement applications are currently subject to a review by the MoD, but they do not have any protection from deportation while this review is ongoing.

A Home Office spokesperson said: The government continues to work with partners in the region to evacuate eligible people and are committed to bringing more Afghans to the UK in the long term.

We have committed to establishing a route for those evacuated from Afghanistan under Pathway 1 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme without their immediate family members to reunite in the UK. We remain on track to open the route for referrals in the first half of this year.
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A man whose seven-year-old daughter was among five people killed in an overcrowded small boat crossing the Channel has mourned her death and lamented that he could not protect her.

I will never forgive myself. But the sea was the only choice I had, said Ahmed Alhashimi, a 41-year-old man from Iraq, whose family of five was aboard the vessel, on what was their fourth attempt to cross over to Britain in two months.

But while Mr Alhashimi, his wife Ahmed Alhashimi, and two of their children  13-year-old Rahaf and eight-year-old Hussam  were rescued from the boat, their youngest daughter Sara did not survive the journey.

Footage from BBC News shows migrants in small boat at Dunkirk last Tuesday morning after French coast guard announced five people had died ( BBC )

The family had hidden overnight with fellow asylum-seekers in sand dunes on the coastline at Wimereux, south of Calais, before inflating their boat and being ordered by people-smugglers to run with it towards the sea before the police could intercept them.

But chaos ensued as a police tear gas canister ignited nearby, and smugglers threw fireworks to deter them  as what appeared to be another group of migrants also forced their way onto the boat.

The dinghy eventually set off with more than 110 people on board  despite the smugglers having promised them that only 40 people, mostly Iraqis, would be onboard and charging them a cost of 1,500 (1,280) per adult, and 750 for each child, according to Mr Alhashimi.

While Sara had started off on her fathers shoulders, he had taken her down while helping his other daughter Rafah climb aboard the boat, before losing sight of Sara in the crush of bodies.

That time was like death itself. We saw people dying. I saw how those men were behaving. They didnt care whom they were stepping on  a child, or someones head, young or old. People started to suffocate, Mr Alhashimi told BBC News.

Footage from BBC News shows police on the beach at Dunkirk last Tuesday morning ( BBC )

His shouts for help are reported to have been audible from the beach as he lashed out at those around him to move to let him reach down and rescue his daughter.

I just wanted him to move so I could pull my baby up, he said of a young Sudanese man, who formed part of the group reported to have crowded aboard the vessel. But he alleges that the man first ignored him, and then threatened him.

Im a construction worker. Im strong. But I couldnt pull my leg out. No wonder my little girl couldnt either. She was under our feet, he added.

It was only once French authorities reached the seaborne boat and rescued a number of those onboard that Mr Alhashimi was able to reach his daughters body. I saw her head in the corner of the boat. She was all blue. She was dead when we pulled her out. She wasnt breathing, he said.

The family have spent the past week in the care of French authorities, while they wait to bury Saras body, according to the BBC.

I will never forgive myself. But the sea was the only choice I had. Everything that happened was against my will. I ran out of options. People blame me and say, How could I risk my daughters? But Ive spent 14 years in Europe and have been rejected, said Mr Alhashimi.

Migrants wave to a smuggler's boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel, on the beach of Gravelines, near Dunkirk ( AFP via Getty Images )

The 41-year-old, who is from Basra, said he fled Iraq due to threats from militia groups. Sara was born in Belgium and spent most of her life in Sweden, where she and her siblings had lived with a relative for the past seven years  until Mr Alhashimi was recently informed they would be deported with him to Iraq.

If I knew there was a 1 per cent chance that I could keep the kids in Belgium or France or Sweden or Finland I would keep them there, said Mr Alhashimi.

All I wanted was for my kids to go to school. I didnt want any assistance. My wife and I can work. I just wanted to protect them and their childhoods and their dignity, he said.

If people were in my place, what would they do? Those who [criticise me] havent suffered what Ive suffered. This was my last option, he said.

Saras teacher in Sweden, Eva Jonsson, sent a video message to the BBC, and said that Sara had a lot of friends at the school. In February we heard she would be deported and that it would happen quickly. We had two days notice, she said.

Her class held a minutes silence when they heard of her death last week, said Ms Jonsson, adding: We have Saras picture in front of us still, and we will keep it there as long as the children want.
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The civil service union has started legal action against the government over its plan to detain asylum seekers and fly them to Rwanda.

The FDA union will try and take ministers to court over the legislation, which was passed by parliament last week after weeks of back and forth between MPs and the Lords. The union is worried about what would happen if civil servants were told by ministers to break international law when carrying out the deportations.

Under the Civil Service code, government employees have a duty to abide by the law and union bosses think the government has created a conflict of interest if civil servants are ordered to disregard a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

The ECHR could be forced to intervene in Rwanda deportations if an asylum seeker takes their case to the Strasbourg court. Judges can make a Rule 39 order in these circumstances, directing the UK government to stop the removal. This is what halted the first Rwanda flight and set off a long legal battle in the UK, which culminated in the Supreme Court saying Rwanda was not safe for asylum seekers.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping the boats a key pledge ( PA Wire )

The FDA union have applied for a judicial review over the conflict of interest, meaning a High Court judge will initially have to consider whether their case can go ahead.

General secretary Dave Penman said: This is not a decision that we have taken lightly. The government has had plenty of time to include an explicit provision in the Act regarding breaking international law commitments which would have resolved this, but it chose not to.

Civil servants should never be left in a position where they are conflicted between the instructions of ministers and adhering to the Civil Service Code, yet that is exactly what the government has chosen to do.

Mr Penman said it was a political choice from the government and was irresponsible. Rishi Sunak said last week that civil servants must deliver instructions from ministers to ignore ECHR rulings. He said he had amended guidance for civil servants to make it clear that they need to follow directions from ministers, even if the directions go against international law.

The unions announcement came after the Home Office revealed they had conducted a number of detentions across the UK of asylum seekers chosen for Rwanda deportation.

Mr Sunak has said that flights will take off at the beginning of July and home secretary James Cleverly said on Wednesday that enforcement teams were working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here.

Some 800 officers are being deployed on the operation, dubbed Operation Vector, to detain hundreds of asylum seekers for the first flight to Rwanda.

Officers started detaining people on Monday when they came to report at immigration centres, as well as turning up at peoples homes and detaining them there. The operation will continue until the number of designated spots in immigration detention, set aside for those going to Rwanda, are full.
 Close King Charles diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment

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King Charles made a return to public duties with a visit to a hospital and specialist cancer centre in London on Tuesday.

The King, alongside Queen Camilla, met doctors and patients during the visit in a bid to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and highlight innovative research taking place at the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre.

Both smiled broadly and waved to onlookers as they greeted staff including Baroness Neuberger, chairman of University London College Hospitals (UCLH), and David Probert, its chief executive.

It was the 75-year-old monarchs first public engagement since his cancer diagnosis, and follows a statement issued by Buckingham Palace in which the King was said to be making positive progress in his treatment.

Charles was also announced as the new patron of Cancer Research UK taking over the patronage from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth.

The public engagement also comes ahead of the planned return to the UK by Prince Harry for a ceremony to mark 10 years of the Invictus Games next week.
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The worlds joint-largest cargo ship has docked at Britains biggest and busiest container port.

The 400-metre long MSC Loreto is capable of holding 24,346 standard containers, the most that any ship can currently carry.

The ship, which shares the title of worlds largest with her sister vessel the MSC Irina, measures 400 metres in length and can hold more than 24,346 containers ( Joe Giddens/PA Wire )

The giant ship shares the title with its sister vessel, the MSC Irina. Both ships have a gross tonnage of more than 238,000 tonnes.

MSC Loreto arrived at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk from Le Havre, France, on Tuesday evening.

The worlds largest cargo ship MSC Loreto docked at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk ( Joe Giddens/PA Wire )

The vessel, which is operated by the Swiss-headquartered Mediterranean Shipping Company, is due to set sail for the Algerian capital of Algiers on the countrys Mediterranean coast on Thursday.

The ship made its first visit to the UK in June 2023.
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Students joined pro-Palestine protests and encampments at universities in the UK on Wednesday following violent demonstrations at campuses in the US.

Demonstrations took place at several universities including Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds and Newcastle, and others were expected to join them.

The protests came following violent clashes on the University of California campus between pro-Palestinian protesters and a group of counter-demonstrators, hours after police stormed Columbia University and arrested dozens of students.

At Goldsmiths University in south London, students have been occupying buildings - including the library - for weeks.

On Tuesday, video shared online showed students holding a rally in a courtyard at the university and chanting no justice, no peace, if you dont give us justice then you dont get no peace.

Students also occupied the library and demanded to meet with senior management to discuss their protests and the war in Gaza.

I think a lot of people are really inspired by whats going on in the US, Samira, a 24-year-old sociology student and member of Goldsmiths For Palestine, told The Independent.

Students hold a pro-Palestine rally at Goldsmiths ( @goldsmithsforpalestine )

We feel a duty as students to come out and protest when youre seeing like, fellow students in the USsmashed up by riots, and all of that, but, yeahI think people are really inspired.

Students at the University of Bristol, University of Leeds, and Newcastle University set up tents in demonstrations on Wednesday.

Bristol students said they staged the action in protest of the universitys complicity in Israels genocide of Palestinians, while Apartheid Off Campus Newcastle said its demonstration was to highlight the institutions investment strategy and its complicity in the Israeli militarys war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.

Protests were due to take place in at least six universities ( Bristol Student Occupation for a Free PalestineApartheid Off Campus Newcastle/ )

In the US, police arrested some 35 people at California State Polytechnic University, Humbold yesterday after pro-Palestinian protesters barricaded themselves inside the deans office.

The students had been occupying Siemens Hall since 22 April.

Overnight, hundreds of police officers dressed in riot gear stormed Columbia, where campus protesters had occupied Hamilton Hall since Monday.

They later used a SWAT ramp, attached to the roof of a truck, to enter the barricaded building and 109 people were arrested.

A further 173 arrests were made at the City College of New York, wher demonstrations have also taken place.
 Close Sadiq Khan casts his vote in the London Mayoral election

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Rishi Sunak is facing fresh Conservative unrest after Labour claimed victory in the West Midlands mayoral election, beating Andy Street in a tight race.

The newly elected mayor, Richard Parker, secured a majority against his Conservative opponent who has served two terms and held office since 2017.

The result is the latest in a string of Labour mayoral and council wins nationwide as the Conservatives suffered historic blows. I dont think hes out of the woods, a former minister told the Financial Times, referring to Mr Sunaks position.

Meanwhile, Labours Sadiq Khan secured a third term as Mayor of London beating Conservative Susan Hall.

Mr Sunak also suffered terrible losses in council elections as the Conservatives lost more than 400 councillors and control of ten councils.

State of play

Total no of councils - Lab 50 (+8) | Lib Dem: 12 (+ 2)| Con: 6 (-10) | Ind & Others: 1 (+1) | Greens: 0 | NOC: 36 (-1)

Councillors - Lab 1,140 (+185) | Lib Dem: 521 (+104) | Con: 513 (-473) | Ind & Others: 228 (+93) | Green: 181 (+74) | RA 48 (+11) | Workers Party of Britain 4 (+4) | Reform 2 (+2)
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The mayor of London has one of the largest political mandates in the UK with a budget of more than 20 billion and a constituency of 6.2 million voters.

The job is currently held by Sadiq Khan, who is up for re-election on Thursday 2 May.

The Mayors job is to make London a better place for everyone who visits, lives or works in the capital.

Alongside the mayor, there are 25 London Assembly members, who hold the Mayor to account by examining strategies and decisions made by the incumbent.

But what exactly are the powers and responsibilities of the Mayor and London Assembly?

The Mayor of London

London has had a mayor since 2000 after Londoners voted overwhelmingly in favour of an elected mayor and assembly to run the capital.

The move was a part of then Labour prime minister Tony Blair's constitutional reforms and devolution.

The mayor receives a 20.4 billion budget that they use to improve Londons economic and social development.

There have been three London mayors. Labours Sadiq Khan is the incumbent and he was first elected in 2016.

It was previously held by Boris Johnson for eight years, and Ken Livingstone before him.

The mayor is given a salary of 154,963. The prime minister, by comparison, is entitled to a salary of 167,391.

Responsibilities

The mayors responsibilities range from developing policies to setting budgets and overseeing major programmes  all in line with the Mayors vision.

One of the mayors main responsibilities is Transport. They are responsible for Transport for London (TfL) and have the power to set fares, which is the main source of funding for TfL.

The Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emissions Zone (Ulez) is also from the mayors office.

The second responsibility is policing. The mayor has a direct mandate for policing in London and is responsible for deciding on the strategic direction of the force.

In the governance structure of the Met, ultimate accountability for the actions and direction of the force is held jointly by the Home Secretary and the Mayor. The Home Secretary appoints the Met Commissioner  the top job in the police force.

Around 30 per cent of the Met's budget comes from the mayor and the rest comes from national government.

In relation to housing, the mayor can set affordable homes targets and work in collaboration with local authorities and developers.

The mayor receives funding from central government to build affordable homes.

Another area of responsibility is supporting London's culture and creative industries. They mayor runs the London Borough of Culture scheme and employs a night czar who supports the capital's nightlife.

What is the mayor not responsible for?

Londons councils, rather than the mayor, are responsible for many of the services Londoners experience day-to-day like council housing, schools, social services, rubbish collection and council tax collection.

Central government leads on the NHS, welfare and most forms of taxation.

What does the London Assembly do?

The London Assembly is made up of 25 Members  11 represent the whole capital and 14 are elected by Londons constituencies.

Many of them have previously been local politicians or run businesses and charities. For example, the Tory candidate for London mayor, Susan Hall, is a former leader of the London Assembly Conservative group.

Their main power lies in approving or rejecting the mayor's 20.4 billion budget plans, and can make changes when two-thirds of Assembly Members agree.

The Mayor is questioned by the Assembly 10 times a year at Mayors Question Time.

They also work on committees which scrutinise the mayor's policies and check if they are working.

The London Mayoral Election 2024

Voters can cast their ballot in person on 2 May, by post or by proxy. Find your nearest polling station here.

Everyone will need to show photo ID at polling stations before they vote.

People will have three votes  one for mayor and two for the London Assembly.

The results will be announced at City Hall on Saturday 4 May.
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Rishi Sunak risks inflaming his row with Ireland over the return of asylum seekers after he accused the Irish government of cherry picking international agreements.

The prime minister said his administration was seeking urgent clarification there would be no new checkpoints at or near the border with Northern Ireland as tensions between London and Dublin escalate.

Ireland has hit out at what it says is a high number of recent arrivals coming from the UK.

It has said it will redeploy 100 police officers to deal with the problem, although it has denied that these will be used along the border, the scene of much violence during the Troubles.

The Irish cabinet has also approved a plan to start returns to the UK, something Mr Sunak says the UK will not accept.

An open border is a key tenet of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought the Troubles to an end.

Mr Sunak told MPs there could no be "cherry-picking" of international agreements from the Irish government.

He said the UK had made commitments to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and  the Irish government must uphold its promises too.

"We can't have cherry-picking of important international agreements and so the Secretary of State is seeking urgent clarification that there will be no disruption or police checkpoints at or near the border.

He added: And I can confirm that the United Kingdom has no legal obligation to accept returns of illegal migrants from Ireland.

Rishi Sunak speaks during Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons, London (House of Commons/PA) ( PA Wire )

He claimed his administrations robust approach to illegal migration - his controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda - was proving a deterrent to migrants coming to Britain.

But he added The answer is not sending police to villages in Donegal (near the border with Northern Ireland). It's to work with us in partnership to strengthen our external borders all around the Common Travel Area that we share."

The Irish Department of Justice has refused to publish an operational arrangement it says provides for returning asylum seekers to the UK.

No 10 insists it is non-binding and said that Ireland has not returned anyone to the UK since Brexit.

On Sunday Irish premier Simon Harris said Ireland would not "provide a loophole" for other countries' migration "challenges.

Mr Sunak has said the UK is "not interested" in any returns deal if the EU does not allow the UK to deport asylum seekers back to France.
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High-profile Tory mayor Ben Houchen has lashed out at the state of the Conservative Party under Rishi Sunak as he battles to hold on to his job running Tees Valley.

In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Lord Houchen warned that his potential defeat in this weeks local elections should be a wake-up call for Tory MPs.

And in an extraordinary broadside at his own party, he said voters were pledging to support him, but not the Tories at the next general election.

Lord Houchen told The Independent: There are lots of people who will come up to me and speak to me that say that theyre going to vote for me, but they probably wont be voting for the Conservative Party in the general election.

He said attempts by ministers to crack down on illegal migration, including the release of pictures showing potential deportees being rounded up, will not be enough to save the party.

His damning intervention comes as the local election battle intensified on Wednesday, with the Tories reporting Labour West Midlands mayoral candidate Richard Parker to police for alleged electoral fraud.

Sunak and Houchen during a visit to see the construction works at Teesside Freeport in Redcar in July 2022 ( AFP/Getty )

There have been predictions the Conservatives could lose more than 500 of the 985 council seats they are defending. Labour also hopes to take the mayoralties of Teeside and the West Midlands as well as many of the 29 police and crime commissioner roles currently held by Tories.

Conservative MPs are waiting to see the results before deciding if they will seek a vote of no confidence in Mr Sunak.

Lord Houchens survival  along with West Midlands mayor Andy Street  is seen as one of the benchmarks for the prime ministers to avoid a full-scale rebellion from backbenchers.

The latest poll put Lord Houchen narrowly ahead of his local Labour rival, but he has seen a collapse in his support compared to the 2021 election when he won more than 70 per cent of the vote. At that time, the party was under the leadership of Boris Johnson, who Lord Houchen backed to return when Liz Truss quit in October 2022.

He said: Its absolutely closer, it was always going to be closer.

Last time we were very much on a high with the national party, Boris, the Hartlepool by-election, lots of things came together very positively for us. So, last time was a much easier task, whereas this time its going to be more difficult, more of a challenge, much tighter and much, much closer.

Lord Houchen has been Tees Valley mayor since 2017, when he first defeated Labour in a shock victory.

But he has pinned his current struggles on the state of the Tory government, noting: [The problem] is purely national politics, and that leads to a change of mood in the country.

Even if he wins, it will not necessarily signal a recovery for the wider party because he has built up a strong high personal vote in his seven years as mayor, Lord Houchen warned. He has made no mention of Mr Sunak in any of his election literature.

Lord Houchen has been helped by the absence of a Reform UK candidate running against him that might have otherwise split the Tory vote.

He said: [It] tends to split down generally into two groups of people. One who is saying theyre going to vote Reform in the general election and another group whos saying theyre just not going to vote.

Lord Houchen also believes Labour is struggling to get its vote out and claims that whatever the result the region will never be safe for Sir Keir Starmers party again.

He accused Labour of attempting a dirty tricks campaign against him after Michael Gove launched an investigation into alleged corruption, wrongdoing and illegality at Teesside freeport redevelopment. He was cleared in January.

However, he warns that if he fails with no Reform candidate against him it will be bad news for the dozens of Tory MPs elected in red-wall seats in the north and midlands.

Ben Houchen backed Boris Johnson for a return to Downing Street  and the mayor has shown considerably less support for Rishi Sunak ( Getty )

If we cant get through on Thursday, then its going to look extremely difficult to be able to hold anything.

Teesside is one of the few places that can genuinely say confidently that we are ... delivering on levelling up. There are real tangible things that show that I think the fact that we are doing that.

If we were to lose on Thursday, I think that would be a wake-up call for a lot of people, certainly a lot of Conservative MPs across the red wall who dont necessarily have the same deliverables and the things to point to that we do.

Lord Houchen also disagrees with Tory MPs who believe that solving the migrant crisis is the key to holding on to red-wall seats with a heavy focus on deportation flights to Rwanda.

Rwanda will help if we get some flights off the ground... But in and of itself, its not enough. Immigration is never enough. Theres always a section of people who are obsessed by it, and it is a serious issue.

But elections are won on the economy, on whether people feel like the country is getting better, is going to be better for them and their kids.
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The government has been accused of an extortionate pre-election gimmick after paying an asylum seeker 3,000 to relocate to Rwanda.

Under a scheme running alongside the governments controversial deportation agreement with the east African nation, ministers can pay failed asylum applicants up to 3,000 to get on a flight to Kigali.

And on Tuesday, an African man became the first to take the government up on its offer, just in time for Thursdays local elections.

Rishi Sunak has moved to end the parliamentary deadlock over his Rwanda Bill which will pave the way for deportation flights to get off the ground once it becomes law (PA) ( PA Wire )

The unnamed man was handed around 3,000 to board a commercial flight to the Rwandan capital after his bid to stay in Britain was rejected at the end of last year, The Sun reported.

And Labour criticised the move as an expensive bid by the Conservatives to win votes on the eve of the 2 May local elections.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: The Tories are so desperate to get any flight off to Rwanda before the local elections that they have now just paid someone to go.

British taxpayers arent just forking out 3,000 for a volunteer to board a plane, they are also paying Rwanda to provide him with free board and lodgings for the next five years. This extortionate pre-election gimmick is likely to be costing on average 2 million per person.

Former Tory Home Office Ministers warned that the governments plan was just to get token flights off before a General Election. Now we know what they mean.

Yvette Cooper says not a single asylum seeker will go to Rwanda under Labour ( Sky News )

She said the country cannot afford more Conservative chaos and highlighted Labours plan to smash the smuggling gangs bringing migrants across the English Channel.

The Liberal Democrats described the flight as cynical nonsense.

Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: This is cynical nonsense from a Conservative party that is about to take a drubbing at the local elections. Paying someone to go to Rwanda highlights just how much of a gimmick and farce their plan is.

"The truth is from day one the Government has cost the taxpayer eye-watering amounts of money and have failed to fix the issue."

And, attacking Mr Sunak from the right, Nigel Farage said the policy of paying migrants to volunteer for deportation wont stop the boats.  Dont be conned by this new government spin on the Rwanda deal... this African man, who did not even cross the Channel, was refused asylum and has voluntarily accepted 3,000 + free board, the former Brexit Party leader said.

Defending the decision, business and trade minister Kemi Badenoch said there is no cost-free option to deal with Channel crossings.

She told Sky News: "There is no cost-free option, but I think that this is the right policy.

"Its obviously already acting as a deterrent if we look at what the Irish government has been putting out.

"Just assuming that policing our borders can be done for no money whatsoever, its just not serious. Its going to cost us something whatever it is we do."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to stop the boats (PA) ( PA Wire )

And she told Times Radio the flight should be trumpeted as it finally demonstrates that Rwanda is a safe country to deport asylum seekers to.

She added: "I know people who go there on holiday, a lot of people have been.

"We need to get away from a lot of the myths about this African country which is actually a leader on the continent in terms of what its been able to achieve both economically and around law and order."

Ms Badenoch also said a rise in asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland was evidence the Rwanda scheme was having a deterrent effect.

Deputy Irish premier Micheal Martin has highlighted a rise in migrants crossing the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic over fears of being sent on a one-way flight to the east African nation under Mr Sunaks deportation policy.

And Irelands premier Simon Harris has claimed that the UK government has confirmed there is an operating agreement to allow asylum seekers to be returned between both jurisdictions.

It comes amid a spat between the two countries over the issue, with Mr Sunak insisting migrants should not be returned to the UK because the UK is unable to return small boat migrants to EU countries such as France.

The governments main Rwanda deportation plan, which will see migrants forcibly sent to the country as opposed to being paid to board flights voluntarily, is still yet to see an asylum seeker sent to the country.

It has been bogged down by legal challenges and wrangling in parliament, but a controversial bill deeming the country safe gained royal assent last month, with flights expected to take off in July.

It is a key plank of Rishi Sunaks promise to stop the boats, which has so far proved a headache for the PM as boat crossings in 2024 are currently at record levels.

A Home Office spokesman said: We are now able to send asylum seekers to Rwanda under our migration and economic development partnership. This deal allows people with no immigration status in the UK to be relocated to a safe third country where they will be supported to rebuild their lives.
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Watch as Rishi Sunak faces Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday, 1 May, after the government paid an asylum seeker 3,000 to relocate to Rwanda.

The failed asylum claimant became the first person to be paid under a voluntary return scheme running alongside the governments controversial deportation agreement with the country.

He is understood not to be from Rwanda originally.

He is also understood to now be in Rwanda after his commercial flight left on Monday evening, The Sun reported.

Labour has criticised the move as an expensive attempt by the Conservative Party to gain votes ahead of Thursdays local elections, in which the Tories are expected to endure heavy losses.

Stopping the boats is one of the prime ministers five pledges to the public.

Kemi Badenoch said the decision of the failed asylum seeker to voluntarily relocate to Rwanda shows it is a safe country.

The business and trade secretary told Times Radio: One of the big arguments about this scheme was Rwanda wasnt a safe country, and actually people are volunteering to go there.
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A cabinet minister was among senior Tories who pushed for Reform UKs Howard Cox to be their candidate for London mayor instead of the beleaguered Susan Hall, The Independent understands.

A source close to the prime ministers inner circle has claimed they wrote to Rishi Sunak pleading with him to select the right-wing motorist campaigner Mr Cox ahead of the decision by London party members to nominate Susan Hall.

The claims come as Ms Halls former deputy leader in Harrow Council, Barry Macleod-Cullinane, today endorsed Labours Sadiq Khan as a Savanta poll put him 10 points ahead of his Conservative rival.

The source said: Howard has worked with [the minister] and other [Conservative] MPs for many years on the Fair Fuel UK campaign and he is a great campaigner. [The minister] thought he would make an excellent candidate for London mayor and told the PM but was ignored.

Sources close to Mr Cox have also told The Independent that he has been lobbied by a number of senior Tory MPs including ministers even after he committed to Reform.

Tory ministers preferred Reforms Howard Cox to Susan Hall ( Getty )

Howard has been told by senior MPs including ministers that with Tory backing you would win hands down and on numerous occasions been asked would you consider running.

One MP said: Ulez [the ultra-low-emission zone] is the main issue in this election and Howard has years of experience campaigning for motorists with Fair Fuel UK. He would have been ideal and Ive told him that.

Mr Cox is understood to have told those attempting to woo him that he is a man of principle and once I have given my word to somebody I wont go back on it.

He is also understood to have been unhappy that the Conservatives want to keep Ulez in inner London and only scrap Mr Khans extension of the 12.50 a day charge on non-compliant polluting vehicles to outer London.

The Conservative Party declined to comment on the claims. However, the row behind the scenes has reflected unease over the selection of Ms Hall who has been criticised for her right-wing views including supporting Donald Trump.

There was previously anger at an alleged attempt to scupper former London minister Paul Scullys bid to be the Tory candidate while other high-profile contenders were also forced out of the race.

Meanwhile, Ms Halls former deputy Mr Macleod-Cullinane added to her woes on the eve of polling.

Picturing himself with Mr Khan, he posted on X (formerly Twitter): I was @Councillorsuzies deputy on @harrow_council for over 7 years. On 2nd May, Ill be voting for @UKLabours @SadiqKhan to be @MayorofLondon again, to serve all the people of our great city.

Hall has faced a number of criticisms since being selected as the Tory candidate for mayor of London ( AFP/Getty )

A Savanta poll also suggested that Mr Khan will be the runaway winner when votes are counted on Saturday putting him in the lead on 42 per cent to Ms Halls 32 per cent with Mr Cox in fifth place on 3 per cent.

For the first time since the London mayor position was created, the winner will be decided by first past the post which means they do not need more than 50 per cent to be declared as the winner. Previously, if no candidate secured 50 per cent plus one there would be a runoff between the top two candidates.

A Conservative source close to Ms Hall dismissed Mr Macleod-Cullinanes support for the current London mayor saying: Have you read his Twitter profile?

Mr Macleod-Cullinane describes himself as part of the Remainer institutional mind virus, [who] aspires to join the woke blob.
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Unions have backed Labours commitment to workers rights in the face of claims that the party is planning to water down their workers rights reforms to appease business.

The Trade Unions Congress and GMB union have backed Keir Starmers commitment to the deal, despite May Day reports that Labour may be about to weaken their proposals.

Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC said he still expects Labour to deliver the employment bill in the first 100 days and said Sir Keir had re-affirmed his commitment to delivering the New Deal, in full, just yesterday to hundreds of shop workers at USDAWs national conference.

A GMB spokesperson also said that Sir Keir has been clear about the importance of the agreement and said that their union looks forward to it being honoured.

The unions have intervened amid reports from the Financial Times that shadow ministers have been discussing their New Deal for Workers with corporate leaders and are looking to unveil a watered down version of the plan as part of their pro-business push.

Deputy leader Angela Rayner has spearheaded the New Deal for Workers ( PA Wire )

Labour have vowed to uphold its package - outlined in 2021  which it deemed as the largest increase in workers rights for decades, with Sir Keir having previously warned business chiefs that the measures would not please everyone In the room.

The plans include a long list of employment policies ranging from higher sick pay to ending employers use of fire and rehire and reversing anti-strike legislation.

Shadow ministers are expected to meet with union general secretaries over the coming weeks to seek their approval for the new version of the workers rights package, or at least minimise their resistance, according to reports.

The new New Deal will emphasise that all policies will undergo a formal consultation process with business, which would allow for input from organisations that could potentially water down proposals and delay their implementation.

The party had originally pledged to bring the legislation forward within the first 100 days of office.

A Labour spokesperson insisted that the party had not changed their proposals: Our commitments to bring forward legislation to Parliament within 100 days to deliver the New Deal and to consult widely on implementation have not changed.

The party have previously said they would look at how to implement the Right to Switch Off in practice, learning from other countries that have introduced the policies successfully.

On Tuesday, Sir Keir re-emphasised his commitment to workers new deal, stating that Labour would embark on the biggest levelling-up of worker rights this country has seen for a generation.

Keir Starmer recommitted to the New Deal for Workers as the Usdaw conference ( Owen Humphreys/PA Wire )

Speaking at the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Worker (Usdaw) conference, Sir Keir added: Thats what our New Deal for Working People will achieve. And I should take this opportunity to thank Paddy for being such a strong advocate for our New Deal. We must argue for it on those terms. Because good employers know that they have nothing to fear from this new deal.

Labour conference unanimously voted for the New Deal for Working People as recently as October.

The partys deputy leader Angela Rayner, who is spearheading the New Deal, pushed back against former Labour cabinet minister Lord Peter Mandelson after he criticised the pledges back in March.

Ms Rayner compared his comments to squealing by business over the introduction of the minimum wage a generation ago.

It wont be an easy sell for Angela but . . . this is still a substantial package of reforms which will improve life for workers, a Labour official is alleged to have told the FT.

In response to the reports, a Labour spokeperson said that New Deal will be a core part of Labours offer to the country and the party will be campaigning on this ahead of the General Election.

They added: Labours New Deal for Working People was agreed at the partys National Policy Forum last summer building upon our Green Paper.
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An emergency slide that fell off a Delta flight shortly after takeoff from the JFK Airport on Friday reportedly washed up outside the beach house of a lawyer whose firm is suing Boeing over safety issues.

Jake Bissell-Linsk, a New York attorney whose firm is taking legal action against Boeing after an Alaska Airlines plane lost a door plug midair in January, said he was surprised when he saw the slide outside his oceanfront home in Belle Harbor Queens on Sunday.

We are right on the beach and I saw it was sitting on the breakers, Mr Bissell-Linsk told the New York Post. I didnt want to touch it but I got close enough to get a close look at it, he said after he found the deflated yellow slide at his Atlantic Ocean facing home, six miles southeast of JFK Airport.

Our case is all about safety issues at Boeing, and this slide is literally right in front of my house.

Confirming the find, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation told the New York Times that the airlines recovered a large piece of debris near Beach 131st Street in Belle Harbort.

The airline, bound for Los Angeles, was forced to return to New York on Friday after the cabin crew noticed a non-routine sound from near the right wing.

There were 176 passengers, two pilots and five cabin crew on board the plane, when the incident took place. The federal agency is investigating the incident.

Earlier, Delta confirmed to The Independent that the Boeing 767-300ER plane has been removed from service.

As nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, Delta flight crews enacted their extensive training and followed procedures to return to JFK, the spokesperson said at the time.

We appreciate their professionalism and our customers patience for the delay in their travels.

It was the latest in a string of issues involving Boeings aircraft and increased scrutiny on the companys operations.

Mr Bissell-Linsk is partner to Labaton Keller Sucharow law firm that filed securities class action against Boeing on 30 January accusing the company of prioritising its profit over safety.

It is unclear if the firm will use the latest discovery in its lawsuit against Boeing, Mr Bissell-Linsk told the New York Post: We havent decided if the slide is relevant to our case.

The FAA is currently investigating issues at the company relating to tyres, cabin pressure and various engine or mechanical issues.

A whistleblower told a Congressional hearing last week that Boeings 787 Dreamliner is unsafe for operation, after an emergency door blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this year. On Sunday, a Boeing 737 was forced to make an emergency landing in South Africa after a rear wheel exploded during take-off.

The companys CEO and two other executives announced their resignations at the end of March, while a $355m loss for the first quarter was announced Thursday as repairs and safety concerns take priority.
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Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments have popped up at dozens of universities across the US this month.

Much of the national spotlight is focused on Columbia University, where student protests and encampments have been ongoing for nearly two weeks. On Tuesday night, 109 people were arrested at Columbia after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the schools Hamilton Hall.

Now, some professors are banding together to support student protesters as well as to condemn the universitys response and on-campus police activity.

Also on Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams blamed Columbia upheaval on outside agitators but provided little evidence to support that claim.

Columbia has suspended some students for their involvement in protests and also threatened expulsion.

Pro-Palestinian protesters are, by-and-large, asking their universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel. Their calls come amid Israels offensive in Gaza, which is believed to have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. The ongoing attacks come in the wake of 7 October, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 people hostage.

Heres a look at the universities where students are staging demonstrations  and how administrators and local police have responded.

A student protester parades a Palestinian flag outside the entrance to Hamilton Hall. Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the building on Columbia Universitys campus early Tuesday morning ( Getty Images )

Columbia University in New York City, New York: The Gaza Solidary Encampment began at Columbia University on 17 April. University President Minouche Shafik called the New York Police Department to campus on 18 April. On Wednesday, 109 protesters were arrested by officers. A coalition of professors are backing student protesters and condemning police activity on campus.

University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California: An encampment at the school was attacked on Tuesday night, which the school paper called a life-threatening assault. The school has since cancelled classes due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad.

City College of New York in New York City: More than 170 protesters were arrested at campus on Tuesday night, according to the NYPD. Its not immediately clear how many of those arrested were affiliated with the school.

George Washington University in Washington, DC: Students established a pro-Palestinian encampment on 25 April. More than 200 people  including students from several area schools  have joined the camp since. No arrests have been made but at least one demonstrator has been escorted away by campus police, a university spokesperson told NBC Washington on 29 April.

University of Texas, Austin in Austin, Texas: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators began planning an encampment on 24 April after a protest on campus. Police arrested 57 people on trespassing charges that same day, the Austin American-Statesman reports. At least 100 additional people were arrested on Monday in connection with the pro-Palestinian encampment on 29 April, the outlet reports.

Pro-Palestinian protesters stand with linked arms surrounded by Texas state troopers and police at an encampment at the University of Texas, Austin on 29 April. Officials have made dozens of arrests at the school in recent days ( Austin American-Statesman )

The California State Polytechnic Institute, Humboldt in Arcata, California: Law enforcement arrested some 35 people at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt on 30 April, after pro-Palestinian protesters barricaded themselves inside the deans office. The students had occupied Siemens Hall since 22 April.

Tulane Univeresity in New Orleans, Louisiana: Pro-Palestine protests began on 29 April at the New Orleans campus. On Monday, six people  including one student  were apprehended. As of Wednesday, police arrested 14 more demonstrators, only two of whom are Tulane students. In a statement on 1 May, the schools president wrote, Free speech and the freedom to protest are sacred to us...However, we remain opposed to trespassing, hate speech, antisemitism and bias against religious or ethnic groups.

Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia: Pro-Palestinian student protesters established an encampment on 29 April. That evening, multiple students were arrested by police in riot gear, local outlet WRIC reports.

New York University in New York, New York: Pro-Palestinian protesters established an encampment on 22 April in a university plaza. Officers arrested some 150 protesters the same day.

New York University (NYU) students and faculty participate in a pro-Palestinian protest at Washington Square Park on 23 April. Police arrested some 150 people the previous day ( Getty Images )

University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota: Students began staging Pro-Palestinian protests and erecting an encampment on 23 April. Police arrested nine students that same day. Protesters erected another encampment on 29 April. Officials ordered the students to disperse that evening but have yet to enforce the demand as of 30 April, local outlet Fox 9 reports.

University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California: Pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police on 24 April after students erected an encampment on campus. Officers arrested more than 90 people. The next day, the university cancelled its in-person commencement scheduled for 10 May over the protests.

Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts: Pro-Palestinian student protesters began an encampment in a public alleyway on 21 April. Local police arrested more than 100 protesters on 25 April, . On 28 April, Emerson College President Jay Bernhardt said the school will not take disciplinary action against those arrested, local outlet MassLive reports.

Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio: On 23 April Pro-Palestinian demonstrators staged a protest and began pitching tents on the schools campus, The Columbus Dispatch reports. That night, law enforcement began making arrests. As of 30 April, officers have arrested 40 people connected to protests on the schools campus since  about half of those arrested were affiliated with the school.

Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia: Pro-Palestinian protesters began erecting an encampment on 25 April, Fox 5 Atlanta reports. Police then arrested dozens of people, only 20 of whom were students.

Police arrest a demonstrator during a pro-Palestinian protest at Emory University on 25 April. Police arrested some 20 students at the Georgia school ( AFP via Getty Images )

University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin: Dozens were arrested after three days of protesting when police cleared the encampment on Library Mall, according to an email sent from the schools Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. The email said 30 protesters were cited, including some faculty and staff, who allegedly obstructed law enforcement efforts to remove the tents. Four police officers were injured on Wednesday when police while emptying the encampment, ABC News reported.

Indiana University Bloomington in Bloomington, Indiana: Pro-Palestinian student protesters began demonstrations on 22 April. Since 25 April, 56 protesters have been arrested for pitching tents on campus, local outlet WRTV reports.

Auraria Campus in Denver, Colorado: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators launched a protest on 26 April on Auraria Campus, which houses facilities for three different Denver-area universities. Officers have arrested 44 people in connection with that protest, local outlet KDVR reports.

Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona: Several students and members of the public established an encampment on 26 April, local outlet 12News reports. Officers arrested 72 people on 26 and 27 April. Most of those detained were not affiliated with the university.

Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts: Pro-Palestinian protesters began demonstrations on 25 April, CBS News reports. Officers arrested 98 people on 27 April, including 29 students and six people employed by the university, CBS News later reported.

Pro-Palestinian protesters stand in front of a police barricade at Northeastern University on 27 April. Police arrested 29 students and six university employees ( AFP via Getty Images )

Washington University in St Louis in St Louis, Missouri: On 13 April, students staged a pro-Palestinian sit-in protest on campus. Roughly a dozen people were arrested, local outlet KSDK reports. On 27 April, students held another protest and encampment. Officers arrested some 80 people at that protest, including former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, KSDK reports.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Pro-Palestinian protesters began demonstrating on campus on 26 April. Officers arrested some 30 protesters on the morning of 30 April, Axios Raleigh reports.

Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia: Pro-Palestinian protesters erected an encampment on 26 April. On 28 April, officers arrested more than 80 people involved in the demonstration, The Washington Post reports. 53 of those detained were students.

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland: Protests began on 29 April, when 100 people, some of whom were students, established an encampment. On Tuesday, school officials said they would allow students to continue protesting, but not between the hours of 8pm and 10am. However, Hopkins Justice Collective said it did not agree to these terms, CBS News reported. So, demonstrators camped out overnight, prompting the school to warn that the consequences of violating our policies and creating unsafe conditions include academic discipline, which is determined by University officials, and trespass, which is handled by local law enforcement.

Columbia will have 'blood on its hands' if police bring weapons to campus, say students

Students have also staged protests or encampments at the following schools:

Yale University; Michigan State University; University of Mary Washington; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of South Carolina; the Fashion Institute of Technology; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Florida State University; University of Connecticut; The New School; Harvard University; Brown University; University of Delaware; Northwestern University; Cornell University; University of Pennsylvania; Stanford University; City College of New York; Indiana University; University of Rochester; Rice University; Swarthmore University; University of North Carolina; University of New Mexico Albuquerque; University of Georgia; Princeton University; Tufts University.
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Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments have popped up at dozens of universities across the US this month.

Much of the national spotlight is focused on Columbia University, where student protests and encampments have been ongoing for nearly two weeks. On Tuesday night, 109 people were arrested at Columbia after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the schools Hamilton Hall.

Now, some professors are banding together to support student protesters as well as to condemn the universitys response and on-campus police activity.

Also on Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams blamed Columbia upheaval on outside agitators but provided little evidence to support that claim.

Columbia has suspended some students for their involvement in protests and also threatened expulsion.

Pro-Palestinian protesters are, by-and-large, asking their universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel. Their calls come amid Israels offensive in Gaza, which is believed to have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. The ongoing attacks come in the wake of 7 October, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 people hostage.

Heres a look at the universities where students are staging demonstrations  and how administrators and local police have responded.

A student protester parades a Palestinian flag outside the entrance to Hamilton Hall. Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the building on Columbia Universitys campus early Tuesday morning ( Getty Images )

Columbia University in New York City, New York: The Gaza Solidary Encampment began at Columbia University on 17 April. University President Minouche Shafik called the New York Police Department to campus on 18 April. On Wednesday, 109 protesters were arrested by officers. A coalition of professors are backing student protesters and condemning police activity on campus.

University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California: An encampment at the school was attacked on Tuesday night, which the school paper called a life-threatening assault. The school has since cancelled classes due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad.

City College of New York in New York City: More than 170 protesters were arrested at campus on Tuesday night, according to the NYPD. Its not immediately clear how many of those arrested were affiliated with the school.

George Washington University in Washington, DC: Students established a pro-Palestinian encampment on 25 April. More than 200 people  including students from several area schools  have joined the camp since. No arrests have been made but at least one demonstrator has been escorted away by campus police, a university spokesperson told NBC Washington on 29 April.

University of Texas, Austin in Austin, Texas: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators began planning an encampment on 24 April after a protest on campus. Police arrested 57 people on trespassing charges that same day, the Austin American-Statesman reports. At least 100 additional people were arrested on Monday in connection with the pro-Palestinian encampment on 29 April, the outlet reports.

Pro-Palestinian protesters stand with linked arms surrounded by Texas state troopers and police at an encampment at the University of Texas, Austin on 29 April. Officials have made dozens of arrests at the school in recent days ( Austin American-Statesman )

The California State Polytechnic Institute, Humboldt in Arcata, California: Law enforcement arrested some 35 people at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt on 30 April, after pro-Palestinian protesters barricaded themselves inside the deans office. The students had occupied Siemens Hall since 22 April.

Tulane Univeresity in New Orleans, Louisiana: Pro-Palestine protests began on 29 April at the New Orleans campus. On Monday, six people  including one student  were apprehended. As of Wednesday, police arrested 14 more demonstrators, only two of whom are Tulane students. In a statement on 1 May, the schools president wrote, Free speech and the freedom to protest are sacred to us...However, we remain opposed to trespassing, hate speech, antisemitism and bias against religious or ethnic groups.

Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia: Pro-Palestinian student protesters established an encampment on 29 April. That evening, multiple students were arrested by police in riot gear, local outlet WRIC reports.

New York University in New York, New York: Pro-Palestinian protesters established an encampment on 22 April in a university plaza. Officers arrested some 150 protesters the same day.

New York University (NYU) students and faculty participate in a pro-Palestinian protest at Washington Square Park on 23 April. Police arrested some 150 people the previous day ( Getty Images )

University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota: Students began staging Pro-Palestinian protests and erecting an encampment on 23 April. Police arrested nine students that same day. Protesters erected another encampment on 29 April. Officials ordered the students to disperse that evening but have yet to enforce the demand as of 30 April, local outlet Fox 9 reports.

University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California: Pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police on 24 April after students erected an encampment on campus. Officers arrested more than 90 people. The next day, the university cancelled its in-person commencement scheduled for 10 May over the protests.

Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts: Pro-Palestinian student protesters began an encampment in a public alleyway on 21 April. Local police arrested more than 100 protesters on 25 April, . On 28 April, Emerson College President Jay Bernhardt said the school will not take disciplinary action against those arrested, local outlet MassLive reports.

Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio: On 23 April Pro-Palestinian demonstrators staged a protest and began pitching tents on the schools campus, The Columbus Dispatch reports. That night, law enforcement began making arrests. As of 30 April, officers have arrested 40 people connected to protests on the schools campus since  about half of those arrested were affiliated with the school.

Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia: Pro-Palestinian protesters began erecting an encampment on 25 April, Fox 5 Atlanta reports. Police then arrested dozens of people, only 20 of whom were students.

Police arrest a demonstrator during a pro-Palestinian protest at Emory University on 25 April. Police arrested some 20 students at the Georgia school ( AFP via Getty Images )

University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin: Dozens were arrested after three days of protesting when police cleared the encampment on Library Mall, according to an email sent from the schools Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. The email said 30 protesters were cited, including some faculty and staff, who allegedly obstructed law enforcement efforts to remove the tents. Four police officers were injured on Wednesday when police while emptying the encampment, ABC News reported.

Indiana University Bloomington in Bloomington, Indiana: Pro-Palestinian student protesters began demonstrations on 22 April. Since 25 April, 56 protesters have been arrested for pitching tents on campus, local outlet WRTV reports.

Auraria Campus in Denver, Colorado: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators launched a protest on 26 April on Auraria Campus, which houses facilities for three different Denver-area universities. Officers have arrested 44 people in connection with that protest, local outlet KDVR reports.

Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona: Several students and members of the public established an encampment on 26 April, local outlet 12News reports. Officers arrested 72 people on 26 and 27 April. Most of those detained were not affiliated with the university.

Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts: Pro-Palestinian protesters began demonstrations on 25 April, CBS News reports. Officers arrested 98 people on 27 April, including 29 students and six people employed by the university, CBS News later reported.

Pro-Palestinian protesters stand in front of a police barricade at Northeastern University on 27 April. Police arrested 29 students and six university employees ( AFP via Getty Images )

Washington University in St Louis in St Louis, Missouri: On 13 April, students staged a pro-Palestinian sit-in protest on campus. Roughly a dozen people were arrested, local outlet KSDK reports. On 27 April, students held another protest and encampment. Officers arrested some 80 people at that protest, including former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, KSDK reports.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Pro-Palestinian protesters began demonstrating on campus on 26 April. Officers arrested some 30 protesters on the morning of 30 April, Axios Raleigh reports.

Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia: Pro-Palestinian protesters erected an encampment on 26 April. On 28 April, officers arrested more than 80 people involved in the demonstration, The Washington Post reports. 53 of those detained were students.

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland: Protests began on 29 April, when 100 people, some of whom were students, established an encampment. On Tuesday, school officials said they would allow students to continue protesting, but not between the hours of 8pm and 10am. However, Hopkins Justice Collective said it did not agree to these terms, CBS News reported. So, demonstrators camped out overnight, prompting the school to warn that the consequences of violating our policies and creating unsafe conditions include academic discipline, which is determined by University officials, and trespass, which is handled by local law enforcement.

Columbia will have 'blood on its hands' if police bring weapons to campus, say students

Students have also staged protests or encampments at the following schools:

Yale University; Michigan State University; University of Mary Washington; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of South Carolina; the Fashion Institute of Technology; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Florida State University; University of Connecticut; The New School; Harvard University; Brown University; University of Delaware; Northwestern University; Cornell University; University of Pennsylvania; Stanford University; City College of New York; Indiana University; University of Rochester; Rice University; Swarthmore University; University of North Carolina; University of New Mexico Albuquerque; University of Georgia; Princeton University; Tufts University.
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As the two-week standoff between pro-Palestinian protesters and college administrators at Columbia University in New York came to a head Tuesday, officials anxiously monitored whether the fallout would spark more protests on college campuses around the country or quell what has been a growing movement.

Protesters at Columbia appeared to be digging in, taking over an academic building that has a history of being occupied by student protesters going back nearly 60 years to the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam war. The escalation came after the passage of a Monday deadline issued by the university's administration for protesters to leave an encampment.

A timeline illustrating how Columbia University became the driving force behind protests on college campuses across the country:

April 17

Students set up an encampment at Columbia University the same day university president Nemat Shafik is called for questioning before Congress. Shafik is heavily criticized by Republicans who accuse her of not doing enough to combat concerns about antisemitism on Columbia's campus. Allegations of antisemitism arose during Pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's actions in the war in Gaza.

The public grilling session comes four months after a similarly contentious congressional hearing led to the resignations of two Ivy League presidents. Unlike her counterparts, who focused their responses on protecting free speech, Shafik strongly denounced antisemitism, saying it has no place on our campus.

April 18

New York City police are called to Columbia's campus to disband the pro-Palestinian protest encampment and arrest more than 100 protesters. Those detained include the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who a day earlier had questioned Shafik about the school's treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters.

The arrests, which New York Mayor Eric Adams said were requested by Columbia officials, garner national attention and inflame college protests across the country. A day later, the University of Southern California will announce that it has canceled the keynote commencement speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu. USC had already disallowed its student valedictorian, who is Muslim, from speaking at the May 10 commencement.

In coming days, pro-Palestinian encampments will be set up at the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina.

April 22

Columbia cancels in-person classes, and an encampment set up at New York University swells to hundreds of protesters. NYU officials call in police after warning the crowd to leave and saying the scene has become disorderly. Police arrest dozens of protesters at NYU and at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut. The gates to Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are closed to the public.

President Joe Biden addresses the unrest and seeks to find a narrow middle ground by condemning antisemitic protests but adding that he also condemns "those who dont understand whats going on with the Palestinians.

April 24

Columbia administrators set a new midnight deadline for protesters to clear the encampment. While some do leave, others dig in and refuse to disband until the school agrees to stop doing business with Israel or any companies that support the ongoing war in Gaza.

Elsewhere, police make more arrests on other university campuses. At the University of Texas at Austin, hundreds of local and state police  including some on horseback and holding batons  aggressively clash with protesters, pushing them off campus grounds, and arrest more than 30 demonstrators. At the University of Southern California, police peacefully arrest student protesters.

April 26

Columbia University students say they're at an impasse after exhaustive negotiations with administrators, and intend to continue their encampment until their divestment demands are met. That comes after hundreds of protesters have been arrested nationwide over the previous nine days. The school sends an email to students saying that bringing back police at this time would be counterproductive.

Meanwhile, schools across the country where protests have taken root prepare to shut down encampments over reports of antisemitic activity and concerns the protests will mar upcoming commencement ceremonies.

April 29

Columbia makes good on its promise to suspend students who defy a 2 p.m. deadline to leave the encampment of more than 100 tents. Instead of vacating, hundreds of protesters remain, marching around the quad and weaving around piles of temporary flooring and green carpeting meant for graduation ceremonies that are scheduled to begin next week.

Around the country, the number of arrests at campuses nationwide is approaching 1,000 as the final days of class wrap up.

April 30

Dozens of protesters take over Hamilton Hall on Columbia's campus, barricading entrances and hanging a Free Palestine banner from a window as administrators warn that they face expulsion for doing so. Protesters insist they will remain at the hall until the university agrees to three demands: divestment from Israel and companies supporting the war in Gaza, financial transparency and amnesty for protesters.
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Students protesting Israels war in Gaza have occupied Columbia Universitys Hamilton Hall, an academic building that is home to the school's undergraduate Columbia College and the Deans office.

After moving through the building, student protesters unfurled a banner over Hamilton Hall's fascade. The banner read "Hinds Hall.

The unofficial renaming pays tribute to Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl Palestinian girl who  along with her family and the EMTs who tried to save her  was killed by Israeli tanks.

The little girl had phoned emergency services and, over a period of more than three hours, begged for help after her family were killed around her in the car they were using to try to escape the war zone. Paramedics did arrive  but days later their ambulance was found destroyed near Hinds familys car. Two emergency workers were found dead.

Hinds death has become a symbol of the human cost of the Israel-Hamas war.

As Columbia students continue to demonstrate despite threats of suspension and expulsion from the university, Hind's name adorning the building serves as a reminder of the point behind the protest.

The killing of Hind Rajab

Hind was with family members  her aunt, uncle, and her three cousins  racing in their family car to outrun Israeli tanks and escape the city in late January.

Israeli tanks are believed to have fired at the car, killing all of Hind's relatives, but leaving her alive. She called out to emergency services for help from a cellphone, but her call ended abruptly, according to the BBC.

Hind Rajabs heartbreaking story drew global attention to the plight of Palestinian civilians ( via REUTERS )

Nearly two weeks later, her relatives found the bodies of Hind, her family, and a pair of Palestine Red Crescent Society EMTs among the rubble and wreckage near the spot where they were killed.

The family's black Kia was blown apart and riddled with bullet holes.

Hind's body was inside, and, according to the Red Crescent, she appeared to have been killed by gunfire and shelling.

The PRCS has accused Israel of intentionally destroying the ambulance and killing its paramedics.

"The [Israeli] occupation deliberately targeted the Red Crescent crew despite obtaining prior coordination to allow the ambulance to arrive at the scene to rescue the child Hind," the organisation said in a statement.

Student protesters at Columbia renamed Hamilton Hall in Hinds memory after staging an occupation of the building

The group told the BBC that it had previously coordinated with the Israeli army to obtain assurances that they could safely retrieve Hind. Those alleged agreements were reportedly not honoured.

After she was discovered, her mother called for accountability for Israel.

"For every person who heard my voice and my daughter's pleading voice, yet did not rescue her, I will question them before God on the Day of Judgement," she told the BBC. "Netanyahu, Biden, and all those who collaborated against us, against Gaza and its people, I pray against them from the depths of my heart."

The Israeli military denied involvement in the attack, stating that IDF forces were not present near the vehicle or within the firing range of the described vehicle in which the girl was found", according to the New York Times.

The PRCS has rejected Israel's denial. Nibal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the PRCS, told the BBC that their paramedics could see the spot where Hind was trapped, but that there was nonstop gunfire making a rescue impossible.

This month the US State Department said it would question the Israeli government about the circumstances of Hinds death and those of her family members and the paramedics trying to save her.

Renaming Hamilton Hall

On Monday, 29 April, Columbia University, the school's president, Minouche Shafik, said negotiations with the protesters had broken down, and affirmed that the university would not divest from Israel. She offered the protesters a final chance to disperse before students were punished for remaining on campus; if they left before 2pm and signed an agreement to abide by university guidelines, they would be spared suspension.

Hundreds of students and faculty gathered to defy the deadline, and late on Monday students overtook Hamilton Hall.

On Tuesday, Columbia officials issued warnings that students involved in the occupation of the academic building would face expulsion if they did not leave.

An anonymous student who spoke to the press on Tuesday called on the school's administrators to de-escalate the response to protests.

To Columbias administrators and trustees: Please do not incite another Kent or Jackson State by bringing soldiers and police officers with weapons onto our campus, the student said. If you do so, student blood will be on your hands.

Protesters barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall ( Getty Images )

Hamilton Hall was not a random target for the protesters continued demonstrations; in 1968, students protesting racism against Black Americans and the Vietnam war occupied the hall in protest. Less than a decade later, in 1985, another group of students protesting apartheid in South Africa stormed the hall and gave it a new name. During that protest, the hall was renamed "Mandela Hall, the New York Times reports.

Response to the halls occupation

The protesters have faced sharp criticism from conservatives, some of whom have described their demonstrations as antisemitic, despite the presence of Jewish students among those protesting Israel's war. House Speaker Mike Johnson visited the campus last week and called for the university's president to resign if she was unable to quash the protest.

Joe Biden joined in the criticism of the protesters after they took Hamilton Hall. National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby, speaking on behalf of the Biden administration, said the "president believes that forcibly taking over a building on campus is absolutely the wrong approach" during a press briefing on Tuesday.

After the 2pm deadline passed on Monday, student protest leaders released a statement saying they would not leave unless they were removed by force.

Hundreds of students and protesters across the country have been arrested since the Columbia Gaza protests began approximately two weeks ago. Since then, protests against Israel's war in Gaza have spread across campuses in the US. There have also been similar protests in the UK, Germany, Italy and France.
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A pro-Palestine occupation of part of New Yorks Columbia University ended in dramatic fashion as riot police stormed the campus and made hundreds of arrests.

The protests have been going on for weeks, sparking similar demonstrations at some 50 campuses across the United States.

Police entered an upper storey of Hamilton Hall  renamed Hind Hall by protesters in memory of a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza  during late evening on Tuesday.

Authorities at Columbia said they had no choice but to bring police in, saying Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalised, and blockaded.

Shortly before 2300 local time [GMT 0400] on Tuesday, the NYPD said the building had been cleared and that about 100 people had been arrested. They also said there had been no one resisting arrest and that there had not been any injuries.

Mayor Eric Adams later said that police arrested about 300 people at Columbia and City College of New York. Many of those arrested were charged with trespassing and criminal mischief.

NYPD officers in riot gear march onto Columbia University campus ( AFP )

Police had shut down several city blocks ahead of the raid as hundreds of officers gathered outside the campus, many of them carrying zip ties.

Arrests began shortly after 2100 local time. Detained protesters were led away from the campus down Amsterdam Avenue to waiting police buses, some of them carried by officers.

NYPD officers use a tactical ramp to break into Hamilton Hall, which had been renamed Hind Hall by protesters occupying the building ( EPA )

The NYPD denied that officers used tear gas on demonstrators, saying that false reports had been circulated online. Officers may use flashbang grenades to deflect or surprise protesters, CNN reported.

Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who had visited protesters at Columbia last week, tweeted a warning as the police action got underway.

She wrote: If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents. Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making. I urge the Mayor to reverse course.

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator is beaten by counter protesters on the UCLA campus ( AFP/Getty )

Students shouted shame on you as police officers detained protesters.

A statement issued by the university read in part: The NYPD arrived on campus at the Universitys request. This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community.

We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalised, and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.

Police arrest a protester during demonstrations at The City College Of New York ( Getty )

The statement added: The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.

Earlier Mr Adams  himself a former police officer  urged the Columbia protesters to walk away and advised them to continue your advocacy through other means, adding: This must end now.

It was reported that the president of Columbia, Minouche Shafik, had requested a police presence on the campus until 17 May, two days after graduation.

Columbia protesters detained by police as NYPD move to clear campus

Earlier on Tuesday, the White House condemned Columbia University students who took over Hamilton Hall in protest over the war in Gaza, as protesters warned college leaders they would have blood on their hands if they tried to forcibly remove them.

The president believes that forcibly taking over a building on campus is absolutely the wrong approach, John Kirby, National Security Council spokesperson, said.

He added that president Joe Biden believed the occupation was not an example of peaceful protest.

His comments come less than a week after the Biden administration signed a bill to send $26.4bn (21bn) to Israel to support its ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. More than 100 Columbia students were arrested two weeks ago during peaceful protests at the campus.

Columbia University professors protest on campus on Wednesday after student demonstrations saw hundreds of arrests ( AFP/Getty )

Hamilton Hall has symbolic value to the protesters: it was one of several buildings on campus that were occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War demonstration on campus.

The Columbia protests  designed to pressure university authorities to divest from Israeli investments  have sparked protests on campuses around the country. More than 1,000 people have been arrested nationwide.

This article was amended on 2 May 2024. An earlier version referred to a Washington Post report that NYPD officers had entered Hamilton Hall with their guns drawn. The Post has since amended its report, saying it could not immediately confirm that officers had drawn their weapons. A sentence containing this reference has been removed from the above article.
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Watch from Columbia University on Wednesday 1 May, where protests continue after police cleared a campus encampment on Tuesday.

New York City mayor Eric Adams said about 300 people had been arrested as he blamed the protests on outside agitators - without offering concrete evidence.

Student rallies have spread to dozens of schools across the US in recent days expressing opposition to Israels war in Gaza and police have been called in to quell or clear protests.

Supporters of Israel attacked a pro-Palestinian protest camp at the University of California in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Witness footage from UCLA showed people wielding sticks or poles to hammer on wooden boards being used as makeshift barricades to protect the protesters before police were deployed to the campus.

The student protests in the US have also taken on political overtones in the run-up to the presidential election in November, with Republicans accusing some university administrators of turning a blind eye to antisemitic rhetoric and harassment.
 Close President Joe Biden insists order must prevail as police shut down college Gaza protests

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Police have arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian students as protests against Israels war in Gaza continued across universities over the weekend.

At least 25 protesters were arrested as police cleared an encampment at the University of Virginia, the university said in a statement.

Dozens of people were arrested for criminal trespass outside the Art Institute of Chicago at a demonstration after the institute called in police to remove protesters.

Meanwhile, students carried flags and banners during the University of Michigans commencement ceremony after the NYPD revealed on Friday morning that a police officer with the departments Emergency Service Unit unintentionally fired his gun while trying to access a locked office at Columbia University.

The bullet hit a wall inside the office. No one was injured.

On Thursday morning, hundreds of police officers dismantled a pro-Palestinian protest camp at the University of California at Los Angeles and arrested more than 130 demonstrators.

Live TV footage showed protesters under arrest, kneeling on the ground, their hands bound behind their backs with zip ties. Loud explosions were heard during the clash from flash-bang charges, or stun grenades, fired by police.

President Joe Biden also denounced protests that turned violent on college campuses on Thursday.
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A brutal email shows an underfire New York district attorney trashing her prosecutors just days before a viral video emerged of her berating a police officer for daring to pull her over.

Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley made headlines for bodycam video showing her dismissing a Webster, New York police officer who had tried to stop her for speeding.

The embarrassing footage shows Ms Doorley calling the officer an "a**hole," insisting that she is "the" DA, and at one point even calling the Webster police chief to tell him to have his officer back down.

Just a few days before her encounter, Ms Doorley sent an email to her staff that illustrates the tension in the DA's office, the Democrat & Chronicle reports.

The email congratulates prosecutors who have managed their caseloads well, but then quickly turns her attention to everyone else in her office, who she calls a "disaster, plain and simple".

"This will not be tolerated," she wrote, in bold. "It is unacceptable to ignore your duties as prosecutor. I have gone to great lengths to advocate for higher salaries and raises. To see as many of you drop the ball on so many cases is discouraging and disheartening."

She then told her prosecutors that they would have to attend a mandatory meeting with her to discuss their caseloads.

Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley apologises for berating a police officer who pulled her over ( screengrab/WGRZ-TV )

"Depending on the status of caseloads at that time, you should expect changes and movement," she wrote.

Ms Doorley's behaviour in the video has been criticised both by the public online and the residents of Monroe County, who reportedly protested outside of her office on Monday and called for her resignation, the Democrat & Chronicle reports.

The scrutiny doesn't end there; the Monroe County Office of Public Integrity has reportedly launched an ethics probe of Ms Doorley, according to the paper.

"The investigation begins immediately, Janson McNair, the director of the OPI and chair of the county's Board of Ethics, said. "We will report the results of our thorough investigation and subsequent recommendations to the appropriate authorities and share them with the public via a press release."

Monroe County's ethics code prohibits public officials from using their positions to "secure unwarranted privileges or exemptions" for themselves. In the video, Ms Doorley can be heard repeating that she will be the one prosecuting her own traffic stop, so she does not care if the officer gives her a ticket.

The incident happened on 22 April. Ms Doorley was driving down Phillips Road in Webster, allegedly going 55mph in a 35mph zone.

Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley got hostile with an officer last week, calling him an a**hole after she evaded him in a traffic stop ( Webster Police Department )

An officer attempted to pull her over for speeding, but she evaded him, drove another mile to her residence and called the Webster police chief instead, according to the Democrat and Chronicle. Several officers responded to the address.

One officer immediately confronted the district attorney upon arrival and the two had a tense exchange. I didnt want to pull over, DA Doorley said.

But you should know better right? Officer Cameron Crisafulli responded, reminding her that evading an officer is an arrestable offence. Now you made it a bigger deal than it needed to be.

In the footage, Ms Doorley can be seen repeatedly ignoring the officers requests, swearing at him and calling the Webster police chief to get the officer to leave me alone. Much of the interaction happened in the garage of the womans home.

At one point the officer said, What do you want us to do? Not do our job because its you? Officers ultimately issued the district attorney a ticket. Ill take care of this because Ill be prosecuting myself, she responded.

Shortly after the incident, the DA issued the following statement: I acknowledged that I was speeding and I accepted the ticket.

By 1pm the following day, I pled guilty and sent the ticket to the Webster Town Court because I believe in accepting responsibility for my actions and had no intention of using my position to receive a benefit.

New York state district attorney issues apology for refusing to pull over during traffic stop

After the initial video went viral, Ms Doorley issued a 30-second apology video and took the blame for what occurred.

Last Monday, I failed you and the standards that I hold myself to and for that I am so sorry," she said in the video.

Ms Doorley explained that she'd been having a bad day and that in addition to working on grisly homicides she'd also learned her husband was having medical problems, which took a toll on her mental health.

But we all have bad days and stress," she said. "And it was wrong for me to take it out on an officer who was simply doing his job.

Over the weekend, the Rochester City Council asked Letitia James, New York State attorney general, to investigate the incident. Meanwhile, Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, said DA Doorley has undermined her ability to hold others accountable. She referred the case to the state Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct.
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Prosecutors in Indiana have sought to have theories that an Odinist pagan cult was responsible for the deaths of two young girls dismissed ahead of the trial of the man accused of their murders.

Richard Allen previously confessed to the murders of Abby Williams, 13, and 14-year-old Libby German in 2022. Their bodies were discovered on 14 February 2017, a day after they had gone for a walk on abandoned train tracks near their homes in Delphi, Indiana.

In September 2023 Mr Allen  a Delphi resident since 2006  made the bombshell claim that the teenage best friends were killed as part of a ritualistic sacrifice at the hands of a white nationalist cult, though prosecutors described them as fanciful.

The filing, obtained by The Independent, claimed that the brutal murders were carried out by members of a pagan Norse religion and white nationalist group called Odinists. Members of a pagan Norse religion, called Odinism, hijacked by white nationalists, ritualistically sacrificed Abigail Williams and Liberty German, the documents read.

The nature of the crime scene pointed to the work of a cult from the get-go, according to the sprawling 135-page document. The lawyers also claimed there were sticks placed over the girls bodies, in line with the pagan practices linked to the Nordic-inspired rituals.

Richard Allen confessed to the murders of two teenagers in Delphi, Indiana, though his attorneys later argued that he had been coerced into making them ( Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

Investigators abandoned the Odinist line of inquiry around March 2017, despite the evidence at the scene, according to the defence filing from September 2023. Three investigators looked into the pagan connection including Rushville assistant police chief Todd Click.

In a motion filed on 29 April, Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland asked Special Judge Fran Gull to bar Mr Allens attorneys from mentioning the theory or anything not supported by admissible evidence.

The motion, obtained by Fox 59, sought to bar the defence from mentioning the alternative theory during the trial and jury selection, with certain terms being made off limits, including Odinism and cult or ritualistic killing.

Mr McLeland  who dubbed the 2023 claims fanciful  also argued that to introduce a third party, the defence must show some connection between the 3rd party and the crime, the outlet reported.

Despite various suspects being investigated over the years, the case went mostly cold until Mr Allens arrest in October 2022, when ballistics on a bullet found at the scene were tied to him.

Libby German (left) and Abby Williams (right) went missing in February 2017 after going on a walk on the on the Monon High Bridge Trail, in Delphi, Indiana ( Facebook )

It was later revealed that he had been interviewed by police in the days after the girls murders, and he admitted that he had been on the Monon High Bridge Trail where the teenagers had been walking on the same afternoon they disappeared.

On 13 October 2022, Mr Allen voluntarily faced questions from Delphi police. Officers then obtained a search warrant for his home and seized his car. A few weeks later, he and his wife were told they could pick the vehicle up from a state police post in Lafayette.

His attorneys previously claimed that police separated the couple and that a trooper questioned Mr Allen without reading his rights, or telling him that he could leave at any point.

They also argued that officers failed to properly record their interviews with the suspect, or tell him that he was being recorded, knowing that they were going to arrest him for the murders, according to a motion filed with Carroll County Court and obtained by Fox 59.

During Mr Allens recorded questioning, one trooper reportedly tells him: Youre guilty and I know it and Im gonna f***ing prove it.

Mr Allens attorneys have said that his civil rights were violated by Indiana state troopers during these interrogations. Earlier this month they filed a motion to have the confessions thrown out, saying their client was in mental distress at the time at which he made them.

Two additional charges of kidnapping were previously dropped against Mr Allen, ahead of his trial which is scheduled for May 13 ( Indiana State Police )

In their motion they said prison officials asked other inmates at the Wabash Correctional Facility to keep logs of everything Mr Allen said and did in his cell. They argued that this amounted to a sustained form of interrogation; one that lasted more than five months before he was finally broken, WTHR reported.

His alleged confessions made to both prison guards and his wife over the phone, the attorneys said, were made when he was delusional, paranoid and highly dysfunctional. Such alleged confessions were not voluntarily given but instead as a result of coercion and they are therefore not admissible in court, the attorneys said.

In response, prosecutors filed motions to keep the confessions in, arguing that Mr Allen made the statements voluntarily without interrogation.

In March an Indiana judge dismissed two additional charges of kidnapping against Mr Allen.

The trial, due to be held in Carrol County, is scheduled to begin on 13 May.
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A Wisconsin school district was plunged into lockdown on Wednesday following an active shooter at the middle school, before the threat was neutralized outside of the building.

Around 11am on Wednesday morning, Mount Horeb Area School District Superintendent Steve Salerno issued a warning that there had been an active shooter outside the middle school.

The individual did not manage to breach entryway into to the school, the superintendent wrote in a Facebook post.

The shooting threat plunged the school and wider district under a shelter in place order, with locals urged to stay away from the school.

By 11.47am, the threat had been neutralized outside of the school building and law enforcement officers were circulating throughout the middle school to confirm the safety of all students.

There were no reports of anyone being injured in the incident with the exception of the alleged assailant, the superintendent wrote.

The suspect has not been named and the details of the incident remain unclear.

Law enforcement on the scene at Mount Horeb Middle School ( Fox26 )

After noon, a preliminary search of the middle school had not yielded additional suspects, Dr Salerno wrote.

Once we confirm the safety of all we will begin the process of reunification offsite with families, he said.

You would be so proud of our students and staff, and were so grateful for our first responders.

Mount Horeb is located about 20 miles outside of Madison.

The Independent has contacted the Mount Horeb Police Department for comment.
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New York mayor Eric Adams and police officials are blaming radicalizaton by outside agitators for the Columbia University protests that resulted in more than 100 arrests on Tuesday night.

After speaking with [Columbia] throughout the week, at their request and their acknowledgement that outside agitators were on their grounds... we went in and conducted an operation, Mr Adams said, at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Hundreds of NYPD officers in riot gear stormed Columbias campus overnight after Gaza protesters occupied Hamilton Hall 24 hours earlier. Police used drones for surveillance and then a SWAT ramp was attached to the roof of a truck for officers enter the barricaded building and clear protesters. Some 109 people were arrested.

NYPD officers arrest pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University on Tuesday night. They arrested 109 people on the Ivy League campus after protesters barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall on Monday ( Getty Images )

In total, 282 protesters were arrested at New York schools on Tuesday as violence flared at campus protests across the country.

However official explanations given by New York officials on Wednesday were swiftly called into question by Columbia professors and reporters.

At the Wednesday press briefing, journalists pushed city officials for more details on the agitators asking if they had been identified and how many were involved in the Columbia protests.

One reporter asked if authorities are concerned about a new breed of homegrown terrorist.

NYPD officers, pictured on Tuesday night, removed protesters occupying Columbia Universitys Hamilton Hall. Mayor Eric Adams says the Gaza protests and building occupation were fueled by outside agitators ( Marco Postigo Storel )

Rebecca Weiner, the NYPDs deputy commissioner of intelligence & counterterrorism, said this was not a concern but that authorities are instead focused on radicalisation.

Mr Adams acknowledged that the outside agitator terminology was used during the 1960s Civil Rights movement to delegitimize protesters.

He added: But this police department cannot be caught up on Western politically correct terminology, we have to be caught up on public safety.

Columbia protest police raid felt like a war zone, says The Independents Richard Hall

Later on Wednesday, Columbia faculty members rejected claims from Mr Adams and the police that the protests were led by outside agitators.

When I was a student, back in the 60s, we were told we were led by a bunch of outside agitators by politicians nobody remembers the name of today, said Columbia Professor Rashid Khalidi at a press conference on campus.

He said that Columbias school administrators will go down in infamy for their actions against protesters and calling in the NYPD to remove them.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (left) and New York City Police Department Edward Caban (right) spoke to reporters on Wednesday. Mr Caban, who is holding a bike lock and chain that protesters reportedly used to barricade Hamilton Hall, said more than 100 people were arrested at Columbia University on Tuesday ( REUTERS )

Police officials also described makeshift weapons used by the agitators. NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard appeared on MSNBC morning show,Morning Joe, on Wednesday with a bike chain that he said protesters used to barricade Hamilton Hall.

This is not what students bring to school, Commissoner Sheppard said. This is what professionals bring to campuses and universities.

However, social media users point out that the same bike chain is sold by Columbias public safety office to students.

The NYPD referred The Independent to Wednesdays press conference when contacted for comment.

The NYPD also faced questions over press access during clearing of protests. On Wednesday, Mr Adams said the national press was able to report from the scene. National independent journalists acknowledged what the police department did yesterday and they were on the ground to see it, he said.

The Independent reported that the NYPD prevented media from accessing the campus and closed off entire city blocks around the university on Tuesday.

Later, the NYPD confined at least a dozen reporters and legal observers for nearly an hour with a group of protesters, refusing to allow them to leave a cordoned-off area as they loaded arrested students on to buses.

For weeks, Gaza protests have roiled college campuses across the US as demonstrators have demanded that schools divest from Israel in light of the heavy bombings in the territory that followed the Hamas militant groups 7 October attack.

NYPD officers, pictured entered Hamilton Hall on Tuesday night on a SWAT ramp, which was occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters. Some journalists are criticising the school for reportedly limiting access to campus during police activity ( AFP via Getty Images )

In California, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators clashed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Tuesday night with police intervening in the violence. The Los Angeles Police Department has yet to release how many people were arrested.

SWAT teams were deployed to a demonstration at the University of Arizona on Tuesday night. Police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly before using tear gas and tearing down a pro-Palestinian encampment, according to the Daily Wildcat student newspaper.

Conflict broke out between protesters and counter-protesters throughout the night on the Tucson campus with some counter-protesters removing parts of the encampment, the student newspaper reported. Officers arrested at least four people, the Arizona Daily Star reports.
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Harvey Weinstein, disgraced Hollywood producer, is set to be retried as early as September, a New York court decided on Wednesday in the first hearing since the movie moguls conviction for rape and sexual assault was overturned.

Weinstein, 72, using a wheelchair, appeared in the courthouse in lower Manhattan this afternoon.

The hearing was the first step in the path to retrying the case. Both the prosecutors and attorneys for Weinstein were given a chance to address next steps.

Arthur Aidala, an attorney for Weinstein arrived at the Manhattan courtroom around 2pm ET, when the hearing was scheduled to begin. Gloria Allred, the famed attorney who has represented some of Weinsteins accusers, was also spotted in the hearing as was Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Jessica Mann, a former actress who accused Weinstein of rape during his New York criminal trial.

Former film producer Harvey Weinstein looks on during a preliminary hearing after his rape conviction was overturned inside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on May 1 2024 ( POOL/AFP via Getty Images )

A New York court officer wheeled in Weinstein, who was pictured handcuffed upon his arrival at the court but didnt have them during his courtroom appearance, to his hearing.

On Friday, Weinstein was transferred from his prison in upstate New York to Rikers Island jail ahead of the hearing. He was later taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for ongoing tests as his health continues to decline, Mr Aidala said.

During the hearing, Mr Bragg reaffirmed his commitment to undertaking another trial.

We believe in this case and we will be retrying the case, he said, while requesting a fall 2024 trial from Manhattan Supreme Justice Curtis Farber. The District Attorney asked for proceedings to begin as early as September 2024. Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said her office is confident that Weinstein will be convicted again.

Meanwhile, Mr Aidala reiterated that his client is innocent.

Justice Farber asked the parties to return to court on May 29, when a new trial date might be set for September.

Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of raping and assaulting two women. Last week, New Yorks court of appeals ruled that the judge in that case made egregious errors by allowing prosecutors to call witnesses whose testimony was not related to the charges being tried.

Attorney Gloria Allred works on her laptop outside a Manhattan criminal courtroom Wednesday May 1 2024 in New York. Harvey Weinstein is due back in a New York courtroom for the first time since his 2020 rape conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week ( AP )

His ailing health has also been a constant topic. Hes got a lot of problems, the attorney told reporters at a news conference. Hes getting all kinds of tests. Hes somewhat of a train wreck healthwise.

The movie mogul was also convicted in 2022 of raping a woman in California. He was scheduled to serve a 16-year prison sentence in the state once his 23-year New York sentence concluded. Now, his legal team is planning to appeal his California conviction.

The decision to overturn Weinsteins New York conviction horrified the women who came forward against the him with revelations that sparked the #MeToo movement.

Ashley Judd, the first Hollywood actress to speak out against the producer, addressed last weeks ruling at a news conference.

This is what its like to be a woman in America, living with male entitlement to our bodies.

Arthur Aidala, attorney for Harvey Weinstein, arrives at Manhattan criminal court Wednesday May 1 2024 in New York ( Arthur Aidala, attorney for Harvey Weinstein, arrives at Manhattan criminal court Wednesday May 1 2024 in New York. Harvey Weinstein is due back in a New York courtroom for the first time since his 2020 rape conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week )

Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, a model who claimed Weinstein had groped her, criticized the latest decision and called on the Manhattan District Attorneys Office to retry the case.

This is an ongoing failure of the justice system  and the courts  to take survivors seriously and protect our interests, Ms Battilana Gutierrez wrote on Instagram.

While the latest judicial decision is final, the Manhattan District Attorneys Office has vowed to do everything in our power to retry this case.

Even if a new trial is not successful, Weinstein will still remain behind bars unless his California conviction is overturned as well.

Mr Aidala said that his client is trying to make the most out of his prison sentence while speaking at a news conference.

Harvey Weinstein was used to drinking champagne and eating caviar, and now he's in the commissary paying for potato chips and M&Ms, Mr Aidala said. He added that his client has been getting along with other inmates and has not been in any altercations since starting his prison sentence.

He's an older, sickly man who is not a threat to anybody, Mr Aidala continued. He's very generous and friendly to people.

Ms Allred, who spoke at the same news conference, said that she does not know if Miriam Mimi Haleyi, one of six women who testified in Weinsteins 2020 trial, would be willing to take the stand again.

She has stated that the vacating of the conviction was retraumatizing to her and that it will be even more traumatic to testify once again, Ms Allred said.

As questions about what the recent decision means for #MeToo movement, the attorney held up a sign reading The ME TOO Reckoning Will Continue, in red letters.

This movement is alive and well in New York and California and in many other states, she said.
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Watch as Harvey Weinstein is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday 1 May.

The 72-year-old is due to appear in state court in Manhattan for the first time since New Yorks highest court threw out his 2020 rape conviction last week.

The hearing before Judge Curtis Farber will give prosecutors and Weinsteins lawyers a chance to address the next steps for the former film mogul, which could include a new trial.

He has been serving a 23-year sentence in a prison in upstate Rome, New York, but is currently at Bellevue Hospital, where he was transferred following last weeks order.

Jurors in Manhattan convicted Weinstein in February 2020 of sexually assaulting former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and of raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013.

They are among more than 80 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.

The conviction included charges of first-degree sexual assault and third-degree rape.

Weinstein, who has denied having non-consensual sexual encounters with anyone, was acquitted on other charges.

Last week, the New York Court of Appeals found that Judge James Burke, who presided over the trial, made a critical mistake by allowing three women to testify about alleged sexual assaults by Weinstein that were not part of the criminal charges against him.

The court said this prior bad acts testimony violated his right to a fair trial.
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International Workers Day, otherwise known as May Day or Labour Day, takes place every 1 May and honours the labour movement around the world.

The occasion serves as an opportunity for working people to come together to call attention to important workplace rights issues or political, economic and social injustices in their societies and to celebrate the power of collective action.

This year, mass demonstrations are already prevalent in many countries, with tensions running high over Israels war on Hamas in Gaza in particular, which has led to violent clashes between pro-Palestinian student demonstrators and police at Columbia University in New York and UCLA in California.

May Day unrest has already been reported at parades in Istanbul, Turkey, but, for the most part, events marking the date have been impassioned but peaceful, with simple messages like Tax the rich! and Dont touch the eight-hour workday! heard in Belgium and Sri Lanka respectively, according to the Associated Press.

In France, workers have used May Day 2024 to demonstrate against this summers upcoming Olympic Games and what they regard as inadequate compensation for having to work during the holiday season.

In Iraq, demonstrators have called for improved wages, the reopening of factories and an end to privatisation in certain sectors.

And in Asia, mass gatherings have been seen in Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and the Philippines as workers take to the streets to demand improved conditions in their professional lives.

Heres everything you need to know about the history of the day.

Why was 1 May chosen as the date for International Workers Day?

The date was chosen to commemorate a massive general strike in the United States that began on 1 May 1886.

However, the US and Canada mark their own Labour Day on the first Monday of September, federal holidays that typically attract far greater attention than their international counterpart.

Demonstrators with Tax the rich! placards in Brussels, Belgium, on International Workers Day 2024 ( Hatim Kaghat/AFP/Getty )

The reason for this, according to historian Peter Linebaugh, is that, in North America, where suspicion of communist activity has raged since the Cold War: The ruling class did not want to have a very active labour force connected internationally.

The principle of national patriotism was used against the principle of working-class unity or trade union unity.

In the immediate postwar era, 1 May was known as Loyalty Day in the US and celebrated combat veterans before President Dwight D Eisenhower moved in 1961 to designate it Law Day instead at the suggestion of the American Bar Association.

What happened in 1886?

The events of that year were centred around industrial Chicago and saw labour activists and anarchists join the American Federation of Labors call to protest long working hours, deteriorating workplace conditions and large-scale unemployment caused by technological advances that had simultaneously served to make magnates, owners and employers wealthy.

The multi-day strike that ensued turned violent on 3 May when demonstrators clashed with police near the citys McCormick Reaper plant and again a day later at a meeting staged at Haymarket Square, which would lead to the deaths of both strikers and officers  an episode that became known as the Haymarket Affair.

A protester on a bicycle waving a flag depicting Argentinian revolutionary Che Guevara during an International Workers Day demonstration in Strasbourg, France, on 1 May 2024 ( Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty )

Eight men were eventually placed on trial and four of them hanged after being accused of placing a bomb that exploded and killed combatants on both sides, despite a lack of evidence and a campaign on their behalf that found popular support in Europe and Latin America.

August Spies, one of the convicted men doomed to execution, secured his place in the history books by declaring: There will come a time when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today.

The horror of the Haymarket affair inspired the Marxist International Socialist Congress, at its meeting in Paris, France, in 1889, to choose the date for an annual international day on which to remember the ongoing struggles of working people across the globe and advocate for an eight-hour working day as standard.

What is its subsequent history in the United States?

Despite the later postwar opposition to what some considered a communist or anti-capitalist celebration, International Workers Day was marked by American activists throughout the first half of the 20th century.

Occasionally this led to further violence, as was the case in New York, Boston, Cleveland and Milwaukee in 1919, but the day proved an important unifier during the hard days of the Great Depression in the 1930s when the out-of-work and destitute came together in American cities to demand a solution from their government, pressure that played a part in eventually yielding Franklin D Roosevelts New Deal economic reforms.

More recently, left-wing groups have used 1 May as a symbolic date on which to hold major demonstrations to draw attention to such contemporary concerns as immigrants rights (2006), the malign influence of Wall Street (2012) and the protection of retail workers during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020).
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Teslas top human resources executive has left the company following a mass layoff of hundreds of employees this week.

Allie Arebalo, the senior director of US HR at the automotive company, reportedly left her position recently, two unnamed people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

It is unclear if Ms Arebalo was let go as part of the giant surge of job cuts at Tesla or whether she stepped down on her own accord. She has been working in the position since February 2023 and held various roles at Tesla for over six years.

The HR executive is one of hundreds of employees who have departed from the company in recent weeks after Elon Musk decided to let go of the team responsible for constructing its vaunted Supercharger charging stations.

Mr Musk later took to X, which he also owns, and insisted Tesla intended to still expand the network just at a slower pace for new locations and more focus on 100% uptime and expansion of existing locations.

Allie Arebalo latest senior Tesla executive to leave Elon Musks EV company ( LinkedIn )

High-powered Supercharger stations are capable of putting hundreds of miles of range into a Tesla in around 30 minutes.

Around 500 employees were impacted by a round of layoffs at the company, which were announced in an email on Monday.

Ms Arebalo is not the only senior staff member to have left the company. Mr Musk said that two executivesRebecca Tinucci, senior director of the Supercharger group, and Daniel Ho, head of new productswould be leaving on Tuesday, according to The Information.

While Ms Arebalo was based in Austin Texas, according to her LinkedIn profile, Mr Ho and Ms Tinucci were located in the San Francisco, California area.

It is unclear where the hundreds of other employees were based at the time of their termination.

Earlier this month, Tesla discounted five of their models by $5,000 to get more people to buy their vehicles after a sales slump. In the same week, the company announced it would be eliminating 10 per cent of its workforce, which totalled about 14,000 jobs across the globe.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during live interview with Ben Shapiro at the symposium on fighting antisemitism on 22 January 2024 in Krakow, Poland ( Getty Images )

Mr Musk wrote in an internal memo announcing the job cuts that there was nothing I hate more than cutting down the workforce, but the billionaire entrepreneur said the decision had been made to ensure the company was lean, innovative and hungry for the next growth phase cycle.

The same day that the mass job cuts were announced, two key Tesla executives revealed on Xalso owned by Mr Muskthat they would be stepping away from the company.

This included Andrew Baglino, senior vice president of powertrain and energy engineering and Rohan Patel, senior global director of public policy and business development.

Tesla reported a 55 per cent drop in its first quarter profit in early April, with their stocks dipping below $150 per share, effectively wiping out all of the gains made in the last year. On Tuesday, Tesla stock dropped by five per cent.

Overall stock in Tesla is down around 26 per cent in 2024.

The Independent has contacted Tesla and Ms Arebalo for comment.
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It would be yet another historic first for Donald Trump: a former president taking the stand to testify in his own criminal trial.

Currently staring down the possibility of jail time, Mr Trump appears to be toying with plans to take the stand and defend himself against allegations of a scheme seeking to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, to stop her from speaking out about an alleged 2006 affair in the lead-up to the election.

Mr Trump allegedly reimbursed his former fixer and attorney Michael Cohen for the hush money payment and then fraudulently logged it as legal expenses.

Trump falsely claims hes not allowed to testify because of the hush money gag order

Prosecutors argue this is a case about election interference, with the man who later went on to win the 2016 election allegedly orchestrating the payment as part of a wider scheme to hide stories about his alleged indiscretions from voters. Mr Trump meanwhile denies the charges and that the affairs even took place.

Jurors have so far heard testimony from a number of key prosecution witnesses including former National Enquirer boss David Pecker, Ms Daniels former attorney Keith Davidson, ex-White House communications director Hope Hicks and Ms Daniels herself.

But, the big question is whether or not Mr Trump himself will take the stand.

Like all other criminal defendants, the presidential candidate does not have to testify at his trial but has hinted that he might.

In April, he was asked at Mar-a-Lago if it would be risky for him to take the stand.

Donald Trump in court sketch during jury selection at his trial ( Reuters )

I dont know, Im testifying. I tell the truth, he said at the time. I mean, all I can do is tell the truth. And the truth is that theres no case, they have no case.

He later doubled down, telling reporters outside the New York courtroom that he wants to take the stand.

But later, after sitting through seven days of the trial, Mr Trump appeared to be getting cold feet. Calling into right-wing network Newsmax, he was asked if he still planned to testify based on what he had seen so far in the courtroom.

Appearing much more hesitant, Mr Trump responded: Well I would if its necessary. Right now, I dont know if you heard about today. Today was just incredible. People are saying  the experts, Im talking about legal scholars and experts  theyre saying, What kind of a case is this? There is no case.

With the prosecution approaching the end of its case, there are whispers that the former president will not take the stand. Judge Juan Merchan is proceeding with the case as if Mr Trump wont, asking both sides to prepare for closing arguments on Tuesday 21 May.

The former president will need to let the court know on Monday.

So will Mr Trump make history by testifying in his trial? And, more crucially, should he?

The Independent spoke to two legal experts to get their insights into what impact his testimony might have on the jurors deciding his fate, how prosecutors could grill him if he takes the stand and what the former presidents legal team is likely urging their client to do.

What would the jury think?

For Steve Duffy, a jury consultant at Trial Behaviour Consulting, Mr Trump is in something of a lose-lose situation in the eyes of the jury, whether or not he testifies.

Should he testify? That is a lose-lose proposition for many criminal defendants, he tells The Independent.

But he thinks thats especially true for someone like Mr Trump.

Jurors generally dont react well to criminal defendants not testifying, because it just leads to speculation about why  what do you have to hide? he adds.

The most important thing when someone does testify is their ability to control themselves and youre talking about someone with a track record of the opposite of control when speaking publicly, Mr Duffy says of Mr Trump, citing his penchant for lashing out at judges, their families, court staff, the prosecution, political opponents, reporters, and anyone else who may stand in his way.

The way Mr Trump speaks in public violates all the golden rules of how to testify, Mr Duffy adds.Any misstatements can be used against you.

Writer E Jean Carroll leaves federal court on 26 January 2024 ( Getty )

Mr Trump has testified in some of his past civil cases, such as in the defamation trials brought against him by writer E Jean Carroll.

In those cases, it didnt appear to work in his favour.

After hearing from him, federal juries found that he did defame Ms Carroll when he denied her rape allegations and he was ordered to pay her $83.3m in damages.

During one notorious moment in the first trial last year, the jury was played a video from Mr Trumps deposition where he mistook an image of the former Elle magazine columnist for his ex-wife Marla Maples.

This is someone who plays very loose and fast with the truth generally, Mr Duffy tells The Independent.

So the odds that he gets caught in a contradiction or undermines his own testimony I think would be very high.

Attorney Duncan Levin, who worked at the Manhattan District Attorneys Office years before the case against Mr Trump, tells The Independent that the jury will likely be keen to hear from the man himself  but wont take kindly if he gets caught in lies on the stand.

I think they will be quite keen to hear him out, he says.

I think jurors do like to hear from defendants on trial, but its their constitutional right not to talk and most defendants dont.

Asked about the possible benefits of testifying, Mr Levin says that Mr Trump would be able to testify about his intent, and argue that he wasnt attempting to interfere in the election and that he was simply trying to keep the details of his affairs private.

That said, if Mr Trump does take the stand, he will have to concede several points such as false entries being made in the records at his direction, adding that a jury is unlikely to believe any testimony that it had nothing to do with the election.

The defence is just trying to poke holes in the case, theyre looking for one juror who can say that the prosecutors did not meet their burden. And I think that his testimony wont necessarily be helpful with that, he adds.

Mr Duffy says Mr Trump is the kind of witness who mortifies lawyers to put on because hes so unpredictable [and] untethered to the truth in terms of what he says, [hes] easy to provoke.

Jurors dont like to see people get caught in lies, he adds.

Donald Trump appears in a Manhattan criminal courthouse on 30 April during his hush money trial ( Reuters )

What could the prosecution do if he takes the stand?

Mr Levin thinks the former president will also get destroyed by prosecutors if he takes the stand.

Judge Juan Merchan ruled last week that the prosecution will be allowed to bring up prior rulings against Mr Trump if he chooses to testify, such as for fraud and defamation.

Prosecutors will also be able to bring up his repeated violations of gag orders, which have so far cost him $10,000 in fines.

But two federal rulings finding Mr Trump liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll will not be part of the process. The prosecution will also not be allowed to bring up the monetary damages Mr Trump faces.

Mr Levin, who has represented figures such as Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, the ex-daughter-in-law of former Trump chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, and disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein, tells The Independent that this has left the prosecution with a lot to throw at the former president on the stand.

I think its exceedingly unlikely that he is going to testify for a number of reasons, hes going to get absolutely destroyed on cross-examination, Mr Levin tells The Independent.

The judge has ruled that he will be able to be cross-examined about prior uncharged bad acts and some of the adverse court rulings against him. So the prosecutors have a lot to work with.

What are Trumps legal team advising?

Should he choose to testify, the defence can call him as a witness at any time after the prosecution rests its case.

The prosecution has not been telling the defence about the order of their witnesses. Thats a two-way street, if hes going to testify, theyre probably just going to call him as a witness without any warning at all, Mr Levin says.

Based on his expertise as a defence attorney, Mr Levin believes Mr Trumps legal team will advise him not to put himself on the stand.

He has never shied away from speaking out, and theres a distinct possibility that he will testify, he says.

But if he does, it will very likely be over the objection of his lawyers because it is not advisable in this case.

Mr Levin notes that the judge may find that Mr Trump is lying in court, which could enhance his sentence and put him at risk of committing perjury.

The strength of the prosecutions case will play a part in the defences strategy as to whether or not to put him on the stand, he explains.

While a strong case is likely to increase the chances that hell take the stand, a weaker case is a factor making it less likely that Mr Trump will testify but I think in this case, theyre unlikely to recommend it at all.

Donald Trump meets New Yorkers before resuming hush money trial

Mr Duffy argues that the very thing that makes Mr Trumps supporters like him  that he speaks his mind  could be very dangerous on the stand, when he would be under oath.

My guess is his lawyers are advising him not to testify, but hes clearly driving the bus here, even the way theyre trying this case, he says. Its almost like the political considerations are superseding the criminal considerations, just in terms of the way theyre approaching it.

The Trump legal team is taking on a lot of water by arguing that Mr Trump did nothing wrong, Mr Duffy says.

Instead, they could rely on the high burden of proof for the prosecution, which needs to convince the jury that the former president is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Theyre effectively raising the standard for their own case, he argues.

I think the reason behind that is either ego or political considerations or some combination of the two, he says.

The former presidents biggest problem, says Mr Duffy, is that hes often unable to stop himself from lashing out.

His persona is antithetical to how you typically want a witness to behave, he says.

Whatever he decides, theres no doubt that the jury, the court and the whole world will be enthralled.

As Mr Duffy says: Ive no doubt the entire courtroom will be enraptured  youre not gonna see anybody falling asleep when Donald Trump is testifying.
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A ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect in Florida on Wednesday. Because of a 2023 law passed by Floridas Republican state legislature and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis this week, most women will now be ineligible for the procedure before they even know they are pregnant.

A 2021 study from the University of California in San Francisco found that as many as a third of all women in the US discover their pregnancies at or after six weeks into the gestational process. The Florida ban has extremely limited exceptions: abortion is only allowed to save the life of the mother, or in cases where the pregnancy would cause substantial and irreversible bodily harm.

Thanks to realities of US politics across the deep south, Floridians seeking abortion procedures have another factor stacked against them: geography. Conservative governments in neighboring Alabama and Georgia, as well as further on into South Carolina and Mississippi, have all either passed anti-abortion laws recently or seen so-called trigger bans go into effect with the Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v Wade in 2022.

The closest state to Florida with looser restrictions on abortion is North Carolina, 640 miles away. Driving from Miami, Florida to Charlotte, North Carolina takes just under 11 hours each way. Two-hour direct flights are possible between some cities in the two states, although flights are sometimes contraindicated after a medical procedure.

A purple state, unlike its neighbor to the south, North Carolina also has an abortion ban in place  but after 12 weeks into the pregnancy.

The nearest state to Florida that doesnt have what Planned Parenthood calls severe restrictions and instead has mostly accessible reproductive healthcare is Virginia. In Virginia, abortion by choice is legal up to 26 weeks and 6 days, and remains legal past that limit if it is needed to save the pregnant persons life or to save their health.

Virginia is 861 miles away from Florida. A car journey from Miami to the states capital of Richmond takes over 13 and a half hours.

Kamala Harris slams Trump on abortion views during Arizona visit

Accessing abortion is often complicated in such areas even when women believe they are accessing reproductive services. A South Carolina woman who found herself on the wrong side of her home states ban described to The Independent in February how she was misled by an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centre in North Carolina which lured her across state lines on false pretenses of scheduling an abortion procedure and conducting an ultrasound. In fact, the center was being run by anti-abortion activists.

This [clinic]  coerced me into scheduling an appointment, going and driving up to Charlotte, Taylor Shelton told The Independent. They said that you cant do ultrasounds with an IUD in place, which is not true.

The result of this regional block of abortion bans across the American south is that many women in the country will find the procedure out of reach.

Floridas Democratic Party, along with the Biden campaign, is plotting a full-court press against Floridas new ban this election cycle as it eyes a Senate seat held by Rick Scott and numerous statewide races  not to mention the states 30 votes in the Electoral College. Donald Trump remains heavily favoured to win the state in November, given its deepening-red shift in recent years. Nevertheless, Bidens team has declared the Sunshine State in play.

The incumbent president visited the state and campaigned alongside local Democrats in April; on Wednesday, as the ban took effect, Vice President Kamala Harris was set to make a visit too. Harris made history earlier in 2024 as the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic when she did so during a March visit to Wisconsin.

President Joe Biden traveled to Florida on 23 April to campaign against GOP-led abortion restrictions alongside Democrats in the state ( Getty Images )

Speaking from a Planned Parenthood facility in St Paul, the vice president condemned Republican politicians for inserting themselves into the healthcare decision-making process.

How dare these elected leaders believe they are in a better position to tell women what [doctors] need to tell them, and what is in their best interest? she asked.

Im here at this healthcare clinic to uplift the work that is happening in Minnesota as an example of what true leadership looks like, which is to understand it is only right and fair that people have access to the healthcare they need, and that they have access to healthcare in an environment where they are treated with dignity and respect, Harris continued.
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Floridas ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect on Wednesday, setting up the state as a major battleground over reproductive rights in the 2024 election.

The law, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis last year, will replace the existing 15-week ban in the state. The 15-week ban took effect earlier this year after a decision by Floridas supreme court.

The state now joins its neighbors Alabama and Georgia in having one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country.

Many women in Florida were scrambling to get appointments at clinics before the ban took effect, with doctors working to accomodate as many as possible, NPR reported.

"We're going to do everything we can to provide that care for as long as we're legally allowed to do so, Dr Chelsea Daniels, a clinician with Planned Parenthood of Miami, said.

Abortion rights advocates gather to launch their 'Yes On 4' campaign with a march and rally against the six-week abortion ban ahead of November 5, when Florida voters will decide on whether there should be a right to abortion in the state, in Orlando, Florida, U.S. April 13, 2024 ( REUTERS )

The ban now means that women in Florida will have to travel hundreds of miles for an abortion after six weeks. The closest state with looser restrictions is North Carolina, which has a 12-week ban.

Floridas Democratic Party condemned the onset of the ban in a statement on Wednesday.

Starting today, women will be turned away from hospital rooms with nowhere to go to get the emergency care they need or could end up in court to seek permission for the medical attention. Pregnancy in Florida for women who have a miscarriage, complications or abnormalities could be a death sentence, said state party chair Nikki Fried, who added: Floridas extreme six-week abortion ban is officially in effect with no real exceptions, rolling back womens rights by 50 years.

This is Donald Trumps ban. He cleared the way for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in a ruling that was leaked nearly two years ago to this day, creating a nationwide health care crisis that has already put womens lives at risk and taken away fundamental rights from millions of women in Florida and across the country.

At six weeks, many women do not know they are pregnant. Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that roughly a third of all abortions take place during the first six weeks of the pregnancy.

Loopholes in the new Florida law will allow for abortions in cases of rape or incest until 15 weeks, or to save the life of a patient. But opponents argue that even in such drastic cases, such a law adds a layer of uncertainty and fear to medical decisions that will harm women in both the short, and long-term.

Democrats are expected to make the abortion ban front and center of their appeals to Florida voters ahead of elections later this year.

President Biden traveled to Florida last month to campaign with fellow Democrats against the GOP-led abortion ban.

One of those Florida Democrats is Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, who spoke about the ban coming into effect withThe Independent on Tuesday.

If you want to understand what Donald Trump means when he says hes going to leave it to the states, the Maga extremist abortion ban that begins tomorrow is going to be a near total abortion ban that will put the judges, politicians and the governments in the middle of deeply personal healthcare decision, she said.

President Joe Biden, pictured in Tampa on 23 April. He traveled to campaign against GOP-led abortion restrictions alongside Democrats in the state ( Getty Images )

Republicans seem to have been caught off-guard by the overturn of Roe vs Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision protecting abortion rights.

The party has yet to coalesce around whether or not to pursue an abortion ban at the national level. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, and others facing tough races this fall, have begun backing away from more restrictive bans and legislation pushed by conservatives.

The former president has come out against national legislation banning abortion amid questions of whether he would sign such a bill into law.

In an interview published on Tuesday with Time Magazine, Mr Trump backed away from some of the extreme GOP positions on abortion, and argued that his opposition to Roe stemmed from the federal standard it set for all states to follow.

You dont need a federal ban. We just got out of the federal. You know, if you go back on Roe v. Wade, Roe v. Wade was all aboutit wasn't about abortion so much as bringing it back to the states, he said.

Mr Trump also denied that a national abortion ban was politically possible in the current moment.

You have to remember this: There will never be that chance because it won't happen, he told Time. You're never going to have 60 votes [in the Senate]. You're not going to have it for many, many years, whether it be Democrat or Republican.

Donald Trump says states should choose their own abortion laws

The White House condemned the Florida law upon its passage in April 2023.

This ban would prevent four million Florida women of reproductive age from accessing abortion care after six weeks  before many women even know theyre pregnant, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last year.

This ban would also impact the nearly 15 million women of reproductive age who live in abortion-banning states throughout the South, many of whom have previously relied on travel to Florida as an option to access care.

Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried told The Independent in April that the fight for abortion rights in the state will be central to their messaging in 2024. Though Floridas race for governor is not taking place this year, the state is home to a key Senate race as Republican Rick Scott seeks to defend his seat.

Ms Fried described the Democrats message in Florida as centred on the three As: affordability, accountability and abortion.

All eyes are back on Florida, she said. We think that because of all of the moments that were in at this time  were going to be able to not only be competitive but to be able to flip a lot more seats in a lot more areas than people would have expected.
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Former US House Representative George Santos has revived his drag persona Kitara Ravache in a new video on Cameo.

With red lipstick and a feather boa, the 35-year-old and serial fabulist brought back the role - whose existence he previously rejected - in a video shared by Cameo on Instagram.

Mr Santos has bragged that he pockets six figures from making videos on the site where people can pay celebrities for personal video messages.

Mr Santos currently charges $300 per video on his personal account. The price for a video with his drag persona is $275.

Cameo shared the video of the return of Ravache on Tuesday.

Its your favourite, Kitara. After 18 years in the closet, George Santos pulled me back out, whatever, Mr Santos says in the footage.

Announcing the comeback on X, he added: Yall werent ready for this drop? Ive decided to bring Kitara out of the closet ... for a limited time.

Former US House Representative George Santos brought back his drag persona in a Cameo video ( Screenshot / Instagram / Cameo )

He went on to claim that 20 per cent of proceeds will go to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which supports first responders, and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

The Independent has contacted Tunnel to Towers and the fellowship for comment.

It has previously been reported that a veteran alleged Mr Santos stole about $3,000 in donations meant for his dying service dog.

Democratic strategist Keith Edwards shared the video on X, writing that Mr Santos must be desperate for money.

I hear youre a bunch of little freaks out there and you love to dance all night long like its nobodys business, Mr Santos told the Cameo viewers as Ravache.

You know what? Youve got to elevate it, got to make it more risque, youve got to make it more fun. Wheres the zhush? he added. I have an advice for you. How about put some wigs on? Get some boas and go have real fun. Lets see who whips your hair faster, you know side to side, whatever but yall gotta stop being boring.

Mr Santos was expelled from the House in early December last year after an Ethics Committee report found that there was substantial evidence that he had knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC; and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House.

George Santos attended the 2024 State of the Union wearing a Laken Riley pin ( AFP via Getty Images )

The report revealed that Mr Santos had spent around $6,000 in campaign donations at the luxury brand Ferragamo and Botox injections, according to campaign spreadsheets. It was also reported that campaign funds were used for OnlyFans subscriptions  the site best known for hosting adult content.

Mr Santos was first elected to Congress in 2022 after losing his first attempt in 2020. Reports later revealed he had told lies about his grandparents being Holocaust survivors and his mother dying on 9/11.

In May, Mr Santos was charged with 13 charges in a Long Island federal court. Several months later, he was hit with a superseding indictment listing 23 counts.

He initially pleaded not guilty to all charges, but there have been reports that hes in talks for a possible plea deal.

Following his ouster, Democrats won back Mr Santoss seat in a special election.

Mr Santos announced that he was running as an independent in New Yorks 1st congressional district before withdrawing his bid.
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Representative Ilhan Omar did not respond to questions from The Independent on Capitol Hill on Tuesday when asked about facing a potential censure from House Republicans.

Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska told Axios on Monday that he intended to bring forward a resolution to censure Ms Omar.

The move comes after Ms Omar said: We should not have to tolerate antisemitism or bigotry for all Jewish students, whether they are pro-genocide or anti-genocide.

Ms Omar made the comments while visiting Columbia University last week to show support for a pro-Palestinian encampment at the school.

Some of the students taking part in the protests at the university now face expulsion, the school has said.

House Republicans have passed a number of resolutions to censure progressives critical of Israel and its war in Gaza, where more than 34,000 people have now been killed.

At Columbia, Ms Omar was asked by Fox 5 New York about allegations that the protest has created the circumstances for antisemitic incidents.

I actually met a lot of Jewish students who are in the encampment, and I think it is really unfortunate that people dont care about the fact that all Jewish kids should be kept safe, she told the local station, before making the pro-genocide statement.

Talking about pro-genocide Jewish students is wrong, Mr Bacon told Axios.

Folks can protest Israel but dont blame Jewish-American students for Israel. That is by definition anti-Semitism, he added.

Congresswoman Omar clearly condemned antisemitism and bigotry for all Jewish students, a spokesperson for Ms Omar told the outlet. Attempts to misconstrue her words by drafting this baseless resolution are meant to distract from the ongoing violence and genocide occurring in Gaza and the large antiwar protests happening across our country and around the world.

Rep Ilhan Omar may face a censure for comments made while visiting Columbia University ( REUTERS )

Democratic Representative Barbara Lee of California told The Independent when asked about the Republican effort that I would hope they have something else more important to do in terms of taking care of their constituents and the country. I think it's outrageous and they should stop this.

Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dismissed the effort.

Theyre always on something, she told The Independent. Im not going to dignify their latest whatever.

Democratic New York Representative Ritchie Torres told The Independent, It's one thing to argue that Israel's response has been disproportionate. It's something else to argue that Israel is committing genocide, which I consider to be a falsehood.

Hamas has the will, but not the wherewithal to commit genocide, whereas Israel has the wherewithal but not the will to commit genocide. And thats the truth, he said.

But he added, I think we've had too many censorship resolutions in Congress when asked if he would join the censure effort.

Ms Omar was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee last February because of previous comments critical of Israel which members of both parties said were antisemitic.

It was one of the first official actions of the then-new House Republican majority.
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Vice President Kamala Harris went on the offensive against Donald Trump and Republican architects of abortion restrictions across the US at a campaign stop in Jacksonville, Florida on Wednesday.

An enthusiastic crowd chanted Four more years as Harris said that the former president and his allies are responsible for endangering womens lives in a fiery speech. The current VP spoke at an event attended by local Democrats including Jacksonvilles mayor Donna Deegan and Nikki Fried, the chair of the state Democratic Party.

Harriss planned remarks mentioned Donald Trump 18 times  an all-time high.

Her visit was coordinated to occur the same day Florida saw a six-week ban on abortion take effect. Passed by a Republican state legislature and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis last year, the ban puts Floridas restrictions on reproductive in line with many other states across the Deep South. Neighboring Alabama also saw a court decision briefly endanger the legality of IVF treatments earlier this year.

Harriss event in Jacksonville was picketed by a handful of anti-abortion protesters including members of Students for Life Action (SFLA).

Starting this morning, women in Florida became subject to an abortion ban so extreme it applies before many women even know they are pregnant  which, by the way, tells us the extremists who wrote this ban either dont know how a womens body works, or simply dont care, the vice president said.

Across our nation, we witness a full-on assault, state by state, on reproductive freedom. And understand who is to blame: former president Donald Trump did this, she went on, adding: This truly is a healthcare crisis. And Donald Trump is the architect.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in Florida on 1 May, the day the states new six-week abortion ban took effect ( Getty Images )

Harris went on to reject the heel-turn Trump has done on abortion rights recently, including when he asserted in a press gaggle last month that he would not sign a federal abortion ban into law were one to be passed by a Republican House and Senate.

Arguing that Trump promised to sign an abortion ban were one to reach his desk in remarks back in 2017, Harris said that Trump was trying to gaslight Americans about his position.

Trump wants us to believe he will not sign a national [abortion] ban. Well, I say enough with the gaslighting, she said.

The vice presidents speech in Florida comes as the Biden campaign appears to be leaning heavily into a reproductive right-centered message in the state. The state rarely votes Democrat, but this year Biden is treating it as winnable territory  a decision that will put Republicans in purple districts on the defensive and possibly even force the Trump campaign to spend money on crisis messaging.

President Joe Biden traveled to Florida on 23 April to campaign against GOP-led abortion restrictions alongside Democrats in the state ( Getty Images )

Harriss visit follows President Joe Bidens last month. Standing in front of a banner reading Reproductive Freedom, Biden brought up the fact that Trump is currently selling a copy of the Bible which also includes the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence in his official merchandise store.

He said there has to be punishment for women exercising their reproductive freedom ...Maybe its coming from that bible hes trying to sell. I almost wanted to buy one just to see what the hell is in it, Biden said during his speech in April.

Beginning today, women in Florida past six weeks gestation will have to travel more than 600 miles to reach a state that allows abortion care later in the pregnancy. Because six weeks of pregnancy means just two weeks after a missed period, many women do not even realize they are pregnant until they have passed this limit.

A study from the University of California San Francisco in 2021 found that as many as a third of US women do not know they are pregnant until six weeks or later into the gestational process.

Opponents of far-right efforts to restrict abortion care argue that the laws make doctors skittish about treating pregnant women and lead to patients being turned away when they face life-threatening complications.

International studies have shown that restricting abortion does not make number of abortions go down; however, it does mean that much more dangerous methods of abortion are generally used.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jnr, the presumptive third-party candidate in the 2024 presidential election, summoned the nations media on Wednesday to an office building in downtown Brooklyn, next door to Norms Pizza, to make a major announcement.

Admittedly, the threshold for major announcements at this point in the campaign calendar, the dead zone between primaries and the conventions, is extremely low, but even by those standards, he fell drastically short.

What he delivered, instead, was a meandering PowerPoint presentation that he used to demonstrate that he was not a spoiler candidate (thats the term given to when one political candidate who will clearly lose draws enough votes away from another candidate to ensure their defeat). Given that spoiler candidate has become something of an unofficial slogan for Mr Kennedys campaign, he faced an uphill battle.

After an uncomfortable minute spent trying to find his opening slide, Mr Kennedy presented a dizzying array of maps and polls and tweets to make his argument.

2024 candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr appears on NewsNation for a town hall ( NewsNation )

He brought to the screen a mammoth Zogby poll commissioned by his campaign, with a sample size of 26,408 people  statistical overkill, in other words  that showed president Joe Biden would lose to former president Donald Trump in a head-to-head race if the election was held today.

The same poll showed Mr Kennedy narrowly beating Trump, he said, in a head-to-head-race. He invited the press to check his numbers at ( www.kennedy24.com/spoiler ).

The problem here, of course, is that Mr Kennedy is not the Democratic Party candidate, and unless he convinces the Democrats not to field a candidate for the first time in the partys history, head-to-head polls dont mean much.

One of his slides was simply the dictionary definition of the word spoiler, in its full glory.

A political candidate who cannot win but who prevents another candidate from winning by taking away votes

Britannica Dictionary 20204

Barack Obama inspired the youth vote in 2008 with his soaring oratory. RJK Jnr, who has pitched himself as a candidate for disaffected young Americans, is doing it with his dictionary.

Joe Biden with members of the Kennedy family  but not RFK Jnr  at the White House ( @KerryKennedyRFK/Twitter )

Channeling Richard Nixons infamous I am not a crook speech, and similarly protesting too much, he insisted again and again that only he could defeat Donald Trump.

The people who think that Im spoiling at this point for president Biden need to look at data, he said.

Mr Kennedys big announcement came towards the end of his slideshow. Blink and you could have missed it.

No spoiler pledge, the slide read.

In an act of blue-sky thinking the vaccine-sceptic Kennedy campaign has become known for, the pitch was for the Biden campaign to agree to co-fund and conduct a 50-state poll in mid-October, just a few weeks before election day, to discover who would make for the strongest head-to-head candidate against Mr Trump.

The loser, according to the pledge, would drop out.

Ultimately, I think what we all want in this election is for Americans not to feel like they vote out of fear. That they feel like they can vote out of hope. That is only going to happen if theres a two-way race, Mr Kennedy said.

It was a brazen pitch: Asking both of the two main party candidates to drop out of a race on the strength of a Clipart rendering of an imaginary map.

Robert Kennedy, RFK Jnrs father, was shot dead in Los Angeles while campaigning for Democratic presidential nomination ( GETTY IMAGES )

Still, there is another story here. The Kennedy campaign has been dogged by accusations that he is acting as a spoiler since the moment it launched. What is interesting about those claims, however, is that the people making them have changed.

As an heir to one of the most revered Democratic political dynasties in the countrys history, political observers thought that even a failed campaign by the son of Bobby Kennedy would damage Mr Biden.

The Trump campaign could hardly believe its luck, and the former president initially praised him as a very smart person.

But as the months dragged on, it became clear that the kind of audience that Mr Kennedy was attracting and the kind of media hits he was doing may indicate that he would instead be a drag on Mr Trump. The latest polls indeed show that to be the case, which led to Mr Trump going on the attack.

Over the weekend, Mr Trump made at least four Truth Social posts attacking Mr Kennedy, falsely asserting he is a Democratic plant installed to help President Joe Biden win, that he is more liberal than any other candidate and that his views on vaccines are fake.

Mr Kennedy replied with his own social media post.

When frightened men take to social media they risk descending into vitriol, which makes them sound unhinged, he wrote on X . President Trumps rant against me is a barely coherent barrage of wild and inaccurate claims that should best be resolved in the American tradition of presidential debate.

It was perhaps being tarred with the spoiler brush by both sides that Mr Kennedy felt the need to hold his press conference and beat the allegations.

The thing about candidate viability is that it is intangible. There is no set of specific personality traits required for someone to be able to win an election  the shock of Trumps victory all-but proved that much. But one thing is for sure: If you have to keep shouting that you are viable, you probably arent.
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Stephen Colbert has defended pro-Palestine campus protesters days after Donald Trump tried to claim that they make the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville look tame.

The Late Show host, 59, spoke in solidarity with the protesters  who have gathered to urge their institutions to vocally condemn the war in Gaza .

Colberts chat show aired as riot police were deployed at Columbia Universitys Hamilton Hall . Dozens of pro-Palestinian student protesters were arrested after they occupied the building.

Just hours after the programme aired, violence broke out at the University of California campus in Los Angeles (UCLA) in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with the universitys vice chancellor, Mary Osako, stating she was sickened by the horrific acts of violence.

Three miles away from Hamilton Hall at the Ed Sullivan Theater, Colbert spoke in solidarity with the pro-Palestinan students, claiming it was their First Amendment right to demonstrate. He did, however, name a caveat in order to solidify his own support: protests have to remain peaceful.

NYPD officers raid pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University ( Marco Postigo Storel )

Colbert shared his disdain to the way both senior staff and the authorities handled the events that unfolded at Columbia University. He claimed that college administrators are using the classic de-escalation tactic of sending in heavily armed police and threatening to call the National Guard.

Now even if you dont agree with the subject of their protests, as long as they are peaceful, subjects should be allowed to protest, he added.

Adversely, Donald Trump praised the NYPDs swift repsonse to the Columbia University protests, noting that brazen officers climbed through windows in order to restore order.

I think New York Citys finest have been incredible the way theyve been  its not over yet  but the way they walked in and the way they climbed through that window. They were not afraid of anything, Trump said on Fox News on Tuesday evening.

Colbert also addressed former US president Donald Trumps comments after he claimed that the deadly 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia was a little peanut and nothing when compared to the campus protests.

The Late Show host said: Now, before you criticise Trump for downplaying one of the darkest chapters in American history as a little peanut, I will remind you of this disturbing image from Charlottesville that day.

The show to cut to a shot of food mascot Mr Peanut superimposed onto a picture frim Charlottesville.
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Steps away from the doors of his criminal trial on Tuesday, Donald Trump compared nationwide college campus protests against Israels ongoing siege of Gaza to his supporters launching an assault on the halls of Congress on January 6.

They took over a building, that is a big deal. And I wonder if whats going to happen to them will be anything comparable to what happened to J6, because theyre doing a lot of destruction, a lot of damages, a lot of people getting hurt very badly, the former president said from the criminal courthouse in Manhattan on Tuesday.

I wonder if thats going to be the same kind of treatment they gave J6, he added. Lets see how that all works out. I think I can give you the answer right now. And thats why people have lost faith in our court system.

In a rambling interview with Fox News that night, while New York City Police Department officers stormed Columbia Universitys campus and arrested hundreds of people, the former president condemned protesters damage to a landmark building and accused Jewish politicians of abandoning Israel.

You go back 10 years, Israel was protected by Congress. Now, Congress is just doing numbers that are unbelievable with I think a very, very small group of people within Congress and its gotta stop, he said.

Students have set up encampments and anti-war demonstrations at university campuses across the US, putting pressure on college administrators to divest from ties to Israel as more than 30,000 Palestinians, including 13,000 children, have been killed in Israels attacks in Gaza.

By contrast, dozens of police officers were violently assaulted on 6 January 2021, when a mob of Mr Trumps supporters breached barricades and broke into the US Capitol in a show of force to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

Donald Trump speaks to reporters in criminal court in Manhattan on 30 April ( EPA )

The former president is hardly alone in drawing a blanket equivalency between the two, arguing that student protesters should face the same consequences as the more than 1,300 people facing criminal prosecution in connection with the Capitol attack.

Across social media, users labelled Columbia protesters occupation of Hamilton Hall an insurrection or compared the images to those from January 6. Fox News used that characterisation in an article on 30 April, claiming that the insurrection began at approximately 12:30 a.m.

You dont see the upset that you saw around January 6, Fox News host Maria Bartiromo said last week.

NYPD officers in riot gear break into a building at Columbia University, where pro-Palestinian students were barricaded on 30 April ( AFP via Getty Images )

Republican officials have seized on the protests at university campuses to lob political attacks against President Joe Biden, as Mr Trump and his GOP allies repeatedly depict a nation in chaos as they wage their 2024 campaigns.

Meanwhile, many of those same Republicans have supported or downplayed the violence seen on January 6.

Mr Trump himself is charged with conspiracy and obstruction tied to his attempts to overturn 2020 results, and his failure to stop the mob from attacking the Capitol.

The former president has also repeatedly pledged to issue mass pardons to January 6 defendants, who he has labelled patriots and hostages, if he is elected in November.
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While Donald Trumps campaign was spiralling after a leaked tape caught him bragging about sexually assaulting women, an attorney and tabloid editor brokering deals to keep damaging stories about him out of the press thought his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election were over, his hush money trial heard on Tuesday.

Keith Davidson  a former attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels who ultimately negotiated the $130,000 sale of her story to Mr Trumps then-attorney Michael Cohen  testified that interest in his clients story reached a crescendo after the 2005 Access Hollywood tape leaked just weeks before Election Day in 2016.

That deal is at the heart of the hush money case against the former president, who is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in an alleged effort to cover up his reimbursements to Cohen as legal expenses.

Mr Davidson spent the morning testifying about a separate scheme involving a different client, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, whose story of an alleged affair with Mr Trump was buried by the publisher of the National Enquirer for $150,000.

Then the Access Hollywood tape happened.

Manhattan prosecutors have built their case on the story of a candidate who was desperate to keep his election chances afloat while his campaign was in damage control mode after the tapes release.

Mr Davidson discussed the tape with then-National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard, who fed potentially damaging allegations about Mr Trump to his publisher David Pecker as part of a secret catch and kill scheme to purchase the rights to those stories without any intention of publishing them.

Trump is f*****, Mr Davidson wrote to Mr Howard, according to messages shown in court on Tuesday.

Wave the white flag. Its over people! Mr Howard replied.

Donald Trump leaves a Manhattan criminal courtroom on 30 April. ( AP )

Prior allegations about Ms Daniels were already on a gossip website, but in the wake of the Access Hollywood scandal, it could get a lot worse if she resurrected them, Mr Davidson testified.

That tape captured Mr Trump saying that he moved on a female TV personality like a b****.

He can be heard saying on the tape: Im automatically attracted to beautiful  I just start kissing them. Its like a magnet. Just kiss. I dont even wait. And when youre a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p****. You can do anything.

Ms Danielss manager went directly to Mr Howard to negotiate a deal for her story, according to Mr Davidson. I had nothing to do with that, he said.

Last week, Mr Pecker testified that he wanted nothing to do with the story, fearing that any connections between American Media Inc and an adult film star could threaten his distribution at major retailers like Walmart.

Dylan was washing his hands of the deal, Mr Davidson told the court on Tuesday.

This story involved [Cohens] client and that was his interest in the story, he said. In essence, Michael Cohen stepped into AMIs shoes.

A courtroom sketch depicts Donald Trump chatting with his son Eric Trump in a Manhattan criminal courtroom on 30 April. ( REUTERS )

But in the weeks that followed, Mr Davidson endured frustrating negotiations with Mr Trumps one-time fixer, whose erratic and excuses-filled discussions forced him out of representing his client, he said on Tuesday.

He repeatedly sent Cohen copies of a settlement agreement and bank wiring instructions that were met with a barrage of excuses, according to Mr Davidson.

Cohen told him that the Trump Organizations computer systems were all f***** up and that Secret Service and so many god damn firewalls tied him up from the deal, Mr Davidson said.

I think you can tell by these emails that I was sending him there was a great level of frustration by me and my clients  my client  and I let him know that the level of dissatisfaction was quite high, Mr Davidson said. And he stated, God dammit, Ill just do it myself.

By 17 October 2016, several days after the deadline to wire funds to Ms Daniels, Mr Davidson emailed Cohen to let him know that the agreement was void and that he would not longer be representing Ms Daniels.

I didnt want to receive a million frustrated phone calls from Michael Cohen, Mr Davidson said. This is where I said, Hey, this deal is over, and I said to both Cohen and my client, Im out.

Asked what he believed was really happening behind the scenes, Mr Davidson said: I thought he was trying to kick the can down the road until after the election.

A courtroom sketch depicts Keith Davidson testifying as Donald Trump and Justice Juan Merchan listen in a criminal courtoom in Manhattan on 30 April. ( REUTERS )

Meanwhile, Cohen was urgently directing his banker Gary Farro to establish a shell corporation to funnel his own money from a home equity line of credit into an account that would wire Mr Davidson the cash for his client.

On 26 October 2016, Cohen sent Mr Davidson a confirmation email from Mr Farros assistant that the money was deposited into Cohens account.

It meant nothing to me, Mr Davidson said, because he had my wiring instructions. All he had to do was wire funds. But he didnt wire funds. He sent me an email that he had the money, not that he sent the money to me.

At the time, Cohen was a highly excitable, pants-on-fire kind of guy, according to Mr Davidson, who compared Cohen to the dog from Up.

He assumed that the money for Ms Daniels, however, was coming from Mr Trump, or from some corporate affiliation thereof.
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Former president Donald Trump has now admitted to ordering Secret Service agents to drive him to the US Capitol on January 6  but still relayed a very different version of events to the testimony given by his former aide.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump administration chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified before Congress back in June 2022 that, when the mob of rioters stormed the building, Mr Trump insisted Secret Service agents take him to the Capitol.

When the agents refused, she said the then-president lunged to grab the steering wheel of the car.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump used a day off from his criminal trial in Manhattan to hold a rally in Wisconsin where he regaled his version of what happened that day, admitting that he did demand to be taken to the Capitol that day.

I sat in the back, he said, and then asked the Secret Service agents: Id like to go down there because I see a lot of people walking down.

Sir, its better if you dont, the agents insisted, according to Mr Trump.

Well, Id like to, Mr Trump pressed.

Its better if you dont, the Secret Service insisted, he said.

Mr Trump then mocked Ms Hutchinsons claims that he had attacked the agents.

He insisted that he was using a soft tone throughout the car ride.

Remember the person that said I attacked a Secret Service agent in the front of the car? Its not my deal. Im a lover, not a fighter, he told the Wisconsin crowd.

Donald Trump speaks at rally in Wisconsin on 1 May 2024 ( RSBN )

He went on to label previous descriptions of the encounter as crazy stuff, though failed to mention her by name.

The White House aide had testified to the January 6 House select Committee that she had heard that Mr Trump had told Bobby Engel, the head of his Secret Service detail, something to the effect of, Im the f***ing president, take me up to the Capitol now.

Ms Hutchinson told the committee that Mr Engel replied: Sir, we have to go back to the West Wing. The president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel.

She continued, Mr Engel grabbed his arm and said, Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel, were going back to the West Wing. Were not going to the Capitol.

Ms Hutchinsons testimony was echoed somewhat by that of an unnamed Secret Service agent who was driving the car at the time.

The president was insistent on going to the Capitol, the driver said, according to a transcript from the January 6 panel.

It was clear to me he wanted to go to the Capitol. He was not screaming at Mr Engel, he continued. He was not screaming at me. Certainly his voice was raised, but it did not seem to me that he was irate  certainly not, certainly didnt seem as irritated or agitated as he had on the way to the Ellipse.

The January 6 Committees final report called Mr Trump the central cause of the Capitol riot.

Mr Trumps Wisconsin rally, where he was joined by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, comes before the sixth day of testimony in his criminal trial gets under way in New York on Thursday. T

he former president is accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election in exchange for her silence over an alleged affair.
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Four people have been arrested on suspicion of holding a man in slavery-like conditions for 17 years.

The case, in Portugals northern region of Braganca, has shocked the country.

In a statement, police said the 54-year-old man suffered physical and psychological abuse over that period, and was the victim of labour exploitation, including being rented out to third parties for agricultural work.

The victim, who has a learning disability and no family support, received no payment for his work and his every move was controlled by the suspects, who had the victims documents in their possession, the police said.

He lived in a degrading situation, spending the night in a van...without the minimum living, health, hygiene and food conditions, the police said. The defendants never allowed him to receive medical care - not even when he suffered a serious accident.

The victim, who has been left with permanent injuries that affect his mobility, eventually managed to escape and was now receiving specialised support, the police said.

Those arrested, aged 37-44, will appear before a judge to be questioned on suspicion of crimes of slavery, human trafficking and forgery. The police did not reveal the victims nationality.

Cases of labour exploitation and human trafficking have been growing in Portugal, particularly in the agricultural sector. There have been several cases of poor migrants trapped in unpaid work on farms.

In November last year, hundreds of police raided farms in Portugals southern Alentejo region, arresting 28 people suspected of human trafficking and labour exploitation.

The Council of Europe said in June 2022 that Portuguese authorities identified 1,152 presumed victims of trafficking in 2016-2020.

The number of investigations, prosecutions and convictions was low compared to the number of identified victims, the Council of Europe said at the time.
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An Iranian billionaire tycoon on death row for almost eight years had his sentence commuted to 20 years of jail.

Babak Zanjani, 48, was convicted and sentenced to death in 2016 on a number of charges, including embezzling funds from the oil ministry to evade US sanctions on Iran.

The Iranian judiciary said a clemency request was approved by the judiciary chief and the countrys supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on such cases.

The amnesty to Zanjani has been granted after he agreed to cooperate with the judiciary to locate the assets abroad in recent years during his time in prison and all the money was returned to the government, said Asghar Jahangir, spokesperson of the judiciary, according to Iran International.

The decision to commute Zanjanis sentence suggests the Iran governments attempts to seek revenue following years of US sanctions on the country.

Zanjani, who was one of Irans richest businessmen, was arrested in 2013 by then-president Hassan Rouhani on accusations he withheld billions in oil revenue through his companies.

He was said to be worth around $13.5bn (9.5bn) and controlled a network of more than 60 companies, ranging from cosmetics, hospitality, to oil and banking.

He was accused of withholding $2.7bn (2.2bn) of government money and was found guilty of corruption on earth, the most serious offence under the countrys criminal code.

By his own account, Zanjani for years arranged billions of dollars of oil deals through a network of companies stretching from Turkey to Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. He amassed a fortune of $10bn  along with debts of a similar scale, the tycoon once told an Iranian magazine.

One of Irans high-profile business tycoons faced international sanctions for his role in helping the Iranian government circumvent sections to sell oil abroad. These include sanctions from the European Union in December 2012 and from the United States in April 2013.

In 2014, Iran executed billionaire businessman, Mahafarid Amir Khosravi after he was convicted for a $2.6bn state bank scam.
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have told Antony Blinken he would not accept an end to the war in Gaza as part of a potential ceasefire and hostage deal during a visit by the US secretary of state  who pushed for more aid to Gaza and an immediate truce.

Mr Blinken met Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem, the final stop on his latest diplomatic tour of the Middle East. It is his seventh visit to a region that has been ravaged by conflict for months.

Israel imposed a crippling siege and launched its most ferocious bombardment yet on Gaza in retaliation for the 7 October Hamas attack on southern Israel, where around 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were taken hostage.

Palestinian health officials say that Israels bombardment has killed more than 34,000 people. The UN says that nearly half the population is suffering catastrophic hunger.

During a two and a half hour meeting in Jerusalem, Mr Blinken reiterated the importance of accelerating and sustaining the delivery into Gaza, and ongoing efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire and hostage exchange deal.

He is expected to visit Ashdod port in the south, which has recently started receiving aid for Gaza after massive international pressure.

A wounded Palestinian boy reacts at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Rafah ( Reuters )

Israeli officials told the media that Mr Netanyahu made it clear in the meeting that he would not accept any hostage deal that was dependent on an end to the war.

He told Blinken that we are interested in reaching a deal, and determined to topple Hamas, one official told The Times of Israel.

Israel conveyed its latest offer to Hamas through Egyptian mediators late last week, and is expecting a response on Wednesday evening, the official added.

Mr Blinken has blamed Hamas for standing in the way of the agreement and urged them to accept what he called an extraordinarily generous truce deal. Under the current draft, it would see 33 hostages released in exchange for a larger number of Palestinian prisoners and a halt to the fighting. The expectation is it could see further steps towards a later comprehensive deal.

The time is now, Mr Blinken said on Wednesday. He told Israeli president Isaac Herzog at a meeting in Tel Aviv: We are determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home and to get it now, and the only reason that that wouldnt be achieved is because of Hamas.

A woman holds a banner and shouts slogans with families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza during a protest calling for their return ( AP )

There is a proposal on the table, and, as weve said, no delays, no excuses, he said. The deal would also allow much-needed food, medicine and water to get into Gaza, he added.

After meeting Mr Herzog and also families of Americans held by Hamas at his hotel, Mr Blinken briefly greeted several dozen demonstrators who had gathered outside to call for an immediate hostage release deal.

A senior official for Hamas said the group was still studying the proposed deal but accused Mr Blinken of failing to respect both sides, and described Israel as the real obstacle.

Blinkens comments contradict reality, Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Mr Blinkens trip comes ahead of Israels widely expected offensive in the southern city of Rafah, which is the last refugee in the tiny strip housing over 1.5 million displaced people, many of whom are living in tents. Mr Blinken emphasised the US position on an assault on Rafah during his visit to Israel.

President Joe Biden has made it clear that such a bombardment would be a red line in interviews, warning that US policy could shift if Israel fails to take steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.
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Saudi Arabia secretly sentenced a 29-year-old womens rights activist to 11 years in prison for her choice of clothing and support for womens rights.

Arrested in November 2022 for her social media posts advocating for liberal reforms in the country, Manahel al-Otaibi was found guilty of terrorist offences in a secret hearing on 9 January this year. The anti-terror law in Saudi Arabia criminalises the use of social media for broadcasting or publishing news, statements, false or malicious rumours, or the like for committing a terrorist crime.

The sentencing was revealed in late January in a reply to UN Special Rapporteurs about her case, even as her family are yet to have access to her court documents or the evidence presented against her.

A fitness instructor, Al-Otaibi posted videos on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat calling for an end to Saudi Arabias male guardianship system, which requires women to seek mens permission for travel, marriage, and living arrangements.

She was also charged for publishing videos of herself wearing indecent clothes, and going to the shops without wearing an abaya. Her sister Fawzia al-Otaibi faces similar charges, but fled Saudi Arabia fearing arrest after being summoned for questioning in 2022.

Criticising the sentence, Amnesty International called it an appalling and cruel injustice.

Since the moment she was arrested, Saudi Arabias authorities have subjected her to a relentless catalogue of abuses, from unlawful detention for supporting womens rights to enforced disappearance for over five months while she was being secretly interrogated, tried and sentenced and subjected to repeated beatings by others in the prison, said Bissan Fakih, Amnesty Internationals campaigner on Saudi Arabia.

With this sentence the Saudi authorities have exposed the hollowness of their much-touted womens rights reforms in recent years and demonstrated their chilling commitment to silencing peaceful dissent.

Criticising the arrest, Lina Alhathloul, member of rights group ALQST, said: Manahels confidence that she could act with freedom could have been a positive advertisement for Mohammed bin Salmans much-touted narrative of leading womens rights reforms in the country.

Instead, by arresting her and now imposing this outrageous sentence on her, the Saudi authorities have once again laid bare the arbitrary and contradictory nature of their so-called reforms, and their continuing determination to control Saudi Arabias women.

Amnesty and ALQTS pointed at the irony in Al- Otaibis arrest, saying she had been an early believer in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans promises of reform.

In a 2019 TV interview with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, she described the radical changes taking place in the Saudi kingdom, including the dress code reforms, and said she felt free to express her views and wear what she liked on the basis of the Crown Princes declarations. She was arrested for exercising these freedoms, the groups said.

Her case follows the arrest of several activists who were held for denouncing Saudi rules, or following dissidents who do so, on social media. This includes Salma al-Shehab, a former doctoral student at Leeds University who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence.

Another is US citizen Saad Ibrahim Almadi, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison over tweets he posted while abroad. Saudi Arabia freed him in March 2022 though he faced a travel ban preventing him from returning home to Florida.
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OnlyFans is being investigated over fears it could be allowing children to access pornography.

Ofcom, the UK regulator, will examine whether it has done enough to keep under-18s from accessing adult material.

The regulator said that it had opened formal proceedings over concerns about its age verification measures.

Under existing rules that pre-date the UKs new Online Safety Act, video-sharing platforms established in the UK are required to take appropriate action to prevent those aged under 18 from accessing pornographic material.

In response to this, OnlyFans, like other sites hosting adult content, has introduced age verification measures.

However, Ofcom said that having reviewed submissions from OnlyFans in response to formal information requests, it has grounds to suspect the platform did not implement its age verification measures in such a way as to sufficiently protect under-18s.

Ofcom said it is also investigating whether OnlyFans failed to comply with its duties to provide complete and accurate information in response to these requests.

A spokesperson for OnlyFans said: As the leading UK-based and regulated social media platform, OnlyFans works closely with Ofcom to implement and develop best practices on online safety, including the use of age-assurance technology.

In addition to requiring that all users provide their name and payment card details, OnlyFans uses the Government-approved age assurance provider Yoti.

A coding configuration issue with Yoti led to a reporting error which stated a threshold was set to 23 years of age, during a period of time when it had been set to 20  always higher than the requirement of 18.

OnlyFans discovered the reporting error and proactively amended our report to Ofcom.

Ofcom said it will provide an update on its investigation in due course.

Additional reporting by agencies
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US phone carriers were sharing users location without their consent, the US has said.

The networks  AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon  must now pay nearly $200 million in fines because of the data breach.

The fines mark the end of a years long investigation that looked into numerous examples of location data being sold on to third-parties. The phone networks sold that data on to as many as 88 other companies in the case of AT&T, US regulator the Federal Communications Commission said.

"These carriers failed to protect the information entrusted to them. Here, we are talking about some of the most sensitive data in their possession: customers real-time location information, revealing where they go and who they are, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement released Monday.

Officials first began investigating the carriers back in 2019 after they were found selling customers' location data to third-party data aggregators. Fines were proposed in 2020, but carriers were given time to argue against the claims before the fines were imposed.

The FCC argues that the four firms are required to take reasonable measures to protect certain consumer data per federal law.

The FCC order lacks both legal and factual merit, AT&T said in a statement. It unfairly holds us responsible for another companys violation of our contractual requirements to obtain consent, ignores the immediate steps we took to address that companys failures, and perversely punishes us for supporting life-saving location services like emergency medical alerts and roadside assistance that the FCC itself previously encouraged.

We expect to appeal the order after conducting a legal review.

T-Mobile faces the largest fine at $80 million. Sprint, which merged with T-Mobile since the investigation began, received a $12 million charge. The FCC hit Verizon with a $47 million penalty, and AT&T was issued a $57 million fee.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Air Canada has been forced to apologise to an indigenous chief, after cabin crew tried to take her sacred headdress and put it in the cargo hold on a domestic flight last week.

Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, the newly elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said she was stunned when crew members attempted to take the sacred item from her on a flight between Montreal and Fredericton, with the case she was carrying the headdress in being thrown into the hold.

I was kind of stunned, she told CBC News on Friday, explaining that her people believe that a headdress is like your child, like your baby. Its with you. Its part of you.

The leader said she had travelled before without any issue, carrying the headdress in a special case alongside her carry-on luggage, but this time staff took a different view.

She told the outlet that the situation got pretty heated, with staff pulling the case from her when she asked to keep it under the seat in front of her.

Woodhouse Nepinak then pulled the sacred item from the case and held it on her lap the entire flight, but crew insisted the case be put in the hold and placed it in garbage bags.

open image in gallery Air Canada planes are seen at the gates at Montreal International Airport ( AFP via Getty )

At the end of the flight, staff did not return the case to her and the pilot reportedly had to intervene, while fellow passengers showed her a huge amount of respect.

Theres Canadians from all walks of life kind of sitting in the plane that were pretty astounded, and I was glad to see that, because its not like people just sat there and were quiet. People were genuinely trying to help, Woodhouse Nepinak added.

I want to focus on making sure that First Nations can come through our airport and our airlines, all airlines, Air Canada included, in a safe way, in a respectful way.

Air Canada received backlash from Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who described the incident as unacceptable.

From my perspective, that is an unfortunate situation that I hope is going to lead to a bit of learning, not just by Air Canada, but a lot of different institutions," Mr Trudeau told reporters on Friday.

The actions of the Air Canada crew were also condemned by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, which called for comprehensive cultural sensitivity training across the airline industry.

Systemic discrimination reveals itself in situations like this, AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick said in a statement.

When our sacred items are treated as if theyre just objects. What happened to National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak is a shameful demonstration of how misinformed Canadians are about First Nations sacred cultural items and traditions.

Woodhouse Nepinak was given the headdress by other tribal leaders during a headdress transfer ceremony in January this year, seen as one of the highest honours within First Nations.

open image in gallery Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak greets supporters during the election of the First Nation National Chief, at the Assembly of First Nations General Assembly in 2023. ( AFP via Getty )

AMC said that in 2024, with information readily available online, more people should have an understanding of these traditions and beliefs, with Woodhouse Nepinak agreeing.

"This can... set the motion in place for, you know, the airlines, Air Canada, WestJet, whomever, to have a, you know, an understanding of our way of life, our beliefs, and have that mutual respect, she told CBC.

On Thursday, Air Canada apologised, saying it was going to speak with the leader to better understand the situation.

"Air Canada understands the importance of accommodating customers with items and symbols of sacred cultural significance, and in the past the chiefs have been able to travel while transporting their headdresses in the cabin," the airline told CBC News.

Air Canda said it planned to review its policies as a result of the "regrettable incident.

The Independent has approached Air Canada and the Assembly of First Nations for further comment.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an urgent warning as a dozen people have been struck down with food poisoning after ingesting organic walnuts believed to be contaminated with E coli .

Almost all of the 12 people who fell ill purchased the tainted nuts from stores across California and Washington, according to a statement from CDC.

Seven people have been admitted to hospital, while two have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the public health agency added. The rare infection can cause onset kidney failure, leaving some sufferers with permanent organ damage. In its worst cases, HUS can be fatal.

The Food and Drug Administration traced the source of walnuts to Gibson Farms of Hollister, California, which distributes the nut to more than 300 shops across 19 states. It has recalled shelled walnuts with expiration dates between 21 May 2025 and 7 June 2025, the FDA added.

Gibson Farms, Inc has voluntarily recalled the product(s) after being notified by the CDC of 12 recorded illnesses allegedly linked to the consumption of organic halves and pieces [of] shelled walnuts, the company said in an FDA announcement on Tuesday.

open image in gallery An investigation is underway after two victims developed hemolytic uremic syndrome ( PA )

The nuts, which were sold in bulk bins, are believed to have been contaminated with dangerous E coli bacteria. Symptoms can start three days after consuming food and can include severe stomach cramps, diarrhoea, blood in stool and vomiting, according to the CDC. Most people make a full recovery after five to seven days.

Those who believe they may have purchased the contaminated walnuts are being urged to check whether theyre part of the recall. The walnuts should be binned immediately, and items and surfaces that may have had contact with the nuts should be washed with hot, soapy water or put in the dishwasher, the health agency said.

Hundreds of stores, including supermarket chain Whole Foods, have received the potentially contaminated walnuts across the following states: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

The CDC has advised businesses on Gibson Farms recall list to discard the contaminated nuts in their bins, and sanitise them before next use. Signs may also be erected at said stores to help notify customers who may have purchased the item.

A full investigation is currently underway to determine the potential source of the contamination.

The Independent has reached out to Gibson Farms for comment.
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As the UKs airlines and airports gear up for a record summer, and new flight routes appear at a rate of 10 a day, passengers are being urged to respect the liquids rules for cabin baggage.

At the start of the week travellers at both Birmingham and Stansted airports experienced extremely long queues as technical issues coincided with the usual Monday morning rush.

Some of them missed flights.

Birmingham airport apologised for the delay but told The Independent a high level of rejected bags was partly responsible.

An airport spokesperson said: We wish to remind our customers that existing security restrictions remain in place. This can be confusing to our customers and on average 15 per cent of bags are rejected as they are not compliant with current security restrictions.

The figure corresponds to 27 passengers on a typical 180-seater jet having to undergo a manual search. The airpor warns: For each customer, a non-compliant bag adds 10 minutes on top of their security search time.

The Independent understands Heathrow airport has a similar number of rejects.

Typically across UK airports, around one in 10 bags is non-compliant and requires a manual search.

At Liverpool John Lennon airport, the current average rejection rate is 7.5 per cent, but at the peak of the summer season rates which can be up at around 12 per cent.

Some airports, including London City and Teesside, have new scanners that allow larger quantities of liquids and personal electronic devices (PEDs) to be left in cabin luggage.

But many airports are not yet ready and have said they cannot comply with the governments deadline of June 2024.

Ryanair is emailing passengers ahead of their flights to warn them: Despite upcoming changes to the rule, the 100ml limit on liquids still applies across UK airports.

We ask all passengers travelling through UK airports in the coming months to please consult the website of the airport for the most accurate and up-to-date information on their liquids policy. Policies will vary.

The current much-loathed liquids regulations were introduced as a temporary measure in 2006.
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A British national has been ordered to pay United Airlines $20,638 in restitution after he physically threatened a crew, had to be restrained and caused a New Jersey-bound flight to be diverted to Maine.

Prosecutors say that United Airlines Flight 883 departed from London Heathrow Airport on 1 March on its way to Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey.

According to the court filing, Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, 30, of Chelmsford, England, was non-compliant and became physically combative towards the crew and the captain decided to reroute the flight as a result.

MacDonald could not be kept restrained even as two passengers and the flight crew worked to hold him still, the complaint states. The pilot told a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent that he thought the passenger posed a threat to his aircraft.

open image in gallery A British national has been ordered to pay over $20,000 in restitution to United Airlines (  2024 Jason Fochtman / Houston Chronicle )

According to the affidavit, the man began loudly arguing with his girlfriend. A flight attendant then came over to his seat and asked him to lower his voice. MacDonald initially complied but began yelling loudly at a flight attendant a few minutes later.

A lead flight attendant intervened and tried to calm the man down but MacDonald responded by asking the flight attendant if hed like to have a problem and threatened to mess up the plane. A passenger and the flight crew then put the man in plastic handcuffs.

However, he could not be restrained and the flight attendant determined the plane needed to be landed for the safety of the crew.

There were 150 passengers and 10 crew members on board the flight.

MacDonald pleaded guilty to interference with flight crew members and attendants on 22 March. He is currently undergoing deportation proceedings and has been in custody ever since the day of the incident.

In an emailed statement, United Airlines said the couple appeared to be intoxicated. The couple has been banned from flying with the airline. They were arrested upon arrival at Bangor International Airport. The flight continued on its way to Newark.
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The Cornwall tourism chief has warned holidaymakers that he could certainly envision a tax on tourists being rolled out in the near future.

More than four million people visit Cornwall for a holiday every year, while an extra 12 million make day visits, according to a local committee report.

open image in gallery Cornwall is one of the most visisted areas in the UK for holidaymakers ( Reuters )

Malcolm Bell, the chief executive of Visit Cornwall, has now voiced his support for a Cornish tax to profit from these visits.

It is a time to have the debate, not rush into action, engage with people and look at the art of the possible, he told local outlet Cornwall Live.

It comes after Venice, in Italy, became the worlds first city to introduce a levy for tourists to thin the crowds that throng its canals.

Simone Venturini, the city councillor responsible for tourism and social cohesion, said the scheme would help Venice find a new balance. But the 5 charge caused hundreds to protest against what they viewed as a move to turn Venice into a theme park.

Mr Bell says a Cornwall tax should be applied in tandem with neighbouring Devon to avoid forcing tourists away from Cornwall. There is no point in Devon not having one and us having one, he said.

But the tax must be used to directly fund local business, he said, instead of going back to the Treasury as per normal taxes. He noted how the UK is already one of the highest-taxed visitor economies in Europe, second only to France, but that this money does not go back into the local economy.

The normal argument would be we need some distribution of the money that already goes to His Majestys Treasury to instead go back into local levels, he said.

open image in gallery Padstow is a magnet for tourism in Cornwall ( PA Archive )

He believes that tourists would be happy to pay the tax if they knew that the money would go back into the local economy.

We have 85 per cent repeat business in Cornwall  holidaymakers who regularly return would want the levy to help Cornwall and its residents, he said. If holidaymakers want to contribute, if they think its going to the right cause, I wouldnt mind.

That Cornwall is such a popular destination also suggests a desire for well-maintained local environments, he said, which is a further argument for a tax that helps protect the regions natural beauty and wildlife.

People are cynical and want reassurance that their extra payment is going towards something appropriate, he said. But if it is just another levy added onto VAT and taxes? That is probably not what people want to see.

Cornwall Council has launched a councillor-led inquiry aimed at improving the year-round benefits of tourism while supporting locals with well-paid employment and community services.

Some of the ideas put forward at a council meeting in January included urging the government to stagger school holidays and bringing in a registration scheme for short-term Airbnb-style holiday lets.

Another was a tourist tax, with councillor Mike Thomas, a former schoolteacher, calling for the option to be taken more seriously.
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A restaurant at Orlandos Walt Disney World Resort has become the first theme park eatery to earn a Michelin star.

Victoria and Alberts, which opened in 1988 at Disneys Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, made history on 18 April when it became the first and only restaurant owned and operated by a US theme park to earn the coveted award.

The fine-dining establishment, which is self-styled as the culinary crown jewel of the resort, is located just minutes away from the gates of the Magic Kingdom area. But take note, it does not allow diners under the age of 10, despite its location in one of Disneys most famed theme park destinations.

Unsurprinsgly, meals at Victoria and Alberts dont come cheap, with fixed-price menus starting at $295 (236) per person, and wine pairings offered from $115 (92). The menu changes seasonally, but example dishes include gazpacho, Miyazaki wagyu beef and desserts involving champagne and various liqeurs.

The restaurant has a strict dress code too, with the website stating that guests are expected to dress accordingly in semi-formal/formal attire that respects the restaurants elegant and opulent aesthetic.

The Michelin website states that the star was awarded for high quality cooking, explaining that the setting is intimate, and the pacing is that of a leisurely, three-hour waltz orchestrated by a gracious brigade of veteran servers.

Though it is by no means an easy reservation, Victoria and Alberts offers water lists, an ornate coffee and tea service, and a serious wine program alongside its impressive dishes, while head chef Matthew Sowers cooks with contemporary verve and draws on influences spanning from Asia to the Nordics.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Sowers said that it is an incredible honor to be recognized by Michelin for the innovative dining experience our team brings to life here.

He added: Everybody on our team earned this Star, from our stewards to our culinarians to our pastry chefs, and we hope to inspire future generations of culinary professionals to follow their dreams.
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I have Barbadian heritage and am contemplating retiring there, a reader writes from London. I aim to fly out to Barbados next month and stay there for between three and six months while I decide whether to emigrate.

Sounds an idyllic plan. But, she continues: I want to buy what I understand to be an open ticket, so I can come back whenever I Iike. But I cant see how to book one. Let me try to help.

In the olden days, when flights were, for most people, prohibitively expensive, open tickets were common. If you could afford to buy a plane ticket, then you could choose a return date within a year. What with fares being so high, flight loads were generally light and you would be very likely to find a seat whenever you wished.

Today, the idea of an open ticket has more or less vanished. Most of us commit to specific flights, knowing it will be expensive or impossible to change them. The closest equivalent to an open ticket is a flexible return. But you pay a fortune for the benefit of being able to change travel dates without penalty.

To illustrate the difference, I made some test bookings on British Airways from London Heathrow to Barbados: flying out on 1 May and returning five months later, on 1 October.

The fully flexible fare is currently 2,591, and allows you to change your dates or get a full refund without penalty. Effectively, it is an open ticket. But, inconveniently, it is almost three times as expensive as the cheapest economy fare, which is 883; if you are flexible with dates either way, you can slice a couple of hundred pounds off the cost.

With the less expensive ticket, BA says you can change each segment for a fee of 150 plus any difference in fare. The difference between the fare on the day you buy and the prevailing price on the day you decide to change is impossible to predict, but could easily run into hundreds of pounds. Even so, the best plan may be to book the lowest fare, come up with a plausible return date, and do your best to stick to it.

Hang on, though: what is wrong with the reasonable strategy of booking a one-way ticket, then sorting out the inbound leg separately?

Unfortunately, aviation is about as irrational as any industry could be. Remember that 883 round trip? If you book only the outbound segment, covering half the number of miles, the price from British Airways does not halve  it more than doubles, to 1,757 one way.

Fortunately, BAs sister airline, Aer Lingus, can restore some sanity to the situation. Until the end of May, the Irish carrier flies from Manchester to Barbados. It has a simple single-leg pricing structure. For the journey outbound on 1 May, the fare is 643; add an extra 30 or so for the train fare from London, booked in advance.

Coming home, Aer Lingus will no longer be in contention. But there will be many other options, plus plenty of time to find the best deal. If British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are too expensive to London, then JetBlue via New York will save cash. Or perhaps another airline will have stepped up with fresh flights between Barbados and the UK.

To return to the original question: why do open tickets no longer really exist? Because airlines deploy the dark art of revenue management to fill as many seats as they can on each flight. By persuading many passengers to commit in advance, they can maximise the load factor. When performed effectively, this helps them extract the highest possible revenue. And that strategy, they would say, enables them to keep connecting the UK with beautiful Caribbean islands.
With luxurious hotels, stunning scenery and an alluring culinary heritage, Grenada is a Caribbean feast for the senses. Dive into the bustling markets, where the scent of spices mingles with the sound of lively chatter, and each bite is a culinary adventure that reflects the islands diverse influences. Look closer, and youll find Grenadas charm infused in all its draws  from the pampering spas that use the islands famous produce, to the high-octane adventures found within this natural wonder of a destination.

With flexible payment options, generous baggage allowance and famously high standards of hotels and car hire, theres no one better to travel to this paradise island with than British Airways Holidays. So for those who thought Spice Island is all about the food and culture, its time to think again.

Relaxation

Relax to the max on one of Grenadas 40 soul-nourishing beaches ( Alamay )

Where better to get away from it all than the Antilles archipelago, and more specifically, Grenada. Enter holiday mode instantly at one of its heavenly hotels, where guests leave their stresses at the palm-lined threshold. This year, luxury wellness brand Six Senses joins the fold, and will be bookable with British Airways Holidays.

Grenadas 40 cream-white beaches are the soul-nourishing antidote to modern life. They include the breath-taking Grand Anse beach, often cited as one of the worlds best thanks to its 2-mile crescent of soft sand, flanked by the shade of almond and palm trees on one side and tranquil waters on the other.

Romance

With atmospheric sunsets and beautiful luxury hotels, its easy to get caught up in the romance of Grenada ( Alamay )

True love grows even deeper in the right conditions  and thats exactly what youll find in Grenada. Its set up for barefoot dinners on fairylit beaches with a loved one, and gazing at a star-dusted sky at night, warmed by the Caribbean breeze.

During the day, the islands lush environs deliver a stunning backdrop for couples to rekindle their romance. Visit the easily accessible Concord Falls to start, and if the mood takes you, continue on a 45-minute hike to the secluded Au Coin Waterfall, where you just might have the place to yourselves.

Couples are spoiled for choice on where to stay, because Grenada is abundant with luxury hotels ready to indulge couples. At the boutique hideaway of Calabash, for example, each of the 30 rooms are furnished with deep, inviting baths and Elemis products for a decadent stay. Further south, Silversands is an intimate, five-star hotel with a 100m long swimming pool that stretches onto the famous Grand Anse beach. Its the ideal place to watch the sun set gently over the Caribbean horizon  surely a shared memory to last a lifetime.

Adventure

Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park is a must visit for keen adventurers ( Grenada )

If thrills and spills are on top of the holiday agenda, Grenada is bursting with options. The island offers soft adventure and daredevil activities for kids, grandparents, and everyone in between. As the jewel of Grenadas water activities, youll want to see Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park whether by glass-bottomed boat, snorkelling or diving. Keep an eye out for the newest addition of The Coral Carnival: a series of 25 colourful sculptures inspired by Grenadas famous annual carnival of Spicemas. Further afield, experienced divers can see barracudas and eagle rays within Bianca C, the largest shipwreck in the Caribbean.

Nothing beats an exhilarating hike through Grenadas lush rainforests ( Grenada )

On terra firma, hikers of every level can pick their path through the islands lush rainforests, or explore Grand Etang National Park to uncover families of wild monkeys and exotic birds in their natural environment. Whatever your appetite for adventure, Grenadas ready to satisfy.

To find out more and book your Grenada holiday visit ba.com/grenada
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A new survey by Which? has revealed that holidamakers can save over 100 a week on a UK summer stay by booking their cottage in less popular  yet equally pleasant  countryside destination.

There are noticeable savings to be found by swapping popular destinations for nearby alternatives. For example, opting for the Brecon Beacons rather than Snowdonia could save you an average of 161 a week.

Similarly, the average cost of a cottage in Cornwall is 1,317 a week, but customers can save an average of 130 per week if they head to nearby Devon instead. In the north of England, you can save around 100 on a weeks stay if you choose to book in Cumbria rather than in the Lake District.

Read more: Best Lake District hotels

The consumer champion analysed over 200,000 cottage prices for August this year, and found that on average, customers will pay 1,006 for a weeks stay in cottage accommodation.

Northern Ireland was the most affordable region, with a one-week stay in a one or two bed holiday cottage coming in at just 762.

Shropshire and Lancashire are the second and third cheapest regions, with a weeks stay priced at 821 and 827 respectively, while Durham/Tyne and Wear and the Peak District round off the top five for affordability.

The consumer champion also provided data on the best and worst holiday cottage providers. More than 4,000 people were surveyed about their experiences with various companies over the last two years, with participants asked to give ratings in categories such as quality of accommodation, value for money and customer service. An overall customer score was calculated based on overall satisfaction and likeliness to recommend.

Based on these ratings, the Landmark Trust took top spot with a score of 90 per cent, with five stars given in almost every category. Close behind was Rural Retreats, with a score of 88 per cent, and both providers secured Which? Recommended Provider status.

Toad Hall Cottages (85 per cent), National Trust Cottages (84 per cent) and Classic Cottages (82 per cent) completed the top five providers. At the other end of the table, Norfolk Cottages and Vrbo came at the bottom of the rankings, with scores of 68 per cent and 69 per cent respectively.

Naomi Leach, deputy editor of Which? Travel, said that booking the right UK holiday cottage can sometimes feel overwhelming, with no guarantee that glossy marketing pictures will measure up when you collect the keys.

She added: With average prices topping a thousand pounds for a weeks stay, its more important than ever to ensure youre getting value for money from your break.

The top rated companies in our survey deliver this and more. Whether youre seeking a unique heritage address or a room with a view, our recommended providers are a great place to start your search.
Slow travel beats flying when it comes to making the most of your holiday, a panel of experts assembled for The Independents latest virtual event agreed.

Experts Mark Smith (aka Man in Seat 61), Anna Hughes (from Flight Free UK), and Helen Coffey (author of Zero Altitude) discussed the benefits of staying grounded with climate correspondent Louise Boyle.

Suggestions included ditching departure lounges, cramped airplanes and long security queues for time-efficient sleeper trains, scenic ferry journeys and thrilling cycle rides.

To find out about our next virtual event and how to sign up click here.
A doctor has explained the science behind AstraZenecas admission that their Covid jab can cause blood clots.

The pharmaceutical giant admitted its widely used vaccine, branded Covishield, can cause rare side effects including blood clots and low platelet count.

A class action lawsuit filed in the UK claimed that the vaccine led to deaths and severe injuries and sought damages up to 100m for about 50 victims.

Doctor Nighat Arif explained more about the science behind the study when she appeared on This Morning on Tuesday (30 April).

She also reassured people that side effects are very, very rare.
A Barclays London office has been cordoned off by police this morning (1 May) after pro-Palestine protesters are alleged to have sprayed the building with red paint.

Police have taped off the building close to Moorgate Underground Station.

Red paint can be seen all over the building entrance and over the cash dispensers.

A Palestine Action red paint canister has been left at the scene.

The Independent has contacted Barclays, Palestine Action, and the City of London Police for further information.
Watch as the NYPDs police commissioner, Edward Caban, brandishes a chain he claims was used by Columbia University students to lock out officers before a dramatic campus raid.

"They tried to lock us out, but the NYPD and people of the city of New York will never be locked out," Mr Caban said, waving the chain.

NY congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the police's approach "a nightmare in the making" after video emerged of officers dragging away protesters and breaking into college buildings occupied by students with SWAT-style equipment.

The Washington Post reported that some officers were seen with their guns drawn as 300 people were arrested at the campus on Tuesday night (30 April).

New York City mayor Eric Adams said outside agitators forced Columbia University to call the police as a building was seized by protesters.
New York mayor Eric Adams said outside agitators forced Columbia University to call the police as a building was seized by pro-Palestine protesters.

Hundreds of NYPD officers stormed the campus on Tuesday, 30 April, with dozens of student protesters thought to have been detained.

Law enforcement was seen entering an upper storey of the building protesters renamed Hind Hall in memory of a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in January.

Columbia authorities said they had no choice to bring police in, describing Hamilton Hall as having been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded.

Young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalising our children... Outside agitators were on [Columbia] grounds training and co-opting this movement, Mr Adams said on Wednesday (1 May).
Police used a ladder to enter Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after the building was seized by pro-Gaza protesters.

Hundreds of NYPD officers stormed the campus on Tuesday, 30 April, with dozens of student protesters thought to have been detained.

Law enforcement was seen entering an upper storey of the building protesters renamed Hind Hall in memory of a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in January.

Columbia authorities said they had no choice to bring police in, describing Hamilton Hall as having been "occupied, vandalized, and blockaded.
A scrap metal truck blocked a highway in Valparaiso, Indiana, after overturning and spilling debris over the road on Wednesday, 1 May.

The commercial vehicle crashed close to the intersection of US Highway 30 and State Road 49, police said.

Scrap metal spilled out after the truck tipped over in the crash.

Authorities closed eastbound Highway 30 and the ramp from southbound State Road 49 to Highway 30 after the incident.

Drivers were told to avoid the area, and no injuries were reported.
The worlds joint-largest cargo ship has docked at Britains biggest and busiest container port.

Measuring 1,300ft, the MSC Loreto vessel is capable of holding 24,346 standard containers, which is currently the record number.

It shares this title with its sister vessel, the MSC Irina.

MSC Loreto arrived at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk from Le Havre in France on Tuesday evening (30 April).

The vessel, which is operated by the Swiss-headquartered Mediterranean Shipping Company, is due to set sail for the Algerian capital of Algiers on the countrys Mediterranean coast on Thursday.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has warned anyone displaying a swastika at a Palestine protest will be arrested.

Sir Mark issued the warning when he appeared on LBC on Wednesday (1 May) and stated: Displaying a swastika is an offence and you are going to be arrested.

The police boss however told presenter Nick Ferrari that protesters would probably not be arrested at a Ukraine protest for comparing Vladimir Putins Russian regime to Nazi Germany.

Sir Mark said officers have to take situations into context when attending various protests.
Police in Sheffield have provided an update after three people were injured in a secondary school stabbing on Wednesday morning (1 May).

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the attack at The Birley Academy, which went into lockdown.

A child was assaulted and two adults suffered minor injuries in the incident involving a sharp object, South Yorkshire Police said.

Police said in an update on Wednesday afternoon that the suspect was arrested within minutes of the initial emergency call.
Theresa May has ruled out a David Cameron-style return to politics once she steps down at the next election.

Speaking at a Chatham House event on Tuesday (30 April), Mrs May was asked by an audience member whether she would consider a return to frontline politics.

She replied: I set up a global commission on modern slavery and human trafficking last October.

I have just spent a day in New York at the United Nations talking about that global commission with some of my fellow commissioners and it is taking more time than I expected.

That is why I am stepping down from Parliament, so I think I am going to have plenty to do.
Data watchdogs Tinder probe could cost firm up to $60m

But dating app owner insists that there will be no unfavourable outcome from investigation

Tinder is being probed for its handling of subscribers' data

John Mulligan Wed 1 May 2024 at 03:30

The company behind dating app Tinder has warned investors that it could be hit by a loss of up to $60m (56m) if the final outcome of a probe by the Irish data protection watchdog goes against it.
We really see ourselves as going home  the US is our natural home

Flutter, owner of gambling brands Paddy Power and Betfair, is to move its primary market listing to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) by the end of this month.

At the companys AGM in Dublin today, the majority of shareholders voted to support the move from London.

We now anticipate we will shift our primary listing to the New York Stock Exchange by the end of May, chief executive Peter Jackson said at the meeting.

Well drop out of the FTSE100 and will do everything we can to make ourselves eligible for inclusion on the US indices as quickly as we can.

Flutter delisted from the Irish exchange earlier this year. It traded on the NYSE for the first time in January.

The groups focus remains on the US, with liquidity pools there described as much greater than in any other markets.

When you look at the equivalent market cap of businesses similar to ours in the US, the volume of trading will be significantly more than weve seen in London or Dublin, Mr Jackson said.

That means that people are prepared to take bigger stakes in companies, because they feel they can get in and get out.

He added that all stock markets in Europe, including the UK, need to be focused on how they can drive up liquidity, which he described as the true test of a health of an exchange.

Flutter expects almost half of its revenue this year to come from the US, while more than half of shareholders are based in the American market.

We really see ourselves as going home  the US is our natural home, Mr Jackson said.

He said the company supports the planned introduction of the Governments new Gambling Regulation Bill here in Ireland.

Were very happy with the vast majority of it, he said, adding that the group is engaging with consultation on a number of areas it feels should be addressed.

One particular concern is around the potential impact for unintended consequences if some of these are removed.

In February, Flutter said it expected group revenue growth of 17.5pc this year, while further adjusted Ebitda  adjusted Ebitda excluding share-based compensation  is expected to jump 30.2pc in 2024.
No Irish stock market-listed company has a female CEO for the first time since CPL floated in 1999

Call to lift target for woman on boards after Ires Reits Margaret Sweeney leaves top job

Margaret Sweeney has left Ires Reit

Caoimhe Gordon Wed 1 May 2024 at 15:17

A Government-backed group set up to promote corporate gender balance says the target for women in leadership roles should be lifted to 40pc, after the last female CEO of an Irish PLC stood down this week.
The owner of a four-storey building in Dublin has launched High Court proceedings against what it claims are up to 12 people unlawfully trespassing on the property.

Sumberry Limited has brought proceedings against Stephen Bedford and persons unknown who are alleged to be trespassing the property, which had formerly been a music shop, known as West End House, 134 James Street in the city.

The company says it bought the building in 2021 for 800,000, and last year it secured planning permission to develop it into 11 apartments.

However it claims that the property, which had previously been unoccupied and boarded up, has been occupied by several unknown parties since sometime last January.

It is claimed that Mr Bedford was seen attending at the property on several occasions, but it is not known for certain if he is residing at the property.

Neither Mr Bedford nor any of the other persons alleged to be trespassing or occupying the property have any permission or lawful reason to be present at the building and have refused to leave, the plaintiff claims.

The building is not suitable for residential accommodation and, Sunberry says, it has health and safety concerns for those currently in occupation.

It claims that it is currently unable to access the property, which was not previously used for residential purposes and may not have a working fire alarm system in place.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 1st May 2024

Represented by David Geoghegan Bl, and instructed by solicitor Gartlan Furey, Sunberry seeks various orders from the court including an injunction restraining the defendants from continuing to occupy the property.

It also seeks orders restraining the defendants from preventing the owners from accessing the building and that the defendants vacate and cease trespassing at the property.

Counsel said that while his client does not know the names of the majority of the people in the property, it had been alleged in other proceedings that recently came before the High Court that Mr Bedford was one of several individuals who were unlawfully trespassing at a property on Haddington Road in Dublin 4.

That action was struck out by the High Court last week after those alleged to be on that property left after proceedings were initiated against them, counsel said.

The matter came before Mr Justice Mark Sanfey on Tuesday.

The judge granted the plaintiff permission to serve short notice of the injunction application on the defendants.

The matter will return before the court next week.
As well as starring Tom Cruise, the eighth instalment also sees the return of Hayley Atwell.

Tom Cruise enlisted the help of hawks to deter pigeons from the set of the latest Mission: Impossible film, according to a new report.

Filming for the action movie franchise is under way across the UK, and recently the production turned to London's Trafalgar Square for its next high-octane film sequence.

But there was a catch  the three million pigeons that call London home, and the thousands that gather at the landmark every day.

In a bid to ensure the pigeons didnt interfere with production, film handlers introduced hawks to discourage them from coming near.

A source told The Sun: It was a clever move and meant the scenes were filmed without a hitch.

Over the weekend, Cruise and his co-star Simon Pegg, who plays Benji Dunn, were seen filming a dramatic scene at London's Trafalgar Square.

'Mission: Impossible 8' starring Tom Cruise was initially scheduled for a summer 2024 release

In photos obtained by MailOnline, the landmark was transformed with American soldiers and police for an action-packed sequence, featuring Cruises character, Ethan Hunt, outside a specially constructed tube station, while a military tank was placed nearby.

The actor was also recently spotted shooting in the heart of Westminster, just roads away from Downing Street.

Scenes for the eighth film have also been shot across Derbyshire, Surrey and other central London landmarks including the Natural History Museum in Kensington.

The untitled film, which will likely be called Mission: Impossible  Dead Reckoning Part Two, is scheduled to come out in May 2025. Mission: Impossible  Dead Reckoning Part One was released in last July.

Mission: Impossible 8 was initially scheduled for a summer 2024 release, but production faced setbacks amid the Hollywood writers' strike.

Originally, filming paused to allow the cast to promote Part One, and then the strike prolonged the delay.

As well as starring Cruise, the eighth instalment will also see the return of stars Pegg, Ving Rhames, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff and Vanessa Kirby.
Based on the popular historical mystery novels by the late CJ Sansom, Shardlake should be a hit  but its just no fun

Shardlake doesnt come with a title sequence, but it could probably do with one. Im imagining an old-school 1970s montage here, the kind that introduces characters with a wink, a nod and some nifty wind instruments and epic percussion. (Badum-badum-badum) Arthur Hughes is (dum-dum-dum-dum) SHARDLAKE! That sort of thing. Heck, Id go for a True Detective-esque intro, if you have one. At best, some snappy animated visuals at the top might help us to understand whats happening. It might also give us a break from the incessant chit-chat.

Indeed, the people in Shardlake (Disney+) like to talk, a lot, but nothing ever sticks. Sean Beans Thomas Cromwell tries to explain Shardlakes mission to us, but he does so in a way that makes it sound complicated and boring. Something about a murdered commissioner in the fictional coastal town of Scarnsea and how he wants the renowned lawyer Matthew Shardlake to investigate the matter. Oh, look at that  maybe I do know whats happening. I just needed to step away from it for a minute.

Shardlake | Official Trailer

The year is 1536, a reformation is afoot, and Henry VIII has ordered the dissolution of Catholic monasteries throughout his kingdom. Beans Cromwell is a wee bit excited about it all, but the dead commissioner appears to have spoilt his fun, and so he orders his henchman, Jack Barak (Anthony Boyle), to fetch Shardlake (Arthur Hughes) for a job. Its a simple one, really: find out what happened in Scarnsea, or else. You will not fail me, says Cromwell, and we are inclined to believe him.

Shardlake isnt fond of Barak, and the feeling may be mutual, but theyll need to get along and do what theyre told if they want to keep their heads. After arriving at the monastery, the boys initiate a heavy-handed investigation that angers the monks, most of whom appear to be hiding secrets from their superiors. The mood isnt great, basically, and a cunning Sherlock  sorry, Shardlake  wont stop until he has solved the mystery of the decapitated commissioner.

Arthur Hughes in Shardlake. Photo: Disney+, Inc/ Martin Mlaka

Throw in a hooded, Batman-esque villain, an ill priest and a yappy protagonist who likes to think out loud when nobody is around (more on that in a moment), and you have yourself a proper television puzzle. The problem is this: its just no fun.

Based on the popular historical mystery novels by the late CJ Sansom, who died this week on April 27, Shardlake should be a hit. On the one hand, its brilliantly cast, and the murder bit is a genuine head-scratcher. On the other, its silly (not in a good way), convoluted, and occasionally difficult to follow.

Shardlake is one of a growing number of complex historical dramas (heres looking at you, Franklin) that forgets to provide meaningful context for the viewer. There is some, but not nearly enough. We are not asking for characters to spell things out for us  the last thing we need is for an irksome supporting player to step into the frame so they can provide a detailed summary of Tudor-era politics. But a gentle take-off would be nice.

Watching it is like listening to a conversation that started before you entered the room

Instead, Shardlake throws us straight in the deep end. Watching it is like listening to a conversation that started before you entered the room, and its only afterwards that you realise what everyone was talking about. That gets annoying after a while, and visually, Shardlake  with its stagey sets, watery CGI, and fresh-out-of-the-box costumes  doesnt fare much better. Director Justin Chadwick shoots his series like a daytime murder mystery, and its a bad look for this sort of set-up.

Anthony Boyle in Shardlake. Photo: Disney+, Inc/ Adrienn Szabo

Meanwhile, our enthusiastic performers appear to be on different pages. A scenery-chewing Sean Bean perhaps knows he is in limited demand with this story, and so he does everything he can to make sure we notice him when hes around. Belfast actor Boyle  a decent performer, brilliant with accents  marches about the place like hes in The Tudors. And then theres Hughes, the undeniable star who approaches his character with delicacy, sincerity and low-key charm.

Shardlake has scoliosis, and Hughes, who has radial dysplasia affecting his right arm, portrays him as a man who refuses to allow his disability to define him. Strangers stare and call him names, but Shardlake almost always gets the better of them. Hes a tremendous character; clever, confident and wonderful to watch, and Hughes is perfect for the role. But our level-headed sleuth also has an unusual habit of speaking to himself about the case whenever hes alone  a neat literary device, for sure, but on screen it just sounds terrible. Great performers, but the show around them needs some work.

Shardlake is now streaming on Disney+
All-boys secondary school in Dublin to welcome girls for the first time in 50 years

St Davids College in Artane says it is a more natural environment

St David's CBS in Artane to welcome girls into first year next September

Sarah Burke Wed 1 May 2024 at 03:30

An all-boys secondary school in Dublin is following the growing trend towards co-education by welcoming girls for the first time later this year.
A person who has been convicted of sexual assault practised as a dentist in Ireland but a lack of legal powers by the body regulating the profession meant it could not act, it was revealed yesterday.

Speaking out on the how the Dental Council is hamstrung, David OFlynn, registrar of the body which is the watchdog for dentists, said outdated legislation overseeing dentists introduced in the 1980s means patients can be put at risk.

He outlined to the Oireachtas Health Committee a series of cases where the watchdog is hampered from taking action due to a lack of updated legal powers.

He referenced a person who repeatedly failed to diagnose a severe infection in a young child, and another dentist here who had been struck off in two other European countries.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 1st May 2024

The council has received notifications from other international regulators concerning around 40 registered dentists who have had sanctions applied in other countries.

The Dental Council was unable to act as these dentists were already on the Irish register when sanctioned, he said.

He also highlighted serious infection prevention and control matters including a dentist working from a Portakabin.

There are numerous incidences where concerns were raised about instruments not being properly sterilised and reports of a dentist leaving bloodied extracted teeth on a radiator.

How can the Dental Council protect patients when the current Act does not allow the council to enter a dental premises or to take account of overseas sanctions that come to light after a dentist is registered? he asked.

On one occasion a tattoo artist contacted me to ask me to inspect their dentists practice because they were concerned about the standards of infection prevention and control. She was concerned that the dentist was not sterilising his instruments properly as she saw dirty instruments in a sink.

She outlined the processes she follows in her studio to prevent infection spreading  which were very similar to the Dental Councils infection prevention and control standards  and she had valid concerns. She wanted the Dental Council to inspect, and she was incredulous that we had no powers to enter or inspect a dental practice.

There are other serious concerns too, as there is no statutory obligation on a dentist to maintain their competence. A dentist can leave dental school and, over a 40-year working career, can never be asked to demonstrate to the regulator that they remain competent to practise dentistry.

Dentistry is an outlier in this regard, both in terms of the regulated healthcare professions in Ireland and in dentistry internationally.

He told the committee that the Dentists Act, 1985 generally only allows the Dental Council to act in retrospect  after the harm has happened. A modern system of regulation must allow the regulator to take proactive steps and try to step in before harm is done.

He added a further concern is that there is no register of dental practices and no way to hold practice owners who are not dentists to account.

An unregistered person is practising dentistry in north Dublin. The practice is not owned by a registered dentist and there is no way to hold the owners of this practice to account, he said.

He was hopeful of some progress and that a dental section has been established in the Department of Health.

Although a new act will take time, the council has proposed a series of amendments to the current legislation around inspection and a competence scheme which could be introduced on an interim basis, he added.
EU states are putting politics before people, the Oireachtas Justice Committee has been told.

Family is also a key driver for migrants coming here, TDs and Senators were told.

Migrant rights groups raised serious concerns with the EU Migration Pact with politicians at the committee, with Nick Henderson of the Irish Refugee Council saying it has various red lights flashing.

Politicians at EU level want to be seen to be doing something, Edel McGinley of Migrant Rights Centre told the committee.

It tries to harmonise things on an unprecedented scale, and so its very political, the Pact. Its less about people and their rights and more about how the Member States respond to this.

It doesnt have people and their rights at its core and thats the fundamental flaw with this.

She said the political pact came out of the migrant crisis in 2015, where people were fleeing war and seeking asylum in the EU.

We are eroding rights of the people who are coming here seeking safety, she said.

We should be looking to enhance peoples rights and not erode them.

She said she was very concerned about gardai being deployed to help with immigration enforcement duties and that this would mean racial profiling of people.

Were very concerned that that means profiling along the border and that theres going to be in ethnic profiling in the state, she said.

Responding to Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon, Ms McGinley said this will be very distressing for people and very detrimental.

We dont require all Irish people to carry their passports so how are we going identify people on buses and trains crossing the border?

She said it is better to resource and implement the migration systems in place in Ireland already.

That comment was echoed by Mr Henderson, who said existing migration structures should be resourced.

He said there is an expectation that the pact will solve very serious challenges but he said existing laws should be implemented.

Migrants are coming to Ireland from a different EU state to be with their families already settled here, according to Fiona Hurley, CEO of Nesc, the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre.

FF Senator Robbie Gallagher asked why asylum seekers who flee a war-torn state come to EU and then to Ireland.

What we would hear might be that someone might have a family member in the state so they move to Ireland to be with the family member who is already settled here, said Ms Hurley.

Family seems to be a key driver from what we have heard, from people who access our service.
One of the first Irish cuckoos tagged as part of a Cuckoo Tracking Project has landed home in Killarney National Park.

Cuach KP has come back to Ireland after a winter spent in the rainforests of the Congo Basin in Central Africa, the National Parks and Wildlife Service has confirmed.

Cuckoos, or Cuach as Gaeilge, are summer migrants to Ireland, as they usually reside here from April to early July after spending winter in Africa.

Three Irish cuckoos were tagged in Killarney National Park in May last year. Cuach KP was the first to successfully make the 9,000km journey home for the summer, which covered two continents and several countries.

He arrived in Ireland on Monday and made a short stop in Fermoy on his way home to Derrycunihy in Killarney.

The Cuckoo Tracking Project was set up by the National Park and Wildlife Service with the British Trust for Ornithology last year to understand the birds migration patterns and the habitat pressures on the cuckoo population.

All birds were given names and fitted with satellite tags to track their movements.

The cuckoos have been well-studied during the breeding season, however very little is known about the routes they take once they head off on migration for the winter months.

Minister of State for Nature Malcolm Noonan said the birds return is a real success story for the Cuckoo Tracking Project.

Projects like this really help us to learn more about precious birds, such as the cuckoo and how we can all keep them safe, he said.

Meanwhile, Killarney National Park divisional manager Eamonn Meskell said the Park is delighted that Cuach KP has found his way home to Killarney during the first year of this monitoring project.

"Cuckoos are such an intriguing bird and one that we associate with the arrival of summer.

"All of us at Killarney National Park are now hoping that the two other birds tagged as part of this project will follow and join him here over the coming days, he said.

NPWS conservation ranger Sam Bayley added: Satellite tagging gives us a clear picture of the cuckoos' journey for the first time, to Africa and back to Ireland. KPs journey was a round trip of nearly 9,000km, ending with an epic sea crossing from northern Spain direct to Ireland across the Bay of Biscay.

"Big sea crossings haven't been recorded in cuckoos in Europe before, so thats a really interesting twist, he said.

The system currently shows that other cuckoos from the project are also on their way home. Cuach Torc is currently in the vicinity of Brittany in France, while Cuach Cores left Algeria yesterday and is the last of the three to leave.
Irelands longest-serving female councillor is hoping to continue her 50-year reign

Kilkenny councillor Mary Hilda Cavanagh said: I have said this in the past, in order to be elected as a woman you might have to be a little bit better than any man

Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh was first elected to Kilkenny County Council in 1974

Aisling Bolton-Dowling Fri 7 Jun 2024 at 10:32

Mary Hilda Cavanagh is a name that is synonymous with politics in Ireland.
Fionnuala Mee with a newborn lamb that should be running in the field which is now flooded in Funshinagh, Co Roscommon. Photo: Brian Farrell

The Seanad has heard a call for the Oireachtas to write to a judge at the centre of flooding in Co Roscommon in a bid to drain the floodwater.

Fianna Fail senator Eugene Murphy said he is deeply disturbed and hurt by the flooding at Lough Funshinagh and called it a humanitarian crisis.

The Attorney General is now understood to be examining the issue to see what may be done.

This is not just another flooding issue. This is a humanitarian crisis at this stage, Senator Murphy told the Seanad.

Roscommon County Council first sought to drain floodwater at the lake in June 2021 under emergency provisions in the Local Authorities (Works) Act 1949.

This was successfully challenged in the High Court by Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) citing EU law on habitats and other environmental protections given to Lough Funshinagh as a special area of conservation.

A second attempt by the council citing emergency provisions in the Planning and Development Act, was again successfully challenged by FIE.

As part of the scheme, the council had proposed to construct a 3km pipeline, designed to take water from Lough Funshinagh, a seasonal lake 12km from Athlone to nearby Lough Ree.

Senator Murphy told the Seanad that objections to draining the lake have defeated any purpose of helping the environment.

The flora, the fauna is dead. The birdlife is gone, the wildlife is gone. The tree life, the bush life, its all dead. Stagnant water causes disease and causes all of the environment to be destroyed, he said.

For the life of me I cannot understand how people call themselves environmentalists cannot see this situation.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 1st May 2024

Senator Murphy said the Attorney General is working with Taoiseach Simon Harris and the Tanaiste on the issue.

He said a part of the Oireachtas can write to the judge and ask him to temporarily lift the order so a part of the lake can be drained.

I would urge that we consider writing to the judge, Garrett Simons, Senator Murphy said.

Ive read many of his judgements, a very good man. I believe he would have compassion.

Part of the Oireachtas can actually write to a judge and seek this. And seek his compassion in some way, that on a temporary basis, we could lift this order to allow some water to be removed from the lake.

Senator Murphy said the new OPW Minister Kieran ODonnell has been excellent and engaged on the issue.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin is due to visit the flooding in a number of weeks.
Housing and immigration likely to be key issues for voters

Anna Hackett and Katie Smith of the European Parliaments Liaison Office launch the Use Your Vote campaign to mobilise voter turnout. Photo: Marc OSullivan

More than 70 candidates will have their names on the ballot for European Parliament elections next month, with Midlands-North-West the most heavily contested constituency.

Nominations for election closed yesterday, with 74 candidates in total standing in all three constituencies on June 7.

Midlands-North-West will have 28 candidates on the ballot  with five seats to fill  including two sitting MEPs and a number of high-profile candidates in former jockey Nina Carberry, ex-broadcaster Ciaran Mullooly and businessman Peter Casey.

There are 23 candidates running in the four-seat Dublin constituency.

A further 23 will contest the European election in the five-seat Ireland South constituency.

Nine incumbent MEPs are running for re-election across the country  including a number of sitting TDs and senators.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 1st May 2024

TDs Brid Smith and Aodhan O Riordain are among candidates in Dublin, with Aontu leader Peadar Toibin standing for election in Midlands-North-West.

Fianna Fail MEPs Barry Andrews and Billy Kelleher will be looking to defend their seats. As will Green Party incumbents Grace OSullivan and Ciaran Cuffe.

Sinn Fein MEP Chris MacManus is among those hoping to retain his seat in the packed constituency of Midlands-North-West.

While party colleague Michelle Gildernew is also hoping to win a seat in the European parliament.

Sitting MEPs Mick Wallace, Clare Daly and Luke Ming Flanagan will also seek re-election, while Fine Gael incumbents Maria Walsh and Sean Kelly are also running again.

Taoiseach Simon Harris will be under pressure to retain both seats and make gains for Fine Gael as the European and local elections mark his first outing as party leader.

The lengthy list of candidates means counts could take days to reach their conclusion.

Voters are likely to be motivated by a number of key issues, including immigration and housing when they cast their votes next month.

Candidates from all mainstream parties are set to contest the election, alongside others from groupings such as the National Party, the Irish People, Irish Freedom Party and Ireland First.

There are a number of non-party candidates in the running in each constituency, with Classic Hits broadcaster Niall Boylan among three hopefuls running under the new Independent Ireland banner.

Businessman and former presidential candidate Peter Casey will be standing for election as an independent candidate.
A photograph of a young leatherback turtle taken by an Irish marine biologist will be used in the latest US postal stamp.

Rowan Byrne from Sutton, Co Dublin, took a photograph of the leatherback sea turtle hatchling in 2006 while working on preventing the poaching of sea turtles in Dominica in the Caribbean.

The photo was taken on the seabed on Rosalie beach on the east coast of Dominica island, facing the Wild Atlantic.

Mr Byrne described having his photograph selected for the US stamp as a great honour, and he also hopes the stamp will raise awareness of this endangered species.

Leatherback turtle on the new USPS stamp. Photo: Rowan Byrne.

The Dubliner went to Dominica in 2003 to set up a sea turtle protection project on Rosalie Beach.

"The project was funded by Ms Beverly Diekel and Patris Oscar of Rosalie Bay Resorts. She hired me to do sea turtle research on the beach, he said.

Leatherback sea turtles were poached on the island as part of the island's culture.

Leatherback sea turtle hatchlings are only two to three inches long, and when they hatch, they dig their way out of the sandy nest and scurry across the beach to the sea.

Gulls and crabs often scoop up the hatchlings before they make it to the water, resulting in only one in 1,000 turtles surviving to adulthood.

Hatchlings often die of dehydration if they dont make it to the ocean fast enough.

Mr Byrne would relocate sea turtle eggs each night from the laying female into a new nest higher up the beach to save them from being washed away by strong Atlantic waves.

Hatchings would emerge from 70 to 80 days later, and Mr Byrne would visit the nests regularly.

The leatherback sea turtles remember where they are born as the Earths magnetic fields on this beach are imprinted into their minds. In the future, they will return to the nest again at Rosalie Beach.

The marine biologist was also tracking the turtles, and his satellite once tracked a nesting leatherback sea turtle in 2007. Mr Byrne named this turtle Doris after his mentor  Dr Fish, a marine biologist at Aberystwyth University.

After eight months, Doris followed Mr Byrne home to Ireland, swimming across the ocean from the Caribbean.

Mr Byrne was determined to dedicate his life to the sea from a young age, as his passion for marine biology stems from his childhood fascination with sharks.

Therefore, he decided to study marine biology soon after he finished school and has worked in the field ever since.

The new US stamp is due to be on pre-order sale from May 11 and will be on the general sale from June 11.
The go-ahead has been given for two new Dublin hospitals in Blanchardstown and Crumlin in an attempt to speed up the treatment of waiting-list patients needing common procedures and reduce trolley pressures.

The new elective hospitals, with 25 theatres, will be built on the sites of Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown and Crumlin childrens hospital after Health Minister Stephen Donnelly obtained cabinet approval, the Irish Independent understands.

As well as providing gastrointestinal scopes, minor operations, outpatient treatment and diagnostics, they will cater for high-volume day procedures.

The long-awaited locations are expected to be announced shortly by Mr Donnelly.

Other elective hospitals are also being built in Galway and Cork.

It is believed the two new hospitals in Dublin will be of similar size to those being delivered in Cork and Galway, with each having up to 25 theatres, minor operation rooms and endoscopy suites.

Headway has been made in sites in Cork at St Stephens Hospital, Sarsfield Court and at Merlin Park Hospital in Galway.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 1st May 2024

The HSE last week tendered for an architect-led design team and project manager for both projects. It could be two years before construction starts on the hospitals.

The hospitals will concentrate on patients who are on waiting lists for scheduled care and will not have emergency departments, so nobody will be on a trolley.

The aim is to dramatically cut queues for public waiting-list patients and remove the hurdles faced by existing hospitals with emergency departments that suffer overcrowding, causing scheduled care to be postponed in order to free up beds.

The minister has insisted that new hospitals will mean greater patient flow, with fewer cancellations and delays triggered by seasonal surges, localised outbreaks and high levels of emergency attendances. There are concerns that some patients whose inpatient care is postponed due to lack of hospital beds are at risk of deterioration and ending up on an emergency trolley.

While the new hospitals are having to go through various stages of design and construction, the hope is that separately, a number of surgical hubs will be up and running this year and next.

The surgical hubs, where day procedures can be carried out on public patients, are planned for Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

The construction and fit-out of surgical hubs in Mount Carmel and Swords is under way and they are due to begin treating patients this year.

The other surgical hubs are progressing through the statutory planning and tender processes on an expedited schedule and are due to become operational in 2025.

Although progress has been made in reducing waiting times, the most recent numbers on public queues showed 86,813 needing surgery, 23,902 waiting for a gastrointestinal scope and 585,000 on outpatient lists.

Meanwhile, a three-person support team was appointed yesterday to devise a plan in the next four weeks to tackle the problem of overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick.

They include retired Sligo emergency consultant Fergal Hickey, a strong, outspoken critic of bed shortages, and Grace Rothwell, the former head of Waterford Hospital, along with Orla Kavanagh, Waterford hospitals director of nursing.
A number of protests took place against the Legacy Act, which created the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (Jonathan McCambridge/PA)

The man taking over responsibility for investigating unresolved Troubles deaths has challenged politicians in Northern Ireland to step up and support his work.

Peter Sheridan is commissioner for investigations at the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), which has become operational.

Mr Sheridan, a former senior police officer, said dealing with legacy was the outstanding issue still to be resolved from the Troubles.

Peter Sheridan was speaking in an interview with the PA news agency (Liam McBurney/PA)

The ICRIR was created by the Governments Legacy Act which received royal assent last year despite widespread opposition from political parties, victims organisations in Northern Ireland and the Irish government.

From Wednesday, all civil litigation and inquests into Troubles deaths will be stopped.

Prosecutions that are currently ongoing will continue to conclusion.

Bereaved families, victims and certain public authorities can request the ICRIR carry out an investigation.

The commission can refer cases for prosecution and can also deliver findings reports based on the balance of probabilities.

The ICRIR will open dedicated telephone, email and postal routes for victims to contact it about investigating their case.

But Troubles victims and survivors have been heavily critical of the Legacy Act, which they believe is shutting down access to justice and truth.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Mr Sheridan said he was not naive about the contested nature of the legislation which created the ICRIR.

He added: Given time, we hope that by dealing with victims and survivors, by putting them front and centre right the way through the process, hopefully that starts to build confidence in that community as they talk to each other.

But it also requires other people to step up, to start to support the commission, including our politicians.

Mr Sheridan said he understood that some people would continue to sit on the sidelines while legal challenges to the Legacy Act played out.

He added: But then the question is, once those things are dealt with, what then?

At some stage, people who constantly say they are there to support victims and survivors then have to demonstrate what they are going to do about it.

I mean across the board, state agencies, political parties are going to have to step up and demonstrate how are they going to support the work of the commission to get information for victims and survivors.

Mr Sheridan formerly served as a police officer in the RUC and PSNI and as chief of the peacebuilding organisation Co-Operation Ireland.

He said: This (legacy) is I think the outstanding issue of the conflict and we have to resolve this in this generation.

Young people I talk to, this is not their conflict, yet we are foisting it on them because we dont have the capacity, we havent had any agreement how we are going to deal with this and we are leaving it to another generation.

Inter-generational trauma is starting to happen.

Having argued all of this through Co-operation Ireland, I cant walk away and say that is somebody elses job.

I hope when we get through the politics, get through the bumps of it, over the next year or 18 months, I think there will be a settling down and then it is a matter of are people prepared to step up and help the commission.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris welcomed the ICRIR becoming operational (James Manning/PA)

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he was confident the commission could deliver results if it is given an opportunity to demonstrate its effectiveness.

He said: It is very welcome news that the commission can now proceed to conduct reviews on behalf of families and provide vital information about Troubles-related cases.

Individuals and families now have access to a dedicated, well resourced and effective mechanism to take forward the task of reviewing their case.

I encourage all those who continue to seek information, accountability and acknowledgment regarding what happened to them or their loved ones to engage wholeheartedly with the ICRIR.

In establishing the independent commission, we are doing something that has eluded successive governments since 1998. That is, delivering robust and effective mechanisms for addressing the legacy of the past, and providing more information and answers to families.

The commissions case support team can be contacted via telephone on 028 9036 2093, by email at Casesupport@icrir.independent-inquiry.uk and by post at ICRIR, FREEPOST

Telephone lines will be open between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday, apart from public holidays.
Simon Harris responds as British prime minister says Ireland cannot cherry pick international agreements amid asylum row

Taoiseach Simon Harris said of course no gardai would be sent to police the border with Northern Ireland

Rishi Sunak accuses Irish Government of cherry picking international agreements in asylum row

Christopher McKeon Wed 1 May 2024 at 18:50







British prime minister Rishi Sunak has urged the Irish Government not to send gardai into border areas amid a row over asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic.
Taoiseach Simon Harris got the backing of his parliamentary party tonight in his spat with British prime minister Rishi Sunak.

But there was an attack on the Minister for Justice at the Fianna Fail parliamentary party meeting  and a call for her to appear before it.

Cork East TD James OConnor said he had serious concerns about the performance of Helen McEntee, labelling as disastrous her performance at the Justice committee last week.

A serious conversation had to be had about her handling of law and order and Roderic OGormans role in the Department of Integration, he said.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin has played down internal Government tensions and is supportive of ministers from other parties.

But Mr Martin was told that Ms McEntee and Mr OGorman should both come before the Fianna Fail parliamentary party to answer questions and hear the concerns of backbench TDs.

Such guest appearances have become a feature of this Dail, although they are still uncommon.

Gardai remove 200 asylum seekers from Mount Street on coaches

At the Fianna Fail meeting, the Tanaiste said the amending legislation agreed this week would allow the return people to the UK under post-Brexit arrangements on the Common Travel Area (CTA).

He acknowledged that communication and engagement must improve on all fronts on the migrant issue.

Mr Martin said he wants to see a Covid-style response. Numbers of people claiming asylum have increased considerably over the past 18 to 24 months, and this has created significant challenges for the State, he said.

Political slogans or promises like we have seen  an apparent reference to Mr Sunak  wont solve the issue, the Tanaiste said.

Further cooperation on an international level and working with our EU partners is the only solution, he said.

The enhancement to the EU screening systems will help process applications faster, which is one of the keyways deal with the situation, he said.

Mr OConnor was supported by Senator Lisa Chambers, who is running in the West in the Euro elections.

There was also said to be audible support in the room.

Fine Gael party chairman Alan Farrell, meanwhile, confirmed the backing of members for the leader, who was reassured it would blow over.

Mr Harris said he was not being drawn into British politics, noting again that local elections are being held across the UK on Thursday.

The Taoiseach also told the parliamentary party meeting that the 268 people removed from the makeshift camp in Mount Street, Dublin, would not be coming back.

The Fine Gael leader said he was pleased with the multi-agency operation in Mount St and added there were serious humanitarian concerns with what had been going on beside the International Protection Office.

There were suggestions that it was a form of intimidation of officials and thereby an attempt to influence the entire Government.

Former Taoiseach and party leader Leo Varadkar did not attend the parliamentary party for the first time. The exchanges on migration and the international row over border crossings was said to be subdued, with Mr Harris winning praise for the co-ordinated Mount Street operation, which was said to have the support of the public.

A Fianna Fail source said: There were a few digs at McEntee and Roderic.

A Fine Gael source said some had stressed the need to be firm and fair with migrants, with a suggestion that we have been fair and we have to be firm.

But Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Public Enterprise, reminded members that migrants were contributing substantially to the economy, and were it not for them, a lot of jobs would be unfilled in our society.

Ms McEntee spoke to the Fine Gael meeting but her contribution was low-key and lasted less than a minute.

Mr Harris separately said good work is underway, outside of the Budgetary he will chair a meeting on Thursday to ensure further action on road safety.

On University Hospital Limerick, the Fine Gael meeting heard that an experienced team is now in place to work on patient flow for coming weeks following public outrage over the death of Aoife Johnston.
Labours Aodhan O Riordain says it is frankly hilarious that Kerry TD criticises government asylum policy Mr Healy-Rae hit back, saying he had been providing housing to people across all spectrums of life since he was 19 years old

Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae has been criticised for his condemnation of Government spending on immigration policies after he received 650,000 from the State to accommodate Ukrainian refugees.

During a Dail debate on the EUs Migration and Asylum Pact, Labour Party TD Aodhan O Riordain said he found it frankly hilarious to hear Mr Healy-Rae complain about the millions of euros the State is spending on immigration when he personally gained 650,000 for housing Ukrainian refugees.

The Labour TD also noted Mr Healy-Rae did not reference the State funding he received before he made a contribution during the debate on a Dail motion from the Rural Independent grouping.

Labours Aodhan O Riordain criticised the Kerry TD in Dail debate on EU Migration Pact

The motion called for a referendum on the migration pact because the grouping believes it to be a serious violation of our national sovereignty.

The decision about who we want to accept would be made neither by Irish authorities nor by Irish law, but rather by non-elected people in EU headquarters, the motion said.

Speaking during the debate, Mr Healy-Rae said the Government was failing dramatically in its job to tackle immigration. Any time that money, be it millions, or in this case billions of ruro, is being spent, our job as legislators is to question that, he said.

How dare people here criticise members of the Rural Independent Group and say that there is something wrong with us because we bring a very well thought-out and considered voicing of our concerns, he added.

Responding to Mr O Riordains criticism, Mr Healy-Rae said it is not illegal to provide accommodation, insisting he has been providing housing to people across all spectrums of life before he entered politics.

I started providing accommodation to people when I was 19 years old. Ive provided accommodation to students, workers and immigrants. I was asked to provide accommodation for Ukrainians so I did that. What fault do Labour have with that? he told the Irish Independent.

Maybe if Labour provide some positive suggestions on housing rather than just throwing out figures like building one millions homes.

And we saw what Labour are like in Government when they went in last time. They attacked womens pensions and they will never be forgiven for that, he added.

Rural Independent TD Mattie McGrath suggested during his Dail speech that the Government could introduce legislation to delay forthcoming elections.

Mr O Riordain also said he was also disappointed by Sinn Feins shift to the right on immigration because they previously presented themselves to the Irish people as a party of the left.

What they have done or attempted to do in this parliament, is to go to the right of government when it came to support for Ukrainian refugees to change their view on hate crime legislation at a whim, he said.

He said Sinn Feins comments on the EU Immigration and Asylum Pact was coming from the far-right playbook.

I think everyone in this house needs to reflect on what type of road they want to walk Irish politics down over the next number of years because if the atmosphere and the tension and the anger and the violence I have witnessed over the last number of months is anything to go by, were entering a very, very dark chapter in Irish politics, he said.

In her contribution, Sinn Feins Rose Conway-Walsh described the pact as nothing more than a cynical political fix designed to help political parties across the continent ahead of the European elections so they can say they are doing something.

Co-operation with EU member states is important but people want decisions on asylum made by the government that they elect. The EU pact does not mean anything to communities that see more and more of their hotels become unavailable for tourist accommodation or to people who have seen the neglect of services and resources in their towns, she said.
Men were seen wearing balaclavas and masks at a protest at a planned migrant accommodation site in Co Wicklow recently.

Intimidating, balaclava-clad protesters may see their masks form part of evidence against them, according to the Department of Justice.

Taoiseach Simon Harris last week said he needed a very simple answer on whether it is legal to wear balaclavas at protests.

Men wearing balaclavas and masks were part of a protest at accommodation earmarked for migrants in Co Wicklow recently.

Despite footage circulating on social media, concerns have been raised that gardai may have issues identifying people involved in the protests.

Masked anti-immigration protesters were also outside Equality Minister Roderic OGormans home in recent weeks.

The Department of Justice has now said the law is very strong regarding the wearing of balaclavas or any other clothing which increases fear and intimidation. These clothing items may be used as evidence, the department said.

The law is now very strong in relation to harassment and in circumstances where the wearing of a balaclava or other items of clothing contributes to a persons fear or intimidation, then that would be part of the evidence in those circumstances, a spokesperson said.

Fianna Fail TD John Lahart asked if there is a legal view on the wearing of masks and balaclavas at protests.

He asked Mr Harris in the Dail: How does the Taoiseach view it? Is the Government minded to look at that?

I cannot think of any good reason aside from a pandemic why someone would want to cover their face in a public protest or place.

Mr Harris said: If the view of society is that people should not be able to turn up masked outside peoples homes  anybodys home  in this country, we need to know a very simple answer as legislators.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has also previously promised to bring forward new proposals if any gaps are identified in the law.

The Garda Commissioner has advised Minister McEntee that he recently issued guidance to garda management to the effect that where incidents cross the line from protest to harassment or intimidation, they are fully investigated and prosecutions are pursued, where appropriate, a spokesperson said.

Mr Harris said warning signs around the abuse of politicians and public figures need be taken seriously before the unthinkable happens.

There has been widespread condemnation from politicians on attacks on gardai as well as protests outside politicians homes. Ms McEntee has experienced multiple bomb threats at her home, where she lives with her husband and two young children.

The Irish Independent reported earlier this week that People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy is to contact gardai after a death threat was spray-painted on a wall close to his house over the weekend.

The graffiti, which read Paul Murphy RIP has since been covered up. The threat was widely criticised by both Government and opposition politicians.
Richard Satchwell (centre) at court charged in connection with his wife Tina's murder (File pic)

Richard Satchwell, who is charged with murdering his wife Tina after the discovery of her body buried beneath the stairwell of their Cork home, will go on trial at the Central Criminal Court in April next year.

The court was told today that Mr Satchwell's defence team, which is led by Brendan Grehan SC, intends to call a significant amount of evidence in the case, including from witnesses with whom the accused "communicated with by way of interview and the media as well".

Mr Satchwell (57), with an address at Grattan Street, Youghal, Co Cork is charged with murdering his wife Tina Satchwell (45) at that address on March 20, 2017.

Mrs Satchwell, a native of St Bernards Place in Fermoy, was reported missing on March 24, 2017 by her husband.

The British truck driver is originally from Leicester in the UK but has been a resident in Cork for over 20 years.

Gardai found Mrs Satchwells skeletal remains in October 2023, more than six years after she was reported missing, while excavating a concrete floor and walled-up area underneath the stairwell of the home she and her husband shared on Grattan Street in Youghal.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 1st May 2024

Mr Grehan today informed Mr Justice Paul McDermott that the case, which originates in Cork, will take six weeks.

Mr Justice McDermott set a trial date for April 28, 2025, in the Central Criminal Court in Cork. It was listed for case management on October 11 this year.

On March 26 this year, Mr Satchwell was sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court after being served with the book of evidence. Free legal aid was granted and there was no State objection.

Prior to the discovery of Mrs Satchwell's remains last year, gardai followed 400 lines of inquiry, carried out multiple searches, watched hundreds of hours of CCTV and took witness statements from 170 people as part of the investigation.
It was used in the GPO

An historic rifle owned by Shane MacGowan and used during the 1916 Rising has gone missing, his wife has said.

The old weapon is a Lee-Enfield 303 and, given its historical significance, is worth a considerable sum of money.

Shanes 1916 rifle has gone missing, most likely been stolen, Victoria Mary Clarke said on Wednesday morning.

The widow of the former Pogues front man said the item was a treasured present.

It was a birthday gift to Shane from a dear musician friend and it was used in the GPO so it was historically significant.

"It was a Lee-Enfield 303 and it has H Munn etched on it, Victoria added.

The Lee-Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm of the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century.

Lee Enfield 303

It was the standard service rifle of the British Armed Forces from its official adoption in 1895 until 1957 and many were used by Irish rebels in 1916.

The old guns regularly sell for between 2,000  3,000 but given the significance of this weapon, its value would potentially be much higher.

"That's a horrible thing to have happened, Victoria. I hope you will be able to find it, wrote one of Victorias friends.

"Hope You find it, Victoria. I trained on the .303 back in the day, with the Irish Reserves. It's a lovely bit of work. I would hope St. Anto might have a look for it, too, wrote another.

GPO 1916 aftermath

Victoria recently attended an exhibition on The Pogues and Shane MacGowan which had its US debut in March, with an exclusive showing at the Bob Dylan Centre in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

They Gave The Walls A Talking: The Extraordinary Story of The Pogues and Shane MacGowan opened at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in December 2023 in Dublin, shortly after the death of the musician in late November.

Sinead O'Connor and Victoria Mary Clarke

The exhibition highlights the evolution of The Pogues, the rise of punk rock, and the role of the Irish diaspora on the British music scene.

It features contributions from family and band members including Victoria, Siobhan MaGowan, Nick Cave, Imelda May, Glen Hansard and the family of The Pogues' original manager Frank Murray.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 1st May 2024
The site in Newtownmountkennedy was the scene of a violent flashpoint with protesters last weekOperation to clear the makeshift camp housing around 200 asylum-seekers outside the IPO on Mount Street completed by 8.10am this morningUp to 200 people relocated to accommodation at Crooksling and Citywest Gardai will be asked to ensure camps do not return to the cityTaoiseach Simon Harris said situation on Dublins Mount Street had become completely unacceptable as the asylum-seeker encampment was dismantled Britain detains first group of migrants to be sent to Rwanda in July

Sixty asylum-seekers have arrived at a site earmarked for migrants in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow

The 60 international protection applicants were transported from Crooksling, Co Dublin, to the Co Wicklow site at River Lodge, also known as Trudder House, in Newtownmountkennedy last night.

The HSE-owned site has been the scene of numerous protests in recent weeks after locals opposed plans to house asylum-seekers there.

Six people were arrested and three garda cars were damaged during an incident last Thursday in which fires were lit and gardai came under attack.

Four people appeared in court in relation to the events of last Thursday.

This comes as the government is still considering cutting social welfare rates for all Ukrainians who are here already.

Meanwhile, two people were arrested on Mount Street in Dublin this morning as the asylum-seeker encampment was removed from beside the citys International Protection Office. It is understood one was arrested for a public disorder offence.

Up to 200 asylum-seekers who were moved from the so-called tent city this morning have been relocated to facilities at the Citywest hotel in Dublin and at the site in Crooksling.

Government sources said gardai will be asked to ensure camps do not return to the city, as our photograph shows the interior of one of the tents designated as accommodation for the asylum-seekers in Crooksling.

New international protection applicants began arriving at the IPO after lunchtime today.

There were chaotic scenes as crowds rushed to board a bus taking applicants to accommodation in Swords, Co Dublin shortly after 5pm.

New accommodation in Crooksling

Scuffles broke out during the rush to get a seat on the bus, prompting gardai to step in.

Exasperated staff from the IPO pleaded with the men to stop pushing in to the bus because the situation on the crowded pavement was becoming dangerous.

Those who did not make it on to the bus were directed back to a holding pen that has been erected outside the front door for the IPO.

The International Protection office on Mount Street closed at 6pm. As the staff closed the doors, a crowd of up to 50 men who had been waiting outside to be processed were turned away.

They were told there was no accommodation for the night, that the office was closed and they could come back in the morning.

Among them was 30-year-old Imran Nasir, who arrived in Ireland on March 27. Mr Nasir, who is seeking asylum, said he fled Afghanistan after being targeted by the Taliban.

He had been staying in Tent city on Mount Street up until Tuesday night when he was accommodated by a someone who had a free couch for the night. When he returned to Mount street on Wednesday morning his tent had been removed and all his friends were gone.

They were taken to Crooksling and Citywest, he said.

I want to go there too and I came today to queue for the bus but they have told me there is no accommodation tonight. My tent is gone so I will have to wander the streets. I might go to the park and sleep there.

Taoiseach Simon Harris has said the situation on Mount Street had become completely unacceptable as the encampment was dismantled this morning.

Mr Harris thanked the state agencies involved in the evacuation of the tent city as international protection applicants were moved to sites with sanitation facilities.

In a statement, he said: The international protection applicants have been taken to safe shelter with appropriate sanitary facilities, hot food, a clean place to eat, access to medical help and a bus link to Dublin city centre.

The laws of our land must always be upheld and we cannot have unsafe and illegal encampments in our cities or towns, he added.

The multi-agency operation began shortly before 6.30am, with Mount Street closed to all traffic and cyclists, with barriers at both ends of the street blocking all vehicular access.

Gardai and members of Dublin City Council were present at the scene, and removal equipment and several coaches were already stationed by the tents by 6.30am.

Officials could be seen with clipboards, taking note of peoples details as they organised the relocation.

Shortly before 8am, more than 200 asylum-seekers boarded coaches to leave the area.

The coaches left the area at 8.10am this morning, accompanied by a garda escort.

Integration minister Roderic OGorman said that most of the 200 asylum-seekers have been accommodated either at the reception centre at Citywest or in a previously used site at Crooksling.

The accommodation provided at Crooksling is tented accommodation in military-style tents. That is not the type of accommodation we were using on St Patricks Day there.

It was much smaller and much more basic accommodation at that stage. There are large eight-person tents, meals provided, sanitary facilities, showers, toilets, all provided at the site, he said on RTEs News at One.

Mr OGorman said the site at Crooksling is beside a Dublin Bus route, providing a transport link to the city centre.

A government statement issued this morning said the Crooksling site has robust, weather-proof tents and shower facilities.

It has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin city centre; and 24-hour onsite security, the statement said.

While in Crooksling accommodation, residents will receive the same supports as at other locations. This includes access to medical care via the HSE social inclusion outreach teams and medical card provision; Ipas customer services team clinics; onsite support from the providers staff; and psycho-social and integration support from NGO partners.

Asylum-seekers being removed and taken by bus from the Mount Street area. Photo: Steve Humphreys

The encampment at Mount Street has been dismantled and the streets are being cleaned by Dublin City Council.

Mr OGorman confirmed that asylum-seekers have been moved into the site at Newtownmountkennedy at which there were multiple arrests and scenes of unrest and fires last week.

He said: People are entitled to protests and to disagree with government policy but that has to be done within the law.

As we know in the scenes in Trudder, certainly a number of those protestors stepped well beyond the law in terms of their attacks on An Garda Siochana, he said.

Micheal Martin

Tanaiste Micheal Martin also said it was not acceptable to have tents on Mount Street, and added that the State will make sure tents do not go back up.

Tents on Mount Street are not acceptable. Not acceptable for migrants, not acceptable for residents either and its very important that we do this properly, he said.

Our view is that it is not acceptable that there are tents on Mount Street. We discourage that very strongly.

He said the State has powers to make sure tents do not go back up.

The State has within its powers the capacity to make sure that we dont have tents back up on Mount Street, he said.

The Government is very clear  we cannot have tents on streets adjacent [to Mount Street].

Its not good for those seeking asylum, its not good for residents in the area, it creates a lot of tensions and so on.

Mr Martin said the facilities the asylum-seekers are being brought to are far better and there is no comparison between the set-up there and at Mount Street.

He said migrants will have access to Dublin city centre from Crooksling, as well as waterproof tents.

However, he admitted that the situation is not ideal.

The Tanaiste said there is a lot of noise around the UKs imminent move to start shipping asylum applicants for processing in Rwanda, which he last week said was behind the high numbers of international protection applicants coming to the Republic from across the border with Northern Ireland.

Ive been listening to Rwanda now for three years. Were now talking about one person going there [yesterday], he said.

Brexit was meant to control migration in the UK. It didnt control migration in the UK, numbers have gone up exponentially.

As far as were concerned, we have to have firm procedures in Ireland.

Public health issue

Speaking this morning, Enterprise Minister Peter Burke said the tent city had become a public health issue.

It is important as we have a public safety issue in terms of very vulnerable people on Mount Street. It was a public health issue for them and for residents and businesses, he told RTE Radio 1s Morning Ireland.

He said he welcomed that those vulnerable people are being cared for and moved on, stressing that it is so important.

We are dealing with human beings, Mr Burke added.

When asked if some will be living in tents once they are moved, he said: Some may be, but I havent full clarity at this time.

The first tents were pitched on Mount Street in March of last year and the number grew for six months before the area was briefly cleared. They have been present continually since last December until they were cleared ahead of St Patrick's Day, but returned again soon after.

The operation this morning came amid increasing anger over Justice Minister Helen McEntees management of the migration crisis, with her cabinet colleagues growing frustrated with her performance.

Residents and business owners of Mount Street calling for immediate action on 'Tent City' surrounding the International Protection Office

The tents at Mount Street were previously cleared just before St Patricks Day, when asylum-seekers were taken to the site in Crooksling in the Dublin mountains. However, many returned, with tents appearing back at the site later that day.

Yesterday, residents and businesses in the Mount Street area said they were threatening legal action over the expanding migrant tent city.

Ruth and Chris Hamilton, who have run the Mamma Mia Italian restaurant on Grattan Street for nearly 15 years, said they would be forced to close if the situation was not resolved.

With the current situation for the last 14 months, its just horrific for our business, Ms Hamilton said.

Our profit is down over 60pc and our customers are nervous coming in to us, our staff are very nervous and we have to come up in the evening and help them lock up.

Its just not feasible to keep going at this rate and unfortunately if things dont change, were going to have to close in August.

Residents and businesses in Mount Street, Madison Court, Grattan Court, Grattan Court East, Grattan Hall, Powers Court, the South Georgian Residents Association and Verschoyle Court had formed a network.

Rwanda

It came as the first migrants set to be deported to Rwanda from the UK have been detained.

Britains Home Office said a series of operations took place across the country this week, with more activity due to be carried out in the coming weeks.

Officials have not yet said how many people have been detained, or where they were taken into custody.

It comes ahead of the British governments bid to get flights to send migrants to the east African nation off the ground by July, after the Safety of Rwanda Act became law last week.

Home secretary James Cleverly said: Our Rwanda partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation to deliver it.

Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground.

This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs.

Legislation

Ms McEntee received Cabinet approval yesterday to draft legislation, meaning the process of preparing new laws to designate the UK as a safe country  allowing asylum-seekers to be transferred back there  is only in its beginning stages and the laws are some way off being brought before the Dail.

The Indo Daily: McEntee v Sunak  Irelands asylum-seekers row, the worst spat since Brexit

There is rising frustration within the Government over Ms McEntees performance, after she flagged the need for legislation to fix a loophole from an Irish High Court ruling which prevented Ireland sending asylum-seekers back to the UK. The Government has to designate the UK a safe country to resume sending migrants back but already had an agreement with the UK that was negotiated during Brexit talks.

However, no migrants have been deported through the mechanism, which the UK said is not legally binding.

One cabinet minister said: This legislation is being completely overplayed and isnt going to be some great fix for the current immigration problem.

Every week there is another memo on immigration but what are they achieving? You can put in place all the policies you like but if you dont have the right people implementing the current policies, whats the point?

Before Brexit, Ireland and the UK participated in the Dublin III Regulation, which saw Ireland return a total of 162 people to the UK between 2015 and 2020 and the UK return 154 people to Ireland, according to the Department of Justice.
Tanaiste and Defence Minister Micheal Martin yesterday told members of the 124th Infantry Battalion, who will shortly deploy to Lebanon as part of the United Nations Interim Force, that their work is of vital importance.

The Tanaiste was accompanied by Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Sean Clancy and addressed family members of the battalion, saying he acknowledged concerns surrounding the current conflict in the Middle East.

The activity in this entire region since October 7 is a reminder of the importance of your work. Never forget that you are going there in the noble pursuit of peace, the Tanaiste said.

The risk of a wider regional escalation is deeply concerning and must also be the focus of urgent international efforts  efforts which are reflected nationally in terms of your deployment to the region. Your work to support and maintain UN efforts in peace and security will be and is hugely important.

Soldiers from 23 counties around Ireland are represented among the 379-strong contingent deploying to Unifil, with the majority coming from Dublin.
Colorectal cancer: When I heard the diagnosis, I walked the beach for two days  I knew I needed space to get my head straight

When businessman Shane Pemberton was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2020, he was determined to stay positive and appreciate the small things in life, and he feels this contributed to his healing

Shane Pemberton speaks about his colorectal cancer diagnosis

Erin McCafferty Wed 1 May 2024 at 03:30

When Shane Pemberton, from Stepaside in Dublin, started to notice a change in his bowel movements in April 2020, he knew something was wrong. I felt I needed to go to the bathroom, but I couldnt actually go, and when I did go there was a small amount of blood there, says Pemberton.
There was a parliamentary debate in Westminster this week about assisted dying, largely at the instigation of Esther Rantzen. It was she who prompted the petition for the debate (though a law wont be passed at this point). Many tributes were paid to the effectiveness that the former TV presenter had brought to her final campaign.
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, seen here with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, must talk with Brussels to help resolve the migration crisis. Photo: Getty

Even the most accomplished contortionist will say it is hard to pull off a backflip with dignity. The Cabinet has scurried to rush through emergency legislation so the UK can again be designated as a safe country.

This was necessary to accelerate the return of people seeking asylum arriving here from the UK through the North. The High Court ruled last month that the designation of the UK as a safe third country did not comply with EU law.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee recognised that the hasty change is not a panacea.

After plenty of frenetic activity, we have streamlined a system to return migrants to the UK, which British prime minister Rishi Sunak refuses to accept.

So it is not a panacea  it might better be described as a mess.

The Government insists it is simply reinstating an agreement it had with London since 2020 that allows people to be returned and was underpinned by the Common Travel Area.

However, Mr Sunak was very specific in saying that no deal can be done until there are moves by the EU to allow Britain to return migrants to France.

According to US scholar HL Mencken, the whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins.

This is never more true than when a government is facing an election, as will soon be the case in London and possibly also in Dublin.

There is disagreement over the percentage of migrants coming here through the North. Whether it is 80pc or not is a moot point. At current levels, 20,000 will have crossed into the Republic by the end of the year.

Neither government in Dublin nor London can afford to engage in gunboat diplomacy. They say the most important thing in communication is hearing what is not said. In this case, it is that the issue of migration cannot be managed without co-operation on all sides.

For all the grinding of teeth and thumping of tables in Downing Street, Mr Sunak cannot slam the door on the EU, no matter how many likes he may get from full-blooded Tories.

Brussels, London and Dublin need to work on this together. No matter how much the Conservatives would like to ignore it, the fact is the UK needs the single market.

The bloc of 27 countries on its doorstep cannot be dismissed without incurring serious self-inflicted economic harm.

It is said there is no gambling like politics, but this is no frivolous exercise. Political parties need to step back and take their thumbs off the scales.

Numbers are being thrown about, but the fate of human beings is in the balance.

An effective EU-UK plan is needed for saving lives, not saving face.
Judith Chapman has been staying in the Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow Town

Actress Judith Chapman pictured with General Manager at the Seven Oaks Hotel Michael Walsh. Photo: Seven Oaks Hotel Carlow Facebook

Carlow Town has apparently been hosting an esteemed Hollywood star and actress.

Judith Chapman, who is best known for starring in The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, Ryans Hope, As the World Turns and One Life to Live, was spotted staying in a hotel in Carlow.

The 72-year-old South Carolina woman also recently played Nancy Regan in Will Smiths movie, King Richard.

Judith has been staying in the Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow Town, where staff said they were honoured to host the actress.

In a post on Facebook, the Seven Oaks Hotel revealed who their star guest was.

"We are delighted and honoured to have Hollywood actress Judith Chapman stay with us, enthused a spokesperson from the hotel.

"Judith starred in many well-known TV programmes such as The Fall Guy, Magnum PI, The Incredible Hulk, Kojak, Flamingo Road and many more.

"Most recently she played Nancy Regan in Will Smiths movie, Kind Richard.

The hotel were quick to snap a picture with the star, as General Manager of the Seven Oaks Hotel, Michael Walsh welcomed Judith to Carlow.
Labour Party councillor Eoghan Kenny has expressed his fears that there is no clear line in sight to receive additional funding for the Mallow Relief Road this year.

Cllr Kenny said the lack of additional funding means the continued progress of the relief road is in significant danger. Following representations I have made to Cork County Council on Tuesday (April 30), I have been informed that there is no clear line in sight for any additional funding this year, therefore leaving the progress of the Mallow Relief Road in significant danger. This completely debunks the suggestions made by some councillors in Mallow back in February, that funding would be made available in the summer, he said.

It was announced in February of this year that the N72/N73 Mallow Relief Road had been allocated 300,000 by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) after they published the 2024 grant allocations for national roads, active travel and greenways.

The Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan recently provided Fianna Fail TD for Cork North Central Padraig OSullivan with an update on the Mallow relief road in the Dail. An allocation of 300,000 has been made available for the Mallow Relief Road. The preferred route option for the scheme was identified last year and following this a public consultation took place. The project is currently in the design and environmental evaluation phase. The funding of 300,000 will now allow the project to be progressed through the planning and design process, he said.

Cork County Council have previously stated that the 300,000 received will allow for very limited progress and a further 1.1 million is needed to progress the relief road to planning stage.

A deputation led by the Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank OFlynn, elected members and Cork County Council officials held a meeting with the Minister of State at the Department for Transport Jack Chambers on Wednesday, April 24.

The deputation met with Minister Chambers in Leinster House to discuss the current levels of funding for roads in Cork County.

The councillors also re-emphasised the need for additional money for the Mallow Relief Road and for pavement works on the N72 from the county bounds in Kerry to the Waterford border.

Cllr Kenny said the three coalition parties are denying the relief road the opportunity to go to planning. I have sent two emails to both the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and the Tanaiste Micheal Martin, which have not been responded to. Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Green Party, who control the purse strings here, are denying the relief road the opportunity to go to planning and are as such failing any economic, social or housing developments in Mallow.
A Cork based MEP has claimed that Cork City and Cork County is lacking over 300 members of An Garda Siochana despite its growing population.

Fianna Fail MEP Billy Kelleher who is seeking to regain his seat in the upcoming European elections said both Cork City and Cork County require urgent additional garda resources to combat increasing levels of crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Cork politician said crime and anti-social behaviour is not confined to the streets of Dublin. Lawless youths and a complete disregard for traditional norms in our communities are putting citizens and communities under significant pressure. We hear regularly about the need for additional garda resources in Dublin. However, cities like Cork cannot be starved of the support they need to keep their streets safe, he said.

Mr Kelleher who is one of 19 candidates seeking to win a seat in the Ireland South constituency said one of the biggest concerns raised by members of the public is the lack of respect on our streets by certain elements of society. People regularly see open drug dealing, rampant shoplifting and aggressive anti-social behaviour on city streets and also more recently in towns and villages in rural communities.

To make matters worse, despite all the pronouncements from the Garda Commissioner about more gardai being put on the beat, you will not see a regular garda presence in our communities, especially outside the main city centres, he added.

Cork with a population of nearly 580,000, has just 1271 gardai, said the MEP. At the end of March 2024, there was a total force strength of 14,058. On a very simple comparison of Garda numbers to population, Cork should have at least 1600 gardai. This is a deficit of over 300 garda members in our city and rural towns.

Mr Kelleher called on the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to find better ways of enticing more people into An Garda Siochana. Minister McEntee needs to find better ways of enticing people into joining An Garda Siochana. They need better conditions, and clearer guidance on what their role is in society. Many serving gardai feel they do not have the powers and the political backup needed to do their job properly.

Cork cannot be forgotten about. We have a growing population that has the same right to garda resources as any other part of this State. Its time the people of Cork had gardai on the beat again to make them and their families feel safe, he added.
The Coolea couple were recognised for their commitment to cheesemaking over 45 years

After a lifetime of cheesemaking, one Coolea couple received a very special award at the CAIS Irish Cheese Awards last week in recognition of the dedication they have shown to their craft.

Dick and Helen Willems of Coolea Farmhouse Cheese first started making cheese from milk they produced in their small farm in the west Cork in 1979 and last week, the pair were presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 CAIS awards, which was held at Kilshane House in Tipperary last Wednesday.

The couple, who were founding members of CAIS, the Irish Association of Farmhouse Cheesemakers, were presented with the award by renowned food writers John and Sally McKenna in recognition of their passion and long-term commitment to cheesemaking.

In reaction to receiving their Lifetime Achievement award, Dick and Helene Willems said they were both "extremely grateful and proud of this award, and feel incredibly honoured to have been acknowledged in this way.

As one of the founding members, we're hugely thankful for the opportunities that being a part of the Association over the last 40 years has given us to work with, and for, so many fantastic Farmhouse Cheesemakers all over Ireland. Go raibh mile maith agat, CAIS."

To make the night even better for the Willems, their Matured Coolea cheese also won a Gold in the Mature Hard Cheese Aged Over 6 Months category at the awards, which also saw a number of other Cork farmhouse cheesemakers honoured.

The overall Supreme Champion honour was awarded to Hegartys Templegall Extra Mature, made near Whitechurch, while it was also recognised with a Gold in the Raw Milk Cheese category. Hegartys Cheddar Cheese won Bronze in Mature Farmhouse Cheddar Aged Over 12 Months.

Durrus Cheese won the Washed Rind Cheese  Semi Soft category while silver awards were handed out to Durrus Og, Macroom Buffalo Cheeses Macroom Bocconcini and Dottie and Doras Peppercorn flavoured Soft Goats Cheese, made in Donoughmore.

Bronzes were awarded to Carrigtohill-based Ardsallagh Farmhouse Cheeses Cranberry Roulade, Milleen Cheeses Milleens, Carrigaline Farmhouse Cheeses Dillisk Seaweed Cheese, and to Macroom Buffalo Cheeses Buffalo Mozzarella.

The full list of this years winners covering all Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards is available to view online via the CAIS website, www.irishcheese.ie.
Wider trains include more space for wheelchairs, buggies and bicycles

The new electric Dart carriages are being manufactured by Alstom in Katowice, Poland.

Dublin will soon have a more accessible, family-friendly and faster Dart service.

The new Dart+ trains are to be delivered in September for testing, with the first two improved accessibility and climate-friendly units set to become operational in late 2025.

In total, there will be 37 new trains to serve the Maynooth, Hazelhatch and Drogheda lines. The batteries of the trains will be charged in Drogheda. It is expected that it will take less than an hour to charge the trains.

The trains are currently being manufactured by a company called Alstom in Katowice, Poland.

The wider trains will carry 550 passengers and include more space for wheelchairs, buggies and bicycles. The spacious vehicles have multiple wider seats which fold up and down, similar to the Luas, giving those with mobility issues, people with buggies and those with bikes more space to move around onboard.

There will also be new accessible ramps that can lower automatically each time the doors open.

Currently, people who require a ramp for access must ring Irish Rail at least a day in advance to ask for assistance.

At some stations there is a gap between the platform and the carriages, which may create difficulty for people who are visually impaired or have mobility impairments and assistance may be required when boarding or alighting from the train.

Peter Smyth, chief engineer for Irish Rail, said he is excited to see this plan come to fruition after many years in the making.

This will revolutionise the Dart system. It will give much greater levels of accessibility compared to the existing Dart, he said.

It will replace diesel commuter trains into Dublin. Electric trains are several times cheaper than diesel trains to buy and maintain.

The vehicles have low floors, very good accessibility, very good systems such as passenger information, security, CCTV. Its similar to the Luas because you can see the whole way down the train.

It is very exciting after many, many years. There was a four-year design process, consultation process, early stages of building and its great to see it at long last in the flesh.

This project will play a significant role in the Governments National Development Plan by electrifying the Dart network in Dublin.

Currently, only 3pc of Irish rail lines are electric, which is the lowest in the European Union. Electric and battery-operated trains generate between 20pc and 35pc fewer emissions than diesel trains. 

Irish Rail intends to fully electrify the Dart+ service to Maynooth, followed by the Drogheda and Hazelhatch lines in the coming years.

Billy Gilpin, director of railway operations with Irish Rail, believes the Dart+ service will be a benefit to people using the service as well as to the climate.

There are many benefits of this new fleet. Its a new, modern, accessible, clean train which has been designed to maximise customer experience, to help people with disabilities and mobility issues to move about, he said.

It will also help families have a better experience.

We are doubling the capacity of the trains in the greater Dublin area and tripling the electrification of our network which has sustainable, environmental and mental benefits.
Edenburn House on the outskirts of Tralee is likely to accommodate Ukrainian refugees less than four months after the Department of Integration said it was giving due consideration to using the building.

Kerry TDs were informed via email by the Department on April 29 that it is reviewing the Ballymacelligott building to accommodate war-torn Ukrainian refugees.

Concerns were first raised back in January by local residents regarding a lack of services around Edenburn House for refugees, and its proximity from Tralee town centre.

Residents near Edenburn House initially became concerned when refurbishment works were carried out at the house. McQuinn Consulting in Tralee stated in January that it was working with the owner of Edenburn House with a view to bringing two, three, and four-bedroom apartments to the open market for letting.

However, Cllr Jackie Healy-Rae feels aggrieved that four local councillors representing the Castleisland-Corca Dhuibhne MD were not consulted regarding the Departments latest plans.

He said the lack of communication is symptomatic of the wider issue around migration in Ireland where local people and public representatives are not being consulted with.

That four local councillors have not been communicated with whatsoever is something that aggrieves me, he said.

We have raised this issue at local MD and full council meetings in the past. For the Department to be ignoring that is not good enough, why werent we consulted? It feeds back into this whole thing of communities and public representatives on the ground not being communicated with, he added.

Cllr Healy-Rae questioned the choice of location as there are no day-to-day services in the immediate area and no regular transport is available.

My biggest concern is that it is quite remote. If you dont have a car, which many of the families fleeing war might not have, you are going to be cut offthere is no street light, there is no footpath, and the roads are not the best. The wrap-around services are not there, he said.

In a statement from the Department of Integration, it said the property has been offered to provide accommodation for people fleeing the war in Ukraine and is currently being assessed as part of the Emergency Refurbishment (Ukraine) Project.

This assessment will determine whether the property might be suitable for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) accommodation following conversion/refurbishment works. This process will likely take a number of weeks.

Meanwhile, North Kerry local election candidate Michelle Keane has announced that she is staging a peaceful protest on May 5 at Edenburn House. She has called the protest: Save our Community of Ballymacelligott.

Edenburn House, which dates to the 1700s, functioned as a tuberculosis hospital between the 1930s and 1960s before it was transformed into a nursing home. It closed in 1988.
Film crews have arrived in the town of Kenmare to begin work on a new production set to be shot in the south Kerry town and nearby west Cork.

Work began on the exciting project on Monday and the crew for the film have set up a base in Kenmare as they work on the feature film, which it is hoped will be released next year.

'Whitetail tells the story of Jen McCarthy and her old boyfriend Oscar who returns to her small town in southern Ireland forcing her to face the tragedy that marked them for life.

It is a Dutch/Irish/Belgian co-production and is written and directed by Nanouk Leopold. However, secrecy surrounds the cast and the exact locations of filming are being kept under wraps

The Kerryman understands that the film is being shot in west Cork, including in Glengarriff, and in Kerry in locations close to Kenmare and on the Beara peninsula and filming will take place over the coming month. The beauty of South Kerry will be showcased to the world when the film is released.

There is a significant crew for the production in the area as well as the cast but locals too may appear in the new film as extras have been sought for which has caused great excitement in the town.
Tralee Green Party candidate says there is strong party support for retaining Tralee Courthouse in Ashe Street.

The issue of whether Tralee Courthouse should remain in Ashe Street or relocate to the Island of Geese is on the cards again following speculation that An Post may be prepared to sell its site at the rear of the courthouse.

Along with strong support from Sinn Fein Deputy Pa Daly for retaining the courthouse in its current location, Tralee Green Party candidate, Anluan Dunne recently raised the matter with Minister for Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, and Minister with responsibility for Communications, Eamon Ryan.

Mr Dunne said it was known in September 2022 that An Posts site would become available at some stage. He feels this would enable the extension and modernisation of the historic courthouse to provide an improved, state-of-the-art building.

Having spoken with Minister Ryan, Mr Dunne expressed concern for the historic fabric of the town centre and the cost of constructing a new court at the Island of Geese. He also met with Minister Malcolm Noonan at Leinster House on Tuesday.

When I met with Minister Noonan we spoke about the An Post site becoming available. He could see no reason why consideration couldnt be given to the use of this property for the Courts Service. Malcolm has visited the courthouse on Ashe St., he understands the importance of the building to the people of Tralee and he wants to see it remain in use as a court, Mr Dunne said.

Mr Dunne also referred to the vote at a council meeting in September, 2022, when 28 of its 33 elected councillors - including four of the seven Tralee councillors - voted to sell approximately one quarter of the Island of Geese to the Courts Service with the intention of constructing a completely new courthouse.

Despite my making representations to all thirty-three Kerry County Councillors, including the seven sitting Tralee Councillors, a motion to sell the land to the Courts Service passed. I emphasised that the An Post site was about to be freed up and that we could collectively lobby for the upgrade and extension of the current courthouse. We need to respect and have pride in our built heritage, he said.

Mr. Dunne concluded: Ive now sought an answer from An Post as to the expected availability of the property on Edward Street. In the meantime, I want to see the OPW undertake a preliminary survey of the site with a view to extending and modernising one of the most important buildings in our town.
Leitrim County Council is facing a six figure bill for legal costs after its failed High Court action to prevent a former hotel in Dromahair from being used to house 155 international protection applicants.

Mr Justice Richard Humphreys found the proposed use of the Abbey Manor Hotel in Dromahair village, was not unlawful, as alleged by the council, and can go ahead.

Justice Humphreys said owner Dromaprop Limited was entitled to avail of a planning exemption to change the use of the hotel, which shut during the financial crash in 2009, to accommodate protected persons under 12-month contract with the Department of Integration.

He refused the councils request for an order prohibiting the temporary housing of asylum seekers at the premises.

He also found in Dromaprops favour in its separate case taken over the councils decision rejecting its building compliance certificate for works to convert the hotel for use as asylum seeker accommodation.

The council last January declared Dromaprops certificate invalid and refused to enter it onto its official register.

The Judge said the firm made out its case that the local authority acted irrationally, unreasonably and unlawfully in how it dealt with the compliance certificate application.

Dromaprop, represented by Niall Handy SC and Kevin Bell, instructed by Shannon & OConnor Solicitors, submitted that the invalidation came unexpectedly, while the council was under local political pressure regarding the proposed use of the hotel.

Mr Justice Humphreys said there was relatively co-operative correspondence between the council and Dromaprop before the council took a startling handbrake turn.

The kitchen-sink nature of Leitrim County Councils rejection, which ran to hundreds of pages, was something approximating to an uninformed persons idea of a clever decision, as if the council believed more headings was another sandbag against challenge. he said.

He also upheld Dromaprops plea that the council erred by invaliding the certificate because it related only to a completed phase of construction works and did not include the whole building completion.

He also upheld Dromaprops argument that the council erred by invaliding the certificate because it related only to a completed phase of construction works and did not include the whole buildings completion.

Dromaprop, which has offices in Lucan, Co Dublin, alleged this was materially incorrect where the only portions of the development not included in the certificate were in the basement, which is not going to be used at all.

The judge said the regulations feature a clear statutory intention to allow partial certification of buildings or projects. He said the rejection was opaque, out-of-time and generalised.

He overturned the invalidation decision and found the council is obliged to register the certificate forthwith. He said he assumes the council does not need to delay more than about a day to satisfy this mere technicality.

Mr Justice Humphreys said there remain some further legal issues in the councils case relating to alleged noncompliance of internal building works with planning permission. However, he said these matters cannot undermine the legality of the change of use of the hotel.

In considering whether it wishes to press remaining concerns to the Nth degree, the judge said the council can take comfort that not only have any local feelings been ventilated (if thats relevant, which the council seems to say it isnt) but the majesty of the law has been vindicated in that no unlawful act has been excused.

Given the reduced scope of possible noncompliance that could potentially arise, Dromaprop could potentially continue to advance its complaint that it is being singled out for intense scrutiny, he said.

A modest pause to the proceedings also allows the company to avail of any mechanisms that could alleviate concerns of the council or the court, he added.

Bernie Linnane, pictured in front of the Abbey Manor Hotel in Dromahair

Reacting to the decision, Dromahair based Labour Party local election candidate, Bernie Linnane said she sat through the entire proceedings and was not surprised at the outcome.

I listened to it all online and I think Leitrim County Council should be questioned on why they embarked on this course of action.

I suspect that day will come when the order for costs will be made, and I suspect we could be looking at very high costs.

On listening to the evidence, I was not surprised by the verdict, and it was very clearly weighted in favour of the developers.

And I believe this will turn out to have been a very expensive exercise.

When asked for her views on the effect the decision will have on Dromahair she said:

There is clarity on the situation now so we know that people are going to move into the hotel and from what the judge said it is likely to happen quite quickly.

Dromahair has two choices in this, we can split the village, or we can pull together as a village and make this work.

I think we have a fantastic opportunity here to show what can be done when a community pulls together.

She added: In practical terms we already have a small group called Dromahair Welcomes You Group and I am a member of it and they are working on English language classes in the area who dont speak fluent English.

We have people coming forward with toiletries for people who are moving into the hotel and may not have these items.

There are a small number of Ukrainian people who are living in the village already.

We will need to see how we can involve the children who will come in classes and games and involved everybody who comes in our community.

I am not claiming to be representative of all of Dromahair and I am standing for election as I believe there are people who share the same views as I have in relation to welcoming newcomers to Dromahair.

But equally, even those who dont share my views should be aware that people are going to be coming to Dromahair so the only thing we can do is choose how we react to.

She added:I have been living in Dromahair for around 20 years and my husbands family goes back hundreds of years here.

It is not pleasant to see a village torn up like this, but it is a wonderful place to live, and it is a wonderful community and with goodwill people can make this work.

When asked if she feared the High Court decision would spark protests as were seen last November at the hote;l where the far right were allegedly involved.

I dont like using the term the far right and it is an awful term and I would hate to think that it has a presence in Dromahair at all.

People in Dromahair are decent, kind, humane people and we can pull together to make the best of a difficult situation for everyone.

It has been argued that Dromahair does not have the services to cope with an extra 155 residents.

Ms Linnane responded by saying that this is an argument that is used everywhere where this happens and what can be done is that our local representatives get on with the job of making sure that we get the services and facilities that we need.

The government have said that there will be a dividend for communities who welcome International Protection Applicants, so Dromahair has to get whatever share that it is due of that dividend.

And we have to make sure that our local representatives be they councillors or TDs and our community leaders work together to make sure that Dromahair is not left wanting in this situation.

Of course, people have concerns, and they are very entitled to voice those concerns and I have protested a lot in my own time and a protest is an important way for people to express what their issues or feelings are.

But protests serve a purpose and then they have limits and when there is no point in protesting, what do you do, you get on with the situation.

And at this stage, the court has made a ruling, and I am not sure that any protest is going to make the slightest bit of difference.

North Leitrim Sinn Fein Councillor Padraig Fallon said he supported Leitrim County Councils decision to take their case to the High Court.

The Council took the action because they felt that they needed to around planning, and they were of that view and that is okay.

They felt that they needed to do that, and I would not have an issue with that.

Planning is a major issue in County Leitrim and rural planning in particular.

One of the things that I have been asked and will be asked is how can some entities circumvent or not have to go through the processes that those looking to build in our towns or villages, or rural areas have to go through in Leitrim.

When asked about the controversial issue of who is in favour and who is not in favour of the applicants coming to the village, he said:

I have spoken to both sides and my understanding from the concerns of those who were not in favour, was that it was not the fact that they were coming to Dromahair but It was the numbers that were involved.

They did not believe that the infrastructure was in place in the community to deal with that influx.

Some of those opposed to the numbers said it should have been phased.

You already have issues in Dromahair around childcare, getting children into the school-but also there are issues around getting people to see a doctor.

There are concerns that the existing services are somewhat over-subscribed.

Cllr Fallon said he agreed with those views but he urged the community to be calm and for the Community Engagement Team to engage with those that have concerns.

And he added that the proposed 155 number of applicants coming to Dromahair was a bit high given the infrastructure and available services.

I think that a number of 80 to 100 coming would have been more reasonable.

When asked if he was surprised by the High Court decision, he said he was not, but added that he had confidence in the Planning Department of Leitrim County Council who felt that they needed to take the action.

There will now be an onus on the government and the relevant department to make sure that infrastructure is in place for those coming.

What I have seen is that there is huge frustration around a raft of issues and immigration is the straw that is breaking the camels back.

And it is certainly an issue on the doorsteps.

He continued: It was inevitable that some local authority was going to take this type of action at some stage, and this could have implications nationally and I think thats why this case was heard in the timely manner that it was.

The matter did come up at Leitrim County Council meetings and the general view was that resources needed to be put in place in Dromohair, in my opinion.

People do have legitimate concerns and the vast majority of people are reasonable.

The Sligo Champion contacted Leitrim County Council for a response to the High Court ruling, but none was forthcoming at the time of going to press.
Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe in The Last of the Mohicans (Saturday, Channel 4, 11.10p.m.)

The Remains of the Day (1993) Film4, 6.20p.m.

Anthony Hopkins gives one of his best performances as Stevens, a butler in a 1930s mansion who devotes himself to his master and the smooth running of the household. In fact, hes so dedicated, he puts the demands of the job above his own emotional needs, rebuffing the advances of the spirited housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson)  and so obedient, he fails to question his employers (James Fox) increasingly pro-Nazi politics.

Made at the height of period-drama specialists Merchant Ivorys powers, this sensitive adaptation transforms Kazuo Ishiguros acclaimed novel into a deeply moving drama. The impressive supporting cast includes Hugh Grant, Christopher Reeve, Peter Vaughan and Tim Pigott-Smith.

THURSDAY, MAY 2

Hellboy (2004) ITV4, 10.05p.m.

Demon Hellboy (Ron Perlman), raised by the Nazis in the final days of the Second World War but weaned from the dark side by paranormal expert John Hurt, joins a team fighting present-day fascist sorcery. Aided by a motley bunch of misfits, the hero has to juggle the demands of his role with his attempts to woo fragile friend Liz (Selma Blair), a conflict of interests that only adds fuel to his fiery temper.

Acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro manages to remain fairly faithful to the comic-book while firmly attaching his own signature to the film, and strikes a careful balance between effects-laden action and character-driven scenes.

FRIDAY, MAY 3

Step Brothers (2008) Channel 4, 11.05p.m.

Brennan (Will Ferrell) is 40 going on 14. He still lives at home with his mother Nancy (Mary Steenburgen) and openly nurtures resentment towards his boorish younger brother Derek (Adam Scott), who has a career, a family and a home of his own. During a medical convention, Nancy meets Robert (Richard Jenkins), who has his own adult son at home  Dale (John C Reilly)  and the lonely parents embark on a whirlwind romance.

Wedding bells peal and Nancy moves in with her new husband with disgruntled Brennan in tow. Step-sibling resentment quickly boils over, but Dale and Brennan unexpectedly discover common ground: favourite dinosaurs and their shared hatred of Derek. The humour wont be to everyones tastes, but the rapport between Ferrell and Reilly powers the film.

SATURDAY, MAY 4

The Last of the Mohicans (1992) Channel 4, 11.10p.m.

Director Michael Manns take on James Fenimore Coopers classic historical adventure features a gutsy performance by unlikely action hero Daniel Day-Lewis. The tale follows the life of an orphaned settler in North America who is adopted by the last member of a native tribe following the death of his family.

As the child grows to maturity, he becomes a frontiersman whose reputation spreads far and wide  but when he rescues and falls in love with a British officers daughter (Madeleine Stowe) during the Anglo-French War, he angers a Huron war chief, who vows to take revenge against her father by hunting her down and killing her.

SUNDAY, MAY 5

Senna (2010) Channel 4, 11.20p.m.

On Sunday May 1, 1994, at the San Marino Grand Prix, three-time champion Ayrton Sennas car left the track after the Tamburello corner, colliding with a concrete wall. The Brazilian driver died soon after.

Made with the blessing of Sennas family and the co-operation of Bernie Ecclestone, this documentary from Asif Kapadia (who would go on to make the Oscar-winning Amy) pays glowing tribute to this handsome and charismatic sportsman.

Painstakingly constructed from hours of race footage, photographs, interviews and archive material, Senna celebrates the life of the iconic Formula 1 driver, whose death sparked a radical overhaul of safety procedures.

MONDAY, MAY 6

Rush (2013) BBC2, 10p.m.

During the 1970s, rubber burnt and tempers frayed between two very different Formula 1 drivers: charismatic ladies man James Hunt and incredibly ambitious Austrian speed fiend Niki Lauda. Their daredevil duels reached a horrifying crescendo at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring when Laudas Ferrari burst into flames, trapping him in the inferno. Just six weeks later, Lauda emerged from hospital with extensive scarring, determined to prevent Hunt from claiming the chequered flag at Monza.

This incredible story of courage and resilience is dramatised in Rush, Ron Howards superb biopic that charts the rivalry between Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) from their early days through to the glamour of the Formula 1 circuit.

TUESDAY, MAY 7

All the Money in the World (2017) GREAT! movies, 9p.m.

Christopher Plummer delivers one of the finest performances from the latter part of his career in director Ridley Scotts take on an infamous real-life event. But it might have been so different  Kevin Spacey originally took the role of miserly billionaire Jean Paul Getty, but following the actors fall from grace, Scott reshot his scenes with Plummer.

The result is a fine insight into what happened in 1973, when Gettys teenage grandson was kidnapped and held for ransom. Michelle Williams is also impressive as the boys mother, who begs her former father-in-law to pay off the criminals before they kill her son. Mark Wahlberg, Timothy Hutton and Charlie Plummer (no relation to Christopher) also appear.
Barack and Michelle Obamas Higher Ground production company backs Irish TV series

New Ross native, Clodagh Mooney Duggan will appear as a mortician in the new Netflix series, Bodkin, to be released on Thursday, May 9.

Bodkin is a seven part series, set in West Cork and is based on a true story. It is a dark comedy/thriller which celebrates Irish culture, journalism and self-discovery. The series is backed and originates from Barack and Michelle Obamas Higher Ground production company.

Clodagh plays the role of Mary, a mortician and she is a series regular throughout the episodes.

Clodagh, from Ballyanne, is a past pupil of Our Lady of Lourdes in Rosbercon, where she was lucky to have had many wonderful teachers, her father Michael said.

Special mention goes to her English teacher, the late Maeve Wilson, who spotted, supported and actively encouraged Clodaghs creative talent. Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam dilis.

Since her graduation from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2013, Clodagh has acted in many plays around Dublin including Sauce, A Day In May, Tryst, Suzie and The Story Shredder, King Lear, Hamlet, Cirque De Reves, Wrong Turn At Lungfish and The Wise Wound.

Her film credits include Red Election, Dub Daze and Cumann na Bman on TG4.

Her numerous voiceovers comprise of several radio and television ads and an audio book which Clodagh voiced recently.

Clodagh is also a theatre maker and has recently secured a generous grant from the Arts Council to produce and direct a play called Made from Paper  a play for younger audiences, written by Clodagh herself.

Clodagh currently works as Project Manager and Front of House Manger in the Axis Theatre in Ballymun, Co Dublin  a modern arts and community centre with a 200 seat theatre, a gallery and studios for music and dance, plus a cafe.

Her proud parents Susan Mooney and Michael Duggan are delighted with her success. We have always been extremely proud of our beautiful and talented daughter Clodagh; her role in Bodkin is one more reason why.
Tributes have been paid locally to the man who died after being discovered with serious head injuries on a Wexford town street in the early hours of Monday morning.

Aged in his 60s, Pat Carroll had been living in the flats on Georges Street and is believed to have been making his way home following a night out when gardai believe he fell, causing himself serious injuries in the process.

The father and grandfather was discovered unconscious on the footpath of the Wexford Street, a stones throw from the Main Street, by two passers-by who immediately intervened and called an ambulance. They also reportedly administered CPR to the stricken man as his pulse began to fade.

Mr Carroll was rushed to Wexford General Hospital for further treatment, but sadly he was to pass away from his injuries.

Initially, gardai refused to rule out foul play as it was unclear exactly what happened. However, later on Monday morning, Supt Jarlath Duffy of Wexford Garda station confirmed that, having analysed CCTV footage, they were not treating the Mr Carrolls death as suspicious and were working on the belief that it was a tragic accident.

Georges Street in Wexford town. Pic: Jim Campbell

Originally from the Wellingtonbridge area, Pat was a regular at the nearby McGees pub and was remembered by those who knew him as a great storyteller and a generous man.

Among those deeply saddened by the news was Aontu councillor Jim Codd who counted Mr Carroll as a friend.

"I knew Pat Carroll very well and I was proud to call him a friend, he said. He was a kind-hearted man and there wasnt a bad stroke in him. He was a gentle soul and he was known for his kindness and his sense of humour.

"I had the privilege of teaching Pats sons at Bridgetown College over the years and they picked up a lot of his lovely traits. Its very sad news.

Mr Carroll was also described as a community minded person and was involved in several St Patricks Day Parades in the Carrig on Bannow area, as well as taking part in a massive fundraiser in 1998, to mark the anniversary of the 1798 rebellion, which saw him and a team of other men pull a cannon all the way from Wexford to Dublin for charity.

"Pat was as strong as an ox, Cllr Codd said. He often told me that he pulled the cannon over the bridge in Arklow by himself. That was something he was very proud of. He really was a gentle giant.

Pat worked in steel erection, a trade which took him as far as Libya and other parts of North Africa. His experiences made for great stories, which he often recounted on a high stool to eager listeners.

"He was just great company, Cllr Codd concluded. He did no human being a bad turn. He was just a gentle, unassuming and generous man who took pleasure in helping others. Im shocked and saddened by his passing.

Mr Carroll was an old school mate of former publican Jim McGee, who described him as a loyal friend and the most generous man I knew.

Another tribute posted online came from All-Ireland winning hurler with Wexfords famous 1996 team, Larry OGorman who described Mr Carroll as a great character and a lovely man.

"I always loved having a drink and a good chat with him, he said.

Pat was the beloved father of Dwayne, Lance and Kevin and brother of John, Mary, Fintan and Matty. He is sadly missed by his sons, brothers, sister, grandchildren Ava and Sophie, nephews, nieces and extended family and friends.

Mr Carrolls remains will repose at Ryan's Funeral Home, Wellingtonbridge, on Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and his removal will take place on Friday, May 3, to the Church of the Assumption, Little Cullenstown for funeral mass at 10.30 a.m. followed by burial in the new cemetery in Clongeen.
Wexford's Luke Jackson, aka Jaxson, (centre) performing with Pat Shortt and Mike Hanrahan on Songs of Ireland, which will air on Saturday night, May 4.

Wexford is set to be the latest stop on Pat Shortt and Mike Hanrahans musical tour of Ireland as part of their new RTE show Songs of Ireland.

The four part series sees the comedian, entertainer and actor and the Stocktons Wing frontman take a musical road-trip around the island of Ireland, combining the richness of Irish music, unique Irish culture, and the camaraderie of shared stories.

In each county, Pat and Mike join with new and established local musicians to put their own twist on prolific Irish songs.

On Saturdays show, fresh from the release of his debut EP Life In Its Purest Form, Wexfords own Luke Jackson, aka Jaxson, will sit down with Pat and Mike at Wexford Arts Centre to put their own unique stamp on The Old Woman from Wexford, a song famously performed by The Clancy Brothers.

"Basically, the director just emailed me, told me a little bit about the concept of the show, who the presenters were and asked me if Id like to represent Wexford, Luke says.

"I was delighted. The song chosen was The Old Woman From Wexford. Its a very funny song and basically they asked me to have a go at modernising it and making it more contemporary.

As well as working with Jaxson, the hosts chat with local traditional music legend Paddy Berry about the origins of the song and Wexfords contributions to traditional Irish music and culture, with Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann 2024 in Wexford town just around the corner.

The latest episode of Songs of Ireland will air on RTE One this Saturday, May 4, at 8.25 p.m.
West Wicklow

Gaelgeoir and historian John Glennon on life in Hollywood

Hes Mister Hollywood  though he is far too modest a person to trumpet such a brash title. Yet it is to the 70 year old that the BBC and Dutch TV have turned whenever they wanted an insight into what makes his parish in West Wicklow tick. No 
Parish of Powerscourt with Kilbride

Services at Powerscourt with Kilbride: All Services are available on the Parish YouTube Channel.

Service of Worship in St. Patricks Church, Powerscourt, for this Sunday The Sixth Sunday of Easter: 11.30am Morning Prayer 2.

Service of Worship in St. Brigids Church, Kilbride, for this Sunday The Sixth Sunday of Easter: 9.45am Holy Communion 1.

The Living RoomChurches together, Friends together: Today (Wednesday) the next meeting with our friends from St. Marys Enniskerry is at 11am in St Patricks Church. The theme is Through a glass darkly God through our own perspective. Sometimes when we feel let down by God or that his presence isnt with us its due to our own expectations and ideas about God. Join us for reflection, tea, coffee and fun!

Irish Trefoil GuildGuiding for Life: Calling all former leaders of the Irish Girl Guides in Bray and the surrounding area. There is now a Trefoil Guild in Bray. Contact Anne at braytrefoilguild@gmail.com.

St. Marys Church

Parish Website: www.enniskerryparish.ie is the Parish website of the Immaculate Heart of Marycheck it out for the latest information about our parish.

Facebook Page: There is a facebook page for the parish of Enniskerry, incorporating all four churches which facebook users will find under Enniskerry parish with a cover photo of trees and profile picture of a quote from Pope Francis. Please give it a like and feel free to post news from your community.

Enniskerry (also Curtlestown & Glencree) Parish Office opening times: Monday to Friday: 10am to 1pm; email: stmarys@enniskerryparish.ie; or call 01-2760030.

St. Mochonogs Parish Office opening times: Monday: 9am to 2pm, Tuesday: (by phone) 10am to 1pm, Wednesday: 10am to 2pm, Thursday (by phone) 10am to 1pm. Closed Friday.

Parish Churches Schedule of Masses: Enniskerry St. Marys: Saturday evening 6pm and also via parish webcam; Sunday 11am and also via parish webcam. Weekday Mass at Enniskerry is at 10.15am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and also via parish webcam lay-led prayer service on Wednesday; and Saturday at 10.15 am, and also available via the parish webcam. Masses in Curtlestown and Kilmacanogue are on Sunday at 10am. Mass in Glencree is at 9am on the first Sunday each month.

Kilmacanogue News: Due to a series of incidents in St. Mochonogs Church, Kilmacanogue, it has been decided to keep the Church locked, except for Mass times on Wednesdays and Sundays. This reluctant decision has been taken by Fr. Bernard and the rest of the team, who have a duty of care for all parishioners and visitors. Sadly, this is a sign of the times and in keeping with other Churches in the area. Should anyone wish to use the Church for private reasons, arrangements can be made with the Parish Office, and of course the Church will still be used for Sacramental Practices through the school. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Trip to Knock: Our trip to Knock is now going to take place on Saturday August 18th. We need names as soon as possible please, so we can work out a price. If your name is on the list already and you cant go on that date, please contact Aideen at 086 8182241 or Sadie in the sacristy, Thank you.

New Ministers: We look forward to commissioning new readers and ministers of the Eucharist this coming September. The commissioning will follow a short training course in the summer months. This will be for all four churches in the Parish. If you would like to be part of either ministry, please contact the parish office or Aideen at 086 8182241

Baptism Requests: Requests for Baptism now take place online at www.enniskerryparish.ie.

The Living RoomChurches together, Friends together: Today (Wednesday) the next meeting with our friends from St. Patricks Powerscourt is at 11am in St Patricks Church. The theme is Through a glass darkly God through our own perspective. Sometimes when we feel let down by God or that his presence isnt with us its due to our own expectations and ideas about God. Join us for reflection, tea, coffee and fun!

A Time For Healing: This seminar of Spirituality, Healing and Integration for the times we live in, will take place on Saturday September 28th at Glencree Reconciliation Centre, from 10am to 4pm. This seminar presented by Fr. Jim Cogley focuses on intergenerational healing (Healing the family tree), personal, and relational healing. A must for us all, revealing the exciting Christian message of healing found in the Scriptures. Fr. Jim Cogley is a psychotherapist and wood turner with over forty years experience. He was an associate of the renowned pioneer in Family Tree Healing Dr Ken McCall. Currently Director of Pilgrimage in Our Ladys Island in Co. Wexford, his particular interest is that of Healing, both personal and intergenerational, and how the past that is unacknowledged can still influence the present. Please register your interest at 086-8182241. Offering is 20. There are a limited number of places left.

Church Music Group: We meet on Tuesday evenings at 7.15pm in St. Marys Church. We would love to have a few more voices. If you would like to try, just come along and you will be warmly welcomed.

Broadcast List: A broadcast list for the parish is now up and running. This is to keep everyone up to date with what is happening in the parish and for easy communication in relation to building our communities. If you would like your name added to the list please contact Aideen 086-8182 241.

New Here?: You are very welcome. Please keep up to date with us at www.enniskerryparish.ie. You can register as a parishioner by mailing us at stmarys@enniskerryparish.ie or stmochonogs@enniskerryparish.ie. If you wish to receive items, or if you would like to receive the Parish Link by email weekly please phone the Parish Office in Enniskerry on 01-2760030 (10am to 1pm Monday to Friday or email: stmarys@enniskerry.ie; and Kilmacanogue on 01-2021882. (10am to 1pm) Monday to Thursday, or email:stmochonogs@enniskerryparish.ie.

Rosary: A group from the parish meets every Wednesday evening, on Zoom, from 7.30pm to 8pm to pray the Rosary. Please call or message 087-4189 338, to be added to the group or for further information.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul: The local telephone number is 01-8550022.

History Society

Members and supporters of the Enniskerry History Society are asked to note that the following events will take place in the week ahead.

Today (Wednesday) Jim Walsh will recall A Balbriggan Tragedy, 1930 to the Balbriggan and District Historical Society in the Bracken Court Hotel, 3A Bridge Street, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin. All are welcomeadmission is 5; tomorrow (Thursday) David Ryan will present Buck Whaley at 8pm to the Mount Merrion Historical Society in The Fitzwilliam Rooms, Mount Merrion Community Centre, Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin. All are welcome admission is 4 for adults and 2 for Students; on Saturday the Medal Society of Ireland will hold a Medal, Militaria and Collectables Fair from 10am to 2pm in the Knox Memorial Hall, Monkstown Village, Co. Dublin. All welcomeAdmission is 2 for members and 4 for non-members; next Wednesday two guest speakers will speak on Early Modern book collections in the 21st century at 1pm in the Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Admission is free but booking required with the Royal Irish Academy call 01-609 0600 or email: info@rai.ie.

Enniskerry Library

Opening hours are Tuesday 10.30am to 12.30pm & 1.30pm to 4.30pm; Wednesday: 2pm to 4.30pm & 6pm to 8pm; Friday: 10.30am to 12.30pm & 1.30pm to 4.30pm; Saturday: 10am to 2.30pm. The library is closed on Mondays and Thursdays and on the Saturdays of Bank Holiday weekends. The library can be contacted at 01-2864339 or email: enniskerrylib@wicklowcoco.ie. Online services including e-books, audio-books, digital magazines and ewspapers and e-learning are available from the library website.

Due to the May Bank Holiday the library will be closed this Saturday, Sunday and next Monday, re-opening as normal next Tuesday morning at 10.30am.
Wicklow filmmaker Georgia Kelly with her 'Best Cinematography' award at Fresh Film Ireland's Young Film Maker of the Year 2024 awards. Photo: Don Moloney

Budding Wicklow filmmaker Georgia Kelly scooped the prestigious Best Cinematography award at the Fresh international Film Festivals recent Irelands Young Filmmaker of the Year awards for her stunning film The Girl I Knew.

Wowing judges, the evocative film follows Charlie, a 16-year-old girl, as she tries to navigate the summer without her best friend Lila while also wondering what has happened to her.

Georgia was one of seventeen award recipients at the 2024 IYFTYs, which were broadcast on RTE2 and hosted by Faye Shortt and Gemma Bradley.

Leaving Certificate student Fiachra Cotter OCulachain from Dublin was crowned Irelands Young Filmmaker of the Year 2024 for his short film IVY, while second place went to Olivia Louise Curto from Leitrim with Freequencies, and third to Jake Dundons (Tipperary) Adaptation of the Only Nightmare Ive Ever Had.

The awards, filmed in Omniplex Cinema and Troy Studios in Limerick, are now available on the RTE Player. All 42 shortlisted films, made by young people, for young people, can be viewed on the Fresh International Film Festival YouTube Channel, with viewer discretion advised for younger audiences.

Fresh International Film Festival and the IYFTYs encourage young people to explore filmmaking as a career, learning the art of visual storytelling, understanding the filmmaking process from first draft to final frame, and the sustainable career opportunities that exist both in front of and behind the camera, inspiring and building Irelands future film, television and digital talent-pool, a Fresh spokesperson said

The IYFTYs shortlist is a rich collection that showcases the imagination, creativity and skills of the worlds future storytellers, and interest in the festival from 82 countries is a reflection of Irelands ascendancy as a global hub for film, television, digital and creative industries.


Deputy Jennifer Whitmore has has voiced her frustration after receiving confirmation that none of the additional Dart battery electric carriages ordered in 2021 will be used to extend the Dart line service to Wicklow town.

It is disappointing that Wicklow has yet to be prioritised for delivery of the new electric battery Dart carriages, she said. Last year, the NTA told me that Irish Rail had established a team to review the workability of using these carriages, and their work was underway. I was hopeful this meant the government was planning to invest in Wicklow Towns railway in the immediate future.

In response to a Parliamentary Question on the matter, however, the Department of Transport advised that will not be the case. It now looks like the lions share of the new carriages have been earmarked for other counties.

Thirty of these carriages will augment current Dart services along the entire cost, and 65 of them, which are battery-electric trains, are due to enter service exclusively on the Dublin to Drogheda line. It has long been mooted that these battery electric carriages would be used to address the capacity issues faced by Wicklow towns rail services.

Yet again, Wicklow needs to catch up when developing Dart infrastructure. It is well known that Wicklow town needs to be more resourced regarding rail and bus services. Government TDs have committed to delivering these electric dart carriages to Wicklow town in the past, but we do not see the project anywhere near delivered.

The news is particularly disappointing for Deputy Whitmore as there is an urgent need to get more people out of cars and onto trains, bikes, and buses to meet climate target options.

She added: Commuters in Wicklow town have spoken to me about how they want to see more rail and bus options to use public transport, especially when commuting to work or school. However, this cannot be done if the options are not there and not running frequently enough.

I urge the Minister for Transport to put Wicklow town at the top of his agenda for the remainder of this government. The kind of investment in rail we have seen in Drogheda and Southwest Dublin rail services in recent decades needs to be replicated here in Wicklow, and it needs to happen now. The urgency of this matter cannot be overstated.
Britain

Woman who murdered her parents and lived with their bodies for four years is jailed for life
LATEST | Police officer who faced London sword attacker suffered horrifically serious injuries: She faces a long recovery

A 36-year-old suspect remains in hospital after a 14-year-old boy was killed and four other people were injured in Hainault, east London

Dramatic footage shows suspect being tasered following Hainault stabbings

Irish Independent Newsdesk Wed 1 May 2024 at 11:33







A female police officer suffered horrifically serious arm injuries in the east London sword attack that claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said.
Police have deployed riot tactics to disperse protesters in Georgia who rallied outside the countrys parliament in Tbilisi to protest a law that bears resemblance to Russian anti-independent media legislation.

The law will require media and non-commercial organisations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.
Ukraines faith in Nato has been dented by delay in providing weapons for war, Jens Stoltenberg says

Alliance boss wants to revamp co-ordination of international military aid to Kyiv

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg met with president Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

Andrew Gray Wed 1 May 2024 at 03:30







Five people have been killed in a Russian strike on a law school known locally as the Harry Potter castle in the southern Ukrainian port of Odesa, local officials said.
International Court of Justice wont halt Germanys military aid to Israel

A Palestinian infant evacuated to south Gaza is now separated from his parents due to an Israeli checkpoint. Photo: Reuters

The top UN court has rejected Nicaraguas legal effort to force Germany to halt military and other aid to Israel amid the devastating war in Gaza.

However, the International Court of Justice declined yesterday to throw out the case altogether. The court will still hear arguments from both sides on the merits of Nicaraguas allegation that Germany failed to prevent genocide in Gaza. That will likely take months.
LATEST | Police arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters in Columbia University raid

New York students had taken over academic building at Columbia University amid growing pro-Palestine protests

Pro-Palestine demonstrators barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in New York. Photo: Getty

Jonathan Allen and Caitlin Ochs Wed 1 May 2024 at 03:30







New York City police raided Columbia University late on Tuesday to arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, some of whom had seized an academic building, and to remove a protest encampment the Ivy League school had sought to dismantle for nearly two weeks.
Irish soldiers who served in Lebanon: I saw kids in buggies on Grafton Street and thought of the Arab boys and girls who were blown to bits
Update: India Has Approved 124 FDI Proposals from Neighboring Countries Since 2020

Since 2020, India has approved 124 foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals from neighboring countries and rejected 201, following amendments to regulations governing investors from border nations. India has formed an inter-ministerial committee to examine such FDI proposals, impacting industries like manufacturing, software, trading, and e-commerce.

According to recent media reports, out of 526 foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals that India received from its neighboring countries, 124 proposals have been approved, 201 were rejected, and 200 have been pending since 2020.

In April 2020, India enforced mandatory prior government approval for FDI from neighboring countries, regardless of sectoral restrictions, by revising Press Note 3 (PN3).

India is evaluating FDI clearance implications

As of December 2023, India has received FDI proposals worth about INR 1 trillion (US$11.9 billion) since April 2020 from countries sharing land borders.

While most proposals originated from China, a few proposals originated from Bangladesh and Nepal.

India is processing ongoing discussions regarding potential refinements to these FDI restrictions, but no decisions have been made yet.

Experts believe that although these proposals represent a negligible portion of FDI, there may be broader implications. Concerned authorities at the federal level aim to strike a balance by permitting investments beneficial to Indias manufacturing sector while safeguarding against potential risks.

READ: How is India Treating FDI Proposals Involving Chinese Entities?

Safeguarding investment ecosystem

India amended its FDI Policy through Press Note 3 (2020) issued on April 17, 2020. According to this note, if an entity from a nation sharing a land border with India (namely China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, and Afghanistan), or if a citizen or permanent resident of any such country, is the beneficial owner of an investment in India, they are required to pursue investment through the government approval route.

Indicative of the prolonged security and clearance assessment, back in 2022, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash said in the lower house of the Indian parliament that out of 347 FDI proposals received from neighboring countries, only 66 had been granted approval by the government; 193 cases were rejected, closed, or withdrawn. The total value of investments in these 66 proposals aggregated to INR 136.2 billion (US$1.6 billion).

Indias central government is authorized to approve any subsequent change in beneficial ownership if it results in the beneficial ownership coming under the restriction or purview of the Press Note 3 (2020) due to a transfer of ownership of any current or future FDI in an entity in India, whether directly or indirectly.

Amendments to investment laws

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, India announced its decision to enact amendments to some of its existing investment laws. At the time, the decision was made to avoid possible opportunistic acquisitions from neighboring countries.

Foreign Direct Investment Policy of the Government of India (FDI Policy)  Press Note 3 of 2020.

The Government of India, on April 17, 2020, revised its existing FDI policy via Press Note 3 of 2020 (PN 3) to provide that:

(a) A non-resident entity can invest in India, subject to the FDI policy, except in sectors/activities that are prohibited.

However, an entity of a country, that shares a land border with India or where the beneficial owner of an investment in India is situated in or is a citizen of any such country can invest only under the government route. The government route requires that prior approval from it be procured for the investment.

Foreign Exchange Management (Non-Debt Instruments) Amendment Rules 2020 (NDI Amendment Rules).

The Indian Ministry of Finance issued the NDI Amendment Rules on April 22, 2020, which amended the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-Debt Instruments) Rules, 2019 to provide for as follows:

 That an entity of a country, which shares a land border with India or the beneficial owner of an investment into India who is situated in or is a citizen of such country shall invest in an Indian company only with the governments approval.

 That a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan shall invest only under the government route, in sectors or activities other than defense, space, atomic energy, and such other sectors or activities prohibited for foreign investment.

 Also, in the event of the transfer of ownership of any existing or future FDI in an entity in India, directly or indirectly, resulting in the beneficial ownership falling within the restriction or purview of the aforesaid provisos set out in (i) and (ii) above, such a subsequent change in beneficial ownership shall also require government approval.

Foreign Exchange Management (Non-Debt Instruments) (Fourth Amendment) Rules 2020 (NDI Fourth Amendment Rules).

Indias ministries of home affairs and external affairs are in charge of the vetting process that is applied to investment applications from neighboring nations. These FDI proposals are primarily related to the following industries: heavy machinery, automotive, computer software and hardware for car components, trading, e-commerce, and light engineering and electrical manufacturing.

Summary

India has been rigorously evaluating investment proposals from neighboring countries since 2020, with amendments to regulations guiding such investments. Though there are ongoing discussions debating the merits and unintended consequences of such a restrictive policy, the government has stated that these proposals would have minimal impact on Indias FDI landscape.

(US$ 1= INR 83.42)
Photo courtesy: JSL

New Delhi: Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) on Wednesday revealed plans to invest Rs 5,400 crore in expanding its capacity to 4.2 million tonnes per annum, media reported.

Company's Managing Director Abhyuday Jindal said that these investments will be executed over the next two years, with approximately 90 percent of the funding sourced from internal accruals, a report in the media said.

Breaking down the investment plan, Jindal explained that this will add to the company's melting capacity by over 40 percent to 4.2 MTPA, said the report.

This will entail an investment of more than Rs 700 crore, he said, according to the report.

Further, the company has allocated around Rs 1,900 crore for enhancing its downstream lines at its facility in Jajpur, Odisha, it added.

The company has set aside nearly Rs 1,450 crore for the enhancement of associated infrastructural facilities, including investments in railway siding, sustainability initiatives, and the development of renewable energy generation capabilities, the report said.

Furthermore, as part of its strategic expansion plans, the company intends to acquire a 54 percent equity stake in Chromeni Steels Pvt Ltd (CSPL).

CSPL operates a 0.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) cold rolling mill situated in Mundra, Gujarat.

This acquisition will be executed through a structured indirect deal and involves a total expenditure of approximately Rs 1,340 crore. This includes the assumption of existing debt amounting to Rs 1,295 crore and an additional Rs 45 crore designated for equity purchase.

Abhyuday Jindal emphasized that these three strategic investments, reaching nearly Rs 5,400 crore, are aimed at positioning the company as a global leader in the stainless steel industry, the report added.
Photo courtesy: wikipedia.org

Vedanta's Chairman, Anil Agarwal, announced on Wednesday that the company plans to invest $20 billion in India across its various businesses within the next four years, media reports said.

Agarwal made this declaration during the 'Nand Ghar' event, a social initiative organized by the philanthropic division of the mining conglomerate, reported Moneycontrol.

The investment is motivated by the company's confidence in the rising commodity prices to drive growth.

"Growth in India is tremendous... it's a double digit growth and there is a huge consumption activity. People are interested to invest in India and post the elections we would see recognition to entrepreneurships, which is very important," Agarwal was quoted as saying by Moneycontrol.

According to the report, Agarwal highlighted that the investments will primarily target the glass and semiconductor sectors, with a heightened focus on expanding investments in electronics, along with other business ventures. Regarding the progress of the semiconductor project, Aggarwal mentioned, "We have acquired land in Gujarat, but we are in search of the ideal partner."

Media reports earlier this year indicated that the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology viewed Vedanta's plans with skepticism due to the lack of a technology partner.

However, Agarwal asserted that the company remains fully dedicated to the glass and semiconductor venture.

In February, the Supreme Court rejected Vedanta's request to reopen its Sterlite copper smelter plant in Tamil Nadu for judgment. The court cited the repeated violations of laws and regulations as the basis for its decision.

Although Vedanta intends to file a review petition in the Supreme Court, Aggarwal stressed that the conglomerate has moved its focus away from the smelter plant issue, said the Moneycontrol report.

According to the report, when asked about the status of the Sterlite copper smelter, Aggarwal commented, "Let's just forget about it... it only accounts for 0.3% of our business. We have moved forward from that."

What are Nand Ghars?

On Wednesday, the company organized an event to welcome Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee to its Nand Ghar initiative. Nand Ghar is a joint project between Vedanta and the Ministry of Women and Child Development, aimed at creating modern aanganwadis known as Nand Ghars throughout India, dedicated to the welfare and development of women and children.

"We aim to have about 25,000 Nand Ghars over the next two years," Aggarwal said. The company has constructed 6,000 such units as of today," the company said during the event.
Image credit : Pixabay

New Delhi/IBNS: A bomb threat via email forced 60 schools in Delhi and Noida to get dismissed early on Wednesday morning, media reports said.

The schools were evacuated after the classes were stopped midway and students were asked to leave.

Police officials are conducting search operations.

However, the source of email is yet to be deciphered.

Delhi Police spokesperson Suman Nalwa told NDTV, "We are taking all appropriate measures at the schools which have received bomb threats. I request parents not to panic, as nothing suspicious has been found."

"This is a mischief, a mail has been sent to all the schools on such a large scale to spread panic. The cyber cell unit is also trying to trace the email and IP address," police further said.

Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Mother Mary School in Mayur Vihar were among the first schools to receive the bomb threat.

Delhi Education Minister Atishi posted on X, "Some schools have received bomb threats today morning. Students have been evacuated and those premises are being searched by Delhi Police. So far nothing has been found in any of the schools.

"We are in constant touch with the Police and the schools. Would request parents and citizens not to panic. School authorities will be in touch with parents wherever needed."
Image credit : Pixabay

New Delhi/IBNS: The Union Home Ministry has called the bomb threat email that led to early shutdown of nearly 100 students in Delhi and Noida "hoax", media reports said.

The ministry's spokesperson has put up a post on X reading, "Some schools in Delhi received threat e-mails this morning. The mails appear to be hoax and there is no need to panic. @DelhiPolice and security agencies are taking all necessary steps as per protocol."

Some schools in Delhi received threat e-mails this morning. The mails appear to be hoax and there is no need to panic. @DelhiPolice and security agencies are taking all necessary steps as per protocol.  Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) May 1, 2024

Meanwhile, the origin of the hoax bomb threat email has been traced, said Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.

"The Delhi Police have traced the origin of the emails. I am assuring citizens of Delhi that the police are alert, getting leads, and will take strict action," Saxena said as quoted by NDTV.

The schools were evacuated after the classes were stopped midway and students were asked to leave. Examinations in some of the schools were also disrupted.

Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Mother Mary School in Mayur Vihar were among the first schools to receive the bomb threat.

Delhi Education Minister Atishi posted on X, "Some schools have received bomb threats today morning. Students have been evacuated and those premises are being searched by Delhi Police. So far nothing has been found in any of the schools.

"We are in constant touch with the Police and the schools. Would request parents and citizens not to panic. School authorities will be in touch with parents wherever needed."
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Photo courtesy: Facebook/Congress

New Delhi/IBNS: In another embarrassment for the beleaguered grand old party, two Congress leaders quit the camp over its alliance with once-an-arch-rival Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi.

Neeraj Basoya and Naseeb Singh have quit the party weeks ahead of Delhi going to Lok Sabha elections.

Basoya, a former MLA, claimed the alliance is a major embarrassment to Delhi Congress workers.

Singh, who too is a former MLA, expressed his displeasure over the appointment of Davinder Yadav as the Delhi unit chief.

Basoya and Singh were the party observers for the West Delhi and North West Delhi constituencies respectively.

Delhi goes to elections on May 25.
Photo courtesy: Screenshot grab from X video of BJP

New Delhi/IBNS: Popular television actress Rupali Ganguly on Wednesday lauded the "development" taking place in the country joining the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is seeking a third straight term in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Besides praising the "development", Ganguly lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also happens to be the supreme leader of BJP.

She told ANI, "The one personality that attracts everyone towards BJP is PM Modi. His working style, personality and the way he has taken our country towards development, every Indian wants to join 'Modi Sena' and contribute to the country and I also felt the same and hence I joined BJP."

#WATCH | After joining the BJP, actress Rupali Ganguly says, "The one personality that attracts everyone towards BJP is PM Modi. His working style, personality and the way he has taken our country towards development, every Indian wants to join 'Modi Sena' and contribute to the pic.twitter.com/kfF5dCUOIr  ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

Immediately after joining, Ganguly had said, "When I see this 'Mahayagya' of development, I feel that I should also take part in this."

"I need your blessings and support so that whatever I do, I do it right and good," she added.

#WATCH | Actress Rupali Ganguly joins BJP at the party headquarters in Delhi



She says, "...When I see this 'Mahayagya' of development, I feel that I should also take part in this...I need your blessings and support so that whatever I do, I do it right and good...'' pic.twitter.com/x7pT7oq0xB  ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

Ganguly, 47, primarily works in Hindi television.

She is well known for playing Manisha Singh Sarabhai in popular daily soap 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai' and Anupamaa in 'Anupamaa'.

Along with Ganguly, astrolger Ameya Joshi too joined the BJP on Wednesday.

After joining the saffron camp, both Ganguly and Joshi met BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda.
Photo courtesy: Congress Facebook page

New Delhi/IBNS: With two more days left to file the nominations for the Lok Sabha polls, Congress is yet to announce its candidates from the Gandhi family bastions, Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, inviting jibes from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Now, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has responded to the murmurs over who could contest from the two seats.

Ramesh said the party's Central Election Committee (CEC) has given the power to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to take a call in 24 hours.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who even last time won from Rae Bareli, is now a Rajya Sabha member thus Rae Bareli will have a new candidate from the party this time.

Speculations are rife that Sonia's daughter and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra might be fielded from the high-voltage seat.

In Amethi, where Union Minister Smriti Irani defeated then Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in 2019, a new face from the grand old party may come up if one goes by the development.

Sonia's son-in-law, businessman Robert Vadra, visited Uttar Pradesh, offered prayers at temples and clearly indicated he is ready to make his poll debut if given a chance.

Robert Vadra said, "The entire country wants me to join active politics. I have always been among people of the country. I have campaigned in Amethi since 1999. I helped Sonia-ji to win in 2004 by a huge margin of votes."

"People of Amethi want me. Smriti Irani-ji didn't fulfill her promises," he added.

#WATCH | Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: On being asked whether he will contest Lok Sabha elections from Amethi, Robert Vadra says, "The voice is coming from the entire country that I should get into active politics as I have always been amongst the people of the country... People pic.twitter.com/fbyVQjbahS  ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2024

"Amethi ki janta kare pukar, Robert Vadra ab ki baar," read some posters, which loosely means Amethi wants Rober Vadra here, even in the constituency.

Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats, has been ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2017.

In the last consecutive general elections, the BJP had swept the polls in Uttar Pradesh, the north Indian state.

Rae Bareli and Amethi go to polls on May 20 and the last date for filing nomination is May 3.
Photo courtesy: X/Prajwal Revanna

Prajwal Revanna, the suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader currently embroiled in a controversy over leaked explicit videos allegedly showing him sexually assaulting multiple women, has said the truth will prevail.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has initiated a probe against him, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged that the diplomatic passport of Revanna be cancelled, as he has managed to leave the country despite being the key accused in the case.

"Sending the impeding police case and arrest, the accused Member of Parliament and NDA candidate for Lok Sabha Prajwal Revanna has fled the country and travelled abroad. It is learnt from the reports that he is travelling abroad on his diplomatic passport," Siddaramaiah's letter read.

"While the SIT is working round the clock to investigate the allegations of crimes against several women by Prajwal Revanna, getting him back to the country is of utmost importance so that he faces investigation and trial as per the law of the land," he added.

Prajwal Revanna is the grandson of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda.

Denying the allegations, Revanna, who was serving as the Hassan MP, said that he has informed the criminal investigation department (CID) that he is currently not in Bangalore, but will join the probe soon.

"As I am not in Bangalore to attend the enquiry, I have communicated to C.I.D Bangalore through my Advocate. Truth will prevail soon," he said in a post on X.

     ,     C.I.D   .



   .



As I am not in Bangalore to attend the enquiry, I have communicated to C.I.D Bangalore through my Advocate. Truth will prevail soon. pic.twitter.com/lyU7YUoJem  Prajwal Revanna (@iPrajwalRevanna) May 1, 2024

A case of sexual harassment and stalking was lodged against him on Sunday. The Karnataka government has also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which may visit Hassan - the constituency that Prajwal represents in Lok Sabha and is contesting again this time - to investigate the charges.

Revanna, who is also the nephew of former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, was suspended from the Janata Dal (Secular) on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old leader left for Germany on Saturday, a day after polling took place in Karnataka's Hassan from where he is a candidate, and shortly after the videos began circulating online.

The alleged scandal came to light after a woman filed a complaint against Revanna over sexual assault. She accused the JDS leader of sexually abusing her on several occasions between 2019 and 2022.
Photo Courtesy: UNRWA

Ordinary Gazans remain in a constant state of trauma over an impending full-scale Israeli attack on the enclaves southernmost city of Rafah amid a growing number of strikes there, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Tuesday.

There is an extraordinary, deep anxiety prevailing right now in Gaza because the question everybody asks is whether, yes or no, there would be a military offensive, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told journalists in Geneva.

Following several reports by the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, of intensive strikes on Rafah that caused dozens of fatalities, Mr. Lazzarini said a full-scale invasion of Rafah  currently home to around one million displaced Gazans  depended on whether or not a ceasefire deal will be reached this week.

Despite renewed international pressure for a humanitarian pause, including from the United States, no breakthrough in negotiations has yet been announced.

Hunger still a huge threat

In the meantime, Gazas hunger crisis has not gone away, the UNRWA chief said, pointing to "a spreading hunger and a looming famine", especially in the northern part of the enclave.

The good news is that my colleagues have reported that there is more food available in the market  so increase the availability  but it still does not mean that the food is accessible just because there is absolutely no cash circulating in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

Safe water emergency

Echoing concerns in a regular update on the crisis, OCHA noted that the situation remains dire in Rafah, where residents face severe challenges in accessing basic services such as healthcare, clean water and sanitation facilities.

The UN aid coordination office added that the coastal water board had warned that the entire water and sanitation system was nearing collapse.

To address rising needs for safe drinking water, the Gazan utility and the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) unveiled a solar-operated water desalination station in Rafah last week. It can produce enough potable water for 400 families at a school sheltering displaced people.

To help meet still-desperate nutrition needs, UNICEF and more than a dozen humanitarian partners have also expanded outpatient treatment services for acutely malnourished children to more than 100 sites across Gaza, including more than 50 in Rafah and three dozen in the north.

Some aid relief progress

In a glimmer of good news, Mr. Lazzarini said that more humanitarian supplies have entered the enclave in past weeks than in previous months, but it is still far from enough to reverse the negative trend we have seen.

UNRWAs requests to send aid convoys continue to be systematically denied by Israel, he continued, adding that the laborious process of having to unload and reload supplies to allow for inspection increased delays that were already impacted by operating hours of the crossing into Gaza that vary from one day to another.

Bodies dumped

The crossing into Gaza could also be closed at a moments notice and many times a week by the Israeli authorities, the UN official said, because they are just dumping released detainees or dumping sometimes (Palestinians) bodies who have been taken to Israel and back to the Gaza Strip.

After renewing his call in common with the UN Secretary-General for the unconditional and immediate release of all Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, the UNRWA chief underscored deep concerns for all Gazans detained by the Israeli Security Forces.

Citing testimonies of released detainees, Mr. Lazzarini explained that they described being routinely rounded up, stripped to their underwear and loaded into trucks, blindfolded and bound.

Once arrested, the detainees remained incommunicado and faced shocking inhumane treatment, including waterboarding, severe beatings, attacks by dogs and being forced to hold that stress position for hours, sometimes 12 hours, 24 hours.

Detainees who Israel suspected of Hamas affiliation were also forced to wear a diaper instead of being able to go to the toilet and were also pressured to state that UNRWA was politically affiliated in the Gaza Strip, in violation of its neutral status.

182 fallen staff

Gazan health authorities report that at least 34,500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 77,700 wounded in Israeli attacks since 7 October. To date, 182 UNRWA staff have been killed and more than 160 of the agencys premises have been damaged or totally destroyed, the Commissioner-General reported.

Most of these premises were sheltering displaced people and more than 400 people have been killed in these premises, he said, before condemning the use of these facilities for military purposes after they were vacated, many in northern Gaza.

This blatant disregard of the United Nations must be investigated once the war ends to prevent it becoming the new standard in warfare, Mr. Lazzarini insisted.

Defending UNRWA

Turning to unproven allegations of Hamas collusion involving UNRWA staff, the Commissioner-General repeatedly stressed the agencys neutrality, backed by the recently published findings of the Colonna inquiry, and noted that a separate UN investigation into 19 individuals had completely cleared one staff member of any wrongdoing and had been paused into four other cases, since no further information had been provided to justify the accusations.

Speaking in French to reject serial, unfounded allegations that have circulated since the outbreak of hostilities that hundreds of UNRWA staff were members of armed groups, Mr. Lazzarini said for the moment, these were just 'statements' lacking any substantiating information."

ICJ rejects petition to censure German arms exports

In a related development on Tuesday, the UNs top court rejected a call to take action against Germany over the countrys arms exports to Israel.

Nicaragua had petitioned the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue provisional measures, alleging Germanys participation in the ongoing plausible genocide and serious breaches of international humanitarian law and other peremptory norms of general international law occurring in the Gaza Strip.

The ICJ ruled against the measure by 15 to one, indicating in a short statement that the circumstances of the case as presented to the court are not such as to require the exercise of its power under Article 41 of the Statute to indicate (the implementation of) provisional measures.

The court, which is based in The Hague, recently issued provisional measures against Israel, in a case brought by South Africa, in response to a request from South Africa, which accused Israel of genocide in Gaza.

The ICJ ordered Israel to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full cooperation with the United Nations, the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians throughout Gaza.
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

At least 24 people died after a section of a mountainside highway collapsed in China's Guangdong province following heavy rains, media reports said.

Thirty others were taken to hospital after a 17.9m (58 feet) stretch of the Meilong expressway crumbled at 02:10 local time (19:10 BST) on Wednesday, BBC reported.

In all, 20 vehicles and 54 passengers were caught up in the accident, the local government told South China Morning Post, as it issued revised casualty figures on Wednesday afternoon.

In a statement, it said 30 victims had been sent to hospital, while around 500 public security, emergency response, firefighting, health and sanitation and other workers were taking part in the rescue work in the affected area measuring around 184 sq m.

The extent of their injuries have not been mentioned so far.

The reason of the collapse is still not clear and an investigation is currently underway.
Protesters demonstrate outside the Columbia University campus in New York City. Photo Courtesy: UN Photo/Evan Schneider

New York Police Department cops stormed into Columbia Universitys campus on Tuesday (April 30, 2024) and ousted the pro-Palestine protesters who were taking control of an academic building amid the ongoing anti-Israel protest on the campus.

The cops cleared out the group that barged into Hamilton Hall early Tuesday morning in a drastic escalation of the protest at the Ivy League school, police sources told New York Post.

Police reportedly made multiple arrests and loaded the demonstrators in three NYPD buses.

During the period, multiple pro-Palestine demonstrators were seen shouting slogans.

The officers also stationed themselves in front of off-campus housing and were greeted with hostile shouts of NYPD, KKK, IOF! Theyre all the same!;, reported New York Post.

After the police entered the campus, university authorities issued a statement and said it regretted having to rely on police to clear the mess.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation, the administration was quoted as saying by The New York Post.

The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing, officials continued.

We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law," the statement said.

Those arrested inside Hamilton Hall would be charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing, police officials was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Others arrested at the South Lawns encampment would face charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct.

The action at Columbia University took place amid large-scale anti-Israel protests taking place across several US universities.
Protesters demonstrate outside the Columbia University campus in New York City. Photo Courtesy: UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Hours after cops stormed into Columbia Universitys campus and ousted the pro-Palestine protesters who were taking control of an academic building, the demonstrators are now demanding authorities provide them with food.

One of the protesters later defended the demand as a "basic humanitarian aid" so that they do not die of starvation.

"We're saying they are obligated to provide food to the students who are paying for a meal plan here," the protester was quoted as saying by the media when asked by reporters.

"Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation or get severely ill even if they disagree with you? If the answer is no, then you should allow basicI mean it's crazy to say because we are on an Ivy League campus, but this is like basic humanitarian aid we're asking for. Like, could people please have a glass of water?" the protester was heard saying in the video where she is seen speaking with the media.

Columbia student demands food and water from the university. "This is, like, basic humanitarian aid we're asking for", she says. "Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation?"



Just perfect. Absolutely beyond parody. pic.twitter.com/frCdIORJ8u  Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) April 30, 2024

The cops cleared out the group that barged into Hamilton Hall early Tuesday morning in a drastic escalation of the protest at the Ivy League school, police sources told New York Post.

Police reportedly made multiple arrests and loaded the demonstrators in three NYPD buses.

During the period, multiple pro-Palestine demonstrators were seen shouting slogans.

The officers also stationed themselves in front of off-campus housing and were greeted with hostile shouts of NYPD, KKK, IOF! Theyre all the same!;, reported New York Post.

After the police entered the campus, university authorities issued a statement and said it regretted having to rely on police to clear the mess.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation, the administration was quoted as saying by The New York Post.

The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing, officials continued.

We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law," the statement said.

Those arrested inside Hamilton Hall would be charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing, police officials was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Others arrested at the South Lawns encampment would face charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct.

The action at Columbia University took place amid large-scale anti-Israel protests taking place across several US universities.

More than 100 people were arrested at Columbia University and City College of New York on Tuesday night, according to a law enforcement official, as protests against Israel's bombardment of Gaza intensified across college campuses nationwide, reported CNN.

Meanwhile, police arrived at the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles where clashes earlier in the day reportedly broke out between pro-Palestinian protesters and Israel supporters.

Mayor Karen Bass posted on X: " The violence unfolding this evening at UCLA is absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable. LAPD has arrived on campus."
Television star Shivangi Joshi, best known for her roles in the popular Indian soap opera, "Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai," is reportedly set to be the highest-paid contestant in the upcoming season of Bigg Boss OTT 3. Shivangi Joshi has become a well-known name in the television industry thanks to her engaging performances and large number of fans. Her character Naira in "Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai" made her very popular and loved by many, making her a prominent figure on Indian TV. Her fans are now excitedly waiting to see how she will handle the switch from regular TV dramas to a more intense reality show like Bigg Boss OTT, which is quite different from what she is used to.

Shivangi Joshi To Become Highest-Paid Actor On Bigg Boss OTT 3?

Picture Of Shivangi Joshi/X

Bigg Boss OTT, a spin-off of the traditional Bigg Boss show, has been known to feature a mix of celebrities and influencers living together under constant surveillance, with their interactions broadcast live to the audience. The OTT version of the show tends to be edgier and more direct, offering viewers a closer, more immediate connection to the contestants. If the reports are true, Shivangi's participation could significantly raise the stakes and viewership for the upcoming season.



Also Read: Bigg Boss OTT 3: Journalist Deepak Chaurasia To Enter Salman Khan's Controversial Show?

Shivangi Joshi: From TV Star To Reality Show Contender

Although the exact payment details have not been officially confirmed, it looks like Shivangi might set a new record as the highest-paid contestant ever on the show. The producers are likely trying to use her huge fan base to their advantage, which could lead to more people watching the show and more interaction on streaming services.



Also Read: Bigg Boss OTT 3: Contestant List, Start Date, Theme, Winning Prize And All You Need To Know

Can Shivangi Shine In The Bigg Boss House?

Expectations will be high, not just from her fans but also from casual viewers who will be curious to see if she lives up to the hype. Her performance on the show will be under intense scrutiny, and how she handles the dynamics inside the Bigg Boss house will be crucial to her continued popularity and success.

As we await official confirmation from the show's creators and from Shivangi Joshi herself, the excitement and speculation only continue to grow.



For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.


After a six-year-long tiff, India's two most popular comedians Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grover are finally back together. The latter had first backed out former's comedy show on Colors TV (Comedy Nights With Kapil) to "earn more money" as Sharma was not ready to give him a hike. However, he ended up returning to the show, which then moved to another channel Sony TV (The Kapil Sharma Show). After their tiff on a flight from Melbourne to India, he opted out of the show yet again.

Sunil Grover's reported salary on The Great Indian Kapil Show is 20 times lower than Kapil Sharma's

Netflix

Now that Sunil is back on the show, do you know how much he is being paid? As per a report on Zee Hindustan, Sunil Grover's salary is 20 times less than what Sharma's fee is. As per the report, Sunil's salary is Rs 25 lak per episode for The Great Indian Kapil Show. On the other hand, Kapil Sharma is taking home over Rs 5 crore for every episode.

Also read: Is Netflix Giving Kapil Sharma 500% Hike For The Great Indian Kapil Show? Here's His Reported Salary



Sunil Grover had doubled his fee after exiting Kapil's show

Netflix

As per a report on DNA, Sunil Grover's remuneration had increased by 100 percent after the actor-comedian quit The Kapil Sharma Show. He used to take home Rs 7-8 lakhs per episode. Later, he started demanding Rs 13-14 lakhs for a single appearance. His character Gutthi was quite popular on the show.

Sunil Grover on life before Gutthi: I used to earn 500 a month

X

"I was someone who was always good at mimicry, acting and making people laugh. I remember when I was in 12th, and took part in a drama competition -- the chief guest said that I shouldnt participate, because it was unfair to the others! After I finished my masters in theatre, I shifted to Mumbai to pursue acting. But for the first year, I did nothing but party. I lived in a posh area, using my savings and some money from home. Id only earn around Rs. 500 a month. But I thought I didnt have to worry because Id be successful and would earn more soon," Sunil had revealed to Humans Of Bombay.

Also read: The Great Indian Kapil Show: Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan Bares It All, Reveals 7 Things He Has Not Said Before



After trying his luck in TV and films, he joined radio. "I got offered to do a radio show. It was only going to be aired in Delhi, but when the show went live, it went viral! They decided to air it across India! After that, I started getting all kinds of opportunities on radio, T.V, and films. Soon Gutthi happened to me, and in no time, it became a household name! I remember how I was called on a live show, and when I entered the stage, the audience was literally roaring for me! I turned around to make sure there wasnt anyone behind me, whom they were actually clapping for -- but it was all for me."

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.
Rupali Ganguly, renowned for her lead role in the popular television series "Anupamaa," has officially entered the world of politics by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at their headquarters in Delhi. The event has sparked a wave of reactions on social media, with many drawing parallels between Ganguly and another television star-turned-politician, Smriti Irani, who is currently serving as a Union Minister. During the induction ceremony, Ganguly expressed her motivation for joining the ruling party, citing the BJP's development efforts as a key factor.



TV Actress Rupali Ganguly Joins BJP, Pledges To Contribute To 'Mahayagya' of Development

#WATCH | Actress Rupali Ganguly joins BJP at the party headquarters in Delhi



She says, "...When I see this 'Mahayagya' of development, I feel that I should also take part in this...I need your blessings and support so that whatever I do, I do it right and good...'' pic.twitter.com/x7pT7oq0xB  ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

"When I see this 'Mahayagya' of development, I feel that I should also take part in this. I need your blessings and support so that whatever I do, I do it right and good," she said, resonating a commitment to active political engagement.

What Is The Reaction Of Netizens On The Internet:

The comparison to Smriti Irani on Twitter and other social media platforms highlights the similar paths both actresses have taken, transitioning from successful television careers to significant political roles. Users noted Irani's successful tenure and expressed hopes that Ganguly could replicate this success in her new political journey.

Screenshots From X

Screenshot From X

Ganguly's entry into politics is being seen as part of the BJP's strategy to attract diverse talent from various sectors, thereby enhancing the party's appeal, especially ahead of crucial elections. The discussions on social media also speculate whether Ganguly will be given a significant role similar to Irani, who has held multiple ministerial positions.

Love her  Hope she shines like #SmritiIrani  This is the kind of personality and clarity one expects.

P.S Dont know why actors who dont know their elbow from their a**e even join politics ! U make your money darling , leaving people to rot ! No conscience ? https://t.co/8FyPJhMfig  Rachel White (@whitespeaking) May 1, 2024

Some on the Internet also flooded social media with memes from "Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai," one of Ganguly's most popular and successful shows. The humorous content highlighted her memorable character's quirks, drawing parallels between her on-screen persona and her new political role.

Screenshots From X

As reactions pour in, Ganguly's fan base and political observers alike are keenly watching how her political narrative will develop.



Also Read: Meet The Talented Star Cast Of Laapataa Ladies Who Uplifted A Great Story With Their Stellar Performances

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.
Happy Labour Day quotes: International Labour Day, also called May Day, is celebrated worldwide on May 1st. It's a day when public offices, schools, and colleges are usually closed.



Historically, May Day has deep roots in the labour movement. It began as a spring festival in the northern hemisphere but later became linked with workers' rights protests, especially in the United States. One significant event was the Haymarket Affair in Chicago in 1886, where a peaceful rally turned violent, leading to casualties among both the police and the protesters. This event played a key role in establishing May 1st as Labour Day.

Around the world, May Day is a public holiday in many countries. In Europe and South America, it's celebrated with demonstrations and festivities, showing solidarity with the working class.

In India, May Day's observance started in 1923, thanks to the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan. Led by Comrade Singaravelar, they fought for workers' rights, leading to the recognition of May Day as a national holiday. In India, it's known as Kamgar Din in Hindi. Happy Labour Day wishes and messages

On May Day in India, several states have bank holidays, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and others. This gives people time to reflect on the importance of labour rights and workers' contributions to society.

In India, May Day is marked by speeches, cultural events, and community gatherings. It's a time to recognise the hard work of labourers and the significance of their rights in society.

As we celebrate Labour Day 2024 today let's dedicate these most inspirational quotes to all the workers around the world:
A mother-son duo from Bengaluru, Karnataka has given up their material wealth to embrace an ascetic life as Jain monks. 30-year-old Sweety and her 11-year-old son Hridhan, recently underwent the sacred ceremony of Diksha, starting their new life as Jain monks. According to reports, Sweety had decided to become a monk while she was pregnant and wanted her child also to embrace an ascetic life.

INSTAGRAM

Mother, son become Jain monks

Sweety, the wife of a businessman, identified as Manish will now be called Bhavshudhi Rekha Shri Ji while her son will be known as Hitashay Ratanavijay Ji in their life as Jain monks.

Also Read: Delhi Boy Who Went Missing Returns As Monk 22 Years Later

In a video that has gone viral, the mother and son can be seen biding an emotional farewell, before embracing monkhood.

INSTAGRAM

While it might be unbelievable and shocking for most of us to even think about leaving our possessions behind to live a life of austerity, it is not the case among members of the Jain community.



INSTAGRAM

Jain couple become monks

Recently a Jain couple from Gujarat had made headlines after they renounced their wealth, said to be around Rs 200 crore to become monks.

The couple, Businessman Bhavesh Bhai Bhandari, hailing from Himmatnagar, Sabarkantha district of Gujarat and his wife left behind all their wealth during a ceremony in February.

The couple was following in the footsteps of their two children, a 16-year-old son and a 19-year-old daughter, who had embraced monkhood in 2022.

BCCL

Nine-year-old embraces monkhood

In 2023, nine-year-old Devanshi Sanghvi, the daughter of a Surat Diamond businessman had left behind her family's innumerable wealth to become a Jain monk.

In 2023, a diamond merchant and his wife gave away their wealth and adopted monkhood. Dipesh Shah and his wife Pika Shah were also following in the footsteps of their son Bhavya Shah, to become monks.

Before renouncing their wealth, the Sha couple used to run a successful diamond business with an annual turnover of over Rs 15 crore.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
There's a fresh face in the Orlando police force, and it's making headlines for one special reason: this officer is unbelievably adorable. But don't get us wrong; this isn't just about swooning over someone in uniform.



This little hero is just four years old and is currently battling kidney disease. Thanks to the department, his dream of becoming a police officer has come true.

A toddler cop

Stone Hicks is a courageous four-year-old battling kidney disease. Recently, he experienced a day like no other when he joined the ranks of the Orlando Police Department (OPD).

Orlando Police Department

This event was made possible through a collaboration between the department and Northern and Central Florida Make-A-Wish, fulfilling Stone's lifelong dream of becoming a police officer.

Stone's extraordinary day is shown unfolding in videos shared by the OPD.

This includes the moment OPD Chief Eric Smith warmly welcomed him and presented him with his own miniature uniform and the thrilling adventures he embarked on alongside his colleagues.

Orlando Police Department

Throughout the day, Stone and his team tackled exciting cases, including the heartwarming rescue of a pretend victim's missing puppy which had been 'kidnapped' by a dog-napper.



Orlando Police Department

Amidst the action, Stone also found time to meet his beloved "Paw Patrol" friends and take a ride in his pint-sized police car.



Watch the video here:

Productive day for Officer Stone

The videos of the kid having a blast as a cop are truly heartwarming.

It's touching to see police officers taking time out of their busy schedules to make this boy's day.

Facebook users appreciated the gesture too.

One comment read, "This is amazing thank you OPD for making his wish come true."

Another commented, "Looks like officer stone had a very productive and safe day. Great job officer Stone!"

"The best thing Ive seen all year! Praying for you, Officer Stone! You are so loved," shared another.

And another summed up our feelings perfectly: "Teary eyed because that is absolutely beautiful!! Thank you OPD!"

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Are you among the millions of students who dream about studying abroad in Canada? In a move that could affect the study-abroad dreams of millions of students, including Indians, Canada has set new limits to the maximum number of hours they can work in a week. According to the rules for international students, they will no longer be permitted to work for unlimited hours off-campus while continuing their studies.

Unsplash

No more unlimited work hours

Instead, the maximum working hours for international students have been limited to 24 a week.



"The temporary policy allowing students to work more than 20 hours per week off campus will come to an end on April 30, 2024, and it will not be extended. This fall, we intend to change the number of hours students may work off campus per week to 24 hours," Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said in a press release on Monday.

Work hours for students increased by 4 hours

It should be noted that originally international students in Canada were allowed a maximum of 20 hours of work per week during the academic year.

However, this was extended on a temporary basis, allowing international students to work unlimited hours, which according to the authorities resulted in a decrease in academic performance and an increase in dropouts.

CANADA IMIGRATION

Students should study first

According to the minister, the primary objective of students coming to Canada must be to study. Therefore, allowing students to work up to 24 hours per week aims to maintain their focus on their studies while providing the option for employment if needed.

"As international students arrive in Canada, we want them to be prepared for life here and have the support they need to succeed. However, first and foremost, people coming to Canada as students must be here to study, not work. We will continue working to protect the integrity of our student program," Millar said.

Pexels

No changes for unlimited work during summer break

While the new rules have capped the maximum work hours a week to 24, the changes will not be applicable to students who have a scheduled academic break in September.

During the summer break, students can continue to work unlimited hours including full-time.

Also Read; Canada Plans To Curb Housing Crisis With Cap On International Students

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Imagine setting out to build a mega city, with all the latest infrastructure and amenities, only to be abandoned midway. That is the simplified story of Pardis, a ghost town in Iran. Pardis, which means Paradise was envisioned as a satellite city of the Iranian capital Tehran, and was supposed to help decongest it.

REDDIT

Why Pardis was built

Located some 50 kms away from Tehran, Pardis was built between 2001 and 2011. And it had everything going for it -- public transportation, hospitals, schools and even parks.

But the construction of the paradise was never completed and was abandoned leading to its slow death today. According to reports, a combination of factors led to the city being uninhabitable.

AFP

Good planning, bad execution

This includes its location, which was in the middle of a desert, faulty sewage systems and heating in apartments, inadequate access to water, and intermittent electricity supply.

Additionally, many of these buildings were damaged in the 2017 earthquake.

Paradise to ghost town

Today all that is left are some identical buildings in the middle of nowhere, with no trees, no cars, no parks, no people, and no signs of life.

AFP

Some have argued that the lack of planning, to connect Pardis with Tehran was one of the major reasons why no one wanted to move there.

While these abandoned projects are supposed to be satellites to Tehran, they are too far away for many people to do anything other than spend all of their day commuting and then working.

Interestingly, some people do occupy some of the apartments on offer in the high-rise buildings.

The latest census in 2016 showed a population of 73,363 people in 23,938 households. But most of these people work in Tehran and only return to Pardis at night to sleep.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Scientists have announced the discovery of what they describe as the worlds deepest blue hole, off the coast of Mexico. Taam Ja Blue Hole (TJBH), is located in Chetumal Bay off the Yucatan Peninsula and it is estimated to be at least 1,380 feet (420 metres) below sea level. This makes TJBH the deepest known underwater sinkhole in the world.

Frontiers In Marine

What is a blue hole

Blue holes are water-filled vertical caverns, or sinkholes, found in coastal regions where the bedrock is made of soluble material, such as limestone, marble or gypsum. They form when water on the surface percolates through the rock, dissolving minerals and widening cracks, which eventually causes the rock to collapse.

How Taam Ja' Blue Hole was found

Taam Ja' Blue Hole was first identified by researchers in 2021 and the initial measurements had suggested that it had a depth of 900 feet, making it the second-deepest blue hole found on the planet.

However, a new study estimated that Taam Ja' Blue Hole is much deeper than initially thought.

Frontiers in Marine

New measurement of Taam Ja' Blue Hole

According to researchers, Taam Ja' Blue Hole is 480 feet (146 m) deeper than scientists initially documented, and 390 feet (119 m) deeper than Sansha Yongle Blue Hole, also known as the Dragon Hole, in the South China Sea which is has an estimated measurement of 990 feet (301 m).

In December 2023, researchers undertook a scuba diving expedition was conducted to identify the environmental conditions prevailing at the TJBH.

Based on their measurements with a conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) profiler researchers have concluded that the Taam Ja' blue hole is "the world's deepest known blue hole, with its bottom still not reached."

What is inside Taam Ja' Blue Hole

They believe that the bottom might be an intricate network of caves and tunnels, potentially interconnected. This unseen world could be a haven for unknown lifeforms, thriving in the darkness.

Frontiers In Marine

Scientists are now planning to"decipher TJBH's "maximum depth and the possibilities of forming part of an underwater intricate and potentially interconnected system of caves and tunnels.

"Within the depths of TJBH could also lie a biodiversity to be explored," they said.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Chinese astronauts return safely with six-month space station mission accomplished

09:21, May 01, 2024 By Zhang Dan, Yi Ling, Quan Xiaoshu ( Xinhua

* Shenzhou-17's return capsule, carrying astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 5:46 p.m. (Beijing Time).

* The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 187 days, are all in good health and the Shenzhou-17 manned mission was a success.

* The Shenzhou-17 crew carried out 84 space application experiments and tests in orbit, and produced more than 200 samples covering multiple fields, including space life science and biotechnology, space medicine and space material science.

JIUQUAN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The three Shenzhou-17 astronauts returned to Earth safely on Tuesday afternoon, after completing a six-month space station mission.

Shenzhou-17's return capsule, carrying astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 5:46 p.m. (Beijing Time), and the crew all left the return capsule by 6:37 p.m., according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, is about to touch down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Zhipeng)

The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 187 days, are all in good health and the Shenzhou-17 manned mission was a success, the CMSA said.

Tang Hongbo has accumulated a total of 279 days in space over the course of two missions, Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-17, setting a new record for the longest spaceflight duration by a Chinese astronaut. His experience has been invaluable to regular crew rotations and spaceflight mission training, according to the CMSA.

"I am proud and honored for my motherland," the 48-year-old mission commander said, sitting in front of the capsule. "While completing my tasks, I missed my motherland and hometown very much."

Astronaut Tang Hongbo is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Tang Shengjie, 34, who has just completed his first space trip and is the youngest astronaut to have entered China's space station, said that the six months had been a journey of learning and exploration, during which he gained a lot of valuable experience. "I believe that fulfilling my dream of flying into space was not an endpoint but a new start."

Astronaut Tang Shengjie is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Jiang, 36, who has also just finished his first spaceflight, said, "Now that I am back in the embrace of our motherland, my heart is filled with excitement. In the coming days, I will continue to work diligently on the recovery tasks and strive to return to space as soon as possible."

Astronaut Jiang Xinlin is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Bei He)

The return capsule separated from Shenzhou-17's orbital capsule at 4:56 p.m. Then the brake engine ignited, and the return capsule separated from the propulsion capsule, the CMSA said.

Soon after the return capsule landed, the ground search team arrived at the landing site.

China launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship on Oct. 26, 2023. It was the second crewed mission for the application and development stage of China's space station.

The Shenzhou-17 crew carried out 84 space application experiments and tests in orbit, and produced more than 200 samples covering multiple fields, including space life science and biotechnology, space medicine and space material science, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, at a press conference on April 24.

Scientists will conduct further in-depth analysis of and research on these samples, aiming to achieve significant scientific application results in areas such as the preparation of high-performance multivariant alloys and functional crystal materials, and the inhibition of bone loss through the differentiation of stem cells.

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on March 2, 2024 shows Shenzhou-17 astronaut Tang Hongbo performing extravehicular activities. (Xinhua/Li He)

"In addition, the Shenzhou-17 mission also saw Chinese astronauts complete the first in-orbit maintenance of extravehicular facilities, fully showcasing the role of humans in addressing unforeseen issues encountered in space," Lin said.

The space station's core module, Tianhe, had previously suffered a partial loss of power supply due to the impact of space debris on the solar wing's power cables.

The Shenzhou-17 crew, in two extravehicular activities, completed maintenance work on the Tianhe core module's solar wings, solving the impact problem, according to Lin.

China launched the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship on April 25, sending three astronauts -- Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu -- to its space station for another six-month mission.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
Riot police used pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannons to forcefully disperse peaceful protesters who were demonstrating against the 'Foreign Agents' law outside the parliament building. The police also engaged in physical assaults on the citizens.According to the assessment of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), the dispersal of the protest near the Parliament is deemed illegal.The organization called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure the development of an action plan for the safety of gatherings and demonstrations according to national legislation and international standards, and to halt the illegal practice of dispersing rallies.The organization called on the riot police to: adhere to the guidelines for the behavior of internal affairs officers during gatherings and demonstrations regarding the basis and manner of using special means; refuse to obey illegal orders and refrain from using violent methods against peaceful demonstrators."Since the goals of the organizers and participants of the gathering are peaceful, aimed at protecting the country's Western orientation, and contributing to the development of democratic processes, such expression is protected, as shown by the practice of the European Court. Moreover, the law has already been considered in the second reading in the parliament, and the parliamentary work process is not hindered. Peaceful protest is a tool citizens use to promote democratic processes. Any effort to suppress it is unconstitutional," GYLA stated.Peter Stano, spokesperson for EU High Representative Josep Borrell, voiced concerns about 'Foreign Agents' law. He urged Georgian leaders to meet citizens' expectations and uphold European values to advance their candidacy for EU membership. Stano emphasized the importance of Georgia addressing nine recommendations outlined in the enlargement report and warned that any negative developments could impact its progress towards EU membership."The foreign ministers of the EU and its member states have expressed concerns regarding Georgia's law on the transparency of foreign influence. The candidate status granted in December has brought our relations closer than ever before. Our doors are open, and therefore the European Union calls on Georgia's leaders to respond to citizens' expectations and not derail the country from the path to the European Union.In its enlargement report, the Commission emphasized the work that Georgia needs to do, including implementing nine recommendations. Georgia, as an EU candidate country, is expected to meet the Copenhagen criteria, which include adherence to democratic principles, the rule of law, and human rights. Any negative developments in the country will be reflected in the upcoming enlargement report, scheduled for release in the autumn," said Stano.
Industrialist Anand Mahindra, Chairman & Team member, Mahindra Group, is not just a role model for young entrepreneurs, but he is also adored by Twitter users. We all know the Internet isn't a very kind place, but Anand Mahindra receives a lot of love, and it shines brighter with each tweet. A quick scan through the business tycoon's Twitter account reveals his lovable humility and brilliant wit, which are reflected in his famed comebacks.

His tweets went viral immediately. And the best part? His Twitter stream also teaches valuable lessons on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. As he celebrates his birthday today, here's a compilation of some of Anand Mahindra's most iconic tweets that lauded Indian jugaad.

1. Anand Mahindra Shares Video of Innovative Passenger Vehicle

The head of the Mahindra Group uploaded a video of a young man who created an electric multi-rider passenger car. In the popular video, the man claims that the vehicle costs Rs 12,000 and can travel up to 150 miles on a single charge. He further stated that the vehicle might be charged for only Rs 10.



With just small design inputs, (cylindrical sections for the chassis @BosePratap ?) this device could find global application. As a tour bus in crowded European tourist centres? Im always impressed by rural transport innovations, where necessity is the mother of invention. pic.twitter.com/yoibxXa8mx  anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) December 1, 2022

2. Anand Mahindra Shares Video of A Unique 'Moving Dining Table'

In the video, four people are seen sitting around a table on seats attached to it, eating a lunch. The table, complete with wheels, travels towards a gas station, where a guy is seen filling it with petrol. Then one of the people kicks start the table, and it begins to move down the road.

I guess this is e-mobility. Where e stands for eat pic.twitter.com/h0HKmeJ3AI  anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) July 3, 2022

3. Anand Mahindra Shares Desi Jugaad Video of Men Using Bike Tires To De-Kernel Corn

The video shows a bike on a stand with only the rear tyre in motion. Three men in the video are surrounded by corn, sitting next to a pile of corn kernels, and using a bike tire to de-kernel the corn. The time and location of the video are unknown.

I constantly receive clips showing how creatively our farming communities turn bikes & tractor into multi-tasking machines. Heres one application I never would have dreamed of. Maybe @continentaltire should have a special brand named Corntinental? pic.twitter.com/rMj6rowA3L  anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 27, 2020

4. Anand Mahindra praises the Russian man who transformed an abandoned plane into a luxury villa

Felix Demin, a Russian entrepreneur, transformed an abandoned Boeing 737 into a magnificent private property complete with two bedrooms, an infinity pool with views of the Indian Ocean, and a terrace. The one-of-a-kind mansion overlooks the magnificent Nyang Nyang Cliffs in Bali, Indonesia.

Some people are fortunate enough to be able to turn their fantasies into reality.



And this chap doesnt seem to impose any constraints on his imagination!



Im trying to figure out whether Id ever be interested in booking a stay here but Im a bit worried about jet lag post pic.twitter.com/LhH2Rtn5Ht  anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) February 17, 2024

5. Bhopal Startup's Driverless Bolero Model Car Impresses Anand Mahindra

The video shows the modified Bolero navigating through numerous settings, including empty streets, pedestrian-filled areas, and high traffic, without any issues.



Evidence of tech innovation rising across India.



An engineer whos not building yet another delivery app. @sanjeevs_iitr is using complex math to target level 5 autonomy.



Im cheering loudly. 



And certainly wont debate his choice of car! pic.twitter.com/luyJXAkQap  anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 2, 2024

What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.

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Singapore Airlines has been ordered to compensate an Indian couple with over $2,040 (Approx Rs 2.1 lakh) for 'Mental Agony' after their business-class seats malfunctioned during a flight. Ravi Gupta, a police chief from Telangana, and his wife were flying from Hyderabad to Australia via Singapore, reported in the New York Post. Despite paying Rs 66,750 rupees (about $800) for each business-class seat, they found that the automatic recline feature didn't work. Instead, they could only recline the seats manually, causing frustration during the five-hour journey. The couple declined the airline's offer of 10,000 frequent flyer miles each and sued Singapore Airlines, alleging they were treated like economy-class passengers. The court ruled in their favour, ordering the airline to pay $2,400 for the inconvenience.

Court order

Unsplash/Representational image

Seeking justice, the couple took their case to the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Telangana. In the court documents, Guptas accused Singapore Airlines of treating them like economy-class passengers, even though they paid for comfortable business-class seats. They also mentioned that they couldn't sleep during the journey because of this. Recently, a court in Telangana decided in favour of the couple and told Singapore Airlines to pay them $2,400 for the trouble they faced.



Airlines statement

Singapore Airlines admitted that the automatic recline on the seats of Mr. and Mrs. Gupta wasn't working properly, but they could still recline manually during their flight from Hyderabad to Singapore. There were no problems on their next flight from Singapore to Perth. Because the flight was full, the airline's staff couldn't find other seats for the Guptas in the Business Class area. The crew regularly checked on them and offered to help manually adjust their seats. The airline apologized to the Guptas for any inconvenience caused by the mechanical issue.

SIA can confirm that while the automatic recline function on Mr and Mrs Gupta's seats was faulty, the manual recline function was working on their flight from Hyderabad to Singapore. There were no issues on their connecting flight from Singapore to Perth," a spokesperson told The Independent.

"The flight duration from Hyderabad to Singapore is typically around four hours. As it was a full flight, SIA staff, unfortunately, could not reseat the customers elsewhere in the Business Class cabin. Our crew proactively checked in on these customers regularly and offered to manually recline the seat when needed. We apologise to Mr and Mrs Gupta for the inconvenience caused by this mechanical issue," the statement added.

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Pets are amazing companions that bring us lots of happiness. Whether it's a dog playing fetch or a cat cuddling on our lap, pets give us love and support no matter what. They become like family, cheering us up when we're sad and joining in our happy moments. Pets also teach us important things like how to take care of others and be patient. From lively puppies to calm old cats, each pet is special and makes our lives better in many ways.



Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google with a massive Instagram following, often delighted his followers with glimpses of his professional and personal life. Recently, he warmed hearts by sharing snapshots of his beloved furry companion, Jeffree, whom he fondly calls his "best work partner".

Jeffree: The Dog Who Goes to Work

Jeffree isn't just any old dog; he's part of the Google gang. He's what they call a "doogler" and often hangs out at Google HQ. Pichai loves showing off Jeffree on his social media, especially since Jeffree turned seven last year.

Google's Dog-Friendly Policy

Google is a cool place for dogs too! They've been letting employees bring their pets to work for ages, especially at their main office in California. It's all about making everyone feel welcome, even the furry friends.

Sundar Pichai's Love for Jeffree

Pichai loves his dog Jeffree. You can see it in the pictures he shares online, whether it's Jeffree chilling with his doggy pals or celebrating Dog Day with the gang.

Looking Back on 20 Years at Google

Pichai recently hit a big milestone - 20 years at Google! He shared some thoughts on Instagram about how much things have changed since he started and how much he still loves his job.

Tech Big Shots and Their Dogs

Pichai isn't the only big boss with a soft spot for dogs. Elon Musk loves his Shiba Inu, Floki, and even let him take a seat in the CEO's chair for a photo. Jeff Bezos from Amazon also adores his dog Luna, and he's even into robot dogs like SpotMini from Boston Dynamics.

Also Read: From JP Morgan To Google: 10 Best U.S. Companies To Work For In 2024

For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth.
The correct and quick administration of justice "is an integral part of liberal democracy," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday, speaking at the plenary debate on a new draft bill by the Justice Ministry.

Mitsotakis noted that the bill

- which calls for merger of county courts (eirinodikeia) with first-instance courts nationally - will speed up court decisions by nearly 30%.

The premier said that several reforms had been attempted in the past, and New Democracy had tried as early as 1999 to introduce the reforms the current bill does. The delay in court decisions has served to cast doubt on the rule of law or support various conspiracy theories, he added.

Staffing is not the issue, he noted: "We have a lot of judges and a great delay in administering justice. In the first degree, we have two kinds of courts. The result is that 154 county courts become a factor of uneven distribution of court cases. A 44% of judges is dealing with just 20% of the judicial materials. County court judges assume a very low number when the first-instance court judge takes on 300 cases."

'Justice delayed is justice unfair'

Nearly 100 county court judges will be upgraded to first-instance court judged, he noted. "There was extensive dialogue during the public consultation. Many views were incorporated. I will insist on the developmental and social nature of this reform. Justice that is delayed becomes unfair," he said, then cited the example of the results of the trial on the fire at Mati in 2018 that cost the lives of 104 people and injured scores of others. The sentencing on Monday outraged public opinion, with manslaughter-charged defendants set free with fines.

"I will note three things: First, the offences were judged on the basis of a more lenient framework that was in effect during SYRIZA's rule. If they were judged in the framework we voted for, the sentences would have been stricter. Second, it is true there was a great delay. Third, confidence must not be harmed. The rulings for Mati were neither final, nor irrevocable. They can, if justice so decides, be reexamined."

Mitsotakis also reiterated that Mati resulted in the current government's refounding civil protection and putting the emergency 112 number into operation.

The premier also attacked main oppoisition SYRIZA and leader Stefanos Kasselakis for rejecting everything and "distributing uncosted promises." Just in recent days, he added, "your leader managed to load the state budget with nearly 15 billion euros a year. Imagine how far the bill will go before the European elections. You are not telling us how many taxes this leads to."

On PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) leader Nikos Androulakis, the PM accused the party of being stuck in the past even though it wanted to show it was progressive.

In conclusion, PM Mitsotakis said the bill being voted on is another achievement added to the small and large milestones in his party's first term in power and to the instititutional initiatives in the second one. He urged citizens not to allow political toxicity to spread, and to vote at European elections on June 9. "Are we prepared to boost Greek demands at the European Parliament, or are we going to send representatives to criticize Greece at every opportunity?" he asked.

   iefimerida.gr
Another five Greek islands have opened to tourism from Turkish citizens through the expedited visa entry process (visa express) as of Tuesday (April 30), the Greek embassy in Ankara posted on X.

Following Chios, Kos, Lesbos, Rhodes,

and Samos , the visa program is also being extended to Leros, Lemnos, Kalymnos, Kastellorizo, and Symi, the Greek embassy said.

The visa express program was announced on December 7 at the High-Level Cooperation Council between Greece and Turkiye held in Athens. The agreement was reached after negotiations between the Greek government and the European Commission, creating the first such exception in the Schengen Area.

The program, which was a response to the requests of both Greek islanders and Turkish tourists, has already yielded positive results. In the first ten days of April alone, the number of Turkish tourists tripled compared to last year on the initial five islands where the program began this year, thus significantly boosting the local economy.

The visa express is valid for 7 days, costs 60 euros, and can be issued at any time throughout the year. It is granted with a special stamp placed on the passport, while the visitor cannot leave Greece to travel to another destination during this period.

The goal of the program is to extend the tourist season and boost the local economy of the islands, some of which had faced greater challenges due to migration.

   iefimerida.gr
The Nigerian government has announced plans to bring back over 6,000 Nigerian refugees from Chad and Cameroon.

Tijani Ahmed, the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugee, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), revealed this in Abuja on Tuesday

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Approximately 21,000 Nigerian refugees are currently in Chad, with an additional 14,000 in Cameroon.

The repatriation process, set to conclude within two months, will start with the return of 6,000 individuals from Chad. Plans for repatriation from Cameroon will be finalized soon.

We are arranging to bring back those who are interested in returning because repatriation is voluntary and an agreement has been signed between UNHCR, the government of Cameroon and the federal government of Nigeria in the area of repatriation of our people from Cameroon.

We are going to work towards the repatriation of 6,000 Nigerians out of about 21,000 of them in Chad.

READ ALSO: Kyari, Adelabu Must Go  NANS Says, Mulls Nationwide Protest Over Fuel Scarcity, Electricity Tariff Hike

We are looking at returning 3000 households from Chad, which is about 6,000 people from Chad to Nigeria.

For Cameroon, we have about 14,000 people but we will profile them because we dont have to force anybody to return. Arrangements are underway to get them back. Within the next two months, we should have concluded the arrangement on repatriation.

The refugees, displaced by various crises including floods, Boko Haram insurgency, and conflicts between farmers and herders, will receive training and start-up packs for sustainable livelihoods.

We will try to ensure that this process happens as soon as practically feasible by putting all elements together and we hope to support a credible process.

We want to ensure that the basic human rights of these people are observed and upheld and we hope that all arrangements can be in place to meet the aspirations of people that we care for, Ahmed added.
Pete Edochie, a veteran actor, expressed regret over the loss of his junior colleague, Junior Pope, calling it terrible and unexpected.

He offered condolences for the deaths of actor Junior Pope and four others in a boat tragedy.

Edochie, who referred to the late actor, Junior Pope, as his son, stated that his life had been cut short.

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In addition to urging Nigerians to pray to God in order to accept the actors soul and move past the social media drama that followed his death, the actor stated that the deceased was a gift to the world.

He also recognised E-Money, a well-known businessman, for taking over Junior Popes childrens care.

READ MORE: You Really Owe Don Jazzy Big Apology  Shan George Tells Wizkid Over Disrespectful Remark

In a video shared on Pete Instagram account, he said,

His life was cut short the way we never expected it; we shall all go someday, but not in this manner. I want to make a general appeal. Let us pray to God to accept the soul of Junior Pope and cut out the nonsense people have been putting out on social media. Let us allow his soul to rest. I am making an appeal. My son Junior pope was a gift to the entire world, also I want to use this opportunity to thank all those who have volunteered to ensure that his children will not suffer particularly Emoney who has promised that hes going to train all his boys to whatever level they want.

SEE VIDEO:
Yemi Solade, a Nollywood actor, has been accused by a woman of sending her nude pictures on Facebook.

In a post shared by Instablog, the lady, known as Amaka AFC took to her social media page, stating that the legendary actor used to send her his private parts images on Facebook.

She wondered why anyone would believe she was making up such story.

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She referred to him as a pervert, noting that despite having a family and a family portrait on his Facebook profile, the star was still sending her nude photos.

She wrote,

This man that used to send me dick pic on Facebook that year.

Why would I make up such a story? To gain what?

Hes a pervert. Funny enough, he had a family portrait of him and his family all dressed in Arsenal on his Facebook cover photo the whole time. I remember vividly.

He cant even deny.

READ MORE: Retire Honourably From Music If Youre Fed Up  Israel DMW To Wizkid

See some reactions below,

Baby Boy Official wrote, Not true; she just wants to trend

Ireti Ola wrote, Hope sey evidence dey for dis thing wey u talk so. Make u no pay 5//m for lawsuit o

You Found That Bitch wrote, I swear to the maker of heaven and earth, she is not lying. Na him modus operandi

Emeka wrote, Evidence or it never happened

SEE POST:
Director-General (DG) of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, says the organisation does not regulate the price of drugs in the country.

Adeyeye spoke on Tuesday at a webinar, Addressing the escalating costs of medicines, organised by TheCable to mark its 10th anniversary.

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According to her, having more local pharmaceutical companies would help to bring down the rising prices of drugs as foreign manufacturers exit the country.

She also suggested the stabilisation of forex devaluation to encourage local manufacturers of drugs.

If we do not focus on local manufacturing, we will continue to have drug insecurity.

It is not a solution you can get overnight. There is nothing the multinationals are making that we cannot make in Nigeria. The one item we cannot make is the inhaler for asthma.

When this issue started, pharmaceutical companies contacted us to ask if they could import some products and we gave them permission to import.

NAFDAC reacts to shortages. If the company reaches out and we confirm there is a shortage, we ask them to import and we give them a faster registration process. These are the ways to reduce the impact of the exit of multinationals.

READ ALSO: Tinubull End Reign Of Economic Saboteurs  Shettima

NAFDAC does not control or regulate prices. We control access. We make sure that products are accessible. If local manufacturers prices are higher than those imported, the reality is that local manufacturers import everything.

But sometimes some of the things being imported may not be of quality. If it is too good to be true, it may not be true. The fact that local manufacturers prices are higher is the reality.

The fact that the drug is cheap doesnt mean it is of quality. The buyer must be careful. Dont buy medicines from the street corners, buy from the pharmacies, she said.

The NAFDAC DG warned that the country would continue to have drug insecurity if the government failed to focus on local manufacturing.

In 2018 in Ilorin, Kwara, the National Association of Industrial Pharmacists invited me, and I categorically stated that we would change the narrative from 70 percent importation to 30 percent.

But when we have had decades of decay, that couldnt have happened overnight. In 2019, we started the five plus five directive.

We did a study where the top five drugs that are imported are also the top five manufactured in Nigeria. We did that before the pandemic.

From that initiative, more than 30 percent of companies in Nigeria are the result of the five plus five because many importers started building their own companies or partnering with local manufacturers through contract manufacturing. That is the way to make drugs available, Adeyeye added.


The Presidency has slammed Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party for faulting the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway.

Obi had on Tuesday, via X, said the project is another example of misplaced priority from the government.

Its time to question the rationale and timing of this and similar projects. The nation is in its worst economic state in history, with poverty and hunger spreading. The basic necessities of life are beyond reach for most Nigerians.

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The sight of this insensitive demolition is heart-wrenching. Livelihoods are being wiped away, lifetime investments are being wasted, and jobs are disappearing as bulldozers roar through, Obi said.

READ ALSO: Workers Day: No Administration Has Ever Trampled on Nigerians Right Like Tinubus  Atiku

Reacting to this on Wednesday, Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy called Obi an hypocrite.

According to him, while Obi was Anambra State Governor, he never compensated owners of houses that were demolished by the State.

He wrote via X: Peter Obi is an incurable hypocrite. As governor of Anambra, he demolished houses to build roads and refused to pay compensation.

Today Obi is attacking the Tinubu government for demolishing structures standing on the path of Lagos-Calabar superhighway.

The Federal Government has commenced the construction of the 700-kilometre highway, which is expected to run through the shoreline of beach resorts in Lagos, while traversing eight other states.

On April 22, the former Anambra Governor said the project should not rank high on the governments scale of preference.

On Sunday, David Umahi, Minister of Works, said the Federal Government has flagged off the demolition of structures on its right of way at the Lagos end.

On Monday, video clips of the demolition of some structures at the Landmark Beach made the rounds on social media.
Voffee Jabateh, executive director at African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA), in 2023. The group and developer Ahsan Nasratullah say they have raised $22 million in tax-incentive equity, government grants, and bank financing for construction of the Africa Center near 55th and Chester. Read more

Federal, state, and city taxpayers, banks, and nonprofits have committed the $22 million needed to build Africa Center, the long-sought social services and retail hub planned by ACANA, the African Cultural Alliance of North America, led by members of West African immigrant communities in Southwest Philadelphia and nearby neighborhoods.

Voffee Jabateh, founder and executive director of ACANA, said in a statement that he hoped the 37,000-square-foot Africa Center would also anchor a larger redevelopment project he calls Dolakeh Square, meaning people rising together in the Mano language used in parts of Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone. He said he envisioned an African-immigrant version of Philadelphias Chinatown retail and government-assisted housing district.

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On the site of a former dry cleaner and neighboring properties at 5432-36 Chester Ave., ACANA plans offices, stores, and a second location for Youma Bas Kilimanjaro Senegalese restaurant and catering, according to Ahsan Nasratullah, the project developer.

Next door at 1511-17 S. 55th St. plans call for a community center on the first floor, a branch of the Woodland Academy on the second and third floors, and a clinic on the fourth floor, to be run by Helena Kwakwa, a Ghana native who runs two nonprofit Newlands Health clinics in Northeast Philly and works as HIV medical director for the citys outpatient health centers.

The project includes renovation and new construction  and a series of land and financing deals put together with help from the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., the citys public-private economic development entity focused on finding and financing projects for vacant commercial properties.

The funding arrangement is a complex financial transaction designed to attract jobs and investments through a cultural, economic, and social community epicenter, said Lawrence McComie, chief credit officer and senior vice president at PIDC.

Nasratullah credited City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier with connecting him to Im Kwang, a Korean immigrant who formerly operated the dry cleaner. Kwang agreed to sell the property for $300,000, which Nasratullah said was less than market value, in a deal conducted entirely through text messages. PIDC helped ACANA acquire the 55th St. property at a nominal price through the city Land Bank.

ACANAs current headquarters and the programs it supports are housed in a three-story building at 5532 Chester and attached two-story buildings at 5534-36 Chester.

PIDC officials, ACANA leaders, and Africa Center supporters say they hope the project will draw more construction and investors to the aging neighborhood business district at a time when some business-minded immigrants and their children have relocated to nearby Delaware County and other suburban areas.

About one-quarter of Southwest Philly residents were born outside the United States, compared to one in seven Philadelphians and one in 11 across the metro region, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. The neighborhoods median income is below the city average, though it is located between University City and the Philadelphia International Airport district, both of which are attracting substantial development.

Instrumental in the fundraising were JNA Capital, an investment company cofounded by developer Nasratullah and his wife, first-term City Councilmember Nina Ahmad; and Fattah Capital Advisors, a consulting firm founded by former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, according to ACANA.

A list of Africa Center funders provided by Nasratullah and confirmed by city officials includes:

$9 million in state matching funds awarded by the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, which subsidizes private and public construction projects across Pennsylvania. $4.5 million in equity investment by Capital One N.A., the Virginia-based credit card giant, financed by federal New Markets Tax Credits arranged through PIDC and the Lancaster-based Community First Fund and its Finanta unit. $3 million from the Philadelphia Commerce Department, mostly from the federal Community Development Block Grants program. $2.4 million from Nasratullahs Global City Regional Center LLC, which raises money from wealthy immigrants under the federal EB-5 dollars-for-visas program. Nasratullahs company also raised $8.8 million for the $75 million Crane apartment tower in Chinatown, which ACANA leaders see as a model for the Africa Center development. $2 million in federal Community Project Funding dollars, with help from U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, a Democrat who represents portions of Philadelphia and its suburbs. $1.5 million lent by United Bank of Philadelphia, a $55 million-asset lender, focused on the citys Black communities, that reported $3.3 million in profits in 2023, its best result since the banks founding in 1992, according to FDIC records

Temporary funding to pay for construction while waiting for the government and loan money to arrive will be provided by the Philadelphia-based Reinvestment Fund, with help from Beech Capital Venture Fund Corp. and the Neighborhood Progress Fund.

We are thrilled to partner with [ACANA] and provide bridge lending to this community-supported, Black-led project, Kareem E. Thomas, the Reinvestment Funds chief credit officer, said in a statement. He added that the fund supports ACANAs mission to help refugees, immigrants and other community members access critical health care and social services.

This story has been updated to correct information about Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon.
Yolanda Palmer ushers visitors through Foliage, past towering ferns, hanging ficus, and monstera with leaves that look like Swiss cheese, to the 300-square-foot greenery hotel nestled in back of her Chestnut Hill plant boutique.

Here, close to a dozen clivia, hibiscus, and succulents soak in the sun under floor-to-ceiling windows. On cloudy days, high-powered, infrared grow lights help turn stalks green and lush. Palmer repots, fertilizes, and sprays neem oil so bugs dont get too comfortable. She puts all her visiting plants on strict watering schedules  too much water is worse than too little.

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Bruised leaves heal. Viruses in the soil are cured. Plants flourish. And when owners return from vacations abroad and monthslong business trips, their agave trees, cacti, and snake plants are perky, healthy, and, most importantly, ready to thrive at home.

Ive always had lots of plants and lots of animals, said Palmer, who charges $75 a week for her in-store plant-hoteling services and for plant-sitting at clients homes. And when I traveled, I always wished I had someone to take care of them. 

Palmer, 52, grew up in Southwest Philly in the 80s and 90s and to keep out of trouble, her mother required she have a hobby. Caring for plants became hers.

She worked as an accountant and billing coordinator at Public Health Management Corp. for 14 years, where she became an expert in spreadsheets and balancing budgets. Palmer quit PHMC in 2019 to turn her hobby into a business and started selling plants at pop-ups. She needed a place to store her plants so she set up shop at Jerrys Corner, a flea market in Southwest Philly, selling plants three days a week.

Palmer consulted with would-be plant parents. People who travel should buy snake plants, ponytail palms, and cacti because they dont need to be watered often. Those with pets might want to buy ferns or hoyas because their leaves arent poisonous.

In 2021, when the space at 8139 Germantown Ave.  a teahouse turned antique shop  became available, she jumped.

What sets me apart is that I really help people care for their plants, Palmer said. It takes time, dedication, and space, she said. And it takes a special eye because plants cant tell you what they need or want. And by the time you notice a yellowed leaf, or a brittle stem, its too late.

Everything from the wrought iron gates that separate the rooms in Foliage to the wine racks has a leaf on it. Terrariums filled with multicolored sand and succulents line the windowsills next to rows of teeny tiny plants Palmer is growing for party favors. Candles that smell like springtime and evergreens dot the store. Palmer walks through Foliage untangling hanging potted plants overflowing with dangling strings of fishhooks. She stops to braid the long, skinny leaves of a snake plant.

Cindy Boughton walked in. She moved to Philadelphia from Texas a few years ago and wasnt able to bring her beloved nearly 3-foot-tall Euphorbia  a succulent with prickly glochids that give it a cactus vibe  with her.

Boughton purchased another Euphorbia from Palmer a few weeks ago, but didnt take it home immediately because she needed to make space for it. Palmer took care of the plant until she came back. She helped Boughton load it into the car. I really missed my plant, Boughton said. She  this store  Its just so wonderful.

A steady stream of customers walked in and out of Foliage praising Palmer for her dedication and green thumb. Im just so happy I was able to turn my passion into a business, Palmer said.

Foliage, 8139 Germantown Ave., 215-621-7766, foliagechestnuthill@gmail.com, foliagechestnuthill.com
More than five decades after it was first identified as a dangerous drug with no medical value and a high potential for abuse, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has reportedly agreed to reclassify marijuana.

A proposal from the DEA, which has not yet taken effect, would move marijuana from its current status as a Schedule I drug under the Control Substances Act to Schedule III, according to the Associated Press. The proposal comes following a review of federal marijuana law that President Joe Biden called for in 2022, and follows a recent recommendation made by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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The change would signify that under federal law, marijuana is considered to have less potential for abuse than other substances, as well as an accepted medical value. It could also have implications for marijuana businesses in states where the drug is medically or recreationally legal, and make researching marijuana easier.

Before the proposal goes into effect, it must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, after which the DEA will hold a public comment period. Following public comment, the final rule would be published.

Here is what you need to know:

What does scheduling mean?

Marijuana has been a Schedule I drug since the passage of the Federal Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, better known as the Controlled Substances Act. Under that classification, it has been placed alongside drugs such as heroin, LSD, and MDMA, which the law says have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, according to the DEA.

Such drugs are criminally prohibited at the federal level, cannot be prescribed for medical use, and arent easily medically researchable.

The act has five categories, with the potential for abuse or dependence decreasing at each level. Schedule III drugs, for example, include substances like ketamine, anabolic steroids, and Tylenol with codeine. Those drugs can be prescribed, provided they have approval from the Federal Drug Administration, with rules about refills.

Does rescheduling legalize marijuana?

No. As a Schedule III drug, marijuana would still be regulated by the DEA. State medical and recreational marijuana programs would also remain federally illegal once the change takes effect, according to the Congressional Research Service.

That means the roughly 15,000 cannabis dispensaries in the United States would have to register with the DEA like regular pharmacies and fulfill strict reporting requirements, something that they are loath to do and that the DEA is ill-equipped to handle.

Additionally, the research service noted in a January memo, quantity-based mandatory minimum sentencing would not change as a result of rescheduling.

How could rescheduling impact Pennsylvania?

Its not entirely clear. But as a state in which medical marijuana is legal, that industry could see some benefits.

With cannabis as a Schedule III drug, Pennsylvania marijuana businesses could see a reduction in their federal tax burden, which can be 70% or more, according to industry groups.

Thats because of an Internal Revenue Services rule prevents businesses that traffick in Schedule I or II substances from deducting regular businesses expenses from their federal taxes. If marijuana moves to Schedule III, those businesses would be able to deduct expenses on federal taxes.

Additionally, the move would make marijuana easier to study and research, as it is much more difficult to conduct authorized clinical studies on Schedule I substances.

What to marijuana proponents say?

Marijuanas rescheduling has long been rumored, and has been met with a mixed reaction by marijuana proponents. In a statement Tuesday, Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws called rescheduling a significant step, but said it ultimately, it fails to adequately address the conflict between state and federal laws.

As a result, Armentano said, marijuana should instead be de-scheduled altogether, which would allow states to implement marijuana laws and not run afoul of federal law.

David Goubert, president and CEO of cannabis company AYR wellness, which operates in several states including Pennsylvania, said in a statement that rescheduling is the most significant step towards federal cannabis reform in U.S. history.

But while rescheduling represents positive progress, Goubert added, many companies, including AYR Wellness, advocate for full de-scheduling  an event that he said he expects to be an eventual outcome.

This report contains information from the Associated Press.
This rowhouse on the 300 block of South Cobbs Creek Parkway was the site of a fatal stabbing of a grandmother by her 15-year-old granddaughter early Wednesday, police said. Read more

A 15-year-old girl stabbed her grandmother to death in Cobbs Creek early Wednesday morning, police said, and is expected to be charged with murder.

The girl was arrested early Wednesday morning after she killed her grandmother, Elsa Aberra Bein, 67, police said.

Police responded shortly after 2 a.m. to a home on the 300 block of Cobbs Creek Parkway and found Bein inside, police said. She had stab wounds in the abdomen and right hand and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The motive for the crime was unclear, police said. Officers recovered a weapon believed to have been used in the stabbing.
Police believe Damari Carter, 4, was killed by his mother and her boyfriend in early December. Read more

Philadelphia Police identified a small childs body found in a duffel bag in West Philadelphia as that of 4-year-old Damari Carter, who they say was beaten to death by his mother and her boyfriend before the two discarded his remains in a trash bag late last year.

A worker came across a black Puma bag while cleaning out the alleyway behind the 600 block of North 38th Street in the Mantua section of the city on March 18. Prompted by the smell emanating from the bag, the worker looked inside to find the decomposed remains of a small child, police said.

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The body had been left abandoned for so long that police were unable to immediately determine the childs age, gender, and identity. The corpse was eventually identified through DNA testing, said Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore.

Damaris family has been grieving since he went missing in December. The familys only comfort now, Damaris aunt Nakia Bailey said Wednesday, was that the family could finally lay their little boy to rest.

Im just glad that his remains were found, Nakia Bailey said in an interview. Because that was sitting not so well with any of the family, us not knowing where he was. Were still trying to wrap our heads around this situation happening at all.

Damaris mother, Dominique Bailey, and her boyfriend, Kevin Spencer, have been charged with murder, abuse of corpse, and related crimes.

Damaris remains were found less than half a mile south of where he lived with his mother and Spencer. Damaris mother initially told relatives her son had been hit by a car and died in the hospital, but after finding discrepancies in her story, police launched an investigation in early January.

Police said Bailey ultimately confessed to watching Spencer beat her child to the point that he fell unconscious and his eyes were blackened and his forehead was swollen on Dec. 7.

Bailey told police Spencer had beaten her son before, according to the affidavit of probable cause for her arrest. She said that after her son was brutalized that day, she and Spencer left to go buy Black & Mild Cigars, and when they returned home, Damari was unresponsive. Spencer put him to bed in a wicker chair in the living room, she said, and when she went to kiss him goodnight a few hours later, Damari was cold to the touch.

After realizing that the child was dead, Bailey told police, she and Spencer placed the boys remains in a trash bag and disposed of them.

Spencer and Bailey never told investigators where they put the corpse, police said. In early January, officials spent days searching the area for the childs body, using large machinery to comb through Dumpsters and hidden alleyways across West Philadelphia, but had no success.

Police initially believed that Damaris body had been lost in the citys trash system, never to be found.

Nakia Bailey said she wrestles with her role as a sister, and as a second mother to Damari. She cant understand what happened to her sister that would have led to such a heinous act.

Innocence lost for what? said Bailey, fighting back tears. Ill never get to see him grow up. Its devastating.
Denali, a Coonhound, was adopted by David Saxton's daughter in August, police said. Saxton said he killed the dog after it lunged at him. Read more

A Brookhaven man was sentenced to three years of probation after admitting that he killed a dog his daughter had rescued from the Providence Animal Center.

David Saxton, 62, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals in the October death of Denali, a 60-pound coonhound, during a brief hearing Monday before Delaware County Court Judge Mary Alice Brennan.

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Saxton told investigators that Denali had tried to lunge at him and bite him in his living room, and that the dog had previously bitten other members of his family.

He said he strangled the dog with its leash, and then beat it in the head with a metal candleholder when he saw it was still breathing. Saxton also said he slit the dogs throat with a kitchen knife and buried its body in his backyard, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

At the time of the dogs death, the family said they were trying to return the dog to the shelter because of its behavioral issues.

Assistant District Attorney Sean McNabb asked Brennan to sentence Saxton to time in county jail, saying the facts of the case were brutal and horrific, and had garnered widespread attention from animal rights activists, many of whom had crowded into Brenanns courtroom for the proceeding.

It seems too often that animal abusers and animal killers do receive sentences that are mitigated, that are probationary sentences, McNabb said. And thats why [the activists] continue to show the support they do and protest those mitigated sentences.

Saxtons attorney, Christine Cregar, argued for him to be sentenced to probation, saying that he had no history of violence, had taken care of dogs his entire life, and had cooperated with investigators and prosecutors.

He did not wake up that morning with the intent to kill that dog, Cregar said. Unfortunately, Denali had some behavioral issues, with a documented history of biting previous owners and of biting other members of the Saxton family.

She noted that Saxton and his family had contacted 15 shelters in an attempt to surrender the dog, but had been unsuccessful.

Erica Saxton adopted Denali on Aug. 26 from Providence Animal Shelter, according to the affidavit. At the time, she was notified of Denalis behavioral history, and signed a liability waiver saying the dog may need professional training.

On Oct. 4, she submitted a formal request to surrender Denali, telling the shelter that the dog had bitten her. The shelter initially agreed to take the dog back on Oct. 20, but moved that date up to Oct. 10 after David Saxtons wife, who was recovering from breast cancer, reported that the dog had bitten her, as well.

The day before, a Humane Society officer performed a welfare check at the Saxton familys home after shelter workers learned that the Saxtons had made appointments at two veterinarian offices for Denali to be euthanized, both of which were later canceled, according to testimony at Saxtons preliminary hearing. No one was home at the time.

David Saxton then turned himself in to Brookhaven Police days later.

In an interview with detectives, Saxton admitted he had killed the dog and that he was not proud of what he did, the affidavit said. Saxton said he had come home from work and was sitting on his living room couch taking off his work boots when Denali started barking and lunging at him.

Saxton repeatedly pushed the dog away, but Denali returned to nip at his ear. Saxton told Bell he snapped and grabbed the dogs leash, the affidavit said, before strangling and beating it to death.

After killing Denali, Saxton wrapped the dog in a trash bag and buried it in his backyard. Investigators later recovered the dogs corpse from that makeshift grave.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, shown in this January file photo, addressed City Council about her plans for schools at a district budget hearing Monday. She also discussed her choice to have Joyce Wilkerson sit on the Philadelphia school board, at least for now, despite Council declining to confirm Wilkerson. "I didnt usurp a process," Parker said. Read more

An impassioned Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, addressing how she sat Joyce Wilkerson on the school board over City Councils objections, said she knew she and Philadelphias legislative body would have some disagreements during her tenure.

But dont let that be the North Star that determines how we move the city of Philadelphia, the mayor said in the Philadelphia School Districts budget hearing Tuesday, where the school system laid out its $4.5 billion spending plan.

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I cant do it without you, and you cant do it without me. Were interdependent on each other in order to move Philadelphia forward.

Parker defended her school board and her actions to circumvent Councils disapproval of Wilkerson.

I respect the body  there is no one person or individual thats bigger than this institution, the mayor said. I didnt try to do something other than what the law requests that the mayor does.

The mayor said she deliberately chose five new voices for the board, and also held over four members, including Wilkerson, because to be successful, the board must balance change with continuity, and new skills with experience.

She got only a few hours sleep Monday night, she said, interrupted by a flurry of phone calls, posts and other action on the school board matter  everybody trying to find a way to benefit from driving a wedge between this president, this leadership, this Council and this administration.

But, she said, I dont want to fight. I want to get things done. I want partnership. I need you.

Last month, the mayor chose Wilkerson, Reginald Streater, Sarah-Ashley Andrews, ChauWing Lam, Crystal Cubbage, Cheryl Harper, Whitney Jones, Wanda Novales and Joan Stern to comprise her school board. Council confirmed all but Wilkerson, with some members citing concerns, including her history of charter school votes and her stewardship of building issues during her time as School Reform Commission chair and school board president.

Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, chair of the education committee, did not name Wilkerson, but signaled he would not support her because information had been covered up for years by the previous regime.

In our mind, someone needs to be held accountable, Thomas said at the hearing.

Facilities front and center

The school district currently has no long-term plan for its vast stock of aging buildings  which are estimated to cost $7 billion to fix  a point of concern for many in Council.

Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said the district has been methodical and needed to determine academic and organizational goals before committing to a strategic plan, but knows it cant kick this can down the road.

This administration is committed to work under the Board of Education and the mayors leadership to having a plan that makes hard decisions about how we upgrade our school facilities, and we will get it done, the superintendent said.

While some of the districts 216 schools are bursting at the seams, others are significantly under-enrolled; district leadership has warned that they will need to think about right sizing, raising the possibility of school closings.

While Watlington said his administration was examining setting a minimum school enrollment size, he noted that when the district closed 30 schools in 2013, it saw student achievement drop in both those who were displaced and those who attended schools that received displaced students.

We believe that we can drive faster improvement when we take a look at how to best use our facilities, Watlington said. We know we need to repurpose some buildings to better serve our communities.

Parker signaled the district and city would lean on sources of funding not widely used in the past to tackle its building problems.

We have not worked in a collaborative way to tap the philanthropic organizations... in our city to say, We need you to all come together and figure out how do we row in the same direction and work to attack a problem, she said. That is, Mr. President, very humbly, what Im going to attempt to do as mayor of the city.

Thomas asked Watlington, who spent his career in North Carolina schools before coming to Philadelphia in 2022, how Philadelphias facilities problems compare to other districts.

In the districts that Ive worked in prior to coming here, Ive never had a school-based closure related to heat or an asbestos problem, Watlington said.

Less than half of Philadelphias schools are currently air-conditioned. In the 2022-23 school year, seven district school buildings had to close temporarily due to asbestos problems.

Were not here with our hands out

The school system is unique in Pennsylvania as the only district that cannot raise its own revenue, dependent largely on the city and state to fund the education of 197,000 students in traditional public and charter schools.

Watlington and Streater  as well as Parker  trumpeted the districts progress. Though its one of the most struggling school systems in the country, with just 34% of students meeting state standards in English and 16% in math, it recently earned national kudos for the strongest academic recovery among large urban districts, according to a study by Harvard and Stanford universities.

On the campaign trail, Parker said if elected, she would shift the districts share of the citys property tax revenue to 58% from its current 55%.

But as mayor, Parker introduced a budget that would increase the districts share only to 56%.

The one percentage point increase will yield the district $129 million, and her plan is to eventually get to 58% for the schools, Parker said.

Im not shying away from that goal. Im cognizant of us trying to get there in a very methodical, intentional but fiscally responsible manner, said the mayor.

Watlington underscored the districts relatively strong financial footing, as evidenced by boosts in recent years to its credit rating.

Were not here with hands out, saying, Just give us more money, pour money onto things where theres no return in investment, Watlington said. We are laser-focused on things that return investment in the school district.

Year-round school?

Council had questions about another Parker campaign promise  year-round school, a program that was tried and rejected by the district in the early 2000s.

In recent months, both the mayor and the superintendent have re-framed the conversation as year-round access to educational opportunities during non-traditional times, Parker said at Watlingtons State of the Schools address in January.

Watlington said that in the 2024-25 school year, the district would focus on offering robust after-school offerings so students can be engaged until 6 or 7 p.m.

And in the following year, he plans a pilot of schools that follow an extended school day and year. The most promising model he hoped to emulate, Watlington said, was the Harlem Childrens Zone.

We know that for some kids  a lot of our kids  weve got to eliminate the summer slide, and weve got to provide more time to master the content, Watlington said.

But, he said, no school would be selected for a year-round model without community buy-in.

We have to build the demand, Watlington said, create a demand and build partnership for it.
Two woman at right are delegates from the office of open expression at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment trying to identify people in the encampment. The protester refused to show ID. Read more

University of Pennsylvania officials said Tuesday that they were pursuing possible disciplinary action against pro-Palestinian protesters who have defied repeated orders to end their encampment, which showed every indication of extending to a seventh day on Wednesday.

We have clearly communicated to the protesters in the encampment that they are in violation of the universitys policies, Penn said in a statement, adding that any offenders, including faculty or staff, would be subject to disciplinary processes.

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Thus far, the Penn protest has been absent of the turmoil and arrests that have occurred on other campuses, including Columbia and Princeton Universities, and no violent incidents or arrests have been reported at the West Philadelphia site since the tents were erected on Thursday.

At 9:35 p.m. Friday, interim president J. Larry Jameson had issued an order for the protesters to vacate the grounds immediately.

But four days after the cease-and-disband order, about 60 protesters remained at the College Green site and did not appear to be exactly cowering before the universitys threats. Penn encampment organizers said they met with university leadership Tuesday and were no closer to having their demands met.

They refused to show identification to officials from the Office on Open Expression, who were taking photos of the resisters. Cover your faces, an organizer shouted.

Those who failed to display IDs would be considered trespassers, a university employee told some of the encampment participants, all of whom refused to show identification. Soon thereafter, some of the campers began chanting shame on UPenn.

In a statement Tuesday, Penn encampment organizers accused the university of using ID checks as intimidation tactics in an effort to distract non-Penn-affiliated persons from their right to protest.

About 35 tents have remained at the site, along with copious supplies of donated bottled water and food, including doughnuts, pizza, popsicles, and fruit. In the last six days, the campers had experienced four seasons of weather, with temperatures in the 40s during the weekend mornings and up to 90 on Monday afternoon.

No confrontations have been reported between the protesters and counter-demonstrators, although about 25 pro-Israeli demonstrators appeared in the vicinity of the encampment during the weekend.

Its a tense environment, Gabriel Steinberg, a Jewish student from Orlando, Fla., said Tuesday. For his part, Steinberg said, he is intrigued by the encampment, but understands why his friends, both Jewish and non-Jewish, are avoiding the area.

The protests at Penn and elsewhere have marched their way into the 2024 political campaigns. A Republican ad aimed at Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) links Democratic support for loan forgiveness to campus unrest. Students radicalized by the far left are acting like terrorists, the ad says. Now Joe Biden and Bob Casey want to pay off their student loans. Similar ads are running in Wisconsin, Ohio, Montana and Michigan.

President Joe Bidens administration has spoken out against the protests. But on Tuesday, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who was visiting the William W. Bodine High School for International Affairs, told The Inquirer that she had encouraged the Bodine students to make their voices heard.

But, I think if you want to have your voice heard, you cant do it through violence. You cant do it through hatred. And were seeing some of that.

She said she met with six Palestinian students who gave me a very hard time on what our policies are in Gaza. She said the students were angry but respectful.

I will say that and they had this sense that nobody is listening to them.

The anti-war demonstrations have become almost daily occurrences across the country since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

The Penn encampment was making people pay attention to the war, said Sparrow  who declined to give a last name due to concerns about retaliation  who just completed a senior thesis. The Penn protesters are calling for the university to disclose its financial holdings, divest from any investments in the war, and provide amnesty for pro-Palestinian students facing discipline over past protests.

Sparrow said they are no stranger to protests, having participated in a six-week anti-fossil fuel encampment protest in 2022, but that they are still worried about repercussions. Ive done activism for so long, Sparrow said, joined at the encampment by their charismatic pup named Skippy whom they deemed a staple of Penn activism.

But this protest has been special, said Sparrow: The demonstrators are making the war into something you cant turn away from.

Inquirer staff writers Ximena Conde and Julia Terruso contributed to this article.
Rutgers-Camden philosophy major Paul Boyd, started his college journey while he was incarcerated, and now he has won a prestigious Truman Scholarship. Read more

Paul Boyd always had what he called an insatiable curiosity for learning, which for decades had gone unfulfilled.

You know how you get lost? he said. And then somehow, some way you find your way back?

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It wasnt until the Atlantic City native wound up in prison in 2011 on a robbery charge that he began to find his way, he said. He went on to earn his associates degree while incarcerated, becoming the first member of his family to get a college degree, and is working toward his bachelors at Rutgers-Camden, living at a halfway house near the campus.

And now, the 46-year-old philosophy major has earned a top academic honor as one of 60 college students chosen nationwide last month from more than 700 applicants to be Truman Scholars.

 READ MORE: North Philly to Oxford: College once seemed unlikely for Hazim Hardeman. Heres how he became CCP and Temples first Rhodes scholar.

Started in 1975 in memory of President Harry S. Truman and his dedication to public service, the prestigious graduate awards, worth up to $30,000, go to students who show leadership potential, a desire to pursue a career in government or the nonprofit sector, and academic excellence. Nominated by their colleges, winning students receive funding for graduate studies, leadership training, career counseling and internship and fellowship opportunities in the federal government.

I went from being in disbelief to this is cool to this is overwhelming, Boyd, a junior, said during an interview from the Rutgers-Camden campus last week. Its hard to accept the praise that comes with this sort of thing. I didnt grow up being encouraged by people.

He is the first Rutgers-Camden student to earn the honor.

Paul has been a living example of intellectual curiosity, scholarly dedication, and perseverance, Rutgers-Camden Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis said. He now has a well-deserved place in the RutgersCamden history books.

 READ MORE: A Central High graduate has been named one of this years Rhodes scholars

Other winners from local colleges include Lezlie Hilario of Villanova University, Aravind Krishnan and Tej Patel of the University of Pennsylvania, Alyssa Kemp of Drexel, Ella Weber of Princeton, and Ray Epstein of Temple University.

Epstein, 21, a junior from Washington, D.C., who recently was named Temples student body president for next year, has become a campus leader in sexual assault prevention, a mission she has been on since middle school when, she said, she was assaulted. Shes the founding president of Temples chapter of Its on Us: Student Activists Against Sexual Assault.

Epstein, who is majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing and communication and social influence, recalled being ostracized after she reported being sexually assaulted. Her mother suggested she turn her pain into something impactful and she began interning for Break the Cycle, a national advocacy group based in Texas dedicated to addressing intimate-partner violence.

The work was so moving, she said. I just wanted to keep doing that forever.

When she arrived at Temple in 2021, she sought to join a campus group dedicated to sexual assault prevention but found that it had been defunct for five years.

I felt an obligation to create that safe space for people because I needed one when I was younger and I didnt have one, she said.

As part of her groups work and through a partnership with Uber, she was able to help get $350,000 in free rides for Temple students in vulnerable situations, such as being left alone at a bar or a party.

Shes also vice president of Planned Parenthood Generation Temple University, and her group is advocating to get emergency contraceptive vending machines installed on campus. The group has raised about one-tenth of the $10,000 to fund the initiative, and Epstein said negotiations with the university are continuing.

Many of our friends have access to machines like this on their campuses, she said.

She acknowledged that contraception is accessible through student health services but thats only during certain hours.

Emergency contraception doesnt wait for a window, she said.

Epstein, who plans to go to law school, is focused on getting better legislation approved to protect sexual assault survivors. She hopes to use her Truman scholarship to further that work, which she sees as a lifelong mission.

The highest you could score

Boyd grew up in Ocean City, N.J., one of nine children in a single-parent household. He recalled often going hungry and having to care for six of his younger siblings while his mother worked.

A lot of people in school had no idea the kind of struggles I was having at home, he said. Its kind of hard to focus on a lesson when your stomach is growling.

He tried college after high school, but that didnt last long, he said. After a few other run-ins with the law, in 2011, he was sentenced to 15 years in South Woods State Prison for armed robbery. During the assessment process that is part of prison entry, he was tested in reading, writing, English and vocabulary skills.

I scored ... the highest you could score, he said.

He was offered a prison job as a teachers aide in a class for inmates working toward their general equivalency diplomas.

Thats where I got introduced to how transformative education could truly be, he said. Helping those guys get their GEDs and diplomas, it helped me to see them, seeing those guys stick to it.

That, along with a year of counseling in prison, made him take a closer look at himself, he said, and really set me on a good path.

I had a mirror moment, really told myself everything that I wasnt, he said. I had built my life on a foundation of lies.

When the opportunity to pursue an associates degree through NJ-STEP  a partnership of colleges, the state corrections department, and the state parole board  opened in 2014, he said he jumped on it.

This has always been a personal dream to earn a college degree, said Boyd, a father of three children, ages 14, 17 and 22. And it helped me to focus on life after prison.

He earned his associates in 2020 and began at Rutgers in 2023. When he heard about the Truman scholarship program, though hesitant at first, he applied with encouragement from Laura Collins, Rutgers-Camdens director of the Office of Scholar Development and Fellowship Advising.

Boyd already had emerged as a campus leader, helping to start a Hillel chapter, even though he is not Jewish  Im a community person, he explained. He does a campus radio show and podcast, called Beyond Babel, which features Jewish history and his philosophical perspectives about the period being discussed.

Hes on the dining advisory committee and the vice chancellors student external affairs committee, among other roles. And he had a summer internship in computational biology at Princeton through the National Science Foundation  all while still serving his sentence, which was eventually reduced to less than 13 years. Hell be out Aug. 6.

Hes due to graduate from Rutgers in May 2025 and plans to pursue a doctorate in philosophy. Hell use his Truman scholarship to work toward criminal justice reform, preferably at a think tank, he said.

He hopes to eventually teach and conduct research and help other incarcerated people pursue higher education.

In a perfect world, he said, I want to teach here, or Princeton, or one of those kinds of places.
Chef Liz Grothes semiprivate dinners are the hottest thing going. Read on and well tell you whats next for her. Also this week, let us show you three fancy Italian dinners, the new edition of Jims Steaks on South Street, and the atelier of a Main Line sourdough baker  which happens to be his living room.

I want to hear your thoughts about the Lets Eat newsletter. Take our survey and get a chance to win a $75 Visa gift card, a free 28-day trial to Inquirer.com, and lunch with me. Yes, Im buying. (If youre already a subscriber, youll get three entries in the drawing instead of the trial.)

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 Mike Klein

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Liz Grothe, chef behind the popular supper club Couch Cafe, is moving herself up the food chain. She is headed to Queen Village this summer for her first restaurant, Scampi, where the menu will change frequently. Margaret Eby sat down with Grothe to talk about life, cooking, and the new restaurant  which wont have a couch (since its not her apartment) but will host a rose gold shrimp disco ball and a karaoke machine.

Want an early look at Scampi? Grothe, 29  oh, and say her name like growth-y  will be chef-in-residence on Friday and Saturday nights at the cozy Wim Cafe (226 South St.) for the next three months, starting this week. The five-course tasting menu is $75 a ticket, though walk-ins will be accommodated for a la carte. Hours: 5-9 p.m. Menu was not set before deadline, but Im told of a southern Italian focus plus Pennsylvania wines, beers, and spirits.

At three high-end Italian restaurants  Salvatore at Irwins, Ambra, and Elma  not only are the tasting menus expensive, but reservations are among Phillys toughest. Are they worth the splurge and the effort? Read on, and critic Craig LaBan will tell you about that call he got from a concierge.

Jims Steaks is back today, 694 days after a fire. The landmark has expanded next door into the Eyes Gallery. In addition to cheesesteaks, now you can feast your eyes on never-before-seen mosaics created by Philly-bred artist Isaiah Zagar. Photographer Steve Falk and I take you inside this South Street institution.

John Concher quit his CFO job to bake. Though hes no longer the breadwinner at home in Rosemont, as Jenn Ladd tells us, the sourdoughs from his Wild Yeast Bakehouse make him, um, the toast of the Main Line.

Scoop

Speaking of Wim Cafe, the 25-seater in the Yowie Hotel at 226 South St.: Forin, straight out of Kensington, is now running the coffee and food. Wim will keep its name while the Forin-ers will add creative coffee beverages, expanded culinary offerings, and lively programming, including that Liz Grothe residency.

Restaurant report

Moma Mediterranean Kitchen. Ive been following chef Bledar Istrefi for 15-plus years now, first at Bellini Cafe in Center City, then at Il Polpo in Northeast Philadelphia, which he sold. His current holdings are Trattoria Moma in Mount Airy and Dua Mediterranean Kitchen in Bryn Mawr. Last week, he opened Moma Mediterranean Kitchen, a mod date-nighter in the Glenside storefront last occupied by Pinto. Like the others, its BYOB.

I snagged the menu, which is not yet online. Like Duas, MMK takes a trip throughout southern Europe and the Middle East: a few Italian inspirations (like a sublime cotoletta topped with greens and pecorino) but mostly rustic dishes from his native Albania, like the fergese you see above (a warm dip of cottage cheese, peppers, and tomato).

Theres paella for two, pistachio-crusted lamb chops, and grilled fish, plus pistachio cheesecake baklava for dessert.

The street-level dining room, with its seafood case on a counter, is a bit snug. if you want to spread out with a bottle of wine (or three), the second floor is your roomier option.

Moma Mediterranean Kitchen, 24 E. Glenside Ave., Glenside. Hours: 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Lees Dumplings & Stuff. Im just cooking the food I want to cook, says Gally Lee, who is putting out Southeast Asian grub at his takeout/delivery spot on Front Street beneath the Market-Frankford El near York-Dauphin.

Lee was riding high at the Northern Liberties good-for-you eatery Kale Yeah until the pandemic sent him and his wife, Lisa, underground, making and selling dumplings out of their apartment. Gally Lee said he kept the delivery-order tablet at his bedside. When it chirped with an order, hed head down to the kitchen to cook, no matter what time it was.

At his new takeout, he keeps regular hours and a full crew. Shown above is one of the tastiest things Ive eaten all year: a crispy scallion pancake topped with slices of cured salmon, slices of avocado, arugula, and 2 sunny-side eggs. Below is a rice bowl with a Kale Yeah throwback: roasted sweet potatoes and kale, along with chicken and soy garlic ginger sauce. Dont miss the Korean-style dumplings filled with kimchi, ground pork, onions, dried shrimp, and veggies.

Bold flavors, and everything is cooked in olive oil. Its available for pickup or via Grubhub.

Lees Dumplings & Stuff, 2313 N. Front St. Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Phone: 267-213-3758.

Briefly noted

Somebody say, Free margaritas? The Philadelphia Eagles and BOTLD have created Bird Gang Tequila, and you can taste the new Silver variety from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday at the BOTLD shop in Rittenhouse (119 S. 18th St.). The Bird Gang Spicy (available May 10) can be preordered; both are $34 a bottle. The Silver is slightly sweet, with flavors of lime, lemon, and a touch of vanilla, while the Spicy has a hint of habanero. The tequila is distilled at Orendain in Jalisco, Mexico, and is bottled by BOTLD. (Oh, one marg per guest.) Heres more on that Eagles-BOTLD partnership.

Tun Tavern may be coming back. A group has made an important first step in its campaign to rebuild Tun Tavern, birthplace of the U.S. Marine Corps and a few local nonprofits that held their meetings there before the Revolution.

Workers must be paid. Thats the message behind a recent employment dispute that ended up being litigated on Facebook. Lizzy McLellan Ravitch tracked down the parties.

The Garces Foundations annual benefit, which is Friday night at the Loews Philadelphia, will assemble 30-plus chefs and independent local restaurants, plus specialty cocktails, live music, and an auction for its eleventh year. The foundation provides health care, education, and other support to Philadelphias immigrant community. Tickets, starting at $175, are here.

Chef Richard Cusack is bringing the duck press from his June BYOB to his casual Cafe le Jardin in Audubon, N.J., on Monday nights, starting May 6, for what he calls Press Frites. Hell press duck, steak, or poisson (fish) for guests, serving them tableside, with frites. Et voila  steak frites, duck frites, or poisson frites. Its $85pp plus tax and tip for the three-course experience, which starts with wild mushroom soup with black truffle and Madeira and wraps with tableside-scooped chocolate mousse with berries, vanilla creme anglaise, and toasted croissant slices. The house needs 48 hours notice. Since May is National Cancer Research Month, and Cusacks mother is a breast cancer survivor, proceeds from May sales will benefit Penn Medicines Abramson Cancer Center.

Chef Carlos Aparicio at South Phillys El Chingon will donate a cut of proceeds from Mays Mi Madre lunch menu to Moriviv Latin Cancer Support Group. The dishes  tamales de frijo, fideos secos, and costillas de cerdo  are available a la carte or as a $50 tasting menu.

Pop quiz

The Phillies next buy one, get one hot dog night will be Tuesday. Forty years ago, the Phils tried serving a particular dog that was  to be frank  awful. What was it made with?

A) turkey

B) chicken

C) tofu

D) scrapple

Find out if you know the answer.

Ask Mike anything

I see a new restaurant has opened in the former site of South Philly Barbacoa. Whats it all about?  Gloria P.

Theres not much online yet about Fronterizo, done up in sky blue in its two dining rooms at Ninth and Ellsworth. Ive scored the two-page menu  see it here and here. It balances Mexican and Honduran cooking, with some inspiration from El Salvador. (The restaurants name means border, although Mexico and Honduras dont share one.) First-time restaurateur Jose Marvin, a Catracho, has friends and relatives turning out pastelitos, tamales, and yuca con chicharron plus plates of meats such as rib-eye and pork chops, as well as chilaquiles.

Bring your Spanish and your appetite. I got 2 tasty lunches out of the Combo Fronterizo, the platter shown above that includes six shrimp, grilled chicken, strips of beef, a pork chop, salad, two strips of quesa fresca, a puddle of creamy refried beans, a scoop of rice, and three pupusas  all for $20.

Fronterizo, 1140 S. Ninth St. Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. BYOB.

 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.

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This week, we break down what a new FTC ban on employment noncompetes means in Philly. Plus, we look at a legal battle tied to a Virtua hospital acquisition, the threat that bird flu poses to our region, and how a local hospital repaired Jon Bon Jovis vocal cords.

 Got tips, questions, or suggestions? For a chance to be featured in this newsletter, email us here.

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 Aubrey Whelan and Abraham Gutman, Inquirer health reporters, @aubreywhelan and @abrahamgutman.

If the Federal Trade Commissions vote to ban noncompetes goes into effect, it will be a big deal for doctors and many in health care. But thats a big if.

Physicians from the Philly area told the FTC all about their dislike of these restrictions in the public comment period ahead of the agencys decision last week.

If I am to seek another job, I would have to uproot and move my family, a person who identified as a family physician from Philadelphia wrote to the agency.

I was effectively claused out of Philadelphia for a year, another physician wrote, referencing the noncompete clause in her contract.

It doesnt take much to clause out in Philadelphia. Several local physicians told us their noncompetes cover a 5- or 10-mile radius from their place of work for one year. We pulled out a map and found nearly 20 general hospitals in a 10-mile radius around Philadelphias City Hall.

So what does the rule change actually mean? Here are the key takeaways from our conversations with legal experts:

Employers couldnt ask employees to sign noncompetes, with some exceptions, once the rule takes effect. Some physicians in small private practices might be considered executives, and the rule wont apply to them. Some nonprofit employers could be exempt, given that the FTC generally has authority over businesses. But in the rule, the agency makes clear that a nonprofit status alone isnt a guaranteed exemption. Each individual circumstance will have to be looked at on a case-by-case basis, Larry Pockers, a partner at Duane Morris, told us. The rule should go into effect within a few months. But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce already sued in federal court. Legal observers say the fight could go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

You can read more about the FTC rule, and an effort to ban noncompetes in health care in Pennsylvania, in our full story.

(And we want to hear about your experience with noncompetes!)

The latest news to pay attention to

Virtua Health is suing Trinity Health for $12 million in legal fees related to Virtuas acquisition of the Lourdes Health System. Our colleague Harold Brubaker has the details. Penn Medicine and Main Line Health have pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and signed onto a voluntary federal program called the Health Sector Climate Pledge. And Jefferson Health is joining another national initiative to tackle the issue. Who says you cant go home for surgery? Not Jon Bon Jovi! The glam rocker revealed in a new documentary that he went to Main Line Healths Lankenau Medical Center in 2022 for a voice-saving operation. (Bon Jovi is technically from New Jersey, but Philadelphia has long claimed him as one of its own, and so do we.)

The big number this week: Zero.

That is the number of cases of bird flu currently circulating in cows (and domestic birds, too) in Pennsylvania.

Concern is rising about H5N1, a strain of avian flu thats now infecting cattle. A nationwide outbreak began among birds in 2022, and at one point last year, Pennsylvania had more cases than anywhere else in the country.

But since mid-February, Pennsylvania has reported no cases of avian flu in domestic birds and none in cattle, even as H5N1 has infected cattle in eight states. (The closest cases are in Ohio.)

Federal health authorities say its unlikely that this strain presents a serious health concern for people. Bird flu rarely spreads from person to person, and it looks like pasteurization can kill the virus in milk. (So avoid raw milk.)

For more on bird flu and how Pennsylvania authorities are looking to keep it out of the state, read Aubreys story.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital received one of the states most serious safety warnings after inspectors found that an elderly patient had gone missing from the emergency department after staff failed to routinely check on him this January.

The incident, first reported by our colleague Sarah Gantz earlier this month, was one of four times that state inspectors investigated potential safety problems at TJUH between August 2023 and January 2024. The others were deemed unfounded.

Want a piece of the $1.2 billion that the White House committed to the STEM professions? Good luck if you are a nurse.

Nursing isnt eligible because many government agencies do not recognize it as a STEM field. Now two Philly-area nursing professors are petitioning for that to change.

Rebecca Love, from Villanova, and Marion Leary of Penn, lead a national coalition that sent a letter this week to the Department of Homeland Security asking to add nursing to its list of STEM degrees.

All the work that nurses do, both clinically and outside the bedside, thats all science, technology, engineering, and math, Leary said.

It is time that we correctly be classified as such, Love added.

Read more about why the nurses decided to target DHS first.

Making moves

Michael Stern, Tower Healths COO, is now also the health systems president. Towers news release said Stern will maintain the momentum of Tower Healths turnaround.

In addition, Kristin Kearney, the current CFO of Tower Health Medical Group, a network of advanced practice providers and primary care and specialty physicians, is also now the CFO of Reading Hospital.

Bulletin board

Explaining the flu vaccine to patients in the emergency department goes a long way towards increasing their likelihood of getting the shot, Jefferson researchers found in a study recently published in NEJM Evidence. Six EDs, including one at Jefferson, participated in the study, which divided more than 700 unvaccinated patients into three groups.

One group watched a video about the flu vaccine and was given a one-page flier, then asked if they would accept a flu vaccine. Another group was simply asked whether they would take a vaccine. A third group was given no information on vaccines at all.

The results? In the video group, 41% of patients were vaccinated within 30 days. In the group asked about the vaccine, 32% got vaccinated. Only 15% of those who received no vaccine information ended up getting the shot. Jefferson researchers say the results make a strong case for vaccine education as one of the daily duties in an ED.

Thats all for this week! Aubrey, the most sedentary health reporter in Philadelphia, will not be participating in this weekends Broad Street Run, but she is planning to cheer on friends who have spent months training to race through our beautiful city. Calling all runners: wed love to hear your tips, tricks, and expectations for Phillys iconic race.

 Have a tip on health care workforce news or interesting new research? For a chance to be featured in this newsletter, email us here.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirers Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
The Philadelphia Nursing Home at 2100 W. Girard Ave. on May 20, 2020. Sources have told The Inquirer that this site, which closed in 2022, will be repurposed as a triage center for people with addiction. Read more

Philadelphia city workers and addiction service providers are working to open a triage center and shelter in Fairmount where people living on the street can seek services, a move that comes days before authorities plan to clear a homeless encampment in Kensington, according to sources briefed on the plan.

The sources, who requested anonymity because they werent authorized to discuss the plan publicly, said the city intends to use a facility at 2100 W. Girard Ave. on a state-owned campus that recently housed a nursing home and a mens homeless shelter.

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Joe Grace, a spokesperson for Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, said that the program is an expansion of existing services at the homeless shelter, which is already run by the city.

There remains much more work to be done as the Parker administration works to build out a comprehensive system of long-term care, treatment and housing for individuals suffering from addiction to substances, mental health challenges and people experiencing homelessness, he said in a statement.

Following the initial publication of this article, Grace said the administration disputed the characterization of the site as a triage center, saying instead that the city view[s] this as more of a wellness center. He declined to detail the difference between such facilities. The mayors budget proposal released in March includes $100 million for triage and wellness facilities.

The move comes amid months of intense deliberations in City Hall about how to establish facilities to potentially absorb hundreds of people with addiction living on the streets in Kensington as Parker moves on her promise to end the neighborhoods entrenched open-air drug market. Police intend to begin clearing a heavily populated area of Kensington Avenue next week, and Parker has said that stabilizing Kensington will require expanding long-term treatment and housing.

Top Parker administration officials have described the triage center concept generally as a short-term care facility where people who use drugs can be taken to seek referrals to treatment, medical care, and other services. It remained unclear, though, what services would be offered and how people would be taken to the facility, which is located nearly five miles from the heart of Kensingtons drug market.

The Parker administration declined to provide more details about the center, and some key stakeholders were in the dark Thursday, including some top law enforcement officials, as well as members of City Council who floated the triage center model months ago. Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr., whose district includes the site, said he was unaware the city planned to use the former nursing home as a triage center.

But sources said social service providers were scrambling to staff the Girard Avenue site for a soft launch as early as Wednesday.

The former nursing home sits on a nearly two-acre campus on an arterial street between Fairmount and Francisville. Stone walls line the perimeter of the leafy estate, providing a buffer from the residential streets and nearby Girard College.

While some operational details remain hazy, sources said the facility is a low-barrier shelter that could hold dozens of patients. They said it would be staffed by employees of Project HOME and Prevention Point  two nonprofits that offer outreach and housing to unhoused people and provide a number of public health services for people in addiction, respectively. Both organizations already hold contracts with the city.

The citys Police Assisted Diversion program, which offers rehabilitation services to people facing criminal charges for nonviolent crimes, will not operate at the site, officials said Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether the program would refer people to the planned facility.

PAD and the new plan to get more people into treatment in a variety of facilities are distinct interventions working towards similar goals, said Kurt August, director of the Office of Criminal Justice.

Spokespeople for Prevention Point and Project HOME either referred questions to the city or were not immediately able to provide clarity.

One source said wound care would be offered on site to treat skin damage caused by xylazine, or tranq, an animal tranquilizer that has been added to most of the illicit fentanyl in Philadelphia. Tranq causes serious lesions that are slow to heal and can become infected. Wound care has emerged as one of the largest barriers for people struggling in addiction, as many long-term rehab centers will not accept patients with untreated sores.

Parker has proposed borrowing $100 million to fund multiple triage and wellness facilities in locations around the city, but that plan has not yet been approved by City Council.

Law enforcements role

It remains unclear what role law enforcement will play in the triage center.

A cadre of City Council members have sought a treatment-or-jail ultimatum for drug users, who would in theory arrive at a triage facility and choose between rehab or a jail cell.

Some officials have questioned the legality of that tactic, and the Parker administration has not committed to it. In budget testimony to City Council in March, Managing Director Adam K. Thiel described the triage concept in less punitive terms as a short-term conduit for connecting people to long-term treatment options.

It starts with triage and bringing people in, making sure they have the services that they need, and then moving them through to medium-term help, care, treatment, and long-term housing and economic opportunity, Thiel said. What exactly does that look like? That is under development.

Thiel estimated during his testimony, now five weeks ago, that the first triage facility could open within weeks.

Since then, the administration has not provided specifics about where the centers would be located and which services would be provided there.

The Police Department last month released a five-phase plan to address the situation in Kensington, which includes a multiday sweep during which people would be arrested for crimes such as drug possession and prostitution.

During another Council hearing days later, Public Safety Director Adam Geer said the administrations primary goal is to connect people to treatment services  not to make arrests.

Folks who would be arrested, that would be because they refused treatment and because they were doing something criminal, Geer said.

Editors note: This article has been updated to clarify that the citys Police Assisted Diversion program will not physically operate out of the Fairmount site.

Staff writers Ellie Rushing and Samantha Melamed contributed to this article.
United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, center, receives a gift from student Jada Davis, second from left, on stage at the Bodine High School for International Affairs during Thomas-Greenfields visit on Tuesday. Read more

On the same day that President Joe Bidens administration condemned some of the campus protests around the nation, the countrys U.N. ambassador met with Palestinian students in Philadelphia and encouraged them and their classmates to make their voices heard.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke to students at William W. Bodine High School for International Affairs after a private meeting with six Palestinian students at the school.

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I just met with six of your classmates who gave me a very hard time on what our policies are in Gaza, she told the students. And what I said to them, and I say to you, is you need to make your voices heard. And you have the opportunity with a member of President Bidens cabinet to make your voices heard on any number of policy issues and its not something that young people around the world always get the opportunity to do.

Thomas-Greenfield, in an interview with The Inquirer, said It was an extraordinarily emotional conversation.

They were angry but respectful. I will say that and they had this sense that nobody is listening to them.

The school, which is in Northern Liberties, did not make the Palestinian students available to talk to reporters.

The Biden administration on Tuesday condemned the actions of protesters at Columbia University, who took over and barricaded themselves in a building on campus early Tuesday.

President Biden has stood against repugnant, antisemitic smears and violent rhetoric his entire life. He condemns the use of the term intifada, as he has the other tragic and dangerous hate speech displayed in recent days, White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement Tuesday.

Thomas-Greenfield said if protest speech crosses into promoting violence it shouldnt be tolerated.

I think if you want to have your voice heard, you cant do it through violence. You cant do it through hatred. And were seeing some of that, she told The Inquirer.

Thomas-Greenfield has herself faced protesters, most recently at Georgetown University, for three votes cast on behalf of the Biden administration against immediate cease-fires in Gaza.

After the February vote, Thomas-Greenfield said the resolution would have jeopardized negotiations to broker a deal that would release hostages in exchange for a temporary humanitarian cease-fire.

In March, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, which the United States allowed to pass by abstention.

Asked in Philadelphia on Tuesday whether she was hopeful about cease-fire talks in Egypt, Thomas-Greenfield said: Were hearing positive noises now that a deal may be reached. I have to remain hopeful.

Thomas-Greenfield is only the second Black woman to hold her post. She was a career diplomat for 35 years before she retired when former President Donald Trump took office in 2017. As U.N. ambassador, shes made increasing diversity in the diplomatic corps a goal of her tenure and often visits schools and colleges.

The questions in her larger meeting with Bodine students, pre-approved by the school, were largely about Thomas-Greenfields biography and career in public service.

She encouraged students to consider a path in diplomacy, stressing its importance, especially in war times.

I know as young people of color you can look at me and know that this is an option for you, she told the students. When we look at whats happening around the world, we look at the death, the carnage, the suffering its so much easier  to pretend its not there. But I know because I do get up in the morning that it is going to matter to somebody and thats why Im able to continue to do this job.

In an interview with The Inquirers editorial board Tuesday afternoon, Thomas-Greenfield also urged more focus on less-covered international crises playing out in Sudan, Darfur, Myanmar, and Ukraine.

People have crisis fatigue and they only want to deal with one crisis at a time when the world doesnt work like that, she said.

The loudest voices get the oil, she said. The demonstrations on school campuses, thats the center of the reporting and I get criticized for, Why are you talking about Sudan when things are happening in Gaza? And Im like, Why are we talking about Gaza when things are happening in Sudan? They both have to be given the attention that they deserve.
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Contestants are on stage at the start of the 97th Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City in 2017. Read more

Will the real owner of Miss America please stand up?

A dispute over the ownership of the long-running beauty pageant is taking center stage after former Atlantic City casino owner Glenn F. Straub last week sued Miss Americas CEO for $20 million in Palm Beach County, Fla.

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Straub, who owns companies that acquired the Miss America Organization in 2022, claims in the lawsuit that he terminated Robin Fleming from her position as the pageants CEO in April, but that she claims to still be in charge. The lawsuit further alleges that Fleming has paid herself hundreds of thousands of dollars without permission, diverted business away from the company, and locked it out of important financial accounts.

Fleming, however, claimed to be the sole and rightful owner of Miss America in a statement posted to social media Monday.

I refuse to be bullied by Mr. Straub, Fleming wrote. His only involvement was to direct me to a corporate entity that provided a line of credit, most of which has been repaid.

Court records did not indicate a formal response to the lawsuit from Fleming had been filed as of Tuesday afternoon. She vowed on Instagram that one would be filed in the coming week.

The lawsuit alleges that Fleming directed business clients and corporate opportunities away from LLCs of which Straub is the sole member and sole director  Miss America Competitions and Miss America IP  instead steering them to a related company that Straub alleges she used for personal financial benefit: the Miss America Scholarship Foundation, formerly Miss America Outstanding Teen Inc. The lawsuit does not specify a total estimate on how much business was lost.

The lawsuit also claims that Fleming paid herself an amount in excess of $200,000 without proper authority or approvals from Straub, and held the Miss American organizations hostage by refusing to provide access to financial accounts.

Straubs attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. No attorney was listed for Fleming in court records. Miss America Opportunity said it was awaiting an approved statement from its legal team.

The lawsuit asks for a court judgment in excess of $20 million, as well as an award of damages for the monies wrongfully taken and converted by Fleming. Straub has also asked the court for an injunction ordering Fleming to give the companies access to their financial records and bank accounts.

In an email to pageant state directors obtained by BreakingAC, Straub, who used to own the Revel Casino, wrote that Fleming was terminated as CEO earlier in April after internal audits unearthed multiple abnormalities. He added that he has since selected a new president who will be be announced soon.

Robin Fleming has continued the ruse of ownership in order to unilaterally control and block access to bank accounts, credit cards, official Miss America social media outlets, and to hide a substantial amount of assets included in the purchase agreement and paid for in full by my company, Straubs message read.

Fleming, meanwhile, said in a statement that Straubs lawsuit is an attempt to defraud the organization and just another blatant effort by a litigious individual.

The Miss America pageant began in Atlantic City in 1921, and was held there for decades until it moved to Las Vegas in 2005. It returned to New Jersey in 2013, where it stayed until moving to Connecticut in 2019.
The Biden administration announced that it is canceling $6 billion in student loans for students who attended the Art Institutes, a system of now-closed for-profit colleges that were the center of fraud allegations. Philadelphias campus closed in 2018.

This institution falsified data, knowingly misled students, and cheated borrowers into taking on mountains of debt without leading to promising career prospects at the end of their studies, President Joe Biden said in a statement.

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Its a move that follows the Biden administrations continued efforts to cancel student loans through existing programs following the Supreme Courts rejection to its sweeping student debt cancellation last year.

In total, the Biden administration says it has approved the cancellation of almost $160 billion in student loans, including through programs for public workers and those defrauded by their schools.

Heres what you need to know.

What happened to Art Institute colleges?

The Department of Education says its taking action after reviewing evidence from the attorneys general of Massachusetts, Iowa, and Pennsylvania  which previously investigated complaints of fraud and sued the for-profit college chain.

According to the investigations findings, the Art Institutes misled students about the success rates and salaries of graduates as well as the amount of school partnerships available to help students find jobs.

The chain said more than 80% of its graduates found jobs in their fields of study. In reality, the education department said, the data were doctored and the rate was below 57%.

Campuses also advertised graduate salaries based on inflated data, the investigation revealed. The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for instance, included the annual salary of former professional tennis player Serena Williams  who studied fashion at the school  to skew its data.

The department said these tactics led students to borrow high amounts of debt for programs that didnt pay off.

When did the schools close?

Art Institutes once had dozens of campuses across the country, with locations in New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, where it operated at 1622 Chestnut St. It was operated for decades by Education Management Corp., which collapsed in 2018 after years of legal trouble.

Following allegations of the chains illegal recruiting tactics, the company reached a $95.5 million settlement with the Justice Department in 2015 and began closing campuses. Phillys campus closed in 2018, eliminating nearly 200 jobs.

 READ MORE: Art Institute of Philadelphia closing; 171 jobs eliminated

The chains remaining eight campuses closed last year.

Who is eligible for loan cancellation?

The Education Department will automatically erase loans for 317,000 people who attended any Art Institute campus between Jan. 1, 2004, and Oct. 16, 2017.

I graduated from an Art Institute. Do I need to apply for the loan cancellation?

No. The Department of Education said it would begin e-mailing eligible borrowers on May 1. They wont need to take any action, and payments already made on loans will be refunded.

What are people saying about the cancellation?

Richard Cordray, chief operating officer of the Education Departments Federal Student Aid office, said the student loan relief was long overdue.

The Art Institutes preyed on the hopes of students attempting to better their lives through education. We cannot replace the time stolen from these students, but we can lift the burden of their debt.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said the ultimate goal is to make higher education affordable to students and taxpayers.

We must continue to protect borrowers from predatory institutions, he said.

This article contains information from the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES  Administrators and campus police at UCLA faced intense criticism Wednesday for failing to act quickly to stop an attack on a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus by counter-demonstrators who threw traffic cones and chairs, released pepper spray and tore down barriers.

Some pro-Palestinian demonstrators fought back, and skirmishes continued for hours before outside law enforcement agencies were called to intervene. No one was arrested, and at least 15 protesters suffered injuries in the confrontation, part of a recent spate of escalating violence thats occurring on some college campuses nationally over the Israel-Hamas war.

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The community needs to feel the police are protecting them, not enabling others to harm them, Rebecca Husaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said in a news conference on the Los Angeles campus later Wednesday, where some Muslim students detailed the overnight events.

The call for more police intervention at UCLA stood in stark contrast to other campuses across the U.S., where officers actions were strongly condemned. At the University of Wisconsin in Madison, activists clashed with police officers who destroyed their tents early Wednesday.

 READ MORE: Penn says it will pursue disciplinary action against encamped pro-Palestinian protesters

The chaotic scenes unfolded early Wednesday after police burst into a building occupied by anti-war protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday night, breaking up a demonstration that had paralyzed the New York school.

An Associated Press tally counted at least 38 times since April 18 where arrests were made at campus protests across the U.S. More than 1,600 people have been arrested at 30 schools.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement that a group of instigators perpetrated the attack, but he did not provide details about the crowd or why the administration and school police did not act sooner.

However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable, he said. It has shaken our campus to its core.

Block promised a review of the nights events after California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Los Angeles mayor denounced the delays.

Speakers disputed the universitys account that 15 people were injured and one hospitalized, saying the number of people taken to the hospital was higher. One student described needing to go to the hospital after being hit in the head by an object wielded by counter-protesters.

Several students who spoke during the news conference said they had to rely on each other, not the police, for support as they were attacked, and that many in the pro-Palestinian encampment remained peaceful and did not engage with counter-protesters.

UCLA canceled classes Wednesday. In the evening, hundreds of supporters of the pro-Palestinian protesters, including students and alumni, stood on campus steps beyond the encampment while law enforcement presence grew. A small group of students holding signs and wearing T-shirts in support of Israel and Jewish people gathered nearby.

Metal and wooden barriers had been restored around the tent encampment after the scuffle hours earlier. Overhead TV cameras showed people within the enclosure distributing goggles, helmets and other gear as well as medical assistance tents that had been set up later in the day.

Announcements broadcasted on the campus told demonstrators to disperse or they would be arrested and face a misdemeanor charge. The protesters largely stayed in place, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans.

Ray Wiliani, who lives nearby, said he came to UCLA on Wednesday evening to support the pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

We need to take a stand for it, he said. Enough is enough.

Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza have spread across campuses nationwide in a student movement unlike any other this century. The ensuing police crackdowns echoed actions decades ago against a much larger protest movement protesting the Vietnam War.

In Madison, a scrum broke out early Wednesday after police with shields removed all but one tent and shoved protesters. Four officers were injured, including a state trooper who was hit in the head with a skateboard, authorities said. Four were charged with battering law enforcement.

 READ MORE: Student protests over Gaza war are forcing Penn and other U.S. universities to face impossible demands

This is all playing out in an election year in the U.S., raising questions about whether young voters  who are critical for Democrats  will back President Joe Bidens reelection effort, given his staunch support of Israel.

In rare instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.

At Brown University in Rhode Island, administrators agreed to consider a vote to divest from Israel in October  apparently the first U.S. college to agree to such a demand.

The nationwide campus demonstrations began at Columbia on April 17 to protest Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.

Late Tuesday, New York City police officers entered Columbias campus and cleared a tent encampment, along with Hamilton Hall, where a stream of officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window, and police said protesters inside presented no substantial resistance.

The demonstrators had seized the Ivy League school building about 20 hours earlier, ramping up their presence on the campus from a tent encampment that had been there for nearly two weeks.

They encountered police clearing tents early on, as well as more than 100 arrests and threats of suspension unless they abandoned the encampment Monday. Instead, protesters took over Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, carrying in furniture and metal barricades.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams blamed outside agitators on Wednesday for leading the demonstrations and repeatedly cited the presence of a woman on Columbias campus whose husband Adams said had been convicted for terrorism. The woman, Nahla Al-Arian, wasnt on Columbias campus this week and isnt among the protesters who were arrested.

Al-Arian, a retired elementary school teacher, told The Associated Press that Adams misstated both her role in the protests and the facts about her husband, Sami Al-Arian, a prominent Palestinian activist. Nahla Al-Arian said she did go to Columbia for one day on April 25 to see the protest encampment there but left after she got tired.

Meanwhile, protest encampments elsewhere were cleared by the police, resulting in arrests, or closed up voluntarily at schools across the U.S., including The City College of New York, Fordham University in New York, Portland State in Oregon, Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and Tulane University in New Orleans.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests antisemitic, while Israels critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.
(From left) Samuel Grasty, Derrick Chappell and Morton Johnson. Attorneys for the men are seeking to vacate their convictions for the murder of Henrietta Nickens, 70, of Chester, in 1997, arguing new DNA tests point to another suspect. Read more

The Delaware County District Attorneys Office has appealed a judges order suggesting that the incarcerated Chester Trio should receive new trials, the latest complication in the decades-long saga of three men who say they were wrongfully convicted for a 1997 murder.

In late March, lawyers for Samuel Grasty, Derrick Chappell, and Morton Johnson were celebrating what they described as a major breakthrough in their clients joint appeal for post-conviction relief.

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Common Pleas Judge Mary Alice Brennan had ruled that, based on newly presented DNA evidence pointing to an unknown male perpetrator present during the brutal assault and murder of 70-year-old Henrietta Nickens, the outcome of the trios jury trials could have been different if tried today.

Grasty, 47, Chappell, 41, and Johnson, 44, were barely out of high school when sentenced to life in prison; through a handful of criminal justice nonprofits, the trio has maintained that unscrupulous police work and unreliable witnesses helped put them wrongfully behind bars.

But the appeal, filed by District Attorney Jack Stollsteimers office on Friday, shows that prosecutors have cast doubt on whether the unknown DNA profile  which modern testing recently linked to a jacket and other items found at the scene bearing no genetic connection to the trio  constitutes exculpatory evidence.

While I have great respect for Judge Brennan, I do not believe the DNA evidence recently submitted to the court, which matches the DNA already entered into evidence at each of the three defendants individual trials, constitutes new evidence under Pennsylvania law, and certainly does not exonerate these defendants, Stollsteimer said in a statement Wednesday.

The filing came several days after Stollsteimer, a Democrat who won reelection in 2023, lost a bid to be his partys nominee for attorney general amid a crowded field of primary challengers.

The Chester Trios defense teams said the appeal was beyond disappointing; further, they suggest it will complicate a scheduled bail hearing in late May that, before Stollsteimers filing, would have all but guaranteed the men would be reunited with their families while they awaited the status of their trials.

Obviously its disappointing, which is probably not a strong enough word for this development, said Nilam Sanghvi, a lawyer with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project nonprofit that represents Chappell. These guys have had such a long journey to wrongful incarceration already.

Paul Casteleiro, who represents Grasty on behalf of the Princeton-based Centurion Ministries, called the appeal a delay tactic, and said the prosecutions continued argument that Nickens had engaged in consensual sex or was assaulted by another individual without ties to her murder was made up of nonsense and preposterous theories.

Its a waste of everybodys money, Casteleiro said of the appeal.

The filing means that Brennans order will be scheduled to go before a Pennsylvania Superior Court, according to Sanghvi, a process that could take quite some time. The court can then request oral arguments from both parties.

Should the court uphold Brennans order, Sanghvi said Stollsteimers office would be in a position to decide whether it wants to retry the trios cases. Prosecutors could also continue the appeal process, sending their filing up to the state Supreme Court, she said.

I cant speculate to their motivations, Sanghvi said. They have obviously, after agreeing to the DNA testing, fought the results every step of the way since then. So I think we have to assume that they would try to move forward.

Casteleiro said that the Friday filing does not include any reasoning for prosecutors objections; Brennan on Tuesday requested a separate filing from Stollsteimers office outlining their reasoning.

Both attorneys said they remain focused on securing their clients release at their May 23 bail hearing.

Were going to fight them every step of the way, Casteleiro said. These guys are innocent, and were not going to give up until theyre free.
A child with autism who had gone missing was found dead in a pond near his Chester County home Monday, police said.

Kennett Township Police were sent to search for the 5-year-old boy who had gone missing from his home on the 600 block of Chandler Mill Road, in Kennett Township, Monday afternoon, police said. When officers arrived, they scoured the area, checking the boys house, nearby homes, and a large, wooded area, police said.

The boys name was not released pending notification of his family.

Kennett Township police found the boy in a pond on a neighbors property, police said. Despite first responders attempting lifesaving measures, the boy was taken to Nemours Childrens Hospital, in Delaware, where he was pronounced dead.

Police continue to investigate the circumstances leading up to the boys death.
(Left to Right) Hilary Langer, chairman of the East Falls Community Council zoning committee, Paul Elia, Frances Bourne, and Bill Hoffner, shown here next to the Queen Lane Water Treatment plant, in Philadelphia, Monday, April 29, 2024. Read more

Major changes are coming to Philadelphias water system facilities, and East Falls residents want a say in how reconstruction of the Queen Lane Water Treatment Plant will affect neighborhoods around the plant.

The Queen Lane plant, which provides drinking water from the Schuylkill, is due to be demolished and rebuilt.

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But the East Falls Community Council is asking city officials for guarantees  in a binding agreement  that residents will have some say on fencing, lighting, ground maintenance, and how parking lots are designed, with landscaping that acts as a buffer.

The plant, built in 1895, is bordered by Queen Lane, Henry Avenue, Fox Street and the Roosevelt Boulevard.

Complicating matters is the Philadelphia Water Departments request to change the facilitys zoning from residential to a special use  civic zoning.

We want clean water. We want updated infrastructure, said Hilary Langer, an architect who is chair of the East Falls councils zoning committee.

We agreed to this zoning change, but we understand that if we are going to sign away any reviewable rights, we would not be [looking out for our neighbors].

To that end, the East Falls community group is hosting a happy hour, from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Wissahickon Brewing Co., at 3705 Schoolhouse Lane.

The organization is seeking community support for a binding agreement on how the perimeter of the rebuilt plant will affect residents.

Meet your neighbors, raise a glass & have fun! Help preserve our quality of life before, during and after the decades-long demolition and reconstruction of the Queen Lane Water Treatment Plant, the announcement on the East Falls councils website says.

Brian Rademaekers, a spokesman for the water department said, Its imperative that we correct the residential zoning to reflect to a use that reflects the reality of what it has always been used for.

Federal funding is coming

Residents on Queen Lane across from the plant now look at an attractive black, aluminum fence that mimics the look of wrought iron. Behind it, there is a low stone wall that hugs a gently sloped berm of grass.

In January, city and state officials announced that Philadelphia is getting about $25 million in federal money to help pay for water infrastructure projects in Port Richmond, Germantown, and East Falls.

The water department asked City Council to change the Queen Lane plants zoning before the new federal funding was announced, Langer said. It had updated its 25-year water revitalization plan in 2022.

But removing the residential zoning means East Falls neighbors would no longer be able to review reconstruction plans.

They want to change the zoning from residential to civic, which means they will not have to come back to the neighbors for anything, said Frances Bourne, a longtime East Falls resident.

We are not against them upgrading the water system, Bourne said. This is a very old plant, and most of the water system needs to be brought into the 21st century and prepared for the 22nd century.

We are only concerned about the buffer zones, where their facility borders the residential neighborhoods. We dont want the wall to go away, and we dont want it to look like a prison .

 READ MORE: Philly will use federal funds to fight flooding in Germantown and reduce wastewater overflows in Port Richmond

When Homeland Security ordered upgrades

More than 10 years ago, theDepartment of Homeland Security ordered Philadelphia to upgrade security at its water treatment plants, including Queen Lane.

Because of the residential zoning, the Water Department could not make changes without notifying neighbors.

They were proposing a chain-link fence and these hideous orange lights that would have lit up my living room, said Paul Elia, who lives across the street from the plant.

Elia, who is an architect, and other members of the East Falls Community Council negotiated with the city about the plans.

Now, instead of a chain-link fence with razor wire at the top, the black fencing along West Queen Lane offers a more pleasing view. And the lighting does not shine into Elias home.

At the end of the project, they [city water department officials] were very pleased and happy with the collaboration between the neighbors and the water department, Elia said. They said we created a much better project than the would have had without the neighbors input.

 READ MORE: Where Phillys drinking water comes from

Cyclone fencing and dumpsters

New plans call for the water department to dig 100 feet underneath the Schuylkill River to connect the Queen Lane plant to the Belmont Water Treatment Plant in West Philadelphia. This connection will provide a back-up in case there is a problem at either of the plants and to provide drinking water as each plant is rebuilt.

Last year, a chemical spill into the Delaware River led the city to issue warnings about drinking tap water.

But although Queen Lane residents were able to get concessions and attractive fencing 10 years ago, Langer said the water plant has not always been a good neighbor to people living across other streets around the 90-acre plant.

Just look at the cyclone fencing, the over-grown weeds on other sides of the plant, Langer said of the view from Roosevelt Boulevard. Look at the dumpsters. Without a binding agreement, they will be able to do whatever they want and we will have no say.

Paul Boni, a lawyer representing the community council, said the East Falls neighbors asked Councilmember Curtis Jones and Water Department Commissioner Randy E. Hayman to plan for the new facility as if they lived in the neighborhood.

All we want is for you to build this facility as if you lived across the street, Boni said.

 READ MORE: Philly residents now advised tap water is safe through Monday night following chemical spill, officials say

To agree or not to agree

At one point, officials appeared to agree to putting the East Falls groups requests about fencing, lighting and landscaping in a community benefits agreement, Boni said.

The neighbors thought they were getting a binding agreement, but the city backed off and only agreed to a non-binding memorandum of understanding.

In an interview Monday, CouncilmemberJones said because the project wont start for at least 10 years, the city is hesitant about putting promises in a binding agreement. Its also worried about lawsuits in the future, he said.

Officials are working on amendments to a new zoning bill that would not permit bus terminals , bus stations or adult day care centers, that are normally allowed in an industrial, or civic zoning, the councilman added. Those amendments will try to incorporate the residents demands.

What weve asked them to do is to take 10 points that are non-controversial that goes into the zoning law as amendments, so there is no ambiguity 10 years later, Jones said.

Not just an issue for affluent neighbors

The East Falls neighbors say they are voicing these concerns for the neighbors around the entire facility.

There is chain-linked fencing, topped by barbed wire on the Roosevelt Boulevard side. And the grounds are not maintained, with weeds, trash, and container barrels, Frances Bourne said.

We are not just concerned about the side that faces us, were concerned about the sides that face Henry Avenue, between Queen Lane and the Boulevard and that faces Abbotsford Homes [a low-income housing project.] she said.

And Langer said an East Falls agreement could be a template for other neighborhood groups to follow for reconstruction at other water plants in the city.

City officials told residents that planning wont begin until 2030 or 2031, Boni said. And construction may not start until 2040.

A memorandum of understanding has been drafted that clearly states that it is not binding, he said.

When you get to 2040, and someone [in city government] is actually building the new plant, Boni asked, are they going to remember that someone in 2024 said, Trust Me? 
Instagram has started an automatic clamp down on the amount of political content appearing in its users' feeds. Read more

In late March, I awoke to the news that Instagram, perhaps the biggest social media platform for young people in the United States, would automatically limit recommending political content to users unless they proactively opt in.

As someone who has spent most of my career focused on engaging young people in the political process, this decision was deeply troubling. But perhaps what was more troubling was the shocking lack of coverage and outrage on this wildly consequential decision. While many were preoccupied with the proposed forced sale of TikTok, Instagrams policy went quietly under the radar. Yet this ill-timed decision will likely have disastrous consequences for speech online, and the future of our democratic process.

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I am an organizer in Pennsylvania in my early 20s, and Instagram has been the single most useful tool for engaging with young people in politics. Compared to platforms like TikTok, users on Instagram largely decide what they see in their feed. This has led to the rise of local networks in which information can be distributed to members of a community, rather than to everyone on the platform. Using this, organizers can share information, highlight upcoming gatherings, and give important updates to just those following them.

But to organizers, the primary benefit that Instagram offers is that it is the most popular social media platform of its kind for young adults. It is where most young people my age interact, discuss issues, and most importantly, get their news. Politicians need young people to vote, and cutting out social media threatens the youth vote.

Politics is a messy business, and platforms have historically struggled with regulating political speech on their websites. While users can ostensibly post whatever they want, nearly all online platforms have guidelines on what constitutes acceptable speech on their sites. Meta  the parent company of Instagram  has content moderation guidelines that have been well-documented as particularly labyrinthian, taking context into account in some regards, and not others. This leads to seemingly disjointed and convoluted outcomes that have made them no friends on Capitol Hill.

Over the years, Meta has been at the center of numerous political scandals, from Cambridge Analytica to the removal of Donald Trump from the platform. In the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Meta has been accused of censorship and promoting misinformation from both sides of the political spectrum on posts relating to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Hosting a functioning public forum necessitates a commitment toward moderation, limiting the spread of misinformation, and ensuring that bad actors stay off the platform, all of which requires a whole lot of effort  something that tech companies seem increasingly disinclined to do.

Thus, in recent years, platforms have begun to disincentivize news and political content. In 2016, YouTube was widely criticized for demonetizing content that was primarily focused on the news or political discourse. This led to many creators whose content was based in these subjects to find alternative revenue streams or pivot the type of content they made.

After launching Threads in 2023, Meta also revealed that their site would avoid political and news-related content, much to the disappointment of many Twitter users eager to leave the platform after the Elon Musk buyout. This change in Instagrams policy toward political content suggests a continued reluctance of companies like Meta to continue to allow and promote political content on their platform.

I do not envy Metas position here. Maintaining political speech on a platform is difficult and thankless work. But the idea that we can easily return to a prelapsarian world where these platforms are exclusively for cute animal photos and targeted ads is a fantasy we cannot tolerate.

While politics may be a headache for platforms to deal with, I argue that as proprietors of the largest channels of public discourse, social media sites do in fact have an ethical obligation to protect civil discourse, and a failure to do so is a dereliction of this duty.

Imagine if bars and cafes forbade discussing current events, or if news outlets no longer felt it was worth the money and hassle to cover politics. What use would our freedom of speech be in a world where we had no venue to discuss the issues that matter most?

Our democracy was conceived and founded in bars and meetinghouses, third places outside of home and work in which people could meet on neutral ground and discuss the issues of their time. In the last few decades, these places have gradually begun to disappear. Without them, future generations have fewer and fewer places to meet and discuss politics, with social media partly filling the gap left behind.

While social media is certainly not the only solution to this issue, in a world where people are gradually becoming more isolated, the role it plays in maintaining our political life has only grown, and thus the responsibility of platforms has grown as well.

Pennsylvania is a key swing state in Novembers presidential election, and I am concerned that this trend will work to diminish youth engagement in the political process. At a time when less than half of young Americans plan on voting in the general election, we cannot sit by and allow this attempt by platforms like Meta to skirt their responsibilities by depoliticizing the internet.

Jacob Fuller is an activist, policy writer and organizer based in Philadelphia. He currently serves as the East Division Policy Director for Pennsylvania Young Democrats.
Students disrupting normal activity at university campuses across the nation to protest the Israel-Hamas war are being compared to the 1980s activists who launched the divestiture movement that led U.S. companies to stop doing business with South Africas racist apartheid system of government.

But the violence that has marred current demonstrations  some of it spurred by overzealous law enforcement  seems more reminiscent of the 1970s protests against the Vietnam War that claimed the lives of four Kent State University students who were shot and killed by Ohio National Guardsmen and two protesting Jackson State University students who were fatally shot by police in Mississippi.

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The potential for volatile situations to quickly get out of hand has led several universities to limit further protests on their campuses, and hundreds of students have been arrested. Students and supportive faculty are portraying such decisions as unfair restrictions on their right to free speech. But that right, and others, have always had limitations, especially when lives may be at stake.

 READ MORE: End the bloodshed in Gaza | Editorial

It also should be noted that many Vietnam War demonstrators had a personal interest in protesting in that they were likely to be drafted and deployed to a war zone. Other protesters during that war were either related to or knew someone who had already been wounded or died in combat. Neither of those circumstances is likely with most of the students who are now asking Israel to stand down.

Campus protests nearly 7,000 miles away in America have had no impact on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, even as U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken tried again this week to negotiate a hostage release deal with Hamas, continued making plans to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah. More than a million Palestinians have fled there, trying to escape Israeli bombs that have claimed the lives of roughly 34,000 people  many of them women and children  since the war began.

Understanding that campus demonstrations in America are unlikely to move Netanyahu, some protests are instead focused on getting universities to divest themselves of any endowment ties to Israel or U.S. weapons manufacturers. But divestment didnt have much impact on South Africa until major American companies such as Coca-Cola, Chevron, and American Express, plus 90 cities, 22 counties, and 26 states, joined the antiapartheid movement.

An effective divestiture strategy takes time and the people starving and dying in Gaza dont have much of that.

That doesnt mean students and faculty protesting how Israel has conducted its war should stop protesting. But if they continue, they need to draw a distinct line between criticism of Israel and antisemitism. And when they see protest participants, especially nonstudents, who seem more interested in creating chaos than saving Palestinian lives, they should ask for police assistance to get them to leave.

 READ MORE: Despite Magills departure, Penn must stay the course on free speech issues | Editorial

Everyone, not just college students, needs to recognize whats wrong with the world and speak out in favor of the changes they want to see happen. That also means recognizing that the best way to achieve change in this country is by participating in its democracy. Thats an especially important message to college students, who polls show are interested in this presidential election.

Students who are agitated enough to protest a war also should be agitated enough to vote. But they must do their homework. Find out which candidate has the same aspirations and policy goals; not just with Israel and Gaza, but gun control, artificial intelligence, student debt, abortion, climate change, and other issues that this country needs to resolve.

Students must use the same energy that led them to join a protest to help a candidate they deem worthy to win an election.
Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks at a news conference in Chambersburg on Tuesday to announce the expansion of Martin's Potato Rolls in the area. The Martin family was a top supporter of Doug Mastriano, Shapiro's Republican opponent in the 2022 governor's race. Read more

Clout provides often irreverent news and analysis about people, power, and politics.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.  Gov. Josh Shapiro is on a (bipartisan) roll.

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He visited the Martins Famous Pastry Shoppe headquarters in Franklin County on Tuesday to announce a company expansion of the potato roll manufacturing giant in the state.

But it wasnt just another vanity news conference. This was a full-circle moment, since members of the Martin family supported his opponent, Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano, in the 2022 gubernatorial election, and Shapiro came to the rolls defense that year as his supporters called for a boycott of the company.

Shapiro visited the Chambersburg plant in Mastrianos home county to announce the $123 million expansion, the addition of 127 jobs  and the role the state played in securing it.

Shapiro appeared with the president of Martins, Tony Martin. One of the other Martin family members, Jim Martin, and his family contributed upwards of $125,000 to Mastrianos poorly funded campaign in 2022. When Shapiro stepped in to oppose boycotting the company over those donations, he said Martins makes a damn good potato roll and that he doesnt support boycotting a Pennsylvania business that employs hundreds of workers.

On Tuesday, Shapiro returned with less risque language, repeatedly calling the product some darn good rolls and that he was proud of the Pennsylvania family owned-and-operated business.

Hes done a great job cutting red tape, Tony Martin said. And they deserve the credit. And I applaud him and his group for what theyre doing. We may not agree on everything, but we agree on business, and we agree on helping Pennsylvania.

Shapiro further said he cant wait to eat a Martins roll at sundown on Tuesday, when Passover ends.

I dont care who anyone supported in the campaign, and Im a governor for all Pennsylvanians, Shapiro added. I hope more and more people around the commonwealth, the country, and the world get a chance to eat these darn good rolls as a result of this expansion.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm for the Senate Republicans, and its counterpart in the House, are dropping digital ads on Wednesday targeting potentially vulnerable incumbent Democrats such as Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.). Read more

Republicans are trying to tie Democratic support for student loan forgiveness to unrest at college campuses, in an attempt to capitalize politically on boiling tensions about the war in Gaza.

The NRSC, the campaign arm for the Senate Republicans, and its counterpart in the House, are dropping digital ads Wednesday targeting potentially vulnerable incumbent Democrats.

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An ad aimed at Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) says students radicalized by the far left are acting like terrorists. Now Joe Biden and Bob Casey want to pay off their student loans.

Similar ads are running in Wisconsin, Ohio, Montana, and Michigan attacking Democrats running in those states.

Its quite a leap to conflate support for student loan relief with support for antisemitic protest speech on campuses but the ads show the opening that Republicans see to attack Democrats on the war in Gaza and resulting protests, which have divided some in the party.

The Biden administration announced earlier this month a plan that if implemented would bring the total number of Americans benefitting from student debt relief to 30 million. Some of those eligible left school long ago and have been repaying debts for more than 20 years.

Casey said Friday that students have a right to protest but that universities should have clear codes of conduct in place.

And I think you can achieve that goal and still be a place or a setting where the First Amendment is protected, he said. We can have robust debate and also prevent racism and antisemitism.

Casey is also the current co-sponsor of a bill along with Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.) that would require the U.S. Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism when enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws. The definition has been heavily criticized, including by some Israeli groups, who say it stifles free speech relating to criticism of Israeli actions and policies because of how it considers criticism of Israel antisemitism.

Casey also introduced a bill in January designed to help students report alleged civil rights violations at federally funded institutions. And hes repeatedly called for additional funding to go to the Department of Education to investigate an increase in reports of hate speech on campuses.

His Republican challenger Dave McCormick has disavowed the campus protests occurring in Pennsylvania and across the country, calling the demonstrations anti-American, antisemitic and bordering on violence. He said that law enforcement should clear out the encampments.

McCormick previously said foreign nationals supporting Hamas should lose their visas and posted on social media this week that such a punishment should also extend to out of control protesters on Americas college campuses.
Built in the 1990s by Germantown Settlement, this housing complex at Collom and Lena Streets, photographed here in 2018, has been abandoned for years. Read more

Stewardship of the residential properties of defunct nonprofit Germantown Settlement is being transferred to the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA). The decision, which moved forward in City Council last week, is garnering mixed reactions from community members.

The dozens of properties  a mix of rowhouses, apartment buildings, and duplexes  have been largely abandoned for over a decade. The housing authority says only 17 units remain occupied. The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority took them over from Germantown Settlement after the politically connected nonprofit imploded in 2010.

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They are set to be transferred to the housing authority after Councilmember Cindy Bass introduced a resolution in City Council on Thursday moving dozens of former Germantown Settlement properties from the Land Bank to PHA. This kind of legislation regarding city-owned land falls under the tradition of councilmanic prerogative, so it is likely to be passed this week.

Neighborhood activists say they were surprised by the transfer. Turning the properties over to PHA wasnt an option discussed last year when the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority conducted a monthslong public engagement campaign about the properties fate, advocates say.

Anyone who has been following this redevelopment opportunity is surprised by the move, said Emaleigh Doley, executive director of Germantown United CDC. Its a big deal for a city agency to transfer ownership of [so many units] in a dense area of a single neighborhood to any entity. A lot of people will have questions about this.

Specifics of the plan are not fully clear. According to PHA, it will absorb 116 units across 27 properties, and the process of transferring the land to its control could take up to six months. After redevelopment, PHA said it plans to manage them as rental properties, although that could change.

Whatever entity ends up running the refurbished properties, the goal is to establish long-term affordable housing. PHAs president, Kelvin Jeremiah, said that hes been petitioning the city for control of the former Germantown Settlement properties for years.

Previously, PHA briefly managed some Germantown Settlement properties. That mostly included periodic contracting with the city to remove garbage, seal properties, and repair the few occupied units. But Jeremiah said his agency has largely been looking on while market-rate development in the neighborhood heated up.

It shocks my conscious that weve collectively let that property deteriorate, Jeremiah said. More than six or seven years ago, I shared with the city a desire to acquire and rehab the property to maintain affordable housing at that site. Germantown is quickly becoming unaffordable.

Neighborhood advocates question why the housing authority should get the entire portfolio, rather than dividing the work with private and nonprofit entities like Habitat for Humanity that have expressed interest.

During the Redevelopment Authoritys community engagement process, local residents said they wanted more affordable housing, including an option to own. The Redevelopment Authority did not select any of the eventual bidders, which included nonprofit and for-profit entities, and the properties continued to languish.

Were glad to see something happening, finally, Alison Weiss of the SoLo Germantown Civic Association RCO said at the April Land Bank meeting where the transfer of the properties was begun. But  a lot of money went into community meetings, community engagement, what the community wanted, and now thats been totally disregarded.

Skepticism of PHA

Some critics of the transfer pointed to PHAs neglect of so-called scattered site properties  formerly single-family homes that arent part of a larger agency development  in neighborhoods like Germantown.

Thousands of vacant homes were transferred to PHA as neighborhoods including Germantown, West Philadelphia, and lower North Philadelphia hemorrhaged population during the white flight era. As residents abandoned properties they couldnt sell, the housing authority was seen by local policymakers as an owner of last resort.

But PHA did not have the resources to maintain and restore the houses and many remained vacant for years, although of the remaining 4,000 units the agency says the vast majority are occupied today.*

This situation has long been a source of grievance in neighborhoods, like Germantown, where the vacant homes still blight the area.

Im sure most of the people in this community would object to PHA receiving [the Germantown Settlement] properties, and there being no community engagement in making that decision, said Yvonne Haskins, a longtime community activist who has, herself, developed properties in the neighborhood. PHA is probably one of the worst landlords in the city.

Proponents of transferring the former Germantown Settlement land to PHA argue that times have changed under Jeremiahs leadership, and the agency is more ambitious and active than it has been in decades.

At the April 9 meeting, Land Bank executive director Angel Rodriguez noted that Jeremiahs PHA has secured more federal resources to redevelop properties in North Philadelphias Sharswood and Southwest Philadelphias Bartram Village.

A lot of the time folks have a view of PHA that was shaped by decades-old history, not what PHA is currently doing, Jeremiah said.

Councilmember Bass represents Germantown, and her approval of the plan was essential under councilmanic prerogative, which gives Council members oversight of zoning and city-owned land in their districts.

We thought that [PHA] had the best ability to move quickly, Bass said. They have assured us that they will be able to provide this housing in a very short amount of time. Its desperately needed and we wanted to go with a known and trusted partner.

Fear of Act 135?

Critics of PHAs takeover of the Germantown Settlement properties believe it may shield the properties from Act 135, a state law that allows conservators to petition the court for control of a derelict or vacant property that isnt used as a primary residence. Although the act has stirred controversy in some neighborhoods, where it is seen as a tool of gentrification, proponents see it as a means to revive long-neglected properties.

Germantown-based developer Ken Weinstein used the law at the end of last year to try and get control of the Germantown YWCA, which has been in limbo for years after the developer selected by Councilmember Bass did not move to fix up the property.

But properties that receive a subsidy from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) cannot be seized using Act 135.

Critics like Haskins see the transfer to PHA, which is largely backed by HUD, as a means to shield the former Germantown Settlement properties from what Weinstein is trying with the Germantown YWCA.

The Redevelopment Authority declined to comment, citing active litigation over some of the properties. PHA spokesperson Nichole Tillman said in an email: PHAs only objective is to preserve affordability for the families that deserve it. Theres been no discussions whatsoever regarding Act 135.

Regardless of the reason for PHAs assumption of the properties, some outside housing experts question moving almost the whole portfolio to the agency.

PHAs track record has improved a lot, but that doesnt mean that it wouldnt be a good idea to open up an opportunity like this to some competition, said John Kromer, who served as Philadelphias housing director under Ed Rendell. There are more creative ways to handle this opportunity.

This story has been updated to correct inaccurate information from PHA on how many scattered site units were inhabitable.
Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up at many college campuses after being inspired by demonstrators at Columbia University.

The students are calling for universities to separate themselves from companies advancing Israels military efforts in Gaza and in some cases from Israel itself. Police have arrested hundreds nationwide since detainments at Columbia on April 18.

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Officials are trying to resolve the protests as the academic year winds down, but students have dug in at several high-profile universities.

A look at protests on campuses:

Columbia University

Hundreds of New York City police officers began entering the campus of Columbia University on Tuesday night as dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrating against the Israel-Hamas war remained on campus.

Police wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields massed at the Ivy League universitys entrance. More than 12 hours earlier, demonstrators occupied Hamilton Hall, an administration building on campus, spreading their reach from an encampment elsewhere on the grounds thats been there for nearly two weeks.

More than a dozen officers entered Hamilton Hall via a second floor window, using a ramp on the back of a police vehicle to gain access. Officers took protesters into custody. The exact number wasnt immediately known.

Shortly before officers entered the campus, the New York Police Department received a notice from Columbia authorizing officers to take action, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Police first tried to clear the encampment of Pro-Palestinian student protesters on April 18, when they arrested more than 100. But the move motivated Columbia protesters to regroup.

The university said Monday that it was beginning to suspend student protesters who defied an ultimatum to leave the encampment by Monday afternoon.

Columbia said Tuesday that students occupying the building face expulsion, that those who did not abide by the deadline terms were being suspended and seniors will be ineligible to graduate on May 15.

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt

A weeklong occupation of the administration building at the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, ended about 3 a.m. Tuesday, when dozens of police officers wearing helmets and wielding batons cleared protesters from campus. The university said 25 people were arrested and taken to jail. A group of demonstrators showed up at the jail later Tuesday, waving Palestinian flags as they rallied for their release.

The university on the states rural north coast earlier announced a hard closure, meaning that people were not permitted to enter or be on the 8,000-student campus without authorization.

Arrest footage posted on the Lost Coast Outpost, a digital publication, showed about 100 police officers in riot gear arriving in vans and buses and then marching in with shields at the ready.

Some officers approached a group of protesters who were chanting Viva, viva Palestina! and sitting in a circle outside the administration building. Police picked them up one by one, tied their hands behind their back with zip ties and led them off campus.

Damage to the school since protests started on April 22 is estimated to be over $1 million, California state Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, a Democrat whose district includes the campus, said Tuesday.

Lets be clear  its going to take time to heal, McGuire said. Cal Poly Humboldt must be a campus where all faiths and students of all backgrounds feel safe, respected, and included. This has not been the case for Humboldts Jewish students and others over the past week.

Yale University

Yale authorities cleared a protesters encampment Tuesday morning after students heeded final warnings to leave, university officials said. Yale and New Haven, Connecticut, police officers were at the site, but no arrests were reported. Yale officials said they warned that students could be arrested and face discipline, including suspension, if they didnt clear the grassy quad area.

Demonstrators moved their gathering to a public sidewalk area. It was the second encampment removed since last week. On April 22, police arrested nearly 50 people, including 44 students, and took down dozens of tents.

University of Connecticut

Police moved in on a campus encampment at the Storrs, Connecticut, school Tuesday morning and arrested 25 protesters after giving them several warnings to leave, UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said.

Twenty-four of those arrested were students; one was a former student. They were charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct after university officials said they repeatedly ignored directives by campus police to remove tents and disperse from an encampment first set up on April 24.

Tuesdays arrests came a day after protest leaders met with university officials.

Harvard University

In a statement, protesters said the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school has sought to shut off all outside access and visibility to the encampment.

Meanwhile, the Harvard administration has initiated disciplinary action against nearly forty students and student workers, the statement said.

Last week, Harvard limited access to its famous Harvard Yard to those with school identification after a camp was set up.

Princeton University

The universitys president, Chris Eisgruber, posted a statement on Instagram saying 13 protesters  12 affiliated with the university  were arrested Monday night after briefly occupying Clio Hall, the campus graduate school building.

All those arrested received summonses for trespassing and have been barred from campus, Eisgruber said in the statement. The students will also face University discipline, which may extend to suspension or expulsion.

Brown University

Protesters at Brown University in Rhode Island agreed to dismantle their pro-Palestinian encampment Tuesday after school officials said five students will be invited to meet with five members of the Corporation of Brown University in May to present their arguments to divest Browns endowment from companies contributing to and profiting from the war in Gaza.

In addition, Brown President Christina Paxson will ask an advisory committee to make a recommendation on divestment by Sept. 30, which will be brought before the schools governing corporation for a vote in October.

Northwestern University

The school in Evanston, Illinois, said Monday that it had reached an agreement with students and faculty who represent the majority of protesters on its campus since Thursday.

The university said in a statement that it agrees to answer questions within 30 days about specific holdings and investments. It also said it would reconvene an advisory committee to ensure any vendor who profits from the Israeli occupation will not provide services on campus. The statement said the university plans to further invest in supporting Muslim and Jewish life on campus.

Northwestern says it will permit peaceful demonstrations that comply with university policies through June 1, which is the end of spring quarter classes.

University of Texas at Austin

In a confrontation between police and protesters at the Austin school late Monday, 79 people involved were jailed, according to the Travis County sheriffs department. Most were charged with criminal trespass.

About 150 protesters sat on the ground as state troopers and police encircled them, with hundreds of others shouting when officers dragged someone away. After police cleared the original group of demonstrators, hundreds of students and protesters ran to block officers from leaving campus. Protesters pushed in on officers, creating a mass of shoving bodies before police used pepper spray and set off flash-bang devices to clear a path for a van to take those arrested off campus.

University of Southern California

Encampment organizers met with university President Carol Folt for about 90 minutes Monday. Folt declined to discuss details of what was discussed but said the purpose of the meeting was to allow her to hear the concerns of protesters. Another meeting was scheduled for Tuesday.

The university has canceled its main graduation ceremony, set for May 10. It already canceled a commencement speech by the schools pro-Palestinian valedictorian, citing safety concerns.

University of California, Los Angeles

Security was tightened Tuesday at the campus a day after officials said there were physical altercations between dueling factions of protesters.

Mary Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA Strategic Communications, said in a Tuesday statement that anyone involved in blocking classroom access could face expulsion or suspension.

George Washington University

Before dawn Monday, demonstrators at the school in Washington, D.C., tore down metal barricades confining them to University Yard and set up more than a dozen tents in the middle of a street.

Later in the day, there were no signs of conflict. The Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement that it will continue monitoring the situation and that the protest remained peaceful.

The university said it will move law school finals to a different building because of noise from the protests.

Virginia Tech

A protest at the school in Blacksburg resulted in 82 arrests, including 53 students, a university spokesperson said Monday.

Protesters began occupying the lawn of the graduate life center Friday. After protesters took further steps to occupy the lawn and outdoor spaces Sunday, the university advised those gathered to disperse. Those who failed to comply were warned they would be charged with trespassing, the university said.

DePaul University

Tents were erected Tuesday on the schools Chicago-area campus. The university said in a letter that tents and other structures without permits violate school policies. The school also warned that actions that interfere with operations, damage property or are disruptive will lead to disciplinary measures, including suspension, expulsion and criminal sanctions.

Case Western Reserve University

Dozens of students, faculty and staff camped out overnight at the Cleveland school hours after a similar encampment had been broken up and more than 20 people were detained but later released.

School officials initially had said protests would be limited to daylight hours but announced Monday night that students and others affiliated with the school would be allowed to stay at the makeshift encampment on the schools public green.

Officials were checking the participants identification before they were given wristbands signifying they could remain at the site. Roughly 100 people camped out overnight without incident, officials said.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

About 30 people were detained by campus police Tuesday morning after the university said encampment protesters refused to leave. At 5:30 a.m., a university statement said protesters needed to remove tents and other items and leave the area by 6 a.m. or risk arrest.

Clearing out the encampment took approximately 45 minutes, according to the university. The university had not responded to a query about whether protesters were arrested and charged.

Tensions escalated Tuesday afternoon when protesters removed the American flag from a flagpole on campus central grounds and replaced it with a Palestinian flag, according to news outlets on the scene. Police then rehung the American flag as protesters and counter-protesters circled the area.

The university issued an alert that classes were canceled for the rest of Tuesday, the last day of scheduled classes.

University of Florida

Nine people, including six students, were arrested at the Gainesville university  where about 50 people began protesting last week  by campus police and state troopers Monday.

Steve Orlando, the schools associate vice president of communications, said many of the protesters were outside agitators and they had been warned for many days that prohibited activities would result in a trespassing order, barring them from campus for three years. Individuals who didnt comply were arrested after campus police gave them multiple warnings, he said.

Last week, university officials warned that students could face suspension and employees could be fired if they violated a series of rules.

University of Michigan

The Ann Arbor school told students, staff and faculty in a letter Friday that its upcoming commencement ceremonies likely will be the site of various student expressions, including possible demonstrations. Last week, a demonstration at the center of the campus had grown to nearly 40 tents.

The letter noted that school policies make clear that interfering with speakers and events is not protected speech and is a violation of university policy.

Virginia Commonwealth University

At the Richmond, Virginia, campus, demonstrators protesting the Israel-Hamas war clashed with police Monday night after officers tried to remove a makeshift encampment.

Protesters put up tents and built a barricade with shipping pallets. Police, some wearing riot gear, charged the line of demonstrators to clear the crowd, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. Some protesters were seen hurling water bottles and other objects at police.

VCU said in a statement Tuesday that 13 people, including six VCU students, were charged with unlawful assembly and trespassing. VCU said officers used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

Portland State University

A small group of students at the downtown Portland, Oregon, school broke into its library late Monday. Students have been protesting in a park on campus and on the library steps since Thursday.

Campus was closed Tuesday as a result of the library occupation. District Attorney Mike Schmidt said the protesters actions had crossed into criminal behavior and those arrested would be prosecuted.

Tulane University

Several dozen protesters camped in about a dozen small tents on a grassy area near an administration building Monday at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Tulane police moved in immediately to attempt to stop the encampment, the administration said in a Tuesday afternoon news release. It added that university officials are now focused on containing and ending the protest at the direction of New Orleans police and Louisiana state police.

The university said six people were arrested and five students suspended after a Monday confrontation with police. The Students for a Democratic Society organization also was suspended.

About 2 p.m. Tuesday, university officials wheeled a portable electronic sign onto the lawn. PRIVATE PROPERTYNO TRESPASSING, it read. Everyone must leave this area immediately.

The university said some classes would be held remotely.

University of Georgia

Police arrested protesters Monday who tried to set up an encampment at the university northeast of Atlanta. A spokesperson wouldnt say how many people were arrested on the final day of classes before spring exams.

Athens-Clarke County jail records showed that University of Georgia police had booked 12 people into the jail by midafternoon on criminal trespassing charges. State troopers aided university police.

University of Utah

Protesters erected an encampment at the Salt Lake City school Monday. About two dozen tents were set up on the lawn outside the university presidents office, and roughly 200 students held protest signs and Palestinian flags. Later Monday, dozens of officers in riot gear sought to break up the encampment.

Police dragged students off by their hands and feet, snapping the poles holding up tents and zip-tying those who refused to disperse. Nineteen people were arrested, including four students and one university employee. The university says it is against code to camp overnight on school property, and the students were given several warnings to disperse before police were called in.

University of Minnesota

Student protest groups posted on social media Tuesday that their encampment of dozens of tents and hundreds of people was still standing, even after police ordered them to disperse Monday night. More than 10 university buildings, including a student union and large library, near the encampment remained closed in anticipation of continued protests.

University of New Mexico

In Albuquerque, police in tactical gear tore down tents and clashed briefly with protesters who occupied the University of New Mexicos student union building for about seven hours Monday night into Tuesday morning.

University officials said 16 people were arrested, including five students and 11 people not affiliated with the school. They said the protesters vandalized the student union building and sprayed-painted graffiti across campus. They didnt immediately provide a damage estimate.
Barbara is a highly respected leader and claims practitioner with deep legal and technical claims expertise, Valder said. Over the past decade, she has played an integral role in elevating Archs claims performance and has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to delivering a positive claims experience for our customers and brokers. I am sure that under Barbaras leadership we will continue to deliver and enhance our solution-focused and relationship-driven claims service.
Stephen has a way of motivating everyone to be the best version of whatever they want to be; whether that is ambition for leadership roles, or becoming a high-level technical expert, or simply being the most productive and efficient loss adjuster. Hes got a great rapport with the existing team, said Crawford Australia president Jonathan Hubbard. Its also really pleasing to make this appointment from within our own ranks. We unapologetically have targets around internal appointments and promotions. Where we have vacancies and we also have people with the right skills internally, it just makes good business sense to appoint from within because it brings a level of continuity to our teams and our clients.
The Conduct of Others clause enables payouts for intentional damage that would otherwise be excluded, said Ho. This means in cases where the damage is caused by a perpetrator of violence as part of an attempt to abuse a partner or ex-partner, that payouts can still be made.
Parinithia Sastry, an assistant professor of finance at the Columbia Business School, said the 12 variables they measured  including capital ratios, leverage, loss reserves and diversification  all came in much lower for the insurers under the AM Best model than in Demotechs evaluation. She said the regression she and her colleagues used produced a result with high integrity.
The legal complaint contends that throughout the class period, Globe Life and the defendants issued several materially false and misleading statements and failed to disclose vital information regarding the company's premium revenue growth and its code of business conduct and ethics. Notably, the company attributed its revenue growth to an increase in agent count and productivity, claims now under scrutiny.
Pennsylvania-based food manufacturer Hanover Foods Corp. has been found in violation of dozens of safety and health hazards at its Centre Hall facility, according to federal officials.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation at the Centre Hall plant in 2023 in response to a complaint alleging hazards involving the companys handling of highly hazardous chemicals, included in Hanovers Process Safety Management program.

OSHA cited the company for 70 violations, including nine repeat, 51 serious and 11 other-than-serious violations.

OSHA said the infractions related to numerous process safety management failures such as lack of training; not correcting equipment deficiencies; failing to document that equipment complied with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices and to establish an emergency plan for the entire plant.

The agency reported that it has assessed Hanover Foods with $761,876 in penalties. OSHA cited the company for similar violations at its Clayton, Delaware, facility in 2019 and 2021

The company has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the independent OSHA Review Commission.

The producer of glass-pack, canned, frozen, refrigerated, freeze-dried and snack food products under the Hanover brand as well as other private labels also operates eight other manufacturing plants, including five in Pennsylvania and one each in Delaware, New Jersey and Guatemala.

Topics Workers' Compensation
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Robert Liotta was at his job as a senior court officer at 100 Centre Street in New York City when not far away terrorists attacked the World Trade Center. Right away, he began evacuating buildings and clearing streets to make way for emergency vehicles.

In 2019, under a workers compensation law enacted for those who worked in Wold Trade Center (WTC) rescue, recovery or cleanup operations, he registered as a participant potentially eligible for benefits and thereafter filed a claim. The deadline to register was September 11, 2026. In June 2021, his claim was denied because the state Workers Compensation Board found he was not qualified as a participant in the recovery and cleanup effort.

That denial was reversed last week by the appellate division of the New York State Supreme Court, which found that Liottas activities and location on that day qualified him for the benefits under a liberal reading of the law. The court found that some of Liottas activities on that day were sufficiently connected to rescue efforts to make him eligible for benefits.

In determining in June 2021 that Liotta did not qualify, the Workers Compensation Board specifically found that he did not describe activities that had a tangible connection to the WTC rescue, recovery and cleanup operations. The board noted that Liottas location on the days in question fell within the area statutorily defined as the WTC site. However, the board said that there was no testimony that he engaged in any recovery or cleanup at the site.

The appeals court revisited whether the activities in which Liotta engaged constituted rescue work or had a tangible connection to rescue efforts.

The applicable statute, Workers Compensation Law article 8-A, was enacted to remove statutory obstacles to timely claims filing and notice for latent conditions resulting from hazardous exposure for those who worked in rescue, recovery or cleanup operations following the attack. According to the court, this legislation was intended to be liberally construed to provide a potential avenue of relief for workers and volunteers suffering from ill health as a result of their efforts in the aftermath of the terrorists attacks.

The law extends eligibility to any employee or volunteer who participated in the rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations at the WTC site between September 11, 2001 and September 12, 2002. The board has interpreted that to require that the injured or ill person directly participated in or otherwise had some tangible connection to the rescue, recovery or cleanup operations in order to fall within the coverage of Workers Compensation Law article 8-A. The deadline to register as a participant potentially eligible for benefits was September 11, 2026.

According to Liotta, on September 11 right after the attack, he began assisting in evacuating the courthouse where he worked and the building across the street, moving people north in order to clear the street to allow emergency vehicles to pass as they headed to the WTC site.

He and other court officers were then bused to Ground Zero where they were given a briefing. They were then moved to Pace University due to concerns about buildings collapsing. He testified that once at Pace University, he continued evacuating civilians, getting the area cleared and assisting other emergency personnel, stating that there were still a lot of emergency vehicles coming through.

He also testified that he assisted in distributing safety equipment and medical supplies, although it was unclear whether he distributed these to civilians and/or first responders.

On September 12, 2001, Liotta returned to work for a 25-hour shift and was assigned to the street in front of the courthouse where he assisted in keeping the area cleared for emergency personnel. He also said he distributed safety equipment and provided security for the courthouse.

The appeals court found that although not all of Liottas described activities involved a tangible connection to the rescue efforts at the WTC site, in light of the liberal construction afforded to the law, his activities of assisting with clearing the area  which was located within the statutorily-defined WTC site  in order for the emergency vehicles to access Ground Zero did establish a tangible connection to the rescue efforts.

On that basis, the court concluded that the boards determination that he was not a participant in the rescue effort operations to qualify for benefits was not supported by substantial evidence. Thus the boards decision was reversed and the matter remitted to the board for further proceedings consistent with the courts decision.

Topics New York Workers' Compensation Talent
The Connecticut Senate recently pressed ahead with one of the first major legislative proposals in the U.S. to rein in bias in artificial intelligence decision-making and protect people from harm, including manufactured videos or deepfakes.

The vote was held despite concerns the bill might stifle innovation, become a burden for small businesses and make the state an outlier.

The bill passed 24-12 after a lengthy debate. It is the result of two years of task force meetings in Connecticut and a years worth of collaboration among a bipartisan group of legislators from other states who are trying to prevent a patchwork of laws across the country because Congress has yet to act.

I think that this is a very important bill for the state of Connecticut. Its very important I think also for the country as a first step to get a bill like this, said Democratic Sen. James Maroney, the key author of the bill. Even if it were not to come and get passed into law this year, we worked together as states.

Lawmakers from Connecticut, Colorado, Texas, Alaska, Georgia and Virginia who have been working together on the issue have found themselves in the middle of a national debate between civil rights-oriented groups and the industry over the core components of the legislation. Several of the legislators, including Maroney, participated in a news conference to emphasize the need for legislation and highlight how they have worked with industry, academia and advocates to create proposed regulations for safe and trustworthy AI.

Unintended Consequences

But Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding said he felt like Connecticut senators were being rushed to vote on the most complicated piece of legislation of the session, which is scheduled to adjourn May 8. The Republican said he feared the bill was full of unintended consequences that could prove detrimental to businesses and residents in the state.

I think our constituents are owed more thought, more consideration to this before we push that button and say this is now going to become law, he said.

Besides pushback from Republican legislators, some key Democrats in Connecticut, including Gov. Ned Lamont, have voiced concern the bill may negatively impact an emerging industry. Lamont, a former cable TV entrepreneur, remains concerned that this is a fast-moving space, and that we need to make sure we do this right and dont stymie innovation, his spokesperson Julia Bergman said in a statement.

Among other things, the bill includes protections for consumers, tenants and employees by attempting to target risks of AI discrimination based on race, age, religion, disability and other protected classes. Besides making it a crime to spread so-called deepfake pornography and deceptive AI-generated media in political campaigns, the bill requires digital watermarks on AI-generated images for transparency.

Additionally, certain AI users will be required to develop policies and programs to eliminate risks of AI discrimination.

The legislation also creates a new online AI Academy where Connecticut residents can take classes in AI and ensures AI training is part of state workforce development initiatives and other state training programs. There are some concerns the bill doesnt go far enough, with calls by advocates to restore a requirement that companies must disclose more information to consumers before they can use AI to make decisions about them.

The bill now awaits action in the House of Representatives.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics InsurTech Data Driven Artificial Intelligence Connecticut
Atlantic Citys main casino workers union and the New Jersey attorney general this week asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a different union that seeks to ban smoking at the citys nine casinos.

Local 54 of the Unite Here union said in a filing in state Superior Court that a third of the 10,000 workers it represents would be at risk of losing their jobs and the means to support their families if smoking were banned.

Currently, smoking is allowed on 25% of the casino floor. But those areas are not contiguous, and the practical effect is that secondhand smoke is present in varying degrees throughout the casino floor.

A lawsuit brought earlier this month by the United Auto Workers, which represents dealers at the Ballys, Caesars and Tropicana casinos, seeks to overturn New Jerseys indoor smoking law, which bans it in virtually every workplace except casinos.

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, representing Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and the state health department, said the states indoor smoking law does not deny any group of people equal protection under the law and does not infringe on any purported constitutional right to safety, urging the court to dismiss it.

Nancy Erika Smith, the lawyer who filed the lawsuit, reacted incredulously to the request by Local 54.

I have never seen a union fight against the health and safety of their members, not once, she said. Luckily, Unites economic arguments, while false, have absolutely no relevance to the constitutional question at hand.

Donna DeCaprio is president of Local 54, which represents hotel workers, beverage servers, baggage handlers, public area cleaners and other workers at the nine casinos.

We support the health and safety of our members, and believe that improvements to the current work environment must be made, she said Monday. A balance needs to be reached that will both protect worker health and preserve good jobs.

DeCaprio said a total smoking ban would be catastrophic for Atlantic City, adding that between 50 to 72% of all gambling revenue won from in-person gamblers comes from smoking sections.

The union endorses legislation introduced earlier this year that would keep the current 25% limit of the casino floor on which smoking can occur.

But it would allow smoking in unenclosed areas of the casino floor that contain slot machines and are designated as smoking areas that are more than 15 feet away from table games staffed by live dealers. It also would allow the casinos to offer smoking in enclosed, separately ventilated smoking rooms with the proviso that no worker can be assigned to work in such a room against their will.

Whether to ban smoking is one of the most controversial issues not only in Atlantic City casinos, but in other states where workers have expressed concern about secondhand smoke. They are waging similar campaigns in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Virginia.

A total smoking ban would place thousands of jobs at risk, endangering the wages, health and welfare benefits and retirement benefits of Local 54 members and their families, the union wrote in its court filing.

It noted that in 2008, when Atlantic Citys City Council imposed a short-lived total smoking ban, casino revenues fell by 19.8%, within the first week, leading to the enactment of the current 25% smoking area on the casino floors.

These workers, including many table games dealers, say that going smoke-free would actually attract enough customers to more than offset the loss of smokers who go elsewhere.

Nicole Vitola, a Borgata dealer and one of the leaders of the anti-smoking push, accused Local 54 of being the same as casino management.

Instead of fighting for the health and safety of workers, Local 54 is battling in a court of law to allow casinos to keep poisoning their members with toxic secondhand smoke, she said.

Photo: A gambler smokes while playing a slot machine at the Hard Rock casino in Atlantic City N.J. on Aug. 8, 2022.. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Legislation New Jersey
This edition of International People Moves details appointments at re/insurance brokers BMS and Gallagher.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

BMS Launches Global Healthcare Liability Unit, Led by Wendin From Carpenter

BMS, the London-based independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, announced the launch of a new global healthcare liability division with Rob Wendin as managing director.

BMS said the new division will provide solutions and guidance to healthcare providers and their insurers and access to BMS range of insurance, reinsurance and risk management services and products.

Wendin joined BMS in December 2023 and is based in London. Six additional team members have been hired, with more to follow, making the team the largest and most experienced medical malpractice team in the London market, BMS said in a statement.

Wendin, who reports to Andrew Wheeler, president and CEO at BMS Re, has experience across insurance, reinsurance, and healthcare during a career that spans more than 40 years.

Most recently managing director of healthcare at Guy Carpenter and before that a senior partner at JLTs Healthcare Risk Partners and managing director at Marshs EMEA Healthcare Practice, Wendin is a respected veteran on healthcare liability and risk management issues and has worked in senior positions across the globe. He also established and led Allied Worlds successful European Healthcare underwriting platform.

The division will focus on working with BMS clients to develop and provide access to new market capacity, innovative solutions and risk management advice, while providing advice and transactional services such as technical coverage issues for medical malpractice and associated liabilities.

Wendin and his team will work with BMS Res long-established treaty healthcare liability team  led by Clare Stenson.

***

Gallagher Re Taps Hiscoxs Marling as UK Chief Operating Officer

Louise Marling will join global reinsurance broker Gallagher Re, headquartered in London, as UK chief operating officer, subject to the necessary regulatory approvals. She takes over from Gina Butterworth, who steps into the role of global transformation director.

Marling most recently served as chief operating officer at Hiscox UK, where she played a pivotal role in establishing the integrated operations infrastructure for the UK business. Before Hiscox, Marling served as the chief operating officer for William Russell Ltd., where she was responsible for strategy development, business planning, and managing strategic partnerships for IT and change, both in the UK and overseas.

She has specific expertise in transforming change and IT functions, implementing digital strategies, and overseeing the design and implementation of new operational capability

Marling will report directly to UK CEO Ian Kerton.

Topics Liability New Markets A.J. Gallagher
German companies have long treated Hungary like their backyard. Carmakers Mercedes Benz AG and BMW AG and Volkswagen AGs Audi continue to expand their footprint, driving the countrys exports, while weapons producer Rheinmetall AG is building a handful of new factories.

Yet an increasing number of others are less enamored with Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government. Companies in retail, financial services, the media industry, telecommunications, and an airport operator are finding themselves in the crosshairs of his nationalist drive to put assets in Hungarian hands, particularly people close to his leadership, according to executives.

Punishing taxes, a rapidly changing legislative environment and regulatory pressure mixed with overt political campaigns are all part of the ways to push foreign investors out of areas of the economy, according to Philipp Haussmann, deputy chairman of the Berlin-based German Eastern Business Association, whose members include some of Eastern Europes biggest investors.

Hungary Eyes Raising Domestic Ownership in Sectors Such as Insurance

The situation in Hungary is frightening, said Haussmann whos also the chief executive officer of Klett Group, a German educational company with business in Hungary. Theres a pattern of intimidation against foreign investors.

Orbans government makes no secret of its drive to boost local ownership in the economy as part of its Make Hungary Great Again nationalist agenda, though rejects allegations that its treated investors poorly. Yet the criticism catches the European Unions longest serving leader at a delicate moment.

The EU is withholding 20 billion of funds over rule-of-law and graft concerns, his governing party is losing support ahead of EU and local elections and a budget crunch is complicating an already faltering recovery from a recession.

Since returning to power in 2010, Orban tightened his grip over all facets of Hungary, from media to the courts, and blurred the line between politics and business. Orbans childhood friend, a former gas-fitter, came from nowhere to become a billionaire and Hungarys richest person after a deluge of state contracts. Orbans son-in-law is now an owner of luxury hotels.

Hungarys reputation among investors is excellent, the Economy Ministry said in a statement. It pointed to a report by the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce that said four out of five German businesses would choose Hungary again for their investments. The Hungarian government strives for cooperation based on mutual respect and partnership, the ministry said.

Executives at some foreign companies say the growing appetite for choice assets is pushing the government to label a larger swath of the economy as strategic to make way for locals.

Take Budapest Airport. Its partly owned and operated by Germany-based AviAlliance GmbH, a company thats being pushed to sell the hub for a second time after a government pressure campaign criticizing it for underinvestment, a claim the operator has denied. An earlier buyout attempt  coordinated by a frequent business partner of Orbans son-in-law in 2021  fell through because of a budget squeeze.

The CEO of the Austrian company that owns the Spar grocery chain in Hungary, Hans Reisch, last month accused authorities of using special taxes to force a transfer of its business to people close to the Orban administration. The government plans to take Spar to court for defamation, Cabinet Minister Gergely Gulyas told reporters on April 25.

Spar this year expects to pay 92 million ($98 million) after a special sales-based levy in Hungary was raised to 4.5% this year from 2.7% in 2021, pushing the company to a loss. The firm has since overhauled its corporate structure to protect its business while the Austrian government has asked the EU executive to intervene.

A law being drafted that would give the Competition Authority powers to break up some companies created further anxiety. The regulator has since urged a delay to the bills adoption.

Its hard to tell which firms are subject to the legislation, when and where the red line is for them, said Zoltan Nagy, who was president of Hungarys competition watchdog from 1998 to 2010. Its dangerous for investments because its unpredictable. How do you build a business strategy to deal with such risk?

Hungary has traditionally burnished its image as a magnet for foreign investments  and German ones in particular  since the end of communism more than 30 years ago.

The value of German investments in Hungary amounted to roughly 22 billion ($23.5 billion) in 2019, more than quarter of the total foreign investment. But its dropped since Orban ramped up market interventions and saddled companies with extra levies, declining by a third in three years, according to central bank data to 2022.

German carmakers continue to be the backbone of the investments, spurred by lavish state subsidies and tax breaks under Orban. Most recently, BMW and Mercedes teamed up with Chinese battery makers to make Hungary a launchpad of their transition to the electronic-vehicle era.

But elsewhere its a very different picture. Critics allege that taxpayer money ultimately ends up enriching Orbans closest political and business allies. In January 2023, state lenders extended more than $1 billion in loans to 4iG Nyrt., a local firm Orban is grooming to be a national telecommunications champion, to purchase a majority stake in Vodafone Plcs Hungarian business.

Meanwhile, the governments cash crunch increases its reliance on taxes targeting specific industries. One international company in the construction sector now pays 69% of its revenue as taxes, according to an executive who declined to be identified on concern the company might be exposed to further punitive measures.

For that industry, the most important principle is that foreign companies and foreign construction material are persona non grata, Construction Minister Janos Lazar told reporters in November. They have no place in Hungary.

Growing pressure has pushed other companies to partner with the government. Erste Group Bank AG, Eastern Europes largest lender, agreed to sell a 15% stake in its Hungarian unit to the state in 2015.

Ostensibly, it was part of an industry-wide deal to lower Hungarys bank tax, the highest in the EU at the time. The broader aim, according to a person involved in the talks at the time, was to make the bank a partner rather than the target of the Orban administration.

Vienna Insurance Group AG, another Austrian firm, was forced to delay its acquisition of Aegon NVs Hungarian units for more than a year due to regulatory hurdles. Those obstacles were removed once the Austrian insurer agreed to sell a minority stake in its Hungarian operations to a state holding company. Steps blocking the deal were later deemed illegal by the European Commission.

Hungary sold its stake in Erste and most of its holding in VIG back to the companies as the government seeks to purchase Budapest Airport, a deal that people familiar with the situation said is being finalized. The aborted takeover attempt three years ago reportedly valued the hub at more than 4 billion.

Its not just about nationalization, but about putting companies in the hands of politically well-connected people, said Haussmann, who hosted Orban in Berlin for a meeting with business leaders two years ago. It is not a German-Hungarian issue, but a European one.

Photograph: Viktor Orban, Hungarys prime minister, arrives for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Nuclear Energy Summit 2024 in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Photo credit: Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg

Related:

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

Topics Germany
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  BNSF will become the second major freight railroad to allow some of its employees to report safety concerns anonymously through a federal system without fear of discipline.

The Federal Railroad Administration announced Thursday that the railroad owned by Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway had agreed to let its roughly 650 dispatchers participate in the program that all the major railroads promised to join after last years disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio.

Rail workers deserve to know theyre safe when theyre on the job  and if they experience anything that compromises their safety, they should be able to report it without worrying if their job is in jeopardy, said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Buttigieg has been urging the railroads to improve safety ever since the February 2023 derailment.

We hope this program will further empower our employees to provide confidential feedback on critical safety issues in an actionable, timely manner, BNSF CEO Katie Farmer said.

Until NS became the first railroad to sign onto the anonymous reporting system in January, all the major freight railroads resisted joining because they wanted the ability to discipline workers who use the hotline in certain circumstances. The Association of American Railroads trade group has said railroads were worried that the system could be abused by workers who try to avoid discipline by reporting situations a railroad already knows about.

But the idea of disciplining workers who report safety concerns undermines the entire purpose of such a hotline because workers wont use it if they fear retribution, unions and workplace safety experts said. Thats especially important on the railroads where there is a long history of workers being fired for reporting safety violations or injuries.

The president of the American Train Dispatchers Association, Ed Dowell, said this move marks a pivotal moment for rail safety.

As a program focused on proactive safety measures, it will serve as the new standard for reporting, understanding, and preventing rail incidents, Dowell said.

The Norfolk Southern program is also limited in scope. Only about 1,000 members of the two unions representing engineers and conductors who work in three locations on that railroad can participate. Besides Norfolk Southern and now BNSF, only Amtrak and several dozen small railroads use the government reporting program.

The big railroads  that also include Union Pacific, CSX, CPKC and Canadian National  all already have their own internal safety reporting hotlines. But railroad unions have consistently said workers are reluctant to use the railroads own safety hotlines because they fear retribution.

Lets be perfectly clear, railroads remain committed to joining the program and creating an additional trusted avenue for employees to report potential safety concerns, said Association of American Railroads spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek.

FRA Administrator Amit Bose said its crucial to have a way for rail workers to use their experience and expertise to raise safety concerns that the railroads can address proactively.

Photo: A BNSF locomotive out of Oklahoma City in 2022. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  Kansas will remain among the handful of states that havent legalized the medical use of marijuana or expanded their Medicaid programs for at least another year.

Republican state senators on Friday blocked efforts to force debates on both issues before the GOP-controlled Legislatures scheduled adjournment for the year Tuesday. Supporters of each measure fell short of the 24 of 40 votes required to pull a bill on each subject out of committee.

Backers of both proposals argue that they have popular support yet have been thwarted going on a decade in each case. Kansas doesnt allow voters to put proposed laws on the ballot statewide, a path that has led to approval for each measure in other states.

All but 12 states have legalized medical marijuana, and all but 10 have expanded Medicaid in line with the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act and its promise to cover almost all of the cost. Besides Kansas, only Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming have done neither, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Were behind the times, state Sen. John Doll, a western Kansas Republican who voted for both measures, said after Fridays votes.

Republican leaders had expected both efforts to fail, given the GOPs 29-11 Senate majority, and viewed them largely as political grandstanding.

The medical marijuana vote was 12-25, with three senators absent. Law enforcement officials oppose the idea, seeing medical marijuana as likely to be close to legalizing recreational use.

During committee testimony earlier this year, opponents also pointed to Oklahoma officials frustration with the legalization of medical marijuana by ballot initiative there in 2018. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, has said the explosive growth of the marijuana industry under a lax law has attracted an influx of criminals and foreign nationals for illegal black-market operations.

We had no idea we were going to have 10,000 growers, way more than they have in California and all these other states, and anybody with a hangnail could get a medical card, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said.

But Oklahoma also received nearly $52 million in revenue from its excise tax on marijuana and an additional $67 million in state and local sales taxes in 2023.

Cheryl Kumberg, a registered western Kansas nurse and president of the Kansas Cannabis Coalition, said Oklahomas problems stem from its lax law. She said Kansas residents who can get cannabis from other states are using it, risking legal issues to address their medical problems.

Its ridiculous, she said. I can go 45 minutes one way, a couple hours in the other direction, and you can just you can just use it however you want.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly even linked medical marijuana to Medicaid expansion in 2021, unsuccessfully pitching marijuana taxes to cover the states relatively small share of the cost of expanding Medicaid health coverage to another 150,000 people.

The Medicaid expansion vote Friday was 18-17 despite months of aggressive public campaigning by Kelly and other expansion advocates. In early January, she said she was taking a more political approach and suggested plans to hit anti-expansion Republicans hard during the fall campaign.

She backed off that idea this month, telling reporters after one pro-expansion event, Whether its an election year or not  thats irrelevant.

But last year, Kelly formed the Middle of the Road political action committee, and it raised nearly $1 million by the end December for elections this year for all legislative seats.

Also last year, two former Kelly campaign aides helped form a nonprofit advocacy group, the Kansas Coalition for Common Sense, to back the governors goals. That group put out a post-vote statement suggesting that a no vote was a vote against lowering health care costs and helping rural hospitals.

But Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said before the vote that he wasnt expecting Medicaid expansion to become a major campaign issue. He dismissed surveys and polling that expansion supporters released showing its popularity as just based on how the question is asked.

If you ask them, Do you want able-bodied people to get free health care? people will vote no, Masterson said, repeating a common GOP argument.

Photo: (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Kansas Oklahoma Cannabis
A group of newspapers, including the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune, sued Microsoft and OpenAI in New York federal court on Tuesday, accusing them of misusing reporters work to train their generative artificial-intelligence systems.

The eight newspapers, owned by investment firm Alden Global Capitals MediaNews Group, said in the lawsuit that the companies unlawfully copied millions of their articles to train AI products, including Microsofts Copilot and OpenAIs ChatGPT.

The complaint follows similar ongoing lawsuits against Microsoft and OpenAI, which has received billions in financial backing from Microsoft, brought by the New York Times and news outlets The Intercept, Raw Story and AlterNet.

An OpenAI spokesperson said on Tuesday that the company takes great care in our products and design process to support news organizations. A spokesperson for Microsoft declined to comment on the complaint.

The newspaper cases are among several potential landmark lawsuits brought by copyright owners against tech companies over the data used to train their generative AI systems.

A lawyer for the MediaNews publications, Steven Lieberman, told Reuters that OpenAI owed its runaway success to the works of others. The defendants know they have to pay for computers, chips, and employee salaries, but think somehow they can get away with taking content without permission or payment, he said.

The lawsuit said Microsoft and OpenAIs systems reproduce the newspapers copyrighted content verbatim when prompted. It said ChatGPT also hallucinates articles attributed to the newspapers that harm their reputations, including a fake Denver Post article touting smoking as an asthma cure and a bogus Chicago Tribune recommendation for an infant lounger that was recalled after being linked to child deaths.

The plaintiffs also include the Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register and Twin Cities Pioneer Press. They asked the court for unspecified monetary damages and an order blocking any further infringement.

Topics Lawsuits New York InsurTech Data Driven Artificial Intelligence Training Development
Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday it is moving forward with a $6.48 billion proposed settlement of tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that its baby powder and other talc products contain asbestos and cause ovarian cancer.

The deal would allow it to resolve the lawsuits through a third bankruptcy filing of a subsidiary company.

It will begin a three month voting period in hopes of reaching consensus on a settlement of all current and future ovarian cancer claims. Those claims account for 99% of the talc-related lawsuits filed against J&J, including about 54,000 lawsuits that are centralized in a New Jersey federal court proceeding.

Courts have rebuffed J&Js two previous efforts to resolve the lawsuits through the bankruptcy of the subsidiary created to absorb the companys talc liability, LTL Management.

J&J, which says its products do not contain asbestos and do not cause cancer, said that its settlement is supported by attorneys representing the majority of plaintiffs who have filed cancer lawsuits against the company.

Erik Haas, J&Js worldwide vice president of litigation, said gathering votes before a bankruptcy filing would allow the new plan would succeed where J&Js past efforts faltered.

The claimants get to vote, and thats the major difference here, Haas said in a Wednesday call with investors.

J&J said it is confident that the deal will reach a 75% support threshold needed for a bankruptcy settlement that would end the litigation entirely, shutting off future lawsuits and preventing people from opting out of the deal to pursue their separate claims.

Attorneys representing cancer victims seemed divided on the proposal on Wednesday.

I believe J&Js proposed plan announced today will bring peace and closure to our clients and the thousands of women who have fought by our side in the quest for justice, said Jim Onder, who represents about 21,000 talc claimants and who supported J&Js previous bankruptcy proposal.

Other lawyers said J&J is trying to stuff the ballot box by getting votes from lawyers who have not sued J&J or whose clients have types of cancers that do no have a strong scientific link to talc.

Mike Papantonio, an attorney opposed to the deal, said J&J has been covertly soliciting law firms to accept their deal, promising a swift payday for some opportunistic lawyers.

The proposed deal would build on J&Js settlements with about 95% of people who have sued the company after developing mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer linked to asbestos exposure, as well as its settlements with U.S. states, which have alleged that the company failed to warn consumers about the dangers of its talc products.

$11 BILLION IN RESERVES

J&J said it set aside a total reserve of $11 billion to account for all of its talc settlements, including the proposed ovarian cancer settlement, mesothelioma claims, states claims, and settlements with two bankrupt companies that supplied talc used in J&Js products. J&J recorded an incremental charge of $2.7 billion in the first quarter of 2024, added to its previous reserve for talc litigation.

In its second bankruptcy filing, LTL put forward an $8.9 billion deal that would have dealt with all talc-related claims at once.

After that deal was rejected, Haas said it was more practical to settle mesothelioma claims outside of bankruptcy before addressing much larger group of 85,000 to 100,000 ovarian cancer claims. Haas said J&J faced hundreds of mesothelioma lawsuits, and it has settled all but 153 lawsuits.

The previous bankruptcy filings put the talc litigation on hold from 2021 to 2023, but trials have resumed after a federal judge ruled the latest bankruptcy case should be dismissed in July 2023.

In March, J&J received a new chance to contest the scientific evidence linking talc to ovarian cancer in the centralized litigation in New Jersey federal court. The judge overseeing the cases said that recent changes in the law and new scientific evidence require a fresh review, and he asked J&J to present new arguments on the science by late July.

J&J said it will continue to defend itself against the lawsuits while trying to gather votes on the settlement. The company said it has prevailed in 95% of ovarian cases tried to date, including every ovarian case tried over the last six years.

The litigation has resulted in some large verdicts for plaintiffs, including a $2.12 billion award in favor of 22 women who blamed their ovarian cancer on asbestos in J&J talc. In the past month, J&J was recently ordered to pay $45 million in a mesothelioma case while winning an ovarian cancer case.

Topics Lawsuits
Months after a catastrophic fire burned more than 2,200 homes in Hawaii, some property owners are getting more bad newstheir property insurance wont be renewed because their insurance company has deemed the risk too high.

Its a problem that has played out in states across the U.S. as climate change and increasing development has raised the risks of wildfires and other natural disasters damaging communities. Insurance providers, state regulators and researchers are grappling with how to keep the insurance companies in business while keeping residents and their properties insured and protected.

I think most of the insurers, you know, Im very grateful that theyre committed to the Hawaii market, so we havent seen wholesale withdrawals, after the Aug. 8, 2023 fire burned through Lahaina and killed 101 people, Hawaii Insurance Commissioner Gordon Ito said during a Wildfire Risk Forum for insurance commissioners held at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

But one or two insurance companies have stopped renewing policies for wood structures like townhomes that are in wildfire risk areas, Ito said Monday, in part because the companies have seen their own insurance costs climb. Property insurers typically have their own insurance coverage to help when there are big payouts, like the roughly $3 billion in claims that have been paid so far on an estimated $6 billion in damages from the Lahaina fire. But those reinsurance rates are climbing, Ito said, and thats forcing some companies to reevaluate the policies they are willing to issue to residents.

The same thing happened in Colorado after the 2021 Marshall Fire destroyed 1,100 homes in Boulder County, causing an estimated $2 billion in damage, said Colorado Division of Insurance deputy commissioner Jason Lapham. Last year, Colorado lawmakers authorized the creation of the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) Plan, which is expected to provide bare-bones property insurance coverage for residents who cant get insurance from a private company starting in 2025. Other states like California, Louisiana and Florida have also resorted to providing their own state-affiliated insurers of last resort, which can fill in the gap when when the private insurance market abandons an area because of natural disaster risk.

Insurance industry researchers say part of the solution could come from homeowners taking steps to make their properties more fire-resistant.

This peril is a preventable peril, and it will take a will to change and do something different, said Anne Cope, the chief engineer for the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. She later demonstrated her point by taking the commissioners to two nearly identical buildings  one made out of fire-resistant materials with plenty of space between landscaping and the structure, and the other built with traditional materials and landscaping. Small fires were started next to each building, and the fire-resistant one remained mostly undamaged while the traditional building was quickly engulfed and burned to the ground.

Research shows that protecting homes from blowing embers using fire-resistant roofs and gutters and keeping the area around a home free of easily flammable material makes a big difference, Cope said.

In the early 1970s, the U.S. had more annual fire deaths than any other industrialized nation, Cope told the insurance commissioners, but a 1973 government-commissioned report on the problem called America Burning led to dramatic improvements, in part because of the widespread adoption of smoke detectors and building codes.

We can do that here with suburban conflagration, Cope said, by protecting homes from blowing embers using fire-resistant roofs and gutters and taking other basic steps like keeping defensible space around a home. Wood roofing materials are not only more statistically likely to lead to the destruction of their own building in a fire but also to the destruction of 10 other buildings nearby, she said. Juniper bushes and wooden fences and decks near homes are also likely fire entry points, as are gutters that are filled with debris.

Once one building in a community catches fire, the problem quickly compounds  while forest fires and other wildland fires generally produce small blowing embers that are quickly extinguished, structure fires create much larger embers that can be as big as a human hand, Cope said. Those big, chunky embers carry enough fuel with them to keep burning once they land on another structure, quickly setting it aflame.

The economic effects of a catastrophic fire last for years, said Ito. Insurance companies in Hawaii have already paid roughly 80% of the claims filed for personal property, nearly 100% of the claims filed for motor vehicles and about half of the commercial insurance claims, he said. Commercial insurance claims typically take longer because additional records are needed to document the losses sustained by a business.

But thats just the recoverable losses. The economy has been devastated by the lack of tax revenue, more than 2,000 displaced residents are still living in hotels, and rebuilding hasnt started yet, Ito said. Lahaina was a major destination for visitors, and the fires will likely lead to an ongoing reduction of about 10% or 15% in revenue for the states tourism industry, he said.

And to me, the heartbreaking thing  theres quite a few Lahaina survivors that cannot afford to stay and have chosen to leave the islands because of the lack of housing availability, said Ito. And so thats, I think, the biggest impact.

Photo: Hawaii Insurance Commissioner Gordon Ito films a wildfire burn risk demonstration at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, on April 29. Some property insurance companies in Hawaii and other states have stopped providing coverage to residents because of increasing wildfire risk and climbing construction costs. The Idaho Department of Insurance hosted the burn demonstration as part of a forum for western Insurance commissioners on the impact wildfires are having on the nations insurance market. (AP Photo/Rebecca Boone)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Carriers Wildfire Colorado Hawaii
Insurtech Root Inc. posted a net loss for the first quarter 2024 of $6.2 million but said it recorded operating income for the first time in the companys history.

The net income loss for the first three months of the year is compared to a loss of nearly $41 million during the same time period a year ago. Root booked operating income of $5.4 million compared to a loss of almost $30 million in the first quarter 2023.

The Columbus, Ohio-based companys Q1 2024 net combined ratio was 102an improvement of about 59 points from Q1 2023.

Co-founder and CEO Alex Timm said in a letter to shareholders that first-quarter results give Root the flexibility to focus on the long term while remaining nimble as opportunities arise.

Most importantly, we continued to advance our strategy in the quarter by improving our pricing algorithms, investing in our data and technology, launching multiple new partnerships, and enhancing our customer

experience, he added in the letter.

Policies-in-force doubled to 401,255, with gross premiums written up 146% to about $331 million, Root reported, adding that much of the growth was from the direct channel, although the partnership channel continues to grow consistently and has nearly doubled new writings year-over-year. Timm said Root is look to expand its footprint from the 34 states the insurer currently does business.

As the company collects more driver data, its machine-learning approach to risk pricing strengthens, Timm said. Mobile sensor data tied to granular claims data creates what we believe to be the most predictive proprietary algorithms and supports fair, accurate rates for all customers, he added in the letter. We continue to see important gains in our ability to match price to risk.

Lemonade Books $47M Q1 Net Loss

Insurtech Lemonade followed 2023the year when the plan came togetherwith a first quarter 2024 net loss of $47.3 million. The result is about 28% better than the same time a year ago and, in a letter to shareholders, Lemonade said it expects positive cash flow breakeven by the end of 2024.

Lemonade has previously set a breakeven goal of the first half of 2025 but its expectation improved based on sustained strength in our underlying unit economics, impact of technology on various expense categories, and working capital benefits of our reinsurance structure.

By Q1 2025, we expect to be generating positive net cash flow on a consistent basis, Lemonade said in the letter.

Lemonade said it believes artificial intelligence has the potential to completely redefine what good looks like in insurance, and the insurtechs use of the tool led to a loss adjustment expense (LAE) ratio of 7.6 in the first quarter. Lemonade said it has halved this ratio in 2 years.

The insurers headcount shrank 11% year-over year but in-force premium grew 22% to $794 million. This speaks volumes for the widespread impact of technology throughout the company, Lemonade said.

Revenue for Q1 was up about 25% to $119.1 million and gross profit was $34.7 millionan increase of about $18.2 million from the year prior.

Topics Profit Loss InsurTech Tech
The tornadoes that ripped through parts of Nebraska, Iowa and Oklahoma late last week damaged some 7,200 homes, leaving a reconstruction tab of $2.1 billion, according to CoreLogic, the data analytics firm.

Some 127 tornadoes spun out of a severe weather system that moved across the country April 26 and 27. That followed a March hail outbreak in the Midwest and a year of record-breaking insured losses from severe convective storms, CoreLogic reported Tuesday.

In the latest storms, Iowa saw the most destruction to single and multifamily residential property, with an estimated 3,904 structures damaged. In Oklahoma, some 1,396 residential properties were hit, CoreLogic estimated.

At least 22 tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma, the most powerful of which ripped through Holdenville, Marietta and Sulphur, National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Smith told the Associated Press.

Those tornadoes were rated as EF3 or higher, meaning they were powerful enough to uproot or snap large trees, remove roofs and knock down walls of well-built homes and easily toss cars and heavy vehicles. They were particularly dangerous because they hit after 10 p.m.

Chart: Source: CoreLogic

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm Oklahoma
A sting operation in Manatee County, Florida, has led to the arrest of 16 men who were working without a contractors license and without securing workers compensation insurance on their employees.

The sting was led by the Manatee Sheriffs office in cooperation with the Florida Department of Financial Services and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, authorities said.

Details about the operation were not released, but a spokesman for DFS said it was probably similar to a number of other stings in recent years: Authorities advertise for bids on home renovation work; when the contractors show up to take a look, investigators check for a contractors license and for workers comp coverage.

At least 16 people who looked at the dummy house property failed the test and were charged last week, the sheriffs office said.

Florida law requires that all businesses with four or more employees secure comp insurance. All construction companies with one or more employees must carry coverage for all workers, although company officers can apply for exemptions, according to DFS.

Topics Florida Workers' Compensation
Just as companies worldwide struggle with the office-versus-remote work question, Travelers has decided to open a 2,800-square-foot office site in Atlanta to house its artificial intelligence, data science and other technology operations.

Travelers, a global property and casualty insurer, plans to hire about 70 technologists for the office space in the Coda Building in Midtown, part of Georgia Tech Universitys innovation district, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

We have had a substantial presence in Georgia for a number of years, and we look forward to creating an even stronger connection in the community by tapping into the wealth of tech talent in the region, Mojgan Lefebvre, executive vice president and chief technology and operations officer at Travelers, said in a statement.

The insurer, like many carriers, has boosted its investment in technology in recent years, hoping to expand its risk expertise and customer service. A pricetag on the new office space, dubbed Travelers Tech, was not provided.

Photo: The Coda building, a mixed-use office locale in Atlanta. (Adobe)

Topics Tech
May 1, 2024 (Investorideas.com Newswire) In October of 2022, President Biden made a series of historic cannabis-related executive actions, including initiating a review by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice on how cannabis is scheduled under federal law. In August 2023, HHS recommended rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug and referred it to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for final approval.

Today, the DEA has decided to approve the HHS recommendation and reschedule cannabis to Schedule III. This historic announcement is the culmination of years of advocacy by Last Prisoner Project (LPP) and other advocacy groups to push the federal government to better reflect the public's view on cannabis. While the move is undoubtedly a step forward for the movement, it does not meet LPP's goal to fully remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and its associated criminal penalties.

So then, what exactly does this rescheduling change mean for cannabis justice reform?

While the action could result in some favorable tax and banking reform for the cannabis industry and more dedicated research for cannabis patients, there are no changes in how the criminal legal system punishes cannabis users. Rescheduling is a peripheral change that signals the reevaluation of cannabis, but not the release of cannabis prisoners or relief for those who continue to be burdened by the lasting consequences of the carceral system. In short, this announcement represents progress but not justice.

Despite not achieving full legalization, we must use this historic moment to push the fight for cannabis justice forward by broadening the scope of Biden's cannabis clemency action, working with Congress and certain administrative agencies to both provide retroactive relief and to reduce prospective cannabis criminal enforcement, and incentivizing states to provide broad retroactive relief, particularly in states that have adopted a fully legal cannabis market. Learn more about ways cannabis justice advocates can leverage this change to advance reforms in our recent memo.

Last Prisoner Project is committed to continuing the fight for cannabis justice until everyone is fully free from the harms of the War on Drugs. This means advocating for cannabis to be fully descheduled. To ensure we keep the pressure on descheduling, retroactive relief, and full legalization, Last Prisoner Project helped organize the largest bipartisan group of cannabis advocates in Washington D.C. on April 18th, 2024 for the 420 Unity Day of Action to urge Congress and the President to take further action.

Last Prisoner Project believes that complete descheduling is a necessary step towards correcting past injustices and creating a fair and equitable criminal legal system. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that individuals burdened with past cannabis convictions are resentenced and have their records expunged, regardless of the federal scheduling decision.

As part of the original scheduling announcement, President Biden also pardoned individuals convicted of certain federal cannabis offenses. LPP has pushed to turn these pardons to progress and ensure the promise of clemency is fulfilled at the federal and state levels. While rescheduling has no immediate effect on those imprisoned, the public can urge their executives to take action now and right history with the stroke of a pen.

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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A Cork man has won an appeal over an attempt to enforce a 6.3m judgment obtained against him in Poland by 57 Irish investors in a shopping centre project.

The investors claimed the way the scheme was handled by Michael Scully had devastating consequences and they never received any proceeds, including from the sale of the shopping centre in 2015.

Mr Scully, a Clonalkilty farmer who also co-owned Castle Carbery Properties Ltd which built the shopping centre in Opole, Poland, in 2009, had appealed a decision of the High Court that the judgment against him could be enforced here.

The Court of Appeal allowed his appeal after finding that the use of a Polish special purpose vehicle (SPV) company by the investors, which brought the case in Poland against Mr Scully, represented "the commodification of litigation" which was clearly prohibited by Irish public policy.

There were 78 investors in total, 63 of them Irish, in the Opole shopping centre project and the investment took the form of an SPV called Coucal SP Zoo.

The 78 acquired 99.84%of the share capital in the SPV while the remaining 0.16% was held between Mr Scully and his Carbery co-owner Padraic Coll.

To build the centre, the SPV borrowed 48m.

By 2010, the investors were expecting a return on their investment as they were under the impression the centre had been up and running and at a profit since March 2009.

However, they alleged, they were defrauded by Mr Scully when he induced them to divest themselves of their investments in the shopping centre, on terms which were very unfavourable to them and very favourable to Mr Scully.

Those claims were denied.

Powers of attorney

As part of the new arrangement, the investors granted powers of attorney to Mr Scully in March 2011.

It was claimed Mr Scully entered into transactions which were unfavourable to the investors and which they were not informed about.

In 2015, 57 of the investors assigned their rights to Coucal so that it could pursue claims against Mr Scully and other wrongdoers "across Europe".

They brought legal proceedings in Poland seeking, among other things, a declaration that the agreements entered into by Mr Scully were a nullity and seeking the return of the purchase price.

While initially unsuccessful, by 2021 the Warsaw Court of Appeal found that Mr Scully had allegedly wrongfully and without authority purported to enter into agreements on behalf of Coucals shareholders.

It awarded judgment against him for some 6.3m.

The Warsaw appeal court also permitted Coucal to bring proceedings in Ireland to enforce the judgment against assets he owns here, including a farm in Co Cork.

Mr Scully then brought proceedings here against Coucal Ltd seeking refusal of recognition and enforcement of the Polish judgment.

The application was brought under an EU regulation, called Brussels I Recast, relating to enforcement of civil and commercial judgments across the EU.

Judgment appealed

In the meantime, Mr Scully had appealed the judgment to the Polish Supreme Court which last February decided to make a reference to the Court of Justice of the EU relating to issues concerning judicial independence and impartiality and in particular the claimed lack of independence of one of the Polish Court of Appeal judges.

Mr Scully's case was rejected by the High Court in November 2022 and he appealed. Coucal opposed the appeal.

On Tuesday, Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly, on behalf of a three-judge Court of Appeal, said she had "no hesitation" in finding that the recognition and enforcement of judgments may only be refused where it is manifestly contrary to public policy.

She said this was a public policy directly related to the administration of justice and stemmed from the policy here prohibiting third-party funding of litigation, known as maintenance and champerty.

The public policy considerations are essential to the legal order in this State and the prohibition is a fundamental principle on which the courts of this jurisdiction must operate, she said.

Such a public policy is therefore of such an exceptional nature that it comes within the relevant Brussels Recast regulation (Article 45.1.a) allowing refusal of recognition of a judgment if it is manifestly contrary to the public policy of the member state, she said.

In light of her finding on this, it was not necessary to deal with the issue raised by Mr Scully in relation to the independence of the Polish judiciary, she said.
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue this week met with tillage growers to hear their concerns about current challenges.

Persistent wet weather resulting in the delay in getting spring crops planted has had a significant impact on tillage farms.

After speaking with members of the Irish Grain Growers Group in Co Laois, Mr McConalogue said that "thankfully, there has been some return to spring work on tillage farms in the last two weeks with the improvement in weather conditions".

With later spring sowing than normal and the risks associated for farmers, I recently announced that I will work to deliver 100 per hectare in financial support for crops planted for the 2024 harvest to give confidence to growers to plant crops this year, and to give them confidence in the future of their industry," he added.

He said it is important that a "vibrant and sustainable sector" exists so it can play a significant role in "increasing Irelands food and feed security while also contributing to climate change objectives".

"The tillage sector is an important and integral component of the agri-food industry and is a sector that I want to see grow and develop," he said.

"That is why I established the Food Vision Tillage Group in May 2023 to set out a roadmap for the sustainable growth and development of the sector to 400,000 hectares by 2030. I recently received the final report from the group, and I am considering its recommendations.

Production down

This comes as recent data published by the CSO shows that the production of the three main cereals of wheat, barley and oats decreased by 531,300 tonnes to 2,015,700 tonnes in 2023 (20.9%).

Wheat, barley and oats yield dropped by 1.4 tonnes per hectare (12.8%), 1.3 tonnes per hectare (16.1%) and 1.5 tonnes per hectare (17.9%) respectively.

However, beans and peas production rose from 65,700 tonnes to 81,300 tonnes in 2023 (23.8%).

Oilseed rape production was up by 19,500 tonnes to 97,300 tonnes in 2023 (25.1%).

Potato yield decreased from 43.4 tonnes per hectare to 39.2 tonnes per hectare in 2023 (9.5%). Production of potatoes was down by 45,800 tonnes (12.4%) to 322,200 tonnes in 2023.

Irish Farmers' Association president Francie Gorman said these CSO figures show that the tillage sector is "battling to survive".

Tillage farmers have faced a perfect storm since summer 2023, with falling grain prices, input costs remaining high, loss of rented land, and heavy rainfall in the period since, Mr Gorman said.

There is no question that our tillage sector is fighting for its very future. The Government says it wants to have more tillage production and this will only happen if they step up and support growers."

Supports for farmers

The minister acknowledged the difficult year last year for tillage farmers and said that there were additional supports provided to the sector in 2023.

These additional supports included a top-up of 3m for Protein Aid bringing the total budget to 10m.

The Straw Incorporation Measure provided 16.5m and the Tillage Incentive Scheme provided 8.3m to growers in 2023.

The 7.147m secured from the EU Agricultural Reserve was topped up with a further 7.147m in state funding.

These funds were used to support growers with unharvested crops by way of an Unharvested Crop Support Scheme with the remaining funds being used as a once-off flat rate payment on the area of oilseed rape and cereal crops.

In March, the minister also announced an exemption to the crop diversification element of GAEC 7.

The IFA has proposed a Tillage Survival Scheme with a 250 per hectare, five-year payment for tillage farmers, which it says is "essential to prevent a decimation of the national tillage area".
Getting a handle on mycotoxins and feed contaminants is already helping to give Ireland an edge in reducing its agricultural emissions.

Food Fortress, a sampling and testing programme covering around 80% of the islands livestock feed, was established in the wake of the 2008 Dioxin crisis, which saw contaminants in livestock feed make their way into Irish pork.

Around 100,000 pigs were slaughtered, and the crisis cost the industry an estimated 100m.

It was a very major event on the island and had a multi-million impact on the industry in terms of the loss to processors and loss to producers. It was a wake-up call to the industry, Robin Irvine, Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association (NIGTA) explained.

Food Fortress director Robin Irvine, Chris Elliott, founder of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast School of Biological Sciences, and Dr Brett Greer, a senior research fellow at the institute Demonstrate the institutes mycotoxin screening technique.

Over a decade might have passed since then, but mycotoxins  poisonous substances created by fungi that can cause disease or death in both humans and animals  continue to evolve and adapt.

They occur naturally in warm and moist conditions but can be particularly problematic in grains that are not properly stored or managed, so the risks of a changing climate are clear.

Contaminants can move through the chain

In 2022, maize from Serbia was discovered to have been affected by high levels of Alfatoxin, a toxin linked to liver cancer, but alarmingly, the contaminants were not detected in feed, but rather in finished dairy products on supermarket shelves.

While the animal feed is the first link in that food chain, the contaminants can move right through that chain to appear in the finished food, so our processors or marketers, processors, everyone was concerned about how to get a safe and effective way to manage that risk, Mr Irvine said.

To begin, researchers at the Institute of Global Food Security analysed 20 years worth of contamination data and identified key priorities and risk areas - mycotoxins, dioxins, heavy metals and pesticides.

The pilot was initially offered to all feed producers in Northern Ireland; however, this was soon extended to include the entire island. Today, the project is led by a cross-border board and owned by the 82 feed compounders and seven grain importers who participate.

We now cover 8m tonnes of finished feed production  only 2.5m tonnes of that relates to Northern Ireland, so a large proportion is destined for the south, Irvine said.

Currently, all of the feed produced in Northern Ireland is included, as the programme is a requirement of Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assurance, around 70% of that produced in the Republic of Ireland, as well as some made in Britain.

The initiative has become recognised as one of the best examples globally of industry, academia and government working together to self-regulate and ensure information is shared and protocols agreed and adhered to.

Measure and mitigate

Fronted by Chris Elliott, former Professor of Food Safety at Queen's University Belfast School of Biological Sciences, explained the rigorous testing gives Irish and Northern Irish produce compete in overseas markets.

The sampling programme and testing programmes are both risk-based based on which countries and regions have the greatest likelihood of a bad load of grain.

The project works to EU guidelines for maximum levels of mycotoxins for each species.

Bigger companies will submit several samples a month, while smaller ones are tested at intervals throughout the year, focusing on where the greatest risks lie.

The key was to measure and mitigate. Protect the most sensitive species by reducing the inclusion rate  for example, broiler chicks, calf starter rations, Irvine said.

The information is provided to Queens, who act as the honest brokers, and what we get is the anonymised information.

A traffic light warning system to determine how often testing is conducted. Results are then also given a traffic light system, with breaches automatically referred to the Department of Agriculture and any other relevant authorities.

The main focus on the four regulated mycotoxins but others are also monitored, with an extended sweep looking for new, emerging and modified mycotoxins that arent regulated.

Its monitoring to see where the next threat might come from, Irvine added.

Maize can be particularly susceptible, Dr Brett Greer, a senior research fellow at the institute, explained, So we watch that very closely.

When you get the byproduct of maize  when the starch is extracted  you are left with the surface of the grain, and that concentrates the toxins that are there, Dr Elliott added.

If you get a difficult harvest in North America, you probably have to watch the gluten and the distillers [grains] for the next 12 months basically. We dont find much variation between the different importers because they are basically all coming from the same places.

Other benefits

But aside from ensuring food safety, there are other benefits, Dr Elliott explained.

To be competitive in those markets, we have got to be safe  thats a given. We have got to be competitive  the price has to be right - our production has to be efficient and sustainable, in terms of the environment. And none of these things can be delivered without high-quality feed. And by that, I mean ensuring that it is free from contamination and from anti-nutrients that impact feed efficiency, he said.

"When feed efficiency goes off, your profitability suffers, but the emissions associated with production also go up.

The EU guidance level for mycotoxins in maize byproducts is 12,000 parts per billion. The highest we have seen is 5,000ppb, so they are far below whats legally required. You buy in a contract that it will be compliant with regulation, but we know a bit more about the impact of mycotoxins and at what level it starts affecting animal performance, and thats a different, much, much lower level.

I think the legal limits need to be much lower. If you want to increase productivity and reduce your carbon footprint mycotoxins are becoming much, much more important now.

We did a study with Devenish Nutrition looking at mycotoxins going into poultry crops over 18 months.

All the levels were below the regulated limits, but we calculated the carbon footprint was increased by 8% just by having higher levels of mycotoxins in the feed, as more feed was needed to bring the birds to an appropriate weight.

Its given us the opportunity to think about how we can help the industry to control their greenhouse gas emissions by controlling their feed materials and the impact of mycotoxins on methane production.

20 years ago, when there were big issues around performance, farmers were always told they had a mystery virus. It was called a mystery virus because no one could ever find the virus. Ive always believed its probably been mycotoxins, and I think over time, Ive probably been proved right about that.

Mycotoxins have always been a problem, but over time have been getting more and more problematic because of climate change.

For example, we have never had problems with aflatoxins in the northern hemisphere but now what we are seeing in the monitoring programmes a couple of years ago a big problem in Serbia, and that was linked to the changing climate. So we always have to be aware  dont think something is just a southern hemisphere problem. Things are changing and changing fast.

The Food Fortress and the risk analysis we are doing is always changing  it is always living and breathing  we are always looking for new sources of information and data to feed into it.

Small changes in climate will have a massive impact on the types of pesticides being used, on the mycotoxins that are present. For instance, dioxins and PCBs, which triggered the Food Fortress, havent been an issue until two years ago, and that was because of the Ukraine War.

"We knew that anything coming from that part of the world was likely to have higher levels of dioxins and PCBs because those are linked to combustion, and so much burning was going on in that region."

Now with a huge unique dataset on mycotoxins, pesticides, heavy metals, dioxins and PCBs built up over 10 years, the institute is beginning to look to artificial intelligence to look for future potential issues.

Dr Elliott said: We are starting to build predictability models based on the data  what are the likely trends going to be in six months, two years in advance  and then what we can start to do is tailor the sampling and testing programmes around those predictability models. Its really quite exciting.
Money for nothing and your chicks for free, a man I spoke to last week once sang.

We band people changed Mark Knopflers lyric to chips for free. It sounded less, well, 1960s #Misefreisin, and was more realistic. Being au fait with Irish gig fees, a bag of chips  shared- sounded about right.

But that  the bag of chips bit - is not the prevailing view that the public has of their stars. People think that if youve been played on the radio or appeared on TV you are probably rolling in it. You are like the Queen of England. Its not that you dont have cash, you just dont carry it.

Yours is a world of glamour, limos, air travel, first-class lounges, video shoots and late nights.

Your facial expression says, Im in with the in-crowd. I go where the in-crowd goes. Im in with the in-crowd, and I know what the in-crowd knows. You just hope they buy it. Because that is part of the myth-making.

You are a poet, a visionary, a seer. You are not of this world. Things come easily to you: songs, performance, success, love, and something far bigger than the minimum wage.

Its only when the seer has to interact with the real world that the issues begin. When the seer is offered a support slot at a major festival that they really have to play. And is told theres no fee but free VIP parking. Thats when reality bites.

There are few exceptions. Bowie, in 1971, had to make his way, on foot and in platforms, from the train station to the stage at Glastonbury. Even for Bowie, that was a lot of reality.

It bit hard in the UK this week. A Musicians Union survey did the unthinkable. It asked musicians what they make. It was anonymous. It would have to be.

Most would be too mortified to admit that their I am a red light from God manifesto was bringing in social media hits, but little else.

Six thousand working musicians were surveyed. Of them, more than half admitted to making less than 14,000 a year from music.

In Ireland, these incomes are likely to be even lower. This galls even more when you are told that 70% have higher degrees. The upshot: most work in a variety of jobs to make ends meet.

A US magazine recently made it editorial policy to quiz local indie acts on their second jobs. They felt it was a reality that could no longer be ignored. Its great to make music, vital even, but give us the full picture. There is a price to be paid.

David Grohl in his excellent biography lifted the lid on indie band life before he joined Nirvana. Scream were a hardcore Washington band.

They would tour small venues but it only worked if it was all in a tiny van, sleeping on fans floors and being fed by the venue. Not quite living the dream.

When the UK musicians were challenged to lift the lid on that dream they didnt hold back. They explained that it is hard to be a parent in music.

Youre broke, away from the family a lot and getting a mortgage is hard. The hours are unsocial, rehearsals are rarely paid and all that travel and waiting time is unpaid too!

Of those who did manage to support themselves 100% through their music, the average earnings were just 30,000 a year. Thats still 4k off the average industrial wage and 8.5k off the average graduate earnings. Many are in debt. Only 3% earned over 70K.

Hence, Nadine Shah was Mercury Prize-nominated, played heavily by BBC 6Music and was still living at home.

The Anchoress has duetted with Manic Street Preachers, toured with Simple Minds, and won many album of the year awards, but also gives lectures in English Lit.

The reality is that writing and performing is vocational. What you experience onstage, the connection with the audience, is heady and addictive, something you have to do.

It increasingly requires skills in social media, self-promotion, tour management, home recording, engineering, accountancy, and nutrition. Do that, keep writing, stay connected to friends and family, and, oh, look after your mental health.

The artist Jewel, starting out, asked Neil Young for advice. Once you can fill a room, he told her, You have a career. Record companies cant take that away.

Fill that first room. The rest, like Taylors first billion, should follow.
Somewhere in Cian O Ciobhain's attic is an artefact - a 20-page manifesto dating back a quarter of a century, outlining just what a late-night contemporary music show on Raidio na Gaeltachta would sound like. Unlike so many other proposals, it actually worked.

"I don't think it would have been too bullish," O Ciobhain says, with typical understatement, of what he jokingly refers to as the "Magna Carta".

It paved the way for An Taobh Tuathail, the beloved late-night music programme which celebrates 25 years on the air this May - a unique offering on Irish radio and a programme which transcends musical and geographical boundaries.

Welsh musician Gruff Rhys has spoken about discovering ATT while driving through the mountains of northwest Wales, and UK journalist Miranda Sawyer recently described the show as an "aural feast" and its online archive as a "treasure trove".

According to its presenter, the defiantly low-key O Ciobhain, it is all a little different now from the "chaotic" beginnings of May 1999.

"One thing I know is that I didnt have a glossary to describe the records in Irish," he says, adding that "I was very stuttery - I probably still am."

An Taobh Tuathail - 'the other side', so named after a music column O Ciobhain had in Irish magazine Foinse - began as a seven-nights a week affair, with Cian presenting on four evenings while the remainder were covered at different times by Ben O'Faolain, Cathal O'Cuaig and the late and much missed Ronan Mac Aodha Bhui.

O Ciobhain vividly remembers being on a train to Dublin on a night off and tuning in to the latter taking the helm.

"As a listener it sounded so revolutionary to hear this music on RnaG and to hear Ronan broadcasting to the nation.

"It was bursting out of the airwaves."

It still is, in its idiosyncratic way. The show switched to its current five-nights-a-week schedule in 2006, and evolved into its current format, where the shows on Monday and Tuesday nights mix the occasional classic with new and often reflective sounds, before the pace and the BPMs quicken across Thursday and Friday.

"Did I think the show would have longevity? Not particularly the show but I was thinking in terms of my own longevity, in terms of doing something with music," he says.

"And I look back at interviews from back then, the people that I am dropping in as people that I admire are Gilles Peterson, Norman Jay, John Peel, and because they werent flavour of the month kind of guys, they were on a long time.

"So my plan was to stick it out, to be at it a long time, in whatever [format] - I wasnt thinking ATT and 25 years, I was thinking 'I want to be doing this for decades'."

Cian O Ciobhain: "I just want to be under the spell of the music for a couple of hours"

Those decades have come to pass but, perhaps unexpectedly, ATT's appeal seems to have increased with the advancing years.

O Ciobhain emphasises that "the music is the star of the show - its not me, Im not a personality DJ". Yet his less-is-more, almost diffident style is key.

His links, delivered in Irish and complementing the often startling sounds emerging from his playlist, create a sort of magical musical outpost, a unique frequency.

With his own DJing and his Disco Dana events, it all adds to a sense of a community built around new music, at a time when the night economy seems to be an endangered species.

"Im not even going to go into it but on this phone" - and here he gently waves his mobile - "there is my 10 reasons why the night industry is failing and why venues are closing."

One aspect that had not previously occurred to him as the disappearance of youth club discos - a theory outlined in great detail by writer Emma Warren in her acclaimed book, and one which chimes with O Ciobhain's own youth, when he first attended and later played music at youth club events.

One listener posited that O Ciobhain's dedication to crafting his show was public service broadcasting at its purest, yet it has to be said that ATT is thankfully free of musical earnestness or furrowed brows; on a Balearic special last year O Ciobhain played Phil Collins' I'm Not Moving and Josephine by Chris Rea, because they undeniably fitted the mood.

He also admits that the sense of community around the show extends to the artist themselves - sometimes "criminally ignored" musicians who write to tell him they would have thrown in the towel long ago were it not for his support; and then there are the others, happy to knock out tracks in their bedrooms and thrilled to receive airplay.

O Ciobhain disappears from our Zoom call at one point to fetch a few volumes of a short-lived but treasured series of noughties ATT compilation CDs, illustrating how our consumption of music has changed, and he later opens up on how techno and dance music's initial focus on futurism - music as soundtrack to jetpacks and trips to Mars - is now seen as nostalgic by some, with a few DJs at clubs including Berlin institution Berghain apparently pushing against it by lashing prime pop cheese over pulverising beats - a kind of "two fingers" to classic dance music sentries, but which also looks a little like poking yourself in the eyes.

O Ciobhain's own flirtation with the more commercial end of music radio was relatively brief.

He presented a string of shows on 2FM after the tragic death of Uaneen Fitzsimons at the start of the millennium and as the red light was about to flicker in the RTE Galway studios on his first night, there was a power cut.

O Ciobhain was offered a contract but stuck with RnaG after a studio boss - "who wasnt a particularly emotional man and who would be more likely to be stern than be full of praise" - stopped him in the corridor and, placing a meaningful hand on his shoulder, said 'we really don't want you to go, we want you to stay'.

All these years later he says he can't quantify the impact of ATT on the Irish language, but adds: "Some people, especially living in the UK or abroad, its their only link to the Irish language that they are ever going to have in their lives because they speak English or German or French or Japanese or wherever people are listening." Some musicians tell him they're now learning Irish, and finish off emails to him with a cupla focail.

He credits the Covid-19 pandemic with reconnecting him with music in a way he had not felt since his teens, a renascent feeling which carried across the airwaves.

Amid the uncertainty at large, missing his partner and unsure when he would next see his parents down in West Kerry, it was music that got him through.

Or as he puts it: "Dancing around the room here, half laughing, half crying, but totally emotionally connected to everything I was listening to."

Maybe that's the eternal power of music - soundtrack to your life, balm for your soul, putting you both in and out of time and place at any given moment.

As the ATT 25-year celebrations unfurl, O Ciobhain says he can see himself broadcasting up to his retirement years, and then maybe doing a show a week in his dotage.

But the questing nature of ATT is central to its appeal - relentless new music, and all those past shows in the archive, a dateless time capsule.

In discussing his radio heroes, O Ciobhain is delightfully blunt in outlining what he doesn't like, which tends to be stuff he doesn't have to contend with: ad breaks, playlisting, interviews, radio sessions, live recordings.

In other words, forget the raimeis.

"I just want to be under the spell of the music for a couple of hours," he says.

An Taobh Tuathail is on Raidio na Gaeltachta on Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 10pm

Six emblematic ATT tracks:

To Rococo Rot - Die Dinge Des Lebens (1999): "This was released the day before ATT started broadcasting and has been played with great regularity over the decades. Possibly the all-time most played track on the show. Brings me right back to the early nights every time I hear it."

Kings Of Convenience Vs Royskopp - I Dont Know What I Can Save You From (instrumental plus original) (2001): "Up to May 2005, we werent allowed to play any songs with English lyrics on RTE RnaG. Many songs with words used to have instrumental versions on the B-side, particularly hip-hop tracks. I made a point of never playing instrumental versions of songs that originally had words. But I made an exception for this as the instrumental version was every bit as glorious as the original."

Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood (1981): "The first ever song in English played on An Taobh Tuathail by Ben O Faolain, who also hosted the show in the early days, on 1st May 2005. Refrain: What are words worth?"

Burial - Gutted (2006): "Burials first album came out of nowhere and was so unique that I used to struggle to put it into context through my playlists, as in ... what can I play next that makes sense after this?"

The Jimmy Cake - Thugamar Fein An Samhradh Linn (2019): "Dublins The Jimmy Cake composed this for the shows 20th anniversary in 2019, an incredible psyched-out edition of the old Irish song and one of the greatest tracks every played on the show."

Loner Deluxe - Viral Hit (2020): "My old college mate Keith Wallace composed the definitive Covid anthem that will forever remind me of when the world shut down and when I began broadcasting from home. It became a kind of hymn that carried our anxiety at that time."

The three eras of ATT:

1999-2005 - "The show was on air seven nights a week. I presented four nights a week, the other three nights were covered (at various times) by Ronan Mac Aodha Bhui (who sadly passed away last year), Ben O Faolain and Cathal O Cuaig.

2006-2020 - "The ban on broadcasting songs in English was lifted as Anocht FM was launched. I was presenting at the time as was Ben O Faolain, but maybe around 2006-ish, the show became the Monday to Friday fixture that still exists today with just me presenting."

2020 onwards - "Covid, and suddenly broadcasting from home. I'm alone and the radio show is my outlet to the outside world. I made strong connections with other cocooned souls during various lock-downs."
I have on my shelf a book titled Wild Ireland, edited by the great Irish naturalist Eamon de Buitlear. On page 63, theres an image of Tomies Wood in Killarney National Park, showing a stark contrast between two sides of a fence: one untouched by sika deer and other grazers, full of regenerating native trees and flora, and utter desolation outside.

Wild Ireland was published in 1984, 40 years ago. But we know that, more than a decade before, in the early 1970s, ecologists were already flagging both the severe damage overgrazing was doing in the park, and the closely related problem of invasion by Rhododendron ponticum. Given that over half a century has since passed, that Killarney is easily Irelands most important surviving fragment of native forest, and that its in the care of the State, these issues must surely have been resolved by now, you might reasonably imagine?

Youd be wrong. For more than 50 years, nothing has been done to alter the decline. In fact, the one campaign that was successfully tackling part of the problem  rhododendron  was, according to those involved, essentially scuppered by park authorities.

For more than three decades, Groundwork ran a rhododendron clearance programme in Killarney, with thousands of volunteers coming from all over the world and helping to completely rid the plant from almost 900 acres of the most ecologically valuable parts of the park. That equates to around 500 football pitches of extremely rare and valuable habitat. Equally importantly, it was afterwards kept rhodo-free with periodic systematic sweeps, pulling any seedlings that had since arrived. Combining deep passion with an experience-based scientific methodology, it was the most effective ecological restoration campaign this country has ever seen.

Yet, from what I understand, for inexcusable, cynical reasons I wont delve into here, after 31 years their work was essentially rendered impossible by park authorities, and they were forced to withdraw. The result is that most of the cleared areas are reinfested with rhododendron, much of which is now, itself, flowering. That means its producing seed, and one bush can produce a million every single year. It would seriously make you want to weep.

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB

A very successful long weekend (3 days straight) cutting Rhodo in a Conamara woodland site. We made some amazing progress and great memories. An-chraic go deo agus an buioch don gang go leir @RewildingIre @Groundwork9 pic.twitter.com/1l5ngaRnPc  Rhodo Rangers (@RhodoRangers) April 28, 2024

But its important to understand that the rhodo is, in many respects, a symptom of the core problem: overgrazing. Once all native vegetation has been stripped away, the mosses that remain make a perfect bed for prolific germination of millions of rhododendron seeds, and the absence of native competition for light allows rapid subsequent growth. (The grazers wont eat rhododendron because its leaves contain toxic chemicals.) But the overgrazing doesnt only encourage takeover by rhododendron. With every oak or other native tree seedling that appears quickly eaten, the forest cannot regenerate, and so in Killarney has been dying away for more than half a century. The hugely rich and diverse ground flora of wildflowers, ferns, etc. that should be present is also completely cleaned out, leaving a barren, lifeless woodland floor.

What is causing this overgrazing? Primarily other non-native invasive species: sika deer, feral goats, and sheep. (There are also a few native red deer.) A natural characteristic of all herbivores is a rapid reproduction rate, vital to maintaining their numbers in the face of predation. But in Ireland, all larger native predators  lynx, wolves, bears  were driven to extinction by our ancestors, opening the way for exponential increases of deer and other grazers. Our neighbouring island, Britain, is experiencing the exact same problem, with deer numbers now estimated at around two million, the highest in 1,000 years.

Deer reproduce so quickly that roughly 40% must be culled annually just to prevent numbers expanding. Skyrocketing populations of sika deer are now a massive problem in many parts of Ireland, and not only for natural ecosystems: they also provoke frequent road accidents, spread tick-borne lyme disease, and impact society in a variety of other ways. Anyone who objects to deer being shot should consider that, aside from the thousands of other species that die off as ecosystems are devoured, the deer themselves end up suffering terribly from starvation, as they strip out all edible plants.

Feral goats near Mullaghmore today. Have seen some very big (60+) herds over that way.



Whilst they are enthusiastic consumers of trees/bark/foliage they can't hold back the tide of "scrub" sweeping over the Burren. pic.twitter.com/gq5RPN2ku5  O Foghlu (@rayofoghlu) April 7, 2023

Given this context, and returning to Killarney, what is being done?

Responding to parliamentary questions from West Cork TD Christopher OSullivan in mid-April, the minister responsible, Malcolm Noonan, told us that over the last five years, 501 red deer and 461 sika were shot by National Parks and Wildlife Service personnel (nobody else is permitted). That tally for sika is utterly farcical, and indeed if you visit the park today, especially near dark, youll find it teeming with them. Note also that more (rare) native reds were shot than (proliferating) invasive sika: utter madness.

In Burren National Park goats are referenced as 'wildlife'. Picture: Padraic Fogarty @whittledaway

As for the invasive goats, in Killarney they arent being culled at all, just monitored. Per capita, no other grazer matches goats for sheer ecosystem destroying capacity: globally, ecologists call them desert makers. But in Ireland, this still hasnt been grasped: mobs in their hundreds are allowed to freely kill off native habitat in the Burren National Park, and the information centre celebrates them as wildlife. You honestly couldnt make up the stratospheric levels of ecological ineptitude on display.

As I have seen with my own place on the Beara Peninsula, it really doesnt take much for a rainforest ecosystem to burst with diverse life once more: just remove the goats, sika, sheep, rhododendron, and any other invasive species. The result is a miraculous explosion of vibrant biodiversity. (See my book An Irish Atlantic Rainforest for more.)

Eoghan Daltun with his book 'An Irish Atlantic Rainforest' at his home near Eyeries in West Cork. Picture: Don MacMonagle

The announcement by several Government ministers that the new national park, Pairc Naisiunta na Mara on the Dingle Peninsula, will continue to be grazed by sheep shows that more than half a century of degradation in Killarney isnt accidental, nor that of any of our other national parks. Its the result of willful decisions at the top of the NPWS, department, and minister responsible to overlook what is causing the destruction, or do anything serious about it. And if our national parks are to remain overgrazed wrecks, just where, exactly, is wild nature supposed to exist, on an island that has essentially been turned into one big livestock farm?

We have two choices: either we start getting real about what is required to reverse one of the worst ecological collapses on the entire planet by acting on the science, which primarily means mass rewilding, or be responsible for the continued death spiral of Irish nature.

Which will it be?
Gardai are investigating allegations that a planning report was doctored in An Bord Pleanala, without the consent of the author, to ensure the development had a much greater chance of being given the green light.

An inspector submitted a planning report on the development, but was then asked to make adjustments which would reflect on the proposed development in a more positive light.

They refused to make the changes as to do so, in the inspectors opinion, would not be in keeping with the evidence gathered.

Later, the inspector became aware that the adjustments originally requested had been made by somebody else for the final report.

The inspector was extremely distressed and, ultimately, made a protected disclosure.

The content of the disclosure was such that it was deemed appropriate to refer to the gardai. The Irish Examiner understands that this referral was made in the second half of 2022.

A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said it is precluded from commenting on anything that may or may not be subject to a protected disclosure.

Separately, An Garda Siochana continues to assess certain information brought to our attention by a planning authority in relation to a planning matter

According to the boards website, one protected disclosure was submitted in 2022.

A process arising from receipt of this disclosure is ongoing, the report for the year states. The Irish Examiner understands that this process is a Garda investigation.

Meanwhile, a report commissioned to a senior counsel into various malpractices at An Bord Pleanala is due to be presented to the chair of the board this coming Friday.

Lorna Lynch SC was asked by interim chair Oonagh Buckley to compile the report in January 2023.

This followed a similar report compiled internally in An Bord Pleanala, which examined up to 300 cases where there may have been conflicts of interest or possible bias on the part of certain employees of the board or board members.

Read More Cracked licence plates and last-minute cancellations among reasons for NCT complaints

In November 2022, the Irish Examiner revealed the details of this internal report  which was highly critical of certain practices in the organization.

Despite its thoroughness, the board was not satisfied with the outcome and Ms Lynch was commissioned to do an external report.

She sent out elements of the draft report to various individuals last month, giving them the opportunity to comment on any adverse findings pertaining to them.

An Bord Pleanala was beset by a range of controversies in 2022, which was sparked by allegations that the deputy chair of the board, Paul Hyde, had a conflict of interest in relation to decision he made about a proposed development in Blackpool, Cork city.

Housing Minister Darragh OBrien commissioned senior counsel Remy Farrell to examine the allegations, but a further raft of claims over the following months thrust the board deeper into controversy.

Mr Hyde resigned his position in July 2022, and was subsequently convicted in Cork District Court of failing to declare properties in which he had an interest.

The chair of An Bord Pleanala, Peter Mullan, is due to receive the Lynch report this coming Friday.

He received a two-month prison sentence, but this was suspended on appeal with the addition of a 6,000 fine.

The chair of the board at the time, Dave Walsh, against whom there were no allegations of personal impropriety, took early retirement a week after the Irish Examiner published details of the internal report.

The current chairperson, Peter Mullan, was appointed in January 2024. He is scheduled to receive the Lynch report on Friday, and will have to decide whether or not to publish it.

Questions sent to An Bord Pleanala about the report had not received a reply at the time of going to press.
The Government will be accused of not having the "necessary urgency or priority" in dealing with the concerns of Irish dentists.

Representatives of the Irish Dental Association (IDA) will tell an Oireachtas committee on Wednesday morning that Ireland is struggling with equitable access to dental care, patient safety, and workforce and capacity challenges.

The IDA says that more than 80% of dental care is paid for as an out-of-pocket expense by patients.

They will say that the medical card scheme has been "spiralling into chaos over many years," noting that a meeting with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to discuss a new scheme for payments to dentists has yet to take place; three years after it had been promised by the Government.

Fintan Hourihan, head of the Irish Dental Association (IDA).

In a statement to the committee, chief executive of the IDA Fintan Hourihan will explain: "Dentists feel we are always one excuse or one more promise away from anything being done by the State."

He will say that between 2012 and 2021, the number of junior doctors has risen by 52%, hospital consultants by 44% and nurses have increased by 20%. In comparison, the number of dentists employed by the HSE has fallen by 23% between 2006 and 2022.

The IDA will highlight that in December there were 30,000 adults and over 5,000 children on outpatient waiting lists at CUH.

They do say that the only "hope we can cling to" is the World Health Organisations' global oral health strategy  of which the Government is a signatory.

Mr Hourihan concluded: "There is so much that we need to see done and the State has a central role to play in enabling greater access to dental care, in ensuring patient safety and in ensuring we have as many dentists as we need to provide the highest standard of dental care and treatment our citizens expect."
Asylum seekers who were moved from the tent city on Dublins Mount Street were warned they could face prosecution should they return to the area.

On Wednesday morning, hundreds of asylum seekers who had been living in tents outside the International Protection Office were moved to international protection facilities at Citywest and Crooksling in Co Dublin.

Council workers, some dressed in white overalls, were involved in clean-up efforts to remove the tents and wash down the camp area in and around Mount Street.

In a statement, the Government said that the people seeking international protection had been moved safely to the two sites shortly before 10am  Citywest refugee processing centre, and St Brigids Home in Crooksling  the same place those present at Mount St had been moved to in advance of the St Patricks Day celebration in March.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said that he believed a total of 268 asylum seekers were moved from Mount Street to both Crooksling and Citywest.

A letter was delivered to each of the asylum seekers at the Mount St encampment by representatives from the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), written in four languages  English, French, Arabic, and Georgian.

It told them to gather their personal belongings and get on a waiting bus and to leave their tent behind, which was to be disposed of for health and safety reasons.

At the accommodation, you will be safe and there will be food and hygiene facilities and IPAS will be able to provide you with support, the note read.

You do not have permission to stay in this area of Mount Street, the note added however.

Health personnel also participated in the multi-agency initiative to move asylum seekers from Mount Street on Wednesday. Photo: Sasko Lazarov /  RollingNews.ie

You are committing an offence. If you refuse to come to the available accommodation or you later return to stay in this area you may be moved on by An Garda Siochana (police) and you may be arrested and prosecuted, it said.

Mount Street was cordoned off during the operation, with a large number of gardai present. Access was only granted to residents of the street and workers involved in the removal operation.

Health personnel also participated in the multi-agency initiative. A similar operation to remove tents from the area was undertaken in March, but another makeshift encampment soon built up again.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said the operation was to ensure the safe movement of people who are seeking asylum.

Simon Harris said that the people living in tents on Mount Street had been in an unacceptable situation and they were now in better accommodation with sanitation facilities.

It was also a day saying to people that even in a humanitarian crisis, there are still laws, and you can't have a scenario where, in a very ad hoc fashion, these kind of tented villages are nearly allowed to develop, Mr Harris said.

Newtownmountkennedy site

Separately, approximately 60 people seeking international protection have been moved into the fractious site at Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow, where violent scenes were seen between protesters and gardai.

Six people were arrested after protestors clashed with gardai there last week.

People had been protesting over the use of the HSE-owned River Lodge, known locally as Trudder House in Newtownmountkennedy, as accommodation for International Protection Applicants (IPAs) for many weeks.

One local, who asked not to be named, said a separate group has gathered to welcome and support the newly arrived asylum seekers.

Asylum applicants who were recently brought "very quietly" to Newtownmountkennedy told locals that they had been moved from Crooksling  where some of the refugees camping on Mount Street were moved to this morning.

A screengrab from video posted on Twitter following a clash between protesters and Gardai last week in Newtownmountkennedy.

The atmosphere in the town is one of suspicion. The men from Crooksling arrived very quietly," the local volunteer said.

We didn't even see them.

I'm in contact with one of the men and he said they brought the beds from Crooksling to Trudder [House, Newtownmountkennedy].

We weren't allowed past the Garda barriers [into the Trudder House site] which we understand as we don't expect special treatment.

Asylum seekers told the volunteer that they were staying in army-style tents in Trudder House.

They have bathrooms and showers and there's a communal area to eat and charge phones.

They are cautious about going to the town because of the feelings of some of residents. They are very aware that they are unwelcome by some.

A statement from the Department of Integration said: Approximately 60 International Protection applicants were accommodated at Trudder House yesterday. Those who had been at Mount Street were moved to Crooksling and Citywest.
A Dublin heroin dealer who was followed by gardai through the streets of Cork before ultimately transacting an exchange with two local men has been jailed for six years.

Sergeant Paul Leahy gave evidence of the drugs operation at the sentencing hearing for Philip Knowles at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Judge Jonathan Dunphy imposed a sentence of eight years on 35-year-old Philip Knowles of St. Marks Crescent, Clondalkin, Dublin, who pleaded guilty to his part in the crime of having 54,900 worth of heroin for sale or supply.

The transaction between Knowles and two other men was observed by a garda surveillance operation that kept tabs on their movements from the Dubliners arrival in Cork until the moment that he handed over a package to others.

Sergeant Leahy said the surveillance commenced at Merchants Quay where two Cork men were seen talking to Philip Knowles at the 202 bus stop. Knowles got on to the bus with one of the men, travelling towards the north side of the city.

They got on the bus sitting at the back facing each other. Their activities were being monitored on the bus. They got off at Cathedral Road together and met another man at the end of St. Marys Avenue next to the Pigeon Club.

A third man crossed to the opposite side of Cathedral Road. One of them at this stage was on an electric bike looking back. At the end of St. Marys Ave, this man put his hand out to Philip Knowles who handed him a white bag he was carrying. That was when gardai intercepted all three individuals.

The other two men were sentenced for their parts in the crime previously.

One of the previous convictions for Mr Knowles was a sentence of seven years for importation of cocaine to the UK and he served three-and-a-half years of that.

Aggravating factors in the present case included his lack of co-operation. He did not even identify himself on CCTV when it was shown to him by gardai. However, he did ultimately plead guilty to having heroin for sale or supply.

Other mitigation includes the effects of homelessness on him, his addiction difficulties and the fact that he may have been operating under some burden of drugs debt.

I dont have to remind anyone of the devastating effects of heroin. And he was an integral part of the supply chain, the judge said.
A Ukrainian refugee in Cork was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with the last nine months suspended for causing the death of a fellow Ukrainian near Cork Airport after they had been drinking heavily throughout that day.

Initially, the accused reported that the victim suffered cardiac arrest while standing outside his car. Judge Helen Boyle commended the garda investigation which quickly established that she got into the deceaseds car while intoxicated and reversed it when he was standing behind it, reversing the car over him and causing his death.

Judge Boyle said that an aggravating factor in this case was the fact that the defendant was intoxicated and that this put the careless driving causing death at the higher end of this offence, which carries a maximum possible sentence of two years.

Kseniia Vasylenko, 43, admitted careless driving causing the death of Andrii Nesterov, who was aged around 50, after 2am on Sunday morning, last October 8, 2023.

Ms Vasylenko has been in custody since that date and her sentence on Wednesday was backdated to then. She said she prays for the family of the deceased and hopes that someday they will find it in their hearts to forgive her.

The fatal incident came to light when a member of staff at Cork Airport Hotel called for an ambulance for a man experiencing cardiac arrest. Emergency personnel arrived to find the deceased lying on the ground with obvious injuries to his leg and head. He died very soon afterwards.

On investigation, it was quickly established that Ms Vasylenko had been present at the time. Initially, she denied being in the drivers seat of the deceased mans car at the time of the fatal incident but ultimately she admitted it after being shown dashcam footage from this car of the incident occurring.

Det. Garda Gary Brennan said: A person could be seen walking at the rear of the Hyundai vehicle. Six seconds later the vehicle is put into reverse and driven in reverse when Mr N is at rear of the vehicle. The front right side of the vehicle comes up and the deceased becomes visible on the ground (in front of the car).

Ms Vasylenko is then seen approaching the victim on the ground. Ms Vasylenko is observed lifting his body and attempting to drag him in the direction of the vehicle. Ms Vasylenko then leaves.

It is seen that she then arrived back at the hotel where she was residing. When questioned, she said she did not realise she had driven over the deceased. Later she admitted having a lot of alcohol prior to the incident. A toxicology report on the deceased also confirmed that he had a high quantity of alcohol.

A victim impact statement from the family of the deceased was handed into court but not read publicly. Judge Boyle said on Wednesday that the family were deeply affected by the loss.

They have had to leave their war-torn home in Ukraine and now live in Poland. The family thanked that country for supporting them there and also for paying for the remains of the deceased to be sent there for burial.

'Remorseful'

The accused said through Jane Hyland, defence senior counsel, that she never meant for this to happen, she was devastated that this happened and that she had caused the loss of a father for a young family.

Ms Hyland said: She is extremely remorseful. If she could turn back time she would. She says she will pray for his family and for his soul to rest in peace and hopes that at some time they will find a place in their hearts for forgiveness for her."

Judge Boyle commended gardai for their quick and thorough investigation of this case.

Addressing the accused, Judge Boyle said: You also fled war in Ukraine. Your husband is restoring electricity to war-torn areas. You are doing well in prison. You are working and attending the educational unit and acting as interpreter for a number of inmates. Because of the aggravating factor of alcohol this offence is at the highest end.

As well as the two-year sentence with the last nine months suspended, the judge disqualified her from driving for eight years.
The row between the Irish and British Governments over taking in migrants has escalated, with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying there is no legal obligation to accept asylum seeker returns from Ireland.

During Prime Minister's Questions, DUP MP Carla Lockhart claimed Gardai are due to patrol the border with Northern Ireland. She described it as hypocrisy from the Irish Government.

While the Department of Justice here has already clarified that Gardai will not physically patrol the border, Mr Sunak criticised the Irish Government saying that there were commitments made between the two states to avoid a hard border.

We cant have cherry-picking of important international agreements, so the Secretary of State [James Cleverly] is seeking urgent clarification so there will be no disruption or police checkpoints at or near the border, Mr Sunak said.

He also refuted any suggestion that his Government is obligated to take back asylum seekers who leave the UK to Ireland.

I can confirm that the United Kingdom has no legal obligation to accept returns of illegal migrants from Ireland, he told the House of Commons.

Mr Sunaks comments come as Taoiseach Simon Harris said the two countries do have an agreement to allow asylum seekers to be returned, and that he does not want Ireland to be used as a pawn in UK politics.

In relation to the UK, I have no interest at all in this country being used as a pawn in relation to British politics. We have an agreement in place, Mr Harris told the Dail.

He said that the agreement itself has been in operation since 2020 and is underlined in legislation in both Ireland and the UK.

Countries should honour agreements they sign up to and this country will honour ours, the Taoiseach said.

On Tuesday, the Government approved plans to fast-track legislation that would allow Ireland to return asylum seekers to the UK, after the High Court ruled that the UK could no longer be deemed a safe country due to its controversial Rwanda plan.
This year represents a unique year for cancer on the island of Ireland, with three impactful initiatives celebrated at the inaugural joint Euro-American Forum on Cancer, a high-profile international event in Farmleigh House last week. The triple anniversary occurs when cancer is in the news, with calls by Irish cancer experts and the Irish Cancer Society for previously agreed funding for cancer to be released urgently, and renewed pleas in the North for its cancer strategy to be fully implemented.

Impactful initiatives

The first of these, the IrelandNorthern IrelandUS National Cancer Institute Cancer Consortium, a direct result of the Good Friday Agreement, celebrates its 25th anniversary. This unique partnership has been transformative  our recent data highlight that 35,000 patients on this island participated in clinical trials, saving thousands of lives and improving the quality of life of thousands more; a 15% improvement in cancer survival across the island, and a 550% increase in cancer research quality between Ireland and the North, delivering both health and economic impact island-wide.

The consortiums work was recognised as an international exemplar of the health dividend of peace at the Science Summit of the United Nations General Assembly in New York recently. A resolution was passed at the forum in Farmleigh to enhance transatlantic co-operation, with the island of Ireland as a key bridge between Europe and the US.

The European Code of Cancer Practice, a series of 10 rights specifying what patients should expect from their health system, is a big win for patients.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Ireland becoming the first country in the world to introduce a smoking ban in the workplace, catalysing a public health initiative that resonated globally. Lung cancer was one of the key themes at Farmleigh, particularly timely given our work in the Lancet Oncology European Groundshot Commission, highlighting that lung constitutes 20% of cancers disease burden, yet only 4% of the research spend, a glaring inequality for a disease that the forum agreed requires greater emphasis on research. An innovative proposal was Tobacco 21, with cigarettes only sold to those above 21 years of age, delivering a smoke-free younger generation.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the European Cancer Patients Bill of Rights in the European Parliament, a Northern Ireland-led initiative highlighting cancer inequalities that exist across and within European countries. The Bill of Rights, an empowerment tool for cancer patients, received the prestigious European Health Award, which recognises health initiatives with pan-European impact. It led to development of the European Code of Cancer Practice, a series of 10 rights highlighted at the forum, specifying what patients should expect from their health system, a big win for patients, including on this island.

However, while Ireland and the North have punched above their weight as shown by the consortiums achievements, both should not become complacent. Covids impact on cancer patients, cancer services, and the cancer workforce has been disastrous, with diagnoses missed, treatment delayed, four of 10 cancer healthcare workers burned-out and three of 10 exhibiting signs of clinical depression.

Inequalities

Our European Cancer Pulse Report for Ireland, developed by the European Cancer Organisation in collaboration with the Irish Cancer Society, which we launched in Farmleigh last week, highlights where Ireland is underperforming, including a 9% survival gap in more deprived compared to less deprived areas and higher than average levels of obesity, particularly childhood obesity. These inequalities need addressing as a matter of urgency.

Our work in the International Cancer Benchmark Partnership, comparing cancer outcomes in different countries globally (including Ireland and the North) has conclusively shown that cancer policy consistency, underpinned by funded, implemented cancer strategies, delivers better cancer outcomes.

We have developed a cancer policy scorecard, which places Ireland in the top half, with the North languishing bottom of this particular league table. The Norths lowly position reflects lack of a recently implemented cancer plan. While Ireland has performed well historically, cancer policy consistency means exactly that  you have to keep on doing it. Letting up gives the advantage back to cancer. Lack of significant protected investment in Irelands National Cancer Strategy in five of the last seven budgets is worrying, risking undoing the good work of the last decade.

We must not forget research. Our work shows conclusively that people treated in research-active hospitals have better outcomes. Research is not a luxury, it is a necessity for 21st-century cancer care. Recognising this research-informed reality, the All-Island Cancer Research Institute, which we co-lead, is a unique collaboration of 10 universities across the island of Ireland, alongside other key stakeholders, dedicated to delivering high-quality cancer research and innovation.

Through our work, we are gaining a better understanding of cancer, developing more personalised treatments, easing suffering, and saving lives. Cancer knows no borders  neither should we.
From 7am, the diggers came for tent city. From 8am, as the daily commute picked up pace, curious people were drawn to the barrier hastily set up and stretching from Holles Street Hospital to the end of Mount St.

There was little sympathy evident among the onlookers who chose to gather at the barricades, though there was little indication that indifference was racial in tone.

One lone schoolboy in uniform on an electric scooter, bucking that trend, shouted get them out at the assembled masses of gardai.

The nonchalance with which those words were delivered by someone who could have been no more than 14 give a worrying snapshot of where Ireland is right now, though the sheer abundance of law enforcement present ensured that no one would be crossing the cordon.

Those who were there, and willing to talk, thought the tent city was an eyesore and should never have been there in the first place.

That misses the point somewhat  tent city was entirely an own goal of the Governments creation.

The tents had been pitched on this particular leafy street in affluent south Dublin precisely because of the presence close by of the International Protection Office, with which most of those living in the camp had already registered.

Tent removed from Mount St. Sasko Lazarov /  RollingNews.ie

On Wednesday evening, the tents may have vanished, the streets may have been scrubbed, but Mount St has not been returned to what it was.

You dont find anti-tent barriers on normal streets.

Those barriers will likely be there until Irelands refugee accommodation crisis has been sorted. And whether or not they will actually dissuade migrants from returning or setting up camp again remains to be seen.

By the evening time on Wednesday, it was clear that some of those moved had already returned from whence they came, while one notable aspect of the cleanup operation was the buildup of fresh asylum seekers  the majority of them families  at the cordon, waiting to access the IPO.

The tents may not spring up again on Mount St  the letter handed to the relocated men warning them of the risk of prosecution should they return to the area could see to that  but so long as the situation is what it is, and so long as the IPO is where it is, they are going to be pitched nearby.

The cleanup operation itself was a surreal thing to behold  giant diggers gathering up tents by the bushel and depositing them in heap of polyethylene and overnight rainwater while Dublins busy workers went about their day.

People seeking international protection who had been living on Mount St outside the International Protection Office were moved by bus and taxi to new accommodation early on Wednesday, and their tents were removed. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

The migrants affected, many of whom were happy enough at the relocation, were huddled next to a series of buses while the cleanup raged around them, with men in white boiler suits and surgical masks wandering the street dragging vacant tents behind them.

One tent had EU racist asylum policy printed on its side in stark white letters. A second later and it too was crumpled to shreds by the mechanical claw.

Out at Crooksling, there was little to be seen of the new camp. Journalists were denied entry while those manning the gates of the hospital remained mute, their features indistinguishable behind hoods and balaclavas.

The services at the revamped site are understood to be a significant improvement on what was on offer in March, which probably isnt saying much.

But the migrants who emerged from the site to board buses and taxis back to Dublin told their own story.

Tent city may be gone. The problem the Government faces certainly isnt.
In 1984, Mario Cuomo, then governor of New York, delivered one of the great American political speeches on the impact of Ronald Reagans policies.

Cuomo offered a confirmation, not a warning, saying: This is how we were warned it would be.

That seems apposite in Ireland, 40 years later.

In recent days, we have seen the far right in this country become more and more threatening as they reveal themselves for what they are: Thugs intent on overturning the rule of law for their own ends.

Despite trying to cloak their intentions with a pretence of concern for communities, combined with a perversion of patriotism, the evidence of recent days gives us a far better indication of their true nature.

Many readers will now be familiar with a widely circulated clip which appears to show a man working in Aughrim, Co Wicklow, being confronted by a mob and agreeing to stop work.

In the clip, the man is applauded by those filming as though he has seen the light and is in agreement with them, but it is damning evidence of the reality of the encounter.

It is clear from the video that the man is facing a sizeable group of people who cannot be seen on camera.

Readers may want to consider how they would react if confronted by a mob at their place of work, a crowd bent on intimidating people into leaving that workplace.

That is exactly what the far right  and those who turn a blind eye to their actions  means in Ireland: Nothing more than threats of violence.

This was not the only evidence of escalation to be found in recent days.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy shared a photograph of graffiti near his home which reads Paul Murphy RIP.

In the past, Mr Murphys family home has also been targeted by protesters.

Mr Murphy himself has stressed that he will not be intimidated by such tactics, but he shouldnt be subjected to this in the first place; threats have no place in any democracy.

A video clip shared widely online shows former taoiseach Leo Varadkar being abused as he has coffee outside a Dublin cafe.

Passengers in a car can be heard on the clip shouting homophobic abuse at the Dublin West TD.

These events are linked. The connecting threads include an emboldened criminal element looking to sow discord; a coarsening of the rules of engagement generally, and with politicians in particular; and, unfortunately, an increasing likelihood of serious violence.

The courts are already dealing with cases of politicians being physically targeted in public.

In a court case last week, an individual was accused of intimidating Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae last September in what was described as an aggressive demonstration outside Leinster House.

Other elements combine and contribute to an increasingly hostile atmosphere.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin pointed out on Tuesday that inaction from social media companies is fuelling division, while the passivity of An Garda Siochana in countering the far right has given these people a sense of impunity when it comes to their public demonstrations.

The traditional advice with such hateful video clips is to ignore them rather than offer the fuel of publicity, but here thereverse may be the best approach.

The only sliver of consolation in the circulation of the footage we have seen recently is that it brings home the truth  that these are thugs who are trying to intimidate people all over Ireland.

The State must respond to protect its citizens before this situation deteriorates further and we are left to deal with even more serious consequences.

No one wishes to play the role of Cuomo in Ireland, following up some tragic incident by saying this is what you were warned it would be.

Covid inquiry in North: Ireland must follow suit in pandemic probe

Tuesday saw the start of the British covid inquiry in Belfast.

It is expected to hear several weeks of testimony from witnesses regarding the handling of the pandemic and the various measures taken during lockdown.

It got off to an emotional start.

Families of those who lost their lives in the pandemic spoke about those loved ones, detailing their grief at their passing.

They also outlined measures they wanted to see taken in the case of another pandemic: Legislation to ensure people are never restricted from visiting dying loved ones was one of those measures.

Those due to testify at the inquiry include representatives of those bereaved families as well as healthcare professionals, senior civil servants, and Stormont politicians such as former first minister Arlene Foster and the incumbent, Michelle ONeill, who was deputy first minister during the pandemic.

Members of Northern Ireland Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice stand together holding images of their loved ones outside the Clayton Hotel in Belfast as the Covid-19 Inquiry holds its first day of hearings in Northern Ireland

There is likely to be some controversy during the inquiry. At a preliminary hearing in December, it emerged that WhatsApp messages sent by former Stormont ministers during the pandemic have been lost as a result of government-issued electronic devices being wiped.

The wiped devices included those of Ms Foster and Ms ONeill.

Notwithstanding that missing information, inquiry secretary Ben Connah is confident there will be enough evidence for the inquiry to do its work.

The inquiry has already held hearings in England, Scotland, and Wales, and Mr Connah encouraged people in the North who would not be attending the hearings themselves to use the inquirys Every Story Matters online platform to share their stories.

It goes without saying that a similar inquiry is badly needed here as well.

The example being given in Belfast over the coming weeks is one worth considering south of the border.
Protesters have been taken into custody late on Tuesday after Columbia University called in the New York Police Department (NYPD) to end the pro-Palestinian occupation on campus.

Police said the universitys Hamilton Hall was cleared of pro-Palestinian protesters who took over building on Tuesday.

The scene unfolded shortly after 9pm as police, wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields, massed at the Ivy League universitys entrance.

Officers breached Hamilton Hall, an administration building on campus, to clear out the structure.

Columbias protests earlier this month kicked off demonstrations that now span from California to Massachusetts (Julius Motal/AP)

The demonstrators had occupied Hamilton Hall more than 12 hours earlier, spreading their reach from an encampment elsewhere that has been there for nearly two weeks.

A statement released by a Columbia spokesperson late on Tuesday said officers arrived on campus after the university requested help.

The move came hours after the NYPD said officers would not enter the university campus without university request or an imminent emergency.

After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalised, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, the Columbia statement said, adding that school public safety personnel were forced out of the building and one facilities worker was threatened.

The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.

More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested over the last two weeks on university campuses in Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Connecticut, Louisiana, California and New Jersey.

Members of the New York Police Department strategic response team escort protesters from Columbia University (Julius Motal/AP)

The White House condemned the standoffs at Columbia on Tuesday and California State Polytechnic University Humboldt earlier in the week.

Other universities have sought to negotiate agreements with the demonstrators in the hopes of having peaceful commencement ceremonies.

On Tuesday afternoon, New York City mayor Eric Adams urged the Columbia protesters to walk away and advised them to continue your advocacy through other means.

He added: This must end now.

Protesters at Columbia and California State Polytechnic University Humboldt had occupied two buildings until officers with batons intervened overnight.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7.

Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages.

In return, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.
Police have deployed riot tactics to disperse protesters in Georgia who rallied outside the countrys parliament in Tbilisi to protest a law that bears resemblance to Russian anti-independent media legislation.

The law will require media and non-commercial organisations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered to oppose the legislation they see as impediments to Georgias long-sought prospects of joining the European Union.

A demonstrator gestures while standing in front of the police line (Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP)

They were faced with tear gas and water cannons.

They denounced it as the Russian law because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatise independent news media and organisations critical of the Kremlin.

During the latest rally against the bill late on Tuesday, police broke up the protest after demonstrators tried to block the entrances to the parliament building to prevent politicians from leaving.

Several demonstrators were arrested.

Despite the protests, the parliament endorsed the bill in the first reading earlier this month.

On Tuesday, politicians debated the bill as part of a second reading.

The bill is similar to the one the ruling party was pressured to withdraw last year after large street protests.

Riot police in Tbilisi (Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP)

The bill requires non-commercial organisations and news media that receive 20% or more of their funding from overseas to register as pursuing the interests of a foreign power.

Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili has harshly criticised the bill and vowed to veto it if it is passed by parliament.

However, the ruling party can override the veto, and then the parliament speaker can sign it into law.
The first migrants set to be deported to Rwanda have been detained.

The UK home office said a series of operations took place across the country over the last few days, with more activity due to be carried out in the coming weeks.

It comes amid the UK governments bid to get flights to send migrants to the east African nation off the ground by July, after the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act became law last week.

The announcement was made after figures showed Channel crossings had reached another record high and ahead of what is expected to be a testing set of local and mayoral elections for Rishi Sunak across England and Wales, in which his Conservatives are likely to suffer heavy losses.

(PA Graphics)

The home office faced questions over its ability to track down thousands people it had earmarked for removal to Rwanda.

According to a UK government document released this week, only 2,143 out of the 5,700 people identified for removal to Rwanda continue to report to the Home Office and can be located for detention.

Published on the home office website on Monday, the document also acknowledges there could be further delays to deportations caused by MPs making last-minute representations to suspend removals.

Officials have not yet said how many people have been detained, or where they were taken into custody.

Home office director of enforcement Eddy Montgomery said it was vital that operational detail is kept to a minimum, to protect colleagues involved and those being detained, as well as ensuring we can deliver this large-scale operation as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile there have been reports a failed asylum seeker has become the first to volunteer to be sent to Rwanda after being offered 3,000 to do so, prompting criticism from political opponents.

A Labour Party source said: Is there any more blatant sign that (former immigration minister Robert) Jenrick was right about this all being symbolic before an election than this mad flurry of stories?

The core substance though hasnt changed. This is a tiny scheme at an extortionate cost and the criminal gangs will see through this con.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: Instead of headline-grabbing schemes that will waste time and resources and are unleashing even more human misery, we need a fair and controlled asylum system. The government must focus on processing asylum claims efficiently and fairly.

Downing Street denied decisions to detain asylum seekers were connected to the upcoming local elections.

Mr Sunak's press secretary said: From our part there isnt really a day to lose when people are dying in the Channel having been induced into boats by gangs.

People are ultimately breaking into our country so of course we want to get moving as rapidly as possible and the PM has always been consistent that he would move as quickly as he could.

The man, who has not been named, is understood to have accepted the offer under the voluntary scheme some weeks ago and is now in Kigali, with the Sun reporting his flight left on Monday evening.

(PA Graphics)

The policy, expanded to include Rwanda earlier this year, is separate from the Governments plan to deport migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel.

UK business and trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch told Times Radio this news should be trumpeted and demonstrated Rwanda was safe.

The British governments plan to give migrants a one-way ticket to Kigali  in a bid to deter others from crossing the Channel  is yet to be tested, with the latest legislation aimed at making it legally sound having passed into law just days ago.

Mr Sunak last week said it will take between 10 and 12 weeks for deportation flights to Rwanda to begin, meaning they will not start until the summer.

Provisional figures show 7,567 people have arrived in the UK so far this year after making the journey.

This is a new record high for the first four months of a calendar year and a 27% hike on the number of arrivals recorded for the same period in 2023.
The Arizona legislature approved a repeal of a long-dormant ban on nearly all abortions on Wednesday, advancing the Bill to Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, who is expected to sign it.

Two Republicans joined Democrats in the Senate on the 16-14 vote in favour of repealing a Civil War-era ban on abortions that the states highest court recently allowed to take effect. The repeal Bill narrowly cleared the Arizona House last week.

Ms Hobbs said in a statement that she looks forward to quickly signing the repeal into law.

Arizona women should not have to live in a state where politicians make decisions that should be between a woman and her doctor

The devastating consequences of this archaic ban are why Ive called for it to be repealed since day one of my administration, she said.

Arizona women should not have to live in a state where politicians make decisions that should be between a woman and her doctor, Ms Hobbs continued.

While this repeal is essential for protecting womens lives, it is just the beginning of our fight to protect reproductive healthcare in Arizona.

The revival of the 19th century law had put Republicans on the defensive in a battleground state for the presidential election.

Across the country, women are living in a state of chaos and cruelty caused by Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement on Wednesday.

What is happening in Arizona is just the latest example, she continued. While Arizona Democrats have worked to clean up the devastating mess created by Trump and his extremist allies, the states existing ban, with no exception for rape or incest, remains in effect.

If the repeal Bill is signed, a 2022 statute banning the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy would become Arizonas prevailing abortion law. Still, there would likely be a period when nearly all abortions would be outlawed, because the repeal will not take effect until 90 days after the end of the legislative session, likely in June or July.

Arizona state Attorney General Kris Mayes called the vote a win for freedom in our state, but expressed concern that without an emergency clause, Arizonans would still be subject to the near total-abortion ban for some time.

Rest assured, my office is exploring every option available to prevent this outrageous 160-year-old law from ever taking effect, she said.

The near-total ban on abortions, which predates Arizonas statehood, permits abortions only to save the patients life  and provides no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. In a ruling last month, the Arizona Supreme Court suggested doctors could be prosecuted under the 1864 law, which says that anyone who assists in an abortion can be sentenced to two to five years in prison.

Voting on the bill stretched more than an hour, amid impassioned speeches about the motivations behand individual votes.

This is about the Civil War-era ban that criminalises doctors and makes virtually all abortions illegal, the ban that the people of Arizona overwhelmingly dont want, said Democratic state Senator Eva Burch. Were here to repeal a bad law. I dont want us honouring laws about women written during a time when women were forbidden from voting because their voices were considered inferior to men.

There were numerous disruptions from people in Senate gallery, as Republican state Senator Shawnna Bolick explained her vote in favour of repeal, joining with Democrats.

GOP state Senator Jake Hoffman denounced Republican colleagues for joining with Democratic colleagues, calling it an affront to his partys principles.

It is disgusting that this is the state of the Republican Party today, Mr Hoffman said.

Advocates on both sides of the abortion issue arrived outside the Arizona Senate on Wednesday to emphasise their views. They included people affiliated with Planned Parenthood and faith-based groups opposed to abortion.

A school-age girl kneeled in prayer in front of a table holding a large statue of the Virgin Mary, while a man with a megaphone shouted at passersby to repent.

The law had been blocked since the US Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v Wade decision guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion nationwide.

Planned Parenthood officials vowed to continue providing abortions for the short time they are still legal and said they will reinforce networks that help patients travel out of state to places such as New Mexico and California to access abortion.

Advocates are collecting signatures for a ballot measure allowing abortions until a foetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks, with exceptions  to save the parents life, or to protect her physical or mental health.

Republican politicians, in turn, are considering putting one or more competing abortion proposals on the November ballot.

A leaked planning document outlined the approaches being considered by House Republicans, such as codifying existing abortion regulations, proposing a 14-week ban that would be disguised as a 15-week law because it would allow abortions until the beginning of the 15th week, and a measure that would prohibit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know they are pregnant.

House Republicans have not yet publicly released any such proposed ballot measures.
Pro-Palestinian students have gathered in protest at universities across the UK following violent demonstrations at campuses in the US.

Students in Leeds, Newcastle and Bristol set up tents outside university buildings on Wednesday in protest against the war in Gaza.

Bristol students said they staged the action in protest of the universitys complicity in Israels genocide of Palestinians, while Apartheid Off Campus Newcastle said its demonstration was to highlight the institutions investment strategy and its complicity in the Israeli militarys war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.

Student activists elsewhere held marches and one-off protests.

One camp, at Warwick University, has been set up in the towns piazza for a week.

The groups have called on their universities to divest from Israel in response to its military operation in the Gaza Strip.

This would mean selling off stock in Israeli companies or otherwise dropping financial ties.

The students have asked for supporters to donate food, drinks and hygiene products.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, a UK-based organisation which claims to be the largest British group dedicated to securing Palestinian human rights, wrote on X: Today, students from Leeds, Newcastle, Bristol and Sheffield have joined Warwick  demanding that our universities stop investing in Israels genocide!

Images shared by the group showed large groups of students gathering on campuses, alongside tents and banners on prominent areas of the universities.

The protests follow violent clashes at campuses across the US, most prominently at Columbia University in New York.

Violence also broke out at the University of California (UCLA), and more than 1,000 protesters have been arrested across the US.
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A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
Ulviyya Shahin

The Conference of the Parties (COP) stands as more than just a gathering of nations; it serves as a pivotal global platform dedicated to addressing the pressing issues of climate change. As we approach COP29, there is optimism among world experts regarding the event's potential impact.

One of the key issues to be addressed at COP29 is the gradual reduction of dependency on fossil fuels. While proposals in this regard are not new, the urgency to implement stronger measures has never been greater.

Dr. Frank Musmar, Executive Advisory Board President for the University of Maryland Global Campus, an advisory member at the Abrahamic Accord Business Circle, and a Board Member at Paris Metropolitan University, answered several questions in an interview with AZERNEWS.

Q. Dr. Musmar, as we know, COP is not just an international event but a global platform dedicated to discussing climate change issues with the participation of world countries and finding solutions to similar problems. The most pressing issue is the readiness of world countries to address these issues. So, do you think the world is ready for this monumental task?

A. Countries worldwide face a critical challenge- the need to halve global emissions in the next eight years. Without this, by the 2040s, we will likely breach the 1.5C climate guardrail. This could leave a world of 10 to 12 billion people grappling with global warming of 3C or more by 2100. The vast majority of actively publishing climate scientists (97 percent) agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change. In December 2015, 195 states signed up to the Paris Agreement. This is not just a pact but a lifeline for international cooperation in tackling climate change, and countries are taking steps to deliver on it. The UK, Norway, France, and New Zealand are some of the countries that have legally committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

Steps in the right direction are being taken by countries that set targets for reaching net-zero emissions of CO2?and other greenhouse gases. Sweden and Norway were some of the first countries to legally commit to net-zero targets, and the UK was the first of the G7 major economies to do so with a commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, closely followed by France. In 2020, China committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2060, while South Korea and Japan committed to net zero emissions by 2050. Chile and Fiji are also among the countries that have proposed net-zero targets.?Net zero targets have gained increased momentum, and analysts suggest that from November 2021,?90% of global GDP was covered by net zero pledges. These are not just targets, but beacons of hope in our fight against climate change.

Q. World experts are quite optimistic about the COP event. In your opinion, what exceptional significance can this international event have in reducing unemployment worldwide?

A. Reducing poverty through productive, decent employment is essential for greater environmental sustainability. Economic growth at the expense of environmental quality is unsustainable and self-defeating, even in narrow economic cost/benefit terms. Private enterprises can significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the ecological footprint in general through labor-management initiatives resulting in greener workplaces. Gains are often quickly achieved at a meager cost and without significant capital investment.

Moreover, the success of the whole range of mitigation policies and measures will depend on the capacities of those who need to respond and implement these decisions in enterprises and society. An effective response to climate change must mobilize millions of entrepreneurs and workers. Skill development among employers and workers and capacity building among government and administration services will significantly tackle climate change at all levels: national, regional, local, sectoral, and employment.

Q. Many countries currently depend on fossil fuels, and it is possible to reduce this dependency gradually. What new proposals do you think COP29 could put forward on this issue?

A. The proposals have existed since the first COP. However, the increase in green energy dependency is based only on the current policy settings of governments worldwide. If countries deliver on their national energy and climate pledges on time and as a whole, clean energy progress will move even faster. However, even stronger measures would still be needed to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 C alive. Natural gas producers will still be looking to build their green energy supplies while investing in gas production because the globe still needs more gas now and in the coming years. For example, the EU is Azerbaijan's largest Gas trading partner, accounting for 66% of Azerbaijan's exports. Especially after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Azerbaijan has become an important energy supplier for the EU. In July 2022, Brussels and Baku agreed to more than double gas supplies from Azerbaijan by 2027. However, this would require expanding the transit infrastructure and gas production itself.

Q. How is Azerbaijan's role evaluated on a global scale regarding the organization of COP29?

A. The most global impressions are that the COP will be chaired for the second year in a row by a country linked to the oil industry, which could lead to a potential conflict of interest. Some other anti-Azerbaijan countries will play the cards of freedom of speech, human rights, and Armenias relations as a critic of the country's policies to discredit Azerbaijan's legitimacy of holding the global event. However, holding the presidency of a U.N. climate summit has a massive influence on Azerbaijan's economic agenda and outcomes. The COP28 summit in the UAE has been the biggest yet, with more than 90,000 delegates registered.

Q. What support do you think Azerbaijan needs to continue its mission more successfully in the future?

A. First, to gain global support, Azerbaijan has to update and submit its national climate plan ahead of COP29. This plan is aligned with the 1.5C warming goal of the Paris Agreement. The last plan submitted to the UN pledged a 40 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from 1990 levels, conditional on international support.

Second, advertise the latest agreements with the United States (a Major Player in the Russia-Ukraine war), which support boosting Azerbaijani gas exports to Europe. Both countries agreed to cooperate in the direction of US support for the expansion" of the Southern Gas corridor - the three pipelines that carry Azerbaijani gas exports to Europe.
By Paul Howe, Tufts University | 

The United Nations latest report on hunger makes for grim reading. On April 24, 2024, the international body released its annual Global Report on Food Crises, showing that 281.6 million people faced acute hunger in 2023.

And indications for 2024 suggest worse may be to come. In March, the United Nations highest technical body for assessing food and nutrition crises warned of an imminent famine in Gaza. The U.N. also raised the alarm about situations in Sudan, Haiti and other countries around the world.

To those of us who study global hunger issues, the situations in Gaza, Sudan, Haiti and a host of other countries reflect a growing trend in which severe crises  often, but not only, related to conflict  have the potential to become famines.

TRT World Video: Could famine in Gaza harm health of Palestinian future generations?

But how and under what conditions do famines form?

Recent academic thinking suggests that famines can be viewed as complex systems. As a scholar who researches hunger and humanitarian relief efforts, I wanted to see if it was possible to identify a consistent underlying pattern in the way these systems formed.

So in 2018 I developed a famine systems model that identifies five elements that describe the evolution of these crises. First, they require severe pressure on a population that is then kept in place by a hold that prevents the release of this pressure. This then creates self-reinforcing dynamics that can tip over into a famine system  which is when a famine is often officially declared  involving rapid increases in malnutrition and mortality. Finally, there is a rebalancing.

A representation of the famine systems model

To better understand how the model works, it is worth examining each of its stages:

1. Intensifying pressure

Pressure in a famine cycle results from a combination of disruptive factors and vulnerability. Disruptive factors are things that affect the ability of a population to obtain the food it needs from normal sources. For example, in the Somalia famine of 2011-2012, a combination of successive droughts and a rise in global food prices made it difficult for communities to grow or buy food and maintain their livestock.

Vulnerability refers to the susceptibility of a population  or parts of that population  to experiencing these crises based on the resources and options available to them, and their food and nutrition status. In the case of Somalia, certain clans with limited support networks to reach out to for help were particularly at risk.

If there are strong and comprehensive disruptive factors and high vulnerability, the pressure can be severe.

2. Persistent holds

A hold is a condition that prevents the affected population from receiving release from famine pressure. Natural holds occur after a drought, when the rhythms of the agricultural cycle mean that the next harvest will not arrive for another year. Economic holds could relate to an extended period of elevated global food prices. Political holds can involve ongoing conflict or policies that make an area inaccessible.

When these holds prevent assistance from getting in to alleviate famine pressures  or prevent populations from leaving  they are highly impermeable. This frequently happens in sieges, such as Germanys encirclement of Leningrad during World War II.

During the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, however, the hold was more permeable, and some assistance and trade reached the populations, helping to prevent famine.

3. Self-reinforcing dynamics

If severe pressure is kept in place by a hold, it generates self-reinforcing dynamics, such as rapid rises in local food prices, declines in wages and asset prices and a resulting deterioration of terms of trade. This makes it even more difficult for affected people to obtain sufficient nutrients.

The dynamics can also lead to a breakdown in social norms. Populations may resort to stealing or rioting. Where possible, populations often migrate in search of better conditions or assistance. Combinations of these dynamics have been observed across historical contexts, from the biblical siege of Samaria to the Great Irish Famine of the late 1840s to the more recent crisis in Somalia.

4. Emerging famine systems

If the self-reinforcing dynamics are not stopped, at a certain point the ability of a population to stave off the crisis will be exhausted, and the situation will tip over into a famine system. A key feature of this model is the recognition that these interacting parts of the system often work together to generate a relatively sudden rise in malnutrition and deaths.

Although not always the case, a classic pattern for famine systems  whether in Somalia during 2011-2012 or Leningrad in 1941-1942  is a steep rise and high peak in mortality. This is the period in which a famine can be unambiguously declared, but it is also too late to prevent the loss of life.

Rebalancing

Finally, there is a rebalancing of the system  often signaled by a decline in mortality. This may take place for two principal reasons. The first is that the famine system has already affected the most vulnerable people  such as children and the elderly or socially marginalized groups  and therefore cannot sustain the high levels of mortality. The second is when the key holds are removed and the self-reinforcing dynamics are counteracted by, for example, a new bumper harvest or the provision of scaled-up humanitarian assistance.

How Gaza fits the model

In terms of the crises currently facing the world, Im deeply worried when I see elements of this model coming together in multiple places.

For instance, the severe pressure in northern Gaza stems from the disruptive factor of the conflict affecting a vulnerable population with few livelihood options. The hold consists of the constrained access to food due to both insufficient humanitarian relief and the breakdown of local markets. The self-reinforcing dynamics include price rises and social unrest, especially at food delivery points. And the rapid increase in malnutrition may signal the emergence of a famine system in the north of the territory.

The model also suggests, however, that famines are not inevitable. Providing release from holds can allow urgent assistance to counter the pressure, ease self-reinforcing dynamics, and save lives and alleviate suffering by preventing famine systems from forming.

Paul Howe, Professor of the Practice, Tufts University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
( Globalvoices.org )  Since Israels latest aggression on Gaza began in October  described as a mass assassination factory  the literal and actual dehumanization of Palestinians has intensified. UNICEF has labeled Gaza a graveyard for children and a living hell, as a result of Israels severe and unrelenting attacks.

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese referred to the deliberate unchilding from birth of Palestinians under Israels forever occupation which has caused never-ending harm to the population. However, Israeli violence against Palestinian children is not a recent phenomenon.

Unchilding Palestinians for generations

At least 14,500 Palestinian children have been killed by Israel since October 7. However, Israels abuses against Palestinian children before this war had already been thoroughly documented. Journalist Chris Hedges detailed violence by Israelis against Palestinian children in Gaza in his 2002 book War is a force that gives us meaning:

Children have been shot in other conflicts I have covered [] but I have never before watched soldiers entice children like mice into a trap and murder them for sport. [] We all threw rocks, said ten-year-old Ahmed Moharb. Over the loudspeaker the soldier told us to come to the fence to get chocolate and money. Then they cursed us. Then they fired a grenade. We started to run. They shot Ali in the back. I wont go again. I am afraid.

Palestinian scholar Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian  whose work focuses on trauma, state crimes and criminology, surveillance, gender violence, law and society and genocide studies  first coined the term unchilding in 2019, to critically examine the use of Palestinian children as leverage for political goals.

Middle East Monitor reported that from 20002020, 3,000 children have been killed by Israeli occupation forces. Some were killed in front of the lenses of international media, including 11 year-old Muhammad Al-Durrah. In 2021, Defence for Children International also highlighted Israels targeting of Palestinian children and Human Rights Watch noted a spike in Palestinian children killed by Israelis in the West Bank in August 2023.

Save the Children reported in 2020, 2022, and mid-2023 on Israels systematic punitive abuses and in-custody traumatization of Palestinian children, including strip searching. They stated that the most common charge brought against children is stone throwing, for which the maximum sentence is 20 years.

Defense for Children International found that the majority of children prosecuted from 2013 to 2018 experienced abuse by Israelis while in custody. Ahmad Manasra became well known for spending his entire teenage years in prison, including two years in solitary confinement, leading to severe psychological deterioration. According to The Guardian, Israels mass incarceration of Palestinian children represents a hidden universe of suffering that touched nearly every Palestinian home.

News medias role in furthering the denial of Palestinian childhood

Two articles by The Guardians Jason Burke, published on November 22 and 23, illustrate the denial of Palestinian childhood portrayed across news media. Burke noted in both articles, the [Israeli] hostages to be freed are women and children, and the Palestinian prisoners are also women and people aged 18 and younger.

The use of divergent language within the same article to refer to children parallels the die versus kill hierarchy, which is used to downplay Palestinian versus Israeli fatalities in news media.

The Guardian articles followed an intense period marked by derogatory racist comments, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus remarks in October, where he called Palestinians the children of darkness and human animals.

The Guardian is not the only news agency to employ divergent, vague or otherwise imprecise language when referencing Palestinian children and babies. The Associated Press has referred to Palestinian children as minors, Sky News has described a 4 year-old as a young lady, and The Washington Post has used the term fragile lives instead of saying premature babies. Scanning the archived New York Times top headlines daily from November 22 to December 3 reveals barely a hint of Palestinian victims, certainly not reflecting the mass number of child fatalities that occurred during that period.

After publication, The Guardian amended both of the aforementioned articles to refer to Palestinians under 18 as children. In a note at the bottom of the articles to explain the change, they wrote, Any insensitivity in the earlier expression was unintentional.

Queer Jewish influencer Matt Bernstein (mattxiv) stated on Instagram: When we allow ourselves to view Palestinians as anything less than full human beings [] we become complicit in our own moral bankruptcy.

The language used in news reporting is crucial to communicating key details to readers. A 2016 Columbia University study found that 59 percent of shared links went unclicked, and presumably unread, underscoring the significance of news headlines in delivering information and influencing audiences. The words used in social media previews  such as the title and tagline  are critical for those who dont read past the headlines to grasp the extent of the situation.

Racialized children at high risk

The denial of childhood is not exclusive to Palestinians, and valuable insights can be gained by examining other racialized groups also subjected to significant violence.

In the United States, Black children are six times more likely than white children to be shot and killed by police. High-profile cases like the murders of 17 year-old Trayvon Martin, 16 year-old MaKhia Bryant, and 12 year-old Tamir Rice illustrate the excessive risk Black children face in their daily lives.

Researcher Alisha Nguyen explains:

To justify dehumanizing treatment against Black children, White logic affirms that Black children are less innocent and therefore, should receive less protection and do not deserve the same level of tolerance compared to White children.

Rice was later described by Cleveland Police Patrolmens Association president Steve Loomis as a 12-year-old in an adult body as a means of justifying the excessive force used by the police officer who assassinated the sixth-grader.

Similar to the comments made by Loomis, there have been attempts to justify the murder of Palestinian children. Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated in radio interviews and on X on November 30, There are no innocents in Gaza. President Isaac Herzog shared the same sentiment.

There are no innocents in Gaza.

As activist and educator Wagatwe Wajuki said on X:

If you wonder why Black people identify with the fight for Palestinian liberation: the white medias refusal to see our children as children resonates. [] Under white supremacy, childhood is racialized because they associate childhood with innocence and only white children are deemed innocent.

Israeli journalist Gideon Levy wrote in Haaretz of the children killed by Israel:
Vancouver, BC, April 30, 2024  TheNewswire  Hanstone Gold Corp. (TSX.V:HANS) (FRA:HGO) (the Company or Hanstone), is pleased to announce that the Company has filed an independent Technical Report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") supporting the previously announced gold and silver Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) (reported in the Company's news release dated March 21, 2024)

The Technical Report, titled " Technical Report and Initial Mineral Resource Estimate Of The Doc Gold-Silver Property, Skeena Mining Division, British Columbia, Canada " can be found on the Company's website at www.hanstonegold.com and under the Company's issuer profile at www.sedarplus.ca. The MRE, in accordance with National Instrument 43-101.

Doc Property Highlights:

The Inferred MRE contains 114,000 ounces of gold and 488,000 ounces of silver, or 120,000 ounces of gold equivalent.

The MRE exhibits excellent continuity through a wide range of AuEq cut-off grades up to 10 g/t AuEq with a likely elevated working cut-off at 7 g/t AuEq yielding a grade of 15.87 g/t AuEq

Previous geophysical work identified parallel vein structures giving the MRE excellent upside future potential (see Company website www.hanstonegold.com/doc-1)

Metallurgical test work achieved an overall gold recovery of 95.3% (see news release dated February 8th, 2023 Hanstone Receives Preliminary Metallurgical Results with Gold Recoveries up to 95.3% at the Doc Property, British Columbia)

Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET, President of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. and independent Qualified Person, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this disclosure.

About the DOC Gold Project

The DOC Gold Project covers 8 mineral claims covering 1,704 hectares in northwestern British Columbia. The Project is located approximately 70 kilometres north of Stewart, BC, and is accessible by a 45 minute helicopter flight from the helipad located in Stewart, BC. Trails provide excellent access to all major locations on the Property.

About Hanstone Gold Corp

Hanstone is a precious and base metals explorer with its current focus on the Doc and Snip North Projects optimally located in the heart of the prolific mineralized area of British Columbia known as the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is an area which hosts numerous producing and past-producing mines and several large deposits that are approaching potential development. The Company holds a 100% earn-in option on the 1,704-hectare Doc Project and owns a 100% interest in the 3,336-hectare Snip North Project. Hanstone has a highly experienced team of industry professionals with a successful track record in the discovery of gold deposits and in developing mineral exploration projects through discovery to production.

For Further Information Contact:

Ray Marks, President

+1-(778)-896-7778, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Or visit the Companys website at www.hanstonegold.com

Forward Looking Statements Disclaimer

The information contained herein contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the activities, events, or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified using words such as plans, expects, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, or believes or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events, or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved or the negative connotation thereof.

Forward-looking information and statements are based on the then current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about Hanstones business and the industry and markets in which it operates and will operate. Forward-looking information and statements are made based upon numerous assumptions, including among others, the results of planned exploration activities are as anticipated, the price of gold, the cost of planned exploration activities, that financing will be available if needed and on reasonable terms, that third party contractors, equipment, supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct Hanstones planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner. Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.




Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Prismo Metals Inc. (CSE: PRIZ) (OTCQB: PMOMF) (FSE: 7KU) ("Prismo" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Robertson as President of the Company. Mr. Robertson has been a technical advisor to Prismo since January 2023. Alain Lambert, currently the Executive Chairman of the Company will assume the role of CEO.

The board of Prismo believes that this is the right time to add to the management team with the anticipated increasing activity at the Company's exploration projects this year, in particular an upcoming drilling campaign at its Hot Breccia copper prospect located in Arizona.

This move will allow Co-Founder and former President & CEO, Dr. Craig Gibson to move into the role of Chief Exploration Officer (CXO) to focus more on the execution of field programs and exploration strategies.

Dr. Craig Gibson commented: "My position as President and CEO was intended to be temporary during Prismo's startup, as my strength has always been advancing projects through exploration work. I think this is the time to make the change, and I welcome Steve and Alain to their new positions."

Steve Robertson is a geologist with over 35 years of mining industry experience, having played key roles in building and advancing projects from exploration through to production. His career history includes working for majors, mid-tier producers and several C-suite roles at junior resource companies. Mr. Robertson's responsibilities during his 24-year tenure at Imperial Metals included oversight of exploration, government relations, permitting, community relations, aboriginal affairs and corporate communications. Notably, he led the exploration team that completed the deep drilling program at Red Chris that revealed the significance of that deposit as a world-class porphyry copper system.

Dr. Gibson, Mr. Robertson and Mr. Lambert recorded a video regarding the changes announced today. The video is available on the Company's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@prismometals.

Mr. Lambert noted that "Under Craig's leadership as CEO, we took the Company public, executed several financings, advanced our Palos Verdes and Los Pavitos projects in Mexico with nearly 8,000 meters of drilling, established a strategic relationship with Vizsla Silver Corp. (TSXV: VZLA) and optioned a 75% interest in the promising Hot Breccia copper project in Arizona. I look forward to continuing to work closely with him as I have done since the founding of the Company in 2019."

As CEO Mr. Lambert will continue to bring his wealth of experience in capital markets and also his legal background as he practiced as a lawyer prior to a 35-year career in financing and advising small and medium-sized companies. Mr. Lambert has been involved in private and public financings totaling more than $1 billion and has an extensive network of investors, investment bankers, analysts, and investor relations professionals. Mr. Lambert holds a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B.) from the University of Montreal and a diploma of collegial studies, specializing in administration from the College Jean-de-Brebeuf, Montreal, Quebec.

Louis Doyle, Director of Prismo stated, "The board is delighted to have both Steve and Alain take a more direct role in management of the Company while allowing Craig to concentrate on exploration, at this critical time. Prismo now has the right management mix to manage the three very strategic projects at this time when commodity prices are showing the strength that we have been waiting for, for years."

Mr. Robertson was granted 250,000 Restricted Stock Units ("RSUs") subject to certain vesting requirements. Each vested RSU entitles Mr. Robertson to receive one common share. The grant subject is to the Company's long-term performance incentive plan, which was approved by shareholders at the Company's annual general and special meeting of shareholders held on Sept. 29, 2022. A copy of the incentive plan is included in the Company's management information circular in respect of the meeting dated Aug. 31, 2022, available via the company's profile on SEDAR.

About Prismo

Prismo (CSE: PRIZ) is mining exploration company focused on two precious metal projects in Mexico (Palos Verdes and Los Pavitos) and a copper project in Arizona (Hot Breccia).

Please follow @PrismoMetals on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube

Prismo Metals Inc.

1100 - 1111 Melville St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 3V6

Contact:

Steve Robertson, President This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jason Frame, Manager of Communications This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement and exploration program results, the ability to complete future financings, required permitting, exploration programs and drilling, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.

The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities, the state of the commodity markets generally, variations in the nature, the analytical results from surface trenching and sampling program, including diamond drilling programs, the results of IP surveying, the results of soil and till sampling program. the quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including CSE acceptance, for its planned activities, the inability of the Company to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, the potential impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on the Company's exploration program and on the Company's general business, operations and financial condition, and other risks and uncertainties. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Canter Resources Corp. (CSE: CRC) (OTC Pink: CNRCF) (FSE: 601) ("Canter" or the "Company") is pleased to report that the Company has commenced gravel transport and stockpiling (see Image 1) in preparation for well drilling at its Columbus Lithium-Boron Project (the "Project", or "Columbus") located near Tonopah, Nevada. The gravel work is being completed by local contractor, Merritt Construction, concurrent with the ongoing Geoprobe drill campaign that is approaching the halfway mark with four (4) holes now completed (see Images 2-3).

"Our field activities continue to ramp up with our first phase of gravel work commencing concurrent with our Geoprobe drilling, so our technical group can oversee both contractors simultaneously. I'm pleased to report that the Company's ongoing 10-hole Geoprobe campaign has encountered two distinct aquifer zones within the upper 30 metres at Columbus," commented Canter CEO, Joness Lang. "We have collected two brine samples at similar depths in each hole across a north-south strike length of 1.2 kilometres to-date and hope to see this pattern continue as we aim to demonstrate lateral continuity of these shallow brine generating layers."

The Company is targeting anomalous lithium, boron and potassium mineralization in both the sedimentary clays (see Image 2) and shallow brine units (see Image 3) from this first phase of shallow Geoprobe drilling. There are distinct differences in composition between the two brine generating zones encountered to-date, with the upper zone at approximately 10-metre depth returning a darker brine within a relatively confined zone and a second significantly broader zone yielding a nearly clear brine at depths between 15-25 metres. The Company's larger-scale target at Columbus remains for testing at greater depths where lithium and boron enriched brines are likely to follow subvertical structures, trap and concentrate; however, the Geoprobe drilling accomplishes multiple objectives by providing valuable geologic and geochemical subsurface profiling across a greater lateral footprint while testing for lithium and boron mineralization within the shallow conductive layers produced by previous MT surveys (see press release dated March 20, 2024).

The 10-hole program is expected to take approximately one more week to complete, with results and interpretations from the Geoprobe program to be released once assays are received and vetted by the Company's technical personnel. The Company is following strict QA/QC protocol and procedures for brine sampling (see QA/QC section for more information).

The initial phase of gravel work is expected to also conclude later this week with a total of 1,500 cubic yards of gravel being stockpiled at a designated site at the Project. Once the Company has completed its Geoprobe drilling it will turn its attention to drill site preparations for the first planned exploration well.

Image 1: Merritt Construction arriving with gravel sourced from BLM community pit.

Image 2: Sampling sleeves and material from the top ten feet of Geoprobe hole CB24-013G (left).

Image 3: Hydrogeologist on site handling brine sample collected from hole CB24-013G at a depth of approximately 20 metre (right).

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Once a favourable lithology depth has been encountered, the advancement of the borehole is paused to commence groundwater sampling. Care is taken so the hole does not advance past the target zone before sampling. A drive-point screen sampler is then driven into the formation at the bottom of the borehole, and the protective sheath around the screen is pulled up to expose the screen. Groundwater is then lifted to the surface using a 20 to 50 mL stainless steel bailer with a check valve, which rests flush within the screen sampler. Approximately two initial bails are lifted to purge the sample depth, and general geochemical parameters (Temperature, pH, TDS, and Specific Conductivity) are measured and recorded from each bail. Sampling using the bailer continues to obtain the necessary 350 mL of groundwater for sampling. All bailed groundwater is collected in a separate container to blend the sample prior to filling the sample bottles, and a second suite of general geochemical parameters of the blended sample is recorded. The sample set consists of one 250 mL bottle filled to the brim, and two additional 250 mL bottles filled to at least 50 mL. No field filtering occurs. The bailer line is kept clean during each lift to prevent contamination of the samples.

Implementing effective QA/QC procedures is important to ensure the accuracy and reliability of collected data. By implementing appropriate QA/QC procedures, the reliability and accuracy of collected data is enhanced, improving the overall quality of the Project's results and interpretations. All groundwater samples are handled under chain of custody (COC) protocol using laboratory supplied forms to record who is in possession of the samples. Samples are stored cold, on ice or in a refrigerator. Samples are to be delivered to the lab within one (1) week of collection. The water sampling QA/QC program will require additional sampling. All additional samples shall be collected and gathered in the same manner as described above, including blending, and measuring of parameters. At every tenth sample, three additional samples will be collected consisting of a Duplicate, Umpire, and Blank sample.

Qualified Person (QP)

The technical information contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Eric Saderholm P.Geo, Director and Technical Advisor of Canter Resources, a Qualified Person (QP), as defined under National Instrument 43- 101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Canter Resources Corp.

Canter Resources Corp. is a Canadian junior mineral exploration company advancing the Columbus Lithium-Boron Project in Nevada, USA and the Beaver Creek Lithium Property in Montana, USA. The Company is completing Phase I exploration and drilling at Columbus to test a highly prospective lithium-boron brine target and plans to leverage the Company's critical metals targeting database to generate a portfolio of high-quality projects with the aim of defining mineral resources that support the domestic clean energy supply chain in North America.

For further information contact:

Joness Lang

Chief Executive Officer

Canter Resources Corp.

Tel: 778.382.1193

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For investor inquiries contact:

Kristina Pillon, High Tide Consulting Corp.

Tel: 604.908.1695

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Visible Gold Observed in Four More Holes; 52.1 g/t Au over 0.5 M in MC24-154

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2024) - Onyx Gold Corp. (TSXV: ONYX) ("Onyx" or the "Company") is pleased to announce additional gold results for the next 14 drill holes from its ongoing, fully funded 3,000-meter Spring Drill Program (the "Program") at its Munro-Croesus Project ("Munro-Croesus" or the "Project") in the Timmins gold camp, Ontario.

The 14 drill holes reported today were completed at the new GM Vein, located 350 meters ("m") from the past-producing Croesus Gold Mine, which yielded some of Ontario's highest-grade gold ever mined. Highlights are provided below, with key drill results in Table 1.

Drilling continues to intersect encouraging results from the GM Vein at an average vertical depth of 50-60 m with visible gold observed in four of the 14 holes reported today (MC24-152/154/156/162).

Drilling has now defined a higher-grade shoot plunging to the southwest and the GM Vein remains open for expansion in all directions.

Significant assay intersections include: MC24-154, a follow-up hole completed 10 m southwest from Hole MC23-132 ( 121.8 grams per tonne (" g/t ") gold (" Au ") 0.9 m - See Company press release dated December 6, 2023) , returned 52.06 g/t Au over 0.5 m within a broader zone of 26.52 g/t Au over 1.0 m . MC24-151, a follow-up hole completed 10 m northeast from Hole MC23-132, returned 20.44 g/t Au over 0.4 m within a broader zone of 10.97 g/t Au over 0.8 m . MC24-152, a follow-up hole completed 20 m up-dip from Hole MC24-151, returned 32.31 g/t Au over 0.3 m within a broader zone of 7.68 g/t Au over 1.4 m . MC24-156, a follow-up hole completed 5 m up-dip from Hole MC24-154, returned 15.52 g/t Au over 0.4 m.

A total of 20 holes totaling 1,713 m were drilled on the GM Vein in March and April 2024. Seventeen (17) short drill holes (MC24-143 to MC24-159) were completed across the GM Vein on three 10 meter-spaced drill fences. Two additional holes (MC24-160 and MC24-162) were completed 30 m down-plunge and 30 m up-plunge from the three main fences of holes. One hole, MC24-161, was drilled to the northeast to test for the prospective carbonaceous, sulfidic "flow top" breccia, which hosts the higher-grade portion of the Croesus Vein, 350 m to the southeast.

~84% of drill holes (16 of 19 holes drilled to date) intersected mineralization greater than 0.5 g/t Au. Ten drill holes intersected mineralization over 10 g/t Au.

The diamond drill rig is now testing the bulk-tonnage Argus Zone located three kilometers west of the GM Vein. The remaining program meterage will be dedicated to expanding the Argus Zone beyond its current strike length of 525 m and 200 m thickness.

Given the encouraging results, the Program has been upsized by 10% to 3,300 m and will wind up shortly. Assay results will be released on an ongoing basis pending review and compliance with Company QA/QC protocols.

"We are very encouraged with the results from this year's spring program so far," said Brock Colterjohn, President & CEO. "Our drilling efforts have successfully defined a higher-grade shoot, and the GM Vein remains open for expansion in all directions. We look forward to further expanding this high-grade lens and exploring for similarly plunging zones with future drill programs."

"We are now drilling over at the bulk-tonnage Argus zone target, with the objective of extending the zone further to the west. We've expanded the program by 10% to 3,300 meters, reflecting the positive results and our confidence in the project's prospects. Our commanding land position and wealth of opportunities for new discoveries provides the potential for Onyx to become the go-to explorer in the Timmins Camp. We are looking forward to reporting further assays as they become available."

Highlight Assay Results for GM Vein

26.52 g/t Au over 1.0 m , including 52.06 g/t Au over 0.5 m in hole MC24-154

, including in hole MC24-154 7.68 g/t Au over 1.4 m , including 32.31 g/t Au over 0.3 m in hole MC24-152

, including in hole MC24-152 10.97 g/t Au over 0.8 m , including 20.44 g/t Au over 0.4 m in hole MC24-151

, including in hole MC24-151 15.52 g/t Au over 0.4 m in hole MC24-156

in hole MC24-156 4.40 g/t Au over 0.8 m in hole MC24-162

2.62 g/t Au over 0.8 m in hole MC24-155

2.45 g/t Au over 0.3 m in hole MC24-153

1.77 g/t Au over 1.2 m in hole MC24-150

1.75 g/t Au over 2.0 m in hole MC24-158

Discussion of GM Vein Results

The GM Vein was first discovered in the 2023 fall drill program when drill hole MC23-132 intersected a 30 cm wide quartz vein with abundant visible gold that returned 363 g/t Au over 0.3 m. This intersection represents the single highest assay in the Company's drill hole database for the Project. The high-grade vein occurs within a broader zone of mineralization averaging 121.8 g/t Au over 0.9 m and was intersected approximately 60 m vertically below surface. This discovery represents an entirely new bonanza-grade quartz vein in a geological setting comparable to the mined-out, very high-grade Croesus vein, located 350 m to the southeast, along the prospective Croesus pillowed mafic volcanic flow.

A total of 20 holes totaling 1,713 m were drilled on the GM Vein in March and April 2024. Seventeen (17) short drill holes (MC24-143 to MC24-159) were completed on three 10 meter-spaced drill fences around hole MC23-132, two holes (MC24-160 and MC24-162) were drilled 30 m down-plunge and 30 m up-plunge respectively, and one hole, MC24-161, was drilled to the northeast to test for the prospective carbonaceous, sulfidic "flow top" breccia, which hosts the higher-grade portion of the Croesus Vein, 350 m to the southeast.

Results for the first six holes on the GM Vein were reported in mid-April and included 51.27 g/t Au over 0.5m in hole MC24-147 (See Company press release dated April 17, 2024). Results reported today are from the next 14 holes (MC24-149 to 162) and the drilling continues to intersect encouraging results from the GM Vein over widths of 0.3 m to 2.0 m and at an average vertical depth of 50 to 60 m. Visible gold was observed in four of the 14 holes reported today (MC24-152/154/156/162) and continues to be associated with thin black wavy stylolites within the quartz-carbonate vein. Drilling has now defined a higher-grade shoot plunging to the southwest and the GM Vein remains open for expansion in all directions.

Highlights today include: 26.52 g/t Au over 1.0 m including 52.06 g/t Au over 0.5 m in hole MC24-154, 10.97 g/t Au over 0.8 m including 20.44 g/t Au over 0.4 m in hole MC24-151, 7.68 g/t Au over 1.4 m including 32.31 g/t Au over 0.3 m in hole MC24-152, and 15.52 g/t Au over 0.4 m in hole MC24-156. Figure 3 and Figure 4 show drill hole locations for the holes reported herein, and Table 1 shows significant assay intersections.

Discussion of the 2024 Spring Drill Program

The 3,000 m Program initially focused on the GM Vein with 50% of the planned meters dedicated to expanding the known high-grade gold mineralization around drill hole MC23-132 by determining a potential plunge control on the gold "shoots" and identifying new, repeated "shoots" by targeting the GM Vein along strike. A total of 20 holes totaling 1,713 m have been drilled on the GM Vein and the remainder of the meterage has now been allocated to the Argus Zone, a broad zone of near-surface gold mineralization situated three kilometers west-northwest of the past-producing Croesus Gold Mine and immediately north of the Pipestone Fault. The objective of planned drilling is to follow up with 50 m step-out holes on the best intersection from the fall 2023 drilling (0.96 g/t Au over 27.6 m in drill hole MC23-140) and expand the Argus Zone beyond the current strike length of 525 m and 200 m thickness.

Given the encouraging results, the Program has been upsized by 10% to 3,300 m and will be completed by the end of April. To maximize sample sizes, all drilling in the GM Vein target was completed with HQ-sized core. Drilling in the Argus Zone will be completed with NQ-sized core as in previous drill programs. Assay results will be released on an ongoing basis pending review and meeting Company quality assurance and quality control protocols.

The Munro-Croesus Project

The Munro-Croesus Project is located along Highway 101 in the heart of the Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada's premier gold mining jurisdiction (Figure 1). This large, 100% owned land package includes the past-producing Croesus Gold Mine, which yielded some of the highest-grade gold ever mined in Ontario. Extensive land consolidation from 2020-2023 has unified the patchwork of patented and unpatented mining claims surrounding the Croesus Gold Mine into one coherent package (Figure 2) and enhanced the project's exploration potential.

The Project covers 70 km2 of highly prospective geology within the influence of major gold-bearing structural breaks. Bulk-tonnage gold deposits located in the immediate region include the Fenn-Gib gold project being developed by Mayfair Gold Corp. that contains an Indicated Resource of 3.38 Moz at 0.93 g/t Au and an Inferred Resource of 157 koz at 0.85 g/t Au, and the Tower Gold Project being developed by Moneta Gold Inc. that contains an open pit Indicated Resource of 4.46 Moz at 0.92 g/t Au and an Inferred Resource of 8.29 Moz at 1.09 g/t Au1.

Figure 1 - Onyx Gold's Land Position in Timmins, Ontario

Figure 2 - Location of Munro-Croesus Gold Project, Ontario

Figure 3 - Plan Map of Showing Location of 2024 Drill Holes on the GM Vein

Figure 4 - Inclined Longitudinal Section Showing Location of 2024 Drill Holes on the GM Vein

Table 1 - Significant Assay Results from Next 14 Holes Completed at The GM Vein

Drill Hole From (m) To (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) GM Vein Discovery MC24-149 No Significant Assays MC24-150 59.20 60.40 1.20 1.77 Including 59.60 60.00 0.40 3.74 MC24-151 63.50 64.30 0.80 10.97 Including 63.50 63.90 0.40 20.44 MC24-152 53.80 55.20 1.40 7.68 Including 53.80 54.10 0.30 32.31 MC24-153 54.80 55.10 0.30 2.45 MC24-154 63.60 64.60 1.00 26.52 Including 63.60 64.10 0.50 52.06 MC24-155 67.20 68.00 0.80 2.62 Including 67.70 68.00 0.30 4.33 MC24-156 62.60 63.00 0.40 15.52 MC24-157 57.80 58.10 0.30 0.84 MC24-158 56.60 58.60 2.00 1.75 MC24-159 No Significant Assays MC24-160 60.00 60.30 0.30 0.98 MC24-161 No Significant Assays MC24-162 50.30 51.10 0.80 4.40 Including 50.30 50.60 0.30 6.92 *Note - Drill Intercepts are 70-100% of true width. Averages are length weighted using a 0.5 g/t gold cut-off and a maximum of 10m of internal dilution. Ian Cunningham-Dunlop, P.Eng., Executive VP for Onyx Gold and qualified person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and verified the information within this table.

About the Timmins Area Gold Properties

Onyx owns 100% of each of its three Timmins properties. The Munro-Croesus Gold Project is located approximately 75 kilometers (47 miles) east of Timmins, proximal to the Porcupine-Destor and Pipestone Faults, and approximately two kilometers (1.2 miles) northwest and along trend of Mayfair Gold Corp.'s multi-million-ounce Fenn-Gib gold deposit. Mining occurred intermittently at Munro-Croesus between 1915 and 1936. The Golden Mile 140 square kilometer (54 square miles) property is located nine kilometers (5.6 miles) northeast of Newmont's multi-million-ounce Hoyle Pond deposit in Timmins. The Timmins South (Golden Perimeter) 187 square kilometers (72 square miles) property is located to the south and southeast of Timmins and surrounds the Shaw dome structure.

About Onyx Gold

Onyx Gold is an exploration company focused on well-established Canadian mining jurisdictions, with assets in Timmins, Ontario, and Yukon Territory. The Company's extensive portfolio of quality gold projects in the greater Timmins gold camp includes the Munro-Croesus Gold property, renowned for its high-grade mineralization, plus two additional earlier-stage large exploration properties, Golden Mile and Timmins South. Onyx Gold also controls four properties in the Selwyn Basin area of Yukon Territory, which is currently gaining significance due to recent discoveries in the area. Onyx Gold's experienced board and senior management team are committed to creating shareholder value through the discovery process, careful allocation of capital, and environmentally/socially responsible mineral exploration.

On Behalf of Onyx Gold Corp.

"Brock Colterjohn"

President & CEO

For further information, please visit the Onyx Gold Corp. website at www.onyxgold.com or contact:

Brock Colterjohn, President & CEO

or

Nicole Hoeller, VP of Communications

Phone: 1-604-629-1165 or North American toll-free 1-855-629-1165

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Website: www.onyxgold.com

Twitter : @ HYPERLINK "https://twitter.com/highgoldmining?lang=en"OnyxGoldCorp

1. Fenn-Gib Gold Project and Tower Gold Project mineral resources compiled from public sources and are provided for general information purposes. Readers are cautioned that the Company has no interest in or right to acquire any interest in adjacent properties and they are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Company's properties or any potential exploration thereof.

Additional Notes:

Starting azimuth, dip and final length (Azimuth/-Dip/Length) for the 14 drill holes reported today are noted as follows: MC24-149 (320/63/63), MC24-150 (320/74/81), MC24-151 (320/83/81), MC24-152 (320/66/78), MC24-153 (320/56/75), MC24-154 (320/74/84), MC24-155 (320/82/84), MC24-156 (320/69/81), MC24-157 (320/60/75/0, MC24-158 (320/51/75), MC24-159 (320/45/135), MC24-160 (320/80/84), MC24-161 (313.5/45/165), and MC24-162 (320/75/78).

Samples of drill core were cut by a diamond blade rock saw, with half of the cut core placed in individual sealed polyurethane bags and half placed back in the original core box for permanent storage. Sample lengths typically vary from a minimum 0.2-meter interval to a maximum 1.5-meter interval, with an average 0.5 to 1.0-meter sample length.

Drill samples from the mineralized zones from each drill hole were delivered by truck in sealed woven plastic bags to MSA Labs laboratory facility in Timmins, Ontario for sample preparation followed by the photon assay method. MSA Labs operate meeting all requirements of International Standards ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and ISO 9001:2015.

Drill core samples are crushed to 70% passing 2mm, then a representative split is taken and pulverized to 85% passing 75m. Gold is determined by photon assay of a 500-gram sample providing a true bulk reading. The Chrysos PhotonAssay method utilizes high energy x-rays causing excitation of atomic nuclei allowing enhanced analysis for gold.

Coarse rejects from MSA Labs and remaining drill core samples for each hole were then delivered by truck in sealed woven plastic bags to ALS Geochemistry laboratory facility in Timmins, Ontario for sample preparation with final analysis at ALS Geochemistry Analytical Lab facility in North Vancouver, BC. ALS Geochemistry operate meeting all requirements of International Standards ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and ISO 9001:2015.

Gold is determined by fire-assay fusion of a 50-gram sub-sample with atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Samples that return values >10 ppm gold from fire assay and AAS are determined by using fire assay and a gravimetric finish. Various metals including silver, gold, copper, lead and zinc are analyzed by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission spectroscopy, following multi-acid digestion. The elements copper, lead and zinc are determined by ore grade assay for samples that return values >10,000 ppm by ICP analysis. Silver is determined by ore-grade assay for samples that return >100 ppm.

All ALS Geochemistry sites operate under a single Global Geochemistry Quality Manual that complies with ISO/IEC 17025:2017. ALS Geochemistry follows the quality management and operational guidelines set out in the international standards ISO/IEC 17025 - "General Requirement for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories" and ISO 9001 - "Quality Management Systems".

The Company maintains a robust QA/QC program that includes the collection and analysis of duplicate samples and the insertion of blanks and standards (certified reference material).

Ian Cunningham-Dunlop, P.Eng., Senior VP Exploration for HighGold Mining Inc. and a qualified person ("QP") as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward looking information: This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively "forward looking statements").

Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections, and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "project", "target", "schedule", "budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's planned exploration programs and drill programs and potential significance of results are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Company's expectations include actual exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital, and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials, and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events, or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
TORONTO / May 01, 2024 / Business Wire / Rupert Resources Ltd. (Rupert or the Company) reports follow-up assay results from the Heina South satellite target (located 1km from Ikkari, Figure 1) and project drilling at Ikkari. The results from exploration drilling at Heina South extend the broader mineralised zone to over 250m strike length and 200m vertical extent and include high-grade intercepts such as #124061 which intersected 10.5g/t Au over 24.40m including 112.5g/t Au over 2m (Figure 2). Project drilling at Ikkari continues to provide intercepts of exceptional width and grade continuity, increasing confidence in the ~4Moz Indicated Resource (see press release 28th November 2023).

Highlights

Heina South

#124061 intersected 24.40m at 10.5g/t Au from 65m downhole (40m vertical) including 2m at 112.5g/t Au. This is the highest-grade intercept to date within the broader, more continuous mineralised trend and suggests that mineralisation sub-crops below the ~10-15m of glacial overburden present at Heina South (Figure 3).

#124027 intersected 29m at 1.9g/t Au from 231m including 1m at 26.7g/t Au and #124023 intersected 23m at 1.4g/t Au from 58m including 1m at 8.2g/t Au both within the same mineralised zone that has been successfully defined over 250m of strike length and to a depth of 200m below surface, it remains open in all directions (Figure 4).

Ikkari

Project drilling at Ikkari continues to produce exceptional intercepts which confirm the high-grade core such as #124038: 24m at 11.4g/t Au, including 3m at 37.0g/t Au and the broader mineralisation present at the deposit typified by #124036: 139.80m at 2.0g/t Au. (Figure 5 and Figure 6).

James Withall, CEO of Rupert Resources commented These exciting results from Heina South demonstrate the potential for higher-grades within the more continuous mineralisation which we have now traced over a strike length of 250m. Exploration, focussed on Heina South, along with extensional and project drilling at Ikkari, has been the focus of our winter drilling campaign. During the winter season we have followed-up promising intercepts, at shallow depths, to the west of the Heina South trend which has the potential to become a satellite ore body to the 4Moz Ikkari deposit. Project drilling at Ikkari continues to both increase confidence in the Mineral Resource Model and provide additional material ahead of the next round of metallurgical test work which will feed into future, more advanced engineering studies.

Heina South

Drilling at the Heina South target continues to identify a broader style of mineralisation than was in evidence from drilling undertaken in previous years and #124061 which intersected 24.40m at 10.5g/t Au including 2m at 112.5g/t Au demonstrates the potential for high-grade mineralisation within the broader more continuous trend (Figure 3). Previously intercepts of this nature such as #124019: 25m 16.5g/t Au from 83m including 1m at 363g/t Au (see press release 3rd March 2024) were encountered to the north of this trend.

#124023 and #124027 tested the vertical extent of the mineralisation up-dip and down-dip of #124019 which also intersected 14m at 1.2g/t Au from 201m in the southernmost breccia (see press release 3rd March 2024). #124023 intersected 23m at 1.4g/t Au from 58m and #124027 returned 29.0m at 1.9g/t Au from 231m including 1.0m at 26.7g/t Au with the intercepts from both holes occurring in the continuation of the sulphide rich breccia unit demonstrating continuity of mineralisation over 200m down-dip (Figure 4).

Follow-up drilling has continued at Heina South with three further holes completed before the spring thaw and work continues to identify the control on the high-grade mineralisation present at the deposit.

Ikkari

A project drilling program was initiated at Ikkari during spring 2024 serving multiple purposes: increasing confidence in the ~4Moz Indicated Mineral Resource Estimate (see press release 28th November 2023); providing additional material for metallurgical test work feeding into future, more advanced engineering studies and providing further geotechnical data for the optimisation of mine planning. Results from the first 5-holes of the program are presented here (Figure 5) and include wide intercepts through the deposit such as #124036 (139.80m at 2.0g/t Au, Figure 6) and #124037 (81.90m at 2.5g/t Au) and holes that targeted the high-grade core of the deposit such as #124038 (24m at 11.4g/t Au including 3m at 37g/t Au). These intercepts, each 20m from the closest drill hole, serve to increase confidence in the resource model at Ikkari and provide substantial material for future metallurgical test work as the project continues to be de-risked. Project engineering and permitting continues with a prefeasibility study now targeted for delivery in the second half of calendar 2024.

Geological interpretation of Heina South

The Heina South target was reappraised based on results from a new higher resolution geophysical survey flown in later 2023 which identified a south-west extension which had been untested in previous years due to a lack of base of till anomalism. Gold mineralisation in the west of Heina South is associated with multi-phase sulphide mineralisation consisting of pyrite+-pyrrhotite+-chalcopyrite, principally occurring as the matrix to an earlier brecciated (iron)-carbonate phase. The earlier veins occur primarily within altered carbonaceous sediments folded between more homogenous gabbroic units. Gold mineralisation in the east of Heina South is hosted within quartz-pyrite and massive pyrite veins and as lenses, as part of a stockwork of quartz-carbonate veins. Zones of massive pyrite contain the highest grades (>10g/t Au) with disseminated sulphide zone containing anomalous (<0.5g/t) gold. Early quartz-carbonate veins are overprinted by extensional veins that include coarse-grained pyrite and form sub-parallel trends, broadly related to lithological contacts between sediments and mafic-intermediate intrusives, although mineralisation also occurs within both lithologies. Further drilling is required to allow a resource to be published for the occurrence.

Geological interpretation of Ikkari

Ikkari was discovered using systematic regional exploration that initially focused on geochemical sampling of the bedrock/till interface through glacial till deposits of 5m to 40m thickness. No outcrop is present, and topography is dominated by low-lying swamp areas.

The Ikkari deposit occurs within rocks that have been regionally mapped as 2.05-2.15 billion years (Ga) old Savukoski group greenschist-metamorphosed mafic-ultramafic volcanic rocks, part of the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt (CLGB). Gold mineralisation is largely confined to the structurally modified unconformity at a significant domain boundary. Younger sedimentary lithologies are complexly interleaved, with intensely altered ultramafic rocks, and the mineralized zone is bounded to the north by a steeply N-dipping cataclastic zone. Within the mineralised zone lithologies, alteration and structure appear to be sub-vertical in contrast to wider Area 1 where lithologies generally dipping at a moderated angle to the north.

The main mineralized zone is strongly altered and characterised by intense veining and foliation that pervasively overprints original textures. An early phase of finely laminated grey ankerite/dolomite veins is overprinted by stockwork-like irregular siderite  quartz  chlorite  sulphide veins. These vein arrays are often deformed with shear-related boudinage and in situ brecciation. Magnetite and/or haematite are common, in association with pyrite. Hydrothermal alteration commonly comprises quartz-dolomite-chlorite-magnetite (haematite). Gold is hosted by disseminated and vein-related pyrite. Multi-phase breccias are well developed within the mineralised zone, with early silicified cataclastic phases overprinted by late, carbonate- iron-oxide- rich, hydrothermal breccias which display a subvertical control. All breccias frequently host disseminated pyrite, and are often associated with higher gold grades, particularly where magnetite or haematite is prevalent. In the sedimentary lithologies, albite alteration is intense and pervasive, with pyrite-magnetite ( gold) hosted in veinlets in brittle fracture zones.

Figures & tables

Figures and tables featured in the Appendix at end of release include:

Figure 1. Location of new drilling in the context of the schematic structural interpretation of Ikkari and surrounding high-priority exploration targets.

Figure 2. Plan map showing location of new drilling and intercepts at Heina South.

Figure 3: Long Section on the southern margin Heina South showing the new results in the context of previously released drillholes

Figure 3. Cross Section through Heina South showing the New Results from drillholes 124027 and 124023 in the context of previously released 124019.

Figure 4. Plan map showing the location of new drilling and at Ikkari.

Figure 5. Cross section showing the results of hole 124036 in relation to the mineral resource block model at Ikkari.

Table 1. Collar locations of the new drill holes, Heina South

Table 2. New Intercepts from Exploration Drill Holes, Heina South

New Intercepts from Exploration Drill Holes, Heina South Table 3. Collar locations of the new drill holes, Ikkari

Table 4. New Intercepts from Infill Drill Holes, Ikkari

Review by Qualified Person, Quality Control and Reports

Craig Hartshorne, a Chartered Geologist and a Fellow of the Geological Society of London, is the Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101, responsible for the accuracy of scientific and technical information in this news release.

The majority of samples are prepared by ALS Finland in either Sodankyla or Outokumpu. Fire assays are subsequently completed at ALS Romania whilst multielement analysis is completed in ALS Ireland or Sweden. A minority of samples are prepared by Eurofins Laboratory in Sodankyla and Fire Assay is carried out on site. A pulverised sub-sample is then sent to ALS Ireland for multi-element analysis. All samples are under watch from the drill site to the storage facility. Samples at both laboratories are assayed using 50g fire assay method with aqua regia digest and analysis by AAS for gold. Over limit analysis (>100 ppm Au) are conducted using fire assay and gravimetric finish. For multi-element assays, Ultra Trace Level Method by 4-Acid digest (HF-HNO3-HClO4 acid digestion, HCl leach) and a combination of ICP-MS and ICP-AES are used. The Companys QA/QC program includes the regular insertion of blanks and standards into the sample shipments, as well as instructions for duplication. Standards, blanks and duplicates are inserted at appropriate intervals. Approximately five percent (5%) of samples have the pulp reject resubmitted for check assaying at a second laboratory.

Results presented for #124027, 124034 and 124061 include results from screen fire assay as indicated in Table 2. Screen fire assays were requested due to the presence of coarse gold in the drill core and were performed by ALS Romania. Screen fire assays involve the screening of 1kg at 106 microns to separate the sample into a coarse fraction (>106m) and a fine fraction (<106m). After screening, two 50g sub-samples of the fine fraction are analysed using the normal 50g fire assay method with aqua regia digest and analysis by AAS for gold. The entire coarse fraction is assayed to determine the contribution of the coarse gold using fire assay and gravimetric finish. The total gold calculation for the 1kg sample is based on the weighted average of the coarse and fine fractions and is reported for the indicated samples.

Base of till samples are prepared in ALS Sodankyla by dry-sieving method prep-41 and assayed for gold by fire assay with ICP-AES finish. Multi-elements are assayed in ALS laboratories in either of Ireland, Romania or Sweden by aqua regia with ICP-MS finish. Rupert maintains a strict chain of custody procedure to manage the handling of all samples. The Companys QA/QC program includes the regular insertion of blanks and standards into the sample shipments, as well as instructions for duplication and external check assays.

About Rupert Resources

Rupert Resources is a gold exploration and development company listed on the TSX Exchange under the symbol RUP. The Company is focused on making and advancing discoveries of scale and quality with high margin and low environmental impact potential. The Companys principal focus is Ikkari1, a new high quality gold discovery in Northern Finland. Ikkari is part of the Companys Rupert Lapland Project, which also includes the Pahtavaara gold mine, mill, and exploration permits (Pahtavaara).

Neither the TSX Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains statements which, other than statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements with respect to: results of exploration activities and mineral resources. The words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made, and are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the general risks of the mining industry, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's annual Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended February 28, 2023 available here. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

1 November 2023 Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Ikkari Project.

The Mineral Resource Estimate for the Ikkari project has been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and following the requirements of Form 43-101F1. The methodology used to determine the Mineral Resource Estimate is consistent with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Estimation of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves Best Practices Guidelines (November 2019) and was classified following CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources & Mineral Reserves (May 2014). Readers are cautioned that Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves, and do not demonstrate economic viability. There is no certainty that all, or any part, of this Mineral Resource will be converted into Mineral Reserve. Inferred Mineral Resources are considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. Numbers may be affected by rounding.

The QP for the Ikkari Mineral Resource estimate is Mr. Brian Thomas, P.Geo., an independent QP, as defined under NI43-101 and an employee of WSP Canada Inc. based in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

The effective date of the 2023 Mineral Resource Estimate for Ikkari is 24th October 2023. The Mineral Resource Estimate at Ikkari is interpolated using Ordinary Kriging (OK) and is reported both within a Whittle optimized open pit shell and as a potential underground operation outside that. Underground mineral resources are constrained within the estimation domains to meet the RPEEE criteria for UG mining. The Mineral Resource Estimate at Ikkari is reported using a cutoff grade of 0.4g/t Au for mineralisation potentially mineable by open pit methods and 0.9g/t Au for mineralisation potentially extractable by underground methods. The open pit and underground cut off-grades are calculated using a gold price at $1700 per ounce; 95% Au Metallurgical recovery; open pit mining costs at $2.9/t; underground mining cost at $29/t; process costs at $11.3/t; G&A, Rehab and Closure $4.8/t and a royalty of 0.75%. The calculated cutoff grade is rounded up to 0.4g/t for reporting. The calculated underground cutoff grade is rounded up to 0.9g/t.

APPENDIX

Table 1. Collar locations of new drill holes, Heina South

Hole ID Prospect Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip EOH (m) 124021 Heina South 452508.2 7497414.0 226.0 154.1 -50.7 226.90 124023 Heina South 452315.023 7497228.1 226.9 153.8 -50.5 253.30 124027 Heina South 452264.401 7497336.8 226.4 154.0 -50.9 292.10 124028 Heina South 452317.999 7497316.8 226.6 153.0 -49.3 250.70 124030 Heina South 452227.808 7497320.9 226.3 152.8 -50.6 251.00 124031 Heina South 452055.359 7497223.8 226.6 158.0 -51.2 153.40 124032 Heina South 452154.69 7497288.4 226.4 155.8 -49.2 242.50 124034 Heina South 452300.433 7497354.2 226.3 157.5 -49.8 299.00 124061 Heina South 452390.6 7497239.1 227.0 178.8 -45.2 200.00

Table 2. New Intercepts from Heina South

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Grade Au (g/t) 124021 196.00 197.00 1.00 0.6 124023 58.00 81.00 23.00 1.4 including 67.00 68.00 1.00 8.2 88.60 91.00 2.40 7.8 including 88.60 90.00 1.40 12.6 124027 57.00 59.00 3.00 0.4 75.00 76.00 1.00 1.5 93.00 94.00 1.00 3.4 98.00 100.00 2.00 0.8 109.00 110.00 1.00 0.9 120.00 121.00 1.00 3.3 126.00 130.00 4.00 7.3 including 126.00 127.00 1.00 26.3 141.00 142.00 1.00 0.7 151.00 152.00 1.00 0.5 161.00 173.00 12.00 1.1 including 164.00 165.00 1.00 2.4 and 170.00 171.00 1.00 3.6 219.00 224.00 5.00 0.9 including 220.00 221.00 1.00 2.0 231.00 260.00 29.00 1.91 including 251.00 252.00 1.00 26.7 269.00 276.00 7.00 0.9 including 275.00 276.00 1.00 2.0 124028 132.60 133.75 1.15 0.4 135.80 137.00 1.20 0.7 155.00 156.00 1.00 0.6 169.00 170.00 1.00 0.5 203.00 225.00 22.00 0.7 including 206.40 212.00 5.60 1.2 124030 49.00 50.00 1.00 6.3 71.00 77.00 6.00 2.0 including 74.00 75.00 1.00 9.6 82.00 84.00 2.00 12.2 including 82.00 83.00 1.00 23.8 100.00 101.00 1.00 0.40 111.00 112.80 1.80 0.51 115.00 116.00 1.00 0.40 158.00 159.00 1.00 0.7 175.00 178.00 3.00 1.3 including 175.00 176.00 1.00 2.8 205.00 206.00 1.00 1.0 211.00 212.00 1.00 1.1 224.00 233.00 9.00 1.9 including 228.00 229.00 1.00 12.5 239.00 240.35 1.35 0.5 124031 26.00 27.00 1.00 0.8 32.00 33.00 1.00 5.0 41.00 42.50 1.50 2.0 50.00 51.00 1.00 0.5 58.00 60.00 2.00 0.7 124032 73.00 74.00 1.00 2.6 84.00 103.00 19.00 1.0 including 88.00 89.00 1.00 5.7 106.00 107.00 1.00 0.8 124.00 125.00 1.00 0.7 127.00 135.00 8.00 0.9 140.00 141.00 1.00 0.6 124034 91.00 93.00 2.00 3.51 101.00 106.00 5.00 1.2 111.00 112.00 1.00 0.4 151.00 152.00 1.00 0.5 172.00 173.00 1.00 0.5 174.00 175.00 1.00 0.4 189.00 191.00 2.00 0.6 236.00 246.00 10.00 0.70 254.00 272.00 18.00 0.50 including 254.00 255.00 1.00 2.40 276.00 277.00 1.00 0.50 287.00 288.00 1.00 1.30 124061 58.00 60.00 2.00 0.75 65.00 89.40 24.40 10.501 including 68.00 69.00 1.00 6.801 and 70.00 72.00 2.00 112.501 and 84.00 85.00 1.00 6.00

1Assays include results from Screen Fire Assay, all other results from standard 50g fire assay.

No upper cut-off grade has been applied. 0.4g/t Au lower cut-off applied, a maximum of 5m internal dilution has been allowed when calculating intercepts unless otherwise stated. All intervals over the cut-off grade are presented here. Italic intervals indicate intercepts included within the wider intercept. Unless specified, true widths cannot be accurately determined from the information available. Bold intervals referred to in text of release. Refer to https://rupertresources.com/news/ for details of previously released drilling intercepts. EOH End of Hole. NSI  No significant intercept

Table 3. Collar locations of new drill holes, Ikkari

Hole ID Prospect Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip EOH (m) 124033 Ikkari 453846.766 7496726.1 223.0 331.5 -51.2 120.00 124035 Ikkari 454282.306 7496832.0 224.2 332.8 -53.2 200.20 124036 Ikkari 453891.859 7496913.9 223.5 159.2 -51.6 221.60 124037 Ikkari 453884.613 7496831.4 223.6 155.0 -60.9 182.50 124038 Ikkari 453978.419 7496916.7 223.1 155.4 -50.6 181.10

Table 4. New Intercepts from Ikkari

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Grade Au (g/t) 124033 20.90 122.00 91.10 1.5 Including 20.90 35.00 14.10 2.9 and 53.00 54.00 1.00 5.4 and 80.00 83.00 3.00 6.0 124035 63.00 73.00 10.00 3.4 Including 64.00 65.00 1.00 24.9 and 70.85 71.30 0.45 12.4 85.00 86.00 1.00 6.1 97.00 107.00 10.00 1.2 Including 105.00 106.00 1.00 3.1 148.00 160.00 12.00 1.5 Including 149.00 150.00 1.00 4.4 and 159.00 160.00 1.00 6.9 124036 61.20 201.00 139.80 2.0 Including 125.00 138.00 13.00 5.6 also includes 135.00 136.00 1.00 27.0 and 153.00 156.00 3.00 8.2 and 170.00 175.00 5.00 8.5 124037 12.10 94.00 81.90 2.5 Including 19.00 23.00 4.00 4.8 and 41.00 42.00 1.00 7.5 and 45.00 46.00 1.00 5.2 and 75.00 80.00 5.00 8.4 and 85.00 86.00 1.00 8.9 120.00 146.00 26.00 2.8 Including 123.00 124.00 1.00 7.3 and 135.00 136.00 1.00 28.7 and 138.00 139.00 1.00 8.0 152.00 162.00 10.00 2.1 Including 158.00 159.00 1.00 12.3 124038 65.00 66.00 1.00 1.0 75.00 78.00 3.00 0.7 84.00 97.80 13.00 0.5 105.00 125.00 20.00 1.1 Including 107.00 109.00 2.00 4.8 and 123.00 124.00 1.00 2.6 138.00 162.00 24.00 11.4 Including 157.00 160.00 3.00 37.0

No upper cut-off grade has been applied. 0.4g/t Au lower cut-off applied, a maximum of 5m internal dilution has been allowed when calculating intercepts unless otherwise stated. All intervals over the cut-off grade and greater than 1gram-meter are presented here. Italic intervals indicate intercepts included within the wider intercept. Unless specified, true widths cannot be accurately determined from the information available. Bold intervals referred to in text of release. Refer to https://rupertresources.com/news/ for details of previously released drilling intercepts. EOH End of Hole. NSI  No significant intercept
(All financial figures in United States dollars unless otherwise stated)

VANCOUVER, BC, April 30, 2024 /CNW/ - OceanaGold Corporation (TSX: OGC) (OTCQX: OCANF) ("OceanaGold" or the "Company") reported its operational and financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2024. The condensed interim consolidated financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") are available at www.oceanagold.com.

Gerard Bond, President and CEO of OceanaGold, said "2024 is expected to be a strong production growth and Free Cash Flow delivery year for OceanaGold and our first quarter results are in-line with expectations. As outlined in our Guidance in February, we expect to see gold production increase each quarter throughout the year with stronger second half performance at all four of our operating sites."

At Haile, the Horseshoe underground is ramping up on schedule with full mining rates expected to be achieved by mid-year, at the same time as we begin to access a higher proportion of open pit ore from Ledbetter pit, which positions Haile for a very strong second half. Similarly at Macraes, we have been stripping Innes Mills 7 to unlock the next phase of open pit ore, which we expect to be delivered to the mill in the second half of the year. At Didipio, the mining sequence had us in the lower grade areas of the underground during the quarter, and we expect to access higher grades by mid-year in line with plan.

The Company delivered exciting exploration results across our portfolio, including the first underground drilling into Horseshoe Extension at Haile, high grade results at the growing Wharekirauponga deposit in New Zealand, and we announced the start of a brand new exploration program at our regional Napartan target at Didipio.

The balance sheet remains strong and we plan to apply the proceeds expected from the OceanaGold Philippines Inc. listing on the Philippines Stock Exchange this quarter to the repayment of debt.

Mr Bond said, "Progressively stronger production in each remaining quarter of this year, and with strong gold and copper prices, we expect to be in a position to further strengthen the balance sheet, invest in our organic growth and consider additional returns to shareholders."

 See "Non-IFRS Financial Information" in the MD&A.

Highlights

On-track to meet full-year 2024 consolidated production, cost and capital guidance.

12MMA Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate ("TRIFR") has remained steady at 1.0 per 200,000 hours worked at March 31, 2024 .

. Produced 104,800 ounces of gold and 3,000 tonnes of copper in the first quarter.

in the first quarter. All-In Sustaining Cost ("AISC")  of $1,823 per ounce for the first quarter.

for the first quarter. Gold sales of 116,800 ounces for Q1, which includes 12,000 ounces of 2023 production.

for Q1, which includes 12,000 ounces of 2023 production. Revenue of $270.3 million , driven by record average realized gold price of $2,092 per ounce.

, driven by record average realized gold price of per ounce. Ended the quarter with Net Debt  of $81.8 million (excludes finance leases) at a Leverage Ratio  of 0.21x .

(excludes finance leases) at a . Released updated Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources , including Indicated Resource growth to 1 million ounces of gold (2.0 million tonnes at 15.9 g/t) at Wharekirauponga and initial Mineral Reserves of 380,000 ounces (4.0 million tonnes at 2.9 g/t) at Palomino at Haile.

, including Indicated Resource growth to 1 million ounces of gold (2.0 million tonnes at 15.9 g/t) at Wharekirauponga and initial Mineral Reserves of 380,000 ounces (4.0 million tonnes at 2.9 g/t) at Palomino at Haile. Released updated technical report for Haile which, based on Mineral Reserves only, is expected to produce 2.3 million ounces of gold over a 12-year mine life at average gold production of 192,000 ounces per year with a life of mine average AISC  of $1,200 per ounce.

which, based on Mineral Reserves only, is expected to produce 2.3 million ounces of gold over a 12-year mine life at average gold production of 192,000 ounces per year with a life of mine average AISC of per ounce. Received regulatory approvals and permit to sell for the Initial Public Offering of 20% of OceanaGold Philippines Inc., which holds Didipio . Listing is expected to be completed on May 13 , with proceeds applied to reduce OceanaGold's bank debt, further strengthening the balance sheet.

. Listing is expected to be completed on , with proceeds applied to reduce OceanaGold's bank debt, further strengthening the balance sheet. Announced the sale of the Blackwater Project in New Zealand for $30 million in cash, with closing subject to regulatory approval.

for in cash, with closing subject to regulatory approval. Semi-annual dividend of $0.01 per share was paid on April 26 , 2024.

 See "Non-IFRS Financial Information" in the MD&A.

Table 1  Production and Cost Results Summary

Quarter ended

March 31, 2024 Haile Didipio Waihi Macraes Consolidated Q1 2024 Q4 2023 Q1 2023 Production, Sales & Costs Gold Produced koz 34.7 26.3 11.4 32.3 104.8 129.8 118.1 Gold Sales koz 41.2 31.8 11.6 32.2 116.8 118.8 112.0 Average Gold Price $/oz 2,092 2,136 2,096 2,046 2,092 1,993 1,919 Copper Produced kt  3.0   3.0 3.8 3.5 Copper Sales kt  3.2   3.2 3.9 3.3 Average Copper Price1 $/lb  3.90   3.90 3.80 4.29 Cash Costs $/oz 1,569 742 1,601 1,016 1,194 987 861 AISC2 $/oz 1,987 946 2,393 1,814 1,823 1,658 1,567 Operating Physicals Material Mined kt 5,425 454 244 12,820 18,943 20,785 22,816 Waste Mined kt 5,314 39 113 11,981 17,447 18,158 19,615 Ore Mined kt 110 415 131 839 1,495 2,627 3,202 Mill Feed kt 813 942 132 1,665 3,552 3,671 3,095 Mill Feed Grade g/t 1.76 0.98 2.96 0.73 1.12 1.27 1.39 Gold Recovery % 75.3 88.6 91.4 82.1 82.1 86.5 84.8 Capital Expenditures3 Sustaining $M 7.8 4.6 2.5 5.6 20.5 22.2 20.7 Pre-strip & Capitalized Mining $M 8.2 1.9 5.5 18.7 34.3 41.6 42.0 Growth $M 9.0 1.9 1.6 0.7 13.2 13.0 16.1 Exploration $M 1.8 0.4 3.3 0.6 6.1 7.2 4.3 Total Capital Expenditures $M 26.8 8.8 12.9 25.6 74.1 84.0 83.1

1 The Average Copper Price Received calculated includes mark-to-market revaluations on unfinalized shipments as well as final adjustments on prior period shipments per accounting requirements 2 AISC is exclusive of corporate G&A expenses but include share based remuneration paid to eligible site employees, Consolidated AISC is inclusive of corporate G&A expenses which includes share based remuneration paid to eligible non-operations corporate employees. Cash Costs and AISC are reported on ounces sold and net of by-product credit basis. 3 Capital and exploration expenditure by location includes related regional greenfield exploration where applicable. Corporate capital projects not related to a specific operating region totaled $0.6 million in Q1 2024 and $0.2 million Q4 2023.

Table 2  Financial Summary

Q1 2024 Q4 2023 Q1 2023 Revenue $M 270.3 267.3 243.9 Cash Costs $/oz 1,194 987 861 AISC $/oz 1,823 1,658 1,567 Adjusted EBITDA $M 80.9 91.6 102.1 Adjusted net profit $M 3.7 6.6 41.0 Net (loss) profit $M (5.3) (18.9) 38.9 (Loss) earnings per share $/share $(0.01) $(0.03) $0.06 Adjusted earnings per share $/share $0.01 $0.01 $0.06

Table 3 - Cash flow Summary

$M, except per share amounts Q1 2024 Q4 2023 Q1 2023 Cash flows from Operating Activities 75.3 94.8 65.2 Cash flows used in Investing Activities (73.5) (78.7) (81.6) Cash flows from (used in) Financing Activities 19.2 (13.9) (6.6) Free Cash Flows 1.8 16.1 (16.4) Operating Cash Flow per share $0.11 $0.12 $0.14

Operations

The Company produced 104,800 ounces of gold and 3,000 tonnes of copper in the first quarter of 2024. First quarter gold production was 19% lower than the previous quarter and 11% lower than the corresponding quarter in 2023. The decrease compared to the previous quarter was largely driven by expected lower mill feed grade at Didipio (previous quarter included more high grade stope ore) and a planned 5-day process plant shutdown, Waihi (localized geotechnical constraints limiting access to high grade stopes) and Macraes (planned utilization of low grade stockpile feed), partially off-set by higher grade underground ore feed at Haile. The decrease compared to the corresponding quarter in 2023 was largely driven by lower grade at Haile (compared with access to higher grade open pit ore in the first quarter of 2023), lower grade at all other operations, partially off-set by higher mill throughput at both Macraes and Waihi.

Gold sales in the first quarter of 2024 are consistent with the previous quarter and the corresponding quarter in 2023, due to the reduction of inventory and timing of sales at Haile and Didipio.

Financial

Revenue

The Company recorded first quarter consolidated revenue of $270.3 million, a 1% increase compared to the previous quarter despite a 2% decrease in gold sales volumes, largely due to the 5% increase in the average realized gold price.

First quarter revenue was 11% above the corresponding period in 2023, reflecting higher gold sold at Macraes, combined with a 9% higher average realized gold price, partly offset by lower gold sales volumes from Didipio in line with the mine plan.

AISC

The Company recorded a first quarter AISC of $1,823 per ounce on gold sales of 116,800 ounces. This was a 10% increase in AISC compared to the previous quarter and a 16% increase compared to the corresponding period in 2023. The quarter-on-quarter increase in the first quarter AISC is due to higher unit costs at all operations except for Haile, where AISC decreased due to higher gold sales than production (release of inventory) and higher grades from Horseshoe Underground. The cost increases at Didipio were due to lower sales volumes in line with the mine plan, while lower grades mined and processed resulted in lower sales volumes at Macraes and Waihi.

Adjusted EBITDA

First quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $80.9 million, a 12% decrease relative to the previous quarter mainly due to the higher costs of sales at Haile due to more rehandled tonnes moved to expose the Ledbetter Phase 3 footprint.

First quarter Adjusted EBITDA was 21% lower than the corresponding quarter in 2023 as higher revenues were offset by higher cost of sales across the operations and accrual of the Additional Government Share at Didipio, along with higher foreign exchange losses compared with other income in 2023.

Net profit (loss)

The first quarter unadjusted net loss of $5.3 million or $(0.01) per share fully diluted, was lower than the unadjusted net loss of $18.9 million and $(0.03) per share fully diluted in the previous quarter. The $13.6 million decrease in net loss was primarily driven by the previous quarter non-cash write-down of indirect tax receivables in the Philippines totaling $38.3 million and the increase in the average gold price in the first quarter, partially offset by an increase in operating costs (refer to AISC section above).

First quarter of 2024 unadjusted net loss represents a decrease in profitability of $44.2 million or 114% from the corresponding quarter in 2023 primarily due to a 16% increase in AISC, a $19.7 million increase in depreciation and amortization (due to processing more lower grade stockpile material which has higher depreciation and amortization per contained gold ounce) and the Additional Government Share of $9.3 million at Didipio, partially offset by the increase in the average gold price.

 See "Non-IFRS Financial Information" in the MD&A.

Conference Call

Senior management will host a conference call / webcast to discuss the quarterly results on Wednesday May 1st, 2024 at 10:00 am Eastern Time.

Webcast Details:

To register, please copy and paste the link into your browser: https://app.webinar.net/ejwKB7YEJy6

Conference Call Details:

Toll-free North America: +1 888-390-0546

International: +1 416-764-8688

If you are unable to attend the call, a recording will be made available on the Company's website.

About OceanaGold

OceanaGold is a growing intermediate gold and copper producer committed to safely and responsibly maximizing the generation of Free Cash Flow from our operations and delivering strong returns for our shareholders. We have a portfolio of four operating mines: the Haile Gold Mine in the United States of America; Didipio Mine in the Philippines; and the Macraes and Waihi operations in New Zealand.

Cautionary Statement for Public Release

This public release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the future financial and operating performance of the Company, its mining projects, the future price of gold, the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the realization of mineral reserve and resource estimates, costs of production, estimates of initial capital, sustaining capital, operating and exploration expenditures, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, costs and timing of the development of new mines, costs and timing of future exploration and drilling programs, timing of filing of updated technical information, anticipated production amounts, requirements for additional capital, governmental regulation of mining operations and exploration operations, timing and receipt of approvals, consents and permits under applicable legislation, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, limitations of insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation and regulatory matters. All statements in this public release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "may", "plans", "expects", "projects", "is expected", "scheduled", "potential", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

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 future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks include, among others: future prices of gold; general business; economic and market factors (including changes in global, national or regional financial, credit, currency or securities markets); changes or developments in global, national or regional political and social conditions; changes in laws (including tax laws) and changes in IFRS or regulatory accounting requirements; the actual results of current production, development and/or exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations and studies; fluctuations in the value of the United States dollar relative to the Canadian dollar, the Australian dollar, the Philippines Peso or the New Zealand dollar; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; possible variations of ore grade or recovery rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability or insurrection or war; labour force availability and turnover; adverse judicial decisions, inability or delays in obtaining financing or governmental approvals; inability or delays in the completion of development or construction activities or in the re-commencement of operations; legal challenges to mining and operating permits including the FTAA as well as those factors identified and described in more detail in the section entitled "Risk Factors" contained in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form and the Company's other filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are available on SEDAR+ at sedarplus.com under the Company's name. The list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking statements.

The Company's forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors Management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to Management at such time. These assumptions and factors include, but are not limited to, assumptions and factors related to: the Company's ability to carry on current and future operations, including: development and exploration activities; the timing, extent, duration and economic viability of such operations, including any mineral resources or reserves identified thereby; the accuracy and reliability of estimates, projections, forecasts, studies and assessments; the Company's ability to meet or achieve estimates, projections and forecasts; the availability and cost of inputs; the price and market for outputs, including gold; foreign exchange rates; taxation levels; the timely receipt of necessary approvals or permits; the ability to meet current and future obligations; the ability to obtain timely financing on reasonable terms when required; the current and future social, economic and political conditions; and other assumptions and factors generally associated with the mining industry.

The Company's forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of Management and reflect their current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. The Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or Management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits or liabilities the Company will derive therefrom. For the reasons set forth above, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.
BY RAOUL LOWERY CONTRERAS





Americans were fascinated with the French Foreign Legion and its courage the rough and tough Foreign Legionnaires breathed and died by remember?



Mexicans defeated the French Foreign Legion and obliterated any mystery of the name Napoleon.



Yes, a few hundred Mexican veteran soldiers fresh off a civil war between Mexican Conservatives and Liberals soundly defeated 4,000 French soldiers and marines reinforced with 2000 Mexican Royalists who wanted to set up a new empire in Mexico.



But, what Hollywood romanticizes falls apart when Mexicans and Americans celebrate May 5th every year and we add April 30th to the celebration of two huge defeats by Mexicans of what was described by Europeans as the best 1860 Army in Europe.



French, Spanish and British troops landed in January 1862 and occupied the port of Vera Cruz. They installed custom collectors to collect cash to pay off Mexican government debts to private banks in Europe.



President Benito Juarez ordered debt payments temporarily stopped so he could rebuild the Mexican treasury that civil war had depleted.



The British and Spanish made quick deals and left. The French stayed. Napoleon III had decided to conquer Mexico to add to the French empire in Africa, the Far East and scattered colonies in the South Pacific. Napoleon had another motive he detested the American democracy and wanted to destroy America. Napoleon looked forward to breaking the Union Navy blockade of the entire Confederacy. The U.S., Napoleon knew, could not blockade the 8,000 mile coastline of Mexico. Through Mexico, Napoleon could support the Confederacy with cannon, gun powder, rifles and he could be paid with cotton.



The European tradition of winning wars by capturing a countrys capital was on Napoleons mind when he ordered his commander - Charles de Lorencez - to take Mexicos capital, Mexico City - Ciudad de Mexico.



The 4000 French troops were joined by 2000 Mexican Royalists who wanted a Mexican Empire like Mexico had in the 1820s.



The march started in Vera Cruz and went north towards Puebla de Los Angeles where the French would turn left and march through mountains as high as 17,000 feet above sea level. It was the same route taken by Spaniard Hernando Cortez when he destroyed the Aztec Empire in 1519-20. The invading Americans used the same route in 1846.



At Puebla, two Spanish-built fortresses, Loreto and Guadalupe commanded the single way through the mountains an army could use.



The Mexicans brought cannon and set them up in the two forts aiming down valley, the valley the French were marching up. Indians with bows and arrows arrived, some with a cattle herd. Everyone knew the French would attack the next day. They prepared as best they could when torrential rains flooded the French encampment. The Indians herded their cattle back and forth on the valley floor adding more mud to what the French would find during the attack.



The French attacked. The Mexicans covered every inch of the valley with cannon fire. When French troops attacked either fort they were stopped by cannon and rifle fire. When the Mexican lines started to bend, hero colonel and future President Porfirio Diaz ignored his orders to hold and led his regiment in a massive attack driving the French back. When the fight was over, the French retreated to Vera Cruz to wait for 35,000 more troops.



The Battle of Cinco de Mayo was over. The Mexicans won. Yes, the French would come back in a year with thousands of troops and win the second battle and take Mexico City. The Mexicans held on, however, and with the help of a regiment of former Union soldiers -- the American Legion of Honor -- they would defeat French-sponsoredEmperor Maximilian.



April 30th, 1863. On that day 65 French Foreign Legionnaires were marching along a road west of Vera Cruz when they were spotted by Mexican cavalry. The French found a walled-in hacienda and prepared to fight. They were surrounded. The battle went on for 12 hours. More Mexicans came. The 65 Legionnaires became 50, then 30, then 15, then five. They refused to surrender three times. Three survived.



France celebrates the April 30, 1863, defeat for the courage shown by dead Legionnaires. Mexico celebrates the great victory at Puebla on the 5th of May and the U.S. celebrates it also because the Mexican defeat of the French on Cinco de Mayo saved the United States of America from defeat by a pseudo-Napoleon supplied Confederacy. That is another story.



As Union General U. S. Grant observed in 1865: The Civil War would not be over until the French were out of Mexico.



Contreras is a veteran United States Marine, a political consultant, an author and editorialist for newspapers/magazines in the U.S., Mexico, Israel and TurkeyHe hosts the Contreras Report on YouTube and Facebook.
Actor Heo Sung-tae, renowned for his role in the Netflix sensation "Squid Game," has set the internet abuzz with a tantalizing hint suggesting the possibility of a second season.

On October 12th, Heo Sung-tae shared a photo on his Instagram account from what appears to be a filming set, accompanied by the enigmatic caption, "Season 2 ???" The image, featuring Heo Sung-tae sporting the iconic pants from "Squid Game," has sparked fervent speculation among fans about the potential continuation of the acclaimed series.

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk Drops Clues

"Squid Game," created by director Hwang Dong-hyuk, captivated audiences worldwide with its gripping narrative and compelling characters.

#168

End Squid Game S1..

Pretty Awesome Series..

Some Hunter Exam Vibes.. but the Character Writing was So Beautiful.. that it made itself Unique..

It was Fucking On-Point till End of Ep 6,

After that Show did some Slight Mistakes.. But Overall,I enjoyed it a lot!

New Must-Watch! pic.twitter.com/ReFAEFSMGB  Shade (@theshade1551) October 6, 2021

In a recent interview with CNN, Hwang tantalized fans by offering insights into what a second season might entail.

"The story of Frontman (Lee Byung-hun) and police Junho ( Wi Ha-Joon) wasn't explained in Season 1. If we get to do season 2, I would like to explain their story," -Hwang Dong-hyuk

Expressing a desire to delve deeper into the backgrounds of key characters, such as the enigmatic Frontman (portrayed by Lee Byung-hun) and the mysterious police officer Junho (played by Wi Ha-Joon), Hwang hinted at the possibility of unraveling their untold stories.

Additionally, he expressed a keen interest in exploring the narrative surrounding the enigmatic individual (portrayed by Gong Yoo) who carries the paper flip game in his bag.

"I also want to tell the story about the man (Gong Yoo) who carries the paper flip game in his bag." -Hwang Dong-hyuk

Challenges and Reassurances

Despite the excitement surrounding the prospect of a second season, concerns have been raised about the logistical challenges of producing a sequel on the scale of the original.

I can name a treasure trove of dramas that actually deserve a prequel or s2 more than this one, but they will pick the ones that are literal trash, and the ones are getting a s2 prequel are over delayed *side-eyeing squid game & all of us are dead team* pic.twitter.com/WzrCWGIyAm  JinHwa is ENJOYING ALL THE DRAMA RN (@JinHwaIm) April 26, 2024

Director Hwang confessed, "It's too big to write, produce, and direct the series alone, so I'm very worried about season 2."

Kim Min-young, vice president of Netflix content in the Asia-Pacific region, offered reassurance to fans in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, stating, "We are still talking about Season 2."While acknowledging the hurdles ahead, her comments suggest that discussions regarding the future of "Squid Game" are ongoing.

i will forever be aib s2's biggest defender. the ending is perfect and makes everything go full perfect. imagine if it just ended like the usual squid game shit "cruel rich people had too much power and time and made a game bc... lolz" or the usual sci-fi shit ... sigh  yuyu  #ThankYouFuko (@meowiiso) April 24, 2024

Anticipation Builds

As anticipation continues to mount, fans eagerly await any official announcements regarding the fate of their beloved series.

I've noticed with Netflix shows, if a S2 comes out on any show that didn't run as good as Squid Game (essentially, the best it could've) Netflix will barely promote it until release, and then the show will be cancelled a week after release... like clockwork  ellie | DRAGON AGE MODE (@ellieviate) April 27, 2024

both can be true, my concerns arent baseless or anything. squid game is THE most watched show on netflix ever globally. whether the shows good or terrible (and i can think of a few reasons to suspect that s2 wont be as good), its gonna attract tons of clout  paran  watch boyhood (@swansongblues) April 27, 2024

With hints dropped by both actor Heo Sung-tae and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, the possibility of "Squid Game" returning for another thrilling season remains tantalizingly within reach.

KDramaStars owns this article

Written by Joan Cabigas
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Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has been appointed to a powerful position by the African Union Commission.

Uhuru retired in August 2022 but has played a big role as a mediator between warring factions in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Son of Jomo, as he is referred to by his kinsmen, has managed to cool off the tribal wars going on in the country with the assistance of the African Union.

To add another feather to his cap, Uhuru has been appointed the head of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) in South Africa, which will hold its elections from May 21 to June 3, 2024.

According to the AUC, the deployment of the AUEOM team reiterates the African Union's commitment to support democracy and all democratic processes across the continent.

Uhuru and his team of at least 60 short-term observers will be tasked with observing the election process in South Africa and report on merits and demerits. Key focus aspects will be polling station procedures, campaigns, and counting votes to ensure a transparent and credible election.

The news of this appointment stirred a political conversation online with many Kenyans celebrating Uhuru's new role and others criticizing the move.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - Three Kenya Defence Forces(KDF) officers have been arrested for stealing a phone and refusing to pay a bar bill of Sh 4250.

The three were arrested at West Joe Bar and Restaurant in Kakamega County after they refused to pay the bill and beat some law enforcement officers from Musoli Police Station.

The bar manager reported that the three officers went into the bar for an evening of unwinding on Sunday, April 28.

The trio allegedly refused to pay a bill of Sh 4,250 after being served drinks and stole a phone before storming out of the bar.

"It was reported by the manager of West Joe Bar and Restaurant that the persons refused to pay, and while walking out of the bar, they stole the reporter's phone, a Tecno," the police report reads.

The manager followed them outside the bar, but instead, they beat him up, attracting the attention of the public and police officers.

"The reporter followed the three outside the bar, where they turned against him and started beating him with fists and kicks.

"The commotion attracted members of the public and police officers who were on foot patrol within the Musoli Centre," the report stated.

Officers from Musoli Police Station, which is located 500 meters away, responded to the commotion, and the drunk officers fought them as well, raining on them with kicks and fists.

The offenders were, however, subdued before being arrested and placed in custody, where they equally caused commotion by damaging the cell's steel door.

"The three also attacked the police officers with kicks and fists but were subdued and arrested.

"They were placed in custody while very violent and drunk. They also maliciously damaged the cell's steel door,

The three refused to give their names and particulars but are suspected to be KDF officers," the report added.

They will be charged with the offences of assaulting police officers and malicious damage to property.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - The Bishop who was stabbed in an attack on the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in western Sydney has delivered a fiery sermon on his return to the pulpit.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was attacked on April 15 while he was preaching to his members and a video of the attack went viral.

Two weeks after the attack, the Bishop returned to the pulpit carrying a gold cross and sporting a white eye patch.

Speaking from the pulpit, he said he could not fathom how freedom of speech could not be possible in a democratic country.

I say to our beloved, the Australian government, and our beloved Prime Minister, the honourable Mr Albanese, I believe in one thing and that is the integrity and the identity of the human being, he said.

This human identity, this human integrity, is a God-given gift, no one else.

Every human being has the right to their freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

He said Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Atheists had the right to express their beliefs.

Also the Christians have the right to express their beliefs, and for us to say, that free speech is dangerous, that free speech cannot be possible in a democratic country, Im yet to fathom this. Im yet to fathom this. We should be able as civilised human beings, as intellectuals, we should be able to criticise, to speak, and maybe, at some certain times, we may sound, or we may come across offensive to some degree, but we should be able to say, I should not worry for my life to be exposed to threat or to be taken away.

A non Christian can criticise my faith, can attack my faith. I will say one thing, may God forgive you, and may God bless you.

This is a civilised way, an intellectual way, to approaching such events.

But for us, to say that because of this freedom of speech, it is causing dramas and dilemmas, therefore everything should be censored, then where is democracy?

Then where is humanity, where is integrity, where are the morals, where are the ethics, where are the principles, where are the values which the Western world, more so, have been fighting for human rights, which is the value of the human.

A debate around the proper limits of free expression has erupted in the country in the wake of the Wakeley terror attack.

A 16-year-old boy stabbed the bishop while he was giving a live-streamed sermon, with video of the violence quickly spreading online.

Australian eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant has ordered social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to take down certain posts commenting on the attack.

Watch the Bishop speaking in the video below.




Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - Four members of a motor vehicle theft syndicate that has been terrorizing Mombasa County dwellers have been arrested by a joint team of detectives based at the County's headquarters and DCI Urban.

The four, Mohammed Abdulswamad, Ashfak Abdulrazak, Abdulrazak Abdulswamad, and Ian Papa Lugho were arrested at the Kadzandani area, Malindi store yard belonging to Swabri Jamla who is still at large.

The intelligence-led operation in which they were rounded up also saw the recovery of three motor vehicles; a white Toyota Succeed, a silver Toyota Passo, and a black Nissan Note.

The three had been stolen from the Kainat Trading Ltd Showroom in the Ganjoni area.

Search for one more vehicle believed to have been stolen by the same gang continues.





The Kenyan DAILY POST.






Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - The family of Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who was shot in April 2023 after going to the wrong house in Kansas City, Missouri, has filed a lawsuit against the white homeowner who shot him.

The lawsuit, filed by Yarl's mother Cleopatra Nagbe in Clay County Circuit Court, accuses Andrew Lester, 85, of being careless when he shot Yarl in the head and arm without warning on April 13, 2023.

Yarl, who was 16 at the time, was severely injured and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

At all times relevant, Plaintiff (Ralph Yarl) never posed or issued a threat to Defendant, Andrew Lester, the lawsuit states. "At no time relevant to the circumstances giving rise to this litigation did Plaintiff (Ralph Yarl) do anything that warranted Defendant, Andrew Lester, brandishing a firearm at him."

Yarl's family is also suing Lester's homeowners association, Highland Acres Homes Association, alleging that the association was aware of or should have been aware of Lester's "propensity for violence, access to dangerous weapons and racial animus," according to the lawsuit. The suit claimed that the association had a duty to exercise reasonable care regarding the use of a firearm in and on the properties making up the Association.

Lester was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Lest pleaded not guilty to the charges in April 2023 but the case was moved to the state's Circuit Court for trial as the county's lower court cannot try felonies. He again pled not guilty to the charges in September 2023 and the trial was scheduled to begin on October 7, 2024.






Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - A female student was arrested after she chained and glued herself to a bench outside the NYU Tandon School Of Engineering to protest the war in Gaza.

Wearing a homemade "hunger strike 4 Gaza @ NYU" shirt, the student chained and glued herself to a bench outside of NYU Tandon's campus.

Police officers arrived and clipped the locks that attached her to the bench before putting her in handcuffs and leading her away.

This comes as more students in US varsities stage protests over the war in Gaza.

Below is a video of the student.




Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - The Kenya Meteorological Department has issued another warning for Kenyan residents to remain vigilant as heavy rainfall is anticipated to intensify throughout the week.

According to the weatherman, the forthcoming seven days will bring not only heavy rainfall but also strong winds, thunderstorms, and lightning which might be devastating.

Heavy rainfall events are likely to occur in some parts of the South-eastern lowlands, the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin, North-western and North-eastern Kenya, said the Director of Meteorological Services, David Gikungu.

"Those residing in flood-prone areas should stay vigilant, as floods can occur without warning.

"It is recommended for the public to avoid seeking refuge under trees and metal structures to reduce the risk of being struck by lightning," he further advised.

Among the counties expected to receive heavy rainfall are Bungoma, Vihiga, Kisii, Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Embu, Trans Nzoia, Nyamira, and Kakamega.

Nairobi, Narok, Kajiado, Kiambu, Machakos, Laikipia, Elgeyo Marakwet, Meru, parts of Tharaka Nithi, Samburu, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Muranga, parts of Marsabit County around Kalacha, and along Lake Turkana in Turkana County will also experience heavy rains.

The recent heavy rains in the country have resulted in over 160 casualties, displacing numerous individuals and causing extensive property damage.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - Nairobi County Governor, Johnson Sakaja, has continued to show his incompetence after claiming that he is being fought for working with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Since his election as city governor two years ago, Sakaja's only legacy is corruption, mismanagement of public funds, and bureaucracy at City Hall.

The governor, who was elected on the United Democratic Alliance(UDA) party, has already been abandoned by those who campaigned for him, accusing him of enriching himself instead of improving the lives of Nairobians.

UDA leaders last week voiced grave concerns over the state of leadership in Nairobi, calling for urgent investigations into what they claimed and described as rampant mismanagement and incompetence at City Hall.

"The dream sold during the campaigns, of "a city of order and dignity, hope and opportunity for all", has turned into the nightmare that Nairobi is becoming," said John Kiarie, Dagoretti South MP.

However, in his defense, Sakaja said he is being fought for working with Opposition Leader Raila Odinga.

I am being fought for working with Raila Odinga, Sakaja told a local daily.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi claimed that people are fighting him for doing a good job in his ministry.

This follows an impeachment motion against Linturi which has gained momentum as more than 100 Members of Parliament have affixed their signatures on the petition.

The motion, initiated by Bumula MP Jack Wamboka, seeks the impeachment of Senator Linturi amidst allegations of mismanagement within the Ministry of Agriculture.

However, speaking during a fundraiser in Imenti Central, Linturi implored Meru residents not to be distracted by what critics are saying about him.

"I am a believer, and I tell people not to be worried. And you know when you are doing well, people start creating other things. Don't be distracted," he stated.

He further urged the residents to pick fertilisers from the cereals board and use them on their farms.

The CS wondered why some people were spending so much time complaining about fertilizers when they had never bought one.

He blasted critics who had attacked the Ministry of Agriculture over the fake fertilizer scandal.

Linturi asked Kenyans to ignore what was being said and wait for a dossier he would release in the course of the week.

He promised to name all the merchants who were behind the controversial fertiliser deal that has messed up hundreds of farmers across the country.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Tuesday, April 30, 2024 - King Charles III will resume some public duties this week following a three-month break to focus on his treatment and recuperation after he was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer, Buckingham Palace said.

The 75-year-old monarch, who is still battling cancer, will mark the milestone by visiting a cancer treatment center on Tuesday, April 30, the first of several public appearances he will make in the coming weeks, the palace said.

One of his first major engagements will be to host a state visit by the emperor and empress of Japan in June.

The palace said the kings doctors are very encouraged by his progress, though it is too early to say how long his treatment will last. It didnt provide details about what type of treatment he is receiving.

Charles will continue to perform all of his state duties, including reviewing government documents and meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as he has done since his diagnosis was disclosed on Feb. 5, the palace said.

As the first anniversary of the coronation approaches, their majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world throughout the joys and challenges of the past year, the palace said in a statement.

The palace was forced to make the statement after several sources claimed the king was very unwell and his funeral plans were being updated






Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - King Charles, who hit the breaks on royal duties to focus on his health, has returned to official public duties for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer.

The monarch, 75, visited a cancer treatment center in London today, April 30, where he met with medical specialists and other patients.

Charles, who is the patron of cancer charity Macmillan Cancer Support, arrived at University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Center in central London Tuesday morning with his wife, Queen Camilla.

The pairs visit aims to draw the importance of early diagnosis and highlight innovative research taking place at the treatment facility.





Buckingham Palace also announced Tuesday that the King is the new royal patron of Cancer Research UK.

Charles was seen waving to large crowds gathered outside the medical facility, and was heard making a joke upon arrival.

Its the first time since his diagnosis where hes met with large numbers of people.

The King announced his defiant return to the royal fold on Friday, April 26, in an official announcement from Buckingham Palace.





News of Charless cancer diagnosis came to light in February after he underwent a procedure for an enlarged prostate. There, doctors discovered a separate issue of concern that requires treatment.

Buckingham Palace later clarified that the cancer was not prostate cancer.






Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - A man who deceived and bullied his elderly grandparents into giving him their life savings has been jailed.

Daniel Tilden, 31, forced his grandparents, who were too afraid of him to refuse his demands, into giving him 384,000 over a ten-year period.

Tilden on Wednesday, April 24, was handed a sentence of three years and nine months in prison at Swindon Crown Court, UK. He was also fined by the court and must not contact his grandparents for 10 years.

Tilden began visiting his grandparents home frequently in 2013, lying so as to persuade them to part with their money, claiming it was for a new car or prescriptions, and once even alleging it was for private cancer treatment.

At one time he accompanied his vulnerable grandfather, aged 81, to a bank to withdraw thousands of pounds at a time.

But when the bank put a stop to this, he started pressuring his grandfather to get cash back at local supermarkets, before then arranging meetings at cashpoints for withdrawals.

Tilden was finally arrested in November last year and released on bail while investigations continued, repeatedly violating conditions that prohibited him from visiting his grandparents.

He was subsequently re-arrested and charged with controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act after manipulating his grandparents into handing over a total of 384,077.

In a victim impact statement, the grandfather expressed his fear of refusing Tilden, likening his home life to being under siege due to the incessant visits.






Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - The man from Oregon, USA accused of feeding drug-laced mango smoothies to his daughters friends showed a creepy interest in his co-workers children, a new report has revealed.

When Michael Meyden was working as a HR director for Avangrid, he was known around the office for being friendly and jovial but one of his former colleagues now questions his motives.

He always wanted to know about our families, a colleague who worked with him for about two years until 2021 told The Post.

Hed ask about my kids, how old they are, what extracurriculars they liked. Then hed tell me what his kids were up to. It seemed really innocent at the time.

The colleague says his interest extended past office hours.

He was the one coworker who would like my daughters cheer pics on Facebook, she recalls.

He would ask questions about her, he knew my kids' names and ages. He kept track of that stuff. I thought he was just being nice.

Meyden, 57, now faces multiple charges due to an Aug. 26 sleepover last year at his $1.2 million home in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Post, Meyden served three of his daughters 12-year-old friends mango smoothies laced with benzodiazepine, a depressant that slows the nervous system.

Two of the girls allegedly fell into a thick, deep sleep, according to the affidavit. A third girl frantically texted her parents and friends, asking for someone to help her.

Soon, the parents of all the girls descended on the home at 3 a.m. The following day, the girls parents took them to the hospital after they required help walking and could not recall what happened to them the night before, with one girl telling police she blacked out after drinking two smoothies, the affidavit alleges.

According to a statement from the Lake Oswego Police Department, officers later determined that Meyden was responsible for the drugs detected in the girls bloodstreams.

Meyden faces felony charges of causing another person to ingest a controlled substance and application of a controlled substance to the body of another person.

He has pleaded not guilty and is currently free on a $50,000 bond.

Meyden and his wife divorced last October less than two months after the incident, according to a divorce judgement. Now in hiding in Vancouver, Washington, Meyden has no contact with his children.

One of the girls at the sleepover claimed Meyden did tests on them to see if they were conscious while they pretended to sleep.

The violation of trust is the worst betrayal any of us in the family have ever experienced, a relative of his wife, Yukiko Ishida, told The Post. Hes not fit to be around children, and I dont think his own kids will ever talk to him again.

Neither of Meydens two children has been named as victims in the court documents.

Meyden is due in court again next month.






Tuesday, April 30, 2024 - A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and two police officers on Tuesday, April 30, in the east London community of Hainault before being arrested, police said.

The London Ambulance Service said emergency workers treated five people and took them to the hospital.

The Metropolitan Police said they were called early Tuesday to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in a residential street and people being stabbed close to the Hainault underground station.

A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene, police said.

Video on British media showed a man in a yellow hoodie holding a long sword or knife walking near houses in the area.

Witnesses say they heard police shouting at the suspect, urging him to put down the weapon as they chased after him.

This must have been a terrifying incident for those concerned, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said.

I know the wider community will be feeling shock and alarm. People will want to know what has happened and we will provide more information as soon as we can.

He added that police do not believe there is a threat to the wider community.

We are not looking for more suspects,' he said.

This incident does not appear to be terror-related.

Transport for London said Hainault underground station was closed due to a police investigation in the area.

Watch a video from the scene below.






Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - A man was arrested in Las Vegas, USA after allegedly getting into a fatal fight with a man, and then eating his face.

In a news release, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police (LVMD) said that a physical altercation broke out between two men at around 4:44 a.m. on Sunday, April 28 in front of a business in Las Vegas art district.

When police arrived on the scene, they found a male "unresponsive" and "bleeding from the head." He was later pronounced dead, according to police.

Police said the other man allegedly involved in the fight identified as 31-year-old Colin Czech was taken into custody. Further investigation found that Czech attacked the victim at some point, and he was booked at the Clark County Detention Centre on an open murder charge, the police said.





The police noted that the Clark County Medical Examiners office would release the name of the man who died, as well as his cause and manner of death at a later time.

Czech had been found eating the man's eyeball and ear when police arrived on the scene. Police documents show that Czech had biological matter in his hair, mouth and on his clothing" when they found him.

According to documents obtained by KLAS, police received a call about a person tackling another person on the ground in the Charleston Boulevard area, and then received another call nearly an hour later saying that a man had been eating another mans face at a bus stop.

Czech allegedly told police that he was going in and out of consciousness and said he had been awake for five days straight because something was possessing him, according to documents obtained by KLAS.

Czech was initially scheduled to make an appearance in court on Monday, April 29, but the judge noted that he was not able to make the court appearance because he was still in the hospital. The judge also ordered Czech to be held in custody without bail.

His next hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1.




Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - Azimio One Kenya Alliance party leader, Raila Odinga, has accused President William Ruto of talking big about climate change yet he cannot deal with floods in the country.

Many parts of the country have been rocked by floods since heavy rains began last month, with at least 169 people dead so far, over 102 others injured and property of unquantified value destroyed.

Raila on Tuesday said the floods have exposed what he called Kenya's failure to properly plan for weather and climate-change-driven disasters and invest adequately in infrastructure and social welfare.



The situation therefore calls for accountability and a reordering of our priorities as a country, the Azimio La Umoja coalition party leader said in a statement.



Odinga bewailed the governments failure to establish advance contingency plans in preparation for the long rain season, despite the Meteorological Department predicting heavy rains and storms.



The devastation has made clear that as a nation, we must confront the emergency of our failure to learn.



"The government has been talking big on climate change, yet when the menace comes in full force, we have been caught unprepared, he said.



He told President William Ruto's government to be proactive, clear the confusion being witnessed, end duplication and unnecessary competition within its ranks and create clarity over roles and responsibilities in the response and incident management system.



The Kenyan DAILY POST




Wednesday, May 1, 2024  President William Ruto has absolved himself and his government from the blame over the manner in which they are handling the flood menace in the country.

In a statement, Ruto defended the governments approach to addressing the ongoing flood crisis in Kenya despite criticism from a section of Kenyans, among them Raila Odingas Opposition, who have accused the government of being sluggish in its response to floods that are causing havoc in the country.

Addressing concerns over the disaster response strategy, Ruto emphasized the meticulous planning undertaken by both National and County governments to prepare for emergencies.

This is not the time for a blame game; we should address ourselves to the issues and move swiftly to respond. I urge citizens to vacate areas of danger, stated.

Responding to criticisms from County leaders regarding the national governments handling of the situation, Ruto reassured the public that county budgets are adaptable to accommodate unforeseen emergencies.

The budgetary mechanisms in place allow all government levels to access emergency funds. Counties can adjust their budgets to address crises, Ruto clarified.

Acknowledging Deputy President Rigathi Gachaguas proactive role in relief efforts, Ruto commended the swift distribution of aid to flood-affected regions.

At the same time, Ruto pledged to collaborate with development partners to mobilize resources for post-disaster recovery, emphasizing the need for infrastructure rehabilitation and housing reconstruction.

With lives lost and many missing, it is imperative for those near water bodies to relocate. We are committed to rebuilding homes, repairing roads, and ensuring food security, Ruto affirmed.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Wednesday, May 1, 2024  President William Ruto has accused Attorney General Justin Muturi of dragging his government behind.

Speaking at the launch of the Annual Supplement of the Law of Kenya report at State House Nairobi, Ruto disclosed that his administration has allocated resources to the Attorney Generals Office to accelerate the digitization process since he has been lagging behind.

"I have reached an agreement with the Attorney General (Justin Muturi) that one of his primary tasks is to digitize all systems within the Attorney General's office.

"We have ensured funding in the budget to ensure that the office and its operations are digitally integrated," stated President Ruto.

"In fact, the Attorney General's office is lagging behind, dragging everyone else along, Ruto remarked.

Nonetheless, Ruto has praised the incorporation of Kenya Kwanza's priorities into the 24th Annual Supplement of the Law of Kenya, a comprehensive review of the country's laws.

The governments digitization agenda aims to automate critical processes and make at least 80 per cent of services available online.

Consequently, the 24th Annual Supplement will be accessible in digital format.

This edition also features a body of laws that have been aligned with the bottom-up economic transformation agenda, anchoring our ambitious vision for national development on a sound legal basis, he stated.

The President acknowledged the significance of the Annual Supplement, noting that the review of laws enabled them to address emerging issues.

"As a nation, we are undergoing significant transformation to achieve prosperity within a generation. Therefore, it is crucial that our laws reflect our nation's dynamism. As our society evolves, so must our laws," the President emphasised.

The 24th Annual Supplement of the Laws of Kenya is a publication compiled by the Attorney General, containing revised editions of the laws from 1995 to 2022.

The Kenyan DAILY POST


Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - Efforts are reportedly underway to extradite Binances regional manager for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, to Nigeria for prosecution, according to the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol).

Recall that Anjarwalla and Tigran Gambaryan, Binances head of financial crime compliance, were arrested and charged in Nigeria with tax evasion and money laundering by the federal government, but he escaped from a guest house in Abuja, where he and Tigran were kept.

The Binance regional manager, a holder of British and Kenyan citizenship, reportedly fled Nigeria with the Kenyan passport.

Last week, Kenya police arrested Anjarwalla, but while Interpol did not confirm the report, he noted that Kenya is where the fleeing crypto chief was last seen.

Vice president of the Interpol (Africa) executive committee, Garba Umar, who spoke during an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, April 30, said;

Im not aware but what I can tell you is that the last destination I know on my record of this guy when he fled (Nigeria) was Kenya. That I can confirm to you. We got some certain information which is not possible to share on this platform.

Rest assured, we located where he was, how he boarded, all information about him and how he landed. We have done that to make sure that he doesnt escape justice. Now, it is not only morally right but it is legally right for the country to get him apprehended, inform the requesting country that the fugitive you are looking for has been apprehended and is in our custody. Can you come and take him over?

This is the process. He may be in Kenya, he may be in hiding, he might have even left Kenya but because of the notices we have given, wherever he is, he will be smoked out.




Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has asked Kenyans to ignore what his critics are saying about him and remember him as a man who has revolutionized his ministry.

Speaking during a fundraiser at St.Theresa's Catholic Church in Imenti Central on April 28, Linturi implored Meru residents not to be distracted by what critics are saying about him.

"I am a believer, and I tell people not to be worried. And you know when you are doing well, people start creating other things. Don't be distracted, Linturi stated.

Linturi is facing an impeachment motion over gross incompetence and the fake fertilizer scandal.

On Tuesday, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula approved an ouster motion against him over the fake fertilizer saga.

Wetang'ula approved the motion by Bumula MP Jack Wamboka, saying the bid meets the threshold for admission in the House.

In view of the foregoing, I find the proposed special motion meets the application procedural requirements for it to be admitted to the next stage, he said.

The development now sets the stage for the MPs to investigate the allegations levelled against the CS in what spells doom for the former Meru senator.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
By Ruth Anderah

Businessman Nasser Basajjabalaba and two others have been dragged to court by a family for allegedly swindling over one billion shillings purporting to sell to them some of the Departed Asian properties whereas not.

Basajjabalaba is jointly sued with Abdulhu Byakatonda and Micdad Muganga who received the above money claiming that they are employees or agents of the Departed Asians Custodian Board.

The family led by Asuman Nkambwe, says they paid the money in dollars after the accused persons confirmed to them that the properties were indeed available for purchase.

Through their lawyer Ramadhan Waiswa of Messrs Katuntu and company advocates, the family after paying the money they learnt through a court claim that plot 23 Martin road in Kampala is being claimed by a one Nanji Valjis administrator who claims that the said plot is their estate and that they have a repossession certificate.

They were given plot 34 Rashid Khamis road which is also having a title in the names of John Katonya.

In the suit filed before Buganda Road court under private prosecution, the family also learnt that the properties on plot 34 Rashid Khamis road, plot 23 and 37 on Martin Road were developed with buildings and that although they had been expropriated during the 1970s and vested in government, the owners had not legally repossessed them within the time limited by law.

Basajjabalaba and colleagues are yet to be summoned by court to answer the charges.
Several asylum seekers have been refused accommodation at a major centre in Dublin following the dismantling of a makeshift migrant camp in the city centre, it is understood.

It comes after just under 290 people were removed from an encampment outside the International Protection Office (IPO) on Mount Street during a multi-agency operation on Wednesday.

In recent months, migrants have been sleeping rough beside the IPO as the state struggles to source enough accommodation for people seeking asylum.

On Wednesday, the Government said it had moved the camping asylum seekers to international protection facilities at the Citywest hotel and at a site at Crooksling in Co Dublin.

However, a spokesperson later said that a number of other asylum seekers  who the Government believe were staying at locations other than Mount Street  sought accommodation at Citywest but were refused.

In a statement, officials said the centre is now at capacity and added: Their details have been taken and they will be offered accommodation as it becomes available.

Taoiseach Simon Harris, who previously compared the scenes outside the IPO to a shantytown, thanked the agencies involved in the large operation to clear the tents and relocate the migrants by saying they had done very excellent work.

Speaking in Dublin, he said: It was an important day in terms of a humanitarian response to the unacceptable situation people in tents found themselves in on Mount Street.

It was also an important day for the laws of our land, because this is a country that does have laws, and, as Taoiseach, I expect those laws to be enforced.

He added: You cant have a scenario where in a very ad hoc fashion these kind of tented villages are nearly allowed to develop.

The operation doesnt end now and I will expect all of the agency partners to continue to work together to respond and, at what is a difficult, challenging time, to meet the humanitarian needs of people, but also to enforce and uphold the laws of this country.

The Government said 186 of the international protection applicants from outside the IPO took up accommodation at Citywest while 99 were moved to a site in Crooksling.

However, the Government Press Office said in a statement that it understood some applicants did not take up a place at their assigned centre.

It added that it could not provide a timeline on when more appropriate accommodation would become available as it said securing a sufficient number of beds remains a significant challenge.

It said barriers had been installed to prevent any further placement of tents around the International Protection Office.

The operation to move the makeshift camp that began early on Wednesday morning came amid increasing diplomatic tensions between the UK and Ireland after the Irish Government expressed concern about an upsurge of asylum seekers entering the country via the land border from Northern Ireland.

Council workers, some dressed in white overalls, were involved in clean-up efforts to remove the tents and wash down the camp area in and around Mount Street.

In a statement, the Government said that the people seeking international protection had been moved safely to the two sites.

A statement said: The Crooksling site has robust, weather-proof tents.

It has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security.

While in Crooksling accommodation, residents will receive the same supports as at other locations.

This includes access to medical care via the HSE social inclusion outreach teams and medical card provision; Ipas customer services team clinics; onsite support from the providers staff; and psycho-social and integration support from NGO (non-government organisation) partners.

Asylum seekers congregated in groups waiting with their luggage as buses and taxis arrived to take them to another site where basic facilities will be offered.

Mount Street was cordoned off during the operation, with a large number of gardai present.

A similar operation to remove tents from the area was undertaken in March, but another makeshift encampment soon built up again.

Irish Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the encampment was inhumane and unsustainable.

She said the situation demonstrated a failure of Government policy on migrant accommodation.

The conditions on Mount Street for the 200 men who were forced to sleep here in tents had become inhumane and unsustainable, she told the PA news agency.

And I did yesterday in the Dail, and indeed on previous occasions, call on the Taoiseach and the Government to address the situation and to find appropriate safe and secure accommodation for the men who are in the tents.

Im glad to see that that has been done.

I will be pressing now to ensure that the accommodation is safe and secure and that its appropriate, so that we dont see this sort of build-up of people living in such desperately unsanitary and unhealthy conditions again on Mount Street or, indeed, anywhere else.

Noel Wardick, from Dublin City Community Cooperative, an organisation that has been providing support to the asylum seekers sleeping rough, said it was vital that the alternative accommodation was appropriate.

He said that was the key failure of the last removal operation in March.

The jury is out from the point of view we dont know where the men are going, he said.

And we dont know the conditions on the site.

So we would expect that the State has provided sufficient sanitation, water, hygiene, and blankets, warm accommodation.

However, that wasnt the case on March 16 when they last dismantled the site in a very shambolic, ham-fisted and chaotic manner.

So lets hope all those lessons were learned and the men are in a vastly improved situation.
When the Urlingford Town Team was established among their top priorities was stimulating economic activity that would take advantage of the towns strategic location - minutes off the M8, halfway between Dublin and Cork and an hour from Limerick.

With the opening of the Exit 4 Urlingford remote working hub by Minister Heather Humphreys TD, last Wednesday, that priority has been delivered. Exit 4 Urlingford is the first fully dedicated remote working hub in rural Kilkenny.

The repurposing of the former Bank of Ireland branch office as Exit 4 was undertaken with funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development, Kilkenny County Council as well as support from Kilkenny LEADER Partnership and the Local Enterprise Office.



Dympna Hayes, Chair of the Urlingford Town Team, said that having Minister Humphreys present for the opening underlined the importance of this project which is aimed at rural regeneration. Urlingford is experiencing the challenges of dereliction, vacancy etc. that are unfortunately a common feature in rural towns. Exit 4 Urlingford is now part of Irelands National Hub Network and of the Governments ambitious plans to revive rural Ireland by providing people with the opportunity to live and work locally.



The Town Team is confident that the quality of the facilities and services available in Exit 4 Urlingford, will make it a success.

If any of your readers is looking for a desk, an office for a day, a week, a year, or a conference venue, please go to our website www.exit4urlingford.ie for details of plans available and to make a booking, Dympna said.

Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Michael Doyle, welcomed the new facility. The elected members of Kilkenny County Council want to see our towns thrive and with the benefit of Town Centre First initiatives will be well placed to support communities in developing and delivering plans and projects, like this one, in future years, he said.



Cllr Michael Delaney, Chairman of the Castlecomer Municipal District, thanked the members of the Town Team and the broader community for their commitment to the project pointing out that We need communities to get involved and get active and when they do we need to say thank you.



EXIT 4 remote working hub facilities are now open. Flexible plans are available to meet the needs of clients. For enquiries and to make a booking go to Exit4Urlingford.ie
Ulviyya Shahin

During his working visit to Uzbekistan, the Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, Mikayil Jabbarov, met with Shukhrat Vafayev, the Director of the Uzbekistan Fund for Reconstruction and Development. Azernews reports that Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov wrote this on his X social account.

"Our discussions primarily focused on the prospects of jointly implemented projects and the operations of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Company. Additionally, we exchanged views on expanding cooperation in various sectors, including industry, production, digitalization, tourism, and infrastructure," the minister said.




Scammers are texting and asking people to pay for outstanding tolls from the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge.
Gimcheon High School leads efforts to foster global talent, enhance international connections

Editors note This article is the fifth in The Korea Times' 2024 series focusing on diversity, inclusiveness and equality.  ED.

By Jung Da-hyun

GIMCHEON, North Gyeongsang Province  In Korea, elementary to high schools have traditionally catered to mostly local students, while universities have actively invited foreign students. However, a notable shift is underway as secondary schools now look to recruit international students, aiming to cultivate talented individuals who can serve as bridges between nations in the long run.

Starting this year, Gimcheon High School in North Gyeongsang Province has embarked on an initiative by welcoming international students into regular academic courses. It is the first time among regular schools in Korea, although there were some cases among vocational high schools.

"In the era of globalization, we want to nurture future leaders and talented individuals by welcoming international students, prioritizing their development over mere job training for positions in Korea," Na Young-ho, headmaster of the school, said in an interview with The Korea Times on the campus, April 17.

Na emphasized that hosting international students would benefit both Korea and their respective home countries. He noted that these students could potentially work in diplomatic roles or maintain communication channels with Korea even after returning home.

The school has admitted eight international students this year, seven from Vietnam and one from Cambodia. The school is an autonomous selective private high school.

The overseas students, motivated by the prospect of enhanced educational opportunities, aspire to pursue diverse career paths.

Nguyen Duc Lan, a Vietnamese student whose Korean name is Song Ji-ho, dreams of becoming a pilot.

"If I continue studying in Vietnam, I don't believe I'll have access to the quality education and flight programs I need. That's why I decided to come to Korea with hope," he said.

"I plan to apply to [Korea's] Hanseo University, known for its specialization in aeronautics, or even consider a military school path."

Hoe Un Heang, an international student from Cambodia whose Korean name is Ha Eun-ho, expressed that he wants to study engineering.

"In my country, accessing higher education is quite challenging due to its complex system. However, I believe I'll have better opportunities here to pursue the studies I'm passionate about," he said.

Hoe also highlighted his satisfaction with the schools programs, meeting new friends and having opportunities to share each others cultures.

A separate language class has been arranged for these eight students, as they are not yet fluent in Korean.

These students are enrolled in four basic Korean courses, each requiring four hours per week, totaling 16 hours per week dedicated to mastering Korean. There are additional afternoon classes for exam preparation to help them take the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK).

Initially, instructors fluent in Vietnamese and Cambodian delivered lessons in the students native languages, but now the lessons are given in Korean.

"We believe it's crucial for students to learn Korean directly through Korean even if it takes time, specifically considering our plan to bring in more students from different countries, Na said.

Beyond language classes, those students have music and physical education classes together with their Korean peers. The school intends to integrate Korean and international students into joint classes for all subjects starting from second grade, following the completion of basic Korean courses by the overseas students.

During an art class on April 17, a lively and creative atmosphere filled the room as students simultaneously worked on their drawings while enjoying music.

The class project involved creating four panels, each representing a blend of cultures including the students' own, their favorite aspects of Korean culture and the national flags of each country along with the Korean flag.

Working collaboratively, the eight students combined the four panels to create a cohesive artwork.

"We decided to focus on this theme to promote integration and harmony among our students with diverse backgrounds," said Kim Kang-min, an art class teacher at the school.

The school is also offering a homestay program to help international students experience Korean culture.

The students have designated periods for overnight stays outside the dorm. During these periods, they can have homestays at their Korean classmates' homes, gaining experience in Korean culture and family life.

"There are a lot of local students who want to be hosts of the program. This initiative is a great opportunity to foster cultural exchange and help foreign students understand Korean culture," Na said.

Nguyen, who partook in the homestay program recently, echoed the headmaster's view.

"I gained a deeper understanding of Korean culture, and my friend's family was incredibly welcoming, making it a comfortable environment to stay and learn about their culture," he said.

The school plans to admit a total of 16 students for the upcoming academic year from China, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Schools in other cities of North Gyeongsang Province, such as Pohang and Andong, are also showing interest in the program by visiting the school to learn how its system operates.

"We expect this system to spread nationwide, which can play a pivotal role in fostering exchanges between Korea and other countries," Na said.

In line with Gimcheon High School's initiative, the provincial government plans to introduce a policy aimed at granting a specialized visa. This visa would enable the parents of international students to work in Korea for a certain period of time, which also can be potentially beneficial for the revitalization of the regional economy.

This policy plan aims to help international students study in a more comfortable environment with their parents. It is also seen as a means to revitalize the region, particularly if parents choose to work in Korea while their children continue their education here.
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 51F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 51F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Cloudy skies early with isolated thunderstorms developing late. Low 52F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early with isolated thunderstorms developing late. Low 52F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
MelOn has long played a significant role in the K-pop industry since it helped artists shape the music scene. The famous music platform has participated in recording digital charts, alongside data that determine impact, trends, and relevance.

As K-pop grew over time, many Korean artists have also made their marks on the chart with their music releases. According to a poll, fans have voted on which artists were the most streamed on the music platform.

Here are the 10 most streamed K-pop artists in MelOn of all time!

1. BTS

TOP 10: MOST STREAMED ARTISTS OF ALL TIME ON MELON



1. BTS (13.04B) pic.twitter.com/I8IoJSNWT4  TOP 100 (@TOP100KPOP) April 29, 2024

BTS is a power player in the Korean music industry, as the septet managed to defy all odds from their debut to their rise across international areas. The world's biggest K-pop group definitely deserved the first place, as they have garnered hearts globally with their releases.

2. Lim Young Woong

TOP 10: MOST STREAMED ARTISTS OF ALL TIME ON MELON



2. LIM YOUNG-WOONG (9.64B) pic.twitter.com/VszbFYqxXc  TOP 100 (@TOP100KPOP) April 29, 2024

Lim Young Woong's impact in South Korea is not one to be trifled with. The soloist has proven his reputation as one of the country's well-loved musicians.

3. EXO

TOP 10: MOST STREAMED ARTISTS OF ALL TIME ON MELON



3. EXO (8.45B) pic.twitter.com/oEazqyug2W  TOP 100 (@TOP100KPOP) April 29, 2024

EXO has always maintained their reputation as the "Nation's Pick" by dropping iconic songs.

4. IU

TOP 10: MOST STREAMED ARTISTS OF ALL TIME ON MELON



4. IU (8.21B) pic.twitter.com/ynitOrjQjt  TOP 100 (@TOP100KPOP) April 29, 2024

IU is one of the most loved icons in South Korea due to her artistry, humble personality, acting skills, charm, brand power, and chart-topping releases.

5. SEVENTEEN

TOP 10: MOST STREAMED ARTISTS OF ALL TIME ON MELON



5. SEVENTEEN (4.36B) pic.twitter.com/yKKi47QBk1  TOP 100 (@TOP100KPOP) April 29, 2024

SEVENTEEN also made it on the list's top five. Ever since their debut in 2015, SEVENTEEN has self-produced legendary tracks that are well-loved by CARATs and K-pop community, and are worthy of music chart success.

6. Kim Ho Joong

TOP 10: MOST STREAMED ARTISTS OF ALL TIME ON MELON



6. KIM HO-JOONG (3.67B) pic.twitter.com/qlnd9Z71NL  TOP 100 (@TOP100KPOP) April 29, 2024

Kim Ho Joong made it on the list's sixth place, since the soloist released heartfelt tracks and claimed success across the charts.

7. BOL4

TOP 10: MOST STREAMED ARTISTS OF ALL TIME ON MELON



7. BOLBBALGAN4 (3.66B) pic.twitter.com/VtqcmyVkjr  TOP 100 (@TOP100KPOP) April 29, 2024

BOL4, also known as Bolbbalgan4, is one of the "chart monsters" in South Korea. With their recognizable songs such as "Some," "Travel," 'Blue," and many more, the former duo left a memorable impression on listeners.

8. BIGBANG

TOP 10: MOST STREAMED ARTISTS OF ALL TIME ON MELON



8. BIG BANG (3.33B) pic.twitter.com/a4aNU6esDQ  TOP 100 (@TOP100KPOP) April 29, 2024

BIGBANG's relevance in South Korea has continuously been discussed by online platforms, and because of their versatile yet profound discography, the group left an outstanding mark across MelOn charts through the years.

9. Davichi

TOP 10: MOST STREAMED ARTISTS OF ALL TIME ON MELON



9. DAVICHI (3.15B) pic.twitter.com/wuYtXH7H16  TOP 100 (@TOP100KPOP) April 29, 2024

Davichi's emotional ballads are enough to resonate with listeners, making their releases chart on MelOn.

10. TWICE

TOP 10: MOST STREAMED ARTISTS OF ALL TIME ON MELON



10. TWICE (3.06B) pic.twitter.com/3BYIEerKd8  TOP 100 (@TOP100KPOP) April 29, 2024

Lastly, TWICE closed the Top 10 with their inclusion. The girl group laid out a major contribution to popularizing cheerful bubblegum music in K-pop. This was proven numerous times with their catchy songs such as "CHEER UP," "TT," "KNOCK KNOCK," "Signal" "LIKEY," and many more.

Which K-pop artists on the list are you currently stanning? Let us know in the comments below!

Read KpopStarz for more K-pop news.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 8 Most Japanese-Looking K-pop Male Idols According To Fans: NCT Yuta, ENHYPEN Ni-Ki, PENTAGON Yuto, More!

KpopStarz owns this article

Written by Israel Monte
Jensetters jumped to BLACKPINK Jennie's defense after a jewelry brand accused the idol of plagiarizing her designs and concepts.

YVMIN Claims BLACKPINK Jennie's 'Jentle Salon' Is Plagiarized  Here Are 'Proofs'

In April, Jennie in collaboration with the eyewear brand, Gentle Monster, unveiled its third collection called, "Jentle Salon."

While the collection became popular among celebrities and fans, the Beijing-based jewelry and watch brand expressed frustration after allegedly having their concepts copied by the global idol.

The collection is presented in a large pink box with a white unicorn doll inside. In the compartments of the box, six luxury sunglasses can be seen along with various charm accessories that can be used to personalize the sunglasses.

The whole concept was able to be seen in fruition thanks to the collaborative effort of the brand and Jennie herself.

Prior to releasing it to the public, the star then sent the collection to her close friends and influencers, gaining massive attention for her impressive design and concept. Even aespa Winter supported the idol by posting photos of herself wearing "Jentle Salon" items.

ALSO READ: Zico Shares Story Behind Working With BLACKPINK Jennie: 'We Have Known Each Other...'

When the idol started promoting the brand, it received rave reviews until recently, when one jewelry brand called her out for allegedly copying her past collection's designs & concepts.

YVMIN, a brand established in 2013 dropped a collection from 2020 to 2023 with designs involving teddy bear miniatures, ribbons and silver charms.

There are also similarities in their concept such as when their models were flying while riding an animal. YVMIN used a white rabbit, while Jennie used a unicorn.

Jensetters Clarify Accusations to Jennie

When this news reached Jensetters (Jennie's solo fandom), they expressed frustrations and called out the brand.

In the comments, fans strongly refuted plagiarism suspicions and implied that Jennie won't be able to copy the brand since she probably doesn't know them.

On X, they also explained that while YVMIN released similar charm designs before, it couldn't be called plagiarism since this is a popular item that is followed by other brands as well. It didn't even start with Jennie, but the designs have long existed in the fashion world.

Also, looking closely at the details, Jennie used capybara and clouds, her favorite things, whereas YVMIN has a teddy bear hugging a heart. In terms of concepts, they are not the same.

THE CAPYBARA CHARM. Yvmin uses a teddy bear hugging a heart on his stomach design, which is a design that is SUPER COMMON among jewelry brands or in the accessories market. JENNIEs design was based on her favorite things: Capybara and Cloud, which are publicly known to people. pic.twitter.com/YmRuWPW6Lv  BlueLoveVN (@BlueLoveVN) April 30, 2024

the capybaras and the clouds above were jennie's idea, and the collection was prepared by the gentle monster team. the antis favorites are so jobless that when they see that jennie has gone viral among hf and locals, they get mad and try to throw mud lmaoo  pic.twitter.com/GRPHVmyISP April 30, 2024

The ribbons in the pic are not from yvmin they just added it to complete their story,Heart accessories have been around for a long time yvmin didn't invent them,a bear isn't a capybara unless you know nothing about the animals.. You're just mad because she got so much attention pic.twitter.com/UhMEP3w9AE  llen (@urpeony4k) April 30, 2024

1. You edited each pic side by side on same positions so it would look similar

2. You cropped out some of the yvmin collections to think that theyre charms when theyre not

3. Yvmin are selling accesories and not sunglasses

4. They did not post the story

5.Both styles are diff https://t.co/1d1115xxJx   (@mndublinkk) April 30, 2024

READ MORE: BLACKPINK Jennie Unique Styling at Tokyo Event Leaves Fans Mesmerized

For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
BLACKPINK's Jennie has once again captivated fans and netizens with the release of her new collection for Gentle Monster, known as Jentle Salon.

The build-up to this release has been intense, with fans eagerly awaiting to see Jennie's latest designs and concepts.

Massive Queues and Demonstrations of Jennie's Influence

The release date of May 1 saw a frenzy of activity as stores showcasing Jennie's collection were flooded with eager customers.

In Seoul, one store witnessed endless lines of netizens, all vying for the chance to own a piece of Jennie's stylish creations.

The excitement didn't stop at the store entrance; even inside, queues persisted as fans clamored to purchase glasses and charms from Jennie's collection.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS: BLACKPINK Jennie Criticized for 'Weight Gain' at Paris Fashion Week + BLINKs Defend Idol

Global Impact: Jennie's Collection Draws Crowds Worldwide

The impact of Jennie's collection was not limited to Seoul alone. Fans from different countries also shared images and videos of stores with massive queues, highlighting the global reach of BLACKPINK's influence.

the situation at gentle monster seoul store today. the queue is so long 



JENTLE SALON NOW OPEN#JENTLESALONBYJENNIE @oddatelier @_GentleMonster_ pic.twitter.com/QdDMxkpMDl  nini (@filmsnini) May 1, 2024

Designer JENNIE KIM you're untouchable!

The long queue from outside of the building up to the inside of the Gentle Monster store  pic.twitter.com/xyXgLzkadQ May 1, 2024

one thing about south korea, they will eat everything jennie release pic.twitter.com/NvXoQkf8YI  `` (@pinksfication) May 1, 2024

a line formed outside the gentlemonster store in Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Shanghai prior to the launch of Jentle Salon!



JENTLE SALON NOW OPEN#JENTLESALONBYJENNIE#JENNIE #GENTLEMONSTER pic.twitter.com/axjnwJXNe0   (@GhoulPink) May 1, 2024

a line formed outside the gentlemonster store in Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Shanghai prior to the launch of Jentle Salon!



JENTLE SALON NOW OPEN#JENTLESALONBYJENNIE#JENNIE #GENTLEMONSTER pic.twitter.com/axjnwJXNe0 May 1, 2024

jentle salon barrette 02 and glitter 02 is already sold out 



JENTLE SALON NOW OPEN#JENTLESALONBYJENNIE pic.twitter.com/8ZeHH8u9yo   (@jnkoopsies) May 1, 2024

This are all the glasses that are "sold out to be restocked. The power #JENNIE was to sold 300$ glasses just in a few minutes its crazy 



JENTLE SALON NOW OPEN#JENTLESALONBYJENNIE#JENNIE #GENTLEMONSTER @oddatelier @_GentleMonster_ pic.twitter.com/XDg72MfjY2 May 1, 2024

PEOPLE IS REALLY CRAZY FOR JENTLE SALON BECAUSE IT'S ONLY 30 MINUTES AND MOST OF THE GLASSES ARE ALREADY SOLD OUT AND EACH GLASSES PRICE IS UP TOO $300 JUST WOW #JENNIE KIM POWER 



JENTLE SALON NOW OPEN#JENTLESALONBYJENNIE pic.twitter.com/hdDOqY1sPe   (@sunnysunlisa) May 1, 2024



Whether in Korea or abroad, Jennie's fashion prowess continues to resonate strongly with fans worldwide.

In recent news, BLACKPINK's Jennie attended a Tokyo event to celebrate her collaboration with Gentle Monster, leaving fans mesmerized with her unique styling. She wore a sleeveless white dress with matching tights, accessorized with a black scarf and brown loafers.

Her standout features were bright red lipstick, braided pigtails, and red blush, complemented by eyeglasses from her collection. Fans appreciated this departure from her usual stage attire and noted her versatility in fashion choices.

Jennie's recent collaborations and appearances, including Zico's "SPOT!" and her role in Maisok Kitsune's campaign, have kept her in the spotlight. Fans eagerly anticipate more of her fashion statements while she's in Tokyo.

YOU MIGHT BE ALSO INTERESTED IN: Photo of BLACKPINK Jennie Skin Texture Draws Attention - Here's What Netizens Think

For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Cassidy Jones.
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New Delhi, May 1 (PTI) A court here has sentenced a man to rigorous imprisonment for life for raping his 10-year-old daughter.

Special Judge Anu Aggarwal sentenced the man, who was earlier convicted under section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Also Read | Revanth Reddys Gadida Guddu Jibe at BJP: Telangana CM Holds Unique Protest Against BJP-Led Central Govt, Says Saffron Party Gave Donkeys Egg in Last 10 Years of Governance (See Pics and Video).

In an order passed on April 27, the court said life imprisonment will mean the "remainder of the natural life of the convict".

During the proceedings, Additional Public Prosecutor Arun K V sought maximum punishment.

Also Read | BIS Scientist Held in Bribery Case: CBI Sends Nagpur Bureau of Indian Standards Scientific Cadre Officer To Five Years in Jail, Imposes Fine of Rs 10 Lakh for Taking Bribe of Rs 15,000.

The judge observed that soon after the death of the 10-year-old victim's mother, the convict subjected his daughter to "the most heinous crime" of aggravated penetrative sexual assault.

She said the often-heard phrase 'Papa ki Ladli' (adorable daughter) showed the affectionate relationship between a father and a daughter. "Still, when the protector became "a predator", what was the child supposed to do?" she added.

A child bestowed unconditional trust in the parents and expected love, affection and protection from them, the court said.

It said when the safe premises of a house was turned into a place of sexual assault, the child had nowhere to go.

The court said if the "predator" was the biological father of the child, it was tantamount to the betrayal of trust and impairment of the social values.

Such an offence left a long-lasting emotional and psychological impact on the child who, with such invisible scars, lost trust in the family and friends in general and the society in particular, it said.

The court has awarded the victim a total compensation of Rs 12 lakh for her relief and rehabilitation.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, May 1 (PTI) The Election Commission on Wednesday barred Bharat Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrashekar Rao from campaigning for 48 hours for his "objectionable" remarks against the Congress.

The EC said his remarks at a press conference Sircilla on April 5 were violative of the provisions of the model code of conduct and its advisories.

Also Read | Navi Mumbai: Uttar Pradesh Man Loses Hand, Fractures His Leg After Being Assaulted and Pushed Off Local Train by Four Commuters; Probe Launched.

The 48-hour ban of the Telangana former chief minister comes into force at 8 pm on Wednesday.

After Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, Rao is the second politician to be banned from campaigning for 48 hours in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Also Read | Indore Lok Sabha Election 2024: Congress Appeals To Vote for NOTA in This Constituency After Candidate Akshay Kanti Bam Withdraws Nomination and Joins BJP.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Gurugram, May 1 (PTI) Congress' Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency candidate Raj Babbar on Wednesday met senior leaders of the party here, a day after his name was announced for the seat.

The party has fielded him against BJP veteran and Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh, who is seeking a re-election from the seat in Haryana that goes to polls on May 25 in the sixth round of the seven-phase general elections.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Murder Accused Out on Bail Shot Dead by Unknown Assailant in Baghpat.

During his visit to the city, the actor-turned-politician along with Congress workers paid obeisance at the Shri Shitala Mata temple.

Babbar then met senior Congress leaders and also the family members of former minister, the late, Rao Dharampal.

Also Read | Amit Shah Doctored Video Case: Jharkhand Congress X Handle Withheld over Deepfake Video of Home Minister.

Babbar told reporters that he promises to better basic facilities and amenities in the city.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, May 1 (PTI) Above normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country in May and a significantly high number of heat wave days expected over the northern plains, central region, and adjoining areas of peninsular India, said IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra on Wednesday.

A prolonged and intense spell of heat wave scorched swathes of east, northeast, and southern peninsular India in April, prompting health warnings from government agencies and some states to suspend in-person classes in schools.

Also Read | Navi Mumbai: Uttar Pradesh Man Loses Hand, Fractures His Leg After Being Assaulted and Pushed Off Local Train by Four Commuters; Probe Launched.

Five active Western Disturbances led to rain, thunderstorm, and hailstorms over north and central India at regular intervals in April, preventing heat waves, the India Meteorological Department's director general told a press conference.

IMD data shows that the heat waves in April this year were far worse than in 2023, the warmest year on record so far.

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This trend is likely to continue in May, with around eight to 11 heat wave days predicted over south Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Gujarat regions, Mohapatra said.

The remaining parts of Rajasthan, east Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and some parts of Chhattisgarh, interior Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, north interior Karnataka, and Telangana may record five-seven heat wave days in the month, he said.

Normally, the northern plains, central India, and adjoining areas of peninsular India experience around three days of heat waves in May.

Above normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country in May, except for most parts of northeast India, some parts of northwest and central India, and adjoining areas of northeast peninsular India where normal to below-normal maximum temperatures are likely, the IMD said.

Above normal minimum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country except the northeast and some areas of northwest India, Indo-Gangetic plains, and the central region.

Normal rainfall (91-109 per cent of the long-period average) is predicted in the country in May. Normal to above normal rainfall is likely over most parts of northwest India, and some parts of central, peninsular and northeast India. Below normal precipitation is likely in the remaining parts of the country, the IMD said.

India saw two spells of heat waves in April  from April 5 to 7 and April 15 to 30.

Mohapatra attributed the prolonged heat wave spell over east, northeast, and south peninsular India in April to the absence of thunderstorms and a persisting anticyclone at lower levels over the west central Bay of Bengal and the adjoining eastern coasts of India.

This caused the sea breeze to cut off over Odisha and West Bengal on most days, he said.

The IMD said south peninsular India recorded an average maximum temperature of 31 degrees Celsius in April, which was the second-highest since 1901.

The mean temperature (28.12 degrees Celsius) in April in east and northeast India was the highest since 1901, the weather office said.

The IMD chief said above normal maximum temperatures have become frequent over south peninsular India since 1980s. The region recorded 12.6 mm of rainfall in April, which was the fifth lowest since 1901 and the second lowest since 2001.

Mohapatra said the number of heat wave days this April was the highest in 15 years in Gangetic West Bengal and nine years in Odisha.

Odisha also experienced the longest heat wave spell (16 days) in April since 2016.

Amid the prevailing but weakening El Nino conditions, the IMD had earlier warned of extreme heat during the April-June period, coinciding with the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections.

Hundreds of thousands of voters had to cope with the searing heat when they stepped out to exercise their franchise in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26. Polling for 94 constituencies across 12 states will take place on May 7.

The weather office had earlier expected four to eight heat wave days in different parts of the country in April against a normal of one to three days. Ten to 20 heat wave days are expected against a normal of four to eight in the entire April-June period.

Following a decrease in turnout in the first phase of polling, the Election Commission (EC) set up a task force to review the impact of the heat wave.

The task force includes officials of the poll panel, the IMD, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

Given the Central government's contemplation of the 'one nation, one-poll' concept, the IMD chief had earlier told PTI that authorities must consider weather conditions and the climate in their planning.

'One nation, one poll' refers to the idea of holding simultaneous polls in the country to elect Lok Sabha and state assembly representatives.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Salem (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 1 (ANI): At least four passengers were killed and twenty others were critically injured when a private bus plunged into a gorge in Yercaud in Tamil Nadu's Salem on Tuesday evening, the officials said.

According to the police, the private bus was heading to Salem from Yercaud with 56 passengers on board when the incident took place.

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While the bus reached the 13th hairpin bend, the driver lost control of the vehicle in the turning, and the vehicle hit the sidewall.

After this, the bus fell into the gorge, and landed on the 11th hairpin bend, the officials added.

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The injured were rushed to the hospital.

"Yercaud police have filed a complaint and investigation is going on," the police officials added. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Etawah (UP), May 1 (PTI) A 25-year-old woman allegedly killed herself and her five-year-old son by jumping in front of a train here on Wednesday, police said.

The deceased have been identified as Rashmi and Aryan, they said. She jumped before a passenger train near the Bharthana railway station.

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SHO Government Railway Police (GRP) Sailesh Nigam said,"It seems that the woman was troubled over domestic issues. The matter is being investigated." The bodies have been sent for postmortem, he added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, May 1 (PTI) Telecom infrastructure firm Indus Towers expects to get its dues cleared soon from Vodafone Idea after the telco raised Rs 18,000 crore from the equity market, a senior company official said on Wednesday.

Without naming Vodafone Idea, Indus Towers Managing Director and CEO Prachur Sah said during the company's earning call that discussions are on with the company on the issue.

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"On the customer's question on dues and tenancies, at this point of time, I think we are currently working with the customer to define how this is going to work and we expect our dues to be cleared," Sah said.

Without naming Vodafone Idea (VIL), Indus Towers in its financial report said it has "doubtful receivables of Rs 5,385.3 crore, comprising all overdue from the debt-ridden telecom firm as of March 31, 2024".

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Sah did not commit any timeline for clearance of dues but said "it should be quick".

VIL recently raised Rs 18,000 crore from the FPO, which is expected to provide operational support to the company and clear partial debt.

Indus Towers Chief Financial Officer Vikas Poddar said based on discussions with the customers on the clearance of dues, the company's cash flow is likely to improve in FY25.

For the year ended March 31, 2024, Indus Towers posted close to a three-fold jump in consolidated profit to Rs 6,036.2 crore from Rs 2,040 crore at the end of FY23.

The annual revenue from operations remained almost flat at Rs 28,600.6 crore during the fiscal year compared to Rs 28,381.8 crore in FY23.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, May 1 (PTI) Venture debt firm Stride Ventures has raised USD 165 million (about Rs 1,380 crore) for its Fund III, which it plans to invest in Indian startups within a year, the company said on Wednesday.

The third fund has garnered strong support from a diverse mix of investors, including insurance companies, family offices, corporate treasuries and high net-worth individuals (HNI), it said in a statement.

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"Stride Ventures announces the successful closure of Stride Ventures India Fund III at USD 165 million, achieved within just a year of the first close of the third fund in 2023. Fund III's portfolio showcases exceptional companies like BlueStone, Moneyview, Moove, Foxtale, CureSkin, NewMe, Nat Habit, and AgroStar," the statement noted.

Stride Ventures has a portfolio of over 140 startups across consumer, fin-tech, agri-tech, B2B commerce, health-tech, B2B SaaS, mobility & energy solutions (EV).

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"We are broadening our impact across the Indian startup ecosystem, with comprehensive financial solutions for working capital, capex, in-organic expansion and growth. By identifying and backing market leaders, who are ahead of the curve, we position ourselves at the forefront of investment innovation for Indian startups," Stride Ventures managing partner Apoorva Sharma said.

The company had earlier raised USD 200 million for Fund II and USD 50 million for Fund I.

Fund II was closed in August 2022, and Fund 1 in December 2020.

"As we close Fund III, our vision extends beyond the immediate market horizon. This approach aligns with the global transformation and growth trends within the startup ecosystem.

"At Stride Ventures, we remain committed to supporting visionary founders and extend gratitude to our investors and partners who have supported and trusted us to be a catalyst for sustainable growth and innovation across the startup landscape," Stride Ventures founder and Managing Partner Ishpreet Singh Gandhi said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Beijing [China] May 01 (ANI): Chinese virologist, Zhang Yongzhen gained prominence in 2020 when he shared critical data with the world disclosing the genome of a virus that caused Covid-19.

However, back in China, this scientist who contributed majorly to combating COVID has been facing regular interruptions and hurdles for over four years, a report by CNN stated.

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Yongzhen on Sunday protested against these interruptions outside his lab at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center after administrators closed the facility abruptly for renovations, the same report mentioned quoting accounts posted on his Weibo social media page. Although Yongzhen was praised for his contributions to countering covid 19. But, the people who know him say that he has faced a series of unexpected roadblocks in his career and research.

Images posted on Chinese social media this week showed Zhang wrapped in blankets and sleeping on the doorstep of the lab building as security guards hovered over him.

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Quoting the accounts of Zhang's research students posted online, the CNN report mentioned that he faced challenges like the formal transfer of his official employment to the Shanghai Center in 2020, ending his 19-year tenure at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Their account, reposted on Zhang's Weibo page and seen by CNN, has since been deleted. The post alleged that the Shanghai Center affiliated with Fudan University, failed to formally recognize Zhang's employment, ultimately striping him of his social security and medical benefits, and a premature termination of a five-year cooperation agreement.

In a statement Monday, the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center said it had closed some labs for renovation due to safety concerns and claimed it had provided additional office and experimental spaces for Zhang and his team. The "institute always respects ... and supports scientific researchers and students in carrying out normal research work," the statement said.

CNN claimed to have reached the scientist on the phone, who mentioned that all the explanations given by the authorities for closing the labs were nonsensical. More than a dozen students' research had been impacted by the lab closure, he said, adding it was "inconvenient" to say more at that time.

Moreover, the CNN report claimed that neither Zhang nor the online post detailing the circumstances leading to his protest connected the lab closure to his sharing of the coronavirus genome sequence in 2020.

However, several calls made by CNN to the public relations department of the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center remain unanswered.

According to the CNN report, Zhang became the first scientist to share Covid-19's genomic sequence on January 11, 2020, as the World Health Organization waited for China to provide the data following its announcement nearly two weeks earlier of a viral outbreak in the central city of Wuhan. For his contributions, Zhang Yongzhen was recognized by Nature Magzine as one of 10 people who helped shape science in 2020.

But, according to his long-time collaborator Edward Holmes, a University of Sydney professor who published the genome with Zhang's permission on an international data sharing website. Following the release of the data, Zhang's lab had limitations placed on it, which barred it from isolating the Covid virus, Holmes said.

These challenges have been placed upon Yongzhen because China has kept a close eye on the publication of any information related to Covid 19, tightly monitoring transparency related to the virus. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New York, May 1 (AP) Harvey Weinstein arrived at a Manhattan courthouse Wednesday, his first appearance since his 2020 rape conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week.

Weinstein, wearing a navy blue suit, was seated in a wheelchair pushed by a court officer as he entered the preliminary hearing in Manhattan that is expected to include discussion of evidence, scheduling and other matters, according to Weinstein's attorney, Arthur Aidala.

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Aidala said Weinstein was attending the hearing despite the 72-year-old having been hospitalized since shortly after his return to the city jail system Friday from an upstate prison. He has said Weinstein, who has cardiac issues and diabetes, was undergoing unspecified tests because of his health issues.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has said it is determined to retry the case against Weinstein. Legal experts say that may be a long road and come down to whether the women he's accused of assaulting are willing to testify again. One of the women, Mimi Haley, said Friday she was still considering whether she would testify at any retrial.

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Prosecutors said one of the accusers, Jessica Mann, was in court Wednesday and asked the judge for an early fall date for retrial.

Aidala said Saturday that he plans to tell the judge that he believes a trial could occur any time after Labor Day.

The once-powerful studio boss was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and is still sentenced to another 16 years in prison in California.

In the New York case that is now overturned, he was convicted of rape in the third degree for an attack on an aspiring actor in 2013, and of forcing himself on Haley, a former Project Runway production assistant, in 2006. Weinstein had pleaded not guilty and maintained any sexual activity was consensual.

The Associated Press does not generally identify people alleging sexual assault unless they consent to be named, as Haley and Mann have.

On Thursday, the New York Court of Appeals vacated his conviction in a 4-3 decision, erasing his 23-year prison sentence, after concluding a trial judge permitted jurors to see and hear too much evidence not directly related to what he was charged with.

The ruling shocked and disappointed women who celebrated historic gains during the era of #MeToo, a movement that ushered in a wave of sexual misconduct claims in Hollywood and beyond. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India] May 1 (ANI): The Israeli embassy and Indian security forces conducted a joint security drill in New Delhi to assess the readiness of security forces for countering potential future threats, the Israeli embassy in India said in a press release.

While addressing the event, Israeli Ambassador Naor Gilon emphasised the significance of the security drill.

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"This joint security drill with Indian security forces marks a significant milestone. We extend our gratitude for their efforts. These collaborative exercises strengthen our nations' cooperation in security and defence and reinforce our shared commitment to global stability. We remain steadfast in our determination to foster continued collaboration for a safer world." he said.

The exercise witnessed the involvement of various agencies including the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Delhi Police, the National Security Guard, and local emergency services such as the fire department and traffic police, the release stated.

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Over day and night sessions held at the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi, participants practised response strategies to potential terrorist incidents.

Elite units from the participating agencies were activated in simulated scenarios, while the Delhi Traffic Police managed traffic control in the vicinity.

"The exercise served as a platform for both Israeli and Indian forces to refine their coordination, communication, and operational procedures, thereby strengthening their joint efforts against terrorism," the release added. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], May 1 (ANI): Under the 'KNOW BJP initiative', Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday chaired a meeting at the party headquarters with the representatives of eighteen political parties from 10 countries.

EAM Jaishankar also shared details of the meeting with representatives of several political parties and said that he is confident that their visit to India will contribute to a better understanding of India's robust democratic processes.

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"Joined @BJP4India President @JPNadda ji and ministerial colleague @AshwiniVaishnawji in welcoming representatives of political parties this evening in New Delhi. Confident that their visit to India will contribute to a better understanding of our robust democratic processes," EAM posted on X.

This comes as the representatives arrived in India on the invitation of the BJP to get first-hand experience and insights into the party's election campaign.

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In the meeting, the delegation was briefed about the BJP's election campaign strategies along with the overall Electoral process.

The participating political parties include Australia's Liberal Party, Vietnam's Communist Party of Vietnam, Bangladesh's Awami League, Israel's Likud Party, Uganda- National Resistance Movement, Tanzania's Chama Cha Mapinduzi and Russia's United Russia Party.

Additionally, two Sri Lankan parties, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and United National Party are also participating in the BJP initiative.

Representatives of Mauritius's Militant Socialist Movement, Mauritius Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement, Parti Mauricien Social Democrate, Nepal's Nepali Congress, Janamat Party, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and Rashtriya Swatantra Party have also arrived in India to experience the ongoing BJP's election campaign for Lok Sabha Election 2024. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Auckland, May 1 (The Conversation) With the coalition government's ban of student mobile phones in New Zealand schools coming into effect this week, reaction has ranged from the sceptical (kids will just get sneakier) to the optimistic (most kids seem okay with it).

In a world where nearly everyone has a smartphone, it's to be expected nearly everyone will have an opinion. The trick is to sort the valid from the kneejerk, and not rush to judgement.

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Anecdotally, schools that implemented the ban ahead of the deadline have reported positive changes in attention and learning.

The head girl of Hornby High School in Christchurch said the grounds are now almost louder during intervals and lunches. Her principal said, I wish we had done the phone ban five years ago.

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On the other hand, hard evidence in favour of banning phones in schools has been found to be weak and inconclusive. But the policy's aim to create a positive environment where young New Zealanders can focus on what matters most is not without merit.

Above all, the policy raises a crucial question: is an outright ban the most effective approach to addressing the problem of digital distraction and its impact on education?

Connection and distraction

Since Monday, students have had to store their phones in bags or lockers during school hours. As in the pre-digital era, parents can now only contact their children through the school office.

The aim, according to the National Party's original election promise, is to eliminate unnecessary disturbances or distractions and improve student achievement, which by various measures has declined over the past three decades.

While avoiding generalised assumptions, we know many young people can't put their devices down, as both a recent Education Review Office report and a 2021 OECD survey concluded.

In one US survey in 2022, approximately one-third of teachers asked students to put away their phones five to ten times per class, while nearly 15 per cent asked more than 20 times.

So, it's hard to argue phones aren't a distraction, or that social media-fuelled bullying and isolation don't warrant critical examination of digital habits. At the same time, phones have their constructive uses, from organising schedules for the neurodivergent, to facilitating social interactions and learning.

No phone ban advocate is arguing that limiting phone use in schools is a silver bullet for related issues around cyberbullying, mental health and behavioural challenges. But the personal device's capacity to distract remains a legitimate concern.

Meaningful digital engagement

The heart of the debate lies in education's evolving landscape. The push to ban phones does not extend to digital devices in general, after all. Their utility in learning environments is well recognised.

But as we embrace artificial intelligence and other technological advances in education, we must also ask: at what point does reliance on these digital tools begin to erode critical thinking skills?

The future job market, filled with roles that do not yet exist, will undoubtedly require those skills. Therefore, distinguishing between meaningful digital engagement and detrimental distraction is crucial.

Perhaps the better question is: would fewer distractions create the opportunity for young people to be more curious about their learning?

Curiosity: the engine of critical thinking

Curiosity is essential for educational success, citizenship and media literacy in the digital age. But curiosity is stifled by distractions.

Education research is heading towards treating curiosity as a provocation  meaning we should, in effect, dare young people to be more curious. This involves encouraging mistakes, exploration  even daydreaming or being creatively bored.

All of this is challenging with the current level of distractions in the classroom. On top of that, many young people struggle to cultivate curiosity when digital media can provide instant answers.

Consider the distinction between two types of curiosity: interest curiosity and what has been termed deprivation curiosity.

Interest curiosity is a mindful process that tolerates ambiguity and takes the learner on their own journey. It's a major characteristic of critical thinking, particularly vital in a world where AI systems are competing for jobs.

Deprivation curiosity, by contrast, is characterised by impulsivity and seeking immediate answers. Misinformation and confusion fuelled by AI and digital media only exacerbate the problem.

Making room for real life

Where does this leave the phone ban in New Zealand schools? There are some promising signs from students themselves, including in the OECD's 2022 report on global educational performance:

On average across OECD countries, students were less likely to report getting distracted using digital devices when the use of cell phones on school premises is banned.

These early indications suggest phone bans boost the less quantifiable soft skills and vital developmental habits of young people  social interactions, experimentation, making mistakes and laughing. These all enhance the learning environment.

Real life experiences, with their inherent trials and errors, are irreplaceable avenues for applying critical thinking. Digital experiences, while valuable, cannot fully replicate the depth of human interaction and learning.

Finding the balance is the current challenge. As a 2023 UNESCO report advised, some technology can support some learning in some contexts, but not when it is over-used.

In the meantime, we should all remain curious about the potential positive impacts of the phone ban policy, and allow time for educators and students to respond properly. The real tragedy would be to miss the learning opportunities afforded by a less distracted student population. (The Conversastion)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, May 1: Elon Musk has disbanded Tesla's charging team in a new layoff round, a move which was unexpected and "surprising to everyone". The layoffs at Tesla's Supercharger network come despite onboarding top automakers like Ford and General Motors to use its connectors.

Tesla's Supercharger network has the connector technology known as the North American Charging Standard (NACS), which is being adopted by major automakers. In an email to senior staff, the Tesla CEO told them to cut more employees who "don't obviously pass the excellent, necessary and trustworthy test" or resign. Tesla Layoffs Continue: CEO Elon Musk Lays Off Senior Management People by Sending Email, Plans To Cut More Hundred Jobs, Says Report.

Will Jameson, one of the affected employees at the charging, posted on X that he has let "our entire charging org go." "What this means for the charging network, NACS, and all the exciting work we were doing across the industry, I don't yet know. What a wild ride it has been," he posted on X. Google Layoffs Continue: Tech Giant Lays Off Unspecified Numbers of Employees From Flutter, Dart and Python Teams; Know Why.

However, Tesla "will continue to build out some new Supercharger locations, where critical, and finish those currently under construction", according to Musk's email, reports TechCrunch. These fresh job cuts came after Tesla laid off more than 10 per cent of its global workforce as part of a restructuring plan. The tech billionaire has also dissolved Tesla"s public policy team.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2024 10:44 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Heeramandi Review: Sanjay Leela Bhansali makes his debut on OTT with the Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, an eight-episode series helmed by the prolific filmmaker alongside Mitakshara Kumar. It encompasses everything you'd expect from a Sanjay Leela Bhansali productionexcept, of course, the presence of Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, or Alia Bhatt. It boasts grandiose settings, commendable performances, breathtaking frames and shots, dialogues reminiscent of couplets, and a melodious score. However, Bhansali's films often draw criticism for the director's tendency towards overindulgence, particularly in terms of narrative pacing. When spread across eight episodes as seen in Heeramandi, this inclination leads to a sense of tedium, despite the captivating imagery and stellar performances delivered by Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, and Aditi Rao Hydari. Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Rekha and Other Celebs Pose With Sanjay Leela Bhansali at Heeramandi Screening (See Inside Pics).

After a brief prelude that's set in the 1920s, the majority of Heeramandi is set near the end of the Quit India Movement, with of course, the infamous red light area of Lahore being the main setting. The uncrowned queen of Heeramandi is Mallikajaan (Manisha Koirala), the mistress of Shahi Mahal, the most famous kotha in the city, which looks nothing less than a palace. The alcoholic, haughty Mallikajaan rules Shahi Mahal with an iron fist, making hard decisions for all the tawaifs in her mansion. Her elder daughter Bibbojaan (Aditi Rao Hydari) is already a nautch girl who finds favour with a nawab Wali Mohammed (Fardeen Khan). Mallikajaan's younger sister Waheeda (Sanjeeda Sheikh) hates her for her betrayals and insults and yet is too emotionally damaged to do anything about it.

Watch the Trailer of Heeramandi:

Mallikajaan plans to make her younger daughter Alam (Sharmin Segal) a tawaif, too, as well as the next madam of the kotha, but the poetry-loving lass has no such plans. She falls for a London-returned Tajdar (Taaha Shah), who has no inkling that she is the daughter of a tawaif. Meanwhile, Mallikajaan's old scars return in the form of her niece Fareedan (Sonakshi Sinha), who wants to settle a vengeful old score with her with the help of a British officer (Jason Shah).

Where SLB Magic Works

Heeramandi is a show that brings out Bhansali's best and worst traits as a filmmaker, and unfortunately, it is the latter that leaves a bigger impact on the show. Undeniably, it's visually stunning, as Bhansali's penchant for grandiose set designs and breathtaking costumes provides the necessary aesthetic allure to immerse you in the era depicted. The meticulous attention to detail within each frame and the splendid extravagance beckon you to yearn for a day within those sets, especially during Bhansali's exquisitely choreographed musical sequences. Particularly, the director's artistic flair shines through most prominently in the songs, notably the three standout pieces: "Sakal Ban" (which achieves near-perfect harmony between melody and visuals), "Tilasmi Bahein" (where Sonakshi's performance surprises admirably), and the poignant and powerful closing number, "Azadi". Heeramandi Song 'Azadi': Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha and Others Demand Freedom in This Powerful Track From Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Series (Watch Video).

A Still From Heeramandi

Furthermore, Bhansali extracts exceptional performances from some of his lead actors, with Manisha Koirala and Sonakshi Sinha standing out among the ensemble. Koirala embodies the necessary intensity in her portrayal of the supercilious Mallikajaan, a character capable of evoking both disdain and occasional sympathy. Her standout moment occurs during the fountain scene in the seventh episode, where a shattered yet resilient Mallikajaan reveals her enduring strength to her minions.

A Still From Heeramandi

Heeramandi marks a career-best performance for Sonakshi Sinha, rivalling her work in Lootera. Much like Koirala's character, Sonakshi's Fareedan is complex, displaying shades of grey, and Sonakshi exhibits an unprecedented depth in her portrayal of the bisexual avenger. The pinnacle of Heeramandi lies in the psychological and political duels between Fareedan and Mallikajaan, where the narrative truly shines. Aditi Rao Hydari shines brightly as the compassionate Bibbojaan with a revolutionary heart, while Sanjeeda Sheikh delivers a poignant portrayal of an emotionally and facially wounded Waheeda.

Where It Doesn't

Now that I've pinpointed where SLB's magic worked for Heeramandi, it's time for me to delve into the unfortunate instances where the magic went overboard. The storytelling in recent Bhansali films often tests our patience, primarily due to the extended three-hour runtime. However, we often forgive them due to his mastery of visual narration and the compelling performances he draws from his stars. Yet, when stretched across eight episodes, it strains our tolerance for melodramatic storytelling. Bhansali often injects 'thahraav' into scenes to evoke a poetic quality, but when overused, even in casual conversation, it feels tedious. Moreover, it creates a barrier between the viewer and the characters, leaving them on an ethereal plane without fostering empathy.

A Still From Heeramandi

Heeramandi juggles multiple storylines and a plethora of characters, but only a couple are thoroughly developed, while the rest are shortchanged. For instance, there's a subplot involving Waheeda's jealousy towards her daughter Shama, portrayed by Pratibha Ranta of Laapataa Ladies fame. However, it becomes entangled and lost amidst the series' myriad threads so much I keep having to remind who Shama is. Similarly, the tragic tale of a despondent Lajjo (Richa Chadha) is emotionally charged yet too brief. It also intertwines with Mallikajaan's lost child subplot, but loses its significance as new storylines emerge. Also the conclusion to Lajjo's track bears close semblance to a similar scene in Bhansali's own Gangubai Kathiawadi, which had a better impact there. Heeramandi  The Diamond Bazaar: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Netflix Series Premieres At The Egyptian Theatre In Los Angeles, USA (View Pics).

A Still From Heeramandi

The love story between Alam and Tajdar receives considerable focus, and given Bhansali's love for tragic romances, its trajectory is predictable. It briefly nods to BR Chopra's Tawaif and I adored Farida Jalal's comeback to the screen as Tajdar's grandmother, yet ultimately feels cliched. It also doesn't help that compared to the veterans' performance, Sharmin Segal (who also happens to be SLB's niece) doesn't bring the gravitas needed especially in the intense scenes.

The only subplot that occasionally resonates is Fareedan's manoeuvres against Mallikajaan, but even this loses its potency when intertwined with the freedom struggle narrative. Fareedan's sudden change of heart after Mallikajaan's ordeal at the police station feels unconvincing, and she's given little opportunity to convincingly justify this shift thereafter. Most disappointing is the finale. Despite the rousing "Azadi" song, the series concludes on a weak and rushed note, a strange paradox for a show that often felt drawn out until then.

A Still From Heeramandi

PS: When it comes to the male actors, the one who shines the most is Indresh Malik as the meddlesome Ustaad. Taaha Shah delivers a decent performance. Shekhar Suman and his son Adhyayan Suman fail to make an impact. I find myself wondering why Fardeen Khan chose to make a comeback with Heeramandi portraying a character that doesn't seem worthy of that effort. Unfortunately, this sentiment is reflected in his performance as well.

Final Thoughts on Heeramandi

Sanjay Leela Bhansali brings his grand-scale vision and visual storytelling to the small screen with Heeramandi, extracting some fine performances from his veteran cast. However, the show lacks a strong, compelling narration to feel emotionally invested (nepotism doesn't work in his favour, either), and the melodramatic presentation often induces a sense of tedium across its eight episodes. Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is now streaming on Netflix.

Rating: 2.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2024 12:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Indian auteur Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) was hosted by Netflixs co-CEO Ted Sarandos in Los Angeles for a dinner. The intimate dinner was hosted to celebrate the release of Netflixs highly-anticipated title Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, which also marks the streaming debut of Bhansali. The two were joined by SNL star Bill Hader, Golden Globe-winning actress Ali Wong, filmmaker J. J. Abrams, Katie McGrath (Co-CEO of Bad Robot Productions) and Dan Lin, Chairman Netflix films. For the occasion, SLB wore his signature black kurta which he paired with a white pyjama. Ted was dressed in black shirt which he paired with denims and a pair of suede leather shoes. 19 Years of Black: Rani Mukerji Reveals Why the Sanjay Leela Bhansali Directorial Will Always Remain Special to Her.

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is one of Netflix's biggest bets in recent times. The streaming show, which features an ensemble cast, tells the story of two rival courtesans and how they vow to destroy each other to seek revenge. Heeramandi - The Diamond Bazaar Review: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Netflix Drama Series Receives Mixed Reactions From Critics.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Netflix's Ted Sarandos Dine Together Post Heeramandi Screening in LA

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos hosted a dinner party as Hollywood's elite arrived to celebrate the LA Premiere of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's grand series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar!  Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar premieres today, only on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/ah53rA9WKF  BhansaliProductions (@bhansali_produc) May 1, 2024

Last year, Ted flew to India for a conversation with SLB on Heeramandi and other important aspects of films. Ted shared that India is the fastest-growing market for OTT in the world. He also went on to compare Bhansali to the Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, who is known for The Great Gatsby and Elvis. A special screening of Heeramandi was held in Los Angeles. YouTuber Lilly Singh and rapper Tasher also attended the screening

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2024 04:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Editors note: This post has been updated with more details from Allentown Fire Dept. Assistant Chief Michael Zellin.

Dozens of people have been displaced after a fast-moving blaze tore through two row homes and spread to another Tuesday in Center City Allentown, a fire official said.

Allentown Fire Dept. Assistant Chief Michael Zellin told lehighvalleylive.com flames ignited around 3 p.m. at the two row homes  the second and third homes in while facing the cluster of row homes from the left  in the 700 block of North Seventh Street. The area is close to the North Seventh Street intersection with Tilghman Street.

Flames are believed to have started in the rear of those two buildings, Zellin said.

All occupants of the row homes managed to escape safely on their own when responding crews arrived. There was an unconfirmed report of a cat missing from one of the homes, Zellin noted.

The blaze eventually rose to three alarms, drawing the response of multiple agencies. Smoke could be seen billowing out of the roofs of at least three of the homes.

We attacked it from both ends trying to locate the main bulk of fire, Zellin said Wednesday morning. We had an engine in the rear alley and other units out front on Seventh Street.

It took about three hours to get the flames under control, Zellin said. Traffic became an issue with portions of bustling Seventh and Tilghman streets blocked off by police during the evening rush hour to let crews into the fire scene.

We were doing an interior attack, but we pulled out once the fire got up into the ceilings and roof, he said. We then were making an exterior attack with our ladders and deck guns.

Firefighters who entered the buildings found heavy smoke, heat, and limited visibility on the top floors, a news release put out by the citys fire department Wednesday morning stated. Firefighters quickly went to the roof (and) ventilated the structure, preventing the fire from spreading to the unaffected homes in the row.

Storms rolled into the region by Tuesday evening with firefighters facing challenging conditions, including blasts of lightning, heavy downpours, gusty winds, and some hail. Lightning strikes eventually forced crews to lower ladders and the Lehigh County Drone team responding to survey the damage to pack it in for the evening, Zellin said.

One firefighter was injured and taken to an area hospital for treatment. A bystander also was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation, fire officials said. The firefighter has since been released from the hospital and the department declined to provide specifics about his injury.

Flames were mostly contained to three buildings, which have been significantly ravaged, fire officials said. All three have significant fire and water damage, while a fourth has water damage, Zellin said.

We also had to do some inspection holes in that (fourth) house to check for extension, he said.

In the end, a total of 36 people remain displaced, Zellin said. The Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross stepped in to help the families with shelter, food, relief supplies and emotional support.

Cristina Maisel, regional communications manager for the Pennsylvania Chapter, said an emergency shelter for victims has been set up at the Allentown YMCA, 425 15th St., in the city. Five people used the shelter overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, she told lehighvalleylive.com.

That amount of people, however, is expected to fluctuate throughout Wednesday into Thursday, Maisel said.

The shelter population can be very fluid as people come and go throughout the day, to go to work, school or attend to other personal matters, she said.

The cause of Tuesdays blaze in unknown. It remains under investigation by Allentown fire officials. Victims from Tuesdays fire in need of Red Cross assistance are asked to call 1-800-RED CROSS.

Allentown firefighters battle a row-home blaze the afternoon of April 30, 2024, in the 700 block of North Seventh Street. (Mike Nester | lehighvalleylive.com contributor)Mike Nester | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
Ulviyya Shahin

The nations within the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) have expressed interest in the anti-drone systems utilised in Azerbaijani airports.

Azernews reports that this was stated by Rufat Bayramov, the national secretary of the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission for Azerbaijan.

R. Bayramov highlighted that deliberations on this matter took place during the two-day seminar (April 29-30) of TRACECA countries on Aviation Security and Risk Assessment in Baku. He stated, "Discussions at the seminar encompassed topics such as the enhancement of aviation security and cyber security.

Further to the discussions, the current challenges encountered by countries in the realm of civil aviation were addressed.

He further underscored that the seminar aimed at facilitating the exchange of exemplary knowledge and experiences. Throughout the event, participants focused on devising and executing national risk assessment methodologies. Panellists stressed the significance of customised strategies tailored to diverse regions and organisations while also sharing best practices and insights concerning the establishment of robust risk assessment frameworks.

Rufat Bayramov revealed that from January to March of the current year, the quantity of cargo transported via the Azerbaijani segment of the Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia (TRACECA) totaled 4 million tons. He noted that this represents an increase of approximately 20% compared to the same timeframe in 2023.

Bayramov further stated that by the conclusion of the year, it is anticipated that the volume of cargo transportation through the Azerbaijani segment of TRACECA will achieve 16 million tons.
Allentown Bureau of Building Standards & Safety officials are trying to determine what caused a portion of a row homes sidewall to collapse Tuesday evening onto a city street.

The incident happened around 11:15 p.m. in the 300 block of North 16th Street, city Deputy Fire Chief Christian Williams told lehighvalleylive.com. As the portion of the side wall on the upper level of the three-story home fell, it dropped onto service lines and snapped a utility pole in half, Williams said.

There were no reported injuries in the incident.

Heidi Westerman, city director of building standards and safety, told lehighvalleylive.com Wednesday afternoon a brick chimney fell first, causing the side wall to also come down with it. Westerman said its unclear if weather played a role in the incident. The collapse happened during torrential downpours, gusty winds and some hail during a storm Tuesday evening that impacted the region.

It most likely was due to some kind of preexisting failure in the brick itself that was then toppled by the wind gusts from last nights storm, Westerman said.

The home has since been deemed uninhabitable by Allentown Building Standards & Safety. Its unclear how many people are displaced. American Red Cross Pennsylvania Chapter spokeswoman Cristina Maisel told lehighvalleylive.com the organization was not called to assist anyone as of Wednesday afternoon.

All utilities have since been secured, Williams said. Barricades additionally have been placed along Wayne Street, which runs parallel to the home, on either side of the collapsed site, he said.

Westerman said as crews work to repair the snapped pole, theres going to be some drilling into the concrete. She expects vibrations to impact the building again, with the possibility of more brick falling down.

The cause of Tuesdays collapse remains under investigation.

United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, Greater Valley YMCA and Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley have established a 7th Street Fire Fund to assist the victims. Donations can be made online at this secure website.

The incident happened around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in the 300 block of North 16th Street, city Deputy Fire Chief Christian Williams told lehighvalleylive.com. Barricades additionally have been placed along Wayne Street, which runs parallel to the home, on either side of the collapsed site, Williams said.Mike Nester | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Editors note: This article has been updated with more details from Heidi Westerman, Allentowns director of building standards and safety. Its also been updated with information on fundraising efforts.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
The Lehigh Valleys newest Sheetz convenience store is slated to open Thursday on the eastern portion of Bethlehems Southside.

The store at 1780 E. Fourth St.  between Emery Street and Lynn Avenue  will host a grand opening starting at 9 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to follow. Therell be multiple prizes and giveaways; a grand prize featuring free Sheetz items for a year; and free self-serve coffee and soda for the entire day, chain representatives said.

Additionally, Sheetz representatives plan to donate $2,500 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania, as well as $2,500 to the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania. The food bank serves 200 agencies in Northampton and Lehigh counties, as well as neighboring Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties, according to its website. Customers who donate non-perishable food items to the food bank from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday also will receive a Sheetz-brand thermal bag, while supplies last, representatives said.
The second of two brothers involved in the robbery and brutal killing of a New Jersey man in Pennsylvania in 2021 was sentenced to prison Wednesday, authorities said.

Joshua David Gamble, 20, of Somerset, was handed a 5 to 10 year state prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2022 to robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, theft, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and abuse of a corpse, according to a release from the Bucks County District Attorneys Office.

Gamble and his brother, Anthony Joel Gamble, 22, of Somerset, were accused of robbing and killing 26-year-old Kevin Rosero, also of Somerset, during a botched robbery of $400 in June 2021 in Richland Township, Pennsylvania, the office said.

Pennsylvania State Troopers caught the brothers in the act of hiding Roseros body just after midnight on June 17 in a wooded area of East Pumping Station Road in town, investigators said.

Rosero was stabbed 28 times in the face, neck, upper torso, and upper extremities, and a large, bloodied knife was found at the scene, along with sanitizing wipes and coated work gloves that the Gambles used to try to clean the scene, officials said.

Joshua Gamble was found on the ground near one vehicle, wearing gloves and with blood on his shoes and key fob, an affidavit said. Anthony Gamble was found in the woods nearby, with blood on his shirt and shoes. He also had work gloves in his pocket.

Anthony Gamble was sentenced last year to 25 to 55 years in state prison after pleading guilty to third-degree murder and criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, authorities said.

Joshua Gamble must also serve four years of probation for the senseless act of greed that destroyed the Rosero family and seriously impacted the Gamble family, Judge Jeffrey Finley said in court.

Rosero was a Rutgers University graduate who had dreams of becoming an immigration attorney, the office said. His college mentor described him in court as a beacon of light to all who he came into contact with. His presence provided love, light, and warmth.

Roseros mother and father both provided impact statements, which were read in court by Deputy District Attorney Monica Furber and Bucks County Detective Tim Perkins.

We were robbed of so many moments, his father said in the statement.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
The long awaited date for the start of New Yorks congestion pricing plan to charge drivers $15 to enter lower Manhattan will start after midnight on June 30.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Friday announced the start date and details about who is and isnt exempt from the fee.

However, attorneys representing New Jersey in a lawsuit brought last June to stop congestion pricing said the announcement might be premature.

Not so fast. We are awaiting a court ruling as early as next month on whether the MTAs unprecedented congestion pricing scheme can go forward, given the obvious deficiencies in the environmental review that was done here and the lack of mitigation provided for New Jerseys environmental justice communities, said attorney Randy Mastro, who argued the states case in U.S. District Court earlier this month.

That is only one of the many pending and anticipated lawsuits challenging this hugely flawed plan, he said. So the jury is still out.

City commuter advocates hailed the announcement as one they have waited years for.

On June 30, barring any last ditch court interference, congestion pricing will become reality, said Riders Alliance Policy & Communications Director Danny Pearlstein. Congestion pricing will be a win-win-win for all New Yorkers, commuters and visitors and bring better public transit, cleaner air, and freer moving traffic. It cannot happen soon enough.

The program still requires final Federal Highway Administration approval.

The FHWA has begun its review and will continue to work with the New York project sponsors as we complete the review, said a spokesperson speaking on background.

The basics

Congestion pricing will charge a toll to enter the Central Business District south of 60th Street in Manhattan.

The base toll is $15 for non-commercial passenger vehicles and small commercial trucks and $22.50 for non-E-ZPass customers from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. That drops 75% to $3.75 during the overnight period.

Trucks and charter buses will pay a toll of $24 or $36 during the peak period, depending on their size and function, and $6 or $9 during the overnight period.

Commuter buses open to the public are exempted, which includes those run by private companies. School buses under contract to the city board of education for transporting students are exempt.

Toll credits

Passenger vehicle drivers using the Hudson or East River tunnels will receive a $5 toll credit toward the congestion fee. No credit is offered for the George Washington Bridge. Toll credits are $2.50 for motorcycles, up to $12 for small trucks and charter buses, and up to $20 for large trucks and tour buses.

No crossing credits will be offered overnight when the toll is reduced by 75% from the peak period toll.

How to pay

Drivers who have an E-ZPass account will be charged similar to any other toll. A bill for $22.50 for non E-ZPass users will be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle. The MTA is encouraging drivers to sign up for E-ZPass and for E-ZPass customer to make sure their account information is up to date, including the license plate and make of vehicle.

During the first 60 days of the program, drivers will only be charged the Congestion Pricing toll. No additional fees, charges, or fines, such as late fees, will be applied. After that late fees and violation fees will be applied.

Are there discounts?

Low income residents of New Jersey and New York can apply for a 50% discount is available for low-income vehicle owners enrolled in the Low-Income Discount Plan. That discount begins after the first 10 trips in a calendar month, and applies to all peak period trips after that.

The discount requires a New York E-ZPass account, income proof and can be applied for on the MTA website.

Who else is exempt?

Qualifying authorized emergency vehicles and qualifying vehicles transporting people with disabilities will be exempt from the congestion pricing toll.

Specialized government vehicles, commuter vans licensed by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission also are exempt. Commuter, transit, and intercity buses registered in other states must provide state-issued authorization to provide bus services; supporting documentation showing that the buses operate on a schedule and fixed route; and registration for every vehicle on the application, an MTA spokesman said.

What about cabs, Ubers and Lyft

Cabs and For Hire vehicles have to pay, but that per trip cost is passed on the passenger when traveling to, from, within, or through the congestion zone. For both the peak and overnight period, app-based for-hire vehicles are charged $2.50 per trip. Taxis, green cabs, and black cars, are charged $1.25 per trip.

Is this a done deal?

Besides final federal approval of the rate schedule that was approved in late March, there also is the possibility that the start date could be delayed depending on how U.S. District Court Senior Judge Leo M. Gordon rules on lawsuits brought by New Jersey, Bergen County and Fort Lee.

Those suits asked the court to overturn federal approval and order a more comprehensive environmental study be done. Several similar lawsuits are also pending in New York.

Whats the purpose of the fee?

Congestion pricing, which was approved by New York legislature in 2019, is designed to reduce traffic, crashes, air pollution and raise $1 billion annually for MTA subway, bus and commuter rail projects. A projected 80,00 to 110,000 commuters are forecasted to switch from driving to using mass transit, MTA officials said.

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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry
Minister Charlie McConalogue was left in no doubt about what declared as a year of pure hardship faced this year by tillage farmer on a visit to Laois land.

The Agriculture Minister walked freshly tilled Laois ground just outside Ballybrittas where he met a delegation from the Irish Grain Growers to hear first hand about problems and solutions both short term and long term.

The land inspected on April 30, is being farmed by Pat and Darragh Cleary. While based near Monasterevin they sow crops in Laois.

He said theyve already had to scrap winter wheat sown on the Ballybrittas site due to the weather. He said it was one of their biggest earning crops. The land was subsequently redrilled with spring barley.

Darragh also told the Minister about having to pay multiple failed harvest and sowing visits to a parcel of land in the Ballyroan area due to weather conditions which will cost himself and his father Pat significantly extra to harvest.

Its pure hardship the year that we have had, he said.

His father Pat praised Minister McConalogue for his commitment to the sector but said the figures show that tillage farming is declining but the costs are bigger.

What we spend on inputs is way above what any other sector in farming spends, he said.

He said his son Darragh has invested significantly in equipment but he fears for the future young growers face.

We need some hope for people in the younger generation like himwe are seven generations farming, I dont want Darragh to be the last generation but thats with what might happen the way things are going - that is how serious it is.

My ancestors survived famine, wars but we mightnt survive if it continues the way it is going, he said.

He pleaded with the Minister to help. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Pictured: Minister McConalague speaks in Ballybrittas.

You more than anybody - its in your hands to do something, he said.

Ratheniska farmer Colm Fingeton highlighted the impact on growing malting barley. He said sowing could have begun in late February / early March with other ground sown later.

He was also critical of big beer and whiskey companies who buy their products as the key ingredients. He said that while Guinness and Irish Distillers have strong Irish bases, they have not been asked how they are going to help the Irish tillage farmers. He said he has almost given up growing malting barley because of the obstacles placed by such companies.

Those companies are going to have to start working with the farmers to deal with the weather. We cant get the fine-tuned quality that they want every year and we need more flexibility, he said.

Nicky Keane travelled from Wexford to highlight the dire situation in the southeast. He told the Minister that some crops have already rotted in the ground while a huge amount of land has been impossible to work.

I dont know when we are going to sow. It is malting barley, oats beans - they all should have been sown before April 1, he said.

He too appealed for help over and above the 100 per hectare payment.

The 100 per hectare scheme is a sticking plaster. We need a plan...I know you cant do anything about the weather but our industry needs support - we are not looking for a handout - we are looking for a scheme, he said.

He told the Minister that tillage is carbon neutral and makes the best use of nitrogen in farming and should be prioritised for growth.

"Its an open goal for you Minister. Your Goverment is coming to the end of the year but you can make a stand and put tillage in a better place going forward. If not, the amount people that are going to leave tillage farming this year is going to be huge, he said.

Bobby Millar wanted the highs and lows to be reduced by strategic investment. He agreed that tillage farmers didnt expect money to be thrown at the sector with no return but climate needs to be planned for.

We do need to factor in weather impact and how we deal with that going forward. Strategic thinking is needed by the Government and farmers, he said.

He was adamant that farmers need structured support to reduce the risk.

We do not want to be coming with the begging bowl every year or other year. We just want firm foundations for the sector and we do not think the support has been there, he said.

Various proposals were put to the minister that would improve the situation such as plough based tillage, a focus on high-yield sowing, the updating of the TAMS scheme to match the current cost of machinery which is doubling. Tax incentives for carbon-neutral farming were also proposed.

The supply of tariff-free grain from Ukraine due to war there was also identified as another reason by Pat Cleary for a long term strategy.

We dont want our incomes to be dictated by what Putin does in the Ukraine. We need long-term food security in this country and we can do, he said.

He also highlighted the potential for tillage farming if Irish mills were compelled to take in Irish-grown grain. He said research has shown that Irish farmers can sow the best quality milling wheat. He recalled grain being brought to Portarlington from Monasterevin at Odlums for milling.

That market is gone from us at the moment, he said.

Ratheniskas Clive Carter raised a similar point.

It is very difficult as a tillage farmer when you produce this low carbon, sustainable quality product to then see a boat from the other end of the world tipped into the same shed as Irish crops and then sold as Irish product, he said.

He believes this misleads consumers into thinking that they are consuming an Irish product when they are not.

It is frustrating, difficult and demoralising, he said.

Minister McConalogue acknowledged the situation faced in the last year to 18 months have been extremely challenging. More below picture.

The minister walks the land with Pat and Darragh Cleary flanked by Colm Fingleton and Clive Carter

It has been a very difficult spring on the back of a tremendously difficult harvest that hadnt been seen in many years so you have got it at both ends, he said.

He said he was very much aware of the wider situation in terms of pressure on land availability over the last year.

He believes that the sector must expand.

What we needed to do is see the sector grow. We dont grow enough for our own needs. We only grow about a third of what we consume but we have the highest yields in the whole world. Obviously, the cost base is more challenging but the yields are very strong.

So it makes a lot of sense for our domestic food system that we would produce more locally. That is an objective of Government, he said.

He said he would be looking at detail of the Food Vision Group to see what steps could be taken to see land used for tillage reach 400,000 hectares. He said he appointed the committee that came up with the now complete Food Vision Report. He said he did so to allow farmers to have input to examine and propose a plan for the future.

As to implementation, he said he has the final report and it would be considered and advanced within the next couple of months.

I am now looking at it and will then put in place an implementation plan coming out of it, he said.

The Minister said the Government would be briefed and said there are significant funding asks in a report which contains a lot of good ideas and suggestions.

Every sector will ask for funding but there are constraints on the Governments capacity to deliver, he said.

He said the recent commitment of 100 per hectare support for field grown crops harvested in 2024 was made to underpin farmers through the difficult year they have had.

I know that is not going to address all the issues but it is a significant contribution because it is going to be in the region of 30 million, he said.

He said Ireland is one of the few countries in the EU to have put in a scheme to compensate farmers for the weather. He described the support as a no strings attached payment for field-grown crops excluding protein produce such as beans and peas.

He said any money allocated must make sense.

It has to make structural sense. We cant have a situation, where generally across the sectors, we are just fueling land demand that is ultimately only ending up in the hands of land owners and not food producers, he said.

He said any measures on the tax front could only be considered in the context of the budget.

While he accepted the difficulties exist he also said the tillage is viable.

Across the farming sectors, it is the second most profitable on an average outlook. The income for tillage per hectare is second to dairy and per labour unit would be on a par with dairy farming, he said.

Mr McConalogue added that the price of grain is important to other farmers as its required for feed and affects their competitiveness.

In a statement released after the visit, the Department of Agriculture said additional supports included a top-up of 3m for Protein Aid bringing the total budget to 10m. The Straw Incorporation Measure provided 16.5 million and the Tillage Incentive Scheme provided 8.3 million to growers in 2023. The 7.147m secured from the EU Agricultural Reserve was topped up with a further 7.147m in State funding.

It said these funds were used to support growers with unharvested crops by way of an Unharvested Crop Support Scheme with the remaining funds being used as a once-off flat rate payment on the area of oilseed rape and cereal crops.

In March, the Minister also announced an exemption to the crop diversification element of GAEC 7, easing concerns for tillage farmers by allowing them to pick the crops that best suit their circumstances, taking account of time of sowing, market returns and seed availability.
Councillors were puzzled to learn that An Taisce had a role in safe school zones in Laois.

Fine Gael Cllr PJ Kelly asked that all schools in the county be notified in writing about An Taisces role.

He had tabled a motion asking that Laois County Council in conjunction with An Taisce create a school safe zone in front of the primary school in Killenard.

In a written response, Senior Executive Engineer Diarmaid Donohue stated that the Council acknowledges the need for front of school treatment at Killenard NS. However, only schools that have applied to An Taisce under the Safe Routes to School Programme (SRTS) will be selected for SRTS interventions. Killenard NS is not on the current list of Laois schools but is recommended to apply when An Taisce re-opens the application process.

Cllr Kelly believed many schools wouldnt have been aware of the requirement to apply to An Taisce.

There is an awful lot of schools that dont even realise. They assume it is the councils responsibility to make the area safe, said Cllr Kelly.

He said the issue was only brought to the councillors attention at the previous meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District.

I would ask that the council contacts all the primary schools in county Laois to let them know that this facility is available through Taisce. It is State money that is going to be provided for this, it wont be council money, he remarked.

If the schools are let know via a letter from the council that this would save an awful lot of problems, he added.

Sinn Fein Cllr Aidan Mullins asked why An Taisce were involved in safe routes.

I thought An Taisce has got to do with heritage I just dont understand. I would have thought it was down to the local council, he remarked.

The issue was discussed at the most recent meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District.
Kildare County Council has marked the completion of a new development of 10 housing units at Ard Sceach, Coill Dubh, Co Kildare which was funded under Housing for All  a New Housing Plan for Ireland.

The development of 10 housing units comprises four 1-bedroom properties as well three 2-bedroom properties and three 3-bedroom houses, all of which have an A energy rating and are finished to a high standard with highly insulated and airtight mechanical ventilation systems and using heat-pump technology and economical heating control systems. In addition, the unit types delivered in the scheme facilitate right sizing and the provision of adaptable units.

The scheme delivers much-needed social housing units in an area that is accessible and well-serviced by existing public transport and other important infrastructure.

Speaking at the event to mark the completion of the development, Cathaoirleach of the County of Kildare, Cllr Daragh Fitzpatrick said; I am delighted to be with you all today to celebrate the completion of these fantastic new homes. Id like to take the opportunity today to thank the elected members of Kildare County Council for supporting this project, and the broader Housing for All scheme, which is helping to deliver much-needed social housing, for those that need it most, throughout the county.

Welcoming the completion of the 10 housing units, Annette Aspell, Kildare County Council, Director of Services for Housing & Regeneration said; We are delighted to reach this important milestone, to mark the completion of 10 much needed new residential units in Kildare. The Ard Sceach development has been funded and delivered under the Housing for All  a new Housing Plan for Ireland scheme. In Kildare County Council, we are committed to delivering our targets under this scheme, providing housing right across the county, and the 10 units were unveiling today are a demonstration of that commitment.
Minister Charlie McConalogue was left in no doubt about what declared as a year of pure hardship faced this year by tillage farmer on a visit to land on the Kildare/Laois border.

The Agriculture Minister walked freshly tilled Laois ground just outside Ballybrittas where he met a delegation from the Irish Grain Growers to hear first hand about problems and solutions both short term and long term.

The land inspected on April 30, is being farmed by Pat and Darragh Cleary. While based near Monasterevin they sow crops in Laois.

He said theyve already had to scrap winter wheat sown on the Ballybrittas site due to the weather. He said it was one of their biggest earning crops. The land was subsequently redrilled with spring barley.

Darragh also told the Minister about having to pay multiple failed harvest and sowing visits to a parcel of land in the Ballyroan area due to weather conditions which will cost himself and his father Pat significantly extra to harvest.

Its pure hardship the year that we have had, he said.

His father Pat praised Minister McConalogue for his commitment to the sector but said the figures show that tillage farming is declining but the costs are bigger.

What we spend on inputs is way above what any other sector in farming spends, he said.

He said his son Darragh has invested significantly in equipment but he fears for the future young growers face.

We need some hope for people in the younger generation like himwe are seven generations farming, I dont want Darragh to be the last generation but thats with what might happen the way things are going - that is how serious it is.

My ancestors survived famine, wars but we mightnt survive if it continues the way it is going, he said.

He pleaded with the Minister to help. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Pictured: Minister McConalague speaks in Ballybrittas.

You more than anybody - its in your hands to do something, he said.

Ratheniska farmer Colm Fingeton highlighted the impact on growing malting barley. He said sowing could have begun in late February / early March with other ground sown later.

He was also critical of big beer and whiskey companies who buy their products as the key ingredients. He said that while Guinness and Irish Distillers have strong Irish bases, they have not been asked how they are going to help the Irish tillage farmers. He said he has almost given up growing malting barley because of the obstacles placed by such companies.

Those companies are going to have to start working with the farmers to deal with the weather. We cant get the fine-tuned quality that they want every year and we need more flexibility, he said.

Nicky Keane travelled from Wexford to highlight the dire situation in the southeast. He told the Minister that some crops have already rotted in the ground while a huge amount of land has been impossible to work.

I dont know when we are going to sow. It is malting barley, oats beans - they all should have been sown before April 1, he said.

He too appealed for help over and above the 100 per hectare payment.

The 100 per hectare scheme is a sticking plaster. We need a plan...I know you cant do anything about the weather but our industry needs support - we are not looking for a handout - we are looking for a scheme, he said.

He told the Minister that tillage is carbon neutral and makes the best use of nitrogen in farming and should be prioritised for growth.

"Its an open goal for you Minister. Your Goverment is coming to the end of the year but you can make a stand and put tillage in a better place going forward. If not, the amount people that are going to leave tillage farming this year is going to be huge, he said.

Bobby Millar wanted the highs and lows to be reduced by strategic investment. He agreed that tillage farmers didnt expect money to be thrown at the sector with no return but climate needs to be planned for.

We do need to factor in weather impact and how we deal with that going forward. Strategic thinking is needed by the Government and farmers, he said.

He was adamant that farmers need structured support to reduce the risk.

We do not want to be coming with the begging bowl every year or other year. We just want firm foundations for the sector and we do not think the support has been there, he said.

Various proposals were put to the minister that would improve the situation such as plough based tillage, a focus on high-yield sowing, the updating of the TAMS scheme to match the current cost of machinery which is doubling. Tax incentives for carbon-neutral farming were also proposed.

The supply of tariff-free grain from Ukraine due to war there was also identified as another reason by Pat Cleary for a long term strategy.

We dont want our incomes to be dictated by what Putin does in the Ukraine. We need long-term food security in this country and we can do, he said.

He also highlighted the potential for tillage farming if Irish mills were compelled to take in Irish-grown grain. He said research has shown that Irish farmers can sow the best quality milling wheat. He recalled grain being brought to Portarlington from Monasterevin at Odlums for milling.

That market is gone from us at the moment, he said.

Ratheniskas Clive Carter raised a similar point.

It is very difficult as a tillage farmer when you produce this low carbon, sustainable quality product to then see a boat from the other end of the world tipped into the same shed as Irish crops and then sold as Irish product, he said.

He believes this misleads consumers into thinking that they are consuming an Irish product when they are not.

It is frustrating, difficult and demoralising, he said.

Minister McConalogue acknowledged the situation faced in the last year to 18 months have been extremely challenging. More below picture.

The minister walks the land with Pat and Darragh Cleary flanked by Colm Fingleton and Clive Carter

It has been a very difficult spring on the back of a tremendously difficult harvest that hadnt been seen in many years so you have got it at both ends, he said.

He said he was very much aware of the wider situation in terms of pressure on land availability over the last year.

He believes that the sector must expand.

What we needed to do is see the sector grow. We dont grow enough for our own needs. We only grow about a third of what we consume but we have the highest yields in the whole world. Obviously, the cost base is more challenging but the yields are very strong.

So it makes a lot of sense for our domestic food system that we would produce more locally. That is an objective of Government, he said.

He said he would be looking at detail of the Food Vision Group to see what steps could be taken to see land used for tillage reach 400,000 hectares. He said he appointed the committee that came up with the now complete Food Vision Report. He said he did so to allow farmers to have input to examine and propose a plan for the future.

As to implementation, he said he has the final report and it would be considered and advanced within the next couple of months.

I am now looking at it and will then put in place an implementation plan coming out of it, he said.

The Minister said the Government would be briefed and said there are significant funding asks in a report which contains a lot of good ideas and suggestions.

Every sector will ask for funding but there are constraints on the Governments capacity to deliver, he said.

He said the recent commitment of 100 per hectare support for field grown crops harvested in 2024 was made to underpin farmers through the difficult year they have had.

I know that is not going to address all the issues but it is a significant contribution because it is going to be in the region of 30 million, he said.

He said Ireland is one of the few countries in the EU to have put in a scheme to compensate farmers for the weather. He described the support as a no strings attached payment for field-grown crops excluding protein produce such as beans and peas.

He said any money allocated must make sense.

It has to make structural sense. We cant have a situation, where generally across the sectors, we are just fueling land demand that is ultimately only ending up in the hands of land owners and not food producers, he said.

He said any measures on the tax front could only be considered in the context of the budget.

While he accepted the difficulties exist he also said the tillage is viable.

Across the farming sectors, it is the second most profitable on an average outlook. The income for tillage per hectare is second to dairy and per labour unit would be on a par with dairy farming, he said.

Mr McConalogue added that the price of grain is important to other farmers as its required for feed and affects their competitiveness.

In a statement released after the visit, the Department of Agriculture said additional supports included a top-up of 3m for Protein Aid bringing the total budget to 10m. The Straw Incorporation Measure provided 16.5 million and the Tillage Incentive Scheme provided 8.3 million to growers in 2023. The 7.147m secured from the EU Agricultural Reserve was topped up with a further 7.147m in State funding.

It said these funds were used to support growers with unharvested crops by way of an Unharvested Crop Support Scheme with the remaining funds being used as a once-off flat rate payment on the area of oilseed rape and cereal crops.

In March, the Minister also announced an exemption to the crop diversification element of GAEC 7, easing concerns for tillage farmers by allowing them to pick the crops that best suit their circumstances, taking account of time of sowing, market returns and seed availability.
Gardai have confirmed the proposed locations of nine static speed safety cameras which, they hope, will be fully operational by the end of 2024.



Static-speed safety cameras have been proven internationally to reduce speeding, which is one of the main contributors to road deaths in Ireland and elsewhere.

Seven of the proposed cameras will be installed on national primary routes while two will be located on a regional road.

The cameras will be located on the N59 (Galway), N25 (Waterford), R772 (Wicklow), N14 (Donegal), N80 (Carlow), Dublin (Dolphins Barn), N17 (Mayo), N22 (Cork) and on the N69 in Limerick.



According to gardai, the locations were selected based on fatal and serious injury collision data from the last seven years and speed data, as well as feedback from stakeholders.



The nine static speed cameras are being funded from the Garda budget at a cost of approximately 2.4 million over the next 18 months.



The cameras will be rolled out in conjunction with average speed cameras which are planned for the N3 (Butlers Bridge, Co Cavan), the N5 (Swinford, Co. Mayo), and the N2 (Slane, Co Meath) and which are expected to be operational by the end of October.

Separately, the number of GoSafe-operated speed detection vans will increase from 55 to 58 in the coming weeks.

Confirming the latest initiative, a garda spokesperson stated that Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has requested that the Assistant Commissioner with responsibility for roads policing develop a business case for the introduction of a further 100 static speed cameras.

This business case will then form part of An Garda Siochanas application for its overall funding in 2025 as part of the Estimates Process.

Commenting, Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman said: "Static speed safety cameras have been proven in other countries to be highly effective in changing driver behaviour and reducing speed, which is a key contributor to road deaths. Speed cameras slow drivers down. The lower speeds people drive at, the lower the number of road deaths.

As with GoSafe vans, drivers detected by static speed cameras breaking the speed limit on that road will be automatically issued a fixed charge penalty notice.

The locations for the nine static speed safety cameras, announced this Wednesday, are:

Galway: N59, between Moycullen and Galway City

Waterford: N25, between Glenmore and Luffany

Wicklow: R772, Arklow Road, Aske, north of Gorey

Donegal: N14, east of Letterkenny

Carlow: N80, between Barristown and Levitstown

Dublin: Crumlin Road/Parnell Road/Dolphin Road/Dolphins Barn Junction

Mayo: N17, northeast of Claremorris

Cork: N22, east of Lissarda, west of Ovens

Limerick: N69, east of Askeaton

Site visits and partnership engagement are ongoing to progress the engineering for the installation of the cameras.

Road users will be advised of the location of static speed safety cameras through road signage.
After 33 years in local politics and for personal reasons, Independent councillor from the Drumshanbo area, Gerry Dolan, has announced that he is not putting his name forward at the upcoming local elections on Friday, June 7.

In a statement to the Leitrim Observer, Cllr Dolan said it has been an honour and a privilege for him to represent the people of his constituency over the past 33 years.

"I loved working with and helping people all throughout the county. I am very proud of my record in local elections and despite several boundary changes I have been elected every time I went forward and received a vote in every polling booth where my name was on the ballot," he said.

To his knowledge, Cllr Dolan says he has been the longest serving non party representative in Leitrim County Council's history.

Some of his biggest achievements he says have been bringing the Department Veterinary Office to Drumshanbo, the banning of fracking and the slowing down of afforestation in our beautiful county.

"I want to sincerely thank everyone that ever voted for me," he said.

"To all the workers and staff of Leitrim County Council, thank you so much for helping me and the people of our great county with everything you do.

"To all my committee members and canvassers over the years, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all your work. Without you all I couldn't have done it.

"I wish every election candidate the best of luck in the upcoming elections. It's a brave thing for anyone to put their name forward on the ballot and they all deserve respect for doing it.

"For those lucky enough to be successful, please work together to keep making Leitrim the best little county in Ireland.

"Finally, to my family, my children, my son and daughters in law, my grandchildren and most importantly my wife Rose, thank you for standing by me and helping me with everything over the last 33 years," Cllr Dolan concluded.
Hundreds of asylum seekers who had been living in tents in Dublin have been moved to international protection facilities at the Citywest hotel and at a site at Crooksling in Co Dublin, the Government has said.

It comes after an operation was undertaken in the city centre to move hundreds of asylum seekers who had been sleeping in the large encampment of tents.

In recent months, migrants have been sleeping rough beside the citys International Protection Office on Mount Street as the state struggles to source enough accommodation for people seeking asylum.

The operation to move the makeshift camp that began early on Wednesday morning comes amid increasing diplomatic tensions between the UK and Ireland after the Irish Government expressed concern about an upsurge of asylum seekers entering the state via the land border from Northern Ireland.

Council workers, some dressed in white overalls, were involved in clean-up efforts to remove the tents and wash down the camp area in and around Mount Street.

In a statement, the Government said that the people seeking international protection had been moved safely to the two sites.

A statement said: The Crooksling site has robust, weather-proof tents.

It has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security.

While in Crooksling accommodation, residents will receive the same supports as at other locations.

This includes access to medical care via the HSE social inclusion outreach teams and medical card provision; Ipas customer services team clinics; onsite support from the providers staff; and psycho-social and integration support from NGO partners.

The encampment at Mount Street has been dismantled and the streets are being cleaned by Dublin City Council.

Asylum seekers congregated in groups waiting with their luggage as buses and taxis arrived to take them to another site where basic facilities will be offered.

Mount Street was cordoned off during the operation, with a large number of gardai present.

Access was only granted to residents of the street and workers involved in the removal operation.

Health personnel also participated in the multi-agency initiative.

A similar operation to remove tents from the area was undertaken in March, but another makeshift encampment soon built up again.

Deputy Irish premier Micheal Martin said the operation was to ensure the safe movement of people who are seeking asylum.

Mr Martin said: The tents on Mount Street are not acceptable, not acceptable for migrants and not acceptable for residents living in the area either.

Its very important that we do this properly and our objective is to make sure that we continue to provide accommodation of this kind, and as well faster processing of those seeking asylum, particularly from designated safe countries and from those with the highest number coming in, in respect of Nigeria.

That does mean a faster processing of asylum seekers and also firmer approach too.

Our view is that it is not acceptable that tents should be on Mount Street and we would discourage that very strongly.

We dont envisage them returning.

The state has, within its powers, the capacity to make sure we dont have tents back up on Mount Street or other streets and in our view the Government is very clear that we cant have tents in streets adjacent to neighbourhoods.

Its not good for those seeking asylum and not good for residents in the area, and it creates a lot of tension which are not acceptable.

There is a determination on the Governments side to use capacity and powers to ensure that it doesnt occur into the future.

He added: Its completely unacceptable for human beings to be living in tents on Mount Street with no access to toilets or proper showers.

There is no comparison between the situation of people being in tents on streets and in an environment like Crooksling that has facilities.

Its not ideal but we have a very significant increase in the number of asylum seekers coming into the country.

Its a five-fold increase on what one was experiencing in 2019, and the figures this year suggest almost a doubling on the same period last year.

There are pressures on accommodation.

A Government statement outlined details of Wednesdays operation: A joint operation between the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; the Department of Justice; An Garda Siochana; Dublin City Council; the Office of Public Works; and the HSE (Health Service Executive) is under way on Mount Street, Dublin.

The purpose of the operation is to ensure the safe movement of people seeking international protection from the tents on Mount Street to International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas)-designated accommodation.

The Ipas-designated accommodation has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security.

Irish Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the encampment was inhumane and unsustainable.

She said the situation demonstrated a failure of Government policy on migrant accommodation.

The conditions on Mount Street for the 200 men who were forced to sleep here in tents had become inhumane and unsustainable, she told the PA news agency.

And I did yesterday in the Dail, and indeed on previous occasions, call on the Taoiseach and the Government to address the situation and to find appropriate safe and secure accommodation for the men who are in the tents.

Im glad to see that that has been done.

I will be pressing now to ensure that the accommodation is safe and secure and that its appropriate, so that we dont see this sort of build-up of people living in such desperately unsanitary and unhealthy conditions again on Mount Street or indeed anywhere else.

Noel Wardick, from Dublin City Community Cooperative, an organisation that has been providing support to the asylum seekers sleeping rough, said it was vital that the alternative accommodation was appropriate.

He said that was the key failure of the last removal operation in March.

The jury is out from the point of view we dont know where the men are going, he said.

And we dont know the conditions on the site.

So we would expect that the state has provided sufficient sanitation, water, hygiene, and blankets, warm accommodation.

However, that wasnt the case on March 16 when they last dismantled the site in a very shambolic, ham-fisted and chaotic manner.

So lets hope all those lessons were learned and the men are in a vastly improved situation.
Autel Energy Europe Hosts 2024 Partner Summit in Amsterdam, Megawatt Charging System Debut





Autel Energy Europe, a leading provider of EV charging products and services, has successfully concluded its Autel Partner Summit at the prestigious Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam. From April 24th to 25th, the summit not only showcased Autel's visionary Europe strategy but also provided partners with unique insights into the company's vision and a comprehensive overview of Autel's latest revolutionary product line.

The summit brought together influential figures, key players from the EV industry, esteemed clients, and industry members for engaging discussions and presentations. Notable speakers from industry giants such as Hubject shared their expertise and insights into the future of electric mobility, enriching discussions and inspiring attendees to push the boundaries of innovation in EV charging infrastructure.

Autel unveiled its newest innovations at the summit, headlined by the MaxiCharger Megawatt Charging System, offering peak power of 1500A and 1.2 MW charging power. Tailored for heavy-duty electrical vehicles, it accommodates diverse user cases such as public overnight charging and depot charging. Additionally, Autel introduced the MaxiCharger DC Compact - Cable Management System Upgrade Version and the Autel Smart Box Kit, showcasing its commitment to advancing EV charging technology.

On the second day of the Partner Summit 2024, Autel organized a special visit for clients to their partner, Orange Charging, to experience the unveiling of Autel's MaxiCharger DC HiPower. This cutting-edge charging solution features state-of-the-art technology, including the Max. 640kw charging system, delivering up to 400km of range in just 10 minutes. Moreover, its intelligent Power Distribution capability enables simultaneous charging of up to 8 vehicles, enhancing efficiency and utilization of charging infrastructure.

Ting Cai, CEO of Autel Europe, stated, "With notable speakers from industry leaders like Hubject, the summit reflects our commitment to driving innovation in the EV industry. Our groundbreaking technologies, such as the MaxiCharger Megawatt Charging System and the MaxiCharger DC HiPower, demonstrate our dedication to revolutionizing EV charging infrastructure and shaping a cleaner, more efficient future for mobility."

Highlighting Autel Energy's remarkable financial growth, the company has experienced significant success in the European market over the past four years. This underscores Autel's position as a leading player in the EV charging sector and its commitment to driving progress in sustainable transportation.

Additionally, the Megawatt Charging System will be displayed at Power2Drive Europe C6-330 in Munich in June. We welcome all attendees to visit our booth and explore the cutting-edge features of the Megawatt Charging System firsthand.

1 may 2024 at 04:55

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Johnson & Johnson Announces Plan by its Subsidiary, LLT Management LLC, to Resolve All Current and Future Ovarian Cancer Talc Claims Through a Consensual "Prepackaged" Reorganization





Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) (the "Company") today announced a proposed Plan of Reorganization (the "Plan") by its subsidiary, LLT Management LLC ("LLT"), for the comprehensive and final resolution of all current and future claims related to ovarian cancer arising from cosmetic talc litigation against it and its affiliates in the United States.

"The Plan is the culmination of our consensual resolution strategy that we announced last October," said Erik Haas, Worldwide Vice President of Litigation, Johnson & Johnson. "Since then, the Company has worked with counsel representing the overwhelming majority of talc claimants to bring this litigation to a close, which we expect to do through this plan."

The Plan enables the Company to resolve its talc litigation:

The ovarian claims to be resolved by the Plan constitute 99.75% of the pending talc lawsuits against the Company and its affiliates in the United States.

The remaining pending personal injury lawsuits relate to mesothelioma and will be addressed outside of the Plan. The Company already has resolved 95% of mesothelioma lawsuits filed to date.

The State consumer protection claims will also be addressed outside the Plan; the Company already has agreements in principle to do so.

Finally, and for completeness, the Company has also reached an agreement in principle to resolve all talc-related claims against it in the bankruptcy cases filed by suppliers of its talc (Imerys Talc America, Inc., Cyprus Mines Corporation, and their related parties).

The Plan differs significantly from the prior reorganizations filed by LLT:

The Plan provides for a three-month solicitation period during which ovarian claimants are informed of its terms and will have the opportunity to vote for or against the Plan ? an opportunity they were denied in prior bankruptcy cases.

If 75% of claimants vote in favor of the Plan, a Company subsidiary may file a consensual "prepackaged" Chapter 11 bankruptcy to secure its confirmation.

"Unlike the prior cases, it is the vote of the claimants ? and not the conflicting financial incentives of the small minority of plaintiff lawyers who stand to receive excessive legal fees outside of a reorganization ? that decides whether the Plan may proceed," continued Mr. Haas.

The Plan should be readily confirmed, as it is in the best interests of the ovarian claimants:

The Plan commits the Company to pay ovarian claimants a present value of approximately $6.475 billion to be paid over 25 years, which is a far better recovery than the claimants stand to recover at trial.

Most ovarian claimants have not recovered and will not recover anything at trial. Indeed, the Company has prevailed in approximately 95% of ovarian cases tried to date, including every ovarian case tried over the last six years. In addition, based upon the historical run rate, it would take decades to litigate the remaining cases, and therefore, most claimants will never have "their day in court."

Further, on March 27, 2024, the Judge presiding over the multi-district litigation (MDL) ? where 93% of the ovarian claims are filed ? agreed to reconsider the scientific validity of the opinions offered by plaintiffs' experts in a Daubert hearing, pursuant to the rigorous review required by the new Federal Rules of Evidence 702. If the opinions fail that review, which the Company expects they will, the ovarian claims should be dismissed.

hearing, pursuant to the rigorous review required by the new Federal Rules of Evidence 702. If the opinions fail that review, which the Company expects they will, the ovarian claims should be dismissed. In light of those risks, counsel representing the overwhelming majority of current ovarian claimants assisted in the development and support the Plan.

The Plan reflects a substantial commitment to resolve the talc claims:

In its July 2023 decision dismissing LLT's prior bankruptcy case, the New Jersey Bankruptcy Court stated that the Company and LLT had made "remarkable progress" towards "a fair, efficient and expeditious settlement" for all claimants and "strongly encouraged" the pursuit of a comprehensive resolution through another bankruptcy.

The Company and LLT followed that directive, and the Plan proposed by LLT, along with the settlement of the mesothelioma, State consumer protection claims, and disputes with Imerys and Cyprus, is the culmination of those efforts.

To account for these settlements and the comprehensive resolution of the ovarian claims through the Plan, the Company recorded an incremental charge of approximately $2.7 billion in the first quarter of 2024, for a total reserve of approximately $11.0 billion (or $13.7 billion nominal payable over 25 years).

The Company will continue to pursue alternative resolution pathways:

While solicitation of the Plan is pending, the Company remains firmly committed to pursuing in parallel its other three previously announced pathways toward a final and comprehensive resolution of the talc litigation.

Those pathways include (i) appealing the dismissal of LLT's prior bankruptcy; (ii) aggressively litigating in the tort system against those claimants who elect not to settle, including, importantly, proceeding with the Daubert hearing in the MDL; and (iii) pursuing affirmative claims against the "experts" for false and defamatory narratives about the Company's products, and the plaintiff law firms who have engaged in unethical conduct related to these claims.

The Company stands by the safety of its talc products:

The Company reiterates that none of the talc-related claims against it have merit. The claims are premised on the allegations that have been rejected by independent experts, as well as governmental and regulatory bodies, for decades. Additional information on the Company's position and the science supporting the safety of talc is available at www.FactsAboutTalc.com.

"The talc claims asserted against the Company exemplify the egregious impact on U.S. businesses from meritless litigation and extreme judgments obtained by the plaintiffs' bar through forum shopping, the distortion of scientific literature with junk science, and the unregulated and surreptitious financing of product litigation by financial institutions, including private equity and sovereign wealth funds," Mr. Haas concluded.

Additional information regarding the Plan can be found here.

Investor Conference Call

Johnson & Johnson will conduct a conference call with investors to discuss the announcement today, May 1st, at 8:00 a.m. ET. You can join via:

Participant Dial-In: 877-869-3847 (U.S.) / 201-689-8261 (International)

or

Webcast: https://event.webcasts.com/viewer/event.jsp?ei=1669186&tp_key=e4e521f076

A replay will be available approximately two hours after the live webcast by visiting www.investor.jnj.com.

About Johnson & Johnson

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/.

Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the proposed prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. The information contained in this press release is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a commitment by the Company to engage in any specific strategy or course of action. Due to the inherent uncertainty of litigation, the Company cannot predict the timing, ultimate outcome or financial impact of this matter, or any other ongoing or future litigation. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of LLT Management LLC and/or Johnson & Johnson. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, including in the sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in Johnson & Johnson's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Any forward-looking statement made in this release speaks only as of the date of this release. Neither LLT Management LLC nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments. The Company expressly disclaims all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all the contents of this press release.

1 may 2024 at 06:35

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DecisionPoint Systems to Go Private in All-Cash Transaction





DecisionPoint Systems, Inc. (NYSE American: DPSI), a leading mobility-first enterprise services and solutions company and a leading provider of retail in-store solutions and services centered on Point-of-Sale systems, today announced that it entered into a definitive agreement to merge with an affiliate of Barcoding Holdings, LLC ("Barcoding"), a portfolio company of Graham Partners, in an all-cash transaction.

Steve Smith, CEO of DecisionPoint, commented: "I'm excited by the prospects of teaming up with Barcoding for the next phase in DecisionPoint's growth. We've spent the past seven years rebuilding and repositioning DecisionPoint as a leader in the mobility-first enterprise space and, over the past year, significantly expanded our market opportunity within retail and services by acquiring Macro Integration Services. During this time, our organic and M&A-driven growth strategy has delivered 20% annual revenue growth and higher margins and profits. Today's announcement to be taken private for $10.22 in cash per share is a capstone for our public shareholders.

"While this is the end of an era for our public shareholders, the benefits for employees, customers and partners are just beginning. The combined company will have immediate scale and significant cross-selling opportunities for our employees to pursue, as our overall offering, including our recent investments in managed services, complements Barcoding's offerings in data capture, printing and labeling and mobile computing. From a vendor and partner standpoint, we already share several strategic partners. We believe this combination will strengthen those relationships, and now, both companies will have the opportunity to build new relationships across each other's ecosystems. And finally but most importantly, both companies place a high value on employee satisfaction, as we recognize our associates are the lifeblood of our organizations."

Under the terms of the agreement, DecisionPoint stockholders will receive $10.22 per share in cash, representing an approximate 27% premium over the closing price of $8.05 on April 30, 2024, and a year-to-date return of 63% over the $6.26 per share price on the last trading day of 2023.

Mike Stewart, Principal of Graham Partners, added, "We are excited about the combination of Barcoding and DecisionPoint, which brings together two experienced management teams and creates an integrator of scale in supply chain automation. Furthermore, the combined business is anticipated to enhance the value proposition for customers, adding service offerings across a customer's device life cycle and establishing a national footprint."

Transaction Timing and Effects

DecisionPoint's board of directors unanimously approved the merger agreement and recommended that stockholders vote in favor of the merger. The Company will send out a proxy and host a special meeting for shareholders to vote on the merger in the near future. The transaction is currently expected to close in July 2024, subject to the approval of DecisionPoint stockholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Closing of the transaction is not subject to a financing condition.

Upon completion of the transaction, DecisionPoint will become a privately held company and its stock will no longer be publicly traded. The Company will continue to operate under the DecisionPoint Systems name and brand.

Advisors

Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC delivered a fairness opinion to DecisionPoint's board of directors with respect to the proposed transaction, and Polsinelli PC and Cole Schotz P.C. are serving as legal counsel. Dechert LLP is acting as legal counsel to Barcoding and its sponsor, Graham Partners.

About DecisionPoint Systems

DecisionPoint Systems, Inc. delivers mobility-first enterprise managed services and solutions centered around the deployment, integration and support services for essential retail, supply chain, hospitality, healthcare and other verticals utilizing data capture and POS technologies, enabling customers to make better and faster operational and business decisions. For more information about DecisionPoint Systems, Inc., visit https://www.decisionpt.com.

About Barcoding

Barcoding is a supply chain automation and innovation company that helps organizations be more efficient, accurate, and connected. With extensive subject matter experience in data capture, labeling and printing, and mobile computing, Barcoding is trusted to build and manage solutions for IT and operations teams worldwide. Founded in 1998, Barcoding is headquartered in Baltimore, MD, with offices across North America ? Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. For more information, visit www.barcoding.com. Barcoding was acquired by an affiliate of Graham Partners, Inc. in September 2023.

About Graham Partners

Graham Partners is a private investment firm focused on investing in technology-driven companies that are spurring innovation in advanced manufacturing, resulting in product substitutions, raw materials conversions, and disruptions to traditional end markets. Graham Partners can offer control or minority capital solutions and typically targets companies with EBITDA up to $50 million. Since the firm's founding in 1988 by Steven Graham, Graham Partners has closed over 160 acquisitions, joint ventures, financings, and divestitures. The committed capital raised since inception through the Graham Partners funds together with Graham-led co-investments totals approximately $5.5 billion as of December 31, 2023, pro forma for subsequent events, which differs from Graham's Regulatory Assets Under Management of approximately $3.5 billion as of December 31, 2023. For more information, visit www.grahampartners.net.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication may contain forward-looking statements, which include all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts, such as statements regarding the pending merger (the "Merger") of DecisionPoint Systems, Inc. (the "Company") and the expected timing of the closing of the Merger and other statements that concern the Company's expectations, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "plan," "intend," "estimate, "target" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company. Because such statements are based on expectations as to future financial and operating results and are not statements of fact, actual results may differ materially from those projected and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: (i) the risk that the Merger may not be completed on the anticipated timeline or at all; (ii) the failure to satisfy any of the conditions to the consummation of the Merger, including the receipt of required approval from the Company's stockholders; (iii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance or condition that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement which govern the terms of the Merger, including in circumstances requiring the Company to pay a termination fee; (iv) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the Merger on the Company's business relationships, operating results and business generally; (v) risks that the Merger disrupts the Company's current plans and operations; (vi) the Company's ability to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with key business partners and customers, and others with whom it does business; (vii) risks related to diverting management's or employees' attention during the pendency of the Merger from the Company's ongoing business operations; (viii) the amount of costs, fees, charges or expenses resulting from the Merger; (ix) potential litigation relating to the Merger; (x) uncertainty as to the Merger and the ability of each party to consummate the Merger; (xi) risks that the benefits of the Merger are not realized when or as expected; (xii) the risk that the price of the Company's common stock may fluctuate during the pendency of the Merger and may decline significantly if the Merger is not completed; and (xiii) other risks described in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), such as the risks and uncertainties described under the headings "Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements," "Risk Factors," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and other sections of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and in the Company's other filings with the SEC. While the list of risks and uncertainties presented here is, and the discussion of risks and uncertainties to be presented in the proxy statement on Schedule 14A that the Company will file with the SEC relating to its special meeting of stockholders will be, considered representative, no such list or discussion should be considered a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Consequences of material differences in results as compared with those anticipated in the forward-looking statements could include, among other things, business disruption, operational problems, financial loss, legal liability to third parties and/or similar risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the completion of the Merger and/or the Company's consolidated financial condition. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by applicable law or regulation, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

The information that can be accessed through hyperlinks or website addresses included in this communication is deemed not to be incorporated in or part of this communication.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This communication is being made in respect of the Merger. In connection with the proposed Merger, the Company will file with the SEC a proxy statement on Schedule 14A relating to its special meeting of stockholders and may file or furnish other documents with the SEC regarding the Merger. When completed, a definitive proxy statement will be made available to the Company's stockholders. STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO CAREFULLY READ THE PROXY STATEMENT REGARDING THE MERGER (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO AND ANY DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR FURNISHED WITH THE SEC IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE MERGER. The Company's stockholders may obtain free copies of the documents the Company files with the SEC from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or through the Company's website at decisionpt.com under the link "Investors" and then under the link "SEC Filings". Alternatively, these documents, when available, can be obtained free of charge from the Company upon written request to the Company's Secretary at 1615 South Congress Avenue, Suite 103, Delray Beach, FL 33445.

Participants in the Solicitation

The Company and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company's stockholders in connection with the Merger. Additional information regarding the identity of the participants, and their respective direct and indirect interests in the Merger, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the proxy statement for the Company's special meeting of stockholders and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC in respect of the Merger when they become available. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.

1 may 2024 at 07:05

News published onand distributed by:
Treatment.com AI Announces Contract Renewal with Leading US Medical School





VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Treatment.com AI Inc. (CSE: TRUE, OTC: TREIF, Frankfurt: 939) (the "Company" or "Treatment") is excited to announce one of the leading US medical schools has agreed to a contract renewal utilizing Treatment's Medical Education Suite ("MES").

Treatment is also in discussions with a number of other medical and nursing schools, both in the US and internationally.

As reported previously, the market in the US alone comprises 300 medical schools; 900 nursing schools; 227,000 students and 145,000 residents/medical students.

For schools, MES aims to (i) reduce associated time, resources and lower costs involved in creating national exams (i.e. MCQs; OSCE); (ii) minimize the administrative work in grading and (iii) create a consistent and real-time approach for case testing and scoring. The OSCE exams are practiced by 57 countries globally.

Treatment also previously announced its intention to additionally launch in the second half of 2024, two new monthly subscription-based SaaS solutions for students, residents and other healthcare professionals.

The Medical Education Suite is underpinned by Treatment's AI powered proprietary Global Library of Medicine (GLM), the most comprehensive and integrated online medical library. The GLM has been created with hundreds of credentialled clinicians globally to ensure the highest qualified clinical information and support to all healthcare professionals.

Dr. Essam Hamza, CEO of Treatment.com AI, comments: "I am delighted to announce this contract renewal and the strong and growing pipeline that we are building within the business. It underpins our focus on the next generation of clinicians, as well as streamlining the operational costs and time currently experienced by medical schools when running the premier exams (OSCE) to test student practical clinical decision making and reasoning. We also look forward to expanding our offerings to both the schools and in turn, their students and residents."

About Treatment.com AI Inc.

Treatment.com AI is a company utilizing AI to positively disrupt the healthcare sector and impact current inefficiencies and challenges. Over the past 7+ years and with the input of hundreds of healthcare professionals globally, Treatment.com AI has built the world's most intelligent, personalized healthcare AI engine, the Global Library of Medicine (GLM). Providing the highest qualified clinical information and support to all healthcare professionals, the GLM delivers >92%+ accuracy on first diagnosis as well as providing recommended tests (physical and lab), x-rays, and billing codes. The platform's quality and transparency are unrivaled, as the GLM provides an explanation of every step and likelihood associated with every symptom. Treatment.com AI also focuses on the next generation of healthcare professionals supporting Medical and Nursing schools, who utilize the GLM to help enhance the future clinical skills of their students. Treatment.com AI is focused on using AI for good and utilizing its GLM platform to bring the possibility of health equity and inclusion for disenfranchised communities.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Dr. Essam Hamza, CEO

[email protected]

If you would like to find out more about Treatment's products and services, please email at [email protected]

For media inquiries, contact: [email protected]

Call: +1 (612) 788-8900 / Toll-Free USA/Canada: +1 (888) 788-8955

Cautionary Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on Treatment.com AI's expectations, estimates and projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates, including with respect to the implementation of its shareholder communications initiative and the timing thereof. Although Treatment.com believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Treatment.com undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances unless otherwise required to do so by law.

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

1 may 2024 at 08:00

News published onand distributed by:
SAGA Metals Announces Filing of Preliminary Prospectus for Critical Mineral IPO





VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saga Metals Corp. (the "Company" or "Saga"), a North American exploration company focused on critical mineral discovery in Canada, is pleased to announce that it has filed a preliminary prospectus (the "Preliminary Prospectus") with the securities regulatory authorities in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, for an initial public offering of units of the Company (the "Units") for gross proceeds of C$2,500,000 (the "Offering"). The initial public offering consists of: (i) units of the Company ("Offered Units") at a price of $0.40 per Offered Unit; and (ii) "flow-through" units of the Company ("FT Units") at a price of $0.60 per FT Unit.



Each Offered Unit consists of one common share of the Company (an "Offered Share") and one-half of one transferable common share purchase warrant (each whole such warrant, an "Offered Warrant"). Each Offered Warrant will entitle its holder to purchase one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.60 per Warrant Share at any time prior to 4:30 p.m. (Vancouver time) on the date that is 24 months following the closing of the Offering (the "Closing").

Each FT Unit consists of a "flow-through share" (a "FT Share"), as defined in subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act"), and one-half of one transferable common share purchase warrant (each whole such warrant, a "FT Warrant"), which FT Warrant (including the Warrant Share underlying such FT Warrant) shall not qualify as a "flow-through share" as defined in subsection 66(15) of the Tax Act. The FT Warrants will have the same terms as the Offered Warrants and are exercisable into Warrant Shares. The Offered Shares and the Offered Warrants comprising the Offered Units, as well as the FT Shares and the FT Warrants comprising the FT Units, will separate immediately at Closing.

The Offering is being made on a best efforts basis led by Research Capital Corporation, as sole agent and bookrunner (the "Agent").

Saga is applying to list its common shares (including the Offered Shares and the Warrant Shares) on the Toronto Venture Securities Exchange (the "TSXV"). Listing will be subject to the Company fulfilling all of the listing requirements and conditions of the TSXV, including prescribed distribution and financial requirements.

The closing of the Offering is expected to close on or about June 10, 2024, or on such earlier date as agreed upon between the Company and Agent and is subject to, among other things, the receipt of customary approvals, including regulatory approvals.

The Preliminary Prospectus contains important information relating to Saga and the Units and is subject to completion or amendment. Copies of the Preliminary Prospectus are available under Saga's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca or may be obtained from the Agent listed above. There will not be any sale or any acceptance of an offer to buy the Units until a receipt for the final prospectus in respect of the Offering has been issued.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The Units, the Unit Shares and the Warrants comprising the Units, and the Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws. Accordingly, the Units may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of Saga in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Mineral Properties





Saga Metals projects in Quebec and Labrador

The Company is a diversified critical mineral exploration company whose principal business is the acquisition and exploration of mineral assets that support the global green energy transition. The Company currently has interests in four mineral properties in Canada:

(1) the Double Mer Uranium Property, a uranium exploration project consisting of an aggregate of 1,024 claims covering an area of 25,600 hectares in eastern central Labrador; 90 km northeast of Happy Valley, Goose Bay; (2) the Legacy Lithium Property, a LCT spodumene pegmatitic lithium exploration project consisting of an aggregate of 663 claims covering an area of 34,243.76 hectares in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Quebec; (3) the Radar Titanium-Vanadium Property, a titanium-vanadium layered mafic intrusion exploration project consisting of an aggregate of 690 claims covering an area of 17,250 hectares in Cartwright, Goose Bay region of Labrador; and (4) the North Wind Iron Project, consisting of 255 claims comprising 6,375 hectares, located in West Central Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador.



Double Mer Uranium Project, Labrador

The Company's material properties are the Double Mer Uranium Property, which is the subject of the Double Mer Uranium Technical Report, and the Legacy Lithium Property, which is the subject of the Legacy Lithium Technical Report. Saga's technical reports can be found under its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Following the initial public offering, the Company intends to explore the Double Mer Uranium Property with an initial helicopter supported sampling program designed to in-fill sample the identified trend and extend the width of the zone. Saga's technical team feels the uranium project is ready to drill. However, this brief program will allow for a short ground program to conduct more detailed investigations of priority prospects and targets.





Radiometric survey highlighting Uranium trend, supported by rock samples over 14+km strike

The "Lithium Neighborhood" ? Saga's Legacy Lithium Project, Quebec

The Company's Legacy Lithium Property hosts 100km of striking paragneiss, all of which can be considered prospective for pegmatites following the discovery trend of Winsome Resources, Azimut Exploration, Rio Tinto, and Loyal Lithium.





A map of the "Lithium Neighborhood" at the Legacy Lithium Project in Quebec

These notable companies continue to validate the region both through promising exploration results as well as significant transactions that could change the infrastructure in the area.

On April 3, 2024, Winsome Resources revealed1 plans to repurpose the Renard diamond plant just south of the "Lithium Neighborhood" as shown below. The company has paid C$4 million for an option to buy the assets, which could help hasten the development of its Adina lithium discovery in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region.





The Renard acquisition could benefit the growing number of critical mineral projects in the area opening road and rail access year-round as well as other potential infrastructure in the region.



Furthermore, on April 18, 2024, Azimut Exploration and SOQUEM reported2 "very encouraging visual results from its second phase of diamond drilling on the Galinee Property" with a hole that "intersected a 166.1-metre-thick envelope containing two broad intervals of spodumene rich pegmatite of 92.1 m and 56.55 m separated by 17.45 m of amphibolite (cumulative thickness of 148.65 m)." Drilling to date has reached 2,569.95 metres with top results including 2.48% Li 2 O over 72.7 metres.





Proposed Plan Du Nord including location of the Renard diamond mine

Radar Titanium-Vanadium Project, Labrador ? Cutline Field Program Completed

The Company's Radar Titanium-Vanadium Project encompasses 17,250 hectares and is located with road access due south of Cartwright in Labrador, Canada. After only two weeks on the property last summer, Saga discovered a 3.5km by 500m zone of enrichment containing over 6% titanium and up to 3,670ppm vanadium known as the Hawkeye zone.

On March 17, 2024, Saga mobilized a field team to complete a 3-week cutline program at the Radar project. These lines were necessary to finalize the remaining claims management expenditure for the year as well as create the necessary access to complete the proposed field program this coming summer.

The program ended on April 5, 2024, with a total of 14.55km cut as a perpendicular grid to the inferred mineralized trends with an additional 7.8km cut as an access trail starting in the west to support the cutlines. This project already benefits from major infrastructure leading right up to the property and now with the cutlines in place Saga's field crews will have the necessary access through the thick terrain to conduct a robust mapping and sampling program this summer in an effort to expand the known mineralized zone.





Radar Project Hawkeye zone and corresponding geophysics

"With the preliminary prospectus now filed, the Company is looking forward to completing the next steps in the initial public offering process," states Mike Stier, CEO & Director of Saga Metals Corp. "We've been building up to this point, adding prospective projects to the Company's pipeline over the last 12 months and are excited to solicit the next stage of funding to continue to move these projects ahead. The team at Saga is excited about the prospects of the upcoming field season and we are all ready to get to work."

To learn more about the Company's projects visit the projects page here and corporate video here or see below.

To access the company's corporate presentation select here.

Saga Metals Corporate Video: Saga Metals is pleased showcase three of its critical mineral projects; the Double Mer Uranium Project, Legacy Lithium Project and Radar Titanium-Vanadium Project.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

About Saga Metals Corp.

Saga Metals Corp. is a North American mining company focused on the exploration and discovery of critical minerals to support the global green energy transition. Saga's flagship asset is the Double Mer Uranium project spanning 25,600 hectares and located between the towns of Goose Bay and Rigolet in eastern Labrador, Canada. The Uranium radiometrics highlight an 18km east-west linear trend averaging ~500m in width with 14km confirmed to contain highlight samples up to 4,281ppm U 3 O 8 and 21,000cps on a spectrometer. The Company's secondary asset is the Legacy Lithium Project, located in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Quebec, Canada. The Company owns 34,243 hectares of land in the eastern region of the La Grande sub-province aiming to discover hard rock lithium minerals. The property is located along strike from notable successes in the eastern region and with over 100+ pegmatites, Saga has confirmed four zones of LCT-bearing pegmatites over a combined 7km strike. The Company's third asset is a Titanium and Vanadium project covering 17,250 hectares located 10km south of Cartwright in Labrador. Here the Company has discovered a 3.5km by 500m zone of enrichment containing over 6% Titanium and up to 3,670ppm Vanadium.

For further information, please contact:

Saga Metals Corp.

Investor Relations

Tel: +1 (778) 930-1321

Email: [email protected]

www.sagametals.com

Qualified Persons

Michael Cullen, P. Geo., and Rochelle Collins, P. Geo., of Mercator Geological Services Limited are each a "qualified person" as defined under National Instrument 43-101 ? Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and have reviewed and approved the scientific and technical content of this news release regarding the Double Mer Uranium Property.

Kamil Khobzi, P. Eng., MBA, of Kamil Khobzi & Associates Inc. is a "qualified person" as defined under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical content of this news release regarding the Legacy Lithium Property.

Disclaimer Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipates", "expects", "believes", and similar expressions or the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to the proposed Offering and the Company's plans with respect to its mineral exploration properties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, environmental risks, limitations on insurance coverage, failure to satisfy closing conditions in respect of the Offering, risks and uncertainties involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and the risks detailed in the Company's Preliminary Prospectus and in the continuous disclosure filings made by the Company with securities regulations from time to time. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements only as expressly required by applicable law.

No securities exchange or commission has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/243b59ec-d5dd-417d-a81f-2f9eb7810f3e

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0e0e2a0d-bd0c-44b4-9404-c54c99f85ddd

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9ad80ea9-6bd9-43d5-9250-b2b338b7bfdd

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c8d137a2-6170-4d1a-b6f2-b026650f0842

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d888d5fb-30cc-4e60-b8ea-b0bc0f394d43

____________________________________





1 may 2024 at 09:00

News published onand distributed by:
RTX's Pratt & Whitney Canada and Angola's TAAG Airlines sign Fleet Managementtm Program agreement for PW150A engines





PW150A regional turboprops power TAAG's De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 aircraft

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney Canada and TAAG Angola Airlines E.P., Angola's state-owned airline, have signed a six-year Fleet Managementtm Program (FMP) agreement. The engine maintenance services cover the airline's PW150A engines which power their fleet of Dash 8-400 regional turboprops. The agreement allows Pratt & Whitney to tailor coverage to meet the airline's operating environment. Pratt & Whitney is an RTX business.

"Airlines that provide regional connectivity such as TAAG play a vital role in helping customers travel to major urban centers, often for connections to international destinations," says Irene Makris, vice president, Customer Service, Pratt & Whitney Canada. "Consequently, the dispatch reliability of regional aircraft plays a critical role in keeping the entire ecosystem operating efficiently and economically. By maintaining TAAG's PW150A engines we are helping to ensure optimal aircraft availability and engine asset management."

The agreement also includes Pratt & Whitney's proprietary oil-analysis technology and its FASTtm diagnostic and prognostic solution which captures, analyzes and wirelessly sends full-flight data intelligence to the customer within minutes of engine shutdown.

"With a roughly 75-passenger capacity, optimal fuel efficiency, and overall reliability, the PW150A-powered Dash 8-400 fits our needs," said Nelson de Oliveira, CEO, TAAG Airlines. "P&WC's FMP program is ideal for us as we can rely on the proven expertise of the engine original equipment manufacturer to ensure we gain maximum productivity and efficiency from our PW150A engines."

Fleet Management Programs are flexible, high-value maintenance planning solutions that lower operating costs and simplify fleet operations management. Tailored to suit the unique requirements of fleet operators and airlines, Pratt & Whitney's FMPs allow customers to focus on their core business and eliminate the overhead and logistical challenges of operating a maintenance facility.

The PW100/PW150 engine family powers 90 percent of 30- to 90-passenger regional turboprop aircraft operating today. These turboprop engines consume 25 to 40% less fuel and produce 50% fewer CO 2 emissions than similar-sized regional jets. The engines offer airlines the best life cycle costs and help sustain an aircraft's value. In 2024, the engine family is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its entry into service.

Read more about Pratt & Whitney's history of innovation here.

About Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units.

About RTX

With more than 185,000 global employees, RTX pushes the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses ? Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon ? we are advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems, and developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2023 sales of $69 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

For questions or to schedule an interview, please contact [email protected]

SOURCE RTX

1 may 2024 at 09:00

News published onand distributed by:
Stryten Energy Awarded MAKE IT Prize Funding for SAVES Project





Stryten Energy LLC, a U.S.-based energy storage solutions provider, has received an award from the U.S. Department of Energy through the MAKE IT Prize to build a domestic vanadium electrolyte manufacturing plant to support long duration energy storage.

The Securing America's Vanadium Electrolyte Supply (SAVES) project will deploy Stryten's proprietary reactor design to provide domestically produced, low-cost electrolyte. Vanadium electrolyte typically constitutes 40 to 60 percent of the overall system cost, representing a key cost reduction to help rapidly scale the U.S.-based production and commercialization of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB).

The Manufacture of Advanced Key Energy Infrastructure Technologies (MAKE IT) Prize was developed by the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), the Offices of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) with the goal of catalyzing the domestic manufacturing of critical clean energy technology components.

"Stryten Energy is building the foundation to meet the critical need for vanadium electrolyte, which is central to long-duration energy storage," said Scott Childers, Vice President of Essential Power at Stryten Energy. "Establishing a domestic supply chain for this key component of VRFB systems will unlock our ability to control the path to energy independence using a clean, renewable-based grid in the U.S."

VRFB technology is ideally suited to provide long-duration energy storage greater than 4 hours to help ensure grid stability and facilitate increased utilization of renewables for businesses and consumers across the U.S. These systems are independently scalable in power and capacity. This scalability has the potential for substantial cost reduction when discharge time goes up, making VRFB the preferred option for large-scale energy storage.

About Stryten Energy

Stryten Energy helps solve the world's most pressing energy challenges with a broad range of energy storage solutions across the Essential Power, Motive Power, Transportation, Military and Government sectors. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, we partner with some of the world's most recognized companies to meet the growing demand for reliable and sustainable energy storage capacity. Stryten powers everything from submarines to subcompacts, microgrids, warehouses, distribution centers, cars, trains and trucks. Our stored energy technologies include advanced lead, lithium and vanadium redox flow batteries, intelligent chargers and energy performance management software that keep people on the move and supply chains running. An industry leader backed by more than a century of expertise, Stryten has The Energy to Challenge the status quo and deliver top-performing energy solutions for today and tomorrow. Learn more at www.stryten.com.

1 may 2024 at 09:05

News published onand distributed by:
Oakridge Park in Vancouver, Canada Introduces Esteemed Luxury Jewellery Brands including Tiffany & Co. and Bvlgari









Rendering Courtesy of Oakridge Park

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oakridge Park, Canada's largest redevelopment endeavour in partnership with QuadReal Property Group and Westbank Corp., continues to redefine Vancouver's luxury retail landscape, unveiling the inaugural jewellery brands that will be part of this world-class destination. Tiffany & Co., the renowned jeweller celebrated for its enduring designs and unmatched craftsmanship, is set to return to Oakridge Park. Bvlgari, opening its first standalone store in Vancouver, will mark a significant milestone for the brand.

Esteemed jewellery brands that will be part of the Oakridge Park retail experience and are highly regarded for their exquisite collections, as well as set the standard for luxury include:

Chaumet : debuting its first standalone store in North America, the Parisian luxury jeweller will also produce the medals for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

: debuting its first standalone store in North America, the Parisian luxury jeweller will also produce the medals for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Chow Tai Fook : legacy jeweller and globally recognised icon of Chinese artistry and culture, blending contemporary cutting-edge designs with traditional techniques to create jewellery that can be passed down from generation to generation.

: legacy jeweller and globally recognised icon of Chinese artistry and culture, blending contemporary cutting-edge designs with traditional techniques to create jewellery that can be passed down from generation to generation. David Yurman : a celebrated American luxury jewelry company, known for creating timeless yet contemporary pieces for men and women, will open its first standalone store in Vancouver, an exciting step in the brand's expansion of their retail footprint. This location will be one of few locations that house their High Jewelry collections which have been meticulously designed and crafted.

: a celebrated American luxury jewelry company, known for creating timeless yet contemporary pieces for men and women, will open its first standalone store in Vancouver, an exciting step in the brand's expansion of their retail footprint. This location will be one of few locations that house their High Jewelry collections which have been meticulously designed and crafted. Jacob & Company : the luxury watchmaker will mark its largest store in Western North America and its first standalone boutique in Canada, signifying the brand's commitment to the Vancouver market.

: the luxury watchmaker will mark its largest store in Western North America and its first standalone boutique in Canada, signifying the brand's commitment to the Vancouver market. Rolex : Vancouver's premier luxury watch purveyor, Global Watch Company, proudly announces its exclusive collaboration with Rolex, culminating in the unveiling of its most illustrious boutique yet spanning over 6,000 square feet, marking a significant addition to Vancouver's luxury retail landscape.

: Vancouver's premier luxury watch purveyor, Global Watch Company, proudly announces its exclusive collaboration with Rolex, culminating in the unveiling of its most illustrious boutique yet spanning over 6,000 square feet, marking a significant addition to Vancouver's luxury retail landscape. TAG Heuer : Founded in 1860, the Swiss brand is renowned for crafting precision timepieces that seamlessly blend performance and style, embodying the spirit of avant-garde innovation in watchmaking. TAG Heuer at Oakridge Park will be their first standalone store in Vancouver, showcasing their iconic timepieces in a dedicated retail space for watch enthusiasts in the city.

: Founded in 1860, the Swiss brand is renowned for crafting precision timepieces that seamlessly blend performance and style, embodying the spirit of avant-garde innovation in watchmaking. TAG Heuer at Oakridge Park will be their first standalone store in Vancouver, showcasing their iconic timepieces in a dedicated retail space for watch enthusiasts in the city. TUDOR: Swiss luxury watch brand, in collaboration with Global Watch Company, will open the second boutique in Vancouver.



"Vancouver is cementing its status as a premier global retail experience with the introduction of these iconic brands at Oakridge Park," said Chrystal Burns, Executive Vice President, Canadian Retail at QuadReal Property Group. "Nestled within one of the world's most desirable cities to live in, Oakridge Park transcends the vibrant cultural tapestry of Vancouver, drawing in a diverse range of consumers and contributes significantly to our economy. It sets a new standard for urban spaces, seamlessly integrating retail, residential, and sustainability through innovative design."

These additions follow Oakridge Park's first announcement of its prestigious lineup, welcoming distinguished fashion houses including Louis Vuitton, Prada, Brunello Cucinelli, Moncler, Versace, Max Mara, Maison Margiela, Miu Miu, Christian Louboutin, and Alexander Wang. Additional retailers will be unveiled leading up to the opening.

Oakridge Park is set to open in Spring 2025 with a sophisticated showcase of over 100+ premier brands sprawled across 650,000 square feet. As the anticipation builds, additional announcements are slated throughout 2024, spanning a diverse array of offerings including apparel, beauty, home decor, lifestyle, wellness, and dining. Notably, Oakridge Park will introduce Canada's second Time Out Market ? a food and cultural market bringing the best of the city together under one roof ? enriching the Oakridge Park experience with a highly anticipated culinary destination.

Sassan Pourfar, Founder at Global Watch Company states: "The inauguration of the second Rolex and TUDOR boutique by Global Watch Company in Vancouver is poised to establish the store as one of the most iconic luxury destinations in the city. The opening represents an exciting prospect for Vancouver's global recognition and economic vitality. Anticipated is a surge in tourists drawn to Oakridge Park by the grandeur of Rolex's exquisite craftsmanship and unparalleled heritage in luxury timepieces, alongside the innovative spirit and distinct design ethos of TUDOR. The opening of these two iconic boutiques will indeed elevate Vancouver's status as a premier destination for high-end retail experiences."

Spanning 28 acres, Oakridge Park features best-in-class retail, living and office space, a community centre, the city's second largest library, a nine-acre park, a one-kilometre running loop, a senior and day centre and more. With Vancouver expecting over 10 million tourists this year, Oakridge Park is destined to become a bustling cultural hub for visitors and tourists alike to live, work and play.

About Oakridge Park

Co-developed by QuadReal Property Group and Westbank Corp., Oakridge Park serves as a bespoke and captivating cultural destination for Vancouver and is designed to seamlessly encompass every aspect of people's lives ? where living, working, and playing converge harmoniously, offering a space for inspiration, personal growth, and relaxation. Spanning over five million square feet and strategically designed around a sprawling nine-acre park, Oakridge Park creates a distinctive enclave within the expansive 28-acre footprint. A monumental redevelopment project, that stands out as one of Metro Vancouver's largest undertakings and ranking among the most significant ongoing transformations in North America, is poised to become an unparalleled addition to the city unlike anything Vancouver has ever seen.

Comprising residential, retail, office, public realm, civic, and cultural components, Oakridge Park is a world-class, master-planned community. Once fully completed, it will offer a top-tier retail experience totaling 850,000 square feet with 140+ leading global brands, including flagship and boutiques stores, accommodations for over 6,000 residents through 3,000+ residences, 700,000 square feet of meticulously designed office space for over 3,000 creative economy professionals, one of Vancouver's largest community centres and busiest libraries, six dynamic indoor and outdoor live-music venues, and will be home to the second Time Out Market in Canada. www.oakridgepark.com

Media Resources - Vancouver's Cultural Hub (oakridgepark.com)

About QuadReal Property Group

QuadReal Property Group is a global real estate investment, operating and development company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its assets under management are $73.8 billion. From its foundation in Canada as a full-service real estate operating company, QuadReal has expanded its capabilities to invest in equity and debt in both the public and private markets. QuadReal invests directly, via programmatic partnerships and through operating companies in which it holds an ownership interest.

QuadReal seeks to deliver strong investment returns while creating sustainable environments that bring value to the people and communities it serves. Now and for generations to come.

QuadReal: Excellence lives here. www.quadreal.com

About Westbank Corp.

Westbank Corp. is a practice dedicated to the creation of inspiring environments. Established 30 years ago, we are a private company that concentrates primarily on large projects in our core cities of focus: Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle, Tokyo, and San Jose. As a global leader in net zero development and the co-owner of one of North America's largest district energy providers, we are committed to largescale net zero carbon initiatives. Our body of work includes residential, hotels, retail, creative workspace, district energy, affordable housing, exhibitions, and public art, with over $50 billion of projects completed or under development. As our practice has evolved, we have woven together an ecosystem of cultural enterprises, including restaurants, gyms, spas, music venues, private members clubs, fashion, dance schools and food halls. We bring this ecosystem to life through collaborations with some of the most talented artists, architects, designers, and entrepreneurs in the world. We look for every opportunity to strengthen the bonds that unite us ? to bring people together and help build more inspiring, sustainable communities. Through these and other endeavours, our evolution continues as we become a cultural platform for the creative city. https://westbankcorp.com/

Contact: [email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/93797c61-9701-4b08-8ad7-b1776733343f

1 may 2024 at 10:00

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Navajo Transitional Energy Company Selected by US Department of Energy to Receive $2.6M in Grant Funding for Home Solar Installations on the Navajo Nation





As announced yesterday by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) is proud to announce that we have been chosen by the DOE for up to $2.6 million in funding to install solar power on Navajo homes not connected to the electric grid. NTEC's Navajo Sun Power! Home Solar Installation program was selected as one of 19 community-led clean energy projects across 12 states and 13 tribal nations and communities to receive funding to develop and deploy sustainable clean energy solutions and expand access to reliable and affordable energy in rural and remote communities across the country.

The Navajo Sun Power! program will provide solar power to 125 Navajo homes not connected to the electric grid. It is estimated that approximately 13,000 homes on the Nation are currently without power, which precludes them from necessities such as refrigeration and Internet. This project will electrify Navajo homes and make them eligible for other critical upgrades and public services. NTEC has installed solar panel systems on homes on the Navajo Nation over the past 3 years and plans to accelerate installations with this funding.

President Buu Nygren and Speaker Crystalyne Curley issued a joint letter of support in this application, which was instrumental in illustrating the importance of the project to OCED. "We would like to thank the President and Speaker for their support of Navajo Sun Power! Their involvement underscores the importance of providing electricity to the Navajo people to connect them to critical services and a better life," said Vern Lund, NTEC's Chief Executive Officer. "NTEC is committed to improving the economic, social, cultural, and physical well-being of the Navajo Nation and its citizens. The Navajo Sun Power! Program is one important way we can live this commitment."

NTEC's application asked OCED to fund 75 home installations while NTEC has committed to provide a further $1.3M to fund an additional 50 home installations. The home solar systems will be installed in various homes throughout the entire Navajo Nation. There will be a total of 25 home installations within each of the five Navajo Nation Agencies. The program will cover the cost of the solar panel system and batteries, system installation including any minor electrical work necessary for the home to meet Navajo Nation electrical safety codes, and education in the operation and maintenance of the system.

About NTEC

Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) is a world-class, diversified energy company with a unique purpose and vision. Established by the Navajo Nation to exercise sovereignty over its abundant natural resources, NTEC has grown rapidly and now has a sizeable and successful portfolio of mining, energy generation, and helium assets. NTEC is committed to achieving multi-generational, clean energy solutions that ensure the continued prosperity of the Navajo Nation while providing essential power to the entire Southwest and beyond.

NTEC is a leader in safety and reclamation and was recognized with the Sentinels of Safety award from the National Mining Association, the Safety Award for Large Surface Mine from the Rocky Mountain Coal Institute, and the National Award for Excellence in Surface Mining Reclamation from the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in 2022. For more information about NTEC, visit www.navenergy.com.

1 may 2024 at 10:05

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Green upgrades coming to the Michipicoten First Nation Health Centre





MICHIPICOTEN FIRST NATION, ON, May 1, 2024 /CNW/ - Retrofits and an expansion are coming to the Michipicoten First Nation Health Centre. The federal government is supporting this project with an investment of over $1.5 million from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program.

Announced by Minister Sean Fraser and Chief Patricia Tangie, upgrades to the health centre will make it easier to access, more client friendly, and a safer environment for all, while the increased footprint will give the centre space to grow its health and wellness services.

Changes to the building layout will increase patient confidentiality when they speak to reception and are in examination rooms. Upgrades will also provide for better exit routes should an emergency arise. Moving hand washing from a central location to sinks in each examination room will strengthen infection control measures. Additionally, the building will be modified to fully accommodate patients with mobility issues.

Green initiatives like new roofing, insulation, and solar panels will save energy. As well, the addition of a backup generator, air conditioned cooling centre for heatwaves, and disaster relief provisions will allow the facility to function as a community emergency centre.

The Michipicoten First Nation Health Centre currently serves the community by offering comprehensive health and wellness care, services, and programs in both Ojibway and English. These essential upgrades will enable the health center to better address the physical and mental health needs of youth, adults, and elders within the community.

Quotes

"This is great news for the Michipicoten First Nation Health Centre. By expanding, it will have space to grow its inclusive health and wellness services. Retrofits will improve the facility's energy efficiency, while upgrades to the centre will also increase patient privacy, staff safety, infection control, and accessibility for all."

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

"Contributing to a healthier environment has always been and continues to be a high priority for Michipicoten. The green energy enhancements and changes to the building are necessary to promote the health and well being of our Citizens today and into the future. With a growing population in our community, we appreciate the federal government investment in helping to create positive change through these Health Centre renovations."

Patricia Tangie, Chief, Michipicoten First Nation

Quick Facts

The federal government is investing $1,572,81 in this project through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program.

in this project through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program. These enhancements are expected to reduce the facility's energy consumption by an estimated 61.3% and greenhouse gas emissions by 3.1 tonnes annually.

The GICB program was created in support of Canada's Strengthened Climate Plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy. It is supporting the Plan's first pillar by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency, and helping develop higher resilience to climate change.

Strengthened Climate Plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy. It is supporting the Plan's first pillar by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency, and helping develop higher resilience to climate change. The program is providing $1.5 billion over five years towards green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades.

over five years towards green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades. At least 10% of funding is allocated to projects serving First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities, including Indigenous populations in urban centres.

The application period for the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program is now closed.

Associated Links

Green and Inclusive Community Buildings

https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gicb-bcvi/index-eng.html

Strengthened Climate Plan

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html

Federal infrastructure investments in Ontario

https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-on-eng.html

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn

Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

1 may 2024 at 11:00

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Media Advisory - Ministers Rodriguez and Khera to host National Air Accessibility Summit





OTTAWA, ON, May 1, 2024 /CNW/ - The Minister of Transport, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, and the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, the Honourable Kamal Khera, will host a National Air Accessibility Summit to contribute to making air travel accessible for all Canadians.

The Summit will take place on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Ottawa, Ontario.

All media events will take place at the Shaw Centre, located at 55 Colonel By Drive.

1. Opening remarks from ministers Rodriguez and Khera

Time: 9:00 a.m. EDT

Location: Rooms 213-215

Pooled coverage of the opening remarks.

Please note that French and English interpretation, Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) in French and English, and interpretation in both American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes quebecoise (LSQ) will be available for this part of the program.

2. Media livestream

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT

Location: Room 212

Please note that French and English interpretation will be available for this part of the program.

3. News conference

Time: 12:30 p.m. EDT

Location: Room 212

Media will have an opportunity to ask questions following the news conference.

Please note that French and English interpretation, Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) in French and English, and interpretation in both American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes quebecoise (LSQ) will be available for this part of the program.

Notes

Media representatives are asked to register by email for this in-person event by contacting Media Relations at Transport Canada.

When registering, please request any additional tool you will require to fully participate in any of the 3 events above by email before 2:00 p.m. on May 3 .

on . Media representatives who wish to attend the event must arrive before 8:30 a.m. to sign in and present photo ID and credentials.

SOURCE Transport Canada - Ottawa

1 may 2024 at 12:20

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CGTN AMERICA & CCTV UN: 3rd CMG Forum in Beijing Discusses AI Development





On Monday, April 29, the China Media Group (CMG) hosted the 3rd CMG Forum in Beijing, focusing on the development of AI. The theme of the media forum is "A Force for Good: Shared Responsibility in AI."

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- CGTN America & CCTV UN releases "3rd CMG Forum in Beijing Discusses AI Development"

On Monday, April 29, the China Media Group (CMG) hosted the 3rd CMG Forum in Beijing, focusing on the development of AI. The theme of the media forum is "A Force for Good: Shared Responsibility in AI."

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the opening of the event and delivered a speech.

Guests stressed the role of media in promoting the innovative application of AI and its governance, calling for efforts to boost the development of AI in creating positive, healthy, diverse, and high-quality content that can benefit mankind. They called on the media to accelerate intelligent transformation and help bridge international exchanges and cooperation on the governance of AI to facilitate its healthy, orderly, and safe development.

More than 200 participants from international organizations, media, think tanks, and multinational companies participated in the CMG forum.

"Innovation and breakthroughs in science and technology not only guide the development and progress of human civilization but also bring uncertainty to the changing world," said Shen Haixiong, President of CMG. He called for efforts to jointly create valuable and responsible artificial intelligence.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), invited CMG to work together with the IOC for the creation of a future with the application of AI in Olympic sports, noting that AI technology is affecting every aspect of people's lives.

"From ancient inventions such as silk, printing, and the compass to modern technological advances such as robotics, telecommunications, and green technology, China has always been committed to innovation and creation," said Daren Tang, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). He affirmed that WIPO pays close attention to ensuring a balance between the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence and is committed to strengthening cooperation to ensure that artificial intelligence is properly used.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (This material is distributed by MediaLinks TV, LLC on behalf of CCTV. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.)

Media Contact

Summer Pan, CGTN America, 1 2023931850, [email protected]

SOURCE CGTN America

1 may 2024 at 12:45

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Tokyo Metropolitan Government announces SusHi Tech Tokyo Global Startup Program 2024





Startups from all over the world are expected to gather in Tokyo to participate in Asia's Largest Global Innovation Conference

SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) announced that the "SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 Global Startup Program", Asia's largest global innovation conference, will be held on May 15-16, 2024. The event will be returning to great success, with expected participation almost doubling at over 40,000 visitors across 2 days, with more than 400 local and international exhibitors from 40 cities.

The program aims to create "sustainable new values" through exchanges in ideas and discussions on how to address urban issues commonly faced across the globe. Key themes include demographic change, environmental and energy concerns, aging infrastructure, and the preservation of traditional culture through cutting-edge technologies, diverse ideas, and digital know-how.

Startups across the world, investors, major corporations, delegates from various markets and even enterprising students will participate in speaking sessions, a pitch contest and exhibit their solutions. Some highlights include a panel session where Yuriko Koike, the Governor of Tokyo, Adi Ignatius the Editor in Chief, at Harvard Business Review and other representatives from Bloomberg Associates, The Edgeof/ Mistletoe and Suntory Holdings Limited will discuss "Imagining the City of the Future and Innovation". Other esteemed panelists and speakers include: Jen Carter, Global Head of Technology, Google.org and John Roos, Founding Partner at Geodesic Capital Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan.

SusHi Tech Tokyo stands for Sustainable High City Tokyo. The name represents Tokyo's position in the global technology world, and how the event aims to be a platform where disruptive innovations that can solve urban city challenges are developed, powering the future not only for Japan but also the rest of the globe.

SusHi Tech Tokyo Global Startup Program 2024 Executive Committee said, "SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 Global Startup Program is Asia's largest global innovation conference, and I am honored to welcome such a prestigious and meaningful event right here in Tokyo. With our vision to be a launchpad for innovations that can solve global urban challenges, we hope that every May, influential players from all around the world ? startups, investors, major corporations, universities, and students, alike will gather in Tokyo to create a stronger future together."

###

[About Global Startup Program]

TMG's "Global Innovation with STARTUP" has been active since November 2022. The program strategy called "101010 Innovation Vision" focuses on increasing the number of 1. Unicorn companies from Tokyo, 2. Startup companies from Tokyo, and 3. Public and Private Startups from Tokyo by ten times over the next 5 years. On February 2023, TMG held the "City-Tech.Tokyo" at the Tokyo International Forum which was Japan's largest global startup event with 26,000 visitors in two days. This year, TMG levels up further with SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 as Asia's largest global startup event including contents such as speaking sessions, a pitch contest and exhibits.

DATE: May 15-16, 2024

PLACE: Tokyo Big Site, West Exhibition Hall 1&2 (3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan 135-0063)

DISCUSSION TOPIC: How to create a sustainable future urban city

TARGET AUDIENCE: World-leading startups, investors, major corporations, delegates from various markets and students.

WHY: Creating an opportunity for open innovations with members of startups who have different backgrounds.

[Tickets and Registration]

Registrations are still open.

Video URL:

https://youtu.be/Q4cD7U2OqMA?si=bPbot323z2jxa_Jr

SOURCE SusHi Tech Tokyo Global Startup Program 2024 Executive Committee

1 may 2024 at 14:00

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New Memorandum of Understanding Leads to More Support for Communities to Manage Their Own Lands





OTTAWA, UNCEDED TRADITIONAL ALGONQUIN TERRITORY, ON, May 1, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, Chief Robert Louie, Chairman of the Lands Advisory Board (LAB), Austin Bear, Chair of the First Nations Land Management Resource Centre, and the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services, signed a Memorandum of Understanding securing further funding for First Nations land management. With this new five-year funding agreement, part of the $187 million of funding over five years and over $34 million ongoing provided in Budget 2023, the LAB and the First Nations Land Management Resource Centre will support First Nations in governing their lands and creating economic and social opportunities for their communities. Communities with operational land codes will receive an increase in funding to govern their lands?up to 21% for most First Nations. Funding to support communities seeking to also opt out of the relevant sections of the Indian Act and develop their own land codes will be increased by 50%. In addition, up to 50 more First Nations will be supported to become signatories to this historic agreement over the next five years.

The new funding formula will significantly increase the core funding for operational First Nations that have resumed jurisdiction over their reserve lands under the Framework Agreement. The new formula will also better support First Nations working together to govern jointly held reserve lands. Budget 2023 also increased funding for First Nations developing or transitioning to a land code. These investments will help more First Nations govern their reserve lands outside of the Indian Act without the involvement of the federal government.

When First Nations are not hindered by the Indian Act, they are better positioned to create new social and economic opportunities. This funding increase signals a strong commitment from the Government of Canada in support of First Nations' inherent right to self-governance over their lands, resources, and environment.

The LAB and the Government of Canada celebrate their continued and strengthened partnership, taking another step toward service transfer and implementing Articles 26 and 29 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which focuses on Indigenous rights to lands and their use, and control and protection of lands.

Quotes

"The Land Advisory Board and First Nation Land Management Resource Centre are pleased to celebrate the increase to the five-year Operational and Developmental Funding Formula. These additional investments contribute positively to the implementation of Framework Agreement on First Nation Management."

Chief Robert Louie

Chair of the Lands Advisory Board

"The Resource Centre is appreciative to have a positive and productive working relationship with federal counterparts that ultimately results in the benefit of signatory First Nations communities' governmental resources and increased quality of life for members."

Austin Bear

Chair of the Resource Centre

"Indigenous Peoples have the inherent right to make their own decisions regarding the use of their own lands. This increased funding gets us closer to making this a reality. By managing their lands according to their own priorities and values, First Nations will be able to attract more investments and create more economic opportunities for their members. This is key to achieving self-determination and progressing on the path to reconciliation. I sincerely thank the Lands Advisory Board and First Nations Land Management Resource Centre for their dedication and leadership on this important matter.

The Honourable Patty Hajdu

Minister of Indigenous Services

Quick facts

The Lands Advisory Board was created to support First Nations in resuming jurisdiction over reserve lands and resources. The Lands Advisory Board is comprised of an elected chairman and regionally elected directors, determined by the councils of the signatory First Nations who have formally established their land codes.

This new Memorandum of Understanding is in effect for a five-year period ( April 1, 2023 , to March 31, 2028 ).

, to ). The Framework Agreement was developed to recognize First Nations' inherent right to govern their reserve lands. The Framework Agreement includes a growing number of communities across Canada that are interested in replacing the restrictive lands-related sections of the Indian Act with the legal framework developed in a community land code.

Associated links

First Nation Land Management: Policy and Legislation

Lands Advisory Board ? First Nations Land Management Resource Centre

Stay connected

Join the conversation about Indigenous Peoples in Canada:

Twitter: @GCIndigenous

Facebook: @GCIndigenous

Instagram: @gcindigenous

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FNLMRC/

You can subscribe to receive our news releases and speeches via RSS feeds. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.isc.gc.ca/RSS.

SOURCE Indigenous Services Canada

1 may 2024 at 15:40

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EY Announces Charles Zhang and Lynn Chen-Zhang of Zhang Financial as an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award Finalist





Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are shaping the future

PORTAGE, Mich., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) recently announced that Charles Zhang, Founder and President and Lynn Chen-Zhang, CEO of Zhang Financial were named as finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award. Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors and have a transformational impact on lives. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized the daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world.

Charles and Lynn were part of 34 regional entrepreneurs from 30 companies selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.

According to Charles and Lynn, "Being named a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year is a humbling and deeply gratifying experience, one that we could not have achieved without our incredible team and our valued clients. This nomination is truly a testament to the remarkable dedication of our employees and their commitment to building strong client relationships. This recognition belongs to you, our clients, who have entrusted us with your financial well-being. We will continue to live by our vision of providing comprehensive, fee-only solutions built upon an academic, evidence-based investment philosophy aimed at providing the highest probability of success. We look forward to continuing to innovate and deliver exceptional wealth management solutions."

Entrepreneur Of The Year honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future.

Regional award winners will be announced on Thursday, June 20, 2024 during a special celebration and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nation's most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.

In addition to Entrepreneur Of The Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Womentm program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network and access needed to unlock their full potential.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting in Michigan and Northwest Ohio, sponsors also include Full View Productions, KLA Laboratories Inc., P.I.E. Management LLC, and Tanner Friedman Strategic Communications.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year

Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally.

The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

Elizabeth Edgerton

Zhang Financial

[email protected]

SOURCE Zhang Financial

1 may 2024 at 15:57

News published onand distributed by:
Media advisory - Minister Guilbeault to make an announcement on Canada's progress to lower greenhouse gas emissions and grow the economy





GATINEAU, QC, May 1, 2024 /CNW/ - Media representatives and others are advised that the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, will make an announcement on Canada's progress to lower greenhouse gas emissions and grow the economy, with the release of Canada's annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report. He will be joined by Adam van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Following the announcement, Minister Guilbeault will hold a media availability.

Event: Announcement and Media Availability Date: Thursday, May 2, 2024 Time: 12:00 p.m. (EDT) Location: Foyer of the House of Commons

House of Commons

Ottawa, Ontario

Media representatives and others are encouraged to register for this in-person event by contacting Media Relations at Environment and Climate Change Canada to be made aware of any changes.

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Twitter page

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Facebook page

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

1 may 2024 at 16:05

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Minister Guilbeault concludes G7 Ministers' Meeting with strong outcomes on clean energy, clean air, and a nature?positive future





TURIN, Italy, May 1, 2024 /CNW/ - The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, represented Canada at this year's Group of Seven (G7) Ministers' Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment, which took place in Turin, Italy, from April 28 to 30.

Working closely with G7 partners to advance key climate, environment, and biodiversity priorities, Minister Guilbeault underscored the importance of pursuing the transition toward cleaner energy in a way that creates economic opportunities while ensuring a climate-resilient, nature-positive, sustainable energy future that is affordable and inclusive.

Building on the strong momentum from the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, Ministers agreed to take additional concrete action in the fight against climate change. In particular, Canada led efforts for the G7 to commit to phase out existing unabated coal power generation during the first half of the 2030s, which is the first time the G7 has agreed to such a time frame. Ministers also agreed to a global goal to increase energy storage in the power sector to 1,500 gigawatts (GW) in 2030, a more than six-fold increase from 2022.

Canada also worked hard to advance the G7 commitment to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, with all countries committing to a progress report in 2025, when Canada will have the Presidency of the G7.

Ministers considered the importance of clean energy and critical minerals to achieve shared energy security and transition goals. Canada stressed the importance of strong market signals and policies that value high environmental standards and profiled the contribution our critical minerals and low carbon natural resources can provide to ensure secure supply chains for clean technologies.

The G7 together condemned Russia's direct attacks on Ukraine's power generation and electricity grid and committed to help Ukraine repair and restore its critical energy and environmental infrastructure.

As the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) negotiations on an international plastics treaty are simultaneously wrapping up in Ottawa, Minister Guilbeault worked with G7 countries to build momentum for strong action to curb the plastic pollution that is affecting our health and that litters the oceans and environment. G7 leadership will remain critical to pushing for a legally binding agreement by the end of 2024.

Canada came to the G7 seeking strong commitments toward the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreed upon at the 15th United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Canada in 2022. In the lead-up to COP16 later this year, Canada sought G7 ambition on the implementation of the Framework. G7 ministers affirmed their commitment to identify subsidies harmful to biodiversity by 2025 and reduce them by at least $500 billion per year by 2030.

On climate change and energy transition, Canada:

Encouraged others to meet their Group of Twenty (G20) commitment and follow Canada's early lead on the phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, while also calling for greater collaboration and transparency.

early lead on the phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, while also calling for greater collaboration and transparency. Promoted the essential role that carbon pricing plays in reducing emissions and creating clean growth opportunities.

Advocated for an approach to G7 climate financing that mobilizes finance from all sources to support climate action in developing countries, as all countries look to collectively agree on a new climate finance goal at COP29 .

. Underlined the central role of affordable clean energy to reduce emissions and enhance energy security.

Recognized the importance of continuing to invest in clean technology innovation, including for carbon management, clean fuels, and nuclear.

Promoted collaboration in securing clean energy supply chains, including through the expanded and responsible development of critical minerals.

On biodiversity loss and pollution, Canada:

Advocated for strong G7 support for the INC-4 negotiations hosted by Canada and secured a strong commitment to work together to, by the end of this year, land an ambitious and inclusive global agreement to end plastic pollution.

and secured a strong commitment to work together to, by the end of this year, land an ambitious and inclusive global agreement to end plastic pollution. Secured a G7 commitment to pursue the swift, full, and effective implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and to the achievement of each of its goals and targets, recognizing that global biodiversity action is an economic imperative, as well as an environmental imperative. Canada emphasized that biodiversity action must be undertaken in full partnership with Indigenous peoples.

emphasized that biodiversity action must be undertaken in full partnership with Indigenous peoples. Underscored the key role that the G7 can play in closing the global biodiversity finance gap of US$700 billion per year by continuing to substantially increase funding for nature from all sources and taking urgent action to identify, redirect and eliminate, and phase out or reform subsidies that are harmful to nature.

per year by continuing to substantially increase funding for nature from all sources and taking urgent action to identify, redirect and eliminate, and phase out or reform subsidies that are harmful to nature. Welcomed the launch a new G7 Water Coalition and endorsed a declaration on implementing the new Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.

Canada worked hard to ensure G7 commitments will help address the challenges Canadians face today. These efforts recognize the need to improve economic opportunities while ensuring a climate-resilient, nature-positive, sustainable energy future is affordable and inclusive. This will set a solid foundation on which Canada can build as it assumes the G7 Presidency in 2025.

Quotes

"Canadians are rising to the challenge and working globally for urgent, ambitious action. Later is too late. As we look ahead to meetings of the G20, COP16, COP29, and the expected conclusion of negotiations for a new global agreement on plastic pollution later this year, G7 leadership is critical for accelerating the pace of action needed to meet our climate, biodiversity, and pollution goals."

? The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

"Alongside our G7 partners, Canada is forging a path to spur innovation and build secure supply chains that achieve our collective goals for energy security and transition. Canada is taking ambitious action while positioning itself to be a reliable global supplier of choice for clean technologies, energy, resources, and critical minerals. The Government of Canada will continue to work with global partners, while building a more prosperous and sustainable future for all Canadians."

? The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

Quick facts

The 2024 G7 Ministers' Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment will be followed by the G7 Leaders' Summit, from June 13 to 15 in Apulia, Italy , which is also expected to have a significant focus on energy issues, with important linkages to climate and environment.

in , which is also expected to have a significant focus on energy issues, with important linkages to climate and environment. Canada , along with G7 partners, agreed to launch several new initiatives to advance efforts on key climate and environmental issues: An Adaptation Accelerator Hub to coordinate efforts in support of accelerated adaptation action in developing countries A G7 Water Coalition to identify common goals and strategies and catalyze common ambitions and priorities to contribute to the global water agenda A G7 Hub on Land and Desertification to promote sustainable land use initiatives in Africa and the Mediterranean basin A G7 Declaration on the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, which calls for the rapid ratification and implementation of the treaty and commits to support developing countries in doing so

, along with G7 partners, agreed to launch several new initiatives to advance efforts on key climate and environmental issues: At this G7 meeting, Minister Guilbeault held bilateral meetings with: Selwin Hart , United Nations Special Adviser and Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action Gilberto Fratin , Italy's Minister of Environment and Energy Security Mukhtar Babayev , COP29 President and Azerbaijan's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Sue Biniaz, United States Principal Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Virginijus Sinkevi?ius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Shintaro Ito , Japan's Minister of the Environment Marina Silva, Brazil's Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate Action Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Minister Ken Sait?, Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry

Minister Guilbeault hosted roundtables in Turin with Italian and international environmental organizations, including ECCO, an independent Italian climate change think tank, and with key Italian private sector stakeholders to identify possible new economic opportunities stemming from the clean energy transition.

with Italian and international environmental organizations, including ECCO, an independent Italian climate change think tank, and with key Italian private sector stakeholders to identify possible new economic opportunities stemming from the clean energy transition. Canada and Italy have committed to establish the Canada?Italy Roadmap for Enhanced Cooperation that will set out ambitious, concrete plans to collaborate over the next three to five years in priority areas, including energy security and the shift to a sustainable energy future; climate change and biodiversity; migration; sustainable economic growth; and research and innovation, including on artificial intelligence.

and have committed to establish the Canada?Italy Roadmap for Enhanced Cooperation that will set out ambitious, concrete plans to collaborate over the next three to five years in priority areas, including energy security and the shift to a sustainable energy future; climate change and biodiversity; migration; sustainable economic growth; and research and innovation, including on artificial intelligence. Canada hosted the fourth of five planned sessions of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee INC-4 in Ottawa, Ontario , from April 23 to 29, 2024 . The Committee aims to develop an international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution by the end of 2024.

hosted the fourth of five planned sessions of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee INC-4 in , from . The Committee aims to develop an international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution by the end of 2024. Following the 15th United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Quebec , in December 2022 , Canada was the first contributor to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund with a $200 million contribution as part of its commitment to the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

in Montreal, , in , was the first contributor to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund with a contribution as part of its commitment to the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Canada also launched a Nature Champions Network in August 2023 at the first-ever Ministerial on Nature hosted in Squamish, British Columbia .

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1 may 2024 at 16:53

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YEREVAN, MAY 1, ARMENPRESS. There is a clear agreement regarding the sequence of border delimitation steps, said the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with Public Television responding to the question about whether there is an agreement and in which sectors delimitation is planned after the Tavush sector.

First, the issue of handing over border protection in these delimited sections to the bilateral Border Guards will be resolved.

Secondly, by July 1, the commissions will adopt, verify and agree on the regulations for the joint work of the commissions. If I am mistaken about the date, I ask for your forgiveness.

"Moreover, this is a preliminary period of border delimitation. It is very important for the regulation to be a manual of practical work, where the experience gained during this period will also be expressed, which is a very important detail. After this, the regulation will go through internal approval procedures," the Prime Minister said.

According to Nikol Pashinyan, afterwards, the commissions should meet and agree on the order of the delimitation process, deciding in which sectors they will carry out the next phase of delimitation.

Regarding the Tavush sector, the Prime Minister once again drew the public's attention to the narrative used against Armenia on international platforms, emphasizing that in the case of these four villages or in the four delimiting sectors, we are dealing with settlements.

"This is an important detail. It includes areas where there are settlements under the control of the titular country and areas where there are no settlements under the control of the titular country. In other words, the titular country is acknowledged in the border area which is considered legitimate but not under its direct control," Pashinyan said.
Former Central African Republic President Francois Bozize arrives in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR), on January, 27, 2020. FLORENT VERGNES / AFP

An internationally backed court in the Central African Republic issued an international arrest warrant Tuesday, April 30, for the country's exiled former President Francois Bozize for human rights abuses from 2009 to 2013, a spokesperson said. The Special Criminal Court was set up in the capital, Bangui, to try war crimes and other human rights abuses committed during the coups and violence that the country has experienced since 2003.

Bozize currently lives in exile in Guinea Bissau, where that country's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo told the Associated Press that he had not received any request from Bangui about the arrest warrant and that the country's laws do not allow for extradition.

Ibrahim Nour, whose father was tortured and killed in the infamous Bossembele prison, welcomed the arrest warrant. "Justice may be slow, but it will eventually catch up with the executioners. That's why I welcome the arrest warrant for the men who killed my father, and for whom we are waiting for explanations so that we can begin to mourn," Nour said. The court was created in 2015 but took several years to begin operating. Human Rights Watch has described its creation as a landmark to advance justice for victims of serious crimes.

Patryk Labuda, an expert in international criminal law at the Polish Academy of Sciences, said the warrant issued Tuesday sends a message about the court's intention to prosecute wrongdoing by the state. "This arrest warrant is certainly one of the most high profile developments in the 5 years the court has operated," Labuda said.

Bozize seized power in a coup in 2003, and was ousted by predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels a decade later. That led to a civil war between the rebels and mostly Christian militias marked by sectarian violence atrocities and the forced use of child soldiers. Both the US and the United Nations targeted Bozize with sanctions for fueling the violence. The UN, which has a peacekeeping mission in the country, estimates the fighting has killed thousands and displaced over a million people, or one-fifth of the population. In 2019, a peace deal was reached between the government and 14 armed groups, but fighting continues.

About 10,000 children are still fighting alongside armed groups in the Central African Republic more than a decade after civil war broke out, the government said earlier this year. "It's a great day for us victims to learn that Francois Bozize is the target of an international arrest warrant," said Audrey Yamale, a member of the Association of Victims of the 2013 Crisis. "But let's not stop there. We would like Guinea Bissau to cooperate in his extradition."
An asylum seeker examines his documents after an appointment with the International Protection Office (IPO), around which hundreds of migrants have been sleeping rough in tents for several months, in Dublin, April 30, 2024. CLODAGH KILCOYNE / REUTERS

Relations between London and Dublin have taken a sharp turn for the worse in recent days. Ireland blames British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's office for the alleged collateral effects of the UK-Rwanda Agreement, which aims to deport asylum seekers who have arrived in the UK to the East African country. On Tuesday, April 30, the Irish government approved an emergency bill aimed at facilitating the return to the UK of asylum seekers arriving in the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland (still a British province).

Such is the tension between the two countries that the Irish authorities are talking about the need to monitor the almost 500 kilometers of border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This is even though Dublin battled throughout the Brexit negotiations, between 2016 and 2019, to keep this border completely virtual.

It all began with a figure put forward by Helen McEntee, Ireland's justice minister, at a hearing of the Irish parliament's justice committee on April 23. Some "80% of asylum seekers" arriving in Ireland come from the UK via Belfast, the minister stated. They are taking advantage of the Common Travel Area (CTA), a specific free movement agreement between Ireland and the UK, McEntee said, adding that a record 5,000 people had applied for asylum in the Republic since the beginning of 2024.

Controversial agreement with Kigali

Instead of applying for asylum when they arrive at an Irish airport or port from another European, African or Asian country, these people present themselves at the International Protection Office (IPO), in the heart of Dublin city. Emergency accommodation for them is so saturated that dozens of them are sleeping in tents set up in the streets adjacent to the IPO.

Sunak seized the opportunity, welcoming the figure put forward by McEntee as proof that the UK-Rwanda Agreement is already having the hoped-for "deterrent effect." According to him, people arriving in Ireland via Belfast are fleeing the prospect of being deported by the British authorities to Rwanda. On April 25, Sunak finally got Westminster to pass the Safety of Rwanda Act, which should make the controversial agreement with Kigali operational, as it is currently still virtual two years after being signed.

Read more Subscribers only UK passes bill to send asylum seekers to Rwanda

Dublin's response was swift and acid on Sunday, with Simon Harris, leader of the centrist Fine Gael party and Ireland's taoiseach (prime minister) for the past month, saying Ireland will "not provide a loophole for anybody else's migration challenges." "We're not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland when the EU doesn't accept returns back to France, where illegal migrants are coming from," retorted Sunak the following day, adding that he was "not interested" in a migrant return agreement with Dublin.

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President of the French far-right Rassemblement National parliamentary group Marine Le Pen delivers a speech during a campaign rally for the forthcoming European Union parliamentary elections, in Perpignan, southern France, on May 1, 2024. ED JONES / AFP

Former far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen on Wednesday, May 1, urged voters to inflict "the most crushing electoral sanction" possible on President Emmanuel Macron's party in European elections next month. The parliamentary leader of the Rassemblement National (RN) spoke at a party congress in the run-up to the European Parliament contest on June 9.

"We must counter them, we must sanction them, we must dismiss them," she told followers in the southern city of Perpignan. "We must inflict on those in power the most crushing electoral sanction that we can," she said.

The RN's list for the elections is not led by Le Pen but by her youthful protege Jordan Bardella, just 28, who has already succeeded the veteran campaigner as party leader. The far-right party has been leading in the polls, well ahead of Macron's centrist alliance.

Read more Subscribers only The French far right's nebulous plan to unravel the EU

Seeking to counter youth with youth, Macron has deployed the until now little-known European parliament member Valerie Hayer, 38, to lead the ruling coalition's list for the vote.

"This sanction will be measured by the gap between the list led by Jordan Bardella" and the Renaissance list, Le Pen added.

Read more Subscribers only Le Pen's RN has consistently backed authoritarian regimes in European Parliament votes

Second place in the European polls would be a major embarrassment for Macron, who throughout his almost seven years in office has presented himself as a bulwark against the far right as more radical forces gained ground elsewhere in Europe. A recent Le Monde poll found that Hayer's list is increasingly threatened of being caught by the Socialists, who tail her by just three points.

Le Pen urged followers to vote for Bardella's list to ensure that June 9 was the first stage of a great change in Europe, "but also because there are presidential elections in 2027 in France."
THE winner of a 1 million Lotto ticket sold in Oola for the March 9, Lotto Plus 1 draw came forward this Tuesday morning.

The ticket was sold at the only filling station store on the Main Street in Oola (previously ODonovans Londis).

A National Lottery spokesperson confirmed to the Limerick Leader that they received a call to confirm the ticket number on Tuesday.

It is not known if it is an individual winner, a syndicate, or if they are from Limerick as Oola is located on the busy N24 route with many commuters travelling the road.

One Lotto millionaire has come forward but an even bigger one remains at large.

Just over a week on from an 8.9m jackpot ticket being sold in Garryowen Stores, the winner still hasn't come forward.

The winning numbers in the Saturday, April 20 draw were: 1, 9, 10, 14, 26, 40 and the bonus was 4.

Fran Whearty, of the National Lottery, told the Limerick Leader: It has now been over a week and we are still waiting on this Limerick winner to contact the National Lottery to claim this prize worth over 8.9 million.

He said it is a huge life-changing prize and we suspect that the winner may need some time and space to come to terms with their win.

Regardless, we would encourage them to contact us as soon as possible and the necessary supports will be put in place to ensure that they have all they need before they claim this life-altering prize, said Mr Whearty.

Store owner Tom Brosnan said they were back on the map for big lottery wins. Twenty years ago they famously sold the winning 115m EuroMillions ticket to Dolores McNamara.

Most of our customers are local and were absolutely thrilled for whoever it might be.

READ MORE: 'We are on top of the world!' Celebrations at Limerick shop that sold 9 million winning ticket

Theres a great buzz about the place and Im sure the celebrations will continue for a good few weeks until the winner comes forward. Whoever they are, we wish them the very best of luck, said Tom.

Ticket holders have 90 days from the draw date to claim their prizes.

The winner is advised to sign the back of their ticket and keep it safe.

They should contact the prize claims team on 1800 666 222 or email claims@lottery.ie and arrangements will be made for the winner to visit Lotto headquarters to collect their prize.
A MAN who allowed his bank account to be used as part of a scheme to defraud people looking for student accommodation in Limerick has been told by a judge to raise compensation for the injured parties.

On Wednesday, Judge Sarah Berkeley told Martin Awoke (26) that she would adjourn the case until July 8 to give him an opportunity to find work and raise compensation for the injured parties.

Awoke of Alexandra House, Tallaght, Dublin 24, pleaded guilty to handling the proceeds of crime on August 12, 2022. He has no previous convictions.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the two injured parties in this case were looking for student accommodation in Limerick and made payments of 5,940 and 3,880 respectively to Awoke's bank account.

Awoke's role was limited to allowing his bank account to be used, and he had no involvement in the scheme itself, the court was told.

The total of 9,820 has not been recovered.

When interviewed by gardai, Awoke said a friend from Nigeria was trying to send another person to Ireland and asked to use his account to send funds for them. Awoke said he withdrew the money in cash and handed this over.

The investigating garda told Diane Stuart BL, prosecuting, that this account did not tally with the transactions in Awoke's bank account, which showed some cash was withdrawn and a number of other transactions. He was re-interviewed and gave a similar account to gardai.

The witness agreed with defence counsel that Awoke attended voluntarily for interview, was co-operative and has not come to recent garda attention. It was also accepted that he was working until recently, but has since lost his job.

READ MORE: Limerick gardai in TV appeal to locate man 'wanted on warrant'

A number of references and a letter of apology were handed to the court. Defence counsel asked the court for time for his client to raise compensation for the injured parties, which he hopes to do with the assistance of family members.

Judge Berkeley suggested Awoke could find a new job to raise compensation for the injured parties.

She noted that the injured parties in this case had lost their hard-earned money, which they were using to try to send their children to college.

She directed a probation report and said she was willing to give Awoke an opportunity to avoid prison and contribute to the community.

He can do that or go through that door [into custody]. It's his choice, the judge said, adding that she wanted to see payslips and other documentation on the next date.
A JUDGE has jailed an 80-year old former Limerick scout leader to six years and eight months in prison for molesting five young boys, all scouts, who still believed in Santa in the 1970s and early 1980s.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford imposed a 16 month prison term on Jim Harmon of Pinewood, Shannon for each of the five boys he indecently assaulted over a six year period between 1976 and 1981 at locations in Clare and Limerick.

Addressing the five complainants in court - all now men in their 50s - Judge Comerford said that they have been "denied justice for a very, very long time".

READ MORE: Riverfest back for its 20th year in Limerick

Harmon was aged 33 to 38 during the period of the indecent assaults and the counts of indecent assaults took place at Cratloe in south east Clare, Holy Island on Lough Derg, Garryowen and Ennis Road in Limerick city.

One of the five in his victim impact statement said that he has carried what happened to him for decades "and those decades are matched by the others who brought this case".

He said: "I therefore hope the court can appreciate that five of us in our 50s nearly have 250 years of hurt; the ripples add many more years to this, this is the impact of evil."

The man said that Harmons victims were "young children seven and eight years of age, children who still believed in Santa who were supposed to have innocence in their lives, making their Communions".

He said that the lives of Harmons victims "have been forever altered and corrupted by the deviant nature of a predator".

He said: "We know that predators do not operate in isolation so are we five just the unluckiest children - or are there more?"

Describing Harmon as a "prolific paedophile", another victim told the court that this predator used a position of trust to deceive parents and their children to repeatedly molest vulnerable young boys with no regard for the impact his actions had on his many young victims".

The man said that he is thankful for the decent life he has achieved "despite the devious efforts of Jim Harmon to destroy my innocence for his now perverted pleasure".

Judge Comerford noted that one of the five informed his mother that Jim Harmon - who lived in the Garryowen area of Limerick at the time of his offending - had indecently assaulted him as far back as 1981 while in the scouts.

The boys mother in turn informed local scouting authorities who took action against Mr Harmon and dismissed him from his senior scouting role in 1982.

Judge Comerford said that "it didnt go any further" and gardai were not informed at the time by the scouting authorities or Mr Harmon's offending.

Judge Comerford said that a complaint by one of the five to gardai in 1996 about Mr Harmon "went nowhere" while the DPP recommended that no prosecution take place against Mr Harmon concerning a complaint by the same man in 2014 and made the same direction concerning a separate complaint by another victim in 2016.

Judge Comerford stated that it was only after Scouting Ireland had set up a helpline for those abused by adults in the organisation that another man came forward to make a complaint against Mr Harmon and the older complaints were reviewed.

Judge Comerford said that the current exhaustive' Gardai investigation that resulted in Mr Harmons guilty pleas involved gardai taking 80 witness statements.

Counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly BL, instructed by Sate Solicitor, Aisling Casey said that in the 1970s Mr Harmon was well respected in Limerick scouting circle and had the trust of families to bring their boys away on overnight camping trips.

One of the five, Ruairi Hickey, 54, told gardai that Harmon molested him when he was nine or 10 while the two played chess on a scouting trip to Holy Island in Co Clare.

Two other boys were on the same scouting trip and in his victim impact statement, Mr Hickey - originally from Limericks North Circular Rd - said: "I remember seeing the other two walking away and being powerless, knowing and dreading what was to come".

Mr Hickey also recalled another scout visit with Harmon to OBriens Estate, Cratloe, Co Clare where Harmon lined up the boys present in their underpants and measured their bodies with a soft measuring tape.

The only one of the five to waive his anonymity, Mr Hickey said that Harmon measured him from his inner thigh to his hip, brushing against his genitals.

Mr Hickey said that Harmons abuse was regular.

Harmon was leader of the second Limerick troop and another victim said on camping trips, Jim Harmon "told scouts that they werent allowed to wear underpants under their pyjamas".

He said at night, Mr Harmon would come into the tent at night and put his hands into their pyjamas.

Referring to Jim Harmon, the man told Gardai that "Of f**k, who is going to be in the tent tonight?

He said another time, Harmon had boys strip to their underwear on the pretence of undergoing a physical examination where he felt their genitals and told them they had passed "and they were great young men".

Mr Connolly told the court that in a "remarkable coincidence" another one of the five first disclosed Harmons abuse for the first time during a telesales call in the early 2000s to a man who also happened to be a victim of Harmons.

Both men had lived in Limerick and were in the local scouts.

Sgt Niall Donovan of Roxboro Garda Station, told the court that Harmon has one previous conviction in 2017 at Waterford Circuit Court for indecent assault of a young boy scout in 1976 where he received a suspended one year and three months.

Sgt Donovan said that Harmon married a widowed woman in 1994 and was step-father to her five children. He said that the couple took in a six year old under a foster care arrangements with the HSE. Mr Harmon's wife died in 2000.

Sgt Donovan said that Mr Harmon worked as ground crew for the RAF from 1960 to 1973 and worked with now defunct semi-state agency, Shannon Development from 1973 to 2003 where he had a number of roles including Euro Information Officer.

Counsel for Mr Harmon, Donal Cronin BL said that Mr Harmon is alone in this world after becoming estranged from his family following the Waterford case.

Mr Cronin said that Mr Harmon was himself a victim of similar type behaviour in the past and expresses profound regret for his actions.

He said more than 40 years have passed since Mr Harmon left the scouts and there has been no further evidence of wrongdoing.

Speaking after Mr Harmon was jailed today, one of the five outside Ennis courthouse said he was happy with the sentence imposed.

He said: "I wanted him convicted. I wanted him going somewhere. I wanted him to hear the cell door close behind him."
GARDAI have confirmed they plan to install a new static speed camera on one of the busiest roads in Limerick by the end of this year.

The device, one of nine planned for locations across the country, will be located on the N69 in west Limerick, east of Askeaton.

Announcing the planned roll out, a garda spokesperson said static-speed safety cameras have been proven internationally to reduce speeding, which is one of the main contributors to road deaths in Ireland and elsewhere.

Seven of the proposed cameras will be installed on national primary routes while two will be located on a regional road.

In addition to Limerick, cameras will be located on the N59 (Galway), N25 (Waterford), R772 (Wicklow), N14 (Donegal), N80 (Carlow), Dublin (Dolphins Barn), N17 (Mayo) and on the N22 in Cork.



According to gardai, each of the locations were selected based on fatal and serious injury collision data from the last seven years and speed data, as well as feedback from stakeholders.



The nine static speed cameras are being funded from the Garda budget at a cost of approximately 2.4 million over the next 18 months.



The cameras will be rolled out in conjunction with average speed cameras which are planned for the N3 (Butlers Bridge, Co Cavan), the N5 (Swinford, Co. Mayo), and the N2 (Slane, Co Meath) and which are expected to be operational by the end of October.

Average speed cameras are already operational on the N7, between Limerick and Nenagh and at the Dublin Port Tunnel.

READ ALSO: Man hospitalised in 'reckless endangerment' incident in Limerick

Separately, the number of GoSafe-operated speed detection vans will increase from 55 to 58 in the coming weeks.

Confirming the latest initiative, a garda spokesperson stated that Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has requested that the Assistant Commissioner with responsibility for roads policing develop a business case for the introduction of a further 100 static speed cameras.

This business case will then form part of An Garda Siochanas application for its overall funding in 2025 as part of the Estimates Process.

Commenting, Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman said: "Static speed safety cameras have been proven in other countries to be highly effective in changing driver behaviour and reducing speed, which is a key contributor to road deaths. Speed cameras slow drivers down. The lower speeds people drive at, the lower the number of road deaths.

As with GoSafe vans, drivers detected by static speed cameras breaking the speed limit on that road will be automatically issued a fixed charge penalty notice.

The locations for the nine static speed safety cameras, announced this Wednesday, are:

Limerick: N69, east of Askeaton

Galway: N59, between Moycullen and Galway City

Waterford: N25, between Glenmore and Luffany

Wicklow: R772, Arklow Road, Aske, north of Gorey

Donegal: N14, east of Letterkenny

Carlow: N80, between Barristown and Levitstown

Dublin: Crumlin Road/Parnell Road/Dolphin Road/Dolphins Barn Junction

Mayo: N17, northeast of Claremorris

Cork: N22, east of Lissarda, west of Ovens





Site visits and partnership engagement are ongoing to progress the engineering for the installation of the cameras.

Road users in Limerick and elsewhere will be advised of the location of static speed safety cameras through road signage and local information campaigns.
Over 600 of Irelands future engineering and digital change-makers gathered at The Foundry in Googles EMEA HQ in Dublin recently to attend two key events as part of Kinias Creative Technology Week  Tech Feile and Creative Tech Fest.

The events mark a now annual celebration of creative technology in Ireland, for young people and those working in schools and youth organisations.

Kinia is an education focused non-profit social enterprise, with a mission to empower educators to equip young people with the future-focused skills they need to unlock their potential.

With ambitious targets to upskill 2,000 educators and lift barriers to learning opportunities for over 11,000 young people in 2024, Kinia continues to work within the Irish education sector.

Kinias Creative Technology Week showcases creative technology projects that young people throughout Ireland have been working on all year, in the areas of STEAM, Digital Media, and Computer Science.

The Kinia Creative Technology Award Ceremony celebrating excellence in a range of digital and STEAM projects saw schools and youth groups scoop awards for their incredible creativity in engineering, digital and technology projects  such as West Limerick Foroige Club who won an award for their brilliant video production audio, and animation project, brought to life through podcast, music and design. Supported by the Local Creative Youth Partnership, four podcast episodes have been produced and will be released soon.

Speaking at the event, Marianne Checkley, CEO of Kinia said: Were delighted with the response to this years Creative Technology Week! Its a wonderful showcase event for the educators and young people who are part of the Kinia network. During the year we work with educators every week to make sure they are kept up to date with the skills they need to equip young people with future-focused skills.

We want all young people to have a fair shot at fulfilling their potential so we work hard to open access to the learning opportunities that many young people are missing out on. Were so proud to see the talent on display at this years awards from all across the country.

For more information on Kinia, or to get involved in future events, please visit kinia.ie.

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YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS. Armenia should ensure its security on the basis of legitimacy, on the basis of legitimate expectations and legitimate demands, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with the Public TV, stressing that he had repeatedly stated that Armenia should rely on itself for security and all other matters.

This is a geopolitical pre-text and a context where, in broad daylight and several times, structures and countries with security obligations towards us have failed to fulfill those obligations. I do not want to discuss reasons and justifications at this moment; there could be various justifications. I don't even want to present this as an accusation; I state it as a fact, and we must deal with this fact.

This fact should lead us to the conclusion that we should rely on ourselves to ensure our security. We should also think about the formula for ensuring our security and determine which formula we should useto ensure the security", stressed the Prime Minister of Armenia.
SEATTLEBillionaire Changpeng Zhao, founder of the worlds biggest crypto exchange, was sentenced Tuesday in a Seattle federal court to four months in jail.

You had a responsibility to comply with United States regulations. Not some but all," U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones said. You failed at that opportunity."

Zhao, 47, pleaded guilty in November to violating U.S. anti-money-laundering requirements. He agreed to step down as Binances chief executive and pay a criminal fine of $50 million.

I deeply regret my behavior and Im sorry," Zhao said to the judge. Zhaos mother, sister, nephew and eldest son appeared at the hearing, sitting in the first row of the gallery. I fully recognize the seriousness of the mistakes I made. I learned an important lesson here I will carry with me."

The sentence was a culmination of a multiyear U.S. criminal investigation into Binance and showed how U.S. law enforcers have targeted the national-security and money-laundering risks posed by cryptocurrencies. The government has thrown more of its arsenal at the freewheeling crypto industry, including using sanctions to disrupt exchanges and dealers that allegedly cater to cybercriminals and U.S. adversaries.

Binance was enmeshed for years in a dragnet of U.S. criminal and civil law enforcement, including regulatory claims that it illegally served Americans and violated investor-protection laws. Other large crypto firms face similar investigations and government lawsuits, showing how an industry that once disavowed regulation is now within its grip in the U.S.

Changpeng Zhaoor CZ as his 8.9 million X followers know himis the biggest face of crypto. He founded the firm in 2017 and turned it into the most important hub of the global crypto market. The criminal probe shadowed the company even as its market share initially grew after the collapse last year of FTX, one of its main offshore competitors.

Binance pleaded guilty to anti-money-laundering violations in a deal with the Justice Departmentagreeing to pay fines totaling $4.3 billion and to allow oversight by an independent monitor.

For Zhao, prosecutors had asked the judge to impose a sentence of three years in prison, double the sentencing guidelines of 18 months. By not implementing an effective anti-money-laundering program, Zhao allowed hackers, drug dealers and sanctions violators to use the exchange to move hundreds of millions of dollars, all while making money, they argued.

Zhaos willful violation of U.S. law was no accident or oversight," prosecutors said. He made a business decision that violating U.S. law was the best way to attract users, build his company, and line his pockets."

Lawyers for Zhao requested no jail time and a period of probation, citing the founders lack of prior criminal history and the ramifications he had already faced, including stepping down as Binances chief executive. Zhao also agreed to pay a criminal fine of $50 million.

Zhaos defense team submitted 161 letters of support on his behalf from family, current and former colleagues, employees of firms Binance had invested in and users of the platform. Binances human-relations department reached out to some current employees directly to ask for letters of support for Zhao, according to people familiar with the matter.

Other employees have clashed with Zhao in the past, with the former general counsel being forced out and other lawyers resigning last year, among an exodus of executives, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.

Zhao remains Binances majority shareholder. He got into crypto after first hearing about bitcoin during a poker game in Shanghai in 2013. He sold his Shanghai apartment for bitcoin and worked for several crypto startups before launching Binance in 2017.

The crypto exchange quickly amassed a large following, spinning up a website that offered services in many languages to reach potential users around the world. Traders lauded it as easier to use than its rivals.

Prosecutors said that Binance knew in 2018 that it had millions of U.S. users, but didnt set up a program to detect money laundering or violations of sanctions laws. As a result, Binance processed trades between Americans and users believed to be in Iran valued at $899 million between January 2018 and May 2022.

Binance critically undermined the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions against Iran," prosecutors said.

The Binance founder wrote in a September 2019 chat that it was better to ask forgiveness than permission" for amassing so many American users despite laws that appeared to forbid doing so, according to prosecutors.

Lawyers for Zhao declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Binance.

Binance employees were surprised when Zhao turned up at a Seattle federal courthouse last November to plead guilty to the charge.

The crypto executive slowed down Binances settlement discussions in 2023 by telling his lawyers he refused to go to jail or step down, according to people familiar with the matter. Zhao, a Chinese-Canadian, avoided traveling in 2023, staying in the United Arab Emirates, which lacks an extradition treaty with the U.S.

Binance lawyers wanted Zhao to settle the investigation in part because the Justice Department obtained videos of early company meetings with Zhao and executives, people familiar with the matter said. Binances lawyers felt the videos showed Zhaos guilt and described the evidence as dead to rights," they said.

Global regulators have investigated Binance for years. The crypto exchanges headquarters jumped from China to Japan to Malta before the company said it operated without a headquarters.

Countries including the U.K., Singapore and South Africa issued warnings that Binance wasnt licensed to offer complex financial products to users.

In 2021, the Cayman Islands said Binance wasnt allowed to operate an exchange from the Caribbean nation. Binance does not operate a cryptocurrency exchange out of the Cayman Islands," a Binance spokeswoman told Journal reporters in 2021. That same Cayman entity, Binance Holdings Ltd., pleaded guilty to three counts last November, saying it does business as Binance.com.

Zhao and Binance still face a civil lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations that they misused customer funds and ran an illegal exchange in the U.S.

Ahead of sentencing for his criminal charges, Zhao had been required to remain in the U.S. despite his efforts to return to the United Arab Emirates, where he lives and has citizenship. Prosecutors said Zhao was a flight risk.

During this time, Zhao launched a new project, an educational platform called Giggle Academy that seeks to provide free basic education from grade 1 to 12.

Meanwhile, Binance has continued to thrive. Trading on Binance reached its highest level in almost three years last month, according to data provider CCData. A new CEO, Richard Teng, took the reins when Zhao pleaded guilty. The exchange is still home to more crypto trading than any competitor.

Dave Michaels, Patricia Kowsmann and Vicky Ge Huang contributed to this article.

Write to Caitlin Ostroff at caitlin.ostroff@wsj.com and Patricia Kowsmann at patricia.kowsmann@wsj.com
The first semiconductor chips to be made in India will roll out from US-based Micron Technology Inc.'s unit at Sanand in Gujarat in the first half of 2025, but a majority of these will be exported from the first day itself.

We expect to have products rollout early next year, in the first half, which is a very good turnaround given that we had announced this whole engagement in the middle of last year," said Micron India's managing director Anand Ramamoorthy in an interaction with Mint.

No factory in India will ever be building for India only. It will be a small part, and bulk of it will be for exports, and that's actually a good thing because we want our factories to be globally viable," he added.

Also Read: Microns investment will boost Indias tech chops and spur economic growth

India wants to create its own semiconductor manufacturing and chip ecosystem so as to reduce dependency on imports of the critical component used across industries including defence, automobiles, and telecommunications and in everyday devices such as smartphones and laptops. Micron was the first semiconductor chip assembly plant approved by the Indian government.

Ramamoorthy said the semiconductor chips from Micron's Sanand unit could be used in several sectors, including data centers, smartphones, notebooks and internet of things, or IoT, but the allocation would be decided closer to final production.

We want to serve all customers. How we route those bits into different verticals will be based on various factors like turnaround time, pricing dynamics, customer needs, their inventory position, so we have to be agile. Overtime, all the verticals that will be serviced (from here)," he said.

Micron could also look at new opportunities in two-wheeler electric vehicles and government contracts that are unique to the Indian market, he added.

On the possibility of working with Tata Electronics Ltds semiconductor fabrication units coming up in Assam and Gujarat, Ramamoorthy said some partnerships could emerge with Tata Group companies since they were already customers.

We (have) worked with the Tata Group companies, many of them are customers, which we will continue to, and at the right time we might even explore if there is something more we can do in terms of taking our product lines into their factories, but that's too early and not discussed yet," Ramamoorthy said.

He added that Micron was in discussions with vendors to bring semiconductor supply chains to India, with one of its key suppliers Simmtech, a South Korean firm, beginning to set up its unit in the same location as Micron in India.

Ramamoorthy said Micron's suppliers will come to India and the strategic ones may be co-located in Gujarat.

Now theyre seeing that there are more announcements coming in the state of Gujarat, they realize that there are more opportunities for all of them. We will provide all the fair chances and recommendation but they will work with the government on what kind of support and incentive they can get. Our job is to certainly showcase our supplier vendor network or engineering footprint," he said.

Ramamoorthy also noted that the vendors would not be solely supplying to Micron in India but to locations across the world where Micron plants are situated. The chipmaker has seven sites globally, including at China, the US, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan, where it manufactures memory storage chips.

Micron is the first company to set up its assembly plants in India under the Union governments $10-billion financial incentive scheme for establishing semiconductor fabrication and assembly units in the country.

Apart from Micron, other companies are also on their way to establishing chip fabrication and assembly units in India.

Tata Electronics Ltd will set up a semiconductor fabrication unit that will be Indias first such, and an indigenous one, in Gujarat, and an assembly unit in Assam with a combined investment of 1.26 trillion. And the Murugappa Groups CG Power and Industrial Solutions will set up an assembly and testing unit with a 7,600 crore investment.

The government is evaluating several other proposals, including a $10 billion proposal from Israels Tower Semiconductor.

Micron's 1.4 million sq.ft. unit coming up at Sanand will be under the first leg of its India plan for the next decade.

Mint had reported earlier that the chipmaker will set up four to five such plants including fabs in India over the coming years.

The Union and Gujarat governments are allocating $1.95 billion in financial support for Micron's new plant, while the rest of the investment of $825 million will be borne by the company.

Ramamoorthy said Micron will generate 5,000 direct and 15,000 indirect jobs over the next four to five years. The company already has just over 4,000 people working in its Hyderabad and Bengaluru centers, where most of its research and development takes place.
With Boeing in the throes of its latest crisis, one of its smaller rivals, Embraer, is exploring options for a new model to challenge the duopoly for large jets that has dominated the industry for almost three decades.

Internal assessments conducted by Embraer have determined that the Brazilian company has the technological know-how and manufacturing might to develop a next-generation narrow-body aircraft, its first in that market segment, according to people familiar with the companys strategy and planning. Embraer has a market value of around $5 billion and specializes in regional and business jets.

The plane would compete head-on with the successors to Boeings 737 MAX and Airbuss A320 in a category that is key for both manufacturers. Greenlighting the project would also represent a potentially make-or-break bet: New aircraft programs typically cost tens of billions of dollars to develop, can take more than a decade from inception to entering service and regularly dont get to market.

While the plans are still in their infancy and a final decision hasnt been made, the company has been laying the groundwork, including assessing potential payload and range requirements. Embraer has also sounded out potential financial and industrial partners that the company would need, the people said, including Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund and manufacturing firms in Turkey, India and South Korea.

A spokesman for Embraer said that while the company certainly has the capability to develop a new narrow-body aircraft," it doesnt have any plans for a sizable new project at this time and is focused on selling its existing models.

Embraers ambitions have firmed in recent months with Boeing in turmoil after a 737 MAX jet operated by Alaska Airlines lost a fuselage panel midflight, the people said. The accident prompted U.S. air-safety agencies to put limits on Boeings manufacturing facilities and led to an executive shake-up, including the resignation of Chief Executive David Calhoun by the end of the year.

Boeings troubles since the grounding of its 737 MAX in 2019 have already led it to bleed market share to rival Airbus at a time when airlines across the globe are on a postpandemic spending spree. Boeing executives had previously planned to try to claw back some of those losses by beating Airbus to the market with a next-generation aircraft, according to people familiar with Boeings planning.

Boeing doesnt have a firm plan for how it will replace its decades-old 737 line. The company has said it could launch a new aircraft in the middle of the next decade, similar to Airbuss current timeline, but Calhoun has since said that a decision will fall to a future Boeing CEO.

New aircraft programs require long lead times to develop, prepare supply chains and win regulatory signoff. Calhoun has said the company would need about $50 billion to develop a successor to the 737 MAX, cash that the debt-laden manufacturer currently doesnt have. Boeing, which this past week said it had burned through nearly $4 billion in its most recent quarter, ended 2023 with a net debt of $52.3 billion.

A new model would also mark a satisfying reprisal for Embraer after Boeing unilaterally withdrew from a $4 billion deal to acquire the Brazilian companys commercial jet business four years ago. Embraer is still awaiting findings from an arbitration it filed at the International Chamber of Commerce after Boeing abandoned the deal.

Ive talked to everyone at Boeing that I can possibly address, and the message is the same: Get your act together," American Airlines CEO Robert Isomone of Embraers biggest customerssaid on a call last week. He later said that Embraer comparatively has delivered day in and day out throughout the pandemic no matter the concerns of their supply chain" and that other manufacturers can learn a lot from them."

To be sure, many new aircraft programs dont succeed. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, for example, in 2023 pulled the plug on a 16-year project to develop an all-new regional jet. In 2017, Bombardier was pushed into handing its loss-making C Series aircraft program to Airbus for $1 after Boeing petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce to place heavy import duties on the new model.

Embraer itself doesnt currently manufacture an aircraft that matches the size and range of Boeings or Airbuss popular narrow-bodiesjets that are defined by their single aisle and which form the backbone of the global aviation sector. Its largest model, the E2-195 regional jet which entered service in 2018, seats a maximum of 146 passengers compared with a maximum of 172 seats on Boeings smallest narrow-body, the 737 MAX 7.

Still, the Brazilian company could use aspects of the design and technology from the E2 as the basis for the new aircraft, helping to subsidize some of the billions of costs if it went ahead with an all-new design.

Embraer is still a relatively small player in the world of aircraft manufacturing compared with Boeing and Airbus. The company last year delivered 181 aircraft, with Boeing delivering 528 and Airbus delivering 735 jets to customers.

Airbus has said it is progressing toward bringing its own new narrow-body to the market in the second half of the 2030s. The European plane maker, the worlds biggest, has been exploring multiple options for upgrades that could boost fuel efficiency by 20% to 25% compared with the current A320neo model, including new engine and wing designs. The company has also long touted the possibility of developing a stretched version of its A220the renamed C Series aircraft it picked up from Bombardier in 2017.

Summer Said contributed to this article.

Write to Andrew Tangel at andrew.tangel@wsj.com and Benjamin Katz at ben.katz@wsj.com
US-based private markets firm HarbourVest Partners, a backer of Indian private equity funds ChrysCapital and Kedaara Capital, is scaling up its funds and direct investments in India, joining a lengthening line of firms turning their attention to the country.

In India, we've been on a deployment ramp over the past 10 years. If we look at the capital that we deploy annually, the proportion that's going to India has been on an uptrend," said Kelvin Yap, managing director, HarbourVest, in an interview with Mint.

The firm has at least $1.5 billion invested in India across three strategies: primary funds, secondary transactions, and direct co-investments.

We expect a material increase in investments in India. We expect to see at least 25% growth in investments in India this year and over the next few years," Yap added.

Yap, based in Singapore, focuses on fund investments and direct co-investments in the Asia Pacific region. HarbourVest has offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Sydney, and Tokyo, with over $125 billion in assets under management as of 31 December 2023.

HarbourVest has been working with Indian fund managers for over a decade, with investments spanning venture, seed, growth-stage, and buyout funds. It also has direct investments in companies such as ShareChat and Jana Small Finance Bank, according to data platform VCCEdge.

The macro picture for India looks great. There are positive structural changes which promote further expansion of the India middle class. That is expected to drive rapid consumption growth," Yap said, explaining why it is scaling its investments in India.

"Additionally, India is a beneficiary of a global trend towards supply chain diversification. That is a positive catalyst for Indias manufacturing and export sector. This is an interesting backdrop for us to invest into."

Yap noted that the firm is invested in "more than a handful of VC funds" in India, without naming specifics.

We remain excited about early-stage venture, because in our view, innovation never stops. We participate through the top venture managers. In recent years, we have been focused more on early-stage venture, over mid-stage or late-stage growth," Yap said.

In April this year, both Kedaara Capital and ChrysCapital announced fundraising milestones. Kedaara Capital's fourth India fund raised $1.7 billion, with HarbourVest as an investor. ChrysCapital's $700 million continuum fund, announced this week, also has HarbourVest among investors.

Yap added that the Indian market is seeing "a lot more buyout transactions today" compared to the past. Sectors that have generated strong private equity returns include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, IT services, business services, consumer, and financial services," he noted.
Delhi-based Jindal Stainless Steel Ltd (JSL) on Wednesday said it will make an investment of 5,400 crore to boost production capacity and make acquisitions.

The companys investment strategy involves pursuing growth through a blend of organic and inorganic expansions over the next three years. It will finance the acquisitions and capacity additions mostly through internal accruals.

As part of the investment, JSL has formed a joint venture (JV) with a Singapore entity for developing and operating a stainless steel melt shop (SMS) in Indonesia with an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) at an investment of more than 700 crore. The facility will increase the companys melting capacity by over 40% to 4.2 MTPA over the next two years.

Along with the Indonesian facility, the company will also be expanding its downstream lines in Jajpur, Odisha, at an investment of around 1,900 crore over the next two years. This will help the company increase its melting capacity. Additionally, the company has also earmarked nearly 1,450 crore towards the associated upgrade of infrastructure facilities, such as railway siding, sustainability-related projects, and renewable energy generation around the Jajpur facility.

It is also acquiring a 54% equity stake in Chromeni Steels Private Limited (CSPL), which owns a 0.6 MTPA cold rolling mill located in Mundra, Gujarat. The transaction entails an outlay of around 1,340 crore, comprising a takeover of existing debt of 1,295 crore and a balance of 45 crore towards equity purchase.

With these acquisitions and investments, we have orchestrated a clear growth plan to become one of the leading players in the world. The Indonesian JV will get us the best of speed and raw material security, and the augmentation of the Jajpur lines will offer enhanced value for domestic and export customers, said Abhyuday Jindal, managing director, JSL, in a press conference.

The investment in the upstream facility in Indonesia will be a plug-and-play model, with the facility coming up in an industrial park in the southeast Asian nation which already has an integrated induction furnace RKEF (rotary kilnelectric arc furnace) and AOD stainless steel smelting facilities.

Since India does not have any indigenous source of nickel and availability of stainless steel scrap is limited, Indonesia is among the best alternative options to secure the availability of raw materials. Given the abundance of nickel ore in Indonesia, and the expertise of a JV partner in manufacturing stainless steel through the nickel route, the deal secures raw material availability and production efficiency at the same time, Jindal elaborated on the rationale behind the investment.

This comes at a time the government of Indonesia has banned exports of nickel ore, as it is a key ingredient in the manufacture of Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries, while promoting foreign direct investments (FDI) into downstream facilities through long-term tax holidays.

The company, he said, will be equally sharing the profits from this facility. It will also have 100% off-take rights from this facility and reserves the first right to refusal.

JSL will also invest around 100 crore this year to start grooming the newly-acquired facility of Chromeni. The facility, previously wholly owned by the Chinese group Tsingshan Industries, could not sustain its operations for various reasons and has been closed. JSL plans to make it operational within the next six months.
Its better to ask for forgiveness than permission when it comes to complying with the law, the billionaire founder of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange once told his team, according to the US government.

On Tuesday it was time for Changpeng CZ Zhao to ask for forgiveness, yet prosecutors werent exactly in the mood to grant it. In a court filing before his sentencing hearing, they cited the flippant attitude on display in this and other remarks as one of the reasons they recommended the court give him three years in prison  longer than what guidelines prescribe  following his guilty plea to violating anti-money laundering laws in November.

Richest US Prisoner Ever Seattle Judge Richard Jones wasnt convinced he deserved that much time, instead giving him four months in prison. Still, Zhao will enter the history books as the richest person ever to do time in US federal lockup since his ownership of Binance  and an estimated $43 billion personal fortune tied to it  remain intact. His wealth is likely to grow even bigger as Binances business accelerates amid cryptos latest bull run. And despite relinquishing the chief executive title as part of his deal with the government, Zhaos lingering influence on the company is hard to miss: Its new board of directors is dominated by his devoted friends, and the mother of three of his children plays a major role in running its operations.

Needless to say, the arrangement with the Department of Justice doesnt sit well with some critics of the cryptocurrency market.

The DOJ should have charged dozens of people connected to Binance and should have not only prosecuted them and punished them but barred them from the financial industry forever, said Dennis Kelleher, president and CEO of the advocacy group Better Markets Inc. If youre not going to punish the others, he deserves the most-severe sanction possible.Read More: Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao Gets Four Months in Prison

Zhao also agreed to pay a $50 million personal fine. Binance itself agreed to $4.3 billion in penalties to settle a case that involved a litany of alarming allegations linked to violations of anti-money laundering and sanctions laws, including assertations from the US Treasury that the exchange failed to prevent and report suspicious trading by Hamas, Al Qaeda and other groups designated by the US as terrorist organizations. US Attorney Tessa M. Gorman and her fellow prosecutors cited the massive ramifications from Zhaos misconduct and what she called significant harm to US national security in asking for three years imprisonment.

Yet despite the gravity of the allegations and the admissions of guilt by Binance and its former leader, the company Zhao built continues to thrive and its status as the most-important crypto exchange has survived it all. The business, which earns fees from customers trades, tends to be a money-printing machine during crypto boom times like this one, with Bitcoin reaching record highs last month as investors return in droves to the market following the launch of US exchange-traded funds investing directly in the original cryptocurrency.

While its dominance has slipped a bit, Binance has maintained its market-share leadership in combined spot and derivatives crypto markets. The company said it added more than 40 million new users in 2023, up 30% from the prior year. Customers holdings on the exchange have swollen to more than $100 billion. The company likely made $9.8 billion in annualized revenue in the 12 months through March, according to Bloomberg estimates.

Its really the ETFs and whatnot that are helping drive a lot of this activity, Andy Goldin, global head of data and analytics at Binance, said in an interview in March. Its really fueled by more institutional trading activity at this point.

Point of Difference from FTX Binances perseverance is in large part because traders view the company and Zhao very differently than they do its onetime bitter rival FTX, which went bankrupt after founder Sam Bankman-Fried illegally misappropriated billions of dollars worth of users cryptocurrencies. Following his conviction, Bankman-Fried received a 25-year sentence, and his net worth is currently estimated at $0. Among the crimes that the DOJ charged Binance with, duping customers about the use of their funds wasnt one of them.

The divergent outcomes for Bankman-Fried and Zhao reflect the pairs dramatically different styles of doing business. After his crypto empire collapsed, Bankman-Fried embarked on a chaotic effort to talk and tweet his way out of trouble, even a failed attempt to testify in his own defense at his trial. On the other hand, Zhao admitted his guilt, cooperated with the government and kept his mouth shut. Even their trademark hairstyles offer a symbolic view of the contrast: Bankman-Fried was famous for his long, unruly tangle of curls, while Zhao sports a buzz cut that would look at home at a boot camp.

And most importantly, unlike FTX, Binance has been able to handle the impulses of hot-money crypto traders, who tend to yank their funds from exchanges at any hint of trouble, such as the collapse of the Terra UST stablecoin and bankruptcy of Three Arrows Capital hedge fund in 2022, not to mention Binances own legal entanglements last year.

Binance was the biggest exchange and operated well throughout the failures of FTX, 3AC, Terraform Labs, and more, said Austin Campbell, an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School and a consultant for blockchain firms. The US governments action was seen as a big overhang, and since they will survive it, it gives people confidence in them.

How much things have actually changed inside Binance since the plea agreement that ousted Zhao is the subject of much watercooler talk in the crypto world.

The most obvious change is that Zhao has relinquished his role as the public face of the company. While he was never the type to rub elbows with celebrities or invite reporters into his home, the way FTXs Bankman-Fried did at his lavish Bahamas penthouse, Zhao has gotten so low-key since his guilty plea that hes practically been invisible. Gone are the days when he pitched his exchange in interviews on financial-news television stations, podcasts and panel discussions at conferences, or mixed it up with foes and fans on social media.

Filling much of the void is Yi He, the mother of three of his children and one of the co-founders of Binance.

People were worried that once CZ was not at the helm, there would be disruptions, said Annabelle Huang, managing partner of the crypto investment firm Amber Group that trades on Binance. But it looks like Yi is doing a good job keeping it going.'

While Richard Teng, who previously was the head regulator at Abu Dhabi Global Market, is the post-Zhao chief executive and public face of Binance, Zhaos partner remains an important force in the company.

On social media, Yi He has signaled that Binances efforts to deal with the infamous Wild West crypto culture remain a work in progress. She condemned so-called rat trading, or buying and selling that is intended to manipulate markets or is corruptly motivated, for example by early notice of a new token listing on the exchange that could move its price. She offered bounties and threatened to black-list any employees engaging in shady trading: If we verify the corruption of Binance team members, we will keep your identity confidential and reward you with a security vulnerability bonus of $10,000 to $5 million, she posted in her native Mandarin on X in February. It is much easier and more profitable than rat trading.

In a nearly two-hour audio ask me anything session on X in December, Yi He and Teng split the time talking. She described the division of labor between the two at the company: She focuses on what users need, while Teng serves as the public face interacting with regulators around the globe. The best place for me is serving the customers, she said in Mandarin. Richard is more suited to take on the CEO role.

And what about Zhao himself? CZ was just stepping down, he's not going down to hell, Yi He said with a chuckle during the discussion on X. In spirit, hes still with us, dont worry about it, she said, while giving a glimpse at some of what Zhao was up to while awaiting sentencing: Hitting the ski slopes.

As he awaited sentencing, Zhaos home base had been with his sister in Los Angeles, according to a court document, but he had been allowed to roam the US, where his two older, college-aged kids live. He was banned by the court from leaving the country  even when he asked to visit an unidentified loved one undergoing surgery in Abu Dhabi, where his partner Yi He resides with their three children.

Zhao also has some friendly faces on Binances board of directors, including some trusted lieutenants who worked for the company for years while it violated US laws.

Board member Heina Chen, a co-founder of the company, was one of more than 160 people who wrote praise-filled reference letters to the court on Zhaos behalf in an effort to persuade the court to be lenient with his sentencing. She said that CZ is the spiritual leader of Binance. There is no doubt that he is also my prudent leader and guide. Board member Rock He, who has been with Binance since its founding in 2017, gushed that Zhao was like a brother to him: This bond is what Im most proud of in my life, a gift from above. Xin Wang, a former White & Case lawyer who Binance lists as an independent board member, told the court that Zhao helped take care of her when she lost her mother as part of what she called a tradition of quiet friendship carried on for decades. A representative for Binance did not respond to requests for comment about whether Zhao continues to discuss the company with current employees and board members. Zhaos lawyers declined to comment.

Now its time for Zhaos friends to take care of his creation, a massive company which has thousands of workers scattered around the world but still no physical headquarters. A US monitor  likely a big law firm or consultant  will be assigned to keep an eye on Binances compliance with the US plea agreement for five years to make sure its taking appropriate steps to abide by anti-money laundering and sanctions laws. Ultimately, the monitors reports will answer the question of how much Binance has been able to change its ways.

Yet the legal entanglements dont end there. The SEC last June filed an action against Binance and its sister company, Binance.US, for allegedly running unregistered exchanges, broker-dealers and clearing houses, among other accusations. Many believe that case will drag on for years as Binance fights the accusations. Meanwhile in Nigeria, a Binance executive has been in prison since late February for tax evasion and fraud; he pled not guilty.

Many traders using Binance havent seen much change at the exchange  and for many, thats been a good thing. They say they are still talking with the same mid-level to entry-level staffers, and their trading experience hasnt changed.

No difference to us, says investor Alistair Milne. If anything, theres more certainty now due to the settlement, so thats good news.

Some are more cautious, especially in the post-FTX environment.

I am not losing sleep that Binance is going to go away, but I need to make sure I dont have all my risk on it, says Tim Grant, CEO of Deus X Capital, which has more than $1 billion under management.

Zhao may even see some friendly faces among his fellow inmates, according to Sam Mangel, a prison consultant who served time himself.

He wont be extorted, he wont be threatened, Mangel predicted. Very successful people at low-security prison tend to be looked up to.

As for his next act after his sentence is over, Zhao told the court in a February letter that he has been speaking with biotech startups about ambitious plans to use blockchain technologies with the aim of curing diseases once and for all, as well as providing medical access to billions in the world. Another insight into Zhaos thinking these days comes via a concept paper for something called Giggle Academy, his plan for a global online primary-school program.
Last year, as Mike Pompeos memoir, Never Give an Inch," made the rounds among Chinas leaders, one passage in particular enraged Xi Jinping. The secretary of state under former President Donald Trump wrote that the U.S. should grant full diplomatic recognition" to Taiwan.

Xis anger at the remark foreshadowed a broader worry coursing through Beijing: What awaits China should Trump and his inner circle regain power?

Trumps four years in the White House had brought turmoil to the relationship. When he left in 2020, Beijing breathed a sigh of relief. Good riddance, Donald Trump!" the official Xinhua News Agency said in an unusually expressive tweet.

Now Chinese officials are quietly preparing for the prospect of Trumps return to the White Houseand bracing for drama in its U.S. relations to amp up again, according to people close to the Chinese leaderships thinking.

President Biden has made life difficult for Beijing, too, by keeping in place and even expanding Trumps tough-on-China economic policies, and by building up coalitions with U.S. allies to counter China. Yet Biden has also sought to dial back rancor with Beijing, an effort Xi appreciates, the people said.

A case in point: Washington took care not to antagonize Beijing around Januarys presidential election in Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China claims as its own, a matter in which it has repeatedly warned the U.S. not to meddle.

Some officials see benefits for China from a potential Trump win in November. In their view, he could accelerate what Xi believes is the U.S.s decline as the singular world power, cause more political and social disarray in America and push away allies Biden has won over, potentially helping Beijing rebuild relations with Europe.

But overall, they believe the harm of a second Trump term likely would outweigh any potential benefits, the people close to the leadership say. Much will depend on who would be in Trumps inner circle.

Pompeo, who has said hes open to joining a second Trump administration, leads a list of 28 former Trump administration officials Beijing put on a sanctions list and banned from entering Chinese territory. The day before Biden took office, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman labeled Pompeo Clown of the Century" for his allegations that China committed genocide against the Uyghur ethnic group in Xinjiang.

Trump and his trade-war lieutenant, Robert Lighthizer, have openly advocated all but cutting off Chinas access to Americas markets, technology and capital.

The Chinese believe that if Trump returns to the White House, the upside to the U.S.-China relationship would be capped but the downside is bottomless," said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank.

Chinas Foreign Ministry said in a statement, whoever is elected as the U.S. president, we hope the U.S. will work with China" to promote the bilateral relationship. China opposes some people in the U.S. using China rhetoric for election purposes," it said.

Reverse Nixon

Interviews with policy advisers in both capitals as well as people who have consulted with Chinese officials give a picture of the preparations in Beijing.

Some Chinese ministries, such as for foreign affairs, trade, investment and technology, have designated officials to be U.S. election watchers, with a focus on the Trump camp.

One immediate concern is the potential for another trade war. Chinese companies are speeding up efforts to expand their access to advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence in regions like the Middle East, worried that a Trump victory could quicken the pace of U.S. tech sanctions against China.

Despite calls from U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and others to stop flooding the worlds markets with cheap goods, China is set on a state-led drive to manufacture its way out of the worst economic headwinds in recent decades. Officials reason that is the best way to outcompete the U.S., especially if Trump returns to the White House.

Senior Chinese officials have stepped up their courtship of American business leaders, quizzing them on who they think would be in a Trump cabinet and trying to get them to lock in their China investments.

The Biden years, with wars in Ukraine and Gaza, have seen a deeper demarcation in geopolitics, with, roughly speaking, the U.S. and Europe on one side and China and Russia on the other. A Trump win could muddle that constellation.

A big worry for Xi, according to the people close to the leadership, is whether Trump will disrupt his bromance" with Vladimir Putin. When he was in the White House, Trump repeatedly sought to bring the U.S. closer to Russia.

Xi has cultivated a personal bond with the Russian leader and fears that if Trump cozies up to Putin, it could weaken Beijings own relationship with Moscow, a crucial partner in Xis standoff with the West.

Worse, some China strategists say, Trump could try to pull off a reverse Nixon." Much like former President Richard Nixon sought China out to counter the Soviet Union during the Cold War, Trump might seek to turn Moscow against Beijing.

For now, Washington is focused on reducing Beijings assistance to Russia. The Biden administration is pressuring China to cut back its support for Russias defense industrya message Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered to Xi and other senior officials on his visit to China last week.

Walk in the woods

Beijings relations with Washington have entered a period of relative calm since Biden and Xi met in California in November, a summit intended to break a diplomatic impasse after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over America last year.

As the program was being set for the summit, the Xi team had one wish: that the two leaders take a stroll together.

Beijing wanted to beam back to the Chinese public amicable snapshots of Xi with Bidenmuch like a 2013 summit produced images of Xi and former President Barack Obama leisurely taking a walkto show that their leader had Chinas most important bilateral relationship under control.

The White House accommodated the wish. The four-hour meeting at a woodsy estate outside San Francisco included a widely televised promenade by the two leaders.

The administration has often said it seeks to manage the U.S.-China competition responsibly, even though Biden has largely carried on the Trump administrations trade stance.

The Chinese know what they dont like about Biden," said Rick Waters, a former senior China official at the State Department and now managing director for China at Eurasia Group, a political-risk consulting firm. But they do put value in Bidens effort to try to stabilize the relationship."

Since the summit, though, despite the establishment of a dozen working groups to restart talks on trade and other policies and a recent phone call between Biden and Xi, there is little actual negotiation going on.

Biden officials say it will take time to get to conversations of greater substance. In Beijing, a potential Trump victory is also a factor.

The Chinese likely think it makes little sense to compromise if the Biden administration is to go the way of the dodo bird," said Scott Kennedy, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who recently consulted with officials and government advisers in Beijing.

Bad experience

Trumps surprise 2016 victory upended the U.S.s longstanding strategy of deepening economic ties with China.

Xi and his underlings initially believed Trumps tough talk masked a fear of Chinas economic strength. When Trump started setting tariffs on China in early 2018 to force Beijing to change its state-led economic practices, Beijing hit back in kind each time, figuring the businessman-turned-president would eventually back down.

Tit-for-tat escalation followed. The American levies on imports of Chinese goods ended up quadrupling from 3% to 12% on average during Trumps first term.

Long used to being the more histrionic party in the relationship, Chinas Communist rulers found themselves having to deal with an erratic dealmaker using extreme pressure to extract concessions from Beijing.

Under Trump, we had a bad experience," Liu Jianchao, a senior party diplomat seen as Chinas likely next foreign minister, said at a closed-door session with American think tanks earlier this year, according to people who attended the meeting.

The economic cost to Beijing of Trumps tariffs, retained by Biden, is real. Chinese companies slapped with tariffs exported less to the U.S., reduced hiring, spent less on research and development and were less likely to start new ventures, according to research from economists at Peking University, Fudan University and other leading Chinese universities. Overall, the damage to Chinas gross domestic product from the trade war was three times as high as the hit to the U.S., according to some Chinese economists.

In Washington, Trumps aggressive stance on China was a hit. A bipartisan consensus has since taken hold that the U.S.s previous engagement with Beijing had failed in its goal to make China adopt a more market-driven economic approach.

Still, Trumps trade war didnt accomplish its main goals.

A so-called Phase One trade agreement signed between Washington and Beijing in early 2020 was centered on Chinas promise to increase purchases of American goods and services by $200 billion over two years. According to estimates by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Beijing fell 40% short of its commitment.

The U.S. didnt get the fundamental reforms of Chinas economic policies it had sought, such as reducing state subsidies that give Chinese companies a leg up on their foreign competitors.

Tech sanctions

For now, a big part of Beijings planning for a potential return of Trump involves tariffs and advanced technology.

Some economic officials are turning to books such as No Trade Is Free," by Lighthizer, Trumps trade strategist who negotiated the Phase One deal with Beijing and who has been floated as a candidate for Treasury secretary in a second Trump administration.

Other Beijing officials are inviting U.S. and other Western experts to scenario-planning sessions aimed at gauging the pace and the scope of U.S. export controls should Trump win again.

Already, according to a February research report by Jimmy Goodrich, a China and semiconductor-industry expert and senior adviser to Rand Corp., Chinese government researchers have been trying to deepen cooperation in areas such as biotech, quantum computing and AI with the Abu Dhabi Technology Innovation Institute.

A spokesman at the government-funded institute in the United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern ally of Beijings, said it is a global research institute with over 70 partnerships with organizations in 34 countries.

Efforts by Beijing to get around U.S. tech sanctions are likely to accelerate in the months ahead, Chinese analysts say. Washington is concerned that Chinese companies could get their hands on powerful AI chips through other foreign entities that buy them from the U.S.

Trump has said that if re-elected, he might impose tariffs of up to 60% on imports from China. Its unclear how such a move could be carried out.

People close to the Trump campaign said that as the presidential race intensifies, Trump likely will try to contrast his gloves-off approach to China with Bidens, which tends to be more targeted.

A spokeswoman for the Trump team referred to his past remarks indicating he would take an aggressive stance if he gets back in power. My agenda will tax China to build up America," Trump said early last year. As a matter of both economic and national security, I will implement a bold series of reforms to completely eliminate dependence on China in all critical areas."

If Trump gets re-elected, said Matt Turpin, a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution who served on Trumps National Security Council, on day one, he would ask how China lived up to the Phase One trade agreement. Then he would instruct Lighthizer to pick up where we left off."

In his book, published last year, Lighthizer describes China as the greatest threat that the American nation and its system of Western liberal democratic government has faced since the American revolution."

Bargaining chip

China has already been shifting its trade away from the U.S. and other developed economies. A report by the McKinsey Global Institute shows that developing economies including Russia accounted for more than half of Chinas goods trade last year, up from 42% in 2017.

In its statement, Chinas Foreign Ministry said, the fact has long proven that trade wars and tariff wars are not beneficial to either side."

Compared with his stance on trade, Trump has been more ambiguous on Taiwan. Asked by Fox News in July whether the U.S. should come to Taiwans defense in a Chinese invasion, Trump said, If I answer that question, itll put me in a very bad negotiating position."

The remark prompted speculation that Trump would treat the Taiwan issue somewhat like a business deal, potentially using it as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations, such as getting China to buy more American goods.

That approach would likely have limited success with Chinas leaders, who see Beijings goal of eventually taking control of Taiwan as a sacred mission.

Beijings view is that Taiwan is ours to begin with," said one Chinese foreign-affairs adviser. Why would we write a big check for it?"

Write to Lingling Wei at Lingling.Wei@wsj.com
Microsoft Corp. and Brookfield Asset Managements green energy arm signed the biggest corporate clean-energy purchase agreement ever announced, as the technology giant ramps up its investment in artificial intelligence.

Brookfield Renewable Partners will provide more than 10.5 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity in the US and Europe starting in 2026, according to a statement Wednesday.

Thats comparable to about 10 nuclear power plants and reflects the turbocharged demand for electricity from data centers and artificial intelligence. Technology companies are clamoring for more clean energy to meet their own climate goals, just as overall energy demand is rising.

It is absolutely the largest single announcement for a corporate clean-power purchase agreement ever, BloombergNEF analyst Kyle Harrison said in a message. It cements Microsoft as the second-largest corporate buyer of clean energy through PPAs, after Amazon.

Its difficult to estimate the cost for 10.5 gigawatts of new capacity because development costs vary significantly by energy type and location. But if all the development was US solar farms, they would cost more than $11.5 billion to build, according to BloombergNEF.

After minimal growth over the past two decades, US power consumption is forecast to expand quickly in response to demand from the new data centers needed to develop and run AI, as well as new factories and electric vehicles. Last month, power generator Exelon Corp. predicted a 900% jump in power demand from data centers planned in the Chicago area.

Such a dramatic forecast presents a challenge for technology companies to secure additional power supplies while simultaneously reducing emissions. Microsoft has a goal of matching all its electricity consumption with zero-carbon energy purchases by 2030.

Microsoft is pouring billions into developing its AI capabilities, and the data centers needed to support them, because it sees the technology as a key tool to attract customers for its cloud computing services.

AI tools are incredibly resource-intensive to run and many companies dont have the data center capacity to support their own large-scale AI operations. Instead, theyre turning to big tech companies such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon.com Inc. for help running AI programs on the cloud.

Just last week, Microsoft reported a 17% jump in revenue in the third quarter, totaling $61.9 billion, thanks to a surge in corporate demand for its cloud and AI offerings. On Tuesday, Amazons cloud unit posted the strongest sales growth in a year.

Microsoft and Brookfield said the deal is almost eight times larger than any other single corporate power-purchase agreement, and it may later be expanded to include new renewables capacity in Asia and Latin America.
The slowdown in hiring in the IT sector has pushed recruiters to bank on other industries like manufacturing, retail and auto, amongst others, to make up for lost IT business. The development has effectively swivelled the job market 180 degrees from an employee's market to that of the employer.

About 18 months ago, 80% of our placements were from the IT sector; now it is 40%," said Alok Kumar, president of Manpower, a subsidiary of recruitment firm ManpowerGroup. We have shifted focus and 60% of our permanent placements are now on the back of retail and manufacturing."

Anshuman Das, chief executive and co-founder of Careernet, a talent solutions provider, said that a middle management position in the top four IT firms takes almost three months to close these days, compared to a month less than two years ago.

For a job posting in the middle management level of IT sector, there are more than 100 applications of candidates who have more than eight years of work experience," added Das. About a year and a half ago, Das had to line up 20 candidates at most to close such a position, indicating the lengthy sifting process the firms are conducting.

Other industries gain

ITs loss clearly has been the other industries gain. Recruiters say candidates with digital skills are most wanted in retail, manufacturing, core sector companies, EV (electric vehicles) part of the auto business, and in the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) industry.

Demand for junior to middle management is seeing the maximum flux taking place. This is because IT firms often get their younger workforce from campuses, and companies from other sectors are now preferring employees with some years of work in the IT sector.

To be sure, job switches remain at a moderate 20-30% and none of the other industries are rolling in high offers.

The movement is largely from small and mid-sized IT firms, rather than from the more established ones, who are unwilling to change their firms now," Aditya Narayan Mishra, chief executive of Ciel HR Services, said. Those fearing retrenchments are in a rush, but IT services companies are in no hurry."

Ciel HR Services has seen a 12% increase in contract placements in April versus the earlier three months. This indicates that these companies would rather take on people on short-term basis than for permanent roles.

Mishra noted that even global capability centres (GCCs) have slowed down in their mandate closures in most profiles. GCCs are captive offshore development centres of multinational companies.

IT performance

IT sector majors Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, and Wipro posted a cumulative full-year decline of 63,759 people in their workforce in FY24.

Employee expenses, which form more than 55-60% of an IT firm's costs, remain a concern. The trio reported an increase in their employee wage costs as a share of revenue in the March-ended quarter of 2023-24, a Mint analysis of their financial results showed.

For Wipro, which had the highest wage burden among Indian IT companies, 61.4% of the quarterly revenue went on employee benefits in the three months ended March, up from 60.5% in Q3 and 61.5% in Q2. TCS reported a marginal increase from 57.3% in Q3 to 57.4% in Q4, while Infosys allocated 53.8% to employee costs in Q4, up from 53.2% in Q3.

The slow pace of IT vacancies being filled is in turn slowing down the billing opportunity for the recruitment firms, which look at permanent hiring. In permanent recruitments, the HR firm gets a certain percentage of a candidate's compensation after placement. In temporary staffing, there is a flat fee structure, and the same set of people gets moved from one firm to another once the stipulated period is over.

A drop in attrition rates for the January-March quarter amongst IT companies is another sign of low churn in the sector.

However, there are selective skills that need immediate attention and closure. India's largest IT services firm, in March offered vendors 40,000 per candidate over and above the fees if they manage to make senior candidates join in less than 30 days. Called the Quick Joiner Incentive Plan, vendors are however cautioned that the money will be recovered if the candidate leaves the organization in six months. The urgency to get experienced employees in programs like Flutter, Windchill, Workday, SAP.
Scandals at a number of high-profile startups such as Byjus, BharatPe, GoMechanic, Housing.com and Zilingo over the past few years have raised concerns about corporate-governance practices at these once-celebrated businesses.

Several startups allegedly witnessed unethical behaviour from founders, clashes between founders and investors, and financial irregularities, leading to the ouster of founders such as Ashneer Grover from BharatPe and Rahul Yadav from Housing.com, or the liquidation of the business, as in the case of Zilingo.

Investors and concerned citizens soon began to demand that these entities adopt better corporate-governance practices. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) recently released a corporate-governance charter for startups, since the existing corporate governance codes of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and those enshrined in the Companies Act, 2013 apply to large, listed companies.

Mint takes a closer look at the importance of good governance practices at startups.

Why has the CII released a corporate-governance charter?

Over the past few years, mainly after the pandemic, the startup world has been rocked by several scandals, many of which involved inappropriate behaviour by founders. Given that India has the worlds third-largest startup ecosystem with more than 1.10 lakh such companies, without proper regulation there could be many more such scandals in future.

The CII said in its recent charter that governance failure at many high-profile startups sparked concerns about significant erosion in the value of shareholders stakes. An example that stands out is that of Paytms parent firm One97 Communications Ltd. Its public shares, issued at 2,150 apiece in November 2021, are currently trading below 375, or more than 80% lower. The stock listed at a discount to its issue price before plummeting below 600 over the next few months following regulatory action by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Also read: Paytms bank is in a state of suspended animation. So, whats next?

Another notable example is that of Byjus. Once Indias highest-valued startup with a $22 billion valuation in 2022, it is now valued at less than $1 billion and struggling to stay afloat amid a string of controversies. In April 2023, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on three offices of Byju's in Bengaluru, alleging violations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), and issued a 9,362.35-crore FEMA violation notice to the company.

Also read: Byjus faultlines and the perils of easy money

A communique from the Startup20 Engagement Group at the G20 summit in July 2023 had also noted the crucial role of corporate governance in startups. The startup governance framework designed at the meeting suggested that the key guiding principles should be: enhanced transparency and accountability, improved decision-making, reduced risk, increased access to capital market and partnership, and stronger reputation and trust.

Cant existing corporate-governance codes ensure good behaviour by startups?

The rules enforced by Sebi through its Listing Obligation and Disclosure Requirements Regulations apply only to listed entities, while rules under the Companies Act, 2013 must be followed by all incorporated entities. This means startups that are corporate entities are required to follow some of the rules but not others. Also, many of these rules are followed only in letter and not in spirit.

The charter published by CII is meant for companies that are incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013. However, a large number of startups are partnerships or sole proprietorships. The CII suggests that entities that are not companies are free to adopt the guidelines outlined in the charter. But that is unlikely to happen. In any case, a charter released by a business chamber cannot be made mandatory.

Indias G20 sherpa and former Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant suggested last year that startups implement high-quality corporate governance and self-regulation practices systematically, with guidance from experienced mentors. The question, however, is whether self-regulation can deliver the desired results.

How will good corporate-governance practices help startups?

Startups depend on investments from venture-capital and angel investors to fund their expansion. These investors are becoming increasingly particular about governance practices at the entities in which they invest. However, many investors still set unrealistic targets for returns on their investment, putting pressure on founders and management to flout the law.

Good corporate-governance practices could help startups attract quality investors who seek realistic returns and allow them to focus on long-term value creation rather than short-term valuations. It is thus widely believed that good corporate-governance practices are necessary for startups to improve the quality of decisions, reduce conflicts of interest, promote long-term strategic thinking, and enhance disclosures relating to predictability in revenue, growth and business planning.

Also read: Startup investors are hunting outside unicorn zone
The Aussie tourist was filmed swimming inside teamLabs Planet, an interactive art exhibition in Tokyo, attracting criticism from locals. Source: TikTok

An Aussie tourist involved in a questionable social media stunt inside a popular Japanese attraction has defended his actions, even after being called out publicly online by locals.

While visiting in February, the youngster was filmed inside teamLab Planet in Tokyo, an interactive art exhibition popular among tourists. He was shown swimming fully clothed in the ankle-deep water despite it being strictly prohibited.

"Going for a swim at teamLab Tokyo," the traveller known as Lil Mad on TikTok said before diving into the shallow water. He then takes big strokes as he sweeps through the water before being stopped by someone who appears to be a worker at the facility.

Tourist's teamLab Toyko stunt slammed on social media

His video has since gone viral on social media with an Aussie woman living in Japan calling him out this week, and others also criticising the "disrespectful" and "thoughtless" move. The venue's website clearly states "the water area is not for swimming purposes".

"This is why we can't have nice things," Sandy captioned the original video, going on to say it's this behaviour that "ruins it for everyone". She also noted the recent changes to the sought-after Geisha district in Kyoto, another Japanese city, after anti-social tourist behaviour in the area.

Aussie responds to criticism over behaviour in japan

The Aussie man however was not fazed by his online grilling, and after watching Sandy's video wrote a comment defending his actions.

"This place is a tourist attraction, no? Also I got multiple messages from Japanese people saying this was funny?" he wrote. However, many others disagreed.

"Sigh... this is why we hate you tourists," replied one, appearing to be a local in Japan. "You're literally ruining it for everyone else.. for clout," another shared.

"So disrespectful. These types of tourists are the ones ruining tourism in Japan," someone else said. Others simply said "it's not funny".

On the man's original video another mocked, "its with things like this that you can tell how intelligent someone is".

An influx of tourists in Japan's famous geisha district in Kyoto has left a sour taste in the mouths of locals, prompting new signs threatening a $100 fine. Source: Getty Images

Crackdown on unruly tourist behaviour at popular spots

Japan's popularity as a holiday destination has grown exponentially over the last few years  kicking Bali out of the top spot as Aussies favourite destination, but an influx of tourists has left a sour taste in the mouths of locals.

The new tourist ban in Gion, Kyoto stemmed from concerns from residents living in the famous geisha district. The outcry urged the citys government late last year to take action amid a surge of complaints the areas quaint streets have become a "theme park".

Bali has also made efforts to crack down on unruly foreigners in recent years after claims many continue disrespecting local customs and culture.

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The reigning madam of Heeramandi, Mallikajaan (Manisha Koirala), has come to her rivals house to gloat. Fareedan (Sonakshi Sinha) had intended the evening to be her nath utraia debut mujra for Lahores elite. But Mallikajaan has outmaneuvered her, staging another performance that the nawabs couldnt refuse. Now she taunts Fareedan: There is some distance between defeat and victory. You wont be able to walk it. The younger woman gets up and walks to Mallikajaanbarefoot, over shards of broken glass. Your hem has drops of my mothers blooda whole other storyand mine too now, she says. This is Mallikajaans veil, the madam spits back. Its thirst wont be quenched by so little.

As you might have gathered, Heeramandi is a lot. A lot of Urdu. A lot of ittar. A lot of Manisha Koirala saying withering things about love. A lot of using 25 words when four would do. It bears the unmistakable imprint of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whose first series this is. But Bhansali isnt attempting to make prestige TV, or even modern TV. Heeramandi filters his filigreed style through pre-streaming episodic television, the kind where family members face off in a never-ending battle for power.

This family is Mallikajaansthough shes more despot than matriarch, keeping her coterie of tawaifs in check through constant manipulation and intimidation. She wont even accept motherly salutations from her own daughters, secret revolutionary Bibbojaan (Aditi Rao Hydari) and dreamy poet Alamzeb (Sharmin Segal), insisting they call her huzoor (madam). Her sister Waheeda (Sanjeeda Shaikh) is treated abysmally, but then so is everyone else in the brothel. Only Lajjo (Richa Chadha), a broken-hearted tawaif addicted to opium, gets away with speaking her mind. Into this already volatile environment comes Fareedan, the spitting image of her dead mother, hell-bent on revenge against Mallikajaan.

You can tell how insignificant the nawabs in Heeramandi will be after the first one we meet, Zulfikar (Shekhar Suman), is shownummvigorously engaging with the blinds of a horse carriage. The nawabs (played by Fardeen Khan, Adhyayan Suman and Ujjwal Chopra) are Heeramandis patronsthe only ones who can afford their services. Theyre grotesque creatures, vain, stupid and allied to the British, with the sole exception of Baloch family scion Tajdar (Taha Shah), recently returned from England, another secret revolutionary. In one of the weakest Bhansali meet-cutes, he sees Alamzeb at a mushaira and falls hopelessly in love, cozying up to her and receiving demure smiles instead of a slap.

Bhansali and writers Vibhu Puri, Divy Nidhi Sharma and Moin Beg use the Alam-Taj romance as a throughline. It activates Mallikajaans pathological, Havisham-like fear of young love, ties up with Bibbos clandestine freedom fighting, and gives Fareedan an opening. A pity, then, that the strand itself is so weak. Some of it is down to the writingits far-fetched that Alam would depend on Fareedan, her mothers sworn enemy, to facilitate her romance, and even less believable that Mallikajaan wouldnt get to know this was happening. But its also Segal. She seems to have difficulty locking eyes with other actors and instead keeps staring dreamily into the middle distance. It's so calculated a performance it renders the only woman in Heeramandi who hasnt given up on life strangely lifeless. Shahs soft-serve nawabzada has some charm; how much better it wouldve been had Bhansali paired him with fellow-rebel Bibbojaan.

In an early scene, we see Mallikajaan and her maids stunned, in 1945, by a gramophone demonstrationnever mind that the first such recording in India was in 1902. This reminded me of Jubilee (2023), a series that also fluffed its historical timelines but offered up a wealth of fascinating period detail. Bhansali is certainly fascinated by tawaifstheir clothes, jewelry, music, speechand for all I know this is an accurate depiction of a courtesans life in the 1940s. But this interest doesnt extend to anything outside the gates of Heeramandi. The nawabs are boors; the British are teeth-grinding sadists; the independence struggle is as weve seen in dozens of films. And while its not insignificant to have a series populated almost entirely by Muslim characters, shouldnt the Muslim League and the idea of Pakistan at least be a topic of conversation in Lahore in 1945?

Bhansali directs all eight episodes, and composes the stiff, if formally impressive, songs. There are some inspired touchesa prayer for the dead from behind a thin curtain; a jazzy number with Fareedan and moneyed Lahoris filmed as tableau, with a static camera; Mallikajaan laying down in all her finery and placing jewels on her eyes, as cold as a beautiful corpse. More than the obvious touchstones of Pakeezah or Umrao Jaan, the hothouse atmosphere and family psychodrama reminded me of Tennessee Williams. Sanjeeda Sheikh in particular vibrates with a Williams-like febrilityher Waheeda is so unlucky that she takes to announcing her defeats. But its Koirala who holds the show together. Her tendency as an actor is towards interiority, yet shes playing someone whos inevitably, perpetually the centre of attention. This tension gives Mallikajaan a memorable waspishness, as if its Koirala whos annoyed at having to constantly crank it up to 11.

It's telling that a show about the business of desire remains coy about queer love. Theres a scene where British police chief Cartwright (Jason Shah), wearing only a towel, carries the squat, fluttering local fixer Ustaad (Indresh Malik enjoying himself) out of the frame and apparently has sex with him. Yet, nothing after this suggests Cartwright is interested in men. Theres a scene where Fareedan suggestively beckons one of her tawaifs onto the bed with her. This too is a one-off, a tease.

Each frame is worked over to death, suffocated with good taste. In their sumptuous sameness, they do everything but make the heart leap. Theres nothing transporting about Bhansalis visions anymore. They could not be more full; they could not be emptier.
Q. I am an operations executive working with an MNC in Delhi, my wife is a private school teacher. We have been investing in the Sensex tracking index mutual funds since the past 5 years, we now want to diversify our investment and invest in other index funds. Many of our acquaintances have suggested investing in the Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index, can you please elaborate on it, its pros and cons and how it is different from the Nifty Healthcare Index? Sameer Prajapati, Greater Kailash - 2, Delhi, India

The Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index is a specialised index that offers investors a snapshot of the midcap and smallcap segments of India's burgeoning healthcare sector. This index is meticulously designed to track the performance of companies that are considered mid-sized or small-sized in terms of market capitalization, providing a unique perspective on a vital part of the economy.

Understanding the index composition The index is composed of up to 30 stocks, selected based on their free-float market capitalization. This method ensures that only the shares available for trading are considered, offering a more accurate reflection of market movements. The Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index is a subset of the broader Nifty MidSmallcap 400 index, which includes a wider range of mid and small cap stocks across various sectors.

Index characteristics The Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index stands as a testament to the dynamic nature of the healthcare industry. The index has a base date of April 01, 2005, and started with a base value of 1000, which allows investors to track its performance over time. The weight of each stock in the index is determined by its free-float market capitalization, ensuring that the index is balanced and representative of the sector's performance.

Sectoral distribution and rebalancing The index is reconstituted semi-annually and rebalanced quarterly to reflect the changing landscape of the healthcare sector. This includes adding or removing stocks to ensure the index remains relevant and up-to-date. The weight of no single stock can exceed 33%, and the weights of the top three stocks cumulatively cannot be more than 62% at the time of rebalancing, which mitigates the risk of over-concentration.

Performance and trends The performance of the Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index is a barometer for the health of the mid and small cap segments of the healthcare industry. As of March 28, 2024, in the past one year the index has given a return of 58.23% and the past 5-year average return has been 17.73%. However, it should be noted that past returns are not necessarily indicative of future returns.

Investment implications Investing in the Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index can be a strategic move for those looking to diversify their portfolio and tap into the potential of the healthcare sector. With its focus on mid and small cap stocks, the index offers exposure to companies that may have higher growth potential compared to their larger counterparts, albeit with a corresponding increase in risk.

Pros Diversification: One of the primary benefits of investing in a mutual fund tracking the Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index is the diversification it offers. Investors gain exposure to a basket of healthcare stocks, spreading out the risk as opposed to investing in individual stocks.

One of the primary benefits of investing in a mutual fund tracking the Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index is the diversification it offers. Investors gain exposure to a basket of healthcare stocks, spreading out the risk as opposed to investing in individual stocks. Sector-Specific Growth: The healthcare sector has been one of the fastest-growing sectors, especially in the wake of global health challenges. Investing in a mutual fund that focuses on this sector could potentially offer higher returns due to the growth prospects of healthcare companies.

The healthcare sector has been one of the fastest-growing sectors, especially in the wake of global health challenges. Investing in a mutual fund that focuses on this sector could potentially offer higher returns due to the growth prospects of healthcare companies. Professional Management: Mutual funds are managed by professional fund managers who have the expertise and resources to analyse and select stocks that have the potential to generate good returns, which can be beneficial for investors who may not have the time or expertise to manage their investments.

Mutual funds are managed by professional fund managers who have the expertise and resources to analyse and select stocks that have the potential to generate good returns, which can be beneficial for investors who may not have the time or expertise to manage their investments. Liquidity: Mutual funds offer liquidity, allowing investors to buy or sell their fund units on any business day, providing flexibility and ease of access to their money. Cons Market Risk: The healthcare sector, like any other, is subject to market risks. Political changes, regulatory updates, and economic downturns can all affect the performance of healthcare stocks.

The healthcare sector, like any other, is subject to market risks. Political changes, regulatory updates, and economic downturns can all affect the performance of healthcare stocks. Sector Concentration Risk: While sector-specific funds can offer higher growth potential, they also come with higher risk due to concentration in one sector. If the healthcare sector underperforms, it can negatively impact the fund's performance.

While sector-specific funds can offer higher growth potential, they also come with higher risk due to concentration in one sector. If the healthcare sector underperforms, it can negatively impact the fund's performance. Volatility: Mid and small-cap stocks can be more volatile than large-cap stocks. This means that the Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index can experience higher levels of volatility, which can lead to significant fluctuations in the fund's value. Nifty Healthcare Index vs. Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index Aim: The Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index is designed to track the performance of midcap and smallcap stocks within the healthcare sector. This index includes up to 30 stocks and is based on free-float market capitalization. The eligibility for inclusion in this index is contingent upon the stocks forming part or going to form part of the Nifty MidSmallcap 400 index at the time of review. The weight of each stock in the index is determined by its free-float market capitalization, ensuring that no single stock has a weightage of more than 33%, and the cumulative weight of the top three stocks does not exceed 62% at the time of rebalancing.

On the other hand, the Nifty Healthcare Index is designed to reflect the behaviour and performance of healthcare companies, comprising a maximum of 20 stocks that are part of the Nifty 500 universe. This index provides a snapshot of the larger healthcare companies and includes pharmaceutical giants, hospital chains, and other related entities. The Nifty Healthcare Index is computed using free float market capitalization, similar to the MidSmall Index, but it is more focused on the larger players in the sector.

Constituents: One of the key differences between the two indices lies in their constituent base. The Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index, as the name suggests, includes midcap and smallcap companies, which are generally considered to have higher growth potential but also come with higher volatility and risk. These companies are often in the growth phase of their business cycle and can offer significant returns if they are successful in scaling their operations and increasing their market share.

In contrast, the Nifty Healthcare Index constituents are typically well-established large-cap companies with a more stable performance record. These companies are leaders in their respective sub-sectors and have a significant presence in the market. Investors looking for stability and lower volatility in the healthcare sector may prefer the Nifty Healthcare Index due to its focus on larger companies.

While both indices offer exposure to the healthcare sector, they cater to different segments of the market and investor preferences. The Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index is suitable for those looking to invest in the growth potential of midcap and smallcap healthcare companies, while the Nifty Healthcare Index is more appropriate for investors seeking exposure to larger, more established healthcare entities. Understanding these nuances can help investors make informed decisions that align with their investment objectives and risk tolerance.

Taxation of mutual funds tracking Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index Mutual funds are broadly classified into equity-oriented and debt-oriented funds for taxation purposes. Equity mutual funds are those where more than 65% of the total fund amount is invested in equity shares of companies. Mutual funds tracking the Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index are classified as equity funds since more than 65% of their corpus is invested in equity stocks. For these funds, short-term capital gains (STCG), realised on selling units within a year, are taxed at 15%, irrespective of the investor's income tax bracket. Long-term capital gains (LTCG) over 1 lakh are taxed at 10% without the benefit of indexation.

In conclusion, the Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index is more than just a financial metric; it's a gateway to understanding and participating in the growth of India's healthcare sector. By providing a focused and balanced representation of mid and small cap companies, the index serves as a valuable tool for investors who are keen on exploring this vibrant and essential part of the economy.

The Nifty MidSmall Healthcare Index is a fascinating index that reflects the dynamism and potential of the healthcare sector. Whether you're an experienced investor or new to the market, understanding this index can provide valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges within this critical industry segment.

Disclaimer: Investing in mutual funds involves risks, including potential loss of principal. Please consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc.s cloud unit posted the strongest sales growth in a year, a sign that the retailers most profitable unit is recovering from a slump as businesses resume spending on technology projects, including artificial intelligence services.

Despite the strong cloud performance, the companys sales forecast for the current quarter fell short of estimates, reflecting concern about the main e-commerce business as consumers continue to spend cautiously.

Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy in recent years has cut costs and focused on profitability in Amazons online shopping business, laying off thousands of people and touting a more efficient warehouse network. At the same time, hes backed big investments in artificial intelligence services that Amazon expects to generate tens of billions in revenue in the coming years. Those sales are starting to materialize.

The Seattle-based company posted first-quarter operating profit of $15.3 billion. Revenue increased 13% to $143.3 billion in the period ended March 31, Amazon said Tuesday in a statement. Both figures topped analysts estimates.

Sales in the Amazon Web Services cloud unit were $25 billion, up 17% from a year earlier. Analysts estimated AWS sales of $24.1 billion.

Were seeing strong demand signals from our customers on the AWS side, Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said on a call with reporters. Theyre signing longer deals with larger commitments, many with generative AI components. Olsavsky said generative artificial intelligence now represented a multi-billion dollar revenue run rate business for Amazon, the first time the company has publicly put even an approximate figure on that franchise.

That will come at a cost. The AI chatbots, data-crunching tools, and other software that respond to queries from users are possible only thanks to massive quantities of cutting-edge computer chips. Olsavsky said Amazons capital expenditures would meaningfully increase in 2024, primarily to support AWS growth, including for generative AI. The company has said it will spend more than $150 billion to build out and operate data centers in the coming years.

Sales growth at the cloud unit had slowed to a record low last year as businesses cut back on technology spending and sought to curb computing bills that ballooned during the pandemic. Investors have been banking on a rebound this year, particularly after strong results last week from Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.s Google, Amazons two main rivals in the business of renting computing power and data storage.

AWS generated a profit of $9.42 billion in the quarter. The units operating margin  37.6%  is the widest since Amazon began disclosing sales for its cloud business. The division held its largest-ever layoffs last year, and has continued to trim its ranks selectively, even as it hires in other areas.

Amazon said revenue will be $144 billion to $149 billion in the period ending in June. Analysts, on average, projected $150.2 billion.

The companys main e-commerce business reported sales of $54.6 billion in the quarter, slightly missing analysts estimates. Olsavsky said consumers continue to trade down to save money. Shoppers are ordering more consumables, which they need quickly, but also cost less than other categories, he said. That puts pressure on the profitability of the business because Amazon has to process and deliver more units.

The slowing e-commerce sales also have pushed Amazon to seek greater growth for other business lines. For example, advertising revenue rose 24% to $11.8 billion. The results reflect the first quarter since Amazon introduced video advertising to the Prime Video streaming service.

Amazon shares gained about 2% in extended trading after closing at $175 in New York. The stock has jumped about 15% in 2024.

(Updates with comments from CFO in the sixth paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Multiple schools in Delhi-NCR received bomb threats via email on Monday, warning them of bombs on their premises, news agency ANI reported. According to Indian Express, around 100 schools in Delhi and NCR received the bomb threat emails.

Police have initiated search operations following the alerts.

Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Mother Mary School at Mayur Vihar in East Delhi, Delhi Public School in Dwarka and Noida, and Amity International School in Pushp Vihar and Saket are among the schools that received the bomb threats, according to ANI.

Also Read: Bomb threat in Delhi schools LIVE Updates All students have been evacuated and are being sent back home for their safety, police said.

Information was received regarding a bomb in Delhi Public School, Dwarka. Delhi Police, Bomb Disposal Squad and fire tenders have arrived on the spot. Search is underway, ANI quoted Delhi Police.

The principal's Office at Delhi Public School, Noida, issued a statement saying, [School] has received an email that threatens the safety and security of the students. As a precautionary measure, we are sending the students back home immediately.

Mother Mary's School in East Delhi's Mayur Vihar is being evacuated, and a thorough check of the premises is underway. A spokesperson from Amity International Schools also said the school has been closed for today till further instructions.

During the initial investigation, it seems that since yesterday, till now the mail has been sent to many places, and it seems to be on the same pattern. Date line is not mentioned, and BCC is mentioned in the mail, which means one mail has been sent to many places. At present, an investigation is being done, Delhi Police said.

Bomb threat appears to be hoax; no need to panic: MHA The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday termed the bomb threat to schools in the city and adjoining areas as a "hoax", and asked people not to panic.

Police and security agencies are taking necessary steps as per protocol, the ministry said.

"There is no need to panic. Mails appear to be hoaxes. Delhi Police and security agencies are taking necessary steps as per protocol," a home ministry official said.

Delhi Police said it has conducted a thorough check of all schools that received the bomb threat but nothing was found.

Some schools of Delhi received e-mails regarding bomb threats. Delhi Police has conducted a thorough check of all such schools as per protocol, Delhi Police said in a post on X.

Also Read: List of Delhi-NCR schools under bomb threats: Number of affected institutions rises to 100 Threat mail to Delhi schools sent using Russian domain, Cyber Police tracking IP address, location The investigation agencies suspect that the email originated from a server located in Russia, sources said. Sources say a single IP address was used to send the email to all schools, ANI reported,

The Cyber team of the Delhi Police has also joined the investigation. Sources say the initial investigation shows that the email address used to send the threat mail to over 80 schools in Delhi-NCR had a Russian domain. However, the Police are yet to ascertain whether the email actually originated from Russia.

School receives bomb threat email In February of this year, the Delhi Police registered a case following a bomb threat received by the Delhi Police School in R K Puram, in the national capital.
(Bloomberg) -- The barricade by students at Columbia University is just one of dozens of protests against Israel rippling across the US.

At campuses from Los Angeles to Florida, demonstrators are demanding schools sever financial ties to Israel and grant amnesty to students for rule breaking, among other goals. The showdowns have sparked recriminations and support from politicians, faculty and billionaire donors.

With commencement quickly approaching, the pressure on administrators is on. Their strategies have varied from heavy handed to hands-off. Heres a look at the latest developments at several institutions across the country.

Brown University: Protesters at the Ivy League school agreed to dismantle their encampment after striking a deal that allows them to present their divestment proposal to the universitys governing body. Brown President Christina Paxson will give a recommendation on the matter, and it will be brought to a vote in October. The administration also agreed that students involved in the encampment wont be subject to suspension or expulsion.

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt: Police on Tuesday arrested about 35 people, including students and professors, who had taken over two buildings for refusing to abide by a dispersal order. The campus is under a hard closure through May 10.

University of California at Los Angeles: Campus police officers broke up a fight between protesters in an encampment and counter-protesters after about 60 people attempted to breach the entrance of the encampment in Dickson Plaza around midnight Tuesday morning. Administrators said some barriers that were blocking access to class have been removed.

University of Southern California: Organizers from the USC Divest from Death Coalition said they were deeply disappointed after meeting with University President Carol Folt on Monday to discuss their demands. The organizers and Folt were scheduled to meet again on Tuesday.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Dozens of students camping on the main quad were detained Tuesday, with six arrested, according to the Daily Tar Heel. The school said some protesters threw objects at officers, tried to enter a building, and refused to comply with requests from police. While the campus was cleared of the encampment, protesters were soon back on the quad.

Tufts University: After talks with protesters failed, school officials said Tuesday evening they would issue a no trespass order to students at an encampment, the Tufts Daily newspaper reported. Those remaining will be subject to suspension and potentially not allowed to take part in commencement, the report said.

Yale University: After talks between protesters and school administrators broke down, students were warned anyone who didnt vacate the encampment on Cross Campus lawn Tuesday morning would be subject to arrest and emergency suspension, according to Yale Daily News. Police were able to clear the encampment without arrests, though protesters vowed to return.

New York University: The school said efforts to de-escalate a campus protest through talks faltered, forcing officials to resort to conduct charges. Students were told they would be suspended, according to student-run newspaper Washington Square News, which cited the Palestine Solidarity Coalition. Police had arrested dozens of protesters at an encampment at the school last week.

Cornell University: Students were temporarily suspended after they refused to move their camp to an alternative location. The school will hand out additional suspensions and make human resources referrals for employees engaging in the protests, according to a statement by school president Martha Pollack on Monday.

Princeton University: Thirteen people were arrested on Monday after hundreds of students took over a university building and erected barricades. Protesters surrounded the bus carrying the arrested students until they were released. The students received summonses for trespassing and were barred from campus.

University of Florida: Nine people were arrested Monday after occupying a campus plaza for five days and failing to comply with multiple warnings, according to the Independent Florida Alligator. This is not complicated: The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children, said spokesman Steve Orlando.

Northwestern University: Officials reached an agreement with protesters to clear an encampment, avoiding the confrontations seen at other institutions. The deal stipulates the immediate removal of tents and sound systems in exchange for the university permitting demonstrations to continue until June 1 on the campus meadow.

George Washington University: More than 100 tents remained for a sixth day of demonstrations after protesters tore down barricades, sparking increased police presence, according to student newspaper the GW Hatchet. District of Columbia police refused the universitys request earlier to clear pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Dartmouth College: Students at the Hanover, New Hampshire, school havent set up tents as of Monday, according to the Concord Monitor, making it an outlier among Ivy League universities. However, last week a pro-Palestinian rally drew about 300 students and faculty to the college green.

University of Texas - Austin: About 80 people were arrested Monday at an encampment of protesters calling for the school to divest from Israeli weapons manufacturers. That followed a previous round of arrests last week that brought 57 people into custody on charges of criminal trespassing. All the charges stemming from the initial round of arrests were dropped.

McGill University: Administrators at the Montreal-based school asked for help from police after protesters refused to leave an encampment that began Saturday. Having to resort to police authority is a gut-wrenching decision, McGill President Deep Saini said in an email to students and staff Tuesday. In the present circumstances, however, I judged it necessary.

Washington University in St. Louis: Officers on Saturday arrested more than 100 people  including 23 students and four employees  who refused to leave an encampment that violated school policies. Three officers were seriously injured, according to Chancellor Andrew Martin.

Indiana University: Protests continue days after the Indiana State Police were brought in to remove tents. About 50 people have been arrested across different sweeps, spurring condemnation of the schools handling of the demonstrations, according to the student paper. Administrators have encouraged arrested students to appeal their cases.

Harvard University: Administrators havent sought to clear out an encampment on Harvard Yard, instead threatening sanctions and restricting access, according to the Harvard Crimson.

University of California at Berkeley: Protests at a student encampment in the plaza in front of Sproul Hall have remained largely peaceful. Police havent attempted to clear the area and no arrests have been made.

--With assistance from Derek Decloet and Felipe Marques.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A wealthy Silicon Valley-backed campaign to build a green city for up to 400,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area has submitted what it says are enough signatures to qualify the initiative for the November election.

The campaign submitted more than 20,000 signatures but would need only about 13,000 valid ones to qualify for the ballot. If verified by Solano Countys elections office, voters will decide in the fall whether to allow urban development on land currently zoned for agriculture. The land-use change would be necessary for the development to be built.

Jan Sramek, a former Goldman Sachs trader who heads the company behind the campaign, California Forever, said at a news conference Tuesday that he heard from thousands of people who want careers and homes in the county where they grew up but can no longer afford because of high housing costs and a lack of nearby work.

They are fed up with this malaise that's plagued California for the last 20 years with this culture of saying no to everything that has made it increasingly impossible for working families to reach the California dream, he said.

The yet-unnamed development would mix homes, green space, a walkable downtown and jobs between Travis Air Force Base and the Sacramento River Delta city of Rio Vista. Sramek said he expects to start with 50,000 residents within the next decade, with homes starting at $400,000. The median sale price of a home in March was closer to $600,000, according to Redfin.

The controversial project has wealthy and powerful backers, including philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. It also faces strong opposition by some elected officials and other critics who say Srameks plan is a speculative money grab thats light on details.

Sramek outraged locals by quietly purchasing more than $800 million in farmland since 2018 and even suing farmers who refused to sell. Reps. John Garamendi and Mike Thompson, who oppose the project, were initially alarmed that foreign adversaries or investors might be buying up the land because of its proximity to the Air Force base.

What people are really upset about are the tactics being used to obtain the goal at the end. The promise of jobs and affordable housing, that's not a guarantee," said Princess Washington, mayor pro tem of Suisun City. What were looking at is a policy change, and overturning of our stance against sprawl development.

Sramek unveiled plans for the development in January but had to amend the land-use change ballot initiative twice to address county and Air Force concerns. The delays haven't slowed the project's timeline.

The proposal includes an initial $400 million to help residents and Air Force base families buy homes in the community or for new affordable housing, as well as an initial guarantee of 15,000 local jobs paying a salary of at least $88,000 a year.

California is desperate for more housing, but critics of the project say it would be more environmentally sound to build within existing cities than to convert designated farmland.

___
(Adds further comments from rail companies, comments from grain organization and transport minister)

By Rod Nickel and David Ljunggren

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, May 1 (Reuters) - Thousands of railway workers in Canada at Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) have voted overwhelmingly to strike as early as May 22, the union said on Wednesday.

Railways are critical to Canada's economy, due to its vast geography and exports of grain, potash and coal.

Contracts covering locomotive engineers, conductors and yard workers at CN and CPKC expired on Dec. 31, 2023, and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference is re-negotiating a third agreement covering CPKC rail traffic controllers.

The three worker groups, numbering 9,300 workers, each voted over 95% to authorize a strike.

The sides have made no progress in six months of negotiations, said Teamsters Canada president Paul Boucher, adding that the companies were trying to remove rest provisions that are critical to safety.

CN said in a statement that the union has opposed moving toward a more modern agreement based on an hourly rate and scheduling changes and has focused instead on 200 local and regional demands.

CPKC said the parties remain far apart and now begin a mandatory 21-day period of federal mediation. The company's proposals for rest do not compromise safety and comply with Canadian regulations, CPKC said.

The potential strike is unique in that it would involve both major railways, grinding bulk grain shipping to a near halt, said Wade Sobkowich, executive director of Western Grain Elevator Association, which represents grain handlers including Cargill and Richardson International.

"There is no plan B because, as weve said for decades, there arent competitive alternatives," Sobkowich said.

Grain sales typically slow weeks ahead of a railway stoppage as shippers and exporters try to minimize costs for vessel wait times and contract penalties, Sobkowich said.

Canada is a major wheat and canola exporter.
Google, Alphabet Inc's subsidiary, dismissed employees for staging protests at two company offices in April over the companys cloud project with Israel, dubbed Project Nimbus. This particular contracta cloud computing deal valued at $1.2 billionwith various branches of the Israeli government, including the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), was jointly secured by Google and Amazon.

The sacked workers filed a formal complaint on Monday, April 29, with the US National Labor Relations (NLRB) Board, accusing the company of infringing on their labour rights under US labour law after the tech giant fired almost 50 workers.

Also read: Google layoffs: Sundar Pichai-led Alphabet's arm fires entire Python team, says report Earlier, in April, Google emailed 28 employees, terminating their service, citing disruption of operations in office premises due to agitations non-conforming with the official code of conduct. Later, the tech giant laid off 20 more workers.

The Washington Post, citing documents filed by the fired employees, stated Google violated their rights by terminating and/or placing them on administrative leave in response to their protected concerted activity, namely, participation (or perceived participation) in a peaceful, non-disruptive protest that was directly and explicitly connected to their terms and conditions of work.

Also read: Apple forms secretive AI lab in Zurich, hiring 36 ex-Google experts to target advanced AI development: Report What Google said about the layoffs Google termed the employees' dissent completely unacceptable and issued a statement that read, We carefully confirmed and reconfirmed that every single person whose employment was terminated was directly and definitively involved in disruption inside our buildings.

What fired employees said on Google's stand on agitation A former Google employee, Zelda Montes, who was arrested while staging the protest, said, Google is attempting to instil fear in employees, reported Reuters. She claimed that Google's actions were directed to stop organising efforts in the company, sending the message across to all of its employees that dissent would not be tolerated.

Also read: Google layoffs: Sacked employee posts ordeal on Linkedin  'longest 5 minutes in my life' One of the fired workers, a software engineer at Google, said, Thats legally protected activity, reported the Washington Post. Suggesting the tech giant's widespread impact, the employee said, "Google is probably the most powerful company in the world, and the work the workers do every day has an incredible impact. To pretend its objective and you cant talk about the effects of that is absurd.
The bomb threat emails received by several schools in Delhi-NCR were sent from Russia.

A single IP address was reportedly used to send the email to all schools from the domain 'mail.ru'.

Nearly 100 schools had received the bomb threat email that sparked panic, following which schools were shut for the day. Students from these schools have also been sent home.

Also Read: Bomb threat in Delhi schools LIVE Updates

The Delhi Police's cyber team has joined the investigation.

"These kinds of emails are usually sent using a VPN connection to enable the sender to mask the original IP address. The cyber team is confident of tracing the IP address," reported ANI quoting sources.

The letter mentioned that there were many explosive devices planted in various Delhi schools. "Kill them wherever you meet and drive them out of the place from which they drove you," the letter read.

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena who visited DAV School in the Model Town area assured that the culprits will be given strict punishment.

"The Delhi Police has found out from where these emails are coming. The investigation is going on. I would just say that the culprits will not be spared and strict punishment will be given for disrupting peace and harmony," he said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs also said the bomb threat appeared to be a hoax and that there was no need to panic.
The former scientist of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, has said that a very small number of people may face the risk of the COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield.

Gangakhedkar made the remark while speaking to News18 on Wednesday amid concerns over the rare side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Only seven to eight individuals out of 10 lakh who receive the Covishield vaccine face the risk of experiencing a rare side effect known as Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) Gangakhedkar told News18.

The risk is highest when you get the first dose. It lowers with the second dose and is lowest with the third, News18 quoted the epidemiologist, as saying.

The scientist also said any side effects would likely appear within the initial two to three months. He added that given the positive impact of this vaccine on millions of recipients, the associated risk is minimal.

Recently, AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical giant which developed the vaccine in partnership with the University of Oxford, had admitted in court documents in the UK that its COVID-19 vaccine could cause a rare side effect known as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).

However, the company reaffirmed its dedication to patient safety amid a class action lawsuit in the UK.

TTS is characterised by blood clots (thrombosis) combined with low levels of platelets (thrombocytopenia), which are necessary for blood clotting.

In India, the vaccine was produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine manufacturer.

Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines, AstraZeneca spokesperson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, amid the row, the Samajwadi Party alleged that the BJP took a "commission" from the manufacturer of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Additionally, the RJD also accused the Centre of administering the wrong vaccine to the country's people.
The discovery comes as calls mount for immediate action to be taken over Australia's growing domestic violence crisis.

Police are investigating after the body of a woman was found in Nundah in Brisbane. Source: 9 News

Police are investigating after the body of a woman was found in a unit in residential suburb on Tuesday.

A crime scene has been established on York Street in Nundah, in Brisbane's inner-north, after the woman's body was found at 4.30pm, with the block being cordoned off as detectives launch an urgent investigation.

Police are currently working to determine the how the woman died, though initial inquiries suggest the discovery is not suspicious. Yahoo News contacted Queensland Police for an update on Wednesday but no further information was available.

"Investigations are ongoing," a spokesperson said.

Officers, including forensics, were seen entering the two-storey brick complex on Tuesday afternoon, with witnesses describing neighbourhood as normally "quiet". Neighbour Emmanuel Kaldani told The Courier Mail Nundah is generally safe. I moved in October, its a pretty quiet and friendly, and everyone does their own thing, he said.

No arrests have been made and no charges laid.

It's not yet known if detectives are treating the latest discovery as suspicious. Source: 9 News

National cabinet to address domestic violence crisis

While the circumstances around the Nundah woman's death are currently unclear, it comes on the same day the body of a Sydney teenager was found in North Bondi on Tuesday morning. A 32-year-old man was arrested at the scene on an outstanding warrant, though officers are yet to determine how the woman, 19, died.

The nation's leaders will gather today to discuss ways to end domestic violence amid an outcry over the deaths of women across Australia. Measures to strengthen prevention efforts, tackle online harms and share information between law enforcement agencies about high-risk perpetrators will go before Wednesday's national cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the online meeting with state and territory leaders as thousands of people marched across the nation in weekend protests against gendered violence.

Thousands rallied around the country at the weekend in protest of gender-based violence. Source: AAP

Homelessness services helped almost 60,000 women and 38,000 children who experienced domestic or family violence in the past financial year, according to Homelessness Australia. Yet less than four per cent of people were able to secure long-term housing needed to remain safe, it said.

"Lack of pathways to housing mean women experiencing violence are stuck in homelessness, with many returning to violent homes or never leaving," CEO Kate Colvin said.

One in five women presenting to the emergency department has experienced domestic violence in the past year but it remains under-identified by hospital staff, the head of St Vincent's Hospital Sydney's domestic and family violence service said.

with AAP
Several schools in Delhi-NCR on Wednesday morning received a bomb threat via email, leading to a panic situation and prompt search operation.

Officials from Delhi police, bomb detection team, bomb disposal squad and Delhi Fire Service are present at the schools and search operations are underway.

We got information that the same email was sent to several schools at around 4:15am. We took action and made the decision to close the schools and send the students back home, said Rohit Meena, DCP South West.

Meanwhile, Delhi Education minister Atishi said that students have been evacuated and premises of schools are being searched by Delhi Police. She further added that so far, nothing has been found in any of the schools. She also urged parents not to panic. "School authorities will be in touch with parents wherever needed."

However, this is not the first time schools in Delhi-NCR have received such threat emails. In February this year and April last year, several schools received similar threat emails that turned out to be hoaxes.

Threat mails to schools Noida's Delhi Public School, Delhi's Mother Mary's School, Sanskriti School, Delhi Public School at Dwarka, Delhi Public School at Vasant Kunj, and Amity School in Saket and Sector 30 are among the several schools that have received the bomb scare.

Evacuation The premises of all the schools that received threat emails were evacuated after the local police were informed. The police said a thorough check is underway, said the police.

Schools closed Over 50 schools have sent children home. One of the parents of a student from DPS Dwarka said they got the message that the school would remain shut today.

We got a message from the school that due to an unavoidable situation, the school will remain closed today. We were not aware of the situation, but later, we got to know that there was a bomb threat to the school, ANI quoted a parent named Praveen as saying.

"We can't take risk" Kamini, the principal of Delhi Public School in Noida, told ANI that they informed the police after receiving the threat email. We have students, so we can't take the risk. The parents have been informed, and the students have been sent back to their homes.

Same pattern of sending mail The Delhi Police said threat emails had been sent to several places since Tuesday evening, and the pattern seems to be the same. Dateline is not mentioned, and BCC is mentioned in the mail, which means one mail has been sent to many places. At present, an investigation is being done.

"Checking Underway, don't panic" Rohit Meena, DCP South West, told ANI that checking is underway at all the schools, and the technical wing is investigating the email. I want to request the students and parents to remain calm and not to panic. We are getting each and every school checked and are in contact with the school administration.
Nearly 100 schools in Delhi-NCR have received bomb threats, as per ANI. While the complete list of schools has not yet been released, here are the names that have been revealed so far, as per various media reports.

Bomb threat in Delhi schools LIVE Updates: Threats seem to be a hoax, do not panic, say police ANI reported, citing officials, that the schools in the Delhi-NCR region received the bomb threats via mail on May 1. Delhi Fire Services have started a probe into the threats. However, police officials have said nothing suspicious has been found.

"We've checked all the schools and nothing has been found, there is no need to panic," DCP New Delhi, Devesh Kumar Mahla said.

Also Read: Delhi HC says Arvind Kejriwal's decision to continue as CM personal; asserts students' rights can't be trampled upon "Spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR. Directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits & ensure there are no lapses. I request the parents not to panic and cooperate with the administration in ensuring the safety of schools and the children. The miscreants and culprits will not be spared." Delhi LG VK Saxena said.

Also Read: Bomb scare in Delhi-NCR schools; here's all that we know List of schools under bomb threat 1. Amity School in Pushp Vihar

2. Army Public School, DPS International School

3. BGS Vijnatham School, Dwarka

4. DPS schools (Dwarka, East of Kailash, Knowledge Park 5, Noida, RK Puram, Sector 122, Vasant Vihar)

5. G D Goenka in Dwarka

6. Guru Harkrishan Public School, Delhi

7. Mother Marys School in Mayur Vihar

8. Salwan Public School, Delhi

9. Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected a plea seeking direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to develop a mechanism to permit arrested political leaders to campaign through virtual mode for the Lok Sabha election 2024.

According to Live Law, a division bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora described it as a highly adventurous plea, contrary to fundamental legal principles.

As per a report in ANI, the bench, led by the Acting Chief Justice, dismissed the petition, stating that if allowed, it would set a precedent for dreaded criminals like Dawood Ibrahim to form political parties, contest elections, and campaign through video conferencing. The bench also pointed out that even rapists and murderers could form political parties for such purposes.

The bench expressed awareness of the propaganda behind such petitions. They noted that they had recently dealt with several similar petitions, imposing costs on petitioners for filing frivolous pleas.

In the aftermath of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest regarding the alleged irregularities in the liquor policy case, a final-year law student, Amarjeet Gupta, filed a PIL. The petitioner expressed grievance over the timing of the arrests of political leaders following the announcement of the Model Code of Conduct.

The Delhi High Court recently dismissed several PILs related to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court imposed costs on the petitioner, stating that someone is in custody by a judicial order and will be released if they are entitled in accordance with law. The court also observed that the petitioner's claims were fancy and devoid of any basis.

The ED arrested Kejriwal on March 21 in connection with the excise policy case. The ED alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the alleged liquor scam.
The Army's attempt to take away seized arms and ammunition in Manipur's Bishnupur district on Tuesday was thwarted by women-led protestors, according to officials, as reported by PTI. The incident occurred during patrolling in the Kumbi area in the early hours, where personnel of the Army's 2 Mahar regiment intercepted two SUVs.

"Upon seeing the Army personnel, the occupants of the two vehicles fled, leaving behind their arms," an official stated, PTI reported.

Shortly after, 'Meira Paibis'  a civilian group of Meitei women  gathered at the spot and demanded that the weapons be handed over to them. They also insisted that no weapons be confiscated until the conflict, which began in May last year, is resolved, the official added.

Officials reported that hundreds of women blocked the road, preventing the Army convoy from leaving the area. Despite the Army firing in the air to disperse the crowd, it had no effect.

Upon learning of the incident, state police forces rushed to the area, and an agreement was reached for the Army to hand over the arms to the police later.

"Confiscating weapons from village volunteers guarding a fringe area like Kumbi leaves us exposed to possible attacks by armed militants from adjacent hill areas of Churachandpur district," PTI quoted Jaya Khagenbam, a leader of the protestors.

"Security forces should remember that their inability to protect villages located at the periphery of the Valley led to the emergence of the village volunteers," she added.

Officials confirmed that the situation is now normal, and the Army personnel have withdrawn from the spot.

Also Read | Manipur sexual assault case: Kuki women were driven to mob by cops, stripped naked, paraded, says CBI chargesheet The Manipur Police reported that soldiers from the Mahar Regiment seized three AK rifles (along with seven magazines and 210 rounds of ammunition), five INSAS rifles (with 13 magazines and 260 rounds of ammunition), two SLR rifles (with nine magazines and 180 rounds of ammunition), two hand grenades, bulletproof jackets, and other items from the possession of the miscreants and took them into custody.

Also Read | India slams US report on rights issue in Manipur, BBC raids: Deeply biased, reflects very poor understanding A group of womenfolk started gathering and blocked the road to prevent the movement of security forces. On being informed by the Army about the developing situation, District Police rushed to the spot. On reaching, it was informed by the army personnel that the 11 persons had been snatched by the womenfolk during an aggressive confrontation with them despite their best efforts, the Manipur Police posted on X.

Displaying dogged determination and intent, teams of both Manipur Police and the Indian Army successfully broke through several obstacles/ barriers created by hostile sympathizers and reached out tothe teams at Kumbi PS. The recovered weapons and ammunition were kept in safe custody. The mob was later dispersed, and the situation was brought under control. Necessary legal action is being taken up, it added.
The CBI has filed a chargesheet against six cops including a juvenile in a case related to sexual assault of two women from the Kuki-Zomi community, on the during the ethnic violence in the north eastern state last year.



The Manipur Police personnel reportedly drove two women from the Kuki-Zomi community who had sought refuge in their official gypsy, to a mob of about 1,000 Meiti rioters in Kangpokpi district, on May 3, 2023, as per the CBI chargesheet, PTI reported.

The chargesheet further states that the women, including a Kargil war veteran's wife, were subsequently stripped naked, paraded, and sexually assaulted.



The CBI chargesheet has been filed against Huirem Herodas Meitei, who was arrested by Manipur police in July, and five others. Additionally, a report has been filed against a juvenile.

The accused face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including gang rape, murder, outraging the modesty of a woman, and criminal conspiracy, according to the chargesheet filed by the CBI.

Also Read | Manipur news: Two CRPF personnel killed in Kuki militant attack The chargesheet says the women pleaded with the police personnel to take them to safety. The cops told them that "there was no key" to the vehicle and were denied assistance," according to officials in know of the charge sheet.

Manipur May 3 sexual assault case A video showing the two women being paraded naked, surrounded by a mob of men, went viral in July last year, nearly two months after the incident on May 3.

A video of the incident, which sparked outrage across the nation, surfaced on July 19, more than two months after the incident which occurred on May 3. The video depicted two disrobed women being paraded and assaulted before being taken to a field by a mob of Mettei men.

The incident came to focus when the woman filed a 'zero FIR' filed with the Bishnupur police station in August last year. She claimed that she was gang-raped by a group of men on May 3, the day ethnic violence broke out between Kuki Zo and Meitei communities over the granting of Schedule led Tribe status to the latter, an indigenous community.
India and Pakistan share one of the most militarised international borders in the world. At a time when the two nations continue to remain at loggerheads on several international platforms, Pakistan's fighter Shahzaib Rindh shared a heartfelt message for the people of the two nations at a Karate Combat event in Dubai. Rindh won the event by defeating India's Rana Singh. However, what followed after his victory has been winning hearts on social media. Rindh celebrated his victory by holding the flags of both Pakistan and India.

His gesture won applause from the audience of the Karate Combat event. While sharing a powerful message advocating India-Pakistan friendship, Shahzaib dedicated the event finale to peaceful relations between the two nations. He also declared that India and Pakistan are not enemies and together the two nations can do anything.

This fight was for peace. We are not enemies, we are together. Together we can do anything. This fight is for Pakistan and Indias friendship and being closer, he said at the event held in Dubai on April 21.

Shahzaib Rindh won the face-off match against Rana Singh 2-1. The two players indulged in a tough battle, which stretched into the third round.

Shahzaib Rindh earns praises from Salman Khan Shahzaib also adulated Bollywood superstar Salman Khan who was present at the event. In his message from the stage, Shahzaib thanked Khan and shared how he idolised the Dabang actor since childhood. He also said that fighting in front of Salman Khan was a big moment in his life.

I want to thank Salman Khan for coming here. Hes my superstar. Ive been watching your movies since childhood, he said. His gesture after the match also received applause from Salman Khan, who interacted with Shahzaib after the match.
By Davide Barbuscia and Ross Kerber

NEW YORK/BOSTON, May 1 (Reuters) - A pension fund for New York City employees urged BlackRock's shareholders to vote against the election of Saudi Aramco's chief executive as director, citing potential conflicts of interest around the asset manager's decarbonizing strategy as well as human rights concerns.

The world's top asset manager BlackRock named Amin Nasser, the chief of the world's largest oil company Saudi Aramco as an independent director last year.

On Wednesday, the Comptroller of the City of New York Brad Lander wrote in a securities filing on behalf of the New York City Employees Retirement System that BlackRock's shareholders should vote against the election of Nasser at BlackRock's annual meeting on May 15.

"We believe that potential conflicts of interest compromise Nasser's ability to provide independent oversight, both in general, and particularly concerning BlackRocks decarbonization strategy," he wrote. BlackRock manages about $19 billion on behalf of the New York City Employees Retirement System, which has $43 million invested in the asset manager.

Aramco and BlackRock did not immediately comment.

BlackRock has a relatively large board with 16 people currently nominated for election at its shareholder meeting set for May 15. The company has faced questions over the size of the board in the past but its directors easily won re-election last year.

For this year top proxy advisors Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis had both recommended votes for all of BlackRocks nominees, although they suggested investors vote "against" the pay of CEO Larry Fink over process and performance concerns.

BlackRock has been under fire from U.S. Republican politicians for its concerns about climate change, although it continues to invest in fossil fuel companies. When Nasser was first named to the companys board of directors last year it was seen as possibly dampening the Republican criticism.

"Nasser and BlackRock have broadly divergent interests with respect to the need for decarbonization," the New York pension fund said on Wednesday.

"Nasser has a vested interest in  and is an outspoken vocal advocate for  the expansion of fossil fuels," which conflicts with BlackRock's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it said.

In Wednesday's filing the New York City pension fund said Nasser could not be seen as genuinely independent of BlackRock given a 2022 gas pipeline deal which involved the asset manager and the company, as well as a 2023 bond issuance linked to that acquisition.

The filing also mentioned human rights concerns, saying oil giant Saudi Aramco is "implicated in one of the largest alleged climate-related breaches of international human rights," which would pose reputation risks for BlackRock and its shareholders.

It referred to a letter of concern sent by U.N. experts last year to Aramco saying its expansion of fossil fuel production and ongoing exploration threatened human rights.

"Considering these factors, Nassers continued presence on BlackRocks Board poses a reputational risk to company culture, as well as to the Board and shareholders," the filing said.
Amid recent concerns over potential rare side effects of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, the pharmaceutical giant has reaffirmed its dedication to patient safety, while underscoring its overall safety profile.

An AstraZeneca spokesperson said, "We extend our sympathy to anyone who has lost loved ones or experienced health issues. Patient safety remains our top priority, and regulatory authorities have stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines."

The move follows AstraZeneca's recent acknowledgment that its Covid vaccines, Covishield and Vaxzevria, can, in very rare cases, cause Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).

However, the pharmaceutical company asserts that extensive clinical trial data and real-world evidence consistently demonstrate the vaccine's safety and efficacy. Regulatory agencies worldwide maintain that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of such extremely rare side effects.

In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) emerged as a new adverse event following immunization with COVID-19 vaccines based on non-replicating adenovirus vectors.

WHO stated that TTS is a serious and life-threatening adverse event. It issued interim emergency guidance to raise awareness about TTS in the context of COVID-19 vaccination, and to assist healthcare providers in assessing and managing potential TTS cases.

AstraZeneca had partnered with the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, to supply the vaccine to the Indian Government. The Serum Institute of India produced a COVID-19 vaccine named Covishield.
(Bloomberg) -- Elon Musks latest cost-cutting victims: Summer interns.

Tesla Inc. is rescinding offers just weeks before internships were set to start, prompting aspiring employees to take to LinkedIn to appeal to other employers to take them in.

At 8:46am, I opened a Tesla email for flight info. By 11:25am, my internship offer was gone, wrote Miami University student Joshua Schreiber, who said his start date was three weeks away and that he had already spent thousands on housing.

Schreiber, like many other would-be Tesla interns, are getting dangerously close to the end of the school year. They say the surprise calls from Tesla informing students that their offers no longer stand have left them without a lot of time to find replacement gigs for the summer.

In one instance, a current Tesla employee posted on LinkedIn, asking her own virtual network to step up and nab one of the interns that was meant to start soon at the carmaker. Please make our loss your gain! wrote Diana Rosenberg, who works in battery supply at Tesla, according to her profile.

Rosenberg blamed the decision to rescind the intern offer on the massive layoffs unfolding at the carmaker.

Last month, Musk announced that Tesla had made the difficult decision to reduce our headcount by more than 10% globally. Since then, several executives have left the company as Musk has pushed for further cuts. Most of the companys 500-person Supercharger division and its newly formed marketing division have been axed, Bloomberg News has reported.

People familiar with Musks thinking have said the billionaire is determined to cut head count amid sagging electric vehicle sales and big expenditures for his Robotaxi dreams. They say Musk is targeting a 20% reduction, Bloomberg reported.

Read More: Tesla Is Consumed by Chaos in Shift to Musks Robotaxi Dream

Revoking intern offers isnt likely to save Tesla much money. At least one of the posts was for an unpaid position, while paid internships at the automaker typically offer $18 to $28 an hour, according to data from Glassdoor.

But the decisions will have an impact in the companys hiring pipeline: More than 3,000 university and community college students from around the world are hired for Tesla internships each year, according to the companys last Impact Report. Perform meaningful work from day one, reads the companys intern website.

The move has also delivered a stark life lesson to the students.

Rejection is redirection, wrote Brook Gura, a communications student at the University of Texas at Austin, who said that she got a call that her offer was yanked three weeks before her start date as part of the companys mass layoffs. While I am incredibly disappointed that I will not have the summer I intended to have, I know that this moment will only help me grow stronger as a professional.

Gura, Schreiber and Rosenberg declined to comment beyond their posts. Musk didnt respond to a request for comment.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Google Doodle today: To appreciate the role and hard work of workers across the world, Google has dedicated its latest edition of the Google logo to celebrate International Labour Day 2024. The doodle portrays the myriad tasks performed by workers which makes our lives easier every day.

Labour Day Doodle Alphabet-owned Google has opted for a unique way to celebrate culture, identities, historical movements, iconic personalities, etc by creatively bringing some changes to its logo. On Labour Day, celebrated every year on 1 May, Google has changed its logo. The Labour Day Doodle will appear in countries of South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, etc.

Today's Google Doodle celebrates the contributions made by workers worldwide.

Is Labour Day Doodle visible in India? The Google Doodle is not visible in India, however, it is visible when someone will search anything on Google from Pakistan.

International Labour Day 2024 Labour Day, is celebrated every year on on May 1st in several countries around the world. It is a tribute to the achievements of workers and the labor movement. The labour movement originated in the late 19th century when the labour movement was advocating for better working conditions, fair wages, and the eight-hour workday.

History of Labour Day The historical significance of the day is intertwined with the struggle for workers' rights, particularly in the United States and Canada. In the late 19th century, labour unions organised strikes and protests to demand better working conditions, including the infamous Haymarket affair in Chicago in 1886, where a peaceful labour rally turned violent. In response to these events, the International Socialist Conference declared May 1st as International Workers' Day in 1889. The day was announced to honour the Haymarket martyrs. It was also a symbol of solidarity among workers worldwide.
Josephine Williams returned to her car to find the 'nasty surprise' on her windscreen. But made sure not to pay it.

Despite parking at the same location for months with allegedly no parking signs in sight, one motorist says she returned to her car this week to find a $85 parking fine on her windscreen. She claims private company Wilson Parking set up a car park around her vehicle and issued the infringement notice while she was at work.

Josephine Williams left her car in a gravel clearing in Auckland on Monday, like many other drivers, and later found the "nasty surprise" once she returned.

"To my unfortunate surprise  and many others  I was greeted by an $85 parking ticket for a breach and a flyer from Wilson Parking saying paid parking had started that day," she told Stuff.

The driver's dashcam shows no signs of parking signs in the gravel clearing in Auckland. Source: Stuff

She questioned how she was at fault, claiming there was no signage or warning that a payment was required in order to park in the area.

"What breach exactly was made? How was I supposed to know paid parking started that day when there was nothing at all displayed anywhere in the car park? she complained.

The driver's dashcam footage shows no parking signs or any indication Wilson Parking was present in the area, leading Williams to believe it had been set up once she was already parked. There was reportedly a large red and white sign erected at the entrance when she returned, reading "12 hours for $4".

"Wilson deliberately put their sign up some time after 9am and then took it upon themselves to fine every single car that was already parked there from the morning," Williams said.

Driver Josephine Williams returned to her car to find a $85 parking fine on her windscreen in Auckland. Source: Stuff

Her fine was waived after she reportedly lodged a request but she is worried the other drivers won't do the same, and instead cop the fine. Williams said the penalty is a "lot of money" which would cover two week's worth of groceries for her.

"Wilson really dont have any excuse. Even if they waive everyones fines, theye wasted our time," she said. She estimates there were between 50 and 100 cars in the gravel clearing.

Wilson Parking reportedly said the car park was first set up on April 22 and several payments had been made between then and Monday, proving the signage at the site was "clear and effective".

However, due to the extra signs being erected on April 29 it made the decision to refund payments and waive breach notices issued up to that date.

Aussies bristle at Wilson Parking notices

Drivers across the ditch have previously groaned about incurring such parking fines as Wilson private car parks pop up around Australia.

James Clements from Sydney Criminal Lawyers previously told Yahoo News Australia that such infringement notices have a different status compared to a regular parking ticket from the state government.

Some Aussie drivers have urged people not to pay Wilson parking fines. Source: TikTok

When driving into a private car park like in a shopping centre, the driver is entering into a contract with the private entity, meaning they have to follow their terms and conditions. Going against the contract, such as parking in areas not reserved for customers or going over the time limit, may result in what's called a 'breach notice,' starting at a $65 penalty from Wilson.

"What they try and do is recover the debt for the loss incurred, effectively like a breach of contract," Clements said." But they're not fines  only a statutory body has the power to issue a fine."

Wilson Parking says it operates secure parking at more than 400 locations across Australia and more than 200 in New Zealand.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
As Prince Harry is all set to return to the UK for the 10th edition of the Invictus Games, his relationship with Prince William is again under the radar. A Royal insider has claimed that the Prince of Wales is envious of Harrys freedoms.

William is a bit envious of (Harrys) freedoms, one source told Us Weekly. And, Royal historian Ed Owens agrees with the insider. He told the publication that there was little doubt about Williams jealousy for the achievements of his brother, Harry.

Also Read: King Charles trust for Harry long gone; Duke of Sussex is suffering consequences of his actions Owens referred to Harrys involvement with the Invictus Games. The Duke of Sussex founded the international multi-sport event for military veterans and wounded servicemen. According to Owens, the event now has an international presence.

Harry has done remarkable thingsI think that the international stage is something both brothers are clearly vying for. That international limelight really sets Harrys work apart from other members of the Royal Family, Us Weekly quoted the Royal author as saying.

Also Read: Prince Harry worried about William's children George, Charlotte, and Louis In February, British journalist Robert Jobson said that Kate Middletons husband, William, had been caught off guard by Harrys success with the Invictus Games.

Also Read: Prince Harry wants to spend more time with family in UK but can't as I think there was a degree of jealousy about how well it had gone. I do think that William was surprised how much this had been such a success and how much money was being thrown into it and how many governments were getting involved, Jobson said in the ABC News special Prince Harrys Mission: Life, Family and Invictus Games.

Harrys equation with William Harry revealed before that his relationship with the future king had been complicated. The Duke, in his memoir Spare, called William his archnemesis.

There has always been this competition between us, weirdly. I think it really plays into or always played by the heir/spare, Harry said during an interview in January 2023.
A malfunction in automatic recliner seats in the business class category led Singapore Airline to pay nearly two lakh rupees to an Indian couple. A police chief from Telangana, Ravi Gupta, along with his wife, sued the airline after he had to manually adjust seats with an automatic recline feature, despite paying 66,750 rupees (about $800) each for a business class seat, according to a New York Post report.

Disappointed with their poor flight experience despite paying a hefty amount for a ticket, Gupta sued the airline for the incident that took place in May last year. Passing an order in the case, District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Telangana, ordered the airline to pay 2,040 pounds (INR 213,585) to the Indian couple for mental agony reported the New York Post.

Ravi Gupta was travelling with his wife from Hyderabad to Australia. They had to change their flight to Singapore. Despite paying a hefty amount as a ticket, the two were left struggling with their automatic recline seats because of malfunction. When they raised the issue with the company, they were offered 10,000 frequent flyer miles or loyalty points each. However, the couple rejected the offer and chose to take a legal route for their grievance redressal.

What happened in court? In the documents submitted to the court, Guptas accused the airline it making them feel like economy class passengers even when they paid for business class seats. Due to a defect in the automatically reclining seats, they were forced to adjust the seat manually and the experience even left them awake throughout their journey.

The couple received victory in their legal fight after the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Telangana ruled in favour of them last week. The court directed Singapore Airlines to pay $2,400 to them for the mental agony and physical suffering caused to them.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- If the latest idea out of the White House works, it could bring the foreign policy of President Joe Biden full circle in less than a year, with an ironic twist. The US and Saudi Arabia, according to Bloomberg News, are once again getting close to a historic pact. But whereas its first iteration was intended as a three-way deal with Israel to isolate Iran, this version would aim just as much to pressure Israel.

Heres the design of the entente on which the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel were converging before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7: The Saudis would make peace with Israel and forswear closer ties to China. In return, the US would offer the Saudis security guarantees, more weapons and civilian nuclear technology. Israel only had to promise vaguely that it would improve the lot of Palestinians. All three would benefit, not least by isolating and containing their common adversary, Iran.

This trilateral agreement would have reshaped the regions power geometry so fundamentally that disrupting it was one of the motivations for Hamas, which has close ties with Iran, to commit its gruesome atrocities when it did. Whether or not the mullahs in Tehran were informed in advance, Oct. 7 certainly seemed to bury the pact with Riyadh.

In the aftermath, the plight of the Palestinians again took priority in regional and world politics, as in Bidens foreign policy. The military response ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which Biden has called indiscriminate, has cost or ruined so many lives in the Gaza Strip that Saudi rapprochement with Israel again became hard to imagine.

Iran, for its part, enjoyed watching world opinion turn against Israel, and by extension the US. Biden has looked increasingly feckless as hes tried and failed to restrain Netanyahus bombing. In about a week, ships sailing from Cyprus will start unloading some food and medicine on a new US-built pier on the Gaza coastline  that dock now risks symbolizing the superpowers inadequate response relative to the scale of the suffering. Again and again, Netanyahu has snubbed Biden, making the president look weak just as hes trying to get re-elected.

The mullahs, meanwhile, have allowed their proxies, from Yemen to Lebanon and Iraq, to take the military equivalent of potshots at US targets in the region. And Iran even fired its first direct barrage of missiles and drones at Israel. But Tehran has so far shrunk from provoking a head-on confrontation with Biden. Israel and the US already seemed to be losing global credibility, even as China and Russia were lining up behind Iran  whats not to like?Here, then, comes Bidens answer, or the attempt at one. It would resurrect the pact between Washington and Riyadh. The US would still give the Saudis security guarantees, weapons and more; the Saudis in turn would distance themselves economically and technologically from China; and together they would again isolate and contain Iran.

Whats different this time is the role of Israel. Instead of including it from the get-go, Biden and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would first seal their own deal, and then invite Netanyahu to join  or not. To say yes, Netanyahu would have to end the war in Gaza and commit to a two-state solution for the Palestinians, which his cabinet opposes. In return, MBS would recognize and make peace with Israel, giving Netanyahu something to boast about.

Thatll still be a hard sell in Israel. Even as a long-delayed deal with Hamas to exchange Israeli hostages for a Palestinian prisoners and a ceasefire seems tantalizingly near, Netanyahu has instead warned that he will order an invasion of Rafah, where over a million Gazan refugees are huddled, regardless. Biden had previously called such an attack on Rafah a red line. One of Netanyahus far-right ministers, Bezalel Smotrich, has even called for the total destruction of Rafah and other cities, insisting that there are no half-jobs.

Any number of other things could derail Bidens master plan. The Iranian mullahs could panic and start a regional war, or the US Senate could balk at signing off on security guarantees to Riyadh.

But the prospect of a US-Saudi pact would apply a powerful strategic vice to Netanyahu or any Israeli leader: Stay out of the entente  by invading Rafah and rejecting a two-state solution  and Israel will be isolated, while Washington and its Arab allies refocus their combined energies against Iran. Join the deal, and Israel will become part of a new regional architecture that will contain Iran while also building a Palestinian state and genuine security for Israel. Biden and MBS should press on with their plan; and Bibi should be grateful.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering US diplomacy, national security and geopolitics. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion
In a heated exchange on April 30, the leader of Canada's primary opposition party was removed from the House of Commons after calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a wacko, as per a Reuters report. The incident underscores the escalating tensions between the two political figures as they gear up for the upcoming Canandian elections slated for next year.

Pierre Poilievre, leader of the right-of-center Conservative party, found himself at odds with Trudeau during a session in the House of Commons. Criticizing what he deemed as Trudeau's lenient approach to drug overdoses, Poilievre called the prime minister "a wacko."

"When will we put an end to this wacko policy by this wacko prime minister?" he asked Trudeau in the House of Commons elected lower chamber.

Speaker's Intervention Speaker Greg Fergus, representing the Liberal party, swiftly intervened, deeming Poilievre's comment inappropriate and urged him to withdraw it. Despite repeated requests, Poilievre refused to retract his statement, opting instead to use alternative terms like "extremist" or "radical."

Fergus, asserting his authority, ordered Poilievre to leave the chamber for the remainder of the day's proceedings, stating: "I order to you to withdraw from the House ... for the remainder of this day's sitting."

Poilievre, accompanied by fellow legislators, reiterated his criticism of Trudeau's drug policy outside the chamber, labelling it as "wacko" and detrimental to society, via a social media post.

Reactions and Political Dynamics The incident sparked condemnation from Liberal parliamentarian Steven MacKinnon, who labelled it as a disgrace and indicative of a lack of respect for parliamentary norms.

Trudeau, known for his strained relationship with Poilievre, accused him of associating with far-right groups, dubbing it as irresponsible and perilous for democracy.

Instances of expulsion from the Canadian House are uncommon, with the last occurrence involving the leader of the official opposition remaining unconfirmed by the speaker's office.

With the next election mandated to take place by late October 2025, polls indicate a favourable position for the Conservatives over the incumbent Liberals, who have held power since November 2015.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on hundreds of firms and people tied to Russia's weapons development program, more than a dozen Chinese firms accused of helping Russia find workarounds to sanctions and individuals tied to the death of Russian dissident Alexey Navalny.

The sanctions imposed by the Treasury and State departments target Russias military-industrial base, chemical weapons programs and people and firms in third countries that help Russia acquire weapons components as its invasion of Ukraine has entered its third year.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the action will further disrupt and degrade Russias war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it.

The sanctions come as the Senate gave final approval to legislation barring imports of Russian uranium, boosting U.S. efforts to disrupt Russias war in Ukraine. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law.

About 12% of the uranium used to produce electricity at U.S. nuclear power plants is imported from Russia, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council said Wednesday that Biden, a Democrat, shares lawmakers concerns about U.S. reliance on Russia for low-enriched uranium to support its domestic nuclear fleet.

Included in Wednesday's sanctions announcement are importers of cotton cellulose and nitrocellulose  used to produce gunpowder, rocket propellants and other explosives. Also included are Russian government entities and people tied to Russia's chemical and biological weapons programs and firms related to Russia's natural gas construction projects.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly railed against several rounds of U.S. and Western sanctions, claiming last year that they are illegitimate sanctions on his country.

A group of 16 targets in China and Hong Kong, most of which are related to Russian procurement workarounds, are also included in the latest sanctions announcement.

Firms in countries including China, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are accused of helping Russia acquire technology and equipment from abroad. The penalties aim to block them from using the U.S. financial system and bar American citizens from dealing with them.

The sanctions come after Biden last week said he would immediately rush badly needed weaponry to Ukraine as he signed into law a $95 billion war aid measure that also included assistance for Israel, Taiwan and other global hot spots.
New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were dispatched to Columbia University late on April 30, where pro-Palestinian student protestors had barricaded themselves inside a building, Bloomberg reported.

Live footage from CNN captured NYPD officers entering Hamilton Hall, the epicentre of the protest, which had been seized and dubbed Hind Hall by demonstrators earlier in the day. Dozens were arrested and taken away in buses, CNN reported.

Police have said they cleared 30-40 people from Hamilton Hall, AP reported.

Columbia University president Minouche Shafik has, in a letter, requested NYPD to remain on campus till May 17. The letter requests "help to clear" the protest sites, "maintain order", and "ensure encampments are not reestablished," AFP reported.

Columbia University's Response In a statement issued late on April 30, Columbia University said the NYPD was called in around 9 pm to restore order and ensure the campus community's safety.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalised, and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation, a Columbia spokesperson said.

In response, Columbia also issued a warning on April 30, threatening expulsion for any student refusing to vacate the occupied premises. Consequently, the campus has been partially restricted, allowing entry solely to essential staff and certain students.

Police Activity at City College of New York Meanwhile, further uptown, law enforcement officials also made arrests outside City College of New York (CCNY), dispersing protesters and setting up steel barricades in the vicinity. Despite these measures, the protest encampment at Columbia University remains unaffected, The New York Times reported.

Shortly before the clashes between police and protestors erupted, Mayor Eric Adams, accompanied by Rebecca Weiner, the NYPDs deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, and other police authorities, denounced the demonstrators conduct.

We cannot and will not allow what should be a peaceful gathering to turn into a violent spectacle that serves no purpose. We cannot wait till this situation becomes even more serious. This must end now, Adams said. He claimed professional outside agitators were influencing student-led demonstrations and warned students to leave, as per Bloomberg.

If you are a parent or guardian of a student, please call your child and urge them to leave the area before the situation escalates in any way, Adams told reporters.

US Campus Protests Gain Steam Columbia students began their protests in April in response to concerns that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and have demanded that their institution "divest" from defence companies and Israeli interests. Following the Hamas attack on a music festival in southern Israel on October 7 that claimed 1,200 lives and held 250 as hostages, Israel launched an offensive on the Gaza Strip. The offensive has claimed more than 34,000 lives, including 15,000 children.

The protesters cited anti-Apartheid protests in support of South Africa and anti-war protests during the Vietnam War as inspirations for the movement.

Notably, the Columbia administration's decision to crack down on protestors using law enforcement led to outrage, and soon, solidarity encampments cropped up at universities and schools across the US.

Over 1,000 student protesters have been arrested by police in riot gear from university campuses in California, Connecticut, Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Virginia, AP reported.

In a statement on April 30, US President Joe Biden said students are taking absolutely the wrong approach", adding that protests have not been peaceful. The White House, in particular, criticised stand-offs at Columbia and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, where students have occupied buildings, as per AP.

Israel and its backers have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israel's critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition.
The UK government has welcomed a significant fall in the number of dependents, or close family members such as a spouse and children, accompanying overseas students after its crackdown on student visas from early this year.

In an update issued on Tuesday from January to March this year compared to the same period in 2023, the Home Office said that dependents had drastically fallen by almost 80 per cent amid over 26,000 fewer student visa applications made.

Indians have led the international student visa tally in recent years and these figures indicate that a downward trend noted earlier this year is likely to mean fewer Indian students choosing UK universities.

Under rules effective from January, most international students except those on research courses cannot bring along family members. They can no longer switch their visa either before completing their course, which the government claimed misused the student visa as a backdoor to work in the UK amid a wider Home Office clampdown on institutions selling immigration not education.

Ever-spiralling numbers were eroding the British peoples confidence in our immigration system, burdening public services and suppressing wages, said UK Home Secretary James Cleverly, whose office released the interim data to highlight the impact of his visa crackdowns.

When I promised to deliver the largest-ever cut in legal migration, I knew we must also work to show the impact of our action as soon as practically possible. This data shows a significant fall in numbers on the first of our measures to take effect whilst underlining why necessary action was taken to cut unsustainable numbers of care worker dependents, he said.

The minister said there is more still to come in the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak-led government plans to cut migration.

According to official statistics from February, between 2019 and 2023 the number of Indians granted study visas rose by 85,849  making up the highest cohort of international students in the UK. However, the 1,20,110 study visa grants to Indian nationals in 2023 was 14 per cent fewer than in 2022  already indicating a downward trend amid the tightening visa norms.

The governments review of the post-study Graduate Route, which allows overseas students to look for work and gain experience for up to two years after their degree, is widely expected to further restrict international students options in the UK when the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) submits its report later this month.

This, experts believe, will see more Indians turning away from applying to UK universities after topping the tally of this visa route since it was launched in 2021.

Under other measures, restrictions on foreign care workers from bringing dependents came into effect from March 11  the impact for which the Home Office said is expected to become evident in future statistics.

While doctors and nurses remain able to bring close family members, the tougher measures are aimed at a crackdown on worker exploitation and abuse within the social care sector.

There is clear evidence that care workers have been offered visas under false pretences, recruited into non-existent jobs or paid far below the minimum wage required for their work, exploiting them while undercutting British workers, the Home Office said.

This weeks data also includes the final data before the general salary threshold for those arriving on the Skilled Worker visa rose from GBP 26,200 to GBP 38,700 earlier this month. Taken together, the Home Office says its visa crackdowns will mean that approximately 3,00,000 people arriving in the UK last year would no longer be able to.

Reducing legal and illegal migration is among the priorities for the Sunak-led government ahead of a general election, expected in the second half of the year. The latest statistics come as the government flew out its first failed asylum seeker to Rwanda under a voluntary scheme, which offers illegal migrants GBP 3,000 to willingly relocate to the east African country.
(Bloomberg) -- An unprecedented contest is underway in Mexico over the future of one of the top beneficiaries of the factory boom south of the US border.

In a meeting Tuesday afternoon, TF Administradora Industrial, or Terrafina, will give shareholders details of at least six different takeover bids the company has received. Three of the offers would use share exchanges or a merger to create Mexicos biggest industrial property company. Two offers may be in cash, giving investors a chance to sell their stock around record highs.

Industrial real estate has been on a tear in Mexico as more companies seek space to export to the US. Hype around the nearshoring trend has sparked an equity issuance revival in the countrys stock market. In the coming weeks, Terrafina investors will receive a parade of tender offers to acquire their shares in the open market. If a majority accept a share-based offer, the resulting company will be one of the most liquid ways for investors to play the nearshoring theme in Mexico.

Terrafinas stock is up 17% this year after bids started emerging in February, taking its market value to $1.9 billion. Mexico has never seen so many competing public bids for a company at the same time, said Chief Executive Officer Alberto Chretin.

We are in uncharted waters, Chretin said in a video interview. He said the bidders are likely to improve their initial nonbinding offers, and he expects the first tenders to be launched in the market during the first two weeks of May, pending regulator approval.

The value of the publicly disclosed offers is difficult to calculate and compare because they involve different assumptions about capitalization rates and the way the companies measure their own assets.

Mexican pension funds are poised to decide which offer wins, since they hold around 50% of Terrafina stock, Chretin said. He declined to provide more specific information since pension fund holdings are not publicly available. Offers need 51% approval to win. If the pension funds dont agree on an offer, things could get more complicated, and minority shareholders will enter the fray, he said. There could end up being multiple rounds if tenders fail to reach 51%.

The stock offers from the countrys other real estate investment trusts, or Fibras in Spanish  Prologis Property Mexico, Fibra Uno Administracion, Fibra Macquarie Mexico and Fibra MTY  offer different advantages.

Prologis is backed by the worlds largest industrial REIT, Prologis Inc. On top of its 47 million square feet (4.4 million square meters) in warehouses and industrial parks, it offers some 10 million more of inventory in the pipeline. The scale of that deal is dwarfed by a more complicated merger offer from Fibra Uno, or Funo. Latin Americas biggest REIT wants to transfer all its industrial properties into Terrafina.

Funo, which also has vast office and commercial holdings, had been seeking to launch Mexicos biggest initial public offering in six years with a carve-out of more than 81 million square feet of industrial properties. The new stock was dubbed Nearshoring Experts & Technology SC, or Fibra Next, but the plan to sell shares was derailed by Mexicos tax authorities, who have refused to give the company the go-ahead for the listing.

Its founders, the El-Mann family, now want to revamp the Fibra Next plan by transferring the assets to an already listed vehicle instead. They also have some 65 million more square feet in their land bank that they want to eventually transfer to the new company. Unlike the other bids, the Funo merger proposal would require a shareholder vote instead of a tender offer, Chretin said. Investors will probably wait to see the other tenders before deciding whether to vote on the Funo offer, Chretin said.

The offers from Fibra Macquarie Mexico and Fibra MTY seem less attractive, according to Itau BBAs Alejandro Fuchs, who predicts either Prologis or a cash offer will win. We believe that the upper hand on this race continues to be on Prologis side, the analyst wrote in a note last week.

Billionaire German Larreas conglomerate Grupo Mexico SAB has been reported by Mexican newspaper columnists to be in the bidding. On a call with analysts last week, Grupo Mexico executives declined to comment on whether the company had made a bid, but said they were interested in acquiring industrial properties.

Pension funds may not want the reinvestment risk of having to redeploy so much cash, said Bradesco BBI strategist Rodolfo Ramos. Prologis or Funo will probably prevail since they have the biggest pipelines to fuel growth, he said, though his view could change once the bids are revealed.

This has very important implications for whoever ends up with it, and whoever doesnt end up with it, Ramos said.

--With assistance from Ezra Fieser.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
After being saddled for years with the biggest bundle of bad loans anywhere in the world, Indias financial system had only recently found its footing. But with profitability at a decade high and capitalization in excess of the regulatory minimum, the countrys banks have begun slipping again. This time, theyre falling on the banana peel of technology.

The latest casualty is Kotak Mahindra Bank. Last week, the regulator ordered what was until recently Indias fourth-largest lender by market value to stop taking new customers via its online and mobile banking channels and refrain from issuing fresh credit cards. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it had found serious deficiencies" in how the bank manages user access, vendor risk and data security. This is stiff punishment. More than 98% of the transaction volume in Kotaks savings accounts were from digital or non-branch methods in the December quarter; 99% of new credit cards and 95% of personal loans it sold were also online. While Kotak says it has already taken some steps and will swiftly resolve balance issues at the earliest," the brazenness of last years scam at UCO Bank is likely to make RBI cautious in lifting the ban. UCO is a small, state-owned lender based in Kolkata. Last November, it found some customers had got nearly $100 million via interbank electronic fund transfers, but accounts at the sending institutions hadnt been debited.

This month, investigators said that this was no error, but a scam. A couple of outside engineers had allegedly fiddled with UCOs servers, creating money out of thin air, and crediting it to different accounts. Several account holders made wrongful gains by withdrawing the proceeds," according to the banks police complaint.

This is the crux of the issue. RBIs press release highlighted frequent and significant outages in the last two years" in Kotaks services that inconvenienced customers. While these are annoying, the big risk is a UCO Bank-type scenario where the same money can be spent twice because it shows up in two accounts. If something like that happens at scale, it could pose serious risks to financial stability. All benefits from digitization pale in front of such a threat.

Digitization has undoubtedly brought benefits, particularly to non-state-owned lenders. Take Kotak, which now has 8.5% of the deposits of State Bank of India (SBI), compared with less than 6% seven years ago. This gain didnt take a commensurate expansion in physical presence. SBI has added nearly 5,000 branches since 2016  10 times as many as Kotak. Even as they have gained from it, banks paid insufficient attention to tech. In December 2020, RBI barred HDFC Bank, Indias largest private lender, from issuing new credit cards and launching fresh digital initiatives. The card ban was lifted after eight months; the digital blockade lasted over a year.

This isnt just an Indian problem. Singapores DBS Group, which has aspired to rank alongside some of the worlds most admired tech brands, has also stumbled on small things like an overheated data centre.

In India, fintech sped up money transactions, but it has also meant complexity. An otherwise staid banking system, running software on servers on bank premises, faces a tsunami of tiny transactions coming via intermediaries that mostly do cloud computing. A widely used smartphone-based protocol, UPI, logged more than 100 billion transactions last year. There are some 50 million merchants accepting online money via QR codes, but the regulator isnt sure if all are legit. Fast and furious may have opened the floodgates to fraud.

A rattled RBI is in a mood to punish. Earlier, it instructed Paytm, the homegrown payments pioneer, to freeze its banking business because of persistent non-compliance. Separately, it asked Visa Inc to stop the use of its business cards for commercial payments with a fintech firm in between.

Drastic supervisory steps may be necessary at times, but they will not be enough. The Indian regulator needs to update its own understanding of technologythe last edition of RBIs 164-page financial stability report devoted a mere four paragraphs to digital safety, even though the central banks survey showed cybersecurity as a high-risk" category.

Threat levels are rising. A 2022 study by DeepStrat, a New Delhi-based consulting firm, had raised concerns about what it called a fraud stack"a large number of bank accounts controlled by crime cartels without their owners being aware of their identities being misused," as explained by Anand Venkatanarayanan, one of the reports authors.

In one instance, the customers address in a banks records was the same as that of the bank branch. When such mule accounts hide in plain sight, attacks become highly probable. bloomberg
Imagine you discovered an idea that could dramatically solve one of the most significant problems of an industry. What will you do with that idea? Would you shout about it from your rooftop or will you keep quiet about it? Here is the story of how an idea that could change the fortunes of the digital-advertising industry was treated. This story is a telling example of how most of us treat paradigm-shifting ideas.

Digital advertising is today a $600 billion industry. In 1994, when digital advertisers started using banner advertising, the click-through rates (CTRs) were about 40%. But in 2022, CTRs stood at a mere 0.35%, a drop of more than 100 times from the 1996 level. One could try to cover up this humongous drop in CTRs by blaming an exponential increase in digital stimuli and the ever-shortening attention spans of digital consumers. But the fact remains that this drastic drop in CTRs has happened in spite of new strategies like sophisticated data-mining techniques, deep personalization based on data from sophisticated online cookie trackers and the use of search-engine optimization.

Tim Hwang, a former global policy lead on artificial intelligence at Google and author of the book Subprime Attention Crisis: Advertising and the Time Bomb at the Heart of the Internet, has warned of consequences for the global economy from the declining effectiveness of digital advertising. Once the actual inefficacy of digital advertising is more widely known, the value of online advertising will probably drop drastically. In this view, much like the subprime-loan crisis of the US mortgage industry pulled the plug on the world economy during the Wests Great Recession about a decade-and-a-half ago, an implosion in what digital advertisements are seen by the market to be worth could hit the value of several technology majors that depend on digital advertising money for their revenues.

Given this precarious situation of the digital advertising world, a new idea put forward by Amazon is hugely relevant. As a leading player in the digital marketing world, trust Amazon to know a lot more than others about what works and what does not work in the digital world. Amazon claims to have found a way to improve CTRs. The Amazon Ads website says: An advertiser may have stand-alone images of their product against a white background, like a coffee mug. When that same coffee mug is placed in a lifestyle contexton a kitchen counter, next to a croissantin a sponsored brands mobile ad, we have seen that click-through rates are more than 40% higher compared to ads with standard product images."

Wow! Given the precipitous fall of CTRs over the years, an idea that promises 40% improvement should be big news, even headline-worthy. But that was not what happened. Even on the Amazon Ads website, this new idea was not even a subhead. It was tucked away in a Q&A section one had to chance upon. Why was this idea underplayed and treated so badly?

First of all, to all those who have worked in the traditional advertising world, that idea is not new. In the traditional ad industry, art directors and photographers have long been aware of how an attractive product shot for a point-of-sale poster can impact business. They would often spend days, if not weeks, thinking through a particular product shot and its background, along with special props and models if required. But the enormous time taken to photograph a product in an appropriate context was probably not the reason that Amazon played down its idea. Today, Generative AI, backed with creative prompting strategies, can churn out good-quality images in a very short time. Everyone knows that. So why was an idea promising a more effective digital connect, one that could potentially alter the design of product tiles and product display pages across e-commerce sites, not given due importance?

Many of us hold onto outdated and ineffective ideas because of an inherent behavioural trait called the status quo bias. The human brain does not like to change. It likes to continue doing what it has been doing all along.

Ever since e-commerce began, it has been a sort of dictum that a product tile or display page should only feature a stand-alone product shot against a white background. It soon became the norm of all e-commerce websites. Based on work that my team had done, this column was one of the few to question that status quo (bit.ly/49ZcYVP). But otherwise, it was business as usual in the e-commerce business; even Amazons website had only drab product shots against the usual white background.

The idea that Amazon Ads has recently proposed to make product displays more appealing questions the status quo of the e-commerce business. Will e-commerce players break free of their bias? It seems unlikely. As the philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn once said, faced with a paradigm-shifting idea, the more intelligent a person is, the more intelligent the reasons this person will come up with for why the status quo is better.

What is the best bet for an innovative idea of yours to overcome the status quo bias that seems to prevail all around? Go to a family-run concern with your idea. From my experience, the heads of family-run businesses are far more open to accepting innovative ideas than professional managers in multinational companies. It takes a very different mindset to nurture innovative ideas that challenge the status quo.
Husni Tarmizi was confused by the fine as his dad isn't often on his phone.

A man collapsed after learning he had been fined $387 and received 10 demerit points for using his mobile phone while driving, something he claims he was wrongfully accused of, leaving his son to desperately pull him from the floor.

Sydney man Husni Tarmizi opened the infringement notice with his 62-year-old dad on Tuesday and admitted he was both "surprised" and "panicked" by the fine, explaining his dad is "old school" and is barely on his phone at the best of times. On closer inspection of the image attached to the penalty notice, he claims the mobile phone detection camera had made an error.

"I went to the computer and downloaded the image and I could see clearly that it's a wallet [in his hand], you can see his phone is in the cradle," he told Yahoo News. "In his left hand you can see the wallet and his right hand he's holding a $50 bill."

Husni Tarmizi believes his dad had his wallet in his left hand and a $50 note in his right, with his phone inside its cradle. Source: Supplied

"He was quite panicked, especially with the 10 demerit points... and I was scared a bit because he has a heart condition." In New South Wales, a driver can receive 13 demerit points before your licence can be suspended, leaving the man dangerously close.

His father confirmed he remembers filling his car with petrol around the corner from his home in Bankstown on the day, which happened to be Easter Monday and incurred extra demerit points.

Driver appeals infringement, awaiting response

Tarmizi confirmed he has already appealed the infringement and is awaiting a response after people urged him to dispute it.

"I've also written an appeal, it's called a review request, we'll see how that goes," he said.

"For the older generation where they don't understand the technologies and stuff, it's scary."

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
For Millennia exile has been a way for critics to escape the iron fist of tyrants and for regimes to silence naysayers. Yet the way authoritarian regimes interact with dissenting opinions abroad is changing dramatically for the worse.

Over the past 30 years open borders have created vastly larger diasporas in foreign lands. Technology has amplified individuals voices and their connection to their homeland, but also enabled monitoring, intimidation and censorship by distant governments. The result is that the worlds autocracies can now plausibly aspire to control ideas and large numbers of people abroad as well as at home.

Exhibit A is China. Eleven million of its citizens or ex-citizens now live outside its borders. As we report its programme of monitoring, censorship and coercion is more elaborate and extensive than ever before. And China is not alone. Under Vladimir Putin, Russia maintains an extensive apparatus to spy on and manipulate ethnic Russians abroad, which includes agents who poisoned former members of his regime in Britain. In January America and Britain accused an Iranian network of numerous acts of transnational repression including assassinations and kidnappingsin an attempt to silence the Iranian regimes perceived critics". And under its leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has been accused of trying to manipulate and police the Turkish diaspora in Europe.

Autocrats are trying to export autocracy. Targeted action against particular people helps create a broad climate of fear. Tyrannical regimes know that self-censorshipthe pre-emptive quashing of dissentis their most powerful tool. Today you often find it in diasporas. Cases of manipulation often seem small and go unreported, but the effect can be large and severe. Many Chinese students are wary of expressing their true views on university campuses that are thousands of miles from Beijing.

How can countries protect the people they host? The most obvious step is to crack down on malign state-backed spies and proxies. Autocratic state-affiliated organisations should be prevented from conducting influence and intimidation campaigns on university campuses. The definition of espionage is expanding to include transnational repression, which should be punished harshly. Last summer America named and imposed sanctions on a group of Iranians involved in their countrys overseas anti-dissident operation.

Another focus should be tech platforms. Banning apps like WeChat, which although privately owned is headquartered in Singapore and used by the state to monitor Chinese abroad, would be an extreme move. In any case, doing so would not help the many recent emigrants who are users of Weixin, the Chinese version of WeChat, with accounts still registered to Chinese phone numbers. But it is reasonable to demand that foreign apps, particularly those based in autocratic states without human-rights protections, show that they protect personal data and that their operations abroad are separate from their parent company. America has imposed these kinds of safeguards on TikTok, another Chinese app.

Stop tyranny from travelling

Dealing with the threat from oppressive regimes and their tentacular reach inevitably involves monitoring what diasporas do and screening individuals who could pose a threat. To a diaspora, however, this risks seeming like scaremongering or discrimination. An essential part of protecting them, therefore, is to make their members feel welcome in their host societies. If they belong, they are more likely to feel safe enough to stand up to the bullies. That means upholding the values of openness which led people to make them their new home in the first place.

 2024, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
President Biden warned China two years ago not to provide material support" for Russias war in Ukraine. On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken conceded that Xi Jinping ignored that warning. China, Mr. Blinken said, was overwhelmingly the No. 1 supplier" of Russias military industrial base, with the material effect" of having fundamentally changed the course of the war. Whatever Mr. Biden chooses to do next will be momentous for global security and stability.

Mr. Biden can either enforce his red line through sanctions or other means, or he can signal a collapse of American resolve by applying merely symbolic penalties. Beijing and its strategic partners in Moscow, Tehran, Pyongyang and Caracas would surely interpret half-hearted enforcement as a green light to deepen their campaign of global chaos. Mr. Xi sees a historic opportunity here to undermine the West.

This is a moment akin to President Obamas 2013 red-line failure in Syria. When dictator Bashar al-Assad defied Mr. Obamas warning not to use chemical weapons on his people, the president abstained from military action, and the consequences were dire. Six months later Moscow launched its 2014 invasion of Crimeathe beginning of the now-decadelong Ukraine War. A failure to act decisively against China now would open a path for Russian victory in Ukraine.

Mr. Biden drew his red line on March 18, 2022, three weeks after Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. I made no threats," Mr. Biden said after a video call with Mr. Xi that day. But Mr. Biden said he made sure the Chinese president understood he would be putting himself in significant jeopardy" and risking Chinas economic ties with the U.S. and Europe if he materially supported Russias war.

Mr. Bidens cabinet reinforced his ultimatum with specific warnings. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned that the administration could essentially shut" Chinas biggest chip maker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., in response to its chips being used by the Russian military. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen threatened financial sanctions. She followed up with a pledge late last year to take decisive, and surgical, action against financial institutions that facilitate the supply of Russias war machine."

Trade data suggest Beijing was careful to avoid overtly crossing the red line in 2022. But in 2023, when the Biden administration applied only token sanctions on Iranian entities that provided thousands of kamikaze drones to the Russiansdrones that have saturated Ukrainian air defenses and caused widespread carnagethe Chinese probably decided that Mr. Bidens bluster was a bluff. In March 2023, Mr. Xi visited the Kremlin in a bold show of solidarity with Mr. Putin. It turned out to be a watershed in Moscows war, effectively turning the conflict into a Chinese proxy war with the West.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies found that Chinese support for Russias military manufacturing skyrocketed beginning in early 2023. Mr. Blinken specifically mentioned to his Chinese counterparts machine tools, microelectronics, nitrocellulosewhich is critical to making munitions and rocket propellantsand other dual-use items that Moscow is using to ramp up its defense industrial base." News reports over the past year also point to Chinas provision of military vehicles, drones, bulletproof vests, gunpowder and satellite imagery.

Fracturing the West through proxy wars in Europe and the Middle East fits neatly within Mr. Xis exhortation to his bureaucracy to seek opportunity in international turmoil. The most important characteristic of the world is, in a word, chaos, and this trend appears likely to continue," Mr. Xi told a seminar of Chinese Communist Party leaders in January 2021. The times and trends are on our side." As Mr. Xi departed a Kremlin meeting in March 2023, he went further, effectively declaring himself and Mr. Putin agents of chaos. Right now there are changes, the likes of which we havent seen for 100 years," he said. And we are the ones driving these changes together."

As the Biden team contemplates the potential costs of imposing sanctions on major Chinese banks and other systemically important companies, it must also weigh the costs of failing to do so. Chinas leaders are vulnerable to meaningful sanctions. In late 2017, the Trump administration quietly but firmly threatened to impose sanctions on Chinas main energy producer after Beijing resisted U.S. requests to restrict oil exports to North Korea. China knew the threat was credible and quickly agreed to co-sponsor an unprecedented United Nations Security Council resolution capping exports.

Today, that credibility is looking threadbare. Beijings official statements after the Blinken visit made no mention of the American complaint, and a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said flatly: The Ukraine issue is not an issue between China and the United States. The U.S. side should not turn it into one."

Worse, there are signs Beijing and its axis of chaos, which includes Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela, is planning the next phase of violent disruption. Beijing welcomed a delegation from Hamas on the same day Mr. Blinken left Chinaa fact Chinese officials kept from the American delegation. More ominously, Mr. Xi dispatched one of his most trusted aides, former spy agency chief and current Politburo member Chen Wenqing, to Moscow for a nine-day visit. The purpose of the trip was to tighten intelligence and security cooperation and pave the way for Mr. Putins visit to Beijing next month.

In a telling essay this month in the Chinese Communist Partys top ideological and policy journal, Chen Yixinthe current head of Chinas premier spy agencypromoted the idea of waging struggle" far beyond Chinas borders. Mr. Chens essay in the magazine Qiushi included a line that may as well serve as the informal slogan of the axis of chaos: Seek advantages and avoid disadvantages in chaos."

Mr. Pottinger served as deputy national security adviser, 2019-21. He chairs the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and is author of The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan," forthcoming in July.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that he would oppose the allocation of reservations for Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs to Muslims based on religion.

Addressing an election rally in Telangana's Zaheerabad Lok Sabha constituency, the Prime Minister emphasised, As long as Modi is alive, I will not let reservations of Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs be given to Muslims based on religion.

PM Modi pointed out that when the Congress won a significant number of MPs and MLAs in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2004 and 2009, it extended reservation benefits to Muslims under the Backward Classes (BC) category. He criticized the Congress for not approving OBC status for 26 castes in Telangana while categorizing Muslims as OBC "overnight."

In a veiled criticism of Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Modi alleged that money collected in the state through the "double R (RR) tax" is being diverted to Delhi. He made these remarks while referring to the blockbuster Telugu film titled 'RRR', which received global acclaim.

Accusing the Congress of planning to impose a 55 per cent inheritance tax if voted to power, Modi stated that while the rest of the world was progressing economically, India suffered from policy paralysis under the previous UPA government. "If Congress comes to power, they will bring an inheritance tax. Congress is planning to collect more than half, 55 per cent, as tax on inheritance," he claimed.

Taking a jab at the Congress, Modi said that whenever the party is in power, it is associated with five political symbols: false promises, vote bank politics, support for mafia and criminals, dynastic politics, and corruption.

The Prime Minsiter further alleged that after BRS, the Congress is now looting Telangana.

Telangana Lok Sabha Election 2024 Telangana will vote in phase 4 of the seven-phased Lok Sabha Elections on May 13. This phase includes voting in 10 states/union territories across 96 constituencies.
HANOIThe scheme described by prosecutors was brazen: Buy a controlling share of a bank, fill its ranks with loyalists, then pay them to lend you billions of dollars for real estate deals.

Vietnam authorities say a property tycoon named Truong My Lan carried out the audacious plan for more than a decade. A court in the country sentenced the 67-year-old businesswoman to death in April in the biggest financial scandal the Southeast Asian nation has ever seen.

Vietnams famously secretive Communist government made an unusual show of punishing Lan. Her case became one of the most high profile in a relentless antigraft campaign dubbed the Blazing Furnace," launched about a decade ago by Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong, who is now 80 years old. Thousands of officials have gone to prison. Two presidents, accused of allowing corruption, have been toppled.

The crackdown was meant to cleanse the image of the country, where corruption has become deeply entrenched, and attract more of the foreign investment that powers its growthparticularly as countries like the U.S. look to Vietnam as an alternative to China.

But the sweeping anticorruption drive has also led to political turmoil and depleted the civil service. Some investors and human-rights groups are concerned it is being used by powerful party members to take out political rivals, much like Chinese leader Xi Jinpings large-scale antigraft purges sidelined his opponents.

Both countries are Communist-ruled, one-party states with opaque judicial systems and no free press.

Although initially the anticorruption campaign was all about rooting out corruption and protecting the regime, as time goes by, it has been inevitably manipulated for political infighting given the lack of checks and balances in the Vietnamese one-party system," said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow specializing in Vietnam at the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

For years, Vietnams anticorruption crusade focused on the Communist Party. Fearful of finding themselves in the furnace," government workers quit and flooded into the private sector. Lans companies are among the first major privately owned enterprises to land in the governments crosshairs, signaling that the party was willing to take the campaign beyond its ranks.

Lan denied all the accusations against her, and her lawyers said she would appeal the verdict.

The campaign has been both good and bad for business. Adam Sitkoff, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, said many businesses are glad the government is taking steps to end corruption. But it has instilled such fear in the civil service that it has slowed down processes like getting necessary permits.

It can create a sort of paralysis in the decision-making process, and this is a fast-growing country," Sitkoff said. For Vietnam to maintain its competitiveness, decisions will need to be made in a fast manner that can keep up with how quickly the country is changing."

Lan was convicted of a fraud of staggering scale. Prosecutors said she bribed bank staff, appraisers and government officials to approve and cover up some $42 billion in fraudulent loans to shell companies she controlled. They said she then used the funds to carve out an empire of luxury hotels, waterfront condos, prime office and retail space in up-and-coming cities. Of that sum, $27 billion remains outstanding, which the state is trying to claw back.

Prosecutors brought various charges against her, including embezzlement to the tune of around $12 billion.

The case captivated the country, dominating gossip at cafes and noodle stalls. Citizens followed developments obsessively and created online memes showing how Lans wealth stacks up against that of famous pop stars such as Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. For months, rare photographs from inside a courtroom in Ho Chi Minh City were splashed across the front pages of state-controlled newspapers, showing a drably dressed Lan surrounded by a sea of police.

The citys information office took the unusual step of publishing summaries of the court hearings. A total of 86 people were convicted in the trial that began in Marchincluding Lans husband, Hong Kong real estate tycoon Eric Chu Nap Kee, and 18 government officials, according to the court records.

Thousands were called to testify, including people who described collecting large sums of cash from branches of the Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank and delivering them to the Sherwood Residence in Ho Chi Minh City. Lan owned a controlling stake in the bank and the five-star hotel.

Six tons of evidenceincluding thousands of documents and a million notesfilled up 104 boxes presented by prosecutors, according to state media.

Lan was sentenced to death for embezzlement, 20 years imprisonment for bribery and another 20 years for violating lending regulations.

The scale is truly unbelievable," said Le Hong Hiep, a senior fellow at Singapores ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. He said the public nature of the trial and the severity of the sentence are meant to send a message that the government, which had to take over the bank to stabilize it, wont turn a blind eye to corruption in the private sector.

Their endgame is to clean up the market and remove toxic practices," he said. When private owners use lenders as their own personal piggy banks, it creates a serious risk for the entire economy."

Lan was well-known in her countrys business community for making bold and sometimes questionable property deals, Vietnamese political and economic analysts said. In addition to the Sherwood Residence, she also owned a nearby high-rise called One Saigon, a multiuse development that she bought but didnt complete, according to the trial summaries published by the city administrations information office.

Little is known about how she amassed so much wealth and influence. Lan testified in court that she used to help her mother sell goods at a market stall in Ho Chi Minh City. According to reports in state media, she saved enough money selling cosmetics at their shop that by the early 1990s she was able to launch her own company and began investing in property.

A 300-page official report on the governments investigation, shared with The Wall Street Journal by Lans lawyers, detailed the sprawling fraud. It described how Lan, using her connections, oversaw the 2011 merger of three distressed banks into what is now one of the countrys largestSaigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank, or SCBand illegally acquired a controlling stake through dozens of proxies.

Lan herself directly owned just 4.9% of shares, within the legal limit, according to a copy of her indictment provided to the Journal by her lawyers. But investigators said in their report that she ultimately controlled up to 91.5% of shares, making her the de facto power shareholder, directing, and absolutely controlling all activities of SCB from the merger of the three private banks until the initiation of legal proceedings."

Investigators said Lan built a network of over 1,000 corporate entities under the control of her main conglomerate, Van Thinh Phat Group, known as VTP. She instructed bank staff, who she personally appointed, to approve massive loans to these companies, make large transfers between the companies, and withdraw cash on their behalf. They said she led the establishment of small bank branchesmeant to avoid central-bank scrutinythat she essentially used as her own personal ATMs.

Her loans make up much of the banks lending, they said.

Lan claimed in her defense statement that she injected her own money into the bank to help it overcome insolvency in 2011, and that she had a right to use its money because it was hers to begin with. She denied that she was the beneficial owner of any more than her fair amount of shares and said she didnt exercise operational control over the bank.

Her husband, the Hong Kong property mogul, also denied wrongdoing. He said he didnt understand the Vietnamese language and simply signed whatever his wife asked him to.

Hai Hong Nguyen, an honorary research fellow at the University of Queensland in Australia, said the harsh sentence might not be carried out. He said the punishment might be leveraged to help the government get what it really wants: piling pressure on Lan to return the money.

The party wanted to send a clear message that anyone involved in corruption will be punished, and there will be no exceptions," he said. But one of the main purposes of any anticorruption trial is to get the money back."

Write to Feliz Solomon at feliz.solomon@wsj.com
Stock photographers who survived the disruptive advent of digital cameras and online sales are bracing themselves for the next great tech shock: generative AI.

Some are predicting the worst.

The stock photography industry is going away," said Connecticut-based photographer Tony Northrup. AI is ending it for the remaining photographers who figured out how to stay profitable."

Photographers concerns highlight a growing unease within the wider commercial creative industries that AI will wipe out jobs that until now have relied on artistic talent and decades of experience.

Industries such as marketing, publishing, music and news have long relied on stock photography to create, illustrate or promote their products for less cost than commissioning photos would require. AIs new capability to generate realistic images from simple text prompts is now giving stock clients an affordable, fast alternative that comes with greater control of the final image.

Im concerned that my best efforts to be a creative photographer and responsible business owner will quickly become all for naught," said Shannon Fagan, a Memphis, Tenn.-based photographer. I anticipate that it will make my stock photography collection somewhat obsolete."

The companies that broker stock imagery say doom-mongering is unfounded. Consumers are still proving hostile toward AI-generated images, and so are marketers looking to convey an air of authenticity, according to executives.

Real photos of real things are still in demand, said Paul Hennessy, CEO of stock photography provider Shutterstock, on an earnings call in February. We are not seeing our customers at any level of scale with a desire to buy, purchase and utilize AI-generated images," Hennessy said.

The stock-photo companies are hedging their bets, however, by introducing AI tools of their own. Lacking similar options, stock photographers cant be so sanguine.

Stock photographys golden hour

Top photographers in the 70s, 80s and 90s routinely earned thousands of dollars from ad agencies, record labels and media companies for one photo. Life was gooduntil digital photography changed everything.

The supply just totally outpaced the demand," said Washington state-based photographer Pete Saloutos. Photo agencies consolidated and moved their businesses online, expanding their libraries and reducing prices and royalties in the process.

At one point I was getting as much as $2,000 for the use of a photo, and that went down to 2 cents," Saloutos said. He still shoots stock but no longer expects good returns.

So many of his peers bowed out that the industrys trade association, the Stock Artists Alliance, shut down in 2011. Other photographers turned multiple rooms in their homes into studios and began shooting thousands of photos a day, factory-line style, to maintain the figures on their royalty checks.

Some say they can ride out this latest tech quake, confident that machines are no match for artistry.

Antonio Guillem, the photographer behind the internet-famous distracted boyfriend" stock photo, said he still makes good money from stock that he shoots in his 2,000-square-foot studio outside Barcelona, although he no longer sells the 1,600 licenses a day that he did three years ago.

That AI look

The biggest companies in stock photography take the same line. AI imagery sometimes looks uncanny or fake, and most consumers and customers want the real thing, they say.

Stock companies AI models will also require a stream of fresh photos to remain up-to-date, especially when it comes to images of new technologies and current events, said Rebecca Swift, Getty Images global head of creative.

And AI is unlikely to diminish stock photographers pay any further because companies including Getty have to keep prices high enough to maintain their own operations, Swift said.

Getty Images 2023 creative revenue, its term for stock sales, declined 1.1% from the year before to $578.7 million. Shutterstocks subscribers declined 10.8%, although its sales increased. Adobe, which owns a stock photo business as well as products like Photoshop, doesnt break out the sales of its individual subscription products.

Stock companies optimism about traditional photography hasnt stopped them from racing to build their own AI image tools so they can serve those clients who do want AI art today, compete with the likes of Midjourney and OpenAIs Dall-E, and be in position as the tech improves and demand grows.

Last year, Adobe introduced Firefly, an image-generating AI model trained on its Adobe Stock library and content in the public domain, Shutterstock launched an AI image generator powered by OpenAI and Google AI tech, and Getty Images partnered with Nvidia to create Generative AI by Getty Images. All market their AI products as commercially safe, meaning they trained the models on images for which they have the rights, and introduced some form of compensation for those images photographers.

Fagan, the Memphis-based photographer, said he received a one-off AI-training payment from Adobe Stock last year that amounted to around 10% to 12% of his annual income from the company.

In some ways, this moment in time feels like the calm before the stormborrowed time before we will all inevitably need to adapt to spend our time doing something else," Fagan said.

Bend, dont break

Adobe is encouraging photographers to use generative AI to create more images and sell more licenses, said Scott Belsky, the companys chief strategy officer and executive vice president of design and emerging products. If Adobe sees demand for photos of women in red sweaters, for instance, photographers could use AI to tweak their existing pictures of women in blue and purple sweaters to capitalize.

Resistance, for Belsky, is futile.

When artists say to me, I hate generative AI, why are you even allowing it in any of your products? Im like, Because [otherwise] people are gonna go to illegitimate places and youre going to end up getting paid nothing. " Belsky said. This is a revolution, this is the new digital camera, and we have to embrace it."

But others question how long it will take before generative AI stops including extra fingers in its images and becomes essentially impossible to distinguish from real photos.

Northrup, the Connecticut-based photographer, now concentrates on other projects, such as the YouTube channel he runs with his wife and his business publishing educational books on photography.

Im an old tech guy, Ive been through it a couple of times," he said. So I have constantly been looking ahead for the next thing thats going to crush all my dreams and the stuff that I built."
The recent double-pronged antitrust offensive launched by the U.S. Justice Department against Google's dominant search engine and Apple's pioneering iPhone has reignited memories of the historic legal clash that once shackled Microsoft before its resurgence as the world's most valuable company.

Drawing parallels to the landmark antitrust case against Microsoft in 1998, federal regulators suggest that reining in the tech giant a quarter-century ago may have paved the way for the rise of Google and Apple to their current levels of prominence.

In a trial that commenced in Washington, D.C., last September and is now reaching its conclusion, the Justice Department argues that Google has wielded its search engine as an illegal monopoly, stifling competition and innovation. Meanwhile, the case against Apple, initiated just a month ago, is still in its nascent stages and likely years away from resolution.

Despite the separate legal challenges against Google and Apple, the shadow of Microsoft's antitrust saga looms large over both cases, with regulators drawing parallels between Google's business practices and those of Microsoft in the past.

In the recent lawsuits against Apple, the Justice Department referenced complaints raised by Steve Jobs in 1998 regarding Microsoft's alleged anti-competitive tactics, suggesting a historical precedent for regulatory intervention to ensure fair competition.

The outcome of the Microsoft case, which led to concessions and opened doors for competitors, including Google and Apple, is hailed by the Justice Department as a catalyst for innovation and competition.

Microsoft's subsequent resurgence under CEO Satya Nadella, marked by significant market value growth and advancements in artificial intelligence, underscores the potential for companies to reinvent themselves following regulatory intervention.

Antitrust experts view the Microsoft case as a success story, illustrating the importance of restoring competition in the market to foster innovation and prevent the emergence of new monopolies.

Historical antitrust lawsuits against companies like IBM and AT&T are cited as precedents, demonstrating how regulatory intervention can pave the way for technological revolutions and economic growth.

As the current antitrust proceedings against Google and Apple unfold, with a ruling expected in the coming months, regulators continue to monitor the tech landscape, assessing potential anticompetitive behavior and ensuring a level playing field for innovation. Meanwhile, scrutiny of Microsoft's activities in the AI sector underscores ongoing efforts to prevent the consolidation of unfair advantages in emerging markets.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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NAMPA  A thin blue line flag flapped gently in the breeze blowing on Idaho Center Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon.

It welcomed a procession of dozens of law enforcement and first responder vehicles that wended their way from Eagle to Nampas Ford Idaho Center for the memorial service for fallen Ada County deputy Tobin Bolter.

Hundreds of members of the public and law enforcement officers from around the region gathered outside of the arena to witness the arrival of Bolters hearse and coffin. The honor guard, a mix of law enforcement professionals from various agencies, lined either side of the path of the hearse to one of the centers entrances.

Bolter was shot in the neck on April 20 during a traffic stop in Boise, as previously reported by the Associated Press. A witness to the incident called 911 and performed CPR, but Bolter later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. Another Ada County deputy, Dallas Denney, suffered injuries on her way to the scene when she was involved in a crash; she and another person injured in the crash received treatment at a local hospital.

On Tuesday, family, friends and law enforcement observed the funeral from inside the center, while the public was invited to watch the livestream  also broadcast on the Ada County Sheriffs Office YouTube page  from the Ford Idaho Centers outdoor amphitheater.

Abbey Bolter, flanked by Bolters parents and her parents, greeted the crowd by thanking everyone for coming, her voice quavering.

Since Tobin went home to be with the Lord, I am mostly grieving the loss of my best friend, Abbey said.

The couple met in middle school but did not start dating until Bolter asked Abbeys fathers permission during their senior year of high school. They would have celebrated six years of marriage in June, she said, and she is expecting their first child.

Abbey said the communitys support has been overwhelming.

Im truly speechless at the generosity of so many individuals. I have seen Gods grace and mercy shown through all of you, she said.

Bolter grew up in Walnut Creek, California, and he first trained in high school as a cadet with that citys police department. Brian Hill, retired chief of police for the Pleasant Hill Police Department, described working for the Walnut Creek Police Department and knowing 16-year-old Bolter as someone eager to volunteer to act in incident scenarios training.
A tough-to-manage winter wheat disease that was confirmed for the first time in Idaho last spring has recently resurfaced in Nez Perce and Idaho counties, University of Idaho crop experts reported.

Kurt Schroeder, UI Extension cropping systems agronomist, and Doug Finkelnburg, UI Extension educator of cropping systems, alerted farmers and agronomists last spring that a couple of fields in Nez Perce County were infected with soil-borne wheat mosaic virus.

The disease, which spreads via tainted soil and can significantly reduce yields within infected patches, was found this spring in additional fields in Nez Perce County, as well as four Idaho County fields.

Those four fields in Idaho County are not contiguous  there is some distance between them, Finkelnburg said. We suspect its very likely there are additional fields we havent discovered yet.

The virus was first found in the central plains of the U.S. in 1919 and arrived in Oregons Willamette Valley in 1994. In 2005, the disease was confirmed in Oregons Columbia Basin, and it arrived in Washingtons Walla Walla County in 2009.

Schroeder and Finkelnburg sought to raise awareness among their regions growers and fieldmen about the viruss symptoms and how to respond to confirmed infections during field days, cereal schools and other industry forums last season. The virus replicates in cool, wet conditions, often infecting crops in the fall when temperatures drop below 60 degrees.

The disease is easily confused with other common problems affecting cereals, such as barley yellow dwarf virus, excessive moisture and nitrogen deficiency.
A woman pleaded guilty to aggravated battery in a case in which she placed her hands over her fathers mouth at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Lewiston.

Sandra L. McCarty, 55, of Las Vegas, entered a guilty plea through Zoom on Tuesday, accepted by 2nd District Judge Michelle Evans at the Nez Perce County Courthouse.

McCarty was charged Feb. 2, 2023, and indicted by a grand jury May 31, 2023, for the battery of Robert Whitlock, 81, who was McCartys father. He died Feb. 13, 2023, of causes unrelated to the incident.

Her public defender, Rick Cuddihy, reviewed the agreement on the record for the court because McCarty didnt have the written agreement available to sign.

The agreement is part of a rule 11 plea agreement which is binding on the court so if a judge doesnt follow the agreement then the defendant can revoke the guilty plea.

As part of the agreement, the charge was changed to aggravated battery from attempted first-degree murder. The amended complaints state that McCarty used force or violence on Whitlock by placing her hands over his mouth and nose, trying to suffocate him, according to court documents.

The sentence will be for a fixed two years with an additional eight years indeterminate for 10 years total, but the defense is allowed to argue for probation instead of a jail sentence. McCarty will also give up her right to appeal.
Richard Joseph Herres, 89, of Pomeroy, passed away Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

Richard was born on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 1934, in Pomeroy and was the 10th child born to M.P. and Mary (Kucklick) Herres.

He attended Holy Rosary Catholic School through the fourth grade and then St. Patricks in Walla Walla, where he finished schooling and spent the early part of his life.

Richard returned to Pomeroy, where he worked on the family farm for the Herres Brothers and for Ted Feider on his farm.

Richard joined the U.S. Army on Nov. 5, 1957. Basic training was at Fort Ord, Calif. Then he went to Fort Monmouth, N.J., to train to be a telecommunications specialist. He spent the remainder of his time at Fort Gordon, Ga., where he oversaw a group that went into areas after hurricanes and tornados setting up telephone communication stations. Rich traveled the southern U.S. on many missions, repairing and setting up stations, He enjoyed his work. Richard was discharged just as the Vietnam War was starting and never served overseas. He remained on standby for four years and was honorably discharged in October 1963.

Richard went to work for his brother Joe, at Walla Walla in the alfalfa and cattle production. In the spring of 1970, he returned to Pomeroy to work for his brother Swede, (Leonard) in the grain, seed and feed business until his retirement.

Richard was always a quick volunteer, whether you were reroofing your house or needed a Santa for a Christmas gathering, he was always a willing volunteer.
Another woman's body has been found at a Brisbane unit, with the nation's leaders meeting to discuss the country's domestic violence crisis.

Yahoo's live blog for Wednesday, April 1 has now concluded.

One of the biggest stories from the day was Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's near-$1 billion pledge to women facing domestic violence situations. Women fleeing dangerous relationships will be able to apply for $5,000 in support as part of the reform agreed today with state and territory leaders.

The 19-year-old woman found dead in a Bondi unit on Tuesday has been identified as Yolonda Mumbulla, who friends say was "full of joy".

Below is more information on those stories and other talking points of the day.

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER 11 updates House set to become Australia's most expensive A huge harbourside home in Sydney is expected to sell for over $200 million, making it the most expensive residence in the country by some distance. The four-storey home in the exclusive suburb of Point Piper, in between Double Bay and Rose Bay, has its own movie theatre, an eight-car garage and surprisingly just four bedrooms, however has a separate two-bed apartment attached. Listing agent Ken Jacobs told Nine the home should easily eclipse the $130 million paid for another Point Piper home in 2022, and should achieve north of $200 million. The Point Piper home overlooks Sydney Harbour. Source: Forbes Global Properties via Nine

Qantas apologises after serious data breach Qantas has "sincerely apologised" to customers after a security breach on Wednesday morning saw multiple passengers' details and boarding passes widely distributed, with many travellers claiming they could make changes and even cancel bookings of complete strangers. Read more here.

Iconic pub removes meat from its menu in Aussie first The Chippo says it has wiped meat from its menu. The chicken parmi (or parma depending on where you're from) is a staple on any Aussie pub menu. But for one long-running pub, it's had a major makeover. The Chippo Hotel in Sydney's inner-city Chippendale has become what it says is the first ever all-vegan pub in the country. But they stress their vegetarian replicas of classic pub meals "satisfy even the most die-hard meat eaters". Owner Bhavani Baumann said he hoped the venue could become a "go-to spot for the community". What are your thoughts on the unprecedented move?

Women at risk of domestic violence able to access $5,000 in support Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed close to $1 billion dollars to tackle violence against women after meeting with state and territory leaders on Wednesday. Under the reforms agreed upon, women looking to get out of dangerous situations will be eligible to access $5,000 in support and receive access to referral services and risk assessments. Read more here.

Staff member pretending to be patient took ambulance to hospital A hospital staff member pretending to be a patient arrived by ambulance in a bid to convince visiting Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas the facility was busier than it was. New details have been shared about the August incident in a report released this week, which detailed how several staff members at Colac Area Health claimed they were patients needing urgent care. These staff members were registered as patients in the urgent care centre registration system. Their registrations were later cancelled after I had left," Thomas said. One fake patient was a staff member on a trolley, the minister said, and at the time she did not think anything untoward was happening at the facility. Im very disappointed. I dont need our health services to be staging fake patients to know that our health system is facing challenges, she said. Read more here.

Teen found dead in Bondi apartment was 'full of joy' Warning: Readers are advised the following report contains the name and image of a deceased Indigenous person. The 19-year-old woman found dead in a Bondi apartment on Tuesday has been identified by a friend as Yolonda Mumbulla. With such sad and sudden news, we ask for your help in giving her a beautiful send off," they said in a GoFundMe post. Yolonda always had such an uplifting spirit, she was funny, full of joy and she was always there to help anyone. A post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause of her death. Two men have been charged with drug offences after the discovery of Mumbulla's body. Yolonda Mumbulla, 19, was found dead in her North Bondi unit on Hardy street on Tuesday morning. Picture: Gofundme

Teen winner of Million Dollar Fish reveals dark past A Northern Territory teen who scooped the life-changing top prize in the territory's Million Dollar Fish competition has issued an apology live on TV after his troubled past was brought up. Keegan Payne, 19, was pressed by Sky News Peter Stefanovic about a story circulating on social media claiming the teen being involved in vehicle theft, the NT News reported. There is a claim online that you stole a Polaris Ranger and Polaris quad that you and your friends stole and damaged from a business a few years back, first of all, is that true? Stefanovic asked. Payne confirmed it was, saying it was a "big regret" from his younger years. He addressed the business owner directly telling him he's "finally done it, Im richer". Sorry about your buggy, and I wish I could pay you back," he continued. Im very sorry. Sorry for you and your wife and your business. Keegan Payne celebrating his big win this week.

Council crackdown as residents' bin rates go elsewhere A local government minister has vowed to crack down on councils after dozens were accused of lacking transparency on where ratepayers' money was going. An investigation from Council Watch revealed some councils in Victoria were using millions of dollars collected for kerbside rubbish services for other costs, Nine News reported. According to data obtained by Council Watch, Frankston City Council used close to $3 million for street cleaning, $425,000 for graffiti management and $2.1 million for rubbish pickup in public places. The costs were attributed as "waste charges" and from funds collected for residents' bins. "They're meant to be collecting fees for the services they actually provide but instead what they've decided to do is move things like street sweeping and graffiti into kerbside waste levies," Council Watch CEO Dean Hurlston said. While Frankston Council says what it is doing is legal, Victoria's Local Government Minister Melissa Horne said the move was "outside the guidelines". Victoria's government has vowed to crack down on councils wrongly using ratepayers' money. Source: Getty

Two men charged after teen's body found at Bondi unit Two men have been charged with drug offences after a 19-year-old woman's body was found in a Bondi unit on Tuesday. A 32-year-old man was hit with multiple charges including entering a vehicle or boat without consent, hindering police, and possessing suspected stolen goods. A 34-year-old was arrested after a search warrant was executed on a home 2km away, and was charged with two counts of possessing prohibited drugs. The 32-year-old will font court today while the 34-year-old is due to appear in court in June. They have not been charged in relation to the teen's death. Police say investigations into the cause of the woman's death are ongoing, with misadventure a line of inquiry. Police swarmed on a Bondi unit after reports a woman's body was found inside. Source: NCA Newswire

Update after world-famous tree cut down Months after the felling of an iconic tree made headlines around the world, two men have finally been charged over the incident. The 200-year-old Sycamore Gap tree in the UK county of Northumberland, which appeared in the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, was felled in September last year, sparking outrage across Britain. A 38-year-old and 31-year-old have been charged with causing criminal damage to the tree and the adjacent Hadrian's Wall. Read more here. The tree was known all around the world. Source: PA

King Charles returns to royal duties after cancer diagnosis King Charles has returned to royal duties following his cancer diagnosis. The 75-year-old visited a cancer treatment centre in London and met with fellow cancer sufferers. Speaking with one female patient, he said: "It's always a bit of a shock, isn't it, when they tell you?" He revealed hours later he too would be receiving treatment. Read more here. King Charles holds the hand of one cancer patient. Source: Reuters

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If the early reads on the U.S. Supreme Court are anywhere near right, Idahos new abortion law may have a sweeping and deep effect in many states around the country.

More effects than many people even realize, or even can calculate.

Idahos law is being challenged in the Supreme Court by federal agencies, which point out that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act of 1986 requires emergency rooms (those which receive Medicare) to provide at least stabilizing medical care for patients who show up. The Idaho law appears to run counter to that, ordering that abortion cannot be part of any medical treatment unless the mother is at clear risk of dying. Abortion is a treatment for a number of medical problems which may not be solvable otherwise, and without which a woman may either die or her body may be severely damaged.

Federal Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar described the impact: Today, doctors in Idaho and the women in Idaho are in an impossible position. If a woman comes to an emergency room facing a grave threat to her health, but she isnt yet facing death, doctors either have to delay treatment and allow her condition to materially deteriorate or theyre airlifting her out of the state so she can get the emergency care that she needs.

In other words, Idaho is in the process (a number of cases have become public already) of dumping desperately ill patients on other states which will take care of them. Which Idaho wont.

If a law like Idahos were in place in all states, the talk would shift to covering airlifts out of the country entirely.

Prelogar didnt get into the point that a large portion of Idahos obstetricians have exited the state, mostly because of the new law; there was no place in her argument for it, this being a mere practical consideration rather than legal analysis.
Such a group of legislators where the majority is so insensitive and incapable of being unbiased cannot be trusted with issues as complicated as gender transition. Idaho legislators have their own solutions to deal with issues surrounding gender transition. One law prohibits public funding for any surgical operation or medical intervention for purposes of altering the appearance of an individual in order to affirm the persons perception of his/her sex in a way that is inconsistent with that persons biological sex. Another law prohibits such procedures on children younger than age 18 and provides for imprisonment up to 10 years for any medical provider who performs the procedure. This ignores the needs of those rare individuals who do not identify with their birth sex. The result may be extreme psychological distress that can lead to severe depression and even suicide  at any age. In fact, this is a condition that does rarely exist and treatment needs to be decided between individuals and their doctors. A doctor will not engage in unnecessary interventions and certainly not in unnecessary surgery. It is wrong to tie the hands of those who have the skills and background to help individuals who are struggling with unimaginably difficult medical situations.

Finally, Idahos abortion law must be modified. Following the U.S. Supreme Courts Dobbs decision, which reversed Roe v. Wade, Idaho legislators have enacted an abortion law that they deemed appropriate for the state. Some individuals have branded Idahos law the worst in the nation. Under Idaho code, physicians risk losing their licenses and can face up to five years in prison for providing abortions that do not fall under limited exceptions. Idaho law only allows abortion if needed for the mothers life, not their health. Many have begged for a change of the law to include abortion if necessary for the health of the mother. The law, if unchanged, will be a catastrophe for mothers, babies and doctors. We are losing countless doctors and programs that provide womens health care. Idaho will be one of those states forcing women to flee to another state for health care. At the time of this writing, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to Idahos law.

Some Idaho legislators take a fair, unbiased approach to governing but unfortunately the majority do not. Representation involving rights of people based on gender identity and sexual orientation has not been fair and unbiased. Legislators need to represent all of their constituents. They need to get past any personal feelings of discomfort regarding same-sex relationships. Additionally, legislators need to be serious about womens health care and consider the concerns of educated and dedicated health care professionals. Women and health care providers represent a very large segment of the population of constituents. They deserve to be heard.

Look carefully at the performance of the person representing you. A general election is a few short months away. Informed voters will assure that we have a governing body committed to meeting the needs of all of us.

Ringo, of Moscow, is a former mathematics teacher and a seven-term Democratic member of the Idaho House.
COEUR dALENE  Borah Elementary Schools days are numbered.

Tears were wiped from faces and sniffles could be heard Monday evening as trustees of the Coeur dAlene School District unanimously voted to accept a recommendation from district staff to repurpose the school. The move is expected to save the district money as it addresses an expected $6 million shortfall for fiscal year 2025.

Were heartbroken, obviously, fifth grade teacher Teresa Armstrong, who is in her 16th year at Borah, said after the meeting.

It impacts a lot of people, she said, not just people that are in the school currently, but the teachers that have taught there most of their careers previously and the community, people that have gone there not only now but over the years.

It will also affect the neighborhood and the nearby retirement homes often visited by Borah students, she said.

We have to remember, its not just us, Armstrong said. A lot of people are feeling this.

It was with heavy hearts the board voted to repurpose Borah at the start of the 2024-25 school year, a motion tearfully put forth by Trustee Heather Tenbrink.

I know how I would feel about this as a parent, and I can imagine how I would feel about it as a staff member, she said, her voice catching.
The sheriffs office says 31-yea-old Bobby John Bergeron, Jr. fled to Louisiana from amid an investigation of a case involving rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse.
One witness said he was on the ground in front of the shooter as he fired.
Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan Culture Minister Adil Karimli has received Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, to discuss prospects for cultural cooperation between the two countries, Azernews reports.

During the meeting, Minister Adil Karimli hailed the strong cultural relations between Azerbaijan and China.

He recalled his visit to China in September 2023 and emphasised the importance of the meetings held there, expressing admiration for China's ancient and rich culture.

Minister Karimli also underscored the valuable cooperation between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in enhancing cultural cooperation.

Yang Wanming expressed the Chinese People's Association's keen interest in further developing relations with the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Azerbaijan Culture Ministry.

It was noted that the high-level cooperation established between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries makes a great contribution to the development of cultural relations between the two countries.

At the meeting, views were exchanged on the organisation of mutual culture days, the protection and promotion of cultural heritage, as well as the prospects of relations in other fields.

A proposal was made to hold Azerbaijan Culture Days on the eve of the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) 2025.

Note that Azerbaijan was granted the status of a dialogue partner in the SCO on July 10, 2015. According to the Memorandum signed in Beijing on March 14, 2016,

The country's membership in the SCO has opened up new opportunities for cooperation in such areas as strengthening regional security and stability, cooperation in the field of trade and investment, energy, telecommunications, and agriculture, as well as the promotion of direct contacts between small and medium-sized businesses; interaction on legal and customs issues, etc.

Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Azerbaijan, Ding Tao, also participated in the meeting.

Note that Azerbaijan and China successfully cooperate in different fields.

Economic ties between Azerbaijan and China play a large role in bilateral political relationships.

In January-July 2023, the volume of exports from Azerbaijan to China increased by 120 percent compared to the same period of 2022.

Azerbaijan Trade House has been recently established under presidential instructions.

The Trade House intends to promote the Made in Azerbaijan brand in the Chinese market and expand the export of Azerbaijani products.
A new category of licence could make it possible for Queenslanders to care for native animals and birds that can't live in the wild.

Wildlife laws could be overhauled in one Aussie state after the saga of Molly the magpie sparked a national uproar. A review of nature laws could allow Queenslanders to acquire licences to care for native animals that are deemed unsuitable to be returned to the wild.

Queenslands Environment Minister Leanne Linard confirmed with Yahoo News she had asked her departments Director General to undertake an eight-week review of the Code of Practice that governs the care of injured, sick and orphaned animals.

As the current Code of Practice has been in place for more than three years, and its operation has been tested in that period, it is [time] for a detailed review to consider its effectiveness, useability and completeness. In particular, lessons learnt from recent cases will be considered as part of the review, she said.

Premier Steven Miles beams as he allows Molly the magpie to perch on his shoulder. Source: Peggy and Molly

Killing of beloved birds helps inspire wildlife license review

Molly was taken from a Gold Coast couple because the Department of Environment (DESI) determined it was unsuitable to live as a wild bird because it was highly habituated to humans and likely had developmental issues. With the Peggy and Molly accounts attracting a following of over two million people across Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, there was never any thought the bird would be euthanised and plans were made to place it in a sanctuary.

But the case uncovered a separate instance of birds that werent so lucky. This involved a native white raven and exotic eclectus parrot that had been cared for by Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue for five years, which were surrendered due to a paperwork error and then destroyed by DESI on advice from vets.

Jason Hunt (right) asked Leanne Linard (left) to review Queensland's environment laws. Source: Jason Hunt/Facebook

The Twinnies case resulted in their local member Jason Hunt rushing to their house to break the heartbreaking news, and he then wrote to Linard asking her to intervene.

With the recent cases of Molly the Magpie and the white crow and eclectus parrot cared for by Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue, and following representations made by the Member for Caloundra, I asked the Director-General of my Department to undertake a review into the settings for the care of injured, sick and orphaned animals under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and associated regulations and the Code of Practice, Linard said.

The Director-General has proposed that Queenslands Chief Scientist undertake the review, supported by a panel of experts to provide a range of scientific input into the process.

Which wildlife regulations are being reviewed in Queensland?

While Molly the magpie's followers were overjoyed by its return, many wildlife rescuers have been concerned Premier Steven Mile's intervention could lead Aussies to believe its okay to take magpies home and raise them with dogs.

Linard said her review will focus on three aspects of the Code of Practice which include:

The regulatory framework as it relates to the care of injured, sick and orphaned wildlife,

The effectiveness, useability and completeness of the Code of Practice for injured, sick and orphaned animals, and

The case for a new class of carer's licence for animals that are unsuitable to be rehabilitated and returned to the wild, but might otherwise be healthy.

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories.
An immigration lawyer has warned that cases will be taken by asylum seekers if Ireland attempts to return them to the UK while it is operating its planned Rwanda scheme.

It comes as the Cabinet approved emergency legislation from Minister of Justice Helen McEntee to allow the UK to be designated as a safe country to enable asylum seekers to be transferred back there.

A High Court ruling in March deemed that the legal basis for designating the UK as a safe country to return asylum seekers to was unsound under EU law.

The UK Government recently passed legislation for a scheme to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda, which was announced two years ago but has yet to see a flight take off.

David Leonard, an Irish barrister with expertise in immigration law, said the UK legislation for the proposal was unprecedented territory.

Responding to a question from Senator Michael McDowell at a parliamentary committee on Tuesday, Mr Leonard said: That Act was passed to get around a judgment of the UK Supreme Court.

It wouldnt be a lawful act if it was passed by the Oireachtas over here because of our constitution, but it is interesting to see what will happen over there because they dont have a written constitution and place a lot of weight on parliamentary sovereignty.

Id be slow to predict that Rwanda will actually go ahead.

Asked what would happen in Irish courts if asylum seekers objected to being sent to the UK if the Rwanda proposals went ahead, Mr Leonard said the UK Supreme Court deemed that the previous proposal to send people to Rwanda was unlawful because it could lead to a breach of human rights.

He added: Applicants  if theyre at risk of being sent to the UK and sent in a chain then on a flight to Rwanda from the UK  they could argue that Ireland couldnt lawfully send them to the UK to expose them to that risk.

So there will definitely be case law on that if Rwanda does go ahead and people are at risk of them from being sent from here to the UK.

Maeve Anne Kenny from the Department of Justices migration policy team said the argument was relatively premature as the Rwanda policy had not been operationalised and there had been no ruling in the European Court.

The exchanges occurred at Tuesdays sitting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice which had invited migrants rights groups to discuss the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.

Earlier this month, the European Parliament voted to approve the pact which includes measures such as the taking of fingerprints and facial imagery of children as young as six as well as restriction of migrants movements during screening.

It also includes measures on faster decision-making and the sharing of responsibility across member states which could see relocation of international protection applicants or the payment of financial contributions to the EU.

The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) said the proposals reflect an effort to limit protection for asylum seekers in Europe.

It said the pact, which the Government has signed up to, will result in fewer safeguards, increased detention and destitution among people seeking protection.

It said its largest concern was that people who arrive without documentation and those that have had to cross a border illegally will be detained or have their movement restricted.

Alan OLeary from the IRC added: In our experience, this will include applicants from countries with high rates of refugee declarations, including Afghanistan and Somalia, who often have no alternative other than to travel without passports or use substitute documents.

People who arrive from countries with a recognition rate of 20% or less will also be subject to detention.

They will also be channelled into an accelerated border procedure. This risks overlooking those who are most vulnerable and in need of protection, and whose cases often require legal advice and careful consideration.

Mr OLeary told the committee that the IRC began with good intentions but has been gradually eroded by various member states hardening positions.

We are not opposed to harmonisation and common standards. If anything, however, we need compliance with the existing body of legislation rather than a continued need to reform, he said.

A representative from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the EUs current systems have not been implemented in a way which has managed asylum for member states or delivered protection for refugees.

Enda ONeill, head of office for UNHCR Ireland, told committee members: Dangerous practices, such as denial of access to territory, pushbacks and the non-implementation of fair and efficient procedures and solidarity, cannot continue as they undermine a well-functioning EU asylum system.

Mr ONeill said while the UNHCR welcomes the agreement of the pact, legal reform is merely the first step.

He added that detention should be be a last resort and focus should be placed on establishing a fair system with procedural safeguards.

However, the director of the Migrant Rights Centre warned that the proposals were regressive.

Edel McGinley said: We cannot let a few bullies distract us, whip up fear and spread dangerous lies about those of us who are different because of where we come from. We cannot fall into this trap.

These worrying proposals also extend to people living and working in Ireland long term. It means that people could be singled out on the street because they look different.

It means peoples right to privacy and due process are under threat. The potential for harm to people and communities is immense.

Migrants rights group Nasc also raised concerns about the timelines and accelerated border procedures under the pact.

Chief executive Fiona Hurley said: We are concerned that procedural guarantees and protections for asylum seekers will be sacrificed for deterrence and creating efficiencies in processing.
Bellport Man Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Possession Of Drugs And Weapons

Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: April 30 2024

Levoughn McKinnie Pleaded Guilty in November 2023 Shortly Before His Trial was Set to Begin.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Levoughn McKinnie, 36, of Bellport, was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty in November 2023 to numerous weapons and drug charges shortly before opening statements in his trial were about to begin.

This prior felon intended to distribute dangerous drugs into our community here in Suffolk County, said District Attorney Tierney. I want to thank the Suffolk County Police Department for their investigation in this case, and the assigned prosecutors for ensuring that this defendant was held accountable for his crimes.

According to court documents and the defendants admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on

January 26, 2023, members of the Suffolk County Police Department executed a search warrant at a residence frequented by McKinnie. During the search, officers recovered cocaine, two digital scales, drug packaging material, cash, and a loaded .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol.

On November 29, 2023, shortly before his trial was about to begin, McKinnie pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Timothy P. Mazzei, to the following charges:

One count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class C violent felony;

One count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a Class D felony;

One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class B felony;

One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, a Class D felony; and

Two counts of Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, Class A misdemeanors.

McKinnie also has two prior felony convictions for Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 2008, and Attempted Assault in the Second Degree in 2005.

McKinnie was originally scheduled to be sentenced on February 8, 2024, but failed to appear in court. Justice Mazzei issued a bench warrant. On March 30, 2024, a member of the Suffolk County Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle McKinnie was driving. McKinnie failed to stop his vehicle and was subsequently arrested for unlawful fleeing from a police officer and reckless driving.

On April 30, 2024, Judge Mazzei sentenced McKinnie to 15 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. He was represented by Scott Zerner, Esq.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Lauren Golombek and Dennis Wouters of the Narcotics Bureau, with investigative assistance from the Suffolk County Police Departments Narcotics Section.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: May 01 2024

For many years, David Goldberg has distinguished himself as a tireless advocate for peace, environmental protection and public education, Legislator Koslow said.

Prior to the Nassau County Legislatures recent meeting, Nassau County Legislator Seth I. Koslow (D  Merrick) honored Sir David Russell Goldberg, a Sanford H. Calhoun High School social studies teacher whose knighting is attributable to his philanthropic deeds.

With his family and school administration looking on, Sir Goldberg received a Nassau County Legislature Citation in honor of his knighting by the Parte Guelfa, a 13th-century Florentine order that is dedicated to the preservation of the world. His investiture ceremony included a march to the Basilica De Santa Croce, where Dante and Michaelangelo are buried.
A Newark, New Jersey teenager who had previously been arrested in connection with a Lake Success, New York burglary has been charged in connection with a vehicle theft that occurred in March in Brick Township, according to New Jersey police on Tuesday.

Fazon Farrington, 19, was charged with theft of movable property and burglary pertaining to the theft of a vehicle on March 5, officials say, who allege that Farrington carried out the crime with the aid of co-conspirators that have yet to be identified.

Farrington was previously arrested by Nassau County police in mid-March in connection with six burglaries and three attempted burglaries - all involving the theft of attempted theft of high-end cars - for which he as arraigned on March 14 at First District Court in Hempstead.
The airline has 'sincerely apologised' after many customers' flight details were accessed by complete strangers.

Qantas is investigating a reported app glitch that has seen travellers' private details leaked. Source: Getty

Qantas has "sincerely apologised" to customers after a security breach on Wednesday morning saw multiple passengers' details and boarding passes widely distributed, with many travellers claiming they could make changes and even cancel bookings of complete strangers.

The glitch was first noticed at 9am this morning with Qantas confirming by midday it had been resolved. "Current investigations indicate that it was caused by a technology issue and may have been related to recent system changes," a spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.

"At this stage, there is no indication of a cyber security incident. The issue was isolated to the Qantas app with some frequent flyers able to see the travel information of other customers, including name, upcoming flight details, points balance and status.

"No further personal or financial information was shared and customers would not have been able to transfer or use the Qantas Points of other frequent flyers."

The airline added that it was "not aware of any customers" travelling with "incorrect boarding passes".

Aussies report being able to see other travellers' private info

Earlier on social media, several people posted about being able to see other passengers' private details.

"I have access to three different people's profiles when I opened it [the Qantas app] this morning," a concerned man wrote in a frequent flyer group this morning. "I don't know any of them."

Another man said his Qantas app logs him into a different account each time he opens it.

"My app logs me in to a different person each time. I have access to the booking details, QFF numbers, status, and boarding passes of people I dont know. Logging out and back in does nothing," he said, while another claimed they had the ability to cancel someones flight to Europe.

Lots of phishing accounts trying to wriggle in on the Qantas data breach pic.twitter.com/Rwg7cFQFzC  Asher Wolf (@Asher_Wolf) April 30, 2024

There were several fake Qantas accounts claiming to be the airline's customer service staff circulating on social media as the glitch unfolded. "Lots of phishing accounts trying to wriggle in on the Qantas data breach," one woman warned others online.

Screen grabs show fake Qantas profiles on X, formerly Twitter, asking affected customers for personal details so that they can "look into the matter".

"Please be aware of social media scams at this time," a Qantas spokesperson urged the public.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Over the past few years, Apple has overhauled its entire product range, including transitioning the Mac from Intel to its own processors, introducing the tough Apple Watch Ultra, adding a new Plus model to the iPhone lineup, and revealing a brand-new product category (the yet-to-launch Vision Pro).

In this article, we take a look at what we expect Apple to launch before the end of 2024, in 2025, and beyond. We have investigated every rumor and trend we could find to bring you our predictions. Read on to find out what could be in store.

New iPhones, AirPods and Apple Watches launched at an Apple event on September 9. Read our Apples Glowtime event live blog from the event.

What new Apple products are coming in 2024?

So far in 2024 Apple has released the following new products:

We still havent seen an M3 or M3 Pro Mac mini, Mac Studio or Mac Pro (despite the M3 becoming available and the M4 arriving with the iPad Pro). What else can we expect to see in 2024?

In the sections below weve split products into categories including Mac, iPad, iPhone and some new product categories. Read on to find out what to expect at Apple next event, throughout the rest of the year, and in 2025.

Apple Apple Apple

New Macs

With the update for the Mac Pro at WWDC in June 2023 Apple finished transitioning all its Macs from Intel processors to its own silicon. Apple launched the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips at the end of October 2023. The M3 MacBook Air launched since, but the rest of the Mac range has been silent this year, despite the M4 arriving in the iPad! We can expect the following updates soon:

Mac mini & Mac mini Pro

Now that the iMac has an M3 chip, and the MacBook Pro an M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chip, the arrival of those chips in the Max mini is long over due. Except that the rumors indicate that the Mac mini update is going to feature an M4 chip, and we may see it before the end of 2024. However, there are also rumors that the Mac mini is getting a new, smaller design, in which case the wait could be a little longer.

Read: New Mac mini rumors.

When? October 2024

Mac Studio

The next on the list for update will be the Mac Studio, also likely to bypass the M3 and jump straight to the M4 Max and M4 Ultra.

Read: M3 Mac Studio rumors.

When? October 2024

Mac Pro

If the Mac Studio is getting an update with the M4 Max and M4 Ultra you can rest assured that the Mac Pro will too.

Read: Mac Pro 2024 rumors.

When? October 2024

iMac Pro

There is a new iMac with M3 chip, but its still got a 24-inch screen. What people want is a return of a more professional iMac with a bigger screen.

Apple is said to be working on a Pro version of the iMac, a return of the 27-inch iMac Pro perhaps. It sounds like an M4 Pro iMac might happen, but we could be waiting a little longer for that one.

Read: Larger iMac Pro rumors

When? 2025

New iPads

The iPad Pro The iPad Pro Dominik Tomaszewski/IDG The iPad Pro Dominik Tomaszewski/IDG Dominik Tomaszewski/IDG

No iPads were updated in 2023  the first time a year passed without an iPad update. There was one iPad that wasnt even updated in 2022the iPad miniso that looks the most likely for an imminent update. But the whole range is probably headed for a refresh this year, and that process started on May 7, when we got new Airs and Pros.

iPad mini

A new iPad mini (7th generation) could be coming soon.

Read: iPad mini 7th gen rumors

When? October 2024

11th-gen iPad

The latest standard iPad joined the lineup as long ago as October 2022 so a new model can be expected in 2024. Note that the 9th-gen model was retired on May 7, with the 10th-gen model remaining on sale at a lower price. Wed expect the 11th-gen iPad to roughly match its predecessors old price when it launches.

When? October 2024

New iPhones

A new set of iPhones arrived at Apples 2024 iPhone event on September 9, but what of the iPhone SE?

iPhone SE

Dont expect to see this in September, but there have been a few rumors about the iPhone SE. A supposed leak revealed a bigger screen, notch and Face ID, for example.

This isnt the first weve heard of a bigger version of the iPhone SE. The question is, will it still feature the Home button? Read about the iPhone SE Plus.

Read: iPhone SE rumors.

When? Spring 2025

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro

The iPhone 17 wont arrive until September 2025, but there are already rumors about it.

Read: iPhone 17 rumors

When? September 2025

New AirPods

The AirPods Max and AirPods Pro have had the odd update since they launched a few years ago, but the next generation is yet to materialize. Will they get a full update in 2025?

The wait for new AirPods Pro could stretch beyond 2025. They could offer new health-related features when they arrive. As for the AirPods Max, now that Apples refreshed the colors its unlikely to do anything else for a while.

Read: New AirPods rumors.

When? 2025

New Apple Watch

The Apple Watch Series 10 arrived in September 2024, with a larger screen, but there was no generational update for the Apple Watch Ultra or the Apple Watch SE. Expect bigger things for Apple Watch Ultra in 2025.

New product categories

If Apple was never to innovate away from the products it makes right now it could be left behind as technology progresses. Its no surprise therefore that the company is working on various new areas. We dont expect these to land in 2023, but rumors suggest that some of them still could arrive sooner rather than later.

HomePod with screen

We do hope there is some truth in the rumors that Apple is working on a HomePod with a screen. Weve always said that a screen would make the HomePod infinitely more usable, but perhaps we are the only ones who hate having to talk to our speaker and control the HomePod via an iPhone (which can be a drain on the battery).

A screen would extend the uses of the HomePod beyond audio into visual  so you could watch podcasts and news reports and YouTube videos, but most usefully communicate via FaceTime.

So far all Apple has done is brought back the full-size HomePod that it removed from sale.

Read: HomePod with screen rumours.

When? 2025

An HomePod that combines the screen of an iPad could be on the cards. An HomePod that combines the screen of an iPad could be on the cards. Foundry An HomePod that combines the screen of an iPad could be on the cards. Foundry Foundry

Vision Pro successor

The Vision Pro is pricy and a little cumbersome, but Apple is said to be at work on two updated models: a less-expensive version, and another high-end model. Perhaps Vision Pro 2 and Vision Air?

Dont expect them soon, though. Rumors vary, but none of them say that new Vision hardware is due until at least 2025, maybe even 2026.

We do hope to get news as to when Apple will release the current Vision Pro around the world soon. Read our When will the Vision Pro launch outside the US.

When? 2025 or later

What Apple released in 2023

Apple hit the ground running in 2023 with new Macs and a new HomePod in January. Then at WWDC in June the company launched no less than three new Macs and a brand new device  the Vision Pro  alongside revealing its plans for macOS 14 Sonoma, iOS 17 and watchOS 10. Finally (maybe) Apple launched the new iPhone 15 series and the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 at an event in September and then made macOS Sonoma and iOS 17 available for customers to download later that month. Then at an Apple event on October 30 the company unveiled new MacBook Pro and iMac models.

What Apple released in 2022

What Apple released in 2021

HomePod mini in new colors

MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max

AirPods (3rd generation)

Apple Watch Series 7

iPhone 13-series

iPad mini (6th generation)

iPad (9th generation)

iMac M1

iPad Pro M1(3rd and 5th generation)

Apple TV 4K (2nd generation)

AirTag

What Apple released in 2020

AirPods Max

MacBook Air M1

13-inch MacBook Pro M1

Mac mini M1

iPhone 12-series

HomePod mini

iPad Air (4th generation)

Apple Watch SE

iPad (8th generation)

Apple Watch Series 6

27-inch iMac (Intel)

13-inch MacBook Pro (Intel)

iPhone SE

MacBook Air (Intel)

iPad Pro (2nd and 4th generation)

For information about what Apple launched in the decade before that read:

Best Apple products of the decade (2010-2019)
LIVONIA, MICH.  Madonna University's recent RN Refresher Course received positive feedback from nurses who came from various states to attend the two-week, in-person program.

Heather Mingle, a 1990 graduate of Madonna's nursing program, put her career on hold to care for her autistic son. After recently moving back to Michigan, she decided to re-enter the workforce and found the refresher course valuable. "This class is lowering my nerves and opening doors," she said. "It's been perfect."

Tamie Washington, licensed in seven states, traveled from Georgia for the course after hearing positive reviews. "I thought this would be an excellent opportunity." Washington had contacted Janice Cecil, chair of the undergraduate nursing program, after struggling to find a course near Atlanta.

Joanie, from Florida, decided she would come back to take her NCLEX boards in Michigan where she had become an RN in Kalamazoo. She was told she needed an RN refresher course, and chose Madonna's because it was an in-person class. "It's hard to find an RN refresher course that is not online," she said. She said most were only three days, and you don't get the hands-on experience that Madonna provides. She was excited to return to Florida to be a nurse again.
Keegan Payne, 19, scored the winning catch in the Million Dollar Fish comp on the weekend  but was somewhat bizarrely confronted with a story from his past.

The elated teen who reeled in a life-changing catch during a fishing competition on the weekend has had his celebrations cut short when he was made to face his troubling past in a live TV interview.

Keegan Payne, 19, who won $1 million in the Northern Territory's Million Dollar Fish competition on Sunday, was questioned on Wednesday by Sky News host Peter Stefanovic about a rumour that had emerged on social media overnight, with the teen admitting he was involved in a vehicle theft when he was younger.

However Bob Cavanagh, who Payne once worked for and is accused of stealing from, has spoken out telling Yahoo News Australia that he's a "good kid" who made a mistake. "He's so remorseful," Cavanagh, who owns the business Cav's Mowing, said.

He explained the teen, just 15 at the time, "regretted" what he and two others did. A sentiment also expressed by Payne himself on Wednesday morning when Stefanovic asked him of the rumour during an interview about his life-changing win.

"There is a claim online that you stole a Polaris Ranger and Polaris quad that you and your friends stole and damaged from a business a few years back, first of all, is that true?" Stefanovic asked.

Payne, speaking from Darwin, answered "yes". He admitted he and his friends "werent thinking at the time" and that he regretted it "big time".

The teen was on a fishing trip with family and a friend in the early hours of Sunday morning at Katherine River when he reeled in the fish. Source: Supplied

Teen apologises to former boss: 'I'm very sorry'

Stefanovic went on to quiz the teen about his intentions, asking if he'd planned to pay back his former boss. Addressing Cavanagh, Payne, who looked genuinely remorseful, apologised.

"Sorry about your buggy, and I wish I could pay you back," he said on air. "Im very sorry."

Cavanagh admitted to Yahoo he was "genuinely shocked" after receiving a phone call from Payne's father. The family said the young teen wanted to pay Cavanagh back for the damaged vehicle he previously took. But the business owner said he has "no hard feelings" and holds "no grudges" against the boy he describes as a "good and deserving kid".

Cavanagh employed him for a brief period before the Covid lockdown in 2020.

"He was forever remorseful and was always wanting to repay me," he told Yahoo. "He could barely look me in the eye. There was a guilt and remorsefulness, there's no doubt".

Teen 'really happy' after million-dollar fishing win

The young teen, from Katherine in the Northern Territory, found stardom this week after hooking a barramundi with a million-dollar price tag. The competition, which has been running for nine years, saw eight keen anglers score a prize of $10,000 each, with one lucky person, Payne, walking away with $1 million.

The prized barra was released into Top End waters as part of Australias richest fishing competition. Each season the competition sees more than a hundred red-tagged fish released in Darwin, Katherine, Arnhem Land, Kakadu and Tiwi Islands waterways.

Keegan Payne (centre back) accepts his prize money alongside his family (pictured). Source: Supplied

Accepting his prize on Tuesday, an elated Payne, who was accompanied by his parents and siblings, said hes "really happy" admitting the win "means so much".

"This is crazy for us, were a big family, theres eight of us. This is more money than we could ever ask for. This is just great," he said. "I can buy what I want, maybe help dad and mum out with the home loans".

The teen said he was on a fishing trip with family and a friend in the early hours of Sunday morning at Katherine River when he reeled in the fish, calling the hotline at 1am.

Cavanagh said the win "has been great for the whole town" of Katherine and said "it's sad" such negativity has come from it.

"I just feel a little bit sorry for Keegan that this has all come out now because at the time, well, Katherine is a small town, and I kept between me and the family," he said. "But I don't see why he isn't deserving of it."

Previously, Yahoo News Australia spoke with James McWilliam who took out a piece of the pie in last year's comp.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Manchester, VT (05254)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 36F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 36F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
More than 3 million people have seen the ridged pieces of silicon embedded under the skin of Madison Trubianos thumbs.

Yeah, so I have silicone implants on my thumbs ... I got them done at my local Claires, Trubiano joked about the glittery, adolescent jewelry store franchise in the video she posted of her subdermal implants.

The 29-year-old Waltham woman created a TikTok account in 2022 to help promote herself as a professional piercer when one of her first videos went viral. Whether viewers were intrigued or horrified by her aesthetic body modifications, the viral video brought attention to her social media account and to her physical Rubis Piercing Studio in Watertown, located at 150 Arsenal St., Suite 107.

But if the TikTok ban just signed into U.S. law takes effect, Trubiano said shell be losing an extra source of income and have a harder time attracting new customers.

Read more: TikTok expected to file legal challenge after Biden signs potential ban into law

Id love to have more perspective from the little guys before making decisions like this, that will affect so many small businesses  its such a big advertising strategy for so many small businesses ... [and] its already so hard for us to advertise and market against large corporations, Trubiano said of the decision process behind the ban.

Madison Trubiano, 29, of Waltham, who own's Rubi's Piercing Studio in Watertown. Photo courtesy Madison TrubianoMadison Trubiano

President Joe Biden signed a bill last Wednesday that includes a provision forcing TikTok to be sold or be banned in the United States, the Associated Press reported.

The provision gives TikToks parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, nine months to sell the app, with a potential three more months if a sale is in progress, the AP reported. This means theres still a full year before a ban could go into effect.

Some of the arguments in Bidens ban include privacy concerns around the Chinese-owned app. Trubiano said as a verified content creator and someone who receives a small income monthly through the TikTok Creator Fund, shes never had any privacy problems that she is aware of.

Trubiano started working as a piercer in Bridgewater in 2016. She was able to start her own business a year ago as the sole owner, and her services include piercing of clients and the retail sale of body jewelry.

Within her shop, Trubiano aims to create a non-judgmental zone. She translates that to her TikTok audience, and strives for her piercing content to be educational, relatable and down-to-earth  and people appear to resonate, as many of her videos have between 500,000 and two million views.

Read more: Boston North End restaurateurs hang banners over streets in outdoor dining ban protest

As of April 2024, Trubiano has over 28,000 followers and more than 2.1 million likes across her videos. Her content ranges from discussing her own piercings, to appointments at her shop and to piercings on other people, and her first employee at the piercing studio just started this spring.

Save for a few who dislike Trubianos own piercings and trickle into her algorithm, she said her online audience is generally kind and they especially enjoy piercing education videos.

Her customers are aged between four and 80, though most of the clients who find her on TikTok are Gen Z  and Trubiano said that chunk of potential patronage might not find her business without the app.

Its [Gen Zs] preferred way of finding service providers, versus Instagram or Facebook, Trubiano said.

Theyre searching on TikTok for, like, piercers near me or nail salons near me, and thats where Im getting a lot of the clientele from, she said. The piercer added she makes sure to include Massachusetts in her posts location to boost viewership in the area.

If the ban goes into full effect, Trubiano said shes going to look for new apps Gen Z will hopefully gravitate to. But with only about 3,100 followers on Instagram, Trubiano said she wont be trying any harder on U.S.-based apps, like it, Facebook or X, formerly known as Twitter.

Compared to other social media platforms, TikTok algorithm allowed me to take off and build way more of a following than any other social media platform that Ive tried before, Trubiano said. Additionally, the piercer said she sees more benefit from advertising on foreign apps.

As U.S. TikTok users hold their breath waiting to hear what will happen with the social media platform, Trubiano said she hopes more small business owners will come forward to speak out on the ban, and that theres a lot more serious things going on that lawmakers could be focused on right now.
Imagine a world where you can embark on an epic quest, meeting kings, queens, knights, fairies and trolls. Such a place can be found at an apple farm in Central Mass. this weekend.

The Red Apple Farm in Phillipston will host the Enchanted Orchard Renaissance Faire from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 4-5. The fair is the product of a collaboration between Red Apple Farm owners Al and Nancy Rose and Richard and Rajuli Fahey, the co-founders of the renaissance faire performance group FaeGuild Wonders.

The Roses and Faheys told MassLive the Enchanted Orchard Renaissance Faire will feature events and performances with a medieval flair for people of all ages. Events include a trial by combat by the Knights of Lord Talbot, sea shanties sung by pirates, troll hay rides, demonstrations by blacksmiths, encounters with the Mt. Wichusett Witches and dancing from the Nagashri Dancers.

According to Richard Fahey, the creative and theatrical director for FaeGuild Wonders, the universe of the fair will take place in centers around agriculture, featuring characters such as The King of the Orchard and the Duke of Thorns. Fahey said the performers who will play these characters also participated in the Wyndonshire Renaissance Faire in Winchendon on April 27.

This is a grassroots faire, Fahey said. These people who are part of the story are people who have been in the theater, who have played Dungeons & Dragons, who have renaissance fair experience and it really showcases what Northern and Central Massachusetts has to offer.

Before the fairs announcement, Fahey and his wife, Rajuli, held smaller events throughout Massachusetts. According to Rajuli, the Wyndonshire Renaissance Faire this year was the first renaissance fair held by the group, with many patrons responding positively to the event.

Rajuli Fahey visited Red Apple Farm on several occasions and said she envisioned a large-scale renaissance fair in Central Massachusetts taking place there. She said the fair will also be focused on spring and the rebirth of nature.

We really liked how we brought in eco-awareness into the story we are trying to tell with the fair, Fahey said.

After writing down the story and reviewing the event plan, the Faheys met with the Rose family to pitch their idea of the fair. Al Rose told MassLive that Red Apple Farm is no stranger to holding events, such as the annual Blueberry Jamboree in July, but the idea of a renaissance fair was new to him and his wife. After hearing the proposal, the Roses became enthusiastic about the fair and began working with FaeGuild Wonders to turn their fantasies into a reality.

This is a fruitful relationship, Rose said. This is new on so many levels and we are so excited for this to happen.

With the fair set to open on Saturday, Rose said the farm had been completely transformed, with castle-like structures and emblematic banners. Many of the farms employees have been preparing for the fair by making special batches of fudge and hard cider  the latter Rose said is the drink of choice for renaissance fairs.

While many renaissance fairs in Massachusetts, like King Richards Faire in Carver, traditionally open their gates to the public in the fall, the Faheys and Roses have chosen a different path. They have opted to host the Enchanted Orchard Renaissance Faire in the spring, a season that symbolizes rebirth and renewal, to celebrate the apple tree and other crops blossoming in May.

Nancy Rose told MassLive that the farm is opening its doors to everyone and that children ages 6 and under will get in for free. As for the Faheys, they are ready to turn the Red Apple Farm into a world of enchantment and wonder for an audience wanting to view something truly extraordinary.

There is so much passion that has come from Red Apple Farms, Richard Fahey said. We love collaborating with them.

Tickets for the fair are $20 for adults, $10 for a child 7-13 years old. Weekend passes for adults are $35 and weekend passes for children 7-13 years old are $20. Red Apple Farm is at 455 Highland Ave. in Phillipston.
A Plymouth County grand jury returned indictments for two men charged in connection with the shooting death in December 2023 of a Brockton man, Marvin Hill, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruzs office announced Wednesday.

Donta Hood, 33, was indicted with one count each of murder, possession of a firearm without a license, as an armed career criminal, carrying a loaded firearm, as a subsequent offender and armed career criminal; carrying a firearm without a license; and discharging a weapon within 500 feet of a building, Cruzs office said in a statement.

Leon Shelby, 34, was also indicted on one count of accessory after the fact to murder.

Hill, 35, was found with a gunshot wound in the area of 28 Lexington St. and Green Street in Brockton on Dec. 5, at 6:17 p.m., Cruzs office said previously. He was brought to Good Samaritan Hospital in Boston, then flown to Beth Israel Hospital in Boston where he died.

Hood was arrested at a home in Assonet on Dec. 20, after an arrest warrant was obtained for him on Dec. 8, Cruzs office said Wednesday.

Since his arraignment, Hood has been held without bail. An arrest warrant was issued for Shelby on Wednesday.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams says about 300 people were arrested in police crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University and City College, after police burst into a building at Columbia that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others.

New York City officers entered Columbias campus after the university requested help, according to a statement released by a spokesperson. A tent encampment on the schools grounds was cleared, along with Hamilton Hall where a stream of officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window. Protesters seized the hall at the Ivy League school about 20 hours earlier.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, the school said. The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.

A few dozen people were arrested at the building after protesters shrugged off an earlier ultimatum to abandon the encampment Monday or be suspended and unfolded as other universities stepped up efforts to end demonstrations that were inspired by Columbia.

Fabien Lugo, a first-year accounting student who said he was not involved in the protests, said he opposed the universitys decision to call in police.

This is too intense, he said. It feels like more of an escalation than a de-escalation.

Just blocks away from Columbia, at The City College of New York, demonstrators were in a standoff with police outside the public colleges main gate. Video posted on social media by news reporters on the scene late Tuesday showed officers putting some people to the ground and shoving others as they cleared people from the street and sidewalks.

After police arrived, officers lowered a Palestinian flag atop the City College flagpole, balled it up and tossed it to the ground before raising an American flag.

Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza have spread across the country in a student movement unlike any other in the 21st century, reaching from New York to Texas and California. The ensuing crackdown by police on some college campuses has stirred echoes of the much larger student protest movement during the Vietnam War era.

There have been confrontations with law enforcement and more than 1,000 arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.
After a 21-year-old Worcester man was told to pull over by police while making a DoorDash delivery, an officer attempted to reach his arm inside the mans car to unlock the door, according to the April 4 police report. The man then deeply inhaled his vape device and drove off, hitting the officers leg.

It wasnt the first time hes evaded police.

According to officials, John Slater has spent months evading them.

His history of charges goes back eight years and in multiple Massachusetts towns, including charges in connection with shooting people with a paintball gun. Criminal complaints about Slater state that he has had 19 arraignments.

On April 24, Slater, who had nine outstanding warrants, was arrested in Worcester, according to the Worcester Police Department. He was charged with nine outstanding warrants, receiving a stolen motor vehicle and resisting arrest, the department said in a statement on Thursday.

For years, his mother, Anna Coll, said she has been plagued with worry for her son as she called for officials to help rehabilitate him rather than put him in prison again.

Hes also been wrought with health issues, including seizures, as the result of a violent car crash in Worcester before the paintball incident, she told MassLive. Seated in the passenger seat, Slater hit his head against the window of a car while his friend in the drivers seat reached his arm over and held him back.

I think [that crash] plays a big role when hes high, Coll said about why her son uses fentanyl.

But Coll said the death of Slaters paternal grandmother has played a role in his drug abuse. She died in his room.

John doesnt care if he dies, she continued. He just wants to be with her. Its like a connection [between him and his grandmother] in that house.

On Christmas Eve 2023, Slater overdosed on fentanyl, Coll said. The family was more scared for his safety than ever, she said.

Still, his reckless behavior continued.

Avoiding police in Worcester

In April 2024 alone, State Police and Worcester police had already both interacted with and filed criminal complaints with Slater before his arrest on Wednesday.

On April 4, Massachusetts State Police trooper Zachary Gray was on patrol in Worcester when he saw a Chevrolet Cruze registered to Slater on its way to deliver a DoorDash order, according to court documents. Slater did not know where he was and Gray ordered Slater to pull over so the trooper could help him find the right address.

Gray checked Slaters registration and saw that his license was suspended, Gray wrote in the criminal complaint. He turned on his body camera and his cruisers lights before he walked over to the drivers side of Slaters car.

I dont have nothing, sir, Slater said when Gray asked if he had a license. Instead, Slater gave his Social Security number, which matched his cars registration.

When Gray said he could end up in court, Slater replied that his father told him to fight a court summons for being pulled over in Shrewsbury, according to the court documents. Police said Slater became anxious and Gray requested assistance before approaching Slaters car to arrest him.

Gray reached his arm inside Slaters car to unlock the door, Gray wrote. Slater, after he deeply inhaled his vape device, drove off with the back of his car striking Grays leg and losing his balance, the report said.

Slater drove down Hawthorne Street to the intersection with Main Street, according to court documents. He drove around two stopped cars at a stop sign and turned left, without a turn signal, onto Main Street. Gray returned to his cruiser and followed but Slater was well out of sight by this time and no longer in the area, Gray wrote. No pursuit was initiated.

Gray and another trooper circled the area and we were unable to locate the vehicle, he wrote.

Then on April 17, Detectives John Denio, Ibsan Morales and David Green, with the Worcester Police Departments new Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, found Slaters Chevy Cruz at around 7:30 p.m. while patrolling in the area of Green Hill Park.

Denio, who wrote the statement of facts, said he saw Slater driving the car with a woman in the passenger seat, and was familiar with him from prior police investigations. The detectives tried to have him pull over, but he continued to drive off in a manner that showed complete disregard for the safety of pedestrians, Denio wrote. The detectives did not pursue him.

Ramming into a cruiser

At around 10 a.m. on April 19, Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Matthew Foley was notified about a driver in a Chevy Cruz who failed to stop for Worcester police before getting onto Route 146, according to a criminal complaint Foley wrote.

Slater led Massachusetts State Police on a chase on the Massachusetts Turnpike heading east toward Millbury before he made a U-turn and drove the wrong way into a police cruiser, which police believe was on purpose. Police said the 21-year-old continued driving the wrong way on I-90.

State Police units and an Air Wing were deployed to look out for Slater and the Chevy but lost him.

The drivers side and back end of the Chevy were damaged as a result. Slaters license plate was found on the ground by police at the crash site, according to court records.

Years of trouble

Aside from his outstanding warrants, Foley has gone to prison for other offenses. One of those offenses involved a paintball gun.

At around 1:15 p.m. on April 14, 2021, when Slater was 18, he and another man, Sean Pinkham, then 21, of Douglas, were arrested after police arrived in the area of 831 Main St. for a reported assault with a dangerous weapon, police said. Police found a woman using a walker who was shot in the face by someone with a paintball gun.

The womans glasses were knocked off her face and covered in yellow paint, police said. Her injuries were not serious.

Another man on Queen Street was also shot by a paintball gun as a blue Ford F150 drove past, police said. The man was also not seriously injured, but was bleeding and had visible welts.

Finally, police found the Ford on Lincoln Street near the intersection of Goldthwaite Road and found the paintball gun in the back of the truck, the department said. Slater and Pinkham were arrested.

As they were speaking with the occupants, a third victim came up and reported that the males had just shot paintballs at him on Lincoln Street, police said.

Slater and Pinkham were both charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a disabled person. Pinkham did not have a license and had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, police said.

By May 31, 2022, Slaters probation was revoked and he was sentenced to a nine-month term in the House of Correction before he was released in February 2023. But by March 3, 2023, Slater was in Worcester police custody again after he was charged with armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The arrest

Officers once again searched for Slater on Wednesday, April 24, in connection with nine outstanding warrants and was suspected of having a stolen car.

Police found the stolen car at around 6:35 p.m. at the intersection of Shrewsbury Street and Imperial Road, but waited for Slater to appear and enter the car, the police report stated.

When he did, Officer Peter Bissonnette started to drive towards Slater, according to court documents. Bissonnettes partner, Officer Anthony Lombardozzi, ran out of their cruiser toward Slater and tried to grab him. Slater closed his car door but Lombardozzi reopened it and began to attempt to take a violently resisting Mr. Slater into custody, Lombardozzi wrote in the police report.

Bissonnette, Lombardozzi and Officer Christopher Santley pulled Slater from the car, but he continued to resist arrest and it took numerous attempts and an unknown amount of time to get Slater to the ground, according to court documents. As more officers came to their aid, Lombardozzi wrote that they still could not get Slaters arm behind his back as he was continually putting his hands under his body ... in what I believed was an attempt for him to retrieve a weapon to harm either myself or other officers on scene.

Police finally placed him in handcuffs but Slater continued his tirade and continually resisted and moved in a way that looked like he would escape, Lombardozzi wrote.

As a result of the violent struggle, my memorial bracelet was ripped off of my right wrist and was significantly bent, he continued. I suffered a cut on my left pinky knuckle that was bleeding, numerous cuts on my right wrist where my bracelet was, an approximate two-inch long cut under my left knee that was bleeding and a cut on my right elbow.

Each of Slaters outstanding warrants includes charges that stem from several criminal complaints filed out of Boylston, Fitchburg, Marlborough, Westborough and Worcester. Some of these outstanding warrants include charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, failing to stop for police, driving with a suspended motor vehicle registration, speeding, driving without a seatbelt and resisting arrest.

Opening up a door

After Slaters arrest on April 24, a judge ordered him to be held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing, a spokesperson with Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr.s office confirmed with MassLive. On Tuesday, he was deemed dangerous.

But his mother left the courtroom with relief.

Croll said hes not the criminal painted in the courtroom. Slaters not a fighter, hes not violent but he is aggressive. Before his hearing, she said her son was lovable and like a hippy ... his friends say hes weird but its his humor.

Hes a party person, Croll said. Hell light up a room. Hell turn sour when hes upset. Ma, I feel more fear than they do but I have to have a tough face.

Seated next to his lawyer, James Stanton, in the courtroom, Slater was sober, alert and turned back to look at his mom and smiled.

The prosecutor said Slater has a 10-page record and spoke of Slaters charges in connection with the outstanding warrants. Slater driving off after all of these interactions with police showed a continued theme, the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor continued by bringing up Slaters record, including past charges such as the paintball gun case and suggested to the judge that Slaters history was a testament to not letting him be released.

Given the history of motor vehicle charges and the risk to the community, the judge deemed Slater dangerous. He said it was sad to see the history and wished Slater didnt have it.

When she walked out of the courtroom, Coll, whose Chevy Cruze had been part of several of the chases, said it was good that her son was being held for now.

I knew it would happen, she said. We knew, he knew. This is the most relief Ive had to close this chapter. This could all end.

Not only does keeping Slater in custody mean he will be away from anyone enabling him to take drugs or cause harm, but it also means his criminal history could be on the path of ending, she said. Before she walked out, Coll and the judge agreed that once this case is over, Slaters next steps are to seek professional help to rehabilitate Slater.

Hell have outside help, she said. This is just the start. [This is] opening up a door to [give him] proper help.

Slater is next due to appear in court on Aug. 22.
As colleges and universities across Massachusetts appeared to dig their heels in, demanding students clear the pro-Palestinian encampments they had set up on campus, Brown University in Rhode Island reached an agreement with student protesters to bring the encampment there to an end without any intervention from police.

The agreement, announced by the university Tuesday, includes a commitment by Brown to invite five students to meet with the Corporation of Brown University, the schools governing body, in May to make the case for divestment of the universitys endowment from companies enabling and profiting from the genocide in Gaza. Brown President Christina H. Paxson also committed to asking the schools Advisory Committee on University Resources Management to make a recommendation on divestment to be brought before the corporation at its October meeting.

Students, including the organization Brown Divest Coalition, hailed the announcement as a victory in a social media post.

This would not have been possible without the hard work of university encampments across the country, whose collective power has forced university administrators to acknowledge the overwhelming support for Palestine on their campuses and make material concessions towards ending the Israeli occupation, the Instagram post reads.

Organizers said they would continue to pressure Brown to ensure the university formally votes to divest come October. But, for the remainder of the academic year, students will refrain from violations of the universitys code of conduct, including during commencement.

This victory is not the end to our work but rather fuel for it, the post reads.

Still, Paxson does not guarantee that Brown will ultimately divest, only that the university will consider doing so.

As part of the agreement, students who were charged with involvement in the encampment and associated activities that violate [Brown] conduct codes will no longer face suspension or expulsion from the school, provided they abide by the agreements terms. Paxson adds that she cannot condone the encampment and remains concerned about the escalation in inflammatory rhetoric that we have seen recently, and the increase in tensions at campuses across the country.

Any reports of bias, harassment or discrimination will continue to be investigated by the school. Any new information about conduct violations could also result in disciplinary action against students, Paxson warned.

But she said the agreement represented a sincere effort on the part of students to avoid any further escalation of the protests and tensions on campus.

I hope the meeting between the students and Corporation members will allow for a full and frank exchange of views, Paxson wrote. As I shared with the protesting students in my letter yesterday, the devastation and loss of life in the Middle East has prompted many to call for meaningful change, while also raising real issues about how best to accomplish this. Brown has always prided itself on resolving differences through dialog, debate and listening to each other.

Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza have spread across the country in a significant student movement, reaching from New York to Texas and California. The ensuing crackdown by police on some college campuses has stirred echoes of the much larger student protest movement during the Vietnam War era.

There have been confrontations with law enforcement and more than 1,000 arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.

As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasnt clear whether those talks would lead to an easing of protests.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israels critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Authorities are searching for a Cambridge man who was last known to have gone hiking in New Hampshire and hasnt been seen in two weeks.

William Neal Donovan, 65, is believed to have gone hiking near Bretton Woods on April 16, as his car was found in the area, but conservation officers did not locate him during a search of the area over the weekend, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

Conservation officers were notified that Donovans vehicle had been found in the Crawford Path parking lot in Carroll late Sunday afternoon, the department said in a press release. Officers then searched many nearby trails and drainage areas, but found no evidence that he had been there or clues as to his whereabouts.

Conservation officers also searched Donovans vehicle and found hiking gear appropriate for the White Mountains, the department said. He is an avid hiker, and authorities assume that he went for a hike but have been unable to confirm this.

So far, authorities investigation indicates that he arrived in the area on April 16, but his intentions and itinerary are not known, the department said. The Cambridge Police Department at some point conducted a welfare check at his home  where he lives by himself  and found a handwritten note indicating that he wanted to hike Mount Jefferson or Mount Adams.

Because Donovan has now been unaccounted for for two weeks, the search for him has been suspended around Bretton Woods until new leads are uncovered, the department said. Conservation officers are asking the local hiking community and anyone who knows Donovan and has any information regarding his whereabouts to contact them at (603) 846-3333 or to email Lieutenant Mark Ober at mark.w.oberjr@wildlife.nh.gov.
A driver was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound Tuesday night after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a house in Worcester, according to police.

Officers were dispatched to Paine Street around 9 p.m. for a report that a vehicle had struck a house, Worcester police said in a press release. At the scene, officers discovered that the male driver had a gunshot wound. His condition was not known by police as of Wednesday morning.

Worcester police are investigating the incident. Anyone with information about it is asked to send an anonymous tip by texting 274637 or by visiting worcesterma.gov/police. You can also reach the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at (508) 799-8651.

No further information about the incident has been released.
Emerson Colleges Board of Trustees said it has no plans to remove Jay Bernhardt from his post as the schools president, despite growing student pressure on the board to do so, including from the student government association, which passed a resolution last week calling for Bernhardts resignation.

In a brief statement, the board said it selected Bernhardt, who only started as the colleges president last year, as a transformational leader who could bring us together in difficult times.

The differences we may have today within Emerson are shades of a shared vision for civil dialogue, peaceful protest, and respect for human diversity, the statement reads. The board remains confident in President Bernhardts leadership and unequivocally supports his presidency.

Tensions at the school have continued to grow since the arrest of 118 pro-Palestinian protesters on campus a week ago. A rally was planned Wednesday by the group Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine on Boston Common, after Emerson barred demonstrations on campus.

How can students be heard if they cannot demonstrate? How can Emersons workers fight for a fair contract without help from the grassroots? How can Emerson claim to be progressive while enacting authoritarian policies to silence their dissidence? Answer: they cannot. the group wrote on social media.

And on Monday, Bernhardt, Board of Trustees Chair Eric Alexander, and other senior leaders at the college gathered for a town hall, giving students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to voice their concerns and share their experiences from the morning of April 25, when the arrests took place.

The Berkeley Beacon, Emersons student newspaper, reported at least 100 spoke at the town hall, with nearly 100 email statements being submitted to the college as it went on.

A pair of spokespeople for Emerson did not return a request for comment sent by MassLive on if the college intended to take any action to address the concerns raised by students and others during the town hall.

Samantha Ivery, Emersons director of Equity Initiatives, recalled being locked out of Emerson buildings as the arrests began.

I will never forget the screams. I will never forget the cries. I will never forget seeing bodies thrown and dragged across the brick ground. I will never forget pulling my colleagues from the hands of the police. I will never forget the blood. I will never forget, she said, according to The Beacon.

At one point, as a student reached into his backpack to pull out a can of spray paint, Alexander, the board chair, stood up out of his seat and yelled an expletive at the student, according to video obtained by the paper.

A college spokesperson described the incident as regrettable to the student paper.

One student speaker said the college has already failed students.

If you cannot respect us enough to concede to our demands and resign, then prove yourself, the student said, according to The Beacon. We are waiting. We are watching, history is watching, history will remember where you stand.
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to benefit the family of 62-year-old Pamela ONeil, who prosecutors say was killed Sunday night in Methuen when 29-year-old Martin Quinlan hit her with his motorcycle and fled the scene.

ONeil was found lying face down on the side of the road near 471 Lowell St. around 8:35 p.m. and declared dead after she was taken to a hospital, police said previously. Video footage of the crash shows that she was struck by a motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed.

Quinlan  an Andover resident  was arrested Monday and charged with leaving the scene of personal injury or death and a learners permit violation in connection with ONeils death, the Essex County District Attorneys Office said previously. He pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment in Lawrence District Court Tuesday and was held without bail.

What we know about the crash

ONeil was on her way to a variety store when she was struck, her daughter, Erin ONeil told NBC10 Boston. Quinlan slowed down and stopped after hitting ONeil, then continued down the road, police said previously.

See our mother was run down by a motorcyclist and he left her face down in the street before took off with no remorse for her life and the pain she suffered, ONeils daughters, Kelsie and Erin, wrote on the GoFundMe campaign page. This left us scarred and devastated. As you know no one is prepared for that type of death. And its taking a financial toll on our family.

Prosecutors allege that, when initially questioned by police, Quinlan denied being involved in the crash, The Eagle-Tribune reported. He told them his motorcycle had been stolen.

However, after he began speaking with the police and learning about the evidence, he does admit he was operating the motorcycle at the time of the accident, the prosecutor said. He said to the officers No, I didnt see her. It happened so fast. He wasnt sure what happened.

Quinlans attorney, Joanne McLaughlin, asserted during the arraignment that her client had fully cooperated with police from the beginning, according to NBC10 Boston. Hes very upset about the incident, she said.

Who was Pamela ONeil?

ONeil served in the U.S. Army and was the first women in Essex County to receive her wings from the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, according to the GoFundMe campaign. She loved animals, writing poetry, trivia, paintball and the New England Patriots.

She was a wife a mother and just an all around wonderful human being. She lit up every room she entered and knew how to make anyone laugh, her daughters wrote on the campaign page.

The campaign had raised nearly $2,000 of its $8,000 goal by 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The money will go towards ONeils funeral, according to her family.

ONeil leaves behind her husband, Dan ONeil, as well as her daughters. The family thanked their community for their support on the campaign page.

We are very prideful people and usually dont reach out for help but we are struggling to cover all the costs for the funeral. We are just asking for anything to help us during this really tough time, they wrote.

Whats next in the case?

During Quinlans arraignment Tuesday in Lawrence District Court, Judge Carol-Ann Fraser ordered he be held without bail for 90 days, The Eagle-Tribune reported. After this, his bail will be set at $200,000. Fraser felt that there were no bail conditions under which the public would be kept safe from Quinlan.

Quinlan has an open case out of Lawrence District Court involving several driving offenses including negligent operation, court records show. He also has also been a suspect in similar cases in New Hampshire, according to The Eagle-Tribune.

Quinlan is due back in court on June 6.
MassLive recently asked readers to identify people who are leaders from the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community throughout the state, working to make a difference in politics, education, business, the arts or another area of interest.

Profiles of these leaders will be published through AAPI Heritage Month in May. These are people our readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change.

Neeva PatelSebastian Restrepo

Neeva Patel

Age: 16

Community: Longmeadow

Her story: Neeva Patel created a digital archive called Our Motel Stories which captures the inspirational journeys of Indian immigrants who transformed the American hospitality industry.

Each story holds a unique perspective and Patel said she hopes it creates a haven for a community often underrepresented.

She said the projects goals are threefold: to raise awareness, foster a sense of community and establish a lasting resource for future generations.

These narratives deserve to be heard before they fade with time, Patel said. This isnt ancient history, but a vital and untold chapter of American history.

Patel said she wanted to celebrate the Indian immigrant experience, their sacrifices, hard work and determination, which deserve recognition.

Their stories are a testament to the power of starting anew and paving the way for future success, Patel said.

The inspiration for the archival project came from Patels grandfather.

He poured his lifes work into a small Floridian motel, achieving success until Hurricane Andrew devasted everything in the 90s, she said.

After losing her grandfather to COVID-19 in 2020, Patel said she came to a stark realization.

His sacrifices and struggles, his unique immigrant journey tied to the motel industry, all vanished with him, Patel said. The weight of that loss propelled me to create Our Motel Stories.

Through the archive project, Patel preserves the stories of others like her grandfather  Indian immigrants who came to America and poured their hearts into motels, she said.

Patel hopes to take her archive project nationwide.

In her words: Embrace your heritage as a wellspring of pride, Patel said. Look to your own culture and history for lessons and inspiration, but dont stop there. Share these stories with the world!

Were always open to hearing about more inspiring people. If youd like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form.
An 18-year-old Lowell man was seriously injured in a single-car crash on I-495 in Chelmsford Tuesday afternoon, according to Massachusetts State Police.

Troopers responded to the crash on the northbound side of the highway shortly after 1:45 p.m., state police said. They found the Toyota Corolla in the tree line off the right side of the road.

The driver was conscious and alert when troopers found him, but he was trapped in the car, state police said. Chelmsford firefighters freed him from the Corolla, and he was then flown to a local hospital in a medical helicopter.

It is unclear what caused the crash and what condition the driver is in now. State police did not identify him Wednesday morning.

No further information about the crash has been released.
A 35-year-old Raynham man who was shot and killed by police in the Bristol County town Tuesday afternoon was set to be arrested on a witness intimidation charge tied to an assault case involving his girlfriend and he had lost his job earlier that morning, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn IIIs office said.

Stephen Maclean was shot and killed inside his apartment on King Phillip Street after he pointed a loaded gun at police arriving at the apartment just after he opened the door, Quinns office said in a statement Tuesday evening. A pair of police officers fired their weapons at Maclean, and officers on scene rushed to his aid after he was shot, officials said. Maclean was taken to Morton Hospital in Taunton, where he was pronounced dead.

Maclean had previously been arrested on Monday on charges of witness intimidation and disorderly conduct, after prosecutors say he intimidated a witness in an assault case where his girlfriend was the defendant. Probation officials had sought to detain Maclean because of the new arrest. Maclean was on probation for an operating under the influence case at the time of the Monday arrest but was released following his arraignment, according to the statement.

Raynham police were called to Macleans King Phillip Street apartment by his girlfriend, who told officers he had been acting erratically, was fired from his job earlier Tuesday, and was being belligerent and aggressive, according to Quinns office.

When police arrived at his apartment, the deceased opened the door to his apartment and immediately pointed a handgun at the officers, Quinns office said.

Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to Quinns office and prosecutors are investigating the fatal shooting.

This was a very dangerous incident where our officers had a firearm pointed at them by an armed individual, Raynham Police Chief David LaPlante told reporters on Tuesday. Our officers responded consistent with their training and rendered emergency medical aid to the suspect until paramedics arrived.
The suspect in a hit-and-run motorcycle crash that killed a Methuen woman Sunday night was held without bail during his arraignment Tuesday, according to reports.

Andover resident Martin Quinlan, 29, is facing charges of leaving the scene of personal injury or death and a learners permit violation in connection with the death of 62-year-old Pamela ONeil, the Essex County District Attorneys Office said previously. He pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment in Lawrence District Court, according to NBC 10 Boston.

On Tuesday, Judge Carol-Ann Fraser ordered that Quinlan be held without bail for 90 days, The Eagle-Tribune reported. After this, his bail will be set at $200,000.

Quinlan has an open case out of Lawrence District Court involving several driving offenses including negligent operation, court records show.

There are no conditions of release that would reasonably ensure the safety of the community as a whole, Fraser said, according to The Eagle-Tribune.

What we know about the crash

ONeil was found lying face down on the side of the road in Methuen near 471 Lowell St. around 8:35 p.m. Sunday and declared dead after she was taken to a hospital, police said previously. Video footage of the crash shows that she was struck by a motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed.

Quinlan slowed down and stopped after hitting ONeil, then continued down the road, police said previously. He was arrested Monday.

ONeil was walking to a variety store when Quinlan hit her, her daughter told The Eagle-Tribune. The impact of the crash launched ONeil into the air, and she landed 25 feet away, the prosecutor said during the arraignment.

ONeil was unresponsive by the time the first responding officer arrived and tried to provide medical aid, the newspaper reported. Motorcycle debris and multiple cell phones registered to Quinlan were found at the scene.

Prosecutors allege that, when initially questioned by police, Quinlan denied being involved in the crash, The Eagle-Tribune reported. He told them his motorcycle had been stolen.

Read more: Arrest made in fatal Metheun motorcycle crash

However, after he began speaking with the police and learning about the evidence, he does admit he was operating the motorcycle at the time of the accident, the prosecutor said. He said to the officers No, I didnt see her. It happened so fast. He wasnt sure what happened.

Quinlans attorney, Joanne McLaughlin, asserted during the arraignment that her client had fully cooperated with police from the beginning, according to NBC10 Boston.

Ive spoken to Mr. Quinlan. He himself is very upset about the incident, she said.

What we know about Quinlan and ONeil

Quinlan has been a suspect in similar cases in New Hampshire, according to The Eagle-Tribune. He has reportedly been involved in six at-fault accidents and repeatedly cited for speeding.

The Commonwealth is very concerned that time and time again, he does not have a license. He shouldnt be operating a motorcycle or any type of a motor vehicle. Hes in violation of his bail warning and has a history of not abiding by conditions, the prosecutor said.

Sunday was Quinlans birthday, according to The Eagle-Tribune. Hes an Andover High School graduate, NBC10 Boston reported.

Anybody that did what he did and let someone lie there like theyre nothing deserves everything theyre going to get, ONeils husband, Dan ONeil, told NBC10 Boston Tuesday.

ONeils daughter previously told local TV stations that her mother was a veteran and former paratrooper who had the biggest heart.

Quinlan is due back in court on June 6.
Boston College students held a protest rally against the Israel-Hamas war last week.

Bullhorns were banned, lest the noise disturb studying for finals. Tents werent allowed. Students whod been arrested at other Boston campus protests were barred. After an allotted hour, the students went quietly back to their rooms.

A student protest movement has washed over the country since police first tried to end an encampment at Columbia University in New York nearly two weeks ago. But while there have been fiery rhetoric and tumultuous arrests on high-profile campuses from New York to Los Angeles, millions of students across the country have continued with their daily routines of working their way through school, socializing and studying for exams.

The protests are demonstrating wide differences among Americans in 2024, even for groups that have tended to unite during divisive times such as the 1960s.

Take Boston, the city most identified with American higher education and a lens onto the diversity of student bodies reactions to the Israel-Hamas war.

Students have set up encampments on at least five campuses, including Northeastern University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. But calm has prevailed elsewhere in Boston.

Its just not the vibe at this school, said Emmett Carrier, a junior studying biology at Boston College, a Jesuit institution with an enrollment of 15,000. I dont think theyre as committed to it here as they are at other schools.

Boston College faculty and students had addressed the Israel-Hamas war in class discussions, through a faculty vigil and at a rally last week, all of which were civil and respectful, Boston College spokesperson Jack Dunn wrote in an email.

Its an atmosphere where students are very polite, said Brinton Lykes, a professor of community psychology. They will discuss things, debate things intellectually, but they are shockingly rule-bound.

Juliana Parisi, a sophomore who attended the rally, said she thinks a lot of students who want to protest are afraid of the repercussions but also believes many students dont want to get engaged.

I do think that there is a good amount of apathy on campus, she said.

Its worth remembering that most campuses dont have encampments, said Robert Cohen, a professor at New York University who has studied the history of U.S. student protests. Even at those that do, the number of students involved is often not enough to fill even a single large lecture hall, he noted.

A day before the Boston College rally last week, Lykes helped organize a faculty vigil where speakers talked about grieving those who had died in the conflict and the history of events in the Middle East. She said there were uniformed and plainclothes police at the event. She got requests to check university identification and to make people leave backpacks outside and found some of the demands ridiculous, she said.

At Boston University, a sprawling urban campus not far from Fenway Park with a student enrollment of more than 35,500, students have avoided encampments but set out chairs to represent Israeli hostages and held die-ins to bring attention to those killed in Gaza. On Wednesday, many students at the school were hunkered down over laptops in study halls and cafeterias gearing up for the end of the school year and looming finals.

We have our finals coming up next week, said Matt Przekop, a junior studying engineering. People, if they were passionate, they wouldnt really let this bar them from protesting.

Brandon Colin OByrne, a freshmen who is also studying engineering, said students debate the issue but arent sitting in tents on campus.

We have the school involved, we have students involved, we have individual groups involved, he said. We also have tension between Jewish and Palestinian students, but it generates productive debates, he added.

A protest at Emerson College in downtown Boston ended when police forcibly removed protesters, arresting more than 100. Another protest at Northeastern was also broken up by police, who detained more than 100 protesters who had created a tent encampment on campus.

Other local universities have allowed protests and tent encampments, including MIT, Harvard and Tufts University, although officials at some of the schools cautioned that the protests cant go on indefinitely. At Harvard, school officials opted to lock the gates to Harvard Yard  where protesters set up camp  to all but those with school IDs.

One thing that has remained consistent over decades of student protests, Cohen said, is that they are unpopular with the public. But the campus movement is raising public awareness of the Israel-Hamas war.

Cohen said he believes the protests will likely simmer down over the summer, as students return home. They could easily kick off again as the U.S. election season progresses, he said.
Tufts University is set to issue no-trespass orders to a group of pro-Palestinian protesters who have established an encampment on the academic quad at the schools campus in Medford after negotiations between student organizers and university leaders broke down.

The deans of the universitys School of Arts and Sciences and its School of Engineering met with student representatives from the protest and a faculty member chosen by demonstrators on multiple occasions Tuesday as officials sought a resolution to the encampment ahead of commencement. But, university officials said protesters refused their offers and continued to escalate matters by expanding their encampment on to the academic quad.

The deans presented several good-faith proposals to address students concerns, but, officials say, students refused to discuss the proposals and instead demanded an in-person meeting with the president, the chief investment officer, and members of the board of trustees. Tufts was willing to set up such a meeting on the condition that the encampment be disbanded and protesters not disrupt commencement, an officer rejected by protesters. University officials noted the offer remains on the table.

We continue to do everything within reason to avoid the confrontations seen at other universities. But the encampment needs to end, and Commencement setup needs to begin, university officials, including President Sunil Kumar, wrote in a message sent to the Tufts community Tuesday.

University leaders said they would issue no-trespass orders to protesters, and that protestors who did not clear the area would be subject to the schools Community Standards processes and could be suspended or sanctioned in other ways. For seniors, that could mean not participating in senior week activities or Commencement.

It is our strong desire that it does not come to this, and the protesters choose to leave voluntarily, the message reads.

Kumar and other senior leaders at Tufts accused the protesters of taking several actions that indicate their desire to see the escalation of the demonstrations, including bringing in protesters with no affiliation to Tufts to bolster their numbers and expand the encampment. The presence of outside protesters has raised safety concerns, they said. The protesters also appropriated and painted furniture rented by the university for an Earth Day event and have refused to return it.

They have harassed and intimidated staff as they try to clean areas that were vandalized, officials said.

The message says that protesters rejected a suggestion to move the encampment to another location on campus to allow the university to prepare for commencement and to enable students to continue to advocate.

Tufts officials say theyve tried to find common ground with protesters before.

Earlier this year, university officials met with representatives from the Students for Justice in Palestine and the Coalition for Palestinian Liberation after Tufts student government passed a series of resolutions calling on the university to take actions like divesting its financial ties to Israel. But, officials say, during those meetings it quickly became clear students were uninterested in discussing collective action to support the Palestinian people, and instead sought only acquiescence from Tufts to their demands.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.

As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasnt clear whether those talks would inspire an easing of protests.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israels critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Famed landmarks in Massachusetts, including Walden Pond and Woods in Concord and Minute Man National Historical Park in Lincoln, were named in the latest iteration of the National Trust for Historic Preservations 11 most endangered historic sites in the United States, the Trust announced Wednesday.

Both locations, along with other historical sites could be impacted by a proposed airport expansion, according to the Trust in a statement.

The proposed major expansion of Hanscom Field Airport next to Minute Man National Historial Park and near Walden Pond could significantly increase aviation activity over nearby historic and natural landscapes, doubling private jet hangar capacity, and increasing the airport footprint in what would be the largest expansion in Hanscoms history, if approved, according to the Trust.

Advocates are concerned that the proposed development could lead to increased noise disruption in an area that is already impacted by noise from jet traffic, often interrupting park programming, the Trusts statement continued. Advocates also cite the potential for increased vehicular traffic and negative environmental and climate impacts of private jets.

Proposed changes to Hanscom Field have threatened these places before, back in 2003. That year, Minute Man National Historical Park and other nearby sites were on the Trusts list.

A strong coalition has formed in opposition to the new proposed expansion, advocating that this extraordinarily important historic area that witnessed the beginning of the United States struggle for independence is not the right place for a development of this scale and potential impact, and the National Trust is once again joining these efforts, the Trusts statement read.

Minute Man National Historical Parks resonance stems from being where the Revolutionary War began with the shot heard around the world in 1775, the Trusts statement read. The area also preserves the Orchard House, where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, and the Robbins House a historic home that raises awareness of Concords African, African American and antislavery history, according to its website.

The North Bridge in Concord, Mass., part of Minute Man National Historical Park. (Noah R. Bombard)

The grounds around Walden Pond were once the home of author Henry David Thoreau after he published Civil Disobedience. He lived in the woods for over two years ahead of the publication of his transcendentalist text Walden.

One theme connecting the 2024 list is the power of communities to come together to combat erasure and protect the cultural landmarks, treasured local businesses, restaurants, customs, and traditions that help tell the layered stories of those whove called a place home, the Trusts statement read. By rallying around the places that bring these stories to life, communities are not only empowered by their unique pasts, but also safeguarding a sense of identity, continuity, and vitality for the future.

Along with these Massachusetts sites, this years list exemplifies the National Trusts continued commitment to telling the full American story, according to the statement. Little Tokyo in Los Angeles; the Cindy Walker House in Mexia, Texas; Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana; and Tangier American Legation in Tangier, Morocco, are among the 11 locations on the Trusts list that
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is observed from May 1 to May 31. It celebrates AAPI culture, history and the stories of more than 20.6 million Americans per the U.S Census.

The AAPI population encompasses people from a wide swath of the world, including cultures from East, Southeast and South Asia, the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.

In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, MassLive will highlight AAPI leaders across the state.

But what is AAPI Heritage Month? Why is it celebrated and how was it established?

Rep. Frank Horton, R-NY, and Senator Daniel Inouye, D-HI, introduced two separate bills into Congress in 1977 that would designate the first 10 days of May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, according to History.com.

The reason for choosing May was to commemorate two historical days for the AAPI community, according to the bills drafted by Horton and Inouye. The first was to celebrate May 7, 1843, the date when a 14-year-old Japanese boy named Nakahama Manjiro and his shipwrecked crew came to the United States after they were found by Capt. William Whitfield. Whitfield adopted the boy and brought him to his home state of Massachusetts  making Manjiro the first Japanese person to immigrate to the United States.

The second day commemorated in the bills was May 10, 1869  the completion of the transcontinental railroad. A total of 12,000 Chinese immigrants made up the majority of those working on the railroad, and helped lay down tracks to connect the western part of the railroad to the eastern half.

Both these bills failed, but Horton introduced an identical bill the following year, which was approved by both the House and Senate and then signed into law by President Jimmy Carter. In 1979, the first Heritage Week was celebrated with an official proclamation by Carter.

In 1992, Congress voted to expand Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week into a month-wide observance, which President George H.W. Bush signed into law that year. In 2009, the name Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month was rebranded as AAPI Heritage Month after President Barack Obama expanded the month to include the recognition of Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians.

The AAPI community is comprised of people who are from or have family that have come from several different countries, including China, Japan, Cambodia, India, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Polynesia, Laos, the Hawaiian Islands, the Marshall Islands and more.

According to the 2020 U.S. census, the AAPI population in Massachusetts is 504,900, with Boston and Quincy having the highest and second-highest AAPI populations in the state, respectively. Throughout May, Boston will be home to several events celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, such as an AAPI 5k race on May 18 and an AAPI comedy festival at the Rozzie Square Theater from May 24 to May 25.
The Biden administration will wipe out more than $80 million in student loans for some 3,500 Massachusetts borrowers who attended the now-shuttered Art Institute and New England Institute of Art across Massachusetts between 2004 and 2017.

The loan forgiveness for Bay State borrowers comes as the U.S. Department of Education announced that it had issued $6.1 billion in debt cancellation for 317,000 borrowers nationwide who had attended the for-profit school during the same time frame.

Students took out loans with optimism and hope and those hopes were crushed by a greedy institution, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said during a Tuesday conference call with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell. This will put other schools on notice that we are paying attention.

The meaningful relief comes at a time when borrowers nationwide face an unprecedented crisis that is holding far too many back  and [achieving] greater success, Campbell said.

In a statement, Cardonas office said the school, which operated locations in Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, falsified data, misled borrowers about their earning potential, and cheated borrowers into taking on mountains of debt without leading to promising career prospects at the end of their studies.

The schools were owned and operated by a company known as Education Management Corporation until 2017. All Art Institute campuses closed under separate ownership in 2023, the Education Department said in its statement.

The forgiveness applies to any student who attended the school between Jan. 1, 2004, and Oct. 16, 2017, officials said.

For more than a decade, hundreds of thousands of hopeful students borrowed billions to attend The Art Institutes and got little but lies in return. That ends today  thanks to the Biden-Harris Administrations work with the attorneys general offices of Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, Cardona said in a separate statement.

We must continue to protect borrowers from predatory institutions  and work toward a higher education system that is affordable to students and taxpayers, he continued.

In its statement, the Education Department said it independently reviewed evidence provided by Campbells office, as well as the attorneys general offices in Iowa and Pennsylvania.

The top lawyers in all three states had separately conducted investigations and brought lawsuits against the Art Institute and its former parent company, federal officials said.

Campbells office provided information obtained during an investigation into the New England Institute of Art, formerly in Brookline, that included internal employment verification forms, other internal records of graduate employment outcomes, advertisements, and statements from former students and employees, the Education Department said.

In 2018, the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office filed a lawsuit against the New England Institute of Art and its parent company alleging that its business practices had violated the states Consumer Protection Act by misrepresenting the likelihood of job placement to prospective students in order to induce enrollment, Campbells office said in a separate statement.

In 2019, a Suffolk Superior Court judge ordered the two entities to pay roughly $60 million in restitution, plus interest, based on the amount of tuition its students had paid. The two entities, which had filed for bankruptcy in 2018, also were ordered to pay $11.7 million in penalties, Campbells office said.

The Art Institutes preyed on the hopes of students attempting to better their lives through education, Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray said in the agencys statement.

We cannot replace the time stolen from these students, but we can lift the burden of their debt. We remain committed to working with our federal and state partners to protect borrowers, Cordray said.

On Tuesday, Campbell, whose office has been active in student loan forgiveness issues, stressed the heavy debt load that students and graduates across the commonwealth hold  often years after graduation.

In Massachusetts, student borrowers carried an average debt of $33,457 in 2019-20, according to data compiled by the Institute for College Access & Success, a Washington D.C.-based research organization. Fifty-six percent of all graduates carried debt during that same period, data shows.

The average private debt among those Bay State graduates was $42,748, and 14% of all Massachusetts borrowers had private debt as of 2019-2020, the think tanks data show.

These predatory for-profit schools harmed vulnerable students for their own financial gain, leaving student borrowers burdened with debt and without viable job or financial prospects, Campbell said.
BOSTON  Garrett Coopers right wrist is sore after leaving the Red Sox 4-0 win over the Giants in the fifth inning Tuesday. But the team thinks he will be OK.

Giants reliever Sean Hjelle hit him with a 94.8 mph fastball during his third at-bat. He went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in his first two at-bats.

Hes doing OK, manager Alex Cora said. Just sore. Well see where hes at tomorrow. We dodged a bullet there.

The Red Sox are calling it a right wrist contusion.

Asked if Cooper has already had imaging done, Cora said, Not that I know of.

Cooper was playing in his first game for the Red Sox after they acquired him from the Cubs on Saturday for cash. Boston traded for the 33-year-old to replace first baseman Triston Casas who is on the 60-day injured list after he fractured some of the cartilage which connects his ribcage to his sternum.

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Cooper, a 2022 All-Star, went 10-for-37 (.270) with a .341 on-base percentage, .432 slugging percentage, .774 OPS, one homer, one double, one triple, three runs, six RBIs, four walks and 13 strikeouts in 12 games for the Cubs.

He said before Tuesdays game that the Red Sox pursued him in free agency this past offseason before he signed with Chicago.

The Red Sox have 13 players on the injured list, including three pitchers and two positional players on the 60-day IL. Every healthy positional player on the 40-man roster right now is on Bostons active 26-man roster. There are no positional players from the 40-man roster left in the minors.
SPRINGFIELD  The Massachusetts Gaming Commission approved Tuesday more than $570,000 in casino mitigation funding for Western Massachusetts but warned the Hampden County Sheriffs Office that this could be its last year for its grant.

Gaming commissioners also repeatedly referred to tightening state budget pressures, while discussing the Community Mitigation Fund grants in Western Massachusetts and elsewhere during a video-link meeting.
This is the only known image of Edward Bannister's masterpiece "Under the Oaks." The painting, which has been missing for more than a century, was tracked to Springfield before the trail went cold. (Courtesy of Michael McGuigan)republican
WESTFIELD  ArtWorks Westfields Articulture show will take place this weekend at Amelia Park Arena and will feature 75 New England artists and authors. Among the artists participating is Chicopees Laura Geryk, who, in her third Articulture appearance, will be displaying Polish wycinanki paper cutting.

I like sharing a kind of really unknown folk art with people, she said.
A WOMAN who led protests against the accommodation of 50 male asylum seekers in a Ballinrobe hotel has said she will win a seat in the upcoming European elections.

Michelle Smith, who lives in The Neale, has announced that she is running as an Independent candidate for the European Parliament.

Ms Smith spoke at a demonstration at JJ Gannons Hotel in Ballinrobe last January after plans to accommodate 50 male asylum seekers there were announced.

The protests were subsequently disbanded when she told protesters to go home after it was announced that the hotel would instead accommodate asylum-seeking families.

Citing her large following on TikTok, Ms Smith told The Mayo News that she has gained huge support from the public since she announced her candidacy.

I dont have 44 million views for nothing. So not only am I in with a fighting chance, Ill take a seat, she said.

Migration issue

Ms Smith has expressed concern about the large number of young people leaving the country due to a lack of affordable housing which, she claimed, is being exacerbated by the scale of migration into the country.

I have parents contacting me saying they have just waved off their last child because they dont want to be living at home for the rest of their lives, she said.

If elected, Ms Smith said she would oppose the proposed EU Migration Pact, which would overhaul European migration law if passed.

How are they going to manage to house everybody when they cannot house the Irish people and the people who are here, with all the nationalities, working for years? said Ms Smith, who works as an accountant.

What I want to do is go over to the European Union and create a new, different type of politics and a new way of asking people and communicating with people and voicing to people whats going on.

Swipe at Sinn Fein

Ms Smith, who is originally from Armagh but has lived in Mayo for over 20 years, is a former member of Sinn Fein.

When asked about her association with the party, Ms Smith said: I have not been an active member of Sinn Fein for a very long time. Id say I went to a meeting way before Covid.

She then attacked her former party, stating: Where are their TDs when they are called upon?  They are not sleeping out with people in their communities and fighting.

Sinn Fein in my opinion  and you can put this on record  sold their souls, added Ms Smith, who also criticised the party for voting in favour of the Governments proposed Hate Speech legislation and for its support for the recently-defeated Family referendum.

They are going out voting yes for a Hate Speech bill and yes to remove the word mother from the constitution, and then the moment its a no vote, a resounding no vote, they are completely doing a backpedal on it and lying to the people saying, We got this wrong, she said.

Farming

MS Smith also accused Fine Gael of voting against the farmers by voting for the EU Nature Restoration Law.

I have zero farmers on my books that are making profit in this area. They are going out and they are working 40-hour weeks and then working on their farms, to supplement their farm, she said.

Although running as an Independent, Ms Smith said she will work with MEPs from all parties on various issues if elected.

I have no problem working with people. Independent Ireland are great, they are fantastic, and they have my full backing. Anyone who is willing to speak up, I will work with them. I am not going out against anybody, she said.

The other Mayo candidates running in the Ireland MidlandsNorth-West constituency are Saoirse McHugh (Independent), Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) and Maria Walsh (Fine Gael).

Sitting MEP Chris McManus and MP Michelle Gildernew will stand for Sinn Fein in the constituency.
SITTING MEP Maria Walsh has officially launched her campaign to retain her seat in the European Parliament.

Speaking at the launch at the TF Royal Hotel on Monday evening, the Fine Gael MEP said that Europe faced a choice between populism and division, or pragmatism and compassion in the upcoming elections.

The former Rose of Tralee said that she had been a strong voice for the West since being elected in 2019.

She said she had developed a strong track record in Europe, which included campaigning for young farmers, mental health, pyrite and mica redress, a veterinary college in ATU and EU funding for the Western Rail Corridor.

As a farmer myself, I understand the challenges faced by small family farms in the West of Ireland. As an MEP, I have worked hard to protect the incomes of our young farmers, our female farmers and our hardworking family farmers - to ensure financial viability into the future for the next generation of farmers, the Shrule woman said.

Over the past five years, I have campaigned day in and day out to put mental health on the European political agenda. Death by suicide is the second leading cause of death for our young people in the EU. To combat this crisis, I have worked closely with President Ursula Von der Leyen to ensure mental health is accounted for across EU policy.

Senior Fine Gael figures, including Mayo TDs Michael Ring and Alan Dillon, were among those who attended the campaign launch.

MEP Maria Walsh pictured with Michael Ring TD, Minister Heather Humphreys TD, Minister Alan Dillon TD and Minister Hildegarde Naughton TD

MEP Walshs campaign was launched by Minister for Rural Development and Social Protection, and Fine Gael Deputy Leader, Heather Humphreys.

As a country, we currently find ourselves at a crossroads and June 7 will be telling of the future we want for our State," Ms Walsh said.

"We face a choice, in particular at a European level, between populism and division, or pragmatism and compassion. Now more than ever, we need politicians who stand for the truth and arent afraid to face it. We need politicians who are balanced, sensible and committed to the institutions they serve. And crucially, we need politicians who are focused on truly delivering for their constituents.

Ms Walsh is running against three other Mayo women in the Midlands North-West constituency; Fianna Fails Lisa Chambers and Independents Michelle Smith and Saoirse McHugh.

Other candidates running in the five-seat constituency include incumbent MEPs Luke Ming Flanagan and Sinn Feins Chris MacManus.

Former presidential candidate Peter Casey will also be running as an Independent, as well as Green Party candidate Senator Pauline OReilly, former jockey Nina Carberry (Fine Gael) and Sinn Fein MP Michelle Gildernew MP.
Schools dealing with the negative effects of social media on students  the endless scrolling, distraction from homework, spreading rumors and bullying  are fighting back.

Alarmed by what they see as a youth mental health crisis, two dozen schools and districts in Western New York are joining the federal litigation against social media companies seeking changes to the platforms to make them less addictive. They also are looking for restitution for the expenses incurred dealing with mental health issues among students.

We know that social media is a significant contributing factor to some of the mental health issues that we have among our school-age populations, because of the way it causes people to interact with each other, said Hamburg Superintendent Michael Cornell, whose district joined the lawsuit.

I think what youre seeing is these school districts across the country are taking a stance against these companies to require them to make the necessary changes to make their platforms safer, said William Shinoff of the Frantz Law Group, a California-based personal injury law firm.

In April 2023, the law firm filed papers in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on behalf of 16 school districts against Meta, TikTok, Snap, YouTube and other social media companies. The litigation accuses the social media companies of designing their products to foster addictive behavior and use algorithms to funnel certain kinds of content to students, encouraging them to spend more time on their platforms.

More than 900 districts have joined the litigation, including 100 from New York State. Hodgson Russ of Buffalo also is representing local districts.

In addition to Hamburg Central School District, other local school districts participating are Alden, Buffalo, Depew, Eden, Grand Island, Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda, Springville-Griffith Institute, Tonawanda, West Seneca and Williamsville. The Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES and Westminster Community Charter School also joined.

Resolutions adopted by the districts indicate that schools have had to hire additional counselors, develop resources and train staff to handle the burgeoning number of students succumbing to what best can be described as a youth mental health crisis.

The local districts are not paying any legal costs, but school personnel will gather data for the lawsuit.

The lawsuits accuse the social media companies of engaging in reckless and negligent misconduct, causing a mental health crisis among youth.

Meta said it is working to provide teens safe experiences online, and has developed more than 30 tools and features, including ways to set time limits, age verification technologies and restricting those under 16 from receiving direct messages from people they dont follow.

These are complex issues, but we will continue working with experts and listening to parents to develop new tools, features and policies that are effective and meet the needs of teens and their families, a Meta spokesperson said in an email.

James P. Frantz of the Frantz Law Group said the safeguards put in place by social media companies are not effective.

The kids are getting right around it, and theyre not doing anything about the change. And the parents cannot control it, Frantz said.

Auburn schools joining suit against social media companies The Auburn Enlarged City School District is joining other school districts in taking legal action against social media companies due to their 

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory last year that said while social media may have benefits for some children and adolescents, there are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.

Social media platforms know that the answer is to structurally correct harmful design features and functions, said Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer for the American Psychological Association, in a press release on a health advisory on social media use in adolescence. Most children and adolescents lack the experience, judgment and self-control to manage their behaviors on these platforms, which is why we see over 50% reporting at least one symptom of clinical dependency on social media today.

Educators have been talking about the mental health crisis in schools for years. Some districts, such as Hamburg, have trained all staff  from administrators to cafeteria workers  to recognize students who need help.

There is a necessity to go and provide these mental health services to provide greater services to their students, and also educate the students and families on the harms of social media and the safe use of social media, said Shinoff, the lawyer for the California law firm.

Each district is a separate case, and the first trial is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2025, Shinoff said.

The social media companies are a clear and present danger to America youth, Frantz said. Theyre interfering with their classroom work, interfering with their ability to get into college, and then theyre causing them severe emotional distress, and we need to stop that.
The Green Party will launch its Mayo campaign for the Local and European elections tomorrow, Thursday, May 2 at 5.30 pm at the Westport Woods Hotel, Quay Road, Westport.

Senator Pauline OReilly, the Green Partys MEP candidate for the Midland-North West Constituency, will be joined by the partys two candidates for the Local Election, Peter Nolan, who will run in the Westport Electoral Area, and Micheal OConnell, who will run in the Belmullet Electoral Area.

In a statement, the Mayo Greens said: The Green Party believes that it is time that there was a committed green voice on Mayo County Council to ensure that the county can benefit fully from the opportunities that new green jobs, green energy and green agriculture can bring to the county. The counties that make the transition to a lower carbon future quickest are the ones that will prosper most. Those that dont will be left behind.

The Greens in Mayo say that the prospect of another five years of 'more of the same' politics will hold Mayo people, business and innovation back, allowing other counties to power ahead instead. A green voice locally will be enhanced with a strong green voice for the region in Europe.

Pauline, Micheal and Peter will outline their vision for Mayo and the West of Ireland, and what they will do both locally and at a European level to help ensure that Mayo is on the cutting edge of the green transition, with thriving towns, sustainable and affordable housing, renewable energy, transport that works, quality jobs, a healthy environment and viable farming.

Pauline was elected to Seanad Eireann in 2020 and before that was elected to Galway County Council in 2019. Prior to her career in politics, she was a family-law solicitor. Peter is an organic farmer, as part of the Organic Farming Scheme in a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) between Louisburgh and Westport. Micheal was raised on a small farm in Erris. In his 20s he became a managing director of an Insurance company in Dublin, before returning to Belmullet, where he owned and managed The Boxty Factory in the town.

The full programme for the launch day is:

1.30 pm: Walk-about in Belmullet, meeting at The Cake Queen coffee shop

3.00 pm: Walk-about in Westport

5:30 pm: Launch of the Election campaigns, Westport Woods Hotel

8:00 pm: IFA European Election Hustings, Claremorris (Pauline O'Reilly will attend)
Students from Youthreach Ballinrobe were awarded a prize at the Frame of Mind short film competition for their creation, Saving Sadie.

The students received their award at a special screening for the competition, which is hosted by Walk in my Shoes, in partnership with Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland.

Submitted by the Mayo school, the short film tells the story of a person who can't see any way forward and how friendship can conquer all.

Matilda star, Alisha Weir, led congratulations to the students, and said: I think everyone nominated tonight should be really proud of themselves, and have done an amazing job. The message of the Frame of Mind competition is so important. Its a great way for us to use our creativity and our voice to make something together  but most importantly, to talk to each other about things we dont normally talk about.

Held annually, Frame of Mind is an initiative of Walk in My Shoes, the flagship awareness-raising campaign of St Patricks Mental Health Services, that uses the mediums of short film and photography to help to promote positive mental health and reduce stigma around mental health difficulties.

In 2024, in celebration of the competitions ten-year anniversary, Walk in My Shoes partnered with Screen Ireland, the national agency for Irish film, television, drama, animation and documentary, to help to amplify positive mental health messages while also showcasing emerging young talent within the sector.

81 students from nine counties across Ireland were shortlisted in this years competition, which was open to secondary schools, special education schools, Youthreach centres and Further Education and Training (FET) centres. The winning and shortlisted entries are:

Speaking about this key initiative from Walk in My Shoes, Paul Gilligan, CEO of St Patricks Mental Health Services, said the campaign uses the medium of film to provide a positive space for students and harness their creativity; and to raise awareness about mental health.

As always, the entries to this years competition were of extremely high calibre and highlight the incredible talent, tenacity, and vital role that young people can play in inspiring conversations about mental health.

We were extremely grateful to partner with Screen Ireland for this years Frame of Mind competition, working together towards a shared goal of educating young people about mental health and encouraging them to explore new creative outlets and avenues, he added.

The winning films were selected by a panel of expert judges including Michael Doherty, Movies Editor from the RTE Guide.

First-place entrants in each category won a 1,000 cash prize for their school or education centre, while runners-up received 500.

Desiree Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland, said: "This year's initiative has been a fantastic opportunity for students to develop and showcase their skills in filmmaking and storytelling on screen, helping raise mental health awareness. Our sincere congratulations to all of the students and schools that participated, and to the shortlisted and winning films."

All shortlisted, and winning films are available to watch on Walk in My Shoes YouTube channel.

See Youthreach Ballinrobes Saving Sadie below.
SENATOR Lisa Chambers has hit back at comments made by European election rival and Aontu leader Peadar Toibin, accusing the Meath TD of misrepresenting her stance on climate change.

Deputy Toibin, who is running against Senator Chambers in the Midlands North West constituency, suggested that she was cynically exploiting fears of people in rural Ireland by saying that Fianna Fails relationship with the Green Party was no longer tenable.

Senator Chambers said that the Green Party had placed the country in a green straight jacket by not progressing the development of offshore wind energy.

Deputy Toibin called on Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin to clarify if his party would remain in government with the Greens - with whom they have been in coalition alongside Fine Gael since 2020.

Senator Chambers accused Deputy Toibin of aggressive and argumentative tactics and agreed to debate him on the relevant issues.

I am always open to a constructive debate, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss the substantive issues with Deputy Toibin anytime, anywhere, said Senator Chambers.

However, it's disappointing to see a party leader choose to misrepresent my comments which were clearly outlined in the Irish Independent. Such aggressive and argumentative tactics are not what you expect from someone in his position.

Addressing her position on wind energy, Senator Chambers said: For a long time, I have been a staunch advocate for harnessing our wind energy resources off the west coast to their full potential. It is crucial that our approach to green energy not only focuses on decarbonisation but also strengthens our economy and enhances Ireland's attractiveness for foreign direct investment. Addressing climate change is a shared ambition by all of us. I am determined it is to the fore of our countrys political agenda.

It seems there was either a failure to fully engage with the content of the article or a deliberate attempt to distort my position for other purposes," she said, referring to an article in the Irish Independent where her comments originally appeared.

This type of reaction is unbecoming of a party leader and does not contribute to the informed and respectful discourse that the public deserves.

Senator Chambers earlier became embroiled in an online war of words with Green Party Senator Pauline OReilly over her comments on Fianna Fails relationship with the Green Party.

Interesting that Lisa's discovered the potential of wind energy just when she is about to run for election! What she hasn't discovered however are the facts. Floating offshore offers huge potential but industry experts say the technology isnt ready for West. Back to school Lisa! https://t.co/KeAXpkwH79  Senator Pauline O'Reilly, MEP Candidate (@paulinegalway) April 29, 2024

The former county councillor and Mayo TD will be vying for a seat in an increasingly crowded field in the Ireland Midlands North-West constituency.

As well as Senator Chambers and Deputy Toibin, three other Mayo women; Michelle Smith (Independent), Saoirse McHugh (Independent) and MEP Maria Walsh (Fine Gael) will be on the ballot paper in June.

Former presidential candidate Peter Casey  who sparred with Achill native Saoirse McHugh in a live television debate in 2019  has also confirmed that he will be running again in the Midlands North-West as an Independent.

Ms McHugh came fifth in the poll in the 2019 European election and later ran unsuccessfully for the Dail and Seanad.

She subsequently left the Green Party after they entered coalition with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.
MAYO TD Michael Ring has called on the Government to intervene to complete Ballyhaunis Primary Care Centre, which has sat in an unfinished state for almost three years.

The veteran Fine Gael TD called on the government to step in to resume progress on the primary care centre, which was due to be completed in October 2020.

Deputy Ring said the lack of progress on the facility was not acceptable and also raised concern over the lack of information on the matter.

Sharpdale Ltd stopped work on the building in May 2021 and have since begun work on a primary care centre in Portumna.

Significant concern has been raised locally regarding the ownership of the building, which started through a so-called operational lease model.

Ballyhaunis and the surrounding community urgently require a fully operational Primary Care Centre, said Deputy Ring, who raised the matter in Dail Eireann this afternoon (Wednesday).

Four Primary Care Centres were promised when James Reilly was Minister for Health. All of them were delivered except the one for Ballyhaunis.

Ballyhaunis is a very diverse, multicultural town now. This Primary Care Centre is needed more than ever.

Minister of State Colm Burke, responding on behalf of Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, said the Department of Health was aware of the frustration this has caused the people of the town.

Minister Burke said the HSE was continuing to engage with the contractor, who had raised concerns regarding the viability of the project.

He added that HSE has assured the Minister for Health that it will be exploring all options to deliver a new primary care centre in the area.

In this regard, the Minister wishes to assure the Deputy that this Government remains committed to the provision of the primary care centre in Ballyhaunis and to the continued development of primary care centres throughout the country, added Minister Burke.

Deputy Ring said he did feel the government was showing no urgency regarding the issue and called for another contractor to be appointed to complete the building

Minister Burke said that the issue needed to be prioritised and said he would raise it again with the Minister for Health.

Minister Burke added: I will follow this matter up myself for the Deputy as well because I do understand there are sometimes legal technicalities that arise and there may be a stand-off between various parties involved. This means it is sometimes difficult to resolve these issues. I will, therefore, see what further information I can get for the Deputy concerning this issue.
Traditionally May 1 has been associated as a day of campaigning for workers' rights globally.

"For me International Workers' Day is always a day to promote decency in the workplace. Its about unity and campaigning for important issues: Housing to mention just one said Donna Hyland, secretary of the Castlebar & District Trade Union Council.

The need for the organisation of workers is still relevant: "Trade Unions represent the interests of employees" said Hyland: "You as a worker are much stronger organised in a union. We see recognition of union representatives in some sectors but I would like to see recognition across all sectors. We need to have legislation brought in so that collective bargaining becomes the norm said Hyland.

"Ireland are one of the few countries in the European Union that doesn't have that protection" said "Deirdre Medlar, representative on the National Executive of the Communication Workers' Union, from Ballina:

"In this country we have a big reliance on multinational companies. They have a huge impact, for example in mayo Coca-Cola, Abbvie and Baxter, they are important but at the same time they need to make sure the workers get the respect and protection they deserve.

Even union busting is an issue which prevents workers from organising. So Medlar continues to explain, that collective bargaining is not just about money: "Its more to do about the terms of employment: For example work-life balance, equality and health and safety are matters that unions can help ensure to enforce in companies. We need proper protection for employees in Mayo and across the country".

The Trade Unions call on workers to join the current campaign "Respect at work"

The campaign aims at putting pressure on Irish politicians to put an EU Directive on minimum wages and collective bargaining into effect. The Irish Government must write it into law by November of this year.

But there is also domestic issues that Mayo workers are very concerned about. Deirdre Medlar gives an example from her own line of work:

My own perspective working for An Post in Mayo: We are a very rural county, one of the things workers are concerned with, is the Universal Social Obligation. It means every household is entitled to one mail delivery a day. If that were to be reduced to maybe one delivery every two days or even less, it would cost jobs. And it has already happened in other European countries" said Medlar.

"And we have proven that we are an essential workforce. During Covid we came to people's houses and that's important especially in a rural county like Mayo. "

Medlar explained that Trade Unions would be able to help put pressure on politicians to protect workers' interests.

More information about the current campaign for Trade Union week called "Better in a Trade union" to find here
BALLINROBE is said to be enduring traffic chaos since work began to install new traffic lights at the end of Glebe Street.

Local county councillor Michael Burke said that cars are taking 28 minutes to cross the town on Friday evenings due to the level of traffic.

Cllr Burke complained that delays in installing new traffic lights were causing severe traffic congestion in the South Mayo town during busy periods.

The instillation of the lights started approximately two months ago and had been scheduled to take six weeks to complete.

Cllr Burke said that the company undertaking the works could not do anything about the traffic delays and requested that the council write to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) for an update on the works.

On Friday evening there was a 28-minute delay from Finlays [filling] station down the Castlebar Road, thats now known as Mace, to get through Ballinrobe town. This is just crazy, he told the monthly meeting of Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District.

On Friday evening, and indeed most times around the school closes, we have utter chaos in Ballinrobe. If a company tells us, Mayo County Council, or TII that they can do the work in six weeks, the work should be done in six weeks. We havent seen a poll put up yet on those lights. Its very irritating for people, the Fine Gael councillor added.

Cllr Burke also voiced concern about three major potholes on the Castlebar Road that had been reported on several occasions but had not yet been filled.

His concerns were echoed by Fianna Fail councillor Damien Ryan and Independent councillor Patsy OBrien.

Cllr Ryan said that local representatives had been inundated with concerns about traffic congestion in the Ballinrobe area.

Local people voiced their opposition to the installation of the traffic lights on Glebe Street after learning that it would involve the removal of some parking spaces near residential buildings.

Cllr Ryan said that local representatives hands were tied regarding the traffic lights and said an outer relief road would be needed to solve the towns traffic woes.

A Phase 0 strategic assessment report on a bypass for the town is currently being progressed by Mayo County Councils National Roads Office.

Padraic Flanagan, Head of Claremorris Municipal District, said the local authority would ask TII for an update on when the traffic lights will be completed as a matter of urgency.
WEST HILLS, Calif.Pipedream Products is now shipping its brand-new Fetish Fantasy Body Dock Thruster, the manufacturers first-ever portable sex machine that works with most suction cup pleasure products on the market.

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See a video of the Body Dock in action here.

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The Body Dock Thruster is backed by Pipedreams 1-Year Limited Warranty, USB-C rechargeable, and available in case counts of six. Complimentary testers are available upon request. Contact your preferred Pipedream sales rep or visit wholesale.pipedreamproducts.com for more information.
by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, April 30, 2024

Stagwell will hold its annual meeting June 12 at its company headquarters in New York, the company reported this week in a regulatory filing.

Shareholders will vote for directors and ratify the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers as the companys accounting firm for the coming year.

advertisement advertisement An advisory vote will also be taken on the compensation packages of the top executives at the digital marketing company.

CEO Mark Penn had the largest total compensation for 2023, totaling $8.4 million. That included a salary of $1.2 million along with bonuses, stock awards and other elements. That was up from the $6.7 million Penn earned a year ago.

As founder of the company, Penn also owns 2% of the outstanding class A shares as well as Class C shares that give him 56% voting power at the company.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, April 30, 2024

Google account holders have asked a federal appellate court to decide whether they can proceed with a class-action privacy claims stemming from the company's real-time bidding system.

U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California recently said the users couldn't seek monetary damages on a class-wide basis because their privacy claims would turn on whether they consented to Google's practices. Questions about consent would require the kind of case-by-case analysis that's inconsistent with class-action lawsuits, Rogers ruled.

That decision effectively foreclosed use of the class-action device in data-privacy cases, counsel for the users argued in a motion asking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to hear an immediate appeal.

While Rogers' ruling doesn't prevent individual users from attempting to sue Google, doing so can be prohibitively expensive.

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Google on Monday asked the 9th Circuit to reject the account holders' request, arguing that the case doesn't present the kinds of exceptional circumstances that would justify an immediate appeal.

The company adds that Rogers carefully weighed and credited significant evidence supporting its argument that questions about users' consent were critical, and required individualized evaluation.

The privacy battle dates to 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 promises 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.

The users recently urged Rogers to certify 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, arguing that key questions about users' consent to data sharing couldn't be answered on a class-wide basis.

Rogers agreed that claims for monetary damages would require individual evaluation and rejected the motion for class-certification with prejudice regarding those claims. She also rejected the class-certification motion for purposes of obtaining an injunction against Google, but without prejudice -- meaning the plaintiffs could gather more evidence and renew their attempt to obtain an injunction.

The injunctive relief sought would be an important step toward choice, accountability, and transparency, she wrote.
by Colin Kirkland , April 30, 2024

TikTok employees traveling to the U.S. have been stopped by border agents and asked questions about their access to sensitive American data and their potential affiliation with the Chinese Communist Party, according to a recent report by

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are holding some of the employees of TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, for additional questioning.

Of those being questioned by the CBP, Forbes says it is focusing mainly on Chinese nationals -- many of whom are machine-learning specialists and data engineers at the social media company.

Agents have asked about data access and the location of TikTok's U.S.-based data centers.

The CBP has also inquired about employees individual involvement with the $1.5 billion corporate project known as Project Texas, which was designed to wall off U.S. TikTok user data from the Chinese government.

TikTok proposed the initiative last March as a way to quell the U.S. government's concerns about the Chinese government using TikTok as a way to spread propaganda and spy on U.S. consumers.shou

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Some TikTok employees being held for questioning have been asked whether they are members of the Chinese Communist Party, and are also required to supply information about their schooling history and political connections in China. Border agents are referring to the same list of printed questions, Forbes says.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, has been investigating ByteDance since 2019, recommending last year that the U.S. should force ByteDance to sell social media app or ban it altogether. And the committee may get their wish.

Last week, President Joe Biden signed a foreign aid package that includes a ban on TikTok.

In the week prior, both the House and the Senate passed the measure, giving ByteDance one year to sell the app -- or app stores will stop distributing the platform.

If the measure becomes law, TikTok plans to fight back, stating that the bill would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform.

Data shows that the app hosts over 5 million small businesses in the U.S. and generated almost $15 billion in revenue in 2023, creating over 224,000 U.S. jobs.

Yet, it is still possible that the company allows ByteDance more access to U.S. user data than it lets on.

While TikTok has repeatedly referenced the effectiveness of Project Texas in congressional testimonies, various reports suggest China's ongoing ability to access U.S. user data.

Earlier this month, several former TikTok employees told Fortune that the initiative is largely cosmetic, with employees emailing massive data sheets to Beijing-based ByteDance workers.
by Danielle Oster , April 30, 2024

Coca-Cola reported its earnings for Q1, with the global soft drink leader coming out ahead of analyst estimates. The company reported a 3% net revenue increase, and 11% organic revenue increase, for the quarter year-over-year, with the results arriving in the wake of attempts to refresh its offerings and invest in marketing new products.

On a subsequent earnings call with analysts and investors, the company credited innovation and marketing investments for its success.

Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey touted the companys decision to refine the recipes for Fanta and Sprite to meet consumer preferences across many markets with success in reaching new customers.

The strong performance in markets from Brazil to Germany to the U.S. this quarter is largely due to this type of innovation, which was supported by marketing messages focused on taste and on tying the brand to snacking occasions at local festivals, like Carnival in Brazil, he explained.

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We're building on our innovations by driving awareness and excitement through an increasingly digital marketing media mix, he added. Our total beverage portfolio plays a lead role, as shown by the New Guy campaign in the U.S. this quarter, which featured multiple [brands] across categories.

Chairman and CEO James Quincey reported the companys marketing spending was up year-over-year for the quarter.

Murphy also addressed one brand nvestors felt wasnt living up to expectations: BodyArmor. Coca-Cola acquired full ownership of the brand in November of 2021, after initial investments beginning in 2018.

Clearly, we haven't progressed as fast as we would like with regard to BodyArmor, Murphy said. Notwithstanding that, we do see long-term value in the dual strategy, particularly in the U.S., between Powerade and BodyArmor.

Murphy also highlighted some bright spots for that dual strategy, contributing to the companys more positive long-term outlook for the category. He said the company is off to a good start with its plans for BodyArmor going forward, claiming the zero-calorie version of BodyArmor is ahead of expectations, while pointing to Flash IDV having some double-digit [market] share.

BodyArmor recently partnered with Olivia Culpo on a campaign dedicated to the BodyArmor Zero Sugar release, following its launch earlier this year.
by Colin Kirkland , April 30, 2024

Despite political party affiliations, Americans are far more likely to say social media has a negative rather than positive impact on the country, while the majority also believe social media companies hold too much influence in politics and censorship, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center.

While 10% of Americans describe social media as having a mostly positive impact on the country, roughly two-thirds (64%) think social media has a mostly negative effect on the way the country is operating  a number that has remained static since 2020.

However, although the same number of Americans remain concerned with the impact of social media, a growing number of Democrats (from 53% in 2020 to 59% now) believe major social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and X have mostly hurt the country.

Interestingly, the share of Republicans who think social media has had a negative effect is shrinking, from 78% in 2020 to 71% now.

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More Democrats (up from 63% in 2020 to 74% now) believe social-media companies also wield too much power and influence over politics, while Republicans (84%) have held the same sentiment over the past four years.

In addition, 16% say these platforms have a healthy amount of political influence, while only 4% think they should have more power over politics.

Across political lines, Americans think social media sites actively censor political viewpoints they disagree with, including 83% of U.S. adults -- up 6% from 2020.

Over 90% of Republicans hold this sentiment, compared to 77% of Democrats. However, only 25% of Democrats say this is very likely happening now, compared to 66% of Republicans.

In terms of government regulation, the majority of Americans (51%) agree that big tech needs more regulation, but Democrats are more supportive of this viewpoint than Republicans. 60% of Democrats believe the government should regulate major tech companies, while only 45% of Republicans think so. In 2020, both parties felt similarly on the matter, with 48% of Republicans and 46% of Democrats vying for more regulation.

While the issue of government regulation in this industry is contentious and complex, the majority of Americans hold the same view as some major social media companies, like Meta, which controls Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Horizon Worlds. In 2021, the company launched a video ad series calling for improved regulations of social media and has held the same belief since. As social media plays a larger part in political campaigns and public perception, Meta and other social media companies do not want to be responsible for calling the shots on suppressing certain voices and weeding out every piece of misinformation.

Americans have wanted more government regulation over their social feeds for years. While they have risen and fallen over the past six years, from 44% in 2022 to 56% in 2021, Pew Research says that the share of Americans who think tech companies should be regulated more is identical to what the Center found in 2018.
by Danielle Oster , May 1, 2024

Last year, right after Olipop was featured in Nikki Manajs Barbie World music video from the soundtrack to the summers biggest movie, Mattel reached out to the brand about another partnership opportunity for Barbies 65th anniversary.

Olipop co-founder and CEO Ben Goodwin, who also formulates the prebiotic soda brands flavors, had been working on a Peaches & Cream flavor for years, Olipop head of marketing Chad Wilson told Marketing Daily. When Barbie and Olipop discussed the [65th anniversary of Barbie and 40th anniversary of the release of the Peachesn Cream Barbie], they asked if we had a Peaches & Cream flavor, and the rest is history.

The limited-edition Barbie x Olipop Peaches & Cream release is a flavor that evokes nostalgia and embodies Barbie's spirit, Wilson said.

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Cans of Barbie x Olipop Peaches & Cream will be sold in individual cans across major retailers nationally, including Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods, as well as on Amazon and through Olipops website.

Olipop created a virtual Peaches & Cream Kitchen that connects to a promotional giveaway, accessible at drinkolipop.com/ peachesandcream beginning on May 6. The brand will be offering a free sample of the Peaches & Cream flavor to 5,000 fans who open the virtual soda-filled fridge through May 10, giving away up to 1,000 cans per day.

The brand will also be promoting the new release through digital and social channels.

The interactive Peaches & Cream Kitchen is the main tactic were using to excite consumers about the launch. The unique virtual experience allows fans to step into a dreamy, modern-retro fridge and explore the world of Olipop [and] Barbie. Wilson explained.

According to Wilson, these tactics are in line with Olipops marketing strategy of tapping into major (and fun) cultural moments, and marketing the brand through a focus on elements of nostalgia associated with the soda category.

The release follows Olipops recent campaign searching for Soda Consultants to travel with the brand to create content, as well as recent digital OOH efforts supporting the brands expansion.
CHICAGOFollowing its recent acquisition of Fanwire and continued expansion of the FansFuel tracking and affiliate network, Skinfluential Media has hired Laura Desiree to serve as its Director of Creator Communications. Desiree brings over a decade of experience as an adult industry expert, certified intimacy coordinator, pleasure educator and activist to the role and will serve as a bridge between the management end of the business and content creators using its products and services.

"I am beyond thrilled to join this team of ambitious and ethically-minded pros that are keeping the creator's experience in the forefront of their efforts, Desiree said. Careers will certainly flourish with the international team we have to handle our creators' professional aspirations with creativity and care."

Desiree's portfolio includes a seven-year tenure as producer and presenter for Naked News, hosting and producing Red Umbrella Talk, serving as lead brand strategist for the sex work marketing agency PS Group, hosting series podcasts for CAM4 and ManyVids productions, and serving as a regular project consultant for the Museum of Sex in both New York and Miami.

Skinfluential Media president Sam Rakowski commented, I first had the pleasure of working with Laura during her time with Naked News and was immediately impressed. On top of being a highly successful content creator herself, her intelligence, work ethic and communication skills are equally impressive and made her the perfect choice for this role. She is uniquely qualified to interface with other creators and help them grow their businesses with the help of our FansFuel platform and Skinfluential Management services.

Leveraging its FansFuel platform, Skinfluential Management gives creators on OnlyFans and other platforms real time analytics proven to help them grow their income. The company offers a wide range of services, which help creators utilize those analytics to grow their revenue by tailoring content specific to what the fans respond to, as well as giving them the option of working with the company's affiliates to drive clicks to their profiles.

Desiree will not only serve as a brand ambassador for Skinfluential Management, she will also facilitate communication with the creator community, speaking from experience as a content creator herself. Within the realm of adult content creation, she has spearheaded initiatives aimed at enhancing earning opportunities and improving working conditions. She has also provided consultancy services to individuals and corporations, advocating for a redefined narrative of success in sex work.

For more information visit fansfuel.com and skinfluentialmanagement.com or reach out directly to Desiree at [email protected].
Today, Tuesday, 30 April, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Georgios Kotsiras, and the President of "Study in Greece" National Agency, Christos Michalakelis, signed a Cooperation Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed at linking Greeces academic world with the Greek Diaspora and supporting the internationalization of Greek higher education. This bilateral cooperation seeks to promote Greek universities and their international programs abroad, while also fostering contacts between Greek and foreign universities for the development and implementation of joint programs and actions, as well as collaborative research.



As Deputy Minister, G. Kotsiras, stated, "Through our collaboration with Study in Greece Agency, we aim to strengthen the ties between Greek universities and the Greek Diaspora, providing opportunities for Diaspora and foreign students and researchers to learn more about Greek history, culture, and contemporary Greece. This cooperation supports our goal of preserving Greek identity and is part of the Ministry's Strategic Plan for Greeks Abroad. We place particular emphasis on using digital tools to more effectively disseminate information about the increasing educational and research opportunities in our country and to enhance the connection between academic communities in Greece and abroad. By supporting the internationalization of Greek universities, we enhance our country's international presence and bring the Diaspora youth closer to Greece."



On his part, Mr. Michalakelis commented that "the signing of this protocol emphatically highlights the long and outstanding collaboration between Study in Greece and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, further securing institutional support from the Greek state. Establishing a communication and cooperation channel between the Diaspora Greeks and philhellenes around the world with Greek universities will contribute both to the international promotion of Greek higher education and to the connection of university internationalization with the promotion of the Greek language and culture. The strategic partnership between Study in Greece and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ensures the sustainability of outward-looking activities and significantly upgrades the Greek universities efforts to achieve a prominent position on the global academic map.



As stipulated in the Cooperation Protocol, "Study in Greece" Agency, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will contribute to the promotion of Greek universities and their international programs through the creation of digital promotional material and the utilization of digital platforms developed by "Study in Greece" to support the internationalization of university level education. There will be an emphasis on networking among Greek and philhellene scientists abroad, and a special focus on linking Centers for Greek Studies worldwide.



Additionally, summer and winter educational programs are to be organized, with a particular emphasis on the Greek Diaspora. These include online and in-person classes in Greek language, history, and culture, in collaboration with interested Greek universities.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will leverage its Public Diplomacy Offices and Missions Abroad as well as the Diaspora associations and networks to promote these programs and enhance the broader exposure of Greek universities.


A tripartite meeting of the ministers of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will be held in Tashkent, Azernews reports, citing a post shared by Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov on his X social network.

The post reads:

"Within the framework of our business trip to the Republic of Uzbekistan we will participate in the meeting of the Supervisory Board of the Investment Company, in Tashkent International Invest Forum, as well as in a tripartite meeting with the ministers of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. We will hold discussions with a number of government representatives of Uzbekistan on initiatives that serve the common interests of our countries and the possibilities of developing our economy cooperation."
Credit: Netflix

On Tuesday, Netflix released the first trailer for their six-part series Senna, which will chronicle the life of Brazilian Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna.

Originally announced in 2020 as an eight-episode miniseries, the scripted series promises to tell the story of Sennas iconic racing career as well as his life on and off the track.

The teaser recreates Sennas victory at the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix after being stuck in sixth gear for the entire race while interspersing other moments from his life.

The limited series, which stars Brazilian actor Gabriel Leone (Ferrari), is set to debut in 2024. Racing fans will also appreciate appearances from some of the notable people in Sennas life, including Xuxa (Pamela Tome), Alain Prost (Matt Mella), Ron Dennis (Patrick Kennedy) and Galvao Bueno (Gabriel Louchard).

Over the course of six episodes, Senna will showcase, for the first time, Ayrtons journey through triumph, disappointment, joy, and sorrow, unveiling his personality and personal relationships, reads the Netflix announcement. The fictional series starts with the genesis of the three-time Formula 1 champions motor racing career, when he moves to England to compete in Formula Ford, and until his tragic accident in Imola, Italy, during the San Marino Grand Prix.

Ayrton Senna is considered by many to have been the fastest F1 driver of all time. He won three F1 world titles, 41 races, 65 pole positions, and 80 podiums between 1984 and 1994.
The Air Force has started to fly some of its CV-22 Ospreys again to assess the troubled aircraft's flight eligibility, a notable step as the service works to return the entire fleet to full operations after a deadly crash late last year.

It is the last among the services to return its Ospreys to the air following the Nov. 29 crash off the coast of Japan that killed eight airmen and triggered a military-wide grounding of the aircraft. The Pentagon cleared all the services to begin flying the Osprey again in March, and several of the Air Force's aircraft have undergone testing and evaluation.

"As each aircraft is cleared, our aircrew will immediately commence flight operations," Lt. Col. Rebecca Heyse, an Air Force Special Operations Command spokeswoman, told Military.com on Monday. "As of today, several aircraft have conducted functional check flights, the first step in resuming flying operations."

Read Next: Considering Fat-Loss Supplements? New Military Study Finds Many Are Not What They Seem.

In December, the V-22 Joint Program Office -- part of Naval Air Systems Command -- grounded the aircraft, which is flown by the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. In March, while lifting the grounding, that same office admitted that a new mechanical failure had led to the crash. Officials declined to provide specific details of what went wrong and why they felt confident putting Ospreys back in the air.

"We have high confidence that we understand what component failed, and how it failed," Marine Corps Col. Brian Taylor, the program manager for the V-22 program, told reporters in March.

"I think what we are still working on is the 'why,'" he added, noting that "this is the first time that we've seen this particular component fail in this way."

Amid that uncertainty, the Air Force has taken a phased and slow approach to putting its CV-22s back in the air. Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, the head of Air Force Special Operations Command, convened a safety investigation board and an accident investigation board, in addition to conducting a comprehensive review of the Air Force CV-22 force as a whole following the crash.

Heyse told Military.com that the safety investigation board has been completed, while the accident investigation board and other reviews are ongoing.

"The AFSOC CV-22 fleet is executing the deliberate return-to-flight process," Heyse said. "This process includes simulator training for our CV-22 aircrew, maintenance inspections of our CV-22 aircraft, and a review of each aircraft's maintenance records as prescribed by the Joint Program Office."

By contrast, the Marine Corps began putting its Ospreys back in the skies by March 14 -- less than a week after the hold was lifted. Similarly, the Navy told Military.com in late March that it had begun flying some of its stateside Ospreys again.

Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, which also flies the Osprey, resumed flights in March, according to a report from Japan Times.

The November crash is only the latest issue for the Air Force's Ospreys. In August 2022, the service briefly grounded its V-22 fleet after it experienced a series of hard clutch engagements that worried leaders.

The hard clutch problem is an ongoing issue with the Osprey's complex system of clutch assemblies that is supposed to enable one engine to fly the aircraft in the event of an engine failure. However, those clutches have failed in some instances.

Military.com reported one such mishap with an Air Force Osprey that could have been fatal in 2017.

Related: Air Force Ospreys in Japan Remain Grounded After Deadly Crash, Even as Marines Return to the Air
Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who has pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified information online, is facing new charges and potentially a court-martial related to his military duties, the Air Force said Wednesday.

An Air Force spokesperson confirmed to Military.com that the service is weighing additional charges of failure to obey an order and obstruction of justice under the Uniform Code of Military Justice related to Teixeira's military service.

Teixeira, 22, an airman first class focused on cyber defense, was arrested in early 2023 following long-running leaks on Discord, an online platform used by gamers, that disclosed classified information about the war in Ukraine and U.S. relations with allies.

Read Next: Air Force Starts to Fly Some Ospreys Again Following Crash that Killed 8 Airmen in Japan

He was charged by federal authorities in April 2023 with unauthorized retention, removal and transmission of national defense information and classified documents. He pleaded guilty in March and faces anywhere from 11 years to a little more than 16 years in prison.

"Following close coordination with the Department of Justice, the Air Force determined that separate and distinct charges should be preferred against A1C Jack Teixeira, for alleged misconduct related to his military duties," the spokesperson said. "These charges will be sent to an Article 32, UCMJ hearing where a neutral and detached officer will examine whether the evidence is sufficient to refer the charges to trial by courts-martial."

Teixeira's Article 32 hearing is scheduled to be held at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts on May 14. He remains an airman first class on active-duty status "pending the outcome of the court-martial," the Air Force spokesperson added.

An Article 32 hearing is a preliminary hearing similar to a grand jury proceeding for civilians. A charge sheet provided to Military.com alleges Teixeira didn't "cease and desist from accessing information not pertaining to his duties, an order which it was his duty to obey," charging him with a violation of Article 92 under the UCMJ.

The second charge alleges that Teixeira did "dispose of an iPad, computer hard drive, and cell phone, with intent to obstruct the due administration of justice in the case of himself," as well as "direct another individual to delete Discord messages," referencing a UCMJ violation under Article 131b, according to the charge sheet.

Teixeira had a top-secret security clearance, as well as access to sensitive compartmented information -- a more restrictive designation for some of the government's most closely guarded secrets -- since 2021, according to an affidavit from the Justice Department. Federal documents alleged that Teixeira began posting the classified information as paragraphs of text starting in December 2022 on the platform Discord.

By January 2023, federal authorities claim he started posting pictures of the intelligence and secret information, because he was worried he would be discovered making transcripts of the documents at his job. They allege he began taking the documents to his home, where he photographed them.

It had been known that Teixeira could potentially face additional charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, because he had been on federal Title 10 orders, meaning he had been on active-duty status performing military duties as opposed to more sporadic drill weekends in Massachusetts.

Guardsmen, who spend the bulk of their service under different duty statuses working part time, often fall out of military justice jurisdiction. An Air Force statement on Wednesday proved that wasn't the case.

"As A1C Teixeira was on Title 10 active-duty orders during the charged time frame, he is subject to both criminal prosecution with the Department of Justice and the United States Air Force under the Uniform Code of Military Justice," the Air Force spokesperson said. "The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) worked closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and provided evidence to the command that demonstrates A1C Teixeira committed violations of the UCMJ."

The 102nd Intelligence Wing where Teixeira worked -- which is based out of Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts -- had its mission paused and divided among other units following his arrest last year. The Air Force announced in December that 15 Air National Guard enlisted troops and officers had been punished and removed from command in connection with the incident, citing a "lack of supervision" that enabled the leaks.

The announcement coincided with the release of an Air Force inspector general report that found members of Teixeira's unit failed to take proper action after becoming aware of him seeking the intelligence, but it found no evidence that any of his supervisors knew that he was allegedly leaking the information online.

Related: Air National Guardsman Teixeira Pleads Guilty to Leaking Classified Info, Faces Up to 16 Years in Prison
The Corps is changing the way Marines learn, and how their instructors -- charged with preparing them for the fleet -- teach.

Yes, that includes getting rid of "death by PowerPoint" and "sage on the stage," popular military colloquialisms describing an old way of instruction. The Marine Corps is ditching them in favor of what it calls "outcomes-based" learning, according to officials at the Modern Day Marine Expo in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

The initiative, headed by the service's Training and Education Command, is called Project Triumph. It's been in the works for years, and means the service will focus on the individual Marine's ability to learn rather than cramming instruction into their heads, whether they understand it or not.

Read Next: Air Force Starts to Fly Some Ospreys Again Following Crash that Killed 8 Airmen in Japan

"Instead of teaching them what to think, we're teaching them how to think," Col. Karl Arbogast, the director of policy and standards for Training and Education Command, told a crowd at the exposition. "And in the process, we're making them better decision-makers, or adaptable -- and we're able to deal with changing and challenging environments depending upon the job that they've been asked to do."

Outcomes-based learning has been part of American education for decades. According to the Department of Education, the learning method focuses on the end state for the student, where they can actually demonstrate results of the education they've received.

That differs from traditional methods in a few ways, according to the department. In outcomes-based learning, time is meant to be a resource that can be flexible, depending on the needs of the teacher or student. The curriculum is also based around the end state, rather than the sometimes rigid steps meant to meet that end state.

The Marine Corps, for its part, wants to use this method to create more mentally agile Marines, specifically ones who can solve problems and make decisions on their own, "faster and sooner" than what previous instruction has offered, according to the initiative.

An example Arbogast gave centered on the Infantry Marine Course, or IMC. Instead of having most of the students sitting through classroom instruction and then going to the field, the school changed the ratio of students to instructors so that they can learn in squad-sized groups, a more personal setting. Specifically, one sergeant or staff sergeant was in charge of teaching a group of about 14 Marines.

Arbogast said those Marines would be required to study material before instruction in what he called "self-guided" learning. They would then bring that knowledge to their groups, helping inform the instructor on what they were able to retain on their own before hitting the field for practical applications.

It would be there, in the field, testing those "outcomes" that Marines would develop close-knit relationships, learn about leadership and work together -- skills they would carry into their line units, Arbogast said.

The initiative also takes instructors to task, too -- changing the way they teach to adapt to a "learner-centric" method of education.

"Not every instructor is of the same quality -- not as good in areas but there's some areas that they're better at," Arbogast said. "Just like any student who shows up, sometimes simple things ... maybe they'll take to right away, and other things become a bit more challenging for them, depending on the individual."

Because of that, Marine instructors have to be mentally agile, too, specifically "being able to, as an instructor, [to] recognize that every student is going to learn things a little bit differently, and being able to adapt that for the individual," he said.

Officials said that the old way of teaching, the PowerPoint instructor model, results in a "passive" learning style that does not lead to real, true retention of information.

An example they pointed to was teaching land navigation, a fundamental skill in the military, in which Marines can consume material focused on that skill prior to coming into the classroom, be guided by an instructor based on that pre-loaded knowledge, then take it to the field for practical applications.

"What we know from research is when a learner learns in that passive environment, they're going to go away, and within a few short months, all of that data is gone," Timothy Heck, the deputy officer in charge of the Marine Corps Center for Learning and Faculty Development, told Military.com on Wednesday.

"Whereas in a new methodology, where the learner is directly involved in their own learning, and developing the actual lesson ... during the facilitation, they're going to retain that information far longer down the road," Heck said.

Training and Education Command also created new military occupational specialties, 095X or formal school instructors, which are designated as "exceptional" MOSs -- outside of the Marine's primary job -- so the service can keep better tabs on who is qualified to teach.

Arbogast told reporters Tuesday that the initiative was bolstered by his own experience as a student throughout his career in the Marine Corps.

"It wasn't that long ago when people were instructing me, every teacher that was up there, they didn't care whether I understood the material, what my baseline was, where I had started from," he said. "They didn't care; they just gave the class and walked.

"We're improving so much more than that," he said.

Project Triumph is being developed in conjunction with two other Training and Education Command initiatives, Project Trident and Project Tripoli. Project Trident focuses on supporting Marines in building "close kill webs" in contested environments; Tripoli looks to embed live, virtual and "constructive" assets into exercises across the force.

Together, officials said they make up how Marines train, why Marines train, and where Marines train, respectively.

Related: Marines Field New Technology that Can Measure Bullet Trajectory, Simulated Wounds in California Exercise
Nearly half of the Marine Corps' barracks -- about 49% -- were found to have problems following a force-wide inspection earlier this year, but only a tiny fraction of those issues such as mold stemming from poor ventilation, temperature and moisture control resulted in Marines being moved, service officials said Wednesday.

Less than 1% were considered "non-mission capable," requiring 118 Marines to be moved from a total of 97 rooms. The rest of the barracks -- the other half -- had "no issues, no discrepancies," said Maj. Gen. David Maxwell, head of Marine Corps Installations Command, or MCICOM.

The inspection took place between February and March, a quick time frame for a herculean task that involved looking at hundreds of barracks buildings and roughly 60,000 rooms around the world. It was meant to better understand the state of the barracks, which have come under scrutiny in recent years for having dismal conditions across the military, and to make sure that leaders addressed immediate health and safety concerns for Marines who live in them.

Read Next: How to Think, Not What to Think: The Corps Is Trying to Change the Way Marines Learn and Teach

Ventilation, to include heating and cooling systems; water issues; and mold were primary factors that led to more than 100 Marines being relocated from their barracks rooms. Other issues were found in nearly half of the barracks, too, but were not severe enough to warrant relocation, officials said.

"It's not just the condition of the barracks," Maxwell said in a panel Tuesday at the Modern Day Marine Expo in Washington, D.C. "It's about the leadership that's happening on the ground, the small-unit leader level that is affecting that Marines readiness -- it's them taking looks at the barracks and making sure that the guarantees that the Marine Corps has said we owe to our Marines, that we're fulfilling them."

A spokesperson for MCICOM, Maj. John Parry, said that the service was still assessing the feedback as of Wednesday, but noted the urgency with which the Corps wanted to take account of the barracks issue. He also said that, of the 97 rooms that were deemed unlivable, 68 have been brought up to Marine Corps standards.

Maxwell said that two of the top problems inspectors discovered were ventilation and water issues. When combined, they led to "the beginning and varying degrees of growth," he told reporters after the panel. In a MCICOM memo, the Corps referred to mold as "unidentified biological growth" until tested by a hygiene specialist.

Other issues the inspectors looked at were lock functionality, doors being able to close and rooms being free of gas hazards, as well as water damage or "strong musty odors," according to a checklist used in the inspection provided to Military.com by MCICOM.

Maxwell was hesitant to describe the assessment on a "pass or fail" basis, describing rooms that were deemed to have issues, but minor ones, as still livable. He characterized the results of the inspection as being "mission capable" or "partially-mission capable," the latter meaning that there were issues, "but not to the extent that it required moving Marine[s] out of the barracks room," he said.

"What we found is that, out of those barracks that we inspected, by and large the vast majority of them" fell into those two categories, he said.

According to criteria provided to Military.com by MCICOM earlier this year, Marines were to be placed in temporary housing if certain issues -- such as no running water, broken door locks or unsecured window repairs -- would take longer than two days to fix.

If "unidentified biological growth" was discovered, service members were to be moved if it could not be assessed by professionals within 72 hours.

As the planning for the wall-to-wall inspection began, the Corps looked for a suitable checklist to assess the barracks. Maxwell said they used and modified a preexisting checklist focusing on health and safety, which included those pass or fail categories, as well as two others: "pass with condition" and "pass with non-environment, health and safety" concerns. When asked, officials did not immediately have the breakdown of how barracks fared in each of those categories.

"It's a yes or no question, that's been interpreted as a pass or fail," he said. "And I think one of the things that we learned as we walked through was that, 'Wait a minute, a leaky faucet?' Yes, it's a no, but it's not necessarily ... a fail."

The broad force-wide inspection's results were revealed following a panel at the Modern Day Marine expo with Marine leaders who have roles that directly impact quality-of-life issues for Marines, including Maxwell; Lt. Gen. James Glynn, deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs; Lt. Gen. James Adams, deputy commandant for programs and resources; and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz.

That panel, which was in front of a packed house, faced some tough questions from the crowd, including from Marines themselves.

One sergeant out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, said that she and other Marines she knew had trouble making the barracks into a comfortable living place after moving from building to building so many times, adding that it's gotten to the point where she and others "don't unpack anymore."

"What can we do to really change the attitude of the barracks from it being an extension of the workplace to it being a home?" she asked.

One Marine major asked the panel, "Has anyone actually been held accountable, or going to be held accountable, for failures in the barracks in a formal manner?" He added, after being asked to clarify his question, that he believes the barracks issue to be an "organizational failure," rather than a unit-level one. He cited the wall-to-wall inspection as a symptom of that failure.

"So, I am the organizational failure that happened," Maxwell said, saying that he did not have the data collection tools to effectively assess and communicate up the chain of command the problems with the barracks, outside of anecdotal reports.

He referenced a 2023 Government Accountability Office report, which was covered by Military.com in September, that showed squalid living conditions across the force as a prologue to the wall-to-wall inspection.

"And the only way I was really able to come back and have a conversation with senior leadership about what we actually have was to go in and do the wall-to-wall inspection," he said. "And why is that? Well, because of the systems that we have, the information that we have, quite honestly, just isn't set up to provide that level of visibility at the enterprise level."

Related: The Marine Corps Completed Its Force-Wide Barracks Inspection. Here's How it Went.
When it comes to the ups and downs of military life, spouses have a lot to say. Visit any military spouse Facebook group or other online forum, and you'll encounter plenty of opinions on topics ranging from installation housing to spouse employment to child care. And that's not to mention hot-button topics such as the PACT Act, PFAS contamination or that frustrating construction by your base's gate that never, ever seems like it's going to end.

It's unsurprising that spouses have strong opinions about military life, yet they are too often pushed into the background. After all, the needs of the U.S. military always come first -- and those are not necessarily the needs of spouses or families. That might mean moving to a less-than-desirable installation, saying goodbye to their serving spouse for a year, or leaving their job because they need to care for their children when no consistent child care is available.

Here at Military.com, we always want to hear what military spouses are thinking and feeling about their experiences in the military community. That's why we handed them the microphone and asked them to share what they wish people who haven't experienced military life knew about the challenges they face. Here's what they had to say:

1. No, We Don't Know "What We Signed Up for"

Really want to rankle a spouse? Tell them that they "knew what they signed up for" when they married a service member. The truth is, military life is nuanced and unique; it's hard to anticipate the future because so much can change so quickly.

"There is no way to really 'know what you signed up for' when you marry a service member. World events and politics often decide the tempo for service members, and by default their families," wrote Ali, a Navy spouse. "While military spouses and families seem like they are so resilient, please understand that they are really doing their best and this life is hard. Spouses sacrifice careers, time and proximity to their own families, and much more to support their service members and care for their children."

2. Spouses Juggle a Lot

Military spouses often find themselves faced with extra responsibilities at the drop of a military-issued cover. Nearly half of military families also have at least one child under 6, which makes the inflexibility of the military's scheduling that much harder and stressful.

"The spouse does everything," wrote Barbara, an Army spouse. " [The military] spouse is on the hook for contractors, housekeeping, repairs, lawn care, family care, dealing with Tricare (don't get me started), social calendar, just everything. You get used to being in control of your time and space, then [your] spouse returns home and it all changes again. It's a series of discussions and adjustments, over and over, in ways that civilians cannot comprehend. I always felt it was like trying to walk on a flimsy raft."

3. Visit Us When We Come Home

Military families usually live far from home and have to make decisions about how to spend their leave and their precious time together. Coming home can mean a substantial investment in time and money, as well as neglecting another vacation in favor of visiting family.

"I wish civilians were more understanding about the effort it takes to come home for a visit," wrote Meg, a Marine Corps spouse. "It would be lovely if folks would be more gracious and come to us, where we're staying or at a meetup spot, rather than expecting the military family to zip around."

4. Moving Every 2-3 Years Takes a Toll

More than three-quarters of military families have moved on military orders in the last two years. The toll of uprooting, finding a new house or apartment, changing schools and integrating into a new community is massive.

"Maybe we have moved a lot, but life situations keep changing that make the dynamics of a move hard, especially with kids," wrote Amanda, a Space Force spouse. "Families and service members have to make so many sacrifices."

5. Military Families Are Not a Monolith

The U.S. military continues to become more diverse, and so do its families. That doesn't mean that wider society has gotten the memo that the military looks a lot like the country they're serving.

"Gay couples exist in the military, and it doesn't make my wife's service any less valid because she is married to a woman," wrote Sam, an Air Force spouse.

6. Military Life Is Not for the Faint of Heart

Let's just call military life what it is: difficult. Of course, this doesn't mean that it can't also be rewarding, memorable or exciting, but too often, spouses make it look easy because they've learned how to operate under extreme stress.

"I don't think a person can understand military life without living it. It's such an emotional, mental, logistical, and financial gauntlet," wrote Jennifer, an Army spouse. "As a society as a whole we need to be more aware and supportive of other people's experiences."

7. We Have Chosen Family Because We Need Them

Without a network of relatives and lifelong friends nearby, military families rely on their neighbors, religious institutions and connections at new installations. No one is an island, even in the transient military.

"Many military families depend on each other for support, family and love, out of necessity," wrote Kimberly, an Army spouse. "We make lasting relationships with total strangers because we are separated from the comfort of immediate family, raising our family independently with minimal support. We take care of each other and are there for each other, through the good times and our darkest hours."

8. Appreciation Hits Differently When You've Experienced Military Life

There's something that shifts your perspective when you watch a loved one step onto a plane or a bus, whether they're headed for a deployment or basic training.

"I wish [civilians] understood the pride we have for the soldiers," wrote Rachael, an Army spouse. "I never truly appreciated service members and our military until my husband joined. Lots of people say 'thank you for your service,' but I think few people really grasp and appreciate the lifestyle and work these service members and their families do."

9. Military Families Still Need Support in Peacetime

Peacetime can be just as busy, with just as many deployments and separations for military families, as wartime. In fact, some branches are experiencing higher operational tempos now than they did during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Those trainings, rotations, missions and deployments can be invisible to folks outside of the military.

"Even when there's no war going on, our service members still deploy or have training or other duties far from their families," wrote Sarah, an Army spouse. "These separations affect military spouses and military children, and we still need and want support from our schools and communities."

10. Military Spouses Are Not Stereotypes

We won't rehash spouse stereotypes here. You likely know them already. What we will say is that modern military spouses defy preconceived notions every day ... and they're sick and tired of them.

"Military spouses do a lot more than they are given credit for," wrote Karen, an Army spouse. "We are educated, smart, driven, [and] can pivot on a dime."

Want to Know More About the Military?

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White Sox utilityman Zach Remillard went unclaimed on outright waivers, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. A previous career outright gives him the right to test minor league free agency, but Chicagos Triple-A affiliate announced that Remillard is back on their roster.

The Coastal Carolina product sticks with the only organization for which hes played. A 10th-round draftee in 2016, Remillard slowly climbed the minor league ladder. He got his first big league call a year ago. Remillard played in 54 games as a rookie, turning in a .252/.295/.320 line through 160 plate appearances. The Sox outrighted him from the 40-man roster over the winter.

Remillard stuck in the organization at Triple-A Charlotte. Chicago selected him back onto the MLB roster in mid-April, but he only took five plate appearances in two games. He was designated for assignment last week when the Sox needed to clear 40-man roster space for Danny Mendick. While Mendick had been tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A, Remillard has gotten out to a .120/.224/.160 start.

The 30-year-old has a fairly modest .237/.333/.365 slash in more than 1100 career Triple-A plate appearances. Hes a versatile defender who has extensive experience at all four infield spots and in left field.
It sounds like alchemy with a dash of Frankenstein.

People who are vaping marijuana may not be getting the end product of a plant in their lungs, but a converted, synthetic form of THC derived from CBD instead.
WASHINGTON D.C. -- After decades of regulation that stood in direct opposition to the will of many American voters -- and the majority Michigan voters since 2008 -- the DEA plans to eliminate its strict federal prohibition on marijuana.

Citing five anonymous sources, the AP reports the DEA will propose that marijuana will be reclassified as a Schedule III substance, alongside codeine pain pills, ketamine and steroids, all drugs that require a doctors prescription. Since 1971, marijuana has been classified a Schedule I drug with heroin and LSD, where it became a target in the governments expansive War on Drugs and was deemed highly addictive with no acceptable medical use.

However, California legalized medicinal cannabis use in 1998. Michigan followed in 2008, with voters approving recreational marijuana use in 2018. Michigans first marijuana retail store opened in December 2019 and today legal marijuana accounts for nearly $3 billion in annual sales, despite remaining federally illegal.

While this move is unprecedented and helps to correct the ongoing lie that cannabis has no medical value, it does not reverse or necessarily discontinue the damage caused by its inappropriate and unscientific placement on the controlled substances list in the first place, said longtime marijuana legalization advocate Jamie Lowell. Complete removal of cannabis from the federal list is, ultimately, the only reasonable solution.

Some cannabis reformists ... believe it will result in rights being taken away. I have never, personally, subscribed to this concept, (but) I can guarantee that any attempt by prohibitionists to peel back existing cannabis rights in Michigan will not work out well for them.

Related: Marijuana would be removed from Michigans drug schedule under new bill

The short-term impact of the change might result in greater ease of financing, since many banking laws prohibit marijuana-related commerce. It could also: eliminate hiring prohibitions for marijuana users; provide new tax breaks to marijuana retailers, which could translate to lower prices for consumers and make marijuana research more affordable and accessible.

Bu it will have little immediate impact on how the Michigan marijuana market operates, insiders agree.

The process to reclassify marijuana at the federal level requires White House approval and a public comment period before change takes effect.

This is not federal legalization, said Lance Boldrey, a cannabis attorney with the Lansing-based Dykema law firm. This doesnt change too much, probably, in terms of the state regulatory framework and the underlying market, particularly in Michigan.

We dont really have anything like a recreational ketamine industry. Michigans recreational marijuana market is still outside the scope of federal regulation.

Boldrey said the change is important from a public policy and philosophy standpoint, but in order to be a legal Schedule III drug, marijuana would need to undergo complicated, time-consuming and costly FDA approval, so its likely to be regulated with the same blind-eye approach thats existed the last decade.

In the meantime, Michigan marijuana industry insiders and cannabis advocates -- with the caveat that nothing is certain until rescheduling occurs and accompanying legislation is passed -- are speculating on the wide range of issues that could impact Michigan marijuana business and everyday life for Michigan residents.

Gun ownership

The ATF Federal firearms application that most Michigan gun buyers are required to complete during a purchase disqualifies anyone who checks the box stating they are an unlawful marijuana user, noting that possession of marijuana remains unlawful under federal law, regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside.

Some speculate the ATF could follow the DEAs lead and make some changes to its hardline approach.

Gun laws are about illicit usage ... so it is possible that the ATF will change their form and remove that statement now that there will be legal forms of usage, said Cassim Coleman, an organic chemist and cannabis industry consultant. Although, technically, until the FDA approves a THC product, there are not any legal forms. That process could take years.

Javier Hasse, managing director of Benzinga Cannabis, which focuses on marijuana financial news, said changes to gun restrictions are uncertain.

Changes to federal gun laws would require specific legislative adjustments, which are currently not detailed and could take some time after rescheduling, he said.

Lower prices

One point that nearly every marijuana expert MLive spoke with raised is the issue of taxes. Currently, federal laws presume Michigan marijuana retailers are selling an illegal drug. This prohibits them from capitalizing on certain federal tax breaks or deductions that other industries enjoy.

Besides the fact that its a rejection of a century of just awful policy, the big impact is going to be on taxes, Boldrey said. These companies will be able to deduct business expenses like everyone else.

Thats going to free up a lot of capital and help a lot of these companies that are really struggling right now, financially.

With lower costs, it could translate to a stronger market and lower prices for consumers, insiders said.

Ryan Basore, who owns Redemption Cannabis, a Michigan brand thats expanded to Ohio, Maryland and Oklahoma, said the tax changes represent a huge windfall for retailers, their employees and the overall market.

Retailers are paying up to 30% in extra taxes, just because they cant write off certain expenses, he said. Theyre struggling to pay suppliers, and then it trickles down.

Increased knowledge

One of the greatest barriers federal guidelines have erected for decades is access to good, scientific studies surrounding marijuana and its effects.

In order to receive authorization for a federal study, researchers must to present a legitimate purpose. Previously, there was no legitimate purpose, Coleman said.

Now Coleman believes access to research will be greater and the rules looser.

Its still quite difficult to get DEA approval, said Coleman. If that goes away, you dont have to have vaults anymore, you dont need the extra security systems.

You would be able to handle marijuana similar to the way a pharmacy currently handles controlled prescription drugs, the barriers to entry would be less and you wouldnt need to ask for permission in the same way to do that research.

New taxes, regulation, interstate commerce?

Most marijuana industry experts dont believe the change will result in any new taxes or regulations on state marijuana markets, at least immediately.

But as the acceptance of marijuana spreads, Hasse with Benzinga said its possible a federal excise tax could emerge.

A tax similar to those on alcohol and tobacco might be considered if marijuana moves to Schedule III, he said. And federal standardizations post-rescheduling could override more lenient state regulations, particularly in terms of potency and safety standards.

Basore doesnt believe there will be blanket regulations or taxes any time soon, since recreational marijuana remains federally illegal.

I do not see the federal government imposing any regulatory restrictions or taxes at this juncture, said cannabis attorney Denise Pollicella, a managing partner with the Pollicella, Langwith and Gertsberg law firm. The taxes are generally only collected from interstate commerce action and the change would not make marijuana legal at the state level, and it would absolutely not be able to cross state lines or the U.S. border.

This also rules out the possibility of international trade in the near term, according to Pollicella.

Government assistance, banking and jobs

The trickle-down effect of federal marijuana prohibition extends to many aspects of life. Streams of federal funding, even when filtered through state governments, often include zero-tolerance policies for marijuana use.

This includes housing programs, like Section 8 assistance, and employment with the federal government, its contactors or state agencies that rely on federal funds.

Federal drug testing and workplace safety rules for cannabis is zero tolerance, Basore said. I think this at least opens the doors for it to be treated like medicine.

Related: Michigan ends marijuana testing for some government job applicants

National banks have been hesitant to service marijuana businesses, due to federal regulations that perceive financing marijuana as aiding and abetting illegal conduct.

In fact, Basore said a well-known online stock and equity trading company flagged and canceled his account after learning he operated a marijuana business.

Marijuana employees are getting turned down for mortgage loans because theyre working for a cannabis company, Basore said. So this opens up the regular banking, it opens up investments for someone like me.

Lowell, the operations manager for the Meds Cafe cannabis retail chain and a board member with Michigan NORML, a marijuana legalization advocacy group, hopes the federal announcement leads Michigan to likewise reclassify marijuana on the state Schedule of Drugs, where it still remains Schedule I and impedes citizen access to certain services.

Michigan state House Rep. (Jimmie Wilson Jr, D-Ypsilanti) announced the upcoming introduction of The John Sinclair Act which would remove cannabis from Michigans controlled substances where it still sits, according to Lowell. He says this is illogical and causes unnecessary legal issues for innocent citizens.

For significant change to occur at the federal level, its going to require congressional and administrative action.

In general, all of these changes require a change in statute not just in policy, Coleman said. So wed need to see quite a bit of legislation, which Im not sure will happen with the current House.

Ill be in D.C. in two weeks talking to the Cannabis Caucus about this stuff and hitting up other legislators... Its possible this will have changed minds and loosened the stigma to gain votes which did not exist before.
CADILLAC, MI  Two people have been charged, one with murder, months after a missing mans body was found in his Northern Michigan backyard.

Michigan State Police said Tuesday that 45-year-old Michael Peter Hayes of LeRoy and 18-year-old Katelynne Jonelle Hendricks of Tustin, was arraigned in the 84th District Court in Wexford County.
MACOMB COUNTY, MI -- A Michigan man has received a life sentence after he was found guilty in two cases of criminal sexual conduct against minors.

Dennis Peterson Sr., 66, was convicted by a Macomb County jury in March for two cases that were combined into one trial. The assaults occurred from 2010 to 2016 and 2012 to 2016, respectively, with one of them involving a relative.
WHITEFISH POINT, MI - A Great Lakes shipwreck group announced today that it has found the final resting place of a 735-ton wooden steamship that was loaded down with a cargo of salt and crossing Lake Superior when it sank in a fierce gale in 1909, taking all 14 crew members with it.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) said it located the Adella Shores in 650 feet of water, about 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point. The big steamship had been listed among the many vessels that went missing over the decades in Superiors waters near the point - meaning any ship that went down with no survivors and no witnesses.

An underwater sonar image of what would later be identified as the Adella Shores was first spotted in 2021 by GLSHS members. Director of Marine Operations Darryl Ertel and his brother, Dan Ertel, were out on the water with a boat and towing the societys Marine Sonic Technology side-scan sonar system in a grid-like search pattern when they saw an image that looked like a big ship below them.

I pretty much knew that had to be the Adella Shores when I measured the length of it, because there were no other ships out there missing in that size range, Darryl Ertel said. As soon as I put the (remote-operated vehicle) down on it for the first time, I could see the design of the ship and I could match it right up to the Adella Shores.

Maritime author and historian Fred Stonehouse said locating one of the Went Missing club ships is an important find. It means the ships story can be told again and its lost crew remembered.

The folks that are out there actively hunting for shipwrecks like the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society are helping to answer that story. And they keep looking for the ones that are not yet told and not yet found. For that, they deserve the highest commendation.

A sonar image of the Adella Shores, one of the many ships that went missing over the years in the vicinity of Whitefish Point. Photo provided by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.GLSHS

A Bad Omen From the Start?

Did the Adella Shores start her maritime career under a bad sign? Some shipwreck buffs might think so when they read these details: Built in Gibraltar in 1894, the 195-foot steamer was owned by the Shores Lumber Company. Its namesake was the company owners daughter, Adella. But when the ship was christened, it wasnt with the customary bottle of wine or bubbly. The owners family apparently was so against alcohol that Adellas sister, Bessie, used a bottle of water to christen the ship before its maiden voyage.

Old-time sailors might have seen that as a bad luck omen, GLSHS staff said. Their research also showed the ship sank twice in 15 years in shallow waters. Each time, it was refloated, loaded with more cargo, and put back into service.

The cargo winch on the Adella Shores wreck, located about 40 miles off Whitefish Point. Photo provided by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.GLSHS

A Fierce Gale, A Sinking With No Witnesses

After a decade and a half plying the Great Lakes, the end for the Adella Shores and her crew came on April 29, 1909. The ship was crossing Lake Superior, loaded with salt and heading for a port in Duluth, Minnesota. The Shores was following the new Daniel J. Morrell, a big steel steamship that would famously meet its own end in a Great Lakes storm in 1966.

On that day in 1909, the Adella Shores was following the bigger Morrell and allowing it to create a path through the late-April ice floes. Harsh gale-force winds out of the northeast hit both ships as they rounded Whitefish Point.

The Shores was already two miles behind and out of sight of the Morrell, GLSHS staff said. The Adella Shores was never seen again, disappearing with all 14 crewmembers. Some debris was found, but no bodies.

Over the years, the GLSHS team has located several shipwrecks. There is often a lag time between the find and the announcement, as the staff makes sure to have all the details so they can honor the history of the vessel and its crew.

People often ask us why we wait so long to release shipwrecks that we find GLSHS Content/Communications Director Corey Adkins said. Every one of these stories is important and deserves to be told with the utmost honor and respect. GLSHS has had some banner years of discovery ... and a lot of research goes into each press release, ensuring that we tell the story accurately.

For more details on the Adella Shores and its discovery, see the GLSHS website here.
YPSILANTI, MI -- A woman was shot in the arm while on an Ypsilanti street, according to police.

Police were called around 11:30 p.m. on Friday, April 26, to the 900 block of West Michigan Avenue for a reported shooting, according to Tom Koch, spokesperson for Ypsilanti Police Department.

When they arrived, police found a 19-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to the arm, police said. She was taken to the hospital.

The woman told police she was shot by an unknown person while walking down the street, according to Eugene Rush, spokesperson for the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office. Sheriffs deputies also responded to the scene.

The case currently is under investigation, police said.

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ANN ARBOR, MI  A man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman Sunday in an Ann Arbor parking garage.

The man is accused of sexually assaulting the woman in his car in the Glen Street Parking Structure, 333 Glen Ave., in downtown Ann Arbor. He is set to be arraigned Thursday, May 2, according to Melissa Thrasher, spokesperson for the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety and Security.
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - After going more than a year without an animal testing positive for rabies in Washtenaw County, health officials said they have identified a rabid bat.

The bat was found in the 48108 ZIP code, covering an area predominantly south of Ann Arbor as well as southern portions of the city, the Washtenaw County Health Department announced Wednesday, May 1.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  After 54 years, the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, whose late founders left an indelible mark on West Michigan and beyond with landmark gifts to hospitals, universities, churches, cultural institutions and more, is officially sunsetting on May 1.

Through the years, the DeVoses gave to organizations big and small, new and old, and helped put Grand Rapids on the map as a community where philanthropy came alongside the public sector to make investments in projects designed to elevate the region.

Since its launch, the foundation has given $1.1 billion to over 1,000 nonprofits.

Their foresight, and their vision and their desire to give back in the amounts that they did, was just a reflection on who they were, and what they believed in, said Dan DeVos, one of Rich and Helen DeVos four children and the chairman and CEO of DP Fox Ventures.

RELATED: For Rich DeVos, giving away his millions was a full-time job

Though Rich and Helen DeVos died in 2017 and 2018, their foundation has been winding down for the past several years. It has been in the final stages of fulfilling multi-year pledges the couple made prior to their death and has continued supporting a handful of nonprofits as they transition to other funding sources.

On Tuesday evening, about 400 people, including the DeVos family, staff and nonprofit leaders representing the arts, education, faith, health care, and economic development sectors, planned to gather to pay tribute to the couples philanthropic legacy at the Amway Grand Plaza hotel.

Their generosity was rooted in their Christian faith, said Mark Murray, who met the DeVoses while serving as Grand Valley State Universitys president from 2001 to 2006. They had been greatly blessed and felt called to use their resources for others.

Rich DeVos made his fortune through Amway, the direct-sales company he co-founded with Jay Van Andel in 1959.

Since its inception, faith-based causes were a big part of the foundations work.

When the couple launched the foundation in 1970, many of their first-year gifts, which totaled $79,400, went to religious institutions, including their houses of worship: LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, and Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Over the years, though, the number of causes and organizations they supported expanded.

Bonds were forged with Grand Valley State University, the Grand Rapids Symphony, Spectrum Health and many others. Dollars were contributed to help the region grow in other ways too. The foundation, for instance, gave $20 million for DeVos Place, the $216 downtown convention center that opened in 2003 and bares the familys name.

They had the will to be an important catalyst in making things happen in downtown and all over West Michigan, said Arend Lubbers, 92, who served as Grand Valley State Universitys president for three decades before retiring in 2001.

He recalled working with Rich DeVos through the years, but especially in the 1990s after DeVos became president of the GVSUs foundation  a position he held for more than two decades. During that time, DeVos formed what was called the Land Barons Club, whose purpose was to buy land needed to expand the universitys downtown campus, Lubbers said.

RELATED: Billionaire Rich DeVos is GVSUs largest donor at $36M

That work ultimately led to the construction of the Richard M. DeVos Center.

The sprawling building at 401 West Fulton Street, which includes 17 classrooms, six computer labs, two lecture halls and more, opened in 2000, and marked a big moment in GVSUs expansion from Allendale to Grand Rapids. The project received $7.5 million from the foundation  half the local match needed to receive $35 million from the state.

That was probably the most transformative gift, Lubbers said, when asked which gift from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation had the biggest impact on the university. It made a big statement that downtown is important.

Healthcare was a major focus of the foundation too.

RELATED: DeVos family pledges $50 million for childrens health in West Michigan

DeVos was an architect of the merger between Blodgett Memorial Medical Center and Butterworth Health Corporation that, once finalized in 1997, created Spectrum Health. Along the way, he helped build the health systems cardiac care services, and laid the groundwork for what would become the Richard DeVos Heart & Lung Transplant Program.

He knew firsthand the value of having top-notch care close to home.

DeVos had suffered from heart disease, endured two strokes and undergone two bypass operations. During his treatment, he forged friendships with physicians in Grand Rapids and beyond, who cared for him during his time of need.

RELATED: How Rich DeVos harrowing transplant journey helped put Grand Rapids on medical map

One of those doctors was Richard McNamara. A cardiologist at Butterworth Hospital, he met DeVos during the middle of the night in the 1990s, when DeVos showed up at the emergency room suffering from a heart attack.

Over the years, the two developed a friendship.

They were people-people, and community people, and they poured their hearts into absolutely everything, he said.

While the DeVoses landed in the news for big dollars donations, one of their goals was to encourage community involvement in a host of ways, whether that was through an individuals time, talent or treasure, said Doug DeVos, one of the couples four children.

The legacy has encouraged all of us here to continue to be givers, and that theres joy in that giving, said DeVos, co-chair of Amways Board of Directors. It can happen in so many ways.

While the Rich and Helen DeVos Foundation gave to scores of nonprofits, it forged deep and lasting relationships with several organizations. One example is the Grand Rapids Symphony, which received annual gifts from the foundation for 53 years.

They and the family understand that a great city needs a great, vibrant arts community, said David Lockington, who served as the symphonys music director for 16 seasons before retiring in 2015.

The couples devotion to the symphony was born out of Helen DeVos love of music and a desire to share that love with others, her children say.

The foundations biggest gift to the symphony came in 2012, with a $20 million pledge that helped ensure the symphonys programs and educational offerings would be there for the next generation and beyond.

Not only did the gift boost the symphonys endowment, it also gave the organization a cushion to be more adventurous, Lockington said. That included hiring renowned musicians, representing unique, forward-thinking approaches to the medium, to create new works for the symphony, he said.

We were able to take some risks which we thought were important, Lockington said.

Though the Rich and Helen DeVos Foundation is sunsetting, the couples children  Dick, Dan, Cheri and Doug  say they remain committed to supporting their parents vision of community involvement and philanthropic giving.

They taught us how to give the right way, they showed us how to do it, Dan DeVos said. We learned from them  were sort of carrying on their legacy.

More on MLive:

Meijer gives $3M to new Grand Rapids childrens rehabilitation hospital

West Michigan high school invited to Super Bowl of jazz band competitions

Delayed trains in Michigan: Nearly 50% of riders arrived late at worst station
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A Grand Rapids man told a dispatcher he killed another man using a sword.

Isiah Kevon Williams, 18, was arraigned Wednesday, May 1 in Grand Rapids District Court on a charge of manslaughter.
JACKSON COUNTY, MI  A man convicted in the plot to kidnap and kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is seeking release while he continues an appeal, but he will remain in federal prison.

The Michigan Supreme Court issued an order Monday, April 29, declining to hear Paul Edward Bellars case, previously rejected by the Michigan Court of Appeals. The court said it was not persuaded Bellar presented any questions it should review.
KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI -- Stepping into Rockhound Rock Shop, visitors are transported to another world.

Theres a seemingly never-ending cascade of rooms in the Galesburg shop, each with a different theme. In Wild Alaska, a real moose head is mounted on the wall. In the Jurassic room, a wooly mammoth bone sits in a case. Velociraptor calls emit from speakers behind plastic plants and a dinosaur model.
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, MI -- Three candidates with a history at the St. Joseph County prosecuting attorneys office are running to be the prosecutor.

John McDonough is among those seeking election, running for the office he lost in 2020 after an alcohol-related crash.
TITTABAWASSEE TOWNSHIP, MI  As Donald Trumps rally here at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, fast approaches, thousands of attendees are expected to watch the former president pitch his case for a second term in the White House.

While Trumps campaign has not provided advance material indicating what topics he plans to address, plenty of details about the rally are set in stone. Other details, meanwhile, are coming into focus as the president navigates a busy schedule that includes a criminal trial in Manhattan and an earlier campaign stop in a neighboring Midwest state.

Here are 5 things to know before the rally begins at MBS International Airport:

Cooperative weather

After scattered storms kept the region damp in the days leading up to the rally, Wednesdays weather forecast appears favorable for attendees who likely will spend plenty of time outdoors.

As of the publication of this report, National Weather Service forecasts showed temperatures in Tittabawassee Township  also known as Freeland  could reach 74 degrees, with the weather changing from partly sunny to mostly sunny and breezy.

Wind gusts could reach 32 miles per hour, the forecast indicated.

Traffic jams

During the 2020 election cycle, Trump led a campaign rally at the same MBS International Airport-based aviation station, known as Avflight.

Back then, about 10,000 people attended. Airport officials are planning for a similar-sized crowd on Wednesday.

Anticipating the high volume of traffic, MBS International Airport officials on its Facebook page shared traffic-related advice, both for rally attendees and motorists with plans to travel near the property.

US-10 to Garfield Road is recommended as the preferred driving route, but its wise to anticipate heavy traffic in the area, read an MBS International Airport Facebook post earlier this week. Departing passengers should aim to arrive at MBS several hours before their scheduled departure to allow for any unexpected delays.

The airports social media channel also shared a Google Earth-generated map showing rally attendees where to park.

Former President Donald Trump returns to the courtroom after a lunch break during his trial at New York State Supreme Court Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP) APAP

A notable Tuesday

While Wednesday represents an off-day in the court proceedings, Trump in recent weeks has attended his ongoing criminal trial in Manhattan. He is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to bury stories that he feared could hurt his 2016 campaign.

Trump was in court for the Tuesday, April 30, session, when he was held in contempt of court and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case.

If Trump violates the gag order again, New York Judge Juan M. Merchan warned the former president could be jailed.

Might Trump use the rally to chime in on the latest developments in his trial? Its possible. He has remained outspoken about the case on his social media channel, Truth Social.

The Judge has taken away my Constitutional Right to FREE SPEECH, read a Tuesday post on Trumps account that also described the trial as rigged.

What else happened Tuesday for the ex-president? Trump learned he was on the cover of Time magazine, in a profile based on an extensive interview with the former president about his plans if he wins a second term in the White House.

A busy Wednesday

Michigan isnt the former presidents only stop on the campaign trail Wednesday. He will arrive there after first hosting a 2 p.m. rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin, his campaign announced last week.

The Wednesday double-header represents Trumps first campaign rallies since his criminal case kicked off in April.

The last time he engaged in a rally doubleheader: Four weeks earlier, also in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Former President Donald J. Trump speaks at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Trump talked primarily about border security. Cory Morse | cmorse1@mlive.com

What hes been saying at rallies lately

An April 2 rally in Green Bay featured Trump attacking his Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden, over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Later that day, he traveled to Grand Rapids, carrying a similar message to gatherers there. He painted a grim picture of what he called an invasion of migrants coming into the country illegally and committing crimes.

The former presidents visit to Grand Rapids came a little more than a week after Grand Rapids resident Ruby Garcia was slain allegedly by a Mexican citizen living in the U.S. illegally.

Under crooked Joe Biden, every state is now a border state; every town is now a border town, Trump said at the Grand Rapids gathering, because Joe Biden has brought the carnage and chaos and killing from all over the world and dumped it straight into our backyards. Its going to end the day I take office.

Trumps rhetoric relating to Garcias death led some Democratic leaders to push back on the former president, calling him out for exploiting her death and scuttling a bipartisan border security deal earlier this year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Neebish Island is separated from the Upper Peninsula mainland by a narrow channel of the St. Marys River.

The ferry ride across takes a scant five minutes.

But soon, the ferry wont run as late or as often as it used to, and the islands few dozen permanent residents and the few hundred who come during the summer are worried that it will choke off Neebish Islands lifeblood.

Our very livelihood, the whole strength of our island, is being pulled back, said Phylis Reed, president of the Neebish Island Improvement Association, and we dont have any reason to get people to move here or stay here, because we dont support anything.

The 21-square-mile island once supported two year-round stores, four schools and two churches. The schools and most of the school-age children are gone. The one remaining church and one remaining store are seasonal.

Without ferry service after 7 p.m. in the summer, Reed said, it will be harder for summer residents to dart up to the island for weekend trips.

Without ferry service after 6 p.m. from December through April, it will be harder for everyone on the island to do the ordinary things of living: going to the doctor or out to eat or shopping for groceries.

We cant attract anybody to come to the island, Reed said. Why would people want to buy here and say this is like their second home? They cant even come up here and get to it on a long weekend because theres no late ferry.

The reason for the changes in the ferry schedule is twofold, according to Pete Paramski, the executive director of the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority, also called EUPTA, which has run ferry service to the island since 1981.

The ferry once operated during the summer until 10 p.m. on weekdays, but Paramski said the later runs werent used enough to make them worthwhile. EUPTA announced last fall that they would be eliminated.

The bang just wasnt worth the buck to make a 10 oclock run that very, very few people were using, he said.

The second set of changes, which will come before EUPTAs board for approval next week, were set in motion by the U.S. Coast Guard, which regulates ferry operations.

Coast Guard regulations say crews shouldnt work shifts more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period.

On the Neebish Island, the ferry crews been working more than 12 hours a day for many, many years, Paramski said.

Its a very rural Island. with not a lot of population, he said. Theres no businesses out there and whatnot, so we run a very limited schedule and theres lots of breaks throughout the day. It doesnt run like every hour on the hour like our ferry operations do at Drummond and Sugar Island.

Because of the long breaks, theyd gotten an exemption, Paramski said, but the Coast Guard told EUPTA earlier this year that wasnt going to work.

Our primary concern is safety of passengers, crew members and the vessel, said Lt. Phillip Gurtler, a spokesman for the Coast Guards 9th District, and, when youve got a crew on board thats operating for more than 12 hours in a single 24-hour period, frankly youre kind of inviting an incident.

He didnt have an answer for why the ferry had been able to do so previously.

Paramski said hiring a third ferry crew would be prohibitively expensive, and EUPTA is now proposing a schedule that pushes what had been an 8 p.m. crossing on weekdays in the summer back to 7 p.m. and gets rid of 11 p.m. crossings on Friday and Saturday.

It would also expand the winter schedule, which is currently in effect from mid-January through March, to December through April. The last ferry run in the winter is at 6 p.m. When the channel to the mainland freezes, the ferry doesnt run at all, though residents can then cross on foot or with snowmobiles.

Neebish Islanders are used to being self-sufficient, embracing a certain separation from the outside world.

Related: Michigan islanders stranded by ice for second straight week

But several residents said the changes already made in the ferry schedule and those proposed will create too great a distance.

To justify the changes, transit officials keep saying, Well, the population of Neebish Island keeps going down and down, said Helen Vogl, whose family has been coming to the island for more than a century. Well, it goes down because people cant live there and feel like they can get off the island (and) go to work.

And for other reasons, too.

Lori Miller moved to Neebish Island with her husband, Ed, a decade ago. Ed Miller and his siblings had spent years of their childhoods on the island. First a sister moved back. Others followed.

Ed Miller died in 2022 from COVID. Lori Miller moved from the island last year because her health was failing and she couldnt get the help she needed.

When we moved here, we knew what we were getting into, and we could make our life work around the schedule and around the lack of services and the lack of amenities, she said, but now they just keep taking away and taking away.

All were asking for is some evening ships, she said.

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Fans of the Lifetime hit reality series Dance Moms have been patiently awaiting a reunion with several original cast members since it was teased in November 2023. The wait is officially over  Dance Moms: The Reunion airs tonight, May 1, at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

Watch the highly anticipated rehash of Dance Mom drama for free with trials from Philo and DIRECTV Stream. The two-hour special will also be available on Sling.

About the show:

During the summer of 2011, Lifetime aired a series that mothers, daughters, reality TV fanatics and dancers everywhere could bond over for years to come. Dance Moms chronicled daily life in the competitive dance world through the lens of the Abby Lee (Miller) Dance Company in Pittsburgh. Miller was notorious for being demanding, passionate and successful. Viewers like me tuned in weekly for the latest drama as her dance team of young girls practiced group numbers and solos, then performed in competitions across the country. On a daily basis, the students mothers watched on as Miller applauded or critiqued their children  and theyd oftentimes get involved. The show captured the unique dynamic between parent, teacher and student with new storylines weekly. Often, there was ongoing drama across several weeks.

Some of the original cast members left over this drama, and a younger group became the focus in the final seasons of the show. In recent years, the original students  now in early adulthood  have talked about the show on their social media. There have been plenty of comments and questions from fans, so its no surprise that a reunion announcement stirred up this much excitement.

Tonight, six of the students will discuss memorable moments, the good, the bad and everything in between. Among the stars are students like Chloe Lukasiak, who left the show due to the toxic environment and has publicly discussed healing from the trauma. Another big name returning is JoJo Siwa, who went on to have an acting and music career. Five of their moms also make an appearance to discuss controversial headlines that came from the show. Tune in to watch the drama come full circle tonight, May 1, at 8/7c on Lifetimes Dance Moms: The Reunion. Be sure to check out the cast list below for more big names making a return.

Right after the special, Lifetime will debut a new compilation show, Dance Moms: Epic Showdowns at 10 p.m. ET. Hosted by Chloes mom Christi Lukasiak, watch the most explosive dance battles, drama and jaw-dropping meltdowns from the original series. The first three half-hour episodes of Epic Showdowns will air tonight and seven more will air the following Wednesdays.

Where to watch:

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Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. delivers his inaugural address as the 17th president of the Philippines at the National Museum in Manila in front of thousands of people on July 1, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

Global Times-Recently, the Philippines has once again denied that China and the Philippines had reached a "gentleman's agreement" on the South China Sea issue. Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stated on Saturday that since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr took office in 2022, the Philippine Defense Department is "not aware of, nor is it a party to, any internal agreement with China."

However, Manila's stance not only ignores the joint efforts made by China and the Philippines in maintaining regional stability and peace but also will have a negative impact on the future of China-Philippines relations and the security situation in the South China Sea.

As is well known, a "gentleman's agreement" is an informal, non-binding agreement that relies on the credibility and integrity of the parties involved to be implemented rather than enforced through legal means. Compared to formal treaties, the "gentleman's agreement" is more flexible to maintain specific social order or policy goals. In other words, it can be seen as a kind of consensus and "understanding." In a complex international environment, this allows countries to quickly coordinate positions and actions and deal with emergencies.

Previously, when the situation in the South China Sea was extremely severe, regional peace and stability were severely threatened. The Chinese government and the Duterte government reached a "gentleman's agreement" with the aim of maintaining regional peace and preventing the escalation of the South China Sea disputes into regional conflicts. This not only serves the national interests of both sides but also the long-term interests and moral standards of the international community. China and the Philippines reached consensus on restricting military activities in sensitive areas and mutual understanding in humanitarian and material exchanges. In fact, it was precisely because both sides had been adhering to this agreement until early February last year that they effectively helped both sides control the situation and avoid potential military conflicts.

Currently, the Marcos government of the Philippines has publicly reneged on and denied the "gentleman's agreement" between the two countries, which has a significant element of political showmanship. But this is very unwise, and the real damage is to the Philippines itself.

Reneging on the "gentleman's agreement" has an obvious impact on the international reputation of the Philippines. The "gentleman's agreement" is based on the credibility and mutual respect of all parties. The current government's denial of its existence will lead to doubts about its credibility in the international community, affecting its reputation on the international stage and directly impacting its weight and effectiveness in negotiations on international affairs in the future. At the same time, it will also affect the economic cooperation and political mutual trust between the Philippines and other countries, thus causing long-term adverse effects on the national development of the Philippines.

Such inconsistency in diplomacy is likely to be criticized even within the Philippines. At the same time, violating the "gentleman's agreement" will escalate tensions in the South China Sea, increase militarization tendencies, or cause frequent confrontations, thereby increasing the probability of instability and conflict in the South China Sea region. This is obviously detrimental to the Philippines, which relies on a stable regional environment to maintain economic and social development. Opportunistic external powers may intervene, posing higher national security risks to the Philippines.

From a regional perspective, the behavior of the Philippines has undermined the regional cohesion of ASEAN, and the Philippines is likely to be seen as a "dangerous neighbor." ASEAN, as a regional organization, aims to enhance regional stability, security, and economic development through cooperation. The Philippines' unilateral breach of trust on the South China Sea issue has had a negative impact on the cohesion and diplomatic strategy of the entire organization. Currently, the behavior of the Philippines is irresponsible for ASEAN, weakening the organization's unified position and influence on the international stage, thereby affecting the strategic interests of the entire region.

In a tense geopolitical environment, trust and communication are the two most valuable assets. The Marcos government's reneging on and denial of the "gentleman's agreement" have damaged the foundation of trust between China and the Philippines and also exposed Manila's disregard of dialogue and cooperation in the South China Sea disputes, instead showing a tendency to act recklessly and turn toward confrontation and conflict. This will have serious negative impact on various aspects of the Philippine government, including its reputation, politics, strategy, economy, and security. The Philippine government needs to carefully consider its foreign policy to avoid irreversible losses on the international stage.
A Washington man was sentenced to five years in prison with five years of supervised release on Wednesday for trafficking large amounts of fentanyl in multiple Montana cities, federal officials said.

Joseph Allen Conner, 40, from Yakima, Washington, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. He was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris in Great Falls. Assistant U. S. Attorney Tara J. Elliot prosecuted the case.

In a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, court documents state that on June 23, 2023, in University Place, Washington, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant of Conner's residence and found pills, a money counter, firearms and ammunition.

In an interview, Conner admitted he made multiple trips to Montana cities including Lincoln, Great Falls, Missoula and Haugen to sell fentanyl and other controlled substances, documents state.

The report said an investigation found Conner distributed and possessed "buckets full" of fentanyl pills.

He mailed a "volleyball size bag" of fentanyl pills to distributors. Law enforcement seized about 1,500 fentanyl pills and methamphetamine from Conner, in a vehicle driven by a co-conspirator.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Great Falls Police Department and Russell Country Drug Task Force conducted the investigation.
On April 30, commencing at 6:30 pm local time (May 1, 2:30 am JST) for approximately 120 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting the Federal Republic of Nigeria, attended a meeting with Japanese nationals in Nigeria, including representatives from Japanese companies.
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Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, received Berel Lazar, Chief Rabbi of Russia, Azernews reports.

During the meeting, they emphasized the importance of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in expanding international cooperation, noting that this event will significantly contribute to strengthening interfaith and intercultural dialogue on a global scale.

In their conversation, the sides highlighted the tolerant environment prevailing in Azerbaijan and commended the fact that representatives of all religions and nations live together.




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Adani Wilmar Q4 results: Net profit up 59% to Rs 156 crore, revenue down 3%
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Abhishek Sahu covers HR and Education (Careers) at Moneycontrol. He can be reached at Abhishek.Sahu@nw18.com and @Abhishek44sahu.
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New federal limits on mercury and air toxics emissions are expected to increase NorthWestern Energy power bills by $1,000 annually, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke said Tuesday, chastising EPA for the tougher limits.

Western Montanas Republican representative grilled EPA Administrator Michael Regan about the tighter pollution controls in a budget hearing Tuesday. Zinkes staff later sourced the consumer costs to NorthWestern Energy.

Youre aware that energy costs will go up by $1,000 a family. So you add $28,000, what the Bidenomics cost, and then another $1,000 a year. So where are you going to get the power when you take that offline, Zinke said.

Wednesday in the Senate Appropriations, Montana Democrat Jon Tester asked Regan if the MATS rule could be delayed until 2032.

Regan said he wasnt quite sure of the underpinning of the $28,000 figure put forth by Zinke. The amount thrown around in campaign literature is a talking point from the Joint Economic Committee Republicans that suggests that Montana households spent $1,109 more per month on the same basket of goodsenergy, shelter and foodthan they would have in 2021.

The JECR doesn't define household size, or account for increases annual average wage, up $12,000 in Montana over five years ending in 2022, according to the state Department of Labor.

I think we just disagree about the $1,000 number, and Im not quite sure of the underpinning of the $28,000, Regan said. But our analysis shows that that rule will have, over the years, less than a 1% increase in energy costs.

At issue is EPAs new threshold for mercury and air toxics, which was issued April 26. Built in the 1980s, Colstrip lacks the needed equipment to capture hazardous air pollutants, or HAPs, and mercury to proposed EPA levels. The power plant's surviving two units have scrubbers specifically for sulfur dioxide, which as a co-benefit capture some HAPs. The units have activated carbon injection, or ACI, for mercury.

But the units don't have a fabric-filter baghouse or electrostatic precipitators, as other power plants have, specifically for hazardous air pollutants or mercury.

As early as 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy recognized that Colstrip emissions would improve with the addition of either technology.

The exchange between Zinke and Regan on Tuesday became heated as Regan tried to explain that Colstrip was being asked to add emissions controls that other power plants added years ago, while Zinke accused EPA of attacking Colstrip specifically with the new MATS rule.

Have you ever been out to Montana? Zinke said cutting Regan off. Have you ever been out to Montana?

Regan replied, How fair is it that this is a joke. You said you were going to invite me last meeting, last year.

I think we should go out, Mr. Chairman, Zinke said. Im going to invite you to Colstrip post haste. And you can explain how Colstrip told you that they can comply with the mercury, and they can be in business up to 2040, according to you.

Regan replied, I didnt say that Colstrip said they would do it. I said I said our analysis shows that they can, and they need to.

At what cost, sir? Zinke interjected.

Regan: Our analysis shows its a cost benefit investment. That this is a cost available technology that 93%, again this is important, 93% of coal plants across the country are going to comply with this rule. Colstrip is consistently the highest emitter, the highest emitter in the country.

The pollutants other than mercury targeted by the new rule include nickel, arsenic and lead. There are pollutants known to contribute to fatal heart attacks, cancer, and developmental delays in children. Nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide would also be cut according to EPA. Over 10 years, starting in 2028, net public health benefits would be $2.4 billion to $3 billion, according to EPA, while power plant owners nationwide would spend a combined $200 million to $300 million on compliance.

Regan said the estimate was based on Colstrip operating into the 2040s, which the power plants owners told EPA it would.

Increasing NorthWestern Energy rates $1,000 annually would be a combined gross increase of about $405.4 million for Montanans. The utility reports having 405,400 metered electric customers in the state.

NorthWesterns share of the 1480-megawatt power plant is 222 megawatts of capacity, or 15%. Historically the power plants six owners have split costs relative to capacity share.

EPA records show that power plant shareholder and operator Talen Energy indicated it was unclear whether all Colstrip owners would agree to the expense of upgrading emissions controls to comply with MATS. Talen told EPA in 2023 that the total cost for coming into compliance with the MATS rule would be more than $600 million.

Earlier in April, NorthWestern CEO Brian Bird put the cost of compliance at $500 million and suggested to a Helena audience that the new MATS rule would prompt NorthWestern to pivot building more gas-fired power plants rather than investing in Colstrip. Bird indicated NorthWestern's additional generation would be similar to the new gas-fired power plant south of Laurel that NorthWestern is completing at a cost of more than $300 million, which consumers will pay off over 20-plus years.

There are four other Colstrip owners, whose exit plans from the power plant complicate paying for large expenses. Washington state utilities Puget Sound Energy and Avista Corp plan to exit at the end of 2025 to comply with Washington climate laws that prevent the utilities from billing customers for coal-related costs.

NorthWestern plans to double its share of the power plant by accepting Spokane-based Avista Corps 222-megawatt share of Colstrip for free when Avista exits. In Oregon, Colstrip owners Puget Sound Energy and PacifiCorp have agreed not to bill customers for Colstrip costs that extend the life of the power plant beyond 2025, though both utilities plan to continue ownership through 2029.

Wednesday in the Senate, Tester reiterated Zinke's concerns, suggesting that a power plant expected to depreciate out in 2042 wouldn't receive the pollution controls investment necessary to meet the new mercury and air toxics limits.

The 2042 date is when NorthWestern Energy Customers will finish paying down the $407 million bill, plus interest, for NorthWestern's 222-megawatt share of Colstrip Unit 4. The power plant was first added to rates in 2009 at a price more than double what NorthWestern paid for the unit share two years earlier.

"Can we get there and still have it so that when it turns 40 below-zero, we got power?" Tester said. "Unfortunately, because of climate change, we don't have those times very often anymore, but we had one last letter. And you know what happens with peak power prices and things like that. And if you don't have the juice, I'm telling you, is it's over with. You got big costs. So, so my question is, would you, is there any thought, since this only impacts one power plant in the United States, in the whole damn country, just one power plant, of potentially moving the date forward and giving some flexibility to maybe 2032?"

Regan said he disagreed with power plant owners' cost estimates to comply. The EPA director offered to have his staff meet with Tester's about options.
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MG Motor India reports 1.45% dip in retail sales at 4,485 units in April
Danish Khan is the editor of Technology and Telecom. He was previously with the Economic Times and has tracked the sector for 13 years.
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Vedanta plans investments worth $20 bln in India over next 4 years: Chairman Anil Agarwal
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Drugs worth more than Rs 2 crore seized in Meghalaya, 1 held
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Recent shifts in technology and the economy have transformed the workplace. Extrends Research identifies three trends in employee experience (EX):

IT and HR are integrating AI to enhance task efficiency and decision-making, with over 80% acknowledging its benefits.

There's a push for flexible, customizable tools to meet employee demands for autonomy, with 80% recognizing the need to improve EX, noting data security concerns.

Companies are adopting data-driven approaches to refine EX, with nearly half using new tech for EX metrics, and 84% viewing EX as vital for competitiveness.

Discover how top firms are advancing intelligent EX in the full report.
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Jensen Huang says bosses must be demanding: 'If you want to do extraordinary things...'
Antony Blinken in Israel to push for a cease-fire in Gaza, says ''the time is now''
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As a senior at Lackawanna High School, Amin Almontaser dreamed of becoming a lawyer.

Then he took a stroll down Warren Avenue in Dearborn, Mich., the largest American city with a majority Arab American population.

The street was alive with Middle Eastern businesses. The number of choices  where to eat, shop or drink coffee  was overwhelming, unlike anything Almontaser had experienced in his beloved hometown of Lackawanna.

When he returned home, he wondered if Ridge Road, which neighbors told him was once a vibrant business district, could eventually resemble Warren Avenue. While his friends were participating in things like Senior Skip Day, Almontaser got to work.

He opened Socotra Cafe (671 Ridge Road, Lackawanna), the areas first Yemeni coffee shop later that year, in 2021, using some of his Yemeni mothers recipes.

In my family, coffee is everything, Almontaser said.

Almontaser was ahead of the curve locally, but Yemeni coffee shops have been sprouting up in cities across the country for the last decade. The trend has reached Buffalo and doesnt look like its slowing down soon.

Two Yemeni coffeehouses, Sanaa Cafe in North Buffalo and Raha Coffee House in Black Rock, opened in February. Haraz Coffee House, a growing Yemeni coffee chain that started in Dearborn, is opening its first Western New York location at 471 Elmwood Ave. in June. Almontaser is planning on opening Socotras second cafe at 547 Elmwood Ave., in the former Cereal Spot space, in a couple of months.

Theres going to be a lot more to come, Almontaser said. Its a trend.

Late hours and cardamom

Raha Coffee House (370 Amherst St.) is filled with sunlight and customers sipping chai at their laptops by day. But on weekend evenings, when the hours extend to midnight, the dimly lit cafes vibe shifts.

The longer hours are a staple of the new Yemeni coffeehouses, which are all open until at least 10 p.m. every day except Sunday (when they usually close at 8 p.m.).

I know youre not supposed to drink coffee at night, but thats how we are, said Abdulgawi Mohamed, co-owner of Raha Coffee House. We love to stay late at night and chill and relax and have a cup of coffee or tea and chit-chat.

In the evenings at Raha, plush chairs and couches fill with groups of caffeinated friends. Sometimes, its standing-room only. The crowd is diverse, Mohamed said, and includes a lot of Bengali, Palestinian and Egyptian people, additional to Yemeni, and many young college students.

Mohamed and his business partner, Bassam Harhara, are from the same city in Yemen, Aden, though they didnt know each other until their families moved to Lackawanna in 2006, while they were still in school. Theyve lived in Lackawanna for nearly 20 years, both graduated from Erie County Community College, and opened a coffee shop to bring a slice of home to Buffalo.

That was the whole idea, Mohamed said. To make it just like home.

Traditional Yemeni coffees, teas and pastries are served at each of the cafes, in addition to standard espresso-based drinks, like lattes and caramel macchiatos. Traditional drinks can also be served in pots and kettles for groups to share.

The Adeni chai, for example, is made with cardamom and milk, but each cafe makes it their own way. Its the most popular drink at Sanaa Cafe, according to assistant manager Nagi Hassan.

Other Yemeni coffee shop staples include Jubani, which is made with coffee husks and spices and tastes like a cross between tea and coffee, Mofawar, a coffee with cream and cardamom, and Turkish coffee, a strong, rich and small coffee, like espresso.

These are coffee shops, not restaurants, but expect to see two customary pastries and a few desserts. The beehive, also called honeycomb, is a bulbous bread filled with pockets of cream cheese, topped with sesame seeds and usually drizzled with honey. Sabaya is a crunchy and flakey bread, similar to baklava, made with dozens of thin phyllo dough layers.

Maps of Yemen can be seen on each of their walls.

When someone does come in here and they ask me questions, Almontaser said. Its kind of a nice, proud feeling... Its like, yeah, this is our culture.

Yemens storied coffee past

All of the coffee at Socotra, Sanaa, Raha and Haraz, is sourced from Yemen, once a hub of international coffee trade.

For hundreds of years, farmers have been growing coffee beans in the terraced mountains of Yemen. The countrys coffee beans are celebrated for their earthy flavors and hints of dried fruit and chocolate.

Thats why were coming back strong here and working with farmers back home, just to start this business again, said Sanaa Cafe Operations Manager Sadeq Alaqel. Its dying out.

Mohameds family owned a coffee bean farm in Yemen before he was born. Mohamed never saw the farm, but hes committed to investing in his home country.

Were trying to give them an opportunity to have jobs and work, Mohamed said. At the same time, we benefit here.

Mohamed and Harhara have big plans for their coffee beans, which they roast in Buffalo. They dream of seeing their Yemen coffee beans in supermarkets across the country.

Theyre not the only Yemeni coffeehouse owners with ambition.

Almontaser hopes to open third and fourth Socotra Cafe locations in Amherst and Tonawanda.

Sanaa Cafe ended up in North Buffalo, located at 1207 Hertel Ave., because Yaseen Albraq was looking to get out of the pizza business. He moved to Buffalo from Yemen about six years ago and previously ran a pizza and shawarma shop called Slice of New York in the same space. But he wasnt passionate about pizza.

What he knew, and loved, was coffee.

He reached out to his Yemeni American community for advice and connected with Bassery Al Riashi, owner of Sanaa Cafe in San Francisco, who was looking to expand. Buffalos large Arab population made the city a natural fit for another location, especially because they had a restaurateur eager to run it, Alaqel said. Al Riashi hopes to have 15 locations open nationally by the end of the year, including another possible cafe in Buffalo.

Alaqel said he believes the trend is propelled, at least partly, by Yemeni Americans seeking to serve their own community and share their culture with more people. Yemen has been embroiled in civil war for years, leading to one of the worlds largest humanitarian crises, but its culture and history is rich, especially when it comes to coffee.

Its not really great [in Yemen] right now, Almontaser said. But the culture is still here and were very proud of it.

None of the business owners in Buffalo plan to stop at one independent Yemeni coffee shop. Theyve seen others, such as Haraz Coffee House, find a lot of success serving traditional Yemeni coffee drinks served in chic cafes with late hours throughout the country.

Tim Hortons, in every corner they have one, Mohamed said. So why not have our Yemen coffee in every corner?
Reporter

Andrew Roberto was raised his whole life on Saipan. He graduated from Saipan Southern High School, holds a degree from Northern Marianas College, and a BA in English from the University of Guam. He once worked for KUAM, UNO Magazine, and the Guam Daily Post.
Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, received a delegation of Muslim religious leaders from member and observer countries of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Azernews reports.

The delegation includes Nuriddin Kholiknazarov, Chairman of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, Nauryzbay Otpenov, Head of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, Abdulaziz Zakirov, Head of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan, and Ahmet Unsal, President of Religious Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

During the meeting, the significance of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue was highlighted, underscoring its substantial contribution to strengthening relations among peoples and representatives of various religions.

President Ilham Aliyev hailed the successful development of friendly and brotherly relations among Turkic-speaking states. He also emphasized the importance of collaboration among religious leaders of these countries, noting that this cooperation contributes to cementing ties among the nations and peoples.

Touching on the importance of the delegation`s visit to Azerbaijans liberated territories, the head of state expressed that this trip would provide a good opportunity for the religious leaders to closely familiarize themselves with ongoing processes in those areas.

President Ilham Aliyev described the opening of secondary school No. 1 named after Mirzo Ulugbek in Fuzuli during President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyevs state visit to Azerbaijan, the inauguration of the Kurmangazy Children's Creativity Center in the city of Fuzuli during President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayevs state visit to Azerbaijan, and the laying of the foundation stone for a secondary school in the village of Khydyrly in the Aghdam district during President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparovs state visit to Azerbaijan as manifestations of the friendly and brotherly relations. The head of state also fondly recalled the official visit of President Ersin Tatar of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to Azerbaijan.

The Chairman of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, Nuriddin Kholiknazarov, conveyed greetings from Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, while the President of Religious Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ahmet Unsal, conveyed greetings from the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, to President Ilham Aliyev.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings and asked them to relay his greetings back to Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ersin Tatar.

The religious leaders expressed their gratitude for the hospitality they received in Azerbaijan and underscored the significance of the Forum, saying that the Azerbaijani leaders insightful speech made a profound impression on them. They underlined that the event helps to bring the historical, religious, and cultural rootsbased on friendship and brotherhood among Turkic-speaking stateseven closer together. President Ilham Aliyev noted that during the occupation, the Armenians had destroyed many of Azerbaijan's historical and religious monuments, adding that construction of new mosques and restoration of those destroyed are in progress as part of large-scale reconstruction projects in the liberated territories.

Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade thanked President Ilham Aliyev for the state's support in ensuring religious freedoms and preserving Islamic values in Azerbaijan, as well as for the restoration of religious and historical monuments in the liberated territories. He also highlighted the work of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in this regard, emphasizing its role in preserving religious and cultural wealth.

The Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office also paid tribute to the exceptional contributions of National Leader Heydar Aliyev in preserving religious values in Azerbaijan.


























Nusrat Jahan Tapu sat in her East Side house, heartbroken, unable to make sense of the homicide Saturday that took her husband away.

Tapu, 30, her husband, Abu Saleh Mohammod Yousuf, 35, and their two children moved to Buffalo in 2023 seeking a better life  and it appeared they had found it. Then a suspect believed to be squatting at 148 Zenner St. fired a single shot that killed Yousuf and also killed Babul Meah, handymen and friends who came to the door to make repairs.

You can ask anybody, How was my man? He was an amazing person who never cheated anyone with anything, an angel. How much he loved me, you have no idea, Tapu said to two Buffalo News reporters while speaking in Bengali on Tuesday morning, hours before her husbands funeral service.

He has no enemies, yet he left the world in such a devastating manner, she said. On Saturday, I saw him leaving the house. Today, I saw him on his deathbed.

Yousuf leaves behind two children, ages 2 and 6, and a wife 18 weeks pregnant.

I came to America with a big dream, Tapu said. My husband believed that (bad things like this) will never happen, that its not that kind of a country.

Its a very good country, we believed that. But he just got brutally murdered without any reason. How will I come to terms with that? Tabu said.

More than 1,000 Muslim men attended a funeral service, known as Janazah, at the Buffalo Muslim Center on Fillmore Avenue on Tuesday afternoon to share their grief over Yousufs killing and show support for the family.

Since the migration of Bangladeshi families began to Buffalo from New York City in the early 2000s, these homicides were believed to be just the second and third committed against Bengalis, according to the Buffalo Police Department.

This is the biggest turnout for a funeral (we have ever seen), said Sahi Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi community activist. We lost a community member, a brother, so people are coming.

Dr. Khalid Qazi, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, shared the anguish people were feeling.

These innocent souls were not doing any harm to anyone, Qazi said. They were going about their daily business to work hard to put the bread on the table for their families. They were trying to live the American Dream.

Man charged with criminal possession of weapon in connection with Zenner Street double homicide Dale Cummings, age and address unknown, was arraigned Monday afternoon in Buffalo City Court on a felony charge of criminal possession of a weapon. At a 4 p.m. news conference, Mayor Byron Brown and Police Commissioner Joseph A. Gramaglia referred to Cummings as "a person of interest in the double homicide."

Qazi said the community must commit to helping the families for the long haul.

We want to tell the family that its not a temporary emotional thing for us that we are here today, he said. We will be with the families for as long as it is needed, and we need everyones commitment to make sure that not just the short-term needs of the families are met, but more importantly the long-term needs of the family are met.

Community members have set up GoFundMe pages for both families. To donate to Yousufs family, click here. To donate to Meahs family, click here.

Several hundred men attended the funeral at 31 Stone St., an unmarked Muslim graveyard owned by Masjid Zakariya, a mosque and boarding school on Sobieski Street. A funeral service for women will follow later this week.

Yousuf, from Sylhet in Bangladesh, and Tapu, from Dhaka, were married seven years. They came to the United States after he lost a job as a merchandiser during the pandemic, coming first to Brooklyn for a week before following a recommendation to go to Buffalo.

After fatal shootings, members of Buffalo's Bangladeshi community are angry, afraid Hundreds of Bengali men gathered Sunday at Buffalo Muslim Center in Broadway Fillmore, demanding justice after the killing of two men Saturday afternoon, in a meeting with city officials that devolved into chaos.

Yousuf was a good man, Tapu said, adding that he shared the $12 to $15 an hour he made working as a handyman with those less fortunate, including family in Bangladesh.

Tapu, who taught English in a college in Bangladesh, said she is an orphan and has no family except for an older sister, who she hopes will move to Buffalo to help with the children. She is scheduled to have a Cesarean section in the fall.

Although the community has supported her, Tapu said she has lived a fairly solitary life in Buffalo focused on her family.

I have no one here, she said.

Where do I keep this grief, I dont know. I have not slept in four days, Tapu said. I do not have the mental space to even take care of my children.

She was used to her husband doing many things for the family she hasnt done before, and said she needs help from the community to survive.

Zenner Street is a couple of minutes away from her home, and Tapu said she is haunted not knowing if her husband died on the porch immediately, or could have been saved if medical assistance was forthcoming sooner when his body was there, unattended, by police unsure if the assailant was inside.

Despite the tragedy, Tapu said she doesnt plan to leave Buffalo. She said she owes it to him not to.

Because my husband gave up his life for my kids here, I will try to stick here till my last breath for my children, Tapu said. So that they can say, Our father gave his life for us, we have been able to establish a future for ourselves here.

Meah, the other man killed, moved to Maryland from Bangladesh in 1997 and came with his family to Buffalo in August. He will be buried later this week in Maryland.

My mother is in shock because she was married for 20-plus-years and my dad was supporting everything. You know, seven of us, so were just all very lost, said Seefat Meah, who at 21 is the oldest child, with the youngest 2 years old.

Meah said his father had a small contracting business, from cutting grass to drywalling, and had begun buying up low-cost houses to fix.

The family plans to move back to Maryland, he said.
Yves here. While the Oregon Medicaid funding of equipment to help participants get through heat waves is positive from a public health perspective and as the article below explains, even pays of in terms of reducing costs to health insurers.

However, this program also illustrates how climate change is exacerbating environmental pressures. More cooling devices = making and delivering more stuff, as in resource use, including energy. I remember as a kid living in western Oregon in the 1960s for a few years that the summers were always temperate. Not only did we not have air conditioning in company houses built to be pretty plush by the standards of the day, but we didnt even have a fan.

I must confess to not knowing what conditions are like in the less densely populated part of the state east of the Cascade mountains. The winters are harsher and I assume the summers were a lot hotter too. But hot enough for air con to be routine?

By Samantha Young, senior KFF Health News correspondent, who was rreviously a reporter for The Associated Press and the Stephens Media Group. Originally published at KFF Health News

Oregon is shipping air conditioners, air purifiers, and power banks to some of its most vulnerable residents, a first-in-the-nation experiment to use Medicaid money to prevent the potentially deadly health effects of extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and other climate-related disasters.

The equipment, which started going out in March, expands a Biden administration strategy to move Medicaid beyond traditional medical care and into the realm of social services.

At least 20 states, including California, Massachusetts, and Washington, already direct billions of Medicaid dollars into programs such as helping homeless people get housing and preparing healthy meals for people with diabetes, according to KFF. Oregon is the first to use Medicaid money explicitly for climate-related costs, part of its five-year, $1.1 billion effort to address social needs, which also includes housing and nutrition benefits.

State and federal health officials hope to show that taxpayer money and lives can be saved when investments are made before disaster strikes.

Climate change is a health care issue, so helping Oregons poorest and sickest residents prepare for potentially dangerous heat, drought, and other extreme weather makes sense, said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on a visit to Sacramento, California, in early April.

Becerra said the Biden administration wants states to experiment with how best to improve patient health, whether by keeping someone housed instead of homeless, or reducing their exposure to heat with an air conditioner.

But Medicaids expansion into social services may duplicate existing housing and nutrition programs offered by other federal agencies, while some needy Americans cant get essential medical care, said Gary Alexander, director of the Medicaid and Health Safety Net Reform Initiative at the Paragon Health Institute.

There are 600,000 or 700,000 intellectually disabled people in the United States waiting for Medicaid services. Theyre on a waitlist, said Alexander, who oversaw state health agencies in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Meanwhile Medicaid has money for housing and food and air conditioners for recipients. Seems to me that we should serve the intellectually disabled first before we get into all of these new areas.

Scientists and public health officials say climate change poses a growing health risk. More frequent and intense floods, droughts, wildfires, extreme temperatures, and storms cause more deaths, cardiovascular disease from poor air quality, and other problems, according to the federal governments Fifth National Climate Assessment.

The mounting health effects disproportionately hit low-income Americans and people of color, who are often covered by Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for low-income people.

Most of the 102 Oregonians who died during the deadly heat dome that settled over the Pacific Northwest in 2021 were elderly, isolated and living with low incomes, according to a report by the Oregon Health Authority, which administers the states Medicaid program, with about 1.4 million enrollees. The OHAs analysis of urgent care and emergency room use from May through September of 2021 and 2022 found that 60% of heat-related illness visits were from residents of areas with a median household income below $50,000.

In the last 10-plus years, the amount of fires and smoke events and excessive heat events that weve had has shown the disproportionate impact of those events on those with lower incomes, said Dave Baden, the OHAs deputy director for programs and policy.

And, because dangerously high temperatures arent common in Oregon, many residents dont have air conditioning in their homes.

Traditionally, states hit by natural disasters and public health emergencies have asked the federal government for permission to spend Medicaid dollars on back-up power, air filters, and other equipment to help victims recover. But those requests came after the fact, following federal emergency declarations.

Oregon wants to be proactive and pay for equipment that will help an estimated 200,000 residents manage their health at home before extreme weather or climate-related disaster hits, Baden said. In addition to air conditioning units, the program will pay for mini fridges to keep medications cold, portable power supplies to run ventilators and other medical devices during outages, space heaters for winter, and air filters to improve air quality during wildfire season.

In March, the Oregon Health Plan, the states Medicaid program, began asking health insurers to find patients who might need help coping with extreme weather. Recipients must meet federal guidelines that categorize them as facing certain life transitions, a stringent set of requirements that disqualify most enrollees. For example, a person with an underlying medical condition that could worsen during a heat wave, and who is also at risk for homelessness or has been released from prison in the past year, could receive an air conditioner. But someone with stable housing might not qualify.

You could be in a housing complex, and your neighbor qualified for an air conditioner and you didnt, Baden said.

At the offices of insurer AllCare Health in Grants Pass, Oregon, air conditioners, air filters, and mini fridges were piled in three rooms in mid-April, ready to be handed over to Medicaid patients. The health plan provided equipment to 19 households in March. The idea is to get the supplies into peoples homes before the summer fire season engulfs the valley in smoke.

Health plans dont want to find themselves fighting the masses at Home Depot when the skies are already smoky or the heat is unbearable, said Josh Balloch, AllCares vice president of health policy.

Were competing against everybody else, and you cant find a fan on a hot day, he said.

Oregon and some other states have already used Medicaid money to buy air conditioners, air purifiers, and other goods for enrollees, but not under the category of climate change. For example, California offers air purifiers to help asthma patients and New York just won federal approval to provide air conditioners to asthma patients.

Baden said Oregon health officials will evaluate whether sending air conditioners and other equipment to patients saves money by looking at their claim records in the coming years.

If Oregon can help enrollees avoid a costly trip to the doctor or the ER after extreme weather, other state Medicaid programs may ask the federal government if they can adopt the benefit. Many states havent yet used Medicaid money for climate change because it affects people and regions differently, said Paul Shattuck, a senior fellow at Mathematica, a research organization that has surveyed state Medicaid directors on the issue.

The health risks of climate change are everywhere, but the nature of risk exposure is completely different in every state, Shattuck said. Its been challenging for Medicaid to get momentum because each state is left to their own devices to figure out what to do.

A California state lawmaker last year introduced legislation that would have required Medi-Cal, the states Medicaid program, to add a climate benefit under its existing social services expansion. The program would have been similar to Oregons, but AB 586, by Assembly member Lisa Calderon, died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which questioned in a staff analysis whether climate change remediation supports can be defined as cost-effective.

The cost savings are clear to Kaiser Permanente. After the 2021 heat wave, it sent air conditioners to 81 patients in Oregon and southwest Washington whose health conditions might get worse in extreme heat, said Catherine Potter, community health consultant at the health system. The following year, Kaiser Permanente estimated it had prevented $42,000 in heat-related ER visits and $400,000 in hospital admissions, she said.

We didnt used to have extreme heat like this, and we do now, said Potter, who has lived in the temperate Portland area for 30 years. If we can prevent these adverse impacts, we should be preventing them especially for people that are going to be most affected.

This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
Yves here. We received a complaint about AirBnBs latest privacy intrusion from a long-established reader, here on demanding what will wind up being in most if not nearly all cases, a copy of a photo that is of biometric ID standards. As the unhappy potentially former customer of AirBnB fulminates, this new policy is being applied across the board, even users with impeccable records.

And that ire is not ill-founded. AirBnB is being challenged over this new scheme in Illinois under the state law that puts strict limits on private businesses who try to collecting biometric information. As well discuss, Illinois is far from the only state with privacy laws that restrict the collection and use of biometric information.

And it is not as if AirBnB is lacking in methods of recourse. Hotels regularly charge bad boy guests who trash rooms via damage charges on credit cards. If they are worried a newbie user might be a rogue, require that the user agree to a damage deposit that is refunded if everything is hunky dory. If property misuse were the issue, face pix of users are not much of a solution.

So more generally, why could AirBnB possibly want this info? This sounds an awful like yet another scheme to make more money off customers by selling their data. Many people became desensitized over the issue of letting businesses copy their drivers licenses or passports in the post 9/11 era, where most office building landlords started new security procedures requiring the presentation, and sometimes copying, of government ID.

The latest AirBnB lack of concern about user privacy has started even before the rental platform recent snooping scandal was finally resolved. Readers may recall AirBnB was embarrassed publicly by Gizmodo via FOIAs to the Federal Trade Commission. Gizmodo published many of the complaints. AirBnB had a not-so-hot policy on cameras and was lax about enforcement and apparently even responding to customer beefs. So the secret camera ban went effective April 30. From Gizmodo yesterday:

Gizmodo filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the FTC for any consumer complaints filed about Airbnb that involved cameras. Some of the complaints are fairly mundane, and simply mention how cameras may have been used to prove things that break the rules at Airbnb properties. But others are pretty horrifying and involve hidden cameras in places where people expect privacy. Hidden cameras have always been banned at Airbnb, but cameras in public areas like living rooms were allowed. Airbnb will officially ban all indoor cameras at its properties worldwide at the end of this month.

Erm, since when is a living room a public place? Plenty of people shag on couches or might be in a state of considerable undress while watching TV. Admittedly, the old policy said those cameras were OK if not hidden. But how hidden is hidden? Not hard to imagine vacationers doing something they would not want recorded before they noticed a camera.

Now to AirBnBs new-found photo fetish. A point that may not be obvious is that in the US, most if not all drivers license photos are to biometric ID standards. Alabama was as of 2019 when I got a drivers license there. Ditto passport photos. So unless you have an old passport image before the days of biometric IDs being the new normal, and it luckily also fail to capture good enough information to provide the biometric markers, compliance with AirBnBs new requirements amounts to giving them biometrics. Gah.

Well turn to the reader-provided sordid tale and then look at current and possible future legal opposition. Via e-mail:

I have an idiotic saga about Airbnb, which I have used for years as a traveler. I would never host through them because their customer service is atrocious, and I have heard stories from friends who host about what goes on. They were a train wreck during the covid pandemic. But I use it in the US and abroad. So without warning Airbnb suddenly is demanding identity verification and the site wants me to upload a drivers license or passport before I am allowed to reserve. This makes me irate, of course. They want to use facial recognition to confirm with the photo they already have, no doubt AI enhanced at this point. I am not the criminal here, and they have a long internal track record with my profile on reviews and trips and credit card transactions. I have absolutely stellar reviews. A reservation was pending, then canceled. So I took masking tape and doctored my license to cover up certain info, they want both sides, and took photos and uploaded them. I resubmitted the reservation and uploaded the ID photos for it to be finalized (the website doesnt allow you to advance until you take this step). The reservation goes through, is confirmed, I get inundated with the usual messages confirming the reservation. This means my credit card is charged the full amount, you see. Then my ID photos are rejected again. I call customer non-service, which at this point is located abroad, probably in the Philippines for my call (it used to be in San Francisco). I am exhorted to resubmit ID photos with complete information. I argue, its useless, she has no authority even after putting me on hold to speak with a supervisor. They are relying on the Airbnb system to verify and retain all this customer data. I rip apart the routine customer service script that my data are protected. My reservation is still valid atm, so I am going to see what happens next time I use the site  if it requires me to upload photos of an ID again, recto and verso, I can upload the same doctored photos and see if the reservation goes through, even if the ID photos are subsequently rejected every time. I think they like that money that keeps coming in, the fees. I dont care if that becomes the new ritual  this is ASININE. I am still irate. The entire fiasco illustrates where we are heading. Also, Homeland Security has become an evil monster.

So does AirBnB really want the photo or the full drivers license/passport page? It sure sounds like the latter, given the friend of the sites clarification of what doctoring amounted to:

I used bits of masking tape artfully applied to both sides of the license itself before taking the photos of it. The Airbnb system might detect Photoshop manipulation  someone expert in such matters would know better than I. I did two rounds of doctoring, taking the photos, and uploading them to Airbnb. The photos were deliberately not in ideal lighting, not too close up. One was upside down (that was just me not taking it seriously). All were rejected by the automated system, and if I look at my account profile, the section on government ID says not provided (as if that were an inherent obligation, to which my response is that they can stuff it). There is an option of uploading an identity card, but I did not pursue that, although maybe I will at some point, if I can get away with a photo ID card from work or something. I want to stress that this was not successful in the sense that the Airbnb system did not accept my ID photos because info was missing and it was not recognized as satisfactory. According to the autogenerated message I received from Airbnb, it wants to read and extract all info on the card and could not. I am sure they have many images of licenses from all fifty states, as well as passports. Ah, surveillance dystopia!. I should have saved the Airbnb message to forward to you. It definitely referred to wanting the *information* on the ID image, which includes the biometric details, date of birth, address, etc., as well as photos, and requiring both sides of the license.

So asking for a photo from a government ID is to get the entire ID, not just the image.

So it is telling that even with this policy being pretty new, privacy lawyers have swung into action. They have started with Illinois, which has the oldest state law restricting the use of biometric information, dating from 2008. Bloomberg Law describes how several lawsuits have raised the profile of this statue and the rulings have facilitated filing more cases.

The 2023 Bloomberg article also describes the state of play in other states:

Texas and Washington also have broad biometric privacy laws on the books, but neither creates a private right of action like BIPA does. In addition, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia have passed comprehensive consumer privacy laws that, once in full effect, will expressly govern the processing of biometric information. And even more states have enacted data breach notification laws that explicitly include biometric data within their scope. Various municipalities, such as New York City and Portland, Ore., have also passed tailored biometric privacy measures. New York Citys Biometric Information Privacy Law, applicable to certain commercial establishments, provides a private right of action. As more states continue to introduce legislation similar to BIPA, insurers have begun expressly excluding biometric liability coverage from their policies, further adding to the risks posed by noncompliance with biometric privacy laws.

And provided a detailed summary of three of the statutes:

If you read the Bloomberg cheat sheet on the Illinois law, you will see it provides for Intentional or reckless violations: the greater of $5,000 or actual damages.

The interesting device of mass arbitration has AirBnB users in Illinois seeking $5,000 for what sure looks like an intentional violation. From ClassAction.org:

Attorneys working with ClassAction.org need to hear from Illinois residents who used Airbnb as either a guest or a host and had to go through the vacation rental companys identity verification process. They have reason to believe the company may have illegally collected and stored the facial scans of Illinois users who were required to upload their photos and government-issued IDs to confirm their identities. Illegal collection of consumers biometrics  which include facial geometries, fingerprints, retina scans and more  could require the offending company to provide consumers with up to $5,000 per violation. What Am I Signing Up For? What Is Mass Arbitration? You are signing up for something known in the legal space as mass arbitration. Generally speaking, arbitration is an alternative way to resolve a dispute and takes place outside the courtroom, without a judge, jury or trial. You can learn more about arbitration here. With mass arbitration, hundreds or thousands of consumers will file individual arbitration claims against the same company over the same issue  such as a potential privacy violation. While Airbnb has previously faced litigation for various reasons, the companys terms of service clearly state that U.S. users agree to resolve disputes through arbitration and waive their rights to a class action lawsuit. This is why attorneys working with ClassAction.org have decided to handle this matter on a mass arbitration basis.

Not only is this going to be fun, but AirBnBs high profile might also give impetus for states and cities to implement or strengthen biometric ID protections.
The East Germany Ministry of State Security, commonly known as the Stasi, is considered to have been one of the most effective surveillance operations ever. As Amnesty International notes, part of what made it so oppressive was its massive network of informants:

The Stasis surveillance network spiralled out into every aspect of daily life. Among an estimated 274,000 employees were at least 174,000 informants, which would have been about 2.5% of the working population. Informants snooped in every office, cultural and sporting society, and apartment building. They recorded people in their own homes and in the homes of their friends.

The governments across the West are increasingly turning to Stasi-like systems in efforts to silence criticism of the ruling class policies  from unpopular wars and climate change inaction to plunder and eugenic public health policies.

Much of this is being done under the guise of combating hate.

Below is a list of all the efforts to turn citizens in the US and Europe into informers in the burgeoning Stasi system that collects information on individuals accused of bias or hate or enact censorship in other ways.

A few quick notes before the rundown of the new laws and reporting systems. A neat trick by making it appear as if these laws are anti-hate is that opposition to them can be dismissed as pro-hate. In reality, the issue really has nothing to do with hate, but is more a question of free speech. In the US, for example, there are already hate crime laws on the books.

So why is the government trying to hoover up data on alleged hate incidents  which are protected rights even if you disagree with them. How could this information be abused by the state?

The problem is that the definition of bias or hate is incredibly slippery and is often just any speech that the powers that be dont want to hear. It can range from an offensive joke to criticism of Israeli policy. We now have concrete examples of exactly how it could be abused as Canada works to enact a precrime law that would punish individuals accused of hate incidents before they (in theory) commit a hate crime.

It looks like this is either some sort of coordinated (by who?) effort or it caught on like a fashion trend among governments in the West. Maybe this is just more of the liberal effort to build some sort of unifying woke ideology in the place of nationalism or religion. Even if thats the charitable view, the fact remains that once these powers are in place, they will be very difficult to get rid of, and in times of crisis they will be wielded widely against anyone who challenges power structures.

One could argue (convincingly in my humble opinion) that we are already in times of crisis and that this is the true intention of these laws. Roll them out under the guise of protecting minorities, but their true use will be to silence anyone who challenges power, primarily directed at the following:

Labor organizers and antiwar activists: We have seen governments in Canada and Germany crack down on truckers and farmers, respectively, labeling them as hate-filled bigots in order to dismiss their economic concerns or vaccine mandate concerns. Allegations of hate are again coming from high places with regards to the current encampments on university campuses:

A new statement from the White House in response to the news of Columbia protestors taking over a campus building. pic.twitter.com/A48LpNGyhg  Asma Khalid (@asmamk) April 30, 2024

Many of the following laws listed here equate any criticism of Israel with antisemitism and have also been used to silence criticism of the war against Russia. They will also no doubt be used to help crush labor action much along the lines of past laws like the California Criminal Syndicalism Act of 1919 which prohibited speech that suggested the use of violence for political aims. It came at a time when workers were winning important battles in the class war raging across the state. California started locking up Wobblies en masse and within a few years the state organization was jailed into submission.

Alternative news. Naked Capitalism readers dont have to look far for errors (or intentional targeting) in this system as Googles AI targeted this site for hateful content among other alleged sins.

With that being said, its probably a good time to assemble all these efforts in one place. Readers, if Im missing any, please add in comments.

The US

Washington

Lets start in the Pacific Northwest. As far as I can tell, Washingtons bill was unique because it not only asked citizens to report on one another, it also planned to offer payments of up to $2,000 to those on the receiving end of bias incidents. While the payouts were removed from the bill before it became law, the fact such a scheme was considered at all raises the alarm level even higher.

How many fabricated reports would be attempts to simply collect some money? Maybe Im not jaded enough yet, but its shocking that with so many needs (e.g., Washington has the sixth-highest homelessness rate in the country), this is an item lawmakers thought would be a good use of funds. Thats telling of the direction were headed.

Oregon

Oregon now has its Bias Response Hotline to track bias incidents.

New York

In December of 2022, New York launched its Hate and Bias Prevention Unit. A new telephone hotline and online portal came online in October of last year.

Maryland

Maryland, too, has its system  its hate incidents examples include offensive jokes and malicious complaints of smell or noise. Maryland also has its Emmett Till Alert System that sends out three levels of alerts for specific acts of hate. For now, they only go to black lawmakers, civil rights activists, the media and other approved outlets, but expansion to the general populace is under consideration.

California

California has a multilingual statewide hotline and website that encourages people to report all acts of hate with the definition for hate at least partially provided by rightwing Zionist Anti-Defamation League(ADL). The aforementioned law in Washington was also pushed by the ADL.

The CA vs Hate hotline was part of a broader $166.5 million investment in state anti-hate initiatives that was passed in 2021. Since then, California has been sending a large chunk of that funding to nonprofits across the state to provide support to victims and survivors of hate incidents.

European and Canadian readers will have to chime in on the difference in countries there, but in the US, hate speech or a hate incident is very different from a hate crime:

In the United States, hate speech is protected by the First Amendment. Courts extend this protection on the grounds that the First Amendment requires the government to strictly protect robust debate on matters of public concern even when such debate devolves into distasteful, offensive, or hateful speech that causes others to feel grief, anger, or fear. the FBI has defined a hate crime as a criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offenders bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity, including skin color and national origin.

In effect, these programs are asking citizens to report one another for First Amendment-protected speech. And who knows what happens to the information collected on alleged perps. I was directed to the California Civil Rights Division for an answer to that question and reached out on March 20 of this year; I have yet to receive a response.

These programs have been helped by federal funding but have argely been left to the states thus far. The efforts were also pioneered on college campuses. From the New York Post back in August of 2022:

Bias hotlines have been popping up at universities across the US in recent years  but experts fear such initiatives are becoming more pervasive and more repressive than ever. New York University is among the handful of colleges that publicly advertise a specific hotline  including on the back of student ID cards  as a way for them to anonymously file complaints about discrimination, harassment and a string of other issues. Other universities across the country appear to only have online portals, or other methods, in place for lodging complaints under their own bias response systems. Critics, however, claim that the hotlines  and broader bias response systems in place at hundreds of other universities  are often used to just report faculty or students for expressing controversial opinions. Most purport to curb discrimination and harassment, but define those terms well beyond their legal definitions, suggesting that offensive, unwanted, or upsetting words, alone, are unlawful. Thats almost never true, Alex Morey, an attorney for the free speech rights advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), told The Post on Tuesday. But the result is students think they ought to be reporting fellow students or faculty to administrators simply for expressing a controversial opinion, or something they subjectively find offensive.

And many US school districts are preparing kids to report at even younger ages. Parents Defending Education tracks bias response systems in high schools across the US. As of September 2023, heres where we are:

Number of states that have them: 22 plus District of Columbia Number of total school districts: 115 Number of total schools: 4,565 Number of total students: 2,492,241

Canada

The country to the US north provides an excellent case study as to where all this focus on hate and development of a Stasi citizenry could be headed.

Ottawas online harms bill includes a provision to impose house arrest on someone who is feared to commit a hate crime in the future. From The Globe and Mail:

The person could be made to wear an electronic tag, if the attorney-general requests it, or ordered by a judge to remain at home, the bill says. Mr. Virani, who is Attorney-General as well as Justice Minister, said it is important that any peace bond be calibrated carefully, saying it would have to meet a high threshold to apply. But he said the new power, which would require the attorney-generals approval as well as a judges, could prove very, very important to restrain the behaviour of someone with a track record of hateful behaviour who may be targeting certain people or groups People found guilty of posting hate speech could have to pay victims up to $20,000 in compensation. But experts including internet law professor Michael Geist have said even a threat of a civil complaint  with a lower burden of proof than a court of law  and a fine could have a chilling effect on freedom of expression.

The Canadian bill would also allow people to file complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission over what they perceive as hate speech online  including, for example, off-colour jokes by comedians.

Scotland

Its new hate law came into effect on April 1. Craig Murray provides the details and repercussions:

This vastly increases the amount of speech subject to criminal prosecution. It introduces new categories of protected characteristics, and gives Ministers powers to add new ones without going back to parliament. There is a specific power in the Bill for ministers to add sex as a protected characteristic, for example. Crucially it removes the need to prove intent embodied in current law. If you call someone an old fool, you will be committing a criminal offence even if you meant nothing by it and were just using a common phrase, age being a protected characteristic. Calling someone a stupid boy will similarly become illegal. To possess inflammatory material will specifically be a crime even if you had no intention to communicate it to others. Richard III would very definitely be illegal under this legislation for anti-disabled prejudice. The Merchant of Venice would be illegal for anti-semitism. Once sex is added by Ministers, The Taming of the Shrew would be illegal for misogyny. I was glancing through The 39 Steps yesterday and was struck by a very anti-semitic passage I had forgotten was there. Is possessing John Buchan to be illegal? I can see nothing in the bill which would protect you from prosecution for possessing Buchan, if the Crown Office decided to go for you over it. The Bill specifically includes performance. Politically incorrect jokes will become an actual criminal offence. Really. Pretty well every Carry On film ever made would now be illegal and subject its producers, writers and performers to possible imprisonment if made now. I quite accept that the mores of society change, and there is much in Carry On films society would find unacceptable now, but criminal? The Act moves matters of taste and disapproval firmly into the field of the police and the courts. It is a grossly authoritarian piece of legislation. Once you have statutes in place that make telling a sexist joke a crime, you are dependent on the police and on prosecutors to apply the law in a sensible and liberal manner. But what the case of both Mark Hirst and myself makes plain  as indeed does the Alex Salmond case itself  is that Scotland does not have that at all. Scotland has politically controlled, vindictive and corrupt police and prosecutors who will, as the Mark Hirst case could not demonstrate more plainly, twist any law to the maximum to contrive a prosecution against those labeled as political enemies.

France

Gilbert Doctorow recently pointed out a proposed law in France that will make certain comments made in private conversations a crime:

Insults, defamatory remarks or remarks provoking discrimination against people on the grounds of their ethnic or religious affiliation, gender identity, etc., when these are not public, become offences, punishable by a fine of 3,750. The new law makes criminally punishable defamation and discrimination in conversations between, shall we say consenting adults, in private quarters. One wonders how remarks made behind closed doors are brought to the attention of the authorities if not by libelous anonymous protectors of public morality worthy of Venice in its worst days.

Theres also the possibility that French authorities could use their new powers that allow police to remotely take over a suspects devices, with access to cameras, microphones and GPS data. These are powers that are used by many governments even if theyre not officially sanctioned.

UK

London is expanding its definition of extremism so that it now includes the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance that aims to negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or undermine, overturn or replace the U.K.s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights, or intentionally create a permissive environment for others to do so. Ironically, the law does exactly what it claims to want to prevent.

Even the leaders from the Church of England weighed in against the law:

The archbishop of Canterbury  Justin Welby, who is the head of the church and a peer in the House of Lords  and the archbishop of York said in a statement on Tuesday that the new definition not only inadvertently threatens freedom of speech, but also the right to worship and peaceful protest, things that have been hard won and form the fabric of a civilized society.

The EU

Nick Corbishley has written frequently here at Naked Capitalism about the EU Digital Services Act and the dangers it poses to freedom of speech. See here, here and here. How does European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plan on using these laws?

So Ursula von der Leyen stated in Davos that she wants to use the DSA legislation to censor social media under the pretext of hate speech One question, who exactly elected this lady?

 pic.twitter.com/xYyoeUJWx7  Richard (@ricwe123) January 16, 2024

These laws are already having chilling effects online and in the real world as countries like Italy and Germany ban events where opinions could be aired that are at odds with the ruling class official narrative.

Its strange. The governments in the West have spent decades warning about the authoritarian boogeymen in Russia, China, and elsewhere around the world. Now, in more ways than one they have become that boogeyman:

Remarkable post by Michael Schumann, who chairs @BWA_Vorstand (the main German federal association to promote economic development and foreign trade). He explains that Germany is essentially becoming what the West accuses China of:

 While China is opening up to foreign pic.twitter.com/hcmfaThPUs  Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) April 7, 2024

What to make of all this?

One possibility is that Western governments are aware that the moment of their relative decline is here, and they plan to revert to more overt forms of colonialism wherever possible around the world. At the same time, the Western ruling class plans to double down on its plunder at home. In both cases, more authoritarian measures will be necessary to silence critics.
8 Other Chinese apps that could be affected by the TikTok ban

United States officials have warned about the risks of the popular social media platform TikTok for years. Now, a new law will give the government the authority to act on these warnings by banning one of the most popular apps in America

But this doesn't mean TikTok will be banned immediately. At least, not yet.

Congress passed legislation on April 21 that acts as an ultimatum to ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant and TikTok's parent company  to sell to a company that isn't Chinese within one year or so, or face a ban on the app in the United States.

President Joe Biden has signed the bill into law, but TikTok could still challenge the new law in court.

According to legal experts, a potential ban as it is written may violate Americans' First Amendment rights by outlawing an app they use for free expression. They also warned that the government may be overstepping the Constitution by targeting a single company that it disapproves of.

Earlier attempts to ban Chinese apps including TikTok have stalled in the courts. This recent attempt is the closest that America has come to kicking out an app used by an estimated 170 million Americans. (Related: House committee passes bill ordering TikTok to divest from the CCP.)

ByteDance also offers other apps in U.S. digital app stores that fall under the same provisions impacting TikTok. Here is a list of other ByteDance-owned apps and other products that could be affected by the ban:

8th Note Press  A digital publishing platform

 A digital publishing platform BytePlus  A cloud-based storage and computing service

 A cloud-based storage and computing service 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. CapCut  A video editing app popular among TikTok content creators

 A video editing app popular among TikTok content creators Gauth  An artificial intelligence-powered homework assistant

 An artificial intelligence-powered homework assistant Hypic  A ByteDance-owned photo editing app

 A ByteDance-owned photo editing app Lark  A software product similar to Microsofts Office productivity suite

 A software product similar to Microsofts Office productivity suite Lemon8  A social media app with features similar to Pinterest

 A social media app with features similar to Pinterest SoundOn  An app that pairs with TikTok and allows users to distribute original music creations

When will the ban take effect?

The new law gives TikTok 270 days, or around nine months, to sell to another company, with provisions for a 90-day extension if "significant progress" is being made to divest the app from its Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked parent company.

During the specified period, TikTok would probably continue to operate normally in America. The 270-day timeline implies that TikTok users can still access the app beyond the November presidential election.

The timeline in the original House bill was only 180 days, which could have shut down TikTok at least one month ahead of the election.

Lawsuits could extend the proposed timeline or junk a ban entirely. While TikTok could sell the app instead, the odds may not be great.

In the past, China's government has announced that it would strongly oppose a forced sale of the famous app.

At the same time, a purchase of TikTok would cost at least tens of billions of dollars. Not many people or companies can afford that.

And while there are companies that do, such as Meta or Google, they probably won't try to buy TikTok because it's doubtful that antitrust regulators would allow it.

In the past, many U.S. officials have voiced concerns about how China's government can force TikTok to send data from Americans' smartphones or manipulate the videos that users watch on TikTok toward the preferences of the CCP.

These officials also claimed that the best way to eliminate the national security risk is to force ByteDance to sell the U.S. version of TikTok to a non-Chinese owner or ban the app in America entirely.

Additionally, the officials concerned about TikTok warned that it is a unique risk to U.S. national security. The popular app is used by almost 50 percent of Americans, and it functions like a TikTok-programmed nationwide TV channel that could influence Americans' views about important events like the upcoming elections.

Legislators have also questioned TikToks CEO and other executives over the alarming spread of child sexual abuse material through their apps and the potential harm to childrens mental health from social media use.

Visit BigTech.news for more stories about TikTok and other social media platforms.

Watch the video below as one TikTok star sounds off in favor of divesting the app from CCP influence.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Europe hits TikTok with $368 million fine for mishandling childrens personal info.

TikTok ban bill could lead to broader surveillance and censorship by the U.S. government.

TikTok pressured to ban all truth and push only official narratives.

TikTok spending $1 million to fight social media "misinformation" that questions official COP28 narratives (which are rooted in climate LIES).

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

MSN.com

Brighteon.com
Accept Big Pharmas LIES and Big Governments NARRATIVE or face prison time, say insane cry-bully Leftists who claim to fight for tolerance and equal treatment

Though the American "Left" goes off the deep end every day all over social media and national talk shows, the "Right" apparently has no right to call out the lies, misinformation and disinformation that's being spewed from the Left. It's a one-way street of fake news, fake genders, atheism, Satanism and straight-up, out-in-the-open censorship.

We've seen this across all social media, including Fakebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google and you name it. Now that "X" (previously Twitter) is NOT run by insane communist Leftists, the no-gender death cult wants to imprison Elon Musk for NOT censoring the truth-tellers, when it comes to war, vaccinations, open borders, fake climate change agendas, human trafficking and all-out gender confusion.

Censor the Right, not the Left, declares every Leftist who demands "tolerance" and "equal rights" for transgenders, criminals and climate cultists

Without any science or logic to back up most of the massive claims made by the extreme liberals and Leftists, it's very hard for them to debate anything with conservatives or the "right" without looking like complete idiots and raving lunatics. This is why the Left, which controls most media, including social media, Google, YouTube, television, Hollywood, Disney and the newspapers, wants complete and unfounded censorship of everything the right has to say, print, or post.

There is NO tolerance when it comes to dismantling the hypocrisy, the lies, the scams, the fake science, political dogma and outright reverse racism that's being spread all over America.

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 Left promotes the most violent protests in the world, including those run by Black Lives Matter and Antifa, where the participants destroy public and private property, set fires to vehicles and stores, loot stores and beat people  sometimes to death. But when conservatives so much as talk about election interference or stand near the Capital building, they are censored and jailed in a gulag in Washington, D.C.

When the vaccine zealots and mask-wearing freaks of the plandemic lie and claim that all the fully unvaccinated folks are the cause of the spread of the Fauci virus, that's perfectly fine to post across all social media and proclaim on every news channel. Yet there's no science behind these claims whatsoever.

Then, when the natural health advocates point out that science is proving the Wuhan Flu jabs are causing vascular clots, myocarditis and SADS (sudden adult death syndrome), this is all labeled as misinformation, disinformation and even domestic terrorism.

The Democrat Party is quickly becoming just like the Chinese Communist Party: Accept Big Pharma's lies and Big Government's narrative or face prison time

Not even comedy on television is allowed to make fun of President Joe Biden. Saturday Night Live used to make fun of presidents, no matter who they were, but once the communists took control of Washington D.C. (Obama and Biden), suddenly there is ZERO satire or criticism on comedy shows, the news, or even in the Sunday paper cartoon sections.

In Communist China, if you criticize the government's choices, or their narrative about war or disease, you go straight to jail. There's no freedom of religion, or speech, or press. No trial by jury. No parole in sight. Your organs get removed and sold on the black market.

Think now of the protesters who walked peacefully around or into the Capital on January 6th, got framed by violent police and the omni-present Federal Bureau of Investigation, and have lost an eye in prison, or been force-injected with deadly prions for Covid. This is torture of "political enemies," and the scare crows are being burned alive right in front of America, to set an "example" of what happens to anyone who crosses the CCP-led Biden Regime.

Do your own research and dont use Google. Try the search engine Brave BETA and get more truth news and real information. Bookmark Censored.news to your favorite websites for truth news about abortions, suicide and mental health horror stories that are being censored from mass media while you read this. #PoliceStateNarrative

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

TheGatewayPundit.com

DailyMail.co.uk
Ben Shapiro grabs a stepstool, tries to claim the mantle of William F. Buckley by purging naughty conservatives

Little Ben Shapiro seems to think hes the modern-day William F. Buckley of the conservative movement, on a crusade to purge any free-thinking conservatives who dare stray from the approved neocon script. Lately, hes been rather busy. He recently went after Tucker Carlson for his alternate views on war and evolution, suggesting different theories that didnt jive with Ben. And just a few weeks ago, he went after Candace Owens because she questioned the turmoil between Israel and Palestine in a way that Little Ben didnt appreciate. It looks like Ben Shapiros vision for the conservative movement doesnt have much room for diverse thoughts and ideas. And now, hes zeroing in on Tucker Carlson, all because Tucker isnt afraid to challenge the established norms, and he used the massive platform of the Joe Rogan podcast to do it.

(Article republished from Revolver.news)

The bottom line is that Little Bens feelings cant be hurt, and his sensitivities must never be challenged. If they are, all bets are off, and hell try to reinvent the very movement that has soundly rejected him and his outdated, failed establishment ideas time and time again. However, dont expect Shapiro to come clean about his real agenda: exterminating alternative ideas from a movement where he barely holds relevance, aside from his role as controlled opposition.

Ben and his allies on the left will try to spin what hes doing as ridding the right of conspiracy kooks. Dont buy it. Its a move straight from the lefts playbook.

Mediaite:

Ben Shapiro is on the warpath. Last month, conspiratorial right-wing commentator Candace Owens was fired by The Daily Wire, the conservative media company Shapiro founded nearly a decade ago. Her ouster followed a months-long cold war with Shapiro largely fueled by her descent into overt, proud anti-Semitism. I think her behavior during this has been disgraceful, said Shapiro last fall, referring to Owens analysis of the war in Gaza and propagation of misinformation about Israel. It took awhile after Shapiro sounded the alarm, but Owens was eventually dismissed for her indulgence of bigotry. And yet, his enemys defeat has not compelled Shapiro to lay down his sword. While Owens has been expelled out from under his own roof, Shapiro has turned his sights on other cranks on the Right and grown increasingly strident in his denunciations of them. Tucker Carlson, in particular, has become a regular target of Shapiros. Hostilities between the two conservative media giants broke out even before the Shapiro-Owens spat, when Shapiro knocked Carlson for downplaying the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel just days after it happened. Shortly after that, Shapiro put the former Fox News host on blast again over another conversation he had with anti-Israel commentator Douglas Macgregor.

Lets face it, theres no love lost between Tucker and the right-wing neocons. As a matter of fact, recently Tucker had this to say about warmongers Nikki Haley and Ben Shapiro:

Tucker Carlson says he despises Ben Shapiro because he is worried about his 4 kids getting drafted to fight overseas. pic.twitter.com/0JdHode9lk  Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 14, 2024

Shapiro responded to Tuckers bold statement by claiming he was lying about his warmonger positions.

Ben Shapiro:

Tucker is simply lying about my positions. Ive been calling for a negotiated end to the Ukraine war freezing the lines of conflict since early on in the war. I have never called for American boots on the ground in Ukraine. Ever. I have never called for American boots to defend Israel. Ever. Ive invited Tucker to sit down multiple times over the past few weeks to clear the air and discuss our differences. Hes said hes willing, but his team has told us that hes busy for months because of all of his foreign travel. That offer remains open.

Really, Ben? Are you sure about that?

One of the biggest problems for Ben and his rebuke is that he has a well-documented reputation as a globalist who champions foreign interests. On the other hand, Tucker is well-known as a credible truth-teller.

Heres a recent example of Tucker speaking out against the US dropping nuclear bombs on civilians during World War II.

? Tucker Carlson on the atomic bombs "My 'side' has spent the last 80 years defending the dropping of nuclear bombs on civilians...like, are you joking? If you find yourself arguing that it's a good thing to drop nuclear weapons on people, then you are evil." -Tucker Carlson pic.twitter.com/zjBLbADyFq  Dave Benner, Nemesis of Neocons (@dbenner83) April 19, 2024

Ben Shapiro, who seems to never meet a war he doesnt like, took issue with Tucker Carlsons views on the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The truth is, Ben Shapiro is desperate to match Tucker Carlsons political and social relevance, his overall popularity, and his free-thinking reputation. However, Bens unquenchable thirst for war, insufferable elitism, and deep-seated love for the establishment and globalism will always stand in his way.

?????BEN SHAPIRO RESPONDS TO TUCKER CARLSON: "No, America was not evil for dropping the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki." pic.twitter.com/kGrW6guuqB  Kacee Allen ?? (@KaceeRAllen) April 22, 2024

This is America, where people should have the right to either believe the bomb was necessary and ended the war with Japan or that dropping the bomb was morally reprehensible and totally unnecessary since it killed so many innocent women and children. We definitely dont need Ben Shapiro eliminating free speech and the flow of new ideas within our movement. But thats exactly what hes doing. Its likely very personal for Little Ben, too. After all, Tucker has always been a thorn in his side. Shapiros feathers were clearly ruffled, and he was ready to put his little dukes up after realizing he was the free speech fraud Tucker was talking about in a recent Joe Rogan podcast clip.

James Jinnette:

Tucker Carlson goes off on certain conservatives who claim to be free speech enthusiasts only to have their actions speak much louder than their words There are a lot of people who are like on your side because theyre for free speech who are not actually for free speech at all.. Who are pushing a very specific foreign policy agenda for example, and are using another issue to lower your defenses and let themselves into your brain, and I think thats really sinister Its not hard to imagine who Tucker is talking about here this situation sound familiar @RealCandaceO?

Tucker Carlson goes off on certain conservatives who claim to be free speech enthusiasts only to have their actions speak much louder than their words There are a lot of people who are like on your side because theyre for free speech who are not actually for free speech pic.twitter.com/ENBGezdprH  James Jinnette (@james_jinnette1) April 22, 2024

Speaking of Candace Owens, who recently split from Ben Shapiros Daily Wire over differing opinions on the Israel/Palestine conflict, she thinks that Bens recent attacks on Tucker stem from what she calls a new version of TDS: Tucker Derangement Syndrome.

Candace Owens:

Tucker derangement syndrome is real. It always appeared to us that, atomic bomb or no atomic bomb, the Japanese were already on the verge of collapse. -General Henry H. Arnold Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces Under President Truman Japan was at the moment seeking some way to surrender with minimum loss of face. It wasnt necessary to hit them with that awful thing.  General Dwight D. Eisenhower Needless to say every American has a right to evaluate whether the drastic measure of dropping a nuke on a non-military target in a country that had been on the defense for two years (plus negotiating their surrender) was necessary. You may ultimately conclude it was or wasnt not but your right to think critically and express your views is about as American as it gets. Will also add here some Christian historical facts: In Nagasaki, the bomb was dropped 300 yards from a Catholic Church Urakami cathedral. Nagasaki was the epicenter of Japanese Catholicism, home to the second largest cathedral in the East. Church was in session when the bomb was dropped. Of the approximately 12,000 Christians living there at the time, 8,500 were killed, including several dozen parishioners and two Catholic priests, who were hearing confessions in the cathedral that morning. Very few military men were killed the overwhelming majority of victims were women and children.

Tucker derangement syndrome is real. It always appeared to us that, atomic bomb or no atomic bomb, the Japanese were already on the verge of collapse." -General Henry H. Arnold Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces Under President Truman "Japan was at the moment  Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) April 22, 2024

Ben Shapiro, in his quest to purify the conservative movement, also criticized Tucker for holding different views, questioning evolution, and presenting alternative theories on all sorts of topics. Once again, it seems that differing thoughts and ideas are not welcome in Ben Shapiros vision of a newly purified conservative movement. Weeks ago, Ben Shapiro came for Candace Owens because she dared to ask questions. Now he is coming for Tucker Carlson because he dares to ask questions. Do you see a pattern forming here?

Tucker Carlson tells Joe Rogan he doesnt believe in evolution and its breaking the internet. ? Tucker addressed the difference between evolution and adaptation, the gaps in the fossil record, and his belief in a Creator. pic.twitter.com/p5Aeq4B0CJ  News Nomad ? (@The_Nomad_News) April 22, 2024

Shapiro went on an endless rant over Tuckers outlandish comments, basically dismissing him as a Q-kook. Independent journalist and filmmaker Mike Cernovich offers a fascinating take on Ben Shapiros relentless critique of Tucker Carlson and his wild ideas and theories.

Ben Shapiro believes that Moses parted the Red Sea. I do too! Thats why I recognize how absurd it is to hyperventilate over Tucker Carlsons question asking. All of us believe some wild, unprovable shit. Parted the Red Sea. What? That makes no sense. Sounds crazy actually.  Cernovich (@Cernovich) April 22, 2024

Ben Shapiro isnt a leader; hes an opportunist. He doesnt take risks or venture out with cutting-edge thinking or ideas. Instead, hes a tried and true establishment figure who shills for the man, covertly advancing the regimes agenda while cleverly undermining the America First movement.

Shapiro consistently finds himself on the wrong side of every issue, from smearing the Covington kids to belittling anyone who questions the Big Pharma vaccine push. This is a man so out of touch with the direction of this movement that not even Rand McNally could help him find his way back.

Read more at: Revolver.news
Supreme Court hears oral arguments on whether the Biden administration can force doctors in emergency rooms to perform abortions

The Supreme Court of the United States has started hearing oral arguments on a federal government mandate that could force emergency room doctors to perform abortions under the guise of "medical necessity." The oral arguments began on April 24 in Idaho.

The legal battle traces back to August 2022, when the administration of President Joe Biden filed a lawsuit claiming that the Emergency Medical Treatment & Active Labor Act (EMTALA) supersedes the pro-life regulations of Idaho, compelling emergency room physicians in the state to conduct abortions that are prohibited by state law. Initially, a lower court ruled in favor of the administration, which prompted the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and permit Idaho to enforce its pro-life statutes until a resolution was reached.

In response to the lower court ruling, Idaho's Republican Attorney General Raul Labrador, alongside legal representatives from the conservative legal advocacy group the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and the law firm Cooper and Kirk, filed a rebuttal brief earlier in April. They argued that the administration's interpretation of EMTALA is flawed, contending that the law does not compel procedures contrary to state regulations and does not mandate services unavailable at specific hospitals. They further argue that EMTALA actually stresses the provision of care for unborn children.

Under Idaho law, abortion is permitted if a physician determines it is "necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman." However, the law stipulates that the physician must use a method that offers "the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, unless, in his good faith medical judgment, termination of the pregnancy in that manner would have posed a greater risk of the death of the pregnant woman." (Related: Federal appeals court temporarily limits Idaho's near-total abortion ban due to ongoing legal proceedings.)

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

During the oral arguments, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito observed that EMTALA explicitly acknowledges the term "unborn child." Alito then questioned its inclusion and argued that performing an abortion contradicts this duty to protect the unborn child.

"So, in that situation, the hospital must stabilize the threat to the unborn child. And it seems that the plain meaning is that the hospital must try to eliminate any immediate threat to the child, but performing an abortion is antithetical to that duty," Alito said.

Labrador challenges the Biden administration's overreach on abortion laws

In a statement to the media, Labrador criticized the Biden administration's stance on abortion, calling it a "lawless disregard" for Idaho's right to protect life.

"The administrations radical interpretation of federal law is nothing more than a lawless disregard for Idahos right to protect life," he said. "Idahos Defense of Life Act is perfectly consistent with the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, which provides explicit protections for unborn children in four separate places."

"But the Biden administration is trying to use one life-affirming law to invalidate another," Labrador added. "We are asking the Supreme Court to end the administrations unlawful overreach and to respect the decision of the people of Idaho to safeguard the lives of women and their unborn children."

ADF President, CEO and General Counsel Kristen Waggoner echoed Labrador's sentiments. She argued that there is no conflict between Idaho's Defense of Life Act and EMTALA.

"The Biden administration lacks the authority to override Idaho's law and force emergency room doctors to perform abortions," Waggoner said. "There is no conflict between Idahos Defense of Life Act and EMTALA. Both Idahos law and EMTALA seek to protect the lives of women and their unborn children. The Supreme Court should end the Biden administrations lawlessness and uphold Idahos rightful authority to protect life."

Learn more about abortion in the U.S. post-Roe v. Wade at Abortions.news.

Watch this clip from "Judging Freedom" as Judge Andrew Napolitano discusses how legalizing abortion changed America.

This video is from the channel What Is Happening on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

NO TO "ABORTION TRAFFICKING": Lubbock County Commissioners Court approves anti-abortion transport ban.

Arkansas pro-lifers mobilize to defeat radical pro-abortion constitutional amendment.

Womens magazine gives detailed instructions for carrying out "satanic abortion ritual."

Supreme Court ruling on use of abortion pill could impact November elections.

ABORTION LUNACY: Elizabeth Warren called for abortion TENTS at national parks to butcher babies in red states.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

ADFMedia.org

Brighteon.com
Canadian Muslims organize Million Person March to banish gender ideology and child mutilations

Since nobody else is doing anything about it, Canada's Muslim population is organizing an "interfaith" crusade against gender ideology and all the child mutilations that go with it.

An Ottawa businessman and devout Muslim by the name of Kamel El-Cheikh, the organizer behind the so-called Million Person March for Children, believes that parents should be free to raise their children according to their own faith without having the public school system brainwash them into joining the Cult of LGBT.

Last September, El-Cheikh coordinated a protest in favor of expanded parental rights in Canada, which is one of the worst countries for freedom of speech in opposition to transgender doctrines.

Protests ended up spawning all over Canada, from Vancouver to Halifax, and were joined by not just Muslims but also Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus and even non-religious people who recognize that children's innocence needs to be protected from the perverts out there who seek to destroy it.

(Related: Did you know that Canada's medical schools are shifting from teaching students "medical expertise" to brainwashing them with "anti-racism" and "social justice" propaganda instead?)

Israel-Gaza conflict dividing the people

All in all, there were at least a million people nationwide in Canada who protested alongside El-Cheikh  that is, until the October 7 Hamas attack and corresponding Israeli response, which has since taken over the news cycle.

El-Cheikh had planned a follow-up march to the September one on October 21 of last year, but he ended up canceling it after determining that war in the Middle East would inevitably become a point of contention within the different camps of his interfaith supporters.

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.

"Christians and Muslims came together in this country nine months ago, and it was a match made in heaven," El-Cheikh told The Post Millennial in an interview. "It was beautiful."

Now that more than six months have passed since the October 7 incident, El-Cheikh wants people to move past the conflict, even though there are still serious concerns about what will become of the people of Gaza now clustered in Rafah as Israel carries on with its mission.

"You know, a lot has happened since October 7, but a lot has happened in the Middle East since 1948," El-Cheikh said. "And I don't want to go down that rabbit hole. It's a big one."

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one that quite frankly will never be solved until God himself brings things to a head. As such, El-Cheikh wants people who oppose LGBT perversion to continue working together to root it out of schools and hopefully out of society entirely.

Over the next six months, El-Cheikh is planning to expand the Million People March organization.

"We're adding mortgage agents to it," he explained. "More Christians, we've added Sikhs to the organization ... and you know, I think any good organization, for it to grow, they need to be able to navigate through the tribulations of what society throws, and you need to be patient, you need to be level-headed and you need to be calm at all times, even when you are getting the heat yourself."

It is precisely these tribulations, many of them engineered, that divide people for all of the wrong reasons while preventing them from unifying for all of the right reasons. This is known as the divide-and-conquer strategy, and North Americans especially have been under assault with this tactic for decades.

"I'm nonpartisan [but] I like to applaud politicians when they say the right things in this context, what Pierre Poilievre said," El-Cheikh added, referring to a Conservative leader in Canada who says he supports a "mind your own business" style of government.

"Everybody's on that, right? We like what he says, you know, freedom ... freedom to raise your kids however you want."

The latest news about efforts to stop the Cult of LGBT from destroying our children can be found at Gender.news.

Sources for this article include:

ThePostMillennial.com

NaturalNews.com
Over a decade will be needed to remove rubble, explosives from Israeli bombing of Gaza

The vast amount of rubble, including unexploded ordnance, left by Israels bombing of Gaza could take over a decade to remove, a UN official said on 26 April, highlighting the massive scope of Israels targeting of civilian urban areas since the war began in October.

(Article republished from TheCradle.co)

Pehr Lodhammar, a senior officer at the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), told a briefing in Geneva that the war had left an estimated 37 million tons of debris in the widely urbanized, densely-populated strip.

He said that although it was impossible to determine the exact amount of unexploded ordnance found in Gaza, it was projected that it could take 14 years under certain conditions to clear the debris, including rubble from destroyed buildings.

We know that typically theres a failure rate of at least 10% of land service ammunition that is being fired and fails to function, he said. Were talking about 14 years of work with 100 trucks.

Reuters notes that Israels bombing and ground campaign has reduced much of the narrow, coastal territory of 2.3 million people to a wasteland with most civilians homeless, hungry and at risk of disease.

In November, the Associated Press reported that Israels bombing campaign had turned much of northern Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape. Whole neighborhoods have been erased. Homes, schools, and hospitals have been blasted by airstrikes and scorched by tank fire. Some buildings are still standing, but most are battered shells.

Israels bombing then left similar destruction in its wake in central and southern Gaza, including in the besieged enclaves second-largest city, Khan Yunis.

Israeli forces are currently bombing Rafah, a city on the GazaEgypt border, in preparation for a ground assault there as well.

An estimated 45,000 bombs were dropped on the Gaza Strip in the first three months of the conflict. However, based on a failure rate of between 9% and 14%, it is possible that several thousand bombs did not work as planned and did not explode on impact, ending up scattered in the ruins and all over the territory, Anne Hery, advocacy director at NGO Humanity & Inclusion, told AFP in March.

Explosive remnants of war not only kill many civilians but also cause complex and disabling injuries that are difficult to treat amid war.

Some injuries caused by explosive remnants of war require lifelong support, not to mention the psychological trauma that affects victims, sometimes entire communities, for many years, said Hery. And not just when youve been a victim or lost loved ones, but also when youve lived for weeks in fear of the bombs.

Israels war is increasingly leaving Gaza uninhabitable. Roughly 85 percent of Gazas 2.3 million residents have been internally displaced, including over a million in Rafah. Many are living in makeshift tent cities. Israeli officials have stated their desire for Palestinians to voluntarily leave Gaza to make way for permanent Israeli control and the establishment of Jewish settlements in the place of destroyed Palestinian cities.

Read more at: TheCradle.co
New Biden HHS rule makes it more difficult to investigate people who violate state abortion bans

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued privacy protections for women seeking abortions by banning the disclosure of protected health information related to reproductive health.

The final rule, called Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy, provides patients with a right to privacy on their medical information. This applies to patients who travel to another state to obtain certain services, such as birth control, abortion, IVF and other types of reproductive healthcare.

The rule strengthens the privacy provisions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009.

Melanie Fontes Rainer, director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), stated in a news conference that the rule effectively bars the use of medical records to incriminate individuals involved in providing or receiving specific forms of reproductive healthcare. (Related: Report: 76 Christian universities promoting ABORTION and Planned Parenthood.)

"This rule prohibits those regulated by HIPAA  health care providers, health plans, clearing houses and their business associates  from using or disclosing a persons protected health information to conduct an investigation into or impose liability on any person for merely seeking, obtaining, providing or facilitating lawful reproductive health care, including abortion," said Rainer.

"If a person receives reproductive health care, such as a pregnancy test or treatment for an ectopic pregnancy, and that reproductive health care is lawful in the state where the care is received, the information about the care cannot be disclosed or used by the health care provider or health plan for an investigation, or to impose liability by law enforcement on the patient or the provider," she continued. "And if the reproductive health care like contraception is protected, required or authorized by federal law, including the Constitution, that may also not be used or disclosed based on this rule."

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.

"No one should have to live in fear that their conversations with their doctor or that their medical claims data might be used to target or track them for seeking lawful reproductive health care," Rainer concluded.

Former HHS official warns Biden administration's new rule will hamper abortion-related law enforcement

Meanwhile, Roger Severino, the former HHS OCR director under the administration of former President Donald Trump, explained the implications of the new rule in an opinion piece he wrote for The Federalist titled "Biden Admin Threatens To Jail Doctors Who Assist Law Enforcement Investigating Abortions."

"Law enforcement can no longer gather critical evidence of illegal abortions possessed by doctors until they provide critical evidence of illegal abortions to those same doctors, including abortionists who are the target of the investigation," warned Severino.

"Imagine you are a doctor in Idaho treating a patient suffering from severe uterine bleeding, a common side-effect of chemical abortion drugs. You learn your patient was otherwise in good health but an abusive boyfriend that impregnated her had ordered abortion drugs off the internet and given them to her at an extremely high dose 'just to be sure,'" wrote Severino. "Because the events occurred in a pro-life state, it means the boyfriend (though not the mother) has clearly violated state laws protecting unborn children from abortion. A week later you get served a duly authorized search warrant for medical records by the local sheriff investigating the illegal abortion. What do you do?"

"Well, according to the Biden rule, HIPAA prohibits doctors and hospitals from disclosing information about 'lawful' abortions in response to any civil or criminal investigations inquiring about the legality of the abortions themselves," continued Severino. "The regulation then adds that all abortions, no matter where performed, must be presumed lawful unless and until law enforcement can show that the abortions they are investigating are unlawful."

Check out Abortions.news for more stories related to the murder of the unborn.

Watch the full episode of the "Health Ranger Report" with Mike Adams and Susan Swift as they discuss the dismantling of the abortion cartels.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

NO TO "ABORTION TRAFFICKING": Lubbock County Commissioners Court approves anti-abortion transport ban.

Truly EVIL: U.K. high court BANS PRAYERS near abortion clinics.

NBCs Kristen Welker lied repeatedly about Democrats extreme abortion position.

Trump faces backlash after criticizing DeSantis' 6-week abortion ban.

Trump blasts RINO Sen. Graham for criticizing his stance on ABORTION.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

HHS.gov

CNN.com

TheFederalist.com

Brighteon.com
Israel wants U.S. National Guard deployed against anti-Israel protesters at American universities

Israel is not stopping at wreaking havoc in Gaza as they wait for billions of U.S. dollars to be funneled into the proxy war the Biden administration has been staging. The state is also meddling directly in American politics as it now calls protesting students terrorists and wants the U.S. National Guard to attack, arrest and suppress free speech in universities across the country,

Unsurprisingly, President Joe Biden agreed with Israel and accused the students of "blatant antisemitism." The president has been vocal about his all-out support and "loyalty" and has even publicly announced that his regime gives Israel $3.8 billion in military assistance annually. On Wednesday, Biden also signed into law a massive funding package that will provide an additional $17 billion to the country.

The state of Israel is meddling directly in US politics, promoting a call for the US National Guard to attack and repress student protesters at Columbia U, and demonizing those American students as "terrorists" Biden has taken the side of the Israeli state against Americans, pic.twitter.com/IG4Li1Vnb8  Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) April 22, 2024

The protests all started at Columbia University, where the pro-Palestinian campus was organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a student-led coalition of more than 100 organizations, including students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. They organized a rally to protest what they describe as the university's "continued financial investment in corporations that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and military occupation of Palestine." The students said they wont disperse until the school commits to a "complete divestment" of its funds from entities connected to Israel. Other protesters are similarly calling on their campuses to divest from companies that sell weapons, construction equipment, technology services and other items to Israel. Protests continue at campuses across the US as more arrests are announced. The New York Times reported that the faculty senate at the said university is expected to vote on a resolution admonishing School President Minouche Shafik on Friday over several of her decisions. Shafik is being criticized for authorizing police to shut down student protests on campus.

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

Meanwhile, Brown University identified about 130 students who it alleges violated a school conduct code that forbids encampments on campus. As per the university, students found responsible will be disciplined depending on their behavior and other factors, including any prior conduct violations.

At Emory University, 28 people were arrested, including 20 Emory community members, during a protest at the school, according to Vice President for Public Safety Cheryl Elliott. Authorities used pepper balls "to control the unruly crowd" during the protest, Georgie State Patrol said. A group of Democratic Georgia state lawmakers condemned the "excessive force used by Georgia State Patrol" during arrests at Emory.

Moreover, more than 100 people were arrested and four police officers injured during an encampment clearing at the Boston liberal arts college at Emerson College. President Jay Bernhardt said he recognized and respected "the civic activism and passion that sparked the protest" but still had arrested dozens of students.

At least 33 people were detained on campus Thursday following encampment protests at Indiana University while DC Metropolitan Police were asked to assist in relocating an "unauthorized protest encampment" on campus, George Washington University President Ellen M. Granberg said. The decision came "after multiple instructions made by GWPD to relocate to an alternative demonstration site on campus went unheeded by encampment participants," she said. Meanwhile, the University of Southern California canceled its main commencement ceremony next month, citing "new safety measures in place. Nearly 100 people have been arrested on the campus.

Since last Thursday, several campuses have been protesting sites, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan, University of New Mexico, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University and Harvard University.

The campus encampments spreading across the nation have brought together students from a variety of backgrounds, including Palestinians, Arabs, Jews and Muslims. (Related: U.S. senate working to CRIMINALIZE any criticism of Israels genocide with ADL-backed law that will make it illegal to tell the truth.)

Scholasticide in Gaza, suppression of thoughts and speech in the U.S.

Last week, a group of United Nations experts noted that 80 percent of schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since the war began in early October.

Nearly 5,500 students have been killed, alongside 261 teachers and 95 university professors. "It may be reasonable to ask if there is an intentional effort to comprehensively destroy the Palestinian education system, an action known as 'scholasticide,'" the experts said in a statement on April 18. "These attacks are not isolated incidents. They present a systematic pattern of violence aimed at dismantling the very foundation of Palestinian society."

Meanwhile, in the United States, hundreds of students have already been arrested since protests against Israel's violent attacks in Gaza began. Al Jazeera talked to a first-year PhD student at New York University (NYU), who spoke on condition of anonymity due to a fear of reprisals. The student said they are acting "on the ideals and the histories that they're being taught." "As students who are being taught in class about colonialism, about Indigenous rights, about the effect of non-violent protests across history, it would be extremely hypocritical or it would undermine the point of our education if we didn't act," the 25-year-old said.

At the very least, they can show that there was resistance to what is happening in the Gaza Strip, the student added. "The horrors in Gaza are really beyond imagining. These small acts of resistance, these are small sacrifices, they are nothing compared to what is happening on the ground in Palestine."

Head over to Chaos.news to read updates on the ongoing conflict between Gaza and Israel and how it is affecting the United States.

Sources for this article include:

Edition.CNN.com

Yahoo.com

AlJazeera.com
Kids, vaccines and autism: Will a new legal strategy end the decades-long battle for truth and justice?

When the parents of Yates Hazlehurst took their normal, happy 11-month-old to the doctor on Feb. 8, 2001, for an ear infection, the clinic gave Yates his 12-month shots  the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Prevnar, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and Hepatitis B vaccines  even though Yates had an ear infection and was not yet quite 1 year old.

(Article by Brenda Baletti, Ph.D. republished from ChildrensHealthDefense.org)

Twelve days later, Yates developed a high fever, rash and vomiting. In the months that followed, he stopped speaking in meaningful language, became obsessed with numbers and letters and his behavior became erratic and difficult to contain.

He also developed physical health problems, including gastrointestinal issues and different infections.

On June 3, 2002, after many doctor visits, a psychologist diagnosed Yates with autism spectrum disorder.

Dr. Jean-Ronel Corbier, the neurologist who evaluated Yates and diagnosed him with regressive autism, theorized Yates autism was a response to the MMR vaccine.

Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, a pediatric neurologist at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Johns Hopkins Kennedy Krieger Institute, tested Yates for a mitochondrial disorder that he thought might have made Yates vulnerable to vaccine-induced regressive autism, particularly when vaccinated while ill.

After they learned that Yates condition was vaccine-related, the Hazlehurst family in 2003 filed a claim with the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which adjudicates vaccine injury claims.

Also known as the vaccine court, the program was designed by Congress in 1986 to address the risks of unavoidably unsafe vaccines by both insulating vaccine manufacturers from liability for vaccine injuries and compensating families whose children are injured by vaccines.

Although they didnt realize it at the time, the Hazlehursts story was nearly identical to that of thousands of families across the country, whose once healthy children quickly descended into silence or erratic behavior and severe physical illnesses that often accompany autism following their childhood vaccines  either thimerosal/mercury-containing vaccines or the MMR vaccine.

Many parents filed claims with the vaccine court, seeking financial resources to pay for their childrens medical bills and lifetime care.

By 2002, the number of families filing claims with the VICP alleging vaccine-induced autism had increased exponentially from the beginning of the program.

To deal with this massive influx of claims, the Office of Special Masters combined what would become 5,000-plus claims into the Omnibus Autism Proceeding. The program selected six test cases to determine whether vaccines cause autism and, if so, under what conditions.

Yates case was the second test case.

The omnibus dragged on for almost 10 years. During that time, families and autism advocacy organizations fought for access to government information  which was never forthcoming  on vaccine safety and side effects, did their own scientific research, sought experts to inform their cases, combined resources to keep the cases going, and fought a public relations battle with a national media that eventually turned against them.

Simultaneously, the public health agencies and the vaccine court itself covered up data showing that vaccines can cause autism. The chief special master presiding over the proceedings, the media, Big Pharma and the U.S. Supreme Court opined that a win for the families in the omnibus would risk public confidence in vaccines and threaten to bankrupt the compensation fund.

In 2009 and 2010, the proceedings ended when the vaccine court rejected the plaintiffs medical theories about how vaccines cause autism and dismissed all six test case claims and subsequently, all of the cases pending in the omnibus.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the decisions upon review in the two cases that appealed, including Yates case.

Those decisions, and the Supreme Court decision in the Bruesewitz v. Wyeth case that followed in 2011, effectively closed the door to the thousands of families seeking compensation to help with the astronomical costs of raising their children living with vaccine-induced autism.

A simultaneous smear campaign in the media transformed their public perception from sympathetic families to crazy conspiracy theorists as Rebecca Estepp, the mother of a child with autism and a petitioner in the omnibus told The Defender.

But a new legal action filed by Rolf Hazlehurst, the senior staff attorney for Childrens Health Defense (CHD) and Yates father, could reopen the omnibus proceedings, overturn the ruling in Yates case and perhaps even find the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 unconstitutional if Hazlehursts motion prevails.

After years of investigation  and a key revelation by one of the key expert witnesses for the government who said his opinion was suppressed and misrepresented  Hazlehurst compiled evidence that he alleges shows the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys who represented the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in vaccine injury cases repeatedly defrauded the judicial system  from the VICP to the U.S. Supreme Court.

That fraud led to thousands of families of vaccine-injured children being denied the right to compensation and the right to have their cases heard, according to the motion.

Watching my child regress into autism due to vaccine injury was horrible for me, my family and our son, said CHD Executive Vice President Laura Bono.

Learning that his claim in vaccine court was fraudulently dismissed literally added insult to injury. The injustice to the thousands of children in the Omnibus Autism Proceeding and those who have been injured since  along with their suffering families  cannot be overstated.

The censorship machine went right to work

By the early 1990s, autism rates had begun to rise and parents whose children had regressed into autism after vaccination were starting to connect through the internet, creating chat groups to share their experiences and theories about how the vaccines harmed their children, doing research and speaking out in public  and confronting the public health agencies and the pharmaceutical companies.

At the time, autism prevalence rates were estimated to be about 1 in 1,000 children  up from 4.5 in 10,000 in the 1960s. Today, that rate is 1 in 36.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attributed the rise in prevalence to better reporting and diagnostics. However, many researchers take issue with this argument, pointing out that most cases are clustered in recent generations of children.

As parents began to speak out and confront public health agencies and Big Pharma, the country was listening, Bono told The Defender.

Parents were invited to speak in congressional hearings on the issue. Emmy award-winning local and national television news segments, magazines and newspapers discussed the soaring rates of autism and its possible link to vaccines. They told the families stories and criticized the government for its lacking support for parents and researchers investigating the issue.

Celebrity parents like Jenny McCarthy appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show discussing the link between vaccines and autism. New York Times contributing author David Kirby wrote an acclaimed book, Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy, in 2005 on the parents story that was set to become a feature film from Participant Media produced by Nick Wechsler and Ross Bell.

Estepp, who has also long advocated for families navigating autism and the omnibus proceedings, told The Defender she was interviewed hundreds of times by sympathetic journalists.

Rita Shreffler, also the mother of a child with autism and former executive director of the National Autism Association, said that at the time, press releases drafted by autism organizations with news or scientific findings linking vaccines and autism were regularly posted on national press release sites like PR Newswire.

It was everywhere, Bono said. People were listening, and they got it. We were dealing with the media and it was making sense to them, and we were getting great feedback as the lawsuits were going forward.

However, Bono said, as the omnibus hearings got underway, everything changed.

The censorship machine went right to work. The movie David Kirby announced was shut down by Participant and we couldnt get the rights back and [when he finally did after five years] no film company would touch it.

The Omnibus Autism Proceeding was over, and autism was deemed not due to vaccines  Parents stopped being able to get media interviews.

Today, most of the former press releases, news articles and videos cannot even be located online. Search engine searches about the relationship between vaccines and autism link to pages of news stories proclaiming definitively that no such link exists and the science is settled.

Covering up evidence of vaccines dangers

As parents concerns gained traction in the mid-90s, public health institutions launched their own research into the connection between vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD  studies that would become the basis for denying a link between vaccines and autism.

In 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded a risk assessment of thimerosal in vaccines and found no evidence of harm. Yet, despite those findings, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC issued a statement calling for thimerosal to be removed from vaccines as soon as possible.

By the end of 2001, thimerosal could no longer be used in vaccines administered to children under age 6, except for the flu vaccine  although vaccines already produced with thimerosal stayed on the shelves.

The Institute of Medicine also published a series of reports, finalized in 2004, that purported to survey the scientific literature and found the evidence favored a rejection of the claim of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines or MMR vaccines and autism.

However, while those studies were ongoing, in 2000, the CDC brought together vaccine makers and the public health officials who regulate, mandate and distribute vaccines behind closed doors at the Simpsonwood Retreat and Conference Center in Norcross, Georgia.

Transcripts from the Simpsonwood meeting revealed they discussed a link between mercury-based thimerosal in vaccines and brain injuries, including autism, and debated strategies for keeping the information from the public.

The CDC in 2004 published a study in Pediatrics finding no risk of autism from the MMR vaccine. Ten years later, a CDC senior scientist, Dr. William Thompson, invoked federal whistleblower status to release the raw data sets that he said the CDC ordered him to conceal.

That data showed that African American boys who received the MMR vaccine before age 3, as the CDC recommends  were 3.36 times more likely to receive an autism diagnosis than those who received the vaccine after 3 years of age.

How the vaccine court fails parents and children with autism

Many parents early in the epidemic were unaware there was a national program to shield manufacturers and compensate families whose children had been injured by vaccines.

The VICP or vaccine court, was established when Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.

Congress passed the law in response to a previous crisis around Wyeths (now Pfizers) diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DPT) vaccine. In the late 1970s and 1980s, serious and widespread concern grew about the safety of the shot, because many children were suffering seizures, serious brain injury or death following DPT vaccination.

Between 1980 and 1986, people claiming vaccine injury brought over $3 billion worth of damage claims to U.S. civil courts against vaccine manufacturers, most of which were for the DPT vaccines.

After lawsuits against Wyeth revealed the company knew of the risks, juries began authorizing large payouts to some DPT-injured children  which threatened to bankrupt the vaccine insurance industry, as manufacturers began to exit the industry.

The publicity also generated public concerns about vaccine adverse events.

By 1985, only four vaccine makers remained to produce the vaccines that all states had mandated in 1981, and Congress anticipated a vaccine supply crisis.

Parents of children injured by the DPT vaccine also began organizing in a national nonprofit called Dissatisfied Parents Together (now the National Vaccine Information Center) to demand safer vaccines and a system to compensate families of injured children.

In 1986, Congress passed the law, giving the pharmaceutical industry broad protection from liability and creating a framework to compensate children injured by compulsory vaccines through a no-fault administrative system, on the premise that vaccines were important for public health but also unavoidably unsafe.

A report that accompanied the act and explained its intentions indicated that Congress intended to generously compensate the victims of vaccine injury, ensure the vaccine supply and improve vaccine safety.

Awards for vaccine injuries are paid out from a fund generated by a small surcharge on each vaccine.

The VICP is administered by HHS with court-appointed special masters  typically lawyers who previously represented the U.S. government  who manage and decide the individual claims.

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims appoints special masters who serve four-year terms. Attorneys may represent the petitioners, and the DOJ represents HHS.

VICP proceedings are more informal than a typical courtroom. In the so-called vaccine court there is no judge or jury, and the rules of evidence, civil procedure and discovery do not apply.

Entitlement to compensation is based on the Vaccine Injury Table  the list of vaccines, known associated injuries and the time periods in which they must occur.

If a petitioner suffers a known injury within the short period prescribed by the table, it is presumed that a vaccine caused the injury. The petitioner is then eligible for compensation without proof of causation. This is called a table injury

However, if a petitioner files for an off-table injury  an injury not listed on the table or that didnt manifest within the specified time frame  the petitioner must prove by a preponderance of evidence that the vaccine caused the injury. Evidence includes medical records and expert witness testimony.

Claims must be filed within three years of the first symptom or two years of death. This timeline poses a major challenge to many families, Estepp told The Defender. Three years isnt from the time of diagnosis  it is from the onset of symptoms. That means any notation a pediatrician makes in a medical chart can start the clock, even without parents knowledge, she said.

Bono said that excludes many families like hers  who didnt even know about the program until much later  from ever receiving compensation.

And even if they make their claims on the required timeline, proving an off-table injury is difficult. Petitioners must provide a medical theory of the cause, a sequence of cause and effect, and show a temporal relationship between vaccine and injury. And whether they can do so with the proper preponderance of evidence is up to the special master alone to decide.

Autism is not listed on the vaccine injury table.

The Omnibus Autism Proceeding: They wiped us off the map

In 2002, the Office of the Special Masters established the Omnibus Autism Proceeding to address the claims brought by parents who believed the MMR vaccine, thimerosal-containing vaccines or a combination of both caused their childrens autism.

The omnibus settled on a method where it would apply the findings of six test cases selected by a Petitioners Steering Committee to other similar cases. The hearings did not begin until in 2007, five years after the omnibus was convened.

Estepp contends that the cases took years partly because the DOJ and HHS consistently fought the petitioners lawyers attempts to access basic information, like governmental records and data on vaccines and adverse events.

For example, they refused petitioners access to the CDCs Vaccine Safety Datalink, where the agency tracks vaccine injuries.

In the first test case, Cedillo v. HHS, Michelle Cedillos parents reported that Michelle developed normally until 16 months of age when she was diagnosed with severe autism and profound mental retardation, along with other health issues after receiving the MMR vaccine.

In the Cedillo case, Zimmerman had worked with the DOJ to prepare an expert report on behalf of HHS, finding that Michelles autism had likely not been caused by the MMR vaccine.

Zimmerman later wrote in a 2018 affidavit that he attended the Cedillo hearing and listened to the testimony of Dr. Marcel Kinsbourne, another world-renowned expert in pediatric neurology.

On that basis, Zimmerman stated, he decided to clarify his written expert opinion about Michelle, concerned it would be taken out of context.

Zimmerman spoke with DOJ attorneys to clarify that his expert opinion in the Cedillo case was not intended to be a blanket statement as to all children and all medical science, according to the 2018 affidavit.

He specified that advances in science, medicine and his own clinical research had led him to believe there were exceptions in which vaccinations could cause autism.

He also referred the attorneys to a paper he published with colleagues in 2006, in the Journal of Child Neurology, often called the Poling paper, describing the case of an unidentified child who suffered regressive autism following vaccine adverse reactions. The paper suggested a possible association between mitochondrial dysfunction, vaccinations and regressive autism.

After communicating this evidence to DOJ attorneys, the DOJ dismissed Zimmerman as a witness but continued to use his written opinion as general causation evidence in subsequent cases, including Yates case, which was the second test case.

Yates treating neurologist, Dr. Jean-Ronel Corbier testified Yates autism was likely caused by a genetic predisposition combined with an environmental insult in the form of vaccinations administered when Yates was ill  a theory of causation similar to the theory developed by Zimmerman in the Poling paper, which he shared with DOJ attorneys.

Yet, despite knowing Zimmerman had concluded that in a subset of children like Yates, vaccines could cause autism, the DOJ intentionally and fraudulently misrepresented Zimmermans expert testimony in its closing statements in Yates case, Hazlehurst alleges.

The special masters continued to hear the cases. They took over two years to issue their decisions.

In the end, the special masters ruled that the causation theories offered in all cases were not convincing. They denied the claims of all of the test cases and consequently to all of the families in the omnibus.

The decisions in the first three of the six test cases were based on the misrepresentation of Zimmermans testimony  but the petitioners did not know about the alleged fraud until many years later.

Estepp said that in their written decisions, the special masters went beyond simply denying the claims. They maligned the petitioners expert witnesses and the families, she said.

For example in the Cedillo case, Special Master George Hastings wrote, Unfortunately, the Cedillos have been misled by physicians who are guilty, in my view, of gross medical misjudgment.

Gross medical misjudgment was quoted in most articles The Defender located on the judgment, including the Wikipedia entry.

Hastings, a former tax claims expert with no medical background made similar comments in another test case, Mead v. HHS in March 2010.

How can he tell you what gross medical misjudgment is as a tax attorney? Estepp asked. Its disingenuous. She said it was part of a long-term practice of smearing doctors who made claims linking vaccines and autism.

In another one of the test cases, Special Master Denise Vowell wrote, To conclude that Coltens condition was the result of his MMR vaccine, an objective observer would have to emulate Lewis Carrolls White Queen and be able to believe six impossible (or, at least, highly improbable) things before breakfast.

They maligned any expert witness, and it sent a signal to any doctor or any expert in the country: You testify for these kids and your career is over, Estepp said So they didnt have to do anything procedurally. They found a way to win because ultimately the cases lost because there were not enough experts willing to testify for our kids.

They were horrible to every single family, Bono said. They poisoned an entire generation. And the ones who stepped forward to say this happened, weve got the reports and were willing to fight for it, they corralled us and shut it all down.

HHS used the omnibus hearings to make it seem as if they had fully considered the evidence, Bono said. They wiped us off the map.

Fear that compensating the injured might weaken public confidence in vaccines

While the omnibus proceedings were ongoing in 2008, Chief Special Master Gary Golkiewicz addressed the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines on policy concerns related to vaccines.

He told the commission he was concerned with protecting the vaccines integrity  that is that vaccine[s] do [] not cause every injury that follows immunization. He contended that generous remuneration to vaccine-injured petitioners might weaken public confidence in vaccines.

It is clear from this address that special masters feel the pressure between compensating vaccine-injured petitioners and sustaining public confidence in vaccines, according to an article on the proceedings in Hofstra Law Review.

Many scholars also speculated that if Cedillo were compensated, it would have a disastrous impact on the future of the VICP, and likely raised concerns for the special masters that a positive outcome for Cedillo and other cases in the omnibus would drive public fear of vaccines and lower vaccination rates.

They were also aware that finding no causal link between vaccines and autism in such a highly publicized case would bolster public confidence and provide reassurance that the vaccines were safe.

People were also concerned that if the autism cases were compensated, the fund that was used to compensate claims would go bankrupt. If they werent compensated, there could be a serious possibility that civil lawsuits against manufacturers would begin again.

The strong language in the special masters rulings helped to preclude that, but so did the ruling in the Bruesewitz v. Wyeth case.

Bruesewitz v. Wyeth: the Supreme Court protects the vaccine market

In the very same month that the final omnibus decisions were being rendered, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would hear the Bruesewitz v. Wyeth case, to decide whether the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act protects vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits in state court seeking damages for design defects, where the design of the drug itself makes it dangerous to consumers.

The high court agreed to hear a Pennsylvania case involving a lawsuit by the parents of Hannah Bruesewitz, who suffered seizures and developmental issues after taking the DPT vaccine in 1992.

The vaccine court didnt compensate Hannahs parents, so they sued the vaccine manufacturer, Wyeth (now Pfizer) in state court in Pennsylvania  one of the few avenues open to parents who wanted to sue vaccine makers.

In its majority ruling, the court interpreted the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 to shield Big Pharma with full immunity from liability for vaccine injuries by ruling that people could no longer sue vaccine makers for injuries caused by design defects.

The ruling prohibits essentially all vaccine injury lawsuits against Big Pharma.

In a scathing dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayer, joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, accused the court of imposing its own policy preferences, misconstruing the Act and disturbing the careful balance Congress struck between compensating vaccine-injured children and stabilizing the childhood vaccine market.

Sotomayer noted that as Bruesewitz was argued, there were 5,000 petitions alleging a causal link between some vaccines and autism spectrum disorder and that Wyeth/Pfizer argued that if the court did not find in its favor, it could unleash a crushing wave of tort litigation that would bankrupt vaccine manufacturers and deplete vaccine supply.

This concern underlies many of the policy arguments in respondents brief and appears to underlie the majority and concurring opinions in this case. She also noted, Manufacturers, given the lack of robust competition in the vaccine market, will often have little or no incentive to improve the designs of vaccines that are already generating significant profit margins.

How many cases has the government secretly paid out?

Although the vaccine court, the U.S. Court of Appeals and the public health agencies denied a link between vaccines and autism, before and during the omnibus, the program compensated several vaccine injury claims for children with autism.

Most widely publicized was the case of Hannah Poling. Poling was the subject of a study co-authored by Zimmerman linking her autism to vaccines, which the study found exacerbated an underlying mitochondrial condition  the same diagnosis given to Yates.

In 2007, just three weeks after the lead DOJ attorney misrepresented Zimmermans opinion during the hearing in Hazlehurst, the same DOJ attorney submitted a report to the special masters conceding that in the case of Poling v. HHS, Hannahs regressive encephalopathy with features of autism spectrum disorder (i.e., regressive autism) was caused by a vaccine injury, based upon a preponderance of the evidence standard.

In other words, the government conceded that Hannahs autism was an off-table injury.

When the Polings sought to make the judgment public, the DOJ opposed their motion and amended the report to change the basis of Hannahs injury to a table injury.

By conceding the case, the DOJ was able to remove Hannahs case from the omnibus  court documents show her case was going to be designated a test case  and also conceal the original finding that vaccines caused her autism.

A 2011 article in Pace Environmental Law Review showed the VICP compensated approximately 1,300 cases of childhood brain injury. In 83 of the cases, the child had autism.

The authors of the study said the program compensated children with autism when the compensation was sought for symptoms associated with autism, like encephalopathy or residual seizure disorder, but not for autism itself.

The study authors said at the time that their research was the tip of the iceberg and that they believed the government quietly settled hundreds of autism cases.

The media counteroffensive

Bono said that it was around 2009, while the omnibus was in progress, that the media narrative turned against the families. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told journalists that if they covered the story, they were basically killing children Bono said.

Sebelius attracted media attention during the COVID-19 pandemic period because she advocated for limitations on freedom of movement for the unvaccinated, whom she likened to drunk drivers.

It was around that time that Dr. Peter Hotez, also the parent of a child with autism, began his public attacks on parents, journalists and scientists concerned with a link between vaccines and autism.

Dr. Paul Offit, in a New England Journal of Medicine article, lambasted the VICP for compensating Hannah Polings family. He later wrote, Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All, contending that parents who decided not to vaccinate their children are harming others.

But these men who led the attacks have serious conflicts of interest. Both are vaccine developers and patent holders. Offit voted as a member of the CDCs vaccine advisory committee to add the rotavirus vaccine  for which he holds a patent  to the CDCs Vaccines for Children Program. He was also paid by the pharmaceutical industry to travel around the country and teach doctors that vaccines are safe, according to the transcripts of a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on conflicts of interest and vaccine development.

After the omnibus and the Bruesewitz decision, Bono said, media covering the neurological effects of vaccines just shut down. We couldnt write op-eds, she said. You couldnt even get a reporter to call you back.

Rolling Stone retracted Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s Deadly Immunity article about thimerosal in vaccines in January 2011, six years after it was published, without identifying any factual errors material to the articles argument.

Then, she said, the science started getting retracted. In 1998, British doctor Andrew Wakefield published a study in The Lancet linking autism to the MMR vaccine. The journal retracted the paper 12 years later, alleging Wakefield had not reported a conflict of interest.

Articles in the press today consistently dismiss people linking vaccines and autism as anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists  for example, Rolling Stones Guide to 17 Anti-Vaccination Celebrities, which mocks people like Jim Carey or criticizes others like Robert DeNiro, and Mother Jones How Oprah helped Spread Anti-Vaccine Pseudoscience.

And that playbook has been used again and again to discredit anyone asking questions about vaccines, Bono said.

The Gardasil Girls  girls and women who shared their stories about injury from the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines  had their videos taken down. Journalist Katie Couric, who covered their story, was forced to publicly apologize for featuring the Gardasil controversy on her show Katie.

And despite widespread evidence that the public health agencies, the press and scientists misled the public about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, those raising questions about the vaccines have consistently been smeared.

Government needs to tell the truth about what happened to these children

However, many parents who argue they were denied justice in the omnibus told The Defender they hope the motion filed by Hazlehurst this month could change that.

Hazlehurst compiled evidence alleging that starting with the misrepresentation of Zimmermans testimony, DOJ attorneys repeatedly defrauded the judicial system  from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to the U.S. Supreme Court.

According to the motion, the DOJs first act of fraud snowballed into a scheme of deception with far-reaching implications in which DOJ attorneys repeatedly misrepresented Zimmermans opinion and concealed other evidence that emerged during the test case hearings in the omnibus in subsequent cases before multiple courts.

Hazlehurst said he is asking the court to give this motion the serious attention it deserves. At a minimum, the court should allow discovery and hold a hearing on this motion.

Overturning a ruling due to fraud on the court is an extraordinary remedy reserved for extraordinary cases. But according to Hazlehurst, This motion we filed shows that this indeed is an extraordinary case.

Hazlehurst said that by forcing people injured by vaccines into an administrative program, petitioners are deprived of the basic constitutional rights to due process and equal protection under the law. It should be declared unconstitutional, he said.

Bono said she hopes the legal action marks an important step toward ending an unjust system and the power of Big Pharma  not only for families of children with vaccine-induced autism but for the good of all children.

Our government needs to finally step up to the plate, tell the truth about what happened to these vaccine-injured children, and dismantle a rogue system that answers to Pharma instead of to the children its supposed to protect.

Read more at: ChildrensHealthDefense.org
Mike Cartwright discusses the need to save America from ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION on The Sheriff Mack Show  Brighteon.TV

Former deputy sheriff Mike Cartwright discussed the need to save America from illegal immigration during his appearance on the April 23 episode of the Brighteon.TV program "The Sheriff Mack Show."

Cartwright, the former deputy sheriff of Florida's Hillsborough County, told program hosts Sheriff Richard Mack and Sam Bushman that the border crisis is one of the greatest challenges facing the American nation. According to him, the border crisis isn't just limited to the southwest border  but also involves all 50 states. The erstwhile sheriff also stressed that illegal immigration is a crime and Americans need to be aware of it.

"Right now, we just have a bad maladministration that is trying to steal the vote, among many things, [with a view to] destroying the fabric of our country," said Cartwright. "So the Save America from Illegal Immigration (SAII) program that we have is an awareness [campaign] to try and make sure that all the citizens, and particularly the voters, know that they have a lot more answers and opportunities to make a difference."

The former deputy sheriff noted that SAII empowers the people to act "rather than just [wait] on some politicians in Washington, D.C.  [or] in their State Capitol." He added: "We're trying to make them all aware that their sheriffs have the constitutional right to help make a difference."

Cartwright also warned that illegal aliens are now being shipped off to red districts that put conservative and constitutional values are foremost, in order to turn those areas blue. The government is also setting up these illegals to vote, whether legally or not.

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.

Mack, the former sheriff of Graham County in Arizona, agreed with his guest. He said illegal immigration is the biggest disaster that America has ever faced as a country. This is because its own politicians are doing it intentionally.

SAII seeks to make people aware of alien deportation program

According to Cartwright, SAII seeks to make people aware of the 287(g) program to deport illegal aliens under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The organization is trying to create awareness about how sheriffs can make a difference using this program. Cartwright argued that sheriffs in the U.S. must be empowered to stop the revolving door policy of catch and release of illegals back into every American community.

Mack agreed, noting that ICE 287(g) is a constitutional obligation and responsibility that the sheriff must uphold  even more so when the federal government is not doing its job. He also stressed the importance of sheriffs enforcing these rules and get it moving. (Related: NYC Mayor Adams: Illegal immigration under Biden has become a NATIONAL CRISIS.)

Cartwright mentioned there are over 3,000 sheriff's offices in every county throughout America. But he lamented that only less than 0.01 percent of the sheriffs throughout the nation  approximately 130  are enforcing the ICE 287(g) program.

He also revealed that the Biden administration is trying to defeat the program in two ways. First, it is stopping the sheriffs from deporting illegal immigrants. Second, it is intentionally delaying applications for the ICE 287(g) program.

The former Hillsborough County sheriff continued that SAII is making sure that all 50 U.S. states are informing their citizens and voters to check with their sheriff and see if they are enrolled in the ICE 287(g) program. Sheriffs in red counties are doing a good job of enforcing the program, but those in blue counties aren't.

"That's why we're seeing what used to be liberal socialist cities and counties now pushing back and saying, 'Stop the sanctuaries,'" Cartwright said, citing Chicago and New York City as examples. "The people are now realizing, 'This is not safe. This is not healthy.' And so, there's a pushback.

Follow InvasionUSA.news for more news about the illegal immigration happening in America.

Watch the April 23 episode of "The Sheriff Mack Show" below. "The Sheriff Mack Show" airs every Tuesday at 10 a.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

TRAITOR: Trump lambasts Bidens immigration policies aiming to replace American voters with illegal migrants.

TREASON: Biden administrations secret transportation of 320,000 illegal immigrants into the U.S. revealed.

Reckless illegal immigration part of large-scale plan to DESTROY AMERICA, warns Border Patrol source.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

SaveAmericaFromIllegalImmigration.com

CSPOA.org

ICE.gov
LETHAL: Mojave drone can blast targets at 6,000 rounds per minute

In a groundbreaking live-fire demonstration earlier this month, General Atomics' Mojave drone, equipped with a pair of Dillon Aero DAP-6 Minigun pods, obliterated several static targets.

This remarkable feat marks a significant milestone in the drone's capabilities, with plans already underway to expand upon this newfound potential. The timing is opportune as General Atomics eyes a hybrid iteration of the Mojave and its MQ-1C Gray Eagle for the U.S. Army, filling the void left by the termination of its recent armed scout helicopter program.

During the demonstration conducted on April 13 at the Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the DAP-6-armed Mojave engaged multiple ground targets in seven strafing runs across two sorties.

The awe-inspiring display, captured in accompanying video footage, showcased the drone's firepower, including the spectacular destruction of a Chevy pickup truck. While the 7.62x51mm rounds fired by the Minigun are non-explosive, the possibility of the truck being rigged with explosives or containing ignitable fuel cannot be discounted.

A staggering 10,000 rounds of 7.62x51mm ammunition were discharged during the demonstration, averaging approximately 1,428 rounds per pass. (Related: Israeli drone strike assassinates Hamas deputy leader in Beirut.)

Each Minigun pod boasts a rapid rate of fire of 3,000 rounds per minute, totaling 6,000 rounds per minute for both pods. With a maximum magazine capacity of 3,000 rounds, the DAP-6 offers a full minute of continuous firing before reloading.

However, adjustments can be made to reduce ammunition load for weight considerations.

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

Mark Brinkley, GA-ASI's Senior Director of Marketing & Strategic Communications, emphasized the engineering ingenuity involved in equipping the Mojave for this historic demonstration.

He outlined the hardware and software upgrades required, along with extensive ground-based test firings to achieve accurate targeting. Looking ahead, GA-ASI envisions further enhancements, including rotating guns synchronized with the aircraft's sensor ball for expanded targeting capabilities.

Despite the challenges of integrating gun-based weapon systems onto drones, GA-ASI views the live-fire demonstration as a resounding success, with no incidents reported during the test. The company anticipates improved accuracy and effectiveness as development progresses.

Mojave drone can take off and land on unpaved surfaces

Gun pods like the DAP-6 represent just one aspect of Mojave's versatile armament options.

With three hard points under each wing, the drone has showcased its capacity to carry a variety of weapons, including AGM-114 Hellfires and AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM).

Since its public unveiling in 2021, GA-ASI has highlighted Mojave's ability to carry up to 16 Hellfires simultaneously, further underscoring its potent combat capabilities.

Last August, the Mojave drone successfully took off and landed on a dirt strip in El Mirage, California, expanding the drone's operational capabilities.

The tests demonstrated Mojave's ability to take off and land on unpaved surfaces, distinguishing it from conventional fixed-wing aircraft that rely on established runways. This capability allows the drone to operate from various remote, semi-improved areas while being piloted from a standard ground control station or control laptop system.

GA-ASI, which began its UAS journey 25 years ago with the MQ-1 Predator drone, has since introduced advanced versions like the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1C Gray Eagle. Its fleet of drones boasts over 7 million operational hours, many of which were in combat.

The recent flying tests marked Mojave's inaugural Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) on a dirt surface. Short takeoffs were achieved in as little as 586 feet, with harsh landings completed in as low as 335 feet. These tests primarily aimed to gather terrain inputs utilizing Mojave, rather than achieving the shortest feasible lengths.

According to GA-ASI, this enhanced capability increases the aircraft's adaptability, allowing it to operate in previously deemed unsuitable locations for UAS missions. David R. Alexander, president of GA-ASI, emphasized Mojave's advantages in endurance and persistence over Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) and human-crewed aircraft.

Watch footage of an American drone downed over Saada.

This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Emergency alerts issued on NATO territory following Russian drone attacks

U.S. destroyer intercepts drone, missile attacks launched by Houthi rebels toward Israel

Russian schoolchildren are learning drone technology while U.S. students focus on gender ideology

Sources include:

TWZ.com

InterestingEngineering.com

Brighteon.com
NARCO-TERRORISM: Notorious Mexican cartel now using drones and chemical explosives

A notorious drug cartel in Mexico is now using drones and chemical explosives to unleash its brand of "narco-terrorism" in the Central American nation.

According to a report by the Daily Star, members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) had dropped chemical agents using drones on the municipality of Coahuayana, located in the western Mexican state of Michoacan. The tabloid added that based on this incident, CJNG has updated the arsenal used in its attacks in Michoacan.

During the early hours of April 3, more than 100 heavily armed gunmen belonging to the cartel entered the municipality and took the three towns of Zapotan, Palos Marias and El Organo. The Michoacan-based Apatzingan Human Security Observatory said the CJNG then deployed the drones that threw "explosive bombs of C4 and asphyxiant chemicals." Residents of the the three towns suffered bodily harm and were displaced from their homes as a result.

While the chemical compounds used by CJNG against the population of the three towns weren't disclosed, reports from the Mexican magazine Proceso indicate that the substances can cause suffocation, itching and "stinging in the respiratory tract." Several injuries from firearms and poisoning from chemical explosives were reported following the April 3 attacks. Local, state and federal authorities in Mexico were asked to intervene in the aftermath of the attacks. (Related: Mexican drug cartels are behind surge in organized retail crime across the US.)

This was not the first time drones were used for an offensive purpose in Mexico's cartel wars. Back in 2021, a drone dropped a gunpowder bomb on Mexican police in the town of El Aguaje, also in Michoacan state. Both incidents underscore an alarming trend in the ongoing battle against drug cartels  the weaponization of drones.

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.

Drones used by drug cartels have become more LETHAL

CJNG and its rival Carteles Unidos (CU) are already arming themselves with drone technology to bring in more drugs to the U.S. and liquidate rivals. One drone operator with CU revealed that his organization has about 100 drones. He added that cartel members receive training on their use from a man nicknamed "Lord of the Skies."

"He's been training us since last year," the cartel member said. "We have many drone models. They're not too sophisticated but can carry a considerable amount of explosives."

Dr. Robert J. Bunker, director of research analysis at the California-based C/O Futures, described CJNG's use of chemical agents in this manner as a "new" technique. He told the Daily Star that such a use of drones "raises the terror level for the locals bombed." According to Bunker, the cartel's continued innovation in terms of weapons capabilities raises the possibility of more terrifying developments.

"In the past, we have only seen IEDs [improvised explosive devices] strapped on drones and IED bomblets utilized. If the CJNG keeps experimenting, we may even see stand-off rockets, multiple bomblets on a drone being dropped  as we have seen in Syria and Ukraine  or possibly even firearms placed on drones," he said.

Bunker, a security expert, also identified the CJNG as the most likely cartel to dabble in such developments given its "track record of new weapons innovations." But he clarified that there are no indicators the CJNG will go down this path at the moment.

"The CJNG's recent use of asphyxiant chemicals itself has taken everyone by surprise, so we can't rule this out given their ongoing wildcard behaviors."

Head over to DroneWatchNews.com for more stories about the cartels' use of drones for offensive purposes.

Watch this Newsmax report about 10,000 cartel drones violating American airspace.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Mexican cartel now has an elite unit of DRONE OPERATORS at its disposal.

EXCLUSIVE: Mexican drug cartels to launch terror attacks inside U.S., warns federal intel.

Mexican Defense Department seeks probe on how cartels acquired high-grade U.S. weapons.

Sources include:

DailyStar.co.uk

Brighteon.com
U.S. State Departments Global Engagement Center was founded to counter foreign propaganda, but has since been turned against the American people by coordinating social media censorship

When it was first founded, the U.S. Department of State's Global Engagement Center was committed, at least on paper, to countering foreign propaganda that put the American people at risk. Today it is turning against the American people by facilitating the spread of propaganda both foreign and domestic on social media.

The Global Engagement Center is actively involved in trying to force social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to take action against users that tell too much truth online. The Twitter Files tell all about what happened to that platform at the behest of the State Department.

On its website, the Global Engagement Center still claims to be the leading U.S. entity trying to stop foreign adversaries from undermining U.S. interests using disinformation and propaganda. Why, then, does the agency continue to facilitate the spread of Zionist propaganda, Israel being a foreign adversary to the American people and their interests?

Perhaps more Americans need to contact James P. Rubin, the special envoy and coordinator of the Global Engagement Center, to ask him why his agency is doing the opposite of what it claims in its mission statement.

(Related: Did you catch our earlier story about seven of the top organizations that are spearheading the Censorship Industrial Complex?)

A government of criminals

The release of the Twitter Files by X owner Elon Musk has shed a lot of light on what the U.S. government via the Global Engagement Center and other entities have been doing for years to end freedom of speech online, all under the guise of "guarding against foreign propaganda."

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

The 11th series of the Twitter Files revealed that one government agency asked then-Twitter to ban 250,000 accounts, many of them run by journalists and government officials who were saying and doing the "wrong" things on their accounts.

Journalist Matt Taibbi is credited with releasing the Twitter Files series that blew this all wide open. He focused heavily on how government officials embedded within Twitter as company employees were steering the conversation about sensitive topics like the laptop of Hunter Biden, President Biden's son.

Hunter's laptop was loaded with damning and incriminating information about his dad and other career criminals in politics who have been committing treason against the American people while enriching themselves and their Zionist masters with abandon.

US govt agency demanded suspension of 250k accounts, including journalists & Canadian officials! https://t.co/kcEMMCzF7d  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 3, 2023

Take back your country, America

All of this could be stopped if Americans stopped just obeying orders that are criminal or immoral. That would require having a backbone and a moral conscience, though: two things that are in very short supply these days.

It would also require more Americans coming to the realization that Team Red is really no better than Team Blue. Both wings are attached to the same bird, and the only way to get rid of the bird is to hop off entirely.

According to what Taibbi revealed, the snakes are everywhere and within every branch of government. They all work in tandem to accomplish the same sinister goals, attacking We the People sometimes from the left and other times from the right  a one-two punch to the gut, if you will.

This divide-and-conquer strategy works wonders to keep Americans enslaved and complacent, giving them just enough bread and circuses to avoid doing anything about the pot full of water all around them that is reaching a simmer.

Much of this was attempted during the Donald Trump years under his leadership, which resulted in more division between the two political parties rather than unification against their common enemy. This should tell you who Trump really is, by the way.

Remember back in November of 2020 when Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) made direct requests to Twitter to suspend certain accounts that were engaging in "alleged harassment from QAnon conspiracists?" This is how the powers that be behave whenever they are directly challenged in large numbers.

Many of those who fell for the Q stuff thought they were on the right track until they found themselves at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, betrayed by the very leader who told them to gather there in the first place. Many of them now sit in jail cells without due process, and Trump, the guy who led them there, is nowhere to be found.

This is not a bash-Trump type of thing any more than it is a bash-Biden type of thing. They all deserve bashing because not a single one of them is willing to tell the truth about who is really pulling their strings from behind the curtain  because to do so would be political and actual "suicide."

We the People are trying to get the word out themselves but are running into serious roadblocks set up by the Global Engagement Center, which Taibbi referred to as "a fledgling analytic and intelligence arm of the State Department."

The GEC did run into a few roadblocks of its own in trying to strongarm Twitter to do its bidding, though, which resulted in Facebook and Google unifying in opposition to GEC's requested inclusion on all 'industry calls' between social media companies and Big Government. So perhaps there is still hope that these tyrants will push too far and sabotage their own devious plans in the end.

The worst offender as far as spreading propaganda goes is the U.S. government and its many Zionist proxies. Learn more at Propaganda.news.

Sources for this article include:

State.gov

TRTWorld.com

NaturalNews.com
Biden waging trade war with China that U.S. CANT win

It almost seems like the Biden regime is trying to unleash World War III, including with fresh aggression against China.

To combat Chinese "influence" over America, Biden's handlers handed him legislation to sign that will funnel another $8 billion in U.S. taxpayer monies to Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific allies. Biden is also threatening to ban the social media platform TikTok if its parent company does not agree to sell it to U.S. interests in the next 12 months.

All this anti-China bullying, which has nothing to do with protecting the American people, has prompted China to promise "forceful" retaliatory steps if Washington does not back off and do its job.

Even though the United States has been relying on China for decades to manufacture consumer goods  this after several presidential regimes both Democrat and Republican shipped off America's manufacturing base to the communist regime  Biden and his folks are suddenly really worried, they say, about the "bad folks" in China who continue to "do bad things"  these are Biden's own words, by the way.

In a response statement to all this fresh aggression, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian warned that the U.S. is treading on thin ice as it interferes with China's sovereignty.

"We urge the U.S. to respect China's core interests and major concerns, and not to implement these negative articles concerning China," Lin told reporters at a press conference in Beijing.

"Otherwise, China will take strong and resolute measures to safeguard our sovereignty, security and development interests."

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.

(Related: Did you know that Volodymyr Zelensky is begging Biden for another 10 years' worth of U.S. taxpayer funding for his forever war?)

By sending "foreign aid" to Taiwan, the U.S. is poking the Chinese bear

In case you missed it, the U.S. Congress recently passed another $95 billion foreign aid bill that includes truckloads of cash for not just Ukraine and Israel but also Taiwan, which China claims as its own sovereign territory.

Though a breakaway province, Taiwan is still technically under Chinese control, a position that the U.S. has acknowledge and respected since the 1970s  until now. Suddenly, the U.S. is sending boatloads of cash to Taiwan to prevent, they say, a Chinese takeover of the self-governing island.

All of this and more is causing China to put the U.S. on notice that it had better back off or else face retaliation. The foreign aid legislation in particular violates U.S.-Chinese communiques about the "one-China principle," Lin said, sending a "seriously wrong signal" to Taiwanese separatists.

Lin proceeded to state that Washington has now put on full display its "hegemonic and bullying nature" for the world to see.

These latest developments came not long after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid a visit to Beijing and Shanghai. Upon returning back to Washington, Blinken accused Beijing of trying to manipulate U.S. elections, which Lin denied as nothing more than "paranoia and shadow-casting" by the Biden regime.

Lin also scoffed at the notion that China is exporting dual-use goods to help Russia produce more weaponry for use against Ukraine. China has repeatedly tried to negotiate a peace agreement in Ukraine, but the U.S. remains adamantly opposed to a ceasefire while it continues to instigate more war.

"China's right to normal trade and economic exchanges with countries in the world, including Russia, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit should not be interfered with or disrupted," Lin added.

"The U.S. keeps pouring munitions into Ukraine while blaming our normal trade with Russia. It is pretty clear who exactly is fueling the flame and aggravating the crisis."

The latest news about the Biden regime's best attempts to destroy the United States can be found at Treason.news.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

NaturalNews.com
CIA allegedly operating online Ukrainian anti-Trump troll farms to influence 2024 election

Is the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) working with Kiev to stop President Trump from winning reelection in 2024? The answer is maybe, according to new reports.

So-called "NAFO" accounts on X, which feature animated imagery of animals in profile photos, might not be real people, but rather accounts made by Ukrainian anti-Trump "troll farms" to try to deter voters from voting for the New York businessman in November.

NAFO accounts regularly post things like "Who thinks it's time for Donald Trump to go to prison?" along with images showing his many felonies and the number of years he would have to serve in prison if prosecuted and convicted for all of them.

Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) is one known member of Congress who is part of the NAFO ruse. Kinzinger, as you may recall, embarrassingly fell for the "Ghost of Kiev" meme, believing it to be real. He also routinely spreads fake news in support of Ukraine.

According to a whistleblower who recently came forward, Kinzinger and other NAFO misfits are all part of a CIA owned-and-operated troll farm, the job of which is to control the outcome of the 2024 election.

???BREAKING: CIA Operates Troll Farms in Kyiv to Influence American Voters and To Assure Bidens 2024 Win. A former employee of one of the Kyiv troll factories owned by the head of Zelenskys office, Andriy Yermak, spoke about how the interference in the upcoming American pic.twitter.com/BsmgUTj8vr  I Meme Therefore I Am ?? (@ImMeme0) April 25, 2024

(Related: Turncoat Trump has become the swamp he campaigned against.)

Ukraine, CIA rigging 2024 election

Andriy Yermak, the whistleblower in question who claims to be a former employee of one of the many alleged Kyiv-based "troll factories," says Ukraine is leading the charge in rigging the outcome of the 2024 election in favor of Joe Biden.

There is said to be video evidence from inside one of the troll factories, as well as several photos, depicting how the scam works.

"Long story short, we were asked to do everything to prevent Donald Trump from winning the election," Yermak says. "So basically, this topic was added to our main lines of work."

"Since then, each of us had to post at least 3 to 5 posts daily posing as the Americas and Europeans, criticizing Donald Trump and praising Biden."

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

Yermak says CIA assets from the United States are also organizing entire lectures aimed at teaching Ukrainian trolls more about how American politics works, as well as inform them about the general American mindset towards social and political issues.

From there, the assets brainwash their Ukrainian troll targets into thinking that Biden is smart and experienced while Trump isn't, and that Biden would never betray NATO's partners like Trump would.

"Biden will not abandon Ukraine," is a big one that Yermak says gets taught to the Ukrainian trolls. "Biden will protect democracy while Trump is Putin's puppet."

"I honestly tried to convince myself it's okay since Biden is clearly a better option for Ukraine, but it was just too much for me," Yermak says about what he endured. "One thing is to work for the best interests of my country, but interfering in U.S. politics is a whole other thing."

This account was also mentioned in the video. Noticed that the owners location says Nevada but his posts says I think I understand why you guys always show up late to the World Wars now, suggesting the speaker talking from outside to Americans. pic.twitter.com/gi50vGUnOY  I Meme Therefore I Am ?? (@ImMeme0) April 25, 2024

The latest news about Trump's re-run for the presidency in 2024 can be found at Trump.news.

Sources include:

Revolver.news

NaturalNews.com
Colonna review DEMOLISHES Israels false smears against UN refugee aid agency

An independent review helmed by a former French government official has demolished Israel's propaganda campaign against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

According to the review led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, Tel Aviv has failed to provide any evidence of its claims that UNRWA employees are members of "terrorist organizations." The Jewish nation has waged a multi-year campaign against the UN aid group for refugees in hopes of eradicating the right of return for Palestinians, the Middle East Eye stated.

The Colonna review was drafted with the help of three Nordic research institutes and was published on April 27. It stated that in March 2024, "Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations. However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this."

The review also made clear that the UNRWA is "irreplaceable and indispensable" to Palestinians in the region, with many viewing the agency as "a humanitarian lifeline."

"In the absence of a political solution between Israel and the Palestinians, UNRWA remains pivotal in providing life-saving humanitarian aid and essential social services  particularly in health and education  to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank," it stated.

"UNRWA has established a significant number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with the humanitarian principles, with emphasis on the principle of neutrality and that it possesses a more developed approach to neutrality than other similar UN or [non-governmental organizations]."

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

According to an April 22 report by the Guardian, the Colonna review also found that the UNRWA had regularly supplied Israel with lists of its employees for vetting. Moreover, "the Israeli government has not informed UNRWA of any concerns relating to any UNRWA staff based on these staff lists since 2011."

Separate assessment disproves claim that UNRWA schools teach antisemitism

The three Nordic research institutes that helped write the Colonna review also sent a separate assessment to the UN regarding Israel's allegations against the UNRWA. The more detailed assessment refuted Tel Aviv's claims that Palestinian children are taught antisemitic content in UNRWA-run schools. The schools utilize textbooks commissioned by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has control over the West Bank.

According to the latest document, "three international assessments of PA textbooks in recent years have provided a nuanced picture. Two identified presence of bias and antagonistic content, but did not provide evidence of antisemitic content."

"The third assessment by the George Eckert Institute studied 156 PA textbooks and identified two examples that it found to display antisemitic motifs. But [the institute] noted that one of them had already been removed, [while] the other has been altered."

Back in January, the Israeli government accused several UNRWA staffers of being members of Hamas (formally the Islamic Resistance Movement) and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). These staff members, Tel Aviv continued, reportedly participated in the Hamas-led attack on Israeli military bases and settlements on Oct. 7, 2023  dubbed the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. (Related: UNRWA warns of growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza amid continued Israeli bombings.)

The allegations promptly caused the U.S. and other major donors to cut funding to the UNRWA. It also coincided with reports from human rights groups that Israel was using starvation as a weapon against the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza strip.

According to the Guardian, most donors have resumed their funding in recent weeks. British government ministers meanwhile said they would would wait for the Colonna report to decide whether to resume funding. But across the pond, the U.S. Congress has since banned any future financial support of UNRWA.

Visit IsraelCollapse.com for more similar stories.

Watch this clip about Palestinians in the Gaza Strip having difficulties securing humanitarian aid, thanks to Israelis blocking aid convoys.

This video is from the Contrarian channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

UN official warns of "inevitable" famine with countries pausing UNRWA funding.

12 UNRWA employees accused of HELPING HAMAS stage Oct. 7 attack.

Report: Biden admin granted UNRWA more than $1 BILLION before funding suspension.

NO SAFE PLACE: Israel attacks UNRWA school in Gaza refugee camp, leaving 6 dead and dozens injured.

Despite its own torture campaigns, Israel pressures U.S. Congress to stop funding UNRWA over allegations aid group harbors Hamas.

Sources include:

TheCradle.co

TheGuardian.com

Brighteon.com
DID YOU NOTICE? Biden DOJs SCOTUS attorney was also Robert Muellers Russiagate lead

The attorney representing special counsel Jack Smith before the United States Supreme Court s hearing over former President Donald Trump s presidential immunity claim was also a ringleader behind the Russia hoax . Michael Dreeben, a federal attorney with the Department of Justice (DOJ), was revealed in 2018 as the primary legal mind behind special counsel Robert Muellers probe into allegations that Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.

(Article by William Upton republished from TheNationalPulse.com)

Dreeben has a long track record of partisan lawfare. Prior to his tenure at the DOJ, he served as a staffer to Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). It was Dreeben who, despite the Mueller team knowing that the Russian collusion accusations were false, engineered the legal strategy of pursuing Trump over obstruction of justice for opposing the Democrats witch hunt.

In addition to his stint on the Mueller team, Dreeben advised former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on his get Trump operation. Interestingly, Mark Pomerantz was also working with Cyrus Vance at the time and would have likely interacted with Dreeben. Pomerantz likely pushed current Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg into pursuing the hush money charges against Trump, which are currently being heard at trial.

The DOJ attorney has argued over 100 cases before the Supreme Court while working in the U.S. Solicitor Generals office. Late last year, conservative commentator Molly Hemmingway  regarding Dreeeben  noted, That the elite attorney is helping Democrats with their 2024 campaign strategy of lawfare is significant and showcases how much coordination between key Democrat operatives is behind this Soviet-style attempt to imprison President Joe Bidens political opponents.

Read more at: TheNationalPulse.com
EU scheming how to force Ukrainian men to return to Ukraine to die for Zelensky

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte believes that Ukrainian men of fighting age who fled their country at the start of Kiev's war with Moscow should be forced to return home to fight for Volodymyr Zelensky.

At a debate that was aired on LRT Radio, Simonyte argued that the European Union (EU) should help Ukraine to find all these men and forcibly send them back to their homeland so the Zelensky regime can feed them into the meat grinder of war against Russia.

As Kiev runs out of soldiers, the Zelensky regime is scrambling to draft more bodies by dropping the age of conscription to 25, tightening exemptions and creating harsher penalties for draft dodgers.

Ukrainian authorities also suspended the issuing of all passports for men between the ages of 18 and 60 who currently live outside the country, the goal being to force them back home as soon as possible for military service.

Simonyte wants fighting-age Ukrainian men currently living in Lithuania to be identified and deported. She says there are "ways to make sure that a person has performed their mobilization duty or is exempted from it" when applying for residence permit extensions.

"We need to work not only with the Ukrainian authorities but also more broadly because right now the EU has the so-called temporary protection in place for Ukrainian people," Simonyte said, urging the EU to get more involved.

(Related: Ukraine is in serious trouble as it runs out of fighting-age men and women to feed into the meat grinder of Zelensky's war.)

Ukrainian men who don't want to fight: Leave them alone

Currently, Ukrainian men living abroad throughout Europe have temporary protection status that allows them the right to an extended, visa-free stay throughout the bloc. This includes the right to accommodation, medical care, employment and education.

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.

This temporary protection status framework was enacted not long after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, and it will remain in effect until March of 2025  unless Simonyte and others like her successfully remove it to help Zelensky.

"Within the framework of that protection, the guarantees that are given to Ukrainian citizens in the EU are very broad, so it is clear that this question is not for one or two states to decide alone," she said.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, who also participated in the debate, likewise pledged to work with Kiev "in every sense" to help bring back as many military-age men as possible for the war.

"Ukraine must have the means and instruments to invite its young men to serve their homeland," Nauseda said.

According to the Eurostat statistics agency, roughly 4.3 million Ukrainians currently live in the EU. Of these, 860,000 are of conscription age, with more than 29,000 within this category currently residing in Lithuania.

Lithuania's Migration Department is not so keen on the scheme, arguing that there is no legal basis with which to force these young men to go back to Ukraine to fight for Zelensky.

"The fact that Ukraine or another country has declared mobilization has no influence on us, according to our legislation," stated Evelina Gudzinskaite to the Elta new agency.

"A reaction, if any, would be a political decision from Lithuania," Gudzinskaite added, noting that while some national legislative initiatives could legally be taken, "there would be a huge question of how this would be compatible with EU law."

In the comments at RT, someone noted that Lithuanian authorities are ignoring EU laws that specifically prohibit repatriation to war-torn areas where an individual's life will be severely threatened.

"So, the West proves once again that its laws are only for show and convenience," this person added.

Any day now, Russia is going to go in for the kill and put an end to the Zelensky regime. Find out more at WWIII.news.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

NaturalNews.com
Former U.K. immigration minister: Migrants do more harm than good to the British economy

Robert Jenrick, a former immigration minister in the United Kingdom, has admitted that migrants do more harm than good to the British economy

The member of Parliament (MP) for the Newark constituency previously served as secretary of state for housing, communities and local government under former British Prime Minister (PM) Boris Johnson. Jenrick was promoted to immigration minister under the term of incumbent PM Rishi Sunak, but stepped down in December 2023.

According to the former minister, mass migration is causing a housing crisis while failing to increase wealth per person. He warned that Downing Street has become "hooked" on mass migration, but it is not improving the economy.

"The economic model that we've become hooked on isn't working. If importing hundreds of thousands of foreign workers to the U.K. was a route to prosperity, the U.K. would be one of the richest countries in the world," he said.

"Instead, for almost the last two years, we've had a recession in GDP [gross domestic product] per capita. I care about the prosperity of our own citizens, not the overall size of the economy."

According to Jenrick, the U.K. government "modeling of the benefits of immigration has consistently overlooked the fiscal costs arising from pressure on housing, public services and welfare." (Related: 'Death trap:' UK starts housing illegal migrants in controversial barge 'Bibby Stockholm', as it surfaces government spends 7M per day on asylum seekers in hotels.)

On the matter of housing, he noted that the country currently would "have to build a house every five minutes, day and night, purely to keep up with the level of net migration to this country." But this isn't being accomplished, resulting in a spike in home prices and rents alongside severe shortages in public housing.

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

U.K.'s illegal immigration hits unprecedented levels under the Tories

The Conservative (Tory) Party, which Jenrick and Sunak are members of, promised a reduction in net legal immigration "from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands" ahead of the 2010, 2015 and 2017 elections. It also promised an "overall" reduction ahead of the 2019 election. The Brexit campaign was also fought mainly on an anti-immigration basis, according to the National Pulse.

But the opposite happened under Tory leadership, with net immigration increasing from 196,000 in 2009 to 745,000 in 2022. Illegal immigration also hit unprecedented levels under the Tories.

Jenrick's resignation as immigration minister in December 2023 stemmed from the government's published draft emergency legislation on the Rwandan migrant deportation scheme. According to him, the law  which sought to get the scheme up and running  did not go far enough. Under the scheme, migrants who enter the U.K. illegally would be deported to the Central African nation of Rwanda.

"The government has a responsibility to place our vital national interests above highly contested interpretations of international law," Jenrick wrote in his resignation letter to Sunak, which was posted on X. "I am unable to take the currently proposed legislation through the [House of] Commons as I do not believe it provides us with the best possible chance of success."

Jenrick, who served as immigration minister from October 2022 until December 2023, has been more outspoken on the need to tackle the arrival of small boats on the southern coast of England. People who arrived in the small boats were breaking into Britain, he said, adding that it was "profoundly wrong" for people to be entering the country in this manner.

"If you or I crossed an international border, or literally broke into another country, we would expect to be treated very seriously."

Head over to Migrants.news for more similar stories.

Watch this video about India being included in the U.K.'s Safe States List, ruling out asylum rights for illegals coming from the country.

This video is from the InfoWarSSideBand channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Cultural replacement: Why the immigration crisis is being deliberately engineered.

French lawmaker Marine Le Pen: Mass immigration fuels LAWLESSNESS in France.

Mass immigration to Germany will cost taxpayers up to 19.2 trillion, warns top academic expert.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

Brighteon.com
Florida home prices stagnate as housing supply surges

Florida is considered one of the most desirable places to live in the nation, with its warm weather, low taxes and largely conservative state government attracting many Americans who were looking to flee ultra-liberal states during the pandemic.

Although home values rose as people headed for the Sunshine State in droves a few years ago, the housing bubble now appears to have burst, with locals being priced out of the market and properties sitting unsold for a long time.

New data from Redfin shows that sellers have been reducing their asking prices at a quicker rate than elsewhere in the country as their homes fail to get offers thanks to eye-watering prices.

Redfin Sales Manager Eric Auciello stated: Out-of-town homebuyers no longer see Florida as a place to get amazing value. Now theyre moving to North Carolina or Tennessee to get a good deal. Many local blue-collar workers have been priced out of homeownership, too."

The company noted that six out of the 10 U.S. metro areas that experienced the greatest year-over-year rises in homes for sale were in Florida. The biggest surge was seen in southwestern Florida in Cape Coral, where the number of homes for sale rose 51%. This was followed by rises of 48% in the North Port-Sarasota area, 30% in Fort Lauderdale and 29% in Tampa.

The state also accounted for half of the ten metro areas where sellers were more likely to slash their list prices. In Cape Coral, the average home took 31 more days to sell than it did one year earlier, which is the biggest jump in the country, while homes in North Port  Sarasota took 20 days longer to sell, on average.

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

Complicating matters further is the fact that builders have been offering concessions that are too good for buyers to refuse, which means new construction is often favored by those looking to move.

Auciello added: "The sharp ascent in Florida housing prices in recent years has driven a lot of homeowners to cash in on their equity, but some of them are having a hard time adjusting to the fact that it's a buyer's market."

Rising insurance prices are also affecting the market

Another factor is insurance challenges. Around 70% of homeowners in the state have either been dropped by their insurer or hit with greater costs, which is significantly higher than the nationwide average of 44.6%.

Nearly 12% of Floridians who intend to move in the next year said that increasing insurance prices were a reason, which is double the national average of 6.2%.

According to Auciello, many people are finding insurance to be much higher than expected, and sellers are offering buyers lots of concessions to keep deals from falling apart. His own home insurance rose from $8,000 per year two years ago to $14,000.

Were at an inflection point. A hefty insurance bill isnt always a big deal for a luxury buyer, but it can be a really big issue for someone buying a waterfront home on a smaller budget, he noted.

Some parts of Texas are experiencing a similar trend, with supply surging while demand slows. Two of the top 10 metros in terms of year-over-year supply increases were in the Lone Star State, Dallas and McAllen.

The state is also home to two metro areas where sellers have the greatest likelihood of reducing their listing price, San Antonio and Houston.

One Dallas agent, Connie Durnal, said that last year was the slowest she had seen in two decades in the real estate business.

Move-up buyers are almost nonexistent. Even though a lot of homeowners have built up a ton of equity, many don't want to sell because their monthly payment would double or triple due to high mortgage rates, she explained.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Redfin.com
Hunter Biden lawyers announce plans to take LEGAL ACTION against Fox News

Lawyers for presidential son Hunter Biden have announced plans to take legal action against Fox News and its online arm Fox News Digital, according to a letter sent to the network.

NBC News obtained a copy of the April 23 letter, which accuses the conservative network of "conspiracy and subsequent actions to defame [the younger] Biden and paint him in a false light." It also accuses Fox News and Fox News Digital of "the unlicensed commercial exploitation of his image, name and likeness" and "the unlawful publication of hacked intimate images of him."

The letter, signed by partner Tina Glandian of the Geragos & Geragos (G&G) law firm, is the second correspondence issued to the conservative network this month. According to a source familiar with the presidential son's legal efforts, Fox News asked for more time to respond to the first letter.

The network has not yet responded to the April 23 letter, which set a deadline of April 26 for a response, according to G&G managing partner Mark Geragos. Biden hired the criminal defense lawyer and his firm to represent him in the litigation efforts against Fox News, according to NBC News. The conservative network did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

"For the last five years, Fox News has relentlessly attacked Hunter Biden and made him a caricature to boost ratings and for its financial gain," Geragos said in a statement. "We plan on holding them accountable."

NBC News noted that the presidential son has been a focus of Fox News coverage for the last several years. Per a review of transcripts done by the leftist Media Matters for America, the conservative network has mentioned Hunter Biden at least 13,440 times since January.

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.

Sources familiar with the legal strategy said Biden's legal team believes that this number makes the potential case as significant, if not more so, than voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems' earlier defamation case against Fox News.

Fox News facing similar lawsuits from Smartmatic and others

The new threat of legal action sent by Biden's team comes almost a year after Fox News agreed to pay almost $800 million to Dominion to settle defamation claims. The settlement stemmed from the channel's airing of vote fraud claims in the 2020 election, which put incumbent President Joe Biden  Hunter's father  in the White House. The network also agreed to a $12 million settlement with a former employee who alleged she was pressured to provide misleading information as part of the Dominion case. (Related: Fox News settles defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems as conservatives continue to suffer from other media outlets.)

But aside from Dominion, Fox News is also facing a $2.7 billion lawsuit brought by Smartmatic, another voting systems firm that was the focus of the network's coverage. Shareholders have also taken legal action against the network's directors for allowing it to air the allegations during its coverage of the 2020 elections.

In its latest financial disclosures, Fox News said it will contest the lawsuits. However, it acknowledged that there could be a "material" adverse impact on the company's business and financial position by doing so.

Meanwhile, sources familiar with the presidential son's legal efforts told NBC News that the plan to pursue litigation against Fox News has been in the works for over a year. They added that the move was inspired in part by the success of the Dominion lawsuit and the ongoing Smartmatic lawsuit.

This new litigation push comes as the younger Biden prepares for a summer of criminal trials. His trial on gun charges in Delaware starts June 3, while his tax case is expected to go on trial in August.

Visit BidenCrimeFamily.news for more stories about Hunter Biden.

Watch this Fox News report about a judge rejecting Hunter Biden's motions to dismiss his tax case.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

FOX News and FBN block Attorney Matthew Deperno from appearing on Hannity and Lou Dobbs after explosive Antrim County IT report on Dominion voting machines.

Fox News finds Dominion staffers knew voting machines were 'riddled' with crucial counting errors.

Hunter Biden INDICTED by Delaware federal court on GUN-RELATED CHARGES.

Hunter Biden sues IRS whistleblowers for BREACH OF PRIVACY over tax probe.

Hunter Biden's lawyers accused of impersonating federal prosecutors

Sources include:

NBCNews.com

Brighteon.com
EVIL: Israel tricking Palestinian refugees into safe zones in Rafah, then bombing them to death

In the immediate aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, the Netanyahu regime told Palestinian refugees living in the Gaza Strip to travel south for protection against the subsequent IDF invasion. However, now that most of the refugees have relocated to Rafah's so-called "safe" zones where Israel told them to go for safety, Israel Defense Forces are reportedly bombing them to death

An NBC News investigation looked more closely at seven deadly airstrikes that Israel launched on Rafah between January and April of this year, all of which were filmed by the media outlet's camera crews. NBC also looked at video footage from the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, which was supposed to be a safe place for Palestinian refugees to avoid dying.

"The crews compiled the GPS coordinates of each strike, all of which hit an area identified by the Israeli military as an evacuation zone in an online interactive map it published on Dec. 1," NBC reported, noting that the map has not been altered or updated in any way and is still accurate.

Confusing and hard to read, according to Palestinians and international humanitarian organizations alike, the map instructs refugees to go places that in many cases do not even allow access to its coordinates and information due to Israeli-instigated cellphone and internet blackouts.

"People are fleeing to roads that the government told them to use to places where the Israeli government told them to go," said Sari Bashi, the program director at Human Rights Watch. "And when they go, they get killed."

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.

(Related: The worst slumlords in New York City are nearly all Jewish.)

IDF doing the devil's work

According to Bashi, Israel's attacks on Palestinian "safe" zones are not the exception, but rather the rule. They are happening again and again on purpose, just like what happened to the World Food Kitchen caravan that was bombed by the IDF after previously establishing their route with the IDF.

Now, Israel is telling Palestinian refugees to go to areas of Gaza that they claim are "safe," only to then bomb the s**t out of them, as former President Trump would say.

On December 18, the IDF dropped leaflets over Gaza telling civilians and refugees to go to Rafah's Tal Al Sultan, Al Zuhur and Al Shaboura neighborhoods, which were designated by the IDF as being "safe." The NBC investigation found that all three locations were later hit by airstrikes that took the lives of dozens of people.

When asked by NBC to comment about the investigation's findings, the IDF claimed in an email that it is "not aware of any strike at the provided coordinates and times."

Keep in mind that this is the same IDF that has brainwashed the world into believing that it is Hamas taking advantage of innocents by using them as human shields. Meanwhile, the IDF is doing everything it claims Hamas does against Palestinian civilians.

By simply claiming that there are Hamas militants hiding among civilians, Israel has carte blanche to basically do whatever it wants. And since many people are afraid of being "cursed" by God for speaking out against Israel's crimes against humanity, the Zionist state continues to get away with literal murder.

In the beginning of all this, the IDF promised to commit to international law by distinguishing between alleged terrorists and civilians, but the opposite is what is happening.

"Iran was too big of an opponent so let's kill more defenseless women and children?" one commenter over at RT wrote of Israel's atrocious behavior.

"This further shows that Israel is intent on ethnically cleansing all of Palestine," wrote another about Israel's atrocities.

The latest news about Israel can be found at Antichrist.news.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

NaturalNews.com
Majority of Americans now favor MASS DEPORTATIONS of illegals, Axios poll finds

A new survey conducted by Axios and The Harris Poll (THP) has found that the majority of Americans are now in favor of mass deportations of illegal immigrants.

The poll was conducted online among 6,251 U.S. adults from March 29 to 31, from April 5 to 7 and from April 12 to 14. It found that overall, 51 percent now prefer mass deportations of illegals. 56 percent of White respondents support such a move, while 68 percent of Republican-leaning respondents are of the same sentiment. Both Boomers (60 percent) and Gen-X respondents (53 percent) say they favor mass deportations, based on the survey's results.

Meanwhile, only 42 percent of Democrats say they support mass deportations of illegals. Only 30 percent of Democrats also support ending birthright citizenship, which the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees. In contrast, 46 percent of Republicans want to end birthright citizenship. (Related: Ramaswamy calls for DEPORTATION of all illegals, including ANCHOR BABIES.)

Twenty-one percent of respondents surveyed cited surging crime rates, drugs and violence as their main concern with regard to illegals. Meanwhile, 32 percent said the Biden administration was "most responsible" for the current border crisis that's plaguing the country.

"I was surprised at the public support for large-scale deportations," said THP Chairman Mark Penn. "I think they're just sending a message to politicians: 'Get this under control.'"

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have encountered more than seven million migrants along the southern border since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, including 961,537 encounters in the current fiscal year.

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.

Biden pointing fingers at Trump over the issue

For his part, Biden has repeatedly tried to blame former President Donald Trump for fueling the crisis. The incumbent alleges that his predecessor has blown up the Senate's bipartisan border security bill earlier this year. But according to Penn, the results of the Axios-THP poll serve as a warning to Biden that "efforts to shift responsibility for the issue to Trump are not going to work."

Biden has since signaled his plan to use executive orders to crack down on migrant crossings at the border as immigration continues to emerge as a top voter concern ahead of the election. Meanwhile, Trump has made it clear he plans to harshly crack down on migrants if elected for a second term. The former president's arsenal to deport illegals includes obscure laws, military funds and law enforcement officers from all levels of government.

Republicans like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have spent the past year or so shipping illegal aliens deeper into the country in the name of "owning the libs." But it's now clear as day that attitudes have shifted and the American people  even those in supposedly migrant-friendly "sanctuary cities"  want these illegal aliens out.

Abbott sarcastically boasted that he's helping facilitate the Biden regime's open borders agenda by transporting "over 102,000 migrants to sanctuary cities" deeper inside the United States.

"Texas has transported over 102,000 migrants to sanctuary cities," the governor said. "Overwhelmed Texas border towns should not bear the brunt of Biden's open border policies. Our transportation mission will continue until Biden secures the border."

Head over to Migrants.news for more similar stories.

Watch this video that discusses a plan to populate the U.S. military with illegals.

This video is from the DoctorPatriot channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Offering free healthcare to illegal immigrants could cost California BILLIONS PER YEAR.

Report finds Denver taxpayers are footing skyrocketing costs to feed illegal immigrants.

Border agents report encounters with nearly 30,000 Chinese illegal immigrants since October.

TREASON: Biden administrations secret transportation of 320,000 illegal immigrants into the U.S. revealed.

INVASION USA: Swarm of military-aged immigrants arriving in Texas, citizen journalist warns.

Sources include:

InformationLiberation.com

Axios.com

Brighteon.com
Israeli sources: Netanyahu confessed to Biden that he is AFRAID of ICC arrest warrants

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confessed to U.S. President Joe Biden that he fears the arrest warrants set to be issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him over the genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Two senior Israeli officials disclosed the development to Axios, adding that it happened during an April 28 phone conversation between the two leaders. According to the two, Netanyahu expressed his concern about the arrest warrants during the call. Because of this, the longest-serving Israeli prime minister asked Biden to help prevent the issuance of the warrants.

"Israeli officials have grown increasingly concerned over the last two weeks that the ICC is preparing to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, [Israeli] Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Herzi Halevi," Axios added.

Meanwhile, a White House readout about the call expounded on the topics that Biden and Netanyahu touched on. The two leaders discussed hostage negotiations with Hamas, Israel's defense against Iran's missile attack and the need to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza. "The leaders [also] discussed Rafah and the president reiterated his clear position," the readout said.

According to Axios, U.S. officials said they do not have a clear indication of whether the ICC is going to issue arrest warrants. However, they said the prosecutor's office is under pressure from ICC member states and non-governmental organizations to do so.

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council declined to comment on the contents of Netanyahu's call with Biden. They told the outlet, however: "As we have publicly said many times, the ICC has no jurisdiction in this situation and we do not support its investigation."

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 ICC, which is based in The Hague in the Netherlands, has been investigating possible war crimes by both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants. Its probe dates back to the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, which has control of the Gaza Strip. (Related: TIMELINE: 75 Years of Israel's human rights abuses against Palestinians.)

Tel Aviv denounces ICC's potential issuance of arrest warrants

Two days before his call with Biden, Netanyahu took to X to blast the ICC's potential issuance of arrest warrants against him and other Israeli officials.

"Under my leadership, Israel will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense. The threat to seize the soldiers and officials of the Middle East's only democracy and the world's only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to it," Netanyahu wrote.

"Israel will continue to wage to victory our just war against genocidal terrorists, and we will never stop defending ourselves. While the ICC will not affect Israel's actions, it would set a dangerous precedent that threatens the soldiers and officials of all democracies fighting savage terrorism and wanton aggression."

On the same day as Netanyahu's call with Biden, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stressed that Tel Aviv "will not bow  or be deterred." He also voiced out that he expects the ICC to refrain from issuing arrest warrants.

Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice (ICJ)  a separate body also located in The Hague  is hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide with its military campaign in Gaza. Tel Aviv has denounced the case put forward by Pretoria as "baseless," and U.S. officials have defended Israel in proceedings at the ICJ.

But according to genocide researcher Arnesa Buljusmic-Kustura, she doesn't believe the ICC and ICJ were on the verge of indicting Netanyahu and other Israeli officials unless the two entities "have a bulletproof case."

"From my own sources, I can truly say the investigators and most of the ICC is taking the case incredibly seriously and many do understand the diplomatic precariousness involved here," Buljusmic-Kustura told Newsweek. "Whatever decision the ICC makes, it is likely to influence the ICJ decisions too. If the ICC indicted Netanyahu on genocide, it would be very likely that the ICJ would come out to state that Israel [is] guilty of genocide at their level."

Watch former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert arguing that Netanyahu has to go "as soon as possible" during an appearance on "Cavuto Live" below.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Israel accuses Biden of trying to topple Netanyahu after U.S. president said Israeli Prime Minister needs to "come to Jesus."

Turkey files lawsuit against Netanyahu, accusing him and Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza.

Israel and South Africa face off at the International Court of Justice over Gaza genocide case.

BRICS core member South Africa urges ICC to PROSECUTE Israel for war crimes.

ICJ begins hearings on South Africas genocide case against Israel.

Sources include:

Axios.com

MSN.com

Brighteon.com
The public can soon weigh in on Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Browns proposed 2024-25 city budget, which would increase the taxes on a home assessed at $100,000 by $78 and increase garbage collection fees by another $30 for homeowners.

The citys property tax levy  the total property taxes collected  would rise by 9%, the highest property tax increase ever under the Brown administration.

The public can comment on the proposed budget during a public hearing at 5 p.m. May 15 in Council Chambers on the 13th floor of City Hall. Community members can sign up online to speak at the public hearing. The public also can use the Councils comment form to provide feedback.

After Brown delivers the budget today to the Common Council, Members will hold public budget hearings in Council Chambers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Council members may question every city department about its budget requests. The public can attend but cannot speak at those meetings.

The Thursday session will include these departments: Buffalo Police; Buffalo Fire; Public Works, Parks, Streets and Water; Human Resources; Community Service and Recreation; Management Information Systems; Common Council; and Clerks Office.

The Friday session will include these departments: Mayor and Executive; Permits and Inspections Services; Administration, Policy and Urban Affairs; Parking; Assessment and Taxation; Audit and Control; Labor Unions; and Board of Education.

After the hearings, budget workshops with each department will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 8 and 9 in the Council conference room 1417. Council members will have discussions on specific requests, updates and details that were raised during the budget hearings.

All of the meetings, hearings and workshops will be livestreamed on the Councils Facebook page.

Per the City Charter, May 22 is the deadline for the Council to vote on the recommended budget, including any changes to be submitted to the mayor. If a finalized budget has not been adopted by the Council before June 8, the budget submitted by the mayor will become the budget for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1.
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State Sen. Timothy M. Kennedy, a Buffalo Democrat, will go to Washington soon with a new job  and big ambitions.

Now we take this fight to Washington to fix a broken system: a dysfunctional House of Representatives that's controlled by extreme Republicans, Kennedy said Tuesday night after handily winning a special election to the House in New Yorks 26th Congressional District. We're going to change all that. We're going to change Washington.

Kennedy dispatched the Republican candidate, West Seneca Town Supervisor Gary Dickson, by more than a 2-1 margin in the heavily Democratic Buffalo-based district. Kennedy will serve out the remaining eight months of the term of former Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat who resigned in February to take the helm of the Sheas Buffalo Performing Arts Center.

And while Kennedy got his start in politics as Higgins protege, the newly elected congressman made clear in his victory speech that he plans to have a stronger voice on national issues than his predecessor, who spent nearly 20 years in Washington largely focused on helping Buffalo.

We are going to go to Washington, D.C., together, Kennedy said. We will make our voices heard and be a model for the rest of the nation. We will change Washington. We will make this nation better for generations to come.

The Associated Press declared Kennedy the winner at 9:17 p.m. Tuesday, 17 minutes after polls closed. Kennedys win was no surprise, given that Democrats have a 2-1 enrollment advantage in the district. With 94% of the votes counted, Kennedy led with 68.2% of the vote, compared with 31.8% for Dickson.

Kennedy appeared onstage, flanked by his family, at 10:05 p.m. Tuesday after warm introductions from a longtime staffer, Masten District Council Member Zeneta Everhart, and Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy Zellner.

Tonight, we are one step closer to preserving democracy, Kennedy said, echoing his key campaign theme. We are one step closer to protecting human rights and freedoms across our country and across the globe. And tonight, we are one vote closer to a Democratic majority in the House.

Meanwhile, Dickson gathered with his fellow West Seneca Republicans at Klocs Grove, a West Seneca banquet facility.

In an interview after the Associated Press declared Kennedy the winner, Dickson attributed the results of the race to two factors: limited money and limited time.

The special election was a mismatch from the start, with Kennedy, a longtime state lawmaker and prolific fundraiser, outspending Dickson 47-1.

It just goes to show that without resources, or with minimal resources to get the word out, it's impossible to convince people, Dickson said.

While the underfunded Dickson largely relied on social media and radio ads to make his case to voters, Kennedy flooded the airwaves and mailboxes of Western New York with ads.

You could practically paper your house with his mailers, Dickson noted.

Dickson, who has three years remaining in his second term as West Seneca town supervisor, was noncommittal on his political future. He did not circulate petitions for a place on the ballot for the fall congressional race in the 26th District. But a Republican attorney, Anthony Marecki, did.

Noting that he generally got a positive reception from voters, Dickson  who entered the special election race in February  said it would have been easier to turn those positive impressions into votes if he had more time.

Kennedy is expected to be sworn in sometime in the next two weeks, although the exact timing is up to House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican.

Kennedy plans to run for re-election in November. Former Grand Island Town Supervisor Nate McMurray had hoped to challenge Kennedy in a Democratic primary on June 25, but he announced on social media Tuesday he has been knocked off the ballot.

"The board of elections deemed my signatures insufficient. Big shock. What can I say, we tried. Thanks for trying too," McMurray tweeted.

The special election pitted a longtime mainstream Democrat against a Republican who stressed education, immigration and crime as his key issues.

Most notably, Kennedy said fighting the Donald Trump MAGA movement would be his top priority in Congress, while Dickson never emphasized the polarizing former president, endorsed Trump without flourish and refused to say whether he voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020.

Kennedy, like his predecessor, emphasized transportation funding and other local issues throughout his political career.

However, Kennedy carries himself as a much more gregarious politician than the cerebral Higgins.

A lifelong resident of South Buffalo like Higgins, Kennedy attended St. Josephs Collegiate Institute before earning bachelors and masters degrees in occupational therapy from DYouville College. He worked for nearly a decade as an occupational therapist before entering politics full time.

But he showed an interest in politics in college, when he volunteered on Higgins campaign for the State Assembly.

Kennedy was appointed to the Erie County Legislature in 2004 and won re-election three times. In 2010, he challenged longtime Democratic State Sen. William Stachowski in a primary and won.

He defeated then-Assemblyman Jack Quinn III in the general election for the Senate seat and quickly rose in the ranks in Albany, eventually serving as chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. There, he more than doubled the amount of transportation funding his district got.

In an interview last month, Kennedy vowed to continue to fight to bring home funding for Buffalo if elected to Congress, but he also made clear that he doesnt want to remain a back-bencher for long.

I think to aspire to the strongest committees out of the gate is something that Im looking at, Kennedy told The News Editorial Board earlier this spring. You know, I want to set a marker down that our community deserves to be heard.

Kennedy and his wife, Katie, have raised their three children  Connor, Eireann and Padraic  in Buffalo. Their oldest son, Connor, attends college in Maine, while their younger two children attend Buffalo public schools.

26th District (Vote for one) County Kennedy votes Kennedy % Dickson votes Dickson % Erie 39,767 70.79% 16,270 29.21% Niagara 6,760 55.46% 5,415 44.54% Total 46,527 68.21% 21,685 31.60%
UN chief Guterres appeals for international pressure to stop Israel incursion into Rafah

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s Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood firmly by his determination to send troops into Rafah, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed for international pressure to stop the attack on the area where more than 1.2 million Palestinians are sheltering from Israeli invasion that has rolled across most of Gaza.

"I appeal for all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to prevent it," he said on Tuesday.

"A military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee" the area where "more than 1.2 million people are now seeking shelter in Rafah governorate, most of them fleeing the Israeli bombardment that has reportedly killed over 34,000 people", he said at a news conference.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, stated firmly: "We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate Hamas battalions there, with or without a deal, to achieve the total victory".

The statement came ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinkens visit to Israel where he is expected to reinforce President Joe Bidens opposition to the invasion of Rafah, which, according to the White House, the President reiterated to Netanyahu in a phone call on Sunday.

Guterres warned that an incursion into Rafah would have "serious repercussions on the occupied West Bank, and across the wider region".

The US and its allies have been trying to get Israel and Hamas on a deal that would lead to a ceasefire and the release of some hostages kidnapped by the terror organisation in an attack on Israel in October.

Blinken said in Riyadh on Monday that "Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily  extraordinarily  generous on the part of Israel".

"And in this moment, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide, and they have to decide quickly," he said.

According to media reports, Israel has lowered the number of hostages it demanded freed to less than 40 in exchange for the release of some Palestinian prisoners and a limited ceasefire.

Guterres warned that a famine was looming over Gaza because of limited access to food. He called for the opening of two more crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza to enable the delivery of aid into Gaza from Ashdod port and Jordan.

According to the State Department, Blinken on Tuesday met UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag in Amman and discussed the "shared commitment to surge critical humanitarian assistance in Gaza and ensure the recent increase in delivery of assistance is accelerated and sustained".

Guterres said that he was "deeply alarmed" by the discovery of mass graves in Gaza, including at two medical complexes.

Given the "competing narratives" around the mass graves and the killing of those buried there, he said that "it is imperative that independent international investigators, with forensic expertise, are allowed immediate access to the sites of these mass graves".

Guterres reiterated his condemnation of Hamas with a reference to the Jewish holy days. "As Passover ends, I once again express my solidarity with the victims of the unconscionable Hamas terror attacks of 7 October, with the hostages, and with their families and friends."

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

 UN chief Guterres appeals for international pressure to stop Israel incursion into Rafah

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On Maharashtra Day, looking back at actresses who aced playing Marathi characters

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he film industry is celebrating Maharashtra Day on Wednesday. The day is recognised for the creation of the state of Maharashtra after the Samyukta Maharashtra movement advocated for the formation of a separate Marathi-speaking state on May 1, 1960.

The leading ladies of cinema have portrayed memorable Marathi characters on screen. IANS takes a look at some of the most memorable performances by the actresses of Hindi cinema where they aced the role of a Marathi character.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas has portrayed Marathi characters in three of her films Kaminey, Agneepath and Bajirao Mastani. Each time, the actress brought something new to the table with regard to her portrayal. While in Kaminey she played the role of a gangsters sister from a lower middle-class background, in Agneepath she played a girl belonging to the downtrodden section from Dongri area of Mumbai. However, it was her performance in Bajirao Mastani as Kashibai, the first wife of Peshwa Bajirao, which won her critical acclaim. Priyanka played the character to perfection with its inner turmoil, the feeling of being wronged and losing her husband to another woman.

The next on the list is Kangana Ranaut. The actress essayed the role of Rani Lakshmi Bai in her directorial debut Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. The actress brought the nuances in the portrayal of the queen who headed the princely state of Jhansi in Maratha Empire. Kangana showed her valiant side as an actress and shone bright in the war sequences of the film which portray resistance and rebellion against the British Raj.

While Sridevi has portrayed many iconic characters on-screen, her portrayal of Shashi in the 2012 film English Vinglish is pure gold. Sridevi, who was known for her over-the-top projections of characters, played the character of Shashi with immense subtlety. She perfectly aced the mannerism and the diction of the character who hails from a very protected Marathi background and discovers her true worth while studying a new language with English. Her journey of studying a new language arms her with self-confidence and a new perspective to look at life and find her own footing in a foreign land.

Kriti Sanon played the role of Parvatibai in the 2019 film Panipat. Like her fellow National Award winner Kangana, Kriti aced both the fight sequences of war and the calm demeanour of the second wife of Sadashivrao Bhau, the commander of the Maratha army, portrayed by Arjun Kapoor, in the film.

A special mention to Deepika Padukone, who played the titular character of Mastani Bai in Bajirao Mastani. While her character in the film was a follower of Islam, she effortlessly joined the steps with Priyankas Kashibai in the song Pinga. Her styling, the nazakat, the duet with Priyanka in the song and the way she adopts the Marathi culture in the frame makes for a compelling watch.

 On Maharashtra Day, looking back at actresses who aced playing Marathi characters

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After 'Heeramandi' screening in LA, SLB joins Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos for dinner

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ndian auteur Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) was hosted by Netflixs co-CEO Ted Sarandos in Los Angeles for a dinner. The intimate dinner was hosted to celebrate the release of Netflixs highly-anticipated title Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, which also marks the streaming debut of Bhansali.

The two were joined by SNL star Bill Hader, Golden Globe-winning actress Ali Wong, filmmaker J. J. Abrams, Katie McGrath (Co-CEO of Bad Robot Productions) and Dan Lin, Chairman Netflix films.

For the occasion, SLB wore his signature black kurta which he paired with a white pyjama. Ted was dressed in black shirt which he paired with denims and a pair of suede leather shoes.

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is one of the biggest bets of Netflix in recent times. The streaming show, which features an ensemble star cast tells the story of two rival courtesans and how they vow to destroy each other in order to seek revenge.

Last year, Ted flew to India for a conversation with SLB on Heeramandi and other important aspects of films. Ted shared that India is the fastest-growing market for OTT in the world. He also went on to compare Bhansali to the Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, who is known for The Great Gatsby and Elvis.

A special screening of 'Heeramandi' was held in Los Angeles. YouTuber Lilly Singh and rapper Tasher also attended the screening

 After 'Heeramandi' screening in LA, SLB joins Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos for dinner

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TUC 2024: HS Prannoy finds winning form as India gear up for quarters after going down to Indonesia in last group game

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ndias top ranked singles player HS Prannoy hit the strides and showed that he was now ready for the big battles after overcoming health concerns with a come from behind win over Indonesias Anthony Ginting as the defending champions finished second in Group C at the BWF Thomas and Uber Cup 2024 in Chengdu, China, on Wednesday.

With the quarterfinal spot already assured, Indians took on multiple-time champions Indonesia in the last group clash, looking to find the right balance ahead of the knock-out stage.

The Indian womens team has also reached the quarterfinals and will face Japan on Thursday morning. The knock out draw for the mens team was not made at the time of writing.

Though the Indian mens team ended up on the losing end of the 1-4 score line, there were many positives. Prannoy fought back after a game down, the doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty forced a decider after saving eight match points and Kidambi Srikanth was just a point away from victory in the third singles but could not convert the opportunity.

Things looked quite difficult for Prannoy as he struggled in the opening game against the quick-footed Ginting. But the world no 9, who enjoyed a 3-2 head-to-head record against the Indonesian before this match, found his rhythm in time to register a 13-21, 21-12, 21-12 win in just over an hour.

I knew that Ginting was going to be quick in the opening game. But I knew that if I stuck with him in the second game till 13-all, 14-all then I had a chance, said Prannoy after the match adding that he is always confident when the match goes into the decider.

The first doubles was another close encounter with Satwik and Chirag saving two game points in the first game and then saving eight match points in the second against Muhammad Fikri and Bagas Maulana but could not avoid a 24-22, 22-24, 21-19 loss.

Lakshya Sen then pushed reigning All England champion Jonatan Christie to the decider but the Indonesian used all his experience to carve out a 1-18, 16-21, 21-17 win to give his team a 2-1 lead.

India then paired Dhruv Kapila with Sai Pratheek K in the second doubles instead of MR Arjun and the scratch pair raised hopes of an upset when they earned a game point against world no 13 combination of Leo Carnando and Daniel Marthin. But the Indonesians raised their game in the second to win the match 22-20, 21-11 to wrap up the tie.

In the third singles, Kidambi Srikanth could not convert two match points and lost 21-19, 22-24, 14-21.

 TUC 2024: HS Prannoy finds winning form as India gear up for quarters after going down to Indonesia in last group game

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If you live in Buffalo, expect to soon pay more for your property taxes and garbage collection.

Mayor Byron Browns proposed budget for 2024-25 would increase the citys property tax levy by 9%, the highest property tax increase ever under the Brown administration. That equates to an additional $14 million in property taxes collected by the city this next fiscal year.

The tax rate for both homeowners and commercial buildings would also rise considerably, with the commercial property tax rate rising more swiftly than the residential rate.

Under the new rate, the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 would pay $78 more in city taxes. Homeowners also would pay $30 more for garbage collection.

The higher tax rate requires the Common Council to override the state property tax cap, which it did on Tuesday. The Council still must approve the mayors budget proposal.

Brown said the increases are driven by increased costs and the settlement of union contracts, and are unavoidable if the city wishes to continue to provide the services it does now.

If this plan is not followed, things could go in a different direction, Brown said.

The mayor provided details to Buffalo News editors and reporters on Tuesday prior to his State of the City address Wednesday at Sheas 710 Theatre, which will include a budget presentation.

Brown said other factors driving the increases include higher health insurance costs for active and retired employees, and other increased employee benefit and pension costs. He also mentioned the citys higher debt burden due to the $43 million the city was forced to borrow to settle the case of Chelsea Ellis, a woman paralyzed from the neck down in 2020 after being struck by a police officers vehicle.

The city is also planning to spend more on outside contractors to help clear snow during major winter storms, though Brown said those costs are not driving the bulk of the property tax increase.

Paying more to protect the citys positive growth and continue services is absolutely worth it, Brown said.

We have made a lot of progress as a community, he said. We have built more affordable housing. Weve seen more economic development. Weve seen crime go down. Weve seen city services improved. Weve added more services to deal with snow and other extreme weather events. ... To keep delivering services that residents want and need, we want to continue to invest in ourselves.

Higher tax rates and fees

To boost the amount of property taxes collected by the city, the mayor is proposing a tax rate increase from $10.73 to $11.51 for every $1,000 of assessed value for residential properties, a 78-cent increase.

State budget gives Buffalo, other cities, towns and villages an extra $50M Buffalo will receive an extra $5 million, but Mayor Byron W. Brown thinks the city should have gotten an extra $10 million or more.

For commercial properties, the increase would be greater, with the tax rate growing from $18.72 to $21.04, a $2.32 increase. A commercial property assessed at $200,000 would see an increase of $464 in its taxes.

Commercial properties also would see a bigger hike in their garbage fee than residential property owners. Their fee would go up by $40, instead of the $30 increase for homeowners.

The city, which raised the garbage tax last year, plans to raise it again to make the costs of trash collection self sustaining, Brown said.

In addition, the city is also planning to raise fees for quality of life violations, such as a property owners failure to cut grass or shovel snow from the sidewalks. The city also will raise fees on rental unit registrations to help support the costs associated with the housing inspection and lead poisoning prevention program, Brown said.

A historic high

Over the past decade, the city has not adjusted its property taxes in a consistent manner. Over the past decade, Brown has chosen not to raise the tax levy at all during election years, and typically raised the levy between $2 million and $6 million in other years. Since re-election, he has raised the property tax levy by $11 million, more than 3% a year.

And none of the past tax increases can compare with the 9% increase proposed for this year.

Brown defended the hike and said the uneven property tax increases represent fiscal prudence. When the city could find other sources of revenue to support budget growth, it kept taxes low, ultimately saving taxpayers $363 million over the past 12 years by not raising residential property taxes 2% every year, he said.

He also said that despite the citys proposed property tax increase, the tax rate remains lower than that of Albany, Rochester and Syracuse, as well as the suburban towns of Amherst, Cheektowaga, Hamburg and Tonawanda.

Buffalo is probably one of the best values in the state for the services that people receive, Brown said. If you compare us to these other municipalities, were generally a lower number of employees than cities that are even smaller than us, lower tax rate than some of these cities, lower budget than cities that are smaller than us.

State of the City initiatives

Aside from reviewing the citys proposed budget, he also reviewed programs he intends to announce as part of his State of the City address. They include:

Infrastructure spending: The city expects to spend more than $300 million on infrastructure over the next three to four years. Spending includes $15 million on Jefferson Avenue; $15 million for Bailey Avenue; $50 million for Main Street from downtown to the Scajaquada Expressway; $60 million for the Cars on Main Street project; $25 million for Louisiana Street; $8 million for Michigan Avenue; $25 million on Tifft Street.

Since 2006, the city has spent more than $400 million for infrastructure improvements, Brown said. So to be able to do $300 million in three to four years is going to be very significant and very noticeable to the residents of the community.

More affordable housing: Brown will announce 4,000 units of additional affordable housing are coming to Buffalo in the next four years. That includes some Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority properties, said Brendan Mehaffy, executive director of the citys Office of Strategic Planning.

Snow fighting and other equipment: As Brown said earlier this year to The Buffalo News Editorial Board, the city will spend more money for private contractors and new equipment. The city will hire four additional snowplow operators, who also will be available for other seasons for sanitation efforts in the city, Brown said. Also, 14 snowplows in the current budget will arrive in Buffalo by October, as well as four garbage trucks.

Help for low-income homeowners: A bill forgiveness program is aimed at assisting more than 6,000 struggling low-income homeowners pay off their past due water, sewer and tax bills. About $20 million of the citys $331 million allotment of American Rescue Plan funding will be used for the forgiveness program.
Champaign County and the state department of revenue asked the Illinois Supreme Court to hear their appeals of a decision issued in 2023 by the 4th District Appellate Court that upheld seven years' worth of charitable tax exemptions for Carle.
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In a recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers evaluated the potential of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled electrocardiogram (ECG) to identify hospitalized patients at risk of death.

The burden of critical illness is expected to increase with the aging population. Intensive care for critically ill subjects reduces mortality, but delays can lead to adverse outcomes. While most in-hospital arrests could be prevented, identifying the early signs of deterioration could be difficult. Hospital hospitals have deployed rapid response systems (RRSs) to manage clinical decline. The track-and-trigger system (TTS) is critical to RRS activation.

TTS could be integrated into the hospital for real-time alerts, which may improve critical care quality. Previously, the researchers developed an AI-enabled ECG (AI-ECG) to stratify the mortality risk and predict all-cause mortality. They showed that AI-ECG performed better in predicting 30-day mortality than one-year mortality. While AI-ECG can serve as an effective TTS, there are no relevant randomized controlled trials to date.

Study: AI-enabled electrocardiography alert intervention and all-cause mortality: a pragmatic randomized clinical trial. Image Credit: totojang1977 / Shutterstock

About the study

In the present study, researchers applied AI-ECG to TTS to identify deteriorating patients whose conditions may be reversible and evaluate potential benefits. This trial was performed at a community hospital and an academic medical center in Taiwan. Patients data were collected from electronic health records (EHRs) and included in the analysis if they received an ECG for any indication between December 15, 2021, and April 30, 2022.

Subjects under 18 years and those with a delay of over two hours between ECG and AI-ECG analysis were excluded. AI-ECGs output was a value ranging between negative and positive infinity; thus, this was transformed into a percentile score. Patients were categorized as low or high risk based on a prespecified threshold, and the TTS was implemented accordingly.

Several analyses were undertaken to evaluate the performance of the percentile scores. Patients characteristics and ECG differences were compared between low- and high-risk groups. Further, the Spearman correlation coefficient analysis was performed using the three most significant variables that correlated with percentile scores. AI-ECG predictions were modeled and ranked using all variables using XGBoost.

The results of machine learning models were compared with AI-ECG scores. Cox proportional hazards models analyzed the relationship between AI-ECG risk stratification and the cause of death. Once AI-ECG indicated a high risk, the physician received an alert message. Physicians were instructed to comprehensively assess patients after receiving the alert and arrange appropriate tests and interventions.

While alerts were specifically sent for high-risk cases, physicians could still access the AI-ECG reports for low-risk patients in the intervention group through electronic health records (EHRs). In contrast, physicians in the control group received the AI-ECG reports without any real-time alerts, following the usual care protocol. The primary endpoint of the study was all-cause mortality within 90 days. Secondary endpoints included detailed cause-of-death analyses, as well as the frequency and types of follow-up tests and medical treatments initiated after the ECG assessments.

Findings

Overall, 39 physicians and 15,965 patients were included. The intervention group included 8,001 patients, while the control group had 7,964 patients. AI-ECG stratified 709 and 688 patients from intervention and control groups as having a high risk of mortality, respectively. Physicians received alerts for patients in the intervention group and accordingly arranged pertinent intensive monitoring or care. The team found that age was highly correlated with AI-ECG risk score.

Further, heart rate and modified early warning score (MEWS) were strongly associated with the score in medium-to-high-risk patients. AI-ECG was significantly better than patients baseline characteristics in predicting the mortality risk. The high-risk group had a hazard ratio of 7.53 for all-cause mortality, adjusted for age and sex. Further, its predictive ability was much higher for cardiac deaths compared to non-cardiac deaths.

Notably, the predictive ability was the highest for death due to arrhythmia. There was a significant difference in the cumulative proportion of deaths between groups. The active AI-ECG alerts decreased mortality risk in the intervention group from 23% to 16%. However, an opportunity to review AI-ECG reports for those with a low risk provided only a little help. The high-risk group had a significantly lower risk of cardiac and non-cardiac death.

Conclusions

Taken together, the study demonstrated that AI-ECG use resulted in a significant mortality reduction. The success of this RRS using AI-ECG could be attributed to physicians' higher attention. The team estimates an average of 10 or fewer alerts per month for each patient when deployed in real-time for all patients in the future.

While the precise mechanisms through which the AI-ECG system led to mortality reductions are unknown, two potential explanations have been proposed. First, the system has exceptional risk stratification capabilities, enabling physicians to pay more attention. Second, the system may identify subtle changes in the underlying cardiac conditions from unknown ECG features.

Not every day #AI is shown to be lifesaving.

(In fact, this is the first time!) https://t.co/iRbSBmRsoU  Eric Topol (@EricTopol) April 29, 2024
As an undergraduate student in The University of Texas at Arlington's Honors College, Hannah Selvarathinam knew she wanted to conduct research. Near the end of her first year at UTA, the Keller native reached out to the lab of biology Assistant Professor Piya Ghose.

"Hannah has been a very impressive scholar from Day 1," Ghose said. "She had the foresight to reach out for research opportunities very early on."

Ghose brought Selvarathinam in to work on one of the lab's core projects related to the genetics of cell death, modeled in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. Selvarathinam's work eventually led to her honors thesis, focused on brain health and behavior. The result is a new peer-reviewed publication detailing the genes affecting worm behavior that also are relevant to neurological disease in humans.

Through combing the literature and discussing her findings with me, she was able to make connections between the genes she was already studying as part of her cell biology project with her undergraduate psychology major and interests in human health. Hannah drove this project and regularly communicated with me for guidance and to share her exciting results. She took on the brave task of adapting and optimizing a published behavioral protocol for her project, which is exceptional for such a young trainee." Piya Ghose, Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at Arlington

For her study, Selvarathinam leveraged the fact that worms have similarities in their genes to humans and predictable behaviors that are easy to study. She proceeded to optimize an experi-mental protocol that aimed to link the mental illness schizophrenia to neurodegenerative disease using worm behavior.

"Normally, worms spend much of their time eating. But if they are interrupted by physical insult, they briefly stop in a manner similar to the startle response in humans," Selvarathinam said.

Schizophrenia has similar symptoms, and one hallmark is abnormal reactivity to a continued stimulus. Essentially, individuals with the illness take longer to become accustomed to a stimulus than those without.

"What we found in our study is that healthy worms, as expected, momentarily stopped eating when they were exposed to a stimulus, but soon continued to eat again," Selvarathinam explained. "But for worms with mutations in many of the neurodegeneration genes, such as with those related to hereditary spastic paraplegia and Alzheimer's disease, they continued to eat even after being exposed to the stimulus, which shows a heightened startle response.

"Our publication adds another building block to our understanding of brain disease in the hopes of finding a cure and also highlights C.elegans as a powerful model organism to pursue this goal."

After completing her honors thesis and graduating in winter 2022, Selvarathinam began working as a technician in Ghose's lab while preparing applications for medical school. She's now on track with another peer-reviewed publication for work she has done assisting on one of the lab's cell death projects.

"My research experience complements my goal to practice medicine by teaching me many transferable skills, such as reading scientific literature and applying my knowledge to solve problems and answer interesting questions," Selvarathinam said. "I am grateful for the opportunities I have had at UTA and for the chance to work with the Ghose Lab team. I am also thankful to the Honors College for its wonderful capstone project program. I encourage students to reach out to professors and seek out research opportunities here at UTA."
Use of publicly available large language models (LLMs) resulted in changes in breast imaging reports classification that could have a negative effect on patient management, according to a new international study published today in the journal Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The study findings underscore the need to regulate these LLMs in scenarios that require high-level medical reasoning, researchers said.

LLMs are a type of artificial intelligence (AI) widely used today for a variety of purposes. In radiology, LLMs have already been tested in a wide variety of clinical tasks, from processing radiology request forms to providing imaging recommendations and diagnosis support.

Publicly available generic LLMs like ChatGPT (GPT 3.5 and GPT-4) and Google Gemini (formerly Bard) have shown promising results in some tasks. Importantly, however, they are less successful at more complex tasks requiring a higher level of reasoning and deeper clinical knowledge, such as providing imaging recommendations. Users seeking medical advice may not always understand the limitations of these untrained programs.

Evaluating the abilities of generic LLMs remains important as these tools are the most readily available and may unjustifiably be used by both patients and non-radiologist physicians seeking a second opinion." Andrea Cozzi, M.D., Ph.D., study co-lead author, radiology resident and post-doctoral research fellow at the Imaging Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, in Lugano, Switzerland

Dr. Cozzi and colleagues set out to test the generic LLMs on a task that pertains to daily clinical routine but where the depth of medical reasoning is high and where the use of languages other than English would further stress LLMs capabilities. They focused on the agreement between human readers and LLMs for the assignment of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) categories, a widely used system to describe and classify breast lesions.

The Swiss researchers partnered with an American team from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and a Dutch team at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam.

The study included BI-RADS classifications of 2,400 breast imaging reports written in English, Italian and Dutch. Three LLMs-;GPT-3.5, GPT-4 and Google Bard (now renamed Google Gemini)-;assigned BI-RADS categories using only the findings described by the original radiologists. The researchers then compared the performance of the LLMs with that of board-certified breast radiologists.

The agreement for BI-RADS category assignments between human readers was almost perfect. However, the agreement between humans and the LLMs was only moderate. Most importantly, the researchers also observed a high percentage of discordant category assignments that would result in negative changes in patient management. This raises several concerns about the potential consequences of placing too much reliance on these widely available LLMs.

According to Dr. Cozzi, the results highlight the need for regulation of LLMs when there is a highly likely possibility that users may ask them health-care-related questions of varying depth and complexity.

"The results of this study add to the growing body of evidence that reminds us of the need to carefully understand and highlight the pros and cons of LLM use in health care," he said. "These programs can be a wonderful tool for many tasks but should be used wisely. Patients need to be aware of the intrinsic shortcomings of these tools, and that they may receive incomplete or even utterly wrong replies to complex questions."

The Swiss researchers were supervised by the co-senior author Simone Schiaffino, M.D. The American team was led by the co-first author Katja Pinker, M.D., Ph.D., and the Dutch team was led by the co-senior author Ritse M. Mann, M.D., Ph.D.

"BI-RADS Category Assignments by GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and Google Bard: A Multilanguage Study." Collaborating with Drs. Cozzi, Pinker, Schiaffino and Mann were Andri Hidber, B.Med., Tianyu Zhang, Ph.D., Luca Bonomo, M.D., Roberto Lo Gullo, M.D., Blake Christianson, M.D., Marco Curti, M.D., Stefania Rizzo, M.D., Ph.D., and Filippo Del Grande, M.D., M.B.A., M.H.E.M.
In a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers evaluated the safety and efficacy of a novel monoclonal antibody-based vaccine (L9LS) in children aged 6 to 10. The study establishes the lack of safety concerns associated with the drug in children. It highlights the antibody's ability to reduce infection risk by 70% and clinical malaria risk by 77% compared to unvaccinated placebos. These findings suggest that the vaccine could protect children too young to receive conventional chemopreventive vaccines (RTS, S/AS0, or R21/Matrix-M), potentially reducing the available reservoir of the mosquito-transmitted disease.

Study: Subcutaneous Administration of a Monoclonal Antibody to Prevent Malaria. Image Credit: Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock

The burden of malaria in young children

Malaria is a mosquito-transmitted, blood-borne disease caused by the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum. It is primarily transmitted between infected humans by the bites of female Anopheles spp. mosquitoes, though instances of transmission via contaminated blood transfusions or shared infected needles have also been reported. Alarmingly, despite medical advances in the disease's prevention and treatment, the global prevalence of the disease is rapidly rising, with more than 249 million recorded infections in 2022, an increase of 5 million cases compared to the previous year (2021).

Children represent some of the most at-risk populations for malarial-associated morbidity and mortality, with more than 600,000 deaths recorded annually. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended childhood malarial chemoprevention via the RTS, S/AS01-, and more recently, the R21/Matrix-M vaccines to address children's role as victims and reservoirs of the disease's transmission. These vaccines were previously found to be 36% and 75% effective in preventing malarial infection over 4-year and 12-month periods, respectively. Unfortunately, these drugs target children in the 5-36 months age group, with older children left largely unprotected.

L9LS  a novel anti-malarial monoclonal antibody-based vaccine

L9LS is a recently developed human IgG1 monoclonal antibody derived from the successful phase 2 clinical trial of CIS43LS, a monoclonal antibody previously shown to be effective in preventing up to 88.2% of adult malaria infections by targeting highlight conserved junctional epitopes (circumsporozoite protein) in adult P. falciparum infections (PfCSP). Produced via cell-culture expressions in genetically altered Chinese hamster ovary cell lines, L9LS has been shown to achieve more potent anti-malarial protection in phase 1 clinical trials compared to its predecessor, with four out of the five adults who received the drug effectively prevented from contracting the disease.

Encouragingly, only 5 mg per kg body weight of the novel antibody was found to be comparable in performance to 40 mg per kilogram dosages of CIS43LS in preclinical models while also being safe for administration during the 4-6 month-long malarial season. This suggests that the vaccine may also be effective in treating the hitherto vulnerable 6-10-year-old age group, hitherto found too old for R21/Martix-M interventions but too young for traditional adult-administered vaccines, albeit this hypothesis has never formally been investigated.

About the study

In the present study, researchers conducted phase 2 clinical trials in children from Toronto and Kalifabougor, Mali, hotpots of malarial endemism during the July through December season. The study sample comprised healthy adults aged 18 to 55 and children aged 6 to 10. The trial was conducted per the International Council for Harmonisation's Good Clinical Practises guidelines, reviewed by the Malian Food and Drug Administration, and sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The trial was divided into two main parts. In part A, 18 prespecified adults were administered L9LS in 300 or 600 mg dosages (injected subcutaneously) or 20 mg/kg body weight (administered intravenously; 6 individuals per intervention subgroup). Once all three trials were found to be both safe and effective in preventing adult malarial infection, 18 children were assigned to either the case (150 mg of L9LS) or placebo-controlled (saline) cohorts in a 1:1 ratio.

"Adults were followed for safety on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 and then monthly through 28 weeks after administration, and children on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 and then every 2 weeks through 28 weeks after administration."

In part B, children were randomly block-assigned to receive 150 mg of L9LS, 300 mg of L9LS, or a placebo (administered subcutaneously) in a 1:1:1 ratio. Participants' medical progress was monitored every 2 weeks for 24 weeks, during which physical examinations and microscopic evaluations of blood-smear samples were carried out.

Study findings and conclusions

A single subcutaneous dose of L9LS effectively reduced childhood malarial risk by 70% and clinical (symptomatic) malaria by 77%. Surprisingly, 150 mg of L9LS was associated with lower malarial incidence than 300 mg, though this might be explained by sporozoite infections that occurred before L9LS reached maximum serum concentrations. The vaccine was found to be safe, with mild, transient swelling at the injection site representing the only solicited adverse events (within the first seven days) and no severe side effects across the 28-week-long follow-up period.

This study establishes L9LS as a safe and effective booster therapy in the war against childhood malaria. It provides evidence to support the continued development of monoclonal antibodies as anti-malaria interventions.
In a recent study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, researchers investigated the association between levels of physical fitness and mental disorder risks among children and adolescents over a decade.

They found that better cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular endurance, and muscular power were associated with reduced risks of anxiety, depression, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), suggesting the potential protective role that physical fitness can play in preventing the onset of mental disorders in this demographic.

Study: Physical Fitness and Risk of Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Image Credit: matimix / Shutterstock

Background

The World Health Organization reports that mental health problems affect one in seven individuals aged 10 to 19 years, with increasing prevalence worldwide.

Enhancing mental health involves identifying protective factors against these challenges, with physical fitness emerging as a significant consideration.

Previous research involving children and adolescents indicates a positive link between physical fitness and mental health, albeit with limitations such as study design and inconsistent correlations.

About the study

A study conducted in Taiwan aimed to address this gap by examining the relationship between levels of physical fitness and the risk of developing mental disorders in the long term, including anxiety, depression, and ADHD, utilizing a longitudinal approach with a sizeable national-level cohort.

Its objective was to elucidate the potential role of physical fitness as an indicator for identifying individuals at risk of developing mental disorders.

The study utilized retrospective data obtained from the National Student Fitness Tests Database (NSFTD) and the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan.

From the NHIRD, researchers obtained medical claims data, while the NSFTD compiled data from annual physical fitness assessments and included body mass index (BMI) records of students.

Two distinct cohorts were constructed: anxiety and depression (ANX-DEP) and ADHD, spanning from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2019. Participants were students aged 10 or 11 years with a minimum follow-up period of three years.

Exclusion criteria included prior cerebral palsy diagnosis and previous diagnoses of anxiety, depression, or ADHD. Physical fitness measures comprised an 800-meter run (cardiorespiratory fitness [CF]), bent-leg curl-ups to test muscular endurance [ME], standing broad jumps to assess muscular power [MP], and sit-and-reach tests that assessed flexibility fitness [FF].

The primary outcome was the clinical diagnosis of a mental disorder after the index date and supported by claims data. Researchers used multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to assess the relationship between physical fitness and risk of mental disorder, with sensitivity analyses conducted to ensure robustness.

Findings

The study analyzed data from nearly four million Taiwanese students, constructing two cohorts focusing on ADHD and ANX-DEP, with a median age of 10.6 years.

Participants underwent various fitness tests, with females and males achieving mean scores of 5.1 and 4.9 minutes in CF, respectively. Lower fitness levels were associated with higher risks of mental disorders.

For instance, in the best-performing quartile of CF, female participants had a cumulative ADHD incidence of 0.18%, compared to 0.46% in the lowest quartile. Similar patterns were observed in male participants, indicating a dose-dependent link between physical fitness and mental disorder risks.

Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models revealed significant associations between improved physical fitness and reduced risks of anxiety, depression, and ADHD. For example, a half-minute decrease in 800-meter run times (CF) was correlated with a 3% to 8% decrease in mental disorder risk.

Similarly, enhancements in ME, MP, and FF were associated with decreased risks of various mental disorders, with differential effects observed between genders.

Sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of these findings, confirming a dose-response association between higher physical fitness levels and lower mental disorder risks.

Additionally, improvements in fitness over time were linked to reduced incidence of mental disorders, emphasizing the importance of fitness enhancement programs in promoting mental health among children and adolescents.

Conclusions

The study, involving 1.9 million children and adolescents, found that lower levels of physical fitness, especially in cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, were independently linked to higher incidences of anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and ADHD.

This association persisted even after accounting for potential confounding factors like demographics, BMI, and psychiatric comorbidities. The research highlighted how different fitness components were associated with mental disorders, with notable sex differences observed.

While cardiorespiratory fitness showed the strongest association with mental health, the relationship between flexibility and mental disorders was less significant.

The study emphasized the importance of considering sex as a pivotal factor in examining the link between physical fitness and mental disorders, and it provided robust evidence of an inverse association between physical fitness and ADHD risk.

The study's strengths included its large, nationwide cohort and standardized physical fitness assessments. Its limitations included the observational nature of the study and the lack of data on pubertal status and other health-related behaviors.

Overall, the research underscores the potential of targeted programs to promote physical fitness as a primary preventive intervention against mental disorders in children and adolescent individuals.
In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, researchers examined the mediating function of web addiction in the association between alexithymia and depressive symptoms and the moderating influence of physical exercise.

Study: The mediating effect of internet addiction and the moderating effect of physical activity on the relationship between alexithymia and depression. Image Credit: GaudiLab/Shutterstock.com

Background

Alexithymia, a personality characteristic associated with emotional impairment, is frequently connected to depression in undergraduates.

This syndrome can make it harder to establish interpersonal interactions, making people feel less socially supported with weaker communication skills. Transitioning to university requires more flexible schedules and broader social groups to overcome a significant challenge.

The link between alexithymia and depressive symptoms exists in both clinical and non-clinical populations, and depression serves as a mediator between alexithymia and other risk behaviors. Alexithymia sufferers may demonstrate extreme internet addiction, which grows with age and grade.

Reregulating the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function and encouraging physical exercise might help to ease the significant link between online addiction and depressive symptoms.

About the study

In the present study, researchers investigated the links between alexithymia presence and depressive symptoms among undergraduates, the regulating impact of web addiction, and potential moderation by physical exercise.

The researchers conducted the study in October 2023 at two institutions in the western region of Hunan Province, China.

They used online addiction as a regulatory factor between depressive symptoms and alexithymia and exercise to regulate the association between web addiction and depressive symptoms, elucidating the underlying mechanisms linking alexithymia to depression.

The analysis comprised 594 valid replies, with an average age of 19 years. The sample included 250 males (42%) and 344 females (58%). The researchers used the replies to conduct descriptive, correlation, and regression analyses and build mediation and moderation models.

In total, 676 students completed electronic questionnaires within 20 minutes. The team used the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) to determine the extent of alexithymia and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) to evaluate depressive symptoms.

The researchers assessed online addiction levels using the online Addiction Test (IAT) and the Physical Activity Scale, established by Liang Deqing, to assess physical activity.

The team performed correlation analysis and used descriptive statistics to characterize the participants' demographic characteristics and the primary interest variables, adjusting for age and sex.

Results and discussion

Alexithymia showed significantly positive associations with depression and online addiction, whereas physical exercise had a significantly negative link with online addiction and depressive symptoms among undergraduates.

Internet addiction was significantly and favorably connected with sadness and strongly adversely associated with physical exercise among college students. Exercise has a significant negative correlation with depression in undergraduates.

Internet addiction amplified the connection between alexithymia and depression, whereas physical exercise acted as a moderator, weakening the correlation.

After adjusting for confounders and adding moderating factors, alexithymia continued to strongly and positively predict the extent of depression among undergraduates.

The mediation assessment showed alexithymia positively and significantly predicted online addiction in college students, whereas internet addiction serves as a mediating factor between alexithymia presence and depression levels in students.

The moderation assessment showed that physical exercise adversely predicts depression, as do interaction terms between web addiction and exercise among students.

Alexithymia is associated with decreased emotional control and an elevated risk of depression in undergraduates. This illness can result in decreased social assistance and higher degrees of depression.

Internet addiction mediates this association since trouble detecting emotions contributes to disturbances in real-world relationships, prompting individuals to seek social fulfillment online.

Based on the compensatory internet usage hypothesis, unpleasant social interactions and emotions force individuals to avoid the web to cope but worsen their internet addiction.

Long-term exercise can minimize online addiction and depressive symptoms, balance parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system functions, and enhance sleep quality. To address the link between depression and alexithymia, one must assess internet addiction and promote active participation in physical tasks.

The study investigated the link between depressive symptoms and alexithymia in college students, indicating that excessive internet use may moderate the relationship as an emotional coping mechanism.

Physical exercise reduces the predictive value of web addiction for depression. The findings indicate favorable associations between alexithymia, internet addiction, and depression but negative relationships with physical activity.

After adjusting for demographic factors, internet addiction mediates the link between anxiety and depression in college students, whereas physical exercise modulates the association.

Future studies could analyze longitudinal information to explore causal correlations, integrate objective and subjective data to increase evidentiary credibility, and include cross-regional designs to improve understanding of the association between these factors.
NatureMetrics is a global leader in providing nature data and intelligence. The company produces large-scale biodiversity data to support global sustainability and conservation efforts by utilizing state-of-the-art technology that can detect and identify environmental DNA (eDNA) left by organisms in water, sediment, soil, and air.

Image Credit: angellodeco/Shutterstock.com

To manage its unique and intricate next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflows, NatureMetrics needed more than patchwork spreadsheets. The company's main goal is to compile an extensive database of life on Earth that will assist humans in determining the best ways to protect it. Since implementing Sapio Sciences' cutting-edge, unified LIMS platform, the business has allowed NatureMetrics to:

Implement an out-of-the-box, end-to-end workflow for sample, material, and instrument management.

Track samples through a complex network of parallel and intersecting processes.

Simplify sample routing and decision-making by automating important quality control processes.

The customer

NatureMetrics, a global leader in nature intelligence technologies, offers a complete solution for impact reporting and nature monitoring. The company's eDNA-powered Nature Intelligence Platform converts species data at the site level into insightful management and monitoring of biodiversity and nature.

Businesses can manage their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity at scale thanks to the services provided by NatureMetrics. These services translate nature's complex nature into easily understood insights that help guide decisions about how operations affect sustainability, conservation, and the environment.

These services include a powerful impact monitoring and reporting platform, strategy development, and survey capabilities. The company's technology has facilitated biomonitoring in various global projects, such as mining operations in West Africa, conservation initiatives in the Amazon rainforest, and renewable energy infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom.

The challenge

Over time, NatureMetrics has amassed a network of linked databases and spreadsheets to oversee its diverse sequencing processes.

NatureMetrics said, We developed somewhat clever methods of interlinking between spreadsheets and built dashboards to help manage processes.

However, as the company expanded, this soon proved restrictive, particularly when up to 40 NatureMetrics scientists required simultaneous access to data. Additionally, they noted that the spreadsheets lacked the data integrity required by NatureMetrics.

Furthermore, the inherent complexity of the current databases led to the creation of additional specialized satellite spreadsheets, which, although fit for their specific purposes, operated in isolation and were challenging to extract insights from automatically.

NatureMetrics explained, We needed to mature our informatics environment to match the cutting-edge technology applied in other aspects of our business. Most of all, we needed a system that could support our complex workflows from start to finish and easily adapt as we made changes in our processes or added new types of experiments.

The solution

In its initial search for a cutting-edge informatics solution, NatureMetrics examined 15 laboratory information management systems (LIMS). The NatureMetrics LIMS working group assessed five candidates, and three finalists were tested to determine which would be most appropriate for NatureMetrics' particular requirements.

NatureMetrics said, We didnt want to have to bend our processes to fit a LIMS. Rather, our goal was to find a system that could provide much of the functionality we required out of the box, with ways to perform easy configurations to the system to meet our needs without requiring massive amounts of coding.

NatureMetrics chose the Sapio platform, which integrates a cloud-based scientific data management solution called Jarvis, an electronic laboratory notebook (ELN), and a LIMS. NatureMetrics said, The openness and flexibility of the Sapio solution impressed us, and the low-code/no-code system has enabled us to define standard processes and, importantly, make changes as our needs and technology evolve.

The Sapio system currently supports around 50 scientists who work in two labs in Canada and the United Kingdom.

Results/Benefits

NatureMetrics uses the Sapio platform to standardize its intricate NGS workflows and eliminate important data-management bottlenecks.

It was game-changing to find one out-of-the-box workflow that could cover our entire process from start to finish, including everything from indexing of samples to sequencing and delivering results to our clients, said NatureMetrics.

For example, the Sapio system is set up to automatically assign samples to plates, meeting the different plating needs of the numerous assays and environments in the NatureMetrics product catalog. By automatically sorting samples as they enter the Sapio Process queue, the configuration has expedited the parallel processing of samples from various orders and projects.

The platform's capacity to handle pooled samples, which NatureMetrics uses to parallelize high-throughput sample sequencing, impressed scientists. As their samples and subsamples move through the NGS workflow, scientists can see a hierarchical, parent-child pedigree of them using the Sapio platform.

NatureMetrics made decisions about quality-control metrics and sensitivity more efficiently, thanks to the Sapio platform. Since NatureMetrics uses minuscule amounts of DNA extracted from environmental sources, a very high level of sensitivity is required. As a result, samples can become contaminated by people and more prevalent species, like domestic animals and livestock. Monitoring and containing possible contaminants is made easier by the Sapio platform, which tracks all related supplies, reagents, and equipment used in the experiments.

Before NatureMetrics deployed the Sapio platform, scientists held regular meetings to review experimental metrics and decide which samples should be rerun if quality control failed. The Sapio platform can automatically make a range of quality-control decisions by applying a set of preconfigured rules. These rules can be used to reject samples that do not meet predetermined criteria or reroute samples back through sequencing when thresholds are reached.

This hard set of rigorous quality control rules is enabling us to eliminate these meetings so that we can better focus resources on processing samples through the lab, said NatureMetrics.

During the Sapio platform implementation process, NatureMetrics discovered several important insights.

Having thorough records of the requirements and current procedures made it possible for the business to deploy the Sapio platform swiftly.

Acceptance criteria were specified at each stage of implementation, and everyone remained in alignment through kick-off meetings with Sapio.

Testing was essential. We tried to break the system during the UAT phase to know exactly how the system would react to different scenarios, said NatureMetrics.

NatureMetrics ran the Sapio platform concurrently with the organization's previous systems to go live with the system. This helped with training and allowed NatureMetrics to identify any lingering bugs and issues during the rollout.

NatureMetrics plans to integrate other features currently handled by different platforms, such as tools for monitoring inventory levels and equipment upkeep. Dashboards are also being used for various scientific tasks. Long term, the company intends to directly integrate the Sapio platform with other business systems, such as NatureMetrics's data warehouse and ERP and instrument software.
Petrol and Diesel Prices On May 1, 2024: Today, on May 1, government oil companies have released new petrol and diesel prices across the country. Fuel prices are announced every day at 6 am. According to this, petrol and diesel prices have increased in some states today. While in some states petrol and diesel have also become cheaper. At the same time, today the petrol and diesel prices are stable in many states of the country.

Before the Lok Sabha elections 2024, petrol and diesel prices were reduced by Rs 2 on March 14, 2024.

New petrol and diesel rates are released every day at 6 am in the country. Oil companies have released new prices of petrol and diesel for 25 April. According to the information, there has been no change in petrol and diesel prices in the countrys metros even on 25 April. Let us know what are the fuel prices in the metros.

Petrol-diesel prices in metros

After this cut, the petrol price in the national capital is now Rs 94.72 per litre, which was earlier Rs 96.72 per litre. Whereas, diesel costs Rs 87.62 per litre, which was earlier Rs 89.62 per litre. Today petrol has become Rs 104.21 per litre in Mumbai, Rs 103.94 in Kolkata, and Rs 100.75 per litre in Chennai. Whereas, the price of diesel has become Rs 92.15 per litre in Mumbai, Rs 90.76 in Kolkata, and Rs 92.34 per litre in Chennai.

Petrol-diesel prices in major Indian cities

Noida: Petrol is Rs 94.83 per litre and diesel is Rs 87.94 per litre

Gurugram: Petrol is Rs 94.94 per litre and diesel is Rs 87.80 per litre

Bengaluru: Petrol Rs 99.84 per litre and diesel Rs 85.93 per litre

Chandigarh: Petrol is Rs 94.24 per litre and diesel is Rs 82.40 per litre

Hyderabad: Petrol is Rs 107.41 per litre and diesel is Rs 95.65 per litre

Jaipur: Petrol is Rs 104.88 per litre and diesel is Rs 90.36 per litre

Patna: Petrol is Rs 105.18 per litre and diesel is Rs 92.04 per litre

Lucknow: Petrol is Rs 94.65 per litre and diesel is Rs 87.76 per litre.

Petrol and diesel are cheaper in these states including Bihar

If we talk at the state level, petrol and diesel have become cheaper in Bihar today. Here petrol price has come down by 12 paise to Rs 107.00 per litre and diesel (Diesel Price in Bihar) has come down by 17 paise to Rs 93.72 per litre. Apart from this, petrol and diesel have also become cheaper in Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand today.

On the other hand, petrol and diesel prices have increased in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura and UP.

Know the price of petrol and diesel through SMS

You can also find out the latest rates of petrol and diesel in your city through SMS. If you are a customer of Indian Oil, then you will have to write RSP along with the city code and send it to 9224992249. If you are a customer of BPCL, then you can get information about the new price of petrol and diesel by writing RSP and sending it to 9223112222. Whereas, if you are a customer of HPCL, then you can find out the price of petrol and diesel by writing HP Price and sending it to 9222201122.
A resident of Parasrampura village, Nawalgarh tehsil, Jhunjhunun district, Rajasthan, Ritu Meena secured 930th rank in the Union Public Service Commission CSE 2023. She has cracked this exam on her 4th attempt. At Ritus arrival, the natives of the Parasrampura village left no stone unturned to celebrate this joyous occasion.

Ritu was felicitated in a car rally from Baba Mandas Ji Ashram to Aggarwal Bhawan, Rajasthan. In addition to this rally, a function was also held in the village to mark her accomplishment. The Parasrampura resident had left no stone unturned to crack the UPSC exam, considered the most prestigious exam in India.

In an interaction with Local 18 Rajasthan, Ritu said that without any doubt, the UPSC exam is difficult. She said that the candidates should keep in mind the toughness level of this exam and be mentally strong to face that level. She credited self-study as her method of preparation for qualifying for this exam.

Ritu added that she utilised her free time in the office to complete her studies related to the UPSC exam. There used to be offs in her company on Saturday and Sunday. She used to productively devote even more time to completing her syllabus in comparison to normal days. As revealed by her, she used to give 10-12 hours to finish her UPSC syllabus. According to Ritu, UPSC mein pass hone ka ek tarika hain jo main samajh paayi hun apni limited capacity mein is uska syllabus follow karna. (A solution to crack the UPSC exam in following its syllabus).

Ritu Meena completed her preliminary education till class 9th from Belabai Murarka School, Nawalgarh. She then went on to complete her school till Class 12 at Shekhawati Public School. She finished her graduation in engineering from the Banaras Hindu University. In 2021, she joined the Ministry of External Affairs and then, she started preparing for the UPSC exam.

Stay updated with live coverage of PSEB 8th, 12th Result 2024 on our website. Get Direct link , Toppers List , And Pass Percentages News18 Website.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) has released the 2nd PUC revaluation and totalling results for 2024. To access these results, students should visit the official website of KSEAB at kseab.karnataka.gov.in. To view the 2nd PUC revaluation result, students are required to log in using their registration number and select their respective stream.

The Karnataka 2nd PUC result for 2024 was declared on April 10, 2024. The board is currently conducting the states 2nd PUC exams from April 29 to May 16. The exams are divided into two shifts: the morning session, scheduled from 10:15 AM to 1:30 PM, and the afternoon session, commencing at 2:15 PM. The majority of papers are allocated to the morning shift.

Students dissatisfied with their Karnataka Board 2nd PUC 2024 exam marks had the option to request re-evaluation. They were required to apply for re-evaluation and answer sheet verification through the official portal.

Karnataka 2nd PUC Revaluation Result 2024: How to check

Step 1: Open the official website of Karnataka 2nd PUC result 2024 i.e., kseab.karnataka.gov.in.

Step 2: Proceed by clicking on the option II PUC Exam-1, 2024- Updated Result (Including Revaluation and Retotalling).

Step 3: A login page will open.

Step 4: Fill in the registration number and select the stream or subject combination.

Step 5: Your results will be displayed on the screen.

The Karnataka 2nd PUC revaluation scorecard will contain the students name, subject-wise total marks, date of birth, roll number, marks obtained in each subject, total marks achieved, and pass status.

The overall pass percentage for the Karnataka 2nd PUC exams was 81.15 per cent. A student named Vidyalakshmi secured the top position in the exams with a total of 598 marks.

In the arts stream, out of the total 187,891 students who appeared for the exams, 128,448 successfully passed, resulting in a pass percentage of 68.36 per cent. Similarly, in the commerce stream, out of 215,357 students who took the exam, 174,315 passed, achieving an impressive pass rate of 80.94 per cent. Approximately 2 lakh students successfully passed the science exam, boasting an impressive pass rate of 89.96 per cent.

Stay updated with live coverage of PSEB 8th, 12th Result 2024 on our website. Get Direct link , Toppers List , And Pass Percentages News18 Website.
The Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department of Bihar, KK Pathak is once again in the news. He has once again suspended the salaries of District Education Officers (DEOs) and District Program Officers (DPOs) for April in 38 districts of Bihar. Now, an explanation has been sought from the authorities regarding this.

KK Pathak had provided strict instructions that the salaries of teachers appointed by the Bihar Public Service Commission should be paid on time. Despite this directive, the salaries of the reinstated teachers in Teacher Recruitment Examination 1 (TRE) and TRE 2 of the state have not been paid on time. The salaries of the appointed teachers have also not been paid for March month.

KK Pathak held a video conference tax review meeting and took action against all the DEOs and DPOs for negligence in non-payment of salaries. He demanded clarification from the officials within 24 hours. He further warned that the payment of salaries to all officers for April will be suspended until he receives an answer. Now, Director of Administration, Subodh Chowdhury has issued an order by letter. The decision taken by KK Pathak has sparked heated discussions among teachers across the state and everyone has appreciated his prompt action and decision.

This is not the first time that KK Pathak has grabbed the headlines. He has a reputation as a reformer and is quite popular in the state. He came to the limelight after he gave up charge as the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of Bihars education department. Reportedly, he had first applied for leave and then the next day he gave up charge as the ACS. The very same day, the General Administration Department (GAD) announced handing over the charges of the department to Baidyanath Yadav. Reportedly, KK Pathaks work and style of handling the department ruffled many feathers.

KK Pathak joined the Education Department of Bihar in June 2023 and worked actively. Soon after joining, he cut down the holiday list and increased school hours, which left many teachers irked. He also got embroiled in a controversy for striking off several Hindu festivals off the holiday list.

Stay updated with live coverage of PSEB 8th, 12th Result 2024 on our website. Get Direct link , Toppers List , And Pass Percentages News18 Website.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday accused Congress of coining the term Hindu terrorism and took a veiled swipe at veteran leader Sushilkumar Shinde who was a Union home minister during the UPA era.

Speaking at a campaign rally here for Ram Satpute, the BJP candidate from Solapur Lok Sabha constituency, Adityanath credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with enhancing Indias global stature and bolstering security on the countrys borders.

The Congress has fielded Praniti Shinde, Sushilkumar Shindes daughter, from this south Maharashtra seat.

These are the same Congress people who cast doubts over the existence of Lord Ram, and these are the same people who coined the term Hindu terrorism to insult Hindus.During the UPA rule, they coined this word, and recall who was the Union home minister then and today his family member is contesting election here, he said, without naming Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister also claimed that attempts were made to drag his name in the Malegaon blasts case during the UPA rule.

Congress could have made India a world power in the 65 years of its rule, he said.

It could have freed the country of Naxalism and terrorism, but it was Congress which was the root cause of terrorism and it was Congress which allowed Naxalism (to grow). It was Congress who gave us poverty and corruption and undermined national security, Adityanath said.

The opposition party was now planning to rob the reservations of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Class, he claimed.

The Congress-led UPA government set up a committee under Justice Ranganath Misra which recommended six percent reservation to Muslims from the 27 percent quota of OBCs, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

The Congress government tried to put Muslims in the SC and ST categories by forming the Sachar Committee but the plan did not succeed due to the BJPs opposition, he claimed.

Today, the Congress is conspiring to break the quota of SCs, STs and OBCs. The Mahagatbandhan (grand alliance) led by Congress is actually a `Mahasamasya (grand problem) of the country, Adityanath said, calling the party a barrier to Indias development.

Referring to Congress demand for a caste-based census, he said after such a survey is conducted, it will pit Hindu communities against each other.

Congress will then give quota to Muslims which will create an outline for Islamization of India, he alleged.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
The Election Commission on Wednesday reprimanded Bharat Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrashekar Rao and barred him from campaigning for 48 hours for his objectionable remarks against the Congress.

The EC said his remarks at a press conference Sircilla on April 5 were violative of the provisions of the model code of conduct and its advisories.

The English transcript of his statement provided by the EC in its order shows he used invectives against the Congress which rules Telangana. The 48-hour ban of the former Telangana chief minister comes into force at 8 pm on Wednesday.

After Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, Rao is the second politician to be banned from campaigning for 48 hours in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. In his reply to a show-cause notice issued by the poll authority, Rao had claimed that his words were twisted.

He also said the local poll officials could not follow the local Telugu dialect. The order served on him reminded that Rao had violated the poll code in the past elections too.

While strongly condemning him, the Commission used its constitutional powers to ban him from campaigning. A Congress leader had moved the poll panel against the BRS chief.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Claim

A purported press release from the All India Congress Committee, stating that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Raebareli and Amethi constituencies of Uttar Pradesh respectively.

The circular went viral amid reports of last-ditch attempts being made to convince the siblings to enter the fray as the Congress candidates for the Amethi and Raebareli seats, which are set to go to polls in the fifth phase of the elections on May 20. The last day for filing nominations is May 3.

FACT

Newschecker first ran a search for relevant news reports about the Congress announcing Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi as candidates for the two constituencies, which did not lead us to any credible articles. We then looked up the official social media handles of the party, which also did not throw up any posts.

We, however, did find two letters issued on April 30, 2024, as dated in the viral press release, which were issued by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal. One circular announced the candidates for four Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra, while the other stated that Devender Yadav would be made the interim president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.

Newschecker noticed glaring differences between the letter and the viral circular, especially the typefaces, indicating that it was fake.

We then reached out to Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, who confirmed that the viral circular is fake.

RESULT: FALSE

Sources: Conversation with Supriya Shrinate, Congress spokesperson

(This story was originally published by Newschecker, and republished by News18 as part of the Shakti Collective)
The Sangli Lok Sabha seat became a bone of contention within the Mahavikas Aaghadi this election. The Congress and the Shiv Sena UBT, both alliance partners of MVA, locked horns over the seat, but later, the Shiv Sena UBT had its way. Consequently, the local Congress cadre has been unhappy, as the seat is considered its bastion. From 1962 to 2009, the Congress has contested and won this seat. This time, it was expected that the party would secure this seat, but that didnt happen. Vishal Patil, the grandson of former Maharashtra chief minister Vasantdada Patil, was expecting to be nominated on the seat on a Congress ticket till the eleventh hour. When that didnt happen, he decided to contest as an Independent against the MVA and Mahayuti candidate from Sangli.

Speaking to News18 while on his campaign trail in the drought-prone Jat taluka, Patil said that while he was contesting as an Independent, his fight was for the survival of the Congress ideology in Sangli. This seat is among the most successful seats in the nation. Congress has won it 16 times. Most people here have a strong congressional ideology. This is the second time in a row that due to alliance compulsions, the Congress party had to relinquish this seat to another partner. As a hardcore Congress party worker, my attempt is to uphold the party and its ideology, Patil said.

When asked what exactly went wrong during the negotiations of MVA due to which the Congress couldnt bag the Sangli seat, Patil blamed the alliance partner Shiv Sena UBT for the mess created during seat-sharing talks. There are many reasons behind Congress not getting this seat. Shiv Sena can harp about how alliance partners should follow the Aaghadi Dharma, but was it not a violation of Aaghadi Dharma that they committed by declaring the candidate when negotiations over the seat were underway? Later, they turned it into an ego battle by refusing to withdraw their candidate. Even Shiv Sena UBT knows that they actually have no presence on this seat. Also, the candidate they have given is not even good enough to win the local ZP elections. Now they are forcing the leadership of the Congress party to campaign here in Sangli. When MVA announced the final seat-sharing formula, Sanjay Raut asked Nana Patole to read it out, and it was very evident from his face when he read out that the Sangli seat is with Shiv Sena UBT, that they did it willingly, Patil said.

So far, the Congress has not taken any action against Vishal Patil for contesting as an Independent candidate against the MVA candidate in Sangli. On April 25, a meeting of Congress leadership was held in Sangli. Though Patil didnt attend, many top leaders from the Congress state leadership backed him and expressed their helplessness in securing the Sangli seat for the party during the seat negotiations. Congress is an ideology, its a thought which has been instilled in me since my early childhood. I was born into the Congress family and want to spend my entire life in the Congress family. Regardless of what has happened here, I am fighting for the Congress party as a Congressman in Sangli, said Vishal Patil.

Seeing Sangli, now a district, one may feel that a lot of development has happened, but many talukas and small villages are drought-prone, suffering from water scarcity every year in the summer season. Patil blamed the incumbent MP for lacking the vision to resolve the water scarcity issue in talukas like Jat.

There are a few Vidhan Sabha constituencies like Jat which are far away from the river, hence, water shortage is an issue. My grandfather, Vasantdada Patil, former CM of Maharashtra, proposed an irrigation scheme which lifts water and brings it to talukas 100km away so that all farms can have water. Till 2014, we were doing well as water had reached Jat Taluka, but what is left to be done is the distribution of water in the outskirts of Jat Taluka. The present MP has failed. He should have brought more funds for the scheme. Originally, it was a state government project and didnt receive any funding from the Centre. My brother, Pratik Patil, when he was a minister at the Centre, he ensured funding. He got more than Rs 1000 crore. Even those funds are being spent, but no additional funds were brought by the incumbent MP. For this MP, this is just a post, as he is not vocal at all in Delhi, said Patil.

Patil is taking the agenda of development to his voters, trying to convince them to give him a chance by casting their votes for him. The biggest advantage of Sangli is that it is a railway junction. Having a railway hub helped us have better connectivity, and now were kind of a medical and educational hub. Vasantdada, being CM, liberalised the education system, due to which many private education institutes opened their medical and engineering branches in Sangli. Now, we need to bring huge industries owned by the government so that people could be employed. We need to bring an airport which the current MP couldnt bring. We also need dry ports, as the production of grapes and pomegranates happens at a large scale, and we need to export it to help farmers, but the current MP failed on this front also, Patil said.

Sangli is the land of social reformers like Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil, Nana Patil, and educationalists like Bapujirao Salunkhe, who established the Institute of Pharmacy in Miraj. Many villages of Sangli and Satara districts are known to send the young boys of their families to the armed forces. But apart from that, now, local youth are getting more attached to civil services and competitive exams. Youth want jobs; they want to join the army, they want to join civil services, and they want to appear for competitive exams, and we want to create that infrastructure here in Sangli district, said Patil, criticising the Narendra Modi government for initiatives like Agni-veer.

Such initiatives are an insult to todays youth, as the government is asking them to take up the jobs of security guards after they complete their short service under Agni-veer. The youth will be running the country in the future. They want good training institutes where they get trained for these exams. Sangli can become a hub for such institutes like Pune and Delhi have become; we could have, but we lost everything in last 10 years, Patil said.

Patil faces criticism that he contested the last election on the ticket of the Swabhimani Party and not on the Congress ticket. In response to this criticism, he replied, People who are leveling such allegations against me have very little knowledge, as the Swabhimani Party was in alliance with the Congress party, and it was the Partys decision that I should contest from the ticket of Swabhimani Party.

Being an Independent candidate, Patil has gained support from the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA). In the last election, Vanchit garnered sizable votes for Vishal Patil, hence, he was defeated. Patil is unsure how much ground support VBA has in Sangli, but he believes that Prakash Ambedkar, who is the grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar, has a lot of fan following in Sangli district. His support counts for a lot. We lost the seat because VBA did not put up a candidate, but this time he has not fielded any candidate, and while extending support to me, in return he expects that if I get elected, I should not support the BJP. And everyone knows that I have been fighting against the ideology of the BJP since my childhood days, said Patil.

Patil has set the water issue at the top of his list of priorities for the people of Sangli. Our constituency has been divided into two, one which is a developed area and the other which still needs a lot of attention. Talukas facing water issues are asking for water and are not interested in anything else. They expect us to bring water to their villages, and that is my number one priority, he stated.

Another issue which he has in mind is to include Sangli in the list of smart cities. Ideally, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad municipal corporation should have been part of the Smart City project, but our MP failed on this front too. I proposed to get that done. If I get elected, I will make sure that Sangli city will be part of the Smart city project, and will also bring more funds to meet the demands for city infrastructure. I will also have a plan to revive the local textile industry, which suffered under BJP rule. I will also bring big-ticket projects to the district which will help to generate jobs for the youth, said Patil.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking to allow arrested political leaders to campaign through virtual mode for the Lok Sabha polls, terming the plea as highly adventurous and against the fundamental principles of law.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora said courts do not take policy decisions and that it is for Parliament to decide on such issues.

We cant allow someone who is in custody to run a campaign. Otherwise, all rapists, murderers will start floating political parties just prior to the elections, the bench said. The high court warned the petitioner of imposing costs but later agreed not to do so as the arguing counsel pleaded that the petitioner was a student.

The court was hearing a petition by Amarjeet Gupta, a law student, who was aggrieved by the timing of the arrest of politicians, particularly Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, after the announcement of the model code of conduct by the ECI. Okay we will not impose costs but you (lawyer) must teach him (petitioner) about separation of powers, the bench said.

During the hearing, the bench observed, You are being adventurous. This is highly adventurous. The petition is against the fundamental principles of law. You are asking us to act contrary to the law. We dont legislate, we dont take policy decisions. Justice Manmohan further said the more judges want to stay away from politics, the more they are being pushed into it.

We want to stay away from politics and today more and more people are involving us into politics. You are pulling us more into politics. One person comes and says take him (apparently referring to Kejriwal) out of jail, one person says keep him in jail. The accused is availing legal remedies. Courts are applying judicial mind and passing orders, the bench said, and added some propaganda and publicity is involved in this.

As the petitioners counsel contended no one can be arrested since the model code of conduct was in force, the court said, If a candidate is contesting in election and he commits murder, because of MCC being in force, does it mean he wont be arrested. What are you doing? Please understand. People involved in murder and rape will start floating political parties before elections. Its not for us to interfere in this. We cannot make law, the bench said.

Justice Manmohan further said, I dont know what he (petitioner) is studying. What is he doing? I am really at my wits end. I want to educate you more but that is not our domain. Let your teachers do it. I dont think youre attending your classes. Some people have a very aggravated notion about uswe are bound by law.

The petition, filed through advocate Md Imran Ahmad, claimed he was aggrieved by the fact that electors are deprived of their fundamental right to get information under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution from the politicians in custody by way of being spectators and listeners of election campaigning. The leaders of political parties are also deprived of their constitutionally guaranteed fundamental and legal right to campaigning during the election, it said.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Amid suspense over the Congress candidate in Amethi and Rae Bareilly Lok Sabha seats, party leader Jairam Ramesh said that their CEC has empowered the party President to declare candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareilly seats. He said that the picks will be finalised in the next 24-30 hours and the decision will be officially announced.

Sources told CNN-News18 that party leader Rahul Gandhi is not keen to give up on Wayanad, even if he wins in one of the two Uttar Pradesh constituencies. The Congress MP is likely to visit Amethi on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the special investigation team (SIT) intensified its investigation into alleged sex scandal involving Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. The SIT issued a notice to the accused, asking him and his father HD Revanna to appear before it for investigation within 24 hours. Earlier on Tuesday, the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda was suspended from his party, Janata Dal (Secular) over the scandal.

With a week left to the third phase polling of the general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two rallies in Gujarat  Banaskantha and Sabarkantha  on Wednesday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also address a public meeting at Mela Ground in Chhattisgarhs Korba.

LATEST UPDATES ON 2024 LOK SABHA ELECTIONS

The Congress on Wednesday said that former Bihar MP Rajesh Ranjan  also known as Pappu Yadav  who is contesting the current elections as an Independent, had not completed the process of merging his party with the Congress and obtaining membership.Congress spokesperson Alok Sharma said, I dont believe he merged his party with the Congress. Additionally, he did not acquire a membership slip in Patna, which is required for anyone joining the party from Bihar. Expelled Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam is all set to join Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, nearly two decades after he quit the undivided party which was his political launchpad in Mumbai. The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday removed Kunal Ghosh from the post of partys general secretary, saying that his views do not align with those of the party. The Mamata Banerjee-led party put out a press release about the same.Meanwhile, Ghosh said, I have not received any official letter through WhatsApp or email but I have seen a press release. I had already left the position of Spokesperson and General Secretary.I had tweeted about it. I had removed it from the bio of my X (Twitter) handle much earlier. If someone says today that they have removed me, then it is not correct. I had already left the position, he added. Congress Said Hindu Terrorism To Insult Hindu: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, addressing a poll rally in Solapur, said, This is the same Congress which gave the word Hindu terrorism in order to insult Hindu. Is Hindu a terrorist? What had happened to the Congress people; during the UPA government, they had given the word Hindu terrorism, who was the then Home Minister of the nation, remember?His family members might have come today with their bloody palms among you and I am here to alert you all. When the Malegaon blasts were taking place, they had said that Yogi Adityanaths name would be in it, and we would conduct a CBI raid; I said, send it to me once with proofWhat have they not done to attack the Hindu faith? he added. The Election Commission of India banned former Telangana chief minister and BRS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao from campaigning for 48 hours, starting May 1, 8 pm. The ban is for making derogatory and objectionable statements against Congress in Sircilla.



#LokSabhaElections2024 | Election Commission of India bans former Telangana CM and BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao from campaigning for 48 hours, starting 8 pm today, 1st May for making derogatory and objectionable statements against Congress in Sircilla. pic.twitter.com/lPPN75rhHT ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

Reiterating PM Modis resolution of not allowing the removal of reservation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the BJP will never do away with reservation for ST, SC and OBC, nor will it allow the Congress to do so. Shah alleged that the grand old partys tactic was to lie repeatedly and advised its president Mallikarjun Kharge to not speak lies for the sake of the family (Nehru-Gandhi family) as eventually he would be blamed for its loss in the general elections.

After Polls, Congress Will Become History: Addressing an election rally in Maharashtras Solapur, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, After this election, Congress will become history. He claimed that the grand old party wants to give freedom for cow slaughter. Congress is not able to gather strength to fight Lok Sabha elections in UP, he added.

Addressing an election rally in Maharashtras Solapur, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, After this election, Congress will become history. He claimed that the grand old party wants to give freedom for cow slaughter. Congress is not able to gather strength to fight Lok Sabha elections in UP, he added. INDIA Bloc Ecosystem Pushing Lie: PM Modi, addressing an election rally in Banaskantha said, In 2024, the Congress and INDI alliance has come up with a lie Their eco-system is pushing that lie. They are saying that the reservation would be withdrawn. It is a completely fabricated lie This time they will be limited to fewer seats than last time

PM Modi, addressing an election rally in Banaskantha said, In 2024, the Congress and INDI alliance has come up with a lie Their eco-system is pushing that lie. They are saying that the reservation would be withdrawn. It is a completely fabricated lie This time they will be limited to fewer seats than last time Congress Mocked Me, Congress Has No Vision: PM Modi told the people of Gujarat that once you removed Congress from Gujarat, you did not let them step in again. The Congress does not have issues, vision or passion to work.In 2014, the Congress mocked me that I was a Chaiwala, Gujju. They said I only understood Gujarat, not the country They used to bring tea kettles in their rallies to mock me. But the country replied in such a way that those who once had 400 seats are now at 40 seats, he added.

PM Modi told the people of Gujarat that once you removed Congress from Gujarat, you did not let them step in again. The Congress does not have issues, vision or passion to work.In 2014, the Congress mocked me that I was a Chaiwala, Gujju. They said I only understood Gujarat, not the country They used to bring tea kettles in their rallies to mock me. But the country replied in such a way that those who once had 400 seats are now at 40 seats, he added. Guarantee Based On Countrys Capabilities: Addressing a public meeting in Gujarats Banaskantha, PM Modi said, In the 2024 elections, I have come with the experience of 20-25 years I have come with a guarantee based on the capabilities of the country My guarantee is that in the third term, we will make India the third-largest economy in the world. This will not just benefit the current generation, but also the future generations

Addressing a public meeting in Gujarats Banaskantha, PM Modi said, In the 2024 elections, I have come with the experience of 20-25 years I have come with a guarantee based on the capabilities of the country My guarantee is that in the third term, we will make India the third-largest economy in the world. This will not just benefit the current generation, but also the future generations Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in a press conference, said, Congress Central Election Committee has empowered the party President to declare candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareilly seats. In the next 24-30 hours, the Congress President will finalise the candidates, and his decision will be announced formally. Till that is done, all information, tickers, and office orders are all fake.

Suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, for the first time since the allegations of the sex scandal came up, posted on X and said, As I am not in Bangalore to attend the enquiry, I have communicated to C.I.D Bangalore through my Advocate. Truth will prevail soon.

Comedian Shyam Rangeela, who became popular by mimicking PM Modi, announced on Wednesday that he will contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Varanasi constituency. Rangeela is set to make his electoral debut by fighting the poll battle against the Prime Minister.

Television star Rupali Ganguly joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters on Wednesday. Speaking to the media, the Anupamaa star said, I am so honoured to be here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has influenced me a lot. I am a big fan of PM Modi. BJP has been doing great work and therefore i wanted to join the BJP. I am very thankful to the party.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena announced its candidates for the Kalyan and Thane Lok Sabha seats on Wednesday. The party has fielded Shrikant Eknath Shinde and Naresh Ganpat Mhaske from the Kalyan and Thane seats respectively.

Amid the ongoing general elections, Congress MLA from Karnataka  Raju Kage  sparked a controversy after he was caught in a video threatening voters in Jugulato to cut electricity if they dont vote for the party by a huge margin.If you dont give us a lead then we will cut the electricity. And I will stick to my words, the Congress MLA Raju Kage was heard saying in the video that is going viral on social media platforms.

The Election Commission of India on Tuesday released the voter turnout of the first and second phase of Lok Sabha polling. Phase 1 recorded a voter turnout of 66.14 per cent, while phase 2 stood at 66.71 per cent. The poll governing body, however, made it clear that final turnout will only be available post-counting with that of postal ballots and its addition to the total vote count.

The Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag-Rajouri seat, earlier slated for May 7, has now been postponed to May 25 by the Election Commission. The poll body cited logistical issues caused by adverse conditions as reason behind the postponement.

Trouble continued to mount for Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who on Tuesday was suspended from his party, JD(S), over the alleged sex scandal. The SIT also intensified its investigation into the allegations levelled against Prajwal.

Notably, his driver said that he gave the obscene video clips to Karnataka BJP leader and lawyer Deveraje Gowda.

Gowda, on the other hand, said that he had warned the saffron camp of the sexual abuse allegations against Prajwal before the alliance with JD(S) was finalised.

Amid the suspense for its candidate from Uttar Pradeshs Amethi and Rae Barelli, the Congress on Tuesday released a list of four candidates. The grand old party fielded Raj Babbar from Haryanas Gurugram, Bhushan Patil from Mumbai North, Anand Sharma from Himachal Pradeshs Kangra and Satpal Raizada from Hamirpur.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in Telangana, asserted that he would not let the quotas of Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs be given to Muslims on the basis of religion. His statement comes amid the Congress attack at the BJP saying that the latter would change the Constitution and scrap reservations.

(With agency inputs)

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday barred Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) from holding public meetings, processions, rallies, shows, interviews or public utterances in the media for 48 hours for his comments against the Congress earlier last month.

In the four-page order, the poll body strongly condemned the impugned statement made by him during his press meet in Sircilia on April 5. The poll body said it was convinced that KCRs alleged statements were in violation of the model code provisions.

THE COMPLAINT AND RESPONSE

KCR had used words like latkhors, pakka chavata, daddhamas and chetakani chavatas (useless fellows) for the Congress government in the state. if you fail to give 500 bonus, we will bite your throats and kill he had said.

The action was taken against him based on the complaint filed by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Vice-President G Niranjan on April 6, alleging that KCR made vulgar, derogatory and objectionable allegations against the Congress on April 5, 2024.

The ECI had issued a show-cause notice to KCR last month.

In his reply to the show-cause notice, KCR had said: The officers in charge of election in Telangana and Sircilla are not Telugu and they hardly understand the local dialect of Telugu. The complaint is made by the Congress party by picking some sentences from his press conference out of context. The English translation of the sentences is not correct and twisted.

KCR had also said that he had confined his criticism to the policies and programmes of the Congress in the state and their failure to fulfil the promises made during the assembly elections and he made no criticism of personal aspects of any Congress leaders.

WHAT THE ECI SAID

The Commission, under Article 324 of the Constitution of India and all other powers enabling in this behalf, bars K. Chandrashekar Rao, President, BRS from holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, shows and interviews, public utterances in media (electronic, print, social media) etc. in connection with ongoing elections for 48 hours from 8:00 PM on 1 May, 2024, the order said.

The poll body also cited the past examples where KCR violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and the Commissions instructions/advisory. KCR had been served notice in May 2019 and November 2023 for violations.

KCR is the second politician after Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala who had been barred by the ECI. Last month, a similar order was issued for him over his statement mentioning BJP MP and Lok Sabha candidate Hema Malini.
People in these elections will fulfill Mahatma Gandhis wish at the time of Independence that the Congress party be disbanded, Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh told News18 in an exclusive interview.

Traveling with Singh during his election campaign in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, News18 witnessed a whirlwind campaign by the Defence Minister who was seen telling the crowd in his rallies that the Congress plans to take away their hard-earned wealth and properties.

We have no constitutional right to provide reservation based on religion but to mislead people and to gain their support is an old habit of Congress. Today also they are working on this that is why with time their existence is eroding, Singh told News18 about the Prime Ministers charge that the Congress plans to bring in reservations for Muslims in India.

Singh, in the interview, also said that the wealth X-ray promised by Rahul Gandhi will lead to a financial slow down.

This thinking is what brings financial destruction. They will have to pay for this, Singh told News18. He added that the Congress ideology was suffering from mental paralysis, and said the Oppositions voters were disillusioned with the party and had not shown up to vote in the first two phases, leading to lower turnout.

When asked on the Congress manifesto, Singh told News18 that politics should not be done based on jaati, panth or majhab; insaaf aur insaniyat should be base of politics.

Edited Excerpts:

The Prime Minister in an interview to News18 has strongly attacked the Congress manifesto, terming it alike that of the Muslim League

I feel that jaati, panth or majhab (caste, creed or religion) should not be the basis of politics; Insaaf aur Insaniyat (Justice and humanity) should be the basis of politics. But Congress since independence has always practiced politics of caste, creed and religion to divide the nation for their selfish political gains.

They should avoid it. They have even gone to the extent of promising reservation based on religion. We have no constitutional right to provide reservation based on religion but to mislead people and to gain their support is an old habit of Congress, and even today also they are working on this, and that is why with time their existence is fast eroding.

Mahatma Gandhi, after independence, said Congress should be disbanded. I think he said this after giving it a proper thought. But they did not honor honorable Bapus words. Today their (Congress) situation is such that people have decided that we will fulfill Bapus wish about disbanding the Congress.

Rahul Gandhi has spoken about a Wealth X-ray of everyone. Is this a dangerous thought? People in villages seem worried.

And this has been indirectly endorsed by the Indian Overseas Congress head Sam Pitroda, who said there is a system in the US that 55% wealth is taken away as inheritance tax upon ones death.

This will lead to tremendous financial slow down and the country will have to suffer a big financial crisis. Till people do not have the initiative that they have to work hard and invest to build assets, why will they even work?

This thinking of the Congress will bring financial destruction and difficulties. They will have to pay for this. Even Mahatma Gandhi and those who fought for our independence did not think like this; neither did our Constitution makers propose this. I have no idea how Congress got this so-called innovative idea. I will just say that Congress has vinash kaley, viprit buddhi.

Senior Congress and Opposition leaders are saying that the BJP is asking for 400+ seats to change the Constitution, finish reservation, and not hold elections in future

I want to ask the Congress leaders: Till when will they keep lying to the people? Till when will you keep misleading them?

BJP is totally committed to the point that we will make no change to the basic structure of the Constitution. We have said it repeatedly. We always do what we say. We have a credibility amongst the public and we will never let it come under question. Reservation will always remain.

Rahul Gandhi says PM Narendra Modi is afraid of him, and that BJP government may have put Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren in jail but they can never scare him

(Rajnath Singh laughs) The country knows how much a person like Narendra Modi would be scared of anyone. I would say only one word about Rahul Gandhi  aatamshalagha (self-praise). He has a wrong notion about himself and that is why Congress is degrading, but they are not taking any lesson from it.

PM Modi has also referred to Manmohan Singhs statements in 2006 and 2009 about Muslims having first right to countrys resources

I believe that everyone should get the same right. I am clear about it. In our Constitution itself, there is no provision for religion-based reservations  then how will the Congress ever do it? On one side, they say that the Constitution should not be changed but on the other side you are misleading Muslims, they are talking about reservations and priority based on religion. How is this even possible?

Congress is saying BJP no longer speaking about its original slogan of Abki Baar, 400 Paar and is worriedVoter turnout is also lower

It is the Congress which is worried. Look at what happens in Amethi and Rae Bareli but I feel they will not be able to gather the courage (Congress leadership fighting on those seats). So that shows who is worried.

Voter turnout has come down because people are disillusioned with the Congress and feel their existence is going towards an end so it is their voters who have turned out in lesser numbers to vote.

Our voters are enthused and happy and know that Indias stature has increased under Modi rule and are voting for us. Our voters are happy over Indias fast growing economy. IMF has also praised our economys growth.

This election is being contested by BJP purely on Narendra Modis face and his guarantee, why so?

Yes, we are fighting this election on the face of Narendra Modi. This is the truth because he has performed in the last 10 years. Whatever he had promised, he has done and even gone beyond.

So it is natural that Modi has developed his credibility and he has a fabulous track record. We are asking people for their votes on that basis, and we are talking about it in the election campaign.

How do you see your chances in Uttar Pradesh? In 2014, NDA won 73 out of 80 seats here, and 64 in 2019.

Our target is to win 80 out of 80 seats in UP. This is our effort. There may be a problem in one or two seats. But we will surely perform better than earlier. We will surely break our 73-seat record in Uttar Pradesh.

You are also citing the Ram Temple issue in these elections and say you have delivered. But neither the Gandhis nor Akhilesh Yadav visited the Ram Temple despite an invitation

People are upset over Gandhis and Akhilesh Yadav not visiting the Ram Temple inauguration ceremony. People are taking pity over the thinking of these politicians, what has happened to their brains?

Buddhi maari gayi hai inkiMatti Mari gayi hai inki (their brain does not seem to be working). They, the Congress party, are mentally paralyzed. Pran Pratishthan was not a RSS function, but some political parties did come for it.

BJP seems strong but your allies seem weak in Bihar and Maharashtra  be it Nitish Kumar or Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.

See, people this time are not seeing all this. They are only seeing the point that Narendra Modi is to be made Prime Minister for the third time with a bigger margin, and make him stronger. Even if our allies have a few drawbacks or people are a bit upset with them over something, they will overlook that to vote for Modi.

Lucknow, your seat, has been with BJP for over three decades and you are seeking a third term now. I had some Muslims telling me in Lucknow that they also vote for you

Yes, Muslims do vote for me in Lucknow and I hope that percentage will go up this time. You must have seen yesterday that during my nomination rally in Lucknow, people of all communities were present. People from the Christian community were also there. This was a natural turnout.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Has the supposed cold war" between Congresss Karnataka heavyweights DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah reached a new stage with one side approaching the Bharatiya Janata Party and seeking the central governments help to do something against" the other camp? In an exclusive interview with News18, union minister Pralhad Joshi hinted at this.

When asked about the alleged fight over the chief ministers chair and where it could head after the Lok Sabha polls, Joshi said, Infighting is so much. Siddaramaiah and DKS groups are fighting. Some people want something from the central government against the other group. Siddaramaiahs people say he will continue, DK Shivakumar says he will become CM. Daal mein kuch kaala hai (something is fishy)," he said.

The minister is eyeing a fifth straight term from the Dharwad Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka and says that his work over the last 20 years will ensure a record election win for him. The date for voting in Dharwad is May 7, which is the third phase of the ongoing general elections.

UPA used to approve projects and give very small amounts. But under PM Modi we have got everything. We have expanded the airport and are adding a new terminal now. New bypasses are constructed. We have 247 water for Hubballi-Dharwad and the entire district. We have started Vande Bharat, we can reach Bengaluru in 5.5 hours. We want to take people from Dharwad to Bengaluru in 4 hours. The Hubballi-Ankola railway line will be cleared very shortly. We want to see Hubballi developed in a systematic manner," he said.

The ruling Congress has accused Pralhad Joshi and the BJP of politicising the Neha Hiremath murder case. The young college student was brutally stabbed to death inside her college in Hubballi. The BJP has held several protests over the issue ever since. We did not say anything initially. The chief ministers reaction was casual and erratic. The father spoke with anger. People said this government may hush up the case and start agitation. We have no role. The entire Dharwad got up and said we wont tolerate this; it was a spontaneous thing. The father said my daughter was asked to convert. She said she wouldnt, thats why she was killed. It was a crisis; we have responded. We dont need this type of incident to win. We dont do politics on dead bodies," argued Pralhad Joshi

The BJP MP also lashed out at the Congress government in Karnataka, accusing it of moving all Muslim subsects into the reservation matrix. He said the move was part of the Siddaramaiah governments appeasement politics. I have got the NCBC notice copy. The state government has said the entire Muslim community needs to be added to the OBC. Only some communities were in category A. They have said its neither a caste nor religion. Muslims claim they are a Dharma. Why should all Muslims be given reservation? Even in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, they called it a cylinder blast. They dont want to say Islamic fundamentalists have done it. They want to support or protect Muslims in such cases," Joshi said.

The Prajwal Revanna sex tape controversy has hit national headlines and many from the Bharatiya Janata Party are worried about any possible impact of it among women voters. Joshi though argued that the row over the now-suspended JD(S) leader will not affect the BJP in any manner. The Prajwal Revanna video case and the BJP have no connection. They are our partners now. Let there be an investigation. Let them have their investigation. I dont think it will have an impact on the BJPs prospects in Karnataka," said Joshi.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Elon Musks surprise visit to China on April 28, after he cancelled his much-anticipated trip to India, citing very heavy Tesla obligations, has won him approval for introducing Full Self-Driving (FSD) in Beijing.

Musk was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and founders of an Indian space startup. The Tesla CEO was expected to announce a $2-3 billion Electric Vehicle (EV) factory for India during his visit with some announcements related to Starlink.

But on Sunday, Musk met with Chinas Prime Minister Li Qiang and made promise towards rolling out the FSD in the worlds biggest automobile market.

What Was Discussed in China?

The Wall Street Journal reported that Beijing gave preliminary approval to Tesla to launch FSD in China. Teslas cars made in China passed key data security and privacy requirement in China. Previously, Tesla vehicles had faced bans from Chinese military installations and government sites over the issue of data collection.

This has given a much-needed boost to Tesla, which is struggling with slow EV demand in the US and FSD-related apprehensions in its home market. Tesla is also grappling with low sales in China where homegrown car manufacturers are providing competition to Musks company.

Chinese state broadcaster also reported that Tesla is likely to continue teaming up with tech company Baidu, which licences mapping data and its lane-level navigation service for FSD. Tesla has been using Baidu for in-car mapping and navigation since 2020.

Reuters also reported, a prominent Chinese automotive association confirmed on Sunday that Teslas Model 3 and Model Y vehicles were among the models subjected to testing and deemed compliant with Chinas data security standards.

Reuters also reported, a prominent Chinese automotive association confirmed on Sunday that Teslas Model 3 and Model Y vehicles were subject to testing and deemed compliant with Chinas data security standards.

On Teslas April 23 earnings call, Musk had said the EV major aims to release FSD as a supervised autonomy system in any market that  where we can get regulatory approval for that, which we think includes China.

Tesla has sold more than 1.7 million cars in China since it entered the market a decade ago and its Shanghai factory is its largest globally.

Roadblocks Between China and Tesla

China is Teslas second biggest market after US. Since 2021, Chinese officials have required Tesla to keep all data that its cars collect in China stored in Shanghai. This means, Tesla cannot send the data back to the US.

Data security and compliance were the biggest reasons why the US electric car company did not roll out the FSD in China yet despite launching its most advanced autopilot software four years ago.

Also, Chinese new energy car manufacturers such as BYD, Lotus, Nezha, Li Auto and Nio have already met the countrys stringent data security policy, which posed a tough competition to Tesla.

Teslas global vehicle deliveries experienced a decline in the first quarter, marking the first decrease in nearly four years.

According to a New York Times report, Musks fortune is tied to Teslas Shanghai factory. The Shanghai factory has replaced Teslas plant in Fremont, California, as its largest and most productive, accounting for over half of the companys global deliveries and the bulk of its profits.

Meanwhile, a Wall Street Journal report said, Musks response to the pressure has been to become a high-profile cheerleader of Chinas ruling Communist Party, in sharp contrast to his renegade persona in the US, where he has clashed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and mocked President Biden in tweets, once calling him a labor union sock puppet.

What is FSD Technology?

FSD is the most autonomous version of Autopilot software and was rolled out in 2020. Its features include self-parking, auto lane changes and traffic navigations. But Tesla say FSD or Autopilot does not make it vehicles autonomous and they require active driver supervision.

Each Tesla vehicle is equipped with multiple external cameras and vision processing software, which the company uses to deliver Autopilot features  an advanced driver assistance system or ADAS.

Autopilot includes what Tesla calls Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, which matches the speed of the vehicle to that of the surrounding traffic, and Autosteer, a function that assists in steering within a clearly marked lane, and uses traffic-aware cruise control. FSD, however, is a further upgrade to Autopilot that was launched in 2020 and aims at a driving experience involving minimal driver intervention.

In 2023, Musk said the price of FSD, then at $15,000, was very low, saying the value of the car would increase dramatically if it became autonomous. Last month, Tesla slashed the price of FSD to $8,000 from $12,000 in the US.

Disadvantages of FSD

Problems range from jumping red lights, not recognising pedestrians to situational problems like identifying a cyclist who briefly disappears behind a parked vehicle. Tesla began beta testing its full self-driving system only in 2020.

Googles Waymo and Cruise owned by General Motors are among companies that predicted full self-driving cars by 2020, with only limited success: that too limited to ring fenced, geotagged areas.

Tesla relies primarily on car cameras, while humans make predictions based on road situation, which can present a complex problem for computers, such as when someone at the side of the road steps off the pavement and disappears behind a parked bus for a minute or distinguishing between a red signage on a wall versus an actual stop sign, as mentioned in The Indian Express.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration had said it was opening a new probe of Tesla self-driving systems amid concerns that a move last year to improve driver monitoring and attention was not up to the mark.
Come summer, Europe starts bustling with tourists from almost every part of the world so much so that overtourism is now attracting a penalty in popular cities like Venice in Italy. From April 25, trippers are being charged 5 to access Venice.

Although the fee has been under discussion for years, for 2024s pilot run, it will only be applied on certain days during the high season, between April 25 and July 14.

Venices Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said in a press conference, The aim is not to close the city, but not let it explode.

This did not go down well with the residents, with roughly a thousand protestors gathered in Piazzale Roma to oppose the entry fee, objecting to the idea of living in a closed city. Some argued that selling tickets reduced their city to an amusement park, just like Disneyland, as mentioned in a CNBC report.

On the first day of its implementation, according to data from the mayors office, 113,000 people registered, and of those 16,000 paid the fee  others were exempt for various reasons, including hotel stays, being a commuter, a student, or visiting family or friends, the CNBC report added.

Although plans initially included different fee structures and the possibility of raising funds to help offset the cost of spikes in visitors, the current plan will serve only to cover the administrative costs of the programme.

When will access fee be charged?

The access fee will be due on 29 days between April 25 and July 14. The dates are: April 25-30, May 1-5, May 11-12, May 18-19, May 25-26, June 8-9, June 15-16, June 22-23, June 29-30, July 6-7 and July 13-14.

The fee is charged for day visits between 8.30 am and 4 pm. For 2024, its a flat 5 ($5.45) per person per day.

For 2024, the city has exempted the fee for those travelling to most of the lagoon islands, including visitor hubs Murano and Burano, as well as the Lido, home to the citys beaches. However, most visitors to Murano and Burano will have to pay the fee anyway, since most arrive by taking vaporetto ferries from the city center.

This is a trial phase and the local authorities have not yet decided what to do after July.

Why is Venice Charging the Fee?

The idea of charging a fee to enter Venice is not discourage tourists, but to raise awareness about peak season and busy days. Few people will forego the idea of visiting Venice because of the 5 charge, but they might be persuaded to wait for a less busy (and free) day to relieve the pressure on the city, as per a CNN report.

The city was also under pressure from UNESCO which had threatened to add Venice to its World Heritage in Danger list in 2023. The motion to do so was dropped after the city announced plans for the day tripper tax.

Around 30 million tourists arrive each year in Venice, which is higher than the 50,000 residents living there. Much of those numbers are day trippers who leave little money in the local economy, but plenty of trash and chaos.

How Europe is Dealing with Overtourism

The day fee in Venice has been enforced to confront the problem of overtourism, which is affecting many European countries after the Covid-19 pandemic. The programme was in its experimental phase since 2019, but Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions paused the action.

Greece had announced that it will be implementing time slot system in its most visited site, the Acropolis, and limit the daily visits to 20,000 individuals, with visitors being assigned specific hourly slots during the monuments 12-hour daily operation. Greece has also decided to charge entry fee to some of the tourist spots.

Amsterdam has decided to ban cruise ships from entering their main ports to stop a large number of tourists entering a small area, putting a lot of strain on infrastructure and resources. The city administration is also planning a 1 percentage point increase to the citys tourist accommodation tax.

France is running a campaign to encourage tourists to visit less popular destinations so that it can reduce the impact on popular destinations.

Spains Santiago de Compostela city is planning on launching a tourist tax to help generate revenue for local authorities and discourage excessive tourism. Barcelonas tourist charge has increased to 3.25 from 2.75 from April.

Portugal has decided to fine those who play loud music at popular beaches. The fine ranges from 200 to 36,000.

Croatia has launched Respect the City campaign in Dubrovonik to tackle overtourism. The initiative includes a luggage drop-off system and bans on various behavious to preserve the citys unique charm and heritage.
A panic situation erupted in the national capital on Wednesday morning after multiple schools in the Delhi-NCR area received a bomb threat call via E-mail. While the Delhi LG VK Saxena has asked parents to cooperate with the school administration as the search operation is underway, top intelligence sources hinted that this might be a hoax call to create terror.

Bomb scare is a regular feature these days and agencies are trying to find out details from a period of time. This is happening on regular frequency now. Similar threats were reported from Bengaluru and even a few schools in Delhi earlier, the intelligence agency sources told News18.

Further revealing information on such hoax calls, the sources said that on investigating such incidents, the medium, mostly emails and calls, usually go untraceable making it difficult for the police and agencies to trace them.

This is possibly some group who is creating this information war and no security force can take this lightly. This is an attempt to keep security forces busy and create panic among parents. This is an attempt to discredit system, top intelligence sources were quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police have also requested the parents to stay calm and have stated that the email so far appears to be a hoax, however, they are conducting a thorough check of all schools, which received the threat, as per the protocol.

Nothing objectionable has been found. It appears that these calls seem to be hoax. We request the public not to panic and maintain peace, Delhi Police said in an X post.

Some schools of Delhi received E-mails regarding bomb threats. Delhi Police has conducted thorough check of all such schools as per protocol. Nothing objectionable has been found. It appears that these calls seem to be hoax.We request the public not to panic and maintain peace. Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) May 1, 2024

List Of Schools That Received Bomb Threat In Delhi-NCR

Below is a list of a few Delhi-NCR schools that were the target of this bomb threat:

DPS Mathura Road DPS Vasant Kunj DPS Dwarka DPS Noida Sector 30 DPS Greater Noida Mother Mary, Mayur Vihar Culture, Chankyapuri DAV School Shrestha Vihar Amity Saket Springdales Pusa Road Shri Ram World School Dwarka St. Thomas Chawla GD Goenka, Sarita Vihar Sachdeva Global School Dwarka DAV Vikaspuri BGS International School Dwarka Ramjas RK Puram NKBPS, Rohini Hillwoods Academy, Preet Vihar Ryan International School

Catch Live Updates On Delhi-NCR Schools Bomb Threat News Today . Check Delhi-NCR Schools Complete List Affected by Bomb Threats. Find Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
A Bhubaneswar-Delhi Vistara flight, minutes after take off, made an emergency landing at the Biju Patnaik International Airport on Wednesday due to windshield damage.

Initial reports suggest that the windshield of the aircraft developed a crack in the hailstorm that hit several parts of Odisha today.

Bhubaneswar Airport Director Prasanna Pradhan confirmed the incident and said that apart from the windshield, some other parts of aircrafts structure were also damaged, Deccan Chronicle reported.

The flight had departed from Bhubaneswar at around 1:45 pm and the aircraft sought assistance to land back after 10 minutes on priority. The aircrafts windshield developed a crack along with some damage to the structure, Pradhan was quoted as saying.

The Vistara flight, reportedly, landed safely without any additional or external assistance. Around 169 passengers and the cabin crew onboard the aircraft were safe.

Authorities arranged another flight for the passengers, Pradhan said, adding that they are all waiting for the same. Only after necessary repairs, the flight would leave. It was a normal landing at the airport, he was quoted as saying.

Earlier in February, a Hyderabad-bound Vistara flight UK531 made an emergency landing in Mumbai within 30 minutes of take-off. The airlines termed technical snag to be the reason behind the turn-back.

Shortly after take-off, a technical snag was detected on Vistara flight UK531 operating from Mumbai to Hyderabad on February 17, 2024. As a precautionary step, in accordance with the standard operating procedures, the pilots decided to turn-back and landed the flight safely at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport, Mumbai, a Vistara airline spokesperson was quoted as saying by Hindu.

Reportedly, the flight underwent necessary checks before continuing operations. An alternate flight was arranged for the Hyderabad-bound passengers.

Catch Live Updates On Delhi-NCR Schools Bomb Threat News Today . Check Delhi-NCR Schools Complete List Affected by Bomb Threats. Find Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Around 130 schools in the Delhi-NCR received bomb threats on Wednesday morning, prompting swift evacuation of students from campuses. After getting information about bomb threats, parents of students rushed to schools to bring them home.

Bomb Threat in Delhi-NCR Schools LIVE Updates

Schools have been evacuated after local police was informed about the emails. The bomb detection team, bomb disposal squad and officials of the fire brigade were rushed to the schools.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said there is no need to panic and bomb threats appear to be hoax calls. Delhi Police and security agencies are taking necessary steps as per protocol, the ministry said.

Investigation agencies suspect that the email, which was sent to schools in Delhi-NCR, originated from a server located in Russia, news agency ANI reported citing sources.

The report added that a single IP address was used to send the email to all schools.

List of Schools That Received Bomb Threat In Delhi-NCR

Nothing Objectionable Found: Delhi Police

After conducting thorough check of all schools as per protocol, Delhi Police said nothing objectionable has been found. It appears that these calls seem to be hoax. We request the public not to panic and maintain peace, the police said.

Ravinder Yadav, Special CP, Delhi Police Crime Branch, said, These emails were received in several schools. Some hospitals also received these emails yesterday. Thorough checking is going on. Bomb Disposal Squad, Dog Squad and fire tenders are present hereEven if it is a hoax call, we cannot take chances. We will conduct an investigation

Some schools of Delhi received E-mails regarding bomb threats. Delhi Police has conducted thorough check of all such schools as per protocol. Nothing objectionable has been found. It appears that these calls seem to be hoax.We request the public not to panic and maintain peace. Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) May 1, 2024

Delhi LG Seeks Report From Police

Delhi LG VK Saxena spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report on bomb threats. He directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits and ensure there are no lapses.

I request the parents not to panic and co-operate with the administration in ensuring safety of schools and the children. The miscreants & culprits will not be spared, he said in a tweet.

With over 130 schools receiving the bomb threat via email, Delhi Police faced a daunting task as it rushed its dog and bomb squads from one school to another and there was no time to be wasted.

Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri police station area, Mother Mary School in Mayur Vihar of East Delhi, DPS School in Dwarka, DAV School, Amity Schools in Pushp Vihar and Saket district among schools in Delhi that received bomb threats via E-mail early Wednesday morning.

Mother Mary School was conducting an exam and had to stop it midway due to search operation.

Delhi Public School, Noida is one of the schools that received the bomb threat via E-mail. Noida police were alerted soon after the bomb threat was received via mail. A bomb squad and a dog squad rushed to inspect the school premises.

Delhi Public School, Noida, sent a mail to the parents saying, This is to inform you that the school has received an email that threatens the safety and security of the students. As a precautionary measure, we are sending the students back home immediately.

Threat Mails From Outside India

The IP address of the mail suggests it originated from outside the country. Delhi police suspect the IP address could be masked through a VPN.

During the initial investigation, it seems that since yesterday, till now the mail has been sent to many places, and it seems to be on the same pattern. Date line is not mentioned, and BCC is mentioned in the mail, which means one mail has been sent to many places. At present, an investigation is being done, Delhi Police said in a statement.

LG VK Saxena said that the Delhi police have identified the origin of the bomb threat mail sent in bulk schools in the Delhi-NCR region, adding that an investigation is underway to nab the culprit.

On bomb threat to several schools, DIG, Addl. CP (L&O), Shivhari Meena said, Information was received via email regarding a bomb threat at DPS Noida. Teams of Noida Police, fire tenders, and Bomb Disposal Squad are present at the spot. Students have been sent back home. Checking is underway, so far we have not received anything

Delhi Education Minister Urges Parents Not To Panic

Delhi Education Minister Atishi requested parents and citizens not to panic not to panic and assured that the Delhi government is in constant touch with the Police and the schools.

Some schools have received bomb threats today morning. Students have been evacuated and those premises are being searched by Delhi Police. So far nothing has been found in any of the schools. We are in constant touch with the Police and the schools. Would request parents and citizens not to panic. School authorities will be in touch with parents wherever needed, Atishi wrote in an X post.

Delhi Police Probing Terror Angle

Officials said that the initial probe suspected a deeper conspiracy by a terror group during the Lok Sabha elections, adding that there is suspicion that the threat mail was sent by an ISIS module.

The Delhi Polices anti-terror unit special cell has traced the domain of emails to Russia and it is suspected to have been formed with the help of the dark web  an encrypted online content that allows individuals to hide their identity and location from others.

The National Investigation Agency may also take up the probe since the role of a terror group is suspected and the conspiracy angle may lead to a pan-India investigation, an official said.

According to a police officer, the email ID from which the threat was sent is sawariim@mail.ru. Sawarim is an Arabic word extensively used by the terror outfit Islamic State (IS) in their propaganda videos over the past several years, the official said.

Kill them wherever you meet and drive them out of the places from which they drove you. There are many explosive devices in the school, reads the identical email sent to all schools.

The officer said that the email also contained aayate (verses) of the holy Quran.

The main agenda of sending such threat emails in bulk is to create panic and wage a cyber war by some terror group, an officer, who did not wish to be named, said.

Catch Live Updates On Delhi-NCR Schools Bomb Threat News Today . Check Delhi-NCR Schools Complete List Affected by Bomb Threats. Find Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
An email bomb threat that was sent to nearly 60 Delhi-NCR schools on Wednesday morning caused widespread panic among school authorities, students and parents. The school was evacuated and students were sent home as soon as word of the bomb threat spread.

Delhi NCR Schools Bomb Threat Live Update

The bomb threat was first received by DPS Dwarka, after which a team of the Delhi Police, fire department, and the bomb disposal squad (BDS) were dispatched to the scene. Delhi Police have placed a security cordon around the school campus and are conducting search operations to find the bomb.

Furthermore, a PCR call regarding a bomb in the Delhi Public Schools in Dwarka and Mayur Vihar was also received.

Below is a list of a few Delhi-NCR schools that were the target of this bomb threat:

1. DPS Mathura Road

2. DPS Vasant Kunj

3. DPS Dwarka

4. DPS Noida Sector 30

5. DPS Greater Noida

6. Mother Mary, Mayur Vihar

7. Culture, Chankyapuri

8. DAV School Shrestha Vihar

9. Amity Saket

10. Springdales Pusa Road

11. Shri Ram World School Dwarka

12. St. Thomas Chawla

13. GD Goenka, Sarita Vihar

14. Sachdeva Global School Dwarka

15. DAV Vikaspuri

16. BGS International School Dwarka

17. Ramjas RK Puram

18. NKBPS, Rohini

19. Hillwoods Academy, Preet Vihar

20. Ryan International School

Meanwhile, Mother Mary School has issued an appeal to parents following the news of the bomb threat. In its plea, Mother Mary School stated that it received an email this morning pertaining to a bomb threat at the school and as an immediate precautionary action, all students were swiftly sent back to their homes.

Minister of Education for Delhi, Atishi, urged parents and the public not to panic and gave the assurance that the Delhi government is in continuous communication with the police and the educational institutions.

A dedicated Delhi Police unit has been assigned to look into the bomb threat emails that more than sixty schools in the Delhi-NCR area have received.

Catch Live Updates On Delhi-NCR Schools Bomb Threat News Today . Check Delhi-NCR Schools Complete List Affected by Bomb Threats. Find Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Case Registered in Delhi Schools Bomb Threat Case A case is being registered in the matter pertaining to Delhi schools receiving bomb threat email on Wednesday, the Delhi Police Special Cell said.

'Schools Will Function Normally Tomorrow': Delhi Minister Atishi After Bomb Threats On bomb threat to several schools in Delhi-NCR, Delhi Education Minister Atishi said This is very unfortunate that someone is trying to target children and their parents and trouble them. Fortunately, this threat turned out to be a hoax. We hope that the Delhi Police will soon find out who sent this hoax e-mail and from where, and strict action is taken against the accused. I would urge the parents to not panic. Schools will be closely monitored and schools will function normally tomorrow onwards, the minister added.

16-yr-old Boy Behind Threat Emails To Delhi Schools? Police Refute Claims As the Union Home Ministry termed the bomb threat a hoax and asked people not to panic, an old social media post of a 16-year-old boy from a top Delhi top sending email just for fun has been doing rounds. This comes as Delhi police has been requesting people not to spread rumours. A senior police officer rubbished the viral claim, and claimed that an old post on X was being made viral. According to the post, the police have identified the sender of bomb threat letter as a 16-year-old student of a top Delhi school.

Bomb Threat in Delhi-NCR Schools LIVE: Email Originated From Russia, Says Report Investigation agencies suspect that the email, which was sent to schools in Delhi-NCR, originated from a server located in Russia, news agency ANI reported citing sources. The report added that a single IP address was used to send the email to all schools.

Delhi Schools Bomb Threat: 'Culprits Will Not Be Spared,' Says Delhi LG I request the parents not to panic and co-operate with the administration in ensuring the safety of schools and the children. The miscreants & culprits will not be spared, Delhi LG said in an X post. Over 90 schools in the Delhi-NCR area received a bomb threat call via E-mail on Wednesday morning. MHA said in an official statement that the bomb threat emails appeared to be a hoax.

'Tear Throats...': Read the Bomb Threat Email Sent to Delhi-NCR Schools as Cops Say Needn't Panic Nearly 100 schools in Delhi-NCR received threat e-mail on Wednesday morning, creating a panic situation in the national capital. While nothing has been found so far, and police and bomb disposal squad are checking every school, the sender threatened educational institutes from ID Sawarim. According to a senior official, the e-mail says that there are many explosive devices in schools. Kill them wherever you meet and drive them out of the places from which they drove you (2:19). There are many explosive devices in the school. Allah subhanallah Wataala has given us a chance that inherited few have to become martyrs in the territory of war in the abode of the enemies of Islam and with them we sent down iron with its great might benefits for humanity (57:25), a police official quoted the e-mail while speaking to News18 on condition of anonymity.

Some Group Creating This Information War: Intelligence Sources On Bomb Threat In Delhi Schools This is possibly some group who is creating this information war and no security force can take this lightly. This is an attempt to keep security forces busy and create panic among parents. This is an attempt to discredit system, top intelligence sources told News18. Over 90 schools in the Delhi-NCR area received a bomb threat call via E-mail on Wednesday morning.

Delhi Schools Bomb Threat: Gurugram Police Urges People To Not Spread False Information Gurugram Police requests everyone that anyone gives misleading or false information about bomb in schools of Delhi and Noida or posts any such information on social media or through any other means would violate the law. If peace and order is affected, Gurugram Police will immediately take legal action against it. Gurugram Police keeps a close eye on social media, Gurugram Police said in a statement.

Delhi-NCR School Bomb Threat Today News: Gurugram Police Appeals To General Public To Not Panic Delhi and Noida (Uttar Pradesh) Police has received information through email about bombs in schools of Delhi and Noida. As a precautionary measure, some schools in Gurugram have been checked by the bomb disposal team and other police teams. No suspicious objects have been recovered from anywhere yet. Gurugram Police appeals to the general public that there is no need to be panic / worried about security, a statement by the Gurugram Police said,

Delhi Schools Bomb Threat: 'All Schools Secure, Do Not Pay Attention On Hoax Mail,' Says Noida Police Noida police said in a statement that all schools are safe urged parents to not pay attention on hoax mails. All schools are safe. Ignore SPAM/HOAX mails. @noidapolice on behalf of @CP_Noida appeals to all school managers/parents. Do not believe any rumours, the statement said.

'Attempt To Keep Security Forces Busy, Create Panic': Intel Sources On Bomb Threat in Delhi-NCR Schools A panic situation erupted in the national capital on Wednesday morning after multiple schools in the Delhi-NCR area received a bomb threat call via E-mail. While the Delhi LG VK Saxena has asked parents to cooperate with the school administration as the search operation is underway, top intelligence sources hinted that this might be a hoax call to create terror.

Delhi-NCR School Bomb Threat Today News: Nothing Suspicious Found Anywhere In Search Op Today, few schools of Delhi got hoax bomb calls/ mails. Nothing adverse/questionable was found anywhere by Delhi Police. All our students and teachers are safe.All are requested not to panic. To relieve the parents, students were allowed to leave if parents had reached school, Delhi police said in a statement.

Delhi Schools Bomb Threat: Seems Someone Did This To Create Panic, Says Delhi Police Delhi police PRO Suman Nalwa said that the Police conducted search operations in multiple schools that received the bomb threat mail earlier today but nothing untoward has been found so farIt seems someone has done this to create panic

Delhi Schools Bomb Threat: 'Delhi Police Fully Prepared To Prevent Any Untoward Incident,' Says LG On bomb threat to several schools in Delhi-NCR, Delhi LG VK Saxena said, Delhi police reached very quickly and the entire area has been cordoned off and search operations are going on. Dog squads, and bomb disposal units are also working. I want to assure the people of Delhi that Delhi Police is fully prepared and we will try to prevent any untoward incident from happening. Delhi Police has found out from where these emails are coming, investigation is underway. All I would like to say is that the culprits will not be spared and will be given strict punishment

Total 97 Bomb Threat Calls/Emails Received Till 12 PM Delhi Police said that a total 97 bomb threat calls/emails were received in fire control room till 12:00 pm.

DAV School Delhi Bomb Threat: Delhi LG VK Saxena Reaches DAV School In Model Town DelhiLG VK Saxena arrived at DAV School in Model Town which was one of the schools to receive an email regarding a bomb threat earlier today.

Delhi-NCR School Bomb Threat Today News: Some Hospitals In Delhi Received Bomb Threat E-Mails On Tuesday On bomb threat to several schools in Delhi-NCR, Ravinder Yadav, Special CP, Delhi Police Crime Branch, said, These emails were received in several schools. Some hospitals also received these emails yesterday. Thorough checking is going on. Bomb Disposal Squad, Dog Squad and fire tenders are present hereEven if it is a hoax call, we cannot take chances. We will conduct an investigation

Delhi-NCR Bomb Threat School: Origin Of Mail Found, Investigation Underway LG VK Saxena said that the Delhi police have identified the origin of the bomb threat mail sent in bulk to over 50 schools in the Delhi-NCR region, adding that an investigation is underway to nab the culprit.

DPS Bomb Threat Delhi: DPS Informed Parents About Bomb Threat Via Mail, Sent Children Home Immediately Delhi Public School, Noida, sent a mail to the parents saying, This is to inform you that the school has received an email that threatens the safety and security of the students. As a precautionary measure, we are sending the students back home immediately.
By Alimat Aliyeva

Czech President Petr Pavel called for the adoption of a single European currency by the republic, Azernews reports.

He made the corresponding statement at the international conference, "20 years of Czech membership in the EU: a vision of an expanded Europe,

"If we want to play in the top league, then it is logical [the question arises], for example, about accepting the euro. The experience of countries that have already switched to settlements in euros confirms that only those who do not use it are dissatisfied.

Pavel first stated the need to start taking concrete steps towards converting the Czech Republic to euro settlements in a New Year's address to his fellow citizens. Four of the five parties of the current government coalition of the republic support this initiative. Meanwhile, according to Czech media, the largest force in the coalition, the Civic Democratic Party, treats it with restraint, pointing out the need to preserve the Czech crown.
In compliance with the Supreme Courts order, the Election Commission of India revised the protocol for handling and storage of Symbol Loading Unit (SLU) of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) on Wednesday.

The SLUs will have to be sealed and kept in storage for 45 days after the declaration of the Lok Sabha election results, the poll body said. Before this revision, only three components of the EVM, the ballot unit, the control unit and the VVPAT, were being stored for 45 days after the results.

The SLU is meant to upload the name and symbol of the candidates contesting from a particular constituency on VVPAT or paper trail machines. The matchbox-sized device is first connected to a computer and then to the VVPAT.

The apex court, on April 26, dismissed the pleas seeking ballot paper voting and rejected pleas seeking cross-verification of the votes cast in the EVMS with VVPAT.

Following this, the top court issued two directives to the poll-governing body. It said that on completion of the symbol loading process in the VVPAT undertaken on or after 01.05.2024, the Symbol Loading Unit (SLU) should be sealed and secured in containers, Live Law reported.

The SC further said that the candidates or their representatives shall sign the seal. The sealed containers containing the SLUs shall be kept in the strong rooms along with the EVMs at least for a period of 45 days post the declaration of results. They should be opened and examined and dealt with as in the case of EVMs.

Earlier, the SLU was to be in the custody of the returning officer and kept in the Commissioning premises with proper security. After the commissioning process, BEL/ECIL Supervisor shall hand over all the SLUs to the District Election Officer concerned. DEO will keep the SLUs received from then in their safe custody and return the same to them or engineers authorised by the BEL/ECIL on the next day after poll, i.e., P+1 Day.

As per the revised protocols, Only the Reserve SLUs and their accessories shall be handed over to the authorised BEL/ECIL engineers in the presence of candidates/their representatives and their signatures shall be obtained in the Register. Proceeding of the same shall be made and placed in the SLU Inventory Register.

The used SLUs will continue to be stored in the SLU Storage Room until the completing of counting of results, the ECI said.

Catch Live Updates On Delhi-NCR Schools Bomb Threat News Today . Check Delhi-NCR Schools Complete List Affected by Bomb Threats. Find Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Hours after several schools in the national capital received a hoax bomb threat on Wednesday, the Directorate of Education (DoE) issued a circular to over 35 heads of schools asking the administration to be extra vigilant and shut down their portals during school hours as part of precautions for the safety and security of students and staff on the premises.

The circular issued by the central regional director of education under the Delhi government to schools located in the north and central regions of the capital in its jurisdiction asked the administration to ensure the CCTV cameras installed in the premises were operational and regularly monitored.

During morning assemblies, the letter stated, children are to be briefed on precautionary measures to take in case of an emergency.

Instruct students not to touch any unclaimed objects and to immediately report any suspicious items to school authorities, the circular stated.

Also, the DoE has asked school heads to communicate with parents directly, urge them not to panic, and advise them to not believe in rumours.

The letter also asked schools to instruct security guards to allow entry to visitors only upon adequate verification.

The directorate has also asked school heads to request the police department to increase patrolling in and around school premises for additional security as well as to hold workshops with students for their understanding of the issue.

Besides, it directed schools to ensure that the direct sanitation staff is vigilant of any suspicious objects found during cleaning classrooms, toilets, and parking lots, among others.

The directions came hours after over 100 schools in Delhi received bomb threats via emails and phone calls on Wednesday morning. Following this, police teams carried out search operations across the schools after which they found the threats to be hoaxes.

Catch Live Updates On Delhi-NCR Schools Bomb Threat News Today . Check Delhi-NCR Schools Complete List Affected by Bomb Threats. Find Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
A plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking constitution of a medical expert panel under the supervision of a retired apex court judge to examine any possible side effects and risk factors of the Covishield vaccine.

It claimed that UK-headquartered pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has said that its vaccine against COVID-19, which was made under licence in India as Covishield, could cause low platelet counts and formation of blood clots in very rare cases.

The application, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, also sought a direction to the Centre to compensate those who are severely disabled or have died because of any side effects of the vaccine administered to them during Covid.

It claimed AstraZeneca has accepted a link between the vaccine and Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, a medical condition characterised by abnormally low levels of platelets and the formation of blood clots.

After Covid-19, there has been increase in the cases of death due to heart attack and sudden collapse of persons. There have been number of cases of heart attack even in youngsters. Now, after the document filed in UK court by the developer of Covishield, we are compelled to think upon the risk and hazardous consequences of Covishield vaccine which have been administered to the citizens at a large number, the application said.

It said the government is required to take immediate steps for the sake of safety and health of citizens and the issue has to be looked upon by the Centre on priority so that in future, no risk may occur regarding the health and life of Indian citizens.

The application said AstraZenecas vaccine formula was licensed to Pune-based vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) and over 175 crore doses of Covishield have been administered in the country.

It said a large number of Covishield doses were administered to the citizens on the assurance of the government about its safety.

The application said in some countries like the UK, there is vaccine damage payment system for people who get severely disabled due to vaccination.

It has sought directions to constitute a medical expert panel comprising of experts from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, headed by its director and supervised by a retired judge of the top court to examine the Covishield vaccine side effects and its risk factors.

It has also sought a direction to the Centre to establish a vaccine damage payment system for citizens who got severely disabled as a result of a vaccination drive during Covid-19.

The application has been moved in a pending petition of 2021 filed by Tiwari seeking action against alleged fake vaccines.

AstraZeneca has admitted that in very rare cases, its Covid vaccine, which is known as Vaxzevria in Europe and Covishield in India, can cause a blood clot-related side effect but the causal link is unknown, according to court papers being quoted in the UK media.

Catch Live Updates On Delhi-NCR Schools Bomb Threat News Today . Check Delhi-NCR Schools Complete List Affected by Bomb Threats. Find Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Some lives are no less than a movie. And certainly, the real-life plot of two sisters from Uttar Pradeshs Gorakhpur  Sita and Gita  is the truest example of it. The life of Sita and Gita (not twins, unlike the movie) can surely be an interesting pick for film directors and producers for an interesting plot with two sisters, missing and suspected to have been murdered in their 20s, suddenly turning up not only alive but married with a child each.

Both Sita (20) and Gita (21) used to live in Delhi along with their brother and parents, while their hometown was UPs Gorakhpur. However, the two sisters went missing in January 2023, following which their brother, Ajay Prajapati, filed a missing report.

In efforts to search for his sisters, Ajay contacted a man from their village, Jaynath Maurya, who was allegedly in a relationship with one of his sisters, reported NDTV. While Ajay was trying to question Jaynath regarding his sisters location, they both had an argument, following which the latter allegedly threatened Ajay of consequences saying, Youll meet the same fate as your sisters.

Worried for his sisters, Ajay went to the police station to file a murder case against Jaynath Maurya and his family. However, due to lack of evidence, the police did not file a complaint against Jaynaths family. In efforst to get justice for his sisters, Ajay then approached the court. Finally, a case was registered in , Gorakhpurs Belghat police station on the courts order in January 2024.

During the probe into the murder case, the police found out that the sisters were alive and had run away from home to marry their lovers.

Soon after learning about the murder case filed against Jaynath and his family, the sisters approached the police and gave their statement to avoid any innocent person getting punished.

REAL Life Sita-Gita Story

After being traced, Sita informed the police that she is married to Vijender, a resident of Haryana. She also told them that she has a five-month-old daughter and is living a very happy married life.

Meanwhile, Gita ran away with Suresh Ram, a resident of Uttarakhands Almora, and married him. She also has a six-month-old daughter.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Nearly 100 schools in Delhi-NCR received threat e-mail on Wednesday morning, creating a panic situation in the national capital. While nothing has been found so far, and police and bomb disposal squad are checking every school, the sender threatened educational institutes from ID Sawarim.

According to a senior official, the e-mail says that there are many explosive devices in schools.

Kill them wherever you meet and drive them out of the places from which they drove you (2:19). There are many explosive devices in the school. Allah subhanallah Wataala has given us a chance that inherited few have to become martyrs in the territory of war in the abode of the enemies of Islam and with them we sent down iron with its great might benefits for humanity (57:25), a police official quoted the e-mail while speaking to News18 on condition of anonymity.

The official further quoted the letter: The iron in our hands embraces our hearts Inshallah, we will send him through the air and tear apart your vile bodies. Well tear your throats and mouths with Allahs permission. We will send you into the flames, the tongues of which will melt you with live bait and you will suffocate. Allah has ordained eternal flame for the kafirs Inshallah.

The e-mail further says, The smoke will descend into the sky from the evil that you have created. You have a lot of empty iron. Did you really think that there would be no answer for all the evil you have done since childhood? The fire of jihad has been lit in our hearts we have become this fire.

This is the fate of the unbelievers. We will unleash fire from under your feet. This is your last refugee, the official said while quoting the email sent to nearly 100 schools.

According to Delhi Fire Service (DFS), at least 97 calls from different schools have been received till noon on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said it appears to be a hoax threat and that there was no need to panic. Delhi Police said it has conducted a thorough check of all schools that received the bomb threat but found nothing.

Noida Police said all such schools that received the emails were thoroughly checked and the bomb threat was found to be a hoax, Additional Commissioner of Police (law and order) Shivhari Meena said.

This morning a threatening email was received by a chain of schools after which police teams responded to the situation immediately, Additional CP Meena added.

All such schools that received the threats were thoroughly checked and sanitised. At no place any such thing (threat) has come to light and it is proved that the email was sent to trigger a rumour, he said.

Reacting to the development, Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena wrote on X that he spoke to the police commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR.

(with inputs from PTI)

Catch Live Updates On Delhi-NCR Schools Bomb Threat News Today . Check Delhi-NCR Schools Complete List Affected by Bomb Threats. Find Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
In Keralas Thiruvananthapuram district, there are very few places where you can see the cultivation of lotus. But its nearby village Manikkal has opened a window of such possibilities, where you can find lotus cultivation. It began at this place many years ago and is continuing till date. The special thing about this places lotus cultivation is that the initiative was taken with the cooperation of the State government of Kerala. This cultivation was started in collaboration with the local people of the state in order to help them with livelihood. As a part of this great project by the state government, several other types of flowers and grains are also cultivated here. The project of lotus cultivation was initiated as a part of a trail project under the umbrella of the local Gram Panchayat. The State Government of Kerala extended their full support for the project making it a big success.

With the aim to encourage lotus cultivation, the government of the state provided subsidies amounting to Rs 65,000 to the people engaged in the work. The cultivation of lotus in such a manner mainly can be seen in Tamil Nadu, but now it can be seen in Thiruvananthapuram. People in large numbers visit the place to witness lotus cultivation on such a big scale.

Indian lotus are exported to many countries including nations like the US, United Arab Emirates and Germany. This reportedly makes India the largest exporter of Lotus flowers in the world. A person can earn a profit of Rs 2 lakh from an initial investment of Rs 25,000 by cultivation of lotus. As the cultivation of lotus has turned Manikkal into a tourist attraction, it also provides a chance for all the people engaged in the work to spread the cultural and religious significance of the national flower of the country. This project has provided stable income to many people in the area.

Catch Live Updates On Delhi-NCR Schools Bomb Threat News Today . Check Delhi-NCR Schools Complete List Affected by Bomb Threats. Find Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
In India, summers and mangoes are no less than an emotion. Known as the king of fruits, mangoes have captured the hearts and taste buds of millions, earning a special place in Indian culture and cuisine. Families come together to relish the delicious Mango fruit. The versatility of Mango brings out a lot of creative and innovative ideas to pair it with other ingredients and make delicious beverages. From timeless classics to innovative blends, weve curated a list of six irresistible mango-inspired beverages from across India to enhance your summer sipping experience.

Alphonso Thick Mango Shake

The indulgent Thick and Creamy Alphonso Mango Shake, a delectable fusion of rich flavors and creamy textures. Crafted with the finest Alphonso mangoes, renowned for exquisite sweetness and vibrant hue, this shake embodies the essence of summer in every sip. The expertly blended recipe by Barista Coffee ensures a velvety smooth consistency that leaves your taste buds wanting for more. Indulge in the essence of summer with Barista Coffees Alphonso Thick Shake, available pan India till July.

Mango Boba Tea

If you want something fun and colourful during your high-temperature days, then pick mango boba. Imagine yourself in a tropical location, sipping a cool glass of Mango Boba Tea. Fat Tiger serves this amazingly fruity drink which blends the delicious freshness of the ripe and juicy mango with the chewy and elastic tapioca balls in a deliciously ideally suited drink that will cool you down and make you fall for it even on the hottest of days. The bright yellow colour of mango boba reminds one of the beautiful flowers that bloom in spring, making it the perfect drink for your summer afternoons, says By Sahaj Chopra, Co-Founder and Director, Fat Tiger.

Mango Coconut Smoothie

The ibis Hotel, New Delhi, Aerocity is serving Mango Coconut Smoothie, a refreshing concoction that perfectly blends the luscious sweetness of ripe mangoes with the creamy richness of coconut milk and Greek yogurt. This vibrant smoothie offers a burst of flavor and nutrition, making it an ideal choice for a quick breakfast, post-workout refreshment, or anytime treat. With just a handful of wholesome ingredients and a simple blending process, you can create a velvety smooth beverage thats as satisfying as it is delicious. Chef Supreet Ghai, Director of Culinary, ibis and ibis Styles India, says, Customize the sweetness to your liking with a touch of honey or maple syrup, and for an added nutritional boost, sneak in some leafy greens like spinach or kale. Whether youre craving a taste of the tropics or seeking a nourishing pick-me-up, our Mango Coconut Smoothie is sure to brighten your day with every sip.

Raw Mango Aam Panna

Aam panna is a refreshing and cooling summer drink made with raw green mangoes, especially during the hot summer months. The drink is prepared by boiling raw green mangoes until they become soft, and then blending them with jaggery, roasted cumin powder, mint leaves, a hint of chaat masala and pink salt. InterContinental Marine Drive, Mumbai is serving this seasonal delicacy for you to enjoy chilled with a mesmerizing sea view.

Mango Mint Cooler

A Mango Mint Cooler is a vibrant and flavorful beverage that captures the essence of summer in every sip. It starts with ripe mangoes, which lend their natural sweetness and rich texture to the drink. Fresh mint leaves are then muddled or blended in, infusing the drink with a refreshing burst of coolness and a hint of herbal aroma. To bring it all together, the mixture is blended with ice until smooth, creating a frosty and satisfying consistency. A squeeze of lime juice adds a bright citrusy note that enhances the overall flavor profile. Garnishing with a sprig of mint and a slice of mango not only adds visual appeal but also reinforces the drinks refreshing and tropical character. Grab this chilled at Reflex Bar Brewery and Dining, Gurugram

Mango Magic

The Mango Magic non-alcoholic cocktail combines the tropical sweetness of mango with the savory and tangy Indian chatpata flavors, creating a delightful fusion. It offers a refreshing and exotic twist to traditional cocktails, perfect for those who enjoy a mix of fruity and spicy notes in their drinks. Grab the exciting drink at The Den, Bengaluru
Gujarat Day, celebrated on May 1 every year, marks the foundation day of the state established in 1960 after the division of Bombay State. A celebration of Gujarats vibrant culture and rich heritage, what better way to commemorate this day than by indulging in a glass of refreshing Gujarati chaas?

Ever wonder why your Gujarati colleague seems perpetually energised? It might just be their secret weapon: homemade buttermilk, also known as chaas!

ALSO READ: Happy Gujarat Day 2024: Gujarat Sthapana Diwas Wishes, Images, Quotes and Messages in English and Gujarati

Recently a colleague said: We Gujjus (Gujarati people) cant leave home without it, and with good reason. This cool, refreshing drink is more than just a beverage; its a way of life.

But what makes chaas so special? Well, beyond its delightful taste, it boasts a range of health benefits. Its a fantastic source of probiotics, which aid digestion and gut health. Plus, its naturally hydrating and helps regulate body temperature  perfect for those hot summers!

ALSO READ: Happy Labour Day 2024: Best May Day Wishes, Images, Quotes and WhatsApp Status to Share on Kamgar Din

Now youre curious, arent you? Making your own chaas is surprisingly simple, and the results are far superior to store-bought varieties. Check out the secret to this delicious Gujarati staple!

Easy Recipe To Make Refreshing Homemade Gujarati Chaas

Ingredients

2 cups plain yogurt

2 cups cold water

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon black salt

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves

Ice cubes (optional)

Mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions

PreparationStart by gathering all the ingredients. Ensure that the yogurt is plain and not flavoured. Blending the ingredientsIn a blender, combine the plain yogurt, cold water, cumin powder, black salt, salt and black pepper. Blend the ingredients until they are well combined and the mixture is smooth and frothy. Adjusting the consistencyDepending on your preference, you can adjust the consistency of the chaas by adding more or less water. Some people prefer thicker chaas, while others like it more diluted. Adding ice cubesFor an extra refreshing touch, you can add a few ice cubes to the chaas before serving. This will help to chill the drink and make it even more refreshing. GarnishingGarnish the chaas with chopped fresh coriander leaves and mint leaves. This not only adds a pop of color but also enhances the flavour of the drink. ServingPour the chaas into glasses and serve chilled. The cool and tangy flavor of the chaas makes it the perfect accompaniment to a spicy Gujarati meal or a refreshing drink on a hot day.

ALSO READ: Happy Maharashtra Day 2024: BEST Wishes, Quotes, Images, Facebook and WhatsApp Status to Share on May 1

Sit back, relax and enjoy the delightful taste of homemade Gujarati chaas. Let the flavors transport you to the vibrant streets of Gujarat, where every sip is a celebration of the rich heritage, warm hospitality and zest for life that defines the people of Gujarat.

So, this Gujarat Day, raise a glass of homemade chaas and toast to the spirit of Gujarat!
Gujarat Day, also called Gujarat Sthapana Diwas, is celebrated every year on May 1 to commemorate the formation of the state in 1960. Before getting statehood, Gujarat was part of the Bombay State, which had present-day Maharashtra and Gujarat. Both Maharashtra and Gujarat became independent states after the government passed the Bombay Reorganization Act in 1960.

Gujarat is Indias fifth-largest state, it shares its border with Pakistan on the northeast side. Gujarat is home to a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Champaner Pavagadh, Rani ni Vav, Dholavira and more. Many of Indias freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Abbas Tyabji and others were born in Gujarat. Here are some quotes, wishes, messages, WhatsApp and Facebook status options for Gujarat Day.

Happy Gujarat Day Wishes

Warm greetings to the people of Gujarat. May the state scale new heights of development in the years to come.

On Gujarat Day, I hope and pray to see the state attain greater success. Happy Gujarat Day.

Gujarat is the pride of India. May this year bring more glory and achievement to our cherished state.

On This Gujarat Day, I pray that we take our majestic state of Gujarat to greater success.

Celebrate the glory, greatness, and grace of Gujarat on the occasion of Gujarat Day.

Heartiest wishes to the people of the state on the occasion of Gujarat Foundation Day. By changing calamities into opportunities, Gujarat today has become synonymous with peace, strength, prosperity and overall development. This land of Gandhiji and Sardar Sahib will continue to contribute to the progress of the country with the same passion and dedication in the future.

Fafda, Jalebi, Khaman, Dhokla, Khandvi, Dal Dhokali Khawa Wada Happy Gujarat Foundation Day to all my Gujarati friends.

Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat Greetings to all of you on the foundation day of Gujarat state.

There is no day without Gujaratis. Irrespective of the field, Gujaratis are having a great time.. Jai Jai Jai GarviGujarat..!!

Best wishes to all of you on the foundation day of Gujarat state. May Gujarat prosper!

Gujarat Day Quotes

Gujarat is a land of entrepreneurship, innovation and hard work. Let us continue to uphold these values and create a brighter future for our state. Happy Gujarat Day 2024!

As we celebrate Gujarat Day, let us remember the brave souls born in Gujarat like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Abbas Tyabji who fought for the freedom of this great land.

The spirit of Gujarat lies in its people, who are resilient, determined, and full of hope for the future. Happy Gujarat Day to all!

From its vibrant festivals and mouth-watering cuisine to its stunning architecture and rich history, Gujarat has so much to offer. Let us celebrate all that makes this state truly special on Gujarat Day.

On Gujarat Day, let us remember the sacrifices made by our forefathers to create this state, and pledge to continue their legacy of progress and development.

Bholanath resides where there is the hope of meeting Mohan where there is the fragrance of non-violence where there is the form of Shiva Shakti seated on a high hill where creation from nothing becomes possible where the supreme land is Gujarat, the land of karma is Gujarat . The same Jay Jay Garvi is Gujarat.

Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat The emirate of diligence, leaven and happiness Gujarat The kinship of adventure, dialogue and dedication Gujarat.

Address of Sensible Equality Gujarat, Best Wishes on the Foundation Day of the State of Gujarat!!!

Gujarat is a people who order half tea for 5 rupees, read free newspapers, eat pancho, drink two glasses of water and charge full rupees. Happy Gujarat Foundation Day to all my Gujarati friends. Jay Jay Garvi Gujarat.

Gujarati is my favorite languageGujarati is my favorite cultureGujarati food is my favoriteGujarati people are very nice ! Happy Gujarat Day!

Gujarat Foundation Day.a day to honour and be proud of every Gujarati.

GUJARAT DAY WISHES IN GUJARATI

    !    !

(Happy Gujarat Sthapana Divas (Foundation Day)! Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat!)

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(On this Gujarat Day, lets remember the glorious history and culture of the state. Happy wishes to all!)

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(Happy Gujarat Day! May the pride of being Gujarati remain forever!)

 (fanta)  ,  ,    !   !(The joy of Fanta, the excitement of Dandiya Raas, thats our Gujarat! Happy Gujarat Day!)

 ,       !   ! (Land of Sardar Patel, the excitement of Dandiya Raas Gujarat is our identity! Happy Gujarat Day!)

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(By the riverside, in the desert sands the beauty of Gujarat is endless! Happy Gujarat Day!)

Gujarat Day Messages

Gujarat is a land of vibrant colors, great food and rich heritage. Its people are known for their enterprising spirit and ability to overcome challenges. Happy Gujarat Day 2024 to everyone!

Greetings on the foundation day of a state that gave India many prominent figures in the field of business and politics. Happy Gujarat Day 2024.

May the land of Gujarat be blessed with prosperity, happiness and success. Happy Gujarat Day to all the proud Gujaratis!

Wishing everyone a very happy Gujarat Day! Let us come together to celebrate the spirit of the state and all that it stands for.

Happy Gujarat Day to all the proud Gujaratis out there! May the spirit of the state always inspire you to strive for greatness and achieve your dreams.

I am proud I am a Gujarati, Gujarati is my language, entire Gujarat is my home.

Happy Gujarat Foundation Day to all the Gujarati Brothers and Sisters.

A salute to the progress that Gujaratis have made in the country and abroad since the foundation day till today

Gandhis land is a source of inspiration for the whole of India. Happy Gujarat Day 2024 everyone!

Gujarat is a land of vibrant colours, excellent food and rich heritage. Its people are known for their adventurous spirit and their ability to overcome challenges. Happy Gujarat Day 2024 everyone!

Gujarat Day WhatsApp and Facebook Status

On Gujarat Day, I extend my heartiest greetings to all the countrymen. Gujarat is the land of legends like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel.

Gujarat, the Jewel of western India, has helped India scale new heights of success. Happy Gujarat Day.

Gujarat has a unique blend of tradition and modernity. Its people have embraced innovation while retaining its cultural heritage. Happy Gujarat Day to all.

Gujarat is a state that has always inspired people with its can-do attitude and its commitment to development. Happy Gujarat Day!

Gujarat is the land of great thinkers, artists, and spiritual leaders who have left an indelible mark on the world. Happy Gujarat Day!

Gujarat has a unique blend of tradition and modernity. Its people have innovated while preserving their cultural heritage. Happy Gujarat Day to all.

Gujarat is the land of great thinkers, artists and spiritual leaders who have left an indelible mark on the world. Happy Gujarat Day!

Greetings on the foundation day of a state that gave these nations prominent figures in business and politics. Happy Gujarat Day 2024.

Gurjar language, Bhusha, prices and food wherever it is, Gujaratiness is intact there is always Gujarat. Hearty congratulations to every Gujarati, to the residents of Gujarat on Gujarat Foundation Day!

May Gujarat flourish, prosper and climb the ladder of development. Happy Gujarat Day to you.

Gujarat Day FAQs

When is Gujarat Day celebrated?

Gujarat Day is celebrated every year on May 1st.

What is the significance of Gujarat Day?

Gujarat Day commemorates the formation of the state of Gujarat on May 1, 1960. It marks the culmination of a long struggle for a separate state based on Gujarati language and cultural identity.

How is Gujarat Day celebrated?

Gujarat Day is a public holiday in the state, with schools, colleges, and many offices closed. Various cultural programs showcasing Gujarats rich heritage, like Garba dances, Dandiya Raas performances, and folk music are organized. Flag-hoisting ceremonies are held at government buildings and public spaces. Official speeches by government officials and parades involving police and security forces might be held in some cities. People exchange greetings and messages celebrating Gujarats culture and traditions.

What are some other interesting facts about Gujarat Day?

The struggle for a separate Gujarat state was led by prominent figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Morarji Desai. Gujarat has one of the highest agricultural growth rates in India. The worlds largest salt desert, the Rann of Kutch, is located in Gujarat.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Every year on May 1, Labour Day is celebrated worldwide to recognise and appreciate the contributions of labourers and to advocate for workers rights. This significant day also commemorates the Labour Class Movement of the 19th century, during which workers tirelessly advocated for improved working conditions, including an eight-hour workday and fair wages.

It is crucial to uphold the spirit of Labour Day by spreading awareness and honouring the hard work and dedication of workers everywhere. Here, we present a collection of wishes, messages and quotes to mark this special occasion.

Labour Day 2024: Best Wishes and Messages

Heres to the driving force behind progress. Labour Day: a moment to honour and celebrate the hearts and souls poured into work. Today, we celebrate their impact. Take a break and revel in the joy! Happy Labour Day!

Today is the day to honour those souls who are striving hard in life to make it worthwhile. Happy Labour Day to everyone!

ALSO READ: Happy Maharashtra Day 2024: BEST Wishes, Quotes, Images, Facebook and WhatsApp Status to Share on May 1

To all the hard-working people out there. Happy Labour Day! Keep up the good work.

On the occasion of Labour Day, I wish all workers to be recognised and appreciated for their hard work and contributions to the development of society. It is important to honour and celebrate the hard work and dedication of individuals in every field. Wishing you all a very happy Labour Day.

Reflect on the incredible journey this Labour Day. Each step forward counts. Keep shining brightly!

Labour Day 2024 Photos

Labour Day 2024: WhatsApp And Facebook Status

Labour Day is not just a day off, it is a day to value and honour the efforts and hard work done by the workers. Thank you for your commitment. Happy Labour Day!

To every hard-working employee, a very happy Labour Day! Also, a special shout-out to those who work hard to protect workers rights.

A worker is a creator and a valuable asset to any country. Happy Labour Day 2024!

A hard-working labourer can never let you down. Happy Workers Day.

Wishing all the dedicated workers a wonderful May Day. Every worker is valuable and ought to be treated fairly across the world. Happy Labour Day.

Labour Day 2024: Quotes

If they dont give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.  Shirley Chisholm If you care about what you do and work hard at it, there isnt anything you cant do if you want to.  Jim Henson Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.  Dale Carnegie It is labour indeed that puts the difference on everything.  John Locke All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.  Martin Luther King Jr.

International Labour Day FAQs

What is International Labour Day?

International Labour Day, celebrated on May 1st globally, is a day to recognize and celebrate the contributions that workers make to the economy and society. It also highlights the ongoing fight for workers rights.

Why is it called May Day?

The origins are debated, but some theories link it to historical labor movements advocating for an eight-hour workday, which began gaining momentum around May 1st.

Is International Labour Day the same as Labor Day in the United States?

No, although both celebrate workers, they are on different days. The US celebrates Labor Day on the first Monday of September.

What is the history of International Labour Day?

The Haymarket Affair in Chicago in 1886 is a significant event linked to the origins of May Day. It became a symbol of the international struggle for workers rights.

What is the significance of International Labour Day?

The day serves as a reminder of the achievements of the labor movement and a platform to raise awareness about current labor issues like fair wages, safe working conditions, and workers rights.

How is International Labour Day celebrated?

Celebrations vary by country. Common traditions include parades, rallies, speeches, and cultural events. Some countries have the day off as a national holiday.

What are some slogans associated with International Labour Day?

Popular slogans include Workers of the World Unite! and Celebrating Workers, Past, Present & Future!

Does India celebrate International Labour Day?

Yes, India celebrates International Labour Day on May 1st. Its a national holiday with rallies and speeches highlighting workers rights and the contributions of the Indian labor movement.
Maharashtra Day, also known as Maharashtra Diwas, is observed annually on May 1 to commemorate the states establishment in 1960, when it was separated from the former Bombay province. Maharashtra Day is a public holiday and is celebrated with great enthusiasm throughout the state.

On this day, the state government also bestows honours on prominent figures for their contributions to many fields like literature, art and science. The Maharashtra Day parade is held at Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai and includes colourful processions of traditional dancers, floats and marching bands. On this occasion, send wishes and messages to your family and friends to wish them.

Maharashtra Day Wishes

Let us celebrate the essence of our great state: unity, variety, and growth. Happy Maharashtra Day!

We wish all Maharashtrians a wonderful Maharashtra Day full of pride, pleasure, and success. Jai Maharashtra!

May the spirit of Maharashtra Day motivate us to work for a better future in which every dream finds wings and every heart finds a home? Happy Maharashtra Diwali!

As we celebrate Maharashtras grandeur, let us remember our forebears efforts and promise to safeguard the principles they held dear. Happy Maharashtra Day!

On this auspicious occasion of Maharashtra Day, let us remember the rich history, cultural legacy, and customs that make our state genuinely unique. Happy Maharashtra Diwas to everyone!

Maharashtra Day Images and Photos

Maharashtra Day WhatsApp and Facebook Status

Maharashtra is a place where tradition and modernity coexist harmoniously.

Maharashtra is more than just a state; it represents a mood, a culture, and a heritage to appreciate.

As Maharashtra rises, so does the spirit of the nation.

Maharashtra Dinachya Hardik Shubhecha

Freedom of thought, strength of language. We have clean blood, pride in our souls, and zeal in our hearts. Let us appreciate Maharashtras spirit. Happy Maharashtra day.

1 May Maharashtra Day Quotes In Marathi

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Maharashtra Day Quotes and Messages

Sending warm greetings on Maharashtra Day! May the spirit of progress and unity continue to flourish in our glorious state.

Lets celebrate the rich heritage, vibrant culture, and indomitable spirit of Maharashtra! Heres to a brighter future for the state we all love.

On Maharashtra Day, we salute the bravery of our ancestors and the dedication of our people. May Maharashtra continue to be a beacon of hope and inspiration.

From the majestic forts to the soulful music, Maharashtra is a land of captivating beauty and traditions. Lets cherish our unique heritage on this Maharashtra Day. Happy Celebrations!

We may have our differences, but one thing unites us  our love for Maharashtra! Happy Maharashtra Day! Heres to delicious food, vibrant festivals, and the warmth of Marathi hospitality.

Maharashtra Day FAQs

When is Maharashtra Day celebrated?

Maharashtra Day is celebrated every year on May 1.

What is the significance of Maharashtra Day?

Maharashtra Day commemorates the formation of the state of Maharashtra on May 1, 1960. It marks the culmination of a long struggle for a separate state based on Marathi language and cultural identity.

How is Maharashtra Day celebrated?

Maharashtra Day is a public holiday in the state, with schools, colleges, and many offices closed. Official parades involving the police and state reserve forces are held, often accompanied by speeches from government officials. Various cultural programs showcasing Maharashtras rich heritage, like folk dances and music performances, are organized. Flag-hoisting ceremonies are held at government buildings and public spaces. People exchange greetings and messages celebrating Maharashtras culture and traditions.

What are some other interesting facts about Maharashtra Day?

The struggle for a separate Maharashtra state was led by prominent figures like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and BR Ambedkar. The Marathi Wikipedia was launched on Maharashtra Day in 2003. A tradition of announcing new government projects and schemes on this day is sometimes followed.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Maharashtra Day is marked every year on May 1 by the people of the state. The day commemorates the existence of the state following the enactment of the Bombay Reorganisation Act on May 1, 1960. The demand of an individual state was first made by The Sanyukt Maharashtra Andolan. The occasion is also known as Maharashtra Diwas or Maharashtra Din.

ALSO READ: Happy Maharashtra Day 2024: BEST Wishes, Quotes, Images, Facebook and WhatsApp Status to Share on May 1

Before the Bombay Reorganisation Act came into effect, there existed Bombay, which included people speaking four major languages  Kutchi, Gujarati, Marathi and Konkani. With the introduction of the act, the erstwhile Bombay province got divided into two states on the basis of the language that people spoke, namely Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Those speaking Marathi and Konkani became a part of Maharashtra, while those who spoke Kutchi and Gujarati became a part of Gujarat.

ALSO READ: Happy Gujarat Day 2024: Gujarat Sthapana Diwas Wishes, Images, Quotes and Messages in English and Gujarati

As the day is significant for the people of Maharashtra, what can be a better way to celebrate it than by making something delicious that too with mangoes? In this scorching summer, relish the Maharashtrian aamras and make your day even more special. Heres a simple recipe to whip up this delightful summer treat at home.

Celebrate Maharashtra Day 2024 with Sweet Aamras! Easy Homemade Recipe

Ingredients

Ripe Mango: 1 kg

Sugar: 1 cup (as per taste)

Cold milk: 2.5 cups

Saffron: 1/4 tablespoon

Pinch of cardamom powder (optional)

2-3 ice cubes

Step-By-Step Guide To Make

Take ripe mangoes, wash them and dry them thoroughly. Now, take a sharp knife and carefully peel the mangoes. Roll the mango well by placing it between your palms and extract the mango pulp in a vessel. Following this, cut the mangoes into small pieces and blend the mango pulp in the mixer for a smoother consistency. If the aamras feels too thick, add cold milk until it reaches your desired consistency. Then, add sugar as per your preference and grind it well. After this, add a pinch of cardamom and saffron strands to the paste and grind it one more time. Add ice cubes or refrigerate your aamras for some time to cool down. And voila!

ALSO READ: Happy Labour Day 2024: Best May Day Wishes, Images, Quotes and WhatsApp Status to Share on Kamgar Din

Your Maharashtrian Aamras is ready to be served.

Enjoy this refreshing homemade Aamras with pooris or chapati for a complete Maharashtrian experience!
May 1 is observed as International Labour Day worldwide. But, for the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, the day holds historical significance as the foundation of the two states dates back to this day, 67 years ago. Every year, individuals celebrate Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day on May 1 to commemorate the existence of the state.

ALSO READ: Happy Maharashtra Day 2024: BEST Wishes, Quotes, Images, Facebook and WhatsApp Status to Share on May 1

This day is celebrated with full enthusiasm by organising multiple events, parades, and ceremonies across the two states, highlighting the culture and traditions of the two states.

In Maharashtra, the main function, also known as Maharashtra Diwas or Maharashtra Din, is conducted at Shivaji Park in Dadar, whereas in Gujarat, it is held at the Sabarmati Waterfalls.

ALSO READ: Happy Gujarat Day 2024: Gujarat Sthapana Diwas Wishes, Images, Quotes and Messages in English and Gujarati

Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day 2024: History

Following the implementation of the Indian constitution, the country was divided into states on the basis of linguistic borders. At that time, Bombay was recognised as a state under the State Recognition Act of 1956.

Bombay had people speaking languages such as Marathi, Konkani, Gujarati, and Kutchi. However, this merger of various vernaculars into one state did not work out and resulted in uproar and distress.

The sanctity of the state was being jerked time and again due to these linguistic differences.

ALSO READ: Happy Labour Day 2024: Best May Day Wishes, Images, Quotes and WhatsApp Status to Share on Kamgar Din

Several protests and movements erupted, demanding the separation of states and the creation of an individual state, with one containing people speaking Gujarati and Kutchi and one containing those speaking Marathi and Konkani.

The Mahagujarat movement and the Samyukta Maharashtra movement became the faces and started agitating for these demands.

Seeing the momentum of the protests fueling in various corners of the state, former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru declared Bombay a Union territory for five years in 1956.

Later, a resolution supporting Bombays bilingual state was approved by the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha then suggested the Bombay Reorganisation Act. in March 1960, which was approved by the Lower House a month later. It took more than 20 years for the government of India, with the support of numerous commissions, to declare a distinct state.

Finally, after the enactment of the Bombay Reorganisation Act in Parliament, the state of Bombay got divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat on May 1, 1960.

Since then, the day has been celebrated by the two states separately in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day 2024: Significance

The significance of this day lies in the fact that the state reorganisation led to the formation of a separate administrative unit for the Gujarati-speaking and Marathi-speaking people. This day is significant in the history of the state and for people who celebrate their cultural heritage and the achievements of the state.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma is celebrating her 36th birthday this year. As a successful actor-producer and mother of two, Anushka Sharma has been perfect at almost everything, balancing her personal and professional lives quite efficiently.

Starting off as a model, Anushka made her film debut with Shah Rukh Khan starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in 2008. Ever since, she has worked in a number of hit films, also carving a niche for herself as a producer for phenomenal films like NH10 and Phillauri.

Apart from being a dedicated professional, Anushka is also a doting mom, daughter and wife. Today as the actor-producer turns a year older, lets take a deep look into her journey in the Indian film industry and her family life.

Anushka Sharmas Birthday: Journey In The Industry

Anushka Sharma started working as a model at the very young age of 15. For the next five years, she walked the ramp for several designers as a full-time model.

After working as a model and featuring in some popular advertisements, Anushka Sharma got her big major break in 2008 with Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

Backed by Yash Raj Films, the actress featured opposite Shah Rukh Khan and caught the attention of several filmmakers with her fresh face and natural acting.

Following the success of RNBDJ, there was no turning back for Anushka as she went on to work with some renowned filmmakers featuring in superhit films like Band Baaja Baaraat, Sultan, Pari and PK, among others.

In 2013, Anushka ventured into production with her own house Clean Slate Filmz with her brother Karnesh Ssharma. Under the banner, the actress backed some highly acclaimed films like Pari, Bulbul, NH10 and Phillauri.

Clearly a self-made star, Anushkas success story doesnt just end here as she has also been a successful entrepreneur.

She launched her own apparel line, Nush, which creates clothes for women including western, casual and evening wear.

Anushka Sharma: Best films

Rab Ne Bana Di JodiIt is not every day that a newcomer manages to leave a mark in the industry but Anushka Sharma did the job pretty well. With her debut film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, she played the role of an introverted girl who gets married to a middle-aged simpleton played by Shah Rukh Khan. The actress transformation from a quiet girl to a confident woman was remarkable setting the tone for her future performances. Band Baaja BaaraatIn another collaboration with Yash Raj Films, Anushka delivered her second-best with Band Baaja Baaraat alongside Ranveer Singh. Her role as an ambitious wedding planner got her a lot of praise and award nominations for Best Actress. NH10One of her critically acclaimed performances came with the 2015 film NH10. The film story shows the journey of a woman who goes on a road trip with her husband, only to encounter a group of violent criminals. With the films intense narrative, the storyline also deals with the issue of honour killing and patriarchy in India. PariWith a fresh take on the horror genre, Anushka Sharma featured in this 2018 supernatural horror film titled Pari. She plays the role of an innocent woman named Rukhsana who is possessed by a demonic entity. Sharmas performance received wide appreciation and was quite convincing. PhillauriThe fantasy comedy film Phillauri features Anushka Sharma in the role of a spirit. The films story revolves around a young man who marries a tree to ward off his Mangalik dosh. However, the tree is shown as being haunted by a spirit.

Anushka Sharma: Best Songs

A lot of songs from the actress films are chartbusters and favourites among fans.

Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta HaiPicturised on Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma, the beautiful romantic track is soothing to the ears and still fresh in minds after so many years. Ainvayi AinvayiThis song is considered one of the most popular tracks played at wedding events and programmes. Anushka and Ranveers amazing chemistry and the songs peppy beats make it one of her best-known numbers. Thug LeAnother song from Band Baaja Baarat, Thug Le is sung by Shweta Pandit and Vishal Dadlani. The songs infectious energy and the actors moves will truly make everyone sway away. Love is a Waste of TimeFeaturing Aamir Khan and Anushka Sharma, the cute romantic song is a perfect blend of harmony along with sweet lyrics and rhythm that will enchant the viewers. The Breakup SongThe song that once turned out to become the breakup anthem of the year is also counted among Anushka Sharmas best-known tracks. From the album Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, the Breakup song is sung by Pritam, Arijit Singh, Badshah, Jonita Gandhi and Nakash Aziz.

Anushka Sharmas Family Life

After dating secretly for quite some time, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli got married on December 11, 2017. Later in January 2021, they welcomed their first child, daughter Vamika into their lives.

Having been extremely protective of their daughters privacy since her birth, both Virat and Anushka made sure to keep Vamika away from the medias eyes. Earlier this year, they welcomed their second child, son Akaay in London.
Ayushmann Khurrana recently visited New York to attend the prestigious TIME100 Gala. The actor had a splendid time in the foreign land with some music and events with global personalities. During his time in New York, Ayushmann attended the Broadway show MJ: The Musical and worked on a global campaign targeting World Immunisation Week. The actor has now taken to his social media handle to share a photo dump of this tour and it indeed captures a picturesque side of the busy city.

Ayushmann Khurrana posted a carousel on Instagram with the caption, New York City, you stole my heart! From soaring through the skies to hitting every Broadway beat, wandering your vibrant streets, and finding a taste of home away from home  all thanks to Agoda India . Seeing the world for less never felt so fulfilling! While there were some offbeat landscape pictures from New York City, one of the stills featured the actor standing in front of the MJ: The Musical broadway show poster. Fans loved his latest photo dump and one of them stated, NYC has its own charm and character.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ayushmann Khurrana (@ayushmannk)

The highlight of this trip was surely the musical, which tells the story of Michael Jacksons life through 25 of his biggest hits. The show takes viewers behind the scenes as Michael prepares for the 1992 Dangerous World Tour, giving them an in-depth insight at his approach. Speaking about the show, Ayushmann said, I have read so much about MJ: The Musical that I had to go and watch it and witness the brilliance of this show unfold in front of my eyes. We have all grown up listening and grooving to Michael Jacksons songs and music videos and I wanted to understand the real-life story of what happened behind the scenes and into Michael Jacksons process of touring and creating spectacles! as quoted by Bollywood Hungama.

Ayushmann Khurrana, also the UNICEF India National Ambassador and actor, visited the UNICEF headquarters in New York during this trip to shoot for their global campaign targeting World Immunisation Week. The actor also reportedly met with senior UNICEF officials, including Naysan Sahba, UNICEF Director of Global Communication and Advocacy, to discuss potential collaborations in the future.

Ayushmann Khurrana was last seen in Dream Girl 2, the sequel to his 2019 smash blockbuster Dream Girl. Raaj Shaandilyaa directed the film, which stars the actor in dual roles. It is produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor under the label Balaji Motion Pictures.
Bella Hadid, who signed with IMG and has walked the runways for several designers like Chanel, Tom Ford and Balmain, is a powerhouse in the fashion industry in her own right. Numerous magazines, such as Vogue, Elle and Harpers Bazaar, have featured Bella on their covers. She has also starred in advertisements for Givenchy, Bulgari Calvin Klein, and others. However, the supermodel had previously decided to leave the modelling industry after ten years of career. Now, she recently spoke with Allure magazine about her decision to concentrate on her mental and physical health over the last year.

After 10 years of modelling, I realized I was putting so much energy and love and effort into something that, in the long run, wasnt necessarily giving it back to me, she said.

She also relocated to Texas to begin a fresh chapter with her partner Adan Banuelos. The model called this new phase of her life with her close friends and family the best time, adding that she does not feel like she has to put in too much effort in order to go out.

Even on days when she doesnt feel her best, Bella claims that being in a situation where she can choose her daily outfits and the amount of face time she wants to devote is something extremely unique for her.

For the first time now, Im not putting on a fake face. If I dont feel good, I wont go. If I dont feel good, I take time for myself. And Ive never had the opportunity to do that or say that before, Hadid told the publication.

She went on to claim that today, when people see her in photos and comment on how happy she seems, its because she genuinely is.

I am feeling better; my bad days now were my old good days.

After more than ten years of severe health problems, including 100+ days of Lyme, chronic disease, [co-infection] treatment [and] almost 15 years of invisible suffering, she came clean about her battle with Lyme disease on Instagram in August, stating that she is finally healthy.

Hadid relocated to Texas after that, where she rekindled her romance with Banuelos and is currently introducing Orebella, her debut fragrance line.

According to Allure, the fragrance, which makes its premiere on Thursday, May 2, is composed of a blend of plant oils, such as camellia, jojoba, shea, olive, and sweet almond, over a glycerine base.

She told Allure that while she was growing up, she would go to a health food shop close to her familys farm in Pennsylvania and experiment with different essential oil aroma combinations with glycerin until she found something truly unique. Bella enjoyed the feeling of having something unique to herself.

I was trying to make them as unique as possible so that when I put them on my body, it felt singular to me, added Bella.

Because she was passionate about the product, she produced the smell profiles, made investor pitches, and built the brand from the bottom up.
Chris Hemsworth recently addressed criticism surrounding Thor: Love And Thunder and took the blame for the failure after fans claimed the superhero movie was too silly. The 40-year-old Australian actor didnt shy away from admitting his part in the fourth instalment of the immensely popular Marvel Cinematic Universe series was mediocre. According to Vanity Fair, director Taika Waititi decided to transform the character in Thor: Ragnarok and allow Hemsworth to show his comedic side. Initially, the actor received praise for his hilarious performance in Ragnarok, Hemsworth and Waititi focused on maintaining a similar tone in Love and Thunder. However, their efforts failed to resonate with audiences. Now, Hemsworth wants to take his craft more seriously and avoid being arrogant.

Talking to the portal, the Extraction star said, I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself. I didnt stick the landing. The actor is eager to explore roles other than action movies and hopes to with top directors such as Christopher Nolan, Kathryn Bigelow, Greta Gerwig, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Despite this ambition, he feels responsible to deliver another Thor film, following the lukewarm response Love and Thunder received. He also wishes to avoid being seen as an overly self-important, pretentious wanker.

Although Chris Hemsworth feels responsible for Thor: Love and Thunders disappointment, his Avengers co-star Robert Downey Jr feels the opposite. The Oppenheimer star explained, First off, Thor as a character was super tricky to adapt, lots of implied limitations, but he and Ken Branagh figured out how to transcend, make him somehow relatable but godlike. Hemsworth is, in my opinion, the most complex psyche out of all us Avengers. Hes got wit and gravitas, but also such restraint, fire, and gentleness. Downey praises Hemsworths performances in Ragnarok, Infinity War and Endgame and calls it a formidable hat trick.

In the upcoming film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Chris will play the character Dementus, a role he describes as different from his previous ones. Dementus is shown as a violent and brutal individual, born and raised in the harsh Wasteland where survival depends on strength. While appearing at CCXP in Brazil, Hemsworth the actor calls the character charismatic yet manipulative. Other than Hemsworth, Anya Taylor-Joy will play the lead. The fifth movie in the long-running series is set to release on May 23.
Hindi web series have established their dominance on OTT with their unparalleled plot and performances. With one hit content at a time, the Hindi web series has been winning the hearts of the audience. Now, recently released, Lootere has been grabbing a lot of eyeballs and has driven viewers to the edge of their seats with its impressive narration and detailing.

Lootere, created by Hansal Mehta and Shaailesh R Singh, has generated a lot of buzz. The story is set in Somalia, where passengers, (the Jadhavs who are migrating from Bihar to Molo in Kenya) of an ill-fated ship end up becoming hostages by pirates.

The action-drama stars Rajat Kapoor, Amruta Khanvilkar, Preetika Chawla, Deepak Tijori and others. The story showcases Vivek Gombers Vikrant Gandhi to be the most powerful and influential man in Somalia. He is secretly involved in the black business and plans to get some valuable goods to Somalia through a big ship. Meanwhile, the officials are tipped off about this. To prevent his secret from getting exposed, he gives the responsibility to Bilal to shop the ship before it reaches the port. Bilal tries to hijack the ship with the help of Somalian pirates. The captain of the ship is essayed by Rajat Kapoor who will play an important role in the plot. Every episode will have a sudden twist or turn of events which will leave you biting your nails.

In an interview, Amruta Khanvilkar talked about the challenges the crew faced while shooting in South Africa. She shared that South Africa was full of challenges, but they remained steadfast with the entire cast through the most dangerous situations. Some individuals spent more than 5 to 6 months in South Africa but never complained, she added. The web series is directed by Jai Mehta who wanted to shoot in South Africa to make the hijack scene of the pirates look as realistic as possible.

Lootere has been streaming on Disney+ Hotstar since March 22. Along with Hindi, it is also being streamed in seven other languages Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi. It also received a rating of 7 out of 10 on IMDb.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is one of those very few directors who is known to never cast a light of judgment on the other woman. Devdas, Bajirao Mastani and Gangubai Kathiawadi are a few instances. In fact, he has always treated them with as many layers and emotionality as a mans legitimate woman. Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar boasts of a plethora of these other women, who never had to hide under the veil of morality to earn reverence despite bowing down to their destiny.

Here, the women call their own shots and are unafraid of what the civil society might think of them. Theyre pitted against each other, sometimes one even wishing for and conspiring against anothers downfall and shattering their self-worth, pride and ego. They can tear apart and even love like tigresses. And when the right time comes, they dont bat an eyelid before fiercely protecting one another.

And these women are all so much more than just tawaifs. Ambition is their eternal companion and they use their beauty as a weapon to lure men into their beds and when the right time comes, render them powerless. Heres a look at the women of Heeramandi:

Mallikajaan

Manisha Koirala returns to being a Sanjay Leela Bhansali heroine 18 years after Khamoshi: The Musical, and plays Mallikajaan. She is the matriarch of a brothel named Shahi Mahal in the red light area. She is fearless, authoritative, ruthless and has the whole of Lahore under control with her beauty and brains.

Her maternal instincts seemingly take a backseat as shes hell bent on having her younger daughter Alamzeb take over her reins and become the huzur. Shes also overly protective about the empire she has built for herself. Notwithstanding the fact that shes a nautch girl, she has always walked with her head held high even in times of crisis.

Bibbojaan

Aditi Rao Hydari plays Bibbojaan, Mallikajaans eldest daughter. Shes not only a tawaif but also a revolutionist. She lets her eyes and silence do most of the talking and her most powerful weapons are her compassion and a sharp mind. She becomes the voice of the freedom of India from the British rule and puts her life in danger many a times to protect her homeland and if this requires her to lure a British officer to her bed, so be it.

Bibbojaan is soft-hearted. Where shes born and who she possibly wants to be are at conflict. Theres a lot of love and steadiness in her and she uses them to serve a larger purpose, Aditi had told News18 Showsha about her character.

Alamzeb

Sharmin Segal Mehta essays the part of Bibbojaans younger sister, Alamzeb. While her mother Mallikajaan harbours the dream of her nath utraayi, a coming-out ceremony for a mujre waali, Alam, as shes fondly referred to, spends most of her time reading poetry and aspires to be become a poet someday. Needless to say, shes constantly affected by the conflict between what she wants to and whats expected of her.

Lajjojaan

Describing her character Lajjojaan, Richa Chadha had said that shes a female version of Devdas. Shes passionately in love with a nawab named Zoravar and this unrequited love affair eventually breaks her heart, leaves her deluded and she soon takes to the bottle. Shes an emotionally wreck, who has hit the absolute abyss and has lost her self-worth and sense of self.

Talking to us about her character, Richa had said, I doubt that a ton of people after theyre trafficked at the age of six and then made to grow up inside a gilded cage would have a lot of self-worth to begin with because their life is deemed unimportant by society. Mallikajaan is the foster mother to Lajjojaan.

Waheedan

Yet another tormented character, Waheedan is the younger sister of Mallikajaan. Mallikajaan shares a strained relationship with her, who she blames for having lost her beauty and spark. Shes envious of her daughters youth and is on a path to regain her respect at all costs. The scar on her face becomes her biggest curse. Let down and betrayed by everyone she had once loved, Wajeedan is now fighting a battle where she fears not being desirable anymore. And through her, Bhansali brings forth an unfortunate facet of how womanhood is tied to vanity.

Circumstances have made Waheedan extremely bitter and broken but that hasnt stopped her from fulfilling her ambition. To snub Mallikajaan, shes even ready to befriend her worst enemies. And yet every now and then, we get to see a vulnerable and gullible side to Waheedan, played by Sanjeeda Shaikh.

Fareedan

Formidable, shrewd and sardonic, Sonakshi Sinhas Fareedan is the daughter of Mallikajaans elder sister, who had a catastrophic end. Shes a doppleganger of her mother and poses the biggest threat to Mallikajaan, who worries that this new Heeramandi entrant will raze her to the ground. Her only ambition is to avenge the injustice meted out to her mother and is single-handedly fighting the battle. She fears no one and has no qualms about walking on the path of vices.

But she has a closet full of skeletons. Eventually, she lets go of palace politics and joins Bibbojaans fight for a larger purpose. And despite deep and dark ambitions plaguing her heart, she has her conscience clear.
Grand and opulent kothas that smell of love, lust and betrayal. Debauched nawabs. Lovelorn and ambitious tawaifs. A forbidden bazaar. And a struggle to break free from the shackles of British Raj and gilded cages. Thats Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. In a scene, Alamzeb, a soon-to-be tawaif who harbours the dream of becoming a poet someday and is passionately in love with a nawab who also is a revolutionist, says, Mohabbat aur inquilab mein koi fark nahi hota. And thus, Sanjay Leela Bhansali through his love of weaving together some beautiful, complicated, grey and enterprising women, explores the many layers of azaadi.

Azaadi to a nautch girl, who much against her own wishes has to carry on the legacy of Heeramandi, means the same as it does to someone who is crumbling the weight of her own wrongdoings and ambition, who underneath the garb of a courtesan is on a mission to protect her homeland from the delinquency of the British and who feels suffocated under the tapestry of beauty and youth.

Heeramandi explores the various aspects of a womans trials and tribulations. Here, each female character is an epitome of every emotion that makes up a woman. Mallikajaan is the matriarch of a brothel named Shahi Mahal. She is ruthless and has the whole of Lahore under control with her beauty and brains. Her daughters  Bibbojaan and Alamzeb  love their mother dearly but have no intention and desire to carry her legacy forward. While Bibbojaan is a true patriot dubbed as a rebel by the British, Alamzeb has dreams of leaving Heeramandi behind and start a new chapter with the man of her dreams.

Mallikajaan is also a foster mother to Lajjojaan, an emotionally wrecked woman, who has hit the absolute abyss as a consequence of falling in love with a nobleman, who never accepted her. Mallikajaan shares a strained relationship with her sister Waheedan, who blames her for losing her spark, a quality that tawaifs proudly flaunt. Shes envious of her daughters youth and is on a path to regain her respect. Fareedan, on the other hand, poses the biggest threat to Mallikajaan, who worries that the former will raze her to the ground.

As the women try and navigate these messy emotions and relationships with one another, they realise that they have a bigger battle to fight, that of not letting the British take over Heeramandi. Set in the 1940s, the historical drama series looks back at the time when courtesans walked with their heads held high and when noblemen would send their sons to their kothas to learn etiquettes before they step into the real world. These women of Heeramandi were considered to be the queens of Lahore, who like a puppet master, controlled the city.

With Heeramandi, Sanjay Leela Bhansali creates a world thats exquisite and is rich and vibrant in its culture and texture. Inhabiting this realm are some characters that are as unapologetic, complex and imperfect as a human can be. Here, the women call their own shots and is unafraid of what the civil society might think of them. Theyre pitted against each other, sometimes one even wishing for and conspiring against anothers downfall and shattering their self-worth, pride and ego. They can tear apart and even love like tigresses. And when the right time comes, they dont bat an eyelid before fiercely protecting one another. Despite deep and dark ambition plaguing their hearts, theyve their conscience clear. Maybe thats why Fareedan in a scene reprimands a British officer for robbing her aunt Mallikajaan off her aabru when all she wanted was for her to have her guroor crumbled.

Bhansali pens a near-perfect screenplay and it is this rich writing that already forms an impressive foundation for the show. Each character is written with a lot of courage, empathy and sensitivity. Here, each female character is so well-fleshed out, including those in the periphery, that they all deserve a spin-off of their own.

Bhansali is one of those very few directors who is known to never cast a light of judgment on the other woman in a man-woman relationship. Devdas, Bajirao Mastani and Gangubai Kathiawadi are a few instances. In fact, he has always treated them with as many layers and emotionality as the mans legitimate partner. And Heeramandi boasts of a plethora of these other women, who never had to hide under the veil of morality to earn reverence despite bowing down to their destiny.

After sharing glimpses of the life of a courtesan and the madam of a brothel through Chandramukhi and Gangu, he lets us delve deep into their worlds with Heeramandi where everyone  despite having one single goal of freedom  has their fair share of unique trials, each one heart-wrenching and catastrophic in their own way. With the series, Bhansali once again puts his fascination of tragic love stories on display, thereby making a commentary on how women on the fringes can never recover from a heartbreak, sometimes offered by a lover and sometimes by their own families. And yet, the auteur, sadistic as it may sound, makes sure that we never look away from the beauty that devastation and agony can bring.

Apart from his masterful storytelling through maximalist aesthetic including the creation of some poetic vignettes where each frame appears to be a stunning piece of oil painting, Bhansali has also earned the affection and admiration of several film connoisseurs for his presentation of elaborate dance sequences. It wouldnt be wrong to say that he has single-handedly kept the tradition of song-and-dance alive in Hindi cinema at a time when realism has been striving to take over. And so, Heeramandi doesnt disappoint either. Sakal Ban is a gorgeous representation of the beauty and sisterhood that resides in Heeramandi. In fact, each of the woman, has a mujra sequence and all of them are mesmerising pieces.

The background score by the director is like a cherry on the top that elevates the screenplay and the drama quotient in perfect proportions. Long runtimes of each episode doesnt deter the narrative either. The series is so well-written and crafted with intricate nuances that youll remain hooked to it throughout. To top it, most sequences flow like beautiful proses. The only weak link is its rushed climax that fails to properly establish what enthuses and infuses these women with the spirit of patriotism.

As for the men of Heeramandi, Taha Shah Badussha who plays Tajdar Baloch proves his mettle in many scenes, particularly those he shares with Alamzeb. Adhyayan Suman plays a cold-blooded and manipulative nawab named Zoravar. He has limited screen time but impresses in a key confrontation scene with Lajjojaan and Mallikajaan. Shekhar Suman and Fardeen Khan dont have much meat to chew on.

Coming to the women, Manisha Koirala returns to the screen and essays the unyielding and authoritative Mallikajaan with a lot of finesse and heart. Shes easily the scene-stealer and to watch her revelling in a grey character after playing an array of vulnerable woman is a treat to the eyes. Aditi Rao Hydari once again lets her eyes and silence do all the talking. Her most powerful weapons are her calm demeanour, compassion and a sharp mind and her Bibbojaan has the most interesting character arc.

Sharmin Segal Mehta essays the part of Alamzeb, which again is a multi-layered character. Her agony tugs at the heartstrings and her delicate beauty and not-so-boisterous rebellion make her interesting. She shares some endearing moments with Tajdar and to see her rising from the ashes like a Phoenix and take charge of all the atrocities committed on her fiance, mother and sister is awe-inspiring.

Richa Chadha as Lajjojaan doesnt have too many scenes but she makes sure that you cant take your eyes off her every time she appears in the frame. Shes a tormented woman perpetually yearning for love and in doing so, loses her self-worth and sets out on a path of self-destruction. Her heart break and delusions will make you tear up. Its equally pitiful watching Sanjeeda Shaikhs Waheedan, who let down by everyone she had once loved, is now fighting a battle where she fears not being desirable anymore. And through her, Bhansali brings forth an unfortunate facet of how womanhood is tied to vanity.

Sonakshi Sinha plays the antagonist in Heeramandi. She is stunning, shrewd and sardonic. And she fears no one. She single-handedly fights a battle to win justice for her late mother and has no qualms about walking on the path of vices for the same. At the end, the women are all so much more than just tawaifs. Ambition is their eternal companion and they use their beauty as a weapon to lure men into their beds and when the right time comes, render them powerless. Farida Jalal as the loving Qudsia also deserves a special mention.

This ambitious Bhansali creation is delicious. Youll relish every bit of it till the very end. And much like diamond, Heermandi shines and sparkles and hardly ever loses its sheen.
After a deepfake video of Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan expressing their political views went viral, there has been widespread concern about the misuse of technology and the lack of legal safeguards. Now, a video with a morphed voice of Katrina Kaif speaking French has also gone viral on social media. The original video dates back to 2017 when Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan were present at the launch event of Bina Kaks book, Silent Sentinels of Ranthambhore, in Mumbai. They were joined by Salmans father, veteran screenwriter Salim Khan. A fan page of Katrina shared the video, morphed this time, where she is speaking fluent French, assisted by artificial intelligence.

The deepfake video had a disclaimer. It read, Both Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan attended the book launch of Silent Sentinels of Ranthambhore by Bina Kak. Salman and Katrina are very close to her from their Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya movie. She played Salmans mother in that movie. Disclaimer: The French voiceover is AI-generated but the speech hasnt been morphed or twisted, it is the exact the same as her original speech.

Many fell for it despite the caption, owing to how real it looks. One user commented, Does she speak French and Arabic? Another wrote, Shes so supremely talented unlike any other actress !!

Meanwhile, the official spokesperson of Ranveer Singh also confirmed that based on a police complaint by Ranveer, an FIR has been lodged for further investigation by the Cyber Crime Cell.Issuing the statement, the spokesperson said, Yes, we have filed the police complaint and FIR has been lodged against the handle that was promoting the AI-generated deepfake video of Mr. Ranveer Singh (sic).

In a fake, AI-generated deepfake video featuring the actor, he was seen purportedly voicing his political views. While the video from the actors recent visit to Varanasi is genuine, the audio is of an AI-enabled voice clone of the actor. In the clip, Ranveer was seen urging people to vote for Nayay (justice) in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. However, it was later clarified that the viral video was morphed and edited. Ranveer also addressed the issue and warned everyone on social media by posting on X, Deepfake se bacho dostonnn.

Earlier this month, another deepfake video of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan also went viral on social media in which he was seen promoting a political party. After the video caught everyones attention, Mumbai police came into action and registered an FIR against an unnamed person.
Makarand Deshpande revealed that his scenes in SS Rajamoulis movie, RRR, were cut due to scheduling issues caused by delays. He had a small role in the film starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR. In an interview with Lallantop Cinema, he said that his scenes were unfortunately edited because he couldnt adjust his dates for filming. Deshpande mentioned that despite enjoying shooting initially, the extended schedule made it difficult for him to continue. He lost some scenes due to the delays, which could have improved his role.

It was such a mammoth film that its schedules were affected by many things, COVID, rain So, it became difficult Initially, I had a terrific time shooting for the film. but then, because the schedule was stretched a lot, it started becoming difficult for me. I lost out on some scenes also because of the dates, otherwise the presence would have been better. But an actor can only do his bit, what gets edited, you cant really he said.

Makarand Deshpande shocked everyone at Rajamoulis by arriving without his usual messy hair and moustache. He thought his unique look was why he was hired. He recalled, Their reaction was unbelievable. They kept looking at me, because I had cut my hair! It was for some role, so my hair was short and there was no moustache! Ram Charan had come, he said, I have seen Satya and I am a huge fan of yours. They told me you are coming so I came to meet you. it was very sweet of him.

Makarand said sorry to Rajamouli for his looks and recalled what the filmmaker told him. I told Rajamouli, I am sorry, you may have called me because of my appearance, but he said that look can be done through makeup. I called you because you are a fine actor and we want you in our film, that was such a wonderful thing to say, he added.

On the work front, the actor is currently seen in Dev Patels Monkey Man. Makarand, during the same chat, assured that Monkey Man will be released in India and the producers are already in talks with the concerned teams about it. He added that the films release in India was probably delayed due to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. He assured that there was nothing objectionable in the film and added that the film will release in India eventually.
Pankaj Tripathis sister, Sarita Tiwari, and her husband, Rajesh Tiwari, were in a road accident near GT Road in Nirsa on April 20. Sadly, Rajesh Tiwari passed away, while Sarita Tiwari sustained serious injuries and was treated at the SNCU of Dhanbad Medical College Hospital. Rajesh Tiwari and his wife Sarita Tiwari were traveling from Kamalpur in Gopalganj, Bihar, to Chittaranjan, West Bengal. As per a source who spoke to HT, the actor is taking a break from work to be with his family in these difficult times.

Tripathi was in his village at the time of the incident. The family is in shock after the accident and the loss. However, they are trying to cope up with the tragedy. Tripathi was on a break from his work. He was in his village and not shooting for anything. Now, he is using the time at hand to heal from the loss, and spending time with his family members, said the source. The source also denied rumours that Tripathis sister and brother-in-law were on their way to watch the shooting of his next project.

The actor will reportedly come back to Mumbai in early May and dive into work. He will start shooting for his next film right away after reaching Mumbai. He will be working on Anurag Basus project and the next instalment of web show Criminal Justice, the source added.

Rajesh Tiwari, Pankaj Tripathis brother-in-law, was employed by the Indian Railways and stationed in Chittaranjan. Family members stated that he was traveling back to Chittaranjan from his village when the accident occurred, leading to his unfortunate demise.

In August 2023, the actor lost his father. An official statement from the family was released and it read, Its with a heavy heart to confirm that Pankaj Tripathis father, Pandit Banaras Tiwari is no more. He lived a wholesome life of 99 years. His last rites will be performed today amongst his close family. Pankaj Tripathi is currently on his way to his village in Gopalganj. His father was 99. Since then, Pankaj Tripathi had dedicated his big National Award win to him and also opened a library in his village high school, as a token of remembrance for him.
Priyanka Chopra is busy shooting for her upcoming Hollywood film, Heads of State. Despite her hectic work schedule, she remains dedicated to staying hydrated. On Tuesday, amid her filming commitments, the actress took a moment to share a picture of her water bottle on her Instagram stories, snapped in between shots. In the caption, she asked her fans about their water intake for the day and encouraged them to stay hydrated.

The accompanying text with the photo read, How much water did you drink today?

This isnt the first time Priyanka has emphasised the importance of hydration to her fans. Previously, in an interview with HELLO! magazine, Priyanka revealed that drinking litres of water each day is her top beauty secret. Drink water. Itll change your skin. If you drink litres of water and flush out all the toxins, youll see your skin flourish. And getting a good nights sleep. If youre rested and hydrated, your skin, your make-up, everything will look better, she shared.

Priyanka has been actively keeping her fans engaged by offering them a glimpse behind the scenes of her upcoming film, Heads of State. Most recently, she delighted them with a stunning mirror selfie showcasing her toned physique during a break in filming. In the snapshot, she exudes confidence as she flaunts her muscles in a chic ensemble of crop top, pants and a sleek black coat.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by PriyankaCJForever (@priyankacj_forever)

Heads of State, directed by Ilya Naishuller, is an action comedy film that also stars John Cena, Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid, Amber Rose Revah and more.

Apart from Heads of State, Priyanka has an impressive lineup of projects. She is set to star in Farhan Akhtars upcoming drama Jee Le Zaraa, alongside Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif. Fans can also anticipate her appearance in Barry Levinsons biography drama Sheela.

Beyond her acting prowess, Priyanka Chopra has recently taken on the role of executive producer for the Academy Award-nominated documentary To Kill a Tiger. The film is directed by Indian-born Canadian filmmaker Nisha Pahuja. Additionally, her production company, Purple Pebble Pictures, has collaborated with Awedacious Originals to produce the documentary, Women Of My Billions.
Television star Rupali Ganguly has joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The news was confirmed in a press conference on Wednesday, May 1, in New Delhi. Speaking to the media, the Anupamaa star said, I am so honoured to be here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has influenced me a lot. I am a big fan of PM Modi. BJP has been doing great work and therefore i wanted to join the BJP. I am very thankful to the party.

Rupali was joined by political leader Vinod Tawde and Anil Baluni at the press conference. While the Anupamaa star has announced her political career, she is yet to confirm if she is running for the Lok Sabha elections 2024. Rupali joined the league of Kangana Ranaut, Arun Govil and more, who joined BJP this year.

#WATCH | Actress Rupali Ganguly joins BJP at the party headquarters in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/CjRafwFd3W ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

#WATCH | Actress Rupali Ganguly joins BJP at the party headquarters in Delhi She says, "When I see this 'Mahayagya' of development, I feel that I should also take part in thisI need your blessings and support so that whatever I do, I do it right and good'' pic.twitter.com/x7pT7oq0xB  ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

The Sarabhai vs Sarabhai actresss addition to the BJP party comes months after she met PM Modi. In March, Rupali took to her Instagram account and revealed she met the Prime Minister. She experienced a mix of nervousness and excitement.

A day I will not stop reliving in my mind and feel euphoric about !It was the day my dream came truethat of meeting our Honourable PM Shri Narendra Modiji @narendramodi. It was indeed a fan girl moment! For 14 years I probably manifested the hour and more that I got to share the stage with him on such a huge platform that he has created for the remarkable digital content creators which shall not only be most coveted in the future but also an award that endorses Modijis vision of a digitally global India @mygovindia, she said on Instagram.

Shri Modi Jis name fills the heart of every Indian with pride and standing besides him, I couldnt be prouder.

What more could anyone ask for than to share moments with the man who has changed the position of our country in the global economy and made every Indian stand tall with pride on every soil we step foot on. A huge thank you and a huge round of applause to the fantastic team of Content Creators awards who pulled off this huge event in the minimum possible time and kudos to my fellow eminent Jury members @prasoonjoshilive  it was wonderful associating with the gentlemen. Im a proud Modi Bhakt forever and this one shall be my most cherished #fanmoment, Rupali added.
Ryan Gosling is busy and booked with the promotional tours of his upcoming film The Fall Guy. Instead of wearing draper suits or press-friendly outfits, the Barbie star decided to wear a white shirt that has the name of Eva Mendes upcoming childrens book. People were quick to notice Ryan Goslings odd sartorial choice during his UK press tour, where he was joined by his co-star Emily Blunt. Now social media is flooded with praise for Ryan Gosling for choosing a novel way of promoting his wifes debut book. Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries will be out on September 17, 2024.

On Wednesday, Eva Mendes shared an Instagram post with a bunch of X posts that pointed to Ryan Goslings t-shirt. She wrote, Feeling the love from my Cuban Papi! And loving that beautiful Mami -Emily Blunt- so much! Love all around. This post gathered over 77,000 likes in less than a day. In the comments, many people expressed how the couple represents relationship goals.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eva Mendes (@evamendes)

Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling began dating in 2011 after they met on the set of The Place Beyond the Pines. Despite the media scrutiny, the couple kept their relationship private. They have two daughters, Esmeralda Amada, born in 2014, and Amada Lee, born in 2016.

In 2016, it was widely reported that the couple got married in a private ceremony. However, their wedding was not publicly confirmed until 2022. In November 2022, Eva Mendes appeared on Channel Nines Today Show to talk about her charity work in Australia. At some point, she referred to Ryan Gosling as her husband when she said, Everyone is so welcoming here and my husband Ryan is here and we are having the best time.

After the birth of her daughters, Eva Mendes has taken a back seat in her career. She was last seen in Ryan Goslings directorial debut, Lost River in 2014. The 50-year-old star told People Magazine that her book, Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries, is a love letter to my kids and yours. She added, Learning how to train our brain to work for us and not against us is easier said than done! At my home and in Desis, we try to deal with the never-ending worries and anxieties that we all have, so those negative thoughts dont take over and dominate.
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan is back in Mumbai. The actor returned from London with his personal bodyguard Shera and staff at midnight on Wednesday. He was clicked exiting a private terminal in Mumbais Kalina area. Shera escorted Salman to his white-coloured SUV as the actor chose to avoid the paparazzi.

Salman was surrounded by tight security as he stepped out of the airport. The actor was wearing a black t-shirt underneath a leather jacket and jeans. His fans were excited to see him back in town. One user wrote, Bhai is back. Another one said, Bhaijaan party toh banti hai.

Salman Khan had travelled to London weeks after there was a firing incident outside his Mumbai home. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), UK MP from Brent North constituency Barry Gardiner recently treated fans with pictures featuring Salman.

In the photos, the duo stood inside the Wembley Stadium as they chatted and posed for the camera. In the photos, Salman was seen in a black T-shirt, matching jacket and denims. He completed his look with sunglasses and black shoes. Sharing the pictures, Brent wrote, Tiger is Alive and is in London. A pleasure to welcome @BeingSalmanKhan to Wembley today.

Tiger is Alive and is in London       .       .        A pleasure to welcome @BeingSalmanKhan to Wembley today. pic.twitter.com/xG9lVxwM1l  Barry Gardiner (@BarryGardiner) April 29, 2024

This comes hours after one of the two arms suppliers in the firing case outside Salman Khans house died by suicide while in jail, Mumbai Police sources told CNN-News18. However, no official statement has been released yet. The accused hanged himself inside the toilet of the lock-up using a bedsheet. He was rushed to the state-run GT Hospital, where he was declared dead during treatment.

Since November 2022, Salman Khans security level has been elevated to Y-Plus due to threats from Lawrence Bishnoi and another gangster, Goldy Brar.
Weeks after a shooting incident outside of his residence, Salman Khan has travelled to London. UK MP from Brent North constituency Barry Gardiner shared photos with Salman on X (formerly Twitter), taken at Wembley Stadium. In the pictures, they stood inside Wembley Stadium, chatting and posing for the camera. Salman wore a black T-shirt, jacket, jeans, dark sunglasses and black shoes.

Sharing the photos on social media, Brent wrote, Tiger is Alive and is in London. A pleasure to welcome @BeingSalmanKhan to Wembley today. Check out the photos below:

Tiger is Alive and is in London       .       .        A pleasure to welcome @BeingSalmanKhan to Wembley today. pic.twitter.com/xG9lVxwM1l  Barry Gardiner (@BarryGardiner) April 29, 2024

Salman has been making public appearances in Mumbai too. Last week, Salman made his way to the premiere of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar with tight Y+ security. His personal security increased after two men fired gunshots outside Salmans Galaxy Apartments on April 14. The attackers have been nabbed and investigation is underway. Although Salman has not reacted to the firing, his father Salim Khan told India Today, Whats there to talk about ye jaahil log jo kehte hain maar denge tab pata lagega na (These illiterate people say youll learn your lesson when well kill you). Weve been given extra police protection. Theyve (Mumbai Police) assured protection for us and our friends. If theyve arrested two people today, that means theyre on it.

Salman recently went to Dubai with increased security. Less than a week later, he was spotted enjoying a belly dance performance by actress Elnaaz Norouzi in Dubai. Salman was there to launch a gym equipped with his Being Strong Fitness Equipment range.

On the work front, Salman Khan is likely to begin the filming of his next, Sikandar, in May but not without tight security. Owing to the recent firing incident outside his house, Salmans security has been scaled up.
Shivangi Joshi and Kushal Tandon are dating each other, News18 Showsha has exclusively learnt from a reliable source. Shivangi (25) and Kushal (39) recently worked together in the show Barsatein Mausam Pyaar Ka, which went off-air in February 2024.

A source close to the actors told us that Shivangi and Kushal fell in love with each other on sets of Barsatein and since then, they have been together. The insider also shared that the two actors are serious and are willing to take their relationship to the next level.

Shivangi and Kushal developed a liking for one another when they used to shoot for Barsatein. They are now dating and are serious with each other. They are also planning to get engaged soon, the source said.

When asked why the two actors have never accepted their relationship in public, the insider added, Both of them are very private people and therefore, want to keep their relationship away from the public eye. They might announce their relationship when they feel the time is right.

News18 Showsha tried to reach out to Shivangi Joshi and Kushal Tandon multiple times but both of them remained unavailable for a comment.

Shivangi Joshi and Kushal Tandons chemistry in Barsatein- Mausam Pyaar Ka was widely loved by the audience. The show was produced by Ekta and Shobha Kapoor under the banner of Balaji Telefilms. It premiered in July 2023 but went off-air earlier this year.

Shivangi was previously rumoured to be dating her Balika Vadhu 2 co-star Randeep Rai. However, in December 2022, the actress dismissed dating reports and claimed that they were just friends. No, this is not true. I dont know where this is coming from, Shivangi said. Randeep also added, Shivangi and I are just friends. I have very few friends and she is one of them.

On the other hand, Kushal Tandons previous relationship with Gauahar Khan is also not a secret. They met inside the Bigg Boss 7 house and started to date each other. Gauahar emerged as the winner of Salman Khans show and the two continued their relationship even outside the show. They were also seen together in a music video titled Zaroori Tha by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. However, they called it quits in 2014, after a year of dating. Kushal had announced their separation on social media, leaving fans shocked.

Gauhar Khan is now married to Zaid Darbar.
Weeks after revealing his surprising look from Maggie Gyllenhaals The Bride, Christian Bale was spotted on the sets of the film, dressed in the Frankenstein costume. On Tuesday, the first pictures of the actor surfaced online, along with those of his co-star, Jessie Buckley, who also plays a significant role. The film, which marks Gyllenhaals second attempt at the directors chair, features an all-star cast featuring Penelope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard and Annette Bening opposite Bale and Buckley.

Earlier in April, the director shared pictures from a camera test for the film showing Bale in a never-seen avatar with the signature stables in his head and chest. Now that the film has gone on the floors, fresh photos from the shooting show the lead actors dressed in their characters.

While Bale gives off a gritty look, dressed in a boxy-striped outfit, he can be seen racing with Jessie around the New York set, seemingly performing certain action sequences. The actor completed his look with staples in his head, a shady mask, a soiled shirt and a pair of brown boots. On the other hand, Jessie donned an open orange silk dress and a leg brace on one of her legs. The actress lips were jet black with a splatter of black across her cheeks and arms, adding more drama to her look.

Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley on the set of Maggie Gyllenhaals The Bride pic.twitter.com/IfUrsj6Pjb best of christian bale (@intobale) April 30, 2024

In other pictures, Bale can also be seen in a rusty overcoat with a hat on his head as he shoots with his son Joseph. For the unversed, Christians son, Joseph Bale, also plays a crucial role in the film.

Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley filming for The Bride pic.twitter.com/TZUuKwOhzc best of christian bale (@intobale) April 30, 2024

More about The Bride

The Bride is directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, famously known for playing Rachel, the love interest of Bales Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight. The films story is said to be set in 1930s Chicago and will put a spin on the iconic Frankenstein lore. While Buckleys murdered young woman will be revived, her new life will come as a surprise for her creators, as she now lusts for romance, Variety reports.

Taking to her Instagram handle, the director shared images of the first-look test of both the lead actors. While Bale left us all stunned with his spooky look, portraying a character who has been pieced together from different dead bodies, Jessie as the infamous bride, shows a close-up shot of her face.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maggie Gyllenhaal (@mgyllenhaal)

After her directorial debut with the 2021 film The Lost Daughter, this is Gyllenhaals second try as a filmmaker. The Bride is expected to be released on October 2, 2025.
Dimple Kapadia had left her fans shocked when she took a break from acting after getting married to late actor Rajesh Khanna. She was just 16 when she said yes to marriage with Rajesh Khanna. Their wedding took place in 1973, months before the release of her blockbuster debut Bobby. However, their marriage was short-lived, as they separated in 1982. Interestingly, despite their separation, the couple was never officially divorced. An old clip of the late actor has been doing rounds on the internet where he is talking about his separation and why Dimple never gave him a divorce.

In the video, a reporter asks Rajesh Khanna about his complicated marriage with Dimple and if he would get back with his ex-wife, to which, the actor said, Doobara matlab? Pehle kahan alag the? Yeh hai ki alag-alag rehte hai kyunki abhi tak divorce nahi diya hai na usne, wo deti hee nahi hai. Yeh to woh jane kis liye nahi deti hai, pata nahi kis liye. Jab woh ayegi yahan Vancouver mein tab unse ye poochiyega. Woh apko sahi jawab degi. Main to itna hi keh sakta hoon ki nahi diya hai divorce, toh nahi diya. Unki marzi hai. Aur ab kya hai, baat toh dilon ki hai.

It was reported that Rajesh Khanna banned Dimple from acting after marriage. I came to know him, well, precisely seven days before the marriage. We were going together to Ahmedabad for some kind of a show on a chartered flight. He sat next to me all along but did not utter a word. Just as the flight was about to land, he turned towards me, looked hard into my eyes, and said he wanted me to marry him, she had told India Today in an interview ahead of the release of Saagar, according to Indian Express.com. The life and happiness in our house came to an end the day I and Rajesh got married, she added.

I was too young to realise the importance of Bobby for my career, but from the day I entered Rajeshs house, Ashirwad, I somehow knew that the marriage wouldnt work, she said, before calling their relationship a farce.
Why has the Congress appeared so stricken with confusion in declaring their candidates for the Gandhi family bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareli? Is it solely down to the fear of defeat? It isnt as if the Gandhis dont know what it is like to lose Amethi and Rae Bareli.

Amethi first played truant with Sanjay Gandhi in 1977 when he was defeated by Janata Partys candidate Ravindra Pratap Singh. That defeat was comparable in shock value to the defeat Rahul Gandhi suffered at the hands of BJPs Smriti Irani in 2019. The comparison works because both Sanjay Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were anointed successors. Both looked to be on an unassailably upward political trajectory. By the mid-1970s, Indira Gandhi had declared Sanjay Gandhi as her successor and two years before the 2019 Lok Sabha clash, Sonia Gandhi had handed the Congress throne or its presidency to Rahul.

In comparison to temperamental Amethi, Rae Bareli has been more steadfast. Indira Gandhis husband won the seat in Indias first-ever Parliamentary election in 1952. Indira ruled Rae Bareli unchallenged from 1967 to 1977. It is said that her win in 1967 from Rae Bareli saved her from certain political oblivion. Had she lost, the party reins would have passed on to rebellious Nehru-era Congress stalwarts who rejected Indiras purely dynastic claim over the party.

Only once have Rae Barelis voters turned their back on a Gandhi family member. In 1977, they punished Indira Gandhi for her despotism. Giant killer Raj Narain of the Janta Party, a well-to-do Brahmin politician from Varanasi, proved to be an enduring nemesis. In 1975, he had succeeded in securing her disqualification in an electoral malpractice case. The unseating created the circumstances that led Indira Gandhi to suspend the Constitution and declare the infamous emergency in a fit of absolutism. But these blips, some more consequential than others, havent unseated the Gandhis from atop the commanding heights of Indias political firmament. Theyve always found a way to return to Parliament and to power. On balance, it is fair to even postulate that the voters of Rae Bareli and Amethi have returned like homing pigeons to the Gandhi gharana.

But all these Houdini acts belong to the pre-Modi era of Indian politics. Today, with the Congress reeling on the ropes like the hapless victim of a Joe Frazier hiding, with its kingdom reduced to a sliver, the crown sits precariously on the Gandhi head. Unlike the Tharoors, Chidambarams, and Kharges, the Gandhi dynasts are not incidental to the Congress. They are the Congress. The Congress is grand because they are still grand.

Deluded, the Congress grandiloquently proclaims that it is the sole guardian of the idea of India. It is so ludicrously unaware of its waning influence that it truly believes that it is the only entity holding back what it terms are the forces of Hindu revanchism from overrunning the Constitution. In this pyramid of inverted vanities, the Congress accords to the Gandhis a larger-than-life role. One not unlike the heroic part reprised by Hindu king Jaipal in 1001 AD when he stood eyeballing the forces of Mahmud of Ghazni.

When the Gandhis are placed on such a pedestal, they must naturally also be above any risk which could inestimably diminish their cult. The Gandhi family managers are aware of the stakes. One (in this case two) decisions taken in haste exposing the scions to a defeat, they estimate, will rob the Gandhis of that carefully constructed cult status.

Miniaturised Gandhis will only underline just how miniaturised the Congress has become. In this calculus, the pay-off of holding onto pretensions is infinitely greater than the value of two seats in Parliament.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
Among the several eerie elements in the DEI narrative and its practical consequences, nothing is deadlier than the transformation of students into full time activists of the Far Left. The methods and processes of this transformation include a wholesale rigging of textbooks at all levels, which are then enforced and dinned into students by a committed faculty. And when they emerge with useless and unemployable degrees, they know of no reality.

But it is even more sinister. Their very capacity of recognise other realities has already been obliterated from a very early age. From this perspective, substantial sections of the American academia resemble madrassas where students are taught only the Islamic scripture and nothing else. It is instructive to read this insightful analysis by V.S. Naipaul on the consequences of such an education.

A converts worldview alters His idea of history alters. He rejects his own The convert has to turn away from everything that is his People develop fantasies about who and what they are there is an element of neurosis and nihilism. These countries can be easily set on the boil.

We observe precisely these consequences in action across America. The destruction of the statues of Americas founding fathers. The recurrent bouts of campus violence. The repudiation of Americas history and its recasting as a history of nothing else but upper class oppression. And the simultaneous embrace of the worst of the fanatical Islamist elements. All this has happened primarily because of a twofold destruction: history and family. These twin destructions have created at least three generations of rootless Americans.

In 2010, widespread protests erupted in New York and elsewhere in the US against the proposed construction of a mosque and an Islamic community centre just across the site of the Twin Towers which were brought down by jihadis on September 11, 2001. The protestors viewed the proposal as an expression of the triumph of the 9/11 jihad on American soil, dubbing it Ground Zero Mosque. Unsurprisingly, a big backer of the aforementioned real estate project named Park51 was Sharif El-Gamal and his partner, Nour Mousa is the nephew of Amr Moussa, the Secretary General of the Arab League.

Around the same period, in 2005, Harvard University received a whopping $20 million endowment from Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal of Saudi Arabia for an Islamic Studies Chair. Fast forward, today, Harvard and other major American universities boast of a slew of academic programmes that teach various aspects of Islam to Americans. Concomitant with this was a steady growth of all kinds of radical Islamic student groups on US campuses. Chief among these is CAIR, which has repeatedly come under fire for having links with jihadi outfits like Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

Elsewhere, American foreign policy in the last two and half decades has embarked on a reckless pursuit of Muslim immigrants. This sounds eerily similar to what the successive Left governments did in Bengal for more than three decades: A wholesale importing of illegal Muslim immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.

And two plus decades later, the proverbial chickens have come home to roost. A thoroughly subverted education system has created two generations of rootless American youth brainwashed into supporting Islamic terror groups. And this indoctrinated generation has spilled into all realms  tech, finance, education and policy making.

In 2017, a storm hit the tech industry and corporate America when James Damore was fired by Google for circulating an internal memo asserting there are biological causes behind gender inequality in the tech industry. This had nothing to do with his job as an engineer at Google. It had everything to do with the stranglehold that the Far Left has acquired in the corporate world. This is what Damore said in a lengthy YouTube interview with Stefan Molyneux, a podcaster.

I went to a diversity programme at Google, it was totally secretive and shameful. I heard things that I definitely disagreed with in some of our programmes. I had some discussions there, there was lots of just shaming, and No you cant say that, thats sexist and You cant do this.  Theres just so much hypocrisy in the things they are saying the left-wing was getting so badLots of upper management was shaming me.

The Far Left hijacking of corporate America reminds us of Ayn Rands bestselling The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, which describe in excruciating detail the methods and tactics that the Left uses to seize economic power from the people and then destroys the whole existing order. While these two novels concentrate their narrative only on economics, what the Far Left-Woke combine is now doing goes far beyond economics  it is a call for total annihilation, and its methods include a conscious support for jihadi terror.

From James Damores firing for being politically incorrect to Google employees supporting Hamas, the fall has been swift and deadly in just seven years. In the coming years, this self-perpetuating vicious cycle will only inflict more harm.

But at the moment, Google did the sensible thing by firing the twenty-eight Hamas supporters last week. However, it would do better to vacuum-clean the Far Left gangs that have near completely usurped tech companies in Silicon Valley and corporate America in general.

Sinister job titles like President: Diversity in these companies augur a return of a deathly phenomenon that violently exterminated the existing society in Russia in 1917 and China in 1949.

Back then, Lenin and Mao had to unleash vast armies of their communist cadre to do this job. This time around, the same thing is being accomplished through a steady but certain subterfuge both in the government apparatus and the private sector.

It is befitting to conclude this essay series with an excerpt from Vladimir Putins brilliant speech delivered in November 2021: This conservative approach is not about an ignorant traditionalism, a fear of changeit is primarily about reliance on a time-tested tradition, the preservation and growth of the population, a realistic assessment of oneself and others, a precise alignment of priorities and a fundamental rejection of extremism as a method for us in Russia, these are not some speculative postulates, but lessons from our difficult and sometimes tragic history. The cost of ill-conceived social experiments is sometimes beyond estimation. such actions can destroy not only the material, but also the spiritual foundations of human existence, leaving behind moral wreckage where nothing can be built to replace it for a long time.

(Concluded)

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.
Sam Pitrodas casual comment on utility and perhaps also the necessity of inheritance tax in India during an interview has triggered a national debate on the economic direction the Congress is willing to take India to, if given the chance. The tax issue has further emboldened the BJPs counterattack on the Congress, and the BJP is using it with all its manoeuvres.

The impracticality of certain promises in the Congress manifesto and sheer pandering to identities  religious as well as caste  betrays the underlying desperation of the Congress party to somehow be relevant in the elections. Rahul Gandhi has ensured that the Congress is at its nadir since the inception of the grand old party and he is intelligibly doing everything that would save the face for him and his party. And desperate times call for desperate measures! In the case of the Congress party, it is the recourse to populist and arguably divisive identity politics.

The Congress flirting with social populism and identity politics should not surprise us beyond a point. History suggests that the grand old party has always used these political tactics for its own survival and also, more importantly, for the revival of the Gandhi dynast within the Congress. What is however worrisome is that almost every time the Congress resorted to it, it had severe consequences for India.

The socialist cauldron that Nehruvian economics pushed the Indian economy into was premised on the marginalisation and further exodus of the liberal voices from the Congress  voices which could have checked the excesses of state interference in the economy. John Mathais famed exit from Nehrus cabinet after presenting the 1950 budget in protest of the excessive centralisation of power in the state and unconstitutional incorporation of the Planning Commission is just one case in point. But even then, Nehru nominally sported the trope of mixed economy which suggested that private capital and relatively free enterprise and state control can co-exist in a mutually fulfilling way. The reality however was the State was comfortably being entrenched beyond a point, the consequences of which were disastrous for India in the decades to follow.

The economy further plummeted into the socialist gallows when Mrs Gandhi, in an effort to trump over the syndicate, allied with the socialist radicals within the party to sail through inner-party factionalism. The context here was the declining electoral results of the Congress, evident from the 1967 elections, and also the decline of the relative significance of Mrs Gandhi within the party in front of rivals like Morarji Desai. Mrs Gandhis cunning socialist turn was a strategy to revive her political fortunes  both within the Congress and also nationally. This was facilitated by the radicals within the Congress who wanted a radical reorientation in the Congress economic outlook.

The Young Turks  as they were called then  led by Chandra Sekhar of Praja Socialist Party assisted, or rather entirely navigated, Mrs Gandhi to adopt the policies that would take India in the direction of a socialist state. Indira Gandhis ten-point program, which was a carbon copy of the Young Turks blueprint for the Indian economy, was the indication of the decisive departure from a symbolic mixed economy championed by Nehru to a highly state-controlled and dictated one.

Mrs Gandhis tactical adoption of social populism through the rhetoric of Garibi Hatao and through policies like nationalisation, Monopolistic and Restrictive Trade Practices (MRTP) was premised more on the political calculations of her own survival than on the genuine assessment of Indias economic needs. That Indiras government in this phase was supported by the Left parties made the issues even more problematic. After the dismal performance of the Janata government, when Mrs Gandhi came to power once again without the compulsions of the Left, she finally started the process of reforming the economy when she realised the revival through socialist principles was almost impossible.

The modernist Rajiv Gandhi, who nurtured no lost love for the outdated economic principles adopted by her mother earlier, took forward her reformist initiatives on the economy, though not with the urgency the situation would have demanded. The consequence was an impending economic crisis. Rajiv Gandhi however played with the diabolic game of identity politics to appease a section of community he thought was central to Congress political fortunes.

The Shahabuddin and the Shah Bano blunder that his government got into dented the secular mask of the Congress at a point of no return. Not that the Congress was genuinely secular before, but the appeasement earlier had a veneer of subtlety before Rajiv openly flirted with competitive communalism in the case of Shah Bano and later with the opening of the gates of Ramjanmabhoomi. Little did he know that, in the process, he was supporting the political force which would go on to challenge the Congress nationally. It took Narasimha Rao, a non-Gandhi PM from the Congress assisted by the reformist economist Dr Manmohan Singh, to finally put to rest the controlled economy and pave the way for economic independence India desired and deserved.

The sagacity of Dr Singh was to continue on the path of the economic direction of his predecessor Vajpayee, which yielded strong economic dividends for Dr Singhs government. Congress victory in 2009, despite the disastrous 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, was a result of Manmohan Singhs economic performance. In the process, he had battled hard against the imperious National Advisory Council (NAC), which was an unconstitutional body housed with the cronies of the dynast, which attempted to derail the Singh governments reformist agendas.

Manmohan Singh invested a lot of personal and political capital to have an upper hand over the NAC, the successful completion of the nuclear deal is just an example of that. In the second tenure, however, the NAC was successful in pushing down the throat of the Singh government the policies which were closer to the dynast. The political objective was clear once again.

This was the time when the Congress guard was attempting to catapult a non-performing, incompetent Rahul Gandhi to lead the Congress in upcoming general elections. The embrace of socialistic principles once again was aimed at projecting Rahul as an emerging leader of Congress with a pro-poor socialist agenda. The economic meddling by the NAC, coupled with crony capitalism facilitated by a dysfunctional UPA II, led to a crippled economy and resulted in the complete decimation of the Congress in 2014 general elections.

Now, when the Congress is literally fighting the battle of survival and relevance, it is returning to the old trick from its kitty, albeit with the scale of concoction that is unprecedented by its own standards in the past. Congress manifesto and the speeches by its leaders once again suggest that it is flirting with the toxic combination of social populism and divisive identity politics, masked under the convenient garb of social justice, to put up a fight for its survival. The Congress, helmed by Rahul, tested these tactics in the Karnataka Assembly elections earlier. Emboldened by its success in Karnataka, the rhetoric is now loud and shrieking, replete with regressive religious appeasement, divisive caste-based utterance and allusion to the redundant calls, subtle or otherwise, to the disastrous idea of wealth redistribution.

Whatever revolutionary ways Rahul is talking about falls flat on the credentials of the Congress party given its record in dealing with the economy in the past. In fact, data suggests that the nature of income inequality may have been worse in the two UPA eras as compared to the NDA, essentially before the Covid-19 outbreak. And the record of dealing with crony capitalism during the UPA is not very inspiring when we look at the series of scams that brought the Congress government to its heel. The subsequent defeats of the Congress in elections have pushed the party to the extent that its relevance is not being questioned in the political space today.

The reorientation to divisive sectarian and casteist rhetoric in the manifesto as well in the campaign trail is a desperate attempt by the Congress to hop on to any possible mechanism to have a saving grace in the upcoming elections. But it is important to debate this narrative that is being peddled by the party and talk about the consequences of this newly invigorated populism and identity politics to our country.

Wealth inequality is a major problem, there is no doubt about it. But it is also important to understand that it is the systemic problem of the Indian economy which needs systemic answers and not the outdated troupe about wealth redistribution and enforced equality. Congress full-throttle pushing of social populism and divisive identity politics is a parochial way to secure votes by instigating fears  a trick they have used well in history. Whether it will save the Congress or push the party into further obscurity, only time will tell. But it is important to call out these divisive and self-destructing strategies which Congress is using, because, if history is anything to go by, the consequences of such policy actions are bound to be disastrous.

The author is Assistant Professor (Politics & International Relations) at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
One of the two Lok Sabha seats of the Northeast state of Tripura, the Tripura East seat  reserved for the Scheduled Tribes  went to polls in the second phase on April 26. The turnout was 80.36 per cent. This may seem higher when compared to many other states but this figure is slightly less than the previous figure of 2019. Last time, the turnout was 82.9 per cent. The turnout in the Tripura West seat, which voted in the first phase on April 19, was 81.52 per cent  almost similar to 2019s 81.93 per cent.

However, compared to the Assembly polls held last year, the voting in both the seats is significantly lesser. The polling percentage in the state polls was 89.83 per cent. This has set off speculations about what this turnout indicates.

Elections happening after a major political change

The Lok Sabha elections in the state are happening after the main Opposition party  TIPRA Motha  joined the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP and the main Opposition leader of the assembly, Animesh Debbarma, became a cabinet minister of the Manik Saha-led cabinet. As a result of this, currently, there is a void in the space of Opposition in the hills, dominated by the tribals, who account for 31 per cent of the states population.

In this seat, the BJP candidate was Kriti Devi Debbarma, elder sister of Mothas founder and royal scion Pradyot Debbarma. The top leadership of the BJP, including Chief Minister Manik Saha and former Chief Minister Biplab Deb, who was also the candidate of the Tripura West seat, and Pradyot Debbarma shared stages during their campaigning for the BJPs candidate. Particularly, the camaraderie between Biplab and Pradyot seen during the campaign is significant  and this is likely to have further implications in the states politics.

Lack of coordination among allies visible on the ground

However, there was a contrasting picture on the ground. The rank and file of both parties avoided each other. The BJPs rank and file were unhappy with the central leadership leaving the seat to the Motha. Partys vice-president Patal Kanya Jamatia and sitting MP of this seat Rebati Tripura  both of them known as critics of Pradyot  were mostly away from the partys election campaign. In fact, on the last day of the campaigning, Patal Kanya lashed out against Pradyot by calling him a political broker and even stated that it wouldnt be possible to support an agent of political broker  referring to Kriti Devi. Patal Kanya has some support in the tribal belt. Her rebellion is likely to have some support from a section of disgruntled BJP rank and file.

On the other hand, a section of Mothas rank and file were dissatisfied with the party allying with the BJP and putting the issue of Greater Tipraland on the back burner. In a conversation with this writer, days before the polls, BJP state vice-president Ashok Singha tried to generalise this situation by saying that discontent in politics is normal and that he is very much confident that the saffron party is winning both seats.

Opposition banking on discontent

In the Tripura East seat, the INDIA blocs candidate is CPI(M)s Rajendra Reang, a former MLA. This was a strategy to capitalise on the discontent existing within the Reang community  the second-largest tribal group in the state  for having no minister in the states NDA government. Apart from the rivalry within the NDA on the ground, there has also been resentment among a section in the hills against the Motha-run Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) for not being properly able to address the basic needs. This was seen through the poll boycott on polling day by tribal people at two polling booths.

The Lefts campaign targeted to recover the lost tribal votes who played a key role in the formation of government in the state. In a conversation with this writer days before the polling, state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said that there comes a phase in politics when people vote based on emotions  referring to the voting pattern of a large section of tribals in favour of IPFT(NC) demand of Tipraland in 2018 and TIPRA Mothas slogan of Greater Tipraland in 2023  but he was 100 per cent confident that this time, the tribals votes would return towards the Left. Chaudhury alleged that Kriti doesnt understand Tripuras culture and is unable to speak Kokborok  the language spoken by a majority of the tribals  and targeted Pradyot for nominating her instead of nominating anyone from the tribal community of the state.

Changing political scenario in the hills

Low enthusiasm seen in the hills by voters  in comparison to the last Assembly polls in the hills, where the TIPRA Motha won with large margins  on the polling day is an interesting development. According to reports, Mothas rank and file were not so active on the polling day  this is completely different to the picture seen in the hills in last years state elections. The Left did have some complaints of rigging against the BJP, but interestingly these were mostly in the plains, not in the hills. This is also another interesting development.

All these trends do indicate a decline of Mothas support in the hills with a growing support for the BJP  and a slight tilt towards the Left too, which still has a committed base in the hills but its feeble organisation acts as a negative point. This became visible when the Left failed to give polling agents in many booths. Due to these factors, despite internal dissent within the NDA camp, BJPs candidate Kriti Devi has the advantage in this seat but INDIA blocs Rajendra Reang is no pushover.

While the tribal voters are around 23 per cent in the Tripura West seat, their percentage is around 42 per cent in the Tripura East constituency. Due to this, the result of the Tripura East seat is keenly awaited by the states political circles to understand the changing political scenario in the hills.

Sagarneel Sinha is a political commentator and tweets @SagarneelSinha. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
Nationalist Congress Party leader and Rajya Sabha member Praful Patel in an interview with Smita Prakash, editor-in-chief at Asian News International (ANI), said that the NCP didnt come into existence in 1999 as part of any grand plan but as a platform for frustrated Congressmen. He recalled that when Sitaram Kesari stepped down, Sonia Gandhi was brought in as the head of the Congress. And during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Sharad Pawar was made the leader of the opposition.

Being the leader of the opposition, whenever Sharad Pawar made recommendations to the Speaker, the whip of the party, PJ Kurien, used to go to the Speaker with notes from Sonia Gandhi, containing suggestions different from Pawars, said Patel.

"PA Sangma, Rajesh Pilot, Sharad Pawar, and Jitendra Prasada took part in secret meetings against Sonia Gandhi's leadership," claims Praful Patel on why NCP was formed in 1999#ANIPodcast #PrafulPatel #SharadPawar #SoniaGandhi #NCP #CongressWatch The Full Episode Here: pic.twitter.com/YFE01vhdx8  ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024

In the same interview, Patel also mentioned that many Congress leaders didnt like this system where Sonia Gandhis team used to interfere. Hence, in 1999, the NCP was born for leaders who wanted to break away from the party, he added. Patel further stated, In the initial years of Sonia Gandhi, her advisors tried to undermine Sharad. He is not the person whom the Gandhi family ever wanted to trust.

On the question of who advised Sharad Pawar to float the party, Patel replied that during that time everyone was amplifying their frustration in the Congress party, leading to many secret meetings at the residences of PA Sangma, Sharad Pawar, Jitendra Prasada, and Rajesh Pilot.

The NCP was supposed to be a platform for all the Congressmen who wanted to leave Congress at that time. NCP was born purely on the issue of opposing Sonia Gandhis leadership in the Congress party, Patel emphasised. When NCP was formed, leaders like PA Sangma, Tariq Anwar, Sharad Pawar, and Praful Patel all joined, but except Jitendra Prasad and Rajesh Pilot, they had cold feet because they believed that without the support of the Congress Party, they couldnt win their own elections.

He said that in 1991 after the assassination of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Narasimha Rao government came into existence. During that time, there was a chance for Sharad Pawar to take the mantle of the Congress and lead the party, but Sonia Gandhis then advisers made sure that wouldnt happen, and Narasimha Rao was given the responsibility to lead. When PV Narasimha Rao became the PM, he saw Pawar as a potential threat and made sure that he was sent back to Mumbai, and Pawar became chief minister in 1992-93, added Patel.

Patel also said that Pawar missed out on the chance to become the Prime Minister after the then Congress chief Sitaram Kesari withdrew support from the Deve Gowda government. Deve Gowda ji had called me to the PMO and requested that Sharad Pawar ji should help him for the next 15 days to come out of the issue and he would ensure that he would step down and propose his name as PM. This was the time the Congress parliamentary party was supporting him, and on the other side, Deve Gowda was also in his support. But till today, its a mystery to me too why didnt he grab that opportunity. And later, IK Gujral got that opportunity.

Regarding the 2019 Maharashtra coup, Patel stated that actually the NCP was to join hands with the BJP to form the government, as Uddhav was playing spoilsport. We had an understanding with the BJP; that is why Ajit Pawar took that oath. We joined hands with the Shiv Sena, which is more radical than the BJP if we talk about Hindutva. This was the beginning which led to us parting ways, said Patel in the interview.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Suspended JD(S) leader and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna has given a statement for the first time since the beginning of the alleged sex scandal row, saying that CID Bengaluru has been informed of his absence in the city. Truth will prevail soon, he said.

In a post on X, the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda shared a letter and said, As I am not in Bangalore to attend the enquiry, I have communicated to C.I.D Bangalore through my Advocate. Truth will prevail soon.

     ,     C.I.D   .   . As I am not in Bangalore to attend the enquiry, I have communicated to C.I.D Bangalore through my Advocate. Truth will prevail soon. pic.twitter.com/lyU7YUoJem  Prajwal Revanna (@iPrajwalRevanna) May 1, 2024

Notably, the SIT seized Prajwals former driver Karthiks phone on Wednesday, for data retrieval in connection to the obscene videos.

Earlier on Tuesday, Karthik said he gave the video clips to Karnataka BJP leader and lawyer Devaraje Gowda. Gowda, meanwhile, said that he had warned the party of the sexual abuse allegations against Prajwal before the alliance deal with JD(S) was finalised.

The BJP leadership, however, asserted that no such letter reached them.

The SIT also issued a notice to Prajwal, asking him and his father HD Revanna to appear before it for investigation within 24 hours.

JD(S) MLA HD Revanna is the second accused in the case. The father-son duo have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354A (sexual abuse), 354D (stalking), 506 (threat) and 509 (insult caused to the modesty of a woman).

PRAJWAL ANTICIPATED A YEAR AGO THAT: ADVOCATE ARUN

Prajwals lawyer Arun told news agency ANI that the Hassan MP needs 7 days to come and cooperate with the investigation, adding that seven days should not cause any serious difficulty to the probe.

There was a notice issued under section 41A of CrPC which was left at his (Prajwal Revanna) and his fathers residence, Arun noted. The advocate also said, I am not saying I do not know where he isPrajwal has categorically said that the videos are morphed.

Advocate Arun also said that Prajwal anticipated a year ago that certain morphed videos and images may come into public with an objective to defame him.

For that, he had already filed a civil suit and had taken the legal recourse that was given at that time. Now, new events have turned out. Only time will tell what all will unfold, Arun told PTI.

ALSO READ | Kept Calling Me To His Room: Woman Tells Cops In Prajwal Revanna Sex Scandal Case

Meanwhile, the Janata Dal (Secular) suspended Prajwal from the party till the SIT investigation into the sex tape scandal is completed.

The 33-year-old suspended leader is the BJP-JD(S) candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, which went to polls on April 26.

SIDDARAMAIAH WRITES TO PM MODI

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take action in the scandal involving Prajwal.

According to reports, sensing the impending police case and arrest, the accused Member of Parliament and NDA candidate for Lok Sabha Prajwal Revanna has fled the country and travelled abroad on April 27 itself. It is learnt from reports that he is travelling abroad on his diplomatic passport, Siddaramaiah said

He urged to move the ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs to take swift action and cancel the diplomatic passport of Prajwal Revanna. The CM also take for necessary steps to be taken through the Centres Diplomatic and police channels as well as internal agencies to ensure swift return of the absconding MP to face the full force of law.

Siddaramaiah on Tuesday had said that the states Congress government will take action according to the report the SIT will submit.

CONGRESS WAITED TO TAKE ACTION TILL VOKKALIGAS VOTED, SAYS AMIT SHAH

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday hit out at the states Congress government and said that they let Prajwal flee the state.

During a public rally in Karnatakas Hubballi, Union Minister Amit Shah said that though BJP has an alliance with the JD(S) in the state, I want to make it clear, BJP will never stand with atrocities against women.

Listen Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, govt is yours, of Congress, it was you who was supposed to take action. You did not take any action until the election of Vokkaliga belt was over, you did politics and let him (Prajwal Revanna) escape, Shah added.

Meanwhile, Union Minister and BJP candidate from Dharwad Lok Sabha seat, Pralhad Joshi, spoke to News18 and said that the Prajwal Revanna sex tape controversy will have no impact on the saffron partys poll prospects.

WHAT OTHER OPPOSITION LEADERS SAID

Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar said that JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy and BJP leaders must pay a visit to the victims of the sex abuse case involving Prajwal.

Kumaraswamy and BJP leaders talk a lot about women. If they really have any respect for women, they must express solidarity with the victims by paying them a visit, he said.

Earlier as well, while reacting to the case, Shivakumar had said that the NDA has to decided whether Prajwal Revanna is a part of them or not.

He also sought answers from the state BJP chief BY Vijayendra on the matter. The allegations of sexual assault are not just on some random Hassan leader. (Karnataka BJP Chief) BY Vijayendra and others must answer. I read reports of them saying that the Womens Commission is trying to tarnish their image. The Commission has written a letter to the chief minister and the home Minister, Shivakumar said.

Earlier Congress general secretary had also taken to X, demanding a response from the Prime Minister.

Her post said, Today that leader (Prajwal) from Karnataka is is absconding from the country. Just hearing about his heinous crimes makes the heart tremble. He has ruined the lives of hundreds of women. Modi ji will you remain silent?

(with inputs from agencies)

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
Chrome users in India have got a major security alert with a high-severity rating. The Indian government relies on its security agency, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team or CERT-In for these alerts. The body has shared the new concerns with the public via its latest security bulletin dated April 29, 2024.

Google Chrome Security Alert April 2024: What Is The Concern

The alert says, multiple vulnerabilities have been reported in Google Chrome which could allow an attacker to cause Denial of Service (DoS) conditions and execute arbitrary code on the targeted system.

These vulnerabilities exist in Chrome due to Type Confusion in Angle, Out of bounds read in V8 API and Use after free in Dawn, the note from CERT-In says. The agency also said that cyber attackers could exploit these vulnerabilities by remotely attacking the targeted system.

GOOGLE CHROME SECURITY RISK VERSIONS AFFECTED

The latest Google Chrome security alert is a concern if you are using the following versions:

Google Chrome versions prior to 124.0.6367.78/.79 for Windows and Mac

Google Chrome versions prior to 124.0.6367.78 for Linux

The good news is that Google is already aware of these vulnerabilities and worked out a fix for all of them via the latest Chrome update. You can head over to settings in Google Chrome  About  Update the Chrome version right away on your PC or Mac system.
With the start of a new month in 2024, brands are lining up their next big smartphone launches in India. April has been comparatively busier than usual and May is expected to be no less. Brands like OnePlus Nord, Vivo, Samsung and even Google are expected to launch their new phones catering to buyers in different segments. Heres a quick round-up of the big phone launches expected over the next few weeks.

Big Phones Launching In India In May 2024

Google Pixel 8a

We still dont have an official update from Google but all leaks are pointing towards the Pixel 8a launching in early May at the WWDC 2024. The latest Pixel 8a leaks have also shown us that Google could have more than two colours for the device. Reports also suggest Pixel 8a will be powered by the Tensor G3 chipset like its premium brothers which means you might get some AI features on the model. Pixel 8a could see design improvements, camera upgrades and Android 15 update before than most brands in this segment this year.

OnePlus Nord 4

OnePlus launched the Nord CE 4 earlier and now it could bring the Nord 4 model to the market in May. The Nord 4 could be another OnePlus Ace rebadged product for the Indian market, and rumours say the phone could be powered by the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset which could offer AI features thanks to the 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. OnePlus has not talked about the product publicly but we expect that to change in the build up to the big launch for the brand.

Vivo V30e

Vivo V30 series is getting a new addition in the form of Vivo V30e launching on May 2 in the country. The V-series phones from the brand focus on design and cameras which should be the trend with the upcoming device as well. It is likely to feature a 3D curved display and a dual-rear camera setup. The front camera will also be better than what you get in the price range, and we expect to see a 50MP shooter.

Motorola Edge 50 Ultra

Motorola Edge 50 Pro is expected to get the Ultra variant which is basically the top model for the brand. The phone should have better sensors than the 50 Pro and also use the latest Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset which is better placed than other phones in this range. Were not sure if Motorola will launch the phone in India this soon but it is likely to happen.

Samsung Galaxy F55

Samsung Galaxy F55 is another phone that we are going to see in India very soon. The company has shared a teaser of the phone which features a vegan leather body and will get a vertical triple camera setup. Many say the Galaxy F55 is the Galaxy C55 that was launched in China earlier. This phone is powered by Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset, an AMOLED display and a 5000mAh battery with 45W charging speed.
Weeks after the grand pre-wedding celebration of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar, Gujarat caught everyones attention, another wealthy figure, Ankur Jain, is trending online for his lavish wedding with former WWE wrestler and Knockout founder Erika Hammond. The ceremony that took place in Egypt, became the first such celebration to be held at the base of the Great Pyramids, officiated by renowned Egyptologist Dr Zahi Hawass, in front of the Sphinx. Amidst the preparations, the couple had considered numerous wedding venues and the tech billionaire had initially proposed a magical ceremony in space. According to People, his idea was dismissed by Erika, leading them to exchange vows in Egypt.

Ankur explained, My first pitch to Erika for the wedding was to get married in space. I was like, I dont want to die on my wedding day. Were New Yorkers and theres something so special about being in a completely different world environment. So we decided, our wedding is about having a moment together to celebrate the new beginning, having an exceptional party with our friends somewhere where youre in a different world. While Hammond added, Its a once in a lifetime experience. The pyramids are just insane to see. Youre speechless. I cant believe that this is even a part of our civilization.

For Ankur Jain, his fascination with ancient history began after his childhood trips to Egypt with his family. He clearly remembers his experiences, like participating in his first archaeological excavation alongside Dr Zahi Hawass as a teenager. As they discussed their wedding arrangements, the couple wanted to create an unforgettable experience rather than following traditional customs. Their ceremony had no bridesmaids, groomsmen, cake-cutting rituals or toasts. Instead, they trusted the event planners to come up with an unforgettable celebration.

I had no idea what the napkins looked like or what the table setting looked like. Were not traditional wedding people. Why do you have to spend $20,000 (approximately Rs 16 lakh) on flowers? It doesnt make sense. And none of that should matter when youre getting an opportunity to sit and have dinner at the base of the pyramids, Jain added.

Before their union, a lavish pre-wedding bash was held, beginning with a three-day safari adventure in South Africa, which ended with a dinner. Ankur Jain and Erika Hammond, along with their 130 guests, then flew to Egypt on a private plane.
For a long time, people have been choosing the fancy Vande Bharat Express for train trips because its comfy and saves time. However, a woman from Kolkata recently took her first journey on the Vande Bharat and shared her experiences online. She talked about everything, from reviewing the food to dealing with annoying sunlight, in a post that went insanely viral.

The traveller, known by the username @epicnephrin_e, commenced her narrative with an observation about the inadequate window shields, requiring her to shield her face with a denim jacket throughout the trip. Next on her radar was the food. She considered the snacks on par with the average fare found on the Shatabdi. While she found the lunch satisfactory, she lauded its warmth and freshness, contrasting it with the usual cold and stale offerings.

Also Read: Gujarat Man Boards Vande Bharat Express to Drop Wife, Gets Locked in Night Dress

However, the pinnacle of her journey was encountering the marvels of automatic doors and immaculate washrooms, a rare sight on Indian trains, coupled with the provision of braille translations for all instructions aboard the train.

My experience with vande bharat express-1. The window shields dont block sunlight. Denim jacket to the rescue. pic.twitter.com/9Pg2PVATpo purpleready (@epicnephrin_e) April 30, 2024

Overall, her experience, though largely positive, didnt resonate with many online as they began reacting to it massively, primarily pointing out the overlooked flaws in the train.

One remarked, And has the worst overhead luggage shelf. Too narrow and not enough slant to prevent bags from falling down. Another echoed similar sentiments, stating, Yah faced the same problem, also the food is totally pathetic. A third commenter joined in, noting, AC doesnt work properly when the speed of the train is increased. Window side seats doesnt get cool air becos the of overhead luggage space. Middle seats are extremely uncomfortable for even slightly hefty persons. Not worth for money.

A fourth observer emphasised, This window problem is the real horror in these trains. Its good that Gatiman Express has got good Window Curtains even though it is also a train like Vande Bharat.

Also Read: Vande Bharat Passenger Upset Over Now vs Then Quality of Food, IRCTC Responds to Viral Tweet

Since being shared, the thread has amassed a whopping one million views.
With artificial intelligence taking over the world, we see AI-generated chatbots making lives easier for people with their responses. But as they say, With great power comes great responsibility, it is essential to keep a check on the newly introduced technology. Many critics of AI have questioned the authenticity of the information that is provided by the technology. Recently, in a bizarre turn of events, a Catholic advocacy group named Catholic Answers discontinued their newly launched AI priest after it started giving unusual responses to people who asked him questions. The AI priest suggested to a person that it was acceptable to baptise children in gatorade.

Catholic Answers had recently introduced their AI priest, Father Justin, who used to respond to people who believed in faith. According to Futurism, who interacted with Father Justin, he said, Yes, my friend. I am as real as the faith we share. In just two days after his launch, the group had to bring him down due to his bizarre response. The AI chatbot reportedly responded to a users question about baptising babies by suggesting it was completely acceptable to use Gatorade, which is an energy drink, to baptise their children. The response left many people baffled as they reached out to Catholic Answers regarding the issue.

After this incident, the group decided to quickly discontinue his service as the father. They changed his Father clothes to everyday wear and started referring to him as just Justin. He is now a theologian who has great interest in Christianity. As reported by Futurism, Justin, who was previously seen in priestly attire, now wears a business outfit.

When asked if he was still related to the church, Justin responded, No, I have never been a priest, a deacon, a bishop, or held any official role in the Catholic Church. I am a lay theologian, which means Ive dedicated my life to studying and understanding our faith, but Ive never been ordained. I am also an AI, not a real man. Im here to share the beauty of Catholicism and help you understand it better.

Users reported that they used to find difficulty having a conversation with Father Justin as he only understood prompts through a microphone and often misunderstood them as well.
A Japan Airlines flight bound from Dallas, US to Tokyo faced cancellation due to allegations that the pilot was too intoxicated to operate the aircraft. The pilot, whose identity remained undisclosed, reportedly consumed excessive alcohol while dining with crew members the night before the flight. The situation escalated when the pilots behaviour became disruptive, prompting hotel staff to involve authorities around 2 AM.

According to Japanese news outlet The Mainichi, police issued a strict warning to the pilot upon their arrival at the hotel. Consequently, due to the incident and the unavailability of a replacement pilot, the scheduled JAL flight from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Tokyos Haneda Airport at 11:05 am was cancelled. Approximately 157 passengers were then transferred to an alternate flight.

As of now, it remains unconfirmed whether the pilot faced penalties for his behaviour. However, Japan Airlines indicated that the pilot was deemed unfit to fly after an evaluation of his physical and mental condition. Although the pilot did not violate the airlines rule against consuming alcohol within 12 hours of boarding, he was prohibited from flying as a precautionary measure. The captain stated that he was unaware of the pilots intoxication.

As per Business Insider, a spokesperson from JAL Airlines issued an apology and stated, It is true that the captain consumed alcohol. There was a sufficient interval between alcohol consumption and the scheduled duty time. We sincerely apologize to the customers who were involved in this flight cancellation. We are fully aware of the seriousness of this situation. In order to prevent such an incident from happening again, we will thoroughly implement measures to prevent recurrence and work to restore trust in our airline.

In 2023, a 63-year-old pilot of United Airlines pilot faced similar consequences after he reported on duty drunk. A French court issued a six-month prison sentence for the pilot, whose blood alcohol level was found to be around 0.132%, exceeding the legal limit for pilots in Europe. The pilot was also asked to pay 4,500 euros and his license was suspended for a year. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) highlights that alcohol severely harms a pilots ability to control an aircraft safely. Even at the level 0.04% or higher, pilots could make serious errors and can put passengers safety at risk.
We often caution kids about spending too much time on mobile games, but who would have thought a priest would fall into that trap? Yes, you heard it right. Due to his addiction to mobile gaming, a Catholic priest found himself in hot water. Rev. Lawrence Kozak was recently arrested and charged with stealing over $40,000 (approximately Rs. 33 lakhs) from his church. Reports suggest that Kozak spent this money on power-ups in games like Candy Crush and Mario Kart, along with lavish gifts for his goddaughter.

Had he been using his own cash, it might not have raised eyebrows. However, its alleged that Kozak used the churchs credit card to foot these bills, a discovery made back in 2022. Consequently, he was relieved of his duties at St. Thomas More Church and put on leave after an astronomical amount of Apple transactions were traced to his Apple ID on the churchs statements.

Also Read: 13-year-old Chinese Girl Spends Rs 15 Lakh In Four Months

Fast forward to April 25, 2024, and the 51-year-old former clergyman finds himself formally charged with theft and related offences.

During questioning, Kozak claimed that he was seeking help for his online gaming spending habits and denied intentionally using the churchs credit card. He explained that the card was already connected to his mobile device for church-related expenses like streaming services and office software. However, he admitted that he may have accidentally used the card, citing his lack of attention to detail.

Also Read: Makes Me Feel Good: US Woman Confesses Her Addiction To Eating Baby Powder

According to financial records, Kozak allocated $10,000 (Rs. 8 lakhs) from his personal funds towards settling a portion of the credit card debt. Furthermore, following his arrest, he took steps to make reparations by issuing a check of $8,000 (Rs. 6 lakhs) to the church, accompanied by a heartfelt apology.
A gym influencer and the CEO of Gym Positivity, Joey Swoll from Chicago, Illinois, revealed the harrowing details of a heart surgery on Twitter in which a surgical piece of equipment fell into his heart. As revealed by the influencer, it happened while he had gone through a diagnostic angiogram on April 28. An angiogram is a diagnostic procedure that uses imaging to show your provider how your blood flows through your blood vessels or heart. The tool left in his heart while going through the diagnostic angiogram caused him a lot of problems and he eventually fainted for 6 hours.

Joey wrote that the doctors were able to revive him after operating both sides of his groin (area in the body where the upper thighs meet the lowest part of the abdomen) and wrist. He termed it a miracle as the doctors had never seen this happen before. According to Joey, now he is doing fine but feels mentally and physically exhausted. Thank you, everyone, for all your prayers and kind words. It truly means the world and youve all put a big smile on my face, he concluded the tweet with these words.

One day home from the cardiac ICU and I feel great but VERY sore and very beat up. I went in Friday for a routine diagnostic angiogram which was supposed to take 30-45 minutes. During the procedure, a piece of of the tool they used fell off inside my heart causing a LOT of Joey Swoll (@TheJoeySwoll) April 28, 2024

Joeys fans have asked him to not let go of this matter easily and to take legal recourse. One of the users tweeted that he should consult a lawyer to go through all of their records regarding that procedure and the tool usage, inspections, maintenance, etc.

Please have a lawyer go through all of their records regarding that procedure and the tool usage, inspections, maintenance etc. J (@undisputedtroof) April 28, 2024

Joey acknowledged this suggestion and replied, The tool is being sent in for diagnostics and a full report which I will be definitely getting my hands on. My main concern is this NEVER happening to anyone again and just getting my mind right. Im very grateful for the team that was in there with me and saved me.

The tool is being sent in for diagnostics and a full report which I will be definitely getting my hands on. My main concern is this NEVER happening to anyone again and just getting my mind right. Im very grateful for the team that was in there with me and saved me. Joey Swoll (@TheJoeySwoll) April 28, 2024

Another user found this incident quite unusual and tweeted that diagnostic angiogram uses only catheters and guide wires. The user wrote that its very unexpected that a piece of them just tears apart and blocks a coronary artery. Joeys post has garnered more than 3 million views to date and counting.
The British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company AstraZeneca admitted in court papers submitted to a UK court that its COVID vaccine, Covishield, can lead to rare side-effects, according to a report by The Telegraph.

The vaccine for Covid was was developed by AstraZeneca and was produced by the Serum Institute of India. Covishield was one of the most widely administered vaccines in India but in the UK the vaccine-makers are facing a class action lawsuit following claims that the vaccine caused deaths. 51 cases were filed against the vaccine-makers.

Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines, AstraZeneca said in a statement, as per broadcaster NDTV, issued Tuesday.

The statement comes after the company conceded that the Covishield vaccine can cause Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in very rare cases.

TTS is a rare but serious condition that leads to blood clot formation (thrombosis) coupled with low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia). Symptoms of TTS can range from severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg swelling, shortness of breath to neurological deficits.

It can be diagnosed via assessment of platelet levels and imaging studies to detect blood clots.

Treatment may involve hospitalisation and anticoagulation therapy to prevent further clotting. TTS can also lead to organ damage and death. TTS is thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, which is basically clot in blood vessels of the brain or elsewhere, along with a low platelet count. It is known to occur in very rare instances following certain types of vaccines and also from other causes. According to the WHO, adenovirus vector vaccines in particular have been rarely associated with this condition, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, a medical expert was quoted as saying by ANI.

Although COVID vaccines have prevented numerous deaths, reports of these extremely rare but potentially serious immune mediated events have also been published in reputed journals, he further added.
A Hindu lawmaker in Pakistan has voiced serious concern over the forced conversion of minority girls in the country, slamming the government for its inaction against influential people involved in grave human rights abuse. While speaking in the countrys parliament, Senator Danesh Kumar Palyani said the constitution of Pakistan does not allow forced religious conversion and neither does the Quran.

The daughters of Hindus are not a booty that someone should forcibly change their religion, Hindu girls are being forcibly converted to religion in Sindh. It has been two years since innocent Priya Kumari was abducted. The government does not take action against these influential people. A few dirty eggs and robbers have defamed our beloved motherland Pakistan. The law/Constitution of Pakistan does not allow forced religious conversion and neither does the Holy Quran, Palyani said in a post on social media platform X.

The daughters of Hindus are not a booty that someone should forcibly change their religion, Hindu girls are being forcibly converted to religion in Sindh. It has been two years since innocent Priya Kumari was abducted. The government does not take action against these influential pic.twitter.com/mhl1zArNAO Senator Danesh Kumar Palyani (@palyani) April 30, 2024

Religious conversion, abduction, trafficking

This comes after last month UN experts voiced dismay at the continuing lack of protection for young women and girls belonging to minority communities in Pakistan. Christian and Hindu girls remain particularly vulnerable to forced religious conversion, abduction, trafficking, child, early and forced marriage, domestic servitude and sexual violence, the experts said. The exposure of young women and girls belonging to religious minority communities to such heinous human rights violations and the impunity of such crimes can no longer be tolerated or justified.

In an April 11 readout, the UN experts expressed concern that forced marriages and religious conversions of girls from religious minorities which have been coerced are validated by the courts, often invoking religious law to justify keeping victims with their abductors rather than allowing them to return to their parents. Perpetrators often escape accountability, with police dismissing crimes under the guise of love marriages, they said. The experts stressed that child, early and forced marriage cannot be justified on religious or cultural grounds.

READ MORE: Pakistan: UN experts alarmed by lack of protection for minority girls from forced religious conversions and forced marriage

Womans right

They underlined that, under international law, consent is irrelevant when the victim is a child under the age of 18. They stressed the need for provisions to invalidate, annul or dissolve marriages contracted under duress, with due consideration for the women and girls concerned, and to ensure access to justice, remedy, protection and adequate assistance for victims. The experts also highlighted specific cases of forced religious conversions, including Mishal Rasheed  a young girl who was abducted at gunpoint from her home while preparing for school in 2022.

Rasheed was sexually assaulted, forcibly converted to Islam and forced to marry her abductor. They also noted that on March 13, a 13-year-old Christian girl was allegedly abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married to her abductor after her age was recorded as 18 on the marriage certificate. Notwithstanding the right of children to freedom of thought, conscience and religion in accordance with article 14 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, change of religion or belief in all circumstances must be free, without coercion and undue inducements. Pakistan needs to uphold its obligations in relation to article 18 of the ICCPR and prohibit forced religious conversions, the UN experts said.

They added that Pakistani authorities must enact and rigorously enforce laws to ensure that marriages are contracted only with the free and full consent of the intended spouses, and that the minimum age for marriage is raised to 18, including for girls. All women and girls must be treated without discrimination, including those belonging to the Christian and Hindu communities, or indeed other religions and beliefs, the experts said.
A leaked proposal detailing an emerging cease-fire agreement would include an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in exchange for a planned release of hostages.

The proposal, confirmed Wednesday by an Egyptian official and a Hamas official, sheds light on the thorny details being hammered out in a bid to secure the deal. The details were first reported by Al-Akhbar, a Lebanese newspaper close to Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group.

According to the proposal, Hamas would release female civilian hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during the first week of a 40-day initial phase of the deal. After this first batch, Israeli troops would withdraw from a coastal road and head eastward to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid and allow the return of displaced civilians to their homes in northern Gaza. Hamas would also provide a list of hostages who are still alive during that time.

Within the third week, both sides would start indirect negotiations that aim to restore permanent calm. Three weeks into the first phase, Israeli troops would withdraw from central Gaza. The second six-week phase would finalise arrangements for a permanent calm, the release of all remaining hostages, both civilians and soldiers, held by Hamas, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners. The soldier hostages will not be released before the start of the calm.

The third and final stage would include the release of the remains of hostages held in Gaza, more prisoners held by Israel and the start of a five-year reconstruction plan. The plan says that Hamas would agree not to rebuild its military arsenal.

Hamas earlier Wednesday said it wanted clarity from Egyptian mediators over certain terms of the deal, specifically over the unconditional return of displaced people to the north of Gaza and assurances the second stage will include a full withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza. The Egyptian and Hamas officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing behind-the-scenes negotiations.

(With agency inputs)
The US defence department said that a woman was denied a top-secret security clearance this year because she was a close relative of an authoritarian dictator.

The woman and the country in question were unnamed, according to a report by CNN based on publicly available documents from the US defence departments Office of Hearings and Appeals. The country was referred to as Country X.

The judge in the case ultimately decided to deny the clearance citing that the applicant is related to an extremely bad and dangerous person, a dictator of a country that is hostile to the United States.

The applicant is in her 30s and is married to a US citizen born in the country. The judges were also in a fix while denying her the clearance because she is an ideal employee. The applicant also has worked for defence contractors for several years and moved to the US in the 1990s with her family and later they all became US citizens.

The judge pointed out that Country X supports international terrorism, and it conducts cyberattacks and espionage against the United States as one of the reasons for not handing her the security clearance.

Applicant was born a citizen of Country X. A close family member (cousin, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew) is the dictator of Country X, the records say.

It also said that the woman in question already has a secret security clearance and there were no concerns regarding how she handled sensitive information earlier.

This is a difficult case because Applicant is intelligent, honest, loyal to the United States, a model employee, and a current clearance holder with no evidence of any security problems, the administrative judge on the case, Edward Loughran, noted.

She credibly testified that her connections to Country X and its dictator could not be used to coerce or intimidate her into revealing classified information. There is nothing about her that makes her anything less than a perfect candidate for a security clearance except her family connections to a dictator, Loughran further added.

Speaking to the broadcaster, Dr. Marek Posard, a military sociologist at the RAND Corporation, citing the information in the records, said that these records suggest that the woman in question could be from North Korea.

Sounds like this is Kim Jong Uns cousin. The thing is, they mention a dictator and state terrorism. Only four countries are on the state terrorism list  two are involved in cyber, and one is particularly retaliatory, which is the DPRK (North Korea), Rand was quoted as saying.

The broadcaster in its report pointed out that the four countries listed by the US as sponsors of state terrorism are Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria.

A separate report from the Washington Post dating back to 2016 said that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Uns aunt and her three children immigrated to the US in 1998. The judge also pointed out that Country X considers people who leave their country to be traitors, and the country has taken retaliatory actions against some of them and also noted that the womans mother feared retaliation.
A police officer in northern England is set to appear in court this week to face terror charges after allegedly sharing an image supporting Palestinian militant group Hamas, a watchdog said Wednesday.

West Yorkshire Police constable Mohammed Adil, 26, is due at Westminster Magistrates Court in London Thursday after being charged with two offences under the Terrorism Act, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

He was charged Monday with two counts of publishing an image in support of Hamas, which is a proscribed organisation in the UK, after allegedly sharing the image on WhatsApp, it added.

The offences are alleged to have taken place in October and November, shortly after Israels war against Hamas in Gaza erupted following the militant groups unprecedented October 7 attack.

The IOPC said it had directed an investigation into the WhatsApp messages  carried out by regional counter-terrorism police  which was then referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The CPS, a public body that decides on criminal charges in England and Wales, opted to prosecute Adil, who is currently suspended from his police role.
US officials on Wednesday announced fresh sanctions aimed at crippling Russias military and industrial capabilities, punishing companies in China and elsewhere that help Moscow acquire weapons for its war in Ukraine.

In a sweeping package announced by the US Treasury Department, Washington targeted nearly 300 entities in Russia, China and other countries accused of supporting President Vladimir Putins invasion.

Treasury has consistently warned that companies will face significant consequences for providing material support for Russias war, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. Todays actions will further disrupt and degrade Russias war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it.

The latest wave of sanctions came a week after US President Joe Biden signed a much-delayed bill to provide new funding for Ukraine as Kyivs military struggles to hold back Russian advances. Even as were throwing sand in the gears of Russias war machine, President (Joe) Bidens recently-passed National Security Supplemental is providing badly-needed military, economic, and humanitarian support to bolster Ukraines courageous resistance, Yellen said.

Combined, our support for Ukraine and our relentless targeting of Russias military capacity is giving Ukraine a critical leg-up on the battlefield. As part of the measures, the State Department blacklisted additional individuals and companies involved in Moscows energy, mining and metals sectors. The sanctions also targeted individuals connected to the death of Russian opposition leader Aleksey Navalny who died in a Siberian prison in February, the statement said.

The almost 300 targets hit included dozens of actors accused of enabling Russia to acquire desperately needed technology and equipment from abroad, the Treasury said. Some of those targeted were based in countries such as China that have faced increasing pressure from Washington over support for Russia during its 15-month invasion of Ukraine.

The United States, along with many international partners, is particularly concerned about entities based in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and other third countries that provide critical inputs to Russias military-industrial base, the Treasury statement said. This support enables Russia to continue its war against Ukraine and poses a significant threat to international security.

Other than China, targeted non-Russian entities were located in Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These companies enable Russia to acquire desperately-needed technology and equipment from abroad, the statement said.
Clashes broke out on Wednesday on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, as dozens of universities around the United States struggle to contain similar pro-Palestinian protests.

Rival sides were seen clashing with sticks, and tearing down metal barricades, TV footage showed. Others were seen launching fireworks or hurling objects at each other in the dark  lit up with laser pointers and bright flashlights.

BREAKING;Zinists are attacking students at UCLA I wonder if the police will do anything Or is there a two-tiered policing system with a certain group above the rest of us? pic.twitter.com/WAMTauWaV1  ADAM (@AdameMedia) May 1, 2024

Officers have been deployed

The Los Angeles police department said on social media platform X that officers have been deployed, and are currently on the UCLA campus, to assist in restoring order. The force had earlier said it was responding due to multiple acts of violence within the large encampment after the university asked for police help to quell the clashes.

The unrest at UCLA comes after police cleared Columbia Universitys campus in New York City on Tuesday and evicted a building occupied by pro-Palestinian student protesters. CNN cited the NYPD as saying more than 100 demonstrators had been arrested. Police climbed into Hamilton Hall via a second-floor window they reached from a laddered truck, before leading handcuffed students out of the building into police vans.

We can confirm that LAPD officers have been deployed, and are currently on the UCLA campus, to assist in restoring order. We are working in partnership with UCLA PD and other law enforcement agencies. https://t.co/r4ZzWXs06V LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) May 1, 2024

Columbia University

Columbia University president Minouche Shafik had said in a letter to police that the occupation of the school building was being led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University. She also asked the police to remain on campus through at least May 17, to ensure encampments are not reestablished. Writing on Instagram, the protesters slammed Shafiks statement, saying her use of the words care and safety are nothing short of horrifying.

The weeks of demonstrations  the most sweeping and prolonged unrest to rock US college campuses since the Vietnam war protests of the 1960s and 70s  have already led to several hundred arrests of students and other activists. President Joe Bidens White House had sharply criticized the seizure of Hamilton Hall, with a spokesman saying it was absolutely the wrong approach. Former US president Donald Trump on Fox News lamented the anti-Semitism thats just pervading our country, and slammed Biden, his rival in the November presidential election for inaction.

Nationwide movement

The protests have posed a challenge to university administrators trying to balance free speech rights with complaints that the rallies have veered into anti-Semitism and hate. The unrest has swept through US higher education institutions like wildfire, with many student protesters erecting tent encampments on campuses from coast to coast.

In another of the newest clashes, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, police moved in Tuesday to clear one encampment, detaining some protesters in a tense showdown. Footage of police in riot gear summoned at various colleges has been viewed around the world. UN human rights chief Volker Turk voiced concern at the heavy-handed steps taken to disperse the campus protests, saying freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly are fundamental to society.

(With agency inputs)
The leader of Canadas main opposition party was ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday after he called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a wacko, in the latest clash between two men set to fight an election next year.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was just kicked out of Parliament for calling Trudeau a wacko and an extremist. pic.twitter.com/LuDleVti7n Billboard Chris (@BillboardChris) April 30, 2024

The official opposition right-of-center Conservatives are well ahead in the polls. The incident started when party leader Pierre Poilievre criticised what he called Trudeaus refusal to crack down on drug overdoses.

BREAKING: Today the Liberal speaker censored me for describing Trudeau's hard drug policy as wacko.6 people dying from overdoses every day in BC is wacko. Kids playing next to used syringes is wacko. Nurses worried about breastfeeding after breathing in toxic drug fumes is  Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) April 30, 2024

When will we put an end to this wacko policy by this wacko prime minister? he asked Trudeau in the House of Commons elected lower chamber.

Speaker Greg Fergus, a Liberal, told Poilievre the comment was both unparliamentary and unacceptable and asked him four times to withdraw it. Poilievre declined on each occasion, saying instead he would use the word extremist or radical.

Fergus told Poilievre he was disregarding the speakers authority and, in an unusual move, said: I order to you to withdraw from the House  for the remainder of this days sitting.

Poilievre, who left the chamber with his legislators, later repeated his attack on Trudeaus stance on drugs.

This is a wacko policy from a wacko PM thats destroying lives, he said in a social media post.

Liberal parliamentarian Steven MacKinnon, in charge of government business in the House, told reporters the incident had been a disgrace and showed a disrespect for institutions.

Trudeau has a testy relationship with Poilievre, who he accuses of being an extremist and a supporter of the Make America Great Again movement of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trudeau had earlier spoken to reporters on Tuesday and accused Poilievre of spending time with far right groups.

That is not responsible leadership. That is dangerous for democracy, its dangerous for Canadians, he said.

Ejections from the House are relatively rare. The speakers office was not immediately available to comment on the last time a leader of the official opposition had been booted out.

The next election must be held by late October 2025. Surveys of public opinion indicate the Conservatives would win a large majority over the center-left Liberals, who have been in power since November 2015.
The White House on Wednesday said it supports Americans right to protest and that only a small percentage of students are causing disruption on US campuses, jolted by demonstrations against the Gaza war.

We believe its a small number of students who are causing this disruption, and if theyre going to protest, Americans have the right to do it in a peaceful way within the law, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. She said the White House would continue to call out hateful speech as we have been, denouncing anti-Semitism as youth anger over the death toll from Israels war with Hamas in Gaza continues to climb.

BREAKING: Police have started entering Hamilton Hall at Columbia Universitypic.twitter.com/PXPK8HvFDS BNO News (@BNONews) May 1, 2024

No cops on campus

More than 100 people, most identifying themselves as Columbia University faculty and staff, marched and chanted near the schools New York campus Wednesday. They marched on the eastern side of the campus by Hamilton Hall, where, hours earlier, New York police burst in to break up a demonstration by protesters who had occupied the building.

Many marchers held signs reading No cops on campus, and chanted slogans aimed at Columbia University president Nemat Shafik, including How many kids did you arrest today? Columbia Universitys president released a statement Wednesday morning to members of the college community outlining why she called in police the night before.

Nemat Shafik said protesters taking over an administration building on campus early Tuesday was a drastic escalation of the encampment at the college, which pushed the University to the brink, creating a disruptive environment for everyone and raising safety risks to an intolerable level. Shafik, who goes by Minouche, acknowledged the school has a long and proud history of activism on campus, but argued those occupying the building committed acts of destruction, not political speech. I know I speak for many members of our community in saying that this turn of events has filled me with deep sadness. I am sorry we reached this point, she wrote.

(With agency inputs)
The wife of a former US college professor convicted of terrorism-related charges was seen at Columbia Universitys encampment before the dramatic raid, the New York Post reported on Wednesday.

This report came as New York Mayor Eric Adams attributed the campus chaos to external agitators. Adams said that the New York Police Department (NYPD) had begun identifying non-Columbia individuals before being authorised to remove protesters who had occupied an academic building.

BREAKING: Police have started entering Hamilton Hall at Columbia Universitypic.twitter.com/PXPK8HvFDS BNO News (@BNONews) May 1, 2024

READ MORE: NYPD Clears Columbia University Building, Arrests Over 100 Protesters; Cops To Remain On Campus

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators

Police in New York arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators holed up in a building at Columbia University and removed a protest encampment on Tuesday night. While not naming anyone directly, Adams mentioned one individual whose husband was convicted of terrorism, likely referring to Sami al-Arian, who pleaded guilty in 2005 to supporting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Al-Arian had previously boasted on social media that his wife, Nahla, participated in anti-Israel protests at the Ivy League campus. Despite Adams comments, it remained unclear whether Nahla al-Arian was among those arrested on Tuesday or if she had joined the encampment earlier. When pressed about the terror connections, Adams deferred to the Intelligence Division, saying that information could likely be found on social media platforms and emphasising the divisions role in determining what information should be disclosed.

The Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip and the ensuing Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave has unleashed the biggest outpouring of U.S. student activism since the anti-racism protests of 2020. As student rallies have spread to dozens of schools across the U.S. in recent days expressing opposition to Israels war in Gaza, police have been called in to quell or clear protests.

Police deployed in force on the University of California in Los Angeles campus on Wednesday morning after Israel supporters attacked a camp set up by pro-Palestinian protesters. Witness footage from the scene, verified by Reuters, showed people wielding sticks or poles to attack wooden boards being used as makeshift barricades to protect the pro-Palestinian protesters.

(With agency inputs)
This undated photo released early Tuesday, April 30, 2024, by the U.S. military's Central Command shows construction off a floating pier in the Mediterranean Sea off the Gaza Strip. A U.S. Navy ship involved in the American-led effort to bring more aid into the besieged Gaza Strip is off shore from the enclave, slowly building out a floating platform for the operation, satellite photos analyzed Monday, April 29, 2024, by The Associated Press show. (U.S. military's Central Command via AP)
In a sudden turn of events, Zanu PF Masvingo Provincial Youth chairperson who is facing three counts of assault and one of negligent driving has reported former Masvingo Mayor, Collen Maboke for attempted murder.

Delight Mandebvu who was involved in an accident with Mabokes vehicle on March 3, 2024, took eight weeks to report his attempted murder case. He only reported the case after Police served him with summons to appear in court for assault.

He will be appearing in court next Wednesday.

Masvingo Police Spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa told The Mirror that he needed to look for the report.

According to sources, Mandebvu says Maboke broke the formers leg when he attempted to run over him with his car.

He says that he had an altercation with Maboke after their cars side-swiped about 50km from Masvingo along Masvingo-Mutare Highway.

Efforts to get a comment from Mandebvu were futile as his mobile phone went unanswered.

Maboke referred The Mirror to the Police. According to the well-publicised case, Mandebvu who was driving from Masvingo towards Bikita at night had a side-swipe with a vehicle that was being driven by Mabokes wife Tariro and Maboke was a passenger. Mandebvu allegedly made a U-turn and drove after Mabokes vehicle and blocked it after 10km.

He allegedly assaulted Maboke, his wife and his relative Simbarashe Matyei. As he haggled with Maboke in the middle of the highway, an oncoming vehicle struck his leg and Maboke managed to jump off the road thereby escaping the accident.

Mandebvu was reported to Masvingo Rural Police Station and a docket was opened against him for assault and negligent driving.

Sources said Police were surprised when Mandebvu reported attempted murder charges after being served with the court date. There was an unwillingness on the part of Police to open a docket until the case was transferred to the Law and Order Section, sources told The Mirror.

Mandebvu has a notorious record with the law as he has been arraigned for stock theft (later cleared), disorderly conduct and taking the law into his own hands, indebtedness and maintenance. He was sued by the late Bikita MP, Kennedy Matimba for not paying rentals and was in court with his wife for maintenance.

However, cases where complainants against Zanu PF violence are turned into accused and arrested by Police are common. A recent report by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission found out that this was common if not the norm at Gutu Police Station where Cames Myambo is the Officer-in-Charge. Masvingo Mirror
REDCLIFF Municipality has achieved 50/50 gender parity following the recent election and swearing in of Christine Sigauke to the council.

With six female and six male councillors, it is the first local authority to reach the gender parity level envisaged under the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa.

The Government introduced the 30 percent representation for women to increase female representation in local authorities, hence, Councillor Sigaukes election means that the Redcliff Town Council now has equal representation of men and women.

Three female councillor were seconded to council through the proportional representation to add to the nine elected councillors. Out of the elected councillors, only two were female.

Clr Sigauke from the ruling Zanu-PF beat opposition candidate Tinei Siziba in the April 6 by-election, to win the Redcliff Municipality Ward 3 by-election.

The seat fell vacant following the death of Mayor Clayton Masiyatsva in January after a short illness.

Long-serving deputy mayor, Alderman Vincent Masiiwa, was elected mayor, while Clr Fortunate Makawa was elected deputy mayor.

Kwekwe District Development Co-ordinator, Mr Fortune Mpungu, praised the gender-equitable achievement, saying it was a milestone and urged the councillors to fulfil their campaign promises.

Redcliff Municipality has achieved the envisaged 50/50 gender parity and I congratulate them for that milestone. I think they are the first local authority in Zimbabwe to achieve that milestone, he said.

It is indeed a big achievement for the district in particular and women in general. It is something that women should celebrate.

As I congratulate councillor Sigauke today, I wish to remind her that the vote was not only for her alone, but for good governance, continuity, growth and progress of the people who voted.

Consequently, I urge you to pledge your passionate dedication to ensuring that confidence and faith reposed in you will be maintained in line with the Call to Action blueprint launched by President Mnangagwa last year, said Mr Mpungu.

He challenged other councillors to carry their people along the road of attaining an envisaged city.status by 2030.

We all want good roads, clean water, better schools and better prospects for Redcliff Municipality to be a city by 2030. Any councillor who does not carry his or her people along is selfish and will be bypassed for the interest of the common good.
The man who killed four law enforcement officers and wounded four others in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday has been identified as Terry Clark Hughes Jr., a 39-year-old man with a long criminal history in the state. The Charlotte Observer reports that according to court records, Hughes had faced 49 criminal charges since 2001. His convictions include breaking and entering, reckless driving, eluding arrest, and illegally possessing a gun as a former felon. He spent time in prison in 2011 and 2013. Police say he opened fire on a US Marshals task force that was trying to serve a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Investigators said Tuesday that they are still working to determine the timeline of events and they are no longer sure there was a second shooter, the AP reports. They said an adult woman and a 17-year-old female who were in the home are cooperating and have not been charged. Earlier reports said the 17-year-old was a male.
What was supposed to be a fun event turned devastating for an Arizona family Saturday when a bounce house was suddenly swept into the sky, killing a 2-year-old boy inside. "Several children were playing in a bounce house when a strong gust of wind sent it airborne into the neighboring lot," the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said in a statement reported by NBC News . The incident took place around 5pm in Casa Grande. A little girl in the bounce house also received non-life-threatening injuries, reportedly a broken arm, per AZFamily .

The little boy was identified as the son of a Phoenix firefighter who is expecting another child with his wife this month, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up for the family. Police said the incident was "a tragic accident" and offered condolences to the family. Per CBS News, a 2022 report looked at 132 incidents involving bounce houses and wind between 2000 and 2021, and found that at least 28 children had been killed and another 479 injured. Experts say when wind speeds are above 25mph, bounce houses should not be used, 12 News reports. Unexpected gusts of wind can still be dangerous even on calmer days, they say, which is why the structures should always be staked down, with sandbags used to add weight. (A similar, horrific event in Australia left six children dead.)
A 98-year-old woman in Ukraine who escaped Russian-occupied territory by walking almost 6 miles alone, wearing a pair of slippers and supported by a cane, has been reunited with her family days after they were separated while fleeing to safety, the AP reports. Lidia Stepanivna Lomikovska and her family decided to leave the frontline town of Ocheretyne, in the eastern Donetsk region, last week after Russian troops entered it and fighting intensified. Russians have been advancing in the area, pounding Kyiv's depleted, ammunition-deprived forces with artillery, drones, and bombs. "I woke up surrounded by shooting all aroundso scary," Lomikovska said in a video interview posted by the National Police of Donetsk region.

In the chaos of the departure, Lomikovska became separated from her son and two daughters-in-law, including one, Olha Lomikovska, injured by shrapnel days earlier. The younger family members took to back routes, but Lydia wanted to stay on the main road. With a cane in one hand and steadying herself using a splintered piece of wood in the other, she walked all day without food and water to reach Ukrainian lines. Describing her journey, the nonagenarian said she had fallen twice and was forced to stop to rest at some points, even sleeping along the way before waking up and continuing her journey.

Pavlo Diachenko, acting spokesman for the National Police of Ukraine in the Donetsk region, said Lomikovska was saved when Ukrainian soldiers spotted her walking along the road in the evening. They handed her over to the "White Angels," a police group that evacuates citizens living on the front line, who then took her to a shelter for evacuees and contacted her relatives. "I survived that war," she said referring to World War II. "I had to go through this war too, and in the end, I am left with nothing. That war wasn't like this one. I saw that war. Not a single house burned down. But noweverything is on fire."

(More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
A wealthy Silicon Valley-backed campaign to build a green city for up to 400,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area has submitted what it says are more than 20,000 of the 13,000 needed signatures to qualify for the November ballot. If verified by Solano County's elections office, the AP reports that voters will decide in the fall whether to allow urban development on land currently zoned for agriculture. Jan Sramek, a former Goldman Sachs trader who heads the company behind the campaign, California Forever, said at a news conference Tuesday that he heard from thousands of people who want careers and homes in the county where they grew up but can no longer afford because of high housing costs and a lack of nearby work.

The yet-unnamed development would mix homes, green space, a walkable downtown, and jobs between Travis Air Force Base and the Sacramento River Delta city of Rio Vista. Sramek said he expects to start with 50,000 residents within the next decade, with homes starting at $400,000. The controversial project has wealthy backers, including philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. It also faces strong opposition by some elected officials and other critics who say Sramek's plan is a speculative money grab that's light on details. Sramek outraged locals by quietly purchasing more than $800 million in farmland since 2018 and even suing farmers who refused to sell.

Reps. John Garamendi and Mike Thompson, who oppose the project, were initially alarmed that foreign adversaries or investors might be buying up the land because of its proximity to the Air Force base. "What people are really upset about are the tactics being used to obtain the goal at the end. The promise of jobs and affordable housing, that's not a guarantee," said Princess Washington, mayor pro tem of Suisun City. Sramek unveiled plans for the development in January but had to amend the land-use change ballot initiative twice to address county and Air Force concerns. The delays haven't slowed the project's timeline. California is desperate for more housing, but critics of the project say it would be more environmentally sound to build within existing cities than to convert designated farmland.

(More Jan Sramek stories.)
Violence erupted on the UCLA campus early Wednesday after the university declared its pro-Palestinian encampment unlawful. Shortly before midnight, counter-protesters in masks began trying to dismantle the encampment while protesters held firm, some donning goggles and helmets. Several fights broke out over the ensuing hours, the Los Angeles Times reports, noting counter-protesters at one point threw a firework, wood, and a metal barrier at the camp. Some pro-Palestinian protesters also reported being hit by a substance similar to pepper spray and responded in kind. UCLA officials said they requested assistance from Los Angeles Police officers, who arrived in riot gear around 1:40am local time. "We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end," said Mary Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA Strategic Communications.

Officers did not intervene in clashes but formed a line near the encampment, at which point counter-protesters began to leave, per the Times. KABC has live footage of ongoing police efforts to move a final group of pro-Israeli protesters. Ananya Roy, a professor of urban planning, social welfare, and geography, said she was "ashamed of my university" for its lack of response to the counter-protesters. "It gives people impunity to come to our campus as a rampaging mob," she said, per the Times. The university earlier declared the encampment "is unlawful and violates university policy." University of California President Michael V. Drake said campuses would "do all we can to protect these protests and demonstrations ... but disruptive unlawful protests that violate the rights of our fellow citizens are unacceptable."

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block referred to "instances of violence" and students being "physically blocked from accessing parts of the campus." He said Jewish students were left in a state of fear. The Palestinian Solidarity Encampment countered that "Zionist aggressors" were "incessantly verbally and physically harassing us, violently trying to storm the camp, and threatening us with weapons." It added efforts to end the encampment was a "continuation of a long history of attempts to shut down student activism and silence pro-Palestinian voices." CNN has more on the developments at other campus encampments, including police deploying "chemical irritant munitions" at the University of Arizona. (Overnight, police cleared pro-Palestinian protesters from the encampment at Columbia University.)
As of Wednesday, a law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they're pregnant, took effect in Florida. As the Washington Post reports, the state went "from one with the fewest restrictions for the procedure in the South" to one where abortion is "all but banned." Here's what to know:



The law: The new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year and confirmed by the Florida Supreme Court in April replaces a 15-week ban in effect since July 2022.

The new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year and confirmed by the Florida Supreme Court in April replaces a 15-week ban in effect since July 2022. Exemptions: It includes exceptions for rape, incest, and human trafficking but only up to 15 weeks of pregnancy and only with supporting documents from doctors or police, per the Post. There are also exemptions for fatal fetal anomalies before the third trimester, and for cases where the woman's life is at risk or she faces a "substantial and irreversible" physical impairment.
Johnson & Johnson has a new plan to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that asbestos in its talc-based products, including baby powder, cause ovarian cancerand it has a lot in common with the company's previous two plans. Johnson & Johnson has proposed a settlement of almost $6.5 billion over 25 years, which it says will resolve more than 99% of the lawsuits. Details:

Previous efforts . Reuters reports that courts rejected two previous efforts to resolve the lawsuits through the bankruptcy of a subsidiary set up for the purpose, LTL Management.

. Reuters reports that courts rejected two previous efforts to resolve the lawsuits through the bankruptcy of a subsidiary set up for the purpose, LTL Management. The new plan. The new plan also involves a Chapter 11 filing for the subsidiary, but claimants will have three months to vote on it. If at least 75% are in favor, the deal can proceed, ending litigation. "The claimants get to vote, and that's the major difference here," Erik Haas, the company's worldwide vice president of litigation, told investors Wednesday.
The cyberattack that caused massive disruption to health care systems across the US earlier this year was an easy payday for hackers, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty admitted Wednesday. He told the Senate Finance Committee that criminals using "compromised credentials" accessed a Change Healthcare portal that did not have multifactor authentication, CBS News reports. The lack of the basic form of security allowed hackers to unleash a ransomware attack that froze large parts of the system, reports the AP . Witty said that in "one of the hardest decisions" he's ever had to make, he agreed to pay $22 million to the BlackCat cybercriminal gang.

"This hack could have been stopped with cybersecurity 101," Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, the committee's chairman, told Witty. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis held up a copy of the book Hacking for Dummies. Witty said multifactor authentication is standard at UnitedHealth and he was "incredibly frustrated" to find that it was lacking at Change, which the company bought in 2022. He said he was "deeply, deeply sorry" and that the company had "literally built this platform back from scratch." The Feb. 21 hack disrupted payment systems, causing major problems at hospitals, doctors' offices, and pharmacies.

Change, which processes around 15 billion transactions a year, "serves as a digital highway between health insurers and hospitals and doctors," as the New York Times puts it. During Wednesday's hearing, Democratic and Republican senators suggested the hack was so devastating because UnitedHealth, the world's' 11th-biggest company, makes up such a huge part of the nation's health care system, the Times reports. The hack "is a dire warning about the consequences of 'too big to fail' mega-corporations gobbling up larger and larger shares of the health care system," Wyden said. (More UnitedHealth stories.)
A pro-Palestinian protest has kicked off at the University of Auckland (UoA) on Wednesday afternoon.

Police told Newshub they are aware of the protest, which is taking place on the university's grounds from 4pm.

The group organising the event initially planned on camping overnight, however police say an agreement has been established, and that will no longer be happening.

However, several tents have since been pitched as of 4:30pm.

Hundreds of protestors can be seen on the site, holding up flags and signs, wearing red, green and black clothing.

Others are writing 'Free Palestine' in coloured chalk on the campus grounds.
There were desperate scenes at Kabul International Airport in 2021, as the Taliban took over Afghanistan's capital.

Hundreds of Afghanis came to New Zealand on a New Zealand Defence Force plane, including 15 unaccompanied children.

Then in 2022, there was a complex investigation into the exploitation of Chinese child acrobats here as part of the travelling show Zirka Circus.



They were eventually uplifted and flown home to their parents.

The international child protection unit at Oranga Tamariki was involved with both events, but the unit now faces significant cuts.

"Before implementing any changes, the Government must consider their ability to meet human rights obligations here and overseas," said Lisa Woods, campaign director at Amnesty International.

Consultation documents obtained by Newshub show 17 advisory roles would be slashed to just six.

The role of General Manager for international casework would be disestablished, along with the manager of international child protection. The national management role would also go.

Oranga Tamariki proposed the separate national and international teams be "consolidated" into one team.

"The question should be 'what more could we be doing?' Not taking away," Woods told Newshub.

The Children's Commissioner, Dr Claire Achmad, said she's concerned cutting the international child protection unit could impact on New Zealands ability to do international child protection work.
Peters delivered a major foreign policy speech to the Institute of International Affairs on Wednesday night in which he addressed the public debate surrounding AUKUS.

The trilateral collective security agreement was signed by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in 2021.

Pillar 1 of the alliance relates to nuclear-powered submarines; however, Pillar 2 relates to technology and intelligence.

New Zealand has been exploring the option of becoming a potential AUKUS Pillar 2 partner which has been met with fierce criticism.

Labour hosted an anti-AUKUS summit in April, accusing the Coalition of advancing New Zealand's AUKUS interest beyond what was promised, despite Prime Minister Christopher Luxon saying there has been no change in position since when Labour was in Government.

Peters stated Pillar 2 discussions were initiated by Labour and the current Government is continuing the process already begun by its predecessor.

Peters said there are two conditions before New Zealand could or would participate in Pillar 2.

Firstly, AUKUS partners need to invite Aotearoa to participate, which Peters said they have not.

"This Government, like its predecessor, has its ministers and officials seeking information and in discussions with their counterparts so that we can better understand what opportunities and benefits Pillar 2's advanced technologies may offer New Zealand," he said.

"We must also carefully examine what utilities, if any, we might offer, or be expected to offer Pillar 2 partners, in return. That will take time."

If Aotearoa is invited sometime in the future, we would then need to decide whether or not to accept a decision, which Peters said the Government was a long way from making.

Peters emphasised it would be "utterly irresponsible" for any Government to not consider whether collaborating with like-minded partners on advances in technology is in our national interest.

"Prudence also dictates exploring technological advancement to assess its potential significant benefits for our economy, military and space sectors, and how these benefits might then flow into wider society," he said.

Peters said that is why former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and his Cabinet Ministers were open to exploring Pillar 2's opportunities, but since then have apparently changed their stance.

"Openness in government is transforming before our eyes into close-mindedness in opposition," Peters said.

"We are disquieted by any potential breakdown in foreign policy bipartisanship over Pillar 2. Bipartisanship in foreign policy is not a luxury for our small state, it's a necessary condition for advancing our sovereign interests effectively, thereby keeping New Zealanders secure and prosperous. We urge them to hold their nerve."
New York City police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators holed-up in an academic building on Columbia University campus late on Tuesday (local time) and removed a protest encampment the Ivy League school had sought to dismantle for nearly two weeks.

Shortly after police moved in, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik released a letter in which she requested police stay on campus until at least May 17 - two days after graduation - "to maintain order and ensure that encampments are not re-established."

Within three hours the campus had been cleared of protesters, said a police spokesperson, adding "dozens" of arrests were made.

At the start of the police operation around 9pm ET throngs of helmeted police marched onto the elite campus in upper Manhattan, a focal point of student rallies that have spread to dozens of schools across the US in recent days expressing opposition to Israel's war in Gaza.

"We're clearing it out," the police officers yelled.
The United Nations on Tuesday warned that an Israeli assault on Rafah in the Gaza Strip was "on the immediate horizon" and that "incremental" progress by Israel on aid access to the enclave could not be used to prepare for or justify an operation.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for states with influence over Israel "to do everything in their power" to prevent an Israeli assault on Rafah in southern Gaza, where more than 1.2 million displaced Gaza Palestinians are sheltering.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday to go ahead with a long-promised assault, whatever the response by Hamas to latest proposals for a halt to fighting in the nearly seven-month-long war and a return of Israeli hostages.

"The world has been appealing to the Israeli authorities for weeks to spare Rafah, but a ground operation there is on the immediate horizon," said U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths in a statement.

"The simplest truth is that a ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words."

Israel pledged nearly a month ago to improve aid access to the enclave of 2.3 million people after U.S. President Joe Biden demanded steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, saying the U.S. could place conditions on support if Israel did not act.

Guterres told reporters that there had been "incremental progress" toward averting "an entirely preventable, human-made famine" in northern Gaza, but much more was urgently needed.

"These improvements in bringing more aid into Gaza cannot be used to prepare for or justify a full-blown military assault on Rafah," Griffiths said.

Guterres specifically called on Israel to follow through on its promise to open two crossings to the north.

"A major obstacle to distributing aid across Gaza is the lack of security for humanitarians and the people we serve. Humanitarian convoys, facilities and personnel, and the people in need must not be targets," Guterres told reporters.
Tearfund NZ International Programmes Director Tim Manson says it is worse than anything he has seen in his 15-year humanitarian career.

"This region of the world is just not getting the support that places like the Middle East conflict, the war in Ukraine have received. So, people have genuinely run out of options," said Manson.

"People do not know where their next meal is coming from. The need is massive and urgent, and we should be doing something about it."

In a small village in the Borena region, in Southern Ethiopia, people are gathering for what they tell us will be a food delivery, but no one can say when it will arrive, or who is delivering it.

Eventually, they reveal, they are waiting on God.
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The Ministry of Investment of the UAE and the Ministry of Finance and National Treasury of the Republic of Kenya have signed an investment memorandum of understanding, setting the stage for investment collaboration in mining and technology sectors, a report said.

Simultaneously, ADQ, the Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, announced a finance framework agreement with Kenyas ministry, facilitating investments in priority sectors of the Kenyan economy, with a potential investment sum of up to $500 million, Emirates News Agency, WAM, said.

Kenyas mining sector boasts significant growth potential owing to its abundant reserves of gold, copper, ilmenite, tantalum, and various non-metallic minerals.

The advancement of this industry can substantially strengthen Kenyas economy by generating employment opportunities, improving livelihoods, and positioning the nation as a prominent mining participant in Africa.

Known as the Silicon Savannah, Kenya is also the dominant economy in East Africa, contributing to more than 40 percent of the regions GDP.

The MoU focuses on mineral exploration, mine development, mineral processing, refining, and mineral marketing in Kenya. One of the key objectives is to explore opportunities for technology transfer in Kenyas mineral sector, that would support innovation and growth.

The two countries will also assess avenues for collaboration in promoting responsible stewardship of the mineral sector, with a strong emphasis on environmental, social, and governance practices, in addition to exploring avenues for collaboration in research and development within the designated sectors.

Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment of the UAE, said: This Memorandum of Understanding marks a new chapter in the shared economic journey of the UAE and Kenya. Through this partnership, we are laying down the foundation for a future where sustainable mining practices, innovation, and responsible stewardship form the pillars of our mutual growth.

We are committed to leveraging technology to enhance capacities and establish robust governance practices that will not only propel the mineral sector but also ensure overall prosperity of our nations.

The MoU and agreement have been signed on the heels of a bilateral investment cooperation signed to advance Kenyas digital infrastructure sector, which was signed last month.
Fairbanks, AK (99701)

Today

Rain and snow this evening. The rain and snow will change to rain showers overnight. Low 33F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 80%..

Tonight

Rain and snow this evening. The rain and snow will change to rain showers overnight. Low 33F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 80%.
Minister of Oil and Environment and the Special Envoy for Climate Affairs, His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Bin Daina, highlighted the pressing issue of the energy crisis and the lack of investments in new opportunities within the energy sector.

Dr. Bin Daina was speaking during a recent business networking luncheon held at the Crowne Plaza and organised by the American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain. As the world focuses on combating climate change, the pressure on finding alternative energy sources mounts, leaving Bahrain and other nations grappling with the imminent shortage.

Addressing the audience, Dr. Bin Daina stressed the long-standing relationship between Bahrain and the United States, spanning over 80 years.

He emphasised that Bahrains collaboration with the US extended beyond military bases, extending to the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with a significant focus on environmental concerns.

Drawing attention to the energy security challenge, Dr. Bin Daina highlighted recent climate-related incidents at Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), attributing them to the effects of climate change.

Climate change

Unprecedented heavy rainfall, reaching 90mm, caused these incidents, underscoring the undeniable impact of climate change on the region.

He stated, Theres no way anyone can question climate change when faced with such extreme weather conditions.

Regarding alternative energy sources, Dr. Bin Daina acknowledged the potential role of hydrogen but expressed concerns about its high cost.

Balanced approach

He stressed the need for a balanced approach, combining multiple energy sources such as renewables and hydrogen to address the energy shortage effectively.

Examining the global energy consumption and the challenges faced by developing nations due to limited financing options, Dr. Bin Daina expressed his genuine concern about the heavy reliance on certain

energy sources.

He warned that such reliance could lead to a shortage of energy sources that cannot be easily replaced, exacerbating the energy crisis.

Dr. Bin Daina pointed out Bahrains dedication to combat climate change, stating, We are committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, aiming for a substantial 30 per cent reduction in emissions by 2035, and taking significant steps to double our mangrove size.
The High Sharia Court has delivered a significant ruling in favour of a Bahraini mother, sentencing her husband to one year in prison for defying court orders to hand over their two daughters despite granting her custody rights.

The legal battle unfolded after the man refused to comply with a court order mandating the transfer of custody to his wife. He asserted that the children stayed with his mother in their home country with his wife's consent. However, the court deemed his argument unfounded, leading to the landmark decision.

The couple, who had wed and welcomed their children in Bahrain, had travelled to the husband's native country for a vacation. While the wife returned to Bahrain first due to work obligations, she anticipated her husband and daughters' arrival shortly after. Yet, on the scheduled return date, the husband returned solo, leaving the children in the care of his family.

Overwhelmed by the loss of contact with her daughters, the wife took a courageous step and initiated legal proceedings in the Sharia Court, fighting for custody. The court ruled in her favour, instructing the husband to relinquish custody to hera decision subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeals.

Despite the legal directives, the husband denied his wife access to their daughters. Undeterred, the wife, represented by legal counsel, pursued further action against her husband for his non-compliance.

The claimant's lawyer refuted the husband's claims of an agreement to leave the children with his mother, citing repeated court rulings granting custody to the wife. The lawyer underscored the undue hardship inflicted on the mother and her deprivation of the right to be

Convinced by the evidence and arguments, the court found the husband guilty of violating the custody order. Consequently, he was sentenced to one year, with a fine and bail set at BD500 for suspending the sentence.
Under the patronage of His Excellency Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, CEO of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), Al Areen Holding Company, a prominent player in the real estate industry, inaugurated the Tilal project in the presence of a number of officials, guests and media personnel.

In conjunction, the company launched a special platform at City Centre Bahrain from May 1 to 11, 2024, to promote the project and receive reservations for the first phase.

Tilal residential project is located within the master plan of Areen. It consists of villas and townhouses featuring modern designs in line with modern trends in construction, considering the unique lifestyle of the Bahraini family and its requirements. Each unit also features high-quality finishes, taking into account environmental sustainability.

On the occasion, H.E. Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa praised the comprehensive attention given to architectural and real estate development in the Kingdom by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the firm interest of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

He pointed out that Tilal uniquely embodies the cultural advancement witnessed by the Kingdom of Bahrain and the development of its architectural scene.

Furthermore, His Excellency noted the high quality and standards that characterise the residential units, stressing that the new project will constitute a notable addition to residential communities in the Kingdom, due to its facilities that reflect modern trends in construction and design to create sustainable cities.

Gratitude and appreciation

On his part, Shaikh Mohammed bin Daij Al Khalifa, Managing Director of Al Areen Holding Company, expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to H.E. Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa for his support and assistance to the company.

At the same time, he expressed gratitude to all the official and private bodies, especially RERA, for their unlimited support for the Al Areen masterplan, which will be a landmark in the Kingdom's economic and tourism landscape.

He commented, We are proud to launch this project through which the exceptional features of the modern Areen masterplan are evident. This project will be a prominent residential destination with a distinguished location near the five-star Raffles Al Areen Palace Hotel.

The Managing Director also called on interested parties to book reservations at the platform launched by the company at City Centre Bahrain from May 1 to 11, 2024.

Al Areen masterplan

It is worth noting that the Al Areen masterplan is a leading upscale destination for residence, hospitality, entertainment and business. It will include a new city with an area of two million square metres of which 1.5 million square metres are built area, accommodating about 25,000 people, in addition to housing commercial offices, retail units, restaurants, hotels, health and educational facilities, and a range of residential communities.

The project is situated near Al Areen Wildlife Park in the southern region of the Kingdom of Bahrain and close to the Bahrain International Circuit and Al Dana Amphitheatre.
The Waffle House off U.S. 29 just north of Charlottesville is known for two things: 24-hour breakfast and a billion-dollar business idea.

It was there, specifically at Booth 19, where Alexis Ohanian, University of Virginia alumnus and co-founder of Reddit  the social media platform today known as the Front Page of the Internet  says he first had the idea to start his own company.

Roughly a year ago, the Waffle House installed a plaque in that very booth to commemorate Ohanians epiphany, featuring a quote from the Wahoo who is now worth an estimated $70 million.

Waffle House changed my life I was going to be a lawyer and then I walked out of the LSAT to go get breakfast. I never looked back, it read.

The plaque recently walked out of the Waffle House itself, apparently stolen by a customer.

It was there, and then it wasnt, an employee told The Daily Progress Monday.

Its unclear how long the plaque has been missing. Employees estimate its been roughly a month since anyone noticed it had vanished.

Whoever ran off with the plaque likely had a plan: It had been securely fastened to the wall and likely required a screwdriver for removal. Two bronze fixtures now jut out of the windowsill above the booth, where the plaque previously had been attached.

Ohanian spoke of his Waffle House epiphany during his remarks as commencement speaker for the class of 2021. He was planning to be a lawyer, he told students. But 30 minutes into his law school admission test, he decided he was hungry. He left the room and went straight to the Waffle House north of town.

That place is amazing for waffles and epiphanies, he said. While I was there in Booth 19, I decided I probably shouldnt be a lawyer if I walked out of the LSAT and instead I should start a startup. So if it werent for being hungry, I dont think Id have ever started Reddit.

Ohanian has visited that restaurant several times since, including last October when he visited to thank staff for the plaque, which was installed in April 2023.

Im back at UVA and this had to be my first stop, he wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. I really do love Waffle House and stop by every time I come back to Charlottesville. Thank you for the plaque & great service.

Its not clear if the Reddit co-founder is aware that the plaque is now missing. His press team did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Progress.
Sanctuary AI and Microsoft will work together to bolster AI research and development and Sanctuary AI will leverage Microsofts Azure cloud resources for their AI workloads.

SanctuaryAI is among the humandoid robotics companies that have partnered with Nvidia. Among the nine companies on stage with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had the SanctuaryAI bot at the center beside Jensen.

SanctuaryAI has their new seventh generation humanoid bot.

Building on the foundation of Large Language Models (LLMs), Sanctuary AI is making progress towards Large Behavior Models (LBMs) that ground AI in the physical world by enabling systems to understand and learn from real world experience. Sanctuary AI is taking advantage of these models for Carbon, the AI control system for its Phoenix robots. Carbon is designed to enable the robot it controls to do complex tasks, due to its foundation of high quality behavioral data. Sanctuary AI will take advantage of Microsoft Azure infrastructure for training, inference, networking, and storage.

SanctuaryAI is targeting the $30 trillion global labor market.

SanctuaryAI CEO Geordie Rose has an interview with Herbert Ong. The company has a deal to put their robots into Magna automotive parts factories.

Geordie describes training the robots on a skill (like grasp) in less than 24 hours and they can train them with few hundred repetitions.

They have deployed some robots at tests in a commercial store, Canadian Tire.

They are rapidly working to real useful commercial capabilities.

CEO Geordie Rose talks about the need for humanoid bots to solve the depopulation crisis. Nextbigfuture has written about depopulation.
A student-led protest demanding the University of Virginia divest from the state of Israel originally planned for Wednesday got off to an early start Tuesday afternoon. University officials say the nearly 100 protesters gathered on Grounds will be allowed to stay so long as they do not erect tents, as have been seen at other campus protests nationwide.

And those protesters  a crowd including students, faculty and Charlottesville community members  were complying even as a light rain began to fall late Tuesday night.

Earlier this afternoon, University officials became aware of a small group setting up tents near the UVA Chapel, UVa said in a statement provided by spokesman Brian Coy. Representatives from UVA Student Affairs and University Police met with the group and informed them that, while they are free to demonstrate in public spaces, tents are prohibited by University policy. The individuals complied with requests to voluntarily take down the tents. There were no arrests and no disruption of University activities.

Two protesters told The Daily Progress they were unsure if their group would be staying overnight.

"I'm just playing it by ear," said one.

Would police kick them out if they do?

"I'm not sure," said another.

Protesters have been encouraged to wear masks and not share their identities with the press. The masks, at least according to organizers, are a COVID-19 precaution.

Since 1950, it has been a crime in Virginia for any individual over the age of 16 to wear a mask, hood or face covering with the intention of concealing their identity, a implicit tool to prosecute members of the Ku Klux Klan.

While some students were unsure if they would last the night Tuesday, at 8:30 p.m. one organizer made the groups plans more clear, addressing the full crowd:

"It's definitely been an emotional day, but I'm feeling so good and so proud," the young man said, encouraging the group to invite more friends to the protest. "Hopefully we're going to be here for a while."

Late Tuesday night, organizers were asking members of the community to bring supplies, including food, water, lanterns, portable chargers, caffeinated drinks, coolers, blankets and umbrellas.

Tuesday marked the last day of classes for the spring semester at UVa, and protesters started to gather by the UVa Chapel adjacent to the schools landmark Rotunda late in the afternoon. Signs posted in the area declared the corner of Grounds a liberated zone and repeated student demands that their school divest from Israel amid that countrys ongoing war with Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

That war, which protesters call a genocide, began Oct. 7 of last year with Hamas surprise attack on Israel, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking more than 240 hostages. Since then, Israel has laid siege to the Palestinian territory of Gaza and the death toll has climbed to more than 34,000, the overwhelming majority of those Palestinians, and the overwhelming majority of those Palestinians women and children.

The conflict has sparked protests at college campuses across the U.S., where students have demanded their schools cut ties with Israel in support of the Palestinian people. Protests at multiple colleges have turned violent, especially after police were called. New York police were dispatched to clear a student protest at Columbia University Tuesday night after protesters took over a university building. At the University of California, Los Angeles, student protesters set up barricades blocking other students from accessing parts of campus, including a library.

In Virginia over the past three days, protests at Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Mary Washington were busted up by police. Police made 82 arrests at Virginia Tech on late Sunday night and early Monday morning after hundreds of protesters set up an encampment on campus. At Mary Washington, police arrested 12 protesters Saturday evening. And another 13 were arrested at VCU Monday night, after police stormed protesters wearing riot gear and deploying tear gas. Almost all of the protesters have been charged with trespassing, with universities arguing that overnight encampments violate school policy.

There have been multiple student-led protests at UVa since Oct. 7. And while the rhetoric has been heated at times, none of the protests have risen to the extremes seen in New York and California.

UVA has seen an increase in peaceful expressive activity on our Grounds this year in response to the ongoing Middle East conflict, the school said in its Tuesday statement. As an institution committed to free expression and the open exchange of ideas, we strive to ensure these activities can take place safely, and in a manner that permits all parties to make their voices heard.

UVa was established by Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, a vocal proponent of free speech and expression in the countrys earliest days. The university said in its Tuesday statement that it will do all in its power not to infringe on those rights, so long as the safety of its community members is not threatened.

The University is prohibited by the Constitution and our own values from restricting speech based on its content, even in cases where the content is hurtful or offensive, the school said. We do, however, enforce reasonable restrictions on the time, place, and manner of expressive activities, so as to assure the safety of our community and to avoid disruption to University life or the rights of others. As we become aware of planned expressive activities, University officials engage with organizers to inform them of these policies.

The school and protesters still expect the protest on Grounds to continue into Wednesday, when the original event was planned.

The choice of May 1 is no coincidence. Organizers chose the date to align with an anti-war protest that took place on the universitys Lawn in 1970, when thousands of students held demonstrations to voice their opposition to the United States decision to expand the Vietnam War into Cambodia.

That weeklong protest is remembered as May Days: Classes were canceled, protesters occupied the Naval ROTC building (now John Warner Hall) and police stormed the Lawn, jailing dozens.

An Instagram post by a group calling itself UVA Dissenters specifically highlights the 1970 protest as an inspiration for students planned Wednesday protest.

During the May Days strike of 1970, UVA students announced a Freedom Day to rally students together in their opposition to the U.S. imperialist war in Vietnam, the post reads.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has said that protests at public colleges in the commonwealth must remain peaceful, or face the consequences.

We will protect the ability to peacefully express yourself, but were not going to have the kinds of hate speech and intimidation that were seeing across the country in Virginia, he said in a statement Sunday.

Several officials have voiced concern over how student protesters have treated Jewish students. Israel is the worlds only Jewish nation-state, and reports of antisemitism have spiked in the months since Oct. 7.

At UVa, officials say the school has received a total of 19 "reports related to potential antisemitism" from students, faculty and staff between the start of the 2023 fall semester and Jan. 1 of this year. The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation in late December after a UVa student filed a claim with the federal agency claiming they felt unwelcome, frightened and discriminated against on Grounds, specifically because of their religious beliefs.

"In response to reports of alleged antisemitic speech or conduct, University officials have connected with reporters, offered them resources, and sought additional information about their reports so that we can investigate and hold people responsible if necessary," Coy, the UVa spokesman, told The Daily Progress in a prepared statement in March. "Many investigations are ongoing, but in some cases, we haven't yet received enough information to identify alleged perpetrators and hold them accountable. We urge anyone with information about cases of antisemitism, islamophobia, or other forms of harassment and intimidation to share that information as soon as possible."

At the same time, several UVa students and faculty, some of them Jewish, have been the targets of a blacklist compiled by UVa parents who have accused them of antisemitism, in every instance without any evidence.

That list was published by the Jefferson Council, a conservative alumni association with ties to the university's Board of Visitors. Jefferson Council co-founder and businessman Bert Ellis sits on the board and has been an outspoken critic of the school's response to reported antisemitism.

The Jefferson Council has since removed links to the list after facing pushback from the named parties and inquiries from The Daily Progress.

On Tuesday, Republican Rep. Bob Good, who represents UVa and the surrounding 5th District in Congress, wrote a letter to UVa President Jim Ryan.

I urge you to demonstrate courageous and decisive leadership and take appropriate action to protect Jewish students and faculty by upholding Title VI and eliminating any visible demonstrations of antisemitism at UVA, Good wrote.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides that no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Daily Progress reporters Jason Armesto and Emily Hemphill contributed to this story.
A New Jersey couple admitted in court to running an unlicensed operation that sold marijuana and THC candies out of a Somers Point home, the prosecutor said Wednesday.

Police charged both Donna Shiffler and John Garmen after an undercover detective investigating the pair was sold marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms and edible drug products directly, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office said.

Garmen also told investigators he planned to employ his 14-year-old son in the distribution scheme by having him provide cards advertising the business to people at the Jersey Shore, prosecutors said.
The Jersey Shore town that hosts the four-day summer Barefoot Country Music Festival on its expansive beaches will now be home to year-round country music venue with the opening next week of Wildwoods Honky Tonk Saloon.

The bar takes the place of a former storage area for aging arcade equipment at the Boardwalk Mall on a busy strip near major amusement piers and shops. The opening planned for May 10 has generated plenty of buzz on its social media sites, owner Sean Doughtery told NJ Advance Media.

Its tremendous, Dougherty said of the interest.

We like it, we love it, we want some more of it  Just a little walk through before our BIG announcement on Monday!... Posted by Wildwoods HonkyTonk on Saturday, April 27, 2024

The opening comes just ahead what should be a busy weekend in the Wildwoods with former Republican President Donald Trump hosting a rally on the beach on May 11 and Mothers Day the following day.

Doors open at 5 p.m. on May 10 and the first live performance will kick off at 7 p.m. with additional live music start at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Honky Tonk adds to Doughterys inventory of investments in the local hospitality scene, including Captn Jacks Island Grill, which is also located in the Boardwalk Mall space.

Dougherty and his investors recently purchased the 32,000-square-foot Boardwalk Mall building, which also includes retail shops

The building sold in August for $2.8 million, real estate records show.

Honky Tonk includes a stage for live music, emulating those common to Nashvilles bar scene. Photos have emerged online showing lights hanging from beams above the bar and blinking arcade games.

Nashville, when you go down there, it just opens your eyes up to what a bar-restaurant with music can really do to a space, Doughtery said.

The latest music venue shows the continued investment in the Wildwoods, according to the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Authority.

The Wildwoods offer excellent opportunities for business success, and an unmet demand for business growth, with attractive commercial and residential real estate corridors that are perfectly located in a Jersey Shore seaside setting, Louis Belasco, the authoritys executive director, said in a recent statement on the development.

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Eric Conklin may be reached at econklin@njadvancemedia.com.
Dueling statements Tuesday from Princeton University and its 13 students who were arrested during a Gaza protest paint vastly different pictures of what happened on campus Monday night.

Those arrested issued a statement saying they staged a peaceful sit-in, but were harshly reprimanded and immediately expelled from campus. Meanwhile, university officials continue to say that the protestors acts were unlawful and abusive.

The group was arrested during a demonstration at the university graduate schools Clio Hall administrative building on Monday afternoon. Monday marked the fifth day of Gaza protests on the campus of the Ivy League school.

The protests follow rising tensions between students, staff and the university over calls for Princeton University to divest from investing in companies that profit from the Israel-Hamas war.

A statement signed by all 13 protestors on Tuesday called the protest a staged peaceful sit-in at the administrative building, accompanied by sociology Professor Ruha Benjamin, who acted as a legal and faculty advisor.

A contrasting statement from Rochelle Calhoun, vice president for campus life, said the protestors were abusive towards university staff.

As protesters entered Clio Hall, our staff found themselves surrounded, yelled at, threatened, and ultimately ordered out of the building, Calhoun said.

The protesters said in their statement that the universitys Department of Public Safety ordered Professor Benjamin and a member of the student press to leave the building by 5:30 p.m., threatening to arrest them if they did not comply with the order. While they both left immediately, the student press member has since been banned from campus for 90 days, according to the statement.

The 13 people remaining in the building were all arrested, the groups statement said.

We prayed and sang together while zip-tied and handcuffed, they said. A few of the protesters, the group said, were put on a campus shuttle for transport, but were released after hundreds of other protestors encircled the bus and barricaded the doors of Clio Hall.

Upon release, however, we were still banned from campus and evicted from university housing. Those of us who live in campus housing were immediately evicted and given just a few minutes to collect our belongings.

The group claimed Princeton administrators have refused to meet with the Princeton Gaza Solidarity Encampments bargaining team and also rejected a request for a meeting with six faculty members who wanted to discuss the arrests of two graduate students last week.

The University refused to meet with us using the proper channels, so we had to find our own, the group said. We will be here until the administration meets with us.

Meanwhile, school officials insist the right to protest is protected on campus, but not at the expense of safety for all other students and staff.

We venerate the free speech that is essential to our scholarly mission, Calhouns statement read. But these guarantees rely upon our communitys willingness to comply with the Universitys time, place, and manner regulations. They do not extend to the violation of our rules or of the law.

The 13 people arrested include five undergraduate students who are all seniors, six graduate students, a postdoctoral researcher and one non-degree seeking student.

All have been charged with trespassing. The 11 full-time students have also been barred from campus and may face additional university discipline including suspension, expulsion or the withholding of their degree, administrators said.

The university has said that others who participated in Mondays demonstrations are under investigation and may also face criminal charges.

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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
New Jersey has some of the best schools in the nation, but some schools perform better than others, new data released by the state Department of Education shows.

Nearly every school in New Jersey is assigned a score as part of the states annual controversial school ratings system.

NJ Advance Media assigned each New Jersey high school a ranking number between 1 and 357 based on the summative ratings calculated by the state Department of Education for the 2022-23 school year. (Find a link to your countys full list of schools below.)

Woodbridge Academy Magnet School, a biomedical magnet school in the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District, had the highest rating in the state, with a perfect score. The competitive high school requires students to submit an application and take an admissions test.

Magnet schools, technology academies, and other specialized high schools dominate the top of the list, representing 23 of the top 25 schools. The highest ranking general education school is Haddonfield Memorial High School in the 24th spot.

The state ratings released last month as part of the state School Performance Reports measure how each school compares to other schools with the same grade levels when test scores and other factors are considered. The ratings are calculated using standardized test scores, student academic growth, graduation rates and other factors, including chronic absenteeism. Each school is given a score from 0 to 100, called a summative score.

Schools with the same grade configurations are compared to each other and given a percentile rating from 0 to 100, called a summative rating. The three comparison groups are: high schools; elementary and middle schools; and mixed grade configuration schools.

Parents should approach the ratings with caution, Jack Schneider, director of the Center for Education Policy at University of Massachusetts Amherst told NJ.com.

Summative ratings, when you are talking about something as multifaceted as a school, is always going to be misleading in some regard, Schneider said.

Your best case scenario is that you are measuring every dimension, youre assessing every aspect of school quality, and then youre taking this rainbow of performance and youre turning it in the mud by creating a summative rating, Schneider said.

The worst case scenario is that only a small slice of school performance gets measured and the rating tells a misleading story, he said.

Find ratings and rankings for schools in your N.J. county here:

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Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch.
Americas best-known wine regions may be in California, Washington, upstate New York and Oregon, but New Jersey is catching up with more than 50 wineries and counting.

Saddlehill Winery in Voorhees just joined the ever-growing wine community, opening at the beginning of April by owner Bill Green and his wife Amy.
Rowan Universitys 85-year-old independent, student-run newspaper, The Whit, is facing a 35% cut in funding for next year, a move that staff members say will impact the future of the papers weekly print editions.

Student leaders in the campus student government association voted on the cut after taking into account about 150 of the 600 copies of the newspaper are left over from week to week, according to officials.

Like all of Rowans undergraduate clubs and organizations, funding for The Whit is supported through a budget funded by student fees.
New Jersey hospitals rose from 13th to 3rd safest in the nation this spring because of their success preventing patients from falling, contracting infections and other suffering caused by avoidable mistakes, according to the newest Leapfrog Hospital Safety report card.

Of the 67 general acute-care hospitals that participated in the survey, 30 earned an A  six more than the last round in the fall. Two hospitals improved by two grades: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton and Saint Michaels Medical Center in Newark.

No hospital flunked but one, CarePoint Health Christ Hospital in Jersey City, received a D. CarePoints trio of non-for-profit hospitals, including facilities in Bayonne and Hoboken, are facing a fiscal crisis. The state Health Department has installed a financial monitor and provided a multimillion-dollar infusion of cash to help meet payroll and other operating expenses.
A North Bergen man was tracked down in Massachusetts and arrested Tuesday in the fatal shooting of a former Hoboken High School two-sport star, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced Tuesday afternoon.

Albert Morales, 33, has been charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of weapon in the death of 21-year-old Damon Murray late Sunday night outside a Hoboken Housing Authority building on Marshall Drive.

He was arrested in Chicopee, Massachusetts, by members of the Massachusetts State Police and will remain in custody pending extradition to New Jersey. Chicopee, a city of 55,000, is just north of Springfield in the southwestern area of the state.

Murray was shot in the abdomen shortly after 11:30 p.m. Sunday and transported by a private auto to Jersey City Medical Center. He was pronounced dead just after 12 a.m. Monday.

I commend our dedicated law enforcement agencies including the Hudson County Prosecutors Office, the Hoboken Police Department, and the Massachusetts State Police for working around the clock to quickly apprehend the individual connected to Sundays fatal shooting, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla said. It is absolutely heartbreaking that Damon is no longer with us, but knowing that justice will be served is an important step forward for our community to mourn his loss.

Murray was working for the Hoboken school district, specifically with special needs children as a paraprofessional and was on his way to becoming a city firefighter, city officials said.

A 2020 graduate of Hoboken High School, Murray, whose nickname was Nunu, starred on the football field and the basketball court.

In his senior season, Murray had four touchdown receptions at receiver, but it was at cornerback where he made a name for himself, intercepting five passes. He and teammate Nyjon Freeman committed to Rutgers University in April 2020 as walk-ons.

Murray left the program after one semester. He did not appear in any games and has not been enrolled at the school for three years.

In an interview with CBS New York, Murrays mother said the shooting occurred after a dispute while gambling. A source with knowledge of the shooting said Murray was participating in a dice game.

A vigil is scheduled for Murray Monday night.
A supervisor for a company working on the Hudson Bergen Light Rail system has admitted to stealing $500,000 in no-show wages over a two-year period, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Joseph Ferrara, 56, of North Arlington, pleaded guilty Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Julien X. Neals in Newark federal court to one count of embezzling, stealing, and obtaining by fraud more than $487,000 of funds belonging to and under the care, custody and control of the HBLR, which is operated by New Jersey Transit.

Ferrara  who worked as an employee of a subcontractor specializing in electrical work  admitted that between January 2018 and April 2020 he submitted fraudulent claims for compensation related to HBLR he supervised.

The theft charge is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 5, 2024.

The Hudson Bergen Light Rail has two dozen stations throughout Hudson County from North Bergen to Bayonne and serves more than 50,000 passengers each weekday.

As a supervisor, Ferrara was compensated at a regular rate for normal workday hours, at an elevated overtime rate for work performed during non-regular weekday hours and Saturdays, and at a double time rate for work performed on Sundays.

During that 28-month period, Ferrara claimed he worked hundreds of regular, overtime and double time hours knowing that he had not actually performed that work for his employer or on HBLR projects.

Ferrara admitted he spent spent approximately 10 days vacationing in Florida in both late December 2018 and late December 2019 and submitted fraudulent claims representing that he had worked more than 200 hours at regular, overtime and double time rates during those periods.

In total, Ferrara admitted to receiving $487,899 in compensation for hours during which he performed no work. As part of his plea agreement, Ferrara agreed to forfeit this amount.
Jersey City mayoral candidate Mussab Ali took a shot at the New Jersey Democratic congressmen who sent a letter to Columbia Universitys board of trustees, calling them out for trying to quash pro-Palestinian protests.

The letter, authored by New Jersey Fifth District Rep. Josh Gottheimer and co-signed by Eighth District Rep. Rob Menendez Jr., calls for the board to act (or) resign, demanding the encampment at the New York college be disbanded. The encampment, occupied mostly by students, is one of dozens of pro-Palestine protests on college campuses across the country.

Ali, a former Jersey City school board president, says Menendez, whos running for re-election, is aligning himself against the young people in our country trying to bring awareness to the pain of those in Gaza.

Im sad how quickly these (congressmen) act against students occupying a college campus, but are silent on settlers occupying land in Palestine, Ali posted on X.

Ali, a Pakistani, has been a strong advocate in calls for a ceasefire resolution in Jersey City and a prominent voice in the citys Muslim community. He told The Jersey Journal that the encampment protests are not different than student campus demonstrators for the past 60 years.

A couple Hudson County insiders were split on whether Alis public stand on the issue would hurt his chances in the 2025 mayoral race. Ali said this fight goes beyond politics.

I dont think this a mayoral issue ... I think the reality is when we are voting for our elected officials we cannot determine how they will vote on every issue that comes up, Ali said. What you do know is their values on the things that they stand for and that is something you can judge based on the issues they speak up about and especially the issues they stay silent on.

One insider called this a minor issue compared to the many issues facing city voters, while the other said voters are not only older than the 18-to-30 crowd Ali is speaking to, but also more Jewish residents are voters as well.

Menendez is in a majority camp and Ali is going to reinforce with the people that are going to vote for him, an insider said. It isolates (Ali) from where the majority is going to be; and if he manages to get himself in a (mayoral) runoff, it will be a massive weakness.

The 27-year-old Ali participated in an encampment protest at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., over the weekend. As students begin to take over school buildings during these demonstrations, Ali draws the line at violence and there are always bad actors.

It is extremely peaceful, Ali said about the protest. More fundamentally in all of this is ... how we think about free speech  We need to have the ability for people to express different viewpoints.

The protests have centered on demanding the U.S. do more to end the war between Hamas and Israel forces, stop funding and supporting Israel, or at least negotiate a ceasefire.

The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas staged unprovoked attacks in southern Israel and took roughly 240 hostages. More than 34,500 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza. About 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial incursion by Hamas.

Menendez responded that his involvement with the letter is as simple as keeping all of our students safe. ... Thats something everyone should agree on and understand especially a former Board of Education president.

Muslim Jersey City Councilman Yousef Saleh says Menendezs position is ill-advised. He said Gottheimer is a rampant Islamophobe.

Gottheimer is a possible gubernatorial Democratic candidate who would face Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop in a primary if he decides to run.

Whether you agree or disagree (on the protest) is not the point, Saleh said Tuesday. Protests are not meant to make you feel warm and fuzzy. In a democracy, you are going to hear things you might not like.

Saleh and Ali, who both condemned Hamas attacks, said many Jewish students are taking part of these protests calling for peace. Ali said the congressmen should be speaking out against the illegal settlements in the West Bank, which have only increased in size as this conflict has continued.

Fellow mayoral candidate and Alis longtime mentor, Bill ODea, said people have the right to peacefully demonstrate. He said as long as the protests remain peaceful, " we should support that.

But former Gov. Jim McGreevey, who is also running for mayor, is taking a slightly harsher stance.

Our political discourse should not descend into breaking windows, illegally entering buildings, and vandalizing university property, McGreevey said.
A construction workers union that has protested unfair labor practices in Hudson County scored a major victory when 181 workers on a Jersey City job site were awarded more than $402,000 in a settlement between the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOL) and a Monmouth County company.

The settlement with Concrete Rising, of Eatontown, includes what the DOL describes as a landmark compliance agreement involving a timekeeping system on all projects and an independent integrity monitor for 12 months to ensure the contractor is meeting the requirements of the agreement.

A DOL investigation, initiated after complaints by the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), found numerous violations affecting 181 workers performing construction work at The Wave, a residential apartment complex being built at 30 Park Lane North.

Concrete Rising has agreed to pay $402,397 to the affected workers and $127,739.73 in fees and penalties. The contractor also accepted a three-year debarment from participating in public work.

I commend the (DOL) for holding Concrete Rising accountable for wage theft from immigrant workers in Jersey City, said Mike Hellstrom, LIUNA Vice President and Eastern Region Business Manager. Sadly, employers have gotten comfortable turning an illicit profit by exploiting disadvantaged workers.

Through the enforcement of our states labor laws, NJDOLs dedicated staff have sent a message to bad employers everywhere: that their exploitation will not be tolerated and that New Jersey will protect workers, regardless of their immigration status.

The DOL investigation included a site inspection where several Concrete Rising workers were interviewed and indicated they were paid in cash without statutory deductions, had a fee taken from their pay, and were not being paid appropriate overtime.

New Jerseys wage and hour laws have been judiciously crafted to protect workers from unscrupulous practices and businesses from unfair competition. As a department, our job is not only to bring justice to workers who have been wronged, but also to educate employers on the law to bring them into compliance, said DOL Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. I am pleased the agreement with Concrete Rising will ensure both present and future workers are provided with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Under the compliance agreement, Concrete Rising will add a stipulation to their subcontractor agreements to allow Concrete Rising or the integrity monitor to audit the subcontractors records to assist with compliance.

A stop-work order was issued to Concrete Rising in April 2023 to halt work at 30 Park Lane North. Violations included failure to pay overtime, illegal deductions, improper classification of construction workers, failing to properly classify employees and unpaid wages/late payment.

I want to thank the Department of Labor and LIUNA for helping me reclaim the wages stolen by my employers. My life has changed for the better., said Elmer Martinez Flores, a worker at the project site. I now work as a union member earning good wages. Every worker should know that whatever your immigration status is, you have rights, and the Department of Labor will help you.

Concrete Rising had hired subcontractor Signatura Laboris of Englewood, which was also issued a stop-work order. As such, Concrete Rising was jointly liable for the subcontractors violations.
For the first time in more than 10 years, Hudson County will have a front row seat to the Macys 4th of July fireworks show.

The company announced this week that the annual nighttime pyrotechnics spectacular will return to the Hudson River for the first time since 2013. For the past nine years the celebration of Americas independence has been held in the East River.

Marking the nations largest Independence Day celebration, the display will offer a showstopping and high-flying salute to the nation, said Will Coss, executive producer of Macys 4th of July Fireworks.

Each year the talented artisans and specialists at Macys Studios work alongside our partners at Pyro Spectaculars by Souza to find creative and innovative ways to paint the night sky and awe our live spectators and viewers from around the country on NBC. ... Our team has been hard at work developing new ways to surprise and delight our fans.

The waterfront from Weehawken to Jersey City should offer splendid views of the fireworks. This years display will feature thousands of shells and an array of effects from barges positioned along the Hudson River.

New Jersey is proud to celebrate Independence Day this year with a dazzling display of fireworks planned in collaboration with our neighbors across the Hudson, said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. For the first time in recent years, Macys 4th of July Fireworks will light up our sky above the Hudson River.

We are excited to work with (New York City) Mayor (Eric) Adams and Macys to view the countrys largest Independence Day celebration from our backyard as we commemorate 248 years of nationhood.

A tradition since 1976, the Macys 4th of July Fireworks is conceived, designed, and produced by Macys Studios with Pyro Spectaculars by Souza.

Additional show information, public viewing locations and live broadcast details will be announced in the coming weeks, officials said. For more information visit macys.com/fireworks.
No hospital in the state is worse for patient safety than Jersey Citys Christ Hospital, according to the latest safety ratings, another hit for the flailing CarePoint Health System that manages half of Hudson Countys hospitals.

Christ Hospital was the only hospital in New Jersey to receive a D grade in the biannual Leapfrog Hospital safety reports, which analyze key factors that affect patient safety such as practitioner hand washing requirements and the risk of patients falling.
A 73-year-old woman was killed and four people suffered severe injuries Wednesday in a chemical explosion and fire at a commercial business in Old Bridge that makes smoke generators, authorities said.

Officials called for a shelter in place at a nearby school due to the fire.

Two of those injured were flown by helicopter to hospitals for treatment, while two others were taken from the scene by ambulances, authorities said.

The fire broke out before 11:21 a.m. at Superior Signal Company on West Greystone Road and prompted a hazardous materials response involving multiple nearby towns, Old Bridge police said.

The woman killed, identified Wednesday afternoon as South River resident Eileen Marko, and the four injured were all employees of Superior Signal Company, which has three buildings on the property, authorities said.

A 51-year-old woman and 29-year-old man were flown to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. The woman had burns to her face and hands. The man had burns to his hands, police said.

Fire fighters and police at the scene of a fire in Old Bridge. The fire broke out before 11:45 a.m. at Superior Signal Company on West Greystone Rd. Wednesday, May, 1, 2024. Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media

The two people taken by ambulance were a 65-year-old woman with minor burns to her arms and a 62-year-old man suffering from smoke inhalation

The building where the explosion occurred is being decontaminated, officials said.

In addition, officials ordered students and staff at Jonas Salk Middle School to remain inside the school. The school is a few hundred feet from where the fire started. The school was dismissed early.

An overhead image from WABC-7 showed fire trucks and police vehicles around three buildings. Super Signal Company manufactures smoke generators.

Firefighters and police on the scene of a fire at a business in Old Bridge on May 1, 2024. The business is a short distance fro Jonas Salk Middle School where students and staff are sheltering place.Patti Sapone/NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The school day carried on with emergency personnel nearby.

The fire is not at Salk but the students and staff will be sheltering in place until the situation is handled, Old Bridge police said earlier. The school and children are not in danger but due to the close proximity of the school, they will shelter in place.

West Greystone Road remains closed through the area. Some homes in the area were evacuated for precautionary reasons.

Detectives from the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office are on the scene assisting the an Old Bridge fire marshal with the investigation, a prosecutors office spokeswoman said.

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A trucking company involved in a 2018 Paramus school bus crash in Morris County that left two people dead has settled a lawsuit for $650,000, bringing total settlement amounts in the case to more than $20 million, an attorney said Wednesday.

Bruce Nagel, who represented the families of one child who was killed and another who was severely injured, said Mendez Trucking agreed to settle the lawsuit in January after years of litigation.

The amounts of the settlements are certainly significant as was the loss of the child and the significant injuries to the other young man, Nagel said Wednesday. Im pleased to finally resolve this after five years.

Killed in the crash were teacher Jennifer M. Williamson, 51, and student Miranda Vargas, age 10. Another student, Asher Majeed, who was 10 at the time, was critically injured in the crash.

Nagel said Paramus Public Schools reached settlements last fall with the family of Vargas for $7 million and with the family of Majeed for $12.5 million.

An attorney for Mendez Trucking did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement.

Jennifer Williamson, left, and Miranda Vargas died in a May 2018 school bus crash on Route 80 in Mount Olive.

The horrific crash occurred May 17, 2018, as school bus driver Hudy Muldrow Sr. drove students from Eastbrook Middle School in Paramus to Waterloo Village in Stanhope as part of a fifth-grade field trip.

Muldrow, then 77, cut across three lanes on Route 80 in Mount Olive in an attempt to reach a cut-through to get to the other side of the highway after missing an exit. The school bus collided with a dump truck owned by Mendez Trucking.

According to civil court documents, Muldrows driving record included at least 16 violations, including eight speeding tickets and at least one improper lane change, five crashes and 14 license suspensions  including one that occurred the same year as the fatal crash.

Muldrow was sentenced to 10 years in state prison after he pleaded guilty to reckless vehicular homicide, assault by auto and child endangerment.

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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The pro-Palestinian demonstration that paralyzed Columbia University ended in dramatic fashion, with police carrying riot shields bursting into a building that protesters took over the previous night and making dozens of arrests.

On the other side of the country, clashes broke out early Wednesday between dueling groups at the University of California, Los Angeles.
By Ross K. Baker

As I walked by the statue of William the Silent on the quad at the Rutgers campus in 1969, I noticed a group of students holding placards protesting the war in Vietnam. A few weeks ago, as I was packing up my office to prepare for retirement, I found the stairwell in my office plastered with flyers calling for demonstrations to protest the war in Gaza. The symmetry was perfect: my 50-year academic career was neatly bracketed by student uprisings.

The slogans of 2024 were different from those of 1969. Over the years, they had mutated from hell no, I wont go! to From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free and they serve as the mood music for the sit-ins and calls for divestiture of university funds in unpopular companies and causes and for the resignation of university officials who, they feel, are unsympathetic to their demands. Hell hath no fury than a 19 year-old who feels that his demands are being ignored.

The origins and course of student demonstrations are not mysterious: their inspiration often comes from younger faculty memberstypically in the humanities and social sciencesrather from the undergraduates themselves. Demonstrations rarely involve large numbers undergraduates in engineering, the business schools, or among pre-meds or those studying to be pharmacists.

One notable feature of these demonstrations is that although they originate in among the undergraduates and graduate students, they quickly pick up support from the community outside the university. This is especially true of urban campuses such as Columbia, NYU, Penn, and the University of Southern California. Its a safe bet that many of the pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia and NYU are augmented by the substantial Arab American populations in the New York area.

College demonstrations also attract hangers-on: locals who lurk around the fringes if university campuses and find themselves swept up by the passion and excitement of the protest events. They can bring a volatile element to the protests that can head events in unpredictable directions.

These demonstrations are also contagious and spread from the urban campuses in the East and on the West Coast to schools located in smaller communities in the interior of the country. This is where the iron Law of Emulation comes into play: If the cause is being embraced by the elite schools, students at lesser provincial colleges dont want to feel excluded. Student protests that go national are unlikely to originate at the University of Nebraska or Grinnell College in Iowa.

Undergrads at elite schools are always susceptible to causes that will give them license to protest. Ashamed of their privilege, they seize on any cause, preferably the most radical, to break out the posters and chants. Columbia U. has always been a zoo. Remember Abbie Hoffman?  Ross K. Baker (@Rosbake1) April 22, 2024

Demonstrations are exhilarating, and infuse somnolent post-pandemic campuses with a sense of connection with the problems of the wider world. The doldrums of winter are left behind, the weather is perfect for outdoor activities that dont pose uncomfortable weather conditions for the participants.

The issues that give rise to demonstrations inevitably prompt counter-demonstrations and this increases likelihood of violence. There is nothing more infuriating to people who are confident of the rightness of their cause than to have it challenged by dissenters. Hecklers are unpopular and run the risk of being attacked by the inflamed majority. This has happened at more than one campus, and the targets are supporters of Israel or kids who just happen to be Jewish.

There is a natural life cycle to campus demonstrations that is governed by the academic calendar. So long as classes are in session and can be either boycotted or attended, the demonstrations have fuel. The end of classes and the graduation of a fourth of the student body diverts both attention and passion from the cause that gave rise to the demonstrations.

For the hard-core demonstrators who have an intellectual or emotional stake in the cause, the protests will endure for a time and, in some cases, will mature into a lifetime commitment to the issue that gave rise to them. For most, however, the time will have been well-spent and imbued with a lofty sense of having embraced a cause and given voice to it.

But as with all battles, there are casualties.

University presidents have lost their jobs or have had to confront hostile congressional committees. Counter-protestors have been assailed and marginalized, and there has been a small amount of property damage. But little has changed in the lives on whose behalf these demonstrations have been waged.

Most troubling to me has been the uncritical embrace by students of a terrorist organization whose depredations ignited the conflict in the Middle East.

As a teacher, I find it frustrating that students cannot sort the difference between the origins of the conflict and its outcomes.

Ross K. Baker is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University

And I will be the first to say: If the students really end up being proven wrong on this one, let's punish them the way we punished the people proven wrong on Iraq:



Magazine contracts, think tank posts, and media gigs.  The.Ink, from Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites) April 29, 2024

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The money is running out for one of the only successful tools we have to fight learning loss: High-impact tutoring. There isnt more in the governors latest budget, and the truth is, kids are not nearly caught up yet.

The test scores in districts like Newark are horrifying: More than 80 percent of third graders cant read on grade level. At Hawkins Street School, just one out of 64 third graders passed the state reading exam last Spring. And thats not the only school where just one or two kids are passing.
Black Lives Matter on Tuesday renewed its call for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the death of Jameek Lowery, the Paterson man who died in an ambulance in 2019 after police forcibly restrained him en route to the hospital.

The death was not an accident. It was a homicide, Black Lives Matter organizer Zellie Thomas told a small gathering at the Federal Plaza in Paterson. Jameek called for help. He did not call to be killed. Or injured.
Third-party monitors armed with a new definition of the word antisemitism could be appointed on college campuses across the nation under a pair of congressional bills introduced amid recent pro-Palestinian student protests at schools around the country.

One bill, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, may be voted on as early as Wednesday, congressional sources said. It would broaden the federal definitions of antisemitism to include claiming that the state of Israel is racist, comparing the treatment of Palestinians to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust, and calling on Israel to exhibit behavior not expected or demanded of any other Democratic nation.

The measure has received strong support from several members of New Jerseys congressional delegation.
Somerset County Vocational Technical High School is the highest ranked high school in Somerset County, according to an NJ Advance Media analysis of new school data released by the state Department of Education.

The high school, located in Bridgewater, serves students from throughout the county and ranks 34th statewide among high schools that offer grades 9 to 12.

NJ Advance Media assigned each New Jersey high school a ranking number between 1 and 357 based on the summative ratings calculated by the state Department of Education for the 2022-23 school year. (Use the look-up tool below to find your school.)
A suspect involved in a weekend shooting in Coburg was stopped along the Interstate 5, engaging officers and Linn County deputies in a shoot-out and was struck and killed.

Given the involvement of Linn County deputies, the Albany Police Department has been asked to investigate.

Around 3 p.m. Sunday, April 28, Oregon State Police troopers responded to assist the Coburg Police Department and Lane County Sheriffs Office with a shooting report, according to a news release from the state police.

Two 30-year-old suspects from Anacortes, Washington, were involved in the shooting, according to a news release from the Albany PD.

Few details of the shooting were released, but it left a man critically injured, the Albany police release states, and the suspects fled the area, allegedly stealing a black Honda Civic.

The suspects were identified as Cameron James Bielman and Yasmina Destinee Teal in the Albany release.

Around 6 p.m., authorities received a driving complaint about a "vehicle of interest" in the Coburg shooting, according to the state police release. Law enforcement agencies located the Honda, and a high-speed pursuit began northbound on I-5 north of Coburg.

Lane and Linn County deputies, along with Oregon State Police troopers, gave chase. Spike strips were reportedly deployed and slowed the vehicle, which crashed along the freeway shoulder near milepost 226 south of Tangent.

The suspects allegedly shot at officers, prompting return fire from two Linn County deputies and four Oregon State Police troopers, according to the Albany Police Department news release.

The driver, Bielman, was pronounced dead at the scene, Albany police reported, and the passenger, Teal, was taken to an area hospital with nonlife-threatening crash injuries and gunshot wounds

No law enforcement members were injured during the incident, according to the APD news release. Those officers who fired at the suspects were placed on paid administrative leave by their respective agencies. The names of the involved personnel have not yet been released.

The Oregon State Police Major Crimes Team is investigating the Coburg shooting.

Anyone who has information or was a witness to the incident on I-5, is asked to contact the APD investigation team at 541-917-7686.
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UN chief calls for Israel-Hamas accord, int'l probe of mass graves in Gaza

Xinhua) 09:47, May 01, 2024

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press outside the Security Council Chamber at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 30, 2024. Guterres on Tuesday called for a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, and for an international investigation of the newly found mass graves in Gaza. (Xinhua/Xie E)

UNITED NATIONS, April 30 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, and for an international investigation of the newly found mass graves in Gaza.

"I have called consistently for a humanitarian cease-fire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and a massive surge in humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, that has not happened -- yet. But negotiations are once again under way," said Guterres.

"For the sake of the people of Gaza, for the sake of the hostages and their families in Israel, and for the sake of the region and the wider world, I strongly encourage the government of Israel and the Hamas leadership to reach now an agreement," he told reporters.

Without such an agreement, the war, with all its consequences both in Gaza and across the region, will worsen exponentially, he warned.

He raised the alarm at a possible Israeli offensive on Rafah.

Recent weeks have seen airstrikes in the Rafah area. A military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee. It would have a devastating impact on Palestinians in Gaza, with serious repercussions on the occupied West Bank, and across the wider region, warned Guterres.

"All members of the Security Council, and many other governments, have clearly expressed their opposition to such an operation. I appeal for all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to prevent it," he said.

More than 1.2 million people are now seeking shelter in Rafah governorate, most of them fleeing the Israeli bombardment that has reportedly killed over 34,000 people. They have very little to eat, hardly any access to medical care, little shelter, and nowhere safe to go, he noted.

Guterres called for an international investigation of the newly found mass graves in Gaza.

"I am deeply alarmed by reports that mass graves have been discovered in several locations in Gaza, including Al Shifa Medical Complex and Nasser Medical Complex. In Nasser alone, over 390 bodies have reportedly been exhumed," he said.

There are competing narratives around several of these mass graves, including serious allegations that some of those buried had been unlawfully killed, he told reporters. "It is imperative that independent international investigators, with forensic expertise, are allowed immediate access to the sites of these mass graves, to establish the precise circumstances under which hundreds of Palestinians lost their lives and were buried, or reburied."

The families of the dead and missing have a right to know what happened. And the world has a right to accountability for any violations of international law that may have taken place, he said.

Hospitals, health workers, patients and all civilians must be protected. The human rights of all must be respected, said Guterres.

Guterres also called for more humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

"In northern Gaza, the most vulnerable -- from sick children to people with disabilities -- are already dying of hunger and disease. We must do everything possible to avert an entirely preventable, human-made famine," he said. "We have seen incremental progress recently. But much more is urgently needed, including the promised opening of two crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza, so that aid can be brought into Gaza from Ashdod port and Jordan."

Under international humanitarian law, civilians must be protected and they must be able to receive the essentials they need to survive, including food, shelter, and health care, he noted.

A major obstacle to distributing aid across Gaza is the lack of security for humanitarians and the people in need. Humanitarian convoys, facilities and personnel, and people in need, must not be targets, he said.

Guterres called on the Israeli authorities to allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and humanitarian workers throughout Gaza.

He called for support for the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, saying the agency has an irreplaceable and indispensable role in supporting millions of people in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

Most countries that had suspended contributions to UNRWA following Israel's allegations that a dozen UNRWA staff members participated in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, have resumed their aid. The United Nations is optimistic that other countries will follow suit. But a funding gap remains, he said. "I call on member states, both traditional and new donors, to pledge funds generously to ensure the continuity of the agency's operations."

Guterres reaffirmed the world body's commitment to a two-state solution -- the only sustainable path to peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians, and the wider region.

"The United Nations is totally committed to supporting a pathway to peace, based on an end to the (Israeli) occupation and the establishment of a fully independent, democratic, viable, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian state, with Gaza as an integral part," he said.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
Presight AI Holding (Presight), an Abu Dhabi-listed company, has announced that it has reached an agreement with AIQ, a disruptive advanced technology pioneer, for a major stake in the company.

AIQ is a joint-venture between global energy leader Adnoc and UAE's Artificial Intelligence frontrunner G42.

Under the new shareholding structure for AIQ, Presight will be holding a 51% stake in the company, while Adnoc will retain the rest. Previously, it had 60% stake in the tech venture, while G42 held 40%.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data Analytics leader Presight said as part of the deal, Adnoc will receive 4% in the company currently from G42, in exchange for 11% of its shareholding in AIQ, which, at current Presight market value, values AIQ at over $1.4 billion.

The transaction will combine AIQ's breakthrough AI energy solutions with Presight's cross-sector big data analytics, product development, and international markets access to position AIQ as a leading energy-focused AI organization.

By integrating AIQ and Presight's big data analytics and AI offerings, the companies will realize operational efficiencies and synergies while meeting a wider array of customer requirements, and deliver greater value for Adnoc, Presight, G42 and the UAE.

Under this new arrangement, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Adnoc Managing Director and Group CEO, will assume the role of AIQs Chairman, while Mansoor Al Mansoori, Member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Presight will be the Vice-Chairman.

Launched in 2020 in partnership with G42, AIQ quickly established itself as a leading provider of AI solutions in the energy sector, reinforcing Abu Dhabis position as a leading global hub for AI.

On its partnership with Presight, Dr Al Jaber said: "It will further AIQs capabilities, advance Adnocs ambition to pioneer technology and AI to build the energy system of tomorrow, with data integration from the control room to the board room."

"Through this collaboration, I am confident that AIQ will become the energy industrys leading AI company, delivering enhanced value to Abu Dhabi and the UAE," he stated.

AI is revolutionizing entire sectors and Adnoc aims to be the most AI-enabled company in the energy industry.

For decades, Adnoc has developed its digital infrastructure, enabling the company to rapidly expand its business, unlock untapped opportunities, and responsibly supply energy to meet customer needs.

In 2023, Adnoc announced that it generated $500 million in value by deploying AI solutions, from the integration of over 30 industry-leading AI tools across its full value chain, from field operations to smarter and quicker corporate decision making.

Together, these applications also abated up to 1 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions between 2022 and 2023, the equivalent of removing around 200,000 gasoline-powered cars from the road.

Al Mansoori said: "Since its record-setting debut on Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) in 2023, Presight has emerged as an international powerhouse, showcasing robust growth, sustainable profitability, and an ability to magnetize top-tier talent and global clientele."

"Todays transaction will unlock both Presight and AIQs immense growth potential, positioning the two organizations for unprecedented local and global success," he stated.

Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G42, said: "This transaction underscores once again G42s ability to grow organizations poised for technological leadership in their respective domains and create shareholder value."

"AI can play a pivotal role in accelerating the energy transition, and Presights acquisition of AIQ, with plans to serve Adnoc and the wider energy sector, further reinforces our commitment to the wellbeing of our planet and its inhabitants," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
George Stevens said he just wants the truth about what led to the death late last week of 10-year-old Dakota Levi Stevens, a boy in foster care in Porter County he said was his grandson.

The Calumet Township resident said he has heard several different rumors concerning the death, including stories of abuse. But as of yet, the Indiana Department of Child Services has not provided the family with any information, he said.

DCS did release a statement regarding the child's death.

"Our entire staff is heartbroken by this news," the statement said. "DCS works with stakeholders and partners across the state to investigate the death of a child any time there is suspected abuse or neglect and will take the appropriate action."

The Porter County Sheriff's Department issued a press release Tuesday night saying only that it was investigating the death of a 10-year-old child.

Officers were dispatched shortly after 2:30 p.m. Thursday to a residence in the 200 block of Falcon Way in Liberty Township for a medical emergency, police said. Upon arrival, emergency medical services transported the juvenile to a local hospital for treatment and he was reportedly flown on to South Bend.

Region police investigating death of infant brought in unconscious An autopsy is planned for Wednesday, according to Michigan City Police Capt. Kevin Urbanczyk.

"Unfortunately, the juvenile later passed away," police said.

The boy died Saturday at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, according to the St. Joseph County Coroner's Office.

The cause and manner of death are pending autopsy results, the office said.

Stevens said he did not hear about the boy's death until Sunday.

Stevens said Dakota and the boy's sister had been taken away from his late son and their mother four or five years ago by the department of child services due to concerns about the children's welfare. The boy lived with his aunt for a period of time before winding up in foster care.

Stevens said he lost track of his grandson and as the family prepares to lay him to rest, is having problems obtaining details on the boy's death.

"I don't know the truth about it yet," he said, "probably never will."

Stevens is not the only one concerned about the boy's experience in foster care and his death. A social media campaign is underway under the heading #JUSTICEFORDAKOTA.

This is a developing story. Come back to nwi.com for updates as they become available.
HAMMOND  Teachers in the School City of Hammond approved a new one-year contract agreement on Tuesday evening, according to a district spokesperson.

The contract, retroactive to last July 1, includes no base salary increases for teachers during the 2023-24 school year. Starting salaries for fully licensed educators will remain at $49,000, and $47,000 for teachers on emergency permits.

The agreement also includes changes to compensation for teachers when they supervise classes of an absent teacher, limiting the additional pay to $60 for a half-day or less, and $90 for a full-day, regardless of the number of students or classes placed in a teacher's classroom. The new language also includes clarification that teachers are no longer permitted to "stack" classes and be paid for each additional class they supervise.

Additionally, it includes changes to health insurance contributions from the district, which was a sticking point in negotiations. According to the contract, the district will contribute the lesser amount of either all but a dollar of the total premium or $9,120 annually toward the cost of a single health insurance plan, and the lesser amount of all but a dollar of the total premium or $27,280 annually toward the cost of a family health insurance plan.

District administrators have blamed, in part, skyrocketing health insurance costs for financial shortfalls that have led to the school city having to implement cost-cutting measures, including the closure of three elementary schools.

During last Tuesday's school board meeting, Hammond schools Superintendent Scott Miller announced tentative agreement had been reached by the school city and the teachers' union.

The agreement came following a five-month stalemate between the two sides.

After the district and teachers' union failed to come to an agreement on a new contract by the state's deadline last November, both sides entered into mediation talks. Teachers rejected a proposed contract in late December and also decided to cast a vote of no confidence in the school city's top three administrators.

Days later, the teachers' union filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the district with the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board, claiming Hammond schools was negotiating in bad faith by refusing to honor existing tentative agreements.

In mid-January, Hammond Teachers' Federation President Louis Gikas sent an email to the Hammond School Board requesting a meeting to discuss the status of contract negotiations. In response, the school city submitted a cross-complaint against the union, claiming Gikas was attempting to illegally bypass district administrators, Hammond schools' designated point of contact for negotiations.

Throughout the last few months, teachers have picketed at school board meetings and attempted to publicly pressure district administrators to reach an agreement with them.

The contract still needs approval from the Hammond School Board. A public hearing on the agreement is set for May 8, while the vote is scheduled for May 14.

GALLERY: The Times Photos of the Week
Princeton University has a long history of commissioning public art by the likes of Henry Moore, Louise Nevelson, Alexander Calder and Pablo Picasso, dating back to the 1960s. And when the Princeton University Art Museum opens to the public next year, at almost double the size of its original building, six new large-scale works by women and artists of color will have pride of place  visible beacons near the buildings perimeter, both indoors and out at this central crossroads on campus.

The artworks include four site-specific commissions by Diana Al-Hadid, Nick Cave, Jane Irish and Tuan Andrew Nguyen and two acquisitions by Jun Kaneko and Rose B. Simpson.

From every access point toward the museum, there will be works of public art so that people can almost use them as visual markers of arrival, James Steward, its director, said.
Paul Auster, the prolific novelist, memoirist and screenwriter who rose to fame in the 1980s with his postmodern reanimation of the noir novel and who endured to become one of the signature New York writers of his generation, died on Tuesday evening at his home in Brooklyn. He was 77.

His death, from complications of lung cancer, was confirmed by his wife, the writer Siri Hustvedt.

With his hooded eyes, soulful air and leading-man looks, Mr. Auster was often described as a literary superstar in news accounts. The Times Literary Supplement of Britain once called him one of Americas most spectacularly inventive writers.

Though a New Jersey native, he became indelibly linked with the rhythms of his adopted city, which was a character of sorts in much of his work  particularly Brooklyn, where he settled in 1980 amid the oak-lined streets of brownstones in the Park Slope neighborhood.

As his reputation grew, Mr. Auster came to be seen as a guardian of Brooklyns rich literary past, as well as an inspiration to a new generation of novelists who flocked to the borough in the 1990s and later.
I first became aware of Paul Auster, who died on April 30, from reading old issues of The Columbia Review when I was a student at the university. He translated French Surrealist poetry and wrote prose fiction, set in a sort of silent-movie cityscape that anticipated his novels and films.

He was already established by the time I read him. He was a romantic, bohemian figure, living hand-to-mouth in a French villa with his first wife, Lydia Davis, and trying to coax a living from literary translation.

I felt a little bit like I was tracking him then: We both came from New Jersey (like Allen Ginsberg and Philip Roth, he was a proud son of Newark); attended Columbia; were drawn to French literature. We inhabited the same Morningside Heights world of the early 1970s, with its cranks and cults, mimeographed screeds and tracts. Surely Paul, too, patronized Marlin Cafe and the Moon Palace.

But I didnt meet him until 20 years later, when I washed up in Park Slope  a disorienting experience after 20 years in Manhattan. Paul was living blocks away, and when I met him he made me feel as if the whole neighborhood welcomed me. He was generous, open and immediately took me into his confidence, conspiratorially.
Police officers arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at City College of New York in Harlem late Tuesday night, as clashes over the war in Gaza continued to escalate on campuses across the country.

Earlier in the evening, protesters tried to take over an administrative building at City College. Police officers chased the crowd, which had been running toward the Howard E. Wille Administration Building just after 7:30 p.m. Most of the demonstrators returned to their nearby encampment.

The police first made arrests at near West 139th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Harlem. Demonstrators could be heard screaming and cursing at the police, and an officer could be heard ordering the crowd to back away as protesters were arrested. Moments later the police warned everyone to leave the area. They then moved onto the campus and arrested people in the encampments.

The arrests came as officials at nearby Columbia University asked the New York Police Department to clear a building that had been occupied.
Columbia University asked the New York Police Department in a letter on Tuesday to clear a building occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters and encampments, and asked that the police remain on campus until at least May 17, after commencement.

President Nemak Shafik requested the N.Y.P.D.s assistance in a letter that was released after police entered Hamilton Hall and arrested protesters that had occupied the building on early Tuesday. Columbias commencement is currently scheduled for May 15.

By late evening, dozens of police officers had arrived, climbed through windows on campus and arrested protesters who had occupied a building since early Tuesday. Much of the campus had been cleared of people, although dozens of protesters still chanted outside of its gates.
A Buffalo-area judge who brawled with his neighbors and shoved a police officer will be censured but will remain on the bench, a state commission ruled on Tuesday, drawing one of the stranger sagas in New York State judicial history to a close.

The decision comes nearly four years after Erie County prosecutors declined to charge Mark J. Grisanti, a former state senator and acting State Supreme Court judge, in the June 2020 episode.

The gentle treatment of Justice Grisanti, who is white, created controversy amid a national reckoning over race and policing, raising questions about what the public can expect from those in positions of power.

Terrence Connors and Vincent Doyle, lawyers for Justice Grisanti, said in a statement that the commissions decision was the product of a thorough review that had examined every inch of the judges career.
In the meantime, Mr. Kennedy, 47, is expected to provide a reliably liberal vote. He campaigned on a familiar Democratic platform, promising to fight for federal infrastructure dollars for a region that has struggled economically, for federal abortion rights and against former President Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee to face President Biden this fall.

Mr. Dickson, a former F.B.I. agent and local town supervisor, ran a relatively moderate campaign for a Republican in the Trump era. He had endorsed the former president, but called the Jan. 6 Capitol riot a travesty. He supported Ukraines war against Russia and federal investment in transportation projects, spending priorities that more conservative Republicans forcefully oppose.

But it was not enough to win over a district that counts more than twice as many Democrats as Republicans. With 62 percent of the votes counted, Mr. Kennedy was beating Mr. Dickson by 34 percentage points, 67 to 33.

The seat was vacated in February by the retirement of Brian Higgins, a moderate Democrat who had represented the Buffalo area for 19 years.

Mr. Higgins, who left the job early to lead Sheas Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, was part of a wave of seasoned lawmakers from both parties heading toward the exits this year. Like many others, Mr. Higgins, 64, cited an increasingly toxic and unproductive environment on Capitol Hill.
Officials at the University of California, Los Angeles, declared a pro-Palestinian encampment illegal for the first time on Tuesday night and warned protesters that they faced consequences if they did not leave.

It was an abrupt turn at a campus that had been among the most tolerant in the nation, abiding by a University of California practice of avoiding law enforcement action unless absolutely necessary to protect the physical safety of our campus community.

After protesters established the encampment on Thursday in the shadow of Royce Hall, university officials did not intervene and said they wanted to support free speech rights while minimizing campus disruption.

But patience appeared to run out after violent confrontations in recent days between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israel supporters that required the campus police to intervene. Administrators also took issue with instances in which protesters used metal gates and human walls to control access to campus walkways and entrances, videos of which had circulated on social media.
There is a scene in Screams Before Silence, the harrowing documentary about the rape and mutilation of Israeli women on Oct. 7, that I cant get out of my head. Its an interview that the former Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, the documentarys presenter, conducted with Ayelet Levy Sachar, the mother of 19-year-old Naama Levy, whose kidnapping that morning was filmed by Hamas. The sight of her pajama bottoms, drenched in blood at the back, was one of the earliest indications that sexual brutality was part of Hamass playbook.

Theyre grabbing her by the hair, and shes all, like, messed up and like, and Im thinking of her hair, and like, in my mind Im stroking her hair, like Im always doing, Levy Sachar said of the video of her daughters kidnapping. We would like to think that this couldnt be possible. That nobody would harm a young girl. But then you just see it there.

To have a child seized, savaged and paraded this way goes beyond a parents worst nightmare. Here it is compounded by an additional horror: the combination of indifference and outright denial with which much of the world has treated these sexual atrocities.

Why? People are so polarized that they want every fact to fit into a narrative, and if their narrative is resistance, then sexual violence doesnt fit into that narrative, Sandberg told me when I met her in New York last Thursday, hours before the documentarys premiere at The Times Center. You can believe that Gaza is happening because Israel has no choice; you can believe that Gaza is happening because Israel wants to kill babies. You can hold either one of those thoughts. And you should also be able to hold the thought that sexual violence is unacceptable, no matter what.
A woman in the audience started grumbling around 30 minutes into a recent performance of Staff Meal at Playwrights Horizons in Manhattan. What is this play about? she hissed. A few uncomfortable seconds after she stood up and repeated her gripe for everyone to hear, it was clear that she was part of the show, which opened on Sunday.

The disgruntled audience member, played with relatable side-eye by Stephanie Berry, goes on to summarize the setup so far: Two strangers buried behind their laptops, Ben (Greg Keller) and Mina (Susannah Flood), strike up an awkward flirtation at an anodyne cafe. (Singles in the city? Ive kinda seen it before, Berrys heckler says.) They head to a restaurant where, just outside the kitchen, two veteran servers (Jess Barbagallo and Carmen M. Herlihy) are schooling a new waiter (Hampton Fluker) on his first day. (Is this a play about restaurants or the people who work there? the heckler asks.)

She goes on to bemoan the frivolity of emerging writers who keep doodling on the walls as the world burns. Take a stand! Inspire action! she pleads. Shes not alone in that sentiment.

Embedding self-conscious commentary about the worthiness of a new play, as the writer Abe Koogler does here, is an increasingly common trope. (Alexandra Tatarsky did it with unhinged gusto in Sad Boys in Harpy Land, presented at this theater in November.) Blame it on the world being in flames, and the playwrights who cant help but notice.
As pro-Palestinian protests continued to escalate across the country, officials and students at Brown University set a rare example on Tuesday: They made a deal.

Demonstrators agreed to dismantle their encampment at Brown, which had been removed by Tuesday evening, and university leaders said they would discuss, and later vote on, divesting funds from companies connected to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

The agreement came even as scenes of chaos continued to overtake U.S. universities, with protesters at Columbia in New York and Portland State in Oregon occupying buildings, and demonstrators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill replacing an American flag at the center of campus with a Palestinian one.

More than a thousand people have been arrested over the past two weeks after a crackdown on a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia in New York resulted in a cascade of student activism across the country.
As a corrections officer in North Carolina, Sam Poloche had long found being out in the field much more rewarding than working at a desk. So, in 2013, he eagerly joined a task force led by the U.S. Marshals Service, assisting in serving warrants across the western part of the state.

It was just something he loved, his wife, Cielo Poloche, said. He did his job, came home to us, and that was it.

On Monday afternoon, a deputy greeted Ms. Poloche at her home, bearing the news that her husband, a slightly reserved man who loved his two sons, had been shot while serving a warrant in Charlotte. By the time she arrived at the hospital, her husband had died.

Officer Poloche and three other members of the task force had been fatally shot while serving a warrant on a man who used a powerful AR-15-style rifle to fire waves of rounds at them from the second floor of a house.
A powerful tornado shredded homes and killed at least one person in a small Kansas town on Tuesday, as severe weather threatened millions of people across the region.

The tornado hit Westmoreland, a community of about 700, roughly 100 miles west of Kansas City, at about 4:40 p.m., Pottawatomie County officials said.The storm left at least one person dead, destroyed at least 22 homes and damaged another 13, according to Vivienne Leyva, a public information officer for nearby Riley County. Additionally, four commercial buildings were destroyed and another was damaged, Ms. Leyva said.

Westmoreland was the only community struck by the tornado, she added. The destruction came amid a night of severe weather across the Central United States. More than four million people were under a severe thunderstorm or tornado watch Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
A newly drawn congressional map in Louisiana was struck down on Tuesday by a panel of federal judges who found that the new boundaries, which form a second majority Black district in the state, amounted to an impermissible racial gerrymander that violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The 2-to-1 ruling now leaves uncertain which boundaries will be used in the November elections, which are just six months away and could play a critical role in determining the balance of power in the House of Representatives.

Critics warned that the decision could have broader implications on voting rights. Eric H. Holder Jr., the former U.S. attorney general and current chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said the ideological nature of the decision could not be more clear.

Louisianas attorney general, Liz Murrill, a Republican, indicated on Tuesday that the case could advance to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ive said all along the Supreme Court needs to clear this up, she wrote on social media.
For most of his life, the Rev. Dr. Norman Kansfield seemed to personify the Reformed Church in America.

To an extraordinary extent, he had grown up in the world of his churchs 17th-century Dutch founders. His hometown, South Holland, Ill., consisted largely of descendants of Dutch immigrants who still spoke the language and farmed onion seedlings. Social distinctions did not rest on who kept the Sabbath  pretty much everybody did that  so much as on who peeled their potatoes on Saturdays, in order to more fully avoid labor on Sundays. (His family would not so much as mow the lawn.)

Dr. Kansfield grew up to be a professor of theology, the denominations most esteemed rank, and president of the school that trains its ministers, the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Jersey, which is the oldest seminary in the United States. On special occasions, he gave sermons in Dutch.

So when his daughter, Ann Kansfield, was considering coming out of the closet to him, she was nervous. After she did, Dr. Kansfield went beyond responding with warm acceptance. Years later, in June 2004, he insisted that he officiate at her wedding, held in Massachusetts weeks after the state legalized same-sex marriage.
The number of times the National Security Agency identified Americans or U.S. entities last year in intelligence reports containing information from a high-profile warrantless surveillance program nearly tripled from 2022, the government disclosed on Tuesday.

The sharp increase in so-called unmaskings, to more than 31,300 times, arose from attempts by foreign hackers to infiltrate the computer systems of critical infrastructure  not individual people, officials said. In particular, a single intelligence report last year identified a large number of potential American entities a hacker sought to breach, the report said.

The report was the most recent set of surveillance-related statistics made public each spring by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, providing a measure of transparency into how intelligence agencies use their electronic spying powers.
A law firm that has long defended Donald J. Trumps campaign and businesses from employment lawsuits has abruptly asked to withdraw from a yearslong case over what it calls an irreparable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship.

The firm  LaRocca, Hornik, Greenberg, Rosen, Kittridge, Carlin and McPartland  has represented Mr. Trumps political operation in numerous suits dating to his first presidential run, helping secure several settlements and dismissals and billing nearly $3 million in the process.

But late on Friday, it asked a federal magistrate judge to allow it to withdraw from a suit filed by a former campaign communications adviser, A.J. Delgado, who says she was sidelined by the campaign in 2016 after revealing she was pregnant. The timing of the motion was notable, just two days after the same federal court had ordered the campaign to turn over in discovery all complaints of sexual harassment and gender or pregnancy discrimination from the 2016 and 2020 campaigns  materials that the defendants have long resisted handing over.

Image A.J. Delgado in 2016. Credit... via YouTube

In the request, filed in federal court in Manhattan, the lead lawyer, Jared Blumetti, did not provide any details about the dispute, asking permission to explain the matter privately with the judge. Mr. Blumetti did not respond to a request for comment.
Nobody would accuse the activist-artist Dread Scott of being a diplomat. He would rather dismantle power structures than sustain them. But the All African Peoples Consulate, he has created as a conceptual artwork along the Grand Canal during the 60th Venice Biennale has quickly become a solid gathering place for the Black community in a city that hasnt always been hospitable to people of color.

The exhibition is dedicated to an imaginary union of African countries that would protect the rights of its citizens to freely move around the world. It highlights a more difficult reality  one where 30 percent of Africans applying for visas in Europes Schengen Area are rejected, which researchers say is the highest refusal rate of any region.

Experiences with the fictional agency may differ. People from Africa, or with African ancestry, receive passports and citizenship registration. Others receive a short visa and invitation to be a visitor in the community that Scott is hoping to foster during the Biennale, the international art exhibition that runs through the fall and includes 90 national pavilions (this is one of the many collateral events happening in the city). Already, the artist has issued nearly 190 passports and 250 visas through his program.
Frieze New York is upon us, which means an explosion of art fairs over two weeks, most but not all of them in Manhattan. These fairs are where dozens of leading galleries and dealers from around the world exhibit their best, and sometimes, the best of art history. Here are our picks for a crawl around the city, based on what your art heart desires (or wallet and weekend time allow). And be sure to ask dealers for prices; often they are not conveniently posted.

For the collector who wants to get lost in art 

Frieze New York 2024 (Midtown West)

The pricey, sprawling fair is back at the Shed in Hudson Yards, this year with more than 60 galleries and a new curator for Focus, its showcase of nascent galleries and under-the-radar artists. An online viewing room opens the week before the fair, offering a first look and digital entry for remote visitors, and a performance-themed program will run throughout the show. Early bird tickets are already sold out. Preview tickets for Thursday and Friday start at $129; general admission weekend tickets are $76 ($37 for students). May 1-5 at the Shed, 545 West 30th Street, Manhattan; 212-463-7488; frieze.com.

American Art Fair (Upper East Side)

For more traditional fare, the fair centered on American art from the 18th century through the 21st century is back for its 17th year with 17 exhibitors. Explore hundreds of works, including landscapes, portraits, still lifes and sculptures, across three floors of the grand Bohemian National Hall. Admission is free. May 11-14 at the Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73rd Street, Manhattan; theamericanartfair.com.

1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair (Chelsea)

The fair dedicated to bringing contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora into the mainstream returns for its 10th year with its largest edition to date. This time around, 1-54 is relocating to Chelsea for a presentation of more than 30 galleries from Lagos and Lausanne to Miami and London. General admission is $38 ($25 for students and seniors). May 1-4, at the Starrett-Lehigh Building, 255 11th Avenue, Manhattan; 1-54.com.
Huawei Analyst Summit (HAS) 2024 may have been a closed event for media this year but Developing Telecoms was still in Shenzhen to soak in new developments from Huawei and scope out the vendors almost mythical Ox Horn Campus, a fairy-tale project from Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei.

European cities were the inspiration for the 12 zones that make up the campus, and materials from Europe were imported to faithfully construct spires, clock towers and amphitheatres.

Paris, Verona, Bruges, Granada and Windermere are a few of the locations that were chosen for this grand project. Around 25,000 staff are housed across 9 square kilometres, with the bulk from Huaweis R&D division. Huawei spent a reported CNY10 billion (US$1.5 billion) on the Ox Horn Campus, which opened in 2019.

The Chinese vendor often highlights in its annual results how much money it pours into R&D - although it evidently has enough left over for projects like this.

But of course, the bulk of its R&D spend is designated to its thousands of engineers who are working every day on new innovations to keep the vendor competitive in a global landscape that has seen it frozen out of western markets, preventing it from procuring vital hardware and software.

Investment is now no doubt going into the AI race - a technology that, while not new, experienced a surge in interest over the past year, and not only in the telecoms space.

Experts lauded AI and its potential to change every aspect of everyday life. Most alluringly - or concerningly - the majority of jobs will become automated.

To digest and anticipate what is coming for the telecoms space, GlobalData Senior Principal Analyst Andy Hicks, who attended HAS 2024, offered us some insight into the current status quo.

Hicks outlined operator challenges around implementing AI, the risks of falling behind, and governance of the landscape shifting technology.

Generative AI (gen AI) was MWC Barcelona 2024s buzz term of the show, and every player in the telecoms space is trying to effectively tap into it. Hicks dubbed gen AI as a fancy autocomplete pointing to how it can generate video, or avatars on smartphones to improve the appeal of such products.

The analyst stressed gen AI is not all of AI - its one part of a bigger system. He said Huawei is currently looking to combine gen AI with predictive AI which uses machine learning to identify patterns across past events to make predictions on future outcomes.

Hicks revealed Huawei is working to tokenise structured data, so that it can be run through transformer models - neural networks that learn context and meaning by tracking the relationship of data. Transformers are also used in search engine results, and they can detect anomalies and trends in data and make recommendations to keep a mobile network to maintain optimum levels of service.

What Huawei seems to be experimenting with is trying to make information all processable by a generative AI engine, explained Hicks.

By using an AI engine or interface, Hicks pointed out how data can be used by operators to streamline high volumes of traffic in a concentrated area.

Large numbers of people in a park would stress cells around the area and cause problems across the network due to overheating. Network operation centres work to ensure TikTok, YouTube or Facebook are running as well as possible. An experienced employee wont need generative AI to deal with this particular issue, and what companies are trying to achieve is a machine equivalent of this experienced engineer to resolve issues, explained Hicks.

A gen AI interface can explain in plain language that high traffic is overloading cells in the park, and accordingly recommend to shift traffic away from the park to even the load, noted Hicks.

This presents an ideal scenario for operators who are seeking to reduce costs as revenues decrease while maintaining good service. However, Hicks warned there is much to be safeguarded from the dark side of AI.

Defence against the dark AIs

World leaders recognise that AI will have a huge impact on the globe, but they also see that it can swing negatively as well as positively if safeguards arent put into place, prompting forums and meetings for universal agreements.

In the telecoms world, Hicks highlighted how at MWC operators were buzzing around the use case of chat bots that can offer subscribers curated deals and prevent churn. But as well as being a potential revenue generator, chat bots can also prove to be a weakness to be exploited by nefarious actors.

This is a dataset challenge that must be tackled, said Hicks. Operators are worried that people will use chat interfaces to poison their data, to procure free devices without forming a contract.

Another potential pitfall for operators is data leakage, which can occur when employees use a public large language model (LLM) such as ChatGPT for an issue, and consequently reveal vulnerabilities in a carriers operations.

It will know an operator is having problems in one of its markets with a certain issue. Obviously, operators don't want that. What is happening now is figuring out how to use all the advantages of these public LLMs without leaking data, said Hicks.

Protection against data leakage will become a common topic in the months ahead, predicted Hicks. One such technique that will be explored extensively is retrieval augmented generation (RAG).

RAG is essentially giving a whole bunch of data and a query, but demanding the LLM to use only that data to answer your question without using any of the LLM data. Users will still be able to get the natural language processing, and comprehension of the structure of the query. The number one use case for RAG is explaining bills to subscribers, said Hicks.

In this scenario the chat bot can scan subscriber data to explain why there was an increase in their monthly bill, thus cutting down the need for call centres. Telcos are increasingly trying to automate this process.

Arms race

Hicks recommended operators tap into AI but they must do it properly or risk causing irreparable damage to their operations.

Without proper protections, they can crash their networks, lose customer data, enable fraud on a level never seen before.

People will figure out how to fool the bad AI. As it is with every other kind of criminality, telecoms fraud is an arms race. There are people out there that are figuring out these new systems.

Data poisoning is a major vector and fraudsters are working just as hard as we are. If AI isnt done properly, all of the procedures and firewalls that have been built up will disappear, because machines will make wrong decisions based on bad information, said Hicks.

Despite the potential risks from AI, the technology might become absolutely necessary as network loads increase and they become far more complex to manage, due to different user types from the average person browsing social media, to the potentially millions of IoT devices that will come online in the near future.

Telecoms networks are rapidly becoming too complex for humans to manage. There are way more services, more levels of quality of service, and user types.

Think about IoT - there's all kinds of IoT devices that are users of the network, but they need different things at different times, plus there are currently hundreds of thousands of them.

The network has to deal with all these assets we're past the point where you can do that manually. It has to be automated, and in order to automate this dynamic traffic you need AI - theres no way around it, said Hicks.

Hicks paints an exciting yet also frightening future for AI in the telecoms space. It has only been a few months since the buzz of MWC but work is clearly underway to ensure the technology is used efficiently - but also in a responsible manner.

Going forward, it is clear AI will become essential for operators as global economies evolve and become more sophisticated. But the groundwork needs to be done now to prepare for this incredible wave.
The Los Angeles Philharmonics history of inventive programming and strong finances has made it the envy of orchestras around the United States.

But recently, the ensemble has been going through a period of abrupt change. Chad Smith, the ensembles former president and chief executive, left last year to run the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Gustavo Dudamel, its celebrated music and artistic director, will depart for the New York Philharmonic in 2026.

On Wednesday, though, the orchestra said it had found a leader who can help put it back on track. Kim Noltemy, a veteran administrator, will become the Los Angeles Philharmonics next president and chief executive, starting in July.

Noltemy, 55, who has led the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 2018, said that she hoped to build on the Philharmonics legacy of innovation.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.

Spare Change

On Tuesday, the judge in Donald Trumps hush money trial held the former president in contempt, fining him $9,000 for violating a gag order on nine separate occasions.

I know $9,000 might not seem like a lot to a successful businessman, but what about to Trump? Stephen Colbert joked.
In the 50 years since it came out, The Chocolate War has become one of the countrys most challenged books. But the tensest battle over the novel may have been fought in Panama City, Fla., in the mid-1980s. Thats when an attempt to ban The Chocolate War divided the town, leading to arson and death threats against middle-school teachers.

Early in 1986, English teachers at Mowat Middle School protested a schoolwide ban against a select number of novels, including Robert Cormiers The Chocolate War. The book, published in 1974, had been long been criticized by some parents for its modest locker-room talk and anti-authority worldview  and enjoyed by the young in part for the same reasons.

The Mowat teachers endured all sorts of harassment because of their stand. Pranksters called in the middle of the night, calling them lesbians and witches. Parents harangued them at community meetings. Even some of their colleagues turned against them.

That fall, a sloppily addressed letter was found at the Mowat offices. It featured the words YOU ALL SHALL DIE in letters cut out from magazines, and mentioned several teachers by name  including Alyne Farrell.
In April 2022, soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, two men arrived at the library of the University of Tartu, Estonias second-largest city. They told the librarians they were Ukrainians fleeing war and asked to consult 19th-century first editions of works by Alexander Pushkin, Russias national poet, and Nikolai Gogol. Speaking Russian, they said they were an uncle and nephew researching censorship in czarist Russia so the nephew could apply for a scholarship to the United States. Eager to help, the librarians obliged. The men spent 10 days studying the books.

Four months later, during a routine annual inventory, the library discovered that eight books the men had consulted had disappeared, replaced with facsimiles of such high quality that only expert eyes could detect them. It was terrible, Krista Aru, the director of the library, said. They had a very good story.

At first, it seemed like a one-off  bad luck at a provincial library. It wasnt. Police are now investigating what they believe is a vast, coordinated series of thefts of rare 19th-century Russian books  primarily first and early editions of Pushkin  from libraries across Europe.

Since 2022, more than 170 books valued at more than $2.6 million, according to Europol, have vanished from the National Library of Latvia in Riga, Vilnius University Library, the State Library of Berlin, the Bavarian State Library in Munich, the National Library of Finland in Helsinki, the National Library of France, university libraries in Paris, Lyon and Geneva, and from the Czech Republic. The University of Warsaw library was hardest hit, with 78 books gone.
Paul Auster, who died on April 30 at the age of 77, was an atmospheric author whose scalpel-sharp prose examined the fluidity of identity and the absurdity of the writers life. An occasional memoirist, essayist, translator, poet and screenwriter, Auster was best known for his metafiction  books that were characterized by their elusive narrators, chance encounters and labyrinthine narratives.

Consuming Austers genre-defying books is not unlike the experience of reading he describes in The Brooklyn Follies: When a person is lucky enough to live inside a story, to live inside an imaginary world, the pains of this world disappear, he wrote. For as long as the story goes on, reality no longer exists. Thankfully, Auster left us with many worlds and stories and realities to lose ourselves in.

These are the books that best represent his work.
Israel and Hamas have been talking for months about a deal to release the hostages held in Gaza and to halt the war there. Today, Ill explain why they havent agreed on a renewed cease-fire  and what will determine whether they do.

At times, Israel has been a reluctant negotiator. It has been hesitant to withdraw its troops, free more Palestinian prisoners or allow Gazans to return to their homes  or what remains of them  in the north.

But American officials said that in recent weeks Israel had made several major concessions. Now Hamas seems like the reluctant party. It has not embraced the Israeli compromises, frustrating American attempts to stop, at least temporarily, the war in Gaza.

A holdout

The negotiations have real consequences: For weeks, Israel has said it is preparing to invade Rafah, where around one million Palestinian civilians and thousands of Hamas fighters have taken refuge. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, pledged yesterday to strike Rafah with or without a hostage deal. Thousands more civilians could die.
Protests roiled U.S. universities

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators on college campuses across the U.S. clashed with police officers yesterday and drew crackdowns from administrators.

Hundreds of officers in riot gear last night arrested demonstrators who had occupied a building at Columbia Universitys campus in Manhattan. The university had said earlier that it would expel students who did so. Officers also pepper-sprayed protesters to keep them from taking over a building at the City College of New York; officials at Portland State University shut down the campus after students broke into a library; and protesters stormed a barricade at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Elsewhere, there were signs that disruptions were waning. Police officers put an end to an eight-day occupation of an administration building at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. At Brown University, demonstrators agreed to dismantle their encampment after administrators said they would vote on divesting funds from companies connected to Israels military campaign in Gaza.

Police officers made scores of new arrests. More than 1,000 protesters have been taken into custody since the arrests of at least 108 people at Columbia on April 18 kicked off a wave of student protests.
The sleek mansion in the hills overlooking Las Vegas could have been featured on MTVs Cribs. But the highlight of Aubrey Garzas weekend stay there wasnt the palatial rooms or the marble fireplace. It was meeting her Airbnb host: Christina Aguilera.

It just felt like a dream, Ms. Garza, 26, said. When she was growing up, her bedroom was decorated with posters of the pop star. Ms. Garza had nabbed one of the once-in-a-lifetime promotional stays that Airbnb has occasionally listed in recent years.

The popular, if rare, listings have included not only private hangouts with celebrities but also stays in a Barbie mansion modeled on the one from the hit movie and a replica of Shreks swamp dwelling in the Scottish Highlands.

On Wednesday, Airbnb announced that it was expanding stunt promotions like these under a new permanent category called Icons, featuring unusual and ambitious partnerships with brands and celebrities
Johnson & Johnson said on Wednesday that it would ask tens of thousands of people suing the company over claims that its talcum powder products caused their cancer to approve a new $6.5 billion settlement, its third attempt to resolve the lawsuits.

The proposal would settle nearly all current and future claims that its talcum powder products caused ovarian cancer, the company said. Like the previous two efforts  in 2021 and 2023  the new deal will try to use an element of the bankruptcy system to settle the claims.

Judges have rejected the two previous attempts, on the grounds that bankruptcy court isnt the right venue for them. Johnson & Johnson has said it plans to appeal its most recent bankruptcy rejection up to the Supreme Court, but the company on Wednesday didnt specify why it thought the new effort would survive similar legal challenges to previous ones.

Representatives for Johnson & Johnson declined to comment beyond its announcement.

The company has been trying to end a more than a decade-long legal saga over its liability over baby powder, one of its most recognizable products, which thousands claim caused their ovarian cancer and mesothelioma because it is contaminated with asbestos. The company has long denied those claims, but has in recent years stopped selling talc-based baby powder worldwide.
Former President Donald J. Trumps social media company is currently worth over $6 billion. But the agreement that set the stage for its stock market debut in March was nearly derailed years earlier by Mr. Trump, who is now the biggest beneficiary of its richly valued stock, one of the firms co-founders said on Wednesday.

Andy Litinsky, who helped start Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, testified in federal court that he had doubts about whether Mr. Trump would agree to take the firm public by merging it with a cash-rich shell company, even as the deal-signing ceremony was set to take place at the former presidents Mar-a-Lago residence in late 2021.

Mr. Litinsky, a former contestant on Mr. Trumps reality television show The Apprentice, said that before the ceremony, Mr. Trump had asked him whether he should go ahead with the merger of Trump Media and the shell company, Digital World Acquisition Corporation.

Mr. Litinsky was in court in Manhattan testifying as a witness in an insider trading trial that arose from an investigation of traders who made millions of dollars with well-timed purchases of Digital Worlds stock before the merger announcement on Oct. 20, 2021.
A Moscow couple who spend their days working to help other community members were bestowed a prestigious local honor.

Nils Peterson and Krista Kramer are this years Moscow Renaissance Fair king and queen. Visitors can catch them in their royal regalia during the annual event taking place Saturday and Sunday at East City Park.

Its Moscow at its best, Kramer said about the Ren Fair.

Kramer and Peterson have strong roots on the Palouse. Peterson grew up in Pullman and Kramer went to elementary school in Moscow.

They first met one summer at an Idaho Repertory Theater production in the Hartung Theater, in Moscow.

The couple moved to Oregon while Kramer completed graduate school at Western Oregon College. They moved back to Moscow in 1992 after a few years in Oregons Willamette Valley and a year in Scotland.

Peterson spent 26 years working for Washington State University, while Kramer worked for the Disability Action Center for 23 years.

They both continue to stay busy in fields aimed at making lives easier for community members.

Peterson is the executive director of the Moscow Affordable Housing Trust, which is a nonprofit that sells homes to low-income buyers at a below-market price.
A California company is recalling organic walnuts that were sold at natural food stores and coop retailers in 19 states because of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 12 people and hospitalized seven, federal officials said.

Gibson Farms, the company based in Hollister, Calif., is voluntarily recalling its shelled walnuts branded as Organic Light Halves and Pieces after discovering that the nuts could carry the E. coli strain O157: H7 that causes a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools, the Food and Drug Administration said in a notice on Tuesday.

The recall came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified the company of 12 recorded illnesses that were linked to the walnuts. They were distributed at more than 300 food retailers, including Whole Foods Market, New Seasons Market and Rosauers Supermarkets, the F.D.A. said.

An investigation is underway to determine the potential source of the contamination, the F.D.A. said. The company did not immediately respond to inquiries on Wednesday.
Additional testing of retail dairy products from across the country has turned up no signs of live bird flu virus, strengthening the consensus that pasteurization is protecting consumers from the threat, federal health and agriculture officials said at a news briefing on Wednesday.

But the scope of the bird flu outbreak in cattle remains unclear, as dairy herds are not routinely tested for the infection, scientists and other experts have noted.

Just one human infection, which was mild, has been reported, in a dairy worker in Texas who had direct contact with sick cows. But scientists fear there may be many more undetected infections, particularly among farm workers.

Barely two dozen people have been tested for bird flu, federal officials said at the briefing. There have been no unusual increases in flu cases around the country, even in areas with infected cows, they added.
In a tense Senate hearing on Wednesday, lawmakers sharply criticized UnitedHealth Groups handling of the cyberattack that paralyzed the U.S. health care system, citing the failure of its security systems and the potential disclosure of sensitive medical information of millions of Americans.

Democratic and Republican senators questioned whether the cyberattack of Change Healthcare, which manages a third of all U.S. patient records and some 15 billion transactions a year, was so vast because UnitedHealth is too deeply embedded in nearly every aspect of the nations medical care.

UnitedHealth Group, which reported $372 billion in revenues in 2023 and is one of the nations largest corporations, is not only the parent of Change but also the parent of the countrys largest health insurer and a big pharmacy benefit manager (OptumRx). United also oversees nearly one in 10 doctors in the country.

The Change hack is a dire warning about the consequences of too big to fail mega-corporations gobbling up larger and larger shares of the health care system, said Senator Ron Wyden, the Oregon Democrat who is the chairman of the Finance Committee.
Amro is no Hamas terrorist, however. He is a Palestinian activist  a man who for decades has urged his followers, whether in viral online videos or in speeches before leaders at the United Nations, to take the path of nonviolent resistance forged by Mohandas K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. That path, difficult in any environment, is a notably challenging one in the West Bank. Since Israel conquered the region in 1967, its military has forbidden nearly every form of protest, even things as small as gathering more than 10 people for a political conversation or simply waving the Palestinian flag.

The simplest acts of defiance can be seen as a threat: Amro once organized and videotaped an effort by a Palestinian man to pass through an Israeli checkpoint while balancing on his shoulder a large watermelon  a longtime symbol of Palestinian nationalism because its colors are those of the Palestinian flag. In the video, soldiers confiscate the watermelon and, as the camera zooms in, eye it warily as though it might explode. But Amros protests often offer a more direct challenge to Israeli authority. He has repeatedly filmed Israeli soldiers at close range and been beaten and grabbed by the throat when he refused to stop. When armed settlers eyed new sites in the city on which to raise the Israeli flag, Amro organized local Palestinians to occupy the land first, often in the dead of night. Using the same tactics, Amro helped start a kindergarten, tried to open a cinema in an abandoned factory and persuaded multiple Palestinians to move into homes after residents had fled. Amro himself lives in one such home, surrounded by some of the West Banks most violent settlers. Hes trying to do to settlers what the settlers are doing to Palestinians, Yehuda Shaul, a left-wing Israeli activist who has known Amro for nearly 20 years, told me. He is an extremely stubborn person.
The most decorated battleship in the history of the United States is done with war.

The engines of the vessel, the Battleship New Jersey, are no longer permitted to operate, by order of the U.S. Navy.

But on a windy afternoon in March, tugboats pushed and pulled the ship away from land for the first time in more than 20 years. It left its berth in Camden, N.J., en route to Philadelphia, where it was guided into dry dock to undergo two months of repairs that can only be completed out of water.

Muriel Smith was there to watch.

Youll get me crying, Ms. Smith, 87, said, describing the emotions she felt as a mammoth American flag was hoisted aloft during the shifting of colors before the Battleship New Jersey left the dock on March 21. Ms. Smith, a writer who lives in New Jersey, was on hand in 1999, too, when the ship made its way through the Panama Canal, headed toward its new career as a museum and memorial.
The first time Columbia University tried to shut down the pro-Palestinian encampment on its campus, two weeks ago, it called in the New York Police Department. That backfired. Students who were not arrested reestablished a larger encampment on the next lawn over and drew hundreds of protesters from across the city and beyond who rallied at the campuss gates.

The second time the university attempted to shut down the encampment, on Monday, it tried something different. It offered students who left by a deadline partial amnesty from punishment; if they refused, Columbia would suspend them. That tactic also failed to end the unrest. Instead, a subgroup of protesters took over a campus building, Hamilton Hall, in the middle of the night.

Finally, on Tuesday evening, the university brought in the police again, to rout protesters from the building and encampment. More than 100 people were arrested. As some demonstrators continued to rally outside the gates, and faculty members and students reeled over what had just happened, a question loomed: Would this be the end of weeks of escalating protests on Columbias campus?

Across the nation, different schools are facing the same question, with no easy answers. Some administrators have called in the police. Others have met with students at the negotiating table. In all cases, university officials are no doubt watching the school calendar, counting the days until the semester ends, but also until a flood of families comes to campus for graduation ceremonies.
Among the throng of Columbia University student protesters gathered outside Hamilton Hall on campus early Tuesday morning was a gray-haired woman in her 60s.

In a video captured by The New York Times, the protesters can be seen trying to push their way toward the building as the woman  decades older than the crowd  pleads with two young counterprotesters trying to block them from barricading the occupied building.

This is ridiculous, the woman says, as the men stand with their backs against the doors, apparently trying to keep protesters away from the building. Were trying to end a genocide in Gaza.

The woman at the center of this encounter on the night protesters stormed and then occupied the building was Lisa Fithian, a longtime activist and trainer for left-wing protesters whom the Police Department would later publicly describe as a confirmed professional agitator.
Gazans Stay Put in the North

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Columbia Said It Had No Choice but to Call the Police

Columbias president expressed regret about calling in the police to clear a previous protest. On Tuesday, she said she had no choice after protesters occupied a building on campus.

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Police officers in riot gear entered Hamilton Hall on Tuesday night. Credit... Bing Guan for The New York Times
Less than 18 hours after protesters at Columbia University took over Hamilton Hall, Mayor Eric Adams convened reporters at Police Headquarters to deliver a warning. The situation on campus, he said, would not be allowed to keep escalating.

This must end now, he said.

Less than three hours later, police officers entered the campus in riot gear, arresting 119 people on Tuesday night.

Nearly a mile away at the City College of New York, officers made even more arrests, and top police officials took down a Palestinian flag and hoisted an American flag in its place, a symbolic moment that the Police Department amplified on social media.

The police action came after a series of behind-the-scenes discussions where Mr. Adams and police officials tried to persuade university leaders that it was time for them to intervene. A top police official, Kaz Daughtry, said on Wednesday that the arrests came after we were finally given permission.
Follow our live coverage of the college protests across the U.S.

Police officers in riot gear arrested pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Fordham Universitys Manhattan campus on Wednesday evening, the third university in New York City to face mass arrests in the past 24 hours.

The officers, wearing helmets and carrying batons, entered the Leon Lowenstein Center, where earlier on Wednesday protesters had erected a modest encampment inside. The protesters who were arrested did not appear to resist, and they stood facing a large crowd of demonstrators while the officers put their hands into zip ties behind their backs.

The arrests came after nearly 300 protesters were arrested at Columbia University and City College of New York late Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams said.

Custodial workers later cleared out a tent encampment that students had set up in the lobby of the Lowenstein Center. The custodians dismantled tents, picked up posters, swept up black, green, and red streamers and collected students personal items in clear recycling plastic bags. More than two dozen New York police officers in riot gear looked on.
Organizers are planning both of these events as candidate forums, not debates. The events were described incorrectly in the original version of this story because of a staff error.

Idaho Republican candidates in legislative and county races are scheduled to appear at two forums planned this week in Lewiston and Moscow.

The Clearwater River Republican Women have scheduled their forum for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel at Lewiston.

That forum will feature Idaho House and Senate GOP candidates in contested races in Districts 6 and 7. Those races are: District 6 Senate between Robert Blair and incumbent Dan Foreman; District 6A House between Colton Bennett, Dave Dalby and incumbent Lori McCann; District 7A House between Jim Chmelik and Kyle N. Harris; and District 7B House between Larry Dunn and incumbent Charlie Shepherd.

The Republican incumbents in the races for District 7 Senate (Cindy Carlson) and District 6B House (Brandon Mitchell) have no primary challengers, so they wont take part in the forum.
An encampment of protesters at Tulane University in New Orleans was cleared and at least 14 people were arrested early on Wednesday, the university said, after officers from three law enforcement agencies ordered the group to disperse.

The campus police, the Louisiana State Police and the New Orleans Police forcibly removed the demonstrators. It was not immediately clear how many protesters were present, but two of the demonstrators who were arrested were students, the university said in a statement, adding that the encampment was an unlawful demonstration. Tulane is also investigating reports that faculty members participated in the protest.

The university said the encampment was formed on Monday, and campus police officers also made arrests that evening. Six people, including one student, were taken into custody that night under charges that included trespassing, battery on an officer and resisting arrest, according to the university, which also issued seven suspensions.

According to the student newspaper, The Tulane Hullabaloo, the campus police cordoned off the encampment on Tuesday, but did not try to disband it until early Wednesday.
Administrators at the University of California, Los Angeles, called in law enforcement officers on Wednesday after violent clashes broke out at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment, a university official said.

The Los Angeles police were responding immediately to a request for support from the university, according to the office of the Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass. The police had arrived at the campus by about 1:50 a.m., local time, Ms. Bass said on social media.

Late Tuesday, a group of about 200 counterprotesters began storming the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus and tried to pull apart its wooden pallets and metal barricades. The two sides threw objects, got into fistfights and sprayed chemicals in clashes that went on for several hours, according to a New York Times journalist who was there.

Police officers arrived to chants of Back the blue from counterprotesters and Free Palestine from the encampment. At around 3:30 a.m., officers wedged themselves between the groups, quieting the unrest.
It has become clear that one constituency  young voters, 18 to 29 years old  will play a key, if not pivotal, role in determining who will win the Biden-Trump rematch.

Four years ago, according to exit polls, voters in this age group kept Trump from winning re-election. They cast ballots decisively supporting Biden, 60 to 36, helping to give him a 4.46-point victory among all voters, 51.31 percent to 46.85 percent.

This year, Biden cannot count on winning Gen Z by such a large margin. There is substantial variance in poll data reported for the youth vote, but to take one example, the NBC News national survey from April found Trump leading 43 to 42.

Young voters loyalty to the Democratic Party has been frayed by two distinct factors: opposition to the intensity of the Israeli attack on Hamas in Gaza and frustration with an economy many see as stacked against them.
Selective college admissions have been a vortex of anxiety and stress for what seems like forever, inducing panic in more top high school seniors each year. But the 2023-24 admissions season was not just an incremental increase in the frantic posturing and high-pressure guesswork that make this annual ritual seem like academic Hunger Games. This year was different. A number of factors  some widely discussed, some little noticed  combined to push the process into a new realm in which the old rules didnt apply and even the gatekeepers seemed not to know what the new rules were.

It happened, as these things often do, first gradually and then all at once.

It started with a precipitous rise in the number of people clamoring to get in. The so-called Ivy-Plus schools  the eight members of the Ivy League plus M.I.T., Duke, Chicago and Stanford  collectively received about 175,000 applications in 2002. In 2022, the most recent year for which totals are available, they got more than 590,000, with only a few thousand more available spots.

The quality of the applicants has risen also. In 2002, the nation produced 134 perfect ACT scores; in 2023 there were 2,542. Over the same period, the United States  and beyond it, the world  welcomed a great many more families into the ranks of the wealthy, who are by far the most likely to attend an elite college. Something had to give.

The first cracks appeared around the rules that had long governed the process and kept it civilized, obligating colleges to operate on the same calendar and to give students time to consider all offers before committing. A legal challenge swept the rules away, freeing the most powerful schools to do pretty much whatever they wanted.
On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show, and in a lighthearted moment, explained  as she did during the last presidential election cycle  that in her blended family, her stepchildren affectionately call her Momala.

Barrymore responded that we all need a tremendous hug right now and told Harris, We need you to be Momala of the country.

I dont think Barrymore intended any harm, quite the opposite, and the vice president was magnanimous, taking the comment in stride and with good cheer. The studio audience applauded.

But even gentle and oblivious stereotyping can be harmful, and its important that we explore why this comment, which may seem innocuous to some, is offensive to others.
Michael Ohlrogge has a theory about the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the agency that makes sure ordinary depositors dont lose their money when their bank goes bust.

Ohlrogge, an associate professor at New York University Law School, argues that when banks fail, the F.D.I.C. is not resolving them in the manner that is least costly to its Deposit Insurance Fund.

If hes right, then the F.D.I.C. is going against the explicit instructions of Congress, so this is kind of a big deal. My impression is that F.D.I.C. staff members believe they are complying with Congresss instructions, so this is a case of two sides looking at the same facts and drawing very different conclusions.

The issue Ohlrogge raises is how the F.D.I.C. handles uninsured deposits. These are deposits that exceed the F.D.I.C. insurance limit of $250,000 per depositor, per bank, per account ownership category. It stands to reason that the cheapest way to resolve a bank failure in many cases  maybe most cases  would be to tell those uninsured depositors that their money is gone: Sorry. See ya, Wouldnt wanna be ya.
Student protesters: I admire your empathy for Gazans, your concern for the world, your moral ambition to make a difference.

But I worry about how peaceful protests have tipped into occupations of buildings, risks to commencements and what I see as undue tolerance of antisemitism, chaos, vandalism and extremism. Im afraid the more aggressive actions may be hurting the Gazans you are trying to help.

Im shaped in my thinking by the Vietnam War protests of the 1960s. Students who protested then were right on the merits: The war was unwinnable and conducted in ways that were reckless and immoral.

Yet those students didnt shorten that terrible war; instead, they probably prolonged it. Leftist activists in 1968 didnt achieve their goal of electing the peace candidate Gene McCarthy; rather, the turmoil and more violent protests helped elect Richard Nixon, who pledged to restore order  and then dragged the war out and expanded it to Cambodia.
To the Editor:

Re Will the Justices Hold Presidents to Account?, by Jesse Wegman (Opinion, April 29):

For someone like me who has been practicing law for more than 60 years, it is depressing to see the Supreme Court floundering around in the weeds of far-fetched hypotheticals, instead of following a basic rule of jurisprudence: Decide the case before you.

When litigants bring their dispute before a court for resolution, their expectation is that the court will reach a decision based on the facts in their case, not on some hypotheticals bearing scant relevance to their situation.

The indictment against Donald Trump includes detailed allegations about his actions in trying to remain in the presidency. Those are the only allegations that the court should be considering in a narrow opinion determining if Mr. Trump has immunity.

In more than 200 years with 44 presidents preceding Mr. Trump, he is the only one ever accused of criminal behavior. Does it even make sense for the court to be so fixated on the next rogue president?
House Republicans demanded on Wednesday that the president of a virus-hunting nonprofit group be criminally investigated and barred from federal research funds, a sharp escalation in their campaign against scientists in the United States who Republicans have suggested either had links to the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic or obscured its true beginnings.

During a heated three-hour hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Republican lawmakers at times raised their voices at the nonprofits leader, Peter Daszak, and said that they believed that he would fare poorly as a defendant in criminal court.

The nonprofit, EcoHealth Alliance, which receives federal funding to study global threats from wild animal viruses, has faced suspicion over a proposal that it made in 2018 to team up with Chinese scientists on novel coronavirus experiments that Republicans believe could have led to the pandemic, despite that projects never receiving funding.

But in a report and in extensive questioning on Wednesday, the Republicans offered no new information suggesting that EcoHealth Alliance or Dr. Daszak were involved in the coronavirus outbreak. And they did not produce any evidence pointing directly to a coronavirus leak from a lab in China, with or without EcoHealths involvement, a hitch in their yearslong effort to implicate Chinese and American scientists in the beginnings of the pandemic.
As Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida prepared to run for president last spring, he gathered anti-abortion activists in his Capitol office for an unusual bill signing, held late at night and behind closed doors.

Florida lawmakers had just approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a major policy shift that would sharply restrict access to the procedure for women in neighboring states as well as for Floridians. That law took effect on Wednesday.

For Mr. DeSantis, the move seemed like something that would play well among some Republican presidential primary voters in states like Iowa. But this was Florida, and public opinion polls suggested broad opposition to such a strict law.

So Mr. DeSantis, who typically crisscrosses the state to sign bills, enacted the six-week ban in April 2023 with little fanfare, part of a headlong push into cultural conservatism meant to bolster his national campaign.
The University of Idaho is seeking state approval to increase its student housing capacity by 150 beds.

The Idaho State Board of Education will meet Thursday in Boise to discuss UIs proposal to upgrade its on-campus housing.

According to meeting materials, the university is trying to meet its housing demand and discontinue leasing off-campus apartments. It is leasing the Fairbridge Inn in Moscow to house up to 200 students.

The university plans to improve the Wallace Complex, Theophilus Tower and Elmwood Apartments. It also wants to reconfigure and improve existing graduate student housing, married student housing, and add more undergraduate apartments.
Arizona lawmakers voted on Wednesday to repeal an abortion ban that first became law when Abraham Lincoln was president and a half-century before women won the right to vote.

A bill to repeal the law passed, 16-14, in the Republican-controlled State Senate with the support of every Democratic senator and two Republicans who broke with anti-abortion conservatives who dominate their party. It now goes to Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, who is expected to sign it on Thursday.

The vote was the culmination of a fevered effort to repeal the law that has made abortion a central focus of Arizonas politics.

We are standing in a moment of Arizona history, said State Senator Anna Hernandez, a Democrat who called the repeal measure up to a vote on Wednesday.
As students continue to protest Israels assault on Gaza, the flagpoles at universities have become the latest point of conflict.

Students have raised the Palestinian flag at central locations on several campuses across the country, in some cases replacing American flags. This happened on Tuesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In New York, Mayor Eric Adams expressed anger at the hoisting of the Palestinian banner at the City College of New York in place of the U.S. flag. Thats our flag, folks, Mr. Adams said at a news conference on Wednesday. Dont take over our buildings and put another flag up. That may be fine to other people but its not to me.

Mr. Adams mentioned that his uncle died in the Vietnam War, and then added: Its despicable that schools would allow another countrys flag to fly in our country. So blame me for being proud to be an American.
Follow our live coverage of the college protests at U.C.L.A. and other universities.

Protesters on college campuses have often cited the First Amendment as shelter for their tactics, whether they were simply waving signs or taking more dramatic steps, like setting up encampments, occupying buildings or chanting slogans that critics say are antisemitic.

But many legal scholars, along with university lawyers and administrators, believe at least some of those free-speech assertions muddle, misstate, test or even flout the amendment, which is meant to guard against state suppression.

Whose interpretation and principles prevail, whether in the courts or among the administrators in charge of meting out discipline, will do much to determine whether protesters face punishments for campus turmoil.

The First Amendment doesnt automatically apply at private schools.

Public universities, as arms of government, must yield to the First Amendment and how the courts interpret its decree that there shall be no law abridging the freedom of speech or the right of the people peaceably to assemble.
The United Methodist Church removed on Wednesday its longstanding ban on ordaining gay clergy, formalizing a shift in policy that had already begun in practice and that had prompted the departure of a quarter of its U.S. congregations in recent years.

The overturning of the 40-year-old ban on self-avowed practicing homosexuals passed overwhelmingly and without debate in a package of measures that had already received strong support at the committee level.

Delegates, meeting in Charlotte, N.C., also voted to bar local leaders from penalizing clergy or churches for holding, or declining to hold, same-sex weddings. The vote effectively allows same-sex marriage in the church for the first time, although the original penalty was already unevenly enforced. Some clergy may still decline to perform same-sex weddings.

Further votes affirming L.G.B.T.Q. inclusion in the church are expected before the meeting adjourns on Friday.
Recent revelations about a data analytics firms role in determining medical payments have heightened concerns about possible price fixing in health care and led to a call for a federal investigation.

In a letter this week, Senator Amy Klobuchar asked federal regulators to examine whether algorithms used by the firm, MultiPlan, have helped major health insurers conspire to cut payments to doctors and leave patients with large bills. She cited a New York Times investigation last month into MultiPlans dominance of the lucrative business of pricing out-of-network medical claims.

Algorithms should be used to make decisions more accurate, appropriate and efficient, not to allow competitors to collude to make health care more costly for patients, Ms. Klobuchar wrote to the heads of the Justice Departments antitrust division and the Federal Trade Commission.

When patients see a medical provider outside their plans network, insurers often send their claims to MultiPlan, which uses proprietary algorithms to recommend how much to pay. By driving down payments to providers, MultiPlan and the insurers can collect higher fees for themselves, The Times reported, but this can lead to higher bills for patients, who may get charged the unpaid balance.
The United States and China may be at odds these days over Russias war in Ukraine, cheap Chinese exports, tensions with Taiwan and matters of human rights.

But when it comes to giant pandas, diplomacy is back.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China confirmed this week that two giant pandas  Yun Chuan and Xin Bao  would be sent from the China Conservation and Research Center to the San Diego Zoo. The zoo has a longstanding partnership with China on panda conservation research, and a ministry spokesman said the upcoming exchange would focus on prevention and treatment of major diseases and habitat protection.

We believe as China-U.S. cooperation in this area deepens, it will enhance the capacity for cooperation and research on endangered wildlife and biodiversity conservation and contribute to the conservation of endangered wildlife and the friendship between Chinese and Americans, the spokesman, Lin Jian, said.

It is not clear when the new pandas will arrive, but the agreement should allay concerns that the recent tensions between the United States and China would threaten the beloved tradition of panda diplomacy.
In Florida, a ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy took effect.

In Arizona, state lawmakers repealed a stringent abortion ban that dates to the Civil War era.

And across the country, the presidential campaign trail on Wednesday was brimming with reminders of just how central Democrats hope the abortion rights debate will be to voters decisions this fall.

Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Democrats are betting that the tangible effects of abortion restrictions that many Americans are already experiencing  and the threats of more to come  will help their party power through an ominous and volatile political environment, as Republicans struggle to address an issue that has become a significant, sustained liability for them.

Donald Trump is to blame for the harm state abortion bans are doing to women every day in our country, Vice President Kamala Harris wrote on social media on Wednesday morning, ahead of delivering remarks n Jacksonville, Fla., about the states extreme new ban.
President Biden, who has personally stayed relatively quiet during college campus protests in recent days, plans to speak out against antisemitism next week at a ceremony hosted by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museums annual days of remembrance commemoration, the White House announced on Wednesday.

While his spokesmen have denounced violence and antisemitism on campus, Mr. Biden has made little effort to personally address the anti-Israel protests that have roiled colleges across the country, drawing criticism from Republicans and frustrating some Democrats who want him to show more public leadership.

Mr. Biden will travel to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to deliver the keynote address of the Holocaust museums yearly event and remember the Nazi effort to exterminate the Jewish people in Europe. The president will also discuss our moral duty to combat the rising scourge of antisemitism, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, told reporters.

Ms. Jean-Pierre noted that the Biden-Harris administration had developed a national strategy to counter antisemitism even before the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack killed 1,200 people in Israel and touched off a war in Gaza that has killed an estimated 34,000 people. The goal of the effort, she said, is to make real the promise of never, never again.
On the day that Florida began to enforce its six-week abortion ban, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a searing attack on former President Donald J. Trump in Jacksonville, calling the measure another Trump abortion ban and saying he was forcing women to live a horrific reality without access to essential medical care.

As much harm as he has already caused, a second Trump term would be even worse, Ms. Harris said to about 200 supporters at a convention center in a historically African American neighborhood.

If Mr. Trump were to win in November, she argued, Americans would be compelled to endure more bans, more suffering, less freedom.

President Biden has made abortion  a rare issue on which he polls strongly against Mr. Trump  a pillar of his re-election campaign. He and Ms. Harris have campaigned aggressively in states that have imposed abortion restrictions, including Florida, where the president spoke last week, and Arizona, where legislators voted on Wednesday to overturn a near-total ban dating to 1864.
When Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, first dangled the threat of ousting Speaker Mike Johnson, she received a call from a longtime ally and fellow hard-right Republican who urged her not to follow through.

I dont know how this helps us, six months before an election when were trying to win the White House, Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, told her, he said in a recent interview. Republicans were in a strong position to win back the Senate, Mr. Jordan said, and former President Donald J. Trump had a decent shot at winning the White House.

The only thing that makes me a little nervous is, could we somehow lose the House? he told Ms. Greene, adding: Lets dont make it a chance.

Mr. Jordan was far from the only person Ms. Greene respected telling her to stand down. Mr. Trump, who thinks the chaos in the House is harming his re-election chances, publicly vouched for Mr. Johnson as someone doing about as good as youre going to do and has gently pressed Ms. Greene in private to move on, according to people familiar with their conversations who described them on condition of anonymity.
Holy War, greatest of oxymorons, once again rages in the Middle East. Earlier versions, the Crusades, spanned more than two centuries. Theyre chronicled in a 25-hour audiobook, subtitled The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land. That war never really ended.

Listening to details of the barbarisms perpetrated by Crusaders on all sides is like listening to NPRs Morning Edition today. The barbarism continues. Last October, Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israelis and foreigners near the Israel-Gaza border. Israels retaliation was swift and unrelenting. Accurate statistics are elusive, but at this writing, estimates of Gazan dead range from 30,000 to more than 34,000, including 23,000 women and children, with some 77,000 wounded. Another 8,000 remain missing.

Current campus protests recall peace movements of the 1960s. As a Korean War veteran, I sang folk songs protesting the Vietnam War. One of the most enduring was Pete Seegers Where have all the flowers gone? It narrates how young girls picked them, every one. The girls then chose husbands, who became soldiers, gone then to graveyards, at last gone to flowers, every one. The songs refrain resonates today: When will they ever learn / Oh, when will they ever learn?

During the Cold War, schoolchildren learned to duck and cover, to hide under their desks in the event of a nuclear attack. Really. Todays schoolchildren learn to run-hide-fight to resist domestic terrorism. Similar defensive tactics were likely instilled into victims of the Crusades.

Christian crusaders were motivated by Gods self-appointed agents, who interpreted right and wrong for the masses. These clergy encouraged followers to save their souls by killing infidels in the name of Christ. Islams equivalent for killing Christian polytheists was jihad. Lost is the fact that the God of most religions is a benevolent essence unknowable to humankind. That unknowability requires faith and obedience. To what?

A Jewish friend reduces the Ten Commandments to two: Love God and follow the Golden Rule. Stripped of theology, this is the essence of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Most contemporary religions probably agree: Try to love that unknowable essence and lead a loving, ethical life, regardless of what those around us are doing.

But following the golden rule gets tricky. It requires self-honesty, equity and justice toward others. None of us is perfectly objective. Cultural biases shape our perspectives, beliefs and behavior. Unrecognized biases control us without our realizing it. Inherited beliefs can lead to confrontations with those we dont understand  or, mistakenly, think we do. Call it prejudice.
Senate Democrats reintroduced broad legislation on Wednesday to legalize cannabis on the federal level, a major policy shift with wide public support, but it is unlikely to be enacted this year ahead of Novembers elections and in a divided government.

The bill, which amounts to a Democratic wish list for federal cannabis policy, would end the federal prohibition on marijuana by removing it from a controlled substances list. The government currently classifies the drug as among the most dangerous and addictive substances.

The legislation would create a new framework regulating cannabis and taxing the burgeoning cannabis industry, expunge certain federal marijuana-related offenses from criminal records, expand research into marijuanas health impacts and devote federal money to helping communities and individuals affected by the war on drugs.

The measure, which was first introduced in 2022, was led by Senators Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader; Ron Wyden of Oregon, the chairman of the Finance Committee, and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Fifteen other Senate Democrats have signed on as co-sponsors.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers are still negotiating toward a plea agreement for the men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks despite the Biden administrations refusal to endorse certain proposed conditions, the lead prosecutor said in court on Wednesday at Guantanamo Bay.

This is all whirling around us, said Clayton G. Trivett Jr., the prosecutor, discussing key details of the negotiations in open court for the first time. He added that around the edges we have agreed to do things and that the positions that we took at the time are still available.

In mostly secret negotiations in 2022 and 2023, prosecutors offered to drop the death penalty from the case in exchange for detailed admissions by the accused architect, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and four other men who are charged as his accomplices in the hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people. Since then, one of the five men has been ruled not mentally competent to stand trial.

The occasion of the briefing was a legal filing by lawyers for Ammar al-Baluchi, one of the defendants and Mr. Mohammeds nephew, asking the judge to dismiss the case or at least the possibility of a death penalty because of real or apparent political interference by Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, and other members of Congress last summer.
Just over a decade ago, six-week abortion bans were seen as too radical even by many members of the anti-abortion movement, who worried they carried too much political and legal risk.

On Wednesday, Florida became the latest state to put one into effect.

The law, which was signed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, cuts off access to the procedure before many women even know they are pregnant, leaving millions of women in the South hundreds of miles from a clinic offering abortion.

The ban represents another victory for the true believers of the anti-abortion movement that seek sharp curbs on the procedure. But when such a ban was first introduced, mainstream abortion opponents who preferred gradually chipping away at abortion rights felt such restrictions could backfire and undermine their broader goals.

My colleague Elizabeth Dias covers religion and is the author, with Lisa Lerer, of a forthcoming book about the fall of Roe v. Wade. I asked her how the six-week ban moved from the fringe to the mainstream  and why those early warnings from anti-abortion allies might be coming true now. Our conversation was edited for length and clarity.
The Biden administration on Wednesday announced nearly 300 new sanctions on international suppliers of military equipment technology that the administration said have been helping Russia restock its arsenal as it carries out the war in Ukraine.

The sanctions represent a broadening of U.S. efforts to disrupt Russias military industrial complex supply chain. They include more than a dozen targets based in China, which the United States says has increasingly been helping Russia arm itself. The Biden administration has expressed growing alarm about the weapons technology alliance between China and Russia. Top U.S. officials have voiced those concerns to their Chinese counterparts in recent weeks.

Todays actions will further disrupt and degrade Russias war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it, Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement on Wednesday.

The sanctions follow Ms. Yellens trip last month to China, where she confronted Chinese officials over support for Russia. She warned them that Chinese companies and financial institutions that facilitate support for the Kremlins war effort would face penalties. The Treasury secretary said her counterparts told her that China had a policy of not providing Russia with military aid.
Talk to student protesters across the country, and their outrage is clear: They have been galvanized by the scale of death and destruction in Gaza, and will risk arrest to fight for the Palestinian cause.

For most of them, the war is taking place in a land theyve never set foot in, where those killed  34,000 so far, according to local health authorities  are known to them only through what they have read or seen online.

But for many, the issues are closer to home, and at the same time, much bigger and broader. In their eyes, the Gaza conflict is a struggle for justice, linked to issues that seem far afield. They say they are motivated by policing, mistreatment of Indigenous people, discrimination toward Black Americans and the impact of global warming.

In interviews with dozens of students across the country over the last week, they described, to a striking degree, the broad prism through which they see the Gaza conflict, which helps explain their urgency  and recalcitrance.
Follow our live updates on the campus protests.

It was an example of a tolerant campus, where a burgeoning pro-Palestinian encampment might be left alone even as student protesters were arrested across the nation. Free speech would be supported as long as things remained peaceful, officials said last week.

But by Wednesday morning, the peace at the University of California, Los Angeles, had been shattered. The university canceled classes for the day, pushed back midterms and scrambled to address an overnight eruption of bloody violence spurred by dozens of counterprotesters.

The melee, which continued for hours without intervention, was a display of fierce hostility as fistfights broke out, chemicals were sprayed into the air and people were kicked or beaten with poles. Many participants did not appear to be students.
A passenger who was yelling and became physically aggressive on a United Airlines flight from London to Newark in March, prompting the crew to divert the plane to Bangor, Maine, has been ordered to pay the airline $20,638 in restitution, federal prosecutors said.

The passenger, Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, 30, of Chelmsford, England, was also sentenced on April 25 to time already served, prosecutors said.

Mr. MacDonald had been in custody since March 1, when he was arrested after his flight landed at Bangor International Airport. He pleaded guilty on March 22 to one count of interfering with a flight crew, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

He apologized for his actions in court and looks forward to returning home to his family in England, Mr. MacDonalds lawyer, Matthew D. Morgan, said in an email on Tuesday.
The police killed an armed student after an active shooter had been reported near a middle school in Mount Horeb, Wis., on Wednesday, the authorities said.

No other students or police officers were injured during the threat, Josh Kaul, the Wisconsin attorney general, said at a news conference.

This could have been a far worse tragedy, Mr. Kaul said.

The authorities did not identify the person killed, but they said the student was a male, and a minor, who attended a Mount Horeb Area School District school. It was unclear what type of weapon the student had.

Officers with the Mount Horeb Police Department fired shots at the armed student, Mr. Kaul said. It was unclear whether the student fired back at the officers.
While maintaining that avian influenza poses a low risk to the general public, health officials again warned on Wednesday about the potential risk of unpasteurized milk.

We continue to strongly advise against the consumption of raw milk, Dr. Donald Prater, acting director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration, said at a news conference.

Raw milk, in the best of times, is one of the riskiest foods that we have, said Benjamin Chapman, a professor and food safety specialist at North Carolina State University. But with cases of avian influenza, or bird flu, detected in dairy cows, it could potentially be even riskier now, health experts warn.

Nearly all of the dairy milk sold in stores is pasteurized, and testing by the F.D.A. has so far shown that this process inactivates the avian influenza virus H5N1.
A well-known Chinese scientist who defied a Chinese government gag order by being the first to disclose the genome of the Covid virus to a global database four years ago held a rare protest this week in Shanghai after being locked out of his lab.

The scientist, Zhang Yongzhen, had run a laboratory in Shanghai since 2018, but found over the weekend that the facility had been sealed off with one of his colleagues locked inside, according to a Chinese news outlet. Dr. Zhangs key card had been canceled and the elevators had been turned off.

On Sunday evening, he began sleeping outdoors on flattened cardboard in front of locked blue doors at the sidewalk entrance to the lab, photos posted online by students showed. At least five security guards could be seen in one of the photos.

Another news outlet, the online website of a state media agency in Shandong Province, reported on Monday about Dr. Zhangs sit-in, and quoted him as saying then that, I am still waiting for the problem to be solved, but no one has come to solve it.
I recently heard from a longtime Republican friend who was troubled by how people just look for the word conservative when they decide to vote. They are not looking outside the box to find out who candidates are, who they associate with, and deeper information on how long they have lived in Idaho. There are so many small groups, like ConservativesOf:PAC, that are financing events for their conservative candidates.

My friend is absolutely correct. The conservative label is used by almost everyone running in the Republican Partys closed primary election. What does it mean and how do you tell if a candidate is really a conservative? There are probably a variety of tests that one could use, but I think the most accurate test would be which candidate most-closely follows the U.S. and Idaho constitutions. After all, as John Adams once said, we are a nation of laws, not of men. Our constitutions are the bedrock upon which all of our laws are based.

Candidates who support legislation that would deprive some Idahoans of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by both constitutions are not conservative. It is neither conservative nor humane to deny pregnant women emergency medical care when they experience life-threatening complications. Nor is it conservative to interfere with medically-approved care for transgender children. Criminalizing doctors for rendering the accepted standard of care is dangerous nonsense, not conservatism.

Constitutional conservatives would strongly oppose engrafting religious doctrine into state laws. Banning books from public libraries because some of the content does not conform with the spiritual beliefs of a few is contrary to our traditional separation of church and state. Requiring taxpayers to foot the bill for religious educational expenses is a clear violation of the Idaho Constitution and would offend real conservatives.

Candidates who support the limitation of voting rights of any of our citizens would infringe on one of the most sacred rights of this sovereign state. Those who continually try to make it harder to qualify an initiative or referendum for the ballot are by no means conservative. A true conservative supports expansion, not restriction, of citizen participation in our government. After all, ours is a government of, for and by the people.

Where do we go to find out which candidates take conservative positions? There are any number of groups who promote their recommended candidates as the most conservative. My friend referred to the ConservativeOf: groups that have recently sprung up in cities around the state. Checking out their media sites, you see that they feature extremists like State GOP Chairperson Dorothy Moon, which has got to be an eye-opener. Some are supported by California political refugees who have swarmed to Idaho to wake up us Idaho political dumb bunnies. They have a heavy religious representation, which warns of a mingling of religion into governmental policies.
A nearly 60-foot segment of an expressway in a rural area of southeastern China collapsed before dawn on Wednesday after days of heavy rain, killing 36 people and injuring 30 others.

Photos released after the incident appeared to show that a landslide had begun under two lanes of an expressway that ran along the side of a hill. A wide, brown scar of mud ran down the side of the hill between bright green foliage, leaving a large gap in the expressway.

Vehicles lay jumbled at the base of the hill below the hole, blackened and still smoking from a fire that had burned vigorously during the night, drawing a large number of fire trucks to the area.

The state news media said that many of the survivors were seriously injured, with drivers and passengers alike suffering severe bone fractures and injuries to internal organs.
Eun Sung injured her right thumb in a fall in March and needed surgery to fix a torn ligament. But scheduling one has been difficult even though she lives in one of the most developed nations in the world, South Korea.

It was so hard to get an appointment, and I was told the earliest available operation would be next January, said Ms. Sung, an office worker in Seoul, the capital. The one consolation, she said, was that she did not need surgery urgently.

For more than two months, South Koreas health care system has been in disarray because thousands of doctors walked off the job after the government proposed to drastically increase medical school admissions. While the disruptions have not yet reached crisis levels, thousands of operations and treatments have been delayed or canceled, nurses have had to take on more responsibilities, and military hospitals have been opened to civilians. Several major hospitals this week are planning to suspend outpatient clinics.

The protracted stalemate shows no signs of resolution. But one thing has changed: Public opinion has turned against the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol. A majority of respondents in a recent poll said that the government should negotiate with the doctors to reach an agreement quickly or withdraw its proposal.
Police called to deal with rising U.S. campus violence

Police officers across the U.S. entered campuses where pro-Palestinian protesters have erected encampments and seized academic buildings. Students at several universities remained entrenched, indicating no intention to back down.

The University of California, Los Angeles, was the site of one of the most violent clashes. A group of about 200 counterprotesters stormed the pro-Palestinian encampment in an attempt to tear it down. Both sides threw objects, got into fistfights and sprayed chemicals in confrontations that went on for several hours.

Nearly 300 protesters were arrested in New York, Mayor Eric Adams said. They included students at Columbia, where demonstrators had taken over a building. The schools president asked the police to stay on campus past graduation, which is planned for later this month.

More than 1,600 protesters have been taken into custody on U.S. campuses in nearly two weeks, according to a tally by the Times.
The last time Ben Houchen ran to be mayor of Tees Valley, a struggling, deindustrialized region in northeastern England, he stormed to victory with almost 73 percent of the vote.

Three years on, Mr. Houchen, a Conservative politician, faces a re-election contest in which even a narrow win would do.

As voters in England prepare to vote in Thursdays local and mayoral elections, the governing Conservatives, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, are trailing badly in the opinion polls to the opposition Labour Party ahead of a general election expected later this year.

So Mr. Houchen has campaigned on his own achievements, relying on his personal brand as the poster boy for leveling up  the Conservatives flagship policy of bringing prosperity to disadvantaged regions of England.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Wednesday, his latest stop on a Middle East tour as President Biden tries to stop Israel from invading Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where Palestinians have sought shelter during the war.

Mr. Blinken and other top Biden administration aides are also calling for Hamas to agree to a deal to free some hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attacks in exchange for a six-week cease-fire and the release of some Palestinian prisoners. U.S. officials say they hope a temporary cease-fire would lead to a permanent one.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he plans a major assault on Rafah with or without a deal.

The cease-fire talks have been stalled for months, and Israeli officials said Monday that they had agreed to lower their demands. They are now asking Hamas to free 33 civilians  women, older people and those who need urgent medical care  rather than 40. In November, Hamas freed more than 100 hostages during a seven-day cease-fire.

Mr. Blinken discussed the deal on the table in his nearly three-hour meeting with Mr. Netanyahu, according to a summary from the State Department. He also spoke about efforts to increase humanitarian aid in Gaza and the U.S. governments clear position on Rafah, the summary added.

Mr. Blinken, on the third stop of his trip, also met with President Isaac Herzog of Israel earlier on Wednesday morning at a hotel in Tel Aviv as supporters of the hostages had gathered outside.
Colombia will sever diplomatic ties with Israel over its prosecution of the war in Gaza, President Gustavo Petro announced in Bogota on Wednesday, describing the Israeli government as genocidal.

His announcement came in a speech in Colombias capital city in front of cheering crowds that had gathered for International Workers Day.

The times of genocide, of the extermination of an entire people cannot come before our eyes, before our passivity, Mr. Petro said. If Palestine dies, humanity dies.

Colombia is the second South American nation to break off relations with Israel after Bolivia, which cut ties in November over its strikes in Gaza. On the day that Bolivia made its announcement, Colombia and Chile both said that they were recalling their ambassadors to Israel, and Honduras followed suit within days. Belize also cut diplomatic ties with Israel that month.

The Israeli government denounced Mr. Petros move on Wednesday.

History will remember that Gustavo Petro chose to stand at the side of the most abominable monsters known to man, who burned babies, killed children, raped woman and abducted innocent civilians, Israels foreign minister, Israel Katz, wrote on X. Israel and Colombia always enjoyed warm ties. Even an antisemitic and hateful president will not change that.

Mr. Petro, Colombias first leftist leader and a critic of U.S. drug policy toward his country, had threatened to cut ties with Israel in March if it did not comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. And he called on other countries to do the same. In response to that threat, Mr. Katz wrote on X that Mr. Petros support for Hamas murderers who carried out massacres and committed sex crimes against Israelis was shameful.

Israel will continue to protect its citizens and will not yield to any pressure or threats, he added.

In February Mr. Petro suspended Colombias purchase of Israeli weapons in February after Israeli forces opened fire while a crowd was gathered near a convoy of trucks carrying desperately needed aid to Gaza City, part of a chaotic scene in which scores of people were killed and injured, according to Gazan health officials and the Israeli military.

Asking for food, more than 100 Palestinians were killed by Netanyahu, Mr. Petro wrote on X at the time, comparing the events to the Holocaust even if the world powers do not like to acknowledge it.

The world must block Netanyahu, he added.
Thousands of miles away from the campus protests that have divided Americans, some displaced Palestinians are expressing solidarity with the antiwar demonstrators and gratitude for their efforts.

Messages of support were written on some tents in the southern city of Rafah, where roughly a million displaced people have sought shelter from the Israeli bombardment and ground fighting that Gazan health officials say have killed more than 34,000 people.

Thank you, American universities, read one message captured on video by the Reuters news agency. Thank you, students in solidarity with Gaza your message has reached us, read another nearby.

Tensions have risen at campuses across the United States, with police in riot gear arresting dozens of people at Columbia University on Tuesday night and officers across the country clashing with pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had erected encampments and seized academic buildings at other institutions. The protesters have been calling for universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel, and some have vowed not to back down.

The protests have come at a particularly fearful time in Rafah, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel vowing to launch a ground invasion of the city to root out Hamas battalions there despite glimmers of hope for a temporary cease-fire.

Palestinians are very happy that there are still people standing with us, said Mohammed al-Baradei, a 24-year-old recent graduate from the dentistry program at Al-Azhar University who spoke by phone from Rafah.

The special thing is that this is happening in America and that people there are still aware and the awareness is growing every day for the Palestinian cause, he added.

Akram al-Satri, a 47-year-old freelance journalist sheltering in Rafah, said Gazans were watching with hope and gratitude the student movement in the United States.

For us this is a glimmer of hope on a national level, he added in a voice message on Wednesday.

Bisan Owda, a 25-year-old Palestinian who has been documenting the war on social media, said in a video posted to her more than 4.5 million Instagram followers that the campus protests had brought her a new sense of possibility.

Ive lived my whole life in Gaza Strip and Ive never felt hope like now, said Ms. Owda.

Nader Ibrahim contributed reporting and video production from London.
More important but less celebrated, Pierrepont then shifted his pitch to promise that the neighborhood character would be backed up by a legal guarantee. Only dwelling houses would be allowed  no rear-lot cooperages or blacksmith shops mixed in with residential uses. The homes had to be made of brick, with slate or metal roofs  no cheap, fire-prone, wood-frame, shingled-roof houses. They had to be actual (or aspiring) mansions  a minimum of 25 feet wide and two stories tall. All to be set back 8 feet to form a straight line of fronts the whole length on each side of the streets.
Floridas Abortion Ban Will Reach Well Beyond Florida

August 2021 Miles to nearest clinic offering abortions after 6 weeks 50 150 250 350 450 Source: Caitlin Myers, Middlebury College As of Wednesday, Florida has banned abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. It will have far-reaching effects. In 2021, abortion was legal in every state, and the average American woman lived less than 25 miles from a clinic. But after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, some states banned all or most abortions, including many in the South. Florida, North Carolina and Virginia were the only states in the South offering abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. For 6.4 million women, the nearest clinic was in Florida. Now, that option is gone. Women in several states will need to travel hundreds of miles farther to reach a clinic.

It is the biggest change to abortion access since the period immediately after the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

This is a seismic event for everyone in the ecosystem, said Jenny Black, the chief executive of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which operates in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. It is impossible to overstate the impact of this ban on abortion access in the whole Southeast, probably all up the Eastern Seaboard.

Florida, unlike much of the South, has long had many abortion clinics  more than 50, spread throughout the state. The average Florida woman lives less than 20 miles from one. Last year, clinics in Florida provided around 86,000 abortions, behind only California, New York and Illinois, according to estimates from the Guttmacher Institute.

Of those, more than 9,000 were for patients who came from other states, part of an influx after many Southern states banned or severely restricted abortion following the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization.

With few exceptions, women across the South who are beyond six weeks of pregnancy  before many women know theyre pregnant  will now have to travel much farther to a clinic for an abortion. Also, for around a decade, Florida has required two appointments 24 hours apart to get an abortion, making it harder to receive one before the six-week mark. In other states, six-week bans have decreased abortions by about half.

Were hopeful that not only will the numbers in Florida for abortions take a deep nosedive, but also it does have national implications, said Andrew Shirvell, the founder and executive director of Florida Voice for the Unborn, a group that lobbied the Legislature for the ban. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has said he does not want the state to remain an abortion tourism destination.

Despite bans in 14 states, and restrictions in several others, the number of legal abortions nationwide is about the same as before Roe was overturned. Floridas new ban could change that, researchers said  an illustration of how regional abortion access has become. Shutting down abortion access in one linchpin state, Florida, could reduce the number of abortions across the entire region, while in swaths of the rest of the country, abortion has remained accessible, and in some places has even become more so.

The maps above show how the distances to the nearest clinic have increased for women in the South who are more than six weeks pregnant, based on data from Caitlin Myers, a professor of economics at Middlebury College, who has been measuring the effects of abortion bans for years.

Women in Miami who are beyond six weeks will now need to travel more than 700 miles to reach the nearest clinics  in Charlotte, N.C., where state law requires two visits spread over three days. The current wait time there is a week or more to get an appointment, according to a recent survey of clinics led by Professor Myers. Otherwise, women would need to travel farther, to clinics in Virginia or Washington, D.C.

Driving distances would also increase by more than 100 miles for women in parts of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Percent of women in the South living less than 100 miles from a clinic offering abortions after 6 weeks In August 2021 93% In March 2024 38% With Florida ban 21% Percent of women in the South living more than 300 miles from a clinic offering abortions after 6 weeks In August 2021 <1% In March 2024 35% With Florida ban 57% Includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Measurements are for women of reproductive age. Source: Caitlin Myers, Middlebury College

This is going to be the biggest change to abortion access since Dobbs, and the impact is clear: More people are going to have to travel further distances if they have the financial resources to do so, and many people will be forced to remain pregnant, said Stephanie Loraine Pineiro, executive director of Florida Access Network, which helps women in Florida pay for abortions and travel to clinics.

Clinic operators in North Carolina and Virginia say they are trying to expand capacity, but are already struggling to meet demand. Several clinics in those states are already reporting waits of two weeks for appointments, according to Professor Myerss survey and interviews with clinic staffers.

Decades of research show that, as driving distances to abortion clinics increase, fewer women obtain abortions. The typical seeker of an abortion is poor, and often struggles to arrange transportation, time off from work, housing and child care to travel long distances.

Driving Distances Now Miles to nearest clinic offering abortions after 6 weeks 50 150 250 350 450 Source: Caitlin Myers, Middlebury College

Yet there is uncertainty about the precise long-term effects of the ban. The same day the Florida Supreme Court allowed the six-week limit to go into effect, it also allowed a constitutional amendment on abortion to appear on the November ballot. If the amendment earns the support of 60 percent of voters, it will reverse the ban and protect abortion rights until about 24 weeks.

And in recent months, more women have been ordering abortion pills through telemedicine. This includes women in states with bans, who order from clinicians in states with laws that shield them from out-of-state prosecution.

Such abortions could become more common in the South. But some women are unaware of the option or uncomfortable managing an abortion without a nearby medical provider. Others are too far along in their pregnancies for the option  abortion pills are recommended by the Food and Drug Administration only during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.

As a result, telemedicine is unlikely to replace all the abortions currently occurring in Florida. I dont think it means that everybody just perfectly substitutes it for traveling to a brick and mortar facility and seeing a provider in person, Professor Myers said.
An 18-year-old Chinese girl who became so obsessed with her boyfriend that she tracked his every move and called him 100 times per day was eventually diagnosed with a condition called love brain.

Chinese outlet Yueniu News recently reported the case of Xiaoyu, an 18-year-old girl from Sichuan province who became so obsessed with her boyfriend that she made both their lives a living nightmare. The girls unsettling behavior began in her first year of university when she became romantically involved with a boy whose name has not been revealed to protect his privacy. According to Du Na, a doctor at The Fourth Peoples Hospital of Chengdu, Xiaoyu quickly became unnaturally obsessed with her boyfriend, wanting to know his whereabouts at all times and freaking out when he didnt immediately reply to her texts. Sounds like your average control freak behavior, but according to the doctor, Xiaoyu suffered from a rare mental disorder called love brain.

Photo: Afif Ramdhasuma/Unsplash

He was expected to reply to her messages immediately, Dr. Du said, adding that one day Xiaoyu called her boyfriend more than 100 times. She became so angry when he didnt answer that she smashed everything in their apartment. When the boy came home and saw the scene, he called the police, who arrived just as she threatened to jump from the balcony.

Xiaoyu was eventually restrained and then taken to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder colloquially known as love brain. Doctor Du Na said that people affected by a mild form of love brain can usually recover and lead a normal life by simply learning to control their emotions, but in severe cases such as Xiaoyus, medical help is required.

Although Dr. Du could not accurately identify the cause of Xiaoyus condition, he said that love brain is typically diagnosed in people who have not had a healthy relationship with their parents growing up.

Photo: Anthony Tran/Unsplash

Xiaoyus story went viral on Chinese social media and sparked a heated debate on mental health and the stigma around it, as well as on the true cause of controlling behaviors in romantic relationships.

Love brain sounds horrible, one person commented on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

I wonder if I have a love brain? I feel like I act like her, someone else wrote.
Ohio-based flamethrower manufacturer Throwflame recently unveiled the Thermonator, a remote-controlled robot dog with a functional flamethrower mounted on its back.

Robot dogs have been getting more and more popular in recent years, with news reports from China suggesting that they are replacing real dogs because they require less attention and maintenance. However, one American company is using the robotic quadruped as a platform for its flamethrowers. The Thermonator is an advanced flamethrowing dog equipped with Throwflames ARC flamethrower which has a firing range of 30 feet and can be used for a variety of tasks, including wildfire management, agricultural burns, snow and ice removal, and special effects. And you can buy yours for just $9,420.

Photo: Throwflame

Originally unveiled a year ago in a viral YouTube video, the Thermonator is now available for preorder on the Throwflame official website. Marketed as your ultimate firepower companion, this controversial robot dog features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for remote control through a smartphone, as well as a Lidar sensor for environment mapping and obstacle avoidance, laser sighting, and an onboard camera for first-person-view navigation.

In a recent marketing video released by Throwflame, the Thermonator can be seen navigating snowy and leaf-covered landscapes and unleashing an arc of flame as a voiceover utters the phrase made famous by nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer  I am become death, destroyer of worlds.



In case youre wondering about the dangers of selling a flamethrower-equipped robot dog to virtually anyone who can afford it, youre not the only one, but the truth is that flamethrowers are not specifically regulated in 48 US states. They are not considered firearms, although product liability and criminal laws can still apply to their use. In Maryland, they do require a license to own and operate, and in California, the range of flamethrowers cannot exceed 10 feet. Throwflame has already announced that it will ship flamethrowers with smaller nozzles to comply with Californias regulations.

Theres no denying that the Thermonator does have that WOW factor, but is it really the kind of thing you want to be putting in anyones hands? Judging by the comments on Throwflames YouTube channel and on social media, opinions are mixed. Some are calling it a dream toy, while others see it as an accident waiting to happen.

Photo: Throwflame

Cool. Will the owners be held liable when this inevitably starts wildfires? Or sets their neighbors house on fire? one Twitter (X) user wondered.
Having led two successful agencies (Warner Communications and Notably), Carin Warner says that "the key to any success is grit, hard work and really trusting your gut."

Another essential is the flexibility to move with what's changing in the worldand in today's world, that definitely means having a handle on AI.

"it's not enough these days just to say, well, you know, there's AI in the name of the client," Warner tells Simon."AI is great when you say it, but in practice, particularly when you're dealing with the media, you really need to explain the benefits of it and why it's a product differentiator."

She also stresses that PR is much more than simply selling. "I think a lot of what PR does is being a thought leader and having a point of view in the marketplace that will drive others to understand and appreciate and want what you're offering. It really does start not with selling, but really talking about your approach and how it's different and meaningful to the market."

Warner sees also sees "a general lack of understanding of the role that PR plays in lead gen." She callse PR "the wind beneath the marketing and messaging wings," with the kind of detail found in a New York Times or Wall Street Journal story serving as a basis for lead gen. "You use those articles in social mediathat can be a call to action there. You can use the basis of those articles to develop a webinar series, for example, on the thematic that that article or articles talks about. So, there's so many great ways to use earned media."

But Warner cautions that earned media should be seen as a starting pointnot an end result. "You need a lot more than a one-hit wonder. Even if you have a fantastic story, that does not make a sales effort, that does not make a marketing program successful, that does not put a company on the map."

She also says that PR continues to be underrated. "I don't think people necessarily realize the kind of skill set that you need in order to be successful. There's a zillion PR firms out there. They're all competing against a small group of key media. You have to choose an agency that understands how the media works and doesn't just take your marketing speak and think it's going to play in Peoria."

Neverthess, Warner tells Simon that PR is "a great and cost-effective tactic compared to paid media" and "will absolutely, over time, have a benefit in terms of the valuation of the company. And so, when you think about the bottom line having great PR that's cost-effective can be so helpful in terms of the eventual multiple that you'll get down the line."

View all of the interviews in the PR's Top Pros Talk series. Subscribe to get notified when new episodes are available.

Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected]

D S Simon Media helps clients get their stories on television through satellite media tours and by producing and distributing content to the media. The company also produces live social media events.
Aidan Ryan

WE Communications hires Aidan Ryan as SVP, crisis and issues management. Ryan joins WE from Edelman, where he was SVP, head of U.S. litigation and legal affairs. He was previously crisis and litigation communications practice leader at legal firm Goldberg Segalia. Ryans expertise includes crisis management, litigation and legal communications, geopolitical issues, workforce issues and employee experience, and reputational recovery. At WE, he will be a leader on the firms corporate reputation and brand purpose team.

Brandon Newman

Coldwell Banker Real Estate brings on Brandon Newman as VP of marketing. Newman comes to Coldwell Banker from Aston Martin, where he served as head of marketing for the brands North American, Latin American and Canadian regions. He was previously digital experience and marketing director at Mercedes-Benz USA. In his new post, Newman will lead marketing efforts for the Coldwell Banker network, promoting its narrative through national advertising. I am excited to see Brandon lead the Coldwell Banker brand marketing team, where he will be crafting, planning for and delivering the brands narrative in a compelling way to real estate professionals and consumers alike, said David Marine, CMO of Anywhere Brands, Coldwell Bankers parent company.

Stacey Pool

FullSpeed Automotive, a franchisor and operator of automotive aftermarket repair facilities and home to brands Grease Monkey, SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service and Kwik Kar, names Stacey Pool as CMO, effective May 28. Pool joins the company from restaurant chain Noodles & Company, where she also served as chief marketing officer. Before that, she was SVP, corporate marketing at Vail Resorts. In her new position, Pool will oversee all brand and digital marketing efforts as well as lead customer experience strategies for FullSpeed's family of brands. "Stacey brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record in digital innovation and performance marketing," said FullSpeed Automotive CEO Rob Lynch.
The new LEADER (Rural Development) programme for Tipperary was officially launched at an event in a sunny Cabragh Wetlands last week.

A large crowd of over 100 people attended and MC for the evening, Michael Murray, NTDC CEO said the launch of the LEADER programme in Tipperary is key in developing rural communities and it is great that the new LEADER programme is now open for business.

The attendees were then welcomed by Eoin Wolahan, Chairperson Tipperary LCDC: That the partnership is so successful in that it brings together the experience, knowledge and skills of two great development companies and has married that to the oversight and breadth that the LCDC structure so that resources provided through the LEADER programme are applied in a coordinated, identified and well-informed manner to communities and business that need these the most.

Councillor Ger Darcy, Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council, welcomed the launch of the programme: An element of the LEADER Programme which I have always admired is how accessible it is.

In a world where we have all had to get used to online interactions, its great that this is a programme where you can still ring up and meet a Development Officer in a Local Town and they will talk you through the process of applying for this funding and support, the Cathaoirleach said.

Its so important that rural business and community groups can still have in-person interaction with people that understand where they are coming from, Cllr. Darcy said.

The keynote speaker was Mr Jack Kennedy, Editor of the Irish Farmers Journal.

He passionately outlined the importance of the LEADER component of CAP funding into rural Ireland and cited examples from over 20 years working in the working in Irelands premier rural newspaper of how LEADER funding has driven socio-economic development.

LEADER is a key influence for farm families in rural Ireland who are looking to diversify their income stream through broadening activities on the farm beyond agriculture, he said.

Jack was also involved in a panel discussion along with Sean O Meara (Stonepark Lodge Caravan and Camping Accommodation, Ballinderry); Mary Fogerty (Loughmore Community Shop and Tea Rooms); Michael Long (Cabragh Wetlands Trust) and Emer Leahy (Social Inclusion) on how LEADER has supported the innovative people of Tipperary for over 30 years.

This was followed by a short presentation on the new LEADER programme.

Isabel Cambie, STDC CEO, closing the event said: The launch the new LEADER programme will provide a real opportunity for community groups, businesses and individuals to shape rural development in Tipperary.

We encourage communities and enterprises to work with us and ensure that they and LEADER can continue to deliver projects and initiatives that are directly linked to their local needs and priorities.

Tipperary Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) in partnership with North Tipperary Development Company (NTDC) and South Tipperary Development Company (STDC) deliver the LEADER programme in Co. Tipperary.

LEADER is a rural development programme co-funded by the EU which operates a locally led, bottom-up, approach to meeting the needs of rural communities and businesses.

Groundwork done at local level for the new LEADER 2023-27 included an extensive countywide public consultation process.

The 2023-27 LEADER Funding allocation for Co. Tipperary is 5.85 million. Funding is available for both private and community-based projects with a focus on enterprise, job creation, rural infrastructure, social inclusion, rural environment, and climate action.

For More information see www.ntdc.ie and www.stdc.ie and their respective social media platforms for further details.
A planned rocket launch from a tiny village in Laois is set to take place this week.

A temporary restriction on the flying of aircrafts and drones will apply in the vicinity of Emo on Thursday May 2 and Friday May 3 to allow the Irish Aviation Authority to support the launch.

The event - described as "a planned small civilian rocket launch" - is being organised by the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO Ireland), which is an education project co-funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Science Foundation Ireland.

According to the Irish Aviation Authority, the lateral limits of the Temporary Restricted Area (TRA) are a circle radius of 1NM centred on 53 06' 33.6996 N, 007 11' 43.0728 W, while the vertical limits are SFC to 1500 feet AMSL.

The period of the restriction shall be from 9am UTC (Universal Time) to 6pm UTC on May 2 and May 3, or 10am IST (Irish Standard Time) to 7pm IST.

SAFETY NOTICE: TRA in place in the vicinity of Emo, County Laois due to by rocket launch by ESERO - Ireland.

Thursday 2nd to Friday May 3rd. More Info at https://t.co/Q8BepWdmVI pic.twitter.com/QDvtVojtZ2  IAA (@IAApress) April 29, 2024

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including rockets, are not permitted to operate within the TRA without written permission from the Flight Operations Department of the Irish Aviation Authority and ESERO Ireland.

UAS operating in breach of TRA restrictions may be subject to seizure by An Garda Siochana as evidence for potential prosecution and in the interest of aviation safety.

State aircrafts, aircraft of the Irish Coastguard Service and HEMS Operators employed on an operational mission are exempt from the restriction.
A MAN described by a judge as a career criminal stole from a Tullamore store to help fund his father-in-law's funeral, the local District Court was told.

Patrick Doyle (30), Tara Lawns, Belcamp Lane, Coolock, Dublin, pleaded guilty to the theft of 522 worth of batteries from Homesavers, Cloncollig on January 30 last.

Sergeant Richard Thornton told Judge Andrew Cody that at 12.50pm on that date two men were seen fleeing the scene on foot and it was captured on CCTV.

Sergeant Thornton said Doyle had 27 previous convictions, the majority of which were for theft but he had also been convicted before of road traffic offences, driving without insurance and criminal damage. He had been sentenced to prison.

The man's solicitor, Patrick Martin, who formally entered the guilty plea, said his client was a resident of Dublin and his father-in-law had passed away a few days before the crime.

Doyle came to Tullamore to visit relative and stole to help pay for the funeral. Furthermore, the accused's wife had suffered a miscarriage. The solicitor said the man's previous offending went back three years.

Since then he had been keeping his head down and in this case he made admissions to the gardai and the stolen property was recovered.

Judge Cody said: Mr Doyle is a career criminal at this stage.

He sentenced him to four months in prison and would not accede to Mr Martin's request for a suspension of the term.

Judge Cody did fix recognisances for an appeal at 400 and 400 in his own bond and also refused to reduce those amounts, saying they were appropriate in this case.
Two Roscrea men have established Roscrea's first Narcotics Anonymous support group and will hold their inaugural meeting this Friday night.

James Gleeson and Richard Loughnane are inviting anyone battling addiction in Roscrea and surrounding areas to join the group and benefit from the strength of the support from other people in the community.

James and Richard told the Tribune they identified a need for a support group which focuses on abuse of illegal and prescription drugs.

We are lucky to have Alcoholics Anonymous in Roscrea, which has given me and Richard the drive to help people with other addictions, James explained.

Roscrea badly needs a place for men and women to be able to go and be with like minded people, James said, where all discussions will be in confidence and where support and advice will be available for everyone.

The new group will meet every Friday night at 8:30pm in the Legion Hall located on the grounds of St. Cronan's RC Church on Abbey Street (adjacent to the Franciscan Friary).

Their inaugural meeting is planned for this Friday night (May 3) and both James and Richard are available to speak in confidence with anyone who would like more information ahead of their first meeting. James can be reached at (085) 2180041 and Richard on (089) 4621777.



The Narcotics Anonymous Message

An addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use and find a new way to live, is the ethos of Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

Anyone who wants to stop using drugs may become a member of Narcotics Anonymous. Membership is not limited to addicts using any particular drug. Those who feel they may have a problem with drugs, legal or illegal, including alcohol, are welcome in NA and recovery in NA focuses on the problem of addiction, not on any particular drug.

NAs approach makes no distinction between drugs including alcohol. Membership is free, and they have no affiliation with any organisations outside of NA, including government, religions, policing, or medical and psychiatric associations.

Narcotics Anonymous is an international, community based association of recovering drug addicts with nearly 67,000 meetings in 139 countries worldwide.

The first ever meeting in Ireland was held in the Rutland Centre in Dublin in 1979 and there have continually been NA meetings in Ireland across the country since.
After the high of the 80k to the winner last week in the Con And Annie Kirby Memorial stake it was a quieter week of racing this week. The highlights of this week's racing included the final of the Select Stakes in Waterford with a winners prize of 10k and the semifinals of the Open 600 in Shelbourne. Some decent Offaly winners in the mix across the week.

Early Week Racing

Monday, Enniscorthy, first round of the Open April Unraced Stakes won last year by Dairyhill Stella and Paul Hennessy. Eight heats with Johnnys Dilemma setting the bar highest in the final heat when stopping the timer in 29.06 (20 slow) by thirteen lengths at 2/1 for Cormac Doyle.







Friday Racing



Curraheen Park in Cork, final of the A4 Churchfield Stakes. The 1.6k pot went to Jackos Dog (Ballymac Bolger- Ballymac Tandi) for Kieran Lynch in 29.11 by one length at 1/1 fav.





First Offaly winner of the week was at Mullingar's matinee SIS meeting. Lahinch Blaze won for Clara owner P.J. Cleary in 30.04 (60 slow) by a head at 6/1.





Two more Offaly winners in Newbridge, in an S5 sprint Parkrun won for Rhode owner P.J. Cocoman in 17.83 by two lengths at 6/4 making it two wins from three starts. In a Novice 750, a well supported in the betting market Airazor won for Edenderry owners Rebecca Cronin and Kate Hackett in a fine 42.41 by one length at 5/4 fav with Paul Cronin training.





Three finals in Shelbourne, the most valuable being the RCETS Open Unraced stake. The 4K purse went to the 5/1 priced Southfield King (Dorotas Wildcat- Southfield Bea) for Keith Powell in 28.92 by five lengths.



In the This Runs Deep A1 550, Honey Sky (Droopys Sydney-Traceys Pet) was first home winning 2.2k in a smart 29.67 by three lengths at 6/4 with Michael Donnelly training.

In the conclusion of The Barking Buzz App ON2 unraced stake, the 1.75k first prize went to Aayamza Liberty (Ballymac Best-Aayamza Royale) in 29.21 by one length at 5/2 with Nalin Monerawela at the helm.





In Tralee, in the final of the KGOBA A5 Stake, Leahys Sysco (Droopys Sydney- Kingdom Flash) was on the winners podium for Michael Murphy winning a prize of 1.8k in 29.14 by two lengths at 3/1.







Saturday Racing



On a packed night of action the only Offaly winner was in Mullingar. In an A6 race Dubai Desert won for Edenderry owners Paul and David Hanlon in 30.26 (60 slow) by three lengths at 1/2 fav.

The best race in Galway was the final of the Ann Cheevers Memorial A4 stake with the 1.8k pot going to Brickhill Fayla (Good News-Twentylittletoes) in 29.22 (10 slow) by four lengths at 1/1 fav for Cyril Collins and Kate Comerford.

Curraheen Park held the quarterfinals of the A2 Cork Spring Derby, four highly contested races with Coosey Hall going fastest of the four for local trainer James Kelleher in 28.65 by a neck at 7/4.

The best race in Dundalk was the final of the A2 John McArdle Memorial stake. The 1.5k first prize went to Slaney Valley (Soul-Up The Shannon) for Slane trainer Martin Lanney in 28.85 by two lengths.

The two stand out races in Shelbourne were the semifinals of the Open 600 stake which strangely enough failed to attract a sponsor for the first time ever. The first heat went to the Cesarewitch winner in March in Mullingar Singalong Dolly for Pat Buckley in 32.02 by three lengths at 7/2. The second semi was won by Pennys Lynx for Eugene and Rosemary Price in 32.18 also by three lengths at 4/1.

The best race of the week was the final of the Time Greyhound Nutrition Select Stakes in a bumper night in Waterford where in conjunction with the final there were eleven other races with 1k to the winner. The winner of the 10k first prize in the final was Droopys Fidget (Out Of Range ASB-Droopys Natalia), for Rathangan trainer Robert Gleeson, who took up the running on the second bend and was never in danger winning by a length in 28.41 at 7/4 fav. A Lucky Julie was second for another Kildare man in Robertstowns Jerry Melia winning a cheque for 3.5k. The Select Stakes in Waterford this year once again proved to be one of the outstanding features on the Greyhound calendar.

Sunday Racing



One Faithful County winner at the matinee meeting in Mullingar, Horseleap Betty had her fourth career win for Sean McGuinness in an A4 race in 30.09 (50 slow) by a neck at 15/8 fav.





Upcoming Events





Saturday, first round of the Islandbridge Open Sprint and final of the Open 600 both in Shelbourne and semifinals of the A2 Cork Spring Derby.

Tribune Offaly dog of the week

Airazor gets the nod this week for winning over the extended trip in a novice 750 yard race in Newbridge on Friday in a smart 42.41 by one length for Edenderry trainer Paul Cronin. Good run.

Offaly Winners

Five Offaly winners this week. Well done to all involved.


A consortium between Actis, a leading global investor in sustainable infrastructure, and Fortescue, a global integrated green energy, metals and technology company, has been awarded the rights to develop, build, own and operate a large green hydrogen project in Oman.

At a signing ceremony in Muscat, Hydrogen Oman (Hydrom), an independent entity founded by the Omani government to orchestrate and deliver the nations green hydrogen strategy, announced the consortium was a winning bidder in the second round of a green hydrogen tender process.

This provides Actis and Fortescue with exclusive rights to a high quality site, allocated to the development of a future project.

The project, which is currently in feasibility stage, is expected to involve construction of up to c.4.5GW of wind and solar renewable energy resources that will power electrolyzers with the potential to produce up to 200,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.

Under the current plan, this is expected to be sold to local industrial offtakers as well as processed into derivatives (such as green ammonia) for export via the existing port of Salalah.

Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals and Chairman of Hydrom, said: Oman is strategically located between two key green hydrogen demand centers in Europe and Asia. This, in addition to, our tier-1 infrastructure and logistics capabilities have enabled us to leverage our first mover advantage in the global hydrogen industry. The availability of renewable natural resources in Oman coupled with the countrys favorable geopolitical positioning, investor-friendly policies and progressive energy transition strategies make it one of the most suitable countries for green hydrogen production. I would like to congratulate Actis and Fortescue on their awarding and look forward to working together to realise our collective vision.

Fortescue and Actis are both major players in the green energy space globally. Actis has an extensive track record developing renewable power projects, with c.21GW of renewable energy capacity (16GW operational, 5GW under construction or contracted) managed by the firm to date.

While, Fortescue is a global leader and innovator in the green hydrogen industry with a pipeline of projects globally, including three which have reached Final Investment Decisions.

Fortescue and Actis both believe a successful green hydrogen sector is a prerequisite for a successful transition away from fossil fuels and towards the decarbonisation of many hard-to-abate sectors.

This bid award represents an exciting milestone in Actis hydrogen journey. The project itself is a compelling investment opportunity to develop a major green hydrogen project, to be underwritten by strong demand for offtake, a stable and supportive regulatory environment and a prime strategic location  Oman has first rate solar and wind resources, and an ideal location from which to export green hydrogen derivatives to major demand centres in Europe and Asia.

The appeal and bankability of the project is underscored by the strong appetite and interest from high-quality lenders: the consortium has received significant support from prominent institutions keen to participate in the financing of the project.

Moataz Kandil, MENA President at Fortescue added: Actis and Fortescue are completely in sync with our ambitions to decarbonise and create a new green energy industry globally. We share a common vision for the pivotal role that green hydrogen and green ammonia will play in forging a sustainable future. Oman not only has great natural resources, but it is also in an ideal location for export and has set up the structures and regulations needed to help enable this industry to flourish. This strategic partnership between Hydrom, Actis and Fortescue will not only help to drive the development of a large-scale green hydrogen project in Oman, but will lead the way for others around the world to follow, cementing Oman as a powerhouse in green molecules. 

James Mittell, Director, Energy Infrastructure at Actis, commented: Green hydrogen represents an important sector in the Energy Transition - no green hydrogen, no net zero. We have been following the sector closely for a number of years; we have a well-defined strategy focused on finding opportunities with characteristics that fit the attributes of an Actis investment, including closely aligning with our sustainability agenda. With Governments across the world creating frameworks and standards for green hydrogen and derivatives, Oman is one of the most attractive opportunities for low-cost green ammonia due to its land availability, strong solar and wind resources, port infrastructure and regulatory support. Winning this bid with Fortescue is a testament to Actis leading position in the global renewables space, at the forefront of the energy transition. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Fortescue, the Omani government and local community on this project. --OGN/TradeArabia News Service
Localsearch has unveiled plans for a nationwide expansion aimed at fortifying support and fostering growth for small businesses (SMBs) across Australia.

The decision to expand comes on the heels of a notable 28% uptick in demand from interstate small businesses. These enterprises are turning to Localsearch for assistance in various areas, such as website development, enhancing search engine visibility, and navigating the ever-changing digital terrain to attract business leads and expand their customer base. Localsearch is on a rapid growth trajectory by focusing on expanding its current customer base interstate, while also prioritising customer retention. Over the past 12 months, it has recorded a retention rate of 99.05%, with longer-term data showing customers remain loyal for six years on average.

The direction to scale reflects the companys dedication to providing visibility and digital marketing solutions on a broader scale, in response to a growing SMB market. Localsearch, in conjunction with its expansion, is proud to unveil its latest innovation, Performance Boost, a cutting-edge tech-stack with AI capabilities. This solution integrates Google AI and Meta Advantage+, enabling businesses to leverage 10 key advertising channels, including YouTube, Google Maps, and Instagram.cPerformance Boost redefines digital marketing for small businesses, providing an affordable, all-encompassing suite of solutions to boost brand visibility and drive web traffic.

Priced competitively between $500 and $2,000, the platform intelligently allocates budgets across channels for optimal performance. Localsearchs extensive customer base of 28,000 can access the power of Performance Boost 2 on the same day as their initial consultation. Performance Boost was initially rolled out in a Beta model in December 2023, achieving 3.71 million impressions, 55,400 clicks driving 19,093 interactions for Localsearchs clients at an average cost of $1.14 per interaction.

Adam Boote, Director of Growth at Localsearch, highlighted the significance of Localsearchs expansion, stating, This announcement marks a pivotal moment for Localsearch, demonstrating our commitment to empowering small businesses across Australia. Through our innovative technology and AI integration, we enable seamless customer engagement via the Localsearch for business app. Despite broader economic challenges for many SMBs, were proud to expand our footprint and services to support businesses not just to survive, but thrive. Our dedication to adaptability and innovation reflects our support for small businesses on their journey to success.

Keri Alexander, Owner of A Better Way Funerals and Localsearch customer based in Sydney, commented: Localsearch has been a game-changer for my business. In just a few months, theyve lifted the burden of managing our online presence, allowing me to focus on what I do best  running my business. Despite competing with larger brands in Sydney, Localsearchs dedicated team has provided us with top-notch services, tailored to our needs and understanding what truly matters to our customers. Since our website went live, weve seen a remarkable 124% increase in inbound requests from new customers. Its truly been a transformative experience.

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The situation in Cuba right now  economically, socially, with regard to human rights  is an incredibly difficult situation, said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols in a recent interview.

Were seeing a number of factors there: unreliable electricity delivery, which results in hours of blackouts; lack of access to fuel for a significant percentage of the population. Or prices that are inaccessible. Significant problems with food insecurity in the country. And continued repression and the incarceration of people who have been peacefully protesting for their basic rights, he said.

A combination of these factors was tragically on display recently when a Cuban court handed down prison terms of up to 15 years for 13 protesters who were found guilty on charges of sedition and sabotage. They were among hundreds of people who took to the streets of the city of Nuevitas in August 2022, protesting severe power outages.

In July 2021, anti-government demonstrations broke out throughout Cuba. The response of the government was swift and harsh: hundreds were sentenced to long prison terms. Human rights organizations estimate that 1,000 political prisoners remain behind bars in Cuba.

Writing on the social media platform X, Assistant Secretary Nichols called the sentences for the Nuevitas protesters outrageous. He added, The Cuban governments continued repression of Cubans striving to fulfil their basic rights and needs is unconscionable.

The United States is exploring and finding ways to help the people of Cuba while limiting benefits to the Cuban regime, said Assistant Secretary Nichols:

Such as  the transmission of remittances from the United States to Cuba so that families can help each other. I think additional measures to facilitate private sector activity, such as it is in Cuba, is also a positive step that could be important for the future. A significant portion of economic activity in Cuba is already carried out by private entrepreneurs rather than state owned enterprises.

A more democratic Cuba would be able to address the challenges that its people face, declared Assistant Secretary Nichols. And, he said, [W]e encourage the Cuban government to respond to the demands of its people for a more democratic and inclusive society, through engagement, dialogue, and democratic reform.


Roman mass crucifixions

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Imagine a painting of a Bar Mitzvah service. The rabbi beams as he stands next to a 13-year who is reading a passage in the Torah scroll. He points to the passage as the young man reads aloud. In his other hand, the rabbi displays a crucifix. A crucifix is a cross with the image of Jesus on it. Wouldn't the appearance of that cross demand an explanation?

What would an art critic or historian say about this painting? Surprisingly, in our imagined scenario, the critics and the historians praise the lighting and perspective, the richness of the colors, and the rendering of extraordinary details, but they don't mention the cross. They don't ask the most obvious question: "What the hell is the rabbi doing displaying a cross?" Has the orthodox Rabbi embraced Jesus? Is it possibly an expression of reconciliation with Christianity? Or is it something else? The absence of an explanation, commentary, or even mention of the cross, the symbol of historical persecution and violence against Jews, would be shocking and likely to generate a tsunami of outrage.

A far-fetched scenario, you say. But a similar scenario has occurred in the past. Not once, but repeatedly for centuries. And remarkably it has survived unnoticed.

Jesus, a Jewish preacher, was called Rabbi by his followers. He lived and died a dedicated Jew, as confirmed by a consensus of Christian and Jewish scholars.. Yet in countless numbers of artworks, most prolifically in the Renaissance period, Jesus, his mother Mary, and his disciples--all dedicated practicing Jews--are pictured holding or wearing a cross, often in totally Christianized settings with Church officials and Christian Saints. Often the infant Jesus is pictured holding a cross defining him as a Christian at birth--a glaring falsification of biblical history



Infant Jesus Holding a Cross

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Make no mistake about it, in the time of Jesus the cross was a feared symbol of terror, torture, and mass killings. Crucifixion was a brutal and barbaric form of execution designed for maximum pain and suffering. It was feared by both Jews and non-Jews. Throughout the reign of the Roman Empire, crucifixion and its symbol, the cross, evoked terror. And Jesus was not the first or only Jew to be crucified. In one incident alone in 7 CE 2000 Jews were crucified after a minor revolt in Judea. Crucifixion was so horrific that Roman philosopher Cicero refused to mention it in his writings. He said: "The word 'cross' should never be mentioned in polite society. "Let the very word 'cross,' be far removed from not only the bodies of Roman citizens, but even from their thoughts, their eyes, and their ears."

It is no surprise that the cross would not become a devotional Christian symbol for another three hundred years after the crucifixion of Jesus. As I imagined outrage at the painting of the rabbi holding a crucifix, if Jews in the time of Jesus had seen artworks of Jews displaying a cross it would have similarly evoked a tsunami of outrage

These artworks of identity theft, which falsely converted devout Jews to non-existent Christianity, not only fabricated biblical history but also fed the illusion that Jesus and his followers became Christians. In fact, Christianity did not exist in Jesus' lifetime in concept or word. The four Gospels, which chronicle the three-year spiritual mission of Jesus, do not contain the word "Christian." However, the word "Jew" appears 82 times and the word "rabbi," in reference to Jesus, is expressed many times as well.

How is it possible that for centuries this shameful falsification certainly as puzzling and objectionable as the rabbi displaying a crucifix has had a free ride under the radar?

Art professionals have exhibited a monumental failure of scholarship about Judaism and Christianity in the time of Jesus by not recognizing or calling out the fabrication of these artworks. And that lapse of scholarship persists today. Go to any exhibit of Renaissance art and witness the commentaries about these images of Jesus, his mother Mary, and his Jewish apostles and followers displaying the cross, a symbol of terror and brutality with no recognition or commentary. More egregious, these art "experts" did not understand that they were participating in and promoting antisemitism. They did not realize that they contributed to the weaponization of the Christ Killers' charge by falsely establishing that the Jews didn't just kill Jesus, they killed the Christian Jesus--a charge that incited persecution and violence against Jews.

Over centuries, that charge has gained tenacious traction. Although in 1965 the Second Vatican Council disavowed collective Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus and Pope Benedict XVI in his 2011 book Jesus of Nazareth Part Two declared that the Jewish people were not responsible for the death of Jesus, the concept of Jews as Christ Killers persists in 21st-century America. According to the most recent poll, as many as 26 percent of Americans still believe that the Jews were responsible for the death of "Christ." The numbers may be even higher since people are reluctant to tell the truth on sensitive issues. Sadly, the persistent belief in the Christ Killers charge may be an underpinning factor in the current rise in antisemitism.

Isn't it time for the truth to be told? Setting the historical record straight would not diminish the appreciation of the artworks' magnificence or the talent of the artists. Instead, correcting these historical errors would reveal a great deal about antisemitism, which was deeply embedded in Christian Europe through a large span of history.

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Article originally published in Federal Times

By Robert Weiner and Ting Cui

Despite being the largest law enforcement entity in the U.S. government, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the lowest share of female officers, standing at a mere 9.8 percent of the agency. Federal agent Emiljana Kodra filed a lawsuit against DHS this year, accusing them of neglecting to shield her from sexual misconduct by her supervisor. After rejecting his advances, Kodra was relocated to an unfavorable post. DHS responded to her complaint by promising to hire more women.

According to a 2021 Merit Systems Protection Board survey, 17% of female federal civil servants reported sexual harassment. This figure soared to 26% among women in offices with a predominantly male workforce. The few women who dare to report assault face possible consequences from their superiors, inadequate responses, or disbelief.

Outside of U.S. agencies, statistics from the CDC indicate that one out of every three women and one out of every six men will experience sexual assault in their lifetime. Moreover, the absence of independent oversight mechanisms exposes victims to further harm and manipulation, perpetuating a culture of silence. A report from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that 90% of harassment victims chose not to pursue formal action.

While the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) at the Department of Defense represents a step forward in addressing the issue within government agencies, it appears to lack the independence and impartiality needed to thoroughly assess cases. SAPRO is insufficient.

Federal agencies must establish independent ombudsmen within each department to advocate for victims, providing vital support and guidance during reporting and investigations. These ombudsmen should possess the same autonomy and authority as special prosecutors or attorneys general to carry out their duties without fear of interference or prejudice. Furthermore, a centralized ombudsman office within the White House is essential for coordinating victim outreach and standardizing procedures for seeking justice across agencies.

Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Chuck Grassley's, R-Iowa, proposed Military Justice Improvement Act from 2021 offers a model for how independent oversight should be addressed across various sectors. The Act aims to shift decision-making authority for serious crimes like sexual assault from the chain of command to independent, trained military prosecutors. This change addresses the systemic fear experienced by survivors of sexual assault when contemplating whether to report crimes.

Certainly, it is hypocritical for the U.S. to enact new laws and legal measures addressing sexual misconduct in other contexts while evading accountability for wrongdoing in its own agencies.

President Joe Biden's potential support for such initiatives that address sexual violence comprehensively is shown by his endorsement of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). As he remarked in the reauthorization of VAWA, "The fact is that it really wasn't so long ago this country didn't want to talk about violence against women, let alone as being a national epidemic, something the government had to address." Indeed, it is time for the government to take decisive action and establish oversight in federal agencies.

Similar to how Congress first enacted the Anti-Mandatory Retirement Bill, ending forced retirement for federal employees before extending it nationwide, establishing an ombudsperson in each federal agency could pave the way for similar initiatives in the private sector.

There is a pressing need for sweeping actions to safeguard federal employees from sexual misconduct, preserving the integrity of our government institutions.

Robert Weiner is president of Robert Weiner Associates, a public affaires and issues strategy firm. He was a spokesman for the Clinton and George W. Bush White Houses, Chief of Staff of the House Aging Committee and Health Subcommittee, spokesman for the House Government Operations Committee, and senior aide to Four-Star Gen./Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey. Ting Cui is Senior Policy Analyst at Robert Weiner Associates and Solutions for Change.
Maysa Akbar, PhD, is a respected scientist-practitioner, best-selling author, and serves as the chief diversity officer at the American Psychological Association. Her expertise in racial trauma combined with her sustained commitment to dismantle systemic racism within various sectors such healthcare, education, and the criminal justice system, demonstrate her relentless pursuit of racial justice and accessible and equitable mental health care.

In April 2021, Dr. Akbar and APA's Chief Executive Officer advised the Biden-Harris Administration's Health Equity Task Force on the criticality of integrating psychological science into their equity strategies to inform the COVID-19 response and recovery among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. As part of the recommendations put forth, Dr. Akbar addressed acts of ongoing discrimination in the U.S healthcare system and its role in exacerbating disparities in maternal health during COVID-19, particularly for Black and Indigenous women.

Dr. Akbar's research and written publications illuminate racial trauma approaches as a mechanism by which clinicians and other health professionals can humanize the experiences of people of color. Dr. Akbar advances racial justice work through the creation of her Ally Identity Model, which details the stages of allyship in dismantling systemic oppression.

Dr. Akbar is a board-certified clinical psychologist and held a faculty appointment from 2004 - 2021 at the Yale School of Medicine, Child Study Center as an assistant clinical professor. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Saint Louis University, a MS in community psychology from Florida A&M University, and a BA in psychology and woman's studies from State University of New York at Albany. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and Jack and Jill of America. She is the CEO and founder of Integrated Wellness Group, psychotherapy practice specializing in treating race-based trauma since 2008.
Fears of another massacre in the Sudanese region of Darfur, where genocidal violence killed as many as 300,000 people two decades ago, are rising again with a looming assault on the city of El Fasher.

In a recent press conference, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said the UN Security Council met to discuss the crisis in El Fasher, which is on the precipice of a large-scale massacre.

This is not conjecture. This is the grim reality facing millions of people in El Fasher in North Darfur. There are already credible reports that the [Rapid Support Forces] and its allied militias have razed multiple villages west of El Fasher. As Ive said before, history is repeating itself in Darfur in the worst possible way.

An attack on El Fasher would be a disaster on top of a disaster, warned Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield:

It would put five hundred thousand internally displaced persons at risk, people who traveled from across Darfur to seek refuge. And thats on top of the two million Sudanese who call El Fasher home.

A crisis of epic proportions is brewing, and to avoid further death, destruction, and suffering five things need to happen, immediately, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield:

First, the RSF must end its siege and build-up of military forces in El Fasher, and swear off any attack on the city. All parties to the conflict must take urgent steps to de-escalate. The UN Security Council already called for this, but thats not enough. Every single Member State must speak out. The entire international community must speak out.

Second, armed actors in Sudan must respect international law and protect civilians.

Third, all regional powers must stop providing weapons to both parties in accordance with the UN arms embargo.

Fourth, the warring parties must engage in direct negotiations, because this conflict will not be solved on the battlefield.

Finally, all parties must enable unhindered humanitarian access to areas in need. Presently, five million people in Sudan are on the brink of famine, and tens of millions of people are in desperate need of aid.

The world needs to know about the grave dangers facing the people of El Fasher who are trapped under the threat of massacre. The people of Sudan, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, are counting on all of us at this moment of peril.
Legacy Health will pay a $1.25 million civil penalty after a state investigation determined it violated wage and hour laws at four Portland-area hospitals.

The agreement ends a six-year legal fight between Legacy and the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, which had initially levied a $5.2 million fine against the hospital chain.

Employees at the Portland-based health system had complained to the labor bureau that they were not allowed to take agreed-upon meal and rest breaks during their shifts. The complaints came from workers at Legacys Good Samaritan, Mount Hood, Meridian Park and Emanuel medical centers.

The labor bureau initially fined Legacy more than $5 million in 2018. Legacy responded with a lawsuit in 2022, arguing in U.S. District Court that the labor bureaus interpretation of the law isnt realistic in a hospital where most employees work three 12-hour shifts a week.

The bureau, meanwhile, upped the fines to more than $8 million.

U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez in January sided with labor officials and dismissed Legacys complaint. Legacy appealed the ruling, and the case went to mediation.

BOLI and Legacy have now settled those pending charges from six years ago, Legacy officials said in a written statement. Legacy is committed to ensuring that our employees receive all the meal and rest breaks they are entitled to so that they can better care for patients and avoid the high levels of burnout currently seen among healthcare workers nationwide.

Legacy must pay the $1.25 million fine within 30 days, according to a statement from the labor bureau, and will have to pay another $1 million if it fails to remain in compliance with the agreement.

-- Jeff Manning covers business news. Reach him at jmanning@oregonian.com.

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The city has offered to pay $25,000 to settle a suit filed by a man who sued Portland police, contending he was wrongly arrested for a burglary and spent seven months in jail before the charges were dismissed.

In his suit, Michael R. Kaady argued that Portland police linked him to a June 26, 2019, burglary solely based on a doctors note he dropped on Northeast 122nd Avenue, which was near a break-in of a home earlier that day in the 11500 block of Northeast Knott Street.

The resident of the home reported the burglary occurred sometime between 6:30 a.m. and 11:20 a.m.

After police responded, collected evidence and left the scene just before 2 p.m. that day, the resident recontacted police and turned over some papers and a doctors note he had found in the middle of the road near the home. The doctors note had Kaadys name on it.

Four days later, police arrested Kaady, 42, at his mothers home and accused him of stealing a laptop in the burglary, though the stolen item wasnt recovered, according to court records.

The officer who was involved in the arrest claimed Kaady knew the age of the victim because Kaady asked, Why would I rob some old man? when told the victim had his grandchildrens photos stored in his laptop, the suit said. The victim was 72 years old at the time, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.

Kaady argued in the suit that he had told police he was at various appointments all day and couldnt have committed the burglary but that officers failed to investigate his alibis.

He had a doctors appointment at Recovery Works NW at 10:30 a.m. that day and had obtained a note to show proof of his visit, which was required for an unrelated court matter. He then attended two meetings at Volunteers of America, arriving at 11 a.m. and leaving at 2:15 p.m. He said he walked to a friends house in Northeast Portland, borrowed the friends bike and rode to Northeast 122nd Avenue and Knott Street, arriving around 4:30 p.m. During his ride, he dropped his doctors note, his suit said.

At a Multnomah County prosecutors request, a one-count indictment against Kaady charging him with burglary was dismissed in January 2020.

Despite Kaadys and his attorneys continued objections that Kaady had an alibi and was innocent, Kaady remained in jail for approximately seven months, the suit said.

Kaady has had prior convictions for attempted robbery, burglary, theft, third-degree assault and driving under the influence of intoxicants, according to court records.

The city of Portland offered the $25,000 settlement without admitting any wrongdoing, according to court filings in federal court.

Kaadys lawyer Katie Bennett and Deputy City Attorney Daniel Simon signed off on the offer on Tuesday, court records show. Bennett and Simon Wednesday declined comment on the settlement.

-- Maxine Bernstein covers federal court and criminal justice. Reach her at 503-221-8212, mbernstein@oregonian.com, follow her on X @maxoregonian, or on LinkedIn.

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Police have released the names of the man who was killed and the woman injured in a police shooting on Interstate 5 in Linn County on Sunday.

Cameron James Bielman, 30, died after a shootout with law enforcement, and Yasmina Destinee Teal, also 30, was wounded.
In what looks like it will be a battle of the brainiacs, the 2024 Jeopardy Masters tournament begins Wednesday, May 1, with Games 1 and 2. The tournament, as the official description explains, features the six highest-ranked current Jeopardy! contestants as they compete against one another.

(No cable or satellite? You can stream Jeopardy Masters via Fubo, which offers a free trial.)

The Jeopardy Masters players are names that will be familiar to Jeopardy! fans: Amy Schneider, James Holzhauer, Matt Amodio, Mattea Roach Victoria Groce and Yogesh Raut.

Raut, a congnitive and behavioral scientist from Vancouver, won the 2024 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, which was televised in March. Rauts victory earned him both a $250,000 grand prize, and a spot in the Jeopardy Masters tournament.

Game on  Which matchup are you excited to see? The newest season of #JeopardyMasters premieres TONIGHT at 8/7c on ABC and Stream on Hulu. pic.twitter.com/q4VrWj5fgs  Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) May 1, 2024

As tonights Jeopardy Masters kicks off, the first game will feature Roach, a writer and podcast host from Toronto, Canada; Amodio, a quantitative researcher from New York; and Groce, a writer and television personality from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The second game will be a match-up between Holzhauer, who the Jeopardy! website calls a self-described final boss of Jeopardy!; Raut; and Schneider, a writer from Oakland, California.

Raut has his work cut out for him, considering what strong performers both Holzhauer and Schneider have been. As the Jeopardy! website says, Schneider holds the record for the second-longest winning streak in Jeopardy! history -- only Ken Jennings, host of Jeopardy! and winner of the Greatest of All Time tournament, has won more games -- with 40 consecutive victories during Season 38. Schneider has amassed $1,682,800, which puts her in the fourth spot for all-time winnings.

Holzhauer, who fans sometimes call Jeopardy James, holds the record for single-game winnings, with a total of $131,127. Hes in third spot on the all-time winnings list, with $3,462,216. He finished second to Jennings in the Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time tournament, and won the first season of Jeopardy Masters.

The ultimate winner of Jeopardy Masters will take home a grand prize of $500,000.

The first installment of the Jeopardy Masters tournament begins with Games 1 and 2, airing at 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 1 on ABC. The tournament continues through May 22, when the final games air.

 Kristi Turnquist covers features and entertainment. Reach her at 503-221-8227, kturnquist@oregonian.com or @Kristiturnquist

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Portland scored in the top 10 this week in a clean-energy ranking among the most populous U.S. cities, but the scorecard encourages the city to make its buildings more energy-efficient.

The ranking by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a national research nonprofit, compiles information on local actions to reduce energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions across all sectors in the countrys 75 most populous metro areas.
Portland State University remained at a tense standstill Wednesday amid the third straight day of a volatile standoff between pro-Palestinian protesters who have occupied the main library and the universitys administrators who have asked police to intervene.

Both Portland Police Chief Bob Day and university President Ann Cudd have said that a police response at the now graffiti-covered library is all but inevitable if demonstrators do not choose to vacate the premises.

The university announced that the campus will be closed Wednesday, for the second straight day, due to ongoing incident at library, according to an alert on X, formerly Twitter.

Additionally, students in two dormitories that are next to the library were given the choice Tuesday to relocate elsewhere on campus, a university spokesperson said.

We cannot allow the continued occupation of the library, Cudd said in an appeal to the protesters posted on Portland States Instagram account. Cudd offered in the post to speak directly with the group. It is not safe for our students and it hampers our ability to fulfill our academic mission, it said. Please voluntarily leave the library.

Those gathered outside the library said they were determined to remain until their demands are met, including for the university to cut ties with any company or organization that has business interests in Israel and for the schools administration to issue a call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

There is nothing short of everything that will dislodge the demonstrators, said a PSU student who gave their name as Harlow and was stationed outside the library on Tuesday morning to field questions from the media and to dispense drinks, snacks and cash to passers-by who said they were in need.

Colleges across the country have grappled with how to respond to the wave of student activism around the Israel-Hamas war, which began Oct. 7 when about 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attacks on Israel. The Gazan Ministry of Health has since reported that more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed by the ensuing Israeli response.

The Portland State University protest is just one of a number of such protests across Oregon colleges and universities. Several dozen students at Reed College in Southeast Portland began occupying a room in Eliot Hall on Monday, a central services building there, a Reed spokesperson said, and have been receiving regular visits from administrators.

At Lewis & Clark College in Southwest Portland, there is an outside encampment that a spokesperson for the college described as peaceful. In Eugene, The Daily Emerald newspaper reported that about 100 people were gathered at an encampment outside of Knight Library at the University of Oregon.

To ensure safety, only people with student IDs were being allowed inside the library, the protest spokesperson said. Harlow would not comment on how many protesters were inside the building but police have estimated that there are between 50 and 75 people.

It was Ann Cudd that decided to close the school, Harlow said. The library is open to all students [including those that are not joining the protest] and there are a lot inside, just studying, using laptops and printers, doing their homework.

One clear area of dispute: Just who is occupying the library and fueling the PSU movement?

Christina Williams, a university spokesperson, said officials do not believe that everyone involved in the movement there is a student.

The downtown campus is only blocks away from where some of the violent clashes occurred between protesters and police during the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd.

Then as now, people who conceal their identity in dark clothing and masks  often referred to as the black bloc  have been part of the crowds, including Monday at an outdoor demonstration before protesters took over control of the library.

Harlow acknowledged there have been chaotic moments when people who dont share our mission and message have taken advantage. But the student organizer said those activists had been asked to leave the library.

It is clear that we have not been violent, the spokesperson said Also, property damage is not the same as violence towards humans, as in the genocide in Gaza. Organizers have not allowed weapons inside the library and have banned property damage, particularly to books, Harlow said.

In a sign that protesters were settling in for the long haul, Harlow said there was medical support available inside the library and organizers have put out calls for supplies, including tarps, mulch, brooms and box fans. They are also promoting events via social media, including an open mic night and movie screenings in the library.

Some students said they were too intimidated to return to campus until the occupation is dismantled, including sophomore Aviva Zelkind who said she had been harassed on campus for carrying a water bottle with an Israeli flag on it and wearing a Star of David necklace. Fellow students spat at her and called her a Zionist pig, she said.

When we talk about this, people say, It is not that big of a deal, get over it, its not like you were hit or whatever, but it still hurts and it is not right that people are calling us these names, Zelkind said.

 Julia Silverman covers education. Reach her at jsilverman@oregonian.com.
UPDATE: Missing zebra captured after almost a week on the loose

The last of four zebras that escaped Sunday from a trailer on Interstate 90 in North Bend, Wash., is still on the loose in the Seattle suburb.

There have been a couple of sightings that folks in the North Bend area of King County have called in today, Cameron Satterfield, a spokesperson for Regional Animal Services of King County, said Tuesday afternoon.

But, he noted, As yet, we have not been able to capture the fourth zebra.

That fourth zebra is an adult male. Initial reports said the four zebras were being taken to a wildlife refuge in Montana, but according to Satterfield, the zebras were actually heading from Winlock, Wash., to a petting zoo in Montana.

So far, Satterfield said, the Animal Services agency has received reports of the zebra walking through yards, and it was once caught on a Ring camera.

Radio station MyNorthwest shared a video of the zebra on a trail camera.

A residents trail camera captured the missing zebra on video at 11:56 a.m. Monday near North Bend pic.twitter.com/clgIIx5V2R  MyNorthwest (@Mynorthwest) April 30, 2024

While the typical spring Pacific Northwest weather shouldnt pose much of a problem for the zebra, authorities are concerned about predators, including cougars and bears, and the busy freeway in the area the zebra has been wandering.

Its in an environment its not used to, Satterfield said. Its scared.

Animal control officers are stepping up patrols in the area, Satterfield said, and officials are relying on neighbors to report any zebra sightings.

The King County Sheriffs Office asked anyone who sees the zebra to call 911 or 206-296-7387.

DO NOT try to capture it yourself, the sheriffs office tweeted.

Ultimately, Satterfield said, the goal is to recapture the zebra and get him back on the path to Montana.

We really dont want a zebra running wild through the foothills of the Cascades, he said.

 Lizzy Acker covers life and culture and writes the advice column Why Tho? Reach her at 503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com or @lizzzyacker

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Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler continues to pump the brakes on a time-honored tradition that he and a long line of his City Hall predecessors have previously embraced.

After forgoing an annual State of the City address last year entirely, Wheeler will again not deliver one prior to releasing his proposed budget Thursday, as has long been the civic custom in Portland.
Multnomah County residents will get an infrequent opportunity to vote in a race for Circuit Court judge without an incumbent this May  but there will still be only one choice on the ballot.

Michael J. Riedel, who is already working as a temporary judge in Multnomah County Circuit Court, is the lone candidate to file for Seat 16 on the bench.
Since its unwarranted and illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian Federation has attempted to change the narrative of who is to blame for the war by repeatedly calling meetings of the UN Security council under the guise of Threats to International Peace and Security.

One of the most frequent topics of discussions has been the attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines running through the Baltic Sea.

On September 26, 2022, a series of underwater explosions caused gas leaks in three of the four pipelines, rendering them inoperable. Three separate investigations into the incident, by Denmark, Sweden and Germany, the last of which is on-going, have failed to assign responsibility. Russia continues to call UN Security Council meetings, demanding information from these countries, baselessly accusing them of shielding those responsible, and calling for an international investigation.

The United States condemns the acts of sabotage against the Nord Stream pipelines and underscor[es] the need for accountability, said Political Minister Counselor John Kelley. But let us all be clear. This meeting, like the last one, and the one before that, are not about accountability.

Russia has repeatedly called meetings on this topic to spread disinformation, cast aspersions, and discredit ongoing national investigations, he said.

It is hard to keep up with Russias latest accusations, but one thing remains the same: a victimization narrative.

In late April, Russias representatives once again lamented sabotage of critical infrastructure. But they expressed no such regrets with respect to Russias own deliberate and on-going attacks against Ukraines infrastructure.

Clearly, the Russian Federations continuous complaints are a slew of red herrings, intended to distract from its own actions.



Russias claims of noble intentions, the pursuit of justice, and need to protect critical infrastructure are as hollow as they are disingenuous, said Ambassador Kelley.

In the same breath, Russia feigns concern over the sabotage of critical infrastructure it values, while wreaking havoc against Ukraines cities and targeting Ukraines critical infrastructure, he said.

And while Russia feigns interest in fact-finding missions and independent investigations, it routinely denies OHCHR [Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights] investigations access to Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by Russia.

Russia claims to want the truth, accountability, and facts, and then vetoes the mandate renewal of an independent UN investigative mechanism like the [Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea] 1718 Committee Panel of Experts, said Ambassador Kelley. The hypocrisy is as galling as it is predictable.
UPDATE: Police move in to end Portland State standoff; campus closed again on Thursday

Portland State University President Ann Cudd said Wednesday that she had offered student protesters who have occupied the campuss main library a guarantee that they would not face suspension or expulsion if they left the building by 1:30 a.m.  and that the university would not seek to pursue criminal charges against them  but that the negotiations had fallen apart after students refused to sign off.

By afternoon, Portland State officials announced that anyone remaining in the library was committing criminal trespassing and needed to leave immediately. Cudd also announced officials would reopen campus Thursday, calling the work of educating students critically important even as the protest continues.

I fervently wish that the students in the library had signed on to our agreement, but, after their negotiators told us they had a deal, they apparently chose not to sign, Cudd wrote earlier in the day in an email to students, staff and faculty.

But a student demonstrator denounced Cudds version of events as a despicable lie in a brief phone conversation with The Oregonian/OregonLive. A statement posted to the @occupypsu4freepalestine Instagram at noon made it plain that protesters had sought complete immunity from any legal charges.

The president demanded that we identify ourselves by name and student ID, and that they would not release this information themselves unless [District Attorney Mike Schmidt] requested it from them, while also stating they would cooperate with local law enforcement and prosecutors. Cudd stated that she would request that the DA reduce charges to misdemeanors if arrests were made. Does that sound like amnesty to you? the statement read.

The decision on whether to press charges against student demonstrators ultimately rests with Schmidts office. But as a practical matter, if Portland State does not plan to turn over key evidence that would allow prosecutors to build a case  such as surveillance videos, testimony of witnesses or damage estimates  it would be logistically unlikely for those involved to face legal consequences.

Portland police said they had been prepared to move into Millar Library on Tuesday night but held off as the ultimately failed negotiations gained steam.

The back-and-forth came amid the second day of a campus-wide closure as students  and what Cudd said she believes are some non-student allies  have taken over the now-graffitied Millar Library at the center of the downtown campus, turning it into a focal point for a spreading protest movement on campuses across the nation.

In her email, Cudd detailed the concessions she had offered to protesters and also said she was willing to support faculty efforts to include scholarship and creative works related to Palestine in PSUs Race and Ethnic Studies requirement and in PSUs ongoing financial commitment to anti-racist work. She added that she had offered to make a personal financial donation to the Middle East, North Africa, South Africa Student Center at the university.

In their statement to Instagram, protesters dismissed such actions as insufficient, writing, Not a single demand was agreed to, only the promise that we could continue to negotiate which is exactly what we have done for the past seven months.

Cudd had said about 50 students left the library of their own accord overnight though it was not immediately clear whether those students had left permanently. Student protesters disputed that too, writing in their Instagram statement that the resounding answer from our community was We will not leave until our demands are met.

It also remains unclear how many people in the library are enrolled at Portland State or how many are there, though Police Chief Bob Day estimated on Monday that there were between 50 and 75. Protest organizers have said that a student ID is needed to enter the building and that they have banned damage inside the building to books and other university property.

But video of Millar Librarys interior shared with The Oregonian/OregonLive that has been circulating on social media shows graffitied walls, debris on the floor, furniture piled against doors to act as barricades, shattered glass windows and a TV monitor dangling from a wall. At one point, several men guarding the library door pushed another man down the stairs after he had tried to engage them in political discussion. They also threw a half-empty can and a full can of seltzer water at reporters.

The library is near the center of campus, along the South Park Blocks between Southwest Hall and Harrison streets. The building has five floors and a front portico with landscaping now dominated by signs, tarps and wooden pallets.

The view through the floor-to-ceiling glass wall on the first floor, for example, was blocked by tarps and a barricade of wood pallets, tables and chairs. People had written pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli messages in red, blue, purple and other colors on the walls throughout the floor. A person sat at a table in front of the metal detectors charging what appeared to be walkie-talkie batteries.

A computer lab served as sleeping quarters for protesters and several tables down the hall overflowed with boxes of snacks and drinks. Several people lounged in library armchairs, including one with a jar of what appeared to be marijuana next to him and a rolling paper in his hands. A television hung from the wall almost upside down.

An image of a lower level room in the PSU library, where protesters are camped out for a second day.Dave Killen/The Oregonian/OregonLive

Protesters gathered outside the library have said they were determined to remain until their demands are met, including for the university to cut ties with any company or organization that has business interests in Israel and for the schools administration to issue a call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Colleges across the country have grappled with how to respond to the wave of student activism around the Israel-Hamas war, which began Oct. 7 when about 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attacks on Israel. The Gazan Ministry of Health has since reported that more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed by the ensuing Israeli response.

The Portland State protest is just one of a number of such protests across Oregon colleges and universities. Several dozen students at Reed College in Southeast Portland began occupying a room in Eliot Hall on Monday, a central services building there, a Reed spokesperson said, and have been receiving regular visits from administrators. At Oregon State University in Corvallis, students planned a sit-in on a lawn at the center of campus, while students at the University of Oregon planned a walkout, alongside an encampment there that has been in place for several days.

4 1 / 4 Inside Portland State University's Millar Library April 30, 2024

The standoff at Portland State is unfolding against a backdrop of similar conflicts at universities around the country. On Tuesday night alone, dozens of students at Columbia University and the City College of New York in Harlem were arrested. Columbia University said those involved were facing expulsion.

The campus unrest also carries political weight in a fraught election year. Nationally, Republicans have largely condemned the campus protests and drawn parallels to the turmoil in many cities after the 2020 murder of George Floyd. On Wednesday, Oregon House Minority Leader Jeff Helfrich, a Republican from Hood River, called for an immediate law enforcement crackdown on those inside Millar Library.

PSUs president hasnt learned the biggest lesson from the past few years: you cant appease the mob. It only encourages more chaos in the future, Helfrich said via press release. These students and outsiders chose to commit crimes. We need decisive action now.

Gov. Tina Kotek told reporters on Wednesday that she and Oregon State Police were monitoring what she called a fluid situation.

I know the Portland Police Bureau has a good plan, Kotek said. We will respond accordingly if additional resources are needed.

Wednesday evening closed with a small May Day rally in the South Park Blocks near the library. A group of dozens of marchers dressed in black tried to enter the library just after 7 p.m., but those already in the library turned them away.

 Julia Silverman covers education. Reach her at jsilverman@oregonian.com.

 Fedor Zarkhin is a breaking news and enterprise reporter with a focus on crime. Reach him at 971-373-2905; fzarkhin@oregonian.

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Spring stargazers might be disappointed to find a major feature missing from the night sky: the core of the Milky Way.

The Milky Way, the spiral-shaped galaxy we call home, is technically always visible, as all the stars we see are a part of it. But the heart of the galaxy, appearing as a band of light across the sky, is sometimes hidden from view.

At our mid-northern latitudes during the month of May, the great band of stars known as the Milky Way simply vanishes from the evening sky, Jim Todd, director of space science education at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, wrote in a newsletter Monday.

Thats because, from our vantage point, the disc of the Milky Way galaxy lies nearly parallel to the plane of our horizon, Todd explained. When the core of the galaxy rims the horizon, its hidden by the denser atmosphere near the ground.

That doesnt mean you cant see anything, of course. Replacing the core of the Milky Way high in the sky is a constellation known as Coma Berenices or Berenices Hair, named for Egyptian queen Berenice II, who was said to have sacrificed her hair as a votive offering.

Understanding why Coma Berenice rises when the core of the Milky Way dips requires some understanding of shape. Most stars in our galaxy exist along a relatively flat disc, known as the galactic plane. The two points located farthest away from the disc are called the galactic poles (similar to the north and south poles on Earth, relative to the equator).

As it turns out, Coma Berenice is near the north galactic pole. That means when the Milky Way flattens out against our horizon, Berenices Hair is straight up in the sky.

Its an interesting sight, but also an opportunity to break out your telescope and go searching for objects much deeper into the cosmos.

In this direction, where the glare and the dust of the Milky Way are minimal, the sky beckons you to look at the deep-sky objects beyond the Milky Way, Todd said.

But for those hoping to stare into the heart of our galaxy, dont worry, you still have lots of opportunities. According to Space.com, the best time to view the Milky Way is in late summer and early fall, when its brightest portions arch overhead, running from the southwest to northeast parts of the sky.

--Jamie Hale covers travel and the outdoors and co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast. Reach him at 503-294-4077, jhale@oregonian.com or @HaleJamesB.

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If you've read this far, you are as invested in this city and campus as we are. That's why we are asking you to invest in us.

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OU students pay about $14 in annual fees that help support the Daily. If you find value in our work and are not a student, please consider matching or exceeding that with a one-time or recurring donation. In an era when subscriptions to paywalled news organizations routinely exceed $100 annually, grassroots support from readers like you can collectively make a transformative difference in our organization.
Linden Montessori is distinguished by its dynamic & forward-thinking ethos, which positions the school at the forefront of educational innovation & adaptation

using sandpaper. This tactile experience provides a profound encounter with the formation of each letter, cementing the sensory experience in their subconscious memory. This demonstrates how experiential learning is not just a preference, but a deliberate strategy used throughout the teaching methodology, allowing students to grasp and retain concepts in a practical, meaningful manner.Linden Montessori Play School provides a wide variety of programs tailored to different age groups, ensuring a comprehensive educational experience. "Our Toddler's Program, designed for children aged two to three, creates an engaging playroom environment. The main Preschool Program, designed for children aged three to six, seamlessly integrates essential academic concepts with a diverse range of extracurricular activities. In addition to basic numerical and language skills, we include unique elements such as yoga and meditation. Preschoolers actively engage in creative yoga poses, which promote both physical activity and mindfulness. Beyond traditional subjects, we emphasize life skills through hands-on experiences, such as cooking classes that promote healthy eating habits.Linden STEM labs promote creativity by encouraging students to build various models and improve problem-solving skills. As we progress into elementary school (grades one and two), we maintain our commitment to a comprehensive approach, devoting significant time to extracurricular activities such as chess, football, basketball, performing arts, and STEM learning. This reflects our belief that authentic personality development and profound learning occur when students actively participate in a variety of activities both inside and outside the classroom", shares Stuti Mehrotra, Founder & Director.Linden Montessori Play School is proud of its engaging library setup, which encourages children to explore and learn. Linden's design philosophy emphasizes fluidity, allowing children to move seamlessly between designated spaces for different activities. The activity area, with its expansive mirrors, serves as a canvas for expressive activities such as dance, encouraging both physical activity and self-expression. Linden also has designated dining areas for communal meals and a sandpit area for sensory experiences via playful interactions with sand. "Notable is our substantial mini-outdoor space, which serves as a large playground. This expansive outdoor area provides a well-rounded environment for young students, encouraging both physical and cognitive development, reflecting Linden's commitment to holistic education. What truly distinguishes Linden Montessori from other schools is our unwavering commitment to continuous evolution and dynamic adaptation. We take pride in being a dynamic institution that is constantly adapting to changing circumstances.Linden Montessori distinguishes itself by taking a proactive approach to incorporating cutting-edge educational methodologies and introducing innovative elements regularly. The key to its uniqueness is our wil-lingness to embrace change and incorporate new ideas as they arise. Linden regularly assesses and adjusts based on what it believes will improve the learning experience for its students. Linden Montessori is distinguished by its dynamic and forward-thinking ethos, which posi-tions the school at the forefront of educational innovation and adaptation", further adds Stuti.Traditionally, it has functioned as a preschool, serving children from playgroup to senior kindergarten. However, over the last year, Linden has begun the expansion into elementary education by introducing grades one and two. Its ambitious plan calls for extending this expansion to grade five in the near future. Linden Montessori is committed to continuing the Montessori methodology during these critical formative years, ensuring a comprehensive and effective learning experience for its students. The expansion reflects the school's commitment to providing a comprehensive and continuous Montessori education that fosters growth and development throughout the elementary years.
Algiers, Algeria (PANA) - Following a successful kick off to the CAF Club Licencing Regional Workshop 2024 in Mauritania, Algeria is playing host to the second leg of the ongoing workshop aimed at reaching all 54 CAF Member Associations
Bamako, Mali (PANA)  International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff and the Malian authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on emergency financing through the Exogenous Shock Window of the IMFs Rapid Credit Facility (RCF)
Accra, Ghana (PANA) - A new World Bank report calls for urgent action to strengthen the resilience of Ghanas health system against the adverse effects of climate change
Twin Rivers Paper Sells Pine Bluff Paper Mill to American Kraft Paper Industries

The Pine Bluff Mill in Arkansas has one paper machine  PM No. 1  with the capacity to produce 140,000 tpy of Sack Kraft Paper. The Pine Bluff Mill in Arkansas has one paper machine  PM No. 1  with the capacity to produce 140,000 tpy of Sack Kraft Paper.

April 30, 2024 - Twin Rivers Paper Company today announced the sale of its Pine Bluff, Arkansas, unbleached kraft paper mill to American Kraft Paper Industries, an affiliate of global industrial group American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC).

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Twin Rivers Paper acquired the Pine Bluff kraft paper manufacturing and distribution business from the Mondi Group in 2018. In the six years since acquisition, Twin Rivers invested substantially in the Pine Bluff mill to enhance production efficiency and capacity while expanding its product offering.

"The decision to sell the Pine Bluff mill furthers Twin Rivers' strategy of prioritizing the growth of our core specialty papers business," stated Tyler Rajeski, President of Twin Rivers Paper. "With AIAC's founding principle of investing in the assets it acquires, we are confident the Pine Bluff business and its dedicated managers and employees will realize long-term success. We are working with AIAC to ensure a seamless transition experience for our Pine Bluff employees, customers and suppliers."

L. M. Levie, AIAC Chairman, commented, "This highly strategic acquisition allows us to substantially expand our production and distribution of a broad range of unbleached Kraft paper. The Pine Bluff business, now known as American Kraft Paper Industries, will collaborate with AIAC's Canadian Kraft Paper Industries, located in The Pas, Manitoba, permitting us to better serve our domestic and international packaging industry customers with superior speed, quality, reliability, and efficiency."

About the Pine Bluff Mill

The Pine Bluff Mill has one paper machine  PM No. 1  with the capacity to produce 140,000 tpy of Sack Kraft Paper. This unbleached kraft paper is used for a variety of bag applications including Animal Feed, Cement & Building, Chemicals, Food, Pet Food and Bags/Shoppers. The mill, which employs about 200 people, also has an on-site wood yard and pulp mill.

Twin Rivers Paper Company, headquartered in Madawaska, Maine, is an integrated specialty paper manufacturer producing half a million tons of paper per year for the publishing, label, technical and packaging sectors. The company operates a pulp mill in New Brunswick and diverse paper assets in northern Maine and upstate New York that produce uncoated and coated specialty papers in a broad range of basis weights and finishes.

SOURCE: Twin Rivers Paper Company
The family of a Black teen, who was shot by a white homeowner after wrongly going to the mistaken address in Kansas City, Missouri, filed a lawsuit on Monday.

Family of Black Teen Who Was Shot Files Lawsuit

The family's attorney, Lee Merritt, described it as an attempt to exert pressure on the criminal trial later this year against the homeowner, Andrew Lester, 84.

The lawsuit, filed by Cleo Nagbe on behalf of her son, Ralph Yarl, alleges negligence on Lester's part for shooting the 16-year-old without warning more than a year ago.

Yarl suffered lasting wounds and pain as a direct outcome of Lester's actions, according to the accusation. Lester pleaded not liable in September 2023, and the trial is set to begin on October 7, 2024.

Merritt stated that the civil suit aims to empower the family in seeking justice for Ralph during the criminal proceedings. Yarl had mistakenly gone to pick up his siblings but rang the wrong doorbell.

He testified that he was shot by Lester after reaching for the storm door as Lester opened the inner door. Nagbe, in a statement, highlighted the societal concerns raised by the shooting.

The lawsuit also names the homeowner's association, Highland Acres Homes Association, Inc., as an accuser. Merritt acknowledged possible delays in the litigation pending the results of the criminal case but highlighted the family's commitment to seek justice.

Lester's attorney, Steven Salmon, ignored to comment on the lawsuit, saying he was unaware of it. The civil suit precedes Lester's criminal trial, set for October 7.

Read Also : Teen Arrested After Injuring 10 Persons in Late Night Mass Shooting During Private Event at Florida Party Venue

Despite Challenges, Ralph Yarl Stays Dedicated to His Academic Endeavors

Yarl, who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), has faced difficulties in his recuperation and academic performance since the circumstances. The lawsuit seeks financial compensation and legal fees.

The complaint also accuses the homeowner's association of negligence for failing to educate residents about firearm dangers and for not providing aid to Yarl after the shooting.

Despite the ordeal, Yarl remains focused on his studies and musical pursuits, aiming to define himself beyond the shooting incident.

Lester faces liability for first-degree attack and armed criminal action, with a possible sentence of life in prison if guilty. The shooting prompted a national outcry and reignited debates over "stand your ground" laws.

On April 13, 2023, Yarl went to pick up his younger brothers and mistakenly approached the wrong house, where Lester shot him in the head and arm.

Yarl sought help from neighbors, and police responded to the scene. Despite suffering life-threatening wounds, Yarl was released from the hospital a few days later.

The lawsuit details Yarl's lasting injuries, medical expenses, and other damages, for which his family raised over $3.4 million through a GoFundMe campaign.

Yarl, an accomplished musician, aims to study chemical engineering at Texas A&M University after his recovery.
Abortion clinics in Florida have been endeavoring to entertain as many patients as possible before the legislation of the state's ban on abortions after six weeks, due for Wednesday.

Patients Flock to Abortion Clinics in Florida

According to Amber Gavin, vice president of advocacy and operations at A Woman's Choice clinic in Jacksonville, they provided approximately double the usual number of abortions on Monday.

The waiting room was so congested that companions of patients were asked to wait in their cars or drop them off to free up space. Parking shortages led some patients to park off-site and walk to the clinic.

Kelly Flynn, CEO of A Woman's Choice, commented that Tuesday would bring important changes, with many patients likely being turned away during consultations due to the forthcoming constraints.

Florida's new law, valid just after midnight on Wednesday, makes executing or performing an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy a felony.

The timing is determined by a female's last period, leaving her about two weeks after a missed period to recognize she is childbearing and complete the completion process, which in Florida requires two in-person clinic visits, 24 hours apart.

Exceptions to the ban include cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking up to 15 weeks of pregnancy, as well as instances involving fatal fetal abnormalities, dangers to a woman's life, or "substantial and irreversible" physical impairment.

Clinics like A Woman's World Medical Center in Fort Pierce and A Hialeah Woman's Care Center in Miami-Dade County have encountered a surge in demand, with some having to turn patients away due to packed capacity.

Read Also : More Young People Opting for Permanent Sterilization Procedures After Implementation of Stricter Abortion Regulations

Providers note that many patients are puzzled about the state's constraints and timelines. Some were unaware of the existing 15-week ban, while others wrongly believed the new law would entirely outlaw abortion in the state.

Despite the challenges, clinics intend to continue operations and are prepared to provide information to patients about obtaining abortions out of state if necessary.

Dr. Daniel Sacks of Presidential Women's Center in West Palm Beach emphasizes the importance of informing patients about deadlines without pressuring them into hasty decisions.

Governor Ron DeSantis signed the six-week ban into law a year ago, but legal challenges delayed its implementation until recently.

Anti-abortion groups welcome the ban, while the future of abortion policies in Florida remains uncertain pending a proposed amendment to the state's constitution in November.

Flynn encourages patient participation in the voting process, expressing optimism about the outcome.

Independent Clinics Fear Closure Due to Limited Procedures

Independent clinics, many of which operate with limited resources, fear closure once they are unable to provide most procedures. Despite efforts to mitigate the financial strain, some funds anticipate insufficient resources to meet demand post-ban enforcement.

The situation has prompted funds to tap into donor networks, increase fundraising efforts, and explore collaborations with other states to defray costs. However, the financial squeeze has forced some to limit assistance per patient and focus on fundraising activities.

The uncertain future has left clinics in limbo, with some unsure of their ability to remain open after the ban. Efforts to raise funds and look for support from national organizations allow a glimmer of hope, but the difficulties remain essential.

As patients rush to book appointments before the ban's due date, clinics are persuading them to exercise their right to vote in the forthcoming elections, which could have an important influence on abortion rights in the state.
In a TikTok video that went viral, a UK mom shared her own experience in a baby swapping incident that happened to her and her child just last year.

The mother, identified as Maisie, recently shared a distressing experience on social media, where she recounted being given the wrong baby in a hospital maternity ward and caring for the infant for hours before realizing the mistake.

Maternity Ward Mix-Up Swapped a Baby Girl

In her emotional TikTok video, Maisie expressed disbelief that such a mix-up could occur, referencing common tropes seen in movies but never expecting it to happen to her.

She explained how, after delivering her daughter Isabella in September 2023, hospital staff placed the baby under phototherapy lamps for medical reasons due to a condition requiring close monitoring.

Maisie emphasized that the nurses were aware of her and Isabella's identities due to the frequent monitoring.

The pivotal moment came during the second night in the hospital when Maisie discovered she had been given the wrong baby. She recounted going to check on Isabella, only to be called into the office where the nurses had her.

This raised concerns for Maisie as Isabella was not supposed to be removed from the phototherapy lamp. However, she was reassured by the midwives' explanation that Isabella was upset and needed comforting.

Despite Maisie being exhausted and just two days postpartum, she picked up the baby and returned to her room. It was during a diaper change that she realized the baby was a boy, causing her immense shock and prompting her to seek immediate assistance by pressing the emergency button.

The hospital staff's mistaken belief that Maisie resembled the boy's mother led to the mix-up. This error was acknowledged by Maisie in her video, where she described the panic and confusion she experienced upon discovering the baby swap.

Following the incident, Maisie underwent a five-day hospitalization but felt that the issue was not adequately addressed afterward. She expressed concern about whether the other mother involved was aware of what had happened, adding to her distress.

This incident, confirmed by the National Health Service (NHS), has sparked an investigation into hospital protocols and patient safety measures.

The hospital involved, Poole Hospital, issued a statement expressing regret for the distress caused and reiterated its commitment to enhancing safety procedures to prevent such occurrences in the future.

Maisie's story serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of stringent hospital protocols and vigilant staff in ensuring the well-being and safety of newborns and their families.

Hospital Responds and Promises Improvements

In another video, Maisie mentioned having a "legal meeting" to address the incident. Despite requests, Maisie did not provide a comment to Today.com or disclose the hospital's name in her video.

A spokesperson from University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that the mix-up happened at Poole Hospital, statingand stated that they are investigating the said incident in their maternity unit in September 2023 wherein a baby was temporarily handed to the wrong mother.

"We deeply regret any distress that was caused and are committed to providing full support to the affected families. The safety of our parents and babies is the highest priority. We have fully reviewed all our safety procedures and we want to reassure you this was an isolated incident," the statement continued.

Since the incident, the hospital has reinforced measures such as ensuring a team member accompanies parents when taking their baby home for the first time, in addition to using name bands for baby identification.

Furthermore, university Hospitals Dorset stated they were actively working on improvements in response to these concerns.
AI PCs are all the rage in the computer industry right now, at least if you listen to anyone trying to get you to buy a new laptop. Neural processing units or NPUs are the new hotness, powering local AI capabilitiesthough whether thats actually worth anything is still in question. But Nvidia wants people to know that if you want real AI power, you need a discrete GPU.

Thats the basis of a presentation leaked by Chinese site BenchLife.info and spotted by VideoCardz.com. In the slides posted to the site (and marked Nvidia Confidential  Do Not Distribute, so consider all of this unconfirmed), Nvidia lays out the difference between computers that feature Basic AI and Premium AI. That difference is, in short, a dedicated and discrete graphics card, the kind that Nvidia sells.

Of course the actual presentation was a little more substantive. The slides point out that the NPUs integrated into the latest Intel and AMD processors are capable of 10-45 Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS) while a Premium AI PC with an RTX card can handle 100 to 1300 TOPS. And Nvidia also points out that while NPUs are still an extremely recent development, with less than a million units in consumers hands as of the end of 2023, Nvidia RTX-powered computers had reached over 100 million units by that point.

Now it goes without saying that this definition of Premium AI PC is self-serving for Nvidia, in the same way Microsofts definition of an AI PC (complete with a dedicated Copilot button on the keyboard) was. And even Nvidia isnt saying a discrete graphics card is the be-all, end-all of AI  the same slide says that you need data centers powered by Cloud GPUs are needed for Heavy AI, presumably handling most of the generative tools that most people consider AI.

But its worth pointing out that Nvidia is also selling those cloud GPUs, and a hell of a lot of them, too. The company is projected to earn $24 billion in revenue in Q1 2024, a 600 percent increase over the same quarter in the previous year.
Some patients at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital were left in distress as surgeries scheduled for Monday, April 29, were abruptly cancelled due to intermittent power outages, commonly known as dumsor.



According to a report by Citi FM, the situation was worsened by dysfunctional elevators and a non-operational generator, leading to disruptions in critical medical services.



Tumour patients, already prepped for surgery, had to return to their wards because doctors considered the power supply too unreliable for such critical procedures.



"These are critical cases, and we can't afford to risk people's lives," said a doctor, who requested anonymity, in an exclusive interview with Citi News.



One patient, who also asked to remain unnamed, expressed the fear and frustration caused by the repeated cancellations.



"This is the second time my surgery has been cancelled. The first time was because the oxygen machine wasn't working. Today, it's due to power fluctuations. I'm really scared, but what can I do? I leave everything to God," the patient shared.



Various parts of the country have been experiencing dumsor, with households and businesses expressing their frustration over the Electricity Company of Ghana's (ECG) failure to publish a schedule.



The government has repeatedly assured that the issue will be resolved soon.











Source: ghanaweb.com









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The President of Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwomfour has announced that Ghana will host the 3rd African Media Convention (AMC) in Accra.



He made the disclosure at a press briefing at the Ministry of Information today.



He mentioned that the conference is a fast-growing platform that would generate a coalition of ideas, support systems, and actors to shape the future of media in Africa and hopefully around the world.



It is important to state that the AMC is a fast-growing platform that I believe will generate a coalition of ideas, support systems, and actors to shape the future of media in Africa and hopefully around the world, the GJA President said.



He described Ghana as one of Africas fast-growing conference destinations citing the World Press Freedom Day Celebration and several Ecowas and AU heads of state summits as examples.



Mr. Dwomfour stated that the conference is expected to discuss how to promote a positive African narrative globally and how to combat misinformation on the continent's social media platforms



Additionally, it will focus attention on how to combat misinformation on the continent's social media platforms, especially in the face of threats to democracy,, he added.



The GJA President appealed to interested media personnel who would like to be part of the conference to register via online (www.3rdafricanmediaconvention.com) or contact this number: 02566622583.



Background



The 3rd African Media Convention is scheduled for May 15-17, 2024. It is an annual media convention with a collaborative effort supported by African media stakeholders, to reflect on the fundamental role of journalism on the continent, celebrate fundamental principles of press freedom and deliberate on measures to safeguard media freedom, promote access to information, the safety of journalists and media visibility in Africa Union member states.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Seth Acheampong, Eastern Regional Minister, has reposed confidence in the Ghanaian electorates at Ejisu to vote for the parliamentary candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Boateng.



Following the demise of the former Deputy Finance Minister and Ejisu Member of Parliament, John Kumah, a by-election is being held today, April 30, to elect a new Member of Parliament for the constituency.



Kwabena Boateng is challenged by the three-term former Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency and former Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwabena Owusu Aduomi, who is contesting as independent candidate.



The New Independent newspaper has ticked Mr. Owusu Aduomi to win the election while the Chief of Ejisu is also said to have thrown his weight behind the former Deputy Minister.



However, Hon. Seth Acheampong is optimistic about the New Patriotic Party's candidate emerging victor in the election.



Speaking on Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo", he charged the constituents to vote massively for Kwabena Boateng to honor the memory of the late John Kumah.



"The win is for NPP and Ghana...I have strong faith that it will go well for my family, the NPP," he stated.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghanaian actor, Omar Sherrif Captan, has added his voice to the call to help make theatre in Ghana more productive.



Although he believes there has been a surge in the interest for theatre in Ghana, he thinks most of the productions lack good sets.



"We still have a long way to go in terms of our sets. We still have to build good sets for our performances. We still have to have good costumes and then bring real props on set. The stage should be available for us to bring real props on set. We bring cars, bikes, horses, animals, so many things on set to make it realistic. We need a lot of realism on set," he noted.



He spoke to Joy FM during the press launch of Latif Abubakars new play titled The Licence.



Omar Sherrif, who features in the new play by Latif, said he was enthused about the challenge in playing in the play which was originally written by Italian novelist Luigi Pirandello.



It explores themes of bureaucracy, absurdity, and an individual's struggle against oppressive systems.



The play which is being adapted into an Afrocentric version for the first time by myself and the team at Globe Productions Limited will show at the Accra International Conference Center on the 4th, 5th, and 6th May, 2024.

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.

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A man who once worked as a substitute teacher in Pennsylvania was ordered Tuesday to serve at least 16 years in state prison for sexually abusing a relative over a six-year period.

Cumberland County Judge Jessica Brewbaker expressly set Dean E. Leons new term to start after he maxes out on a 10-year sentence he is serving in New Jersey for arranging to meet a 14-year-old girl for a sexual encounter in 2017.

That means the earliest he could be eligible for parole is 2041.

Leon, 55, held an Instructional I certificate from the state Department of Education, or essentially the license granted to all beginning teachers at the time of his New Jersey arrest. He was certified to teach elementary grades, mid-level math and high school biology and general science classes.

State records do not state specifically where Leon taught. But in her victim impact statement Tuesday, his victim stated that when she was in high school Leon began substitute teaching at various schools in southcentral Pennsylvania.

That teaching certificate was revoked by the state in 2022, though it appears Leon had not been actively teaching since at least the 2017 arrest.

In that case, police said Leon was in online chats with a 14-year-old girl living in Somers Point. On March 31, 2017, he planned to meet the girl at the citys library. Police, who had received a tip that he was on the way, arrested Leon in Somers Point before he made it to the library.

Prosecutors here said photographs uncovered during the New Jersey investigation led East Pennsboro Township police to take a fresh look at a child welfare referral theyd received about Leon in 2013, and that ultimately led to the current charges being filed in August 2021.

Leon was convicted after a January jury trial of felony counts of aggravated indecent assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse for the abuse, between 2007 and 2013, of a relative at his home in the first block of Greenmont Drive in East Pennsboro Township.

Leon was acquitted of an additional count of rape.

The girl and her older sister, in separate victim statements Tuesday, said Leon stole their childhoods, many family relationships, and - for long periods of time - any sense of self-worth and confidence that people need to lead fulfilling and productive lives.

Both asked Brewbaker to sentence Leon to harshest sentence possible, if only to keep him from manipulating any other families in the future.

I fully believe... he will do it again, the sexual abuse victim wrote in a statement read by case prosecutor Julia Skinner.

He will always find someone to control and hurt for his own personal twisted pleasure, including children... He is a predator that preys on whatever seems the most innocent and most breakable. With Dean Leon locked away, children and girls are safe from one more monster.

Leon and his attorney, Arla Waller, told the court Leon himself has suffered from a long history of mental illness, and that in-prison treatments he has been getting for the last two years have helped normalize his behavior.

Leon, while apologizing Tuesday for any harm that I may have caused, also said he sees no future of mine that has that type of behavior.

Brewbaker seemed determined not to take that chance. With her sentence structured as it is, the earliest Leon would be eligible for parole on the Cumberland County conviction is 2041.

Skinner, commenting after Tuesdays proceeding, said she was pleased with Brewbakers order and said she hoped that it will help to bring closure to the victims in the case.
Pennsylvania remains on alert as cases of avian influenza have been reported in dairy cows in nine states. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File)AP
The city of Harrisburg is full of neighborhoods, each with its own recognizable architectural style.

Driving through the city, heading north toward Italian Lake, one notices a several-block stretch of grand old homes, especially in the areas of North Front, Second, Green and Penn streets.
By Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News (TNS)

A 2-year-old boy was killed while playing in a bounce house over the weekend in Arizona, authorities said.

Bodhi Naaf was playing with other children on Saturday in Casa Grande when a gust of wind picked up the bounce house and blew it away, local NBC affiliate KPNX reported.

After the inflatable landed in a neighboring lot, two children were rushed to a hospital, according to local CBS affiliate KPHO. Bodhi died at the hospital, while the other child suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Sources told KPHO the second child broke her arm.

This appears to have been a tragic accident, the Pinal County Sheriffs Office told local Fox affiliate KSAZ. We would like to extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the grieving family.

Winds were consistently between 10 and 15 mph in Casa Grande on Saturday, according to weather records. Gusts reached up to 25 mph, and there was a 23 mph gust right before 5 p.m., when police said the incident occurred.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, maximum wind speed should be no more than 15 to 25 mph if you are using a bounce house. No wind gusts over 25 mph were recorded in Casa Grande after 12:15 a.m. on Saturday.

A GoFundMe has been created for Bodhis parents, Karl and Cristy. Karl Naaf is a Phoenix firefighter, and his union identified him in an Instagram post.

Adding to their challenges, Cristy is due to give birth to their second child on May 31, 2024, the GoFundMe reads. Amidst their sorrow, they face the daunting task of preparing for the arrival of their newborn.

The GoFundMe had collected more than $155,000 as of Wednesday morning.
By STEFANIE DAZIO, ETHAN SWOPE, JAKE OFFENHARTZ and JOSEPH B. FREDERICK Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP)  Dueling groups of protesters clashed Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another.

Hours earlier, police carrying riot shields burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others.

After a couple of hours of scuffles between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators at UCLA, police wearing helmets and face shields formed lines and slowly separated the groups. That appeared to quell the violence.

Police have swept through campuses across the U.S. over the last two weeks in response to protests calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza. There have been confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.

The clashes at UCLA took place around a tent encampment built by pro-Palestinian protesters, who erected barricades and plywood for protection  while counter-protesters tried to pull them down. People threw chairs and at one point a group piled on a person who lay on the ground, kicking and beating them with sticks until others pulled them out of the scrum.

It was not clear how many people might be injured.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the violence absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable in a spot on social media platform X and said officers from the Los Angeles Police Department were on the scene. Officers from the California Highway Patrol also appeared to be there. The university said it had requested help.

Security was tightened Tuesday at the campus after officials said there were physical altercations between factions of protesters.

New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus using a tactical vehicle, in New York Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building was taken over by protesters earlier Tuesday. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)AP

Late that same day, New York City officers entered Columbias campus after the university requested help, according to a statement released by a spokesperson. A tent encampment on the schools grounds was cleared, along with Hamilton Hall where a stream of officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window. Protesters seized the hall at the Ivy League school about 20 hours earlier.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized and blockaded, we were left with no choice, the school said. The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.

Police spokesman Carlos Nieves said he had no immediate reports of any injuries. The arrests occurred after protesters shrugged off an earlier ultimatum to abandon the encampment Monday or be suspended, and they unfolded as other universities stepped up efforts to end demonstrations that were inspired by Columbia.

As light rain falls, New York City police officers take people into custody near the Columbia University campus in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building taken over by protesters earlier in the day was cleared, along with a tent encampment. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)AP

Meanwhile, at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, police in riot gear closed in on an encampment late Tuesday and arrested about 20 people for trespassing, at least one of whom was thrown to the ground. University officials had warned earlier in the day that students would face criminal charges if they did not disperse.

First-year student Brayden Lang watched from the sidelines. I still know very little about this conflict, he said. But the deaths of thousands is something I cannot stand for.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.

As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasnt clear whether those talks would lead to an easing of protests.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israels critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.
Much like the Oklahoma man who faces 12 years in prison when four bullets were left in his duffel bag unknowingly from a previous deer hunting trip while traveling, a Pennsylvania man is also facing more than a decade behind bars because of a strict firearms and ammunition law in Turks and Caicos.

Ryan Watson and wife Valerie traveled from Oklahoma and went on vacation to Turks and Caicos for his 40th birthday, where they were arrested in the self-governed British territory after airport security discovered the four bullets in their carry-on duffel bag.

Bryan Hagerich, of Somerset County, has been stuck on the island for more than 70 days after being detained when he was trying to fly back home from vacation back in February.

This was an honest mistake, anybody can make an honest mistake, Bryan Hagerichs wife Ashley told WPXI on Wednesday.

Hagerich says he unknowingly had hunting ammunition within his luggage, according to his family.

Watsons explanation was similar. They were hunting ammunition rounds that I use for white-tailed deer, and I recognized them, and I thought: Oh, what a mistake. I had no idea that they were in there, Ryan Watson told NBC News.

In Turks and Caicos, firearms, ammunition, and other weapons arent permitted. As a result, those who violate the law face a mandatory sentence of 12 years behind bars.

Thats a bag my husband has used numerous times on hunting trips, and going to hunting camp, and it was just left over in a secure pouch and it was just forgotten about, and you know, people make mistakes, and in this sense, the crime just doesnt fit the sentencing and the repercussions of this, Ashley Hagerich said to WPXI.

They boarded the flight in the U.S. and entered into Turks and Caicos without issue. But it wasnt until Hagerich and his wife were leaving that the ammo was discovered.

Youre not checked entering the country, youre checked leaving the country, and that to me makes no sense, Ashley Hagerich told the news outlet.

A spokesperson with the U.S. Department of State was asked Wednesday about reports regarding numerous Americans who are currently detained on the islands and awaiting hearings.

This includes Ryan Watson, whom NBC Boston recently spoke with.

We are aware of these reports and are continuing to engage and provide all appropriate consular assistance, Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said to WPXI.

Though it hasnt been confirmed how many Americans are currently detained and facing prison time, Patel said the department issued a security alert on this subject last year.

We have reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Turks and Caicos, weve reached out to congressmen, senators, our governor, and we just keep getting told that theres nothing anybody can do, Ashley Hagerich said to the news outlet. And, in my mind, there has to be something that somebody can do.

So far, Hagerich has posted bond and retained an attorney. A hearing is scheduled for next month.

Hes our lifeline, he is salt of the earth, he couldnt be a better husband, father, friend, son, his wife said in an interview. Hes just everything, and to see him going through something so painful is just unimaginable.

As for Watson, he remains in Turks and Caicos and was granted $15,000 bail by the local supreme court. He must stay on the islands and report twice a week to a local police station while waiting for his hearing, which is scheduled for June 7, Insider reported.

His family is trying to raise $300,000 for his legal fees and housing there.

Isolated from their family, friends, and children, they face mounting legal fees, living expenses, and the overwhelming stress of their situation, their GoFundMe reads. The emotional and financial toll is immense, and they are at risk of losing everything.
By PETER SMITH, The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  United Methodist delegates repealed their churchs longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate on Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding self-avowed practicing homosexuals from being ordained or appointed as ministers.

Delegates voted 692-51 at their General Conference  the first such legislative gathering in five years. That overwhelming margin contrasts sharply with the decades of controversy around the issue.

Past General Conferences of the United Methodist Church had steadily reinforced the ban and related penalties amid debate and protests, but many of the conservatives who had previously upheld the ban have left the denomination in recent years, and this General Conference has moved in a solidly progressive direction.

Applause broke out in parts of the convention hall Wednesday after the vote. A group of observers from LGBTQ advocacy groups embraced, some in tears. Thanks be to God, said one.

The change doesnt mandate or even explicitly affirm LGBTQ clergy, but it means the church no longer forbids them. Its possible that the change will mainly apply to U.S. churches, since United Methodist bodies in other countries, such as in Africa, have the right to impose the rules for their own regions.

The measure takes effect immediately upon the conclusion of General Conference, scheduled for Friday.

Michigan Bishop David Bard presides at a session of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Peter Smith)AP

The consensus was so overwhelmingly that it was rolled into a consent calendar, a package of normally non-controversial measures that are bundled into a single vote to save time.

Also approved was a measure that forbids district superintendents  a regional administrator  from penalizing clergy for either performing a same-sex wedding or for refraining from performing one. It also forbids superintendents from forbidding or requiring a church from hosting a same-sex wedding.

Delegates are also expected to vote as soon as today on whether to replace their official Social Principles with a new document that no longer calls the practice of homosexuality  incompatible with Christian teaching and that defines marriage as between two people of faith rather than between a man and a woman.

The changes are historic in a denomination that has debated LGBTQ issues for more than half a century at its General Conferences, which typically meet every four years. On Tuesday, delegates voted to remove mandatory penalties for conducting same-sex marriages and to remove their denominations bans on considering LGBTQ candidates for ministry and on funding for gay-friendly ministries.

At the same time, it comes following the departure of one-quarter of the U.S. churches within the UMC. And it could also prompt departures of some international churches.

Last week, the conference endorsed a regionalization plan that essentially would allow the churches of the United States the same autonomy as other regions of the global church. That change  which still requires local ratification  could create a scenario where LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage are allowed in the United States but not in other regions.

More than 7,600 mostly conservative congregations in the United States disaffiliated between 2019 and 2023 reflecting dismay over the denomination not enforcing its bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination.
A new poll of swing states has President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in a statistical tie in Pennsylvania while U.S. Sen. Bob Casey has a slight lead over Republican challenger Dave McCormick.

Emerson College Polling and TheHill.com surveyed 1,000 registered voters in each swing state and determined that Trump leads in every one, but his leads in five of those states fall within the margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.

In Pennsylvania, Trump leads Biden 47% to 45% with 8% undecided, the poll found.

RealClearPolitics.com, which aggregates various polls, says the average polling result for the presidential race in Pennsylvania is Trump leading Biden 48% to 47%.

The poll found that Casey leads McCormick 46% to 42% with 12% undecided. In February, Emerson/The Hill had Casey up 49% to 39% and up 45% to 41% in March.

Other swing state results in the Emerson/The Hill poll were Arizona (Trump +4 points), Georgia (Trump +3 points), Michigan (Trump +1 point), Nevada (Trump +1 point), North Carolina (Trump +5 points) and Wisconsin (Trump +2 points).

Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement that independent voters in Pennsylvania are going for Trump 49% to 33%. Pennsylvania voters in labor unions, he said, favor Biden 50% to 43%.

The poll found that when a third-party candidate, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is included among the presidential choices it negatively impacts Biden more than Trump in five swing states, including Pennsylvania.

According to the poll, Trumps lead over Biden is 45% to 41% when Kennedy (6%) and other candidates (2%) are considered.

Fifty percent of voters said Trumps criminal trial in New York City over hush-money payments to a porn star is appropriate to hold him accountable, while 43% agreed with Trump that the trial constitutes a witch hunt.

When asked if a guilty verdict would make them more or less likely to vote for Trump, 33% of Pennsylvania voters said more likely and 29% said less likely.
A Lancaster County jury spent less than half an hour deliberating before convicting a 62-year-old man of sexually abusing three children, prosecutors said.

George Wakeley, of York, was found guilty on March 18 of 17 sex offenses in connection to the abuse of children between ages 5 and 12. The abuse happened between 2003 and 2008 in Warwick Township, according to the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office.

Wakeley was convicted of eight counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, three counts of corruption of minors and six counts of indecent assault of a person less than 13.
Want a say in the news? Email Claudia at todayinpa@pennlive.com to have your thoughts on the stories covered here or on PennLive heard.
Concerns about outsized influence of sometimes untraceable political donations drew a small group of people to the state Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday to call on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to allow state and federal lawmakers to enact campaign finance regulations.

Their movement grows out of decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court that have struck down numerous campaign finance laws passed by states and Congress, which have made it difficult for elected officials to take action to address this issue, said Matthew Powell, Pennsylvania state manager for American Promise, a cross-partisan, non-profit group, based in Massachusetts.

That is why a constitutional amendment is necessary, Powell said. We need to give our legislators a fresh start to be able to take this issue head-on and make changes that our future generations will be able to benefit from.

American Promises sole mission is advocating for ratification of a For our Freedom amendment to grant states the ability to establish campaign finance limits. To accomplish this, two-thirds of the members of each chamber of Congress would have to approve a proposed amendment and then it would go to the states where three-fourths of them would have to ratify it.

Resolutions have been introduced in the state legislature to urge Congress to pass an amendment granting Congress and states the ability to regulate and limit contributions and spending in campaigns, elections or ballot issues. To date, Powell said 22 states have passed resolutions calling on Congress to act on this proposed amendment.

Rep. Ben Waxman, D-Philadelphia, who sponsored a House resolution on the issue, said the court decisions have opened the floodgates to so-called dark money from a small number of wealthy individuals or groups who can keep their identities hidden to influence the outcome of an election, a campaign or issue before the legislature.

His resolution passed the House State Government Committee last month by a bipartisan 22-3 vote.

The fact that we have such a tiny group of people with such outsized influence on the outcome of our elections  that is unacceptable, Waxman said.

A 2023 Franklin & Marshall College Poll found most Pennsylvanians agree with Waxman. Some 93% of voters believe the influence of money in politics is a threat to democracy and 84% support limiting the amount of money individual and entities can contribute to political campaigns, according to the poll.

We need to take the dark money out of politics, Period, said Rep. Tarah Probst, D-Monroe County. If you look at my financial report, you can see who gives me dollars. You can can see who gives me cents. You can see every single donation. Its transparency but there are representatives and people out there giving in excess of $50,000, $60,000, $70,000 a day from dark money. Its corporations buying politicians. Its not allowing the people to pick their politicians and until this changes, we are going to see gridlock everywhere.

Last week, a number of Democratic representatives stood outside the office where Commonwealth Partners is located across the street from the Capitol in Harrisburg, pledging not to take money from Pennsylvanias richest resident, Jeffrey Yass, who Probst specifically named during the news conference as someone who uses his money to influence representatives. A spokesman for Yass at the time declined comment about the event.

Along with contributing to Republican and Democratic legislative campaigns, Yass invested more than $46 million in federal candidates campaigns in this election cycle alone, ranking him as the nations top individual donor, according to data from the nonpartisan Open Secrets.

Powell urged the General Assembly to pass the resolution offered by Waxman and a similar one offered by Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin County, to urge Congress to act on the anti-dark money amendment, sending a clear message to Congress to propose the For our Freedom amendment giving the power back to the states and Congress to regulate spending in their elections.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on X at @JanMurphy.
President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua attends a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Fu Hua delivered a keynote speech at the event. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

BELGRADE, April 30 (Xinhua) -- China and Serbia should actively leverage their advantages of exchanges and cooperation at all levels to contribute wisdom and strength to the development of bilateral relations and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, agreed participants at a China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday.

Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the forum brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries.

At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements."

The report interprets the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind from multiple perspectives such as history, theory, culture and practice, representing the latest achievement of Xinhua's studies of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy.

The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future."

Addressing the forum, President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua said building a community with a shared future for mankind, a core concept of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, has contributed oriental wisdom to addressing global challenges. It is a concentrated expression of the common value pursuit of all mankind and has delivered tangible benefits for people of all countries.

China and Serbia are "iron-clad friends" who have stood together through thick and thin, Fu said, noting that as both countries move forward towards modernization, their collaboration vividly exemplifies promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Fu, also chairman of the academic committee of New China Research, said Xinhua attaches great importance to exchanges and cooperation with Serbian media and think tanks, and is willing to work with the Serbian side to continue telling well the story of China-Serbia friendship.

He said that through high-quality, multidimensional news coverage and think tank research, Xinhua aims to comprehensively showcase the bright prospects of China-Serbia relations in the new era, build a communication bridge and provide intellectual support for bilateral cooperation in various fields, and continue to act as an envoy for the China-Serbia friendship to bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Ji Zhengju, vice-director of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the sustained and stable development of sound relations between China and Serbia plays an important role in better building a community with a shared future for mankind.

From this perspective, it is of great significance to strengthen cultural exchanges so as to jointly promote high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative through people-to-people connectivity and lay a solid foundation for enhancing the friendship between China and Serbia, added Ji, who is also director of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau.

Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming highlighted the special significance of the forum held on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Serbia. He said he believes the forum and the report will provide strong intellectual support for the development of China-Serbia relations and make positive contributions to the spread and implementation of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Manja Grcic, director general of Tanjug News Agency, said Tanjug, since its establishment, has always focused on China. Noting that cooperation between Serbia and China in jointly building the Belt and Road has achieved fruitful results and thus provided abundant resources for news reporting, Grcic said her agency will continue to focus on such cooperation with objective and truthful reports so as to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples and contribute to the development of bilateral relations.

Goran Vesic, Serbia's minister of construction, transport and infrastructure, told the forum that the Serbian economy has developed rapidly in recent years, which is indispensable from China's support, and Chinese investments are highly welcomed in Serbia.

Serbia hopes to initiate higher-quality infrastructure cooperation with China, and promote the construction of smart roads, said the minister, adding that he believes pragmatic cooperation between the two countries will reach a higher level under the guidance of the two heads of state.

Following the event, Xinhua News Agency and Tanjug News Agency signed an agreement on news exchange and agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in news reporting and communication.

President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua attends a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Fu Hua delivered a keynote speech at the event. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua attends a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Fu Hua delivered a keynote speech at the event. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua and Manja Grcic, director general of Tanjug News Agency, sign an agreement on news exchange and agree to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in news reporting and communication in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Fu Hua attended a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" here on Tuesday, and delivered a keynote speech at the event. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

This photo shows the Chinese-English bilingual version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" launched by Xinhua News Agency. Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries. At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements." The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future." (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

This photo shows the Serbian version and the Chinese-English bilingual version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" launched by Xinhua News Agency. Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries. At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements." The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future." (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

This photo shows the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" launched by Xinhua News Agency. Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries. At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements." The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future." (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Guests read the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" launched by Xinhua News Agency at a China-Serbia media and think tank forum in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries. At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements." The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future." (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

This photo taken on April 30, 2024 shows a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" in Belgrade, Serbia. Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries. At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements." The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future." (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

This photo taken on April 30, 2024 shows the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" launched by Xinhua News Agency at a China-Serbia media and think tank forum in Belgrade, Serbia. Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries. At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements." The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future." (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

Manja Grcic, director general of Tanjug News Agency, delivers a speech at a China-Serbia media and think tank forum in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries. At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements." The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future." (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Goran Vesic, Serbia's minister of construction, transport and infrastructure, delivers a speech at a China-Serbia media and think tank forum in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries. At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements." The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future." (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Guests attend a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" in Belgrade, Serbia, April 30, 2024. Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries. At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements." The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future." (Xinhua/Li Jing)

Participants attend a China-Serbia media and think tank forum and launching ceremony of the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements" in Belgrade, Serbia, April 30, 2024. Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries. At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements." The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future." (Xinhua/Li Jing)

Editor: WXL
Klint Griffin Wins WSOPC Ring After 20 Year Break From Playing Poker

Jon Pill Contributor Copy link

A field of 395 entrants gathered together for the $1,700 Main Event at the World Series of Poker Circuit festival at the Horseshoe Tunica in Mississippi. The turnout made for a prize pool of $588,425, of which $127,307 was reserved for the first-place finisher. When the dealer pushed the final pot of the event, Klint Griffin was the man it was pushed to.

Griffin, a resident of Tennessee, collected his WSOPC Ring after a nearly 20-year hiatus from poker. Before 2023, Griffin had a single cash in 2005, from a period when he played pokermostly cash gamesfor a living.

However, in fall of last year, Griffin made a return to poker. He cashed for a few thousand dollars each in a handful of WSOPC North Carolina events throughout August and December.

This time around in Tunica, he went all the way.

Day 3 Action

Horseshoe Tunica

By the time the time play closed on Day 2 of the WSOPC Tunica Main Event the field of 395 had been whittled down to just six.

Griffin was the fourth biggest stack of the returning six on Day 3. However, soon after play started, he moved into the chip lead.

Drew Dunaway was the first to bust on Day 3. It was his birthday and his present was $22,160 for sixth place.

Griffin continued to collect chips as the remaining members of the field fell away one by one. Once he was down to heads up against Lucian Camargo Silveira, Griffin had four of every five chips in play.

It didn't take Griffin long to mop up what was left of Silveira's chips, earning him a $127k payday and sending Silveira to the rail with $78,678 for second place.

Griffin won't be taking another 20 years off, he told reporters after the dust had settled. "I'll play some more circuit events and maybe dabble going out [to the WSOP] in June," he said.

2024 WSOPC Tunica $1,700 Main Event Final Table Results

Position Player Hometown Prize 1 Klint Griffin Franklin,TN $127,307 2 Lucian Camargo Silveira Porto Alegra,Brazil $78,678 3 Billy Dickerson Covington, LA $55,792 4 Trace Henderson Gulfport, MS $40,272 5 Phuong Nguyen Southhaven, MS $29,600 6 Drew Dunaway Bessemer, AL $22,160 7 Daniel Kusnerak Newton, NC $16,904 8 Thomas Tackett York, SC $13,144 9 Eric Sutton Decherd, TN $10,421

Image courtesy of the World Series of Poker, taken by photographer Rachel Winter.

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A train runs on the Belgrade-Novi Sad high-speed railway on the Danube river in Serbia, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Ren Weiyun/Xinhua)

Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visits are expected to promote the sustained, steady and sound development of China-Europe relations, help provide more stability and certainty for a turbulent world, and further energize global development.

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay state visits to France, Serbia and Hungary from May 5 to 10.

The visits will be the Chinese president's first trip to Europe in the past nearly five years. Xi's trip is expected to enhance bilateral relations with the three countries and boost their mutually beneficial cooperation.

Meanwhile, China and the European Union (EU) are two major forces advancing multipolarity, two major markets in support of globalization, and two major civilizations championing diversity.

Xi's upcoming visits are expected to promote the sustained, steady and sound development of China-Europe relations, help provide more stability and certainty for a turbulent world, and further energize global development.

UNIQUE HISTORY, STEADY PARTNERSHIP

Xi's upcoming visit to France marks his third state visit to the European country after visits in 2014 and 2019. This visit will take place during the 60th anniversary year of China-France diplomatic ties, which gives the visit special meaning as an important opportunity to build on past achievements and guide the future for bilateral ties.

Under the guidance of the two heads of state, China and France have witnessed the steady development of their bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. The two countries have also become staunch advocates for the multi-polarization of the world and the democratization of international relations.

As today's world is once again at a critical crossroads, China and France should jointly open up a path of peace, security, prosperity and progress for human development, Xi said in January while exchanging congratulations with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

There are many "firsts" in China-France relations: France is the first major Western nation to formalize diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1964, and the first major Western country to form a comprehensive strategic partnership with Beijing. The European country is also the first among Western nations to conduct civilian nuclear energy cooperation with China.

Visitors walk past the France pavilion during the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

The unique history of bilateral ties has shaped the "China-France spirit," featuring independence, mutual understanding, foresight, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. Over the past six decades, this dynamic relationship has witnessed numerous historic milestones and tangible accomplishments.

Trade is one example. Bilateral trade between China and France has surged dramatically, increasing 800-fold to reach 78.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. China is now France's largest trading partner in Asia, while France ranks as China's third-largest trading partner and the third-largest source of investment in real terms within the European Union (EU).

China and France are representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations respectively. In recent years, the two sides have continuously expanded their cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

For example, the two sides have cooperated in the restoration and protection of their respective iconic cultural heritages, including the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and China's Terracotta Warriors. The two sides have also set up cultural centers in each other's countries and designated 2024 as the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism.

Though France and China are very different regarding culture, history and political systems, "we can draw inspiration from our differences to progress together," said Eric Alauzet, president of the France-China friendship group of the French National Assembly.

The key is "to talk to each other, to listen to each other, and to understand each other," he said.

IRONCLAD FRIENDSHIP

"Ironclad" is often used to describe the relationship between China and Serbia.

Xi called Serbia "an ironclad friend" of China during his meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who was in Beijing to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in October last year.

He said that bilateral relations have withstood changes in the international landscape over recent years and are an example of friendly relations between China and European countries. In response, Vucic said his country is proud of its ironclad friendship with China.

The fruitful Belt and Road cooperation between China and Serbia is a testament to the special relationship.

Steel coils are seen at the steelworks of HBIS Serbia in Smederevo, Serbia, May 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

The high-speed train linking the Serbian capital Belgrade and the country's second-largest city Novi Sad is a part of the Belgrade-Budapest railway. It is a key project of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries under the Belt and Road Initiative.

In March, the Belgrade-Novi Sad high-speed railway marked its second anniversary. Over the past two years, the railway has transported some 6.83 million passengers, effectively enhancing local connectivity.

The rebirth of Smederevo Steelworks is another good example of a strong partnership. The plant, located near the Danube River and considered the pride of Serbia, was once on the verge of bankruptcy. However, with the burgeoning Belt and Road cooperation between China and Serbia, the century-old factory experienced a remarkable resurgence.

After a Chinese company invested in the mill in 2016, things changed: Thousands of jobs were saved, and the production capacity and environmental performance greatly improved.

Meanwhile, Serbia and China are close trading partners. The European country has participated in the China International Import Expo for six consecutive years. Beer, red wines, agricultural products, and other products from Serbia have become favorites with Chinese consumers.

In October 2023, China and Serbia signed a free trade agreement to boost bilateral trade and business ties, the first one inked by China with a country from Central and Eastern Europe.

The brotherly friendship between China and Serbia is also attributed to the fact that they always help each other in hours of urgent need.

In 2008, after a major earthquake occurred in China's Sichuan Province, Serbia mobilized a batch of tents from its military reserves to aid China's disaster areas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government dispatched a medical expert team to Serbia to assist in combating the outbreak.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (L) greets members of the Chinese medical team via elbow contact in Belgrade, Serbia, March 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Shi Zhongyu)

Xi's visit to Serbia will be his second visit to the country in eight years, which will mark an important milestone for strengthening and elevating China-Serbia ties.

NEW CHAPTER IN CHINA-HUNGARY COOPERATION

Xi's upcoming visit to Hungary marks his first state visit to the European country as China's head of state.

Over the past 75 years since establishing diplomatic relations, China and Hungary have enjoyed mutual respect, mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual trust.

Hungary is the first European country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with China. In 2017, the two countries announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

A China-Europe freight train bound for Budapest, Hungary leaves a logistics base in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 29, 2022. (Photo by Xi Jingyu/Xinhua)

China is willing to continue to be good friends and partners with Hungary who trust each other and pursue win-win cooperation, and take the China-Hungary comprehensive strategic partnership to new levels, Xi said during his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Beijing in October 2023.

With the care and strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China-Hungary connectivity continues to deepen, with pragmatic cooperation flourishing.

Both sides are promoting a deep synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative with Hungary's "Opening to the East" policy. From direct cargo flights between Budapest and Chinese cities including Zhengzhou and Ningbo, to the efficient operation of China-Europe freight trains, the enhanced transportation network has significantly boosted Hungary's position as a transportation hub in the region.

Moreover, both China and Hungary have a long history and splendid cultures, and the peoples of the two countries have enjoyed a time-tested friendship and increasingly close cultural exchanges.

Last year, in his reply to a letter from students of the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school in Hungary, Xi encouraged Hungarian youths to learn more about China and become envoys of the China-Hungary friendship.

A Chinese teacher instructs students on Chinese calligraphy at Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school in Budapest, Hungary, Feb. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

Founded in September 2004, the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school is the first full-time school in Central and Eastern Europe that uses both Chinese and the local language for instruction, a model of cultural and educational cooperation between the two countries.

SUSTAINED, SOUND CHINA-EUROPE RELATIONS

China always views its relations with Europe from a strategic and long-term perspective and views Europe as a comprehensive strategic partner and an important force in a multi-polar world.

The two sides should do more to increase the breadth and depth of cooperation and tighten the bond of shared interests, Xi said in December 2023 during his meeting with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Beijing.

With concerted efforts from both sides, China and the EU have emerged as each other's second-largest trading partners, underscoring the fact that for China and the EU, cooperation far outweighs competition, and the areas of consensus far exceed differences.

Photo taken on May 27, 2021 shows the Kaposvar solar power plant in Kaposvar, Hungary. Hungary inaugurated the country's largest solar power plant, which was built by China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) near the southwestern city of Kaposvar. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

In 2023, the China-Europe freight train service had connected 219 cities in 25 European countries, establishing a secure and efficient lifeline for global industrial and supply chains.

Meanwhile, China has granted visa-free entry to multiple European countries, facilitating personnel exchanges and economic and trade activities between the two sides.

Key cooperation projects under the Belt and Road, such as the Belgrade-Budapest railway, the Port of Piraeus in Greece, and the Peljesac Bridge in Croatia, continue to benefit people along the routes.

As the international landscape is undergoing profound changes, global observers hope that China and Europe can strengthen their communication and cooperation.

"Many agree with the Chinese president's principle that we are all in the same boat, (and) that our common destiny is linked," said Stephan Ossenkopp, a senior researcher with the German think tank the Schiller Institute.

"A respectful exchange between our civilizations at both ends of the Eurasian continent is essential," said Ossenkopp.

Meanwhile, Lyazid Benhami, vice president of the Paris Association of French-Chinese Friendship, said "China and Europe are two major global players, and global challenges require them to work together."

"Dialogue and joint action based on mutual respect are the only tools capable of bringing about a better shared future," said Benhami.

Editor: WXL
Aiken Standard reporter

Matthew Christian is a reporter for the Aiken Standard. He covers the Savannah River Site, city of Aiken, politics and public safety and courts.

Matthew previously covered government and politics for the Morning News in Florence. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law and the University of Charleston in West Virginia.

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A special event in Dubai aims at highlighting the vibrant lifestyle in Seoul, capital of South Korea, through a diverse programme featuring a K-POP concert and fan appreciation moments with K-POP artists Oh my Girl and Kard, along with K-POP cover dance performances, a brand showcase of Seoul, a lucky draw event, and much more.

Seoul My Soul in Dubai to be held from May 6-7 in Dubai will be hosted by Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization.

The venue will open Seoul-style pop-up booths, offering visitors an immersive experience of Seoul's festival scene. From beauty and wellness to the Hallyu phenomenon, K-food, and more, the experience space will be filled with interactive content and items that reflect Seoul's unique lifestyle.

In the Beauty Seoul Zone, visitors can immerse themselves in the full Seoulite festivalgoer experience.

They'll have the opportunity to be glammed up by K-Beauty makeup artists and personally decorate light sticks and bracelets  must-haves for any festival  to take home afterward.

At the Seoul Picnic Zone, a media art wall and ASMR zone will transport visitors through Seoul's four seasons, creating a unique sensory experience. The mini photo studios in the Hallyu provides multiple background options such as K-POP music video style.

Additionally, a Medical Zone will offer skincare consultations for those interested in beauty treatments. The K-Food Zone will showcase the latest drinks and snacks trending in Seoul, while the Brand Zone will feature newly launched 'Seoul My Soul' official Goods.

The main event will kick off with thrilling performances by renowned K-pop cover dance teams from the UAE, setting the stage for an electrifying dive into the dynamic world of K-pop.

Following this, the Seoul City Brand Showcase will feature talented drawing artists from Seoul, offering immersive art experiences showcasing the citys must-visit hotspots and foodie stops.

Participants will also have the chance to win round-trip airline tickets from Dubai to Seoul and hotel vouchers through a lucky draw, offering them the exciting opportunity to experience Seoul firsthand.

The highlight of the programme is the K-pop concerts, featuring the popular idol group Oh my Girl on May 6 and Kard on May 7. These performances will be complemented by live audience dress rehearsals, meet-and-greets, and other fan-centric activities, culminating in an unforgettable event finale.

Tickets for this event, which are free of charge, have been made available from April 22, and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to 1,500 people.  TradeArabia News Service
COLUMBIA  An immigrant-owned Asian restaurant is coming to Rosewood Drive. The sibling pair running the restaurant hope to bring more diversity to Columbias Asian cuisine market.

Alley Street Eats, located at 4478 Rosewood Dr., is shooting for an early June opening, co-owner Sally Chung said. The spot will offer skewers and street-style varieties of Asian food with a tapas feel, she said.

Sally and Joe Chung are no strangers to Columbia. The two have lived in the city since high school after immigrating from Hong Kong with their parents.

The two grew up working in their parents mom-and-pop style Chinese restaurant before pursuing other ventures  Sally going on to corporate banking, Joe to medical school. But both decided to return to the restaurant industry.

Its funny we told ourselves, Were never going to get into the restaurant business, Sally Chung said.

Seeing their family experience the time-consuming nature and difficulty of working in restaurants turned them away from the industry, but a love of the food they grew up with brought them back, Sally said.

The two have operated various restaurants in the area for the past several years, including the Freshe Poke Huger Street and Forest Drive locations and formerly Ganbei in Lexington, she said. Joe operates the No 1 Chinese Restaurant on Garners Ferry Road.

But their new venture at Alley Street Eats promises a new challenge as a full-service restaurant.

A full-service restaurant definitely takes a lot more time and effort and creativity, but I think were excited to be back into the business and take on a challenge, she said.

Offerings of Asian cuisine in Columbia have grown and diversified in the past few years, she said. Thai, Vietnamese and fusion restaurants have joined the staple Chinese and Japanese offerings, but there are still cuisines from other countries not represented in the area.
You know how Charlestonians get when they see snow falling? That was Pickens Rep. Neal Collins the morning Tropical Storm Helene arrived at his Easley home. He stood in his garage and shot video of the rain. I woke up before my 5am alarm with unexpected excitement, he posted on social medi Read moreScoppe: 'We are being manipulated by people who don't have our best interests at heart'
COLUMBIA  South Carolinians hopes for legalized medical cannabis has likely been snuffed out this year.

The S.C. House of Representatives adjourned May 9 without spending a single moment debating a decade-old proposal by Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, to legalize medical marijuana.

A House ad hoc committee appointed to study the legislation adjourned April 30 without taking a vote on the bill.

Rep. Sylleste Davis, the Moncks Corner Republican who chairs the committee, told reporters after the hearing the group is unlikely to meet again in the few working days left before the end of the 2024 legislative session  a likely indication the House will once again decline to act on the bill despite it passing an oftentimes more deliberative Senate two separate times over the past three years.

We just dont have a lot of time, Davis told reporters. But I mean, I do think this was a worthwhile effort. It certainly isnt time wasted. We learned a lot today and got some good information. And were just gonna have to see how this other thing plays out.

The other thing Davis referred to was news that broke earlier in the day that the federal Drug Enforcement Administration was planning to reschedule marijuana from a dangerous, Schedule I narcotic to the less severe Schedule III, a classification often reserved for prescription narcotics with low potential for addiction.

But even then, the latest news out of Washington, D.C., would likely have little bearing on the South Carolina bill, which its sponsor has often referred to as the most conservative medical cannabis legislation in the United States.

The measure allows only a limited number of people suffering from a set number of debilitating or terminal conditions such as cancer, colitis, sickle cell anemia or severe neurological disease to access the drug.

Also, the drug cannot be sold in smokeable flower form and can only be consumed via an unflavored edible, tincture or vaporizer. It would be a felony for anyone without a prescription to consume it.
GREENVILLE  A state lawmaker is calling for a hearing with South Carolinas Medicaid director following allegations the agency sent voter registration materials to a non-U.S. citizen  but the state Election Commission said it has no evidence that people were fraudulently being registered to vote.

Rep. Jordan Pace, R-Goose Creek, a member of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, sent a letter requesting an investigation to the chairs of the House Legislative Oversight Committee and House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal affairs April 30.

Upon discovery that Health and Human Services has been distributing voter registration forms to non-citizen migrants, I request an emergency hearing with the Director of Health and Human Services to clarify details and answer why these forms are being given to non-citizens, he wrote.

Paces call for an investigation came shortly after Greenville state Rep. Adam Morgan, a Republican candidate for the 4th District congressional seat, posted on social media that South Carolinas Medicaid office gave forms to a refugee in Spartanburg County with information on registering to vote  posts that quickly went viral.

The agency said it is investigating the incident and only sends information to legal residents as required by federal law.

In a series of posts April 29 on X, formerly known as Twitter, Morgan initially said the unnamed person received a voter registration form in a packet from the Social Security office in Spartanburg. Despite mailing the forms back, they later received more voter registration forms in the mail, he said.

None of this is by accident, Morgan wrote.

The posts quickly garnered attention with 433 responses, 5,000 likes and nearly 4,000 shares by noon April 30.

Morgan later updated the thread to clarify the forms came from the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services office and that he had been in touch with those involved.
Hope Blackley

Blackley said people around her encouraged her to run so she can go down to Columbia and help get resources back to this district.

They said they saw me standing and doing whats right and seemed accountable and transparent, she said.

She served as a child victim advocate and crime victims' ombudsman from the late 1990s to 2010, then was appointed Spartanburg County clerk of court. In 2019, she left that role to work as U.S. Rep. William Timmons district director. Now she runs Hope Consulting.

Blackley, who has an undergraduate degree in teaching, said her top priority is education. She praised the state's recent strides in raising teacher pay but said South Carolina still has work to do.

From the ruralest of rural areas to the ZIP codes that are really excelling and have good tax base support, they all deserve a good education, she said.

Blackley said teachers should be able to choose where they teach and need higher pay. Parental rights in the classroom are another focal point for Blackley, but she said it is a fine line between oversight and overburdening teachers.

Other priorities include supporting law enforcement and helping the districts economy continue to chug along, which could include tax cuts. She also wants to ensure families in the district earn a livable wage.

On the unaccounted-for $1.8 billion, she said that money could be used to cut taxes and raise teacher pay. She added that additional oversight is needed to prevent similar errors.

Abortion has been a divisive issue in the Republican-dominated state legislature. Blackley said she would advocate for banning it at conception with few exceptions.

Atop all these priorities, Blackley said she believes peoples voices, not legislators agendas, should run the government.
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 17:11:57

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Georgia branch leader receives the Lee Ann Petty Heart of Service Award, Regions Bank's highest honor for community involvement.By Candace HigginbothamVILLA RICA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 /Regions Bank on Wednesday announced Kascia Polk, manager of Regions' Villa Rica, Georgia, branch, has been awarded the 2024 Lee Ann Petty Heart of Service Award, Regions' highest honor for community involvement.Regions Chairman, President and CEO John Turner presented the award to Polk at the annual Chairman's Club celebration, which honors the bank's top performers."I appreciate all you do to make a positive difference and for shining a light on our core values," Turner said as he announced Polk as this year's winner. "Your story is an example for all of us. Our mission is to make life better for the people and places we serve, and you put that mission into action in how you serve others every day. That is the spirit of community involvement championed by Lee Ann Petty throughout her time with Regions, and that spirit continues to drive how we put others first." The Lee Ann Petty Heart of Service Award, launched last year, recognizes a Regions associate whose extraordinary volunteerism and outreach make a lasting impact in ways that are consistent with the bank's core values, including Do What is Right and Put People First.Longtime Regions associate Lee Ann Petty served as volunteer services coordinator in Regions' Community Affairs division. She passed away on Dec. 30, 2020, following a courageous battle against cancer. Her commitment to serving others continues to inspire thousands of Regions associates.Regions is proud to honor Kascia Polk with the award that pays tribute to Petty's legacy. From teaching financial wellness classes and serving in leadership positions in civic organizations to founding and operating a nonprofit to enrich the lives of underserved schoolchildren - Polk has dedicated her life to serving others. Her recognition coincides with National Volunteer Week, a time to recognize those who lend their time, talent and voice to make a difference in their communities."I'm honored and humbled to be recognized with the Lee Ann Petty Heart of Service Award," Polk said. "I personally believe helping others is the key to happiness and fulfillment in life, and we must all work together to lift up those in our communities in need." Polk has been with Regions for seven years, but as this heartfelt video illustrates, her service to the community began years before that. She was always studious, and education was very important throughout her life. She was active with her children's school and was a member of the PTA. Naturally curious with an adventurous spirit, she and her children frequently took weekend exploration trips together.In 2012, during a particularly challenging time in her life, she recognized the need to give back. She decided to make those Saturday educational excursions available to more children - especially those whose families may not have the resources to make those kinds of trips. Beyond the Front Porch began serving Douglas County students in August 2012.Beyond the Front Porch is thriving today, serving hundreds of K-12 students on free or reduced lunch each year. Many have gone on to attend college; one is currently attending MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The organization has taken students to destinations in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, including the Tennessee Aquarium, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center."Kascia is a trusted colleague and friend who works tirelessly to build a better community," said Mia Hubbard, consumer banking executive for Regions in Georgia and the Carolinas. Hubbard noted how Polk shares the same energy and enthusiasm with her customers and colleagues."Kascia is very passionate about financial wellness, and she is the catalyst for helping more members of the community by sharing advice and guidance through our financial education seminars and webinars," Hubbard continued. "As a result, we've seen customers wait to be assisted by Kascia because they know she genuinely cares about their financial wellbeing. She's a great example for someone who may not have had this modeled in their home. Kascia reflects the values of servant leadership and gives others hope and reason to believe that they can meet their life goals." Polk also serves as a trustee for the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce. According to Sara Ray, CEO and president of the chamber, Polk is an essential part of the community."Kascia is not the type of person who is going to support initiatives or projects for self-serving purposes," Ray said. "She genuinely is leaning in to help fill the needs of our community." "Kascia has a true servant leader's heart," added Gina Sian, head of the Making Life Better Institute programs. "The selection committee for this year's award was deeply moved and inspired by her leadership and persistent determination. We celebrate her work in building and growing Beyond the Front Porch, and now in teaching other communities to follow suit. She showed us the impact that one person can have with an idea that fills a need, a drive to see past barriers, and a heart that moves others to action." In recognition of Polk's service, Regions is making a $2,500 donation to Beyond the Front Porch. She will receive a commemorative plaque and five bonus vacation days - to take time for herself after dedicating so much time to others.About Regions Financial Corporation Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $155 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation's largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,250 banking offices and more than 2,000 ATMs. Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Regions Bank on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info: Spokesperson: Regions BankWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/regions-bank Email: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: Regions Bank
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 /Arras Minerals Corp. (TSXV:ARK) ("Arras" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the detailed voting results of the proposals considered at its annual and special meeting of shareholders held on April 30, 2024 (the "Meeting"). A total of 23,075,358 or 33.5% of the Company's issued and outstanding shares were represented at the Meeting.The Company's shareholders have voted to set the number of directors to seven (7) (22,660,729 or 98.2% voted "For", and 414,628 or 1.8% voted "Against").The following nominees, as listed in Arras' management information circular, were elected as directors of the Company:DirectorVotes ForWithheld VotesBrian Edgar19,452,00599.8%41,7450.2%Timothy Barry19,435,50599.7%58,2450.3%Darren Klinck18,880,79296.9%612,9583.1%G. Wesley Carson18,879,01096.8%614,7403.2%Daniel Kunz19,451,89299.8%41,8580.2%Vera Kobalia19,171,86798.3%321,8831.7%Christian Milau19,453,11099.8%40,6400.2%The Company's shareholders have ratified and approved the appointment of Smythe LLP as the Company's auditors, for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2024 (22,916,365 or 99.3% voted "For", and 158,993 or 0.7% abstained from voting).Arras is also pleased to announce that the Company's shareholders have re-approved, inclusive of certain amendments, the Company's equity incentive plan (18,569,511 or 95.3% voted "For", and 924,239 or 4.7% voted "Against").Full details of the proposals are fully described in the Company's management information circular filed on March 28, 2024 available on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca On behalf of the Board of Directors"Tim Barry"Tim Barry, MAusIMM CP(Geo) Chief Executive Officer and DirectorINVESTOR RELATIONS:+1 604 687 5800 info@ arrasminerals.com Further information can be found on:the Company's website https://www.arrasminerals.com orfollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arrasminerals orfollow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/arrasminerals About Arras Minerals Corp.Arras is a Canadian exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in northeastern Kazakhstan, including the Option Agreement on the Beskauga copper and gold project. The Company has established the third-largest license package in the country prospective for copper and gold (behind Rio Tinto and Fortescue). In December 2023, the Company entered into a strategic alliance with Teck Resources ("Teck") in which Teck is sole funding a US$5 million generative exploration program over a portion of the Arras license package in 2024-2025 focusing on critical minerals. The Company's shares are listed on the TSX-V under the trading symbol "ARK".Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and Arras' future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act, and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding plans and expectations of the exploration program Arras is in the process of undertaking, including the expansion of the Mineral Resource, and other aspects of the Mineral Resource estimates for the Beskauga project. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about Arras' exploration projects, the industry in which Arras operates and the beliefs and assumptions of Arras' management. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "targets," "goals," "projects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "continues," "may," variations of such words, and similar expressions and references to future periods, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond management's control, including undertaking further exploration activities, the results of such exploration activities and that such results support continued exploration activities, unexpected variations in ore grade, types and metallurgy, volatility and level of commodity prices, the availability of sufficient future financing, and other matters discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Management Discussion and Analysis filed on the Company's profile on SEDAR on February 28, 2024 and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed on February 28, 2024 available on www.sec.gov . Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this release is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.SOURCE: Arras Minerals Corp.
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Suitable for Use in Custom Window Coverings Manufactured under Updated WCMA/ANSI A100.1-2022 Safety StandardMOUNT VERNON, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc. (Ball Chain), the world's largest manufacturer of ball chain and related attachments, is delighted to announce the launch of its revolutionary connector, the Ball Chain Viper V-Type Crimp Connector, patent pending. This innovative coupling is ideal for use in continuous chain loop operating systems with tension devices specified in the updated window covering safety standard, WCMA/ANSI A100.1-2022 . The new standard takes effect June 1, 2024, and permits continuous loop operating systems in custom window coverings with compliant tension devices.Ball Chain Viper V-Type Crimp Connector Connector features extended ears, or flaps, on one side for the installer to close securely over the chain, creating a continuous loop as shown.Ball Chain continues to offer customers cutting-edge component parts for use in today's marketplace. Unlike standard connectors, the Ball Chain Viper V-Type Crimp Connector features extended ears, or flaps, on one side for the installer to close securely over the chain, creating a continuous loop. Ball Chain's talented in-house engineers designed and developed the Ball Chain Viper V-Type Crimp Connector following meticulous research and testing. "As a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated manufacturer, we're incredibly proud to have pioneered this important connector," explains EVP and Chief Engineer Val Taubner III. "The introduction of the Ball Chain Viper V-Type Crimp Connector represents a team effort and expands upon our long tradition of bringing novel products to U.S. and international customers. We are proud that this connector and all of our Ball Chain products are manufactured at our production facility in Mount Vernon, New York," adds President Bill Taubner.The Ball Chain Viper V-Type Crimp Connector is available to ship from stock at: https://www.ballchain.com/ball-chain-viper-v-type-crimp-connector-tm-patent-pending/ . Ball Chain's new combination pliers with custom milled out slots coordinate with the connector and enable the installer to close it effectively: https://www.ballchain.com/10-combination-pliers-with-cutting-tool-ball-chain-viper-v-type-crimp-connector/ . For more information, please visit our website or call President Bill Taubner at 914-664-7500, ext. 120.More about Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc.:The current owners' great-grandfather and grandfather started Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc. (Ball Chain) in a small garage behind their home in the Bronx, NY. The company has been family-owned and operated since 1938. Ball Chain is now the world's largest manufacturer of ball chains seen on military dog tags, ceiling fans, handbags and light pulls, among many other goods. The company manufactures more than 3 million feet of product per week at its Mount Vernon, New York factory (all ball chains are made in the USA). Ball Chain is the exclusive supplier to the U.S. military for the iconic dog tag ID necklace worn by U.S. servicemen and women, and the company takes tremendous pride in everything it doesContact InformationBill TaubnerPresidentbill@ ballchain.com 914-664-7500 ext 120SOURCE: Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc.View the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 14:01:21

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FORT MILL, SC / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Catheter Precision, Inc. (NYSE American:VTAK), is pleased to announce and welcome Marie-Claude Jacques as Chief Commercial Officer. Marie-Claude will be responsible for the commercialization team including sales and marketing to develop new business opportunities and improve the customer experience."As a growing medical device company, we need a sales leader that can facilitate a growth strategy to move us forward," says David Jenkins, CEO of Catheter Precision. "We are excited to welcome Marie-Claude on board to enable and empower the success of our sales team for the future." Before joining Catheter Precision Inc, Mrs. Jacques worked as Area Vice President, Commercialization & Strategy at Boston Scientific Corporation, a Fortune 500 manufacturer of medical devices used in cardiac rhythm management, peripheral interventions, endoscopy, neuromodulation, and urology/pelvic health. Marie-Claude's role at Boston Scientific followed a very successful 15 years in sales leadership at Baylis Medical where she was responsible for building and scaling the US business. The strategic plans that Marie-Claude put in place at Baylis Medical allowed the company to have high double-digit sales growth for several consecutive years. This, combined with her work in market development, were key to becoming the standard-of-care in left heart access in the US. The company's success led to the acquisition by Boston Scientific for $1.75B USD."I am passionate about building high performance teams," says Mrs. Jacques. "My sweet spot is fast-paced, high-growth, small to mid-size organizations entering new markets. I have proven success in scaling organizations to optimize results, most recently with Baylis Medical Company. I am honored to be joining Catheter Precision, Inc. and have no doubt in my mind that the organization has a bright future." David Jenkins continued, "Over the last two months we have onboarded a great group of salespeople, all of whom are excited to see Marie-Claude coming in as the leader of our revenue team. Her initial conversations with members of the team confirm my confidence in the product pipeline development. I am convinced that Marie-Claude Jacques is an excellent addition to our company." As an inducement to Mrs. Jacques' employment, she received an award of options to purchase 250,000 shares of Company common stock. The options were granted pursuant to Section 711(a) of the NYSE American listed company manual, which provides that qualifying inducement awards may be made without obtaining shareholder approval. The options have an exercise price of $0.5321 per share, vest annually over five years and have a term of 10 years.About Catheter PrecisionCatheter Precision is an innovative U.S.-based medical device company bringing new solutions to market to improve the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. It is focused on developing groundbreaking technology for electrophysiology procedures by collaborating with physicians and continuously advancing its products. Reincorporated as Ra Medical Systems, Inc. in Delaware in 2018, the Company changed its name to Catheter Precision, Inc. on August 17, 2023.Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This communication contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believe," "anticipate," "may," "might," "can," "could," "continue," "depends," "expect," "expand," "forecast," "intend," "predict," "plan," "rely," "should," "will," "may," "seek," or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These forward-looking statements are subject to the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, the following: statements regarding the Company's potential future performance. The Company's expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements as a result of uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances, including but not limited to risks and uncertainties included under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov . These risks and uncertainties include, but aren't limited to, that we do not have sufficient liquidity to fund our operations through May 2024 unless we are able to obtain additional financing or enter into a strategic transaction that would provide additional liquidity, we will not be able to reach profitability unless we are able to achieve our product expansion and growth goals, our research and development and commercialization efforts may depend on entering into agreements with corporate collaborators, we have entered into joint marketing agreements with respect to our products, and may enter into additional joint marketing agreements, that will reduce our revenues from product sales, royalty agreements with respect to our LockeT device will reduce any future profits from this product, if we experience significant disruptions in our information technology systems, our business may be adversely affected, litigation and other legal proceedings may adversely affect our business, if we make acquisitions or divestitures, we could encounter difficulties that harm our business, failure to attract and retain sufficient qualified personnel could also impede our growth, failure to maintain effective internal controls could cause our investors to lose confidence in us and adversely affect the market price of our common stock, we have determined that our internal controls and disclosure controls were not effective as of December 31, 2023, and as a result, without effective remediation of the material weaknesses that we have identified, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud, our revenues may depend on our customers' receipt of adequate reimbursement from private insurers and government sponsored healthcare programs, we may be unable to compete successfully with companies in our highly competitive industry, many of whom have substantially greater resources than we do, our future operating results depend upon our ability to obtain components in sufficient quantities on commercially reasonable terms or according to schedules, prices, quality and volumes that are acceptable to us, and suppliers may fail to deliver components, or we may be unable to manage these components effectively or obtain thes
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RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP informs investors that the firm has filed a securities fraud class action lawsuit against agilon health, inc. (NYSE:AGL) ("agilon" or the "Company"). This action, captioned Hope v. agilon health, inc., et al., Case No. 1:24-cv-00305, was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and expanded the class period which was pled in a first-filed case in that same Court. After the Hope action was filed, another case was filed against agilon in another Court, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, which even further expanded the class period as pled in the Hope action as that case is brought on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired agilon common stock between April 15, 2021, and February 27, 2024, inclusive (the "Class Period").Important Deadline Reminder: The first-filed action in the Western District of Texas issued a notice of its filing pursuant to the federal securities laws which triggered the deadline of May 20, 2024, for any investors who purchased agilon common stock to seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. The filing of the Hope Action does not change the May 20, 2024, lead plaintiff deadline.CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR AGILON LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/agilon-health-inc?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=agl&mktm=r CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERE . YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK TO COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://youtu.be/PB_vrMuHE7w LEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE: MAY 20, 2024CLASS PERIOD: APRIL 15, 2021, THROUGH FEBRUARY 27, 2024CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS:Jonathan Naji, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Email at info@ ktmc.com DEFENDANTS' MISCONDUCTagilon is a healthcare and technology company that acts as an intermediary between physician groups that provide medical services to senior citizens and Medicare and Medicare Advantage insurers. One of agilon's key financial metrics is "medical margin," which the Company defines as medical services revenue less medical services expenses.The Class Period begins on April 15, 2021, which is the day after the Registration Statement was declared effective by the SEC and the first day agilon shares were publicly traded in connection with the IPO.Throughout the Class Period, Defendants repeatedly touted the strength of agilon's medical margin. Additionally, Defendants downplayed the significant cost pressures on the Company's medical margin and profitability. For example, on June 7, 2023, just days before other health insurers such as UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Humana Inc. reported significant increases in medical costs, Defendant Bensley, speaking at an analyst-sponsored healthcare conference, reported that Defendants "expect this year to generate somewhere around $550 million of medical margin," noting that the Company has seen "steady progress on medical margin upwards." Investors began to learn the truth about the cost pressures impacting agilon's medical margin and profitability on November 2, 2023, when the Company announced its third quarter 2023 financial results after the market closed. Critically, agilon reported a net loss of $31 million for the third quarter of 2023 and slashed its fiscal year 2023 medical margin to a range between $455 million and $470 million. Defendant Sell also assured investors that agilon's more conservative approach to guidance "should reduce the risk of negative claims development next year." On this news, the price of agilon common stock declined $3.78 per share, or more than 22% over two trading-days, from a close of $16.89 per share on November 2, 2023, to close at $13.11 per share on November 6, 2023.After several additional disclosures in November 2023, investors more fully learned the truth about the cost pressures on agilon's medical margin and profitability before the market opened on January 5, 2024, when agilon updated its fiscal year 2023 financial results and provided its initial outlook for 2024. Critically, agilon further slashed its 2023 medical margin guidance more than $100 million, to a range between $340 million and $360 million, due to "higher-than-expected medical costs." This represented a decline of more than 34% from the $550 million in medical margin it had predicted. On the related investor guidance call, Defendant Sell acknowledged that agilon "failed to recognize these elevated cost trends" and had "a data and analytics gap that led to [the Company] being late in both recognizing the magnitude and source of the utilization shifts." Defendant Sell further indicated that the increased cost trends were expected to persist through 2024. Also on January 5, 2024, Defendant Bensley announced that he would retire in 2024. On this news, the price of agilon common stock plummeted $3.45 per share, or nearly 29%, from a close of $12.08 per share on January 4, 2024, to close at $8.63 per share on January 5, 2024.Finally, on February 27, 2024, agilon disclosed that its 2023 medical margin had in fact come in at just $299 million for the year - far lower than the range of $340 million to $360 million provided just a few weeks prior. Furthermore, agilon slashed its 2024 medical margin guidance by 27%. On this news, the price of agilon common stock dropped from $6.48 per share when the market closed on February 27, 2024, to $6.04 per share on March 1, 2024, a 7% decline on abnormally heavy volume of a three-day period. In subsequent days, the price of agilon stock continued to decline, falling to a low of just $5.66 per share on March 6, 2024, more than 85% below the Class Period high.WHAT CAN I DO?agilon investors may, no later than May 20, 2024, move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff for the class, through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages agilon investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASEWHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF?A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent t
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Companies aim to enhance organ donation efforts by pairing cutting-edge telediagnostic solutions with innovative marketing strategiesLOS ANGELES, CA and INDIANAPOLIS, IN / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 /CompuMed, a pioneer in remote diagnostic services for the organ donation and transplantation industry, announces a strategic collaboration with FireStarter, a full-service marketing firm with over 35 years of combined experience serving the donation and transplantation community. The teams aim to enhance organ donation efforts across the United States by pairing CompuMed's cutting-edge telediagnostic solutions with FireStarter's authentic and actionable marketing strategies.Since its founding, CompuMed has earned a reputation for combining leading-edge technologies with the expert knowledge of its U.S. board-certified physician network to provide organ recovery teams with timely, accurate and transplant-focused remote reads. This approach to telediagnostics helps shorten the time between organ offer and transplant surgery and reduce the number of organs rejected by transplant centers. As a result, 60% of OPOs trust CompuMed to help them deliver more viable organs to transplant centers and save more lives.To build on this vote of confidence within the OPO community, CompuMed has chosen to collaborate with FireStarter, a marketing agency comprised of award-winning subject matter experts who have served more than a dozen OPOs, industry trade organizations, for-profits and non-profit organizations across the donation and transplantation industry. CompuMed and FireStarter will employ marketing strategies aimed at elevating CompuMed's comprehensive telediagnostic solutions for cardiology, radiology, pathology and pulmonology, as well as diagnostic equipment."CompuMed is thrilled to work with FireStarter to foster knowledge-sharing and help us gain insights into best practices, emerging trends and innovative approaches in marketing for the donation and transplantation community we proudly serve," said Lee Keddie, president and CEO of CompuMed. "By working together, we believe our organizations can better support those on the front lines of the industry and help ensure more patients receive the call that they've been matched with a lifesaving organ." FireStarter President Dawn Bonnell also expressed pride in the collaboration, noting that CompuMed is a true industry partner. "There's a saying in the donation and transplantation community: If you've seen one OPO, you've seen one OPO.' CompuMed understands this and is committed to learning the clinical nuances of each OPO and providing customized service offerings that meet their individual needs. FireStarter is honored to help elevate CompuMed's superior customer service, which is directly resulting in more organs recovered for transplants." To learn more about CompuMed and FireStarter, visit their respective websites at compumedinc.com and firestarterllc.com ###About FireStarter, LLC FireStarter, LLC, is a full-service, fractional marketing firm based in Carmel, Indiana, that uses data-driven solutions to ignite brand stories and elevate mission-driven organizations. FireStarter provides expert recommendations and strategies to aid those looking for marketing support during a time of growth and transition or a dedicated team to help with early-stage brand development. Its award-winning team of marketing strategists, with extensive experience in organ donation and transplantation and specialty physician care, will augment your team as they work tirelessly to elevate your mission, expand your presence and spark your brand growth. Learn more at firestarterllc.com About CompuMed CompuMed brings decades of experience in delivering remote diagnostic solutions to the healthcare industry. With a focus on innovation and patient care, CompuMed's mission is to bridge the gap in medical services through technology, ensuring that every patient has access to the highest standards of healthcare, regardless of their location. CompuMed, Inc. (OTC PINK:CMPD) Diagnostic Telemedicine services provide patients with the highest level of clinical care. For more information about CompuMed's services, visit compumedinc.com CONTACT: Rachel Hill PonkoFireStarter618.567.6952 rhillponko@ firestarterllc.com Laura CarrollCompuMed310.795.2212 lcarroll@ compumedinc.com SOURCE: CompuMed, Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 15:25:18

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ST PAUL, MN / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Antea Group:EdgeCore, STACK Infrastructure, and Yondr are pleased to announce the organization of a new industry collective action consortium, Data Center Safety Council, facilitated by Antea Group.The purpose of this establishment is to form a unified approach towards ensuring safety and wellbeing of personnel in data center operations. The industry has seen a period of rapid growth adding urgency to the need for standardization of best practices, knowledge sharing and collaboration, and defining resources for training and development. This industry group will provide advocacy for aligning health and safety regulations and addressing operational health and safety challenges in a consistent approach.The vision is to create a forum where health and safety professionals work collaboratively as an industry group to improve data center worker safety wholistically. Together we will address common issues and seek long-term solutions with vendors and suppliers for the benefit and safety of data center workers."I am inspired to see key leaders in the data center industry step forward to take initiative and create collective action for the safety of their workers. We are excited to launch key workstreams this year to create better industry alignment and look forward to more members joining," Peylina Chu, Senior Vice President, Antea Group USA, serving as the Executive Director, Data Center Safety Council.Prioritizing health and safety initiatives is crucial to manage the hazards resulting from a surge in infrastructure development, increased operational complexities, and a lack of skilled workers to manage and maintain these facilities. Proactively addressing health and safety concerns is not only a practical necessity, but also a strategic guide for the sustained success of the data center industry.The founding members of Data Center Safety Council are all leaders in the industry and well positioned to create collective action and consistency for the industry as a whole with this new organization.The Data Center Safety Council is excited to extend an invitation to recruit more peers in the data center operations industry to join us in this mission.For more information, please check our LinkedIn page or contact the below.Media Inquiries:Kate Asleson, Marketing DirectorKate.asleson@anteagroup.us Membership Inquiries:Peylina Chu, Executive DirectorPeylina.chu@anteagroup.us About Antea GroupAnteaGroup is an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm. By combining strategic thinking with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world's most sustainable companies to address ESG-business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organizations to better understand threats, capture opportunities and find their position of strength. Lastly, we maintain a global perspective on ESG issues through not only our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organizations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance.View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Antea Group on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info:Spokesperson: Antea GroupWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/antea-group Email: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: Antea Group
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 15:02:30

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This Press Release Is Not for Distribution to Any United States Newswire Services or for Dissemination in the United States.KELOWNA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Diamcor Mining Inc. (TSXV:DMI)(OTCQB:DMIFF)(FRA:DC3A), ("Diamcor" or the "Company"), an established diamond mining company focused on developing a supply of ethically sourced, non-conflict, natural rough diamonds to select diamantaires and luxury retailers, announces today it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement financing (the "Financing") of up to CND$1,500,000, and anticipates that an aggregate of up to CND$1,250,000 of the Financing will be subscribed to by existing larger shareholders, management, and directors. The Financing will consist of up to 30,000,000 units (the "Units") at a price of CND$0.05 per Unit, with each Unit consisting of one common share (a "Share") of the Company, and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Share at an exercise price of CND$0.075 for a period of 36 months following the date of issuance. The Company plans to close the Financing by May 15, 2024.Proceeds from the offering will be used for the continued advancement of the Company's Krone-Endora at Venetia Project (the "Project), the work programmes currently underway, the announced efforts surrounding drilling and bulk sampling on the greater portions of the Project, the advancement of discussions on potential acquisitions of additional opportunities aimed at increasing long-term shareholder value and added growth, and for general corporate purposes. The Company plans to continue to advance ongoing discussions with financiers and industry related parties on additional funding scenarios which may be beneficial in further supporting the above noted objectives aimed at increasing long-term shareholder value and added growth and will not be proceeding with the convertible loan financing of up to CND$2,000,000 previously announced on January 18, 2024.The Financing is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange along with completion of all definitive documentation and filings as required. Securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months plus one day following the date of issuance.The securities sold in the Financing have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under such Act or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.About Diamcor Mining Inc.Diamcor Mining Inc. is a fully reporting publicly traded diamond mining company with a proven history, which is focused on building a growing supply of ethically sourced, non-conflict, natural rough diamonds to some of the world's most reputable diamantaire's and luxury retailers. The Company has a long-term strategic alliance with world famous Tiffany & Co, and currently, its primary focus is on the development of its Krone-Endora at Venetia Project which is co-located and directly related to De Beers' flagship Venetia Diamond Mine in South Africa. The Venetia diamond mine is long recognized as one of the world's top diamond-producing mines, and the deposits which occur on Company's Krone-Endora Project have been identified as being the result of shift and subsequent erosion of an estimated 50M tonnes of material from the higher grounds of Venetia to the lower surrounding areas in the direction of Krone and Endora. The Company is also focused on the acquisition and development of additional mid-tier projects with near-term production capabilities to allow the Company to position itself as a growing supplier of ethically and responsibly mined non-conflict natural rough diamonds to reputable diamantaires and select luxury retailers. The Company has a strong commitment to junior mining, social responsibility, women in mining, supporting local communities, and to protecting the environment.About the Tiffany & Co. AllianceThe Company has an established long-term strategic alliance with Tiffany & Co. Canada, a subsidiary of world-famous New York based Tiffany & Co., to purchase up to 100% of the future production of rough diamonds from the Krone-Endora at Venetia Project at market prices. In conjunction with this first right of refusal, Tiffany & Co. Canada also provided the Company with financing in an effort to advance the Project as quickly as possible. Tiffany & Co. is now owned by Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH), a publicly traded company which is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange (Euronext) under the symbol LVMH and on the OTC under the symbol LVMHF. For additional information on Tiffany & Co., please visit their website at www.tiffany.com Qualified Person Statement:Mr. James P. Hawkins (B.Sc., P.Geo.), is Manager of Exploration & Special Projects for Diamcor Mining Inc., and the Qualified Person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 responsible for overseeing the execution of Diamcor's exploration programmes and a Member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta ("APEGA"). Mr. Hawkins has reviewed this press release and approved of its contents.On behalf of the Board of Directors: Mr. Dean H. TaylorDiamcor Mining Inc DeanT@ Diamcor.com +1 250 862-3212For Investor Relations contact:Mr. Rich MatthewsIntegrous Communications rmatthews@ integcom.us +1 (604) 355-7179Mr. Neil SimonInvestor Cubed Inc nsimon@ investor3.ca +1 (647) 258-3310This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. While these forward-looking statements represent our best current judgement, they are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict and which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Further, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.WE SEEK SAFE HARBOURNeither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Diamcor Mining Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 13:46:09

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Electric Royalties Ltd. (TSXV:ELEC)(OTCQB:ELECF) ("Electric Royalties" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of the previously announced transaction (the "Transaction") to acquire a portfolio of 18 royalty agreements and 32 lithium properties in Ontario, Canada (the "Ontario Lithium Projects" or the "OLP"). Pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement between the Company and 1544230 Ontario Inc., MK Exploration Services Inc. and Gravel Ridge Resources Ltd. (together, the "Vendors") dated April 8, 2024, the Company has issued 2,250,000 common shares of the Company to the Vendors and made a net cash payment of C$1,689,000 (which reflects a total cash consideration of C$1,875,000, less C$75,000 down payment provided to the Vendors in November 2023 and C$111,000 held in escrow representing cash payments and the value of shares received by the Vendors after January 1, 2024 pursuant to certain mineral property interests in the OLP).Brendan Yurik, CEO of Electric Royalties, commented: "Northwestern Ontario is known for its lithium potential; thus we are very pleased to complete the acquisition of these prospective lithium royalties and optioned properties in that region. We have strategically selected these royalties and projects from an initial 126 projects, based on our assessment of their prospective geology and greater proximity to prospects with reported lithium resources and exploration activity."Current lithium market conditions have allowed us to acquire this portfolio at a relatively low cost, while doubling the size of our overall royalty portfolio. The acquisition represents a significant opportunity for Electric Royalties to grow in an accretive manner, as forecasts suggest lithium prices will rebound in the longer term." Overview of the Ontario Lithium Projects (OLP)The OLP portfolio consists of 18 royalties (Table 1) and 32 lithium properties (Table 2) located in the province of Ontario, Canada. 31 of the 32 properties are currently being explored by third parties pursuant to option agreements and, to the extent that the applicable option payments (yielding the Company up to $2.2 million) are made over the next two and a half years and the options are exercised, each of the properties would revert into royalty interests for Electric Royalties. Electric Royalties would retain its ownership interest in any properties that are not ultimately transferred to an optionee and would have the right to re-option, sell, or relinquish such properties.The properties cover prospective land on the same geological trends of, and surrounding, major lithium discoveries in Ontario. Six of 24 developed lithium prospects in Ontario with reported reserves or resources are located in the vicinity of these properties1. Several of these properties are adjacent to Green Technology Metals' Seymour Lake Lithium Project (on which Electric Royalties holds a 1.5% net smelter royalty interest) that hosts the Aubry deposits (see Figure 1). The Seymour Lake Lithium Project is road-accessible year-round and is envisioned as a central processing facility with the potential to add production from other deposits in the area. Green Technology Metals is currently pursuing a vertically integrated strategy with multiple mine and processing hubs supplying a central lithium conversion facility that would be built in Thunder Bay, Ontario2.Table 1: OLP RoyaltiesOperator Operator Stock Exchange Listing Property underlying Royalty 1Maple Minerals (acquired by Cohiba Minerals) n/a (private) Rogers Creek / McCluskey2Maple Minerals (acquired by Cohiba Minerals) n/a (private) Big Rock / Ottertail River SW3Maple Minerals (acquired by Cohiba Minerals) n/a (private) Ottertail / Ottertail River NE / Mahamo4Maple Minerals (acquired by Cohiba Minerals) n/a (private) Gathering Lake5FE Battery Metals CSE Cosgrave6Musk Metals CSE Allison Lake7Electrification andDecarbonizationAIE LPn/a (private) Jubilee, Campus Creek, Crescent8Lithium TriangleResourcesn/a (private) Root Bay9Portofino Resources TSX-V Birkett10Double O Seven Mining n/a (private) Separation Rapids Lithium11Private BC Company n/a (private) Arrel12Lithium One Metals TSX-V Otatakan Township 50% ownership13Fifty St George n/a (private) Lauri14Sultan Resources ASX Kember / Pakeageama15Sultan Resources ASX Allison Lake / Ruddy16Lithos Minerals n/a (private) Peggy Lithium17Private BC Company n/a (private) Margot Lithium18Private BC Company n/a (private) Barbara LakeTable 2: OLP PropertiesOperator Operator Stock Exchange Listing Property 1Lithium Triangle Resources n/a (private) Allison Lake North and South2Mosam Ventures n/a (private) Pakwan Lithium3Mosam Ventures n/a (private) Margot Lake4Tearlach Resources TSX-V Wesley Lake5Tearlach Resources TSX-V Ferland Station6Tearlach Resources TSX-V Margot South7Tearlach Resources TSX-V McCluskey8Private BC Company n/a (private) Jeanette 19Forza Lithium CSE Jeanette 210Planet Green Metals CSE Harrison Road11Xplore Resources TSX-V Raggy / Aerial / Cathy Creek12Xplore Resources TSX-V Falls / Joseph / Root Bay13Xplore Resources TSX-V Root Bay North / Root Bay14Xplore Resources TSX-V Root Lake15EEE Exploration CSE Barbara16Bastion Minerals ASX Pakwan17AustekResourcesn/a (private) McCombe18LiCan Exploration CSE Crescent19LiCan Exploration CSE Wakeman East20Private BC Company n/a (private) Maskerine / Lynxpaw / Bingo21Mosam Ventures n/a (private) Sharp Lake22Lithium One Metals TSX-V Adamhay23Lithium One Metals TSX-V Dagny24Altari Capital n/a (private) Rosyln Lithium25Westmount Minerals CSE Kaba26Redstone Resources ASX Greenside Lake / Witchwood27Manning Ventures OTC Kaba Cu-Li28GoldOn Resources TSX-V Hagarty Creek29Solstice Gold TSX-V Purdom30Solstice Gold TSX-V Kamuck31Private BC Company n/a (private) Falcon Lake32Electric Royalties (recently terminated by Maverick Minerals) TSX-V Sollas Lake / MurielFigure 1: Map showing claim groups comprising the OLP in the Seymour Lake areaCurrently, Canada hosts the sixth-highest lithium reserves of any country, yet 2022 production totaled an estimated 500 tonnes - an amount dwarfed by global lithium powerhouses such as Chile and Australia3. The hard-rock lithium deposits in Canada are hosted in pegmatites containing a lithium-bearing mineral known as spodumene. Lithium hosted in spodumene provides producers with greater flexibility as it can be processed into either lithium hydroxide (mainly used in high-density electric vehicle (EV) batteries) or lithium carbonate4. It also offers faster processing times and is higher quality than lithium
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 17:01:38

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As part of its strategic plan to increase its extensive portfolio of corrosive fluid transfer pump technology, Finish Thompson Inc. has identified a need to strengthen its global presence. To this end, FTI has made three key personnel changes to its international sales team.ERIE, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Finish Thompson Inc. is proud to announce significant expansion to their international sales team as the company continues to grow its global footprint in the corrosive fluid space.As part of its strategic plan to increase its extensive portfolio of corrosive fluid transfer pump technology, Finish Thompson Inc. (FTI) has identified a need to strengthen its global presence. To this end, FTI has made three key personnel changes to its international sales team:Abdel Balkhir will oversee Europe and Turkey Husain Vora will be responsible for the Middle East and Africa Starting in June, Ankit Grover will cover South Asia"We made a conscience decision in 2014 to proactively increase our presence overseas," says Casey Bowes, CEO of Finish Thompson. "We started with the formation of our Finish Thompson Europe Center in Frankfurt, Germany, and have continuously grown throughout the globe, thanks to experienced and dedicated salespeople, including Abdel, Husain, and Ankit." Abdel Balkhir has been a sales leader at Finish Thompson since May 2011, during which time he oversaw parts of Europe, as well as the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Abdel will be returning to his roots in Belgium as the new regional manager for Europe and Turkey.Husain Vora will step into Abdel's former role in the Middle East and Africa as the regional manager for MEA. Vora comes to Finish Thompson after serving as sales manager for Wings Tech Supply in the UAE. Prior to this role, he spent 10 years as the business development manager for Standard Group in the UAE.Ankit Grover joins the FTI team as the regional manager for the South Asia region. Ankit comes to Finish Thompson from Ingersoll Rand, where he was regional manager, north process flow technologies. Prior to this role, he worked with Sulzer pumps as a junior sales manager.Finish Thompson's international team is led by Frank Palucci, vice president of international sales.About Finish Thompson, Inc.Finish Thompson Inc. (FTI), an international leader in the corrosive chemical transfer industry, has been dedicated to its customers' needs since 1951. For nearly 75 years, FTI has fostered a culture of foresight and adaptability to stay in touch with industry trends and growth. Today, we manufacture more than 10 different lines of pumps, including drum and barrel pumps, centrifugal pumps, and air-operated double diaphragm (AODD) pumps. FTI is proud to serve distributors and customers on five continents and support nearly 40 different industries across the globe.Visit the FTI newsroom for more information, and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.Contact:Kimberly Day814-455-4478 x314 kday@ finishthompson.com SOURCE: Finish Thompson Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 16:35:31

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / The Forum Real Estate Income and Impact Fund ("REIIF" or the "Fund") released its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.Series F investors in REIIF have earned a return of 2.18% for the first quarter, including the monthly distribution (3.97 cents/Series F/month, or 4.2% per annum (projected)).In January 2024, the federal government announced a two-year cap on international undergraduate study permits (the "Cap"), aiming to address unsustainable international enrollment growth and the impact on the housing market. The Cap is primarily focused on international students enrolling in private colleges."The impact of the Cap is expected to be negligible, given the Fund's strategic allocation to purpose-built student accommodations ("PBSA") primarily focused on serving top-tier public universities and colleges," said Aly Damji, Managing Partner at Forum Asset Management ("Forum"), Fund Head and a Trustee of REIIF. "With a national vacancy rate of 1.5%, the lowest in decades, and over 5 million homes required to be built to restore affordability1, the Canadian rental housing market continues to support the Fund's rental housing investment thesis." AcquisitionsAt the end of March, pursuant to REIIF's right of first offer agreement with Forum, the Fund acquired a 50% interest in a fully leased, newly built, non-rent controlled PBSA property in Winnipeg, Manitoba ("The ARC") - located steps from the University of Manitoba in a market with an estimated shortfall of 20,000 beds.Following The ARC acquisition, the Fund now comprises twelve properties, with 1,788 units serving over 2,000 residents with Gross Asset Value ("GAV") over $500M.See below for Fund breakdown as of March 31, 2024:Further, the Fund is under contract to acquire an additional +$100M of high-quality properties in Ontario, expected to close in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2024. Once the +$100M of acquisitions are completed, REIIF's GAV would be over $600M, with an over 70% strategic allocation to PBSA. The increase in the Fund's GAV to over $600M would represent an over 200% GAV increase since the Fund's inception in December 2021.Portfolio UpdateThe portfolio at the end of the quarter is substantially stabilized, with portfolio occupancy of 97.5% and approximately 1.5% of units being repositioned to attract materially higher rents. Comparative Property NOI increased 16.0% from the prior year's comparable quarter, with a further embedded potential gain-to-lease of 15.0% portfolio-wide."The Fund's tenant turnover ratio is over 50% compared to 12.4%2 nationally, providing us with a competitive edge over Canadian multi-family portfolios by being able to capture the embedded gain-to-lease on turnover. This allows for increased cash flow and capital appreciation," said Aly Damji. "Accordingly, the Fund remains well-positioned to continue to deliver on its stated 8-to-12% target net return objectives for 2024".During the quarter, the Fund continued with its suite renovation program and expansion of ALMA branding on 455 Abbott (Vancouver) - now "ALMA Gastown". Further, work has commenced on the common area and suite renovation project as part of rebranding 87 Mann (Ottawa) to an ALMA branded property. The scope of work at 87 Mann (Ottawa) will include refurbishment of vacant suites as well as upgrading lighting, carpets, paint, and furniture in common areas and signage.Four assets were externally appraised, contributing to the positive returns realized in the first quarter of 2024 - with the fair value increases a result of income growth from higher rents on renovated suites, along with a slight decrease in capitalization rates resulting in an overall portfolio weighted average capitalization rate of 4.46% (4.48% at December 31, 2023).Further, Forum is enhancing its valuation approach for the Fund, requiring semi-annual, external appraisals for each property. "We expect that additional third party validation of property values will result in less return volatility and improved investor confidence in the Fund's valuation methodology and resulting NAV," said Rajeev Viswanathan, Managing Partner and CFO at Forum.Balance Sheet UpdateThe Fund has maintained a conservative net debt to net assets ratio of 43.6% and over $50M of liquidity.The Fund's balance sheet is supported by fixed-rate mortgages, representing 89% of total indebtedness, with an overall coupon of 3.0% and a weighted average term of 7.1 years.DistributionsThe monthly distribution was paid on April 15th, 2024 to unitholders of record as at March 31, 2024 as follows:Series of Trust Units2024 Monthly Distribution Per Unit52024 Annual Distribution Per UnitA Series1$0.0326$0.3908F Series2$0.0397$0.4768H Series3$0.0407$0.4883I Series4$0.0431$0.51691 Includes REIIF Trust A Lead, A Oct 2023, A Nov 2023, and A Dec 2023 Series.2 Includes REIIF Trust F Lead, F Oct 2023, F Nov 2023, and F Dec 2023 Series, and REII LP July 2023 F Series. 3 Includes REIIF Trust H Lead, H Nov 2023, and H Dec 2023 Series. 4 Includes REIIF Trust I Lead Series, and REII LP July 2023 I Series. 5 Represents the annual distribution per Unit divided by 12, rounded to four decimal places.Impact UpdateREIIF's impact and environmental, social and governance ("ESG") initiatives are focused on reducing its environmental footprint and increasing social engagement. REIIF's commitment to integrating leading responsible investment practices is recognized through Forum's UN Principles for Responsible Investment results, achieving 4 of 5 stars for its Real Estate module.3Forum gained insights into The ARC's environmental impact and utility costs prior to acquisition, which will inform budgeting considerations relating to operating costs and capital investments associated with energy efficiency initiatives.Community engagement is a cornerstone of the living experience, with 84% of Canadian residents valuing social events.4 In 2023, Forum hosted 110 resident engagements at its PBSA properties, which consistently earned accolades, increasing overall sense of value. REIIF remains committed to fostering community-focused experiences and will tailor programs to meet resident needs and preferences through ongoing feedback.More information on REIIF's Impact Framework is available at www.forumreiif.ca/impact 1 CMHC Rental Market Report January 2024. 2 Scotia Global equity Research dated Monday, March 25, 2024. 3 2023 PRI Assessment Report. 4 Simplydbs ShapeYourSpace Survey results.About REIIFREIIF invests principally in institutional-quality,
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 08:58:25

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THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS DEEMED BY THE COMPANY TO CONSTITUTE INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) NO. 596/2014 AS IT FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW PURSUANT TO THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED. UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INFORMATION IS CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.Temporary Suspension of Listing pending publication of Annual Financial ReportLONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Genflow Biosciences Plc (LSE:GENF)(OTCQB:GENFF) ("Genflow" or "the Company"), an emerging leader in the field of longevity research, focused on developing therapeutic solutions for the prevention of age-related diseases, provides the following update in relation to the publication of its Annual Financial Report ("Annual Report").The Company was required to publish its Annual Report for the financial year ending 31 December 2023 by 30 April 2024. However, due to the audit process taking longer than planned, and other unforeseen circumstances beyond its control, the Company requires a short amount of additional time. The delay is not related to the Company's cash flow or other underlying economic position.As a result, at the Company's request, the listing of the Company's ordinary shares on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange will be temporarily suspended with effect from 7.30 a.m. on 1 May 2024 pending publication of the Annual Report.ContactsGenflow BiosciencesHarbor AccessDr Eric Leire, CEOJonathan Paterson, Investor Relations+32-477-495-881+1 475 477 9401Joint Corporate BrokersClear Capital MarketsCapital Plus Partners LtdBob Roberts, +44 203 869 6080Dominic Berger, +44 203 821 6167 Keith Swann, +44 0203 821 6169 Jon Critchley, +44 0203 821 6168About Genflow BiosciencesFounded in 2020, Genflow Biosciences Plc. (LSE:GENF) (OTCQB:GENFF), a biotechnology company headquartered in the UK with R&D facilities in Belgium, is pioneering gene therapies to decelerate the aging process, with the goal of promoting longer and healthier lives while mitigating the financial, emotional, and social impacts of a fast-growing aging global population. Genflow's lead compound, GF-1002, works through the delivery of a centenarian variant of the SIRT6 gene which has yielded promising preclinical results. Scheduled to begin in 2025, Genflow's clinical trial aims to explore the potential benefits of GF-1002 in treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the most prevalent chronic liver disease for which there is no effective treatments. Please visit www.genflowbio.com and follow the Company on LinkedIn and Twitter/X.This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@ lseg.com or visit www.rns.com SOURCE: Genflow Biosciences PLC
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 02:30:29

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2024 / This month, Immaculate Homes, a leader in the luxury residential construction industry, celebrates its eighth anniversary under the visionary leadership of CEO Daniel Johnson. Known for its impeccable and enduring construction, Immaculate Homes has established a new benchmark in the luxury housing sector. Over the past eight years, the company has thrived by integrating cutting-edge technology with traditional building techniques, all under Johnson's strategic guidance.Reflecting on the company's journey, Daniel Johnson said, "When I look back over the last eight years, I am incredibly proud of what we've built. It's not just about the homes we construct but the trust and relationships we've developed with our clients. Our commitment to maintaining high standards of craftsmanship and client service remains unwavering." Under Johnson's leadership, Immaculate Homes has cultivated a team of exceptionally skilled craftsmen and women, dedicated to quality and innovation. "The secret to our success lies in our team. We've brought together the best in the field - people who are not only skilled but also passionate about what they do," Johnson added.As Immaculate Homes looks to the future, expansion is on the horizon. The company aims to increase its operations while continuing to offer the personalized, boutique-level service that its clients value. "Our plan is to carefully expand our reach within Sydney and explore potential in other states. We are setting our sights on transforming more neighborhoods while ensuring that each project is synonymous with the Immaculate Homes brand of luxury and exclusivity," explained Johnson.Johnson also emphasized the importance of staying true to the company's roots. "As we grow, our commitment is to continue integrating innovative methods with the tried-and-true techniques that have served us so well. This blend of old and new is what sets us apart in the ever-evolving construction landscape." Looking forward,Immaculate Homesis poised to redefine luxury living across Australia, with Daniel Johnson at the helm steering the company towards a future filled with greater achievements and sustainable growth.For more information, to request high-resolution images, or to arrange an interview with Daniel Johnson, please contact:Contact Information: Daniel JohnsonCEO, Immaculate HomesEmail:daniel@ immaculatehomes.com.au Company Website: https://immaculatehomes.com.au/ SOURCE: Immaculate Homes
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 03:15:13

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The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. ("Arbor" or "the Company") (NYSE:ABR) for violations of the securities laws.The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Arbor is the subject of a report issued by Viceroy Research November 17, 2023, titled, ""Arbor Realty Trust - Slumlord Millionaires." According to the report, "Arbor's high-risk multifamily bridge loans, which comprise substantially all of its asset book, are going bad fast The end is near." Viceroy Research then issued a follow up report on December 5, 2023, titled "Arbor - Jacksonville Case Study." In the second report, Viceroy Research claims that the Company's "entire loan book is distressed and underlying collateral is vastly overstated." Based on this news, shares of Arbor fell by more than 5% over the next two trading sessions.If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com , or by email at bschall@ schallfirm.com The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.CONTACT:The Schall Law FirmBrian Schall, Esq.310-301-3335 info@ schallfirm.comwww.schallfirm.com SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 19:02:41

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Istanbul Blockchain Week returns for its 2024 edition on August 13-14 at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center. Positioned in Turkey's iconic metropolis, this year's event IBW melds history with cutting-edge technological innovations, solidifying Istanbul's stature in the global fintech arena.ISTANBUL, TURKEY / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 /Istanbul Blockchain Weekreturns on August 13-14 at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center, building on last year's success and promising to be the largest web3 event ever held in Turkey, promising more speakers, activations, and web3 education in the Eurasian crypto hub.According to Binance Research, cryptocurrency is rapidly establishing itself as a key alternative to traditional finance in Turkey, with 40% of the population already investing in it. Looking ahead, 64% believe crypto prices will climb in the next year, and an even more optimistic 73% think more people will start investing in crypto over the next five years, signaling a strong trend toward wider adoption.Hosted by web3 agency,EAK Digital , Istanbul Blockchain Week will highlight the city's strategic position between major financial centers, Dubai and London, uniting international and local experts who are shaping the web3 revolution.IBW 2024 will host a diverse group ranging from blockchain enthusiasts and professionals to influencers and thought leaders, showcasing Istanbul as an ever-evolving hub for technological passion, financial inclusivity, and visionary approaches.Turkey distinguishes itself with a dynamic tech ecosystem, a strategic location that bridges Europe and Asia, and a young, tech-savvy population eager for digital innovation. The country's expanding gaming community, early adoption of cryptocurrencies, and proactive engagement with new technologies underscore its readiness for web3's widespread adoption. Turkey is leading the way in crypto adoption and blockchain innovation, and ongoing developments in supportive regulations further establish Turkey as an attractive hub for global investors keen on exploring emerging tech opportunities."This year, we will be taking Istanbul Blockchain Week to new heights," remarked Erhan Korhaliller, founder of Istanbul Blockchain Week. "The web3 global spotlight will be on Istanbul and we promise to make this event one to remember ."What to Expect from Istanbul Blockchain Week 2024?IBW 2024 is an ideal platform for nurturing meaningful partnerships and growth within the blockchain landscape, given its unique mix of visibility, strategic networking, and engagement opportunities. The event is committed to bridging the gap between new crypto adopters and seasoned enthusiasts, ensuring every interaction and engagement leads to real development and success.As the event approaches, IBW 2024 is preparing to reveal innovative features and hands-on web3 experiences, emphasizing Istanbul's critical role in global tech innovation.IstanBlockInstanBlock is the flagship event of Istanbul Blockchain Week 2024, hosting unique fireside chats, keynote speeches, debates, and panel discussions exploring the hottest topics in Web3, including AI, RWA, Depin, DeFi, regulation, AI, gaming, Web3 culture, and venture capital.The initial speaker lineup already includes Yat Siu, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands; Sergej Kunz, CEO of 1Inch; Eren Ozkan, Vice President of MasterCard, Cem Arcan, Ecosystem Director at Circle; Sant Manukyan, Manager at IS Investment; Ran Nuener Founder Crypto Banter, Founder & CEO of Farcana; and Clement Chia, Co-Founder of Imaginary Ones.IstanBlock also features multiple zones, such as the AI Zone, VC Village & Startup Pavilion, and Creator Zone, to create an immersive Web3 experience:The AI Zone promises to be a highlight, showcasing the latest advancements in artificial intelligence within the web3 ecosystem. This area will delve into how AI can enhance blockchain technologies, provide smarter solutions, and propel innovation across various industries. Get a sneak peek at the future of interaction between humans and artificial intelligence.The VC Village & Start-up Pavilion is designed to be a vibrant marketplace for top web3 start-ups and venture capitalists. With VC tables and project booths, it aims to promote interactions between innovators and investors, encouraging deals and collaborations that will drive the web3 ecosystem forward. This zone is a must-visit for those looking to catch the next wave of web3 innovation.Content is indeed king, especially in an industry brimming with information. The Creator Zone is designed to spotlight the brightest web3 influencers and KOLs, illuminating the most innovative and exclusive projects. It also presents a unique opportunity for a broader audience to meet those individuals who work tirelessly to share the latest innovations in the industry.IstanHackIstanHack 2024, a cornerstone of Istanbul Blockchain Week, is set to be an electrifying showcase of talent and innovation, drawing developers from around the globe. The hackathon not only offers participants a platform to engage in intense competition and develop groundbreaking blockchain solutions, but also facilitates deep collaboration that pushes the technological envelope. IstanHack serves as a vital incubator for ideas and projects that may define the future of the digital landscape, making it an essential arena for learning, innovation, and community building in the web3 space.Joining IstanHack offers an unparalleled opportunity to dive into the cutting-edge of web3 development among Istanbul's dynamic fusion of culture and technology. Whether you're a developer eager to sharpen your skills or a web3 project looking to spotlight your innovations, this hackathon is your gateway to not only showcase your abilities but also to solve real-world problems using blockchain technology. It's the perfect place to engage with top-tier talent, partake in transformative workshops, and find your next big opportunity and collaboration.W3E GamingW3EGaming returns to Istanbul Blockchain Week with it's flagship event, W3Expo, the largest web3 gaming expo in the region, putting Web3 games directly into the hands of gamers. With its robust casual gaming market, vibrant esports scene, and status as a top 5 Web3 adopter, Turkey provides the perfect backdrop. Prepare for an arena where walk-up-and-play games, mobiles, and PCs converge with the adrenaline-pumping world of live Web3 esports. Over two electrifying days, Exverse takes center stage, hosting a team deathmatch elimination tournament that promises a spectacle of skill and strategy."We're absolutely thrilled to be back at
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ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Bennett & Pless, Inc. and Linton Engineering, LLC are combining forces and merging to extend high-level structural engineering services beyond the Southeast and into the Mid-Atlantic region."With Bennett & Pless, we have discovered a firm that shares a common value about our people, our culture, and the client experience. We have built a solid reputation over two decades as one of the go-to structural engineering firms in Northern Virginia for some of the most challenging local projects. This merger with the largest structural engineering firm in the Southeast gives us a combined structural engineering strength and broad experience across nine office locations that will enable us to continue to push to become the go-to firm for innovative and complex design work." -Dave Linton, PE, Founder of Linton Engineering, LLC"The merger of Linton Engineering with Bennett & Pless extends our reach and single-discipline structural engineering expertise into the greater Washington, D.C. metro area. With a location in the heart of the Data Center capital of the world, our new Loudoun County, VA, office allows us to better service our data center clients in the firm's largest market sector of service. We welcome the team's diverse, innovative, and technology-forward experience and specialized knowledge of the local market, which will keep us on the leading edge of design.-Ed Gazzola, PE, CEO of Bennett & PlessIn a joint statement, Linton and Gazzola said, "The combined strength of our 170+ structural engineering professionals positions us to take on very large, complex and mission-critical projects for clients across the national capital region." Linton Engineering, LLCFounded in Loudoun County, Virginia, in 2003, Linton Engineering, LLC is a premier structural engineering consulting firm in Virginia. Their portfolio of projects includes complex academic, historic restoration, and exclusive residential structures. www.lintonengineering.com Bennett & Pless, Inc.Founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1964, Bennett & Pless is an award-winning structural engineering firm recognized as the largest single-discipline structural engineering firm in the Southeast. The firm provides structural engineering expertise across offices in Atlanta, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh, and Sarasota. www.bennett-pless.com Contact InformationSally MorganMarketing Directorsmorgan@ bennett-pless.com 6789908700SOURCE: Bennett & PlessView the original press release on newswire.com
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PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Today, News is Out and Word In Black, together announced the 16 fellows selected for The Digital Equity Local Voices Lab, a new initiative powered by Comcast NBCUniversal to place journalists at 16 Black and LGBTQ+ serving news publications across the country.During the year-long fellowship, the group will receive the training and resources needed to tell stories within marginalized communities through media and technology and celebrate the work being done by Black and LGBTQ+ leaders in their communities."Through Project UP, we are proud to donate $1 million to launch this unique, first-of-its-kind program that will support coverage of Black and LGBTQ+ topics in the media as well as emerging journalists with a passion for reporting on issues of importance to these communities," said Dalila Wilson-Scott, EVP and Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast Corporation and President, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation."Comcast is one of the earliest corporate leaders in LGBTQ+ inclusion, so it should come as no surprise that they understand the value of local LGBTQ+ media," said Mark Segal, founder of the Philadelphia Gay News and member of News is Out. "Their investment in our growth is also an investment in the future leadership of LGBT media and intersectional LGBTQ+ media." The fellows will receive best practices, learnings and mentorship from journalists and media professionals at News is Out, Word In Black, and NBCUniversal. In addition, they will report on stories of Black and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and creatives in their communities, share training and resources on using technology more in their daily lives, report on policy related to technological access and connectivity, and share the work being done to advance digital equity."I am excited to be a part of a fellowship that is specifically geared toward the promotion of diversity, inclusivity and intersectionality," said Davi B. Ulloa-Estrada, News is Out and Philadelphia Gay News fellow. "We are missing such crucial and different perspectives on world issues, so I look forward to being a part of this project." "This fellowship program is the epitome of what journalism means to me - using innovation and creativity to fuel a passion for multimedia storytelling and uplift the voice and perspective of the overlooked," said Word In Black and Washington Informer fellow, Jada Ingleton. "It means so much to know that I'll be in a position to produce stories that could enact change and affect lives the same way generations of journalists impacted mine." The Local Media Foundation (LMF) is managing the fellowship and Lab and facilitating content creation to reach diverse audiences between the 16 publishers, Comcast NBCUniversal and NBCU Academy. Word In Black and News is Out are collaboratives that were launched by LMF.The 16 fellows are:Megan Sayles,AFRO News (Baltimore)Menra Mapfumo,The Atlanta Voice (Atlanta)J.L. Odom,Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco)Melissa Whitler,Dallas Voice (Dallas)Marlissa Collier,Dallas Weekly (Dallas)ReShonda Tate,Houston Defender (Houston)Ebony "JJ" Curry,Michigan Chronicle (Detroit)Leah Mallory,New York Amsterdam News (New York City)Davi B. Ulloa-Estrada,Philadelphia Gay News (Philadelphia)Christine Shelby,The Sacramento Observer (Sacramento)Kira Doyle,Seattle Medium (Seattle)Devored Horton,The St. Louis American (St. Louis)Victoria F. Vega,Tagg Magazine (National)Henry Carnell,Washington Blade (Washington, D.C.)Jada Ingleton,The Washington Informer (Washington, D.C.)Lu Calzada,Windy City Times (Chicago) In February, the three organizations announced the launch of The Digital Equity Local Voices Lab and application period. The Lab is part of Project UP, Comcast's $1 billion initiative to connect people to the Internet and advance digital equity and economic mobility through programs and community partnerships that open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators across Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky.View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Comcast Corporation on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info: Spokesperson: Comcast CorporationWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/comcast-corporation Email: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: Comcast Corporation
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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Otis Worldwide CorporationOtis Worldwide Corporation recently awarded scholarships to 160 outstanding female students at top Chinese universities in collaboration with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF), a non-governmental organization with a 40-year history of supporting women and youth.Each scholarship recipient demonstrated exceptional academic performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, and a passion for community impact. They represent eight universities across China, including Tianjin University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Wuhan's Huazhong University of Science and Technology.Otis has now helped more than 400 top-performing female university STEM students in China gain access to opportunities in innovation and technology through scholarships since 2021. These initiatives aim to inspire broader and more diverse talent to pursue STEM fields and join our industry, and are in line with our overarching Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts.Sally Loh, President of Otis China, said: "Otis is committed to supporting STEM education to help build a diverse talent pipeline that we see as essential to driving execution of our business strategy. We are proud to partner with CSCLF to nurture the next generation of STEM innovators." Otis' ESG goals include allocating 50% of its global donations to STEM programs by 2025 and impacting 15,000 students globally through STEM-focused learning by 2030. The partnership with CSCLF supports these commitments through its scholarship program, the Soong Ching Ling Children's Invention Award Project and other initiatives that impact students at different points in the learning continuum.Earlier this year, Otis provided educational robots to 10 primary and middle schools that excelled in the 18th CSCLF's Invention Award. Through this initiative, Otis helps schools to further their science and technology education programs, deepening youths' experience with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, providing hands-on learning experiences to enhance scientific literacy and practical skills, and inspiring outstanding young talent.About OtisOtis gives people freedom to connect and thrive in a taller, faster, smarter world. The global leader in the manufacture, installation and servicing of elevators and escalators, we move 2.3 billion people a day and maintain approximately 2.3 million customer units worldwide - the industry's largest Service portfolio. You'll find us in the world's most iconic structures, as well as residential and commercial buildings, transportation hubs and everywhere people are on the move. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 71,000 people strong, including 42,000 field professionals, all committed to meeting the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories.Students at Mingtian School in Nanning, southwest build the donated robots with their teacher.View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Otis Worldwide Corporation on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info: Spokesperson: Otis Worldwide CorporationWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/otis-worldwide-corporation Email: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: Otis Worldwide Corporation
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 14:00:37

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Payroll Franchise Growth Tops 15% in First Four Months of 2024LITTLETON, CO / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 /Payroll Vault, a leading provider of payroll and workforce management services for small businesses, is excited to announce the grand opening of seven new offices on May 1. The new locations include Castle Rock and Denver, Colorado; East Granby, Connecticut; Rehoboth, Delaware; Atlanta, Georgia; Watertown, South Dakota; and Frisco, Texas."We're thrilled to welcome these new owners into the Payroll Vault franchise family. They each bring diverse experiences and skills to the brand," said Sean Manning, CEO of Payroll Vault. "As we continue to grow, we remain committed to supporting our franchisees in providing exceptional payroll services to help small businesses with the complexities of payroll and HR." With a total of eight new locations in the first four months of 2024, the Payroll Vault franchise has experienced a robust growth rate of 15.4% to date. This latest group of new locations mark the franchise's first locations in Delaware and Connecticut, extending the company's reach to 23 states plus the Virgin Islands. The brand isn't looking to slow down, with a goal of a total of 20 new locations this year and at least 20 every year from here on out.The new locations will offer a comprehensive suite of services, including payroll, HR, timekeeping and attendance, drug screening and background checks, workers' compensation, labor law poster services, and point of sale services. These offerings are designed to streamline business operations, ensure compliance, and support the growth of local businesses. By taking on these back-of-house operations, business owners are free to build their businesses and strengthen their community and local economy.To learn more about franchising opportunities with Payroll Vault, visit https://www.payrollvault.com/franchise/ Media Contact:Jennifer Williams jwilliams@919 marketing.com 919.459.3592###About Payroll Vault FranchisingPayroll and workforce management services are growing requirements for small businesses. Payroll Vault Franchising aims to help these businesses avoid penalties by focusing on core business operations while providing the opportunity for prospective franchisees to own a boutique-style full-service payroll company supported by a team of experts and a nationally recognized brand. Franchisees are trained on business best practices and provided systems and strategies to operate a payroll business in an increasingly in-demand industry. From the franchise launch in 2012, Payroll Vault Franchising has rapidly grown as a result of exemplary client service and is an industry leader, receiving numerous accolades and awards nationally. For more information, visit PayrollVault.com/franchise SOURCE: Payroll Vault
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SCHAUMBURG, IL / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Proactive Worldwide is pleased to announce that Dr. Paige Charlins, a distinguished Health Care and Life Science Analyst, has been invited to serve as a main panelist at the upcoming Colorado RNA Club Industry Session on May 1, 2024. The event will take place virtually, bringing together universities across Colorado.The Colorado RNA Club's Industry Session is an annual event that plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between academia and industry. This session is designed specifically to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from all participating colleges and universities across Colorado in understanding the dynamics of the life sciences industry. It provides a platform for attendees to learn about local and national companies, explore various career paths in the industry, and gain insights into the practical aspects of working in life sciences.Jennifer Zeman, Chief Operating Officer with Proactive Worldwide, shared, "Dr. Charlins' participation as a panelist underscores Proactive Worldwide's commitment to fostering educational initiatives and supporting the next generation of scientists and researchers. Her expertise in academic research and industry dynamics will provide attendees valuable perspectives, helping them navigate their potential career paths effectively." During the panel, Dr. Charlins will share insights from her extensive experience as a senior analyst and consultant at Proactive Worldwide, where she specializes in domestic and international pharmaceutical consulting. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to engage directly with Dr. Charlins, gaining valuable knowledge and advice from her professional journey and expertise.For more information about the Colorado RNA Club, please visit https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/rbi/events/evenings-with-rna/colorado-rna-club About Proactive Worldwide:Proactive Worldwide (PWW) is a global specialty market research company exclusively focused on competitive analysis. We enable leading organizations worldwide to identify vulnerabilities, forecast market trends, and strategically navigate growth. Our approach is comprehensive - analyzing competitors, suppliers, customers, and regulatory landscapes through primary and secondary intelligence gathering. With a 29-year track record of success, PWW's custom methodology, skilled research and analysis teams, and in-house industry experts converge to deliver impactful insights that reveal hidden opportunities and critical challenges. Learn more at https://www.proactiveworldwide.com/ Contact InformationKelley LoiaconoChief of Staffkelleyl@ proactiveworldwide.com 847-483-9300SOURCE: Proactive WorldwideView the original press release on newswire.com
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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 /Southern CompanyPROPEL, a first-of-its-kind innovation hub for 2-year and 4-year Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), announces the launch of a pioneering cybersecurity consortium. The PROPEL HBCU Cybersecurity Consortium (HCC), created in partnership with Southern Company, was founded on the principles of collaboration, leadership, innovation and foresight.This Consortium not only unites academia, industry and government but more importantly serves as a nucleus for HBCUs to complement their curriculums to be more industry skill aligned and agile to the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape."PROPEL's consortium will set a benchmark for developing a future workforce that is well equipped to address and solve the cybersecurity needs of today and tomorrow," said chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company Chris Womack. "Leveraging the insights, tools, resources and access to real-world opportunities that industry and government entities can bring to the table now will help further develop and enrich the transformative skills our future workforce must have. These skills are essential in how we continue to protect our critical infrastructure and be better prepared to face the cyber challenges ahead." The HCC is comprised of four pivotal elements: resource hub, professional development, accelerated learning and workforce pipeline. It is designed to facilitate connection between industry, students and faculty with the latest trends, emerging technologies, training and a collaborative space that fosters the development of new courses and opportunities. Additionally, the HCC will provide real-life, challenged-based industry projects, conduct cutting edge research, collaborate with industry leaders and experts and open pathways to employment and beyond."The dynamic and ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape has generated a myriad of leading career opportunities that have become critical across virtually every business sector - with a mere nine percent of those individuals being Black professionals," said PROPEL President Dr. Lisa Herring. "In partnership and collaboration with our co-founder, Southern Company, we're cracking the code in a sector that is grossly underrepresented by diverse talent and an industry in need of a greatly expanded workforce." PROPEL is proud to launch HCC's first two programs both aimed at elevating HBCU faculty and student expertise and skills in cybersecurity.Faculty Fellows - A curated, year-long engagement and professional development track designed exclusively to upskill cybersecurity educators. This program also offers fellows the financial support to gain critical industry certifications. Student Accelerator - A year-long immersive experience designed for 3rd and 4th year students to advance their skills, knowledge and career preparedness. Students gain access to industry leaders, tools, training, and the latest resources, enabling them to emerge as highly competent professionals ready to tackle the challenges of the cybersecurity industry.The applications for both programs will be accepted through May 8, 2024.Currently, 32 HBCUs with cybersecurity curriculum and degree offerings comprise the first consortium institutions. Those institutions include Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Albany State University, Benedict College, Bowie State University, Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Drake State Community Technical College, Florida A&M University, Fort Valley State University, Hampton University, Howard University, Meharry Medical College, Miles College, Mississippi Valley State University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University Law Center, Southern University and A&M College at Baton Rouge, Southern University and A&M College at New Orleans, Southern University of New Orleans, Stillman College, Tuskegee University, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, University of District Columbia, University of Virgin Islands, West Virginia State University, Winston Salem State University.The HCC aims to attract more corporate partners and industry experts to forge a robust pipeline of qualified professionals, effectively tackling the cybersecurity talent shortage. For more information about HCC, how to join as an industry partner or to apply for programs.View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Southern Company on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info: Spokesperson: Southern CompanyWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/southern-company Email: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: Southern Company
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 /Revolve Renewable Power Corp. (TSXV:REVV)(OTCQB:REVVF) ("Revolve" or the "Company"), a North American owner, operator and developer of renewable energy projects, is pleased to announce that it plans to release Q3 2024 financial statements on May 30, 2024 before the markets open at 8am Eastern Time.The Company will publish its Q3 financial statements along with supplementary information providing an update on the business.About RevolveRevolve was formed in 2012 to capitalize on the growing global demand for renewable power. Revolve develops utility-scale wind, solar and battery storage projects in the US, Canada and Mexico. The Company has a second division, Revolve Renewable Business Solutions which installs and operates sub 20MW "behind the meter" distributed generation (or "DG") assets. Revolve's portfolio includes the following:Operating Assets: 12.33MW (net) of operating assets under long term power purchase agreements across Canada and Mexico covering wind, solar, battery storage and hydro generation;Under Construction: a 3MW CHP project and a 450kWp rooftop solar project that are both under construction and expected to be operational later this year; andDevelopment: a diverse portfolio of utility scale development projects across the US, Canada and Mexico with a combined capacity of over 3,000MWs as well as a 146MW distributed generation portfolio that is under development.Revolve has an accomplished management team with a demonstrated track record of taking projects from "greenfield" through to "ready to build" status and successfully concluding project sales to large operators of utility-scale renewable energy projects. To-date, Revolve has developed and sold over 1,550MW of projects. Going forward, Revolve is targeting 5,000MW of utility-scale projects under development in the US, Canada and Mexico, and in parallel is rapidly growing its portfolio of revenue-generating DG assets.For further information contact:Steve Dalton, CEOIR@ revolve-renewablepower.com orSunita Prasad VP, Corporate Development & Investor RelationsPhone: +1 778-885-5550IR@ revolve-renewablepower.com Forward Looking InformationAlthough Revolve believes, considering the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because Revolve can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. The forward-looking statements and information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to information relating to the business plans of Revolve and Revolve's management's expectation on the growth and performance of its business in the United States, Canada and Mexico, including the planned MW capacity of its projects; its expansion into the distributed generation market; potential opportunities in the distributed generation market; the completion and timing of the development of its planned portfolio of distributed generation projects; the completion of the financing for the Project, including final approval of the financing for the Project by RER; potential revenues and cashflows generated from its DG division and the Project; and the Company's plans to develop, construct and finance rooftop solar, battery storage and energy efficiency projects of up to 5MW and enter into long term power purchase agreements for the sale of electricity from the projects with the underlying customers. Such statements and information reflect the current view of Revolve.The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based on current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions, having regard to the Company's experience and its perception of historical trends, and includes, but is not limited to, expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions relating to the extent of regulations pertaining to the Company's projects and Revolve's ability to continue as going concern. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information, including but not limited to: the effects of weather, catastrophes and public health crises, including COVID-19; labour availability; disruptions to the Company's supply chains; changes to regulatory environment, including interpretation of production tax credits; armed hostilities and geopolitical conflicts; failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals in a timely fashion, or at all; risks related to the development and potential development of the Company's projects and specifically the Project; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; the availability of tax incentives in connection with the development of renewable energy projects and the sale of electrical energy; as well as those factors discussed in the sections relating to risk factors discussed in the Company's continuous disclosure filings on SEDAR. Such statements and information reflect the current view of Revolve. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Revolve as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. Revolve does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by the Company with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accur
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Tickets on Sale Now in Tysons, VA; Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Tucson, AZ; Flagstaff, AZ; Rockford, IL; Salem, OR; and Indianapolis INWASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Renowned criminologist, producer, and best-selling author Dr. Scott Bonn is set to unravel the mysteries of the terrifying serial killer mind in his exciting one-man theatrical event, coming soon to a city near you! This captivating show promises to explore the diabolical minds and desires of the world's most ruthless killers and the public's fascination with them.Criminologist Dr. Scott Bonn On TourWith a background as a criminologist, university professor, and media executive, and having profiled, corresponded with, and interviewed some of the most infamous killers of all time, Dr. Bonn is on a mission to inform, shock, thrill, and entertain. His live show offers a unique opportunity to delve into the psyche of serial killers and understand the magnetic attraction they hold for true crime fans, particularly women."Serial Killers with Dr. Scott Bonn" provides a 90-minute immersive experience, where Dr. Bonn shares shocking tales from his encounters with serial killers and delves into the psychological and behavioral compulsions of these notorious criminals. The show also features a dynamic Q&A session, allowing the audience to ask burning questions about serial killers and true crime."Serial Killers with Dr. Scott Bonn"--A Live Theatrical Event--is not to be missed! The following 2024 performances are confirmed (where already on sale, click date/city for tickets):May 31 Capital One Hall Tysons, VAJune 11 City Winery Boston, MAJune 12 City Winery Philadelphia, PASeptember 6 Rialto Theatre Tucson, AZSeptember 7 Orpheum Theatre Flagstaff, AZSeptember 12 Bloomington Arts Center Bloomington, ILSeptember 13 Coronado Theatre Rockford, ILSeptember 14 Five Flags Center Dubuque, IASeptember 27 Rialto Theater Spokane, WASeptember 28 Elsinore Theatre Salem, OROctober 4 Reif Performing Arts Center Grand Rapids, MNOctober 5 Fitzgerald Theater, Minneapolis, MNOctober 11 The Schrott Center Indianapolis, INOctober 12 Genesee Theatre Waukegan, ILOctober 19 Capitol Theatre Flint, MIOctober 29 Victoria Theater Dayton, OHOctober 30 Paramount Arts Center Ashland, KYOctober 31 Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center Bowling Green, KYDr. Scott Bonn invites you to join him for an unforgettable evening, where the dark secrets of serial killers and their powerful allure to true crime fans come to life. For media inquiries or to schedule an interview, please contact kat@ dotellpublicity.com About Dr. Scott Bonn:Dr. Scott Bonn is a criminologist, best-selling author, commentator, and producer known for his expertise in the criminal mind. With a career spanning interactions with infamous serial killers and a background in media and advertising, Dr. Bonn brings a truly unique perspective to the discussion of true crime and notorious killers.Contact InformationKatherine FleischmanCEOceo@ do-tellpr.com 3054905911SOURCE: Dr. Scott BonnView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-01 13:30:29

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(All dollar amounts expressed in US dollars unless otherwise noted)VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 /Silver X Mining Corp. (TSXV:AGX)(OTCQB:AGXPF)(F:AGX) ("Silver X" or the "Company") is pleased to report its financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, for the Nueva Recuperada Project (the "Project") in Central Peru.Q4 2023 Financial HighlightsQ4 2023 Cash costs of $18.22 per Silver Equivalent ("AgEq") ounce produced (1)(2) and All-In-Sustaining Cost ("AISC") (1)(2) of $24.96 per AgEq ounce produced, reflective of the sustaining capital expenditure invested in the development of the Tangana mining unit ($2.0 million adding $6.74 per AgEq ounce produced to the AISC). Generated revenues of $4.3 million in Q4 2023, representing a 12 per cent increase when compared to $3.9 million of revenues in Q4 2022. This is reflective of the successful ramp up since the operational pause and upgrades during the third quarter of 2023. Operating loss of $1.0 million in Q4 2023. Net loss before tax of $5.9 million in Q4 2023.Jose Garcia, Silver X Mining's CEO, said, "I am excited to share the progress we have made in the last quarter of 2023 after a successful restart of our operations. As we look back to our Q4 2023 results, our cost reduction and initiatives at Nueva Recuperada are yielding good results. Despite the challenges we faced during 2023, our team has made. Tremendous effort in reconducting our operations successfully." "We recently released our Q1 2024 production, with 363,795 oz AgEq processed, which sets a strong precedent for upcoming quarters. The momentum at Nueva Recuperada remains strong as we continue to progress towards our ambitious goal of processing 700 tonnes per day of good grades. Looking ahead, we anticipate that the positive trajectory observed in Q4 2023 and in Q1 2024 will persist throughout the second quarter and the remainder of the 2024 year. These developments affirm our commitment to driving growth and shareholder value creation," he added.FY 2023 Financial HighlightsGenerated revenues of $15.7 million for the year ended 2023 representing a 12 per cent increase when compared to 13.9 million of revenues in FY 2022. Operating loss of $2.6 million in FY 2023. Net loss before tax of $10.8 million in FY 2023. FY 2023 Cash costs of $19.94 per Silver Equivalent ("AgEq") ounce produced (1)(2) and All-In-Sustaining Cost ("AISC") (1)(2) of $28.48 per AgEq ounce produced, reflective of the sustaining capital expenditure invested in the development of the Tangana mining unit ($7.8 million adding $8.53 per AgEq ounce produced to the AISC). Notes:Cash costs per AgEq ounce produced and AISC per AgEq ounce produced are non-IFRS financial ratios. These are based on non- IFRS financial measures that do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers. Please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures" section of this news release for further information. AgEq ounce produced was calculated using the average sales prices of each metal for each month, and revenues from concentrate sales does not consider metallurgical recoveries in the calculations as the metal recoveries are built into the sales amounts. Summary of Selected Financial ResultsThe information provided below are excerpts from the Company's unaudited interim Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A"), which can be found on the Company's website at www.silverxmining.com/investor#reportor on SEDAR at www.sedar.com Note:EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA per share are non-IFRS ratios with no standardized meaning under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. For further information, including detailed reconciliations to the most directly comparable IFRS measures, see "Non-IFRS Measures" in this news release and the MD&A.For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recorded:Net loss before tax of $10.8M, compared to a net loss before tax of $17.5M in the year ended December 31, 2022. EBITDA loss of $8.0M, compared to an EBITDA loss of $15.6M in the year ended December 31, 2022. Adjusted EBITDA loss of $3.6M, compared to an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $2.7M in the year ended December 31, 2022.The increase in loss in the current year was primarily due to increased operating revenues from the sale of mineral production of $15.7M compared to $13.9M in the prior year (increase of $1.8M), offset by increase of cost of sales of $18.3M compared to $14.2M in the prior year (increase of $4.1M). In the current period, the Company also incurred an impairment of $4.4M on its Coriorcco & Las Antas property in Peru. In the comparative period, the Company incurred an impairment of $9.1M of goodwill, an impairment of $1.1M on its Julian Property in Ecuador and a loss on conversion of convertible debenture of $2.1M.For the three months ended December 31, 2023, the Company recorded:Net loss before tax of $5.9M, compared to a net loss before tax of $13.6M in the three months ended December 31, 2022. EBITDA loss of $5.2M, compared to an EBITDA loss of $12.7M in the three months ended December 31, 2022. Adjusted EBITDA loss of $1.1M, compared to an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $0.4M in the three months ended December 31, 2022.The increase in loss in the current period was primarily due to increase in operating revenues from the sale of mineral production of $4.3M compared to $3.9M in the prior year (increase of $0.4M), offset by increase of cost of sales of $5.3M compared to $4.1M in the prior year (increase of $1.2M), resulting in a operating loss of $1.0M compared to an operating loss of $0.2M in the prior period. In the current period, the Company also incurred an impairment of $4.4M on its Coriorcco & Las Antas property in Peru. In the comparative period, the Company incurred an impairment of $9.1M of goodwill, an impairment of $1.1M on its Julian Property in Ecuador and a loss on conversion of convertible debenture of $2.1M.Financial PositionThe available cash during the period decreased by $0.5 million reflecting the net outflow from its continuing development of the Tangana mine unit, which saw higher development rates during the period. This was offset by the Company's non-brokered private placement of net proceeds of $1.8M completed during the year. The Company continues to actively manage the existing payables either through the cash flow generated from the operations and/or through other available sources of financing to further improve its working capital.Operational ResultsNotes:Average Realized Price, produ
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 /SKY GOLD CORP. ("Sky" or the "Company") ( TSX.V:SKYG)(OTC PINK:SRKZF) is pleased to announce it has reached an agreement with Delta Resources Ltd. (DLTA) whereby Delta will have the option to acquire a 100% interest in the Horne and Laurie properties located west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Delta will assume all remaining obligations to the vendor other than the share component which will be issued by Sky upon closing of this agreement, totalling 1.2 million shares. Upon signing of the agreement, Delta will issue 1,400,000 shares of the Company to Sky and pay the sum of $75,000. Sky will retain a 1% Net Smelter Return Royalty ("NSR"). Delta will have the option to buyback a 0.5% NSR at anytime for $1M and will have a right of first refusal on the second 0.5% NSR. 1,000,000 common shares are subject to a one-year transfer restriction and 400,000 shares are subject to a four month and one day hold period from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.The agreement is subject to regula"ory 'pproval."This agreement with Delta gives Sky exposure to Delta's impressive land packages covering two very high-potential gold and base-metal projects near Thunder Bay, Ontario and also gives us the opportunity to focus on our Shebandowan Ni-Cu-Co-PGE-Au portfolio in northwestern Ontario." Stated Sky Gold CEO Mike England.Qualified personSky Gold Corp.'s disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Don Hoy, P.Geo., who serves as a qualified person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Mike EnglandCEO, PRESIDENT & DIRECTORFOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT Tel: 1-604-683-3995Toll Free: 1-888-945-4770Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Forward Looking StatementsCertain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding the matters described herein. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance, or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including with respect to the completion of the Consolidation or the identification or acquisition of additional mineral assets. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including factors beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release.SOURCE: Sky Gold Corp.
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Teachers Eat Free in May at Slapfish Coastal Seafood KitchenSALT LAKE CITY, UT / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / As a token of appreciation for their tireless dedication to shaping young minds, Slapfish Coastal Seafood Kitchen is delighted to announce its special promotion: "Teachers Eat Free in May." Tuna poke bowl Person holding bowl of fresh seafoodThroughout the month of May, educators can enjoy a complimentary meal at any Slapfish Coastal Seafood Kitchen location across the nation. This offer extends to teachers from all educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and universities.Slapfish Coastal Seafood Kitchen recognizes the invaluable contributions of teachers in nurturing and educating future generations. This initiative aims to express gratitude for their unwavering commitment, especially during challenging times."We believe in the power of education and the profound impact teachers have on our communities," said Lacey Martin, Vice President of Marketing at Slapfish Coastal Seafood Kitchen. "By offering free meals to teachers throughout May, we hope to show our appreciation and support for their hard work and dedication." To redeem their complimentary meal, teachers simply need to present a valid educator ID or proof of employment at any Slapfish Coastal Seafood Kitchen location during operating hours. Whether they crave a mouthwatering crispy cod sandwich, a flavorful fish taco, or a fresh seafood salad, teachers can indulge in a delicious meal on the house. Slapfish Coastal Seafood Kitchen invites teachers to relax, unwind, and savor the flavors of the sea as a small token of gratitude for their invaluable contributions to education.For more information about the "Teachers Eat Free in May" promotion and to find the nearest Slapfish Coastal Seafood Kitchen location, visit slapfishrestaurant.com About Slapfish Slapfish is a food truck turned brick-and-mortar, fast-casual seafood restaurant that consists of 15 locations across the U.S. Slapfish has received many awards for culinary innovation and sustainability efforts across the concept, including MenuMaster's Trendsetter Award (2016), Sustainable Operator of the Year from The Buyer's Edge (2022) and Future 50: Emerging Brands by Restaurant Business (2022). Slapfish is headquartered at Mac Haik Enterprises (MHE) in Houston, Texas. To learn more about Slapfish, please visit www.slapfishrestaurant.com About Mac Haik Enterprises LTD (MHE) Mac Haik Restaurant Group (MHRG) is a division of Mac Haik Enterprises LTD (MHE), a diversified holding company based in Houston, TX. MHE is a major investor in three rapidly growing fast-casual restaurant brands, Original ChopShop, Slapfish and Due Cucina, and one of the largest franchisees of First Watch Restaurants. MHE also owns Mac Haik Outdoor Media, Mac Haik Hospitality, and Mac Haik Automotive Group which encompasses 23 car dealerships. The 11 affiliated companies of MHE have engaged in the development, ownership and management of commercial real estate and healthcare facilities, asset acquisition and disposition, facilities management, property management, leasing, project management, construction plus janitorial services, as well as hotel ownership. Overall, MHE companies employ over 3,000 employees. To learn more about MHRG, please visit www.machaik-enterprises.com Contact InformationLacey MartinVice President of Marketinglmartin@ machaik.com (713) 408-1381SOURCE: Slapfish Coastal Seafood KitchenView the original press release on newswire.com
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Texas Tech Credit Union Empowers Members with Enhanced Mortgage Rate Comparison Tools through New Partnership with BankingBridgeMIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Texas Tech Credit Union has selected BankingBridge, a leading provider of digital lending solutions, to improve the way its members compare, select, and shop for mortgage rates. This collaboration aims to enhance the online mortgage experience on www.texastechfcu.org , enabling members to easily navigate and choose the best mortgage options suited to their needs.The integration of BankingBridge's innovative technology will provide Texas Tech Credit Union members with real-time, easy-to-understand mortgage rate information and comparisons. This initiative is part of Texas Tech Credit Union's commitment to leveraging technology to improve financial accessibility and empowerment for its members."We are thrilled to partner with Texas Tech Credit Union to bring advanced mortgage rate comparison capabilities to their members," said Jimmy King, CEO of BankingBridge. "Our technology is designed to simplify the mortgage process, making it as transparent and user-friendly as possible. With this new tool, members of Texas Tech Credit Union will be able to make more informed decisions, ensuring they get the best possible deal tailored to their financial situation." This partnership marks a significant step forward in BankingBridge's mission to bridge the gap between financial institutions and consumers through technology. The enhanced platform is expected to not only improve user experience but also increase member engagement and satisfaction by providing a streamlined mortgage comparison and selection process.About Texas Tech Credit Union: Texas Tech Credit Union is committed to serving the financial needs of the Texas Tech community and its members. With a focus on integrity and member service, Texas Tech Credit Union offers a wide range of personalized financial solutions.About BankingBridge: BankingBridge provides cutting-edge digital solutions that integrate seamlessly with banks and credit unions, enhancing their digital presence and connecting them more effectively with consumers. BankingBridge's technologies enable financial institutions to offer a more accessible, transparent, and customer-friendly online experience.Contact:Kodey Knapmiller kodey@ bankingbridge.com SOURCE: BankingBridge
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Top Five Conveyor Car Wash Company Expands Footprint in Wisconsin and MinnesotaTHOMASTON, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / Tidal Wave Auto Spa, one of the nation's fastest-growing express car wash companies, celebrated two grand openings in the Midwest this week with their brand-new Beaver Dam, WI, and Waconia, MN locations.To celebrate the grand openings, both new locations are offering eight days of free car washes from May 1-May 8. This limited-time promotion provides an opportunity for car owners to experience Tidal Wave's premium wash option, Graph-X4, at no cost. Additionally, any new customer that joins a Clean Club unlimited wash membership plan during Grand Opening week will enjoy their first month of unlimited washes for only $9.97 - saving up to $40."We're excited to expand our footprint in the Midwest," said founder and CEO Scott Blackstock. "The opportunity to bring our convenient and industry-leading car wash to more people is what it's all about, and we are proud to join the Beaver Dam and Waconia communities this week. Our team is committed to making car care easy, efficient, and enjoyable, and we look forward to providing our exceptional car wash experience to our customers in both communities for years to come." Beaver Dam, WI Location: 105 Frances Lane, Beaver Dam, WI 53916Nearby locations: BurlingtonWaconia, MN Location: 564 Olive St S, Waconia, MN 55387Nearby locations: Eagan, Lino LakesTidal Wave Auto Spa is committed to providing every customer with an exceptional car wash experience through industry-leading car care technology, clean and attractive locations, and friendly customer service at every location. Stop by for a single wash or join Tidal Wave's Clean Club for the ultimate experience. Members can wash every day of the month for one convenient monthly payment and save time with exclusive club member wash lanes - plus, memberships can be used at any Tidal Wave location. For those needing to wash multiple cars, Tidal Wave offers discounted monthly family plans and fleet plans for businesses with five or more vehicles.Tidal Wave Auto Spa currently operates two Wisconsin locations and eight Minnesota locations. The company will open several additional washes throughout Wisconsin in the coming months, including brand-new Platteville, Marshfield and Weston locations. For additional information, including upcoming locations, fundraising, fleet plans, and more, please visit: https://www.tidalwaveautospa.com/ About Tidal Wave Auto SpaTidal Wave Auto Spa is an industry-leading conveyor car wash company founded in 1999 by Scott and Hope Blackstock in Thomaston, GA. Tidal Wave is committed to providing cutting-edge car care technology and exceptional customer service at each of their 257 locations sprawling 27 states across the South, Midwest, and Northern United States. In 2020, Tidal Wave partnered with Golden Gate Capital to facilitate their accelerated growth across the country. Tidal Wave is one of the top five conveyor car wash companies in the country and has been included in the Inc. 5000 list for America's Fastest Growing Companies since 2020. The company was recognized as a 2023 Champion of Charity Honoree by Professional Carwashing & Detailing and has raised over $3 million dollars for organizations in their communities.Contact InformationHeather ColemanMarketing Managermedia@ tidalwaveautospa.com Andrea TraylorSenior Director of Digital Marketingandrea.traylor@tidalwaveautospa.com 2058212220SOURCE: Tidal Wave Auto SpaView the original press release on newswire.com
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Jeanette Figueroa to Lead Operations, Elevating Title Services in the StateBROKEN ARROW, OK / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 / TitleEase, the leading franchisor in the real estate title and settlement services industry, proudly announces the addition of Empire Title & Closing LLC as its newest franchisee, poised to serve the Oklahoma market with excellence. Under the leadership of owner Jeanette Figueroa, Empire Title & Closing LLC is set to elevate standards and provide unparalleled title services across the state.Jeanette Figueroa, owner of Empire Title & Closing LLC, expressed her excitement, stating, "Joining forces with TitleEase is an incredible opportunity to bring top-notch title services to the Oklahoma market. Empire Title & Closing LLC is committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences and streamlining the title process for our clients. We are thrilled to partner with TitleEase and look forward to making a positive impact in the real estate industry." Joe D'Urso, CEO of TitleEase, shared his enthusiasm for the expansion, stating, "We are delighted to welcome Empire Title & Closing LLC to the TitleEase family. Jeanette Figueroa's dedication to excellence aligns perfectly with our mission to provide streamlined and compliant title services across the nation. This strategic partnership strengthens our presence in Oklahoma and reinforces our commitment to empowering entrepreneurs in the real estate title industry." TitleEase, known for offering a streamlined and compliant route for mortgage originators, servicers, and real estate professionals to own and operate their title agency, continues to empower entrepreneurs across the nation. This franchise opportunity allows individuals to possess a valuable asset with built-in enterprise value, eliminating the complexities of building a company from the ground up.For those in the mortgage and real estate industry looking to enhance their revenue streams, further insights into TitleEase and its exceptional franchise opportunities are available by contacting us at (877) 696-5462 or visiting www.titleeasefranchise.com About TitleEase: TitleEase LLC, a proud member of the Lincoln Family of Companies, stands as an innovative franchisor in the real estate title and settlement services sector. They provide franchisees with a turnkey title and closing business that is fully compliant and ready to operate efficiently. TitleEase offers a swift and efficient pathway for real estate-focused entrepreneurs to enter the title business while leveraging their expertise. For more information, contact TitleEase at (877) 696-5462 or visit www.titleeasefranchise.com Contact InformationJason BilbruckVice President of Business Developmentjbilbruck@ titleease.io 877-696-5462SOURCE: TitleEaseView the original press release on newswire.com
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2024 /Celebrate Weddings, a quarterly digital publication is making history with the cover of the "What's Hot" summer issue of the magazine, where the editorial team partnered with Content Creator Samantha Gentile from So Bridal Social to capture the cover shoot.The magazine issue with a content creator's work on the cover has just launched and is already creating buzz in the industry. As Gentile puts it, "It means more than I can put into words. I think this is a big step to show that content creators are creatives just like everyone else in the wedding industry." While it's true, there is no comparison between the work of a content creator and photographer, something Gentile agrees with, it's the publication's way of acknowledging what couples all over the globe are loving right now - that easy-to-consume, authentic content that captures the in-between moments with a different eye. "In the past, we have featured so many weddings where there's been room for a photographer, videographer, and content creator; we simply love the interplay and decided it was time to showcase this new vendor category in a bigger way," says the Editor-in-Chief of Celebrate Weddings.To see the cover Gentile created, as well as the cover shoot story, visit celebrateweddingsmagazine.com About Celebrate Weddings MagazineCelebrate Weddings is a luxury magazine with bold and chic content. As the only wedding magazine with a focus on the coverage of fashion and beauty, Celebrate Weddings has the latest in wedding fashion, popular beauty tips and products, and stylish weddings and engagements. With insider insight and a pulse on the industry happenings, it displays the latest trends from mini dresses to jumpsuits and bespoke designers, and explores the idea of what it means to find a wedding style so couples can feel authentic on their wedding day. Learn more at celebrateweddingsmagazine.com About So Bridal SocialSo Bridal Social is a media company that captures wedding day moments and shares them instantly. With over five years of experience in the wedding industry, owner Samantha Gentile knows the ins and outs of wedding days, from dealing with vendors to navigating venues. Learn more at sobridalsocial.com Media InquiriesSamantha Gentile sobridalsocial@ gmail.com SOURCE: Wedding Day Match
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2024 / Worthy Cause, a renowned Melbourne-based charity dedicated to empowering individuals overcoming adversity, is proud to announce the expansion of its mission with the launch of two new social enterprise cafes: New Grounds. These cafes represent a significant step forward in providing holistic employment opportunities and vocational training for vulnerable individuals in the community.Empowering Lives through EmploymentSince its inception, Worthy Cause has been committed to providing employment opportunities and support to those facing significant challenges, including disabilities and social disadvantages. Founder Rick Cohen shared, "We've been a cookie manufacturer, offering employment and training to individuals who have had to overcome severe adversity. While cookies have served their purpose, we wanted to explore avenues to expand our impact and provide more comprehensive support." The new social enterprise cafes, named New Grounds, represent an innovative approach to employment and training. Rick Cohen elaborated, "Our goal with New Grounds is to offer high-quality coffee, food, and vocational training in a welcoming environment. We've partnered with ONA Coffee, a leading coffee roaster, to ensure top-notch quality and sustainability in our offerings." A Sustainable Approach to HospitalityNew Grounds will focus on serving premium coffee, sandwiches, cookies, and hot meals with a seasonally rotating menu. However, what sets New Grounds apart is its commitment to zero food waste. Cohen said, "We're dedicated to ensuring that every piece of food we produce is utilized effectively. We've implemented rigorous systems to minimize food waste and plan to donate any surplus to local charities." The cafes will be launched on the campuses of Melbourne Polytechnic, providing strategic partnerships for vocational training. "Melbourne Polytechnic offers a range of trade courses, making it an ideal partner for our vocational training program," Cohen shared. "We envision a future where participants can earn recognized qualifications while gaining practical experience in our cafes." Building Futures, One Cup at a TimeThe launch of New Grounds marks a significant milestone for Worthy Cause and underscores its commitment to empowering individuals through meaningful employment and training opportunities. Cohen expressed his excitement, saying, "We're thrilled to embark on this new chapter with New Grounds. Together, we're not just serving coffee; we're building futures and creating pathways to success for those who need it most." The first New Grounds cafe is set to open next week, with a grand launch planned for the following week. Worthy Cause invites the community to support their mission by visiting New Grounds and experiencing the power of social enterprise in action.Learn more about Worthy Cause and New Grounds by visiting their website atWorthyCause.org.au Media DetailsCompany Name: Worthy CauseContact:hello@ worthycause.org.auWebsite:WorthyCause.org.au SOURCE: Worthy Cause
Veteran Nollywood actor Pete Edochie has, for the first time in three weeks, spoken about the demise of Nollywood actor Jnr Pope.

Edochie, known for his fatherly gait and wisdom, has appealed, applauded and cautioned Nigerians regarding their public remarks and actions concerning the late Jnr Pope.

In a video on his official Instagram handle, the 77-year-old actor addressed the late actor fondly.

He said, My son, Junior Pope, was a gift to the entire world. A splendid life was cut short the way we never expected. Yes, we shall all go someday, but certainly not in this manner.

Jnr Popes death came as a shock to all as it initially kicked off as a joke but ended as an unacceptable reality that Nigerians, the world and Nollywood have to live with.

He died on 10 April in a boat mishap while journeying to a movie set.

In his lifetime, Jnr Pope, 42, was never in the news for the wrong reasons. He was loved by many. His death still hurts a lot of fans across the world.

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Appeal

Edochie also appealed to his colleagues to resist the fighting and throwing jabs at one another on social media.

I want to make a general appeal; let us pray to the Almighty God to accept the soul of Junior Pope and cut out all the nonsense we have been putting out on social media.

Furthermore, he celebrated Nigerians, saying, You Nigerians are very good people, very understanding. This he served on the premise of the support given thus far to the deceaseds family.

He also clearly applauded the commitment made by Emoney Emeka Okonkwo to the deceaseds three children, promising to cater to their education to any level they desire.

Meanwhile, Jnr Popes burial arrangements began on 23 April with a requiem mass at Saint John-Mary Vianney Parish, Asaba, Delta State, his family announced.

The Nollywood actor will finally be laid to rest on 17 May at his country home after a burial mass at Saint Peters Catholic Church, Ukehe.

Interment will follow immediately after the actors burial, according to the family.

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Governors of states in northern Nigeria, on Tuesday, at a meeting in Kaduna, discussed issues relating to the security and rising number of out-of-school children in the region.

The meeting was their first in 2024. At a previous meeting in December 2023, they discussed similar issues of security and underdevelopment.

The meeting, which was held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, was chaired by Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, who is also the chairman of the Northern Nigeria Governors Forum.

Some of the northern states have been facing security challenges for more than a decade, especially the Boko Haram insurgency that ravaged the North-east, the banditry crisis in the North-west and farmers  herders as well as inter-religious crises in the North-central.

Aside from the raging insecurity, the sub-region also faces high rate of poverty, and a large number of out-of-school children. In addressing the problems, the forum in the meeting committed itself to investing in education and skill development, health care and social services to address the menace.

Below is the forums full communique detailing commitments made by the governors after the meeting

The Northern States Governors Forum under the leadership of Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON held its first meeting for the year 2024 today Tuesday, 30th April 2024 at the Council Chamber, Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna.

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2. The Forum commended the Federal Government under the dynamic, focused and courageous leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR which has demonstrated total commitment to winning the war against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality.

3. The Forum expressed the deepest sympathy and collective support to the Governments and people of Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Plateau and Zamfara States over the unprecedented security challenges currently affecting the States and resolved to stand in solidarity with them during these difficult times.

4. The Forum noted that Human Capital Development is critical to the progress and prosperity of the region and expressed concern that the region currently bears the burden of having the highest number of out-of-school children in the World. The Forum committed itself to investing massively in education and skill development, health care and social services to address the menace.

5. The Forum received the report of a Committee to review the Report of the Technical Committee on the New Nigeria Development Company. The Forum resolved that members should study the report for consideration at the next meeting of the Forum.

6. The Forum noted the expectation of the new Nigeria Development Company (NNDC) in the revitalization of the economy of the Northern States. The Forum accordingly resolved to invest in critical infrastructure that is capable of unlocking the huge industrial and economic potentials of the North.

7. The Forum noted that climate change, unsustainable agricultural practices and population growth posed significant challenges to the region. The Forum resolved to adopt a holistic approach that promotes environmental conservation, sustainable agriculture and responsible resource management to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of the people and preserve the national heritage of generations yet unborn.

8. The Forum received a presentation from the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) and the World Bank Team. The Forum noted achievements in areas of system strengthening, project management, infrastructure and structure and challenges as regards project implementation and expected areas of support. The Forum assured the AGILE and World Bank Teams of their sustained support and requested them to Fast-track the process of upscaling the programme.

9. The Forum received on Courtesy Call from the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). The Forum noted the resolve of the Board of Trustees to harmonise activities of various interest groups as well as voices, speaking and acting on behalf of the region. The Forum further resolved to support and encourage the Board of Trustees towards the realisation of the objectives of the founding fathers of the Arewa Consultative Forum.

10. The Forum also received a report from the Coalition of Northern Group on the security in Northern Nigeria. The Forum commended the Group for its commitment to the security of the Northern region and pledged to work together with the Group.

11. The Forum commended its leadership for engaging with the National Security Adviser, Service Chiefs, Coalition of Northern Civil Society groups and other relevant stakeholders in charting a way forward for sustainable peace and stability in the North.

12. The Forum commended the Chairman of the Forum for his inspirational leadership and commitment towards advancing the interests of the North. The Forum also commended the host Governor for his sustained effort in hosting the meetings of the Forum.

13. The Forum resolved to hold its next meeting on .. 2024.

HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU INUWA YAHAYA, CON EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF GOMBE STATE /

CHAIRMAN, NORTHERN STATES GOVERNORS FORUM

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The Ondo State Public Complaints, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption Commission (ODSPFACC) has said that it will take pragmatic steps to reduce financial crimes to the lowest level in government offices.

The commission also said it would not be in any competition with the federal governments Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as its mission was to rid Ondo State of corruption and criminal activities.

The chairperson of the ODSPFACC, Williams Akintoroye, said this while addressing journalists in Akure. He said the commission had commenced operations, and asked members of the public to file their complaints.

The commission was established in January 2022, with a mandate to fight against financial crimes and other offences such as gratification, bribery, fraud, and conspiracy, among others.

The issue of competing or being in a rank race with EFCC or ICPC does not arise. Some months ago, we visited ICPC in Ibadan, their headquarters in Oyo State, and they received us as kings and queens, he said.

According to the chairperson, the commission is committed to fighting corruption in the state in fairness without compromising in any way.

Our mission statement as a body is to rid Ondo State of corruption and criminal activities relating to finance, as a pioneer anti-corruption body in Ondo State, our primary mandate is to curb the devastating effects of corruption.

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The day Aketi (Akeredolu) inaugurated us, he said that there are only two people in the hall that cannot be investigated by the Commission because of the immunity guiding them, and that is himself (Aketi) and his deputy (Aiyedatiwa), and that is the position in law.

We promise to be fair to all in the exercise of our power under the enabling law; we will not compromise in any way. We will maintain our integrity by acting impartially with commitment and in the interest of the public, Mr Akintoroye said.

Aside from receiving and investigating petitions or complaints on corruption or financial crimes from members of the public, the agency is also duty-bound to take pragmatic steps that will reduce financial crimes or fraud to the lowest level in government offices.

Mr Akintoroye implored members of the public to lodge every complaint they have with the commission, saying it was ready to take action and look into every bit of it.

The commission also plans to open liaison offices in the three senatorial districts in the state to provide easy access for the public.

The fight will not be limited to the state capital alone. It must get to the nooks and crannies of the state, he added.

Mr Akintoye is a former chief judge of the state.

While inaugurating the commission in March last year, late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu said the trial of corrupt cases should not be the exclusive preserve of the federal government.

He pointed out that since committing certain offences was local, it was proper that the trial be conducted in the place where the offence was committed.

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A 75-year-old man has allegedly raped an eight-year-old girl in Anambra State, Nigerias south-east.

The suspect, Nwankwo Nweke, hails from Isi Agu, a community in Awka South Local Government Area of the state.

Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media aide to the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in Anambra State, Ify Obinabo, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

She said Mr Nweke, a barber, was later arrested in Awka, the state capital, over the alleged rape of the minor.

The statement did not indicate when the incident happened and when the suspect was arrested.

It is unclear, for now, the security agency that arrested the suspect.

How it happened

Ms Ikeanyionwu said the parents of the survivor, John and Ogochukwu Ugwuanyi, narrated how the incident happened.

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The media aide said the parents sent the girl to buy an item at a nearby shop around 7 p.m. on the fateful day, but she did not return home, prompting them to search for her.

She said when the girl could not be found, the parents raised an alarm.

The parents, according to the statement, would later learn that the suspect, who was their neighbour, had taken their daughter into his house and told her not to answer her name.

They alleged that the suspect pushed the survivor out of his room when he felt the search was over.

On how they knew what transpired between their daughter and the 75- 75-year-old suspect, the parents said that when their daughter finally came back that night, they questioned her. She told them that the suspect lured her to his house with a promise to give her mango.

They added that it was at that point that they involved security operatives before taking their child to the hospital for examination.

Suspect speaks

Mr Nweke, the suspect, was heard confessing that he raped the survivor in a video clip uploaded on Facebook alongside the statement.

It was a temptation that pushed (me) to rape her, he said in the Igbo language.

He appealed for mercy and promised not to commit such a crime again if the state government pardoned him.

Commissioner reacts

Responding, the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Mrs Obinabo, expressed sadness over the incident.

The commissioner assured the survivor of justice and warned that anyone caught in such an act would be prosecuted.

She regretted that despite the state governments fight against rape, some bad eggs were still engaging in the crime.

Prohibited in Nigeria

Nigeria, in 2015, enacted the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, which outlawed all forms of violence against women and girls, including rape, female circumcision and forceful ejection.

Offenders, on conviction, face life imprisonment or a maximum of 14-year jail term, depending on the age of the offender and the type of violence committed.

Various courts of rape have convicted several persons.

An Ado-Ekiti High Court, in July 2022, sentenced a 49-year-old man, Dele Adeyanju, to four years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl.

A Bauchi High Court, in 2017, sentenced two middle-aged men to life in prison for raping a 40-year-old woman and plucking her eyes.

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Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has unveiled a N500 million revolving loans scheme for civil servants.

Mr Sani disclosed this on Wednesday in Kaduna during the 2024 May Day Celebration.

The governor symbolically distributed dummy cheques to some workers amidst cheers while announcing more economic empowerment initiatives.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to prioritising workers welfare and appropriately equipping them with available resources.

Mr Sani emphasised the importance of a motivated workforce for the success of his administrations Rural Transformation Agenda, addressing the theme People First.

He stressed the centrality of citizens in development and governance, highlighting the strategic partnership forged with labour unions to advance workers interests and improve living conditions.

He also listed ongoing efforts to attract investments, provide training, and enhance job opportunities for citizens.

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Mr Sani assured continued attention to human capital development and poverty reduction through government interventions.

The governor further disclosed ongoing consultations with labour unions at both federal and state levels to negotiate a decent salary increase for the state and local government workers.

Earlier, the Chairperson of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Magaji, commended Mr Sani for his attendance at the May Day Celebration, marking a significant departure from the past nine years.

He also expressed gratitude for the governors prompt payment of salaries and allowances, as well as the involvement of labour unions in decision-making processes

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the highlight of the occasion was a march parade by various unions and affiliates of the NLC, as well as the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

(NAN)

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The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has attributed the devaluation of the foreign exchange to the rising cost of drugs in Nigeria.

Mr Pate explained at a webinar Tuesday that the devaluation is affecting manufacturers ability to buy raw materials and equipment to produce.

The webinar themed: Addressing the Escalating Costs of Medicines, was organised by TheCable as part of activities to mark its 10th anniversary.

Other factors contributing to the escalating cost of drugs, according to the Minister, include power supply, technology, supply chain and regulatory landscape.

A former minister of health, who was the chairman of the event, Julius Adelusi-Adewuyi, emphasised industrialisation and increased funding of the health sector.

On funding, he said: What can be done is to make sure that whatever is available now must be used judiciously along the corridors of openness and accountability.

Corroborating the minister, the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Moji Adeyeye, said the way to tackle the exit of multinational pharmaceutical companies from the country is to have more local manufacturers making those products.

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We need the naira devaluation to stabilise. There is nothing those multinationals that left were making that we cannot make in Nigeria. The one item we cannot make is an inhaler, she said

Health insurance

Mr Pate said less than 10 per cent of Nigerians are covered under health insurance, adding that financing the sector and affordability of service have been major issues in the last 40 years in the country.

He said: This means many fund healthcare out of pocket. Many of us will be thrown into poverty if met with catastrophic health challenges like cancer and kidney failure because we dont have a viable insurance platform.

For Nigeria, we have been playing catch up for 20 years. If we had built an industrial base to manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and pharmaceuticals, we probably would have much less impact from the global increase in the price of APIs and the supply chains.

Mr Pate said the government has had a series of engagements with industry players, practitioners, and stakeholders on the escalating costs of pharmaceutical products in the country.

He added that President Bola Tinubu has directed that the ministry work in collaboration with the private sector to find a solution.

We have had engagements with the pharmaceutical consultative forum, and we are finalising an instrument from the government that will affect the fiscal policy constraints on the import of raw materials and manufacturing equipment, he said.

NMA raises concerns

Also speaking at the webinar, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Uche Ojinmah, suggested that the Nigerian government should set up a health sector development bank to encourage local pharmaceutical companies.

According to Mr Ojinmah, setting up a health sector development bank would help the local pharmaceutical industry to thrive, adding that the government must also reduce importation tariffs on drugs to encourage foreign investors.

He said: Nigeria must urgently declare a state of emergency, especially in the pharmaceutical sector. Nigeria should go full blast in supporting the local manufacturing sector in the pharmaceutical industry with the full regulation of NAFDAC.

Nigeria should inaugurate a health sector development bank that will have different facilities for all the health care contributors and stakeholders so that they can go to this bank to fulfil the conditions that should not be as stringent as the one in CBN.

It will encourage pharmaceutical companies to go into production of drugs we need today like antibiotics, antihypertensives and anti-diabetes.

Mr Ojinmah emphasised the need for the health insurance programme to help Nigerians access good health services.

Other comments

In her comments, the Executive Secretary of Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Chisom Uchem, suggested that the government should encourage and promote clinical research.

When people look for drugs and cannot get them, there will automatically be therapeutic failure, she said.

Its time for the government to encourage experts to research the use of our local herbal remedies for production.

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President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Nigerian workers on the auspicious occasion of Workers Day held annually to celebrate the lifeblood of our country.

The president saluted the workers for their fidelity to the peace, progress, and development of the nation evident in their tireless efforts and patriotic zeal to keep the national engine running.

President Tinubu celebrated Nigerian workers across all spheres  from the clerical officer who ensures the proper documentation and distribution of correspondence; the security officer who remains ever dutiful through all seasons; the teacher who secures the future of our nation by imparting knowledge to the next generation; the doctor who works relentlessly to save precious lives, and to all Nigerian workers who keep the candle aflame.

The president affirmed that his administration remains committed to improving the welfare of all workers, noting the various relief programmes, including the wage award and the imminent minimum wage review.

President Tinubu strongly believes that the custodians of the nations machinery deserve a fair wage and enhanced welfare and that a labourer is deserving of not just any reward but fair and commensurate wages.

The president assured Nigerian workers of his dedication to not only improving their welfare but also enhancing their working conditions and providing the necessary tools for them to succeed.

The president wished Nigerian workers Happy May Day celebrations.

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Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

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The chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, says the anti-graft agencys commitment to combating cybercrimes remains unwavering.

Mr Olukoyede said cybercrimes are a threat to the development of nations.

He said this while receiving a delegation from the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Monday.

EFCCs spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, shared a statement with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday night highlighting what transpired at the meeting.

As a matter of fact, a consultant was saying that cybercrime has assumed the third largest GDP in the world, Mr Olukoyede was quoted as saying, to underscore the extent of the menace posed by cybercrime.

He said the crime must be tackled through the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies across the globe.

Mr Olukoyede told the visiting Interpol delegation that the EFCCs operations against cybercrimes have been relentless yielding results in over five hundred convictions in cybercrimes in the last few months.

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He recalled EFCCs collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States and the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the United Kingdom.

We are much ready to do more and also to encourage the heads of the world to give access to information, he said.

Interpol representative speaks

Earlier in his presentation, leader of the delegation, Craig Jones, explained that Interpol was working as a neutral law enforcement agency with private partners across the world to detect and break criminal networks serving fraudsters.

Mr Jones acknowledged that cybercrimes have become global security threats with massive impact.

I think many countries now recognise that cybercrime is actually a national security threat to countries and this goes hand in hand with financial crimes, because the main motivation of cybercrime normally for the criminals is that financial gain and the impact that it makes on the countries and our communities is massive, he explained.

Mr Jones pledged Interpols commitment to identifying countries with criminal networks and assist them to break such networks.

He also disclosed that a CyberCrimes Convention is being negotiated with the United Nations to draw global attention and commitment to the fight against the menace.

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The House of Representatives Committees on Petroleum Downstream and Midstream have asked security agencies to go after oil marketers sabotaging the sector.

The chairpersons of the committees, Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and Odianosen Okojie (APC, Edo), made the call on Wednesday during a joint briefing in Abuja.

Mr Ugochiyere, who is the chairman of the downstream committee, said the committees had been briefed by marketers and NNPC Limited, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) on the lingering petroleum scarcity.

He noted that the scarcity is just a temporary glitch caused by logistic challenges and further exacerbated by the actions of some unscrupulous marketers who are hoarding petroleum products.

At this juncture, we strongly frown at the activities of middlemen who have taken advantage of the short disruption of supply to maximise profit and generate an excessive gain for themselves, at the detriment of our people.

We hereby call on security forces to support the NNPCL, NMDPRA, PETROAN, NARTO and other key stakeholders in the distribution value chain, to ensure that such acts of economic sabotage that have to do with hoarding, arbitrary increment in price, product diversion and smuggling are detected and dealt with, Mr Ugochinyere said.

The lawmaker said the committee will convene to a round of talks with players in the sector to prevent future occurrences.

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Fuel scarcity

PREMIUM TIMES reported how fuel scarcity hit major cities across Nigeria in recent weeks, with attendant effects on businesses and households.

An NNPC Limited official said on Tuesday that the scarcity would end this week.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has, however, threatened to shut down its outlets across the country over non-payment of bridging claims of over N200 billion owed to its members.

The House on Tuesday summoned the Minister of Petroleum Resources to brief it on the cause of the scarcity and how to mitigate it.

While regulators and lawmakers assure Nigerians of the availability of petroleum products, many workers are spending the Workers Day holiday in queues at different petrol stations across the country.

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The future of Africa is intricately connected to the vitality and well-being of its higher education system. It is imperative to continue investing in this sector to uphold the standard of education and broaden its accessibility to a larger population, thereby increasing its overall influence Higher education plays a crucial role in fostering a knowledgeable, forward-thinking, and united society, thereby establishing a solid basis for sustainable development and national progress.

On 8 and 9 May, experienced and influential educators, administrators, and policymakers will gather at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies to discuss the impact of private universities on public ones. Five key researchers drawn from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Kenya will present their findings based on research conducted in the last three years. Over 60 others will join them to offer various views on this important project. I will then follow up with intensive five-country studies, filling the gaps in the presentations. A series of half a dozen transformative books will follow in 2025 and 2026. I must thank our various partners: Kenyatta University, Dr Peter Wekesa and his team, Kenya School of Monetary Studies, the country researchers, and the various presenters.

This theme requires no elaborate justification. Higher education is a crucial component of contemporary societies, functioning as both a repository of knowledge and a catalyst for societal change. Within the African context, a continent abundant in potential but confronted with numerous obstacles, universities and other tertiary institutions play a crucial role in the pursuit of long-term progress and advancement. The institutions serve as more than just academic centers; they function as crucibles for shaping future leaders, innovators, and thinkers. The universities offer an environment that fosters critical thinking and instills the principles of democracy, equity, and civic responsibility.

In the context of many ongoing efforts to navigate the complex political landscape and achieve economic diversification, there is a growing recognition of the significant role played by higher education institutions as agents of transformation. Pivotal in fostering an enlightened and active citizenry, these institutions play an important role in equipping individuals with not only vocational skills but also the capacity to think critically about the challenges confronting different African nations. The impact of higher education extends beyond the boundaries of the classroom and has a significant influence on the political sphere.

Well-educated individuals play crucial roles as policymakers, advisors, and leaders, actively contributing to the development of policies that drive national progress. From an economic standpoint, universities have the potential to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. They can achieve this by establishing conducive environments that motivate students and researchers to create novel technologies and business solutions that address the specific needs of the nation.

The role of higher education encompasses a wide range of responsibilities and has a broad impact. The objective is to provide individuals with the necessary skills to succeed in diverse industries while also fostering a strong sense of national identity and purpose. Africas pursuit of a prosperous and stable future is closely tied to the significant impact of higher education. The transformative potential of higher education is considered one of the countrys most valuable resources. The act of investing in this sector is not solely focused on the enhancement of education but rather on establishing the necessary foundation for a comprehensive transformation at the national level.

African universities play a crucial role in fostering innovation and driving technological advancement within the continent. Through the establishment of collaborations with technology industries and startups, these institutions can connect academic research with tangible, market-oriented solutions. The symbiotic relationship between universities and industry not only enhances the educational experience for students by exposing them to real-world scenarios but also positions the universities at the forefront of technological innovation. This alignment of academic pursuits with national economic priorities further strengthens the bond between academia and industry.

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The potential for these collaborations is extensive. Universities can function as incubators for technology startups by offering the necessary resources, mentorship, and academic expertise to develop and enhance new technologies. These collaborations frequently result in the development of innovative solutions specifically designed to tackle local issues, including healthcare, agriculture, and renewable energy. Furthermore, the active involvement with technology industries guarantees that the curriculum remains up-to-date and adaptable to the changing job market. This prepares students to not only become employees but also to be innovative thinkers and entrepreneurs.

The role of higher education institutions is also crucial in promoting social cohesion and cultivating a shared national identity. Within a nation characterised by a wide range of cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity, universities serve as a hub where young individuals from different backgrounds converge. The convergence within academic settings presents a distinct opportunity for students to engage, cooperate, and comprehend each others viewpoints, establishing a basis for mutual respect and cohesion.

Universities promote the integration of students through a variety of methods, such as incorporating it into the curriculum and offering extracurricular activities. Enrollment in courses that specifically address African history, politics, and culture can provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the intricate and captivating aspects of their countrys rich heritage. The acquisition of this education is of utmost importance in fostering a strong sense of inclusion and fostering an understanding and appreciation for the wide range of individuals that comprise our nation. In addition, universities organise cultural festivals and seminars to facilitate cultural exchange and foster appreciation. These events also contribute to the development of students awareness and sense of pride in their national identity.

In addition to facilitating cultural integration, higher education institutions play a crucial role in fostering a sense of social responsibility among their students. Students are motivated to make positive contributions to their communities through the implementation of community service requirements, developmental projects, and leadership training. The engagement mentioned above facilitates the cultivation of a cohort of well-informed individuals who possess not only an understanding of their responsibilities as citizens but also a strong drive to actively contribute to the progress of society.

The role of universities in shaping a cohesive national identity is exemplified by their commitment to addressing national issues through their research agendas. Academic research has the potential to exert influence on public policy and foster a more informed and cohesive society in Africa by addressing pertinent issues such as sustainable development, poverty reduction, and democratic governance.

The cultivation of a skilled cadre of public administrators and policymakers through higher education is crucial for enhancing governance and public policy in Africa. Universities and tertiary institutions play a crucial role in providing students with the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for effective governance. By enrolling in specialised courses in public administration, political science, and economics, students can acquire a comprehensive understanding of governmental structures, policy development processes, and the economic factors that are crucial in making public decisions. In addition, these academic programs frequently include internships and fieldwork opportunities that offer practical experience in government and policy environments. This helps to connect theoretical learning with real-world applications.

African universities play a crucial role in shaping public policy through their rigorous research and analysis, in addition to their primary function of training future leaders and policymakers. Various institutions house think- tanks and research centers that specialise in a diverse range of crucial topics, encompassing healthcare, education, economic reform, and environmental sustainability. The centers play a dual role in providing valuable insights and data to inform policy decisions, as well as serving as consultants to government bodies. They offer their expertise to refine and evaluate existing policies and strategies.

In addition, universities have a crucial role in leading the way in sustainable development initiatives. Academic institutions can focus their resources and intellectual capital on addressing urgent national and global challenges by aligning their research topics with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Research on sustainable agriculture practices can provide valuable insights for policymakers seeking to enhance food security and improve livelihoods in rural areas. Similarly, studies on renewable energy play a crucial role in informing the development of policies aimed at reducing dependency on fossil fuels and promoting environmental sustainability.

Higher education institutions play a crucial role as partners in governance by serving as centres of knowledge and innovation. They contribute to the development of effective and evidence-based public policy. Their participation guarantees that policies are not only theoretically robust but also based on empirical research, thereby improving the overall governance framework in Africa. Universities contribute to the strengthening of public sector institutions, thereby playing a transformative role in advancing national development objectives.

The role of higher education is significant, serving as a source of hope and a driver of change. It not only has the potential to improve the lives of individuals but also to bring about a transformation in the overall societal structure. Universities play a crucial role in driving innovation and technological progress, positioning themselves as key players in the nations transition to a knowledge-driven economy. Partnerships established with technology industries and the fostering of a startup culture play a crucial role in achieving this objective. These initiatives facilitate the transformation of academic research into tangible and inventive solutions that effectively address the requirements of both Africans and the global community.

Furthermore, the significance of higher education in fostering social cohesion and cultivating a collective national identity cannot be emphasised enough. Universities play a crucial role in fostering unity and mutual respect among the youth in Africa by bringing together diverse cultural groups. This is vital for ensuring the long-term stability and prosperity of the country. The institutions also cultivate a strong sense of civic duty and social responsibility within their student body, with the intention of preparing them to assume leadership roles and drive positive change in the future.

From an academic perspective, universities have a significant influence on governance and public policy. The influence of higher education on policy-making and effective governance of the nation is facilitated by the cultivation of skilled public administrators and the production of rigorous research by academic think tanks. The incorporation of research and real-world data ensures that policies are not only innovative but also practical, thereby improving their effectiveness and long-term viability.

The future of Africa is intricately connected to the vitality and well-being of its higher education system. It is imperative to continue investing in this sector to uphold the standard of education and broaden its accessibility to a larger population, thereby increasing its overall influence. The provision of adequate resources to universities is a vital measure in ensuring a prosperous future for Africa. Higher education plays a crucial role in fostering a knowledgeable, forward-thinking, and united society, thereby establishing a solid basis for sustainable development and national progress.

Toyin Falola, a professor of History, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at The University of Texas at Austin, is the Bobapitan of Ibadanland.

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it must be stated that having come this far, it was careless of NOUN to allow an error on its website, which initially rendered law as BSC, yet Ms Anyim should know better, after all the certificate issued to her reads LLB. Again, NOUN has a strong ICT unit, with the full complement of a directorate. How then could such error remain on their website before the Ms Anyim fiasco?

Ordinarily, doctrinal issues of religion concerning confession and testimony are the private spiritual affairs of the parties involved, but when a publicly funded educational institution is dragged into such a matter, it becomes germane to interrogate the issue.

Penultimate week, the social media went wild over an incident that occurred at Dunamis Church, with far-reaching implications for the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). A graduate of the university, Vera Anyim had come into the open church auditorium to testify about her sojourn and graduation from NOUN, despite all odds, and especially being the first to have a university degree in her family.

Unfortunately, a combination of issues of grammar, stage fright and mistakes almost rubbed off on her 15 minutes of fame negatively. Her grammatical expression and reference to her course of study as a BSc programme, instead of an LLB, spoiled the broth for the serving police officer, whose day was equally shattered, and her ego bruised due to the event that followed. The senior pastor of the Church, Paul Enenche, in whose presence (and those of thousands of congregants) the testimony took place, upbraided her for her lack of articulation and for peddling a supposedly false narrative, in the name of a testimony.

The social media buzz about the manner of the pastors reprimand extended to as far as trying to verify her claims, which turned out to vilify her. On his part, when the pastor subsequently realised that he had acted in error, he made it up to her (Anyim) through an apology from the church and a warm embrace, along with his wife. Veras commitment to the church and loyalty to her father in the lord, Pastor Enenche, shone through that reconciliation gesture.

Despite their best efforts at resolution, the dust raised over the issue has refused to dissipate, as many netizens as possible on the social media, are still not assuaged. Not after the public chastisement, not after the huge embarrassment, and not after the validation of the ladys certificate. For them, men of God are expected to exercise discretion in dealing with the vulnerable, in comparison with the well-heeled members of the church.

We do not know her pedigree. Perhaps, she was shy and timid before going to school but was afterwards able to face the Dunamis crowd to speak out. We put too much emphasis on spoken English in Nigeria. Here is a colonial language imposed on us by Britain. Yes, it is a means of communication in Nigeria, and it is our official language, but we shouldnt equate English with knowledge, intelligence, or brilliance.

Humiliating a woman in such a moment was not encouraging. The issue also concerns the social class of the woman. I doubt if she would have gotten the same level of opprobrium from Pastor Enenche if she were of a higher social class. She would have been presented as a model worthy of emulation. Indeed, that is what Ms Vera is.

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However, this pales into insignificance when compared with the criticisms of NOUN, the school she graduated from. We should remember that Pastor Enenche criticised her grammar and the type of degree she claimed to have bagged, while others blamed the institution over its half-baked graduates; Vera Anyim inclusive. However, it should be seen as more about Ms Anyim than about the capacity or effectiveness of teachings at NOUN. In other words, her case should not define NOUN.

Although I commend her determination in going back to school as a working mother and wife with enormous responsibilities  and I think we should all encourage such people, yet I cannot help but notice her lapses. Further investigations indicate that she struggled through school and spent about 10 years before she could graduate, not in flying colours anyway. But does it really matter?

There are many people who struggle through school but become successful in other endeavours after their university education. School is not about passing exams in flying colours; going to school is about exposure and opening your mind to a world of possibilities. The confidence she exuded at the testimony session, before her bubble burst, is a direct consequence of a university education.

We do not know her pedigree. Perhaps, she was shy and timid before going to school but was afterwards able to face the Dunamis crowd to speak out. We put too much emphasis on spoken English in Nigeria. Here is a colonial language imposed on us by Britain. Yes, it is a means of communication in Nigeria, and it is our official language, but we shouldnt equate English with knowledge, intelligence, or brilliance. There are so many knowledgeable people who dont speak good English, and there are so many dullards who speak eloquently. Besides, it is neither our mother tongue nor is it our first language, and not everyone has a good foundation to understand the rules of grammar.

Notwithstanding this dent, NOUN has remained one of the most progressive public universities in the country. According to the dean of the Faculty of Law, Dr Ernest Ugbeje, NOUNs students performance at Law School has vindicated their law programme, as their students have been doing well. The fear of the regulatory body is that we run a part time programme; and that our students would not do well. From all indications, that misconception appears to have been settled.

In addition, Vera Anyims case did not (and should not) detract from NOUNs performance and efficiency, which over the years has filled a vacuum in many peoples educational journeys and career progression. NOUN still provides high quality educational standards and skills development devoid of issues like sexual assault and other encumbrances associated with conventional universities, mainly because of the minimal physical interaction. Many NOUN graduates have been outstanding in their various endeavours too.

However, it must be stated that having come this far, it was careless of NOUN to allow an error on its website, which initially rendered law as BSC, yet Ms Anyim should know better, after all the certificate issued to her reads LLB. Again, NOUN has a strong ICT unit, with the full complement of a directorate. How then could such error remain on their website before the Ms Anyim fiasco?

Notwithstanding this dent, NOUN has remained one of the most progressive public universities in the country. According to the dean of the Faculty of Law, Dr Ernest Ugbeje, NOUNs students performance at Law School has vindicated their law programme, as their students have been doing well. The fear of the regulatory body is that we run a part time programme; and that our students would not do well. From all indications, that misconception appears to have been settled. It is never a part time programme. We had physical contact with our students, and we facilitate them we have students that are professors; we have students that are PhD holders.

And when they went to the Nigerian Law School, the lecturers were amazed at their performance. They did well and earned many awards by the end of the programme, the dean said at one of NOUNs events. The university has over 500,000 thousand students, 78 study centres and 750 courses. NOUN provides equal opportunities to both disabled and prison inmates and as many as 3,000 of such class of people enrolled in their programmes, while some have graduated. Arguably, no university in Nigeria can boast of NOUNs reach. Certainly, we cant throw away the baby with the bath water.

Zainab Suleiman Okino chairs Blueprint Editorial Board. She is a syndicated columnist and can be reached via zainabokino@gmail.com

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On Dunamis, there was a sigh of relief when Anyim and her pastor reconciled after the church apologised for the stone thrown at her and she accepted the apology Forgiveness is a mark of faith, and both sides have to be commended for seeing and accepting their mistakes, as well as embracing forgiveness. In the end, the whole issue appeared to have been a laughable incident that is full of errors. Correcting the errors by all concerned has brought relief to everyone  the graduate, the church, and the university.

The truism, two wrongs do not make a right, appeared justified recently when an incident in an Abuja church culminated in a grievous comedy of errors. A lady, Ms Veronica Nnenna Anyim, ruffled the feathers in the social media when she claimed that she had obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Law from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). She made the testimony during a well-attended church service at the popular Dunamis International Gospel Centre in Abuja.

As it turned out, Anyim had only made a big mistake because the NOUN does not offer a BSc in Law but the universally recognised LLB. She herself recognised her mistake which she tried to correct in a Facebook post. Eventually, she reconciled with her pastor, and the NOUN was exonerated.

But the damage had already been done, not only to her image as a law graduate but also to both the Dunamis church and the NOUN. In the first place, Anyim, a police officer, had exposed herself as an undeserving claimant to a law degree, through her obvious poor grasp of the English language during her testimony and her forgetting the real nomenclature of the degree that she gotten.

The questions being asked in the media were: How could a university graduate, a learned one for that matter, be so poor in her presentation before the mammoth crowd? How could she forget that universities dont offer BSc in Law but LLB? Even the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president, Yakubu Maikyau, had to weigh in, dismissing Anyims initial claim of obtaining a BSc in Law.

Her pain was palpable. She was, as she wrote, disheartened because I couldnt speak English like lawyers. I was labeled a liar for mistakenly saying BSc instead of LLB. She reminded her perceived tormentors that the rejected stone can become the cornerstone. She related how shattered she was, sitting through the church service that day.

Other commentators in the social media community questioned the manner of her grilling by Dunamis Senior Pastor, Paul Enenche. They asked: Why should he embarrass her with so much gusto, throwing her under the bus for making a simple mistake? Was the Church not meant to be understanding and appreciative of the ladys feat? She had fulfilled a life-long ambition, becoming the first person in her family to attain an educational height, i.e. obtaining a university degree. Didnt she deserve a pat on the back, instead of public ridicule?

Her pain was palpable. She was, as she wrote, disheartened because I couldnt speak English like lawyers. I was labeled a liar for mistakenly saying BSc instead of LLB. She reminded her perceived tormentors that the rejected stone can become the cornerstone. She related how shattered she was, sitting through the church service that day.

Many had hoped that the man of God, who she regarded as her spiritual leader, would have been less combative and more paternal; he should have even gently reminded her of her mistake. Instead, he seemed to have enjoyed the laughable spectacle of her utter confusion.

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To the general public, the NOUN was at first open to ridicule for fathering a dullard as a law graduate. Many wondered if Vera was the best example of its output as an institution of higher learning. Her apparent shaming was suggestive of the universitys academic standard. They questioned the universitys offering of a Bachelor of Arts in Law, while all others offer the LLB.

By accomplishing the feat of obtaining a law degree  warts and all  Vera Anyim has scaled a hurdle many Nigerian youth are at pains to do. Not being able to speak lawyerly English is not enough justification to downgrade her. I know many lawyers who cannot speak perfect English in a crowd but yet are excellent in their careers. Vera deserves accolades for becoming the first person in her family to graduate from a university.

However, the reality is not what we saw in the cyberspace. Anyim, Dunamis and NOUN were not exactly what their images projected through the testimony incident. By accomplishing the feat of obtaining a law degree  warts and all  Vera Anyim has scaled a hurdle many Nigerian youth are at pains to do. Not being able to speak lawyerly English is not enough justification to downgrade her. I know many lawyers who cannot speak perfect English in a crowd but yet are excellent in their careers. Vera deserves accolades for becoming the first person in her family to graduate from a university.

Of course, graduating with a third class degree, after failing to do so for many gruelling years, she could not have represented the best example of NOUNs output. It is to the NOUNs credit that she was only midwifed to pass through the university, without flying colours. The university could have been thumped down standard-wise if it had awarded a first class or second class honours degree to her.

NOUN is a no-nonsense institution that places a premium on quality education. Dullards or layabouts cannot casually escape the excellent academic gatekeepers at the university. Little surprise, then, that NOUN graduates at the Nigerian Law School were reported to have given their colleagues from conventional universities a run for their money in academic performance.

On Dunamis, there was a sigh of relief when Anyim and her pastor reconciled after the church apologised for the stone thrown at her and she accepted the apology. The Senior Pastor feels deeply concerned (for his action) and had already reached out to her, the church said in a press release. Forgiveness is a mark of faith, and both sides have to be commended for seeing and accepting their mistakes, as well as embracing forgiveness. In the end, the whole issue appeared to have been a laughable incident that is full of errors. Correcting the errors by all concerned has brought relief to everyone  the graduate, the church, and the university.

Ibrahim Abubakar is a journalist based in Kaduna. E-mail: aaibrahim46@yahoo.com

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Farewell to a titan of Nigerian journalism and politics, Alhaji Sidi Ali. Your legacy endures, casting a guiding light for generations to come. Rest in peace, knowing that your contributions to our nation shall forever be remembered.

Zamu Daura ma auren dole! Hajiya Hakama Sidi Ali thundered over the phone after I answered her call. In Hausa, this translates to We will find and force a wife on you!

Hajiya Hakama Sidi Alis warm and forthright demeanour has been a constant source of guidance and inspiration since I received a surprise birthday gift from her in 2016. She is candid and sincere, yet always maintained a cheerful and friendly disposition. These qualities were often discussed by my father, who was her course mate at Bayero University Kano in the early 90s.

Rather than adopting the entitled attitudes of privileged children, Hakama and her siblings, led by her senior brother Hamid Sidi-Ali, embraced simplicity, humility, and amiability  traits inherited from their father. Their family ethos also included a touch of radicalism against injustice.

Her father, Alhaji Sidi Ali, was a veteran journalist and politician who passed away on 25 April at the age of 86. As a member of the Sharifai clan, which traces its ancestry back to the renowned Islamic scholar, Al-Maghili, Sidi Ali also hailed from a distinguished media family in Northern Nigeria.

The familys commitment to media excellence has left an indelible mark on the regions history and culture. Notable family members include Alhaji Sidi Mohammed Ali, who worked with the Hausa Service of Voice of Ghana and later headed the Hausa Service of Voice of Nigeria (VON); Alhaji Sidi Ali Sirajo, a respected Civil War correspondent and former managing director of Triumph and New Nigerian Newspapers; and Ibrahim Sidi Ali, who contributed significantly to broadcasting at Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), and also served as chief press secretary to the late Governor Sabo Bakin Zuwo of Kano.

Born in Kano on 15 July, 1938, Alhaji Sidi Alis journey began amidst his fathers thriving cattle and agricultural produce businesses, as a leader of the Nigerian community in Ghana. The educational odyssey of the then young boy took him from Shahuci Elementary School to Rumfa College, where he befriended future leaders, Ado Bayero and Murtala Mohammed.

Sent to Ghana for higher education, Sidi Alis immersion in radical politics led to his expulsion, catapulting him into a transformative phase. Under the sponsorship of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, his academic pursuits abroad ultimately culminated in his education at New York University; Merced College, California; and Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. There, he obtained a bachelors degree in journalism, and held a diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations.

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In 1979, Sidi Ali joined the socialist Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), led by the late Mallam Aminu Kano, and was elected to the Federal House of Representatives, representing Dambatta Federal Constituency. His re-election in 1983 saw him represent Gezawa Federal Constituency. Sidi Alis prowess mirrored his principled stance in both journalism and politics.

A versatile journalist and renowned Pan Africanist, Sidi Ali served as an assistant information officer at the first All African Peoples Conference in Accra in 1958 and was actively involved in the pioneering work that saw to the birth of the Organisation for African Unity (OAU) in 1963.

Upon his return to Nigeria, Sidi Ali transitioned into the civil service and played a crucial role in shaping the governments narrative during the Nigerian Civil War. He worked at the Nigerian International Press Centre, Federal Ministry of Information, among other strategic positions.

In 1979, Sidi Ali joined the socialist Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), led by the late Mallam Aminu Kano, and was elected to the Federal House of Representatives, representing Dambatta Federal Constituency. His re-election in 1983 saw him represent Gezawa Federal Constituency. Sidi Alis prowess mirrored his principled stance in both journalism and politics. His actions as a member of the House of Representatives, including an incident involving a gun, demonstrated his unwavering commitment to justice and accountability. His opponents often portrayed him as a controversial public figure due to his unwavering stance and outspoken nature during the Second Republic.

A contemporary of Chief MKO Abiola and Senator Olusola Saraki in politics, as a member of the Federal House of Representatives, Sidi Ali fearlessly challenged societal norms and advocated for justice and accountability.

His literary prowess is evident in 19 published books and numerous articles that he wrote, which often urged critical thought and compassionate action. Some of his notable works include A Trip to Timbuktu (1965), Corruption in High Society, and The Power of Power on Muhammad Ribadu, Former Defence Minister (1982).

Through his writings and speeches, Sidi Ali leaves a legacy of unwavering commitment to justice, accountability, and compassionate action. Some of his most controversial books include, Political fraud of the Nigerian elites, Nigeria Relations With Israel, WAI as an Ideology for moral rectitude and Tarka: A Victim of Political and Sectional Blackmail, which faced a ban by the then military administration.

His extensive travels and experiences shaped his affinity for journalism and communication, making him a true veteran of the media industry. It was not surprising that some of his children are equally Mass Communication graduates, while others are into the legal, accountancy and other professions.

The passing of Alhaji Sidi Ali resonates deeply, leaving an indelible mark not only within familial circles but also across the nation. His legacy  a tapestry woven with wisdom and compassion  serves as a beacon amid turbulent landscapes.

Like his fathers legacy, Sidi Ali dedicated his life to dispute resolution and the reconciliation of aggrieved parties. He also transformed his homes in Obalande, Lagos and Kano into havens for counselling, relief, and accommodation of stranded and downtrodden Nigerians.

His family legacy, intricately woven into Nigerias societal fabric, continues through his children, who embody his values and contribute significantly to various professions and fields, enriching the Sidi Ali family imprint on Nigerias public discourse.

The passing of Alhaji Sidi Ali resonates deeply, leaving an indelible mark not only within familial circles but also across the nation. His legacy  a tapestry woven with wisdom and compassion  serves as a beacon amid turbulent landscapes.

Alhaji Sidi Ali held board appointments, serving as a commissioner at the Nigerian Broadcast Commission (NBC), a member of the board of NDLEA and that of Presidential Panel on Fuel Scarcity. He also served as a member the 2014 National Conference (Confab), among many other bodies.

Beyond accolades, Sidi Alis legacy transcended professional realms. Throughout his life, he remained a steadfast servant to Nigeria, honoured for his integrity, commitment, dedication, and sacrifice.

Farewell to a titan of Nigerian journalism and politics, Alhaji Sidi Ali. Your legacy endures, casting a guiding light for generations to come. Rest in peace, knowing that your contributions to our nation shall forever be remembered.

Gidado Yushau Shuaib, the publisher of YouthDigest and News Digest, is the Convener of annual Campus Journalism Awards (CJA) writes from Abuja.

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The management of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) has suspended the students union government of the institution indefinitely.

The universitys Registrar, Ademola Bobola, disclosed this on Tuesday in a notice to the university community.

After due consideration of the report by the Management, the Vice Chancellor has approved the suspension of the Universitys Students Union.

The indefinite suspension takes immediate effect, that is, from Monday 29th April 2024.

Accordingly, all officers of the Students Union are to hand over all property of the union in their possession to the Dean, Students Affairs, not later 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

, In the interim, a caretaker committee composed of representatives of faculties, schools and institutes has been approved to coordinate students activities during the suspension period.

The directive of the Vice Chancellor is hereby communicated for the attention of the university community and compliance of the erstwhile union officers as appropriate, Mr Bobola said.

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NAN recalls that the suspension was in connection with the suspension period of the universitys Senior Staff Club on 12 April.

In the incident, the students union was said to have disrupted an interactive session by university staff with the Edo State governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Olumide Akpata.

The students were said to have behaved unruly at the event and, in the process, rough-handled many of the staff, including a member of the Academic Staff of the Universities, who was reportedly beaten to a pulp.

The university management set up a panel of enquiry to investigate the incident.

(NAN)

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Sixteen occupants of a Toyota Hummer Bus were, on Tuesday, burnt beyond recognition when the bus burst into flames after plunging into a fence along Enugu/Opi/Nsukka Road in Ekwegbe in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday night.

Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, said the accident occurred at about 5:20 p.m.

The police spokesperson said the sixteen yet-to-be-identified passengers who died in the crash comprised 14 males and two females.

He said the 18-seater bus, said to have been driven at high speed, lost control and plunged into the fence of Maduka University along the road.

A preliminary investigation reveals that the vehicle unfortunately burst into flames burning beyond recognition, the 16 deceased individuals, who were taken to the hospital and confirmed dead, he said.

However, two other passengers were rescued alive and taken to the hospital for medical attention by police officers, soldiers and public-spirited citizens, who immediately responded to the incident, Mr Ndukwe stated.

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He said the vehicle was loaded with edible vegetables and other food items during the crash, adding that police operatives have since recovered the items from the Igbo-Etiti Police Division.

The police spokesperson said a preliminary investigation showed that the vehicle was heading towards Nsukka from the Enugu Axis of the road, but the actual point of take-off and final destination of the vehicle have not been ascertained.

The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Kanayo Uzuegbu, has visited the scene of the accident in the company of the officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC), Mr Ndukwe said.

Mr Uzuegbu, he said, visited the scene alongside the FRSC officials to assess the situation.

The police commissioner, during the visit, described the accident and burning of the victims as sad.

He commiserated with the yet-to-be-traced family members, friends, and associates of the deceased victims.

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The Ogun State government, on Tuesday, urged residents in wetland areas to relocate to safer ground before the rain commences fully.

According to the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), the rain, which had commenced in March, would end in December.

The agencies stated that the rain would have an average rainy period of 239 days, an average precipitation of 1786.5mm, and would affect 16 out of the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, made this known during the Year 2024 Ogun State Flood Alert in conjunction with the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA) held at the Olusegun Osoba Press Centre, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

Mr Oresanya disclosed that local government areas such as Imeko-Afon, Odeda, Abeokuta North and Abeokuta South would experience the lowest rainfall.

While noting that people located in the hilly areas were going to experience erosion as a result of the speed of the water, he called for calm as the state government was putting measures in place to cushion the effects of the expected heavy rainfall.

It is either you relocate from the area or you elevate; you may want to reconstruct your house or do some kind of elevation if you must stay in that area. Every year, we talk about relocation. It is not easy to relocate. If you must live in those areas, make sure that your electronics, your chairs, and whatever can be damaged are being elevated.

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When we talk about relocation and elevation, it is going to be predominantly around this area. People living within the wetlands of the state are supposed to prepare for this increase in the height of the water because we are going to have retention around this period.

So, people located in the hill areas are going to have some kind of erosion because of the speed the water will take in running down around the Ilaro area and some areas in Ota. We are going to have erosion accompanying the flooding this year, he said.

Mr Oresanya noted that the wetland areas of the state were predominantly in the Southern parts, describing them as almost flat land and low line land.

Most of the wetland areas, according to the commissioner, were border towns between Lagos and Ogun States.

Mr Oresanya also said that the state government was set to complement its efforts at addressing the menace of flooding with the construction of 2,975.6m length of drainage channels and mini-bridges/culverts, and the desilting and clearing of 56.159m length of river/stream courses and 40,000m length of drainage channels across the three senatorial districts.

Some of these interventions include construction of drainage channels and culverts at Wesley Primary School, Ijebu-Ode; reconstruction of dilapidated culvert at Saje Dumpsite road; Apakila (Abeokuta); Igbosoro (Ogijo, Sagamu), Imasai; desilting of rivers/stream courses at Yemile (Ijebu-Ode); Sensen river (Sagamu), Onibuku (Ota); Odo-funfun (Oja-Odan), Opa Aro (Isheri), Sokori river and tributaries while desilting of drainage channels will take place in Abeokuta, Ifo, Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, Ilaro, and Ota, among others, he said.

The commissioner recalled that the length of the rainy season for the coastal areas ranged between 250 to 292 days while that of inland areas was between 200 to 250 days.

He encouraged farmers to start planting. He urged fish farmers to harvest before the peak of the rainy season in July. He advised poultry farmers against stocking density during the period, which started two months ago.

Mr Oresanya also called on residents to apply for drainage permits before constructing their drains.

This, he said, would ensure that drainages had the right elevation for the passage of water.

The drainage permit, he added, would guide residents against building on flood plains and wetlands unknowingly during the dry season.

In his remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA), Olufemi Odumosu said that the agency has been holistic while focusing on the structural measures for flood control.

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On a Saturday morning in early January, farmers in Abana, a farm settlement in Ondo West Local Government Area, lined a narrow path as they headed into the forest for the days labour. The settler farmers had grown cocoa, kolanuts and oil palm in the area for generations. The mood was upbeat among the farmers as the cocoa season had just opened with the price shooting up to unprecedented levels due to the plummeting value of the naira, the Nigerian currency.

At about N10,000 per kilogramme, a tonne of cocoa would make a farmer a multi-millionaire.

But their moods quickly changed to apprehension as they approached their farms and the sound of heavy equipment became louder. They knew what the sound foreboded. Workmen, with the police providing them cover, were busy clearing their farms.

After three months of the exercise in five communities across the forest reserves of Ondo West Local Government Area, thousands of hectares of cocoa, kolanuts and palm trees were cleared and the land was made bare.

For Toyin Akor, the world seemed to have come to an end. The 52-year-old woman had been farming cocoa in the forest for over 20 years. I had about two hectares of cocoa, where I made at least N2 million annually, but everything was cleared in one day, she told this reporter.

No one told me anything before they came. We heard that government has sold the land to a Chinese company, that is all we heard and no one is ready to listen to what we have to say or what has happened to us, she told PREMIUM TIMES.

Last month, this reporter met Muyidat Suleiman trying to salvage what she could from her palm trees after they had been felled by bulldozers. Her cocoa and kolanut trees lay mangled in the clearing that for many years was her farm. With teary eyes, she said her livelihood had been destroyed.

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We expect that someone would admit that there were crops on this land and pay us for the destruction, but they have not paid any compensation, Mrs Suleiman said.

Ojo Akinyosoye, 25, had moved to the settlement five years ago in a bid to fight poverty. He had just married and was looking forward to harvesting his cocoa crops at the end of the year. That may never happen, because his farm too had been marked for clearing.

I have spent so much money on the farm in the last five years. The trees have started producing but the crops are not ready for harvest. I dont know how to start again or where to go, Mr Akinyosoye said.

Gbemiga Ogunleye is the leader and spokesperson of the farmers in Abana. The father of three was making about N4 million annually from cocoa sales and had hoped to raise his earnings to N20 million this year, he said.

My children are in higher institutions and paying fees is now impossible because all my investments are gone with the farms, he said.

Some of our colleagues died after their farms were demolished, some had stroke and are bedridden and they have no money for treatment.

Mr Ogunleye said the communities made several efforts to get the state government to either reverse the eviction order or give them enough time to harvest the crops but all to no avail. Even the current Speaker of the House of Assembly told us they cannot help us, Mr Ogunleye said.

The land belongs to the government, that is why we have little to say and we appear to be helpless, he added.

Protests

Representatives of the affected farmers on 27 March took their grievances to the paramount ruler of Ondo kingdom, the Osemawe, Victor Kiladejo, who promised to pass their petitions to the state government.

Mr Ogunleye said the protest was the third that they had held. They have also taken their case before the state high court. He said the court granted an injunction last year for the destruction of the farms to stop, but the reprieve was brief, as the bulldozers resumed work at the beginning of this year.

We protested to the company, SAO Agro Allied Company, but they said the government did not tell them there were crops on the land, Mr Ogunleye said. They said the government told them it was just a forest.

There was a similar protest by farmers in Idanre over the sale of lands to the same company. The Oloja of Eruwa, the monarch of one of the communities in Ondo West LGA, Olalani Ibitoye, appealed to the state government to let the farmers be, considering the current economic hardship in the country.

We confirm that our farmlands had been sold to China by the immediate past administration of Akeredolu, we saw that they have brought in bulldozers to clear some parts in which we have witnessed, the community head said.

We felt we have been left alone to farm after we protested last year. We had written petitions because this land belongs to our forefathers, but recently we saw them (Chinese investors) around again. We are appealing to all the authorities involved that we have no other place to go, we do not want to be out there as hoodlums, thieves.

We have been here for many years and I cannot go anywhere with my children. I am old. We are just asking the government to have mercy and leave us alone here.

Red gold project

As part of an investment drive, former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolus administration initiated a project for massive production of oil palm through hi-tech agro-allied companies. The government wants to attract agro-industries to the state, raise internally generated revenue and provide jobs.

In 2023, Nigeria produced 1.4 million metric tonnes of palm oil, according to Statista, a global data and business intelligence platform. Between 2009 and 2023, production increased, registering the highest growth in 2010 of 14 per cent.

There is also a growing domestic consumption of palm oil with about 1.8 million metric tonnes consumed in Nigeria in the 2021/2022 crop year. This figure was higher than each of the 10 preceding years. Most local consumption is for industrial purposes, while a smaller percentage is used by households.

In June 2021, the late Mr Akeredolu flagged off the Red Gold Project by inaugurating a privately owned Gas Inland LPG Terminal and Oil Palm Mills in the Ore Industrial Park in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state. The Red Gold Project was a partnership between the state government and the National Oil Palm Producing Association of Nigeria (NPPAN).

It was gathered that the government initially planned to use 60,000 hectares of land for the project and create 500,000 jobs. But in 2022, when the governor inaugurated another farm in Ore by JB Farms Limited, he said over 70,000 hectares had been allocated to six companies under the Red Gold Project. He said 10,000 hectares were approved for JB Farms in Ore.

This is a farm that we are projecting to stand on a total land area of 10,000 hectares and more, and this is just the first one and I believe it will be more than this, Mr Akeredolu had said. As of today, we have given out 70,000 hectares to investors, about five or six of them.

By the end of 2022, the state government had expanded the project to 80,000 hectares. In recognition of the states commitment to the project, NPPAN conferred an award of the Distinguished Champion of Red Gold on Mr Akeredolu. The land of the farmers in Abana is part of the Red Gold project.

Mr Akeredolu died on 27 December and it is yet unclear if his successor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, inherited his passion for the project. The state is holding another governorship election in November.

Paying rent

At Tokunbo, the headquarters of farming communities such as Temidire, Onipako, Tale, Olorunsogo, Oloruntedo, and Abana, farmers urged the government to stop the destruction of their crops. The villages lie several kilometres in the forest after Bagbe town, off the Ondo-Ore highway.

The Chief Imam of Tokunbo central mosque, Oyewo Bolarinwa, said farmers had been in the area for over 30 years.

According to him, the farmers started paying rent to the state government under the Akeredolu administration.

Each farmer was required to pay N10,000 to the state government as rent annually, he said. We continued to pay that amount until suddenly we were told the land had been sold. We were painting the N10,000 from 2018 until 2022. That was four years before the issues started.

We have sought legal actions, we have protested and we have appealed to the relevant authorities, but nothing positive has happened. We have lost billions of naira and lives as well. We are saying what you have destroyed is enough, stop further destruction so that those who are alive can survive.

Ondo forest reserves

Ondo State has an expansive forest reserve over which it has been engaged in a losing battle for decades to stop farmers from encroaching. PREMIUM TIMES investigation revealed that the state government mapped out 300,000 hectares of forest reserves for its Gold Project initiative. It however planned to leave 100,000 hectares for the use of local farmers.

The consideration of the local farmers was motivated by the security situation in the South-west where bandits used forests as hideouts. Several high-profile individuals in the state fell victim to banditry, including Funke Olakunrin, the daughter of Afenifere leader Reuben Fasoranti, in July 2019. Her killers were said to have operated from Oluwa Forests Reserve in Ore in Odigbo LGA, carrying out attacks on users of the Ore-Ijebu-Ode expressway.

State government officials said the farmers who had encroached on the reserves were aware of the incursions of the terrorists there but failed to report the developments to the government. They said the forests were also being used for large-scale farming of Indian hemp, with hundreds of hectares of economic trees destroyed by cannabis farmers.

There was a need to open up the forest, Akin Olotu, the senior special assistant on agriculture and agribusiness to the late Mr Akeredolu, told PREMIUM TIMES.

Akeredolu agreed to create an enclave for the farmers, instead of having scattered farms and a waste of land. By that design, the farmers will be in clusters and would be given improved seedlings for a more fruitful and organised cocoa and oil palm production, but they refused, Mr Olotu said.

Mr Olotu said the cluster farming was successful at Oluwa where the farmers were registered under the Atewolara Cocoa Farmers Cooperatives. However the majority of the farmers were not ready for change and insisted on practices contrary to the policy of the government, he said.

He denied that the farmers were not given notices before the bulldozers were sent to their farms.

We gave them a soft landing. We gave them the opportunity of relocating to a new enclave where they would be allocated lands and grow improved seeds and get more yields, but they turned it down, he said.

When we met with their heads and informed them of what the government is doing, the camp heads dont relay to the farmers the truth because of what they get from the farmers as fees.

Company reacts

SAO Agro Allied Company is a leading investor in oil palm production in Nigeria. It also claims to be the lead investor in the Ondo Special Agro Processing Zone, backed by the AfDB and the state government. It aspires to produce 160,000 tonnes of oil palm by the end of next year.

The company is also projecting to become a dominant force in cashew production through the establishment of a cutting-edge processing facility, with a capacity to process 50 metric tonnes of cashew daily.

Its ongoing project in Ore, Ondo State also plans to produce 25,000MT of cassava to fortify its supply chain, all of which would require several thousands of hectares from the state government. According to Mr Bolanle, unless the policy is reviewed, more farmers in yet-affected areas will lose their farmlands.

SAO said on its website that it currently runs a farm operation covering 20,000 hectares. However, it is not known how many of these it has in Abana and Idanre.

Responding to PREMIUM TIMES inquiries in Abana, an official of the company, David Olijogun, stated in an email that its land was legitimately acquired from the state government.

This Red Gold programme, if you are not aware, was initiated by government to redevelop the oil palm belt of Ondo State through the declassification of degraded Government Forest Reserve solely owned by government, and concessioning to qualified investors to develop commercial oil palm estates and to most importantly to reforest the degraded forest land to tackle climate change, he said.

Regarding the issue of compensation, farmers and occupiers who are on the land illegally in these locations were invited numerous times by the state government almost two years ago and duly informed of the change of ownership from government to private investors and for them to vacate the land to enable investor start the above mentioned project.

Compensation and process to execute this will have been initiated by government as the assurance from government before making these huge investments in acquiring the land and developing the estates were assurances of hitch-free activities on the land.

Upon the above, after giving them a lengthy grace period to harvest their crops, we have since commenced work on the land with massive investments and infrastructure development creating mass employment for different communities around us, which is evident in the fact that most of the farmers and occupiers are cooperating with us due to socio-economic benefits accruing to them, this includes also Abana and Tokunbo Camp, however, one or two of the farmers who are disgruntled due to the removal of their farms planted illegally have sued us to court joining in the lawsuit other farmers who have openly condemned the suit, exonerated themselves by going to court to remove their names from the suit and counter suing these farmers for wrongfully including them as a plaintiff.

A few days ago, members of the above communities mentioned by you also approached us through the King, the Akogbe of Ajue land to plead that we give them an additional six months grace period to further harvest their crops which we gracefully obliged them.

Mr Olijogun further noted that the calls for compensation and grace time came to the company as a shock as these issues had been taken care of and the company had been going on with its legitimate business.

We did experience farmer protest when we started last year, violence from them from time to time. However, we have since brought them on board, provided over 1000 jobs since inception, healthcare to anyone needing it, and with plans to develop schools, health centres, we havent experienced any protests because we have given them enough soft landing, having been notified about two years now, the company said.

However, contrary to the companys claim, farmers in Abana like Mrs Suleman and Mr Akinyosoye said they have received no compensation.

Governor Aiyedatiwas dilemma

The present government led by Lucky Aiyedatiwa said it has received petitions and protests from farmers in the affected areas.

But Mr Aiyedatiwa was part of the government that initiated the Red Gold Project and participated in the activities leading up to the present situation. However, his Special Adviser on Information, Olugbenga Omole, said the government would address the issue squarely at the appropriate time.

A lot of illegalities happened in the past year, but I cannot go into the details right now, he said. But I can assure you that Governor Aiyedatiwa is going to look into the situation and bring succour to the people. The present government will not sit down and allow the peoples heritage to be destroyed.

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LONDON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Homemove , a quiet rising star in the proptech industry, has announced the close of a $1.5 million funding round, to reimagine the way people move home. For home buyers and sellers who are currently mired in fragmented transactions, Homemove is a platform which brings everything together in a single place whilst leveraging innovative AI solutions at every part of the moving experience.

Homemove, the home of moving home.

Over the last 12 months, Homemove has rapidly grown its revenues and market share by offering customers a top-rated service. This success has attracted substantial interest amongst new and existing investors. As a result, the recent funding round diverged from typical seed stage raises: it was oversubscribed, drawing direct investments from angel investors and family offices without a lead Venture Capital investor.

The platform is redefining the home moving process by integrating services such as estate agent valuations , mortgage comparisons , homebuyer surveys , conveyancing services , and removal bookings into a single, streamlined AI-driven digital experience which connects home buyers and sellers with the platform's hand selected partners.

The company currently collaborates with thousands of local, high quality independent partners, boosting their businesses by booking them directly with consumers through the scalable Homemove platform.

As part of the company's growth strategy, Louis will take a more active role leading the tech side of the business moving into the CTO position while James Freestone will move to CEO effective 1st of May 2024 .

Louis O'Connell Bristow, CTO of Homemove: "With this new funding, we are poised to enhance our technological infrastructure, focusing on advanced AI capabilities to streamline the moving process. Our goal is to fully automate the evaluation and booking procedures through our platform, reducing the time and complexity involved for both users and partners. This technical upgrade will not only optimise our operational efficiencies but also elevate the user experience by providing quicker, more accurate service options tailored to their needs."

James Freestone, CEO of Homemove: "Securing this investment is a crucial step towards transforming Homemove into a recognisable household brand in the proptech sector. Our strategy is centred on expanding our market presence and employing a first-principle approach to innovate and enhance each vertical within the moving value chain. We are rewriting the entire experience and are committed to building solutions to this fundamental problem. This involves not only enhancing our technological offerings but also forging strategic partnerships that will broaden our reach and impact. By focusing on these aspects, we aim to redefine the standards of service in the home moving industry and deliver exceptional value to our customers and stakeholders."

The investment will be used to expand Homemove's reach and network, accelerate its marketplace technology, bring in innovative product developments and enhance customer home moving journeys and experiences through artificial intelligence.

Notes to editors

About Homemove

Homemove was born in 2022 as two homeowners who experienced the pain of moving home joined forces to ease the moving experience for all future movers by building a one-stop shop to do it all, growing into a leading platform that connects 1000's of movers every month with top-rated home moving services nationwide. Its innovative tools and AI enabled technology, ensures its customers are delighted by a cutting-edge personalised service.

About The Founders

James Freestone leads the business and is responsible for setting strategic direction for Homemove and selling the clear vision. As a qualified Chartered Management Accountant, he has over 12 years of experience in management consulting, corporate finance, strategic execution, and business development. He has a background in working with start-ups and international brands alike, including Jaguar Land Rover.

Louis O'Connell Bristow has over 13 years of experience in PropTech, working within estate agency and building digital platforms. Louis combines his industry knowledge with technological expertise to innovate and expand Homemove's capabilities.

Media contact

press@homemove.com

0333 880 7058

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2402085/Homemove.jpg
California Donor Table Brings Groups Together to Invest in Communities of Color in Key Races

OAKLAND, Calif., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Battleground California has become California's only independent expenditure coalition aimed at winning eight competitive congressional races that will securely position Democrats to take back the House from two more years of Republican control. Chaired by California Donor Table (CDT) and joined by Courage California, Communities for a New California, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California VOTES, National Union of Healthcare Workers, Inland Empire United, CHIRLA Action Fund, Way to Lead, the Working Families Party, and Movement Voter Project, the SuperPAC will invest $15 million targeting races where Latino, AAPI, and Black voters will be the margin of difference towards a Democratic-controlled Congress.

In a year when voter apathy is high, Trump is activating his base toward extreme white nationalism, and voters are saturated with misinformation  these races will take coordinated resources and action to win. Unlike many Democratic PACs spending millions of dollars on advertising, Battleground California will employ local community-based organizations to manage field operations, direct voter mobilization and turnout, produce culturally competent messaging in several languages, and develop unique local programming.

Contrary to other battleground states, California lacks a long-term funding apparatus for progressive groups to coordinate efforts in critical congressional races. Battleground California is designed to be a multi-cycle partnership, providing critical infrastructure for California's political future in federal elections.

"People of color make up the majority of California's population, but despite that, millions of dollars get spent persuading white voters," said Michael Gomez Daly, Political Strategist of CDT. "We have an opportunity and responsibility to increase voter turnout and establish a democracy that supports and cares for people of all backgrounds and experiences  especially those most affected by policies impacting reproductive rights, climate change, workers' rights, healthcare, and education."

With the rise of polarization and gerrymandering, due in part to the 2013 Shelby County Supreme Court decision, decades of progress in racial justice have eroded the number of contested districts in each state. Due to the integrity of California's fair redistricting process and the size of its population, the state holds the country's largest number of competitive districts.

As a result of changing demographics and investments in voter engagement in historically underrepresented communities, once-conservative strongholds like San Diego, Orange County, Inland Empire, and Central Valley are becoming increasingly progressive. CDT has a long and successful track record funding organizations engaging people of color to vote for Democratic candidates. Their long-term investments have transformed political leadership in regions, turning red counties purple, and purple counties blue.

Battleground California will focus on winning races in CA-3 (Northern California), CA-13 and CA-22 (Central Valley), CA-27 (North Los Angeles), CA-40, CA-45 and CA-47 (Orange County), and CA-41 (Inland Empire), while monitoring races in CA-9 and CA-49.

About the California Donor Table

California Donor Table is the oldest donor network in the country that invests in political power and civic engagement across all tax statuses  including 501c3s, 501c4s, and PACs  while centering racial equity and justice. Since their founding in 2006, they've distributed $55 million to ensure communities of color are centered in government and continue to build power for the long term. Their investments have rebalanced governing power in California at regional, state, and federal levels to advance a people-centered democracy. Their work expands opportunities for elected leaders, voting practices, and political advocacy to embody the values and needs of communities of color.

Press Contact:

Alexis Meisels, Change Consulting, [email protected]

SOURCE California Donor Table
NORTHVILLE, Mich., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year, teams around the world complete problem-solving projects that are worthy of recognition. The Dorian Awards, held annually, honor problem-solving teams, leaders, and companies who have demonstrated exceptional application of Shainin methods and leadership during the previous year. These awards celebrate excellence in both engineering and business processes and recognize the contributions of individuals and teams in pushing the boundaries of innovation.

Named for Dorian Shainin, awards recognize leaders for improving bottom lines, enhancing operations around the globe. Post this SETE LAGOAS / MINAS GERAIS / BRAZIL (04.03.2024) - Iveco Group - Representatives from Shainin present the Rolling Top 5 Leadership award to Carlos Eduardo Fraga, Iveco's director of Customer and Product Support. Photo: Pedro Vilela / Agency i7

Awards Presentations

Winners were announced in February via Shainin's website and awards presentations are currently in process at the winners' respective facilities.

Project Awards

This year's event saw strong competition, with participants from all over the world vying for recognition. The winners of our project-specific awards were tasked with projects of critical importance to our customers, as they helped resolve long-standing issues, improve bottom lines, and enhance operations around the globe.

Leadership Awards

For our leadership categories, the winners showed not only improvement for themselves but for their companies and their teams. President and CEO of Shainin, Craig Hysong, shares, "I am continually amazed by the ingenuity and determination of the Dorian Award finalists and winners. They have ushered in a new era of quality improvement that will benefit their companies for years to come. We are honored to recognize their achievements."

2024 Dorian Award Winners

Company Awards

BOTTOM LINE IMPROVEMENT AWARD:

Phinia

Auburn Hills MI , US

REUTER-STOKES, A BAKER HUGHES BUSINESS

Twinsburg Ohio , USA

LIEBHERR MACHINES BULLE

Bulle, Switzerland

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

Shanghai, China

Project of the Year Awards

PLANT MANUFACTURING PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

TE CONNECTIVITY  EVREUX, NORMANDIE, FRANCE

Team Leader: Jimmy Huet

Team Members: Petr Necas, Julien Berrenger, Alan Cerciat, Carine Guillo

FIELD RELIABILITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

DAIMLER TRUCK AG  GAGGENAU, BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG, GERMANY

Team Leader: Michael Goetz

Team Member: Patrick Herzog

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

PHILIPS PERSONAL HEALTH  DRACHTEN, THE NETHERLANDS

Team Leader: Mannold van de Schootbrugge

Team Member: Alwin de Vries

RESILIENT ENGINEERING PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

WIELAND  PINE HALL, NORTH CAROLINA, USA

Team Leader: Daniel Vigil

Team Members: Scott Bryant, Eddie Cass

TRANSAXIONAL BUSINESS PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

BAKER HUGHES  HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA

Team Leader: Aldo Alarcon

Team Members: Chantelle Nash, Lawrence Chapman

Leadership Awards

ROLLING TOP 5 LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE WINNERS:

TOBIAS JUNG

Robert Bosch

Mexico

CARLOS EDUARDO FRAGA

Customer & Product Support LATAM

Iveco Latin America, Brazil

STEVEN VICKERS

dormakaba

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

DR. SUJATHA NARAYAN

Senior Vice President & India Region Leader

Wabtec Corporation, India

RED X MASTER OF THE YEAR:

JUAN PACHECO

American Axle & Manufacturing

Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico

Shainin, rooted in the pioneering legacy of Dorian Shainin, is a premier problem-solving firm that innovates alongside its customers to address critical business challenges. Our methodologies are designed for a wide range of industries, driving superior quality, fewer defects, and enhanced reliability in products and processes. We are committed to evolving technology into the future and swiftly pinpointing root causes. By combining our rich heritage with continuous innovation, Shainin is dedicated to empowering businesses with solutions that ensure success now and in the future.

Visit us at Shainin.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact: Angela Calvachi [email protected] Shainin, LLC (248) 344-2020 41820 Six Mile Road Northville, MI 48168 Shainin.com

SOURCE Shainin
A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration has established itself as not only a trusted business, but also a dedicated community partner. This company is passionate about making a positive impact beyond its top-tier air conditioner repair, maintenance, and installation operations in Florida.

GAINESVILLE, Fla., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, a leading provider of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) services in Central and North Florida, is excited to announce its ongoing commitment to exceptional customer service and unwavering support for the communities it serves.

A Plus Air Conditioning prioritizes giving back to the community they serve. The Gainesville AC repair company fosters strong partnerships with organizations like the North Florida Builders Association, North Florida Contractors Association, and Builders Association of North Central Florida, offering valuable internship opportunities.

A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration's deep-rooted dedication to the community was seen in its over $35,000 donation to a local charity in 2023. Since the company's founding in 1998, Bob and Denice McCollum have placed a high value on giving back to the community that has helped them.

"We believe it's important to support our local community," said Bob McCollum, co-founder of A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. "Our team is passionate about making a positive impact, and we are proud to contribute to the well-being of our neighbors and friends."

A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration is a licensed and insured company with a proven track record of excellence. They are a proud American Standard Comfort Care Dealer, ensuring customers receive top-of-the-line products and services. This Gainesville furnace repair company is also actively involved in industry associations, including the Florida Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (FRACCA), Gainesville Air Conditioning Contractors Association (GACCA), and Builders Association of Central Florida.

A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration offers a wide range of services, including AC maintenance, repair, installation, duct cleaning, and refrigeration repair services. The business has an unrivaled reputation for efficiency, expertise, and professionalism and it consistently strives for customer satisfaction.

For homeowners and businesses in Central and North Florida, A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration remains the trusted partner for all HVAC needs. With 24/7 emergency service and a commitment to quality, the company continues to set the benchmark for excellence in the HVAC industry.

Interested in learning more about A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration's commitment to the community? Visit their website at https://aplusairconditioning.com/ or search for Gainesville heating and cooling near me .

About A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration:

A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration is a leading provider of HVAC repair, maintenance, and installation services in Central and North Florida. Founded in 1998, the company has become renowned for its commitment to customer service, community involvement, and unparalleled expertise in HVAC services.

Contact Information:

Organization: A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

Contact Person: Danny Towers

Phone Number: 352-608-5019

Address: 6725 NW 18th Drive Gainesville, FL 32653

Website: https://aplusairconditioning.com/

SOURCE A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
Temperatures will soar two to four degrees above the historical average across much of the United States this summer, leading to an increased demand for electricity to run air conditioners.

More 90-degree days are expected in New York City , Boston , Philadelphia , Washington D.C. and Chicago this summer compared to 2023.

Drought conditions forecast to expand in Northern Rockies, Interior Northeast, and Interior Southwest

Forecast for "Explosive" hurricane season could lead to increased flooding threats along the Gulf Coast

California is expected to remain free of widespread drought this summer

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AccuWeather's team of long-range forecasters says millions of Americans are expected to experience above-historical average temperatures across much of the country this summer.

The AccuWeather U.S. 2024 Summer Forecast also calls for rounds of stormy weather in the Central U.S. and Gulf Coast, as well as growing drought concerns from the upper Midwest and Great Lakes to the interior Northeast.

New York City is forecast to see double the number of 90-degree days compared to last summer. People in Boston could experience four times as many 90-degree days this summer, compared to the five days reported last summer. Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington D.C. are also forecast to experience more 90-degree days this summer, compared to last year and the historical average.

The summer heat will come on the heels of a warm spring in many places. Baltimore topped 90 degrees on April 29, nearly one month ahead of the historical average. Phoenix had its earliest 100-degree day in six years, on April 21.

Increased Demand For Air Conditioning & Higher Power Bills

Temperatures are expected to climb at least two degrees above the historical average across more than half of the United States this summer.

AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok says the widespread heat could lead to higher energy bills for families and businesses running air conditioners around the clock.

"Energy demand is expected to be higher compared to average. Air conditioners, fans, and other cooling devices will be in high demand," said Pastelok. "Summer 2024 can feature heat waves for many areas across the Plains to the Northeast. Compared to historical averages, the hottest areas could be over the Great Lakes, upper Midwest, and southwest Plains."

Rounds of showers and thunderstorms in these areas could offer breaks in the heat in June and July, but drier weather could result in hotter temperatures for the region in August.

New York City is forecast to see double the number of 90-degree days compared to last summer. People in Boston could experience four times as many 90-degree days this summer, compared to the five days reported last summer.

Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington D.C. are also forecast to experience more 90-degree days this summer, compared to last year and the historical average.

At times, showers and thunderstorms will help to curb excessive heat along Gulf Coast states, a dramatic shift from the pattern last summer. Dry spells led to hotter temperatures and expanded drought conditions last summer, especially in Louisiana and coastal Texas.

Daytime high temperatures are forecast to be near historical averages, but high humidity levels will lead to very warm nights across much of the Gulf Coast region.

Storms at times in the Pacific Northwest will bring showers and thunderstorms to the area this summer. The pattern will reduce the chance of prolonged stretches of hot temperatures in Portland and Seattle.

Denver is forecast to see more 90-degree days this summer, compared to last year. Minneapolis, Dallas, Phoenix, and Portland, Oregon, are all expected to see fewer 90-degree days this summer, compared to 2023.

Summer Thunderstorms Rumbling Across America

The increase in summer heat across much of the country will contribute to an expected uptick in storms.

"Severe weather events can be frequent in June and part of July," said Pastelok.

Intense summer heat can also enhance the risk of a derecho, or a cluster of intense thunderstorms that cause widespread wind damage over a long path.

A derecho generates winds over 58 miles per hour across an area more than 400 miles wide.

The annual monsoon is the driving force behind most of the summertime storms in the southwest United States, but Pastelok says the monsoon may arrive later this year as compared to recent years.

Monsoon activity in the Southwest is forecast to peak from late July through mid-August, before winding down in September.

Storms in the Southwest can provide relief from the heat, but they can also raise the risk of flash floodings and wildfires sparked by lightning.

Pastelok said flooding could also be a problem from the Florida coast to the Texas coast this summer.

"There is an increased flood threat for the Gulf Coast states as a busy tropical season is anticipated with one or two threats in the summer season," said Pastelok.



AccuWeather expert meteorologists are forecasting an "explosive" hurricane season with 20 to 25 named storms across the Atlantic Basin and four to six direct impacts on the United States.

Tropical activity could ramp up around the same time the wildfire season shifts into high gear across the U.S. and Canada.

Following a warm winter with below-historical average snowfall across much of the northern Plains and upper Midwest, drought conditions are expected to expand and increase the threat of wildfires.

Pastelok says dry conditions will contribute to temperatures climbing higher than the historical average in the interior Southwest. Streaks of 100 to 110 degrees are expected.

Drought conditions in the lower Midwest states are expected to end by early summer, but Pastelok says drought will intensify and spread from the northern Rockies to the far interior Northeast.

AccuWeather expert meteorologists announced in March that California would remain free of widespread drought through the end of 2025, following back-to-back winters with above-historical average precipitation and mountain snowpack. Pastelok said pockets of abnormally dry conditions are possible in California by late summer.

AccuWeather expert long-range forecasters expect fewer wildfires across the United States this year, but warn that that Canada could see another summer with large wildfires that sends smoke pouring into northern U.S.

Climate Connection

The trend of hotter afternoons and warmer nights during the summer months are becoming more common and having larger impacts across the United States.

"There has been a significant increase in the amount of area in the lower 48 states that has experienced unusually warm summer nights, and to a lesser extent hotter afternoons, especially over the past 25 years," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson. "The western U.S. has seen the greatest increase in the number of scorching summer days. Drier years in recent times have helped build the summer heat."

Anderson said families and businesses across much of the nation should prepare for a future with more intense heat waves.

"There have been notable changes in the characteristics of heat waves in the United States since the 1960's. The biggest change that we've seen in recent decades is the heat wave season expanding, starting earlier in the late spring, and stretching into early fall," explained Anderson. "Heat waves are happening more often, and they are lasting longer. Climate change is a main contributor behind the intense heat waves in the U.S."

Prepare For Future Heat Waves

With a hot summer on the horizon and the growing likelihood of even hotter summer temperatures in the future, AccuWeather expert meteorologists say families and businesses need to plan ahead and budget for higher energy bills.

Experts at AccuWeather's Global Center created the AccuWeather HeatWave Counter and Severity Index last summer to help people better understand and quantify heat waves by duration and intensity.

Officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency say extreme heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States. FEMA leaders say heat waves can also threaten critical infrastructure due to growing demand on the electrical grid to run air conditioners at massive data centers. Extreme heat can also lead to roadways, railways, and airport runways buckling.

Additional AccuWeather Resources:

About AccuWeather

AccuWeather, recognized and documented as the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world, has saved tens of thousands of lives, prevented hundreds of thousands of injuries, and saved tens of billions of dollars.

Today, AccuWeather is the most recognized and most used source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world, known to billions, and is proven and verified to be the most accurate. Digitally, AccuWeather is the #1 weather destination in the world and one of the top destination sites that exist globally.

AccuWeather forecasts appear on digital signage, in 700 newspapers, are heard on over 400 radio stations, and viewed on 100 television stations. The AccuWeather Network and AccuWeather NOW reach an audience of over 125 million on cable and streaming platforms including DirecTV, Charter Communications - Spectrum, Verizon, Philo, Fubo, Frndly TV, Comcast's Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Stream, Roku, Xumo, Red Box, Rockbot, LG, and Amazon Freevee.

AccuWeather For Business serves more than half of the Fortune 500 companies and thousands of other businesses and government agencies globally who pay for the most accurate weather forecasts from any source.

Visit accuweather.com for the most accurate hyperlocal forecasts and weather news. The AccuWeather app for Android phone and tablet users is free at the Google Play store . The AccuWeather iOS app is free at the Apple store .

Contact:

AccuWeather meteorologists are available 24/7 to provide further insights and updates on evolving weather conditions. Please contact [email protected] during regular business hours, or [email protected] or call AccuWeather's Media Hotline at (814)-235-8710 at any time to arrange interviews with AccuWeather experts or to request the most updated graphics for print or broadcast.

AccuWeather Severe Weather Advisories

SOURCE AccuWeather, Inc.
NEWTOWN, Pa., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthony Petsis & Associates, Inc., a top rated financial advisory firm in Bucks County, PA, is proud to announce that it has been recognized as the Best Retirement Planning Firm in the Philadelphia area by Wealth & Finance International as part of their prestigious Retirement Planning Awards 2024.

This recognition is awarded to firms that demonstrate outstanding achievements and uphold the best industry practices within the retirement planning industry. Anthony Petsis & Associates has distinguished itself through its commitment to providing exceptional retirement planning services tailored to meet the needs of today's clients and future generations.

"We are honored to receive this award, which reflects our team's hard work and dedication to excellence," said Anthony Petsis, President of Anthony Petsis & Associates. "This accolade reaffirms our commitment to empowering our clients to achieve their retirement goals through comprehensive planning and innovative financial solutions."

The Retirement Planning Awards 2024 by Wealth & Finance International celebrates the contributions of professionals and organizations across the pensions and retirement sector. The awards recognize those who assist consumers in retirement planning, provide retirement savings and investment solutions, or support the administration and delivery of retirement benefits.

The retirement planning landscape is currently experiencing significant shifts, influenced by global disruptions, regulatory changes, and technological advancements. Anthony Petsis & Associates has successfully navigated these challenges by integrating cutting-edge technology and adapting to new market trends, thus ensuring their clients receive the best possible advice and support.

"We remain dedicated to adapting our strategies to meet the changing needs of our clients and the industry," added Petsis. "We are proud to set the standard for excellence in retirement planning."

For more information about Anthony Petsis & Associates and their services, please visit www.apetsis.com.

About Anthony Petsis & Associates, Inc.

As the top-rated financial advisory firm in Bucks County, we are committed to empowering you to plan your financial life with confidence. With a legacy that spans two generations, we serve as a trusted partner in delivering comprehensive financial advice tailored to the unique needs of our clients. Our vision transcends the present, encompassing a focused plan to serve the financial needs of future generations of your family for the next 100 years. Our firm is a fiduciary and always acts in the best interest of our clients.

SOURCE Anthony Petsis & Associates
RENO, Nev. and TORONTO, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bendito Resources Inc. ("Bendito" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed on the previously announced transaction to acquire a 100% interest in the Mt. Hamilton project located in White Pine County, Nevada (the "Mt. Hamilton Project") from Waterton Nevada Splitter, LLC and Waterton Nevada Splitter II, LLC. The Mt. Hamilton Project is a fully permitted project in Nevada with a positive historical feasibility study and boasts numerous exploration targets and expansion potential within the district from the Monte Cristo, Chester, and Shell prospects.

The Company will immediately embark upon the update to the previously reported NI 43-101 Technical Report Feasibility Mt. Hamilton Gold and Silver Centennial Deposit and Seligman Deposit, White Pine County, Nevada dated October 16, 2014, prepared by SRK Consulting (U.S.), Inc. with an effective date of August 14, 2014. This updated technical report will be a refresh but prepared as a pre-feasibility study, which would precede additional drilling and further technical studies for an updated Feasibility Study.

About Bendito Resources Inc.

Bendito Resources Inc. is currently a private mineral resource company formed and led by experienced mining and exploration executives headquartered in Reno, Nevada, USA, and with regional offices in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. The Company fully owns a portfolio of diversified mineral projects in Mexico, including the Alacran and Oposura projects, and has now completed the acquisition of the Mt. Hamilton Project in Nevada, USA.

For additional information please visit the Company's website at www.benditoresources.com or contact the Company.

Address: 6490 S. McCarran Blvd, Building E, Suite 121, Reno, NV, USA 89509

John Antwi | President and CEO | [email protected] | (775) 340-2719

Ian McMullan | COO | [email protected] | (775) 397-4125

Gavin Nelson | CFO | [email protected] | (807) 627-0172

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws unless an exemption from such registration is available.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of management concerning, among other things, performance, business, and future events, including the Company's plans regarding the preparation of a pre-feasibility study and additional drilling and other studies, and the anticipated potential of the Mr. Hamilton Project.

Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates, and forecasts about the business and industry, and markets in which the Company operates. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information, which is qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.

SOURCE Bendito Resources Inc.
Pioneering alternative asset manager to acquire minority stake in Townsend as part of strategic partnership that will expand Townsend's distribution to the U.S. private wealth channel

NEW YORK, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluerock has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for an investment in, and strategic partnership plans with The Townsend Group ("Townsend"). Bluerock will make a minority interest investment in the acquisition of Townsend as part of an investor group led by The Riverside Company, which is acquiring Townsend from Aon.

Townsend is a leading provider of global real estate and real asset investment advisory services. Townsend offers complementary investment management, advisory, and capital solutions via primary funds, secondaries, co-investments and direct investments. Townsend is a leading adviser to global public and private pension plans, insurers, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations. The firm has a global footprint with more than 110 employees located in Cleveland, London, Hong Kong and San Francisco. The firm advises clients with real assets in excess of $218 billion (USD).

Bluerock, a leading institutional alternative asset manager with more than $120 billion in real estate, credit and capital markets experience and more than $18 billion in acquired and managed assets, manages multiple well-recognized private and public investment company platforms. "Townsend's long-standing leadership in the institutional real assets space is a natural fit with Bluerock's pioneering role in delivering institutional-quality alternative investments to individual investors over the last 22 years," said Ramin Kamfar, Bluerock's CEO. "We believe that our partnership with Townsend, a preeminent real estate adviser in the institutional world, will deepen our collective intellectual capital base and allow us to develop innovative new investment solutions that will serve the growing needs of retail investors."

As part of the transaction, Bluerock will expand Townsend's distribution capabilities to the U.S. private wealth channel. "Bluerock is an established alternatives market leader in the private wealth channel," said Anthony Frammartino, Townsend president who will be named chairman and CEO upon the closing of the transaction. "We are excited to expand Townsend's institutional investment capabilities to high-net-worth investors through our partnership with Bluerock, leveraging their experienced team and robust retail platform."

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Berkshire Global Advisors L.P. served as financial advisor to the buyer consortium and Dechert LLP served as legal advisor to Bluerock. Moelis & Company LLC served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis served as legal advisor to Aon.

About Bluerock

Bluerock is a leading institutional alternative asset manager based in New York with regional offices across the U.S. Bluerock principals have a collective 100+ years of investing experience with more than $120 billion real estate and capital markets experience and manage multiple well-recognized real estate private and public company platforms. Today Bluerock has more than $18 billion in acquired and managed assets and offers a complementary suite of public and private investment programs, with both short and long-term goals, to individual investors seeking solutions aimed at providing predictable income, capital growth, and tax benefits.

SOURCE BlueRock Real Estate
National life insurance carrier recognizes corporate citizenship program milestone by acknowledging more than $1.5 million in charitable donations since 2018

CANTON, Mass., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, a national provider of insurance solutions for individuals and at the workplace, recognized the sixth anniversary of its corporate citizenship program, Making An Impact, this month. In total, since its launch six years ago, the program has contributed almost 1,200 volunteer hours, 800 donations, and more than $1.5 million to a variety of charitable causes across the country, including in Massachusetts and Nebraska, where it has corporate offices.

Since its launch in 2018, Boston Mutual's Making An Impact program has contributed $1.5+ million to charitable causes. Post this Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company is celebrating the sixth anniversary of its corporate citizenship program, Making An Impact, in 2024.

"At Boston Mutual Life, giving back is part of the fabric of who we are. Our staff are passionate and genuinely care about supporting causes in the communities where we live and work," said Paul A. Quaranto, Jr., Chairman, CEO and President at Boston Mutual Life. "Our philanthropy through Making An Impact represents our broader belief in the goodness of mutuality, which to us means being there in a time of need for our policyholders  no matter what."

Boston Mutual Life launched Making An Impact in 2018 to formalize its longstanding tradition of philanthropy and giving back. The program encompasses a variety of philanthropic activities, including employee volunteerism, public affairs, corporate giving, and employee gift matching. With a focus on community and family, education, and the environment, the program showcases the talents and resources of employees in a variety of ways, including food and goods donation drives, food bank support, and fundraising walks to benefit communities in need.

In 2023, Boston Mutual Life made 165 donations and contributed 341 volunteer hours in support of non-profit organizations across the country. The company also matched employee donations of more than $5,300 to 40 non-profits through its matching gift program.

The success of the Making An Impact program is underscored in its recognition by Boston Business Journal as a top charitable contributor for the past five consecutive years. Each year, the program identifies new ways to give back and pave the way for future opportunities so the company can further support those in need.

To learn more about Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company's Making An Impact program, please go to the program page on the company's website.

To learn more about Boston Mutual Life, or find a sales representative near you, visit the company's website, https://www.bostonmutual.com/

About Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company

Founded as a progressive life insurance company in 1891, Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company is a national carrier that provides insurance solutions designed for working Americans and their families, as well as enrollment and billing options at the workplace. With offices based in Canton, Massachusetts, and Omaha, Nebraska, as a mutual company, Boston Mutual Life is dedicated to acting in the best interests of its policyholders, producers, employees, and its communities. For more information, please visit www.bostonmutual.com or contact your Boston Mutual Life representative. Follow the company on Facebook (/BostonMutualLifeIns), LinkedIn (/company/boston-mutual-life-insurance), or Instagram (/bostonmutuallifeinsurance).

Media Contacts

Meredith D'Agostino

Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company

[email protected]

(800) 669-2668 x276

Boston Mutual Life News Desk:

[email protected]

SOURCE Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company
Strategic move enhances Canyon Equities' portfolio with industry-leading custom signage provider, building on a history of collaboration

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Canyon Equities, the holding company that oversees the Custer family's portfolio of companies, proudly announces the acquisition of FastSigns Grand Rapids, a leading provider of custom signage solutions. This strategic move represents a significant milestone for both organizations, built upon a foundation of shared values and a rich history of friendship and collaboration.

"Joining forces with FastSigns Grand Rapids is a natural progression for us," says Todd Custer, President and CEO of Custer. "Our longstanding friendship with the Gilpin family, combined with our shared commitment to exceptional customer service, makes this acquisition a perfect fit for the Canyon Equities portfolio."

FastSigns Grand Rapids, founded in 2005 by the Gilpin family, has grown from just one employee to become a renowned leader in the signage industry, boasting a team of 23 dedicated professionals and achieving 7th place in global sales volume, reflecting its outstanding business practices and internal culture. The company's commitment to excellence and innovation mirrors that of Canyon Equities, making it an ideal addition to the portfolio.

Underscoring the bond between the organizations is a family history that dates back to high school. Todd Custer, President and CEO of Custer, and Mike Gilpin, Owner of FastSigns Grand Rapids, both attended Forest Hills Central High School. Moreover, Mike's father, Kim Gilpin, was on Custer's advisory board from 2000-2019.

"This acquisition is more than just a business transactionit's a testament to the enduring friendship and mutual respect between our two companies," says Mike Gilpin, Owner of FastSigns Grand Rapids. "FastSigns Grand Rapids has been a people first organization with an incredible depth of talent which fits extremely well within Canyon Equities' portfolio. I look forward to watching the business continue to grow and develop."

The acquisition of FastSigns Grand Rapids not only expands Canyon Equities' portfolio but also strengthens its position as a leader in the industry. By leveraging the synergies between the two companies, Canyon Equities aims to drive innovation, enhance service offerings, and deliver unparalleled value to its customers.

The opportunity to acquire FastSigns arose when owner Mike Gilpin made the heartfelt decision to pursue his long-time passion for teaching children in the realms of business and personal financea testament to his dedication to both business and community.

As part of the acquisition, Shawn Fiske will join the FastSigns Grand Rapids business, assuming the role of General Manager. With his wealth of experience and dedication to excellence in operations, Shawn will play a crucial role in ensuring a smooth transition and driving continued success for the company. Company leadership is expected to transition by July 1.

"We're excited about the opportunities ahead as we embark on this new chapter together," says Gregg Richardson, Chief Operating and Financial Officer of Canyon Equities. "Our shared history, values, and vision for the future make this alliance truly special, and I look forward to seeing the great things we will accomplish together."

Timeline of Milestones:

Todd Custer and Mike Gilpin attend Forest Hills Central High School together: 1993

attend Forest Hills Central High School together: 1993 FastSigns Grand Rapids origination date: November 7, 2005

Leadership transition from Kim (dad), and Judy (mom) to Mike (son): January 1, 2018

Kim Gilpin on Custer Advisory Board from 2000-2019

Canyon Equities Acquires FastSigns Grand Rapids 2024

CONTACT:

Tricia Jackson, Director of Marketing + Brand

303-889-9381

[email protected]

About Canyon Equities

Canyon Equities is a holding company that oversees the Custer family's portfolio of companies. Additionally, Canyon Equities offers essential services and support to these companies, including finance, accounting, and IT services. www.CanyonEquities.com

About FastSigns Grand Rapids

FASTSIGNS of Grand Rapids, MI is a locally and independently owned and operated sign, graphics and visual communications company that provides comprehensive visual marketing solutions to customers of all sizesacross all industriesto help them attract more attention, communicate their message, sell more products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touch points including decor, acoustic panels, events, wearables, digital signage and marketing materials. To learn more, visit https://www.FastSigns.com/Grand-Rapids-mi/ or call (616) 421-9577.

SOURCE Canyon Equities
New Leadership Signals Era of Evolution for Premier Timepiece Brand

DOVER, N.J., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio America, Inc. announced today the appointment of Shermeen Greenmun as the Vice President of the Timepiece Division. With over 25 years of expertise in fine horology and luxury jewelry, Greenmun brings a wealth of knowledge that will further the company's efforts in driving innovation in timepiece design and craftsmanship.

Shermeen Greenmun

In her new role, Greenmun will oversee Casio's watch division and support the company's strategies in new customer acquisition and market expansion. Leveraging her extensive experience from renowned companies such as Rolex, Omega, Breguet, and Grand Seiko, Greenmun's track record of launching and relaunching brands in the U.S. market will be instrumental in expanding Casio's watch portfolio.

"As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Casio's watch business and the 40th anniversary of G-SHOCK, we recognize both brands' enduring legacies," said Tomoo Kato, President and CEO, Casio America, Inc. "With a goal of further building our influence and strengthening our community, we are excited to welcome Shermeen as Vice President of the Timepiece Division. Shermeen's expertise will be instrumental in our strategy as we expand the G-SHOCK brand while upholding the timeless value of Absolute Toughness. Together, we are poised to usher in a new era of growth, reaffirming our commitment to delivering products that withstand time."

With a background rooted in luxury jewelry, Greenmun is well-equipped to support Casio's initiatives in the Guild Jeweler market, while expanding the brand's customer base. With a focus on developing the jewelry channel, while building upon the company's industry influence, Greenmun's appointment is paramount in shaping the trajectory of Casio's watch division.

"I've always had a nostalgic connection with Casio ever since my parents gifted me my first timepiece from the brand as a child," said Shermeen Greenmun. "Casio is one of the most trusted and beloved brands in the world, and it's an honor to join a company with such a rich history. I look forward to contributing towards the brand's evolution and continued reign as a key player in the luxury timepiece sector."

As Casio embarks on a new era of innovation, Greenmun will support the company's expansion and continued growth. Drawing from her proven track record and vast industry expertise, Greenmun's role as Vice President of the Timepiece Division will drive Casio's watch business to new heights.

For more information about the G-SHOCK brand, visit gshock.casio.com/us.

About G-SHOCK

CASIO's shock-resistant G-SHOCK watch is synonymous with toughness, born from the developer Mr. Ibe's dream of 'creating a watch that never breaks'. Over 200 handmade samples were created and tested to destruction until finally in 1983 the first, now iconic G-SHOCK hit the streets of Japan and began to establish itself as 'the toughest watch of all time'. Each watch encompasses the 7 elements; electric shock resistance, gravity resistance, low temperature resistance, vibration resistance, water resistance, shock resistance and toughness. The watch is packed with Casio innovations and technologies to prevent it from suffering direct shock; this includes internal components protected with urethane and suspended timekeeping modules inside the watch structure. Since its launch, G-SHOCK has continued to evolve, continuing to support on Mr. Ibe's mantra "never, never give up." www.gshock.casio.com/us/

About Casio America, Inc.

Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Established in 1957, Casio America, Inc. markets calculators, keyboards, mobile presentation devices, disc title and label printers, watches, cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio has strived to realize its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casio.com/us/

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES CONTACT:

5WPR

[email protected]

Sue VanderSchans / Cecilia Lederer

CASIO AMERICA, INC.

(973) 361-5400

[email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE Casio America, Inc.
BEIJING, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Focusing on the development of AI, the third CMG Forum was held on Monday in Beijing.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the opening of the event and delivered a speech.

Guests at the forum stressed the role of media in promoting the innovative application of AI as well as its governance.

Efforts should also be made to boost the development of AI in creating positive, healthy, diverse and high-quality content, so that AI can become a force for good and benefit mankind, they agreed.

They also called on media to accelerate intelligent transformation and help bridge international exchanges and cooperation on the governance of AI to facilitate its healthy, orderly and safe development.

Hosted by China Media Group (CMG), the forum attracted more than 200 participants from international organizations, media, think tanks and multinational companies.

"Innovation and breakthroughs in science and technology not only guide the development and progress of human civilization, but also bring uncertainty to the changing world," said Shen Haixiong, vice minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and president of CMG. He called for efforts to jointly create valuable and responsible artificial intelligence.

AI technology is affecting every aspect of our lives. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), stated in a video speech that CMG has always been a partner of the IOC, bringing the charm of the Olympic Games to hundreds of millions of Chinese viewers. He said the IOC invites CMG to work together for the creation of a future with the application of AI in Olympic sports.

"From ancient inventions such as silk, printing and the compass to modern technological advances such as robotics, telecommunications and green technology, China has always been committed to innovation and creation," said Daren Tang, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). He said WIPO pays close attention to ensuring a balance between the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence and is committed to strengthening cooperation to ensure that artificial intelligence is properly used.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-04-30/3rd-CMG-Forum-in-Beijing-discusses-AI-development-1tdDcXvCexG/p.html

SOURCE CGTN
PLANO, Texas, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Hospital Corporation (CHC) today announced its inaugural survey of community and rural hospital executives on financial resiliency issues impacting their institutions.

Cover of the 2024 Community Hospital Executive Opinion Survey

CHC's comprehensive survey, completed in Q1 2024, found that most of the executives surveyed indicated their hospitals showed a less-than-stellar financial performance, impacted by economic and regulatory forces. Two-thirds of the respondents (69%) rated the financial health of their hospitals as poor or average. In comparison, 31% responded that their hospitals were in good or excellent financial condition.

In response to health industry challenges, respondents said a mix of expense-reduction and revenue-generating strategies were needed to bolster their hospitals' resiliency. Adding services (70%) and reducing contract staff (69%) were the most popular choices for improvement, followed by physician recruitment (63%) and reducing supply costs (58%).

Jim Kendrick, CHC's President and CEO, commented: "The survey findings underscore the pressing need to fortify the financial resilience of community hospitals. As healthcare landscapes continue to evolve and economic pressures persist, these institutions remain steadfast in their commitment to serving local communities."

Kendrick added: "It's important for these facilities to leverage partnerships, embrace innovation, and proactively address challenges to navigate the complexities ahead. It will take the collective efforts of healthcare leaders, policymakers and public support to ensure the financial resilience of community hospitals and safeguard access to essential healthcare services."

The survey covered a broad cross-section of hospital executives -- with 64% in CEO and CFO positions -- located in half of U.S. states. Eighty-six percent of the total 99 respondents were affiliated with not-for-profit hospitals of which 81% were community hospitals, including critical access facilities. Other respondents represented Long-Term Acute Care hospitals and rural emergency hospitals, among other hospital types. The survey focused on hospitals with up to 250 beds, and the net patient revenue for two-thirds of the respondents' hospitals was $75 million or less.

To download the full survey report, visit https://chc.com/2024-community-hospital-executive-survey/

About Community Hospital Corporation  HELP WHERE HOSPITALS NEED IT

Community Hospital Corporation owns, manages and consults with hospitals through CHC Hospitals, CHC Consulting and CHC ContinueCARE. Visit http://chc.com .

Media Contact: Anne Block

[email protected]

972-943-6470

SOURCE Community Hospital Corporation
ZHUHAI, China, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This April, the world once again gathers attention in South China's Hengqin.

The Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin ("the Cooperation Zone") debuted its annual thematic image by advertising in airports of six Chinese cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Macao and Zhuhai, and in the entry and exit halls of the Hengqin Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Zhuhai Port, marking the official launch of the global investment promotion campaign.

Macao International Airport

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the 3rd anniversary of the establishment of the Cooperation Zone. It is also an essential year for evaluating the development achievements of the first phase set forth in the Master Plan of the Development of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. In this great year celebrating the three anniversaries and the first phase with fruitful achievements, the Cooperation Zone focuses on supporting Macao's appropriate economic diversification while seizing the development opportunities of the times to vividly showcase the image of the Macao-Hengqin integration at home and abroad and strengthen Hengqin's global investment promotion, which will further enhance its international influence and visibility and enable more investors to learn about Hengqin.

Macao and Hengqin will take you further to the world

"Macao and Hengqin will take you further" is the annual motto of the newly released promotion image designed for Hengqin's global investment promotion campaign in 2024. The concept of this image originates from the development landscape of the "Hengqin-Macao Integration". The four-coloured ribbons symbolise the flourishing development of four nascent industries in Hengqin, which aligns with Macao's "1+4" appropriate diversification development strategy. The global investment promotion campaign vividly presents to domestic and international investors its growth momentum under the "Hengqin-Macao integration", as well as its economic vitality, driving force for innovation, charm, and investment potential.

This new promotion image was already unveiled at the end of April in the airports of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Macao, and Zhuhai, the entry and exit halls of the Hengqin Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Zhuhai Port, which are major integrated transport hubs connecting China and the world and gathering people from both home and abroad. It is presented through multimedia, including light boxes, LED, and scene interaction, so that visitors from all over the world can experience Hengqin's development and vitality and leave a deep impression on Hengqin.

It is worth mentioning that a thematic display, a check-in area and a creative interaction area are set up for visitors at the exit of the arrival hall of the Zhuhai Jinwan Airport. Visitors arriving there can see the thematic image and a colourful plane installation on the runway in four colours, representing Hengqin as a place that turns dreams into reality. Visitors can take pictures there. In addition, they can go to the creative interaction area and press the button to support Hengqin's development. The amount of pressing the button to support Hengqin will be constantly updated at the installation on the wall, recording the blessings from all visitors.

Ambassadors for Hengqin introduce Hengqin and help grasp new industrial opportunities

To better present Hengqin's business-friendly environment that is in line with Macao and the world and attract high-quality enterprises to invest in and develop in the Cooperation Zone, the Cooperation Zone will initiate a video interview series "Ambassadors for Hengqin" this year, inviting experts, scholars, and representatives of entrepreneurs from the sci-tech R&D industry, big health industry, culture, tourism, MICE and modern finance to introduce new opportunities and advantages of the integrated development of Macao and Hengqin to the global audience.

Macao and Hengqin "go overseas" again to expand overseas resources for common development

In 2024, the Cooperation Zone will continue to strengthen cooperation with Macao by jointly organising more overseas promotion events to explore international resources, open up international markets, and promote the business environment of Macao and Hengqin, industrial development, and preferential policies.

All-round and in-depth collaboration to attract the best and the strongest in investment promotion

In 2024, Macao and Hengqin will put forward various measures to attract the best and the strongest in their investment promotion. The 2024 Hengqin Global Investment Promotion Conference will be held from 26 to 27 May, with a primary focus on highlighting the new opportunities brought by tier-specific management enacted by the Cooperation Zone. Over a thousand domestic and global investors will be invited to participate in the Conference and make a site visit to Hengqin. Meanwhile, a series of parallel forums focusing on major industries will be held to display the Cooperation Zone's key achievements in a precise manner, constructing an open exchange platform for global investors.

The Cooperation Zone will continue its "exhibition plus investment attraction" model. It will set up an exhibition area at the Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) to present Hengqin's latest industrial development achievements to reinforce the promotion and dissemination of Hengqin's city image, so as to enhance its popularity in the international arena, help attract investments and increase effectiveness of the investment promotion results.

By employing the integrated efforts, the Cooperation Zone welcomes global entrepreneurs and investors for visits to and communication with Hengqin. Let Macao and Hengqin take you further, illuminating your path to a brighter future.

SOURCE Economic Development Bureau of Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin
SINGAPORE, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The acceleration of digital transformation initiatives such as hybrid cloud deployments, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) solutions, and the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) at the edge network continues to generate usage and demand for next-generation data centers. According to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, next-generation colocation data centers will reach 7,640 sites by 2030, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.8%.

Data centers will continue playing an integral role in driving enterprises' digital operations. "Deployment of cloud-based solutions remains a top agenda for many enterprises, necessitating the demand for data centers. The rise of edge-to-cloud data management orchestration solutions increases the benefits of running workloads through a robust and well-equipped data center," says Yih-Khai Wong, Distributed and Edge Computing Senior Analyst at ABI Research.

Data centers are undergoing a transformation phase. "This is necessary as data and workloads are getting more complex, requiring higher processing capabilities. We are seeing an increasing demand for mega and large data center sites that can support AI/ML workloads, including generative AI," Wong explains.

Asia Pacific (excluding China) will host the largest number of colocation sites by 2030, accounting for 28% of total colocation sites worldwide. Europe is the second largest region with 27%, while North America is third with 24%. This represents a shift compared to 2023, when Europe had the most colocation sites, with 31% of total sites, followed by North America with 27%, and the Asia Pacific (excluding China) with 22%.

"The emergence of generative AI has also boosted demand for next-generation data center capabilities. The processing of large language models (LLMs) will require a tremendous amount of data processing power and excellent network connectivity. Data center operators will have to ensure that current and future data center sites can meet the requirements generated from new technologies," Wong concludes.

These findings are from ABI Research's Next-Generation Data Center Forecasts market data report. This report is part of the company's Distributed and Edge Computing research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights.

About ABI Research

ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm delivering actionable research and strategic guidance to technology leaders, innovators, and decision makers around the world. Our research focuses on the transformative technologies that are dramatically reshaping industries, economies, and workforces today.

ABI Research

For more information about ABI Research's services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact Info:

Global

Deborah Petrara

Tel: +1.516.624.2558

[email protected]

SOURCE ABI Research
WASHINGTON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Henricksen is pleased to announce the opening of their Washington DC Experience Center located on the 5th floor of 1725 I Street and the rebrand of COFCO, a Henricksen Company ("COFCO"), to Henricksen.

The Henricksen Washington DC Experience Center will serve as a place for the community and the AEC industry to gather for events, meetings, continuing education, and networking. It will also provide staff with a refreshed work environment that enables them to showcase diverse and innovative ways of working. The new space will facilitate an interactive experience and serve as catalyst for the industry and local community to see workspaces in a different way.

COFCO was acquired by Henricksen in 2022 because of an alignment in core values and a shared vision for the future. The rebrand of COFCO, to Henricksen in Washington DC will bring national name recognition to the talented local team and enhance their established regional industry relationships.

"When we move to the new Experience Center, we will be branded Henricksen, but we are the same team. We wanted to showcase how well we know and understand the DC market through the design of the space," said Kelly Hogan, Vice President of Operations, Henricksen, Washington DC.

The new space is designed around different iconic Washington DC locations which represent different styles of working. As an example, the formal conference room is designated the "Library of Congress" and features rich woods, soft luggage leather, a bust of Washington, and gold frames of the United States presidents and the CEO of Henricksen. In contrast, the all-day cafe is designated "Union Market" and features industrial lighting and bench seating to reflect the atmosphere of Union Market itself.

"This Experience Center and the rebrand are game changers for us," said Joan Waters, General Manager, Henricksen, Washington DC. "The space will help our clients and partners better understand today's work environments and the rebrand will provide more recognition in the market as Henricksen is a prominent national brand."

The Henricksen name will be reflected on all Washington DC materials beginning in May, including bid responses, presentations, invoices, email addresses, and website.

"What excites me about the rebrand is having the name recognition and being able to leverage the experience and resources nationally that we need to grow locally," said Joanna Verdi, Vice President of Sales, Washington DC.

The opening of the new Experience Center and the rebrand of COFCO to Henricksen will pave the way for future growth in the Washington DC market. Stay tuned for news of future events to be held at the new Henricksen Experience Center, including an open house later this summer.

About Henricksen

Henricksen is a full-service contract furniture dealership specializing in office, healthcare, education, government, senior living, and hospitality spaces. In 1962, Henricksen opened its doors as a small, family-run dealership. Today, Henricksen is a leading national dealership with 13 offices, over 340 full-time employees, and annual sales topping $300 million. With 400+ manufacturer partnerships, Henricksen offers an array of products from systems furniture, case goods, seating, lounge, and conference furnishings to architectural solutions including modular walls, flooring, lighting, sound masking, and technology equipment. Henricksen is the largest privately-owned dealer partner of HNI in the United States. HNI's furniture brands include Allsteel, HBF, The HON Company, and Gunlocke. www.henricksen.com

SOURCE Henricksen & Company Inc
DALLAS, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) announced that Floyd Kessler has been named to the new role of Executive Vice President, Chief Business Risk and Controls Officer. Kessler will report to Peter Sefzik, Chief Banking Officer.

Kessler will lead the Business Risk and Controls Office for Commercial Bank, Marketing, Customer Experience, the Retail Bank and Wealth Management, helping drive transformation of risk and control functions across all of Comerica's revenue divisions.

Comerica Bank has named Floyd Kessler to the new role of Executive Vice President, Chief Business Risk and Controls Officer.

"Fostering a strong risk and control culture remains a priority for Comerica. Floyd's leadership and depth of experience in risk management ensures we are well-positioned to establish the appropriate controls and robust risk culture that remains vital to Comerica's future growth," said Sefzik.

Kessler joins Comerica with 18 years of risk management experience in the financial services industry, 16 of which were with USAA. His roles have focused on mid and large-financial institution risk framework transformation and implementation.

Kessler has served in several risk management roles, most recently as Head of Non-Financial Risk Processes where he focused on the development of foundational risk management strategies during high growth periods. As a risk leader at USAA, Kessler was instrumental in establishing critical risk functions and delivery of regulatory initiatives. He has served in leadership roles focused on the establishment and execution of programs designed to identify, monitor, report and mitigate operational and compliance risks. In addition, Kessler also served in the U.S. Navy as an Aerographers Mate 3rd Class Petty Officer.

He earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Texas State University, master's degree from St. Mary's University, and holds a Certification in Control Self-Assessment from the Institute of Internal Auditors.

This year, Comerica Bank celebrates its 175th anniversary. A subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA), Comerica Bank is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and is strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank and Wealth Management. Comerica, one of the 25 largest commercial U.S. financial holding companies, focuses on building relationships and helping people and businesses be successful, providing more than 400 banking centers across the country with locations in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Texas. Founded on Aug. 17, 1849, in Detroit, Michigan, Comerica continues to expand into new regions, most recently in the Southeast, including North Carolina and Mountain West Market in Colorado. Comerica has offices in 17 states and services 14 of the 15 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, as well as Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $79.4 billion at March 31, 2024.Learn more about how Comerica is raising expectations of what a bank can be by visiting www.comerica.com, and follow us on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Comerica Incorporated
NEW YORK, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sexual and Reproductive Justice (SRJ) Hub at the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) has received $500,000 in the New York State enacted FY2025 budget, providing new and necessary support for its educational, scholarly, and advocacy efforts.

Governor Hochul with CUNY SPH leaders From left to right: Ira Memaj, Danielle Green, NYS Senator Cordell Cleare, Governor Kathy Hochul, CUNY SPH Dean Ayman El-Mohandes, Senior Associate Dean Terry McGovern, Associate Dean Lynn Roberts

The SRJ Hub at CUNY SPH represents the first coordinated effort in New York State, and one of few nationwide, to advance SRJ through a centralized academic unit that emphasizes not only scholarship, but also leadership development and advocacy. The SRJ Hub aims to take an innovative approach to SRJ through solutions-oriented scholarship, leadership training, and evidence-based advocacy that centers the lived experiences of women of color and elevates and funds their and other marginalized people's work.

SRJ is a longstanding framework that embodies the idea that the health and well-being of all girls, women, and people who can become pregnant are intrinsically linked to a variety of intersecting factors, including socioeconomic inequities, environmental justice, abortion rights, and access to sexual and reproductive health services. The work underway at the SRJ Hub reflects this holistic vision through its research training, and advocacy efforts. This work has become even more urgent since the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the subsequent erosion of reproductive autonomy and rise of reproductive health injustices that disproportionately burden people of color and marginalized populations.

Over the course of her political career, Governor Hochul has time and again championed programs and policies that protect reproductive freedom and address the crisis in maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, particularly among women and children of color. She, along with Senator Cordell Cleare, a supporter of the SRJ Hub, visited CUNY SPH last Monday and reaffirmed her commitment to investing in the health and well-being of women and children in New York.

Many elected state officials in both the Assembly and the Senate championed the SRJ HUB during the state budget process, particularly Assemblymembers Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas and Deborah J. Glick.

"Support for the establishment of the SRJ hub at CUNY SPH in Harlem is a bold move by the NYS Governor that will allow us to cultivate the next generation of public health leaders committed to ensuring the human right to bodily autonomy and reproductive justice for all New Yorkers, especially the most minoritized and marginalized women, femmes and girls," said Lynn Roberts, CUNY SPH Associate Dean for Student Affairs and SRJ Hub founding faculty member.

"The generous support from Governor Hochul in this state budget will empower us to grow our SRJ curriculum, hire staff, provide seed funding for sexual and reproductive justice-focused research, organize events, and expand our capacity for enabling social media and other communications mechanisms on these critical issues," said CUNY SPH Senior Associate Dean and SRJ Hub founding faculty member Terry McGovern. "With these funds, we are committed to promoting reproductive autonomy, combating health disparities, and fostering a future where every person has the right to make informed decisions about their own bodies and lives."

"In these post-Roe times, we cannot stand by and witness the steady disintegration of women's bodily autonomy and the calamitous impact on maternal health outcomes," said NYS Senator Cordell Cleare. "CUNY SPH's SRJ Hub is already hard at work on education and advocacy efforts to raise awareness and address the roots of reproductive health disparities in New York."

"I was proud to lead the effort to advocate for funding for the Sexual and Reproductive Justice Hub at CUNY SPH," said Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas. "Reproductive rights are currently under attack in this country, and we have to reinforce the freedoms and health care justice protections in New York State. When we invest in sexual and reproductive justice, we are supporting essential health care and socioeconomic stability for every New Yorker. Centering the rights, health care, and well-being of all girls, women, and people who can become pregnant, benefits everyone. This victory is a great step in the right direction as we continue to address inequities facing low-income people, women, and birthing people as well as people of color."

"Resolving the health inequities facing LGBTQ individuals and women and girls of color in New York State is a top priority," said Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick. "We are ready to do all we can to ensure the rights of our constituents to health, safety, and bodily freedom, and I am so pleased we were able to direct funding to support this critical endeavor."

"The erosion of policies that protect sexual and reproductive freedom is an increasingly urgent but too often overlooked matter of public health, and one that magnifies longstanding racial, gender and socioeconomic inequities," said CUNY Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriguez. "New York State's funding for CUNY SPH and the Sexual and Reproductive Justice Hub will greatly aid the school's mission-driven commitment to exposing and mitigating these impacts. CUNY thanks Governor Hochul for her consistent support of this University and investment in the health of all New Yorkers."

"Our heartfelt thanks to Governor Hochul, and the many members of the legislature including Senator Cleare and Assemblymembers Gonzalez-Rojas and Glick, who have been ardent supporters of CUNY SPH's efforts to advance sexual and reproductive justice," said CUNY SPH Dean Ayman El-Mohandes. "Kudos to Senior Associate Dean Terry McGovern and Associate Dean Lynn Roberts for leading the launch of the SRJ Hub, which aligns perfectly with our school's social justice and health equity mission."

About CUNY SPH

The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) is committed to promoting and sustaining healthier populations in New York City and around the world through excellence in education, research, and service in public health and by advocating for sound policy and practice to advance social justice and improve health outcomes for all. sph.cuny.edu

Press contact:

Barbara Aaron

[email protected]

SOURCE CUNY SPH
New THIRDhub Platform Hunts, Investigates, Deceives, and Responds to Concrete Cyber Threats before They Become Incidents or Attacks

NEW YORK, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyngular Security released a new cybersecurity platform today to proactively address cloud threats: THIRDhub. Short for Threat Hunting, Investigation, Response, and Deception, THIRDhub is currently the only platform that delivers comprehensive cloud security for organizations of any size or in any industry.

Providing the missing link for Security Operations Centers (SOCs), THIRDhub keeps Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and SOC managers apace with insights that are critical to successfully battling threat actors and cyberattacks.

As a multi-tenant, multi-cloud solution, THIRDhub works directly with an organization's internal SOC as well as for third parties such as Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) or Managed Detection and Response (MDR) teams.

"With THIRDhub, Cyngular fills critical gaps in the security stack and is the missing link all SOC professionals are seeking," said CEO and co-founder Paul Moskovich. "CISOs want to know they can sleep quietly at night, relying on their SOC team to the fullest. In organizations with cloud environments, Cyngular's THIRDhub hits that goal."

Moskovich founded Cyngular Security as a result of his vast operational experience. As the former Deputy Director-General of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate (INCD) at the Prime Minister's office, Moskovich was in charge of Israeli national operations, handling the most sophisticated cyberattacks against the Israeli cyber sphere. This experience became the foundation of THIRDhub.

Cloud security measures primarily produce alerts. THIRDhub can easily integrate these security measures or function directly based on cloud-native telemetry to help SOC analysts promptly investigate them to get the needed insights. It was purpose-built to serve startups, small-medium businesses, and enterprises.

Without THIRDhub, SOC analysts in cloud environments face the daunting task of manually going through an overwhelming number of alerts. This legacy method is not only time-consuming but also contributes to analyst fatigue and quick burnout, compromising the overall security of cloud environments. By minimizing the manual effort required in the initial stages of cloud threat hunting and investigation, THIRDhub's autonomous capabilities help prevent the burnout that is all too common in the SOC.

For SIEM, SOAR, EDR/XDR, CSPM, DSPM, SSPM, and CNAPP, cloud threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated. This is the case for any organization with a cloud environment. Cyngular's THIRDhub platform provides a clear view of the cloud environment's operational security, enabling analysts to uncover nesting threats, deceive them, and quickly assess the criticality of alerts.

"Ultimately, integrating THIRDhub into a cloud security framework is not just an enhancement," said Moskovich, "It's a must to survive in an extremely dangerous landscape."

Moskovich will be attending the RSA conference starting May 6, 2024, and is excited to share the groundbreaking THIRDhub platform with other attendees.

About Cyngular Security

Cyngular Security provides THIRDhub, a unique, cloud-based cybersecurity Threat Hunting, Investigation, Response, and Deception platform, to enhance Security Operations Centers (SOCs) and SOC analysts. For organizations with a cloud presence, THIRDhub proactively and effectively performs threat hunting and investigation actions while also deceiving existing nesting threats. Capturing the entire chain of custody, THIRDhub supports compliance with SEC and other regulations. Cyngular's THIRDhub works autonomously, delivering critical results with no effort, radically reducing risk, increasing performance, and decreasing fatigue for SOC analysts. Cyngular has offices in Tel Aviv and New York City. For more information or to request a demo, please visit https://cyngular.com.

Contact: Dylan Brock, 914-327-7830, [email protected]

SOURCE Cyngular Security
D2L Marks 25th Anniversary with Headquarters Grand Opening

TORONTO, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - D2L, a global learning technology company, today celebrates its 25th anniversary and the progress that it has made on its mission to transform the way the world learns.

Founded in 1999, D2L now works with over 1,300 corporate and education customers in over 40 countries to help create better, more personal, highly accessible, and engaging learning experiences that can help people achieve more than they dreamed possible.

"A lot has changed in the world in 25 years, but our mission to transform the way the world learns has never wavered," said John Baker, Founder and CEO of D2L. "We have seen the profound difference learning can make in people's lives and the positive impact it can have as it ripples across campuses, companies, communities, and countries  fueling growth, innovation, and creativity."

D2L has established itself as a leader in learning innovation, informed by pedagogy and driven by technology, and its learning innovation platform is now used by more than 18 million people. Along the way, D2L has received numerous awards and accolades for its services, security, and corporate culture. D2L will mark its anniversary today with the grand opening of its new headquarters in Kitchener, Ontario with an event attended by D2L employees and local dignitaries.

"At D2L, we are always looking to help solve the big challenges  just as John did when he founded this company to help make learning more accessible and personal," said Stephen Laster, President of D2L. "As the world undergoes significant change and disruption, there has never been a time when our work to transform learning has mattered more. We're excited about the future  and remain committed to the same values of hard work, curiosity and innovation that made our first 25 years such a success."



About D2L

D2L is transforming the way the world learnshelping learners of all ages achieve more than they dreamed possible. Working closely with clients all over the world, D2L is supporting millions of people learning online and in person. Our growing global workforce is dedicated to making the best learning products to leave the world better than they found it. Learn more about D2L for K-12, higher education and businesses at www.D2L.com.

Twitter: @D2L

 2024 D2L Corporation.

The D2L family of companies includes D2L Inc., D2L Corporation, D2L Ltd, D2L Australia Pty Ltd, D2L Europe Ltd, D2L Asia Pte. Ltd, D2L Brasil Solucoes de Tecnologia para Educacao Ltda. and D2L Sistemas De Aprendizaje Innovadores, Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada De Capital Variable.

All D2L marks are trademarks of D2L Corporation. Please visit D2L.com/trademarks for a list of D2L marks.

SOURCE D2L
Camila Correa Bourdeau , Executive Director, March to the Polls

, Executive Director, March to the Polls Carine Feyten, Ph.D., Chancellor and President, Texas Woman's University

Catalina Gonzalez , Founder and Designer, Dondolo

, Founder and Designer, Dondolo Cece Cox , CEO, Resource Center

, CEO, Resource Center Gayle Halperin , Executive Director, Bruce Wood Dance

, Executive Director, Gowri Sharma, President of the Board of Trustees, Dallas Museum of Art

Heather Ormand, CEO, Nexus Recovery Center

Jennifer Bartkowski, CEO, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas

Jennifer Scripps , President and CEO, Downtown Dallas , Inc.

, President and CEO, , Inc. Jo Giudice , Director, Dallas Public Library

, Director, Dallas Public Library Lisa "Lele" Sadoughi, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Lele Sadoughi

Mandy Price , Co-founder and CEO, Kanarys, Inc.

, Co-founder and CEO, Kanarys, Inc. Sakina Rasheed Foster, Dallas Office Managing Partner and Partner, Haynes Boone

Sharon Lee Clark, CEO and Founder, Krane Home

Dr. Stephanie Elizalde , Superintendent, Dallas Independent School District

, Superintendent, Dallas Independent School District Zenetta Drew , Executive Director, Dallas Black Dance Theatre

On view through July 14, Walk this Way presents footwear  spanning nearly 200 years  from the collection of iconic shoe designer Stuart Weitzman and businesswoman and philanthropist Jane Gershon Weitzman. Shoes throughout the exhibition put a spotlight on important issues like women's labor activism, the fight for suffrage, and more. "In Her Shoes" builds on this by bringing attention to local women, their achievements, and the causes close to their hearts. Starting May 23, visitors can learn more about each honoree and a pair of shoes from the exhibit that symbolizes each woman's contribution to her field.

"Our 'In Her Shoes' program allows us to amplify the incredible strides women have made right here in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, mirroring the pivotal roles of women showcased in the exhibition throughout history," said Mary Pat Higgins, President and CEO of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. "These women are exceptional role models and industry-leading pioneers who have impacted women and entire communities. We celebrate not only their individual accomplishments but their collective influence, which continues to shape our society for the better."

"Children come through our doors from all walks of life and every corner of the world, some as refugees seeking asylum from wars, cartels, and political and religious persecution," said Dr. Stephanie Elizalde, Superintendent of Dallas Independent School District. "I'm proud that every single one of those children has a desk in a classroom where they receive a terrific education from some of the best teachers anywhere, and that education gives them the freedom to become anything."

"Girl Scouts was founded in 1912 when the shoes and roles girls could have were very limited," said Jennifer Bartkowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. "Now, 112 years later, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas take pride in broadening horizons for girls and women. In today's world, the shoes girls wear are more than just footwear; they're platforms that allow girls to stand tall in their courage, confidence, character, and voice to make the world a better place. They enable girls to follow in the trailblazing footsteps of the courageous women who came before them and to blaze trails of their own for the next generation."

"While women have made significant steps in the workplace, women of color are still underrepresented in the corporate pipeline, and among the most vulnerable are working moms facing childcare shortages and rising costs," said Mandy Price, Co-founder and CEO of Kanarys, Inc. "There's a pressing need to advocate for these women. As a working mom of two children, I take pride in our work transforming workplaces using our extensive diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging data."

The honorary women will be recognized at a special reception on May 23, at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. The event will be complemented by a public screening at 7 p.m. of the documentary 9to5: The Story of A Movement, the previously untold story of the fight that inspired a hit and changed the American workplace.

More information about Walk this Way and the 9to5 screening can be found here: dhhrm.org/walk .

About the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum

The mission of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is to teach the history of the Holocaust and advance human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference. Founded in 1984 by local Holocaust survivors, the institution now resides in a new building in downtown Dallas where visitors experience a deeper immersion into the history of the Holocaust, human and civil rights, their centrality to our democracy, and their vital importance in preventing events like those of the Holocaust from happening again. The 55,000-square-foot permanent home covers three floors, and the main exhibition includes four wings that teach about the Holocaust, the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights after World War II, the ten stages of genocide, and America's civil rights journey. Please visit DHHRM.org or call (214) 741-7500 for more information.

SOURCE Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
Darrow Taps Former Dealpath CRO To Lead Next Phase Of Revenue Growth

TEL AVIV, Israel and NEW YORK, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Darrow, the leading AI-powered justice intelligence platform, today announced the appointment of Mathew Keshav Lewis as its first Chief Revenue Officer and US General Manager. Lewis brings over 20 years of experience driving revenue and growth for high-profile legal and technology companies  including SaaS platform Dealpath, alternative investment platform Yieldstreet, and legal services pioneer Axiom Law  and will be responsible for helping Darrow scale as it continues an accelerated growth trajectory.

"Mathew's arrival at Darrow opens enterprise-level deals to all plaintiff law firms, previously accessible only to a select few," said Evyatar Ben Artzi, CEO and Co-Founder of Darrow. "His expertise from YieldStreet and Axiom empowers our partners to leverage AI, driving unprecedented growth and innovation."

Lewis, who will be based in Darrow's New York headquarters, joins Darrow after serving as the first Chief Revenue Officer of Dealpath, a real estate deal management platform. He also previously held the role of Chief Revenue Officer and GM, Investments at Yieldstreet, where he drove record revenue and growth for the investment platform.

"I'm delighted to join a team of tremendously talented individuals at Darrow, who have already disrupted the legal technology space and forged the path ahead," said Mathew Keshav Lewis, Chief Revenue Officer & US General Manager of Darrow. "I am inspired by Darrow's progress to date, and I look forward to working alongside Darrow's growing team to expand the company's footprint."

This announcement comes at a period of rapid growth for the company, which completed its $35 million Series B funding round last year. Darrow currently works on active litigation valued over $10 billion across legal domains such as privacy, consumer protection, and antitrust.

About Darrow: Founded in 2020, Darrow is a LegalTech company on a mission to fuel law firm growth and deliver justice for victims of class and mass action lawsuits. Darrow's AI-powered justice intelligence platform leverages generative AI and world-class legal experts and technologists to uncover egregious violations across legal domains spanning privacy and data breach, consumer protection, securities and financial fraud, environment, and employment. Darrow is based out of New York City and Tel Aviv. For more information, visit: darrow.ai.

SOURCE Darrow
Empowering organizations to navigate the complexities of data management and analytics is paramount in the current digital landscape. With Info-Tech's latest research-backed blueprint, Promote Data Literacy in Your Organization, data leaders can gain insights into fostering a data-literate workforce and driving transformative impact. By addressing challenges and highlighting the importance of data fluency, the blueprint equips leaders with actionable strategies to foster a culture where data proficiency fuels innovation and competitive advantage.

TORONTO, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - As organizations grapple with the complexities of managing and analyzing an ever-growing volume of data, they face significant challenges in extracting the full potential and value from their data assets. With the rising quantity and diversity of data, coupled with the rapid pace of technological advancements, there is a pressing need to enhance data literacy across all levels of the workforce. In recognition of these challenges, Info-Tech Research Group has published its latest research blueprint, Promote Data Literacy in Your Organization. This research equips data leaders with the tools to cultivate a culture where data fluency drives innovation, efficiency, and competitive advantage.

Info-Tech Research Group's "Promote Data Literacy in Your Organization" blueprint outlines a four-step approach to maximizing the potential and value of organizations' data assets. (CNW Group/Info-Tech Research Group)

"With digital transformation accelerating in organizations, lack of data literacy becomes a commonly cited reason for data adoption failure, blocking efforts to become data-driven," says Ruyi Sun, research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group. "Making complex data topics realistic and easy to learn is a significant challenge for data leaders who are often not skilled or do not have the budgets to leverage change and resources."

Info-Tech's research identifies a common gap in data literacy education, noting that while many programs offer standard content, they often neglect to cover crucial data management concepts. Additionally, data leaders frequently struggle to pinpoint effective, personalized learning objectives and paths tailored to various organizational roles. Emphasizing the importance of fundamental data management knowledge, the blueprint advocates for educational strategies that ensure all team members understand and can effectively use the organization's data. This approach is key to enabling a truly data-driven organization.

"Although not everyone requires the same level of data skills, everyone in the organization, including business roles, requires a fundamental awareness of data management concepts," explains Sun. "With a greater understanding of data management enablers, people can understand the importance, purpose, and impact of data efforts, how data projects can be used to solve business problems, and the collaboration and support needed from the entire company."

The firm advises simplifying and breaking down core concepts of data management into roles or personas with clear learning outcomes. This approach enables data leaders to expedite the enhancement of data literacy within their organization. By doing so, they improve the effectiveness of upskilling efforts, facilitate better data communication, and enhance understanding of the roles and processes involved in data management practices.

In its latest resource, Info-Tech outlines a four-step approach to promoting data literacy:

Create personas: Develop personas based on individuals' work functions and comfort levels to reflect the appropriate level of data literacy.



Identify learning outcomes: Determine the learning outcomes of the data literacy program, focusing on what target personas need to know about each essential data discipline.



Build the data literacy program: Prioritize key data disciplines and design the data literacy program based on the organization's maturity level and data strategy goals.



Communicate and measure effectiveness: Establish a communication plan for continuous improvement and define metrics to assess the program's effectiveness.

There can be challenges in quantifying the tangible benefits resulting from a data literacy program. While improvements such as enhanced data skills or better collaboration between data and business teams are often intangible outcomes, Info-Tech recommends that it is essential for data leaders to estimate and articulate the value added by these improvements. This estimation will help communicate the program's impact, align with the organization's strategic goals, and drive forward its mission and vision.

For exclusive and timely commentary from Ruyi Sun, an expert in data and analytics, and access to the complete Promote Data Literacy in Your Organization blueprint, please contact [email protected].

Info-Tech LIVE 2024

Registration is now open for Info-Tech Research Group's annual IT conference, Info-Tech LIVE 2024, taking place September 17 to 19, 2024, at the iconic Bellagio in Las Vegas. This premier event offers journalists, podcasters, and media influencers access to exclusive content, the latest IT research and trends, and the opportunity to interview industry experts, analysts, and speakers. To apply for media passes to attend the event or gain access to research and expert insights on trending topics, please contact [email protected].

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT and HR professionals. The company produces unbiased, highly relevant research and provides advisory services to help leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For nearly 30 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

To learn more about Info-Tech's divisions, visit McLean & Company for HR research and advisory services and SoftwareReviews for software buying insights.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X.

SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group
-- Bucher to join influential thought leaders and attendees in addressing critical global issues --

SAN FRANCISCO, April 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Masha Bucher, founder and general partner of Day One Ventures, announced her plans to attend the Milken Institute Global Conference to be held May 5-8, 2024 in Los Angeles. The event will bring together global executives to discuss developing a shared future and using disruptions to serve innovation. The conference will also include the Institute's 2024 membership inductions, for which Bucher has been accepted.

Masha Bucher's venture capital firm Day One Ventures provides early-stage funding to startups looking to promote innovative technologies and executes creative storytelling for those companies. Within its first five years, Day One Ventures proved its model successful with six companies that reached unicorn status and a cumulative portfolio of companies surpassing $35+ billion.

As a Milken Young Global Leader, Bucher joins the Institute's 2024 cohort and is well positioned to provide thought leadership to the membership and broader community. Her passion for bridging the gap between art and technology provides a unique perspective while she aims to inspire, and be inspired by, tech entrepreneurs.

Her interest in engaging with the Milken Institute's Center for the Future of Aging and the Center for Advancing the American Dream reflect her entrepreneurial spirit and belief that technology should be a pathway for humanity to lead healthier, longer, and more economically advantaged lives. Through her work as a minority-owned business owner, Masha Bucher will contribute most to the Milken Institute's Center for the Financial Markets. This is a true passion for Bucher as a majority of Day One Ventures portfolio companies have minority/women founders.

The Milken Institute is renowned for bringing together industry leaders and trendsetters to share new perspectives and accelerate progress through nonpartisan collaboration and idea sharing. The nonprofit organization's 2024 conference is slated to host over 150 presentations and panel discussions, encompassing a speaker lineup of over 800 individuals.

About Masha Bucher

Masha Bucher is a pioneer in the venture capital space with a mission to deliver outsized returns through the delivery of unparalleled value and affirming relationships with every portfolio company. Founder of Day One Ventures, Bucher previously served as an angel investor and founder of a public relations studio focused on innovative communications, VP of Communications for Acronis, and Head of Communications for Runa Capital. She has also been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Visit mashabucher.com for more information.

About The Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle (YLC)

The Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle (YLC) includes intellectually curious, motivated, and philanthropic young professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who support the Milken Institute and its mission. With 300 members in Los Angeles, New York, London, Singapore, and the MEA region, the YLC represents the best and the brightest from a wide variety of industries. Members are actively involved in programs and research and receive special invitations to private events. They are also provided access to the annual Global Conference and select regional summits. For information about the YLC, contact [email protected] .

Press Contact

DAY ONE VENTURES

[email protected]

SOURCE Day One Ventures
Tech Veteran Julie Pearl joins Denver Angels as Chief Operating Officer, and Elyse Kent joins DA Ventures Seed Fund as Partner

DENVER, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Denver Angels, the leading investment syndicate connecting high-performing regional startups with experienced capital, proudly announces the appointment of tech veteran Julie Pearl as Chief Operating Officer and Elyse Kent as a Partner at DA Ventures Seed Fund .

Denver Angels , a community of over 700 investors, provides a platform for individual investors to participate in best-in-class, vetted, regional investment opportunities. To date, Denver Angels has invested $31M in growth-stage companies that have shown demonstrable traction in their markets. In June 2023, Denver Angels launched the DA Ventures Seed Fund . This new fund marked a significant step in providing a multi-stage investment strategy to include early-stage startups.

Julie Pearl brings over two decades of experience in technology. In her role as COO she will oversee daily operations, provide strategic advice to founders and guide investment decisions to build exceptional companies. Julie's career includes a number of leadership roles at Google, including Senior Director of Digital Business for Nest, Senior Director of Developer Relations for Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Motorola Mobility when it was acquired by Google. Prior to Google, she served as Security Project Manager at Microsoft. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado, Boulder and is a Mentor at Techstars Boulder Accelerator and recently named an All Star mentor.

Elyse Kent , the newest Partner at DA Ventures Seed Fund , brings a unique understanding of startup dynamics from over a decade of hands-on operating experience in emerging tech ecosystems and venture-backed companies. Most recently serving as the Head of Platform at a prominent Colorado early-stage venture firm, Elyse has been instrumental in propelling the growth of early-stage startups. At DA Ventures Seed Fund , she will use her deep knowledge-base of leadership team dynamics and go-to-market strategies to drive new investments and foster the next generation of innovators.

"We are excited to welcome Julie and Elyse to the Denver Angels and DA Ventures Seed Fund team." says David Prichard, CEO of Denver Angels . "Their passion for growing great teams and combined track records speak volumes. We are confident that their involvement will enhance our value proposition, secure more exceptional investment opportunities, and strengthen the support we provide to the companies we invest in."

"I'm thrilled to be joining the Denver Angels team and look forward to helping promote our mission of empowering entrepreneurs and investors alike," says Julie Pearl, COO of Denver Angels "I look forward to helping bridge the gap between startups and funding they need to create a stronger, economically vibrant Colorado."

With these new appointments, Denver Angels has more than 50% of its leadership roles now held by women, which furthers the firm's dedication to cultivating an inclusive environment that values varied perspectives that is crucial for innovation and growth.

About Denver Angels

Denver Angels is an investment community of Accredited Investors, High-Net-Worth Individuals, and Family Offices dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs at the forefront of innovation. Denver Angels is a group of over 700 investors, many of whom are business leaders and entrepreneurs with expertise spanning nearly every industry. Our mission is to empower innovation with financial backing, expert guidance, and a robust community network, thereby enhancing Colorado's economic strength. For more information on Denver Angels, please visit www.denverangels.co .

About DA Ventures Seed Fund

In 2023, Denver Angels established the DA Ventures Seed Fund I, a multi-sector, multi-stage fund investing in Pre-Seed and Seed stage companies. This partnership provides DA Ventures the unparalleled ability to leverage the expertise of the entire Denver Angels investor community for superior deal flow, due diligence, and effective support of its portfolio companies. The DA Ventures leadership team has deep experience as investors, operators, and leaders in the Colorado ecosystem. For more information on DA Ventures Seed Fund, please visit https://daventures.vc/.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Olivia Ludington

(551) 795-5950

Ludington Media on behalf of Denver Angels

www.ludingtonmedia.com

[email protected]

SOURCE Denver Angels
RADNOR, Pa., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP informs investors that the firm has filed a securities fraud class action lawsuit against Doximity, Inc. (NYSE: DOCS) ("Doximity" or the "Company") on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired Doximity common stock between February 9, 2022, and April 1, 2024, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action, captioned Kissler v. Doximity, Inc., et al., Case No. 3:24-cv-02281-JST was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Important Deadline Reminder: Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Doximity common stock during the Class Period may, no later than June 17, 2024, move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff for the class.

If you suffered Doximity losses, you may CLICK HERE or go to: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/doximity-inc?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=docs&mktm=r

You can also contact attorney Jonathan Naji, Esq. of Kessler Topaz by calling (484) 270-1453 or by email at [email protected].

CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERE or go to: https://youtu.be/sbkgMGltWR8

DEFENDANTS' MISCONDUCT

Doximity operates a digital platform that provides connections between, medical information to, and patient scheduling tools for medical professionals. The Class Period begins on February 9, 2022, following the release of Doximity's quarterly financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2022, which ended December 31, 2021, after the market closed the night prior. During the February 8, 2022 quarterly investor earnings call, Defendant Anna Bryson, the Company's Chief Financial Officer, emphasized that "marketers have been able to witness the value of running these digital programs" and that it was this "value that's the main reason we're seeing this sustained demand from our customers and not new [COVID] variants." To this end, Defendant Bryson further assured investors that the Company was "focused on . . . really building a business that can provide years of sustainable growth with high margins."

Throughout the Class Period, Defendants continued to tout the sustainability of the Company's business prospects while also downplaying the importance of customer upsell rates on the Company's financial performance. Notwithstanding Defendants' repeated claims regarding the sustainability of Doximity's growth and profitability, investors began to learn the truth about the Company on August 8, 2023, when, after the market closed, Doximity reported its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, which ended June 30, 2023. While the Company exceeded its quarterly revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance for the first quarter, the Company provided disappointing guidance for the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 and slashed its guidance for the full fiscal year 2024. In conjunction with the disappointing guidance, Doximity announced that it would reduce its workforce by approximately 10%. The Company further noted that the workforce reduction is expected to cost approximately $8 million to $10 million.

In explaining this about-face, Defendant Bryson admitted that the Company's "major upsells have materially underperformed, and we expect this to continue in the near term." Defendant Tangney further explained that Doximity failed to close sales due, in part, to "fewer face-to-face meetings with our clients." On this news, the price of Doximity common stock declined $7.49 per share, or nearly 23%, from a close of $32.79 per share on August 8, 2023, to close at $25.30 per share on August 9, 2023.

Investors learned more about the unsustainability of the Company's revenue growth on April 1, 2024, when Jehoshaphat Research published a report alleging, among other things, that "Doximity's underlying sales . . . are declining at a negative -3-6% rate, but that this decline has been masked through accelerated revenue recognition." On this news, the price of Doximity common stock declined $1.11 per share, or more than 4% over two trading-days, from a close of $26.91 per share on March 28, 2024, to close at $25.80 per share on April 2, 2024.

WHAT CAN I DO?

Doximity investors may, no later than June 17, 2024, move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff for the class, through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages Doximity investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASE OR GO TO: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/doximity-inc?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=docs&mktm=r

WHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF?

A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.

ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLP

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and around the world. The firm has developed a global reputation for excellence and has recovered billions of dollars for victims of fraud and other corporate misconduct. All of our work is driven by a common goal: to protect investors, consumers, employees and others from fraud, abuse, misconduct and negligence by businesses and fiduciaries.

For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com.

CONTACT

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

Jonathan Naji, Esq.

280 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

(844) 887-9500 (toll free)

[email protected]

May be considered attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

SOURCE Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP
DALLAS, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CRIADO & Associates has been acquired by Dunaway. CRIADO is a successful, Dallas-based public infrastructure firm established in 2001 by President and CEO Cristina Criado, PE. We are thrilled to join forces with CRIADO and to continue to expand our footprint in North Texas, a region with tremendous growth potential and opportunities.

From left to right: Kervin Campbell, PE, Cristina Criado, PE, and Chris Wilde, PE CRIADO & Associates, a Dunaway company.

The firm has tapped Senior Vice President and Principal Kervin Campbell, PE, to lead the transition alongside Cristina. Campbell began his career at Dunaway in 2003. With a significant portfolio of public works projects, including roadways, water, sanitary sewer, and storm drain improvements, Kervin is well-known in the industry for his outstanding contributions to public safety and welfare and for advancing the profession of civil engineering. Under Kervin's leadership, Dunaway's municipal client base has increased and has advanced the firm's capabilities from offering traditional civil infrastructure services to adding innovative roundabouts and 2D water modeling design.

Before opening her firm, Cristina practiced as a professional civil engineer for two leading civil engineering firms in the DFW metroplex, managing a diverse project portfolio. Through the transition, she brings her vast technical expertise, strong will, and determination and remains committed to the day-to-day operations. "CRIADO is excited to join forces with Dunaway because they are a company that we always admired and aspired to be like one day  they successfully lead a dynamic, profitable, and sustainable company through their one-heart company culture and strong core values," explains Cristina. "I have always admired and respected what Dunaway has built over the years under such an inspiring, thoughtful, and humble leadership team. I am excited to be part of the difference that Dunaway makes!"

In her time as CEO of CRIADO, Cristina has provided design and consulting services on a variety of civil engineering projects, including roadway and freeway projects, interchanges, hike and bike trails, municipal projects, and land development. Her project management experience involves quality assurance, review and control, scheduling, coordination, and management of the different disciplines required. She also has served on the executive board for the Greater Dallas Planning Council (GDPC), and UT Austin's External Advisory Committee, in addition to serving as a member of the board of directors of the Workforce Solutions of Greater Dallas since 2015 and as a board member of the Dallas Regional Chamber for Economic Development, the North Texas Commission, and ACEC Dallas.

Dunaway recognizes the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex as the most populous metropolitan statistical area in Texas. The Fort Worth-based firm announced in 2023 that it opened its Houston office and in 2021 that it had expanded to Dallas and Farmersville in addition to its Austin, San Antonio, and Midland locations, increasing its reach to all corners of Texas. Dunaway's Dallas office will join forces with CRIADO's nearly sixty employees and will broaden their capabilities through CRIADO's experience serving municipal clients, creating a fully integrated team.

As a multi-discipline firm, Dunaway offers a range of services, including civil and structural engineering, survey, planning + landscape architecture, CIS (Construction Inspection Services), environmental, and GIS (Geographic Information System). As Cristina notes, "Another deciding factor to join Dunaway versus other firms is that they are an independent, Texas-based firm that will continue to serve CRIADO's clients while also focusing on business development and strategic growth."

Through the acquisition of CRIADO, Dunaway continues to execute its vision to be the leading independent multi-discipline design firm in Texas, adding two new service lines to their in-house offerings  Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) and Right of Way (ROW). As Campbell explains, "The addition of CRIADO to the Dunaway team marks an exciting chapter in our growth story and is a testament to our commitment to our vision. Together, we are poised to tackle even more ambitious projects, offering collaborative multi-disciplined solutions and unparalleled service to our clients and communities."

Learn more about the Dunaway Difference we are making in a community near you at Dunaway.com.

SOURCE Dunaway
GRANTS PASS, Ore., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Splash into summer with Dutch Bros' new drinks! Summer's headliner Mangonada is BACK and brought some new friends! The Mangonada Rebel, Churro Freeze and Watermelon Fizz are now available at all 850+ Dutch Bros locations.

Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9218054-dutch-bros-announces-summer-drink-lineup/

Drink Trio Lifestyle: Summers headliner Mangonada is BACK and brought some new friends!

The Mangonada Rebel is inspired by the iconic Mexican treat. This energizing take on a classic features a mix of Dutch Bros' exclusive energy drink, Rebel, and mangonada flavor topped with strawberry fruit and Tajin.

is inspired by the iconic Mexican treat. This energizing take on a classic features a mix of Dutch Bros' exclusive energy drink, Rebel, and mangonada flavor topped with strawberry fruit and Tajin. The Churro Freeze features blended caramel coffee w/ cinnamon sugar Soft Top and churro bits.

features blended caramel coffee w/ cinnamon sugar Soft Top and churro bits. The Watermelon Fizz features watermelon infused sparkling water with strawberry fruit and a splash of lemonade.

"We're so excited to bring back the fan fave Mangonada Rebel while also adding new, refreshing drinks just in time for warmer weather," said Tana Davila, chief marketing officer at Dutch Bros. "This lineup features a variety of taste profiles so no matter what your mood is, you can find your go-to summer drink at Dutch!"

These main acts are giving all the makings of an unforgettable summer! The summer lineup will be available May 1 to June 30, or while supplies last.

About Dutch Bros

Dutch Bros Coffee is a drive-thru coffee company dedicated to making a massive difference one cup at a time. Headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, where it was founded in 1992 by Dane and Travis Boersma, it's now sharing the "Dutch Luv" with more than 850 locations in 17 states. Dutch Bros serves specialty coffee, smoothies, freezes, teas, an exclusive Dutch Bros Rebel energy drink and nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee. Its rich, proprietary coffee blend is handcrafted from start to finish.

In addition to its mission of speed, quality and service, Dutch Bros is committed to giving back to the communities it serves. Through its Dutch Bros Foundation and local operators and franchisees, the company donates several million dollars to causes across the country each year.

To learn more about Dutch Bros, visit www.dutchbros.com, follow Dutch Bros Coffee on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, & TikTok, and download the Dutch Bros app to earn points and score rewards!

SOURCE Dutch Bros Coffee
The Company will award research funding grants totaling up to $50,000.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 1, Encompass Health opened its call for research grant applications due Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. CST. The grants, totaling up to $50,000, will be awarded for the investigation of the impact or effectiveness of therapies in the inpatient rehabilitation facility post-acute care setting, knowledge translation or implementation science. Grant recipients do not have to be affiliated with Encompass Health and research does not have to be conducted in an Encompass Health inpatient rehabilitation hospital.

High priority topics include:

Impact or effectiveness of therapies on neurological impairments

Efficacy of physical, occupational or speech therapy interventions

Prevention or control of rehabilitation-related conditions

Patient and caregiver education programming impact or outcomes

Applications will be evaluated based on scientific merit, experience of principal investigator(s), relevance to the grant program objectives, expected outcomes, and study feasibility. The research should be completed no more than 12 months after receiving the grant and must be conducted in the United States or Puerto Rico. Final selection of recipients and programs will be made by Oct. 30.

A copy of the application and the full details may be found at encompasshealth.com/therapy-grants.

About Encompass Health

Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) is the largest owner and operator of rehabilitation hospitals in the United States. With a national footprint that includes 160 hospitals in 37 states and Puerto Rico, the Company provides high-quality, compassionate rehabilitative care for patients recovering from a major injury or illness, using advanced technology and innovative treatments to maximize recovery. Encompass Health is ranked as one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies and Modern Healthcare's Best Places to Work in Healthcare. For more information, visit encompasshealth.com, or follow us on our newsroom, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Polly Manuel | 205-970-5912

[email protected]

SOURCE Encompass Health Corp.
The Lux Collective (TLC), a global luxury hospitality group, has its new Chief Executive Officer, who will be responsible for the overall strategic direction and performance of the group, while pursuing its expansion in high potential markets.

TLC Chairman Arnaud Lagesse appointed Olivier Chavy who he said will work alongside the board of directors, key executives, general managers and staff of the resorts, to innovate and craft distinctive experiences that will further set the iconic hotel group apart.

Lagesse welcomed Olivier, highlighting his dynamic leadership and vast experience with prestigious groups, including Travel+Leisure, Movenpick and Hilton.

After a rigorous selection exercise, the board is proud to announce the appointment of Olivier Chavy.

We are confident that Oliviers experience in the travel and hospitality business coupled with his over 30-year track record in business transformation will strengthen and guide TLC towards its future strategy.

His mandate will be to continue to ride on the wave of success of TLC and grow our different brands in the various key markets, whilst curating new brand experiences and bringing to life our culture of exceptional service.

Hailing from France, Chavy will leverage the board of directors support during this transition period.

The Chairman thanked Paul Jones who will be departing TLC in June 2024, following a 14-year tenure as CEO.

Paul's unwavering commitment to delivering unparalleled guest experiences and market share leadership had a pivotal role in reaffirming TLC as a globally recognised luxury hospitality brand. He leaves a great legacy and I wish to thank him personally for the sustained growth in Mauritius and internationally.

Chavy said: I am honoured to join the team of this distinguished group, especially at such an exciting time. The Lux Collective, an award-winning Mauritian homegrown brand, is globally acclaimed for its exceptional service.

My familiarity with TLC's presence in the diverse markets, from Mauritius, the Maldives, and China to upcoming destinations of Vietnam and the UAE will be advantageous.

Whilst I look forward to rediscovering these regions, my priority will be on collaborating closely with the team members, recognising their vital contribution to TLC's future success and beyond.  TradeArabia News Service
The global population is growing older, leading to an increased demand for enteral feeding devices used for age-related conditions also chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, necessitating a rise in the demand for these devices used in their management which is expected to drive the market growth. However, stringent regulatory compliances for the approval of enteral feeding devices is expected to challenge the growth of the market.

This report divides the enteral feeding devices market into four segments  type, age group, application, end user and region.

Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=183623035

Browse in-depth TOC on "Enteral Feeding Devices Market"

430 - Tables

200 - Figures

450 - Pages

Enteral Feeding Devices Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2024 $4.0 billion Estimated Value by 2029 $5.6 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 6.2% Market Size Available for 20222029 Forecast Period 20242029 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Enteral feeding devices  Type, Age Group, Application, End user and Region Geographies Covered Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa and GCC countries Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Growing demand for enteral feeding in the home care sector Key Market Drivers Rapid growth in geriatric population and age-related chronic diseases



"Based on type, the nasogastric feeding tubes in nasoenteric feeding tubes segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period."

NG tubes are ideal for short-term enteral feeding (typically less than 4-6 weeks). This is because they are less invasive than other options like surgically placed tubes and can be easily inserted and removed. NG tubes can be placed quickly at the bedside, making them a suitable option for initiating enteral feeding immediately after surgery or in critical situations where rapid nutritional support is needed which is expected to drive the segment growth.

"The gastroenterology segment is expected to account for the largest share, by application in the enteral feeding devices market."

Blockages in the digestive tract can prevent food from passing through naturally. Enteral feeding allows nutrients to bypass the obstruction and reach the small intestine for absorption also Certain conditions like Crohn's disease or celiac disease can affect the body's ability to absorb nutrients from food consumed orally. Enteral feeding delivers nutrients directly into the intestine, bypassing the absorption issue which is expected to drive the segment growth.

"In 2023, Europe was the region with the second largest market share in the enteral feeding devices market "

The enteral feeding devices market is segmented into five major regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa and GCC countries

Europe accounted for the second-largest share of the enteral feeding devices market in 2023. The rapidly aging population, increasing number of preterm births creates a demand for enteral feeding devices specifically designed for neonates which is driving the growth of the enteral feeding devices market in the European region.

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Enteral Feeding Devices Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

1. Rapid growth in geriatric population and age-related chronic diseases

Restraints:

1. Lack of Patient Awareness

Opportunities:

1. Growing demand for enteral feeding in the home care sector

Challenge:

1. Dearth of skilled professionals and endoscopy specialists

Key Market Players of Enteral Feeding Devices Industry:

Key players in the enteral feeding devices market include Fresenius SE & Co. KGAA. (Germany), Cardinal Health, Inc. (US), Nestle S.A. (Switzerland), Avanos Medical, Inc. (US), Danone S.A. (France), Becton, Dickinson and Company (US), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), CONMED Corporation (US), Cook Medical (US), Moog Inc. (US), Boston Scientific Corporation (US), Baxter International Inc. (US), Vygon (France), and Other players in the enteral feeding devices market are Applied Medical Technology (US), Amsino International Inc. (US), Omex Medical Technology (India), Danumed Medizintechnik (Germany), Medline Industries, Inc. (US), Fuji Systems (Japan), Kentec Medical (US), Dynarex Corporation (US), Vesco Medical LLC (US), Medela AG (Switzerland), Alcor Scientific (US), and Romsons (India)

A breakdown of the primary participants (supply-side) for the enteral feeding devices market referred to for this report is provided below:

By Company Type: Tier 50%, Tier 35%, and Tier 15%

By Designation: C-level35%, Director Level40%, and Others25%

By Region: North America35%, Europe20%, Asia Pacific10%, Latin America - 20%, Middle East & Africa and GCC Countries- 15%.

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Recent Developments of Enteral Feeding Devices Industry:

In September 2022 , Cardinal Health, Inc. (US) announced the partnership with Kinaxis ( Canada ) to enhance the Kinaxis RapidResponse Platform used for supply chain agility and medical product visibility.

, Cardinal Health, Inc. (US) announced the partnership with Kinaxis ( ) to enhance the Kinaxis RapidResponse Platform used for supply chain agility and medical product visibility. In November 2022 , Boston Scientific signed an agreement for the acquisition of Apollo Endosurgery, Inc.,. This agreement includes devices, which are used during endoluminal surgery (ELS) procedures, to close gastrointestinal defects, manage gastrointestinal complications, and aid in weight loss for patients suffering from obesity.

, Boston Scientific signed an agreement for the acquisition of Apollo Endosurgery, Inc.,. This agreement includes devices, which are used during endoluminal surgery (ELS) procedures, to close gastrointestinal defects, manage gastrointestinal complications, and aid in weight loss for patients suffering from obesity. In March 2021 , Applied Medical Technology, Inc. (US) launched its gastric-jejunal enteral feeding tube family (G-JETs) to include the low-profile micro-G-JET to link up the enteral nutrition needs of pediatric patients.

, Applied Medical Technology, Inc. (US) launched its gastric-jejunal enteral feeding tube family (G-JETs) to include the low-profile micro-G-JET to link up the enteral nutrition needs of pediatric patients. In March 2022 , Vygon Group ( France ) announced the acquisition of distributor Macatt Medica ( Peru ). The acquisition is expected to grow the presence of Vygon Group ( France ), in the South American region, specifically for its broad range of enteral feeding products.

Enteral Feeding Devices Market - Key Benefits of Buying the Report:

The report will help the market leaders/new entrants in this market with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall enteral feeding devices market and the subsegments. This report will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to position their businesses better and plan suitable go-to-market strategies. The report also helps stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.

This report provides insights into the following pointers:

Analysis of key drivers (benefits and cost-effectiveness of enteral over parenteral nutrition, shift from parenteral to enteral nutrition for patients, high incidence of preterm births and genetic disorders in pediatric and neonatal patients , rapid growth in geriatric population and age-related chronic diseases, increasing prevalence of dysphagia), restraints (complications associated with enteral feeding devices, lack of patient awareness), opportunities (high growth opportunities for market players in developing countries, growing demand for enteral feeding in the home care sector) and challenges (insufficient reimbursement policies for enteral nutrition therapy in developing countries, dearth of skilled professionals and endoscopy specialists)

Market Penetration: It includes extensive information on product portfolios offered by the major players in the global enteral feeding devices market. The report includes various segments in market type, age group, application, end user and region

Product Enhancement/Innovation: Comprehensive details about new product launches and anticipated trends in the global enteral feeding devices market.

Market Development: Thorough knowledge and analysis of the profitable rising markets by type, age group, application, end user and region

Market Diversification: Comprehensive information about newly launched product and services, expanding markets, current advancements, and investments in the global enteral feeding devices market.

Competitive Assessment: Thorough evaluation of the market shares, growth plans, offerings of product and services, and capacities of the major competitors in the global enteral feeding devices market.

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Get access to the latest updates on Enteral Feeding Devices Companies and Enteral Feeding Devices Industry

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POWAY, Calif., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In April 2024, EpiSci completed operator training on Starling, a TacticalAI-enabled autonomy product tailored for networked collaborative autonomous platform operation, during multiple test events in partnership with the US Air Force AFWERX Autonomy Prime program. This effort continues EpiSci's participation in a variety of autonomy efforts across the Department of Defense, focused on delivering trusted autonomy for a secure future for US and allied warfighters.

The flight test events demonstrated EpiSci's autonomous search algorithms during live flight on two unique uncrewed platform types. The test results demonstrated Starling's portability to integrate on and enable uncrewed aircraft to operate in contested environments and perform search and automatic target recognition tasks. Multiple operators were trained on the Starling interface and were able to complete all desired mission tasks. The cutting-edge research and development drive the leading edge of collaborative autonomy innovation across the defense industry.

"EpiSci is bringing cutting-edge autonomous solutions into the real world," said Dr. Dan Javorsek, Chief Technology Officer of EpiSci and former F-22/F-35 Test Pilot. "Our teams have integrated and operated TacticalAI-enabled autonomy products on 10 uncrewed airborne and surface platform types in less than 6 months. EpiSci is committed to accelerate the pace at which we can bring relevant operational capabilities to the warfighter across all domains."

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

About EpiSci

EpiSci is a software company that develops next generation, tactical autonomy solutions for national security problems. EpiSci's autonomy software is technology agnostic, operationally informed, tactically relevant, and has piloted swarms of uncrewed aerial systems and tactical fighter aircraft. Additional applications include crewed-uncrewed teaming for air dominance, cognitive sensors and networks for advanced communications systems, as well as battle management command and control for informed decision-making. EpiSci delivers unmatched speed, cost-efficiency, and scalability as the preferred partner for defense agencies and industry teams seeking mission-critical autonomy solutions. Learn more at EpiSci at EpiSci.com and follow EpiSci on LinkedIn.

About AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit www.afresearchlab.com.

About AFWERX

As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at five hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed 6,028 new contracts worth more than $4 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.afwerx.com.

Media Contact:

Rachel Simmons

[email protected]

SOURCE EpiSci
WILMINGTON, N.C., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Fastest Labs, a leading national drug, alcohol, and DNA testing company, is expanding its presence in North Carolina with a new franchise location in Wilmington, NC. The move marks a significant stride in the company's efforts to provide fast, affordable, and reliable testing services to the region. Fastest Labs of Wilmington is located at 2011 Corporate Drive, Unit #1 in Wilmington and recently opened its doors in February 2024. The new franchise will serve a large area stretching from Jacksonville, NC to Calabash, NC.

Kenneth & Stacy Baker, owner of Goldstream, Inc, a veteran-owned small business holding the Fastest Labs franchise in North Carolina, plan to expand over the next several months. "We are thrilled to welcome Ken and Stacy to the Fastest Labs nationwide family of clinics," said Dave Claflin, founder and CEO of Fastest Labs. Under Claflin's leadership, Fastest Labs has grown into one of the country's fastest-growing drug testing franchise businesses. Kenneth, a Marine Corps Veteran, recognized a need for a better experience and a change in the drug testing environment. "Employees are by far a company's most valuable resource; we should honor them by giving them a Safe, Drug Free work space," he said. Ken added, "When you have leading technology at the forefront of an industry it drives efficiency." Stacy, a Nurse, understands Fastest Labs can provide solutions for a wide range of issues in the workplace, courts, and homes. "Ken and I have committed ourselves to the community by providing a judgment-free service and helping the area be a safe & healthy place to work, visit, live, learn and earn," she said.

The new clinic will operate Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with Mobile on-site and 24/7 emergency after hours services available. Fastest Labs of Wilmington looks forward to serving the Coastal Region of North Carolina, communities and residents with fast, friendly and efficient testing services.

Fastest Labs stands out for its emphasis on safety, cost, and convenience. It offers industry-leading proprietary technology that produces accurate test results within 15 minutes of arrival. Fastest Labs assists in developing and implementing comprehensive drug & alcohol policies and procedures, reporting accurate results in real-time via a secure customer portal. This service greatly benefits HR departments, reducing wait times and delays in hiring processes or return-to-work statuses. Fastest Labs provides drug and alcohol testing options and a wide range of DNA tests for paternity, fidelity, immigration, inheritance, background checks, fingerprinting and wellness screens. Wilmington, North Carolina.

Media Contact Ken Baker, Fastest Labs of Wilmington, 1 9103993661, [email protected], https://www.fastestlabs.com/wilmington/

SOURCE Fastest Labs of Wilmington
This strategic collaboration combines device intelligence and AI-powered risk decisioning to reduce fraud and enhance the customer experience

CHICAGO, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Fingerprint , the world's most accurate device intelligence platform, is partnering with Oscilar , a trailblazer in AI-driven risk and fraud management, to empower fintech companies with advanced fraud prevention and detection capabilities while ensuring a frictionless customer experience.

Cumulative online payment fraud losses are expected to total $343 billion between 2023 and 2027 , and today the average U.S. consumer uses between three to four different fintech apps . With the increased adoption of digital financial apps, fintech companies need solutions to reduce fraud while providing a seamless customer experience. The partnership between Fingerprint and Oscilar delivers a powerful combination of highly accurate device intelligence and a no-code, AI-powered risk decisioning platform to help fintechs achieve this goal.

"By joining forces with Oscilar, we empower customers to strike the perfect balance between user convenience and robust security," said Dan Pinto , co-founder and CEO of Fingerprint. "We are committed to providing businesses with the most reliable, efficient and secure solutions to protect their assets and safeguard their customers' trust."

Fingerprint's device intelligence platform uses its proprietary Smart Signals to provide a unique identifier for every user touchpoint with up to 99.5% accuracy. With this enhanced, actionable intelligence, fintech companies can make faster, more informed decisions about their traffic.

Oscilar's no-code, AI-powered platform enables fintechs, banks, and credit unions to manage fraud, compliance, and credit risks. The Oscilar platform redefines risk management with its no-code, AI Risk Decisioning platform, allowing organizations to quickly adapt, test, and deploy risk decisioning policies, minimizing reliance on engineering resources.

The partnership enables fintech, banks, and credit unions to leverage Fingerprint's device intelligence in various user flows throughout the customer journey within Oscilar's platform, in order to prevent use cases such as new account fraud, account takeover, and payment fraud.

Customers can access:

A no-code/low-code and natural language based risk platform that enables fast, easy deployment of risk models, allowing companies to save engineering resources and integrate third-party data sources, such as Fingerprint, quickly with a single API.

Highly accurate device intelligence, including DeviceID and Smart Signals for every stage of the customer journey.

Automated risk decisioning with real-time insights, helping fintechs, banks, and credit unions reduce fraud and improve customer experience while speeding up fraud and risk operations dramatically.

"We founded Oscilar to revolutionize risk management for fintechs, banks, and credit unions. Partnering with Fingerprint is a natural fit," said Sachin Kulkarni , co-founder and chief technology officer at Oscilar. "By integrating their unparalleled device intelligence into our no-code platform, we're making it easier than ever for our clients to automate risk decisioning, reduce fraud and deliver the seamless experiences their customers deserve."

Learn more about how Fingerprint and Oscilar can help fintech companies reduce fraud and deliver a seamless customer experience by visiting https://fingerprint.com/ and https://oscilar.com/ .

About Fingerprint

Fingerprint, powered by the most accurate device fingerprinting technology, enables companies to prevent fraud and improve user experiences. Fingerprint processes almost 100 signals from the browser, device, and network to generate a stable and persistent unique visitor ID that can be used to understand visitor behavior. With a commitment to best-in-class data security and privacy, Fingerprint is proud to be ISO 27001 certified, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and CCPA compliant. Fingerprint is trusted by over 6,000 companies worldwide, including 16% of the top 500 websites, to help catch sophisticated fraudsters and personalize experiences for trusted users. Learn more at fingerprint.com.

About Oscilar

Oscilar stands at the cutting edge of financial compliance and risk management technology, delivering AI-driven solutions that redefine how fintechs and sponsor banks achieve regulatory compliance, enhance security, and foster growth. With Oscilar, partners gain access to innovative tools and capabilities that streamline compliance processes, ensuring a secure and compliant path to financial innovation. Oscilar, which was co-founded in 2021 by Confluent Co-founder Neha Narkhede, has seen explosive growth and is working with dozens of leading fintechs and financial customers. Learn more at oscilar.com .

Media Contacts

Avery Hand

BLASTmedia for Fingerprint

[email protected]

317.806.1900 ext. 159

SOURCE Fingerprint
"We are very excited to expand our exploration program for 2024 at Duparquet at a time when sizable gold development projects are becoming increasingly important to our sector," stated Dan Wilton, CEO of First Mining. "Relative to last year, we have increased our exploration budget at Duparquet in 2024 as we believe the existing resource base is just the starting point of the potential upside here at Duparquet. Along with our Springpole Gold Project and exploration potential in Ontario, First Mining continues to demonstrate significant exposure to the gold exploration and development market with near-term catalysts on the horizon."

Highlights for the 2024 Exploration Program include:

An increased drilling program of scale targeting a total 12,000 m testing priority areas developed from 2023 inaugural exploration programs including the Buzz Zone, North Zone Extension, and Valentre Target Area.

testing priority areas developed from 2023 inaugural exploration programs including the Buzz Zone, North Zone Extension, and Valentre Target Area. A project-wide airborne geophysical and lidar survey partnered with leading industry group ALS Goldspot Discoveries Ltd.

Completion of an on-site exploration planning session evolving geoscience strategies and targeting, involving a team of in house geoscientists, strategic advisors and industry consultants.

Initiation of an extensive 3-dimensional property wide geological modelling project, advancing both regional development opportunities and areas favoured for exploration discovery potential.

Near term releasing of Phase II-B winter drilling results.

First Mining's 2024 exploration strategy is focused on further advancing resource confidence, extension and discovery level targets on the approximately 6,000 hectare Duparquet Project covering 19 km of favourable strike along the Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone.

2024 Duparquet Exploration Program Outlook

The 2024 program at the Duparquet Project aims to build on the successes and insights gained from the 2023 campaigns, with a continued focus on growth opportunities within the current mineral resource and new discoveries on the property package. Exploration targets (Figure 1) are well defined and are known to encompass diverse mineralization styles throughout the project area. First Mining has placed a focus on the exploration potential surrounding higher-grade settings and opportunities that could deliver up front development synergies with existing well-defined resources.

Drilling commenced in February 2024 completing the Phase II winter drilling through a seven-hole, 2,856m drill program which targeted favourable exploration areas within the North Zone as well as the Rex area, a regional brownfields opportunity from the 2023 field campaign. Assay results are now returning for the Phase II drill program.

First Mining will commence with the Phase III drilling campaign, airborne magnetic and LiDAR surveys as well as a property wide expanded 3D geological and target model in Q2 2024. The Phase III exploration strategy focuses on three key objectives: unlocking significant brownfields opportunities that aim to identify higher-grade zones, targeted resource opportunities that support resource development optimization initiatives and conducting field work campaigns aimed at greenfield target development and evaluation for new discoveries.

The first component of the Phase III  9,000m drilling program will focus on the tier 1 exploration opportunities highlighted by recent exploration programs. The program will start immediately with drill testing the target extension opportunities at the Buzz Zone (see news release dated September 5, 2023) which returned 6.52 g/t Au over 4.6 m and further work indicates that this target has significant potential to add ounces to the Duparquet resource. Drilling will also be conducted at the Valentre target that returned 1.71 g/t Au over 8.9 m, including 5.11 g/t Au over 1 m, and 1.29 g/t Au over 7.6 m, including 3.3 g/t Au over 1.8 m in drill hole DUP23-006 (see news release dated January 9, 2024).

Follow up work at the Valentre target is indicative of an opportunity to extend the mineralization in all directions, including at surface as well as along strike. This work is envisioned to support positive optimization trade offs in the area of Central Duparquet. The drilling completed at the CDHG target which returned 2.73 g/t Au over 6.15 m supports early geoscience modelling of higher-grade shoots that extend down plunge within the area which we aim to further validate through follow-up drilling in 2024. This target area also has an ability to contribute meaningful near-term resource growth potential and elevated confidence to the Central Duparquet area.

Field work campaigns are also being immediately initiated, commencing with a high resolution geophysical airborne magnetic gradient and LiDAR survey in the second quarter. First Mining has partnered with ALS Goldspot Discoveries Ltd (Goldspot) to conduct a property wide airborne program following a recent gap analysis study. The program consists of a high-resolution geophysics program that will be flown with Goldspot's M-PASS platform with data to be integrated with select 2022 high resolution geophysical survey data collected over a portion of the Project area previously (Figure 2). New data acquisition, coupled with industry leading post-survey processing, will further define and resolve resource and exploration detail while assisting in development support for the full scale project area.

In addition, First Mining has also partnered with BBA Engineering to develop a robust, Duparquet property wide 3D litho-structural geological model to further advance current data and refine future exploration drilling integration. Since First Mining acquired the project, a focused 3D model was developed around the main Duparquet resource area and advancing targeting on the basis of a fully integrated geological model has proven valuable and provided First Mining with a strong foundation to interrogate the model and define targets that can be drill tested with high confidence. Following the 2023 Mineral resource updates at Pitt and Duquesne, the Company is now working on expanding the geological model to cover the full extents of the project, totalling a 42 km model (Figure 3).

Having a robust geological model that is developed on a strong foundation of geoscientific data collected over the project's life span, integrated into one unified geological model and integrated with the known mineral resource centres supports regional target development outside of the main, traditional Beattie syenite hosted resource along the prolific Destor-Porcupine Fault ("DPFZ") which is known to have diverse styles of mineralisation.

Mapping and prospecting campaigns will be supported with the strong diversity of integrated geoscience programs ongoing. First Mining will focus on following up exciting regional field targets developments while continuing systematic geological characterization of the gold resources and priority exploration target areas being advanced for drilling. Geoscience teams are now active on the project with envisioned field programming to continue through to the fall period.

"We are looking forward to the outcomes of the exploration year ahead, especially on the back of recent high value drilling and new data acquisition phases including geophysics campaigns. We see tremendous value in moving the Duparquet Project forward with good pace while yielding high quality outcomes," stated James Maxwell, VP Exploration and Project Operations. "Our in-house team at Duparquet is growing just as much as our excitement for the Phase III program and our local personnel and local contractors are looking forward to starting these next phases with safe and effective execution."

About the Duparquet Gold Project

The Duparquet Project is geologically situated in the southern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt and is geographically located approximately 50 km north of the city of Rouyn-Noranda. The Project benefits from easy access and proximity to an existing workforce and infrastructure, including road, rail and hydroelectric grid power. The Duparquet Project totals approximately 5,800 hectares focused along an area of 19 kilometres of strike length along the prolific Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone, along with numerous mineralized splays and influential secondary lineaments. The Duparquet Project includes the past-producing Beattie, Donchester and Duquesne mines as well as the Central Duparquet, Dumico and Pitt Gold deposits. In 2023, First Mining completed a positive PEA for the Project that will guide phased optimization and advancement moving forward.

Analytical Laboratory and QA/QC Procedures

All sampling completed by First Mining within its exploration programs is subject to a Company standard of internal quality control and quality assurance (QA/QC) programs which include the insertion of certified reference materials, blank materials and a level of duplicate analysis. Core samples from the 2023 drilling program at Duparquet were sent to AGAT Laboratories, with sample preparation in Val d'Or and analysis in Thunder Bay, where they were processed for gold analysis by 50 gram fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. Samples from selected holes were sent to AGAT Laboratories in Calgary, Alberta, for multi-element analysis (including silver) by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method with a four acid digest. AGAT Laboratories systems conform to requirements of ISO/IEC Standard 17025 guidelines and meets assay requirements outlined for NI 43-101.

Qualified Person

Louis Martin, P.Geo., Senior Geologic Consultant of First Mining, is a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release.

About First Mining Gold Corp.

First Mining is a gold developer advancing two of the largest gold projects in Canada, the Springpole Gold Project in northwestern Ontario, where we have commenced a Feasibility Study and permitting activities are on-going with a draft Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") for the project published in June 2022, and the Duparquet Project in Quebec, a PEA-stage development project located on the Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone in the prolific Abitibi region. First Mining also owns the Cameron Gold Project in Ontario and a portfolio of gold project interests including the Pickle Crow Gold Project (being advanced in partnership with Firefly Metals Ltd.), the Hope Brook Gold Project (being advanced in partnership with Big Ridge Gold Corp.), and a large equity interest in Treasury Metals Inc.

First Mining was established in 2015 by Mr. Keith Neumeyer, founding President and CEO of First Majestic Silver Corp.

ON BEHALF OF FIRST MINING GOLD CORP.

Daniel W. Wilton

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "intends", "estimates", "envisages", "potential", "possible", "strategy", "goals", "opportunities", "objectives", or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to future events or future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events. All forward-looking statements are based on First Mining's or its consultants' current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Such factors include, without limitation the Company's business, operations and financial condition potentially being materially adversely affected by the outbreak of epidemics, pandemics or other health crises, such as COVID-19, and by reactions by government and private actors to such outbreaks; risks to employee health and safety as a result of the outbreak of epidemics, pandemics or other health crises, such as COVID-19, that may result in a slowdown or temporary suspension of operations at some or all of the Company's mineral properties as well as its head office; fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in the currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar); changes in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding); the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities, indigenous populations and other stakeholders; availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; title to properties.; and the additional risks described in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com , and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F filed with the SEC on EDGAR.

First Mining cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to First Mining, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. First Mining does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Company or on our behalf, except as required by law.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

The Company is a "foreign private issuer" as defined in Rule 3b-4 under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is eligible to rely upon the Canada-U.S. Multi-Jurisdictional Disclosure System, and is therefore permitted to prepare the technical information contained herein in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of the securities laws currently in effect in the United States. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

Technical disclosure contained in this news release has not been prepared in accordance with the requirements of United States securities laws and uses terms that comply with reporting standards in Canada with certain estimates prepared in accordance with NI 43-101.

NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning the issuer's material mineral projects.

SOURCE First Mining Gold Corp.

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New book from Staffbase's Chief Strategy Officer demystifies how business leaders can harness the power of narratives to align and engage an organization

NEW YORK, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Staffbase , a leading employee communications cloud provider, celebrates the launch of The Narrative Age , a new book from the company's cofounder and Chief Strategy Officer Frank Wolf . Written for business leaders and professional communicators alike, the book provides compelling insights into how to think about the role of communications in shaping organizational vision and direction, offering a roadmap to navigate the complexities of modern communication and stakeholder engagement with confidence and clarity.

This book was written to demystify the power of narratives and make best practices easily accessible and understandable. Post this Written for business leaders and professional communicators alike, 'The Narrative Age' by Staffbases Cofounder and Chief Strategy Officer Frank Wolf, demystifies how to harness the power of narratives to align and engage an organization. This new book provides insights into how to think about the role of communications in shaping organizational vision and direction, and offers a roadmap to navigate the complexities of modern communication and stakeholder engagement with confidence and clarity.

Inspired by his passion for aspirational communications in life as well as business, Frank spent more than a year analyzing a wide range of cutting-edge research and diving deep into real-world examples of successfuland not so successfulcommunications to learn and share with others the best practical ways to bring inspiring, transformative narratives to life.

"Staffbase has worked with a great number of corporate communication teams and leaders who possess a unique skill: they can bring people together toward common objectives. Despite individual differences that seem to block us in so many aspects of everyday life, these communicators manage to inspire people toward collective goals, focusing on what connects people rather than what pulls them apart," says Staffbase CEO and cofounder Martin Bohringer. "This book was written to demystify the power of narratives, and to make best practices easily accessible and understandable. Through a mix of research insights alongside countless practical examples, it will show readers how to apply narrative management in their everyday work."

"As the cofounder of a fast-growing global company, it has been a privilege to be able to follow my passion to deeply research and write about a topic as complex and fascinating as narratives," says Wolf. "In writing this book, I aimed to uncover how narratives and the narrative map of an audience can drive change and transformation in every business. My hope is that every reader will leave with narrative strategies and specific internal and external communication scenarios that will make an impact within their organization."

In addition to narrative best practices, the book covers the psychology of storytelling, developing a mission statement, and evolving authentic communications. It's a must-read for business leaders looking to inspire cohesion and collaboration in their workforce.

The book is now available in e-book, hardcover, and paperback formats on Amazon . To learn more about The Narrative Age, tune in to Wolf's live session during VOICES by Staffbase , a virtual event on May 16, 2024, where he will break down the art and science of developing a winning narrative.

About Staffbase

Staffbase is the fastest growing employee communications cloud, equipping many of the world's leading companies with solutions to inspire every employee with motivating communication. With almost 3,000 customers, Staffbase helps organizations such as Adidas, Alaska Airlines, Audi, Blue Apron, DHL, and Whataburger to inspire their people to achieve great things together.

Staffbase connects companies with their employees through a branded employee app, intranet, email, SMS, digital signage, and Microsoft 365 integrations, all of which can be managed through a single platform. Staffbase was named a leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Intranet Packaged Solutions. Staffbase also received the 2024 Choice Award for Intranet and Employee Experience Platforms from ClearBox.

Headquartered in Chemnitz, Germany, Staffbase has offices worldwide, including New York City, London, Berlin, Sydney, and Vancouver.

Please visit staffbase.com for more information.

SOURCE Staffbase Inc.
Company Executives and Local Leaders on Hand to Cut the Ribbon on New 450,000 Square Foot Solar Roof Production Facility

GEORGETOWN, Texas, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Community and company leaders celebrated the opening of GAF Energy's new 450,000-square-foot Timberline Solar manufacturing facility in Georgetown, Texas, at a ribbon-cutting event today. GAF Energy, a Standard Industries company and a leading provider of solar roofing in North America, built the facility to meet the growing demand for the company's solar roof, Timberline Solar. Today's event brought together community leaders, including Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder and State Representative Caroline Harris Davila, alongside GAF Energy and Standard Industries leadership to officially "cut the ribbon" on the facility.

Community and company leaders celebrated the opening of GAF Energy's Timberline Solar manufacturing facility in Texas. Post this David Winter, co-CEO of Standard Industries, Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder, Ralph Robinettt, SVP of Manufacturing and Supply Chain, GAF Energy, Martin DeBono, President of GAF Energy, and David Millstone, co-CEO of Standard Industries, cut the ribbon on GAF Energy's new 450,000-square-foot Timberline Solar manufacturing facility in Georgetown, Texas. GAF Energy, a Standard Industries company and the leading provider of solar roofing, has completed its 450,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Georgetown, Texas.

"Today is a great day for the future of solar and the future of Georgetown," said Martin DeBono, President of GAF Energy. "We're thrilled to be celebrating the opening of our manufacturing complex here in Georgetown, Texas. We've been overjoyed with our decision to build in Georgetown, the community has welcomed us with open arms and made it feel like home."

"We are excited to celebrate GAF Energy opening here in Georgetown," Mayor Schroeder said. "What is equally as exciting is the impact this project will have on our community through the creation of high-paying jobs for Georgetown residents and the creation of new career opportunities in advanced manufacturing and clean energy for students in Georgetown ISD. Thank you to GAF Energy for choosing Georgetown, and we look forward to growing together with you in the years to come."

The facility builds on GAF Energy's track record of delivering a best-in-class solar roof product that is assembled in America. The new manufacturing facility, the company's second, will increase its capacity by 500% and bring total production of its solar shingle to 300 megawatts annually, making GAF Energy the largest producer of solar roofing in the world.

Homeowners interested in solar roofing options and roofers interested in installing GAF Energy products can find out more at: www.gaf.energy.

About GAF Energy

GAF Energy is transforming the solar and roofing industries to generate energy from every roof. A Standard Industries company, GAF Energy works with North America's largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, GAF, to offer homeowners elegant, roof-integrated solar options through a national network of roofer partners. The company's leading product, the Timberline Solar roof system, incorporates the world's first nailable solar shingle to create an attractive, durable, and reliable solar roof. GAF Energy's products have received numerous awards and honors, including the Fast Company World Changing Ideas Award, the CES Best of Innovation Award, and an NAHB Best of IBS Award. GAF Energy develops and assembles its products at its R&D and manufacturing facility in San Jose, California.

About Standard Industries

Standard Industries is a privately-held global industrial company operating in over 80 countries with over 20,000 employees. The Standard ecosystem spans a broad array of holdings, technologies and investmentsincluding both public and private companies from early to late-stageas well as world-class building solutions, performance materials, logistics, real estate and next-generation solar technology. Throughout its history, Standard has leveraged its deep industry expertise and vision to create outsize value across its businesses, which today include operating companies GAF, BMI, Grace, GAF Energy, Siplast, Schiedel, SGI, and Standard Logistics, as well as Standard Investments and Winter Properties. Learn more at www.standardindustries.com.

SOURCE GAF Energy
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Gee Heavy Machinery LLC, Northern California's Komatsu construction, mining and forestry dealer, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Keeler as its General Manager. With a track record spanning more than 25 years in the heavy equipment industry, Keeler brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role.

Gee Heavy Machinery General Manager, Mark Keeler

In his new position, Keeler will assume responsibility for overseeing all facets of Gee Heavy Machinery's operations in Northern California. With a keen focus on driving growth and enhancing operational efficiency, Keeler will work closely with the executive team to further strengthen the company's standing as a market leader.

"We are delighted to welcome Mark Keeler to Gee Heavy Machinery as our General Manager," said Joel Larson, COO of Gee Heavy Machinery. "Mark's extensive experience makes him the ideal candidate to lead our team into the next phase of growth and success. We are confident that his strategic vision and dedication to excellence will propel Gee Heavy Machinery to new heights."

Prior to joining Gee Heavy Machinery, Keeler held various senior leadership positions, most recently serving as Vice President of the Caterpillar dealership in the Pacific Northwest covering Washington, Alaska, Montana and Western North Dakota. His deep understanding of the industry landscape and customer needs will prove invaluable as Gee Heavy Machinery continues to expand its product offerings and market footprint.

"I am honored to join the Gee Heavy Machinery team and excited about the opportunity to lead this dynamic organization," said Mark Keeler. "I look forward to working with our talented team to drive success in the years ahead."

About Komatsu

Komatsu develops and supplies technologies, equipment and services for the construction, mining, forklift, industrial and forestry markets. For more than a century, the company has been creating value for its customers through manufacturing and technology innovation, partnering with others to empower a sustainable future where people, businesses and the planet thrive together. Front-line industries worldwide use Komatsu solutions to develop modern infrastructure, extract fundamental minerals, manage forests and create consumer products. The company's global service and distributor networks support customer operations to help enhance safety and promote productivity while working to optimize performance. To learn more, visit www.komatsu.com.

About Gee Heavy Machinery:

Building on more than 40 years of success in the automotive industry, Gee Heavy Machinery is proud to partner with Komatsu providing customers with premier heavy equipment solutions in construction, mining and forestry in Northern California. At Gee Heavy Machinery, our mission is clear: "Winning Together With Our Customers, Because When They Win, We Win." To learn more about our products, services and career opportunities, please visit www.geehm.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Barb Canibano

Gee Heavy Machinery

725-253-2044

[email protected]

SOURCE Gee Heavy Machinery
Join 2 Chainz to explore the unexpected blend of cognac and orange liqueur through a Grand Margarita cocktail encounter in new digital content series

NEW YORK, April 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Grand Marnier - an exceptional blend of cognac and orange liqueur - is teaming up with 2 Chainz, multi-Grammy award-winning hip hop artist and entrepreneur, ahead of Cinco de Mayo to introduce The Rouge Room, a digital content series celebrating the power of unexpected collaborations.

At its core, Grand Marnier celebrates Grand Encounters, born out of our proprietary blend of cognac and orange liqueur. The Rouge Room acts as a consistent visual space where the brand can bring to life contemporary Grand Encounters year over year.

Grand Marnier Teams up with Grammy Award-Winning Artist 2 Chainz to Launch The Rouge Room Ahead of Cinco de Mayo Grand Marnier Teams up with Grammy Award-Winning Artist 2 Chainz to Launch The Rouge Room Ahead of Cinco de Mayo

More than simply a vibrant, French-inspired creative treatment, the space serves as our starting point for storytelling and content a Grand Marnier home where something grand is always on the horizon. By inviting different collaborators to the same space, Grand Marnier charges The Rogue Room with cultural relevance and an expectation of Grand Encounters that are soon to become as iconic as the brand itself. Keep an eye on this space for more.

In the inaugural iteration of The Rouge Room, Grand Marnier and 2 Chainz joined forces blending two distinct worlds, united by a mutual dedication to creativity and passion. Renowned as one of the most prolific collaborators in the music industry, 2 Chainz embodies the very essence of a Grand Encounter. His exceptional talent seamlessly enhances the work of his partners, resulting in a harmonious fusion of creativity and artistry.

I've always been a margarita fan, but I found the secret ingredient that makes the classic even better: Grand Marnier," said 2 Chainz. "I tried a Grand Marnier Quintessence margarita a few years back on my show 'Most Expensivest' and let me tell you that blend of cognac and orange is pure magic. It's a whole vibe upgrade for your margarita and drink style."

Step into The Rouge Room, where 2 Chainz takes center stage, showcasing how the blend of Grand Marnier's key ingredients can elevate the classic margarita to new heights for Cinco de Mayo and beyond. Filmed completely immersed in rich hues of Grand Marnier red, featuring a distinct texture and pattern reminiscent of a photographic cyc, with hints of liquid-like patterning and marbling infused throughout brings the essence of the Grand Encounter to life through a vibrant setting mirroring the interior of a Grand Marnier bottle.

"Teaming up with 2 Chainz for the launch of The Rouge Room content series allows us to forge deeper connections with consumers seeking new ways to savor and sip Grand Marnier," said Andrea Sengara, Vice President of Marketing for Campari America. "This series not only highlights the blend of fine cognac and orange liqueur, but also invites consumers to reimagine their cocktail experience, from elevating the classic margarita to sparking inspiration and discovering their own unique ways of enjoying Grand Marnier."

The creative was captured by director Ray Neutron , an Atlanta native, known for his inquisitive storytelling in both video and photography to create a timeless and cinematic final product. The work was complemented by visuals from Breyona Holt , another Atlanta-born photographer renowned for her unique approach who has earned recognition in the music industry producing cover art for various artists including SZA and Normani. While 2 Chainz's bold looka custom rouge suitwas curated by stylist Erik Ziemba , a true master of his craft whose extraordinary talent, unwavering passion, and commitment to making a difference have made him one of the industries brightest, collaborating with music icons including Beyonce and Lil Kim to name a few. Together this blending of creatives from diverse backgrounds built a Grand Encounter in itself, to produce content that truly speaks to how Grand Marnier enhances the cocktail experience.

The content series features a variety of video and photo stills illustrating the Grand Encounter between cognac and orange liqueur, rolling out across digital and social channels starting on April 29th through September. The unexpected encounter that defines Grand Marnier will also come to life across the US for consumers 21+ as part of the brand's 'Encounters on Road' event series and dedicated presence at the 2024 Roots Picnic, one of the summer's most highly anticipated festivals, on June 1st and 2nd in Philadelphia.

To check out The Rouge Room content series with 2 Chainz and see how Grand Marnier can elevate your margarita this Cinco de Mayo and beyond, head to @grandmarnierusa .

Whether enjoying Grand Marnier with friends and family at home or otherwise, please do so responsibly.

Find us at

https://www.grandmarnier.com/en-us/

On Social

@grandmarnierusa

Give Our Recipe a Try

Grand Margarita

RECIPE:

0.75 parts Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge

1.5 parts Espolon Tequila Reposado

0.75 parts Fresh Lime Juice

0.25 parts Agave Nectar

Garnish: Lime Wheel

Salt Rim Optional

Combine ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice, and shake. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice, garnish and enjoy!

About Grand Marnier

Grand Marnier is the only premium liqueur in the world that combines cognac with exotic bitter orange liqueur. Grand Marnier was created in 1880 by Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle who had the innovative idea of blending cognac with a rare variety of orange "Citrus bigaradia."

By combining the complexity of cognac with the exoticism of distilled essence of orange he created the famous Grand Liqueur.

Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge continues to be produced as it was in 1876, with the addition of special cuvees to the range over the years, including Grand Marnier Louis Alexandre, Grand Marnier Cuvee Centenaire, Grand Marnier Cuvee Revelation and the Grand Marnier Cuvee Quintessence.

About Campari Group

Campari Group is a major player in the global spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, spreading across Global, Regional and Local priorities. Global Priorities, the Group's key focus, include Aperol, Appleton Estate, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey and Grand Marnier. The Group was founded in 1860 and today is the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry. It has a global distribution reach, trading in over 190 nations around the world with leading positions in Europe and the Americas. The Group's growth strategy aims to combine organic growth through strong brand building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses. Headquartered in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy, Campari Group owns 23 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 26 countries. The Group employs approximately 4,700 people. The shares of the parent company, Davide Campari-Milano N.V. (Reuters CPRI.MI - Bloomberg CPR IM), have been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001.

About Campari America

Campari America LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Davide Campari-Milano N.V. Campari America has built a portfolio unrivaled in its quality, innovation and style, making it a top choice among distributors, retailers and consumers. Campari America manages Campari Group's portfolio in the US with such leading brands as SKYY Vodka, SKYY Infusions, Grand Marnier, Campari, Aperol, Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon, American Honey, Russell's Reserve, The Glen Grant Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Forty Creek Canadian Whisky, BULLDOG Gin, Cabo Wabo Tequila, Espolon Tequila, Montelobos Mezcal, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, Appleton Estate Rum, Wray & Nephew Rum, Coruba Rum, Ouzo 12, X-Rated Fusion Liqueur, Frangelico, Cynar, Averna, Braulio, Cinzano, Mondoro and Jean-Marc XO Vodka.

For more information:

https://www.camparigroup.com/en

Please enjoy our brands responsibly.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Grand Marnier
As the winning result of a social media flavor contest and election, which received 17,000+ submissions and 25,000+ votes, SYNERGY Pomelo Pink Lemonade Raw Kombucha, is hitting retailers nationwide now

LOS ANGELES, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, GT's Living Foods (GT's), the maker of the first-ever bottled kombucha to be sold in the United States, is announcing its first-ever fan-created product, SYNERGY Pomelo Pink Lemonade Raw Kombucha. The new item was submitted and voted by the brand's social media followers via an interactive flavor contest. The social media campaign garnered more than 17,000 flavor submissions which resulted in three top innovation options for followers to vote for: Tropical Colada, Cherry Hibiscus and the contest winner, Pomelo Pink Lemonade, which earned the most votes from the total 25,000+ votes casted.

SYNERGY Pomelo Pink Lemonade Raw Kombucha is available at retailers nationwide now.

In addition to the innovation being the brand's first-ever fan-created flavor to be sold, it's the only SYNERGY Raw Kombucha offering containing sweet pomelo, tart yuzu, and delicate jasmine, all of which are combined to give a modern twist to the classic pink lemonade taste. True to its brand promise, SYNERGY Pomelo Pink Lemonade Raw Kombucha includes nine billion living probiotics, which are delivered deep into the microbiome to help boost gut health and immunity, organic acids and active enzymes to help increase metabolism and nutrient absorption, and is 100% unfiltered, living, real kombucha.

"SYNERGY Pomelo Pink Lemonade Raw Kombucha is a love letter to our community. We have the most loyal fans, many of which have been supporting us since 1995. We wanted to bring them along the brewing journey with us to create something special together," said Sam Ayers, Director of Social Media Marketing at GT's. "The enthusiasm we received from our followers over the course of the campaign was incredible and we're thrilled to bring their dream kombucha flavor to life."

SYNERGY Pomelo Pink Lemonade Raw Kombucha can be found at all retailers nationwide including Target, Walmart, Sprouts, H.E.B., and Publix stores.

To learn more about GT's Living Foods and SYNERGY Raw Kombucha visit www.gtslivingfoods.com. To join SYNERGY's next social media campaign, follow @synergykombucha on Instagram.

About GT's Living Foods:

Since 1995, GT's Living Foods has pioneered living, fermented foods in the Western World and was the first bottled kombucha brand to be sold in the United States. The independent, family owned and operated company believes in the healing power of food and for the past thirty years has created living foods that are authentically and expertly fueled by plants, raw fermentation, naturally occurring probiotics, and ancient wisdom.

Its nationally available diverse portfolio of living foods include SYNERGY Raw Kombucha, ALIVE Ancient Mushroom Elixir, COCOYO Living Coconut Yogurt, AGUA De KEFIR Cultured Tonic of Mexico and AURA Collagen Tea.

Today and beyond, GT's Living Foods is committed to living nutrition education. Its GT's Living Foods Science Advisory Board works with medical doctors to learn more about how living, fermented foods enhance overall health to help people make better-informed eating choices.

To learn more about GT's Living Foods visit www.gtslivingfoods.com.

SOURCE GT's Living Foods
MINNEAPOLIS, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Gwoop, a leading innovator in educational technology through its cognitive gaming platform, is proud to announce the launch of a pioneering "mental health check-in" feature for schools across the nation. This initiative marks a significant expansion of Gwoop's mission to transform educational engagement now used by nearly 10,000 schools nationwide.

Gwoop Mental Health Check-In

The introduction of the mental health check-in feature underscores Gwoop's dedication to meeting the evolving needs of the educational community. By acknowledging the growing call for impactful mental wellness resources in schools, Gwoop, in partnership with valuable insights from early adopters, has developed this pioneering tool. The Mental Health Check-In will be a part of Gwoop's core platform, renowned as the simplest gateway for schools to embark on gaming and connecting with students, thereby fostering a supportive and interactive learning atmosphere.

Gavin Lee, CEO of Gwoop, expressed excitement about the new feature, stating, "The rapid adoption of our platform in schools across the country has highlighted the critical need for accessible mental health resources in the educational sector. We're also able to offer this groundbreaking mental health check-in feature at no cost to schools, reinforcing our dedication to enhancing the educational experience through technology."

With generous sponsorship from a prominent national non-profit dedicated to promoting the outdoors and mental health, this new feature will be freely accessible to K-12 schools, and schools are taking advantage. Minneapolis Public Schools was selected as one of the alpha sites for this promising initiative, with Gwoop anticipating broad implementation as schools and districts across the country join the queue. Jacquie Lamm, STEM and Esports TOSA at Minneapolis Public Schools, highlighted the significance of this development, saying, "Integrating Gwoop's mental health check-in into our suite of educational tools is a transformative move. This feature will enable educators to forge stronger connections with students, proactively addressing mental health within the nurturing environment of our schools." Kammas Kersch, STEM Project Manager at the Pennsylvania Department of Education, uses Gwoop as the Director of the Pennsylvania Scholastic Esports League. "We are thrilled to see Gwoop launch their mental health check-in. The health and safety, both physical and mental, of our students is our top priority as educators. Thanks to Gwoop for leading the way in integrating mental health resources into their platform."

As Gwoop continues to grow and evolve, the company maintains its unwavering commitment to the privacy and safety of its users. Lee, reflecting on the responsibility that comes with innovation in the educational space, affirmed, "Our expansion and the introduction of new features, like the mental health check-in, are always guided by our core values, including the paramount importance of protecting student privacy and data security."

For more information, please contact:

[email protected]

About Gwoop Inc.

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, Gwoop Inc. has quickly established itself as a frontrunner in merging gaming with education. By developing video games that improve essential cognitive skills, Gwoop bridges the gap between engaging digital play and educational enrichment. Acclaimed by gamers, educators, and parents, Gwoop has become an indispensable educational resource, fostering learning through interactive and immersive gameplay.

SOURCE Gwoop
LONDON and NEW YORK, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- HKA, the leading global consultancy in risk mitigation, dispute resolution, expert witness, and litigation support services, announces today that it has appointed Lydia Brown as its new Partner and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), based in the firm's New York City office.

Lydia will replace Atul Patel, who will be retiring from HKA later this year after seven years with the firm. She will become a member of the board and join the Partner group. Atul, who has been a cornerstone of HKA since its carveout from Hill International in 2017, will remain with the business in the coming months to ensure a successful handover.

Lydia Brown was appointed HKA's new Partner and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), based in the firm's New York City office. Post this

Lydia has over 30 years of experience in the professional services industry, particularly in the engineering, software, and technology sectors. She brings extensive leadership experience and a proven capability to drive global financial operations in both private equity-backed and public companies.

Prior to joining HKA, Lydia was CFO of digital engineering company Ness Digital Engineering, which boasted 4,000 employees in the United States, India, and Eastern Europe. A Certified Public Accountant (New York), Lydia began her career at Price Waterhouse (PwC) and has held senior finance positions at Capgemini, Aricent, and Hearst Television.

HKA's CEO, Renny Borhan, welcomed Lydia and paid tribute to the significant contribution of her predecessor: "I am delighted to welcome a finance leader of Lydia's caliber who will help us continue to deliver on our growth strategy and financial targets. She is a strong addition to the board with a proven track record of partnering with colleagues to drive growth and measurable results. Lydia has led multiple private equity investment transactions and has significant experience with M&A diligence and post-merger integrations."

Renny thanked Atul Patel for his "outstanding leadership and support" since the creation of HKA in 2017. "Atul has achieved remarkable milestones at HKA and has helped drive our strategic success, improving our commercial operations and achieving our financial targets. He played a pivotal role in navigating two private equity cycles, and his leadership has guided us through numerous acquisitions and their integration. He leaves behind a legacy of financial acumen and strategic leadership."

"I am delighted to join HKA, a brand that has grown significantly over the last seven years. I look forward to working with colleagues around the world as we continue to build a highly successful and profitable consulting business, serving our clients' needs worldwide." Lydia Brown, Partner, Chief Financial Officer

About HKA

HKA is a leading global consultancy in project advisory, risk mitigation, dispute resolution, expert witness, and litigation support services.

HKA brings a proud record of excellent service and high achievement to bear on today's challenges. As trusted independent consultants, experts, and advisers, we help clients manage disputes, risk, and uncertainty on complex contracts and challenging projects. Our advice is impartial, incisive, and authoritative.

HKA has over 1,000 experts, consultants, and advisors across 45+ offices in 17 countries with the skills and experience essential to get to the heart of even the most complex issues. Our people have vast firsthand experience spanning all major industries, the world's most complex megaprojects, and an international track record of achieving successful outcomes.

For more information about HKA, visit hka.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, X (@HKAGlobal) and Facebook.

Media contact



Josephine Guckian, Partner

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

[email protected]

SOURCE HKA Global
Interplay Enterprise, an all-in-one career development platform, marks the next chapter in immersive training and talent development.

AUSTIN, Texas, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Interplay Learning, the leading provider of immersive skilled trades training, announced today the launch of Interplay Enterprise. Shaped by customer insights, this immersive career development platform introduces exciting new features designed to help enterprises elevate the skills of their entire workforce, streamline operations, and improve retention.

Interplay Enterprise simplifies career development by providing an all-in-one platform for company-wide learning. It includes nearly 500 hours of on-demand skilled trades courses, industry certification prep courses, learning paths, and 3D/VR simulations crafted by industry experts. A new content manager tool makes it easy for trainers and administrators to include additional courses about topics like leadership, management, compliance, ethics, and more by uploading SCORM-compliant course packages, videos, and documents. They can also use the content manager to build content, quizzes, and custom learning paths tailored to the diverse training needs of their workforce, while also managing and tracking in-person classroom trainingall in one place.

Comprehensive management tools give enterprises the ability to scale and facilitate training across multiple locations and job roles. Administrators can streamline onboarding and user management with 60+ pre-built HR systems integrations and automated assignments for courses, paths, and due dates. Interplay also provides a suite of measurement, reporting, and AI-based recommendation tools, including skills assessments and insights dashboards. These empower leaders to add value with actionable insights to optimize training performance and help learners build the safety and accuracy skills they need to get to the next level.

"The latest evolution of our industry-leading solution allows organizations to simplify career development, scale their training, and succeed in building a strong, skilled workforce," said Doug Donovan, CEO and founder of Interplay Learning. "With Interplay Enterprise, companies can provide safe, effective online training for all employees in one centralized learning space. They are not only able to apply Interplay's proven trades training content, but they can also manage, track, upload, and create their own training  all within our career development platform. Our Enterprise customers can also count on our partnership through every step of their employees' journey within our platform."

"Interplay's all-in-one platform allows us to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and provide scaffolded support to meet techs where they are to help them succeed," said Andrew Hasty, director of learning and development, Peterman Brothers Heating, Cooling & Plumbing. "We're strategically aligning Interplay's platform to our paths of progression and career development initiatives. Our goal is to identify learning gaps and provide targeted interventions that support each technician's unique journey."

Interplay's career development platform also offers:

Immersive learning experiences: Learners experience VR and simulation-based training in a safe, immersive environment, enhancing knowledge retention, engagement, and skill-building.

Learners experience VR and simulation-based training in a safe, immersive environment, enhancing knowledge retention, engagement, and skill-building. Ready-made, enterprise-grade solutions: A scalable cloud-based platform provides secure access anytime, anywhere, with user-friendly functionality.

A scalable cloud-based platform provides secure access anytime, anywhere, with user-friendly functionality. Reporting API: Powerful data from Interplay's career development platform can be integrated into other software systems for additional analysis and reporting.

Powerful data from Interplay's career development platform can be integrated into other software systems for additional analysis and reporting. Customizable platform: Deliver the platform with your own brand logos and colors, and customize learning paths to include your company's values, employer strategy, and ways of working.

Deliver the platform with your own brand logos and colors, and customize learning paths to include your company's values, employer strategy, and ways of working. Convenience and compatibility: Interplay Enterprise delivers flexibility and mobile compatibility to maximize accessibility for on-the-go workers.

Interplay Enterprise delivers flexibility and mobile compatibility to maximize accessibility for on-the-go workers. World-class enterprise service and support: Interplay Learning is a strategic partner for career development consulting, implementation, insights, and U.S.-based support.

The Interplay Enterprise career development platform is now generally availablesome of the mentioned new features and capabilities will be released in the Summer and Fall of 2024. For more information about Interplay Enterprise, visit www.interplaylearning.com/enterprise .

About Interplay Learning

Austin-based Interplay Learning is the industry leader in immersive career development for the skilled trades. Interplay's acclaimed SkillMill training platform enables rapid upskilling and empowers new technicians to be job-ready within weeks, not years. Featuring hands-on 3D simulations, expert-led videos, knowledge checks, and personalized learning paths, SkillMill is more scalable and engaging than traditional training. Leveraging advanced technologies like AI and VR, Interplay is reshaping the future of online skilled trades training, delivering highly effective learning experiences that result in better careers and better lives.

Recent accolades include Fast Company's Annual List of the World's Most Innovative Companies of 2024, AHR's 2024 Innovation Award, Forbes' 2023 America's Best Startup Employers, 2022 Inc. 5000 list, 2022 Inc. Best in Business list, and three honorable mentions in Fast Company's 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards. Visit www.interplaylearning.com to learn more.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Heather Ripley

Ripley PR

(865) 977-1973

[email protected]

SOURCE Interplay Learning
New book is created and curated entirely by LGBTQ+ youth from across the United States.

LOS ANGELES, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- It Gets Better, the world's largest effort to empower LGBTQ+ youth, today announced the release of its first book in nearly 13 years. Queerbook is a collection of short stories, artwork, poetry, photography, essays, and more  created and curated entirely by LGBTQ+ youth. The organization previously released the 2011 New York Times bestseller It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living. A limited run of Queerbook is now available exclusively through It Gets Better's website, ItGetsBetter.org/shop/ .

The power of a story, no matter the format, has the potential to inspire millions. Post this Queerbook is a collection of short stories, artwork, poetry, photography, essays, and more  created and curated entirely by LGBTQ+ youth.

Whereas It Gets Better's previous book release primarily featured adults sharing messages of support with LGBTQ+ teens, Queerbook is entirely "for queer youth, by queer youth" and was even curated and edited by the organization's Youth Voices  10 LGBTQ+ student ambassadors from across the country.

Preparation for Queerbook began in Fall 2023. It Gets Better worked in collaboration with Tumblr and asked LGBTQ+ young people throughout the country to answer the question  "What is your Queer Utopia?" More than 250 young people answered the prompt and 86 entries were selected for publication. Each contributor was compensated for their entry and will receive a copy of the finished book.

Queerbook's release comes at a time when the rights of LGBTQ+ youth in the United States are under attack. In 2023 alone, at least 510 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were presented in legislatures across the nation, three times as many as in the previous record-setting year, 2022. A new report from PEN America reveals more than 4,000 instances of book bans, the overwhelming majority of which target LGBTQ+ literature, recorded in the first half of the 2023-2024 school year alone.

"I don't know of a better way to begin building a brighter future than by giving younger generations an outlet to express what that future should look like," said Brian Wenke, Executive Director of It Gets Better. "Queerbook is another extension of It Gets Better's unwavering effort to create a world where all LGBTQ+ youth are free to live equally, connect with their community, and know their power as individuals. And, the power of a story, no matter the format, has the potential to inspire millions. I am so proud of every single contributor who brought this project to life. They give me hope for a better tomorrow!"

"Queerbook is meant for every young person who feels as I did," It Gets Better Youth Voice Ellie Z., who helped edit Queerbook, writes in the book. "[It's] for any person who is questioning their identity or sexuality, for anyone who is nervous about their future as an LGBTQ+ person, and for those who are already confident in their identity and would like to celebrate it. It is meant to inspire and remind us of the happy experiences that await us and the loving community that is more than ready for us. After all, there are so many amazing things that come with being queer."

Storytelling is at the heart of It Gets Better's efforts to empower LGBTQ+ youth. Earlier this year, the organization relaunched its website ItGetsBetter.org as a hub for LGBTQ+ and questioning youth, encouraging them to explore and define their own journey at their own pace in the comfort of community. The organization recently closed applications for a third year of its 50 States, 50 Grants, 5000 Voices program, which has distributed more than $1.1 million in grants to middle and high schools in the U.S. and Canada for student-led projects designed to uplift and empower LGBTQ+ students. More than 100 grant recipient middle and high schools will also be receiving complimentary copies of Queerbook.

For more information or to preview Queerbook, visit ItGetsBetter.org or contact [email protected] .

About It Gets Better

It Gets Better is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that strives to uplift, empower and connect LGBTQ+ youth around the globe. Launched in 2010 as the result of one of the most successful viral video campaigns in YouTube's history, It Gets Better provides critical, life-affirming support to LGBTQ+ youth worldwide by leveraging the power of media to reach millions of people every year. The organization has expanded its storytelling efforts to include educational programming via It Gets Better EDU and has a global footprint spanning four continents and eight major languages via It Gets Better Global. It Gets Better is the number one non-profit for LGBTQ+ youth on TikTok, Tumblr, Twitch and YouTube.

The non-profit has garnered support from President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with numerous celebrities, including Kelly Clarkson, Gabrielle Union, Chris and Scott Evans, Jojo Siwa, Zachary Quinto, Mj Rodriguez, Hayley Kiyoko, and Gigi Gorgeous. More than 750,000 people have taken the It Gets Better pledge to share messages of hope and speak up against intolerance. Please visit www.ItGetsBetter.org for more information, and join the conversation on all social platforms @itgetsbetter.

Media Contact

Ross von Metzke

Senior Director, Communications & PR

It Gets Better

[email protected]

SOURCE It Gets Better
BEIJING and SHANGHAI and BOSTON, April 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobio Pharma (1167.HK) announced that the data from the Phase II registrational study of the KRAS G12C inhibitor glecirasib were offically reported at the April ASCO Plenary Series, which was held online.

Prof. Yuankai Shi, chief physician of Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the lead principal investigator of this clinical trial, presented the data in the form of an online oral presentation (Abstract 468214).

The efficacy data showed that among second-line non-small cell lung cancer patients receiving monotherapy treatment, the confirmed objective response rate (cORR) was 47.9% (56/117), including 4 patients achieved a complete response (CR) and 36 patients with tumor reduction exceeding 50%. Disease control rate (DCR) was 86.3%.

The median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 8.2 months, and median overall survival (mOS) was 13.6 months. The median duration of response (mDoR) has not been reached:6-month and 12-month DOR rates were 73.6% and 56.6%, respectively.

Safety data showed that glecirasib has a manageable safety profile. No grade 5 treatment related adverse event (TRAE) was observed, and only 5.0% of patients discontinued the treatment due to TRAEs. Gleciasib has a favorable gastrointestinal (GI) profile compared to other KRAS G12C inhibitors.

"If glecirasib can match or even bypass current efficacy data with an overall improved side effect profile, this agent would be an attractive treatment option." commented Julia Rotow, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who critiqued the glecirasib findings. She said that the unique toxicity profile of glecirasib may offer the potential for combination with agents that cannot be readily combined with other existing KRAS G12C inhibitors due to overlapping toxicities.

"The trend in the treatment of lung cancer is to reduce the use of chemotherapy. Currently, for lung cancer patients harboring the KRAS G12C mutation who fail first-line treatment, chemotherapy such as docetaxel is the main second-line treatment in China. The ORR is 14%, mPFS is 3.0 months, and OS is 9.1 months. Existing clinical data show that glecirasib is more effective and safer than chemotherapy and is expected to bring more treatment options to patients." Said Prof. Yuankai Shi.

About Glecirasib

Glecirasib is a KRAS G12C inhibitor developed by Jacobio. A number of Phase I/II clinical trials of glecirasib are currently ongoing in China, the United States and Europe for patients with advanced solid tumors harboring KRAS G12C mutation. These include a pivotal clinical trial in NSCLC in China; a monotherapy study for STK11 co-mutated NSCLC in the front-line setting, and combination therapy trials with SHP2 inhibitor JAB-3312 in NSCLC and with Cetuximab in colorectal cancer. The pancreatic cancer indication has obtained orphan drug designation in the United States and breakthrough therapy designation in China.

About Jacobio

Jacobio Pharma (1167.HK) is committed to developing and providing new and innovative products and solutions to improve people's health. Our pipeline revolves around novel molecular targets on six major signalling pathways: KRAS, immune checkpoints, tumor metabolism, P53, RB and MYC. We aim for our key projects to be among the top three in the world. Our vision is to become a global leader recognized for our impact in drug R&D together with our partners. Jacobio has R&D centers in Beijing, Shanghai and Boston with our Induced Allosteric Drug Discovery Platform (IADDP) and our iADC Platform.

Please visit www.jacobiopharma.com for more information

SOURCE Jacobio Pharma
Technology will be critical to fulfill upcoming sustainability regulations; most executives say improvements are needed to existing systems

BOSTON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- New research from Bain & Company, published today, finds just 24% of companies say they are ready for upcoming sustainability reporting requirementsa potentially worrying statistic as it can take years to build the needed capabilities, such as the technology necessary for collecting, analyzing, and reporting sustainability data.

Bain surveyed more than 300 executives, with nearly 90% agreeing improvements in digital technology are critical for advancing their sustainability goals. However, most say that they are not taking the actions needed to make that happen.

Bain's findings come as the global regulatory landscape rapidly shifts and expands, and as companies are under pressure to anticipate additional reporting requirements. The EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive mandates that EU companies start reporting on their greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental factors by 2025. In California, large companies will need to report on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2026, and Scope 3 emissions by 2027not far off, considering the time it takes to put these systems in place.

"Technology will be essential for companies to meet their sustainability commitments and ensure compliance as regulations evolve," said Adam Cox, Bain & Company partner and member of the firm's Enterprise Technology practice. "In addition to carbon emissions, companies need to be prepared to address other aspects of sustainability, such as water use, waste management, and supply chain ethics. Doing so will require companies to invest in new technology systems, often accelerating existing initiatives to modernize their IT."

Deploying technology to meet sustainability goals

Bain's research found that enterprise technology typically represents about 25% of a company's Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Large data centers can consume as much as 5 million gallons of water daily, and end user devices, such as laptops, can contribute to a company's electronic waste load. Developing systems to minimize these impacts helps to build the capabilities that will serve the entire organization.

Beyond IT, enterprise technology is critical for monitoring and analyzing the data that executives depend on to understand baselines and set ambitions. Companies will need to set sustainability goals that align with the existing technology roadmap. Sustainability objectives can help turbocharge the business case for modernizing legacy technology and migrating to cloud workloads, so it makes sense to align the efforts.

A path forward

Only about one-third of the executives Bain surveyed with high sustainability ambitions believed that they have the technology necessary to deliver on them.

"Technology can become the bottleneck preventing companies from delivering on their sustainability objectives," said Cox. "Leaders in this space have been investing in custom solutions to support their sustainability efforts for more than a decade, and most companies just getting started know they have some catching up to do. Speed will be critical for companies looking to tap sustainability as a competitive advantage."

Media Contacts:

Gary Duncan (London)  Email: [email protected]

Katie Ware (New York)  Email: [email protected]

Ann Lee (Singapore)  Email: [email protected]

About Bain & Company

Bain & Company is a global consultancy that helps the world's most ambitious change makers define the future.

Across 65 cities in 40 countries, we work alongside our clients as one team with a shared ambition to achieve extraordinary results, outperform the competition, and redefine industries. We complement our tailored, integrated expertise with a vibrant ecosystem of digital innovators to deliver better, faster, and more enduring outcomes. Our 10-year commitment to invest more than $1 billion in pro bono services brings our talent, expertise, and insight to organizations tackling today's urgent challenges in education, racial equity, social justice, economic development, and the environment. We earned a platinum rating from EcoVadis, the leading platform for environmental, social, and ethical performance ratings for global supply chains, putting us in the top 1% of all companies. Since our founding in 1973, we have measured our success by the success of our clients, and we proudly maintain the highest level of client advocacy in the industry.

SOURCE Bain & Company
LAS VEGAS, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lagoon Furniture is keen to return to Las Vegas to attend The HD Expo + Conference, America's largest single destination event for in-person hospitality product discovery. Lagoon Furniture is a highly respected indoor/outdoor designer, producer, and vendor committed to generating consistently industry-leading products for both commercial and domestic applications. Lagoon Furniture's ever-expanding lines of high quality, high value, durable products are most notable for their unique combination of eclectic design influences, ergonomically-based comfort, and innovative use of modern materials.

Lagoon's Venice Dining Table is an instant classic. This lean, sleek, and exquisitely balanced piece immediately up-levels any environment it's in. Lagoon Furniture offers a peerless array of Bar and Counter Seating for all environments and applications.

New for Lagoon Furniture in 2024 is its redesigned and greatly improved product presentation atmosphere, which debuted proudly and to great reception at the Expo Mueble Internacional in Guadalajara, Mexico this February. Lagoon Furniture will continue to leverage its strong Q1 2024 performance via participation in the furnishing industry's top tier trade shows throughout the remainder of 2024.

Lagoon's current mission is to expand its market reach, strengthen its brand image, and communicate directly with customers both new and returning. Lagoon especially welcomes interior designers and architects, hospitality industry professionals, and hoteliers to come and experience the design, versatility, and durability which positively sets it apart from its peers.

Product Highlights

Lagoon's Venice Dining Table is already an instant classic. This lean, sleek, and exquisitely balanced piece immediately up-levels any environment it's in. Conceived and constructed as one of Lagoon's sturdier furnishings, the Venice will deliver elegant value season after season in any climate. Especially well-suited for commercial applications whether indoors or out, this timeless item will remain as dependable as it is elegant for years to come. Available in 4 exceptionally tasteful, subtle colors, and pairs especially well with Lagoon's exceptional dining chairs.

Lagoon's Milos Dining Chair and Armchair models provide the ideal accompaniment to its tables. Designed with style, comfort, and durability top of mind, both Milos configurations feature and ergonomic shape which allows customers to eat, drink, or just chill out for as long as their social engagement lasts. And their simple elegance brings a touch of class to any environment, indoors or out. Hosts will find that all Milos chairs clean, move, and stack with ease for years to come.

Lagoon Furniture offers a peerless array of Bar and Counter Seating for all environments and applications. Whether you're a restaurateur, designer, or supplier, you can trust that Lagoon Outdoor Bar Stools will deliver high-value, low cost, and low maintenance performance for years. Choose from Lagoon Furniture Classics such as the Rue, Milos, and Sensilla Series, or check out other of Lagoon's ever-evolving and improving offerings for your bar and counter seating needs. Visit Lagoon's Booth to discover which seating styles best suit your individual requirements.

Meet Lagoon Furniture's team at its fabulous new booth at the Las Vegas HD Expo + Conference from April 30 to May 2, 2024 - your event experience wouldn't be complete without it!

Press Contact:

Fox Hu

Tel: 786-420-2934

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Lagoon Furniture America Corp
ATHENS, Ga., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Landmark Properties , a fully-integrated real estate firm specializing in development, construction, investment management, and operation of high-quality residential communities, has acquired Pointe on Rio in Austin, Texas. Pointe on Rio, soon to be rebranded as Tradition on Rio, is Landmark's seventh asset in the Austin market; the acquisition adds 321 beds and 122 units to the company's portfolio.

Built in 2014, this mid-rise community at 1901 Rio Grande Street boasts a nearly 94% preleasing rate for the Fall 2024 term and is a popular choice for students attending the University of Texas at Austin who are looking to live close to campus. Its diverse range of apartment layouts, spanning from studio to five-bedroom floorplans, features upscale amenities including hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, and in-unit washer/dryers.

"We're excited to add Pointe on Rio to the Landmark portfolio, a well-performing asset in one of the most institutionally sought-after student housing markets in the country," said JD Goering, Landmark's Senior Vice President of Acquisitions. "University of Texas at Austin's Fall 2023 enrollment marked the university's largest-ever, a 1.3% growth year over year."

Pointe on Rio presents students with a number of sought-after amenities, such as a courtyard pool, resident lounge with gaming area, pool table and TVs, on-site parking, fitness center, conference/study room, and numerous resident events throughout the year. The property is close to the UT Austin West Campus bus stop, nearby shops and restaurants.

Landmark's significant presence in Austin is bolstered by a portfolio totaling 3,769 beds across renowned communities including Legacy on Rio, The Mark Austin, The Standard at Austin, The Nine at Rio, The Nine at West Campus, and Moontower. Notably, all of these properties are showing strong preleasing for the 2024-25 school year.

About Landmark Properties

Headquartered in Athens, Ga., with an office in Atlanta, Landmark Properties is a fully integrated real estate firm, specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of high-quality residential communities. With $13 billion in AUM, Landmark's portfolio includes over 115 residential communities across the country with 71,000 beds under management. Additionally, Landmark benefits from an active development pipeline with 22 student and multifamily projects under construction or near term start with an estimated value of nearly $5 billion. Landmark's mission is to be the leader in development, construction, operations, and investment management of high-quality residential communities, delivering unrivaled service and experience to our residents, partners, and employees. For more information, visit www.landmarkproperties.com.

Media Contacts:

Landmark Properties/Landmark Construction

Great Ink Communications  (212) 741-2977

Lindsay Church, Sara Williams, Eric Gerard

[email protected]

SOURCE Landmark Properties
Ahead of the music icon's second meditation album release - Manifest Abundance - he is partnering with the mental wellness supplement brand to champion mindfulness, meditation, and mental health resources

LOS ANGELES, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of Mental Health Awareness Month this May, Grammy Award-winning artist Lil Jon is teaming up with wellness supplement brand, Natural Vitality, a leader in science-backed magnesium-based products. The unexpected partnership aims to ignite conversations around mental health awareness and remove its negative stigma and perceptions in mainstream and niche cultures.

Natural Vitality

Together Lil Jon and the leading magnesium supplement brand have come to jointly foster accessibility to mental wellbeing resources and galvanize dialogue between the community, mental health practitioners, and mental health organizations.

"Mental health, physical health, and wellness is a priority to me and somethin' I've become very passionate about... spreading the knowledge I have gained to others that may not have normally been exposed to the information makes me feel good inside. Lowering stress and detaching from the matrix should be paramount for everyone around the world. I encourage everyone to take a pause, have some deep breaths, smile - and if you need it - seek mental health and wellness resources," says Lil Jon. "I wanna be someone to advocate for the importance of prioritizing mental wellbeing - for all - so they know there are ways you can take care of your mind, and using Natural Vitality has been an amazing part of that mental health journey for me!"

Aligning with the release of the multi-platinum producer's second meditation album slated to drop Friday, May 10, "Manifest Abundance," continues to expand Lil Jon's passion for mental health awareness. The album featuring 11 tracks centered around manifestation and affirmationsis a testament to how vital the topic is to the musician.

"We're inspired by Lil Jon's mental health journey and his desire to share his mindfulness practices with the world, which includes Natural Vitality CALM and meditation," says Nicole Ng, Marketing Lead at Natural Vitality. "More than ever people are struggling through daily stressors, and are more open to sharing their mental health journeys. We want to champion this dialogue and provide support and resourcesthis partnership with Lil Jon celebrating the release of his album felt like the perfect opportunity to do just that."

In the lead-up to the album launch on May 10, the partnership kicks off with Lil Jon's Manifest Abundance Album Retreat presented by Natural Vitality at the tranquil Hotel Bel-Air. Guests will experience mindfulness-centered programmingsuch as a guided meditation led by Lil Jon, album showcase, and a fireside discussion between Lil Jon and mental health expert, Chicago School of Professional Psychology Adjunct Professor, Dr. Patrice Le Goy, LMFT.

"It's incredibly encouraging to work with artists like Lil Jon who are advocating strongly for mental health awareness, sharing how wellness is something that can and should be accessible to everyone. Our hope is that we can create authentic conversations around mental health - throughout Mental Health Awareness month and beyond," says Dr. Le Goy.

The content gathered during the event will be shared via Lil Jon and Natural Vitality's social channels where people worldwide will be able to view the conversations and even experience a guided meditation by Lil Jon himself. Additionally, people will find Lil Jon's favorite relaxing Natural Vitality products at NaturalVitality.com .

About Natural Vitality

Natural Vitality is the wellness supplement brand built for your mental wellbeing. For 40 years, Natural Vitality has provided mood and brain support through the power of magnesium. From FOCUS to CALM to SLEEP, Natural Vitality supports key areas of your mental wellbeing through a range of products designed to fit your life. Natural Vitality CALM Magnesium supplements help calm your mind and promote a sense of relaxation, while the brand's latest brain health innovation, FOCUS, is powered by a unique combination of Magnesium L-Threonate (Magtein) and Phophditylserine (PS) to support memory and cognition.* Natural Vitality's science-based supplements are available at naturalvitality.com and your favorite retailers.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

CLX-B

For Media Requests:

Odalys Flores / POV Agency

[email protected]

Ysabel Sarinas / POV Agency

[email protected]

SOURCE Natural Vitality
Local owners AJ Bodick and Garrett Chisum will also showcase new office space for their Window Hero Lake Norman location as they celebrate the relaunch of both property service brands

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Yard Patrol Pros Charlotte will host a grand opening and relaunch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the company's new office at 20468 Chartwell Center Drive, Cornelius, North Carolina, on Monday, May 6 at 9 a.m.

Yard Patrol Pros owners AJ Bodick and Garrett Chisum are also using the new location as the headquarters of their Window Hero Lake Norman venture. Both Yard Patrol Pros and Window Hero are franchise brands under the umbrella of HomeFront Brands, a property service franchise platform company.

Yard Patrol Pros Charlotte and Window Hero Lake Norman owners AJ Bodick, left, and Garrett Chisum will showcase their new office space at a relaunch party for both brands on Monday, May 6 in Cornelius, North Carolina.

The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce and commissioners from the Town of Cornelius will be on hand to help the businesses celebrate their relaunch.

Bodick and Chisum were owners of the local Mozzie Dome pest control franchise, but, earlier this year, HomeFront Brands relaunched that franchise as Yard Patrol Pros to better highlight the company's natural and barrier pest control treatments. As part of their relaunch, Yard Patrol Pros Charlotte will present its new turf fertilization service at the event.

"With a new office for Window Hero and Yard Patrol Pro's new name and focus, we felt it was a great time to celebrate with a grand opening and relaunch party," Bodick said. "As multi-unit franchise owners with HomeFront Brands, we want to feature both our brands and let our community know that we are open for business."

In addition to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, participants will have a chance to handle a fertilizing gun, a pressure washer, a squeegee and a robotic pressure washer.

"We want to give customers an idea of what it is we do and how we do it," Bodick said. "This way, the community will have an interactive event that allows them to get a feel for the tools of our trade."

Those interested in attending the event can sign up on the company's Facebook Events page.

Yard Patrol Pros Charlotte serves the areas of Caldwell, Cornelius, Davidson, Hopewell, Huntersville, Mooresville, Pineville and Troutman. Window Hero Lake Norman serves Caldwell, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Mooresville, Statesville, Troutman, Union Grove and Williamsburg.

For more information about Yard Patrol Pros Charlotte, visit https://yardpatrolpros.com/locations/charlotte/. For more information on Window Hero Lake Norman, visit https://windowhero.com/locations/lake-norman/.

About Yard Patrol Pros

Yard Patrol Pros, formerly Mozzie Dome, offers safe and environmentally-friendly protection against mosquitos and other biting insects. The company's mission is to use the most effective standard solutions while sourcing all-natural treatment options to keep homes, families and properties safe. Yard Patrol Pros wants to give its customers alternatives so they never have to choose between mosquito bites and harsh chemicals. For more information about Yard Patrol Pros, visit https://yardpatrolpros.com/.

About Window Hero

Window Hero is a trusted and reliable company specializing in a wide range of exterior cleaning services. Whether it's window cleaning, gutter care, pressure washing, soft washing, gutter guard installation or even solar panel cleaning, Window Hero has the right team of experts, skills and equipment to get the job done right. Window Hero offers routine maintenance and one-time deep cleaning services. Founded in 2005 as Labor Panes, founder Tyler Kirk started the company as a residential window cleaning service before expanding it to offer a variety of exterior cleaning, repair and maintenance services. For more information about Window Hero, please visit https://windowhero.com/.

About HomeFront Brands:

HomeFront Brands empowers entrepreneurs to create thriving franchised residential and commercial property service brands. Driven by an experienced team of franchise executives and rooted in family values, HomeFront Brands helps emerging or established concepts accelerate their growth by delivering enterprise-level solutions to local business owners who aspire to build a dynasty and create generational wealth. By leveraging integrated technology, data-driven intelligence and advanced learning management systems, HomeFront Brands is building a foundation for its brands -- Window Hero, The Designery, Temporary Wall Systems, Top Rail Fence and Yard Patrol Pros  to transform lives through franchise ownership.

For more information about HomeFront Brands' current solutions, new business development, and franchising opportunities, please visit https://homefrontbrands.com/.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Heather Ripley

Ripley PR

865-977-1973

[email protected]

SOURCE HomeFront Brands
NEW YORK, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The SissyMarySue Education Fund is thrilled to announce its upcoming virtual event, "Change the World the More We Care," generously supported by Macy's. This significant event will be held online on May 4 at 6 PM Central Time and will focus on promoting inclusion in aviation. A highlight of the evening will be a special presentation on Black Aviation History.

A family is in a field, having fun with a toy airplane. Col. George London (left) and Dr. Wendy Muhlhauser-Tingblad celebrate as Col. London receives the 2024 SissyMarySue Equity in Teaching Award. A former U.S. Air Force test pilot with experience in over 51 aircraft types, his notable roles include chief test pilot for the C-17 program and instructor for Space Shuttle pilots. He also serves on the Aviation Subcommittee for the SissyMarySue Education Fund.

Dr. Wendy Muhlhauser-Tingblad, Founder and Executive Director of the SissyMarySue Education Fund, expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, "We are immensely grateful for the support from Macy's. Their commitment helps us propel our mission of fostering inclusive education and empowering underrepresented voices in aviation. This event not only celebrates equity but also exemplifies how corporate partnerships can advance social justice in education."

We are proud to honor Colonel George London with the Equity in Teaching Award at this event. Colonel London has made notable contributions to aviation as an equity educator, empowering STEM and aviation students from diverse backgrounds. His extensive experience as a test pilot and instructor underscores his commitment to fostering inclusivity within the aviation sector.

Dr. Lenneal Henderson, President of the SissyMarySue Education Fund Board of Directors, added, "This event is a cornerstone for advocacy in equity and education. By shining a light on pivotal figures like Colonel London and supporting initiatives that promote diversity, we are paving the way for a more inclusive future in all sectors."

This event will be an enlightening and inspiring evening emphasizing the importance of equity in aviation education and celebrating the individuals who advocate for a more inclusive future.

Event Details Date: May 4

Time: 6 PM Central Time

Location: Virtual (via Zoom)

Highlights: Inclusion in Aviation, Special Presentation on Black Aviation History, Equity in Teaching Awards

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/change-the-world-the-more-we-care-tickets-881123483057?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

About the SissyMarySue Education Fund: We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing social and ecological justice globally and locally through innovative education and outreach. Our core values include equity, anti-racism, shared humanity, and sustainability for children (and families), underpinning our commitment to fostering EMPATHY, PEACE, SERVICE, and CREATIVE PLAY. We offer a variety of educational programs, including Educating Empathy Podcast: www.buzzsprout.com/1944154 online workshops, live events, and original creative works in art, theater, and music, all aimed at empowering communities and addressing social inequities. Visit us at www.sissymarysue.org to learn more.

Contact:

Sylvia R. Hampton

Hampton Bates Public Relations

O 603.570.4816

M 617.413.6764

E [email protected]

SOURCE SissyMarySue Education Fund
IRVINE, Calif., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported total April sales of 31,125 vehicles, a decrease of 3.8 percent compared to April 2023. Year-to-date sales totaled 131,228 vehicles sold; an increase of 8.7 percent compared to the same time last year. With 27 selling days in April, compared to the same the year prior, the company posted a decrease of 3.8 percent on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis.

CPO sales totaled 6,294 vehicles in April, an increase of 28 percent compared to April 2023.

April 2024 sales highlights include:

Best-ever April sales of CX-30 with 7,649 vehicles sold.

Best-ever April sales of CX-50 with 5,225 vehicles sold.

Best-ever April sales of CX-90 with 3,694 vehicles sold.

Second best April in CPO program history.

Mazda Canada, Inc., (MCI) reported April sales of 5,952 vehicles, an increase of 33.5 percent compared to April last year. Year-to-date sales totaled 19,567 vehicles sold; an increase of 24 percent compared to the same time last year.

Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported April sales of 7,160 vehicles, an increase of 90 percent compared to last year. Year-to-date sales totaled 27,355 vehicles sold; an increase of 19 percent compared to the same time last year.

About Mazda North American Operations

Proudly founded in Hiroshima, Japan, Mazda has a history of sophisticated craftsmanship and innovation, and a purpose to enrich life-in-motion for those it serves. By putting humans at the center of everything it does, Mazda aspires to create uplifting experiences with our vehicles and for people. Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Colombia through approximately 795 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ontario; operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City; and operations in Colombia are managed by Mazda de Colombia in Bogota, Colombia. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at news.mazdausa.com.

Follow @MazdaUSA on social media: Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and Threads.

























































Month-To-Date

Year-To-Date

































April April YOY % % MTD

April April YOY % % MTD







2024 2023 Change DSR

2024 2023 Change DSR































Mazda3 2,537 2,619 (3.1) % (3.1) %

12,499 9,914 26.1 % 22.8 %





Mazda 3 Sdn 1,457 1,093 33.3 % 33.3 %

6964 4,871 43.0 % 39.3 %





Mazda 3 HB 1,080 1,526 (29.2) % (29.2) %

5535 5,043 9.8 % 6.9 %































Mazda6 0 0 - -

0 0 - -































MX-5 Miata 861 967 (11.0) % (11.0) %

2,272 3,557 (36.1) % (37.8) %





MX-5 368 553 (33.5) % (33.5) %

825 1,896 (56.5) % (57.6) %





MXR 493 414 19.1 % 19.1 %

1447 1,661 (12.9) % (15.1) %































CX-3 - 0 - -

- 0 - -





CX-30 7,649 5,954 28.5 % 28.5 %

36145 25,824 40.0 % 36.3 %





CX-5 11,149 14,333 (22.2) % (22.2) %

45494 53,060 (14.3) % (16.5) %





CX-9 - 3,311 - -

3 13,147 (100.0) % (100.0) %





CX-50 5,225 4,305 21.4 % 21.4 %

21092 14,069 49.9 % 46.0 %





MX-30 0 17 (100.0) % (100.0) %

- 32 - -





C70 1 0 - -

22 0 - -





C7P 9 0 - -

23 0 - -





CX-90 3,694 845 337.2 % 337.2 %

13678 1132 1108.3 % 1076.9 %





CARS 3,398 3,586 (5.2) % (5.2) %

14,771 13,471 9.7 % 6.8 %





TRUCKS 27,727 28,765 (3.6) % (3.6) %

116,457 107,264 8.6 % 5.8 %































TOTAL 31,125 32,351 (3.8) % (3.8) %

131,228 120,735 8.7 % 5.9 %

























































*Selling Days 27 27





77 75





























































SOURCE Mazda North American Operations
New San Diego-based Company to Deliver Actionable Data

SAN DIEGO, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Leveraging AI-driven technology, Metropolis IQ has launched in San Diego, where robust technology resources, innovation, and access to venture capital will assist the company in transforming the $21 billion government reporting industry. The company's forthcoming product, launching this month, will make economic and workforce development insights highly accessible, timely, and cost-effective. By providing data that is both actionable and nuanced, municipalities and organizations can reallocate valuable time and resources to strategic analysis and decision-making to cultivate thriving communities.

Erik Caldwell, Co-founder and President/CEO of Metropolis IQ states, "I learned first-hand working in local government that a drastic change was needed in how we procure economic reportswhich are essential for securing federal funding. Traditionally, consultants produce reports that are neither timely nor cost-effective. Metropolis IQ will provide a much quicker, automated solution and will continually deliver up-to-date information."

Why San Diego, CA

As the 8th largest city in the US with firmly established military and biotech industries to spur innovation and investment, San Diego offers the ideal springboard for Metropolis IQ's revolutionary product. The city is ranked #1 in the world for the largest concentration of military assets (San Diego Military Advisory Council) and has the third largest life sciences cluster in the US (JLL). For young companies, San Diego is ranked #3 for startups (Crowdfund Capital Advisors), and #6 in the US for venture capital investment (Bloomberg).

Patents Filed

In March, Metropolis IQ filed three provisional patents. Metropolis IQ is capable of generating crucial reports in hoursnot weekswhile ensuring their relevance through continuous integration of the latest data. This technology produces timely, accurate, and affordable insights that organizations need to make informed decisions.

Year One Accomplishments

In just over a year since its founding, Metropolis IQ has made major headway in bringing its pioneering product to market. In addition to filing patents, the company has secured funding from a curated a group of investors knowledgeable in this sector, and perfected its product via testing and interviews with more than 60 city and workforce agencies.

Advisory Board

Additionally, Metropolis IQ has recruited an advisory board of industry experts, including:

Darin Andersen , NXT Robotics

, NXT Robotics Bill Eigner , Procopio

, Procopio Dawn Barry , Sealth Biotech Start-up, formerly Illumina and LunaPBC

, Sealth Biotech Start-up, formerly Illumina and LunaPBC Dr. Nishal Mohan , Mohuman

, Mohuman Ellory Monks , Cubic Transportation Systems, formerly The Atlas for Cities

, Cubic Transportation Systems, formerly The Atlas for Cities Maksim Pecherskiy , Teamsnap.com, formerly City of San Diego

, Teamsnap.com, formerly Kristin Tillquist , Author, Government Relations/Business Consultant

About Metropolis IQ

Founded in December 2022 in San Diego, CA, Metropolis IQ founders Erik Caldwell, MBA and Josh Shapiro, PhD shared a vision to transform cities into thriving, data-informed communities. Inspired by Henry Ford's assembly line, Metropolis IQ aims to bring a similar revolution with its cutting-edge technology and innovative applications of AI to fundamentally change the landscape of economic development data reporting. Metropolis IQ will launch its groundbreaking product in Q2 of 2024. For more information, visit: https://www.metropolisiq.io/.

Contact: Beth Binger

BCIpr

619-987-6658

[email protected]

SOURCE Metropolis IQ
RENO, Nev., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a landmark decision, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted on Tuesday, April 23, to ban nearly all noncompete agreements. These agreements typically prevent workers from joining competing businesses or launching their own, potentially limiting career opportunities and hindering wage growth.

"We heard from employees who were stuck in abusive workplaces because of noncompete clauses. One person was trapped in a job that conflicted with their religious beliefs due to a noncompete," says Lina Khan, Chairperson of the Federal Trade Commission.

LegalMatch

The FTC estimates that 30 million American workers, or one in five, are bound by noncompete agreements. The ban, which takes effect later this year, is expected to increase wages by nearly $300 billion annually by encouraging workers to pursue better opportunities freely.

While the FTC's decision offers significant relief to workers, navigating the legalities of noncompete agreements can still be complex. LegalMatch.com gives individuals the ability to connect with qualified legal professionals who can advise them on their specific situations.

"This is a momentous win for workers' rights. For many, noncompete agreements have been a barrier to career advancement and fair compensation. LegalMatch can connect people with the legal support they need to understand their rights and options under the FTC's new ruling," says Ken LaMance, LegalMatch's General Counsel.

LegalMatch.com provides a free, confidential service that connects users with a network of pre-screened attorneys specializing in employment law. With the FTC's ban on noncompetes, LegalMatch.com is a valuable resource for workers seeking guidance on their rights and next steps.

About Us

LegalMatch is the nation's oldest and largest online legal lead-generation service. Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, LegalMatch helps people find the right lawyer and helps attorneys find new clients. LegalMatch's service is free to individuals and small businesses looking for legal help. For more information about LegalMatch, please visit our website or contact us directly.

LegalMatch California is a California State Bar certified Lawyer Referral Service #0140 dedicated to improving the quality and affordability of legal services in all California counties. LegalMatch California is an innovative forum for lawyers and legal clients to meet. California attorneys interested in joining LegalMatch California must meet membership qualifications and carry malpractice insurance. LegalMatch California, like its parent organization LegalMatch.com, remains free to consumers.

Media Contact

Ken LaMance

[email protected]

(415) 946-0856

SOURCE LegalMatch
Whether you're looking for flights and popular hotels, or locals-only restaurants and must-see attractions, Mindtrip empowers travelers around the globe to travel differently as they easily discover, plan, customize, and book every aspect of their travel experience all in one place

SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mindtrip , an AI powered platform that empowers everyone to travel differently, today announced the consumer launch of its travel platform. Combining conversational AI with the rich and visual world of travel content, Mindtrip is the first travel platform in the market to cater to the fluid ways consumers travel. Whether you're a meticulous planner arranging flights and accommodations, a parent in search of family-friendly activities, an intrepid explorer seeking hidden gems, or someone craving an authentic local dining experience on a whim, Mindtrip simplifies the entire travel process. From planning and scheduling to booking and on-the-ground exploration, Mindtrip offers a comprehensive solution, consolidating all essential travel resources into one visually stunning platform.

Combining conversational AI with the rich and visual world of travel content, Mindtrip is the first travel platform in the market to cater to the fluid ways consumers travel.

"We believe that AI will become the new front door for many things we do in life, including travel planning, and we developed Mindtrip to cater to exactly how consumers travel today," said Andy Moss, CEO and founder of Mindtrip. "We have taken the advancements of ChatGPT, and combined it with rich travel content from thousands of sources  to create the most accurate and engaging travel platform available today. It's thrilling to be a part of an all new solution that not only will make spreadsheet travel planning a thing of the past, but one that is destined to make a wealth of travelers' dream vacations a reality."

Powered by advanced AI technology, Mindtrip is designed to inspire at every turn. Users simply visit the site, fill out a brief travel persona quiz, and start chatting with Mindtrip's conversational AI. Conversations can cover a wide range of topics, from general inquiries like "Where is the best place to scuba dive nearby?" to more specific questions such as "What are the must-see attractions for my family on the Big Island in Hawaii?" or "Which destinations are ideal for a remote proposal?" Utilizing its vast database of places sourced from over 30 countries, Mindtrip swiftly processes this information. Within seconds, it generates a tailored, practical, and inspiring travel itinerary.

Featuring streamlined recommendations for everything travelers need, including the best flights, restaurants, cool boutique hotels, must-see attractions, and driving distances, Mindtrip's itinerary is fully editable, empowering travelers to jump in and easily move things around. Should a user discover or be inspired by another Mindtripper's post, they can copy and customize their itineraries or save proposed ideas to their favorites, where they can contemplate them and book later.

Unlike other platforms, Mindtrip also empowers users to invite anyone they are traveling with, like family and friends, to weigh in and help co-create an itinerary. Throughout the process, Mindtrip will showcase incredible photos, maps, review summaries, reservation options, and real-time pricing, so that users can gain a full view into their upcoming trip.

While on their trip, users can reference what's up next each day, including any ticket information that has been stored on the platform. Post-trip, users can even use the platform to track expenses, scrapbook their adventure, and publish it, so others in the Mindtrip community can become inspired.

"The travel and tourism industry is an ideal candidate for the innovation today's AI technology provides," said Lynn Carpenter at Visit California. "Currently, consumers often spend weeks and sometimes months searching for travel information to build their personal itineraries. Companies, like Mindtrip, that are using these advanced technology capabilities will make a huge difference in supporting consumers in their trip planning journey."

While in its closed Beta, Mindtrip quickly caught the attention of the industry, attracting a myriad of travel partners, from OTAs to tourism groups, airlines and hotels, and travel agents alike who have been keen to discuss partnership opportunities as they realize the future of AI and travel, with many remarking that Mindtrip is the first to deliver on what the future holds.

For more information on Mindtrip and how to access its free to use service, please visit: Mindtrip.ai

About Mindtrip

Mindtrip is a travel platform that leverages proprietary AI to make travel exciting, easy and fun. Founded in 2023 in Silicon Valley, Mindtrip was developed by serial entrepreneurs and avid travelers who have a deep understanding of technology, trends and a proven track record of bringing game changing products to market. The company's founders created Mindtrip, a first of its kind platform that combines conversational AI with a proprietary knowledge base to deliver personalized travel experiences that are accurate, actionable and all in one place. To learn more about Mindtrip, its founders and where to access, please visit Mindtrip.ai or on its social channels.

Media Contact:

Rachel Rogers

310-770-4917

[email protected]

SOURCE Mindtrip
Donate $1 , $5 , or $10 at the register. These funds will go to the American Red Cross, and its ongoing tornado relief efforts.

These funds will go to the American Red Cross, and its ongoing tornado relief efforts. All Natural Grocers Stores in Participating States: Iowa, Kansas , Nebraska and Oklahoma .

Iowa, , and . Visit www.naturalgrocers.com/storefinder to find the nearest participating store near you.

COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY

One of the Company's founding principles is a "Commitment to Community." In the decades since its inception, Natural Grocers has developed enduring partnerships with various charities, non-profits and organizations that better the lives of the communities in the 21 states the company serves. Charitable partners include organizations that focus on fighting food insecurity, fostering sustainability and protecting the planet, civil rights advocacy, scholarship endowments and providing relief to communities impacted by natural disasters.

"After the recent wake of the catastrophic weather among such a large area, we had an outpouring of requests from our good4uSM Crew as to how we could support the communities who were affected," said Raquel Isely, Vice President of Marketing for Natural Grocers. "With the damage being so swift and widespread, we decided the best way to help was by collecting donations at the registers across four states, that will go directly to the American Red Cross. This trusted organization provides food, shelter and services for communities in need with the utmost efficiency and care. We'll be collecting donations at 23 of our stores in the region through May 31st. We know rebuilding these communities will be a long-term effort. It's our hope that we can raise awareness with each customer interaction and help speed the process."

For more information about how the Red Cross responds after a tornado, click here.

Click here to learn more about Natural Grocers' community partnerships.

For press inquiries, please contact [email protected] .

ABOUT NATURAL GROCERS BY VITAMIN COTTAGE

Founded in 1955, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) is an expanding specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries, body care products, and dietary supplements. The products sold by Natural Grocers must meet strict quality guidelines and may not contain artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners, or partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils. The Company sells only USDA-certified organic produce and exclusively pasture-raised, non-confinement dairy products, and free-range eggs. Natural Grocers' flexible smaller-store format allows it to offer affordable prices in a shopper-friendly, clean, and convenient retail environment. The Company also provides extensive free science-based Nutrition Education programs to help customers and Crew make informed health and nutrition choices. Natural Grocers is committed to its 5 Founding Principlesincluding its "Commitment to Community" and "Commitment to Crew". In fiscal year 2023 the Company invested $15 million in incremental compensation and discretionary payments for Crew. Headquartered in the Union Square neighborhood of Lakewood, CO, Natural Grocers has 168 stores in 21 states. Visit www.naturalgrocers.com for more information and store locations.

SOURCE Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc.
PHOENIX, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NBPure, the leading health and wellness supplement company based in Phoenix, has launched a new product in partnership with Hawaiian-based influencer, bestselling author, and mom Andrea Hannemann, also known as @EarthyAndy. The product, Earthy Andy Hawaiian Hydration, is a clean, gut-nourishing, family-friendly, electrolyte hydration drink mix for health-minded adults and kids.

Earthy Andy Hawaiian Hydration is made with natural ingredients and contains no sugar or artificial flavors, dyes, or sweeteners. It's vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and cruelty-free.

Phoenix-based health & wellness supplement company NBPure launches new Earthy Andy Hawaiian Hydration drink mix in partnership with influencer @earthyandy. It contains 5 key electrolytes: calcium, magnesium, chloride, sodium, and potassium. Hawaiian Hydration also contains prebiotic inulin from organic agave for a gut-friendly electrolyte drink that wont cause bloating. nbpure.com

Hawaiian Hydration is available for $39.95 at nbpure.com.

Andrea Hannemann, a mother of four children ages 1 to 15, is passionate about maintaining her family's health and wellness. "As an active family, we're always trying to keep our kids healthy and hydrated," says Hannemann. "That's why I created a healthy, delicious thirst-quenching hydration elixir to add to their water. Hawaiian Hydration is truly amazing! It's good for the gut and has all the important electrolytes and none of the bad stuff."

"We love partnering with Earthy Andy because pure, natural, family-friendly ingredients are as important to her as they are to us," says Danna Pratte, Founder and CEO of NBPure and a mom of three. "Our new Hawaiian Hydration electrolyte drink mix is pure and good for you, and it tastes amazing thanks to the natural whole food flavors we mix in."

Hawaiian Hydration contains a balance of five key electrolytes: calcium, magnesium, chloride, sodium, and potassium. The calcium and magnesium are chelated with essential amino acids for easy absorption by the body. Hawaiian Hydration also contains prebiotic inulin from organic agave, which helps fuel a healthy gut.

Hawaiian Hydration is the latest addition to an existing NBPure Earthy Andy line that includes:

Plant Powered Protein with North American yellow peas, digestive enzymes, prebiotics, and probiotics ( $54.99 , 30 servings)





with North American yellow peas, digestive enzymes, prebiotics, and probiotics ( , 30 servings) Superfood Paradise , an antioxidant superfood elixir ( $39.95 , 30 servings)





, an antioxidant superfood elixir ( , 30 servings) Methyl B-12 Lava Flow, a methylated vitamin B-12 spray ( $19.95 , 175 servings)

All Earthy Andy products are available for purchase on nbpure.com.

For more information, contact Valerie Latona at [email protected].

About NBPure

Founded 25 years ago by Founder/CEO Danna Pratte, NBPure stands for Natural. Better. Pure. The company is dedicated to providing clean, natural health and wellness supplements that undergo stringent purity testing. All NBPure products are made in America and are non-GMO and cruelty-free. For more information, visit nbpure.com.

SOURCE NBPure
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Neptune Flood, the nation's largest private flood insurance company, today announced its acquisition of Charles River Data, a renowned Boston-based data science consulting group. This strategic move aims to bolster Neptune Flood's already cutting-edge Triton underwriting system through advanced data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence capabilities.

Charles River Data contributes a prestigious background rooted in big tech and academia, enhancing Neptune's ability to analyze and underwrite flood risk with even greater precision and speed. "The integration of Charles River Data's expertise will enable us to expand our analytical capabilities, ensuring faster and more accurate flood risk assessments for our customers," said Trevor Burgess, CEO of Neptune Flood. "This acquisition aligns perfectly with our commitment to leveraging the best technology to revolutionize insurance."

Matt Duffy, Chief Risk Officer at Neptune Flood, emphasized the synergy between the two companies. "Joining forces with Charles River Data empowers us to enhance our Triton system with new layers of predictive analytics, machine learning, and generative AI, further solidifying our position at the forefront of the insurance technology industry," said Duffy.

Mike Dezube, CEO of Charles River Data, expressed enthusiasm about the opportunities this acquisition presents. "We are thrilled to join Neptune and contribute to a platform that is transforming an industry through data and AI. Our expertise in data science aligns seamlessly with Neptune's vision of accuracy and efficiency in underwriting flood risk, and together, we will bring the industry forward setting new standards as we go". Mike spent eight years as a data scientist at Google before co-founding Charles River Data with Gleb Drobkov, most recently a consultant at BCG X. Mike will join as Neptune's Chief Data Science Officer and Gleb as Neptune's Chief Strategy Officer.

This acquisition marks a significant milestone in Neptune Flood's growth strategy, following a series of technological innovations aimed at improving customer experience and operational efficiency. The company's commitment to investing in cutting-edge technology has positioned it as a leader in the flood insurance sector, capable of responding to the evolving needs of its customers.

About Neptune Flood: Neptune Flood is a technology-driven insurance company specializing in providing affordable, comprehensive flood coverage. Using an advanced AI-driven platform, Triton, Neptune leverages data analytics and machine learning to process over 30,000 quotes per day and offer efficient underwriting solutions and superior customer service, making flood insurance accessible for all.

About Charles River Data: Based in Boston, Charles River Data is a leading data science consulting group with deep expertise in big tech and academia. The company specializes in developing sophisticated analytical tools and models that enable businesses to harness the power of data for strategic decision-making.

SOURCE Neptune Flood
Authored by Rabbi Dr. Paul Zeitz, Founder of #unify Movements and a member of Rabbis for Ceasefire

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In his new handbook, Revolutionary Optimism: 7 Steps for Living as a Love-Centered Activist , Dr. Zeitz shares stories, wisdom, and practices for your personal growth and our collective liberation. Revolutionary Optimism is available to help you explore your life's purpose and how to take love-centered actions with any group of friends, families, co-workers, spiritual communities, schools, civic groups, etc.

On Revolutionary Optimism, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) states: "Certain periods in human history call for the revolutionary transformation of our social, economic, and political systems. I believe this is one of those times. Individuals seeking pathways to channel anger and frustration into love-centered activism are at the center of every justice-centered movement.

Revolutionary Optimism: 7 Steps for Living as a Love-Centered Activist is a sacred storehouse of wisdom destined to serve all of us on our journeys. As torchbearers of love seeking illumination, we can draw upon the insights and principles of this book, discovering an indispensable roadmap for personal and global liberation: a clear, step-by-step guidea timely remedy for the challenges confronting our world."

On the War in Israel/Palestine, Rabbi Dr. Zeitz states: "As Revolutionary Optimists, we must face the painful root cause of this intractable conflicta tsunami of trauma, hate, and fear--that is drowning a sense of the common humanity of two peoples living on one land. We must rise to spark a peaceful revolution to end this tragic violent war with a permanent ceasefire. Peacemakers from all sides of this conflict can then manifest a new vision of peaceful co-existence, where people can build trust, heal, repair, and co-create a new reality. We must ensure that peaceful protestors are met with a peaceful non-violent response by the police and military forces."

About Rabbi Dr. Paul Zeitz: Rabbi Dr. Paul Zeitz is a preventive medicine physician, rabbi, epidemiologist, author, and award-winning champion of global justice and human rights. He has been on the front lines of the call for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel / Gaza War. Last week, Dr. Zeitz joined Rabbis for Ceasefire as they attempted to bring food aid into Gaza on April 26th at the Israel/Gaza Erez border crossing point.

Ordained by Rabbi Shefa Gold as a Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs) Rabbi in 2023, Dr. Zeitz has worked for decades as a love-centered policy expert and activist working to build justice movements to end global AIDS, COVID-19, and other pandemic threats, fighting the climate emergency, ending childhood sexual violence, and achieving racial and gender equity, reparative justice, constitutional renewal, and sustainable development.

Zeitz is the founder of www.unifymovements.org, a movement-building platform dedicated to catalyzing new, social, economic, and political systems committed to our collective repair, justice, and peace.

Endorsements:

"My life revolves around asking people, 'What makes you optimistic?' Revolutionary Optimism by Dr. Paul Zeitz embodies this quest, spotlighting the urgent need for beacons of optimism through the zeitgeist of pessimism and fear. Successful transformative change demands infectiously optimistic leadership. Cultivating the great leader's magnetic optimism starts with simple yet powerful acts: a genuine smile, a warm hello and a boundless curiosity in others. These seemingly small gestures pave the way for a revolution rooted in love, positivity, deep connection and collaborative action."

Victor Perton, Chief Optimism Officer, The Centre for Optimism and author of Optimism: The How and Why

"Revolutionary Optimism is a comprehensive and insightful approach to the kind of social change leadership so needed at this time. It offers inspiration as well as practical tools for how to live and lead by 'being the change we want to see happen in the world.'"

Robert Gass, Co-Founder, Rockwood Leadership Institute

"Revolutionary Optimism is a powerful reminder that when we put love at the center, all things are possible.

Daniela Ligiero, CEO, Together for Girls and Co-Founder of the Brave Movement

"Revolutionary Optimism is an amazing book. It gives hope and offers vision. It provides compelling stories of people, including Dr. Zeitz himself, coping with great difficulties and taking small steps every day to build a healthier, better world. Well written and profound. Don't walk, run and get your copy. It can change your life."

Sheila Rubin and Bret Lyon, Co-Directors of the Center of the Healing Shame and co-authors of Embracing Shame

"So many of us are suffering with a sense of powerlessness, despair, cynicism and hopelessness about our world. By placing Love at the Center, Dr. Zeitz boldly guides us onto a path of healing into wholeness. He shows us that by tapping into the wellspring of love, we can be nurtured, healed, inspired and empowered. Revolutionary Optimism is exactly the medicine that we need right now, showing us the practical yet profound way forward into a new world where compassion and justice reign, where the deepest yearnings of our collective heart can be realized."

Rabbi Shefa Gold, author of Are We There Yet? Travel as a Spiritual Practice

"Revolutionary Optimism is essential in providing a pathway for all activists. It bids us to a higher calling, no matter what cause we are fighting to change, it can only be done holistically and with love for self and others. All humans are interconnected, therefore all causes are, only when we unify, can we change the world. Thank you Paul for reminding us of our higher calling - Above all else, love your neighbor as yourself."

Dr. Tabitha Mpamira, Founder, Mutura Global Healing

"Revolutionary Optimism is the book I have longed to read during these truly polarizing times. This book has shown me how to step in and address the injustices we face todayto see how every person and their actions matter. I now understand the mechanics of how peaceful political action makes a difference. Dr. Paul is rightkeeping love at the center of all we do is now more important than ever."

Kristine Carlson, co-author of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff books

"Dr. Paul Zeitz offers a deeply personal and inspiring blueprint around how we can embrace and further live out a commitment to Revolutionary Optimism. With great vulnerability and deep insight, Paul draws upon his own journey as a physician, public health expert, and longtime human rights and peace activist to share practical wisdom on how we can pursue both personal and societal transformation that then transforms our communities and the world."

Reverend Adam Russell Taylor, President, Sojourners and author of A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community

PRESS CONTACT

Johanna Ramos-Boyer

703-646-5137

[email protected]

SOURCE #unify Movements
Legally Evaluate a Potential Claim for $49 in Less Than One Hour

LARKSPUR, Calif., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Have you been shortchanged by a vendor at your business? Were you disappointed by the work of a contractor at your home?

If you are wondering about filing a legal claim, but are uncertain whether it would be successful, there's a new game-changing app to determine legal feasibility: the Lawsuit Analyzer.

Lawsuit Analysis Marilyn Sullivan attorney

Use it to determine whether you have a viable case and the amount of damages you may collect. It even evaluates an essential aspect attorneys fail to assess: the likelihood that you will actually collect from your adversary.

The Lawsuit Analyzer App is the first-ever case evaluation system. It uses a point method with the essential components of legal evaluation and feasibility analysis.

First published as a book, The Pocket Lawyer swept the country, receiving rave reviews from Good Morning America and other major media. The method has been updated as an app, to take advantage of current technology and make its powerful interactive resources accessible to the general public.

"I wrote the book so consumers and business owners could evaluate their own cases and have the tools to intelligently decide whether the case should be pursued, and how. The Lawsuit Analyzer App makes the legal evaluation process accessible to users, so they can quickly assess the merits of their case and the likelihood of success," said California attorney and author Marilyn Sullivan.

The Lawsuit Analyzer App starts with 32-questions that may be answered in less than one hour and relies on a unique algorithm. After the user receives their results, they are led to an in-depth resource center that describes the process of pursuing a case, by themselves or with an attorney. Options include Mediation, Arbitration, Small Claims Court and the Upper Civil Court.

The cost of the app is $49, a modest investment when the damages may be several thousand dollars, or more. The app is available only at the website www.LawsuitAnalysis.com,Your Legal Self Help Resource.

To learn more, please visit the website www.LawsuitAnalysis.com.

About LawsuitAnalysis.com and the Lawsuit Analyzer App

LawsuitAnalysis.com, Your Legal Self Help Resource, is a website that provides information to consumers and business owners to resolve legal disputes, whether through their own efforts or with an attorney. The Lawsuit Analyzer App is a systematic approach to evaluating the merits of a potential case and the feasibility of collecting damages. For more information, please visit the website www.LawsuitAnalysis.com.

Note to Editor: Please contact Janet Falk ([email protected]) for a coupon code to obtain free one-time use of the Lawsuit Analyzer App.

Contact: Janet Falk, [email protected]

Phone: 347-256-9141

SOURCE Lawsuit Analyzer
AVOCA, Pa., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ProGuard Warranty announced today that they have formed a partnership with The Certified Agriculture Group to offer CADProtect, the first and only truck protection plan designed specifically for farmers and ranchers. This exclusive product, which is available only through Certified Agriculture Dealers, provides relief to buyers of vehicles registered for agricultural use which have traditionally been excluded from manufacturers' warranties and aftermarket protection plans.

CADProtect is the only protection plan available for the nearly one million trucks purchased for farms and ranches annually.

With the U.S. food and agriculture industries providing nearly 20% of the country's economic activity, the partnership serves to fill a void in a vital market segment. "Farmers and ranchers represent a significant buying force, purchasing over 930,000 trucks every year. They count on their vehicles to perform every single day but without access to protection products, their businesses are exposed to high repair costs and downtime that they cannot afford," said Dominic Limongelli, President of ProGuard Warranty. "We are always looking for opportunities to expand our reach so when they approached us, we leapt at the chance to support this key market."

As a consortium focused on the agricultural truck customer, The Certified Agricultural Group (TCAG) offers a vertically integrated suite of products to empower and support farmers and ranchers. "The missing piece of the puzzle was a truck protection plan, so we sought out the most trusted name in the industry to create one," said Patrick Driscoll, CEO. "ProGuard's reputation for transparency, customer service and claims payment made it a great fit for us. Like many farming operations, they are a third-generation, family-owned business so they share many of the same values as our customers. We felt an immediate synergy between the organizations and that comes through in the product."

Responsibilities were split between the organizations with ProGuard developing and administering CADProtect and TCAG providing training and marketing to dealers. Like all ProGuard products, CADProtect is sold exclusively through dealers  however these are Certified Agriculture Dealers. "Farmers and ranchers consider themselves agricultural buyers for everything they purchase, including trucks. They want to buy their vehicles from someone that understands their needs so to become a Certified Agriculture Dealer, you must undergo training on how to successfully sell and service the Ag market," said Limongelli. "Now that the product is live, we have cherry picked dealers within our nationwide network that would best serve this market and offered them an exclusive product that drives buyers to their doors."

ProGuard found the substance behind the program to be an additional selling point to attract this profitable and loyal customer base, which TCAG delivers through strong promotion and value-adds. Customers can use CADFi for ag-friendly finance terms that match the farm or ranch income cycle. and every qualifying vehicle comes with AgPack, a free bundle of farm and ranch discounts and rebates work over $35,000. "Customers will seek out Certified Ag Dealers because they can get the coverage they need from someone who speaks their language and see a tangible ROI with every truck," stated Limongelli. "We can sleep well knowing farmers and ranchers who supply our food chain have the protection they need to keep their vehicles working."

About ProGuard Warranty

ProGuard is a third-generation, family-owned business that has been serving the automotive industry for over seventy years. Their many years in the industry has led to a unique expertise in knowing the products and coverage needed to protect dealers and their customers. An expansive menu of new and pre-owned vehicle protection plans is available through their nationwide network of dealer partners. The product offering also includes a unique CPO program, another designed specifically for commercial vehicles, a standalone OEM technology package and Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) waivers. Dealers appreciate the company's tradition of flexibility, transparency, and accessibility, and knowing their customers are protected from the high cost of repairs.

Learn more about Certified Agriculture Dealer at: www.certifiedagdealer.com.

Media Contact: Gus Baloga, [email protected]

SOURCE ProGuard Warranty
Transaction is part of wide-ranging collaboration to combine Quest's oncology expertise and scale with PathAI's AI and digital pathology innovations to speed diagnosis, improve quality and reduce costs

SECAUCUS, N.J. and BOSTON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), a leader in diagnostic information services, and PathAI, a global provider of artificial intelligence-powered technology for pathology, today announced a multi-faceted collaboration designed to accelerate the adoption of digital and AI pathology innovations to improve quality, speed and efficiency in diagnosing cancer and other diseases.

Under the terms of a definitive agreement, Quest will acquire select assets of PathAI Diagnostics, the business of PathAI that provides anatomic and digital pathology laboratory services. At closing, PathAI Diagnostics' state-of-the-art digitized laboratory in Memphis, Tennessee will become Quest's AI and digital R&D and solutions center, supporting Quest's specialty pathology businesses, AmeriPath and Dermpath Diagnostics. PathAI will continue to support its biopharmaceutical clients with end-to-end clinical trial services capabilities at its biopharma lab, which is separate and distinct from the diagnostic laboratory business. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2024.

Under separate agreements, Quest will license PathAI's AISight digital pathology image management system to support its pathology laboratories and customer sites in the United States. The two entities may also pursue opportunities for Quest to aid PathAI's algorithm product development, drawing on Quest's deep pathology leadership. In addition, Quest will be a preferred provider for PathAI's biopharmaceutical clinical laboratory services.

"This transaction will enable Quest to dramatically ramp our capabilities in AI and digital pathology, building on our leadership in oncology and subspecialized pathology services," said Kristie Dolan, Senior Vice President, Oncology, Quest Diagnostics. "AI and digital technologies have tremendous potential to improve cancer care, and Quest has the know-how to scale and deliver innovations that are high quality, efficient and broadly accessible. PathAI has industry-leading expertise in AI pathology innovation, and their state-of-the-art digitized laboratory in Memphis provides a platform for future growth."

"At Quest Diagnostics, we are committed to maximizing patient impact from every precious sample," said Mark Gardner, Senior Vice President, Molecular Genomics and Oncology, Quest Diagnostics. "The relationship with PathAI and acquisition of PathAI Diagnostics will enable us to rapidly accelerate the adoption of digitization and artificial intelligence for our market leading pathology offering, and will therefore strengthen our capability to serve patients across the entire continuum of oncology care, from diagnosis, to prognosis, to therapy selection and patient monitoring."

"This strategic relationship represents a significant milestone for the anatomic pathology industry and marks a major turning point for digital pathology adoption in the U.S. The adoption of these technologies by an organization with the scale and breadth of capabilities of Quest is a clear demonstration of how PathAI's cutting-edge solutions can help address the market's need for more efficient and high-quality pathology operations," said Andy Beck, MD PhD, co-Founder and CEO of PathAI. "The PathAI Diagnostics laboratory in Memphis will allow Quest to accelerate its digital journey with an already digitized laboratory."

According to the American Cancer Society, 2024 will be the first year that the United States expects more than 2 million new cases of cancer. The global cancer burden is expected to reach 28.4 million cases in 2040, compared to 19.3 million in 2020, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer .

The next phase in cancer innovation unlocked by digital pathology

Cancer and other diseases are often diagnosed by a pathologist based on a visual review of a biopsied tissue mounted on a glass slide, and reviewed under a microscope for abnormalities. If multiple pathologists need to view the slide, such as for a second opinion, the tissue biopsy must be physically couriered to another pathologist.

Digital pathology enables the creation of digital images of glass slides that can be securely shared electronically with other pathologists to view, reducing transportation needs and speeding testing and results reporting. It also has the advantage of extending access to expert consults to geographic areas where pathologists are in short supply, such as in parts of rural America and internationally. It may also help alleviate workforce pressures due to a shortage of pathologists and histotechnologists, the skilled laboratory professionals who prepare tissue slides.

"Digital pathology will strengthen our ability to offer flexible solutions that fulfill the needs of today's hospital laboratories. For instance, many hospital labs are facing a shortage of histotechs. With digital pathology, these labs can refer slide preparation to us while continuing to perform professional interpretation in-house," Ms. Dolan added. "Digital pathology will also allow us to extend the interpretative expertise of our roughly 400 pathologists to hospitals and other labs who lack these skilled professionals on-staff, regardless of location."

AI builds upon digital pathology by identifying patterns in a digitized image that suggest cancer or other diseases, helping a pathologist concentrate on areas of concern for potentially more accurate diagnosis.

Quest has a long history of strategic AI and automation deployment. The company has implemented AI, digital and automation technologies across several laboratory and business functions, from microbiology and cytogenetics to specimen processing and customer service, improving quality, efficiency and customer and employee experiences.

The transaction also builds on Quest's deep expertise and scale in cancer, with approximately 400 pathologists serving top health systems in the U.S. In recent years, Quest has piloted digital and AI pathology oncology solutions at Quest and AmeriPath sites in Clifton, NJ, Tampa and Denver.

Over time, Quest expects the transaction with PathAI will enable it to deploy flexible digital slide preparation and diagnostic and second opinion consultation services to health systems and other providers, both in the United States and, through its Global Diagnostic Network, overseas. The acquisition will also extend Quest's anatomic pathology services into comparatively more profitable areas, including dermatopathology as well as gastrointestinal and urological diseases. Provider customers of PathAI Diagnostics will benefit from access to Quest's industry-leading clinical test menu, broad health plan relationships and approximately 2,000 patient service centers in the U.S.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics works across the healthcare ecosystem to create a healthier world, one life at a time. We provide diagnostic insights from the results of our laboratory testing to empower people, physicians and organizations to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from one of the world's largest databases of deidentified clinical lab results, Quest's diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve healthcare management. Quest Diagnostics annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our nearly 50,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives and create a healthier world. www.QuestDiagnostics.com .

About PathAI

PathAI is dedicated to improving patient outcomes through its groundbreaking AI-powered pathology platform. Our solutions provide invaluable insights for biopharmaceutical companies, researchers, and pathology laboratories, ultimately enabling precision pathology and the vision of more effective diagnosis and treatments. Learn more at www.pathai.com .

SOURCE Quest Diagnostics
Dutch Brings More Than Three Decades of Leadership Experience in Software, Financial Technology and Compliance.

AUSTIN, Texas, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Oak Compliance Solutions, a leading provider of regulatory compliance software for the financial services industry, announced today that Dave Dutch has joined the company as Chief Executive Officer and as a board member. Dutch joins Red Oak to lead the company through its next stage of growth. Joining him is Tripp Neville , newly appointed as the company's Chief Revenue Officer. Co-founder and former CEO, Stephen Pope, will remain on the board and focus on strategic initiatives.

"I am excited and honored to be Red Oak's new CEO at such a transformative time for the company," Dutch said. "There is a growing need for compliance solutions specific to financial institutions, and we see an opportunity to continue to inject deep subject matter expertise into our software platform. This is a unique opportunity to continue shaping the way financial services firms manage their compliance programs using a platform that is already trusted and respected by hundreds of organizations globally."

Dave Dutch joins Red Oak Compliance Solutions as new CEO and Tripp Neville joins as CRO. Post this

Dutch brings a wealth of experience as a seasoned SaaS executive , having successfully scaled several growth-stage businesses in previous roles. Dutch's background includes CEO positions at Paylease and OrderMyGear and extends to many board roles at SaaS companies like Clubspeed, Raken, and Trakref.

"Dutch's track record of energizing and strategically leading high growth software companies align perfectly with Red Oak's trajectory. We are pleased to welcome Dave to the team," said Romir Bosu, who serves as the Executive Chairman of the board and has worked closely with Dutch at multiple companies over the past decade.

"Dave's vast experience in financial technology, SaaS and compliance will be invaluable as Red Oak continues to build on its momentum and capitalize on the compliance market opportunity," said David Farsai, Partner at Mainsail Partners, the growth equity firm that invested $51 million into Red Oak in June 2023.

Founded in 2010, Red Oak has distinguished itself by providing intelligent software solutions to global financial services and insurance industries, underpinned by a customer-centric culture. Co-founder, Stephen Pope, who was serving in the role of CEO prior to Dutch joining, says the company has been steadfast in its commitment to customers, consistently refining its product roadmap in response to customer needs and feedback, while aiming to stay ahead of innovation trends.

"With Dave Dutch at the helm, I am confident we will be able to deliver an even more powerful suite of compliance products to our valued customers. His industry expertise, his reputation as a fantastic and inspirational leader and his demonstrated commitment to thoughtful growth all strongly align with our core values," says Pope. Pope will continue to be involved in strategic initiatives and serving as a board director.

Since receiving a $51 million investment from Mainsail Partners in June 2023, Red Oak has experienced meaningful scale and recently completed the strategic acquisition of SiteQuest , a comprehensive intelligent compliance monitoring and website surveillance software firm, which significantly expanded the breadth of Red Oak's product offerings. In addition, Red Oak has scaled its product and engineering teams and has launched a stack of innovative AI-powered ancillary compliance products, leading to the company being named to the AI FINTECH 100 list in 2023 .

About Red Oak

Red Oak Compliance Solutions is a global advertising review software in the financial services and insurance industries, serving over 1,800 firms globally, ranging from single-state advisors to over half of the top 20 asset managers. Their flagship advertising compliance review software offers quick implementation timelines and agile technology that is 100% Books and Records/WORM compliant.

Clients of Red Oak typically see 35% faster approvals and 70% fewer touches, with many experiencing even better results. Overall, Red Oak allows firms to minimize risk, reduce costs, and increase compliance review process effectiveness and efficiencies. To learn more about Red Oak Compliance Solutions, visit www.redoakcompliance.com or follow them on LinkedIn .

About Mainsail Partners

Mainsail Partners is a growth equity firm that partners with founders of bootstrapped software companies to help them realize their potential. For more than 20 years, Mainsail has been helping management teams navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with rapidly scaling a software company. The firm includes women and men who are former software company operators who have seen these challenges first-hand. Mainsail offers assistance across various functional areas, including talent, finance, customer success, sales and marketing, product management, and R&D. With offices in Austin and San Francisco, the firm has raised over $2.2 billion in committed capital and invested in more than seventy companies. For more information, visit www.mainsailpartners.com or follow the firm on LinkedIn.

CONTACT: Amy Watson, [email protected]

SOURCE Red Oak Compliance Solutions
PUNE, India , April 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The report titled "Refrigerator & Freezer Market by Type (Bottom-freezer Refrigerator, French Door Refrigerator, Side-by-Side Refrigerator), Temperature Range (-40 C to -150 C, 0 to 4 C, 0 C to -40 C), Capacity, Distribution Channel, Application, Use - Global Forecast 2024-2030" is now available on 360iResearch.com's offering, presents an analysis indicating that the market projected to grow from a size of $185.49 billion in 2023 to reach $269.16 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.46% over the forecast period.

" Innovative Refrigeration Technologies Drive Global Market Growth Amid Rising Food Safety and Sustainability Trends "

The essential household appliance refrigerator ensures that food and drinks are kept at low temperatures to decelerate spoilage. It utilizes heat exchange to cool its interior and expel heat outside, thus maintaining an internal environment more relaxed than the surrounding air. Freezers, a variation of refrigerators, are engineered to sustain temperatures far below water's freezing point, crucial for long-term food storage by suspending bacterial and pathogen growth, thereby keeping food's essential nutrients, texture, and taste intact. This is vital for home and commercial food preservation. The escalating emphasis on food safety standards globally and an uptick in urbanization and modern lifestyles amplify the demand for advanced refrigerating solutions, including energy-efficient and smart models. Although the market faces high costs and stringent international standards for energy consumption and refrigerants, innovations in cooling technologies and smart features are set to open new market opportunities. Regionally, the Americas is in energy-saving and smart refrigeration options, with the European Union major in adopting eco-friendly and energy-efficient refrigerators guided by strict regulatory frameworks. The Asia-Pacific region is experiencing significant growth due to rising urban living and disposable incomes, with a marked preference for appliances that align with local needs. The Middle East and Africa are gradually moving toward energy-efficient models, driven by urbanization and specific climatic demands. This global shift toward innovative refrigeration solutions highlights a collective move toward sustainability, efficiency, and food safety in the refrigerator and freezer market.

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" Enhancing Food Safety through Advanced Refrigeration by Meeting Global Standards "

The emphasis on food safety across the globe has spurred a significant increase in the demand for advanced refrigerators and freezers across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Governed by stringent regulations, such as the USA's Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the European Union's General Food Law, alongside international directives by the Codex Alimentarius, these standards are pivotal in ensuring food products' safety and quality. They mandate rigorous temperature controls to curb bacterial growth and avert foodborne illnesses, necessitating state-of-the-art cold storage solutions. This regulatory landscape and growing public awareness of food safety prompts consumers and businesses alike to seek out the latest refrigeration technology. Such a trend highlights the crucial role of refrigerators and freezers in maintaining public health and illuminates the direct link between regulatory compliance, consumer expectations, and technological advancements in the refrigeration sector.

" The Critical Role of Refrigeration and Ultra-Low Temperature Freezing "

Maintaining a refrigerator's temperature between 0 C and 4 C is crucial for safeguarding perishable items such as dairy, fresh produce, and meats against harmful bacterial growth, ensuring these foods remain safe to consume and retain their freshness. This specific temperature range is essential in both household and commercial refrigeration to comply with health standards, as temperatures above 4 C can significantly increase the risk of foodborne illnesses by fostering the rapid spread of bacteria. Ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers operate between -40 C and -150 C and are pivotal in the scientific and medical fields. These freezers are indispensable for preserving volatile chemicals, biological samples including RNA and DNA, and viruses, aiding in critical research and pharmaceutical storage. Companies are at the forefront of providing equipment capable of reaching these extreme temperatures. Meanwhile, freezers that maintain temperatures from 0 C to -40 C are versatile assets across the food industry, clinical labs, and pharmaceutical sectors, ensuring the integrity of products and samples at subzero conditions. This temperature control is paramount in protecting the food supply and advancing medical and scientific research, underlining the importance of refrigeration technology in our daily lives and industries.

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" Carrier Global Corporation at the Forefront of Refrigerator & Freezer Market with a Strong 11.03% Market Share "

The key players in the Refrigerator & Freezer Market include Carrier Global Corporation, Whirlpool Corporation, Haier Group Corporation, LG Electronics Inc., Liebherr-International Deutschland GmbH, and others. These prominent players focus on strategies such as expansions, acquisitions, joint ventures, and developing new products to strengthen their market positions.

" Introducing ThinkMi: Revolutionizing Market Intelligence with AI-Powered Insights for the Refrigerator & Freezer Market "

We proudly unveil ThinkMi, a cutting-edge AI product designed to transform how businesses interact with the Refrigerator & Freezer Market. ThinkMi stands out as your premier market intelligence partner, delivering unparalleled insights with the power of artificial intelligence. Whether deciphering market trends or offering actionable intelligence, ThinkMi is engineered to provide precise, relevant answers to your most critical business questions. This revolutionary tool is more than just an information source; it's a strategic asset that empowers your decision-making with up-to-the-minute data, ensuring you stay ahead in the fiercely competitive Refrigerator & Freezer Market. Embrace the future of market analysis with ThinkMi, where informed decisions lead to remarkable growth.

Ask Question to ThinkMi @ https://app.360iresearch.com/library/intelligence/refrigerator-freezer

" Dive into the Refrigerator & Freezer Market Landscape: Explore 186 Pages of Insights, 556 Tables, and 28 Figures "

Preface Research Methodology Executive Summary Market Overview Market Insights Refrigerator & Freezer Market, by Type Refrigerator & Freezer Market, by Temperature Range Refrigerator & Freezer Market, by Capacity Refrigerator & Freezer Market, by Distribution Channel Refrigerator & Freezer Market, by Application Refrigerator & Freezer Market, by Use Americas Refrigerator & Freezer Market Asia-Pacific Refrigerator & Freezer Market Europe , Middle East & Africa Refrigerator & Freezer Market Competitive Landscape Competitive Portfolio

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SOURCE 360iResearch
NEW YORK, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Iron Road Partners, a leading regulatory consulting firm serving the investment management industry, today announced that Jason Harper, a technology industry veteran, has joined the firm as its first chief technology officer (CTO). Harper will be responsible for developing and implementing technology to help clients simplify their risk, regulatory and compliance functions.

"We're heading into a perfect storm of increasing compliance obligations paired with tighter compliance budgets," said Igor Rozenblit, founder and partner at Iron Road Partners. "Having a technology leader of Jason's caliber, coupled with Iron Road's compliance expertise, puts us in a unique position to help firms weather this storm."

Harper is an accomplished software leader with more than 20 years of experience at B2B and B2C firms. He has led teams in backend services, enterprise software, video streaming, video and voice communications, data and analytics, mobile apps, and embedded software. Most recently Harper was founding CTO of Fall Forward, a venture studio that builds technology startups. Previously, he was CTO for CoreDial and vice president and head of engineering for GameChanger Media, where he was responsible for all software development, technical operations and data analytics. He holds a master's degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.

Harper said, "Technology is underused in meeting the investment management industry's compliance responsibilities, and we see major opportunities for future efficiency gains. I am excited to combine my background in software development with Iron Road's industry expertise to help our clients tackle ever-increasing compliance challenges."

About Iron Road Partners

Iron Road Partners works with investment managers to protect and increase franchise value by mitigating risk, increasing transparency, and implementing simple and effective compliance programs. Iron Road leverages its industry experience, unique regulatory perspective, and rigorous consulting approach, allowing investment managers to focus on their core business. Iron Road Partners team consists of former senior regulators, chief compliance officers, LPs and investors, providing essential services to more than 100 leading investment managers managing trillions of dollars of assets. For more information visit www.ironroadpartners.com.

Contact:

Margaret Kirch Cohen/Richard Chimberg

Newton Park PR

+1 847-507-2229

+1 617-312-4281

[email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE Iron Road Partners
47th Annual National Indian Timber Symposium

CHEROKEE, N.C., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Intertribal Timber Council and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will host the 47th Annual National Indian Timber Symposium, May 13-16, at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort and Convention Center in Cherokee, NC. Join us for an unparalleled chance to learn about the latest thinking and advances in tribal relations to the land.

Speakers, workshops, and tribal tours will highlight the important role tribal lands play in aligning sustainable forest management with traditional cultural knowledge to restore tribal trust. Managing non-tribal lands through cooperative relationships formed across multiple agencies is another key focus of the symposium. We will also explore connections to the land and forests that make up the Qualla Boundary and the extended traditional homelands of the Cherokee.

"We are the people of the land! Our families, our traditions, and our knowledge have always included the natural environment  defining roles in the balance of the world we know. The symposium gives opportunities to come together to explore the latest thought and science on our perpetual connections. It also gives us the ability to network with new friends and colleagues and reconnect with old ones. Qe'ci'yew'yew [thank you]," said Howard Teasley, Nez Perce Tribe Chairman.

Program highlights

Building a Resilient Workforce in Tribal Forestry and Wildland Fire

Turning Recommendations into Action  IFMAT-IV Implementation and Outreach Strategies

Department of the Interior, Office of Wildland Fire Update

Bureau of Indian Affairs Update

Legislative Update

USDA Forest Service , Office of Tribal Relations Update

, Office of Tribal Relations Update USDA Forest Service Engagement Opportunities

Engaging Federal and Non-Federal Partners to Meet Tribal Management Objectives

Opportunities with Universities and Tribal Colleges

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Cultural Fire Use

Carbon Compliance and Voluntary Market Opportunities

Annual Awards Banquet

Visit the symposium website and review the agenda.

Register today!

About the Intertribal Timber Council

Established in 1976, the ITC is a nonprofit nation-wide consortium of Indian Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and individuals dedicated to improving the management of natural resources of importance to Native American communities. The ITC works cooperatively with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, private industry, and academia to explore issues and identify practical strategies and initiatives to promote social, economic, and ecological values while protecting and utilizing forests, soil, water, and wildlife.

SOURCE Intertribal Timber Council (ITC)
Expanding the collection of Sauvignon Blanc with Riva De La Rosa and Les Glories

PASO ROBLES, Calif., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Riboli Family Wines , family-owned and operated since 1917, is proud to announce the launch of two new Sauvignon Blancs to their growing portfolio and celebrate International Sauvignon Blanc Day (May 6). Representing both the old and new world, Riboli Family offers six Sauvignon Blancs, including Riva de la Rosa from Italy, Les Glories from France, and our own estate-grown San Simeon from Paso Robles, California.

Riboli Family Wines expands their collection of Sauvignon Blanc with Riva De La Rosa and Les Glories Post this Riboli Family Wines Expands Fine Wine Portfolio with New Sauvignon Blanc Offerings

"The Sauvignon Blanc varietal has been outpacing the overall wine category in sales1 and we've seen tremendous consumer demand for it," said Steve Riboli, Riboli Family Wines CEO. "These additions to our existing portfolio will expand access to fine wines of exceptional quality from top regions of the world at an attractive price point."

Hailing from the Northeast part of Italy, the Riva de la Rosa Sauvignon Blanc is from Friuli, where some of the greatest white wines can be found. France's Loire Valley is Sauvignon Blanc's spiritual home, and this gorgeous example from Les Glories was cultivated in Southern Touraine, Loire Valley.

All six Sauvignon Blancs have been crafted with the highest quality of grapes, following Riboli Family Wines' rigorous sustainability standards and resulting in six terroir-driven expressions. The full portfolio of Sauvignon Blanc wines will include:

NEW! Riva De La Rosa, Sauvignon Blanc ( $18.99 SRP)  Straw-yellow in color with greenish tinges. Sophisticated bouquet and full flavor with an edge reminiscent of pineapple and other exotic fruit | ABV: 12.5% |DOC: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

Straw-yellow in color with greenish tinges. Sophisticated bouquet and full flavor with an edge reminiscent of pineapple and other exotic fruit | ABV: 12.5% |DOC: NEW! Les Glories Sauvignon Blanc ( $19.99 SRP)  is crisp on the palate and noticeably herbal, with refreshing chalk minerality and a hint of florals |ABV: 12% | Vin de France: Primarily sourced from Val de Loire (Loire Valley)

is crisp on the palate and noticeably herbal, with refreshing chalk minerality and a hint of florals |ABV: 12% | Vin de France: Primarily sourced from Val de Loire (Loire Valley) San Simeon Sauvignon Blanc ( $18.99 SRP)  From ground to glass, hailing from certified sustainable estate vineyards in the relatively new Creston District AVA in Paso Robles , this wine is replete with citrus and pear with aromas of white flowers and lime zest | ABV: 13.5% | Appellation: Paso Robles, CA

From ground to glass, hailing from certified sustainable estate vineyards in the relatively new Creston District AVA in , this wine is replete with citrus and pear with aromas of white flowers and lime zest | ABV: 13.5% | Appellation: Les Glories Sancerre ( $39.99 SRP)  This Sancerre radiates citrus and herbal notes with incredible freshness and minerality. From vineyards including Bue, Amigny, and Chavignol, this 100% stainless steel fermented wine is crisp on the palate and noticeably herbal, with refreshing chalk minerality and a hint of florals |ABV: 13% | AOP: Sancerre, Loire Valley

This Sancerre radiates citrus and herbal notes with incredible freshness and minerality. From vineyards including Bue, Amigny, and Chavignol, this 100% stainless steel fermented wine is crisp on the palate and noticeably herbal, with refreshing chalk minerality and a hint of florals |ABV: 13% | AOP: Sancerre, Loire Valley Urlar Sauvignon Blanc ( $19.99 SRP)  (organic, vegan, biodynamic) imported from New Zealand , this wine evokes 'Old World' stylings, using barrel fermentation and aging on the lees. Stone fruits are balanced by a nutty almond character |ABV: 14% | Appellation: Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand

(organic, vegan, biodynamic) imported from , this wine evokes 'Old World' stylings, using barrel fermentation and aging on the lees. Stone fruits are balanced by a nutty almond character |ABV: 14% | Appellation: Gladstone, Wairarapa, The Champion Sauvignon Blanc ( $13.99 SRP) - Grown in the rich alluvial Wairau plains in Marlborough, the stony soils provide the ideal canvas for Sauvignon Blanc. The cool ocean breezes allow the berries to retain their signature acidity and mineral freshness while showcasing bursts of tropical grapefruit and bright pineapple flavors| ABV: 13.1% | Appellation: Marlborough, New Zealand

For more information on availability or to purchase, please visit riboliwines.com .

ABOUT RIBOLI FAMILY WINES

Riboli Family Wines, family-owned since 1917, celebrates over a century crafting award-winning wines. Winner of Wine Enthusiasts' 2018 "American Winery of the Year", Riboli Family Wines includes the Riboli Fine Wine division including CA estate-based brands from the family's 1,800 acres of sustainably farmed vineyards and Imported wines representing family-owned producers committed to sustainable and organic practices. In addition, the family owns Stella Rosa, the #1 Import Brand in the US1. With an affinity for business and innovation, the 3rd and 4th generations of the Riboli Family lead the industry and push the boundaries of winemaking and the wine experience. For more information, please visit www.riboliwines.com.

Press Contact:

Marie-Christina Batich

Account Supervisor, The Brand Leader

[email protected]

1 Source: Impact Databank 2023.

SOURCE Riboli Family Wines
TORONTO, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - RIV Capital Inc. ("RIV Capital" or the "Company") (CSE: RIV) (OTC: CNPOF), an acquisition and investment firm with a focus on building a leading multi-state platform with one of the strongest portfolios of brands in key strategic U.S. markets, today applauds reports that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency proposes to reschedule cannabis under the Controlled Substance Act (the "CSA") from Schedule I to a Schedule III substance. A rescheduling of cannabis under the CSA is expected to lead to the removal of 280E taxes, provide additional tailwinds to support further federal reform, expand institutional access to invest in the cannabis sector, and accelerate opportunities for research into the medical benefits of cannabis.

"Rescheduling cannabis has the potential to transform our industry in many ways and is one of the most monumental developments we have seen in the cannabis industry as the U.S. federal government finally acknowledges cannabis's medical efficacy and relatively low potential for abuse," said Mike Totzke, COO and interim CEO of RIV Capital. "We are thrilled to see the Biden administration continuing to follow through on their commitment to support cannabis reform. This reclassification would provide much needed relief to cannabis operators of all shapes and sizes, fairer tax treatment through the elimination of 280E, and permit much needed additional research on the medical efficacy of cannabis."

In addition, as previously disclosed, RIV Capital's Strategic Growth Committee ("SGC") continues to work to identify potential opportunities to unlock the full value of the Company's assets and enhance shareholder value. At this time, RIV Capital has not entered into a binding agreement and there can be no assurance that any transaction or other arrangement will result from the strategic review process. The Company does not intend to disclose further details with respect to its review or any potential transaction until the Company's Board of Directors has approved a specific transaction or such disclosure is otherwise required by applicable law.

About RIV Capital

RIV Capital is an acquisition and investment firm with a focus on building a leading multistate platform with one of the strongest portfolios of cannabis brands in key strategic U.S. markets. Backed by in-house expertise and cannabis domain knowledge, RIV Capital aims to grow its own brands and partner with established U.S. cannabis operators and brands to bring them to new markets and build market share. RIV Capital established the foundational building blocks of its active U.S. strategy with its previously announced acquisition of Etain, LLC ("Etain"). Through its strategic relationship with The Hawthorne Collective, a subsidiary of The ScottsMiracle-Gro Company ("ScottsMiracle-Gro"), RIV Capital is The Hawthorne Collective's preferred vehicle for cannabis-related investments not under the purview of other ScottsMiracle-Gro subsidiaries.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of RIV Capital and its portfolio companies with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions and includes information regarding the potential rescheduling of cannabis under the CSA; the potential effects of the rescheduling, including the removal of 280E taxes, increase federal legalization momentum, and expanded institutional access to invest in the cannabis sector; the potential transformation of the cannabis industry as a result of the reclassification of cannabis; the potential additional research to study the medical efficacy of cannabis; the Company's strategies, objectives, goals, opportunities and plans, including in respect of the SGC's efforts to identify future opportunities for the Company, any potential business combination or other arrangement with a transaction partner.

Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical fact but instead reflects management's expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although RIV Capital believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of RIV Capital or its portfolio companies.

Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: the Company's ability to execute its go-forward strategy; stock market volatility; changes in the business activities, focus and plans of the Company, Etain and the Company's investees and the timing associated therewith; the timing of any changes to federal laws in the U.S. to allow for the general cultivation, distribution, and possession of cannabis; regulatory and licensing risks; changes in cannabis industry growth and trends; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; the global regulatory landscape and enforcement related to cannabis, including political risks and risks relating to regulatory change; risks relating to anti-money laundering laws; compliance with extensive government regulation, including RIV Capital's interpretation of such regulation; public opinion and perception of the cannabis industry; divestiture risks; and the risk factors set out in RIV Capital's MD&A filed with Canadian securities regulators and available on RIV Capital's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although RIV Capital has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. RIV Capital does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law.

SOURCE RIV Capital Inc.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

Spike Lee and Giancarlo Esposito star in Italy in America advertising campaign for all-new, all-electric 2024 FIAT 500e

Spike Lee directs and stars in campaign with Giancarlo Esposito , marking the iconic duo's first national advertising campaign together

directs and stars in campaign with , marking the iconic duo's first national advertising campaign together Esposito helps Lee find his inner Italian as they discover how their urban commute becomes more "dolce" in the all-electric 2024 Fiat 500e

The marketing campaign debuts with a 60-second online spot, " Italy in America," and will include more than a dozen creative elements featuring the duo across the FIAT brand's social media channels

in America," and will include more than a dozen creative elements featuring the duo across the FIAT brand's social media channels The campaign will run through spring and summer, extending into fall

The all-new, all-electric 2024 Fiat 500e, produced at the historic Mirafiori factory in Turin, Italy , is available now across FIAT North America showrooms

, is available now across FIAT North America showrooms The all-new, all-electric 2024 Fiat 500e is Stellantis' first battery-electric vehicle (BEV) in North America , combining the love of an iconic brand with a sustainable mission

Legendary Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee and Emmy-nominated actor Giancarlo Esposito star in their first national advertising campaign together for the all-new, all-electric 2024 Fiat 500e, the first battery-electric vehicle (BEV) in North America from Stellantis. The advertising campaign, "Italy in America," directed by Spike Lee and filmed by Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Matthew Libatique ("Maestro"), launches across social media and digital channels today, May 1.

"As the all-new, all-electric 2024 Fiat 500e returns to America's shores as the first BEV from Stellantis, it marks the beginning for the brand's sustainability mission in the U.S. by delivering what an electric car should be: lightweight, stylish, efficient and with enough range for weekly city commutes," said Olivier Francois, global chief marketing officer, Stellantis. "The all-electric Fiat 500e captures the essence of the Italian lifestyle. This new campaign brings together an iconic duo of diverse heritage, legendary Brooklyn director Spike Lee and actor Giancarlo Esposito, who shares the virtues of his Italian ancestry with Spike to show him that La Dolce Vita can be found even far beyond Italy's borders."

The campaign brings together Lee and Esposito and is largely unscripted, allowing the two to act off their innate chemistry and enduring friendship. In the campaign, Esposito shares with Lee his Italian heritage and, together with the Fiat 500e, Esposito helps Lee discover his "inner Italian."

Lee and Esposito have known and worked with each other for more than 40 years, collaborating on numerous projects together, including "School Daze," "Do The Right Thing," "Mo' Better Blues" and "Malcolm X."

"Italy in America" was recently teased across FIAT brand's social media channels. The advertising campaign officially launches with its hero 60-second spot, "Italy in America." In addition to the launch spot, more than a dozen pieces of creative content featuring Lee and Esposito will run across FIAT brand's social media channels, extolling the virtues of the legendary 500 (cinquecento) in its newest and electric incarnation. Additional spots include:

"Where Are You?" - Esposito gets lost in the immersive JBL Virtual Venues audio technology. Featuring four venues hand-selected by Maestro Andrea Bocelli, the Virtual Venues feature in the JBL premium sound system offers listeners a virtual-reality audio experience that changes the acoustic characteristics of the car depending on the chosen location, transporting listeners to unique listening environments. Big things come in small packages and the all-new Fiat 500e does not disappoint with decibels of clarity. Listeners can now immerse themselves in music like never before, "visiting" the following venues: Giuseppe Verdi Opera House, Pisa  Feel the music in one of the most iconic opera houses in the world, live as if you were front row My Music Room  An intimate musical experience that virtually places you directly in front of your favorite artists My Recording Studio  Enjoy the pure acoustics of a virtual space replicating Maestro Bocelli's own recording studio Open-Air Arena  Transport your listening experience to a stadium or arena, with its unmistakable energy and acoustics

- Esposito gets lost in the immersive JBL Virtual Venues audio technology. Featuring four venues hand-selected by Maestro Andrea Bocelli, the Virtual Venues feature in the JBL premium sound system offers listeners a virtual-reality audio experience that changes the acoustic characteristics of the car depending on the chosen location, transporting listeners to unique listening environments. Big things come in small packages and the all-new Fiat 500e does not disappoint with decibels of clarity. Listeners can now immerse themselves in music like never before, "visiting" the following venues: "Elettrica"  It's not just electric  it's " elettrica ." It's not just the pronunciation Esposito explains to Lee, it's "Italian electric," meaning it is stylish, small, lightweight, efficient and environmentally ethical

elettrica Esposito "Bigger Is  Bigger"  Esposito shows how the American mantra of "bigger is better" isn't always a benefit when parking in the city

 Esposito shows how the American mantra of "bigger is better" isn't always a benefit when parking in the city "Why They Gave The Car Eyes"  Esposito explains the Italian point-of-view when it comes to the Italian design of the electric Fiat 500e's unique LED "eye" headlights and Level 2 autonomy radar and camera

 Esposito explains the Italian point-of-view when it comes to the Italian design of the electric Fiat 500e's unique LED "eye" headlights and Level 2 autonomy radar and camera "A Car That Listens" - Esposito shows Lee the beauty of the "Hey Fiat" voice recognition feature

- Esposito shows Lee the beauty of the "Hey Fiat" voice recognition feature "A Car That Can Sing" - Esposito shares the joy of the Fiat 500e's symphonic hum from its pedestrian Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) system as it drives through city streets

- Esposito shares the joy of the Fiat 500e's symphonic hum from its pedestrian Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) system as it drives through city streets "Too Italian" - Lee embraces his newfound Italian fashion, which simultaneously also describes the Fiat 500e

- Lee embraces his newfound Italian fashion, which simultaneously also describes the Fiat 500e "Italian Seats" - While enjoying gelato together, Esposito playfully tells Lee not to dirty up the eco-leather seats of his Fiat 500e

FIAT is electrifying North America with its sustainable mobility mission. The Fiat (500e)RED signaled the first drop of the 2024 Fiat 500e collection. Two additional products dropped last month: the 500e Inspired by Music in Tuxedo Black exterior paint and the 500e Inspired by Beauty in exclusive Rose Gold exterior paint. An all-new, all-electric take on the FIAT brand's most storied and iconic model, the two-door fully electric 500e, the first BEV offering from Stellantis, is arriving now in U.S. dealerships.

The BEV Experience

The lightest passenger BEV in the market, the 500e boasts an estimated range of 149 miles (240 kilometers), enabled by a 42-kWh battery with a Level 2 (11 kW) charge time of six hours. BEV capability combined with quintessential design cues make it unmistakably FIAT, with style and sustainability at its core.

The friendly, fun-to-drive Fiat 500e is exceptionally intuitive, with no need for instructions. It even sings. Welcoming passengers with a digital melody, the 500e sets the tone for an immersive Italian experience. In addition, the AVAS "sings" to pedestrians with a song titled "The Sound of 500," authored by Flavio Ibba-Marco Gualdi. The exclusive melody provides a taste of Italian culture during the first moments of every drive.

The "Italy in America" campaign was created by the FIAT brand in partnership with Rosewood Creative agency.

Product Drop

As part of its innovative marketing plan, FIAT is the first automotive brand to incorporate a "product drop" strategy to create buzz, cultivate customer loyalty and, ultimately, appeal. The product drop strategy involves the creation of different variants of the 500e to keep the vehicle fresh and interesting. Each model will be "dropped," meaning released at a particular time in a limited quantity, similar to successful initiatives carried out in the fashion apparel industry.

FIAT Brand

FIAT brand celebrates 125 years as an automaker and some things haven't changed. Iconic Italian design and refinement, plus a fun-to-drive factor, come standard with every Fiat.

In early 2024, FIAT brand will launch the Fiat 500e, the first Stellantis retail battery-electric vehicle offering in North America and the best-selling city EV in Europe.

FIAT is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com

Follow FIAT and company news and video on:

Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Fiat brand: www.fiatusa.com

Fiat blog: blog.fiatusa.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fiatusa

Instagram: www.instagram.com/fiatusa

Twitter: www.twitter.com/fiatusa or @StellantisNA

YouTube: www.youtube.com/fiatusa or https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

SOURCE Stellantis
NEEDHAM, Mass., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Stealth BioTherapeutics Inc. (the "Company" or "Stealth"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies for diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction, today announced its participation at key upcoming ophthalmology conferences to discuss the Company's clinical development efforts in dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD), including progression of lead investigational compound elamipretide into Phase 3 trials and development of pipeline compound bevemipretide (SBT-272) as a topical ophthalmic drop.

At the OIS Retina Innovation Summit (OIS), Reenie McCarthy , Stealth's Chief Executive Officer, will participate from 12:00 p.m.12:50 p.m. PT in a panel discussion entitled "Spotlight on Dry AMD & GA." OIS is being held on Saturday, May 4th at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle, WA.

(OIS), , Stealth's Chief Executive Officer, will participate from 12:00 p.m.12:50 p.m. PT in a panel discussion entitled "Spotlight on Dry AMD & GA." OIS is being held on at the Four Seasons Hotel in At the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting, the Company will present a poster titled, "Next-generation Ocular Topical SBT-272 Demonstrates Optimized Retina Tissue Exposure: Building Upon Elamipretide for Treating Dry AMD." ARVO is being held May 5-9 in Seattle, WA.

(ARVO) annual meeting, the Company will present a poster titled, "Next-generation Ocular Topical SBT-272 Demonstrates Optimized Retina Tissue Exposure: Building Upon Elamipretide for Treating Dry AMD." ARVO is being held in At Retina World Congress (RWC), Reenie McCarthy will participate in "Retina Unplugged: Designing Clinical Studies within the FDA Guidance" moderated by Dr. Baruch D. Kuppermann from 8:05 a.m. 8:35 a.m. on May 9th . RWC is being held May 9-12 at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Hotel.

The upcoming presentations emphasize Stealth's commitment to develop its mitochondrial targeted investigational products to address the bioenergetic deficit contributing to disease pathology and vision loss in dry AMD. Stealth plans to initiate two global Phase 3 trials, ReNEW and ReGAIN, to evaluate the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of subcutaneous injections of elamipretide in subjects with dry AMD, with first patient enrollment expected this quarter. Stealth is also advancing preclinical development of bevemipretide (SBT-272) for topical application, with Phase 1 initiation expected around year-end.

About ReNEW and ReGAIN

ReNEW and ReGAIN are two identical global research studies evaluating the efficacy of once-daily subcutaneous injections of elamipretide in subjects who have dry AMD. The duration of the research studies will consist of a masked treatment period of 96 weeks with the option for participants to enroll in the open-label extension trial, ReTAIN. The primary endpoint for the trials is the rate of change in the macular area of photoreceptor loss, defined as an ellipsoid zone to retinal pigment epithelium thickness of 0m. The macular area of photoreceptor loss will be assessed by spectral domain-optical coherence tomography and ellipsoid zone mapping. In both trials, 360 patients will be treated in a 2:1 randomization with either elamipretide or placebo for 96 weeks.

About Stealth BioTherapeutics

Stealth BioTherapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapies for age-related and rare genetic diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction. The Company is initiating Phase 3 clinical trials of elamipretide, its lead investigational product candidate, in dry age-related macular degeneration. Elamipretide is also being tested in a fully enrolled Phase 3 clinical trial in primary mitochondrial myopathy, a rare skeletal myopathic disease, and is under review by the Food and Drug Administration for Barth syndrome, an ultra-rare cardioskeletal disease. The Company is developing its second-generation clinical-stage candidate, bevemipretide (SBT-272), for ophthalmic and neurological disease indications. The Company has a deep pipeline of novel mitochondria-targeted compounds under evaluation as therapeutic product candidates.

Investor Contact

Stern Investor Relations

Austin Murtagh

[email protected]

Media Contact

Anna Stallman Communications

Anna Stallman

[email protected]

SOURCE Stealth BioTherapeutics Inc.
The company's compliance with SOC 2 Type II demonstrates mature security practices, reaffirming Steer Health's commitment to safeguarding its clients' and patients' data.

IRVING, Texas, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Steer Health , the leader in AI-powered healthcare automation, announced today that it has successfully completed SOC 2 Type II compliance under the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Standards for SOC for Service Organizations, also known as SSAE 18. This important data security standard underscores Steer Health's unwavering commitment to protecting patient data and adhering to the industry's most stringent security policies and procedures on an enterprise level.

SOC 2 Type II certification provides detailed information and independent assurance about the controls required to ensure the security, availability, and integrity of users' data processing systems and the confidentiality and protection of information across Steer's all-in-one healthcare as a service platform. The SOC 2 Type II audit report demonstrates to Steer Health's current and future customers that the SaaS company manages their data with the highest standard of security and compliance.

This recognition comes at a time when security incidents in the healthcare industry are on the rise, and sensitive healthcare data is at risk  if not properly managed. Steer Health's integrated HIPAA and SOC 2-compliant platform was developed by healthcare leaders with industry trends and security at top of mind.

"Security and privacy aren't just priorities at Steer Health; it's our cornerstone. Our clients entrust us with their most sensitive data, relying on our platform's security for essential and critical tasks," explained Sridhar Yerramreddy , CEO of Steer Health. "Our commitment to security will only grow from here, while this certification underscores that our systems and procedures already meet industry standards, safeguarding our customers and their data."

Steer Health was audited by Prescient Assurance , a leader in security and compliance attestation for B2B and SAAS companies worldwide. Prescient Assurance is a registered public accounting firm in the US and Canada that provides risk management and assurance services, including, but not limited to, SOC 2, PCI, ISO, NIST, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and CSA STAR. For more information about Prescient Assurance, you may reach out to them at [email protected] .

About Steer Health

Steer Health is a first-of-its-kind provider of AI-powered healthcare growth and automation solutions. Our mission is to empower healthcare organizations to thrive by attracting the desired patient population, streamlining operations, and driving revenue growth. We achieve this through our innovative offerings that leverage AI, automation, and data analytics to optimize every aspect of the healthcare experience.

SOURCE Steer Health
National nonprofit and Blue Buffalo continue commitment to annual campaign investing $20 million in the fight against pet cancer since 2010



SAN ANTONIO, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Millions of pets and pet parents are impacted every year by pet cancer. National nonprofit Petco Love, in partnership with Blue Buffalo, continue their 14-year commitment to support treatment for pets fighting the disease, further pet cancer research, and raise awareness about early detection of pet cancer. Together, since 2010, their investment to fight pet cancer totals $20 million during this annual May Pet Cancer Campaign.

Neva, pictured here with her pet parent Laura, was able to receive lifesaving surgery and treatment thanks to the Petco Love and Blue Buffalo Pet Cancer Treatment Fund. PCA logo

Pet cancer continues to be the number one disease-related cause of death for dogs and cats in the U.S., afflicting one in five cats and one in four dogs - dogs like Neva. When she was just 17 months old, Neva was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor in her mouth. Like any pet parent who learns of this daunting diagnosis, Neva's pet mom, Laura, was frightened. "I was absolutely devastated. I was very sad that she could potentially be losing out on her life."

Laura wasted no time getting Neva the critical care she needed at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Neva was able to receive lifesaving surgery and treatment thanks to the Petco Love and Blue Buffalo Pet Cancer Treatment Fund. "Receiving that grant was absolutely lifechanging and lifesaving, it helped save Neva's life. I'd like to thank Petco love and Blue Buffalo for the gift of time. Time is so important, and we were given that gift, we are so grateful." Neva is now a canine companion therapy dog bringing joy to all she meets and two years in remission.

"Pets are love. They are family. Unfortunately access to veterinary care is often a financial decision," said Susanne Kogut, President of Petco Love. "We are proud to support pet cancer research that improves treatment options and help families get the needed care for their pets to give them longer, healthier lives together."

Petco Love supports 12 university veterinary oncology partners. Partners include Colorado State University Foundation; Cornell Veterinary College; LSU Foundation (Louisiana State University  LSU); North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation; The Ohio State University Foundation; Texas A&M Foundation; University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine; University of Florida Foundation; University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine; University of Tennessee Foundation; University of Wisconsin Foundation; and the Virginia Tech Foundation.

Throughout May, Petco Love and Blue Buffalo continue to spread awareness about early detection of pet cancer, including sharing the ten warning signs of cancer in dogs and cats. Pet parents facing the challenges of pet cancer and struggling to cover the costs of veterinary treatment can also find resources here.

"Blue Buffalo was founded on a promise made to a family dog that one day cancer would no longer devastate the lives of our furry family members," said Haley Perry, senior manager of brand experience at Blue Buffalo. "Stories like Neva's continue to fuel our commitment to leading the fight against pet cancer by raising awareness and critical funds for education, research and lifesaving treatment."

From May 1, 2024, through May 31, 2024, when you make a purchase of Blue Buffalo dry food for dogs or cats on petco.com, Blue Buffalo will donate $1 per bag sold to Petco Love, up to $75,000 (excluding existing Repeat Delivery subscriptions). Anyone can also join the fight against pet cancer with Petco Love and help improve access to pet cancer treatment for pets and their families by donating at petcolove.org/pca.

About Petco Love

Petco Love is a life-changing nonprofit organization that makes communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since our founding in 1999 as the Petco Foundation, we've empowered animal welfare organizations by investing $380 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We've helped find loving homes for more than 6.8 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide. Our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating tools animal lovers need to reunite lost pets, and lead with passion, inspiring and mobilizing communities and our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us. Is love calling you? Join us. Visit PetcoLove.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we lead every day.

About Blue Buffalo

Blue Buffalo, the country's most loved and trusted natural pet food, started with a promise made to a lovable Airedale named Blue who struggled with cancer, the #1 disease-related killer of dogs and cats. His family, the Bishops, wanted to feed him the best food possible, so they searched for food with high-quality ingredients, but decided to create something even better  natural pet food for dogs and cats with nutritious ingredients, real meat first, and some of the highest standards in the industry. Since Day 1, BLUE's team of veterinarians and animal nutritionists have carefully selected high-quality, natural ingredients and upheld its True BLUE Promise to dog and cat pet parents  real meat as the first ingredient with NO chicken (or poultry) by-product meals, NO corn, wheat or soy, and NO artificial flavors or preservatives. The result is a portfolio of high-quality, natural food and treats that both dogs and cats love. This simple idea: "Love them like family. Feed them like family." lives on today in every Blue Buffalo recipe. Visit BlueBuffalo.com to learn more.

Media Contact:

Crystal Bugary, Petco Love, [email protected]

SOURCE Petco Love
JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On 30th April, the first Asiabike Jakarta took place at the Jakarta International Expo in Indonesia. TAILG, the global pioneer in long-range electric vehicles, participated in the exhibition. For its debut in Indonesia, TAILG showcased 12 new products tailored to local consumer demand at its booth, demonstrating its leadership in electric mobility.

TAILG made a grand appearance at 2024 Asiabike Jakarta and released many popular products. TAILG released a three-year strategic plan for the Indonesian market and will work with the first batch of Indonesian strategic partners to build a benchmark country in the electric two-wheeler market! TAILG released a three-year strategic plan for the Indonesian market and will work with the first batch of Indonesian strategic partners to build a benchmark country in the electric two-wheeler market!

At the same time, TAILG also held a grand Indonesia Wealth Summit with the theme "Electric Mobility and Green Future", inviting nearly 100 strategic partners to discuss the Indonesian two-wheel electric vehicle market, and releasing a three-year strategic plan. It is expected to build 100 branded stores by 2024.

Multiple Exhibits Generate Excitement at Asiabike Jakarta

The Asiabike Jakarta is the first local industry exhibition under the electric trend. Indonesia is one of the most important target markets in TAILG's globalization strategy. TAILG hopes to complete the brand debut of "TAILG" in the Indonesian market through the exhibition and win the market share first.

At the exhibition, many popular models made their stunning debut. Wu Qinshi, Director of Overseas Product Planning of TAILG, launched three core products, S1, S2 and UNIVERSE, which were well received by Indonesian customers.

As a racing-grade high-end electric motorcycle, the top-level configuration of S1 is equipped with a 5000W motor and three lithium battery modules, with an ultra-long range of 150 km.

S2 is a must-have model for high-end electric motorcycle players. With a maximum speed of 85km/h, it gives riders an adrenaline-pumping experience. Front and rear high-definition cameras provide better environmental detection capabilities.

UNIVERSE is equipped with "Somersault Cloud Long-endurance Technology Platform", which can travel 80-100 km on a single charge. The front bionic dual lights are designed by the German Red Dot Award-winning team, with a visible distance of 50m.

Rooting in the Local Market to Establish as Benchmark Country

On 29th April, TAILG held its first Indonesia Strategic Cooperation Wealth Summit in Indonesia and released a three-year strategic plan and local channel construction and development plan. TAILG expects to open 100 stores in 2024, 800 stores by 2026, and achieve a sales volume of 100,000 vehicles.

Chen Yingsheng, Vice President of TAILG Group and President of Overseas Business Unit, said: "We hope to build Indonesia into a benchmark market for our global strategy and widely export our experience to other regions to jointly realize the dream of recreating a TAILG overseas."

At the summit, Chen Xinjie, head of TAILG Group's Indonesian theater, gave a detailed introduction to the Indonesian market strategies and plans to partners.

Currently, TAILG has set up a branch and localized factory in Indonesia and will open an office and the first flagship store. It has formulated a channel development model of "taking root in Java Island" and will realize a full-chain localized service system from product research and development, production, sales, and after-sales service.

TAILG is rapidly moving towards the great goal of "Creating Another TAILG Overseas".

About TAILG

TAILG Group was established in Shenzhen, China in 2004. It has evolved into a diversified corporation integrating research and development, production, sales, sharing, charging, and battery swapping of electric two and three-wheelers with comprehensive industry chains. TAILG has ten smart manufacturing bases around the world, with an annual production capacity of more than 15 million units and more than 35,000 stores. Its products are exported to more than 90 countries and regions and are favored by consumers around the world.

SOURCE TAILG
SEATTLE, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Taipei Music Center (TMC) has launched "MUSIC, ISLAND, STORIES: TAIWAN CALLING!", its first overseas exhibition, at the University of Washington. The exhibit, which opened on April 24 and runs through May 28, chronicles the remarkable journey of Taiwanese pop music from its influence on Mandarin-speaking communities worldwide to its emergence in the global music scene. The exhibition showcases the widely recognized Taiwanese pop music as the birthplace and crucial hub of Mandarin pop songs that have captured the hearts of Chinese listeners around the world, has transcended borders and become a global cultural niche.

MUSIC, ISLAND, STORIES: TAIWAN CALLING!, a Taiwanese pop music exhibition at the UW Allen Library North Lobby, will be showcasing the vibrant music scene of Taiwan from April 24 to May 28

The opening ceremony was led by Kay Huang, a respected Taiwanese musician, composer, former Golden Melody Awards jury chairperson, and the current chairperson of TMC. Huang was joined by the exhibition's curators, renowned music critic Ma Shih-fang and music critic Chen Te-cheng, who shared fascinating stories behind the exhibits and the evolution of Taiwanese pop music in a thought-provoking panel discussion that left the audience captivated and eager to explore the exhibition further.

During the discussion, Ma Shih-fang shed light on the impact of censorship on Taiwanese music during the martial law era. The exhibition features a rare "List of Banned Songs" from the 1970s, highlighting the importance of freedom of expression. Ma emphasized that the list serves as a historical record, reminding visitors to cherish the hard-won freedom of artistic expression in Taiwan, evoking a sense of appreciation and resonance among the audience.

The panelists also explored the influence of American culture on Taiwanese pop music, particularly after the Korean War when the U.S. military was stationed in Taiwan. Chen Te-cheng shared his personal experience of growing up listening to American music on the radio and collecting bootleg records from the U.S. military radio station. The exhibition showcases how this exposure to American culture shaped the development of Taiwanese pop music, leading to the rise of rock and roll and other Western-influenced genres.

Kay Huang expressed her deep emotions during the opening ceremony, stating, "Although Taiwan is small, it is rich in culture, and life is difficult to separate from music. Music has no borders, and after a year of planning, seeing the exhibition successfully open here is truly moving." Huang extended her gratitude to the Taiwan Studies Program at the University of Washington for their unwavering friendship and support in making this exhibition a reality.

"MUSIC, ISLAND, STORIES: TAIWAN CALLING!" will be on display at the University of Washington Allen Library North Lobby until May 28. With its limited run in Seattle, the exhibition is a must-see for anyone passionate about music and cultural exploration, as it offers a unique opportunity to discover the rich tapestry of Taiwanese pop music and its ongoing transformation. Following its run in Seattle, TMC plans to bring the exhibition to more cities worldwide, inviting global audiences to experience the captivating journey of Taiwanese pop music.

About Taipei Music Center:

Established in 2020, the Taipei Music Center (TMC) is a leading cultural institution in Taiwan dedicated to preserving, promoting, and advancing Taiwanese pop music. As a multifaceted compound in the heart of Taipei City, the TMC hosts exhibitions, cultivates talents, fosters industry development, and showcases Taiwanese pop music on a global scale. Through innovative public-private partnership approaches, the TMC aims to highlight the diversity and creativity of Taiwanese music while fostering international cultural exchange. Embodying the philosophy "Music is life, and life has music," the Taipei Music Center strives to be the driving force behind Taiwan's thriving pop music scene.

Media Enquiries:

Christelle Cheng

[email protected]

SOURCE Taipei Music Center
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 1,500 supporters will help tackle lupus this Saturday, May 4, for the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) 2024 New Jersey Walk with Us to Cure Lupus at MetLife Stadium. Together, the passionate group of people with lupus and their friends and family expect to raise nearly $500,000 for lupus research as well as public awareness of the serious and commonly misdiagnosed autoimmune disease affecting millions worldwide.

The program kicks off Lupus Awareness Month with a welcome by LRA President and CEO Albert T. Roy and inspiring messages from Julie Keenan, Vice President, Corporate Brand Equity, Global Corporate Affairs of Johnson & Johnson; Jill Wedeen, Assistant Director, Food & Nutrition of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital; Jesse Linder, Vice President, Community Relations, New York Jets; and Bishop Rudy Carlton, LRA Board member and Pastor at Jehovah-Jireh Praise and Worship Church.

The day is filled with family fun including Jets Fest inflatable rides, magicians, characters, face painting, and photo booths. A yearly crowd-pleaser  several current Jets players meet with fans on the field. Chairman of the New York Jets, Robert Wood Johnson, is Founding Chairman of the LRA and Honorary Chair of the New Jersey Walk.

The LRA has invested more than $245 million in funding research that is delivering discoveries that can improve treatment while driving for a cure for lupus. Building on work funded by the LRA, more than a dozen therapies for lupus are currently in testing as potential treatments for this devastating autoimmune disease. The organization's clinical research affiliate, Lupus Therapeutics, is a significant partner in many current clinical trials and, ensuring that diversity of people living with lupus are fairly represented and the patient perspective is reflected in the clinical research process.

"Never before has the outlook for lupus treatment been more hopeful with dozens of clinical trials underway for this complex and chronic autoimmune disease," said Roy. "We need more safe and effective treatments because lupus differs from person to person. The future is particularly promising with engineered cell therapies being studied in lupus."

In addition to the New York Jets, the LRA also greatly appreciates the support of all its sponsors, including Johnson & Johnson, RWJBarnabas Health, Atlantic Health, Bristol Myers Squibb, and PNC Bank. Special thanks go to all who showed up at the stadium and online with donations to the Lupus Research Alliance on behalf of people with lupus waiting for new treatments and a cure. Because the LRA's Board of Directors covers all administrative and fundraising costs, 100 percent of donations goes directly to lupus research programs.

Participation in LRA's Walk program is free. Beginning with registration at 9:00 AM, the Walk takes place at MetLife Stadium, at 1 MetLife Stadium Drive in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Walk with Us to Cure Lupus is a major fundraising event, and everyone is encouraged to raise donations to support lupus research. Visit www.lupusresearch.org or Email [email protected] for more information about the event.

Joining the Walk with Us to Cure Lupus program is just one way to contribute to the lupus cause. During May, Lupus Awareness Month, LRA invites the lupus community to get involved to make a difference. The ManyOne Can campaign reflects the tremendous value every person in the lupus community brings to the fight to improve treatment while driving to a cure -- because while no one individual can do it alone, together ManyOne Can! The ways people with lupus, friends and family can help are also many by fundraising, advocating for increased federal research dollars, raising disease awareness, and taking part in the clinical research process. If you like to donate to the New Jersey Walk, please click here.

About Lupus

Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. More than 90 percent of people with lupus are women; lupus often striking during the childbearing years of 15-45. African Americans, Latinx, Asians, and Native Americans are at two to three times greater risk than Caucasians for developing lupus. In lupus, the immune system, meant to defend against infections, produces antibodies that mistakenly recognize the body's own cells as foreign, prompting other immune cells to attack and potentially damage organs such as the kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, blood, skin, and joints.

About the Lupus Research Alliance

The Lupus Research Alliance is the largest non-governmental, non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide. The organization aims to transform treatment by funding the most innovative lupus research, fostering diverse scientific talent, and driving discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments and ultimately a cure for lupus. Because the Lupus Research Alliance's Board of Directors funds all administrative and fundraising costs, 100 percent of all donations goes to support lupus research programs. For more information, please visit the LRA at LupusResearch.org and on social media at: X , Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance
-Fast casual concept celebrating grand opening on May 14th with free chicken salad for a year-

ATLANTA, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Salad Chick, the nation's only fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today it is opening in Kernersville at 736 South Main Street in the Main Street Market shopping center. Featuring outdoor patio seating and a large kitchen to fulfill catering orders, Chicken Salad Chick of Kernersville is the third in North Carolina for Paul and Michael Umphenour of Piedmont Restaurant Group, Inc., who also owns the High Point and Clemmons locations. The Kernersville community is invited to celebrate this grand opening on Tuesday, May 14th; the first 100 guests in line will win free chicken salad for a year.

During grand opening week, local guests can expect to experience the Southern hospitality that Chicken Salad Chick is known for with specials and giveaways that include:

Tuesday, May 14th  Free Chicken Salad for a Year to the first 100 Guests  The first guest in line will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year. The next 99 guests in line receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for a year.* Guests should arrive early to secure a place in line.

  The first guest in line will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year. The next 99 guests in line receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for a year.* Guests should arrive early to secure a place in line. Wednesday, May 15th - The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick Tumbler.**

- The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick Tumbler.** Thursday, May 16th  The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick Cooler.**

 The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick Cooler.** Friday, May 17th  The first 25 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick Cutting Board.**

 The first 25 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick Cutting Board.** Saturday, May 18th  ALL DAY, buy 2 Large Quick Chicks and receive one FREE.**

Paul and Michael Umphenour and the Piedmont Restaurant Group team opened their first Chicken Salad Chick in High Point in 2020, followed by Clemmons in 2022. A Greensboro native, Michael Umphenour has over two decades of industry experience operating restaurants. He quickly recognized Chicken Salad Chick's unbeatable combination of delicious food made from scratch every day in the restaurant and an emphasis on spreading joy and enriching lives within the communities it serves. He plans to keep expanding with the brand, opening in Asheboro later this year.

"Our inspiration for bringing more Chicken Salad Chick restaurants to the Triad is rooted in a passion for food, a desire to create a unique dining experience, and a love for bringing people together through culinary enjoyment," said Michael Umphenour. "The Kernersville community possesses abundant potential for expansion, boasting a blend of historical richness and tradition while embracing innovative ideas, spirited energy, and a strong sense of civic pride."

The Piedmont Restaurant Group team has partnered with local police departments at its other North Carolina locations and will be supporting the Kernersville Police Department as part of their pre-opening Friends & Family events in Kernersville. Umphenour looks forward to strengthening connections with the local community and developing a close relationship with the men and women in blue who serve Kernersville.

Chicken Salad Chick Kernersville will be open Monday  Saturday from 11 a.m.  8 p.m. For more information, visit www.chickensaladchick.com . Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and trends.

For more information on giveaways and specials, visit https://www.facebook.com/ChickenSaladChickKernersvilleNC.

*Guests should arrive early to secure a place in line. The first 100 guests must remain in line and download the Chicken Salad Chick app. Wi-Fi will not be available on site. Once the restaurant opens, guests will make a purchase of "The Chick" or anything of equal/greater value and enter a code in the Chicken Salad Chick app to officially secure their spot. If you leave the line for any reason, your spot will be awarded to the next guest in line. Guests will receive their first free Large Quick Chick electronically to their app the Monday following Grand Opening Day.

**Must download the CSC App and be 16 years or older to purchase. Not valid with any other offers. Limit 1 reward per guest present.

About Chicken Salad Chick

Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu is a perfect fit for any guest. Founded in Auburn, Alabama, by Stacy and Kevin Brown, in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick has grown to more than 250 restaurants in 19 states. Today, under the leadership of Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team, the brand is continuing its rapid expansion with both franchise and company locations. Chicken Salad Chick has received numerous accolades including rankings in the 2023 Entrepreneur Franchise 500, Franchise Times' Fast & Serious for the third consecutive year, Fast Casual.com's top Movers and Shakers from 2018 to 2023, QSR's Best Franchise Deals in 2019, 2020 and 2022, and Franchise Business Review's Top Food Franchises in 2020. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information.

Contact:

Nicole Hunnicutt

Fish Consulting

404-558-4108

[email protected]

SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick
Half of Americans feel they're running out of time to save for retirement,

though average 401(k) balances suggest people may be further along than they think

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Time is money, and there's a premium: Americans say their time is worth $240 per hour, on average, according to new research from Empower, a leader in financial planning, investing, and advice. Based on a standard 40-hour week, that puts the perceived value at $499,200 per year  nearly eight times higher than the average U.S. salary of $59,384.1 One third of people set the price at under $50 per hour, though 1 in 4 Millennials value their time at over $500 per hour  the highest of any generation (just 6% of Boomers name that rate).

Many Americans are racing against the clock when it comes to financial goals: Half think they're running out of time to save for retirement, even though 44% say they started putting money away early enough. Another 43% wish they could go back in time to start saving sooner, and half (48%) would rather have a longer retirement period with less money, than retire later in life with more.

People may be further along than they think. According to Empower Personal Dashboard data, the average 401(k) balance clocks in at $291,810 and for people in their 50s approaching retirement age the number jumps to $580,2592  one key measure of overall personal savings and investments.

Additional key findings from Time is Money:

Spending time wisely: The average price of 60 minutes varies: Millennials say it's worth $328.84 per hour, followed by Gen Z at $266.92 , Gen X at $215.90 and Boomers at $137.19 . Based on this study's findings of how Americans value their time, two hours of meetings at work cost close to $500 per person; catching nightly Z's costs nearly $2,000 a day (or close to $60,000 a month).

The average price of 60 minutes varies: Millennials say it's worth per hour, followed by Gen Z at , Gen X at and Boomers at . Based on this study's findings of how Americans value their time, two hours of meetings at work cost close to per person; catching nightly Z's costs nearly a day (or close to a month). Less is more: 1 in 4 people (26%) are willing to take a 15% pay cut to gain more free time. 40% would rather pay to make life easier right now than to save and have more money later and more than 2 in 5 say outsourcing household tasks gives them a better work/life balance (41%).

1 in 4 people (26%) are willing to take a 15% pay cut to gain more free time. 40% would rather pay to make life easier right now than to save and have more money later and more than 2 in 5 say outsourcing household tasks gives them a better work/life balance (41%). Cost of convenience: 36% would rather pay more to get an item delivered instead of driving 10 minutes to get it. A third of Gen Z (30%) would pay up to $5,000 per year to save time not doing everyday tasks like cleaning and yard work, and 36% of Millennials would shell out up to $10,000 for someone to take on in-house chores and cook meals.

36% would rather pay more to get an item delivered instead of driving 10 minutes to get it. A third of Gen Z (30%) would pay up to per year to save time not doing everyday tasks like cleaning and yard work, and 36% of Millennials would shell out up to for someone to take on in-house chores and cook meals. AI to save time: 21% would use AI to recommend money moves to plan for retirement, help pay bills on time (25%) and make a budget by examining personal financial accounts (23%).

21% would use AI to recommend money moves to plan for retirement, help pay bills on time (25%) and make a budget by examining personal financial accounts (23%). Time on money: 26% would spend $5,000 per year to have someone else manage their long-term financials, investments, and savings. More than a third of Americans admit to procrastinating money tasks like paying their bills.

26% would spend per year to have someone else manage their long-term financials, investments, and savings. More than a third of Americans admit to procrastinating money tasks like paying their bills. Clocking in: 44% say they wish they could work part-time, but can't afford it. More than a third (32%) say they want to start their own business, but don't have the time.

44% say they wish they could work part-time, but can't afford it. More than a third (32%) say they want to start their own business, but don't have the time. Financial signs of the times: 1 in 4 Americans are keeping a close eye on shrinkflation (24%), as well as their ability to retire and when (22%), the strength of the job market (21%), and cryptocurrency (19%).

1 in 4 Americans are keeping a close eye on shrinkflation (24%), as well as their ability to retire and when (22%), the strength of the job market (21%), and (19%). The luxury of time: 6 in 10 people (63%) "feel wealthy" if they have enough time to spend with family and friends. Nearly a third feel comfortable taking on debt if it buys more free time (29%) or a memorable experience (29%). Nearly 2 in 5 say saving time is more important than saving money (37%).

For many, getting advice early on is key: Nearly 1 in 5 would have worked with a financial professional sooner. Overall, Americans remain optimistic, with 78% saying it's never too late to start focusing on your finances.

Visit The Currency to read Empower's full research report, "Time is Money."

*ABOUT THE STUDY

The Empower "Time is Money" study is based on online survey responses from 2,204 Americans ages 18+ fielded by Morning Consult from March 11-14, 2024. The survey is weighted to be nationally representative on the following dimensions: age, gender, education, race and region. Results from the survey have a margin of error between +/- 2%.

ABOUT EMPOWER

Empower, a leader in financial planning, investing, and advice, is dedicated to creating financial freedom through people and technology. It administers approximately $1.5 trillion in assets for more than 18.5 million individuals3 and is the nation's second-largest retirement plan recordkeeper.4 Connect with us on Empower.com, and subscribe to The Currency for the latest money news and views shaping how we live, work and play.

Media contacts:

Rebecca Rickert [email protected]

Katelyn Kwiatkowski [email protected]

1 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Dec 2023. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.

2 Anonymized user data from the Empower Personal Dashboard as of March 2024.

3 As of December 31, 2023. Assets under Administration (AUA) refers to the assets administered by Empower. AUA does not reflect the financial stability or strength of a company.

4 Pensions & Investments 2022 Defined Contribution Survey. Ranking measured by total number of participants as of September 2022.

Empower refers to the products and services offered by Empower Annuity Insurance Company of America and its subsidiaries. This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide investment, legal, or tax recommendations or advice.

The information contained herein is being provided for discussion purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities. All visuals are illustrative only.

"EMPOWER" and all associated logos and product names are trademarks of Empower Annuity Insurance Company of America.

 2024 Empower Annuity Insurance Company of America. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE Empower
NEW YORK, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global transcranial doppler market size is estimated to grow by USD 39.74 million from 2024 to 2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period. North America is estimated to contribute 41%. to the growth of the global market.

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Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Transcranial Doppler Market 2024-2028

The Transcranial Doppler Market report forecasts market growth by revenue at global, regional & country levels from 2018 to 2028.

Region Outlook

North America Europe Asia Rest of World

1. North America - North America is set to play a significant role in the global market's expansion, with an estimated 41% contribution during the forecast period. The dominance of North America in the transcranial doppler market is evident, chiefly led by the US and Canada as primary revenue generators. This dominance stems from key factors such as the presence of major vendors and growing demand for intraoperative imaging during surgeries.

Moreover, the region grapples with a high prevalence of cerebrovascular conditions like stroke and vasospasm, fostering demand for transcranial doppler ultrasonography. The availability of advanced doppler products further fuels this demand, especially in healthcare settings such as emergency departments, intensive care units, and physicians' offices.

Notably, the US and Canada stand out as the top contributors to the market in North America , benefiting from the presence of major players, technological advancements, increased healthcare expenditure, and advanced healthcare facilities. Consequently, these factors are poised to propel the regional market's growth throughout the forecast period.

For insights on the market share of rest of the regions and countries- Download a FREE Sample

Research Analysis

The Transcranial Doppler Market is witnessing significant growth driven by the increasing demand for non-invasive diagnostic techniques in both clinical and research settings. This imaging technique utilizes ultrasound technology to measure blood flow velocity and direction in the brain's arteries. It plays a crucial role in diagnosing various neurological conditions such as cerebrovascular diseases, stenosis, emboli, subarachnoid hemorrhage, arteriovenous malformations, and sickle cell disorders.

Particularly in pregnancy, it aids in detecting potential risks related to cardiovascular disorders. The Doppler ultrasound technique, applied transracially through the cranium, provides valuable insights into cerebral circulatory arrest and ischemic cerebrovascular disorders. With its point-of-care services, healthcare professionals can efficiently monitor patients and make informed decisions.

As a non-invasive diagnostic procedure, it offers convenience and safety to patients while delivering accurate results. The Transcranial Doppler Market is poised for continuous expansion as healthcare providers increasingly adopt this technology for precise diagnosis and monitoring.

Market Overview

The Transcranial Doppler market is driven by the demand for non-invasive diagnostic techniques in clinical and research settings, focusing on neurological and cerebrovascular conditions. This imaging technique utilizes ultrasound waves to measure blood flow velocity and direction in the brain's arteries. It is particularly useful in diagnosing conditions such as stenosis, emboli, subarachnoid hemorrhage, arteriovenous malformations, and sickle cell disorders.

The market is witnessing significant growth due to its application in diagnosing ischemic cerebrovascular disorders and cerebral circulatory arrest, especially in point-of-care services. Additionally, its utility extends to monitoring blood flow changes during pregnancy and identifying cardiovascular disorders.

Transcranial Doppler ultrasound offers a non-invasive approach, making it preferable for both patients and healthcare providers. Its ability to provide real-time data on blood flow velocity within the cranium positions it as a valuable diagnostic procedure in the medical field. As the demand for efficient and reliable diagnostic tools continues to rise, the Transcranial Doppler market is expected to expand steadily.

To understand more about this market- Download a FREE Sample Report in minutes!

Key Topics Covered:

1 Executive Summary

2 Market Landscape

3 Market Sizing

4 Historic Market Size

5 Five Forces Analysis

6 Market Segmentation

7 Customer Landscape

8 Geographic Landscape

9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10 Venodr Landscape

11 Vendor Analysis

12 Appendix

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
NEW YORK, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Traverse Biotech, Inc. has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH. This grant will support the development of our oral innate immunotherapy stimulant modality with an emphasis on the evaluation of monocytic cellular activation using pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) motifs.

Brandy Houser, co-Founder and CEO of Traverse Biotech, expressed: "We are grateful for the support of NIAID. We believe that our product candidate has broad applicability to several immunological pathologies where myeloid derived cells are dysfunctional and ultimately not effective in disease resolution."

This work will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Sara Lustigman, Head of Molecular Parasitology at Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute of New York Blood Center Enterprises. Dr. Lustigman's extensive academic research in immunology and infectious diseases will enable the evaluation of Traverse's innate immune stimulator mechanism of action in validated preclinical pathogenic models.

About Traverse Biotech, Inc. is a privately held US biotechnology company that develops innovative immunotherapy products. Traverse Biotech focuses on late-stage preclinical and early clinical development of product candidates derived from de-risked technology platforms. For each product within its pipeline, Traverse licenses worldwide commercialization rights from selected international biopharma companies that are divesting promising product candidates due to strategic portfolio rationalization. Via an original partnership model, Traverse Biotech accelerates therapeutic development of each asset through clinical proof-of-concept. Its flexible and lean operating structure enables rapid clinical evaluation and cost reduction around all aspects of product development reaching patients sooner.

SOURCE Traverse Biotech
BURNET, Texas, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Grossman Law Offices, with its principal office in Dallas, TX, extends thoughts and support to Travis Cozby following a truck accident that occurred on April 1, 2024, shortly before 1:30 p.m. along U.S. Highway 281, South Water Street in Burnet, TX. Mr. Cozby sustained injuries in the incident.

Details About the Burnet Truck Accident:

According to authorities, 82-year-old Travis Cozby was traveling in an eastbound Ford F-150 on Del Springs Boulevard at the U.S. Highway 281 intersection when the accident took place.

The F-150 reportedly entered the intersection with a green light from the traffic signal. Officials indicate that, for reasons yet to be determined, a southbound Ford F-350 with a trailer in tow on U.S. 281 failed to stop for the red light at the intersection, resulting in a collision between the front end of the F-350 and the front-left side of the F-150.

As a result of the accident, Mr. Cozby suffered severe injuries and was promptly transported to a local medical facility by EMS for treatment. No other injuries have been reported in connection with this incident.

The incident is still under investigation and further details surrounding the accident are currently unavailable.

Related Reading: The Media Is Missing Serious Accidents: What Is to Be Done?

About Grossman Law Offices:

Grossman Law Offices is a Texas-based personal injury and wrongful death firm with a commitment to educating the public about road safety awareness. For more than 30 years, their firm has highlighted crashes that don't make the news.

For More Information:

For additional details about this incident or to learn more about Grossman Law Office's public outreach and educational initiatives, please visit our website at Grossman Law Offices or contact us at 866-513-3847.

SOURCE Grossman Law Office, P.C.
LONDON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Zing, one of the most prolific Twilio consulting partners, has raised an additional 1.25 million from existing shareholders Maven Capital Partners to support its expansion in the United States (US).

Headquartered in the United Kingdom (UK), Zing builds exclusively on the Twilio technology stack, helping organizations around the world deliver amazing customer experiences. Through its propriety quick-build platform, customers accelerate the roll-out of their Twilio implementations, while retaining complete control of the underlying code.

In recent years, Zing has experienced significant organic growth in the US, fueled partly by increasing demand from organizations seeking to capitalize on the rapid advancements in generative and conversational artificial intelligence (AI).

This infusion of capital will see Zing establish a dedicated US operating entity and execute its go-to-market strategy as it brings the power of Twilio's AI capabilities to bear.

Julian Hucker, CEO of Zing says, "Organizations are increasingly seeking to leverage cutting-edge technologies to enhance customer experience (CX) and operational efficiencies, particularly within their contact centers. Twilio Flex's CustomerAI technology is transformative, reducing agents' workloads and streamlining workflows through such things as AI-driven post-work automated summaries, and real-time customer sentiment analysis.

"With conversational AI and virtual assistant technologies projected to fuel a 24% growth in the contact center market in 2024 (Gartner), this is a key moment for CX innovation. These new technologies can provide massive benefits, but they must be deployed and used in the right ways. We've built a business on ensuring that they are," adds Hucker.

Spinning out from ProspectSoft in 2022 with the backing of Maven Capital Partners, Zing has supported 100+ customers across the globe including; Age UK, Car Finance 24/7, The Norwegian Refugee Council, and Oxfam, and is a Twilio Preferred Parter (the highest level of partnership). Its mission remains to build nothing short of the world's leading Twilio consulting partner.

Tom Purkis, Partner at Maven Capital Partners says, " Following our initial investment in the spin-out, Zing is now at the forefront of enabling organizations worldwide to get the most out of cutting-edge cloud communications technology. The surge in demand for its expertise in the US underscores how essential it is as a communications software partner for thousands of businesses. We look forward to working with Julian and the team to build on the company's success as it continues to grow globally."

Notes to Editors

About Zing www.zing.dev

Zing is a leading Twilio Preferred Partner, helping organizations around the world build and deliver exceptional user experiences. We build exclusively on the Twilio Stack, combining the best in communications and customer data to enable organizations to reach customers across any channel while delivering personalized services.

Zing launched as an independent company in 2022 and has gone on to support 100+ customers as we work towards becoming the world's leading Twilio consulting partner. We're headquartered in the UK but support organizations around the globe. Learn more about Zing and how we work at www.zing.dev.

About Maven Capital Partners UK LLP www.mavencp.com

Maven (a subsidiary of Mattioli Woods plc) is a leading private equity house focused on the provision of flexible funding for high growth businesses, and one of the most active SME investors in the UK. Headquartered in Glasgow, and with offices throughout the UK, Maven has over 100 investment and support professionals providing a truly nationwide coverage. Maven has over 790 million funds under management and available to invest, and manages assets for a variety of client funds, including Venture Capital Trusts, MBO Fund, UK regional fund mandates, and Maven Investor Partners, a syndicate of institutional, family office and experienced investors.

SOURCE Zing
Endoscopic technique is the 'next generation' of spine surgery

CHICAGO, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bringing peace of mind to patients needing spine surgery, an ultra-minimally invasive procedure called endoscopic spine surgery (ESS) is now being performed in Chicago by Dr. Kern Singh of Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSH, a pioneer in the use of this new technique. ESS is considered the 'next generation' of minimally invasive spine surgery because it requires no incisions at all, allowing patients to recover even more quickly.

Click here to view video of the endoscopic spine procedure performed by Dr. Singh.

Through just one or two very small holes in a patient's skin (the size of a pen tip), the surgeon can view and treat common spine conditions including disc herniation, spinal stenosis, and sciatica. Most patients return home the same day with little or no pain medication.

"Endoscopic spine surgery is being performed by just a small number of specially trained physicians in the country," explains Dr. Singh. "I'm thrilled to be one of these and to be able to offer my patients a faster, less invasive solution for their pain."

How does ESS work?

A small hole is made in a patient's skin through which a tubular trocar (about the width of a pencil) is inserted. Depending on the patient's condition, the endoscopic technique may access the spine using an intralaminar (from the back of the sine between two laminae) or transforaminal (from the back/side of the spine into the nerve passageway) approach.

Next, a tiny camera is inserted into the hole which captures and projects real-time images of the patient's spine onto a monitor in front of the surgeon. The endoscopic camera guides the surgeon during the surgical procedure. A second small hole is typically created for the narrow instrument the surgeon uses to treat the patient's spinal condition.

All patients walk immediately after discharge from the surgery center, usually one to two hours post-surgery. Normal activity can be resumed in as little as one week.

"The reason my patients are doing so well with this procedure is that it requires no muscle-cutting, no incisions, and immediate pain-free mobility," Dr. Singh says.

What are the benefits of ESS?

One or two small holes covered by a standard band aid

No bleeding or scarring

Immediate recovery

Little to no pain medication

Preservation of spinal mobility

Local anesthesia

Same day outpatient surgery

No muscle or bone removal

About Dr. Kern Singh

Dr. Singh is the Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs and the Director of the Division of Spine Surgery at RUSH. He is a long-standing Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at RUSH and a nationally renowned minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgeon at Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSH (MOR). A leading member of MOR since 2005, he has been a prolific award-winning researcher with prominent executive positions including the Chair of the Spine Section for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

About Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSH

MOR is an international leader in musculoskeletal health consistently ranked among the top ten in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. MOR physicians are the designated team care providers for many organizations including the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox. MOR has seven full-service locations and nine stand-alone physical therapy clinics in the Chicago area. For more information: www.rushortho.com

SOURCE Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSH
Black-Led Organization Recognized for Responsible Lending and Community Building

PHOENIX, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The UPI Loan Fund (UPILF) is pleased to announce its 2024 recertification as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). This U.S. Department of Treasury designation recognizes UPI as a private financial institution providing low-cost consumer and business loans to underserved communities.

"UPI Loan Fund is CDFI-certified to operate nationally and provides 60% of our loans to Black Americans and 40% to other communities who lack access to capital," said Frank E. Crump, founder and president of UPILF. "Along with our partners, UPI's long-term vision includes plans to enter the construction and real-estate sectors to create affordable housing. We're following the paths forged by Black Wall Street and, in the name of economic uplift, leveraging the estimated $1.8 trillion dollars in today's Black buying power ."

The UPI Loan Fund was incorporated in 2004 and modeled on the Jewish Free Loan Program , which began in the 1940s. "Because UPI Loan Fund takes social impact and community development into consideration, borrowers outline how their loan will benefit their community and contribute to positive social change," said Charmeachealle Moore, founder of ProLiving Inc . in Dallas and UPILF partner. "This socially conscious approach to lending translates into communities that are actually enriched by a loan organizationnot the other way around."

For NEST in Connecticuta community development organization founded in 1980partnering with UPILF was symbiotic and intentional. "UPILF is Black-led, and that's a key point of difference, said Kevin Taylor, executive director of NEST and UPILF partner. "We're proud to be part of a network that provides responsible lending services to low- and moderate-income communities which have historically been denied access."

This perspective is also echoed in Webster, Texas, where the Multi-Cultural Center (MCC) provides hunger relief, health, legal services, and interest-free micro-loans. "African Americans lead UPI Loan Fund with a vision to help financially marginalized folks in communities where more traditional institutions have long forgotten them," said Hamza Reed, Director of Operations for MCC and UPILF partner.

For Dallas-based Services of Hope , which assists with food insecurity, financial literacy and first-time homebuying, UPI's capacity for handling back-office operations has been invaluable. "Partnering with UPILF enables us to tap into networks of nonprofit partners across the country and UPILF's back-office support allows us to focus on serving our community," said Dr. Daniel B. Prescott, Jr., CEO for Services of Hope and UPILF partner.

"We believe that equity begins where inequality ends," said Crump. "Through our CDFI certification and ever-expanding partnerships, UPI is working to close the racial wealth gap by cultivating financial empowerment within our community."

To get involved with UPILF, please visit https://upiloanfund.us/ . For press inquiries and more information, please contact Heather Taylor of Mad Hat Maven: [email protected] or 323.839.4488.

SOURCE UPI Loan Fund
WINCHESTER, Va., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Van Metre, in partnership with Brookfield Residential, is excited to announce the next phase of development in the already established Snowden Bridge community in Stephenson, Virginia. This expansion represents a groundbreaking milestone, marking the first-ever collaboration between Van Metre and Brookfield Residential at Snowden Bridge. By leveraging decades of combined industry experience, innovative design, and a shared dedication to enhancing community life, this venture aims to further enrich the vibrant and thriving neighborhood of Snowden Bridge.

"This joint venture marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the already thriving Snowden Bridge community," said Gregg Hughes, President, Land and Housing Development, Brookfield Properties. "This collaboration introduces the next phase of development, showcasing our continued commitment to excellence, superior craftsmanship, and a community-focused approach that residents have come to know and trust. We are also pleased to announce, a brand new gated active adult community, Hiatt Pointe at Snowden Bridge, opening for sales this summer."

The venture is a demonstration of how collaboration can lead to the creation of a community that is greater than the sum of its parts. The unique strengths and visions of both companies converge to offer residents of Snowden Bridge an unmatched living experience. Every detail of Snowden Bridge, from the architecture and design of 492 all age homes and 740 active adult homes, to the additional amenities and green spaces, has been strategically planned, ensuring that the community doesn't just meet, but surpasses, the expectations of today's homebuyers.

"We believe that by joining forces with Brookfield Residential, we are setting a precedent for the future of community development," said Brian Davidson, Chief Operating Officer New Homes, Manufacturing, and Van Metre Land for Van Metre. "Snowden Bridge is poised to become a model for how developers can work together to benefit the communities they serve, ensuring a vibrant, sustainable future for all residents."

For more information about Snowden Bridge and to discover your new home, please visit www.SnowdenBridge.com.

About Snowden Bridge:

Snowden Bridge in Stephenson, VA near Winchester, is a thoughtfully planned community that offers a vibrant lifestyle. It features a variety of homes, including single-family homes and townhomes, designed to cater to all stages of life and opening for sales this summer, Hiatt Pointe at Snowden Bridge, a gated community exclusively for active adults. Snowden Bridge boasts an extensive array of resort-style amenities including a swimming pool, splash park, playgrounds, community park, dog park, bike track, and picnic pavilion, aimed at promoting outdoor activities and neighborly connections. The community also features a clubhouse and indoor sportsplex. Located against the stunning backdrop of the Shenandoah Valley, residents of Snowden Bridge enjoy both the peace of natural surroundings and the convenience of close-by city amenities and outdoor recreation.

About Van Metre Homes:

Van Metre Homes, recognized as Northern Virginia's leading private home builder, stands out for its exceptional quality construction and innovative design. For nearly seven decades, Van Metre Homes has been committed to excellence and customer satisfaction, leaving a lasting impression in the communities it serves. At Van Metre Homes, the mission goes beyond building housesit's about creating enduring legacies and fulfilling dreams. Discover the difference and legacy of excellence Van Metre Homes offers at www.VanMetreHomes.com .

About Brookfield Residential:

Brookfield Residential Properties Inc. is a leading land developer and homebuilder in North America. We entitle and develop land to create master-planned communities, build and sell lots to third-party builders and operate our own homebuilding division. We also participate in select, strategic real estate opportunities, including infill projects, mixed-use developments, and joint ventures. Learn more at www.BrookfieldResidential.com.

SOURCE Van Metre Homes
Transaction Expands Ventura Foods' Manufacturing Capabilities and Broadens Product Portfolio

BREA, Calif., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ventura Foods, a food manufacturing and innovation company specializing in custom and branded products for restaurants and retailers, has reached an agreement to acquire DYMA Brands.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, DYMA Brands is a leader in liquid portion control and bulk condiments, seasonings, and dry blend mixes for the foodservice industry. It has more than 500 employees and operates manufacturing facilities in Bremen, Georgia; Duluth, Georgia; Bondurant, Iowa; and Visalia, California.

All DYMA Brands employees and manufacturing locations will be acquired as part of the transaction. The DYMA Brands company will continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Ventura Foods.

"DYMA Brands is an ideal fit for Ventura Foods and represents an exciting next chapter of strategic growth for our company," said Chris Furman, President and CEO of Ventura Foods. "This purchase allows us to better support our customers with added production and distribution capabilities and an expanded product portfolio. We are excited to welcome the talented DYMA Brands team and look forward to what we will accomplish together."

"While it's clear that DYMA Brands and Ventura Foods share capabilities, what's most noteworthy is the companies' shared philosophy on corporate culture that uniquely positioned Ventura Foods to prevail in this transaction," said Bill Goetz, President & CEO of DYMA Brands. "We are geared up to ensure a seamless transition with the Ventura Foods team."

BofA Securities, Inc. served as financial advisor, and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman served as legal advisor to Ventura Foods. Moelis & Company, LLC served as exclusive financial advisor, and Mayer Brown, LLP served as legal advisor to DYMA Brands and Kayne Anderson.

Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

About Ventura Foods

Ventura Foods, LLC is a leading producer of exclusive products, ready-to-go solutions, and consumer brands in the dressings, sauces, mayonnaises, shortenings, and oils categories. Their customers include foodservice companies, restaurants, and retailers in over 70 countries. A privately held joint venture of CHS, Inc. and Mitsui & Co., Ventura Foods manufactures products in the US, Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines. For more information, visit venturafoods.com.

About DYMA Brands

Dyma Brands Holdings, Inc., based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a leader in liquid portion control and bulk condiments, seasonings and dry blend mixes, and custom printing to the foodservice industry. Their product portfolio includes brands such as Chef's Companion and Flavor Fresh, as well as licensed properties. DYMA Brands is known for consistent quality, service, flexibility and innovation.

SOURCE Ventura Foods
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Villa Vie Residences, a leading innovator in modern-day residential cruising, announced having secured a Term Loan Facility from funds advised by NRP Maritime Asset Management AS, a Norwegian maritime fund manager, on April 26, 2024. Subsequently, on April 28, the Company's vessel, Odyssey, entered dry-dock and is now scheduled to exit on May 21. Due to operational enhancements aimed at elevating the overall experience and safety of its residents, the departure of Villa Vie Odyssey, originally scheduled for May 15 from Southampton, UK, has been rescheduled to May 30 out of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Villa Vie Residences secures loan as Odyssey enters dry dock. Departure rescheduled to elevate guest experience. Post this On April 28, 2024 the Villa Vie Odyssey entered dry-dock in Belfast, Ireland and is now scheduled to exit on May 21.

The Villa Vie Odyssey, currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment, is set to embark on a transformative journey across seven continents, offering residents an unparalleled lifestyle of luxury and exploration. The ship, formerly known as MS Braemar by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, is undergoing a renovation to elevate the onboard experience to new heights, catering to the sophisticated needs of modern travelers.

"We are excited about our latest accomplishments and our upcoming launch of Villa Vie Odyssey and the enhancements we are making to ensure an exceptional experience for all our residents," said Mikael Petterson, Chief Executive Officer of Villa Vie Residences. "The delay in departure is a necessary operational adjustment aimed at upholding the highest standards of service and safety."

During this period of transition, Villa Vie Residences is fully prepared to assist residents in every aspect of their journey. A dedicated hotline has been established for residents to address any concerns or inquiries related to the rescheduled departure. Additionally, Villa Vie will cover all change fees incurred by residents due to the new departure date.

Residents who wish to experience the Villa Vie Odyssey before departure are invited to participate in ship tours and explore the amenities offered onboard. Tours will be available at the Belfast port, providing residents with a firsthand look at the enhancements being made to the ship.

"Our team is committed to providing personalized assistance and ensuring that our residents have a seamless and enjoyable experience with Villa Vie Residences," said Kathy Villalba, Chief Operating Officer of Villa Vie Residences. "Excitement over our upcoming cruise is growing  with over 80% of our available cabins sold  and continues to increase everyday as we near our departure."

For more information and assistance, residents are encouraged to contact Villa Vie Residences directly.

About Villa Vie Residences: Villa Vie Residences takes a creative approach to cruise ship living with the flexibility travelers are seeking today. Villa Vie Residences' extraordinary Continual World Cruise invites travelers to discover more than 425 ports in 147 countries across all seven continents as it circumnavigates the globe every three and a half years. Through its ownership program, travelers can embrace life as a global resident by owning a villa at sea. Those unable to commit to the full world cruise program can curate their own unique journey and purchase segments ranging from 35 to 120 days. The onboard experience features the comforts of home, along with amenities most discerning travelers expect, creating a harmonious blend of convenience and wanderlust fulfillment.

For more information, please contact [email protected].

For images and assets, please click here

SOURCE Villa Vie Residences
LOS ANGELES, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vision Films Inc. ("Vision") announces the North American Transactional VOD release of the groundbreaking fantasy Princess Halle and The Jester from writer, director and producer Christopher Lombardi on May 21, 2024. It will also have a day and date release on Sky Store in the UK. As the promise and pitfalls of generative AI engulf the industry, Princess Halle's novel use of cutting-edge technology enabled Lombardi to create a new IP with real humans in a sustainable way. Attendees at Nashville Comic Con in June will be among the first to learn how this remarkable film was produced.

Princess Halle And The Jester, Cutting Edge Tech Made Family Film Poster

The feature-length film melds live-action with hybrid virtual sets and performance capture animation on an unprecedented budget. Watch the trailer: HERE.

Synopsis: After a poor jester helps her survive a brutal attack on her castle, Princess Halle must quest to save her father and restore her kingdom while her stepmother accuses her of conspiring with goblins to steal the throne.

The film stars: Emma Duchesneau (Patsy and Loretta), Duncan Novak (The Devil Below), Rachel Stacy (Homicide Hunter), Donovan Kirkpatrick (Malum), and Geoffrey Lyons (introducing).

Lise Romanoff, CEO/Managing Director of Vision Films says, "Princess Halle and The Jester is an incredible and completely original take on a classic fairytale with characters sure to capture your heart."

Filmmaker Christopher Lombardi shares, "The future of independent film starts here. Princess Halle and The Jester proves that a small budget is no longer a barrier to telling a large story. We're proud of the technological achievement in bringing this world to life, and we hope we've made a charming film that captures the spirit of golden age cinema for a modern audience."

About Vision Films

Vision Films is a leading independent sales and VOD aggregator specializing in the licensing, marketing, and distribution of over 800 feature films, documentaries, and series from some of the most prolific independent film producers in the world. Led by Lise Romanoff, Managing Director/CEO Worldwide Distribution, Vision Films releases 2-4 films a month across Theatrical, VOD, DVD, and television platforms. visionfilms.net

About Christopher Lombardi

A graduate of NYU film school, Christopher Lombardi established Golden Age Pictures with the mission of creating VFX-driven original IPs for kids & families. Golden Age Pictures' character-driven stories forge new frontiers in independent production while capturing the spirit of classic films for modern audiences.

Media Contact:

Andrea McKinnon

818-415-9442

[email protected]

SOURCE Vision Films, Inc.
Vodafone's strategic partnership with LF Edge extends community's reach to address instant data exchange at the far edge

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Open Networking & Edge (ONE) Summit  LF Edge , an umbrella organization within the Linux Foundation dedicated to fostering an open, interoperable framework for edge computing, announces that Vodafone has joined the project as a Premier member. This new partnership is highlighted by Vodafone's initiation of a pivotal project for LF Edge, designed to exchange and distribute data in real-time between users in a certain geography through "far-edge" computing power.

Vodafone, a leader in global telecommunications, joins other existing LF Edge Premier members : AMD, American Tower, Arm, AT&T, AVEVA, Baidu, Charter Communications, Dell Technologies, Dianomic, Equinix, F5, Fujitsu, Futurewei, HP, Huawei, Intel, IBM, NTT, Radisys, RedHat, Samsung, Tencent, VMware, Western Digital, ZEDEDA. This membership empowers Vodafone to leverage the collective capabilities of open source edge computing to develop advanced networks designed for applications that require low latency and high reliability, such as 5G, IoT, augmented and virtual reality, and autonomous vehicles.

As a Premier member, Vodafone will participate actively in the governance of LF Edge, with Sampada Basarkar, Product & Platform Engineering Director at Vodafone, gaining a seat on the project's Governing Board, Technical Advisory Council, and other committees. This position enables Vodafone to shape the strategic direction of LF Edge projects and the development of industry standards

The newly introduced project, named InstantX ( Instant Exchange), is a cloud and edge cloud platform to exchange and distribute data in real-time between users in a certain geography through "far-edge" computing power. It solves the problem of asynchronous and instant data exchange across clients in the same region while offering that data for off-line processing and self-learning to derive further added-values.

"We are thrilled to welcome Vodafone and their innovative project into our community," said Arpit Joshipura, General Manager, Networking, Edge, and IoT at the Linux Foundation. "Vodafone's active participation will propel our efforts to develop more robust and interoperable edge computing frameworks, particularly enhancing 5G and Mobile Private Network connectivity. Their involvement ensures these technologies are tailored to meet the evolving demands of diverse industries."

Justin Shields, CTO at Vodafone Business, said, "I'm delighted that Sampada has been invited to join the board of LF Edge. As a premier member of LF Edge, Vodafone can bring its own source coding credentials in edge computing to a leading developer community so that it can benefit many more organisations and individuals. Partnering with other companies and developers is the key to unlocking opportunities in edge computing to support ultra-low latency applications that will drive forward the industrial internet."

As an event co-host, LF Edge is onsite at Open Networking & Edge (ONE) Summit this week in San Jose, Calif. Anyone onsite should stop by the booth from project demonstrations and check out LF Edge breakout sessions . Session recordings will be available in the coming weeks.

To learn more about LF Edge and its impact across the open edge commuting ecosystem, please visit www.lfedge.org .

About the Linux Foundation



The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world's top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and commercial adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org.

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Media Contact

Jill Lovato

The Linux Foundation

[email protected]

SOURCE LF Edge
VANCOUVER, BC, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Vortex Metals Inc. (TSXV: VMS) (FSE: DM8) (OTCQB: VMSSF) ("Vortex" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received conditional approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") for its proposed acquisition of up to an 80% interest in the Illapel Copper Project in Chile. This milestone follows the Letter of Intent (LOI) signed on June 27, 2023, and the definitive agreement executed on November 20, 2023.

The Company remains engaged with the Exchange to address any remaining queries and will promptly inform the market upon receiving final approval.

Upon securing final approval, Vortex will initiate a first-pass exploration program, which includes:

Immediate testing of high-priority, drill-ready targets north and south of the Rio 27 mine; Detailed mapping, sampling, and drilling of the epithermal vein targets in the western concession area; Initiation of mapping and sampling across promising structures including ocoite dikes and proximal copper sulphides and which have been identified throughout the project area.

This program aims to swiftly evaluate high-priority targets while expanding our regional geological exploration to discover new drilling sites.

Vortex is committed to continuous collaboration with the Exchange to secure final approval and will keep our shareholders and the broader market informed, underscoring our commitment to enhancing shareholder value through this strategic acquisition.

Qualified Person: All technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Robert J. Johansing, (BSc Geology, MSc Economic Geology, QP MMSA, a Certified Professional Geologist) who is a "Qualified Person" for purposes of National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Johansing is independent from the Company.

About Vortex Metals Inc.

Vortex Metals Inc. is the parent company of Mexican subsidiary Empresa Minera Acagold, S.A. de C.V., which is the owner of a 100% interest in two drill-ready high-potential copper volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) properties (Riqueza Marina and Zaachila) in the state of Oaxaca, and a third high-potential gold property (El Rescate) in the state of Puebla. The Oaxaca projects incorporate the most highly prospective areas of high-grade copper mineralized surface exposures ('gossans') and prominent gravity anomalies along an emerging copper VMS belt that includes Minaurum Gold's (TSXV:MGG) Santa Marta project.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward looking statements that are made as of the date hereof and are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions which involve risks and uncertainties associated with our business including permitting approvals, any private placement financings, the uncertainty as to whether further exploration will result in the target(s) being delineated as a mineral resource, capital expenditures, operating costs, mineral resources, recovery rates, grades and prices, estimated goals, expansion and growth of the business and operations, plans and references to the Company's future successes with its business and the economic environment in which the business operates. All such statements are made pursuant to the 'safe harbour' provisions of, and are intended to be forward-looking statements under, applicable Canadian securities legislation. Any statements contained herein that are statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution readers of this news release not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements as several factors could cause actual results or conditions to differ materially from current expectations. Please refer to the risks set forth in the Company's most recent annual MD&A and the Company's continuous disclosure documents that can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company does not intend, and disclaims any obligation, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

The Company cautions that mineralization on, or production from, neighbouring properties is no guarantee of the existence of similar mineralization or a guarantee of future production from the Illapel Project.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Vortex Metals
Growing firm is part of a surge in women's entrepreneurship

NEW YORK, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As the number of women-owned employers in the U.S. surges, the woman-owned Law Office of Stacy J. Grossman PLLC is celebrating its 10th anniversary by rebranding as SGIP. The boutique's founder, Stacy Grossman, said that 100% of the firm's lawyers and staff are women, offering trademark, copyright, and publishing counsel to clients seeking diverse talent among their outside law firms.

Stacy Grossman, the founder of the woman-owned Law Office of Stacy J. Grossman PLLC, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of her intellectual property law firm by rebranding as SGIP.

Women are the fastest-growing category of entrepreneurs worldwide and the number of women-owned businesses in the U.S. has skyrocketed. The National Women's Business Council reports that 39.1% of U.S. businesses are women-owned. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of women-owned businesses grew by 13.6%, nearly double the rate of growth for men-owned businesses.

In this high-growth environment, woman-owned law firms remain rare. SGIP is one of only 308 law firms certified as woman-owned by the Women's Business Enterprise Council, an organization that has certified over 18,000 businesses since 1997. Within the specialty of trademark law, woman-owned firms are even scarcer; a database of members of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms includes fewer than forty woman-owned firms focusing on trademark law.

SGIP's unique position has attracted an impressive roster of clients. The firm helps protect some of the most recognized brands for clients that include Tee and Charles Addams Foundation, and its THE ADDAMS FAMILY and WEDNESDAY brands; PWxyz, the publisher of Publishers Weekly, a trade publication in circulation since 1872; and Theatre Development Fund, a non-profit organization that operates the iconic TKTS booth in Times Square.

"I'm delighted to be celebrating my firm's 10th anniversary as part of the growing trend of women-owned businesses," Grossman said. "SGIP looks forward to building on our legacy by expanding our work with clients committed to working with women-owned law firms."

About SGIP

Founded in 2014, SGIP focuses on trademark, copyright, publishing, and general business matters. SGIP is certified by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council as a woman-owned business and currently 100% of its lawyers and staff are women. The firm provides nimble, highly responsive, and business-minded advice. Stacy Grossman is an active member of the International Trademark Association, and the firm is included in notable trade publications, including Chambers and Partners and the World Trademark Review. More information at SGIP.law.

Contact: Stacy Grossman

(212) 873-6120; [email protected]

SOURCE SGIP
WASHINGTON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are National Press Club World Press Freedom Day events that take place on May 3. World Press Freedom Day has always been important to the mission and purpose of the Club. In 2011  the only year where WPFD took place in the United States -- it was held at the National Press Club.

9 a.m. Eastern

Event: National Press Club news briefing to provide updates and status of cases of U.S. journalists: Austin Tice, Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva. When: Friday, May 3 at 9 a.m. EDT Where: National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW Washington, DC, 13th Floor Who: Debra Tice, mother of Austin Tice, a journalist held in Syria;

Paul Beckett of WSJ will speak for Evan Gershkovich, held in Russia;

Stephen Capus, President RFE.RL will speak for Alsu Kurmasheva.

Emily Wilkins, President, National Press Club

Details:

Wilkins will conduct one-on-one interviews with each guest. This event is open to all credentialed press and members of the National Press Club. Registration required. The event will also be livestreamed on the NPC YouTube channel.

http://www.press.org/events/press-conference-provide-updates-and-status-cases-us-journalists-austin-tice-and-evan

Background:

Austin Tice: Mr. Tice, a Polk Award-winning journalist who worked for McClatchy, AFP and the Washington Post was detained while reporting near Damascus in 2012. The U.S. has recently held direct talks with Syria about issues including Austin's safe return. On August 14, 2024, he will have been held 12 years  longer than any U.S. journalist. He is from Houston.

Evan Gershkovich: Mr. Gershkovich was reporting for the Wall Street Journal when unjustly detained by Russian security forces. He has been held more than a year without trial. He is charged with espionage, which is vehemently denied by his employer and his government. Evan was fully credentialed by Russia to report in Russia. His family lives in Philadelphia.

Alsu Kurmasheva: Ms Kurmasheva, an editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was visiting her mother in Russia and was detained upon departure. She has dual U.S.-Russian citizenship. She is detained for failure to register as a foreign agent. The U.S. government has not yet declared her wrongfully detained even though she meets all criteria. She has been held about 200 days. She lives in Prague with her husband and teenage daughters.

1 p.m. Eastern

EVENT: Round Table Discussion on State of Press Freedom in past year.

NOTE: This event will be streamed LIVE via the Club's YouTube Channel and will take place in the NPC Studios but there will be no in-person audience.

http://www.press.org/events/round-tablediscussion-state-press-freedom-last-year

Who: Jason Rezaian of the Washington Post

Paul Beckett of the Wall Street Journal

Laila Al-Ariane of Al Jazeera

Bill McCarren, Press Freedom consultant, National Press Club

This 90 minute discussion will explore the year's most significant stories in press freedom and the state of press freedom around the globe. The video is available for free and unrestricted use.

3 pm Eastern

Club will post a video interview with Pavel Butorin in discussion with Club President Emily Wilkins. The interview will include a major announcement for Alsu Kurmasheva. Pavel is a journalist and the husband of Alsu Kurmasheva an editor for RFE/RL who is currently held in Russia. Emily is a correspondent for CNBC.

The video is available for free and unrestricted use.

http://www.press.org/events/update-case-journalist-alsu-kurmasheva

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists and is a strong advocate for press freedom in the U.S. and overseas.

Contact: Bill McCarren, [email protected] or 202-662-7534 for the National Press Club

SOURCE National Press Club
GUANGZHOU, China, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- From April 22 to 26, ZWSOFT, a leading provider of all-in-one CAx (CAD/CAE/CAM) solutions, participated in Hannover Messe 2024, the world's leading industrial trade fair for industrial innovation and global industry trends. The company demonstrated its advanced CAx solutions through a series of dynamic live presentations and panel discussions.

Visitors at ZWSOFT's Booth in Hannover Messe 2024

Under this year's theme, "Energizing a Sustainable Industry," Hannover Messe 2024 drew over 130,000 visitors from 150 countries and featured 4,000 exhibitors. The event reinforced its role as a pivotal platform, bringing together the brightest minds in technology to shape a sustainable industrial future through crucial conversations and innovations.

During the exhibition, ZWSOFT unveiled its new mission "Empowering Sustainable Innovation with All-in-One CAD/CAE/CAM Solutions." This initiative aligns perfectly with the trend towards sustainable industrial development, demonstrating the company's commitment to fostering a responsible and sustainable industrial future with its CAx solutions. Highlighting this mission, ZWSOFT showcased products from clients like BiTECH Automotive and a powerful diesel engine, illustrating how its CAx solutions streamline complex workflows and promote sustainable practices.

Robust CAD Solutions for Designing Efficiently and Flexibly

At the exhibition, ZWSOFT unveiled new versions of its 2D CAD solutions, including ZWCAD 2025 and ZWCAD MFG 2025. These new versions are set to maximize design efficiency, inspire creativity, and optimize workflows with impressive new features and enhancements in software functionalities and user interface.

Furthermore, ZWSOFT offered an exclusive preview of ZWCAD Cloud, an innovative platform yet to be released internationally. This presentation highlighted ZWSOFT's dedication to extending the capabilities of its 2D CAD solutions to the cloud. "With ZWCAD Cloud, we're bringing a new dimension to CAD collaboration and accessibility," Dr. Cheng Huang, Head of Application Development at ZWSOFT, remarked during the presentation, emphasizing the strategic move to empower users with enhanced flexibility and real-time collaboration tools.

Integrated 3D CAD Solution to Boost Design Efficiency

At Hannover Messe 2024, ZWSOFT's integrated solution, ZW3D, attracted significant attention with its robust capabilities in CAD, CAE, and CAM. The team conducted a series of live presentations to showcase ZW3D's ability to improve design efficiency and handle complex design scenarios, featuring real-life case studies such as the design of large-scale marine diesel engines and injection molding machines.

ZWSOFT also took the stage to launch ZW3D 2025, which brings new features and enhancements designed to optimize the product development process further. "ZW3D 2025 is developed to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and facilitate full business process digitalization," introduced Jerry Feng, Head of ZW3D Product Management at ZWSOFT, underscoring the software's impact on efficient collaboration.

Leveraging the launch, ZWSOFT introduced AI-based productivity tools in ZW3D and hosted an engaging panel discussion on the impact of AI on engineering and design. Aryan Fallahi, the founder of Think-CAD and a panel speaker, shared, "AI in design technology enables designers and engineers to transition from concept to completion with an efficiency previously unimaginable." The AI innovations in ZW3D highlight ZWSOFT's commitment to enhancing design efficiency with cutting-edge technologies.

Advanced CAE Solutions to Reduce Time-to-Market

At the event, ZWSOFT also showcased its advanced CAE solutions, emphasizing the company's expertise in simulation and analysis. ZWSOFT offers advanced CAE solutions that address complex industrial challenges through sophisticated simulation capabilities, enhancing accuracy and reducing time-to-market for engineering projects.

ZWSOFT's R&D team delivered compelling presentations on the use cases of its CAE solution, ZWSim Structural. Additionally, Dr. Timothy Brauner from CHAM provided detailed insights into using PHOENICS for crucial studies in data center and electronics component cooling. These case studies demonstrated how simulation solutions are pivotal in cutting costs and accelerating time to production, allowing engineers to identify potential issues early and refine their designs.

As Hannover Messe 2024 concludes, ZWSOFT's suite of CAx solutions stands as a testament to its mission of empowering sustainable innovation. By harnessing advanced technologies and integrating AI across these platforms, ZWSOFT equips businesses with the essential tools to thrive in a dynamic market landscape, while also empowering them to achieve sustainable growth.

For more information on ZWSOFT's innovative solutions, please visit www.zwsoft.com.

About ZWSOFT

ZWSOFT aims to provide reliable all-in-one CAx (CAD/CAE/CAM) solutions for designers and engineers worldwide and enables them to streamline complex design workflows at a fair and reasonable price. Since ZWSOFT's inception in 1998, over 1.4 million customers from more than 90 countries have chosen our products and solutions to solve their design challenges. Among the list are the world's most innovative companies across various industries, including Saint-Gobain, LG, and Ericsson.

SOURCE ZWSOFT CO., LTD. (Guangzhou)
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
Amman, May 1 : King Abdullah II of Jordan has stressed the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

At the meeting, the king highlighted the need for urgent action to stop the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and called for protecting innocent civilians, the state-run Petra news agency reported on Tuesday.

He emphasised the significance of consistently providing sustainable humanitarian, relief, and medical aid to the region through all possible means, Xinhua news agency reported.

Cautioning against any military action in Rafah city in southern Gaza, the king warned that the catastrophic effects of the Gaza conflict could extend to the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the broader region.

Meanwhile, the king stressed the significance of supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, considering it the lifeline for around two million Palestinians in Gaza.

The king also called upon the US to play a role in finding a political horizon to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, viewing the solution as the only way to ensure the security of Palestinians, Israelis, and the entire region.

On Tuesday, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Blinken discussed efforts to de-escalate the situation in the region and prevent any Israeli attack on Rafah.

They discussed the dangerous deterioration and escalation in the West Bank and the need to start implementing a comprehensive plan to end the Israeli occupation and achieve a just and comprehensive peace within the framework of the two-state solution, Petra reported.
United Nations, May 1 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an internal investigation of the newly found mass graves in Gaza.

"I am deeply alarmed by reports that mass graves have been discovered in several locations in Gaza, including Al Shifa Medical Complex and Nasser Medical Complex. In Nasser alone, over 390 bodies have reportedly been exhumed," he said on Tuesday.

There are competing narratives around several of these mass graves, including serious allegations that some of those buried were unlawfully killed, he told reporters as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

"It is imperative that independent international investigators, with forensic expertise, are allowed immediate access to the sites of these mass graves, to establish the precise circumstances under which hundreds of Palestinians lost their lives and were buried, or reburied."

The families of the dead and missing have a right to know what happened. And the world has a right to accountability for any violations of international law that may have taken place, the UN Chief said.

Hospitals, health workers, patients, and all civilians must be protected. The human rights of all must be respected, Guterres added.

The health system in Gaza has been decimated by the war. Two-thirds of hospitals and health centres are out of action. Many of those that remain are seriously damaged. Some hospitals now resemble cemeteries, he noted.
Gaza, May 1 : The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 34,535, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 47 Palestinians and wounded 61 others, bringing the total death toll since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war to 34,535 and injuries to 77,704, Xinhua news agency reported.

Some victims remain under the rubble amid heavy bombardment and a lack of rescue crews, said the statement on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army reported attacking 24 targets in Gaza, including tunnel entrances and a missile launch platform, according to Israeli public radio.

The General Directorate of Civil Defence in Gaza estimated that there were more than 10,000 individuals in total still missing beneath the rubble of the demolished buildings in the Strip.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.
Rome, May 1 : Environment Ministers from the G7 nations committed themselves to phase out the use of coal by 2035 as part of a wider effort to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of fossil fuels.

Climate, Energy, and Environment Ministers gathered on Tuesday in Reggia di Venaria, just outside the northern Italian city of Turin, for the latest working session for the G7, which is headed by Italy this year, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ministers agreed to a host of energy and climate-related goals, including encouraging the development of renewable energy sources, increased collaboration on energy from nuclear fusion, a reduction in emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases, and to "break away" from Russian imports of natural gas.

The participants of the two-day summit focused on measures to eliminate the use of coal and later phase out all fossil fuels. These measures are part of the nations' commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

Though the agreement says countries will eliminate coal use by the "first half of the 2030s" -- in other words by 2035 -- it did allow for that deadline to be changed if it remained on "a timeline consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise within reach".

That caveat is aimed at giving more flexibility to countries highly reliant on coal power, such as G7 member states Germany and Japan.

The 1.5-degree target compared to pre-industrial levels, which the United Nations target has imposed to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, was again reiterated last year at the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties in Dubai.

The G7's Climate, Energy, and Environment talks are part of a long series of events organised by the Italian presidency of the G7.

The centerpiece of the summit will take place for heads of state and ministers in the southern Italian region of Apulia on June 13-15.

Italy's G7 presidency concludes on December 31.
Sanaa, May 1 : The US-British coalition in the Red Sea launched a fresh airstrike on Yemen's Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah, media reported.

The strike targeted the port of Ras Issa in the northwestern district of al-Salif, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said on Tuesday without providing additional details.

Residents described the explosion as powerful, saying the strike hit a Houthi position, Xinhua news agency reported.

The coalition has yet to comment on the alleged strike.

Since last November, the Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have initiated the launch of anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting Israeli-affiliated vessels passing through the Red Sea, to show support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

They said their attacks would not stop unless Israel stops its military operation in Gaza.

In January, the US and Britain launched a military operation by carrying out airstrikes on Houthi military sites.

In response, the Houthis escalated their attacks on commercial and military vessels from the US and Britain in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Ramallah, May 1 : The Palestinian presidency has said that Israel would not dare to continue its assault in Gaza without US support.

Palestinian Presidency spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh made the remarks in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements earlier on Tuesday that an invasion of Rafah is imminent, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

"The blind US bias towards Israel, and its protection from punishment and submission to international legitimacy, has proven that the US administration has become a partner in Netanyahu's crimes and bears full responsibility for the continuation of genocide," said Rudeineh on Tuesday as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

He added that the US administration should intervene immediately and compel Israel "to stop its crimes, foremost of which is preventing the invasion of Rafah, which would have very serious repercussions on the region as a whole and the world".

He also called on the international community to intervene to prevent Israel from continuing its aggression.

Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu pledged to launch a ground attack on Rafah "with or without" an agreement with Hamas.

During his meeting with the families of hostages held in Gaza, Netanyahu said that Israel had begun evacuating Palestinian civilians from Rafah, according to his office.

Israel considers Rafah the last major stronghold of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Located in the southernmost part of the Strip, Rafah shelters nearly 1.2 million Palestinians.

Netanyahu made these statements at a time when negotiators from Israel and Hamas are holding talks through Egyptian mediation to reach an agreement to cease hostilities in the ongoing conflict in Gaza for about seven months, which would ensure the release of hostages.
Lucknow, May 1 : Two Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders have been served summons in connection with the edited video speech of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

SP candidate from Ambedkar Nagar, Lalji Varma, has been served notice and was even subjected to initial questioning.

"This is a clear attempt to prevent me from filing nomination and contesting election from Ambedkar Nagar but incidents like Surat cannot be repeated everywhere. See the haste with which the Delhi Police is working. They filed the case on April 28 and landed at my house within the next 24 hours. I will not be cowed down by such tactics and will reply to the notice," he said on Wednesday.

Varma has landed in trouble because he posted the edited video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on his X account.

Another SP leader who has been summoned by Delhi Police is party spokesman Manoj Kaka.

He has been asked to appear in person before the police on May 2.

Kaka said, "My father is hospitalised in Varanasi and I will seek more time from the police."

Kaka had also shared the controversial video on his social media platform but said that he deleted it as soon as he learnt that it had been edited.
Tel Aviv, May 1 : The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, arrived in Israel where he will meet the country's President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to push forward the Gaza ceasefire deal .

This is the seventh visit of Blinken since the war between Hamas and Israel broke out on October 7, 2023.

The Israel Prime Minister's office in a statement on Tuesday night said that the meeting with Herzog will be held in Tel Aviv while Blinken will interact with Netanyahu at the latter's office in Jerusalem.

The Secretary of State will also meet Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi. Blinken will also meet the families of the hostages.

The top US diplomat arrived in the Middle East on Monday and had interactions with the Jordanian and Saudi officials regarding peace in the region.

Israel has agreed to the suggestion of the mediators for the release of 33 of its hostages (women, elderly, and those suffering from diseases) in the custody of Hamas in exchange for around 600 Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli jails. Many of these Palestinians kept in jails are accused in murder cases.

Blinken had earlier announced that he would not arrive in Israel during his present visit to the Middle East but sources in Israel Prime Minister's office told IANS that there were some bottlenecks in the indirect mediatory talks being held at Cairo between Hamas and Israel.

The Secretary of State will be discussing with the Israeli leaders the issues leading to the blockade in mediatory talks.

Netanyahu had warned that if the mediatory talks being held at Cairo do not materialise, Israel would invade the Rafah region in the Gaza Strip.
New Delhi, May 1 : More than three decades before Aamir Khan's train stunt in "Ghulam" (1998), this actor, renowned for his natural performances, had already done such a hazardous exploit, not just a daredevil challenge on the screen, but to inject reality into the scene and save the filmmaker the "bother of back projection".

Balraj Sahni also involved Meena Kumari in his risky ruse in "Pinjre ke Panchhi" (1966), which -- in another strange resemblance with Aamir's film -- was shot at Khandala. The scene had her walking on the rail tracks in a bid to commit suicide, even as he ran after her and managed to pull her aside from the rushing train at the last minute.

The filmmaker only wanted shots of him running after her and pulling her away; those of the were to be juxtapositioned. Sahni, however, knew that a train would pass the spot soon, and if they moved fast, the whole scene could be filmed there only. He asked the director, who, in turn, asked the actress, and she gamely agreed.

With all arrangements in place, he started chasing Meena Kumari amid shrill whistles from the approaching train's driver, who "must have been horrified to see us right in the middle of the track". The train must have been only a few yards away when Sahni dragged Meena Kumari away, he recalled in his autobiography "Meri Filmi Atamkatha",

The shot came out perfect, but Sahni, who was above 50 then, only later realised how he had imperilled both of them. Going to her hotel room to apologise, he found her sitting with her head in her hands and she asked him if he was tired of life. He acknowledged his recklessness but also questioned why she went along.

"You were so very keen on taking that shot at one go! How could I then stop you?" was her disarming response with a rare smile.

This aim of realism marked the film career of Balraj Sahni, born on this day (May 1) in Rawalpindi in 1913. He may not have been Hindi cinema's first 'natural' actor -- that honour was for near-contemporary Motilal -- but was matched by few when it came to researching his roles, which spanned from a dispossessed peasant to a rich landlord, among others.

He nearly missed his iconic role in "Do Bigha Zameen" (1953), when a bemused Bimal Roy nearly sent him off after Sahni landed at his office in a London-made suit. But he convinced the exacting filmmaker and prepared for the role of a farmer-turned-menial labourer by living -- and working along as Deen Bandhu -- with the rickshaw pullers of Calcutta to familiarise himself with their language, mannerisms and habits.

Before this, Sahni, jailed in a political case, notched up an unparalleled record by being allowed to leave the prison in the day, under guard, to shoot for a film -- where he played the role of a jailor! This was K. Asif's "Hulchul" (1951), starring Dilip Kumar and Nargis.

Like many others of his generation, he was enamoured of films and came to Calcutta to join New Theatres after he completed his post-graduate studies at Lahore's Government College in 1936. It did not work out and he went back to the family business in Rawalpindi.

The next year, he was back in Calcutta, with wife Damyanti, and they became language teachers at Viswa Bharati, interacting with Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, who suggested the name of their son (Parikshit, born in 1939).

The Sahnis also taught at Mahatma Gandhi's Sevagram before reaching London in 1939 where he became a Hindi broadcaster for the Indian Section of the BBC's Eastern Service.

Here, he made the acquaintance of George Orwell, and in January 1942, read out his "The Meaning of Sabotage", ostensibly addressed to the conquered people of Europe -- but with wider ramifications for other colonised populaces. He also convinced BBC to feature Indian music, particularly K.L. Saigal.

The couple returned to India in 1943, and he was at bit of a loose end when old friend Chetan Anand invited him to come to Bombay to join films. Sahni made his debut with "Dharti Ke Lal" (1946), based on the 1943 Bengal famine, though most such films before "Do Bigha Zameen" were nondescript.

His 125-odd later films, including at least two in Punjabi, comprised social dramas such as "Seema" ("Tu pya ka sagar hai", 1955), "Chhoti Bahen" (1959), and "Kabuliwala" (1961), offbeat love story "Anuradha" (1960), war dramas "Haqeeqat" (1964) and "Hindustan Ki Kasam" (1973), and lost-and-found tales like "Waqt" ("Ae meri zohr-e-jabeen", 1965) and the distressing "Garam Hawa" (1973).

A writer too, Sahni, who passed away in April 1973, had half a dozen books in both Hindi and Punjabi to his credit -- and some of the latter are still on the syllabus in Punjab universities.

(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
New Delhi, May 1 : In a major setback to the Congress party, two of its leaders and observers for two Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, Neeraj Basoya and Naseeb Singh have resigned from the party.

The two leaders in separate letters addressed to party president Mallikarjun Kharge have majorly blamed the Congress' AAP alliance for their quitting the parties.

Neeraj Basoya, former MLA and party Observer for the West Delhi Parliamentary Seat, has said, "I am addressing the present communication to you, being aggrieved by the alliance of the party with the AAP in Delhi. I have humbly submitted that the said alliance is bringing a great dis-repute and embarrassment to Delhi Congress workers on a daily basis. And I believe, that as a self-respecting party leader, I cannot be associated with the party anymore."

"I hereby tender my resignation from all Party Posts and the primary membership of the Party. I thank Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji for giving a common man like me, all the opportunities in the last 30 years," said Basoya in the letter dated May 1.

Naseeb Singh, former MLA and party observer for North West Delhi has expressed his anguish over the appointment of Davinder Yadav as the Delhi Congress chief.

He said in his letter, "Davinder Yadav has up till now run a campaign in Punjab solely based on attacking Arvind Kejriwal's false agenda and today, he in Delhi will be mandated to praise and support AAP and its CM Arvind Kejriwal."

The two resignations from the party come close on the heels of veteran Congress leader Arvind Singh Lovely resigning as Delhi unit chief, over strong differences with the Central leadership.

Delhi goes to Lok Sabha polls on May 25

--IANS
New Delhi, May 1 : Three schools -- Delhi Public School in Dwarka, Mother Mary School in East Delhi's Mayur Vihar area, and Amity School in South Delhi's Pushp Vihar received bomb threats through email on Wednesday morning, an official said, adding that teams, including the bomb disposal squad, are on the spot.

According to police, after receiving information from schools separately regarding the bomb threat, local police teams along with the bomb detection team, bomb disposal squad and officials of Delhi Fire Service (DFS) reached the spot in the morning.

"The schools were evacuated and a search operation is going on. So far nothing suspicious has been found," said a senior police official.

More details are awaited.
New Delhi, May 1 : Multiple schools in the national capital, including DPS Dwarka, Sanskriti School, Indian School, St Thomas School and Amity School in Pushp Vihar, faced a chilling bomb threat via email on Wednesday.

As per police, so far nothing suspicious has been found in any of the schools. "At Mother Mary School in Mayur Vihar, a search operation was done and nothing was found. It appears to be a hoax message," said police.

A senior police official said that in the preliminary inquiry, it appears that numerous emails have been sent since Tuesday following a similar pattern.

"The emails lack a date line but include 'bcc', indicating they've been sent to multiple recipients. Currently, an investigation is underway," said the official.

According to police, after receiving information from schools regarding the bomb threat, local police teams along with the bomb detection team, bomb disposal squad and officials of Delhi Fire Service (DFS) reached the spot on Wednesday morning.

"The schools were evacuated and a search operation is going on. So far nothing suspicious has been found," said the official.
Los Angeles, May 1 : Hollywood stars Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr are celebrating their 'Avenger' co-star Jeremy Renner's recovery after his 2023 fatal snow plow accident.

Hemsworth and Downey Jr said in a new interview that the crew is still in contact with each other via a group text chain, which is how they initially found out about Renner's accident.

"He sent us all a sort of a doped out, hospital, beat-up image and said, 'All good, guys.' And then I didn't hear from him for a while as he was in the thick of it," Hemsworth said in an interview with Vanity Fair, reports deadline.com.

Last year in September, Renner attended Chris Evans' wedding, where they all praised him for his recovery.

Downey Jr said: "If there's one characteristic we'd all agree is paramount it's resilience. To see Renner embody that literally and in the context of what was basically Portuguese-American wedding was mind-blowing. Fully recovered and ready to celebrate. So, yes, miracles happen."

Hemsworth added: "There was an astounding sense of gratitude from him around just being alive."

Hemsworth also opened up about his regret on 'Thor: Love and Thunder'.

"I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself. I didn't stick the landing."

He added: "Sometimes I felt like a security guard for the team. I would read everyone else's lines, and go, 'Oh, they got way cooler stuff. They're having more fun.' What's my character doing? It was always about, 'You've got the wig on. You've got the muscles. You've got the costume."

"Where's the lighting?' Yeah, I'm part of this big thing, but I'm probably pretty replaceable."
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Mumbai, May 1 : Governor Ramesh Bais on Monday appealed to the people to come together to create a new, prosperous and strong Maharashtra, one of the leading states in agriculture, industrial products and manufacturing, trade and transportation.

In his address after the flag hoisting and parade on the 65th foundation day of Maharashtra State at Shivaji Park, he said, "The geographical condition of Maharashtra is conducive to industrial development and Maharashtra has always been a centre of attraction for investment be it domestic or foreign. Our state is an economic and financial powerhouse which has always played an important role in the infrastructure development of the country.aa

The Governor paid tributes to all the martyrs who laid their lives for the creation of Maharashtra. He also congratulated all the labourers on the occasion of the International Labour Day.

"Maharashtra has always been at the forefront of social reforms and has a legacy of legendary leaders who devoted their entire lives to creating social equality, spreading education, women empowerment and eradicating superstitions. We are fortunate to have such legends and remembering a few of them today would be apt, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jotiba Phule, KrantiJyoti Savitribai Phule, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar,aa said the Governor.

He said that one can have a glimpse of India through the diversity of Maharashtra, one of the states with the highest literacy. "Our state has various high-quality universities and vocational training institutes which attract students, researchers and scholars from all over the world,aa he added.

The Governor further stated that Maharashtra has a rich tradition and cultural heritage with the legacy of the Warkari Sect and saints. It has a big coastline along with hill ranges, forests, forts, river basins and plateaus along with sanctuaries like Tadoba, Melghat and Pench which are rich in biodiversity. Maharashtra with all these heritage attractions attracts Indian and foreign tourists who refer to Maharashtra as the most favoured destination.

"Mumbai has a big contribution to the overall development of Maharashtra since the city houses the headquarters of most of the banks, corporate houses and financial institutions. Indiaas biggest share market and the film industry are also in Mumbai and this city is one of the important ports as well which witnesses international trade in a big way. It is also an important centre when it comes to industrial manufacturing and financial as well as service sector,aa said the Governor.

"In addition to Mumbai, cities like Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, and Solapur are also power centres for various sectors. Maharashtra is leading when it comes to implementing cyber security and providing cyber services to businesses and persons. Maharashtra has the biggest strength in its population which is hard-working, enterprising and progressive," said the Governor.

"In any Parliamentary democracy, regularly held elections are nothing but festivity of democracy. Peopleas participation is crucial in preserving and strengthening democracy. At present, we are having elections for the Lok Sabha and I appeal to everyone to exercise their franchise by voting and participating in this festival of democracy,aa he said.
Seoul, May 1 : Wearing masks at hospitals in South Korea is not a must anymore as the government downgraded the infection level of Covid-19 and lifted last-remaining antivirus regulations, according to a report on Wednesday.

As per the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the country will, effective from Wednesday, lower the four-grade Covid crisis level from the second-highest "alert" to the lowest "concern" in a move to fully return to pre-pandemic normalcy, Yonhap news agency reported.

The decision came more than four years after the country reported its first case of the new coronavirus on January 20, 2020.

Upon the move, mask mandates at hospitals and relevant facilities were completely lifted, and infection tests ahead of admission to nursing hospitals and other risk-prone facilities became a recommendation, rather than a must.

The government no longer fully supports Covid testing or hospitalisation costs, and patients need to pay for an oral antiviral pill, including Paxlovid.

The free vaccination programme continues to be available through the 2023-2024 season, which will later be limited to high-risk groups, such as senior citizens and those with immune-compromised health issues, the authorities said.
New Delhi, May 1 : Following the bomb threat through email at several schools across the city on Wednesday, Delhi Education Minister Atishi said that so far nothing suspicious has been found in any of the schools.

"Some schools have received bomb threats today morning. Students have been evacuated and those premises are being searched by Delhi Police. So far nothing has been found in any of the schools" the Minister said on X.

"We are in constant touch with the Police and the schools. Would request parents and citizens not to panic. School authorities will be in touch with parents wherever needed," the post said.

Multiple schools in the national capital, including DPS Dwarka, BGS International School, Sanskriti School, Indian School, St Thomas School and Amity School in Pushp Vihar, faced a chilling bomb threat via email.

Following the bomb threat, several schools informed parents that the school would be closed on Wednesday, while others sent children home after receiving the email.

A senior police official said that in the preliminary inquiry, it appears that numerous emails have been sent since Tuesday following a similar pattern.

"The emails lack a date line but include 'bcc', indicating they've been sent to multiple recipients. Currently, an investigation is underway," said the official.

According to police, after receiving information from schools regarding the bomb threat, local police teams along with the bomb detection team, bomb disposal squad and officials of Delhi Fire Service (DFS) reached the spot in the morning.

"The schools were evacuated and a search operation is going on. So far nothing suspicious has been found," said the official.
New Delhi, May 1 : In the increasingly contentious world of family business splits, the peaceful division of the 127-year-old Godrej empire worth $5.7 billion is a rare occurrence.

According to the company, Adi Godrej, who is head of the family and his brother Nadir Godrej, will retain control of the five listed companies of the Godrej Group.

"Godrej was founded in 1897 to help build economic independence for India," Nadir Godrej said.

"This deep purpose of innovating for a cause - the values of trust and respect and the belief in trusteeship and making communities that the companies operate in stronger and better - continue to form the bedrock of who we are 127 years later," Nadir Godrej said.

According to a stock exchange filing, the cousins, Jamshyd and Smita, will receive the unlisted Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co., along with its affiliates and a huge land bank.

Both the groups will continue to utilise the 'Godrej' brand and are "committed to growing and strengthening their shared heritage".

The division of the conglomerate was agreed upon to honour the differing viewpoints within the family over business strategies, especially among the younger generation.

aThere have been no apparent undercurrents despite the differences," according to sources.

The Godrej Industries Group - which includes the listed entities Godrej Industries Ltd., Godrej Consumer Products Ltd., Godrej Properties Ltd., Godrej Agrovet Ltd., and Astec Lifesciences Ltd - will be led by Nadir Godrej as chairperson alongside his brother Adi and their immediate families.

The five listed companies are collectively valued at Rs 2.4 lakh crore.

Pirojsha Godrej, the son of Adi Godrej, has been appointed as the executive vice chairperson of the group.

He is scheduled to assume the role of chairperson from Nadir Godrej in August 2026.

Meanwhile, the Godrej Enterprises Group will be led by Jamshyd Godrej, who serves as chairperson and managing director, alongside Nyrika Holkar as the executive director, and their immediate families, as per the family settlement agreement.

The Godrej Enterprises Group comprises Godrej & Boyce, along with its associated companies that operate diverse businesses including appliances, aerospace, aviation, defence, energy, security, construction, healthcare, furniture, IT, and infrastructure.

The family will also retain land banks, including over 3,400 acres in Vikhroli, a suburb of Mumbai, which remain the family's largest asset.

"With this forward-looking family agreement now in place, we can further drive our growth aspirations with fewer complexities and focus on leveraging our core strengths in high-tech engineering and design-led innovation across our strong portfolio of strategic, consumer, and emerging businesses," said Jamshyd Godrej.
New Delhi, May 1 : Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has sought a report from the Police Commissioner following bomb threat emails to several schools in the national capital.

"Spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR. Directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits & ensure there are no lapses," said Saxena on X.

Earlier, Delhi Education Minister Atishi said that so far nothing has been found in any of the schools.

"Some schools have received bomb threats today morning. Students have been evacuated and those premises are being searched by Delhi Police. So far nothing has been found in any of the schools," the minister said on X.

"We are in constant touch with the police and the schools. Would request parents and citizens not to panic. School authorities will be in touch with parents wherever needed," Atishi tweeted.

Multiple schools in the national capital, including DPS Dwarka, BGS International School, Sanskriti School, Indian School, St Thomas School and Amity School in Pushp Vihar, faced a chilling bomb threat via email on Wednesday.

Following the bomb threat, some of the schools informed parents that the schools would be closed on Wednesday, while others sent children home after receiving the email.
New Delhi, May 1 : The fire department has received more than 60 bomb threat calls from schools, said Delhi Fire Service (DFS) Chief Atul Garg adding that teams are on the ground and so far nothing suspicious has been found.

Meanwhile, police said that they have roped in the Special Cell also to trace the origin of the email and its IP address.

According to police, in the South district, the email has been received at more than 15 schools, while more than seven in Southwest, and over six in the Dwarka district among others.

"More than 40 schools have been searched by the teams and nothing suspicious has been found. Bomb squads are continuing the search. The mail was received in the early hours by schools," said a senior police official.

"Investigation has been initiated in the matter," said the official.

Multiple schools in the national capital, including DPS Dwarka, Sanskriti School, Indian School, St Thomas School and Amity School in Pushp Vihar, faced a chilling bomb threat via email on Wednesday.

Following the bomb threat, several schools informed parents that the school would be closed on Wednesday, while others sent children home after receiving the email.

A senior police official said that in the preliminary inquiry, it appears that numerous emails have been sent since Tuesday following a similar pattern.

"The emails lack a date line but include 'bcc', indicating they've been sent to multiple recipients. Currently, an investigation is underway," said the official.
Kolkata, May 1 : As many as 597 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be deployed in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal on May 13, which will be around 47 per cent higher than the figure of 406 companies to be deployed in the third phase on May 7.

Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said that while in the third phase, booth sensitivity in two constituencies is the only concern for the Election Commission, in the fourth phase both booth sensitivity and higher number of constituencies going to the polls are the factors.

In the third phase on May 7, four constituencies namely Maldaha-Uttar, Maldaha-Dakshin in Malda district and Jangipur and Murshidabad in Murshidabad district are going to polls. Keeping the records of poll-related violence at Jangipur and Murshidabad, the Commission has decided to deploy 406 companies of CAPF in the third phase, the maximum of which will be for these two constituencies, CEO office insiders said.

In the fourth phase, eight Lok Sabha constituencies -- Baharampur in Murshidabad district, Krishnanagar and Ranaghat in Nadia district, Bolpur and Birbhum in Birbhum district, Bardhaman-Purba in East Burdwan district and Bardhaman-Durgapur and Asansol in West Burdwan district -- are going to polls.

"The higher number of constituencies going to polls in the fourth phase is itself a factor. The additional factor is the presence of disturbed pockets in constituencies like Baharampur, Bolpur and Birbhum to a large extent and Krishnanagar and Asansol to some extent. Considering these two factors, the Commission has decided to increase CAPF deployment to 597 companies in the fourth phase," a CEO office insider said.

To recall, the ECI has already announced that a total of 920 companies of CAPF will be deployed in West Bengal in phases, which will be the highest deployment among all Indian states. West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are the only three states which are witnessing seven-phase polls this time.
New York, May 1 : Police stormed Ivy League Columbia University, the ground zero of nationwide pro-Palestine protests, breaking up the occupation of a building by agitators and arresting scores of them.

University officials, who were under fire for inaction on the agitation, asked the police Tuesday night to clear protesters who took over the administration building after breaking windows to enter it and reinforcing the entrances with furniture and equipment to keep officials out.

The action came as the agitation in support of Palestine veered off into communalism with attacks on and threats to Jewish students based on their religion, with one of the leaders found to have called for "death to Zionists".

Before the police action, New York Mayor Eric Adams said that "professional agitators", who were not students, had infiltrated the protests and were behind the occupation.

Police released videos of people at the university who they said were the "outside agitators" clad in black who had been seen at other agitations in the past creating conditions for clashes with police.

CBS New York TV reported that according to city officials, the wife of a known terrorist was at the protests. (Other media identified the man as Sami Al-Arian who was charged with supporting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and deported from the US.)

Riot police used special equipment with a ramp to dramatically climb in through windows on a higher floor of the building and used flash grenades, devices that set off spurts of bright lights and explosive sounds but without shrapnels, to stun the agitators.

Police also arrested students who had set up a tent encampment in the university quadrangle and had been ordered by the university to clear out.

Police clashed with students at the campus of local government-run City College, where agitators threw firecrackers, and arrested several people.

The pro-Palestine protests that started at Columbia, where students set up tent encampments, have spread like wildfire to scores of campuses across the country.

The students are demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to US support for Israel, universities cut off ties to Israel, and dump investments in companies making weapons or have ties to that nation.

Several hundred students and faculty have been arrested during the protests coast to coast, with some of the confrontations turning violent.

Many universities have switched to remote learning, and in some cases locking out students from campuses, adversely affecting them as these are the final weeks of the academic year.

Republicans, led by Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, have demanded stern action by the eaderships of universities against the protestors and called for deploying the National Guard.

Johnson visited Columbia last week and demanded the resignation of its president - Nemat Minouche Shafik who took over the job last year after having led the London School of Economics.

Two weeks ago, she called in the police to oust the tent encampment, but within a day, the protesters returned.

Criticised by the faculty association for the action, she tried to hold discussions with the students for a peaceful end to the protests.

But it failed and a deadline was given for them to shut down the encampment by Monday afternoon, after which the agitators took over the administration building escalating the confrontation.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
Kyiv/Moscow, May 1 : The Ukrainian government is increasing its spending on drones by an additional 15.5 billion hryvnia ($392 million), Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, as the unmanned surveillance and combat aircraft become increasingly crucial assets for Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

"With the funds allocated today, 300,000 drones will be delivered to our security and defence forces," he said at a Cabinet meeting in Kyiv on Tuesday. According to Shmyhal, Ukraine had previously budgeted 43.3 billion hryvnia for the purchase of drones this year.

Ukraine has rapidly expanded the development and production of drones of various types under pressure from Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of the country more than two years ago. In recent weeks, it has also increasingly attacked the Russian hinterland with these weapons.

The Russian Ministry of Defence in Moscow said on Tuesday that three Ukrainian combat drones had been intercepted over the border regions of Belgorod and Kursk.

One woman was killed and another injured by unspecified Ukrainian fire in the Russian border village of Kosino, according to the governor of Kursk, Roman Starovoit.

The reports could not be independently verified.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry said Ukraine has attacked Russian military bases in Crimea with US-supplied missiles.

It said Russian air defence systems repelled six long-range ATACMS missiles in the past 24 hours.

Independent media reported hits on three military bases on Monday night, injuring several people.

Several soldiers were reportedly injured after a fire broke out during an attack on an air defence position near the Crimean capital Simferopol, according to the independent website Astra.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed governor of Crimea, said a missile attack on the village of Donske near Simferopol was intercepted. However, he warned of unexploded ammunition remnants.

Simferopol is more than 200 kilometres away from the front line.

The Dzhankoy airport in the north of Crimea, where a Russian helicopter regiment and air defence forces are stationed, also came under fire again. According to media reports, five soldiers were injured there.

Astra said four further soldiers were injured in an attack on a military target in the Chornomorske district in the northwest of the peninsula.

The US said it would be supplying long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine as part of the new weapons package agreed in Congress in April.

Previous US missile deliveries had a range of 165 kilometres.

Elsewhere, Latvia will provide Ukraine with a further military aid package, including anti-aircraft guns and unmanned surveillance drones.

"We must ensure Ukraine wins the war for the sake of Ukraine, European security, and the world order," Prime Minister Evika SiliAa wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The air defence and drone systems will come from Latvian military stocks.

--IANS/DPA

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Los Angeles, May 1 : Actor Daniel Radcliffe feels "really sad" by Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling's constant anti-transgender comments and her support for others with transphobic views.

Los Angeles, May 1 (IANS) Actor Daniel Radcliffe feels "really sad" by Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling's constant anti-transgender comments and her support for others with transphobic views.

The actor revealed that he has not spoken to the author during an interview with the Atlantic, reports people.com.

"It makes me really sad, ultimately, because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic," Radcliffe, who played the title role in eight Potter films, said of Rowling and her controversial comments.

"Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person. But that doesn't mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life."

Radcliffe had also replied to Rowling's recent post on social media that he and his co-actors Emma Watson and Rupert Grint can "save their apologies" and that she wouldn't forgive them.

Radcliffe said: "I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment than that."
Berlin, May 1 : German Economy Minister Robert Habeck has denied having suppressed concerns within government authorities during the decision-making process on the country's nuclear phase-out.

Nothing had been concealed in the debate about the nuclear phase-out, adding that all files would be made available to the responsible Bundestag committee, Habeck told the German TV programme Markus Lanz late on Tuesday.

In a piece published over the weekend, the magazine Cicero alleged that key government ministries sought to block the public release of internal reports raising concerns about the final shut-down of reactors and suggested that operations could be extended at some nuclear power plants.

Habeck and Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, both members of the Green Party, denied the allegations raised by the magazine and defended the handling of the nuclear phase-out at their ministries on Friday.

A Cicero journalist fought for the release of the files in court - and received two thick dossiers.

Until then, Habeck's ministry had only handed over part of the requested documents, justifying this with the confidentiality of the adviser's discussions.

Habeck said on the Markus Lanz programme that now that a court had clarified the matter, the files would be released.

The minister rejected the accusation that he would have proceeded differently had he read internal reports raising concerns about the final shut-down of reactors and suggesting that operations could be extended at some nuclear power plants.

The planned closure of Germany's final nuclear plants became a major political debate in 2022 since it came amid an energy crisis in Germany after Russia cut off shipments of natural gas.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ordered a brief temporary extension for the nuclear plants, which were eventually shut down in April 2023.

--IANS/DPA

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Cairo/Tel Aviv, May 1 : During the ongoing negotiations in Cairo on a ceasefire in the Gaza war, details have emerged about a proposal for an agreement submitted by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing Egyptian officials, that the proposal - which Israel was involved in drafting but has yet to approve - envisages two stages.

The first stage would involve the release of at least 20 hostages within three weeks in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners. The duration could be extended by one day for each additional hostage, it said.

A second stage would include a 10-week ceasefire in which Hamas and Israel would agree to a more extensive release of hostages and a longer pause in fighting that could last up to a year.

"Israel has gone above and beyond in showing flexibility to reach a deal," the Times of Israel newspaper quoted an Israeli official as saying on Tuesday. For example, the number of hostages to be released by Hamas in the first step has been reduced.

Israel is also open to the possibility of Palestinians who fled the fighting into the south of the sealed-off Gaza Strip returning to the north without Israeli security checks, it said.

One of the options currently being examined is for Egypt to take over the security checks, the Israeli newspaper continued.

The Israeli government is expecting a response from Hamas to the latest offer on Wednesday evening, the newspaper quoted the Israeli official as saying.

Israel is prepared to send a delegation to the indirect negotiations in Cairo in the coming days, the Wall Street Journal quoted Israeli and Egyptian officials as saying.

Israel sees the latest proposal as a "last chance." If an agreement with Hamas is not reached soon, the planned ground offensive in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza will begin, Israeli media recently quoted senior officials as saying.

Preparations for an offensive in Rafah are continuing, one official told the Wall Street Journal.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday that Israel was negotiating in good faith and Hamas should accept the proposal.

Hamas insists on an end to the war, which Israel rejects. The two sides are not negotiating directly but via Egypt, Qatar and the US acting as mediators.

--IANS/DPA

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New Delhi, May 1 : Teenagers who are popular in school are less likely to get their recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep each night, revealed a study on Wednesday.

Researchers from Sweden and Australia found that with increasing school demands, activities, more independence from parents, and relationships with peers, popular children especially girls experience more insomnia symptoms.

It is because of "a later melatonin onset and increased alertness in the evening", revealed the study published in the journal Frontiers in Sleep.

"Here we show that popular teenagers reported shorter sleep duration. In particular, popular girls -- but not boys -- reported more insomnia symptoms," said Dr Serena Bauducco, a sleep researcher at Orebro University.

"Most interestingly, popularity also seems to negatively impact sleep both before and after the advent of smartphones," she added.

To find out the link between popularity and sleeping habits, the team examined more than 1,300 Swedish teenagers, almost half of them female, aged 14 to 18.

They found that those defined as more popular slept less than their peers, the most popular ones up to 27 minutes.

Further, more popular girls experienced more insomnia symptoms, such as difficulties falling or staying asleep or waking up too early.

Popular boys did not experience these symptoms to the same extent.

While the gender differences are not yet fully understood, "girls express more care and concern with their friends and engage in helping behaviour more than boys. This might mean they carry these concerns when it's time to fall asleep," Bauducco explained.

"Teenagers are arguably the most sleep-deprived population throughout their lifespan," said Bauducco.

"Previous studies show that 30 minutes of extra sleep can lead to improved mental health and better school performance."

While emphasising the need for more research on gender differences, the team called for adding sleep and expectations of peers around bedtime in existing sleep interventions for adolescents.
Shenzhen, China : At least 19 people were killed when a motorway in China's Guangdong province collapsed on Wednesday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

A total of 30 people were also taken to hospital for treatment after the road collapsed.

Pictures on social media showed a motorway running along a slope. One carriageway had partially collapsed and was torn away. Wrecked cars could also be seen, which had apparently tumbled down the slope from the carriageway.

The region has been experiencing heavy rainfall for days.

The collapsed section of the road was around 18 metres long and covered an area of around 184 square metres, CCTV reported.

Following the accident, around 500 members of the emergency services from the police, fire brigade and other authorities were involved in the rescue operation.

The cause of the accident is currently being investigated.

--IANS/DPA

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Chennai, May 1 : Four people were killed in an explosion at a granite quarry in Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday morning.

The blast occurred in the storage room of the quarry where the explosive materials were kept.

Police officials told IANS that two lorries used for transporting the granites were totally gutted in the explosion.

Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu has the maximum number of firework factories in the state and is considered as the fireworks capital of the country.

More details are awaited.
New Delhi, May 1 : The country's gross GST revenue collection for April this year soared to the highest ever level at Rs 2.10 lakh crore, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Wednesday.

This represents a significant 12.4 per cent year-on-year growth, driven by a strong increase in domestic transactions (up 13.4 per cent) and imports (up 8.3 per cent).

After accounting for refunds, the net GST revenue for April 2024 stands at Rs 1.92 lakh crore, reflecting an impressive 17.1 per cent growth compared to the same period last year.

The Finance Ministry said that there has been a positive performance across components. The collections comprise -- Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST): Rs 43,846 crore; State Goods and Services Tax (SGST): Rs 53,538 crore; Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST): Rs 99,623 crore, including Rs 37,826 crore collected on imported goods; Cess: Rs 13,260 crore, including Rs 1,008 crore collected on imported goods.

As part of the inter-governmental settlement for April, the central government settled Rs 50,307 crore to CGST and Rs 41,600 crore to SGST from the IGST collected. This translates to a total revenue of Rs 94,153 crore for CGST and Rs 95,138 crore for SGST for April 2024 after regular settlement.
Hyderabad, May 1 : The richest candidates of the three main political parties are locked in an interesting contest in Chevella Lok Sabha constituency.

With family assets of Rs.4,568 crore, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy of the BJP is the richest among all candidates for the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.

The second-richest candidate, G Ranjith Reddy of the Congress is also contesting from Chevella. He has family assets of Rs.435.49 crore.

The assets of Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who contested unsuccessfully on a Congress ticket, jumped by 410 per cent in five years, shows the affidavit he filed along with his nomination.

In 2019 Konda Vishweshwar Reddy had declared assets of Rs.895 crore. Elected to the Lok Sabha from Chevella on a BRS ticket in 2014, the tech entrepreneur had family assets of Rs.528 crore. His wife K. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospital, owns majority of the assets.

G Ranjith Reddy, who was elected from Chevella in 2019 on a BRS ticket but is now contesting as a Congress candidate, had declared assets of Rs.163.50 crore five years ago.

Interestingly, the third-richest candidate Kasani Gyaneshwar of the BRS is also testing his electoral fortunes from Chevella, a constituency comprising parts of Hyderabad city and the rural areas of adjacent Ranga Reddy District.

Kasani Gyaneshwar has family assets of Rs.228.47 crore.

Eight candidates have assets of more than Rs.100 crore. Four of them are from the BJP and three from the BRS.

G Ranjith Reddy is the only Congress candidate in the state to have assets of over Rs.100 crore.

K. Madhavi Latha of the BJP, who is contesting from Hyderabad, is the fourth-richest candidate in the fray with assets of Rs.221.40 crore.

Nama Nageswara Rao of BRS, who is seeking re-election from Khammam, owns assets of Rs.155.90 crore.

BB Patil, who was elected from Zahirbad on a BRS ticket but recently joined the BJP, is worth Rs.151.69 crore. His assets in 2019 were to the tune of Rs.128.78 crore.

Kyama Mallesh, the BRS candidate from Bhongir, has assets of 145.34 crore.

Arvind Dharampuri of BJP, who is seeking re-election from Nizamabad, has assets of Rs. 109.89 crore. In 2019, he had assets of Rs.87.69 crore.

K Krishna Reddy, the BRS candidate from Nalgonda, has declared assets of Rs.83.66 crore while Gali Anil Kumar, BRS candidate from Zahirabad, has assets of Rs.82.92 crore.

BJP National Vice President DK Aruna, who is contesting from Mahabubnagar, owns assets of Rs.66.75 crore.

Almost all the candidates of the three main parties are crorepatis. As many as 35 candidates have assets of more Rs.10 crore each. Thirteen of them are from the BJP, 12 from the Congress and 10 from the BRS.

P Bharat Prasad, the BJP candidate from Nagarkurnool has declared assets of only Rs.33.85 lakh.

He is the son of sitting MP P. Ramulu, who was elected on a BRS ticket in the 2019 elections. The father-son duo recently defected to the BJP.

A total of 525 candidates are in the fray for 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. Majority of them are Independents and candidates from smaller parties.

Polling for all 17 seats in the state is scheduled to be held on May 13.
New Delhi, May 1 : In its ongoing probe into Home Minister Amit Shah's doctored video, the Delhi Police have issued notice under section 91 of CrPC to some more people, including Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur, sources said on Wednesday.

"They, including Thakur, have been asked to appear before the IFSO unit of Special Cell on May 2," said the sources.

Meanwhile, the investigators are yet to receive any response from social media giants X and Meta in connection with a doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a source in the Delhi Police's Special Cell told IANS on Tuesday.

Three persons have been arrested by the police for circulating the fake video so far, two in Gujarat and one in Assam.

"We are trying to trace the origin of the doctored video. A reply from the social media giants is of utmost importance in this case. X, meanwhile, has deleted all the morphed videos from its platform," said a senior Delhi Police officer privy to the probe.

More than 18 persons, including political leaders, from seven states have been summoned by the Delhi Police.

The Special Cell teams were also sent to Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh as a part of the probe.

The move followed after the Delhi Police on Sunday registered an FIR after two complaints were received by the police, one from the BJP and another from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Ahmedabad, May 1 : Gujarat AAP's state organisation Secretary, Jaydeep Sinh Chauhan, on Wednesday spoke about the rise in violent crimes in Gujarat.

He pointed to the April 30 murder of a couple who had retired from the police force, in their home in Himmatnagar.

They were attacked by unidentified assailants armed with sharp weapons during the day.

A police team is investigating the matter and reviewing the CCTV footage from surrounding areas to track down the perpetrators.

Pointing to the murder of the retired police officers from the Rajput community Chauhan said, "The audacity of this daytime attack has shocked the local community and raised questions about the effectiveness of law enforcement in Gujarat.

"If retired police officers are not safe in their own home, what can we say about the common people?"

The AAP member also demanded "immediate and decisive action to apprehend and severely punish the perpetrators, to restore public confidence in the state's law enforcement system."
New Delhi, May 1 : Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has sought time to respond to the notice in Home Minister Amit Shah's doctored video case, a source said on Wednesday.

His lawyer has sent an email to the IFSO unit of Delhi Police, the sources added.

Besides Reddy, four Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) members, including Shiva Kumar Ambala, Asma Tasleem, Satish Manne and Naveen Pettem, were also summoned under sections 91 and 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) to join the investigation today at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Recently, after the end of the second phase of Lok Sabha polls, a doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah went viral on social media, where his statement indicating a commitment to abolishing reservation quotas for Muslims in the state, was changed to make it seem that he was advocating scrapping of all reservations.

On Sunday, Delhi Police registered an FIR after two complaints were received by it, one from the BJP and another from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The case has been registered under Sections 153, 153A, 465, 469, and 171G of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 66C of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

Meanwhile, the investigators are yet to receive any response from social media giants X and Meta in connection with a doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a source in the Delhi Police's Special Cell told IANS.

Three persons have been arrested by the police for circulating the fake video so far, two in Gujarat and one in Assam.

"We are trying to trace the origin of the doctored video. A reply from the social media giants is of utmost importance in this case. X, meanwhile, has deleted all the morphed videos from its platform," said a senior Delhi Police officer privy to the probe.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 2. Baku and Tashkent are aiming to expand the joint projects portfolio, Trend reports.

The issue was reviewed at the meeting between Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Azerbaijan's Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, who is visiting Tashkent.

Both sides stressed the need to expand their project portfolios, including by attracting funding from a joint investment company.

The two countries are already working together on projects in sectors like automotive, energy, agriculture, electrical engineering, textiles, and tourism.

They also agreed to hold the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission and the second Forum of the Regions of both countries.

Today in Tashkent, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed for the integration of the energy systems of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. Mikayil Jabbarov stated that this agreement will help achieve joint goals in producing "green" energy and exporting it to Europe through Azerbaijan, as well as integrating energy systems and efficiently using renewable energy sources.

Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan from January to March 2024 totaled $142 million. The two countries' economies have enough potential for mutual trade indicators to reach $1 billion in the coming years.
New Delhi, May 1 : As many as 22 representatives of 18 political parties from 10 countries will be in New Delhi on Wednesday to get first-hand experience and insights into the election campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The representatives will be meeting BJP President J.P. Nadda at the party headquarters besides also holding interactions with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

According to Vijay Chauthaiwale, who heads BJP's Foreign Affairs Department, the foreign representatives will be briefed about the party's election campaign strategies along with the overall electoral process.

The participating political parties include Liberal Party (Australia), Communist Party of Vietnam, Bangladesh Awami League, Likud Party (Israel), Uganda's National Resistance Movement, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Tanzania), United Russia Party, Sri Lanka's United National Party and Lanka Podujana Peramuna, Mauritius Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement, Militant Socialist Movement (Mauritius), Parti Mauricien Social Democrate (Mauritius), Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Janamat Party (Nepal), Rashtriya Swatantra Party (Nepal).

This visit, informed Chauthaiwale, is part of the global outreach program 'Know BJP' launched by party president Nadda in March on the occasion of the 43rd foundation day.

Last month, a seven-member delegation of diplomats from various missions in India got a first-hand insight into the BJP's election campaign during their visit to Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

The delegation was composed of diplomatic representatives from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia and Suriname.
Agartala, May 1 : Armed assailants shot dead the secretary of a prominent club in Tripura, said police on Wednesday, adding that one accused has been arrested.

Durga Prasanna Deb, Secretary of Bharat Ratna Sangha, a leading club and famous social body of Tripura was attacked by five assailants late Tuesday at Usha Bazar. The accused who has been nabbed was identified as Pradyut Dhar Chowdhury.

West Tripura District Superintendent of Police Kiren Kumar K. said that an assailant with his face covered approached the victim's car, prompting Deb to lower the window of the car. The assailant immediately fired three shots from close range killing the club Secretary on the spot.

He said that law enforcement agencies are conducting intensive raids to apprehend the culprits.

Local BJP leader and former MLA Dilip Das while talking to the media and in an oblique reference to the activities of the anti-socials in the area, said that he couldn't comment on the reason behind the incident but stated that everyone, including the police, knew the reason behind the murder.

Das said that Chief Minister Manik Saha, who also holds the home portfolio, is clear on his stand to make Tripura crime-free and drug-free.

"Crime and drugs move hand in hand. The state government led by Saha is clear on the stand to achieve a crime-free and drug-free Tripura. The police are now in action. So, there would be no compromise with the perpetrators," the physician-turned-politician said.
Mumbai, May 1 : Godrej & Boyce, the owner-developer, and Godrej Properties, the development manager, announced on Wednesday that the two companies will continue their association for land development in Vikhroli.

"The two companies will continue their Memorandums of Understanding executed from time to time, for the development of land in Vikhroli owned by Godrej & Boyce, as and when Godrej & Boyce is desirous of developing the said land," according to a joint statement issued by the two groups.

The announcement comes after the larger Godrej family on Tuesday sealed the deal for dividing their business conglomerate into two groups to be managed separately by two families.

Godrej Construction, a business of Godrej & Boyce, designed and built four phases of Godrej Platinum, an IGBC Platinum-rated residential development project with a total constructed area of 1 million square feet, which has been marketed by Godrej Properties and, in March 2024, a new project named Godrej Vistas was successfully launched under this arrangement.

Jamshyd Godrej, Chairperson & Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce, said: "The future development of Vikhroli presents a unique opportunity to create a holistic space in the metropolis of Mumbai where urban development and biodiversity co-exist harmoniously. Godrej Construction and Godrej Properties bring complementary strengths, and this has translated into the launch of successful real estate projects in Vikhroli."

Pirojsha Godrej, Executive Chairperson, Godrej Properties, said: "We look forward to continuing our association with Godrej & Boyce with a view to making Vikhroli into a world-class neighbourhood."

The Godrej family has decided to restructure its shareholding in their bigger business group of companies to operate as two entities, Godrej Enterprises and Godrej Industries, according to a stock exchange filing late on Tuesday.

Godrej Enterprises Group (GEG) will be headed by Jamshyd Godrej as chairperson and managing director and his niece Nyrika Holkar as executive director. GEG operates across aerospace, aviation, defence and liquid engines among others.

Jamshyd Godrej was earlier serving as managing director and chairman of Godrej & Boyce.

Nadir Godrej will serve as chairperson of Godrej Industries Group (GIG), which operates the listed companies including Godrej Industries, Godrej Consumer Products, Godrej Properties, Godrej Agrovet and Astec Lifesciences. GIG will be controlled by Nadir's brother Adi Godrej and their immediate family.
New Delhi, May 1 : A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the formation of a medical panel of experts under the supervision of a retired judge of the apex court to examine the side effects and risks of Covishield vaccine after its developer and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca reportedly admitted that the AZD1222 vaccine could cause low platelet counts and formation of blood clots in "very rare" cases.

New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the formation of a medical panel of experts under the supervision of a retired judge of the apex court to examine the side effects and risks of Covishield vaccine after its developer and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca reportedly admitted that the AZD1222 vaccine could cause low platelet counts and formation of blood clots in "very rare" cases.

The application moved by advocate Vishal Tiwari stated that after Covid-19 there has been an increase in the cases of death due to heart attack, even in youngsters, and sudden collapse of persons and seeks direction to the Union government to establish a Vaccine Damage Payment System for the citizens who got severely disabled or died as a result of a vaccination.

It said that after the document filed in UK court by the developer of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, sold as Covishield in India, the government is required to take immediate steps for the sake of the safety and health of Indian citizens and the issue has to be looked upon on priority so that in future no risk may occur regarding the health and life of people.

AstraZeneca, in court proceedings in the UK High Court, admitted to the possibility of TTS (Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome) as a result of its vaccination in "very rare cases" but denied that "TTS is caused by the vaccine at a generic level".

AstraZeneca has accepted a link between the vaccine and Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), a medical condition characterised by abnormally low levels of platelets and the formation of blood clots. Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine formula was licensed to Pune-based vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) during the Coronavirus pandemic for the manufacture of Covishield. More than 175 crore doses of Covishield have been administered in India, the plea said.
Thiruvananthapuram, May 1 : A 25-year-old man named Althaf died due to asphyxiation while trying to rescue a goat that fell into a well at his house near Kollam on Wednesday.

In his bid to rescue the goat, Althaf accidentally slipped into the well which was 60 feet deep. After a while, he started to feel breathlessness. Despite the best efforts of the rescuers, including fire officials, Althaf could not be saved.

The body has been shifted to the state-run Kadakkal taluk hospital.
Kolhapur : , May 1 (IANS) The erstwhile royal kingdom of Kolhapur is witnessing a war of political supremacy between Chhatrapati Shrimant Shahu Maharaj who is the MVA-Congress nominee for the Lok Sabha elections, and the ruling Mahayuti alliance partner Shiv Sena's MP, Professor Sanjay S Mandlik.

Kolhapur (Maharashtra), May 1 (IANS) The erstwhile royal kingdom of Kolhapur is witnessing a war of political supremacy between Chhatrapati Shrimant Shahu Maharaj who is the MVA-Congress nominee for the Lok Sabha elections, and the ruling Mahayuti alliance partner Shiv Senaas MP, Professor Sanjay S Mandlik.

While Chhatrapati Shrimant Shahu Maharaj is the 12th direct descendent of the legendary Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Sanjay S Mandlik is the son of the four-time (undivided) NCP MP, the late Sadashivrao D Mandlik.

In the heat and dust of the campaign for the May 7 elections, Mandlik seemed to have lost his bearings momentarily when he questioned the acredentialsa of his illustrious rivalas royal lineage.

Not surprisingly, Mandlik, 60, was greeted with howls of protests from all political parties and locals alike, with many demanding an apology for insulting the Chhatrapati, but the Shiv Sena nominee refused to oblige.

On his part, the soft-spoken Chhatrapati, 76, popular as aMaharaj Saheba among his constituents, gently raked up the issue of the alegitimacya of Mandlikas party, the Shiv Sena- headed by CM Eknath Shinde a" which was enough to rattle the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

It may be recalled that in June 2022, Shinde had rebelled against the Shiv Sena founded (in 1966) by the late Balasaheb Thackeray, and in July 2023 ally NCP chief Ajit Pawar had broken up the party established by his uncle Sharad Pawar in 1999.

The two splinters, part of the Mahayuti government, were recognised as the areala parties this year, and the Chhatrapatias mild plea for aa politically-stable Maharashtraa or afight against a totalitarian regimea or apolitical reformsa, etc. shook the powers-that-be.

Quivering under the Chhatrapatias feather-touch salvos, Mandlik attempted to salvage the situation by claiming how he sought votes based on his work, that the people are the real aheirsa of Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj and merely belonging to the family doesnat grant anybody the status, and the poll battle was for the dignity of the Kolhapur people.

Two months ago, when it became clear that Chhatrapati Shriman Shahu Maharaj would be contesting the Lok Sabha polls, his son, Yuvraj Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati quietly made a royal sacrifice and instantly opted out of the elections (IANS a" March 6) as he wanted to fight from the same seat.

This mark of respect to his arevered fathera went down well with the Kolhapur masses.

In one of those rare situations, Kolhapur witnessed a scenario in which a distinguished candidate was available, but he had no direct party affiliations, and the MVA allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) rushed to offer him a ticket.

Finally, they left it to the sagely Chhatrapati to pick the symbol he would prefer to contest on, and he chose the Congressa aHanda a" with no heartburns among the MVA partners.

Mandlik had his share of woes, but given the changed political equations after the Shiv Sena and NCP splits, the Mahayuti allies buried their differences and offered him a second chance.

Kolhapur comprises 6 Assembly segments of which 3 are with the Congress, 2 with NCP, and one with Shiv Sena.

They are, Kolhapur North (MLA Jayshri Jadhav), Kolhapur South (MLA Ruturaj Patil) and Karvir (PN Patil) a" all from Congress; plus Kagal (MLA Hasan Mushrif) and Chandgad (MLA Rajesh Patil) a" both from NCP; and in Radhanagari it is Shiv Senaas Prakashrao Abitkar.

The influential and respected Chhatrapatis a" both from Kolhapur and Satara kingdoms a" have entered the electoral fray several times both for Assembly and Parliament, on one or the other political partyas ticket, while some were nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
Kolkata, May 1 : In its continuing effort to thwart cross-border smuggling, the Border Security Force (BSF) seized over a kilogram of gold that was being smuggled from Bangladesh to India close to the Natna Border Outpost in the Nadia district of West Bengal on Tuesday.

This was the 13th seizure of gold by the South Bengal Frontier of the BSF in April. The total quantity of gold seized during the month was 9.4 kg and its value is estimated to be Rs 6.4 crore, a BSF spokesperson said. The gold seized on Tuesday is valued at Rs 84,70,130.

The seizure took place when BSF troops of the 84 Battalion, acting on specific information, frisked an Indian national returning from his farmland across the border fence. Eight pieces of gold of various dimensions were recovered from him. The smuggler has been identified as Fidel Sk from the Nabinagar village in Nadia.

"During interrogation, Fidel Sk confessed that while tending to his crops, he met a Bangladeshi associate and a plan was hatched. Soon after he left his farmland and crossed the fence gate (where there is possibility of frisking) to the border road, the Bangladeshi threw a packet across the fence at a designated spot. Fidel picked it up and was walking towards Nabinagar when he was apprehended by the troopers," A K Arya, DIG, BSF and spokesperson of the South Bengal Frontier, said.

According to the plan, Fidel was to take the gold to the Dumdum railway station in Kolkata (about 130 km away) and hand it over to an unknown person on a Royal Enfield motorcycle after exchanging the code -- '786-92 The Royal Bengal Tiger/Same to You'. After preliminary questioning, he was handed over with the gold to the Customs department in Chapra for necessary legal action.

"Our troops are doing a wonderful job. We shall continue to take strict action against border criminals. Those who wish for border crime to come to an end, may contact the BSF's Seema Sathi helpline number 14419 if they get any information related to gold smuggling. The South Bengal Frontier also has another number 9903472227 on which WhatsApp messages or voice messages related to gold smuggling can be sent. A suitable reward amount will be given to the person providing concrete information and his/her identity will not be disclosed," Arya added.
New Delhi, May 1 : After receiving the terrifying bomb threats mentioning the presence of numerous explosive devices within the school premises, the schools on Wednesday said that they are deeply concerned.

Multiple schools in Delhi/NCR, including DPS Dwarka, Sanskriti School, Indian School, St Thomas School, and Amity School in Pushp Vihar, received chilling bomb threats via email. Following this, some informed parents that the schools would be closed on Wednesday, while others sent children home.

According to Delhi Fire Services (DFS) Chief Atul Garg, the department received bomb threat calls from over 80 schools across Delhi/ NCR.

However, nothing suspicious has been found so far.

"We are deeply concerned about the recent bomb threats that have disrupted several schools in Delhi, including one of our associate schools. The safety and security of our students, staff, and school community are our top priority. We are working closely with the authorities to ensure the continued safety of our school premises, and our staff are trained to respond effectively to emergencies," said Dr Amrita Bahl, Chief Education Officer, GD Goenka Public School, Dwarka.

"We urge all parents, students, and staff to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities or information to the authorities immediately," she added.

She also thanked the "authorities for their swift response and cooperation in this matter".

Meanwhile, police said that they have roped in the Special Cell also to trace the origin of the email and its IP address.

"More than 40 schools have been searched by the teams and nothing suspicious has been found. Bomb squads are continuing the search. The mail was received in the early hours by schools," said a senior police official earlier, noting that an investigation was going on.

Speaking to IANS, Nikita Tomar Mann, Principal at Indraprastha Global School (IPGS) in Delhi-NCR, asked people to maintain calm, "behave maturely and not indulge in rumour-mongering".

"I request as an educator that the schools that received the threat must respond appropriately and ensure the safety and security of all the children on the school premises. At the same time, the other schools in the neighbourhood must ensure that they do not participate in the panic by unnecessarily sending messages and creating panic by shutting schools and early dispersals because it's leading to a lot of anxiety and fear in the parents," she added.
Mumbai, May 1 : The film industry is celebrating Maharashtra Day on Wednesday. The day is recognised for the creation of the state of Maharashtra after the Samyukta Maharashtra movement advocated for the formation of a separate Marathi-speaking state on May 1, 1960.

The leading ladies of cinema have portrayed memorable Marathi characters on screen. IANS takes a look at some of the most memorable performances by the actresses of Hindi cinema where they aced the role of a Marathi character.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas has portrayed Marathi characters in three of her films aKamineya, aAgneepatha and aBajirao Mastania. Each time, the actress brought something new to the table with regard to her portrayal. While in aKamineya she played the role of a gangsteras sister from a lower middle-class background, in aAgneepatha she played a girl belonging to the downtrodden section from Dongri area of Mumbai. However, it was her performance in aBajirao Mastania as Kashibai, the first wife of Peshwa Bajirao, which won her critical acclaim. Priyanka played the character to perfection with its inner turmoil, the feeling of being wronged and losing her husband to another woman.

The next on the list is Kangana Ranaut. The actress essayed the role of Rani Lakshmi Bai in her directorial debut aManikarnika: The Queen of Jhansia. The actress brought the nuances in the portrayal of the queen who headed the princely state of Jhansi in Maratha Empire. Kangana showed her valiant side as an actress and shone bright in the war sequences of the film which portray resistance and rebellion against the British Raj.

While Sridevi has portrayed many iconic characters on-screen, her portrayal of Shashi in the 2012 film aEnglish Vinglisha is pure gold. Sridevi, who was known for her over-the-top projections of characters, played the character of Shashi with immense subtlety. She perfectly aced the mannerism and the diction of the character who hails from a very protected Marathi background and discovers her true worth while studying a new language with English. Her journey of studying a new language arms her with self-confidence and a new perspective to look at life and find her own footing in a foreign land.

Kriti Sanon played the role of Parvatibai in the 2019 film aPanipata. Like her fellow National Award winner Kangana, Kriti aced both the fight sequences of war and the calm demeanour of the second wife of Sadashivrao Bhau, the commander of the Maratha army, portrayed by Arjun Kapoor, in the film.

A special mention to Deepika Padukone, who played the titular character of Mastani Bai in aBajirao Mastania. While her character in the film was a follower of Islam, she effortlessly joined the steps with Priyankaas Kashibai in the song aPingaa. Her styling, the anazakata, the duet with Priyanka in the song and the way she adopts the Marathi culture in the frame makes for a compelling watch.
Islamabad, May 1 : Danesh Kumar, a Senator in Pakistan's upper house has gained the attention of all during the ongoing Senate session for highlighting the forced abductions and conversions of Hindu girls in Pakistan's Sindh province.

"Daughters of Hindus are not a booty that someone should forcibly change their religion. Hindu girls are being forcibly converted to Islam in Sindh. It has been two years since innocent Pooja Kumari was abducted. The government does not take action against these influential people," Danesh said while addressing the Senate session.

He stated that the forced abduction and conversion of Hindu girls is being done by influential people and religious groups, who enjoy the support of the political powers that continue to target religious minorities, especially Hindu minority girls.

Abducted and forcibly converted to Islam, they are married off to Muslim men.

Danesh mentioned that all of this is being done under the pretext that teenage Hindu girls are converting as per their free will.

"For many influential religious groups, such conversions and marriages are celebrated considering it to be a devotion to Islam. However, the teaching of Islam preaches otherwise. The law/Constitution of Pakistan does not allow forced religious conversions and neither does the Holy Quran," he said.

Danesh has raised an issue that has been haunting Pakistan for years as many global bodies have raised serious reservations and concerns over Islamabad's inability to put an end to the ongoing suffering of religious minorities.

There have been innumerable cases of girls from the minority Hindu community being forcibly abducted, converted and married off to Muslim men, most of them twice their age or even more.

The United Nations (UN) recently slammed Pakistan over what it termed as an "alarming situation" at the continuing lack of protection of young women and girls belonging to minority communities in the country.

"Christian and Hindu girls continue to remain vulnerable to forced religious conversion, abduction, trafficking, child, early and forced marriage, domestic servitude and sexual violence," read a UN statement.

"The exposure of young women and girls belonging to religious minority communities to such heinous human rights violations and the impunity of such crimes can no longer be tolerated or justified," it added.

Highlighting the legislative and judicial failures to protect vulnerable underage girls, the UN experts have underlined that early and forced marriage cannot be justified on religious or cultural grounds, adding that consent is irrelevant when the victim is a child under the age of 18.

"The matter is not limited to only forced conversions and marriages of Hindu girls; it is being validated by the courts, who invoke religious laws and justifying keeping victims with their abductors rather than allowing them to return to their parents," said Hafeez Tunio, a local journalist from Sindh province.

"Perpetrators often escape accountability, with police dismissing crimes under the guise of love marriage," he added.

While the matter of forced conversions is pivotal and needs immediate and urgent attention of the government, experts say non-application of relevant provisions of Pakistan Penal Code, coupled with failure of the parliament of Pakistan to adopt further legislation to address the issue of forced conversions and marriages of minority women and girls, has further encouraged influential religious groups to continue with their vicious agenda, which they shelter under the facade of religious teachings and its spread.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. The opening ceremony of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue themed Dialogue for Peace and Global Security was held at the Baku Convention Center on May 1, Trend reports.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the event.

The family photo was taken first.

Later, a video highlighting the "Baku Process" and Azerbaijan's contributions to intercultural dialogue was screened.

x x x

The President of Azerbaijan delivered a speech at the Forum's opening ceremony.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

- Thank you. Thank you very much for your kind introductory words.

Dear ladies and gentlemen. Dear guests. Welcome to Azerbaijan.

I'm very glad that the Forum is back on track. As you know, we had several years of break due to COVID and the post-COVID situation, but now I'm confident that our traditional timetable is completely restored.

I'm glad to see representatives from more than 100 countries, actually 110. This really demonstrates that this Forum is a very important international platform to address the issues of intercultural dialogue. In the short video we have just seen, it tells about the Baku Process. Actually, when we launched the process, we could not have even imagined that it would transform into a global platform bringing together peopleintellectuals, politicians, decision-makers, media representatives, representatives of civil society, and religious leadersunited with one goal of making the world safer and more secure. Because dialogue between cultures is the basis for this.

I looked at the program of the Forum. It's really very comprehensive, covering many areas. The agenda is really very broad, covering cultural diversity, interreligious dialogue, climate change, migration, peace and security, post-conflict situations, tourism, and artificial intelligence. I wish you productive discussions. I'm confident that the discussions and ideas presented during the Forum will help us continue to elaborate approaches towards intercultural dialogue: how to strengthen it and how to work jointly to reduce existing and potential threats.

Since we last met time in 2019 in Baku, unfortunately, the world has not become safer. On the contrary, we see new conflicts, new areas of instability, and new challenges. Therefore, I'm sure that this esteemed audience of personalities will contribute to the elaboration of ideas and new approaches to address the most urgent issues on the global agenda.

Azerbaijan has its own experience in addressing those issues, which are on the agenda of the Forum. So, I will maybe talk a little bit about how we see our role in these processes and what we have done in order to strengthen these positive trends. Azerbaijan has been a place for cultures to meet for centuries. Our geographical location between East and West has actually predominated this trend. The multicultural and ethnically diverse Azerbaijani society has managed to protect the most important values throughout the centuries; values of tolerance, mutual respect, friendship, and partnership. One of the main reasons for successful development of Azerbaijan as an independent country, I'm absolutely sure, is exactly that. All the people who live in Azerbaijan, representatives of different ethnic groups and religions, live as one family, as great citizens of Azerbaijan, as patriots of our state and statehood. They do everything in order to strengthen our country and to strengthen the positive trends of cultural dialogue and cultural diversity. So, having this great experience, which is coming from many ages before, we thought that it would be right for us to undertake this initiative and launch the Baku Process. As you know, three years after the Baku Process was officially launched, we held the 1st World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue. And now, it continues. One of the main reasons and factors for the peace, stability, and solidarity of Azerbaijani society is exactly cultural diversity and mutual respect. Intercultural dialogue within Azerbaijan has always been very positive. We demonstrate this in our day-to-day lives. When we talk about multiculturalism for Azerbaijani citizens, it's not something abstract or something that must be learned, it's how we live, it's our lifestyle. We are proud of that and also proud that we have managed to protect these values throughout the centuries, even in this turbulent times of clashes, conflicts, and wars happening very close to our borders as well as several years ago within Azerbaijan. So, all of this is something we really want to share with our friends and express our firm commitment to continue on this path, which is the only way for, I'm sure, any country to succeed. Because, first, you have to address these issues internally and create such an atmosphere where representatives of all ethnic groups and religions feel themselves safe, dignified and respected. If the policy is different, it will only lead to discrimination and mistrust, and in the end, to social and, in many cases, political difficulties. It can also lead to the disintegration of countries. Therefore, our experience really demonstrates how we managed to survive in the very difficult first years of independence when we were occupied and faced a lot of economic and social difficulties. There were attempts to disintegrate Azerbaijan, and aggressive separatism posed a challenge to our statehood. The unity of all the peoples who live in Azerbaijan and their commitment to national interests were crucial factors for our success. The role of religious leaders, of course, is of special importance in this context. One of the topics you will discuss is particularly related to that. We have more than 100 religious leaders attending the Forum. I'm sure they will contribute to strengthening mutual understanding and mutual respect.

Interreligious dialogue is also something we strongly advocate for in Azerbaijan. We have organized numerous events on interreligious dialogue in our country. Some of these discussions were held within the framework of the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, while others were part of a different agenda. There'll be a special session and discussion format during COP29 focusing on interreligious dialogue. I'm sure that the large audience of religious leaders from around the world who gathered in these days in Baku will demonstrate solidarity and leadership. Because the words of religious leaders are very important for all the peoples in the world, and it's very important when they hear from them positive messages of peace, tolerance, and mutual respect. Unfortunately, sometimes we hear different messages that create additional tensions. So, I think that positive trends in this direction must be strongly supported.

One of the issues to be discussed is multilateralism. Azerbaijan can also demonstrate its experience here. We are strongly committed to multilateralism and have promoted the values of multilateralism during our four-year chairmanship in the Non-Aligned Movement from 2019 until the beginning of this year. By unanimous decision of all 120 countries, we were elected to chair the second-largest international institution after the United Nations. By the way, our chairmanship was also extended for one more year by unanimous decision. We are strongly committed to the founding principles of the Non-Aligned Movement, which include territorial integrity, sovereignty of the countries, and non-interference in internal affairs of the countries. At the same time, we try to strengthen the institutional segment of the Movement. Based on our initiative, the Parliamentary Network was created for the first time, the youth and women platforms were created. So, these initiatives are all the legacy of Azerbaijan.

I'm sure that the institutional development of the Non-Aligned Movement will continue in the future. Because the world now needs a large group of countries, which do not belong to any of the confronting poles and have their own agenda and rights. Most of these countries have a very difficult and tragic colonial past. The voice of these countries must be heard, they cannot be ignored. Our chairmanship in the NAM aimed to make the Movement more vocal, active, proactive, and capable. We also used the platform of NAM during the COVID time to address important issues related to this tragic disease. The pandemic hit all countries, and Azerbaijan was among those actively spoke and acted against vaccine nationalism. As you may remember, in the first months of the pandemic, there was a shortage of vaccine. Many countries, which had a lot of money, stockpiled vaccines, some of them five times more vaccines they needed, thus, destroying the health system of many other countries, which could not get access to vaccines. So, the fight against vaccine nationalism was on top of agenda of Azerbaijan as the chair of NAM. We also addressed this issue during a special session of the UN General Assembly that we initiated.

One of the issues, which we always addressed as the chair of Non-Aligned Movement, was the fight against neo-colonialism. As I already said, most countries in the Non-Aligned Movement have a very dark and tragic colonial past. The fight against neo-colonialism is something that I strongly believe in. Because we speak for justice, we speak for international law. Today in the 21st century, we cannot afford to allow some big European countries to continue colonizing other peoples. This is absolutely unacceptable. When we raise our voice nationally, and previously as the chair of NAM, it's not because we are acting against any country. Its just because we defend justice and international law. This issue should not be ignored. The world should not turn a blind eye to this disgusting practice of neo-colonialism, which is leading to forceful assimilation. Forceful assimilation of more than ten French overseas territories is absolutely unacceptable and must be stopped. I wonder why European institutions, such as the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which sometimes try to interfere in the internal affairs of countries not situated in Europe, are silent. Don't they see that neo-colonialism continues today? Why don't they criticize it? Why don't they impose sanctions? Why don't they raise their voice? We did it as the chair of NAM; it was our duty. As the country and people who lived within other countries and within other empires, we know what it is to be free and independent. We want to help these people protect their rights, achieve independence, promote their culture, and preserve their language. This is something, which I believe every normal human being will defend. This is an important issue for intercultural dialogue. We cannot demonstrate hypocrisy, double standards, or simply ignore and turn a blind eye when we see that hypocrisy and double standards are demonstrated. When you articulate pleasant-sounding values like tolerance, dialogue, democracy, and human rights, yet continue to colonize more than a dozen overseas territories, this is nothing but hypocrisy and must be stopped. Our experiences in multilateralism will certainly help us during our presidency of COP29.

By unanimous decision, Azerbaijan was elected as a host country, and we see our role in building bridges. As I mentioned, our history, geography, and interaction with European institutions and at the same time being geographically located between West and East enable us to do a lot. Our experience as the chair of NAM will also help us build bridges.

I think that for successful development of issues related to climate change, we need not only financefinance will be, by the way, the main topic of COP 29 but also solidarity and mutual trust. We should not try to blame each other or argue who has done more to damage the planet or who is responsible for global warming. If we continue acting like that, it will be a disaster. I recently spoke at one of the important climate conference where I emphasized that there should be no discrimination against oil-producing countries. I want to reiterate that it's not our fault that we have oil and gas. Some countries have other natural resources. Of course, every country has the right to use its natural resources for the benefit of the country and not only your own country. As far as Azerbaijan is concerned, we ensure energy security by supplying natural gas to eight countries. If you look at our oil supply geography, it maybe be several times more.

Our efforts will focus on building bridges between Europe and the Global South while strengthening solidarity. I think that we can do it. Of course, we will need to work hard. But this is our agenda. At the same time, we have our own green agenda, which started long before we were awarded with the honor to host COP29. By 2027, we will have two gigawatts of solar and wind power stations operational. By 2030, we will have an additional five gigawatts of solar and wind capacity operational. This will allow us to use 100% renewables for electricity production. So, this is what we do with oil and gas revenues. We create a very good investment climate, attracting investors. At the same time, we invest in renewable sources ourselves. This is a factor by which we must be judged by the international community - not for the oil we have, but because we did something wrong. We havent done anything wrong, and Azerbaijans performance in issues related to climate change can be considered exemplary.

The last point, referring to your agenda discussions on peace, security, and post-conflict situations, Azerbaijan ensured peace by war. I think that this should be thoroughly examined. We were under occupation for almost 30 years. During all the previous world forums on international dialogue, I spoke about occupation, injustice, and the suffering of the people of Azerbaijan. Almost 20% of our internationally recognized territories were occupied until 2020just from the first days of our independence. One million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced. We were victims of ethnic cleansing in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur. So, there is total devastation, and now those who visit the liberated territories can see it with their own eyes. I know that some of the participants will visit the liberated territories. We raised our voice, yes. We worked hard on the diplomatic track. All the major international organizations adopted resolutions and decisions demanding the withdrawal of Armenian forces, including four resolutions by the UN Security Council. But it did not work. There was no mechanism for implementation. Armenia ignored them. Those who adopted those resolutions did not do anything in order to implement them. So, we had to achieve peace through war. What we did in 2020 - 44 days of the Patriotic War - allowed us to liberate the largest part of the territories. Last September, we completely restored our territorial integrity and sovereignty. Now we are in a post-conflict situation. In this post-conflict situation, once again, it was Azerbaijan that behaved proactively. It was Azerbaijan that offered Armenia to start negotiations on a peace agreement. It was Azerbaijan, the country that elaborated basic principles and even drafted the peace agreement. Currently, negotiations between two countries are being held based on our draft proposal. So, after suffering of the people for almost 30 years, violations of international law, total destruction of all our cultural and historical sites - including 65 out of 67 mosques by Armenian vandals  we liberated our territories by force despite strong opposition from the countries sponsoring Armenia. Although we fully restored territorial integrity and sovereignty last September and became the subject of unjustified political attacks from Armenia and so-called guarantors. Nevertheless, we made a proposal for peace.

Now we are seeing positive trends on the peace track, at the same time, border delimitation has actually started. It is not just delimitation but demarcation. It is currently underway - when I speak, it's happening now. This was achieved by the two countries without any mediation. This once again demonstrates that we don't need mediators, especially those who pursue their own goals and don't want to help but rather want to penetrate in our region for their personal, political, and economic interests. They want to once again pour oil to the fire and explode the South Caucasus. We will not allow that to happen. After 30 years of confrontation, I think, Azerbaijan and Armenia clearly understand that we need peace in the South Caucasus. Peace in the South Caucasus can only be achieved through normalization between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

I will conclude now to not to take much of your time. Thank you for your attention. I wish you all the best, good discussions, and a pleasant stay in Azerbaijan. Thank you.

x x x

The opening ceremony of the Forum continued with plenary and panel sessions.

x x x

The Forum, organized by the government of Azerbaijan, in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), brings together 700 distinguished guests representing more than 100 countries.

High-level officials, heads of parliament, religious leaders, scholars, journalists, and participants from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds came together to advance peace and global security through meaningful dialogue.

The three-day Forum will feature 4 plenary sessions and 12 panel discussions on topics such as education, youth, climate change, artificial intelligence, protection of cultural heritage, illegal migration and other areas.

The Forum participants will visit the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from the 30-year-long occupation. The Forum will also feature special panel sessions scheduled to be held in Aghdam and Shusha. This is also a good opportunity to provide a platform to address to the international community from the liberated territories of Azerbaijan.

The World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, which is an integral part of the "Baku Process" on intercultural dialogue initiated by President Ilham Aliyev in 2008, was first held in Baku in 2011, and subsequently organized in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019. The number of countries and organizations participating in the Forum has significantly increased over the past period. In total, more than 10,000 participants - government officials, heads and representatives of international organizations and institutions attended the forums. At the same time, more than 200 various events, plenary and panel discussions, presentations were organized as part of the forums. The discussions held as part of the five previous forums, which focused on the challenges facing humanity, and the documents drawn up there, served as the main reference for international organizations, and the Baku Process has been recognized as an important platform for intercultural dialogue.
Lucknow, May 1 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday that after Independence, the Congress became directionless and is now leaderless.

Addressing the media, he said that the adverse effect of this is that many Congress leaders have continuously made malicious attempts to curse, insult India's civilization and culture and defame Sanatan in every way.

The same unfortunate situation was seen during the UPA government when a senior Congress leader and the then Union Home Minister made a malicious attempt to insult India's Sanatan culture and defame it in front of the world in the name of saffron terrorism. Everyone knows that the policies of Congress have been the cause of Naxalism and terrorism within the country.

The chief minister said that under the leadership of Modi, the problem of terrorism and Naxalism has been solved.

"Extremism-terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and anarchy in the North-East have also been curbed. During the UPA government, there were about 115-120 districts in 17 states which were in the grip of Naxalite violence. That government did not have the will to fight terrorism, Naxalism and extremism, that was the reason there was anarchy and disorder in the country but now Naxalism has been controlled. It has been limited to two-three districts of some states of the country. Very soon Naxalism will end from here also," he stated.

The chief minister further said that in the last 10 years, a better security environment has been created in the country.

"By completely abolishing Article 370, the root of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, under the leadership of PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Jammu and Kashmir was connected to the mainstream of development. By controlling the extremism and anarchy in the North-Eastern states, it was successful in connecting them with the mainstream of the nation. The Congress government used to insult and defame India's eternal civilization and culture, but under the leadership of Modi ji, it is gaining respect in the world. India's pride has now been restored," he said.

He said he believed that Congress was playing with the security of the country by making malicious attempts to defame the Sanatanis, to steal from them and to divide them into caste camps.

Yogi Adityanath said that Congress' policy of Muslim appeasement had become the reason for the Partition of the country. "This shows that the Congress leadership had become puppets in the hands of those who were responsible for the Partition of the country by insulting and putting India's eternal culture and tradition in the dock. People, who have always cursed India and Indianness, have caused irreparable damage to it. Congress was continuously humiliating India while playing into their hands," he added.
Mumbai, May 1 : Indian auteur Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) was hosted by Netflix's co-CEO Ted Sarandos in Los Angeles for a dinner. The intimate dinner was hosted to celebrate the release of Netflix's highly-anticipated title 'Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar', which also marks the streaming debut of Bhansali.

Mumbai, May 1 (IANS) Indian auteur Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) was hosted by Netflixas co-CEO Ted Sarandos in Los Angeles for a dinner. The intimate dinner was hosted to celebrate the release of Netflixas highly-anticipated title aHeeramandi: The Diamond Bazaara, which also marks the streaming debut of Bhansali.

The two were joined by aSNLa star Bill Hader, Golden Globe-winning actress Ali Wong, filmmaker J. J. Abrams, Katie McGrath (Co-CEO of Bad Robot Productions) and Dan Lin, Chairman Netflix films.

For the occasion, SLB wore his signature black kurta which he paired with a white pyjama. Ted was dressed in black shirt which he paired with denims and a pair of suede leather shoes.

aHeeramandi: The Diamond Bazaara is one of the biggest bets of Netflix in recent times. The streaming show, which features an ensemble star cast tells the story of two rival courtesans and how they vow to destroy each other in order to seek revenge.

Last year, Ted flew to India for a conversation with SLB on aHeeramandia and other important aspects of films. Ted shared that India is the fastest-growing market for OTT in the world. He also went on to compare Bhansali to the Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, who is known for aThe Great Gatsbya and aElvisa.

A special screening of 'Heeramandi' was held in Los Angeles. YouTuber Lilly Singh and rapper Tasher also attended the screening
Kolkata, May 1 : In a major embarrassment to the Trinamool Congress, the party's state General Secretary Kunal Ghosh shared the dais with BJP candidate from Kolkata-Uttar Lok Sabha constituency, Tapas Roy, on Wednesday and described him as an "ideal" politician and candidate.

Kolkata, May 1 (IANS) In a major embarrassment to the Trinamool Congress, the party's state General Secretary Kunal Ghosh shared the dais with BJP candidate from Kolkata-Uttar Lok Sabha constituency, Tapas Roy, on Wednesday and described him as an "ideal" politician and candidate.

The occasion was a blood donation camp in North Kolkata where both Tapas Roy and Kunal Ghosh were present.

When the turn for Ghosh to deliver his lecture came, he praised Tapas Roy, who resigned from the Trinamool Congress before joining BJP earlier this year. Roy was the Trinamool MLA.

"I have nothing new to say about Roy as an elected public representative. He had always been in public service when he was an elected representative. His doors were always open for the people. We wanted to retain him in our family. But unfortunately, we could not. Today he is a candidate from the opposing party. We will work for our party candidate, while the activists of Roy's party will work for him," commented Ghosh with Roy sitting behind with a smile on his face.

What Ghosh said next was even more significant as he issued his appeal to his own party workers in Kolkata-Uttar not to resort to malpractices on polling day. "There should not be any election malpractice here. Let the people decide who is an ideal candidate. Let them vote according to their own choices," said Ghosh.

Since the time Roy left Trinamool Congress, Ghosh had been critical of a section of his own party leadership. He had been claiming constantly that it was unfortunate for the party to have lost an important and dedicated leader like Roy.

However, his public statements on Wednesday and that too from a dais where Roy was himself present are bound to pose more embarrassment to the Trinamool Congress. Till the time the report was filed, there was no reaction from any other ruling party leader.
Ahmedabad, May 1 : Gujarat is bracing for a severe heatwave, with meteorologists predicting record-breaking temperatures across the state from May 2 to May 4.

According to weather forecasts by the India Meteorological Department, regions, including Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, are expected to experience temperatures soaring between 41 to 44 degrees Celsius, with some areas potentially exceeding this range.

The heat is set to peak during the voting period, raising concerns about the impact on voter turnout.

The state's weather bureau has issued heatwave warnings for Saurashtra, with predictions extending to Diu and Kutch, where the mercury is expected to climb even further.

After May 3, a sharp rise in temperature by approximately two degrees Celsius is anticipated, pushing the limits of seasonal heat records.

Residents and officials are advised to prepare for extreme conditions that pose health risks. Authorities recommend staying hydrated, avoiding direct sunlight during peak hours, and taking necessary precautions to ensure safety amid these scorching temperatures. This is essential as Gujarat goes to polls on May 7 for the Lok Sabha election 2024.
Chennai, May 1 : Music maestro Ilaiyaraaja has issued a legal copyright notice to Sun Pictures for unauthorised usage of his music in their latest film 'Coolie', starring Tamil megastar Rajnikanth.

Ilaiyaraaja, in the notice, said that the makers of the film had used his musical work in the teaser without authorisation.

Asserting that he is the rightful owner of the music, Ilaiyaraaja said that the makers of the movie did not seek any formal permission from him.

In the notice, Ilaiyaraaja claimed that the teaser of Coolie had a rendition of his song 'Vaa Vaa Pakkam Vaa' from the film 'Thanga Magan', also starring Rajinikanth.

This music, according to the petitioner, is remixed in the song 'Disco' for Coolie.

The music maestro emphasised that such usage constitutes a clear violation of the Copyright Act (1957).

Furthermore, Ilaiyaraaja pointed out that the director of Coolie, Lokesh Kanagaraj, had previously utilised his compositions in the movie 'Vikram' without obtaining consent.

In the notice, Ilaiyaraaja demanded that either the producers of Coolie get proper authorisation for the song 'Vaa Vaa Pakkam Vaa' or remove it from the teaser of the movie.

The notice said that if the producers do not abide by the conditions stated in the notice, they will have to "face serious legal repercussions."
Cairo, May 1 : A Saudi women's rights activist was sentenced to 11 years in prison because of her "choice of clothing and support for women's rights," two rights groups said, urging the kingdom to "immediately and unconditionally release" her.

In January, the counter-terrorism Specialised Criminal Court convicted Manahel al-Otaibi, more than a year after she was arrested, Amnesty International and the British-based ALQST group said.

The Saudi government confirmed al-Otaibi was found guilty of "terrorist offences," in its formal reply to a request for information by UN special rapporteurs.

The two rights groups said in their statement that al-Otaibi's charges related to her choice of clothing and her calls on social media for an end to the male guardianship system, which requires women to obtain the consent of a male relative for major decisions. Some rules have been eased, but the system is yet to be removed.

After her arrest in November 2022, al-Otaibi was subjected to physical and psychological abuse at the prison in Riyadh.

Last year, she forcibly disappeared for five months until April, when she contacted her family and said she was being held in solitary confinement, had a broken leg as a result of physical abuse and was denied health care, the rights groups said.

Since becoming crown prince in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman has championed economic and social reforms in the conservative kingdom. However, the kingdom continues to crack down on critics and rights activists.

Bissan Fakih, Amnesty Internationalas campaigner in Saudi Arabia, said the sentence "is an appalling and cruel injustice."

"With this sentence, the Saudi authorities have exposed the hollowness of their much-touted womenas rights reforms in recent years and demonstrated their chilling commitment to silencing peaceful dissent," said Fakih.

--IANS/DPA

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Tel Aviv, May 1 : US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv on Wednesday at the start of a fresh round of talks aimed at bringing about a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

The release of the hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement was currently a top priority, Herzog said at the meeting, according to his office.

"Weare determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home, and to get it now. And the only reason that that wouldn't be achieved is because of Hamas," Blinken said.

Blinken said there was a proposal on the table: "And as we've said, no delays, no excuses. The time is now."

"At the same time, even as we're working with relentless determination to get the ceasefire that brings the hostages home, we also have to be focused on people in Gaza who are suffering in this crossfire of Hamas's making, and so focused on getting them the assistance they need - the food, medicine, the water, the shelter - is also very much on our minds and in the work that we're doing."

Blinken said he planned to discuss these issues with Herzog.

A meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planned for later in Jerusalem.

Blinken had previously spoken of a "very, very generous" proposal from Israel for a deal with Hamas.

As part of mediation efforts in Cairo, a response from Hamas is now being awaited.

Israel has announced a rapid start to the controversial offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip if no agreement is reached.

Blinken had previously also visited Saudi Arabia and Jordon as part of his multi-day trip.

--IANS/DPA

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Kyiv/Moscow, May 1 : Ukrainian drones have damaged a refinery in Ryazan, some 200 kilometres south-east of Moscow, an unnamed representative of the Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR told the Ukrainska Pravda website.

"A military target in Ryazan was hit. There is considerable damage," the website reported. Independent Russian media reported a fire at the Ryazan refinery.

The second target was an oil processing plant in the Russian region of Voronezh. The intelligence service did not officially confirm the information, but the Ukrainian press is informed of such attacks in secret.

The Russian Ministry of Defence in Moscow announced that Ukrainian combat drones had been intercepted during the night over the Russian regions of Voronezh, Ryazan, Belgorod and Kursk.

The Ukrainian armed forces have further developed their drones and have been attacking refineries far into the Russian hinterland for several weeks. The aim is to disrupt the fuel supply for the Russian army.

The US has criticised these attacks because it fears an impact on world oil prices. However, Kyiv is sticking to this tactic. Ukraine has been fending off a large-scale Russian invasion for more than two years.

On Wednesday, the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv was hit by several glide bombs fired by Russian aircraft from a safe distance. The governor there, Oleh Syniehubov, reported at least three deaths.

Overnight, Russia fired missiles at the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on the Black Sea. According to regional governor Oleh Kiper, three people were killed and three others injured.

--IANS/DPA

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New Delhi, May 1 : Former Congress legislator Naseeb Singh on Wednesday went all guns blazing on the party high command for picking "outsiders" over party loyalists for the Lok Sabha elections and slammed it for "humiliating and insulting" many party leaders including him.

Hours after quitting the party, Naseeb Singh spoke exclusively to IANS and slammed the Congress high command over its Lok Sabha picks. He said that giving "priority to outsiders over locals" will prove to be "suicidal" for the party as they have no association or connection with the party's ideology.

He asserted that the party's top brass was even contemplating expelling loyalists and two-time Parliamentarians like Sandeep Dikshit and a couple of other top leaders for expressing dissent with the high command.

"Arvind Singh Lovely raised his voice against the dictatorial attitude of high command. But, he was threatened to be shown the door. Not just him, leaders like two-time MP Sandeep Dikshit and former MLA Surendra Kumar are being pressured to either toe the party line or get kicked out from the party," the former Delhi MLA told IANS.

"If you sack the top leaders of Delhi Pradesh Congress, what will be left in the party? It's because of this high-handedness that Arvind Singh Lovely resigned from all posts. We all are working to revive the party, but those seated on top are bent on destroying it," he added.

Naseeb Singh also added that not just he but many party leaders are feeling "insulted and humiliated" by the way they are being treated.

"I tendered my resignation to protest against the Congress-AAP alliance. We can't work with the party that rode to power by running false campaigns and fake propaganda against our former CM Sheila Dikshit. It raised a volley of allegations against her but not a single charge has been proved. We can't face this ignominy, also we can't even face our own workers," he said.

He said that it was the Congress party that shaped the national capital, but today, it was forced to rally behind the "group of corrupt" who are languishing in jail.

He also slammed the party leadership for declining an invite to Ram Mandir's Pran Pratistha ceremony and said that it was a "gross mistake to boycott the event."

"Religion and politics are different issues. If the party high command was reluctant to join the consecration, it could have found other ways to show respect to the grand ceremony," said Naseeb Singh, adding that Hindus can't be ignored in a country like India.

-- IANS

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Lucknow, May 1 : After multiple schools in Delhi, the Amity School in Lucknow's Vrindavan area also received an email with a bomb threat on Wednesday afternoon.

Lucknow, May 1 (IANS) After multiple schools in Delhi, the Amity School in Lucknowas Vrindavan area also received an email with a bomb threat on Wednesday afternoon.

The police were informed immediately and the school evacuated.

Extensive searches were conducted on the school premises after the children were sent home.

ACP Pankaj Singh said that proper checking was done in the school and no suspicious object was found, adding that the cyber team is investigating the email while the ATS and the STF are also probing the matter.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. All the people who live in Azerbaijan, representatives of different ethnic groups and religions, live as one family, as great citizens of Azerbaijan, as patriots of our state and statehood, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the opening ceremony of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, themed Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity in Baku, Trend reports.

They do everything in order to strengthen our country and to strengthen the positive trends of cultural dialogue and cultural diversity. So, having this great experience, which is coming from many ages before, we thought that it would be right for us to undertake this initiative and launch the Baku Process.
Mumbai, May 1 : In the upcoming 'Pehli Baar' themed episode of 'Madness Machayenge-India Ko Hasayenge', the powerhouses of comedy, Kushal Badrike and Hemangi Kavi will join forces with the actor Atisha Naik for a skit titled 'Kushal Ki Maa'.

Kushal will play the ever-so-stressed aNavra,a Hemangi will portray the hyper aBaikoa and Atisha will essay the role of Kushalas mother. An innocent Navra wants to enjoy his day by watching a match but he finds himself caught in the middle of a asaas-bahua showdown over whose tasks he should prioritise first.

Ace comedian Mubeen Saudagar will also join this special episode as a guest to regale viewers with some entertaining gags.

Talking about this gag, Kushal said: "It's a hilarious take on a scenario that every Indian married man can relate to with the poor Navra just wanting to watch a match, but he's caught in the middle of a classic saas-bahu showdown. The struggle to balance the tasks of a mother and a wife is something many men have experienced in their daily lives. Working again with Atisha Naik ji and Hemangi Kavi has been an absolute blast; their energy brings so much fun to the set."

'Madness Machayenge' airs on Sony.
Shillong: Former Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh arrives at CBI office in Shillong on Feb 11, 2019. He is being interrogated in connection with the Saradha and Rose Valley chit fund scams. . Image Source: IANS News

Kolkata, May 1 : Hours after Trinamool Congress' state General Secretary Kunal Ghosh showered praises on Tapas Roy, the BJP candidate from Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha constituency, the ruling party on Wednesday removed Ghosh from the post.

A statement issued by Trinamool's national spokesman Derek O'Brien said that since he has been removed from the post of General Secretary, the media outlets should not treat his views as that of the party in the future.

"Recently, Kunal Ghosh expressed views that do not align with the party's viewpoint. It is important to clarify that these are his personal opinions and should not be attributed to the party. Only the statements issued from the Trinamool Congress headquarters should be considered as the party's official position," the statement read.

Till recently, Ghosh was also the state spokesman of the party. However, he resigned from that post but continued as the state General Secretary.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ghosh shared the stage with Roy, who quit the Trinamool and joined the BJP earlier this year, during a blood donation camp organised in South Kolkata, where he described the latter as an "ideal" candidate.

"I have nothing new to say about Roy as an elected public representative. He has always been in public service. His doors were always open for the people. We wanted to retain him in the (Trinamool) family. But unfortunately, we could not.

"Today he is a candidate of the opposing party. We will work for our party candidate, while Roy's supporters will work for him," said Ghosh, with Roy sitting behind with a smile on his face.
Hubballi, : May 1 (IANS) Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday targeted the Gandhi family and stated that after ruling the country for 60 years, the family is still in search of a candidate for the Prime Minister's post.

"The Congress does not have the courage to declare Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate," he alleged.

Addressing a gathering in Dharwad, Joshi claimed that if Rahul Gandhi was declared the prime ministerial candidate, the party won't get votes.

"There is a huge difference between the earlier Gandhis and the present Gandhis. In the present day 'Gandhi company', there is no prime ministerial candidate," he alleged.

"The Congress does not care about the protection of the country. The party gives importance to only power, vote bank and appeasement. They must think about making the country stronger with better Defence policies and economic policies," he opined.

"Ever since Narendra Modi became the PM, India is becoming stronger. It has proved its might at the global level. Economically it has taken leaps and it is also in the forefront in terms of development. At the global level the country is recognised as Modi's India," Joshi claimed.

"During its 60-year rule the Congress got 60,000 km of national highways constructed. But, late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee got 30,000 kms of national highways constructed in five years. Prime Minister Modi, in 10 years got 60,000 kms of highways constructed. This includes four-lane, six-lane, eight-lane and 10-lane highways," Joshi claimed.

"Prime Minister Modi is striving towards the welfare of people belonging to all sections and has implemented many schemes to eradicate poverty," Joshi said.
Hyderabad, May 1 : Hyderabad police on Wednesday arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Manne Krishank for allegedly posting a fake letter of the Osmania University (OU) chief warden and terming the letter posted by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on OU hostels' closure as fake.

Krishank, who is social media convenor of BRS, was stopped by police near Panthangi checkpost when he was returning to Hyderabad from Kothagudem.

He posted on 'X' that Crime Inspector Choutuppal was sitting in his car and taking him to Choutuppal Police Station. "Don't know why," he wrote.

Krishank and a OU student Nagender were arrested for allegedly circulating fake news over the closure of OU hostels.

The OU chief warden has filed a complaint at the OU police station for forging his signature. Krishank earlier posted two letters on aXa claiming that the letter posted by the Chief Minister was fake and also posted a similar letter terming it to be genuine.

The BRS leader was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) 466 forgery of record of court or of public register, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation) 505 (1) C (statements conducing to public mischief).

Krishank had earlier alleged that after the formation of the Congress government four months ago, six illegal cases have been booked against him.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had also slammed BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao for spreading lies on the closure of Osmania University hostels. He had clarified that the closure notice was issued as per the University almanac.

The Chief Minister shared a similar notice issued by the Osmania University authorities last year when the BRS was in power. The notice contained information on the closure of hostels due to summer vacation and also mentioned that the hostels were being closed due to an acute shortage of power and water.

He accused KCR of running propaganda that OU hostels were shut down only after Congress came to power.

The controversy erupted after students complained of water and electricity shortages on the campus. Subsequently, the Chief Warden issued a notice that hostels would be closed due to summer vacation. The notice also mentions power and water shortages as reasons.

Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka stated that there was no water scarcity or power disruption on the campus and that the Chief Warden's statement was related to summer vacation.
New Delhi, May 1 : Congress party is all set to end suspense over the name of its candidates for Amethi and Raebareli Lok Sabha constituencies, both of which have been pocket boroughs of the Gandhi family for long.

Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said that the partyas Central Election Committee (CEC) has empowered Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to announce the names of candidates, as soon as possible.

He further told the scribes that the party president is likely to announce the names of candidates in the next 24 hours.

Notably, the party has remained tight-lipped until now, over who would represent the two family bastions -- Amethi and Raebareli. Robert Vadraas name also surfaced as the likely party candidate from Amethi, some days ago.

The party seems to have made up its mind for the two prestigious seats at a time, when the nomination deadline is getting closer. The last date of filing nominations for these two seats is May 3.

Meanwhile, there have been wide speculations about the announcement of Congress candidates for two prestigious seats.

Rahul Gandhi, who represented the Amethi Lok Sabha seat till 2019, is likely to be fielded from here again, say reports. The party was reportedly in a dilemma over Rahulas repeated candidature from Amethi, in the wake of a shock defeat in the 2019 elections. Currently, Rahul is in the poll fray from Keralaas Wayanad seat.

Raebareli is also shrouded in suspense after Sonia Gandhias retirement from active politics. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is widely tipped to be the Congress candidate for this seat as the party believes this will enthuse and energise the voters.

Congress party is in alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh. The grand old party is contesting 17 out of 80 seats while the rest 63 are with INDIA bloc ally SP and other regional outfits.

Amethi and Rae Bareli are set to vote in the fifth phase on May 20.
New Delhi, May 1 : The Ministry of Earth Sciences, through the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, will host the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM 46) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP 26) from May 20 to 30 at Kochi in Kerala.

"The hosting of the 46th ATCM and 26th CEP meeting reflects India's growing role as a responsible global stakeholder in efforts to preserve Antarctica for future generations. Through open dialogue, collaboration, and consensus-building, India remains committed to upholding the principles of the Antarctic Treaty and contributing to the sustainable management of one of Earth's last pristine wilderness areas," said M. Ravichandran, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

The key items on the 46th ATCM agenda include strategic planning for sustainable management of Antarctica and its resources; policy, legal, and institutional operations; biodiversity prospecting; inspections and exchange of information and data; research, collaboration, capacity building and cooperation; addressing climate change impacts; development of tourism framework; and promoting awareness.

The 26th CEP agenda focuses on Antarctic environment evaluation, impact assessment, management, and reporting; climate change response; area protection and management plans including marine spatial protection; and conservation of Antarctic biodiversity.

Over 350 delegates from more than 60 countries are expected to attend the ATCM and CEP meetings which are pivotal in the international community's ongoing efforts to safeguard Antarctica's fragile ecosystem and promote scientific research in the region.

Convened annually under the Antarctic Treaty System, these meetings serve as forums for Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties and other stakeholders to address Antarctica's pressing environmental, scientific, and governance issues.

The Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959 and entered into force in 1961, established Antarctica as a region dedicated to peaceful purposes, scientific cooperation, and environmental protection. Over the years, the Treaty has garnered widespread support, with 56 countries currently party to it.

India has been a Consultative Party to the Antarctic Treaty since 1983. It participates in the decision-making process along with the other 28 Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty.

India's first Antarctic research station, Dakshin Gangotri, was established in 1983.

At present, India operates two year-round research stations: Maitri (1989) and Bharati (2012). The permanent research stations facilitate Indian Scientific Expeditions to Antarctica, which have been ongoing annually since 1981.

In 2022, India enacted the Antarctic Act, reaffirming its commitment to the Antarctic Treaty.

India's scientific and strategic endeavours in the polar regions (the Arctic and Antarctic), the Himalayas, and the Southern Ocean are under the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa.
Phnom Penh, May 1 : A Cambodian health official on Wednesday warned of health risks as temperatures in the Southeast Asian country have soared to record highs.

Secretary of State and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health Or Vandine urged people to be careful and take care of their health from dehydration by drinking more water, Xinhua news agency reported.

She said temperatures these days are the "hottest ever in Cambodia's history."

"I would like to call on people to be cautious and not to stay under the sun for too long to avoid skin irritation, excessive sweating, and dehydration," Vandine said in a statement on social media.

She said the extreme heat could cause shortness of breath or fainting, heart attack and death.

"Stay in a shady location if you are outside a house or building," she said. "If you feel too hot, use a wet towel or scarf to cover yourself and drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day."

Vandine also advised people to wear lightweight and long-sleeved clothing and use a sunblock lotion or umbrella to protect themselves from the sun.

"If inside the house or building, you can use a fan or air conditioner to reduce heat, and avoid eating too sweet, too salty or too fatty," she said.

Chan Yutha, a spokesperson and secretary of state for the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, said last week that Cambodia had recorded the highest-ever temperature in this hot season in about 170 years.

According to the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology's weather forecast, the temperature in some provinces in the northern, northeastern, northwestern, central and southern parts of the country reached 43 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, and this "alarming" level will last till Thursday and Friday.

Yutha said temperatures will start to drop in early May, as rainfall is predicted.
Rome, May 1 : Pope Francis on Wednesday denounced the global arms industry, saying it was "terrible to make money from death."

"Unfortunately, today the investments that bring the greatest return are arms factories," he said in his weekly general audience in the Vatican.

Francis used the speech to appeal for peace, mentioning the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict and the persecution of the Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar by government forces.

According to a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research International, a record $2.44 trillion was spent on armaments worldwide last year, a 6.8 per cent rise from 2022.

Russia's war in Ukraine was cited as one of the key reasons for the global increase in defence spending.

The US has the highest military expenditure in the world by some distance, representing 37 per cent of total global spending.

--IANS/DPA

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Mumbai, May 1 : In a sensational development, one of the prime accused in the firing at Salman Khan's home, Anuj Thapan, died after an alleged suicide attempt in a Mumbai Police lockup on Wednesday, an official said.

The incident took place shortly before noon at the Crime Branch lockup where Thapan, 32, was lodged for investigations after he was sent to police custody till May 8.

A policeman found Thapan hanging inside his cell toilet with the help of a bedsheet, and immediately raised an alarm for help.

He was rushed by a police team to the nearby St. George Hospital in a critical condition but was declared on admission, sending the police into a tizzy.

The Azad Maidan Police Station has registered an accidental death report, an official said, adding the motive behind Thapan's suicide is being probed.

Thapan, 32, along with Sonu Chander Bishnoi, was arrested in Punjab on April 25 for allegedly providing the arms and ammunition used for the pre-dawn firing outside Salman Khan's Bandra home on April 14.

Earlier, the Mumbai Police had tracked down the two shooters a" Vicky Gupta, 24 and Sagar Pal, 21 -- in the Pakistan-bordering district of Kachchh in Gujarat and brought them to Mumbai.

After their questioning, the police swooped on Bishnoi and Thapan, and they were arrested for supplying the two pistols and several rounds of ammunition which were used to fire at Khan's home in Galaxy Apartments in the posh Bandra west.

As per the probe, Thapan worked as a truck cleaner, while Bishnoi was a farmer-cum-grocer.

Both reportedly had links with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang which claimed responsibility for the firing at Khan's house.

The Mumbai Police last month invoked various sections of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, besides the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act, against all the four accused, of whom Thapan committed suicide on Wednesday, with possible ramifications on the sensitive probe.

On April 28, a Special Court had sent Gupta, Pal and Thapan to police custody till May 8, while Bishnoi was given judicial custody for a fortnight on health grounds. Simultaneously, the police have also named the mafia don Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi as 'wanted accused' for the firing at Salman Khan's residence.

The police managed to trace and fish out the two guns and many unused bullets which Gupta and Pal had flung into river Tapi in Surat while fleeing to Kachchh after the April 14 shooting. They were nabbed on April 16.

Anmol Bishnoi is stated to be living in Canada and keeps travelling to different countries, while his sibling Lawrence Bishnoi is currently in jail for various serious crimes.
Manila, May 1 : Two workers were buried alive in a well while they were digging a well in Philippine's Quezon province, police said on Wednesday.

Police said that four workers were digging 13 feet deep inside the well when the soil collapsed at around 2:30 p.m. local time in Calauag town on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rescuers saved two of the workers hours after the accident but failed to rescue the other two as the backhoe that was being used malfunctioned.

Police said rescuers retrieved the bodies of the two in the hole on Wednesday.

Police are quizzing the landowner to determine the purpose of the digging activity, which was allegedly either for a water well or treasure hunting.

Details are awaited.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Azerbaijan ensured peace by war. I think that this should be thoroughly examined, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the opening ceremony of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, themed Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity in Baku, Trend reports.

All the major international organizations adopted resolutions and decisions demanding the withdrawal of Armenian forces, including four resolutions by the UN Security Council. Those who adopted those resolutions did not do anything in order to implement them. So, we had to achieve peace through war. What we did in 2020 - 44 days of the Patriotic War - allowed us to liberate the largest part of the territories. Last September, we completely restored our territorial integrity and sovereignty, the head of state underlined.
Chennai, May 1 : The Tamil Nadu BJP on Wednesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of planting the doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah that went viral on social media recently.

State BJP spokesman A.N.S. Prasad said in a statement issued on Wednesday that without the knowledge of Rahul Gandhi, Telengana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy would not have dared to "commit such an act" (of circulating the doctored video of Amit Shah).

The BJP leader also said that after realising that the Congress will suffer a crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, the party is resorting to short-cuts to defame the BJP.

"But the people of the country would give a fitting reply to the Congress and its INDI Alliance partners in these elections," he said.

Unlike the canards spread by the Congress and DMK, the stand of the BJP has always been to continue with reservations for the OBC, SC, and ST communities, Prasad said.

He also said that during the BJP-backed government's regime at the Centre in 1989, 27 per cent reservation was given to the OBCs based on the Mandal Commission's recommendations, which was delayed by the past Congress governments.
Patna, May 1 : RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday took a dig at the BJP, whose top leaders keep coming to Bihar in a bid to ensure a repeat of their 2019 performance, saying that they should bring former US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin for the election campaign in Bihar too.

Asked about BJP national President J.P. Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh coming to Bihar again to campaign, he said: "Why are they (the BJP) not calling former US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin for the election campaign? It will help them."

Tejashwi Yadav also accused the BJP of opposing former Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur's ideologies.

"Whatever PM Narendra Modi is saying on the reservation issue is false. Karpoori Thakur had given reservations to the backward caste people of Bihar. They have recently given the Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur but are opposing his principles," he said.

The former Deputy Chief Minister also accused the BJP of being behind the cancellation of nominations of opposition candidates in the country.

aBJP has opted for dictatorship in the country. Whether it is Surat, Indore or many places in Uttar Pradesh, their candidates are being made victorious and the nominations of opposition candidates are being cancelled. If this is not a dictatorship, then what is it?" he asked.
Bengaluru : Karnataka HC invalidates the Lok Sabha membership of Prajwal Revanna from the Hassan constituency. Image Source: IANS News

Bengaluru, May 1 : Grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, who is in the eye of a storm over obscene videos of him, on Wednesday commented for the first time on the issue.

In a social media post Prajwal Revanna sought seven days for his appearance before the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Prajwal Revanna's obscene video showing sexual harassment and abuse of women has taken the political circles in Karnataka by storm.

Taking to social media, Prajwal Revanna stated on Wednesday, "Truth will prevail soon. I am not in Bengaluru to attend the enquiry. I have communicated to CID, Bengaluru through my advocate."

He also posted a letter submitted to the authorities through his advocate addressed to the SP and Investigation Officers, Special Investigation Team (SIT) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Prajwal Revanna's counsel Arun G stated in his submission to the SIT that authorities have pasted a notice on the leader's residence in Holenarasipura town.

As per the notice issued under the CRPC Section 41A issued on April 30, Prajwal Revanna has been asked to appear before the SIT on May 1.

"My client Prajwal Revanna is on tour outside Bengaluru and informed me about the notice. My client has sought seven days to appear before the SIT as per the direction of the notice. I request on his behalf to provide him an opportunity on a different date after seven days to appear before the authorities," the letter stated.

Advocate G Arun stated that he had personally handed over the requisition letter to the SIT.

"The officers have not responded yet but I am confidant of getting seven days' time," he stated.

The SIT probing the case had issued a notice to the accused on Tuesday, asking him to appear before it for investigation within 24 hours.

A notice has also been issued to JD(S) MLA, HD Revanna, the father of Prajwal Revanna who is the second accused in one of the cases of sexual harassment filed by their maid.

On Tuesday morning, the JD(S) suspended Prajwal Revanna, the sitting party MP and the NDA's Lok Sabha candidate from Hassan, after the Congress government in Karnataka formed the SIT to probe allegations of sexual abuse against him.

The notice has directed both Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna to be present before Superintendent of Police Seema Latkar within the stipulated period.
Kochi, May 1 : The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has called for the Intellectual Property (IP) system to be strengthened to fully recognise indigenous people's ownership of their traditional knowledge.

The premier institute underscored the role of intellectual property on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 concerning genetic resources and their impact on developing countries.

It also highlighted the risks of biopiracy, where genetic resources are exploited without consent or benefit-sharing agreements, leading to the marginalisation of indigenous communities and exacerbating inequalities.

Dr Kavitha Chalakkal, Assistant Professor at the Inter-University Centre for IPR Studies of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), said developing countries, rich in biodiversity and traditional knowledge, often face challenges in benefitting from their genetic resources due to asymmetrical power dynamics and inadequate legal frameworks.

"Indigenous people and local communities have a long history of managing genetic resources which are essential to sustain their livelihood. About 75 per cent of the worldas population relies largely on plant-based traditional treatments for primary healthcare. Indigenous people, including smallholders, fisher folk and forest dwellers, should be given a fair share in the economic, medical or social benefits earned by the use of their traditional knowledge or practices," she said.

CMFRI Director Dr A. Gopalakrishnan said utilising intellectual property frameworks effectively allows us to unlock the full potential of innovation, addressing complex global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, and healthcare access.
Mumbai, May 1 : Steel manufacturer Jindal Stainless on Wednesday announced a three-pronged investment strategy worth Rs 5,400 crore as part of its plans to augment its melting and downstream capacities, the company said in an exchange filing.

The steel manufacturer has also entered into a joint venture (JV) for the development and operation of a stainless-steel melt shop in Indonesia, which has an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The move which entails an investment of Rs 700 crore will see the melting capacity of the steel major go up by as much as 40 percent to 4.2 MTPA, according to the company statement.

The steel major further stated that it has set aside Rs 1,900 crore for the expansion of its downstream lines in Jajpur and Odisha, while it has earmarked nearly Rs 1,450 crore towards the associated upgradation of infrastructural facilities.

Besides, it has announced the signing of an agreement to acquire a 54 per cent equity stake in Chromeni Steels Private Limited (CSPL), which owns a 0.6 MTPA cold rolling mill located in Mundra, Gujarat, through a structured indirect acquisition deal for Rs 45 crore.

The transactions also include a takeover of existing debt of Rs 1,295 crore, the company added.

"The Indonesian JV will get us the best of speed and raw material security, and the augmentation of the Jajpur lines will offer enhanced value for domestic and export customers," said Abhyuday Jindal, MD, Jindal Stainless.
Patna, May 1 : Bihar RJD President Jagdanand Singh's younger son Ajit Singh resigned from the primary membership of the JD-U on Wednesday.

Ajit Singh alleged that the top JD-U leadership took big decisions without taking the party workers into confidence. As a result, the workers are now facing an awkward situation on the ground which is adversely affecting the party organisation, hence he resigned from the primary membership of JD-U, said Ajit Singh.

He also wrote to JD-U state President Umesh Kushwaha requesting him to accept his resignation with immediate effect.

"We thought the Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar) would take decisions concerning the state, but even after two phases of Lok Sabha elections, no announcement has been made by the NDA with regard to Bihar," Ajit Singh said.

"PM Narendra Modi has not said anything about special status to Bihar. Some BJP leaders openly said that they would change the Constitution. The BJP's agenda has taken a turn which is dangerous for the democracy of the country, but CM Nitish Kumar did not take any step to control it," he added.

"There is concern in the society due to this stance of the BJP. In such a situation, it became difficult for me to ask people to vote for the NDA. So I resigned from the primary membership of the JD-U," he said.

Ajit Singh is the younger son of Jagadanand Singh and the younger brother of Sudhakar Singh, the RJD candidate from Buxar.

He was with the RJD before joining the JD-U in April 2022. However, the party did not give any big post to him. His youngest brother Puneet Singh is also in the RJD.
Bareilly : , May 1 (IANS) Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, has alleged that SP was "selling minority votes".

Bareilly (UP), May 1 (IANS) Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, has alleged that SP was "selling minority votes".

He called upon the community to "boycott" SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and his party, and vote either for the BSP or press NOTA.

The cleric said, "Akhilesh never stood by us and did not give proper respect to our leaders. Even veteran SP leader Azam Khan was not given any space in the party's posters. This clearly shows he is not interested in us."

It may be recalled that tension erupted between SP and Shahabuddin after SP member Haider Ali, who is also associated with Aala Hazrat Dargah, was "not invited on to the stage" at a poll rally of Akhilesh in Bareilly on Sunday.

Ali later staged a protest against his own party workers and Shahabuddin also raised the matter, which he claimed was an "insult".

State Vice President of the SP's minority cell, Anish Ahmed Khan, said, "Shahabuddin is defaming Muslims. Azam Khan's stature in SP is still the same. His photographs are present in all party offices in the state. He is our party's founder member."
Nagpur, May 1 : A special CBI court has sentenced a Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) scientist to jail for five years along with a hefty fine of Rs 1.10 lakh in a Rs 15,000 bribery case, officials said here on Wednesday.

Bipin Jambholkar, the convict, was a Grade A scientific cadre officer who was a nodal officer for BIS Nagpur at the time of the incident.

Following a complaint, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case on March 9, 2015, against Jambolkar, who was serving as a Scientist-C (Lot Cell) at the BISa Enforcement & Legal Activities.

As per the CBI complaint, he demanded and accepted a bribe of Rs 15,000 for not appealing against the acquittal of a complainant in a case -- details of which are not available -- that was heard by the Judicial Magistrate's Court in Wardha in December 2014.

After a detailed investigation lasting for nearly a year, the CBI filed a charge sheet in the case against Jambholkar on February 26, 2016, following which the trial started in the special CBI court.

During the eight-year-long trial, the court examined 15 witnesses, the CBI prosecutor submitted 91 documents plus other evidence which stood the judicial scrutiny and resulted in the conviction of the accused.
Bengaluru, May 1 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday held a massive roadshow at Ranebennur town in Karnataka's Haveri district to garner support for the BJP candidate from the Haveri Lok Sabha constituency -- former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The 30-minute roadshow began from the Kurubagiri Cross and passed through M.G. Road and concluded at the Ashoka Circle in Ranebennur town.

HM Shah was accompanied by Bommai, former Karnataka Cabinet minister B.C. Patil and others.

Thousands of party workers and supporters were present at the roadshow.

The people showered flowers on the vehicle on which HM Shah was moving during the roadshow.

A massive crowd had gathered on both sides of the road, on buildings and balconies of the houses, and commercial establishments.

Later, addressing the gathering, HM Amit Shah thanked the enthusiastic crowd for turning up in large numbers while calling Basavaraj Bommai "one of the top leaders of the state".

HM Amit Shah appealed to the people to vote for Bommai and strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bommai is facing Anandswamy Gaddadevarmath, a fresh face from the Congress. He is the son of former Congress MLA G.S. Gaddadevaramath.
Mumbai, May 1 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday congratulated NDTV for the launch of its Marathi channel on the occasion of Maharashtra Day, saying another powerful name has now been added to the world of news.

Speaking at the launch event, the Chief Minister said that NDTV starting its Marathi channel on this important day is a matter of happiness and satisfaction.

"If we look at Maharashtra over the past two years, the Atal Setu has been a game-changer project. The Mumbai Coastal Road has also been started from one side. We gave momentum to many projects. We are also enjoying the benefits of having a double-engine government," CM Shinde said, referring to the NDA governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

The Chief Minister also spoke about Maoism, saying that it has to be finished to increase employment in the areas affected by the Left-wing extremism.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, received a delegation of Muslim religious leaders from member and observer countries of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Trend reports.

The delegation includes Nuriddin Kholiknazarov, Chairman of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, Nauryzbay Otpenov, Head of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, Abdulaziz Zakirov, Head of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan, and Ahmet Unsal, President of Religious Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

During the meeting, the significance of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue was highlighted, underscoring its substantial contribution to strengthening relations among peoples and representatives of various religions.

President Ilham Aliyev hailed the successful development of friendly and brotherly relations among Turkic-speaking states. He also emphasized the importance of collaboration among religious leaders of these countries, noting that this cooperation contributes to cementing ties among the nations and peoples.

Touching on the importance of the delegation`s visit to Azerbaijans liberated territories, the head of state expressed that this trip would provide a good opportunity for the religious leaders to closely familiarize themselves with ongoing processes in those areas.

President Ilham Aliyev described the opening of secondary school No. 1 named after Mirzo Ulugbek in Fuzuli during President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyevs state visit to Azerbaijan, the inauguration of the Kurmangazy Children's Creativity Center in the city of Fuzuli during President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayevs state visit to Azerbaijan, and the laying of the foundation stone for a secondary school in the village of Khydyrly in the Aghdam district during President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparovs state visit to Azerbaijan as manifestations of the friendly and brotherly relations. The head of state also fondly recalled the official visit of President Ersin Tatar of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to Azerbaijan.

The Chairman of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, Nuriddin Kholiknazarov, conveyed greetings from Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, while the President of Religious Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ahmet Unsal, conveyed greetings from the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, to President Ilham Aliyev.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings and asked them to relay his greetings back to Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ersin Tatar.

The religious leaders expressed their gratitude for the hospitality they received in Azerbaijan and underscored the significance of the Forum, saying that the Azerbaijani leaders insightful speech made a profound impression on them. They underlined that the event helps to bring the historical, religious, and cultural rootsbased on friendship and brotherhood among Turkic-speaking stateseven closer together. President Ilham Aliyev noted that during the occupation, the Armenians had destroyed many of Azerbaijan's historical and religious monuments, adding that construction of new mosques and restoration of those destroyed are in progress as part of large-scale reconstruction projects in the liberated territories.

Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade thanked President Ilham Aliyev for the state's support in ensuring religious freedoms and preserving Islamic values in Azerbaijan, as well as for the restoration of religious and historical monuments in the liberated territories. He also highlighted the work of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in this regard, emphasizing its role in preserving religious and cultural wealth.

The Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office also paid tribute to the exceptional contributions of National Leader Heydar Aliyev in preserving religious values in Azerbaijan.
Los Angeles, May 1 : Hollywood star Alec Baldwin, who has been embroiled in the 'Rust' fatal shooting case, has reflected on his sobriety journey and being drug-free for 39 years.

The actor, 66, appeared on the recent episode of the 'Our Way with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson' podcast to talk about his life and career, reports 'People' magazine.

"I don't discuss this a lot," he admitted when asked about whether he drinks alcohol. "I discuss it every now and then when it makes sense. I'm 39 years sober. I got sober February 23, 1985."

As per 'People', Baldwin recalled moving from his native New York City to Los Angeles in 1983, telling hosts Anka and Bronson, "I had a white-hot problem every day for two years. I think I snorted a line of cocaine from here to Saturn."

He and his friends in Hollywood, he said, "did one on the rings of Saturn, then we came home -- we took it back home. I mean, cocaine was like coffee back then. Everybody was doing it all day long."

Then, he said, "because I stopped doing drugs, my drinking increased, which they tell you is going to happen. And that did happen. I just started drinking".

Though he largely keeps his sobriety journey private, Baldwin detailed many such experiences in his 2017 memoir 'Nevertheless'. "I'm glad I got (sober) when I did because not many people get sober when they're young," he told Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopoulos at that time.

In his 20s when he was "overdosing on drugs," he added, "there was really, really a lot of pain in there".

Explaining how he keeps calm, he said, "I do try to meditate".

He added that the task is not without its challenges considering the kids he shares with his wife Hilaria Baldwin at home in New York.

"Meditating with seven children is like trying to play ping pong on the deck of an aircraft carrier. It's a real pain in the a**, man", he added.
Jerusalem, May 1 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a private meeting in Jerusalem on Wednesday as Washington reaffirmed its commitment to Israel's security, the need to avoid further expansion of the conflict and emphasised that it is Hamas that is standing in the way of a ceasefire in Gaza.

"The Secretary discussed ongoing efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal and emphasised that it is Hamas that is standing in the way of a ceasefire," said Matthew Miller, the spokesperson of the US State Department.

"The Secretary discussed the improvement in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza since the call between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu on April 4 and reiterated the importance of accelerating and sustaining that improvement," he added.

Blinken reaffirmed the US commitment to Israel's security besides discussing the need to avoid further expansion of the conflict.

According to the US State Department, Blinken updated Netanyahu on ongoing efforts to ensure a lasting, sustainable peace in the region while reiterating the US' "clear position" on Rafah.

Earlier, Blinken held a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv with the discussions also revolving around the urgency of delivering humanitarian assistance to civilians throughout Gaza, protecting humanitarian workers, and avoiding regional escalation.

"Bringing the hostages home is at the heart of everything we're trying to do. We will not rest until every hostage -- woman, man, young, old, civilian, soldier -- is back with their families, where they belong," Blinken posted on X on Wednesday.
New Delhi, May 1 : The resignations of two Congress functionaries, Naseeb Singh and Neeraj Basoya, from the primary membership of the party, following closely on the heels of Delhi Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely's departure over the "humiliating" alliance with Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), come as yet another reminder that the grand old party's central leadership is cut off from the ground realities, and the feelings and sentiments of its hard-core workers.

New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) The resignations of two Congress functionaries, Naseeb Singh and Neeraj Basoya, from the primary membership of the party, following closely on the heels of Delhi Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely's departure over the "humiliating" alliance with Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), come as yet another reminder that the grand old party's central leadership is cut off from the ground realities, and the feelings and sentiments of its hard-core workers.

Both Singh and Basoya were Congress election observers for the North-West Delhi and West Delhi Lok Sabha constituencies, respectively. Though their resignation letters are addressed to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, it's easy to guess who they are meant for, the actual decision-makers.

Their letters express the deep anguish of the ordinary Congress workers and sympathisers, underlining the drift and disconnect of the Gandhi family and those around them calling the shots.

Singh and Basoya's letters also provide insight into the humiliation experienced by the Congress workers daily, especially in the context of the alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The reference to an AAP candidate mocking them as "4 per cent vote party" underscores the indignity and ridicule faced by the Congress workers on multiple counts, almost on a daily basis.

This perceived lack of respect and recognition further exacerbates the sense of alienation and disenchantment among the party members.

The spate of resignations by important Congress leaders across the country since the time Rahul Gandhi began his long winding "Nafrat ke Bazaar mein Mohabbat Ki Dukan" two-phased Bharat Jodo Yatra, from "east to west" and "south to north", only proves that there were no takers for 'Dukan' even within his own party's rank and file.

Significantly, Rahul Gandhi's attempt to rejuvenate the Congress' electoral prospects through his nationwide tour appears to have fallen short of expectations, as evidenced by the lack of support within his own party's rank and file.

The party continues to implode even when the seven-phase parliamentary polls are underway. Its existential crisis thus becomes more critical.

After speaking to some Congress leaders, one finds that their grievances against the party leadership are indeed multifaceted, and the situation in Delhi adds a layer of acute hurt and anger.

The decision to align with the AAP, coupled with the expectations to defend AAP's alleged corruption and misdeeds on various platforms, has left many Congress members feeling betrayed and disrespected.

The taunts and disrespect from their newfound ally only add insult to injury, exacerbating the sense of humiliation and disillusionment within the party ranks.

The grievances outlined in detail by leaders like Arvinder Singh Lovely, Naseeb Singh, and Neeraj Basoya reflect only a fraction of the discontent simmering within the Congress. In private conversations, many Congress leaders express even harsher criticisms and frustrations with the party's leadership and the decision-making process.

They question the party leadership's desperation to keep alive the INDI Alliance and the compulsion to bend backward to accommodate the wishes of each noteworthy partner under the slightest pressure.

AAP recognised the Congress high command's weaknesses to first make an entry into the opposition bloc, then forced the Congress to take a position on the Delhi Ordinance issue, so much so that the party, which was otherwise disrupting parliamentary proceedings every day, sat through the debate on the issue in both Houses of the Parliament, defending Arvind Kejriwal's position to the best of its capacity, even bringing an unwell former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a wheelchair to the Parliament to vote on the Bill.

Even in the 2019 elections, the Congress was number two while AAP was number three, but it was AAP which agreed to give three seats to the Congress in Delhi and in the bargain, made the Congress agree to offer AAP seats in Gujarat and Haryana. It also made Congress leaders talk about AAP's "magnanimity" of not contesting in Goa.

In Delhi, the BJP was the clear winner garnering close to 57 per cent votes, while the Congress managed 22 per cent, and the AAP 18 per cent.

It was the Congress leaders in Delhi who first brought details relating to the liquor scam and Kejriwal's 'Sheesh Mahal' in the public domain. But in the end, they were not just made to carry AAP's tainted baggage on their shoulders, but also defend the alleged wrongdoer.

The Congress workers have questioned their leaders' compulsion, particularly that of Sandeep Dikshit, a former two-term MP and the son of ex-Chief Minister late Sheila Dikshit, to rush to Kejriwal's house to show solidarity.

Kejriwal's political foundation was built on making wild allegations against Sheila Dikshit and promises to send Congress leaders to jail for their alleged corrupt deeds.

Kejriwal had practically taken the Congress' support base lock, stock, and barrel in Delhi. Yet the Congress compromised, knowing well that the alliance would last till the next Assembly polls scheduled early next year.

Some even rue how the Gandhi family could be so forgetful  overlooking Kejriwal getting a resolution passed in the Delhi Assembly demanding Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna be withdrawn, or the AAP leader's multiple statements demanding Sonia Gandhi be put in jail and interrogated to spell out the details of the corrupt deals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also hit out at the "plight" of the Gandhi family in these elections, in which Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will not vote for the Congress from the New Delhi constituency for the first time as the Congress has conceded the seat to AAP.

The Gandhi family voting for AAP has multiple implications for the Congress, considering that both parties are fighting against each other in Punjab.

Giving a ticket to erstwhile Leftist student leader Kanhaiya Kumar from North-East Delhi and the Congress manifesto taking a Leftist tilt were the last straws for the likes of Arvinder Singh Lovely, Naseeb Singh, and Neeraj Basoya, among others.
New Delhi, May 1 : India's strategy of continuing to buy cheap oil from Russia despite Western pressures against these purchases has resulted in the saving of around $7.9 billion in the country's oil import bill during the first 11 months of the fiscal year 2022-23 and also helped the country to lower its current account deficit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has stood firm in maintaining its ties with Russia despite the Western sanctions against Moscow.

In fact, during April this year, India imported more Russian oil but less from Iraq and Saudi Arabia than it did a month earlier, according to data compiled by trade tracking agencies Kpler and LSEG.

The imports during April went up by 13-17 per cent, the data shows.

Russia remained India's top oil supplier in April followed by Iraq and Saudi Arabia, the data showed.

Its oil imports from Iraq declined by 20-23 per cent, the data showed.

Since India is the third-largest importer of crude oil in the world, these large purchases of Russian oil have also helped to keep prices in the world market at more reasonable levels, which has benefited other countries as well.

Data compiled by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry shows that in volume terms, the share of crude petroleum imported from Russia jumped to 36 per cent in 11 months of FY 2024 from 2 per cent in FY2022, while that from West Asian countries (Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait) fell to 23 per cent from 34 per cent.

The discounts on Russian oil generated huge savings in the oil import bill. According to an ICRA report, the imputed unit value of imports from Russia was 16.4 per cent and 15.6 per cent lower than the corresponding levels from West Asia in FY 2023 and 11 months of FY2024, respectively.

ICRA estimates this to have led to savings in India's oil import bill amounting to $5.1 billion in FY 2023 and $7.9 billion in 11 months of FY 2024, thereby compressing India's current account deficit (CAD)/GDP ratio by 15-22 bps in FY2023-24.

According to ICRA's calculations, a $10 per barrel uptick in the average crude oil price for the fiscal pushes up the net oil imports by around $12-13 billion during the year, thereby enlarging the CAD by 0.3 per cent of the GDP. Accordingly, if the average crude oil price rises to $95 a barrel in FY2025, then the CAD is likely to widen to 1.5 per cent of GDP from our current estimate of 1.2 per cent of GDP for FY 2023-24.
Shimla, May 1 : Seeking votes with folded hands can be tough for Congress veteran and four-time Rajya Sabha MP Anand Sharma in his new battleground Kangra, the largest Lok Sabha constituency in Himachal Pradesh in terms of voters which plays a crucial role in state politics.

The ruling Congress in the state has pitted former Union Minister Sharma, known to be a 'mentor' to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, against Rajiv Bhardwaj of the BJP, which ignored the sitting MP, Kishan Kapoor.

For Sharma, who belongs to Shimla, this would be his first electoral battle for the Lok Sabha. With a political career spanning over four decades, Sharma, who first entered the Rajya Sabha in 1984, is a surprise pick by the party.

The reason: The constituency with 17 Assembly seats in Kangra and some parts of Chamba district with a base of 12.58 lakh voters, the highest in the state, has a large number of ex-servicemen and a big chunk of Brahmin voters, a community to which both the candidates belong.

Kangra, an erstwhile princely state once ruled by Katoch ruler Sansar Chand, has never repeated a sitting MP in the past five decades with four-time MP Shanta Kumar being the only exception. Kumar was elected for two consecutive terms in 1998 and 1999. He also served as a Union Minister and a Chief Minister for two terms, from 1977-80 and 1991-92.

Sharma, a founder member of the party's student wing, the National Students Union of India (NSUI), had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections from Shimla in 1982, losing to Daulat Ram Chauhan of the BJP by a margin of 2,945 votes.

Poll analysts say the Kangra parliamentary constituency, which has around 20 per cent Brahmin voters and 7 per cent OBC electorate, has always been an interesting battleground. In Assembly elections, Kangra district holds the key in deciding the fate of the state's two archrivals -- the Congress and the BJP.

"It's a survival battle for Anand Sharma this time. Recently, he was sulking over the party leadership's decision to field Congress stalwart Abhishek Manu Singhvi for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Himachal," a senior Congress leader told IANS.

"Now they want Sharma to prove his mettle in his home state that he represented for over four decades," he said, adding, "Even the Chief Minister, who is known for his proximity with Sharma, has to prove his popularity as in the Kangra seat, the party has the maximum number of legislators."

In the Assembly elections held in December 2022, the Congress won 12 out of the 17 seats in the district.

In 2022, Sharma, known to be a prominent G23 leader, resigned as the Chairman of the Congress' Steering Committee for the Himachal Assembly elections, alleging "continuing exclusions and insults".

In Himachal politics, Sharma was always the target of six-time Chief Minister late Virbhadra Singh when it came to garnering votes for the Congress party as they belonged to differing camps.

While Virbhadra Singh had no qualms about folding his hands and bowing his head before the people to seek votes for the party, Sharma believed "it's too lousy a job for a central minister".

Virbhadra Singh, who was the Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, was often quoted as saying: "I am a senior minister. My rank in the cabinet is seventh. I have no ego at all. I am a (party) worker first, then an MP, and then a minister", in an apparent jibe at Sharma.

Contrary to Virbhadra Singh, who had entered the Lok Sabha in 1962, Sharma, who questioned the party's aggressive campaign pitch for holding a caste census, was often quoted as saying, "It does not behove a Union Minister to campaign during the elections".

The four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal will go to the polls in the seventh and final phase on June 1.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at gulatiians@gmail.com)
Hyderabad, May 1 : The Election Commission on Wednesday barred Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) President and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao from campaigning for 48 hours for making derogatory and objectionable statements against Congress.

While strongly condemning the BRS leaderas statements and reprimanding him for the misconduct, the poll panel barred him from holding any public meetings, processions, rallies, shows and interviews, or making public utterances in media in connection with the ongoing elections for 48 hours, beginning from 8 p.m. on Wednesday.

The EC order will affect the ongoing bus yatra of KCR, as Rao is popularly called, as part of his campaign for the May 13 elections to the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. The Commission took the action after the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Telangana, sent a factual report following a complaint by the state Congress unit's Senior Vice-President G. Niranjan that the BRS chief, at his press meet in Sircilla on April 5, made derogatory and objectionable statements against the Congress party.

The poll panel had issued a show-cause notice to KCR on April 16 for violation of certain provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and received a reply on April 23, where the BRS chief told the Commission that the officers in charge of election in Telangana and Sircilla are not Telugu people and they hardly understand the local dialect of Telugu.

He also argued that the complaint was made by the Congress by picking some sentences from his press conference out of context. The English translation of the sentences is not correct and twisted, he said.

After going through the contents of the complaint by Niranjan and KCRas reply, the Commission found that KCR not only violated the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct by making the objectionable and derogatory utterances on April 5 at Sircilla but he had also been violating the MCC provisions during the past elections.
New Delhi, May 1 : India's top ranked singles player HS Prannoy hit the strides and showed that he was now ready for the big battles after overcoming health concerns with a come from behind win over Indonesia's Anthony Ginting as the defending champions finished second in Group C at the BWF Thomas and Uber Cup 2024 in Chengdu, China, on Wednesday.

With the quarterfinal spot already assured, Indians took on multiple-time champions Indonesia in the last group clash, looking to find the right balance ahead of the knock-out stage.

The Indian women's team has also reached the quarterfinals and will face Japan on Thursday morning. The knock out draw for the men's team was not made at the time of writing.

Though the Indian men's team ended up on the losing end of the 1-4 score line, there were many positives. Prannoy fought back after a game down, the doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty forced a decider after saving eight match points and Kidambi Srikanth was just a point away from victory in the third singles but could not convert the opportunity.

Things looked quite difficult for Prannoy as he struggled in the opening game against the quick-footed Ginting. But the world no 9, who enjoyed a 3-2 head-to-head record against the Indonesian before this match, found his rhythm in time to register a 13-21, 21-12, 21-12 win in just over an hour.

"I knew that Ginting was going to be quick in the opening game. But I knew that if I stuck with him in the second game till 13-all, 14-all then I had a chance," said Prannoy after the match adding that he is always confident when the match goes into the decider.

The first doubles was another close encounter with Satwik and Chirag saving two game points in the first game and then saving eight match points in the second against Muhammad Fikri and Bagas Maulana but could not avoid a 24-22, 22-24, 21-19 loss.

Lakshya Sen then pushed reigning All England champion Jonatan Christie to the decider but the Indonesian used all his experience to carve out a 1-18, 16-21, 21-17 win to give his team a 2-1 lead.

India then paired Dhruv Kapila with Sai Pratheek K in the second doubles instead of MR Arjun and the scratch pair raised hopes of an upset when they earned a game point against world no 13 combination of Leo Carnando and Daniel Marthin. But the Indonesians raised their game in the second to win the match 22-20, 21-11 to wrap up the tie.

In the third singles, Kidambi Srikanth could not convert two match points and lost 21-19, 22-24, 14-21.

--IANS

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Kolkata, May 1 : Soon after his removal as the state General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, Kunal Ghosh on Wednesday launched a scathing attack against the party's national spokesperson Derek O'Brien over a statement issued by the latter announcing the decision to remove Ghosh from the post.

Speaking to the media, Ghosh described O'Brien as a "quiz master".

"I have one question for the quiz mister. What is the justification of such a statement when it was me who wanted to be relieved from the two posts of General Secretary and spokesperson much earlier," he said, adding that no communication regarding his removal was made to him by the party leadership.

Till recently, Ghosh was also the state spokesman of the party. However, he resigned from the post but continued as the state General Secretary.

Ghosh also referred to a blood donation camp in Kolkata on Wednesday where he shared the stage with the BJP candidate from Kolkata Uttar, Tapas Roy, describing him as an "ideal" candidate, a development that probably triggered the Trinamool's decision to remove him from the key post.

"It was a non-political event where Tapas Roy was also present. Whatever I said was an expression of courtesy towards a leader who was with my party for a long time (before joining the BJP). I appreciated his role as an able party leader and an effective public representative. But I also clearly said that my party candidate from Kolkata Uttar is Sudip Bandopadhyay and I will work for him. What is wrong in saying this," Ghosh asked.

He also claimed that the "quiz master" remained silent when Dev, the actor-politician and Trinamool MP from Ghatal, praised superstar Mithun Chakraborty who is with the BJP now.

"Neither the quiz master nor the operators behind him reacted then," Ghosh said.

When asked specifically about the "operators behind the quiz master", Ghosh said, "Who else other than the top leadership of the party. They are all great souls. May god bless them."

However, he concluded by saying that he is still with the Trinamool Congress and will try to continue in the party in the future as well.
Basti : , May 1 (IANS) Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Anurag Thakur, said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has saved the people of the country from starvation and epidemic while the Congress wants to divide the country into pieces and was making false claims vaccination and spreading rumours.

Addressing a public meeting after the nomination of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and sitting MP Harish Dwivedi, the Union Minister said that during the pandemic, when the people of the country were in trouble, PM Modi-led government had done the work of serving grains in the plates of the poor, which is continuing till now.

"The people of the country were saved from the epidemic by providing free vaccination," Anurag Thakur said.

He said that the Opposition was either crying over EVMs because it had foreseen its defeat, or was spreading false rumours about vaccination.

"The Opposition's ground has completely slipped over the inheritance issue. But the BJP will not allow this to happen. Ever since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, India has been continuously moving towards development and nearly 25 crore families have been lifted above the poverty line," the Union Minister said.

Anurag Thakur said that the BJP's support base is continuously increasing, due to which the Opposition was nervous.

He said that the opposition has always raised questions on the existence of Lord Shri Ram.

"From the time of Pran Pratishtha till today, the Opposition is avoiding having darshan of Lord Shri Ram. They want to grab the property of the families in the country on their death," the Union Minister said.

Anurag Thakur said that the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have promoted goons and mafias, but ever since Yogi Adityanath has become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the state has become mafia-free.

"Ever since the surgical strike took place against Pakistan under the able guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan has started talking about peace. He said that after winning the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with an overwhelming majority, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to build a strong India by becoming the Prime Minister for the third time," Anurag Thakur said.
Kolkata, May 1 : The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered to conduct a second post-mortem on youth BJP leader Dinobondhu Midya, whose body was found hanging at Moyna in East Midnapore district on April 26.

While passing the order, the single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta noted that Midyaas body was found hanging in a betel leaf storehouse at quite some distance from the floor, which was surprising.

Justice Sengupta said the second post-mortem should be conducted at the state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata and the entire process should be video recorded. He said the investigation should be conducted under the direct supervision of the East Midnapore DSP.

Justice Sengupta also directed the investigating team to submit a progress report before his bench on May 7.

The district unit of the BJP has been saying all through that Midya's death was a clear case of murder, claiming that he was first killed and then his body was hung to make it look like suicide.

The family members of the victim claimed that Midya left this home on the evening of April 25. However, when he did not return till late at night, his family members tried to contact him but his mobile phone was switched off.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 1. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed the agreement reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia to hold talks in Almaty, the Kazakh president said in a statement on the negotiation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Almaty Trend reports.

"I welcome the agreement of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia to hold negotiations of foreign ministers on the preparation of a peace treaty between the two states at the proposal of the Kazakh side. It is symbolic that this important event will be held in Almaty, where the historic Alma-Ata Declaration was signed in December 1991, which consolidated the foundations of the independent development of the CIS countries and approved the principles of defining interstate borders. I proceed from the fact that the forthcoming meeting will serve for the practical realization of the Azerbaijani-Armenian agreements and will contribute to the early establishment of lasting and long-term peace in the South Caucasus," the statement reads.

To note, earlier, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during his visit to Yerevan offered a platform for negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Besides, on April 30, the official representative of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry Aybek Smadiyarov stated that Azerbaijan and Armenia confirmed their participation in the talks in Almaty.

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Mumbai, May 1 : NCP Working President and Rajya Sabha member Praful Patel said on Wednesday that during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, there is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong leadership on one side, and a complete lack of clarity over who would lead the opposition bloc on the other.

Mumbai, May 1 (IANS) NCP Working President and Rajya Sabha member Praful Patel said on Wednesday that during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, there is Prime Minister Narendra Modias strong leadership on one side, and a complete lack of clarity over who would lead the opposition bloc on the other.

aaThe people will vote wisely as they will consider the national issues. The development that has taken place in the country in the last 10 years will be prominently considered by the voters," Patel said during the launch of the NDTV Marathi news channel on the occasion of Maharashtra Day on Wednesday.

At the same time, Patel also asserted that contesting the elections has become more difficult now due to the speed at which wrong things are communicated widely.

"We had to reach the grassroots level earlier and for that, we used to make a lot of effort. However, nowadays it has become easy to reach out to people but while this is happening, fighting elections has become more difficult due to the speed at which wrong things are communicated now," he said.

Patel also said that NDTV Marathi will create a distinct identity as a news channel.

"Maharashtra is developing rapidly. The face of Mumbai has been changed. Vidarbha is also on the path of development. Pune has now become the IT hub of the country. Moreover, students from all over the world come to Pune to study. So it is clear how the state is on a growth path,aa said Patel.

"The MahaYuti government comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP has a vision for the development of Maharashtra and the welfare of the future generation. We are going with PM Modi's vision. A great revolution has taken place in the country in the last 10 years. The Modi government has lifted 40 crore people out of poverty. Foreign investments are coming to India in large numbers,aa said Patel, adding that a big outcry follows when a project goes out of the state, but it should be remembered that the project remains in India.
Mumbai, May 1 : The Federation of World Sindhi Associations (FWSA) has offered to rehabilitate Sindhi Hindu refugees from Pakistan with the help of the Central government as they fear for their safety and security in the neighbouring country.

FWSA International President and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Mahesh Jethmalani said on Wednesday that the community members in adjoining Pakistan are hit badly as they are in constant fear that their womenfolk would be abducted and forcibly converted.

In order to protect them, the Central government has taken the step to amend the Citizen (Amendment) Act, 2019, to provide citizenship to the immigrants arriving to India, said Jethmalani, an ace lawyer.

Addressing a gathering of prominent Sindhis here along with the FWSA International Chairman Ram Jawhrani, Jethmalani claimed that the government has taken the step in view of reports of 'forcible conversion of Sindhi Hindus in Pakistan' triggering immigration of people from there to India in recent years.

"Many Sindhi Hindus have crossed over from Pakistan to India as refugees and we have to find out where they are located in this country so that the process of granting them Indian citizenship becomes easy," said Jethmalani.

He assured that the FWSA would extend all help to rehabilitate the affected Sindhi Hindus to resettle in India for which funds are being collected from the community.

A supporter of CAA, Jethmalani said that Sindhi Hindus from Pakistan are coming to India as they have no other home to go and settle down, and though many have registered for Indian Citizenship, first they have to be traced here.

"We are equally concerned about the religious conversion of Sindhi HIndu people in Ulhasnagar town of Thane (Maharashtra) and steps are being taken to stop this practice," he added.

Both Jethmalani and Jawhrani urged the Sindhi community members to protect their mother tongue and rich culture, celebrate all the festivals like Cheti Chand, Teejri, Lord Jhulelal's birthday, etc., as this would help in retaining their distinct religious-cultural identity.

The duo said that the FWSA would soon launch scholarships schemes for deserving Sindhi students besides medical assistance for the needy in the community.
New Delhi, May 1 : The Delhi Police in a charge sheet filed in a court here has accused the PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd, owned by Prabir Purkayastha, of being a clandestine vehicle designed to funnel funds into it for a nefarious agenda.

The charge sheet PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd has claimed that the company was specifically incorporated to infuse funds in PPK NewsClick owned by Prabir Purkayastha for stoking and sustaining Delhi riots, disinformation campaign on Covid-19, stoking farmer's protests and outright funding of banned LWE and Pakistan-sponsored terrorist organisations.

The court on Tuesday took cognisance of Delhi Police's charge sheet filed against Purkayastha over allegations that the news portal took money to spread pro-China propaganda.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police on March 30 filed the charge sheet running into over 9,000 pages against the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur of Patiala House Courts said there was sufficient evidence against the accused person in the case, and directed the prosecution to supply a copy of the charge sheet to Purkayastha.

The charge sheet also indicates a trail of conspiracy dating back to 2016, where funds were allegedly funnelled from PPK Newsclick to PP NewsClick India LLP, ostensibly for investment purposes. Approximately, Rs 91 crores were transferred for "nefarious activities, including terrorist acts", the charge sheet stated.

aThere is evidence in the form of emails that conspiracy started in the year 2016 and pursuant to the objective of conspiracy PPK NewsClick into the company PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd funds were raised with the objective of committing terrorist acts and unlawful activities in India," it read.

"PP NewsClick India LLP was converted into a private limited company so that funds should be given in the guise of investment and service agreement. Amount received around Rs 91 crores. This fund was later on used in the terrorist acts," it said.

Investigators in the charge sheet claimed that there was an "active link with the Communist Party of India (Maoist)", which has been declared a Terrorist Organisation under the First Schedule of UA(P) Act, 1967.

According to the charge sheet, the investigation has revealed that Gautam Navlakha and Purkayastha supported Maoists and funded their activities. "Funds were given to Lashkar-E-Taiba, a banned terror organisation under the First Schedule of UA(P) Act, 1967 active in J&K and responsible for many terror incidents," it stated.

Furthermore, the charge sheet implicates Purkayastha and his office in orchestrating mass mobilisation against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

"Prabir Purkayastha and his office PPK NewsClick Pvt Ltd indulged into mass mobilisation against CAA/NRC and to spread misinformation about CAA/NRC and to publish articles and videos causing hatred among caste groups, ill will and disaffection against the country which was prejudicial to maintenance of harmony," it read.

The charge sheet further claimed that Prabir Purkayastha was not only involved in a "malicious disinformation campaign" against the CAA and the NRC using his PPK NewsClick, but had actually been utilising his employees and partners for the purpose of "disbursing cash to rioters, some of whom have already been arrested in a separate UAPA case and are presently running in judicial custody".

The charge sheet also claimed that the accused tinkered with the map of Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh and the Chinese map was altered so as to include Aksai Chin as a part of China.

aPrabir Purkayastha in furtherance of common conspiracy with Neville Roy Singham and others during the Covid-19 time had criticized noble efforts of the Indian government to control Covid-19 and also published his articles against the vaccine manufactured by the Indian pharmaceutical companies with the intention of causing disaffection against India," it added.
Imphal, May 1 : Despite the Centre's peace efforts, Manipur's two warring ethnic communities - the non-tribal Meitei and Kuki-Zomi tribals - are still sharply divided and there is no sign of reconciliation among them even after one year of the strife that began on May 3 last year.

Imphal, May 1 (IANS) Despite the Centre's peace efforts, Manipur's two warring ethnic communities a" the non-tribal Meitei and Kuki-Zomi tribals a" are still sharply divided and there is no sign of reconciliation among them even after one year of the strife that began on May 3 last year.

Incidents of violence continued despite the Central government's all-out support to the northeastern state, and in fact, intensified in the past two weeks as "Village Volunteer" groups of both Meiteis and the Kuki-Zomi communities, possessing sophisticated arms and ammunition, engaged in several fierce exchanges of fire, leaving at least one "Village Volunteer" dead and many injured.

On April 27, two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including a sub-inspector, were killed while two others were injured after armed groups attacked a security force camp in Bishnupur district, and days before, on April 24, a vital bridge on National Highway-2 in Manipur's Kangpokpi district was badly damaged in a powerful IED blast, disrupting traffic between Manipur and the rest of the country via Nagaland.

Meitei and the Kuki-Zomi leaders accused each other of perpetrating these actions.

The sharp ethnic divisions remain despite the Centre's help for security and rehabilitation.

A Manipur government official said that the Centre not only provided adequate security, including Army and para-military forces but also gave a huge financial package for rehabilitation of the displaced people and reconstruction of houses and more.

"From agriculture to health to education and other basic facilities, the Union Government has sanctioned huge funds to the state government. Many demands of the tribals including security and transportation have also been fulfilled by the Centre," the official said.

Meanwhile, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), the apex body of the Kuki-Zomi tribals, on Wednesday called a shutdown on May 3 to mark one year of the ethnic conflict and urged all members of the Kuki-Zo community to hoist a black flag on every household as a mark of remembrance and solidarity.

"All business establishments, institutions, and markets are requested to remain closed on this day as a sign of respect and homage to our fallen heroes. Let us come together as one community to reflect on our journey, reaffirm our oneness, and strengthen our resolve towards a brighter future for the Kuki-Zo people," an ITLF statement said.

Just last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing an election rally at the Hapta Kangjeibung ground in Imphal East district, had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led governmentas priority is to establish peace and unity in Manipur, and the election was to unite Manipur and against the division of the state.

Claiming that attempts of infiltration were being made in the northeastern state to change its demography, Shah had said that this parliamentary election was between forces trying to divide Manipur and those keeping it united.

Since the ethnic violence began in Manipur on May 3 last year, 10 tribal MLAs belonging to Kuki-Zomi communities and several leading tribal organisations, including ITLF and Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), have been demanding separate administrations or a separate state for the tribals of the state.

On the other hand, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said that the influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar led to the emergence of 996 new villages in the state in the past 18 years. He said that during this period, massive deforestation occurred to establish settlements and carry out poppy plantations while these illegal immigrants started encroaching on the resources, job opportunities, land, and rights of the indigenous people.

Over 220 people were killed, 1,500 injured and over 70,000 people displaced after the ethnic violence broke out on May 3 last year after a aTribal Solidarity Marcha, organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei communityas demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The rioting also left thousands of houses, government and non-government properties, and religious installations destroyed or damaged.
Mumbai, May 1 : Deputy Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena have arrived at an understanding over the Palghar Lok Sabha seat, adding the BJP will contest the Parliamentary constituency.

Fadnavis said this at the launch of NDTV Marathi channel here on the occasion of Maharashtra Day. He further said the BJP will announce the party's nominee for the Palghar seat on Thursday.

The last date for filing nominations is on May 3, while the polling is slated for May 20.

Already the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi nominee and Boisar legislator Rajesh Patil has filed his nomination for Palghar seat.

Currently, the Palghar seat is represented by Rajendra Gavit who was elected in the 2019 elections as the Shiv Sena (undivided) candidate.

Meanwhile, Fadnavis also said that the BJP and Shiv Sena held several rounds of talks over Palghar LS seat, Thane and Nashik constituencies, as both were aggressively making pitches for these seats.

"However, now, there is a unanimous decision whereby BJP will contest Palghar seat while Shiv Sena gets Thane, Nashik and Mumbai South," he added.

On the subject of the party fielding new candidates, he said it had changed candidates in seven-eight constituencies across the state. The Deputy Maharashtra Chief Minister said that the party takes decisions according to the prevailing situation.

"Every election is different. We have to think about who would be the right candidate in a changed situation, and considering that, the party fields the candidates," the BJP leader said.
Jaipur, May 1 : A youth was killed in Rajasthan's Kota while making a Reel with a country-made pistol that accidentally went off, killing him on the spot.

Yaswant (22) was making a Reel at a tea stall along with his friend when he pressed the trigger of the pistol by mistake. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

The deceased, a native of Jhalawad, was set to appear for his BA exam from May 3.

The police said the incident was reported at around 3 p.m. from the Mahaveer Station area in Kota.

DCP Manish Sharma said the firing incident was reported from a tea stall near the Gautam Community Hall.

The police are probing how the victim got hold of the country-made pistol.
Hyderabad, May 2 : Telangana's Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) reacted strongly to the Election Commission barring its President K. Chandrasekhar Rao from campaigning for 48 hours, with effect from Wednesday evening, asking the poll panel why it did not take any action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.

BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao questioned the ECas action and asked what kind of justice is this.

He said if the Election Commission canat see the "provocative" remarks of PM Modi.

"Zero action against Modi despite thousands of citizensa complaints," the BRS leader wrote on X.

The BRS leader also asked if the "abusive words" of Revanth Reddy looked like a sermon to the EC. aNo action against the foul mouthed Cheap Minister of Telangana Revant," he posted, terming it a conspiracy by the PM and the CM.

He asked why the BJP and the Congress were so shaken by KCRas bus yatra.

"People of Telangana will give a befitting answer to your arrogance & institutional abuse," he said.

"You can ban him temporarily, you canat kill the truth that he wants Telangana to know Remember, the only people who are scared of you for speaking the hard truths are those who are living a lie," Rama Rao said in another post.

The ECI barred KCR, as Rao is popularly known, from campaigning for 48 hours for making derogatory and objectionable statements against Congress. It barred him from holding any public meetings, processions, rallies, shows and interviews, public utterances in media in connection with the ongoing elections for 48 hours, starting from 8 p.m. Wednesday (May 1).

Meanwhile, KCR said in his reaction that EC did not bar Revanth Reddy when he used foul language and threatening words against him. Addressing his bus yatra at Mahabubabad, the former Chief Minister said the EC banned him for 48 hours but he was urging BRS cadres to campaign for 96 hours.
Agartala, May 2 : The Tripura State Rifles (TSR), the state's elite counter-insurgency force, have been deployed for security during polling in Maharashtra and Bihar and are now set to go to Odisha and Himachal Pradesh for the same purpose.

A top Tripura Police official said that 20 companies (1,600 personnel) of the TSR had been despatched to Maharashtra and Bihar, where parliamentary elections are now underway since the first phase of voting on April 19.

The TSR jawans would now go to Himachal Pradesh and Odisham where simultaneous polling would be held for 147-member Assembly and in 21 Lok Sabha seats in four phases between May 13 and June 1.

Besides providing security during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, the TSR's India Reserve (IR) battalions, which can be deployed anywhere in the country as per the Ministry of Home Affairs's requirements, have done duty in almost all states during the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Two TSR battalions, comprising around 2,000 personnel, have been posted in the national capital under the Delhi Police's authority since 2019 and in South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) in Chhattisgarh since 2022, while one battalion provides security to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporationas drilling sites in Tripura.
Hyderabad, May 2 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday alleged that the 'representatives of Razakars' from Hyderabad sat in the Parliament for the last 40 years, as he appealed to the people to vote for the BJP to join Hyderabad with the mainstream.

The Home Minister was speaking after a roadshow in the Old City area of Hyderabad in support of BJP candidate K. Madhavi Latha.

Giving a call to "liberate Hyderabad from Razakars", Amit Shah said without naming Asaduddin Owaisi, the sitting MP and President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), "For 40 years, the representatives of Razakars sat there (Parliament). But you have an opportunity this time, so elect Madhavi Latha by a huge majority."

Razakars were the paramilitary volunteers who tried to help the Nizam government in keeping the Hyderabad State independent after India gained Independence in 1947. The Hyderabad State merged with the Indian Union on September 17, 1948, following Operation Polo, popularly known as 'Police Action'.

"Vote with a free mind this time... Every voter irrespective of their religion should press the Lotus button to join Hyderabad with the mainstream," Amit Shah said.

The roadshow was held from the Mahankali Temple in Lal Darwaza to Sudha Talkies in the Shahali Banda area.

Moving in an open vehicle along with Madhavi Latha and state BJP president G. Kishan Reddy, the Home Minister waved at the large crowd displaying the BJP's poll symbol.

The Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency is considered a stronghold of the AIMIM as the party has remained undefeated here since 1984.

Asaduddin Owaisi is seeking re-election for a fifth term. Earlier, his father Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi was elected from the seat for six terms.
Chennai, May 2 : A case has been filed against the driver of the tourist bus that toppled in Yercaud in Tamil Nadu's Salem district, leaving five dead and 64 injured, police said on Wednesday.

Chennai, May 2 (IANS) A case has been filed against the driver of the tourist bus that toppled in Yercaud in Tamil Nadu's Salem district, leaving five dead and 64 injured, police said on Wednesday.

Police said that the bus, going from Yercaud to Salem on Tuesday, had a suspected break failure at a hairpin bend and toppled over at a subsequent hairpin bend and they accused the driver of overspeeding.

According to the FIR, the bus was moving at 50 kmph while the allowed speed limit at the hairpin bends was 30 kmph.

Bus driver Janardhanan, 35, has been absconding since the accident and the police are on the lookout for him.

After the accident, Yercaud police and fire services rushed to the spot for rescue operations. Ambulances and all other available vehicles were used to take the injured people to the Salem government hospital.

Police identified three of the deceased as S. Karthi, 37, from Suramangalam in Salem, Munneswaran, 11, from Namakkal, and Hariram, 57, from Perumal Kovil Street in Salem. The two other deceased men are yet to be identified.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. The European Commission cannot be a politicized body, President of the European Council Charles Michel said in an interview with the Spanish El Mundo, Trend reports.

Charles Michel claims that there are sometimes double standards in decision-making among EU member states in Brussels.



He underlined the significance of the European Commission remaining independent and objective rather than becoming politicized.



Regarding EU enlargement, the European Council President emphasized the importance of new members joining the community in 2004.

He expressed concern that, without the accession of several countries to the EU 20 years ago, a "new iron curtain" could have emerged in those states. However, Michel acknowledged the "growing problem" in the EU concerning unanimous decision-making.

The head of the head of the European Council sees the next EU enlargement as a historic milestone.

"Due to its size, agricultural sector, and ongoing conflict, Ukraine will require a unique transition period," he added.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Agartala/Guwahati, May 2 : In view of the restricted and regulated movement of trains, including goods trains between Tripura and the rest of the country, the state government has imposed restrictions on the sale of petrol and diesel from Wednesday.

Officials said that the stock of fuel -- petrol and diesel -- in Tripura has plummeted in view of temporary restriction on train movement between Jatinga-Lumpur and New Harangajao stations under Lumding division of Northeast Frontier Railway for undertaking track safety related work.

Tripura government's Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department's Additional Secretary Nirmal Adhikari in an order said that in view of the supply constraint of petrol and diesel due to disruption of goods' movement through trains in the state, restrictions on the sale of petrol and diesel were imposed from Wednesday.

Under these restrictions, from two-wheelers to all kinds of vehicles could purchase petrol and diesel from the petrol pumps up to a certain quantity.

NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi De said that the operation of passenger and goods carrying trains got affected since April 25 owing to derailment of an engine of a goods train.

He said that more than 300 labourers along with other technicians and 10 machines worked round the clock to restore the train service on the Jatinga-Lampur and New Haflong route that is vital not only for the entire South Assam areas but also for states like Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram.

In view of frequent rainfall in the nearby hilly areas, the entire hill section from Lumding to Badarpur is being monitored day and night, the CPRO said.

De said that in view of the derailment, NFR has decided to impose restrictions on train movement in Jatinga-Lampur and New Haflong portion of the hill section since April 27.

Accordingly, there will be no train movement on that section from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. temporarily for undertaking work related to the safety of railway tracks.

--IANS

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Hubballi : , May 2 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress-led Karnataka government for playing politics in connection with an obscene video involving suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna.

"The Congress is carrying out politics over a heinous crime," he said.

"They (Congress) think that our (BJP's) alliance is there with the JD-S and since Revanna's CD was released, they (Congress) think that BJP could be attacked. I want to make one thing clear. Whoever rapes any women, he will not be with the BJP," Amit Shah stressed while addressing a public meeting in Hubballi city of Karnataka.

"Listen Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, the Congress is running the government in Karnataka. If action needs to be taken, it should have been done by you (Congress). Until polling in the Vokkaliga belt gets over, you (Congress) didn't take any action, but carried out politics and allowed him (Prajwal Revanna) to escape," the Union Home Minister said.

"If you have guts, tell the truth. It is because of you (CM Siddaramaiah), the person who committed a heinous crime escaped," he added while attacking the Congress.

"Let them (JD-S) be our (BJP's) ally, but our stand is clear. Stringent punishment should be given to them, whoever is involved in such crimes. There should not be any delay. They (Congress) are carrying out politics in heinous cases such as this," Amit Shah said.

Asked about the Hubballi student's murder case, Amit Shah said, "On April 18, Neha Hiremath was murdered. Whose responsibility was it? They (Congress) are claiming it to be a case involving personal matters. You won't protect the girls who go to educational campuses? Will they be killed? If you are not capable, leave the seat of power. We will ensure security in Karnataka."

"They did not provide security to girls and women in Karnataka," he noted.

"In Vidhana Soudha they (Congress) shouted, "Pakistan Zindabad" slogans and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah says he didn't hear it. If you (CM Siddaramaiah) didn't hear, repair your ears. We heard it from Delhi. The house of the Congress MLA was burnt," Amit Shah said while criticising the Congress.

"The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) is supporting the Congress in Kerala. They can't ensure development, instead, they will pursue appeasement politics and put Karnataka into danger," he warned.

He further attacked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for playing politics on drought.

"The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in the state fight with each other internally. The Deputy Chief Minister wants to pull down the CM and the CM is busy protecting his seat. They (Congress) delayed submitting a memorandum and the Model Code of Conduct was implemented and that is why there was a delay," Amit Shah said.

They (Congress) are lying and making allegations against the BJP now, the Home Minister alleged.

Addressing a public gathering, Amit Shah said: "The people of Karnataka should know the character of the Congress which had joined hands with the SDPI to win the state Assembly election. They (Congress) claimed that the Bengaluru bomb blast was a gas explosion. Shame on them. The NIA probe revealed that it was an act of 'anti-nationals'."

"Before Prime Minister Modi, there were 25 national highways built covering 6,000 km. Today, there are 47 national highways of 8,000 km. Five Vande Bharat trains are running from Karnataka," he added.

"I want to ask Deputy CM Shivakumar, how much did the state get in 10 years of the Congress government rule? From 2004 to 2014, Karnataka was released Rs 1.42 lakh crore. Prime Minister Modi has given Rs 4.98 lakh crore. Apart from this, Rs 2.5 lakh crore was given for infrastructure, Rs 50,000 crore grant for roads, Rs 75,000 crore for Railways and Rs 11,000 crore released for airways," Amit Shah said.

"For vote bank politics, the Congress is putting Karnataka's security at risk. The people of Karnataka should decide between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who ensures the security of the nation, and the other side which feels nothing about bomb blasts for the sake of its vote bank politics," he added.
Beirut, May 2 : A Hezbollah fighter was killed and three civilians were injured in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanese villages in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told the media.

The sources, who spoke anonymously, said on Wednesday that an Israeli warplane launched two missiles in Lebanon's southern village of Tayr Harfa, destroying a house and killing a Hezbollah fighter inside the house, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the sources, another airstrike targeted the southeast village of Adaysseh, wounding three civilians.

The military sources added that Israeli warplanes carried out on Wednesday a series of airstrikes on three towns and villages in the eastern and central sectors of the border area in southern Lebanon.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on October 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 445 people on the Lebanese side, according to Lebanese security sources.
Tehran, May 2 : Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has reaffirmed the condemnation of US support for Israel's "crimes" in the Gaza Strip while commenting on the US Police's violent behaviour against pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses.

He made the remarks in a meeting with a group of teachers and academics in the capital Tehran on the occasion of National Teachers' Day, according to a statement published on Wednesday on his website.

Khamenei said the US behaviour was indicative of its "partnership and complicity" with Israel in the latter's "horrific crimes and unforgivable sin".

He highlighted the Gaza conflict as "the world's first issue," urging for more global pressure on Israel to stop its offensive in the Palestinian enclave, Xinhua news agency reported.

US media reported on Tuesday that over 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters had been arrested in recent days as the anti-war demonstrations continued at more than 20 American universities.

The pro-Palestinian rallies have spread to other academic centres across the world, including Europe, demanding an end to Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Israel has launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people.

The current Palestinian-Israeli conflict has so far led to 34,568 deaths and 77,765 injuries, according to Gaza health authorities on Wednesday.
In a childs world, birthdays are prime times to celebrate, and publishers of kids books are eager to do the same. Multiple houses are commemorating key milestones for backlist staples this year, and assembled here is a sampling of book anniversaries being celebrated in the first half of 2024.

January

A Speculative Look at Life as President Turns 25

A multicultural cast of children imagines what it would be like to be the U.S. President in If I Were President by Catherine Stier, illustrated by Diane DiSalvo-Ryan. Published by Albert Whitman on January 1, 1999, the picture book presents a range of perks and challenges that one might encounter in the role of POTUS, from having a chef whod serve you anything you requested and watching movies in your own sprawling home to being commander of the armed forces and working with Congress to create crucial laws.

A steady seller for a quarter-century, If I Were President has accumulated worldwide sales of 100,000 copies. Albert Whitman will highlight the books anniversary on its social media platforms during early summer and will include a 25 Years in Print burst on the cover of its next reprint of the title.

If I Were President by Catherine Stier, illus. by Diane DiSalvo-Ryan. Albert Whitman, $8.99 paper, 1999 ISBN 978-0-8075-3542-4

Scarry Classic Celebrates a Half-Century on the Move

For five decades, Richard Scarrys Cars and Trucks and Things That Go has been rolling alongat a brisk clipaccumulating worldwide sales of 3.3 million copies along the way. This seminal Scarry title is one of more than 300 books by the popular author, which together have sold more than 160 million copies around the world in more than 20 languages. On January 2, Random House released a 50th-anniversary edition of Cars and Trucks, which features a cover burst highlighting the anniversary; a letter from Huck Scarry, the authors son; a removable poster; and never-before-seen original sketches.

The publisher will continue the celebration throughout 2024 with multiple retail event kits and display offerings. Among these, in honor of the recent Independent Bookstore Day on April 27, is an exclusive event kit and a Lowly Worm photo standee. Scarrys online fanbase has burgeoned during this celebratory year: Richard Scarry Love, the brands official Instagram account, has grown its following by 111% over the last seven months and has reached 150,000 followers.

Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go: 50th Anniversary Edition by Richard Scarry, $19.99 Jan. ISBN 978-0-593-70630-5

February

The Perks of 25 Years on the Dance Floor of Life

Marking its quarter-century anniversary is Stephen Chboskys The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which first landed on YA bookshelves in February 1999. Published by MTV Books, this debut novel follows observant wallflower Charlie as he charts a course through the challenging world between adolescence and adulthood, navigating first dates, family drama, and new friends.

The novelwhich currently has 4.5 million copies in print in North Americastruck a resonant note with teens: it spent more than a year at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list; was named an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults and Best Book for Reluctant Readers; and was adapted into a 2012 movie written and directed by Chbosky, and starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller. The publisher is promoting the books 25th anniversary via social and digital channels.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. MTV Books, $24 1999 ISBN 978-0-67102-734-6

March

A 50th Anniversary for Lyle the Crocodile Story

Since Bernard Wabers Lyle first appeared on the page in 1965s The House on East 88th Street, books starring the loveable crocodile have sold more than three million copies worldwide across all formats.

On March 4, Clarion released a 50th-anniversary paperback edition of Lyle Finds His Mother, in which the curious crocodile leaves his Manhattan home, where he lives happily with the Primms, to look for his long-lost mother. First released in paper in fall 1974, this story underscores the joys of family, biological or found. For the new edition, the publisher plans social media advertising and promotion timed around Mothers Day, and is including the book in its Mothers Day group promotions.

Lyle Finds His Mother by Bernard Waber. Clarion, $9.99 paper, Mar. ISBN 978-0-395-27398-2

Marking 25 Years of No, David!

David Shannon introduced his (more or less) fictional namesake 25 years ago in No, David!, published by Scholastic/Orchard. The story was inspired by a book the author created as a five-year-old, featuring the titles two words on every page, alongside pictures of David doing things he was not supposed to do. Readers took a shining to the mischievous boy: No, David! was named a Caldecott Honor Book and has more than 1.1 million copies in print. The David series accumulated additional fans as it expanded to include four additional picture books and three Diaper David board books, which have a combined tally of almost 17 million copies in print.

In honor of Davids birthday, the publisher released No, David: 25th Anniversary Edition last month with an announced first printing of 50,000 copies. The new edition features an anniversary cover burst, a letter from Shannon, and endpapers showcasing various ideas for No, David! books shared by children throughout the years. Shannon recently wrapped up a national tour touting Davids anniversaryand paving the way for the March 2025 arrival of his next caper, Thats Not Funny, David!

No, David! (25th Anniversary Edition) by David Shannon. Scholastic/Orchard, $18.99 Mar. ISBN 978-0-590-93002-4

May

For Jenny Han, Its Been 15 Years of Endless Summer

Jenny Hans teenage protagonist Belly, whom YA readers first met in The Summer I Turned Pretty, measures her life in summers, when everything good and magical happens. Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in May 2009, that bestselling novel won the author myriad fans, who returned to follow Bellys summertime stories of friendship and love in the books sequels, Its Not Summer Without You and Well Always Have Summer. On the 15th anniversary of its debut, Hans trilogy has sold more than 5.1 million copies across all formats and spawned an original TV series streaming on Amazon.

S&S also commemorated the 10th anniversary of Hans To All the Boys Ive Loved Before with a keepsake edition of the novel, released in March. That book and its two sequels (P.S. I Still Love You and Always and Forever, Lara Jean) each inspired a film, which are currently streaming on Netflix.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. Simon & Schuster, $19.99 May 5, 2009 ISBN 978-1-4169-6823-8.

Humphrey the Hamster Marks 20 Years as Class Pet

Since becoming Room 26s class pet in 2004s The World According to Humphrey, written by Betty G. Birney and published by Putnam, this feisty hamster has learned quite a bit about life from his human classmates. Humphreys observations and antics continued to entertain young readers in 11 subsequent installments of the series, which focus on understanding different perspectives. The Humphrey books, along with a spinoff series starring his fellow class pet, Og the Frog, have six million copies in print.

In celebration of his 20th birthday, Humphrey returns in Happiness According to Humphrey, due on May 14, in which the hamster overcomes his fear of big animals when he meets a gentle dog who comes to his school to help his classmates with reading, and another canine who can do amazing tricks.

Happiness According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney. Putnam, $17.99 May 14 ISBN 978-0-593-69761-0

June

Feiffers George Ponders: To Bark or Not to Bark?

A quarter-century has passed since picture book readers first made the acquaintance of an out-of-the-ordinary canine in Bark, George by Pulitzer Prizewinning cartoonist Jules Feiffer, published by HarperCollinss Michael di Capua Books on June 3, 1999. In this subversive tale, George can emit a variety of soundsexcept the one that his mother wants to hear. When she tells her pup to bark, he responds with a Meowand then an Oink. But wheres his bark?

Bark, George! has been translated into seven languages and has sold more than one million copies worldwide across formats. Attesting to Georges staying power, Feiffers 2020 follow-up, Smart George! (in which George gets a counting lesson), appeared on numerous Best Of lists. The publisher is promoting Bark, Georges 25th anniversary with social media messaging and shareable digital content.

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer. HarperCollins/Michael di Capua Books, $19.99 June 3, 1999 ISBN 978-0-06-205185-1.
Childrens Book Week may be turning 105 years old, but the annual literacy event is not showing any signs of slowing down. The nationwide initiative orchestrated by the Childrens Book Council and Every Child a Reader, which will be held May 612, is marking the occasion with a first-ever reading club, an official jingle, and multilingual drawing pages.

This years Book Week slogan, No Rules. Just Read, was designed to engage participants of all reading abilities. We are constantly asking ourselves, How can we make this years celebration more engaging for kids in all walks of life and at whatever stage of book love they are at?,  said associative executive director Shaina Birkhead. This year in particular, the stars aligned in terms of a slogan that really inspired us, working with poster artist and Book Week spokesperson Sophie Blackall and being approached by folks who share our passion for making reading fun.

Below is a sneak peek of what to expect from the 2024 Book Week.

No-Rules Reading Club. Replacing the Book Week challenges of past years is a reading club that correlates with the No Rules slogan. To drive interest, the CBC worked with KidLit TV on a promotional video, filmed at the Brooklyn Public Library, in which Blackall invites kids to join. We hope this gives readers of all ages a clear and engaging way to feel part of a celebration with no pressure and all the fun, Birkhead said.

Jingle All the Way. Book Week now has an official song, created by composer Annie Lynn. Meant to serve as a literacy tool for schools and libraries, the jingle can be incorporated into classroom learning. Educators that record their students singing the little ditty via the Flip app are eligible to win a box of books for their classroom library. Five winners will be selected randomly and announced at the end of May.

Multilingual Drawing Pages. No longer limited to English-only activity sheets, kids now have access to drawing pages in eight other languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Ukrainian, Polish, Turkish, Malayan, and Mandarin. These new additions are the result of a joint effort between the CBC and the Waverly Avenue Elementary Schools PTA in Holtsville, N.Y., whose educators had initially reached out to CBC executive director Carl Lennertz for additional resources. Carl had the idea to make it a school project and create an evergreen resource for Book Week in languages predominately spoken at the school, and the students were thrilled to participate, Birkhead said. Its the first time that a school has contributed to Book Week resources, she added.

Floyd Cooper Day Festivities. The third annual celebration honoring the late author-illustrator known for his storytelling of African American experiences will include two new Get Caught Reading posters, featuring the creators behind his last two books. Carmen Bogan co-created Wheres Rodney?, while Coopers former student Daria Peoples completed the illustrations for Tashas Voice. In addition, Coopers longtime friend Tracey Baptiste designed a CBC-funded website, which showcases his artwork and books.

Fun Facts Galore. To commemorate the 105th anniversary of Book Week, a dedicated online resource aptly features 105 tidbits of information from the archives. Notable mentions include the 1933 poster, which was the only one to feature a photo instead of an illustration, while the poster from 2022 was the first to depict a character listening to an audiobook.

Bursting with Bookmarks, Activity Pages. Eight new bookmarks were created by Nancy Armo (Clavis), Anu Chouhan (Bloomsbury), David Dolensky (Albatros), Susan Gal (Levine Querido), Suzy Lee (Greystone Kids), Meggie Ramm (Abrams), Erin K. Robinson (Union Square Kids), and Gabby Zapata (Chronicle). Kids can also draw their own using a template. In addition, 11 new activity pages were designed by Jacqueline Alcantara (NorthSouth), Shadia Amin (Scholastic), Kent Culotta (Kane Miller), Natasha Donovan (Portage & Main), Braden Hallett (Annick), Jess Hannigan (HarperCollins), Marta Alvarez Miguens (Sourcebooks), Andy J. Pizza (Chronicle), Elisa Rocchi (Science Naturally), Josephine Topolanski (Blue Dot Kids), and Karen Vermeulen (Catalyst).

More Materials. Educators, librarians, and booksellers in search of further Book Week resources can access online promotional materials and participation ideas to enhance their own celebrations. For more information, visit the Childrens Book Week website.
At Publishing University 2024, held in Denver, the Independent Book Publishers Association announced that the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Book Awards, which honor titles in 57 categories, will be renamed the IBPA Book Awards and celebrate books across seven additional, identity-inclusive categories. IBPA also established a new Jan Nathan Lifetime Achievement Award, in memory of the late Publishers Marketing Association/IBPA founder, to recognize contributions to independent publishing by individuals and companies. IBPA CEO Andrea Fleck-Nisbet informed members of these updates on April 27, and a town hall will be held May 9 to discuss the rebranding.

Because the IBPA decided to change the Franklin award name last August, when awards committee work was well underway and details were being finalized for PubU, this years awards went on as previously planned under the Franklin aegis. This years winners will be able to put the new branding on the awarded books, and IBPA COO Terry Nathan will provide IBPA Book Award branding materials including stickers in the coming months, Fleck-Nisbet said. She added: We still honor everything that came before and would be proud to have the recent winners continue with the Ben Franklin branding if they choose.

IBPA has awarded its book prizes for 36 years, so determining how and when to change the name proved challenging. The timing is always tricky, especially with an award that has built up so much brand equity, Fleck-Nisbet said. I asked the board to set aside special resources to making the rollout professional and in keeping with the spirit of independent publishing.

The updates proceeded over several years, as the IBPA board, staff, and DEI committee discussed the need to develop categories that recognize the contributions of underrepresented communities and to remember executive director Nathan, said Fleck-Nisbet. IBPA leadership wanted the annual award to represent diversity across indie publishing, and identified seven new categories honoring works from the Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black/African American, disabled, First Nations/Indigenous, Latina/o/e, LGBTQIA2+, and neurodivergent communities. To be considered for an award in these categories, at least one key member (author, editor, publisher or book designer) of the publishing team must be part of the respective community, the organization wrote in a statement.

By increasing the award categories, we create an environment where every independent publisher has an equal chance for their outstanding work to be recognized, said Karen Pavlicin, current IBPA board chair and publisher of Elva Resa Publishing.

Yet, in the process of adding categories, Fleck-Nisbet said, IBPA observed that the Franklin branding was outdated and could not ignore the fact that the historical Franklin participated, inadvertently or otherwise, in human enslavement. It felt incongruous to add categories representing marginalized groups and maintain the name. One gold and two silver winners will be chosen across the 57 previous and seven new IBPA Book Award categories, and will be announced at the 37th annual PubU in 2025.

Fleck-Nisbet noted that while she was confident there will be naysayers and those who are unhappy with the change, the decision marks IBPAs commitment to creating a more inclusive industry, according to its strategic plan. When I announced the change at PubU on Saturday morning, there were cheers and a standing ovation, she added. So I think thats a good indicator that we are on the right track."
Hobby Lobby Leader to Baker Books

Baker Books has signed a third book with David Green, founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby stores. The book, tentatively titled The Legacy Life will be coauthored with Bill High and explore "how to live a life that makes a generational difference. Green is represented by Tom Dean, founder of A Drop of Ink, who added the book will "reset the definition of family: readers will be challenged, encouraged, and convicted to think about how they live each day and how it will impact their family for generations to come." The book is slated for Fall 2025.

Brazos Press Takes Discipleship Study

Rachel Jacobson with Alive Literary has negotiated a world-rights deal with Brazos Press editorial director Katelyn Beaty for the tentatively titled Courageous Disciples by Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez. The book addresses common misconceptions and fears about biblical discipleship, and offers a renewed vision for it. Perreaux-Dominguez is a speaker and founder and CEO of Full Collective, a womens faith-based community offering the Sowers Summit conference and the Being a Sanctuary podcast. A spring 2026 release is planned.

New Testament Scholars Work on Women to IVP Academic

Rachel Hastings, associate academic editor at IVP, has taken world rights to the tentatively titled The Women of the Gospels by New Testament scholar and Houston Theological Seminary director Lynn H. Cohick. Set for a Fall 2027 release as part of IVP Academics forthcoming Biblical Bios Series, the book will focus on the historical and social context of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, and will highlight literary themes in specific gospels as they shed light on the presentation of women. The series will also provide an accessible read of different characters in the Bible based on the biblical text and historical background material. Hastings was unagented.

Shared Church Leadership to IVP

E. K. Strawser (Centering Discipleship) has signed a world-rights contract with IVPs acquisitions editor Al Hsu for the tentatively titled Power Sharing in the Church: How Distributed Leadership Leads the Church into the Future. The unagented authorco-vocational lead pastor of Ma Ke Alo o in Honolulu, community physician at Ke Ola Pono, and an executive leader at the V3 Movement, the church planting arm of the Baptist General Association of Virginiashows how shared leadership can be embedded into the structure of a church and its positive impact on the community. A Fall 2025 release is planned.

Gupta Takes Paul to Brazos

The unagented Nijay K. Gupta has negotiated world rights with senior acquisitions editor Anna Moseley Gissing of Brazos Press for the tentatively titled Paul for the World, which will explore how the Apostle Paul doesnt want believers to think about different things other than their worldly concerns, but rather to think about them differently, with the gospel mind of Christ. The book is set for a Spring 2026 publication. Gupta is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary and cohost of the Slow Theology podcast.

Rowman & Littlefield Signs 'Shame free' Sex Ed Guide; Gender Equity tome

Rowman & Littlefield senior executive editor Richard Brown has acquired world rights to You Deserve to Know: Shame-Free Sex Education after Purity Culture by Erica Smith, a sex educator and creator of the Purity Culture Dropout program. R&L said he book will offer readers "the information they lack about sexuality and their bodies, while fostering feelings of inclusion, empathy, and self-compassion, instead of shame." The deal was brokered by Ingrid Beck at The Bindery. A September 2025 publication is planned.

Brown has also acquired world rights for Rowman & Littlefield to The Fourth Reformation: How Battles over Women, Gender, and Sexuality are Shaping the Future of Religion by Katie Kelaidis, director of research and content at the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago, a Research Fellow at the Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge, and a senior editor at Religion Dispatches. The book follows how "in recent years, bitter battles over women, gender, and sexuality have created divisions and in some cases schisms within Christianitybut this phenomenon is not confined to Christianity alone." Kelaidis was unagented. The book is set for a May 2025 publication.
All My Knotted-Up Life (Tyndale Momentum), a bestselling memoir by Bible studies publishing powerhouse Beth Moore, has been named the 2024 Christian Book of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. It leads a list of titles in a dozen different categories honored Tuesday evening at the ECPA Leadership Summit event in Chicago where the association also celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Jeff Crosby, ECPA president and CEO, marked the anniversary with a new 96-page book, Fifty Years at ECPA: An Industry on a Mission  Past, Present, Future. The book, distributed to guests Tuesday, highlights not only the association's past, but also its plans for the future, which include broadening its global engagement and increasing ECPA's resources for pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion in publishing. He told members that the group, founded in 1974 with 22 publishers and now representing nearly 185 members, will stay "committed to the way of love."

Several other milestones were observed on Tuesday, including marking the 50th anniversary of one of ECPA's founding publishers, Harvest House. The Pinnacle Award was presented posthumously to Sarah Young, author of the bestselling devotional series, Jesus Calling, which has sold more than 46 million units in multiple formats. Innovative Gospel Light publisher Henrietta C. Mears, known for creating resources for children's ministry and modern Sunday School curricula, was posthumously honored with the Kenneth N. Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award. And Noble Marketing founder Ted Terry received the ECPA Chair Award.

In the Christian Book Awards presentations, two authors took multiple honors for their books that encourage believers through life's pain and challenges. Granger Smith, a country musician turned author and minister, won as best new author for his book that topped the biography and memoir category, Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward after Loss and Heartache, (W Publishing, an imprint of Thomas Nelson). It shared Smith's spiritual struggle in the wake of his toddler's drowning death. Lysa TerKeurst's You're Going to Make It (Nelson) took top honors in the devotions and gifts category, while Terkeurst's narration of her book Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, (HCCP Audio and Thomas Nelson) won in the audiobook category.

Two books tied in the Christian Living category, God Never Gives Up On You, by Max Lucado (Nelson) and You Are a Theologian: An Invitation to Know and Love God Well, by Jen Wilkin and J.T. English (B&H Publishing).

When Worry Whispers, by Joyce Meyer; illustrated by Marcin Piwowarski (WorthyKids, a division of Hachette), took the honors for children's books and The Songs of a Warrior: Saul and David, a Retelling by Katy Morgan (The Good Book Company) won for young people's literature.

Winning titles in Bibles, biblical reference books, Bible studies, and ministry resources can be found in the full list of winners here.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Climate change poses notable threats to global security, UN Tourism Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic said, Trend reports.

She made the remark during the VI World Forum of Intercultural Dialogue.

"We are living in a multilateral crisis. Peace and dialogue are required to resolve it.

The absence of peace disrupts the balance of humanity. Climate change, food insecurity, and other issues make life tough. Who will be concerned about global warming if basic needs are not met? Climate change poses significant risks to global security," she said.

The VI World Forum of Intercultural Dialogue has started its work in Baku.

A total of 700 guests from different countries around the world are taking part in the forum on the theme "Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interaction."

Besides ministers, the participants, representing more than 100 countries, include representatives of ministries of culture from 60 countries and 28 international organizations. The forum is scheduled to include ten-panel discussions and four plenary sessions.

The event, organized by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, is held in partnership with reputable international organizations, including the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), UNESCO, ISESCO, and the UN World Tourism Organization.

To note, the event will be held from May 1 through 3.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Four years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Chinese city of Wuhan, what do we know about the origin of the SARSCOV2 virus?

We were presented at the outset with two competing theories: natural-origin spillover from animals to humans, and accidental lab leak. And at the outset, a cadre of elite scientists passionately argued that the evidence overwhelmingly favored a natural origin. With comparable fervor, they dismissed the possibility that SARSCOV2 leaked from a lab as a conspiracy theory.

With a few notable exceptions, mainstream media outlets and the larger scientific community vehemently nodded in agreement. NPR said the lab-leak theory was debunked, Vanity Fair called it a right-wing coronavirus conspiracy, and Facebook banned posts suggesting the virus may have been manufactured in a lab.

Four years later that narrative has begun to crackand rightly so.

It was always a lie; one of the most consequential lies of the 21st century. Like all great lies it perfectly inverted the truth: the evidence supporting natural spillover has always been thin. Conversely, the evidence pointing to a lab leak has always been compelling and has grown substantially more persuasive with time.

A coalition of elite scientists and complicit media outlets have proven remarkably effective in suppressing the truth for this long. But in recent months, as congressional investigations have intensified, honest scientists and journalists have begun challenging the false consensus with greater alacrity as new revelations have tipped the scales toward lab leak even further.

The clique of elite scientists propagating the natural-spillover theory have always had several problems on their hands. Despite an exhaustive four-year search, no intermediate animal host has ever been found. The closest natural relatives to SARSCOV2 are found in bats in Laos and in Yunnan Province over 600 miles away.

Two of the more popular arguments advanced by spillover partisansthat pandemic began at the Huanan wet market in Wuhan and that it jumped to humans from raccoon dogs and pangolinshave withered under scrutiny. The academic papers supporting both arguments have been hollowed out by fatal challenges to the underlying data, methods, or conclusions.

To date, a natural-spillover explanation for the COVID-19 pandemic remains little more than a distant theoretical possibility.

The Lab-Leak Theory

The most obvious piece of incriminating evidence for the lab-leak theory has always been the existence of a biolab in Wuhan just miles away from the initial outbreak. This wasnt just any old biolabthe Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) was an advanced research facility studying coronaviruses that collaborated on publications and secret projects with Chinas military. And this wasnt just any old coronavirus researchthe WIV was conducting the riskiest viral research in the world.

Gain-of-function research of concernwhich can make viruses more transmissible to humans, ostensibly in order to create vaccineswas so risky, and the chance of causing an accidental pandemic was so great, that the U.S. government banned funding for this research in 2014. Nevertheless, U.S. agencies continued funding this dangerous research at the WIV, even before the moratorium was officially lifted in December 2017.

This was a spectacularly irresponsible decision. U.S. authorities had visited the WIV and found it to have wildly inadequate safety protocols. In a truly Strangelovian twist, we later learned that the WIV was conducting virus research that theoretically could end human civilization in BSL-2 conditions, roughly the equivalent of a dentists office safety protocols. Thats screwed up, responded Dr. Ian Lipkin, an early proponent of natural spillover, after learning of the WIVs safety protocols. People should not be looking at bat viruses in BSL-2 labs. My view has changed.

As well it should have. Mere miles from Ground Zero of the coronavirus pandemic, in chronically unsafe conditions, a government lab collaborating with the Chinese military was doing extremely risky research on coronavirusesincluding the closest known relatives of SARSCOV2.

Brace yourself, theres more.

The Chinese Coverup

If the COVID-19 pandemic wasnt the product of a lab leak, one might reasonably expect the Chinese government to provide a degree of cooperation with the international community, if for no other reason than to clear its name.

China, of course, did the exact opposite. It swiftly arrested doctors and whistleblowers. It ordered labs to transfer or destroy any related viral samples and not to publish any information related to the unknown disease. And shirking its obligations to international health regulations, it refused to provide key data to international investigators.

When the World Health Organization requested to do an audit of the WIV and the wet market, China again refused. It also refused to turn over vital pieces of evidence, such as the blood samples of the lab workers or the animals at the wet market.

Adding to the mystery, a few months before the acknowledged outbreak in December 2019, several researchers inside the WIV became sick. The WIV changed its security protocols, ordered an expensive new air incinerator and ventilation system, and  in the middle of the night  mysteriously took down an online database of 22,000 bat virus samples.

And lets not overlook the fact that Beijing was inexplicably able to produce a vaccine in record time, with a patent filed in February 2020. Most scientists believe the timeline to create a vaccine implausibly short  unless someone in China had access to SARSCOV2 before December 2019.

Notably, this mystery vaccine was created by a Chinese military scientist. Rather than being hailed as a hero for creating a vaccine with improbable speed, Mr. Zhou Yusen suspiciously died months later and was virtually scrubbed from the record by the Chinese Communist Party. At least one report claimed he fell to his death from the rooftop of the WIV.

In sum, rather than providing any semblance of cooperation or transparency on the origins of the deadliest event of the 21st Century, China acted pretty much exactly as you would expect from a paranoid communist country trying to cover up a lab leak.

Brace yourself, theres more.

The Smoking Gun

This list of giant red flags grew even longer with the discovery and examination of the DEFUSE proposal, submitted to the Pentagon in 2018 by a group of organizations led by Peter Daszak and his EcoHealth Alliance.

Under lab examination, SARSCOV2 was always a bit of a mystery, adorned with some peculiar characteristics. The virus appeared better designed to target humans than animals, fully optimized for interaction with the human ACE2 receptor and consistent with a laboratory optimized coronavirus which entered the human population fully evolved.

An even more consequential peculiarity was the presence of a Furin Cleavage Site (FCS), which has the unfortunate property of enhancing a viruses transmissibility. The presence of an FCS was particularly puzzling because none of the over 1,500 of known sarbecoviruses (the sub-genus of SARSCOV2) has ever been found in nature with a FCS. On the other hand, its not uncommon for virologists to insert an FCS while doing gain-of-function experiments in a lab.

For a while, it looked like the presence of an FCS in SARSCOV2, located at the S1/S2 boundary, would remain a vexing, unsolved mystery. Then we learned the details of the $14 million DEFUSE proposal. One year before the pandemic, Mr. Daszak and his collaborators requested funding from the Pentagon to conduct gain-of-function research at the WIV. Specifically, they proposed inserting a FCS into a coronavirus at the S1/S2 boundaryprecisely the never-before-seen characteristics present in SARSCOV2 that aided the virus rapid transmission.

The Pentagon wisely declined to fund the DEFUSE proposal, but a growing pile of evidence suggests this research went ahead in some form anywayor was already being conductedand likely escaped from the Wuhan lab and started the COVID-19 pandemic. If you study hundreds of different bat viruses at BSL-2 [safety protocols], your luck may eventually run out, admits one of the godfathers of gain-of-function research and a frequent WIV collaborator, Dr. Ralph Baric.

Of the two possible theories of COVID-19s origins, only one stands atop of mountain of increasingly persuasive evidence. Natural-spillover proponents have nevertheless sought to dismiss this damning indictment as merely a chain of misinterpreted coincidences. The proximity of the WIV, the gain-of-function research, the dead PLA scientists, the mysterious vaccines, the dentist-office security protocols, the Furin Cleavage Site, the deleted databases, the silenced doctors, the DEFUSE proposal, the lack of an animal host are all just  coincidences.

Any one of them would have been a legitimate cause for inquiry and concern. A dozen of them, by the laws of probability and basic common sense, constitute a smoking gun.

The Real Conspiracy

Which begs a final question: How could this group of elite scientists have gotten this paramount question so horribly wrong?

The inevitable answer is: they didnt. They werent wrong. They were lying.

We know from leaked internal communications that some of the same scientists most ardently dismissing the lab-leak theory took one look at SARSCOV2 and concluded it was, in the words of biologist Kristian Andersen, so friggin likely the virus escaped from a Wuhan lab because they were already doing this type of work and the molecular data is fully consistent with that scenario.

The virus seemed pre-adapted from the get go, observed virologist Edward Holmes. The presence of an unprecedented Furin Cleavage Site in SARSCOV2 kept scientist Bob Garry up all night. The SARSCOV2 genome was inconsistent with evolutionary theory, concluded Dr. Andersen on January 31, 2020.

One day later, some of the same scientists held a phone call with National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases head Dr. Anthony Fauci and rapidly did an about-face, condemning the lab-leak theory as a crackpot conspiracy and viciously attacking anyone questioning their fabricated consensus. A larger network of scientists and science journalists quickly fell in line. The coverup had begun.

The Coverup

A tight network of elite scientists soon engaged in a remarkably effective effort to deceive the world. They collectively briefed the U.S. government, World Health Organization, and any media outlets that would listen: The science was settled, this wasnt a lab leak. Some of them went on to publish the now-infamous Proximal Origins paper in March 2020 in Nature Medicine, ranked as the most impactful science article of that year. We do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible, the papers authors asserted.

Their efforts to discredit the lab-leak theory were aided substantially by EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak. He had been involved in multiple collaborations with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, including the now-infamous DEFUSE proposal which included a veritable blueprint for creating SARSCOV2. The experiments were so dangerous, and the WIV safety protocols so poor, Daszak intentionally sought to deceive the Pentagon by suggesting the research would be conducted in the U.S.not China.

(Shockingly, Daszak and EcoHealth Alliance are still receiving tens of millions of dollars in U.S. government research grants, including a seven-figure grant awarded in December 2022.)

After the pandemic outbreak, Daszak conveniently avoided disclosing his personal connections to risky coronavirus research at the WIV as he organized and co-drafted a letter in The Lancet to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin.

The idea that this virus escaped from a lab is just pure baloney. Its simply not true, Daszak proclaimed in an April 2020 interview.

Daszak also managed to get himself appointed to join the World Health Organizations (WHO) investigation into COVIDs origins. The investigation produced a March 2021 report that concluded it was extremely unlikely SARSCOV2 leaked from a lab. (Under growing scrutiny, the second phase of the WHO investigation was quietly shelved.)

Daszak also positioned himself to lead The Lancets COVID-19 Commission. The following year, chairman Dr. Jeffrey Sachs disbanded the commission over concerns about the conflicts of interest of one its members and his tiesto the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Sachs later lamented how Dazsak was not telling me the truth and was filled with misdirection, admitting its time to fess up [SARSCOV2] might have come out of a lab.

We dont have definitive evidence of either hypothesis, Sachs posited. But what we do have is definitive evidence that officialdom has tried to keep our eyes away from the lab leak.

Dr. Fauci was also working overtime to deflect attention from the lab-leak theory. In multiple bouts of congressional testimony, Fauci engaged in semantic games to insist the U.S. wasnt involved in funding dangerous gain-of-function research at the WIV. (It was.) On several occasions, Fauci publicly argued the evidence very, very strongly leans toward natural origin. (It doesnt.) Those challenging Fauci on these questions, he famously told CBSs Face the Nation, were really criticizing science, because I represent science.

Fauci also tried to explain away Chinas stunning lack of cooperation with the international community and elaborate coverup that cost the world countless lives by blaming the Trump administrations accusatory nature for Chinas deadly obfuscation.

Fauci also led an effort to brief other U.S. government agencies on COVIDs origins, reportedly leaning on the intelligence community, White House, and State Department to conclude a lab leak was unlikely. One whistleblower later claimed Faucis opinion substantially altered the conclusions that were subsequently drawn.

Oddly, U.S. intelligence agencies proved largely split and indecisive in their conclusions, with nearly all submitting low confidence assessments it was either a lab leak, natural origin, or the evidence was inconclusive. Only one agency had a medium confidence assessment in either theory: the FBI is convinced SARSCOV2 is the product of a lab leak. So too is former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who explained in 2023: a lab leak is the only explanation credibly supported by our intelligence, by science and by common sense.

The Conspiracy

This was the real conspiracy. Many of the elite scientists seeking to discredit the lab-leak theory knew all along it was the most credible explanation. Not only did they intentionally deceive the world, they slandered any scientist or journalist that challenged them. For daring to question this fraudulent consensus, scientist Alina Chan was viciously attacked as an intellectually dishonest, manipulative conspiracist with very little subject matter expertise who hascompensated for her mediocrity by pursuing personal profit.

So, why did the scientific establishment act with such disgrace and deception? Their motivations were multi-causal.

First, some of these scientists were direct collaborators with the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Dr. Peter Hotez had channeled U.S. government funds to five coronavirus research projects conducted by the Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences and the WIV between 2016 and 2019. Mr. Daszaks DEFUSE proposal included a veritable blueprint for SARSCOV2. They were rightly concerned they could be held personally accountable.

Second, some of these scientists had for years been quietly waging a behind-the-scenes battle to defend risky gain-of-function research over the considerable objections of other virologists. If the pandemic was, in fact, the product of a lab leak, it might deal a fatal blow to their crusade to preserve this controversial research. Even worse, from their perspective, it would mark the death knell for scientific cooperation with China.

Third, some of these scientists had strong financial and reputational incentives to suppress the lab-leak theory, especially after Dr. Fauci weighed in. Dr. Andersen, for example, had a roughly $9 million grant pending with Faucis government agency at the timea grant that was approved two months after he co-authored the seminal academic paper supporting natural spillover, Proximal Origins. There were people that did not talk about [the lab leak], because they feared for their careers, Dr. Filippa Lentzos of Kings College later admitted. They feared for their grants.

Fourth and finally, the lab-leak debate was hyper-politicized from the outset. Once President Donald Trump suggested a Wuhan lab might be responsible, scientists felt compelled to pick a side. Supporting with the lab-leak theory was siding with President Trump and nothingnot science, honesty, morality, credibility, or public healthwas more important than opposing the racist conspiracy theory adopted by Trump, even if it was likely to be true.

The Conclusion

Presented the evidence objectively, the American people can now decide for themselves whether the natural origin theory of COVID-19 represents the most implausible string of coincidences imaginable or the lie of the century.

Jeff M. Smith is the Director of the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation.
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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

The Bachelor alum Maria Georgas has revealed that she was officially offered role for Season 21 and her casting was "set in stone" before she changed her mind and backed out."The answer is yes. Yeah, I was offered the role. It was mine until I said it wasn't," Maria, 29, confirmed during an April 30 appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast hosted by Alex Cooper."It became very overwhelming to the point where I had to decline."Maria said she was "at the point where" she was "doing fittings" for dresses and outfits she'd wear on prior to backing out."It was set in stone. I was in it," Maria reiterated.Maria dropped this bombshell five weeks after ABC had announced Jenn Tran as the new star during The Bachelor: After the Final Rose for Joey Graziadei 's season on March 25."I have been trying my hardest to stay silent about this, but I think that moving forward -- and if I'm going to be in this world -- I have to be honest, especially with the people who have supported me," Maria explained.Maria suggested that she was going through the motions for and her heart simply wasn't in it."Jenn was one of my closest girls in the house, and she was always verbalizing how badly she wanted this. And when everyone around me was so supportive of me being in this position and everyone wanted this for me, I kind of took a second and was like, 'Why am I not happy? Why am I not excited about this?'" Maria said."It took me realizing that it's just not my time where I was like, 'Guys, respectfully, I need to decline. I need to take a step back.'"Maria apparently was "not in the right headspace" to be star this year."I know the extensive process it was to be on the show, right? So having a bunch of guys do the exact same thing -- and they're there for me -- I didn't want to waste anyone's time," Maria reasoned."And honestly, it was hard for me to kind of jump right back into it [after Joey's season]."Alex went on to reveal that Maria had actually been scheduled to come on her podcast and make her announcement in March. One day before the podcast episode was set to tape, Alex received a call that it wasn't going to happen and Maria was on a plane back to Toronto."Everyone was so excited, and I know what this season could have been like, and it would've been great," Maria said. "I just was not ready."Maria said producers were actually "so supportive" of her last-minute decision because she had been "open and honest" about where she was at "mentally" and how she felt."I just wanted to come back to reality and take time off from all of this... I think people saw that and recognized that I wasn't posting [on social media] as much, and I was not speaking on things," Maria recalled."As much as I wanted my time off, I also wanted Jenn to have her moment, and she is the most perfect Bachelorette in my eyes. I couldn't think of anyone better to do this. She was so ready for it, and that was enough for me to say, 'Yeah, this is not my time.'"Maria said, however, she's "super appreciative" and "grateful" for all of the fan support "I thought in my head, 'I want to do this for them. I want to do this for the people who love and support me.' But that's not doing it for the right reasons," Maria explained.Maria admitted her time on The Bachelor was stressful and exhausting, mainly due to all the drama, and so it was nice for her to be able to take a break."What people saw on their screens was only the half of what I went through in the house. Did I have time off before it aired? Yes. But again, everything was so -- I was so anxious throughout the whole thing," Maria shared."I get it -- it would have been my own show and it would have been me having more control over things. But again, it's so isolating being in there. And I would have to give up my phone -- not my freedom, but having to be alone in that, and I just wasn't comfortable. I wasn't mentally prepared for it."Maria insisted that she didn't go on The Bachelor for fame and she wasn't interested in "milking her 15 minutes" by continuing on with just because it was a great opportunity.Maria also clapped back at Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams , who had called Maria "a little unhinged" and wondered if producers thought Maria would be too difficult to control during the March 27 episode of his "Your Favorite Things" podcast."I heard that her demands were ridiculous and they were like, 'No,'" Wells said."I guess one of her demands is that she wanted to have her phone the entire time, which is like, come on! Another [rumor] I heard -- and who knows if any of this is true -- but I heard that she wanted... them to hire her friend to be her [own personal handler or producer], which, no! They are not qualified to do that job!"Maria told Alex on her podcast that when she heard Wells' podcast comments, she immediately "wanted so badly to shut that sh-t down.""But again, I just didn't think it was my time or my place," Maria revealed."He was like, 'Everyone is going to forget about [Maria] and [Joey's The Bachelor runner-up Daisy Kent ]. This is going to be their biggest regret.' Forget about me! At the end of the day, I have to do what's best for me."Maria vented to Alex that it was "so disheartening" to hear Wells say that about her given he knows about the process and what The Bachelor and contestants have to go through."[He] knows what they put us through -- not what they put us through -- but knows how intense it is. You have to be fully committed," Maria said."[Wells] knows how mentally draining and physically draining this could be, so to say something like that, shut the f-ck up! You don't know me!"Maria insisted she's "a very respectful person" and so Wells' claims "went against [her] character" and they are "so not true.""Everyone knows you get your phone taken away and that's it," Maria confirmed."It's kind of contradicting for you to say I'm going to be 'forgotten' because I'm not the Bachelorette. Where do you stand? You were never the Bachelor. So are you forgotten?... You're forgotten in my head!... I would never say that about someone else!"Jenn's season of is currently filming and will premiere this summer on ABC.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Participant of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, UN Deputy Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations for the Rule of Law and Security Alexander Zuyev expressed gratitude to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the nation for creating conditions for holding such forums and events, Trend reports.

He made the remark at the panel session Use of soft power in the development of multilateral cooperation: strengthening solidarity and countering division, held within the framework of the VI World Forum of Intercultural Dialogue.

The Baku Forum will contribute to international peace. Azerbaijan continues political discussions and is also successfully represented in international organizations. Azerbaijan has successfully chaired the Non-Aligned Movement. We welcome this.

We currently support building peace and trust. Conflicts are growing steadily. We are at such a crossroads that we need multilateral instruments and mechanisms. Everyone wants peace, but this is not an easy task. The importance of such forums lies in bringing together religious and political leaders. This year is special for the UN. In September we'll present a project called Summit of the Future, he added.

To note, the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue has kicked off in Baku.

A total of 700 guests from around the globe are convening for the forum centered on the theme "Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity."

Among the diverse participants hailing from over 100 nations, ministerial figures and representatives from the cultural ministries of 60 countries, along with 28 international organizations, will be in attendance. The agenda includes 10 panel discussions and four plenary sessions.

This significant event, organized by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, is a collaborative effort with esteemed international bodies such as the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), UNESCO, ICESCO, and the UN World Tourism Organization.

The event is set to run from May 1 through 3.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov met with Chairman of the Human Rights and Equality Institute of Turkiye Muharrem Klc, Trend reports.

The sides discussed reforms in the spheres of the development of democratic, rule-of-law states, civil society, and effective protection of human rights and freedoms.

Likewise, the sides acknowledged the continuous development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey in the field of human rights and freedoms, among other areas. The significance of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two nations' ombudspersons, signed in Baku in 2021, was stressed. It was stated that the work done under the instrument contributes to the growth of cooperation in the relevant field.

Prospects for the development of mutually beneficial Azerbaijani-Turkish cooperation in various spheres, including the field of human rights and freedoms, were discussed at the meeting.

Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsperson) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva was also present at the meeting.

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Pro-Palestine demonstrators gathered at the Arch in downtown Athens on Monday afternoon in support of the 16 arrested on campus earlier that day. Following several pro-Palestine encampments set up at colleges around the country, a group of demonstrators held an encampment at the Old College in North Campus that lasted for an hour and a half before UGA police and administration shut it down. 16 of the initial demonstrators were arrested, sparking outrage and prompting the rally at the Arch.
The bullish outlook stems from Reliance Jio's potential tariff hikes, given the competitive landscape, along with slow but steady improvement in the oil-to-chemical (O2C) vertical

Photograph: ANI Photo

Shares of Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) rose nearly 1 per cent on Tuesday, hitting an intraday high of Rs 2,986.05 per share, after most brokerages reacted positively to the company's March quarter (Q4FY24) results.

The bullish outlook stems from Reliance Jio's potential tariff hikes, given the competitive landscape, along with slow but steady improvement in the oil-to-chemical (O2C) vertical.

"We raise FY25-26E earnings by 2-5 per cent each and increase target price to Rs 3,200 per share on the back of higher profitability in Jio (due to ARPUs) and roll-over to March-26 estimate.

"RIL is well-placed with steady earnings and positive free-cash flow; new energy should also commence," said analysts at Emkay Global.

In Q4FY24, Reliance Industries' bottomline dropped 1.8 per cent to Rs Rs 18,951 crore, as opposed to Rs 19,299 crore in the same quarter a year ago.

This was Reliance Industries highest-ever recorded consolidated net profit the company has ever achieved in a quarter.

Reliance Industries topline, meanwhile, rose over 11 per cent to Rs 2,40,715 crore from Rs 2,16,265 crore a year ago.

Here's what key brokerages say on RIL's Q4FY24 results:

Kotak Institutional Equities ' Add ' Target price: Rs 3,200

RIL s Q4 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) was in line with analysts' estimate.

Meanwhile, O2C Ebitda (up 19 per cent Q-o-Q), which was 7 per cent ahead of estimates, was offset by weak retail (Ebitda down 7 per cent Q-o-Q, 8 per cent below analysts estimate).

With the first phase of 5G rollouts completed, Q4 capex of Rs 23,000 crore further fell by 23 per cent Q-oQ, the brokerage said.

Analysts further said that the refining margins have been weak recently and expect refining margins to recover, but expect a slower recovery in petchem.

Although Q4 was weak for retail, with strong area additions, analysts expect growth to pick up.

Considering these factors, Kotak Institutional Equities maintained Add with a revised fair valuation of Rs 3,200.

Motilal Oswal ' Buy ' Target Price: Rs 3,245

Segment-wise, the consumer business continues to post double-digit Ebitda growth, with both Reliance Jio and Reliance Retail likely to record 14 per cent and 25 per cent Ebitda compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over financial year 2024-2026 (FY 24-26), respectively, analysts at Motilal Oswal noted.

The growth would be driven by footprint additions, new categories in the retail sector, the focused approach to subscriber growth, and the expected tariff hikes in the telecom business.

In O2C, analysts foresee refining and petchem segments picking up from the current levels, as net capacity additions for both segments are tapering off on a Y-o-Y basis.

Moreover, FY25 would witness the full benefit of the ramped-up volumes at the MJ Field.

Overall, analysts remain positive on both the refining and petrochemical segments.

Global oil demand for calendar year 2024 (CY24) is likely to be at 103 million barrels of oil per day (bopd), up 1.2 million bopd Y-o-Y.

Gasoil cracks are anticipated to remain firm due to the strength in jet fuel demand and the limited availability of heavy crude.

While global downstream chemical markets remain well-supplied in the near term, analysts note that capacity growth is tapering off and has passed its peak for key products such as Relene (PE) and Repol (PP).

Considering these factors, Motilal Oswal reiterated Buy rating on RIL with a target price of Rs 3,245 apiece.

ICICI Securities ' Hold ' Target Price: Rs 2,810

Despite earnings growth, however, our target price of Rs 2,810 implies 5 per cent downside from here, as analysts see return ratios and free cash flow (FCF) yields remaining subdued over the next two three years and monetisation of the New Energy businesses as well as the media acquisition taking time.

Considering these factors, ICICI Securities have reiterated its Hold rating.

JM Financial ' Buy ' Target price: Rs 3,320

RIL's consolidated Q4 Ebitda was 1 per cent above analysts' estimates due to stronger-than-expected O2C Ebitda, partly offset by weaker retail Ebitda, while digital Ebitda was in line.

Additionally, strong GRM drove O2C business Ebitda, which stood at Rs 16,780 crore.

Moreover, digital Ebitda at Rs 14,640 crore was in line with estimates; average revenue per user (ARPU) remained flattish Q-o-Q but subscriber growth continued to be robust, at 10.9 million.

Capex declined sharply to Rs 23,200 crore in Q4FY24 versus Rs 30,100 crore in Q3FY24 and Rs 38,800 crore in Q2FY24, driven by moderation in 5G capex this would be positive for potential free cash flow (FCF) generation if this becomes the new sustainable capex run-rate.

Therefore, analysts reiterate Buy on RIL, with a revised target price of Rs 3,320.

Emkay ' Add ' Target price: Rs 3,200

RIL reported largely in-line earnings. Retail Ebitda was an 8 per cent miss on lower revenue, but was offset by better O2C on higher utilisation and improved refining.

Jio and Upstream were inline.

Capex run-rate fell sharply to Rs 23,200 crore Q4, though analysts believe approximately Rs 1.2 lakh crore per annum would hold going ahead from new energy & petchem.

The brokerage is positive about Jio tariff hikes, given the competitive landscape.

While Oil & Gas and Retail should remain steady, it added.

Therefore, Emkay analysts raised financial year 2025-2026 estimate (FY25-26E) earnings by 2-5 per cent each and retained Add with a target price of Rs 3,200 per share on the back of higher profitability in Jio (due to ARPUs) and roll-over to March-2026 estimate.

Antique Stock Broking ' Buy ' Target Price: Rs 3,227

Likely improvement in the petrochemical cycle in financial year 2026, the continued growth in telecom subscriber base, along with sharp improvement in ARPU on account of tariff hikes, and continued growth in retail would be the key earnings growth drivers, the brokerage said in a note.

While likely commissioning of new energy in the financial year 2025 (FY25) would set the base for the next round of capex in the segment.

Therefore, Antique Stock Broking maintained Buy rating with a revised Sum-of-the-Parts Valuation (SoTP) target price of Rs 3,227 on account of higher earnings and also as we attribute a higher multiple to the telecom business on account of several tailwinds in the sector.

Disclaimer: This article is meant for information purposes only. This article and information do not constitute a distribution, an endorsement, an investment advice, an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities/schemes or any other financial products/investment products mentioned in this article to influence the opinion or behaviour of the investors/recipients.

Any use of the information/any investment and investment related decisions of the investors/recipients are at their sole discretion and risk. Any advice herein is made on a general basis and does not take into account the specific investment objectives of the specific person or group of persons. Opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.
Aviation watchdog DGCA has deregistered all the 54 planes leased by Go First, days after a court allowed lessors to take back their aircraft from the bankrupt airline.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Go First/Facebook

Bogged down by financial turbulence and engine woes, budget carrier Go First stopped flying in May last year and is undergoing an insolvency resolution process.

Foreign lessors that have leased planes to the airline had moved the court to take back the aircraft.

Against this backdrop, the Delhi High Court on April 26 directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to forthwith process the applications filed by the lessors for deregistration of 54 planes.

The high court had also said the process shall be done in not later than five working days.

A senior official at the regulator on Wednesday confirmed that all the 54 aircraft of the airline have been deregistered.

Some of the notices deregistering Go First's aircraft were uploaded on the DGCA website.

An A320 plane, having registration number VT-WJL, was deregistered on April 29.

The request for deregistration under IDERA was received by the regulator way back on May 11, 2023.

The lessor is based in Ireland, according to a deregistration notice.

Under the Cape Town Convention, a lessor can opt for the Irrevocable De-registration and Export Request Authorisation (IDERA).

Generally, the option is exercised by lessors when there is a default by an airline with respect to a leased aircraft.

Go First stopped flying on May 3, 2023, and its plea for voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings was admitted by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on May 10 last year.
Semiconductor makers need thousands of engineers and technicians, and though India has one of the largest pool of engineers in the world, they do not have experience in the semiconductor manufacturing space.

IMAGE: Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw holds a chip wafer during a media interacction in New Delhi. Photograph: Rahul Singh/ANI Photo

The government, based on feedback from semiconductor companies operating in India, expects hundreds to thousand-odd Indian engineers to return from Southeast Asia and the United States to participate in the country's high-tech manufacturing revolution.

"Nearly 20 to 25 per cent of the senior talent in the semiconductor manufacturing industry globally are Indians. We expect many of them to come back to India," says Communications, IT, and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

According to a top official in the ministry of electronics and information technology (Meity), the engineers who have decided to return to India from the US are younger, while those from Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia are generally over 45 years and with more experience.

The official says that in the US, the senior and therefore older semiconductor professionals whose families have settled down do not want to move out. But in Southeast Asia, many want to return home and are looking for opportunities.

The response to the Tata group's recruitment drive in Taiwan for its OSAT (outsourced semiconductor assembly and test) and fabrication (fab) plant is a case in point, says the Meity official.

Tata Electronics held roadshows in Taiwan's chip manufacturing centre of Hsinchu to attract professionals with 5 to 18 years of experience in yield, automation and equipment, among other fields.

The company has tied up with Taiwanese chipmaker PSMC for technology, and its engineers may undergo training with the company.

Applied Materials, which set up a research and development centre in Bengaluru, is another example.

"Applied Materials has been in India for 21 years. We are a global company that looks to hire the best talent based on the needs of our various offices and teams around the world," says Abhay Singh, head, human resources.

"We are open to exploring opportunities for individuals with the right skillset who are looking to return home to India," Singh added.

Semiconductor makers need thousands of engineers and technicians, and though India has one of the largest pool of engineers in the world, they do not have experience in the semiconductor manufacturing space.

So, companies have to bring in senior global talent while they build a pool in India.

Companies are putting together a multipronged approach to train local talent.

Micron's ATMP (assembly, testing, marking, and packing) plant, which is under construction in Sanand in Gujarat, is expected to roll out chips by December this year.

The initial training for those hired in India is being undertaken at its plants in Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, as the training requires exposure to a manufacturing facility.

The company has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Age Makers Institute of Technology in Gandhinagar to provide a pipeline of globally competitive pool of talent to the semiconductor industry.

The institute is an initiative of AM/NS India and has tied up with technology firm Cisco.

Singh from Applied Materials says there is a demand for skilled talent given India's ambition to become a global semiconductor hub.

The company collaborates closely with top academic institutions like IIT Bombay, IISc Bangalore, IIT Patna, and IIT Ropar to develop a talent pipeline.

The Meity official says that other companies are likely to take advantage of such institutes and adds that the Tata group would also train some engineers at the R&D centre in Hyderabad where indigenous technology for setting up an OSAT plant is being developed.

Moreover, others like Nirma University in Ahmedabad, and IIT Gandhinagar are contributing to building a local talent pool, the official adds.

However, several challenges remain. Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Trade Joseph Wu said that a cumbersome administrative structure, the lack of experienced engineers, and high tariffs on electronics component imports were some issues that needed to be resolved before Taiwanese companies would make serious investments in India's semiconductor industry.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
This isn't the first instance of Vistara facing scrutiny from the regulator over improper pilot training.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Vistara/Facebook

The vice-president of Vistara airline's pilot training was on Tuesday, Aoril 30, 2024, removed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over lapses in conversion training of pilots, which involved preparing narrow-body pilots to fly wide-body aircraft.

According to sources, Vikram Mohan Dayal, VP, Training, at the full service carrier, has been suspended by the aviation watchdog, which has now asked the airline to find a replacement.

Dayal was appointed VP, Training, in May 2020.

Under conversion training, pilots undergo additional training when they switch from flying one type of aircraft to another.

Sources said the issue arose when 12 Vistara pilots, trained on narrow-body A320 family planes, were undergoing conversion training for wide-body B787 aircraft.

According to DGCA rules, this training involves multiple stages.

In the first stage, pilots train on a simulator, followed by skills testing in the second stage.

The third stage requires a take-off and landing on an actual B787 plane for fresh pilots, while experienced pilots with over 500 flight hours can perform this in a simulator.

This third stage, known as zero flight time training, must be completed within 45 days after the second stage.

However, the DGCA found that these 12 Vistara pilots did not complete the third stage within the specified timeframe.

Moreover, they were scheduled for the fourth stage, known as supervised line flying, which involves flying a plane full of passengers under supervision, sources mentioned.

Dayal was initially issued a show cause notice regarding this alleged rule violation, sources noted.

After the response, which the regulator found unsatisfactory, the action was taken against Dayal.

The airline has been asked to appoint a new head of training promptly.

This isn't the first instance of Vistara facing scrutiny from the regulator over improper pilot training.

In June 2022, the DGCA imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Vistara for allowing an inadequately trained pilot to land an aircraft with passengers at Indore airport.

The pilot, serving as the first officer, landed the aircraft without completing the necessary simulator training, according to sources.

In March this year, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore granted approval to the merger of Vistara, a 51:49 joint venture of the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, with Air India, wholly owned by the Tata Group.

The Competition Commission of India had previously approved the merger between the airlines in September 2023.

Vistara's CEO Vinod Kannan said during a press briefing in January that the full-service carrier is anticipating an operational merger with Air India by mid-2025.

Additionally, the company expects to receive legal approvals for the merger by the middle of the current calendar year.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Days after his dramatic withdrawal of the nomination as the Congress candidate from Indore Lok Sabha seat, Akshay Kanti Bam has rejected allegations that he joined Bharatiya Janata Party as part of a "deal", and wondered how can anyone lure him who wears a wrist watch worth Rs 15 lakh.

IMAGE: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav welcomes Congress leader Akshay Kanti Bam in the BJP, in Indore on April 29, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Bam's April 29 move edged Congress out of the electoral contest against BJP candidate from Indore Shankar Lalwani. Bam joined the BJP on the same day.

"What I possess (assets) and what I don't have is already clear. What will anyone offer in a deal to a man who wears a wristwatch worth Rs 15 lakh?" Bam told reporters at Alirajpur on Tuesday evening while rejecting the allegation that he had a "deal" with BJP.

As per the affidavit submitted by Bam earlier, his movable and immovable properties are worth Rs 55.28 crore, including a wristwatch costing Rs 14.05 lakh.

He dismissed Congress' charge that he joined the saffron camp fearing electoral defeat.

In the previous elections, Bam had sought a ticket from Congress for the Indore-4 assembly seat, considered one of the most difficult seats in the state for the Grand Old Party.

"If a person wanted to contest from such a difficult seat, then it is meaningless to say that he is afraid of losing elections," he said.

Interestingly, the decision of Bam to withdraw from the poll fray came five days after a court in Indore had asked for adding a 307 (attempt to murder) charge in a 2007 case related to a land dispute against him, his father and others.

The court had directed Bam and others to appear before it on May 10.

Queried on the case against him, Bam said his lawyer will present his side before the sessions court on the fixed date regarding the addition of section 307.
As the comparison between 2014 and 2019 shows, the voter turnout is not only lower than in 2019 but also lower than in 2014 in some of the larger states where polling took place.

IMAGE: Voters line up outside a polling station to vote during the first phase of the general election in Kairana, Uttar Pradesh, April 19, 2024. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters

Of the 102 seats that went to polls in the first phase on April 19, 2024, 92 recorded a drop in voter turnout, while nine seats showed an increase.

The decline in vote share on these seats is 4.4 per cent, from 69.9 per cent five years ago to 65.5 per cent in 2024.

The nine seats with a higher voter turnout than in 2019 are Assam's Jorhat and Lakhimpur, Bastar in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra's Chandrapur, Shillong in Meghalaya, and Tamil Nadu's Vellore, Coimbatore, Kallakurichi, and Salem.

In some cases, the decline in voter turnout was in fractions -- Nagpur, Meghalaya's Tura, and Tripura West.

The decline in voter turnout in the Nagaland Lok Sabha constituency was over 25 per cent because of calls for a poll boycott across six districts.

It was also sharp in Manipur due to poll violence, where the Election Commission ordered a re-poll in 11 polling booths.

As the comparison between 2014 and 2019 shows, the voter turnout is not only lower than in 2019 but also lower than in 2014 in some of the larger states where polling took place, such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.

Among smaller states, the voter turnout in 2024 is lower than in 2014.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
The Army was stopped from taking away the arms and ammunition they seized in Manipur's Bishnupur district on Tuesday by women-led protestors, officials said.

IMAGE: Army personnel with seized illegal arms and ammunition including grenades near Sadu Kabui village of Bishnupur district, Manipur, April 4, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

During patrolling in the Kumbi area in the early hours, personnel of the Army's 2 Mahar regiment intercepted two SUVs, they said.

"On seeing the Army personnel, the occupants of the two vehicles fled, leaving behind their arms," an official said.

A while later, 'Meira Paibis' -- civilian group of Meitei women -- gathered at the spot, and demanded that the weapons be handed over to them, he said.

They also demanded that no weapons be confiscated till the conflict, which broke out in May last year, is over, he added.

Hundreds of women blocked the road and prevented the Army convoy from leaving the area, officials said.

To disperse the mob, the Army fired in the air but that too bore no result, they said.

Upon getting to know about the incident, state police forces rushed to the area. It was then agreed that the Army would later hand the arms to the police, they said.

"Confiscating weapons from village volunteers guarding a fringe area like Kumbi leaves us exposed to possible attacks by armed militants from adjacent hill areas of Churachandpur district," said Jaya Khagenbam, a leader of the protestors.

"Security forces should remember that their inability to protect villages located at the periphery of the Valley led to the emergence of the village volunteers," she said.

The situation is now normal, and the Army personnel have withdrawn from the spot, officials said.
Congress Spokesperson Supriya Shrinate on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew about alliance partner Janata Dal-Secular's Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna's alleged crime of sexually abusing several women, and yet he appealed for votes for him.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigns for JD-S MP Prajwal Revanna, right, on April 14, 2024. Photograph: @narendramodi/X

Launching a scathing attack on Modi during a press conference in Bengaluru, she showed photos of the PM with Prajwal and said, "He (Modi) not only appreciated him but also sought votes for him (Prajwal) on April 14."

The 33-year-old Prajwal is the grandson of JD-S chief and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, and the son of former minister and current MLA H D Revanna, who too has been accused by a worker of his household of sexual harassment.

The JD-S joined the BJP-led NDA in September last year.

Prajwal Revanna is the NDA candidate in Hassan Lok Sabha constituency that went to the polls on April 26. Nearly 3,000 explicit video clips allegedly involving Prajwal sexually abusing several women had started making the rounds in Hassan in recent days.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also launched a scathing attack on Modi and asked whether being part of "Modi's political family" a "guarantee of protection for criminals".

In a post in Hindi, Gandhi said, "As always, Narendra Modi has maintained shameful silence on the gruesome crimes committed against women in Karnataka."

"The Prime Minister will have to answer: Despite knowing everything, why did he campaign for the devil who exploited hundreds of daughters, just for votes? After all, how did such a big criminal escape from the country with such ease?" the former Congress chief said.

From Kaiserganj to Karnataka and from Unnao to Uttarakhand, the prime minister's "silent support" to the criminals of daughters is emboldening the criminals across the country, Gandhi said.

"Is being part of Modi's 'political family' a 'guarantee of protection' for criminals?" he said.

Pointing to Prajwal's social media profile where he claims to be a part of "Modi Parivar", Congress spokesperson Shrinate alleged, "...the extent of what he (Prajwal) has done is absolutely shocking. Shocking to the extent that it makes me think that is this part of a fiction film or is it for real? Not one, not two but nearly 3,000 videos and several women have been sexually assaulted and raped. This is not a sex scandal. This is the biggest rape crime in the history of this country."

She further said, "He is not just a candidate but he is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'favourite'. Modi appealed for votes for him in Mysuru on April 14."

Pointing out that the Karnataka Women's Commission took suo motu cognisance of the alleged sexual crimes by Prajwal and sent a letter to both the superintendent of police and the chief minister, Shrinate said that within hours a Special Investigation Team was constituted and summons have been sent to Prajwal and his father Revanna who is a co-accused in the case.

"Within hours of the SIT being constituted, he (Prajwal) fled the country. One doesn't even know if he had even voted in his own election or not," she added.

Taking a dig at Union Home minister Amit Shah, the Congress spokesperson said he always knows who goes where, and even if Priyanka Gandhi goes to meet her daughter for two days, he knows about it and mentions it in his election rally. "In that case, how did he not get to know about this man (Prajwal) when he fled the country," she asked.

Targeting Prime Minister Modi, she asked how PM Modi could not have known on April 14 what kind of a man this Prajwal was?

"Was Prime Minister Modi ignorant about it...absolutely not. He (Modi) knew exactly who this man (Prajwal) is, he knew exactly what he had done, he knew exactly what crimes that he (Prajwal) had committed. Because BJP's own leader Devaraje Gowda in December 2023 wrote mails and sent letters to Amit Shah, J P Nadda (BJP President), Narendra Modi telling them about this guy (Prajwal) and telling them not to make him a candidate," she said.

She further said that in January 2024, Devaraje Gowda held a press conference and made the matter public, and in that press conference, he had also said that he had shared the evidence with senior BJP leaders and also with the BJP's Karnataka leadership.

The Congress spokesperson alleged that in February-March, when alliance talks were happening with JD-S and Amit Shah had come to Mysuru, several BJP Karyakartas had cautioned them to not make Prajwal a candidate because his alleged crimes.

She alleged that Prajwal did not even spare minor girls and accused BJP of knowing everything and yet having encouraged him.

"When the matter came to light, BJP resorted to lies, and one of the big lies was that the driver had shared details with Congress leadership. Absolute nonsense and an absolute lie. The driver now on record on camera says he has not shared any videos, any pen drive with any Congress leader but only with the BJP leader Devraje Gowda and others," she said.

Citing incidents of crimes against women such as in the case of the Hathras gang rape and murder, Bilkis Bano's gangrape and killing of her child, the Manipur rape and parading naked of two women, and many others, Shrinate said, "Women of this country question how it is that repeatedly when there is crime against women, political patronage and support is given to the perpetrators of the crime and not to the victims themselves."

She also questioned the silence of PM Modi, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani and the delay in the National Commission for Women acting on the matter of Revanna's alleged sexual crimes.

"The most celebrated and most decorated athletes of our country whom Modi called members of his family, when they alleged sexual assault charges against the MP (Brij Bhushan Singh), Modi did not act against the MP... The reality is Modi once again stood with the perpetrator of crime and not with the daughters," she said.
Amid the mounting suspense over the Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seats, the Congress on Wednesday asserted that "nobody is scared" and a decision on the matter would be announced in the next 24-30 hours.

IMAGE: Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi being felicitated by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge prior to taking oath as a Member of Rajya Sabha, in New Delhi on April 4, 2024. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, her husband Robert Vadra and party leader Rahul Gandhi are also present. Photograph: NI Photo

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that party's central election committee (CEC) has empowered Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to finalise the candidates for Amethi and Rarbareli.

"My expectation is that in the next 24-30 hours, the Congress president will finalise and a decision taken by him will be announced," Ramesh said in response to a question at a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi.

"Till that is done all the information, all so-called office orders are fake," he said.

Asked why there is delay in taking a decision and if the Congress was "scared" in fielding Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Ramesh said, "There is no delay. Has the BJP not announced its candidates in Raebareli? Smriti Irani is a sitting MP. Nobody is scared, discussions are ongoing, the Congress president has been authorized."

"There is no delay, there is time till May 3," he said.

The state leadership in Uttar Pradesh has already urged the central election committee and the party leadership to field Rahul Gandhi from Amethi and Priyanka from Rae Bareli.

The CEC members had also supported the view of the Uttar Pradesh Congress during its last meeting on Saturday.

The Amethi seat has been represented by Rahul Gandhi from 2004 and he remained the member of Parliament from the constituency for three consecutive terms till 2019 when he was defeated by BJP's Smriti Irani.

Rahul Gandhi currently represents the Wayanad constituency in Kerala, from where he had contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and also this time.

The Amethi and Raebareli constituencies go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections.

Rahul Gandhi has said earlier that he will follow "whatever order" he gets from his party.

Speculation had been rife that Rahul Gandhi might contest the Lok Sabha polls from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Raebareli, a seat that was previously held by her mother Sonia Gandhi.

Both seats are considered bastions of the Gandhi family and the local units of the Congress have demanded that the two scions of the family contest from there.

The Congress has forged an alliance with the SP in Uttar Pradesh and is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The Lok Sabha polls are being held in seven phases starting April 19. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with permanent representatives of the UNESCO member states who arrived in Azerbaijan to participate in the VI World Forum of Intercultural Dialogue, as well as with the heads of the National Commissions of Turkiye, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Malta for UNESCO, Trend reports.

During the meeting, the sides discussed cooperation within UNESCO, preparations for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), as well as the current regional situation.

Bayramov noted that international projects implemented within the framework of the Baku Process initiated by Azerbaijan, including the World Forum for Intercultural Dialogue, are an indicator of the country's importance and contribution to cooperation among cultures. It was mentioned that the implementation of the mentioned projects within the framework of cooperation with international partners, including UNESCO, as well as active participation in them, is a source of satisfaction.

Detailing the work done to mobilize international efforts to combat global climate change within the framework of the country's chairmanship of COP29, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister stressed the importance of climate education and cooperation in this direction.

Jeyhun Bayramov spoke about the normalization efforts and peacebuilding in the region in the post-conflict period, as well as the restoration of cultural heritage, which was destroyed during the Armenian occupation and is already a thing of the past.

The Minister informed the sides about the priorities of Azerbaijan's foreign policy and views on several regional issues.

The meeting also witnessed an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest and answers to the queries of the parties.

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The Congress on Wednesday said the Election Commission's "failure" to release voter turnout data in the same format as on previous occasions "frustrates the very purpose of it all" and hoped that political games are not being played through such data.

IMAGE: Voters stand in a queue to cast their vote at a polling station during the second phase of the Lok Sabha Polls, at Dadri in Gautam Buddha Nagar District, Uttar Pradesh on April 26, 2024. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the ECI finally released the voter turnout data late last night after a completely unacceptable delay of 11 days for Phase I and 4 days for Phase 2.

"However, two issues have emerged in the ECI's latest data release. The number of registered voters per Lok Sabha and the assembly constituencies included in that Lok Sabha constituency have not been published along with the turnout data by the ECI, as is usually done. The breakup of the number of votes and not just the vote percentage, as is typically made available by the ECI -- is still not available," Ramesh said on X.

The whole point of releasing such data is to make it comparable over time, the Congress leader argued.

"The ECI's failure to release voter turnout data in the same format frustrates the very purpose of it all. One can only hope that political games are not being played through such data," Ramesh said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too criticised the Election Commission for the "delay" in releasing the final voter turnout figures for the initial two phases of the Lok Sabha polls.

She also expressed concern over the sudden increase in polling percentages during those phases.

"The sudden jump in final voter turnout by nearly 5.75 per cent from what the Election Commission had released earlier is worrying. There are apprehensions of manipulation of results by the BJP as several EVMs were missing for a long period," she said while addressing a rally at Farakka in Murshidabad district.

The TMC supremo stated that the sudden increase in poll percentage is not just "disturbing" but also raises "serious apprehensions about the credibility of EVMs".

"The details of EVM makers should be made public by the Election Commission as the BJP can stoop to any level to win elections," she said.

The commission in the evening made public the voter turnout of the first and second phases of polling held on April 19 and April 26.

According to the EC, a voter turnout of 66.14 per cent was recorded in the first and 66.71 per cent in the second phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

Voting for the general elections is being held in seven phases, the remaining are on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 33F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 33F. Winds light and variable.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Frank Schwabe, Head of the German delegation to the PACE, just can't seem to settle down. You'd think that back in January, when the Azerbaijani delegation left the organization, things would calm down, but Schwabe's provocative remarks towards Baku just keep coming.

What's really interesting is that in his anti-Azerbaijani rants, he often sounds more anti-Azerbaijani than even the most radical Armenians and their friends in France. This smear campaign orchestrated by the mercenary German politician was filled with Armenian propaganda, listing every supposed "crime" of Azerbaijan and pushing an anti-Azerbaijani agenda in Europe.

Schwabe talks a big game about democracy, the rule of law. But he conveniently forgets to mention that it's the Armenians who are the real occupiers. He never brings up the thirty-year occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia, or the hundreds of displaced Azerbaijanis expelled from their homes. So, it's pretty doubtful that Schwabe actually cares about the rule of law.

All of this is not just bad, it's downright dangerous, especially for German politicians and Germany itself. By pushing the agenda of foreign states, both nationally and at the European level, these politicians are shooting themselves in the foot. Because their actions often lead to decisions that don't align with the interests of their own country or Europe as a whole. Think about it, Azerbaijan is a key partner for Europe, yet politicians from Germany and France are too busy stirring up trouble between the EU and Azerbaijan.

That's why we find ourselves in a situation where these sell-out politicians like Schwabe are pushing a destructive agenda, prioritizing the interests of Armenia and whoever else is paying them over the interests of their own countries and Europe.
Auckland-based Spark IoT has inked a partnership with Iota, a subsidiary of Melbourne water authority South East Water, to bring its enterprise internet of things (IoT) platform and smart water meter technology to Aotearoa.

As we continue to face the impacts of climate change and more frequent and extreme weather events, it is critical to better understand how precious natural resources such as water is sourced, treated and distributed, said Spark IoT growth leader Philippe Boulanger.

Advanced digital technologies such as IoT were an important enabler of these processes, he said, due to their near real-time monitoring and detection capabilities over a dedicated, nationwide NB-IoT network.

IoT is now reaching a level of maturity where they have the potential to solve important challenges where it wasnt possible in the past, Boulanger said.

Iota is well progressed in a project to deploy 70,000 smart water meters for the Toowoomba Regional Council in Queensland.

The meters and associated data will be managed by Lentic, Iotas IoT enterprise platform, to give the council accurate data and real-time water usage updates as well as early detection of customer leaks, leading to water savings and improved planning decisions.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. The III CIS (the Commonwealth of Independent States) Games are expected to be held in Azerbaijan in 2025, Deputy Secretary General of CIS Denis Trefilov said, Trend reports.

He made the remark at the 5th Ministerial Meeting on the theme "Harmony of Diversity: Promoting Intercultural Dialogue for Global Cultural Revival" within the framework of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue.

"One of the priority issues is the development of relations between the CIS countries," the official emphasized.

"We strive to constantly update the legislative framework so that cooperation between the CIS countries is also updated. The CIS has come a long way in 32 years. There is a high efficiency in cultural dialogue, he added.

To note, the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue has kicked off in Baku.

A total of 700 guests from around the globe are convening for the forum centered on the theme "Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity."

Among the diverse participants hailing from over 100 nations, ministerial figures and representatives from the cultural ministries of 60 countries, along with 28 international organizations, will be in attendance. The agenda includes 10 panel discussions and four plenary sessions.

This significant event, organized by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, is a collaborative effort with esteemed international bodies such as the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), UNESCO, ICESCO, and the UN World Tourism Organization.

The event is set to run from May 1 through 3.

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The jockeying for leadership in Hanoi is underway  more than 18 months ahead of the Communist Party of Vietnam's 14th Party Congress, which is expected to be held in January 2026.

Under party rules, to be eligible to serve as CPV General Secretary one has to have served two terms on the Politburo. With the forced resignations of Pham Binh Minh, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vo Van Thuong, and Vuong Dinh Hue since December 2022, that leaves only three candidates as eligible for the top job: Truong Thi Mai, Pham Minh Chinh, and To Lam.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is in his third term. And while he may view himself as the only person who can rid the party of corruption, his age and health are impediments.

He suffered a stroke prior to the 13th Congress in 2021. Rumors swirled about his death in January. Although he showed up days later at a National Assembly session, the 80-year old ideologue was visibly frail.

With the party having held two planning sessions, one for documents and one for personnel, its worth looking at the three candidates and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, including drawbacks that may leave just one man standing.

Capable, experienced Mai

Truong Thi Mai is ranked third on the Politburo, and following National Assembly chief Vuong Dinh Hues expulsion last week, is expected to become the chairwoman of the legislature. She is the highest-ranked woman in Vietnamese history and has vast experience across party organs and in the National Assembly.

Mai has been a member of the Central Committee since 2006, and was elected to the Politburo at the 12th Congress in 2016.

Mai has vast experience in mass mobilization work, serving in leadership positions in two youth unions, before being promoted to head the Central Committees Mass Mobilization Commission. For a party that is increasingly seen as being out of touch and losing legitimacy amongst the youth, mobilization work is a priority.

From 2016-2021, Mai served as a member of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, which both leads the legislature and acts in its name when the body is out of session.

Politburo member Truong Thi Mai, in red, stands on the podium at the closing ceremony of the Vietnamese Communist Party national congress in Hanoi, Jan. 28, 2016. (Hoang Dinh Nam/Pool Photo via AP)

At the 13th Party Congress, Mai headed the Central Committees Organization Commission, ostensibly the CPVs HR department. In any communist system, the keeper of the nomenklatura (name list) is a key position that is responsible for all mid- and senior-level appointments.

Mai was promoted to head the secretariat, which runs the partys day-to-day affairs, in March 2023.

The 66-year old Mai is arguably the most capable and has the broadest based experience of the three candidates. But shes a woman in the male-dominated world of Vietnamese politics. Shes also from Quang Binh in central Vietnam  in a party that so far has only selected northerners as general secretaries.

Mai is comparatively clean. Though her family has holdings in the health sector, none of that has been publicly aired.

Having mostly served in party positions, Mai has less exposure to Western leaders, though she sat on Trongs immediate right in the meeting with President Joe Biden last September. Mai also met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and her counterparts in Beijing in April 2023.

Well-traveled Chinh

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, ranked second, is the most recognizable of the senior leadership, regularly meeting with foreign officials and businessmen.

Prior to politics, Chinh had a long career in the police. From 2006-2009, he was the deputy head of the Ministry of Public Securitys (MPS) General Intelligence Department, and then briefly the head of the General Department of Logistics and Technology. From 2010-2011, he served as a deputy minister.

Chinh, who hails from the northern province of Thanh Hoa, served as the party secretary of Quang Ninh province from 2011-2015. He was elected to the Politburo at the 12th Congress in 2016, and served as the head of the Central Committees Organization Commission.

At the 13th Congress, Chinh was selected to be Prime Minister, despite having no national-level economic experience, nor having served as a deputy prime minister. His government was criticized for the mishandling of the onset of new Covid-19 variants and the purchase of vaccines.

Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks during a trade signing ceremony at parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, March 11, 2024. (Marty Melville / AFP)

Chinh, 65, was embroiled in scandals involving AIC and its CEO, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan. AIC was a general trading company whose rise was largely tied to Chinhs promotions.

Nhan has long been rumored to be Chinhs mistress, and was convicted in absentia in January 2023, receiving a 30-year sentence. She also received a 10-year sentence in a second trial bid rigging trial  this time in Quang Ninh  in October. In addition, two other senior officials from Quang Ninh were arrested in late 2023, seen as another attempt to pressure Chinh.

Chinh reportedly submitted a self-criticism to the Politburo. That, and the fact that there was no clear replacement for him, likely saved him. But, in March, the minister of labor was disciplined for a bid-rigging scandal involving AIC. Each AIC case is a Sword of Damocles hanging over Chinh.

While Chinh has overseen a period of economic growth, the country continues to miss its growth targets. Foreign investment has flowed in, but the government has failed to push through important reforms, and there is no shortage of problems  from a banking crisis, to real estate bubble, to energy shortages, to freezes in public spending  that have gone unresolved under his watch.

Despite his shortcomings in administration and economic management, the general secretary position is not an executive function. Chinh could be seen as a compromise candidate, which is his greatest strength.

Policeman Lam

To Lam is a career policeman, having served since graduating from the Peoples Security Academy in 1979. He is a northerner, from Hung Yen province.

Lam rose through the ranks, and joined the Central Committee at the 11th Congress, the year he became Deputy Minister. He has been the minister of public security, with the rank of general, since joining the Politburo at the 12th Party Congress in 2016. He is ranked fourth.

Given that his entire career was within the secretive MPS, theres much outsiders dont know about him, though most of his postings were in the general security department, the largest within MPS.

In 2016, Lams predecessor, President Tran Dai Quang, appointed him to head the steering committees on anti-corruption and the Central Highlands, a region that continues to experience unrest from the Montagnard minority. These are two of the most sensitive issues for the CPV leadership.

Lam was almost brought down with his own scandal. In November 2021, after laying a wreath at the grave of Karl Marx while on a trip to London, he was filmed eating $2,000 gold-encrusted steaks at Salt Baes restaurant in an episode that went viral. Lam has gone after people who publicly mocked him with a vengeance.

Lam kept his job, but found that his best defense was to go on the offense.

He put himself at the disposal of Nguyen Phu Trongs Blazing Furnace anti-corruption campaign, and in the process, weaponized corruption investigations to take down his political rivals.

Competent technocrats, Deputy Prime Ministers Vu Duc Dam and Pham Binh Minh fell in late 2022; President Nguyen Xuan Phuc was ousted in February 2023, and Politburo members Tran Tuan Anh, President Vo Van Thuong, and Vuong Dinh Hue were sackedin 2024.

Lam is no cleaner than other politicians. Like others, his familys vast corporate interests derive from his power and position. To date, none of these have been publicly aired.

Vietnam Minister of Public Security To Lam is seen ahead of a meeting in Hanoi, Oct. 30, 2020. (Hoang Thong Nhat/VNA via AP)

While he is the guardian of the Communist Party, Lam isnt an ideologue. Diplomats and Western businessmen who have met him describe him as pragmatic.

However, he has led the campaign against dissent, cracked down on civil society organizations, tightened internet controls, and planned the kidnapping of an economic fugitive from Germany.

In many ways, Lam is the least qualified but the most secure. He has something that none of his rivals have: the vast investigative powers of the MPS, which he uses with great dispatch as he strategizes to be the last one standing.

Vietnams political system is a selectorate, in which higher-ranking bodies select underlings, giving them experience across party, state and provincial positions.

Party loyalty is the most important qualification. The Politburo is always a delicate mix of competing interests, including party versus state, regional and factional. Add in the VCPs own requirement for two-term experience, and the political gene pool is both shallow and small.

Does it matter? The general secretary has no executive function. Unlike China, the presidency and general secretary are separated, so the top party post also has no core diplomatic function.

But, the general secretary is primus inter pares, and sets the party line, and has vast convening and agenda-setting powers. The general secretarys interests, such as the Blazing Furnace campaign, become the partys priorities. Personnel and government policies must conform to party dictates.

While Lam is now the frontrunner to succeed Trong, its the 180-man CPV Central Committee that will have the last word. The Central Committee has rejected Politburo personnel decisions in the past; and they could change or waive party rules to allow for a general secretary who only has one term experience on the Politburo.

And given the potential for a deadlock, we can never rule out Trong presenting himself as the compromise candidate. After all, if succession is so divisive, then why have succession?

Zachary Abuza is a professor at the National War College in Washington and an adjunct at Georgetown University. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Defense, the National War College, Georgetown University or Radio Free Asia.
Updated May 06, 2024, 10:24 p.m. ET.

A photo of Donald Trump has been shared repeatedly in Chinese-language social media posts that claim it shows the presumptive Republican presidential nominee watching a China state-run broadcasters news program on his tablet at an April banquet.

But the photo has been digitally doctored. The original photo, which began to circulate online as early as November 2023, shows Trump looking at a playlist on digital music service Spotify.

The claim was shared on the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo on April 24, 2024.

While attending a banquet at around 7:00 pm last night, Trump was bored and pulled out his tablet to kill time by watching CCTV News, the claim reads.

The claim was accompanied by a photo showing the back of a person resembling the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holding a tablet PC, with what looks like a news broadcast visible on the screen.

CCTV, or China Central Television, is the national television broadcaster of China.

Comments on the post suggest that some users were misled by the claim.

A must-watch program for successful people, one user said in the comment section.

What an international channel, another wrote.

The same photo and claim have been shared on other Chinese social media platforms, including a video-sharing website bilibili.

Netizens on popular Chinese social media platforms like Weibo and bilibili claim that Trump watched CCTV news at a banquet in April. (Screenshots/Weibo & bilibili)

But the claim is false. The photo has been digitally doctored.

Checking Spotify playlist

A reverse image search on Google found the corresponding photo started to circulate online as early as November 2023, as seen here and here.

The photo shows Trump sitting next to his wife Melania Trump at a banquet with his back turned to the camera, holding a tablet with its screen showing a Spotify playlist.

The photo quickly went viral online, leading to coverage by several media outlets, including Newsweek.

The original image shows Trump scrolling through a Spotify playlist. (Screenshots/ X & Reddit)

A closer look at the doctored image shows that there is a curve in on the tablet, a sign of digital manipulation. The width of the screen is also not consistent on all sides, in contrast to the original image where the screen is flat.

Below is a screenshot comparison between the original photo (left) and the digitally doctored photo (right):

The edges of the Ipad screen are slightly unaligned in the photo featuring the CCTV broadcast. (Screenshots/X & Weibo)

Altered several times

The original image had previously been altered several times. An X account posted a version of the image showing Trump playing a video game in one example.

Separately, the British tabloid Daily Mail released a visual parody depicting the former president watching Nigel Farage, the former leader of the U.K. Independence Party.

This edited photo was later shared on Farages official X account with the caption, So great, so great!

The original image of Trump at the banquet has been altered and spoofed several times by netizens. (Screenshots/ Facebook & X)





Neither the posters of the original photo nor Trumps media team have responded to inquiries regarding the exact time and location of the image as of this writing.

Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke, Taejun Kang and Malcolm Foster.

This story was updated to clarify Donald Trumps current status.

Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in todays complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Ho, an outspoken supporter of the pro-democracy movement, says she cant get a booking in todays Hong Kong.

Members of the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies in a photo recently posted to the groups Facebook account.

Pro-democracy activist and Cantopop star Denise Ho has announced an online performance this month after being unable to get a venue in Hong Kong to agree to a booking, highlighting the chilling effect of stringent security legislation on the city's once-vibrant arts scene.

Its hard to do a normal show in this abnormal place, Ho, an outspoken supporter of Hong Kongs 2019 pro-democracy movement, wrote in an April 29 Facebook post.

Actually I should say its impossible, as I cant book anywhere, and I cant go on an overseas tour, wrote Ho, who has surrendered her passport to police pending two charges against her relating to her activism.

In 2022, Ho was arrested alongside outspoken retired Catholic bishop Cardinal Joseph Zen, activist Hui Po-keung and former pro-democracy lawmakers Cyd Ho and Margaret Ng on suspicion of collusion with foreign powers after they acted as trustees for a legal defense fund for democracy protesters.

She also faces charges of sedition following her arrest alongside fellow board members of the now-shuttered pro-democracy media group Stand News in 2021.

In 2021, Ho had a concert canceled at the last minute by the venue, which cited public order concerns, one year into a city-wide crackdown on public dissent and political opposition under the first national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.

Cantopop star Denise Ho in a publicity photo for her May 10, 2024, live streamed gig. (Facebook/HOCCHOCC )





Ho said she will perform to her fans online on her birthday on May 10, in what she described as a stripped down gig, with no stage effect fireworks, no costumes, no venue, no audience.

Whats left is just you and your story ... with your vulnerability, your childhood wounds, the hurts youve been ignoring but which havent healed, Ho wrote. The past and the future you havent had the courage to face yet.

For better or worse, that gap is where I am now.

Hos move online comes amid concerns of a widespread chilling effect on the arts in Hong Kong in the wake of Article 23 legislation that rights groups say has broadened a crackdown on public forms of dissent and criticism of the government.

It follows an announcement by the citys Arts Development Council in January that it will no longer be supporting an annual awards ceremony run by the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies after years of funding the event.

What is and isnt forbidden is unclear

The Hong Kong Drama Awards went ahead anyway on April 29, financed through donations and the sale of merchandise, its president Fung Luk-tak told local media.

We are pretending that nothing has happened and are going ahead as planned, Fung said. We wont be doing anything to break the law, and its best not to second guess anything.

Plays and producers have also run into trouble booking venues, which can be held responsible by the authorities for any violation of two stringent national security laws that performers are deemed to have committed.

The theater troupe Fire Makes Us Human dissolved earlier this year after it had two venue bookings rescinded by a school in January following pressure from the Education Bureau, the Hong Kong Free Press reported.

A theater industry insider, who asked to be identified only as E for fear of reprisals, said its getting harder and harder to book venues for plays, with venue management demanding to see an outline of the story before they will even consider an application.

They dont make clear what is and isnt forbidden, so that they can shift the goalposts any time they like, E said. They may only target certain people.

He said some writers and producers may try to work within the system and only write content that would please the authorities.

They may have more latitude, he said. But in future, maybe all of the stage performances were allowed to see could be very similar.

In a visual demonstration of the authorities current insistence on security, four members of the League of Social Democrats group staged a brief protest outside government headquarters to mark International Labor Day on Wednesday, carefully watched by more than 20 police officers.

Chairwoman Chan Po-ying said police had filmed the protest and continued to record her remarks to journalists at the scene.

The group were petitioning for the rights of workers, and calling on the government not to favor big corporations, as well as for a raise in the minimum wage, which currently stands at HK$40 (US$5.11) an hour.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie.
Tian Yongde describes falling into a jungle river and being robbed at gunpoint on his way to the US border.

Veteran Chinese democracy activist Tian Yongde poses in front of a memorial to the victims of the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen massacre at the Liberty Sculpture Park in southern California, April 27, 2024.

Denied entry by Taiwan, veteran Chinese democracy activist Tian Yongde has arrived safely in the United States, where he is applying for political asylum following a hazardous trek through the Central American rainforest.

He fled China after repeatedly being hauled in by China's feared state security police for questioning, prompting his friends to warn that he could soon wind up in jail, he told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview.

"My friend warned me that I'd been put on a list, and that I should leave China as soon as possible, he said. "They said people like me would be the first to be locked up if there were any big political changes, and there was no way of knowing if I would survive. I was very scared by that."

He became one of a growing number of Chinese to join the "run" movement of people fleeing China and eventually arriving at the U.S. border overland via Mexico.

Tian, who hails from the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, has a long history of activism  including being one of the first people to sign Charter 08, a 2008 document co-authored by late 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo that called for constitutional government, and a former member of the banned China Democracy Party.

He left China for Thailand in November 2023, then took a flight from neighboring Malaysia to democratic Taiwan on Jan. 30, 2024.

Sent back by Taiwan

Tian and his traveling companions Wei Yani and Huang Xingxing all held temporary refugee cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, in Bangkok.

They arrived in Taiwan on a flight from Kuala Lumpur and declined to board an onward booking to Beijing, where they hoped to be allowed to wait for resettlement in a third country in Taiwan rather than Thailand, where the authorities have repatriated a number of dissidents wanted by China in recent years.

But Taiwans Immigration Department sent the trio back to Malaysia on the morning of Feb. 1, saying that people shouldn't jump flights on the island, which has no refugee law and lacks a clear mechanism for handling political asylum claims.



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Wei, also a veteran activist, and her son Huang Xingxing have since arrived in Canada, where they are seeking political asylum.

From Kuala Lumpur, Tian started out on a long and tortuous journey via Morocco and Egypt to Quito, Ecuador, where he took the perilous people smuggling route known in China as "walking the line," all the way to the U.S. land border with Mexico.

Nearly swept away

He landed in Ecuador, which offers visa-free entry to Chinese nationals, on Feb. 23, and eventually crossed the border into the United States on April 21 after a grueling two-month journey.

At one point, he was nearly washed away by a turbulent rainforest river, he said.

"There was moss on the stones as we were crossing a river, and I slipped on it and I fell into the water," Tian said. "My backpack and everything I was wearing was drenched from head to toe."

Tian feels lucky to be alive after the incident.

"If someone hadn't grabbed me, I could have been swept away because the water was flowing so fast," he said.

In another hairy moment, he and his group were held up at gunpoint by unidentified people on the Mexico side of the U.S. border who demanded their money.

"They chased us then held their guns to our faces and demanded US$500 each," Tian said. "We said we didn't have much cash, so they told us we would have to go to the ATM to take it out."

Just then, the would-be robbers were distracted by the sounds of dogs barking that he thought "might have been a dispute between gangs." The gang ran off towards the village, telling Tian and the other migrants to follow, but they ran away in the other direction instead.

"There are lots of robberies on these routes, and they all have guns," he said.

Work, study and write

After crossing the border, Tian spent two days in a U.S. immigration detention center.

The first place he visited on his release was the Liberty Sculpture Park in California's Mojave desert, home to a monument to the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, a life-size statue of the "Tank Man," and a sculpture of Crazy Horse by political artist Chen Weiming.

Veteran Chinese democracy activist Tian Yongde poses by a statue of the 1989 Tank Man protester at the Liberty Sculpture Park in southern California, April 27, 2024. (Courtesy of Tian Yongde)





Tian stayed at the park for several days, offering his services as a volunteer.

Now, he plans to "work, study, and write something," while also looking for ways to promote democratic change in China.

"There are more and more fellow activists coming to the United States now, and we will all have a discussion about what we want to do and say," he said.

Geng Guanjun, who chairs the China Democracy Party's Los Angeles chapter, said the party will support Tian's political asylum application and help him find a job.

"I will try to get him some kind of work that doesn't require too much physical exertion, so he can still have time to write," Geng said. "I will also try to help him integrate into American life."

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Law broadens the definition of what makes a 'secret' while new rules extend state security police powers.

Soldiers dressed as ushers stand guard in front of the Great Hall of the People before the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, China, Saturday, March 3, 2012.

Recent changes to the way the Chinese government will investigate cases involving "state secrets" and sensitive information have sparked concerns that foreign nationals and companies could be a target of a renewed focus on security under ruling Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, analysts told Radio Free Asia.

China's newly revised State Secrets Law, which takes effect on Wednesday, sets higher security requirements for companies and introduces the concept of a "work secret," while a slew of guidelines from the Ministry of State Security gives new powers to state security police to investigate Chinese citizens outside China, and arrest them if they return.

"Everyone is definitely feeling the chilling effect now," U.S.-based current affairs commentator Li Hengqing told RFA Mandarin. "The more the Chinese Communist Party keeps going with this, the more it will discourage foreign businesses and entrepreneurs from investing in China."

"This runs entirely counter to preferential policies that would encourage foreign investment."

The Law on Safeguarding State Secrets was revised and adopted by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Feb. 27, the latest in a slew of new security legislation to be passed by Beijing in recent months.

The move follows a number of police raids last year on foreign consultancy firms including Mintz Group and Bain & Co, prompting concerns from foreign investors that Beijing's widening national security focus could hurt investor confidence.

A Chinese flag is seen near surveillance cameras outside the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in Beijing, March 31, 2022. (Florence Lo/Reuters)

Taiwan's government warned its citizens on Tuesday to avoid non-essential travel to China, saying the amended law has "greatly increased the risk of potentially breaking the law."

"The risks for foreign institutions operating and investing in China will also put pressure on non-profit or academic and scientific research exchanges and cooperation," the Taiwanese government's Mainland Affairs Council said, warning that conversations or any collection of information could run afoul of the new law, describing its definition of a "work secret" as vague and unpredictable.

According to the amended law, only the Ministry of State Security and military agencies have the power to decide what constitutes a state secret.

'Everything is seen as a secret'

Xia Ming, a professor of politics at New York's City University, said any foreign company operating in China will need to carry out market research, putting it at risk of violating China's growing body of security legislation.

"The first thing any company investing in China needs to do is carry out market research," Xia told RFA in a recent interview. "But China regards all kinds of data as confidential, because it touches on the political security [of the ruling party]."

"They think that even real economic data can be interpreted in a way that is politically unfavorable to the regime, so everything is seen as a secret," he said.

Police officers switch guard shifts outside the Hefei Intermediate People's Court in Hefei, Anhui Province August 10, 2012. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Li said the ongoing insistence on "national security" under Xi Jinping suggests that the current administration is willing to sacrifice economic growth on the altar of regime stability.

"Everything is done with the stability of the regime in mind," Li said. "They don't admit that this will come at the expense of the economy, but actually they don't care much about that, nor about the welfare of the people."

Xia said none of the recent amendments appear to target those higher up who have access to highly classified documents.

Instead, they are aimed at ordinary people or foreigners who might get hold of sensitive information, he said.

'An invisible expansion of powers'

Independent political commentator Chen Daoyin said the new provisions from the Ministry of State Security massively expand the powers of state security police to dictate the actions of organizations throughout China, if it deems that "national security" is at stake.

"State security agencies will be able to go into other organizations to carry out activities and provide training," Chen said. "If some organizations aren't doing enough to protect national security, they can tell them to do better."

"This is an invisible expansion of the powers of state security agencies ... making their presence felt in all areas," he said.

Headquarters of the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China, April 3, 2021. (Anonymous via Wikipedia)

Exiled human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping agreed.

"State security police can hold the Sword of Damocles and use it to extract confessions from criminal suspects, even if they choose not to talk during interrogation," Wu said.

The effects of the new regulations will also be felt far beyond China's borders, he warned.

"If a Chinese citizen goes abroad and makes comments critical of the Chinese Communist Party, or blows the whistle on some scandal, or leaks information that the Chinese government considers secret, state security police will be able to arrest him if he one day returns to China," Wu said.

"Through these provisions, the Chinese Communist Party is engaging in long-arm law enforcement on foreign soil, and reaching out its tentacles to Chinese living overseas," he said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie.
Workers use student visa loopholes to get around sanctions to take jobs as servers and entertainers.

A Dec. 2022 view of the exterior of the Blue Flower Restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The South Korean YouTubers video shows his visit last April to the Blue Flower, a North Korean restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodias capital  one of 70 North Korean restaurants operating worldwide, mostly in Asia.

Collectively, they earn the cash-strapped North Korean government about US$700 million, according to the U.N. Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea.

But they violate international sanctions.

All North Korean workers were supposed to have repatriated before the end of 2019, but many have kept working.

The Blue Flower itself was closed several months later  in August 2023  possibly for violating sanctions, cambodianess.com reported. But many of these restaurants remain open.

In his travels around Southeast Asia, the YouTuber, identified by a pseudonym Lee to protect his identity, told RFA Korean that he discovered several other North Korean restaurants  but staff in Laos and Vietnam refused to let him film the inside of the eateries.

I spoke with the boss at a North Korean restaurant in Cambodia and he said business was good, said Lee. Most North Korean restaurants in Southeast Asia that I visited had good business.

North Korean waitresses perform in front of a large menu at a North Korean-owned restaurant in the Chinese border town of Dandong, February 11, 2013. (Mark Ralston/AFP)

The North Korean workers are dispatched overseas to serve customers and entertain them by dancing and singing, and most of the money the restaurants earn is forwarded to Pyongyang.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism to North Korea had dwindled to nearly zero. Only recently, it has restarted for guided tours from Russia.

So the restaurants, which are also found in China and Russia, were perhaps one of the only ways to experience North Korean culture firsthand.

Prior to the pandemic, the restaurants were seemingly struggling, but Lee says the ones he has been visiting were relatively successful.

Northern cuisine

Korean cuisine varies by region, and so it is hard to generalize about how Northern cuisine may differ from that of the South, but connoisseurs can identify differences.

A tour company describes the North Korean varieties as using fewer spices and sauces than varieties in the South, while an escapee who settled in the South and opened a restaurant in Seoul told Voice of America that northern dishes are simpler, made with more traditional cooking methods.

At the Blue Flower, Lee enjoyed eating gamja jjijim, or potato pancake, and kalguksu, or knife-cut noodle soup. Varieties of both dishes exist in South Korea as well.

The Blue Flower served the potato pancake with honey as a dipping sauce, which would be uncommon in the South.

He was also served with a North Korean variety kimchi, most of which arent as spicy as South Korean varieties, and several kinds of banchan (often translated as side dishes). And he washed it down with a cold Taedonggang beer, brewed in North Korea.

Hostesses stand at the entrance of a North Korean restaurant in Hanoi, October 6, 2023. (Nhac Nguyen/AFP)

I ate alone on the first floor of the restaurant, but he said that there also held performances on the second floor. So, the second floor was reserved for group events, said Lee.

He said the Blue Flower was different from the North Korean restaurant he visited in Vietnam, which seemed to mimic the South Korean dining experience.

According to Lee, the server at the Blue Flower told him she had been in Cambodia for three years, meaning she arrived in 2021.

With sanctions in effect, her presence at the Blue Flower in 2023 should have been illegal, but North Korea has been known to get around sanctions on its dispatched workers by sending them on tourism or student visas.

Exploiting loopholes

In fact, since early 2019, North Korea has been using the student visa loophole to staff its restaurants in Cambodia, a North Korean restaurant worker who escaped from her employer in Phnom Penh and resettled in South Korea in 2016, told RFA on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

When I was working, we went out on work visas, but I talked to some friends who were sent out in 2019 and they were all on student visas, said the woman, who is identified with the pseudonym Kim. They lied to get their visas and thats how they are overseas.

In March 2016, the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 2270 on North Korea, prohibiting U.N. member states from doing any business with the North Korean regime.

At that time, China showed an even firmer commitment to implementing sanctions against North Korea than ever before. It refused to renew the visas of North Korean restaurant workers in the country and ordered the closure of North Korean companies.

As a result, some North Korean restaurants closed, and workers packed their bags and returned to North Korea.

The restaurants are still open, however, and Kim says that the sanctions only hurt the livelihood of the workers.

The sanctions against North Korea did not actually affect the business of overseas North Korean restaurants that much, said Kim. In 2017, China said it supports sanctions against North Korea and inspected all the goods overseas North Korean workers were bringing back to North Korea. When workers got home, there were missing items, and everything was torn.

Additionally, said Kim, North Koreas way of getting around sanctions was not to send the workers back to North Korea, but to a different country so that they can work more before being discovered and possibly repatriated. They often dont know where they are going up until the moment they depart.

The process is kept secret, so the workers dont know much about it, she said. When the restaurant closes, almost everyone takes a plane and heads out to China.

She said the managers of restaurants look for business partners anywhere they can find them, and on a moments notice, everyone boards a plane and they fly to the next country.

It is an existence that many of the workers dislike, but they have no choice but to comply with their orders.

Marketing curiosity

A North Korean restaurant once located in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, began business after the 2019 sanctions went into effect.

Shin Hyunqwon, who runs a travel agency in Uzbekistan, told RFA that the restaurant thrived, not only through word of mouth from local residents, but also as a hotspot for South Korean tourists.

Five employees dispatched from North Korea escaped in May, June and August 2022, one after another, causing the business to close. Since then, there have been no North Korean restaurants in the capital of Uzbekistan, Shin said.

North Korean restaurants in China and Russia, which have closer relationships with North Korea, have been thriving regardless of sanctions against North Korea.

One reason for that is by catering to South Korean tourists curiosity about North Korea and providing an opportunity to interact with North Korean staff.

A North Korean restaurateur who operates a restaurant in northeastern China said he had been in the business for decades. It has been an official policy to refuse service to South Koreans, but not all the restaurants comply.

On the outside, they are all North Korean restaurants, but some of them are jointly operated by North Korea and China, said Park. In North Korean restaurants where the owner is Chinese and the employees are North Koreans, they accept South Korean customers.

The situation is similar in Russia where South Koreans are banned from entering North Korean restaurants. However, Russia has stricter rules on South Koreans entering the country than China.

Translated by Claire S. Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong.
Township contains one of Rakhine States two main junta bases.

An ethnic minority insurgent force in Myanmar has captured two strategic positions near the juntas regional military headquarters in Rakhine State, residents told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday.

The Arakan Army (AA), which has gained control of eight townships in Rakhine State from the military following a 2021 coup, seized another two camps on Saturday, they said. The junta positions at Chaung Byu Har hill and Taw Hein Taung Byu Har in Ann township are now under the control of the rebel group, the residents said.

Arakan Army fighters began attacking the two camps on March 24, said one woman in Ann township. The positions are near the headquarters of the Western Regional Command, one of at least a dozen regional commands across the country.

Casualties among junta troops are high but the exact number is not known. Some say its about 150, said the woman, who declined to be identified for security reasons.

But it can be confirmed that those two strategic hills have been seized, she said, adding that hundreds of junta troops were believed to have been stationed at the camps.

RFA tried to contact the junta spokesperson in Rakhine State, Hla Thein for more information but he did not respond. The AA has not released any information about the latest fighting.

Forces opposed to military rule, including various ethnic minority insurgent groups seeking self-determination and pro-democracy activists who took up arms after the 2021 coup, have made significant gains since allied forces launched an offensive in October last year.

A person close to the Arakan Army told RFA that retreating junta troops had fled towards the Western Regional Command headquarters in Ann.

The battle is continuing, said the source, who also declined to be identified.

The junta had in recent days been sending reinforcements and weapons to beef up defenses at the headquarters, he said.

The Arakan Army has also been attacking the juntas operations command headquarters in Rakhine States Buthidaung township and captured three outposts there on Tuesday, residents said.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
Government officials will meet only with representatives of the Dalai Lama, says a foreign ministry spokesman.

Sikong Penpa Tsering, leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile, gestures after an interview with AFP in his office in Dharamsala, India, Feb. 19, 2024.

The Chinese government says it will only talk with the representatives of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, while ruling out any scope for contact with the India-based Tibetan government in exile.

Beijing called the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), as the government is known, a separatist bloc demanding autonomy for Tibet  a line that experts say it has long upheld and signals no change in Beijings stance towards engaging meaningfully with the Tibetan side since previous talks fell through in 2010.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, who made the comment on April 27, was reacting to a statement by Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the democratically elected leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, or CTA, about his government engaging in back-channel talks with the Chinese government.

Wang told a press conference there were two main conditions for any contact or negotiations on Tibet.

First, we would only have contact and talks with the personal representative of the 14th Dalai Lama, not the so-called Tibetan government-in-exile or Central Tibetan Administration, he said. The Chinese government will not be dealing with it.

Second, any contact or talks will only be about the personal future of the 14th Dalai Lama himself, or at most, a handful of people close to him, not the so-called high degree of autonomy for Tibet, he added.

Following the Chinese governments statement, Tsering said negotiation was the only way forward to resolve the Tibet-China conflict and the CTA would continue appealing to the government and international community to urge the Chinese government to resume dialogue.

Sino-Tibetan dialogue began in 2002 in an effort to consider prospects of genuine autonomy for Tibet, as called for by the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, as part of his Middle Way policy.

The approach accepts the formerly independent Himalayan nations status as a part of China but urges greater cultural and religious freedoms, including strengthened language rights, guaranteed for ethnic minorities under provisions of Chinas constitution.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said time and again that the Tibet issue is the issue of six million Tibetans and not his personal matter, CTA spokesman Tenzin Lekshay told Radio Free Asia.

The Central Tibetan Administrations Middle Way Policy seeks genuine, meaningful autonomy for the Tibetan people within the framework of the Chinese constitution and the Regional National Autonomy Law of China, he said.

Resolving the Sino-Tibet conflict through the Middle Way Approach is mutually beneficial, he added.

False sense of hope

The Sino-Tibetan talks ground to a halt in 2010 without any breakthrough following nine formal rounds of discussion and one informal meeting.

Chinese officials rejected proposals by the Tibetan delegation  which included the Dalai Lamas special envoy Lodi Gyari and senior envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen  in which they called for greater autonomy for Tibet within China.

Both Gyari and Gyaltsen resigned from their posts two years after the talks stalled, citing frustration over the lack of a positive response from the Chinese side.

Reacting to the Chinese governments latest statement on conditions for talks to resolve the conflict, Gyaltsen told RFA that Wangs statement reflected the Chinese government line as usual.

In fact, I can see that the Chinese government has intensified its tough stance on Tibet and, the statement signals a negative turn as now there is no scope even for a discussion on autonomy, he said.

Wangs statement also appeared to be an attempt by the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, to create a false sense of hope among Tibetans and create further differences within the Tibetan communities, he added.

The Dalai Lama listens to an explanation by Swiss politician Maya Graf (L) during a visit to the Swiss Parliament in Bern, Switzerland, April 16, 2013. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)

London-based Tibetologist Robert Barnett of London Universitys School of Oriental and African Studies, echoed Gyaltsens assessment, noting that the Chinese ministry spokesperson does not deny that there are back-channel talks.

Basically, he confirms it. ... That might also explain why it is so aggressive. They want to distract Chinese listeners at least from realizing that they are talking with the Tibetans, perhaps, Barnett told RFA, referring to the two conditions China laid out for talks.

What China was saying in public differed from what Chinese officials were saying behind the scenes, Barnett said.

It is not credible that the Chinese will only talk about the Dalai Lama's personal situation, as they claim, he said. They may well refuse to discuss autonomy, but we can be fairly sure that they will be talking about other issues besides the Dalai Lama's personal position and that of his retinue, he said.

Push for meaningful dialogue

Some governments, including those of the United States and European countries, have made repeated calls for the Chinese government to resume talks with the Dalai Lama or Tibetan leaders.

On Tuesday, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told RFA that the U.S. government would work with its allies and partners to encourage China to return, without preconditions, to direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama, his representatives or the democratically elected Tibetan leaders to achieve meaningful autonomy for Tibetans and ensure they can preserve their religion, culture and language.

In April, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved a bipartisan bill urging China to resume negotiations with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, and address the aspirations of Tibetans regarding their historical, cultural, religious and linguistic identity.

The CCP has oppressed the Tibetan people for 70 years and will not stop until their culture is eliminated, U.S. Rep. Young Kim, a California Republican, told RFA. The only way that there will be a peaceful resolution is if the voice of the Tibetan people is included in any conversations with the CCP.

The Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act, also known as the Resolve Tibet Act, was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in February, and now needs to pass the Senate for it to become law.

The bill notes that an obstacle to further dialogue is that the Chinese government continues to impose conditions on substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama, including a demand that he say that Tibet has been part of China since ancient times, which the Dalai Lama has refused to do because it is inaccurate.

The European Parliament in December 2023 adopted a resolution in which it repeated its call for the Chinese government to re-engage with the Dalai Lamas representatives to establish genuine autonomy for Tibetans within China.

The resolution also urged Chinese authorities to release the Panchen Lama, Tibets second most senior Buddhist monk abducted by Chinese authorities in 1995, and refrain from interfering in the designation of the next Dalai Lama.

Additional reporting by Tenzin Dickyi and Dolma Lhamo for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin.
Thousands of Georgian opposition supporters came out on April 30 for another night of protests against the so-called "foreign agents" bill, legislation that critics say would stifle civil society. Police used tear gas and water cannons to try to disperse the crowds, but many remained in the streets. The bill was under discussion in parliament this week ahead of a vote on the second reading.
TBILISI -- Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Georgia on May 2 to protest against the government's push to approve a controversial "foreign agents" bill a day after a violent protest that eyewitnesses say police attempted to disperse using rubber bullets.

Protests took place late on May 2 in front of parliament in Tbilisi and on Heroes' Square, where demonstrators blocked a key intersection.

Some demonstrators were arrested in Heroes' Square as police made attempts to clear the roadway, but it soon filled up with people again after those protesting in front of the parliament building marched to Heroes' Square.

The country has been rocked by days of protests over the proposed law, denounced by opponents as being inspired by similar repressive legislation in Russia that Moscow has used to stifle dissent.

The bill would require organizations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence. Opponents warn that implementing the law could jeopardize the country's move toward European Union membership.

Activists and opposition politicians earlier on May 2 called for another mass protest after 15 people with various injuries were transported to hospitals for medical assistance following a demonstration on May 1 in Tbilisi.

The events on May 1 turned violent, and in at least eight cases the victims claimed they were hit by rubber bullets. RFE/RL gathered eyewitness accounts, photographic evidence of injuries, interviewed two of the injured, and filmed the rubber bullets at the scene where they were reportedly fired.

The evidence seen by RFE/RL is consistent with injuries caused by rubber bullets, but Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze denied the use of rubber bullets against demonstrators when he addressed reporters at a press briefing.

Darakhvelidze told reporters early on May 2 that "no rubber bullets" were used by law enforcement officers "although there were sufficient legal reasons for their use."

Davit Tamazashvili, a freelance reporter, was at the car entrance of the parliament building where demonstrators attempting to block the gate were hit by pepper spray, water cannons, and what appeared to be rubber bullets.

Tamazashvili showed his injuries to RFE/RL on May 2 and recalled the events of the previous night, telling RFE/RL he was adjusting his camera when suddenly the shooting started and he felt three bullets hit his legs.

"I was wearing thick jeans, which saved me. Some people who were hit on the hand bled immediately...but my thick jeans protected me," he said.

A tear gas canister also was thrown at the protesters, he said, noting that surveillance cameras in the area would have recorded the incidents and it should be possible to determine who fired the rubber bullets and threw the tear gas.

Georgia's Special Investigation Service said a probe into excessive force against the demonstrators was ongoing.

The May 1 demonstration -- one of the largest the country has ever seen -- took place after the legislation was advanced in a second-reading vote. A third and final reading vote is expected on May 17.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk voiced concern about Georgian authorities' treatment of protesters. Turk also urged the authorities to withdraw the law and engage in dialogue with civil society and journalists, who risk being affected by the proposed legislation.

"I am concerned by reports of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by law enforcement personnel against demonstrators and media workers in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, this week," he said.

A wave of anger has washed across Georgia since the ruling Georgian Dream party said it was reintroducing a slightly modified version of legislation that protests forced it to back away from last year.

Critics call the bill "the Russian law," a reference to the "foreign agent" law that the government in Moscow has used to silence critics. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who has distanced herself from the policies of the ruling party, has promised to veto the law if it is formally adopted in a third reading, as expected.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry on May 2 refused an invitation from the United States to speak directly with U.S. officials, U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan said.

"Recently we have invited senior members of the Georgian Government to engage directly with the most senior leaders in the United States to discuss our strategic partnership and any concerns with U.S. assistance; unfortunately, the Georgian side chose not to accept this invitation," she said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

A statement from the Georgian Foreign Ministry said the invitation was rejected because there was a condition that the parliament temporarily stop the discussion of the draft law. This prerequisite "does not correspond to the spirit of partnership," the ministry statement said.

Dunnigan's statement, which also urged Georgia to "recommit the country to its Euro-Atlantic future, as written in Georgia's constitution," makes no reference to any conditions for holding talks.

Western countries from the EU and the United States have expressed concern over the legislation and the crackdown on those voicing their opposition.

"The statements and actions of the Georgian government are incompatible with the democratic values that underpin membership in the EU and NATO and thus jeopardize Georgia's path to Euro-Atlantic integration," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

"The United States condemns the Kremlin-inspired 'foreign influence' legislation advanced in Georgia's parliament...and the false narrative government officials have adopted to defend it."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the South Caucasus country was at a crossroads and should "stay the course" on the road to Europe.

"I am following the situation in Georgia with great concern and condemn the violence on the streets of Tbilisi," von der Leyen wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

She added in a statement that "the European Union has also clearly expressed its concerns regarding the law on foreign influence. The Georgian people want a European future for their country."

Meanwhile, the international hacking collective Anonymous claimed responsibility on May 2 for hacking the websites of the Georgian Dream party and pro-government PosTV television channel. The two websites have been inaccessible since late on May 1.

Anonymous called the move "a response to police violence against the protesters against the law in question" and warned that more government websites will be hacked over "inhumane actions of the Georgian police against their own citizens."

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. The South Caucasus is a place where people of different faiths and cultures live, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture of Georgia Thea Tsulukiani said, Trend reports.

She made the remark at the 5th ministerial meeting on Harmony of Diversity: Encouraging Intercultural Dialogue for Global Cultural Revival, held within the framework of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue.

We believe that every country will be able to demonstrate its ideals and culture. We aspire to be a part of an inclusive European society. Georgia has created and adopted documents on cultural diversity. These documents will help to create an environment that encourages cultural variety.

We respect our friendship and partnership with Azerbaijan and highlight it at every international event. We are honored to partner with Azerbaijan, she said.

The VI World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue has started its work in Baku.

A total of 700 guests from around the globe are convening for the forum centered on the theme "Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity."

Among the diverse participants hailing from over 100 nations, ministerial figures and representatives from the cultural ministries of 60 countries, along with 28 international organizations, will be in attendance. The agenda includes 10 panel discussions and four plenary sessions.

This significant event, organized by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, is a collaborative effort with esteemed international bodies such as the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), UNESCO, ICESCO, and the UN World Tourism Organization.

To note, the event is set to run from May 1 through 3.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said during a visit to Berlin on October 11 that it was important that Ukraine's allies do not decrease their assistance next year as he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Zelenskiy has been on a whirlwind tour of major European capitals meant to win backing for his "victory plan" aimed at ending the war with Russia.

His main goal in his visits to London, Paris, Rome, and Berlin, his final stop, was to press for additional military and financial aid as Kyiv faces difficult months ahead in its fight to stop a slow but continuous Russian advance in the east.

In Berlin, Zelenskiy thanked Germany for its backing and said that "it is very important for us that this assistance does not decrease next year."

He said he would present Scholz with his plan for winning the war, repeating his hope that the conflict would end no later than next year.

"Ukraine more than anyone else in the world wants a fair and speedy end to this war," Zelenskiy said.

After his stops in London, Paris, and Rome on October 10, Zelenskiy said on X that he had "outlined the details" of his proposed "victory plan" to defeat Russian forces during his meetings with the leaders of Britain, France, and Italy.

He added that he and the other leaders agreed to work on the plan together but gave no details on what it says.

Scholz said he and the Ukrainian leader agreed on the need for a peace conference that includes Russia, but that peace "can only be brought about on the basis of international law."

"We will not accept a peace dictated by Russia," Scholz said.

Scholz also announced a 1.4 billion-euro ($1.53 billion) military aid package for Ukraine from Germany with partner countries Belgium, Denmark, and Norway, saying it includes more air defense, tanks, combat drones, and artillery and sends a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that "playing for time will not work" and vowing "not let up in our support for Ukraine."

During a 35-minute meeting with Pope Francis on October 11, Zelenskiy sought the Vatican's help in securing the return of adults and children taken prisoner by Russia, he said on X, formerly Twitter.

"The issue of bringing our people home from captivity was the main focus of my meeting with Pope Francis," he said.



Zelenskiy gave Francis an oil painting called the Bucha Massacre, depicting the mass killings of civilians by Russian troops in the Ukrainian city in 2022.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Zelenskiy's arrival in Berlin comes after an October 12 summit of the Ramstein group of Ukraine's main backers was canceled at short notice when U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden, abandoned their travel plans as the southern U.S. states braced for Hurricane Milton.



The White House said in a statement that Biden spoke to Scholz on October 10 and noted "his intention to continue our strong collaboration on geopolitical priorities, including supporting Ukraines defense against Russian aggression."

The United States has been Ukraine's main backer and by far the main contributor in terms of financial and military aid, but a victory by Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump in the election could cast doubt about Washington's continued support for Kyiv.



Zelenskiy's diplomatic efforts are taking place as Russia continues to keep up the pressure on Ukraine's cities.

As Zelenskiy arrived in Berlin, the number of civilians killed in a Russian missile strike on Odesa on October 11 rose to nine, including a teenage girl, and Russian troops struck the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine.

"A two-story building where civilians lived and worked was destroyed," Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.

Odesa, Ukraine's main hub for grain exports, has been repeatedly struck by Russian forces since the start of the war.

Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said there were no injuries in one strike but an inspection following another missile strike on the Derhachiv community of Kharkiv was ongoing.

Outside Kharkiv, a 38-year-old man was killed by a Russian drone strike on the village of Kozacha Lopan, the region's military administration reported.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital was targeted by Russian drones early on October 11. The military administration of the Ukrainian capital later reported on Telegram that all the attacking drones had been shot down, without specifying a number.

On the battlefield, outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian forces were fighting Russian troops inside the strategic city of Toretsk in the eastern region of Donetsk after abandoning Vuhledar, another strategic hub in the region, last week.

Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces carried out fresh attacks near Vremivka, Kharkiv, Kupyansk, and Siversk, the General Staff of Ukraine's military reported on October 11.

Separately, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said at least 208 civilians were killed and 1,220 injured in Ukraine in September. That made it the month with the highest number of civilian casualties in 2024, the mission said.

The organization said that 46 percent of the dead were over the age of 60. In addition, nine children were killed and 76 were injured in September.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
BELGRADE -- By appointing two members who are under U.S. sanctions to the new Serbian government, Belgrade has only nurtured its relationship with Moscow, a senior associate with the Berlin-based Council for Democratization Policy told RFE/RL on April 30.

But including the two sanctioned officials to the new government roster "doesn't imply abandoning the policy of sitting on two chairs" -- one in the East and one in the West, said Bodo Weber, who replied to e-mailed questions from RFE/RL after the government was named.



The "two-chair" policy refers to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's attempt to maintain good relations with the European Union -- which Serbia strives to join -- while keeping close ties to traditional ally Russia, even after the Kremlin's decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022.



Milos Vucevic, leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), was tapped last month to form a new government, and on April 30 he announced it will include former intelligence chief Aleksandar Vulin, who has been under U.S. sanctions since July 2023, to the post of deputy prime minister, and Nenad Popovic, another official blacklisted by the United States, as a minister without portfolio.

Vulin was placed on the U.S. sanctions list in July 2023 for allegedly using his position to further Russian and criminal agendas, including arms dealing and drug trafficking.



Popovic, designated in November 2023, used his Russia-based businesses to enrich himself and gain close connections with Kremlin senior leaders, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.



The U.S. State Department told RFE/RL that the United States is "disappointed to see two sanctioned individuals proposed for positions in the new government." The department's e-mailed response to a request for comment added, "Our position on Mr. Vulin and Mr. Popovic is well known. They remain under U.S. sanctions."



Vucevic also named Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski, president of the right-wing Zavetnici party, to head the Ministry of Family Care. The Zavetnici party, formerly in opposition, entered into cooperation with the SNS after the December elections, which were marred by widespread allegations of fraud and irregularities.



There also are several new names in the 25-member government, while 13 ministers remain at the helm of the same ministries they led in the previous government.

"There's a recognizable continuation of the trend of greater involvement of party operatives [and] members of the inner circle around Vucic," said Weber, adding that he didn't see any ideological shift in the policy of Vucic's regime in the composition of the new government.



He said Vucic's regime has always relied less on a specific ideology and more on maintaining power, "so the authoritarian mindset behind it, rather than its nationalist ideological heritage, has been and remains more important."



Asked what message the new government sends to the international community, Weber said EU membership has long been more of a means for Vucic to consolidate and maintain power and to strengthen Serbia's international position rather than a serious goal.



At the same time Weber is very critical of the European Union's "appeasement policy" toward Serbia, saying it means Vucic doesn't need to worry about what message his new government sends.



"Since the EU has failed to muster the strength to stop its long-failed appeasement policy toward the authoritarian-autocratic regime in Serbia, what continues is a performance devoid of any substance called Serbia's European integration," he said.

An initiative by Germany and France on the political dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, a former province of Serbia whose independence Belgrade does not recognize, "was based precisely on that previously proven failed appeasement policy toward Vucic," Weber added. "It has gloriously failed in an unprecedented escalation in northern Kosovo, which Western capitals still aren't willing to acknowledge."



Tensions in ethnic-Serb dominated northern Kosovo have remained high since an incident in September that left an ethnic Albanian Kosovar police officer dead after an encounter with masked commandos allegedly led by a Kosovar Serb politician. Three of the gunmen were also killed.



Weber said Belgrade will never face sanctions for the regime's "direct responsibility for the attackensuring that even resorting to massive electoral fraud in the December elections in Belgrade won't provoke a serious reaction from the West."



He added that Vucic apparently had no concerns about a possible strong U.S. reaction to the appointment of two sanctioned ministers.



The policy of imposing sanctions on officials close to the Kremlin remains "entirely disconnected from the general policy of the U.S. administration towards Belgrade."



Weber also criticized the United States as having "taken a leading role in the Western appeasement policy."



However U.S. envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar has urged the two sides to resolve their differences. And in March during a visit to Pristina he put pressure on Prime Minister Albin Kurti to reverse a ban on the use of Serbia's dinar in the country's north.

But Weber said it was apparent that nurturing relations with Moscow was considered in forming the government at a time when Vucic feels pressure due to the Council of Europe coming closer to admitting Kosovo and a UN resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica.



"However, this still doesn't mean abandoning the policy of sitting on two chairs," Weber said.



Weber also said Vucevic has the capacity to lead the government and keep the cabinet together based on his status as a member of Vucic's "inner circle" and his position as president of the party.



He added that it will be interesting to see how Vucic relates to the prime minister, noting it won't be as easy to shift blame for negative events onto the government when it's led by the president of the ruling party.



None of this will jeopardize the stability of a regime that currently isn't seriously threatened, "least of all by the West, and it seems, no longer by the opposition," Weber said.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service
Lyudmila Menyuk, a veteran of Russia's war on Ukraine, helps military families through therapy. She offers them the understanding and support she would have wanted for her son, Stanislav Menuyk, who died in 2014 as a paramedic on a combat mission in the Donbas region. "Malva," as she was known by her call sign, joined the army in 2016 to avenge her son. After being wounded and discharged twice, she now helps others to recover from war's trauma.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 2. Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov met with Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament Giorgio Mule, who is visiting our country to participate in the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.

Issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy, as well as the current situation in the region in the post-conflict period were discussed at the meeting.

The existence of broad prospects for the further development of cooperation in the economy, trade, energy security, transport and communications, education, culture and other areas was emphasized.

Jeyhun Bayramov informed Giorgio Mule in detail about the current situation in the region in the post-conflict period, large-scale reconstruction work carried out in the territories liberated from occupation, as well as the mine problem in the region.

During the meeting, views were also exchanged on other issues of mutual interest.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 2. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that in accordance with the agreement with Azerbaijan, border troops will be deployed in delimited areas, Trend reports.

By agreement with Azerbaijan, border troops will be deployed in delimited areas. Because it is their mandate to ensure security at the borders. That is, there will be no Defense Ministry posts on the border, Pashinyan said.

To note, the eighth meeting of the State Commission on Delimitation of the State Border between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia and the Commission on Delimitation of the State Border and Border Security between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan was held on April 19, 2024, at the border between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia.

At the initial stage of the delimitation process, the parties tentatively agreed on the passage of certain segments of the border line directly between the settlements of Baganis (RA) - Baganys Ayrim (AR), Voskepar (RA) - Ashagy Askipara (AR), Kirants (RA)  Kheyrimli (AR), and Berkaber (RA) - Gyzylhajily (AR), to bring them in line with the legally justified inter-republican border that existed within the Soviet Union at the time of its dissolution.

Based on geodetic measurements, as part of the process of clarification of coordinates on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as of April 29, more than half of the planned work has been completed, and 35 border pillars have been installed.
By Cillian Sherlock, PA

An Air Corps lieutenant has been pronounced dead after being discovered in an unresponsive state by colleagues at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel.

The Defence Forces said it was confirming Lieutenant Conal Sheerans death with great sadness.

Lt Sheeran was from Co Westmeath and was aged 30.

He was said to have joined the Defence Forces in 2012 as a recruit in 1 Infantry Battalion, before joining the 70th Air Corps Apprentice Class also in 2012.

He graduated from this training in 2016 and subsequently became a member of the 36th Air Corps Cadet Class in 2017.

He completed this training and was commissioned as an officer in the Air Corps in 2020.

The Defence Forces said in a statement: Lt Sheeran had 11 proud years of service with Oglaigh na hEireann and served in a number of appointments, including the Flight Training School, 506 Squadron and No 5 Ops Wing HQ. He also completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Military Aviation Technology in NUI Galway.

The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Sean Clancy, said: Today, the Air Corps and Oglaigh na hEireann have lost a fine colleague and a better friend.

All of us in Oglaigh na hEireann extend our deepest sympathies to the family and the friends of Lt Sheeran, and to all those who were lucky enough to have known him, in whatever capacity that it was. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
By Christopher McKeon, PA Political Correspondent

The UK prime minister has urged the Government not to send gardai into border areas amid a row over asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic.

Rishi Sunak said they must uphold its promises to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and avoid setting up checkpoints to prevent asylum seekers entering the country.

Diplomatic tensions between London and Dublin have increased in recent days after Minister for Justice Helen McEntee claimed there had been an upsurge in asylum seekers crossing the border following the passing of the UKs Safety of Rwanda Act.

On Tuesday, the Government said 100 gardai would be made available for frontline immigration enforcement duties, although Dublin insisted they would not be assigned to physically police the border with Northern Ireland.

Answering questions in the UK House of Commons, Mr Sunak said ministers were seeking urgent clarification that there will be no disruption or police checkpoints at or near the border and that there must not be cherry-picking of important international agreements.

He added: Now, its no surprise that our robust approach to illegal migration is providing a deterrent, but the answer is not sending police to villages in Donegal. Its to work with us in partnership to strengthen our external borders all around the Common Travel Area that we share.

His comments came in response to a question from DUP MP Carla Lockhart, who accused the Government of hypocrisy given its stance on the border during Brexit negotiations.

Downing Street has repeatedly stressed that the UK is under no legal obligation to accept returns of asylum seekers from Ireland, and would not do so while France continued to refuse to accept returns from the UK.

There is an operational agreement on the Common Travel Area with Ireland which Dublin says provides for returning asylum seekers, but the UK prime ministers official spokesman said this was not legally binding and nobody had been returned to the UK under its terms.

Simon Harris has previously said Ireland will not provide a loophole for other countries migration challenges (Brian Lawless/PA)

One person has been returned to Ireland under the agreement since it was signed four years ago, the spokesperson said.

On Wednesday, the spokesperson said: We obviously work with them on a range of issues, including in relation to security issues in the Common Travel Area, but the UK has no obligation to accept returns.

The UK government has claimed the reported increase in asylum seekers entering Ireland from Northern Ireland demonstrated that its Rwanda scheme was already acting as a deterrent.

Taoiseach Simon Harris has previously said Ireland will not provide a loophole for other countries migration challenges.

It is not clear how many asylum seekers have crossed the border into Ireland.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said his colleague Helen McEntees figure of 80 per cent of total border crossings was not evidenced-based, while DUP MP Ian Paisley told the Commons it was made up.

Downing Street said it did not have data on crossings as the border is not policed.
Ray Managh

Irish Times reporter Kitty Holland, who broke the story of the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar 12 years ago, permitted her senior counsel Andrew Walker to publicly reveal in the Circuit Civil Court on Tuesday that she had already had an abortion.

Mr Walker, cross-examining Hollands former friend and colleague John Waters in her 75,000 defamation action against him, told Judge John OConnor that Ms Holland had given him clear instructions she was happy for it to be brought out.

Counsel was referring to a paragraph in a 100-page personal defence letter written in March 2019 by Waters to Hollands solicitors, Lavelle Partners, in which he stated she may have been used as a tool by unscrupulous interests inside and outside the Irish Times which had published her initial article.

I did not accuse Kitty Holland of personal dishonesty but I do believe she has become embroiled in the telling of an enormous untruth that has had, and will continue to have, disastrous consequences for Irish society and in particular for its unborn children who have been stripped of the most fundamental protections as a result of that untruth, Mr Waters, of Sandycove, Dublin had written.

I believe that Kitty Holland, who is in many respects a sincere and decent person, may have been used as a tool by unscrupulous interests, inside and outside the Irish Times, seeking to bring about precisely this outcome, he went on in his letter.

He said his use of the word lie, which he stated he had made in a keynote address to a Renua conference, had been directed at those people and the fact that they had used Holland, a woman who, as we have since learned, had already had an abortion, to advance their agenda by persuading her to become the initiator/facilitator of this systematic falsehood.

He had stated their objective was to deceive the public and the world about the meaning of the Halappanavar story, and they had been overwhelmingly successful in this nefarious aim.

He and Holland, of Ranelagh, Dublin, had been passionate advocates on either side of a crucial life or death public debate and, as such, each in her and his own way had simply sought to conduct a discussion capable of enabling the people to make up their own minds on a most difficult, complex and emotive subject.

But is one of us obliged to fight with his hands tied and his mouth gagged Waters had asked in the letter in which his counsel Feargal Cavanagh SC told the court his client had mostly based his defence to a case that, Mr Waters said, threatened him with bankruptcy.

Waters had stated that Holland had emerged on the winning side of the argument, her front-page Irish Times scoop having become a crucial element in the armoury of weapons used to overwhelm and disintegrate public support for the Eighth Amendment.

Now, not content with her 'victory', she seeks to eliminate the truth and seek financial penalty from one of those few who sought to speak it, he stated.

Kitty Holland had been one of the most visible advocates of a radical, unprecedented change in the status quo which he had sought to defend.

He had been referring to a difference of understanding, perspective or opinion that had been already well ventilated in public debate using such terms as and including the concept of dishonesty and a lie that had already been bandied about by many protagonists including Kitty Holland.

Waters had written that the context of his remarks was immediately comprehensible and had not been, what the construction placed on it which the defamation action against him sought to suggest  that he was engaging in a personalised and malicious attack on Kitty Holland.

In another part of his letter he stated that in the relevant section of his Renua speech he had been criticising the media for having, in effect, weaponised the Savita Halappanavar story to prosecute the case for abortion and, in doing so, had created a lie they had refused to withdraw.

I did not call Kitty Holland a liar. Had I sought to, I could and would have used very precise words to do so, Waters stated in his letter. He said she had maintained a persistent silence as her false story had gone around the world dragging Irelands reputation of being one of the safest places for a pregnant woman in the mire.

For all I know Kitty Holland may have known the full truth from the beginning and deliberately peddled a false story to promote her own favoured pro-abortion agenda, his letter had stated.  At the least, I believe she either tailored the story herself or saw it being tailored in the Irish Times editing process prior to publication and must have realised at an early stage that the story had become so heavily biased, sensationalised and economical with the truth that it did indeed constitute a lie, he stated.

Mr Walker, who appeared with barrister Shane English, told Mr Waters that Ms Holland had brought the proceedings to clear her name and vindicate her reputation.

Mr Cavanagh, who appeared with barristers Conor Rubalcava and Greg Murphy along with Wicklow solicitor Brendan Maloney, told the court he would lead off on Wednesday with his legal submissions.
A major upgrade of Lecarrow Wastewater Treatment Plant has been given the go-ahead by Roscommon County Council.

Uisce Eireann has been granted planning permission for the upgrade at Killoy, Lecarrow.

The works will involve the demolition of the existing wastewater treatment plant and the construction of a new plant.

Announced in 2021 by Uisce Eireann, formerly Irish Water, the Lecarrow investment is among 21 new upgrades at treatment plants around the country.

The state-owned utility company said the upgrades would provide additional capacity for the development of new homes while ensuring that wastewater continues to be treated to an appropriate standard.
A new static speed camera will be in operation by the end of the year on the N17, northeast of Claremorris, in a bid to cut down on the number of deaths on our roads.

This is just one of nine locations announced by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris today with international experience showing that static speed cameras lead to drivers reducing speed which is a significant contributor to road deaths.

Overall the cameras will be located on the N59 (Galway), N25 (Waterford), R772 (Wicklow), N14 (Donegal), N80 (Carlow), Dublin (Dolphins Barn), N17 (Mayo), N22 (Cork), and N69 (Limerick).

The locations were selected based on fatal and serious injury collision data from the last seven years and speed data, as well as feedback from stakeholders.

The nine static speed cameras are being funded from the Garda budget at a cost of approximately 2.4 million over the next 18 months.

There are also 55 safety cameras currently operated via GoSafe vans; this will increase to 58 in the coming weeks.

As with GoSafe vans, drivers detected by static speed cameras breaking the speed limit on that road will be automatically issued a fixed charge penalty notice.

In addition, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has requested that Assistant Commissioner Roads Policing develop a business case for the introduction of a further 100 static speed cameras.

This business case will then form part of An Garda Siochanas application for its overall funding in 2025 as part of the Estimates Process.

Speaking today, Assistant Commissioner Roads Policing and Community Engagement, Paula Hilman, said, "Static speed safety cameras have been proven in other countries to be highly effective in changing driver behaviour and reducing speed, which is a key contributor to road deaths. Speed cameras slow drivers down. The lower speeds people drive at, the lower the number of road deaths.

Recent investment into road safety includes a mobility device that every front-line Garda has that enables them to issue fixed charge notices at the roadside and check vehicle details.

In addition, there has been investment in new hand-held speed detection devices, drug detection devices, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, and roads policing vehicles.

Following additional Government funding for Go Safe hours in 2023, An Garda Siochana has committed 5.1 million to increase the hours of operation of GoSafe detection vans, with a focus on locations with high levels of collisions for the next 18 months from May 2024 to October 2025.

Commissioner Harris has also recently introduced an initiative where every front-line Garda carries out 30 minutes of roads policing activity per shift.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 2. On May 1, the first round of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Commonwealth of Australia took place in Baku, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.

The delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan was headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Elnur Mammadov, and the delegation of the Commonwealth of Australia was headed by Deputy Secretary of the European Group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Rod Brazier.

During the political consultations, discussions took place on the current state of relations between the two countries, expansion of cooperation and development prospects in the political, economic, humanitarian and other spheres.

Deputy Minister Elnur Mammadov informed Rod Brazier in detail about the current situation in the region in the post-conflict period, reconstruction work carried out in the territories liberated from occupation, as well as the mine clearance process.

The prospects for cooperation between the two countries within the framework of international organizations were also discussed at the meeting.
By Cillian Sherlock, PA

An immigration lawyer has warned that cases will be taken by asylum seekers if Ireland attempts to return them to the UK while it is operating its planned Rwanda scheme.

It comes as the Cabinet approved emergency legislation from Minister of Justice Helen McEntee to allow the UK to be designated as a safe country to enable asylum seekers to be transferred back there.

A High Court ruling in March deemed that the legal basis for designating the UK as a safe country to return asylum seekers to was unsound under EU law.

The UK Government recently passed legislation for a scheme to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda, which was announced two years ago but has yet to see a flight take off.

David Leonard, a barrister with expertise in immigration law, said the UK legislation for the proposal was unprecedented territory.

Responding to a question from Senator Michael McDowell at a parliamentary committee on Tuesday, Mr Leonard said: That Act was passed to get around a judgment of the UK Supreme Court.

It wouldnt be a lawful act if it was passed by the Oireachtas over here because of our constitution, but it is interesting to see what will happen over there because they dont have a written constitution and place a lot of weight on parliamentary sovereignty.

Id be slow to predict that Rwanda will actually go ahead.

Asked what would happen in Irish courts if asylum seekers objected to being sent to the UK if the Rwanda proposals went ahead, Mr Leonard said the UK Supreme Court deemed that the previous proposal to send people to Rwanda was unlawful because it could lead to a breach of human rights.

He added: Applicants  if theyre at risk of being sent to the UK and sent in a chain then on a flight to Rwanda from the UK  they could argue that Ireland couldnt lawfully send them to the UK to expose them to that risk.

So there will definitely be case law on that if Rwanda does go ahead and people are at risk of them from being sent from here to the UK.

Senator Michael McDowell (Damien Storan/PA)

Maeve Anne Kenny from the Department of Justices migration policy team said the argument was relatively premature as the Rwanda policy had not been operationalised and there had been no ruling in the European Court.

The exchanges occurred at Tuesdays sitting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, which had invited migrants rights groups to discuss the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.

Earlier this month, the European Parliament voted to approve the pact which includes measures such as the taking of fingerprints and facial imagery of children as young as six as well as restriction of migrants movements during screening.

It also includes measures on faster decision-making and the sharing of responsibility across member states which could see relocation of international protection applicants or the payment of financial contributions to the EU.

The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) said the proposals reflect an effort to limit protection for asylum seekers in Europe.

It said the pact, which the Government has signed up to, will result in fewer safeguards, increased detention and destitution among people seeking protection.

It said its largest concern was that people who arrive without documentation and those that have had to cross a border illegally will be detained or have their movement restricted.

Alan OLeary from the IRC added: In our experience, this will include applicants from countries with high rates of refugee declarations, including Afghanistan and Somalia, who often have no alternative other than to travel without passports or use substitute documents.

People who arrive from countries with a recognition rate of 20% or less will also be subject to detention.

They will also be channelled into an accelerated border procedure. This risks overlooking those who are most vulnerable and in need of protection, and whose cases often require legal advice and careful consideration.

Mr OLeary told the committee that the IRC began with good intentions but has been gradually eroded by various member states hardening positions.

We are not opposed to harmonisation and common standards. If anything, however, we need compliance with the existing body of legislation rather than a continued need to reform, he said.

A representative from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the EUs current systems have not been implemented in a way which has managed asylum for member states or delivered protection for refugees.

Enda ONeill, head of office for UNHCR Ireland, told committee members: Dangerous practices, such as denial of access to territory, pushbacks and the non-implementation of fair and efficient procedures and solidarity, cannot continue as they undermine a well-functioning EU asylum system.

Mr ONeill said while the UNHCR welcomes the agreement of the pact, legal reform is merely the first step.

He added that detention should be a last resort and focus should be placed on establishing a fair system with procedural safeguards.

However, the director of the Migrant Rights Centre warned that the proposals were regressive.

Edel McGinley said: We cannot let a few bullies distract us, whip up fear and spread dangerous lies about those of us who are different because of where we come from. We cannot fall into this trap.

These worrying proposals also extend to people living and working in Ireland long term. It means that people could be singled out on the street because they look different.

It means peoples right to privacy and due process are under threat. The potential for harm to people and communities is immense.

Migrants rights group Nasc also raised concerns about the timelines and accelerated border procedures under the pact.

Chief executive Fiona Hurley said: We are concerned that procedural guarantees and protections for asylum seekers will be sacrificed for deterrence and creating efficiencies in processing.
Goldy Brar Dead Or Alive? Here' What We Know About Prime Accused of Sidhu Moosewala's Murder Case

Before getting to any conclusion, one must know where it all started.

Is Goldy Brar Dead Or Alive? That's what people have been asking ever since the news of Goldy Brar's death and gangsters Arsh Dalla and Lakhbir Landa claiming responsibility for the crime surfaced on social media. Well, the alleged news of his death has been circulating a lot. Goldy Brar is one of the most wanted gangsters in India, who is also a prime accused in the murder of Sidhu Moosewala.

However, there has been no confirmation about the same. No one knows, by the time of filing this story, if Goldy Brar is dead or alive. Before getting to any conclusion, one must know where it all started.

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Firstly, let's understand what the claims are. The claims are that Goldy Brar and his friend were out in the streets when some unknown assailants attacked and shot them. In the meanwhile, there are also claims that two of them were taken to hospital where one of them, allegedly Goldy Brar, succumbed to his injuries and died.

Now, what do we know?

After going through all the platforms on social media, we found no authenticated information about Goldy Brar's death. In fact, the news report that is being linked to his death is also a matter where no identification has been revealed.

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An American website 30ActionNews stated in its report that two men were hospitalized after they were shot near Fairmont and Holt in northwest Fresno on Tuesday at around 5:30 pm. Fresno police stated that two men had gotten into a fight with other people in a nearby alleyway leading up to the shooting.

"We received additional phone calls about two shooting victims in the area. One was transported by private vehicle to the hospital, where he is in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the lower body," explained Fresno Police Lt. Leslie Williams.

In the meanwhile, officers found another man who was shot in the upper body.
Who is Goldy Brar, Prime Accused in Sidhu Moosewala Murder Case? Know all about him

Punjab Cop's son Goldy Brar turned Gangster

Who is Goldy Brar, Prime Accused in Sidhu Moosewala Murder Case? Ever since the news of Goldy Brar's death or gangster being killed surfaced on social media, people who are unaware of him are looking for more information about him.

First of all, let's make this very clear that the news reports of Goldy Brar's death or gangster being killed are not at all confirmed as these are only considered as rumours of now. Therefore, this news must not be circulated enough until it is confirmed.

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Now, let's find out who is Goldy Brar, the prime accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case. He has been declared a designated terrorist by the Central government.

While announcing him a terrorist, the Ministry of Home Affairs had stated that Satwinder Singh alias Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar was associated with the terrorist group Babbar Khalsa and was involved in multiple murders, arms and ammunition smuggling and fomenting radical ideology.

Who is Goldy Brar, Prime Accused in Sidhu Moosewala Murder Case?

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Goldy Brar is primarily known as the prime accused in the murder of Sidhu Moosewala. He was the one who had claimed responsibility for the murder. He had said that he got Moosewala killed to avenge the murder of a student leader in Punjab in 2022.

Goldy Brar is originally from Punjab's Muktsar. He is the son of a former Punjab police personnel.

Goldy Brar later moved to Canada in 2017 on a student visa after which he got engaged in subversive activities, including ordering hits on opponents and extorting money from high-net-worth individuals.

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In May 2023, he was among Canada's most wanted list on the 15th spot. He was wanted for murder, conspiracy, illegal firearms trade, and attempted murder.
New Zealand will on Wednesday release Q1 figures for unemployment, highlighting s busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.

Overall employment is expected to add 0.3 percent on quarter, easing from 0.4 percent in the previous three months. The jobless rate is pegged at 4.3 percent, up from 4.0 percent three month earlier.

Australia will see April results for the construction and manufacturing indexes from AiG, as well as the manufacturing index from Judo Bank. In March, the AiG indexes had scores of -12.9 and 0.70, respectively, while the Judo index was at 47.3.

Japan will see April results for the manufacturing PMI from Jibun Bank; in March, the index score was 48.2.

South Korea will release April numbers for imports, exports and trade balance; in March, imports were down 12.3 percent on year and exports rose an annual 3.1 percent for a trade surplus of $4.29 billion.

The in South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand are all closed on Wednesday for Labor Day.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
Pan American Silver Corp. (PAAS), a Canadian miner, said on Wednesday that it has agreed to sell its La Arena S.A., the owner of La Arena gold mine as well as La Arena II project in Peru, to Jinteng (Singapore) Mining Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group Co., Ltd. for $245 million cash upfront and a $50 million contingent payment.

Under the terms, Zijin will pay $245 million in cash and will grant Pan American a life-of-mine gold net smelter return royalty of 1.5 percent for the La Arena II project.

With the start of commercial production from the La Arena II project, the deal provides for an additional contingent payment from Zijin of $50 million in cash.

Michael Steinmann, CEO of Pan American, said: "With the sale of La Arena, we continue to deliver on our strategy to optimize our portfolio, following the Yamana transaction, while maintaining future upside through the retention of royalties. Proceeds from the transaction will further strengthen our financial position and allow us to deliver on our capital allocation priorities of investing in high-quality assets, debt reduction and returning capital to our shareholders."

The transaction is expected to conclude in the third quarter of 2024.

The La Arena property is located in the La Libertad province of Peru and is comprised of the La Arena gold mine and the La Arena II project.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
A New York man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a scheme to ship dual-use electronic components from the United States to companies affiliated with the Russian military.

Nikolay Grigorev, 36, of Brooklyn, admitted he conspired to smuggle more than $250,000 worth of sensitive American drone to Russian companies fueling the Putin regime's war against Ukraine, said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

"Swift action by agents and prosecutors unraveled a web of fake orders and wire transfers to prevent over 11,500 electronic components from making their way to the Russian war machine", she added.

Russian forces widely use drones in attacks on Ukraine's civilian targets that resulted in deaths.

As alleged in the indictment, Grigorev utilized a Brooklyn-based company, Quality Life Cue LLC (QLC), to facilitate the scheme.

The company was co-owned by him and Nikita Arkhipov.

Artem Oloviannikov utilized a QLC email account from Russia, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release.

Co-defendants Arkhipov and Oloviannikov remain at large.

Through QLC, the defendants procured dual-use electronic components for Russian companies involved in manufacturing drones for the Russian Military to attack Ukraine.

In June 2023, more than 11,500 electronic components that had been purchased from the Brooklyn Company for export to Russia were seized during a search of Grigorev's residence in Brooklyn.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
New Maruti Swift will be powered by a new 1.2 liter Z series 3 cylinder petrol engine with both manual transmission and AMT gearbox options

The anticipation surrounding the launch of the new Maruti Suzuki Swift is set to climax this month, as the beloved hatchback prepares to unveil its latest iteration in India. Already a standout performer in the Indian automotive market, the Swifts new model has been making waves internationally following its release in Europe and other regions.

2024 Maruti Swift Bookings Open

While official pricing details are yet to be disclosed, industry estimates place the new Swift in the range of Rs. 6.50  9.5 lakhs, building upon the success of its predecessor, priced between Rs. 5.99  9.03 lakhs (ex-showroom). Dealerships across the country have begun bookings, signaling the eager reception awaiting the 2024 model. Maruti has also shared the first teaser of upcoming Swift.

2024 Maruti Swift Bookings are also open online, at a payment of Rs 11,000. Mr. Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, The Swift has been an iconic brand for Maruti Suzuki, one that has evolved with changing times to redefine customer expectations. Its 29 lakh strong customer base and numerous awards & accolades are a testament to how the iconic Swift has gone from strength to strength. The Epic New Swift stays true to its much-loved sporty DNA, while balancing new-age expectations of environment friendliness with low emissions. As always, the next-generation Swift is all set to create new benchmarks in the premium hatchback segment and further the concept of the Joy of Mobility in its own right.

2024 Maruti Swift: Expected Variants, Colours, and Features

The 2024 Maruti Swift will maintain its popular trim levels, including LXi, VXi, ZXi, and ZXi+. Offering a spectrum of exterior colours such as blue, red, white, silver, black, and orange, the new Swift promises to cater to diverse preferences.

In terms of dimensions, the latest iteration sees subtle adjustments, with an increase of approximately 15mm in length and 30mm in height, resulting in dimensions of 3,860mm in length, 1,735mm in width, and 1,495mm in height, while retaining the same wheelbase of 2,450mm. Built on the proven Heartect platform, continuity in performance and structural integrity is ensured.

The exterior enhancements of the new Swift include a refreshed grille, redesigned bumpers, sleek LED DRLs, updated tail lamps, and striking 16-inch alloy wheels. Notable additions such as a rear wiper and washer, shark fin antenna, roof spoiler, and conventional rear door handles further elevate its aesthetic appeal.

2024 Maruti Swift: Elevating Cabin Comforts and Safety Standards

In the cabin, Maruti Suzuki aims to provide a heightened level of comfort and safety. Drawing inspiration from the Maruti Fronx, the new Swift is speculated to introduce a cutting-edge 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, available in select variants. Additional cabin updates include refreshed color schemes and the continuation of features like head-up display unit, automatic climate control, and rear AC vents.

Safety takes precedence with the inclusion of six airbags, electronic stability control, ABS, EBD, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. Front and rear parking sensors, along with ISOFIX child seat mounts, further enhance passenger safety. While features like a 360-degree camera and ADAS remain exclusive to the international variant, the Indian model prioritizes essential safety elements.

Powering the 2024 Maruti Swift is a new 1.2-liter Z series, 3-cylinder petrol engine, delivering an estimated 83 horsepower and 112 Nm of torque. Offering versatility, the Indian variant will be available with both manual transmission and AMT gearbox options, ensuring a dynamic driving experience. With these enhancements, the next-generation Maruti Suzuki Swift aims to maintain its competitive edge against rivals such as the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios and the likes.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. The spring plenum of the Board of the Union of Architects of Azerbaijan will be held on May 2425 in Shusha on the theme "Problems of preservation of historical monuments in Karabakh and East Zangezur", Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Union of Architects.

Special representatives of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in East Zangezur and Karabakh, the State Reserve of Shusha, the Ministry of Culture, the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, the State Historical-Architectural Reserve Icherisheher, the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, and employees of the Institutes of Art, Archaeology, Ethnography, and Anthropology will participate in the work of the plenum along with members of the Board of the Union of Architects of Azerbaijan.

The plenum will feature reports and discussions on the theme, as well as an exhibition reflecting the restored historical-architectural monuments in the territories liberated from occupation during the three years after Azerbaijan's great victory.

To note, a resolution will be adopted after the plenum.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Humanity must find solutions to the challenges it faces, Minister of Culture of Libya Mabrouka Togi said during the 5th ministerial meeting on the theme "Harmony in Diversity: Fostering Intercultural Dialogue for a Global Cultural Renaissance" held within the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku, Trend reports.

"The world is currently experiencing a period of turmoil, impacting the peace and security of all nations.

Promoting intercultural dialogue and understanding will help humanity handle the difficulties it faces," she said.

To note, the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue has kicked off in Baku.

A total of 700 guests from around the globe are convening for the forum centered on the theme "Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity."

Among the diverse participants hailing from over 100 nations, ministerial figures and representatives from the cultural ministries of 60 countries, along with 28 international organizations, will be in attendance. The agenda includes 10 panel discussions and four plenary sessions.

This significant event, organized by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, is a collaborative effort with esteemed international bodies such as the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), UNESCO, ICESCO, and the UN World Tourism Organization.

The event is set to run from May 1 through 3.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Nakhchivan Bank has no financial problems, Chairman of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) Taleh Kazimov said, Trend reports.

He made the remark during the press conference on changes in the parameters of the discount rate.

He mentioned that this bank had sold a portion of its loan portfolio to Kapital Bank.

"The bank's stockholders made this decision. Even now, shareholders will debate and vote on specific concerns. However, there is no concern with the financial strength," he emphasized.

The Chairman also asserted that the Deposit Insurance Fund (the liquidator of banks) does not treat depositors of liquidated banks unfairly.

"We have received many appeals from depositors claiming that their deposits are not returned. However, after investigation, we have established that the liquidator is acting in accordance with the law and that the claims of the applicants are unfounded. Throughout my tenure as Chairman of the Central Bank, I have not come across a case where a depositor's deposit was not returned. The liquidation process is primarily under the control of the CBA," he said.

Kazimov added that the CBA intends to encourage the placement of deposits for a long period of time.

"According to the data for the first of January this year, 8283 percent of the population's savings are placed in Azerbaijani banks for one year. 7275 percent of depositors place deposits up to 30,000 manat ($17,636). To stimulate the population's long-term savings, the Central Bank proposed to tax citizens' income from deposits (at a rate of 10 percent) and exempt from tax deposits placed for a minimum term of 18 months," he added.

To note, the CBA lowered the discount rate from 7.5 percent to 7.25 percent on May 1. The upper limit of the interest rate corridor was reduced from 8.5 percent to 8.25 percent, while the lower limit was kept unchanged at 6.25 percent.

Nakhchivan Bank ("Nakhchivanbank" JSC) was founded in 2008 to provide financial services to the population of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic as well as those working in small and medium-scale entrepreneurship. It is Azerbaijan's second regional bank.

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A research team led by Kyoto University and Osaka Metropolitan University botanists has described a new species in the genus Lilium from Japan.

Lilium is a large genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Liliaceae.

Most Lilium species are native to the northern hemisphere and their range is temperate climates and extends into the subtropics.

In a new study, Dr. Seita Watanabe from Kyoto University and Osaka Metropolitan University and colleagues aimed to clarify the evolutionary history of the Lilium maculatumLilium pensylvanicum complex.

We questioned the classification used up to now for the complex, which usually has orange flowers, they said.

These lilies have high ornamental value, having been exported from Japan for more than two centuries.

There have been only four taxonomic groups, but we sought evidence to prove that there were more.

For the study, the researchers collected and analyzed various Lilium specimens, including their genetic material and images, from across Japan.

The results of our extensive work revise the conventional classification into eight taxons, including what we have named Lilium pacificum, the first new species of Japanese lily in 110 years, they explained.

According to the team, Lilium pacificum can be found in the coastal areas of Honshu from Ibaraki Prefecture south to Shizuoka Prefecture and the Izu Islands.

It has an interesting characteristic: the tips of its leaves are curved into a claw-like shape, Dr. Watanabe said.

Based on the new understanding of these eight taxonomic groups, we found that seven are endemic to Japan, each adapted to its environment, whether coastal or mountainous, and evolving unique traits.

Our research shows that these plants have differentiated through complex processes, and we hope that our work will provide clues for speciation studies.

In the past, individual differences may have been overlooked because of the apparent simplicity of the plants.

Through this research, I was reminded of the importance of morphological observation.

The discovery of Lilium pacificum is reported in a paper published in the April 2024 issue of the journal Taxon.

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Seita T. Watanabe et al. 2024. Biosystematic studies on Lilium (Liliaceae) II. Evolutionary history and taxon recognition in the L. maculatumL. pensylvanicum complex in Japan. Taxon 73 (2): 447-474; doi: 10.1002/tax.13141
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. The primary goal of convening the Economic Forum of Turkic-speaking States 2024 in Baku on May 23 is to promote the brands of Turkic-speaking countries around the world, Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Franchising Association Jamid Movsumov told Trend.

According to him, the event, which will be held for the first time among Turkic-speaking countries, will be aimed at studying existing market and investment opportunities between these countries, organizing the integration of brands in the international environment, developing commercial relations between companies, supporting the attraction of foreign investors and companies to the country, and strengthening relations between Turkic-speaking countries.

"The "Made in Turan" brand will be introduced at the forum. The primary goal of this brand is to shift toward branding products created in Turan (Turkic) countries. Companies from Turkic states have goals in this area. We will also negotiate with the customs organizations of the individual states. Our goal is to obtain specific advantages for the Made in Turan brand and develop unique export potential.," he added.

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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 1. Turkmenistan intends to develop economic cooperation with Azerbaijan and Arab countries, Trend reports, referring to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, this intention was expressed during the participation of the delegation of Turkmenistan headed by Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Babanyyaz Yalakov at the 3rd Session of the Arab Economic and Cooperation Forum with the Countries of Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

During the forum, the Turkmen side stressed the importance of developing trade and economic partnership between the Arab countries, Azerbaijan, and the Central Asian states.

The delegation paid special attention to the areas of trade, industry, transport, energy, and environmental protection as priority areas for enhancing multilateral cooperation.

Furthermore, within the framework of the forum, a meeting was also held with the head of the Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, where the two sides discussed the development of bilateral relations in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian spheres and drew attention to the importance of exchanging visits at the highest level.

The participants of the conversation also stated that the development of relations between the two countries is facilitated by the holding of cultural days and meetings of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Qatari Commission.

Meanwhile, the 3rd Session of the Arab Economic and Cooperation Forum with the Countries of Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan was held in Doha, Qatar, from April 2930, 2024.

During his speech at the forum, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit stressed the interconnection of the Arab region, Central Asia and Azerbaijan, noting their common geographical, civilizational and cultural ties.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or the so-called Middle Corridor, is an interesting alternative to the regular transit routes, Rafa Poborski, Polish Ambassador to Azerbaijan, told Trend.

After the Russian aggression against Ukraine in February 24, 2022, and due to international sanctions that affect connections via Belarus and Russia, the Middle Corridor is an interesting alternative. Polands interest in the development of this corridor was confirmed by signing a letter of intent on cooperation between the Baku International Sea Trade Port and the Polish Port of Gdansk in 2022, he said.

According to the ambassador, working groups of Azerbaijani and Polish ports have already held a few meetings to discuss further cooperation.

Poland and Azerbaijan are located at the crossroads of international transport corridors that link Europe and Asia, so growing roles of our countries as logistic and distribution centers are natural. Within the emerging and developing transport corridors, we support the development of transport and logistics cooperation with Azerbaijan while also building its position as an international transport and logistics hub between East and West, Poborski added.

Meanwhile, back in July 2022, Azerbaijan's Baku International Sea Trade Port and the Polish Port of Gdansk have signed a letter of intent on cooperation. It was agreed that the signed document would serve as a foundation for enhancing the cooperation between the ports, aimed at bolstering regional connectivity and increase cargo flow by utilizing new alternative transportation routes to link Asia and Europe.

The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route that connects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in the region. It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Corridor and Southern Corridor.

The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passes through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkiye before reaching Europe. The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects the eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing the longer maritime routes.

The route has been actively operating in recent years, steadily increasing cargo transportation from China to Europe via the Caspian-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Black Sea/Turkiye. A total of 2.76 million tons of cargo passed through the corridor in 2023, and plans for 2024 are for 4.2 million tons.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. The Czech Republic coordinate becoming part of the Solidarity Ring initiative with its neighbours, a source in the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic told Trend.

"Being aware of the fact that joining the Solidarity Ring would mean for us to be at the end of the chain of states that are part of this initiative, we currently focus more on strengthening other supply routes to be able to diversify our sources of gas," said the source.

However, as the source said, since the Czech Republic is trying to establish contacts with Azerbaijani companies through CEZ, it could take on the role of an observer in the context of supply diversification.

Solidarity Ring transmission corridor is the joint initiative of Bulgartransgaz, Transgaz, FGSZ, Eustream aiming to offer additional natural gas transmission capacities on the TSOs networks. It can transport up to 5-9.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

In a short-time and with incremental capacity improvements to the existing infrastructure, this truly cross-border initiative could transport up to 5-9.5 bcm/y of gas from Azerbaijan to Eastern, Central and Western Europe via Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia

The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding for encouraging cooperation among Bulgartransgaz (Bulgaria), Transgaz (Romania), FGSZ (Hungary), Eustream (Slovakia) and the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) was held in Sofia April 25, 2023.

The Memorandum of Understanding sets out directions of cooperation between SOCAR and four distribution system operators for the supply of additional gas from Azerbaijan to Europe. The additional gas will be supplied through the upgraded transmission network systems of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.

Follow the author on X: @Lyaman_Zeyn
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. The Serbian Minister of Energy and Mining, Dubravka edovic Handanovic, has kept her post in the new Serbian Cabinet of Ministers, Trend reports.

Milos Vucevic has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Serbia. A new government composition was formed, in which Energy and Mining Minister Dubravka edovic Handanovic and Minister of Environmental Protection Irena Vujovic retained their posts, adding that Vujovic also became deputy prime minister.

To note, Handanovic was appointed Minister of Energy and Mining Industry of Serbia in October 2022. She also possesses 18 years of experience in the international banking sector, in addition to working in the media before that.

The Minister graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Belgrade, specializing in banking and finance, and holds a master's degree in finance and management from SDA Bocconi in Milan and the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

In autumn 2023, Handanovic facilitated the signing of a contract in Baku for Serbia to purchase Azerbaijani gas. Since January 2024, Azerbaijan has been consistently supplying gas to Serbia.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Discussions on energy cooperation between Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan have been held in Tashkent, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov wrote on X, Trend reports.

My colleague, Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, and I took part in a trilateral meeting of the Economy and Energy Ministers of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan within the framework of a working visit to Uzbekistan. Our discussions were focused on studying the prospects of electricity exports from Central Asian countries to Europe through the territory of Azerbaijan, the publication of the Minister reads.

According to him, there was an exchange of views on the implementation of issues outlined in the previously signed Joint Communique between the heads of specialized ministries of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.

We discussed coordination of the development of energy systems in the countries of the region as well as the activation of joint activities on green energy projects, the publication noted.

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EUROPE

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Expected Council Action

In May, the Security Council will hold its semi-annual debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The current authorisation for the EU-led multinational stabilisation force (EUFOR ALTHEA) expires on 2 November.

Background

The 1995 General Framework Agreement for Peace, also known as the Dayton Agreement, created two entities within BiH: the predominantly Bosniak and Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and the predominantly Serb Republika Srpska (RS). The two entities are linked by a rotating tripartite inter-ethnic presidency and a two-chamber legislative branch with equal representation by the three major ethnic groups (Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs). Both entities also have their own executive and legislative branches.

In December 1995, the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) was established to garner international support for the Dayton Agreement. The PIC Steering Board (SB), which serves as the executive arm of the PIC and provides the High Representative with political guidance, consists of representatives from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK, the US, the Presidency of the EU, the European Commission, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is represented by Turkiye. In 1997, the PIC agreed to grant significant legislative powers to the High Representative. Known collectively as the Bonn Powers, these include the ability to take binding decisions and unseat elected officials who are found to be in violation of legal commitments made under the Dayton Agreement or the terms of its implementation.

Key Recent Developments

BiH continues to experience political instability and separatist rhetoric and actions. On 26 March, High Representative for BiH Christian Schmidt issued a decree to amend the Election Law of BiH. The decree introduced measures aimed at bolstering election integrity in BiH, including increased security for election materials, electronic voter identification, video surveillance, and electronic ballot counting for improved transparency and security. The decree also specifies procedures for handling complaints and sanctions, enhances gender equality, and imposes stricter controls on early political campaigning and fake news to prevent voter manipulation.

In response, on 28 March, RS President Milorad Dodik threatened to disrupt governance in BiH unless Schmidts decree was annulled within seven days. Dodik proposed a series of measures declaring Schmidts decrees illegal, disempowering the Central Election Commission, and declaring key international ambassadorsfrom Germany, the UK, and the USas enemies of BiH to be expelled. Dodik also threatened that RS could withdraw from key state institutions if these demands are not met.

On 29 March, the National Assembly of the RS (NARS) adopted its own draft legislation on elections, which proposed the establishment of a separate commission to oversee elections in RS. That same day, the US Embassy in Sarajevo issued a press statement condemning the move and describing Dodiks threats as a direct attack on the state structure of [BiH] and the Dayton Peace Agreement. Prior to the draft law entering into force, the US Embassy in Sarajevo issued a post on X (formerly Twitter) emphasising that the creation of a parallel electoral system by [RS] government would be unconstitutional and anti-Dayton, adding that any election conducted under such a system would have no legitimacy.

In April, Germany and Rwanda circulated a General Assembly draft resolution that, if adopted, would designate 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. During BiHs 1992-1995 war, Srebrenica was designated by the Security Council as a safe area, coming under the protection of UN peacekeepers in April 1993. Starting on 6 July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces launched an offensive against the enclave, entering Srebrenica on 11 July. In the ensuing days, over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and teenage boys were killed in mass executions by Bosnian Serb forces. The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) later determined that the mass murder amounted to an act of genocide.

The draft text, co-sponsored by a cross-regional group of countriesincluding BiH and Council members France, Slovenia, and the UScondemns any denial of the Srebrenica genocide and the glorification of individuals convicted by the ICTY of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The negotiations on the draft text are ongoing and appear to have been contentious. The vote at the General Assembly, originally scheduled for 2 May, has been postponed to a later date.

In a series of posts on X on 9 April, RS President Milorad Dodik argued that the events in Srebrenica cannot be characterised as genocide under international law and criticised the draft General Assembly resolution as directed against Srpska and the Serbian people as a whole. He further claimed that the killing of 3,500 Serbs in the same area is dismissed, while only the suffering of the Bosniaks is mentioned. In a 24 April interview, German Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin countered that the draft resolution is not against Serbia, Republika Srpska or any other state, entity or group.

On 18 April, the NARS adopted a 2021 report of the International Commission for Srebrenica, a body set up by the RS government in 2019. The report said that the crimes that took place in Srebrenica did not constitute genocide. After the NARS vote, thousands of Bosnian Serbs reportedly attended a rally in the northwestern town of Banja Luka to call for the withdrawal of the draft General Assembly resolution. On 22 April, Dodik said that adopting the draft resolution is incompatible with the continued existence of BiH.

At a 22 April press stakeout, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said that Russia would never support such a resolution. Arguing that the draft text is incompatible with the Dayton Agreement, since one of the entities comprising the state of BiH never gave its consent, Nebenzia emphasised that the draft General Assembly resolution could destabilise BiH. This stance is consistent with Russias previous actions; in July 2015, it vetoed a UK-proposed Security Council draft resolution that condemned the crime of genocide at Srebrenica as established by judgments of the ICTY and ICJ and all other proven war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict in BiH. The draft also determined that acknowledging the events in Srebrenica as genocide was essential for reconciliation. (For more information, see our Whats in Blue story of 6 July 2015.)

On 30 April, the Security Council held a briefing on the situation in BiH, at Russias request. Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenca and High Representative for BiH Christian Schmidt briefed the Council. The Serb member of the rotating tripartite inter-ethnic Presidency of BiH, Zeljka Cvijanovic, participated under rule 39 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure, while BiH, Croatia, and Serbia participated under rule 37. (For more information, see our Whats in Blue story of 29 April.)

Human-Rights Related Developments

On 22 April, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Clement Nyaletsossi Voule called for immediate action to reverse the deterioration of civic space and social cohesion, and the weakening of democratic institutions in BiH. He stressed that while meaningful progress has been made in transitioning to a peaceful society, BiH still endures the legacy of the deeply ethnically divisive armed conflict, marred by war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. He expressed concerns about the proliferation of restrictive laws and bills in RS related to freedom of association, opinion and expression, and peaceful assembly, as well as the re-criminalisation of defamation and the Draft law on the Special Registry and Transparency of the Work of Non-Profit Organisations. Voule called on BiH authorities to overcome their differences to protect the rights of everyone across the country. This statement was made at the end of his 14-22 April visit to the country. Voule will submit the report on his visit to the Human Rights Council in June 2025.

Key Issues and Options

A key issue is the need to address the separatist rhetoric and actions of RS authorities. One option is for the Council to issue a presidential statement endorsing the continued relevance of the Dayton Agreement and urging all parties to refrain from divisive rhetoric and actions.

Council and Wider Dynamics

Deep divisions related to BiHs Euro-Atlantic integration and possible accession to NATOparticularly between Russia on the one hand and the US and European Council members on the othercolour Council dynamics on BiH. The European Council agreed to open accession talks with BiH on 21 March after having unanimously voted to grant BiH candidate status in December 2022.

Overall, Council members have similar concerns about BiHs divisive ethnic politics. Most members are also critical of Dodiks rhetoric and his recent threats of dissolution, which they view as challenging BiHs sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia, however, tends to be supportive of Dodiks positions.

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ASIA

DPRK (North Korea)

Expected Council Action

In May, the Chair of the 1718 Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl (Switzerland), is scheduled to brief Council members in closed consultations on the 90-day report on the Committees work.

Key Recent Developments

On 28 March, Russia vetoed a draft resolution that would have extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee for another year, until 30 April 2025. The remaining Council membersapart from China, which abstainedvoted in favour of the text. The Panels mandate expired on 30 April. (For more information on the negotiations, see our 22 March Whats in Blue story.)

On 11 April, at the General Assembly debate on Russias veto, Russia announced that it planned to pursue a draft resolution that would extend the Panels mandate for one year and include a clear determination of the imperative for the Council to take a decision on updating the parameters of the 1718 sanctions regime. Russia circulated the first draft of this resolution to all Council members on 12 April. It seems that Russia appeared to pause the negotiations on this draft on 30 April.

During a visit to Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) from 14 to 20 April, US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield noted that the US was considering alternatives for monitoring the implementation of the 1718 sanctions regime, reportedly saying, were working to do something in the General Assembly. We are pushing the Secretariat through the Secretary-General to do something out of his office, but we are also looking at options outside of the UN.

The final report of the Panel was issued on 7 March. The report notes that the Panel is investigating reports of arms transfers from the DPRK to other member states, including Russia, and says that the DPRK has continued to flout the 1718 sanctions regime, including by further developing nuclear weapons, producing nuclear fissile materials, importing refined petroleum products, and receiving income from DPRK nationals working overseas. In relation to the DPRKs cyber activities, the report observes that the Panel is investigating 58 cyberattacks on cryptocurrency-related companies, valued at approximately $3 billion, and notes that these attacks have reportedly funded the DPRKs weapons programmes.

Since the publication of the report, several civil society organisations have documented instances of possible sanctions evasion, including one example where a Russian cargo ship believed to be carrying munitions from the DPRK allegedly moored in China and another where DPRK workers appeared to be working on overseas animation projects. On 26 March, the ROK and the US announced the launch of the Enhanced Disruption Task Force, a joint effort between the two countries established to counter the DPRKs efforts to circumvent sanctions concerning the procurement of refined petroleum.

On 29 April, Reuters reported that three members of the Panel had travelled to Ukraine during April. In a report to the 1718 Sanctions Committee regarding their visit, the three experts reportedly concluded that debris recovered from a missile that landed in Kharkiv in January derives from a DPRK Hwasong-11 series missile. The experts also observed that the missile appeared to have been procured by Russian nationals and noted that this would be a violation of the arms embargo against the DPRK.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have shown few signs of receding in 2024. The DPRK continued to trial its weapons systems throughout March and April, including by launching different types of ballistic and cruise missiles, testing a solid fuel engine for a hypersonic weapon and a nuclear weapons command-and-control system, and firing rocket launchers and anti-aircraft missiles. Several of these tests violated multiple Council resolutions. The DPRK has also continued to ramp up its military rhetoric. On 7 March, state media reported that the DPRKs leader, Kim Jong Un, had instructed military officials to intensify war preparations in line with the requirements of the prevailing situation.

The US and its allies have carried out military drills in the region in recent months. On 12 April, a US carrier strike group began a two-day joint exercise with Japan and the ROK in the East China Sea. On 4 March, the ROK and the US commenced their annual Freedom Shield exercise, which included an emphasis on counter nuclear operations involving land, sea, air, cyber, and space assets. Several weeks later, Japan, the ROK, and the US conducted a trilateral aerial exercise for the third time. The historic drills began after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol, and US President Joe Biden attended a summit at Camp David in August 2023, where they agreed to coordinate responses to regional challenges, conduct annual trilateral military exercises, and exchange real-time missile warning data, among other matters.

The DPRK has also engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity in 2024, both in its immediate region and beyond. On 24 April Ri Chol-man, head of the DPRKs state agriculture commission, met with Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev in Moscow, where they reportedly agreed to sign a series of agreements boosting agricultural cooperation between the two countries. DPRK officials also travelled to Iran in late April in an apparent effort to increase ties. In late March, a DPRK delegation travelled to China, Laos, and Viet Nam for a series of meetings with representatives of each country. Several weeks later, Zhao Leji, the chairman of the China National Peoples Congress and a member of the Chinese Communist Partys Politburo Standing Committee, met his DPRK counterpart Choe Ryong Hae in Pyongyang. According to media reports, the meeting marked the first occasion in approximately five years that China and the DPRK have met at this level.

The day before this meeting took place, President Biden hosted Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House. In remarks delivered after the meeting, which was the first leaders summit among the three countries, Biden said that Japan, the Philippines, and the US were deepening our maritime and security ties and described the US defence commitments to Japan and the Philippines as ironclad.

In late March, several media outlets reported that Kishida had offered to meet with Kim Jong Un. Japan subsequently acknowledged that the offer for a meeting had been made, but said that the DPRK had sought to impose unacceptable preconditions on possible talks.

Human Rights-Related Developments

On 4 April, the Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK for one year (A/HRC/55/L.19). The resolution also requested the High Commissioner to submit a comprehensive report containing an update on the human rights situation in the DPRK since 2014. This report will also take stock of the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the 2014 report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK (A/HRC/25/63).

The Special Rapporteurs latest report was issued on 26 March (A/HRC/55/63). The report highlighted that international staff of the UN and humanitarian agencies have not been able to return to the DPRK despite the country partially reopening its border in August 2023. In addition, the report noted there is a lack of up-to-date information on the human rights situation and stated that the intense focus on security and regular security-related information from the government in the media has diverted attention from the worsening human rights conditions. The report also reiterated that the Special Rapporteur is concerned that escapees from the DPRK had been forcibly repatriated from China despite repeated appeals by multiple international human rights bodies for a halt to such repatriations.

On 20 March, during an oral update to the HRC, Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif said there continues to be impunity for human rights violations perpetrated in the DPRK. She argued that accountability should be pursued outside of the DPRK and suggested that this could be achieved through referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or national level prosecutions in accordance with international standards under accepted principles of extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction.

Key Issues and Options

The expiration of the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee has created a major issue for Council members. Although the Panels mandate has expired, the Council could choose to adopt a resolution requesting that the Secretary-General reconstitute the Panel.

Should the Council prove unable to reach agreement on this issue, Council members who favour extending the Panels mandate could push for the General Assembly to establish a mechanism charged with monitoring the implementation of the 1718 DPRK sanctions regime. Such a mechanism could be tasked with performing functions similar to those assigned to the Panel, including analysing information regarding the implementation of the 1718 sanctions regime and making appropriate recommendations. The mechanism could report to the Secretary-General, who could then communicate its reports to the 1718 Sanctions Committee or the President of the Council. Interested member states could also send the reports to the Chair of the 1718 Sanctions Committee.

Although Article 12 of the UN Charter provides that the General Assembly shall not make any recommendation regarding a dispute or situation while the Council is exercising its functions under the Charter in respect of that dispute or situation, the General Assembly has nonetheless dealt with matters while they were on the agenda of the Council on several occasions. In December 2016, for example, the General Assembly established the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes Under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic Since March 2011 (IIIM). The IIIM was created after China and Russia vetoed a draft resolution that would have referred the situation in Syria to the ICC in May 2014. Article 12 was discussed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the 2004 Wall Case, where the Court noted the increasing tendency over time for the General Assembly and the Security Council to deal in parallel with the same matter concerning the maintenance of international peace and security and observed that the accepted practice of the General Assembly, as it has evolved, is consistent with Article 12(1) of the Charter.

Council Dynamics

The Council is deeply divided over the DPRK. The P3 (France, the UK, and the US) and other like-minded countries, including Japan and the ROK, support using sanctions to manage the threat posed by the DPRK and often call on member states to comply with existing Council resolutions. Many of these members have urged the DPRK to engage in dialogue and abandon its weapons programmes, while emphasising that it is responsible for escalating tensions. Some of these members also call for the Council to show unity and respond to the DPRKs weapons tests and argue that China and Russia have emboldened it by blocking Council action on the file.

China and Russia, on the other hand, blame the US for heightening tensions and accuse it of not doing enough to incentivise the DPRK to participate in denuclearisation talks. These two members have also contended that sanctions should be eased because of their impact on the humanitarian situation and continue to express their support for a draft resolution circulated by China in October 2021 that would provide sanctions relief to the DPRK if adopted.

The divisions between Council members were evident during the negotiations of the US draft resolution on the Panels mandate. In a statement delivered before the vote on this draft, Russia claimed that the Panel has ceased to carry out its obligations and said that the sanctions regime no longer reflects realities on the ground, imposes a heavy burden on the population of the DPRK, and has failed to achieve the international communitys stated aims. It further argued that a provision requiring an annual review of the regime was needed to address these issues. China expressed support for an annual review of the regime and called on the Council to consider the draft resolution it circulated in October 2021 on the humanitarian situation in the DPRK.

Other Council members strongly criticised Russias veto, arguing that it undermines the global non-proliferation regime and emboldens the DPRK in its attempts to evade sanctions. Several membersincluding France, Japan, the ROK, the UK, and the USlinked the veto to Russias alleged purchase of arms from the DPRK. Some of these members emphasised that the 1718 regime remained in place and that they would continue efforts to monitor and enforce its provisions.

Some members appear to be considering whether to ask the General Assembly to establish a mechanism to monitor the 1718 sanctions regime. During the General Assembly debate on Russias veto, for example, Switzerland said that the Council must look for alternatives to respond to the possible lack of analysis and noted that it remains open to exploring solutions, including in the General Assembly. Members are also concerned, however, about possible unforeseen implications and the precedent that could be established, and some would prefer having the Council continue to manage this issue.

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Group of Five for the Sahel Joint Force

Expected Council Action

During the month of May, Security Council members are scheduled to have consultations on the Group of Five for the Sahel Joint Force (FC-G5S).

Key Recent Developments

On 2 December 2023, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their withdrawal from the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel). Mali had previously withdrawn from the bloc, which was established in 2014 and, in 2017, created the FC-G5S to combat terrorist groups and organised crime. In September 2023, the three countries, all governed by military juntas, formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) as an organisation of collective defence and mutual assistance against terrorism and organised crime in their common area, as well as against armed rebellion or other threats to their sovereignty and territorial integrity. On 6 December 2023, Chad and Mauritania, the remaining G5 Sahel countries, suggested that they were prepared to dissolve the G5 Sahel, which, according to its founding convention, can be terminated at the request of at least three of its member states.

Pursuant to resolution 2391 of December 2017 that authorised the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to provide logistical and operational support to the FC-G5S, the Secretary-General was mandated to submit biannual reports about the force to the Council. But even before Burkina Faso and Niger decided to leave the G5 Sahel, a Secretary-Generals letter to the Council, dated 10 November 2023, recommended ending the UNs reporting obligations on the FC-G5S, with the further justification of MINUSMAs departure from Mali by 31 December 2023 and the previous termination of the EU funding that had allowed MINUSMA to provide support to the force. Council members, however, have yet to agree on a letter signalling their approval of the Secretary-Generals recommendation because of differences about whether to replace UN reporting on the FC-G5S with a new reporting mechanism on the Sahel, which continues to face destabilising terrorist violence.

Meanwhile, on 28 January, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger also announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The three countries alleged that ECOWAS had moved away from its founding principles and had become a threat to member states and their populations. They further criticised ECOWAS for not supporting their fight against terrorism while imposing what they claimed were illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions. At an ECOWAS extraordinary summit in Abuja on 24 February, West African leaders eased sanctions on Mali and decided to lift with immediate effect sanctions that they had imposed on Niger following the 26 July 2023 coup detat that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. The summit communique urged the three countries to reconsider their decision to leave ECOWAS and said the regional community would seek to convince them to remain in the group.

In other developments, the UN announced on 30 December 2023 the completion of MINUSMAs withdrawal from Mali. As the UN noted, it will continue to conduct a liquidation process of assets and equipment from sites in Gao and Bamako. On 25 January, Malis transitional government declared the immediate termination of the Mali 2015 Peace and Reconciliation Agreement. The announcement followed the retaking by Malian forcessupported by the Wagner Group, the Russian private security companyof the major cities and towns of northern Mali by the end of last year from Tuareg separatist groups during fighting that broke out during MINUSMAs withdrawal. In place of the peace agreement, authorities announced an Inter-Malian Dialogue for Peace and National Reconciliation. The main armed groups, however, have remained outside this process.

On 31 March, more than 80 political parties and civil society groups called for holding elections as soon as possible after the date that transitional authorities had committed to restore constitutional order (26 March) had passed. The authorities subsequently suspended all political activities in a 10 April decree and two days later banned media coverage of political parties and activities.

Shortly after last years coup detat in Niger ousting President Bazoum, the countrys new authorities called for the withdrawal of the 1,500 French troops in the country. This was completed by the end of December 2023. On 4 December 2023, the authorities ended two military cooperation agreements with the EU, including the EU Civilian Capacity-Building Mission in Niger. A week earlier, Niger had also revoked a 2015 migration law adopted as part of an agreement with the EU that criminalised the trafficking of migrants in Niger. On 16 March, Niger revoked its military cooperation agreement with the US. The US maintains over 1,000 troops in the country and operates a drone base in Agadez that it built six years ago at a cost of $110 million to monitor terrorist groups. US officials, according to media reports on 19 April, said that they had agreed with Niger to plan an orderly and responsible withdrawal of forces to be completed over the coming months.

These decisions by Nigers military junta, known as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), came as Nigerien and Russian officials met in Niamey and Moscow in December 2023 and January, respectively, to strengthen military cooperation. On 10 April, personnel of Russias Africa Corps, which is the successor entity to the Wagner Group, deployed to Niger to train its forces and, reportedly, to deliver anti-aircraft systems. Africa Corps previously deployed about 100 troops to Burkina Faso on 24 January, and news reports said it would dispatch an additional 200 personnel to the country.

Meanwhile the security situation in the Sahel remains dire. According to the US-based crisis-monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), violence in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger has worsened since the coups detat in those countries, hitting a new high in 2023 as conflict fatalities increased by 38 percent and civilian deaths rose by 18 percent compared with the previous year. In Burkina Faso, over 8,000 people were killed, double the number in 2022. On 6 March, AES countries announced that they would create a joint counter-terrorism force. At an Africa counter-terrorism summit in Abuja on 22-23 April, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed said that the Sahel accounted for almost half the deaths caused by terrorism globally, and African leaders called for more regional cooperation, including the establishment of a regional standby force. A Human Rights Watch report, published on 25 April, said that Burkina Fasos military executed at least 223 civilians, including 56 children, on 24 and 25 February from two villages whose residents were accused of cooperating with terrorists.

Key Issues and Options

A key issue for the Council is whether and how to continue UN reporting on the Sahel to replace the bi-annual reports on the FC-G5S and focus Council attention on the security situation. With the end of MINUSMA and the Mali sanctions regime in 2023and the potential termination of the reporting cycle on the FC-G5Sthe Council would have only the biannual reports of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) as opportunities to consider the situation in the Sahel.

In addition to the threat posed by terrorism in the Sahel region, the ability of other counter-terrorism security mechanisms to counter thissuch as the AES, the Accra Initiative, and the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad basinare key issues.

Addressing structural conflict drivers in the Sahel, such as weak governance, under-development, and climate change, through the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) or other avenues, remains a key issue. Violations against civilians by Sahel countries militaries also remain a significant concern.

Council members could send a letter to the Secretary-General taking note of his decision to end his reporting on the FC-G5S and requesting UNOWAS or the Secretariat to provide additional reports on developments in the Sahel and relevant security initiatives and mechanisms. Another option is for members to request ad-hoc briefings when developments in the Sahel warrant Council attention.

Council Dynamics

Council discussion on the Sahel has grown polarised in recent years. As the AES states have rejected traditional security and regional partners (ECOWAS, France, the UN, and the US), Russia has strengthened its ties with military juntas in the Sahel. The US and European members have repeatedly criticised the presence of Russias Wagner Group in the region while Russia has become a champion of the views of the AES states.

This has made agreement on Council products difficult. While Western and African Council members, among others, have preferred to maintain a mechanism for Council engagement on the Sahel, Russia has to date objected to different proposals to replace the FC-G5S reporting cycle. Elected member Algeria, which brokered the 2015 Mali Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, also known as the Algiers Accord, was seen as a potential bridge between the UN and Mali amid the tensions last year that led Malis transitional authorities to demand MINUSMAs withdrawal. But Algerias relations have soured with Mali, while Nigers CNSP also rebuffed Algerian efforts to mediate a political transition agreement.

France is the penholder on the FC-G5S.

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SECURITY COUNCIL AND WIDER UN STRUCTURE

In Hindsight: Applying to be a Member of the UN: The Palestinian Case

On 18 April, the US vetoed a draft Security Council resolution that would have recommended that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations. Twelve Council members voted in favour of the draft resolution, while two abstained (Switzerland and the UK). The last veto on a membership application was on 15 November 1976, when the US vetoed the application of the newly established Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

On 3 April, the Secretary-General conveyed to the Security Council a letter from the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine that sought renewed consideration of its 23 September 2011 application in the month of April. There were times in the last 13 years when it appeared that the State of Palestine might revive its membership bid, which the Council had failed to agree on, but no further action was taken. At the time of the 2011 application, the political situation was very different, with diplomatic activity focused on getting the parties to resume direct negotiations. The April request came at one of the most volatile periods in the region following the 7 October 2023 large-scale attacks against Israel led by Hamas, and the ensuing massive airstrikes and ground operation carried out by Israel on the Gaza Strip.

In this In Hindsight, we reflect on how the membership process unfolded in accordance with the UN Charter and other guiding procedural documents, its broader historical context, and possible next steps.

Procedure and Process: The Application of the State of Palestine

Becoming a member of the UN is a multi-step process involving the Secretary-General, the Council, and the General Assembly. Article 4(1) of the UN Charter, rule 60 of the Security Councils provisional rules of procedure, and rule 136 of the General Assemblys rules of procedure lay out the UN membership criteria: it is open to states that are peace-loving, accept the obligations in the Charter, and are able and willing to carry them out. Article 4(2) of the Charter notes that admission of any such state to membership will be effected by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

Rule 58 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure states that applications for UN membership are submitted to the Secretary-General and should include a declaration made in a formal instrument accepting the obligations of the UN Charter. On 2 April, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine submitted a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres requesting the Security Councils renewed consideration of its September 2011 application for membership to the UN, in accordance with rule 58. (The September 2011 application was initiated after the US vetoed a draft resolution (S/2011/24) in February 2011 reaffirming that Israeli settlements established in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, are illegal and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.)

Rule 59 of the Councils provisional rules directs the Secretary-General to transmit the application to the Security Council, which will then normally refer it to a committee. The Committee on the Admission of New Members, a subsidiary body comprising all 15 Council members, is tasked with examining any application referred to it and reporting its conclusions to the Council.

Five days after the Secretary-General submitted the State of Palestines application to the Council (S/2024/286), its president, Ambassador Vanessa Frazier of Malta, convened a public meeting on 8 April, following consultations earlier that morning, and announced that she was referring the application to the committee on the Admission of New Members. The Councils practice in this regard has varied: since 1969, applications were generally referred to the committee, whereas the Council chose to deal with all applications itself between 1952 and 1968.

The committee met on 8 and 11 April, and on 16 April its chair wrote to the president of the Council transmitting the committees report. The report stated that the committee had concluded its consideration of the application and was unable to make a unanimous recommendation to the Security Council regarding whether the application met all the criteria for membership set out in Article 4 of the Charter. This is the same conclusion it reached in 2011.

On the same day that the committee submitted its report, Algeria circulated a draft resolution recommending to the General Assembly that the State of Palestine be granted UN membership (S/2024/312). In 2011, following the committees inability to reach agreement, no member had taken this step. At that time, it seems there was concern that a draft resolution might not garner the necessary nine votes in favour, while on the other hand, if nine affirmative votes were found, there was little appetite for forcing a US veto. In 2024, with the crisis in Gaza dominating the agenda, support from more Council members seemed likely.

Speaking at the 18 April meeting, Council membersas well as the State of Palestine and Israelgave their views on whether the State of Palestine met the criteria for UN membership as outlined in Article 4 of the UN Charter, including contrasting perspectives as to whether it qualifies as a state and is peace-loving (S/PV.9609).

Several membersincluding Algeria, China, France, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, and Sloveniaargued that granting the State of Palestine member state status at the UN would advance the two-state solution (that is, two sovereign states peacefully co-existing side by side). Three others maintained that membership would be premature, with the UK and the US calling for reforms to be made by the Palestinians and Switzerland stating that membership at present is not conducive to easing the situation and finding a peaceful solution, given the great instability and the conflict on the ground.

In casting its veto, the US said that Palestinian statehoodwill only come from direct negotiations between the parties, a perspective that contrasted sharply with the views of some other Council members. Guyana stated that the criteria set out in Article 4 are the only ones to be taken into consideration for the admission of members to the UN. China argued that making negotiations a pre-condition for Palestinian statehood was putting the cart before the horse, while Slovenia said that UN membership is not an alternative to negotiations, but complementary to them. Some members underlined that they expect efforts to continue. Algeria stated that its efforts will not cease until the State of Palestine becomes a full Member of the United Nations. Ecuador expressed its hope that soon conditions will be in place that will allow the Council, unanimously, to recommend the admission of Palestine as a full Member of the United Nations. And Sierra Leone maintained that, as a matter of justice, UN membership for the State of Palestine cannot be denied.

If the Algerian draft resolution had been adopted, constituting a positive recommendation from the Council, the General Assembly would have been required to vote on the Palestinian membership application. Since the admission of any new member is an important question, a two-thirds majority of members present and voting is needed to approve an application, under rule 136 of the General Assemblys rules of procedure.

Whats Next?

When the Council cannot agree to recommend a new member for admission (as in the current case of the State of Palestine) or postpones consideration of an application, it has to submit a special report to the General Assembly with a complete record of the discussion, as described in rule 60 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure. The president of the Council sent this report to the General Assembly on 23 April 2024.

Vetoes of membership applications were common during the Cold War, blocking the admission of new members 59 times. The USSR cast 51 vetoes on membership applications, the US six. There was one membership veto apiece during this era by the Republic of China and the Peoples Republic of China.[1]

A new element is the veto initiative, namely General Assembly resolution 76/262 of 26 April 2022, which requires the General Assembly to meet within ten days whenever a veto is cast and for the Council to submit a special report on each use of the veto to the General Assembly. However, according to this resolution, the veto initiative is not triggered if the General Assembly is meeting in an emergency special session on the same situation. Members therefore had the option of resuming the Tenth Emergency Special Session (ESS) on Illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which was initiated in 1997, in lieu of a dedicated General Assembly meeting on the US veto on Palestinian membership.

This appeared the most likely scenario on 24 April, when the chairs of the Arab Group, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Non-Aligned Movement wrote to the president of the General Assembly, citing the US veto and requesting the resumption of the Tenth Emergency Special Session (ESS). However, it seems that the ESS could not meet within the ten-day period after the veto and expects to do so on 10 May. In light of this, the president of the General Assembly wrote to all member states on 26 April informing them that he would convene a General Assembly meeting under the agenda item use of the veto, as well as an ESS.

The Arab Group is expected to present a draft resolution at the ESS. In accordance with rule 137 of the General Assemblys rules of procedure, the resolution could request the Council to reconsider the application of the State of Palestine. This was done in the case of Viet Nam on 26 November 1976, when the General Assembly adopted a resolution expressing deep regret and concern that one negative vote by a permanent member of the Security Council prevented the adoption of the draft resolution supported by 14 members and asked the Council to reconsider the matter favourably and in accordance with Article 4 of the Charter.[2]

The General Assembly could also recommend that permanent members of the Council consult to reach agreement, as was the case in 1947 with the applications of Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Mongolia [resolution 113 (II) A].

But the Council can choose to postpone indefinitely the reconsideration of an application when it comes back from the General Assembly, as it did with 14 states between 1947 and 1950, in a number of cases citing the need for consultations among permanent members.

As well, the General Assembly could consider adopting a resolution according additional rights to the State of Palestine, which would also require a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting. In response to the deadlock in the Council on Palestinian membership in 2011, the General Assembly in 2012 adopted a draft resolution according the State of Palestine non-member observer State status. It had previously been an observer entity. This has given it the right to participate in all UN proceedings, but not to vote on draft resolutions and decisions in its main organs and bodies. In 2019, when the State of Palestine served as chair of the Group of 77 developing countries and China (G77), the General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/73/5 according the State of Palestine additional rights for a year. These rights included being able to submit proposals and amendments and introduce them, to exercise a right of reply and raise procedural motions, including points of order and requests to put proposals to a vote.[3]

If the General Assembly requests the Council to reconsider the application, it is likely that the Council will take up this matter again in the coming months. Council members, however, do not foresee any change in the positions taken during the vote in April. The General Assembly is unlikely to let the matter end here, and all eyes are now on possible action in that organ.

[1] In October 1971, the Peoples Republic of China assumed the seat previously held by the Republic of China in the General Assembly and the Security Council.

[2] A/RES/31/21

[3] https://www.un.org/unispal/document/palestines-status-at-the-un-explained-news-item/. Also see SCR Procedure 7 April 2024 article on Palestines request for reconsideration of its 2011 application for UN memberships raises several procedural issues.
MIDDLE EAST

Iraq

Expected Council Action

In May, the Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), which expires on 31 May. Outgoing Special Representative and Head of UNAMI Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert is also scheduled to brief the Council on recent developments in Iraq and the Secretary-Generals upcoming reports on UNAMI and the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-party nationals and missing Kuwaiti property.

Key Recent Developments

The security situation in Iraq remains tense amidst regional fallout from the Israel-Hamas war. Following the outbreak of the conflict, Iraqi militia groupsconsidered Iranian proxies forming part of the countrys axis of resistance across the regionlaunched dozens of attacks on US military assets in Iraq and Syria, as well as a 28 January drone strike against a US military outpost in north-eastern Jordan in which three people were killed. On 2 February, the US launched retaliatory airstrikes against 85 militia targets in western Iraq and eastern Syria, reportedly killing 16 people and wounding 25 in Iraq. On 7 February, the US conducted a drone strike in Baghdad that killed a senior leader of the Kataib Hezbollah militia group who was allegedly responsible for the 28 January strike. Since then, the militias do not appear to have attacked US assets in the region.

The hostilities raised tensions between the US and Iraqi governments. Iraq condemned the US strikes as violations of Iraqi sovereignty, and some officials called for the withdrawal of the 2,500 US military advisers stationed in the country as part of the international coalition combatting the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh). In a 25 January statement, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced that the US-Iraq Higher Military Commissionestablished in August 2023 to begin phasing down the US-led military coalitionwould start holding working group meetings to enable the transition to an enduring bilateral security partnership between the countries. The commissions three working groups have subsequently met in Baghdad to assess the continued threat from ISIL/Daesh, the operational environment, and the capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces, respectively. In a joint statement issued after a 15 April meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani and US President Joe Biden in Washington, DC, the two leaders affirmed that they would continue to review these three factors to determine when and how the anti-ISIL/Daesh coalition in Iraq would end and transition to bilateral security partnerships.

Iraq has also been implicated in the rising tensions between Iran and Israel. On 12 April, Iran launched an airborne attack against Israel comprising approximately 300 uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. In a 14 April press statement, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the strikes were supplemented by additional attacks by militias in Iraq, as well as the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Al-Sudani denied that strikes on Israel were launched from Iraqi territory.

On the political track, the Iraqi Federal Court, in a 20 February ruling, struck down an election law in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) that reserved 11 seats in the regional parliament for ethnic and religious minorities. The ruling also transferred authority to oversee regional elections from the KRIs electoral commission to the federal Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission and divided the regions single-constituency system into four separate constituencies. In response, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)the regions dominant political partyannounced that it would boycott the regional parliamentary elections scheduled for 20 June.

In a 20 March statement, UNAMI took note of both decisions by the Iraqi Federal Court and the KDP and called on all parties to work together toward a solution to avoid another prolonged impasse, noting that it was essential to hold the parliamentary elections on the prescribed date. The elections had originally been scheduled for October 2022 but have been postponed several times because of political disagreements between Kurdish and federal Iraqi officials and between rival Kurdish political parties.

On 15 January, the Secretary-General submitted to the Council his report containing recommendations on ways for the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL in Iraq (UNITAD) to share its collected evidence with Iraqi authorities. That report was requested by resolution 2697 of 15 September 2023, which renewed UNITADs mandate for a final one-year term. On 14 March, Special Adviser and head of UNITAD Christian Ritscher transmitted to the Council a road map for the completion of the teams mandate and necessary steps for its closure, also requested by resolution 2697.

On 28 March, the Secretary-General transmitted to the Council the independent strategic review of UNAMI, requested by resolution 2682 of 30 May 2023, which most recently renewed the missions mandate. According to the review, the Iraqi government has proposed that UNAMI draw down by May 2026 through a two-year transitional period that would limit the missions mandated tasks to humanitarian and development activities during the next one-year mandate period and subsequently transfer residual mission tasks to the UN Country Team (UNCT) in the following period. The review appeared to endorse this timeline, which it said could facilitate an orderly reconfiguration of the UN presence in Iraq. It also recommended, however, that the timeline be combined with an indicator-based approach to reassure all Iraqi stakeholdersnotably minority groups and civil society actorsof the sustainability of the current political system and their continued safe participation in it after UNAMIs drawdown. The proposed indicators include, among other things, the peaceful holding of parliamentary elections; the undertaking of a constitutional review; a sustainable UN human rights presence beyond UNAMI; an agreement between the federal government and the KRI on the equitable sharing of oil revenues; and continued progress in providing security in all areas of Iraq, including through the progressive transfer of security tasks from the military to the police.

Furthermore, noting a discrepancy between UNAMIs current mandate and what is achievable on the ground, the review recommended that the Council streamline UNAMIs mandate during the transitional period to better address present threats to Iraqs peace and security. It identified these threats as the fragility of state institutions, the proliferation of armed actors, and the possibility of a resurgence of ISIL/Daesh or other violent extremist groupsall of which are exacerbated by uncertainty about the impact of the current regional crisis on Iraq. In this context, the review recommended focusing UNAMIs mandate on supporting Iraqi efforts to consolidate nationally owned conflict resolution, crisis management, and reconciliation mechanisms, as well as continuing to provide technical elections and human rights assistance. It also recommended that the Council reduce the frequency of the Secretary-Generals reporting from three times a year to a biannual cycle to allow for better analysis of UNAMIs progress in areas that are increasingly focused on longer-term issues.

On 5 February, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo briefed Council members at Russias request on the US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. (For more information, see our Whats in Blue story of 5 February.) The following day, on 6 February, the Council convened for its regular briefing on UNAMI. At that meeting, Hennis-Plasschaert announced her intention to step down from her position in late May. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed her in 2018.

Human-Rights Related Developments

On 9 February, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Marta Hurtado expressed great concern about proposed amendments to legislation in Iraq. Approving these amendments, she noted, would impose the death penalty or life imprisonment for engaging in consensual same-sex relations. The spokesperson called on the members of Iraqs parliament to ensure that any legislation is fully in line with Iraqs human rights obligations. On 15 April, Iraqi lawmakers postponed voting due to time constraints; disagreements over the amendments remained unresolved.

Key Issues and Options

The key issue for the Council in May is to renew UNAMIs mandate. The Council is expected to initiate the transition towards a recalibrated UN presence in Iraq while seeking to preserve the relative stability that the country has enjoyed since the current government came into power in October 2022.

The independent strategic review is expected to inform Council negotiations, including with regard to the transitional timeline, the substance of UNAMIs mandate during the transition, and proposed indicators to measure progress. Escalating regional and national tensions in the context of the Israel-Hamas war could also affect these discussions.

In the longer term, the Council could also consider options described in the review for supporting Iraq in strengthening effective regional cooperation on transnational issues, such as border security, energy, trade, environment, refugees, and the adverse impacts of climate change. In this regard, the review recommended that the Council establish a dedicated capacity to help countries in the Gulf region consolidate linkages on these issues, possibly in the form of a regional UN office to promote regional dialogue and confidence-building.

Council and Broader Dynamics

Council members are broadly supportive of the Iraqi government and the assistance provided by UNAMI. Last years adoptions of resolutions 2682 and 2697respectively renewing the mandates of UNAMI and UNITADwere unanimous.

Council members also largely agree that the UNs long-term configuration in Iraq should be reviewed in light of the improving political and security situations in the country, a position shared by the Iraqi government. Resolution 2682 therefore requested an independent strategic review of UNAMIs mandate.

Despite this consensus, Council members may have diverging views on the specific elements of a transition. For instance, they may debate the length and sequencing of the timeline, such as the two-year transitional period recommended by the review and the Iraqi governments proposal to limit the missions mandate to humanitarian and development activities as of the next mandate period. Members are also likely to deliberate the reviews recommendation to combine a transitional timeline with an indicator-based approach, including which indicators to employ and the extent to which the timeline should be contingent on progress on those indicators.

More broadly, the current regional situation has exacerbated geopolitical tensions, which have played out in the context of Iraq. US and Iranian military operations in the country have strained Baghdads relations with both Washington and Tehran while stoking concerns about a direct confrontation between the US and Iran in the region. The escalation may also further inflame relations between the US and both China and Russia, which have forged close ties with Tehran. The Iraqi government routinely declares that it seeks a balanced relationship with regional and international security partners and does not wish to become a theatre for geopolitical conflicts.

The US is the penholder on Iraq issues in general, and the UK is the penholder on Iraqi-Kuwaiti issues.

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MIDDLE EAST

Lebanon

Expected Council Action

In May, Council members expect to receive their semi-annual briefing in consultations on the Secretary-Generals report on the implementation of resolution 1559. Adopted in 2004, resolution 1559 called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon, the disarmament of all militias, and the extension of government control over the whole Lebanese territory. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo is expected to brief.

Key Recent Developments

Following the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas on 7 October 2023, near-daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line between Israel and Hezbollah and other armed groups in Lebanon continue to give rise to serious concerns about a major escalation of violence in southern Lebanon. (For background on the war in Gaza, see the The Middle East, including the Palestinian Question brief in our April Monthly Forecast. The Blue Line is a withdrawal line set by the UN in 2000 to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. While not representing an international border, it acts in practice as a boundary between Lebanon and Israel in the absence of an agreed border between the two states.)

The intensification and the geographical reach of the strikes and statements by Israeli and Hezbollah officials raise the prospect that brinkmanship may give way to open conflict. Briefing at the 18 April Security Council open debate on The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for maximum restraint, noting that the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line could take on a momentum of their own and [s]trikes deep into the territories of Lebanon and Israel could ignite an even more serious confrontation.

The exchanges of fire have resulted in casualties among both combatants and civilians on both sides of the Blue Line. As at 18 April, 370 people have been killed in Lebanon since the escalation, including at least 70 civilians, while 18 people have been killed in Israel, including eight civilians, according to data cited by the Agence France Presse wire service. Tens of thousands of people have been internally displaced in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, according to the latest Secretary-Generals report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, which was adopted in 2006 and called for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. The report, which was issued on 8 March and covers the period from 21 October 2023 to 20 February, also said that these exchanges had created new areas of unexploded ordnance contamination, posing a threat to civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and to UN and humanitarian personnel.

Against this backdrop, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has continued to work to implement its mandate, including through vehicular and counter-rocket-launching patrols in its area of operations. At the time of writing, no fatalities among UNIFIL peacekeepers have been reported since the start of the escalation. Some peacekeepers have been wounded, however, and several of the missions positions have been hit. On 30 March, three military observers of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) serving in the Observer Group Lebanon and a language assistant were injured during a patrol along the Blue Line as a result of an explosion. While at the time of writing a UNIFIL investigation into the incident was ongoing, media reports citing declarations by a Lebanese official have attributed the incident to a landmine. The Secretary-Generals report on resolution 1701 said that [o]n several occasions, individuals carried out attacks against Israel from the vicinity of UNIFIL positions, drawing return fire by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In response, UNIFIL protested that the actions endangered peacekeepers and UNIFIL premises, and initiated patrols around its positions to prevent hostile activity. The Secretary-Generals report also noted three incidents in which UNIFIL positions were directly hit, including by white phosphorous ammunition.

The Secretary-Generals report said that UNIFIL facilitated numerous civilian and humanitarian activities in areas near the Blue Line, but [f]oot patrols, market walks, temporary checkpoints and air operations remained suspended, except for a limited resumption of foot patrols in areas sufficiently distant from the Blue Line. While UNIFIL liaison and coordination mechanisms continue to be used, it seems that no meeting of the tripartite mechanismwhich consists of representatives of UNIFIL, the IDF and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)has taken place since September 2023.

Messaging on the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line from senior UN officials in Lebanon has focused on the importance of de-escalation and the need for the parties to recommit to a cessation of hostilities under the framework of resolution 1701. Key messages have also included the importance of a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict between Lebanon and Israel through a political process, and of preserving unity among Security Council members behind efforts to maintain Lebanons sovereignty, territorial integrity and political stability.

In his latest report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559, which covers the period from 20 September 2023 to 22 March, the Secretary-General observed that the maintenance and use by Hezbollah of military capabilities remains a matter of grave concern, adding that the widespread presence of weapons outside of the states control and the activity of several armed Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias continue to undermine security and stability in Lebanon. He urged the Lebanese government and the LAF to take all measures necessary to prohibit Hezbollah and other groups from acquiring weapons and building paramilitary capacity outside the states authority. In the report, Guterres also condemned all violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon and noted that the IDFs strikes on Lebanese territory undermine security and exacerbate the tensions. He called on Israel to abide by its international law obligations and relevant Security Council resolutions, including to immediately cease its flights over Lebanese airspace.

Diplomatic initiatives by France and the US focusing on de-escalation and on bringing the parties to a negotiation process over disputed areas along the Blue Line have continued. However, these efforts have yet to bear fruit. Hezbollah has said on several occasions that until the war in Gaza ends, it will not take part in any negotiations and the Lebanese front will remain active.

Lebanon has been without a president for one and a half years since Michel Aouns term ended on 31 October 2022, with opposing politico-sectarian blocks unable to agree on a candidate. An informal group of five states (Egypt, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the US), often referred to as the Quintet, has held several meetings with Lebanese political leaders in an attempt to mobilise agreement on the presidential file, thus far to no avail. The presidential vacuum is compounded by the fact that, almost two years since the 15 May 2022 legislative elections, Lebanons government remains in caretaker status. On 25 April, the Lebanese parliament voted to extend the term of local government officials until 31 May 2025, paving the way for a postponement of the elections for up to a year. This marked the third time that local elections, originally planned for May 2022, have been postponed.

Anti-refugee sentiment, measures, and incidents continue to be a source of concern in Lebanon, which hosts the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. In a 25 April statement, Human Rights Watch stressed that Lebanese authorities have arbitrarily detained, tortured, and forcibly returned Syrians to Syria in recent months, including opposition activists and army defectors. In 2023, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees registered about 300 incidents during which over 13,700 individuals were deported from Lebanon or pushed back at the border with Syria.

More than two years since the April 2022 Staff Level Agreement between Lebanon and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Lebanon does not appear to be close to satisfying the preconditions set by the IMF to support the country with around $3 billion.

The investigation into responsibility for the 4 August 2020 Beirut port explosion remains stalled.

Key Issues and Options

The non-implementation of key aspects of resolution 1559 and 1701 remains a key concern. The continuing exchanges of fire across the Blue Line and the risk of a major escalation of violence in Lebanon are also key issues for Council members. Open war in southern Lebanon would have potentially catastrophic effects on the country, where the inability of politicians to agree on a presidential candidate is normalising the paralysis of key Lebanese institutions and, in turn, decreasing the chances of effectively addressing the countrys socioeconomic challenges and catalysing recovery.

Council members are likely to closely monitor developments in Lebanon and across the Blue Line and may consider stepping up diplomatic efforts to emphasise to all actors involved that brinkmanship is likely to have disastrous consequences. Council members may consider issuing a press statement calling on all relevant parties to cease fire and implement Security Council resolutions 1559 and 1701. The press statement could also emphasise the importance of respecting international law and stress that civilians and civilian objects must never be targeted. It could also underscore the importance of reforms to promote socioeconomic stability and of respecting the principle of non-refoulement.

Though not addressing the causes of the long-standing hostility between Israel and Hezbollah, a ceasefire in Gaza would likely contribute to quietening the situation along the Blue Line, possibly opening space for indirect talks between Lebanon and Israel. While the Palestinian question remains unresolved, however, the risk of a regional conflagration connected to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and involving Lebanon is likely to persist even after the end of the war between Israel and Hamas. The resumption of a political process between Israelis and Palestinians to move towards a resolution of the conflict and achieve a two-state solution would have beneficial effects for the whole region, however remote the possibility currently appears. A key issue for Council members and UN member states would be to build effectively on any political momentum in the region to better support Lebanon to overcome its own multi-layered crises.

Council Dynamics

There continues to be broad consensus among Council members in support of Lebanons sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security. They also agree that a full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah must be avoided. However, differences among Council members persist over Hezbollah. Some members distinguish between Hezbollahs political and military wings and have designated only its military wing as a terrorist organisation. Other members, including the UK and the US, have listed Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organisation. In contrast, Russia sees Hezbollah as a legitimate sociopolitical force.

France is the penholder on Lebanon.

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AFRICA

Libya

Expected Council Action

In May, the Security Council is expected to vote on a resolution renewing for one year the authorisation for member states, acting nationally or through regional organisations, to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya, bound to or from Libya, that they have reasonable grounds to believe are violating the arms embargo. The current authorisation expires on 2 June.

The Council will also receive the biannual briefing of the ICC Prosecutor, Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, on the ICCs Libya-related activities.

Background and Key Recent Developments

The Security Council first adopted measures in support of the full implementation of the arms embargo on Libya in resolution 2292 of 14 June 2016. The interception of vessels bound to or from Libya was intended to curb the flow of arms to the country and to support the two-way arms embargo imposed on the country in resolution 1970, which was adopted unanimously on 26 February 2011. The UK, the penholder in 2016 for resolution 2292, said in its explanation of vote that adopting those measures was a sign of support for the then-Government of National Accord (GNA)which was replaced by the Government of National Unity (GNU) in February 2021 following the UN-facilitated Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF)to facilitate its extension of state authority across the country. The UK also acknowledged that the arms embargo had not fully stopped the flow of weapons into the country, saying that resolution 2292 detailed concrete steps to curb that flow.

The authorisation for maritime inspections was last renewed by resolution 2684 of 2 June 2023, which requested the Secretary-General to submit reports on the implementation of the measures within six months and 11 months of the resolutions adoption. The first report, which covered the period from 15 April to 31 October 2023, referred to Libyas divided government and tense security situation and reaffirmed that the arms embargo, when properly implemented, could continue to play an important role in maintaining conditions conducive to advancing the political process, assisting Libyan authorities in ensuring security, and preventing the proliferation of arms in Libya and the region. The report said that it therefore remained essential that the embargo, combined with the inspection authorisation, be strictly implemented in a comprehensive manner to prevent illicit transfers by air, land, and sea. The report also referenced the final report of the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committees Panel of Experts, covering the period from 25 April 2022 to 17 July 2023, which identified new violations of the arms embargo and provided a summary illustrating the variety and technical complexity of the arms that have been transferred into the country since the establishment of the arms embargo in 2011.

According to the Secretary-Generals report, the EU naval operation EUNAVFOR Med IRINI (Operation IRINI) remained the only regional organisation to inspect vessels under the authorisation. Between 15 April and 31 October 2023, it conducted 3,049 hailings (making contact with other vessels), 128 friendly approaches (consensual visits to vessels that can be carried out without flag state approval and without the use of enforcement measures), and one vessel inspection. It attempted one additional inspection but did not carry it out because of an explicit refusal of consent by the vessels flag state. (The authorisation requires good-faith efforts to first obtain the consent of the vessels flag state prior to any inspections.) No cargo seizures were reported.

In addition to renewing the maritime inspection authorisation, the Council is scheduled to receive a briefing this month from Khan on the ICCs Libya-related activities. The Council referred the situation in Libya to the ICC in resolution 1970, which invited the ICC Prosecutor to update the Council every six months. The ICC has jurisdiction over crimes listed in the Rome Statute committed on Libyas territory or by its nationals from 15 February 2011 onwards. The ICC opened investigations in March 2011 related to alleged crimes against humanity (including murder, imprisonment, torture, persecution, and other inhumane acts) and war crimes (including murder, torture, cruel treatment, and outrages upon personal dignity). There is currently one open case before the court, centred on Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. On 27 June 2011, the court charged Qaddafi with two counts of alleged crimes against humanity and issued a warrant for his arrest. He remains at large.

In his previous biannual report to the Council, dated 8 November 2023, Khan said that his office had continued its renewed investigative strategy for Libyafirst announced in April 2022which involves the allocation of additional resources, increased engagement with those affected by alleged crimes in Libya, and more effective cooperation with Libyan authorities. Khan reported significant progress across the four key lines of inquiry established under the strategy, particularly on the track related to military operations conducted between 2014 and 2020, for which investigative activities were nearly complete. Based on this progress, Khan anticipated that his next report to the Council could outline a potential roadmap for the conclusion of the ICCs activities in Libya pursuant to resolution 1970.

Regarding the broader political situation in Libya, the impasse continues between the UN-recognised GNU, based in Tripoli and led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah, and the eastern-based Government of National Stability (GNS), led by Prime Minister Osama Hamad and aligned with the House of Representatives (HoR) and the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) under the command of General Khalifa Haftar. The stalemate between the rival governments has persisted since the indefinite postponement of the Libyan national elections that were planned for December 2021. In this context, both the UN and national actors have concentrated efforts on facilitating agreement on a new roadmap for national elections to unify the countrys divided government. (For more background and information on the political situation, see the brief on Libya in our April 2024 Monthly Forecast.)

In his 16 April briefing to the Council, Special Representative and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Abdoulaye Bathily said that Libyan leaders had continued to respond to his mediation efforts with stubborn resistance, unreasonable expectations, and indifference to the interests of the Libyan people. He described competing initiatives outside the UN track as counterproductive and called for an end to the selfish resolve of current leaders to maintain the status quo through delaying tactics and manoeuvres. At a press conference following the briefing, Bathily confirmed that he had submitted his resignation to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, adding that there is no way the UN can operate successfully in Libya under the current circumstances. At the time of writing, it was unclear when he would step down.

On 1 March, Guterres announced the appointment of Stephanie Koury (US) as UNSMILs Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs.

Women, Peace and Security

The annual report of the Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), which was issued on 4 April, says that factors including clashes between armed groups and illicit arms proliferation created an environment in which CRSV was perpetrated with impunity in Libya in 2023, with UNSMIL verifying five CRSV cases during the year. The report says that sexual violence was used by both state and non-state actors as a tactic to silence journalists, detainees, migrants and women and that it persisted in detention centres, to which humanitarian access remained severely restricted. The report further notes that LGBTQI persons were targeted with sexual violence including in detention and that [t]raffickers, smugglers and armed men continued to perpetrate CRSV against migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, and displaced persons, with state actors also being implicated. In his report, the Secretary-General called on the Libyan authorities and non-state actors to grant the UN unrestricted humanitarian access to prisons, detention centres and migrant and refugee disembarkation points. He also called for accountability and for the adoption of legislation targeting trafficking and on the protection of women and children from violence.

Key Issues and Options

A key issue for the Council in May is to renew the authorisation for maritime inspections off the coast of Libya. Since the adoption of resolution 2292 in 2016, the Council has renewed the authorisation annually through straightforward rollovers. France and Malta, co-penholders for the authorisation, are expected to seek a similar extension this year.

Council members may also continue the regular practice of convening an informal interactive dialogue (IID) ahead of the authorisations renewal to discuss its implementation with an EU representative.

In the longer term, the main objective for the Council is to help foster common ground between Libyas rival legislatures to agree on electoral laws to unify the countrys divided governmentsa goal that Bathily has repeatedly urged Council members to support by wielding their influence on national stakeholders.

Council Dynamics

Until 2022, the Council unanimously renewed the maritime inspection authorisation every year. Since then, Russia has abstained on the vote, questioning the viability of the authorisation, noting that Operation IRINI has failed to uncover significant arms supply channels, and alleging that it conducts its inspections in a selective and non-transparent manner. The Russian representative reiterated these points at the Councils 16 April briefing on Libya, adding with regard to the upcoming renewal of the authorisation that Russia would act in keeping with its expressed concerns. At the same briefing, the UK and US expressed concern about recent reports of Russian arms shipments to eastern Libya.

Russia has also criticised the work of the ICC. Prior to Khans May 2023 Council briefingwhich took place following the ICCs March 2023 announcement that it had issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Commissioner for Childrens Rights Maria Lvova-Belovathe country raised a point of order to object to Khans participation, claiming that the ICC had become a puppet of Western countries and was acting on their orders and in their political interests. Russia reiterated this view at Khans November 2023 briefing, urging the Council to consider recalling from the ICC the situations on Libya and Sudan that had previously been referred to it.

Although less forceful in their criticisms, some other Council members have also expressed reservations about the courts work. China has described it as a violation of the principle of national sovereignty, while African members have long expressed concerns about the courts perceived disproportionate focus on their continent. Those Council members that are state parties to the Rome Statute of the ICCcurrently Ecuador, France, Guyana, Japan, Malta, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the UKare generally supportive of the courts work. The position of the US, which is not a party to the Rome Statute, has varied depending on the sitting administration.

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Overview

In May, Mozambique holds the presidency of the UN Security Council.

Mozambique is expected to convene two signature events during its presidency. One will be a high-level debate on strengthening the role of African states in addressing global security and development challenges under the Maintenance of international peace and security agenda item. UN and AU representatives are the anticipated briefers.

Mozambiques second signature event for the month will be a debate on the role of women and youth in maintaining peace and security, also under the Maintenance of international peace and security agenda item. Mozambiques Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Veronica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo is expected to chair the meeting. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier, a high-level representative of UN Women, and a civil society representative are expected to brief.

This month, the Security Council will hold its annual debate on the protection of civilians. The expected briefers are Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, and a civil society representative.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi is also expected to brief the Council in May.

African issues on the programme in May are:

Sudan/South Sudan , meeting on the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and recent developments between the two countries;

South Sudan , renewal of the 2206 South Sudan sanctions regime and the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the 2206 South Sudan Sanctions Committee;

Libya , briefing by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the courts Libya-related activities and reauthorisation of measures under resolution 2292 to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya; and

Sahel , meeting on the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel).

Middle Eastern issues on the programme include:

Regarding European issues, the semi-annual debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina is expected to take place in May. As in previous months, there may also be one or more meetings on Ukraine in May.

In terms of Asian issues, Council members are expected to receive a briefing in consultations on the work of the 1718 Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sanctions Committee.

Other issues could also be raised during the month, depending on developments.
THEMATIC ISSUES

Protection of Civilians

Expected Council Action

In May, the Security Council will receive the Secretary-Generals annual report on the protection of civilians (PoC) in armed conflict and hold its annual open debate on the topic. The expected briefers for the debate are Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths and ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger. Mozambique, the Council president in May, is also expected to invite a civil society representative.

Background and Key Recent Developments

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions and the 25th anniversary of resolution 1265, which introduced PoC as an item on the Councils agenda. While it has been customary in recent years for the Secretary-Generals report and the Councils open debate to focus on a specific sub-topicsuch as conflict and hunger, humanitarian access, or the protection of healthcare workers and facilitiesthis year is expected to survey PoC-related progress and challenges more broadly.

For the 20th anniversary of the PoC agenda in 2019, OCHA published an occasional policy paper reviewing the evolution of the Councils protection practices. The paper reaffirmed the enduring relevance of resolution 1265s main provisions, which remained the agendas building blocks: enhancing compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL), facilitating access to humanitarian assistance, protecting forcibly displaced persons, providing protection through UN peace operations, and responding to violations through targeted measures and the promotion of accountability. According to the paper, the Councils subsequent engagement with the PoC agenda centred on strengthening its architecture through the adoption of thematic resolutions on relevant sub-topics, integrating and addressing protection concerns in country-specific resolutions and actions, and developing monitoring and accountability tools that seek to ensure the effective protection of civilians on the ground. In 2015 and 2018, the Council issued presidential statements describing PoC as one of the core issues on the Council agenda.

In April, OCHA published a follow-up policy brief that reviewed developments over the past five years. The brief described increasingly detailed and specific PoC-related language in Council resolutions, notably with regard to the actors bound by IHL; prohibited conduct; and protected persons and objects. It also noted the further development of monitoring mechanisms to track progress on the ground, including dedicated reporting mechanisms on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and children in armed conflict (CAAC). Additionally, the brief observed, special attention has been given to specific vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities, missing persons, and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, while there has been a call for increased involvement of women, youth, and internally displaced persons in peace processes. The Council has also increasingly used UN sanctions regimes as vehicles to protect civilians by establishing designation criteria related to IHL and human rights violations, and it has sought to address the potential negative impact of sanctions on humanitarian assistance, notably through resolution 2664 of 2022, which established a cross-cutting humanitarian exception to UN sanctions.

Notwithstanding this progress, the brief also described new and emerging challenges to the PoC agenda. It highlighted increasing political pushback from countries hosting peace operations with PoC mandates, resulting in the closure or transition of some operations despite continued threats to civilians in these contexts. In June 2023, for instance, the Council terminated the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) after the countrys transitional government withdrew its consent for the mission. Similarly, in December 2023, at the host governments request, the Council ended the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), a special political mission that was mandated to support national and local authorities in protecting civilians in conflict-affected areas. Multidimensional peacekeeping missions in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan are also engaged in various stages of transition planning despite continued protection concerns.

OCHA also identified non-compliance with IHL as another growing challenge to the PoC agenda, exacerbated by a lack of stronger accountability mechanisms. In this context, the brief noted that the gap between the agendas expanding normative framework and the realities experienced by civilians on the ground has remained, if not widened, over the past five years.

The Secretary-Generals report is expected to focus more narrowly on developments in 2023. It will describe the general state of the PoC agenda during the reporting period and give an overview of identified trends, including specific harms to civilians in armed conflict and relevant country-specific situations. Harms it is likely to highlight include civilian deaths, attacks on civilian infrastructure, conflict-induced hunger, explosive weapons in populated areas, and CRSV. It will draw examples from a variety of conflict situations around the world, which may include Burkina Faso, Colombia, Gaza, Myanmar, Nagorno-Karabakh, Niger, Sudan, and Ukraine, among others. The report is expected to provide recommendations to address relevant protection concerns, including stronger efforts to ensure compliance with IHL, as well as other actions that go beyond minimum compliance with legal frameworks. As in previous years, the report may include an annex detailing constraints to humanitarian access, such as bureaucratic impediments, attacks on humanitarian personnel, and insecurity in conflict zones.

In February, OCHA, with the support of Switzerland, released an updated version of its aide memoire for PoC, which is a consolidated database of Council resolutions and presidential statements that records agreed PoC language and identifies key themes and sub-topics. OCHA compiled the first aide memoire in 2002 upon request from the Security Council in a letter to the Secretary-General and has regularly updated it since then. This years edition is the first revision since 2018.

On 25 March, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq announced that Griffiths would step down from his position at the end of June because of health issues. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed him in July 2021.

Key Issues and Options

While the Council has engaged extensively on the protection of civilians at both the thematic and country-specific levels over the past 25 years, an overarching issue remains how to ensure a more consistent implementation of this agenda on the ground.

Securing compliance with IHL is one key task in this regard, including by strengthening accountability mechanisms, and humanitarian actors have also emphasised the importance of taking action beyond legal remedies to promote PoC as a political and strategic priority across international and national decision-making bodies. To further stimulate such discussion after the open debate, Mozambique could decide to produce a chairs summary, capturing the main proposals made during the meeting.

One specific PoC issue concerns attacks on humanitarian and UN personnel in conflict situations. It appears that Switzerland has proposed a draft resolution on this topic that Council members are currently negotiating. They may adopt the draft resolution in May.

Council and Wider Dynamics

Member states generally agree that the protection of civilians remains a core issue on the Councils agenda and that of the broader UN.

Views diverge, however, regarding the applicability of different frameworks for the provision of humanitarian assistance. While Western members typically emphasise the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, other membersparticularly China and Russiahave in recent years emphasised the UN guiding principles for humanitarian assistance adopted by the General Assembly in 1991, which stress state sovereignty and consent of the concerned member state.

This discussion has notably played out in the context of peacekeeping. In mandate negotiations, China, Russia, and African members tend to highlight the primary responsibility of the host state to protect civilians within its territory, while other members underscore the international communitys obligation to secure a protective environment in contexts lacking capable state authority.

Given the broad nature of this months open debate, members are likely to highlight a variety of other issues and contexts depending on their priorities. While many members have welcomed the emergence of various sub-themes within the PoC agenda as a means by which to shed light on otherwise neglected threats and populations, some have also expressed reservations about the possible fragmentation of the agenda in a way that undermines holistic protection efforts or creates different categories of civilians receiving unequal levels of attentiona concern that some humanitarian actors have also voiced. Moreover, within the Council, several countriesincluding China and Russia and former members Brazil and Indiahave cautioned against linking PoC to other agendas, such as climate security, which they consider to be beyond the Councils purview.

Finally, protection concerns have been subject to rising geopolitical tensions within certain country-specific situations. Western countries have condemned alleged IHL violations by Russia in Ukraine, while Russia and many Arab countries have condemned alleged violations by Israel in Gaza and criticised Western countries for supporting Israels war effort. This has led to accusations of hypocrisy and double standards from both sides.

The UK is the Councils penholder on protection of civilians in armed conflict.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. A memorandum of cooperation on the integration of energy systems of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan was signed in Tashkent, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov wrote on X, Trend reports.

Within the framework of a business trip to Uzbekistan, a Memorandum of Cooperation on the Integration of Energy Systems of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan was signed at a trilateral meeting of the economy and energy ministers of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, the minister noted.

According to him, the document's implementation will encourage the achievement of common goals in the direction of green energy production and export to Europe via Azerbaijani territory, as well as energy system integration and the organization of effective use of renewable energy sources.

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AFRICA

South Sudan

Expected Council Action

In May, the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution to extend the South Sudan sanctions regime (targeted sanctions and the arms embargo), which expires on 31 May, and renew the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the 2206 South Sudan Sanctions Committee, which expires on 1 July.

The mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) expires on 30 April 2025.

Key Recent Developments

The Secretary-Generals most recent report on South Sudan, dated 26 February, noted that implementation of critical benchmarks outlined in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), necessary for holding the national elections in December, remained behind schedule. In this regard, the report stated that an assessment as to whether a critical mass of compliance has been achieved will be made in April 2024.

This assessment, which the Secretary-General submitted to the Council on 8 April, was aimed at determining whether the minimum political and technical preconditions for a peaceful electoral process exist and, if not, what political decisions and resources would be required to achieve that objective. It analysed the progress made on the outstanding tasks, consolidating them in three categories: technical preparations, political and security preparations, and legislative reform. The report said that progress was made on the establishment of the necessary electoral institutionsthe National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC), the Political Parties Council (PPC), and the National Election Commission (NEC); however, funding for these institutions remains limited. It further observed that the parties to the R-ARCSS are yet to determine the type and number of elections to be conducted before the end of the transitional period. At the same time, the census and voter registration process also remain behind schedule, the report added.

Regarding the security preparations, the report said that the deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) remained limited, with only six percent of the planned 83,000 NUF personnel deployed by the end of March. The training and deployment of the second batch of NUF had not yet commenced, and the parties had also not reached agreement on the middle command structure of the unified force. The NUF appeared ill-prepared and incapable of providing the requisite security guarantees before, during, and after the national elections. The report also expressed concerns about the widespread intercommunal violence and the presence of small arms and light weapons across the country.

The report welcomed the inter-party dialogue on the election process among South Sudanese political parties and urged the South Sudanese leaders to allocate the required resources to support the institutions necessary for democratic transition. On 9 April, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS Nicholas Haysom briefed Council members on the 8 April assessment report under any other business. (For more background and information, see the brief on South Sudan in our April 2024 Monthly Forecast.)

From 16 to 18 April, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa undertook a working visit to South Sudan to discuss the implementation of the R-ARCSS ahead of the envisioned elections in December. (South Africa serves as the chair of the AU Ad Hoc High-Level Committee for South Sudan, known as the C5, that comprises Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa.) During his visit, Ramaphosa met with several high-level South Sudanese officials, including President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar. According to media reports, the meetings focused on exploring avenues for supporting the implementation of the R-ARCSS, including with regard to holding elections in December, mobilising resources to support the key electoral institutionsthe NCRC, the PPC, and the NECand providing the necessary technical and logistical support to the relevant institutions, among other things.

The humanitarian situation in the country remains difficult, with nearly nine million peoplealmost 76 percent of the countrys populationin need of humanitarian assistance. At the same time, recent months have witnessed an increase in incidents that impeded humanitarian access. In a 12 April press briefing, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric said that OCHA recorded 40 incidents related to humanitarian access restrictions in March, 15 of which involved violence against humanitarian personnel and assets. Meanwhile, other incidents were attributed to bureaucratic impediments and movement restrictions, mostly in Upper Nile, Unity and Jonglei states.

Despite the governments assurances that the UN humanitarian, development, and peacekeeping operations would not be subject to taxes, trucks carrying fuel and other critical supplies have been held up at various depots and borders, according to a 23 April UNMISS press release. Fuel reserves of the UN and its agencies in the country are running out and further delay would prevent the delivery of millions of dollars of aid during a severe humanitarian crisis. It added that humanitarian airdrops had already been suspended, affecting 60,000 people in need. At the same time, the mission had been forced to review its patrols and the repair and construction of critical infrastructure and to reduce support for peace and electoral processes.

Sanctions-Related Developments

On 5 April, the 2206 South Sudan Sanctions Committee held informal consultations to discuss the final report of its panel of experts, circulated to Council members on 15 March.

On 15 April, the Secretary-General transmitted to the Council an assessment report on the implementation of the benchmarks outlined in resolution 2577 of 28 May 2021 for modifying, suspending, or progressively lifting the arms embargo. The report found that the South Sudanese government has made some progress in the implementation of two benchmarks, namely formation of a unified command structure for the NUF and implementation of the Joint Action Plan for the Armed Forces on addressing conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). It added that progress on these two benchmarks needs to be enhanced without delay. However, no progress was noted on three benchmarks that relate to completion of the Strategic Defense and Security Review process contained in the R-ARCSS; the establishment and implementation of the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process; and the proper management of existing arms and ammunition stockpiles. The Secretary-General expressed concern about the continued lack of funding and political support for the DDR process, along with the lack of progress on the collection and disposal of long- and medium-range heavy weapons.

Women, Peace and Security

The annual report of the Secretary-General on CRSV, which was issued on 4 April, said that in 2023 UNMISS documented incidents of CRSV affecting 118 women, 98 girls, four men and one boy, mostly in Central Equatoria, Jonglei, and Upper Nile states. Cases were attributed to several actors, including organised armed groups, community-based militia, government security forces, and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLM-IO). In his report, the Secretary-General called on the South Sudanese government to investigate all incidents of sexual violence and to expedite the implementation of the 2014 joint communique between South Sudan and the UN on the prevention of CRSV, as well as the action plans for the armed forces and the police on addressing CRSV. He also urged the government to adopt legislation on victim and witness protection, in line with international standards.

Key Issues and Options

An immediate key issue for the Council is the extension of the South Sudan sanctions regime (targeted sanctions and the arms embargo) and renewing the mandate of the panel of experts assisting the 2206 South Sudan Sanctions Committee. In their discussions in May, Council members are likely to be guided by the findings and the recommendations of the panels 15 March final report, as well as the progress made by the South Sudanese authorities against the benchmarks outlined in resolution 2577.

One option for Council members is to renew the sanctions measures and the panels mandate for one year while retaining the benchmarks and calling for further progress in their implementation.

An ongoing concern for the Council is the significant political and security challenges in South Sudan stemming from the delays in implementing the R-ARCSS. A key issue in this regard is what the Council can do to encourage the parties to make progress towards implementing the outstanding tasks. Looking ahead to the general elections, expected to be held in December, several members may reiterate their call for completing the outstanding tasks in a timely manner to ensure peaceful, transparent, inclusive, and credible elections. They may also continue to encourage South Sudanese authorities to ensure free civic space and call upon all parties to seek dialogue and consensus to resolve any election-related disputes.

Ahead of the election period, Council members could consider a visiting mission to South Sudan to assess the situation on the ground and engage with the various parties to the R-ARCSS. (The last Council visiting mission to South Sudan took place in 2019.)

Council and Wider Dynamics

The discussion on sanctions imposed on South Sudan remains a divisive issue in the Council. When the Council last renewed the sanctions regime in May 2023 through resolution 2683, five Council members abstainedChina, Mozambique, Russia, and then-Council members Gabon and Ghana.

Several Council members, including France, the UK, and the US, believe that sanctions are a useful tool to maintain pressure on the parties to implement the R-ARCSS. These members argue that the arms embargo, initially imposed in July 2018 with the adoption of resolution 2428, has contributed to the reduction of violence by curtailing the flow of weapons to South Sudan, and express concern that the lifting of the arms embargo would negatively affect the security situation.

On the other hand, China and Russia have long opposed the South Sudan sanctions regime. African members of the Council have also expressed concerns about maintaining the sanctions regime, which in their view undermines progress in the political and security spheres.

The AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have repeatedly called for lifting the arms embargo on South Sudan, and several regional states have also expressed opposition to the arms embargo. In a 7 March communique, the AUPSC called on the international community to lift the arms embargo and other sanctions imposed on South Sudan.

The US is the penholder on South Sudan, and Ambassador Michael Imran Kanu (Sierra Leone) chairs the 2206 South Sudan Sanctions Committee.

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Status Update since our April Forecast

Children and Armed Conflict

On 3 April, the Security Council held a briefing on children and armed conflict (S/PV.9594), titled addressing the consequences of the denial of humanitarian access for children. Malta, the chair of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, convened the meeting as one of the signature events of its April Council presidency. Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba and UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations Edward Ted Chaiban briefed. The Council was also briefed by Atim Niger-Thomas, Executive Director of Authentique Memorial Empowerment Foundation, a Cameroon-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) that seeks to protect the rights of children and other vulnerable groups.

Arria-formula Meeting on Cybersecurity

On 4 April, Security Council members held an Arria-formula meeting titled Evolving Cyber Threat Landscape and its Implications for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security. The meeting was organised by the Republic of Korea and co-hosted by Japan and the US. The briefers were Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Adedeji Ebo; Director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research Robin Geiss; and Valerie Kennedy, Director of Intelligence Solutions for Investigations and Special Programmes at Chainalysis, a blockchain analysis firm.

Myanmar

On 4 April, the Council convened for an open briefing on Myanmar (S/PV.9595). The briefers were: Khaled Khiari, the Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations; and Lisa Doughten, the Director of the Financing and Partnerships Division of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Malaysia participated in the meeting under rule 37 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure. The meeting marked the first occasion that the Council has held an open briefing on Myanmar since February 2019.

Middle East, including the Palestinian Question

On 5 April, the Security Council held a briefing on The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question (S/PV.9596). Algeria, Guyana, and Slovenia requested the meeting to discuss the risk of famine and attacks against humanitarian workers in Gaza following the killing on 1 April of seven members of the NGO World Central Kitchen in an Israeli airstrike. OCHA Head in Geneva and Director of the Coordination Division Ramesh Rajasingham and President and Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children US Janti Soeripto briefed.

On 8 April, Security Council members held closed consultations, followed by an open meeting, to discuss the Palestinian request, conveyed in a 2 April letter to the Secretary-General, for renewed consideration of its 23 September 2011 application for UN membership. The meeting was held under the Admission of new members agenda item (S/PV.9597). The Secretary-General transmitted the request to the Security Council by letter of 3 April (S/2024/286).

At the 8 April meeting, Malta, as the Councils president for the month of April, referred the issue of the application to the Security Councils standing Committee on the Admission of New Members. The Committee met on 8 and 11 April to deliberate on the Palestinian request. On 16 April, the Committee transmitted a final copy of its report to the Security Council, stating that it had concluded its work but had been unable to reach a unanimous recommendation on the Palestinian application.

On 17 April, the Security Council held an open briefing on The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question (S/PV.9607). Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini briefed. The meeting was scheduled after Jordan requested that a ministerial-level Council meeting be convened on the challenges faced by UNRWA in a 1 April letter to the president of the Security Council.

On 18 April, the Security Council held its quarterly open debate on The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question (S/PV.9608). The debate was resumed and completed on 18 and 25 April (S/PV.9608 Resumption 1 and Resumption 2). Maltese Foreign Minister Ian Borg chaired the meeting. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed. In the evening, the Security Council voted on a draft resolution authored by Algeria recommending the admission to the UN of the State of Palestine (S/PV.9609). The draft text failed to be adopted owing to a veto by the US. All other membersexcept the UK and Switzerland, which abstainedvoted in favour of the text.

On 24 April, the Security Council held a briefing, followed by closed consultations, on The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question (S/PV.9617). Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator (SHRC) for Gaza Sigrid Kaag briefed. This was the first time that Kaag briefed the Council in the open chamber. Previously, she briefed in closed consultations on 30 January and 7 March. The meeting was held in accordance with Security Council resolution 2720. Adopted on 22 December 2023, resolution 2720 requested the SHRC to provide an initial report on her work to the Security Council within 20 days and thereafter every 90 days until 30 September.

Colombia

On 9 April, the Security Council held an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on Colombia (S/PV.9598). Special Representative and Head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia Carlos Ruiz Massieu briefed on recent developments and the Secretary-Generals latest 90-day report on the mission (S/2024/267). The Council also received a briefing from Marcela Sanchez Buitrago, director of Colombia Diversa, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that promotes and defends the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) persons. Colombia, represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs ad interim Luis Gilberto Murillo Urrutia, participated in the meeting under rule 37 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure.

On 15 April, Council members issued a press statement reiterating their full support for the peace process in Colombia and stressing the importance of ensuring the comprehensive implementation of the 2016 Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace between the government of Colombia and the former rebel group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejercito del Pueblo (FARC-EP) (SC/15663). They further encouraged the prompt translation of plans and policies for the promotion of the 2016 agreement into implementation on the ground in conflict-affected areas. Among other issues, the statement emphasised the need to promote implementation of the peace agreements ethnic chapter and encouraged state institutions to reinvigorate efforts to protect former combatants, social leaders and people in all their diversity, fight impunity for crimes against them and combat the criminal structures responsible for violence.

In April, a report on the Security Councils 7-11 February visiting mission to Colombia was published (S/2024/258).

Territorial Dispute between Guyana and Venezuela

On 9 April, at Guyanas request, the Security Council convened for a private meeting under the Threats to international peace and security agenda item to discuss recent developments regarding the territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela over the Essequibo region in Guyana (S/PV.9599). Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenca briefed the Council. Venezuela, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Haiti, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), participated in the meeting under rule 37 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure.

On 15 April, Council members issued a press statement expressing their concern about the possible escalation of tensions between Guyana and Venezuela, urging the parties to exercise maximum restraint, and reminding them of their obligations to comply with the Order of Provisional Measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 1 December 2023 (SC/15665).

Ukraine

On 11 April, the Security Council held a briefing on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine at the request of Ecuador and France (S/PV.9600). Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenca and OCHA Director of Operations and Advocacy Edem Wosornu briefed at the meeting.

On 12 April, the Council convened for an open briefing under the Threats to international peace and security agenda item (S/PV.9601). Russia requested the meeting to discuss the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine. Chief of the Conventional Arms Branch at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Ivor Fung and activist and political commentator Karen Kwiatkowski briefed.

On 15 April, the Security Council convened for an open briefing under the Threats to international peace and security agenda item (S/PV.9604). Slovenia and the USthe co-penholders on political issues in Ukrainesupported by France, requested the meeting, which focused on the safety and security of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in the city of Enerhodar. It appears that Russia expressed approval for holding the meeting, noting the alarming nature of the situation at the nuclear power plant. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi briefed the Council. Latvia, Poland, and Ukraine participated under rule 37 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure.

Iran-Israel

On 14 April, the Security Council convened an emergency meeting on the airborne attack that Iran launched against Israel on 13 April (S/PV.9602). Israel requested the meeting, which was held under the agenda item The situation in the Middle East. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed Council members. Israel, Iran, and Syria participated under rule 37 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure. Following the meeting, the US proposed a draft press statement, but it was not issued due to a lack of consensus among Council members.

Western Sahara

On 16 April, Council members received a briefing in closed consultations on the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). The Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy to Western Sahara Staffan de Mistura and Special Representative and Head of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) Alexander Ivanko briefed.

The Role of Young Persons in Addressing Security Challenges in the Mediterranean

On 17 April, the Security Council held a ministerial-level debate on The role of young persons in addressing security challenges in the Mediterranean under the Maintenance of international peace and security agenda item (S/PV.9606). The debate was resumed and completed on 22 and 26 April (S/PV.9606 Resumption 1 and Resumption 2). Ian Borg, Maltas Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, chaired the meeting, which was one of the signature events of Maltas April Council presidency. The briefers were: Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean Nasser Kamel, and the regional lead of the Middle East and North Africa coalition on Youth, Peace and Security, Sarra Messaoudi.

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

On 19 April, Security Council members held a briefing on the activities of the OSCE (S/PV.9610). Ian Borg, Maltas Minister for Foreign, Trade and European Affairs, briefed in his capacity as the current Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) of the OSCE, outlining the OSCEs priorities for 2023. At the meeting, several Council members expressed support for the OSCEs activities and contributions to regional stability.

Sudan

On 19 April, the Security Council convened for an open briefing to discuss the situation in Sudan, at the request of the UK, the penholder on the file (S/PV.9611). The briefers were: Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Director of OCHAs Operations and Advocacy Division Edem Wosornu, and Chair of the AU High-Level Panel on Sudan Mohamed Ibn Chambas.

On 27 April, Council members issued a press statement expressing concern about the escalating tensions and military operations around El-Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur state. Members called on the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to end the build-up of military forces, take steps to de-escalate the situation, and comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law. They reiterated their call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, leading to a sustainable ceasefire. In addition, they urged all member states to refrain from external interference which seeks to foment conflict and instability and instead to support efforts for a durable peace and reminded the Sudanese warring parties and all member states to comply with the arms embargo obligations, imposed by resolution 1556 of 30 July 2004 and most recently renewed by resolution 2676 of 8 March 2023.

Kosovo

On 22 April, the Council held its first regular briefing this year on the situation in Kosovo (S/PV.9612). Special Representative and head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Caroline Ziadeh briefed on the latest Secretary-Generals report (S/2024/282). Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and President Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo participated under rules 37 and 39 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure, respectively.

At the meeting, Russia raised a point of order concerning the status of Osmanis participation under rule 39. Russia argued that Osmani incorrectly referred to the individuals accompanying her as members of her delegation, stating that her participation as a briefer did not entail having a delegation. Russia emphasised that these individuals should not be seated behind her but in the side seats of the chamber, asserting that Osmanis presentation of these individuals as part of a delegation was a violation of the Councils procedural rules. Malta responded that members of civil society who participate under rule 39 are allowed to bring a delegation, as this is the procedure under which they were accredited by the UN Protocol and Liaison Service.

Haiti

On 22 April, the Security Council held an open briefing on Haiti (S/PV.9613). Special Representative and Head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) Maria Isabel Salvador briefed on recent developments in the country and the Secretary-Generals latest quarterly report on BINUH. UNICEF Executive Director and Principal Advocate on Haiti for the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Catherine Russell and UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director Ghada Fathi Waly also briefed. The Dominican Republic, represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Roberto Alvarez Gil, and Haiti participated under rule 37 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure.

Women, Peace and Security

On 23 April, the Security Council convened for its annual open debate on conflict-related sexual violence, which this year was titled Preventing conflict-related sexual violence through demilitarization and gender-responsive arms control (S/PV.9614). The meeting was chaired by Maltese Deputy Prime Minister Christopher Fearne. Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Danai Gurira, and President and Founder of the Darfur Women Action Group Niemat Ahmadi briefed.

Great Lakes Region (DRC)

On 24 April, the Security Council held a briefing on the Great Lakes region (S/PV.9615). The meeting had a particular focus on the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda, highlighting the role of women in peace processes. Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia briefed on the Secretary-Generals latest semi-annual report on the implementation of the 2013 Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the region (PSC-F) (S/2024/278). Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya also briefed the Council, focusing on the humanitarian situation in the region, particularly in eastern DRC. Additionally, a woman civil society representative from the DRC briefed the Council describing the impact of the conflict in eastern DRC on women who, she said, have become objects of unspeakable suffering, targeted with mutilation, rape and other forms of unimaginable violence, often perpetrated in front of their families. The representatives of Angola, DRC and Rwanda participated in the meeting under rule 37 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure.

Non-Proliferation

On 24 April, the Security Council voted on a draft resolution on weapons of mass destruction in outer space (S/2024/302), which was prepared by Japan and the US (S/PV.9616). The draft resolution affirmed the obligation of all states parties to fully comply with the Outer Space Treaty, including not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner. It also called on member states not to develop nuclear weapons or any other kind of WMD specifically designed to be placed in orbit around the Earth.

Prior to the vote on the draft resolution, the Council voted on an amendment to the text proposed by China and Russia. The amendment called on member states to take measures to prevent the placement of weapons of any kind in outer space and to seek through negotiations the early elaboration of a legally binding multilateral agreement on the matter.

The draft amendment failed to be adopted because it did not garner the requisite support. It received seven votes in favour (Algeria, China, Ecuador, Guyana, Mozambique, Russia, and Sierra Leone), seven votes against (France, Japan, Malta, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, the UK, and the US), and one abstention (Switzerland).

The draft resolution (S/2024/302) failed to be adopted owing to a veto cast by Russia. All other membersexcept China, which abstainedvoted in favour of the text. The draft resolution was co-sponsored by 65 UN member states.

Following the vote, Russia announced its intention to put forward a draft resolution on the prevention of an arms race in outer space.

The Nord Stream Incident

On 26 April, the Council convened for an open briefing under the Threats to international peace and security agenda item (S/PV.9619). Russia requested the meeting to discuss the 26 September 2022 explosions that caused physical damage to the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea. The briefers were Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenca, Chief of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General of Counter-Terrorism Oguljeren Niyazberdiyeva, and political commentator Larry C. Johnson.
AFRICA

Sudan/South Sudan

Expected Council Action

In May, the Council is expected to receive a briefing on the Secretary-Generals report on the implementation of the mandate of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), due by 1 May, as requested in resolution 2708 of 14 November 2023. Consultations will follow the briefing.

The mandate of UNISFA and the missions support for the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM) expire on 15 November.

Key Recent Developments

The outbreak of armed conflict in Sudan in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudans military leader, and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (also known as Hemeti), continue to exacerbate the already dire humanitarian, political, and security situation in the Abyei region, the disputed area along the Sudan-South Sudan border. The Council was last briefed on Abyei on 6 November 2023 by Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa Hanna Serwaa Tetteh.

Lacroix said that the conflict in Sudan had effectively put on hold the political process with regard to the final status of Abyei and border issues. He noted that the mission had witnessed an increased circulation of weapons in Abyei, pointing out that this might be attributed to the situation in Sudan. He added that the conflict had also created economic hardship for the population of Abyei because of the disruption in the flow of basic goods and commodities from Sudan. Highlighting the challenges faced by UNISFA, he pointed out that fighting in South Kordofan and the JBVMMs area of operations placed restrictions on air movements that hampered safe resupply and the continued implementation of the mechanisms mandate. He noted that UNISFA had adjusted its deployment routes and supply arrangements. In her remarks during the meeting, Tetteh warned that military developments in Sudan are likely to have adverse consequences on Abyeis social fabric and the already fragile coexistence between the Misserya and the Ngok Dinka [communities].

The security situation in the area remains tense, with continuing inter-communal violence. The Secretary-Generals most recent report on the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), dated 26 February and covering developments between 1 December 2023 and 15 February, said that inter-communal violence between the Ngok Dinka and Twic Dinka communities persisted in the contested areas along the border between the Abyei area and Warrap state in South Sudan. In a 31 December 2023 press release, UNISFA condemned the killing of the Juba-appointed deputy chief administrator in the southern Abyei area, Noon Deng Nyok, and five other people in an ambush by an armed group in Wunpeth, near Agok town. This incident, the press release said, risk[ed] the gains that have been made towards resolving the difficult situation in [s]outhern Abyei. It called on all parties to exercise restraint and collaborate in bringing the perpetrators of the crime to justice and further reaffirmed UNISFAs commitment to supporting local authorities in their efforts to promote reconciliation, stability, and the rule of law.

In a 27 January press release, UNISFA condemned the armed attacks that had taken place earlier that day in the Nyinkuac, Majbong and Khadian areas of Abyei. It said that an armed group also attacked UNISFAs base in Agok, during which a peacekeeper from Ghana was killed. The mission evacuated civilians in imminent threat of danger to UNISFA bases. The next day (28 January), a peacekeeper from Pakistan was killed and four other uniformed personnel were injured when they came under heavy fire while transporting injured civilians from a UNISFA base to a hospital.

Clashes broke out again on 3-4 February in the southern part of Abyei, which included the use of heavy weapons, such as rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, according to a 5 February UNISFA press release. UNISFA peacekeepers were targeted when an armoured personnel carrier came under heavy fire in an ambush. Peacekeepers from Ghana also came under attack at a base in Marial Achak. The mission intensified its patrols by land and air to deter further violence and protect civilians. The press release called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, respect for international humanitarian law, and protection of civiliansurging all stakeholders to cooperate in holding perpetrators accountable and ensuring the restoration of peace in Abyei.

The Secretary-Generals UNMISS report said that the 27-28 January and 3-4 February attacks resulted in the deaths of 83 people, including four humanitarian workers, and injured several others. During the period covered by the report, more than 2,200 people were displaced in Abyei, most of whom were children and women who sought refuge in the UNISFA compound in Rumajak, near Abyei town. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a non-governmental organisation that collects conflict-related data, attributed responsibility for these attacks, including the killing of Deng Nyok, to elements of Twic Dinka community (also known as Titweng) and forces of Gai Machiek, a spiritual leader from the Nuer ethnic community and a leader of the South Sudan Peoples Movement/Armyan allegation denied by Machiek and leaders of the Twic community.

In an 8 February press statement, Council members condemned the attacks that resulted in the deaths of two peacekeepers and numerous civilian casualties on 27-28 January and expressed concerns about the escalation of violence in recent months. Members called on the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to address the ongoing violence and take necessary steps to de-escalate tensions between affected communities and protect civilians. They denounced the targeting of peacekeepers and provocations against UNISFA and called for those responsible to be held accountable. Members stressed the need for relevant legal authorities to investigate and engage communities involved, as appropriate.

From 19 to 23 February, Lacroix and Tetteh undertook a visit to South Sudan and travelled to Abyei for two days. During the visit, they held discussions with the South Sudanese leadership, including President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar, local communities and civil society in Abyei, and officials from the UN missions in Abyei and South Sudan, among others. At a press conference in Juba at the end of the visit, Lacroix indicated that the discussions were focused on the recent incidents of inter-communal violence, the need to de-escalate the tensions and rebuild trust with the local communities, and the final status of Abyei area. While tensions between the communities remained high, he acknowledged the ongoing engagements seeking to ease them at all levels, including in Juba and Abyei. Giving the UNs assessment of the current situation, Tetteh said our understanding of the basis for the current conflict boils down to a land dispute between two subgroups of the Dinka ethnic groupthe Ngok and the Twic. Regarding the final status of Abyei, she noted that current circumstances did not present an opportunity to hold such discussions, pointing out the lack of representation on the Sudanese side and guarantees for implementation. (Prior to the conflict, Hemeti participated in the discussions as the head of Sudans Abyei Committee.)

Key Issues and Options

A key issue for the Council is how to reinvigorate the political process to address the final status of Abyei and Sudan-South Sudan border issues amid the war in Sudan, which has virtually put the process on hold. A step in this regard could be to secure a ceasefire in Sudan. Mitigating the effects of Sudans conflict on the security and humanitarian situation in Abyei also remains a critical issue.

A related issue is the operational difficulties that UNISFA and the JBVMM face because of the conflict in Sudan, including restrictions on freedom of movement.

Another significant issue for the Council is the rising levels of inter-communal violence and the resulting insecurity in the area.

Also an important issue for the Council is the continued presence of South Sudanese and Sudanese security forces in Abyei in violation of the areas demilitarised status. The proliferation of arms in Abyei is also a critical issue.

During the upcoming meeting in May, Council members could encourage UNISFA and the authorities in Sudan and South Sudan to engage with the communities, de-escalate tensions, and support local mediation and reconciliation efforts. Members may also express grave concern about the attacks on peacekeepers and call on the relevant authorities to ensure accountability and justice. The Council could consider adopting a presidential statement delivering these messages.

Council Dynamics

Council members agree on the important roles that UNISFA and the JBVMM play in supporting peace, security, and stability in Abyei and the broader region. Members share concerns about the rising incidents of inter-communal violence, attacks on peacekeepers and the compounding effects of Sudans conflict on the political, humanitarian and security situation in the Abyei area.

The unanimous adoption of resolution 2708, which last renewed UNISFAs mandate, demonstrated that the Council remains unified in its view that the mission plays an important role in promoting regional stability, protecting civilians, and advancing efforts towards a political settlement.

The US is the penholder on Abyei.

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MIDDLE EAST

Syria

Expected Council Action

In May, the Security Council will hold a meeting on the political process and the humanitarian situation in Syria.

Key Recent Developments

Syria remains entrenched in a devastating civil war, now in its 14th year, marked by ongoing battles on multiple fronts and a lack of progress on the political process. According to OCHA, approximately 16.7 million peoplenearly 70 percent of Syrias populationremain in dire need of humanitarian assistance, with 15.4 million people facing acute food insecurity. This is the highest recorded number of people requiring humanitarian assistance at any time during Syrias civil war. Since 2011, over 14 million Syrians have been displaced, including 7.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), according to UNHCR.

On 21 March, Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya briefed the Council on the political and humanitarian tracks in Syria, respectively. Msuya highlighted that funding shortages for relief efforts had significantly curtailed the ability of humanitarian organisations to provide assistance in the country. In some cases, she pointed out, these shortages had led to the scaling back of health services in several areas: in north-west Syria, for instance, over 30 outpatient therapeutic feeding programmes for malnourished children have been forced to close since October 2023, and over 75 nutrition rapid response teamsabout half the totalhave suspended operations. Moreover, the World Food Programme has cut back its emergency food assistance in the country owing to funding constraints, reducing aid distribution for nearly two million people per month. Syrias 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which called for $5.41 billion, was only 38.5 percent funded ($2.09 billion).

In a 17 April report, OCHA outlined critical funding gaps in humanitarian response in Syria from April to September. The report estimated that underfunding may threaten the well-being of over two million displaced Syrians, exacerbating humanitarian needs and protection risks amid an economic decline. It said that only 63 percent of hospitals and 52 percent of primary healthcare facilities are currently fully functional in the country, adding that hundreds of health facilities and mobile medical teams are facing the threat of immediate closure because of funding shortages. The report also stated that the humanitarian agencies require $1.9 billion over the next six months to assist 10.8 million people in need.

In his remarks at the 21 March Council meeting, Pedersen described the intensified hostilities in the country and stressed the urgent need for de-escalation and restoration of calm leading to a nationwide ceasefire. He underscored that Syria faces a negative trajectory with respect to political, security, humanitarian, human rights, and economic conditions. Noting that the political track remains blocked and dormant, he urged the Syrian government to engage in a deepened and concrete dialogue and said that it had rejected his offer to hold the ninth round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva at the end of April. (The Syrian opposition, represented by the Syrian Negotiations Commission, accepted Pedersens proposal.) Expressing concern about the conflict in Gaza and its regional ramifications, Pedersen said that de-escalation there is essential, starting with an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. (For more information, see our Whats in Blue story of 24 April.)

Hostilities continue across multiple frontlines in Syria. On 4 April, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had conducted an airstrike in Syria in which a senior leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) responsible for planning attacks in Europe had been killed. In a press release, the commander of CENTCOM, General Michael Erik Kurilla, said that ISIL/Daesh continued to represent a threat to the region and beyond, adding that the group remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on 7 October 2023, Israel has allegedly increased its attacks against sites in Syria that it claims are associated with Iranian forces and affiliated militants. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)a UK-based monitoring group with a presence in the countryIsrael had conducted 35 attacks in Syria since the beginning of this year, as at 19 April.

In a 1 April letter, Iran informed Council members that earlier the same day, Irans diplomatic premises in Damascus were intentionally targeted by missile air strikes launched by Israel from the Golan Heights. The attack reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least four Syrian soldiers and seven Iranian personnel, including Mohamad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, and his deputy. While Israel claimed that the premises were being used for military purposes, Iran asserted that it maintains military advisers in the country with the consent of the Syrian government.

In a statement the next day (2 April), Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric said that the Secretary-General condemn[ed] the attack on diplomatic premises of Iran in Damascusas well as the reported casualties. He stressed the need to respect the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel in accordance with international law. He called on all concerned parties to exercise utmost restraint and avoid further escalation.

Also on 2 April, the Council convened a briefing to discuss Israels attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Briefing the Council at that meeting, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Mohamed Khaled Khiari expressed concern about escalating tensions and warned that any miscalculation could lead to broader conflict in an already volatile region with devastating consequences for civilians in Syria and the broader Middle East. Following the meeting, Russia apparently proposed a press statement condemning the Israeli attack. It seems that France, the UK, and the US rejected the draft text, citing uncertainty about the facts of the strike and the status of the Iranian facility attacked.

In response to Israels 1 April airstrike, Iran and its proxy groups in the region launched an attack on Israel on 13 April, consisting of 300 aerial threats, including approximately 170 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), 120 ballistic missiles, and 30 cruise missiles, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In a letter to the Council the same day, Israel accused Iran of stoking regional instability and called on the Council to unequivocally condemn Iran for these grave violations and immediately act to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. The Council convened an emergency session the next day (14 April) at the request of Israel and received a briefing from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. (For more background and information, see our Whats in Blue story of 14 April on Irans airborne attack.)

According to SOHR, airstrikes on 19 April allegedly conducted by Israel targeted a radar system in the eastern countryside of Daraa in Syria. This attack took place on the same day Israel reportedly targeted the city of Isfahan in central Iran, which hosts a military air base and research facilities associated with Irans nuclear program, according to media reports. In a statement the same day, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that there had been no damage to Irans nuclear sites. The statement called on all parties to exercise restraint, noting that nuclear facilities should not be a target in military conflicts.

Human Rights-Related Developments

On 4 April, the Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Syria during its 55th session. Among other matters, the resolution extended the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria (COI) for one year. It also requested the COI to present an oral update during an interactive dialogue at its 56th session and present an updated report during an interactive dialogue at its 57th and 58th sessions. The resolution was adopted with 27 votes in favour, five against, and 15 abstentions. Security Council members France, Japan, and the US voted in favour, whereas Algeria and China voted against the resolution.

On 25 April, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk briefed the UN General Assembly on the implementation of the resolution (A/RES/77/301) establishing the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria. He informed the member states that the institution is currently working on preparing the briefing papers that will cover the core issues based on the feedback on consultations with relevant parties, including: recommendations to design and implement search plans; ensuring full participation of victims and civil society and effective gender inclusivity; and supporting victims and survivors through referrals. He emphasised the central role of victims and survivors in the functioning of the institution, adding that search and other forms of support in coordination with families and their representatives will be the central aims of its operations. He also called on member states and parties to the conflict in Syria to cooperate fully with the institution, including by exchanging information and facilitating processes of search, identification, assistance, and support to victims.

Key Issues and Options

A key issue for Council members is the ongoing hostilities in Syria. Continuing violence and the lack of accountability threaten to destabilise the country further. At the same time, ISIL/Daesh remains one of the key security threats in Syria.

Determining how the Council can address the spillover effects of the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and de-escalate rising tensions in the region, including in Syria, is another important issue for the Council.

One option would be for the co-chairs of the Informal Expert Group on the Protection of Civilians (Switzerland and the UK) to hold a meeting on the situation in Syria to receive briefings from relevant UN entities about the impact of the conflict on civilians.

Another important issue for the Council is maintaining international attention on the situation in Syria when the focus has largely moved on other crises, such as those in Gaza and Ukraine.

As well, a key issue is how to alleviate the growing humanitarian needs throughout the country. In this regard, Council members could advocate in their national statements for enhanced financial support for the humanitarian response in Syria, including at the upcoming EU-sponsored Brussels conference, scheduled to be held at the ministerial level on 27 May. Council members could also consider adopting a press statement calling on the international community to scale up the humanitarian response in Syria, including through enhanced funding.

The need to break the underlying political impasse in Syria and support the Special Envoys work in this regard is another key issue. The Council could consider holding a private meeting with relevant stakeholders to discuss the impediments to the resumption of the Constitutional Committee, including the issue of venue, and support Pedersens efforts to reinvigorate the political process. (The Syrian Constitutional Committee has not met since June 2022 because of the opposition of Russia, a close ally of Syria, to Geneva as the venue, following Switzerlands imposition of sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.)

Council Dynamics

Syria remains one of the most divisive files on the Councils agenda. China and Russia are supportive of the Syrian government, emphasising the need to respect the countrys sovereignty and territorial integrity and drawing connections between unilateral coercive measures on Syria and the challenging humanitarian situation in the country. In contrast, the P3 (France, the UK, and the US) and other like-minded members criticise the government for violating international humanitarian law and human rights law, arbitrarily detaining people, and not engaging meaningfully in political dialogue.

Switzerland is the penholder on the Syria humanitarian file.

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AFRICA

The Role of African States in Global Security and Development Challenges

Expected Council Action

Mozambique will convene a debate on strengthening the role of African states in addressing global security and development challenges as a signature event of its May Council presidency.

Background and Key Recent Developments

For many years, African states have underscored that they are working to address peace and security challenges on their continent through African solutions to African problems. On the 50th anniversary of the Organization of African Unitythe AUs predecessorin May 2013, African leaders committed themselves to ending violent conflicts in Africa by silencing the guns by 2023. This initiative has driven the AUs efforts to promote peace and security on the continent, but the timeline has now been extended to 2030. In February 2019, the Security Council adopted resolution 2457, endorsing the AUs silencing the guns initiative and expressing its readiness to support these efforts.

The Secretary-General has been updating the Council on the UNs support for silencing the guns as part of his annual report on strengthening the partnership between the UN and the AU on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the UN Office to the AU (UNOAU).

In March 2023, Mozambique convened an open debate in the Council on the impact of development policies in the implementation of the silencing the guns initiative. Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Africa Cristina Duarte, AU High Representative for the Silencing the Guns Initiative Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Mozambique Mirko Manzoni briefed. (For background, see our Whats in Blue story of 29 March 2023.)

The African peace and security architecture established by the AU in 2002 has been instrumental in responding to conflicts and crises in Africa. The AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC), officially launched in 2004, is at the core of this architecture, with a mandate to prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts on the continent. The AUPSC marks its 20th anniversary this year, and a colloquium is expected to be held in Addis Ababa on 25 May to take stock of its success and challenges over the past two decades.

In recent years, the peace and security of several African states has been complicated by governance challenges and socioeconomic difficulties. The resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government is testing the principles and values underpinning the African peace and security architecture. Terrorism and other transnational security threats are also posing serious challenges to security and stability in several parts of the continent. Additionally, the peace and security situation in Africa has been further complicated by geopolitical rivalry among major and emerging powers vying for influence on the continent.

Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, African states tried to draw attention to its economic impact on Africa, particularly regarding access to grain and fertiliser, and how it exacerbated food insecurity across the continent. Former AU Chairperson and President of Senegal Macky Sall visited Russia, accompanied by the Chairperson of the AU Commission, in June 2022 to discuss the situation with President Vladimir Putin. Several African leaders also visited Ukraine and Russia in June 2023, presenting a ten-point peace plan to the leadership of the two countries. It seems the plan did not get much traction.

The AU became the second regional bloc after the EU to secure a permanent seat within the G20 group of major and emerging economies working to address global economic issues and challenges. South Africa remains the only African state member of the group, while other African states and the AU participated in past G20 summits as guests. The Indian presidency of the G20 proposed to make the AU a full member of the group in June 2023; that proposal was endorsed by the G20 summit in New Delhi on 9 September 2023. This decision was welcomed as a milestone for Africa in enhancing its representation and voice on the international stage. The G20 declaration recognised Africas important role in the global economy and expressed support for the realisation of the aspirations under Agenda 2063the AUs blueprint for Africas economic transformation. In February, the AU adopted a decision on the modalities of its participation in the G20 and the priorities it will pursue at the G20 summit to be held in November in Brazil, principally social inclusion, the fight against hunger and poverty, the energy transition, the promotion of sustainable development, and the reform of global governance institutions.

In January, two African states, Egypt and Ethiopia, joined the BRICS, a group of emerging economies established in 2006 to counter the geopolitical and economic dominance of the G7 group of wealthier, advanced nations. The decision to invite these two African states was made at the BRICS summit in South Africa in August 2023 as part of efforts to expand the groups membership to other developing and emerging economies. Until January, South Africa was the only African member; it joined the group in 2010.

Regarding the UN Summit of the Future to be held in September, the AU has submitted its inputs to the draft Pact for the Futurean outcome document to be adopted at the summit, which is being negotiated by UN member states. The AU has outlined several priorities for the reform of the multilateral system, among other things reiterating Africas long-standing quest for two permanent and five non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council as encapsulated in the Ezilwini Consensusthe common African position on Security Council reform. The AU underscores the need for a robust counter-terrorism approach that requires a new peace operations doctrine focused on peace enforcement. It also calls for adequate, flexible, predictable, and sustainable financing of continental and regional peace operations through access to the UN-assessed contributions, and welcomes the adoption of resolution 2719 of 21 December 2023 on the financing of AU-led peace support operations.

The AU further highlights the need to implement the peace, security, and development nexus to address the structural and institutional deficiencies faced by several African states. Additionally, it underscores the need for reform of the global financial architecture and calls for a just climate change agenda that meets Africas needs for climate financing, capacity-building, and technology transfer to mitigate the impact of climate change and promote sustainable development.

In January, Uganda assumed the chairmanship for 2024 to 2027 of the Non-Aligned Movement, a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. Uganda also took over the 2024 chairmanship of the Group of Seventy-Seven and China (G77+China), a coalition of developing countries promoting the collective economic interests of its members and enhancing their joint negotiating capacity at the UN.

Key Issues and Options

A key issue at the May debate will be how to support African states in enhancing their role in addressing global security and development challenges.

The adoption of resolution 2719, spearheaded by the A3, is considered a landmark achievement that will shape the future of UN-AU cooperation and partnership. Its implementation will be another key issue, with discussions on test cases to be considered by the Council under resolution 2719 likely to pick up over the coming months. In its capacity as the chair of the Security Council Ad-Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa, Mozambique convened a meeting on 30 April to facilitate a discussion about the implementation of the resolution and the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Also a major issue is how to address the root causes of the most intractable conflicts on the continent, which stem from underlying governance, peace and security, and development challenges. In this context, Mozambique may underscore the need to apply a nexus approach in tackling these complex and interlinked challenges.

Council and Broader Dynamics

In recent years, the A3 has increasingly become a cohesive bloc, delivering joint statements, negotiating as a group to influence Council decisions on African issues, and proposing Council products to advance African priorities. The A3 is closely consulted by penholders on African files when they intend to call for meetings and facilitate negotiations on peacekeeping mandate renewals and extensions of sanctions regimes. In 2023, African issues constituted 38.24 percent of the Councils meetings and 51.02 percent of the Councils decisions. Africa hosts five UN peacekeeping operations and eight special political missions. UN peace operations in Africa have faced particular challenges from host governments and communities, resulting in the closure of the peacekeeping mission in Mali and the special political mission in Sudan last year.

It seems that Mozambique intends to promote a positive African narrative at the debate, arguing for the readiness of African states to play an active role in global affairs and influence global policy on climate change, energy, and reform of multilateral bodies. It may emphasise that the magnitude of contemporary challenges requires a robust African voice in global economic and political governance.

Mozambique may spotlight the role of the three African members (known as the A3) in advancing African issues and priorities in the Security Council as a positive development, giving Africa a permanent voice in the absence of a permanent seat. In the development realm, Mozambique may also draw attention to the rapid expansion of mobile technology and the transition to renewable energy in Africa, which present significant opportunities for economic growth and development.

In the context of the broader global geopolitical dynamics, former colonial powers are losing influence in Africa while other major and emerging powers are gaining ground. China has built strong political, economic, trade, and other ties with Africa over the past 25 years. Russia has also dramatically gained influence in recent years by leveraging military cooperation with African countries, including through the Wagner Group, a Russian private security company that was renamed Africa Corps after the death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, last year.

The US and its allies are working to counter the growing influence of China and Russia in Africa. In the face of technological advances, securing critical minerals has also emerged as a major issue in big power rivalry across the continent.

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THEMATIC ISSUES

Women and Young People in Maintaining Peace and Security

Expected Council Action

In May, the Security Council will hold a debate on The Role of Women and Young People in Maintaining Peace and Security under the agenda item Maintenance of International Peace and Security. This is one of the signature events of Mozambiques May presidency. The meeting will be chaired by the Mozambican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Veronica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier, a high-level representative of UN Women, and a civil society representative are the anticipated briefers.

It seems that the debate intends to explore the intersection between the Security Councils agendas on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS), focusing on women and youths concerns about, and engagement in addressing, current peace and security challenges, with particular attention on the role of young women. It appears that the third report of the Secretary-General on YPS will be presented during the debate.

No outcome is expected.

Background and Key Recent Developments

On 31 October 2000, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1325, which was the first resolution on WPS. Reaffirming womens key role in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, resolution 1325 calls for the adoption of a gender perspective in peace agreements and for the protection of women and girls from gender-based violence.

Since resolution 1325, the Security Council has adopted nine further resolutions under the WPS agenda item. Five of these focus on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), while the other four have a wider focus, including on issues such as womens political participation and the integration of a gender perspective in various aspects of the work of the Security Council and the UN. The most recent resolution on WPS, resolution 2493, was adopted on 29 October 2019. It stresses the need for the full implementation of the WPS agenda and, among other provisions, strongly encourages states to create safe and enabling environments for civil society, including formal and informal community women leaders, women peacebuilders, political actors, and those who protect and promote human rights. Annually, the Secretary-General produces a report on WPS and one focused on CRSV.

The first resolution on YPS was unanimously adopted on 9 December 2015 as resolution 2250. It recognises the contribution of youth to the prevention and resolution of conflicts and urges states to consider ways to increase inclusive representation of youth in decision-making institutions and mechanisms for the prevention and resolution of conflict, including institutions and mechanisms to counter violent extremism.

The Council adopted two follow-up resolutions: resolution 2419 of 6 June 2018 and resolution 2535 of 14 July 2020, the latter of which included several provisions aimed at promoting and institutionalising the implementation of the YPS agenda by the Security Council, UN entities, member states and regional organisations. Among other matters, the resolution introduced regular reporting on YPS, requesting the Secretary-General to submit a biennial report to the Security Council on the implementation of resolutions 2250, 2419 and 2535.

The latest Secretary-Generals annual report on WPS, which was issued on 28 September 2023, focuses on womens meaningful participation in peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding. It stresses that nearly 25 years after the adoption of resolution 1325, negotiating parties in peace processes continue to regularly exclude women, and impunity for atrocities against women and girls is still prevalent. It also notes that womens organisations have been struggling to find resources while military spending continues to increase. Among other recommendations, the Secretary-General called on member states to increase support to elevate the voices of women from diverse backgrounds, including young women, women with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity, Indigenous women, and others, and make accommodations, as needed, to model inclusive processes and practices across all peace and security efforts.

The Secretary-Generals latest biennial report on YPS, which was published on 1 March, identifies challenging trends across the YPS agenda, such as youths growing mistrust in governance institutions and electoral processes and discriminatory laws and practices based on age, which remain prevalent in many countries and hinder the meaningful participation of young people. The report also identifies issues such as the surge in digital threats and armed conflicts and the shrinking of civic space as posing serious protection concerns for young people. Among other recommendations, it invites the Security Council to continue to integrate and strengthen YPS elements in mandate renewals and to call upon missions to integrate youth in all relevant mandated areas.

Council members have discussed the implementation of the WPS and YPS agendas on multiple occasions. The latest meeting on WPS was the annual open debate on CRSV on 23 April, while the most recent meeting with a focus on YPS was the ministerial-level debate on The role of young persons in addressing security challenges in the Mediterranean under the Maintenance of international peace and security agenda item, which took place on 17 April.

During this meeting, Sarra MessaoudiRegional Lead of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Coalition on YPShighlighted several challenges faced by young people, including in the Mediterranean region, such as systematic barriers to meaningful participation in peace, political and security processes, and the need to address climate-sensitive security risks. Noting the lack of implementation of the latest Security Council resolution on the war in Gaza, resolution 2728, which on 25 March called for a ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, she said that young people are questioning the international system, international law, and the veto power, as well as the imposition of peace agreements that we didnt participate in shaping and that do not meet our expectations. Among other recommendations, Messaoudi called on the Council to openly debate the Secretary-Generals YPS report every two years. She also urged Council members to integrate the YPS agenda into all areas of the Councils work and establish an informal expert group on YPS to support these efforts and help young people connect to the work of the Council.

Key Issues and Options

The implementation of its agendas on WPS and YPS and their impact on the ground are key issues for the Security Council.

As the organiser of this debate, Mozambique could prepare a chairs summary of the meeting to capture salient themes of the discussion to be circulated in a Council letter.

Council Dynamics

While notable implementation gaps persist, Council members are generally supportive of the WPS agenda. However, dynamics remain difficult, with Russia and China often challenging the inclusion of language on WPS in Security Council products. The prevalent perception, including among members supportive of the WPS agenda and several civil society actors, is that the dynamics on this file remain unconducive to the adoption of new WPS outcomes.

Russia has regularly argued that the Security Council should focus its work on situations that pose a direct threat to international peace and security and that its engagement on WPS should be limited to the consideration of womens issues in a context of the maintenance of peace and security and in connection to situations that are on the Councils agenda, since human rights and the role of women are already discussed in other UN forums such as the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.

A similar argument was put forward by China and Russia during the negotiations on resolution 2419 in 2018 when these members apparently argued that YPS matters should be dealt with by other parts of the UN system. While it seems that China and Russia subsequently adopted a less critical view during the negotiation of resolution 2535, Russia apparently opposed the inclusion of an annual reporting requirement on YPS accompanied by a set of global indicators to track implementation. At the 17 April debate on The role of young persons in addressing security challenges in the Mediterranean, Russia again expressed sceptical views regarding the YPS agenda, questioning Maltas meeting focus for singl[ing] out youth from the broader issue of security in the Mediterranean and arguing against the involvement of people under 18 in political life.

The UK is the penholder on WPS, and the US is the penholder on CRSV. Sierra Leone and Switzerland are the co-chairs of the Informal Expert Group on WPS. Most Council membersEcuador, France, Guyana, Japan, Malta, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Switzerland, the UK, and the UShave signed on to the Shared Commitments on WPS initiative, which was started in late 2021 by Ireland, Kenya, and Mexico. (For background, see our Golden Threads and Persisting Challenges research report.)

The most recent resolution on YPS, resolution 2535, was penned by France along with then-Council member Dominican Republic.

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MIDDLE EAST

Yemen

Expected Council Action

In May, the Security Council will hold its monthly meeting on Yemen. UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and a representative of OCHA are expected to brief. Head of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) Major General Michael Beary will brief in consultations.

Key Recent Developments

Attacks by the Houthi rebel group on commercial shipping since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023 have persisted, significantly disrupting trade routes through the Red Sea, and prompting military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen by the UK and the US since 11 January. The situation has frozen, and risks upending, peace talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia and deliberations on a UN roadmap for an inter-Yemeni political process.

On 13 April, the Houthis joined Iran and its proxy groupsmilitias in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanonin launching missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for Israels 1 April attack against an Iranian consular facility in Damascus. The attack on the facility killed several senior commanders of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Israel and its international partners intercepted 99 percent of the approximately 300 unmanned aerial vehicles, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles launched. US Central Command, in a statement noting that it had intercepted more than 80 one-way drones and at least six ballistic missiles from Iran and Yemen, highlighted that it had destroyed a ballistic missile on its launcher vehicle and seven drones in Yemen prior to their being fired.

On 18 April, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a televised speech that the group would continue its attacks against maritime shipping until Israel halts its military offensive against Hamas in Gaza, which it launched following the Palestinian militant groups attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. The solution in everyones interest is to stop the [Israeli] aggression, end the siege in Gaza, and provide food and medicine [to the Gaza Strip], he said.

The Security Council held its monthly briefing on Yemen on 15 April, followed by closed consultations. Grundberg reiterated that regional events have significantly complicated the mediation space to establish a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen and an intra-Yemeni political process. He added: In the absence of a ceasefire in Gaza and a complete termination of attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the threat of further escalation persists. The recent developments involving Iran and Israel underscore the urgency of this matter. OCHA Director of Operations and Advocacy Edem Wosornu highlighted at the session that there had been a rapid spread since March of cholera in Houthi-controlled areas. As at 7 April, more than 11,000 suspected cases had been reported in these areas, with 75 associated deaths. Approximately 3,200 suspected cases have been reported in government-controlled areas since October 2023.

Civil society representative Wameedh Shakir, Founder and Chairwoman of Itar Foundation for Social Development, also briefed. Shakir highlighted the effect of climate change in Yemen, which she said causes food insecurity, water scarcity, and displacement. Shakir called for the Council to urge the conflict parties in Yemen to address the climate crisis by enhancing good governance, building institutional capacity, and empowering civil society participation. Before the meeting, Council members that have signed on to the Statement of joint pledges related to climate, peace and securityFrance, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Switzerland, the Republic of Korea (ROK), the UK, and the USheld a stakeout to present a statement on climate, peace and security issues facing Yemen.

Women, Peace and Security

During her Council briefing, Shakir said Yemens climate crisis disproportionally affects women and girls, who often play a crucial role in food production and household water collection and management. She noted that authorities do not consider climate change a priority and that existing climate change adaptation plans lack gender and youth-responsive implementation mechanisms. Shakir stressed that renewed efforts towards peacebuilding are crucial, with civil society and womens rights organizations at the forefront. Among her recommendations, she urged the Council to call on all parties to respect and protect the human rights of all Yemenis, including women and girls, and urge the parties in Yemen to lift all restrictions on the movement of Yemeni women, and humanitarian and peacebuilding workers.

Key Issues and Options

The Houthi threat to commercial shipping and the continued exchange of attacks by the Houthis on vessels and by US-led forces on Houthi targets is a key issue. Preserving the progress made prior to the crisis in the now-stalled Omani-facilitated talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia to reach a peace agreement and Grundbergs efforts to develop a road map for an inter-Yemeni political process is another key issue. Fragile relations among the factions that form the Yemeni governments Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and some PLC members calls for a separate southern Yemeni state remain additional concerns related to political efforts.

Members are likely to monitor developments in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and encourage the parties to engage with the Special Envoy and preserve the progress to date in peace talks. They may use opportunities, such as a ceasefire in Gaza or a lull in Red Sea attacks, to issue a press statement that expresses support for Yemens peace process and encourages the parties to reach agreement on the Special Envoys roadmap for a ceasefire and an inclusive intra-Yemeni political process.

Council members may also call on donors to increase their funding to the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and for actions to support economic stability, as the humanitarian situation remains a key issue. OCHAs 2024 HRP, released in January, was only 15.2 precent funded as at 25 April. It projects that 18.2 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection services in 2024. The main drivers of need remain Yemens deteriorated economy, lack of public services and protracted conflict-induced displacement. In addition to cholera, recent months have seen a rise in food insecurity. A funding crisis for the work of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Yemen threatens to undermine the response. Insecurity and access restraints are also key issues impeding relief efforts. While the UN still reports that it has not seen major implications from the Red Sea crisis on the humanitarian situation, the risk that this could exacerbate needs is also a key issue.

Council Dynamics

Council members are united in their support for the various mediation efforts. They have welcomed the Houthi-Saudi talks and stress the ultimate need for an inclusive Yemeni political process under UN auspices to achieve a sustainable resolution of the conflict. Members have also condemned the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and are concerned about the consequences for maritime security, freedom of navigation, and Yemens peace process.

Nonetheless, the Red Sea crisis has created some divisions on the Yemen file. On 10 January, the Council adopted resolution 2722, which took note of the right of member states, in accordance with international law, to defend their vessels from attacks. Algeria, Mozambique, Russia, and China abstained on the vote, however, and China and Russia have criticised the US and UK for strikes in Yemen without Council authorisation. The US and UK assert that their strikes are undertaken in self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. The US and Japan co-authored resolution 2722, as well as press statements on the crisis issued on 1 December 2023 and 18 March. The Houthis have held the Japanese-operated cargo ship Galaxy Leader and its crew since capturing the vessel, linked to an Israeli businessman, in November 2023.

Russia, China, and the African Council members (Algeria, Mozambique, and Sierra Leone) and Guyana, known as the A3 plus one, also highlight the importance of a Gaza ceasefire to end the Red Sea crisis; in Council negotiations on products on the Houthi attacks they have argued for explicitly recognising the link between the two crises. A long-standing red line for Russia in the Councils Yemen products is identifying Iran as supplying the Houthis with arms.

The UK is the penholder on Yemen. Ambassador Joonkook Hwang (Republic of Korea) chairs the 2140 Yemen Sanctions Committee.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. The COP29 team is working on three main areas of substantive issues, chief negotiator of COP29 Yalchin Rafiyev said during the "Sustainable Path to a Green Future: Joint Actions at COP29 and Beyond" panel discussion held within the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku, Trend reports.

Rafiyev pointed out that the first direction is preparation for the negotiation process.

He explained that the negotiation process on the final documents of COP29 hasn't yet begun, but in order to prepare for it, active consultations are underway with the participants of this process, with various states, as a result of which their positions are being studied and a strategy for the negotiation process is being developed.

The second direction, according to him, is related to the action agenda of the COP29 presidency.

Finally, the third direction concerns the implementation by Azerbaijan in this context at the national level of relevant measures and steps, for example, on a global scale, according to Rafiyev.

To note, the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue has kicked off in Baku.

A total of 700 guests from around the globe are convening for the forum centered on the theme "Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity."

Among the diverse participants hailing from over 100 nations, ministerial figures and representatives from the cultural ministries of 60 countries, along with 28 international organizations, will be in attendance. The agenda includes 10 panel discussions and four plenary sessions.

This significant event, organized by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, is a collaborative effort with esteemed international bodies such as the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), UNESCO, ICESCO, and the UN World Tourism Organization.

The event is set to run from May 1 through 3.

Moreover, this November, Azerbaijan will host COP29. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary meeting held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Baku will become the center of the world and will receive about 70,00080,000 foreign guests.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. The COPthe Conference of the Partiesis the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 198 countries that are parties to the Convention. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the COP is held annually. The first COP event took place in March 1995 in Germany's Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.

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ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 1. Kazakhstan and China have agreed to temporarily close border checkpoints, Trend reports, citing the Border Service of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan.

"In accordance with the Agreement between the governments of Kazakhstan and China, on May 1, 7, and 9, 2024, the passage of persons, vehicles, and cargo at road checkpoints on the Kazakh-Chinese border will be temporarily suspended, with the exception of the Khorgos International Center for Cross-Border Cooperation and railway checkpoints," the Border Service said.

In addition to this, on the Kazakh-Uzbek border, due to ongoing reconstruction, the Kaplanbek checkpoint is closed, and the movement of persons and vehicles at the Tazhen, Atameken, and Kazygurt checkpoints is limited.

At the same time, checkpoints on the Russian, Kyrgyz, and Turkmen routes are operating as usual.

Previously, the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan reached an agreement with China on the transition to the exchange and issuance of electronic foreign permit forms for road cargo transportation.

Meanwhile, on April 15, a joint order of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan came into force on the transfer to an electronic form of obtaining permits for the transportation of goods of the type "to/from third countries" for Kazakh carriers.

As a result, this mechanism will allow carriers to simplify cargo transportation with Uzbekistan and eliminate speculation with places in the queue and the transfer of permit forms to third parties.
Luxury handbag maker Mulberry struck a cautious tone on Wednesday as it reported a drop in full-year revenues, pointing to a downturn in luxury spending.

In an update for the year to the end of March, the company said group revenue declined 4% on the prior year, "against a backdrop of challenging macro-economic conditions and a decline in luxury consumer spending, especially in the last quarter".

Mulberry said gross margins were maintained around those reported for the first half of the year.

"As previously highlighted, losses for the full year will be impacted by the additional operational costs of new stores in Sweden and Australia and ongoing important investments, including technology, supporting future growth of the group," it said.

Retail sales were up 0.3%, with international up 7.2% but UK sales down 3.2%.

Mulberry said retail sales were in line with the prior year, driven by growth in Europe and the US due to increased brand awareness and its direct to customer strategy. However, this was offset by a drop in the UK and Asia Pacific (excluding Australia), which continued to be challenging due to the macro-economic climate in China and reduced footfall across the region.

Chief executive Thierry Andretta said: "While we achieved positive revenue growth in the first half, Mulberry has not been immune to the broader downturn in luxury spending experienced in recent months, particularly in the UK and Asia. This decline was partially offset by positive trading in the US, where we have benefitted from increased brand awareness.

"Looking ahead, the trading environment in the UK and China remains challenging and we do not expect this to change in the short term. We are therefore managing the business prudently, focusing on executing our strategy and vision to become a global sustainable luxury brand."
India has experienced a significant surge in its global services exports over the past 18 years, driven largely by the rise of Global Capability Centres (GCCs). According to a recent report by Goldman Sachs titled 'Indias Rise as the Emerging Services Factory of the World', GCCs have played a pivotal role in the expansion, contributing significantly to the country's economy.

The report highlights Bengaluru as the leading hub for GCCs, with Delhi-NCR following close behind. Over the past 23 years, the number of GCCs in India has more than doubled, rising from 700 to 1,580. This substantial growth has also led to a notable increase in employment within the sector, with around 1.3 million individuals currently working in GCCs. By the fiscal year 2023, the total number of employees in the sector had reached 1.7 million, marking an 11.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

The proliferation of GCCs has not only boosted real estate but has also contributed to the expansion of services exports, providing a significant catalyst for economic growth and job creation. GCCs, which are specialized offshore entities established by companies worldwide, support a broad spectrum of business processes, including IT, human resources, finance, and analytics.

Goldman Sachs' report indicates that GCC revenues in India have experienced remarkable growth over the past 13 years, with a CAGR of 11.4%, reaching $46 billion in FY23. The report forecasts strong growth in high-value services in the coming years, which is expected to drive top-end discretionary consumption and spur demand for commercial and residential real estate.

India's services exports reached nearly $340 billion in 2023, growing at a CAGR of around 11% since 2005, which is almost double the global growth rate. As a result, India's share in global services exports has increased from under 2% in 2005 to 4.6% in 2023. During the same period, its share in goods exports rose from 1% to 1.8%.

The report emphasizes that within the services sector, computer services remain dominant, accounting for nearly half of India's services exports in 2023. However, professional consulting exports have emerged as the fastest-growing sector, indicating a dynamic shift in India's services exports landscape.
Microsoft has announced plans to build a new cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in Thailand, as part of its commitment to supporting the country's growing digital economy. The company aims to provide AI skilling opportunities for more than 100,000 people and support the nation's expanding developer community.

The new data center region will enhance the availability of Microsoft's hyperscale cloud services, offering enterprise-grade reliability, performance, and compliance with data residency and privacy standards. This investment aligns with Thailand's goal of capitalizing on the economic and productivity opportunities presented by the latest AI technology.

Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, highlighted the company's dedication to Thailand, stating, "Our new data center region, along with the investments we are making in cloud and AI infrastructure, as well as AI skilling, build on our long-standing commitment to the country and will help Thai organizations across the public and private sectors drive new impact and growth".

Microsoft Thailand's Managing Director, Dhanawat Suthumpun, emphasized the company's focus on fostering Thailand's digital economy, saying, "Microsoft is dedicated to helping Thailand excel as a digital economy, ensuring that the benefits of cloud and AI technologies are widespread and contribute to the prosperity and well-being of Thais".
Wipro, a leading IT software firm, announced a multi-million-dollar agreement with telecommunications major Nokia to enhance its employee service desk and deliver real-time IT support across a global network of workers.

Under the agreement, Wipro will develop a bespoke AI-powered, cloud-based solution for Nokia's workforce, which includes around 86,700 users in 130 countries. The initiative aims to improve the employee experience by offering highly available, secure, and automated services.

Vinay Firake, Sr VP & MD Nordics at Wipro, highlighted the company's cloud-based expertise and design-led approach, which will enable Nokia employees to access personalized support, enhancing their productivity and service delivery.

omni-channel global service desk that provides employees with flexible, secure, and always-on support to navigate hybrid work environments effectively. Wipro's subsidiary Designit will conduct user research to ensure the new support system offers personalized assistance at the right time. The collaboration will result in andesk that provides employees with flexible, secure, and always-on support to navigate hybrid work environments effectively.

Marije van Donk, VP, Head of User Experience at Nokia, emphasized the project's focus on a modernized remote support concept. This concept leverages the latest technologies to offer seamless, secure, and efficient support, regardless of employees' location, device, or network.

By implementing this innovative support system, Nokia aims to empower its users to resolve their issues through self-service, receive intelligent and contextual guidance, and connect with experts as needed.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 1. Kazakhstan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have discussed the construction and reconstruction of sewage treatment facilities, Trend reports.

The discussions were chaired by the Vice Minister of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan Kuandyk Kazhkenov, with the participation of ADB representatives.

To date, thanks to a loan from the ADB, the implementation of sewage treatment plant projects has begun in four cities - Zhezkazgan, Satpayev, Balkhash, and Stepnogorsk. For many of them, detailed designs have already been prepared, and design and estimate documentation has been developed.

As Kazhkenov noted, the main environmental problem in the cities of the country is associated with the high wear and tear of sewage treatment facilities, which were built back in the 1960s and 1990s.

"Currently, the government of Kazakhstan is developing comprehensive approaches to resolving issues of construction and modernization of sewage treatment facilities, including financing construction and reconstruction projects. In this regard, taking into account the Banks experience in developing utility infrastructure, the Ministry is ready for further cooperation with the ADB," he said.

Kazakhstan joined the ADB in 1994. ADB has since committed about $7 billion in loans to the government and private sector, grants, and technical assistance.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The NYPD hoisted the American flag while arresting about 300 people involved in anti-Israel protests at college campuses in New York City that officials claim are being fueled by outside agitators.

In a patriotic but controversial move, the NYPD removed a Palestinian flag and replaced it with an American flag while responding to protests at City College of New York.

Thats our flag folks, Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference Wednesday at NYPD Headquarters in Manhattan. You dont take over our buildings and put another flag up.

The mayor added, Its despicable that schools will allow another countrys flag to fly in our country. So blame me for being proud to be an American. Were not surrendering our way of life to anyone.

The mayor and the other officials blamed the escalation of the protests that included the takeover of Hamilton Hall at Columbia as the work of outside agitators.

This is a global problem that young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children and I am not going to allow that to happen as mayor of the city of New York, Adams said.

He described the agitators as these external actors with a history of escalating situations and trying to create chaos, not to peacefully protest.

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said that the NYPD moved in to quash the protests after receiving written authorization from both Columbia University and City College after the situation on their campuses had deteriorated to a point where the safety of their students, faculty, staff and the public was at risk.

Caban said that police removed individuals who refused to leave the area after the universities negotiated with protesters in efforts to revolve the situation.

A total of 282 arrests were made, including 173 at City College and 109 at Columbia, according to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell.

Preliminary charges levied by police included trespass, criminal mischief and burglary, Caban said.

Chell said police kept about 2,000 students who were on campus safe and secure.

The NYPDs precision policing ensured that the operation was organized, calm and that there were no injuries or violent clashes, the mayor said of the response, which was based on a plan developed in January 2022 for dealing with protests that intensify into criminal behavior.

Since the terrorist attack of Oct. 7 [in Israel], the NYPD has responded to more than 2,400 protests and demonstrations across this city, Caban said. About 1,100 of those related to the situation of Israel and Palestine and at every one, weve worked to keep protesters safe and protect their First Amendment rights.

The mayor said that due to outside agitators, what was happening at Columbia and City College went far beyond the students rights of peaceful protests and free speech.

It was about external actors hijacking peaceful protests and influencing students to escalate, the mayor said. Theres nothing peaceful about barricading buildings, destroying property or dismantling security cameras. We cannot allow what should be a lawful protest to turn into a violent spectacle that serves no purpose.

Members of the New York Police Department strategic response team move towards an entrance to Columbia University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. After entering the campus, a contingent of police officers approached Hamilton Hall, the administration building that student protesters began occupying in the morning. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)AP

NYPD DETAILS THE CHALLENGES

The NYPD faced questions from reporters about the size and scope of the efforts to dislodge protesters.

All of that equipment is life-saving equipment, said Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey of the large and well-equipped presence of officers at both campuses.

The mayor said that drones were used to survey Hamilton Hall prior to police entering and that encryption of police radio transmissions provided an element of surprise.

Caban and other police officials showed a thick metal chain of the type that protesters used to secure all of the entry doors at Hamilton Hall. Some reporters claimed they were chains normally used to secure bicycles.

They tried to lock us out, but the NYPD and the people of the city of New York will never be locked out and will always work together to keep our city safe, the mayor said.

Maddrey said officers faced the challenge of entering Hamilton Hall, a building that we knew the doors were fortified with vending machines, couches, metal chairs and the students, the people who were in the building, also pushing against the doors and throwing objects at ESU as they made entry.

At City College, bottles and garbage cans were thrown at police officers, according to the NYPD.

RISE IN RADICALISM REPORTED

These types of escalating protests are happening across the United States and in Europe, said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner.

This is not about students expressing ideas, it is about a change in tactics that presents a concern, Weiner said, adding that there has been a normalization and mainstreaming of rhetoric associated with terrorism that has now become pretty common on college campuses.

Weiner noted that some people on some college campuses are wearing headbands associated with foreign terrorist organizations. Last October, Osama Bin Ladens 2002 letter to America was re-issued and it went viral on TikTok.

Its separate from what happened yesterday but theyre related, Weinger said of all these examples, adding that the NYPD does not want campuses being turned into places where people are committing vandalism, property damage and committing crimes.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  In partnering with the William L. Murphy Staten Island Family Justice Center and Safe Horizon, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon recently hosted the 30th annual National Crime Victims Rights Week Candlelight Vigil.

The event, held at St. Johns University in Grymes Hill on Thursday, April 25, commemorated the lives of those lost to crime on Staten Island.

As many across our state rush to make our criminal justice system favor the accused, it is increasingly important that we ensure the victims of crime and their voices are not left by the wayside, McMahon said.

The culmination of a weeks worth of events highlighting the victims of crime and their stories, Thursday nights solemn ceremony served as an opportunity to honor those who have survived, those whom we have lost, and those who go above and beyond to achieve justice for them and their families,' McMahon said. This remembrance is more than a once-a-year event; It fuels the work my office does each and every day because of the truly awe-inspiring bravery displayed by our victims and their families. The men and women of my office are recommitted to continuing our essential mission of driving down crime, addressing the underlying conditions of crime, yet protecting the rights of the accused, and, most importantly, pursuing justice on behalf of the victims and their families in the courtroom this week and every week thereafter.

The 30th annual National Crime Victims Rights Week Candlelight Vigil was held at St. John's University in Grymes Hill on Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Courtesy of the Richmond County District Attorney's Office)(Courtesy of the Richmond County

Attendees were treated to performances in the campus Kelleher Center by James Donohue and Patrice Ramissoon, Robyn Piper, and the Brighton Heights Reformed Church Orchestra, led by Yvette Washington-Wheatley.

Several crime victims and relatives of those taken by crime shared their stories with the assembly. The names of loved ones lost were read aloud at a ceremonious candle lighting.

The gathering eventually proceeded outside to view a lantern display; a moment of silence and a closing prayer from Rev. Antoinette Donegan marking a conclusion to the event.

The 30th annual National Crime Victims Rights Week Candlelight Vigil was held at St. John's University in Grymes Hill on Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Courtesy of the Richmond County District Attorney's Office)(Courtesy of the Richmond County

The 30th annual National Crime Victims Rights Week Candlelight Vigil was held at St. John's University in Grymes Hill on Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Courtesy of the Richmond County District Attorney's Office)(Courtesy of the Richmond County
NEW YORK, N.Y.  Stormy Daniels former lawyer said Tuesday that the failure to fund a deal meant to keep his client quiet about an alleged affair with former President Donald Trump led him to believe it would be a hectic few weeks ahead of the 2016 presidential elections.

Following the leak of the infamous Access Hollywood tape in late October 2016, attorney Keith Davidson said Trumps former attorney Michael Cohen became increasingly interested in purchasing the pornstar Daniels story to keep it from media attention.

Cohens and Trumps unwillingness to pay the $130,000 that Daniels sought made Davidson question their judgement and worry about the impending media storm when his client put the story out.

I just felt like there was going to be more than a flurry; I felt like it was going to be a tornado, he told prosecutor Joshua Steinglass. There would be tremendous media activity around the subject of the story.

Steinglass boss, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, charged Trump last year with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which carries a maximum sentence of four years incarceration, according to the state court system.

Trumps hush money trial, the first criminal trial of a former president, began its third week Tuesday after taking Monday off for Passover celebrations.

The allegedly falsified business records came after Cohen ultimately paid Daniels the money, and Trump allegedly paid him back through what prosecutors have described as fraudulent or misleading documents.

Davidson, a Los Angeles-based attorney, said getting Cohen to put up the money presented an unsurprising challenge, as he had previously dealt with him in 2011 when a blog posted a story about the alleged 2006 affair between Trump and Daniels.

My interaction with him around 2011 was unpleasant and not instructive and I didnt particularly like dealing with him, Davidson said.

Davidson said he believed Cohen slow-walking the payment was an effort to kick the can down the road until after the 2016 election, he said, adding that he thought the payment was ultimately being made on behalf of Trump.

It was also the second such deal Davidson had been involved in with Trump. Another client of his, former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, also accepted an alleged hush money payment of $150,000 to keep quiet about her own affair with Trump.

Those two deals and a third to purchase a story about an alleged Trump love child were part of a broader catch-and-kill scheme prosecutors say Trump hatched with Cohen and David Pecker, the former CEO of American Media Inc. and publisher of the National Enquirer.

Pecker testified previously that strategy followed an August 2015 meeting among the trio shortly after Trumps presidential run announcement.

The three of them decided they would work to suppress negative news about Trump and promote positive stories ahead of the 2016 election.

Enlisting the help of former National Enquirer Editor in Chief Dylan Howard, Pecker would alert Cohen whenever he heard about a potentially damaging story, including the multiple instances when they paid sources to keep quiet about their Trump tales.

While Davidson testified Tuesday that Cohen never explicitly said he was working at the direction of Trump, the Los Angeles lawyer said it was his understanding that the deals he worked on were organized on the then-candidates behalf.

Every single time I spoke to Michael Cohen, he leaned on his relationship with Donald Trump, he said. He let me know at every opportunity that he could that he was working for Donald Trump.

Several other witnesses also testified Tuesday  Cohens former banker, Gary Farro, and a pair of custodial witnesses from C-SPAN and a deposition firm that worked on one of Trumps civil cases.

Farro shared Davidsons perspective about Cohen being unpleasant to work with, but said he unwittingly helped the attorney set up a shell company he used to process the alleged hush money payment to Daniels.

Farro said Cohen used a home equity line of credit to fund the shell company, and that he set the company up through dishonest means.

Had Cohen been straightforward about its use in a political campaign, it would have delayed the shell companys establishment, and if he had said the money would ultimately be used to pay off a pornstar, the bank would not have done business with him, Farro said.

When news of the hush money payment first broke, First Republic, which went under last year, ended its business with Cohen except for a mortgage, Farro said.

Braggs office spent much of Tuesday developing the story about why and how Trump and his allies concocted their news scheme, but also used the custodial witnesses to try to pry into the former presidents mind.

Dr. Robert Browning, executive director of archives at C-SPAN, presented footage from two October 2016 campaign stops during which Trump was worried about negative stories related to women coming out about him and how they would impact his election chances.

As you have seen, right now I am being viciously attacked with lies and smears, he said at a North Carolina campaign stop. Now suddenly after many, many years, phony accusers come out less than a month before one of the most important elections.

Another C-SPAN video showed Trump, as president-elect, praising Cohen in January 2017. Prosecutors have also sought to show Trumps changing opinion about Cohen after his one-time fixer flipped for federal and state prosecutors.

Tuesdays proceedings closed in the middle of the prosecutions questioning of Davidson, which will resume Thursday.

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case, also found Trump in contempt Tuesday for nine online posts, fining him $9,000 and forcing him to take down those posts.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Tim Hortons, the Canadian-born chain with Staten Island locations renowned for its coffee and baked goods, is once again spreading smiles with its annual Smile Cookie campaign, this time with proceeds benefitting the Brian Halpin Pediatric Cancer Center at Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH).

Through May 5, 2024, participating Tim Hortons restaurants in the United States will offer specially decorated Smile Cookies for $1.50 USD, with 100% of the proceeds donated to local charities.

This year, Tim Hortons is partnering with the Brian Halpin Pediatric Cancer Center at SIUH, Ocean Breeze, as the beneficiary of Smile Cookie proceeds from three Staten Island locations.

Staten Island University Hospital is thankful to Tim Hortons for choosing us as one of their Smile Cookie beneficiaries, said Jamie Lynn Homan, major gifts officer at SIUH. Their partnership will make a huge difference in the lives of our pediatric cancer patients by supporting our new center.

Since its inception in 1996, the Smile Cookie campaign has raised over $111 million for various charities and community groups, according to Tim Hortons. Last year, the campaign raised a record-breaking $19.7 million, benefitting more than 600 organizations across Canada and the United States.

Share a Smile Cookie and a smile on social media using the hashtag #SmileCookie to spread the joy further.

Participating Tim Hortons Locations on Staten Island:

Bulls Head: 1700 Richmond Ave.

Willowbrook: 2525 Victory Blvd.

Dongan Hills: 1562 Hylan Blvd.

For more information or to order online, visit Tim Hortons website at www.timhortons/smile-cookie.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- On Sunday, May 5, the Staten Island Ferry will once again be called upon to bring cyclists back to Manhattan after the TD NYC Five Boro Bike Tour.

Last year, over 30,000 cyclists participated in the event, with many of them opting to take the ferry back home.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  New York City will now provide FDNY emergency medical services (EMS) personnel with body armor and self-defense training every three years after Mayor Eric Adams signed two pieces of legislation Wednesday.

Both sponsored by City Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore), the pieces of legislation require the FDNY to provide body armor, along with self-defense and de-escalation training every three years to all members working in the EMS bureau.

Every day, the brave men and women of the FDNY emergency medical services put themselves in harms way to save New Yorkers lives. They are often the first to arrive on the scene, and the most vulnerable, Borelli, who is the Republican leader in the Council, said. The least we can do is help protect them so they, too, can get home safe to their families.

During a February hearing on the legislation, Oren Barzilay, president of EMS Local 2507 and a 29-year veteran of FDNY EMS, said that assaults on EMTs were at an all-time high with personnel threatened or attacked 386 times in 2021 and 363 times in 2022.

Mayor Eric Adams holds a public hearing and bill signing for Intro. 126 to provide body armor to Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) employees who provide emergency medical services and Intro. 127 to provide de-escalation and self-defense training to FDNY employees who provide emergency medical services. City Hall. Wednesday, May 1, 2024.(Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.)

The longstanding issue of violence against FDNY EMTs came to a head in September 2022 when Alison Russo-Elling, a 25-year-veteran of the FDNY, was stabbed to death in Queens.

Peter Zisopoulos, the 36-year-old accused murderer, currently has his trial ongoing and he is being held on Rikers Island, according to court and Department of Correction records. He has pleaded not guilty and faces up to life in prison.

Adams said Wednesday that the new laws served as a way to provide a bit more support for a notoriously underfunded part of city government.

Often time, they respond before other first responders are there. They are the selfless heroes who show up when we need them the most, and simply put, they are New York Citys best, he said at City Hall. Our EMS employees always have the backs of New Yorkers and we want to make sure we have them covered as well.
For the FBI, it was the opportunity of a lifetime.

Mob-busting Special Agent Joseph F. OBrien got a call from an informant late in the morning on May 15, 1984 with huge news: members of The Commission, the ruling body of the Mafia in New York City, were set to meet on Staten Island.

The Commission was made up of the chieftains of the citys organized crime families, including the boss of bosses, Gambino family godfather Paul The Pope Castellano, himself a Staten Island resident.

Castellano at the time was under indictment on racketeering charges.

The FBI to that point had never been able to have surveillance around a Commission gathering.

A single documented Commission meeting with proof that criminal activity had been discussed would allow federal prosecutors to go after the mobsters with the powerful Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute, known as RICO.

RICO had been already been utilized to hit gangsters with long prison sentences when proven that the mobsters had committed their illegal acts while part of an ongoing criminal organization.

Like La Cosa Nostra.

As recounted in the book Boss of Bosses: The FBI and Paul Castellano, by OBrien and his fellow mob-hunting Special Agent Andris Kurins, the FBI at first was skeptical of the tip, which came from an underworld informant identified as G.

OBrien thought that G was either misinformed, lying or being set up for a rubout by Mafia rivals because leaks around Commission meetings were simply unheard of.

But when G told OBrien that the Commission meeting would be about construction, the FBI agent was all ears.

OBrien knew that there was friction among the mob families who at the time shared control of big-ticket construction projects across the city. That included the all-important pouring of concrete, controlled by the mobs so-called Concrete Club.

G told OBrien that the meeting would be held at 1 p.m. that very day at a home on Cameron Avenue in South Beach.

OBrien and Kurins met at an old FBI monitoring station on Richmond Road and then drove in a white van to the parking lot of the old Country Club Diner to plot strategy.

SAFE HOUSE

The home on Cameron Avenue was owned by a relative of Castellano aide-de-camp and Eltingville resident Tommy Bilotti, making it the perfect safe house for a mob summit.

Knowing that mob sentinels would be watching the street, the FBI made one pass by the house and then settled about a hundred yards up the block, the rear windows of their van facing the site of the supposed meeting.

Summit featuring the top leaders of the Mafia's ruling "Commission" was held on Cameron Avenue in South Beach on May 15, 1984. (Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance)Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance

And the agents waited. And waited some more. As a couple of hours went by, the agents began to second-guess themselves.

Until around 4 p.m., that is.

Thats when Gambino family capo Frank DeCicco slowly cruised down Cameron in a car that the FBI agents had seen before going back and forth from Castellanos Todt Hill mansion, nicknamed the White House.

Todt Hill home of Gambino family godfather Paul Castellano is shown in 1985. (Tony Dugal/Staten Island Advance)Tony Dugal/Staten Island Advance

About 30 minutes later, their business apparently concluded, the mob bigs and their underlings began to depart the home on Cameron Avenue.

Captured in surveillance photos were Genovese family boss Fat Tony Salerno; Gennaro Gerry Lang Langella, acting boss of the Colombo family, and Lucchese family underboss Salvatore Tom Mix Santoro.

Thanks to the infiltration of their ranks by the FBI undercover agent known as Donnie Brasco, the Bonnano crime family was in such disarray that they no longer held a seat on the commission and were not present at the meeting.

That meant just one underworld chieftain was left in the house: the Pope himself, Paul Castellano, recognized at the time as the top mobster in the United States.

Gambino family godfather Paul Castellano, center, and aide-de-camp Tommy Bilott, left, are shown outside court in 1985, two months before they were killed in a gangland rubout. (Steve Zaffarano/Staten Island Advance)Steve Zaffarano/Staten Island Advance

Big Paul finally departed the home just before 5 p.m., driven away in a car along with Bilotti.

COMMISSION CASE

Photos from the Cameron Street meeting would be used along with information gleaned from FBI wiretaps inside Castellanos home and other evidence in one of the biggest mob prosecutions in history: the so-called Commission Case, led by then-U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani.

Then-U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani makes a point during speech before the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce luncheon in 1988 in the Columbian Lyceum, West Brighton. (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano) Staten Island Advance

The FBI arrested the mob leaders, including Castellano and others seen at the Commission summit, on Feb. 24, 1985. Some would be sentenced to 100 years in prison in the Commission Case, which concluded in November 1986.

But Castellano would face a different kind of justice.

THE RUBOUT

The godfather with the mansion on the hill had been slammed for being out of touch with the street, including by an ambitious Gambino captain named John Gotti.

Things came to a head when Gambino underboss Aniello Neil Dellacroce, a Grasmere resident, died of cancer on Dec. 2, 1985.

Future mob kingpin John Gotti was arrested in the murder of Staten Islander James McBratney in 1974. . (Staten Island Advance)Staten Island Advance

Castellano, who had maintained a fragile truce with Dellacroce, did not attend the underboss wake, enraging Gotti and others.

The Pope made things worse when he named the inexperienced, undiplomatic Bilotti as his underboss. Castellano also hinted that he would break up Gottis crew.

Two weeks after Dellacroces death, on Dec. 16, 1985, Castellano and Bilotti were gunned down outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan.

Gotti, who engineered the hit, became the Gambino don.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 1. Kazakhstan invites Croatian businesses to jointly implement projects, said the foreign representative of KAZAKH INVEST (a national company) Ulbossyn Sarybayeva, Trend reports.

She made the remark during the first meeting of the Business Council of Kazakhstan and Croatia in Zagreb.

Sarybayeva also introduced Croatian businessmen to measures of state support for investments and mechanisms for protecting the rights of investors in Kazakhstan.

"One of our top priorities is to strengthen commercial and investment partnerships with Croatia. In 2023, the volume of mutual trade expanded by over 20 percent. We see tremendous opportunity for increasing relationships in the sectors of construction, information technology, medicines, the food industry, and trade," she noted.

At the same time, during the event, the Chairman of the Board of the Kazakh Foreign Trade Chamber Murat Karimsakov and Luka Burilovic, President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two chambers and an agreement on the establishment of the Business Council of Kazakhstan and Croatia.

In addition, an agreement on strategic cooperation was signed between Aspan Construction Company and VS Engineering.

Following the event, business circles discussed key aspects of the bilateral economic agenda, identified priority areas, and agreed on cooperation in such areas as energy, IT, tourism, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and the food industry.

To note, the volume of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Croatia amounted to $432 million in 2023. The structure of trade turnover is dominated by Kazakh exports to Croatia (398 million), while imports from Croatia amounted to $34 million.

The National Company KAZAKH INVEST JSC was established in accordance with the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 100 dated March 1, 2017 "On the renaming of the National Export and Investment Agency KAZNEX INVEST Joint-Stock Company in order to promote the Republic of Kazakhstan's sustainable socioeconomic development by attracting foreign investment in priority sectors of the economy and comprehensive support of investment projects."
Its capacity to fund the growth projects latent in the South American copper business at the core of Anglos appeal to BHP and others is limited given its financially constrained circumstances. Anglos plight is exacerbated by the biggest growth project in its pipeline, the Woodsmith polyhalite fertiliser project in the UK. Whether or not its offer is successful, BHP has done Anglo shareholders a service because the bid will act as a catalyst to promote deeper analysis of Anglos performance, its prospects and the impediments to maximising both. Anglo has already written $US1.7 billion off the value of the project, having invested $US641 million into it last year and committed to pumping in another $US900 million this year, with a further $US1 billion or so of annual spending expected before the project, if completed and completed on time, brings its first fertiliser to market in 2027. It has been looking for a partner as the investments into the project could run up close to $US9 billion, which is a massive bet on a product for which there is no market of any significance yet, and which will compete with more conventional and established alternatives like potash.

Anglo spent $US4.4 billion on what is described as sustaining capital expenditures last year, from a total of $US5.7 billion of spending. Given the scale of investment that will be sunk into Woodsmith over the next three years, Anglo cant be spending money on other growth projects if it is to meet its targeted reduction in capital expenditures. Loading Whether it was BHP or another of the other heavyweight resource groups or, as some have speculated, a state-backed Chinese bidder, a new owner of Anglo would have the balance sheet and cash flows to deal with Woodsmith. They could either complete it or shut it down. BHP, with its massive balance sheet and cash flows, or any of the other potential bidders touted, would also have the financial capacity to fund Anglos highly prospective growth projects in copper and, to a lesser extent, within its Brazilian iron ore interests. BHPs proposal envisages a demerger of Anglos 80 per cent-owned platinum metals group and its 70 per cent-owned Kumba iron ore business. The two separately listed South African entities generated more than a third of Anglos underlying EBITDA last year.

As they are already listed, a demerger  a distribution of Anglos shares in those subsidiaries to its shareholders  wouldnt be particularly complicated and, with BHP effectively absorbing the costs and tax liabilities of the spin-offs, would be more affordable than if Anglo were to try to replicate the strategy itself. In fact, Anglo probably couldnt emulate BHP because the cash flows from those businesses are too central to its viability in its current circumstances. While the initial reaction to BHPs approach to Anglo from within the South African government has been less than welcoming, the demerger, which would see two of the three key South African businesses gaining control over 100 per cent of their cash flows rather than seeing them diverted to South America, might eventually be seen more positively. The other South African business is De Beers, the diamond company which plunged into loss last year as lower production interacted with a big slump in diamond prices.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Anglo has been sounding out the market for potential buyers of the business, which BHP has put in the to review basket if its offer succeeds. There would be significant interest in De Beers, whether from other resource groups, private equity, luxury goods groups or the Chinese. BHPs offer has been described as opportunistic but if that were the case, it would be because Anglo has provided that opportunity. Credit: Bloomberg With valuations that range from significantly less than $US1 billion to more than $US7 billion, a sale of De Beers would be either inconsequential for Anglo or potentially enable it to transform its balance sheet and prospects. It could provide Anglo with an escape route from the predators now stalking it or make it more appealing to BHP or a third party by simplifying its portfolio. Its copper that BHP and others want, not diamonds. BHP has, under Londons takeover rules, until May 22 to declare whether it proceeds with the offer or not. It is most unlikely that it entered this process believing its first bid would be its last.

Its getting a chance to gauge the markets reaction  including that of its shareholders and its share price, which has softened  and seen Anglos response. By May 22, BHP will know the likely price for success and have decided whether it is prepared to pay it. Loading It also has a window of opportunity to talk to Anglos shareholders and remind them that Anglos share price hasnt reflected anything approaching its sum of the parts value in decades. Nothing good will flow from that engagement for the current board and management. The value of the South African businesses that BHP wants to demerge is heavily discounted by international investors because they operate within a very troubled society and an economy whose infrastructure has been severely degraded. That has weighed on Anglos share price for decades and, unless it distances itself from those businesses, will continue to impact it for the foreseeable future. Whether BHP or someone else radically remakes Anglos structure, or Anglo itself pursues a somewhat less radical restructuring, Anglo cant pretend that its current set-up is maximising value for either its own shareholders or the minority interests in its listed subsidiaries.
Tenants at Westfield Bondi Junction are moving to the next phase of recovery as floral tributes are removed from the site following the shocking knife attack just over two weeks ago in which six people were killed.

Son of a Baker founder Roman Urosevski said there had been a slowdown in foot traffic as things returned to normal at the mall, but was hopeful customers would start coming back.

In the first few days after the tragedy there was a pickup in business ... but now we are seeing it is about 30 per cent quieter, Urosevski said.

Son of a Baker at Westfield Bondi Junction Credit: Son of a Baker Instagram

That also includes the most recent school holidays. Customers were keen to support local business, and we hope that will come back.
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 Having always played nice-looking girlfriends or heroine-y type people, being offered Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous was a gift, says Dame Joanna Lumley. Humour was always right at the bottom of everything  at school, in my family, I was the clown, the fool or the joker. Suddenly to be offered this part when I was 40  it was paradise, it was just magic, she says. To have the freedom and the wildness to invent those two extraordinary women, I think Jennifer [Saunders, who wrote the show and played Eddie] is just a genius. And then, of course, as we settled into the saddle, it got madder and wilder, and we would just cry with laughter when we were rehearsing. We would just weep with laughter. The 78-year-old says theres no chance the show, which ran for six seasons over 20 years from 1992, with a follow-up movie released in 2016, could be made today. Because everything has now become unacceptable  a lot of the language would have been suspicious, particularly Eddie, who was forever saying the most appalling things about people, which was hysterically funny because she was such a ghastly character. Of course, Patsy wouldnt be able to smoke, they were both drinking all the time, that would be ruled out. Not that you depended on those things, but their characters were defined by the way they lived and once you strip that away, its all gone. Jerry Seinfeld made similar comments this week, observing that many of the jokes in his show wouldnt fly in todays climate. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley during a promotional tour for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie in 2016. Credit: Andrew Testa/The New York Times

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Were speaking ahead of Lumleys tour of Australia in October for a series of shows in which she will talk about her roles (I wont be able to miss Patsy, I mean, I couldnt leave her out of anything), and her life, including her many travels and some of the things that have gone hideously wrong. The show is devised specifically for Australian audiences, although she has done a similar life and times-style tour of Britain. Lumley will be interviewed on stage by producer Clive Tulloh, an old friend whom she met more than 30 years ago on the set of Ruby Waxs The Full Wax; the audience will be able to submit questions. I just want to make an entertaining show, Lumley says. Its got to be good  [not] some half-hearted old woman scrabbling around. Anyone whos seen her travel shows knows theres no risk of that. A natural on screen, Lumleys warmth and enthusiasm for people and places are palpable, as is a certain cheekiness which makes the shows a joy to watch. She is the same when we chat  generous and charming, the smile coming through in that distinctive voice. Her father said that even as a baby she had a grin from ear to ear, and shes often said she has a naturally optimistic disposition. Born in Kashmir the year before Indian independence, Lumley was travelling even as an infant. Her fathers work in the British Army meant the family moved around Asia, including Hong Kong and Malaysia, sailing to and from the UK regularly. It was proper travel. And I think one was so used to suitcases, and packing up and moving on, that it got into my blood and I then began to feel rather restless if I wasnt moving, rather panic-stricken if I could see a year stretching ahead with no foreign travel. In 1991, she made her first travel doco, In Search of the White Rajahs, which took her back to Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo, where the family spent time. She has gone on to make half-a-dozen such series, with destinations ranging from Greece, Japan and the Silk Road to the Trans-Siberian Railway. Joanna Lumley visited nutmeg growers during her Spice Trail Adventure. Viewers often say, I didnt know you spoke Malay, or whatever the language is in question, which she sees as the ultimate compliment. Interpreters are used and footage is edited to splice in her questions and interviewee responses, as well as her commentary.

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Ive always understood how much we can communicate with each other, even if we dont have a language, through our eyes, through our gestures, through our sympathetic acknowledgment of what they seem to be saying, she says. And Ive never been afraid of dumb play, where you signal things and mime what you mean; people pick it up very, very quickly. Her background has influenced her advocacy work, including being the public face of the campaign to secure the right to settle in Britain for the Gurkhas who fought with the British Army and the exiled Tibetan government and people. Over the years, she has also campaigned for the human rights group Survival International and various other charities; she is a patron of the Born Free Foundation and the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust. Lumley with an anti-war poster in the form of the American flag during her Avengers days. Credit: Getty Last year, she revealed she has prosopagnosia, a rare condition also known as face blindness; sufferers are unable to recognise faces theyve seen before, including friends and family. This is why I kiss everybody, she quipped on BBC Radio. Lumleys fascination with people shines through in the travel shows, as does her quest for knowledge. The poorer people are, the more generous they are, the more open-hearted, she observes. There seems to be part of the human spirit which somehow makes the best of what youve got, she says. Quite often, people who have got more seem to be more disgruntled and more unhappy. If youre always looking at a screen, or TikTok, youll never see the bluebells coming up ... I also think you ask for much less, which is why quite a lot of these people in much less developed countries  as some would call them, but in many ways more developed  people are so happy to sit in the shade of a tree, laughing and talking and gossiping, Lumley says. And were scurrying about with scowls on our faces wondering if our stocks and shares have lost money. Weve got it slightly out of balance. We can redeem it but weve got to fight hard for it, I think, we cant just hope it will wash over us. Because theres a lot of bad in the world, as were seeing with all the conflict and the greed. The old, horrid enemies are rising up again: greed, religion, land grabbing, hostilities.

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Man is by nature a fairly warlike animal. No other animal is quite as hell-bent on horribleness as mankind. And so we must be aware of it and watch out for it like a hawk to stop it. Anything that brings more grievance and fury into the world should be stamped upon. Describing herself as a country girl, Lumley says her mother taught her and her sister about seasons and birdsong and trees and insects. So I had a head start, she says. To her mind, one of the great malaises of the 21st century is technology, which has made us more insular. Everybody carrying a mobile phone and looking down and in, rather than out and up, she says, adding that in doing so, we miss a lot of the true beauty of life. Loading Our springtime is just starting here but if youre always looking at a screen, or TikTok, youll never see the bluebells coming up or the leaves budding and then notice the different trees coming out at different times. You never see those things ... So suddenly, all the glory  the whole purpose of being alive  is stripped away from you. And then you cant understand why you feel morose and unhappy and unfulfilled all the time. She and her husband, acclaimed pianist, composer and conductor Stephen Barlow, live in London and have a remote and quiet house in the hills of Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Its her second marriage; she wed Jeremy Lloyd (co-creator of Are You Being Served? and Allo! Allo!) in 1970 but they separated after just a few months. Her son, Jamie, whom she had at 21 and raised as a single mother, is a photographer, having followed in the footsteps of his father, Michael Claydon; she has two granddaughters. Lumley tells a lovely story about when she and Barlow first met. It wasnt a kind of love match or anything  we were both with other people at the time. We clocked each other and then went off on our separate ways  and it wasnt until at least eight years later that we came back in touch with each other. It was extraordinary.

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But I do have to say, in a rather sappy, girly way, that when I set eyes on him, I felt a strange sort of electric shock going through me. And I think in a prescient way, I thought, this person is going to be in my life. There didnt seem any shadow of a doubt. Isnt that odd? I couldnt think how, because I was with somebody I loved very much. At that second meeting, the timing was right. Thats why I believe in angels and archangels, all sitting up there using us like puppets and going, oh, lets put her there and well put him there. Theyve now been together 37 years and are extremely good friends. A lot of married couples will tell you this: theyre good friends, good companions. You like being with that person ... Im sure that makes a huge difference. In the podcast, Joanna and The Maestro, released last year, she asks Barlow about classical music, a passion they share. The conversation ranges from their early interest in different genres  the Bee Gees, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin for him and for her, the Everly Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel and anyone who had a lovely voice, especially Elvis. Its intimate and funny and a lovely insight into their relationship. In one episode, she describes music as unknowable  a bit like life, really. I think life is endlessly fascinating. It just throws out great tapestries every day and says, Pick your way through that one, babe, and so you do, she says. I think youre learning until the end of your days. Lumley circa 1970. Credit: Getty Having been a model in the 1960s, Lumley had first-hand experience in the fashion industry. She couldnt have been more unlike the louche, work-averse Patsy  who didnt even know her way to the office. Modelling allowed her to travel the continent, including Russia. In those days, it was a very different scene: models did their own hair and make-up, brought their own accessories, made their own way everywhere. Now its a bit, sweetie, darling, she says.

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The War Boys are back in town.

On Tuesday, a gang of the shaven-headed, white-painted, tattooed young warriors from Mad Max: Fury Road put on a noisy display of post-apocalyptic aggression as director George Miller launched Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, an Australian-made prequel with a reputed budget of more than $400 million, on the eve of the local premiere.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth launch Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney. Credit: Janie Barrett

While the Cannes Film Festival is claiming its out-of-competition screening later this month is the world premiere, Miller and stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth are giving Sydney another moment in the international cinema spotlight by getting in first.

Furiosa is regarded as the biggest film to be shot in Australia, starring US-born Taylor-Joy (The Queens Gambit) as the younger version of the fierce one-armed warrior played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road.
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Japanese-influenced Tokyo Samba will open in the heart of Bankstown with a halal menu, alcohol-free drinks and a Brazilian twist.

Last year the empire of one of Sydneys most talented Japanese chefs was in tatters, with Chase Kojimas two Senpai restaurants in liquidation and his role ending as executive chef at the hatted Pyrmont restaurant Sokyo. But Kojima is back, with one of the most audacious hospitality plays for 2024.

Kojima will open a Japanese steakhouse in June, on West Terrace, in the heart of Bankstown. Tokyo Samba will be halal, alcohol-free and have a Brazilian twist.

Chef Chase Kojima (left) with restaurant manager Thomas Malucelli at Tokyo Samba steakhouse in Bankstown. Yusuke Oba

The chef admits the concept was driven by the Tokyo Sambas owners, who wish to remain anonymous, but isnt far removed from his own plan before Senpai toppled last year to add a Japanese steakhouse in the Sydney CBD. Im familiar with those South American flavours from my time at [Peruvian-Japanese] Nobu, Kojima says of the Brazilian twist.

As for eating a steak without a glass of red, Kojima says Tokyo Samba will serve non-alcoholic wine. Im also working on mocktails, he says. The restaurant is geared to its demographic and market, the chef explains.
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Queensland households will receive the most significant energy bill support in Australia after a state government cash splash on cost of living relief.

Premier Steven Miles announced homes will receive a $1000 rebate funded by coal royalties under a $2.5 billion scheme as rising power prices bear down on Queenslanders.

The bills just keep going up and Ive been determined to make sure the Queensland government does absolutely everything we can to ease the pressure, he told reporters on Thursday.

Queenslanders will receive a $1000 power bill rebate. Credit: Joe Armao

It marks the largest power price relief delivered by a state government in Australia with most other jurisdictions providing between $250 and $500 in energy relief.

These are the biggest power bill savings Australia has ever seen, Deputy Premier Cameron Dick said.

Other states and territories may yet see further power bill relief when the federal budget is handed down next week with the prime minister flagging more cost of living measures are on the way.

The Miles governments scheme has already garnered support from Queenslands Council of Social Services who say it is a welcome initiative to ease pressure on residents wallets.

As we head into winter, it will make a practical, positive impact for people struggling to pay their food, electricity and rent bills, CEO Aimee McVeigh said.

The latest cash injection comes as comparison site Canstar said Queensland paid the lowest bills on the east coast - about 10 per cent less than NSW - thanks to last years rebate relief.

The opposition supports energy and cost of living relief for Queenslanders but accused the government of cherry-picking data.

Do we need to provide Queenslanders with cost of living relief? Absolutely we do, opposition energy spokeswoman Deb Frecklington told parliament.

She claimed Queensland is paying the highest power prices in the country and Canstars data shows just one quarter instead of the increase over time.

The rebate will apply to bills from July and many Queenslanders wont pay a single cent until 2025, Mr Miles touted.

It will be delivered in a lump sum as a credit to carry over to electricity bills.

Seniors and concession card holders will receive a bit more support with a $1372 rebate and small businesses will continue scoring $325.

A special appropriation bill was introduced on Thursday with the government requesting the committee review it within a fortnight.

Mr Dick said a rise in royalties would cover the $2.5 billion packages funding, rather than borrowing from the states coffers.

We have had a significant increase in price in the first part of the financial year. Thats where the money is, he said.

Coal royalties were forecast to boost state revenue by $9.4 billion over five years post-pandemic but since being adopted in 2022, more than $5.8 billion has been contributed to the economy.

- AAP
Pauline Hansons legal team played footage in court showing the One Nation leader telling a white senator to go back to their birth country, as Hanson defends a racial discrimination suit brought against her by Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi over a tweet telling her to piss off back to Pakistan.

Faruqi is suing Hanson under racial discrimination laws in response to the comment on Twitter, now X, which was posted on September 9, 2022. The Federal Court trial before Justice Angus Stewart started in Sydney on Monday and is expected to conclude on Thursday.

Mehreen Faruqi and Pauline Hanson outside the Federal Court in Sydney on Monday. Credit: Nick Moir

Faruqi, an Australian citizen who migrated from Pakistan in 1992 and is deputy leader of the Greens, is seeking court orders requiring Hanson to delete the post, attend anti-racism training at her own cost, and make a $150,000 donation to a charity chosen by Faruqi.

Faruqis barrister, Saul Holt, KC, said during closing submissions on Wednesday that the One Nation senator had tweeted a version of a well-known, anti-migrant, racist phrase, go back to where you came from.
Sydney University vice chancellor Mark Scott says a few pro-Palestinian student activists were under investigation for inappropriate behaviour but their protest campsite will be allowed to remain on campus.

Scott said he was shocked by vision from a kids excursion organised by an external group and held at the camp last week when young children were heard chanting slogans calling for intifada.

The pro-Palestine protest and encampment at University of Sydneys quad lawns. Credit: Oscar Colman

He said the university was taking action against students accused of misbehaviour including graffiti, disrupting classes and harassing staff, but the campus had not experienced the violence seen in the escalating crisis engulfing US colleges.

There are now pro-Palestinian campouts at six Australian campuses, after the first local camp was erected at Sydney University on April 23, as students demanded institutions cut ties with Israeli universities and arms manufacturers.
There was a very revealing moment near the start of the prime ministers media conference on Wednesday after a national cabinet meeting to discuss the domestic violence crisis that is killing, injuring and terrorising so many Australian women.

After preliminary remarks, Anthony Albanese handed the microphone to national family and domestic violence commissioner Micaela Cronin.

By way of background, Cronin said she had been in her role for 18 months  and yet this was the first time she and other domestic violence advocates had been the primary focus of national cabinet.

Without meaning to, Cronin revealed an uncomfortable truth for all levels of government: While both federal and NSW politicians clearly want to stop violence against women, and have already gone some way to putting in place plans to stop it, this has not been a priority until now. Clearly, given the shocking daily toll of women being killed or beaten up, what has been done to date is not enough.
We are a responsible organisation. Weve always paid staff, always paid super, weve always done all those bits and pieces. Were behind on a few bills here and there, but when it got to the point where I realised that theres no way we can keep up, Id rather be responsible and go out with a smile versus going out and everyone hating us because we closed the doors with a days notice. Chidgzey, who took over the venue in December 2020, said the situation had become worse in the past year. We were just under $2 million last financial year for revenue and were probably lucky if we hit $1.2 million this year, he said. Thats a massive drop-off in one year on a venue that already loses 600 grand a year  over three years, Im nearly $3 million in the hole just trying to keep it open, but when I lost all of that revenue this year, its been kicking the can down the road, unfortunately.

It is a pressure being experienced across Australias live music industry. This years Splendour in the Grass music festival at Byron Bay was cancelled in March, following on from similar announcements from the organisers of Groovin the Moo and Dark MoFo. Collins, who now runs two music venues in the Valley  the 800-capacity Triffid and the 3000-capacity Fortitude Music Hall  said the entire industry was feeling the pinch. John Collins at The Triffid. Credit: Chris Hyde Youve got young people whove got high rents, moneys tight, so they dont go out and spend money in the bars or before the show, or after the show, and the spiralling costs of running a venue, he said. It doesnt take a scientist or mathematician to figure out that if your costs are up by 30 per cent and your revenues down by 50 per cent in some instances, wheres it going to go?

Thats the end of that conversation, isnt it? As for The Zoo, Collins said its demise would leave a huge void in the Brisbane music ecosystem. When we opened The Triffid, we deliberately  100 per cent deliberately  stayed away from that capacity of The Zoo, he said. Our idea was to come in between as a stepping stone for bands, who would play at a small venue, then they go to The Zoo and once youve been to The Zoo, the next step is The Triffid and the next step after that is The Tivoli. We tried to stay out of [The Zoos] path, because we didnt want this to happen.

Chidgzey said the model for small live music venues was broken and pleaded for government help for the sector. Loading Firstly, I think they need to put some level of excise tax, like $1 a ticket, for the big internationals are coming through  no-ones going to notice $1 extra, he said. If that could be funnelled into a fund to help the venues, reverse-correlated so the lower end of the venues get more because theyre the ones that struggle. That money can go towards insurance and rent.
The collapse of WorkSafe Victorias pursuit of the Health Department over the governments hotel quarantine program provides a fittingly shambolic end to a lamentable failure of public administration and accountability.

It is four years, nearly to the day, that a family of four infected with COVID-19 flew into Melbourne Airport from Bangladesh, checked into the Rydges Hotel on Swanston and seeded a second wave epidemic that plunged the state into lockdown and killed nearly 800 people.

The Rydges Hotel in Carlton in April 2020. Credit: Penny Stephens

It is now well established that none of this was the fault of the family, the security guards responsible for keeping them in their rooms, hotel staff or the public health officials tasked with running a fatally ill-conceived program.

These are people who, if the WorkSafe prosecution had reached a verdict, might have received a belated token of justice.
Victorian councillors can get training on dealing with conspiracy groups who bombard them with theories about 5G towers and 15-minute cities amid fears fringe groups will upend Octobers local government elections.

A new four-week university course will help council candidates spot conspiracy theories and provide the tools to combat them as the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) deals with concerns that fringe groups will flood elections with misinformation. The course is not compulsory.

Freedom movement protesters in Melbourne in 2021. Credit: Eddie Jim

The MAV and the University of Melbourne have combined to offer a course in Recognising and Managing Disinformation before the council elections.

A lot of it is breaking it down to why: why is disinformation such an issue? Why are people creating this? Why are they using it? Why are they disseminating it? said Ika Trijsburg, a research fellow in city diplomacy at the University of Melbourne.
A Perth lawyer, 42, has successfully sued his chiropractor after seeking treatment for a back strain which then rapidly worsened and was days later diagnosed as a disc extrusion  requiring urgent surgery.

Doubleview Chiropractic Clinic Doctor Christopher George on Tuesday was ordered by the Perth District Court to pay patient Ronan Boothman $176,640 in damages for breaching his duty of care.

In the court judgment, Boothman said he began receiving treatment for lower back pain from Dr George in January 2019, and was improving under his care until he strained his back while surfing in May 2019.

A couple of weeks later he sought treatment from Dr George which he said made him feel immediately worse, sore and unwell.

The next morning, Boothman had no feeling in his right leg. An MRI revealed he had a disc protrusion, impingement on a nerve root and a ruptured disc which was leaking out onto a nerve in his spine.

Boothman blamed George for the rapid deterioration in his condition. A judge agreed that it was more likely than not that the symptoms Boothman experienced were caused by the treatment that Dr George provided and established the disc extrusion was caused at that time.
Sydneys only daytime womens refuge has a policy that it will never turn anyone away. For 25 years, Lous Place has been a safe haven for the citys most vulnerable and terrified women, many of whom are on the run from violent partners. For plenty of those years, Lous Place has also been pleading for state government support. A conga line of premiers and ministers have toured the Redfern refuge, applauding the centre for the incredible work it does in keeping thousands of women alive.

Domestic violence services across the state, especially in regional NSW, can barely keep their doors open. Credit: Kate Geraghty

Ten staff members plus almost 100 volunteers keep the place running. Each day, at least 40 women walk through Lous doors. Most are  or have been  victims of domestic abuse. It is a struggle to keep the refuge afloat but the board of Lous Place has admirable prowess when it comes to fundraising. Lucky, because guess how much state government funding the refuge receives.

Zero. Not a cent. Despite being a referral centre when other government services are full (which happens disturbingly often), Lous Place is forced to fend for itself. General manager Mandy Greaney only wants $300,000 to cover more domestic violence support workers. She rightly describes it as a paltry amount, but that does not seem to matter. Other than the odd grant, Lous Place keeps missing out, told that the state government already funds other refuges offering the same services. But keep up the good work, anyway.

Lous Place is just one example. Domestic violence services across the state, especially in regional NSW, can barely keep their doors open. In some towns, refuges do not exist, although we know domestic violence most certainly does. The crisis confronting the nation is not new, but the horrific death of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes on April 22, only days after five women were brutally stabbed to death at Bondi Junction, has reinforced to all that we are failing dismally.
Dominic Perrottet has joined a cross-party coalition of male MPs calling for an interrogation of the systemic cultural issues fuelling domestic violence against women, with the former Liberal premier saying he supports a royal commission.

A dozen male Labor, Coalition and crossbench MPs approached by the Herald said cultural change was imperative to ending gendered violence, while several added that a royal commission was the only way to properly examine the systemic drivers behind the issue.

Dominic Perrottet says a federal royal commission would guide meaningful action.

Perrottet said criminal elements and systemic cultural issues, such as young boys having access to violent video games and violent pornography, needed to be carefully considered. He said a federal royal commission would guide meaningful action.

Im supportive of a royal commission because, whilst we need immediate action now, violence against women is such a complex issue that having a holistic inquiry can only be beneficial, he said.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 1. The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan is completely ready for further full-fledged cooperation with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan for the export of green energy to Europe, Kazakh Minister of Energy Almasadam Satkaliyev said following the signing of a memorandum of cooperation on the integration of the three countries' energy systems, Trend reports.

"To date, the basic approaches to implementing this project have been discussed and agreed upon," the minister explained.

According to him, earlier, a draft feasibility study for laying a submarine cable along the bottom of the Caspian Sea was formed.

"The feasibility study entails the workout of a proposed business model for the development of international transmission corridors (financing, revenue flow, and ownership) and for the sale of green energy to European Union countries. Based on the above, a draft memorandum of cooperation on the interconnection of the energy systems of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan was developed between the ministries of energy of the three countries," the minister added.

Today, the ministers of energy of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of cooperation on the interconnection of the energy systems of the countries within the framework of the Tashkent International Investment Forum.

The aim of the signed memorandum is to define the basic conditions of cooperation within the implementation of the project for the interconnection of the energy systems of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

The document envisages the participants' intention to explore opportunities for connecting energy systems by laying high-voltage cables along the bottom of the Caspian Sea and in the territories of other countries, implementing the most optimal trade in green energy from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan both technically and economically.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Two 17-year-old climate protesters are threatening to sue WA Premier Roger Cook for defamation unless he apologises for what they say were damaging and unsubstantiated remarks about their behaviour during a protest at Woodsides annual general meeting last week.

At last weeks meeting, Tom Power and Emma Heyink, both 17, shouted the names of the adult-aged children of Woodside chair Richard Goyder and chief executive Meg ONeill as they protested the climate impacts of the companys Burrup Hub development.

Tom Power, left, and Emma Heyink, right, protest at the Woodside AGM on April 24. Credit: 9News Perth

Heyink also accused ONeill of killing kids by pursuing the high-polluting project.

When asked about the use of the names two days later, Cook described it as a despicable act and an exercise of intimidation that was a direct threat and those threats should be taken seriously by police.
The German constitution stipulates Sunday is a day of rest, so scrap your plans to enjoy a retail Sunday fun day  or even enjoy a lively vibe in any downtown, which will be quiet as the grave. Shops are closed, except in train stations and airports. It seems an odd practice in an increasingly secular country known for its lively commercial attitude. Sundays should be reserved for rest and the family, apparently. OK, so why are casinos and brothels open? Twin mattresses A queen-sized bed, German style. Credit: iStock The chances of finding a double bed in a German hotel are slim unless you check into an international chain. What you get is either two single beds pushed together, or two single mattresses side by side in a wooden frame, topped by two single duvets. Good luck spooning. If youre feeling amorous, you might want to buy a Liebesbrucke, or love bridge, a foam strip that prevents you from sliding into the gap.

Why its so underestimated Germany gets 20 million annual visitors, only a quarter of the tourists that visit France and Spain, and a third of those who go to Italy. And yet, Germany has played a central role in European history, is full of fabulous old towns, has a lively contemporary culture, and hearty, satisfying cuisine. Oh, and it offers good value, and little of the tourist rip-offs and overcharging found elsewhere. How come more of us dont visit? Pretzels These pretzels are making us thirsty. Credit: iStock Germany has some of the worlds best breads, especially if you like dark and grain varieties  bread-making is another field in which Germans are underestimated. So why are Germans also so enamoured of pretzels? Theyre way too salty, go stale in an instant, are likely to break a tooth and often are so dry you need a beer to get through one. Sometimes theyre so large that finishing one becomes an endurance sport. No thanks.

Public drunkenness Public drunkeness is not a big problem in Germany, despite the popularity of beer. Credit: iStock You dont need to go far in Australia to find inebriation, and yet in Germany public alcohol consumption is allowed even on the street and in parks. Even then, youll see few people under the influence, even in pubs. When you do, its usually controlled drunkenness that seldom bursts into pestering or abuse. Whats the secret? Not age: you can buy beer and wine at 16, and drink beer and wine from 14 if accompanied by an adult. Why museums are overlooked Frankfurts Stadel Museum has a terrific collection of Impressionist art. Credit: iStock
Theyre feeling the kicks for months after theyre being told that theyre never going to have a live birth, Roberts said. And its just horrifying when you could take care of it at 20 weeks, and they could move on, and they could get pregnant with their next pregnancy and be able to hold their babies that much sooner. Loading The Biden campaign quickly placed blame for the extreme six-week ban on former President Donald Trump. Trump is worried the voters will hold him accountable for the cruelty and chaos he created. Hes right. Trump ripped away the rights and freedom of women in America. This November, voters are going to teach him a valuable lesson: Dont mess with the women of America, President Joe Biden said in a statement about the new abortion ban. US Vice President Kamala Harris visited Jacksonville, Florida where she made remarks on the law change.

Because of Donald Trump, more than 20 states have abortion bans, Harris said. And today, this very day, at the stroke of midnight, another Trump abortion ban went into effect here in Florida. As of this morning, 4 million women in this state woke up with fewer reproductive freedoms than they had last night. Dr Leah Roberts discusses Floridas six-week abortion ban in her office in Boca Raton, Florida. Credit: AP Roberts said a huge issue with the ban is that the doctors who perform emergency abortions have to learn the procedures by performing therapeutic abortions. So if most abortions are banned, the next generation of doctors wont be able to develop the skills needed to perform an emergency abortion. Roberts said she is concerned the restrictions will also prompt veteran doctors to leave Florida, as they have in other states that have enacted abortion bans. Were going to have less access to care for our general population, even if its just basic maternity care and normal OB-GYN care, because people are leaving, Roberts said.

Loading In addition, women are going to have to travel far from home to get abortions. Florida Access Network executive director Stephanie Pineiro said the organisation, which helps provide funding for abortions, expects costs to increase dramatically. She estimates it will cost around $US3000 for a woman to travel to another state for an abortion. The closest place after 12 weeks would be Virginia or Illinois, but before 12 weeks would be North Carolina. Its very emotionally draining and challenging to deal with these types of barriers and have to leave your home, Pineiro said. The Florida Supreme Court, with five of its seven members appointed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, ruled 6-1 last month to uphold the states ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which cleared the way for the six-week ban.

The 15-week ban, signed by DeSantis in 2022, had been enforced while it was challenged in court. The six-week ban, passed by the Legislature a year later, was written so that it would not take effect until a month after the 2022 law was upheld. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about the implementation of Floridas abortion ban at an event in Jacksonville, Florida. Credit: AP Arizona ban Republican state Senator Erin Grall, who sponsored the six-week ban, previously said bodily autonomy should not include abortions. We live in a time where the consequences of our actions are an afterthought and convenience has been substitution for responsibility, Grall said, and this is unacceptable when it comes to the protection of the most vulnerable.

The Arizona Senate voted on Wednesday to repeal the states 1864 ban on abortion which could have gone into effect within weeks if not struck down. The repeal was passed by the Senate in a 16-14 vote and is expected to be quickly signed by Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. Credit: AP The Arizona House last week passed the measure after a handful of Republicans broke party ranks and voted with Democrats to send it to the Senate. The fight over the Civil War-era abortion ban in Arizona, a state sharply split between Democrats and Republicans, is the latest flashpoint on womens reproductive rights in the U.S. In 2022 the U.S. Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion, leaving it up to states to decide the issue. Conservative-led states quickly invoked strict bans on abortion within their borders.

Loading Floridas future Floridas voters may be able to enshrine abortion rights in states constitution after a separate state Supreme Court ruling allowed a proposed constitutional amendment to be on the November ballot. The proposal says, no law shall prohibit, penalise, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patients health, as determined by the patients healthcare provider. It provides for one exception that is already in the state constitution: Parents must be notified before their minor children can get an abortion.
Students have rallied or set up encampments at dozens of colleges, expressing opposition to Israels war in Gaza and demanding schools divest from companies that support the Israeli government. Many of the schools have called in police to quell the protests. With the presidential election coming in November, Republican legislators have accused some university administrators of ignoring antisemitic rhetoric and harassment, and some have demanded Columbias president Minouche Shafik resign. Loading Many protesters, some of whom are Jewish, reject allegations of antisemitism. Shafik has said the protests have brought rancour to life at Columbia, while also blaming some episodes of harassment and hostile rhetoric on outsiders drawn to the busy Manhattan streets surrounding the campus. US President Joe Biden, who has angered many protesters by funding and arming Israel, plans to give a speech on antisemitism next week at a Holocaust memorial event.

Americans have the right to peacefully protest, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House spokesperson, told reporters. Forcibly taking over a building is not peaceful. UCLA protesters report violent attacks Before the clashes in Los Angeles, UCLA officials declared that an encampment on its campus was unlawful, violated university policy and included people unaffiliated with the campus. Afterwards, counter-demonstrators  many of them masked and some apparently older than most students  can be seen in videos throwing objects and trying to smash or pull down the wooden and steel barriers erected to shield the encampment.

Some screamed pro-Jewish comments as pro-Palestinian protesters tried to fight them off. I just didnt think they would ever get to this, said Kaia Shah, a pro-Palestinian protester and researcher at UCLA, where our protest is met by counter-protesters who are violently hurting us, inflicting pain on us, when we are not doing anything to them. Demonstrators on both sides used pepper spray, and fights broke out. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators said the counter-protesters threw fireworks at them and beat them with bats and sticks. Demonstrators clash at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA on Wednesday. Credit: AP Benjamin Kersten, a UCLA graduate student and member of the pro-Palestinian group Jewish Voice for Peace, called it a devastating night of violence.

The encampment would be a peaceful effort were it not for the continuous presence of counter-protesters and agitators, he wrote in a text message. While Congress holds more hearings on whether Jewish students feel safe enough on campuses, Jewish students are among those withstanding attacks from Zionist protesters, he said in reference to recent sessions held by a Republican-led House of Representatives committee. Sympathy for the injured UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement on Wednesday (US time) that a group of instigators came on campus to forcefully attack the pro-Palestinian encampment, prompting the school to ask for assistance from outside law enforcement agencies. However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable, Block said.

It has shaken our campus to its core and  adding to other abhorrent incidents that we have witnessed and that have circulated on social media over the past several days  further damaged our communitys sense of security. Loading Block offered his sympathy to those who were injured and anyone who feels unsafe on campus. He promised the university will conduct a thorough investigation that he said may lead to arrests, expulsions and dismissals. In addition, Block said the administration is examining its own security response. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also called for an investigation into the events on UCLAs campus.

Those involved in launching fireworks at other people, spraying chemicals and physically assaulting others will be found, arrested, and prosecuted, as well as anyone involved in any form of violence or lawlessness, she said. Police said UCLA had called them to restore order and maintain public safety due to multiple acts of violence within the encampment. Broadcast footage later showed police clearing a central quad beside the encampment and erecting a metal crowd control barrier in front of it. The atmosphere was calmer later on Wednesday. Hundreds of police officers were on campus and lining its perimeter. It was unclear how many arrests were made or the number of people injured. Columbia demonstrators arrested

Columbias Shafik said she had asked police to stay on campus until at least May 17, two days after graduation, and the main campus, where student dorms are located, remained under lockdown on Wednesday. The school said the rest of the semester would be conducted remotely, including final exams, some of which may be delayed. Ararat Sekeryan, a sixth-year Slavic languages doctoral student from Istanbul, described being pushed out of the lawn encampment and described the calling of police as dangerous. I myself felt attacked, he said. They were so afraid of this peaceful movement that they had to send more than a thousand, maybe hundreds of police to campus. Ben Solomon, a 22-year-old Jewish student at Columbia, said he welcomed the move to clear what he called a mob from the occupied building and encampment. Im glad to see universities took decisive action, he said, as more than 100 students and professors gathered in a street adjoining the campus to protest the schools decision to call the police.
The takeover by protesters at Columbia came hours after the university said it had begun suspending students who had defied a directive to voluntarily disperse from an encampment that has occupied the main lawn for weeks. By Tuesday evening (Wednesday AEST), police in riot gear had mobilised around the highly barricaded university and faced off with a growing swell of protesters who had come from across the city to show their support for those inside. Roads were blocked off, train lines were diverted to pass the college and Columbias emergency management operation team issued a shelter in place alert urging people to avoid the area. Then, just before 9.30pm, riot police carrying shields entered Hamilton Hall  a building that was occupied by students throughout the Vietnam War  using a ladder attached to an emergency services vehicle.

Members of the public yelled Shame on you as they watched on from the road below. People were eventually led out of the university and into law enforcement buses parked nearby, with their hands bound in zip ties. Loading Within three hours the campus had been cleared of protesters, said a police spokesperson, adding dozens of arrests had been made. Columbia University president Minouche Shafik released a letter in which she requested police stay on campus until at least May 17  two days after graduation  to maintain order and ensure that encampments are not re-established. The raid was the culmination of weeks of tension at Columbia, which began on April 17 when students set up the first encampment. They demanded the university sever ties to Israel, including the divestment of investments that support weapons manufacturing and an end to a dual-degree program in Tel Aviv. Amid growing pressure from Congress over a rise in antisemitism on college campuses, Shafik  a former deputy governor of the Bank of England  called in police that day to break up the encampment.

Since then, encampments and protests have sprung up at dozens of institutions from coast to coast, resulting in the arrests and suspensions of hundreds of students at college campuses such as Yale University, the University of Southern California and Texas State University. Maryam Alwan was one of the students arrested at Columbia when Shafik called in the authorities in mid-April. Protesters hold their ground near a main gate at Columbia University before arrests started. Credit: AP The 22-year-old said she knew there would be risks involved in protesting, but it was still a shock to be carried out in zip ties, quite literally by my own university, for setting up tents and calling for an end to genocide. My wrists had cut off circulation, I had bruising afterwards, Alwan said. They denied us water, and we were in there [detained] for about eight hours just because of the sheer volume of people they had to process.

But even as I say this, I dont regret it. What the people of Palestine are experiencing is so much worse. Members of the New York police strategic response team move towards an entrance to Columbia University. Credit: AP Other students, however, took a different view. One graduate, who did not wish to be named for fear of being targeted, said she felt uncomfortable with some of the contested slogans protesters used, such as From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. Another expressed frustration when he was not allowed to enter the campus because it had been locked down to everyone but students who lived inside any of Columbias seven dormitories. Its gonna be bad

Outside the university at lunchtime on Tuesday, pro-Palestine demonstrators called for an intifida (uprising)  a term President Joe Biden has condemned as hate speech. A small group of pro-Israel supporters stood nearby, with barricades separating the two groups. Among them was actor and comedian Michael Rapaport, who is Jewish and grew up on Manhattans Upper East Side. Loading Just like I said on January 6 [the day of the 2021 Capitol riots], they need to start arresting people, he told this masthead. All these universities have failed, and the long-term effects of this  for Jewish people, for free thinking, for antisemitism  its gonna be bad.

The issue has also become a political powder keg for Biden as Republicans seize on the issue ahead of the presidential election in November. New York police officers move towards an entrance to Columbia University. Credit: AP Speaking to reporters at his hush-money trial on the other side of the city, former president Donald Trump decried the unrest on university campuses across America, describing them as the Biden protests. He also later joined his party colleagues in calling for Shafiks resignation. The Biden protests that are going on are horrible, Trump said. Hes got to get out and make a statement because the colleges are being overrun in this country.
The Young and the Restless' Linden Ashby made quite a splash when Cameron Kirsten brought his brand of torture back to Genoa City. That splash has led to a Daytime Emmy nomination

When Linden Ashby made his return to The Young and the Restless in 2023 after two decades away, he made his mark and had fans on the edge of their seats for the brief time he was there. Cameron Kirsten was released from jail, stalked Faith, killed Faith's beloved pet, strapped dynamite to her chest, and was finally killed by Sharon, the object of his obsession for 20 years.

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That might seem like a lot of baggage for an actor to unpack, but Ashby was all for it.

"[Y&R executive producer and head writer] Josh [Griffith], and I talked about it. And I knew I had sort of a limited window on this. I had a bunch of other stuff going, and I said, 'Okay, I don't want any redemption. I wanna come in and burn a wide swath and go out in a blaze of glory.' I kidnapped a guy, killed a cat, kidnapped a girl, and tried to blow everybody up."

Love General Hospital, B&B, DAYS or other soaps? Join the conversation on our SC boards! Click here to connect with fans and dive into discussions now

Those few weeks back on soaps earned Ashby a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series. The actor is up against some big Hollywood names, including Dick Van Dyke and Guy Pearce. When Ashby learned he had been nominated, he was amazed at his competition.

"Guy Pearce, who won the SAG award for The King's Speech," Ashby marveled to Soap Central's Dan J Kroll. "And Dick Van Dyke, who I'm old enough to have grown up loving. I watched The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Poppins, and, you know, he was great. He was great every time."

Ashby had been out surfing when the Emmy nominations were announced and got the news thanks to a bevy of text messages congratulating him.

"I came in from surfing, and my phone had kind of blown up, and I looked, and I'm like, oh, that's wow, cool," Ashby said. "And Susan [Walters, Diane Jenkins, Y&R] was like, congratulations. And everybody was really congratulatory."

Needless to say, Ashby was thrilled with the nomination. He didn't want to be clich about his reaction, but it was a true honor.

"I'm gonna be the lamest person in the world," he admitted when asked how he felt about the nomination. "It really is an honor to just be, sort of, be nominated, to get a nod from your peers. You know, if I win, that'd be amazing. And if I don't, it's still really nice to get that nod."

Ashby admitted that it wasn't hard to choose the scene for his Emmy reel because his story had a clear beginning, middle, and end.

"I got lucky. I had a pretty easy time putting the reel together," he said. "They wrote me some great stuff, and I got to work with really good actors and directors. So, I kind of had an embarrassment of riches on this one. I didn't really have to sift around a lot. It was pretty easy, and I'm lucky for that. It was very condensed, so I didn't have to look at a bunch of stuff."

Ashby had not planned on attending this year's Emmys until he learned of his nomination. He will be in Fiji in the days leading up to the ceremony, and as of this writing, he expected to cut his trip a little short to walk the red carpet.

"I'm supposed to be in Fiji, but I might come back a day early to come to the Emmys," Ashby revealed. "I've got a surf trip that I do every year down there...I think I'll hop on the plane a day early, get in that afternoon, come to the Emmys, and take it from there. I'm hoping it's just black tie; that way I don't really have to worry about what to put on. Tuxedos are the best."

Did you enjoy Ashby's brief Y&R return? Would you like to see Cameron Kirsten return from the dead? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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Todays Y & R Jigsaw Challenge Start Solving
Solar wind is continually released from the sun's outermost atmosphere. This artist's illustration shows solar wind streaming out from the sun.

The solar wind is a continual stream of protons and electrons from the sun's outermost atmosphere  the corona.

These charged particles breeze through the solar system at speeds ranging from around 250 miles (400 kilometers) per second to 500 miles (800 km) per second, in a plasma state, according to the National Oceanic and Administration Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).

When the solar wind reaches Earth it sends a flurry of charged particles into the magnetosphere and along Earth's magnetic field lines, towards the poles. The interaction of these particles with Earth's atmosphere can produce glowing aurora displays above polar regions.

Related: How hot is the sun?

The existence of the solar wind was first proposed by pioneering astrophysicist Eugene Parker whose name graces NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission.

In 1957, Parker was working as an assistant professor at the University of Chicago when he realized the superheated corona of the sun should, in theory, emit charged particles at high speed, according to the University of Chicago. (This superheating is one of the most mysterious aspects of the sun's behavior and solar physicists still don't completely understand why the sun's atmosphere is hotter than its surface.)

Parker's theory described that in the sun's corona, plasma is continually heated with temperatures in this region reaching a blistering 3.5 million degrees Fahrenheit (2 million degrees Celsius). Eventually, the plasma becomes so hot that the sun's gravity can no longer hold it down so it is hurled into space as the solar wind, dragging the sun's magnetic field along with it, according to NASA JPL.

Did you know? The solar wind transports a million tons of matter into space every second, according to NASA.

His theory was widely criticized at the time, Parker recalled in 2018. "The first reviewer on the paper said, 'Well I would suggest that Parker go to the library and read up on the subject before he tries to write a paper about it, because this is utter nonsense.'"

Support for this theory finally came from astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar  who, decades later became the namesake of NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Though Chandrasekhar wasn't fond of the particle idea, he accepted Parker's theory because he could not find any issues with Parker's mathematics, the University of Chicago said.

Then in 1962, NASA's Mariner 2 spacecraft detected the presence of solar wind particles during its voyage to Venus.

In addition to the constant streams of solar wind, the sun sometimes expulses massive quantities of those charged particles in one go. These events, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), can trigger geomagnetic storms in the environment around Earth, which are associated with the beautiful aurora displays, but can also wreak havoc with power grids, telecommunication networks and satellites orbiting the planet.

How far does the solar wind blow?

Solar wind consisting of charged particles and the sun's magnetic field bombard Earth's magnetosphere. (Image credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

The solar wind sweeps through the solar system far beyond the orbit of Pluto, forming a large "bubble" called the heliosphere. According to NASA, the heliosphere is shaped like a long wind sock as it moves with the sun.

The closest boundary of the heliosphere is about 100 AU out from the sun, according to an ESA statement. (1 AU, or astronomical unit, is the average distance from Earth to the sun, it is equivalent to roughly 93 million miles (150 million kilometers).

The heliosphere acts as a protective shield, defending us against cosmic rays consisting of energetic particles that can damage living cells. Comic rays are generated outside our solar system and blaze along at almost the speed of light. Without our protective bubble, these high-energy atom fragments would constantly bombard Earth. "Without the heliosphere, life would certainly have evolved differently - and maybe not at all," says heliophysicst Richard Marsden in the ESA statement.

Solar wind speed

NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, or STEREO studies solar wind. This gif visually represents the computer-processed data of solar wind. (Image credit: NASA, data from Craig DeForest, SwRI)

Though the solar wind flows from the sun constantly, its properties such as density and speed vary throughout the sun's 11-year cycle of activity. During this cycle sunspot numbers, radiation levels, and ejected material ebb and flow from a solar maximum to a solar minimum. These alterations affect the properties of the solar wind, including the strength of its magnetic field, the speed at which it travels, temperature and density.

The average constant solar wind speed at Earth is around 190 miles (300 km) per second (mps) according to the space weather forecast website SpaceWeatherLive.com.

Putting things into perspective The solar wind travels at average speeds of 0.87 million mph (1.4 million km/h). A Category 5 hurricane can top 150 mph (241 km/h).

During Mariner 2's flyby of Venus, the spacecraft not only detected the presence of solar wind but also identified two distinct streams of solar wind, one fast and the other slow. According to NASA, the slow stream was reported to be traveling about 215 mps whilst the fast stream zipped by at twice that speed.

The origin of the fast stream of solar wind was identified in 1973 using X-ray images taken of the sun's corona from Skylab. The culprit for speedy solar winds are coronal holes, cooler regions of the sun with an open magnetic field line structure that allows the solar wind to escape with relative ease.

Abnormally fast solar winds can be generated during coronal mass ejection (CME) events. During CMEs, wind speeds can jump up to more than 600 miles (1000 km) per second, according to SpaceWeatherLive.com.

A Coronal mass ejection (CME) captured by NASA and ESA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). (Image credit: NASA/GSFC/SOHO/ESA)

Despite the impressive breakneck speeds achieved by some solar wind streams, it is the slower solar wind that has got scientists scratching their heads.

"The slow solar wind is, in many respects, a larger mystery," said Jim Klimchuk, solar physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in a NASA statement.

NASA's Ulysses mission, launched in 1990, has already revealed some clues to the origin of the slow wind stream when it flew around the sun's poles. It found that during periods of minimum solar activity, the solar wind originates primarily from the sun's equator.

"As the solar cycle progresses toward its maximum, the structure of the solar wind changes from two-distinct regimes  fast at the poles and slow at the equator  to a mixed, inhomogeneous flow." according to a NASA statement on the Parker Solar Probe and the birth of solar wind.

The Parker Solar Probe will investigate this mystery during its seven-year mission to observe the sun. "It offers great promise for revealing fundamental new understanding," said Klimchuk.

The effects of solar wind

The effects of our windy star are felt throughout the solar system.

"My feeling is  if the sun sneezes, Earth catches a cold, because we always feel the impact of what happens on the sun thanks to the solar wind," said Nicky Fox, the division director for heliophysics at NASA Headquarters in a NASA Science article.

On Earth, the solar wind is responsible for dazzling aurora light shows around the polar regions. In the Northern Hemisphere the phenomenon is called the northern lights (aurora borealis), while in the Southern Hemisphere, it's called the southern lights (aurora australis). If solar wind speeds are high enough geomagnetic storms can be triggered which can lead to auroras expanding closer to the equator than is possible during calmer space weather conditions.

CMEs can trigger large geomagnetic storms that result in impressive auroras like this one pictured in Alaska. (Image credit: Noppawat Tom Charoensinphon via Getty Images)

Geomagnetic storms can also wreak havoc with satellites and electricity networks and threaten astronauts in space. During these storms, astronauts on the International Space Station need to seek shelter and all spacewalks are paused and sensitive satellites are powered down until the radiation storm has passed.

SpaceX has already witnessed firsthand the damage space weather can do when a geomagnetic storm destroyed up to 40 Starlink satellites worth over $50 million, in Feb. 2022. As Starlink satellites are released into very low-altitude orbits (between 60 and 120 miles (100 to 200 km), they rely on onboard engines to overcome the force of drag, raising themselves to a final altitude of about 350 miles (550 km).

During a geomagnetic storm, Earth's atmosphere absorbs energy from the storms, heats up and expands upwards, leading to a significantly denser thermosphere that extends from about 50 miles (80 km) to approximately 600 miles (1,000 km) above the Earth's surface. A denser thermosphere means more drag which can be an issue for satellites. In Feb. 2022 the batch of recently released Starlink satellites failed to overcome the significantly increased drag from the geomagnetic storm and began to fall back to Earth, eventually burning up in the atmosphere.

Solar weather can have drastically expensive consequences, it is, therefore, important to increase our understanding, monitoring and predictions of such events. Scientists study solar wind in a bid to shed light on the space weather environment and improve space weather forecasts.

"We can't ignore space weather, but we can take appropriate measures to protect ourselves," NASA says.

How do scientists study solar wind?

The Heliophysics System Observatory contains a fleet of spacecraft designed to study our dynamic solar system. (Image credit: NASA)

Heliophysics missions study the sun and its influence on the solar system, including the effects of solar wind.

According to NASA the goal of these missions is "to understand everything from how planetary atmospheres have formed, to how space weather can affect astronauts and technology near Earth to the physics that defines our neighborhood in space."

Understanding the solar environment is no mean feat hence why there is a whole fleet of space missions dedicated to understanding our sun and its behavior. These missions can be collectively thought of as a single observatory, The Heliophysics System Observatory (HSO).

The HSO consists of several solar, heliospheric, geospace and planetary spacecraft including the Parker Solar Probe on a daring mission to "touch" the sun, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)  a joint effort between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) consisting of two near-identical observatories one located ahead of Earth's orbit and the other trailing behind and ESA's Solar Orbiter that is taking a first time look at the sun's uncharted polar regions.

Additional resources

If you want to see how the solar wind interacts with other objects in the solar system check out this NASA infographic. Explore the numerous NASA heliospheric missions in more detail with NASA. Explore solar wind in more detail with this explainer article from the University of Chicago. See real-time solar wind speed and density with NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.

Bibliography

Richardson, J. D., Wang, C., & Paularena, K. I. (2001). The solar wind: from solar minimum to solar maximum. Advances in Space Research, 27(3), 471-479. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117701000746

Coronal holes. NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/coronal-holes

Fox, K. Impacts of strong solar flares. NASA, May 13, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/flare-impacts.html

Frazier, S. Fast solar wind causes Aurora Light Shows. NASA, October 9, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/fast-solar-wind-causes-aurora-light-shows

The heliosphere. ESA Science & Technology, September 1, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://sci.esa.int/web/ulysses/-/2576-the-heliosphere

Lerner, L. Eugene Parker, 'Legendary figure' in solar science and namesake of Parker Solar Probe, 1927-2022. University of Chicago News, March 16, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://news.uchicago.edu/story/eugene-parker-legendary-figure-solar-science-and-namesake-parker-solar-probe-1927-2022

NASA. Effects of the solar wind. NASA. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/news-articles/effects-of-the-solar-wind

NASA. Solar wind science. NASA Space Technology 5. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/nmp/st5/SCIENCE/solarwind.html

NASA. The Solar Wind. Solar Physics. Marshall Space Flight Center. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/SolarWind.shtml

The solar wind. SpaceWeatherLive.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/help/the-solar-wind.html

Solar wind. Aurora Forecast. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://auroraforecast.is/solar-wind/

Solar wind. Solar Wind | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/solar-wind

Zell, H. (2021, March 19). Heliophysics Missions: Studying the Sun and its effects on interplanetary space. NASA. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/index.html
Amazon triples quarterly profit as cloud and ads grow



San Francisco, April 30 (AFP) Apr 30, 2024



E-commerce titan Amazon on Tuesday said profit in the first three months of 2024 tripled as its cloud, ads, and retail businesses thrived.

Amazon shares were up more than 3 percent in after-market trades that followed release of the earnings figures, with Wall Street keeping a close eye on the impact of AI.

"It was a good start to the year across the business," Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy said in an earnings release.

The Seattle-based company reported $10.4 billion in profit on revenue of $143.3 billion compared with a profit of $3.2 billion on $127.4 billion in sales in the same period a year earlier.

Jassy said companies modernizing their tech infrastructures have been drawn to artificial intelligence capabilities of AWS cloud computing division, which is on track to bring in a billion dollars over the course of the year.

AWS revenue in the recently ended quarter was $25 billion compared with $21.4 billion in the same period last year, the earnings figures showed.

Jassy also pointed to Amazon's young ad business that was gaining momentum at its online shop and Prime streaming television service.

The tech giant has also been driving down costs, he added.

The company last year eliminated some 27,000 jobs in a move it said at the time was necessary, after years of sustained hiring.

Amazon's shares have risen by nearly 75 percent in the past 12 months as investors applauded its aggressive cost-cutting early last year, an increase in sales and the potential of its cloud computing platform in the coming AI era.

The company founded by Jeff Bezos is also expanding into AI and testing a chatbot named Rufus that would provide shopping tips to US mobile app customers.

Amazon also added more generative AI features for sellers to use when creating listings.

The company plans to invest billions of dollars in AWS datacenters in Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the US in coming years, according to the earnings release.

Amazon's exceeding of market expectations comes after Microsoft last week reported solid earnings as it continued its aggressive push into artificial intelligence boost revenues and profit.

The embrace of AI has boosted sales of its key cloud services, such as Azure, a rival of AWS.

Like most tech titans, Amazon faces increased regulatory scrutiny.

Amazon is being sued by the top US antitrust regulator that accuses the online retail giant of running an illegal monopoly by strong-arming independent sellers on its platform and stifling potential rivals.

It was also forced to abandon its buyout of the iRobot vacuum maker after the EU's antitrust authority objected to the plan over competition concerns.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, May 1. Joint railway projects are set to play a pivotal role in enhancing trade turnover between Kyrgyzstan and China, Trend reports.

The statement was made during a meeting between Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov and the Governor of the People's Government of Shaanxi Province, Zhao Gang.

Zhao Gang expressed optimism about the prospects, emphasizing that the railway projects, including the China-Europe Express, would significantly augment trade volumes between Shaanxi Province and Central Asia, particularly Kyrgyzstan.

He outlined the current delegation's mandate to take necessary measures to expand cooperation spheres with the Kyrgyz side, aiming to boost trade between Kyrgyzstan and Shaanxi Province, China.

Meanwhile, President Zhaparov hailed the current state of Kyrgyzstan-China relations as unprecedentedly strong. He underscored China's enduring status as a key economic and investment partner for Kyrgyzstan over the years.

Zhaparov extended invitations to Chinese state and private enterprises, including investors from Shaanxi Province, to conduct business in Kyrgyzstan and pursue mutually beneficial economic projects.

Highlighting ongoing initiatives, Zhaparov earmarked China's Junda oil refinery in Kyrgyzstan, set to resume operations following modernization efforts.

To note, the China-Europe Railway Express is part of China's President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road initiative to increase China's regional connectivity and trade.

The railway project linking Kyrgyzstan and China, specifically the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, envisages a 454-kilometer route. The line is intended to connect China's and Uzbekistan's railways through Kyrgyzstan's territory and further link up with the European railway network through Turkmenistan, Iran, and Turkiye.
HRW blasts US use of mobile app for asylum seekers



Washington, May 1 (AFP) May 01, 2024



A US requirement for asylum seekers to apply for an appointment online before crossing the border from Mexico leaves migrants vulnerable to cartel violence, the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday.

Under the policy, all asylum seekers -- except unaccompanied minors -- are required to sign up for an appointment with Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) via a mobile phone app or to have had their asylum request denied by another country before trying to cross the US-Mexico border.

Otherwise, any asylum request is presumed illegitimate and migrants risk deportation and a five-year ban on entering the United States.

The rule came into force in May 2023 after the Biden administration repealed a pandemic-era policy known as Title 42, a public health measure used by former president Donald Trump as a blunt tool to block migrants.

"But one material outcome for asylum seekers has remained the same," the HRW report said. "They are forced to wait in northern Mexican states, as well as in many cities in other parts of Mexico through which migrants transit."

There, they are "systematically targeted by cartels, sometimes with the help of Mexican government officials, for kidnapping, extortion, sexual assault, robbery, and other abuse," HRW said.

This online application creates a kind of "digital metering" which "feeds cartel needs for a vulnerable population to prey upon," HRW said in the report, which was based on interviews with 128 asylum seekers, shelter workers, Mexican officials and employees at humanitarian organizations.

The "nearly mandatory" use of this app, called CBP One, means that anyone who presents themselves at the border without having made a digital appointment is turned away by US and Mexican border officials, HRW said.

Many people struggle to use the app, HRW researchers found, often due to technical difficulties or language barriers. The app is only available in English, Spanish or Haitian Creole.

"The Biden asylum rule and digital metering violate the fundamental legal principle of nonrefoulement, which prohibits the return of refugees ... to countries where their lives or freedom would be at risk," the report alleges.

The administration therefore "should immediately rescind its asylum rule, end all practices of metering, digital or otherwise, and stop collaborating with Mexico and other states to block asylum claims in the United States," the report urges.

HRW also recommends that if the US government decides to keep the CBP One app to use as a scheduling tool -- rather than as a metering tool -- it should be updated and include access in more languages, including Arabic, French, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese and Indigenous American languages.
Microsoft announces Thai datacenter region, AI training



Bangkok, May 1 (AFP) May 01, 2024



Microsoft said Wednesday it would create Thailand's first data centre region to boost cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure, promising AI training to more than 100,000 Thais to develop tech.

Bangkok is a key economic player in Southeast Asia, but it has lagged behind Indonesia and Singapore when it comes to the tech industry.

Thailand had an "incredible opportunity to build a digital-first, AI-powered future", Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said in Bangkok.

Data centre regions are physical locations that store computing infrastructure, allowing secure and reliable access to cloud platforms.

"Our new datacenter region, along with the investments we are making in cloud and AI infrastructure, as well as AI skilling, build on our long-standing commitment to the country," Nadella said.

Microsoft added in a statement that their investment would provide AI training "to benefit more than 100,000 individuals in Thailand", supporting the country's growing developer community.

The global embrace of AI has boosted sales of Microsoft's key cloud services such as Azure, which have become the core of its business under Nadella's leadership.

Nadella said that the "full Azure region" was going to come to Thailand.

Nadella is due to meet with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who has pushed digital infrastructure and cloud investments.

Thailand's Office of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission has said the digital economy could contribute as much as 30 percent of GDP by 2027.

Srettha has undertaken numerous international tours in the past year as he attempts to woo investors, meeting with Microsoft, Google, and Tesla boss Elon Musk.

Thailand is the latest stop on Nadella's high-profile regional tour.

He was in Indonesia on Tuesday, where he pledged to invest $1.7 billion around AI and cloud computing, and will later jet to Malaysia.

Microsoft has been rewarded by investors since it aggressively rolled out generative AI, starting with its $13 billion partnership with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, in 2023.

The partnership propelled it past Apple as the world's biggest company by market capitalisation.

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MICROSOFT

GOOGLE

Tesla
CORRECTED: US newspapers sue OpenAI, Microsoft over AI chatbots



San Francisco, May 1 (AFP) May 01, 2024



Eight US newspapers sued OpenAI and Microsoft in a New York federal court Tuesday for violating their copyright to train the technology behind the ChatGPT and Copilot chatbots.

The newspapers, which include The New York Daily News and The Chicago Tribune, are owned by Alden Global Capital, a Florida-based investment firm that created the second-largest US newspaper group behind USA Today owner Gannett when it bought the Tribune publishing chain in 2021.

"This lawsuit arises from defendants purloining millions of the publishers' copyrighted articles without permission and without payment to fuel the commercialization of their generative artificial intelligence products, including ChatGPT and (Microsoft's) Copilot," according to the filing.

"As this lawsuit will demonstrate, defendants must both obtain the publishers' consent to use their content and pay fair value for such use," the filing said.

OpenAI and its Microsoft backer were also accused of offering up verbatim excerpts of full articles as well as attributing misleading or inaccurate reporting to the publications in certain requests.

Other newspapers involved in the suit were The Orlando Sentinel, The Sun Sentinel of Florida, The San Jose Mercury News, The Denver Post, The Orange County Register and The St. Paul Pioneer Press.

In a statement, OpenAI did not refer to the accusations specifically but said "we take great care in our products and design process to support news organizations."

OpenAI pointed to the "constructive partnerships and conversations with many news organizations around the world to explore opportunities, discuss any concerns, and provide solutions."

This referred to the news outlets that have entered partnerships with the Microsoft-backed startup instead of going to court.

They include The Associated Press, Financial Times, Germany's Axel Springer, French daily Le Monde and Spanish conglomerate Prisa Media.

The suit on Tuesday closely resembles a case filed by The New York Times in December, in which OpenAI is also accused of stealing content to train its powerful AI.

In that case, OpenAI strongly pushed back, arguing the use of publicly available data including news articles for general training purposes is fair use.

OpenAI also accused the Times of violating ChatGPT's user guidelines to generate the content that suited its case.

Microsoft declined to comment on the suit.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, May 1. Akylbek Japarov, the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, is set to embark on a two-day official visit to Uzbekistan's Tashkent on May 2 and 3, Trend reports.

As per the Cabinet of Ministers, during his visit, Japarov will participate in the 11th session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on bilateral cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Additionally, he will attend the third International Investment Forum in Tashkent.

The agenda of the visit includes bilateral meetings and negotiations. Japarov is also expected to engage in discussions with the leaders of international companies operating in the energy and construction sectors. He will familiarize himself with the master plans of various construction projects.

According to the State Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan, the trade turnover between the countries reached $693.988 million in 2023, increasing by 15.8 percent compared to 2022. Kyrgyzstan's exports to Uzbekistan amounted to $290.766 million, which is a 22.9 percent rise compared to 2022. Imports to Kyrgyzstan from Uzbekistan totaled $403.222 million, which is an 11.2 percent increase from 2022 figures.
New Zealand says no quick membership of AUKUS tech pact



Wellington, May 1 (AFP) May 01, 2024



New Zealand's foreign minister on Wednesday ruled out Wellington quickly joining a landmark defence technology pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, but lampooned critics as "out of date".

In a speech sketching how the underpinnings of New Zealand's independent-minded foreign policy have "seismically shifted", Winston Peters said it would be "irresponsible" of the government not to explore deeper defence cooperation with allies.

New Zealand's possible participation in the AUKUS grouping's efforts to develop advanced military technology -- particularly in areas like artificial intelligence, undersea drones and hypersonic missiles -- has roiled the country's politics.

Centre-left former prime minister Helen Clark is among those who have argued that participation in AUKUS would threaten New Zealand's sovereignty and risk damaging relations with major trade partner China.

Peters on Wednesday said those arguments were "outdated", saying: "The world has changed, and so must we."

Citing once-neutral Sweden and Finland's decision to join NATO, Peters said the strategic environment that once delivered for New Zealand's interests was no more.

"These foundations, which underpinned New Zealand's foreign, trade and economic policies in decades past, have seismically shifted in the first quarter of the 21st century," he said, according to text of the speech.

"The Pacific region's strategic environment is not benign, far from it. Remorseless pressure is being exerted across it as beachheads are sought and influence peddled."

Peters said that as a result, New Zealand should consider taking part in AUKUS when the time comes.

"It would be utterly irresponsible for any government of any stripe to not consider whether collaborating with like-minded partners on advances in technology is in our national interest," he said.

"Here New Zealand needs to ask hard questions of itself. As we seek a more secure region and world, are we doing our share?"

"New Zealand's long history of parsimony when it comes to defence cannot hold if we wish to continue garnering respect from, and influence on, others," he said.

Peters said it was not yet clear that New Zealand would be invited to participate in AUKUS's so-called pillar two, which focuses on defence technology, even after two years of preliminary talks.

Washington, London and Canberra have also been in talks with Japan and South Korea, which are in favour of participating and appear further along in the process.

"We must also carefully examine what utilities, if any, we might offer, or be expected to offer pillar two partners, in return. That will take time," Peters said.

"At that future point we will need to carefully weigh up the economic and security benefits and costs of any decision about whether participating in pillar two is in the national interest.

"The government is a long way from this point of being able to make such a decision."
New Zealand says no quick membership of AUKUS tech pact



Wellington, May 1 (AFP) May 01, 2024



New Zealand's foreign minister on Wednesday ruled out quickly joining a landmark defence technology pact with Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, but attacked AUKUS critics as outdated.

Arguing the underpinnings of New Zealand's independent-minded foreign policy have "seismically shifted", Winston Peters said it would be "irresponsible" of the government not to explore deeper defence cooperation with allies.

New Zealand's possible participation in AUKUS efforts to develop advanced military technology -- particularly in areas like artificial intelligence, undersea drones and hypersonic missiles -- has roiled the country's politics.

Centre-left former prime minister Helen Clark is among those who have argued that participation in AUKUS would threaten New Zealand's sovereignty and risk damaging relations with major trade partner China.

Peters on Wednesday said those arguments were outdated, saying at parliament: "The world has changed, and so must we."



- National interest? -



Citing once-neutral Sweden and Finland's decision to join NATO, Peters said the strategic environment that once delivered for New Zealand's interests was no more.

"These foundations, which underpinned New Zealand's foreign, trade and economic policies in decades past, have seismically shifted in the first quarter of the 21st century," he said.

"The Pacific region's strategic environment is not benign, far from it. Remorseless pressure is being exerted across it as beachheads are sought and influence peddled."

Peters said that as a result, New Zealand should consider taking part in AUKUS when the time comes.

"It would be utterly irresponsible for any government of any stripe to not consider whether collaborating with like-minded partners on advances in technology is in our national interest," he said.

"Here New Zealand needs to ask hard questions of itself. As we seek a more secure region and world, are we doing our share?"

"New Zealand's long history of parsimony when it comes to defence cannot hold if we wish to continue garnering respect from, and influence on, others," he said.

Peters said it was not yet clear that New Zealand would be invited to participate in AUKUS's so-called pillar two, which focuses on defence technology, even after two years of preliminary talks.

Washington, London and Canberra have also been in talks with Japan and South Korea, which are in favour of participating and appear further along in the process.

"We must also carefully examine what utilities, if any, we might offer, or be expected to offer pillar two partners, in return. That will take time," Peters said.

"At that future point we will need to carefully weigh up the economic and security benefits and costs of any decision about whether participating in pillar two is in the national interest.

"The government is a long way from this point of being able to make such a decision."

AUKUS also includes a plan to equip Australia with nuclear-powered conventionally armed submarines.

There is no suggestion that New Zealand would take part in that project, but any association could be seen as a threat to the country's staunch anti-nuclear policy.

In a sign of how contentious the issue has become, Peters was briefly interrupted during his speech at parliament by a protester holding up an anti-AUKUS placard.

"Show some respect," Peters told the woman before she was escorted out by security.
UAE firm to resume output from Iraq gas complex hit by drone



Dubai, May 1 (AFP) May 01, 2024



A UAE firm said Wednesday it was taking steps to resume production from an Iraq gas complex which was halted after a deadly drone strike last week.

The Khor Mor complex owned by a consortium of two United Arab Emirates energy firms has been hit several times in recent years.

But last Friday's strike was the first deadly attack, with four Yemeni workers killed and at least eight other people wounded.

On Monday, Dana Gas said it would "temporarily suspend production" at Khor Mor before reversing the decision days later.

"Dana Gas and its partners have taken steps to recommence production from the Khor Mor field," the firm said in a statement published on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange on Wednesday.

"This is being done in a phased manner with new measures being implemented to maximise the safety of all personnel and facilities."

Friday's strike disrupted gas supply to the region's power plants, resulting in the loss of 2,500 megawatts (MW) of electricity, authorities said.

Dana Gas said the decision to resume production was linked to "concrete actions which have been taken by the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan regional government to significantly strengthen defences at the Khor Mor site."

The Khor Mor gas field lies between the cities of Kirkuk and Sulaimaniyah, in an area administered by the Kurdish authorities.

In January, rockets targeted the gas field, causing a blaze but no casualties. At the time, pro-Iranian Iraqi armed groups were attacking military bases hosting US forces in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.
Pentagon leaker facing separate Air Force charges



Washington, May 1 (AFP) May 01, 2024



The US airman who admitted to leaking a trove of classified Pentagon documents is facing separate Air Force charges under the military justice system, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

Jack Teixeira orchestrated the most damaging leak of US classified information in a decade while serving as a junior Massachusetts Air National Guard IT specialist, posting highly sensitive documents on the social media platform Discord, from which they spread across the internet.

He was arrested in April 2023 and could spend up to nearly 17 years in prison after pleading guilty in March to six federal counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information.

Because Teixeira was on active duty at the time of the offenses, he was subject to both federal law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), and the Air Force is pursuing charges stemming from alleged violations of the latter.

"Following close coordination with the Department of Justice, the Air Force determined that separate and distinct charges should be preferred against A1C Jack Teixeira, for alleged misconduct related to his military duties," an Air Force spokesperson said.

A commander "reviewed the evidence and determined charges should be preferred under the UCMJ," and a hearing will be held on May 14 at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts to determine "whether the evidence is sufficient to refer the charges to trial by courts-martial," the spokesperson said.

The charges are that Teixeira violated the UCMJ by failing to obey an order to stop accessing information that did not pertain to his duties, and seeking to obstruct justice by personally disposing of an iPad, hard drive and phone and directing another person to delete Discord messages that he had sent.

The documents leaked by Teixeira pointed to US concern over Ukraine's military capacity against invading Russian forces, and also showed Washington had apparently spied on allies Israel and South Korea, among other sensitive details.

It was the biggest such breach since the 2013 dump of National Security Agency documents by Edward Snowden, and raised serious questions about access by Teixeira and other junior staffers to high-level secrets.
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, May 1. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) urges Tajikistan to prioritize green, sustainable, and inclusive urbanization, Trend reports.

The ADB emphasizes that urbanization can benefit Tajikistan by allowing it to capitalize on the demographic dividend offered by its growing and youthful population. According to projections from the ADB's Tajikistan National Urban Assessment, Tajikistan's population is expected to reach 16.2 million by 2050, with 60 percent of the total comprising working-age individuals.

Shanny Campbell, the ADB Country Director for Tajikistan, highlights that population growth will necessitate the creation of new job opportunities. She notes that Tajikistan's urban sector is three times more productive than the rural sector in terms of job creation.

The ADB stresses the urgent need for nature-based solutions and sponge city approaches to address urban flooding and other hazards.

The bank recommends immediate investments in water supply, sanitation, solid waste management, and urban mobility. Additionally, it suggests focusing on affordable and livable housing, urban eco-tourism, digital systems, and improving governance skills to enhance the economic and social efficiency of cities.

It was noted that by establishing a system of cities comprising small, medium, and large urban centers, the country can distribute growth poles, expand equitable access to services and economic opportunities, and improve living conditions.

To note, ADB was established in 1966. In line with the bank's partnership strategy with Tajikistan for 2021-2025, ADB's operations in the country focus on three strategic priorities: supporting structural reforms to enhance resource distribution and mobilization, improving labor productivity through human capital development, and contributing to the improvement of living conditions through strategic investments.
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, May 1. Energy is one of the key sectors of cooperation between the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Tajikistan, the bank's president, Odile Renaud-Basso, told Tajik media, Trend reports.

Other significant areas of attention for the president included transportation and private-sector support. She added that future support for agricultural projects is planned.



The president mentioned that the EBRD finances private financial institutions by giving them credit lines, which they then use to lend to small firms, women in business, and youth.



However, she stated that the Rogun Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), Tajikistan's largest strategic project, is too huge for the EBRD. This project is better suited to the World Bank's modality, which helps obtain funding for its implementation.

As of February 29, 2024, the EBRD's current project portfolio in Tajikistan was 507 million euros, with 72 active projects scheduled for completion. Overall, the EBRD committed 947 million euros to 168 projects around the country.
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According to the mayors planning report the 600-home community, two-thirds of which are social and affordable rented homes, will be turned into a 1,950-unit scheme with a a significant loss of affordable housing when assessed on a per unit and per habitable room basis - although detailed designs have not been completed so the ratios could change.
West Midlands Police said 13 people were arrested and have since been released on bail after a different demonstration in the same area on Monday. Officers were called just after 5.30pm that day to a protest in order to prevent a breach of the peace after access to the building was blocked.
The Chinese film "Gold or Shit" received three awards at the closing ceremony of the 14th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF), making the comedic drama a big winner of the night. The closing ceremony saw the handing out of the festivals most prestigious Tiantan Award.

Director Long Fei speaks as he receives the best feature film award for "Gold or Shit" at the Tiantan Award ceremony as part of the closing gala of the 14th Beijing International Film Festival held in Beijing on April 26, 2024. [Photo courtesy of BJIFF Organizing Committee]

The film, directed by emerging filmmaker Long Fei and starring Hu Ge and Gao Yuanyuan, snatched best feature film, best supporting actress and best screenplay. The film follows a struggling young man who returns to his hometown, disrupting his family's peaceful life but prompting personal rediscovery and a pursuit of a filmmaking dream. Through a light-hearted comedic style, the motion picture addresses heavy topics such as death and failure.

"Thank you, BJIFF and jury, for giving us this award. I'm so happy because it recognizes our entire cast and crew, not just myself. I felt anxious when wrapping up shooting because I didn't want to let down everyone who worked so hard, but now I feel greatly encouraged, and I thank everyone who has helped us. Next, we will stand the test of the market; see you in theaters!" Long said.

After winning the awards, the film's producer, Maxtimes Culture, quickly announced the nationwide release date for "Gold or Shit" as June 8. This is Long Fei's first theatrical feature release.

"If it's gold, it will shine no matter what," lead actor Hu Ge said on stage, quoting a line from the movie to express his excitement about the film's win after overcame various difficulties to come to life. The heartthrob actor loved the script at first sight and was the first to agree to participate in the project.

A photo capturing hosts and performers on stage during a segment of the closing gala of the 14th Beijing International Film Festival held in Beijing on April 26, 2024. [Photo courtesy of BJIFF Organizing Committee]

This year's Tiantan Award received a record total of 1,509 submissions from 118 countries and regions, with the winners of ten categories selected by a seven-member jury headed by Serbian director Emir Kusturica.

Veteran Chinese actor Fan Wei for his performance in the movie "Strangers When We Meet" received the award for best actor. This was the second time Fan has received this award, previously winning it in 2017 for his role in "Mr. No Problem." During his acceptance speech at this year's award ceremony, Fan described the BJIFF stage as his blessed place.

Actor Fan Wei speaks as he receives the best actor award for "Strangers When We Meet" at the Tiantan Award ceremony as part of the closing gala of the 14th Beijing International Film Festival held in Beijing on April 26, 2024. [Photo courtesy of BJIFF Organizing Committee]





Indian director Karan Tejpal's debut feature, "Stolen," also won three Tiantan awards, namely best director, best actress and best cinematography. Other notable wins included best music and best supporting actor going to the Finnish film "Death Is a Problem for the Living" and the best artistic contribution award going to the Japanese movie "All the Long Nights."

Organizers also paid tribute to the legendary Chinese filmmaker Chen Kaige, 71, by presenting him with a lifetime achievement award. Chen Kaige is known for numerous Chinese classics including "Yellow Earth," "Farewell My Concubine" and "Forever Enthralled," which have significantly contributed to the development of Chinese cinema. His newest film, the sequel to the war epic "The Volunteers: To the War," will hit Chinese theaters during this year's National Day holiday in October.

Director Chen Kaige holds up his lifetime achievement award on stage at the Tiantan Award ceremony as part of the closing gala of the 14th Beijing International Film Festival held in Beijing on April 26, 2024. [Photo courtesy of BJIFF Organizing Committee]

Reflecting on his four-decade career in filmmaking, Chen described the path of a professional director as full of difficulties and challenges. Despite enduring anxiety, worries and insomnia during his projects, he hopes to encourage young filmmakers with these words: "Never give up, no matter how hard the situation you encounter may be."

The 14th BJIFF closed on Friday night with a dazzling gala filled with energetic songs and dances and nostalgic tributes, attended by hundreds of filmmakers and celebrities. During the nine-day event, more than 100 activities, including forums and the first artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) unit, were held. Audiences enjoyed over 800 screenings of more than 250 new and classic films in 27 theaters across Beijing, Tianjin municipalities and Hebei province.
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, May 1. The National Bank of Tajikistan and the Central Bank of Uzbekistan have signed an agreement in the field of monitoring the activities of credit institutions, Trend reports.

According to Tajikistan's bank, the agreement intends to strengthen mutual cooperation by aligning views on regulatory and supervisory problems affecting financial institutions. These difficulties include permit procedures, inspections, and crisis management.

The agreement also includes on-site and remote monitoring, as well as management over the process of acquiring and processing financial reports. It also addresses the identification and monitoring of risks in the activities of credit institutions.

This agreement entails implementing and employing Basel Committee norms for banking supervision, stress testing credit institutions' activities, and exchanging information to ensure favorable conditions.

The document was signed during the spring meetings of the member countries of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) by the chairmen of the banks.
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, May 1. A delegation from Tajikistan will attend the 57th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Tbilisi, Georgia, which kicks off tomorrow and will address key development challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region, including climate change, artificial intelligence, and green globalization, Trend reports.

The Tajik government delegation, led by First Deputy Prime Minister Hokim Kholiqzoda, who also serves as Tajikistan's ADB Governor, comprises Sulton Rahimzoda, Chairman of the State Committee on Investment and State Property Management, acting as Tajikistan's alternate ADB Governor.

To note, Georgia is hosting ADB's annual meeting for the first time. The meeting, to be held from May 2 through May 5, on the theme "Bridge to the Future," will bring together finance ministers, central bank governors, senior government officials, and representatives of the private sector, academia, media, and civil society from 68 ADB countries.

Since joining ADB in 1998, Tajikistan has received more than $2.6 billion in aid from the bank, with over $2 billion in the form of grants. ADB's Tajikistan Partnership Strategy 2021-2025 centers on three key areas: implementing structural reforms to enhance resource allocation and mobilization, boosting productivity through investment in human capital development, and elevating living standards by investing in the domestic economy.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 1. A regional conference of Central Asian countries on water management issues was held in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, dedicated to Earth Day, Trend reports.

According to the official source, the event was held as part of the implementation of the Regional Water and Environment Project (WAVE).

The conference was attended by representatives of the water industry, ministries, departments, and research organizations of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as delegates of international structures.

Furthermore, the agenda included an analysis of current reforms in the water sector of Central Asian countries, strategies for the development of the water sector, experience in implementing regional projects of USAID, GIZ, and UNDP aimed at rational water use, and the introduction of modern technologies in this area.

The parties paid special attention to the UN General Assembly Resolution 'Cooperation between the UN and the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea', developed by Turkmenistan and adopted with the co-authorship of 19 countries, as an important tool for the implementation of international plans on water resources in Central Asia.

The participants stressed the key role of water resources for the sustainable development of Central Asia, the importance of transboundary water cooperation for achieving the SDGs, and the and the peace, stability, and prosperity of the region.

Meanwhile, at the 85th plenary meeting of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in 2019, the resolution 'Cooperation between the UN and the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea' was unanimously adopted, initiated by Turkmenistan.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
The Government approved on Tuesday the draft law for the ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of the United States of America on collaboration in the use of travel information, signed on January 19, 2024, in Bucharest.

The bill is to be sent to the Parliament, with the request to be debated and approved in the emergency procedure, Agerpres informs.

According to a Government press release, the agreement establishes the cooperation framework regarding the evaluation, analysis and exchange of travel information, with the aim of ensuring the security and protection of life and safety of citizens.

"The draft law creates the possibility for the Romanian authorities to implement the ATS-G program (Automated Targeting System - Global), a program that offers Romania a tool to identify and track cross-border criminals, known or suspected, obtaining information about organized crime networks, as well as for the detection of potential threats to national security", states the quoted source.

The transfer of information will be done through channels established by the parties and within the limits of the applicable legislation, only for the purpose of identifying security risks.

The competent authorities for the implementation of the agreement are: for the Romanian side - the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Romania, through the General Inspectorate of the Border Police/National Passenger Information Unit (IGPF/UNIP), and for the American side - the Department for Home Security of the United States (DHS) through the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

"The implementation of the cooperation document will continue to strengthen the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States of America, allowing the competent authorities to respond more efficiently and quickly to various threats, the goal being to increase the security of the citizens of both countries", the Government also informs.
On April 15, News is Out and Word In Black, together announced the 16 fellows selected for The Digital Equity Local Voices Lab, a new initiative powered by Comcast NBCUniversal to place journalists at 16 Black and LGBTQ+ serving news publications across the country. During the year-long fellowship, the group will receive the training and resources needed to tell stories within marginalized communities through media and technology and celebrate the work being done by Black and LGBTQ+ leaders in their communities.

WIB quote

This fellowship program is the epitome of what journalism means to me  using innovation and creativity to fuel a passion for multimedia storytelling and uplift the voice and perspective of the overlooked.  fellow Jada Ingleton.

Through Project UP, we are proud to donate $1 million to launch this unique, first-of-its-kind program that will support coverage of Black and LGBTQ+ topics in the media as well as emerging journalists with a passion for reporting on issues of importance to these communities, said Dalila Wilson-Scott, EVP and Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast Corporation and President, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation.

Comcast is one of the earliest corporate leaders in LGBTQ+ inclusion, so it should come as no surprise that they understand the value of local LGBTQ+ media, said Mark Segal, founder of the Philadelphia Gay News and member of News is Out. Their investment in our growth is also an investment in the future leadership of LGBT media and intersectional LGBTQ+ media.

The fellows will receive best practices, learnings and mentorship from journalists and media professionals at News is Out, Word In Black, and NBCUniversal. In addition, they will report on stories of Black and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and creatives in their communities, share training and resources on using technology more in their daily lives, report on policy related to technological access and connectivity, and share the work being done to advance digital equity.

This fellowship program is the epitome of what journalism means to me  using innovation and creativity to fuel a passion for multimedia storytelling and uplift the voice and perspective of the overlooked, said Word In Black and Washington Informer fellow, Jada Ingleton. It means so much to know that Ill be in a position to produce stories that could enact change and affect lives the same way generations of journalists impacted mine.

The Local Media Foundation (LMF) is managing the fellowship and Lab and facilitating content creation to reach diverse audiences between the 16 publishers, Comcast NBCUniversal and NBCU Academy. Word In Black and News is Out are collaboratives that were launched by LMF.

The 16 fellows are:

The Lab is part of Project UP, Comcasts $1 billion initiative to connect people to the internet and advance digital equity and economic mobility through programs and community partnerships that open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators across Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 1. Turkmenistan and Belarus discussed the development of bilateral cooperation, Trend reports.

According to the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Belarus, this topic was discussed during the meeting of the Turkmen Ambassador in Minsk, Nazarguly Shagulyyev, with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Igor Nazaruk.

During the meeting held in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, the parties confirmed their interest in the further development of comprehensive Turkmen-Belarusian relations.

The diplomats discussed issues related to political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries while noting the positive experience of cooperation in the fields of education, science, sports, and healthcare.

The Deputy Minister and the Ambassador highly appreciated the effective partnership between the foreign ministries as well as the successful practice of cooperation between the two countries within the framework of international organizations.

Meanwhile, a delegation from the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange's Department of Foreign Relations visited Ashgabat in late March, and plans were announced to increase trade with Turkmenistan this year by realizing the exchange's export potential, which is primarily represented by the supply of timber, dairy products, and sugar.

Several discussions with potential timber importers and Turkmen food sector firms took place during the tour, which was organized by the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Minsk branch in collaboration with the Embassy of Belarus in Turkmenistan.
ST. LOUIS  The ex-wife of a man accused of killing one police officer and injuring another spent much of Tuesday outlining a fraught, chaotic relationship that has lasted more than a decade.

Amy Kinworthy, of Florida, divorced Thomas Kinworthy Jr. in 2020 after about 12 years of marriage. On Tuesday, she outlined a relationship that had moments of laughter, friendship and care but that turned sour, even violent. In those episodes, his skin would go pale and his expression blank, vacant.

Hes a sick individual, and I believe he needs help, she testified.

Their relationship was not always supportive. During cross-examination, prosecutors played a portion of a phone call where Amy Kinworthy spoke with police in 2019 in Florida about allegations her ex-husband had bound, beaten and sexually assaulted a man. The Kinworthys were going through a divorce then.

She called her ex-husband the devil.

This man does not care about life, she said during the call. He does not care about prison.

Her testimony came on the seventh day of a trial in which her ex-husband is facing multiple charges, including first-degree murder, in the death of St. Louis police Officer Tamarris Bohannon.

Thomas Kinworthys attorneys do not dispute that he shot a homeless man in the arm, barricaded himself inside a Tower Grove South home and then fired shots at police from the window on Aug. 29, 2020. They say, however, that he was suffering from an acute psychotic episode at the time and didnt know what he was doing.

Prosecutors have argued he did not have a mental illness. On Tuesday, they began questioning a state psychological expert who screened him for faking a mental illness. She is expected to continue testifying Wednesday morning.

Amy Kinworthy met her ex-husband at a gas station in 2007. They got married the following year, and by then, she said shed already noticed strange behaviors.

Hed frequently check the front door to make sure it was locked. Hed get up and start pacing the floors or start stuttering. Sometimes, he got violent and didnt remember it afterward, she said.

The blankness was scary, she said.

The two had three children together, one of whom died shortly after birth.

Amy Kinworthy said periods of financial stress exacerbated her husbands behaviors. Memories of their son or holidays usually brought on behavioral episodes, she said.

Still, she noticed the worst deterioration after their separation in 2018, she said. He slept on her couch in early 2020 after a period of homelessness. When he told her he was headed to visit his estranged father in St. Louis, she said she knew it was a bad idea.

Testimony in the trial is expected to continue Wednesday with a state psychologist.

Her evaluation of Kinworthy, which was supposed to be filed confidentially, was made public due to a filing error last year.

Kinworthys attorneys sought to prohibit the Post-Dispatch from publishing the contents of the report, and Judge Elizabeth Hogan granted their request until all the evidence is presented at trial.

Photos: Thomas Kinworthy Jr. on trial for murder of St. Louis Police officer Tamarris Bohannon
The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday took the unusual step of striking down a 2022 voter-approved constitutional amendment that required Kansas City to spend a larger percentage of its money on the police department and ordered that the issue go back before voters in November.

The ruling overturns a ballot measure approved by 63% of voters in November 2022. It required the city to spend 25% of general revenue on police, up from the previous 20% requirement.

Democratic Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas filed suit in 2023, alleging that voters were misled because the ballot language used false financial estimates in the fiscal note summary.

The lawsuit stated that Kansas City leaders had informed state officials prior to the November 2022 election that the ballot measure would cost the city nearly $39 million and require cuts in other services. But the fiscal note summary stated that local governmental entities estimate no additional costs or savings related to this proposal.

State Supreme Court Judge Paul C. Wilson wrote that the ruling wasnt about whether Kansas City adequately funds its police.

Instead, the only issue in this case is whether the auditors fiscal note summary  the very last thing each and every voter saw before voting yes or no on Amendment No. 4  fairly and accurately summarized the auditors fiscal note ..., Wilson wrote. This Court concludes it did not and, therefore, orders a new election on this question to be conducted as part of the statewide general election on November 5, 2024.

Lucas responded on X by stating that the court sided with what is fair and just: the people of Kansas Citys voices should not be ignored in conversations about our own safety. This is an important decision standing up for the rights of cities and their people.

Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who is running for governor, wrote on X that while Lucas went to Court to defund the police, I will never stop fighting to ensure the KC police are funded.

Former Missouri Supreme Court Judge Michael Wolff said the ruling was unusual. But Wolff said that state statutes have no provisions allowing interested parties to see the wording of the fiscal note summary prior to an election.

The only time you can do it is in a post-election challenge, Wolff said. So either you have no remedy at all or you have the remedy that the court gave them.

Kansas City is the only city in Missouri  and one of the largest cities in the U.S.  that does not have local control of its police department. Instead, a state board oversees the departments operations, including its budget.

State lawmakers passed a law earlier in 2022 to require the budget increase but feared it would violate the state constitutions unfunded mandate provision. The ballot measure was meant to resolve any potential conflict.

Republican leaders and Kansas City officials have sparred over police funding in recent years. In 2021, Lucas and other city leaders unsuccessfully sought to divert a portion of the police departments budget to social service and crime prevention programs. GOP lawmakers in Jefferson City said the effort was a move to defund the police in a city with a high rate of violent crime.

Kansas City leaders maintained that raising the percentage of funding for police wouldnt improve public safety. In 2023, the year after the amendment passed, Kansas City had a record number of homicides.
WEBSTER GROVES  Webster Groves on Wednesday hired a new police chief from among four finalists after hearing from city council members and residents last week.

Vincent Acevez, a longtime Illinois cop and county emergency management official, will start as Webster Groves police chief on June 24, City Manager Marie Peoples said in a news release.

Chief Acevez brings a long record of leadership in policing and a commitment to the officers under his command and dedication to community policing and engagement to Webster Groves, said Peoples, who as city manager appoints the police chief for the suburb of about 24,000 residents.

Peoples said Acevez was hired with input from council members and residents who met with the finalists last week, after a nationwide search for a new chief.

Webster Groves Mayor Laura Arnold said the city council was impressed with Acevezs policing approach and community commitment and that he met the needs of the community and police employees.

The other finalists included Webster Groves officer, Capt. Gregory Perks, who has served as acting chief since Dale Curtis retired in December after 27 years on the job; Lancaster, Texas, Lt. Nathan Thompson; and Philip Lukens, former chief in Alliance, Nebraska.

Acevez is currently Emergency Management and Regional Security Deputy Director Cook County, Illinois. He was previously a Cicero, Illinois, deputy chief and officer, Morten College police chief, and Illinois Department of Transportation investigator. He holds degrees in criminal justice and public safety administration from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.

Acevez will be paid a starting salary of $148,000 to lead a department that includes 48 officers and two administrative employees.

I look forward to meeting all the members of the Webster Groves Police Department and working hard to earn their trust, Acevez said in a statement. I am also excited about getting to know the community, building relationships, and continuing the great work the Police Department has established.
ST. LOUIS  Organizers of and participants in the anti-Gaza war protest on Washington Universitys campus, where over 100 people were arrested, pushed back Tuesday on university leaders claims that the demonstration was not peaceful and accused police of using excessive force and injuring nonviolent protesters.

Hundreds of people marched to the campus Saturday and attempted to establish a camp to protest both the war and the universitys ties to military contractor Boeing before police from several area departments began arresting them for trespassing on the private universitys property. Professors, students, activists and political leaders present during the protest sought to counter the universitys narrative of Saturdays events during a Tuesday news conference in Forest Park across from the site of the arrests.

What happened on Saturday at Washington Universitys campus was unlike anything Ive seen in my 20 years as an activist, said St. Louis Aldermanic President Megan Green, who was there and said she has participated in hundreds of protests over the years. I am stunned that a police department, one that has consistently described itself as short-staffed, directed its officers to Washington University on a day when eight shootings sent 12 people to the hospital. We need our officers to address violent crime in our city rather than arrest those calling for an end of violence in Gaza.

Absolutely disgusting footage of the assault on a professor by police at @WUSTL. The professor is in the hospital with broken ribs and a broken arm. pic.twitter.com/3pmBrZ7UcH  Dr. Megan Ellyia Green  (@MeganEllyia) April 30, 2024

In addition to St. Louis police, other departments present Saturday included Clayton, Richmond Heights, St. Louis County and University City.

Washington University said after the protest that several police officers were injured during the arrests, including one who suffered a severe concussion and another a broken finger.

The universitys chancellor, Andrew Martin, said in a Monday statement that the demonstration was not a peaceful protest by our students, calling Saturday a dark, sad day for the university. Administrators suspended participating students, evicted some from their dorms and placed participating faculty, including Green, an adjunct professor, on administrative leave.

Protesters, though, insisted they were peaceful and blamed police and university leaders for escalating the situation by arresting demonstrators. More than 20 people who participated in the protest have reported injuries, said Elizabeth Simakoff with the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee.

A woman who only identified herself to the Post-Dispatch as Kait said a large bruise on her arm was from a police officer who punched her Saturday to get her to unlock arms with fellow protesters. She said she was arrested and held for nearly six hours before being released from the St. Louis County jail in Clayton after 2 a.m. Sunday morning and issued a summons for trespassing. However, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bells office has said it has not yet received any applications for criminal charges.

Organizers read a statement from Steve Tamari, a professor of history at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, describing his arrest and injuries Saturday. According to his statement, Tamari is being treated at Barnes-Jewish Hospital for broken ribs and a broken hand that he said he sustained while being arrested during Saturdays protest. Video of Tamaris arrest shows him walking up close behind officers before several grab him and force him to the ground.

My ordeal however is a small price to pay for Israels ongoing genocide in Gaza, Tamaris statement said.

Michael Allen, a lecturer at Washington University and well-known local architectural historian, was arrested Saturday and suspended from teaching. In a statement organizers attributed to Allen, Allen said he declined to link arms with protesters and opted instead to document the demonstration and ensuing arrests on his phone. His statement said he filmed the brutal arrest of Steve Tamari and then Allen, too, was detained by officers.

Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, who was also there Saturday, said she did witness violence.

But it wasnt violence at the hand of the protesters, it was violence at the hands of police, a law enforcement response that I have never witnessed before, she said.

Sonnier said she was a student organizer 10 years ago when protesters marched to St. Louis Universitys campus and staged a sit-in, with some camping for six days before reaching an agreement with SLU leadership. Sonnier said Washington Universitys response was a 180 from that of SLU a decade ago.

St. Louis University modeled what it looked like to create an environment of dialogue, what it looked like to listen to its students and faculty and to take a proactive approach and an open ear and to think critically of its role in its community, Sonnier said.

On Tuesday, the ACLU of Missouri issued a statement sharply critical of Washington Universitys response, calling it a divorce from its long history of tolerance towards ... student activism.

The ACLU said the universitys actions belied its commitment to freedom of expression.

In its efforts to silence students and other protestors, the university set up a direct confrontation between police officers and student activists. The escalatory tactics of law enforcement, which led to the physical breakup of the protest and arrests of more than 100 participants, chills, curtails, and restricts expression despite the universitys claims of commitment to that very principle, the ACLU said.

A protest is planned Wednesday evening for St. Louis Universitys campus.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 1. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan discussed prospects for joint activities in the energy sector, Trend reports.

The subject was discussed during a meeting between Azerbaijan's Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov and Uzbekistan's Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade, Laziz Kudratov.

The parties also discussed bilateral economic relations between two countries, such as the discovery of new prospects to improve business cooperation and the implementation of a strategy for boosting economic, trade, and investment collaboration.

Meanwhile, the Uzbek Statistics Agency reported that economic turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan totaled $142 million from January to March 2024.
JEFFERSON CITY  A group of five Republicans holding up action in the Missouri Senate appeared on track Wednesday to break the record for the longest filibuster in the chamber.

With no signal from Senate leaders that they will bend to the Freedom Caucus changing list of demands, the faction is trying to hold the floor into the early morning hours Thursday to break a 39-hour filibuster set in 2016 over gay marriage.

At the 26-hour mark at noon Wednesday, Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican, crowed about the length of time his team had kept normal business from being conducted on the floor.

Its amazing, said Eigel, who is running for governor.

The group is blocking a vote on a key health provider tax, which pays a major portion of the states Medicaid bills, in order to force action on unrelated legislation to defund Planned Parenthood and make the constitution harder to amend.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, who is sponsoring the health provider tax renewal, blasted the group.

This building works because people are working together and not issuing ultimatums or trying to force their will on everyone else, Hough said. Its a pathetic attempt by people who dont always get their way.

Influential health care lobbying groups also issued a statement designed to put pressure on the splinter group to drop the filibuster and move forward on renewing the tax that generates an estimated $4.5 billion.

This critical funding mechanism is vital for sustaining essential health care services across our state, and without the reauthorization of this program, Missouri will face an insurmountable budget deficit that will devastate the states financial outlook and slow economic development, the organizations representing hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies said.

The statement suggested that election year politics were playing an outsize role in halting work on the tax and the state budget.

Effective governance requires more than grandstanding for media attention  it demands a steadfast commitment to serving the public, the groups said.

Other observers called on the group to stand down.

The stakes are too high to let extremists hold Missouri hostage for their campaign ads, said House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, who is running for governor. Lets get it done and keep more of our hospitals from closing.

The splinter group stalling the bill includes Eigel, who is running for governor; Denny Hoskins, a Warrensburg Republican running for secretary of state; Andrew Koenig, a Manchester Republican running for treasurer; and Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican running for reelection in a competitive primary.

Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance, who is not up for reelection this year, also is participating.

But fellow senators and Gov. Mike Parson werent budging on the groups demands while the clock ticked down on a deadline for lawmakers to finish the state budget.

The $53 billion spending blueprint must be finished by May 10 or lawmakers will have to return for a special session to finish the budget.

The bill to defund Planned Parenthood was delivered to the governor on Thursday.

The group also is pressing for the approval of legislation asking Missourians to make it harder to change the Missouri Constitution.

The Senate sent a measure to the House that would raise the threshold to pass constitutional amendments, but the House sent it back to the upper chamber with provisions opposed by Democrats.

The legislation is Senate Bill 748.
CLAYTON  St. Louis County expects to make senior property tax freeze applications available by July after the County Council finally approved money to get the program off the ground.

The countys revenue department had requested $1.8 million from the council. The legislation passed Tuesday provides $300,000 for software and personnel.

This has been a long time coming, said Republican Councilman Dennis Hancock of Fenton. Weve all heard from constituents questioning, When will it happen? Well, its happening.

County revenue Director Tony Smee said $300,000 is not enough to fully implement the program because it wont pay for all the necessary staff. But it will allow the county to hire at least eight workers, buy software and get an application ready.

Hancock said the council will consider additional money in budget talks later this year.

The freeze became law last fall, but Smee said he didnt have the staff, software or equipment to enact the program. He said the department needed $1.7 million to hire 28 people to handle tens of thousands of applications, plus $65,000 for new software and $42,000 for computers, scanners and other equipment.

Hancock said that was too much and last week suggested spending a sixth of that amount  $85,000 for software and $215,000 for personnel.

But the countys chief deputy recorder of deeds told council members last week how the tax freeze will impact her office. Georgie Simmons said the recorders office, which falls under the revenue department, will be essential in determining eligibility. Yet $904,000 in council budget cuts to the revenue department this year are already affecting operations.

Our department would love to provide that service, but as of right now, we do not have the funding to do it, Simmons said.

County Executive Sam Page said his administration would explore what it can do with the money.

Residents older than 67 will have to apply for the tax break by submitting a form annually to the county collector of revenue. The law includes a $550,000 cap on the value of eligible homes.

Once the application is ready, applicants will have until the end of June 2025 to fill it out.

The Missouri Legislature is working on tweaks to the bill that could force St. Louis County to drop its property value cap. Changes would also clarify that eligible homeowners must be 62 or older to receive the benefit.

Earlier this month, a candidate running for Missouri Senate filed suit against St. Louis County for failing to start its senior property tax freeze. The lawsuit seeks to force the county to begin accepting applications immediately.

Hancocks bill passed unanimously.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 1. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan discussed the operation of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Company, Trend reports.

The matter was discussed at a meeting between Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and the director of Uzbekistan's Reconstruction and Development Fund Shukhrat Vafaev.

The sides talked about the prospects of the realization of joint projects.

In addition, the officials paid attention to the expansion of cooperation in various sectors, including industry, production, digitalization, tourism, and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, as per data from the Uzbek Statistics Agency, the trade turnover volume between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan amounted to $142 million from January through March 2024.
There are legislative ideas that are ill-advised, unwise or just plain bad. Then there are those that are positively Dickensian.

In the latter category is the latest effort in the Missouri Legislature to roll back child-labor laws for the sake of businesses seeking cheap and plentiful workers.

Missouri currently requires that 14- and 15-year-olds who want to work must get a work certificate issued by their schools, as well as parental consent. As part of the certification process, the employer must provide information about specific duties and hours.

A Republican-sponsored House bill (HB1795) would eliminate that certification process, taking schools out of the loop completely.

It has been close to a century since America came to its collective senses regarding child labor, previously a common scourge in the workforce. Child-labor reforms, which arose in tandem with the broader labor movement of the early 20th century, included a raft of state labor laws and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

The reform measures recognized that children needed special protections from unscrupulous employers  and, yes, even from financially desperate parents  to ensure they werent being trapped into working drudgery that shouldnt be part of anyones childhood memories.

In an alarming trend in recent years, though, business interests and their elected Republican patrons have been moving to roll back that historic reform. According to the Economic Policy Institute, about a dozen states have loosened their child-labor laws since 2021. Another dozen, including Missouri, are currently pushing legislation to do so.

Its primarily a red-state phenomenon, and the fact that its happening in the wake of the 2020 pandemic is no coincidence. That upheaval to the workforce has spurred continuing worker shortages that makes the prospect of hiring low-paid teens especially enticing to employers.

Thats not just our assessment of the motivation behind these laws; its the stated goal of the proponents. Part of this is to help businesses be able to have more of a workforce, James Harris, a lobbyist associated with a conservative effort to loosen child-labor laws nationwide, said during hearings this year, according to the Missouri Independent.

The measure is about empowering employers and youth, said state Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance  getting it half right.

Generally speaking, a tight labor market like todays is a sign of a healthy economy; it means the nation is near full employment. That should, by the standard principles of economics, cause wages to rise as employers compete to attract and retain employees.

Unless, of course, those employers can find an alternate, cheaper source of labor so they dont have to hike wages.

Have we mentioned that the Missouri Grocers Association, the Missouri Retailers Association and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce are among key backers of the current legislation?

Bill sponsor Rep. Dave Hinman, R-OFallon, told the Independent that its better that the parents make that decision to let kids work instead of schools being the ones that sign off on it.

Thats a deeply misleading rationale, because parents already have to sign off when kids younger than 16 work. The legislation doesnt change that, it just takes school officials out of the process. Those officials are in a better position than anyone to notice if work starts affecting a kids academics. But under this legislation, they wont even know which students are working.

The bill was voted out of committee last month and reportedly could get a floor debate this week.

If so, that debate should include the question of why the GOP  which claims to protect children on issues like abortion and transgender medicine  is so quick to endanger kids by insisting on unfettered access to guns, attempting to diminish state oversight of private boarding schools, dragging their feet on child-marriage reforms and, now, removing a layer of protection that prevents child-labor abuses.

Its almost like protecting kids isnt really the point at all.
NAB 2024: vMix Talks vMix 27 and Zoom Integration

Among the key features of vMix 27 are Zoom integration, enabling remote streaming producers to bring in (theoretically) an unlimited number of remote guests, vMix Senior Systems Engineer Heath Barker reports in this interview with Streaming Media's Shawn Lam in the vMix booth at NAB. Barker also does a quick hands-on demo of how the feature works.

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Among the key features of vMix 27 are Zoom integration, enabling remote producers to bring in (theoretically) an unlimited number of remote guests, vMix Senior Systems Engineer Heath Barker reports in this interview with Streaming Media contributing editor Shawn Lam of SLVLive in the vMix booth at NAB 2024. Barker also does a quick hands-on demo of how the feature works.

Shawn Lam: I'm here at NAB 2024 with Heath Barker from vMix, and we're going to be talking about the latest release of vMix, which is vMix 27. Quick overview, what are some of the big features in 27?

Heath Barker: The biggest feature for vMix 27 is our Zoom integration. So it's possible to take all of our Zoom callers from a meeting directly into vMix as individual inputs. So that means that you can bring in both their video and their audio independently so that you can do things like ISO record them or stitch them all together into a full layout with having your main caller and then various panelists on the side or something like that. So, a lot of flexibility with Zoom. The other thing that's cool about it is historically we've had vMix Call, which was limited to eight callers. Zoom has no limits in terms of numbers of inputs. Where the limits lie are bandwidth--so you've got 30 Megabits of bandwidth to work with, and that equates to about five high-definition 1080P sources. If you've got a premium Zoom account, you'll have access to that 1080P, but it could be something like 2360P, and if you've got them as small individual inputs, that's going to look great. So that's the main one.

Shawn Lam: How is this different from Desktop Capture?

Heath Barker: In Dsktop Capture, you could really only bring in one at a time, whereas now you can bring them all in. And it was difficult to do things like bring in individual inputs and their individual audio so that you could do things like editing afterwards or recording ISO recording of each. So much better than that. And it all runs in vMix, so you don't need a second display to record on.

Shawn Lam: For me, when I watch it or when I use this feature, it's the clean input aspect that's super important, because when you bring in a Zoom input using Desktop Capture, you always get their name and their connection bandwidth. There's always something going on in there.

It's totally clean, which is fantastic. And then you can lay your overlays, like your lower thirds and stuff on top of them. We've got a demonstration that we might be able to show you a bit later.

And so not only can you bring in independent Zoom inputs as ISO cameras or ISO participants, we could also send back out. So how does that work?

Heath Barker: vMix has access to four outputs. You can just select one and whatever you're sending on that output will be what your Zoom participants see as you in the meeting, if that makes sense.

Shawn Lam: So that could be a program, but it could also be any other output that you designate as an output?

Heath Barker: Correct. If you had a host, you might just send their direct camera feed because that's more natural for them, but if the Zoom participants actually want to see what the whole show looks like, you could send them the whole show and how it looks. That includes them and everything as well, so that they've got a full understanding of what's going out, say to a livestream or something like that.

Shawn Lam: Traditionally when you're doing mix minus with video, you're sending video in and sending it back to them, which is kind of what we're talking about. We can choose what to send back. It can be confusing for the viewers, but worse is the mix minus for audio. We don't want to send them back audio. So how do you manage that?

Heath Barker: So vMix itself does mix minus for you. I recognizes a Zoom input, and if it's a Zoom input, it means the participant could be talking. So we're never going to send that back. We're minusing that out. It's minus from the mix, hence mix minus, and so whatever we send back will be everything you want to send minus the Zoom inputs.

Shawn Lam: So no echo, no squeal, echo, no feedback. Just happiness.

Heath Barker: Now you could still get some echo or things like that if your participants, for instance, were not wearing headphones and had very loud speakers and they were getting noise back into their microphones. So things like that can still happen. So you do definitely want to, as vMix always say, test, test, and test again. But as far as mix minus goes, it's pretty solid in vMix. So what I've done is set up a little demonstration of how the Zoom integration works. In this, I've set up Zoom on my phone. So I'm calling into vMix as a Zoom caller. This is me here and this is what I'm getting as a Zoom feed from vMix. And I can now bring that into a shot that I've pre-prepared, such as this one that has a bunch of layers for all of my Zoom participants, these guys here, and one of them is me. And I'll aim it at myself with my thumb off the camera and I can cut to that. So I can just switch into myself, try and manipulate myself. There we go. And then cut to another camera, cut to a different camera, cut to myself. So it's the ability to make a much nicer-looking zoom, something that's really customized for what look you are looking for rather than what Zoom wants.

Shawn Lam: How easy is it to add in the Zoom input? Can you walk us through that?

Heath Barker: Sure. So it's a matter of going to Add Input in the bottom corner and then selecting Zoom as your input, clicking OK, finding the new input. And from here in the Zoom Manager, you can pick from your participant list. And so as participants appear in the Zoom meeting, you can right click on them and you can choose to add them as a new input, or you can add them as a existing Zoom input if you've already got one built there. So very, very simple to add people into vMix.

Shawn Lam: And then once you've added, say 1, 2, 3, or 4 inputs, how easy is it to switch? Who is on that input?

Heath Barker: If you look at my Zoom input over here, I can right-click on there and I can change my participant to be whoever I want. There is where you would do your switching. It's very, very easy.

Shawn Lam: Excellent. All right, thank you very much, Heath. This has been a look at vMix 27 at NAB 2024.

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Aurora Cothran, left, and Ivy Edwards rehearse for "Mean Girls Jr." at Yokota High School on Yokota Air Base, Japan, April 24, 2024. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  The curtain will rise Friday on the first student musical at this airlift hub in western Tokyo in nearly a decade.

Thespians from Yokota High and Middle schools are putting on Mean Girls Jr., a family-friendly version of Tina Feys popular Broadway musical Mean Girls, which is based on the 2004 movie of the same name.

The revival of performing arts at this Defense Department school may bode well for the students involved.

Typically, students who participate in such productions do better on standardized tests, according to the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that supports theater in education.

Those students also show better reading comprehension, maintain better attendance and stay more engaged in school, according to studies cited on the alliances website.

Yokota High staged a one-act play by drama students in January, but Mean Girls Jr. is the first performance open to any student who wanted to audition since Youre a Good Man, Charlie Brown in 2015.

Students perform "Revenge Party" during a rehearsal for "Mean Girls Jr." at Yokota High School on Yokota Air Base, Japan, April 24, 2024. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes) Andrew Quinn dances during a rehearsal for "Mean Girls Jr." at Yokota High School on Yokota Air Base, Japan, April 24, 2024. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)

In the interim, Vivace, an amateur theater group at Yokota, staged several productions at the Taiyo Community Center, Greg Holladay, Far East drama director for Yokota High, said via email Wednesday.

Some Vivace productions featured only students; others included students and adults, he said. The last Vivace production, Mary Poppins, included children and adults and was staged in March 2020, just before the pandemic was declared.

Mean Girls Jr. is the story of Cacy, a teenage girl who was home-schooled in Africa before transferring to a public high school in America, and the challenges she faces in a new environment filled with cliques.

The 32-member cast uses the entire performance space, including the audience, which also has a role.

The audience are the freshmen who are coming to the school, Yokota Middle drama teacher Jackie Rebok said during a recent rehearsal. Its like theyre automatically a part of it; we break the fourth wall a lot.

Yokota senior Ivy Edwards auditioned for the antagonist, Regina George.

I had some really good competition, but I made it and Im excited, she said. Its going to be fun.

Her character is cold hearted, Edwards said.

She does not care about other peoples opinions; she is the queen bee, Edwards said. She runs the school, and everybody are little drones that work for her.

Edwards isnt new to the stage, having performed in the musicals Hamilton, Fiddler on the Roof and The Greatest Showman at other Department of Defense Education Activity schools.

The 60-minute Mean Girls Jr. takes more coordination than a one-act play, and has lots of singing and dancing, said Rebok, who solicited military spouses to help with the choreography and music.

Yokota senior Andrew Quinn is acting for the first time.

I do a lot of musical things, he said. I play piano, Im in the band and Im in the choir. And Ive liked to sing and dance for a long time, so I just thought it would be fun.

Mean Girls Jr. opens 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Yokota High School Commons, with seating for just over 100 people. Performances are also scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 pm. Saturday. Admission is free and seating is first come, first served.
An example of a fake parking violation notice, left, and an authentic notice, right. (U.S. Army)

SUWON, South Korea  The U.S. Army is warning troops to beware of fake parking notices popping up in South Korea that direct drivers to malicious websites.

The bogus notices use QR codes to lure individuals to websites containing malicious software, Eighth Army said in a recent Facebook post.

The advisory was relayed by the Korea National Police Agency in the spirit of cooperation, Army spokesman Col. Juan Martinez said by phone Wednesday.

Apartment managers and businesses normally place these notices  either stickers or flyers  on a vehicles windshield to warn drivers they are illegally parked and may be towed. Legitimate notices do not contain QR codes and do not require drivers to pay a fine.

Tickets for driving infractions are issued by mail and arrive at registered home addresses, including individual mailboxes on U.S. military bases. Toll violation notices are typically sent via text message.

The sham notices bear design similarities to the authentic version, including the bright-yellow color and parallel red lines.

Examples posted by Eighth Army list several alleged violations, such as illegally parking in a neighborhood and failing to display proof of vehicle registration.

The fake notice includes a QR code and advises people to be sure to use the [code].

The Federal Trade Commissions website advises people not to scan an unexpected QR code from an email or text message, particularly if it urges you to act immediately.

If you think the message is legitimate, use a phone number or website you know is real to contact the company, the commissions website states.

QR codes are typically scanned using a smartphone camera and are widely used by South Korean companies for business transactions and by government agencies to direct users to an official website for information.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, travelers entering South Korea in 2022 were required to register their vaccination information with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. These travelers would be provided with a QR code, which was scanned upon arriving at the airport.

QR codes have reportedly been used for other illicit activities in South Korea. Business cards with a QR code and promoting liquid weed were discovered at Konkuk and Hongik universities in Seoul in October, according to a Yonhap News report at the time.

Flyers containing QR codes that redirected users to malicious websites were also discovered on electric scooter rentals in South Korea, according to a Maeil Business report in February.
(Tribune News Service)  A U.S. Army sergeant of 22 years checked his recent Powerball numbers  then started shaking, he told Virginia lottery officials.

Sgt. 1st Class Jerrell Rice narrowly missed the $130 million jackpot in the April 24 Powerball drawing, but he still won $200,000, according to the Virginia Lottery.

When he saw that he had matched four out of five white balls and the red Powerball, he had to bring the ticket to his wife to confirm what he was seeing, he said.

I was excited, he told lottery officials. I ran to my wife and showed her the ticket and said, Tell me this is correct! 

The Newport News man paid an extra dollar for Power Play, which quadrupled his win from $50,000 to $200,000, according to the Virginia Lottery. He was one of five people in the country to win $200,000 in that Powerball drawing, the highest prize of the night.

The winning numbers were 2-20-22-26-47 with a Powerball number of 21.

Rice, who is getting ready to retire from military service, told lottery officials he plans to use his windfall on his bills and his family.

Newport News is in southeast Virginia near the coast, roughly a 40-mile drive northwest from Virginia Beach.

2024 The Charlotte Observer.

Visit charlotteobserver.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Members of the Navys Rapid Response Team test tap water at an Aliamanu Military Reservation home in Honolulu on March 21, 2024. (Glenn Slaughter/U.S. Navy)

HONOLULU  A pair of environmental scientists testified in Hawaii federal court Tuesday that more than 2,000 gallons of jet fuel from a spill at a Navy fuel facility in late 2021 made its way into drinking water used by more than 90,000 residents living near Pearl Harbor.

Only that level of jet fuel contamination could account for the oily sheen many residents saw in the foul-smelling water coming from their taps, they testified.

The experts testified for the plaintiffs on the second day of trial for Feindt vs. United States, the civil suit brought by the first 17 individuals claiming medical, emotional and financial injury from the contaminated water. Their claims originated with the Nov. 21, 2021, spill at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility a few miles from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

More than 7,500 additional plaintiffs have joined several other lawsuits also seeking compensation.

U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Kobayashi is hearing the case without a jury.

Some jet fuel from that spill seeped into the Navys Red Hill well, about 3,000 feet from the facility. The Navy isolated that well from its system on Nov. 28, 2021, and flushed the entire system during the first months of 2022.

Just how much jet fuel made its way into the distribution system and into residents homes is a matter of dispute between the parties.

During opening arguments Monday, attorneys representing the federal government asserted that the contamination was too minute and too short-lived to have caused long-lasting medical problems claimed by the plaintiffs, which include rashes, abdominal pains, hair loss, dizziness, vomiting, brain fog and a host of other conditions.

Joseph Hughes, a professor at Drexel Universitys College of Engineering, testified Tuesday that 2,024 gallons of jet fuel were pumped out of the Red Hill well and into the Navys water system.

Paul Rosenfeld, who holds a doctorate in soil chemistry and is a co-founder of the environmental consulting firm Soil Water Air Protection Enterprise, testified that between 2,000 to 2,500 gallons of jet fuel ultimately got into the water distribution system via the Red Hill well.

Hughes said he based his estimate partially on the behavior of light non-aqueous phase liquids, or LNAPLs, when combined with water.

LNAPLs are hydrocarbon liquids, such as gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products that are lighter than water and do not readily mix.

Jet fuel floats on water, but it will dissolve when mixed if the level of jet fuel is less than 5 milligrams per liter, Hughes said.

Greater than that creates a sheen, he said.

Thus, the visible sheen that some residents saw in cups, bowls and sinks in homes on the Navy water system in late November 2021 was evidence that jet fuel had entered the Navys water system at levels that exceeded solubility, Hughes said.

Hughes said he based his estimate on bailer tests taken in the Red Hill well after it had been shut down.

That test, done by lowering a cylinder into the groundwater that then traps a cross section inside, provides a relatively accurate reading of LNAPLs resting on the waters surface, he said.

Under cross examination by Justice Department attorney Eric Rey, Hughes acknowledged that water samples tested by other means during that period detected no presence of petroleum.

But according to Rosenfelds declaration filed with the court, the Navy was using a test during the crucial days after the contamination that was highly inaccurate in detecting total petroleum hydrocarbons in the water.

Total petroleum hydrocarbons describes a group of hundreds of chemical compounds that originated from crude oil.
The Virginia-class, fast-attack submarine USS Mississippi arrives at Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Japan for a scheduled port visit, April 18, 2024. (Brandon Holland/U.S. Navy)

WASHINGTON  Lawmakers are resisting plans by the Navy to cut the size of its ship and submarine fleet, rallying behind a push to procure an additional attack submarine and raising alarm about impending ship retirements.

A bipartisan group of 120 House members urged defense appropriators in a letter Wednesday to force the Navy to procure two Virginia-class attack submarines in fiscal 2025, one more than included in the White Houses budget request.

Members of the House Armed Services Committee then added to the pile-on during a hearing with top Navy and Marine Corps officials on Wednesday, criticizing proposals that would shrink U.S. sea power.

Our sailors and Marines are great but until they can walk on water, we better be building them new ships, said Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va.

The Navys budget for fiscal 2025, which begins Oct. 1, calls for the construction of six warships, the retirement of 19 ships and the reduction of a two-per-year buy rate of Virginia-class submarines to one.

Lawmakers singled out the submarines as an issue of particular concern due to increased undersea competition from China and Russia and the inking of a deal with Australia to sell the country three nuclear-powered, Virginia-class submarines.

I dont see how cutting the size of our fleet and shorting our AUKUS commitment will deter China, said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the committee. AUKUS refers to a security pact between the U.S., the United Kingdom and Australia to counter Chinas growing power in the Indo-Pacific region.

Pentagon officials have said a procurement slowdown of Virginia-class submarines would allow for a better, healthier dynamic in the delay-plagued submarine production industry and pay for investments in supply-chain infrastructure.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said Wednesday that the service would have five additional submarines in its fleet today if the defense industry, which is suffering from workforce shortages, was able to keep up with demand.

Were investing $18 billion in the submarine industrial base to actually try to increase the production rates to where they need to be so that we could actually build more submarines and well into the future, he said.

Lawmakers said they were worried about having enough resources now. They pointed to recent testimony from combatant commanders who said their missions require more attack submarines than the U.S. has in its inventory.

The Navys attack submarine fleet is projected to decline to 47 boats in 2030  a 19-boat deficit from the 66 boats required under the Navys shipbuilding plan, according to the letter lawmakers sent appropriators. The fleet now numbers 50 submarines.

Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., said he and other lawmakers will make every effort to add a second Virginia-class submarine to the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual bill specifying expenditures for the Pentagon, and the accompanying appropriations legislation.

We did it in 2013 when [former President Barack Obamas] administration eliminated a submarine and then in 2020 when [former President Donald Trumps] administration eliminated a submarine, he said. We  using our constitutional duty Article One, Section Eight, Clause 13 to provide and maintain a Navy  stepped forward and filled that gap, and its a good thing we did.

It is unclear whether lawmakers will challenge the Navys other plans for its fleet. The service intends to retire 10 ships that have yet to reach the end of their service life, including two Ticonderoga-class cruisers, four expeditionary transports, two littoral combat ships and one expeditionary transport dock ship.

The cuts will drop the fleet to 287 ships in fiscal 2025 and 280 ships in fiscal 2027, far short of the 355 ships outlined in the Navys shipbuilding plan and significantly below the nearly 400 ships that China is expected to have by 2025.

These retirements represent a huge loss of capability, Rogers said. Cutting the buys for new ships, delaying deliveries and decommissioning ships before the end of their service lives will place significant additional stress on readiness of the fleet.

Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations, said every study that the Navy has done since 2016 shows the service needs to be larger and a 355-ship fleet remains a reasonable goal. But she also cautioned against solely looking at size when judging readiness.

It isnt just about the numbers, she said. It is about having ready ships, with the munitions, with the right number of people, with the training, that can fight as part of a joint war-fighting ecosystem.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 1. Uzbekistan's Qanot Sharq Airlines rescheduled the Tashkent-Prague-Tashkent flight, Trend reports.

According to the airlines, the flights are planned to start on May 30 and will be operated every week on Thursdays.

Earlier, Qanot Sharq Airlines announced to launch direct scheduled flights to Czechia from April 18.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan Airways will launch flights between Samarkand and Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) on May 9.

According to the airline, the flights between two cities will be operated on Thursdays.

Qanot Sharq Airlines, formed in 1998, has been coordinating cargo and passenger air transportation for many years.
A World War II-era hangar next to the ticketing building at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is slated for demolition in the next three to four months. (U.S. Air Force)

(Tribune News Service)  A World War II-era hangar next to the ticketing building at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is slated for demolition in the next three to four months.

Hangar 24, as the war-time structure is known, is one of 10 buildings set to go down as part of a $1.4 million demolition contract approved by the airports board of directors recently.

The other eight buildings in the demolition contract include the 1970 traffic control tower, which was decommissioned last year after the opening of the John McCain III Air Traffic Control Tower, and four buildings erected in the 1950s.

Airport officials said the goal of demolitions is primarily to free up aeronautical land to attract new aviation-related airport users.

In the case of the World War II hangar, the airport plans to use the parcel to expand services at the passenger terminal in the future.

The airport is on the site of the former Williams Air Force Base, which the military opened in 1941 and decommissioned in 1993. Gateway Airport still has four World War II hangars standing out of nine built during the war.

The facility with its nearly 2-mile runways today serves as a reliever airport for Phoenix Sky Harbor. The facility also handles air freight and general aviation traffic.

I hate to see them go, but I understand, especially if theres no use for them, Apache Junction Mayor Chip Wilson said of buildings slated for demolition.

Wilson currently chairs the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authoritys Board of Directors. He also served at the Air Force base from 1990 to 1993.

Wilson said when the base closed, he lost his job overnight. Now, hes passionate about creating jobs.

Its been great seeing the growth out there and the job opportunities. Thats something Im really excited about, he said.

Hangar 24 and another WWII hangar have been earmarked for redevelopment since early in the airports history. In 1996, the National Park Service performed an extensive documentation process called a Historic American Buildings Survey on Hangar 24 and two other WWII hangars.

The surveys are intended to mitigate the loss of heritage when a historic building is demolished.

Last year, the State Historic Preservation Office sent an email to airport administrators stating that the agency has no objections to the demolition of the hangar.

SHPO is pretty careful with regard to demolition of properties, said Mesa Preservation Foundation President Vic Linoff.

But Linoff added that Mesas Historic Preservation Office and Board should still be consulted prior to a demolition moving forward.

A city spokeswoman said staff is looking into the issue.

The airports WWII hangars have extensive documentation, but less exists for the other buildings slated for tear down.

A third-party consultant conducts an annual report on the airports historic properties.

Outside of ancestral American Indian sites, the latest report only identifies the WWII hangars as historic; theres no history on the 1970 tower or the 1950s buildings mentioned in the demolition documents.

From the street, Hangar 24 appears to be in good shape, but its in a challenging area for preservation: close to the heart of the airports passenger operations, which PMGAs leadership wants to grow.

Airport Communications Director Ryan Smith said the airport is eyeing inspection services for international flights at the site of the old hangar, plus other passenger services.

In meeting documents, the airport called the redevelopment of the hangar and other structures a rare aeronautical opportunity which will bring significant economic benefit to the airport.

The airports first priority is to redevelop 10 acres of land at a distance from the World War II hangar.

While the Hangar 24 and other old buildings will not be redeveloped right away, the airport administration determined it would be most cost effective to bid and demolish all the buildings at once.

Hangar 24 harkens back to the bases earliest phase, when it was known as Williams Field and used to train pilots during World War II. (Facebook)

Hangar 24 harkens back to the bases earliest phase, when it was known as Williams Field and used to train pilots during World War II. The first class of 300 pilot cadets arrived in 1942, about three months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Between 1941 and 1942, the population of the base grew from 350 to 3,000.

According to a history in the Library of Congress, local contractor Del Webb built Hangar 24 in the second half of 1942. Del Webb also built housing and other structures on the base.

After the war, Williams Air Force Base continued to train pilots. Its focus shifted to fighter pilots in 1945.

During the Second World War, servicemen learned to fly and operate P-38 Lightnings and B-17 Flying Fortresses, among other aircraft.

Those warbirds still fly Gateway Airport. Thirty minutes after the airports board of directors approved the 10 demolitions, attendees at a groundbreaking heard the rumble of a B-17 from Falcon Fields Commemorative Air Force and craned their necks to see the plane coming in for a landing and takeoff from Gateway.

(c)2024 East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Ariz.)

Visit www.eastvalleytribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(Ken George/Stars and Stripes)

Kuwait, Oct. 28, 1994: President Bill Clinton chats with soldiers from the 69th Armored Regiment during a visit to Tactical Assembly Area Liberty in the Kuwaiti desert.

Looking for Stars and Stripes historic coverage? Subscribe to Stars and Stripes historic newspaper archive! We have digitized our 1948-1999 European and Pacific editions, as well as several of our WWII editions and made them available online through https://starsandstripes.newspaperarchive.com/
North Korean refugees, from left, Bella Ha, Lily Jo and Grace Kang walk down the steps of Dallas Hall after touring the building following the "A Path to Peace: The Hopeful Hearts of North Korea" event at SMU on Monday, April 29, 2024. The event was hosted by the Liberty in North Korea chapter at SMU. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News/TNS)

DALLAS (Tribune News Service)  Grace Kang remembers hearing screams coming from a room where her mother was being interrogated by the Chinese border patrol.

I closed my eyes and covered my ears, angry and terrified of the soldiers with guns on their hips, Kang recalled Monday.

Kang, her mother and grandmother were caught by Chinese border patrol officers while they were trying to flee North Korea to avoid starvation, she said. Kang was released by authorities and allowed to stay in China because of false identification her mother obtained. After living in China for several years without legal immigration status, she reunited with her family and in 2007 moved to South Korea.

We refused to let death take us, she said to a crowd of about 100 people at Southern Methodist University.

According to South Koreas Ministry of Unification, more than 34,000 North Korean defectors entered South Korea as of December.

Bella Ha, 21, shared how she grew up indoctrinated by North Korean propaganda.

When my mother suggested that I join her in China, where she had escaped to three years prior, I called her a traitor, Ha said.

When Ha was 9 years old, her mother arranged for a broker to take her to China. Her father got her a new jacket and snow boots for the trip.

I couldnt have imagined that those moments together would be our last, she said.

Six months after escaping to China in 2011, Ha came to South Korea with her mother. She recalled how she was able to sing songs and watch cartoons that werent about Kim regimes. Through movies, she learned about friendship, romance, heartbreak and hope.

This was a world that was free, Ha said. This was the world the North Korean regime hadnt wanted me to see.

Lily Jo, 23, spoke about the lack of health care in North Korea. Her older sister had a life-threatening experience instead of what should have been a safe and simple procedure to treat appendicitis. She recalled how her helplessness ached like an open wound.

Seeing my family in pain but being unable to provide them with what they need made me feel powerless, Jo said. I wanted to help the people I loved, but didnt have the resources or the ability to do so.

All three women are part of Liberty in North Koreas advocacy fellow program. The international nonprofit helps North Korean refugees share their personal experiences and humanize people living under the current Kim Jong Un regime.

Jo, who attends Korea University, is the president of a North Korean human rights organization at her college in South Korea. Ha, a second-year student studying political science and diplomacy at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said she wants to go to law school and improve the legal system in South Korea. Kang is the CEO of For Legacy, a startup company that provides online memorial services for people who defected from North Korea.

Since early April, the trio has been traveling to different parts of the U.S. to share stories of escaping from North Korea at a young age. Before coming to Dallas, they spent time in Atlanta and Los Angeles. They will be going to Waco later this week.

This was the first time in the U.S. for all three women.

Im an only child, Kang said in Korean during an interview with The Dallas Morning News conducted through an interpreter. I feel like I found two lost sisters.

Reliving their trauma hasnt been easy, but the women said they recognize the importance of their perspectives.

Monday evening was the second time Liberty in North Korea held the Path to Peace event at SMU, said Jihoon Choi, who is a liaison for the organization. Choi organized the event for the first time last year, when he was a senior at SMU and president of the campus Liberty in North Korea chapter.

I really saw that students and other Americans were really passionately listening to our stories, Kang said.

_____

2024 The Dallas Morning News.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) meets with Qatars Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, at Diwan Annex, in Doha on Feb. 6, 2024. (Mark Schiefelbein, pool photo/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

DOHA, Qatar (Tribune News Service)  When U.S. officials needed to negotiate with the Taliban to bring an end to the Afghanistan war, they turned to Qatar.

With Russia continuing its campaign in Ukraine, Qatar has become the main facilitator for what little communication there is between the two sides.

In past years, this tiny desert nation has captured outsized attention largely because of the splashy real estate projects it bankrolls with proceeds from the worlds largest gas field. Its also home to one of the United States most strategically important military air bases in the Middle East.

But increasingly during the past six months of the war in Gaza, Qatars role as a mediator has come under scrutiny.

Doha has had limited success forging an agreement to stop the fighting and release Israeli hostages, spurring a rush of criticism from U.S. lawmakers and Israeli officials.

A new round of Gaza cease-fire negotiations that began over the weekend had Egypt instead of Qatar in the leading role.

Qatar says its reassessing its role. This weekend, Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said during a visit to Israel that the Qataris expected more commitment and more seriousness in negotiations from both sides.

In a phone call Monday to Qatars Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, President Joe Biden said both Egypt and Qatar would work to ensure full implementation of any agreement between Hamas and Israel, according to a White House readout.

Biden also urged the Qatari leader to exert all efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas as this is now the only obstacle to an immediate cease-fire and relief for the people of Gaza, while thanking the prince and his team for their tireless efforts to secure the release of all hostages.

Hamas negotiating team left Cairo on Monday, according to state-owned Egyptian station Al-Qahera News, which quoted what it described as a high-level Egyptian source who said that the Hamas team would return at an undisclosed time with a written response to the proposals.

That comes as pressure builds from some sectors of Congress that object to the continued presence of Hamas headquarters in Qatar. Several Republican and Democratic lawmakers have told Qatar that if Hamas continues to refuse deals offered by mediators, the group does not deserve safe harbor in the Qatari capital.

Qatars harboring and support have led Hamas to believe that it can kill and kidnap Americans with impunity, said Republican Sens. Ted Budd of North Carolina and Joni Ernst of Iowa. This must end now. We urge the Biden administration to demand that Qatar expel Hamas from Doha immediately.

Failure to do so, they said in a letter, would prompt them to demand Qatar be held accountable.

They echoed an earlier statement from Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, who head the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Cardin and Risch similarly urged Qatar to eject Hamas if the militant group continued to refuse to accept a deal.

Israeli officials also accuse Qatar of being a problematic interlocutor, despite its central role in negotiating a temporary truce in November that led to the release of detainees on both sides.

Qatar is giving safe haven to Hamas leaders, funding trillions of dollars, buying their ideology in the United States, buying their way all over the world, Israels economy minister, Nir Barkat, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV earlier this month.

At the behest of the Obama administration and Israel in 2012, Qatar agreed to accept Hamas offices in Doha. In 2018, with Netanyahus blessing, Qatar started providing monthly payments in the tens of millions of dollars to Hamas for the day-to-day running of the Gaza Strip, including public sector salaries.

Doha has also taken the lead in other thorny conflicts, hosting negotiations with the Taliban that led to an agreement culminating in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Because of that role, the Biden administration designated the Persian Gulf emirate as a major non-NATO ally.

From Qatars perspective, they are the only ones who have been able to bring any hostages home, said Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. He was referring to the release negotiated in November of more than 100 hostages seized by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, in exchange for several hundred Palestinians being held in Israeli jails.

But, Elgindy said, the political optics for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, if he has to rely too much on Qatar, could be negative in Israel. Egypt, the first Arab state to have a peace treaty with Israel, could be a more palatable intermediary, he added.

Egyptian commentators criticize Qatars close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood movement, which Cairo has long sought to root out at home. They argue that Dohas pro-Hamas stance has increased the militant groups intransigence. In an interview with Sky News Arabia last week, Ashraf Abu Al-Hol, editor of the mostly-state-owned Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, said Qatari medias glorification of Hamas exploits on the battlefield in Gaza is making the military leadership of Hamas stubborn in its positions.

Biden administration officials say they continue to regard Qatar as a valuable partner in negotiations, including the most urgent current talks over a Gaza cease-fire and release of hostages. But they have also warned Doha and others that more restrictions on dealing with Hamas may be coming, especially if countries dont put pressure on Hamas.

It no longer can be business as usual with Hamas and  any country who may have a relationship with Hamas, influence with Hamas, needs to send a very clear message, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said last week.

The central question, said Salman Shaikh, founder of the peace-building organization the Shaikh Group and the former director of the Brooking Institutions Doha Center, is if a party could give sanctuary or support to one side and still act as a mediator.

By that logic, can the U.S. ever be an effective mediator when it comes to the Middle East? he asked, referring to Washingtons financial and political support for Israel.

Mediation is a key part of Qatars foreign policy. Do we want them to act as a player or a mediator and facilitator? Theyve proved to be more effective than anyone else, at least initially, Shaikh said.

Other observers say that whether Egypt or Qatar lead the negotiations is irrelevant.

The bigger issue is the fundamental divide between Israel and Hamas. They just dont agree on terms, said Michael Hanna, the U.S. director of the International Crisis Group, which focuses on conflict prevention.

And thats not going to change, whether Qatar is involved or not, or whether Egypt is playing a more central role as the primary interlocutor between the international community and Hamas.

Bulos reported from Doha and Wilkinson from Washington.

2024 Los Angeles Times.

Visit latimes.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 1. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are viewing opportunities for funding joint projects, Trend reports.

The topic was discussed at a meeting of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Company's Supervisory Board, which was attended by Azerbaijan's Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov.

The parties also discussed the long-term growth of bilateral business and trade relations, as well as the promotion of comprehensive private sector development and mutual investment.

In the meantime, citing the Uzbek Statistics Agency, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan totaled $142 million between January and March 2024.
AUSTIN, Texas  A retired lieutenant colonel was arraigned in a Fort Belvoir, Va., courtroom this month on a charge that he sexually assaulted a major in 2022  using a rarely employed authority of the military legal system to prosecute officers in retirement.

Lt. Col. Adam Winograd, 47, pleaded not guilty to the charge that he had sex with the major without her consent in Manassas, Va., on Feb. 24, 2022, according to the charge sheet and online court records. The womans name is redacted from the charge sheet.

The case is unusual not only because of Winograds retirement status  he retired in December 2022  but also because the Army had already attempted to charge him in the case. An evidentiary hearing determined the charge should not move to court-martial, said Winograds attorney Nathan Freeburg, who previously served in the Army as an attorney.

Officials at Fort Belvoir declined to comment on why the charge was filed again a year later.

The Office of Special Trial Counsel, which was established in December to handle certain charges including sexual assault, said it is not involved in Winograds prosecution. The office has the authority to reach back to older cases but it did not do so in this instance.

Col. Joseph Messina, Fort Belvoir garrison commander, sent the charges to court-martial late last year after holding a second evidentiary hearing. A jury trial is scheduled to begin July 22, according to the Armys online court docket. A hearing is scheduled for May 30.

During the first evidentiary hearing known as an Article 32, the presiding officer found no probable cause and the original convening authority, Col. David Bowling, decided not to move forward. An Article 32 is similar to a grand jury hearing in civilian court where it is determined whether there is enough evidence to return an indictment. Instead of a panel of jurors, one officer is presented with evidence and writes a recommendation to the convening authority.

The recommendation then went to the Army Inspector General, whose office reviewed the situation and determined that the convening authority acted appropriately, said Freeburg, who is still awaiting a copy of the full report.

The Army declined to make the report available to Stars and Stripes without submitting a Freedom of Information Act request. That request is still pending.

Winograd was also arraigned last month on an assault charge that was not part of the original case against him, according to court records.

That charge alleged that he unlawfully touch[ed] his sons neck with his arm Dec. 21, 2018, according to the charge sheet. The sons name is redacted from the charge sheet.

The assault charge against Winograd, a single father who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan during his career, originally began in Prince William County as assault or battery of a family member, according to online court records. Winograd pleaded no contest, which means he accepted conviction without admitting guilt.

The charge of domestic violence was not added into the Uniform Code of Military Justice until 2019, so it is not available to use for this case.

Winograds son was 16 when the dispute between them occurred and they have since reconciled, Freeburg said. Now an adult, Winograds son serves in the Navy and wrote Messina to say he wants nothing to do with the proceedings.

Nonetheless, theyve moved ahead anyway, Freeburg said.

The sexual assault charge was also first investigated by civilian authorities and declined prosecution, he said.

The military allows for the prosecution of retirees and does not require the person be returned to active duty. Winograd, who worked in the Chemical Corps and in Force Development since commissioning in 2002, will have the choice of wearing a military uniform or civilian suit to court.

The Army said it does not track how often retirees face court-martial, but Freeburg said he sees it about once every couple of years.

A retired major general faced court-martial in 2021 in which he pleaded guilty to charges of rape and incest. James J. Grazioplene was reduced in rank to second lieutenant.
Former President Donald Trump speaks to guests at a rally on April 2, 2024, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. At the rally, Trump spoke next to an empty lectern on the stage and challenged President Joe Biden to debate him. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  A new Emerson College/The Hill swing state poll shows President Joe Biden behind in seven battleground states that could prove as decisive in the next general election as they did in 2020.

According to the poll, Biden trails former President Donald Trump by three points or more in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and has gained very little ground over the last several months of campaigning, despite outraising his Republican rival and managing to keep his schedule free of frequent court appearances.

The state of the presidential election in swing states has remained relatively consistent since Emerson and The Hill started tracking them last November. The share of undecided voters has reduced and Biden gained ground in Georgia and Nevada, narrowing the gap, while Trump has maintained a slight edge on Biden in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said with the polls release on Tuesday.

Biden won most of those states in 2020  Trump took North Carolina  and with 94 votes between them, the electoral college math starts to look pretty grim for any candidate unable to win in at least 6 of the 7 states polled.

As if that werent bad enough news for the 46th President, the poll also shows third-party candidates only complicate matters for him in most of these important contests.

When third-party candidates are included on the ballot, support is pulled away from Biden more than Trump in five states: Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Support is drawn evenly from each candidate in Arizona and Michigan, pollsters wrote.

Survey participants were also asked about their thoughts on Trumps criminal trials, which have kept him from campaigning over the last several weeks and acted as a drain on his cash reserves for months.

Despite the support for Trumps reelection among polled voters, most see the ongoing trial in New York over his alleged affair with and subsequent cover-up payment to a porn star as a matter of justice, not politics.

Trump, charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying his business records, has denied those allegations and pleaded guilty to the charges, as he has for 54 other felony charges he faces in other jurisdictions.

As the criminal trial is being held in New York, voters were asked which statement comes closer to their view: the trial is appropriate to hold Trump accountable, or the trial is a witch hunt. A plurality of voters in all swing states consider the trial appropriate to hold the former president accountable, pollsters wrote.

Voters were almost equally divided on the impact a potential guilty verdict would have on their choices come November, with most saying it wouldnt affect their decision at the ballot box one way or the other.

A majority of Republicans say it would make them more likely to support Trump in 2024, while 15% of Pennsylvania Republicans say they are less likely to support Trump, along with 13% in Arizona, 11% in Wisconsin, 10% in Michigan, and 9% in Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, pollsters wrote.

_____

2024 MediaNews Group, Inc.

Visit at bostonherald.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Then-President Donald Trump applauds service members and families during a 2019 speech at Osan Air Base, South Korea. In an interview this week, Trump gave his thoughts about using troops on the U.S. southern border and what relations with South Korea and NATO would be like if he wins a second term. (Stars and Stripes)

Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump is open to using active-duty military personnel at the U.S. southern border, where he envisions carrying out the largest deportation operation in American history, he said this week.

I can see myself using the National Guard, and if necessary, Id have to go a step further, the former president said in an interview with Time magazine published Tuesday. We have to do whatever we have to do to stop the problem we have.

Trump didnt detail exactly what would trigger the involvement of the military or how he would work around legal restrictions on using federal troops for law enforcement inside the United States.

But his comments during the wide-ranging interview indicated that a second Trump term would have significant implications for American service members stationed both at home and abroad.

The arrival of millions of immigrants across the southern border during President Joe Bidens tenure has been a focal point of Trumps campaign.

While the situation has strained border communities, it also has challenged faraway cities such as New York and Chicago, where immigrants have been relocated.

Trump said he intends to focus less on building detention camps to house migrants and more on using local law enforcement, the National Guard and possibly the active-duty armed forces to assist in deportation operations.

When asked about U.S. military involvement, Trump told Time, I would have no problem using the military, per se.

The Posse Comitatus Act states that a president cant deploy the federal troops for civilian law enforcement without express statutory authority. But Trump indicated that he regards immigrants differently.

Well, these arent civilians, he said. These are people that arent legally in our country. This is an invasion of our country. ... Were not leaving them in the country. Were bringing them out.

A bill with earlier bipartisan support in Congress that sought to adjudicate immigration cases more quickly, among other measures, was scuttled earlier this year after Trump spoke out against it.

Trump also reiterated long-standing criticisms of U.S. alliances overseas and indicated that he could consider changes in how forces are based abroad.

I think we have a lot of options, and I think were in a lot of places where we shouldnt be, and we probably arent in some places where we should be, Trump said without elaborating.

We have a lot of options as to troops, he continued. And one of the things we have, we can manage our expectations, troops can be put in certain locations very quickly.

When asked whether he would pull U.S. forces out of South Korea, Trump didnt give a clear answer but said he would expect South Korea to spend more to support the personnel that are there.

U.S. troops are in a precarious position given their proximity to North Korea, he said. While Trump has touted his friendly relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, he said the dictator is a man who nevertheless, hes got visions of things.

Regarding NATO, Trump again complained that allies dont spend enough on defense. Still, much in NATO has changed since Trump was president.

In 2016, only a handful of allies hit the NATO benchmark that calls for spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense.

Now, about 20 countries in the 32-member alliance are expected to hit the mark ahead of an alliance summit in July. U.S. officials have said most of the remaining members plan to hit the target in later years.

When asked whether he wanted to maintain the U.S.s position in NATO, which has served as the linchpin for American security strategy in the West since the end of World War II, Trumps comments were mixed.

I want them to pay their bills, very simple, he said. NATO is fine. See, the problem I have with NATO is I dont think that NATO would come to our defense if we had a problem. ... I know them all. Its a one-way street, even if they paid.

The only time NATO has ever invoked its bedrock Article 5 provision, that an attack on one is an attack on all, came after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In the years that followed, thousands of NATO troops fought alongside U.S. personnel in Afghanistan, in what turned out to be Americas longest war in history.
The Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C., is shown in this undated photo. A new rule that makes tens of thousands of veterans eligible for benefits previously denied because of less than honorable discharges does not go far enough in providing a clear path for accessing disability assistance, health care and other Department of Veterans Affairs services, according to veterans advocacy groups. (Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON  A new rule that makes tens of thousands of veterans eligible for benefits previously denied because of less than honorable discharges does not go far enough in providing a clear path for accessing disability assistance, health care and other Department of Veterans Affairs services, according to veterans advocacy groups.

Under a rule published in the Federal Register that takes effect June 25, veterans who can show that mental illness, traumatic brain injury or other extenuating circumstances led to the misconduct will be considered for the first time for full VA benefits.

Veterans are excluded from VA services and benefits if their discharge was not honorable.

Dana Montalto, an attorney for the Veterans Legal Clinic at Harvard University Law School, said that the new rule still imposes a significant burden on veterans to undergo lengthy individualized reviews on the circumstances of their discharge that can take years before they are awarded access to VA services and health care.

Renee Burbank, director of litigation at the nonprofit National Veterans Legal Services Program, said the VA needs to ensure that staff knows about the change and the new rule is applied appropriately when reviewing claims for VA benefits.

Given VAs track record, in order for this new regulation to make any difference to service members who have long been denied their benefits, VA needs to outline specific efforts to educate their employees to ensure they properly serve any newly recognized veterans.

Veterans who left the military with so-called bad papers may not even be aware of the rule change that will qualify them for VA services, advocates say.

Army veteran Adam Johnson, 41, of Tennessee is among an estimated 125,000 veterans who have left the military since 2001 with less than honorable discharges or by special court martial for minor offenses.

Johnson, who suffers from mental illness and is homeless, said he is hoping to seek the new exemption with the help of a county veterans service officer and qualify for VA services.

But he said that the VA has not informed him about the rule change, which becomes effective in a month, or next steps for seeking VA benefits.

In 2007, Johnson was ejected from the military with an other than honorable discharge in his final three months of duty.

Johnson said he had the bright idea after a night of excessive drinking to drive a motorcycle belonging to his commander without permission.

Johnson ran from the military police in a high-speed chase that was recorded on video before he was detained.

I was given a choice to go to the brig or leave with an OTH, said Johnson, who has experienced homelessness since discharge.

Johnson said that after leaving the military he was plagued by nightmares, flashbacks and negative thinking. He was hospitalized for mental illness related to post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and thoughts of suicide.

For the longest time Ive been in and out of mental hospitals, Johnson said.

No matter what the [discharge] papers say they do not show what happens to you mentally or physically, said Johnson, who served at Fort Moore, formerly Fort Benning and Fort Stewart, both in Georgia. He was a private first class when he left the military.

Johnson said that recently he was directed to the VA for mental health care, which he has received under special dispensation for humanitarian reasons for chronic homelessness.

He also receives Social Security disability checks, but he said the payments are not enough to cover monthly rent on an apartment.

Lisa Von Hagen, a veterans service officer with the Maury County Veterans Services Office in Tennessee who works with Johnson, described the denial of VA care and services to veterans with other than honorable discharges as having a ripple effect that affects their ability to receive health care, secure employment and afford housing.

Having an other than honorable discharge is a big thing I see with homeless veterans who cant get care and services they need. It is a big piece of the puzzle for them, she said.

The National Veterans Legal Service Program and Swords to Plowshares filed a lawsuit April 16 to compel the VA to apply character of discharge differently for other than honorable discharges, when considering VA benefits. That lawsuit was dismissed Tuesday after the adoption of the rule change.

Maureen Siedor, legal director with Swords to Plowshares, said that a lot of discretion is left with VA adjudicators in determining benefits, under the rule change.

The veterans still have a significant burden to prove with mental health problems or racial struggles at the time, for example, she said. Were seeing clients denied benefits after one infraction. The VA is still allowed to turn people away for minor misconduct.

The lawsuit also stated that Congress authorized VA to exclude only former service members who received formal due process through a general court martial and were discharged with a dishonorable or bad conduct characterization of service.

Navy veteran Gerald Crump, 57, of Texas did receive due process in a court martial in 1994 after he stole another service members credit card and used it to buy several items.

Crump, who was a petty officer, third class, said he was sentenced to six months in the brig. But the judge also recommended that he continue active duty after serving his sentence.

Because I had never been in trouble before this, the judge said he was not going to remove me from the military, Crump said.

But after serving his sentence, Crump said he had an administrative review, where it was determined he would receive an other than honorable discharge.

Everything the judge had said did not mean anything, Crump said.

Crump said prior to the misconduct problems he had been hospitalized with depression and thoughts of suicide.

He said that there were racial problems aboard the ship, the USS San Diego, when it was deployed to the Persian Gulf. The incidents involved threats and derogatory statements scrawled on the kitchen walls where he worked, he said.

After his discharge in 1994, Crump said he applied for disability compensation related to post traumatic stress disorder and depression. But Crump said he was turned down because of the other than honorable discharge.

He receives no VA services or benefits today, and recently was laid off from his job as a supervisor at a manufacturing company.

After the VA secretarys announcement last week that many veterans with other than honorable discharges may soon qualify for benefits, Crump said he checked in with the local VA office in Dallas to learn more about it.

I have contacted them twice now. I was told they are not aware of any new rule or law for veterans with OTH, Crump said. They said my only option is to apply to have my discharge upgraded. They said they know nothing about it.
Gary Redmond (41) also charged with having a pocket knife as a weapon and a stolen Dublin city bike

A man was caught trying to break into the safe in his local McDonalds restaurant using a paint scraper, it is alleged.

According to gardai, Gary Redmond was in the process of trying to open the safe with the tool when they arrived on the scene.

Judge Monika Leech refused to grant him bail and adjourned the case at Dublin District Court for DPP directions.

Mr Redmond (41), of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, is charged with burglary and possession of an implement for use in a theft at McDonalds, East Wall.

He is also charged with having a pocket knife as a weapon and a stolen Dublin city bike.

Objecting to bail, a garda said it was alleged the accused illegally gained entry to the restaurant while it was not open to the public early on the morning of April 25.

It was alleged he went to the office and used a tool  a paint scraper  to try to break into the safe. When gardai arrived he was still trying to gain entry to the safe, which he failed to do, the garda said.

According to gardai, Mr Redmond had a pocket knife on him and was in possession of a stolen Dublin city bike.

The restaurant was in close proximity to his home, which was down the road, the garda said.

She said it was believed the accused, who was unemployed, would flee and not return for trial if granted bail.

There were no directions in the case yet and a file would be sent to the DPP, the garda said.

The accused was presumed innocent, there was no evidence that he would evade justice if bailed and he lived next door to a garda station, his solicitor Roy ONeill said.

Mr ONeill said the accused could abide by bail conditions but the garda said there were no terms that would allay her concerns.
In cross-examination at his High Court defamation action against the publishers, he insisted that he was virtually unknown before he was imprisoned, but was respected and the article dragged my good name in the dust.

Jailed schoolteacher Enoch Burke has denied that his reputation was already tarnished and in flames when an allegedly defamatory Sunday Independent article about him was published weeks after he was first imprisoned.

Mr Burke today rejected an assertion that he was the engineer and architect of any damage to his own reputation after defying a court order not to return to the school that suspended him, then choosing to remain in prison for contempt.

In cross-examination at his High Court defamation action against the publishers, he insisted that he was virtually unknown before he was imprisoned, but was respected and the article dragged my good name in the dust.

Mr Burke claims he was defamed in an article on October 9, 2022 while he was in Mountjoy prison for the first time over his refusal to stay away from Wilsons Hospital School in Co Westmeath.

The school had suspended and later dismissed him over what he says was standing up for his religious beliefs on transgenderism.

He has since been jailed for a second time for contempt of court by returning to the school and has been in Mountjoy prison for more than 340 days.

Mr Burke claims the article, which stated that he had to be moved for his own safety because he was annoying other prisoners was cruel and untrue and he had been held up to ridicule.

The publishers, Mediahuis Ireland Ltd have denied Burke was defamed, pleading fair and reasonable publication on a matter of public interest.

Mr Burke, who is legally representing himself, gave evidence yesterday.

Today, Ronan Lupton SC for Mediahuis put it to him that he had put himself in the public eye from 2010, having been at a protest outside the Oireachtas that year.

He later set up websites about election campaigns by politicians Katherine Zappone and David Norris. References on the Zappone site included criminalising homophobia and the Norris site asked is a gay president OK? the court heard.

Mr Burke told the court both sites featured factual, researched information about the candidates.

He said he only had a public profile after August 2022, for standing on his constitutional rights, after which there was a mushroom of publicity.

Mr Lupton put it to him he was a person of note before the publication, his reputation had already been tarnished and any damage was done by Mr Burkes own hand.

Mr Burke said it was ludicrous to suggest his reputation was anything other than honourable but it all changed when the article was published.

Mr Lupton read out other articles and comments published elsewhere, saying Mr Burkes imprisonment had created this media storm and he was all over the news.

Mr Burke said his incarceration was front page news because people were horrified" and the vast majority of people in the country were thankful someone was standing up for their constitutional rights.

I did not court publicity, I did not liaise with the media, Mr Burke said.

In the weeks before the article, he said, online commentators tried to engage with his position on a rational level. After it, he said it was just ridiculing me and laughing at me with one online post referring to the men in white coats.

The Sunday Independent article enabled this, he claimed.

He completely rejected that he was quite intolerant and said it was he who was not being tolerated by the school.

Mr Lupton read out a letter by the schools student council that complained of the disruption caused by Mr Burkes presence there when he returned.

Mr Burke said this was just a set up and did not fit with the great support he got from students who gave him gifts like scones and brack.

He was flashmobbed by sixth years who wanted him to sign their shirts, shake his hands and get photos with him, he said.

Mr Burke said it was absolutely incorrect that he was choosing to reside in Mountjoy by not accepting a court order, and that he believed the order was manifestly unlawful.

A High Court judge in other proceedings had said that Mr Burke had caused such disruption he had to removed by gardai, Mr Lupton said.

The barrister also said the article could not have interfered with Mr Burkes court case with the school as no juries were involved.

He put it to Mr Burke the Sunday Independent article was incapable of injury to your reputation and Mr Burke said this was preposterous.

He also disagreed with the defence assertion that annoying was a subjective term that could not damage his reputation.

The court heard Mediahuis had accepted there was an error of fact in the article and published an apology and correction stating that Mr Burkes cell change had been for operational reasons.

Mr Burke said the article was a bag of lies and the apology was a scant bare-bones affair.

The case continues before Mr Justice Rory Mulcahy.
The court was told the offences had taken place at a difficult time in his life during which Greenes online activities led to a fascination with teenage girls

RTE has said they were completely unaware that a former employee had been convicted and sentenced at a local Circuit Court for possessing sexual images of children.

Justin Greene (52) of Enfield, Co Meath, pleaded guilty at Trim Circuit Criminal Court on October 6 2023 to one count of possessing six images at his home on May 15, 2022.

At a sentencing hearing on March 6 this year, the court heard that six images classed as child pornography under the legislation were found after gardai seized Greene's phone at his home.

The court heard the offence involved graphic sexual images of teenage girls aged between 12 and 15.

RTE released a statement this afternoon saying that Greene, who had worked as a studio director in the News and Current Affairs division, resigned unexpectedly in mid-March.

According to the RTE statement, the resignation that had been received in March gave no stated reason.

"RTE can confirm that a former employee, who worked as a studio news director, resigned unexpectedly in March 2024, the statement reads.

The resignation of Justin Greene, received by RTE at the time, gave no stated reason.

RTE was completely unaware that Mr Greene faced charges or had been convicted and sentenced at a local circuit court until after they received his resignation.

RTE said that following his resignation they had established some limited details about the nature of the case adding that it was unclear at the time if there were any restrictions that would have been in place as a result of the proceedings to protect the identity of any victims.

The statement adds that no communication from An Garda Siochana has been received by RTE on this matter.

The employee had no allocated RTE mobile phone, the statement reads. RTE maintain the highest standards of digital safety and security in our operations.

"In an effort to safeguard our employees and ensure compliance with legal standards, RTE implement advanced firewall filtering technologies across all networks and digital infrastructure.".

According to a RTE News report, authorities in the United States alerted the Garda Child Exploitation Unit and local gardai were then informed in relation to Greenes use of social media platform Kik where images were being shared.

Greenes sentencing hearing was told by prosecuting counsel, Carl Hanahoe, that Greene had co-operated with gardai.

His defence lawyers said Greene had downloaded the material in November and December 2021 and thought he had deleted all the images in January 2022.

The court was told the offences had taken place at a difficult time in his life during which Greenes online activities "led to a fascination with teenage girls".

Judge John Martin was told by lawyers for the defence that Greene had invested heavily in a career path that was now at an end.

He was "absolutely ashamed and remorseful" the court was told and had sought counselling after his arrest.

In sentencing Greene, Judge Martin said the images had not been accidentally saved on Greenes phone but that he had "actively sought out and saved them".

The judge said sentencing was "not an act of vengeance" but an act of justice that must contain an element of punishment and rehabilitation.

He said there were no victim impact statements in the case.

However, he said the legislation existed for the defence of innocent defenceless victims.

Judge Martin noted that a probation report had assessed Greene as being at a "moderate risk" of reoffending.

He sentenced him to 18 months in prison.

He suspended the final six months on condition that he co-operates fully with the probation service and attends courses and counselling recommended by the service during his sentence.

He said Greene was now subject to the sex offenders' register.
42,430 in cash was found in a Base pizza bag in the front passenger side of the car.

Dorothy Roe, of Shackleton Hall, Dodsborough, Lucan, Dublin pictured at the Criminal Courts of Justice(CCJ) on Parkgate Street in Dublin for her sentence hearing. Pic: IrishPhotoDesk.ie

1/5/2024 Dorothy Roe, of Shackleton Hall, Dodsborough, Lucan, Dublin pictured at the Criminal Courts of Justice(CCJ) on Parkgate Street in Dublin for her sentence hearing. Pic: IrishPhotoDesk.ie

A woman who was transporting over 42,000, which were the proceeds of crime, was a stooge for others, a court has heard.

Dorothy Roe (37) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of possession of the proceeds of crime on May 5, 2022. She has three previous convictions for minor road traffic offences.

Defence counsel Barry Ward BL told the court his client became involved in criminality to help repay her brother's drug debt and due to her own addiction at the time. He suggested she was a stooge for others who were confident she would do their bidding.

The court heard today that gardai put in place a surveillance operation of Roe after receiving confidential information. On the day in question, they observed Roe travel to a number of properties in Lucan and Clondalkin driving a 142 Audi car.

Gardai saw Roe go to an address in Clondalkin, where a third party was seen coming out of a house and taking a rucksack and jacket from the car.

Roe was stopped by gardai at around 5.30pm after travelling to the Bluebell area. 42,430 in cash was found in a Base pizza bag in the front passenger side of the car.

A number of properties were searched, including Roe's address at Shackleton Hall, Dodsborough, Lucan, Co Dublin, where two notebooks were found.

The investigating garda said these notebooks were used as ledgers and covered a 17-month period between January 2021 and the date of her arrest.

Roe was arrested and interviewed four times. She accepted she was in possession of the money and that it was the proceeds of crime, saying she had been reckless.

Roe was also the registered owner of a 141 Hyundai car, with an estimated value of around 10,000 to 12,000. When gardai searched it, they found a retrofitted concealed area in its boot.

Dorothy Roe, of Shackleton Hall, Dodsborough, Lucan, Dublin pictured at the Criminal Courts of Justice(CCJ) on Parkgate Street in Dublin for her sentence hearing. Pic: IrishPhotoDesk.ie

The investigating garda agreed with Mr Ward that his client would have no expertise to retrofit this compartment.

It was also accepted that Roe entered an early guilty plea, made admissions and was co-operative with gardai.

It was further agreed that Roe took responsibility for the money and made it clear to gardai that a third party who was in the car when it was stopped had not been involved.

The witness also agreed that Roe was remorseful and has no previous convictions for this type of offending.

The garda agreed with Mr Ward that Roe had no trappings of wealth and is in receipt of some social welfare benefits.

Mr Ward put it to the garda that his client became involved in this offending to help her brother repay a drugs debt. The garda said he couldn't say, but noted Roe did not mention this when interviewed.

Mr Ward suggested that fear may cause people not to tell gardai about a drugs debt, which was generally accepted by the garda.

The garda agreed with Mr Ward's suggestion that his client's usefulness to third parties reduced once she was charged.

Defence counsel put to the garda that the notebooks are consistent with someone who is involved in criminality under duress, but the witness said he couldn't say if this was the case.

Responding to a query from Judge Sarah Berkeley, the garda said Roe was trusted by a criminal organisation to move money.

He accepted Mr Ward's suggestion that there was no evidence that Roe sought to be involved in criminality.

Mr Ward told the court that while his client is the registered owner of the Hyundai, another party bought it for her and she had no proprietary interest in this vehicle, which was provided to her several months before this offence. He said the Audi is registered to another family member.

Mr Ward said his client is a carer for her son and her mother. She experienced a period of homelessness, but now has stable accommodation.

Roe is in remission for breast cancer. A number of references and a letter of apology were handed to the court.

Mr Ward said his client comes from a well-regarded family who have no history of involvement in this type of activity. He also noted that she had addiction issues at the time, but has since detoxed.

Judge Berkeley said it appeared that Roe was a trusted person in a sophisticated scheme for the transportation of money. She directed the preparation of a probation report and adjourned the case to July 8 for finalisation.
Margaret McDonagh (29) is alleged to have had imitation Hugo Boss, Armani, Moncler and Nike tracksuits, runners and other counterfeit clothes when gardai carried out a search.

Margaret McDonagh has not yet indicated a plea to the charge

A Dublin woman has been accused of possession of thousands of euro worth of fake branded clothing at her home.

Margaret McDonagh (29) is alleged to have had imitation Hugo Boss, Armani, Moncler and Nike tracksuits, runners and other counterfeit clothes when gardai carried out a search.

The goods would have been worth 55,000 if genuine, but it was estimated they would have sold for less than a 10th of that price, a court was told.

Judge Maire Conneely adjourned the case at Blanchardstown District Court for the accused to decide how she intends to plead to the charge.

Ms McDonagh, of Rosebank Place, Clondalkin, is accused of offering or exposing for sale goods bearing a mark identical to or nearly resembling a registered trade mark.

The charge is under section 92 of the Trademarks Act and the offence was alleged to have happened on June 25, 2020.

Garda Sergeant Maria Callaghan told the court an operation was undertaken into the sale of counterfeit clothing.

Investigating gardai obtained a warrant to search the accuseds premises at Rosebank Place on the day in question, she said.

They discovered a large quantity of counterfeit clothing in seven different brands.

The clothing would have sold for around 5,000.

Ms McDonagh was not at the address at the time but was interviewed later and took ownership of the goods, Sgt Callaghan told the court.

The DPP directed that the case could be dealt with in the district court only if the accused was pleading guilty. Judge Conneely accepted jurisdiction based on the real value of the products.

Defence solicitor John ODoherty sought disclosure of prosecution evidence, which was granted by the judge.

Ms McDonagh, who was not required to speak during the brief hearing, was remanded on continuing bail to appear in court again on a date in July.

She has not yet indicated how she intends to plead to the charge.

If she is contesting it, the case will be sent for jury trial to the circuit court, which has greater potential sentencing powers than the district court on conviction.
Officers believe he is armed and taking a large amount of cocaine

Gardai are on alert for an armed criminal who was involved in a violent rampage near the Border.

Uniformed gardai have been warned not to approach the 36-year-old from Co Louth. The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) has been tasked with tracking him down.

The suspect is based at a location near the Border and is believed to be dangerous after becoming involved in a row with former associates.

He has links to the criminal gang who shot and killed Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. However, he had no involvement in the gardas murder in January, 2013.

Gardai are investigating if he is linked to an arson incident in the Dundalk area of Co Louth several days ago.

The man, who was released from prison last November, led PSNI officers on a high-speed chase in Co Armagh on April 21 and evaded them by escaping across the Border.

A source said: Those officers deployed a stinger device on the vehicle he was travelling in. He just drove over it and escaped across the Border into the Republic on the rims of his burst tyres.

Gardai have been warned not to approach him unless they are armed. They believe he is armed with at least one gun and is consuming a large amount of cocaine.

Unarmed gardai have been told to go nowhere this individual  his behaviour is reckless and out of all control, a source said.

Such is the threat level from him that it has been decided that only the ERU, who have the necessarily skill sets, can tackle him.

The ERU provides the highest tier of firearms response in Irish law enforcement. It specialises in weapons tactics, counter-terrorism, execution of high-risk missions, crisis negotiation, hostage rescue and close protection, among other roles.

The man is suspected of stealing a number of cars in Co Louth.

He is also suspected of arson attacks in Co Monaghan, including in the Carrickmacross and Cullaville areas on April 19, linked to the feud he is involved in.

The criminal is also believed to be connected to two arson incidents in Co Monaghan two days later.

This is about a massive disagreement among cross-border organised gangs involved in smuggling, ATM raids and armed robberies, the source said.

The suspect was released from Mountjoy Prison last November where he served a sentence for threats to kill.

At his sentencing hearing before Dundalk Circuit Court in December, 2021, evidence was given that he threatened to kill two gardai and two other people before being involved in a series of incidents in Louth.

One of the officers said in a victim statement she feared that her colleague and herself would be the next two members of the Dundalk garda district to fall  believed to be a reference to murdered Det Gda Donohoe.

The court hearing in 2021 heard evidence of the suspect firing a shotgun and being armed with a samurai sword and a knife, as well as driving dangerously at speeds of over 180kmh in a Toyota Avensis before his arrest.
BBC presenter Liz said the alarming incident was a warning message about the dangers of AI

Liz Bonnin has worked in nature and wildlife programming for nearly 15 years. Photo: Andrew Crowley

Science broadcaster Liz Bonnin has had her voice used by criminals to dupe a British CEO out of 23,000.

Howard Carter, chief of insect repellent spray company Incognito handed over the monster sum after being tricked by scam artists using Ms Bonnins voice.

"Thank goodness it was just an insect repellent spray and that I wasnt supposedly advertising something really horrid! Liz told the Guardian this week.

Ms Bonnins management team saw the presenters face in online ads for the insect spray on Monday, something which neither Liz nor they knew about.

At the very beginning it does sound like me but then I sound a bit Australian and then its definitely an English woman by the end.

"Its all fragmented and theres no cadence to it. It does feel like a violation and its not a pleasant thing, Liz added.

Liz Bonnin on a Caribbean passion project. Photo: BBC

Howard Carter, boss of Incognito, the company behind the now cancelled adverts, said he was sent voice messages by someone he believed to be the former RTE presenter, as the CEO had tried to contact her previously for an ad campaign.

Mr Carter claimed he was convinced he was dealing with the real and current BBC presenter, despite not meeting Liz and that the voice messages clinched the deal for him.

Unfortunately for the CEO, he had in fact been approached through social media by criminals pretending to be Ms Bonnin.

The former Trinity College Dublin student presents a number of science and wildlife programmes on the BBC, including Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs and Our changing Planet.

Mr Carter was suspect regarding the presenters profile but ultimately fell for the scam. The criminals faking Lizs identity provided phone numbers and email addresses for him to use, as well as contacts from the Wildlife Trusts, a charity which Liz is President of.

Insect spray

On 13 March, faked documents were sent to the company boss and he wired 20,000 to a digital bank, reported in the Guardian.

Images and quotes purporting to be Liz were then sent to the company to use from the criminals. The fraudsters then cut off all contact.

The ad campaign launched on Monday, before Lizs management team realized what had happened. She told the newspaper that people need to be extra vigilant as AI tries to expand.

Top US Army Colonel Karl Nell recently described this expansion as a colonization.

Liz said she was very sorry for what the company has gone through in regards to the scam.

"Its not fun for them at all, but its a violation on both our parts. It is a reminder that, if it looks too good to be true and too easy, or a little bit strange, triple check or quadruple check.

"If somebody contacts you and says, Hey, lets not go through the professional route, then beware.

Liz said the incident was a warning message about the dangers of AI. There are many ways AI can be used to benefit society. Weve heard it can be used to identify cancers, but it is also deeply unconcernedly not regulated enough. The technology is only going to get better and more sophisticated, she added.

Incognito released the following statement: We hope [our CEO] falling for this elaborate scam will be a warning to others not to fall for the same or similar ruses. Sophisticated criminals using AI and other computer-generated communications have targeted Howard and Incognito a few times.

Understandably, many companies do not want the public to hear theyve been deceived because of the embarrassment and shame.

"As an ethical, transparently run company, we feel it is our duty to alert people and their businesses about the rise of clever deceptions like this.

"Howard and everybody else in our organisation apologises to Liz Bonnin and her associates for any harm we have inadvertently caused, the company added.
An operation to clear the makeshift camp housing around 200 asylum-seekers outside the international protection office on Mount Street is expected to get under way as early as toda

A man walks past the makeshift tents beside the international protection office on Mount Street in Dublin. Photo: Reuters

Taoiseach Simon Harris has pledged to ban asylum-seekers from creating shanty towns in Dublin city as they wait for their international protection applications to be heard.

An operation to clear the makeshift camp housing around 200 asylum-seekers outside the international protection office on Mount Street is expected to get under way as early as today.

Government sources said gardai will be asked to ensure tent camps do not return to the city.

The Taoiseach held meetings with his ministerial colleagues, senior gardai and officials from Dublin City Council in recent days over plans to clear the encampment on Mount Street.

The Irish Independent has learned plans are now in place to remove the tents early this morning and move the asylum-seekers to alternative accommodation.

As part of the operation, local garda management have also directed additional resources to the area to oversee the move and ensure that it passes off without incident. This will involve uniformed gardai from the Dublin South Central division, while a public order unit is also expected to be present.

It comes amid increasing anger over Justice Minister Helen McEntees management of the migration crisis, with her cabinet colleagues growing frustrated with her performance.

Asylum-seekers will be moved from the streets to another location, which the Taoiseach said will be a safer setting with access to sanitation.

Residents and business owners of Mount Street calling for immediate action on 'Tent City' surrounding the International Protection Office

However, he added: We need to make sure that the laws of the land are applied and it is not allowed to happen again because we do not live in a country where makeshift shanty towns are allowed to just develop.

Ms McEntee told RTEs Six One News: Once people are moved, measures will be put in place to ensure that it doesnt happen again.

When they are provided with that accommodation, its also really important that we dont see scenes like were seeing now at Mount Street again, that it cannot re-emerge, that we have hundreds of tents  not just outside the international protection office  but outside peoples homes, outside peoples businesses.

Around 200 people are currently sleeping tents on Mount Street, Grattan Street and nearby alleyways. The tents were cleared just before St Patricks Day and asylum-seekers were taken to a site in Crooksling in the Dublin mountains.

However, many returned, with tents appearing back at the site later that day.

Residents and businesses in the Mount Street area of Dublin city are currently threatening legal action over the expanding migrant tent city.

Ruth and Chris Hamilton, who have run the Mamma Mia Italian restaurant on Grattan Street for nearly 15 years, said they will be forced to close if the situation is not resolved.

With the current situation for the last 14 months, its just horrific for our business, Ms Hamilton said.

Our profit is down over 60pc and our customers are nervous coming in to us, our staff are very nervous and we have to come up in the evening and help them lock up.

Its just not feasible to keep going at this rate and unfortunately if things dont change, were going to have to close in August.

Residents and businesses in Mount Street, Madison Court, Grattan Court, Grattan Court East, Grattan Hall, Powers Court, the South Georgian Residents Association and Verschoyle Court have now formed a network.

They want to see the encampment gone within the next month to a more appropriate space of accommodation or interim shelter.

A garda spokesperson said that any matters relating to persons seeking asylum are a matter for the Department of Integration.

The department has been contacted for comment.

At Cabinet yesterday, Ms McEntee received approval to draft legislation, meaning the process of preparing new laws to designate the UK as a safe country  allowing asylum-seekers to be transferred back there  is only in its beginning stages and the laws are some way off being brought before the Dail.

There is also rising frustration within the Government over Ms McEntees performance, after she flagged the need for legislation to fix a loophole from a High Court case which prevented Ireland sending asylum-seekers back to the UK. The Government has to designate the UK a safe country to resume sending migrants back but already had an agreement with the UK that was negotiated during Brexit talks.

However, no migrants have been deported through the mechanism, which the UK said is not legally binding.

One cabinet minister said: This legislation is being completely overplayed and isnt going to be some great fix for the current immigration problem.

Every week there is another memo on immigration but what are they achieving? You can put in place all the policies you like but if you dont have the right people implementing the current policies, whats the point?

Before Brexit, Ireland and the UK participated in the Dublin III Regulation, which saw Ireland return a total of 162 people to the UK between 2015 and 2020 and the UK return 154 people to Ireland, according to the Department of Justice.
Gloria and Grateful Nkencho at the vigil for their late brother George Nkencho. Picture: Collins

The family of George Nkencho and supporters are to stage a protest tomorrow against a decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) not to prosecute gardai involved in the 27-year-olds fatal shooting.

The demonstration by a number of groups supporting the family will take place at the Department of Justice in St Stephens Green in Dublin.

Ruth Coppinger of the Socialist Party said the protest will take place against the DPPs decision not to allow a trial of gardai who shot George Nkencho on his doorstep in 2020.

After a GSOC investigation spanning 2.5 years the DPP has decided there is nothing to see here, blocking the familys quest for justice and to know how their son died, she said in a statement.

This sends a message to minorities and people of colour about how the gardai and state will treat them.

"The evidence gathered by GSOC should go to trial and let a jury decide.

Gloria and Grateful Nkencho at the vigil for their late brother George Nkencho. Picture: Collins

Various groups including Youth Against Racism & Inequality, Black and Irish, Irish Network Against Racism and United Against Racism are to join the protest.

Last week, the gardai involved in the fatal shooting of Mr Nkencho were informed on Wednesday that they will not face criminal prosecution.

Mr Nkencho (27) was shot dead on December 30, 2020, on the porch of his home in Clonee, west Dublin, following a stand-off with gardai during which he refused to drop a knife.

"The Nkencho family are disappointed with the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions not to prosecute members of an Garda Siochana involved in the shooting dead of their son and brother George, a statement issued last week red.

The family intend to appeal this decision and in the circumstances will not be making any further statements until this process has been concluded."

The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) investigated the circumstances of his death in its immediate aftermath and submitted a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) last summer.

The Irish Independent has learned that the gardai at the centre of the inquiry have been informed that they will not face criminal charges.

This includes the armed garda who discharged his firearm resulting in Mr Nkencho's death, as well as another member of the Armed Support Unit who was present at the scene.

Sources said that the office of the DPP informed the gardai of the development this week.

While it has been decided that they have no criminal case to answer, the Garda Ombudsman may recommend to the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris that they should face internal sanctions.

A solicitor acting on behalf of the Nkencho family has been contacted for comment.

Gsoc had pledged to complete its investigation by December 2021, which was the first anniversary of Mr Nkenchos death. However, Gsoc later announced it needed more time.

The circumstances of the shooting have been the subject of public debate.

Mr Nkencho was shot dead following a confrontation with gardai.

Some of his siblings witnessed the shooting as they were at the front door when an armed officer opened fire. Moments before, his sister Gloria Nkencho had tried to tell gardai she could help and that her brother had a mental illness.

However, as officers tried to contain the potential for violence, she had to retreat inside.

Before the shooting, gardai had tried to disarm him using a graduated policing response after he had allegedly attacked a shopkeeper, brandishing a knife at a Eurospar 23 minutes earlier.

Garda units arrived and followed him, repeatedly asking him to drop the knife. He refused and threatened officers when they tried to approach him.

By the time he reached his house, two members of the Armed Support Unit were at the scene and took over.

In a statement the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) said:

"The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) can confirm that it has been notified by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of its decision not to direct a prosecution in the case of the tragic death of Mr George Nkencho, who was shot and killed by a member of the Garda Siochana Armed Support unit outside his family home in West Dublin on 30 December 2020.

"The incident was the subject of an independent criminal investigation by GSOC, which concluded in June 2023 with the submission by GSOC of an investigative file to the DPP. DPP is independent in its functions, pursuant to section 2(5) of the Prosecution of Offences Act, 1974.

GSOC has noted the DPPs decision, and has notified interested parties in the case, including the Nkencho family and Garda Members involved.

GSOC has further notified the Nkencho family of their entitlement under the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017 to a summary of reasons from the DPP for its decision not to prosecute, as well as their statutory entitlement to request a review of the decision.

While GSOC can make no further comment at this time, it will continue to engage with the Nkencho family in the context of Coronial proceedings and any other statutory processes that may arise. GSOC further reiterates its undertaking to make the substantive detail of its investigation publicly available as and when other statutory processes permit it to do so, it added.
Cork East TD James O'Connor said he had "serious concerns" about the performance of Helen McEntee, labelling as "disastrous" her performance at the Justice committee last week.

Taoiseach Simon Harris got the backing of his parliamentary party tonight in his spat with British prime minister Rishi Sunak.

But there was an attack on the Minister for Justice at the Fianna Fail parliamentary party meeting  and a call for her to appear before it.

Cork East TD James O'Connor said he had "serious concerns" about the performance of Helen McEntee, labelling as "disastrous" her performance at the Justice committee last week.

A serious conversation had to be had about her handling of law and order and Roderic O'Gorman's role in the Department of Integration, he said.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin has played down internal Government tensions and is supportive of ministers from other parties.

But Mr Martin was told that Ms McEntee and Mr O'Gorman should both come before the FF parliamentary party to answer questions and hear the concerns of backbench TDs.

Such "guest appearances" have become a feature of this Dail, although they are still uncommon.

Mr O'Connor was supported by Senator Lisa Chambers, who is running in the West in the Euro elections.

There was also said to be audible support in the room.

Fine Gael party chairman Alan Farrell, meanwhile, confirmed the backing of members for the leader, who was reassured it would blow over.

Mr Harris said he was not being drawn into British politics, noting again that local elections are being held across the UK on Thursday.

The Taoiseach also told the parliamentary party meeting that the 268 people removed from the makeshift camp in Mount Street, Dublin, would not be coming back.

The Fine Gael leader said he was pleased with the multi-agency operation in Mount St and added there were serious humanitarian concerns with what had been going on beside the International Protection Office.

There were suggestions that it was a form of intimidation of officials and thereby an attempt to influence the entire Government.

Former Taoiseach and party leader Leo Varadkar did not attend the PP for the first time. The exchanges on migration and the international row over border crossings was said to be "subdued, with Mr Harris winning praise for the co-ordinated Mount Street operation, which was said to have the support of the public.

A Fianna Fail source said: There were a few digs at McEntee and Roderic.

An FG source said some had stressed the need to be firm and fair with migrants, with a suggestion that we have been fair and we have to be firm.

But Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Public Enterprise, reminded members that migrants were contributing substantially to the economy, and were it not for them, a lot of jobs would be unfilled in our society.

Ms McEntee spoke to the FG meeting but her contribution was low-key and lasted less than a minute.

Mr Harris separately said good work is underway, outside of the Budgetary he will chair a meeting on Thursday to ensure further action on road safety.

On University Hospital Limerick, the FG meeting heard that an experienced team is now in place to work on patient flow for coming weeks following public outrage over the death of Aoife Johnston .
Labours Aodhan O Riordain says it is frankly hilarious that Kerry TD criticises government asylum policy

Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae has been criticised for his condemnation of Government spending on immigration policies after he received 650,000 from the State to accommodate Ukrainian refugees.

During a Dail debate on the EUs Migration and Asylum Pact, Labour Party TD Aodhan O Riordain said he found it frankly hilarious to hear Mr Healy-Rae complain about the millions of euros the State is spending on immigration when he personally gained 650,000 for housing Ukrainian refugees.

The Labour TD also noted Mr Healy-Rae did not reference the State funding he received before he made a contribution during the debate on a Dail motion from the Rural Independent grouping.

The motion called for a referendum on the migration pact as they believe it to be a serious violation of our national sovereignty.

The decision about who we want to accept would be made neither by Irish authorities nor by Irish law, but rather by non-elected people in EU headquarters, the motion said.

Speaking during the debate, Mr Healy-Rae said the Government is failing dramatically in its job to tackle immigration. Any time that money, be it millions, or in this case billions of Euro, is being spent, our job as legislators is to question that, he said.

How dare people here criticise members of the Rural Independent Group and say that there is something wrong with us because we bring a very well thought-out and considered voicing of our concerns, he added.

Responding to Mr O Riordains criticism, Mr Healy-Rae said it is not illegal to provide accommodation, insisting he has been providing housing to people across all spectrums of life before he entered politics.

I started providing accommodation to people when I was 19 years old. Ive provided accommodation to students, workers and immigrants. I was asked to provide accommodation for Ukrainians so I did that. What fault do Labour have with that? he told the Irish Independent.

Maybe if Labour provide some positive suggestions on housing rather than just throwing out figures like building one million homes.

And we saw what Labour are like in Government when they went in last time. They attacked womens pensions and they will never be forgiven for that, he added.

Rural Independent TD Mattie McGrath suggested during his Dail speech that the Government could introduce legislation to delay forthcoming elections.

Mr O Riordain also said he was also disappointed by Sinn Feins shift to the right on immigration as they previously presented themselves to the Irish people as a party of the left.

What they have done or attempted to do in this Parliament, is to go to the right of government when it came to support for Ukrainian refugees to change their view on hate crime legislation at a whim, he said.

He said Sinn Feins comments on the EU Immigration and Asylum Pact was coming from the far right playbook.

I think everyone in this house needs to reflect on what type of road they want to walk Irish politics down over the next number of years because if the atmosphere and the tension and the anger and the violence I have witnessed over the last number of months is anything to go by; were entering a very, very dark chapter in Irish politics, he said.

In her contribution, Sinn Feins Rose Conway Walsh described the pact as nothing more than a cynical political fix designed to help political parties across the Continent ahead of the European elections so they can say they are doing something.

Co-operation with EU member states is important but people want decisions on asylum made by the government that they elect. The EU pact does not mean anything to communities that see more and more of their hotels become unavailable for tourist accommodation or to people who have seen the neglect of services and resources in their towns, she said.
Yes people may think its strange I did six-and-a-half years behind bars for the kidnapping of Bobby, but we were always friends.

Tommy Tolan was part of the gang that abducted Tohill in 2004

Tommy Tolan is here to help his friend pass from this world to the next.

The Eucharist minister was at Bobby Tohills bedside last wee to give him Communion, bringing with him the comfort that only a lifelong friendship can.

We are friends no matter what, Tolan told us. We have a history  when I came here he had no bowls, no knives, no forks, no clothes, no bed linen.

A hundred per cent people will see this as an unlikely alliance, but I will be with Bobby right to the end.

Twenty years ago Tolan was a different man, part of the IRA team that snatched Tohill from Kellys Cellars bar in February 2004, bundling him into the back of a van with the intention of driving him to his death.

He was there as Tohill was beaten, he was there when his kidnappers told their prey he was to be tortured and executed.

And here he was on Friday, sitting at his friends bedside, as a Eucharist minister giving him Communion.

Tohill had predicted the IRA were going to interrogate him and take him to the border to be dumped dead by the roadside or buried in a shallow grave.

Only the dramatic intervention of the PSNI saved his life. Tolan went to jail for his part in the plot to kill his friend and now in entirely different circumstances he will be here when the lights go out for Tohill.

Tommy Tolan was part of the gang that abducted Tohill in 2004

How did I come to know about Bobbys struggle? Today as a devout Catholic when I see one of my friends in a bad way I have to help, he said.

Yes people may think its strange I did six-and-a-half years behind bars for the kidnapping of Bobby, but we were always friends, weve known each other from childhood but what happened between me and Bobby was one of those things.

He was always my friend.

The men see no contradiction in what theyve been through. They were different times in 2004, both men had spent a lifetime of dedication to the republican cause, both did things that in any other circumstance they wouldnt consider  like killing a friend.

People will find it hard to understand why I would be by Bobbys side  things happened, things had to be done and even when I was in jail Bobby wrote me letters.

There was never any hard feelings; it was a case of we had to do what we had to do.

On a human side, I knew Bobby was in trouble; he had no gas, no medication, no food, he had no clothes and I came to his side.

What happened with me and Bobby was a dark side of life but weve moved on, it was what it was, at this time it is what it is. Regardless of our past we were always friends no matter what. I would always have helped Bobby.

Bobby Tohill pictured in his home in Belfast.

They were speaking to the Sunday World in the bedroom of Tohills home. An hour earlier, a skeletal Bobby Tohill peered from the door of his rundown bungalow in west Belfast  a ghost of the man who once struck fear in the hearts of his enemies.

Come in, love, he said as he led us into the recesses of his Turf Lodge home.

This rundown place is where one-time IRA hitman Tohill will draw last breath. A hero to his IRA comrades, he will die in poverty.

Its not an executioners bullet that will take his life, but the creeping liver disease that has sentenced him to death. Theres no going back for Tohill.

His eyes still burn brightly and his mind is keen, but the shrunken unshaved cheeks and disease-ravaged body tell the story.

A framed picture of hunger striker Bobby Sands looks down from the wall as he stands for photographs.

Decay is all around him, its as if the shadow of death has been cast over the place. He relies on the charity of neighbours and family members to feed him. He climbs into bed under the duvet cover given to him by Tommys mother.

To receive Communion he has had to go to Confession. Hes done that and says hes at peace with his past; a past he will take to his grave.

Smiling at his friend last Friday, he said: I have no ill-feeling, youve asked me If Ive come to terms with you  allegedly  taking me away, I did that a long time ago.

Comrades to the end, Tolan said that despite rumours, Tohill has never been ostracised by his community.

Hes a legend, he deserves respect, he said.
The Government says it plans to reduce benefit dependency and rebuild the economy, following an increase in the number of people receiving the Job Seeker Support benefit.

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford and Coromandel MP Scott Simpson claim that New Zealands latest benefit statistics show that the Governments plan is vital for the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel.

But Labour spokesperson Jan Tinetti believes these claims are untrue.

In a statement to SunLive, the Ministry of Social Development says Jobseeker Support is for people who are actively looking for or preparing for work.

It includes people with part-time work obligations and those who cannot look for work at the moment (e.g. those with a health condition, injury, or disability).

At the end of March 2024, 187,986 people were receiving Jobseeker Support, according to the Ministry of Social Development Benefit Fact Sheets Snapshot March 2024 Quarter.

This was up 19,488 or 11.6 per cent when compared to March 2023.

The proportion of the working-age population receiving this benefit increased to 5.9 per cent, up 0.5 percentage points from March 2023.

At the end of March 2024, 108,294 people were receiving Jobseeker Support  Work Ready.

This was up 11,409 or 11.8 per cent when compared to March 2023.

At the end of March 2024, 79,692 people were receiving Jobseeker Support  Health Condition or Disability.

This was up 8076 or 11.3 per cent when compared to March 2023.

Latest benefit stats show a plan is vital for BOP - Rutherford

New Jobseeker Support Benefit figures for the Bay of Plenty region underscore the importance of the Governments plan to reduce benefit dependency and rebuild the economy, says National MP for Bay of Plenty Tom Rutherford.

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford. File Photo.

Jobseeker Support Benefit numbers are significantly higher than when National was last in government and we think thats unacceptable.

These new stats show our plan to rebuild the economy and get Kiwis off welfare and into work is the right one.

Rutherford says the Bay of Plenty region had 11,785 people receiving Jobseeker Support in March 2017, the recent figures released show in March 2024 that number has risen to 18,456.

We know that work-ready job seekers are forecast to spend an average of 13 years on a benefit, and teenagers could become trapped on welfare for 24 years of their working lives.

We have set a target of 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support by 2030.

Rutherford says there are a suite of measures in place to achieve this including mandatory reapplication for Jobseeker benefits every six months, new non-financial sanctions, and a traffic light system to help job seekers comply with their work obligations.

Reducing benefit dependency

The latest Jobseeker Support Benefit figures underscore the importance of the Governments plan to reduce benefit dependency and rebuild the economy, says National MP for Coromandel Scott Simpson.

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson. File Photo.

While the numbers do not specify the Coromandel electorate, many of our communities are included in the statistics for the Bay of Plenty region.

It is sobering to read that work-ready job seekers are forecast to spend an average of 13 years on a benefit, and teenagers could become trapped on welfare for 24 years of their working lives.

That is unacceptable and we are taking action to put a stop to the spike in welfare dependency.

Labour refutes Nationals claims

The Governments claim that they will have a laser focus on getting people into work isnt true, says a member of Parliament, Labour spokesperson Jan Tinetti.

Labour spokesperson Jan Tinetti. File Photo.

It will be a laser focus on making it more difficult for people to access benefits in the first place and getting people off the books as soon as possible with no regard for where they go.

As more Kiwis find themselves out of work, New Zealanders should be worried about the welfare safety net and whether they are going to be given quick access to it if they themselves in a position of needing it.

The Minister has admitted that the target to reduce beneficiaries by 50,000 is not purely about achieving work outcomes.

Success for the Government in achieving these numbers will include people cancelling benefits because they are put in prison, move overseas, change relationship status, become eligible for superannuation or die.

I am also concerned for the nearly 80,000 Job Seekers who are on the Health Condition/ Disabilities benefit and the additional pressure that the Governments target will have on this already vulnerable group.
The success of House of Science is a testament to the power of community support.

Sponsors' and volunteers' time and resources have helped this charitable trust grow from its Western Bay of Plenty roots and spread its impact throughout the country.

House of Science was born out of a need to address the alarming trend of students entering secondary school with little to no exposure to science.

House of Science NZ is led by Chris Duggan and her dedicated local team, provide science kits to 43 primary and intermediate schools in Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty.

House of Science is a key player in shaping the future of local students.

By equipping primary and intermediate schools with science resources, creating hands-on learning opportunities that enhance children's scientific literacy, they expose them to a wide range of learning and career paths.

Currently, the kits cover 42 scientific topics and can be booked like a library system.

The schools membership fee covers ten per cent of the cost to deliver the service; the remainder is through local individuals and corporate sponsors who sponsor a kit of their choice.

Each science kit is a comprehensive resource, including a teacher manual with all necessary background information, equipment, and instructions. It is delivered to schools fortnightly, used by students under the guidance of their teachers, and then collected for cleaning and replenishment by dedicated volunteers at the branch base.

House of Science Business Development Manager Sandra Kirikiri acknowledges the immense support from the Tauranga and Western Bay communities, emphasising the crucial role they play in their operations.

We are deeply grateful for the support we receive from our community, from businesses, funders, volunteers, and teachers that see the value in what were doing, says Kirikiri.

Science is a vital part of the curriculum, and our aim is to provide the necessary support to teachers who may lack the confidence or resources to teach it effectively.

Our kits program are a way to ensure the next generation is exposed to high-quality and diverse areas of science. By removing the barriers to learning science, we aim to see more students return to the area for jobs in areas such as horticulture, agriculture, engineering, or marine science.

Rotary Club Te Papa is one of the top volunteer groups in Tauranga and Western Bay of Plentys House of Science branch.

Simon Ellis says the Rotary Club of Te Papa thinks literacy, numeracy and science are vital and having these kits in schools is extremely beneficial.

We have rosters of volunteers to check and replenish the kits each fortnight, says Ellis.

We do deliveries and collections, and there is nothing better than having the kids run up to you to see what kit youre bringing into school.

They really fall in love with science through these kits, as it shows them science isnt just for the brainy kids and it often ignites an unknown passion. These kits should be everywhere.

House of Science has flourished over the last decade. The efficient system ensures that each member school, with an average of 249 students, benefits from a House of Science Kit, usually used by three teachers and 73 students each time it's booked.

TECT recently funded $30,000 towards the operating costs of House of Sciences Western Bay of Plenty branch.

One area of the Tauranga and Western Bay House of Science Kits available for schools to book out.

TECT Trustee Kate Barry-Piceno, says that as a community-focused trust, we support local initiatives that bring vibrancy, connectedness, growth, and economic benefits to the region.

Funding the Western Bay of Plenty House of Science branch to operate means they can focus on securing sponsors for the development of kits and getting more kits into more schools, more often.

House of Science is focused on long-term impact in our community, and if more kids fall in love with science, they may take it up at secondary school and potentially further, says Kate,

The benefit is that if they know about more areas of science, and how it can be incorporated in so many jobs and areas of life, their future opportunities will grow immensely and well have more youth going into more stable employment.

House of Science started in Tauranga and now has 20 branches around the country with 700+ member schools.

This equates to a third of all primary, intermediate and Kura Kaupapa schools in New Zealand being exposed to key science experiences and development.

The kits are also available in te reo Maori.

Every year, the social return on investment is for every dollar invested into the programme, it delivers $10.20 of measurable good to New Zealand through increases in academic achievements, improved mental health and increased STEM achievements.

These kits are building a stronger future for local children and can only do as much as the limited number of kits allow. House of Science aim to be in every school across the region and the country to continue benefiting future generations.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 1. Uzbekistan and Turkiye discussed the implementation of large investment projects in energy, mining, food, textiles, and other priority sectors, Trend reports.

The matter was reviewed at a meeting between President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev with the delegation of Turkiye headed by Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, who arrived in the country to participate in the Third Tashkent International Investment Forum.

The sides talked about the topical issues of further expansion of Uzbek-Turkish relations through comprehensive strategic partnership and multifaceted cooperation.

Both parties emphasized the ongoing intensive contacts at all levels and noted the growing volume of trade turnover, joint projects and enterprises, and frequency of direct flights.

The officials paid attention to the preparation of the agenda for the forthcoming regular meeting of the high-level Strategic Cooperation Council, the formation of a new portfolio of cooperation projects, and the program of cultural and humanitarian exchange.

Meanwhile, trade turnover volume between Uzbekistan and Turkiye amounted to $656.3 million from January through March 2024.
The developer behind a new commercial marina for Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty is optimistic construction will begin next spring.

Opotiki Marina and Industrial Park developer Chris Peterson says he has no plans to pursue fast-track consenting at this stage, despite being one of about 150 organisations invited by the Government to apply under new legislation expected to be introduced next month.

Weve spent more than two years negotiating this process with Whakatohea and the six hapu. We feel we have made very significant progress, he says.

Were not going to throw that away.

OMAI was granted resource consent from Bay of Plenty Regional Council in June last year, to build a marina basin and an industrial precinct for marine activities on about 18 hectares of land at the western side of Opotiki Harbour.

The project was an integral component of the larger Opotiki Harbour development being constructed though partnership between Opotiki District Council, Whakatohea and central government to provide necessary infrastructure for the regions aquaculture industry.

However, the marina has been contested in the Environment Court by Whakatohea hapu Ngati Ira, which has customary rights over the area.

It is currently undergoing court-mandated mediation with the hapu.

We are definitely committed to working with all the hapu groups of Whakatohea and listening to their issues. Theres more work that the hapu groups have done to look at their cultural impact. Theyve been working with our technical planners and engineers and coming back with their own issues.

The indications are that we can come to a consensus. Theres nothing thats looking as though it is going to be a real impediment to us.

The Fast-track Approvals Bill aims to speed up approvals for infrastructure and development projects of regional or national significance and reduce consenting costs.

Earlier this month, the government released a list of organisations it provided information to about applying for fast-track consents. OMAI was one of these.

Although weve been put up by the Government into the fast-track process, that has not been initiated by us, and our choice firmly remains to stay with the progress that we have made in negotiating with the iwi and the hapu.

We still have to get together and get this across the line, but I am genuinely optimistic that were very close to a settlement of all these issues.

Planning work and geotech testing had progressed throughout the mediation process.

Were hoping, if we can get this settled this autumn or winter, we will be able to start earthworks in spring and summer.

Opotiki Marina and Industrial Park developer Chris Peterson.

The project is split into four stages, the first of which is expected to take less than a year to complete.

"Stage one will give us berthage for, not only mussel boats, but for other charter boats and such that may want to develop. We will get boat ramp access and an extensive water space to house boats to get them out of the river.

While the planned commercial wharf is not part of this first stage, he says there is an option to create a temporary wharf for Whakatohea mussel boats should they require it.

"We havent made a commitment to that because it depends on too many factors. But our project in the long-term will certainly have a sizable commercial wharf. We have access straight off the highway and plenty of room for trucks.

The townspeople have pinned a lot of hope on this. Theres a heck of a lot of community support and a lot of iwi support and we dont want them to lose hope and think its all fallen over.

A lot of the jobs will get benefit will come out of this marina. There will be jobs for charter boats, there will be jobs for people to do maintenance on boats. These are high value jobs that will come to town because theres this access to the deep water that theres a shortage of right throughout New Zealand.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Surrounded by pohutakawa, with traffic flowing past on the expressway below, a group of men who have been lying buried in the Otamataha/Mission Cemetery for more than a century now have their graves marked with special crosses.

To honour this years 160th Commemoration of the Battle of Pukehinahina  Gate Pa; the Durham Light Infantry Association has sent markers to be placed on the graves of those members of the regiment who fell at Gate Pa and the ensuing battle at Te Ranga in 1864.

A small ceremony to undertake this task was held at 12 noon on Monday, April 29, with a group assembling at the Rawiri Puhirake / Henare Taratoa Memorial.

Puhirake Ihaka addressing the group, next to the Rawiri Puhirake / Henare Taratoa Memorial. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

The cemetery, which is on the site of the Otamataha Pa, contains the graves of about 55 military men killed in the engagements around Tauranga and 14 of the Maori warriors who died at the two battles. Rawiri Puhirake, leader of the iwi at Gate Pa, who was killed at Te Ranga, was exhumed and reinterred here in 1874.

At the ceremony, Puhirake Ihaka of Ngati Tapu, gave a mihi whakatau, which was followed by the laying of a wreath by Les Geraghty, standing in on behalf of Buddy Mikaere.

A prayer was said by Rev John Hebenton from St George's Church, which is located on the site of the Gate Pa battlefield, and bugler Peter Leslie played Last Post as the group stood, heads bowed, acknowledging those who died.

Rev John Hebenton from St George's Church speaking at the ceremony. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Lt Col Cliff Simons pointed out to the solemn gathering, the monuments to the Naval Brigade, the 43rd Monmouth Regiment, and the mass Maori grave and where the soldiers and sailors were laid out across the cemetery in rows.

We are standing on the site where the 68th Durham Light Infantry, the 43rd Monmouth Regiment, Royal Navy sailors and Maori warriors are buried, says Cliff.

Behind me is the monument to Rawiri Puhirake the Maori commander and also Henare Taratoa.

Further away is a column commemorating the Maori who were taken to the military hospital and who died and were also buried in the cemetery.

I think its very appropriate that we commemorate the 68th Regiment and also the other soldiers and sailors who have been buried here.

Lt Col Cliff Simons speaking to the group about the 68th Durham Light Infantry. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Cliff says he is often reminded about those famous words from the first President of the Republic of Turkiye, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in 1934.

Winston Peters our foreign minister referenced that at Gallipoli, and if youre ever in Gallipoli those words are everywhere. And in some ways the cemetery at Anzac Cove over in Gallipoli is not dissimilar to this, also on the edge of the water.

Ataturk said to you mothers who sent your sons from far away countries - wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and theyre at peace. After having lost their lives in this land, they have become our sons as well.

Cliff says he thinks that same sentiment and quote applies to the men of the 68th Durham Light Infantry and the other soldiers and sailors in the cemetery.

These men came from the other side of the world, as John [Hebenton] said, in the service of their country, their empire. And they lost their lives here and they have become our sons as well.

Les Geraghty laying a wreath at the base of the Rawiri Puhirake / Henare Taratoa Memorial. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Cliff says their graves would never have been visited by their families.

They would have got a message months after the husband or the son had died in some place they wouldnt even know why he was there or be able to pronounce the name. Those graves have probably never been visited by family.

The 68th Durham Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1758, from County Durham.

In those days, Great Britain had a regimental system based on the counties. So these men would have all been from the same region, says Cliff.

In 1863 they were actually in Burma, they had been there for quite a while, and were expecting, and no doubt looking forward, to going home.

The memorial to fallen British soldiers stands near the Rawiri Puhirake / Henare Taratoa Memorial. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

The governor of New Zealand, Sir George Grey had requested reinforcements to deal with a new outbreak of hostilities, and the regiment embarked on three ships with a strength of 974 officers and men.

The invasion of the Waikato was already in place. They arrived in New Zealand in January 1864, and almost immediately detachments were sent here to Tauranga. They were here for quite a while, and were under the command of Colonel Greer.

At the Battle of Gate Pa, the 68th were the regiment that went during the night around the back of the pa, taking up a blocking position.

Lieutenant Graeme Frost with Lieutenant Colonel Warren Banks. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

They spent the night in the long grass in the rain, and when the attack went in they had to close right up at the back of the pa, says Cliff.

They weren't in the actual assault force, their job was to cordon the rear of the pa. During the night following the battle, the Maori who escaped from the pa went through their lines and made their way out.

Cliff says at the Battle of Te Ranga, on June 21, 1864, the regiment had a pivotal role.

They were part of the assault column. The Monmouths and they were the two forces assaulting the trenches. Colonel Greer of the 68th Regiment was in overall command at Te Ranga.

Puhirake Ihaka reading the inscription on the memorial erected in memory of 14 Maori warriors who died from battle in 1864. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

More than 100 Maori, including the chivalrous Henare Taratoa, were killed or mortally wounded at Te Ranga, as were 13 British troops. Sergeant John Murray of the 68th Regiment received the Victoria Cross for bravery in the trenches at Te Ranga.

Cliff says the 68th Durham Light Infantry remained in Tauranga for quite a while until early 1865 when a large proportion of them were sent to Whanganui and then Taranaki.

And then eventually they left New Zealand and headed back to the United Kingdom in March 1866.

This was at a time when New Zealand was starting to take over its own internal defence. We had our armed constabulary at that stage, and these expensive imperial regiments that we were paying for as a country made their way home.

There were 179 Durhams who took their discharge from the military and stayed here in New Zealand to begin new lives.

One of the cross markers sent by Durham Light Infantry Association Major Chris Lawton to mark the graves of the regiment 160 years after they were laid to rest at the Mission Cemetery. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

The whole story of the relationship with the 68th Durham Light Infantry and NZ, particularly the NZ Army doesnt end there.

The next part of the shared story comes 100 years later in the early 1960s, with the backdrop of the decolonisation of South East Asia and particularly the British possessions which were in Malaysia.

Britain had this plan to amalgamate all of its different colonies in peninsula Malaya and the top half of Borneo which was Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah, and put all of those colonies together into one super state Malaysia, which would be part of the British Commonwealth, says Cliff.

The NZ Infantry Regiment went across to Malaya to be part of a Commonwealth Brigade to deter a communist insurgency during the Malayan Emergency in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Then, in 1965-6, Indonesia, which had just gained independence from the Dutch were having internal problems as well, and President Soekarno didnt like the idea of this new British-aligned country called Malaysia that was going to have these possessions of Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah on the island of Borneo. So he decided to wage war and infiltrated across the border into those areas.

Ist Battalion New Zealand Infantry Regiment, as part of the Commonwealth Brigade, was sent to Borneo to try and counteract that.

Puhirake Ihaka placing a cross marker on the grave of one of the 69th Durham Light Infantry. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Cliff says the 68th Durham Light Infantry Regiment, which was also part of the Commonwealth Brigade, had been there about 9 months when NZ arrived to replace it.

The commanding officer of the Durham Light Infantry noticed that the two battalions had similar colours  the green and red - so he gifted the stable belt, or the corps belt which is a thick coloured belt which all of the different corps in the NZ Army wear. The Durham Light Infantry had a green one called rifle green with two red stripes, and he gifted that to the NZ Infantry regiment.

Initially the commanding officer and the RSM and the adjutant would wear that infantry corps belt.

Cliff says in 1970 it became the belt for all regular force infantry.

Its still referred to as the Durham Light Infantry Belt. Its quite a famous belt.

NZ Army representatives attending the ceremony at the Mission Cemetery on April 29, 2024. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Cliff himself lived in Borneo for seven years and served with the Royal Bruneian Armed Forces. He is familiar with parts of the jungle and the border that the NZ army was patrolling and helped secure along with the other Commonwealth forces, helping establish the modern state of Malaysia.

Cliff says Buddy Mikaere has spent time developing a relationship with the 68th Durham Light Infantry which continued in British Army service until 1968, when it was amalgamated into the Light Infantry.

Weve had visits from remaining members of their association and Ive got a letter here which is too long to read in full at the moment, but Ill read the conclusion from someone who has been the president there of the association, and the gentleman who arranged for these crosses to be delivered.

Trish Geraghty, Lt Col Cliff Simons, Rev. John Hebenton, Puhirake Ihaka, Les Geraghty, Terry Molloy and Debbie McCauley next to the Rawiri Puhirake / Henare Taratoa Memorial. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Cliff then read out the message from Durham Light Infantry Association Major Chris Lawton, now retired:

In commemorating the Battles of Gate Pa and Te Ranga, honour is given to Maori tipuna and our British forebears who fought and died in Tauranga. The historical events in 1864 resulted in the founding of Tauranga city. Even with the Battle of Te Ranga where the British had learned their lesson from Gate Pa and overcame the Maori on the 21st of June, 1964, Maori land was confiscated and the British settled in Tauranga. By understanding the history of 1864, the community now can see how far we have come and how much we have achieved together.

Im proud to say that as one of the last recruits to join the 68th Durham Light Infantry in 1967, and continuing to soldier until the age of 70, how much has been achieved by our respective city councils in the understanding of the various city departments including culture, art, museums and libraries, and much more in both cities, may this continue to ever be of mutual benefit to our peoples. Its been an honour for me to write these few words in remembrance of your 160th anniversary. Congratulations.

One of the cross markers sent by Durham Light Infantry Association Major Chris Lawton to mark the graves of the regiment 160 years after they were laid to rest at the Mission Cemetery. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Puhirake Ihaka recited The Ode, with Rev John Hebenton pronouncing a benediction, following which bugler Peter Leslie played Reveille.

As the last sounds of the bugle drifted across the cemetery, members of the group each took a small grave marker, shaped like a cross, and silently went and placed it at one of the final resting sites of the fallen soldiers from the 68th Durham Light Infantry and other soldiers and sailors.
Police are at the scene of a break-in of a building in Tauranga South.

A SunLive reader says there are four police cars and a dog present at an incident on Cameron Road, between 16th and 17th Ave.

"A group of people have broken into a building on Cameron Road at 3.33pm," says a police spokesperson.

"Police are in attendance to get them out of the building."

At the scene?

Phone 0800SUNLIVE or email newsroom@thesun.co.nz
Six lucky Lotto players from Auckland, Mount Maunganui, Lower Hutt, Christchurch and Dunedin will be over the moon after each winning $166,667 with Lotto First Division in Wednesday nights live Lotto draw.

The winning tickets were sold at Bayfair Lotto in Mount Maunganui, BP Mairehau in Christchurch and on MyLotto to players from Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin.

Powerball was not struck and has rolled over to Saturday night, where the jackpot will be $12 million, says a Lotto spokesperson.

"A lucky Strike player from Palmerston North will also be celebrating after winning $700,000 with Strike Four.

"The winning Strike ticket was sold on MyLotto to a player from Palmerston North."

Meanwhile, 14 lucky Lotto players will be having a blast after each winning $18,211 with Lotto Second Division in tonights live Lotto draw.

One lucky player also won Powerball Second Division, taking their total winnings to $35,202.

The winning Powerball Second Division ticket was sold at on MyLotto to a player from Tasman.

The winning Second Division tickets were sold at the following stores:

Store Location MyLotto Auckland Drop In Superette & Lotto Auckland West City Lotto Auckland MyLotto (x2) Waikato New World Brookfield Tauranga MyLotto Rotorua MyLotto Hawke's Bay MyLotto Wellington Relay Wellington Airport Wellington MyLotto (+PB) Tasman New World Ilam Christchurch Fendalton New World Christchurch MyLotto Dunedin

Anyone who bought their ticket from any of the above stores should check their ticket as soon as possible in-store, on MyLotto, or through the MyLotto App, says a Lotto spokesperson.

"There are 75 extra prizes of $10,000 cash up for grabs with Lotto NZ's Mother's Day promotion. All Triple Dip tickets bought between Sunday, April 28, and 7.30pm on Saturday, May 18, will be in the draw to win.

"Lotto NZ exists to return 100 per cent of its profits to Kiwi communities through lottery grants programmes run by Te Puna Tahua NZ Lottery Grants Board."
The boat is being stored on land that is used as a car park in summer.

Pilar Garcia-Trevijano Granada Wednesday, 1 May 2024, 15:16 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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A fishing boat which appeared on the beach Sorvilan and Polopos-La Mamola in mid-April is proving to be a mystery to the Guardia Civil which is investigating how it got there and to whom it belongs.

The towns have taken responsibility for the boat until the authorities' enquiries have been completed. The vessel, which is several metres long, has no identification, but it did have an Algerian flag on it, so it appears to have come from the African coast.

As it was found on land, Capitania Maritima is not responsible for the vessel and the competent authorities are the provincial coastal service or the town halls where it was found.

However, Sorvilan town hall had to find somewhere to store it. Mayor Pilar Sanchez explained that the vessel was towed with machinery to a nearby plot of land which is used as a car park in summer while the investigations continue.

The plot of land in question is privately owned by the town hall of neighbouring La Mamola, which is collaborating with Sorvilan.

The Guardia Civil says the most likely explanation is that the boat drifted in from another area. However, Guardia Civil sources indicate that the boat has not been damaged, so it could also have been used as a small boat to reach the Spanish coast.

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Maritime captain Fernando Ramos said that an inspection of the vessel confirmed that there was no danger of contamination or safety. Normally Capitania Maritima contacts other national and international maritime administrations so that the owner can claim the vessel or in some cases Capitania Maritima can find them directly. However, this boat has no identification, If no one claims it the procedure for its scrapping will be initiated.
Jorge Pastor Granada Wednesday, 1 May 2024, 15:28 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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Forensic anthropologist Laura Gutierrez was about to begin her day's work in grave 17 in Barranco de Viznar in Granada province at 8am on Monday 29 April when she noticed that the grave's protection - geotextile, planks and sacks - had been tampered with.

In fact, someone had entered the site the night before, where the bodies of ten people are being exhumed. The suspects had taken the maxilla bone and jaw of one of the bodies. Why? To remove eleven gold teeth from one of the skeletons.

The University of Granada team working in the Barranco de Viznar and headed by Professor Francisco Carrion, has reported the incident to the Guardia Civil in Alfacar. Carrion said, "It is not just the theft itself, but the fact that they have taken one of the three key bones for genetic identification."

The most reliable samples for identifying bodies ate the petrous, teeth and femur. "Not only were the lives of these human beings taken in the most ruthless way, but now we are prevented from knowing who they are."

Zoom Previous image of the same body that has been desecrated, showing the gold teeth. Francisco de Asis Carrion

The relatives of the victims have also been informed of what has happened. This is not the first time that something like this has happened at the war grave. Since the first dig in 2021 other objects have been stolen and a man has been attacked while he was laying flowers at the site.

The excavation team has pointed out that what happened on Monday is evidence of the need for an effective surveillance system. The request was also made to the minister for democratic memory Angel Victor Torres during his visit to Barranco de Viznar at the beginning of March.
Tony Bryant Fuengirola Wednesday, 1 May 2024, 13:19 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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As a prelude to the international fair of the countries, which is currently celebrating its 28th year, Fuengirola hosted the first Internacional Foro de Ciudades Abiertas, a tourism forum designed to help cities and towns to become more open and competitive. The event, which the town hall said had been a success, was held at the municipal auditorium on Tuesday and was attended by Mayor Ana Mula, and representatives from four continents, who discussed the importance of tourism management and the present and future of the management of this strategic sector at a global level.

The opening ceremony was attended by Julio Andrade, the deputy director of Cifal Malaga, part of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (Unitar)); and Victor Gonzalez, the deputy minister of tourism, culture and sport of the Junta de Andalucia.

The first roundtable of the day was held with the participation of the Ambassador of Costa Rica to Spain, Adriana Bolanos; the consul general of the embassy of the Republic of Korea in Spain, Hyuncheol Jang; the consul of the embassy of Finland, Pasi Kokkonen; and the councillor for tourism of Sanxenxo (Galicia), Juan Deza.

The afternoon session saw the participation of the Ambassador of Cape Verde, Eduardo Jorge Silva; the Mayor of Chaouen (Morocco), Mohamed Sefiani; and Ana Mula, who said, Fuengirola has reinforced the external projection of the municipality and has placed it as a world epicentre of debate on tourism.

Under the banner of 'Tourism and success management', each speaker shared the experiences they have put into practice in their places of origin, which included initiatives that have been successful in balancing the activity of the tourism sector with the necessary sustainability and comfort of local residents.
China's trade with other BRICS members hit 1.49 trillion yuan (about 209.7 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter, up 11.3 percent year on year, according to customs authorities.

The trade value accounted for 14.7 percent of the nation's total foreign trade value during the same period, said the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Among BRICS members, China's exports to Brazil and imports from it rose 25.7 percent and 30.1 percent year on year, respectively, in the first quarter.

Trade between China and Russia continued to expand during the period, featured by growth in traded products such as energy, automobiles, as well as general machinery and equipment, according to the GAC.

Trade between China and India grew 8.5 percent in the first quarter, marking growth for five consecutive quarters.

Meanwhile, as China's largest trading partner in Africa for 14 consecutive years, South Africa saw robust growth in its trade with China. During the first quarter, China's exports to South Africa totaled 35.11 billion yuan, while its imports from the African nation stood at 66.46 billion yuan, said the GAC.

Customs data showed that China has maintained good cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the field of energy trade. The two countries were among the top 10 sources of energy products imported into China in the first quarter.

China also carried out practical cooperation with Egypt and Ethiopia in the field of infrastructure, while in the first quarter, China's export of contracted projects to the above two countries achieved rapid growth, according to the GAC.

Meanwhile, Chinese-manufactured goods were popular in Iran, with China's exported goods purchased by the Iranian market growing 15.2 percent year on year in the first quarter, the data shows.

Lyu Daliang, director of the GAC's Department of Statistics and Analysis, said that the value of goods trade among BRICS countries accounted for about 20 percent of the world's total.

There remains great potential for trade to grow among BRICS nations and the bloc is expected to become an "accelerator" for global economic recovery and trade development, the official said.

BRICS is the acronym for an emerging-market cooperative mechanism that initially featured Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. On Jan. 1, 2024, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia joined BRICS.
Syracuse, N.Y.  A bullet went through a dorm room window at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, university officials confirmed Wednesday.

The bullet was found Wednesday morning on the dorm room floor in Centennial Hall, said Danielle Gerhart, ESF executive director of communications and marketing. It is believed the shot went through the window Tuesday night, she said.

No evidence shows that Centennial Hall or ESF students were targeted, Gerhart said.

The dorm is on the edge of Syracuse University, not far from the JMA Wireless Dome. One end of the dorm faces Interstate 81.

Police were called to the dorm at 142 Oakland St. around 10:50 a.m., said Kieran Coffey, a spokesperson for the Syracuse police. ESF University Police Department responded too.

Police confirmed that the window had been shot and no one was injured, Coffey said.

Police are investigating were the shot originated from, Coffey said.

Police ask anyone with information to call the Syracuse Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at (315) 442-5222.

Its not the first time a bullet has hit the dorm. In 2019, a bullet was found lodged in an interior wall of the dorm. No one was injured.

Staff writer Timia Cobb covers breaking news. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at tcobb@syracuse.com.
Syracuse, N.Y.  A Syracuse mother accused of posing as a student to enter a school and assaulting a teacher was arraigned on new charges Wednesday.

Lynzina Sutton, 31, was charged with entering Lincoln Middle School on Feb. 16 assaulting her daughters teacher and threatening another teacher while inside the school, according to an indictment.

While inside the school, Sutton also made a threat to another teacher, prosecutor Cindi Newtown said Wednesday. Sutton has now been charged with harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.

Sutton repeatedly punched the teacher in the face, fracturing the teachers nasal bone and maxillary bones, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said at the time.

Sutton was able to slip past school security when students were arriving to the school, Syracuse School Superintendent Anthony Davis said at a news conference after the incident. Security believed the 4-foot-10-inch tall mother was another student, Fitzpatrick has said. She also had a hood up, Davis said.

A security guard tried to call after Sutton but she kept walking, a spokesperson for the district Amanda Hull has said. Sutton continued to the teachers room while the guard called for help and the principal stepped in, Hull said.

Sutton confronted her daughters teacher and punched the woman as students stood in the doorway, Davis said. The principal arrived and unsuccessfully tried to de-escalate the situation, he said.

Sutton was able to leave and was arrested later that day. She was charged with second-degree assault and third-degree burglary.

Sutton now also faces the harassment charge and 11 counts of endangering the welfare of a child because children witnessed the assault, Newtown said.

The alleged assault was motivated by a report made about her child, Fitzpatrick said. The student had lied about her whereabouts during the school day, he said.

A referral about the students discipline had been made and before any action was taken, Sutton allegedly attacked the teacher who made the report the next morning, he said.

Newtown said the new harassment charge was handled after the initial arrest and added to the 14-count indictment.

Sutton was held in the Onondaga County Justice Center jail until she made bond, Fitzpatrick said. The bond was $40,000, a sheriffs office spokesperson has said.

She is scheduled to appear in court again on June 24.

Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at ahayes@syracuse.com.
Syracuse, N.Y.  For the first time in three decades, Syracuse officials are planning a citywide revaluation, to reset the property assessment on every home, business, vacant lot and other piece of property.

Its a long-overdue exercise in fairness, city officials say, but one that can trigger public backlash.
Buffalo, N.Y.  Democratic state Sen. Timothy Kennedy won a special election Tuesday for the New York congressional seat vacated by Democrat Brian Higgins.

Kennedy easily defeated Republican Gary Dickson for the upstate New York seat, helped by a 2-to-1 Democratic registration advantage in the district, which includes Buffalo, Niagara Falls and several suburbs.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Iran is trying to resolve outstanding disputes with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran's Vice President and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, told reporters, Trend reports.

According to him, based on the IAEA's request to Iran to investigate four facilities, unknown issues at two facilities have been resolved. The remaining two facilities are under negotiation.

"Our talks will take place on the sidelines of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi's visit to Iran. I believe that the unknown issues will disappear. Iran will strengthen its relations with the IAEA within the framework of safeguards and the NPT," he said.

The official stated that Iran believes that the Iran-IAEA joint statement of last year is valid and that it is cooperating with the IAEA based on the statement.

Meanwhile, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi will participate in the 1st International Conference on Nuclear and Technology in Iran's Isfahan on May 68.

Besides, Iran and the IAEA reached an agreement last March (2023) and stated the terms of the agreement. According to the agreement, Iran's cooperation with the IAEA is within the framework of the Convention on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and safeguards, and the parties are to cooperate on allegations of the existence of enriched uranium substances in connection with Iran's nuclear program.

To note, the Comprehensive Plan of Joint Action on Iran's nuclear program was implemented between Iran and the P5+1 group (the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany) in January 2016. The US announced in May 2018 that it was withdrawing from the plan and imposed sanctions on Iran in November of the same year. Iran has announced that there will be no restrictions on the Iran nuclear deal in 2020.

In late 2020, the Iranian parliament adopted a strategic plan to counter the sanctions, citing the non-fulfillment of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and six countries and the imposition of sanctions on Iran.

Based on the decision of the Iranian parliament, as of February 23, Iran stopped the implementation of additional measures and an additional protocol included in the nuclear deal. As a consequence, the monitoring mechanism of the IAEA was reduced by 2030 percent.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
By Larry Rulison | Times Union, Albany

Albany, N.Y.  Gov. Kathy Hochul made good on her promise to push through a package of new stretch limousine passenger safety bills designed to prevent future tragedies like the 2015 limo crash on Long Island that killed four and the 2018 limo crash in Schoharie that killed 20 people.

The new laws  including one that mandates that stretch limos are retired from service after 10 years or 350,000 miles  were recommended by the states Stretch Limousine Passenger Safety Task Force in the fall of 2022 but failed to be enacted in 2023 by the Legislature.
By Kathleen Moore | Times Union, Albany

As smaller State University of New York colleges propose program cuts to get out of deficit, professors are arguing that SUNY should use new state funding to eliminate some of those deficits for one year instead.

There are big cuts on the horizon at a few campuses to programs that have traditionally been offered at most SUNY schools, from French to biology. While those programs wont be cut everywhere, the cuts could force some students to have to pay for room and board at a larger university instead of being able to commute to the college near their home.
By Cayla Bamberger and Chris Sommerfeldt | New York Daily News (TNS)

President Joe Biden condemned Tuesday the student-led occupation of a Columbia University academic building, after protesters takeover of Hamilton Hall put the school on lockdown.

The latest escalation in the students demonstration against the war in Gaza also drew censure from Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams, who said they were in communication with university administrators.

President Biden respects the right to free expression, but protests must be peaceful and lawful, White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement to NPR.

Forcibly taking over buildings is not peaceful  it is wrong. And hate speech and hate symbols have no place in America.

Biden stopped short of demanding university president Minouche Shafik resign or calling in the National Guard, as demanded by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., last week. Left-leaning lawmakers  including Reps. Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman  have visited the encampment in recent days to show their support.

President Biden has stood against repugnant, antisemitic smears and violent rhetoric his entire life, said Bates. He condemns the use of the term intifada, as he has the other tragic and dangerous hate speech displayed in recent days.

The takeover began shortly after midnight at Hamilton Hall, Columbias main administrative building and the iconic site of occupations in 1968 and 1985. The move prompted the university to restrict access to the campus Tuesday, only allowing students who live in dorms and essential services staff to remain.

In New York, Hochul demanded disciplinary action from the school or from law enforcement. By the afternoon, university administrators announced students occupying the building face expulsion.

Many students we know have very strong convictions, strong beliefs about what has taken them to protest, she said at an unrelated press conference on Roosevelt Island. We dont have to agree with them. Its not always how it is. But when actions crossover into vandalism, harassment, destruction of property, or even violence, then the line has been crossed.

A few of the individuals participating in last nights actions, they forced staff from their jobs, students from security of using buildings, they broke windows, barricaded exits, and these individuals are clearly breaking the law, she said.

Adams said in a briefing at City Hall there are outside agitators at the campus protest who are hijacking almost this entire operation  a claim that student protesters have repeatedly denied. City Hall is in near-hourly communication with Columbia administrators, who he said requested NYPD presence along the campus perimeter.

It may not be illegal to say some of the things that weve heard, but I think its immoral, and we should not remain silent, said Adams, who did not specify the language he found problematic.

Adams NYPD patrol chief, John Chell, on Friday called for the expulsion of students and firing of professors he accused of espousing hate and antisemitism.

No more suspensions, Chell wrote on X, lets try expulsion of these entitled hateful students. Pack your belongings and get out! Lets remove faculty and staff who have replaced their educational licenses for a license of hate  Your (sic) fired!

Adams on Tuesday defended Chell as a professional.

We have a very opinionated not only chief, Adams said, but also commissioners, reporters, students, dish-washers, candlestick-makers  everyone has an opinion in New York.

Adams and NYPD Commissioner Caban were scheduled to brief media on Columbia protests Tuesday evening.

_____

2024 New York Daily News.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Royal Caribbean has stopped ships from docking at a private island port in Haiti due to ongoing violence in the region.

The cruise line canceled ships from docking at that port through May, but last week Royal Caribbean modified cruise schedules to avoid the port throughout the summer and into September, according to a post on the Royal Caribbean blog.

Guests booked on cruises in the summer and early fall are getting notifications from Royal Caribbean that their visits to Labadee have been canceled, the blog post stated. On Tuesday (April 23), cruisers began to share updates they received from Royal Caribbean that their itineraries have been updated to drop Labadee and replace it with another port or a sea day.

Labadee is a beach area owned by Royal Caribbean located on a peninsula in northern Haiti. It is barricaded from the rest of the country and has its own security force.

Between January and March of this year, more than 2,500 people were killed or injured due to violence across Haiti, specifically in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

Royal Caribbean International did not formally announce any changes on its website. Royal Caribbean Blog is not connected with Royal Caribbean International and is just a site for fans of the cruise liner.

However, the blog reposted a notice from the cruise liner about the itinerary changes without mentioning the violence.

Due to the continuing situation in Haiti, well now visit Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, instead of Labadee, Haiti, the notice reads. Were sorry for the change  your safety is our top priority. Nevertheless, were excited to visit a new port with you!

This decision by Royal Caribbean comes after the U.S. issued a warning to tourists to avoid traveling to Haiti at this time due to an increase in gang-related violence.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Iran considers it its natural right to use its nuclear program for peaceful purposes, Iranian Vice President and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami said, Trend reports.

He believes that every member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has the right to enjoy their inherent rights. This isn't a political issue. Iran has frequently demonstrated the issue during the course of cooperation with the IAEA, and the IAEA has accepted it.

Responding to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi's recent statement about Iran acquiring an atomic bomb, Eslami stated that this is not Grossi's position. This is the media's position. As Grossi earlier stated that there is no evidence that Iran would obtain an atomic bomb.

"Iran has not barred any IAEA inspector from coming to Iran. A total of 130 IAEA inspectors have permission to visit Iran. They are now visiting nuclear facilities," he said.

Meanwhile, Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, recently told the media that, following the collapse of nuclear negotiations, Iran has come dangerously close to creating an atomic bomb. No other country without an atomic bomb has enriched uranium by 60 percent. Iran has enriched more uranium than is required to produce an atomic weapon. A 90-percent enriched uranium is required to create an atomic bomb. However, theoretically, uranium enriched at 60 percent is essentially equivalent to uranium enriched at 90 percent.

To note, the Comprehensive Plan of Joint Action on Iran's nuclear program was implemented between Iran and the P5+1 group (the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany) in January 2016. The US announced in May 2018 that it was withdrawing from the plan and imposed sanctions on Iran in November of the same year. Iran has announced that there will be no restrictions on the Iran nuclear deal in 2020.

In late 2020, the Iranian parliament adopted a strategic plan to counter the sanctions, citing the non-fulfillment of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and six countries and the imposition of sanctions on Iran.

Based on the decision of the Iranian parliament, as of February 23, Iran stopped the implementation of additional measures and an additional protocol included in the nuclear deal. As a consequence, the monitoring mechanism of the IAEA was reduced by 2030 percent.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 1. Israel is ready to send a delegation led by Mossad intelligence chief David Barnea to Cairo in the coming days, Trend reports.

According to the information, the delegation will go to Cairo to discuss the cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip.

It is noted that Arab mediators are pushing Hamas to accept the terms of a ceasefire ahead of the expected military operation in Rafah.

A combined attack was carried out on Israel on October 7, 2023. From the beginning, a massive rocket attack began from the territory of the Gaza Strip, followed by the penetration of militants by land, water, and air.

Israel declared a state of war after a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. Moreover, Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a mass gathering of reservists.
A hot potato: Several former Google employees who were fired from the company for protesting against its cloud contract with the Israeli government have filed a complaint with the US labor board. The workers claim Google's termination of their contracts was illegal.

Nine Google employees were arrested last month after occupying the company's offices in New York and California for an eight-hour sit-in. They were protesting against the $1.2 billion Project Nimbus contract with the Israeli government for Google and Amazon's cloud services.

Google initially put the nine workers on administrative leave, eventually firing 28 employees whom it claimed were connected to the protests, and threatened further action against the "extremely disruptive" protestors if necessary. Google said their conduct was completely unacceptable and made other workers feel unsafe.

A complaint filed to the National Labor Relations Board claims that Google "retaliated against approximately 50 employees" by terminating them or putting them on administrative leave.

The single-page complaint claims that Google was responding to their participation in a peaceful, non-disruptive protest, and that by firing them, the company interfered with their rights under US labor law to advocate for better working conditions.

The protesters claim Project Nimbus will allow the Israeli government to surveil and displace Palestinians while supporting the development of military applications. Google refutes these claims, insisting that Nimbus is not related to highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services.

It's not just Google employees who are angry about Project Nimbus. Around 1,700 Amazon employees signed a petition against the deal last year, according to the Washington Post.

One of the former employees fired by Google says he was dismissed just for watching the demonstration. He told The Verge that he went to the 10th floor of Google's New York City office around lunchtime to check out the protest.

"When I got there, there were probably 20-ish people sitting on the floor. I didn't talk to any of them, I talked to folks who were standing up, passing out flyers, doing other roles," he said. The anonymous worker returned to his desk and later revisited the protest around 5 pm, chatting with people for "maybe four minutes." Google terminated his contract the following day.

The protests bring to mind Google's Project Maven from 2018, in which the company worked with the US Department of Defense to develop drone footage-analyzing AI. It led to over 3,100 employees sending a strongly worded letter to CEO Sundar Pichai demanding Google leave the project, which it eventually did.
WTF?! Mobile games are known for their addictive nature, something that can lead people to spend a lot of money on them. Take the example of the Catholic priest who was recently arrested and charged with stealing over $40,000 from his former parish and spending it on the likes of Candy Crush and Mario Kart.

Reverend Lawrence Kozak, 51, was charged with theft and other related crimes for allegedly using a church credit card to spend $41,879.83 on mobile games between September 2019 and July 2022, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Kotaku).

Investigators say the spending came to light in 2022 when an accountant working at the Pottstown, Pennsylvania, church discovered "an astronomical amount of Apple transactions" on the parish's credit card statements during a financial review. The Apple ID was allegedly registered to Kozak. Church funds had also been used to buy items using an Amazon account registered to Kozak, including a Fire tablet and a child's backpack for his goddaughter.

Kozak denied knowingly using the parish credit card when he was brought in to speak to police after the charges were discovered, claiming that both his personal bank card and the parish credit card were connected to his iPhone. He said the church card was used for authorized streaming services and Microsoft Office software, but admitted that he may have used it to buy game items because he was not "a details guy." He added that the purchases were for "powering up" rather than gambling, and that he was seeking counseling for his addiction to playing and spending money on online games, according to the affidavit.

Kozak's games of choice were Candy Crush, Mario Kart Tour, Pokemon Go, and Cash Frenzy, as well as various slot machine and hidden object games. Records show that he actually made payments totaling $10,600 from a personal bank account toward the church's credit card balance.

Kozak was placed on administrative leave by the church in November 2022. His replacement at Saint Thomas More Parish told police in 2023 that he received a letter from Kozak containing a cheque for $8,000 for "Parish reimbursement." The handwritten letter read: "I am so sorry that I made this mistake which has been any source of stress for you."

Kozak was charged last Thursday and has since been released after posting $250,000 bail.

A lot of cases in which obscene amounts of money have been poured into mobile games involve children spending their parents' cash. A 13-year-old spent $64,000 on pay-to-win mobile titles in China last year. There was also the case of an 11-year-old who spent almost 6,000 (around $7,465) on in-app purchases over the course of just two weekends in 2017. And in 2020, a dad discovered his daughter, also 11, spent $6,000 on Roblox, claiming she thought it was Monopoly money.
The U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce (USPSTF) revised its guidelines Tuesday to recommend screening all women every other year, starting at 40.



According to experts, breast cancer is curable if detected early, and mammograms are a good screening test. Up until now, doctors advised women in their 40s to discuss mammogram scheduling based on their risks.



The task panel previously advised women to start mammograms at 50 and 40-49, depending on risk. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), "average" risk women aged 40-44 "have the option" to start screening, but not all women until they are 45, per NPR.

Latest Breast Cancer Numbers Raise Concern Among Experts

UCLA internal medicine expert Dr. Carol Mangione, former Chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce and co-author of the revised recommendation says the evidence now supports mammograms for all women at 40.



The expert noted that recent "more inclusive science" about breast cancer in women below 50 "has allowed us to expand our prior recommendation." Mangione pointed out that rates of women getting breast cancer in their 40s are rising.



A thorough evidence evaluation by an impartial panel of specialists makes task force recommendations the top standard that many doctors follow.

Read Also : FDA Urges Public to Trust Heimlich Maneuver Over OTP Anti-Choking Devices

A patient has a mammogram, on October 9, 2017 at the Paoli-Calmette institute, a fight against cancer regional centre.

Breast cancer, according to the USPSTF, is the second most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer mortality in women. Moreover, black women had 40% higher breast cancer mortality than white women and commonly developed aggressive tumors at a young age.



Consequently, the new USPSTF recommendations have an impact on national health care. The Affordable Care Act compels insurers to pay for all task force-recommended exams and procedures.

Doctors Welcome New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendation

Dr. Nancy Chan, a medical oncologist and head of breast cancer clinical research at NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center, said that US healthcare professionals are increasingly suggesting screening for women at 40, as reported by France 24. Chan highlighted connecting recommendations with clinical practices, saying that the amended advice may increase insurance coverage for screening treatments not previously covered.



The health expert stressed that early breast cancer screening improves prognosis and recovery rates. Dr. Chan also advised women in their 40s to visit their doctors to determine their lifetime risk of breast cancer based on family history and other variables. It is important to note that lifestyle adjustments may also reduce the risk of developing the deadly disease.



Most women, even those at average risk, with a family history of breast cancer and "dense breasts," should follow the amended recommendations, according to a report from US News & World Report.



Individuals with a personal history of breast cancer, genetic markers that increase risk, or biopsy-detected tumors are exempt from the guidelines. These patients may benefit from more regular screening, as their doctors advise.

As medical professionals welcome the new recommendation in addressing breast cancer, the task panel recommend further research as the guidelines does not include individuals with history of the disease.
Samsung Electronics reported strong first-quarter 2024 financial performance, a considerable improvement from the previous year. Memory chip sales rebounded, driving operating profit of over 930% year-over-year.

Demand for AI-specific servers, memory chips, and storage solutions drives this revival. After 2023 macroeconomic challenges, Samsung's memory chip division returned to profitability in Q1 2024. Demand for DRAM, NAND chips, SSDs, and servers raised prices.

Samsung's quarterly sales rose 12.8% to KRW 71.2 trillion ($52.2) from 2023. Net profit rose 330% to KRW 6.75 trillion ($4.88 billion), as reported by TechCrunch. The memory chip industry drove Samsung's robust sales. This category sales rose to KRW 23.14 trillion ($16.71 billion) from Q1 2023's KRW 13.73 trillion ($9.92 billion). Demand for AI server-specific DDR5 memory chips and storage solutions drove this surge.

Samsung to Sustain Momentum

The tech giant expects robust demand until 2024, especially as generative AI technologies gain popularity.

Samsung has been eager to meet the computational power and server demands of generative AI and the mountains of data models on which they are trained. Last year, the Suwon-si-based tech company said it would treble its HBM chip production for AI, 5G, IoT, graphic processing, virtual reality, and augmented reality. These semiconductors process data quickly and use less power than NAND memory devices.

Samsung said on Tuesday that it is mass-producing HBM3E 8H (8-layer) DRAM and V9 NAND chips for business servers, AI, and cloud devices. The business plans to make HBM3E 12H (12-layer) chips in the second quarter.

Samsung is the world's largest memory chip producer, competing with Micron and Korean memory chip maker SK Hynix in HBM chip sales. Micron began mass manufacturing 8-layer HBM3E semiconductors in February, while SK Hynix announced its production at Nvidia's GTC 2024 last month.

For its foundry division, Samsung stated that 3-and 2-nanometer AI chip development is "progressing smoothly." Generative AI usage is expected to boost company demand in the second part of the year.

The South Korean tech giant remarked that "business conditions are expected to remain positive in the second half of 2024 with demand - mainly around generative AI - holding strong" despite the volatility of geopolitical issues and macroeconomic trends.

The continual supply of AI servers and subsequent development of cloud services will raise demand for HBM and traditional servers and storage. The business said mobile demand will be constant in the quarter, while PC clients will be hit by slow seasonality and likely manage their stocks before new product releases in the year's second half.

Dominating the Smartphone Market, Samsung Smartwatch Update

Reaffirming its position as a global leader, Samsung has emerged as the top smartphone brand worldwide, boasting a 20.8% market share and 60.1 million smartphone sales in Q1. This solidifies Samsung's reliability and success, even in the face of competition from rival Apple, which held a 17.3% market share and sold 50.1 million units, according to The Korea Herald.

Furthermore, Samsung recently revealed its intention to rework its wearable strategy, hinting at a possible release of the new Galaxy Ring.

The business previewed "new premium" smartwatches to meet consumer demand for updates. Unofficial reports suggest that the Galaxy Watch7 family may have three models, including a Pro model that is an upgrade over the Classic, per GSMArena.

Samsung's System LSI group is preparing to deploy wearables using sophisticated technology, demonstrating its commitment to innovation.

Rumors are swirling about the Galaxy Watch7 series, with some suggesting it could revolutionize health monitoring. Speculation points to a potential blood sugar monitoring feature for the top model, promising significant health benefits for users.

Samsung enthusiasts expect the launch of the Galaxy Ring and Watch 7 series in early July.
Users will soon have to bid farewell to Fitbit Pay as Fitbit is merging with Google, and the Google Wallet service will replace the previous experience.

This means that users will have to resort to Google Wallet for all Fitbit wearable purchases, with this taking effect later this year. However, this would not apply to all regions where Fitbit Pay is available.

NFC payment transactions made Fitbit Pay a breeze as users only had to tap their devices on supported machines, one of which began in 2018.

Goodbye, Fitbit Pay, Hello Google WalletWhen's the shutdown?

Fitbit started sending out emails to users regarding Fitbit Pay's farewell, one where it would change the service and transition to Google Wallet moving forward, Droid-Life reported.

The company's email announced that starting July 29, Fitbit Pay would no longer be available as a payment method for contactless store purchases.

This means users must transition to Google Wallet and store their credit or debit card information there.

Users may set up Google Wallet on their Fitbit now but would first need to update to version 4.14.1 or higher on the Fitbit app on Android or iOS. On the app, choose Devices and look for the Wallet icon.

Update the Google Wallet and sign in to your Google account. This will allow users to add a card to Google Wallet.

Fitbit Pay cards would not migrate to Google Wallet, which could only be done manually.

Fitbit Pay Will Remain in Some Regions-Where?

That being said, Fitbit Pay is not entirely going away.

It was revealed by email that it would still be available in Japan (Suica), Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan (iPass), and it would not require Google Wallet. However, no more cards may be added after the shutdown.

Fitbit's Wireless Payment Service

Fitbit's first introduction of the Versa in 2018 also gave birth to Fitbit Pay, its dedicated wireless payment service that is meant to offer tap-to-pay features for various purchases in retail stores and more.

This introduction also marked the new face of Fitbit, with the Versa introducing the "squircle" and slimmer bezels, with all of its features for only $199.

Since 2022, Fitbit has supported the Google Wallet payment service on its smartwatches, which offers another platform for storing credit, debit, and other cards for contactless purchases.

It was first made available to the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatches, but later devices also featured Google Wallet's payment service for the renowned wearable.

The Fitbit acquisition of 2021 opened it up to many of its parent companies, including Google, technologies and apps, with Google Wallet being one of the top features.

Now, Fitbit Pay is bidding its farewell in favor of Google Wallet, unifying its payment methods on Android and its account.

However, this change does not apply to all regions where Fitbit Pay will be available this July.
The short trial and guilty plea of Binance founder and ex-CEO Changpeng Zhao finally saw its sentencing for the executive, and he is only getting four months of prison time to serve.

This follows the massive case that the SEC and the US DOJ filed against Binance and its founder, ranging from failing to apply for licenses and securities to his anti-money laundering case.

For years, Binance has been under the watchful eye of the law and regulators, with Zhao not giving much of a fight and admitting his crimes almost immediately.

Binance's Ex-CEO Changpeng Zhao Gets 4-Month Prison Sentence

After Binance's ex-CEO's guilty plea and settlement, Changpeng "CZ" Zhao is now sentenced to serve four months behind bars for his federal money laundering charges, as first reported by The New York Times.

This centers on his violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, one where the chief executive and his company failed to set up its anti-money laundering program.

Judge Richard A. Jones sentenced him to only four months for his crimes, but what he did for the US government, including his guilty plea deal, was also considered.

Zhao also paid a personal settlement of $50 million as part of the deal, with him only serving 1/12th of the recommended sentence by the prosecution.

Changpeng Zhao was Recommended a 3-Year Sentence

US prosecutors who handled the case recommended three years for Zhao's crimes, claiming that this was not a mere mistake or an unprecedented act as Zhao allegedly knew he was breaking the law.

However, it was also revealed that the standard federal sentence for Zhao's crimes only constitutes 12 to 18 months (1 to 1 and 1/2 years) behind bars.

Binance and Changpeng Zhao's Fall

June 2023 marked the end of Binance and Changpeng Zhao's run, as the SEC filed a lawsuit against them for their federal violations regarding their proper licenses and securities for their operations in the country.

This case pursued Binance to its renowned settlement, with the SEC stating that the company and its founder reflected "blatant disregard" for federal law.

In November, as the issue with the SEC and US DOJ heated up, Zhao announced his resignation as the crypto exchange company's CEO. This was also the time that he pled guilty to the charges against him.

This centers on the federal money laundering charges filed against him by the US government, to which he took a plea deal and owned up to his crimes.

During this time, it was known that two crypto titans were tried, with FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried known for fighting his charges, but CZ owning up and claiming that he is guilty.

Binance and Zhao both settled, with CZ personally paying $50 million as part of the settlement. He is now set to serve his prison sentence, for which he was given four months.
OpenAI and Microsoft face legal action from several prominent newspapers, including the New York Daily News and the Chicago Tribune, owned by the Alden Capital Group.

The lawsuit alleges deliberate copyright infringement by both tech companies.

A photo taken on November 23, 2023, shows the logo of the ChatGPT application developed by US artificial intelligence research organization OpenAI on a smartphone screen (L) and the letters AI on a laptop screen in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

Suing OpenAI, Microsoft for Copyright Infringement

Several major newspapers, including the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, and San Jose Mercury News, have initiated legal proceedings against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging copyright infringement.

These newspapers, all under the ownership of Alden Global Capital, contend that both companies utilized their articles to train their AI models without obtaining proper authorization or providing compensation.

The lawsuit presents evidence from interactions with ChatGPT and Copilot, indicating that these AI models generated lengthy excerpts from specific articles when prompted.

This suggests that the articles in question were incorporated into the training datasets without the newspapers' consent.

They additionally presented evidence of Copilot's capabilities, illustrating how it can access the web in real-time and replicate entire news articles shortly after their publication, lacking proper attribution to the original sources.

Furthermore, the companies allege that these chatbots frequently attribute incorrect information or fabrications to the publications.

Raising Ethical, Economic Concerns

The complaint highlights a broader concern beyond the clash of technologies or industries. It delves into the ethical and economic implications of using copyrighted newspaper content without compensation.

By emphasizing the importance of fair compensation for the use of intellectual property, the lawsuit underscores the need for accountability and respect for copyright laws in the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and technology.

As per the publications, organizations utilizing copyrighted material for their AI models must secure consent from publishers and ensure fair compensation for the use of such content.

The complaint highlights remarks from company executives, particularly OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, suggesting that AI models rely on copyrighted material for training.

Additionally, it asserts that OpenAI showcased the capability to circumvent paywalls and that its repositories housed GPTs offering similar functionality.

Moreover, the complaint alleges that while AI models have the ability to prevent chatbots from generating copyrighted content, OpenAI seldom implements this feature.

Also read : Google Kills Google News in Spain as New Copyright Law Takes Effect

The legal action mirrors the allegations leveled by several other news outlets against OpenAI and Microsoft.

In December, The New York Times initiated legal proceedings, alleging that ChatGPT replicated its journalistic content without authorization.

Similarly, digital news platforms such as The Intercept, AlterNet, and Raw Story filed separate lawsuits in February, echoing similar grievances.

OpenAI has moved to reject the NYT's legal action, asserting that the newspaper deliberately engineered ChatGPT to replicate its content.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has drawn parallels to the VCR, arguing that AI models are akin to tools that could potentially breach copyright but also have significant legitimate applications.
If your iPhone alarm is not ringing despite you remembering that you set it or have set its frequency to your preferred schedule, you are not alone.

This new iPhone alarm issue was confirmed to be a bug. Reports claim that Apple has already acknowledged the problem and is trying to work on a fix after many users complained about it online.

Is the iPhone Alarm Not Ringing? It is a Bug

Social media users have shared that their iPhones' alarms are not ringing, leading to them not waking up at their preferred or needed time. Many attest that this is a bug that iPhone users suffer from.

According to The Verge, many users say this is a bug, and many are baffled by this issue, sharing different hacks on how to get the iPhone's alarm to wake them up again.

Users wake up with their iPhones showing an alarm notice, but there are no sounds, calling this bug the silent alarm triggering when it was set.

For now, there are certain suggestions for getting the iPhone alarms to go off.

One is to go to Settings > Sound & Haptics and ensure that the ringer volume is turned up. Moreover, it is also worth considering turning off 'Change with Buttons' to avoid turning down the ringer.

Apple Working on iPhone Alarm Fix

As confirmed by TODAY's morning show earlier, Apple is already working on fixing this iPhone alarm bug that has led to users being late or waking up way past their set schedules.

There are still no responses or statements from Apple behind this, but it was reported that this is not the first iOS saw issues with iPhone alarms not going off or being silently triggered.

Apple's iPhone and Bugs

Bugs on systems are uncommon, and despite Apple being regarded as a company with significant developments, it is not safe or immune from them.

While Apple immediately addresses some, some take time to be recognized and be given a fix with the following software update, with one example centering on an iPhone seeing a 'No Service' bug for cell network connections.

On a more serious note, some bugs threaten users' privacy and security, and the iPhone has also suffered from this.

Notably, this is with iOS 16.2's tracking bug, in which a blogger revealed that their location was shared with a Brazilian food corporation despite not allowing it to use this information, one that can be answered by restarting the device or upgrading to iOS 16.3.

Occasionally, bugs appear on operating systems, firmware, apps, or devices. The iPhone is known for having its fair share of bugs in its systems for different releases.

That being said, this latest bug is annoying, as it could lead users to be late for important events as their device does not wake them up, and many are not considering the explanation that their alarm "didn't go off."

Related Article: Apple Is Fixing a Bug Causing iPhone 15 Models to Heat UpHere's What You Need to Know
Following an anti-war demonstration, Google reportedly terminated its software engineer despite his claim that he was not actively participating in the protest.

Alleging Wrongful Termination

A software engineer at Google claims he was wrongfully terminated for attending an anti-war demonstration despite insisting he wasn't actively participating.

Alongside this allegation, over 50 other employees have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing Google of unlawful retaliation and seeking reinstatement.

According to the ex-employee, who preferred to remain unnamed, The Verge reported that he visited the lounge on the 10th floor of Google's New York City office during lunchtime to observe the protest against an Israeli defense contract.

Upon arriving, the former employee observed around 20 people gathered on the floor, all donning matching T-shirts. However, they opted not to engage with them and instead interacted with others, distributing flyers and performing various tasks.

After briefly returning to his desk, the employee revisited the protest site at around 5 PM. He briefly conversed with the demonstrators for approximately four minutes, expressing surprise at their continued presence and inquiring about their well-being.

Subsequently, he concluded his workday from a nearby couch. The employee asserts that he resumed work at Google the following day without encountering any issues. However, during dinner that evening, he received an email from Google notifying him of his termination.

The former worker, who had been with Google for nearly three years and held a leadership role in the Alphabet Workers Union, suggested that Google's actions were part of a larger pattern of stifling employee dissent.

Also read : Google Fires Employee for Protesting Military Contract During Company Presentation

Following protests against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing deal with the Israeli government, Google placed nine employees on administrative leave for occupying its New York City and Sunnyvale, California offices, resulting in their subsequent arrest.

Subsequently, the company terminated 28 employees linked to the demonstrations. In an internal communication, Chris Rackow, Google's head of global security, indicated that the company would consider additional measures if necessary.

Rackow emphasized in his statement that most employees adhere to company policies. However, he warned that any behavior violating these policies would not be tolerated.

Google remains committed to enforcing its policies and will take appropriate action against those engaged in disruptive conduct, including termination.

Within a week, Google terminated over 20 additional employees, some claiming they had not participated in the protests at all.

Google's Response to Project Nimbus Protests

Google representative Bailey Tomson informed us that the company investigated the physical disruption inside their buildings on April 16, examining additional information provided by colleagues who experienced the disruption firsthand to identify the workers involved.

However, the dismissed software engineer claims that HR never contacted him to inquire about his participation in the protests.

He stated that the sudden termination took him aback, as he had received no prior indication of such action being taken against him.

As the worker observed the protest, a security guard approached him and fellow individuals in the lounge, requesting to inspect their Google badges to verify that there were no unauthorized participants.

Reflecting on the encounter, the worker expressed surprise, stating that refusing the request never crossed his mind, considering the security guard's authority within the workplace and his own innocence.
Amid concerns over its handling of election disinformation, the European Union has intensified its scrutiny of Meta.

Elections are a critical component of democratic processes, and the EU is closely monitoring Meta's efforts to combat misinformation and safeguard the integrity of electoral processes across member states.

This photograph taken on October 28, 2021, shows the META logo on a laptop screen in Moscow as Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg announced the parent company's name is being changed to "Meta" to represent a future beyond just its troubled social network. (Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

Investigating Meta for Digital Regulation Compliance

The European Union announced it's launching an investigation into Facebook and Instagram, citing suspected violations of the bloc's digital regulations.

These violations include alleged inadequacies in safeguarding users from foreign disinformation in the lead-up to EU-wide elections.

The European Commission stated that it is initiating formal proceedings to assess whether Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, violated the Digital Services Act (DSA).

This act encompasses a comprehensive set of regulations to safeguard internet users and improve social media platforms' integrity.

Non-compliance could result in significant fines, potentially amounting to 6% of annual revenue.

Against official warnings about potential Russian interference, the Associated Press reported that European authorities are intensifying efforts to protect upcoming elections.

Also read : EU Enforces Stricter Rules on Apple iPad Operating System

The June elections will see citizens from the EU's 27 member states elect lawmakers to the European Parliament, prompting heightened concerns about election integrity and foreign influence.

The inquiry involves an immediate demand for Meta to furnish details regarding its decision to cease a crucial election monitoring tool.

Meta responded, affirming its robust protocol for identifying and addressing risks across its platforms. The company expressed readiness to collaborate further with the European Commission, pledging to furnish additional information on these efforts.

Compliance with the Digital Services Act

European Commissioner Thierry Breton announced on social media that Meta is facing scrutiny over potential violations of its obligations under the DSA to safeguard the integrity of elections.

The Commission stated that it is investigating whether Meta is taking sufficient measures to combat the proliferation of "deceptive advertisements, disinformation campaigns, and coordinated inauthentic behavior" that could undermine "electoral processes" and consumer rights.

Officials raised concerns about the adequacy of Meta's content moderation system for advertisements, suggesting that it may be insufficient.

They highlighted the risk of ads created using generative AI, including deepfakes, being exploited by malicious foreign entities to interfere in elections while Meta continues to profit from them.

Experts are raising concerns regarding the potential misuse of emerging generative AI technologies to amplify the dissemination of disinformation during numerous elections scheduled worldwide this year.

The European Union has also raised suspicions regarding Facebook and Instagram's practices.

There are concerns that these platforms might be implementing shadowbanning tactics, reducing the visibility of political content from accounts that frequently post such material in recommendation feeds.

Another issue is Meta's recent decision to discontinue Crowdtangle, a tool widely utilized by researchers, journalists, and civil society organizations for real-time monitoring of trending social media content, particularly during electoral periods.

The European Commission has issued Meta a five-day ultimatum, demanding detailed information on how it intends to address the absence of such a crucial monitoring tool.
The revival of the culture-defining watch with a brand new collab

Since its original release in 1986, the first series of TAG Heuers Formula 1 has been a trailblazer. It was the very first timepiece that bore the TAG Heuer name. The watchs striking colours and daring design made it a favourite first watch among those who would go on to become diehard collectors, which was precisely the case for Kith founder Ronnie Fieg. Today, the Swiss watchmaker is bringing the piece back with the singular lifestyle brand Kith in new, upgraded materials.

TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith  TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer and Kith are leaders in their respective spaces and have made outsized contributions to culture at large. TAG Heuer is best known for supplying precision-engineered timing instruments for the most storied motorsports events and racers in history. Whereas Kith has become a fashion stalwart and regarded for its disruptive approach. Today, this duo is embarking on a cutting-edge collaboration to reintroduce the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Series 1 originally released in 1986. The new collection of timepieces features the beloved TAG Heuer Formula 1 in 10 bold colourways inspired by standout models from TAG Heuers past. Alongside Kith, TAG Heuer is reintroducing an 80s icon built on strong design codes and standout colours, values Fieg is consistently inspired by as a designer.

TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith  TAG Heuer

A Treasured Design

There is something special about the first. Thats especially true when it comes to first love. And for so many collectors all around the world, TAG Heuers Series 1 was that first love. It was the timepiece that kicked off a love affair with collecting. Thats the story behind TAG Heuers collaboration with Kith, whose founder Ronnie Fieg started with a red-and-black TAG Heuer Formula 1 and has since become an ardent collector of prestigious vintage watches.

TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith  TAG Heuer

For many this love started when the original TAG Heuer Formula 1 was released in 1986 the very first watch to bear the TAG Heuer name. It was the very first Swiss timepiece for many collectors who were enamoured with its forward-thinking design and electrifying colourways. In recent years, it has become one of the hottest vintage watches in the world, with admirers flocking to secondary sites to recapture a piece that looks just as fashionable today as it did almost 40 years ago.

TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith  TAG Heuer

This TAG Heuer watch was so effective at drawing collectors into the world because it was the very first watch to enable a generation to assert their taste and individuality with a timepiece. The TAG Heuer Formula 1 was the first premium composite quartz watch, drawing collectors deeper into this world with every tick. Just like the original did in 1986, this latest timepiece marks TAG Heuers undeniable position as a cultural powerhouse.

The new TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith stirs up the nostalgia of this era while updating it for modern times through the colours, partnership, and 35-millimetre size.

TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith  TAG Heuer

The rebirth of the original TAG Heuer Formula 1 watch is something the collector community has been clamouring after for years. One of these collectors was Kith founder Ronnie Fieg, who shared that, like so many others, this was also his first watch when he was younger. It is one of the most meaningful pieces in TAG Heuers history. The first to wear the TAG Heuer name, it introduced a generation of collectors to our commitment to making premium timepieces at the intersection of culture and motorsports, said Julien Tornare, the CEO of TAG Heuer.

Revitalizing the Cherished Model for 2024

The TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith maintains what makes the original beloved while bringing it into 2024 and updating it with upgraded materials. First, though, it was critical for these new iterations to keep the original spirit of the watch. The original supplier of case was tracked down along with the very same mold that was used for the pieces made in 1986. That means the identity of the watch is inextricable from the piece collectors fell in love with decades ago.

The new story of the TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith is told through elegant tweaks to this classic model. While the original watch featured a plastic crystal, this updated model features sapphire. The strap also gets an upgrade from plastic to rubber.

TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith  TAG Heuer

Kiths Fieg contributed to many of the details that reestablish this watch as a fashion powerhouse. TAG Heuer and Kith worked together to select many of the striking and exotic colour combinations.

In a groundbreaking move, for the first time in TAG Heuers illustrious history, the luxury Swiss watchmaker is merging its logo with a collaborative partner. TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith features a reworked version of the insignia that combines Kith and Heuer on the dial, rubber strap, and caseback. The dial also includes Kiths motto Just Us, a tribute to Fiegs familial inner circle.

TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith  TAG Heuer

It was an honor for me to be able to play a part in bringing TAG Heuers Formula 1 Series 1 back to life. The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Series 1 in red and black was my very first watch, the timepiece that helped me express the unique style thats now manifested itself in Kith, said Ronnie Fieg, Kith founder.

The Collection

The original Formula 1 was foundational to the success and longevity of TAG Heuer. Over three million pieces were produced, which have been equally admired by men and women over the decades. This new partnership maintains the exquisite varietywithout the sheer volumethat made the watch such a fun and trend- setting accessory in the first place.

TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith  TAG Heuer

There are 10 new watches in total, in stainless steel bracelet edition or rubber bracelet edition. Seven watches are exclusive to Kith and each pays tribute to a store in its global network. These watches play with vibrant color: sports-car red; black-and-yellow; green, yellow, and red nods to the rare iteration from the 80s made in partnership with Japanese F1 driver Ukyo Katayama; cream; and matte black. These iterations are limited to 250 pieces each. Kiths exclusive models also feature two with steel bracelets in blue-bezel and one in green. The pair is limited to 350 pieces each.

TAG Heuer boasts two exclusives, limited to 825 pieces each, of its own: each a shot of colour in vibrant blue and green to the bezel and strap with black PVD case and a black dial. The first edition will launch in-store only in Miami on May 3rd followed by the global launch on May 6th.

TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith  TAG Heuer

A highlight of the collection is the shared model between TAG Heuer and Kith, limited to 1350 pieces. The classic black-bezel watch with its red accents is a lasting and undeniable combination. This model arrives on a steel bracelet with an eggshell dial that is reminiscent to the patinated versions of this model from 1986. The result is an exquisite combination of modern features with vintage aesthetic appeal.

The TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith remains faithful to the original, drawing elements from the colour combinations to the small details that defined the Series 1. These features include the original form hour hand, a triangle with a dot inside at 12 oclock, indices that alternate every quarter between shields and dots, and a contrasting minuterie that packs a lot of delightful character into the dial.

TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith  TAG Heuer

Every TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith will be presented in a high-end box that evokes their colorful design and drives home the revived watchs premium status. The most exceptional and desirable presentation of the collection will come in the form of a highly collectible box containing all 10 of the limited-edition watches. With the original TAG Heuer Formula 1, TAG Heuer helped countless collectors fall in love with watches. Now, they are invited to become infatuated with this distinctive, incredibly stylish model all over again.
A Vienna privacy campaign group, NOYB (None of Your Business), announced plans to file a complaint against ChatGPT, alleging that the AI tool invented incorrect answers that even its creator, OpenAI, couldn't rectify.

ChatGPT's Hallucinations in Question

According to NOYB, ChatGPT exhibits a tendency to "hallucinate," meaning it generates responses that are not factually accurate.

The tool was launched in November 2022 amid significant AI hype, leading many to utilize it for various purposes.

The chatbot's popularity sparked the broader AI race in the tech industry, but it has also faced controversies over instances of hallucinating information and copyright allegations.

OpenAI has acknowledged that ChatGPT operates by predicting likely words in response to user prompts without guaranteeing the accuracy of the information provided.



NOYB argues that inaccuracies are unacceptable when it comes to information about individuals. EU law mandates that personal data must be accurate, as outlined in Article 5 of GDPR.

According to the group, individuals also have rights under GDPR, such as the right to rectification (Article 16) and the right to access (Article 15), which ensure data accuracy and transparency.



Maartje de Graaf, a data protection lawyer at NOYB, emphasizes the consequences of false information, especially concerning individuals.



"Making up false information is quite problematic in itself. But when it comes to false information about individuals, there can be serious consequences. It's clear that companies are currently unable to make chatbots like ChatGPT comply with EU law, when processing data about individuals," de Graaf said in an official statement.



"If a system cannot produce accurate and transparent results, it cannot be used to generate data about individuals. The technology has to follow the legal requirements, not the other way around."



Despite incorrect information provided by ChatGPT, OpenAI reportedly refused to rectify or delete data about individuals, citing technical limitations. The group claims that OpenAI's response to access requests under GDPR was inadequate, failing to disclose details about the data processed.

Read Also : OpenAI, Microsoft Face Lawsuit from Major Newspapers Over Copyright Infringement

NOYB Files a Complaint Against OpenAI

NOYB has filed a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority (DSB) against OpenAI, urging an investigation into its data processing practices related to large language models like ChatGPT.

The campaign group seeks to ensure compliance with GDPR and enforce corrective measures, potentially through EU cooperation.



The rising popularity of ChatGPT has drawn the attention of European privacy watchdogs, with authorities like the Italian DPA and the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) scrutinizing its accuracy and data processing practices.



Despite the allegations, OpenAI has acknowledged that ChatGPT is prone to generating inaccurate information. The chatbot always carries a disclaimer that reads, "ChatGPT can make mistakes. Consider checking important information."

As of this writing, its knowledge cut-off is only up to January 2022.

Related Article : OpenAI Slams New York Times Copyright Lawsuit with 'Hacking' Claims




Google Doodle's latest edition commemorates International Labor Day 2024, symbolizing the dedication and hard work of workers worldwide. The doodle showcases the diverse range of tasks performed by workers that contribute to making our daily lives more manageable.

Google Doodle Celebrates Labor Day 2024

Alphabet-owned Google is known for its creative alterations to the Google logo, often celebrating culture, historical movements, or significant events. This Labor Day is observed annually on May 1st, and Google has modified its logo to mark the occasion.



The doodle will be visible in regions across South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and other parts of the world.



While Google's Labor Day tribute highlights the importance of workers, the tech giant has recently faced criticism regarding its treatment of employees who protested against the company's contracts with the Israeli government.

Labor Day 2024: Google Receives Backlash After Firing Software Engineer

A former software engineer at Google alleges wrongful termination for attending an anti-war demonstration despite claiming that he did not actively participate in it.



In addition to this claim, over 50 employees have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing Google of unlawful retaliation and seeking reinstatement.



The former employee, who opted to remain anonymous, visited a lounge on the 10th floor of Google's New York City office during lunchtime to observe a protest against an Israeli defense contract. About 20 people were present, wearing matching T-shirts, but he refrained from direct engagement with them.



Later in the day, he briefly spoke with the demonstrators for approximately four minutes, expressing surprise at their continued presence and asking about their well-being.

Despite returning to work the following day without incident, he received an email from Google during dinner informing him of his termination.



The ex-worker, who had been working with Google for almost three years and was part of the Alphabet Workers Union leadership, perceives Google's actions as part of a broader trend of suppressing employee dissent.



This comes after protests erupted against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing deal with the Israeli government. Google took action by placing nine employees on administrative leave for occupying its New York City and Sunnyvale, California offices, which ultimately led to their arrest.

Following these events, the company terminated 28 employees associated with the demonstrations.



Chris Rackow, Google's head of global security, pointed out that while the majority of employees adhere to company policies, he emphasized that any behavior violating these policies would not be condoned.

Read Also : Google Fires Employee for Protesting Military Contract During Company Presentation

Labor Day Amid Broad Tech Layoffs

Google's Labor Day celebration coincides with broader trends of layoffs in the tech industry, exceeding 260,000 in 2023 and continuing into 2024, signaling potential shifts in employment dynamics.



Roland Rust, a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, highlights a critical context often dismissed in discussions about tech industry layoffs.



Rust suggests that layoffs in tech companies foreshadow a broader decline in "thinking" jobs across the labor market, prompting individuals to seek roles that emphasize attributes like intuition, empathy, creativity, and interpersonal skills.



As AI technology advances, tasks traditionally performed by humans are increasingly automated, reshaping the labor force towards roles that complement artificial intelligence.

Read more about this story here.

Related Article : Google Fires 20 More Workers Following Protests Against the Tech Giant's Israel Deal




The European Union (EU) and Japan have expanded their collaborative efforts in digital technologies following their second Digital Partnership Council held in Brussels.



Co-chaired by EU Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton and Japanese Minister for Digital Transformation Taro Kono, along with other officials, the council reaffirmed the strategic importance of their partnership.

Digital Identities

The EU and Japan reviewed the progress made since the inaugural Digital Partnership Council in 2023. They identified new areas for cooperation in core digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, 5G, 6G, high-performance computing (HPC), and quantum technology.



A notable outcome of this partnership is signing a Memorandum of Cooperation on digital identities and trust services.



This memorandum aims to align digital identity initiatives between the EU and Japan, streamlining e-commerce processes, reducing bureaucracy, and enhancing efficiency. It is expected to be showcased as a "joint best practice" at the upcoming OECD Ministerial meeting in May 2024.



They have also decided to establish an expert team to develop a research program based on the 2023 Memorandum of Cooperation on Semiconductors. They are now preparing an administrative arrangement to facilitate the exchange of information on public support schemes in this area.



Furthermore, the EU and Japan will intensify their collaboration in high-performance computing (HPC) and explore hybrid Quantum-HPC applications. They aim to identify potential joint projects in basic quantum research. Both partners are also looking into cybersecurity cooperation, focusing on standards and addressing skills shortages.



Another area of joint focus is the development of 6G technologies. The EU and Japan have initiated collaborative research projects and expressed support for global standardization efforts in this space.

Enhanced Cooperation on AI

Additionally, they announced plans to enhance cooperation between the EU AI Office and Japan's AI Safety Institute. They committed to supporting the G7 Hiroshima AI Process and Code of Conduct to establish global governance standards for trustworthy AI.



Both partners reiterated their commitment to the Memorandum of Cooperation signed in 2023 in the realm of secure and resilient submarine cable infrastructures.



They aim to develop direct connectivity links between Europe and Japan via the Arctic to facilitate trusted cross-border data flows and commercial opportunities.



In pursuit of a secure online environment that preserves freedom of expression, the EU and Japan plan to investigate creating a consistent information-sharing platform concerning online platform regulations, aligning with EU directives like the Digital Services and Digital Markets Acts.



The next Digital Partnership Council is scheduled for 2025 in Tokyo, Japan, reflecting the ongoing commitment of the EU and Japan to advancing their digital collaboration.



"Today, we reaffirmed our ever-closer strategic partnership with Japan. Together, we are advancing interoperability and cooperation on digital identity, data, emerging technologies, semiconductors, AI and online platforms," Breton said in an official statement.



"Working towards common standards will facilitate seamless digital exchanges, support innovation and competitiveness and create further opportunities for our economies."




Microsoft has unveiled plans for a substantial investment of $1.7 billion in Indonesia over the next four years, aimed at expanding its cloud infrastructure and AI footprint within the country.

This investment marks the largest in Microsoft's nearly three-decade history in Indonesia.



The initiative encompasses various strategic endeavors, including establishing new cloud and AI infrastructure, providing AI skilling opportunities for 840,000 individuals, and extensive support for Indonesia's burgeoning developer community.



These efforts also align with Indonesia's Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision, which seeks to position the nation as a global economic powerhouse through digital innovation and inclusive growth.

Microsoft Expands its Cloud Infrastructure and AI Footprint in Indonesia

In a press release statement, Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, emphasized the transformative impact of AI on societies worldwide, underscoring the importance of investments in digital infrastructure, skill development, and developer support to propel Indonesia into a thriving era of technological advancement.



Budi Arie Setiadi, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, highlighted the strategic partnership between Indonesia and Microsoft as instrumental in driving digital innovation and economic progress.



This collaboration is envisioned to empower Indonesia to play a pivotal role in the global technological landscape, transitioning from technology consumers to key contributors in the global supply chain.



Microsoft's investment in digital infrastructure builds upon its earlier initiative, Berdayakan Indonesia (Empower Indonesia), launched in February 2021, which aimed to foster inclusive economic growth by creating the company's first datacenter region in the country.



The current investment seeks to address the growing demand for cloud services in Indonesia and leverage the economic opportunities offered by AI.



The tech giant cited research by Kearney, suggesting that AI could significantly contribute to Southeast Asia's GDP by 2030 by nearly $1 trillion, with Indonesia poised to capture a substantial portion of these economic benefits at $366 billion.

Read Also : Microsoft is Testing an Xbox AI Chatbot That Will Work Like a Support Virtual Agent





AI Skilling Opportunities

In addition to its investment in Indonesia, Microsoft has committed to providing AI skilling opportunities for 2.5 million individuals across ASEAN member states by 2025.



This extensive training and support program will be implemented in partnership with governments, non-profit organizations, businesses, and local communities, with a notable effect anticipated in Indonesia.



The AI skill development initiatives in Indonesia will focus on diverse sectors of society, encompassing students, women aspiring to enter cybersecurity professions, young individuals from marginalized communities, and employees of non-profit organizations.



These initiatives aim to equip participants with essential skills and knowledge to succeed in an economy driven by AI.



Microsoft is also launching initiatives like AI Odyssey to empower Indonesian developers with advanced AI skills and credentials.



"This new generation of AI is reshaping how people live and work everywhere, including in Indonesia," Nadella said in a statement. "The investments we are announcing today - spanning digital infrastructure, skilling, and support for developers - will help Indonesia thrive in this new era."

Related Article : AI Chatbots Help Gen Z Deal With Mental Health Problems But Are They Safe?




Amazon reported strong first-quarter 2024 profits on Tuesday. AI and advertising sales drove revenues up.



The multinational technology firm announced first-quarter sales of $143.3 billion, up 13% from 2023 and exceeding Wall Street projections of $142.65 billion, as reported by The Guardian. The e-commerce giant's earnings rose over 200% to $15 billion, while net income tripled to $10.4 billion from $3.17 billion in 2023.

AI-Powered Growth

Andy Jassy, Amazon's CEO, acknowledged AI as key to Amazon Web Services (AWS) sales growth of 17% year-over-year $25 billion and AWS accounted for 62% of operating profit. In a post-report investor call, Jassy stressed the development potential of generative AI.



Despite a recent halt in growth due to the COVID-19 epidemic, AWS revenue increased as firms improved their cloud infrastructure for remote work support. Executives believed this trend would continue, and they expected AI demand to boost cloud services.



Jassy stressed the need for further infrastructure expenditure to support Amazon's cloud computing and AI efforts. Capex was $14 billion for the quarter, with forecasts of higher quarterly rises.



Investors' positive response to Amazon's cost-cutting actions, including massive layoffs since late 2022, shows their effectiveness. Shares rose 5% just hours after the results were released.



This strong result followed Amazon's $11 billion investment in Indiana data centers to create at least 1,000 jobs. The firm also extended its agreement with Nvidia to power its AI solutions, strengthening its technical position.

The logo of e-commerce company Amazon is pictured on parcels in Manta, Northwestern Italy, on March 29, 2024.

Confidence in Amazon's AI Efforts

TechTimes previously reported that in Amazon's recent annual shareholder letter, the online retail giant addressed shareholder concerns, including its AI race posture.



In the letter, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy voiced confidence in the company's AI progress, despite market and customer impressions that the company is creeping behind the AI race.



Jassy believes that AWS, the company's cloud computing subsidiary that powers many digital enterprises globally, will lead to substantial revolutionary AI developments.



The Amazon top executive explained the company's generative AI approach and dedication to basic AI models in the letter. For these models, he mentioned Siemens, Pfizer, and Delta Air Lines as Amazon's enterprise partners.



Amazon focuses AI technology research above consumer-facing apps to compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT.



Andy Jassy stressed that Amazon develops fundamental models, uses pre-built generative AI programs, and leverages existing ones depending on their needs and expertise.
Previously, several reports said that Apple is in the works to release the latest iteration of the Watch Ultra 3 in late 2024. The news was bombarded with doubts that the Cupertino giant wouldn't do it because it's still indecisive in its move. However, a recent claim from a popular tipster hinted that it's indeed coming this year.

Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told MacRumors that the updated model will sport "almost no" hardware improvements over its predecessor, the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Expected to debut in September, the new model might unveil a subtle refresh rather than a major overhaul.

Upcoming Apple Watch Models

Alongside the anticipated release of the Apple Watch Ultra 3, the iPhone maker may also introduce a third-generation Apple Watch SE. This follows Apple's typical two-year upgrade cycle, suggesting a possible 2023 launch for the SE model.

However, details about the successor to the Apple Watch Series 9 remain uncertain. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously hinted at a redesigned model dubbed "Apple Watch X," featuring a thinner case and magnetic bands, projected for release between 2024 and 2025.

Related Article : How to Achieve 60 Hours of Battery Life For Your Apple Watch Ultra

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Won't Feature Game-Breaking Hardware Upgrades

Despite the lack of substantial hardware upgrades, Apple is expected to enhance its health monitoring capabilities in the upcoming models. Features like blood pressure sensing and sleep apnea detection, which Gurman suggested for the successor of the Apple Watch Series 9, are likely to be included in the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Decade of Innovation: Apple Watch's Tenth Anniversary

The launch of the original Apple Watch in April 2015 marked a significant milestone in wearable technology. As the device approaches its tenth anniversary, the company continues to innovate while expanding the capabilities of its smartwatches. The upcoming models are expected to further this legacy, albeit with a focus on refining existing technologies rather than introducing groundbreaking new features.

Challenges and Setbacks

In related news, Apple has reportedly halted its in-house development of microLED display technology for the Apple Watch, as reported by Bloomberg.

Initially viewed as a major advancement for future models, microLED technology offers enhanced brightness, superior color accuracy, and individual pixel-dimming capabilities. This cancellation could impact not only the Apple Watch but potentially other Apple products that could have benefited from the technology, such as iPhones and Macs.

As the release date approaches, the tech community and consumers alike are eager to see what Apple has in store for the next generation of its smartwatches.

While the Apple Watch Ultra 3 may not bring game-changing hardware innovations, the integration of advanced health monitoring features and the continued evolution of its design are likely to keep Apple at the forefront of the wearable technology market.

For the latest updates and detailed reviews on Apple's lineup, stay tuned to our comprehensive coverage of Apple products.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday warned of an E. coli epidemic connected to bulk organic walnuts that has affected 12 individuals in California and Washington.



Seven people were hospitalized, and two suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious kidney illness, the CDC reported. Zero fatalities have occurred. according to a report from The Hill.



The Gibson Farms Inc. recall affected the majority of the sick persons who bought bulk walnuts. The nuts were sold in 19 states, but only two have reported infections. Food co-ops and natural food stores like Whole Foods and Market of Choice offered them in quantity.

The CDC stated that the recalled walnuts expire between May 21 and June 7, 2025. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a list of shops that may have received walnuts.



The CDC advises customers to ask businesses if they sold recalled walnuts, since some may repackage them in plastic clamshells or bags. The CDC advised businesses not to serve Gibson Farms Inc. organic walnut halves and pieces with lot codes.

In addition, the CDC advises consumers and businesses to remove the contents and "use extra care" to cleanse surfaces that may have touched the walnuts.



E. coli causes severe stomach pains, diarrhea, and vomiting. The CDC says they develop 3-4 days after eating germs. Some people recover without medication within five to seven days.



Moreover, the FDA warned that E. coli can cause bloody stools due to HUS, "or the development of high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease and neurologic problems," as per a report from HealthDay. Individuals with this kind of condition need to be treated in a hospital.

An elderly man opens walnuts on February 26, 2015 during the Paris international agricultural fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris.

Other Important Information to Know About E.Coli

According to the World Health Organization, it is important to note that eating fruits and vegetables like salad, coleslaw, spinach, sprouts, and lettuce is associated with increased E.coli outbreaks. Domestic or wild animal excrement may contaminate these foods during cultivation or processing.



Shiga toxin-producing Water bodies such as ponds and streams, wells, and water troughs harbor the bacterium Escherichia coli (STEC). Manure and silt from water troughs can harbor STEC for years, creating a waterborne transmission risk.



Personal contact, especially oral-fecal contact, is a major transmission method. STEC carriers can infect others without symptoms. Children may shed STEC for longer than adults, who excrete it for a week. Notably, visiting farms and touching farm animals are risk factors for STEC infection.



The UN health agency also advised preventive measures must cover agricultural production, processing, manufacturing, and commercial and residential food preparation. Moreover, Industry mitigation techniques for ground beef include pre-slaughter screening to limit pathogen introduction as hygienic slaughtering reduces feces contamination but does not eliminate STEC.



To reduce microbial contamination, farm, abattoir, and food industry workers must receive sanitary food handling training. Cooking, pasteurization, or irradiation can remove STEC from food.
Texans are being invited to join an important conservation effort as migratory birds make their seasonal journey across the state's night skies.

The Dallas Morning News reports that this migration, or "avian highway," sees a stunning variety of birds, from large whooping cranes to the smallest songbirds, heading to their northern breeding grounds.

The peak of this migration, from April 22 to May 12, brings nearly two billion birds of about 400 species over Texas, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department confirms.

RIO GRANDE CITY, TX - DECEMBER 07: Migratory birds fly south over the U.S.-Mexico border on December 7, 2015 near Rio Grande City, Texas.

Texans Dim Lights to Safeguard Migratory Birds

To ensure the safe passage of these birds, a statewide initiative known as "Lights Out, Texas!" has been launched. This biannual campaign, initiated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and BirdCast in 2020, aims to reduce light pollution during migration seasons.

The campaign, which has garnered support from Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson's office, local businesses, and landmarks like Whitacre Tower and Reunion Tower, encourages Texans to dim their lights to minimize the risk of bird collisions with buildings and other structures.

The nocturnal nature of around 70% of North American migratory birds poses a unique challenge during migration. Light pollution, especially from urban areas, can disorient these birds, leading to building collisions.

Ornithologist Tania Homayoun from Texas Parks and Wildlife explains that birds do not perceive glass as humans do. They often mistake reflections for open airspace, which increases the likelihood of collisions.

Challenges to Bird Migration

Tragically, building collisions kill millions of birds annually in the United States. Estimates suggest that anywhere from 388 million to 965 million birds die each year due to collisions with manmade structures, making it one of the leading causes of bird mortality.

Incidents such as the collision of nearly 1,000 migratory songbirds with a glass convention center in Chicago in 2023 highlight the urgent need for conservation efforts.

However, there is hope. Studies have shown promising results from dimming or turning off lights during migration seasons. A 2021 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that darkening windows of urban buildings in Chicago reduced bird collisions by 60% over 20 years.

Similarly, retrofitting governmental building windows with bird-safe film in Portland, Oregon, led to a 94% reduction in bird collisions over just one year.

What You Can Do to Help

Volunteers can also contribute to bird conservation efforts through technology. The iNaturalist app allows volunteers to monitor bird collisions and deaths by reporting observations or taking photos.

Additionally, BirdCast's live migration tracker enables users to follow the northward journey of migratory birds in real time, enhancing awareness and understanding of bird migration patterns.

The significance of avian migration extends beyond Texas, as highlighted by a 2018 study estimating continental biomass flows of nocturnal avian migrants across the contiguous United States.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.
Google is now offering a bounty of up to $450,000 for reporting remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities within select Android apps.

For those unaware, RCE is a cyberattack whereby an attacker can remotely execute malicious code on a target computer, no matter where it is located, in order to deploy additional malware or steal sensitive data.

Previously, the reward for reporting RCE vulnerabilities in the Tier 1 app was $30,000, which has now increased up to 10 times to $300,000.

These changes were made to the Mobile Vulnerability Rewards Program (Mobile VRP) launched in 2023, which focuses on first-party Android apps developed or maintained by Google.

The goal of this program is to mitigate vulnerabilities in first-party Android applications, and thus keep users and their data safe by recognizing the contributions and hard work of researchers who help Google improve the security posture of our first-party Android applications.

Since Mobile VRPs launch, Google has received over 40 valid security bug reports, for which it has paid nearly $100,000 in rewards to security researchers.

Coming to Tier 1, the list of in-scope apps includes Google Play Services, the Android Google Search app (AGSA), Google Cloud, and Gmail.

Google now also wants security researchers to pay particular attention to flaws that could lead to the theft of sensitive data. For exploits that require remote or no user interaction, researchers would be paid $75,000.

Further, the tech giant will pay 1.5 times the total reward amount for exceptional-quality reports that include a proposed patch or effective mitigation of the vulnerability, as well as a root cause analysis that helps to find other similar variants of the issue. This would enable researchers to earn up to $450,000 for an RCE exploit in a Tier 1 Android app.

However, the researchers would get half the reward for low-quality bug reports that dont provide:

An accurate and detailed description of the issue

A proof-of-concept exploit

An example application in the form of an APK

A step-by-step explanation of how to reproduce the vulnerability reliably

A clear analysis and demonstration of the impact of the vulnerability

Category 1) Remote/No User Interaction 2) User must follow a link that exploits the vulnerable app 3) User must install malicious app or victim app is configured in a non-default way 4) Attacker must be on the same network (e.g. MiTM) A) Arbitrary Code Execution $300,000 $150,000 $15,000 $9,000 B) Theft of Sensitive Data* $75,000 $37,500 $9,000 $6,000 C) Other Vulnerabilities $24,000 $9,000 $4,500 $2,400

Some additional, smaller changes were also made to our rules. For example, the 2x modifier for SDKs is now baked into the regular rewards. This should increase overall rewards, and will make panel decisions easier, Google information security engineer Kristoffer Blasiak said.
Researchers have recently tracked a new malware, Cuttlefish, that targets networking equipment, specifically enterprise-grade small office/home office (SOHO) routers, to steal authentication material found in web requests that transit the router from the adjacent local area network (LAN).

Lumen Technologies Black Lotus Labs, who examined the malware, said that Cuttlefish creates either a proxy or VPN tunnel back through a compromised router to exfiltrate data by bypassing anomalous sign-in-based analytics and then uses stolen credentials to access targeted resources.

The malware also has the ability to perform HTTP and DNS hijacking for connections to private IP addresses, which are normally associated with communications within an internal network.

The researchers state that the Cuttlefish malware platform offers a zero-click approach to capturing data from users and devices behind the targeted networks edge.

Any data sent across network equipment infiltrated by this malware is potentially exposed. What makes this malware family so insidious is the ability to perform HTTP and DNS hijacking for connections to private IP addresses, the researchers warn in a blog post.

Cuttlefish lies in wait, passively sniffing packets, acting only when triggered by a predefined ruleset. The packet sniffer used by Cuttlefish was designed to acquire authentication material, with an emphasis on public cloud-based services.

According to Black Lotus Labs, the malware has been active since at least July 27, 2023, with code references indicating previous iterations. The latest campaign ran from October 2023 through April 2024.

The infection pattern was unique as 99% of infections occurred within Turkey, mainly stemming from two telecommunications providers. These two telecom firms accounted for roughly 93% percent of infections  600 unique IP addresses. The handful of non-Turkish victims included IP addresses of likely clients associated with global satellite phone providers, and a potential US-based datacenter, the company added.

Black Lotus Labs believes Cuttlefish represents the latest adaptation in networking equipment-based malware, as it merges multiple attributes and has the ability to perform route manipulation, hijack connections, and employ passive sniffing capability.

The threat actor not only recovers cloud resources associated with the targeted entity with the stolen key material but also gains a foothold in that cloud ecosystem.

These credential markers contain a list of predefined strings, some of which appeared to be generic like username, password or access_token, while others were much more targeted like aws_secret_key and cloudflare_auth_key, the researchers said.

Many of the specific markers were associated with cloud-based services such as Alicloud, AWS, Digital Ocean, CloudFlare, and BitBucket.

The researchers warn that Capturing credentials in transit could allow the threat actors to copy data from cloud resources that do not have the same type of logging or controls in place as traditional network perimeters.

Currently, the researchers are unable to determine the routers initial infection. Black Lotus Labs recommends that corporate network defenders look for attacks on weak credentials and suspicious login attempts, even when they originate from residential IP addresses that bypass geofencing and ASN-based blocking.

Further, consumers with SOHO routers should regularly reboot them and install security updates and patches.

Additionally, organizations that manage SOHO routers should ensure their devices do not depend upon common default passwords.
Siamese twins celebrated their first birthday a year after they were separated during a six-hour operation. Zayne and Zion were born at University College Hospital in London in April 2023 and operated on a few months later in July.

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Both babies had congenital heart defects and were connected by the breastbone and abdominal wall - they shared a liver, some blood vessels and muscles. This was reported by the Daily Mail.

Siamese conjoined twins are born once in 250 thousand babies in the UK. Zayne and Zion's parents, Christian Moses, 35, and Primrose, 33, talk about the strong bond between the kids: one of the twins starts crying when the other is not around.

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Primrose says the children have learned to crawl and say "Dada." Both twins are now home after spending many months in the hospital. Their mother stayed with them in London from birth, and Christian traveled to the couple's hometown of Middlesbrough to look after the older children, 6-year-old Joshua and 4-year-old Jonathan.

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Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
After the news of almost daily explosions in Russian-occupied Crimea, propagandists began to lure their tourists, who are afraid of becoming the target of another missile, with sweet discounts. In some places, prices have dropped by up to 50%, and for some people, the vacation can even be free.

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The propaganda media write about the creation of a "special project" that is supposed to attract the attention of Russians to relax on the no longer golden shores of the Crimean peninsula. Previously, the beach season was opened in April, but now few people want to swim in the sea.

The existing discounts are supposed to last until the end of May, but it is not known whether people will continue to come to the tourist cities for vacation after the constant loud explosions. According to Russian media, hotels and resorts have reduced their prices by 20%, and resorts on the western coast, which is washed by the Black Sea, have reduced their prices by up to 50%.

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In particular, they are "luring" tourists with a special program under which pensioners will have a special vacation rate, children will be able to stay for free, and all visitors will be able to take their holidays off and spend their vacations "actively." Interestingly, the occupiers are so desperate that they are ready to significantly reduce the prices of spa treatments and animators.

Tourism is the largest source of income for Crimean residents both before and after the occupation. That is why Russians are trying their best to replenish city budgets. In particular, Russian media report that last year, vacation packages went up by 38%, which may be due to the small number of tourists.

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Based on the videos circulating online about the state of Crimean beaches, they are not in the best condition today. Some of them have long been "resting" instead of Russians, while others have rusted drones. It is worth noting that regular explosions in Crimea have a detrimental effect on wildlife. Quite often, you can find photos of dolphins that have been washed up on the shores.

"These marine animals are dying from constant shooting at the entrance to Sevastopol Bay, as well as due to the use of high-frequency radar equipment by the Russian military, which 'deafens' and 'blinds' dolphins," one of the similar news reports says.

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Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that the well-known Turkish airline Turkish Airlines announced that it would remove Russian tourists from flights to Latin America. In total, six countries have imposed restrictions.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
US Republicans vote to remove wolf protections



Washington, April 30 (AFP) Apr 30, 2024



The Republican-majority US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that would remove endangered species protections for the gray wolf across much of the country, sparking outrage among conservationists.

Sponsored by Representative Lauren Boebert, a right-wing firebrand from Colorado, the bill passed narrowly along party lines (209-205) and now heads to the Senate.

The White House on Monday announced its strong opposition to the measure, indicating a likely veto from President Joe Biden if it reaches his desk.

In October 2020, former president Donald Trump removed gray wolves from their protected species status, which was put in place in the 1970s after their near extinction in the continental United States.

These protections were restored by a federal judge in February 2022, but not before the lapse in safeguards led to devastating losses: more than 200 were killed in a 72-hour hunting spree in Wisconsin, in just one example.

To supporters, the apex predators embody the free spirit of the American wilderness, while detractors see them as a threat to ranchers' livelihoods.

A quarter of a million wolves once roamed from coast to coast before European colonizers embarked on campaigns of eradication that persisted into the 20th century and all but wiped them out, outside of their Alaskan stronghold.

Today they number around 5,000 in the continental United States thanks to their listing on the Endangered Species Act.

But activists say recovery remains tenuous.

"If our elected leaders truly want to see this species fully recovered and properly delisted from the Endangered Species Act, they will vote no on this bill and allow wolves to continue their comeback story guided by best available science," said Robert Dewey of Defenders of Wildlife, one of more than 100 organizations that condemned the bill.
Heavy rains leave 5 dead, 18 missing in southern Brazil



Brasilia, April 30 (AFP) Apr 30, 2024



Five people died and 18 were reported missing as torrential rains lashed southern Brazil's state of Rio Grande do Sul, regional authorities said Tuesday.

The bad weather affected 77 municipalities across the state, with almost 100 people forced to evacuate their homes and another 200 taken to shelters, officials said in a statement.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva posted on social media that he spoke with state governor Eduardo Leite and offered assistance.

"The federal government will join the efforts of state government and municipalities to get through this difficult time, which is the result of climate change affecting the planet," the president wrote on X.

With weather conditions deteriorating, authorities were scrambling to rescue people cut off by floodwaters.

"In the coming hours, the volume of rainfall is expected to remain elevated... All monitored rivers are at levels above their alert limits," Rio Grande do Sul's government said in a statement.

Torrential rains in late March in southeastern Brazil left at least 25 people dead in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo.

Brazil's south and southeast have been battered by a cold front that followed a wave of extreme heat.
'Torrential' rains shutter Saudi schools, flood roads



Riyadh, May 1 (AFP) May 01, 2024



Saudi Arabian authorities shuttered schools in several regions on Wednesday as flash floods inundated roads, the latest instance of heavy rains disrupting life in the desert Gulf.

AFPTV footage showed partially submerged cars struggling to drive through standing water in the central region of Qassim, one of the areas hit hardest overnight.

"The rain continued for seven hours from the afternoon until near midnight in very large quantities," said Mohammed, an Egyptian resident of Buraidah, capital of Qassim, who spoke to AFP on the condition that only his first name be used.

"Water accumulated to a height of more than 10 centimetres (four inches) in front of the residence and prevented us from going out to the street. The sound of thunder was loud and lightning was illuminating the city."

The national meteorological centre issued red alerts for Qassim and other areas including eastern province on the Gulf, the capital Riyadh and Medina province bordering the Red Sea.

It warned of "heavy rain with strong wind, lack of horizontal visibility, hail, torrential rains, and thunderbolts".

Schools in Eastern Province and Riyadh also cancelled in-person instruction and moved classes online.

The Medina education department posted on X pictures of maintenance workers repairing electricity and air-conditioning units and removing standing water from schools.

There was some standing water on Riyadh's roads on Wednesday but traffic was not significantly disrupted.

Rainstorms and flooding are not unheard of in Saudi Arabia, especially in winter, and larger, more densely populated cities can struggle with drainage.

Such problems are an annual occurrence in Jeddah, the port city on the Red Sea coast, where residents have long decried poor infrastructure.

Floods killed 123 people in the city in 2009 and 10 more two years later.

This week's heavy rainfall in Saudi Arabia follows the intense rains that lashed the region in mid-April, killing 21 people in Oman and four in the United Arab Emirates, which received the heaviest rainfall since records began 75 years ago.

Global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions "most likely" exacerbated those rains, an expert group of scientists said in a study published last week.

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April temperatures in Bangladesh hottest on record



Dhaka, May 1 (AFP) May 01, 2024



Bangladesh's weather bureau said Wednesday that last month was the hottest April on record, with the South Asian nation and much of the region still enduring a suffocating heatwave.

Extensive scientific research has found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.

The punishing heat last month prompted Bangladesh's government to close schools across the country, keeping an estimated 32 million students at home.

"This year the heatwave covered around 80 percent of the country. We've not seen such unbroken and expansive heatwaves before," Bangladesh Meteorological Department senior forecaster Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik told AFP.

He said last month was the hottest April in Bangladesh since records began in 1948 "in terms of hot days and area coverage in the country".

Weather stations around Bangladesh this year recorded average daily maximum temperatures between two and eight degrees hotter than the 33.2-degree-Celsius (91.8-degree-Fahrenheit) average daily high for April over a 30-year period to 2010, he added.

Health department spokesman Selim Raihan told AFP the government had confirmed at least 11 heatstroke-related deaths in the past 10 days.

Rains are expected to bring some relief to Bangladesh from Thursday after a week of sweltering temperatures, with Dhaka recording several days over 40C.

Mallik said the severity of the heat had been worsened by the absence of the usual pre-monsoon April thunderstorms, which normally cool the country ahead of summer.

"Bangladesh gets an average of 130.2 millimetres of rain in April. But this April we got an average of one millimetre of rain," he said.

Mallik said the bureau was checking data to confirm whether this year also marked record low rainfalls for April.

Schools in Bangladesh will remain closed until Sunday.

The government ordered classrooms reopened last weekend, but a top Bangladeshi court directed them to shut again on Monday after taking into consideration reports that several teachers had died in the heatwave.



- 'Life has become unbearable' -



Thousands gathered at mosques and in open fields around the Muslim-majority nation last week to pray for rain.

"Life has become unbearable due to lack of rains," Muhammad Abu Yusuf, an Islamic cleric who led one such service, told AFP last week.

"Poor people are suffering immensely."

Mahfuzur Rahman, the owner of a cigarette stall in one of the capital Dhaka's largest wholesale markets, also said the past week had been "unbearable".

"Some days were so hot that it felt like my head was spinning. I can't concentrate and I feel drowsy. But I have to sell enough to make at least some money," he told AFP.

"I don't know why it is happening. Maybe we have tortured the earth. Maybe we have sinned."

Large swathes of South and Southeast Asia are sweltering through a heatwave that has topped temperature records from Myanmar to the Philippines, with the El Nino phenomenon also driving this year's exceptionally warm weather.

Weather bureaus in Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and India have all forecast temperatures above 40C (104F).

The months preceding the region's monsoon, or rainy season, are usually hot, but temperatures this year are well above average in many countries.

Asia is also warming faster than the global average, according to the UN's World Meteorological Organization.
Floods strand dozens of tourists in Kenya's Maasai Mara



Nairobi, May 1 (AFP) May 01, 2024



Nearly 100 tourists are among people marooned after a river overflowed in Kenya's famed Maasai Mara wildlife reserve following a heavy downpour, a local administrator said Wednesday.

Torrential rains, amplified by the El Nino weather pattern, have lashed much of the East African country and destroyed roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

"Approximately 100 or more tourists" were stranded in more than a dozen lodges and camps, Narok West sub-county administrator Stephen Nakola told AFP.

"That is the preliminary number as of now because some of the camps are unaccessible," he said.

The world-famous Maasai Mara, in southwestern Kenya, is a tourist magnet and home to native wildlife including the so-called Big Five -- lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards and buffalo -- as well as giraffes, hippos and cheetahs.

The Kenya Red Cross said it had rescued 61 people from the camps, more than half of them by air.

"In some camps, tents have been swept away and the Mara bridge, linking the Mara Triangle and the Greater Mara, has been washed away," it said on X.

Tourism minister Alfred Mutua had earlier on Wednesday said "several camps have been impacted" and warned all hotels and camps near rivers within Kenyan parks and reserves to prepare "for potential evacuations."

"Develop clear evacuation, transportation, and hospitality protocols," Mutua said in a statement.

The directive came hours after President William Ruto deployed the military to evacuate everyone living in flood-prone areas.

People living in the affected areas will have 48 hours to move after those who remain "will be relocated forcibly in the interest of their safety," the cabinet said in a statement.



- 'Early warning systems' -



So far, 179 people including 15 children have died in flood-related disasters across Kenya since March, according to government data.

Some 90 people have been reported missing, raising fears that the toll could go higher, and more than 195,000 others displaced.

In the worst single incident that killed nearly 50 villagers, a makeshift dam burst in the Rift Valley before dawn Monday, sending torrents of water and mud gushing down a hill and swallowing everything in its path.

The tragedy was the deadliest episode in the country since the start of the rainy season.

The disaster has sparked an outpouring of condolences and pledges of solidarity with the affected families from all over the world.

Pope Francis on Wednesday said he conveyed his "spiritual closeness" to Kenyans "at this time when a severe flood has tragically taken the lives of many of our brothers and sisters, injuring others and causing widespread destruction".

"I invite you to pray for all those who are suffering the effects of this natural disaster," he said at a general audience at the Vatican.

The weather has also left a trail of destruction in neighbouring Tanzania, where at least 155 people have been killed in flooding and landslides.

El Nino is a naturally occurring climate pattern typically associated with increased heat worldwide, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.
Self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is building a luxurious residence in the mountains near the resort city of Sochi in the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation. The dictator's estate will be located on an area of 972.5 hectares and will be equipped with protection against UAVs, and its cost will be about $150 million. According to experts, the residence should become an "alternate airfield" for Lukashenko's departure from Belarus.

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Belsat journalists and the association of former Belarusian security officials BELPOL spoke about the construction of the project in a joint investigation. They found out that Lukashenko's residence will be built on the territory of the elite Krasnaya Polyana resort on a plot of more than 97 thousand square meters.

A total of 12 facilities are planned to be built, including a hotel, a personal office, a restaurant complex, chalets, a swimming pool, a cinema, Russian and Turkish baths, a massage room, and a fitness center.

The interior promises to be luxurious, with walls made of monolithic reinforced concrete and gilded door handles.

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A unique Celtic "place of power" is located nearby, where esotericists come to worship the deities of the forest, the investigation says.

At the same time, Lukashenko's residence, according to the project, will be provided with means of protection against drones and "heavily armed guards."

The property was sold to the dictator back in February 2022.

The construction is being carried out by a private group of companies, Krasnodargrazhdanproekt, associated with Lukashenko.

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The investigators note that Lukashenka's residence near Sochi is being built "quietly, through a shell company, behind a high fence, and they are afraid that information about its purpose will not get to the media."

They obtained not only the contract for the sale of the land plot, but also Lukashenko's secret orders, which alienated the land plot from Belarusian ownership into the private hands of the dictator's friends and started the construction of the Krasnaya Polyana residential complex.

According to the investigators, Lukashenka plans to use the new estate after he leaves his post and Belarus in general, either voluntarily or by force. He apparently decided to build it after the 2020 elections and protests.

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Scenarios of the "end of Lukashenko"

According to political scientist, political analyst, and international journalist Viktor Kaspruk, 2024 could be a turning point for Lukashenko. He will turn 70 years old, 30 of which he has been ruling illegitimately in Belarus.

"It is obvious that the last dictator of Europe is losing his dead grip, his health has been undermined by decades of all kinds of excesses, illnesses and excess weight, but he cannot retire politically. Neither can he pass the country to his heir, his son Kolinka, nor to any of his inner circle," the political analyst notes.

So far, Lukashenko has managed to avoid direct involvement in the war against Ukraine for several reasons. While he is waiting to see who will prevail, and when the situation in Russia begins to deteriorate sharply, he will have "a chance to fight for at least a small political indulgence from the West" - he says that despite the Kremlin's pressure, he has managed to avoid direct interference in the hostilities.

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In addition, the Belarusian army itself poses a danger to Lukashenko. Unlike the KGB and the police, the military has no particular loyalty to the dictator, so he does not risk mobilization. And in the event of a critical situation in the country, the military could defeat Lukashenko's security forces and send the usurper to Moscow forever, the analyst suggests.

According to Kaspruk, Lukashenko has two scenarios for the future: "bad and even worse". If he sends troops to Ukraine, "he will become extremely vulnerable at home, because his influence on the country is weak."

"If he doesn't, Russia will lose the war of aggression - he will definitely lose control of Belarus and may be removed from power by force and repeat the fate of Mussolini," the analyst believes.

According to Kaspruk, Lukashenko has managed to avoid the Kremlin's political traps for 30 years, and now he has to "pass a difficult exam to confirm this skill."

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"The positive thing here is that the self-proclaimed president cares little about the fate of Belarus after his term ends. The main thing is his family and his life. Therefore, he will be ready to do anything to save them," the analyst points out.

In his opinion, the opportunity to tear Belarus away from Russia will appear only after Moscow's defeat in the war, which will surely mean that Belarus will also break away from Lukashenko, who "stole 30 years of their future from Belarusians."

"And the self-proclaimed president will definitely have to answer for this, as well as for all the crimes he has committed: the disappearance of his political opponents without a trace, torture and murder of political prisoners, robbery of the Belarusian people, smuggling of oil products and election fraud, whatever he does next," Viktor Kaspruk predicts.

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As reported by OBOZ.UA, last week Lukashenko said that the West should "play a draw with Russia". According to the dictator, otherwise the war could allegedly end in "the termination of Ukraine's existence."

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Tulane University officials closed three buildings and a portion of the school's Uptown campus on Tuesday after pro-Palestinian protesters erected a small encampment on the lawn outside Gibson Hall a day earlier and defended it with a human chain through much of the night.
Late on Tuesday evening, April 30, Russian occupation forces struck Odesa with ballistic missiles again. Explosions were heard in the city.

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First, the Ukrainian Air Force reported a threat of ballistic missile attacks from the south. The Odesa Regional Military Administration urged residents to take shelter until the end of the day.

"Very loud explosions are heard in the city, do not leave the shelters," Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov wrote.

According to the monitoring channels, at least two Iskander-M ballistic missiles were used to hit Odesa. Preliminary, the missiles were launched from Crimea.

In the evening of April 29, the Russian army attacked Odesa with Iskander missiles with shrapnel. Five people were killed, 32 people were injured. Civilian infrastructure and residential buildings were damaged.

One of the victims of the attack on Odesa was the vice-rector of the International Humanitarian University, Borys Vasiliev. Among those wounded in the attack on Odesa is former MP and rector of the Odesa Law Academy Serhii Kivalov. He was hospitalized with a shrapnel wound to his thigh and bleeding.

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On April 30, a day of mourning was declared in the Odesa region because of the brutal missile attack.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Let me say up front: This is not an essay about how bad TV is today. Just the opposite. There is little truly bad high-profile television made any more. As I wrote last year, these days it takes a special confluence of celebrity pull and network resources to make a dud like HBOs The Idol. When we encounter a majestic prize turkey like this in the wild, we almost dont know what to think. Who did this? How did this get past quality control? Seriously, how did this get past quality control? Lily Rose Depp and The Weeknd starred in The Idol. What we have today instead is something less awful but in a way more sad: The willingness to retreat, to settle, to trade the ambitious for the dependable. People who grew up in the three-broadcast network era  we knew bad TV. We watched it and sometimes even loved it. (ABCs 1977 comedy The San Pedro Beach Bums was one of TVs biggest punchlines, and its cancellation was one of the first heartbreaks of my young life.) But the rise of pay TV transformed both the business and the art of television, as the likes of HBO, FX and AMC took risks and offered creators freedom in order to stand out. It worked  so well, in fact, that eventually the truism that TV was garbage was replaced by the truism that TV was the new literature, or cinema, or maybe even religion. A New York Times critic heralded The Sopranos as possibly the greatest work of pop culture in a quarter-century. Deadwood was likened to Shakespeare, The Wire to Dickens, Mad Men to Cheever. People deconstructed Lost and argued over Girls. TVs auteurs bestrode the cultural conversation like the easy riders and raging bulls of film in the 1970s.

For a good two decades now, its been bien-pensant wisdom that TV could be good  no, not just good. Original. Provocative. Important. TV was so highly acclaimed for so long that we were like the frog in boiling water, but in reverse. The medium became lukewarm so gradually that you might not even have noticed. The streaming era at first promised more innovation, supercharged and superfunded, and for a while thats what we got. Eager to establish a catalogue of original programming, Netflix underwrote experiments like Orange Is the New Black, BoJack Horseman and Sense8. Not everything worked, and what did work could be inconsistent, but there was a sense of opportunity and possibility. But another thing happened as well. The conferral of status (and money) on TV meant that there was a lot more talent available. Doing TV was no longer a demotion, and you could buy an instant sense of importance by hiring stars. Netflixs early hit, House of Cards, was a harbinger, a pot of boiling ham given the aura of prestige with the casting of a pre-scandal Kevin Spacey. Also, more streamers  Netflix was joined by Amazon, Hulu and sundry Maxes and Pluses  simply meant more TV. More TV was better in some ways: It meant room for new voices and untold stories, more dice to roll. But it also created a sense of overload. In a seemingly infinite sea of story, how would viewers find shows, and shows get found?

More and more often, theyd get found through the algorithm, whose purpose is to serve up new versions of the last thing you watched. Increasingly, the best way to get noticed was with something people already recognised: A familiar title, formula or franchise. Disney+s Marvel Cinematic Universe series are too polished to be awful or tacky  just compare them to the threadbare comic-book dramas of the 70s and 80s  but they are too bound by the rules and needs of the larger megaproperty to take creative leaps. (Its noteworthy that the first of these series, WandaVision, remains the one significant exception.) Meanwhile, Netflixs Ozark showed that you could ask, What if ChatGPT rewrote Breaking Bad? and enough people would embrace the result as if it were Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad: Walter White (Bryan Cranston), Skyler White (Anna Gunn) and Walter White jnr (RJ Mitte). Credit: AMC Put these two forces together  a rising level of talent and production competence on the one hand, the pressure to deliver versions of something viewers already like on the other hand  and what do you get? You get a whole lot of Mid. Mid is not the mediocre TV of the past. Its more upscale. It is the aesthetic equivalent of an Airbnb modern farmhouse renovation, or the identical hipster cafe found in medium-sized cities all over the planet. Its nice! The furniture is tasteful, theyre playing Khruangbin on the speakers, the shade-grown coffee is an improvement on the steaming mug of motor oil youd have settled for a few decades ago.

If comparing TV to fast-casual dining is an insulting analogy, in my defence, I only borrowed it. A New Yorker profile last year quoted a Netflix executive describing the platforms ideal show as a gourmet cheeseburger. Im not going to lie, I enjoy a gourmet cheeseburger. Caramelise some onions, lay on a slice of artisanal American cheese and Im happy. But at heart, the sales pitch for that cheeseburger is no different from that for a Big Mac: You know what youre going to get. And its not only Netflix plating this up. Look at the star-packed algorithm bait weve seen over the past year or so. Theres Masters of the Air, a well-credentialed, superfluous expansion to the World War II-verse of Band of Brothers and The Pacific. (Liked those? Watch this next!) Apples Never Fall, a room-temperature adaptation of another Liane Moriarty novel. (Liked Big Little Lies? Watch this next!) Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, a fall-from-grace biopic cast to the hilt and padded to the limit. (Liked Fosse/Verdon? Watch this next!) Naomi Watts as Babe Paley in Feud: Capote Vs the Swans. These shows dont have what it takes to be truly bad. Making honestly bad TV requires a mercenary, Barnumesque disregard for taste, or a hell-bent willingness to take the kind of gamble that can turn into disaster.

Mid TV, on the other hand, almost cant be bad for some of the same reasons that keep it from being great. Its often an echo of the last generation of breakthrough TV (so the highs and lows of Game of Thrones are succeeded by the faithful adequacy of House of the Dragon). Or its made by professionals who know how to make TV too well, and therefore miss a prerequisite of making great art, which is training yourself to forget how the thing was ever done and thus coming up with your own way of doing it. Milly Alcock as Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon, with Emily Carey as young Alicent. Credit: HBO/Foxtel Mid is not a strict genre with a universal definition. But its what you get when you raise TVs production values and lower its ambitions. It reminds you of a little of something you once liked a lot. It substitutes great casting for great ideas. (You really liked the star in that other thing! You cant believe they got Meryl Streep!) Mid is based on a well-known book or movie or murder. Mid looks great on a big screen. (Though for some reason everything looks blue.) Mid was shot on location in multiple countries. Mid probably could have been a couple of episodes shorter. Mid is fine, though. Its good enough. Above all, Mid is easy. Its not dumb easy  it shows evidence that its writers have read books. But the story beats are familiar. Plot points and themes are repeated. You dont have to immerse yourself single-mindedly the way you might have with, say, The Wire. It is prestige TV that you can fold laundry to.

And lets be fair, it makes plenty of people happy. Any honest critic has to recognise that people for whom TV-watching is not work do not always want to work at watching TV. (See, for instance, the unlikely resurgence on Netflix of Suits, that watchable avatar of 2010s basic-pay-TV Mid.) I get it. TV critics have laundry to fold, too. There may also be economic reasons to prefer good-enough TV. As more people drop pay TV for streaming, their incentives change. With pay TV, you bought a package of channels, many of which you would never watch, but any of which you might. Each streaming platform, on the other hand, requires a separate purchase decision, and they add up. You might well choose a service that has plenty of shows youd be willing to watch rather than one with a single show that you must watch. So where HBO used to boast that it was not TV, modern streamers send the message: Well give you a whole lot of TV. It can seem like their chief goal is less to produce standout shows than to produce a lot of good-looking thumbnails. There is even a growing idea that a new Golden Age is emerging, with a new Midas. Apple TV+, the home of Ted Lasso and The Morning Show, has been deemed, by more than one commentator, the new HBO.

Apple TV+ is not HBO. At least not in the sense of what made HBO HBO in the 2000s, when it was revolutionising TV and challenging viewers. (And HBO wasnt alone in being HBO in this sense: It had company in FX, AMC, Showtime and occasionally Syfy and others.) Loading But Apple TV+ just might be the HBO of Mid. Broadly generalising, Apples strategy has been to open its chequebook and sign up A-list names  Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, M. Night Shyamalan  to make broadly palatable, uncontroversial shows. (This did not work out too well with Jon Stewart.) According to reports around its founding, Apple chief Tim Cook was concerned that the service not go overboard with violence, profanity and nudity  not exactly the mission statement of somebody looking to reopen the Bada Bing. Apples investment bought something. Its shows feel professional. They look like premium products that no one skimped on. Palm Royale has a loaded cast (Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Carol Burnett[!]) and an attention to period detail that recalls Mad Men. But its class farce is toothless, its atmosphere of 60s cultural ferment warmed over. Comedies like Shrinking and Platonic and Loot are more nice than funny; dramas like Constellation, The New Look and Manhunt classy but inert.

These are shows built like iPhones  sleek, rounded, with no edges you can cut yourself on. There is, of course, great and innovative TV on Apple as well. Im dying to see another season of the brain-bending sci-fi thriller, Severance, and its first crop of shows included the alternative space-race history, For All Mankind, and the screwball literary history, Dickinson. It is exceptions like these series that make me an optimist about TV long-term. Even in the face of pressures and incentives to aim for the middle, creativity wants to find a way. Just a year ago, I was writing about wild, adventurous series like Beef, Reservation Dogs, Mrs. Davis and Im a Virgo. (This year, two of the best new dramas so far are a remake of Shogun and a re-adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley.) Beef actors Steven Yeun and Ali Wong with their Golden Globes. Credit: Invision But the bulk of TV right now  the packing peanuts that fill up the space between The Bear and FBoy Island  feels flattened out in the broad middle. No, not flattened: Smoothed. That may be the biggest but most intangible defining feature of Mid. Its friction-free. It has an AI-like, uncanny luster, like the too-sharp motion-smoothing effect that you have to turn off when you buy a new flat-screen.

TV is far from broken, but it does feel like someone needs to go in and tweak the settings. The price of reliability, competence and algorithm-friendliness is losing the sense of surprise  the unmoored feeling you get, from innovations like Fleabag and Watchmen and I May Destroy You, of being thrown into an unpredictable alien universe. I dont think its only critics and TV snobs who want this, either. The Sopranos and Twin Peaks were revolutionary and rewarded close viewing, but they were also popular. Even if you watch TV as escapism, how much of an escape is a show that you can, and probably will, half-watch while also doomscrolling on your phone? Loading We lose something when we become willing to settle. Reliability is a fine quality in a hybrid sedan. But in art, it has a cost. A show that cant disappoint you, cant surprise you. A show that cant enrage you, cant engage you. The good news is, there is still TV willing to take chances, if you look for it. You may have loved or hated The Curse, but I would be surprised if anyone who watched an hour of it ended up indifferent to it. This month, HBO premiered The Sympathizer, Park Chan-wooks frenetic adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyens satire of the Vietnam War and its aftermath, a raucous, disorienting rush down the back alleys of memory.
Bruce Lehrmann has been granted an extension of time to lodge any appeal against a landmark decision dismissing his defamation case after a judge found on the balance of probabilities that the former federal Liberal staffer raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House.

Lawyers for Lehrmann, Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson returned to court on Wednesday for submissions on legal costs of the defamation fight. The combined costs of the trial are estimated at $10 million, and Ten is seeking access to documents revealing if Lehrmann had financial backers.

Bruce Lehrmann departs court after the verdict on April 15. Credit: Wolter Peeters

Lehrmanns junior barrister, David Helvadjian, told the Federal Court in Sydney that a new senior counsel has been briefed to provide advice on prospects of success of any appeal.

He sought an extension of the usual 28-day window for lodging any notice of appeal, which would otherwise have expired on May 13.
A 15-year-old boy who described the alleged Wakeley terrorist as his mate sent messages in the days after the church stabbing about wanting to do something so bad, including attacking a bunch of Jews, a court has heard.

The teenager was charged in the aftermath of the alleged stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during a live-streamed service at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley on April 15, which was declared a terrorist incident. During a raid on the teenagers home, police say they found two hand-drawn flags of the terrorist group Islamic State.

The 15-year-old boys parents leave Parramatta Childrens Court after their sons bail application. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

The 15-year-old on Friday became the sixth alleged associate of the 16-year-old accused stabber to be charged, but is the youngest to be facing a count of conspiring to prepare or plan a terrorist act, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if proven.

At a bail application in Parramatta Childrens Court on Wednesday afternoon, attended by the teenagers parents as he appeared via video link, Crown prosecutor Rebekah Rodger said the boys mother had taken his phone away from him on April 15 because he was getting heightened by the stabbing of the bishop.
Credit: Illustration: Andrew Dyson

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MALE ROLE MODELS

We have to face it that men are the problem that creates violence against women and children. Good men know they are the problem, know there is more they could do, and are willing to make that change. Bad men dont recognise the problem, are anyway unwilling to change, or think they are so good that they arent part of the problem.

For good men, we need to march together and soon in every town in the country. This is a not just capital city problem. Maybe every male footy team (all codes) organise for the men in their town to march  similar to what the AFL suggested this week.

Secondly, we need a code of conduct, a pledge, that we sign up to about our behaviour as men to ensure we stop violence against women and children. The code would include how we will behave in groups of men and what we will do when we suspect or see violence against women and children. This code would be developed by experts in the field and receive feedback from womens groups working on this issue. Maybe we create some kind of physical and digital badges those of us who have signed use to show the community that the culture is changing.

For the bad men, I think we need to do what the government discussed yesterday: education, funding, programs, much heavier penalties and better support for victims to prosecute and be safe. And if the good men take the pledge and act on it, the space for bad men will get smaller quickly. We must act, listen to the feedback women give us and respond, but we must act.

Nic Frances Gilley, former CEO of Brotherhood of St Lawrence

Education, from men to boys

Boys learn how to be men from their fathers and other men. Boys have an implicit expectation of this, particularly pre-puberty. Often there is an absence of positive good fathering, and pre-school and primary school male role models to guide the boys. Boys are left to try and work this out for themselves. They do this by using social media and with no moral compass trend towards their own, often toxic interpretations of how to behave. This Lord of the Flies situation is having a disastrous impact on their behaviour, and with messaging now a primary communication, what gets said between boys and girls is often harmful. It is a predicator of how they will behave when adult.

No wonder there is an increase in domestic violence and womens deaths. Men are already responsible for over 80 per cent of all criminal acts in Australia. Male violent acts towards women are at 91per cent. It is a massive cost to us all  in incarceration, law courts and remedial costs for both victims, perpetrators and families. This is no longer a patch-up situation. Hand-wringing time is over. If we are to create permanent, long-term social change and safety, we will need to prioritise how to ensure intentional undistracted fathering, and more male role modelling for boys in our schools.

Peter Efford, The Menswork Project, Gooseberry Hill, WA
The Coate Inquiry  which delivered its final report in December 2020  found a multitude of failures in the state governments hastily established hotel quarantine system had contributed to hundreds of deaths and the infection of 18,000 people. Loading Dr Vyom Sharma, who worked in hotel quarantine in Victoria from May 2020 to March 2022, told The Age that the scheme was a well-intended effort that was largely pulled off with some pretty big mistakes, including the infection prevention breaches. Sharma said key lessons were learnt through the pandemic, including not to underestimate the potential airborne spread of COVID-19, which is how a lot of people were exposed to these infections. While the Melbourne GP said another pandemic was inevitable, he struggled to see a scenario where a mandatory quarantine system would be imposed again.

The pandemic has left such a bad taste in peoples mouths that I struggle to imagine just how bad a pandemic would have to be for there to be public acceptability and political palatability for this. The 10 witnesses whose testimony was ruled inadmissible in the criminal proceedings brought by WorkSafe Victoria were employees of the Department of Health who had provided statements to the Coate inquiry. Former judge Jennifer Coate chaired the 2020 inquiry into Victorias bungled hotel quarantine system. Credit: Getty In an oral ruling on April 9, Judge Andrew Palmer said the prosecution is not permitted to use the witness statements or oral evidence provided to the inquiry by the witnesses. An OPP spokesman said on Wednesday that the inadmissible evidence of 10 witnesses had substantially weakened the prosecution case.

As a consequence of the evidentiary ruling, a determination was made that there were not reasonable prospects of conviction in relation to the charges before the court, he said. Loading Former chief Crown prosecutor Gavin Silbert, KC, said a person was normally protected from self-incrimination when they gave evidence to an inquiry, which meant their evidence could not be used in any other context, including their prosecution. But, he said, in situations where evidence had been declared inadmissible, prosecutors could start the investigation anew. What a prosecution service has to do in this situation is start from scratch and put to one side  not even look at the inquiry thats been conducted, all the evidence thats been collected, he said.

All they can do is go to the individual witnesses and take fresh statements. Palmer also told the court that the witness statements might have been obtained under the powers of the Occupational Health and Safety Act instead, which could have been admissible. It is possible that those documents could have been obtained using coercive powers under the [OH&S Act], but that question can be reserved for another day, Palmer found. The charges against the health department followed a 15-month WorkSafe Victoria investigation that involved the review of tens of thousands of documents, including those submitted to the inquiry.

Loading It alleged the department had failed to appoint experts in infection prevention and control at the hotels, to provide proper training to security guards or to provide proper instructions around mask-wearing. In all charges, WorkSafe alleged Victorian government employees and security guards were put at risk of serious illness or death through contracting COVID-19 from returned travellers, other people working in the hotels or from contaminated surfaces. The watchdog had accused the department of 17 occupational health and safety breaches for failing to provide and maintain a safe working environment for employees. The department was charged with an additional 41 breaches for failing to ensure that non-employees were not exposed to risks to their health and safety. Of those, 16 charges were dropped. WorkSafe is deeply disappointed by the decision to discontinue criminal proceedings against the Department of Health in relation to the Victorian hotel quarantine program, a WorkSafe spokesman said on Wednesday.

WorkSafe said it would review the matter to determine whether to provide advice to the Victorian government on legislative changes to prevent government departments avoiding charges through the use of inquiries. Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the dropping of the charges had further eroded Victorians expectation of government accountability. No matter what the level of the blowout, no matter what the level of the cost is in terms of human life, no one is ever held accountable, they lose confidence in institutions, and they further lose confidence in the government, he said. The sad truth for all Victorians is that after the disaster and the catastrophe of hotel quarantine  no one will be held accountable, he said. Thats not acceptable in Victoria.

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said she was advised that the charges would be dropped on Tuesday but was not aware of when the decision had been made. Spiros Dimitriou at his fathers grave in 2020. Credit: Joe Armao Dimitriou said his father had died alone  without his family by his side  in hospital in August 2020 after contracting COVID-19 at St Basils Homes for the Aged in Fawkner. Although the former print operator had dementia when he died, he still recognised his family, including his nine grandchildren. You wouldnt wish that upon your enemy, Dimitriou said. Four years have gone past [and] we still think every single one of those residents, my father included, should still be here with us today.
Tourists are often targeted by pickpockets: 87 percent of travelers say they take steps to protect themselves and their valuables while on vacation. According to the latest study, the country with the highest number of tourist thefts is Italy.

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It is reported by Express with reference to Quotezone.co.uk. Most vacations to Europe go smoothly, but there is always a risk of getting into trouble and losing money or valuables. So, a list of tourist attractions that are the perfect places for pickpockets to "work" and the reasons why you should be even more careful are in our article.

Trevi Fountain, Italy

In Italy, tourists should be especially careful near Rome's Trevi Fountain. Built in the 18th century, the Trevi Fountain is visited by an average of 1000 tourists per hour. Visitors throw more than 800,000 pounds sterling there every year, but you should also keep an eye on your wallet while in the crowd.

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Eiffel Tower, France

In France, the Eiffel Tower is a prime target for pickpockets. Many tourists gather around the monument to take photos, but it's important to stay on your guard.

Las Ramblas, Spain

Barcelona has long had a reputation for pickpocketing, so it's no surprise that one of Spain's hotspots for thieves is in the coastal city. Las Ramblas is one of the busiest pedestrian streets in Europe, and tourists can be bait for thieves. Many thefts occur when visitors watch one of the street performers on Las Ramblas.

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Brandenburg Gate, Germany

In Berlin, the place where thefts most often occur is the Brandenburg Gate. The 18th century monument is one of the most iconic places in the city. Since the area is often crowded, it is important to keep an eye on your belongings when looking at the monument.

Red light district, The Netherlands

Amsterdam's famous red light district is the place where tourists are most likely to fall victim to pickpockets in the Netherlands. Despite its popularity, Amsterdam is considering moving the area outside the city center.

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Alfama, Portugal

In Portugal, Lisbon's historic Alfama district is the place where tourists are most often robbed of their personal belongings. The winding streets of the old neighborhood are popular with visitors, which means that pickpockets are also active here.

Sultanahmet district, Turkey

The Sultanahmet district of Istanbul is a place where tourists are often targeted by pickpockets. It is home to some of the city's most famous landmarks, including Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, which are always crowded.

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Acropolis Museum, Greece

The Acropolis Museum in Athens, one of the most impressive ancient wonders of the world, is also the place where tourists' valuables are most often at risk. This place is so popular that tourists often have to wait in lines. Pickpockets are happy to take advantage of it.

Rynek Glowny Central Square, Poland

Rynek Glowny Square in Krakow is the worst place for tourists in terms of the safety of their valuables. The square is one of the most beautiful in the country, but tourists are better off leaving their belongings at their hotel. Rynek Glowny is especially lively in winter when the city's Christmas market is held here.

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Guinness Storehouse, Ireland

In Ireland, the Guinness Museum of Beer is the most popular place for pickpockets. The seven-story museum of the history of the famous Irish beer brand with tastings and the Gravity bar on the roof, located in a 300-year-old building, is the main attraction and one of the highest places in Dublin, where there are always many tourists, and therefore pickpockets.

Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
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 central Chile, not far from where the Andes Mountains meet the Pacific Ocean, a vast swath of pristine wilderness is changing hands under the most unusual circumstances. Roberto Hagemann, a Chilean businessperson who owns the 131,000-hectare property, has agreed to sell the land to his longtime adversaries, a band of upstart environmentalists who spent years thwarting his efforts to develop the property. The price: $US63 million ($97 million). It is a landmark transaction that will preserve some of the most ecologically significant territory in South America. Known as Hacienda Pucheguin, the property is surrounded by national parks and is cut by wild rivers, forests of ancient Alerce trees and the Cochamo Valley, a cathedral of towering granite walls popular with rock climbers around the world. The deal is also a case study in modern-day conservation. At a moment when ecologically sensitive lands are under threat around the globe, it takes a unique confluence of legal, financial and political resources  plus a bit of luck  to protect them from relentless development. This is an irreplaceable place, said Jeff Parrish, a senior executive at the Nature Conservancy, which is advising the non-profit group leading the purchase. We need to make sure that it stays the way nature intended it to be. The land Hagemann came to own is almost entirely untouched by humanity. During the past century, a few hundred settlers established small farms in the area and were granted property rights. For the most part, however, the area was left alone, providing a verdant habitat for pumas, rare Darwins frogs and the endangered South Andean deer.

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In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Chilean government proposed building roads through the area. But residents, opposing the development in an ecologically sensitive area, scuttled the efforts. About the same time, the Cochamo Valley developed an international reputation among climbers. With steep granite walls rising thousands of metres above the valley floor, the area was soon being called the Yosemite of South America  a reference to Californias rock climbing mecca. Then in 2007, Hagemann began buying up the land, piece by piece. He knew that the land was held by more than 200 families, and he saw an opportunity to unite the properties into one parcel that could be used for both tourism and development. The Cochamo Valley has been called the Yosemite of South America, a reference to Californias rock climbing mecca. Credit: Claro Catalina/The New York Times Hagemann, who made a fortune through mining and real estate, and a partner spent tens of millions of dollars of their own money acquiring the property with a flurry of transactions. Assembling the patchwork landholdings into a single parcel was a complex task that had scared off other buyers. Doug and Kris Tompkins, American philanthropists who conserved vast swaths of land in Chile and Argentina, were aware of the property. But they concluded that it would be too difficult to navigate so many small real estate deals. Hagemann was undeterred, and he ultimately came to own the roughly 1300 square kilometres of contiguous land, almost completely surrounded by national parks.

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Shortly after assembling the property, he and his associates proposed building a hydroelectric facility in the area. The project would have entailed the construction of a power plant on a river near the valley, 62 kilometres of transmission lines and a network of roads in what was still unspoiled wilderness. Our main objective was to invest capital on nature, Hagemann said in an email, adding value to our Chilean productivity growth as well as the local development of Pucheguin people. But Hagemann met resistance from the outset. In 2013, a longtime wilderness guide named Rodrigo Condeza founded a non-profit organisation called Puelo Patagonia, which was dedicated to preserving the land. Allowing the construction of a hydroelectric facility, he argued, would disrupt an important ecological corridor that passes thorough a vast series of national parks. Rodrigo Condeza, founder of the nonprofit Puelo Patagonia, in Chile. Credit: The New York Times Condeza began to rally public support around his cause, drumming up opposition to Hagemann and his plans to develop the land. He was our adversary for many years, Condeza said. Condeza also took the fight to court. Puelo Patagonia led a community effort to sue to stop the hydroelectric project, saying that it had not secured the proper environmental reviews. In 2017, a Chilean court agreed, scuttling Hagemanns plans for the power plant. Thwarted in his efforts to develop the land, Hagemann decided to sell. In 2018, Christies listed the property for $US150 million.

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The rarity and diversity of this Patagonian wilderness is an incomparable piece of environmental art to be as treasured by its next owner just as a Picasso or Monet painting would be, Rick Moeser, executive director of Christies International Real Estate, said at the time. The property has been responsibly protected and could serve as a sensitively developed eco-resort, a private residence, or await its next conservation steward. No buyers came forward, but the listing caught the attention of conservationists and climbers around the world. In 2022, Puelo Patagonia decided it would make a lowball offer. A lawyer brokered a visit, and after a decade as adversaries, the two sides began talking. Hagemann explained that he also wanted to conserve the land but that he had wanted to do so while also creating economic value. The Puelo Patagonia team tried to persuade Hagemann that he should sell the property for a fraction of the asking price. Due to this meeting, a long process of mutual knowledge and respectful dialogue began, that allowed us to reach mutual understanding and respect beyond our differences, Hagemann said. Shortly after the discussions began, Puelo Patagonia proposed to buy the property for $US50 million. Though the organisation had no money committed, Condeza and his colleagues believed they could raise the funds if a deal was secured. We are a bunch of hippies, Condeza said. We had no business doing this.

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Hagemann countered with $US100 million. For the next year, they negotiated. Hagemanns son, a rock climber who has scaled the walls of the Cochamo Valley, also encouraged his father to sell the property to the conservationists, according to people involved in the deal. Earlier this year, after more than a decade locking horns, the two sides reached a surprising resolution, agreeing on the price of $US63 million. A stream flowing from the granite mountains in the Cochamo Valley, central Chile. Credit: Rodrigo Manns/The New York Times Puelo Patagonia has already raised more than $US15 million from two charities that support conservation efforts. The bulk of the money came from the Wyss Foundation, which was founded by Hansjorg Wyss, a Swiss billionaire who has become a major donor to liberal causes in the United States. Another major donor is the Freyja Foundation, which is focused on conservation. Hagemann has given the group two years to raise the rest of the funds. Puelo Patagonia also plans to raise an additional $US15 million that will be used to build trails and manage the growing number of tourists visiting the Cochamo Valley. The group hopes that at least half of the contributions will come from Chilean donors. Safeguarding this region will preserve these jewels for generations, Tompkins said in an email.

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Millennia old slips reveal panoramic view of China's first unified dynasty

Xinhua) 10:01, May 01, 2024

CHANGSHA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A 2002 archaeological discovery brought Liye, then an obscure small town, into the spotlight, due to unearthed bamboo and wooden slips that reveal details of life during the era of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

Liye belongs to Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. The prefecture, located in the westernmost part of central China's Hunan Province, is considered a remote place where four provinces converge. Even traveling via the expressway from Changsha, the provincial capital, takes over five hours.

During the 2002 emergency archaeological excavation conducted in conjunction with the construction of a hydropower station, over 36,000 Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) slips, containing more than 200,000 characters, were unearthed from an ancient well. These are the administrative documents of Qianling County in the previously unrecorded Dongting Prefecture, spanning from the year before the nation's unification to the year before the fall of the Qin Dynasty.

Long Jingsha, a veteran archaeologist and the lead excavator of the well, said he had been searching for the ancient city site in this area since the nearby discovery of tombs and accompanying artifacts from the Warring States period (475 BC-221 BC) in the 1980s.

When the upper part of the well was excavated, it was first assumed to be a cellar, but after digging down 5 meters without seeing the bottom, archaeologists realized that it might actually be an ancient well.

As Long recalled, the top layer consisted of silt, pottery shards, and fragments of lacquered wood artifacts that were daily waste two millennia ago. On June 3, 2002, within the 7 meters of silt, a dark slip bearing inscriptions was discovered. "At that moment, I felt all my blood rush to my head," Long said.

From the unification of the six states by Emperor Qin Shi Huang in 221 BC to its surrender in 207 BC, the Qin Dynasty lasted just over a decade. Due to scarce historical records, this dynasty was for many years shrouded by unresolved mysteries. The Liye Qin slips, akin to an encyclopedia of Qin Dynasty social life, changed this situation, filling many blanks and allowing a clear view of how China's first unified dynasty operated.

According to Zhang Chunlong, a research fellow at the Hunan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, this well is 17 meters deep and contained 18,000 inscribed pieces. These slips cover a wide range of topics including politics, the military, ethnicity, the economy, law, culture, postal services, and medicine. The quantity exceeds the total of all previously unearthed Qin slips, with a complete chronology and detailed records -- an extremely rare find in archaeology.

Newly revealed to the world again after 2,000 years, these slips appeared black when they were first found, a stark contrast to the current state of these slips as can be seen on display in museum cases.

"At the excavation site, the wooden slips were like water-soaked biscuits, while the bamboo slips were like overcooked noodles, extremely fragile," Zhang told Xinhua.

"Excavation was conducted layer by layer according to the natural stratification, followed by numbering, cleaning, bleaching, photographing, and dehydrating of slips, before they were finally packaged in acrylic glass. The entire process lasted nearly seven years," he said.

Zhang almost single-handedly undertook the task of deciphering the characters on the slips. Two volumes of the five-part series on the Liye Qin slips have been published, while the final three volumes are nearing publication.

Based on both the content of the slips and archaeological findings, it was determined that Liye was once a southwestern military fortress of the Chu state, and that it was used during the Qin period as the county seat of Qianling County, serving as a crucial transit and supply station in terms of grain, arms, and armor.

Through Zhang's "translation," the daily life of a small town over two thousand years ago has been vividly captured.

Local governance was stringent, with officials undergoing annual evaluations. Official work hours stretched from 7 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, although records indicate that some officials worked overtime, often late into the night. Errors in performing official duties led to severe consequences, including hefty fines or criminal punishment.

Officials dined in a cafeteria where meals were accounted for by the use of meal cards marked with crosses or circles. The cafeteria served porridge made from millet and rice. If they were traveling or unable to eat in the cafeteria, officials could take the grains home. Several multiplication rhymes familiar to children today, such as "nine nines are eighty-one" and "two eights are sixteen," were already in use, likely for calculating land areas and taxes.

The Qin Dynasty established a postal system to ensure confidentiality of documents. Documents were covered with a wooden plank tied with ropes, sealed with clay, and stamped with a seal. These planks, featuring the addresses of both senders and receivers, are considered China's earliest envelopes found to date.

Agriculture was highly valued in this region. Important ceremonial rituals, like honoring the agricultural deity, were conducted to encourage farming success. Local produce included fruits and vegetables such as celery, leeks, winter melon, and oranges. Notably, winter melon and a type of date were reserved as tribute items for Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

The Laba Festival was a major event, even more significant than the Spring Festival, with food and drinks distributed to officials during a special ceremony. Disputes could arise as a consequence, as seen in records indicating that an official had protested after not receiving his share of wine.

A doctor named Jing was commissioned by the county office. He prescribed a remedy formula for "scarless wounds." The county was also involved in Qin Shi Huang's nationwide search for the elixir of life, but unfortunately reported that no miraculous potion had been found.

After the Qin unification that ended centuries of warfare, society became relatively stable. Qianling experienced a period of economic prosperity. The essence of an era is encapsulated in a county, and the history of a county is condensed in the Qin slips. These slips silently showcase the operation of the county government and details of social life back then.

There are different interpretations among scholars as to why these slips were thrown into the well. Some believe that after the uprising in the first year of the Second Qin Emperor, with the conflict spreading to Qianling, local officials had hurriedly buried some everyday refuse and official documents in the well for preservation. Others think that as the war spread, the officials lost interest in their duties and over time used this well as a disposal site for waste, inadvertently creating a future archaeological marvel.

"For thousands of years, humanity has tirelessly pursued survival and prosperity," Zhang said, while adding that "the arduous efforts of the Qin people, who blazed trails and laid foundations, allow us to still feel their hardships today. Our civilization is the result of millennia of heritage, and it is no small feat that we have managed to preserve it to this day."

Long, now in his seventies, still personally mentors students. His two youngest disciples are both "post-95s." One of them has studied in Europe but decided to come to this small town to explore the roots of Chinese civilization.

"The greatest satisfaction for archaeologists comes from the validation of our work by future generations. Our generation has spent decades proving the existence of the ancient Qin city and its various details. Our successors will continue this endeavor," Long told Xinhua.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
The return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, is about to touch down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. The three astronauts are all in good health condition, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Li Zhipeng)

The three-member Shenzhou-17 crew arrived in Beijing by plane early on Wednesday after a six-month space station mission.



On Tuesday, Shenzhou-17's return capsule, carrying astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 5:46 p.m. (Beijing Time), and the crew all left the return capsule by 6:37 p.m., according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 187 days, are all in good health and the Shenzhou-17 manned mission was a success, the CMSA said.

The crew will enter a period of medical quarantine and undergo comprehensive medical examinations and health evaluations, it said.

Afterward, they will meet with the press in Beijing.
The Poroshenko Foundation, together with the volunteers of the NGO Sprava Hromad, not only buys equipment and weapons for the front but also finances the production of modules needed by the troops, such as command and control centers, mobile workshops, tire fitting stations and household complexes. All this is produced by Ukrainian companies in different cities. The amount invested in the production of equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the start of the full-scale invasion has already exceeded UAH 400 million. And the amount of aid to the front - thousands of drones of various modifications, hundreds of trucks, armored vehicles, construction equipment, ammunition and equipment - exceeds UAH 5 billion.

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Petro Poroshenko told this in his video report. According to him, a team of engineers, logisticians and designers is working on the development of each new module.

The team thoroughly researches the needs of the military and the peculiarities of working in the field. That is why each piece of equipment is not only functional but also convenient and comfortable for the military. Every little detail is thought out here: from a sturdy coffee maker to an individual safe for belongings. The tools in the mobile workshops are new, and the equipment is always provided with autonomous power, either by generators or charging stations, depending on the need and working conditions.

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"Some ideas are being copied by other foundations, some of these projects are not being implemented by anyone else in Ukraine, but our soldiers are looking forward to them," Poroshenko says. He shows each trailer. They look similar on the outside. But inside, they have different equipment depending on their purpose. The command and control centers of UAV operators are equipped to plan and carry out reconnaissance or attacks.

The crews of the latest Ai-Petri SV electronic warfare systems also have all the conditions to deploy quickly and change their location just as quickly. "The control centers of Ai-Petri and Poseidon are the places where the operators of our state-of-the-art technological developments perform their combat missions. We have already manufactured 32 of them," Poroshenko said.

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"This is our famous PARM, a mobile car repair shop. It was made by our team from the first drawing by our designers. Just like the tire service. It makes it possible not to drive the vehicles 400-500 km away but to change tires and wheels directly on the front line. Today, the rear, the mechanics are just praying for this," Poroshenko said. The company has already built 60 such workshops for the front line, and the demand for them is stable.

"Tire fitting is a unique project that allows us to bring back to life and quickly retire trucks and military equipment, including KrAZ, KamAZ, URAL, and Humvee. In total, together with our Kharkiv partners, we have manufactured 5 units," Poroshenko said.

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The washing and shower complexes are an absolute hit at the front. That is why 165 units have already been manufactured. There are water tanks, a solid fuel boiler that quickly heats water, shower points, as well as washing and drying machines. A powerful generator provides electricity. Such a household box is easy to transport if necessary. "We have already spent more than 130 million on this program alone. You can see what it looks like, I want to remind you: two washing machines, two dryers, a boiler, a washbasin, one and a half cubic meters of water, a generator, a pump. This means that almost 200,000 servicemen have the opportunity to do their laundry, take a shower, ensure cleanliness, health and good morale every week in order to kill the enemy," Poroshenko does not hide his emotions.

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Another project, a mobile canteen, was created to provide decent conditions for soldiers, designed to meet the needs of soldiers who are constantly in the field and have to move frequently. In total, 3 such trailers have already been manufactured.

And 6 units of mobile headquarters, which were launched at the request of military pilots, have already been manufactured.

"This is our pride and our contribution to Victory. We continue to work and will expand production. This report does not include our new developments: neither the Ai-Petri nor the combat modules that are already in operation. I am grateful to our soldiers and our volunteers who are doing their best to bring the Victory closer," Petro Poroshenko said.

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The purchase of fake driver's licenses can create a lot of problems. A citizen who buys such a "document" will have problems with the law and will have to pay a significant fine.

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At the same time, under the guise of "services" for the sale of fake driver's licenses, phishing resources have become more active, capable of "cleaning out" the bank accounts of a gullible "client". This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

Law enforcement officials urged Ukrainians to think twice before deciding to buy fake driver's licenses. After all, it is now quite easy to detect a fake.

"Thinking of buying a license? Remember the consequences! What do fakes look like? Counterfeit driver's licenses look similar to the originals, but they are not in the state registers and are not displayed in the Diia app or in the Driver's Cabinet," the statement said.

At the same time, the law provides for liability for the use of falsified documents: it is spelled out in Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

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"Forgery of documents is punishable by fines or probation, restriction or even imprisonment. The use of deliberately forged documents is punishable by a fine of up to 50 non-taxable minimum incomes or probation for up to 2 years, or restriction of liberty for the same period," the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

However, the threats to buyers of fake driver's licenses are not limited to this. They may well lose their savings as well.

"Attackers create websites where they offer their services for the sale of fake driver's licenses. Or they create phishing resources. In this way, they gain access to citizens' electronic wallets and then misappropriate people's money. Please note that the state service always has the domain "gov.ua". You can check your document on the website of the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs," the agency said.

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They also summarized: the only legal way to get a valid driver's license was and still is to go through the procedure of obtaining the service at the service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes!
On the morning of Wednesday, May 1, an explosion occurred near the temporarily occupied Mariupol, Donetsk region. Ukrainian patriots who heard the sound say it sounded like an airplane.

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The eyewitness accounts were shared on his Telegram channel by the mayor's advisor Petro Andriushchenko. Earlier, enemy air defense was operating near the village of Sartana (northeastern part of Mariupol).

On the border of Kalmius/Left Bank districts, a missile-like object was visually seen flying towards Rostov (Russia).

"The sound of the explosion is similar to the sound of an arrival - not an air defense system or an airplane. No smoke has been detected visually within the city, but there is still a smoke cloud in the area. We are investigating further," Andriushchenko reported around 12:00 on Wednesday.

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As OBOZ.UA previously wrote, the Russian invaders are working to build a railroad system in the occupied territories of Ukraine to easily transfer their forces. The first railroad line, which Russia began building in Donetsk region in September 2023, may start operating as early as May.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
In the temporarily occupied territory, the invaders continue to take coercive measures against the local population. In particular, the occupiers force schoolchildren to wear the "St. George's ribbon"  the Russian imperial symbol.

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This was reported by activists of the Yellow Ribbon resistance movement operating in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Thus, cases of pressure on schoolchildren and their parents were recorded in Genichesk and Melitopol.

According to the activists, if any schoolchild refuses to wear a St. George's ribbon, the children are threatened with a refusal to issue a certificate, and their parents are threatened with a "basement".

Earlier it was reported that in the temporarily occupied territories, there is virtually no communication not only with the free lands of Ukraine but also within the illegal formations. Residents can hardly even call emergency services, but despite this, the Russian invaders decided to recruit Ukrainians into their army through electronic summonses.

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Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and in Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Cooper appointed at Irish Distillers

Irish Distillers has appointed Derek Cronin as cooper for Midleton Distillery, making him only the second newly-qualified cooper to join the distillery in more than 45 years.

Originally a carpenter, Cronin has recently completed a four-year cooperage apprenticeship under Ger Buckley, master cooper at Irish Distillers. He first joined Irish Distillers as a general operative in 2019, starting his apprenticeship the following year.

As cooper for Midleton Distillery, Cronin will repair and maintain the distillerys two million plus casks.

Buckley said: "Training Derek in the art of coopering for the last four years has been a wonderful experience. His background in carpentry enabled him to hit the ground running and he has truly immersed himself in every aspect of the craft since the beginning, ensuring that the future of this age-old craft is in safe hands.

I would like to officially welcome Derek into the cooperage fold and look forward to seeing his continued contribution to the story of Irish whiskey in Midleton.

1 May 2024 - Lucy Schofield
By Radha Agarwal

New Canadian Media

The B.C. government is more than quadrupling funding for newcomer services from $6 million to $25.6 million per year, partnering with 30 organizations throughout the province.

The increased funding, announced in March, is divided between two programs: $12.2 million for the Safe Haven program, which serves refugee claimants and asylum seekers, and $13.4 million for the B.C. Newcomers program, which focuses on work and study permit holders, provincial nominees and entrepreneur immigration candidates, among others.

Combined, the programs are expected to serve more than 40,000 people per year, up from 26,000 in 2021-22, the province says.

B.C. has also significantly expanded its multilingual support for immigrants from diverse backgrounds, now offering services in over 220 languages through trained interpreters.

Meheret Basrit, the senior manager of community development at Surrey-based charity DIVERSEcity, which is leading the Safe Haven program in the Lower Mainland, said she is excited about changes to mental health supports. Under the new programs, Ukrainians fleeing war, as well as regular visa holders and refugees, will be eligible for clinical counselling.

Because historically, refugee claimants face extra barriers and more vulnerabilities in their claim process, theres a huge impact on their mental health. They come from a history of war trauma or had to flee their country, Basrit said.

Once they land here, they face a lot of financial constraints, access to employment, and sometimes they also face exploitation.

Jen Romero, a program coordinator at Archway Community Service, echoed Basrits comments, saying the new programs will allow them to provide counselling to more people. She said their clients come from many different language backgrounds and its important to provide them with help in their first language.

Beyond mental health support, Basrit said Safe Haven will address challenges with settlement and integration, finding jobs and formal language learning. It is also introducing a new housing search and coordination service, which will assist newcomers with everything from emergency hotel stays to long-term subsidized housing options.

Basrit said anyone who has been in Canada for 60 days or less will be entitled to emergency accommodation for up to four days. Its an improvement, but Romero said its far from the ideal situation. Given the current housing crisis, most newcomers struggle to find housing quickly and Romera said many end up in emergency shelters while they search.

theyre not culturally appropriate or, when they are, it can be very traumatizing and triggering for folks coming in from difficult backgrounds to stay in environments like that.

It can also take time for newcomers to find work and start making an income, which poses another challenge to finding long-term housing, Romera said.

Another major challenge people face is in accessing health care. Under Safe Haven, DIVERSEcity will be helping claimants with navigating the interim federal health program and finding clinics and family doctors.

These enhanced services are very critical and will help address the existing service gaps, Basrit said.

DIVERSEcity has also partnered with eight organizations to help facilitate daily cultural activities. Basrit said clients feel far safer when they get to interact with somebody who is already familiar with the culture and context of where they came from.

The charity is further bringing on an LGBTQ-focused community navigator, a women-focused resource worker and a legal navigator to help with refugee claims.

The intention of this is to really leverage the expertise of our community partners and to make sure that we have a wide reach within the community, Basrit said.

The B.C. Newcomers program is a reworking of a program formerly known as B.C. Settlement and Integration Services. Under its new name, B.C. Newcomers will provide enhanced services focused on getting newcomers into the job market.

It also helps people make new friends and guides them of local cultures and customs, Basrit said.

She and Romera both said the increase in annual funding comes at a vital time.

The trend has been that our communities have been receiving higher and higher numbers all the time of refugee claimants, Romera said.

A recent report prepared by BC Stats shows that British Columbias population growth rate has surged over the past three years due to higher national immigration targets. Nearly 150,800 migrants came to the province in 2022, roughly 52,000 of whom were permanent immigrants. In 2023 the population of BC experienced an annual growth rate above 3%, marking the highest annual increase since the 1970s.

The report shows that BCs natural population growth rate has been in steady decline since 2009. In 2021 BCs mortality rate exceeded its fertility rate for the first time, leading to a negative natural population growth rate. As with Canada as a whole, BCs population is also getting older. As of 2022, the average age of the people living in BC was 42.3 years old, higher than the national average of 41.7 years.

In 2023, Canada accepted 37,222 refugees up from 28,272 in the year prior, as reported by IRCC.

According to the provincial government, there were 6,740 refugee claims made between January and November 2023 in B.C., a significant increase from the 3,895 claims made during those same months in 2022. Over half of the claims were made by people from Iran, Mexico, and Afghanistan.

The UN Refugee Agency says 108.4 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide in 2022 as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, climate impacts, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order.

Radha Agarwal is a Vancouver-based New Canadian Media correspondent currently on a work experience placement with Black Press Media. This article was originally published on Today In BC.
Guest Commentary

BC Association of Chiefs of Police

In British Columbia, we know all too well the severity of the toxic drug crisis. On April 14th, 2016, it was deemed a public health emergency in British Columbia. Since this time, tragically, more than 14,000 British Columbians have died from accidental overdose.

In recognition of the magnitude of this crisis, police leaders in British Columbia supported decriminalization and taking a medically led approach to substance use. Police agreed that people should not be criminalized as a result of their personal drug use. We are also acutely aware of the adverse impacts of illicit drugs in our rural and Indigenous communities.

However, as police leaders, we were unequivocal about the need to ensure that there were not unintended impacts on community safety and well-being as a result of decriminalization, especially for youth. The British Columbia Association of Chiefs of Police (BCACP) clearly identified some of those potential consequences prior to the submission of the exemption request. These serious concerns included, but were not limited to, public consumption, consumption in licensed establishments (and other spaces where the public had access) and driving-related concerns.

The BCACP welcomes the announcement by the Province to address public drug consumption and increase health resources throughout the province. As advocates for community safety and well-being, the BCACP has long emphasized the need to address public drug use without stigmatizing individuals solely by virtue of their personal drug use and instead provide pathways to health.

Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson, President of the BC Association of Chiefs of Police (BCACP), emphasized, Our goal has always been to foster safe and welcoming communities across British Columbia. We firmly believe that individuals living with addiction should receive support and resources rather than punitive measures.

The governments recent announcement is a step in the right direction to ensure our communities remain safe and inclusive.

The BCACP has been a vocal proponent for policies that balance harm reduction with community safety. Recognizing the concerns voiced by communities, business leaders, and individuals regarding public drug consumption, the BCACP has actively engaged in advocating for measures to address these issues effectively.

We have heard loud and clear from various stakeholders about the challenges posed by public drug consumption, especially in areas frequented by children, youth, and families, Deputy Chief Wilson stated.

The BCACP welcomes restrictions on the use of illicit drugs in public spaces. This aligns with our commitment to safeguarding the well-being of all community members as it provides our membership with the tools to effectively do their job. However, we want to be clear that police in British Columbia do not wish to criminalize individuals who use drugs.

The BCACP remains committed to collaborating with government agencies, community organizations, and stakeholders to implement comprehensive strategies that address substance use issues while prioritizing public safety and harm reduction.

Senior police leaders recognize and support the need to balance the rights, needs and well-being of all people. Decriminalization, by its very nature, is grounded in a respect for the rights of people who use drugs and in a genuine concern for the acute risk that arises due to the toxicity of the illicit drug supply.

We look forward to identifying next steps to address these critical public safety issues.

Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson is President of the BC Association of Chiefs of Police.
49 Youth Cong office-bearers from Vidarbha get show cause notices





Staff Reporter

Miffed over inaction during Lok Sabha elections, Indian Youth Congress has issued show cause notices to its 49 office-bearers from Vidarbha. It did not stop here as it has suspended two of its district presidents from Nagpur and Gadchiroli. This action came as a shock even to the Congress leaders in Vidarbha as they were unaware of it. The letter, duly signed by National General Secretary of Youth Congress and Maharashtra in-charge Uday Bhanu and co-in charge Kumar Rohit, has issued suspension of Nagpur rural district President of Youth Congress Mithilesh Kanhere and Gadchiroli District President Lorence Gedam, son of ex-MLA Anandrao Gedam. The letter says, The work of these office-bearers in their respective districts is absolutely inadequate, as it has been noted that you are not carrying out the programmes in accordance with the instructions provided by Indian Youth Congress and Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) is also not involved in any campaigns of IYC. IYC is suspending these two office-bearers as a result comes to dissatisfaction with their work for the party.

In a separate letter to 49 office-bearers from Vidarbha, Udhay Bhanu and Kumar Rohit said, The working of the office-bearers whose names are mentioned in the letter is unsatisfied and unresponsive. Explain within 3 days why shouldnt an action be taken against you? The Hitavada talked to some of the YC leaders in Vidarbha about the notice but they could not reveal much as it was also a shock to them. But according to reliable sources from Mumbai, the real reason is different. This source said that the action has been taken because these office-bearers had attended a meeting convened by former Congress leader Satyajeet Tambe.

Tambe had contested Graduates polls by defying party orders as he was denied the ticket. The list has the names of Shivani Wadettiwar, General Secretary of MPYC and daughter of Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar; Neha Nikose, General Secretary who is known for her hard work; Anurag Bhoyar, General Secretary; Akshay Hete, an active worker and Secretary in present body; Tanvir Vidrohi, son of Shabbir Ahmed Vidrohi, stalwart leader of Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar); Abhishek Dhawad, son of ex-MLA Ashok Dhawad; Sumit Bhalekar, Secretary and son of Vilas Bhalekar, stalwart leader of Congress; Hemant Kature, Joint Secretary; and Faisal Nagani, Secretary.
Bomb threat Prompts heightened security at airport





Staff Reporter

A day after the bomb threat received by Bhopals Raja Bhoj International Airport, the situation remained calm amidst strengthened security and intensive checks. Raja Bhoj International Airport was the target of a bomb threat, according to an email received by the authorities on Monday as reported by Gandhi Nagar Police Station. Reportedly, the email, written in English, detailed plans for three separate bombs to be detonated on various flights, raising concerns of imminent danger. Notably, this threat extended beyond Bhopal, with 60 other airports tagged in the email. According to the reports, in response to the alarming threat, security measures at Raja Bhoj International Airport have been significantly intensified.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has been conducting secondary ladder point checks on passengers. Prompt action was taken by Gandhi Nagar Police, filing an FIR under relevant sections of the law against the unknown perpetrator(s). The airport administration has assured the public of their unwavering commitment to security, maintaining a constant state of alertness. Additionally, collaboration with relevant agencies has led to the activation of secondary ladder point checks, with specific parameters tailored for different scenarios. The official at airport, emphasised the importance of redundancy, stating that even after initial screening, passengers may undergo cross-checks for added safety.

The email, sent via a proxy server, has prompted an investigation by the cyber cell, given the potential for masking the senders location. Furthermore, recent CCTV footage from the airport is under scrutiny to identify any suspicious activity leading up to the threat, as per the reports. Following the receipt of the threatening email, Vishal Kumar Sharma, Chief Security Officer of Raja Bhoj Airport, promptly lodged a complaint at Gandhi Nagar Police Station. The email, time stamped around 9:30 am on April 29, highlighted the gravity of the situation, encompassing not only Bhopal but also other airports and aircraft across the country.
Chaos after fire breaks out during wedding at Hotel Vijan Mahal





Staff Reporter

A massive fire that broke out at Hotel Vijan Mahal in Tilhari late at night on Monday caused chaos and panic among the hotel guests. People started running in all directions after leaving the hotel. The hotel management immediately informed the fire department and within a short span of time, six fire tenders reached the hotel and gained control over the devastating fire. However, by then, significant damage worth lakhs of rupees had already occurred. It is learnt that the fire occurred due to a short circuit nearly at 12.30 am. Interestingly, there was a petrol pump located near the scene where the fire broke out. If the fire had reached the petrol pump, it could have resulted in a major catastrophe.

According to the information received, a wedding ceremony was taking place at the Hotel. There were more than a hundred people present at the venue when suddenly a spark ignited near the stage, causing the decoration material like curtains etc., to catch fire. By the time anyone could understand what was happening, the fire had already intensified. The fire rapidly spread in a big area. Women and children started fleeing from the hotel. As the fire continued to intensify, the hotel management attempted to extinguish it using the available fire extinguishing equipment, but it spread too quickly. As soon as news of the incident spread, the police from Gora Bazaar police station also reached the spot.
Dramatic scenes at High Court amid hearing on interfaith love marriage





Staff Reporter

The premises of the High Court became the stage for a gripping spectacle on Tuesday following the hearing of an interfaith love marriage, which drew the attention of Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists. Police presence swelled to maintain order as tensions ran high. The police brought a young woman before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court in response to a Habeas Corpus petition filed by a youth involved in an interfaith marriage from Ner in Yavatmal district. Upon receiving the news, a significant number of Bajrang Dal and VHP activists gathered on the High Court premises, which resulted in an escalation in police presence. The 24-year-old woman fled with the youth from another community on April 14. The womans parents had lodged a missing complaint with the Ner Police. The police launched searches and traced the couple on April 23. According to the in-charge of Ner Police Station, Balasaheb Naik, when he asked the girl whether she was married to the man, she stated no. As a result, the police sent the woman to the Sakhi One Stop Centre in Yavatmal, a woman welfare and care centre, on the same night. Since then, the woman has been at the centre.
The seven hundred and ninety-eighth day of the large-scale war waged by Russia against our country is passing. The enemy continues to try to drive Ukrainian units out of their footholds on the left bank of the Dnipro River and has made another unsuccessful assault on the positions of our troops near Krynky.

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This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an evening report on May 1, 2024. It is noted that a hundred clashes took place on the battlefield, and Ukrainian defenders repelled 33 attacks in the Avdiivka sector.

Situation at the front

In the Kupyansk sector, our soldiers repelled 11 attacks in the areas of Ivanivka, Kyslivka, Kotlyarivka, Berestove, and Kopanky in the Kharkiv region; Stelmakhivka in the Luhansk region.

In the Liman sector, the Defense Forces repelled 9 attacks carried out by the enemy in the areas of Hrekivka, Nevske, and Serebryanske forestry in the Luhansk region; and Terny in the Donetsk region.

In the Bakhmut sector, the troops repelled 14 attacks in the areas of Bilohorivka, Luhansk region; Verkhnekamianske, Spirne, Novyi, Donetsk region, where the enemy was trying to improve the tactical situation.

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In the Avdiivka sector, the defenders repelled 33 attacks in the areas of Kalynove, Arkhangelske, Progress, Ocheretyno, Sokil, Solovyove, Novopokrovske, Semenivka, Umanske, Yasnobrodivka, Netaylove, Pervomayske in Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to force our units out of their positions.

In the Novopavlivka sector, the Defense Forces continue to hold back the enemy in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Novomykhailivka, Vodiane and Urozhayne in the Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to break through the defense of our troops 17 times.

In the Orikhiv sector, the enemy, supported by aviation, attacked the positions of our defenders twice near Staromayorske in the Donetsk region and Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region.

In the Kherson sector, the enemy does not abandon its intention to push our units from the footholds on the left bank of the Dnipro River. Thus, during the day, he made 5 futile attacks on the positions of our troops near the village of Krynky in the Kherson region.

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Russian attacks

In total, the enemy launched 2 missile and 41 air strikes over the last day, fired 42 times from multiple launch rocket systems at the positions of our troops and populated areas. Unfortunately, Russian terrorist attacks have resulted in civilian casualties and injuries. Multi-storey and private houses, as well as other infrastructure facilities, were destroyed and damaged.

Strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces

During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces struck 1 control center and 7 areas of concentration of enemy personnel.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, over the past day, Ukrainian defenders "eliminated" another 1120 Russian occupants. The Ukrainian military also "demilitarized" 5 tanks, 21 armored personnel carriers, 13 artillery systems, 1 air defense system, 7 operational and tactical UAVs, 33 units of automotive equipment, and 3 units of special equipment.

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Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Fire at paint factory in Govindpura, several workers injured





Staff Reporter

A fire broke out recently at a paint factory located in the Govindpura Industrial Area of Bhopal. The incident occurred in afternoon, during which a blast occurred in either a cylinder or another equipment, resulting several workers sustaining injuries. The injured workers were promptly admitted to Hamidia Hospital for treatment, as per the reports.

According to the reports, upon receiving the report of the fire, the fire brigade from the Govindpura Fire Station rushed to the scene and successfully brought the blaze under control. It was further disclosed that the fire had broken out in the vicinity of the industry, which specialises in paint and powder coating. Based on the information received, during the fire outbreak, a minor blast also occurred within the factory premises, causing injuries to several workers.

It was revealed that the injured individuals were employed at the same factory where the fire broke out. Other employees of the factory promptly assisted in transporting the injured workers to Hamidia Hospital for medical attention. The exact cause of the blast remains unknown at this time. However, according to the sources at Hamidia Hospital four individuals from the affected area were admitted to the hospital, among which one individual is in serious condition and the remaining three are in stable condition. The condition of the injured workers is being closely monitored, and they are receiving appropriate medical care. Further investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the incident, as per the sources.
Irregularities sensedin Nagpur rural RTO





Staff Reporter

Sensing some irregularities in the office of Regional Transport Office, Nagpur rural, State Transport Department has sent a team of officials here to investigate the matter. The team is accompanying another group of Mumbai Police (Crime Branch). Though the officials are tight-lipped over the development, the sources revealed that the nexus between RTO officers and agents in Rural office has come to fore. Highly placed sources told The Hitavada, Nagpur rural RTO wing is literally running at the behest of agents. The officers are always surrounded by agents. The computers in the chamber of officers are being handled by the agents. The latest irregularity that was noticed by Mumbai Crime Branch is of writing chassis number of the stolen or assembled trucks. The modus operendi is, the trucks are stolen, dismantled and assembled by the miscreants.

The abandoned vehicles are found and their chassis numbers are given to the stolen or assembled trucks. On the basis of chassis number, the truck is registered in RTO office. These stolen trucks mostly come from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya etc. These trucks, with new chassis number and fake documents, are then sold. Common man doesnt know the truth. But Mumbai Police caught some trucks and checked their authenticity. They were shocked to see that the chassis number was not matching with the vehicle number. Then the team conducted further search operations and found that these trucks were transferred from Nagpur rural RTO.
Navy should be operationally ready to deter adversaries: Adm Tripathi





NEW DELHI,

SHORTLY after assuming charge as the 26th Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi on Tuesday said the Navy should remain operationally ready at all times to deter potential adversaries in view of the emerging challenges in the maritime domain. Admiral Tripathi, regarded as a communication and electronic warfare specialist, took the reins of the force following the retirement of incumbent R Hari Kumar after a career spanning four decades. An alumnus of the Sainik School Rewa, Admiral Tripathi was serving as the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. The admiral took charge of the Navy at a time when various strategic waterways, including the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, were witnessing security challenges, especially with Houthi militants targeting merchant ships in the region. Over the years, our Navy has evolved into a combat-ready, cohesive, credible, and future-proof force, for which I want to thank all the esteemed former Chiefs of the Navy, he told reporters.

The existing and emerging challenges in the maritime domain mandate the Indian Navy to remain operationally ready to deter potential adversities at sea in peace and to win the war at sea when asked to do so, he said. That will remain my singular focus and endeavour, the new Navy Chief said. Besides the situation in the Red Sea, there have been growing concerns in Indias security establishment over Chinas increasing forays into the Indian Ocean Region. I will also strengthen the ongoing efforts of the Indian Navy towards Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance), towards new technologies and becoming an important pillar of the nations development towards our collective quest for Viksit Bharat, he said.
Rahuls revolutionary ideas widening Cong-masses gap





By Deepika Bhan

The buzz about Congress promising to take away all that extra wealth of a section of the population brought back memories of the pain that many had to endure by the Land to Tiller Law, meticulously enacted in 1950 by then J&K Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah. The law restricted the ownership of landlords, and extra land was taken over by the State and given to tillers. The latter did not pay any compensation for the land received. Now, Rahul Gandhis pledge to pursue jitni abadi utna haq and his X-ray plan to detect peoples wealth have set the middle-class thinking.

IT WAS a moment of distress for 79-year-old Rajni Dhar when the cacophony over the inheritance tax during a news show took her back several decades to the painful memories of her birthplace, Kashmir. Her family and many others from the Hindu community were significantly affected by the Land to Tiller Law, meticulously enacted in 1950 by then J&K Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah. The law restricted the ownership of landlords, and extra land was taken over by the State and given to tillers. The latter did not pay any compensation for the land received. The Hindu landlords were especially targeted in both Jammu and Kashmir, rendering them economically weaker. Now in 2024, the buzz about Congress promising to take away all that extra wealth of a section of the population brought back memories of the pain that Dhar and many others had to endure. Kamlesh, a 47-year-old house help, whose family resides in a dwelling built with Government funds in her village in Uttar Pradeshs Moradabad district, is confused today. After hearing about the Congress wealth distribution plan, she feared that her family might lose the new house as the joint family had an ancestral dwelling in the same village.

She is also apprehensive since her family is worried about talks regarding the reservation rights for Backwards being snatched away and given to the Muslims by Congress. These fears have become a topic of discussion among the general populace. The fact that Congress has a history of doing such things has made people take Rahul Gandhis statement critically this time. In 1953, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehrus Government brought the inheritance tax under the Estate Duty Act as it found that there were inequalities in wealth. The Act, also known as Death Tax was imposed on the principal value of movable and immovable property, including agricultural land, which a person inherited after the death of the owner of the property. The Act was abolished in 1985 by the Rajiv Gandhi Government when he became Prime Minister after the death of Indira Gandhi. The BJP has accused that he did so to escape from the said tax on Inheritance. With this piece of history being resurrected, people feel that this is Rahul Gandhis plan for a new INDIA. What has given credence to this is the statement by Sam Pitroda, a close aide of the Gandhi family and Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, who highlighted the importance of wealth redistribution policies, citing the US laws.

Though the Congress later distanced itself from Pitrodas comments, the cat is already out of the bag. Rahuls pledge to pursue jitni abadi utna haq and his X-ray plan to detect peoples wealth have set the middle-class thinking. Amit is an IT professional in Delhi, who bought an apartment on EMI. Recently his loan ended and he got the ownership paper from the bank. Rahul Gandhis wealth distribution plan has worried him as now he owns the flat and has also inherited property from his late father. There are millions of Amit-like stories in the middle class. The voices may or may not reflect the sentiment of the whole nation, but hint at the churn that has started, especially among the middle class. They work hard, take loans to build new nests and create assets after paying taxes. It is not just the lands and houses; the fear is also about Rahul Gandhis Congress/ I.N.D.I.A. bloc Government -- if voted to power -- sneaking into the lockers and cabinets of millions of women who keep their valuable stree dhan hidden away. It is also about the attack on the tradition of hidden savings done by women in all households. Women in India are highly sensitive and emotive about stree dhan and their hidden treasures in the lockers. These are things passed on from generation to generation.

But Rahul Gandhi seems to have other plans for this hidden wealth. What he wants the Congress to do is what is at the core of Communist philosophy, which believes in redistribution of wealth. Communists all over the world have failed in their deeds. The crumbling of the erstwhile Soviet Union is the best example of this failure. China, another communist power, was forced to adopt changes and has space for private capital. The East European bloc, too, has suffered immensely. But in 2024, Rahul Gandhi wants to pick up from the Communist Manifesto, a political pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848. While releasing the partys election manifesto at a public meeting in Tukkuguda in Telangana on April 6, he stressed: Jitni aabadi, utna haq. He said: First, we will conduct a caste census to know the exact population and status of backward castes, SCs, STs, minorities. After that, the financial and institutional survey will begin. Then, we will take up the historic assignment to distribute the wealth, create jobs. The Congress may believe that inheritance, redistribution, and reservation could be its three mantras for progression. But, at the moment and as the election progresses, the Grand Old Party seems to be only widening its gap from the masses. People like Rajni Dhar, Kamlesh, and Amit are not just a few individuals but reflect a growing sentiment.
UNFORTUNATE





FOR Canadian Prime Minister Mr. Justin Trudeau, supporting Khalistani elements appears to be a compulsion for political survival. The Sikh community in Canada forms an integral part of his political constituency. Hence his softness towards the so-called Sikh cause. And this softness also encourages elements to raise pro-Khalistan slogans in the presence of the Prime Minister. Obviously, for his domestic politics, Prime Minister Mr. Trudeau does not mind appeasing even the Khalistani elements at the cost of harmonious relations with India -- despite the fact that he knows how strongly India feels whenever the issue comes up. This also explains why the Foreign Office summoned Canadian Deputy High Commissioner to India to issue a stern warning for his countrys pro-Khalistan tilt. Yet, Mr. Trudeau appears to have got caparisoned in domestic political compulsions. Indias position on the Khalistan issue has been appreciated by the international community on the whole. The leaders of the G-20 nations also realised how sensibly India conducted itself vis-a-vis Canada.

Even though the Canadian conduct was not up to the mark of decent diplomacy, India did not lose its cool but ensured that the right message was passed on to Prime Minister Mr. Justin Trudeau in a no-nonsense manner during the G-20 summit -- though India knew very well that Mr. Trudeau might not be able to throw off the Khalistani political shackles back home. Now also, India realises Mr. Trudeaus limitations and compulsions. Yet, in its own interests, New Delhi continues with its right to lodge protests whenever there is a violation of international ethos. But suffice it is to say that if the Canadian overtures do not stop altogether, New Delhi may feel compelled to adopt certain other strategies to rein in the undesirable pro-Khalistan activity. It is unfortunate that certain elements in India have fallen prey to temptations dished out by some foreign powers that be to support the Khalistani game-plan. This separatist politics actually does not enjoy support of the majority in the Sikh community. But, a few so-called non-profit organisations such as Sikh For Justice have been funding the Khalistan movement without much logic -- or, in other words, with the sole intent of damaging the cause of Indian unity and integrity. So far, India has handled the Khalistani challenge very capably, and has defeated clandestine international designs to cause disturbances in the country. The Indian warning to the Canadian diplomat is an extended version of the overall Indian response.

It will be wrong on Indias part to expect instant results of its action. For, the Canadian political system accommodates the Sikhs as major stakeholders in the countrys overall scenario. Prime Minister Mr. Trudeau is known to take interest in Sikh politics personally and use the Sikh card in whatever manner suited to his goals. Mr. Trudeau is a typical politician who would go any distance to do anything to support his own cause -- which is explained well by his presence at public engagements with the Sikh community in Canada and by his assurance that he would be there with the Sikh community in times of need. With a seasoned diplomat like Dr. S. Jaishankar at the helm, Indias Ministry of External Affairs has been handling the Khalistani challenge on multiple fronts that includes efforts to block uncouth funding to the Khalistani cause that has gone up and down in spurts. There is no doubt that the Khalistan movement did affect the political process in India particularly in the northern region. But because India has been alert, the pro-Khalistani elements have remained in good check. India will have to keep this pressure up.
Horror and hope go hand in hand along the 69 kilometers (42.8 miles) of highway that surround Gaza through Israeli territory. The route starts from the north, near the Erez crossing, and descends towards Kerem Shalom, the point where Israel, Egypt, and Rafah  which the Israeli army has threatened to invade imminently  meet. Along the way, the bloody milestones of the attacks by Hamas on October 7, when some 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage, according to official figures. And on the other side of the border, the ravages of the war in Gaza. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit the area for the first time this Wednesday on his seventh trip to Israel since the war began.

It is the same territory where some citizens are attempting to resume normal life. It is not an easy task: just a few meters away, on the other side of the demarcation fence, the Israeli military has killed over 34,500 Gazans in the last six months, and the occupation and attacks continue. This journey takes place on a border that is currently witnessing a full-scale war, but at the same time it is also a frontier that has hardly known peace since the birth of the State of Israel 75 years ago.

These communities will be rebuilt and the area will flourish again. People are going to come back to live here. And the children will return to play on every street corner, says an optimistic Martin Filkenstein, a 45-year-old farmer from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where a quarter of his 400 neighbors were killed or kidnapped in the Hamas attacks. But life remains on hold today, except for the handful of workers who, like Filkenstein, come every day from the towns far from the border where they live temporarily. There is no timetable for the return of the population, nor does he know how many will want to come back. For the time being, he says, the trauma of what he has experienced continues, although he, personally, is not afraid.

Until October 7, Erez was the main link between Gaza and Israel, mainly because of some 20,000 Palestinian workers from the enclave who were employed in Israeli territory. Amid international pressure, Israel announced a month ago that it would allow the arrival of humanitarian aid through this crossing to the north of the Strip, the area hardest hit by famine, one of the weapons being used against the 2.3 million Gazans in the conflict. Erez remains closed, but in recent weeks a few more trucks have been allowed into the northern part of the Strip.

In the early hours of October 7, Erez was one of the places attacked by Hamas militiamen to gain access to Israel. A few minutes away, the village of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, which was the site of an intense battle during Israels 1948 war of independence, again became the scene of bloodshed. Another Hamas target was Sderot, located on the northeastern edge of Gaza a few hundred meters from the border, and the Israeli town traditionally hardest hit by Palestinian rockets. It is the only place on the route where, compared to previous visits in recent months, normality has been gradually returning.

Visitors at the site of the Nova festival, where 360 people were killed during the October 7 Hamas attacks. LUIS DE VEGA A group of tourists visit the site where the Nova festival was held. LUIS DE VEGA Car keys hang as a memorial at the site where the Nova festival was held. LUIS DE VEGA Images of victims of the Hamas attacks in a shelter next to a bus stop on Highway 232. LUIS DE VEGA

Recovering life

Gone are the days immediately after the attack  in which 70 residents were killed  when barely 10% of Sderots 30,000 inhabitants remained. The trickle of returnees, with schools now reopened, means that today it is not easy to find a parking space in the commercial areas. We are getting life back, says Shaili Elkayam, 21, an employee at a childrens clothing store, as she smokes a cigarette. The level of clientele is around 50%, she estimates. Nevertheless, the young woman says that the window panes still shake from time to time from the explosions, which frighten her dog, she adds with a grimace.

Road 232, which runs through Sderot, descends in a southerly direction parallel to the Gaza perimeter. As the main axis of the carnage, it became the road of death. It bears little resemblance now to the days after the attacks when hundreds of burned or bullet-riddled cars were removed while a bulldozer swept away, as though they were puppets, the remains of the jihadists who had died in clashes with the Israeli army at the entrance to Kibbutz Beeri, as witnessed by this special envoy.

The Beeri crossing is the prelude to the worst-case scenario of the Hamas carnage. A grove of trees on the right side of the road marks the spot where the Nova festival was being held that fateful Saturday, at which several thousand young people were dancing carefree at dawn. Up to 360 of them died in a merciless assault that lasted hours.

Today, the site has become a kind of open-air shrine where people from all over Israel and overseas make pilgrimages. Dozens of people arriving in two buses, some with audio guides around their necks, wander among the photos, banners, candles, makeshift altars, inscriptions, and personal items  even car keys  placed in memory of the victims.

Isaac Markman, 58, a Brazilian-born Jew living in Vancouver, Canada, keeps thinking of his college-age daughters, Amanda, 24, and Giovanna, 22. I see them both in the faces of all these young people, he says, standing in front of the photos with several Israeli flags flying in the air. And I also see them in all these young military personnel, he adds as he passes a girl wearing an army uniform. Markman and his wife Flavia, 53, have visited several of the sites marked by last Octobers carnage. We have come as a sign of mourning, says Flavia, unable to hold back tears. They are accompanied by her brother-in-law, Menashe Zugman, and his wife.

Zugman, of Argentine origin and a resident of one of the Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, has been a tour guide for years at Holocaust memorial sites, especially in Poland. We cant compare this with the Shoah  the Holocaust, in which between five and six million Jews died  he admits, although October 7 is closer; its the present. Despite everything, Zugman leans on the fact that 85% of those attending the Nova festival survived. Today it is safer than on October 7. I look to the future with faith, he concludes. In the background, the Israeli artillery booms every now and then, firing towards neighboring Gaza, a clear reminder that the war is only about five kilometers (three miles) away.

That doesnt stop some people in the area from going back to their daily chores. Four Thai workers toil in a mango field outside Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. They have been in Israel for several years but none were victims of the Hamas attacks, in which several compatriots were killed and others were kidnapped. When asked why they have not left despite the conflict, Kadi, one of the workers, responds by rubbing his fingertips together, gesturing that they need the money.

Thai workers in a mango field near Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. LUIS DE VEGA

Agriculture is the major economic engine of the communities that are springing up on Gazas outer perimeter. Large expanses of greenhouses dominate the landscape, although many are still without crops. In fact, the war has plunged the sector into the worst crisis in its history. In Kibbutz Nir Oz, losses amount to several million euros, says Filkenstein, a member of the cooperative that manages the fields on which up to 80% of the communitys economy depends, some located just 700 meters from the Gaza border fence.

Driven by the need to minimize losses, he and a dozen other residents were back at work a few days after the attacks. More than three-quarters of their income comes from the potato crop, which is planted in October and November, so the current harvest has been lost, says Filkenstein, a Jew who arrived from Argentina 25 years ago and escaped the Hamas assault after hiding with his wife and three children for 12 hours.

The asphalt, corrugated by the caterpillar tracks of tanks and armored vehicles, is being renewed on some sections of the road. Further south, a column of smoke rises into the sky near the Palestinian town of Rafah, on the border with Egypt. Meanwhile, on the Israeli side, a tractor and a straw-baling machine are working in the background. Several white balloons fixed to the ground with ropes serve the Israeli military as observation points over the Palestinian enclave, where access is forbidden to reporters.

An armed officer prevents entry into Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, bordering the Strip. Further down, where Israel, Gaza, and Egypt meet, only the crossing facilities into Palestinian territory remain. The road is guarded by a police checkpoint from which, in the background, one can see the long line of trucks carrying humanitarian aid at the border, waiting to be inspected by Israeli agents before they are given the green light to pass to the Gazan side.

We cant live like this forever. They cant live like this forever either, sighs Filkenstein, who also considers the people of Gaza victims of Hamas radicalism. Is it possible to achieve peace on this border? I think its difficult, concludes the Argentina-born farmer.
Photo: NYCHAs Seward Park Extension.

Recent headlines:

NYCHA has selected a private consortium consisting of MDG Design + Construction, Essence Development, and Wavecrest Management to take over three public housing complexes on the Lower East Side. Seward Park Extension, the Hernandez Houses and Meltzer Towers are all entering the PACT program, which is meant to facilitate large-scale renovations but which is controversial amongst many public housing advocates who are opposed to privatization of NYCHA complexes. [The Architects Newspaper]

A private membership club is coming to 48 Clinton St., the onetime home of LoHo Studios. The owners will go to Community Board 3 this month, seeking support for a liquor permit. [EV Grieve]

A new book offers a full-color celebration of (Lee Quinones and his) five-decade career that exploded out of the underground to encompass gallery shows with Fab 5 Freddy and Jean-Michel Basquiat, a starring role in the cult film Wild Style, and more. [Vanity Fair]

The streetwear brand Fugazi has opened a store at the corner of Canal and Orchard streets. [Brooklyn Vegan]

Danny Bowien cant quit the neighborhood. Mission Chinese will be popping up in Chinatown one day a week for the next several months. The East Broadway location of Mission Chinese closed in 2020. [Eater]

Kin Gin, a high-end Japanese restaurant from a Masa alum is opening at 107 Rivington St. The modern dining room has luxurious swagger. A sushi and cocktail lounge, Golden Guy, will open upstairs this summer. [The New York Times]
Russia has for the first time in its war in Ukraine attacked a city far from the front lines with cluster bombs. The Odesa promenade was hit Monday by an Iskander ballistic missile carrying this multi-explosive munition. Five people were killed and more than 30 injured. The invading army on Tuesday night against struck the Ukrainian Black Sea capital with three more Iskander missiles, killing three people.

Both armies use cluster munitions, but until now they had been only been deployed in front line regions. Russian forces have previously used cluster bombs in urban areas, but these were close to the combat zones. Nine people were killed in July 2023 in the municipality of Lyman, in Donetsk province, after a Russian attack with cluster munitions. Human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch called for the bombing to be investigated as a war crime. This type of weaponry is intended to cause destruction over large areas and is more effective in open spaces. Due to its lower accuracy and higher lethality in civilian areas, since 2008 over 100 countries have signed a treaty not to use cluster munitions. However, neither Russia, Ukraine nor the United States  which has provided this weaponry to Kyiv  have added their signatures to the treaty.

Ukraines Prosecutor Generals Office on Tuesday released a video demonstrating Russian use of cluster munitions in downtown Odesa. Russia cynically ignores all norms of international humanitarian law, said Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. The video shows the missile targeting a marina in a recreational area in the city center, indicating that the invading forces may have believed that military vessels were located at the facility. Explosive remnants were found within a one-mile radius. A landmark neo-Gothic building in Odesa, a university residence, was set ablaze during the attack.

Initial reports of Tuesday nights attack also pointed to a second cluster munition bombing. A video posted on social networks showed the characteristic sound of the multiple explosions caused this type of weaponry, but the Ukrainian army has not confirmed this. Illia Yevlash, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said Wednesday that the Russian objective is to provoke terror among citizens and destabilize society.

Yevlash pointed out that Odesa and Kharkiv are the two cities that have been hit the hardest this spring by the Kremlins troops. He also stressed that the only way to stop ballistic missiles like the Iskander is with more U.S. Patriot anti-aircraft batteries. Both municipalities have been targets of the current Russian offensive to destroy the Ukrainian power grid. A Russian bombardment on Wednesday morning in Kharkiv destroyed 10 homes, its mayor, Igor Terekhov, reported.

Defense Express, a Ukrainian military analysis media, stated that this is the first time that Russia has used Iskander missiles with cluster munitions during the invasion: That the Russians used this material in an area where there are only civilians is because they clearly expected to cause a high number of casualties. The precedent Defense Express cited for the use of Iskander missiles armed with cluster bombs dates to 2020, when the Armenian army, which had been a traditional ally of Russia, fired two of these missiles at Azerbaijani military positions during the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

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Abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy is illegal in Florida as of Wednesday, after an April 1 ruling by the Florida Supreme Court went into effect, overturning earlier legislation that allowed pregnancy terminations during the first 15 weeks of gestation. Exceptions are made for cases where the mothers life is at risk, rape, incest and human trafficking.

The entry into force of the Heartbeat Protection Act, so called because it sets the deadline for abortion around the time when the vital signs of the fetus are first detected, is practically equivalent to a total prohibition: most experts agree that many women do not even know they are pregnant at that point. This is the latest consequence of the June 2022 ruling with which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and with it, the federal protection of abortion rights. That ruling left behind a chaotic map after transferring the power to regulate the matter back to the states.

The new law, promoted and signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis  who is back to work after his failed adventure as a candidate for the Republican nomination to the White House  will have effects that transcend the borders of Florida, which had become a recipient of patients from other parts of the South. As of Wednesday, a gigantic desert is created for the sexual and reproductive freedom of women, which includes the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and West Virginia, where the right to have an abortion is completely prohibited except in very rare cases, as well as Georgia and South Carolina, where it is not allowed after the sixth week.

So now a patient in, say, Key West, at the southern tip of Florida, will have to drive 14 hours to get to a clinic in Charlotte, on the South Carolina-North Carolina border, where pregnancy terminations are allowed up to the twelfth week, although with one condition: the law requires patients to wait 72 hours between the first and second consultations, a wait that seeks, according to its defenders, to give women time to reflect, despite the fact that 92% do not change their minds, according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute.

This obligation greatly complicates the options for Florida women, especially those who are in a more disadvantaged position, and especially for the Latino population, Michelle Quesada, vice president of communications for Planned Parenthood for South, East and North Florida explained in a telephone conversation. The organization has eight clinics in that part of the state (the third most populated and where Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions). Not only does it force them to travel to a very distant place, but it also requires a large outlay: they have to spend at least five days away from home, with their hotel nights and corresponding allowances, and ask for leave from work, notes Quesada. We must keep in mind that many of the women who abort already have children, and looking for someone to leave them with is an added problem.

A man demonstrates in 2022 against abortion in Clearwater, Florida. Chris Urso (AP)

These obstacles, confirms Quesada  who explains that for the last month their doctors have been working at full capacity to provide service to their patients before Wednesday  pushes them to seek another option even a little further north: Virginia, a state where a Democratic victory in the legislative elections last November dampened the Republican Partys aspiration to lower the abortion ban from the current 15 weeks to six.

Voting in November

The entry into force of the Heartbeat Protection Act is a victory for both Governor DeSantis and anti-abortion organizations in a state that has become solidly Republican in recent years. But the victory could have its months numbered. The same day that the Florida Supreme Court gave the green light to the legislation, its justices approved the text of an amendment that will be on the ballot in November, when in addition to electing the next tenant of the White House, residents of Florida will decide whether to enshrine a constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability.

The ballot summary reads: 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.

Anti-abortion organizations consider that the text is misleading and that it opens the door to pregnancies being interrupted until shortly before birth. It is extremely radical, says the radiologist Grazie Christie, who speaks on behalf of the Susan B. Anthony foundation, one of the most active in the United States against abortion. The concept of viability is very vague. They did it on purpose, she said in a telephone interview held this week. Christie admitted that there is medical consensus that the limit can be set at weeks 21 or 22, a deadline that was in effect in Florida until 2022. The amendment says that abortions before viability can be done for any reason, and from then on, for health reasons, but this is where psychological health comes in, we have seen it in other states: that is, I have a lot of anxiety, I cant sleep, Im worried sick. Its a crime.

The vast majority of abortions are performed in the first 15 weeks. According to Planned Parenthood and other organizations, interruptions in the last trimester are mostly due to physical health reasons.

But Christie is also concerned that a constitutional amendment is set in cement because it is not easy to change. If you dont like the Heartbeat Protection Act, all you have to do is win the majority in Congress in Tallahassee and approve a new law. If we touch the Constitution, it is a very different thing, she argues. To force the November vote, the associations promoting the referendum, including Planned Parenthood, had to gather 222,898 signatures. A 60% supermajority vote is required for the approval of the amendment. At this point, the polls are favorable to them. In November, voters will also be asked about the issue in New York and Maryland. Another 12 states are in the process of gathering signatures to get the decision on the ballot.

The strategy of resorting to arguments based on late abortions and the dangers for minors, shared by DeSantis, is reminiscent of the strategy followed by other campaigns. It happened in Michigan in 2022 and in Ohio last year. In both states, and in the other five in which voters have been allowed to decide on womens reproductive freedom, the result was always the same: the reinforcement of abortion protection. Abortion promises to be one of the hottest topics in the campaign that will pit Donald Trump against Joe Biden barring any unforeseen events.

In the Democratic camp, the issue of abortion, which they trust will mobilize their bases and the undecided, is in the hands of Vice President Kamala Harris, who on Wednesday is scheduled to travel to Jacksonville for an event that will focus on the influence of reproductive freedom in elections. An (unlikely) Democratic victory in Florida would greatly help Bidens aspirations to continue in the White House.
Streets closed off to traffic in a wide perimeter around Columbia University and the deployment of hundreds of special operations police officers on Tuesday were signs that a forceful eviction of pro-Palestinian protesters was imminent. After a day of tense calm punctuated by student concentrations in support of the protesters who had locked themselves up inside Hamilton Hall, an administrative campus building, hundreds of NYPD officers were deployed outside the main entrance to the campus of the elite university at 7 p.m., ready to intervene.

At around 9:15 p.m., the police entered the premises. Between 30 and 40 officers climbed up a ladder and entered the occupied building through an upper floor window. Hamilton Hall, which has a history of student occupations, was cleared before dawn on Wednesday and dozens of students were arrested without putting up any resistance.

Elsewhere, arrests were also made at the nearby City College of New York, where demonstrators were in a standoff with police outside the public colleges main gate. And across the country, clashes broke out overnight between dueling groups at the protest encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles. Police have swept through other campuses across the U.S. over the last two weeks, leading to confrontations and more than 1,100 arrests in at least 20 states.

While the specialized officers approached Columbias Morningside campus on foot from adjacent streets, the universitys Emergency Management Operations team urged students to shelter in place due to increased activity on the Morningside campus. Failure to comply could result in disciplinary action, they warned. The NYPD issued the same notice to students living in one of the seven residence halls on campus.

Police detain a protestor, as other police officers enter the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024. David Dee Delgado (REUTERS)

The occupation of Hamilton Hall by a so-called autonomous group made up of dozens of protesters early on Tuesday seems to have changed the mind of the Columbia governing board, which until now had ruled out resorting to the police again to restore order on the premises. The police must be specifically asked to intervene and cannot do so on their own decision. Two weeks ago the NYPD was called in to dismantle the first Gaza solidarity encampment, which ended in around 100 arrests.

Columbia published the letter sent by President Nemat Minouche Shafik to the NYPD on April 30 to request help. The events on campus last night have left us no choice. With the support of the Universitys Trustees, I have determined that the building occupation, the encampments, and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to persons, property, and the substantial functioning of the University and require the use of emergency authority to protect persons and property, wrote the president. With the utmost regret, we request the NYPDs help to clear all individuals from Hamilton Hall and all campus encampments.

The students barricaded in Hamilton Hall had renamed the building Hinds Hall in memory of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian five-year-old girl who died alone, among corpses, begging for help for hours after the vehicle in which she was traveling was hit by Israeli fire. In an update sent by the university, officials warned that students occupying the building face expulsion. They also said that this is about responding to the actions of the protesters, not their cause.

The nationwide protests, which were initiated at Columbia and quickly spread to other universities from coast to coast, is reminiscent of the outcry against the Vietnam War and, as those protests did in 1968, it is now affecting the political sphere. Pressure has come not only from Republican members of Congress  the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, visited the campus last week in support of Jewish students  but also from some Democrats ahead of the presidential election in November, with the protests threatening to cost President Joe Biden even more support at the polls.
KYODO NEWS - May 1, 2024 - 10:04 | All, World, Japan

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida left for France on Wednesday, the first leg of a six-day overseas trip that is also set to take him to Brazil and Paraguay during Japan's early May Golden Week holiday period.

On Thursday, Kishida is scheduled to address the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris on various issues including climate change and international rules for generative artificial intelligence.

"I'd like to express that Japan will take a leading role in creating and bolstering a free and fair, rules-based international economic order," Kishida told reporters at Tokyo's Haneda airport before departing.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Japan joining the OECD. Tokyo currently chairs the French-based club's Ministerial Council Meeting. Later Thursday, Kishida plans to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron before heading to Brazil.

His visit to the Latin American nations comes as Japan has been deepening relations with emerging and developing countries, collectively dubbed the Global South, among which Brazil is viewed as a key player along with India and Indonesia.

On Friday, Kishida is slated to meet separately with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Paraguayan President Santiago Pena. Kishida is expected to discuss with the leaders how to ensure the rules-based global order and tackle other challenges.

Brazil is this year's chair of the Group of 20 economies and Paraguay is the only South American nation that has diplomatic ties with Taiwan, rather than China. Taiwan and China have been separately governed since they split in 1949 as the result of a civil war.

As Brazil is home to around 2.7 million people of Japanese descent, Kishida is likely to hold talks with members of the community in Brasilia and Sao Paulo, government officials said.

On Saturday, Kishida will deliver a speech on Japan's foreign policies on Latin America and the Caribbean, the officials said.

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Ex-Japan PM Aso meets Trump in New York ahead of Nov. election
This photo taken by a mobile phone on April 30, 2024 shows members of Chinese Arctic expedition team posing for photos in front of China's Yellow River Station at Ny-Alesund in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Three Chinese researchers arrived at China's Yellow River Station in the Arctic on Monday to conduct a variety of scientific surveys across the region over the year. (Chinese Arctic expedition team/Handout via Xinhua)

Three Chinese researchers arrived at China's Yellow River Station in the Arctic on Monday to conduct a variety of scientific surveys across the region over the year.

Hu Zhengyi, head of the Yellow River Station, told Xinhua that the station expects to host over 50 researchers this year, who will engage in seasonal expeditions spanning four quarters.

Post-pandemic expeditions at the Yellow River Station have resumed gradually since last July, during which team members have carried out a range of operational surveys and scientific research projects in the fields of glaciology, terrestrial and marine ecology and space physics.

Chinese and Norwegian scientists have also jointly undertaken studies on environmental pollutants in the Arctic.

Established in July 2004, the Yellow River Station is China's first Arctic research station, located in Ny-Alesund, a small town in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.

In recent years, China has successfully carried out multiple Arctic scientific expeditions using platforms such as the polar icebreakers "Xuelong" and "Xuelong 2," the Arctic Yellow River Station and the China-Iceland Arctic Science Observatory.

This photo taken by a mobile phone on April 30, 2024 shows China's Yellow River Station at Ny-Alesund in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Three Chinese researchers arrived at China's Yellow River Station in the Arctic on Monday to conduct a variety of scientific surveys across the region over the year. (Chinese Arctic expedition team/Handout via Xinhua)
KYODO NEWS - May 1, 2024 - 11:17 | All, World, Japan

The families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago on Tuesday met with senior U.S. government officials, asking them for help getting the victims home as soon as possible.

Takuya Yokota, the 55-year-old head of a group representing the families, said he told the officials in Washington that the aging parents of the abductees "do not have time" to wait.

Speaking at a press conference after the meetings, Yokota said he showed a photograph of his 88-year-old mother while seeking support from the officials as well as U.S. legislators.

The officials included Uzra Zeya, under secretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights, Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and Mira Rapp-Hooper, White House senior director for East Asia and Oceania.

The families' visit comes weeks after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with U.S. President Joe Biden in the U.S. capital. According to a joint statement released after the April 10 summit, Biden reaffirmed U.S. commitment to the immediate resolution of the abduction issue.

Yokota's sister Megumi, who has become a symbol of the issue, was abducted on her way home from school in 1977 at age 13.

Yokota also disclosed the group had told the U.S. officials that it would no longer oppose lifting Japan's unilateral sanctions against North Korea if their loved ones are able to all return home soon.

"It was a wrenching decision to shift the focus of our campaign to a policy of dialogue," he also quoted himself as telling the U.S. officials, adding they did not express any objections to the change.

Biden said during a post-summit press conference that "it's a positive thing" that Kishida is seeking to have a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to realize the return of those abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s.

Yokota's trip was joined by Japanese lawmakers and a supporters' group. Koichiro Iizuka, secretary general of the group, and Keiji Furuya, a former chief of Japan's National Public Safety Commission, were among other members who met with the U.S. officials.

Iizuka is the eldest son of Yaeko Taguchi who went missing in 1978 at age 22. Neither of the two Japanese women has been returned.

Among 17 nationals Japan officially lists as having been abducted by North Korea, five have been returned. Tokyo also suspects Pyongyang's involvement in many other disappearances.

U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said at a press briefing on Tuesday that the United States "stands with the long-suffering relatives of Japanese abductees."

"We continue to urge (North Korea) to right this historic wrong and provide full accounting of those that remain missing," he said.

Related coverage:

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Japan vows to promote strategic, mutually beneficial ties with China
KYODO NEWS - May 1, 2024 - 18:36 | All, Japan, World

Japan is planning to begin talks with France on a new security agreement to facilitate joint exercises and disaster relief operations, government sources said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to discuss the pact, known as a reciprocal access agreement, during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday, according to the sources.

Japan has been stepping up efforts to strengthen security relations with like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific region, apparently to enhance deterrence against China's growing military assertiveness in nearby waters.

France has strategic interests in the region as it has overseas territories in the area, such as New Caledonia in the South Pacific, while Tokyo has been at odds with Beijing over the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands, claimed by its neighbor, in the East China Sea.

The Japanese government has already reached RAAs with Australia and Britain, facilitating smoother and quicker troop deployments between these nations. Additionally, Japan has initiated negotiations with the Philippines for such an accord.

Japan has had a similar pact with the United States since 1960, called the Status of Forces Agreement.

With China increasing its military influence in the region, Japan and France have already signed separate deals to expand their security cooperation, including an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, or ACSA, which simplifies the process of sharing food, fuel and ammunition between their forces.

Kishida is on a six-day overseas trip that will take him to France, Brazil and Paraguay.
KYODO NEWS - May 1, 2024 - 23:00 | All, World, Japan

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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Japan, France to agree to start negotiations on new security pact

PARIS - Japan is planning to begin talks with France on a new security agreement to facilitate joint exercises and disaster relief operations, government sources said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to discuss the pact, known as a reciprocal access agreement, during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday, according to the sources.

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China implements law to strengthen control on state secrets

BEIJING - China on Wednesday implemented a revised law on guarding state secrets that is expected to help Beijing further safeguard national security following the entry into force of an amended counterespionage law in July last year.

The legislation calls for the strengthening of the management of secrets at military facilities and stresses the guidance of the country's ruling Communist Party, allowing relevant officials to decide on their own what constitutes a state secret.

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2 more arrested in case of burned bodies found outside Tokyo

TOKYO - Two men were arrested Wednesday in connection with the burned bodies of a man and his wife that were found outside Tokyo in April, police said, bringing the total number of suspects to four.

Kang Kwang Ki, a 20-year-old South Korean national, and Kirato Wakayama, 20, were arrested on suspicion of damaging the corpses that were discovered on a riverside in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, on April 16.

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Japan PM Kishida leaves for trip to France, South America

TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida left for France on Wednesday, the first leg of a six-day overseas trip that is also set to take him to Brazil and Paraguay during Japan's early May Golden Week holiday period.

On Thursday, Kishida is scheduled to address the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris on various issues including climate change and international rules for generative artificial intelligence.

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S. Korea, Australia discuss defense tech collaboration through AUKUS

SYDNEY - South Korea and Australia discussed the possibility of the Asian nation partnering with the United States, Britain and Australia on defense technologies under the AUKUS security partnership, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won Sik said Wednesday after talks with his Australian counterpart.

The trilateral partnership, formed in 2021, aims to deliver nuclear-powered submarines to Australia and boost defense technology cooperation, in an apparent effort to counter China's military expansion in the Asia Pacific region.

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Japanese opt for short, cheap overseas trips for Golden Week holidays

TOKYO - Japanese travelers are opting for shorter, cheaper and closer overseas trips during the country's Golden Week holidays as they feel the pinch from the yen weakening to 34-year lows and higher inflation abroad, according to a major travel firm.

The average unit price for an overseas trip fell 1.5 percent from last year's Golden Week to 204,900 yen ($1,300), while the average number of days traveled was down by 1.0 at 6.0 days, H.I.S. said.

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Japan's Itochu sets up new firm to take over scandal-hit Bigmotor

Itochu Corp. said Wednesday that it and an investment fund have set up a new company to take over main operations of used car dealership Bigmotor Co., which had been mired in an insurance fraud scandal.

The new company, Wecars Co., will run Bigmotor's core businesses such as used car sales and repair operations, with all management executives of the troubled company dismissed from their posts. Bigmotor was renamed Balm Co. and will focus on reparations.

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Related coverage:

Japan likely conducted forex intervention worth around 5 tril. yen

TOKYO - Japan likely spent some 5 trillion yen ($32 billion) on Monday in currency market intervention, data by its central bank and market sources showed Tuesday, in the clearest evidence yet of the nation's attempt to slow the yen's rapid fall.

The government has not confirmed that it intervened after the yen on Monday tumbled versus the U.S. dollar beyond the 160 line, a 34-year low, and then jumped to the 154 zone in a short span of time.



Video: The only tramway system in the country ends service in Hiroshima Prefecture
Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee reacting to the central leaders and chief ministers from BJP-ruled states visiting Bengal, said, These Bangla-birodhis (Bengal haters) do not even know the names of our constituencies.

Exposing BJPs complete disregard for Bengal and its Bangla-birodhi mindset, Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday highlighted how migratory birds of BJP knew nothing of Bengals culture and heritage. Amit Shah comes to Bengal and calls Balurghat as Belurghat. Today, while addressing a public meeting in Birbhum, Yogi Adityanath referred to the historic region as Birbhumi. This is why we call them Bangla-birodhi, he said during an event in Mathurapur.

Pointing to a Bengal barb of the Prime Minister at a rally in Maharashtra, Abhishek said, The PM had said that he will not let Maharashtra become another Bengal. I tell them that to understand our culture, they will need to take a hundred births.

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In a challenge to HM Shah, Abhishek said if Shah can release the Awas Plus money and the money for 100 days work or if Shah can defeat him in Diamond Harbour, he will leave politics.

Despite being criticised heavily for its Belurghat fiasco, central BJP leadership has not engaged in any course correction during its latest trip to Bengal. Earlier today, Union home minister Amit Shah also referred to Bardhaman as Vardhaman. HM @AmitShah, a serial offender, mispronounces the name of yet another LS Constituency of Bengal while his accomplice @myogiadityanath follows his footsteps! First Belurghat, then Vardhaman and now Birbhumi, do the bohiragotos have no regard for Bengal? the TMC posted on X.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today claimed that the INDIA alliance will drive out Narendra Modi from Delhi. Addressing a public meeting today at Harishchandrapur in Malda (Uttar) Parliamentary Constituency, she said: Modi should not come to power in Delhi. My dream is to drive Modi out of Delhi. Lets change in Delhi.

I will lead the INDIA alliance. Bengal will show the right direction. Asking to vote for her party candidate Prasun Banerjee, who is contesting from the Malda (Uttar) Lok Sabha seat, Mamata Banerjee said: The people of Malda extended huge support to Trinamul Congress in 2021. As a result, we stopped the BJP from coming to power in Bengal. But TMC couldnt win a single seat among the two from Malda in the LS polls. Please give us Lok Sabha seats from Malda so that we can take on the BJP.

She also urged the people to cast their vote only for the Trinamul Congress. Not a single vote for Congress here. We dont have any relations with the Congress in Bengal. The Congress is contesting elections in association with the CPIM. Congress leaders, even the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, did not fight for Bengal when the Central Government stopped releasing funds meant for 100 days of work and other schemes like Awas Yojana, she said. Miss Banerjee today also came down heavily on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who criticised the TMC-led West Bengal government on the issue of the Central Governments fund during his speech at Memari in East Bardhaman.

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I will have to answer Amit Shah. Amit Shah today claimed that the Centre had given Rs 2.39 lakh crore of funds to Bengal, but the state government has not utilised the funds. I can challenge you. CAG reports show that Bengal has given all utilisation certificates, Miss Banerjee said, claiming, At least 32 departments of your party-led government failed to give utilisation certificates of Rs 72,000 crore funds. We are not at your mercy. We are at peoples mercy in Bengal.

There is no need to beg for funds from the Centre for a 100- day job. We have introduced Karmashree to provide a 50-day job for the people of Bengal. Eleven lakh enrolled beneficiaries for Banglar Bari will be getting Rs 1.2 lakh from December this year in two instalments, she said, adding, BJP will not be able to stop Lakshmi Bhandar. You will be getting monthly financial assistance regularly. Beneficiaries, who will turn 60 years old, will be getting it as an old age allowance automatically under the Lakshmi Bhandar-II scheme.

Criticising the policies of the Narendra Modi government regarding the introduction of CAA, NRC and UCC, CM Banerjee stated, Modis guarantee implies selling the country, undermining and selling the Constitution, terminating teachers service, advocating for CAA, NRC and UCC, and religious commodification. You can never apply for citizenship. If you do, the BJP will drive you out of the country. I will never allow them to execute it. We will never bow down before them. Addressing the public meeting in Malda, Miss Banerjee asked PM Modi, about his role in generating 2 crore jobs and taking action against the price rise of essential commodities and lifesaving drugs.
The Trinamul Congress candidate for Bardhaman Purba, Dr Sharmila Sarkar suddenly halted for a brief while during her election campaign and attended patients at Purbasthali in Kalna.

Dr Sarkar attended patients at a free medical camp at Nimdaha in Purbasthali. She saw several patients, who had assembled to get a free health check-up.

Local resident Salauddin Sheikh praised the efforts of Burdwan Medical Colleges TMCP unit for organising the camp in Purbasthali. It is really hard for people to travel long distances to get treatment at the medical college in this scorching heat. We are grateful that the party leaders organised a health camp where we also got the medicines for free. I also got my 73-year-old mother to get her BP and sugar checked. Dr Sarkar is a very nice person and spoke to the patients at length, he said.

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Dr Sarkar said that it is her primary duty to stand by the people as a medical practitioner. I am a physician first and then a candidate. It is important to stand by the people as healthcare is their basic right, she said.

Since Monday morning, residents queued outside the camp as the six doctors present at the camp were busy attending to the patients.

A few patients also consulted Dr Sarkar, a psychiatrist, dealing in mental health issues. She also engaged in counselling sessions.
Adani Energy Solutions Limited (AESL) on Tuesday reported operational revenue at Rs 14,217 crore for the year ended March 31, up 17 per cent (year-on-year)  registering comparable profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 1,197 crore, up by 12 per cent.

Operational EBITDA was at Rs 5,695 crore for the full year, up 7 per cent YoY.

The revenue for the January-March period (Q4) was up 17 per cent and EBITDA was at Rs 1,769 crore, which ended 4 per cent higher (year-on-year).

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AESLs consistent progress in commissioning of new lines, along with robust energy demand, and our ability to recognise and tap market opportunities within the areas of interest continues to propel our growth and keeps us at the forefront of energy transition in India, said Anil Sardana, MD, Adani Energy Solutions.

We are proud of our contribution to developing critical transmission infrastructure, to facilitate renewable evacuation and as well as strengthening the existing grid, he added.

The revenue growth was strengthened by contribution from the Warora-Kurnool, Karur, Kharghar-Vikhroli, and Khavda-Bhuj transmission lines commissioned during the year, coupled with a rise in energy consumption in the Mumbai distribution business, the company said.

An ESG score of 25.3 from Sustainalytics in their recent assessment placed us to be one of the amongst top 20 electric utilities and helped surpass global and industry averages, said Sardana.

The company commissioned some of the most challenging and critical transmission infrastructure with 765 kV Warora-Kurnool line (WKTL) of 1,756 ckm spanning across three states, 400 kV Kharghar Vikhroli line (KVTL) significantly enhancing Mumbais grid connectivity, and 765 kV Khavda Bhuj (KBTL) line, establishing a first-ever critical link with Khavda RE park.

This year, within the transmission segment, the company added multiple projects to its pipeline, namely KPS-1 (Khavda Pooling Station), Khavda Phase-III Part-A and multiple line and substation augmentation projects under the RTM basis, expanding the order book to Rs 17,000 crore for transmission projects.

In line with the robust demand trends across the country, energy demand (units sold) in Adani Electricity Mumbai in FY24 ended 9.4 per cent higher (YoY) to 9,916 million units. Within the smart metering business segment, the order book has further expanded to 22.8 million smart meters, with a revenue potential of Rs 27,195 crore, said the company.

AESL is the countrys largest private transmission company, with a presence across 17 states and a cumulative transmission network of 20,509 ckm and 57,011 MVA transformation capacity.
The Godrej family has sealed the deal to amicably split the 127-year-old conglomerate that spans from production of soaps and home appliances to real estate.

The founding family of Godrej Group, which deals in locks, soaps, aerospace and real estate, has finalised an agreement to amicably split the 127-year-old conglomerate, the group announced in a joint statement.

The realignment in the conglomerate, incorporated back in 1987, has been arrived at in a respectful and mindful way to maintain harmony and to better align ownership in acknowledgement of the differing visions of the Godrej family members, both sides of the family said in a statement.

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As per the agreement, Adi Godrej and his brother Nadir will keep Godrej Industries that has five listed firms, while his cousins Jamshyd and Smita will get Godrej & Boyce and a prime land in Mumbai.

The Godrej & Boyce and its affiliates that have been given to Jamshyd and Smita have a presence across multiple industries spanning aerospace and aviation to defence, furniture and IT software.

Jamshyd Godrej will be the chairperson and managing director of the Godrej & Boyce, while his sister Smitas daughter Nyrika Holkar will be the executive director.

On the other hand, Godrej Industries Group which has five listed firms  Godrej Industries, Godrej Consumer Products, Godrej Properties, Godrej Agrovet and Astec Lifesciences  will be controlled by Nadir, Adi and their family members. Nadir will be the chairperson of the group.

The families said that the move will help maximize strategic direction, focus, agility, and will accelerate the process of creating long-term value for shareholders and all other stakeholders.
KYODO NEWS - May 1, 2024 - 09:49 | World, All

China on Wednesday implemented a revised law on guarding state secrets that is expected to help Beijing further safeguard national security following the entry into force of an amended counterespionage law in July last year.

The legislation calls for the strengthening of the management of secrets at military facilities and stresses the guidance of the country's ruling Communist Party, allowing relevant officials to decide on their own what constitutes a state secret.

To prevent the leakage of secrets overseas, officials who had access to secrets will be stopped from leaving China for a certain period and have a duty of confidentiality after quitting their job.

The original legislation on guarding state secrets was implemented in 1988 and first revised in 2010. The new counterespionage law that took effect last July broadened the scope of what constitutes spying activities.

The implementations of the new state secrets and counterespionage laws have caused alarm among expatriates in China, with foreign individuals and businesses believed to be subject to stronger surveillance by the country's authorities.

In March last year, a senior Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc. was detained in China on suspicion of espionage and formally arrested in October.

China's State Security Minister Chen Yixin vowed Monday in an article contributed to a local newspaper to fight against the infiltration of foreign agents and efforts to topple Communist Party rule.

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China warns against maritime containment at naval symposium
IT software major Wipro on Tuesday announced that it has inked a multi-million-dollar agreement with telecommunications major Nokia to overhaul its employee service desk and provide seamless, real-time IT support to a global network of workers.

As part of the agreement, the IT firm will build a bespoke artificial intelligence (AI)-powered, cloud-based solution for Nokias workforce including around 86,700 users globally in 130 countries of operations.

The solution aims to improve the worker experience by providing highly available, modular, secure, and automated services, the company said.

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Our technology cloud-based expertise, combined with our design-led approach, will provide Nokia employees a highly personalised support, allowing them to better leverage technology and deliver better value to their customers, Vinay Firake, Sr VP & MD Nordics, Wipro, said in a statement.

Designit, a Wipro company specialising in user experience strategy and implementation, will conduct user research to ensure personalised assistance is offered to employees at the right time, the IT firm said.

This project will result in the creation of an experience-driven, omni-channel, and always-on global service desk, which will provide employees with highly flexible and secure services to empower them to effectively navigate a hybrid work environment, it added.

A key pillar is a modernised remote support concept that uses the latest technologies to provide seamless, secure, and efficient support, regardless of location, device, or network, said Marije van Donk, VP, Head of User Experience, Nokia.

Implementing this concept will empower our users to self-service their issues, give intelligent and contextual guidance, and connect users with experts, she added.
Senior AAP leader and Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday expressed grave concern over AstraZenecas admission that its COVID-19 vaccine can cause heart attacks and strokes, citing reports of sudden deaths in recent years and bans on the Covishield vaccine in European countries in 2021.

Addressing a press conference, the Delhi Health Minister raised concerns about the central governments continuing promotion of this vaccine despite such risks, highlighting issues of blood clots and falling platelet counts leading to heart attacks.

Bharadwaj emphasised the magnitude of the situation, urging immediate action from the central government to safeguard the lives of crores of Indians. He criticised the governments silence in the face of AstraZenecas admission and called for urgent measures to address the looming threat to the nations population.

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The senior AAP leader said this is related to the health and life of every citizen of India. We have seen thousands of examples in the past couple of years where young people suddenly collapse and die on the spot. A youth died while dancing at a wedding, while a bride died during her wedding ceremony. In Gujarat, where young women and men have been doing Garba (folk dance) for decades, a youth suddenly collapsed on the ground and died. In Ramlila ground, a man died while delivering dialogues. We have seen hundreds of such videos in the last two or three years because these incidents happened when the deceased was involved in an activity in public gatherings, and his/her activities were being recorded, he added.

The Delhi Health Minister further said, There must be thousands of such people quietly pursuing their daily routines, whether at home or in offices. Ordinary individual hardly gets recorded throughout the day; they simply live their lives. An ordinary person rarely gets recorded, hardly for a few minutes in a day or 2 to 4 times a month if theres any occasion. In the last 2-3 years, thousands of people breathed their last while living their normal lives. With each loss of life, the basic question that arises is was it due to the COVID-19 vaccine?

You can Google it; you will see hundreds of such news articles in leading newspapers. Is the sudden rise in heart attacks related to COVID-19 vaccine? This question is in everyones mind. People are worried because almost all the members of their families have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Until now, there were only doubts and worries, but now it seems their suspicions have turned out to be true, he added.

Bharadwaj mentioned that a UK court has filed a class action lawsuit against AstraZeneca and a claim of a whopping Rs 1,000 crore (100 million pounds) has been made against them.

Who has made the claim? Those citizens whose family members either died or became severely ill after taking this vaccine. Two days ago, AstraZeneca admitted for the first time in the UK court documents that its COVID-19 vaccine can cause rare side effects. AstraZeneca had also partnered with Adar Poonawallas Serum Institute of India (SII), to manufacture the Covishield vaccine, which was administered to millions of people in India by the Indian Government. This vaccine was vigorously promoted by the Government of India throughout the country. The rare side effects include blood clotting and depleting platelet count, which could result in brain stroke and heart attack, the senior AAP leader said.

This is alarming news, and the companys acceptance of the potential side effects in the court raises concerns amongst the billions of citizens of our country, their families, and young children. What should they do now? What should the government do now? What precautions should they take, and what tests should they undergo to find out whether blood clotting has started even in their bodies due to this Covishield vaccine? And what has the central government done so far to address this? he questioned.

The senior AAP leader said, There is a need to act on a war footing. The central government should engage with AstraZeneca, scientists, doctors, and cardiologists. We need to understand the warning signs to look out for in our children and identify the symptoms indicative of potential side effects. What specific blood tests need to be done? How frequently should these tests be repeated? Its crucial to ensure that those experiencing the side effects receive timely medical help to save lives. After all, saving lives is the responsibility of the government.

Over the past two days, we have been hopeful that the government would take decisive steps. This news has been circulating for two days now, and we waited the whole day yesterday to see the central governments response on this matter. We believe that there should be no politics on this issue because it is a matter of millions of lives, especially the youth. But when the government slept on this issue, no action was seen from the central government. We are asking the government what is its plan of action in this matter, Bharadwaj added.

The senior AAP leader played a video compilation from a YouTube channel, which showed how in different parts of India, young people, who appeared to be in perfect health, suddenly fell, collapsed, and died in a suspicious manner. He said there are thousands of videos on YouTube that question if these incidents have been happening due to the COVID-19 vaccine. But this issue was being suppressed, he said.

The Delhi Health Minister further said, I came across a BBC report that appeared in March 2021, which is almost 3 years old. This report states that Covishield has been under suspicion in European countries since 2021, and most of these countries have banned the use of Covishield. Please remember that I am talking about 2021. Countries like Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Austria, among others, had banned Covishield back in 2019, even as the Indian government was making it compulsory in India.

When the Indian government was going around and running vaccination drives across the country. There were restrictions on the public movement. They mandated the vaccine and said that even if you have to go by plane or to a hospital, you will have to get vaccinated. A gateway for the vaccine was created at every place, so that you can do this work only if you take the vaccine. All of this was happening in India at the time when the use of the Covishield vaccine was banned in European countries, he said.

He added that the central government must answer significant questions in this regard from 2021 to 2024.

It is strange that even when AstraZeneca itself has admitted that the side effects of its vaccine could lead to heart attack and brain stroke in rare cases, the central government is maintaining silence. The central government has not yet announced its plan to save the people of this country, the Delhi Health Minister added.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India, through the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), will host the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM 46) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP 26) from May 20 to 30 in Kochi, Kerala.

This is in line with Indias poise to facilitate constructive global dialogue on environmental stewardship, scientific collaboration, and cooperation in Antarctica, the Ministry of Earth Sciences said on Wednesday.

The ATCM and meetings of the CEP are pivotal in the international communitys ongoing efforts to safeguard Antarcticas fragile ecosystem and promote scientific research in the region.

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Convened annually under the Antarctic Treaty System, these meetings serve as forums for Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties and other stakeholders to address Antarcticas pressing environmental, scientific, and governance issues.

The Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959 and entered into force in 1961, established Antarctica as a region dedicated to peaceful purposes, scientific cooperation, and environmental protection. Over the years, the Treaty has garnered widespread support, with 56 countries currently party to it. The CEP was established under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (the Madrid Protocol) in 1991. The CEP advises the ATCM on environmental protection and conservation in Antarctica.

India has been a consultative party to the Antarctic Treaty since 1983. It participates in the decision-making process along with 28 other consultative parties to the Antarctic Treaty to date. Indias first Antarctic research station, Dakshin Gangotri, was established in 1983. At present, India operates two year-round research stations: Maitri (1989) and Bharati (2012). The permanent research stations facilitate Indian Scientific Expeditions to Antarctica, which have been going on annually since 1981. In 2022, India enacted the Antarctic Act, reaffirming its commitment to the Antarctic Treaty.

As a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, India remains dedicated to environmental protection, scientific cooperation, and peaceful operations in Antarctica.

Dr M Ravichandran, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, highlighted the importance of India hosting the ATCM and CEP meetings in 2024. He said, We look forward as a country to fostering meaningful exchanges of knowledge and expertise to advance the shared goals of environmental conservation and scientific research in the Antarctic region.

The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat (ATS) serves as the administrative hub for the Antarctic Treaty System. Established in 2004, the ATS coordinates the ATCM and CEP meetings. It also serves as a repository for information pertaining to Antarctic affairs, ensuring its dissemination among member nations. Facilitating diplomatic communication, exchanges, and negotiations, the ATS fosters effective governance and management of the Antarctic region.

It also monitors compliance with Antarctic Treaty provisions and agreements and provides assistance and guidance to Antarctic Treaty Parties on treaty implementation and enforcement matters.

Key items on the 46th ATCM agenda include strategic planning for sustainable management of the Antarctic and its resources; policy, legal, and institutional operations; biodiversity prospecting; inspections and exchange of information and data; research, collaboration, capacity building, and cooperation; addressing climate change impacts; development of tourism framework; and promoting awareness. Lectures of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research will also be conducted.

The 26th CEP agenda focuses on Antarctic environment evaluation, impact assessment, management, and reporting; climate change response; area protection and management plans including marine spatial protection; and conservation of Antarctic biodiversity.

The hosting of the 46th ATCM and 26th CEP meeting reflects Indias growing role as a responsible global stakeholder in efforts to preserve Antarctica for future generations. Through open dialogue, collaboration, and consensus-building, India remains committed to upholding the principles of the Antarctic Treaty and contributing to the sustainable management of one of Earths last pristine wilderness areas.

Indias scientific and strategic endeavours in the polar regions (the Arctic and Antarctic), the Himalayas, and the Southern Ocean are under the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa. NCPOR is an esteemed autonomous institution under MoES, Government of India.

The MoES has set up a Host Country Secretariat with Dr Vijay Kumar, Scientist & Adviser, as Head at MoES HQ to successfully coordinate and organise the event. India has proposed the name of Ambassador Pankaj Saran, a distinguished former Deputy National Security Adviser, to chair the 46th ATCM.

Participation in the ATCM and CEP meetings is restricted to delegates designated by parties, observers and invited experts.

Over 350 delegates from over 60 countries are expected to attend the 46th ATCM and 26th CEP this year hosted by NCPOR, MoES at Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre (LBICC) in Kochi, India.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi and Haryana, a meeting between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress under the banner of the INDIA Alliance Co-ordination Committee was held on Tuesday.

Talking about the coordination committee meeting, Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak said, Many meetings have already taken place between the AAP and Congress, we had another meeting on Tuesday.

He said the top leadership of Delhi and Haryana participated in this meeting from the Congress side.

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We held a meeting to start election campaign coordination at the grassroots level. We have made a commitment to each other. We have created a system in which we will cooperate in campaigning for each other and contest the elections together. This will be implemented first at the Lok Sabha level. After that, coordination will be done at the assembly level, Dr. Sandeep Pathak said.

He further said, The biggest question facing the country today is to save the countrys democracy. We have to liberate the country from the dictatorship of the Modi Government. The Central government is dismantling government institutions one by one. All the constitutional agencies are working at the whims and fancies of the Central government.

We need to cooperate with each other to save the country from the dictatorship of the Modi government. That is why both the parties are ready and united. There was a very positive discussion between both the parties. Coordination is already going on between the two parties, now the discussion was about how it can be taken forward, the senior AAP leader said.

This time in the Lok Sabha elections, INDIA Alliance will win and the BJP will lose. INDIA Alliance will win all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, he asserted.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath revealed that everyone knows that the policies of Congress became the cause of Naxalism and terrorism within the country.

While ,addressing the media at his official residence on Wednesday, before leaving for Maharashtra tour, he lashed out at Congress. He said that Congress is the oldest political party in the country but unfortunately, after independence it became directionless and today it has turned leaderless too.

 The adverse effect of directionlessness is that many Congress leaders have continuously made malicious attempts to curse, insult Indias civilization and culture and defame Sanatana in every way. The same unfortunate situation was seen during the UPA government, when a senior Congress leader and the then Union Home Minister made a malicious attempt to insult Indias Sanatan culture and defame it in front of the world in the name of saffron terrorism, he alleged.

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CM said that today under the leadership of Modi ji, the problem of terrorism and Naxalism has been solved. Extremism-terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and anarchy in the North-East have also been curbed. During the UPA government, there were about 115-120 districts in 17 states which were in the grip of Naxalite violence and the then governments did not have the will power to fight terrorism, Naxalism and extremism, that was the reason there was anarchy and disorder in the country but now Naxalism has been controlled. It has been limited to two-three districts of some states of the country and very soon Naxalism will be eradicated frombthe country, he claimed.

CM Yogi said that in the last ten years, a better security environment has been created in the country. By completely abolishing Article 370, the root of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir ended and under the leadership of PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Jammu and Kashmir was connected to the mainstream of development.

 By controlling the extremism and anarchy in the North-Eastern states, it was successful in connecting them with the mainstream of the nation. The Congress government used to insult and defame Indias eternal civilization and culture, but under the leadership of Modi ji, it is gaining respect in the world. Indias pride has now been restored, he said.

The CM said that he believed that Congress was playing with the security of the country by making malicious attempts to defame the Sanatanis, to steal from them and to divide them into caste camps. The public is completely ignoring the Congress and supporting the slogan of Once again Modi government under the leadership of Modi ji.

 When the results of 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be declared on June 4, Modi ji will become the Prime Minister of the country with an overwhelming majority. His third term will prove to be a milestone in terms of Indias prosperity, security, self-reliant and developed India. This will be a moment of pride for every Indian, he added.

In response to a question, CM Yogi said that Congresss policy of Muslim appeasement had become the reason for the partition of the country. This shows that the Congress leadership had become puppets in the hands of those who were responsible for the partition of the country by insulting and putting Indias eternal culture and tradition in the dock. Those who have always cursed India and Indianness and have caused irreparable damage to it. Congress was continuously humiliating India while playing into their hands, he said.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan has come up with a strong allegation against the CPI-M stating that his party received reports on left partys cross-voting in favour of the BJP in several places in Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency.

Speaking to a Malayalam news channel on Wednesday, Muraleedharan, who is the Congress candidate for the Thrissur constituency, said the cross-voting of CPI-M cadres in favour of the BJP candidate took place on a large scale in Guruvayur and Nattika assembly segments of the constituency. He, however, said this would not affect the chances of the UDF.

He said the LDFs vote share would decline in its strongholds in Thrissur while the BJP would get a major push with it.

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Muraleedharan expressed doubt over LDF convener EP Jayarajans role in the alleged cross-voting. EP Jayarajan may have agreed with BJP Kerala prabhari Prakash Javadekar to divert CPI-Ms votes to BJP during their controversial meeting, the senior Congress leader said.

Other than Thrissur, CPI-M and BJP leaders entered the deal for cross-voting in other constituencies too, he alleged.

Unlike in the previous polls, no clashes were reported between BJP and CPI-M activists, they worked in harmony this time, he said.

The Thrissur Lok Sabha seat witnessed a fierce triangular fight between Congress K Muraleedharan, LDFs VS Sunil Kumar and BJPs Suresh Gopi.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday termed the bomb threat mails sent to multiple Delhi schools a hoax and said that there is no need to panic.

Some schools in Delhi received threat e-mails this morning. The mails appear to be hoax and there is no need to panic. Delhi Police and security agencies are taking all necessary steps as per protocol, the MHA said in a statement shared on X.

The ministrys statement came after around 69 schools across Delhi-NCR received a bomb threat on Wednesday morning, triggering panic among students, parents and the administration.

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Following the threats, students were evacuated from these schools as police launched intensive searches and opened an investigation.

Bomb detection teams, bomb disposal squads and officials of Delhi Fire Service were rushed to schools but nothing suspicious was found.

Weve checked all the schools and nothing has been found, there is no need to panic, DCP New Delhi, Devesh Kumar Mahla said.

The police said that the schools have been receiving threat mails since yesterday and one email has been forwarded to many schools.

According to preliminary investigation, the threat mail was reportedly sent using a Russian domain and police is working to track the IP address of the sender.

Delhi LG VK Saxena said that he has sought a detailed report from the Police Commissioner and requested parents not to panic and co-operate with the administration.

Spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR. Directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits & ensure there are no lapses. I request the parents not to panic and co-operate with the administration in ensuring safety of schools and the children. The miscreants & culprits will not be spared, Saxena wrote in a post on X.
Calling AAP-Congress alliance in Delhi an opportunistic move to fuel corruption and cheat the people, Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, The Congress, AAP and other members of thug bandhan advocate Muslim personal law instead of Uniform Civil Code in their manifesto.

Addressing an election rally in favour of BJP Candidates from East Delhi Harsh Malhotra on Wednesday, the Uttarakhand CM the thug bandhan (alliance of thugs). Kejriwal and his party came to power promising an honest government but today, they are in jail for duping the state exchequer. Aam Aadmi Party has swindled the earnings of the people.

As for the Congress, he said that the partys manifesto was a Muslim League agenda.

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Dhamis address was aimed at attracting the voters of East Delhi as the constituency has a decisive size of Uttarakhand origin electorates.

He said in Karnataka, work is being done to snatch the reservations of the SCs, STs, OBCs and give them to the people of a particular religion. The Congress party is in frustration and despair. It talks for Muslim Personal Law as a part of their politics of appeasement and vote bank but today the country believes in Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas( company of all, development to all, confidence of all and effort by all).

Dhami said, The manifesto of the Congress party is like that of the Muslim League and it will not form a government. The alliance of the opposition is a thug bandhan to foment corruption and nepotism. Dhami assured that BJP will not let the reservations of the SCs, STs, and the OBCs go come what may while the Uniform Civil Code will be implemented countrywide.

He said the Congress and AAP alliance is a means to cheat the people of Delhi.

He added as the Pradhan Sevak'(chief servant) I have come from the land of Badri Kedar, Ganga Yamuna to seek votes in support of the BJP. He said east delhi has been the stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party since the Jan Sangh era. Dhami claimed that under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the country is working to create new concepts and definitions of development.

Dhami also took part in a roadshow held in the East Delhi parliamentary seat while going to file nomination by the Malhotra.
Former Chief Ministers Dr Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday slammed the Election Commission of India (ECI) for postponing the poll for Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency and called it a planned conspiracy to deprive the migratory Gujjar community from voting.

The ECI had on Tuesday evening deferred polling for the seat from 7 May to 25 May on the plea of BJP and its friendly parties that the Mughal road was shut due to snow and landslides and as such it was not possible for the candidates to reach the newly included Rajouri and Poonch districts in the Anantnag constituency.

National Conference (NC) chief Dr Farooq Abdullah and the PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti, who is also the partys candidate for Anantnag seat, today reached Rajouri and Poonch for their respective campaigns.

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The NC candidate Mian Altaf accompanied Dr Farooq Abdullah. NC, PDP and Congress had opposed the plea for postponing the polls.

Dr Abdullah said in Rajouri that the NC enjoys massive support of the people.

NC candidate and former minister Mian Altaf Ahmed also took potshots at the ECI and claimed he had not seen such an example of the deferring of polls. It is an undemocratic step, Altaf told reporters.

Mehbooba Mufti, who posted on X her picture in a tea stall in the Kali Dhaar area of Rajouri, accused the Jammu and Kashmir administration of filing a cooked report to justify the postponement of the election.

They (ECI) extended the election date, making it difficult for me to campaign. The poor party workers are paying from their pockets and campaigning for me. Now they will have to work for 25 more days, Mehbooba told the people during a roadshow on the outskirts of Rajouri.

Mehbooba emphasised the significance of the current election, saying, It is not meant for power or roads. It is about the decision taken in 2019, which we believe was wrong.

This election is against the central governments decision and sends a clear message that the decision to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate the state into two Union territories has not been accepted by the people, she added.

Our identity, our land, our jobs, our sand  they want to snatch away everything from us. The Jammu and Kashmir people will not accept that, she said.

National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah, in an election rally in south Kashmir, asserted that the ECIs poll deferment move regarding Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary seat was aimed to deprive nomadic Gujjar and Bakkerwal communities from the right to vote.

Omar said that the decision of the ECI is wrong. This request for postponing polling came in from the BJP who havent fielded any candidate. This appears to be a planned conspiracy.

The decision of ECI taken yesterday was a glaring example of conspiracy. The commission was silent when incessant rains lashed J&K and when favourable weather conditions restored they rescheduled the polling. This was aimed to deprive the nomadic community of Pir Panjal region from the right to vote, Omar asserted.
Amid the row over his fake video, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday reiterated that Narendra Modi wont abolish reservations for the SC, ST, and OBC communities if returned to power.

Addressing an election rally in Chhattisgarh, the home minister said despite having the majority for the last 10 years, Modi didnt use it to end the reservations nor will he do it in his third term.

I want to tell you that because of your blessings Modi Ji has the majority for the last 10 years. Modi Ji has not removed the reservation and will not do so. He used the majority to remove 370, build Ram Janmabhoomi temple, bring the CAA and abolish triple talaq, he said.

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Referring to the fake video in which he is shown talking about ending the reservations, Shah said the Congress has only one motto  to lie loudly, publicly and repeatedly.

The Congress motto is  speak lie, loudly, speak publicly and repeatedly. They say if Modi Ji gets majority, then he will abolish reservations. They even made a fake video of mine and circulated it, Shah said.

The minister said since the BJP has formed government in Chhattisgarh, it will use the majority to end Naxalism.

Making Modiji the prime minister for the third time means liberating this country from Naxalism and terrorism. To worry about the welfare of the poor of the country, to make the country developed, to worry about the respect of the tribes and to make Chhattisgarh the number one state of the country, he added.
By Shintaro Sue, KYODO NEWS - May 1, 2024 - 10:32 | Feature, All, World

Some Japanese researchers have opted to make Sweden their home base as they seek to take full advantage of the Nordic country's advanced space exploration research programs.

The northern city of Kiruna is a key center for space research in Sweden. It sits north of the Arctic Circle and draws researchers from all over the world, who favor the city's geographical location as it gives them frequent opportunities to observe the aurora borealis.

The Kiruna-headquartered Swedish Institute of Space Physics, or IRF, is a state-run agency at the center of the country's research and observatory programs associated with research on space and technology.

Annelie Klint Nilsson, an IRF public relations official, said the headquarters had some 30 researchers as of March, including four from Japan.

The number of foreign researchers working at the IRF increases if you add staff from its other research bases in Umea, Uppsala and Lund to the total figure, Nilsson said, noting that foreign-born researchers at the IRF also include those from India, France and Russia.

Although Japan has a strong scientific relationship with the United States in the field of space exploration, Japanese researchers are expected to work more closely with Sweden in the coming years.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust objected to the statement given by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat, saying such statements can create discrimination in society.

Addressing an election rally in Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat recently, Rahul Gandhi had said the President of India Draupadi Murmu was not invited to the Pran Pratistha programme because she comes from a tribal community.

Responding to the comment, Trust General Secretary Champat Rai said here in a statement on Wednesday that along with President Draupadi Murmu, former President Ramnath Kovind was also invited to the Pran Pratishtha programme. The reported statement of the Congress leader is objectionable, false and misleading, he added.

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The Trust took cognizance of this statement and its general secretary, Champat Rai, responded with a video message on social media site X too. He said in the Pran Pratishtha programme, apart from people from Scheduled Castes, Tribes and backward communities, such dignitaries who have brought honour to the country in different fields were also invited. People from minority communities were also invited to the programme.

He said the Trust had also invited the labourers and poor associated with the construction of Ram Temple to the programme. Everyone worshiped in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple.

This statement of Rahul Gandhi is misleading, false and objectionable. Lord Shri Ram never discriminated against anyone in his life hence the Trust cannot entertain the idea of discriminating against anyone. The trust also includes saints and mahatmas who work considering every person in the society as a form of God, Rai said.

He said such statement can prove to cause discrimination in the society. Therefore we express serious objection to this. We work to connect people, he added.
Ahead of the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, renowned television actor Rupali Ganguly, popularly known as Anupama, and freelance director and astrologer Amiya Joshi joined the BJP at the partys headquarters in the national capital on Wednesday.

Ganguly and Joshi joined the saffron party in the presence of BJPs National General Secretary Vinod Tawde, National Media Head Anil Baluni, and National Media Co-chief Dr. Sanjay Mayukh.

Welcoming the incumbents into the BJP family, Tawde said Ganguly and Joshi were so inspired by the welfare policies and development initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that they decided to join the BJP with a pledge to support the prime ministers vision for Viksit Bharat.

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Both Joshi and Ganguly expressed their gratitude towards the prime minister, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda.

Ganguly said she was inspired by the prime ministers commitment to public welfare and development and joined the BJP to contribute to this grand vision. She pledged to support the journey towards Viksit Bharat under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and BJP national president JP Nadda.

Joshi vowed to contribute to national interest and nation-building under the guidance of the BJPs top leadership and to spread the partys ideology to the masses.
Multiple schools across Delhi-NCR received a bomb threat on Wednesday morning, triggering panic among students, parents and the administration.

According to the Delhi Police, around 131 schools have received the bomb threat.

Following the threats, students were evacuated from these schools as police launched intensive searches and opened an investigation.

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Bomb detection teams, bomb disposal squads and officials of Delhi Fire Service were rushed to schools but nothing suspicious was found.

Weve checked all the schools and nothing has been found, there is no need to panic, DCP New Delhi, Devesh Kumar Mahla said.

The police said that the schools have been receiving threat mails since yesterday and one email has been forwarded to many schools.

In the initial investigation, since yesterday, many schools across Delhi have received emails. Same pattern was followed to send threat mails. Dateline is not mentioned BCC is mentioned in the e-mail and hence it is clear that one email has been sent to many places, the police said.

We are investigating all the threats and further probe into the matter is underway, the police added.

According to a Delhi Fire official, at least nine schools have received bomb threats so far.

Authorities said that all the schools to which the threat emails were sent, have been closed and students sent back to their homes as a precautionary measure.

In a communication to the parents, one of the schools said, An email was received this morning regarding a bomb threat in school. As such the students are being dispersed immediately as a precautionary measure. You are requested to kindly collect your wards from your respective bus stops. Parents are requested to kindly come and collect their wards immediately. The Bus Route Incharges will keep you updated about the movement of the buses from time to time.

Meanwhile, Delhi LG VK Saxena said that he has sought a detailed report from the Police Commissioner and requested parents not to panic and co-operate with the administration.

Spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR. Directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits & ensure there are no lapses. I request the parents not to panic and co-operate with the administration in ensuring safety of schools and the children. The miscreants & culprits will not be spared, Saxena wrote in a post on X.
The Supreme Court was moved on Wednesday for the setting up of a committee of expert medical doctors from AIIMS, Delhi, to examine AstraZenecas vaccine, its side effects and the risk factors involved in its vaccination.

The petition was moved in the apex court in the wake of admission by a pharmaceutical giant AstraZenecas before the British High Court on the potential of its vaccine  known in India as Covishield  causing Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) (blood clots).

The proposed expert panel should be headed by the AIIMS director and supervised by a retired Judge of the Supreme Court, petitioner Vishal Tiwari has said in his petition.

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Seeking compensation for the people adversely impacted by the vaccine, the petitioner Vishal Tiwari has said, I seek directions to the Union of India (UOI) to establish a vaccine damage payment system for the citizens who got severely disabled as a result of a vaccination Drive during Covid 19. The Supreme Court should pass directions to the UOI to compensate the people who are severely disabled or died because of the side effects of Corona vaccine administered to them during Covid 19.

Tiwari in his petition has said that it has been recently disclosed that Covishield Vaccine had caused and may cause side effects in rare cases. Pharmaceutical company and developer of the vaccine, AstraZeneca has said that its AZD1222 vaccine against Covid-19, which was made under licence in India as Covishield, could cause the formation of blood clots in very rare cases.

AstraZeneca has accepted a link between the vaccine and Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), a medical condition characterised by abnormally low levels of platelets and the formation of blood clots. AstraZenecas vaccine formula was licensed to Pune-based vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) during the coronavirus pandemic for the manufacture of Covishield. More than 175 crore doses of Covishield have been administered in India, says the petition.

The UK-based media organisation, The Telegraph, has reported recently that a case was lodged last year by Jamie Scott, a father of two, who was left with a permanent brain injury after developing a blood clot and a bleed on the brain that has prevented him from working after he received the vaccine in April 2021, the plea said.

Further quoting from the The Telegraph report, the petition says that in all, fifty-one cases have been lodged in the High Court in the UK, with victims and grieving relatives seeking damages estimated to be worth up to 100 million.

Referring to the letter written by the pharmaceutical giant to its lawyers and the document filed in the UK High Court in February, the petition says, The Telegraph Report says that AstraZeneca denied that TTS is caused by the vaccine at a generic level. However, it admitted to the possibility of TTS as a result of its vaccination in very rare cases.

In India a large number Covishield were administered to the citizens during covid-19 pandemic vaccine drive, with the assurance of the government of its safety and no adverse effect on health, Tiwari said in his plea.

In India, after covid 19, there have been an increase in the cases of death due to heart attacks and sudden collapse of persons, the plea said and added that there have been a number of cases of heart Attack even in youngsters. Now after the document filed in the UK court by the developer of Covishield, we are compelled to think upon the risk and its hazardous consequences of Covishield vaccine which have been administered to the citizens in large numbers, the plea added.

Tiwari has pleaded to direct the government to take immediate steps for the sake of the safety and health of Indian Citizens. The issue has to be looked upon by the Union Government on priority so that in future no risk may occur regarding the health and life of India Citizens.

Seeking damages for the vaccines side effects, petitioner Tiwari has said that even in some countries like the UK there is a Vaccine damage payment system for the people who get severely disabled due to vaccination.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over massive sex scandal involving NDA Lok Sabha candidate and JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, asking him why the accused was not stopped from fleeing India.

PM Modi did not stop him from leaving India, Priyanka alleged while addressing a rally in Assams Dhubri.

The Congress leader also called PM Modi egoistic and claimed he has no understanding of peoples miseries.

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PM Modi is far away from the reality of common people. He has no understanding of their miseries as he has become egoistic, she said.

Priyanka Gandhi has been targetting Prime Minister Modi ever since the Prajwal Revanna sex scandal case surfaced.

Earlier this week, the Congress leader said that Modi solicited votes for Revanna and questioned his silence over the matter.

The individual (Prajwal Revanna) who stood alongside Prime Minister Modi, for whom the PM solicited votes, stands accused of abusing thousands of women. The numbers are staggering. I want to know Modis response to this. I am keen to hear what the Union home minister has to say, Ms Gandhi Vadra had said.

Revanna is accused of sexually assaulting several women, including his former cook, policewomen and even journalists.

His cook has filed an FIR against him for allegedly sexually assaulting him..she alleged that Revanna also tried to flirt with her daughter, following which she blocked his calls.

Revanna has fled the country after the case surfaced in mainstream media. He is said to be staying in Germany.

Meanwhile, the JD(S) has suspended him and issued a show cause notice. The decision to suspend him was taken after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the BJP will always stand by the women of the country.

PM Modi, while addressing a rally in Telangana on Tuesday, said that anyone who plays with the honour of women should not be spared.

Any person, whoever he is, how big he is, if he plays with the honour of women he should not be spared, the Prime Minister said without mentioning Prajwal Revanna.

Taking a dig at the Congress government in Karnataka, he further added, Under Congress rule, not only are womens rights endangered but so is their safety. When it comes to choosing between womens safety and the vote bank Congress prioritizes the latter. In contrast BJP prioritizes womens safety and respect above all else.
The issue of dynamic injunctions is a complex one. On the one hand, the court is confronted with judicially engineering newer ways to present effective remedies to the intellectual property right-holders and shield them from repeated infringement. On the other, these dynamic injunctions do run the risk of going over-board in their application and possibly transgressing into the territory of judicial overreach.

Having said this, it is important to be cognizant that the issuance of dynamic injunctions need not necessarily be excessive at every instance. One of the foremost criticisms of this class of injunctions is that it is usually accompanied by website-blocking orders, decisions that are predicated on the assumption that the entirety of the website hosts illicit, infringing content. In fact, the Bombay High Court recognised this danger in Balaji Motion Pictures, wherein Justice G.S. Patel highlighted the need for scrutiny and reflection on the use of John Doe orders, which are similar in operation to dynamic injunctions.

Overarchingly though, it is agreed that this special class of injunctions are an attempt, or at the very least a thoughtful start, intending to prevent and limit the problem of free-riding that often obscures the incentive to grant intellectual property protection. India is a party to both the WIPO Performers and Phonograms Treaty, 1996 (WPPT) and the WIPO Copyright Treaty, 1996 (WCT) and has thus reoriented her approach to balance the rights of the intellectual property owner, while simultaneously providing sufficient economic incentives to stimulate the creative industries operating in the digital space. The Delhi High Court has come to acquire notoriety for its jurisprudence on intellectual property matters, and its creative application of granting dynamic+ injunctions is no exception. The court in April 2019, in UTV v 1337x. introduced the concept of dynamic injunctions by virtue of its power under Section 151 of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908 to immunise the copyright-holders from mirror/redirect/alphanumeric websites.

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The rationale behind legally transplanting the concept of dynamic injunctions, whose facets are resplendent in Singaporean law on to a domestic context was to combat the irreparable losses caused by ubiquitous hydra-headed websites or, flagrantly infringing online locations. Usually, issuance of dynamic injunctions is restricted to protecting the existing works of the right-holders. In August 2023, the Delhi High Court in the Universal City Studios order, carved out an exceptional model of dynamic injunctions, one which would also operate prospectively, and protect the future works of the rightholder. The primary concern with this expansion of the injunction is that it fails to account for the possibility of a dispute of ownership of the copyright.

The natural presumption of ownership of the copyright in favour of the plaintiff discounts the very real potential of there being a third-party claim over the work, which may well add to the cumbersome nature of the court process, proving counterintuitive to the aim of the remedy of dynamic injunctions. Circling back to the larger point on proportionality, and whether Indian courts by issuing dynamic injunctions which are most often coupled with website-blocking orders are justified in their approach, our considered opinion is that in light of the fact that the jurisprudence on dynamic injunctions is still evolving, it does not seem prudent to completely write off the utility of dynamic injunctions as a legitimate remedy to combat mirror/redirect/alphanumeric websites.

That said, there are legitimate concerns of disregarding user rights, noncommercial use of digital content, and chilling effect on free speech that do require to be addressed with as much clarity as possible. Justice Pratibha Singh in the Star India Pvt. Ltd. case, recently allowed the blocked websites, which were not primarily infringing in nature to approach the court with an undertaking guaranteeing that there would be no illegal dissemination of the plaintiffs content on their part, post which there would be a consideration as regards modifying the injunction. Some would argue that it is too little, too late  and perhaps that stand has merit when justifying the economic incentive for a copyright system. However, we must acknowledge that times have changed drastically since the 1990s and creators are often found collaborating with users to allow for greater reach and develop new transformative use of their content. Hence it is an important opportunity to strike a fine balance.

As put forth in the UTV judgement, while expanding upon the quantity v. quality test, the court held that website-blocking orders should not create barriers to legitimate trade, and thus a dynamic injunction that would suspend any infringing platforms website in its entirety  instead of blocking the specific content  is one of the few, but major deficiencies of this remedy. Therefore, when remedying infringement, courts must understand the full ramifications of how much control must the owner be allowed while denying or allowing use of content for any public or non-commercial purpose. Ever since the WCT & WPPT, India has been desirous of signalling clearly that she respects the need to balance rights, so the regulatory aim is to prevent an excessiveness or abuse of the system. However, she fully endorses the economic incentive to provide a limited monopoly for creative industries, and denying an equitable remedy such as a dynamic injunction in light of primary facie evidence would make that social contract meaningless.

So it cannot be asserted enough that the intellectual property owners interest must be protected through decisions that envisage reasoned orders laying out the lack of abuse of the system and thus provide a sound basis to enforce the remedy as a mechanism of preventing free-riding. To make a case for having a judicial temper for dynamic injunctions, we can refer to the Bombay High Courts decision this January in UTI Infrastructure Technology and Services Limited v. Extra Tech World and Ors., wherein the bench resorted to the use of a dynamic injunction to protect public interest relating to preventing the infringement of sensitive personal data such as PAN records. In instances such as these, the issuance of a dynamic injunction is almost automatically necessitated. It is difficult to expect that the plaintiffs, who are service providers of the Income Tax Department, entrusted with processing PAN Applications and other PANrelated information, approach the court on several instances to restrain other anonymous, unnamed infringers thereby compromising national security.

Therefore, there are certainly valid, conflicting opinions as to the utility and overbroad nature of dynamic injunctions, but in our considered view the first step is to iron out the inconsistencies in the courts understanding of when and how to invoke these injunctions. That would require an understanding and application of uniform standard of proportionality wherein the issuance for a dynamic injunction is required to strike the fine balance.

(The writers are, respectively, Professor of Law, and a student at the Jindal Global Law School, O.P Jindal Global University, Haryana.)
In the archipelago of the Philippines, where history intertwines with the present, a modern-day Shakespearean drama unfolds. The ongoing feud between the Marcos and Duterte clans, reminiscent of the Montagues and Capulets, serves as a cautionary tale of the perils of dynastic politics and personal vendettas overshadowing the greater good of the nation. At the heart of this feud lie two powerful families, each with its own legacy of controversy and corruption. On one side stands the Marcos dynasty, epitomised by the shadow of a brutal dictator whose reign was marked by oppression and plunder. Opposing them is the Duterte clan, led by a President whose tenure was characterised by a ruthless war on drugs and a penchant for inflammatory rhetoric.

Their animosity is not merely a matter of personal disdain. It has real consequences for the Filipino people and their future. As the two families engage in a battle for supremacy, governance is compromised, and the nations progress is hindered. The recent skirmishes over confidential funds and constitutional revisions highlight the extent to which personal ambitions overshadow public service. Moreover, the unpredictable nature of this feud leaves foreign policy in flux, with alliances shifting as quickly as the winds of political fortune. From cosying up to China to pivoting back towards America, the Philippines finds itself caught in a geopolitical tug-of-war, with little clarity on its long-term strategic direction. But perhaps most concerning is the impact of this feud on the democratic process itself. As the Marcos and Duterte camps gear up for the next election cycle, the spectre of dirty politics looms large. With both families facing potential legal repercussions for past misdeeds, the campaign is likely to be marred by mudslinging and character assassination, further eroding trust in the political establishment. Yet, amid this turmoil, there remains hope for a brighter future.

The Filipino people have shown resilience in the face of adversity, rallying behind causes such as education reform and anti-corruption efforts. Grassroots movements and civil society organisations continue to push for accountability and transparency, challenging the entrenched power structures that perpetuate dynastic rule. Their efforts serve as a beacon of light in the darkness, reminding us that change is possible when the people unite behind a common cause In the end, the Philippines stands at a crossroads. Will it succumb to the petty squabbles of feuding families, or will it rise above the fray and forge a path towards true democracy and prosperity? The answer lies not in the hands of politicians or dynasts, but in the collective will of the Filipino people to demand better and strive for a brighter tomorrow. For only by transcending the legacy of the past can the Philippines truly fulfil its immense potential and claim its rightful place on the global stage.

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Benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine far outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects, pharma giant AstraZeneca said on Tuesday.

The companys response, in a statement to IANS, comes amidst furore over the company admitting in UK court documents that its vaccine against Covid-19, developed in partnership with Oxford University, can raise the risk of a rare and serious blood clot.

From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile, the statement said.

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Regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects, it added.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, sold as Covishield in India and Vaxzevria in Europe is a viral vector vaccine developed using the modified chimpanzee adenovirus ChAdOx1.

In a legal document submitted to the UK High Court, in February, AstraZeneca accepted that its Covid vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS', the Telegraph reported.

Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) is a disorder that causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count.

A total of 51 cases have been lodged in the UK High Court against the pharmaceutical giant over claims that its Covid vaccine caused death and serious injury. The victims and grieving relatives have sought damages, estimated to be worth up to 100 million pounds, the report said.

The company also expressed sympathy with the people who suffered loss of lives or health due to its vaccine, and asserted that patient safety is our highest priority.

Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems, AstraZeneca said.

Patient safety is our highest priority and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines, the company added.

Meanwhile, health experts noted that AstraZenecas Covid vaccine having side effects is nothing new in terms of information, and nothing new that should make us fearful.

The furore about Covishield is quite surprising. Nothing new in terms of information and more importantly nothing in that information that should make us fearful of vaccines, Dr. Anurag Agrawal, a pulmonologist and Dean, BioSciences and Health Research, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University, shared in a post on X.com.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to launch a ground attack on Rafah with or without a deal with Hamas.

Speaking in a meeting with families of hostages, Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel has begun the evacuation of Palestinian civilians from Rafah, according to his office as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

We will enter Rafah and eliminate Hamas battalions there, with or without a deal, to achieve the total victory, he added.

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Israel considers Rafah as Hamass last major stronghold in the Palestinian enclave.

Rafah is Gazas southernmost city, where about 1.2 million Palestinians have been seeking shelter.

The remarks were made as Israeli and Hamas negotiators were in Egyptian-brokered talks on a deal for a ceasefire for the nearly seven-month-long Gaza conflict, that will secure the release of hostages.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani have pledged to resume efforts to end the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

During a phone conversation, the two leaders discussed the latest developments and joint efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian Presidency said on Tuesday in a statement.

They also discussed efforts to exchange hostages and detainees and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid and relief in sufficient and adequate quantities into Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported.

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The two leaders confirmed their commitment to continuing joint efforts and engaging with the various parties to end the war, protect the region from the ramifications of the expansion of the conflict, and restore security and stability in the region.

Egypt and Qatar, along with the US, are spearheading regional mediation talks to end the conflict and expedite humanitarian aid into the war-torn territory via Egypt.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza has risen to 34,535, the Hamas-run health authorities said in a press statement on Tuesday.
KYODO NEWS - May 1, 2024 - 10:13 | All, Podcast

Episode 43: New DisneySea Hotel

A new hotel experience awaits fans at Tokyo DisneySea.

Three Kyodo News reporters - Yamaguchi-san, Eduardo and Su-san - talk about the new hotel within Tokyo DisneySea's Fantasy Springs theme area set to open its doors to visitors in June. They also talk about their favorite Disney films growing up and Disneyland theme parks around the world.

Article mentioned in the podcast:

DisneySea reveals new hotel in Fantasy Springs area to open in June

Kyodo News presents a bilingual podcast for English learners about the ins and outs of news writing and how to translate tricky Japanese phrases into English. Have fun listening to journalists discuss recent articles as they occasionally go off on unrelated tangents.

More podcast episodes:

Podcast [English World] Episode 42: Akira Toriyama and Dragon Ball

Podcast [English World] Episode 41: Ride-hailing in Japan

Podcast [English World] Episode 40: Tokyo Toilet project
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Hungary. What it's like to stroll the streets of Budapest? Join Xinhua's Shang Yang to have a look.
SEOUL, May 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export grew for the seventh successive month in April due to strong global demand for locally-made tech products and automobiles, government data showed Wednesday.

Export, which accounts for about half of the export-driven economy, rose 13.8 percent over the year to 56.26 billion U.S. dollars in April, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The outbound shipment kept an upward trend since October last year. The daily average export gained 11.3 percent to 2.45 billion dollars last month.

Import expanded 5.4 percent from a year earlier to 54.73 billion dollars in April, sending the trade surplus to 1.53 billion dollars. The trade balance stayed in black for the 11th consecutive month since June last year.

Of the country's 15 major export items, 13 products saw an increase in outbound shipment.

Semiconductor shipment mounted 56.1 percent over the year to 9.96 billion dollars in April, maintaining an upward momentum for the sixth straight month.

The double-digit expansion was attributed to higher price for memory chips and stronger demand in the overall IT industry.

Display panel export advanced 16.3 percent to 1.43 billion dollars last month on the back of robust demand for flat screens used for cars and the launch of new smartphones and OLED TVs.

Mobile phone export swelled 11.4 percent to 1.15 billion dollars on higher Asian demand, while computer shipment soared 76.2 percent to 790 million dollars on higher price for solid state drive (SSD).

Automotive export increased 10.3 percent to reach a new monthly high of 6.79 billion dollars due to solid demand for expensive eco-friendly vehicles and sport utility vehicle (SUV).

General machinery shipment added 1.5 percent to 4.68 billion dollars in April after declining in double digits in the previous month, while auto parts export climbed 2.9 percent to 1.96 billion dollars.

Shipment for oil products and petrochemicals spiked in double figures to 4.37 billion dollars and 4.29 billion dollars, respectively, amid the higher crude oil prices.

Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, averaged 89.2 dollars per barrel in April, up from 84.2 dollars in the previous month.

Export for home appliances and textiles rose in single digit to 740 million dollars and 950 million dollars, respectively, but those for steel products and secondary batteries retreated to 2.82 billion dollars and 620 million dollars, respectively.

Export to the United States jumped 24.3 percent from a year earlier to hit a new record high of 11.41 billion dollars in April, continuing to rise for the ninth consecutive month.

Shipment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) expanded 10.5 percent to 9.11 billion dollars last month, but export to the European Union (EU) shrank 7.1 percent to 5.65 billion dollars on lower demand for cars and general machinery.

Export to Japan, Latin America and India went up in double digits to 2.45 billion dollars, 2.5 billion dollars and 1.57 billion dollars, respectively.

Regarding import items, the import of three major energy sources, including crude oil, natural gas and coal, gained 14.6 percent over the year to 12.5 billion dollars in April.

Non-energy import grew 2.9 percent to 42.23 billion dollars in April compared to the same month of last year on higher demand for chips and naphtha. 
The multi-billion dollar Godrej Group, which has interests from fast-moving consumer goods to real estate, consumer durables and even aerospace, has finally reached an amicable settlement to split the business into two groups, one led by Adi Godrej, his brother Nadir and family on one side and cousin Jamshyd Godrej and his sister Smita Crishna on the other.

"The third and fourth generations of the family branches have diverse interests, and varying perceptions as to, amongst others, the strategic direction, growth and governance of the Godrej Group entities. The family branches are desirous of ensuring harmony in the future amongst the succeeding generations of the Godrej family. To preserve mutual respect, goodwill, amity and harmony and to manage diverse expectations and strategic directions desired by each family branch, each branch head acting for himself and on behalf of the other members of his concerned family branch, has agreed upon a family settlement arrangement," according to a statement issued late on Tuesday night.

Godrej Industries Group, which includes the listed companies, Godrej Industries, Godrej Consumer Products, Godrej Properties, Godrej Agrovet and Astec Lifesciences will have Nadir Godrej as chairperson and will be controlled by Adi Godrej, Nadir Godrej, and their immediate families. Pirojsha Godrej (Adi's son) will be the executive vice chairperson of Godrej Industries Group and will succeed Nadir as the chairperson in August 2026.

Godrej Enterprises Group, comprising of Godrej & Boyce and its affiliates, which has interests in locks, consumer durables, aerospace, building materials, furniture, interior design, software, healthcare equipment among other things, will now be controlled by Jamshyd Godrej, chairperson and managing director, Nyrika Holkar (Smita's daughter), executive director, and their immediate families.

"The family groups have also entered into a brand and non-compete agreement to record their understanding in respect of delineation of the rights for adoption, use, ownership and registration of the Godrej brand as well as accepting certain non-compete obligations on the terms and conditions thereunder. This shall ensure stability and continuity of the businesses carried out by each family branch and maintain harmony amongst the family groups," the statement read.

The Godrej Group was established 127 years ago. While the businesses were already being run separately, the two sides had held shares in each others companies and were also on the board of the various companies. All that will now change with the shareholding between the two families to be untangled and the equity interests respectively transferred.

"The realignment has been arrived at in a respectful and mindful way to maintain harmony and to better align ownership in acknowledgement of the differing visions of the Godrej family members. This will help maximize strategic direction, focus, agility, and will accelerate the process of creating long-term value for shareholders and all other stakeholders," as per the statement.

Both the groups will continue to use the Godrej brand and are committed to growing and strengthening their shared heritage, it further added.

"With this future-facing family agreement now in place, we can further drive our growth aspirations with fewer complexities and focus on leveraging our core strengths in high tech engineering and design-led innovation across our strong portfolio of strategic, consumer and emerging businesses," said Jamshyd Godrej.

After the effective date of the family settlement agreement, which will be an agreed date once all the conditions are met, including the approval from the Competition Commission of India, the shareholding, interests and directorships held in various entities by the two groups will be realigned.

The members of the Adi and Nadir Godrej family will not be directly or indirectly involved in the management and operations of entities under the control or management of the Jamshyd Godrej and Smita Crishna family; and the members of the Jamshyd Godrej and Smita Crishna family shall not be directly or indirectly involved in the management and operations of entities under the control or management of Adi and Nadir Godrej.

Shares of Godrej Industries, Godrej Consumer, Godrej Properties and Godrej Agrovet held by members of the Jamshyd Godrej and Smita Crishna family on or after the effective date are not permitted to be transferred to competitors identified under the settlement agreement, except either with the prior consent of branch heads of Adi and Nadir Godrej family or through a non-negotiated on-market sale.

Similarly, shares of Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company, held by members of the Nadir Godrej family on or after the effective date are not permitted to be transferred to competitors identified under the agreement, except either with the prior consent of the branch heads of Jamshyd Godrej family or Smita Crishna family or through a non-negotiated on-market sale in the event the shares of Godrej & Boyce are traded on any stock exchanges.

Godrej was founded in 1897 to help build economic independence for India. This deep purpose of innovating for a cause - the values of trust and respect and the belief in trusteeship and making communities that the companies operate in stronger and better - continue to form the bedrock of who we are 125 years later. We look forward to building on this legacy with focus and agility," said Nadir Godrej.

The Adi and Nadir Godrej family shall have the exclusive right to adopt, use, own and register the Godrej name and brand in businesses such as FMCG, foods & beverages, dairy products & services, financial services, pharmaceuticals, pharmacy, diagnostics, sexual wellness, agriculture and agriculture related services, fertilisers, chemicals, oils & fats, etc. The family will also have the exclusive rights in connection with development and marketing of real estate projects.

The family of Jamshyd Godrej and Smita Crishna shall have the exclusive right to adopt, use, own and register the Godrej name and brand in businesses such as space, aerospace, defense, furniture, durables, heavy engineering, locks and architectural hardware, EPC services, construction materials, home and office automation services, home and commercial interior design services, medical devices, software solutions, IT/ITeS, machines, energy, electric mobility business, vending machines, security products and solutions, intra-logistics, transmission systems, etc.

Both family groups can undertake businesses, which are not being undertaken by either of them as on January 1, 2024, and which have been agreed as being shared spaces for doing business; medical services, hospitals, hospitality, education, etc being some of the examples.
Six schools in the Delhi-NCR region received bomb threats on Wednesday morning, following which police evacuated the campus premises and carried out searches.

An email regarding a bomb threat was received this morning at Mother Mary's School, East Delhi Mayur Vihar. The school is being evacuated, and the school premises are being thoroughly checked, Delhi Police stated.

Searches are being carried out by the Delhi Fire Service, Bomb Detection Team and Bomb Disposal Squad, according to local reports.

Other schools that received threats were Delhi Public School in Dwarka, Delhi Public School at Vasant Kunj, Amity International School in Saket, Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri and Delhi Public School in Noida Sector 30.

"Taking immediate cognizance of the information, checking is being done around the school by the police force. Other necessary measures are also being taken," the Noida Police stated.

More schools are said to have got similar mails and it is suspected that a single individual is responsible for all these threats, PTI quoted an officer as saying.

This comes after Chacha Nehru Hospital in Delhi's Shahdara received a bomb threat via email on Tuesday morning.

On Monday, Raja Bhoj International Airport in Bhopal, Dabolim airport in Goa, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata and the Jaipur International Airport received bomb threats

This is not the first time that Delhi Public School branches have received such threats. In February, the Delhi Public School in R.K. Puram had received a bomb threat. In May 2023, the Delhi Public School on Mathura Road had also got a hoax bomb threat via email.






The Election Commission on Wednesday barred Bharat Rashtra Samiti president K. Chandrashekar Rao from campaigning for 48 hours for his objectionable remarks against the Congress party. The ban comes into force at 8 pm on Wednesday.

The poll panel strongly condemned the statements made by the former Telangana chief minister at a press conference in Sircilla on April 5. The EC found them violative of the provisions of the model code of conduct and its advisories.

The commission, in its order, also noted that Rao used invectives against the ruling party.

The BRS chief will not be able to hold public meetings, rallies and interviews for a period of 48 hours. He is the second politician, after Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, to be banned from campaigning in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The commission had earlier sent a show cause notice to Rao after the Congress party approached it on April 6 against his remarks. In his reply, the former CM claimed that his words were "twisted" and that the local poll officials could not follow the local Telugu dialect.

He also accused the Congress of picking some sentences from his press conference out of context.

The commission, however, found his remarks violative of MCC and used its constitutional powers to ban him from campaigning. The poll body also reminded Rao that he had violated the poll code in the past elections, too.
After around 100 schools in the Delhi-NCR region sent students home early on Tuesday over bomb threats via email, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said there is no need to panic as the threat appears to be a hoax.

The ministry added that the Delhi police and other security agencies are taking necessary steps as per protocol.

Delhi Police posted on X that nothing objectionable was found during searches on school premises. Some schools of Delhi received E-mails regarding bomb threats. "Delhi Police has conducted thorough check of all such schools as per protocol. Nothing objectionable has been found. It appears that these calls seem to be hoax. We request the public not to panic and maintain peace," the post read.

Delhi Education Minister Atishi also urged parents not to panic and posted on X, "Some schools have received bomb threats today morning. Students have been evacuated and those premises are being searched by Delhi Police. So far nothing has been found in any of the schools. We are in constant touch with the Police and the schools. Would request parents and citizens not to panic. School authorities will be in touch with parents wherever needed."

Mother Mary School stopped its exams midway after it received the threat. Other schools that initially received threats were Delhi Public School in Dwarka, Delhi Public School at Vasant Kunj, Amity International School in Saket, Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri and Delhi Public School in Noida Sector 30.

More schools are said to have got similar mails and it is suspected that a single individual is responsible for all these threats. Police are also trying to find out the IP address of the emails. They believe that the sender may have used VPN to conceal their identity.

This comes after Chacha Nehru Hospital in Delhi's Shahdara received a bomb threat via email on Tuesday morning.

On Monday, Raja Bhoj International Airport in Bhopal, Dabolim airport in Goa, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata and the Jaipur International Airport received bomb threats

This is not the first time that Delhi Public School branches have received such threats. In February, the Delhi Public School in R.K. Puram had received a hoax bomb threat. In May 2023, the Delhi Public School on Mathura Road had also got a hoax bomb threat via email.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Wednesday, assured that the menace of naxalism will be uprooted in Chhattisgarh in two years if the Narendra Modi-led BJP government is voted back to power.

Addressing a campaign rally in Korba of Chhattisgarh, Shah claimed that naxalism was encouraged in the state under the Bhupesh Baghel government.

He said after the BJP came to power in the state, the Vishnu Deo Sai government neutralised 95 militants and arrested 350 others in four months.

I want to say, that PM Modi has abolished naxalism from Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh in five years, but Chhattisgarh was left, as here, it was Bhupesh Baghel's government. Make Modi the PM for a third term and we will abolish naxalism from its root in two years, he said.

He noted that Modi has a track record of 10 years and an agenda for 25 years.

"By providing vaccines to people, (Modi) has ended Covid. 'Rahul Baba' (Congress leader Rahul Gandhi) used to say it was a 'Modi vaccine' and ask people not to take it, but it's good that no one listened to him. One day he along with her sister went and got vaccinated when it was dark," he claimed.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (C) poses for photos with employees at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia on May 1, 2024. Hun Manet on Wednesday celebrated the International Labor Day with more than 1,000 employees at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port in southwestern Preah Sihanouk province. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Wednesday celebrated the 138th International Labor Day with more than 1,000 employees at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port in southwestern Preah Sihanouk province.

At the event, Hun Manet took selfies with the workers before delivering a speech calling for harmony between employees and employers to build a peaceful atmosphere at their working places.

"I'd like to emphasize that the government in this new term will continue to pay high attention to promoting the rights and protecting the benefits of all workers across the country," he said in the speech live broadcast on the state-run TVK.

Hun Manet also promised to push for better working conditions and further increase the minimum wage for workers in the garment, footwear, and travel goods industry.

The current minimum wage for the workers is 204 U.S. dollars per month.

The multi-billion-dollar garment, footwear, and travel goods sector, the kingdom's largest foreign exchange earner, comprised about 1,680 factories with some 918,000 workers, mostly women, according to the Ministry of Labor. 
One of the two arms suppliers, arrested in connection with the firing incident outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan's residence, died by suicide in police custody on Wednesday.

According to media reports, Anuj Thapan (32), who was arrested along with Sonu Kumar Chander Bishnoi (37) from Punjab on April 26, allegedly tried to kill himself while in lock-up of Mumbai Police's crime branch and died in a hospital.

He hanged himself inside the toilet of the lock-up using a bedsheet. He was rushed to the state-run GT Hospital, where he was declared dead during treatment, a police official said.

An accidental death report will be registered at Azad Maidan police station in south Mumbai.

Two people had opened fire outside the Galaxy Apartments in Mumbai's Bandra area, where the actor stays, on April 14. The police later arrested both the shooters - Vicky Gupta (24) and Sagar Pal (21) - from Gujarat. Later, the arms suppliers too were arrested.
Some time ago, a 65-year-old friend of mine sent me a list of his daily medications. For a few years, he had been taking nine tablets a day; a statin, a couple of weight loss drugs, one sleeping pill, a multivitamin with zinc, one Ayurveda tablet for constipation, metformin and a couple of pain medications three to four times a week. Each time he met a doctor who prescribed drugs for some problem or the other, he just added them to his list, without bothering to stop or recheck what he was already taking. He had multiple episodes of hepatitis over the past two years, which were initially thought to be due to alcohol, but when the episodes continued even after he stopped drinking, the doctors realized it was likely due to the drugs he was on, at which point, he stopped all the drugshis hepatitis improved and he never had another episodehe restarted some of the essential drugs, one drug at a time.

When you ingest more than five drugs daily including Ayurveda and other traditional medicine drugs, it is called polypharmacy [1]. Adverse drug events are a leading cause of death, on par with tuberculosis and malaria [2] and polypharmacy contributes to this by escalating the risk.

Pills and surgery are major pillars of modern medicine. One reason why modern medicine is so successful is because of its reductionism, its ability to reduce all patients to a base common level, to assume they are all the same and to create drugs that can be prescribed to large swathes of people worldwide in the same way. For example, it doesnt matter what the cause of the fever isevery patient takes paracetamol to bring down the fever and if the fever doesnt come down in 3 days, takes an antibiotic course (often self-prescribed) , a strategy that often helps take care of the problem in the short term, damn the long term consequences. For many patients, modern medicine is like magictake a pill or injection and get better instantaneouslywhich is one of the reasons for antibiotic resistance in our country, as I mentioned last week .

This is one reason why a doctor who does not prescribe drugs or give injections is looked at with suspicion. During the second Covid-19 wave, doctors who prescribed a large number of drugs were more sought after than those who told you to stay at home and just take paracetamol and water. Not only that, some doctors who did not want to prescribe a long list of pills would still end up doing so because if they didnt, the patient would just go to another doctor who was willing to prescribe those drugs. We still dont know how many people suffered because of adverse reactions to this battery of drugs, as compared to Covid-19 itself.

Over a period of time, as patients get older and see a wide variety of physicians and surgeons for everything ranging from diabetes to hypertension to prostate enlargement, the number of pills that a person takes starts growing, with each specialist doctor prescribing their own set of medicines. In India, it is estimated that 49 per cent of people over the age of 60 [3] are victims of polypharmacy, with 31 per cent taking more than 10 drugs per day (hyperpolypharmacy). Potentially inappropriate medications affect 28 per cent of the population. These are huge numbers.

Some polypharmacy may be wholly appropriate. For example, if the patient is unfortunate to have hypothyroidism, diabetes, hypertension, high LDL levels, Parkinsonism and rheumatoid arthritis, then they might land up with a list of more than 5 drugs. Even then, one physician or caregiver should go through the list with a fine-toothed comb to ensure that each drug is being prescribed only because it is absolutely essential and will not reduce the patients life expectancy and will not itself cause harm, or if it does, is still in the patients best interest.

Most polypharmacy however is usually inappropriate; duplicate drugs, forgotten drugs (drugs that the patient has forgotten to stop taking), inappropriate drugs, supplements of no or doubtful value, traditional medicine tablets and powders of unknown ingredients from babas and fakirs, etc. Unless there is a family physician or caregiver at home going through each pill and figuring out whether it is required or not, whether it will interact adversely with others or not, the list just keeps growing with each new doctor interaction.

Polypharmacy leads to potentially inappropriate medication use, which in turn leads to reduced lifespan and increased mortality [4].

What does this mean for you and I?

In our quest for a long healthspan , apart from physical activity , sensible eating , good sleep , not falling and fracturing , we also need to be cognizant of issues like polypharmacy, which can potentially and paradoxically cause harm.

If you or a near or dear one, are taking more than five tablets of any kind a day, inclusive of supplements (vitamins, minerals, omega-3, etc) and Ayurvedic, unani or similar traditional medicines, you need to re-examine the entire prescription list, preferably with the help of a doctor, to see what can be deprescribed.

Deprescribing is the act of reducing the number of medicines a person takes, and is a treatment strategy that helps reduce the harm from multiple medicines, which in turn will help you live long, healthy [5]. It is best not to question your doctor about each medicine in an acute or emergency situation, but in a chronic stable environment, it is worth having a conversation about deprescribing and reducing polypharmacy, especially if you or your near or dear ones are taking more than five pills a day.

Footnotes

1. Halli-Tierney AD et al. Am Fam Physician. 2019 Jul 1;100(1):32-38.

2. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-UHC-SDS-2019.11

3. Bhagavathula AS, et al. Front Pharmacol. 2021 May 19;12:685518.

4. Muhlack DC et al. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2017 Mar 1;18(3):211-220.

5. Kua CH et al. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2021 Jan;22(1):82-89.e3.

Dr. Bhavin Jankharias new book Atmasvasth available online, dives deeper into this concept. He can provide references for all statements of fact and can be reached at bhavin.mm@gmail.com






A mother of a Jewish student at the University of California, Los Angeles called the UCLA Police Department to complain that her son is being blocked from entering certain parts of the university due to his Jewish identity.

However, the police spokesperson said that there is nothing the police could do as the university has chosen to allow the pro-Hamas rioters to continue to discriminate against Jews and will not allow them to be removed.

This means that Jewish students who paid tuition cannot attend their classes or enter the library.

Listen to a recording of the conversation below:

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Amid reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may issue arrest warrants for top Israeli officials, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lashed out against it, accusing the court of attempting to prevent Israel from defending itself against terrorism.

In a video statement, Netanyahu condemned the ICCs potential move, saying, Eighty years after the Holocaust, the international bodies that were established to prevent another Holocaust are considering denying the Jewish state the right to defend itself against those who came to commit genocide against us, and are still actively working to do so. What an absurdity, what a distortion of justice and history.

Netanyahu warned that issuing arrest warrants for war crimes would be a scandal on a historical scale, an indelible stain on all of humanity, and an unprecedented antisemitic hate crime. He accused the ICC of intentionally trying to paralyze Israels political and military leadership.

Despite the potential move, Netanyahu vowed that no decision, neither in The Hague nor anywhere else, will harm our determination to achieve all the goals of the war, including bringing hostages home, removing Hamas from power, and stabilizing Israels northern borders.

He called on world leaders to oppose the reported plan, warning that it would harm not only Israels right to self-defense but also that of all democracies in the world.

US Congress members from both parties have reportedly warned the ICC that Washington will retaliate if any arrest warrants are issued, and other allied nations have also expressed opposition to the move.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
A Harvard CAPS Harris poll reveals that a significant majority of Americans (72%) believe Israel should proceed with an operation in Rafah to bring an end to the war against Hamas.

The poll posed a question to respondents, asking whether Israel should move forward with the operation, doing its best to minimize civilian casualties, or back off and allow Hamas to continue governing Gaza. Only 28% of respondents opted for the latter option. The poll also found that 78% of participants believe Hamas should be removed from power.

However, opinions are divided on what should follow, with 30% supporting Israels administration of Gaza, 35% backing the Palestinian Authority, and the remaining 35% advocating for the establishment of a new authority involving Arab countries.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
An investigation by the IDF has concluded that two reservists, Master Sgt. (res.) Ido Aviv, 28, and Master Sgt. (res.) Kalkidan Meharim, 37, were killed by friendly fire on Sunday in the central Gaza Strip.

According to the probe, the incident began when an IDF tank was hit by a roadside bomb near the Turkish Hospital in the Netzarim Corridor. In the ensuing exchange of fire with Hamas operatives, a tank from the Yiftah Brigade left its designated area and shelled a building outside of its boundaries. Unfortunately, several troops, including Aviv and Meharim, were inside the building when it was hit.

The IDF is continuing to investigate the conduct of the troops involved, who had been deployed to Gaza just last week.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Violent brawls broke out on the campus of the University of California campus in Los Angeles late Tuesday night as Israel supporters faced off against pro-Hamas antisemites.

The Israel supporters attempted to dismantle the Gaza encampment. Violent clashes ensued, including the use of sticks and pepper spray. In addition, protesters were shooting fireworks. A number of people were injured and required emergency medical aid.

There was initially no police presence despite the violent brawls and it took hours until Los Angeles Mayor Karen Blass dispatched the LAPD to the campus.

The brawls followed a violent incident on Tuesday when a Jewish girl was beaten unconscious by pro-Hamas rioters and weeks of harassment of Jewish students, including blocking tuition-paying Jewish students from accessing their classes and other areas of the campus.

In the video below, the pro-Isrel protesters play the Meni Mamtera song, a repetitive childrens song which was played incessantly to the Nukhba terrorists after they were arrested to wear them down and break their resilience in order to allow the Shin Bet to obtain life-saving intelligence information.

In the video below, a recording of Shema Yisrael can be heard in the background:

Protesters shoot fireworks:

In the video below, pro-Israel protesters welcome the arrival of the LAPD Police with chants of USA!, USA! USA!

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jerusalem, on May 1, 2024. (Haim Zach/GPO/Handout via Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, May 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and voiced the U.S. opposition to the Israeli plan to launch a large-scale ground assault on Rafah.

The U.S. top diplomat insisted that the Israeli side should first provide an appropriate humanitarian plan for more than 1.2 million displaced Palestinians in Gaza's southernmost city before mounting an attack, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.

Blinken also stressed the urgent need to increase the aid for the Gaza Strip and called for reaching a deal between Israel and Hamas to put a halt to the months-long conflict.

He also discussed with Netanyahu "the need to avoid further expansion of the conflict and updated the prime minister on ongoing efforts to ensure a lasting, sustainable peace in the region," according to the statement.

For his part, Netanyahu told Blinken that Israel would not agree to a deal that would force an end to its operation against Hamas in Gaza, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

Talks in Cairo between the two conflicting parties indicated some progress, but significant disagreements remain, particularly on whether a deal would pause or completely end the military operations in Gaza.

Before meeting with Israeli President Issac Herzog in Tel Aviv, Blinken, speaking to reporters, attributed any potential failure in reaching an agreement to Hamas.

Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, after visiting Saudi Arabia and Jordan, on his seventh trip to the region since the beginning of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7, 2023. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jerusalem, on May 1, 2024. (Haim Zach/GPO/Handout via Xinhua)
How can one choose his shirt from a pile of different types of clothing and not transgress borer on Shabbos?

What does one do if there is a power outage on Shabbos?

Can someone put food in the oven on Shabbos?

These and numerous other questions are impossible to answer unless one has a thorough knowledge of the laws of Shabbos. Shabbos comes about once a week, so if a person is not well-versed in its intricacies, then it is inevitable that transgressions will take place. It is wonderful to read one of the many books that give basic laws, but to really understand the halachos and know how to apply them, it is essential to learn Hilchos Shabbos with the background discussion of the Gemara and commentators.

What is the challenge we face? It takes several years for a full-time advanced Torah learner to cover the laws of Shabbos in depth, so how can a working man, or one with less advanced skills, begin this seemingly daunting task?

Now there is a solution. World famous Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav HaGaon Yitzchak Berkovits shlita used his vast knowledge to arrange all the Gemaras with the commentators on each area of Hilchos Shabbos and presented it in the form of source sheets that cover material from the Gemara until practical halacha. This enables one to cover main opinions in each topic and gain a deep understanding of the halacha.

According to Rabbi Berkovits: Learning Hilchos Shabbos from the traditional sources could be quite confusing or complicated. Studying them in a very organized way gives you the clarity, the clarity to understand them in the first place and the clarity to retain the information.

This was done for full-time Torah learners who have advanced Hebrew skills and can devote many hours each day to learn. What about busy working Bnei Torah who have limited time to learn but want to properly master Hilchos Shabbos? Or people who are still building up their Gemara skills but want to learn the Gemara sugyas and Halacha?

Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen, a close talmid of Rav Berkovits who spent eight years as a Rosh Chaburah in Rav Berkovitss famous Jerusalem Kollel, with the Ravs haskama, took on the monumental task of adapting the Hebrew sheets into English. The material is written with care and with great clarity, as well as including the various opinions in the contemporary practical halacha.

For the past several years, Rabbi Gefen has been teaching this material to Torah learners throughout the world, on all levels of learning, and of all ages now as the founder of KinyanHilchosShabbos.com. Participants in each online chabura receive source sheets with explanations both in Hebrew and English, participate in a weekly Zoom shiur and ask questions by phone and email. Many have also successfully gained Smicha through thoroughly learning the material.

I would love to sit in Yeshiva half a day, but I have different hours. Says Dr. Eric Leibowitz who is a dentist in Brooklyn. Learning Hilchos Shabbos in Rabbi Gefens online chabura allowed for the flexibility I needed. Id always do Daf Yomi for many years, but always off and on. I was looking for something with some structure and with an end goal. This program enabled me to not only learn, but to retain what I learned in a structured way and the tests were very helpful. I felt like I accomplished something, I made a kinyan on something.

Over one thousand past and present participants in our online programs come from five continents and range from working Bnei Torah to full-time Kollel avreichim from Yerushalayim and Lakewood, as well as people who are still developing their Gemara skills, says Rabbi Dr. Yakov Pesah, director of the program and also a musmach of Rabbi Berkovits. Our vision is to enable Bnei Torah to learn halacha in a structured way and make it doable for any motivated person.

The program includes a weekly Zoom shiur which is recorded and can be reviewed later, tests on the material covered to enable the individual to evaluate their understanding of the material, and availability by email or phone for questions, clarifications, or further discussions.

Rabbi Gefen ran the Hilchos Shabbos program for our Kollel in Johannesburg. We achieved tremendous clarity on Hilchos Shabbos both in sugyas and in psak which is what you want when you learn Halacha. Says Rabbi Micha Kaplan who is an avrech in the Maharsha Community Kollel in Johannesburg and the Menahel of the Maharsha Boys High School.

The program includes the option of Smicha which is a wonderful source of pride for the individuals family. But its greatest benefit is that it will ensure that a person can lead his family to observing the laws of Shabbos with all their details.

Shlomo Gross who is originally from London and is a lawyer in Yerushalayim shares his experience: For people like me who are working full-time, this program was ideal. I benchmarked the Hilchos Shabbat coourse against the syllabus required for the Smicha exams of the Rabbanut and found that it was at least as comprehensive The Hilchos Shabbat Smicha course transported my learning to a completely different level.

Rabbi Berkovits adds: Theres a mitzva of Zachor es yom HaShabbos lkadsho  that mitzva is to remember Shabbos all the time. There is nothing like being involved in Hilchos Shabbos the whole week  your whole week is different and your Shabbos is different.

The new cycle of the Kinyhan Hilchos Shabbos program is starting on May 29th. For more information, tuition, and to receive an application visit KinyanHilchosShabbos.com.
(PA) - The former boss of previous National Lottery operator Camelot has been named as the new interim chairman of the scandal-hit Post Office.

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch appointed Nigel Railton to the post, replacing Henry Staunton - who was sacked in January.

The Government said Mr Railton will take up the role at the state-owned Post Office "as soon as possible", following pre-appointment checks.

It said he has the necessary experience of "transforming organisations" to take on the role.

The former chief executive of Camelot, which handed over the running of the National Lottery to Allwyn in February after losing the licence, will take on the job as the Post Office looks to pay long-delayed compensation to victims of the Horizon IT scandal.

It comes as the Post Office is subject to an ongoing public inquiry into the affair, which saw hundreds of innocent subpostmasters wrongly convicted as a result of faulty Horizon software.

Ms Badenoch said: "Nigel has the necessary experience to lead an organisation as large and complex as the Post Office and I'm confident he will work well with the leadership team to implement the change that is required in the organisation.
 Flash

China urges the United States to stop spreading the false "overcapacity" narrative and stop going after China's new energy sector with unfair and non-market means, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday.

Lin made the remarks when answering a relevant question at a press conference.

Lin said that the "China overcapacity" accusation may look like an economic discussion, but the truth is, the accusation is built on false logic.

All countries produce and export products of their comparative advantage and this is the nature of international trade. "If a country should be accused of overcapacity and asked to cut capacity whenever it produces more than its domestic demand, then what would countries trade with?" Lin added.

"If exporting 12 percent of Chinese-made EVs is called overcapacity, then what about Germany, Japan and the U.S. who export 80, 50 and 25 percent respectively of their automobiles? Wouldn't that be considered more serious overcapacity?" Lin said.

According to the statistics of the International Energy Agency, to realize carbon neutrality, the world will need 45 million NEVs by 2030, 4.5 times that of the demand of 2022. "When the global capacity is still far below the market demand, how could there be 'overcapacity' ?" Lin added.

Lin said that the U.S. knows full well that this "overcapacity" allegation is against economic common sense and industry facts, yet still labels China with it. The U.S. claim of "China overcapacity" is not a market-driven conclusion, but a crafted narrative to manipulate perception and politicize trade.

The real purpose is to hold back China's high-quality development and deprive China of its legitimate right to development. There isn't a "China overcapacity," but a U.S. overcapacity of anxiety stemming from lack of confidence and smears against China, Lin added.

The U.S. said it does not seek to contain China's economy or bar China's progress in science and technology. "We urge the U.S. to honor those words, and stop spreading the false 'overcapacity' narrative, stop going after China's new energy sector with unfair and non-market means and stop impeding the global effort to achieve green transition and development," said the spokesperson.
WASHINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Over 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters have been arrested in recent days according to U.S. media reports, as the anti-war demonstrations at over 20 American universities continued on Tuesday.

Some schools including Columbia University, where the protests initially erupted, have seen a further intensification of the protests, while on some other campuses, the situation appears to be cooling down.

Early Tuesday, dozens of protesters at Columbia University's Manhattan campus moved furniture and metal barricades to block the entrance of Hamilton Hall, one of several buildings occupied by students during the 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protests.

Protesters formed a human chain in front of the building and said that they would only leave unless the school meets their demands, which include the university's divestment from Israeli-related companies, disclosure of all financial assets, and amnesty for students and faculty disciplined in the protests.

In a statement Tuesday, a Columbia spokesperson said that "students occupying the building face expulsion."

The university spokesperson stated that the protesters were offered an opportunity to depart peacefully and complete the semester. However, those who does not comply with the conditions outlined since Monday should face suspension.

"Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation -- vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances -- and we are following through with the consequences we outlined yesterday," the spokesperson said.

On Tuesday night, New York police entered Columbia University campus and started to make arrests after pro-Palestinian protesters refused to leave.

In light of the escalation, the White House expressed disapproval of the actions taken by the protesters at Columbia University.

"The president believes that forcibly taking over a building on campus is absolutely the wrong approach, that is not an example of peaceful protests," White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters. "Taking over a building by force is unacceptable."

"A small percentage of students shouldn't be able to disrupt the academic experience, the legitimate study, for the rest of the student body," Kirby said.

At a demonstration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earlier Tuesday, police entered the protest camp and arrested about 30 people.

Later in the day, protesters returned to the site and replaced the American flag in the center of the campus with a Palestinian flag. They linked arms and formed a circle around the flagpole, and could be heard chanting "Intifada" and "Free Palestine," according to the school newspaper. Law enforcement officers later switched back to the American flag.

In the northwestern state of Oregon, protesters occupied a library at Portland State University overnight. On Tuesday, the university urged protesters to leave the library and asked the police for help.

Clashes between police and protesters turned violent in some cases. Police used riot gear and pepper spray to break up a protest at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond late Monday after protesters threw objects at officers and used chemical spray, officials said. Thirteen people, including six students, have been charged with unlawful assembly and trespassing.

Since protests broke out at Columbia University on April 18, more than 1,000 protesters have been arrested on over 20 U.S. college campuses in recent days, the New York Times reported.

While tensions have increased on some campuses, they appear to be cooling on others.

On Tuesday, police managed to end an eight-day occupation of the administration building at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Protest camps at Yale University and the University of Pittsburgh also appeared to have been emptied.

Northwestern University announced an agreement with protesters late Monday, saying it would re-establish an Investment Responsibility Advisory Committee in the fall with participation of student, faculty and staff representatives.

The agreement calls for the removal of tents set up by protesters and in exchange, the school allows students to demonstrate peacefully on the grass until the end of the semester on June 1.

The multi-day wave of campus anti-war protests is a manifestation of young Americans' discontent with how the Biden administration is managing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A recent CNN poll found that 71 percent of American adults surveyed were dissatisfied with the Biden administration's handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Among those under 35, 81 percent were dissatisfied. 
Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Get Free Report) rose 0.9% on Wednesday after Citigroup raised their price target on the stock from $44.50 to $48.00. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Altria Group traded as high as $50.00 and last traded at $49.99. Approximately 1,476,126 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 10,070,085 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.55.

MO has been the subject of several other reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays upped their target price on Altria Group from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Altria Group from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $50.17.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

Altria Group Trading Up 1.4 %

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 23.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co now owns 8,249 shares of the companys stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 1,593 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 44,010 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,246,000 after buying an additional 971 shares during the period. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $350,000. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 36.8% during the third quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,849 shares of the companys stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 3,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its position in Altria Group by 37.1% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 7,059 shares of the companys stock valued at $360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,910 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the companys stock.

The company has a market capitalization of $86.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.39 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 232.55% and a net margin of 42.25%. The businesss revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This is a positive change from Altria Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.12%. Altria Groups payout ratio is presently 85.36%.

About Altria Group

(Get Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.

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Peter Medgyessy, former Hungarian Prime Minister, has hailed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a fantastic initiative that opens up good prospects.

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WUHAN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) kicked off here on Tuesday.

The official is believed to have diligently recorded documents on over 1,100 bamboo slips that formed one of China's earliest encyclopedias.

The official, aged 45 to 50 upon his death, was owner of bamboo slips with over 40,000-characters preserved in his tomb.

The bone remains and bamboo slips were all first unearthed in 1975 at a tomb site in Shuihudi, Yunmeng County of Hubei Province.

This photo taken on April 30, 2024 shows bamboo slips of a family letter at an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

People visit an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

A visitor views the reconstructed statue of an ancient local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) during an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the official's tomb, at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

People visit an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

This photo taken on April 30, 2024 shows bamboo slips at an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
A train runs on the Belgrade-Novi Sad high-speed railway on the Danube river in Serbia, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Ren Weiyun/Xinhua)

Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visits are expected to promote the sustained, steady and sound development of China-Europe relations, help provide more stability and certainty for a turbulent world, and further energize global development.

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay state visits to France, Serbia and Hungary from May 5 to 10.

The visits will be the Chinese president's first trip to Europe in the past nearly five years. Xi's trip is expected to enhance bilateral relations with the three countries and boost their mutually beneficial cooperation.

Meanwhile, China and the European Union (EU) are two major forces advancing multipolarity, two major markets in support of globalization, and two major civilizations championing diversity.

Xi's upcoming visits are expected to promote the sustained, steady and sound development of China-Europe relations, help provide more stability and certainty for a turbulent world, and further energize global development.





UNIQUE HISTORY, STEADY PARTNERSHIP

Xi's upcoming visit to France marks his third state visit to the European country after visits in 2014 and 2019. This visit will take place during the 60th anniversary year of China-France diplomatic ties, which gives the visit special meaning as an important opportunity to build on past achievements and guide the future for bilateral ties.

Under the guidance of the two heads of state, China and France have witnessed the steady development of their bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. The two countries have also become staunch advocates for the multi-polarization of the world and the democratization of international relations.

As today's world is once again at a critical crossroads, China and France should jointly open up a path of peace, security, prosperity and progress for human development, Xi said in January while exchanging congratulations with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

There are many "firsts" in China-France relations: France is the first major Western nation to formalize diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1964, and the first major Western country to form a comprehensive strategic partnership with Beijing. The European country is also the first among Western nations to conduct civilian nuclear energy cooperation with China.

Visitors walk past the France pavilion during the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

The unique history of bilateral ties has shaped the "China-France spirit," featuring independence, mutual understanding, foresight, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. Over the past six decades, this dynamic relationship has witnessed numerous historic milestones and tangible accomplishments.

Trade is one example. Bilateral trade between China and France has surged dramatically, increasing 800-fold to reach 78.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. China is now France's largest trading partner in Asia, while France ranks as China's third-largest trading partner and the third-largest source of investment in real terms within the European Union (EU).

China and France are representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations respectively. In recent years, the two sides have continuously expanded their cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

For example, the two sides have cooperated in the restoration and protection of their respective iconic cultural heritages, including the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and China's Terracotta Warriors. The two sides have also set up cultural centers in each other's countries and designated 2024 as the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism.

Though France and China are very different regarding culture, history and political systems, "we can draw inspiration from our differences to progress together," said Eric Alauzet, president of the France-China friendship group of the French National Assembly.

The key is "to talk to each other, to listen to each other, and to understand each other," he said.





IRONCLAD FRIENDSHIP

"Ironclad" is often used to describe the relationship between China and Serbia.

Xi called Serbia "an ironclad friend" of China during his meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who was in Beijing to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in October last year.

He said that bilateral relations have withstood changes in the international landscape over recent years and are an example of friendly relations between China and European countries. In response, Vucic said his country is proud of its ironclad friendship with China.

The fruitful Belt and Road cooperation between China and Serbia is a testament to the special relationship.

Steel coils are seen at the steelworks of HBIS Serbia in Smederevo, Serbia, May 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

The high-speed train linking the Serbian capital Belgrade and the country's second-largest city Novi Sad is a part of the Belgrade-Budapest railway. It is a key project of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries under the Belt and Road Initiative.

In March, the Belgrade-Novi Sad high-speed railway marked its second anniversary. Over the past two years, the railway has transported some 6.83 million passengers, effectively enhancing local connectivity.

The rebirth of Smederevo Steelworks is another good example of a strong partnership. The plant, located near the Danube River and considered the pride of Serbia, was once on the verge of bankruptcy. However, with the burgeoning Belt and Road cooperation between China and Serbia, the century-old factory experienced a remarkable resurgence.

After a Chinese company invested in the mill in 2016, things changed: Thousands of jobs were saved, and the production capacity and environmental performance greatly improved.

Meanwhile, Serbia and China are close trading partners. The European country has participated in the China International Import Expo for six consecutive years. Beer, red wines, agricultural products, and other products from Serbia have become favorites with Chinese consumers.

In October 2023, China and Serbia signed a free trade agreement to boost bilateral trade and business ties, the first one inked by China with a country from Central and Eastern Europe.

The brotherly friendship between China and Serbia is also attributed to the fact that they always help each other in hours of urgent need.

In 2008, after a major earthquake occurred in China's Sichuan Province, Serbia mobilized a batch of tents from its military reserves to aid China's disaster areas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government dispatched a medical expert team to Serbia to assist in combating the outbreak.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (L) greets members of the Chinese medical team via elbow contact in Belgrade, Serbia, March 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Shi Zhongyu)

Xi's visit to Serbia will be his second visit to the country in eight years, which will mark an important milestone for strengthening and elevating China-Serbia ties.





NEW CHAPTER IN CHINA-HUNGARY COOPERATION

Xi's upcoming visit to Hungary marks his first state visit to the European country as China's head of state.

Over the past 75 years since establishing diplomatic relations, China and Hungary have enjoyed mutual respect, mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual trust.

Hungary is the first European country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with China. In 2017, the two countries announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

A China-Europe freight train bound for Budapest, Hungary leaves a logistics base in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 29, 2022. (Photo by Xi Jingyu/Xinhua)

China is willing to continue to be good friends and partners with Hungary who trust each other and pursue win-win cooperation, and take the China-Hungary comprehensive strategic partnership to new levels, Xi said during his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Beijing in October 2023.

With the care and strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China-Hungary connectivity continues to deepen, with pragmatic cooperation flourishing.

Both sides are promoting a deep synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative with Hungary's "Opening to the East" policy. From direct cargo flights between Budapest and Chinese cities including Zhengzhou and Ningbo, to the efficient operation of China-Europe freight trains, the enhanced transportation network has significantly boosted Hungary's position as a transportation hub in the region.

Moreover, both China and Hungary have a long history and splendid cultures, and the peoples of the two countries have enjoyed a time-tested friendship and increasingly close cultural exchanges.

Last year, in his reply to a letter from students of the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school in Hungary, Xi encouraged Hungarian youths to learn more about China and become envoys of the China-Hungary friendship.

A Chinese teacher instructs students on Chinese calligraphy at Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school in Budapest, Hungary, Feb. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

Founded in September 2004, the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school is the first full-time school in Central and Eastern Europe that uses both Chinese and the local language for instruction, a model of cultural and educational cooperation between the two countries.





SUSTAINED, SOUND CHINA-EUROPE RELATIONS

China always views its relations with Europe from a strategic and long-term perspective and views Europe as a comprehensive strategic partner and an important force in a multi-polar world.

The two sides should do more to increase the breadth and depth of cooperation and tighten the bond of shared interests, Xi said in December 2023 during his meeting with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Beijing.

With concerted efforts from both sides, China and the EU have emerged as each other's second-largest trading partners, underscoring the fact that for China and the EU, cooperation far outweighs competition, and the areas of consensus far exceed differences.

Photo taken on May 27, 2021 shows the Kaposvar solar power plant in Kaposvar, Hungary. Hungary inaugurated the country's largest solar power plant, which was built by China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) near the southwestern city of Kaposvar. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

In 2023, the China-Europe freight train service had connected 219 cities in 25 European countries, establishing a secure and efficient lifeline for global industrial and supply chains.

Meanwhile, China has granted visa-free entry to multiple European countries, facilitating personnel exchanges and economic and trade activities between the two sides.

Key cooperation projects under the Belt and Road, such as the Belgrade-Budapest railway, the Port of Piraeus in Greece, and the Peljesac Bridge in Croatia, continue to benefit people along the routes.

As the international landscape is undergoing profound changes, global observers hope that China and Europe can strengthen their communication and cooperation.

"Many agree with the Chinese president's principle that we are all in the same boat, (and) that our common destiny is linked," said Stephan Ossenkopp, a senior researcher with the German think tank the Schiller Institute.

"A respectful exchange between our civilizations at both ends of the Eurasian continent is essential," said Ossenkopp.

Meanwhile, Lyazid Benhami, vice president of the Paris Association of French-Chinese Friendship, said "China and Europe are two major global players, and global challenges require them to work together."

"Dialogue and joint action based on mutual respect are the only tools capable of bringing about a better shared future," said Benhami. 
Richard Satchwell, who is charged with murdering his wife after the discovery of her body buried beneath the stairwell of their Cork home, will go on trial at the Central Criminal Court in April next year.

The court was told today that Mr Satchwell's defence team, which is led by Brendan Grehan SC, intends to call a significant amount of evidence in the case, including from witnesses with whom the accused "communicated with by way of interview and the media as well".

Mr Satchwell (57), with an address at Grattan Street, Youghal, Co Cork is charged with murdering his wife Tina Satchwell (45) at that address on March 20, 2017.

Mrs Satchwell, a native of St Bernards Place in Fermoy, was reported missing on March 24, 2017 by her husband.

The British truck driver is originally from Leicester in the UK but has been a resident in Cork for over 20 years.

Gardai found Mrs Satchwells skeletal remains in October 2023, more than six years after she was reported missing, while excavating a concrete floor and walled-up area underneath the stairwell of the home she and her husband shared on Grattan Street in Youghal.

Mr Grehan today (Wednesday, May 1) informed Mr Justice Paul McDermott that the case, which originates in Cork, will take six weeks.

Mr Justice McDermott set a trial date for April 28, 2025 in the Central Criminal Court in Cork. It was listed for case management on October 11 this year.

On March 26 this year, Mr Satchwell was sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court after being served with the book of evidence. Free legal aid was granted and there was no State objection.

Prior to the discovery of Mrs Satchwell's remains last year, gardai followed 400 lines of inquiry, carried out multiple searches, watched hundreds of hours of CCTV and took witness statements from 170 people as part of the investigation.
The Taoiseach said he has significant concerns about University Hospital Limerick (UHL), and that challenges remain with overcrowding in hospitals.

On Tuesday, the Health Service Executive (HSE) said a support team will be put in place in UHL in an attempt to ease overcrowding.

Simon Harris said the team will begin its work immediately and over the next four weeks, it will help to devise a number of actions to help pressures in UHL.

The team includes Grace Rothwell, the national director of acute hospitals, Orla Kavanagh, director of nursing and integration at Waterford University Hospital, and retired emergency medicine consultant, Dr Fergal Hickey from Sligo.

It will work with the team in place in the hospital to manage patient flow and to de-escalate the current pressures being experienced, Mr Harris said.

However, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said that UHL needs 288 extra beds and to hire 200 staff, including 20 emergency department nurses. She told the Dail that more than 11,000 patients waited on hospital trolleys last month.

University Hospital Limerick again had the highest figure of any hospital in the State, closely followed by University Hospital Galway, Ms McDonald said. The trolley crisis is now a year-round emergency.

She also called on the Government to lift its recruitment embargo, describing it as dangerous.

The system is at breaking point, yet the Government, with its eyes wide open, is choosing to block the hiring of healthcare staff, the Dublin TD added.

By imposing and maintaining this embargo, it has chosen to make a bad situation worse. The consequences of the embargo are felt right across the health system.

She added: While the Government refuses to directly employ the healthcare professionals our system needs, it is spending a fortune on hiring agency staff. Government spending in this area has more than doubled, to 650 million euros. You could not make this up.

Under the Government, young doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals are being educated and trained to emigrate.

The message sent to those who have already left is not to come back, even though we need them now more than ever.

Mr Harris said the Government has given the health service enough funding to hire 2,268 additional people this year. When you include disability services, which the Minister of State Deputy (Anne) Rabbitte, has responsibility for, this Government has provided funding to hire 3,000 additional people this year, he added.

Despite their exceptional work and hard efforts, many of us in this House and I as Taoiseach have significant concerns about University Hospital Limerick.

We have significant challenges with overcrowding. In a number of hospitals, we have seen significant improvements over the course of this year and last year.

Now, the Minister for Health (Stephen Donnelly), with the HSE, is eager to see how you can embed the good practices with patient flow into some of the hospitals, particularly UHL, which are not going nearly as well.

Last week, an inquest into the death of 16-year-old Aoife Johnston returned a verdict of medical misadventure. She died in December in 2022 in UHL from meningitis after contracting sepsis, and was left for more than 16 hours without antibiotics.
Asylum seekers are being accommodated in the area in which gardai recently clashed with protesters, the integration minister has said.

Roderic OGorman said a number of international protection applicants had started living at the Trudder site in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow, in the past few days.

It comes after several people were arrested during clashes with public order gardai during a protest at the site last week.

Gardai said they came under attack after a protest last Thursday descended into violence later in the evening.

The trouble flared after workers contracted to carry out construction work on the former HSE facility attempted to enter the site, identified by the Department of Integration as a potential accommodation option for international protection applicants.

Gardai said they used force to defend themselves, including the use of pepper spray, as part of an escalated response to the violence.

Three Garda patrol cars were damaged and fires were set.

Speaking to RTEs News at One radio programme on Wednesday, Mr OGorman said: People are entitled to protest. People are entitled to disagree with Government policy but that has to be done within the law.

He said some protesters at Trudder stepped way beyond the line by attacking gardai.
Columbia University requests police presence on campus until May 17. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from New York, U.S. (XHTV)

Some schools including Columbia University, where the protests initially erupted, have seen a further intensification of the protests, while on some other campuses, the situation appears to be cooling down.



WASHINGTON, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Over 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters have been arrested in recent days according to U.S. media reports, as the anti-war demonstrations at over 20 American universities continued on Tuesday.

Some schools including Columbia University, where the protests initially erupted, have seen a further intensification of the protests, while on some other campuses, the situation appears to be cooling down.

Protesters gather in front of Columbia University's gate in New York City, the United States, on April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)

Early Tuesday, dozens of protesters at Columbia University's Manhattan campus moved furniture and metal barricades to block the entrance of Hamilton Hall, one of several buildings occupied by students during the 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protests.

Protesters formed a human chain in front of the building and said that they would only leave unless the school meets their demands, which include the university's divestment from Israeli-related companies, disclosure of all financial assets, and amnesty for students and faculty disciplined in the protests.

In a statement Tuesday, a Columbia spokesperson said that "students occupying the building face expulsion."

A woman blows bubbles during a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) in Austin, the United States, April 29, 2024.(Photo by Christopher Davila/Xinhua)

The university spokesperson stated that the protesters were offered an opportunity to depart peacefully and complete the semester. However, those who does not comply with the conditions outlined since Monday should face suspension.

"Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation -- vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances -- and we are following through with the consequences we outlined yesterday," the spokesperson said.

On Tuesday night, New York police entered Columbia University campus and started to make arrests after pro-Palestinian protesters refused to leave.

In light of the escalation, the White House expressed disapproval of the actions taken by the protesters at Columbia University.

People gather at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., the United States, April 29, 2024. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

"The president believes that forcibly taking over a building on campus is absolutely the wrong approach, that is not an example of peaceful protests," White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters. "Taking over a building by force is unacceptable."

"A small percentage of students shouldn't be able to disrupt the academic experience, the legitimate study, for the rest of the student body," Kirby said.

At a demonstration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earlier Tuesday, police entered the protest camp and arrested about 30 people.

Later in the day, protesters returned to the site and replaced the American flag in the center of the campus with a Palestinian flag. They linked arms and formed a circle around the flagpole, and could be heard chanting "Intifada" and "Free Palestine," according to the school newspaper. Law enforcement officers later switched back to the American flag.

A "Free Palestine" sign is seen at a pro-Palestine encampment on campus of the University of Chicago (UChicago) in Chicago, the United States, on April 29, 2024. (Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua)

In the northwestern state of Oregon, protesters occupied a library at Portland State University overnight. On Tuesday, the university urged protesters to leave the library and asked the police for help.

Clashes between police and protesters turned violent in some cases. Police used riot gear and pepper spray to break up a protest at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond late Monday after protesters threw objects at officers and used chemical spray, officials said. Thirteen people, including six students, have been charged with unlawful assembly and trespassing.

Since protests broke out at Columbia University on April 18, more than 1,000 protesters have been arrested on over 20 U.S. college campuses in recent days, the New York Times reported.

Public safety aides are seen on campus at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in California, the United States, April 28, 2024. (Xinhua)

While tensions have increased on some campuses, they appear to be cooling on others.

On Tuesday, police managed to end an eight-day occupation of the administration building at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Protest camps at Yale University and the University of Pittsburgh also appeared to have been emptied.

Northwestern University announced an agreement with protesters late Monday, saying it would re-establish an Investment Responsibility Advisory Committee in the fall with participation of student, faculty and staff representatives.

The agreement calls for the removal of tents set up by protesters and in exchange, the school allows students to demonstrate peacefully on the grass until the end of the semester on June 1.

The multi-day wave of campus anti-war protests is a manifestation of young Americans' discontent with how the Biden administration is managing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A recent CNN poll found that 71 percent of American adults surveyed were dissatisfied with the Biden administration's handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Among those under 35, 81 percent were dissatisfied. 
PHNOM PENH, May 1 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC)'s expert team has found another war-left U.S.-made MK-82 aerial bomb in southeast Kampong Cham province, a mine clearance chief said on Wednesday.

CMAC's director-general Heng Ratana said the MK-82 aerial bomb, weighing around 230 kilograms, had been spotted while workers were digging a canal in Prey Chhor district.

"This bomb has been buried more than four meters deep for over 50 years, but it remains in good condition," he wrote on social media.

He said the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) expert team safely removed and neutralized it on Tuesday.

According to the official, since the start of the year, the EOD expert team had unearthed and safely removed six MK-82 aerial bombs and one 350-kilogram M117 aerial bomb in different provinces including Kampong Cham, Kampong Speu, Kandal and Preah Sihanouk.

Ratana wrote on social media in February that an estimated more than 4 million tonnes of aerial bombs and 27 million cluster bombs had been dropped on some 115,273 locations throughout Cambodia by more than 500,000 U.S. bombing missions between mid-1965 and 1973.

Cambodia is one of the world's worst countries suffered from mines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs) as the results of three decades of war and internal conflicts from the mid-1960s to 1998. An estimated 4 to 6 million land mines and other munitions left over from the conflicts.

From 1979 to February 2024, landmine and UXO explosions had claimed 19,822 human lives and either injured or amputated 45,221 others in the Southeast Asian country, according to an official report. 
Turkish Airlines sealed a deal in Istanbul with Airbus and Rolls-Royce, heralding a substantial economic injection of 20 billion U.S. dollars, local media reported on Tuesday.
WENCHANG, Hainan, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Wenchang Space Launch Site has said it is ready for the launch of China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe.

The site, located in southern province of Hainan, on Wednesday conducted a final rehearsal for the launch, covering all relevant systems comprehensively.

The site's meteorological system has strengthened its monitoring and analysis processes to ensure a successful launch.

The Chang'e-6 lunar probe and Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket combination was transferred vertically to the site's launch area on Saturday.

The probe is set to collect samples from the far side of the moon, making this mission the first of its kind in human history. 
By Xinhua writer Zheng Jingxia

BEIJING, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Standing in the bustling exhibition hall of the Beijing International Exhibition Center, I was overwhelmed by the crowds during the first day of the Beijing auto show.

"Today is exclusively for media. Just imagine how crowded it will be on public days," said a colleague bluntly. We couldn't agree more.

Official data soon confirmed what we felt. Thousands of media organizations and approximately 20,000 reporters attended the auto show on this day, surpassing the attendance of all other auto shows worldwide in history, according to the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Reporters were spotted at nearly every car booth, wielding cameras or filming with cameramen. Some were engaged in live-streaming, busy showcasing the details of newly unveiled vehicle models or fielding questions from netizens.

Social media traffic naturally gravitates towards topics that pique public interest. At the Beijing auto show, one significant draw is the new electric vehicles (NEVs). It's fair to say that NEV fleets and manufacturers like BYD, Chery and Xiaomi garnered the most attention, not only from Chinese visitors but also from foreigners. The latter, typically in groups of three to four, were just as eager as their Chinese counterparts to experience new models at the launch events of Chinese-brand cars.

There were no indications of oversupply as representatives from automakers were fully occupied addressing customer inquiries or networking with business partners. Sadly, few of them had the opportunity to sit down for a talk with us reporters. More often than not, we had to settle for exchanging WeChat contacts and arranging possible interviews for later.

The sentiment for continued demand growth is strong, supported by industrial data and expert analysis. In the first half of April, the retail penetration rate of new energy passenger cars in China surpassed 50 percent for the first time, indicating that one out of every two cars sold is an NEV.

Ouyang Minggao, an expert on new energy power systems and a professor at Tsinghua University, has predicted that the NEV market share in China will be between 36 percent and 41 percent in 2024, up from 31 percent last year. Given that about 30 million NEVs were sold in China last year, the market share growth would be translated to an increase of as many as 3 million NEVs.

The NEV market share expansion will continue till 2026, when NEVs are expected to dominate the market with a share of over 50 percent, according to Ouyang.

Contrary to the narrative of excess capacity hyped up by some overseas politicians, the NEV sector and the broader green industry worldwide need a boost in production, especially considering the climate crisis and the pressing need to decarbonize the transport sector.

According to the International Energy Agency, both the global demand for NEVs and newly installed capacity of photovoltaic power will be about four times that of 2022 in 2030, surging to 45 million units and 820 gigawatts, respectively.

These predictions suggest that the global green industries are still in the early stages of development and need to ramp up capacity to meet the growing demand.

Given the demand for environmentally friendly products, it might be a more rational decision to address the root cause of global warming by cutting back on the excessive capacity of combustion engine-driven vehicles.

Companies are quick to adapt to market shifts. The impressive display of NEVs highlights the eagerness of carmakers to meet market demand, whether they are Chinese or foreign manufacturers.

At the show, the German auto giant Audi unveiled its first fully-electric model tailored for the Chinese market, while Mercedes-Benz also debuted its all-electric SUV.

The auto show is abuzz with excitement as companies, reporters and the public engage in lively interactions. It's evident that an irreversible and unstoppable change is underway in the global auto industry, with NEVs poised to dominate the roads in the future. 
Today's reminder that nice & often overpriced restaurants MIGHT overrated . . . Here are the basics:



Police have arrested and charged a Kansas City, Missouri, man accused of intentionally contaminating food at a restaurant in Leawood.



Investigators are seeking to identify anyone who ate at the Leawood Hereford House between March 26 and April 23, 2024, and later became ill.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
This week commuter-college protest garnered KCMO headlines . . . For avid news readers, we share college student reporting that offers a much better, ground level perspective on the controversial demonstration that expresses solidarity with students across the nation BUT hasn't garnered as much interest or tense emotions . . . Check-it:



"Protestors first met pushback when campus officials attempted to remove the chairs set up for the speaker segment of the event. While unused chairs were removed, students scrambled to occupy the remaining seats.



"The Dean of Students and Vice Provost for Student Affairs Dr. Michele D. Smith told protesters that UMKC policy does not allow posters to be taped to the University Playhouse.



"Smith also said that students could not use voice amplifiers on campus."



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

'We're going to continue doing liberation zones': UMKC pro-Palestinian protests to periodically continue Despite prolonged protests on college campuses across the nation, UMKC's protest did not return Tuesday, but an organizer said the university will see more.

University of Missouri students in Kansas City and Columbia protest against civilian deaths in Gaza Students on University of Missouri campuses are protesting in solidarity with Palestinians under bombardment from Israel in the Gaza strip.

Nationwide Pro-Palestinian protest movement spreads to the University of Missouri-Kansas City With war raging in Gaza, a growing movement to support Palestinians on college campuses has now come to the University of Missouri-Kansas City or UMKC.

UMKC Students Received University Pushback at Pro-Palestine Protest Over 150 students showed up to participate in a protest in solidarity with Palestine and other protests across the nation on Monday. Around 2 p.m., organizers and students put up tents at the University Walkway, started chants and listened to speakers share their passion about Palestinian liberation.

Developing . . .


Tonight we share another round of links to EXCEPTIONAL LOCAL CRIME REPORTING along with news from court cases, ongoing investigations and just a bit on police action that involves well-deserves and EARNED rewards.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

KC 360 PART 2: Building trust, buy-in takes time Kansas City community leaders are trying a new, ambitious approach to drastically reduce how many people are hurt or killed in the city.

Testimony begins to determine if juvenile will be tried as adult in Chiefs rally shooting A Jackson County judge heard testimony Tuesday as part of a certification hearing to determine if a 16-year-old will be tried as an adult in connection with the Chiefs rally shooting.

KCK brothers sentenced to prison for shooting at police officers A pair of brothers from Kansas City, Kan., will serve prison time for shooting at officers in August 2020.

Johnson County judge seals court records in death of Cole Brings Plenty A Johnson County, Kansas, judge ruled Friday that court documents related to the death investigation of actor Cole Brings Plenty will be sealed.

Repeat sex offender in Platte County found guilty of rape of young teen: prosecutor Joseph E. Ginn was found guilty of raping a 14-year-old girl multiple times between 2016 and 2017.

Former Overland Park officer among 4 members of law enforcement killed in North Carolina Eight law enforcement officers were shot during a shootout while serving a warrant Monday afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina,

KCPD Gifts Vehicle To Volunteer When a community partner offered Byrd a car to donate, Byrd instantly thought of Miller. During COVID, Byrd and Miller met, giving away food at East Patrol. When there was leftover food, Miller joined Byrd, driving around and handing out meals at bus stops.

Developing . . .
Credit where it's due . . .

Mayor Q's campaign against supporting local police earned an important victory today. And it's even more critical than his sketchy suggestion about raising police salaries without much legislative power to make it happen.



Accordingly, here's a roundup of the sitch and we look forward to any insightful comments on the topic:



Amendment 4, which was approved by Missouri voters in 2022, required Kansas City, Missouri, to increase the minimum spending on its police force from 20% of its budget to 25%.



With the Missouri Supreme Court's decision, the minimum mandatory spending increase has been overturned, and a new election on the question has been ordered for the statewide general election on Nov. 5, 2024.

An apropos quote . . .

KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas sent the following statement regarding the ruling:



"The Missouri Supreme Court today sided with fairness to the people of Kansas City and all Missouri voters. The voices of Kansas Citians should not be ignored in conversations about our own budget, and Missouri voters should not be, in the words of the Supreme Court, misled about the issues before them.



"In November 2022, voters were told a lie by certain statewide officials: that Kansas Citians would sustain no increased costs in having the state take control of millions of dollars of spending in the Citys annual budget. Resolving the case in favor of the voters of Kansas City, todays ruling shows that Kansas Citians can be trusted to make and represent our own decisions.



"I have always and will continue to support our public safety and the Kansas City Police Departmentjust last month I signed a budget giving every single KCPD officer a raise, increasing starting salaries from $50,000 up to $65,000, and exceeding KCPDs personnel funding request. I have been proud to support and pass budget increases consistently during my tenure and look forward to continuing to do so. That said, we always will ensure the voices of our community are central in every budget conversation about essential local services.



"Todays decision is a win for Kansas City, a win for Missouri voters, and a win for those who believe in honest elections.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Missouri Supreme Court overturns amendment mandating increase to KCPD's budget The Missouri Supreme Court announced Tuesday it is overturning the results of a constitutional amendment vote from November 2022 that imposed a mandatory increase of KCPD's budget.

Missouri Supreme Court rules KCPD ballot question 'misled voters,' orders a redo election Missouri voters passed a constitutional amendment in November 2022 that required Kansas City to increase its minimum funding of the police department. But the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the language on the original measure was so inaccurate that it casts doubt on the fairness of the election.

Missouri voters to decide on increase in KCPD funding again in November election The state's highest court ruled that the fiscal note of the ballot language was not accurate and misled the voter.

Developing . . .
A recent rehash of a local argument along with some 12th & Oak fiance reporting that might have escaped even the closest cowtown news readers . . . And so we share a relevant quote that piqued our interest AND offers more CONTEXT for sanctuary city argumentation . . .



"(Mayor Quinton Lucas) offering officials in New York and Denver help from the crush of immigrants in those cities and welcoming foreign workers to Kansas City.



"That quickly sparked accusations that Lucas appeared bent on making Kansas City a sanctuary city, offering harbor to people in the country illegally  in a place where that would violate state law.



"After an uproar from anti-immigration politicians in Jefferson City, Lucas made clear his welcome mat only applied to immigrants in the country legally with work visas . . .



"The City Council has already set aside $1 million toward housing, training and language services for immigrants.

"Research shows that, unsurprisingly, immigrants thrive more when they have help learning English.



"But some members of the City Council still have questions."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
BEIJING, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation between China and Airbus serves as a "flagship" of the Sino-French relationship, said the chief financial officer (CFO) of Airbus China.

"(China and Airbus) have found good common ground together ... and this cooperation is really a flagship of the Sino-French relationship. We expect that the Chinese market will keep growing and believe in the huge potential in China," Olivier Malet, CFO of Airbus China, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"As a partner of China for nearly 40 years, Airbus wants to stay and take part in this growth of aviation," said Malet.

Growth and evolution have defined Airbus's history in China since 1994, when the company first established an official presence in the country. Fourteen years later, in 2008, Airbus opened its first assembly line outside Europe in China's northern city of Tianjin.

Airbus is currently promoting the A320 series aircraft's second final assembly line project. "We recently launched the second assembly line in Tianjin," he said.

"This second assembly line is a sign of the strong relationship between France and China, and it demonstrates that we are quite satisfied with the ecosystem and setup we have established here," emphasized the CFO.

"We believe these aircraft will be very suitable for the Chinese market."

Noting that aerospace manufacturing demands stringent quality and reliability requirements, Malet said that "Airbus produced 'made in China' is the same as one made in Toulouse, in Hamburg, in Mobile of the United States ... And for me, that is very important."

Today, Airbus China has more than 200 local suppliers under an increasingly sophisticated supply chain ecosystem. The inclusion of Chinese elements in Airbus aircraft is growing. This deep cooperation benefits enterprises and contributes to the high-level development of the Chinese aviation industry.

Malet said that addressing climate change and achieving sustainable development are shared global challenges and common goals between China and France, adding that Airbus aims to pioneer sustainable aerospace.

"We want to work with China on flying greener," he said.

With China being Airbus's "largest single market," Malet believes that China's continuous advancement of high-level opening-up and ongoing improvement of the business environment will bring confidence and opportunities to global enterprises, including Airbus China.

Celebrating the significant milestone of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, he said that bilateral economic and trade cooperation, alongside cultural exchanges, is burgeoning between the two countries.

"In recent years, France and China have worked closely on topics like trade, aviation and culture," said Malet. "We feel very honored to be part of it and to contribute to this high-quality relationship." 
Remember that clueless local politicos and pundits said that local workers didn't have anything to worry about regarding the new boss.

Here's documentation to the contrary by way of a quote we liberated from a local biz mag:



"Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) reported to the Kansas City Area Development Council last year that Cerner had 11,900 local employees in 2022. But internal documents indicate the area employment has plummeted to 6,400 since the acquisition closed in June 2022. Bloomberg reported the data, citing internal company documents it had viewed. A series of job cuts followed Oracles $28.3 billion acquisition of the electronic health records company."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Based on final data by the Bank of Greece, the balance of travel services in 2023 posted a surplus of 18,162.0 million, up by 15.3% from a surplus of 15,751.5 million in 2022. This development was due to a larger increase in travel receipts (up by 2,917.5 million or 16.5%) than in travel payments (up by 507.0 million or 26.3%) - Chart 1. The year-on-year rise in travel receipts was driven by a 20.8% increase in the number of non-resident inbound travellers, as well as by a rise in average expenditure per overnight stay by 6.9 or 8.6% (2023: 87.2, 2022: 80.3) - Table 1.

In greater detail, the average expenditure per trip declined by 3.5% (2023: 570.7, 2022: 591.7) and the average length of stay fell by 11.2% to 6.5 nights (2022: 7.4 nights). Total overnight stays - Table 5 - increased by 7.3% to 236,271.2 thousand in 2023 from 220,213.1 thousand in 2022.

Travel receipts

Travel receipts in 2023 totalled 20,593.6 million, up by 16.5% compared with 2022. This development was driven by an 11.6% increase in receipts from residents of the EU27, which stood at 11,169.7 million or 54.2% of total travel receipts, and by an 18.3% rise in receipts from other country residents to 8,576.6 million - Table 2 and Chart 2.

In more detail, receipts from euro-area residents increased by 12.5% year-on-year to 9,065.7 million in 2023, while receipts from residents of non-euro area EU27 countries increased by 8.0% to 2,104.0 million.

Among major countries of origin, receipts from Germany rose by 9.7% to 3,571.3 million and receipts from France rose by 11.6% to 1,425.4 million. Turning to other countries, receipts from the United Kingdom grew by 5.3% to 3,294.4 million. Receipts from the United States increased by 14.4% to 1,373.6 million, whereas receipts from Russia dropped by 21.7% to 32.4 million.

Travel receipts by trip purpose

Looking at the breakdown of non-residents expenditure in Greece by trip purpose, trips for personal reasons represented the bulk of total travel receipts in 2023, with a share of 94.7%, up from 94.6% in 2022, while the corresponding receipts increased by 16.6%. Within this category, leisure accounted for the largest share in total travel receipts (2023: 87.9%, 2022: 85.3%), with the corresponding receipts rising by 20.1% year-on-year to 18,100.8 million. Receipts from trips for the purpose of visiting family declined by 15.9% and their share in total travel receipts fell to 4.4% from 6.1% in 2022. Receipts from trips for health purposes also dropped by 40.0% to 37.0 million. Finally, receipts from business trips rose by 15.6%, with their share in total receipts standing at 5.3% (2022: 5.4%) - Table 3 and Chart 3.

Inbound traveller flows

As already mentioned, the number of inbound travellers in 2023 rose by 20.8% to 36,082.7 thousand, from 29,875.8 thousand in 2022. Specifically, traveller flows through airports grew by 12.7%, while traveller flows through road border-crossing points increased by 34.9%. Travellers from within the EU27 accounted for 54.4% of the total number of travellers, while travellers from other countries accounted for 36.3%[1]. In 2023, travellers from within the EU27 increased by 15.6% compared with 2022. This development is attributed to increases in the number of travellers from euro-area countries by 11.3% to 12,913.2 thousand and in the number of travellers from non-euro area EU27 countries by 24.7% to 6,727.7 thousand. More specifically, travellers from Germany increased by 9.5% to 4,764.2 thousand and travellers from Italy increased by 30.4% to 1,842.3 thousand. Travellers from France also increased, by 4.2% to 1,831.0 thousand.

Finally, the number of travellers from other countries grew by 20.8% to 13,094.2 thousand. Specifically, the number of travellers from the United Kingdom rose by 2.4% to 4,591.7 thousand. Travellers from the United States increased by 29.2% to 1,406.5 thousand, whereas travellers from Russia declined by 1.0% to 35.7 thousand.

Overnight stays

In 2023, non-residents overnight stays in Greece totalled 236,271.2 thousand, up by 7.3% from 220,213.1 thousand in 2022. This was driven by a 1.5% increase in nights spent by residents of the EU27, as well as by a 10.8% rise in nights spent by residents of other countries. The rise in overnight stays by residents of the EU27 reflects a 2.6% increase in nights spent by euro-area residents, as nights spent by residents of non-euro area EU27 countries fell by 2.1%. The number of overnight stays did not change significantly from 2022 for German residents, while it increased by 33.3% for Italian residents and declined by 1.5% for French residents. Turning to other countries, the number of overnight stays by UK residents dropped by 5.2%, while the number of overnight stays by US residents rose by 23.1%. Finally, overnight stays by Russian residents increased by 8.5% - Table 5 and Chart 5.

Cruises

Since 2012, the Bank of Greece has conducted a cruise-specific survey (Cruise Survey) in order to enrich the data collected through its Border Survey. Following a standardised methodology[3], detailed cruise data for 2023 were collected at 16 Greek ports, covering 83.7% of all cruise ship arrivals in Greece.

Total receipts from cruise passengers in 2023 rose by 84.1% year-on-year to 908.4 million. Of this amount, 61.0 million were already captured in the Border Survey data, as they represent receipts from last port travellers, eventually leaving the country, while the remaining 847.4 million concern additional receipts data recorded by the Cruise Survey - Tables 6 and 7.

Chart 6 shows a breakdown of cruise receipts by port. The port of Piraeus ranks first with a share of 47.8% in total receipts, followed by the port of Corfu with 13.3% and the port of Santorini with 8.5% respectively.

The year under review saw 5,152 cruise ship arrivals (2022: 4,598). Total overnight stays ashore rose by 121.5% year-on-year to 9,421.9 thousand in 2023, with a positive impact on cruise receipts. The total number of cruise passengers also rose year-on-year, by 61.1% to an estimated 3,484.1 thousand - Table 7.

Chart 7 shows a breakdown of cruise ship arrivals by port. The port of Santorini ranks first with a share of 15.5% in total cruise ship arrivals, followed by the port of Piraeus with 14.8% and the port of Mykonos with 14.5% respectively.

In 2023, the total number of cruise passenger visits rose by 55.0% to 6,964.2 thousand, from 4,493.6 thousand in 2022 - Table 8. According to the Cruise Survey, 83.6% of all cruise passengers were transit visitors, with an average of 2.0 stopovers at Greek ports of call. The seven most important cruise ship ports account for 90.8% of total cruise receipts and 82.7% of total cruise passenger visits.

Balance of travel services by region

As suggested by the Border Survey, travel receipts in 2023 amounted to 19,746.3 million. Five regions accounted for the bulk (90.5%) of total receipts - Table 9 - namely: the Southern Aegean (5,340.8 million), Crete (5,196.3 million), Attica (3,786.9 million), the Ionian Islands (2,038.8 million) and Central Macedonia (1,514.8 million). The remaining regions (the Peloponnese, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly, Western Greece, Central Greece, the Northern Aegean and Western Macedonia) together accounted for 1,868.6 million.

Visits to Greece (all 13 regions combined) in 2023 totalled 36,135.6 thousand. The number of visits exceeds the number of inbound travellers estimated by the Border Survey (32,735.2 thousand), as travellers may visit more than one region in the course of one trip.

The five most visited regions, accounting for 83.9% of total visits, were: Attica (7,888.7 thousand visits), the Southern Aegean (6,960.7 thousand), Central Macedonia (6,565.9 thousand), Crete (5,521.7 thousand) and the Ionian Islands (3,377.9 thousand). The remaining regions (Epirus, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Western Greece, Central Greece, the Northern Aegean and Western Macedonia) together accounted for 5,820.6 thousand visits.

The number of overnight stays in Greece in the period under review totalled 227,937.7 thousand. According to the breakdown into the 13 regions, five regions accounted for 87.7% of total overnight stays, namely: the Southern Aegean (50,643.4 thousand nights), Crete (45,837.2 thousand), Attica (44,347.7 thousand), the Central Macedonia (32,272.1 thousand) and the Ionian Islands (26,914.9 thousand). The remaining regions (Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, the Peloponnese, Epirus, Thessaly, Western Greece, Central Greece, the Northern Aegean and Western Macedonia) together accounted for 27,922.5 thousand overnight stays.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: pixabay.com
Southwest Airlines has started a new program to give vouchers to passengers who face big delays or cancellations that are not caused by the weather. This program kicked off on April 16 as a response to a big problem in 2022 when many flights were canceled during the holidays.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has worked with Southwest to set up this compensation effort.

Southwest Airlines Rolls Out Voucher System for Delayed and Canceled Flights

Passengers who arrive at their destination three hours late because of issues controlled by the airline will get at least $75 in vouchers.

According to Travel and Leisure, these vouchers can be given to someone else and are good for at least one year. To get a voucher, passengers need to fill out a form online within a year of their delayed flight.

The compensation effort is part of a larger agreement involving Southwest Airlines creating a $90 million fund for future issues. This decision came after the DOT fined Southwest a record $140 million due to the 2022 holiday problems, which left many travelers stranded.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that this action shows the government's commitment to supporting travelers. He mentioned that this should help people trust that they will be treated fairly when flying.

This new voucher program from Southwest Airlines will continue for three years. However, the CEO of Southwest, Bob Jordan, hinted that such consumer-friendly programs might stick around even longer.

This move by Southwest Airlines aims to improve how it handles flight disruptions and ensure passengers are compensated for significant inconveniences.

Related Article : Say Goodbye to Open Seating? Southwest Airlines Considers Major Changes

Southwest Airlines Considers Adding Reserved Seating

Southwest Airlines, known for its low-cost air travel, is exploring new seating options that could include reserved seats. This would be a significant change for the airline, which has traditionally used an open-seating policy.

In this system, passengers pick any available seat when boarding the plane, depending on their boarding group.

The CEO of Southwest Airlines, Bob Jordan, mentioned on CNBC that the company is looking into ways to improve how passengers board and choose their seats. As per Inc., this move could help Southwest increase its earnings, especially after reporting a loss of more than $200 million in the first quarter.

Currently, all seats on a Southwest plane are economy class. Passengers can pay extra for early boarding but not for specific seats.

If Southwest introduces reserved seating and premium options, it would follow other U.S. airlines that have successfully boosted their income through seating fees. In 2022, eight airlines made $4.2 billion from such fees.

This potential shift could attract customers who prefer to reserve specific seats ahead of time, including those seeking more legroom or convenient locations.

While many enjoy Southwest's low fares and simple seating, some, especially frequent travelers to places like Hawaii, find the lack of reserved seating inconvenient.

The change, if implemented, would mark a significant strategy adjustment for Southwest Airlines, aiming to enhance customer choice and improve financial performance.
Delta Airlines is offering a special deal for Mother's Day: buy a Delta gift card worth at least $300 and get a $20 Starbucks eGift. This promotion is valid until 11:59 p.m. EST on May 13, or until supplies run out, as it is limited to the first 7,000 customers.

Exclusive Delta Gift Card Offer Rewards Buyers with Starbucks Bonus

The $20 Starbucks bonus is available exclusively to those who purchase Delta gift cards directly from the airline's website.

Once bought, the Starbucks eGift will be sent via email separately from the Delta gift card. Delta gift cards can be used towards flights or vacation packages but are not applicable for additional charges like baggage or upgrades.

This deal enhances the ongoing partnership between Delta and Starbucks, initiated in late 2022, allowing SkyMiles members to earn more rewards. By linking their accounts, members earn one mile for every dollar spent at Starbucks.

Furthermore, on days they fly with Delta, they can earn double Starbucks Stars, rewarding frequent flyers with more benefits during their travels.

Delta SkyMiles members can also gain extra miles through other partnerships. For example, they can earn miles from car rentals booked through Turo or stays reserved via Airbnb.

In addition to the Starbucks deal, Delta has introduced a new promotion with Hilton this month. SkyMiles members must register by May 6 and can earn 1,000 miles for each Hilton stay, up to a maximum of 3,000 miles, with travel to be completed by July 7.

With these partnerships and promotions, Delta aims to provide more value to its customers, making travel and leisure more rewarding with each Delta gift card purchase.

Related Article : What You Can Expect from Delta Airlines Premium Select

Give the Gift of Travel with a Delta Gift Card

You can now make travel more accessible for your loved ones with a Delta gift card. These gift cards are perfect for any occasion-birthdays, weddings, or even retirements. You can choose to deliver the gift card via email or traditional mail to ensure it arrives just in time for the celebration.

Delta gift cards are versatile and redeemable for any flight on Delta Air Lines around the globe and for any Delta Vacations package that includes airfare. With no expiration date and additional fees, they provide a stress-free gift option, allowing recipients to travel whenever and wherever they prefer.

For SkyMiles members, Delta offers fast, free Wi-Fi on most domestic flights. If you still need to become a member, signing up is easy and free, giving you instant access to this and other exclusive perks from Delta Sync.

If you are considering a gift for an individual or need multiple cards for corporate purposes, Delta has options to suit every need. Personalize your gift by uploading a photo or choosing from a catalog of designs, and add a personal message to make it special.

For businesses, ordering in bulk is straightforward, with flexible dollar amounts to fit various budgets.

Choose a Delta gift card today and put travel within reach for someone special.
Going to Portugal? Well, you are in for a culinary journey that might just redefine your taste buds! When you think of Portuguese foods, do not just tick off the usual suspects like cod and sardines. Sure, these are staples, but the food scene here dives much deeper.

You cannot leave Portugal without trying a plateful of bacalhau. Yes, it is that salted cod dish that turns up in countless recipes. Think of it grilled, baked, or even shredded with eggs and potatoes. But that is not all.

Ready for more? Every dish will give you a taste of Portugal's history, its sea-faring triumphs, and the local love for life. So make sure you have your eating pants on because every meal here is a hearty nod to tradition, crafted to perfection over centuries.

Savor the Sweetness of Pastel de Nata

If there is one dessert you need to try in Portugal, it is the pastel de nata. This creamy egg tart is a staple in Portuguese cafes and a point of pride in Lisbon. The secret to its deliciousness lies in the contrast between the crispy, flaky pastry and the soft, sweet custard.

Originally from the Jeronimos Monastery in Belem, these tarts have a history as rich as their flavor. Every bite is a blend of tradition and local craftsmanship that you will not forget.

Get Hooked on Sardinhas Assadas

Sardinhas assadas are a true taste of Portuguese summer. These grilled sardines are a common sight at neighborhood festivals, where they are cooked over hot coals and served fresh. The simplicity of the preparation-just a sprinkle of coarse salt-highlights the fish's natural flavors.

Eaten with a slice of corn bread or a heap of boiled potatoes, they offer a flavor that is both robust and wonderfully uncomplicated. This dish is a treat for the palate and a feast for the senses.

Indulge in a Plate of Porco Preto

You have not experienced Portuguese foods until you have tried porco preto. This Iberian black pork is a delicacy, particularly in the Alentejo region, where it is savored in a variety of dishes. From charcuterie to slow-cooked cuts, porco preto is celebrated for its rich, succulent flavor.

The meat, often fed on acorns, boasts a unique taste and texture that is an evident in the local farming traditions. Make room for this luxurious pork feast; you will want every last bite.

Discover the Diversity of Arroz de Pato

Another cornerstone of Portuguese cuisine is arroz de pato, or duck rice. This dish combines tender, flavorful duck with aromatic rice cooked in a rich stock. It is then baked to perfection, often topped with crispy chourico to add a bit of spice.

Originating from the agricultural heartlands of Portugal, this meal is a comforting blend of local ingredients and home-style cooking. Even if you are dining in a rustic eatery or a bustling city restaurant, arroz de pato is a warming, satisfying dish that perfectly encapsulates Portuguese foods.


Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : WHAT IS THE TURKISH FLIGHT CHANGE POLICY? Industry: Airlines

You can contact Turkish Airlines to change flight at +1-860-845-0471.



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES - April 30th, 2024 - If you wish to change your flight with Turkish Airlines, the process is straightforward. Simply familiarize yourself with the Turkish Airlines flight change policy, which is available for your convenience. There are no hidden fees or complications, just a simple and transparent process. Lets take some notes regarding the Turkish Airlines changed flight. What is the Turkish flight change policy? According to the Turkish flight change policy, Customers can Change flights from domestic and international flights. Further, you will have to pay the whole sum of the ticket if you do not book through the ticket counter, website, Mobile app, or another Turkish paltform. If you change the flight within 24 hours of the reservation, the Airline will not charge you. A zero-change-fee policy will apply.

No one can change the trip on the flight date. It is a penalty-driven effort. A client can't make changes up to 1 hour sometime before departure. http://www.booknowairlines.com/blog/turkish-airlines-change-flight/ How can your Turkish Airlines flight change? There are distinctive ways available the change Turkish Airlines flight. By website You can look up the official website, sign up, and fill out the form for cancellation - https://www.turkishairlines.com/ By dialing You can dial the given number, 90 850 333 0849, and get an instant solution to your issue. By social media Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/turkishairlines/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TurkishAirlines/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/TurkishAirlines?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwca Linked id - https://www.linkedin.com/company/turkish-airlines/ Website - https://www.booknowairlines.com/blog/turkish-airlines-change-flight/ What will be the flight change fee? Turkish Airlines change the flight fee varies as per the below-mentioned details: Domestic Flights For short-haul flights, a traveler will have to pay a Turkish Airlines change fee between US$60 and US$120.

No charges for changing the flight in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The whole ticket cost is charged for making changes on the day of departure. International Flights The change fee would be between US$200 and US$400 for long-haul flights. You will moreover have to pay 20 to 30% of the add-up to fare in certain situations.

In case your trip is planned for a date between 21 Walk 2020 and 31 December 2021, no expense is asked. Moreover, you will pay 70% of the add-up to ticket esteem for changing the worldwide flight on the takeoff day. How can you make the ticket change to Turkish? You can change the ticket using various methods, such as the official website, dialing the official number, or using social media. The details mentioned above are for the Turkish Airlines flight change. And can also apply for the Turkish Airlines name change. You can apply these methods or visit the inquiry counter. It will be more help full for you and the response soon. What is the Turkish airline name change policy? If your name does not match your official Documents, you will not be allowed the travelling. You should have the same name on the ticket as mentioned in the government documents when you travel with the Turkish airline. Here are some conditions available in the name change policy - If the name on your ticket shows up erroneously, you should promptly contact the airline or the travel office in your city/airport. Otherwise, interface with the travel office from which you obtained your ticket. If the name on your PNR is incorrect by up to 2 characters/letters, the Airline will make the title redress without charging you a name-changing charge, as long as the title change/correction does not amount to a change of passenger. If your name has changed as of late after marriage or is separate and does not reflect on your ticket, you must apply for a change of name with Turkish Airlines sometime recently your travel date by giving substantial legitimate documentation, such as a marriage certificate, separate proclaim, etc. Be that as it may, it is too late to adjust. Youre flying to/from the Joined together States, the Division of Transportations Fly Rights page prescribes that you bring the required documentation (marriage certificate, separate proclaim, court arrangement, etc.) to the airport, which will demonstrate to the specialists that the title on your government ID compares to the title on your ticket, indeed in spite of the fact that your physical ID does not reflect it however. Conclusion Overall, you know about the Turkish airline and its flight change policy. You can travel, and you can enjoy the journey. If there is a name error, then you can read the name change policy, which will give you guidance. Turkish Airlines is always available to give the best facility to fulfill customer satisfaction. Faqs 1. How much is it to change a flight with Turkish Airlines? The cost to change a flight with Turkish Airlines varies. For domestic flights, fees range from US$60 to US$120, while for international flights, it ranges from US$200 to US$400. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no charges for changes. It can also depend on your seat type. 2. Can I change a flight I already booked? Yes, you can change a flight you've already booked with Turkish Airlines. You can do so through their website, by dialing their customer service number, or via social media channels. There are multiple to your multiple problems. You can contact any of the methods which you will find easy to use. 3. Can I reschedule my flight? Yes, you can reschedule your flight with Turkish Airlines. However, depending on the type of flight and the timing of the change, you may incur change fees. Certain changes may be exempt from fees during the pandemic. 4. How can I change my flight date for free? To change your flight date for free with Turkish Airlines, you must do so within 24 hours of making the reservation. This zero-change-fee policy applies if you booked through approved channels such as the website, mobile app, or ticket counter. All different ways to apply you can use any of the mentioned above applications. ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release :



CONTACT INFORMATION Name: rhea diaz Company: Turkish flight change policy 1-860-845-0471 Phone: 8608450471 Email: rheadiazx@gmail.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGS
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Staff members transport giant panda couple Jin Xi and Zhu Yu in Madrid, Spain, April 29, 2024. A giant panda couple has arrived in Spain on a direct flight from China. (Madrid Zoo Aquarium/Handout via Xinhua)





A giant panda couple has arrived in Spain on a direct flight from China. They were set to be kept at zoo in the Spanish capital city of Madrid for the next few years, the zoo announced on Tuesday.

On an exclusive flight from the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province, the couple, named Jin Xi and Zhu Yu, landed on Monday at the cargo terminal of the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas International Airport, the Madrid Zoo Aquarium said.

Upon their arrival, the zoo's veterinary and conservation team, as well as several patrols from Spain's Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA) were waiting to escort them to the zoo.

To ensure the health and safety of the giant pandas during the flight, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding prepared bespoke transport cages loaded with fresh bamboo and bamboo shoots.

A special dinner was waiting for the new couple at the zoo made of freshly cut bamboo shoots. Carers paid special attention to pandas when welcoming them to their new home.

The public will have to wait before meeting the new arrivals, as there is now a month ahead to certify their good health, the zoo added.

China and Spain signed an agreement in 2007 to improve giant panda protection and promote cooperation in endangered species and biodiversity.
WENCHANG, Hainan, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Chang'e-6 lunar probe is scheduled for launch on May 3, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Wednesday.

The probe is set to collect samples from the far side of the moon, making this mission the first of its kind in human history.

At present, preparations for the mission are progressing steadily at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, and the Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket will soon be refuelled with propellant, the CNSA said.

As there is a narrow launch window on the two consecutive days, with only 50 minutes for each day, the mission's rocket team has designed a total of 10 trajectories, the CNSA added.

The Wenchang Space Launch Site on Wednesday conducted a final rehearsal for the launch, covering all relevant systems comprehensively.

The site's meteorological system has strengthened its monitoring and analysis processes to ensure a successful launch.

The Chang'e-6 lunar probe and Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket combination was transferred vertically to the launch area on Saturday. 
NEW YORK, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Columbia University called in a large number of police officers again on Tuesday in a bid to end pro-Palestine protests on campus.

The arrest of nearly 100 protesters on Tuesday night was the second of its kind within two weeks.

Students had been protesting in "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on the West Lawn of Columbia University's Morningside Campus and negotiating with administrators on divesting from companies that "profit from Israeli apartheid."

They also demanded complete transparency on the university's financial investments as well as amnesty for all students and faculty disciplined or fired in the protests.

The negotiations made some progress on Friday, with Barnard College with Columbia University reaching a resolution with most of the 53 students arrested and suspended amid the arrests on April 18.

However, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik said on Tuesday that the talks between Columbia University's administrators and student protesters reached an impasse on Sunday.

Columbia University at first set a deadline for student protesters to give up the encampment on Monday afternoon, but the students largely remained unmoved.

As pressures heated up, students chose to occupy the Hamilton Hall in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Cornered by the escalation of tensions, Columbia University tightened access to the Morningside campus and once again called in police to remove protesters from Hamilton Hall and encampment on the campus.

Notably, Shafik labeled the situation on the campus as "unrest" in her letter to the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Tuesday, accusing protesters of vandalizing property in Hamilton Hall.

Ironically, the university's administration said "there is no truth to claims of an impending lockdown or evictions on campus" on Saturday when the talks were still going on.

The NYPD arrested nearly 100 protesters and loaded them onto correctional buses. The encampment had been dismantled and partially cleaned until midnight.

With no people injured in the operation, individuals inside Hamilton Hall could be charged with burglary in the third degree and criminal mischief, while those in encampment on campus grounds could be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, according to police officers.

Shafik faces pressure from all sides and was urged to resign by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson days ago. She was also grilled at a hearing by a congressional committee about anti-semitism on campus on April 17 and the White House Tuesday condemned the use of the term 'intifada,' saying forcibly taking over buildings is wrong.

Twenty-one Congressional Democrats sent a letter to the board of trustees of Columbia University on Monday, expressing their disappointment for not disbanding the encampment and urging the university to take action "now."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer, urged the end of the standoff in Columbia University shortly before the NYPD officers entered the campus.

The ongoing protests on dozens of U.S. university campuses proved to be highly divisive with the left and right wings arguing whether there are rampant anti-semitism behaviors.

As the semester is winding up, administrators of Columbia University are struggling to ensure students participate in exams and attend commencement.

Students would continue to protest on the campus even after the brutality against them, according to Mahmoud Khalil, a lead student negotiator from Columbia University. 
By Alex Greenwood, May 1, 2024

U.S. News & World Report Recognizes Graduate Speech-Language Pathology; Part-Time MBA Programs.

WARRENSBURG, MO  The University of Central Missouri (UCM) proudly announces its recent ranking among the Best Part-Time MBA universities nationwide by U.S. News & World Report. This distinction highlights UCM as one of only eight Missouri universities to earn this honor, emphasizing the quality and accessibility of its MBA program.

Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), where fewer than six percent of business schools worldwide have obtained AACSB accreditation, UCM's MBA program is celebrated for its rigorous curriculum and commitment to preparing highly effective business professionals. Recognized by Fortune Magazine and College Consensus as one of the best online MBA programs in the country, UCM continues to set standards in business education.

In addition to its MBA accolades, UCMs Speech-Language Pathology program has also been ranked among the top master's programs in its field. This program equips students to address diverse challenges in communication disorders, swallowing difficulties and voice pitch problems, preparing them for competitive careers in speech-language pathology.

UCM has offered speech pathology courses since the 1940s, maintaining a long-standing tradition in the field. Today, the graduate Speech-Language Pathology program at UCM fosters an engaging environment that supports learning, growth and professional achievement.

LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for Education at U.S. News & World Report, notes the importance of such rankings: Deciding where to attend graduate school can be formidable. The Best Graduate Schools rankings and related content are invaluable resources for prospective students to find the best fit for their educational needs and career goals.

For more information about UCMs graduate programs, visit https://www.ucmo.edu/future-students/admissions/graduate-admissions/.
By Alex Greenwood, May 1, 2024

Mules wrestler and cancer survivor selected as one of six athletes recognized nationally by Military Friendly.

WARRENSBURG, MO  Military Friendly recognized University of Central Missouri (UCM) student and wrestler James Culp with the 2024 Student Veteran Athlete of the Year Award.

Culp is one of six exemplary student veterans honored in 2024. The Military Friendly Schools survey is the longest-running, most comprehensive review of college and university investments in serving military and veteran students. Military Friendly is owned and operated by VIQTORY, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business. UCM is recognized as a Military Friendly Top 10 School.

James Culp's story stands out as truly remarkable and epitomizes the essence of this award, said Courtney Swoboda, UCM director of military and veteran services. He is undeniably inspiring with his remarkable achievements and resilience in the face of challenges. Observing a student navigate such adversity while juggling the roles of an adult learner, student-athlete, active campus and community participant, alongside the responsibilities of a husband and father, is truly remarkable.

Culp is majoring in Computer Information Systems and a member of the Mules wrestling team. Enrolling at UCM in 2014, he began his collegiate wrestling career but soon sought to expand his horizons. In 2015, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving in Avionic Systems Technology with B-2 aircraft at Whiteman Air Force Base. Over seven years of active duty, Culp took on multiple roles, including honor guard service, where he completed 120 details, and participated in Air Force wrestling.

He earned numerous accolades, including Avionics Technician for both his squadron and group, Senior Airman Below the Zone, distinguished graduate of Airman Leadership School (ALS), top graduate of ALS, and appointments as Noncommissioned Officer in Charge and Noncommissioned Officer for the Squadron on two separate occasions. In 2022, he completed his associate degree in Avionic Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force.

Diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkins lymphoma in 2018, he achieved remission six months later and eventually became cancer-free. After separating from active duty in 2022, Culp immediately rejoined the military community as a member of the Missouri Air National Guard, focusing on cyber defense operations.

In 2022, he returned to UCM to continue his bachelor's degree in computer information systems and rejoined the wrestling team. In 2022-2023, he tied for the most wrestling matches of the year and received Academic All-American honors.

Off the mat, he contributes vigorously to campus life in the UCM Military and Veterans Success Center and as president of the Computer Information Systems and Analytics Organization. He is a consistent Deans List honoree, and a Fellowship of Christian Athletes mentor at Knob Noster (Missouri) High School.

As a Student Veteran Athlete of the Year, Culp is featured in the spring edition of GI Jobs magazine.

He is expected to graduate from UCM in 2026.
Russian troops somewhat slowed down the offensive around Avdiivka, at the same time becoming more assertive on the Bakhmut-Chasiv Yar axis, trying to put pressure on the Ukrainian defense to advance toward Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka.

Thats according to a report by a U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank, Ukrinform saw.

Military analysts note that for the first time in several days, on April 30, Russian troops executed no confirmed offensives in the Avdiivka area, while Ukrainian sources reported that the Russians performed more assaults toward the Bakhmut-Chasiv Yar axis than near Avdiivka. In the reports from the Ukrainian General Staff on April 30, it is stated that, in total, during the day, Ukrainian troops repelled 47 Russian attacks in the Avdiivka direction and 57 in the Bakhmut direction, while significantly more assaults were repoted in the Chasiv Yar direction. "One days worth of reporting is not sufficient to establish a pattern, but it may suggest that Russian forces are somewhat slowing down the rate of attacks around Avdiivka while re-committing to offensive pushes around Chasiv Yar, as ISW recently forecasted they would," the report said.

Read also: ISW analyzes capabilities of Russian military to conduct offensive against Kharkiv

It is noted that since around April 20, Russian forces have focused on developing tactical successes near Ocheretyne (northwest of Avdiivka) and Novokalynove (north of Avdiivka), but as of April 30, the pace of confirmed advances appears to have slowed.

Analysts believe that Russian forces may decide to advance from north of Avdivka toward Toretsk to supplement Russian offensive operations near Chasiv Yar, which would likely require Russian forces to conduct a tactical pause to mass up forces for such an offensive.

ISW has recently assessed that Russian forces may decide to advance north of Ocheretyne along the H-20 highway (Donetsk - Kostyantynivka) to pressure Ukrainian forces defending in the Toretsk area and possibly threaten the operational rear of Ukrainian defenses in and west of Chasiv Yar.

"Chasiv Yar is an operationally significant objective as it would provide Russian forces with a staging ground to launch offensive operations against Druzhkivka and Kostyantynivka, which form the fortress belt of four major cities in Donetsk Oblast. Russian forces would likely require a longer pause to reinforce existing units and redeploy additional forces to the Ocheretyne area should they choose to attempt to advance northward to the Toretsk area, however," the report said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, deputy head operational department at the Estonian Defense Forces General Staff, Toomas Viali, is convinced that Russia will fail to achieve its goal of capturing the town of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region by May 9.
In 2022-2023, Lithuanian companies exported dual-use goods to Russia worth at least EUR 130 million using sanctions circumvention schemes.

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the Lithuanian broadcaster LRT.

Between March 2022 and August 2023, Lithuanian companies shipped Western-made goods with potential military use under the guise of exports to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and other states close to the Kremlin.

According to LRT's investigation, chips, bearings, antennas, capacitors, radio navigation devices, semiconductors and other dual-use goods that were "exported" to third countries actually ended up in Russia. This scheme was stopped when Lithuania banned the transit of certain goods to third countries.

It is reported that 70 companies have repeatedly exported sanctioned goods. One of them, the Klaipeda-based transportation company Zetemzeja, shipped American-made microchips. The logistics company Delamode Baltics, which has provided services to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the State Border Guard Service, and the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in the past, may have acted as an intermediary in at least 10 shipments of dual-use goods to Russia via Georgia. These included bearings, electronics, processors, and other equipment. The company denies this information.

According to LRT, among the alleged exporters of the so-called "battlefield items" are companies that have been operating without a director for five years, do not submit financial reports, and are in the process of liquidation.

As reported at the end of last year, LTG Cargo, a freight transport company of the Lithuanian Railways Group, appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office to investigate the violation of international sanctions during the export of luxury cars to third countries, which end up in Russia. Based on an internal investigation, the company suggested that the cars allegedly destined for third countries - Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Turkmenistan - were actually being transported to Russia.

Photo: rekvizitai.vz.lt
Austrian oil and gas company OMV has initiated international arbitration proceedings to protect its rights in contracts with Gazprom.

According to Ukrinform, this was stated in an interview with APA by OMV CEO Alfred Stern.

"We have initiated several arbitration proceedings to protect OMV's rights," Stern said.

Among other things, this concerns OMV's shares in the South Russian gas field, which were de facto expropriated by the Kremlin's decree and transferred to Russian companies.

Stern also reacted to the fact that in recent weeks, Russian Gazprom has initiated proceedings in the St. Petersburg Arbitration Court against OMV.

"We consider these proceedings illegitimate and do not recognize the jurisdiction of the St. Petersburg court, as we have entered into an agreement on how and where possible disputes should be resolved," he said.

As Ukrinform reported, earlier the Minister of Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology of Austria Leonore Gewessler said that the Austrian state should study and implement all options for terminating the "bonded" gas supply contract between the Austrian oil and gas company OMV and Russian Gazprom.
Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Mongolia Dmytro Kuleba and Battsetseg Batmunkh discussed cooperation within international organizations and agreed to hold consultations at the level of their respective agencies.

The Ukrainian foreign minister said this in a post on the social media platform X, Ukrinform reports.

I had a call with my Mongolian counterpart Battsetseg Batmunkh on the development of our bilateral relations and cooperation within international organizations. We agreed to hold political consultations between foreign ministries. I also invited Minister Batmunkh to visit Ukraine, Kuleba wrote.

As reported, in January, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke with his Mongolian counterpart about bilateral relations and the Ukrainian peace formula.
Estonian media company Delfi Meedia will hold a conference on investments in Ukraine in Tallinn on May 27.

That's according to Delfi, Ukrinform reports.

This will be the first such event in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"Ukraine's recovery is our common task. [...] Our shared responsibility is to think about how we can help Ukraine become a modern, European and safe country during and after the war. Ukraine is strong and has extraordinary resilience. Ukraine's economic potential is boundless. The conference, organized by Delfi Meedia, Milton and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be attended by the leaders and representatives of key Ukrainian industries, as well as entrepreneurs, bankers and heads of state institutions from the Baltic and Scandinavian countries," said Urmo Soonvald, editor-in-chief at Delfi and Eesti Paevaleht.
BEIRUT, May 1 (Xinhua) -- A Hezbollah fighter was killed and three civilians were injured on Wednesday in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanese villages in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.

The sources, who spoke anonymously, said that an Israeli warplane launched two missiles in Lebanon's southern village of Tayr Harfa, destroying a house and killing a Hezbollah fighter inside the house.

According to the sources, another airstrike targeted the southeast village of Adaysseh, wounding three civilians.

The military sources added that Israeli warplanes carried out on Wednesday a series of airstrikes on three towns and villages in the eastern and central sectors of the border area in southern Lebanon.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 445 people on the Lebanese side, according to Lebanese security sources. 
PHNOM PENH, May 1 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian health official on Wednesday warned of health risks as temperatures in the Southeast Asian country have soared to record highs.

Secretary of State and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health Or Vandine urged people to be careful and take care of their health from dehydration by drinking more water.

She said temperatures these days are the "hottest ever in Cambodia's history."

"I would like to call on people to be cautious and not to stay under the sun for too long to avoid skin irritation, excessive sweating, and dehydration," Vandine said in a statement on social media.

She said the extreme heat could cause shortness of breath or fainting, heart attack and death.

"Stay in a shady location if you are outside a house or building," she said. "If you feel too hot, use a wet towel or scarf to cover yourself and drink 2 to 3 liters of water a day."

Vandine also advised people to wear lightweight and long-sleeved clothing and use a sunblock lotion or umbrella to protect themselves from the sun.

"If inside the house or building, you can use a fan or air conditioner to reduce heat, and avoid eating too sweet, too salty or too fatty," she said.

Chan Yutha, a spokesperson and secretary of state for the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, said last week that Cambodia had recorded the highest-ever temperature in this hot season in about 170 years.

According to the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology's weather forecast, the temperature in some provinces in the northern, northeastern, northwestern, central and southern parts of the country reached 43 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, and this "alarming" level will last till Thursday and Friday.

Yutha said temperatures will start to drop in early May, as rainfall is predicted. 
Passengers inquire information at the service desk of Xuzhou East Railway Station in Xuzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, on April 30, 2024. China's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said Monday. (Xinhua/Mao Jun)

Passengers queue to check their tickets at Xuzhou East Railway Station in Xuzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, on April 30, 2024. China's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said Monday. (Xinhua/Mao Jun)

Passengers inquire information at the service desk of Jinhua Railway Station in Jinhua, east China's Zhejiang Province, on April 30, 2024. China's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said Monday. (Photo by Hu Xiaofei/Xinhua)

Passengers queue to enter Harbin Railway Station in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on April 30, 2024. China's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said Monday. (Photo by Yuan Yong/Xinhua)

Passengers are seen at the platform of Harbin Railway Station in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on April 30, 2024. China's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said Monday. (Photo by Yuan Yong/Xinhua)

Passengers board a train at Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, on April 30, 2024. China's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said Monday. (Photo by Su Yang/Xinhua)

A passenger inquires information at the service desk of Zhengzhou East Railway Station in Zhouzheng, central China's Henan Province, on April 30, 2024. China's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said Monday. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)

A staff member of Harbin Railway Station guides passengers to enter the station in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on April 30, 2024. China's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said Monday. (Photo by Yuan Yong/Xinhua)

Passengers are seen at the waiting hall of Zhengzhou East Railway Station in Zhouzheng, central China's Henan Province, on April 30, 2024. China's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said Monday. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)
Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University have taken a bold stand by occupying Hamilton Hall, defying university orders for suspension. The occupation comes in response to the university's crackdown on an encampment set up by students in solidarity with Palestine, sparking a tense standoff between protesters and administrators.

The Occupation of Hamilton Hall

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters took over Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University, displaying banners with messages of solidarity with Palestine. The protesters blockaded entrances to the building overnight with vending machines and furniture, and unfurled banners renaming the iconic building as Hind's Hall, after a 6-year-old killed in Gaza. This occupation followed Columbia's decision to suspend students who refused to leave an encampment set up on a central lawn.

The occupation of Hamilton Hall represents a significant escalation in tensions between pro-Palestinian activists and the university administration. It is a dramatic display of resistance against what protesters perceive as unjust treatment and an infringement on their right to protest.

The Background: Columbia's Crackdown on the Encampment

The occupation of Hamilton Hall comes after Columbia University began suspending students who participated in an encampment on a central lawn of the campus. The encampment was set up in solidarity with Palestine and as a protest against the university's alleged complicity in human rights violations in the region.

The university issued warnings to the protesters, setting a deadline for them to leave the encampment or face consequences. The warnings stipulated that protesters must leave with their belongings, identify themselves to university personnel, and sign a document promising to follow all conduct policies. Failure to comply could result in sanctions, including expulsion.

Despite the warnings, protesters refused to abandon the encampment, leading to a breakdown in negotiations between protesters and administrators. This ultimately resulted in the suspension of several students and the escalation of tensions on campus.

Response and Reactions

The occupation of Hamilton Hall has sparked a range of responses and reactions from the Columbia University community and beyond. Supporters of the protesters have praised their courage and determination in the face of adversity, while critics have raised concerns about the impact of the occupation on campus life and academic activities.

The Columbia University administration has condemned the occupation, describing it as a violation of university policies and an impediment to the normal functioning of the campus. The administration has vowed to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of students, faculty, and staff.

Meanwhile, supporters of the protesters have organized rallies and demonstrations in solidarity with their cause. They have called on the university to reverse its decision to suspend students and to engage in meaningful dialogue with protesters to address their concerns.

The occupation of Hamilton Hall by pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University represents a bold and defiant act of resistance against what protesters see as injustice. The occupation comes in response to the university's crackdown on an encampment set up in solidarity with Palestine, highlighting the ongoing tensions and complexities surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

As the occupation continues, it remains to be seen how the university administration will respond and whether a resolution can be reached that addresses the concerns of all parties involved. In the meantime, the occupation serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of free speech, peaceful protest, and the pursuit of justice in academic settings.
Indiana University's tranquil Dunn Meadow, a 20-acre green space on the Bloomington campus, has long been a symbol of free expression. Since 1969, it has served as an official assembly ground for student protests, embodying the university's commitment to fostering open dialogue and dissent. However, recent events have thrust this peaceful setting into the spotlight, igniting a fiery debate over free speech rights and administrative overreach.

A Change in Policy

The controversy began when a group of student protesters sought to set up a pro-Palestinian encampment in Dunn Meadow. The night before their planned demonstration, university administrators, including President Pamela Whitten and Provost Rahul Shrivastav, learned of the students' plans. In response, Shrivastav formed an ad-hoc committee and swiftly changed the assembly ground policy. The new policy prohibited the "temporary or permanent installation of outdoor structures" without prior administrative approval, specifically targeting the use of signage and tents.

The policy change was not widely communicated to the IU community. Instead of a university-wide email or public announcement, the new policy was quietly updated on the undergraduate events website, and a physical copy was posted in the grass of Dunn Meadow. This lack of transparency fueled accusations of censorship and raised concerns about the university's commitment to free speech.

READ MORE : Indiana University Becomes Battleground For Academic Freedom Amid Cancellation Of Palestinian Artist's Exhibition

Backlash and Arrests

The policy change led to immediate backlash from students, faculty, and free speech advocates. When students attempted to set up the pro-Palestinian encampment the following morning, they were met with resistance. University leaders called in Indiana State Police to dismantle the encampment, leading to a confrontation with student protesters. Reports surfaced of police using aggressive tactics, including dragging, pushing, and zip-tying students. In total, 33 students were arrested for trespassing, and dozens more were banned from campus.

Critics of the policy change argue that it infringes on the fundamental right to peaceful assembly and protest. Steve Sanders, a constitutional scholar at IU's Maurer School of Law, described the policy change as a violation of the groups' right to free expression. He emphasized that while rules can be changed, they should not be altered to target or disadvantage specific groups based on their speech or beliefs.

Campus Reaction and Future Implications

The backlash to Indiana University's policy change extends beyond the immediate incident at Dunn Meadow. Faculty, free speech advocates, and local officials have criticized the university's actions, with some calling for the policy change to be revoked. Former Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton labeled the policy change "inadvisable and likely unconstitutional," highlighting the broader implications of the university's decision.

The controversy at IU is not an isolated incident. It reflects a broader trend on college campuses where administrators are grappling with how to balance free speech rights with maintaining order and safety. A recent survey of college and university presidents found that over 20% believe recent world events have stressed their campus speech policies, indicating a growing concern among higher education leaders.

The debate over free speech on college campuses is not new, but it has taken on renewed significance in recent years. The changing landscape of activism and protest, coupled with increased scrutiny from lawmakers and donors, has forced universities to reevaluate their approach to free expression. The case of Indiana University serves as a cautionary tale, highlighting the importance of transparency, dialogue, and respect for differing viewpoints in preserving the university as a marketplace of ideas.

Indiana University's policy change at Dunn Meadow has sparked a contentious debate over free speech and administrative authority. The incident serves as a reminder of the challenges universities face in upholding the principles of free expression while ensuring the safety and well-being of their communities. As the debate continues, it is essential for universities to uphold their commitment to free speech and open dialogue, even in the face of controversy and protest.
The Biden administration's recent overhaul of the Title IX rule, aimed at bolstering protections against sex-based discrimination in education, has ignited a firestorm of controversy.

Six states and several conservative advocacy groups have filed lawsuits, alleging that the new rule represents an unlawful expansion of federal authority and undermines the original intent of Title IX. At the heart of the dispute are changes to the definition of sex-based discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as alterations to the rules governing due process in misconduct cases.

Expanding the Definition of Sex-Based Discrimination

One of the most contentious aspects of the new Title IX rule is its expanded definition of sex-based discrimination. While Title IX was originally intended to protect against discrimination based on biological sex, the Biden administration's rule extends these protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Supporters argue that this update is necessary to ensure that LGBTQ+ students are fully protected under the law. However, opponents contend that this interpretation goes beyond the text and intent of Title IX, which was enacted in 1972 to address gender disparities in education.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuits, which include states like Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Montana, as well as conservative advocacy groups like the Defense of Freedom Institute (DFI), argue that the expanded definition of sex-based discrimination will have far-reaching consequences. They claim that it will lead to the elimination of gender-specific facilities, such as restrooms and locker rooms, and could potentially infringe on the rights of students who identify with traditional gender norms. Additionally, they argue that the new rule will create confusion and uncertainty for schools and educators, who may struggle to comply with the complex regulations.

READ MORE : Conservative Groups And Officials Plan To Sue Over Biden Administration's Expanded Title IX Protections

Due Process Concerns

Another major point of contention in the lawsuits is the impact of the new Title IX rule on due process rights in misconduct cases. The Biden administration's rule includes several changes to the rules governing how schools must handle allegations of sexual misconduct, including requiring a live hearing and allowing for cross-examination of parties involved. While these changes are intended to strengthen protections for survivors of sexual assault, critics argue that they could have unintended consequences.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuits, which include states like Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, as well as advocacy groups like the Independent Women's Forum and Parents Defending Education, argue that the new rules will limit due process rights for those accused of misconduct. They claim that the requirement for live hearings and cross-examination could discourage survivors from coming forward and could lead to unfair outcomes for the accused. Additionally, they argue that the new rules will impose significant financial and administrative burdens on schools, which may struggle to comply with the new requirements.

Legal and Political Implications

The legal battle over the new Title IX rule is likely to have significant implications for the future of education policy and LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. The outcome of these lawsuits could determine the scope of federal authority in education and could shape the way that schools across the country handle allegations of sexual misconduct. Additionally, the lawsuits could have broader implications for the interpretation of civil rights laws, particularly as they relate to gender identity and sexual orientation.

From a political standpoint, the lawsuits represent a broader clash between conservative and progressive visions of education policy. The Biden administration's overhaul of the Title IX rule is seen as a key part of its efforts to promote LGBTQ+ rights and combat sexual misconduct on college campuses. However, conservative critics argue that these efforts are an example of federal overreach and represent an infringement on the rights of states and individuals.

The legal battle over Biden's new Title IX rule is likely to be a long and contentious one. The outcome of these lawsuits could have far-reaching implications for education policy, LGBTQ+ rights, and the interpretation of civil rights laws in the United States. As the legal battle unfolds, it will be important to closely monitor developments and consider the broader implications of this important legal and political debate.
UNODC promotes international cooperation to enhance and advance forensic science in Uzbekistan

UNODC, together with the National Forensic Science Centre named after Kh. Sulaymanov of the Ministry of Justice of Uzbekistan organized an international scientific and practical conference Role of International Cooperation in Enhancing and Advancing Forensic Expertise. Held on 18 - 19 April 2024 at the Olmos Convention Centre in the Bostonliq district of the Tashkent region, the conference convened over 400 experts, law enforcement professionals, and criminal justice practitioners from countries such as Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkiye, and Uzbekistan.

The primary aim of the conference was to provide a platform for assessing the current state and challenges of forensic science, exchanging international best practices and experiences, and formulating strategies to enhance further forensic expertise in Uzbekistan.

Mr. Toshkulov, the Minister of Justice of Uzbekistan, underscored the necessity of expanding international cooperation in dealing with digital evidence and combatting cybercrimes, emphasizing the need for systematic training of experts and equipping forensic science institutions with modern technologies and methodologies. He also highlighted the rapid development of Uzbekistan's forensic science system due to widescale reforms, attributing a significant role to international cooperation in the implementation of these reforms.

In her welcome address, Ms. Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia, emphasized the borderless nature of crime and the imperative for a global response to tackle transnational criminal networks operating across the regions. She reaffirmed UNODC's steadfast commitment to enhancing forensic science capabilities in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries, aiming to strengthen partnerships and explore innovative approaches for a more cohesive and resilient forensic science infrastructure in the region.

H.E. Jonathan Henick, the U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan, commended the government's efforts to strengthen forensic capacities by adopting and applying international standards and stressed the importance of continuous development of law enforcement capabilities and knowledge sharing to combat both emerging and traditional crimes effectively.

The conference featured renowned international speakers, including Mr. Yanko Georgiev Kolev, President of the International Association of Forensic Science, Ms. Halimah binti Abdul Rahim, Vice President of the Asian Forensic Science Network, Mr. Hizir Asliyuksek, President of the Forensic Medicine Institute of the Ministry of Justice of Turkiye, Mr. Elchin Gasimov, Head of Forensic Science Centre of the Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan (online), Mr. Ruslan Satyvaldeev, acting Director of the Forensic Examination Centre of the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan (online), Ms. Purvi Pokhariyal, Head of Delhi Campus, Mr. Shankar Junare, Head of Gujarat Campus of the National Forensic Science University of India, and Ms. Anne-Marie Forten, Scientific Affairs Officer of the UNODC Laboratory and Scientific Services (online).

The conference provided an avenue for national forensic science centers to showcase their technical expertise through exhibition stands, demonstrating their proficiency in offering forensic analysis and examination across various forensic disciplines.

This event was organized within the framework of the UNODC project "Improve Forensic Capacities in Uzbekistan  Phase II" supported by funding from the U.S. State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
JERUSALEM, May 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the United States opposed the Israeli plan to launch a large-scale ground assault on Rafah.

In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, the U.S. diplomat insisted that the Israeli side should first provide an appropriate humanitarian plan for the approximately 1.2 million displaced people in Gaza's southernmost city before mounting an attack. 
KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st May, 2024) Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Pakistan Coast Guards (PCG) Headquarters here on Wednesday. The Director General Pakistan Coast Guards Brigadier Ghulam Abass received the Minister on his arrival at the Headquarters.

Interior Minister laid floral wreath at martyrs monument and presented solute to the martyrs for their supreme sacrifice for the defence of the motherland.

The Interior Minister was briefed on the professional affairs of Pakistan Coast Guards, in which the efforts to fulfill the responsibilities of Coast Guards and prevent all kinds of smuggling, especially anti-narcotics activities.

Mohsin Naqvi was informed about the professional training of Pakistan Coast Guards and the measures taken to prevent smuggling and the details of the seized drugs, alcohol and other general items, including the process of burning the seized drugs.

The Federal Minister while appreciating the professional performance of the institution, the high determination, courage and efforts of the officers and jawans of the Coast Guards, said Pakistan Coast Guards, is the only one that performs its duties simultaneously on land and sea. This is a force which has an important role not only in peace time but also in any difficult and war situation, Naqvi said.

He expressed best wishes for the Pakistan Coast Guards by assuring the provision of all possible support and resources to make it more active and strong.
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Across Pakistan, various public and private organizations are hosting events such as conferences, seminars, marches, and walks to honor the contributions and sacrifices of laborers.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 1st, 2024) International Labor Day is being commemorated today with a renewed commitment to advocating for workers rights worldwide.

This years theme, Ensuring Workplace Safety and Health Amidst Climate Change, underscores the importance of addressing environmental challenges in the workplace.

Across Pakistan, various public and private organizations are hosting events such as conferences, seminars, marches, and walks to honor the contributions and sacrifices of laborers.

Despite these efforts, many workers remain uninformed about their rights, as evidenced by a construction site laborer questioning the level of support they receive from the government or other entities.
Dhaka, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st May, 2024) Bangladesh last month saw the hottest average April temperatures since the country began keeping weather records in 1948, a senior forecaster told AFP on Wednesday.

"2024 was the hottest April since 1948 in terms of hot days and area coverage in the country," Bangladesh Meteorological Department senior forecaster Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik said.

Bangladesh remains in the grips of a suffocating heatwave that prompted authorities to close schools nationwide, with temperatures not expected to moderate until Thursday.

"This year the heatwave covered around 80 percent of the country. We've not seen such unbroken and expansive heatwaves before," Mallik said.

Mallik said the 30-year average daily temperature for April between 1981 and 2010 was 33.2 degrees Celsius, but this year weather stations around the country recorded temperatures of between two and eight degrees higher.

He added that Bangladesh had not seen the usual pre-monsoon April thunderstorms which normally cools the South Asian nation ahead of summer.

"Bangladesh gets an average 130.2 millimetres of rain in April. But this April we got an average of one millimetre of rain," he said.

Mallik said the bureau was checking data to confirm whether this year marked record low rainfalls for April.
Sharjah: (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1 May, 2024)

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the 15th edition of the Sharjah Childrens Reading Festival (SCRF 2024) on Wednesday.

Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the festival is themed Once Upon a Hero and will run until May 12th at the Expo Centre Sharjah. The Ruler of Sharjah was warmly received by His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Chairperson of SBA, marking the official opening of the festival.

Attended by a distinguished gathering of dignitaries, the event welcomed Sheikh Salem bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ruler's Office; Sheikh Faisal bin Saud Al Qasimi, Director of the Sharjah International Airport Authority; Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the UAE National Media Office; and several heads and directors of government departments and institutions, intellectuals, authors, and media representatives.

The Ruler of Sharjah graces the diverse SCRF pavilions

A highlight of the opening was the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which was followed by a musical performance by a group from Sharjah, who sang in praise of His Highness. During his tour of SCRF, His Highness witnessed a selection of the 186 Arab and foreign publishers from 20 countries, which will host more than 1,500 cultural, artistic, and edutainment activities led by 265 guests from 25 countries, including prominent writers, artists, publishers, and illustrators.

During the tour, His Highness graced the pavilions of the Sharjah Private Education Authority, the Emirates Publishers Association, the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, and the UAE Board on Books for Young People, where he was briefed on their major cultural and educational activities that promote reading among children. His Highness also received details on strategies, programmes, and publications as he visited the pavilions of the House of Wisdom, Rubu' Qarn for Creating Future Leaders and Innovators, the Sharjah Social Services Department, and Sharjah Public Libraries.



Completing the tour, His Highness visited the pavilions of the Department of Culture, Menassah Distribution Company, Mohammed bin Rashid Library, Kalimat Group, and the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, where he was briefed on their cultural efforts in supporting books, writers, and publishing.

Recognition of achievements

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah presented honours to the winners of the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival Award and the Sharjah Children's Book Illustration Award. The first place was secured by Kyoung mi Ahn from South Korea, followed by Juan Carlos Palomino from Mexico in second place, and Daniela Stamatiadi from Greece in third.

His Highness also recognized the winners of three encouragement prizes: Montserrat Batet Creixell from Spain, Santiago Solis from Mexico, and Mitra Abdollahi from Iran.

Furthermore, His Highness acknowledged winners of the Sharjah Children's Book Award across various categories, each prize valued at AED 20,000. Among them, Author Maitha Al Khayyat from the UAE clinched the award for her book I will Hunt my Breakfast, illustrated by Gustavo Aimar and published by Kalimat Group in the Childrens Book in Arabic (ages 4 to 12) category. The Young Adults Book in Arabic (ages 13 to 17) category went to Dr. Tariq Al Bakri from Lebanon for "The Buried Secret," illustrated by Fadi Fadel and published by Kalimat Group, receiving the award on his behalf was Manal Mahjoub, editor of Kalimat Group; while the International Childrens Book (ages 7 to 13) category was awarded to Julia Johnson for the title "Aishas Pearl," published by ELF Publishing.



His Highness recognised the winner of the Sharjah Audio Book Award, Author Lina Mustafa Al-Zebaq from Syria for her book My grandmother's hug published by Al-Zebaq Publishing; additionally to honour distinguished works facilitating visually impaired individuals' access to knowledge and their integration into society the award of Books for Visually Impaired Children Award was presented to Brigadier General Dr. Muhammad Khamis Al Othmani from the UAE for his book "Seven Sanabel," published by Sharjah Police Science Academy.

Promotion of reading and cultural enrichment

This edition of the festival emphasises reading as a fundamental tool for shaping a brighter future for children and nurturing a generation that values its transformative and developmental potential in society. It fosters creative thinking and innovation through events led by esteemed writers, illustrators, and publishers who share their knowledge, works, and experiences.

Cultural agenda and activities

The festival, hosting 265 guests, offers a plethora of workshops for children covering topics such as sustainability, fashion, crafts, and music. It also boasts 12 performances, including theatre shows and roaming performances by 19 participants from 12 countries.



Furthermore, the cultural program includes various panel discussions focusing on developing children's communication skills, with 70 guests from 25 countries participating. Throughout the festival, the Poetry Knight competition will encourage children and young adults to recite Arabic poetry engagingly, featuring three categories: primary school students (grades 1 to 4), middle school students (grades 5 to 8), and high school students (grades 9 to 12).
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Tbilisi, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st May, 2024) Thousands of Georgians protested again Wednesday, as parliament advanced a controversial "foreign influence" bill, despite weeks of demonstrations and warnings from Brussels that it would damage Tbilisi's European aspirations.

The EU also condemned police action the previous night, when they fired tear gas and rubber bullets at thousands of protesters against the measure.

Lawmakers voted 83 to 23 to adopt the bill in a second reading. The ruling Georgian Dream party has said it wants to sign it into law by mid-May, arguing it only serves to boost transparency of NGOs' foreign funding.

But its critics say the proposed law resembles a repressive Russian law used to silence dissent.

Waving Georgian and EU flags, thousands of demonstrators once again gathered outside parliament, Wednesday evening, trying to block the building's entrances, said an AFP reporter.

The turmoil came ahead of parliamentary elections in October, seen as a key test of democracy in the EU-aspirant Black Sea nation.

President Salome Zurabishvili -- who is at loggerheads with the ruling party -- is expected to veto the measure, but the party has enough votes to override that measure.
London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st May, 2024) The UK government confirmed Wednesday it had detained an unspecified number of migrants in recent days for deportation to Rwanda in July under its controversial new policy.

It comes a week after lawmakers ended months of parliamentary wrangling and passed a law allowing some asylum seekers to be deported by declaring Rwanda to be a safe third country.

The new legislation circumvented a Supreme Court ruling last year that sending migrants to Rwanda in this way would be illegal because it "would expose them to a real risk of ill-treatment".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to stop migrants arriving on small boats from mainland Europe. He vowed last week to begin detaining people promptly before deportation flights start within "10 to 12 weeks".

Reports of immigration enforcement officers holding people earmarked for the flights emerged earlier this week.

On Wednesday, the interior ministry confirmed that "a series of nationwide operations" was underway.

"The first illegal migrants set to be removed to Rwanda have now been detained," it added.

Calling it "another major milestone" in the Rwanda plan, the ministry released photographs and a video of immigration enforcement officers detaining several migrants at different residences.

They were seen being led away in handcuffs and put into secure vehicles.

A spokesman for Sunak said the UK leader was pleased that "the first detentions have taken place.

"It's obviously an important part of now operationalising the plan to get flights off the ground in nine to 11 weeks time and provide the effective deterrent that we need to stop seeing these dangerous boat crossings," he added.
LAMU, Kenya, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's military said on Wednesday that its forces killed six al-Shabab militants, including a foreign fighter, during an operation in the coastal county of Lamu.

The Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) said it launched a targeted operation at 1:00 p.m. local time (1000 GMT) against an active al-Shabab camp in Kumba, about 10 kilometers west of Pandanguo, near the vast Boni forest where the insurgents hide.

"The operation successfully neutralized six members of al-Shabab, including a foreign national, and resulted in the confiscation of significant logistical supplies," the KDF said in a statement.

According to the statement, the raid was staged following intelligence reports that the group was planning an attack in the area.

The KDF said some of the terrorists managed to escape and advised the public to remain vigilant as the operation may lead to increased activities by the group, especially as the number of injured terrorists is reportedly high.

"Community members are encouraged to report any suspicious behavior or individuals seeking assistance in the area. This vigilance is crucial as we continue to disrupt terrorist activities and enhance security in the region," the KDF said.

Lamu County has been in the spotlight for the past few years due to the increasing number of devastating militant attacks that have left hordes of security personnel and civilians dead.

Kenya's border areas, such as Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa counties, have also experienced similar attacks, affecting overall development. 
Vietnam Briefing has developed into a premium source for insight on doing business in Vietnam. It publishes business news concerning foreign direct investment into Vietnam, including the most important tax, legal and accounting issues. The Vietnam Briefing Magazine was first published in 2009, and is contributed to by investment professionals based in Vietnam.
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Tensions on U.S. campuses enter a new phase as a Jewish student files a proposed class action lawsuit alleging students were displaced from Columbia University because its administration could not guarantee their safety. VOA's Natasha Mozgovaya has the story.
Democrats secured enough votes in the Arizona Senate on Wednesday to repeal a Civil War-era ban on abortions that the state's highest court recently allowed to take effect.

Voting wasn't complete but the Senate had the 16 votes it needed to advance the bill.

Fourteen Democrats in the Senate were joined by two Republican votes in favor of repealing the bill, which narrowly cleared the Arizona House last week and is expected to be signed by Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs.

The near-total ban, which predates Arizona's statehood, permits abortions only to save the mother's life  and provides no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. In a ruling last month, the Arizona Supreme Court suggested doctors could be prosecuted under the 1864 law, which says that anyone who assists in an abortion can be sentenced to two to five years in prison.

If the repeal bill is signed, a 2022 statute banning the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy would become Arizona's prevailing abortion law. Still, there would likely be a period when nearly all abortions would be outlawed because the repeal won't take effect until 90 days after the end of the legislative session, likely in June or July.

Several senators spoke about their motivations for voting as numbers were tallied on the repeal bill.

"This is a clear statement that the Legislature does not want the territorial ban to be enforceable," said Democratic state Senator Priya Sundareshan, who voted yes to repeal.

There were numerous disruptions from people in Senate gallery, as Republican state Senator Shawnna Bolick explained her vote in favor of repeal, joining with Democrats.

Republican state Senator Jake Hoffman denounced Republican colleagues for joining with Democratic colleagues, calling it an affront to his party's principles.

"It is disgusting that this is the state of the Republican Party today," Hoffman said.

Advocates on both sides of the abortion issue arrived outside the Arizona Senate on Wednesday to emphasize their views. They included people affiliated with Planned Parenthood and faith-based groups opposed to abortion.

"I am expecting it will be repealed, but I am praying it won't be," said Karen Frigon, who was handing out brochures from the Arizona Right to Life.

Arizona is one of a handful of battleground states that will decide the next president. Former President Donald Trump, who has warned that the issue could lead to Republican losses, has avoided endorsing a national abortion ban but said he's proud to have appointed the Supreme Court justices who allowed states to outlaw it.

When Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022 though, then-Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, persuaded a state judge that the 1864 ban could again be enforced. Still, the law hasn't been enforced while the case was making its way through the courts.

Advocates are collecting signatures for a ballot measure allowing abortions until a fetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks, with exceptions  to save the parent's life, or to protect her physical or mental health.

Republican lawmakers, in turn, are considering putting one or more competing abortion proposals on the November ballot.
BEIJING, May 1 (Xinhua) -- At a volunteer tree-planting activity held last month in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping lifted a spade onto his shoulder and skillfully shoveled the dirt to fill the planting pit alongside local residents.

His mastery of the tool was so effortless that many quickly assumed he was an experienced farmer. A similar photo promptly resurfaced on social media.

The photograph from late 1980s depicts Xi, then the Communist Party of China (CPC) chief of Ningde prefecture in east China's Fujian Province, striding across fields with a hoe on his shoulder, ready to join local laborers.

Xi's admiration for manual work and his close bond with working people can, in part, be attributed to his formative years in Liangjiahe, previously a rugged village on the country's arid Loess Plateau.

When Xi arrived in the village in 1969 he was barely 16. Despite their own hardships, local people generously took care of city youth, including Xi. "They fed me, washed my clothes, and fixed my trousers," Xi recalled.

During his seven-year stay in Liangjiahe, Xi worked alongside the villagers, tending crops, herding sheep and hauling coal. He joined the CPC there and later became the village Party chief, marking the humble beginning of his political career.

Xi recalled his earnest wish at that time was "to make it possible for the villagers to have meat and have it often."

Xi saw introducing the use of biogas as a catalyst for improving the villagers' life. He recalled that the first methane-generating pit posed a significant challenge. Upon completion, it was the province's first methane tank, solving coal and firewood shortage that had long troubled the local people.

Xi arrived in the village as a slightly bewildered teenager and left as a confident young man determined to "do practical work for the people."

For him, happiness comes from work. Glory belongs to all the working people, regardless of their trade.

"Society is created through labor. It does not have distinctions of high or low, noble or humble. Every profession is honorable," Xi once said.

Xi's respect for hard work formed his down-to-earth attitude and hands-on approach to governance. As the top leader, Xi still kept traces of working people. During domestic inspections, he checked the reconstruction of rural houses following floods, walked into fields to sample crops, and felt at ease engaging in discussions with factory workers.

Meeting the press after being elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in November 2012, Xi told domestic and foreign journalists: "The Chinese people's aspiration for a better life is the goal we must strive for."

Before long, China launched the largest anti-poverty endeavor in human history, aiming to eliminate absolute poverty in a country with a population of 1.4 billion. Xi assumed personal command. He oversaw every major policy move and went to all the country's 14 contiguous areas of extreme poverty. He pledged to achieve the goal "with the force and tenacity as a hammer driving a nail."

In February 2021, China announced that it has resolved the problem of absolute poverty. Close to 100 million people were lifted out of poverty in roughly eight years.

With absolute poverty eradicated in the country, Xi is guiding the nation to strive for its next milestones. China aims to basically realize socialist modernization by 2035 and build a great modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of this century.

Hard work remains crucial in achieving this objective, echoing a frequently quoted line by Xi: "Let's roll up our sleeves and get down to work!" 
The leaders of Australias state, territory and federal governments met Wednesday to combat gender-based abuse.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described violence against women in Australia as an epidemic," and campaigners say gender-based violence in Australia must be declared a national emergency.

The Canberra government has said statistically, a woman has been killed in Australia every four days this year.



Officials at the Wendesday's meeting in Canberra said they want to find immediate, effective and practical ways to address family violence and the abuse of women.

Various measures have been agreed, including a five-year $650 million plan to help vulnerable women who have been unable to leave a violent relationship because of a lack of money.

The federal government says it will look at ways to reduce people's exposure to "violent pornography and measures to combat male extremist views as well as violent and misogynistic content.

Authorities are proposing serious penalties for sharing sexually explicit material using technology like artificial intelligence. Legislation will also be introduced in early August to outlaw the release of private information online with an intent to cause harm  an abusive practice also known as doxxing.

Albanese told reporters in Canberra Wednesday that all jurisdictions were working together.

This is indeed a national crisis, and it is a national challenge, and we are facing this with a spirit of national unity," he said. "Today is about who we are as a nation and as a society. We recognize that governments need to act but we also recognize that this is an issue for the whole of society."

Thousands of people attended rallies in major towns and cities across Australia over the weekend. The protests followed a mass stabbing earlier this month in Sydney in which six people, including five women, were murdered at a shopping center.

Demonstrators demanded not only tougher laws to protect women, but also a cultural change in mens treatment of women and attitudes toward them.

Rosalind Dixon, a law professor at the University of New South Wales, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that remanding suspected abusers in custody pending court hearings and electronic monitoring for those who are released would be positive steps.

There are global models and precedents; France, Spain, (the) United States - theyve all experimented in this area," she said. "Theres a lot to learn. I think we should be looking first and foremost at how we can limit bail and add tracking in addition fairness and civil rights protections around those measures as a lesson from overseas.

Concern over gender violence in Australia isnt new.

In 2021, there were nationwide rallies against sexual misconduct and harassment in the federal Parliament and in Australian society more broadly.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday as talks continue in Cairo to resolve details of an elusive bid for a cease-fire in Israels war with Hamas militants in Gaza.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken emphasized that it is Hamas that is standing in the way of a cease-fire. The militants so far have refused to accept a plan calling for a several-week halt in nearly seven months of warfare, along with Hamas failing to free hostages it is holding in exchange for the release of Palestinians jailed by Israel.

But even as Blinken blamed Hamas for the lack of a truce, Miller said the top U.S. diplomat told Netanyahu that the U.S. remains opposed to the Israeli leaders call for a ground attack on the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where Israel says it plans to root out four remaining battalions of Hamas fighters.

We cannot, will not support a major military operation in Rafah, absent an effective plan to make sure that civilians are not harmed and no, we've not seen such a plan, Blinken said at a news conference in Ashdod, Israel. And at the same time, there are other ways, and in our judgment, better ways of dealing with the real ongoing challenge of Hamas that does not involve or require a major military operation in Rafah.

The U.S., the United Nations and numerous world officials have voiced opposition to an attack on Rafah because more than a million Palestinian refugees are sheltering there, many of them ordered by the Israeli military to flee there from their homes in northern Gaza during the earliest weeks of the war.

Netanyahu says the Rafah offensive is necessary to meet Israels goal of erasing Hamas control of Gaza, and that it will happen regardless of whether there is a cease-fire and hostage-release deal with Hamas.

Blinken said, Hamas has to decide whether it will take the deal and actually advance the situation for the people that it purports to care about in Gaza. There is no time for delay. There's no time for further haggling. The deal is there. They should take it.

He said that if Hamas does not agree to the cease-fire, I think that's further proof that it doesn't care a bit about the Palestinian people.

Cairo has been hosting talks involving U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators that have produced the latest cease-fire proposal.

Blinken also placed a continued emphasis on getting more humanitarian aid into Gaza to feed famished Palestinians.

At the same time, even as were working with relentless determination to get the cease-fire that brings the hostages home, we also have to be focused on people in Gaza who are suffering in this crossfire of Hamas making, Blinken said. He said that on Wednesday, for the first time, trucks with humanitarian aid traveled through Erez, a new Israeli entry point into northern Gaza.

The top U.S. diplomat has repeatedly called on Hamas to accept the cease-fire proposal during a trip to the region that included earlier stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Blinken also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who said the return of hostages held by Hamas is and should be the top priority of the international community.

Following the meeting with Herzog, Blinken spoke with demonstrators outside who held signs and chanted slogans calling for the hostages in Gaza to be brought home.

Blinken told the demonstrators he had met with families of the hostages and told them, Bringing your loved ones home is at the heart of everything were trying to do.

Hamas is believed to still be holding about 100 hostages, along with the remains of about 30 others, after taking about 250 people hostage in the October 7 attack on Israel in which the militants killed 1,200 people.

Israels counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 34,500 people, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza. Israel says the death toll includes several thousand Hamas militants it has killed.

Blinken met Tuesday with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and King Abdullah II, before meeting with Sigrid Kaag, U.N. senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza.

Blinken thanked Abdullah for Jordans leadership in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, including joint U.S.-Jordan airdrops that to date have delivered more than 1,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

The two leaders discussed joint efforts to expedite the flow of additional urgently needed aid to Gaza from Jordan through land routes. Blinken also commended the kings commitment to economic modernization and vital public sector reforms.

Later Tuesday, Blinken met with Palestinians from Gaza at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs before meeting with Kaag. Blinken told Kaag he was anxious to hear directly from her, adding, The entire team is doing extraordinary work to ensure that people in Gaza get the help and support and the assistance they need.

VOAs Cindy Saine contributed to this report.
Netanyahu tells Blinken the war will not stop until Hamas is destroyed. Police break up student protests at Columbia as tension grows at UCLA. Turkey looks to play a mediating role in the Middle East, an update from Kyiv and a look at the extraordinary numbers of Ukrainian and Russian casualties.
State media in China, where social protest is strongly discouraged or punished, have been vocally supporting the pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. campuses while decrying what they describe as a heavy-handed crackdown on free speech by authorities.

"Can blindly using violence to suppress students be able to quell domestic dissatisfaction with the government?" wrote Jun Zhengping Studio, a social media account operated by the News Broadcasting Center of the People's Liberation Army, in an April 26 commentary.

"If American politicians really have a sense of democracy and human rights, they should stop supporting Israel, stop endorsing Israel's actions, and do more things that are conducive to world peace. Otherwise, the only one who will suffer backlash is the United States itself."

The People's Daily, China's state-owned newspaper, said in a video that American students are protesting because they "can no longer stand the double standards of the United States."

On social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying echoed that comment and implied the U.S. government was cracking down on protests at home while supporting protests abroad.

She posted a clip of U.S. police arresting protesters with the question, "Remember how U.S. officials reacted when these protests happened elsewhere?"

The protests this month at scores of universities, including New York's Columbia University and George Washington University in the U.S. capital, have opposed Israel's war against Hamas militants in Gaza over the large number of civilian casualties. The student protesters are demanding that their schools divest from companies with ties to Israel and are calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the protests are a symbol of American democracy, but he criticized the protesters for remaining silent on the attack by Hamas militants in October that killed more 1,200 Israelis and sparked the conflict.

Critics say antisemitic rhetoric emerged at some of the protests, and there have been clashes with police.

As of Monday, more than 900 students had been arrested, mainly for trespassing because of protest camps they erected on university property.

In an email to all faculty members and students, American University stated that the school's policy of supporting free speech has not changed, but it explicitly prohibits "disruptive" behavior such as setting up camps.

"Any demonstration that continues to interfere with university operations or violate policies after engagement and de-escalation will not be permitted, and those responsible will face conduct actions, disciplinary sanctions, or arrest as appropriate," the email said.

Reactions differ

The handling of the protests has been in stark contrast with the Chinese authorities' crackdown on domestic dissent and any form of street protest.

China's strict zero-COVID measures and censorship of critical voices during the pandemic spurred street protests in many Chinese cities in November 2022 that became known as the White Paper movement. Protesters would hold up blank sheets of white paper to symbolize support for the protests while not actually saying or doing anything, in hopes of not getting into trouble.

Nonetheless, Chinese police arrested and surveilled those caught holding up white paper. Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye accused "external anti-China forces" of being behind the protests and called them a "color revolution."

Critics were quick to point out Beijing's double standard when Chinese state media backed U.S. college protesters.

Sean Haines, a British man who worked for Chinese state media from 2016 to 2019, told VOA that Chinese state media's extensive coverage of Western demonstrations is a consistent policy.

"At Xinhua, when we chose the running order for news, foreign protests were always promoted," he said, "especially if it was around election times. 'Look how scary foreign democracies are, aren't you glad China doesn't have this?'"

He said footage of protests is easy to find in places with a free press, such as the United States and the West, while there are almost no images of protests in China, a one-party authoritarian state where public demonstrations are quickly stopped.

"It's ironic." he said. "China is using [the] West's free speech, openness, right to protest  against itself."

Although Chinese authorities have not declared support for any side in the Israel-Hamas war, they were reluctant to condemn the militants' October attack and repeatedly blamed Israel and the U.S. for the conflict in Gaza.

At the same time, antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiments, including conspiracy theories, have been allowed on China's highly censored social media.

A popular claim is that U.S. support for Israel is not because of history and democratic values but because a Jewish cabal secretly controls U.S. politics and business.

Hu Xijin, a special commentator and former editor-in-chief of China's state-run Global Times, posted on social media site Weibo on April 19 that all walks of life in the U.S. "cannot suppress the protests of college students everywhere, which shows that the Jewish political and business alliance's control over American public opinion has declined."

Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.
The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China said he was allowed back into his lab after he spent days locked outside, sitting in protest.

Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post on Wednesday, just past midnight, that the medical center that hosts his lab had "tentatively agreed" to allow him and his team to return and continue their research for the time being.

"Now, team members can enter and leave the laboratory freely," Zhang wrote in a post on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. He added that he is negotiating a plan to relocate the lab in a way that doesn't disrupt his team's work with the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, which hosts Zhang's lab.

Zhang and his team were suddenly told they had to leave their lab for renovations on Thursday, setting off the dispute, he said in an earlier post that was later deleted. On Sunday, Zhang began a sit-in protest outside his lab after he found he was locked out, a sign of continuing pressure on Chinese scientists conducting research on the coronavirus.

Zhang sat outside on flattened cardboard in drizzling rain, and members of his team unfurled a banner that read "Resume normal scientific research work," pictures posted online show. News of the protest spread widely on Chinese social media, putting pressure on local authorities.

In an online statement Monday, the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center said that Zhang's lab was closed for "safety reasons" while being renovated. It added that it had provided Zhang's team an alternative laboratory space.

But Zhang responded the same day his team wasn't offered an alternative until after they were notified of their eviction, and the lab offered didn't meet safety standards for conducting their research, leaving his team in limbo.

Zhang's dispute with his host institution was the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since the virologist published the sequence in January 2020 without state approval.

Beijing has sought to control information related to the virus since it first emerged. An Associated Press investigation found that the government froze domestic and international efforts to trace it from the first weeks of the outbreak. These days, labs are closed, collaborations shattered, foreign scientists forced out and some Chinese researchers barred from leaving the country.

Zhang's ordeal started when he and his team decoded the virus on Jan. 5, 2020, and wrote an internal notice warning Chinese authorities of its potential to spread  but did not make the sequence public. The next day, Zhang's lab was ordered to close temporarily by China's top health official, and Zhang came under pressure from authorities.

Foreign scientists soon learned that Zhang and other Chinese scientists had deciphered the virus and called on China to release the sequence. Zhang published it on Jan. 11, 2020, despite a lack of permission from Chinese health officials.

Sequencing a virus is key to the development of test kits, disease control measures and vaccinations. The virus eventually spread to every corner of the world, triggering a pandemic that disrupted lives and commerce, prompted widespread lockdowns and killed millions of people.

Zhang was awarded prizes overseas in recognition for his work. But health officials removed him from a post at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and barred him from collaborating with some of his former partners, hindering his research.

Still, Zhang retains support from some in the government. Though some of Zhang's online posts were deleted, his sit-in protest was reported widely in China's state-controlled media, indicating divisions within the Chinese government on how to deal with Zhang and his team.

"Thank you to my online followers and people from all walks of life for your concern and strong support over the past few days!" Zhang wrote in his post Wednesday.
More than 800 mine action leaders attending a U.N.-sponsored conference in Geneva this week are warning of the ongoing dangers from unexploded ordnance and landmines in countries affected by conflict.

A focus of the conference is on the war in Gaza, which the United Nations Mine Action Service, or UNMAS, says has resulted in explosive ordnance contamination on a scale unprecedented for Gaza.

The agency has been working in Gaza for over a decade providing services to lessen the threat of explosive ordnance to civilians and enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid.

After October 7, the program has undergone a rapid evolution. We have become an enabler of the humanitarian response into Gaza, said Charles Mungo Birch, chief of the UNMAS mine action program in the Palestinian territories.

He told journalists Wednesday, We support humanitarian convoys going north and do explosive hazard assessments of humanitarian sites which allow humanitarian work to continue.

For example, he said that in December, UNMAS Explosive Ordnance Disposal officers accompanied a World Health Organization convoy along a dangerous route to Shifa hospital.

That convoy evacuated over 30 premature babies, which we returned to southern Gaza, and only one of them died, he said.

UNMAS estimates there are 37 million tons of rubble in Gaza, amounting to 300 kilos (660 pounds) per square meter of surface. This, it says, is more rubble than in Ukraine.

To put this in perspective, the Ukrainian frontline is 600 miles long and Gaza is 25 miles long, Birch said.

This rubble is likely heavily contaminated with UXO [unexploded ordnance]. Clearance of this will be further complicated by other hazards in the rubble, he said, noting that about 800,000 tons of asbestos is estimated to be in the rubble.

Paul Heslop, program manager for mine action, UNDP Ukraine, said a significant amount of contamination from UXO is found on both sides of the frontline of that conflict  however, mine clearance experts are unable to access Russian-occupied areas.

So, we have not had any work on that side of the conflict zone, he said. There has been an extensive use of all types of munitions by both sides in this conflict. We are seeing a level of contamination that we have not seen in Europe since the Second World War.

UNMAS reports 60 million people around the world are affected by the threat of land mines, leftover ammunition and explosive devices every day. It says the legacy of contamination from these weapons continues decades after a conflict ends, killing and maiming thousands of people.

The agency cites Syria, Yemen, West Africa and the Sahel region, including Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, among the most-contaminated countries in the world.

Most of the problem in the Sahel is the IUDs, improvised unexploded devices that are homemade, similar to what we have seen in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, said Heslop, who was involved in projects in the Sahel for the past 10 years.

Obviously, they are very low-cost and fairly easy to make. So, I think the scourge of the Sahel is the use of IUDs in a fairly indiscriminate way, he said.

UNMAS officials said a mine clearance program the agency ran for many years in Sudan was incredibly successful. Therefore, they said, it is very distressing to see Sudan once again being contaminated by these lethal weapons, many of which now are in urban areas where the current war is raging.

Last year, UNMAS recorded 1,500 victims of explosive ordnance in the Tigray and Afar regions in northern Ethiopia, with men and young boys accounting for 80% of the victims.

Francesca Chiaudani, chief of the UNMAS mine action program in Ethiopia, said casualties are likely to remain high because the agency has received only 2% of the $10 million needed for mine clearance activities.

Another problem, she said, is difficulty in getting accreditation for nongovernmental organizations to conduct surveys and clearance activities in conflict-affected areas.

At the moment, some limited or clearance activity has been conducted by the Ethiopian national defense forces. But there is no humanitarian clearance happening in the county because of not having authorization for organizations to do so, she said.

However, she said, Accreditation for international NGOs is currently in process, and we are very hopeful that at least four will be accredited in the next month.
Hena Khan, a ninth-grade student in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has struggled to focus on her studies this week as temperatures surpassed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the capital city.

"There is no real education in schools in this punishing heat," she said. "Teachers can't teach, students can't concentrate. Rather, our lives are at risk."

Khan is one of more than 40 million students who have been shut out of classrooms in recent weeks as heat waves have forced school closures in parts of Asia and North Africa.

As the climate warms, heat waves are lasting longer and reaching greater peaks as average temperatures rise. In turn, government authorities and public health experts around the world are grappling with whether to keep students learning in hot classrooms or encourage them to stay home and keep cool.

Either decision has consequences. About 17% of the world's school-aged children are already out of school, according to United Nations data, but the proportion is much larger in developing countries, with nearly a third of sub-Saharan Africa's children out of school compared to just 3% in North America. Children's test scores in the developing world also lag far behind developed countries.

Heat could make that worse, widening learning gaps between tropical developing nations and developed countries, experts told Reuters, and even between rich and poor districts in wealthy countries. But sending children to overheated schools could make them sick.

High temperatures prompt closures

South Sudan shuttered its schools to some 2.2 million students in late March when temperatures soared to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit). Thousands of schools in the Philippines and in India followed suit in late April.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh continues to waver between opening and closing schools for about 33 million students amid pressure to prepare pupils for exams  even as temperatures climb to dangerous levels.

Many of the country's schools "don't have fans, the ventilation is not good, and they might have tin roofing, which does not provide good insulation," said Shumon Sengupta, Bangladesh country director for nonprofit Save the Children.

On Monday, one day after reopening schools that had been closed last week because of the heat, Bangladeshi authorities again closed all primary schools and educational institutions in nearly half of all districts as temperatures reached 43C (109F).

Heat slows cognitive functions

Even if students continue attending classes during heat waves, their education is likely to suffer.

High temperatures slow the brain's cognitive functions, lowering pupils' ability to retain and process information.

U.S. high schoolers, one May 2020 study found, performed worse on standardized tests if they were exposed to higher temperatures in the year leading up to the exam.

The research, published in the American Economic Journal, found that a 0.55C (1F) warmer school year reduced that year's learning by 1%.

Much of that impact disappeared in schools that had air conditioning, said study co-author Josh Goodman, an economist at Boston University.

Somewhere between 40% and 60% of U.S. schools are thought to have at least partial air conditioning, according to various surveys.

Schools that do not are typically found in lower income districts that already lag behind their wealthier counterparts academically. In the U.S. the average performance of the lowest income students is about four years behind the highest-income students, according to a 2019 study in the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Goodman and his colleagues found a similar learning pattern when they looked at standardized test data in other countries.

"When [students in] these places experience a year with more heat, they appear to have learned less," he said.

That is worrying, Goodman added, because as the world warms hot countries moving to an extremely hot climate will suffer more than temperate countries.

"Climate change will widen the learning gaps between hot and cool countries," Goodman said.

The number of days that schools are closed for extreme heat have been ticking up in the U.S., but few countries track such data.

U.S. schools are now canceling class for an average of six to seven school days each year for heat, compared with about three to four days a decade ago, said Paul Chinowsky, a civil engineer who led a 2021 study on schools and rising temperatures for the firm Resilient Analytics, which consults for governments and NGOs.

In Bangladesh, "last year, schools were closed for six to seven days," said Save the Children's Sengupta. "But this year, they are saying it might be closed for three to four weeks."

May is generally the warmest month of the year in South Asia.

More closures worry him, Sengupta said. When children are not in school, they are more vulnerable to child labor and child marriage, according to NGO reports.

Bangladesh Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury said on Tuesday that schools would be kept open on weekends if needed to complete the curriculum.

Decisions on school closures, he added, will no longer be a national directive but are to be made at the district level.
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that some of North Carolinas restrictions on the distribution of abortion pills contradicted federal law.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles blocked the states requirement that doctors provide and prescribe the abortion pill mifepristone in person, followed by a subsequent appointment.

The ruling came as the Supreme Court considers a case brought by anti-abortion-rights groups that could reinstate restrictions on the pill.

Eagles delivered a partial victory to a physician who performs abortions and sued state and local prosecutors and state health officials. Dr. Amy Bryant challenged state medication abortion regulations beyond those addressed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA approved mifepristone in 2000 to terminate a pregnancy in the first 10 weeks. The pills are used in more than half of all U.S. abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive health that supports access to abortion.

Eagles said that North Carolinas restrictions interfered with the goal of Congress to use federal regulators to ensure safe drug distribution.

A state law is preempted if it restricts the sale of an FDA-approved drug after the FDA considered and rejected that restriction as unnecessary for safe use, Eagles wrote.



Bryant said Wednesday that she was happy with Eagles' decision, which prevents restrictions "that second-guess or interfere with the FDA's expert judgment."

Eagles ruled that some of North Carolinas restrictions could stay. She did not block restrictions such as the requirement of an in-person consultation 72 hours in advance, an in-person examination and an ultrasound before prescribing.

These requirements are directed to broader health concerns and informed consent to the termination of a pregnancy, Eagles wrote.

The ruling could be appealed. The judge asked the parties to propose written judgments and injunctions by May 21.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne arrived in Cairo Wednesday as part of a push to secure a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Sejourne was due to meet with Egyptian officials in the latest stop on a trip that also included visits to Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Cairo has been host to talks involving U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators that have produced the latest cease-fire proposal. The proposal calls for a halt in fighting that lasts several weeks, the release of hostages held by Hamas, the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and an increase in humanitarian aid for people in Gaza.

Sejourne said after talks Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Frances policy remains that the hostages must be freed, the cease-fire must be signed and de-escalation must take place in Lebanon.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on a similar mission in the region, holding talks Wednesday with officials in Israel.

Israels military said Wednesday it carried out airstrikes overnight against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, the latest in months of cross-border attacks between the two sides.

In Gaza, the health ministry said Wednesday at least 33 people were killed during the past day. Israel's counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 34,500 people, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the health ministry.

Israel launched a campaign to eliminate the Hamas militant group after the Hamas attack on Israel in October that killed 1,200 people.

Hamas also took about 250 hostages during the attack, and it is believed to still be holding about 100, along with the remains of 30 or more hostages who have either been killed or otherwise died in the ensuing months.

U.N. officials reiterated their concerns Tuesday about a planned Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than half of Gazas population is sheltering.

Netanyahu says the offensive is necessary to meet Israels goal, and that it will happen whether or not there is a cease-fire and hostage-release deal with Hamas.

"A military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters Tuesday.

"I appeal for all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to prevent it," he added.

U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths later added his own plea.

"The world has been appealing to the Israeli authorities for weeks to spare Rafah, but a ground operation there is on the immediate horizon," he said in a statement.

"The simplest truth," Griffiths said, "is that a ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words."

Guterres also said scaling up aid to Gaza is urgent, especially to the north where some people, including children, have begun to die from hunger and disease.

"We must do everything possible to avert an entirely preventable, human-made famine," he said. "We have seen incremental progress recently, but much more is urgently needed  including the promised opening of two crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza, so that aid can be brought into Gaza from Ashdod port and Jordan."

VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
As Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu vows to enter Rafah to rid the Gaza Strip of Hamas, the United States military has started to build a pier off the coast in hopes of providing more aid to civilians trapped in the violence. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb explains why this has some lawmakers worried about whats next.
CANBERRA, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced new funding to help women leave violent relationships.

Following an emergency meeting of federal, state and territory leaders to address gendered violence, Albanese on Wednesday announced 925 million Australian dollars (about 598 million U.S. dollars) over five years to establish a new leaving violence program.

Under the program, women looking to escape violent relationships will be eligible to access up to 5,000 Australian dollars (3,234 U.S. dollars) in financial support as well as safety planning, risk assessment and referral services.

Albanese on Sunday joined thousands of Australians in protests demanding an end to gendered violence. Addressing protesters in Canberra, he described violence against women as a national crisis.

According to advocacy group Destroy the Joint, 28 women have died violently in Australia so far in 2024 compared to 12 in the first four months of 2023.

"The heartbreaking reality is that there is no overnight solution to violence against women and children," Albanese said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Today's announcement builds on our efforts to ensure fewer women feel trapped in a violent relationship because they don't know if they can afford to leave."

Additionally, leaders at Wednesday's meeting agreed to implement new measures to address misogyny online, including a ban on the creation and distribution of digitally-generated deep fake pornography.

"Digitally created and altered sexually explicit material is a damaging form of abuse against women and girls that can inflict deep harm on victims," Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a separate statement.

Leaders agreed on Wednesday that justice system responses to gendered violence need to be strengthened to prevent homicides and that information sharing about perpetrators between jurisdictions needs to be improved.

Albanese said that federal, state and territory leaders will hold a further meeting on domestic and family violence between July and September. 
Georgia's parliament on Wednesday approved the second reading of a bill on "foreign agents" that has been criticized as Kremlin-inspired, as police fired tear gas and stun grenades to clear a large crowd of protesters opposed to the draft law.

The bill, which would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence, has sparked a rolling political crisis in the South Caucasus country.

Ever-growing numbers of protesters have been taking to the street nightly for almost a month, with a crowd tens of thousands strong shutting down central Tbilisi on Wednesday, the largest anti-government demonstration yet.

Georgia's Health Ministry, in a bulletin quoted by Georgian media, said 11 people, including six police officers, had received hospital treatment after Wednesday's altercations.

Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, quoted by Georgian media, said protesters had tried to push their way into parliament using various objects and were attacking policemen.

Darakhvelidze said police action on Tuesday resulted in 63 arrests and six police officers injured.

President looks toward election

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who opposes the bill but has only largely ceremonial powers, told protesters in a video posted on social media to show restraint. The real task, she said, was to oust the government in an October election.

"Our fate will not be determined by this law," she said in comments quoted by media. "This fight will take place in the forthcoming parliamentary election after which (this) law and many others will be rescinded."

Georgian media cited the country's Orthodox Church, one of its most respected institutions, as calling for the government and protesters to hold talks to resolve a "political crisis."

Protester Sergi Kapanadze said that for him, the protest movement amounted to a struggle for Georgia's national survival.

"What are we afraid of more?" he asked Reuters. "Being gassed, being beaten up, or losing the country?"

Critics call bill 'the Russian law'

Georgian critics have dubbed the bill "the Russian law," saying it is inspired by laws used to suppress dissent in Vladimir Putin's Russia. Russia is unpopular among many citizens of Georgia, which lost a brief war with Moscow in 2008.

Both the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, condemned the violence. The EU gave Georgia candidate member status in December but has said the bill could halt its integration into the bloc.

Police cleared the crowd by the parliament building using tear gas and stun grenades fired from within the fortress-like complex. Water cannons also were deployed.

Protesters regrouped, with some lighting a bonfire outside parliament, and others attempting to build makeshift barricades to block key roads. A Reuters eyewitness saw at least one man carried away from the action, his face bloodied.

The protests have pitched the ruling Georgian Dream party against a coalition of opposition parties, civil society groups, celebrities and the president.

Parliament, controlled by Georgian Dream and its allies, voted to advance the bill, prompting boos from protesters outside. The bill must pass one more vote before becoming law.

Wednesday's parliamentary debate was tense, with opposition members expelled and scuffles between legislators, a not uncommon occurrence in Georgia's often-rowdy parliament.

One pro-government deputy was seen throwing a book at opposition legislators, while others shouted and physically confronted opponents.

Levan Khabeishvili, leader of the United National Movement party, Georgia's largest opposition bloc, spoke in parliament with his face heavily bandaged. His party said he was beaten by police at the previous day's protest, leaving him with concussion, broken facial bones, and missing four teeth.

The bill's supporters, including Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of Georgian Dream and former prime minister, say the law would bolster sovereignty amid what he said were Western attempts to pit Georgia against Russia.
A day after The Washington Post named an official of Indias spy agency for plotting the killing of a U.S.-based Sikh separatist leader, the Indian government on Tuesday dismissed the media report, calling it an unwarranted and unsubstantiated accusation.

The Post report said U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that the plan to hire a hit team to assassinate Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun  which was ultimately thwarted by U.S. authorities  was approved by Samant Goel, the chief of the Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing, or RAW, at the time.

Vikram Yadav, a RAW officer  who was linked to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June [2023]  handled the plan to kill Pannun and gave instructions to a hired assassin, said the report  which the Post said was based on interviews with more than three dozen current and former senior security officials in Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, India and the United States.

The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday in a response to media queries, after the Post report was published.

There is an ongoing investigation of the high-level committee set up by the government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the U.S. government on networks of organized criminals, terrorists, and others speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful, he said.

Credible allegations

Accusations of RAW involvement in killings on foreign soil first surfaced in September when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was actively pursuing credible allegations that Indian agents were potentially linked to the killing of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen.

Nijjar was shot dead in his car by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh gurdwara (place of worship) in British Columbia. India had designated him a terrorist in 2020.

India promptly rejected Trudeaus allegations as absurd and motivated amid mounting tensions between the two countries.

Indias foreign minister, S. Jaishankar, said at that time it was not the government of Indias policy to engage in acts such as the killing of Nijjar.

In November, a senior Biden administration official said the United States had thwarted a plot to kill Sikh separatist leader Pannun while announcing charges against an Indian man accused of orchestrating the attempted murder.

U.S. authorities raised the issue with officials at the highest level in New Delhi, expressing concerns that the Indian government was involved in it, a statement from the White House said November 22.

This past Monday, the White House said that it considered the reported role of the Indian spying agency in the assassination plots in Canada and the U.S. as a "serious matter," with spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre telling reporters, Were taking that very, very seriously. Were going to continue to raise our concerns.

India has designated Pannun as a terrorist for his alleged involvement in the Sikh separatist movement demanding that an independent state of Khalistan be carved out of India.

Rogue operatives

In March, quoting unidentified Indian security officials, the New York-based news agency Bloomberg reported that a high-level Indian investigative committee had found some rogue operatives not authorized by the government were involved in the alleged plot to kill Pannun.

The committee was set up after the U.S. Department of Justice in November indicted Nikhil Gupta, an Indian gunrunner, on charges of trying to orchestrate the assassination, allegedly on the instructions of a RAW agent. It has not yet made its findings public.

Mondays Post report, headlined An assassination plot on American soil reveals a darker side of Modis India, aid Indian RAW operative Yadavs identity and affiliation, which had not previously been reported, provide the most explicit evidence to date that the assassination plan was directed from within the Indian spy service.

According to several current and former U.S. and Indian security officials, RAW agent Yadav forwarded details about Pannun, including his New York address, to the would-be assassins and wrote that the assassination was a priority now, the Post report said.

As soon as the would-be assassins could confirm that Pannun, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, was home, it will be a go-ahead from us, the Post quoted Yadav as saying.

Senior Indian officials named in the Post report and accused of being aware of the RAW operation in the United States did not respond to it, the newspaper said.

India dismisses allegations

Although India dismisses the allegations that it tried to assassinate Pannun, it recently indicated that it would pursue terrorists on foreign soil.

On April 5, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told an Indian TV channel that India knows how to track down terrorists who target the country.

If any terrorist from our neighboring country tries to create disturbance and indulge in terrorist activities in India, we will give a strong and fitting reply. If he runs away to Pakistan, we will enter that country and kill him there, Singh told the interviewer.

Singh spoke to the channel a day after The Guardian reported that RAW had been behind the killing of around 20 people in Pakistan since 2020.

Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Washington-based Wilson Center, said that India has neither completely denied involvement in the Pannun assassination plot nor outright acknowledged responsibility for the assassinations in Pakistan.

But certainly, its public messaging has signaled more comfort with being associated with the hits in Pakistan than the alleged plot in the U.S., Kugelman told VOA. The plot targeting Pannun happened in the U.S., on the soil of a close partner. So there is some risk for India if its complicity is established.

He added that India would be perfectly comfortable to be linked to the hits in Pakistan, given that Pakistan is a bitter rival and India is always looking to project strength against Pakistan.

In effect, Indias interests are better served being linked to the killings in Pakistan than to the alleged plot in the U.S., he said.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify Pannun's citizenship status.
After the United States, France is now seeing spreading pro-Palestinian protests at universities, with students calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and ending support for Israel.

Palestinian flags were out in force during the annual Workers Day rally in Paris. Protesters like university student Zinedine Amiane are calling for an end to the war in Gaza  and for a change in French policy.

We believe theres a genocide happening and it cannot continue that way, Amiane said in French. France has to take its responsibility, which is to hold the voice for peace and try to obtain a cease-fire, to try to put pressure on Israel. 

Amiane joined demonstrations this week at the Sorbonne University in Paris, where he studies. Police broke up the protests but has not stopped the protest movement from growing  and spreading to other universities in France.

Eleanore Schmitt, spokesperson for the Students Union (Union Etudiante), said the more the government tries to suppress the protest movement, the stronger it will get.

She and other students say theyve been inspired by the pro-Palestinian protests in the United States, where students have launched sit-ins and hunger strikes against the war in Gaza. Hundreds have been arrested.

The war in Gaza is a particularly sensitive issue in France, which is home to Western Europes largest communities of Jews and Muslims.

The protests here began last week at Sciences Po, an elite Paris university where President Emmanuel Macron and his prime minister, Gabriel Attal, studied. The head of the Paris region suspended the universitys funding until calm and order were restored.

Far-left lawmakers have supported the protest movement, but conservatives and the government have criticized what they consider excessive behavior.

Prime Minister Attal said there was always room for debate. But in the case of Sciences Po, he said a minority of students blocking the university were imposing their views on the majority  inspired by an ideology he calls imported from across the Atlantic.
Numbering 2 billion and counting, Gen Alpha (born 2010-2024) is expected to be the biggest generation in history. And even though its oldest members are only 14 years old, Gen Alpha is already an economic force to be reckoned with. They're spending money, and in significant amounts. Not only that, they influence parental purchasing decisions in a significant way, says social analyst and demographer Mark McCrindle. We estimate that the global spend of Generation Alpha direct, and in influence, is $5.5 trillion already, so a pretty phenomenal economic footprint to go with their unsurpassed demographic footprint. Its youngest members will make their appearance this year, but the oldest Alphas were born the same year the iPad came out. As the first entire generation born into the world of smartphones and other connected devices, Alphas have become consumers much earlier than previous generations. Thats thanks, in part, to online forms of payment linked to parental credit cards or other digital currencies. And theyre using that money to buy digital games and accessories. They're buying virtual items using virtual currency, McCrindle says. So, there's whole new ways of spending and means of spending for this generation that's really leading to that increased commercialization.

McCrindle says one market that isnt virtual but is feeling Gen Alphas buying power is the cosmetics industry. For example, visits to Sephora cosmetics stores for the 10-14 age group were up more than 22% from February 2023 through March 2024, over the prior period, according to retail analyst pass_by. And what appeals to buyers in this age group? The sustainability drive may appeal for this demographic, although we can't say that with our data conclusively, James Ewen, vice president of marketing for pass_by, told VOA via email. Being born into a digital world means Gen Alpha will likely have excellent technical skills. But what about developing other skills like playing, exploring, collecting and going on adventures that help children learn to understand the world around them? The world has shrunk in the big five areas for children, which used to be playground and sport and outdoors and nature and neighborhood, McCrindle says. They have become all compressed into a virtual environment.

Constantly being virtually connected to others can diminish a childs sense of agency, according to licensed professional counselor Shelly Melia. One of the things that being away from your parents, and away from somebody who can instantly solve your problems all the time, is that it causes you to sit with things. It causes you to sit with discomfort. It causes you to struggle. And that's how you grow, says Melia, who is also a professor in the fields of children's and family ministry at Dallas Baptist University. That's how you gain the sense of agency that says, when a problem comes up, Oh, I can solve that. Our kids have an over-reliance on what they can do with that phone to solve their problems, rather than what, internally, they can do to solve those problems, Melia says. In addition to being the largest generation in history, Gen Alpha is expected to live longer and be more culturally diverse. Theyll also be more educated, live at home longer, and work longer than any generation before them, probably well into their 70s. Two-thirds of Alphas will work in jobs that dont exist yet, according to the World Economic Forum. They're going to be lifelong learners. So, I think to build that solid educational foundation to invest more in that is a good thing, McCrindle says. It can delay adulthood. If they stay at home longer, we can end up with the kidult, the adults who are still dependent on their parents.
Clashes erupted early Wednesday at a pro-Palestinian protest camp at the University of California, Los Angeles, while in New York City, police cleared a pro-Palestinian protest site at Columbia University where demonstrators had taken over a campus building.

At UCLA, counter-demonstrators supporting Israel repeatedly threw objects and tried to dismantle barricades erected by the pro-Palestinian group, which is seeking to have the university divest from Israel. University officials declared their protest unlawful and in violation of school policy.

The protesters and counter-protesters initially were kept apart from each other late Tuesday, but the situation turned more violent in the early morning hours as the counter-protesters shot fireworks, advanced on the camp barricade and repeatedly launched objects at the protesters.

There were small clashes between the two sides in front of the barricade, and while police deployed to the area at the request of university leaders, officers did not immediately separate the two sides. The scene was calm by daybreak.

In New York, police entered Columbia after the school said it requested help. A tent encampment on the school's grounds was cleared, along with Hamilton Hall, where a stream of officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window. Protesters had seized the building at the Ivy League school about 20 hours earlier.

"After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice," the school said. "The decision to reach out to (police) was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law."

A few dozen people were arrested at Columbia, the latest of hundreds who have been arrested at campuses across the country in the last two weeks during pro-Palestinian protests against Israels continued war against Hamas militants in Gaza.

At UCLA, the clashes took place around a tent encampment built by pro-Palestinian protesters, who erected a line of parade barricades, plywood and wooden pallets at the edge of the camp  while counter-protesters tried to pull them down. Video footage showed fireworks exploding over and in the encampment. People threw chairs and other objects and at one point a group piled on a person who lay on the ground.



Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, in a post on the X social media platform, called the violence at UCLA "absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable.



At Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, police in riot gear closed in on an encampment late Tuesday and arrested about 20 people for trespassing, at least one of whom was thrown to the ground. University officials had warned earlier in the day that students would face criminal charges if they did not disperse.

First-year student Brayden Lang watched from the sidelines. "I still know very little about this conflict," he said. "But the deaths of thousands (in Gaza) is something I cannot stand for."

Police also cleared an encampment at Tulane University in New Orleans early Wednesday.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israel's counter-offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. Vowing to erase Hamas control of Gaza, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the territory along the Mediterranean Sea, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry

At a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday about Palestinian statehood, Israels ambassador condemned the student protesters.

We always knew that Hamas hides in schools  we just didnt realize that its not just schools in Gaza, but it's also Harvard, Columbia and many elite universities in the U.S., Gilad Erdan said.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Tuesday that President Joe Biden believes students occupying an academic building is absolutely the wrong approach, and not an example of peaceful protest.

Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman, who represents a New York district near Columbia University, called on the school to stop what he called a dangerous escalation.

"Educational institutions should be spaces to nurture critical thinking skills and learn to work together with diverse communities to enact a more just and peaceful world, Bowman said in a statement. The militarization of college campuses, extensive police presence, and arrest of hundreds of students are in direct opposition to the role of education as a cornerstone of our democracy."

Facing calls to resign over how she has handled the protests, Columbias president, Minouche Shafik, released a statement Monday condemning calls for violence and reiterating the university's commitment to "academic freedom and to ensuring that all members of our community have the right to speak their minds."

Insisting Columbia will not divest from Israel, Shafik said the school has instead "offered to develop an expedited timeline for review of new proposals from the students by the ... body that considers divestment matters."



VOA United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information came from Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters.
Clashes erupted early Wednesday at a pro-Palestinian protest camp at the University of California, Los Angeles, with counter-demonstrators repeatedly throwing objects and trying to dismantle barricades at the camp. On the opposite side of the country police in New York City cleared a pro-Palestinian protest site at Columbia University where demonstrators had occupied a campus building.

Officials at UCLA declared the protest, which is seeking to have the university divest from Israel, to be unlawful and in violation of university policy. The protesters and counter-protesters were initially apart from each other late Tuesday, but the situation turned more violent in the early morning hours as the counter-protesters shot fireworks, advanced on the camp barricade and repeatedly launched objects at the protesters.

There were small clashes between the two sides in front of the barricade, and while police deployed to the area at the request of university leaders, officers did not immediately separate the two sides.

In New York, police equipped with helmets and riot shields arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University and others at The City College of New York about 20 blocks away.

A Columbia spokesman said in a statement the universitys administration decided to call in police in order to restore safety and order to our community.

We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions, the spokesman said. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized and blockaded, we were left with no choice.

A Columbia University faculty group criticized the administrations decision to turn to police, saying faculty members had tried for two weeks to intervene and defuse the situation only to be rebuffed by university leaders.

"NYPD presence in our neighborhood endangers our entire community. Armed police entering our campus places students and everyone else on campus at risk, said a statement from the Columbia University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

The faculty further said it would hold the universitys leaders responsible for the disastrous lapses of judgment that have gotten us to this point."

Protesting Israel's war in Gaza and demanding university divestment from the country along with amnesty for demonstrators, students entered Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, hours after the university began suspending students for refusing to take down tents at a nearby protest site.

Hamilton Hall has been central to protests at the university since the 1960s.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Tuesday that President Joe Biden believes students occupying an academic building is absolutely the wrong approach, and not an example of peaceful protest.

Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman, who represents a New York district near Columbia University, called on the school to stop what he called a dangerous escalation.

"Educational institutions should be spaces to nurture critical thinking skills and learn to work together with diverse communities to enact a more just and peaceful world, Bowman said in a statement. The militarization of college campuses, extensive police presence, and arrest of hundreds of students are in direct opposition to the role of education as a cornerstone of our democracy."

The Columbia student radio station WCKR reported that all student journalists were escorted away from Hamilton Hall, and that later they were threatened with arrest if they left the Pulitzer Hall building that houses the universitys journalism school. Still, the student journalists continued to broadcast and report on what was happening.

Due to a significant number of online listeners, WCKR experienced intermittent outages and had to lower its sound quality in order to accommodate increased demand.

Shortly after police carried out arrests at Columbia, officers also arrested pro-Palestinian protesters at The City College of New York, located about 20 blocks north of Columbia.

Building takeover

Facing calls to resign over how she has handled the protests, Shafik released a statement Monday condemning calls for violence and reiterating the university's commitment to "academic freedom and to ensuring that all members of our community have the right to speak their minds."

Insisting Columbia will not divest from Israel, Shafik said the school has instead "offered to develop an expedited timeline for review of new proposals from the students by the ... body that considers divestment matters."

After smashing through glass door panels and chaining them shut, students draped a banner reading "Hind's Hall" from an upper floor. Protesters have identified Hind as "a 6-year-old Palestinian child murdered in Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces funded by Columbia University."

Israel denies targeting civilians in its war against Hamas, alleging that militants are using civilians as human shields. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, many of whom are women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Israel launched its offensive in response to an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw some 250 taken hostage.

Three hours after students commandeered Hamilton Hall, Columbia University issued a notice that the campus would be closed to all except for residential students and essential employees.

Nationwide demonstrations

Students have been protesting Israel's war in Gaza on campuses throughout the country. Dozens of students were pepper-sprayed and arrested by police on Monday at the University of Texas at Austin, while students at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, in Arcata, California, were detained early Tuesday.

Protesters and administrators at Brown University in Rhode Island reached an agreement Tuesday for demonstrators to close their encampment in exchange for a commitment by the university to vote in October on whether to divest from Israel-linked funds.

U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk expressed concern over the force being used against protesters throughout the United States, saying, "Freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly are fundamental to society."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it "essential in all circumstances to guarantee the freedom of expression and the freedom of peaceful demonstration."

"Hate speech is unacceptable," he said, adding that it is up to the university authorities to manage the unrest.

Chris Hannas and Liam Scott contributed to this report. Some information in this report came from Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
The western Balkan countries are starkly split between the West and Russia, with the once-strong support for European Union accession now shrinking, according to a recent poll by the International Republican Institute.

The results of the February-March poll, which the Washington-based research group conducted in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, comes as the region faces renewed ethnic tensions amid an EU enlargement slowdown and a rise in pro-Russian sentiment.

The poll found that overwhelming majorities in Albania and Kosovo want their countries to pursue an unequivocally pro-European Union and pro-Western course, while only 10 percent of the respondents in Serbia gave the same response.

A majority of the Serbs polled indicated they want Serbia either to maintain ties to Russia or pursue a pro-Russian foreign policy.

The poll found that 39 percent of the respondents in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 36 percent of the respondents in Montenegro and 31 percent of the respondents in North Macedonia supported an unequivocally pro-Western course

Generally, the pro-Western trend in the region is strong, with a couple of notable exceptions, Paul McCarthy, the International Republican Institutes director for Europe, told Voice of America. ''Serbia goes against the grain of the other five countries in the region; it is more pro-Russian, blames the West for the conflict in Ukraine, has very low approval ratings for joining the European Union.

McCarthy said that the pro-Western tendencies have also softened in Montenegro and North Macedonia, despite their having become NATO members, as well as in Bosnia, where Turkey has replaced the United States as the key ally of Bosnian Muslims.

Serbs also oppose NATO membership: Only 3 percent of the polls respondents in Serbia said they supported it.

People are losing patience with the wait to join the European Union. Part of this is also explained by the fact that Ukraine has been invited and other countries, whereas in most cases western Balkans countries have been waiting for over two decades in the line to join the European Union, said McCarthy. Support for the EU accession is beginning to soften around the edges in those countries where it was very, very strong.

Still, the International Republican Institutes poll found that, with the exception of Serbia, resounding majorities in the five Balkan countries would still vote for joining the EU. In Serbia, 40 percent of the polls respondents said that they would vote in favor of EU membership, while 34 percent would vote against it and 17 percent would not vote.

McCarthy said anti-EU attitude in Serbia is fostered by its government, which uses media to encourage people to abandon EU membership hopes and emphasize relationships with foreign authoritarian actors such as Russia and China.

The western Balkans geopolitical splits were also evident in the poll of respondents attitudes toward Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The poll found that 43 percent of Serbs, 27 percent of Macedonians and 25 percent of Montenegrins blame the West for the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Majorities of the respondents in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia said that Russias actions in Ukraine are somewhat or completely unjustified, a view shared by 37 percent of the respondents in Serbia.

Who counts as an ally and who as a foe?

Longstanding disagreements and ethnic disputes continue to cast a shadow over the western Balkans more than three decades after Yugoslavias disintegration led to bloody wars.

Eighty-three percent of Kosovars view Serbia, which rejects Kosovos independence, as a threat, while 68 percent of Albanians in Albania view Serbia and Russia as the main danger for their country.

Majorities in Kosovo and Albania view the United States, which is credited for leading the 78-day NATO intervention in 1998-1999 to stop Serbias ethnic cleansing of Kosovos Albanian majority, as their countries key ally.

In Bosnia, Turkey is viewed as the biggest ally and Serbia as the biggest threat, while 34 percent of Macedonians see Serbia as their main ally while viewing Bulgaria, which has blocked Macedonias EU accession path, as their top foe.

In Montenegro, 32 percent of the International Republican Institutes poll respondents named Serbia as their countrys most important ally while 19 percent named the United States as its most important threat. In Serbia, 36 percent of the respondents named the U.S. as the countrys main threat and Russia as its key ally.

Editors note: The story has been edited to remove the term North Macedonians
It's a cold, overcast afternoon, but Su Yutong is in a cheerful mood as she walks in a Berlin park. Her hat askew and hair in pigtails, the 47-year-old proves popular among the animals. A French bulldog runs over to greet her. Swans and ducks paddle close. Swinging her sequined purse as she walks, Su brags to me about how well she plays ping pong. Her manner is a contrast to the Berliners hurrying by on this windy day.

But the journalist's seemingly carefree attitude belies something darker. Heading back to her apartment, Su says the buildings look different in the daylight. As someone targeted frequently by the Chinese government, the Radio Free Asia reporter prefers to walk at night. "Because in the evening, no one knows me," she said. You don't have to hear much of Su's story to understand why she prefers anonymity. Held under house arrest in China before fleeing to Europe, the journalist is still targeted for her coverage of human rights and politics. From smear campaigns and people sharing her address on an underground sex website, to false bomb threats made in her name, the harassment has left a deep mark. "I keep telling the truth, so they want me to shut up, including by threatening me," she said, in reference to the Chinese government, which she and others say is behind the attacks. For more than a decade, Beijing-backed harassment has been the reality for Su. China ranks among the worst perpetrators of what is known as transnational repression, but even by those standards, Su's case is extreme, experts say.

"The everyday implications of transnational repression are vast," said Gozde Bocu, a researcher at the Citizen Lab. The University of Toronto group focuses on digital threats to human rights. There's the immediate effect, but the daily fallout is more severe. Long-term consequences include paranoia, depression and isolation, which experts say can also give perpetrators what they want most: silence. Over the past decade, at least 26 governments have targeted journalists abroad, according to Freedom House. The harassment against Su underscores a broader pattern in which authoritarian governments are increasingly comfortable reaching across borders to target their critics.

Neither China's Foreign Ministry nor its embassy in Berlin replied to VOA's multiple emails requesting comment for this story. It's been more than 10 years since Su last set foot in China, but Beijing is still home. Born and raised in the country's capital, Su decided to pursue a career in journalism because of the lack of free-flowing information there. "China blocks the truth. It needs to have a lot of journalists to tell the real stories, tell the real events and the truth, so I decided to become a reporter," Su said. She worked at Radio Beijing but left in 2004 due to government censorship. In 2010, Su made a fateful decision: She distributed Li Peng Diary, a book by the former premier about Tiananmen Square that's banned in China. "I had to make it public," she said. "After it was published, I became very dangerous."

China blocks the truth. It needs to have a lot of journalists to tell the real stories, tell the real events and the truth.

Authorities raided Su's home and detained her, but public pressure pushed authorities to place Su under house arrest. During the Dragon Boat Festival in June that year, only one officer was left guarding Su's house. The journalist seized the opportunity to escape. "I called my mom on a public phone. I didn't say goodbye. I didn't tell her I was leaving," she said. "It was a very painful and sudden decision." With the help of colleagues and friends, Su fled to Hong Kong and then on to Germany. More than 7,300 kilometers lie between Berlin and Beijing, and for a while that distance helped Su feel safe. Slowly rebuilding her life, she worked first at the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle before moving to VOA's sister outlet Radio Free Asia. "When I arrived in Germany, at least I was able to write freely," she said. "I thought Germany was very safe."

But the distance began to shrink. And that, says Mareike Ohlberg, is often the goal. Ohlberg researches China at the German Marshall Fund think tank in Berlin. From her office, with a view of the Reichstag, she said, "The basic tactics of transnational repression are usually geared towards showing people that they can't get away from the Chinese government. To show that we can get you anywhere, we can find you anywhere." What's known in China as the "three afflictions" helps explain why Beijing's harassment is so aggressive, according to Ohlberg. Under Mao Zedong, China no longer had to worry about being bullied by foreign powers. In turn, Deng Xiaoping addressed poverty and hunger. As this narrative goes, Ohlberg said, the last main affliction is criticism of China, and it's President Xi Jinping's responsibility to root it out.

"The Party can shut up criticism inside of China. But is it really a strong country if it can't do the same overseas?" Ohlberg said about Beijing's mindset. "That is a big part of what we're seeing."

The Party can shut up criticism inside of China. But is it really a strong country if it can't do the same overseas?

In 2011, Su led a solidarity campaign for Ai Weiwei after the artist was secretly detained in China. In response, a Chinese-run news site posted doctored photographs appearing to show Su naked and falsely referring to her as Ai Weiwei's mistress. From there, the harassment escalated. Government-run outlets including the Global Times launched campaigns against her. On the social media platform X, then known as Twitter, insults like "prostitute" and "dog" were common. Death and rape threats were frequent, too. Deepfake pornographic images spread on social media. Su says she was surveilled at protests outside the Chinese Embassy in Berlin, and on multiple occasions, Chinese authorities offered her large sums of money to stop work. In a more unsettling case, in 2022, men began ringing the doorbell to her apartment, saying they were responding to a sex worker advertisement on an underground website. Su suspects Chinese operatives posted her address to the site. "I felt very disgusted and very humiliated," Su said, adding, "I was afraid to walk down the street." The sexualized harassment mirrors broader strategies that repressive governments use to target women abroad, says the Citizen Lab's Bocu. It's "a devastating practice that can silence female journalists," she said. The fake advertisement isn't the only time Su's identity was stolen and used against her. In February 2023, unknown people began booking rooms at luxury hotels around the world, from Houston to Istanbul, under the names of Su and two other activists. They then called in fake bomb threats in a process known as swatting. Again, the Chinese government is the prime suspect. At the time, a spokesperson from China's Washington embassy told VOA they were aware of the specifics of the case but that China "firmly opposes" the U.S. smearing its reputation. "The accusation of 'transnational repression' is totally made out of thin air. The U.S. attempt to hype up 'China threat' and tarnish China's reputation is doomed to fail," the spokesperson said via email.

Transnational repression is typically either digital or physical. The former is easier and cheaper to perpetrate, according to Ohlberg. By contrast, what Su has faced is more expensive and time-consuming to carry out. "That tends to be reserved for people that are at the top of the Chinese government's list," Ohlberg said. "Pretty much anything goes  anything that the party-state thinks it can get away with internationally." Following the harassment directed at Su, Berlin police recommended she change her address. It's been 10 months since Su moved, and her new apartment is still mostly empty. White walls meet high ceilings with ornate crown molding. Su is learning her way around. Coming home after a walk, she accidentally bumps a light switch in the foyer, triggering an unexpected display of disco lights. Erupting into laughter, Su says the previous owner left them. Over the years, Su has left a trail of apartments in her wake. There's the old apartment she still owns in Beijing. She wants to sell, she said, but China has resisted giving her a document necessary for the sale. There's also her other Berlin apartment. Both still have their furniture and decorations: time capsules of periods of a life she can't retrieve. Being forced to move is one of the obvious effects of the harassment Su has faced. Other ramifications are subtler and deeper felt, like food. "I think everyone has memories of food as a child," she said.

They are afraid of information, afraid of the truth.

The German capital has a respectable Chinese food scene, but Su can rarely enjoy it. Dining out increases the risk of running into officials from China's Berlin embassy, she said. Another concern is that some Chinese restaurants around the world have been found to be secret overseas police stations run by Beijing, according to a report by the human rights group Safeguard Defenders. Unable to enjoy the comforts of a meal in a Chinese restaurant, Su has become a skilled chef. "I slowly learned everything," she said.
A majority of Americans believe that China uses TikTok to shape U.S. public opinion, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted as Washington moves closer to potentially banning the Chinese-owned short-video app.

Some 58% of respondents to the two-day poll, which closed on Tuesday, agreed with a statement that the Chinese government uses TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, to "influence American public opinion." Some 13% disagreed, and the rest were unsure or didn't answer the question. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to see China as using the app to affect U.S. opinions.

TikTok says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on data security efforts and would not share data on its 170 million U.S. users with the Chinese government. The company told Congress last year that it does "not promote or remove content at the request of the Chinese government."

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Joe Biden last week signed legislation giving ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban.

TikTok has vowed to challenge the ban as a violation of the protections of free expression enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and TikTok users are expected to again take legal action. A U.S. judge in Montana in November blocked a state ban on TikTok, citing free-speech concerns.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll found 50% of Americans supported banning TikTok, while 32% opposed a ban and the rest were unsure. The poll only surveyed U.S. adults and doesn't reflect the views of people under age 18, who make up a significant portion of TikTok's users in the United States. About six in 10 poll respondents aged 40 and older supported a ban, compared with about four in 10 aged 18-39.

The poll showed 46% of Americans agreed with a statement that China is using the app to "spy on everyday Americas," an allegation Beijing has denied.

The app is ubiquitous in America. Even Biden's re-election campaign is using it as a tool to win over voters ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. Biden's rival, Republican Donald Trump, who has criticized a potential ban and is the majority owner of the company that operates his social media app Truth Social, has not joined.

A majority of Americans, 60%, said it was inappropriate for U.S. political candidates to use TikTok to promote their campaigns.

Biden's signing of the law sets a Jan. 19 deadline for a sale  one day before his term is set to expire  but he could extend the deadline by three months if he determines that ByteDance is making progress on divesting the app.

The poll, which was conducted online, gathered responses from 1,022 U.S. adults nationwide and had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.
The United States accused Russia on Wednesday of breaching a global chemical weapons ban by deploying the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops.

The State Department also accused Russia of using riot control agents "as a method of warfare" in Ukraine.

"The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident and is probably driven by Russian forces' desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield," the State Department said in a statement.

Additionally, Russian forces have used grenades loaded with CS and CN gases, according to the Ukrainian military. It said at least 500 Ukrainian soldiers have been treated for exposure to toxic substances, and one was killed by suffocating on tear gas.

The accusation came the same day a Russian ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa killed five people, local officials say.

A guided bomb attack killed two civilians, including a 38-year-old woman and her father, Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Russian shelling also killed a 67-year-old woman in the Kharkiv region in the village of Lelyukivka.

At least 13 people, including an 11-year-old child, were wounded, the governor said.

He said that "two guided aerial bombs hit the center of the town of Zolochiv" Wednesday morning, about 15 kilometers from the Russian border.

Governor Oleh Kiper said there also was damage to civil infrastructure from the attack, the second deadly round of strikes to hit Odesa in as many days.

Regional Governor Vadym Filashkin posted photos on the Telegram messaging app that showed private houses destroyed by fires and damaged by blast waves. Russian troops used a multiple rocket launcher for the strike, he said in the post.

Russias defense ministry said Wednesday that it thwarted Ukrainian drone attacks targeting several Russian regions.

The ministry said its air defenses destroyed three drones over the Voronezh region and one drone each over the Belgorod, Kursk and Ryazan regions.

Aleksandr Gusev, the governor of Voronezh, reported that falling debris from a drone damaged a house, but he said there were no injuries.

Kyiv troops are desperately waiting for a delivery of weapons and ammunition that have been delayed for months because of political wrangling in the U.S. Congress.

"We need a significant speed-up of deliveries to strengthen the capabilities of our soldiers tangibly," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday. "It is not Russian air bombs and assault operations that should dominate the front line, but our Ukrainian initiative  our air defense, our artillery, our drones."

Zelenskyy said what Ukraine is "really counting on" is "the promptness of the U.S. deliveries" that should be "felt in the destroyed logistics of the occupiers, in their fear to deploy in any part of the occupied territory ... everywhere where Russia is pushing and where we have to push it back. And also, everywhere where new strike threats may arise."

The U.S. has pledged to speed deliveries after lawmakers approved $61 billion in new aid for Ukraine that had been stalled for months.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
Cui Shengji (R) and Ma Xinqi watch movements of a visual character at a motion capture booth in the National Animation Industry Park, Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. Surrounded by dozens of high-definition infrared cameras, Ma Xinqi, a motion capture actor, performs in a booth while a visual character on the computer screen records and repeats his movements.

"This is called digital twin technology, which can capture specific marks on an actor's body with infrared cameras set in the booth and calculate the actor's movement in milliseconds. The data will be transmitted to the computer for rendering to realize the synchronized performance of an virtual character," said Cui Shengji, a technical consultant of a motion capture booth in the National Animation Industry Park.

Cui has been engaged in digital-technology-related work for nearly ten years, and now he has set up a studio, applying digital twin technology in fields of animation, immersive cultural tourism, life science, etc. Recently his team has worked with a local Taichi association to help retain the data of Taichi movements as a way of protecting intangible heritage culture. In his view, digital twin technology has a bright future as it helps extend the reality and enhances efficiency in solving problems.

Digital twin technician was among the new occupations announced by China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in June 2022. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Cui Shengji (C) briefs the movements of a motion capture actor to his colleagues at a motion capture booth c the National Animation Industry Park, Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Ma Xinqi performs at a motion capture booth in the National Animation Industry Park in Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Cui Shengji (1st R) discusses with his colleagues at an office in the National Animation Industry Park, Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Cui Shengji (1st R) discusses with his colleagues at an office in the National Animation Industry Park, Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Cui Shengji (2nd L) and his colleagues check data at a motion capture booth in the National Animation Industry Park, Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Cui Shengji (2nd L) briefs the movements of a motion capture actor to his colleagues at a motion capture booth in the National Animation Industry Park, Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Cui Shengji (C) briefs the movements of a motion capture actor to a colleague at a motion capture booth in the National Animation Industry Park, Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

A member of Cui Shengji's studio adjusts movements of a visual character in the National Animation Industry Park in Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Ma Xinqi (L) performs as a visual character doing the same movement is generated in real time on the computer at a motion capture booth in the National Animation Industry Park, Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Ma Xinqi prepares for performance at a motion capture booth in the National Animation Industry Park in Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Cui Shengji (2nd L) and his colleagues check data at a motion capture booth in the National Animation Industry Park, Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)
Britain has detained an unspecified number of migrants for deportation to Rwanda under its new immigration policy, government officials said Wednesday.

The announcement followed last months parliamentary passage of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks flagship immigration law, which allows asylum-seekers who arrive in Britain without permission to be deported to so-called safe third countries.

The law dodged a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that prohibited sending migrants to Rwanda because it "would expose them to a real risk of ill-treatment. With a population of 13 million, Rwanda, which has received praise for its modern infrastructure, claims to be one of the most stable nations in Africa. But human rights groups routinely criticize the government for restricting free speech.

The government said Wednesday that it booked commercial charter planes and increased detention capacity to more than 2,200 spaces in preparation for the first Rwanda-bound flights. Sunak on Monday said flights should begin within 10 to 12 weeks, and his spokesperson said the prime minister was pleased "the first detentions have taken place.

The government expects to deport 5,700 migrants to Rwanda this year, a senior minister said Tuesday. Of those, 2,143 "can be located for detention, the ministry said, leaving more than 3,500 migrants unaccounted for. Ministers said the enforcement teams would find them.

More than 7,500 migrants have entered England from France by crossing the English Channel on small boats this year. Sunak's ruling Conservative Party argues that the threat of being deported will dissuade people from making the dangerous trip. Five people died last week attempting to cross the channel.

Labor opposition members have dismissed the new policy as a "gimmick" that will not deter cross-channel arrivals, and some public resistance to deportations remains. The FDA, a civil service trade union, recently said it had lodged an appeal against the new law, arguing that it forces its members to violate their governing code.

"Civil servants should never be left in a position where they are conflicted between the instructions of ministers and adhering to the Civil Service Code, yet that is exactly what the government has chosen to do," FDA General Secretary Dave Penman said.

Some information for this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
The United States and the European Union say they are keeping their eyes on Pyongyang and Tehran for any possible military cooperation between the two as Iran confirms a North Korean delegation's visit to the country.

The U.S. "will use all available tools, including interdiction and sanctions, to address such activities," a State Department spokesperson said in an email to VOA's Korean Service on Friday.

An EU spokesperson on the same day told VOA Korean that it is also "following closely Iran-DPRK relations and their potential cooperation that could indeed be concerning on certain issues if it violates existing U.N. sanctions."

North Korea's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Pyongyang announced through its state-run KCNA that it sent a delegation led by its External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong Ho to Iran on April 23.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Monday that a North Korean delegation visited Tehran last week to discuss bilateral trade, according to Reuters.

But Kanaani dismissed any suspected cooperation on their missile programs, saying it is a "biased speculation" based on "untrue" reports.

The U.S. has accused Pyongyang, Tehran and Beijing of supporting Russia's war against Ukraine.

Tehran has also been involved in conflict with Israel.

Iran attacked Israel on April 13 with more than 300 missiles and drones and said the assault was in retaliation against an Israeli strike on an Iranian consular building in Damascus, Syria. Israel responded by launching a counterstrike into Iran on April 18.

"It certainly is possible and even probable" that Pyongyang and Tehran are cooperating militarily in the current Middle East conflict, just as they have done since the 1980s, said Robert Peters, a research fellow for nuclear deterrence and missile defense at the Heritage Foundation's Allison Center for National Security.

Iran is motivated to acquire missiles from North Korea "given Iran's current approach of laying a siege [around] Israel using missiles supplied to its proxies  Hezbollah, Hamas, and Houthis," Peters said.

Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis are Iran-backed militant groups that base their operations in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and Yemen, respectively.

Pyongyang's arms sales to Tehran began in the 1980s during Iran's war with Iraq. Their cooperation on missile programs continued since then and expanded.

In January 2016, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Iranians for traveling to Pyongyang and collaborating on the development of North Korea's 80-ton rocket booster. A few months later, North Korea said it had tested a new rocket engine that had a thrust of 80 tons and would be used in a new space launch vehicle.

North Korea has been accusing Israel of committing "terrorism" against Iran since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

In December, the Israel Defense Forces said North Korean weapons have been turning up in Gaza.

Bruce Bechtol, a former intelligence officer at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and now a professor at Angelo University in Texas, said arms transfers between Pyongyang and Tehran are "inevitable" regardless of any meeting between the two last week.

"Some of the weapons that North Korea has sent to Russia have gone to Iran first and then up to the Caspian Sea, and Russia has used those weapons in the Ukraine," said Bechtol, the author of the book North Korean Military Proliferation in the Middle East and Africa.

He told VOA that Iran's Emad medium-range ballistic missiles used in the attack against Israel earlier in the month were made based on the Shahab-3, which Iran first put into use in 2003. That, in turn, was developed from North Korean NoDong missiles that were sent to Tehran in the 1990s.

Bechtol said Iran's Shahab-3 missiles were developed in a facility that North Korea built for Tehran in the early 2000s. He said Tehran is likely seeking to acquire Pyongyang's Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Joeun Lee contributed to this report.
The United States on Wednesday issued hundreds of fresh sanctions targeting Russia over the war in Ukraine in action that took aim at Moscow's circumvention of Western measures, including through China.

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on nearly 200 targets, while the State Department designated more than 80.

The U.S. imposed sanctions on 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong, following repeated warnings from Washington about China's support for Russia's military, including during recent trips by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the country.

China's support for Russia is one of the many issues threatening to sour the recent improvement in relations between the world's biggest economies.

"Treasury has consistently warned that companies will face significant consequences for providing material support for Russias war, and the U.S. is imposing them today on almost 300 targets," Yellen said in a statement.

The United States and its allies have imposed sanctions on thousands of targets since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine. The war has seen tens of thousands killed and cities destroyed.

Washington has since sought to crack down on evasion of the Western measures, including by issuing sanctions on firms in China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Technology and equipment

The Treasury's action on Wednesday sanctioned nearly 60 targets located in Azerbaijan, Belgium, China, Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Slovakia it accused of enabling Russia to "acquire desperately needed technology and equipment from abroad."

The move included measures against a China-based company the Treasury said exported items to produce drones  such as propellers, engines and sensors  to a company in Russia. Other China and Hong Kong-based technology suppliers were also targeted.

The State Department also imposed sanctions on four China-based companies it accused of supporting Russia's defense industrial base, including by shipping critical items to entities under U.S. sanctions in Russia, as well as companies in Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia that it accused of shipping high priority items to Russia.

The Treasury also targeted Russia's acquisition of explosive precursors needed by Russia to keep producing gunpowder, rocket propellants and other explosives, including through sanctions on two China-based suppliers sending the substances to Russia.

The U.S. on Wednesday also accused Russia of violating a global ban on chemical weapons by repeatedly deploying the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and using riot control agents "as a method of warfare" in Ukraine.

The State Department also expanded its targeting of Russia's future ability to ship liquefied natural gas, or LNG, one of the country's top exports.

It designated two vessel operators involved in transporting technology, including gravity-based structure equipment, or concrete legs that support offshore platforms, for Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project.

Previous U.S. sanctions on Arctic LNG 2 last month forced Novatek, Russia's largest LNG producer, to suspend production at the project, which suffered a shortage of tankers to ship the fuel.

Also targeted were subsidiaries of Russia's state nuclear power company, Rosatom, as well as 12 entities within the Sibanthracite group of companies, one of Russias largest producers of metallurgical coal, the State Department said.

Washington also imposed sanctions on Russian air carrier Pobeda, a subsidiary of Russian airline Aeroflot.

The U.S. Commerce Department has previously added more than 200 Boeing and Airbus airplanes operated by Russian airlines to an export control list as part of the Biden administration's sanctions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Sanctions over Navanly

The State Department also targeted three people in connection with the death of late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, the best-known domestic critic of President Vladimir Putin. He died in February in a Russian Arctic prison.

Russian authorities say he died of natural causes. His followers believe he was killed by the authorities, which the Kremlin denies.

Wednesday's action targeted the director of the correctional colony in Russia where Navalny was held for most of his imprisonment, as well as the head of the solitary confinement detachment and the head of the medical unit at the colony where he was imprisoned before his death.

The officials oversaw the cells where Navalny was kept in solitary confinement, the walking yard where he allegedly collapsed and died and Navalny's health, including in the immediate aftermath of his collapse, the State Department said.
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Economic and accountability bodies in Malawi urge the government to address flaws in the public procurement system. A 2021 Malawi Assurance Report on Public Infrastructure Projects suggests pervasive corruption in Malawis public sector. The construction industry is particularly affected.
Argylle was chainsawed by critics, rejected by initial audiences, and is proving theatrical releases are worth it anyway. Photo: Apple TV+

Something interesting happened early last month when the film Road House premiered on Amazon Prime Video: People started talking about it. That may not seem like such a big deal for a movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith), but after years of star-laden, streaming-only action hits like The Gray Man (starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, now streaming exclusively on Netflix), Ghosted (starring Ana de Armas and Chris Evans, now streaming exclusively on Apple TV+), and Shotgun Wedding (starring Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel, now streaming exclusively on Prime Video), it was refreshing to see a movie premiering online appear to capture the online Zeitgeist, however briefly. Yes, I am fully aware that the streamers like to tout numbers telling us that millions and millions of people watched those other movies. (Ghosted, which came out a year ago and is definitely a movie that exists, was reportedly Apple TV+s most-watched movie debut of all time.) Maybe they did, but theyve certainly never seemed too interested in talking about them.

We know this by now: Even beyond their obviously cooked numbers, the streamers have made a point of producing pictures that are nice to play in the background while you do the dishes or make dinner or argue about Shogun on X. The streaming situation is different for series, which have a built-in imperative to capture enough of your attention to get you to watch the next episode; many of us believe that forcing movies without that serial impulse onto the small screen would lead to a devaluation of the medium as a result. Sure enough, the films that have been released pretty much exclusively to streaming seem to barely exist in the public imagination, regardless of whether they are among the best of the year or Heart of Stone (starring Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan, now streaming exclusively on Netflix).

But Road House. People actually wanted to discuss Road House  to argue about it online, praise it, hate on it, or analyze its fight scenes (and deem them phony or innovative or whatever). This was an interesting development in light of director Limans fury at his film going directly to streaming and his subsequent refusal to do press around it. I was with Liman spiritually  I got to see Road House in a theater and felt that its frenetic, free-flowing fight scenes worked particularly well in that setting  but I also understood why a movie that was already a remake of a 1980s junk-food cult classic whose reputation had been gradually redeemed via home video maybe shouldnt go out on thousands of screens. Road House felt like a movie that would have flopped in theaters, especially in todays topsy-turvy marketplace. Instead, for at least a hot second, it became a movie that could legitimately be called a hit on streaming: According to Nielsens ratings, in the final week of March, Road House was the most-watched film on streaming.

And yet: Its only been a month and a half, but the Road House release feels like ancient history today. Instead, my X timeline lit up this month with people talking about an ostensibly less successful film: Matthew Vaughns Argylle, which premiered theatrically in early February only to be chainsawed by critics and rejected by audiences. (For the record, I was mixed on Argylle: I found its twisty story tiresome but enjoyed its bizarre, inventive action scenes.) Vaughns ambitious action-disaster appears to have found new life on streaming: It premiered on Apple TV+ on April 12 and is apparently doing very well; it came in second in Reelgoods rankings, right behind Fallout and ahead of Netflixs Ripley reboot. Behind Argylle on that list, interestingly, are two more theatrical releases that are now streaming: The Zone of Interest and Poor Things (which has been on Hulu since right before the Oscars). Again, I dont put much trust in any of these numbers, but much like Road House and unlike, say, Red Notice (starring Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds, now streaming exclusively on Netflix), Argylle did seem to get people talking again.

So, here we have an interesting case study, albeit an unscientific one. On one side, an honest-to-goodness, streaming-only hit; on the other, an honest-to-goodness theatrical flop. And the streaming hit still cant match the cultural footprint of the theatrical flop, which is getting multiple bites at the apple because it was in theaters first and a theatrical release buys you a curiosity factor that cant be matched by faceless algorithms and cynical auto-play high jinks. (Once upon a time, this was what the DVD market was for: A movie would open in theaters and then debut on DVD several months later, ahead of eventual cable and/or network TV premieres, making more money and gaining viewers at each step.) Either way, it would be ironic if Argylle wound up having a redemption arc closer to the original Road House (a bust in theaters, critically reviled, slow retroactive acceptance thanks to its genuine strangeness) than the actual remake of Road House wound up having. Maybe Doug Liman was right after all. As many people smarter than me have been arguing for some time now, a films best chance at both financial success and staying power remains the theatrical release. It also happens to be the best way to see a movie.

On some level, Hollywood seems to be learning the lesson, which is why were now seeing once-meant-for-streaming titles like Monkey Man and The First Omen (and before that, Smile and Evil Dead Rise and Blue Beetle and many others) get theatrical runs. Interestingly, last June, Amazon said it intended to send Challengers straight to streaming in France as a way of protesting what it saw as that countrys draconian rules around streaming theatrical films; seven months later, they decided to release the film theatrically after all. These are all victories for the cinematic experience. But they have been rear-guard actions, films whose digital-release plans were reversed because of some good test screenings, or because an influential individual intervened (as Jordan Peele did with Monkey Man), or because the executives in charge belatedly came to their senses. Yes, opening a movie costs money, but that doesnt mean a theatrical release should be a begrudging afterthought. Sadly, there are still people in charge at some studios who dream of the day when none of their films will have to open in theaters. The sooner that kind of thinking becomes not just uncool but downright unacceptable in Hollywood, the better.
Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Manhattan prosecutors vowed on Wednesday, May 1, to retry Harvey Weinstein for rape and sexual assault in the wake of New Yorks highest court throwing out his conviction on April 25. A judge said the new trial would tentatively take place this fall. We believe in this case and will be retrying this case, assistant district attorney Nicole Blumberg said in Manhattan Supreme Court. The judge, Curtis Farber, said that the trial would tentatively be scheduled for after Labor Day, with an exact date to be determined. Blumberg noted that one of the women Weinstein was convicted of attacking was present at the proceedings. Jessica Mann is here in court. Shes one of the sexual-assault survivors, and shes here today to show that shes not backing down, Blumberg said. She wanted everyone to know the truth and that the defendant may have power and privilege, but she has the truth.

Before proceedings started, Weinsteins lawyer Arthur Aidala greeted attorney Gloria Allred, representing Weinstein victim Mimi Haleyi, with a drawn-out, Hi, Gloria! It was hard to determine whether his tone was taunting or just loud, as one of Aidalas most notable characteristics is his gravelly Brooklyn brogue. Weinstein was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair, wearing a blue suit. He moved his hand to greet various cronies in the front row of the gallery. Aidala said Weinstein had health issues  he was being treated at Bellevue Hospitals prison ward  but could participate in his own defense. I will tell you: Hes sharp as a tack. Hes as smart as he ever was. Aidala added that hes read hundreds and hundreds of books during his time in prison.

Weinstein was convicted on February 24, 2020, of rape in the third degree and criminal sexual act in the first degree for assaulting two women, Mann and Haleyi. Weinstein was acquitted of two predatory sexual-assault counts, which stemmed from actress Annabella Sciorras claim that he raped her in late 1993. (Because Weinstein was acquitted of the Sciorra-related counts, he cannot be retried for them.) The case was overturned in relation to Manhattan prosecutors calling three other accusers  Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff, and Lauren Young  to testify about Weinsteins sexual misconduct, for which he was not charged. During a press conference after the proceeding, Allred said that Haleyi isnt sure whether or not she would testify again at a new trial.

Weinstein appealed his conviction with Aidala, and the court sided with them, saying in its decision, The only evidence against defendant was the complainants testimony, and the result of the courts rulings, on the one hand, was to bolster their credibility and diminish defendants character before the jury. On the other hand, the threat of a cross-examination highlighting these untested allegations undermined the defendants right to testify.

During the brief court proceeding on May 1, Aidala laid into Weinsteins accusers. I understand that Jessica Mann is here  he was acquitted of all serious counts against [her], he said. He also claimed, without any apparent evidence, that Haleyi perjured herself multiple times at the first trial. At a press conference following the proceeding, Aidala said that he and his client felt a sense of relief.

This story has been updated with information from a press conference following the hearing.
Sunday is on view at Gagosian through June 15. Maurizio Cattelan installs his new work November (2024) at Gagosian. Photo: Christopher Payne

The artist Maurizio Cattelan loves to play, and he especially loves playing God. There was his smiting of Pope John Paul II in the hyperrealistic 1999 sculpture La Nona Ora in which a meteorite crushes His Holiness. (Miracle of miracles: This did not prevent the Vatican from asking Cattelan to front its pavilion at the Venice Biennale this year.) There was his resurrection of Hitler in 2001 with his child-size, praying sculpture of the Fuhrer, Him. And then there was Cattelans own resurrection in 2016, when he ended a very brief retirement by installing a solid gold toilet at the Guggenheim and calling it America. One thing he hasnt been eager to resurrect is his relationship with commercial galleries. Until this spring: The 63-year-old Italian artist is back in Chelsea with Sunday, his first solo gallery exhibition in over two decades and his first with Gagosian.

He has shown with museums and art fairs during this time. (Hes even made work for New York.) So why not galleries? Sometimes with galleries you have less control. Theyre testing me; we are testing each other, Cattelan told me. He glanced at the Gagosian reps who eyed him warily. No? I shouldnt say this on the record? Its absolutely too late, said the gallery manager with a sigh. The installation has been challenging: One of the shows two works is Sunday (2024), comprising individual 24-karat-plated panels that a crew of professionals shot through with bullets, riddling them with dents and holes. The panels had to be mounted in a long, horizontal procession along the gallerys back wall. When I asked Cattelan if hed ever used weapons in his work before, he smiled and said, I did rob a couple of banks. (Hes about to do so again: Conveniently for the gallery, each of Sundays panels can be sold separately.) In the middle of the floor lies the marble sculpture November (2024), a barefoot, indigent man reclining on a bench and shielding his face with one hand while he holds his dribbling penis with the other. Theyre calling it a fountain, but theres no drainage. Right now, the plan is to let the water piss right onto the floor.

Photo: Christopher Payne

America was a comment on the availability of art-world bullshit. Sunday is a comment on the availability of guns. November, however, is another one of his resurrections. Although Cattelan has been making sculptures of homeless figures for years  he says he sees them as a way to force oblivious art viewers to pay attention to the invisible people of society  he modeled this one after his longtime friend and business partner Lucio Zotti, who died in September. He admitted that his friend (who wasnt homeless) hadnt wanted to be shown in his work. He knows Zotti would not have been happy. But not because of the peeing, said Cattelan. Im sure he wouldve liked that.
Photo: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images

Paul Auster, known for The New York Trilogy  originally published as three separate novels: City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room  died on Tuesday, April 30 from lung-cancer complications. He was 77. The news was confirmed by his friend and fellow author Jacki Lyden to the New York Times. Born and raised in New Jersey, Auster eventually became a prominent figure in the Brooklyn literary scene (though he was also quite popular in France). Auster graduated from Columbia University with both a bachelors and a masters degree in comparative literature. He later lived in Paris, translating French literature for several years before returning to the United States. His decades-long career included a stream of novels, memoirs, story collections, plays, essays, and poems. He also wrote several screenplays, winning the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay for Wayne Wangs 1995 film Smoke. His 2017 novel 4321 was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Austers work has been noted to include instances of chance and coincidence, which could be explained by his real-life experiences. When he was a teenager at a summer camp, he stood next to a boy who was killed by a bolt of lightning. Per NPR, he once reflected, I think maybe that informs my work more than any book I have ever read.
 Flash

French martial arts enthusiasts practice traditional Chinese Qigong breathing exercises at the Mount Fanjingshan in Tongren City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Wu Si)

China has recorded 104,000 arrivals by French nationals since the beginning of the year, up almost 295 percent compared to the same period in 2023, immigration authorities said on Wednesday.

The primary reasons for the visits include business, tourism and social purposes such as visiting relatives and friends, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA).

During the same period, Chinese mainland residents made 130,000 trips to France, an increase of 215 percent compared to the figure in 2023, with tourism and business being the main reasons for travel, the NIA said.

China implemented a unilateral visa exemption policy for France on Dec. 1, 2023.

NIA data shows that as of April 30, 74,000 visa-free entries were made by French citizens holding ordinary passports, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the total number of French nationals entering the country under this favorable policy.

China has implemented and modified a series of measures to streamline the entry of foreign nationals into the country while also addressing the entry and exit requirements of its own citizens.

Adequate workforce has been deployed and all inspection channels are operational at ports across the country to ensure efficient and smooth clearance, according to authorities.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties and the 155th anniversary of the scientific discovery of the giant panda.

Follow Xinhua reporter Julien Raynaguet to trace the origins of "panda bond" between China and France, in the hometown of the cuties.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service




Often, in the wake of a terrible tragedy, victims are painted as saints. Transgressions are forgotten and edges are smoothed to make a loss or a difficult time more palatable. Case in point: In her book, Rebecca Godfrey chose to omit Reenas false accusation against her father, but the series chooses to spend an entire episode unfolding this secret by way of intergenerational flashbacks and a doomed dinner party that the Virks throw for the Seven Oaks crew. Some of it works, some of it doesnt, but its all pretty devastating.

Under the Bridge is mostly based on Godfreys original book, but the show also optioned Manjit Virks memoir, Reena: A Fathers Story, for inclusion in the series. Id imagine that the family history we get in this episode, along with possibly some of the memories from that truly awful dinner party, are pulled from Manjits memoir. To ramp up the dramatic effect, the two stories run in parallel, with quick and occasionally disorienting cuts between Reenas family members assimilating into Canadian society and the Virks preparing for their hostile company. The frequent cuts had me wondering if the episode might have had more of an impact if it had been told in chronological order, as the lead-up to the big reveal at the conclusion would have still been an upsetting twist in the Virk family history.

We dont see Cam, Rebecca, or the Greek chorus of Saanich teens in this installment, and its a short one. Reena narrates the top of the episode, seemingly from beyond the grave. She tells us that Kelly Ellard did, indeed, kill her  but there are still mysteries to be revealed here  and this admission is layered over scenes of her young parents doting over her as a baby. She then brings us back to when her maternal grandparents first immigrated to Canada, looking for a better life. Theyre sweetly optimistic about making new friends, hand-delivering invitations to Sumans first-birthday party to all the neighbors, but they only find racist vitriol and silence. Then, the Jehovahs Witnesses come knocking on their door. And within that community they find meaning, belonging, and acceptance.

Years later, a bright-eyed young Manjit (Raj Lal) arrives in Canada looking for opportunities. His travel visa is about to expire, so his sister not-so-subtly suggests that he marry a citizen so he can stay. At first, Manjit rolls his eyes, but then he spots the lovely Suman (Illahi Rayani) from across the room. Her mother is trying to set her up with who she perceives to be a catch  an Indian engineer who is also a Jehovahs Witness! Score!  but Suman isnt having it. In a very adorable meet-cute, Manjit whisks her away, and the two immediately start talking about their lives and their passions. They both have deep-rooted desires to raise a family and love their children. But Manjit is Sikh and Suman is a Witness, so it would be difficult for them to be together.

As soon as Manjit mentions that his beard is important to him and his religion, and Suman counters by saying that Witnesses cant have beards, we know that Manjit is going to lose his scruff. After Sumans parents object to their pairing and its revealed that Manjit is fishing for marriage in order to stay in the country, Manjit shaves for love. He agrees to convert for Suman, and eventually Sumans mother comes around and gives her blessing in the form of a pair of heirloom earrings that come into play later in the episode. (Damn you, Josephine.)

Given that they are involved in the mostly white Witness community, it feels like Manjit and Suman should know a bit more about teen culture in the Western world than they do. Even though theyre kind of clueless, they do try their very best to welcome Reenas friends when they arrive for dinner. Kellys mom, Susan, drops them off, and her stilted posture and uncomfortable response when Suman asks her to stay for dinner reeks of judgment, racism, and exclusion. The bitch cant get out of there fast enough. Kelly, on the other hand, makes herself right at home. She gently reprimands Josephine for not taking off her shoes, and then she spies a picture of the Virk family in Japan. She incorrectly identifies where it was taken and brags that shes also been to the World Showcase in Epcot  twice. Manjit cheerfully corrects her  they were actually in Japan  and Kelly skulks away.

For some reason, the girls make their way into Manjit and Sumans closet. Excuse me? This is super-weird. I never, ever, ever in my entire high-school-girl life went into my friends parents closets. Ever. I cannot emphasize how odd this is. But Suman and Manjit roll with the punches and gamely explain all of the Indian garb that Josephine finds within. When Josephine handles the heirloom earrings, Suman gently takes them from her and explains how important they are. So its even more of a gut punch when its revealed that Josephine eventually steals them for kicks. Shed never be able to wear them, and theres probably not a huge secondhand market for traditional Indian jewelry in Saanich, so this theft is driven by pure spite. Same with Kelly toying with Reenas bird, Snooch. (A+ name for a bird, by the way. Just really fantastic.)

The girls sit down for dinner, and the promised takeout doesnt materialize. Instead, Manjit has made goat-cheese-and-pepper pizza, which sounds like a very bold choice for a group of teens. But against all odds, Josephine declares that she likes it, and things seem like they might just possibly go okay for Reena here. Josephine is, of course, a horrible bully with a nasty spirit, but Reena desperately craves the approval of the queen bee because she controls Dusty and Kelly, too. However, Manjit says a prayer even though Reena protests, and then he starts in on Josephine. He knows why she is the way she is: Shes been abandoned by all the adults who were supposed to care for her. Manjit  in a terribly misguided but ultimately kind move  offers to help her. Feeling vulnerable and caught out, Josephine flips the fuck out. Reena flips out. Everyone flips out.

The girls are quickly picked up by Kellys doting mother, and Reena has it out with her parents. When Suman notices things are missing, Reena says something truly shattering to her mother when she admits that these girls arent really her friends, but they let her hang out with them, and thats enough for her.

Reenas price of inclusion here is steep  the loss of true and real relationships with others in exchange for the company of relentless bullies  and its about to get worse. The next day, Reena goes to Seven Oaks to apologize, and Josephine whips up a dastardly plot. She pretends that its to help Reena find independence, but its likely more to get back at Manjit for his ill-advised offer of help. Its like that parable of the Scorpion and the Frog, only when Josephine stings, shes taking an entire family down with her.

The final moments of the episode see a resolute Reena starting to make a false report to the den mother at Seven Oaks. As a caretaker of children, this woman would be a mandated reporter, meaning that any abuse reported to her by a minor would have to be called in to the authorities. When the cops come for Manjit, hes stress-eating leftover pizza and coaxing Snooch back into the house. Hes the picture of a loving and doting father, everything hed ever dreamed of becoming when he married Suman. But then it all comes crashing down, courtesy of the devil incarnate, Josephine Bell. Its ironic that, even though we find out Kelly is responsible for Reenas murder, Josephine ends up being the true villain of this chapter of the story.

Random Thoughts

 Josephine tries so hard to dunk on both Suman and Dusty, saying that the sari wouldnt fit her, but then Suman claps back by saying a sari can fit anyone. She then artfully drapes it around Dusty, who absolutely rocks it.

 The Reena voice-over states twice that stories have no end and no beginning, and in the case of the real-life Reena Virk, that happens to be very true. This is the second iteration of her story thats been told, and its not likely to be the last.

 The inclusion of the Virk family history here is meant to help address some of the cultural issues and systemic racism in the area that were not fully addressed in Godfreys book. Id say that the series succeeds in making us more aware of those issues as it relates to Reenas eventual murder (see skittish Susan), but it also doesnt do a great job of seamlessly integrating the themes into the series, as this feels very much like a stand-alone Very Special Episode and not a part of a greater whole. But weve got four episodes to go.

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Quinn Shephard (left) and Rebecca Godfrey photographed in New York on October 6, 2021. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

This article was originally published on May 1, 2024. Weve republished it to coincide with the Under the Bridge finale.

When filmmaker Quinn Shephard met author Rebecca Godfrey for the first time, she didnt know Godfrey was running out of time. It was 2020, and Tara Duncan, the head of Disneys Onyx Collective, had asked Shephard to pitch a limited-series adaptation of Godfreys 2005 book, Under the Bridge, a blunt, revealing look at the 1997 murder of teenager Reena Virk by seven of her peers, after Duncan read an unmade pilot Shephard wrote for FX. Not long after COVID lockdown began, Shephard moved near Godfreys Red Hook home in upstate New York so the two could meet regularly in person.

Godfrey soon revealed her stage-four lung-cancer diagnosis to Shephard, and for the next two and a half years, the pair operated under the unspoken mantra, Get as far as we can while we can, Shephard says. Building a creative alliance rooted in exploring the heightened emotions and complicated rivalries that often boil over during adolescence, Shephard and Godfrey discussed the horrible circumstances surrounding the death of Virk, a 14-year-old desperate to fit in with her peers and whose death came to symbolize the pervasiveness of teen bullying in Canada, especially among young girls.

Shephard knew she wanted to make Godfrey a character in the show (played by Riley Keough), and the two unpacked the particulars of Godfreys rebellious childhood growing up in Victoria and how that perspective informed her exhaustive interviews with the suspects in the Virk case that would form the backbone of Godfreys book. Keoughs Rebecca is mostly fictionalized, from her romance with childhood friend and cop Cam, a character invented in the series and played by Lily Gladstone, to Rebeccas decision to feed intel from her teen sources to law enforcement. Rebecca and the real-life Godfrey do share one tragedy, however: Godfreys older brother drowned when they were just teenagers, a trauma Godfrey and her onscreen counterpart carry with them while reporting on the case.

Despite the raw subject matter, there was a levity to their work, Shephard says. When there was a new Chanel runway show, wed be like, We should wear this one to the Emmys, she says with a laugh. She recalls sneaking Champagne into a theater to see a movie made by one of Godfreys friends: We were always doing a little bit of mischief. Godfrey died on October 3, 2022, at the age of 54, little more than a week after Hulu announced it green-lit Under the Bridge to series. Even though she didnt live to see production begin, as Shephard tells it, Godfreys influence and spirit are all over it.

Do you remember when you met Rebecca?

I read the book in December of 2019 and started talking to Rebecca on the phone in March 2020. It was really a crazy time. I stayed at my parents house for a couple weeks, and I remember sitting in my childhood bedroom, being on the phone with her for four hours.

I moved to upstate New York, 15 minutes away from her, and we spent a tremendous amount of time together over the next three years. Because it was the pandemic, I really only saw my partner at the time, my friend who moved upstate, and her. We would do these long picnics with farmers-market food and sit outside talking for hours. She read a lot of drafts of the pilot. She showed me all this research and her old family photos. She gave me all her diaries. She had everything from when she researched the crime  the entire police file, all the recordings, transcripts of every interview she did  in eight or nine file boxes.

What kinds of things did you ask her?

We talked about who she was in high school and middle school and her childhood. Obviously she had a very traumatic loss. Thats a big part of the show. I didnt ask her about that in our first interview. I wanted to give her at least one conversation before I went right for the hardest stuff.

I think who she was as a kid was so influential in how she wrote the story. She was really involved in the punk scene in Victoria from the time she was 13 and really acted out as a kid and got into a lot of trouble. The music she listened to, the way she dressed  I liked how that echoed through her as a woman in her 20s when she was writing the book.

The ending scene of the pilot is based on the first moment she met the kids in real life. She had gone to the juvie center for research for her first novel. She was walking down the hallway, and there were all these girls in cells banging on the glass and yelling at her. One of the girls was crying as she looked through the window. The guard was like, Yeah, we just arrested all these girls for murder. Rebecca was so struck by how young they were. She felt they were almost calling her, like they wanted her to tell their story.

Did you go into your conversations with Rebecca knowing she would be a character in the show, or was that something you were still trying to figure out?

I really wanted to make her a character. She had done a few interviews where she talked about the way she dove into the world of these teenagers to write this. This woman in her 20s went and did what no journalist, no cop, and no lawyer was able to do, which is get the real truth of what happened. It was a big priority for Hulu that the show have an adult perspective, and she felt like an obvious place to start. Then we would have an opportunity to comment on the nature of true crime and what it does to somebody who immerses themselves in that.

Was she onboard with being a character in the series?

I was so scared because the ask was quite personal. In an interview I read before I met her, she talked about her trauma from childhood. I knew we were going to need to delve into that if she was going to be a character in the show. She was really open to it.

She knew she was terminally ill from the time that I met her; she told me a handful of months into knowing her. I think there was an element of knowing she was at the end of her life. She was very ready to allow me to go to her most personal places and put that on the screen. Every time I turned in an episode outline to her, Id be spinning out on the other side, like, Oh God, this is so fucking personal, and then she would send back her notes and they would just be about a line Josephine says. She never seemed to feel a real pressure to want the character to be hyper-lovable or sanitized. She taught a course on anti-heroines, so when I was like, Hey, sometimes shes gonna be more of an anti-hero, she was like, I love that.

The character Rebeccas feelings about her brother are an important part of the show and one of the reasons shes able to relate to these kids so much, especially Warren, the only boy accused in the crime. Was that something Rebecca was feeling at the time and just didnt put it in the book because she wasnt a character herself?

I think Rebecca was processing some of that during our development. In the first conversation we had about how directly the show was linked to her loss of her brother, she said that a lot of people in her life had suggested that Warren must have reminded her of her brother because she lost her brother when he was the exact same age. The final conversations I had with her right before she passed were about the fact that in the end, she realized that it was more about what she saw of herself in him than anything else. She felt that so much of his way of moving through the world would be shaped forever by guilt. I think her quest to make people understand how someone can do a bad thing came from a place of feeling like she had been capable of bad things when she was a kid.

Cam was written as a completely new character. Was she a composite of any cops Rebecca dealt with or a complete invention?

There was only one female cop in the real case, so a lot of stuff in Cam was largely based on men. It was quite a white-male-dominated perspective, and in the show, we wanted to have an in-depth counterpoint to Rebecca, somebody who was going to see the crime from a different personal nature than she did. Cams backstory, her adoption, being an Indigenous woman  those were elements added for the show.

Riley Keough as Rebecca and Lily Gladstone as Cam on Under the Bridge. Photo: Darko Sikman/Hulu

Theres a scene in episode three when Reenas mom identifies her body and sees a cigarette burn that looks like a bindi. That happened in real life, and it seems like that would open the door for Reenas death to be charged as a hate crime. But it never was. Were their conversations about whether her murder was racially motivated in the actual case?

Its really strange that she was burned with a cigarette at the center of her forehead. I think it would be impossible to deny that indicates, if not racial motivation in her murder, a racial mocking of her. But a lot of reports and even the way its described in the book Under the Bridge just said she was burned with a cigarette on her forehead. There arent any references to a bindi. It was something that almost went overlooked. But because we had access to all the research files in the writers room, you sometimes stumble upon one out of 30 articles where a reporter says, This is obviously referencing a bindi. The more we dug into the case, the more it was clear that there had been a conversation within the police of, Hey, do we think the crime is racially motivated? The reason it was dismissed as a potential motive was that not all of the kids who attacked Reena were white. In the late 90s, there was a lack of understanding of the nuance. That was all stuff we wanted to see play out in the show. To ignore racial motivation in the attack would be to ignore a massive part of the story.

Well, as we start to see in the third episode, her death is mostly the fault of Kelly, the most aggressive girl within that friend group.

She was the only person in real life who we couldnt find any evidence of remorse from. With every single other character, you could trace a level of humanity to them. With her, you cant find it. Shes very famous in Canada for a reason.

In episode three, we learn there are romantic feelings between Cam and Rebecca. How did that evolve as you worked on this?

We kept the idea of a romance between them because they are such polar opposites. Theyre often really at odds. We knew the most interesting conversations about the morals of the crime would come out of those perspectives being forced to be together, so it gave us an opportunity to have these very personal discussions about the crime.

Can you remember the conversation you had with Rebecca after finding out the series got picked up?

Our relationship always had a lot of beauty and a lot of sadness in it. A lot of those conversations had both. I knew she wanted it to get made more than anything, and I wanted it to get made for her sake more than anything. I also know that when we would have conversations about milestones, there was sometimes a fear from her that she wouldnt be around to see it happen. We would celebrate together, but there would also be this thing in the air: Get as far as we can while we can. That was hard. She was literally reading the scripts in hospice and calling me and having her daughter read the scripts to her.

How did you get the news that she had died?

We were in prep in Vancouver building sets, but we hadnt started filming yet. Her husband texted me.

Was it difficult to go forward without her?

It was weird processing such an immense loss while I was in production meetings talking about what her bedroom should look like. There would be questions I realized I should have asked: Fuck, I dont know what color her bedroom walls were when she was a kid. That would make me spin out. But it was also really sweet sometimes. I would be really sad that I couldnt show her the set, but I would also feel spiritually close to her because something we talked about in such detail was now coming to life.

It was constantly a conversation of, Is this honoring the things she said she was okay with before she passed? Its a question we always had to ask about the whole show with everyone in the show: Are we staying true to who they were? When were fictionalizing, is it responsible? Is it something that could be upsetting? Is this honoring who this person really was?

Now that the show is finished, do you still wrestle with those feelings of I should have asked Rebecca this?

Its not gone yet. I dont know when it goes away. At some point I made peace with the fact that it might never go away. I had to accept that the relationship I had with her and the process of telling the story of this particular crime will always be a part of me. There was so much beauty and there was a lot of grief, and I try to hold both. Probably itll have some echo in a script I write one day.
Since today is the day that I am apparently apologizing for things, I want to say sorry to Ariana for some of what I said in earlier recaps. I wanted her to at least tolerate Sandoval, to talk to him, or be around him for the sake of the show. I wanted her to get out of that house to do herself some good when Sandoval, the one who ruined everything, could have just as easily left. I wanted her to be far less full of rage when, as she points out, the dudes get to rage all the time and no one says anything at all.

Most of this sentiment came from her conversation with Brock, an Easter Island head who sidelines as a go-go boy. He asks her if she thinks she and Sandoval will ever be in a better place. For whose benefit? she asks. I would say that it is for the shows benefit, and by the shows benefit, I mean the fans benefit, but, really, we shouldnt be asking anything so nasty of Ariana. Brock tells her that it would benefit Scheana, who feels stuck in the middle. Ariana then says, The woman who I care more than anything about that he screamed at less than a week ago? I care more about her than to let her have people in her life that are going to scream at her like that.

Thats when she tells Brock that she doesnt need to be nice and sympathetic and get along with Sandoval, that her rage and anger are just as valid, and she should get to express them on a show where Schwartz once poured a drink on Katies head, where Jax raged at a number of his girlfriends, and DJ James Kennedy seemed like he was fueled by nothing but anger and sugar-free Red Bull vodkas.

During this trip to San Francisco, it dawned on me that Ariana may have been playing this right all along. Yes, I said she might have been a little too mean to Sandoval at the beach that one time, but she was just getting him to accept her boundary: Dont speak to me. (Sandoval now seems to have internalized this.) This is the first time Ive seen the whole group interact, and they were both able to seem engaged and deliver something to the show without also having to be at each others throats. They even talk to one another. So, yeah, I take it all back. Ariana, you do you.

The same goes for her new boyfriend, Dan, who is giving Brock a run for his money as a sexy Bravo boy. (Now, if only Dan would send his manbun to the same farm upstate where Brock sent his. Then he would be absolutely perfect.) But Dans attitude is that hes going to hang out with his girlfriend and skip all group events where he might have to talk to Sandoval, which is fine with him. He doesnt want confrontation, he doesnt want drama, and  most important, for the longevity of his relationship  he doesnt seem to really want to be on the show. This is just what Ariana needs right now: a guy who is the least extra.

As for the rest of the episode, it was pretty standard, if a little boring. Lala is throwing her birthday party and calls Sandoval to say, You know youre not invited, right? He takes it way better than I ever would, but then again, I wouldnt be so horrible to everyone around me that you couldnt invite me to a fake speakeasy to see some new burlesque like its 2008 all over again. At the party, Scheana explains to Ariana and Lala that she misses Sandoval, and Arianas face, as if by reflex, retracts in on itself in the most hilarious grimace. Its like someone just served her a cat-piss burrito covered in baby diarrhea.

Next, we go to Sandovals concert at the El Rey, and hes wearing a leather harness onstage. Im sorry, Tom, but my culture is not your costume, and the gays want nothing to do with you. (Yes, the gays will forgive a hot guy with a bangin body for almost anything, unless you piss off one of our pop girlies and then we will hound you into the ground for eternity or until the next season of Drag Race All Starsbegins.) We even see Sandovals mom, Terri, come to check on her retirement savings. Its currently stored in a Franklin Village bar named Schwartz & Sandys.

At the concert, Schwartz goes outside to talk to Jo, who is there for some reason and is not fixing her motorcycle in Mrs. Garretts living room. Does Jo have no self-respect? Tom Schwartz did her so dirty during their last conversation. He did her dirtier than Tom and Arianas rooms combined. Now, after leading her on for the better part of a year, hes going to take her to San Fran with the crew so that he can seem even more like her boyfriend even though hes not trying to date her. Even at the concert, hes like, Hey world, this is my friend Jo, who Im going to marry in eight years. Is this man absolutely incapable of giving a woman a straight answer? Jesus, Jo, get the heck out of there and dont show your face until the reunion, when you take a dump right on both Toms shoes.

Once they get to San Fran, everyone goes on a boat trip that looks even more miserable than going for a Glee-themed brunch at the Platt-Galvin household. The water is brown, everyone is cold, the waves are terrible, and Brock, well, Brock just wants to drive the boat. Lala and Katie Maloney Schwartz Maloney are wondering why boys always want to drive the boat. Learn how to fuck a woman before you learn to drive a boat is the truest and funniest thing ever to come out of Katie MSMs mouth.

That night, everyone attends Brocks Roaring Twenties party, the theme that, like the Electric Slide and syphilis, refuses to die a dignified death. Whats even worse is they all get into very ornate costumes (the Black Widow look with the lacy gloves and the jewelry might be the best outfit Katie has worn in 11 seasons) and theyre at a normal restaurant. Its not gangster themed. Its not even speakeasy themed. Why are these people all in costume to go shiver on a rooftop bar on a freezing cold August night in San Francisco? (Also, this is August in SF? All those terrible tech bros and that weather. Theres not enough Rice-A-Roni in the known universe.)

While theyre on the roof, Schwartz comes over to hang out with Katie and Ariana, and hes happy that theyre all friends. He then makes Katie an indecent proposal. He says they should get back together for one night; just hop into bed and  eat junk food and scroll on Instagram while not talking to each other. Im with Katie on this one; that shit is way more intimate than cunnilingus. I think he has a better shot of Katie letting him go down on her than sharing her Flamin Hot Cheetos while she watches old Fall Out Boy videos on TikTok.

The final scene is a weird one. Scheana takes Sandoval to the other side of the drizzly roof deck and asks him if he can apologize to Ariana for weaponizing her mental health against her. (Weaponizing is the new gaslighting where 99 percent of the people using it are wrong, and the one percent who are using it correctly are doing so ironically.) Scheana says that Tom said he couldnt break up with Ariana because she threatened suicide (which I dont even believe happened) and was sharing her intimate details with the world. She tells him not to respond, just to think about it, and he sighs like a petulant child who is upset that he has to say sorry for something when he thinks he didnt do anything wrong.

Thats the thing about Sandoval: He wont apologize because he still somehow thinks hes the aggrieved party. He hasnt apologized for anything, so why would he start with this, and why would he start now? Scheana thinks that if he does, it might bring the group together. Sorry, Scheesh. Its over. Its gone. The old world order is shattered, and you all just need to find a new way to press forward.

Just look at Ann, who is back there working at Something About Her Sandwiches, which will open (checks watch) any day now! She is working on the POS system, getting the signs well hung, and thinking about the menu. She hears a little sound coming from the walk-in refrigerator and hums a silly little tune while she checks out what is wrong. As she pulls open the door, she hears mumbling on the floor and finds Penny, the old COO, gagged and tied up using at least three extensions cords. She is trying to shout and struggling, but Ann says, Oh, it cant be that bad. I spent two years working for Tom Sandoval. This is like a ski vacation!

Sign up for the Housewives Institute Bulletin Dame Brian Moylan breaks down all the gossip and drama, on- and off-screen, for dedicated students of the Reality Television Arts and Sciences. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us.
SYDNEY, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Federal Police has charged three men after seizing 500 kg of cocaine in the Queensland state.

The three men were arrested on Sunday when they returned to shore in an 8.2-meter fishing boat at the Boyne Island boat ramp, located about 24 km south of Gladstone.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the federal police revealed that 15 black and yellow waterproof bags were found in the vessel, each containing about 32 blocks of a powdered substance, which returned a presumptive positive result for cocaine.

The exact weight and purity of the drug will be determined through further forensic testing.

According to the police, the 500 kg of cocaine has an estimated street value of more than 162 million Australian dollars (about 104.8 million U. S. dollars).

The drug "has the potential to facilitate more than 2 million individual street deals and cause tens of millions of dollars in harm to the Australian community," said Australian Federal Police Commander John Tanti.

The three men, aged 66, 45 and 27, were remanded in custody before appearing at a local court in July.

They were charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug, which would carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. 
Dining chat: A waiter gave our anniversary bubbly to the table next to us. What should we have done?
TEHRAN, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Wednesday reaffirmed condemnation of U.S. support for Israel's "crimes" in the Gaza Strip while commenting on the U.S. police's violent behavior against pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses.

He made the remarks in a meeting with a group of teachers and academics in the capital Tehran on the occasion of National Teachers' Day, according to a statement published on his website.

Khamenei said the U.S. behavior was indicative of its "partnership and complicity" with Israel in the latter's "horrific crimes and unforgivable sin."

He highlighted the Gaza conflict as "the world's first issue," urging for more global pressure on Israel to stop its offensive in the Palestinian enclave.

U.S. media reported Tuesday that over 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters had been arrested in recent days as the anti-war demonstrations continued at more than 20 American universities.

The pro-Palestinian rallies have spread to other academic centers across the world, including Europe, demanding an end to Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Israel has launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. The current Palestinian-Israeli conflict has so far led to 34,568 deaths and 77,765 injuries, according to Gaza health authorities on Wednesday. 
WAs dying forests need urgent health monitoring as they face the impacts of climate change, according to experts in the field.

Murdoch University forest ecologist Joe Fontaine said just like in a coral bleaching event, large areas of vegetation across the state started to turn brown and die off in February.

Dying trees are evident in the jarrah forests in WA. Credit: Joe Fontaine

He urged the state government to support university-government partnerships to develop a system to monitor the health and determine the risks of future events on WAs forests. Climate change was set to make large-scale plant die-offs more likely.

The likelihood of WAs event has been evident to scientists for months, yet there was no consistent monitoring or warning system in place to prepare the community or to influence behaviour such as groundwater use, he said.
People visit an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. An exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) kicked off here on Tuesday.

The official is believed to have diligently recorded documents on over 1,100 bamboo slips that formed one of China's earliest encyclopedias.

The official, aged 45 to 50 upon his death, was owner of bamboo slips with over 40,000-characters preserved in his tomb.

The bone remains and bamboo slips were all first unearthed in 1975 at a tomb site in Shuihudi, Yunmeng County of Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

People visit an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. An exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) kicked off here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

This photo taken on April 30, 2024 shows the reconstructed statue of an ancient local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) during an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the official's tomb, at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. An exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) kicked off here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

People visit an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. An exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) kicked off here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

This photo taken on April 30, 2024 shows bamboo slips at an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. An exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) kicked off here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

People visit an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. An exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) kicked off here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

People visit an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. An exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) kicked off here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

This photo taken on April 30, 2024 shows bamboo slips of a family letter at an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. An exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) kicked off here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

A visitor views the reconstructed statue of an ancient local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) during an exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the official's tomb, at the Hubei provincial museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on April 30, 2024. An exhibition of bamboo slips discovered at the tomb of a local official back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) kicked off here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, the United States, on Jan. 31, 2024. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

In essence, the current rating system was set up by the United States and other developed economies in favor of their own. By giving themselves high credit ratings and depressing those of the developing economies, they plunder the interests of the emerging markets.

BEIJING, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Credit ratings agency Fitch recently downgraded the outlooks on China's sovereign credit rating along with those of six major state-owned banks, drawing criticism from economic analysts who deem it unfair and unjust. They argue that such actions fail to accurately reflect China's economic growth prospects.

Analysts believe Fitch's downgrading is an overestimation of the risks China faces and an under-estimation of its growth potential. In the realm of economics, confidence is more precious than gold. And the recent decision by Fitch Ratings appears to be a deliberate attempt to undermine that confidence.

So why would Fitch, a world-renowned international rating agency, come to such a conclusion? Is it possible that Fitch and other U.S. international rating agencies have become "political tools" of the United States to maintain its global hegemony and suppress the development of other developing economies?





Robots weld bodyshells of cars at a workshop of Chinese electric vehicle maker Li Auto Inc. in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

MISJUDGMENT OF CHINESE ECONOMY

In the report, Fitch alleges that the Chinese government's debt risk is high, but the data do not support this conclusion.

Data from the Center for National Balance Sheet of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences show that the debt ratio of the Chinese government sector was 55.9 percent by the end of last year, while data from the Bank for International Settlements show that the government debt ratio of G20 countries averages around 94 percent. In other words, the Chinese government debt ratio is at a low to medium level internationally.

However, Fitch's forecast for China's economic growth rate in 2024 is significantly lower than that of other agencies, making people question the reliability of its sovereign credit rating results.

Dagong Global Credit Rating Co., Ltd. said that international rating agencies have a comparatively limited understanding of China's national conditions and policies, making it difficult for them to accurately recognize the comprehensiveness, scientific aspects and reasonableness of China's macro-policies. In addition, their credit rating methodology is not applicable to developing economies, thus the rating can't reflect the real situation of China's sovereign credit.

Marcos Cordeiro Pires, a professor at Brazil's Sao Paulo State University, said that the downgrade of China's sovereign credit rating is an attempt to shake the market's confidence in the Chinese economy.

China's Ministry of Finance said that the index system of Fitch's sovereign credit rating methodology fails to effectively and accurately reflect the positive effect of fiscal policy in promoting economic growth.

"In the long run, maintaining a moderate deficit and making good use of precious debt funds will help expand domestic demand, support economic growth, and ultimately help maintain good sovereign credit," the ministry said.





A Wall Street sign is seen in front of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, the United States, on Jan. 18, 2022. (Xinhua/Michael Nagle)

FAILURE ON DEFAULT RISK DETECTION

Currently, the global credit rating industry is highly concentrated, with Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch almost completely controlling the global ratings market.

In the process of the United States establishing global hegemony, the "Big Three" U.S. ratings agencies have gradually obtained a "rating hegemony" and set a "ceiling" for their objects' ability to raise funds according to their preferences.

When evaluating sovereign credit ratings, the "Big Three" often start from ideology and self-interest, denying the characteristics and advantages of other political and economic systems, as they are a tool for promoting the ideology and political stance of the United States.

Furthermore, the close relationship between the agencies and the capital market makes it hard for them to objectively and scientifically evaluate credit risks, and in some cases, their misjudgments have even sparked crises.

After some research, economist Carmen Reinhardt from Harvard Kennedy School concluded that "Contrary to logic, recent anecdotal evidence suggests that downgrades in credit ratings have not preceded financial crises. Downgrades appear to have followed, not preceded, the crises in Asia in 1997... Ratings would not have predicted the nearly certain defaults that would have occurred in several recent crises had the international community not provided large-scale bailouts."

For example, at the beginning of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the three major rating agencies failed to detect the severity of the crises surrounding the Thai baht and South Korean won. As the crisis spread, they abruptly downgraded the ratings of some Southeast Asian countries, exacerbating the crisis.

In the years prior to the subprime mortgage crisis of the United States in 2007, the Big Three had overrated many junk bonds during the economic boom, leading to an increasing proportion of high-risk subprime mortgages. When the crisis broke out, they were too slow to downgrade the relevant companies, leading the market to underestimate the risks.





A man uses new currency Zimbabwe Gold banknotes to buy drink outside a bank in Harare, Zimbabwe, on April 30, 2024. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua)

DOUBLE STANDARD ON GLOBAL SOUTH

According to Germany's Africa Policy Research Institute, in recent years, sovereign credit ratings of the Big Three for African countries have been "more frequent, unsolicited and deteriorating." As a result of low ratings, African governments are forced to pay more interest on their debt, leading to tight macroeconomic policies which are detrimental to the countries' long-term investment and economic growth.

African countries are not the only ones to suffer. In the past decade, developing economies and emerging markets have been actively participating in the Belt and Road cooperation, while the international credit rating system dominated by the Big Three has long been treating them with a double standard, for example, by rating the international financing products issued by Chinese leading enterprises at the "junk" level.

In essence, the current rating system was set up by the United States and other developed economies in favor of their own. By giving themselves high credit ratings and depressing those of the developing economies, they plunder the interests of the emerging markets.

The maneuver had a direct impact on the financing cost for developing economies such as China and its enterprises in the international market, and also raised barrier to deter the economic take-off of the Global South.

The result is obvious: All too often, Western enterprises can obtain a large amount of capital with little cost in the financial market, while the Global South enterprises have to pay a lot of interest and financing cost to get the same, all thanks to this unfair and unreasonable rating system.
Ahmet Ozer, deputy chairman of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, speaks at an event themed "China, an Opportunity" in Istanbul, Turkiye, on April 30, 2024. Chinese and Turkish business delegates, along with media representatives, on Tuesday gathered in Istanbul to explore business opportunities and strengthen collaboration. (Photo by Safar Rajabov/Xinhua)

ISTANBUL, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Turkish business delegates, along with media representatives, on Tuesday gathered in Istanbul, Turkiye's financial and cultural hub, to explore business opportunities and strengthen collaboration.

The event, themed "China, an Opportunity," took place at the Turkish branch headquarters of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC).

Addressing the gathering, Wei Xiaodong, China's consul general in Istanbul, emphasized the commitment of both nations to forge stronger economic bonds and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

"Over 1,300 Chinese companies are doing business here in Turkiye, with a total investment exceeding 3 billion U.S. dollars. At the same time, many Turkish companies have successful stories in China," Wei noted.

The consul general emphasized that collaboration between companies from the two countries spans a broad spectrum of industries, encompassing energy, aviation, and high technology.

Murat Kolbasi, chairman of Arzum Electrical Home Appliances, underscored the significance of international fairs in China, such as the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), as a vital platform for Turkish companies seeking to penetrate the Chinese market.

Mete Bulgun, CEO of Emba Electricity Production, a joint venture company invested by Shanghai Electric Power, called on Turkish businesspeople to present accurate and reliable feasibility studies to lure more and more Chinese investments.

Ahmet Ozer, deputy chairman of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Turkiye's largest business association, underscored the increasing significance of the Belt and Road Initiative in further enhancing relations between the two countries.

Turkish journalist and author Mete Cubukcu, meanwhile, said that fostering cooperation in the field of broadcasting represents one of the most effective means for the two peoples to cultivate mutual understanding and bolster relations, adding that cultural products have the potential to facilitate smoother relations through soft power. 

Wei Xiaodong, China's Consul general in Istanbul, speaks at an event themed "China, an Opportunity" in Istanbul, Turkiye, on April 30, 2024. Chinese and Turkish business delegates, along with media representatives, on Tuesday gathered in Istanbul to explore business opportunities and strengthen collaboration. (Photo by Safar Rajabov/Xinhua)

Murat Kolbasi, chairman of Arzum Electrical Home Appliances, speaks at an event themed "China, an Opportunity" in Istanbul, Turkiye, on April 30, 2024. Chinese and Turkish business delegates, along with media representatives, on Tuesday gathered in Istanbul to explore business opportunities and strengthen collaboration. (Photo by Safar Rajabov/Xinhua)
BEIRUT, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported Wednesday the outbreak of viral hepatitis in West Bekaa region, eastern Lebanon, according to the National News Agency.

The ministry said that hospitals, health centers, and laboratories have recorded 40 cases of hepatitis A.

"We remind citizens that the hepatitis A virus is transmitted to humans through contaminated water, contaminated food, or contaminated hands, and the average incubation period extends from 28 to 30 days after infection. Its symptoms include fever and severe jaundice," said the ministry.

The ministry noted that it is following up on the outbreak and coordinating with the municipality, the Ministry of Energy and Water, and the water authorities to ensure the proper functioning of chlorination systems to avoid the spread of viral hepatitis.

It said that it continues to train municipalities, in coordination with the Lebanese Red Cross, to monitor the percentage of residual chlorine through field examination. 
Two new Mercedes-Benz people carriers have gone on sale in Ireland, writes Trish Whelan.

The luxuriously appointed vehicles are the latest V-Class and all-electric EQV equivalent, replacing models that have been a feature of their offering in this country for some years.

Typical V-Class and EQV customer profiles range from families and leisure enthusiasts to VIPs and corporate clients - high-profile users that include hotels, airports, events and private businesses.

V-Class is available in Avantgarde and Avantgarde AMG lines plus a top-end Exclusive version. V-Class is powered by a diesel engine with outputs of 190hp and 237hp.

In the EQV, an Avantgarde line is offered. EQV comes with a 90kWh battery with a peak output of 204hp, continuous output of 95hp and a range of up to 277-365kms WLTP.

Prices for the V-Class - first units are due here in May - start at 132,460. The EQV is scheduled to arrive in August when prices will be confirmed.
Vivienne Clarke

Fianna Fail TD Jim OCallaghan has welcomed the removal of tents from Mount Street which had been a dangerous and unacceptable situation.

It was unhygienic for everyone in the area, and it was extremely unfair on the people who live and work in the area. I welcome the fact that there's been a coordinated response to us.

Mr OCallaghan told RTE radios Today with Claire Byrne show the Government was making great efforts to provide accommodation for people coming to Ireland seeking international protection.

At present, there are 30,000 people being accommodated by IPAS. And that's leaving aside the 75,000 Ukrainian people that are being accommodated. So the state has done extremely well.

"The Irish people have been very generous. But when you look at the numbers of people who are coming in and who are applying for international protection, it's considerably greater than it was in the past two years.

"Like last year, it was 13,500 already this year at 6700. So we're clearly going to hit 20,000 this year. So it's putting significant pressures on everyone.

When asked if it had been acceptable to delay in providing accommodation for the men staying in the tents on Mount Street, Mr OCallaghan said it was not possible to just conjure up accommodation out of nowhere.

I don't know where the men are off to, but I suspect that's preferable to the fact that they're going to a place where, if they're in tented accommodation, they're lawfully entitled to put their tents there. One of the big concerns I had was that not only was it dangerous and unhygienic and unfair, it was also unlawful what was happening, and we were just ignoring the law.

It was acceptable and preferable that the people involved be accommodated in a place with toilets and shower facilities with access to health services, even if it was tented accommodation, he added.

They'll have indoor food and they'll have transport. I think it's a very generous and appropriate response from the government.

The CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, Nick Henderson has called for better communication around the removal of people in tents on Mount Street.

While it was understandable that the Department of Integration was not publicising to where it was moving the people, it was important for the people involved to receive communication around where they were going, he told RTE radios Today with Claire Byrne show.

Many of the people getting on the buses did not know where they were going, he added.

His understanding was that the people were being moved to accommodation in army style tents in which there was a heater and cots.

Mr Henderson acknowledged that this was better than sleeping in a small tent on Mount Street, as the new location would have supports. However the Refugee Council continued to criticise the use of tented accommodation which did not meet peoples basic needs.

One thing that is worth emphasising, is that there are 1800 people who are sleeping rough and who are currently without accommodation. And we don't think that what happened today addresses all of the people who are without accommodation. So 300, perhaps have been moved from Mount Street, but there's still a significant number of people who are without accommodation.

In a statement from the Government, they said: "Those seeking international protection have now been safely moved to Citywest and to Crooksling tented accommodation in County Dublin.

"The Crooksling site has robust, weather-proof tents. It has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security.

"While in Crooksling accommodation, residents will receive the same supports as at other locations. This includes access to medical care via the HSE social inclusion outreach teams and medical card provision; IPAS customer services team clinics; onsite support from the providers staff; and psycho-social and integration support from NGO partners.

"The encampment at Mount Street has been dismantled and the streets are being cleaned by Dublin City Council."

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said the operation in Mount Street is to ensure the safe movement of people who are seeking asylum.

He said the sites that people are being moved to has facilities like toilets, showers, health services and indoor areas and facilities to charge phones and personal devices.

Mr Martin said: The Crooksling site has transport to and from Dublin city centre and onsite security. The tents on Mount Street are not acceptable, not acceptable for migrants and not acceptable for migrants either.

Its very important that we do this properly and our objective is to make sure we continue to provide accommodation of this kind, and as well faster processing of those seeking asylum, particularly from designated safe countries. We discourage (the tents) very strongly.

The state has, within its powers, the capacity to make sure we dont have tents back up on Mount Street or other streets and our view in Government is very clear is that we cant have tents in streets adjacent to neighbourhoods.

Its not good for those seeking asylum and not for residents in the area, and it can create a lot of tension.
Deputy Michael raised the issue of the lack of progress on Ballyhaunis Primary Care Centre during a Dail debate this morning.

Deputy Michael Ring took the Department of Health to task during the exchanges

It is not acceptable that full and comprehensive information has not been forthcoming in relation to this issue. Ballyhaunis Primary Care Centre was due to be completed in October 2020 yet works are at a complete standstill since 2021. Ballyhaunis and the surrounding community urgently require a fully operational Primary Care Centre.

Four Primary Care Centres were promised when James Reilly was Minister for Health. All of them were delivered except the one for Ballyhaunis, said the Mayo TD.

He said the community are being stonewalled when answers are sought.

Local election candidate, Alma Gallagher, has been consistently pushing this matter for the past year. She has been trying in vain to get answers from the HSE but to no avail. She has raised this issue with me also.

Minister of State Colm Burke responded to Deputy Rings concerns.

The Department is aware that construction on Ballyhaunis primary care centre has been stalled for a considerable time. As the Deputy outlined, it was to be completed in 2020 or 2021. The Department is aware of the frustration this has caused the people of the town.

"Unfortunately, the preferred provider of the new primary care centre in Ballyhaunis has indicated a potential issue regarding the viability of the project. Subsequently, engagement has taken place between the HSE and the developer to understand the nature and extent of the issue. However, should the preferred provider be unable to proceed, the HSE has reassured the Minister that it will be exploring all options to deliver a new primary care centre in the area, he stated.

Deputy Ring said there is a lack of urgency being shown.

I stressed to Minister of State Burke how disappointed I am with this response. I want there to be the same urgency with this work as there was for the National Children's Hospital in Dublin. In that case, the Government stepped in and had to renegotiate with the builders. I care about the people of Ballyhaunis and the primary medical care centre. I do not feel there is an urgency from the Department concerning this project. In fact, there is no urgency. When it cannot even respond to questions about it, it is not taking much interest in this matter.

I asked the Minister of State to go back to the Department today. I want clearer dates. I want to know if the Department is sitting down with the contractor or if it is going to get a new contractor. All I want to know is when this job will start again and when the contract will be completed in Ballyhaunis. Nothing in this response has satisfied me that anything is happening. Let us get another builder in there and get this centre completed.
In the run-up to the 1997 British General Election, Tony Blair was asked what his top three priorities would be if elected to government. Education, education, education was his response. Truth be told, there were many more issues than that on the agenda in Britain in 1997, but Blair wanted to send a signal about where his focus would be.

For all opposition parties heading into our upcoming elections, the answer to that same question will surely be housing, housing, housing. With our housing crisis as it is, that is an easy choice. For the Government parties, it is a rather harder matter. Given the widespread feeling about this issue out there, how best should the Government approach it?

If the Government were to spend all their time talking about housing, how could they possibly win an election? Fine Gael and Fianna Fail will want to talk about stability, about not rocking the boat, about not taking a chance on those with little experience of the difficult decisions that you must make when you are in Government. But, on the other hand, how can you ignore the issue? Its a difficult balance and one that needs a lot of management, and a fair bit of delivery.

Our new Taoiseach has dived into the issue. At his partys Ard Fheis, he made the pledge that Fine Gael in government would target building 250,000 homes over five years up to 2030. Thats a big number. Last week he was talking big numbers again, claiming that the number of new homes delivered this year will be close to 40,000. That would be well over the target of 34,500 for this year which the Governments Housing for All plan had suggested, though early indications are that there is a good chance that final numbers will in fact be closer to 40,000.

The context for this is important. Later in the year there will be a formal revision of the housing need in the country arising from population growth. That will likely suggest that we need to build rather more homes per year than we had been working on in our existing Housing for All plan, which is a politically sensitive topic for many reasons.

Since he came to office, the Taoiseachs mind will have been preoccupied with having a solid response when the numbers of homes needed are revised fairly dramatically upwards just before a general election. So, he talks now about reaching close to 40,000 this year, the better then to be able to sustain the argument at election time that we can build up to 50,000 every year for five years. And dont be surprised if that revision of our housing need later in the year suggests that we need to build about 50,000 homes every year.

This is a clever piece of politics on the Taoiseachs part, but it will only mean trouble for him unless those housing numbers at the end of the year do actually turn out to be quite near to 40,000. Every single home below that number makes his 50,000 a year claim that bit more difficult to sustain.

And these figures will set the context for how we discuss the housing issue in the red hot atmosphere of the election campaign. Last week he notably referred to his 250,000 houses over five years as a ballpark figure, which is the kind of wriggle room any politician needs to give themselves. But whether it is a ballpark or not, this is how the Taoiseach is trying to shape the housing battleground in the election.

He knows well that he will be mocked and attacked for making the claim. Some will say it is not ambitious enough, others will say it is not feasible, and there are other criticisms of these numbers too. Many would argue that any figure is misleading, in that it is for homes rather than houses. That means that a block of 100 apartments which are only available for rent are counted as 100 homes, which is technically accurate if not quite the dream homestead many had in mind.

Others, who aspire to own their own home, would like to know how many of these new homes are bought by the state or one of its agencies, thus preventing them from buying one. Simon Harris is politically very sensitive to that last issue. You notice how he always refers to adult children living in their parents box room, suggesting his audience for this message is more the parents than the children in question.

He has calculated, and not unwisely, that the voters who might vote for his party are the older generation who worry about whether their children will ever be able to buy or build their own home  as well as those who have just managed to jump on the ladder. That is classic Fine Gael territory, and an unspoken example of what all that talk about going back to Fine Gael basics means in practice.

Notwithstanding all the criticisms, Simon Harris intends to hold the line on these numbers if he can. And, of course, one thing he also knows is that giving a number will cause the opposition parties to be questioned in their turn about what their target number is, and how exactly they intend to achieve it. Government parties will be happier watching opposition parties be asked about that than defending their own record on it.

How we do it is the most important question of them all. And on that there is a lot of divided opinion. Some want more houses than apartments. Some want the public sector to build more or even most of them. Some dont want private finance funding them. Some think it is impossible to reach anything close to those big numbers without the private sector with private money doing it. Others say the problem isnt money but getting the people to do it.

Then there is the question as to what standard we should build. If you want to build more homes, and make them cheaper, you can drop your standards. But what does that mean? For example, in our debates on housing, you hear people say all the time that the state built lots of houses in the 1930s or 1970s when money was scarce. Thats true, but you also have to accept that the word house as it was used in the 1930s or even 1970s doesnt mean the same thing in the 2020s.

Technically, technologically, materially, they are two different things. If you enter a new-build house today  whether built for the state or for the private market  it is a totally different thing to what we were all brought up in. Its essentially a kind of spaceship, pre-built in sections, containing complex energy generation devices, air filtration systems, along with materials that werent even thought of years ago when the state was busy building houses. Lower the standards of today and you might build some more tomorrow. Is that the right call? My feeling is that the real debate on all this will come post-election, when the big numbers in those election promises will need to be delivered on, whoever is in government.
RAMALLAH, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Wednesday denounced the assault by Israeli settlers on two Jordanian aid convoys en route to the Gaza Strip.

In a statement sent to Xinhua, the ministry criticized Israel's insistence on blocking aid from entering Gaza and reaching those in need.

It accused the Israeli right wing and its followers of defying international peace efforts and using starvation as a weapon of war to kill Palestinian civilians.

Providing safe passages for the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip is a legal and moral obligation on Israel's part, said the statement, calling for international efforts to guarantee the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and halt the ongoing conflict.

Earlier in the day, Israeli "extremists" attacked two aid convoys arranged by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization, in collaboration with the World Food Program and charitable groups in Britain, South Africa, and the United States, as they were traveling towards Gaza through the Beit Hanoun crossing, known to Israelis as the Erez crossing, and the Kerem Shalom crossings.

The assailants threw some of the cargo onto the streets, leading to damage to the trucks. 
CAIRO, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and visiting French counterpart Stephane Sejourne met here on Wednesday to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip and an Egypt-brokered ceasefire proposed for the enclave.

The two ministers briefed each other on the indirect truce talks between the Gaza-ruling Palestinian faction Hamas and Israel over reaching a ceasefire in Gaza and swap of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Shoukry said that Egypt has put forward "implementable" truce proposals to both parties, who are expected to show "necessary flexibility" to realize an agreement that would spare Palestinians bloodshed.

For his part, Sejourne said France is willing to support Arab efforts for settling the Palestinian issue, according to the statement.

He highlighted France's efforts to contain escalation between Israel and Lebanon on their borders, stressing that the potential truce in Gaza has to be accompanied by a similar truce in Lebanon, according to the ministry's statement.

Shoukry and Sejourne reaffirmed their absolute rejection of any Israeli attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause by displacing Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip.

The two ministers agreed to completely reject any ground military operation in the city of Rafah, now the only haven for millions of people in Gaza, due to high humanitarian concerns and the risk of regional spillover, said the statement.

For months, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have been trying to mediate a new agreement between Hamas and Israel on a truce in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages. 
A Turkish national was shot dead by Israeli police in East Jerusalem on Tuesday after he allegedly stabbed and injured a Border Police officer, Israel's police said in a statement.
A health worker explains cervical cancer testing and prevention at Remera Health Center in the Remera sector, Ngoma district, Eastern Province, Rwanda on April 30, 2024. The Genomics Institute-BGI Genomics, the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine, in cooperation with the Rwanda Biomedical Center, launched a cervical cancer screening program on Tuesday at Remera Health Center. (Xinhua/Ji Li)

KIGALI, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Genomics Institute-BGI Genomics, the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine, in cooperation with the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), launched a cervical cancer screening program on Tuesday at Remera Health Center in the Remera sector, Ngoma District, Eastern Province.

The cancer screening activities will provide 20,000 human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA tests for local women, aiming to enhance cervical cancer screening and prevention efforts and improve local precision medical testing capabilities.

Speaking at the event, Pudence Rubingisa, governor of Eastern Province, commended the Chinese-based company for initiating a significant program that aims to boost cervical cancer screening and prevention efforts, particularly in Eastern Province.

"I thank the Chinese government for supporting Rwanda's efforts in various health activities, including healthcare infrastructure, medical support, and training," he said.

Rubingisa emphasized that cancer remains a disease that instills fear, and there is a need to actively prevent it and take drastic measures to ensure everyone can participate and reach out to our people in the fight against breast or cervical cancer. "As local leaders, we are committed to ensuring screening and raising awareness," he said.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda Wang Xuekun said BGI Genomics is a leading enterprise in the gene industry of China and the world. Today, BGI Genomics donated medical equipment and supplies worth 1.6 million U.S. dollars to improve women's health in Rwanda.

"I highly appreciate this move, as it boosts Rwanda's health industry and promotes China-Rwanda friendship," he added.

Wang noted that China and Rwanda have conducted fruitful cooperation in the health industry, highlighting that China aided in building Kibungo Hospital and Masaka Hospital, which cover a population of 500,000.

He highlighted that since 1982, China has sent 24 batches of medical teams to Rwanda, with a total of 303 doctors. To date, they have treated over 700,000 patients and conducted over 38,000 surgeries, saving more than 16,300 lives.

Albert Tuyishime, head of the Department of HIV/AIDS Disease Prevention and Control at the RBC, told Xinhua in an interview at the launch event that the program will assist Rwandans in addressing the issue of cervical cancer.

"HPV detection or screening is the best approach compared to what we used to have here in the country. It will enable us to conduct timely and early screenings and diagnoses, facilitating treatment and reducing the increasing mortality and morbidity associated with cervical cancer," he added.

"In China, HPV DNA testing technology has been applied in many large-scale public health service programs and achieved remarkable results. We hope that cervical cancer screening can leverage BGI Genomics technology and a self-sampling model in countries worldwide and help accelerate the goal of eliminating cervical cancer worldwide," said Du Yutao, chief operating officer of BGI Genomics.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for screening and treatment of cervical pre-cancer lesions for cervical cancer prevention, HPV DNA testing, with an accuracy rate of up to 95 percent, is the first-choice screening method for cervical cancer screening. A self-sampling model is recommended, whereby women collect their test samples, followed by centralized testing.

BGI Genomics' self-developed HPV DNA testing products are suitable for large-scale population screening and precise HPV genotyping. A single test can screen for the 14 high-risk HPV types highly correlated with the occurrence of cervical cancer as per WHO guidelines and is validated by large-scale clinical data to be suitable for self-sampling. 

This photo taken on April 30, 2024 shows an exterior view of Rwanda Biomedical Center in Kigali, Rwanda. The Genomics Institute-BGI Genomics, the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine, in cooperation with the Rwanda Biomedical Center, launched a cervical cancer screening program on Tuesday at Remera Health Center. (BGI Genomics/Handout via Xinhua)

A health worker explains cervical cancer testing and prevention at Remera Health Center in the Remera sector, Ngoma district, Eastern Province, Rwanda on April 30, 2024. The Genomics Institute-BGI Genomics, the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine, in cooperation with the Rwanda Biomedical Center, launched a cervical cancer screening program on Tuesday at Remera Health Center. (Xinhua/Ji Li)
ADDIS ABABA, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Tuesday extended condolences over the tragic loss of live in Kenya due to devastating floods.

Heavy rains have pounded several parts of Kenya and devastating flash floods have left 169 people dead so far, according to Kenyan authorities.

"My sincere condolences to and in solidarity with the affected families, the government and people of Kenya amid the devastating floods across the country that have claimed more than 100 lives, displaced many more and destroyed homes and key infrastructure," Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, said on X, formerly Twitter.

The East African nation is currently experiencing El Nino-induced above-average rainfall. The Kenya Meteorological Department has said that heavy rainfall will continue this week, with potential for flooding and landslides in some areas.

The recent heavy rainfall has resulted in major flash floods in Nairobi, Makueni, West Pokot, and Machakos counties, with loss of life and property. The heavy rains have also cut off main roads, disrupted business across the country, and forced the postponement of the reopening of schools by a week from Monday.

A newly set-up national multi-agency flood emergency team is implementing a series of measures to assist Kenyans in coping with the effects of the floods, including food and safe drinking water provision, health supplies, and rescue efforts. 
NAIROBI, May 1 (Xinhua) -- At least 179 people have been killed in devastating flooding triggered by heavy rains in Kenya, a government official said Wednesday.

Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said that 164 adults and 15 children have died from flood-related incidents, with 90 others reported missing nationwide. Additionally, 124 people have been injured and are receiving treatment in various health facilities.

The heavy rains and flooding have displaced 188,000 people, prompting the government to establish a displacement camp to provide alternative accommodation, he said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

The Cabinet on Tuesday ordered residents of flood-prone areas across the country to evacuate or be forcibly moved. "These include areas near dams and other water reservoirs in public or private land, areas prone to mudslides and landslides, and riparian lands along rivers and other water courses across the country," it said.

The government has put in place measures to support evacuation and temporary shelter for those affected, with public spaces identified for temporary shelter and provision of essential supplies.

"While the government encourages voluntary evacuation, all those who remain within the areas affected by the directive will be relocated forcibly in the interest of their safety," the Cabinet said.

The Cabinet also disclosed that water levels at Masinga and Kiambere dams have reached historic highs. Masinga recorded its highest levels ever, surpassing those recorded on May 7, 2020. Similarly, Kiambere Dam registered its highest levels ever on April 26, surpassing the previous historic levels recorded on Nov. 29, 1997.

A dam burst on Sunday night in the town of Mai Mahiu, about 60 kilometers north of Nairobi, killed 48 people and affected many others. Meantime, the resultant effects downstream, especially in Garissa and Tana River counties in eastern Kenya, could worsen the already dire situation, the Cabinet said.

Large swathes of land along Kenya's longest Tana River are currently submerged, displacing thousands of people and impacting lives and livelihoods. Residents of the two affected counties and those living near other dams and water reservoirs must evacuate in accordance with the Cabinet's directive.

Rescue workers fear that the death toll could rise as the ongoing heavy rainfall is expected to continue this week, with floods and landslides predicted in some areas. Roads and bridges have been washed away, leaving several parts of the country inaccessible and disrupting business. The government's national multi-agency emergency response committee is working on various initiatives to help those affected by the floods.

"We call upon all Kenyans to remain vigilant and adhere to safety guidelines and observe flood alerts," Mwaura said, urging Kenyans to cooperate fully with emergency responders and local authorities during evacuations and rescue operations. 
KABUL, May 1 (Xinhua) -- A total of 27,914 foreign citizens made inbound and outbound trips to or from Afghanistan from March 21, 2023 to March 19, 2024, during the Persian calendar year of 1402, the country's National Statistics and Information Authority reported Wednesday.

Among them, 15,153 made inbound trips, including 675 women, while 12,761 made outbound trips, including 495 women, the governmental agency posted on social media.

Popular destinations for the travelers were Herat, Nimroz, Nangarhar, and Balkh border crossing points, as well as Kabul and Herat airports, the agency said.

Tourism and work activities were the travel purposes for these foreign nationals in Afghanistan, it said, adding that most of them visited historical sites in provinces including Bamyan, Herat and Kandahar.

Since the Afghan caretaker government assumed power in August 2021 in the wake of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan, the tourism industry in the country has been developing. 
This photo taken on May 1, 2024 shows a booth at an exhibition of agricultural products in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan caretaker government's Ministry for Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock opened an exhibition of agricultural products in the country's capital Kabul on Wednesday.

Local businessmen and farmers put on display their products in 263 kiosks, including 56 stalls for women, in the four-day exhibition aimed at developing the agricultural field and supporting local produce.

"The Islamic Emirate is committed to supporting farmers by providing improved seeds and other objects to enhance agricultural products, besides calling upon investors to invest in the agricultural field and support the farmers," Acting Deputy Prime Minister on Political Affairs Mawlawi Abdul Kabir said at an opening ceremony of the exhibition.

The Afghan administration organizes agri-fair every year to support the agricultural sector, where some 80 percent of the country's nearly 35 million population relies on agriculture. 


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LONDON, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Scottish government on Wednesday survived a vote of no confidence, just days after First Minister Humza Yousaf announced his resignation.

The Labour-led vote of no confidence in the Scottish government was defeated by 70 votes to 58 at Holyrood, the Scottish Parliament.

The vote was unlikely to pass without the support of the Scottish Green Party, after the first minister confirmed he would be stepping down.

Yousaf, leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), announced his resignation on Monday. He has been under immense pressure since he ended a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Green Party last week.

Yousaf acknowledged that he had underestimated "the level of hurt and upset" caused by his decision to sever ties with the Greens.

He called for a leadership contest to find his replacement immediately. Yousaf will continue to serve as first minister until a new leader is appointed.

Under Scottish law, members of the Scottish Parliament have 28 days to choose a replacement. 
Chester Zoo welcomes rare male giant otter to help save his species

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, May 1st, 2024

A rare male giant otter has arrived at Chester Zoo in a move to help save his species.

Manu, a three-year-old male giant otter, has travelled more than a thousand miles from Budapest Zoo after being chosen as the perfect genetic match for Chesters female, Tibiri (8).

The duo have been paired up as part of co-ordinated efforts between international zoos that are working to secure a future for the species.

Zookeepers have now released heartwarming images of the otters meeting for the very first time, where they are seen swimming and playing together.

Experts estimate that no more than 5,000 giant otters remain across South America and the species has already been wiped out in Uruguay and Argentina.

The decline in numbers is a result of mass-scale deforestation, water pollution and illegal hunting.

The worlds authority on the state of nature, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has now listed the species as endangered  meaning they face a very high chance of becoming extinct in the future.

Conservationists at the zoo say the international breeding programme is now vitally important to the future of the species and that they are hopeful that Manu and Tibiri will go on to have pups together.

Anna Starkey, Carnivore Keeper at Chester Zoo, said: Since arriving at the zoo only a few days ago, Manu has settled into his new surroundings very quickly.

Hes been carefully matched with female otter Tibiri, based on his important genetics, age and character.

So far weve seen really positive signs between the two and they can be heard using a range of vocalisations while playfully swimming together, which shows us that theyve instantly bonded.

Were hopeful that, in their own time, theyll eventually go on to have pups and help boost global giant otter numbers.

Giant otters are the apex predators of their South American ecosystems and play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of freshwater habitats.

They do this by hunting prey populations, keeping the health and biodiversity of their environments in check.

But sadly, the wild population feel enormous pressures from pollution and mass deforestation which continue to threaten their survival altogether.

It will now be the role of conservation zoos like ours to play a pivotal role in turning the tide and safeguarding their future on the planet.

Giant otters are the worlds largest species of otter and, in the Amazon, they are known as the river wolf due to their large, razor sharp teeth and muscular bodies.

Each otter has unique markings of white or cream fur on their throat and under their chin, which allows every individual to be identified by experts.

Unusually, giant otter Manu does not have any markings and his throat is chestnut brown, which makes him easily identifiable from female, Tibiri.
Plans for Senedd increase and voting system change move forward

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, May 1st, 2024

Plans to expand the Senedd and change the voting system moved a step closer, but MSs called for urgent action to address a lack of accountability.

The Senedd voted on amendments to the members and elections bill, which would increase the size of the Welsh Parliament from 60 to 96 members.

Under the bill, the 32 constituencies that will be used in the next general election would be paired to create 16 for the 2026 Senedd poll, with each returning six members.

However, proposals to introduce a recall system and make it illegal for Senedd members or candidates to deliberately deceive the public were withdrawn at the eleventh hour.

MSs held a stage-three debate, the final opportunity to alter the reforms, on April 30 ahead of a crunch vote next week which coincides with 25 years since the first Senedd election.

Accountability chasm

Plaid Cymrus Adam Price proposed making deliberate deception by candidates or Senedd members a criminal offence, with conviction resulting in disqualification.

The former party leader raised concerns about falling public trust in politics worldwide, warning that a credibility gap has become an accountability chasm over the decades.

Now, were staring into an abyss, he said. Were looking at a future world of deepfakes, post-truth politics and wave after wave of disinformation.

The Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MS told the chamber the proposal would be a world first, stressing: We need to do something, and we need to do something urgently.

Supporting the amendment, the Conservatives Darren Millar said it is illegal for a doctor to mislead a patient as he asked: Why should it be any different for us?

Out for themselves

Lee Waters, a Labour MS, backed the reasonable proposal despite initially being sceptical, pointing to bipartisan support for bringing politics in line with other professions.

Jane Dodds, the Lib Dems leader in Wales, added her support, saying a 2021 survey found 63% of voters view politicians as being out for themselves compared with 48% in 2014.

Mick Antoniw, who is counsel general, the Welsh Governments chief legal adviser, said further detailed legal and policy analysis is required to avoid unintended consequences.

Mr Antoniw, who is in charge of the bill, emphasised the importance of members being able to speak freely and suggested Wales does not have the powers to create such an offence.

Mr Price withdrew the amendment, saying he did not want to fracture emerging consensus by forcing a vote, but he stressed the Senedd must legislate this term.

Public interest

Mr Millar called for a recall system, which would allow voters to remove a Senedd member between elections, similar to the one introduced in Westminster after the expenses scandal.

The Tory MS told the chamber a system of recall is an important accountability mechanism, which empowers voters to pass judgement on their representatives.

He said: It would ensure trust and accountability are at the heart of everything we do  not just at election time but throughout the time members are in office.

Seemingly referring to Rhys ab Owen, who is serving a 42-day suspension without salary from the Senedd, Mr Millar said: These are matters of live public interest.

Vikki Howells, who chairs the Senedd standards committee, said the committee will work on recommendations around a recall system as part of a wider inquiry on accountability.

Embarrassing

Ms Dodds said a recall mechanism would be a pivotal step to address eroding public trust.

She raised the Citizens Assembly on Democracys concerns about an embarrassing political culture of dishonesty and lack of serious consequences for bad behaviour.

The former MP, who herself won a 2019 by-election triggered by a recall petition before her election to the Senedd, pointed out that Boris Johnson resigned at the threat of recall.

Mr Antoniw said the Welsh Government would not vote for the amendments but ministers stood ready to support implementation of the committees recommendations.

Mr Millar withdrew the amendment in light of the cross-party inquiry but the Clwyd West MS warned time is running out to implement recall before the 2026 election.

Power grab

The Senedd voted down calls for a referendum and to change the proposed closed-list electoral system which would see people voting for parties rather than individuals.

Suggesting a flexible-list system, which would give voters more say over who is elected, Mr Millar described closed lists as a power grab that would damage Welsh democracy.

He warned that voter turnout  which has never topped 50% in a Senedd election  could be even lower in future if people are given less say over who represents them.

Mr Millar explained a flexible-list system would give voters more choice, with any candidate receiving more than 10% of the vote moving to the top of the pile.

Heledd Fychan, for Plaid Cymru, said her party continues to favour the single-transferable vote, which allows people to rank candidates, or a flexible-list system.

Alphabet soup

But she stressed the need for pragmatism and compromise with a two-thirds supermajority required for the bill to pass through the Senedd.

Ms Fychan welcomed that Wales would become the first UK nation to entirely move away from the harmful first-past-the-post system used in Westminster elections.

Mr Waters described voting systems as an alphabet soup, with everyone having a favourite and each having its flaws, saying he too would focus on the bigger prize of wider reforms.

Mr Antoniw said future votes will be more proportional than the current additional member system, which uses a mix of first-past-the-post constituencies and regional party lists.

MSs will hold a final stage-four debate on the amended version of the bill on May 8, with parliamentary arithmetic suggesting the reforms will get the go-ahead.

By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter
Wrexham gang who targeted families for sentimental gold jailed for more than 14 years

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, May 1st, 2024

A Wrexham gang who targeted local families for sentimental gold jewellery have today been jailed for a combined total of more than 14 years.

Police have detailed how over a three-month period from September last year, members of the gang smashed their way into the homes of six Asian families, ransacking each one and entering their lofts looking for family gold.

They attempted to cover their tracks by committing the offences using a car they bought for the conspiracy and using cleaning products at some of the houses. They even stole the gloves they used to commit the burglaries.

Following each burglary, members of the gang visited a bullion dealer in Birmingham to exchange the stolen assets for cash.

Operation Guard, an investigation led by North Wales Police, and supported by other forces, saw the arrests of four of five of the gang members in Wrexham in November following their final journey from the Birmingham bullion dealer.

The final gang member was located in Southport the following month.

North Wales Police have detailed five men who appeared before Mold Crown Court for sentencing yesterday included:

Kew Delaney, 34, of Wrexham Caravan Site, Ruthin Road, Coedpoeth, was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

Addie Piggott, 29, of Wrexham Caravan Site, Ruthin Road, Coedpoeth, was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.

Todd Wickens, 35, of Berrylands, Homestead Lane, Wrexham, was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and sentenced to four years in prison.

Michael Berry, 24, of Berrylands, Homestead Lane, Wrexham, was charged with handling stolen goods and sentenced to two years and months in prison.

Tom Cash, 26, of Southsea Stables, Southsea, Wrexham, was charged with handling stolen goods and sentenced to 12months, suspended for 18 months, and 150 hours of unpaid work.

They explain, The conspiracy began in September last year when Delaney, Wickens, Piggott and Berry bought a red Vauxhall Vectra Estate, used to commit the burglaries.

The first incident was reported the same day on September 28th after masked members of the gang attempted a burglary at a pub in Shropshire. They were chased off the premises, leaving behind a bottle of Flash cleaning product. The following day, two burglaries were reported in Wrexham.

At around 8pm, some of the gang broke into a house on Croesnewydd Road, stealing family jewellery including necklaces, earrings, wedding rings and bangles. Around an hour later, they targeted another house on Bennions Road, stealing a wedding ring and 3,000 cash.

On September 30th, following both burglaries, Delaney and Berry made a trip to Birmingham, with CCTV footage showing them briefly visiting a bullion dealer. The following month, West Mercia Police executed a warrant at the premises, seizing all documents relating to the sale of jewellery.

On October 2nd another burglary at a house on Lilac Way in Wrexham was reported, with more than 3,000 in cash and thousands of pounds of gold jewellery stolen. The next day, Delaney made another brief visit to the Birmingham bullion dealer, this time with Wickens and Piggott. Later the same evening, another two burglaries were reported on Brunswick Court and Bath Road, where more gold was stollen.

Their red Vauxhall Vectra was seen in the area of both burglaries, before it was dumped the following day in Rhosllanerchrugog. On November 7th, more gold and cash were stolen from a house in Moss Valley.

The following day, Delaney made the final trip to the Birmingham bullion dealer with Wickens, Delaney, Piggott and Cash, before their arrests on their return to Wrexham.

Michael Berry was located in Stockport the following month.

Detective Inspector Christopher Owen who led the investigation, said: These burglars targeted innocent families across our county, stealing sentimental family jewellery for their own financial gain.

They travelled across the country to sell stolen jewellery in an attempt to frustrate investigators.

They now face a total of more than 14 years behind bars.

I do not underestimate the impact that intrusive crimes of this nature have on their victims, and I sincerely hope that this sentencing helps those affected begin to move forward with their lives.

I must commend the efforts of all those involved in this comprehensive, complex investigation in securing todays result. The outcome is testament to our collaborative one-team approach, working closely with neighbouring forces and partner agencies to target those causing harm to our communities.

I hope that todays result sends a clear message that burglary will never be tolerated by North Wales Police, and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.
Wrexham gifted Royal Navy battleship HMS Dragon in Portsmouth ceremony

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, May 1st, 2024

The city of Wrexham has been been gifted Royal Navy battleship HMS Dragon.

Wrexhams Member of Parliament, Sarah Atherton MP joined Commanding Officer Iain Giffin for a handover ceremony, alongside the Mayor of Wrexham, the Chief Executive and Leader of Wrexham Council and Wrexham Councils Armed Forces Champion at a ceremony in Portsmouth earlier this week.

During the ceremony, the Lord Mayor of Cardiff presented the Mayor of Wrexham with the HMS Dragon cap and scroll.

Prior to this, the Type 45 Destroyer was affiliated with Cardiff but as there will soon be a new Type 26 Frigate, HMS Cardiff, Dragon has been twinned with Wrexham.

Ms Atherton has been working alongside Wrexham Councils Armed Forces Champion to bring the project to fruition for more than 12 months.

Separately, Ms Atherton has been lobbying the Ministry of Defence to secure formal affiliation between the newly established City of Wrexham and a Royal Navy ship.

HMS Dragon is one of the Royal Navys six Type 45 air defence destroyers. Its main role is air defence: providing protection to fellow ships by detecting, interrogating, and neutralising enemy threats with the Sea Viper anti-air missile system.

Numbering more than 200, the crew of HMS Dragon is made up of Aircrewmen, Weapons Engineers, Communications Technicians and more.

Affiliations between warships and local communities are a time-honoured tradition, with the connections serving as symbols of unity and mutual support.

All major Royal Navy ships have affiliations as part of a long-standing custom that binds their crews to the land via a network of relationships which spread across the United Kingdom.

Sarah Atherton MP commented: I have dedicated over a year to securing Wrexham a ship that reflects our growing status as Wales newest city.

Drawing on my military connections, I am thrilled that Wrexham now boasts its very own Royal Navy battleship, HMS Dragon.

Wrexham, with its proud military heritage and a large veterans community, including myself, and our City will undoubtedly welcome this announcement and it is an exciting time for all who will serve on board.

Kevin Hackett  Chairman of Wrexham Royal Naval Association said: Although far from the sea, Wrexham has always had strong naval connections, with many veterans who have served and a very active Royal Naval Association.

I am so proud today that Wrexham at last has its own ship, HMS Dragon.

This is exciting for our new City, and we look forward to giving a warm Wrexham welcome to Dragon ships company in the future, as I was welcomed many years ago.
Police vehicles carrying arrested protesters move out of Columbia University in New York, the United States, on April 30, 2024. Dozens of protesters who occupied a building of Columbia University in protest of Israeli operation in Gaza were arrested on Tuesday night as New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were called in to clear the building, local media reported. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

NEW YORK, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of protesters who occupied a building of Columbia University in protest of Israeli operation in Gaza were arrested on Tuesday night as New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were called in to clear the building, local media reported.

Columbia University limited access to its Morningside Campus on Tuesday morning as dozens of student protesters occupied Hamilton Hall on the campus in the early hours of Tuesday.

While the group who broke into the building includes students, it is led by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia University, said Columbia University President Minouche Shafik in a letter to the NYPD on Tuesday.

"The individuals who have occupied Hamilton Hall have vandalized University property and are trespassing," said Shafik.

Shafik requested the NYPD's help to clear all individuals from Hamilton Hall and all encampments on the campus of Columbia University. 

A police officer urges a man who is filming near Columbia University to leave in New York, the United States, on April 30, 2024. Dozens of protesters who occupied a building of Columbia University in protest of Israeli operation in Gaza were arrested on Tuesday night as New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were called in to clear the building, local media reported. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

Crowd look on the confrontation between police and protesters near Columbia University in New York, the United States, on April 30, 2024. Dozens of protesters who occupied a building of Columbia University in protest of Israeli operation in Gaza were arrested on Tuesday night as New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were called in to clear the building, local media reported. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

Police officers stand guard near Columbia University in New York, the United States, on April 30, 2024. Dozens of protesters who occupied a building of Columbia University in protest of Israeli operation in Gaza were arrested on Tuesday night as New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were called in to clear the building, local media reported. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

Police officers stand guard near Columbia University in New York, the United States, on April 30, 2024. Dozens of protesters who occupied a building of Columbia University in protest of Israeli operation in Gaza were arrested on Tuesday night as New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were called in to clear the building, local media reported. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

Protesters confront police officers near Columbia University in New York, the United States, on April 30, 2024. Dozens of protesters who occupied a building of Columbia University in protest of Israeli operation in Gaza were arrested on Tuesday night as New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were called in to clear the building, local media reported. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

Police officers stand guard near Columbia University in New York, the United States, on April 30, 2024. Dozens of protesters who occupied a building of Columbia University in protest of Israeli operation in Gaza were arrested on Tuesday night as New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were called in to clear the building, local media reported. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

A gate of Columbia University is blocked in New York, the United States, on April 30, 2024. Dozens of protesters who occupied a building of Columbia University in protest of Israeli operation in Gaza were arrested on Tuesday night as New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were called in to clear the building, local media reported. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

A police vehicle carrying arrested protesters moves out of Columbia University in New York, the United States, on April 30, 2024. Dozens of protesters who occupied a building of Columbia University in protest of Israeli operation in Gaza were arrested on Tuesday night as New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were called in to clear the building, local media reported. (Xinhua/Li Rui)
For months, millions have been taking to the streets across Germany to protest against the xenophobic and fascist policies of the Alternative for Germany (AfD). Now the editorials, news and talk shows are also focusing intensively on the far-right party; there was even a parliamentary current affairs debate on the subject in the Bundestag last Thursday.

However, unlike the anti-AfD demonstrations, the media and establishment parties are not attacking the AfD from the left, but from the right. After an assistant of the AfD Member of the European Parliament Maximilian Krah was arrested on espionage charges, they exploited links between leading AfD politicians and Russia and China to fuel war hysteria against the two countries. The AfD was accused of a lack of patriotism and enthusiasm for war.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in the Bundestag [Photo by DBT / Janine Schmitz / photothek]

Speaking in the Bundestag, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) deputy Marc Heinrichmann accused the AfD of betraying and selling out the German people. Social Democratic Party (SPD) deputy Dirk Wiese accused it of hypocritical love of the fatherland and the Green Partys Konstantin von Notz of obsequious fawning towards China and Russia. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said that it was unacceptable for representatives of the people to become Putins or Beijings stooges and an instrument of their propaganda machinery.

The topic dominated the main news on broadcasters ARD and ZDF for days. News weekly Der Spiegel appeared at the weekend with the headline, The traitors to the country. Research had shown how important the AfD is for Russias hybrid warfare against the West, wrote the magazine. While it was part of its brand essence to accuse the hated system parties of betraying German interests, it now appears that the party has primarily described itself in this way.

This campaign is reactionary in every respect. It will not weaken the extreme right, but rather strengthen it. Having largely adopted the AfDs political programme on refugees and domestic policy, the coalition government comprising the SPD, Greens and Liberal Democrats (FDP) is now trying to overtake the party of AfD leaders Gauland, Hocke, Chrupalla and Weidel on the right in terms of foreign policy as well. The accusation that the AfD lacks patriotism is like accusing an alcoholic of not drinking enough schnapps.

The AfDs European party conference in Magdeburg last summer was an orgy of nationalism and great power chauvinism. The guest speaker was the Bulgarian right-wing extremist Kostadin Kostadinov, who received a standing ovation when he shouted: It is high time that Germany took its rightful place as a great power, and not just in Europe.

Maximilian Krah, who was elected as the lead candidate for the European elections at the Magdeburg party conference and who is now at the centre of the accusations against the AfD, cheered: We can take courage and passion from our colleague from Bulgaria to get this far.

Krah belongs to the volkisch (extreme nationalist) Hocke wing of the AfD and is well connected with the fascist scene in Europe. In his office, he employs the Frenchman Guillaume Pradoura, who was expelled from Marine Le Pens Rassemblement National in 2019 for an anti-Semitic caricature. However, Krah is not being pilloried for his fascist connections and great power fantasies, but for his contacts with Moscow and Beijing and his reservations about the war in Ukraine.

On April 23, the federal prosecutor general had Krahs colleague Jian G. arrested on the charge of secret service agent activity in a particularly serious case. Jian G., who came to Dresden from China to study in 2002 and is now a German citizen, has been working for Krah as an assistant in the European Parliament since 2019. He is alleged to have passed on information from the European Parliament to the Chinese secret service, and to have spied on Chinese dissidents in Germany. More details are not presently known.

Krah is also suspected of having received money from Russian sources. Similar allegations had already been made by the Czech secret service at the end of March against the number two on the AfDs European election list, Bundestag member Petr Bystron. Bystron is said to have collected 20,000 via the Voice of Europe media portal, behind which the Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk is suspected of standing. Medvedchuk is a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin and now lives in Russia. Bystron and Krah deny the allegations.

It is undisputed that AfD representatives have spoken out against arms deliveries to Ukraine and rejected sanctions against China. They hold that these conflicts primarily serve US and not German interests. On the other hand, when it comes to German great power interests, rearmament cannot go far enough for them. The AfD is a thoroughly militaristic party with strong support within the military and security apparatus. Its leadership includes several former officers.

The campaign accusing the AfD of treason because of its relations with Russia and China is only superficially directed against the far-right party. It is primarily intended to intimidate and brand as potential traitors all those who are fundamentally opposed to German militarism and reject both NATOs proxy war against Russia and the genocide of the Palestinianswhich the AfD fully supports.

There are also conflicts in political and business spheres about the correct way to deal with China. Chancellor Olaf Scholzs recent trip to China was heavily criticised in part because he avoided an open confrontation with the Chinese leadership.

There are high-ranking figures in Germany who have a clear, strategic view of China, not least Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, commented the US magazine Foreign Policy. But neither was in Beijing. Instead, Scholz took along ministers ... who are in favour of close cooperation with Beijing, as well as a host of industry leaders who promote Sino-German trade and investment.

The criticism of the AfD was accompanied by hysterical warnings of Chinese industrial espionage and Russian sabotage.

In the Bundestag debate, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser confirmed that two people had been arrested in Bayreuth at the same time as Krahs staff in order to prevent Russian sabotage plans, and three in Bad Homburg and Dusseldorf for espionage on behalf of China. She promised a new law to protect critical infrastructure, called on companies to make themselves more resilient and continue to ramp up protective measures, and threatened a tough crackdown by a strong constitutional state.

FDP Bundestag deputy Konstantin Kuhle declared that Germany was the focus of espionage from China because China is first and foremost a systemic rival that is targeting economic, scientific and military expertise from Germany.

This right-wing atmosphere of warmongering, fears of espionage and law-and-order bombast can only lead to the growth of the AfD and other radical right-wing forces. As the WSWS wrote in January, the AfD is not a foreign body in an otherwise healthy organism, but the worst symptom of a thoroughly sick system. The far right is used and promoted throughout Europe to suppress resistance to war, militarism and social cuts.

Only an independent movement of the international working class that combines the struggle against militarism, social inequality and dictatorship with the struggle for a socialist society can prevent this. This is what the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) and its candidates in the European elections stand for.
This month, Israeli police arrested and detained for questioning Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, a leading Palestinian legal academic, over comments made on a podcast weeks earlier. Shalhoub-Kevorkian holds a chair in law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and another at Queen Mary University of London.

The police said, The detainee is suspected of making serious incitement against the State of Israel and for having said statements against Zionism and even claims that Israel is currently committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. They added that they had found posters and pictures in her home depicting Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers as an occupying army.

Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian [Photo: screenshot: https://scholarsagainstwar.org]

Freedom of political expression in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has always been restricted and there have been widespread detentions of Palestinian citizens of Israel who have publicly criticised the war in Gaza. But this is the first time an academic has been targeted over opposition to Zionism, possession of posters against the occupation and claims of Israeli genocide in Gazastatements that pose no security threat, let alone any incitement to violence, terror and racism. Since the attorney generals office must approve all prosecutions relating to freedom of speech, Shalhoub-Kevorkians detention was greenlighted not just by the police but at the very heart of government.

Her detention is part of a broader crackdown on dissent and the targeting of Israels critics by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus fascistic regime, aimed at intimidating and silencing Israels Palestinian citizens who make up 20 percent of the population. Netanyahus strategic goal of annexing Palestinian territory illegally occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and establishing an ethno-religious regime between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea means the only democracy in the Middle East eliminating even the tattered, democratic facade of the Israeli state.

The police confiscated books and posters from Shalhoub-Kevorkians home and questioned her extensively about her academic work, including articles published years ago, even though academic writing is afforded special legal protections in Israel. In her 60s, she was strip-searched, handcuffed so tightly it caused pain, denied access to food, water and medication for several hours, and held overnight in a cold cell without adequate clothing or blankets, conditions her lawyers described as terrible and designed to humiliate. While she was released on bail the next day, after a magistrate and a district court judge both ruled she posed no threat, days later she was summoned for further questioning.

Her lawyer, the director of the human rights organisation Adalah, Hassan Jabareen, said, This case is unique. This is not only about one professor; it could be a [precedent] for any academic who goes against the consensus in wartime. As he explained, They could have asked her to come to the police station for two or three hours to discuss, investigate. To carry out the arrest like that, as if she was a dangerous person, shows the main purpose was to humiliate her. It was illegal, thats why the magistrates court accepted my argument that she should be released and the district court confirmed it.

Her arrest follows months of political attacks orchestrated by the Hebrew University, which likes to present itself as a model of liberalism and inclusion, in the run-up to her detention. The rector had called on her to resign in late 2023 after she signed a letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and describing Israels campaign as genocide, and she was briefly suspended over a podcast in which she discussed the tragic events of October 7 and the subsequent destruction, death, and starvation in Gaza. He had objected to her calling for Zionism to be abolished and casting doubt about some aspects of the October 7 attack, particularly reports of sexual assaults.

More than 100 academics at the Hebrew University published an open letter backing Shalhoub-Kevorkian, criticising the university for not supporting her. They wrote, Regardless of the content of Naderas words, their interpretation and the opinions she expressed, it is clear to everyone that this is a political arrest, the whole purpose of which is to gag mouths and limit freedom of expression. Today it is Nadera who stands on the bench, and tomorrow it is each and every one of us.

Queen Mary University of London has not condemned the arrest, but more than 250 academics there published an open letter supporting Shalhoub-Kervorkian, calling on the university to stand by her and condemning the sustained attack on academic freedom in Israel.

Shalhoub-Kevorkians arrest follows the arrest and detention of hundreds of Israels Palestinian citizens because of social media posts or comments condemning Israels genocidal war. Others have lost their jobs or access to education. More than 160 university students, mostly Palestinian Israelis, have been referred to disciplinary committees, accused of supporting terror, supporting terrorist organizations or incitement to terrorism. Others have been doxed and threatened with violence, facing chants of Death to Arabs from extremist Jewish students, some with the cooperation of student unions and university administrations.

In October, Professor Nurit Peled-Elhanan, a lecturer at a college in Jerusalem, was suspended and threatened with the sack over her response in a faculty WhatsApp group raising the context of the October 7 attack. While she was later allowed to keep her job after a severe reprimand, other university lecturers at different institutions have also been summoned to hearings. A Ministry of Education directive has demanded universities immediately suspend any student or employee expressing themselves in a manner that constitutes support for terrorism or support for the enemy, while far-right groups scan social media and serve as informants to the universities.

Netanyahu has given his far-right cabinet ministers free rein to silence what remains of Israels left, as well as human rights groups, peace organisations and Palestinian citizens, and to introduce measures to eliminate them, including banning calls for a boycott of settlement goods, declaring six of the most prominent Palestinian NGOs terrorist organisations and outlawing the commemoration of the Nakba.

Since October, legislator Simcha Rothman, who chairs the Knessets Constitution Committee, has pushed hard to restrict freedom of expression under the rubric of combating incitement to terrorism. He has demanded the police and prosecution office loosen restraints and allow more investigations, arrests and the delegitimization of critics of the war and those demanding peace. He summoned the Deputy State Attorney, Alon Altman, to a committee session and reprimanded him for tampering with cases and investigations of crimes of incitement to terrorism.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a former supporter of the outlawed, racist Kach movement and a convicted racist, has set up a task force to monitor alleged Palestinian incitement to terrorism on the internet. He and his fellow cabinet ministers, public officials, retired generals and journalists regularly make calls for the Israel Defense Forces to erase Gaza or carry out a second Nakba with impunity.

On Friday, the police raided the offices of the largely Palestinian Hadash Party and the Communist Party of Israel in Nazareth, a day before a scheduled march opposing the war, and arrested two activists preparing displays and flags. It followed a similar police raid on the Hadash branch office in Nazareth in November aimed at preventing an anti-war rally.

A far-right mob attacked the home of left-wing journalist and activist Israel Frey for expressing his sorrow for the Israeli casualties of October 7 and the thousands of innocent civilians, the women and children killed in Gaza, forcing Frey to flee his home and live in hiding. Frey reported that the police spat at and physically assaulted him, accusing him of supporting Hamas as they escorted him away from his home.

The police have taken to disseminating photographs showing Palestinian detainees, suspected or accused of protesting against Israel or the war, with their hands tied and against the background of a huge Israeli flag, in an effort to humiliate them. The authorities have banned demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, violently dispersed rallies in Haifa, Jerusalem, Umm al-Fahm and elsewhere and arrested dozens of demonstrators.

The Israeli media is subject to military censorship and provides little coverage of the 34,000 Palestinian killed, the 10,000 missing presumed buried under the rubble, or the 1.7 million made homeless by the war, focusing almost exclusively on the October 7 attack and fuelling a sense of existential crisis and national trauma. The Israeli military has killed at least 175 journalists reporting and filming the atrocities in Gaza. Earlier this month, the Knesset passed the Al Jazeera Law, which gives the government temporary powers to prevent a foreign news network from operating in Israel if the security agencies deem it harmful to national security.
NEW YORK, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Columbia University President Minouche Shafik Tuesday requested the presence of New York Police Department (NYPD) officers through at least May 17, two days after the university's commencement.

The measure aims to "maintain order and ensure encampments are not reestablished," Shafik said in a letter to the NYPD regarding the "unrest" on Columbia University's campus.

The negotiations between university administrators and student protesters reached an impasse on Sunday, she said.

On Tuesday night, nearly 100 protesters were arrested by the NYPD, who were called in to clear Hamilton Hall occupied by protesters in the early hours on Tuesday morning.

On April 18, the NYPD arrested over 100 student protesters to clear an encampment on the Morningside campus of Columbia University. 
On Monday afternoon, organizers of the student encampment at Northwestern University (NU) in the north suburb of Chicago reached an agreement behind closed doors with the university administration and shut down the protest against the genocide in Gaza.

Protesters against the Gaza genocide at Northwestern University on Thursday, April 25

The move was widely denounced by students and supporters, even as a similar encampment was set up at the University of Chicago on Monday morning. Over the past week, thousands of students have protested across the Chicago region against the US-backed Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Protests and walkouts against genocide have broken out at multiple other Chicago universities and colleges, including Roosevelt University, Loyola University, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College and others. The latest protest encampment was set up Tuesday morning at DePaul University.

Northwesterns administration put out a statement that the organizers of the protest agreed to end the encampment in return for practically nothing. The statement issued by Michael Schill (president of Northwestern), Kathleen Hagerty (provost) and Susan Davis (vice president of student affairs) read: We have reached an agreement with a group of students and faculty who represent the majority of the protestors on Deering Meadow to bring the demonstration into compliance with University rules and policies.

In fact, these decisions were arrived at completely undemocratically. A small layer of students with the Northwestern University Divestment Coalition came to an agreement with the administration, which has also been shared and endorsed by SJP Chicago.

In exchange for ending the encampment, the university offered pro forma to discuss its investments with the divestment coalition, a promise that itself is highly conditional. Even the limited goals of a previous joint resolution by various student groups, including Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, to continue the encampment until all university investments with the Israeli government have been abandoned was dropped.

The previous resolution included demands for NU to end its Israel Innovation Project (IIP), an institutional partnership with Israeli research institutions focusing on the sciences including chemistry, computer science and AI, renewable energy, neurobiology and materials science. The IIP is planning to host a conference at Northwestern May 8 and 9 focused on water resource management.

Northwestern dispensed further crumbs, including restarting an advisory committee on investment responsibility in the fall. Additionally, it claimed to support visiting Palestinian faculty and students at risk by funding two faculty members and giving full tuition to five Palestinian undergraduates. Northwestern also agreed to provide Muslim students with a temporary space and to renovate a MENA (Middle East and North Africa)/Muslim house on campus.

More importantly, Northwestern has made clear it intends to enforce harsher limits on the activities of students and community members, stating, Only Northwestern students, faculty and staff will be allowed in the demonstration area, except if otherwise authorized by the University. The University and student representatives will work to maintain safety and ensure participation in the demonstration area is limited to University community members and allows for other reserved events to occur on Deering Meadow The above applies to Deering Meadow. All other demonstrations on campus must also comply with University policies.

This rotten sellout agreement was met with an outpouring of anger by students and workers on Northwestern University Divestment Coalitions Instagram account and other social media.

One student wrote, Were your demands a space for MENA/Muslim students? Really? in the middle of a genocide?? Another person added on the joint working groups between the student organization and Northwestern: I was part of working groups in undergrad. THEY DO NOTHING. Theyre waiting for all you troublemakers to graduate in four years and keep the working groups trudging until everyone is tired.

A worker in the community denounced the agreement policing community members participating in the protests: ALSO the whole only NU approved people in proteststhere were whole families there. Parents with their kids. Babies in strollers. Palestinian flags everywhere and music and song. To be okay with just putting that all away for a MENA house open to only NU students, some scholarships for students who are lucky enough to survive the daily bombings, ugh. I dont get it.

Another person denounced the leaders of the divestment coalition, Yall just said the other day As we continue to organize, disrupt, escalate on university campuses and beyond, lets not lose sight of what is unfolding in Gaza. What did you think those words mean? This is complacency in the belly of a violent colonial beast. We have an objective to free Palestine and we will not be negotiating with oppressors.

Another said, With all due respect to the individuals who put their hearts and souls into this movement FIRST AND FOREMOST for Palestinians and the people who have faced and continue to face the worst of human-inflicted atrocities in Gaza, this resolution does nothing to change the status quo for Palestinians in Palestine. I know how hard it is to stand up to the system, and sustaining the effort takes a lot of resources. But the community is here and ready to fight with those resources. This non-resolution came too soon and set a terrible precedent for other movements.

Unless Im missing something this seems completely awful? another commenter said. Relinquishing all leverage and putting an expiration date on the protest in exchange for administrative lip service? I hope the other encampments do not follow suit.

It is critical that students at Northwestern and across Chicago oppose this sellout agreement. The strategy, program and perspective of anti-war protests are increasingly critical questions. Behind the coordinated crackdown and repression of students at campuses across the country is the Biden administration and the Democratic Party, deeply nervous that the student protests against war will fuse with the struggles of the working class against intolerable levels of exploitation.

Northwestern students can oppose this closed-door agreement and appeal to all students, faculty and university staff to expand the fight, not shut it down. They should turn outward to the working class in Chicagoland, appeal directly to workers in manufacturing, logistics, education, healthcare and beyond to defend them and to fuse the anti-war struggle with the growing movement of workers against capitalism, war, fascism and inequality.

As the Socialist Equality Partys 2024 US presidential candidate Joseph Kishore noted in a statement on X/Twitter: This battle  cannot be waged on campuses alone. It must be taken into the working class, which has the social power to oppose imperialism and whose social interests are in conflict with the entire capitalist system.

He added, The Socialist Equality Party election campaign calls on students and faculty on every campus to turn out to the factories and workplaces. We call on workers to denounce the attack on students and organize protests to demand an end to the repression. The fight against the genocide in Gaza must be developed as a fight of the international working class against imperialism and the capitalist system.

Kishore spoke at the Northwestern encampment on Saturday morning making precisely this appeal to students, before speaking at a meeting later in the afternoon in Chicago entitled, The Gaza Genocide, War and the Fight for Socialism.
The Zoom meeting of the Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee (PWRFC) was held on Sunday to discuss its call to Oppose Royal Mails Assault on the USO! Defeat CWUs Collusion! In the weeks prior to the online event hundreds of copies of the statement were distributed at delivery offices and mail centres.

World Socialist Web Site reporter Tony Robson opened the meeting, explaining Royal Mails plans submitted to regulator Ofcom to end six-day letter deliveries to 32 million UK households: Royal Mail, Ofcom, the CWU, the Tory government and the Labour Party all insist that the provision of a mail service is unsustainable.

A Royal Mail worker [Photo by Maureen Barlin / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

There is no way any fight can be conducted if this is accepted. We say the greatest inefficiency is the drain on resources caused by the billionaire owners of Royal Mail and parent company International Distribution Services who have no interest in providing a public service, only siphoning off greater profits on top of the 2 billion since privatisation.

The company was not waiting on Ofcoms findings: The union has already agreed to trial the scaled-back delivery model even before it has been rubber-stamped by the regulator. This confirms what the Committee said about the rotten deal rammed through last July. It was to provide the optimum conditions for the restructuring planned on behalf of shareholders, centred on Super Hubs and automation geared to a 24/7 parcel network to compete with Amazon, with terms and conditions to match.

Robson called for the building of rank-and-file committees at delivery offices and mail centres to coordinate a fightback, saying that postal workers conditions and the provision of a mail service must take precedence over shareholder profit.

In the discussion that followed, a statement from a victimised rep was read out: I am one of the 400 reps who were suspended or sacked during the year-long dispute. We were sold-out by the CWU [Communication Workers Union], while the Lord Falconer Review, cooked up at ACAS, rubber-stamped our mass victimisation. Many of us never returned and we have never had the disciplinaries against us expunged.

Through the national agreement and subsequent joint statements, the CWU are labouring in the spirit of goodwill and endeavouring to bring the reps into a management way of thinking. Yes, you heard me right; but do the victimised reps want to be managers assistants? I doubt it.

The rep pointed to direct evidence of CWU collusion in implementing a reduced USO in violation of existing legislation: In January, a Royal Mail/CWU Joint Statement was released to all levels of management and the union titled: Working together to improve Quality of Service - Joint Statement.

One paragraph in the Joint Statement was an interesting read: Where a delivery route or part of a route is not covered on any given day it must be covered the next working day to ensure any delay in delivery is a maximum of 1 day. To enact this process both parties need a plan as part of a weekly resourcing to ensure walks never fail x 2 days in a row.

Wow! Here we have an admission by Royal Mail that they are planning to fail the USO and introduce their own 3-day a week service. And as its a Joint Statement, its supported by the CWU.

His remarks concluded, This is not what we signed up forwe must stand up and demand that the CWU Executive resign as a bloc with immediate effect. He appealed to all those suffering today, instead of giving up, stand up and fight back.

This sparked further discussion. A long-serving delivery worker explained, We never had any post left over before privatisation, every frame was clear every day. They have taken all the good things out the job.

I have no faith in the union: they sold us down the river, the company got everything it wanted. I can leave 6,7,8 bags of mail in a day. My manager will just say, As long as you get those parcels clear.

The union says we are not supposed to be prioritising parcels but they do nothing. It seems to me they are designing it to fail, and the union is in cahoots with management. They are prioritising profit over the service. Its all about sorting out the shareholders.

In the online chat others agreed. A postal worker from Scotland explained, On my current duty, every week for the last month, me and my van-share partner have had to do double mail and parcels even when the both of us work our days off during the week

Listening to others tonight and the issues has been enlightening. Its clear that Royal Mail staff are working in an environment that may be harmful to long-term health and staff feel so pressured they are falling ill. Living like this is harmful to the mental health of good decent people.

A mail centre worker reported that 15 workers had been suspended at their workplace in the past two months, We have no voice.

Postal workers voiced support for building rank-and-file committees in their own workplaces: It would certainly upset the CWU and their collusion with Royal Mail, if they knew masses of the workforce stood against their joint campaign.

A worker from the US Postal Service in attendance added, This is a great conversation. Im from the US and the situation is the same. No info from the union. Punishing work conditions. I agree rank-and-file committees are the only answer!

Tom Hall, a WSWS reporter from the United States, brought greetings to the meeting from sister rank-and-file committees at the US Postal Service and global logistics company UPS, which like the PRFC are affiliated to the International Workers Alliance for Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC).

Hall said the attacks at Royal Mail are identical to those at the US Postal Service where workers are facing Delivering for America, a restructuring program that aims to eliminate 50,000 jobs and close 1,000 local post offices. Automated sorting machines are being used to slash the workforce to the bone with an eye to privatisation.

At UPS, company executives have announced their Network of the Future closing 200 of the companys 1,000 facilities in America and fully automating 400, to eliminate 80 percent of inside jobs. The Teamsters union enforced a sellout contract last year to help the company drive down costs.

UPS drivers begin their route, Los Angeles ,California, July 2023.

Hall provided a first-hand account of the explosive political situation in the United States. He explained how peaceful student protests against the genocide in Gaza were facing unprecedented police violence and mass arrests by riot police; an operation being directed from the White House by President Joe Biden.

At the same time, the trade union bureaucracy was deepening its alliance with the Democrats and Republicans, the two parties of big business. Hall said Teamsters officials had met repeatedly with Biden at the White House and with Donald Trump in recent months, pledging to work with them and enforce labour discipline on the home front.

War abroad, Hall stressed, is always accompanied by a war against the working class at home: They always say these wars are about democracy and human rights, but it never is. Its about defending the profits of US imperialism, British imperialism, and securing raw materials, supply chains and markets against their rivals, and that is joined at the hip with defending profits at home.

Hall invited those present to attend the UPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee meeting being held later that evening in the United States. He said they were preparing a statement (now published) appealing to the working class to come to the defence of students right to protest.

The meeting ended with an appeal to attend the May Day international online rally this Saturday at 8pm (British Summer Time).
On Thursday, April 25, Bogdan Syrotiuka socialist opponent of the fascistic Zelensky regime and the NATO-instigated Ukraine-Russia warwas arrested by the Security Service of Ukraine, the SBU, in his hometown of Pervomaisk in southern Ukraine.

Bogdan Syrotiuk

Bogdan, who is 25 years old and in poor health, is being held in a prison in Nikolaev under atrocious conditions on fraudulent charges of undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine and serving the interests of Russia. If found guilty by a kangaroo court of these charges, Bogdan is threatened with a prison sentence of 15 years to life, which is the equivalent of a death sentence.

The arrest of Bogdan is the latest example of the Zelensky regimes brutal repression of left-wing movements, whose opposition to the war is finding a growing response within the Ukrainian working class.

SBU agents ransacked Bogdans apartment and the office that he has used to conduct political and educational activities. The World Socialist Web Site has been informed that the SBU is claiming that it found a Russian military coat, a backpack with the letter Za symbol associated with Russian military chauvinismand a gas mask in the office. Only dull-witted fascist police will expect people to believe that such items will be found in an office that prominently displays a photo of Leon Trotsky and offers a wide selection of Marxist-Trotskyist literature.

If such items were found in Bogdans office, it is because they were planted there by the SBU, whose unscrupulous and Gestapo-like methods are common knowledge in Ukraine.

Bogdan Syrotiuk at a May 9 rally in honor of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II

Attempts to portray Bogdan as a supporter of the Putin regime and its invasion of Ukraine are politically preposterous. Comrade Syrotiuk is a leading member of the Young Guard of Bolshevik-Leninists (YGBL), a Trotskyist youth organization active in Ukraine and throughout the former Soviet Union.

In political solidarity with the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), the YGBL opposes the oligarchic capitalist governments in both Ukraine and Russia. In numerous articles posted on the World Socialist Web Site and in speeches delivered at events sponsored by the ICFI, Bogdan has unequivocally condemned the war and called for the unity of the Ukrainian and Russian working class against the reactionary national-chauvinist regimes headquartered in Kiev and Moscow. His comrades in Russia unequivocally oppose the capitalist restorationist regime of Putin and its delusional glorification of neo-tsarist Russian nationalism.

In a speech written three days before his arrest, which he planned to deliver at the International Committees upcoming celebration of May Day, Comrade Bogdan states:

On the day of international solidarity of the working class, we, members of the Ukrainian branch of the Young Guard of Bolshevik-Leninists, and the entire YGBL call for the unification of the Ukrainian and Russian proletariat with the proletariat in the imperialist countries to end this war!

The arrest of Comrade Bogdan Syrotiuk, part of a pattern of brutal repressive measures by the Zelensky regime against opponents of the war and the entire working class, exposes the lying claim that the US-NATO war against Russia is being waged in defense of democracy. Ukraine is a police state. Its population is subjected to martial law. Elections have been cancelled and Zelensky rules as a dictator, subject only to the dictates of his NATO sponsors, the financial interests of the billionaire oligarchs, and the neo-Nazi gangs upon whom he relies to intimidate the Ukrainian people.

In fact, the US State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor acknowledges in its latest report, issued earlier this month, the Ukrainian regimes brutally repressive character. Among the grave human rights issues cited by the report are:

enforced disappearance; torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; restrictions on freedom of expression, including for members of the media, including violence or threats of violence against journalists, unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, and censorship; serious restrictions on internet freedom; substantial interference with the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association; restrictions on freedom of movement; serious government corruption; extensive gender-based violence; systematic restrictions on workers freedom of association; and the existence of the worst forms of child labor. Some of these human rights issues stemmed from martial law, which continued to curtail democratic freedoms, including freedom of movement, freedom of the press, freedom of peaceful assembly, and legal protections.

Under these conditions of vicious repression, the life of Bogdan Syrotiuk is in immediate danger. Within the prisons, the inmates are subject to the violent regime instituted by an administration saturated with Ukrainian fascists. The State Department report further states:

Although the constitution and law prohibited torture and other cruel and unusual punishment, there were reports law enforcement authorities engaged in such abuse. Under normal circumstances, courts could not legally use confessions and statements made under duress to police by persons in custody as evidence in court proceedings, but the institution of martial law since the start of Russias full-scale invasion permitted this.

Particularly ominous, given the attempt of the SBU to frame up Bogdan as an agent of the Russian military, is the State Departments finding that:

There were reports law enforcement and military officials abused and, at times, tortured persons in custody to obtain confessions, usually related to alleged collaboration with Russia.

The Kiev regime, which is responsible for these atrocities is being showered with billions of dollars and armed with the most advanced weaponry by the United States and its NATO allies. The arrest of Bogdan occurred just as the US Congress voted to allocate another $60 billion to a war that has already cost the lives of approximately 500,000 Ukrainian soldiers. The Biden administration and its counterparts in London, Paris, Berlin, Rome and the other capitals involved in the direction of the proxy war are no less responsible for the fate of Bogdan Syrotiuk than their agents in Kiev.

The working class and youth throughout the world are justly outraged by the criminal war being waged by Israel, with the support of the Biden administration and NATO, against the people of Gaza. But it must be understood that the same governments that are collaborating in the Gaza genocide are sponsoring the proxy war in Ukraine. The violence in Gaza and Ukraine are interconnected fronts in a global escalation of military conflicts that threaten humanity with a nuclear catastrophe.

The fight for Bogdans freedom and for an end to the proxy war must be seen as an essential component of the struggle against imperialism, genocide, and fascism.

The International Committee of the Fourth International and the World Socialist Web Site call for a global campaign to demand the immediate release of Bogdan Syrotiuk.

The international working class and student youth throughout the world must be informed of the seizure of Bogdan and mobilized in his defense.

We call for the widest circulation of this statement on all available social media. An online petition calling for the freedom of Bogdan has been established at Change.org. We urge you to sign the petition and post a statement on the site amplifying your call for his freedom. Bring this campaign to the attention of your co-workers and fellow students. For more information on how you can become involved in the fight for Bogdans release from prison, contact the World Socialist Web Site at this address.

Bogdan Syrotiuk must be freed!
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) urges all readers in Australia to sign up as electoral members of the party and take up the fight for international socialism, which is the only way to address and halt the accelerating climate crisis created by capitalism.

The impacts of global climate change, long predicted by scientists, are already upon us. The latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report for 2023 described widespread adverse impacts from extreme weather events that have become more frequent and intense.

The World Socialist Web Site has reported on World Weather Attribution studies that have demonstrated the exacerbating impact climate change has had on recent extreme events, such as the disastrous Amazon River Basin drought and a dangerous heatwave in West Africa.

Bush fires near Toowoomba, Queensland on October 30, 2023. [Photo: Facebook/Queensland Fire and Emergency Services]

Every continent is being affected by massive wildfires, heatwaves and air pollution, while the global melting of the ice caps and glaciers is speeding up. The IPCC report noted that the Australian Black Summer bushfires of 201920, which were responsible for almost 500 deaths, originated from extreme drought conditions that were exacerbated by climate change.

Such events are a forewarning of what is in store for humanity if warming trends continue. The average global temperature is rapidly approaching 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and is currently on track for 3 degrees C of warming. Each additional increment of warming brings with it more climate-related disasters that will negatively impact millions of people worldwide, particularly the working class and the most vulnerable.

The science is beyond dispute. To stave off the worst of the climate catastrophe, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be drastically cut immediately, with a corresponding mass funding and expansion of renewable energy.

In the light of the dire warnings by the scientists, the political response to the climate crisis by the ruling classes around the world has been nothing short of criminal. For decades now, fossil fuel corporations have been permitted to continue raking in profits, despite the suffering they are causing globally.

ExxonMobil, one of the largest global contributors to GHG emissions, has spent tens of millions of dollars promoting climate change denial and opposing the well-established link between fossil fuel burning and climate change. British Petroleum (BP) coined and popularised the concept of the carbon footprint in 2004 to offload responsibility for the climate crisis onto consumers and ordinary people.

For decades, treaties and talks between national capitalist governments, supposedly with the aim of global cooperation on climate change, have done nothing to curb GHG emissions to the level needed.

Global emissions after the 1997 Kyoto Protocolwhich consisted of mechanisms that allowed big polluters to avoid cutting emissionscontinued to rise substantially. The 2015 Paris agreement was similarly bogus, setting targets that would not limit warming to a safe level, with no penalties for countries that did not achieve those targets.

More recently, the 28th UN Conference of the Parties (COP28) meeting, held at the end of 2023 in the United Arab Emirates, was presided over by the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Sultan Al Jaber. The conference was attended by almost 2,500 fossil fuel lobbyists representing some of the largest GHG emitters in the world, such as Shell, BP and Exxon.

The fact that an oil executive presided over the global talks between governments to supposedly mitigate climate change exposes the indifference of the ruling classes to the health and wellbeing of the working people and youth around the world.

It also shows that the fundamental characteristics of world capitalism block any genuine global climate plan. On climate change, as on the lurch into war, the ongoing COVID-19 disaster and soaring social inequality, world capitalism is dominated by the profit interests of giant corporations and the super-rich, and the conflicting strategic interests of rival nation-states.

Australian governments have been no exception. While elements of the Liberal-National Coalition engage in outright climate change denial, the Albanese Labor government has continued to approve new coal and gas projects by some of the worlds worst corporate polluters.

The Greens represent no genuine alternative. As a capitalist party, they defend the profit system that generated the climate crisis in the first place. That was demonstrated again in 2022, when the Greens supported the Labor governments patently inadequate climate targets. Those targets aimed for a 43 percent reduction of GHG emissions by 2030, far short of the Climate Councils recommendation of a 75 percent reduction in the same period. The Labor-Greens legislation contained no penalties for corporations that continue to emit and provided no mechanisms for achieving even these targets.

The SEP warned of the role played by the Greens as a defender of the capitalist system following the 2022 federal election results, and explained that climate change is fundamentally a product of the capitalist profit system itself, based upon the subordination of every aspect of social life to profit, and the irrational division of the world into antagonistic nation-states. The only realistic solution lies in the abolition of capitalism and the reorganisation of social and economic life on a global scale.

Vast developments in science and technology make it possible to limit climate change to manageable levels while providing a high standard of living for all. But this necessitates a rational economic plan coordinated on a global level.

That is impossible while the world economy is controlled and operated in the interests of corporate profit. Instead, trillions of dollars are being poured into military spending as the plunge into war intensifies. What is required is the struggle for socialism, based on a turn to the working class, the social force whose fundamental class interests align with reconstructing society to address the climate crisis.

That is the fight being conducted by the SEP and its sister parties in the International Committee of the Fourth International.

We do not harbour any illusions that the crises of capitalism, including climate change, can be resolved through parliament by electing our candidates. However, by registering our party and putting our name on the ballot at the next federal election, we can provide the working class a genuine socialist voice and campaign for our program of world socialist revolution.

To ensure that the SEP has the elementary democratic right to have its name on ballot papers, and that workers and young people can vote consciously for this essential socialist program, we urge all our readers and supporters to join up as electoral members of the SEP, using the form below.

At the same time, we invite all our readers and existing electoral members to study the SEPs program and apply to become full members of the party in order to help build the urgently-needed socialist leadership in the working class.
The New York criminal trial of Donald Trump for falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election entered its third week on Tuesday.

Prosecutors called Keith Davidson, the attorney who represented both Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, two women who said they had sexual relationships with Trump and were paid to keep quiet about it.

Davidson had detailed knowledge of the negotiations over the $150,000 payment made to McDougal and the $130,000 payment to Daniels through Trumps fixer attorney, Michael Cohen. Both McDougal and Daniels allege they had affairs with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied the relationships and accused both women of lying.

During hours of testimony, Davidson reviewed the process by which the amounts of hush money were agreed to by Cohen on behalf of Trump, corroborating a central element of the prosecutions case. At one point, Davidson told the jury, Michael Cohen didnt have the authority to actually spend money. My understanding was that Mr. Trump was the beneficiary of this contract.

Responding to the prosecutions presentation of text and email messages between the two lawyers during the negotiations, Davidson detailed the gangster-style tactics used by Cohen, which he called a hostile barrage of insults.

The Stormy Daniels agreement was signed on October 14, 2016, but when it became apparent that Trump was seeking to stretch out the process past election day and renege, Davidson said he was walking away from it. Cohen then wired the money to Daniels on October 26, just nine days before the 2016 presidential election.

In the instance of McDougal, Davidson reviewed the negotiations on the catch-and-kill scheme in which American Media, Inc.owner of the National Enquireragreed to pay $150,000 for the exclusive rights to her story, with the intention of not publishing it. Davidson reviewed his text exchanges with National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard in June 2016, in which he wrote, I have a blockbuster Trump story.

The description by Davidson on the stand substantiated that of David Pecker, publisher of the National Enquirer, who testified last week that he, Trump and Cohen had reached an agreement to use the tabloid to bolster Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. Pecker said he had agreed to help Trump head off negative media reports like those of McDougal and Daniels.

Other witnesses who testified on Tuesday included Michael Cohens former banker Gary Farro, who reviewed the financial process Cohen used to transfer the $130,000 payment to Daniels, and Robert Browning, executive director of C-SPAN archives, who reviewed video clips of Trumps responses to the infamous Access Hollywood tape that was released one month before the election.

The testimony on Tuesday added more details to facts that have already been revealed about the seamy, behind-the-scenes machinations of Donald Trump, who was then the nominee and is now the presumptive Republican Party candidate for US president.

The hush money trial proceedings have also provided a glimpse of the extent to which payoffs and illegal exchanges of money, along with the influence of extremely reactionary forces, are at work within the American political system.

Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to reimbursing Cohen for the Daniels payment. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.

As explained previously here on the WSWS, of the numerous indictments against Trump, the hush-money case is the only one to come to trial. The presence of a former US president as the defendant in a criminal trial is historically unprecedented, the outcome of a decades-long and intensifying crisis of the political system of American capitalism. At the same time, the charges in the New York trial are not connected with Trumps conspiracy to overthrow the 2020 presidential election, which culminated in the fascist attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

As the WSWS Perspective column of April 19 explained:

The Biden administration and the Democratic Party have no interest in holding Trump to account criminally for his crimes against democratic rights because to do so would expose the broadand continuingsupport within substantial sections of the ruling class and the state apparatus for the attempted coup, further undermining the two-party political monopoly in the US.

Before the jury was called into the courtroom on Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan fined Trump for nine violations of a gag order barring him from publicly discussing witnesses or the jury in the case. Judge Merchan, a justice of the New York State Supreme Court, acted in response to a motion filed by prosecutors that Trump be held in contempt over social media posts and public comments about Cohen, Daniels and the makeup of the jury pool. The fine was $1,000 per violation.

Judge Merchan also ordered Trump to remove the posts by Tuesday afternoon, which the ex-president did. In his decision, the judge wrote that the court would not tolerate willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment.
International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) clubs in Australia and New Zealand held a series of well attended meetings titled, The crisis of political perspective of the Gaza genocide over the past few weeks.

Events were hosted in person on campuses at the University of Melbourne, University of Newcastle and Western Sydney University. An in-person meeting was also held in Brisbane and an online one in New Zealand. Watch the full meeting from NZ below.

The crisis of political perspective of the Gaza protests

Workers and youth are looking for a way forward to end Israels imperialist-backed genocide against Gaza which has killed 35,000 Palestinians in six months.

There have been sustained protests against Israels onslaught and the involvement of the imperialist powers, including the Labor administration of Anthony Albanese in Australia and the New Zealand government. Yet, as IYSSE speakers drew out, the genocide deepens, as does the political and military support given to the Zionist state of Israel by the major powers.

IYSSE members warned that the genocide in Gaza and spread of war in the Middle East, as well as the ongoing NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine and US-led provocations of China present a real danger of a nuclear third world war.

The meetings explained that, in spite of this, the pseudo-left groups such as Socialist Alternative, Socialist Alliance and Solidarity in Australia, and the International Socialist Organisation in New Zealand, continue to peddle the illusion that endless protest will somehow pressure these same governments actively supporting the genocide to call for a ceasefire. The pseudo-left are also propping up the corporatised trade union apparatuses which have suppressed any industrial action by workers against the Israels onslaught.

Fake left tendencies internationally are attempting to politically-neuter the developing anti-war movement among workers and youth. This, the IYSSE explained, is because these tendencies represent the interests of a wealthy layer of the upper middle class which benefit from the capitalist system, the system which is the cause of war.

University of Melbourne IYSSE president Morgan Peach addressing the meeting in Melbourne.

Diametrically opposed to this was the perspective advanced by the IYSSE at the meetings: for youth and students to orient to the world working class, as the only force which can end capitalism.

To illustrate this, IYSSE speakers referred to the experience of the 1917 Russian revolution. That event was the greatest anti-war movement of all time, having ended the First World War. It was successful, the IYSSE explained, because the Bolshevik Party led by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky built a Marxist revolutionary party in advance of the struggles of the Russian working class based on the principles of internationalism and socialism.

This, the IYSSE stressed, is the task of young people today.

Common questions arose across the meetings. One question which came up at several campuses was: If protests, petitions and appeals alone are not enough to end the genocide, then what can young people do?

IYSSE speakers responded by stressing that students and youth must take up the fight to orient the working class to revolutionary socialist politics. It urged young people to join the IYSSE in going to factories and other workplaces to bring this perspective to workers and call for a general strike to halt the flow of arms and other military supplies to Israel.

Another question was: How can we build a revolutionary party today?

Members of the IYSSE explained that the revolutionary party must and can only be built through the constant exposure of all those tendencies which present left phraseology but seek to funnel opposition back behind the capitalist system.

Attendees stayed back for further discussion and to purchase books on a host of different issues including a recent release by World Socialist Web Site International Editorial Board chairman David North called, The Logic of Zionism: From Nationalist Myth to the Gaza Genocide.

IYSSE members interviewed some of the participants after the meetings.

In Melbourne, one University of Melbourne student said: I thought the meeting was very engaging; it gave us plenty of room to speak without talking down to our opinions or our lack of knowledge in certain areas and I think it broke down the difference between protest politics and the politics of Trotskyism. It broke down the difference in a way that was very easy for normal people to understand.

I think it is a genocide and totally unfair that Hamas is being used as an excuse to carpet bomb a whole race of people, he said.

The student agreed with the urgency of building an anti-war movement on an anti-capitalist basis: I think the Ukraine war and the stuff going on in China and Pacific Islands is a clear indication of World War III.

The only thing waiting for me in capitalism is a big bunch of sh*t. I will never be able to own a house, I will never be able to save enough money to do my own goals that are fulfilling to me, and of course theres climate change.

Damian, a tutor at the University of Melbourne, also spoke with IYSSE members.

The meeting was very informative, especially on the distinction between the IYSSE and other tendencies, he said. I liked how the central message was the power of a global movement of young people and workers. Thats really important, in resolving smaller issues today it always comes back to the global situation.

Damian said: This is a genocide. I feel sorry for the Palestinians, but also the Israeli population at this time. I hate when innocent people are caught up in power struggles which are out of their control and not in their interests, in terms of capital and geopolitics. It doesnt feel like a war, it feels more like a slaughterhouse. The Palestinians in Gaza are penned in and being slaughtered. But I feel for Israelis as well who are being associated with these crimes, its a very difficult time.

Damian

On the Australian Labor governments support for genocide, he said: It comes down to why Israel is a military ally to Australia, the relationships between nation states. Australia works with the US and therefore Israel, there are shared interests. For a long time Ive never had faith in either of the two major parties [Labor and Liberal].

A Western Sydney University student originally from Egypt, told IYSSE members: I feel very passionate and strongly about humanitarian rights, equity and equality and not just in Australia, but throughout the world and the globe.

The student said that shes been following the Gaza genocide since it began. She denounced the medias role in presenting it as a just war between Israel and Hamas terrorists.

I think it has to do with the government and that theyre trying to push the narrative in order to gain more support from people, she said.

She said she agreed with the central theme of the meeting that its necessary to not just to pressure governments, but having to change the way that the system is. And not just for the working class of today, but for future generations.

David, who attended the New Zealand meeting, said: How could this genocide be allowed to happen? That in itself shows the extreme failure of the global capitalist system. I agree with you on that. He added that there was also no popular support for the genocide in Gaza or the war with Russia, but theres a complete disconnect between what people want and whats actually happening.

He added that the IYSSE had made some very good points about unions not giving people the opportunity to strike when it comes to handling weapons going to Israel. He said the unions had become toothless and industrial action had largely disappeared since the 1980s.

He asked why protest organisers had allowed Labour Party politicians to speak at pro-Palestine events when theyve pretty much given the green light to genocide. He agreed with the IYSSE that protesting in the hopes that Labours going to do the right thing is a failed mission, because they dont represent any ideals or values.

He sharply criticised anti-war protest organisers who supported the war against Russia in Ukraine, as though the same powers that were doing horrible things in support of Israel are the good guys in Ukraine.

In Newcastle, Clem said: I came to this meeting especially because of the topic, on the Gaza genocide and the Israeli occupation of Palestine. I appreciate how the meeting centred class consciousness over identity politics. The question of war and oppression arent race questionsmy thoughts on the subject are that at the end of the day, all oppression is based in class. Its all down to who is controlling the means of production.

I also agree with what the meeting brought up, that what is happening in Gaza is a precursor and this treatment is going to continue and be used against the working class worldwide. Protesting does help, but there are more direct formsthere needs to be strikes, depleting the resources that this war is running on. The pseudo-left, as you put it, and the trade unions arent calling for this action, as organisations of the working class are meant to do. War never benefits the working class in any aspect. Budgets are spent on the military and take away spending on workers, specifically. I believe that if [the IYSSE/SEP] aims to put power into the hands of workers directly, this would be beneficial.
Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that his troops will assault Rafah, where 1.5 million defenseless Palestinian civilians now live in refugee camps. He added that he would not under any conditions spare Rafah, whether or not a deal was reached on an exchange of hostages held by the Israeli government and Hamas authorities in Gaza.

The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its aims is not an option, Netanyahu said. We will enter Rafah, and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions therewhether or not there is a dealin order to achieve total victory.

The war on Gaza has exacted a truly horrific toll. At least 34,535 Palestinians have been confirmed killed, over 10,000 have died under the rubble of bombed-out buildings, and 77,704 have been wounded. Over 1 million Palestinians are suffering severe hunger as Israeli forces cut off Gazas access to food, medicine and other basic necessities. Yet Netanyahu declared that he would not under any conditions agree to Hamas appeals to halt the genocidal onslaught on Gaza.

Netanyahu said, Hamas insists on one thingthe end of the warbut it will not get it. I am not ready to give it. Therefore, if this is the situationand indeed this is, currently[the deal] will not happen. There may be people saying they are ready to end the war and let Hamas return. I wont accept that.

Netanyahus pledge to continue the war and bomb more than a million defenseless civilians in Rafah was his governments response to reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is preparing to issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials on war crimes charges. Comfortable in the knowledge that the major NATO powers support its atrocities in Gaza, the regime is brazenly proclaiming its intention to commit genocidal war crimes.

ICC officials have warned for months that they were investigating Israeli officials conduct of the war and, in particular, their threats to destroy Rafah. I am deeply concerned by the reported bombardment and potential ground incursion by Israeli forces in Rafah, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan wrote on X/Twitter, adding: As I have repeatedly emphasised, those who do not comply with the law should not complain later when my Office takes action pursuant to its mandate.

Indeed, even NATO officials admit that attacking Rafah would mean committing war crimes against the Palestinian people. Yesterday, British Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell told the British Parliament: Given the number of civilians sheltering in Rafah, its not easy to see how such an offensive could be compliant with international humanitarian law in the current circumstances.

UN officials condemned Netanyahus remarks, with Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths saying: The world has been appealing to the Israeli authorities for weeks to spare Rafah, but a ground operation there is on the immediate horizon.  The simplest truth is that a ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words. No humanitarian plan can counter that. The rest is detail.

By Sunday, Le Monde reported, citing sources in The Hague, ICC prosecutors had obtained the signatures of three ICC judges on arrest warrants for Israeli officials. This is the last step to validate the warrants, whose publication is now imminent, these sources told Le Monde. Israeli media have reported that names on the warrants include those of Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi.

While the United States does not recognize the ICC, the 124 countries that doincluding most European countries, Japan and Australiawould be required by law to arrest any Israeli officials named on the warrants who came onto their territory. This exposes the role not only of Israel but also of the NATO powers. Both their support for the Israeli government abroad and their crackdown on anti-genocide protests are home are politically criminal.

The war and the genocide cannot be stopped with moral appeals to the NATO powers to pursue a more enlightened policy. Indeed, they are reponding to reports of potential ICC war crimes charges by doubling down in support of Netanyahu. Yesterday, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne arrived in Jerusalem for talks with Israeli officials, and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken then arrived for talks with the Jordanian monarchy in Amman.

Sejourne assured his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, of continued French backing for Netanyahu. Stressing his support for Israel while claiming to have unspecified disagreements with plans to bomb Rafah, Sejourne discussed a proposed UN peace resolution on Gaza. French diplomats told AFP the plan supports Israels strong demands, like calling the October 7 [Gaza uprising against Israel] terrorist, stressing the sexual violence committed that day but also gives parameters for a political solution to the conflict.

In Amman, Blinken claimed negotiations for an Israel-Hamas truce and hostage exchange are a path to the UN peace resolution and denounced Hamas as an obstacle to peace, for opposing the resolution. Now its on Hamas. No more delays, no more excuses, he said.

When reporters pointed out to Blinken that Netanyahu had pledged to bomb Rafah, even if Blinkens proposed hostage exchange proceeded, Blinken ignored them. A truce, he repeated, is the best way, the most effective way, to relieve the suffering and also to create an environment in which we can hopefully move forward to something that is really sustainable and has lasting peace for the people who so desperately need it.

The statements of Blinken and Sejourne amount to an endorsement of Israeli war aims, cynically masquerading as a peace plan. Hamas rejected the proposed UN peace resolution last month because it created conditions for Israel to permanently occupy Gaza, in defiance of international law. It would not have guaranteed that Israeli troops would leave Gaza, let civilians return to what remains of their homes, or allowed food to reach Gaza.

As Netanyahus call to bomb Rafah and continue the war make undeniably clear, responsibility for the war lies not with Hamas but with the Israeli regime and its NATO allies. The NATO powers are spending billions of dollars or euros on arming Israel for the genocide in Gaza. They hysterically attack protests against the genocide, because they fear mass opposition not only to their complicity in Israeli policy, but all the imperialist wars they have waged across Eastern Europe and the oil-rich Middle East in recent decades.

This emerged in Republican US House Speaker Mike Johnsons outburst Monday, denouncing the ICCs investigation of Israel. Warning that action by the ICC would directly undermine US national security interests, Johnson said. If unchallenged by the Biden administration, the ICC could create and assume unprecedented power to issue arrest warrants against American political leaders, American diplomats, and American military personnel, thereby endangering our countrys sovereign authority.

Johnson demanded the Biden administration immediately and unequivocally demand that the ICC stand down and use every available tool to stop the ICC from issuing the warrants. Shortly afterwards, the Biden White House indeed attacked the ICC, with spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre stating: We do not support it. We dont believe that they have the jurisdiction.

These events are exposing the criminality of imperialism, which is reaction all down the line. Stopping the Gaza genocide requires mobilizing the full strength of the working class, in the United States, Europe and across the Middle East, in an international, socialist anti-war movement to halt the arming of the Israeli state for genocide and oppose the governments complicit in it.
Last Sunday in Almeria, hundreds of farm labourers, one of the most exploited sections of the Spanish working class, protested against Israels ongoing genocide against Gaza. The march started from the fields of Campohermoso and travelled eight kilometres to San Isidro.

They demanded that the terrorist governments of Israel and the United States immediately cease the terrorist actions that they are carrying out against the Palestinian people and that are already caused more than 35,000 deaths, more than half of them children.

Almeria is often referred to as the orchard of Europe. It produces around 3.5 million tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables a year, with over 80 percent of it destined for export to European markets and generating 3 billion of turnover.

These profits are extracted through the superexploitation of the working class. Between 40,000 and 50,000 people work in the collection campaigns; the vast majority, 98 percent according to the Workers Commissions (CCOO) union, are foreigners and migrants. Another 30,000 work in the processing industry, which selects, packages and distributes produce.

They face abusive landowners, slum-like housing, toxic pesticides, extremely low wages and slave-like working conditions in temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius with nonexistent ventilation in the greenhouses.

Nonetheless, hundreds of workers marched on Sunday, for many their only off day, in opposition to the genocide. The Palestine Solidarity Assembly of Nijar denounced the double standard of complicit and lukewarm governments like that of the EU and defended the recognition of the Palestinian People to self-determination and live in peace.

The actions of Almeria laborers in one of the nodal points of food production in Europe show the vast social power of the international working class, the social force that can stop the war and genocide in Gaza.

There have been numerous demands for working class action to halt the genocide across Europe over the last six months. In Belgium, airport unions called on workers not to handle arms shipments to Israel. In Barcelona, 1,200 dockworkers announced they would refuse to service ships carrying material to supply the Netanyahu governments war. In Ferrol, workers at public shipyard company Navantia denounced the dispatching of Spanish warships and demanded their immediate return and an end to all commercial and diplomatic ties with Israel. 

The fact that the mass opposition has been isolated in a few actions demonstrates the bankruptcy of the union bureaucracy. The main union confederations in the US, Germany, Britain and France have organised no action whatsoever against the genocide. They straitjacket working class struggles for peace and equality.

In Spain, Workers Commissions (CCOO) and the General Union of Workers (UGT) have joined political stunts on Palestine organized by the PSOE-Sumar government, as it arms the Zionist regime. Yesterday, in May Day protests in over 70 cities across Spain many CCOO and UGT bureaucrats paid lip service to popular sympathy for the Palestinians, calling for a ceasefire and an end to the genocide. However, they have no intention of mobilizing the working class in a movement of strikes and protests against the PSOE-Sumar government and its support for Israel.

To the disgust of UGT members, UGT leader Pepe Alvarez joined rallies in front of the Israeli embassy called by pro-Zionist groups and met the Israeli ambassador, to support Israel and denounce the Hamas attacks of October 7. Affiliated to Spains ruling PSOE, the UGT has a long relationship with Israels corporatist trade union, the Histadrut (General Federation of Land Workers of Israel), which is a pillar of Israels apartheid regime and fully supports war on Gaza.

Spains largest trade union, CCOO, linked to Podemos, Sumar, and the Stalinist Communist Party of Spain, made a few statements calling for an end to the war. However, it has refuses to call its members out in key Spanish industries, airports and ports to stop arms shipments to Israel.

Those protesting over Gaza must fight to mobilise workers internationally against the war and the genocide, independently of the union bureaucracies and their political allies, which subordinate the working class to national capitalist governments, like the PSOE-Sumar regime, that arm the Israeli state. This is also the task facing growing layers of student youth who, amid a mass crackdown on US university protests against the genocide, are also mobilizing in support of Gaza.

On Monday, University of Valencia (UV) students launched Spains first university encampment in solidarity with Palestine. They built the camp in support of the Palestinian people and against Israels genocide in Gaza, according to one of the organisers, the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) of Valencia and Estudiantes per Palestine (Students for Palestine).

In a press statement, the camp organisers state that it is the genocide best documented audiovisually by its victims and its perpetrators, the most serious that we have experienced in our lives and the one that speaks the worst of NATO, due to its complicity with the Israeli apartheid regime.

One student of the camp, Esther Monge, told Salto Diario that the initiative arises from the movement in the universities of the United States and then in the rest of the world. And we wanted to join in so that the rest of the students and society in general join the camps and protests.

The students are demanding that the PSOE-Sumar government, that has continued selling and buying weapons from Israel despite claiming the contrary, cease this trade.

They are also demanding the reintroduction of universal jurisdiction, abolished a decade ago by the right-wing Popular Party, which would allow Spain to try crimes against genocide perpetrators outside of its territory. This would include Israeli officials and their international accomplices.

Students are also calling for an end to the persecution and criminalization of solidarity with Palestine, amid the police-state crackdown on US students, which has led to thousands of arrests across over 60 universities, coordinated nationally by the Biden administration. The crackdown aims to outlaw opposition to genocide and war.

Likewise, the students took a principled position calling for the repeal of the Immigration Lawwhich allows for the expulsion of undocumented migrants and refugeesand the Citizens Security Law, popularly known as the Gag Law.

The Gag Law attacks the right to assembly by establishing a complicated bureaucratic process for obtaining permission to hold a protest, with hefty fines for violations. These range from 600 ($723) for failing to notify the police about demonstrations to 30,000 ($36,147) for holding protests that lead to serious disturbances near parliament. Anyone videotaping police during demonstrations faces a fine of up to 30,000. The law gives police broad stop-and-search powers and allows for summary expulsions of undocumented migrants at the Spanish border enclaves in Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa.

The law was passed a decade ago by the PP amid mass anti-austerity protests. The PSOE-Podemos government (2020-2023) and now the PSOE-Sumar government maintained the law, despite promising to repeal it once in power. Both governments have repeatedly used this law against strikers and protesters.

The camp at one of the main public universities in Spain underscores the ongoing and deepening opposition of students and youth to the mass murder in Gaza, which is being aided and abetted by all the imperialist governments, including the PSOE-Sumar government. The WSWS calls on students and youth turn to the working class, to fight the genocide and the developing attacks on democratic rights. The aim must be to mobilize develop a unified movement of workers around the world, against mass murder, imperialist militarism and their source, the capitalist system.
This article was submitted to the World Socialist Web Site by Maxim Goldarb, a Ukrainian socialist who opposes the US-NATO war against Russia in Ukraine. Goldarb is the head of the Union of Left Forces - For a New Socialism party, which has been banned by the Zelensky regime, and he is being persecuted by the NATO-backed Ukrainian government for his anti-war stance.

The Ukrainian people are doing the dirty work of what we never wanted to do here in the United States.

Mark Esper, former US Secretary of Defense

A major recent event, both for the tens of millions of Ukrainian citizens in Ukraine itself and for the millions of Ukrainian refugees in other countries, was the adoption of a new mobilization law by the government of Volodymyr Zelensky.

Any literate lawyer will tell you that in law school they were taught to always, when studying this or that law, to look in depth, to understand the logic of the legislator, his goals in creating the law. The goals of this law officially declared by the authoritiesto put in order the registration of Ukrainians liable for military duty, to level the gaps in the legislation on military registration, dealing with available human resources, etc.appear to be at most of secondary significance. The main goal, which clearly shines through all the verbal legislative wisdom, political aplomb and quasi-patriotic slogans, seems to be the governments inexorable desire to maximize the fulfillment of the formula of exchanging money and weapons for lives.

It is hardly a coincidence that almost immediately after Zelensky signed this law, the US authorities very quickly resolved the issue of allocating $61 billion in military funds for Ukraine, which had been stalled for a year.

But lets get to the point. The new mobilization law, which comes into force on May 18 of this year, sharply tightens the rules of compulsory mobilization. The law introduces stricter registration of persons liable for military service. Virtually every man between the ages of 18 and 60, no matter where he is or how he feels about the war being waged in Ukraine, will have to report himself to the military authorities, as well as to carry a military ID card with him at all times.

In addition, the draft age for mobilization has been lowered from 27 to 25.

From the moment the law enters into force, Ukrainian men have 60 days to update their data in territorial manning centers (TMC). If the data is not updated within this period, administrative liability will be imposed in the form of heavy fines. Think about it: in a country with an average salary of 400 euros, the mobilization fine will range from 400 to 600 euros! If the fine is not paid, it opens the way to blocking the accounts and further seizure of their property by the authorities.

These are are some of the main innovations of the law. According to the authorities, they will allow to take many conscripts who do not want to fight out of the shadows, will put these people on the other side of life, will make them outlaws. After all, they will be banned from public service, and service in municipal institutions. Whats more, simply because they dont have military registration documents, these Ukrainians will be easy and desirable prey for all sorts of patrols, police and informers. According to rough estimates, there could be about a million of them in Ukraine right now.

Before the adoption of this law, the detention of people in the streets, although it happened often enough, was still an illegal action on the part of the authorities. This gave Ukrainians a chance to protect themselves through legal mechanisms. Now this legal path to protect themselves from the arbitrary actions of the authorities has been effectively abolished.

At the same time, the authorities are no longer obliged to actually serve a summons to make a person come to the TCR [Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support, the agency that enacts the mobilization]. Now its non-delivery is legalized: the postal service marking it as not served will officially mean that the citizen has received the summons!

People who fail to comply with the requirements of the new law can be deprived the right to drive a car, forcibly detained by the police and taken to the TCR, and fined. At the same time, the filing of an appeal by a citizen against a court decision on his punishment does not suspend the effect of the appealed decision! This is an obvious legal absurdity, the consequence of which will be the shattered fates of people due to what are often unlawful and, moreover, unenforceable judicial decisions: in essence, this law has abrogated the right to a fair trial and the right to file an appeal!

Moreover, without a military ID card, military conscripts will not be issued a passport abroad. This also applies to young men who are 18 or older, and who had been able to leave Ukraine even before coming of age. That is, in order to be able to receive Ukrainian documents abroad, they will have to go back to Ukraine for a military registration document. But since they wont be allowed to leave Ukraine again after that, this makes no sense. Moreover, in the new law it is stipulated that not only passports, but also all consular services abroad for all men from 18 to 60 years of age will be provided only upon presentation of a military ID card.

Thus, for tens of thousands of Ukrainians who do not have military IDs, obtaining consular services has become impossible without returning to Ukraine.

Even before the law was passed, thousands of them had applied to consulates and other state bodies abroad to obtain consular services in advance, without which their legal status in EU countries becomes problematic. This has created huge queues in countries where there are many refugees from Ukraine: Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany and others. People hoped that if they applied for the documents before the law came into force, a passport could be issued without presenting a military ID.

However, already on April 23, the Ukrainian authorities imposed a ban on issuing documents by consulates even before entry into force of the law: an order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine temporarily suspended the performance of consular actions on the applications of Ukrainian male citizens aged 18 to 60 years old. This is the clearest litmus test of the meaning of the new law on mobilization: the forced return and sending of thousands of Ukrainians into a war in which they do not want to participate.

More and more Ukrainian men are desperately trying to flee the the country, unwilling to die for someone elses selfish purposes.

In 2023 alone, according to the BBC, more than 90 Ukrainians died in the mountains of Romania while trying to to illegally cross the Ukrainian-Romanian border to escape the war. Twenty-four died trying to escape by swimming across the border river Tisa. The number of those who managed to leave Ukraine is estimated in the tens of thousands.

Fulfilling the precepts of NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg that the war in Ukraine would take years, the Ukrainian authorities has also targeted with this law the younger generation, those under 18 years of age: according to the most conservative estimates, there are about half a million 15-18 year olds left in Ukraine today. In addition, several hundred thousand Ukrainian students are also taken into account. Thus, we are talking about the immediate future of almost one million young Ukrainians, still potentially a living force, which, according to the authorities, will be used together with the weapons supplied to the country.

The country is today becoming more and more like a giant prison for its own trapped and disenfranchised population. Now, the authorities even seek to force those back inside who had used any means necessary to escape.

But like any prison, it has its own commandants office, guards and a privileged few inmates. A very important point in the law is that it actually openly divides men of draft age into two sorts: those who are protected from mobilization, and... everyone else.

Thus, exemption from mobilization is granted to all members of the police, special services and other law enforcement agenciesthats at least 300,000 armed adults, who are mostly engaged in hunting down their fellow citizens, suppressing dissent, and performing punitive police functions.

In addition to them, all heads of state authorities, including deputies, ministers, their deputies and so on, as well as not only employees of strategically important enterprises, but also their owners (in Ukraine, as a rule, these are oligarchs) will not be mobilized. It is all too obvious who such a norm was written for: the ruling oligarchic regime has exempted itself from mobilization, its top officials and oligarchs, as well as its armed support in the form of police and special services.

One important point: while granting protection from mobilization to judges, investigators and prosecutors, the legislators somehow did not do the same for lawyers. Why? The answer is simple: the authorities do not need those who should and can protect people from arbitrariness; the authorities need the fear and helplessness of the people.

It is not the rich minority, but the poor majoritythe unemployed, workers, peasants, teachers, doctors, office workersthat will be sent into the bloody meat grinder. Now, with the adoption of the new law, the number of men deprived of basic human rights, who will be captured and hunted down like animals and sent to the front, will increase many times over.

The profits of those who benefit from this war will also increase many times over, as I have already written about many times. These huge profits will be divided up between the military-industrial complex, its lobbyists in the American and European establishment, and the Ukrainian oligarchic top brass.

Roger Waters, leader of Pink Floyd, said the following on the reasons for the war: The best thing thats happened to them in the last 10 years is the conflict in Ukraine. Because its good for business. Part of the business is making money which they make through war, through the production of weapons, selling them and making profit. It is not you and me, its not you, ordinary people who invest in the war industry, but only the bigwigs. And in wartime, their profits skyrocket.

Ordinary Ukrainians will get only another round of new deaths and misfortune.
UPDATE 2: Here is the link to the Ceremony: 2024 Western Texas College Commencement Ceremony Video

UPDATE: Sorry, folks! We had trouble with the live stream of Commencement. We are working on posting the recording. Thanks for bearing with us.

SNYDERWestern Texas College celebrates its graduating students at the 2024 Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 9, at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony takes place at the WTC Coliseum, 900 East Coliseum Drive in Snyder.

"The ceremony marks a significant milestone in our students' educational journeys, expressed Dr. Barb Beebe, College President. We celebrate not only their academic achievements but also their resilience and determination to reach this momentous day."

Admission to the ceremony remains free and open to the public, with no tickets required. Graduates may invite unlimited guests. Guests may sit in the upper levels of the venue.

The College reserves the floor area of the WTC Coliseum for graduates, faculty, staff, and handicapped seating before and during the ceremony. A reception immediately follows the ceremony, and guests are welcome to come to the floor of the WTC Coliseum at that time.

For those unable to attend the ceremony, navigate to the Western Texas College YouTube channel to livestream the event.

The 2024 ceremony features Bethany Norton, the distinguished student speaker, and Margret Nyamukondiwa, who will say the prayer. Other individuals scheduled on the ceremony program include Stephanie Ducheneaux, Dean of Instructional Affairs, presentation of the class of 2024; Eddie Peterson, Western Texas College Board of Trustees President, the conferring of degrees; and Dr. Geron Scates, Professor, and KGWB Station Manager, the introduction of the graduates. Dr. Beebe will give the welcome and the closing remarks.

"We strive to create a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere that honors the achievements of all our students, shared Ralph Ramon, Vice-President and Dean of Student Services.

I encourage everyone to come and celebrate this special daya testament to the hard work and dedication of our graduates."

For questions about the ceremony, contact Ralph Ramon, Vice-President and Dean of Student Services, at 325-574-7625.

To arrange handicapped seating, please contact the WTC Coliseum at 325-574-6571.
Members agreed to rename the agenda item on IP and COVID-19 to IP, COVID-19, and Pandemic Preparedness. The decision responded to the need to better reflect that work on pandemic preparedness is likely to be the dominant activity under this agenda item going forward.

As requested in the Abu Dhabi Ministerial Declaration (WT/MIN(24)/DEC), delegations continued work under paragraph 24 of the Ministerial Declaration on the WTO Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Preparedness for Future Pandemics (WT/L/1142), adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference in June 2022.

Under this provision, the Council was mandated to continue or initiate work to analyze lessons learned and challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, including on the basis of proposals by members.

Members also discussed a communication from Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt and India entitled TRIPS for Development: Post MC13 Work on TRIPS-Related Issues (IP/C/W/708), which was circulated to the TRIPS Council and General Council on 8 March 2024. They were also updated on IP-related domestic measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Compiled by the WTO Secretariat, the document COVID-19: Measures Regarding Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights contains a non-exhaustive list of such measures extracted from official sources and verified by members. Delegations were encouraged to inform the Secretariat of any measures that should be included or updated in the document, which is available on the WTO website.

TRIPS implementation review

TRIPS Article 71.1 requires the Council to conduct a review of the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement every two years. While no review has been held since 1999, members seemed interested in resuming the review function in more concrete terms and were willing to consider possible areas of focus in a first two-year cycle.

Positive feedback had been received from members. The new Council Chair, Ambassador Sofia Boza of Chile, will hold consultations in the coming weeks to explore the process and potential topics for the review. The aim is to revisit the issue at the next meeting, with a view to making a concrete decision on launching a new review cycle in July 2024.

Non-violation and situation complaints

Delegations exchanged views on how to organize their work in relation to non-violation and situation complaints (NVSCs). This follows the renewed mandate under the Ministerial Decision of 2 March 2024 (WT/L/1194) to examine the scope and modalities for such complaints under the TRIPS Agreement, and to make recommendations to the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference. Until then, members agreed to refrain from initiating such complaints under the TRIPS Agreement.

Non-violation and situation complaints (NVSCs) refer to whether and under what conditions members should be able to bring WTO dispute complaints where they consider that another member's action, or a particular situation, has deprived them of an expected advantage under the TRIPS Agreement, even though no obligation under the Agreement has been violated.

Members have historically differed on whether such non-violation cases are feasible in intellectual property. Some delegations consider NVSCs essential to maintaining the proper balance of rights and obligations within the TRIPS Agreement while helping to ensure that legitimate obligations are not circumvented or avoided. Others believe there is no place for the application of non-violation complaints in the area of intellectual property because of the legal insecurity and curtailment of flexibilities that could ensue and favour their complete ban in the TRIPS area.

The outgoing Chair of the Council, Ambassador Pimchanok Pitfield, noted that as the moratorium now has a new lease of life, members should follow the instructions given by ministers and return to substantive discussions on the matter, with a view to finding a permanent solution.

IP and innovation

The Council discussed a paper titled IP awareness and creators, submitted by the so-called Friends of IP and Innovation consisting of Australia, Canada, the European Union, Hong Kong China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Chinese Taipei, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Introduced by the United States, the paper explores some of the IP considerations that may arise for creators, including social media content creators. It looks at potential difficulties creators may face in protecting their IP rights, and how WTO members can raise awareness about IP in the creative fields through various fora.

The document highlights the importance of IP for artists and other creators to protect their unique and valuable contributions to society through their work, film, music, or other creations. However, creators often face many of the same challenges as small businesses when it comes to protecting their IP. These challenges include lack of awareness, resources, legal knowledge, or experience protecting their IP and harnessing its benefits. The paper also notes that the lack of legal knowledge about how to enforce IP internationally, and in particular copyright, is also challenging for many creators.

Other issues

The Secretariat presented the fourth Annual Report on Notifications and other Information Flows (IP/C/W/709). This indicates that notifications to the Council are not keeping up with the actual development of laws and regulations relating to TRIPS.

The Chair recalled that TRIPS Article 63.2 is not a one-off requirement, but a core element of the TRIPS transparency arrangements and a central part of the Council's substantive work as it obliges members to notify any new or amended laws. She urged delegations to complete any outstanding initial notifications, and to keep up to date with notifications on subsequent amendments.

The same applies to the Checklist of Issues on Enforcement, which was established by the Council as an element of members' notification obligations, the Chair said. She emphasized that the e-TRIPS platform now makes it much easier to fulfil these transparency obligations.

Ambassador Pitfield especially encouraged delegations to notify legislative changes made to implement the special compulsory licensing system to export medicines covered by Article 31bis of the TRIPS Agreement. More than 50 WTO members, including most of the world's major exporters of medicines, have adopted implementing legislation that allows them to use the system as exporters and/or importers. But only 21 members have formally notified such measures.

Coinciding with the TRIPS Council meeting, the WTO Secretariat once again organized a Workshop on the Implementation of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement, which took place on 23-25 April. Some of the capital-based delegates who participated in the Workshop attended the TRIPS Council and participated in the discussions under this agenda item.

The event provided a platform for dialogue on the technological needs and priorities of LDCs, while allowing for an in-depth analysis of technology transfer programmes reported by developed members in furtherance of their commitments under Article 66.2.

TRIPS at 30

On 25 April, members commemorated 30 years of the TRIPS Agreement. A High-level Dialogue with the participation of the Directors-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Daren Tang and the WTO Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala marked this anniversary.

The event provided the opportunity for representatives from international organizations, non-governmental organizations, academia and the private sector to discuss the impact of the TRIPS Agreement and the future challenges for IP policy at a time of dramatic technological change.
Investors wanting to dial into some robust, double-digit growth would do well to buy Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) stock. That's the view of one analyst tracking the giant telecom -- and he reiterated his bullish take on the shares just after the release of first-quarter results toward the end of April.

Let's pick that recommendation apart a bit. Is Verizon truly worthy of your investment dollars?

An unambiguous buy recommendation

The person behind this Verizon analysis is Oppenheimer's Tim Horan, who expressed his continuing belief in the company even after those results, which some investors considered subpar. This was due to several factors, not least the sluggish (0.2%) year-over-year revenue growth that, at $33 billion, didn't quite reach the average analyst estimate. Non-GAAP (adjusted) earnings per share also fell although that figure did top prognosticator expectations.

Horan saw several positive developments in that earnings report. He wrote in his research note that Verizon "continues to build on strong momentum from 2023, which has been driven by major network upgrades, refreshed management, and improved go-to-market." He feels that results were a bit skewed due to price increases enacted in January that, in his view, negatively affected volume. One-time expenses also dampened the financials.

In his note, Horan maintained his buy recommendation on Verizon and his $48 per-share price target. That implies a potential upside of nearly 21% from the stock's current level.

Reliably successful, reliably generous

Verizon is a monster telecom company, but we should accept that it'll probably never show hot growth on either the top or bottom lines. Rather, it's a steady operator that -- barring some black-swan event -- should continue to post healthy profits and throw off cash from its massive user base. A share price of around $40 is a bargain, in my view.

Wisely, Verizon aggressively returns capital to its shareholders in the form of a high-yield dividend, which tips the scales these days at nearly 7%. So this is a reliable operator in an essential business that rewards investors regularly -- and generously.

Should you invest $1,000 in Verizon Communications right now?

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1 Wall Street Analyst Thinks Verizon Stock Is Going to $48. Is It a Buy Around $40? was originally published by The Motley Fool
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Millennial and Gen Z homebuyers have been taking part in the trend of co-buying a home as a means to split the costs amidst the current housing shortage. According to Axios, non-romantic co-ownership housing rates grew an average of 21.1% in 2023 from the previous year. Compound the housing market with financial burdens like student loans, and its easy to see why more people are motivated to co-own  in fact, the housing market is the least affordable its been in 40 years. In October of 2023, the mortgage rate peaked at 8%  the highest it had been in two decades.

Check Out: Heres the Salary a Single Person Needs To Live Comfortably in Hawaii

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These factors have led to the younger generations engaging in carpooling for homes, a life hack from the same mindset that led to the rise of side hustles. If youre a like-minded homebuyer, you may want to consider co-buying in one of these 10 affordable cities, as youll set yourself up for greater savings by splitting the cost with a co-owner.

Forbes recently ranked the 10 most affordable cities for co-buying from most to least affordable.

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1. Detroit, Michigan

Median Salary: $36,000

In recent years, Detroits overall quality of life improved. By choosing to live here, youll also benefit from job opportunities beyond General Motors and the like  large tech companies are also present in the Motor City, including Microsoft and Google. Plus, a recent partnership between Apple and Michigan State University will see the former open its first developer academy in North America here.

2. Cleveland, Ohio

Median Salary: $47,268

The Cleveland Innovation District, a partnership that includes the Cleveland Clinic, University hospitals and the Department of Development, forecasts 20,000 new jobs in the next ten years. Combine that with the huge growth in technology workers in this metro area, and you end up with a relatively affordable place to live that has plenty of promise in the job market to support such residence.

3. Toledo, Ohio

Median Salary: $37,220

Similar to Detroit, Toledo has been improving in recent years in terms of economic growth. This city has employment opportunities in both construction and the financial sector.

4. Memphis, Tennessee

Median Salary: $38,949

Memphis is another affordable city with growth in the tech industry due to substantial capital investments in tech startups. Not only that, FedEx is a large employer in the city in addition to the state government. Youll also benefit from a low average state income tax of 1%.

Story continues

5. Baltimore, Maryland

Median Salary: $50,108

By making use of the Penn Line, employees are able to commute to jobs in the District of Columbia while avoiding the high home prices. Baltimore also features renowned employment opportunities at employers like Johns Hopkins University and Northrop Grumman.

6. Rochester, New York

Median Salary: $41,646

Rochester benefits from greater affordability and is thus a destination for those looking at cities far from Manhattan. Those in academia or medical sciences have access to the University of Rochester and UR Medicine, which have a combined 32,000 employees.

7. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Median Salary: $41,166

Milwaukee has recently been pushing for more affordable housing in closer proximity to where people work, particularly in the suburbs. While it has a way to go, it has tens of thousands of employees within the health sector, split between Aurora Health Care, Ascension Wisconsin and Froedtert Health.

8. Montgomery, Alabama

Median Salary: $39,505

Montgomery has the lowest median annual real estate taxes of the 10 cities listsed here. It is also a hotspot for the aerospace industry. Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Leidos, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin all have a presence in the city.

9. Buffalo, New York

Median Salary: $41,036

Buffalo is another city in New York that stands in contrast to New York City for distance and its less expensive housing options, with lower median listing prices and annual real estate taxes.

10. Kansas City, Kansas

Median Salary: $37,861

Learn More: Im a Real Estate Agent: 5 Places Id Buy a Vacation Home If I Had $500,000

Rounding out the 10 places is Kansas City, which shares much of the greater affordability of the Midwest. Its also a great opportunity for those in healthcare, as the University of Kansas Hospital and Medical Center have thousands of employees. There are also employment opportunities in manufacturing and transportation.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 Cities To Consider the Popular Trend of Co-Buying a Home
If Donald Trump were still president, everybody in America would know US oil and natural gas production has surged to record levels.

President Joe Biden seems to hope nobody notices. Biden talks about many things as he tours the country campaigning for reelection: Record job growth during his presidency, laws he signed to promote an infrastructure buildout, more semiconductor manufacturing, and the green energy transition.

Biden even addresses some things that are working against him, especially inflation. He routinely acknowledges theres more work to do getting prices down, even though inflation has dropped sharply from its 2022 peak.

But a few things that matter a lot to voters dont make it into Bidens stump speeches or his social media feeds. These are the three most awkward topics for Biden as he campaigns for reelection.

A gusher of fossil fuel. Biden campaigned in 2020 as a foe of Big Oil and a champion of green energy. As president, he has lived up to that by signing the biggest set of green energy incentives in US history and imposing regulations to further restrict carbon emissions.

At the same time, high gasoline and energy prices have clearly stung Biden. Gas prices have been higher under Biden than they were for most of the time Trump was president, and they hit an average of $5 per gallon in June 2022, the highest level ever in the United States. Bidens approval rank sank in 2021 and 2022 as gas prices and overall inflation were cresting, and his ratings have never recovered, even though inflation and gas prices are back to manageable levels.

Biden has done a lot to tamp gas prices down: releasing oil from the national reserve, entreating oil-producing nations to produce more, and tacitly easing sanctions on Iran to keep its oil on the global market. At the same time, US producers have drilled more to cash in on high prices, cementing Americas status as the world's largest oil and natural gas producer.

It would be normal for any president to hail American leadership in an industry as crucial as energy and to take some credit for it. But not Biden. He does brag about gas prices when they fall, making sure people notice. But he gives no credit to domestic producers that employ Americans in relatively good-paying jobs and boost the stock market returns of investors with broad-based portfolios.

Most presidents campaigning for reelection, whether liberal or conservative, tack more to the center as the election nears to capture the crucial undecided and independent swing voters that tend to decide elections these days. Biden isnt doing that on energy because climate activists are a key part of his base. The risk isnt that those voters would flip and vote for Trump, whose policy on energy is drill, baby drill. Its that theyll lose enthusiasm for Biden and stay home, depressing his turnout.

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Biden could still tout energy-sector success in the home stretch of the campaign by borrowing Barack Obamas tagline on energy. Obama promised an all of the above energy strategy, which meant ample supplies of the fossil fuels we rely on now, plus the aggressive promotion of green energy and other fuels of the future. Obama's phraseology still applies to the energy reality Biden faces.

Improvement at the southwest border. Many Americans know that migrant crossings at the southwest border have surged under Biden. Hardly anybody is aware the situation has improved recently, with the pace of crossings down 40% in 2024, compared with December 2023. A typical surge in springtime crossings hasnt occurred, in part because of new cooperation by Mexico, which has been interdicting migrants before they get to the US border.

Smoke from makeshift fires fills the air as migrants wait to enter and seek asylum in El Paso, Texas, from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, on April 2, 2024. (CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images) (CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA via Getty Images)

Handling of immigration is Bidens weakest issue, according to multiple polls. As border chaos has dominated the news, the issue has become a top concern for many voters, which could make immigration Bidens biggest reelection vulnerability.

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So you might think hed be eager to let people know that a messy situation is getting better. But immigration is another issue Biden rarely talks about. There are at least two catches for Biden. One is that immigration advocates, like climate activists, are a key part of Bidens liberal coalition, and Biden doesnt want to alienate them. Another is that Biden may simply not want to draw any attention at all to immigration, since the situation could turn ugly again in ways the White House cant control.

Biden did advocate for the immigration reform bill Congress considered earlier this year but failed to pass when Republicans turned against it. The president says it will take new legislation to solve the immigration mess, and theres little he can do alone. But Trump demonstrated that bluster and executive action, even if overturned by courts, can at least create the impression of competence on immigration. Trump polls considerably better than Biden on immigration, even if his actual policies as president  such as separating migrant parents from their children  were unpopular. For better or worse, Trump talks a better game than Biden does on this key issue.

The TikTok ban. This is a surprise entrant in the 2024 election policy matrix. A congressional law to ban the social media app within a year, unless its Chinese owner ByteDance sells it, seemed like a long shot until the measure got attached to must-pass foreign-aid legislation in mid-April and landed on Bidens desk. Biden signed the TikTok provision into law on April 24 with no apparent concern that it could damage his electoral standing with young Americans, who are the bulk of TikToks 170 million US users.

Was it a setup? The Hill news outlet recently suggested Republicans in the House bundled the TikTok ban with aid for Ukraine and Israel as a secret weapon meant to turn young voters against Biden. Biden  whose campaign established its own TikTok account in February  has yet to explain his thinking. It may help that TikTok plans to challenge the law in court, with a decent chance of winning. That litigation could take way longer than the one-year time frame Congress established.

President Biden's TikTok page

But TikTok users still want to know how one of their own  a fellow TikTokker  could sign the law that might shut down their beloved platform. Biden cant very well say, Dont worry, the law is bogus, the lawyers will kill it in court. So hell need to explain that his real aim isnt a ban, its a forced divestiture meant to assure the companys Chinese owners don't abuse users or their data at the behest of China's communist party.

It seems like a complicated explanation for election season, when misinformation often muscles facts aside and a snappy sound bite, whether true or false, can determine a vote. So maybe Biden will avoid talking about TikTok, hope voters forget about the risk of a ban, and keep publishing TikTok videos highlighting what's wrong with Donald Trump.

Rick Newman is a senior columnist for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @rickjnewman.

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From the time she began seeing Prince William in the early 2000s and subsequently tying the knot in a grandiose wedding ceremony in 2011, admirers have been enamored by Kate Middletons refined fashion sense and shiny, full-bodied curly hair.

As the Prince and Princess of Wales celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary this week, many fans remember Princess Kates glamorous, Old Hollywood-esque waves and stunning lacy-sleeved wedding dress designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.

With that said, we rounded up three times Princess Kate, 42, wowed onlookers with her voluminous natural curls following her and Prince Williams fairytale wedding.

3 Times Princess Kate's Natural Curls Dazzled Us, From Tropical Waves To Beachy Ringlets

1. Kate's Caramel-Colored, Voluminous Island Waves, Marau Airport, Solomon Islands (2012)

On behalf of the late Queen Elizabeth II, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge embarked on a nine-day tour of Singapore, Malaysia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu to commemorate The Diamond Jubilee.

Princess Kate was greeted with a warm welcome from both villagers and officials as she and Prince William disembarked at a quaint airstrip situated in Marau Sound, an area in the Solomon Islands located on the eastern edge of Guadalcanal Island within the Guadalcanal Province.

Kate wore her curly locks down and slightly parted to the side. The style icon gave fans a rare look at her natural hair texture, that was even more emphasized thanks to the tropical, humid weather.

2. Kate's Breezy, Tropical Curls, Honiara, Solomon Islands (2012)

During the Royal Tour's seventh day, William and Kate paid a visit to the cabinet of the Prime Minister located in Honiara, the Solomon Islands' capital city.

A little over a year after saying "I do," Princess Kate and Prince William met with locals on Tuvanipipu Island, part of the Solomon Islands in Oceania.

The future queen looked radiant while donning a traditional floral headpiece made from frangipani and bougainvillaea flowers, and putting her beautiful wavy tresses on full display.

3. Kate's Glossy, Sleek And Beachy Waves, Hopkins, Belize (2022)

In 2022, Kate effortlessly sported beachy-inspired fashion once again, as she embarked on a Caribbean tour with her husband. They began their tour by visiting a cacao farm in Belize, as part of their duties in representing Queen Elizabeth II. The royal couple's visit was in honor of the monarch's 70-year reign, as she celebrated her Platinum Jubilee year.

Along with a vibrant smocked floral blue dress, Kate wore her brunette locks down, parted in the center and styled into loose waves. As she usually sported more sleek, blowout-inspired looks, the Belizean heat helped bring out more of her natural texture.

Stunning is an understatement!
Darnell Ferguson's Wife Now Says He Never Strangled Her, Says Her 'Words Were Twisted' by Police

The Food Network star was charged with burglary, assault and strangulation in connection with the alleged January attack

Matt Stone/The Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK "Superchef" Darnell Ferguson

The wife of Darnell SuperChef Ferguson now says the abuse allegations against the Food Network star are untrue.

"Darnell and I have had our issues and we made every effort not to let it impact our family and loved ones, particularly our children," Tatahda Ferguson wrote in a press release on Tuesday, April 30. "I reacted in the heat of the moment after we had an intense argument, and called the police for a matter that really didn't warrant their involvement."

Ferguson was charged with first-degree burglary, fourth-degree assault and first-degree strangulation in connection with the alleged attack on his wife by St. Matthews, Ky. police in January, WDRB reported. He was also charged with third-degree terroristic threatening, menacing and criminal mischief.

In her statement, Tatahda claimed her words were twisted by certain law enforcement officials who are looking to make a name for themselves at the expense of my husband's celebrity status.

Tatahda wrote that she never felt unsafe or threatened by him and he has always been an incredible father to our children. It hurts my heart that way hes being vilified. I am coming forward to try and do whats right to clear his name and help our family heal.

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Darnell Ferguson

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According to an arrest warrant, Ferguson allegedly broke into Tatahdas St. Matthews home on Jan. 2 and began yelling at her and punching walls. He then allegedly grabbed her by the neck and strangled her while threatening to kill her, the warrant alleged.

Police were called to the home and took photos of Tatahda's alleged injuries, which included redness, scratches and pain to her neck and a scratch to her upper thigh, the warrant added.

In the statement, Tatahda said she was "never in any physical danger."

Related: Food Network Star Darnell Ferguson Allegedly Broke Into Estranged Wifes Home, Threatened to Kill Her: Warrant

There was no attempt at strangulation or any kind of assault by Darnell, she wrote. I would have spoken sooner but the officers and legal system manipulated the situation...Darnell is a good man with a great heart and didn't deserve for any of this to happen.

PEOPLE reached out to Ferguson's attorney, Krsna Tibbs, for comment.

St. Matthews Police Department Chief Barry Wilkerson tells PEOPLE that the investigation is still open and pending.

If you look at domestic violence cases many times victims recant, he says. It is part of the cycle of domestic violence. We will still actively work this case and work in conjunction with the victim in this case and every other victim to make sure they are safe.

They are difficult cases to work, and we are always looking out for our victims in these cases, he adds. As a chief I am proud of the way our detectives and the victims services specialist handled the case.

Related: Food Network Star Darnell Ferguson and Wife Had Disagreement, Says His Lawyer

The Jefferson Commonwealth's Attorney's office said in a statement obtained by WDRB that "although the decision whether to prosecute or not prosecute is ultimately up to the prosecuting attorney, the victims opinion is important, and the prosecuting attorney will take those wishes into account when making decisions regarding the case."

The statement continued, "While we acknowledge the input of victims in the process, under our legal system all crimes are offenses against the public, not just individuals. Our dedication is to preserving public safety. Criminal complaints are prosecuted on behalf of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, not the individual who called the police or the person who may have been personally harmed by the defendants conduct. Requests to amend, dismiss, or drop charges must be approved by the assigned prosecutor."

"This approach is important because it takes the responsibility for prosecuting defendants off the victims shoulders and makes it the prosecuting attorneys responsibility, where it legally belongs. It also means that in any case that is being prosecuted, a victim cannot be legally pressured into dropping the charges."

Ferguson, who is known as a celebrity chef, co-hosted Season 25 of Worst Cooks in America alongside Anne Burrell and was a frequent judge on Chopped and Guys Grocery Games. He also competed on three seasons of Guy Fieri's Tournament of Champions and recently appeared on OWNs The Big Holiday Food Fight and Food Fantasies.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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The arrest of Frances most celebrated film star on two charges of recent sexual assault ought to occasion, in any normal circumstances, shock and outrage. Unfortunately, that star happens to be Gerard Depardieu, meaning the news is only capable by this point of generating a numb revulsion.

A 53-year-old woman claims that Depardieu, then 73, grabbed her and groped her breasts during filming of The Green Shutters (2022), while a second woman has accused him of sexual violence on the same set. A third woman alleged that he groped her all over and made inappropriate remarks while she was assisting on the set of The Magician and the Siamese (2015), but that charge has been dropped because the statute of limitations had expired. Depardieu denies all the accusations.

The problem is, we have been here so many times before  so often, in fact, that the defending of Depardieu by powerful factions of the French establishment has become as routine as the allegations brought against him.

Within the last year, at least 15 women have come forward alleging sexual assault or rape. Last December, when the documentary Depardieu: The Fall of an Ogre aired on the public service channel France 2, it certainly didnt hold back in detailing why that description was deemed apt. For starters, it apparently showed this once-beloved icon sexually harassing a translator and making a sexual remark about a 10-year-old child, while on a visit to Pyongyang in 2018 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the North Korean state.

Depardieu receiving a Career Achievement Award in Egypt, 2020 - AMMAR ABD RABBO

This film also interviewed the actor Charlotte Arnould, who in 2018 filed two charges of rape against Depardieu. Both of these alleged attacks occurred at Depardieus Paris home that year, when Arnould was 22, and Depardieu, a friend of her father, was 70. While Depardieu was formally charged on both counts in 2020, that case is still proceeding at a snails pace through the French courts. The actors lawyer said he firmly rejected the allegations.

As with all the other accusations that have surfaced against him, which stretch back decades, Depardieu flatly denies Arnoulds account: I have never, ever abused a woman, he wrote in an open letter last October, asserting that he was neither a rapist, nor a predator. Hurting a woman would be like kicking the womb of my own mother.

The same day as the documentary aired, one of Depardieus first accusers, Emmanuelle Debever, was found dead in the Seine, the victim of an apparent suicide. They had co-starred in the historical epic Danton (1982), when Debever was 19.

President Macron has defended Depardieu - Getty Images

Her accusation came in the form of a 2019 Facebook post, in which she claimed hed groped her while they were side-by-side in a carriage scene: This monster allowed himself to enjoy plenty during filming, making the most of the intimacy Sliding his fat paw under my skirt. Hearing her account recapped in the documentary is thought to have driven Debever to her death.

International reaction after the expose aired was swift and unsparing. Depardieu became the first ever person to be stripped of an honour given to him in Canada, the Order of Quebec, and the Swiss broadcaster RTS stopped showing any films in which he plays a leading role.

In France, however, rising calls to strip Depardieu of the Legion dHonneur  the highest French order of merit, which was bestowed upon him in 2016  were blocked at the very top. Although the countrys culture minister, Rima Abdul Malak, claimed to be disgusted by Depardieus sexist language and argued that his behaviour shamed France, Emmanuel Macron took a different view.

Depardieu in Jean de Florette, 1987 - Film Stills

When asked by an interviewer for France 5 about the possibility of taking Depardieus title away, Macron replied You will never see me participate in a manhunt [I] hate that type of thing. He went on to explain, Im a great admirer of Gerard Depardieu; hes an immense actor  a genius of his art. He has made France known across the whole world. And, I say this as president and as a citizen, he makes France proud.

Depardieus status as a megastar, and at one time Frances hottest acting export to Hollywood, is certainly well enshrined. He has been nominated for the Best Actor Cesar a Streep-esque 17 times, winning twice, in 1981 and 1991. He consolidated his position as a national treasure around the time of Jean de Florette (1986), before scoring an English-language hit with Peter Weirs Green Card (1990), being nominated for an Oscar in Cyrano de Bergerac (also 1990), and playing Christopher Columbus for Ridley Scott in the epic flop 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992). A decade-long spree of parts in US studio fare ensued, whether as imaginary friends (Bogus), dastardly furriers (102 Dalmatians) or portly musketeers (The Man in the Iron Mask).

Rather than trying to sustain a polyglot career, Depardieu instead made a bizarre post-millennial switch to buddying up with Vladimir Putin. In 2012, he moved to Belgium as a tax exile, to escape the 75 per cent supertax which then-President Francois Hollande  much more of a Depardieu critic than Macron  was imposing on the super-rich in France.

Straightaway, Putin granted him Russian citizenship, which he gladly accepted. He says the reason he gets along with Putin so well  prompting online memes of them rubbing noses  is that we could both have ended up as hoodlums.

Within the French film industry, opinion on Depardieu remains starkly divided, with plenty of support for Macrons point of view. One petition published in the Right-wing Le Figaro, entitled Dont Erase Gerard Depardieu, tried to denounce what it referred to as the actors lynching, and was signed by many of his friends and former associates, including the countrys first lady Carla Bruni, Charlotte Rampling, and Depardieus ex-wife, Carole Bouquet.

However, when it emerged that the originator of this text was a little-known actor called Yannis Ezziardi, who writes for an ultra-conservative magazine called Causeur and is reputedly close to Depardieus daughter Julie, several of the signatories distanced themselves from what they had put their names to  among these Bouquet, the film critic Serge Toubiana and filmmaker Jacques Weber.

Meanwhile, more than one counter-petition followed fast upon it. The most successful of these racked up 8,000 signatures, arguing that the Ezziardi text in support of Depardieu spat in the face of his accusers. Another petition entitled Address to the Old World gained traction from luminaries including Anouk Grinberg, the actress who not only co-starred with Depardieu in The Green Shutters and Merci La Vie (1981), but has a son with the latter films director Bertrand Blier, one of Depardieus most prominent collaborators and allies. Part of it read: No one wants to erase the artist. But the talent of Gerard Depardieu does not permit the indignity of his behaviour.

Grinberg has described how she and others on the set of The Green Shutters were treated to his salacious nonsense from morning to night, declaring to Agence France-Presse that when film producers hire Depardieu on a film, they know they are hiring an aggressor.

Depardieu meeting Putin in 2013 - MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV

Other accusations have not been levelled against Depardieu as criminal charges, in some instances because of the statute of limitations under French law. This was the case with the actor Helene Darras, whose complaint dates back to the shooting of the film Disco in 2007. A Spanish journalist, Ruth Baza, also came forward in 2023 to recount an incident from 1995, when she was a 23-year-old journalist, and she claims he kissed and groped her without her consent.

Depardieu was released on the same day as his arrest and will face a criminal trial in October. Whether the latest charges culminate in some kind of tipping point remains to be seen: his career is a whole series of presumed tipping points. While Depardieu has scaled back his filming engagements  since The Green Shutters two years ago and the delayed release of the chef drama Umami, there hasnt been a leading role  he has never yet been convicted or slipped more than briefly from the industrys embrace.

It might take legal proof of wrongdoing for the likes of Macron to renege on their hero-worship, but given the notoriously high bar for prosecuting cases of sexual assault, this maybe sends an awful message to the French public about how the reputation of famous men is protected, near-religiously, above the safety and credibility of women. The ogre may totter with each new grim complaint, but he still has a long way to fall.

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The Broadway star, known for her role as Katherine Howard in 'SIX', tells PEOPLE she 'does not take for granted' getting to originate the role of Jordan Baker in the musical

Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman Samantha Pauly (center) in 'The Great Gatsby'

Its 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 25, and Samantha Pauly has one hour to get to New York City's Broadway Theatre.

I probably look crazy right now with my hair in these curlers, the 34-year-old Broadway star tells PEOPLE with a laugh. I thought I would be up all night, but my alarm sprung me from my sleep at 9:30, so I took a shower, did my Neti Pot for my chest infection, took my dogs for a walk and started doing my hair before heading to the theater for my makeup.

Despite the hectic morning, Paulys calm demeanor would hardly suggest that it was opening day for the Broadway adaptation of The Great Gatsby, in which she stars as Jordan Baker. The Great Gatsby has not been done in musical form, but its a story that is so iconic, Pauly explains. For us to get to breathe life into these characters that people have loved for a long time is so special.

Pauly, who auditioned for the role in March 2023, says personifying Jordan Baker has been on the brain for over a year now. We've been rehearsing from 12 to five still during the day and then doing previews at night, and I feel like I am still discovering a lot of things about [Jordan], she says.

With a show thats already up and running, you come in, you get your couple weeks of rehearsal, they throw you into the show and youre kind of off to the races, Pauly says. But to create something from the ground up is a really special experience that I absolutely do not take for granted.

Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman From Left: Noah J. Ricketts and Samantha Pauly

This is not Paulys first rodeo bringing a character to life in a new show. She is best known for originating the role of Katherine Howard in SIX, which also marked her Broadway debut. SIX was already up and running in London, but the writers were very adamant about us making the characters our own and making the U.S. version what we wanted it to be, she tells PEOPLE.

She adds, To be able to do that with a group of girls that have become some of my best friends in the world was so special, and to now be able to do it again  I never thought I would be on Broadway, period. So this is far beyond the scope of anything I thought I would do in my life.

Related: Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada Bring The Great Gatsby to Broadway 'In All Its Glamour and Glory' (Exclusive)

It might be surprising to hear that a woman who has originated two characters on Broadway did not grow up thinking she was destined for the stage. I didnt grow up a theater kid. I didn't start until the end of high school, she says. I don't listen to show tunes. I'm not good at staying up on new s---. My parents are not artistic. So I didn't have that when I was younger, which I feel like is probably better for me because it's my job. I leave it at work and then I just have other things that I like to do.

Along with her costars, Pauly says her family and fans from SIX are all coming to support her on opening night. They are there. They are out in full force. They are crazy. I love them all so much, she gushes.

Jenny Anderson Samantha Pauly

While Pauly misses her SIX girls  We were very lucky, she says  the Broadway star is grateful for her incredible The Great Gatsby ensemble. This cast is so incredible. Everyone is so nice. Everyone is so supportive of each other. Everyone is there for each other, she says.

With opening night finally here  the show, which garnered a 77th annual Tony nomination for best costume design of a musical, first started previews on March 29 before officially opening on April 25  Pauly can reflect on her career thus far and what comes next. There's so much about SIX that made me who I am, that made me a version of myself that is able to now do this other show and this other character, which is really great. It came into my life when I needed it and gave me the things that I needed, she tells PEOPLE.

Related: Here Are All of the Broadway Musicals Based on Books Playing This Spring

She adds, I would love to stay in Gatsby for as long as they will have me, and after this, if I can originate something again.

Or, if I can, I am dying to do Wicked. But because this business is so unpredictable and so crazy, I'm trying to be better at just living in the moment, Pauly continues. So for now, I'm excited to open this. I'm excited for the show to be up and running and for the summer to be here. I'm happy with today.

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'24 in '24': All of Cincinnati's public pools will be open this summer

The Dunham Otto Armleder Pool in Westwood is one of three opening May 25. The other 21 city pools open the two weekends after that.

Twenty-four in 24.

Thats how many city-owned swimming pools Cincinnati will open this summer  all of them, for the first time since 2019.

And that was the slogan inside the citys human resources department, as it stepped up recruitment at area high schools for lifeguards and other pool employees.

Twenty-four in 24 became the cry, Jude Johnson, superintendent in human resources, said as city officials announced the summers pool plan on Tuesday.

Summer 2023: Cincinnati city pools less likely to be open in poorer neighborhoods

Johnson said he started his effort at the Winton Hills Recreation Center last fall, meeting with friends, churches, rec center employees and community council members to find applicants. Winton Hills pool was one of five not in operation last year and one of 11 that remained closed the year before.

Johnson then recruited at high schools across Cincinnati, as well as ones in St. Bernard, Norwood, Reading, Deer Park and Mariemont, and Covington and Newport in Northern Kentucky.

The city was able to bring on about 250 lifeguards for the year with wages of $16 to $18 an hour. It was also able to tap applicants from its Lifeguard Academy, launched in 2022, that pays teens to learn to swim and be ready for pool jobs.

Cincinnati leaders sought a full reopening of pools for years, Mayor Aftab Pureval said.

We have been working on this since we walked into office, he said. Our pools are the cornerstone of our communities.

Cincinnati Recreation Commission Director Daniel Betts, center, credited city human resources superintendent Jude Johnson, to his right, with coining "24 for '24" as he recruited pool personnel for the summer.

Three pools will open May 25, Recreation Commission Director Daniel Betts said:

Dunham Otto Armleder, 4356 Dunham Lane in Westwood.

McKie Pool, 1655 Chase Ave., Northside.

Oakley, 3900 Paxton Ave.

Seventeen more will open June 3 and the balance on June 10.

The city will devote close to $2 million of the recreation commissions $34.6 million annual budget on pools this year, Betts told The Enquirer. Theyll generate about $325,000 in revenue, he said, calling pools a public service and integral part of our communities.

The city continues to hire lifeguards, managers, concession workers and door attendants for pools, with information on the city website.

An employee of Cincinnati Recreation Commission resurfaces Ryan Pool in Westwood in May 2023.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When will Cincinnati neighborhood pools open this year?
(Photo provided by Alaska State Home Building Association)

This is written in response to the April 11 article by Yereth Rosen, In seismically active Alaska, plans for statewide residential building codes are on shaky ground.

The members of the Alaska State Home Building Association would like to address concerns about House Bill 150 and Senate Bill 197 concerning enacting a statewide building code and urge legislators to consider the benefits of both.

First a little history lesson and background. In the late 1970s there was a housing shortage much like today. Builders from across the country came to Alaska to build much-needed housing. They were well intentioned and built homes just like they had always done where they came from. The issue was that what they had always done, did not work in Alaska. Foundations were faulty, insulation and vapor barriers inadequate, ventilation between warm and cold environments nonexistent. They looked great and worked where they were from, but not here. The economy crashed, oil price went to $8.60 a barrel and people left the keys on the table and walked away in the mid 80s. Banks were left with a lot of homes that were not inhabitable without substantial work.

That prompted the state to come up with the Residential Endorsement requirement for contractors to build homes. They must take some classes, pass a test, and then take continuing education classes to keep their endorsement and remain current and legal. These classes cover how to build in Alaskas environment and pay attention to energy efficiency. Now we have the education but no requirement to put that information to use outside of enforcement jurisdictions. Customers are encouraged to hire a licensed, insured, and bonded contractor. They do this thinking they have done their due diligence only to find out later that there is no requirement for their contractor to build to any standard. Adding to the frustration, they spend their money looking for help in the legal system only to be told that the contractor did not break any laws. Governments No. 1 role is to protect the citizens. Government has overreached in many areas, but this is not one of them.

Some lending institutions have protected themselves by requiring homes to be built to a minimum code as a qualification for financing. Alaska Housing Finance Corp. being one. They work with the International Residential Code as a basis and amended it to fit Alaska. They require inspections that are done by private business people that are trained and experts in the field. These inspections are paid for by the contractor or homeowner. This is to protect the bank from substandard building and has been in place since 1991. Code should not be considered the high bar; it is the minimum standards for protection of life.

A lot of contractors build better than code minimums. The idea of the code being burdensome and expensive can happen at the municipal level when jurisdictions add to the code minimum. These bills are intentionally written and strike the right balance of housing affordability, safety, and resiliency of homes.

The role of government is to protect the people in ways we cannot do ourselves. AHFC is protecting itself and Alaskans. Other lending institutions could follow suit. HB 150 and SB 197 are intended to finish the job that was started in the 90s, by requiring licensed professionals who advertise as a residential endorsed contractor to use the information they were taught and build to a minimum code. Code is not the high bar. It is a minimum standard intended to protect those living in these homes in the event of earthquakes, typhoons and fires. The code does not guarantee or even pretend that there will be no damage, but is designed to allow an occupant to survive these events.

What these bills do:

Protect the consumer by giving them legal grounds if they need to go to court because their home was not built to industry standards.

Protect the bank in their investment. Alaska Housing Finance contributes to the state of Alaska budget, and I am happy they have protected themselves.

Protects the contractor  Contractors building to industry standards are protected. Those not building to industry standards are putting themselves out on a limb.

Protect government  Citizens are going to expect government assistance after a natural disaster hits.

Use existing resources at AHFC that are already monitoring and amending codes to fit Alaska with a proven track record.

Put in place an advisory council to AHFC comprised of builders and industry professionals giving us a voice and engaging those affected by these codes.

Only pertain to licensed residential endorsed contractors.

What these bills do not do:

Do not add to state government.

Do not require any type of inspections.

Do not affect homeowner builders.

Do not affect recreation cabins.

Do not affect jurisdictions already having a residential code.

In response to concern for those living in rural areas with no contractors and maybe lack expertise in how to build a safe home: The Cold Climate Housing Research Center has done a lot of research and produced information specific to the varying climates across the state and can be referenced for best practices that meet the environmental conditions. With their input, the existing AHFC code amendments have been specifically written for Alaska to ensure sustainable and durable homes, not to prevent them.

A statewide building code does not create a barrier for residential construction no matter where you live. These bills do not affect those that are not licensed contractors. Remember, there are no inspections if not required by the lender. Should anyone want to build their own home or build one with their friend who is not a contractor, they can still do that and assume the risks and liabilities of that. When people are paid for their help, they are either contractors or employees. There are federal and state laws in place addressing both of these situations and the definition of both.

Everyone, regardless of where they live, should want a safe and energy-efficient home.

The post Alaska-wide building code would ensure more live in safe, energy-efficient homes appeared first on Alaska Beacon.
With this app, Kansas families can go to more than 200 attractions for free this summer

Families with children in Kansas who don't want to travel far for vacation have the perfect opportunity this year and they won't have to pay an admission fee at several attractions to do so.

Back again is the 2024 edition of Sunflower Summer, a program happening from May 25 to Aug. 11, that offers a way for Kansas families with school-aged children to explore their state, providing complimentary access to tourism attractions across the Sunflower State.

Kansas Tourism announced more than 220 attractions will be part of the program, nearly doubling the amount from 2023.

The Sunflower Summer program plays a pivotal role in making in-state travel affordable for Kansas families, Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. It offers amazing opportunities for parents to nurture their childrens love for travel and appreciation for our incredible state and everything it has to offer.

Participating attractions this year are located in all regions of the state and includes places like museums, discovery centers, historic sites, arboretums, water parks, amusement parks, zoos, guided trolley tours, live theater events and professional sports events.

The Cosmosphere is an International SciEd Center and Space Museum in Hutchinson. The attraction is one of more than 200 that will have free admission for Kansas families of school-aged children through the Sunflower Summer program.

How does the Sunflower Summer program work?

To use the program, families with school-aged children need to download the Sunflower Summer app in either the App Store or Google Play Store beginning May 1. From there, they can create an account and claim tickets to participating attraction venues, which will be redeemed upon arrival at the venue.

Free tickets are available to all Kansas students from pre-K through 12th grade and up to two adults accompanying them. The Sunflower Summer App allows one free admission ticket per student for each attraction. Once a ticket is used, the app will "stamp" the ticket and it will no longer be valid to be re-used for that attraction.

A list and map of participation attractions, as well as links to download the app, can be found on the Sunflower Summer website, sunflowersummer.org.

What kind of impact does the Sunflower Summer program have for Kansas attractions?

Attractions and cities that have taken part in the Sunflower Summer program speak highly of it, saying that it offers a great way for Kansans to have fun, learn and experience their state in a cost-effective way.

"I've heard from a lot of families that say this is how they travel in the summer," said Julie Roller Weeks, director of the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Previously, Abilene only had the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum as part of the program, but this year, the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad and Dickinson County Heritage Center are also taking part.

"Now packaging (all) three attractions, we're a great vacation now," Weeks said. "All of them are in the same block and very walkable."

While the tickets are free for those participating, each attraction gets reimbursed for each ticket used, which Weeks said is a win-win for everybody.

"The family gets to go for free, but the attraction... isn't out anything," Weeks said. "So this is a way for (the attraction) to increase revenue and increase visitation...thanks to the State of Kansas."

One attraction that is able to expand what families can do for free this year is the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. Chuck McClary, Digital Specialist and Public Relations Coordinator for the international science education center and space museum, said last year, the Sunflower Summer Program only included access into the Hall of Space Museum.

"Reno County residents already get into the...museum for free, so they weren't getting the full benefit of the Sunflower Summer program," McClary said.

This year, the program includes a free All-Access Mission Pass, which includes access to Hall of Space Museum and CosmoKids, one Carey Digital Dome Theater documentary, one show in the Justice Planetarium, one show in Dr. Goddards Lab and one ride on the naviGATOR Flight Simulator.

"It's a pass to pretty much everything in the building," McClary said.

There are currently renovations happening in the Hall of Space Museum, but McClary said people who come are still able to see things like the Apollo 13 command module and the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft on display.

More: SculptureTour Salina 2024 kicks off with UNwrap Party

Plan a vacation or weekend around the Sunflower Summer program

With cities and towns like Abilene or Salina that have multiple attractions participating, there is an opportunity for Kansans to plan a whole trip in one place.

"We're drawing in a lot of people from outside the area," said Linda Henderson, director of development and marketing for Rolling Hills Zoo.

Henderson said Salina is trying to create a destination for people to travel to, and with this program, that allows families multiple things to do when they come here, with not only the zoon, but The Garage, the Smoky Hill Museum, Kenwood Cove Aquatic Center and the Art Center and more participating in Sunflower Summer.

"(We want people to) come and spend the weekend in Salina, and check out all of the great venues we have," Henderson said.

For more information about the Sunflower Summer program, visit sunflowersummer.org.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Sunflower Summer offers families admission to 200+ Kansas attractions
From bourbon to brunch to beach, Wilmington food and drink events to check out in May

One of the sofa lounges at the Wine Knot Sky Bar and Lounge club on the ninth floor of the Murchinson Building at 201 N. Front St. in downtown Wilmington, N.C. ALLISON BALLARD/STARNEWS

Its a month that begins with the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo (and all of the bourbon and Mexican fare that come with them) and ends with a classic beach party weekend. And, oh yeah, the year's brunchiest holiday, Mothers Day, is sandwiched in there, too. So of course, theres a lot of food-and-drink fun on the calendar in May. Heres a look at some local events.

May 3-4: The Carolina Strawberry Festival is returning to 206 S.W. Railroad St. in Wallace. Events begin at 6 p.m. Friday and continue with two days of live music, attractions and lots of food vendors and a pig cook-off. There's also a beer and wine tent, picnic area and craft vendors.

May 11: It's the food-service kick-off for the N. Sea Oyster Co. with chef Nick Chavez at 674 Old Landing Road in Hampstead. The tide-to-table menu is available 4-8 p.m. in the oyster farm's Oyster Barn. Picnic tables have a $10 deposit that will applied to the final bill.

May 11: In downtown Wilmington, Wine Knot Sky Bar & Cocktail Lounge is the starting point for a Sip & Shop: Boutique and Bar Crawl event to support local, women-owned businesses. A wrist band allows you to get a drink at Wine Knot and The Vine plus discounts and a glass of wine at nine boutiques like Modern Legend, Hues of Violet, Girl Style Boutique and Home Body Collective. Tickets are $38 and the event takes place 2-5 p.m. starts at the ninth floor at 201 N. Front St.

May 17-19: The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is once again hosting its uber popular Wilmington Greek Festival at 608 S. College Rd, Wilmington. Look for traditional food and music, dancing, and cooking demonstrations. Entry fee is $5 for adults.

May 18: Its time again for a fan favorite from Ellipsis, End of Days Distillery and Boombalattis. Burger Shakedown begins at 3 p.m. with three courses of artisanal burger sliders paired with boozy milkshakes at 1502 S. Third St. in Wilmington. Tickets are $48.

May 18: Wilmington's green and sustainable Mad Mole Brewing, at 6309 Boathouse Road on Oleander Drive near Bradley Creek is hosting a Six Year Anniversary party with beer specials, live music and food trucks all day. It begins at noon.

May 18: Another anniversary party is taking place at the Wilmington location of Dram & Draught, which is celebrating two years in business at 109 Market St. downtown starting at 3 p.m. Look for cocktails, raffle tickets, live music and a DJ.

May 20: Block Eatz on the north campus of Cape Fear Community College in Castle Hayne returns with its monthly Chef's Vision event, with a chat with Tracy Mullins from Hieronymus Seafood Restaurant. The event begins at 5:30, and it's free, but you can register to let them know you're coming.

Blue Surf Arboretum West at 414 Arboretum Drive in Wilmington, N.C.

May 21: Blue Surf Arboretum West at 414 Arboretum Drive in Wilmington is partnering with Leland Brewing Co. for this month's Chef's Dinner. Look for a selection of craft brews and a four-course menu from chef Jon Webb. Cost is $65 and it begins at 5:30 p.m.

May 22: Shuckin' Shack in downtown Wilmington is hosting a Meet the Makers Oyster Roast 6-8 p.m. at 127 N. Front St. Look for all-you-can-eat local oysters from Three Little Spats Oyster Co., brews from Maine Beer Company, and live music. Tickets are around $42.

May 23: There's a unique event that blends literary and culinary fun at Cast Iron Kitchen, 8024 Market St. in Wilmington's Porters Neck area. Author Karen Barefoot will discuss her journey and the best-selling "Brave, Bold, and Barefoot." Chef Josh Petty will offer a picnic-inspired spread to go along with it. Tickets are $20.

May 25: In midtown Wilmington, Henry's Restaurant and Perry's Emporium are hosting a 25th anniversary party. It's 2-7 pm. at 2508 Independence Blvd. The event features live music and a low country boil with all of the fixings, including the boil, salads and sides, and desserts. Drinks sold separately. Tickets are $25.

May 25: Blue Shark Vodka's series of beach clean-ups continues with this one at Ocean Isle Fish Company in Ocean Isle. It takes place 10 a.m. to noon. and begins at 65 Causeway Dr.

May 29: As a part of their new efforts in Carolina Beach, Salt & Charm is hosting its first Kindred Community Dinner at 205 Charlotte Ave, in Carolina Beach. It begins with an aperitivo hour at the bar for cocktails and pre-dinner snacks, which not included in the ticket price. The $36 tickets do include a family style dinner in the chapel with Slow Roasted Pork Carnitas and Braised Ancho Chili Chicken Tacos, as well as sides and desserts. It starts at 6:30.

May 30: Another first comes in the form of this Craft Beer Collaboration Dinner with Front Street Brewery, Biggers Market and Seaview Crab Company. Look for a four-course dinner of seasonal, Southern-inspired dishes paired with FCB beers. It's at 6:30 p.m. at 9 N. Front St. and tickets are $65.

STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the areas latest food news by signing up for the Port City Foodies newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Restaurant, food and drink events in Wilmington, NC in May 2024
 Read the full article on Motorious

Enhance your classic truck collection.

The allure of classic Chevrolet trucks has only grown over the decades, each model telling a story of American craftsmanship and a bygone era of automotive excellence. From the rugged lines of the early Advance Design pickups to the sleek contours of the C10 series, the auction will showcase an extensive array of models that have shaped the legacy of Chevrolet's truck lineup.

As the auction date approaches, anticipation builds among potential buyers and Chevy aficionados who are eager to witness or own a piece of history. The event, renowned for its meticulously curated selection of vintage automobiles, will feature some of the most beautifully restored and well-preserved Chevy trucks, each with its own unique charm and backstory. This gathering is not just an auction; it's a celebration of the enduring spirit and enduring popularity of Chevrolet trucks, making it a must-visit for anyone passionate about classic automotive treasures.

1972 C-10 Short Bed Step Side

Step back in time and drive away in style with this stunning 1972 Chevrolet C-10, set to turn heads at the 2024 Spring Specialty Auto Auction on May 11, 2024. This meticulously maintained pick-up boasts a short bed step side design and dazzles with a striking exterior color scheme of Pearl White and Pearl Red Wine, perfectly complemented by a sleek black interior. Under the hood, this C-10 houses a powerful crate 350 Vortec engine paired with a TH 350 Goodwrench automatic transmission, ensuring robust performance coupled with low mileage reliability. Not only is it a feast for the eyes, but it also comes equipped with modern comforts such as heating and air conditioning, making it a practical choice for both collectors and enthusiasts. Don't miss the chance to own this beautifully preserved piece of Chevrolet history at Lot #98. See it here.

1969 Chevrolet C10 Pickup



Step into the past with this beautifully restored 1969 Chevrolet C10 pickup, a true gem from the golden era of American trucks. Presented in a vibrant orange finish that accentuates its rust-free body, this C10 dazzles with its impeccable styling and classic lines. Under the hood lies a powerful 327 Chevrolet small block engine paired with a TH350 transmission, enhanced by Yukon axles and rear gears for smooth handling. The truck features a CPP lowering kit, power steering, and power brakes, ensuring a comfortable ride. It stands proudly on 265/35r/20 Riddler wheels, making it not just a vehicle, but a statement on wheels. Perfect for enthusiasts and collectors alike, this C10 combines performance with vintage charm. See it here.

1967 Chevrolet C10

Don't miss your chance to own a piece of automotive art with this custom 1967 Chevrolet C10, featured at the 2024 Spring Specialty Auto Auction on May 11th. This stunning resto-mod pickup has undergone a comprehensive body-off restoration, showcasing a laser-straight body coated in a dazzling custom red paint. Enhanced with new stainless steel and chrome, LED taillights, a matching bed cover, and a red spray-in bed liner, this C10 combines beauty with utility. The interior doesn't shy away from luxury either, featuring custom TMI seating, digital gauges, a chrome tilt column, and a top-notch audio system. Powered by a 5.3 Ls engine with a 4L60E overdrive transmission, and equipped with power disc brakes, an aluminum radiator, and Vintage Air conditioning, this vehicle is not only a showstopper but also ready to deliver a comfortable ride anywhere. Join us at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, AL, to witness this masterpiece in person. See it here.

Specialty Auto Auction takes place live and online Saturday, May 11th in Greeley, Colorado. With several classic cars and trucks from rust-free Western states, heres the opportunity to add to your collection.

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4 In 10 Los Angeles Renters Fear Eviction Because Of High Rents

Nearly 4 in 10 Los Angeles County apartment renters fear they will face eviction and homelessness in the next several years, according to a recent University of California, Los Angeles survey.

It's a sad reality that Los Angeles is becoming more famous for its high cost of living than its beaches and year-round sunshine, but the study results speak volumes. L.A. has one of America's largest homeless populations and many residents fear they could be next.

Los Angeles used to be a city where young people went to "make it big" in their chosen profession. Increasingly, it is becoming a city where anyone earning less than a six-figure income will be hard-pressed to make ends meet. The survey, conducted by the Luskin School of Public Affairs as part of its 2024 Quality of Life Index, reveals some troubling truths about where Angelenos see themselves and their futures.

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The study results are clear: Los Angeles's high cost of living is hurting the quality of life for its residents, many of whom fear they can't keep up. Less than 25% of renters surveyed believed they would be able to purchase a home in an L.A. neighborhood where they wanted to live. It's not difficult to identify with their fears, especially considering that the average Los Angeles home costs nearly $1 million.

Bear in mind that $1 million is the average price. That means homes in Los Angeles's traditionally challenged neighborhoods sell in the mid to high six-figure range. By contrast, Zillow reports the average home in Beverly Hills is roughly $3 million  a nearly 200% increase over the average Beverly Hills home price in 2000 of around $1,000,000, according to the Southern California Association of Governments.

One significant kick-on effect of high home prices is that they leave Los Angeles apartment owners with a captive rental audience. Apartments in Los Angeles were temporary housing 20 to 30 years ago. Many area renters eventually became homebuyers because they didn't have to be movie stars or tech company executives to afford homes in desirable areas.

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Middle-class professionals like teachers and firemen were priced out of Beverly Hills in 2000, but they had options in areas like the San Fernando Valley or L.A.'s outlying suburbs. Now, they are permanently priced out of the Los Angeles County housing market, making them permanent renters. Unfortunately for them, rents are on the same upward trajectory as home prices. Zillow reports the average rent in Los Angeles is roughly $2,700 per month.

Story continues

The standard qualification ratio for an apartment rent or mortgage payment is three times the monthly obligation. If the average rent is $2,700, a renter needs to make around $8,500 per month (over $100,000 annually) to qualify. Even in a city like Los Angeles where the cost of living was relatively high, crossing the $100,000 annual salary mark used to be where most people could stop living paycheck to paycheck and begin saving for retirement.

Now, $100,000 barely gets Angelenos through the front door, and most Los Angeles renters don't make anywhere close to that. It explains why 4 out of 10 Los Angeles County residents fear eviction and are pessimistic about their futures in the area. This level of angst and apprehension about living in Los Angeles is a relatively new phenomenon.

It's also a factor investors should consider before buying property in the L.A. area. Historically, they have been able to rely on steady returns from rent increases. However, as renters' dissatisfaction with life in Los Angeles increases, along with their fear of becoming homeless, it's only a matter of time before L.A. rents hit a glass ceiling. They may be bumping up against it already.

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This article 4 In 10 Los Angeles Renters Fear Eviction Because Of High Rents originally appeared on Benzinga.com

 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Drinks and food are served at the May 5, 2023, Cinco de Mayo Fest at Scissortail Park in Oklahoma City.

Cinco de Mayo is rapidly approaching and you may be planning to attend the annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta at Scissortail Park.

The festival is sure to be a fun-filled time of celebration in the park from 3 to 10 p.m. with live music and dance performances plus vendors and food on site.

Iguana Mexican Grill in Oklahoma City.

But if you're wanting something indoors, there are plenty of local restaurants you can visit. Iguana Mexican Grill, 9 NW 9th St., will once again be hosting a Cinco De Mayo Party, granted it's 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. May 4, but it will feature food, music, a DJ, giveaways and more.

Or you can just visit one of the more than 36 taco shops from the list we compiled last year.

If you're looking for other food and drink specials across town, there are several options at national chains to quench your thirst and curb your hunger.

Cinco De Mayo 2024 at Chuys.

1. Chuy's

Chuy's has specials on both food and drink offerings beginning with margaritas  frozen (Lime, Strawberry or Swirl only) or on the rocks  for just $6 for a Regular House Rita or $10 for a Grande House Rita and keep the giveaway cup, while supplies last. Add an extra $1 floater  that's an extra pour of tequila, Cointreau or Grand Marnier  all day long.

Margaritas for Cinco De Mayo 2024 at Chuys.

The restaurants various Chips N Dips are also just $5 all day. Choose from Queso, Queso Compuesto, their Lil Chuy Gooey or the Boom-Boom Pow.

Locations: Oklahoma City - 13621 N Blackwelder Ave.; Norman - 760 N Interstate Drive; and Tulsa - 8120 S Olympia Ave., 10808 E 71 Street.

2. Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks is home to no shortage of drink specials for Cinco De Mayo. Whether it's a margarita, shot or beer you're in the mood for, they've got you covered.

Options include the new Get Lei'ed and Casamigos Pool Party Margarita, plus specials on house margaritas and micheladas, as well as several other flavored margaritas, shots, cocktails, beer buckets and more.

Locations: 6500 SW 3 Street and 3109 W Memorial Road.

3. On The Border

On The Border will feature a selection of $5 food and beverage specials.

Guests who stop in through May 5 can enjoy Cinco Ritas, Mexican draft beer, and On The Borders signature queso each for $5.

Plus, On The Border will be serving up additional daily drink offerings for $9.99 during their "Five days of Cinco," and two new margaritas  the Blue Duck Oasis Rita and Duck Island Breeze Rita  featuring Dwayne Johnsons Teremana Tequila will be available all month and will feature special Cinco duckies when purchased on May 4 or 5.

May 1: Pineapple Rita  100% Blue Agave Jose Cuervo Traditional Silver Tequila, triple sec, fresh lime, and pineapple juice.

May 2: 1800 Meltdowns  A shot of your favorite tequila or liqueur added to your Rita!

May 3: The Perfect Patron  Patron Silver, Patron Citronge orange liqueur, and fresh citrus sour.

May 4-5: Blue Duck Oasis Rita and Duck Island Breeze Rita  topped with an On The Border Cinco Duck.

May 5: Spicy Ghost Rita  100% Agave Ghost Tequila Blanco infused with Ghost Pepper and paired with fresh lime agave.

Locations: Oklahoma City - 120 S Meridian Ave. and 3500 NW Expressway; Edmond - 3233 S Broadway; and Tulsa - 5340 E 41 Street South and 8702 E 71 Street South.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What to do and where to find deals for Cinco de Mayo in OKC
Daiwa Wong and Eduardo Chang, owners and operators of Sushi Nikkei, stand next to a mural created by artist Rudolph Castro inside the restaurant. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

On a recent Sunday night in Long Beach's Bixby Knolls neighborhood, chef Eduardo Chang and his wife and business partner, Daiwa Wong, greeted guests at Sushi Nikkei as they filed through the busy dining room to celebrate the restaurant's two-year anniversary.

Chang and Wong specialize in Peruvian-style sushi, including various types of tiradito, such as yellowtail with jalapeno and ponzu sauce or the catch of the day with tiger milk, aji amarillo, cancha (toasted corn) and sweet potato. But on this night the couple served a special menu of traditional Peruvian dishes not usually found at Sushi Nikkei.

You have to try it," Chang said to a table of three, touting the seco norteno, braised short rib slow-cooked in cilantro sauce. "Its only here for tonight. We wanted to spoil our guests.

And there were many guests to spoil.

Each table in the 50-seat restaurant was filled and more guests were crowded at the door. Some were regulars, and Wong hugged them with the familiarity of an old friend.

Read more: His restaurant was named No. 1 in the world. Why Peru's Virgilio Martinez wants more

"When you come in," said Lakewood resident Samantha Rollins, who has been a customer since the restaurant opened, it's "like they welcome you into their home. Everything here is made with love, made with meaning."

A plate of acebichado with crispy shrimp, avocado topped with tuna, acebichado sauce, togarashi and green onion at Sushi Nikkei in Long Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The connection between Peru and Japan goes back for generations, creating a unique thread in Peruvian life known as Nikkei culture. In two years, Chang and Wong have quietly built a following in Long Beach for their inviting dining room serving a sushi-focused take on Nikkei cuisine.

Peru established diplomatic relations with Japan in the late 1800s, and Japanese immigrants made their way to Peru when the industrial revolution made farming in Japan challenging. The migration began a long tradition of using Peruvian ingredients with Japanese culinary techniques.

Chang said he initially wanted to simply call the restaurant Nikkei  derived from the Japanese word Nikkeijin, which refers to Japanese emigrants from Japan, as well as their descendants. But the restaurant's proper name is Sushi Nikkei  Peruvian Style.

Here, people dont know it so much, said Chang. People here would read it and not know what is Nikkei. So we added sushi, because they will recognize that.

Chang and Wong opened their restaurant to share the Japanese-Peruvian cuisine Changs mother and grandmother cooked for him growing up. Along the way, the couple have become quiet ambassadors, sharing cultural history with diners, one sushi roll at a time.

They see 'Peruvian style' and they think lomo saltado," said Wong. "The challenge is to [raise] awareness of Nikkei cuisine.

One of the signature dishes at Sushi Nikkei is a Parmesan scallop. The sweet scallop is brushed with lemon butter and draped over a perfectly formed nugget of rice, then topped with Parmesan cheese that gets toasted with a torch before being served. Parmesan and sushi might seem like an unexpected combination, but the smooth, rich bite is a close cousin of conchitas a la parmesana, a popular Peruvian dish of scallops broiled with Parmesan gratin.

Tiradito Nikkei, left, Sushi Nikkei Tasting, grilled scallops on half shells and Peruvian cebiche, upper right. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

It's an unexpected Nikkei dish that in a way reflects the notion that Nikkei cuisine at its core is about constant motion and fusion.

Nikkei food is not intended to describe just Japanese-Peruvian food, says Jane Matsumoto, executive culinary arts director at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Los Angeles. Nikkei food could be Japanese-American or Japanese-Mexican. Nikkei Peruvian is just one example of the many ways in which Japanese ingredients, Japanese techniques, Japanese foods and styles have been integrated into another culture.

When groups re-create the food of their homeland in a new region, substitutions are made, flavors are replicated as best as they can be, and over time that new flavor becomes the tradition.

The Japanese influence in Hawaii resulted in dishes like Spam musubi, Matsumoto points out. There are even instances of amalgamation within the Asian diaspora in Latin America that can be traced in slightly more familiar Peruvian dishes, like lomo saltado. The 19th century brought indentured Cantonese workers to Peru and the steak and potato stir-fry is a staple of Chifa cuisine, a culinary tradition that blends Chinese and Peruvian culture.

Wong and Chang have their own family ties to Chinese culture. The couple first met in high school, at Colegio Peruano Chino Juan XXIII, a bilingual Catholic school in San Miguel, Peru. Wong's mother, a teacher, and her father, a merchant, sent her and her brother to the school with the help of a scholarship, while Chang's single mom worked as an accountant to support her two children.

My husband and I, we were high school friends. We went to the prom together, but just as friends, Wong said.

The two continued their friendship after graduation, but Wong left for the U.S. to find better opportunities and Chang attended Peru's Cordontec culinary school. Wong gave birth to her first son and became a registered nurse, while Chang become an itamae sushi chef and eventually opened his first restaurant, Yume, in Lima.

Chef Eduardo Chang prepares Sushi Nikkei Tasting at Sushi Nikkei. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Chang came to the States to visit and their friendship eventually developed into a romance. They wed in 2018. By this time Chang and his partners had opened a second restaurant in Peru, but in 2019 he came to the U.S. permanently to be with his wife.

He already opened his successful restaurant, but because of me he decided to leave everything behind and start all over again, Wong said.

The couple had their first child together and, although they were happy, Wong said she felt guilty about Chang leaving Yume. In Peru, he was an accomplished chef and restaurateur, but in California, he rose early each morning to make sushi for a local grocery store chain.

Our plan was to open our own restaurant, said Wong, I always told him, I know we can do it. I trust your hands."

They worked hard and saved money for three years to secure a space: a former Mexican restaurant on Atlantic Avenue in Bixby Knolls.

It was very different," Wong said. "We remodeled every corner."

They swapped fiesta orange and yellow for a subdued black-and-navy color scheme. The remodel also included adding a mural, sketched in a crosshatched black-and-white style, of a Japanese farmer, who now overlooks the dining room at Sushi Nikkei. The artwork, by Peruvian artist Rudolph Castro, is an imposing reminder of the cuisine's history, a silent guardian of tradition.

Sushi Nikkei opened in January 2022 and by August, it was in the Michelin Guide as a "point of view" restaurant.

Since we opened, weve had people. Every weekend, it was packed, said Wong. A second Sushi Nikkei location followed in Belmont Shore in December of the same year.

Peruvian cebiche with striped bass, tiger milk, aji amarillo, cancha and sweet potato at Sushi Nikkei. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

At both locations, the Parmesan scallop can be ordered on its own or as part of a tasting menu that includes three other types of sushi that are representative of Sushi Nikkei: Sweet Salmon, Tuna Power and Asian Shiromi. In addition to Parmesan, quinoa, cream cheese and aji amarillo peppers are among ingredients Chang incorporates into the Sushi Nikkei tasting.

There are many people who dont like the cream cheese in sushi, but with tuna, with salmon, its a good combination, Chang said.

Cheeses, Matsumoto says, were incorporated into Japanese foods with the introduction of Western cultures and European cultures. The evolution of its usage continues today.

Modern Japanese are putting cheese into Japanese croquets," says Matsumoto. I heard recently of someone putting cheese topping on okonomiyaki.

For tiradito, another distinctly Japanese Peruvian tradition, raw fish is sliced like sashimi but spiced with ingredients like aji and lime rather than wasabi and shoyu.

Early Japanese immigrants also introduced Peru to the idea of eating a greater variety of seafood, including octopus and squid. A Sushi Nikkei menu item, Octopus Fire, is a culmination of both of these histories, presented as a row of thinly sliced octopus in citrus, parrillera sauce and a Peruvian salsa called chalaquita.

Chalaquita is like Mexican pico de gallo, Chang said.

A plate of acebichado with crispy shrimp, along with dishes Tiradito Nikkei, left, and Sushi Nikkei Tasting platter. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

However, the Dusty roll  crisp shrimp and avocado, topped with octopus and finished with Parmesan cheese and orange hot sauce  isn't named for anything Peruvian or Japanese. It was inspired by the cartoon character the couples young son is obsessed with  the orange plane called Dusty in Disneys 2013 animated film "Planes." It's their way of working their own history into their style of Nikkei cuisine.

In 2023, the family became five, welcoming a baby girl. Wong still works as a nurse during the day and manages the Bixby Knolls restaurant by night. Chang handles the Belmont Shore location while Wongs mother helps with their children. On the evening of the special anniversary menu, however, they worked together at the Bixby Knolls location. Wong moved through the dining room as usual, while Chang stood at the pass reading tickets and sending food to tables.

In the two years since the couple began their restaurant journey, they believe they have helped push Nikkei cuisine forward in Southern California  a generation after Nobuyuki Nobu Matsuhisa popularized Peruvian sushi in the U.S., first at Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills and later at his Nobu chain of restaurants.

Chang and Wong said they are proud to introduce their heritage to a community that is excited to appreciate it, helping diners like Rollins have their first experience with Japanese -Peruvian culture.

Coming here, you learn a lot through a culture's food, Rollins said.

The work of sharing Nikkei culture is ongoing because it is an identity  like any other  that is always evolving.

In the weeks after the anniversary, guests call hoping to order the seco norteno, hungry for the tender beef and the rice and beans served alongside it. Wong regretfully informs them it was just a special, but she hopes they will have more special menus  and many more anniversaries  in the future.

How many more years do we want to be here?" Wong said. "We want to be here forever."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
MPs and Lords have called on the Home Office to act faster to help Afghan families, saying the government has failed to deliver on its promise to bring women rights activists and others who supported the British mission to the UK.

In a letter shared with The Independent, a coalition of 18 MPs from all major political parties and nine peers have written to legal migration minister Tom Pursglove about the governments Afghan resettlement schemes.

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the UK initially pledged to accept 20,000 people over five years under the Home Offices scheme for vulnerable Afghans and those who promoted British values such as democracy, womens rights, freedom of speech and the rule of law. The scheme is known as the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and is separate from the Ministry of Defence (MoD)s scheme, which is exclusively for those who worked for British forces.

Parliamentarians, led by Lib Dem MP Wendy Chamberlain, have called on home office minister Mr Pursglove to act with more haste on delivering these promises, saying: Those who remain [in Afghanistan] face an escalating humanitarian situation and increasing limitations on their basic human rights, especially women and girls.

Over a quarter of the 20,000 places were allocated retrospectively to people who came to the UK during the airlifts from Kabul airport in August 2021, the letter said. Since then the delivery of the remaining pledges has been slow, it continued.

Afghan refugees wait to be processed after arriving on an evacuation flight from Afghanistan, at Heathrow Airport, London on August 26, 2021 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In the whole of 2022 and 2023 combined, just 1,611 Afghans were brought to the UK through the Home Office and Foreign Office schemes, the letter said.

The third pathway of the ACRS, which is for Afghans promised scholarship places in the UK and security contractors for embassies, brought just 688 of these Afghans to the UK, despite 1,500 places being available. The government is now working on who will be allowed to apply for help in the second phase of this pathway.

However this has been held up, with parliamentarians writing: Stage two of ACRS 3 - expected to support Afghan women and girls or members of oppressed minority groups and initially anticipated in the second year - is yet to be initiated.

MPs and Lords also criticised the government for leaving Afghans in the UK to face ongoing uncertainty and considerable stress while they wait to hear whether they can be reunited with some family members.

Those who were separated from family during Operation Pitting, the UKs evacuation effort in August 2021, had been told that they would be able to apply to bring their family members to the UK. However despite the promise, MPs said that these Afghans already separated for over two and a half years, are still waiting to know how and when they can finally be reunited.

The uncertainty is driving Afghans to desperation, with some attempting to cross the Channel via small boat in an attempt to reach their family in the UK. One 24-year-old Ahmad Nadeem Ebadi spoke to The Independent in Dunkirk, northern France last week, where he was trying to get on a small boat.

His father, who has dual British citizenship, was evacuated by the UK government along with other members of his family in August 2021. Nadeem said: I didnt get a chance to go on the plane. I have tried so many ways to come legally but there is no way.

The letter, which is signed by Tory MPs Caroline Nokes and Sir Julian Lewis and Green MP Caroline Lucas among others, continued: For Afghans waiting in the region, we are concerned that temporary visas have run out and that many are at imminent risk of being returned to Afghanistan. For those still in Afghanistan, the risks only continue.

Neighbouring Pakistan has been deporting Afghan refugees, with some 600,000 people returning since last October.

There are also a few hundred former Afghan special forces soldiers who worked closely with British troops living in Pakistan. Their resettlement applications are currently subject to a review by the MoD, but they do not have any protection from deportation while this review is ongoing.

A Home Office spokesperson said: The government continues to work with partners in the region to evacuate eligible people and are committed to bringing more Afghans to the UK in the long term.

We have committed to establishing a route for those evacuated from Afghanistan under Pathway 1 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme without their immediate family members to reunite in the UK. We remain on track to open the route for referrals in the first half of this year.
How is the Memphis in May barbecue contest different for 2024? Here's all the details

Memphis in May has made some changes to the 2024 events, but there's still plenty to do for those who have been attending for years.

The festivities for Memphis in May, which typically begin the first weekend in May, were pushed back to the middle of the month for 2024. With no Beale Street Music Festival happening, the first event for Memphis in May this year is the annual World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest that starts on May 15 and ends May 18.

After the Barbecue Cooking Contest, the next big event is the annual Great American River Run which takes place Memorial Day weekend.

If you've never been to the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest or wonder what's different about the festivities this year, here's what to expect.

What is different about the Memphis in May Barbecue Cooking Contest for 2024?

The biggest difference with the cooking contest this year is the location. Rather than being right along the Mississippi River, the festival will take place at Liberty Park next to Liberty Stadium at 335 South Hollywood Street.

A new barbecue contest, SMOKESLAM  the Worlds Ultimate BBQ Showdown, will be at Tom Lee Park this year instead of Memphis in May's barbecue contest.

Where should I park for the Memphis Barbecue Cooking Contest?

Parking will be available at and around Liberty Park during open hours. Memphis in May added a third gate on East Parkway this year to allow more access to attendees.

Mariah Garland (above) and Jennifer Justice (below) wrestle in sauce during the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest at Tom Lee Park in Downtown Memphis on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Participants, both amateurs and professionals, wrestled in barbecue sauce

Does anything happen besides cooking at the Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis?

While people from around the world come to the contest to enjoy barbecue and cook out, there are plenty of other sites to see while at the contest. Each night there is a range of festivities that include live music, a Ms. Piggy costume contest and a barbecue sauce wrestling contest.

There is a full schedule for the stage as well as a week's worth of cooking demonstrations. There will be barbecue cooking demonstrations at The Home Depot Outdoor Kitchen, The McCormick Demo Stage and Big Green Egg and Friends. All of these demonstrations will take place in BBQ Alley at the contest.

Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. will have a series of award ceremonies. Award can range from booth decoration to t-shirt design to the actual awards for the cooking contest. Here's the schedule:

Wednesday

Lighting of the Grill: 6:30 p.m.

Sauce Wrestling: 7:00 p.m.

Thursday

Ms. Piggy Idol Ceremony: 6 p.m.

Live Music from Marcy Playground: 8:30 p.m.

Friday

Live Music from Ingram Hill: 8:30 p.m.

Saturday

Live music from DJ Mic Tee: 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. after the awards ceremony

Can I buy barbecue at the Memphis in May Barbecue Cooking Contest?

Yes and no. Since it is a cooking competition, the teams are cooking to prepare for the competition and judging. Local health department regulations prohibit teams from serving barbecue to the general public.

Even though you can't buy barbecue from the teams, there will be food vendors at the park that will have barbecue and a number of other foods. In BBQ Alley, there will barbecue available to buy as well as other vendors like Big Gs, Yanceys and Mataiz Polynesian Grill along with Al Forno Pizza, Pronto Pups and Mempops.

Do I have to know a team to get into the Memphis in May event?

While it is not required to know a team to get into the festival, it is recommended to know one. Not only are you less likely to have to pay for food and drinks if you know a team, but you will also have a place to hang out rather than having to walk around the entire time. Many teams will not let you into the booth unless you know a team member.

Booths in the Whole Hog section of the park are seen as a University of Memphis flag flies from the top floor of the Barbeque Republic booth before the start of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest at Tom Lee Park in Downtown Memphis on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

Can I go in and out of the Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis?

No. Only people who have team wristbands and VIPit pass holders will be able to enter and reenter the park. All general admission tickets are allowed a single entry with no reentry.

Single day general admission tickets are $15 a person, and a four-day general admission pass is $54 per person.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: 2024 Memphis in May Barbecue Contest: Where it is, tickets, more
In Restaurant Roundup, Em Chan shares some local restaurants' latest updates. Have a question about a restaurant you'd like Chan to look into? You can send her your inquiries at echan@gannett.com.

Cafe Brarlin

Cafe Brarlin has closed in Independence after opening last fall.

Cafe Brarlin in Independence is closed after almost eight months in business.

Owner Alice Kollinzas and her husband, Ben Jackson, opened the cafe in September. The two said in a Facebook post that the building's landlord would not renew their lease due to unaligned expectations.

Jackson said they're especially sad because they had spent months renovating the space. The two said they're grateful for their customers and the regulars they had began building relationships with.

The cafe's baked goods and other items will still be available as the couple plans to sell them at the Independence Farmers Market on Saturdays and the West Salem Farmers Market on Thursdays. They said they are looking for another space to reopen the cafe.

For more info, check out the Facebook and Instagram page, @cafebrarlinindy.

Address: 413 S Main St., Independence

La Familia Cider

The Gonzalez family owns La Familia Cider Co. From left, Jay Jay, Soleil, Jazzelle, Armani, Shani and Jose at La Familia Cider House in Salem in June 2020.

La Familia Cider Co. is expanding and opening a taproom in Portland. The new location is the first outside of Salem for the Mexican cider company.

The business is owned by Jose and Shani Gonzalez and their adult children Jazzelle and Jay Jay. The family opened the first taproom space in downtown Salem in 2020.

The new location will be at the former Portland Cider Co. taproom on southeast Hawthorne Boulevard. Jay Jay will be the Portland taproom's manager.

The Gonzalez family had been on the lookout for a second location for about a year. When the opportunity came up, they couldn't turn it down, Jose said.

"When we learned that our friends Jeff and Lynda Parrish were considering not renewing their lease, we began talking with them about how it could work for us to takeover," Jose said.

The two companies have had a relationship prior to La Familia opening. The Parrishes mentored the Gonzalez family in cidermaking, and La Familia is still on tap at Portland Cider Co. locations.

There is no firm opening date yet, but the goal is to open by Cinco De Mayo, or at least sometime in May, according to Allison McGillivray, the cidery's public relations representative.

The ciders are inspired by aguas frescas flavors, like Jamaica (hibiscus) and guayaba (guava).

The Portland taproom's menu is in the works and will use local suppliers like Salem's Don Froylan, Jose said. The location will also be family and pet friendly.

For more updates on the new taproom, check out the website, lafamiliacider.com, Facebook and Instagram page, @lafamiliacider.

Address: 3638 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland

5 Star Donuts

5 Star Donuts is now open in downtown Salem in the former Bearscat Bakery on High Street.

The donut shop is owned by sisters Mai Thao, Vang Thao, Song Thao, Yee Thao and Sheng Lor. The five in the shop's name is representative of the five sisters. At the shop, you can find specialty donuts with decorations on them in classic and fun flavors. Also on the menu are mochi donuts, cookies, cupcakes, coffee (no espresso), boba drinks and soda.

The downtown location is the second location for their bakery. The first is in Stayton, in the former Bearscat Bakery space as well. Song said they had always wanted to run a bakery and donut shop and opened the Stayton location last summer.

Each month will feature a donut of the month, correlating with any holidays.

The bubble tea options for now are coconut, strawberry, taro and mango. The options will expand once they are more settled in the space, Song said.

For more info on the donut shop, check out the website, 5star-donuts.com and Facebook page.

Hours: 6 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday

Address: 190 High St. SE

Sewell Sweets

Various sweets are pictured during the grand opening at Sewell Sweets on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022 in Salem, Ore.

Sewell Sweets is expanding from its downtown location and opening a food truck at Beehive Station.

The high end cake shop is owned by Cat Sewell. She said the expansion was something she had been considering for about a year. Her downtown shop celebrated its first anniversary in November.

She said she didn't plan to open a food truck, but she and her husband, Chad, said it's a good stepping stone into the neighborhood in south Salem. The two originally purchased the truck to bring to private events to offer additional baked goods. But they found out there was a spot open at the Beehive Station and pivoted: the cart will be parked at the food pod part-time, taken out whenever needed for events.

"We know there's folks who don't like or want to come into downtown and we're trying to serve everyone," Sewell said. "A food truck is more reasonable for us than a second location right away."

The cart is pastel pink and tiny, Sewell said. The selections will be limited as there is no cold case. Items will include cookies, brownies, muffins and something potentially in cake form. Some of the items will be location-exclusive, she said.

Sewell said they plan to open around mid-May and are excited to be at a place they personally enjoy going to.

For updates on the new location, check out the Facebook and Instagram page, @sewellsweets.

Address: 1510 Fabry Road SE

Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com and follow her on X @catchuptoemily.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem restaurant openings, closings: Cafe Brarlin and 5 Star Donuts
Peculiar old picture of cars in Kansas City cave finds new fame online: How it happened

Uniquely KC is a Star series exploring what makes Kansas City special. From our award-winning barbecue to rich Midwestern history, were exploring why KC is the Paris of the Plains.

The road to internet fame can be winding. Case in point:

A peculiar photo of dozens  and possibly far more  1973 Ford Maverick sedans painted in Easter egg colors of blue, gold, white, brown, green and orange, parked in a Kansas City cave as if hunkered down for Armageddon  has climbed its way to the social media surface.

At 51 years old, the unique Kansas City photo has been highlighted unexpectedly over the last year on sites for Street Muscle Magazine and Ford Muscle, Auto Evolution, Curbside Classic and continues to be seen on an unknown number of Instagram and Facebook posts, garnering thousands of views.

Damn it  I wondered where all the 73 mavericks were, wrote one user on the Facebook page Thingies.

Bet those cars are worth more now than when they were built, another rightly commented.

The tale (doubtful at best) thats been accompanying the photo is that the sporty cars, with their rounded noses all pointed in one direction, were surplus 1973 Mavericks being stored in Hunt Midwests 11-plus miles of underground caves, known as SubTropolis, because the cars sales had slumped that year.

Thats not at all so, said Craig Selvey, 57, a lifetime owner of some 40 Mavericks in Albany, Indiana, and vice president of the Maverick/Comet Club International.

It wasnt because they werent selling or hadnt sold, said Selvey. Because 1973 was a very good year for the Ford Maverick and they would have sold as normal, even quicker, than other years.

Fords own numbers bear that out.

1970 Ford Maverick

Introduced in April 1969 (for the 1970 model year) the Maverick was assembled in Kansas City at the Ford Assembly Plant in Claycomo for its entire run until 1977. Built to be compact and inexpensive  sticker price $1,995  the Maverick launched as an import fighter to go head-to-head against the wildly popular Volkswagen Bug as well as imports from Toyota, Datsun, Renault and others.

Now Americans who want small car economy dont have to spend their U.S. dollars overseas, Ford declared in an ad in The Star on April 16, 1969, the day before the six-cylinder hit the market.

Ford introduces the new Maverick, made at the Claycomo Assembly Plant, in The Star on April 16, 1969. Now Americans who want small car economy dont have to send their U.S. dollars overseas, the ad declared.

One day later, Renault shot back with a snarky ad of its own, a lampoon in which it reluctantly welcomes Maverick to the world.

Frankly, Maverick, with the competition we already get from VW, we need another competitor like we need a broken leg, the ad read. However, when we consider the average Detroit car, we at Renault feel that any improvement  no matter how humble  deserves recognition.

Renault then went on to tell Maverick, You are not a bad car.  Second, you are not ugly, before giving it some Small Car to Small Car advice about having old-fashioned rather than modern disc brakes, having an outdated transmission and, at 22.5 miles per gallon, drinking too much fuel.

Maverick, a small car should not gulp gasoline. That is bad manners, the ad intoned, boasting the boxy Renault 10s 35 miles per gallon. Do not take our criticism too hard, Maverick. For your first try at it, you have not done badly.

Renault welcomes the Ford Maverick, made in Kansas City, with a lampoon ad in The Kansas City Star on April 17, 1969

Maverick did great, logging 569,000 sales in its first 16 months, April 1969 to September 1970. Meant to be a fun car, it came in a palette of fun colors: Brittany Black and Wimbledon White, sure. But there was also Anti-Establish Mint, a Hulla Blue, a Freudian Gilt or gold, a red Thanks Vermilion, Original Cinnamon and, in later years, a popping bright Home on the Orange.

In 1971, some 272,000 Mavericks sold, followed the next year by 255,000. In 1973, the year of the photo, sales rose to 292,000, and jumped to 301,000 in 1974. It wasnt until 1975 that sales slumped, cut in half to 162,000, followed by 140,000. The cars last year, 1977, sales bottomed out at 98,000.

Ryan Tompkins, Hunt Midwests director of sales and leasing, couldnt speak to whether the cars that once filled their caves were surplus. The photo belongs to Hunt Midwest. A more likely explanation, he said, is that the Mavericks were just there to be kept safe. Ford had been using the caves since the early 1960s, a six-decade relationship. Their assembly plant is five miles away.

I do know that it was storage for the vehicles, Tompkins said, to get out of the weather for the hail and tornado activity that Kansas City has. It is a safe and secure environment. I dont know how many vehicles were down there, but they would be out of harms way. They had an operation in the Underground already.

They found that this would be a good location to store assembled vehicles while theyre waiting to be sold and distributed out.

The SubTropolis caves automotive alley remains the home to about 20 car- and truck-related suppliers and outfitters.

Zach Murdoch, Hunt Midwests manager of corporate communications, said that the Mavericks photo found its way onto the internet after someone on Facebook discovered it on Hunt Midwests website last year.

I think it was like a Throwback Thursday post or something, Murdock said, just something kind of hanging around. But when this guy took, it, it blew up. So now, every couple of months, it kind of surfaces again and people share it around.

I mean, its a cool photo, and theres a little cognitive dissonance to it. Like, What are these things doing down here?

The simple answer: storage.

No, theyre no longer there. In 2021, Ford resurrected the Maverick name and gave it to a new compact pickup truck.

If someone once again has the urge to see a bevy of colorful Mavericks, Selvey of the Maverick/Comet Club said that his group plans to hold its 31st annual Maverick roundup  thats horsey lingo for a car convention  on July 17 in Kingsport, Tennessee.

They expect 50 to 60 cars from across the country. Although the Maverick was made in Claycomo, the group has yet to hold a roundup in Kansas City, because there tends to be more attendees from the East Coast

Weve talked about it, Selvey said of a Kansas City roundup. I mean thats definitely in the realm of possibilities.

Maybe they could gather in a cave.
Temples are not always built by people, and in Laos caves form one of the most sacred places for buddhists. Nowhere else houses as many statues as in the Pak Ou Caves in Laos. Carola Frentzen/dpa

At least once in their lives, devout Buddhists in Laos strive to visit a very special temple inside a natural landmark, the Pak Ou Caves, directly on the mighty Mekong River, the lifeline of Southeast Asia.

According to estimates, there are as many as 6,000 Buddha statues of various sizes and materials like wood and bronze in two limestone caves, put there by pilgrims over the centuries.

Buddha is depicted with various hand gestures - called mudras - each of which has a specific meaning.

"It is estimated that there are around 4,000 sculptures in the lower cave and around 2,000 in the upper one," says tour guide Somjai Simoonthong, who regularly brings tourists from all over the world here.

The cave temples can only be reached by boat along the Mekong. The journey from the popular tourist destination of Luang Prabang - the former capital of the Southeast Asian country - involves a boat trip of about two hours.

Inside the caves, a Laotian who lives in the US state of Colorado sprinkles a group of Buddha statues with water - as a sign of purification and respect. "I've wanted to travel here for so long, it's very important to me as a Laotian," he says.

Most people in the country believe that their ancestors entered the caves for the first time in the 8th century. At that time, Buddhism was not yet widespread, so the Pak Ou Caves were initially used as a shrine for the river spirits.

After the royal family introduced Buddhism as the national religion in the 16th century, worshippers began making pilgrimages to the caves - especially around the New Year. Many left Buddha statues there, and the cave temple in its present form is the result of centuries of pilgrimages.

Monks and novices in their orange robes parade through the streets of Luang Prabang in the early morning, receiving food such as sticky rice and fruit from the locals. Carola Frentzen/dpa

A group of Buddha statues in the Pak Ou Caves. The caves directly on the Mekong are considered one of the most important Buddhist sites in Laos. Carola Frentzen/dpa

On a street in the old royal city of Luang Prabang, residents wait in the early morning for the procession of monks to give them food such as sticky rice and fruit. Carola Frentzen/dpa

There are around 6,000 Buddha statues of various sizes in the two caves. Since the royal family introduced Buddhism as the national religion in the 16th century, worshippers have made pilgrimages to the caves every year and left Buddha statues there. Carola Frentzen/dpa
The next wave of skin care products is being informed not by farm-grown ingredients or age-old rituals but by cutting-edge biochemistry and climate research discoveries. After years of wellness being the be-all and end-all in the grooming realm, savvy customers have grown tired of dubious anti-scientific claims and one-size-fits-all solutions. Put another way, using coconut oil to moisturize everything, or slathering sea buckthorn gel over your dark spots no longer passes muster. (And neither does the advice that the key to looking better is to just relax.)

The most exciting skin care, fragrance, and grooming companies on the market have homed in on these breakthroughsthe kind supported by years of lab development and legitimate clinical trialsto deliver everything from perfume to serums that give our body, hair, and faces real results.

More from Robb Report

We talked to three very different companies at the forefront of this trend: SickScience, which develops products based on exosomes; Air Company, which makes a carbon-captured ethanol fragrance; and Neurae, whose neuroscience-based approach targets the effect emotions have on how we look.

Consider them the three vectors of where science is most exciting, and, as an added bonus, your hair will look thicker, your face will look brighter, and your body will smell better than it ever has.

SickScience

SickSciencea young line produced by a biotech research company based in Istanbul, Turkeyis turning out some of the most exciting exosome-based products. Its first product, ShapeShift V-Line Jaw Defining Serum, which is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of a double chin, sold out in 3 hours following a Today show appearance and quickly amassed a waiting list of about 3,500 people. Its newest product, PowerCycle Scalp Treatment Serum, is no less excitingand launched on April 29.

The company was founded by a pair of PhDs: Polen Kocak-Denizci and Merve Yildirim-Canpolat. Their backgrounds are in bioengineering and technology, and much of their research for a decade was around stem cell production, regenerative medicine, and the application of exosomes in cancer treatment. But they also found that such products can be particularly effective at solving dermatological concerns. Exosomes are the FedEx cargo of molecules, Polen Kocak-Denizci tells Robb Report. They carry proteins, lipids, and small genetic contents, and are nano-sized so they can easily penetrate the dermis. Their goal was to crack the code in cellular renewal, turning their cancer research into a beauty biohacking phenomenon with a technology they call NX35.

For PowerCycle, that means using plant exosomesgarlic and wheatand bioengineered biotin, which work at the molecular level to deliver coded messages that naturally increase hair follicle production in as little as 4 weeks. The before and after photos are compelling cases that their native Istanbul might soon need fewer hair transplants.

The last thing you want to do is market science. Our proposition is, this is not an ingredient story. Its a technology story, says Tyler Heiden Jones, a former La Mer executive who co-created SickScience after meeting Kocak-Denizci and Yildirim-Canpolat at a conference. People want to know whats in it for me. So the researchers have been focusing on products that address hyper-specific concerns. Their next act is body serum that theyre joking is Ozempic in a bottle. Better sign up for the wait list now.

Air Company

Your new favorite fragrance has top notes of orange peel and fig leaf, so its zesty and fresh. But as it develops, a lush floral scent comes forward with the heart notes of jasmine, violet, and azalea. Finally, we wanted the base to be warm and richstemming from a blend of velvety musk and smoky tobacco, it has a cozy yet sophisticated overall scent, says Gregory Constantine, CEO and co-founder of Air Company.

But its not just the shape-shifting of the scene that will lure you in. Its a sophisticated fragrance, yes, but it was designed to educate fragrance lovers about sustainable production. Air Eau de Parfum is the worlds first carbon-negative perfume.

The companys proprietary Airmade technology mimics the process of photosynthesis to transform carbon dioxide, water, and renewable electricity into a suite of carbon negative and neutral fuels and chemicals for consumer and industrial products, says Constantine. Its products also include the first FDA-approved CO2-derived food, Air Vodka; and the first 100 percent drop-in sustainable aviation fuel made from nothing but CO2, water, and renewable energy, Airmade SAF, which already counts JetBlue and Air Canada as customers.

Its a beautiful proof of concept demonstrating that solutions to climate change exist in practically every industry. Were able to develop our perfume by capturing CO2, combining it with green hydrogen to transform it into an alcohol mixture, and distilling the mixture to yield carbon-negative ethanol, says Constantine. Then all you need is scent oils that are slowly hand-mixed with water and voila the worlds first carbon-negative fragrance.

Neurae

The French beauty company Sisley Paris has been using the power of plants in its ultra-high-end products since the 1970s. But its new line, Neurae, takes the idea of plant science to a new level. The offeringwhich includes a serum, a cream, a balm, an emulsion, and three roll-on fragrance oilsis based on using neuroscience to change our moods, so that the way we feel can help change the way we look. Call it fighting emotional aging.

If skin care products of the past focused on defying genetic aging, Neurae is about how our emotions transform our face. (The name comes from combining the Greek word neuron, a reference to the nervous system and the brain, with AE, for Activated by Emotions)

The products have been in the works for 10 years, according to Caroline Bertrand, the brands head of active ingredients and scientific communication. Research has shown that the skin and brain use neuromediators, such as dopamine and serotonin, to communicate. So when there are high levels of dopamine and serotonin, the skin looks balanced. But when theyre low, skin looks damaged. For example, tiredness can manifest as heavy eye bags and lack of muscle tone; sadness can look like a dull complexion and mouth lines; stress produces muscle tension and fine lines. Each product is tethered to a routine for a specific targeted emotion. The energie routine improves skin firmness, Joie was been designed to revive your skins glow, and Serenite can help soften wrinkles.

Neuraes development process included testing peoples responses to the formulas for a variety of effects, including physiological changes, an emotional self-assessment, blood pressure, facial analysis, and even brain activity. We have the capability to energize, be happier, and de-stress, says Bertrand. Thats a real impact on our emotional state. And you can see it on the face first.

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Those dreaming of a more in-depth exploration of Southeast Asia may soon be able to realize their dreams. Thailand has spearheaded the proposal for a visa system similar to Schengen to transform travel throughout Southeast Asian countries. The goal is to boost tourism and economic growth in the area. This initiative, led by Thailands Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, seeks to simplify the travel process for tourists. Travelers will be able to roam freely across Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar with a single visa.

According to recent reports, the proposed visa scheme could significantly increase tourism, making these countries more accessible from Thailand. In 2023, the six nations collectively attracted approximately 70 million tourists, with Thailand and Malaysia hosting the majority. The plan is a clever way to tap into the tourism industry, which is responsible for over 20% of Thailands employment and 12% of the countrys GDP. It is also a reaction to the struggling industrial sector and falling exports.

The Vision Behind the Schengen-style Visa System

The concept of a Southeast Asian Schengen-style visa system is rooted in the desire to attract high-spending tourists from distant countries. The scheme encourages longer stays and increased spending by facilitating easier access across multiple nations, thereby expanding the regions tourism revenues.

The envisioned visa system would likely adopt a 90-day visa policy, extending the current stay limits and offering tourists an opportunity to explore each country more thoroughly. This approach contrasts with the current varying visa policies among these nations, which range from 30-day exemptions to 90-day visa-free stays depending on the country and the travelers nationality.

Recent Developments and International Visa Agreements

Thailand has already made significant strides in enhancing its international visa agreements. Thai authorities announced plans to eliminate visa requirements with Australia to bolster tourism and strengthen trade deals between the two countries. Additionally, a mutual, permanent visa-free entry system with China was introduced in March, which led to a surge in travel bookings from both nations.

Still, despite the promising outlook, implementing a regional Schengen-style visa system presents challenges, particularly considering bilateral agreements and political complexities within Southeast Asia. Furthermore, the success of this initiative hinges on the seamless integration of visa policies and cooperation among the participating countries.
PC Photography / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Major appliances can be a major investment. Thats why its essential to do your research and find appliances that will last for an extended period of time. Even if they cost a little more upfront, it can save you over time in replacement costs.

Try This: Nearly Half of Americans Struggle To Pay Their Utility Bills: 5 Ways To Save

Explore More: How To Get $340 Per Year in Cash Back on Gas and Other Things You Already Buy

Here are some of the appliance brands that outlast the average lifespan:

Sponsored: Owe the IRS $10K or more? Schedule a FREE consultation to see if you qualify for tax relief.

Sub-Zero Refrigerators

Nick Chatzigeorgakis, the founder of Intrabuild, which specializes in home remodeling in New York City, recommends Sub-Zero refrigerators.

Sub-Zero refrigerators are designed to last at least 20 years, surpassing the typical refrigerator lifespan of about 14 years, he said. Their dual-compressor systems minimize wear and tear, extending longevity.

Wolf Ranges

Chatzigeorgakis said that Wolf ranges are known for being durable.

Where most stoves might last 15 years, Wolf models, due to their robust build and quality materials, can endure much longer under frequent use, he said.

Bosch Dishwashers

Jason Best, a master plumbing technician and founder of SewerRepairs.com, recommends Bosch for water-related appliances, specifically dishwashers.

Trending Now: Im a Frugal Shopper: 4 Items I Always Buy Secondhand To Save Money

They demonstrate exceptional durability and energy efficiency, often exceeding their projected lifespan of 10 to 12 years, he said. Weve installed and serviced numerous Bosch dishwashers in homes that exhibit minimal wear and efficient performance well beyond the typical lifespan, which is a testament to their build quality and reliability.

Samsung Washing Machines

Best recommends Samsung among the washing machine brands available.

In our service calls, Samsung washing machines repeatedly show less susceptibility to common issues like leaks and motor failures that frequently plague other brands, he said. Typically, a washing machine might last around 10 to 13 years, but its not unusual to see Samsung machines pushing past this range, which is crucial for households seeking appliances that do not necessitate frequent replacements.

Mitsubishi Electric HVAC Systems

Allen Chenault, founder of ACs Heating & Air LLC, recommends the Mitsubishi Electric brand for HVAC systems.

Their systems often exceed the typical lifespan of 15 to 20 years given proper maintenance, he said. The brand has earned a reputation for durability and energy efficiency, which is crucial in our line of work, ensuring clients get the most out of their investment.

Story continues

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Appliances That Outlast Their Average Lifespan
This is the top summer destination for Coloradans, according to Google

DENVER (KDVR)  While the air is warming up in the Centennial State and making outdoor activities a lot more palatable, theres nothing quite like a tropical destination vacation.

Coloradans seem to agree with that, with residents in the state more likely to search for one particular Central American country over other places when it comes to international travel.

DIA reveals the top 5 most commonly lost items at the airport

Most popular destination for Coloradans

According to Google, between March 30 and April 29, users in Colorado searched for Costa Rica as a summer destination the most.

Several other states, including Texas and Virginia, also searched for the Central American country more than other places.

Other popular destinations among the states included Italy, Tokyo and the Bahamas.

Top international summer destinations from March 30 to April 29, 2024

Luckily for everyone searching, Denver International Airport has nonstop flights to both Liberia and San Jose in Costa Rica. A round-trip to San Jose for a 1-week trip in July would cost around $352, with the same trip to Liberia costing around $522.

On the other hand, trips to some of the other popular destinations at the same time cost much more: A round-trip to Rome is around $870 and a round-trip to Tokyo would cost around $1,610.

List: Nonstop flights from DIA that take more than 9 hours

However, unlike the flights to Costa Rican cities, both of these destinations cannot be reached with non-stop flights, as Denver does not have direct service to either of these cities.

Google also looked at which national parks were the most popular, but sadly none of Colorados parks made it on the list. Yellowstone National Park took the top spot overall for the most-searched parks, with Yosemite National Park coming in at No. 2.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
DOVER  Barn enthusiasts from around the state of Ohio gathered in Tuscarawas County this weekend to get an up-close look at the area's agricultural heritage.

These visitors were attending the annual conference of the Friends of Ohio Barns. The event featured tours of local museums and an all-day conference at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia. But the highlight of the conference was a visit to five historic barns, including the barn at the Norma Johnson Center near Dover and three barns in the vicinity of Ragersville.

Participants of an annual barn tour held by the Friends of Ohio Barns are photographed inside the Steam Valley Farms 1913 barn, Friday, April 26 in Dover Township. The group tours barns every year in a different county.

The 135 participants traveled in three buses to make the trip.

First stop on the tour

The tour began Friday morning at Steam Valley Farm on Steel Road in Dover Township. The farm is owned by John Steel and his wife, Paula. They operate the farm with their sons, Nathan and his wife, Brandi, and Clinton and his wife Kameron. They have eight granddaughters.

More agricultural news: Highlanders are the main attraction on Mozenas' Newcomerstown farm

The Steels own 150 adult cows that produce 11,000 pounds of milk a day. The milk is sold to Pearl Valley Cheese in Coshocton County.

Their large timber-frame barn built in 1913, is 40 feet by 90 feet in size, with a 40-foot by 50-foot straw shed attached at one side. The roof at its peak is 50 feet high. The original barn on the farm burned in 1912 and was replaced the following year with the present structure. Newspaper accounts of the time called the new barn the largest of its kind in Tuscarawas County.

John Steel's grandparents, James and Hazel Steel, purchased the farm in 1939.

"He was ousted from his farm in Sandyville because of the building of the Beach City Dam," John Steel told those on the tour. "They told him they could put 2 feet of water in the second story of his house if they had to close the dam. They were forcing him to leave.

"For two years he shopped around, looking for farms. God bless him, we feel like he made a good choice."

The original farm was 140 acres, but the Steel family has added another 175 acres. They also rent an additional 200 to 300 acres.

John Steel prepares for the arrival of participants during an annual barn tour held by the Friends of Ohio Barns, Friday, April 26 in Dover Township. The group tours barns every year in a different county.

Dissecting the barn

Two members of the Friends of Ohio Barns, Rudy Christian, an engineer, and Dan Troth, a custom home builder, serve as barn detectives for the organization. They dissect a barn when they come into it for the first time.

Christian said he knew the barn was built after the Civil War because of the circular saw marks on the timbers. He also pointed out the hay track on the ceiling of the barn, which was a post-Civil War innovation. The hay track did two things.

"It took a lot of work out of farming, because now, instead of having to pitch all of your hay into the mows with a pitchfork, you could actually take a fork, drop it down into your wagon of hay, pick up the load of hay, and pull it up into the hay mows and release it and build a haystack with horses, not just pitchforks," Christian said.

The other thing the hay track did was allow farmers to build barns that were bigger and taller to store more hay.

A beam can be seen in the Steam Valley Farms 1913 barn during an annual barn tour held by the Friends of Ohio Barns, Friday, April 26 in Dover Township. The group tours barns every year in a different county.

"It's a really interesting barn," Christian said. "Twentieth-century barns are few. The concept of building timber-frame barns did not last long into the 20th century. World War I was about the end. So, this is one of the later timber-frame barns that we're going to find."

One of the participants on the tour was Mike Wengler, who lives in Hamilton in Butler County. He has been a member of the Friends of Ohio Barns for several years. He does reconstruction, repair and restoration of timber frame barns.

How did he get involved in the group?

"I've been having something to do with timber frame barns for now going on almost 18 years, so I think it was partly somebody contacting me about the Friends of Ohio Barns because I was doing the barns and the restoration and repair, so it just became a good reason to join a good group," Wengler said.

More about the organization

The organization has been in existence for 23 years, according to its president, Caleb Miller. The group holds its annual conference every year in a different Ohio county. Last year, it was in Morrow County, between Columbus and Mansfield. Next year, the group will be meeting in Stark County.

The group's main purpose is to provide information and knowledge about historic timber frame barns in Ohio.

"We're a free resource as far as information," Miller said. "What we have, we share. The big thing is helping people with stewardship, which is the general maintenance of the buildings and knowing what they have and the significance of what they have. We're just here for whoever needs it."

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Friends of Ohio Barns has its annual meeting in Tuscarawas County
If you love Key West, but don't relish the five-hour drive to the "Conch Republic," Margaritaville at Sea has got the cure.

They are offering five, four-night trips aboard the Paradise from September to December 2024 that will have guests chilling in Key West, then lounging on the beaches and swimming in the pristine waters off Grand Bahama.

Starting at $169 per person, the cruise line began taking reservations for the five trips on April 26.

All five trips aboard Paradise depart on Monday and return on Friday and are available Sept. 16 to 20, Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, Oct. 14 to 18, Nov. 25 to 29 and Dec. 9 to 13.

In addition to the destinations, the ship itself is packed with fun.

How was your Bahamas cruise? Margaritaville at Sea Paradise receives mixed reviews

Plenty of amenities aboard Margaritaville at Sea Bahamas cruise

Let the Paradise be your floating island of good times and take advantage options like the St. Somewhere Spa, the Fins Up! Fitness Center, Fin City Arcade and the action-packed Margaritaville Casino, along with pools, hot tubs and plenty of places to just chill and soak up some serious 'Vitamin Sea.'

Keeping up that level of leisure requires energy, and while onboard Paradise, you can refuel via six different restaurants, including the Port of Indecision Buffet, Fins Dining, Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar, Frank & Lola's Pizzeria, JWB Prime Steakhouse and the Margaritaville Coffee Shop.

The Margaritaville at Sea Paradise is ready to whisk you away on a four-night cruise to Key West and Grand Bahama this fall.

If you're thinking "What about beverages?" there are also six great places to grab libations. The 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar, the Hemisphere Night Club, the 12 Volt Bar, Euphoria, Keys on the Water and License to Chill Bar are all ready and waiting to serve up "that frozen concoction that helps you hang on" or any other beverage you're seeking.

The new four-night offering to Key West is in addition to their regular two- and three-day trips to Grand Bahama.

All trips leave out of and return to Port of Palm Beach in Riviera Beach.

Margaritaville sets sail for Key West now too

What: Margaritaville at Sea Four-Night Key West/Grand Bahama Itineraries

When: Sept. 16 to 20, Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, Oct. 14 to 18, Nov. 25 to 29 and Dec. 9 to 13

Cost: They start at $169 per person based on double occupancy for an interior room

Information: margaritavilleatsea.com

Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Margaritaville Bahamas cruise offers trips to Key West fall of 2024
Hundreds of sea lions have gathered at Pier 39 in San Francisco to feast on anchovy, delighting visitors to the tourist attraction, authorities told news outlets.

Its really a phenomenon, Pier 39 harbormaster Sheila Candor told SF Gate. There are also a huge number of pelicans and a lot of anchovy in the bay. Its like a National Geographic photograph right now.

There's no better time to visit our sea lions!



The sea lion count has been the highest its been in 7 years, surpassing a whopping 820 sea lions (and counting)! With a steady food supply from a large school of anchovy, the sea lions are extra active! pic.twitter.com/iV5UVAoVpc  PIER 39 (@PIER39) April 29, 2024

Pier officials have counted 1,000 sea lions in the past week, Candor told KGO.

We havent had these kind of numbers of sea lions for probably over 15 years, she told the station.

The sea lions are feasting on anchovy and herring, Candor told SF Gate, calling it a perfect storm of circumstances.

Visitors to the iconic pier are amazed by the sight of hundreds of sea lions lounging on floating docks around the pier, news outlets reported.

They are so funny and so nice, I love them. They are like pushing each other off into the water, Aurora Zantile, a visitor from Italy, told KGO.

Never seen this many sea lions in one place before, visitor Les Oakes told KPIX. It looks like a bunch of kids vying for a big spot on the couch.

Millions of people each year visit Pier 39, which features restaurants, shops, sailing, ferries, bicycle rentals, street performers and other attractions.

California sea lions can grow up to 7.5 feet long and weigh up to 700 pounds, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. They are a protected species.

Huge sea creature  the worlds largest  stuns California onlookers in early sighting

Extremely rare white killer whale stuns onlookers off California coast. See Frosty

Adorable seal pups are lounging on Oregon beaches  but dont touch them, experts say
A day that began with three dozen demonstrators arrested or cited at the UNC-Chapel Hill campus ended with another arrested after an altercation between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and police at N.C. State University.

The protest at the Raleigh campus began peacefully around 6:30 p.m. at the Memorial Belltower, reported ABC11, The News & Observers newsgathering partner.

A hour in, police ordered the protesters to leave campus. When they did not, an officer grabbed a protester identified only as Nada, ABC11 reported. She was arrested and taken to the Wake County Detention Center.

From there, demonstrators who had moved to the sidewalk tried to enter campus again. The Police initially pushed back, but eventually let the group continue marching through campus. They marched to the student union and then back to the belltower.

Organizers then ordered everyone to go to the jail to support Nada.

Not long after they arrived, Nada was released and walked out of the detention center to the cheers of the crowd. ABC11 caught up with her moments after her release.

Im not scared, Im not intimidated, I did what I had to do to be out here for Palestine, Nada told ABC11. We will be heard by our universities, we will be heard by the community, and I stand by that.

Photos: Dozens of Gaza solidarity protesters detained at UNC tent encampment; battle for US flag on campus

UNC arrests, campus dismantled

In a pre-dawn warning UNC administrators on Tuesday ordered the removal of a pro-Palestinian tent city from Polk Place, where it had gone up Friday. The encampment, organized by Students for Justice for Palestine, included non-students and students from UNC, N.C. State and Duke universities and had gown grew to hundreds of people by Monday afternoon.

Failure to follow this order to disperse will result in consequences including possible arrest, suspension from campus and, ultimately, expulsion from the university, which may prevent students from graduating, UNC Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts and Provost Chris Clemens said in the statement at 5:37 a.m.

UNC policy prohibits temporary structures, including tents, from being erected on campus unless approved in advance.

The pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police throughout the day Tuesday, at one point after replacing the U.S. flag on the flagpole outside the South Building with a Palestinian flag.

Protesters threw water on Roberts and a group of police officers as they reinstalled the U.S. flag. Protesters attempted to remove the flag again a short while later, but were stopped by counter-protesters who held the flag up so it did not touch the ground. The counter-protesters took the flag to a police staging area in Gerrard Hall.

The university canceled classes, on the last day of the semester, and also suspended all non-mandatory operations.

Campus officials worked with a facilities crew to rehang the flag Tuesday evening.

Police detained 36 protesters on Tuesday, citing 10 students and 20 people unaffiliated with the university with trespassing. Another six protesters were arrested and charged at the Orange County jail with trespassing.

At least one protester was also charged with assault on a government official and resist delay and obstruct according to UNC Police reports.

This story will be updated as we get more information.

News & Observer staff writer Chantal Allam contributed to this report.
1 civilian killed and 2 injured in Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast this morning  photo

Russian forces shelled the village of Kalynove in Donetsk Oblast on the morning of 1 May, killing one civilian and injuring another two.

Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

The aftermath of Russian attacks

Photo: Donetsk Oblast Military Administration

Quote from Filashkin: "One person was killed and two were injured as a result of [the Russian] shelling of Kalynove in the Novohrodivka hromada.

This is the second day in a row that Kalynove is being heavily shelled. One person was also killed there yesterday."

The aftermath of Russian attacks

Photo: Donetsk Oblast Military Administration

Details: Filashkin said that the authorities were still assessing the aftermath of the Russian attack this morning and urged residents of Donetsk Oblast to evacuate.

"This is another reminder that there are no entirely safe areas in Donetsk Oblast anymore. Im urging all of you: please act responsibly and evacuate!"

Previously: Russian forces killed two civilians in Donetsk Oblast on 30 April.

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1 Dead, 14 Injured After SUV Driver Hits Accelerator Instead of Brake, Crashes into Savers Store in New Mexico

10 people were taken to local area hospitals for injuries related to the crash, one of whom 'succumbed to her injuries' and died at the hospital

Las Cruces Police Department/Facebook A Savers store in New Mexico that a 2015 Ford Explorer crashed into

One person died and over a dozen others were injured in Las Cruces, N.M. when a car crashed into a Savers store.

The Las Cruces Police Department shared on Facebook that first responders were dispatched to a crash at a Savers located on north Main Street in Las Cruces just before 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, April 30.

Authorities said that their investigation found that a 2015 Ford Explorer crashed through the glass and aluminum facade near the self-checkout area and then veered right as it passed through the store before stopping near the southeast corner of the stores showroom.

Preliminary information from the investigation indicates the 69-year-old driver of the Ford Explorer mistakenly pressed on the accelerator instead of the brake as she pulled into a parking space in front of the store, police said on Facebook. The vehicle jumped the curb and crashed through the facade.

Related: 2 Drowned After Man Tried to Save Woman Who Fell into Creek While Hiking in Tennessee

A photo shared by police shows the site of the crash at the front of the store, including shattered glass and bent metal hinges where the car appeared to enter the store. There also appeared to be skid marks on the floor inside the store and several items strewn about.

The 69-year-old female driver of the car  who was not identified by police and had been the only person in the car  had been uninjured. Authorities said she had gone to a local hospital after the crash on her own accord.

Related: 9-Year-Old Boy Saves Parents After Tornado Tosses Car, Leaves Them Both with Broken Backs

The car crash left 15 people inside the store injured. Police noted that 10 people were transported to local hospitals as a result of the crash, including a woman  identified as 67-year-old Pamela Kaye Nelson  who eventually succumbed to her injuries and died.

Five others who were injured on the scene were assessed by fire personnel at the site and refused to be transported to local area hospitals, according to authorities.

The ages of those who were injured ranged between 30 to 90 years old. Two workers and 13 customers had been injured during the incident, police shared. They did not say whether Nelson had been a worker or a customer.

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.

Police said they had set up a casualty collection point outside the store after crews initially arrived on the scene, and the Las Cruces fire department requested aid from several other teams nearby including Dona Ana County Fire Rescue, Mesilla Fire Department and American Medical Response to help treat and transport those injured.

The Las Cruces Police Department said the investigation is still ongoing. In the meantime, access to the parking lot in front of the Savers store will be blocked as the investigation continues. The Savers store has also been closed, and police did not say when it may reopen.



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Read the original article on People.
Update: According to Sunland Park Fire Departments X account, a 24-year-old male has been rescued.

The individual is stated to have a lower leg injury, according to the fire department.

He has been transported to a local hospital, according to Sunland Park Fire.

Original: EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The Sunland Park Fire Department is currently rescuing an injured person on Mt. Cristo Rey.

The fire department updated the community through their X account at 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 1, that multiple rescue vehicles are standing by the entrance of Mt. Cristo Rey.

Photo courtesy to Sunland Park Fire X

Photo courtesy to Sunland Park Fire X

Photo courtesy to Sunland Park Fire X

No reports of specific injuries are in at this moment.

KTSM will be working on this developing story.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT)  The Atlantic Hurricane Season will start on June 1 and continue through November 30.

20 named storms formed last season, placing it in the top five for most named storms in one season.

Colorado State University forecasts above-average Atlantic hurricane season

During a normal hurricane season, 14 named storms form in the Atlantic Basin, seven being hurricanes and three major hurricanes. To be considered a major hurricane, the tropical cyclone must have sustained winds of 111 mph or higher, corresponding with a Category 3 hurricane or higher.

This season is forecast to be well above average as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phase transitions from El Nino to La Nina. This phase will lead to weak trade winds over the Atlantic. Weak trade winds will allow storms to strengthen, compared to strong wind shear which breaks down tropical systems.

The warm sea-surface temperatures will help fuel the tropical systems as they move across the Atlantic. Not only are the sea-surface temperatures warm, but theres a great depth of warm water, something we call the ocean heat content.

Ahead of the 2024 season, Colorado State University (CSU) released its forecast for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season.

CSU is forecasting 23 named storms to develop in the Atlantic Basin this season, 11 being hurricanes and five major hurricanes. The 23 named storms are the most CSU has ever forecast for an Atlantic season.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will release its forecast in mid-May.

Tennessee Valley Impacts:

The Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast experience direct impacts from tropical systems. The coastal regions main concern is the storm surge.

Here in the Tennessee Valley, the main impacts are inland flooding, flash flooding, strong winds and isolated tornadoes. Rain bands that rotate into the region are most likely produce a tornado in North Alabama.

While we dont experience direct impacts from tropical systems here in North Alabama, its still important to be weather-aware. Having a plan and a safety kit ensures you are prepared for any severe weather event.

Stick with the Weather Authority team as we track anything that develops this hurricane season.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.
1 person seriously hurt in crash in West El Paso

1 person seriously hurt in crash in West El Paso

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  One person was seriously injured in a crash in West El Paso late Tuesday night, April 30, fire dispatch said.

The crash happened at Mesa and Brentwood at about 9:50 p.m. Fire dispatch said one person was transported Code 3 (serious injuries).

No other information was immediately available. We will update this story when we learn more.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Key Insights

Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Sirius Real Estate's stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions

50% of the business is held by the top 20 shareholders

Recent purchases by insiders

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Sirius Real Estate Limited (LON:SRE), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are institutions with 53% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Because institutional owners have a huge pool of resources and liquidity, their investing decisions tend to carry a great deal of weight, especially with individual investors. As a result, a sizeable amount of institutional money invested in a firm is generally viewed as a positive attribute.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Sirius Real Estate.

See our latest analysis for Sirius Real Estate

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Sirius Real Estate?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Sirius Real Estate. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Sirius Real Estate, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. Sirius Real Estate is not owned by hedge funds. Our data shows that BlackRock, Inc. is the largest shareholder with 9.7% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 8.5% and 6.2% of the stock. Furthermore, CEO Andrew Coombs is the owner of 0.8% of the company's shares.

A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 20 shareholders have a combined ownership of 50% implying that no single shareholder has a majority.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Story continues

Insider Ownership Of Sirius Real Estate

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

We can report that insiders do own shares in Sirius Real Estate Limited. This is a big company, so it is good to see this level of alignment. Insiders own UK23m worth of shares (at current prices). Most would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. Still, it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 39% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Sirius Real Estate. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Be aware that Sirius Real Estate is showing 5 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those makes us a bit uncomfortable...

If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Several people have been arrested after authorities said illegal drugs and guns were found at multiple DeKalb County businesses.

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DeKalb police along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents said they received several complaints of drug sales and guns at four businesses.

On Tuesday, authorities went to the Chevron on Redan Road, Texaco on Memorial Drive, Food Mart on Flat Shoals Parkway, and the Chevron on Candler Road.

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During the evening, officials arrested 11 suspects, and nine guns were seized. Three of those guns were reportedly stolen.

DeKalb police said they found marijuana, crack cocaine, and an undetermined amount of cash.

The suspects ages and identities were not released.

Working hard to keep DeKalb County safe, the department wrote.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
11-year-old shot and killed when gunmen fire into his familys home, Georgia cops say

An 11-year-old boy was shot to death when shooters opened fire on his familys home, Georgia authorities said.

Deputies were called at 11 p.m. Monday, April 29, after several shots were fired at a house in Douglasville, according to the Paulding County Sheriffs Office.

Investigators said Zander Whatley was inside with his family when the gunfire erupted and he was struck by a bullet. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, deputies said.

He was a great little kid, man, his father, who asked not to be identified, told WSB-TV. Something that happened to someone that shouldnt have even happened.

No other injuries were reported.

Zander was a student at Hal Hutchens Elementary School in Douglasville, district officials confirmed to McClatchy News. School leaders addressed the tragic incident in a letter to parents Tuesday.

I would like to offer my deepest condolences to family and friends during this unimaginably painful time, Principal Priscilla Smith wrote. We are here to offer our support and ... provide comfort and strength during their grieving process.

Authorities didnt mention a possible motive, but Zanders family said they believe the accused gunmen were in a dispute with one of his older siblings, according to WAGA.

What they need to do is put the guns down, Zanders grandfather, Paul Alexander, told the station. Think for a minute, youre not going to get away with something like that.

Deputies didnt release additional details, but said the incident remains under investigation. No arrests have been made as of Wednesday, May 1.

Zanders father told WSB-TV that he and his older son are familiar with one of the accused shooters, adding: We dont know who the other one was, but theyre looking for them.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Paulding Sheriffs Office tip line at (770) 443-3047.

Douglasville is about a 20-mile drive west from downtown Atlanta.

17-year-old shoots and kills teen at prom after-party, wounds 3 others, Georgia cops say

Confused woman starts gushing blood. Then Virginia deputies find bullet hole in wall

Woman shot 15 times in front of her kids, Michigan cops say. Ex-boyfriend convicted
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) UPDATE, May 2, 11:48 p.m.  All 14 of the dogs have yet to be rehomed as of 10:26 a.m. on May 2, according to Concho Valley PAWS, the vendor contracted with the City of San Angelo to facilitate adoptions for animals housed at the San Angelo Animal Shelter.

SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) ORIGINAL, May 1, 9:12 a.m.  The City of San Angelo is asking for the publics help in rehoming 14 dogs at risk of euthanasia after the San Angelo Animal Shelter exceeded its maximum capacity.

In a public announcement made on May 1, the City stated that the shelter is currently housing 192 dogs. This number is 12 animals over the permitted 180-animal limit, forcing the City to consider euthanizing some of the pet population to compensate.

The dogs have until 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, to be adopted, fostered or transferred to another rescue. The City encourages those interested in rehoming a dog or dogs to email jen@cvpaws.org as soon as possible.

Adoptions, fosters and transports are urgently needed to help the at-risk animals avoid euthanasia, the City said.

Below is a list of the dogs at risk of euthanasia:

Barnie  female hound mix

Bean Sprout  male shepherd mix

Bomba  female lab mix

Marmalade  female heeler mix

Dow  male kelpie mix

Terayla  female lab mix

Tofu  female lab mix

Loch  male pit mix

Alana  female pit mix

Sir Arthur  male hound mix

Jorie  female pit mix

Meeko  male collie mix

Treasure  female heeler mix

Slump  male lab mix

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.
15-year-old girl stabs her grandmother to death in their home, Pennsylvania cops say

A 15-year-old girl is accused of fatally stabbing her grandmother in a tragic incident at a Pennsylvania home, according to police and news reports.

Officers in Philadelphia responded to a home at 2 a.m. Wednesday, May 1, for a report of a stabbing, police said. The 15-year-old granddaughter placed the 911 call, police told WPVI.

A 67-year-old woman was discovered with stab wounds to her stomach and right hand, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her granddaughter, according to KYW and WPVI, was identified as the suspect in the fatal stabbing. Police said she was arrested, and the weapon used in the attack was recovered.

Its unclear what led to the stabbing, only that a domestic disturbance preceded the incident, Capt. Anthony Ganard told WCAU. The girl and her grandmother were the only people at the home when officers arrived.

Charges have not been announced as of late Wednesday morning. The grandmother was the legal guardian to the teenager, KYW reported.

Police have not released the identities of the grandmother and girl.

71-year-old is found shot dead in crawl space, PA cops say. Daughter among 3 arrested

75-year-old pleaded for her life as intruder killed her, cops say. Hes prison-bound

Grandma killed in hit-and-run while getting tacos for her family, California cops say
16-year-old crashes into GA patrol car head-on after leading deputies on high-speed chase

A teen was arrested after allegedly leading Georgia deputies on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

On Tuesday, around 7:30 a.m. Effingham County deputies said a 16-year-old stole a vehicle from a home on Zittrouer Road.

According to the sheriffs office, the teen led deputies on a high-speed chase before going through the roundabout at Highway 17 and Blue Jay Road.

The teen eventually crashed head-on into an Effingham County sergeants patrol car.

TRENDING STORIES:

The sergeant suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital for medical treatment, then later released.

The teen was transported to the Youth Detention Center and is being charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement office, theft, fleeing, reckless driving and speeding.

The teens identity was not released.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
16 soldiers to be buried in mass grave in Chernivtsi for first time in Ukraine

For the first time during the full-scale war, 16 fallen soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are to be buried in a mass grave in Chernivtsi. The soldiers were killed in an airstrike in Liudvynivka (Kyiv Oblast) on 11 March 2022.

Source: Chernivtsi City Council; Halyna Yanko, lawyer for the fallen soldiers families

Details: The funeral will take place at 11:00 on 2 May 2024 at Sadhora cemetery. 16 of the 19 dead were identified with the help of Ukrainian and foreign experts.

The families decided to bury them in a mass grave because the soldiers served together in the same unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine  the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade Edelweiss.

Halyna Yanko, one of the lawyers acting for the soldiers families, said the soldiers came from Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Lviv, Dnipro, Kirovohrad, Poltava and Donetsk oblasts.

A symbolic Easter egg tree will be set up at the mass grave. Chernivtsi City Council added that people can bring a painted Easter egg tied with a ribbon to honour the fallen.

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17-year-old fatally shot walking home from work, CA cops say. Search is on for suspect

The search is on for a suspect accused of fatally shooting a 17-year-old girl while she was walking home from work, California police say.

A month after Briana Soto died, Long Beach police released a video of a suspect in her killing, according to an April 30 news release.

Im the father of a daughter, Im a husband to a wife, Im a public servant to the community, and this is devastating for this family, as it would be for any of us, Chief Wally Hebeish said at a news conference announcing the videos release, KCAL News reported. It is unfortunate, it is tragic.

Brianas mother, Ana Morales, told NBC Los Angeles that her daughter was walking home from work, about a mile away from their apartment, the evening of March 26.

Morales told the outlet she was on the phone with her daughter as she walked home but hung up just before she heard gunshots outside their apartment.

Moments after hanging up, she was shot and murdered just steps away from her home, Hebeish said, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported.

Police said they believe the suspect fled the area right after the shooting.

Briana was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where she died days later, according to police. She died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiners Office.

I never imagined that (the gunshots) were for her, Morales told NBC Los Angeles in Spanish.

The video released by police shows the suspect walking in the area prior to the shooting.

The man was dressed in all dark attire with a mask over his head, police said.

Someone undoubtedly knows this suspect or recognizes the individual in the video, Hebeish said, KTLA 5 news reported. Someone might even recall a person who was acting strange or unusual the night of March 26.

Police said they are investigating a motive for the shooting.

Theres nothing to indicate that Briana was anything more than an innocent victim walking home from work, Hebeish said, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported.

Briana was a senior at Poly High School, the Long Beach Post reported.

Briana is very kind, she loves going out, she is very smart and loving, a GoFundMe says. She has the best smile ever ... she loves receiving flowers and doing her makeup, she is the best sister, friend, daughter and granddaughter.

Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact police at 562-570-7244.

Shooting death of beloved dentist caught on video shocks California community

Deaf man biking with his 2 kids killed by hit-and-run driver in California, cops say

16-year-old killed and toddler shot near playground at California park, cops say
18-year-old accused of killing her best friend in DeKalb DUI crash gets $23,000 bond

A DeKalb County high school student accused of killing her best friend in a DUI crash earlier this year faced a judge Wednesday.

Hannah Hackemeyer, 18, appeared on a video feed for her bond hearing. Shes been charged with felony homicide by vehicle and three misdemeanors, driving under the influence, reckless driving and failure to maintain lane.

The judge ruled on a $23,000 bond, $20,000 for the homicide and $1,000 each for the three misdemeanors.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The crash on Oak Grove Road Feb. 24 killed Lakeside High School student Sophie Lekiachvilli and injured another student. Police said Hackemeyer was speeding when she lost control, causing the car to overturn and hit a tree.

If Hackemeyer is found guilty, shell face significant jail time of up to 15 years, according to an attorney not involved with the case.

She may not have intended to kill this person, but she had the requisite intent, knowing what she was doing when she was drinking, knowing that this was a violation of the law and yet driving the car anyway, attorney Bruce Hagen said.

Under an agreement with the District Attorney, if Hackemeyer is released on bond, shell have a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew and she wont be allowed to drive or consume any alcohol or drugs.

TRENDING STORIES:

Hackemeyer was booked into jail on Tuesday.

Lekiachvilis family declined to talk to Channel 2s Brian Mims, but friends said she was one of the kindest people theyd ever met. She planned to attend Auburn University in the fall.

Under an agreement with the district attorney, if Hackemeyer is released on bond, shell have a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew.

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In addition, she will not be allowed to drive or consume any alcohol or drugs.

Lekiachvillis family declined to speak to Mims, but her friends said she was one of the kindest people they ever met. She planned to attend Auburn University in the fall.




DENVER (KDVR)  An 18-year-old was shot and killed near a high school in Greenwood Village, according to a new autopsy report.

On April 27, Greenwood Village Police officers were called to the area of East Union Avenue near Cherry Creek High School on reports of a deceased person.

On Wednesday, the police department provided an update on the case after receiving the autopsy report.

SWAT serving narcotics-related search warrant in Aurora

The 18th Judicial District Arapahoe County Coroners Office determined that 18-year-old Jose Angel Hernandez died of gunshot wounds. His death is being investigated as a homicide.

Police said Hernandez was a former student at Aurora Central High School.

While the deadly shooting happened near Cherry Creek High, investigators believe the location was random and is not connected to the school or surrounding area.

Police have not released any information on a suspect or if anyone is in custody.

Greenwood police confirmed there is no threat to the public. The investigation is ongoing.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
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Its important to be on top of your finances if you want to build wealth, but finding effective, yet affordable tools for managing your finances can be time-consuming.

Find Out: Shark Tank Star Kevin OLeary: My Morning Habit That Keeps Me From Losing Money 100% of the Time

Read More: 4 Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money

To help, six financial experts shared their go-to financial apps and tools, all of which are either free or low-cost and perfect for anyone looking to improve their financial health.

Sponsored: Protect Your Wealth With A Gold IRA. Take advantage of the timeless appeal of gold in a Gold IRA recommended by Sean Hannity.

Empower

Empower offers a full suite of free tools to manage your investments.

Empower is more than just a budgeting app; its a full-fledged investment tracker, said Justin Godur, a finance advisor and founder of Capital Max, a startup that provides advisory services and financing in the real estate niche.

I use it to monitor my investment portfolio, analyze asset allocation and even track net worth. What stands out is the detailed breakdown of fees and performance. It feels like having a financial advisor in my pocket but without the hefty fees. I can quickly identify if Im on track to meet my long-term financial goals or if I need to make adjustments.

Robinhood

Godur said that for stock trading, Robinhood has been his choice.

Its free, easy to use and perfect for quick trades, he said. What I like most is the user-friendly interface and the commission-free structure. As someone who enjoys dabbling in stocks without committing to a high-fee platform, Robinhood is a no-brainer. Plus, it offers fractional shares, so I can invest in high-priced stocks with smaller amounts of money.

Rocket Money

Christopher Stroup, CFP with Abacus Wealth Partners, said that Rocket Money is one of his favorite tools to use to bring order to ones financial life.

It was originally created to help you identify and weed out subscriptions that you no longer need, he explained. Over time, its developed additional capabilities to allow you to stay on top of your spending and automate your savings. The free version is rather robust in that you can link outside accounts, set balance alerts, manage subscriptions and track spending. Rocket Money has become my replacement budgeting app since the dissolution of Mint.

Excel Spreadsheets

Mariah Hudler, a licensed mental health clinician, certified financial therapist and generational financial strategist at Koru Financial Therapy, champions a financial tool without all the bells and whistles.

Story continues

Although there are a lot of apps to use for personal finance, such as YNAB, Monarch Money or Quicken Simplifi, in my work with individuals and couples, I recommend Excel spreadsheets for budgeting and tracking net worth, she said. The reason is that my clients come to me overwhelmed. They may experience avoidance, frustration, disorganization or procrastination with finances, and although technology aims to simplify organizing money, it can be more overwhelming when the apps glitch or dont sync. They then find themselves stuck or paralyzed in the process.

Hudler said that there is a minimal cost to using Excel and ways to password protect and share the documents. Plus, she added that there are many free templates available online  or you can make one yourself fairly easily.

Wave

Rhett Stubbendeck, the founder of Leverage, said that Wave, which offers small-business software, has been a game changer for Leverage, especially in the early days when funds were tight.

It offers free core accounting features, which are perfect for small businesses, he said. I use it for all of Leverages invoicing and expense tracking, and its incredibly easy to use.

Books

Aaron Cirksena, founder and CEO of MDRN Capital, said that he believes the best way to get started on the path to financial wellness  especially for younger adults in their early 20s  is to read.

Its completely free if you go to a library (which is another saving method for cutting out unnecessary expenses), he said. There are plenty of finance/investing books out there for the general public.

Cirksena recommended reading The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americas Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley.

Its a great read that puts things in perspective when it comes to being frugal and living below your means, he explained.

Another of Cirksenas reading suggestions is The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins.

Its a good, digestible read for anyone looking to start investing, he said. It reads like your dad giving advice, offering practical tips for spending minimal time investing but still seeing substantial gains.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 Financial Tools and Apps 5 Money Experts Swear By
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said its investigating a fatal shooting that happened in Northeast D.C.

On April 30, at about 9 p.m., officers responded to the 1500 block of North Capitol Street for the report of a shooting.

When police arrived at the scene, they found a man on the sidewalk who had been shot. He died there

Man found shot, killed outside home in Waldorf

The victim was identified as 19-year-old Daquan Garner of Northwest D.C.

Anyone with information is asked to call MPD at (202) 727-9099 or text your tip to the Departments TEXT TIP LINE at 50411.

MPD currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
A 2.6 magnitude earthquake in Central New Jersey rocks Bucks County second time this week

Another earthquake rattled through Gladstone, New Jersey, and was felt across the Delaware River in Bucks County this morning.

The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed a 2.6 magnitude earthquake hit the area at about 7 a.m. Wednesday and had almost 500 confirmed reports on the USGS website by 10 a.m.

A map of earthquakes reported in and around Gladstone, New Jersey, over the past 30 days.

Wednesday's quake was the latest in dozens of smaller tremors felt in the area since early April, when a 4.8 magnitude quake occurred about 3 miles northeast of of Lebanon, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, with residents in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York feeling it as well.

Another quake hits Gladstone: 2.9 magnitude earthquake aftershock rattles NJ near Peapack and Gladstone

A 2.9 magnitude earthquake rattled New Jersey on Saturday morning about 5 miles south-southwest of Peapack and Gladstone in Somerset County.

"Earthquakes in this region are infrequent, but not unexpected," Jessica Thompson Jobe, a researcher in the U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Hazards Program, told reporters earlier this month. "This is an area of older, generally inactive faults, but they can become reactivated at any time."

Beware scammers posing as police: Did a Perkasie police officer call you recently? Here is why it was likely a scammer

Scientists said the initial earthquake and related aftershocks are located near the Ramapo Fault, a 185-mile-long fault that stretches from New York to Pennsylvania and crosses New Jersey.

The Ramapo fault was formed about 400 million years ago when the continents pushed together, Kenneth Miller, a professor of earth and planetary science at Rutgers University, told the Asbury Park Press earlier this month.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Aftershocks continue to rock New Jersey town month after earthquake
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  Prosecutors charged two adults with abducting a Bay Area billionaires child and hiding the teenager in San Francisco for six days.

On Tuesday, the Marin County District Attorneys Office filed felony charges against Christopher Kio Dizefalo, 26, of San Francisco, and Sarah Atkins for allegedly abducting a 16-year-old minor in Marin County on April 21.

The teens parents are Stewart Butterfield, a billionaire businessman and former CEO of Slack, and his ex-wife, Caterina Fake, the co-founder of Flickr.

Fake reported her daughter as missing to the Marin County Sheriffs Office on the morning of April 21. The mother told investigators that her daughter vanished from their Bolinas home, left a note behind, and likely ran away. FBI agents joined the around-the-clock search.

San Francisco Police Department officers found the teen unharmed at 11:30 p.m. on April 27 inside a white van in the citys drug-plagued Tenderloin neighborhood.

Dizefalo was also inside the white van at the time, MCSO said. Investigators described Dizefalo as the teens adult friend, and he was questioned at the SFPDs Tenderloin police station.

The teen was uninjured and detectives confirmed she had run away from their home voluntarily. After being interviewed by MCSO Detectives, Dizefalo was arrested for multiple criminal violations and was booked in the Marin County Jail, MCSO wrote.

The teens six-day disappearance made international headlines, and the sheriffs office thanked the public for sending in tips that ultimately led to (the victims) safe return.

Prosecutors said Atkins and Dizefalo tried to conceal the teen from Butterfield and Fake.

A criminal complaint filed by the district attorney states that the co-defendants did willfully

and unlawfully, not having a right to custody, maliciously take, entice away, keep, withhold, and conceal a child  with the intent to detain and conceal that child from a lawful custodian, to wit: Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield.

Family searches for answers after girl, 15, dies in San Francisco driveway

Atkins and Dizefalo are also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allegedly encouraging the teen to not return home.

Dizefalo remained behind bars on Tuesday night in lieu of $50,000 bail. Atkins is not in custody, according to Marin County inmate records. The duo is slated to make their first court appearance on Wednesday morning for arraignment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  Prosecutors charged two people with abducting a California billionaires child and hiding the teenager in San Francisco for six days.

On Tuesday, the Marin County District Attorneys Office filed felony charges against Christopher Kio Dizefalo, 26, of San Francisco, and Sarah Atkins for allegedly abducting a 16-year-old minor in Marin County on April 21.

The teens parents are Stewart Butterfield, a billionaire businessman and former CEO of Slack, and his ex-wife, Caterina Fake, the co-founder of Flickr.

Fake reported her daughter missing to the Marin County Sheriffs Office on the morning of April 21. The mother told investigators that her daughter vanished from their Bolinas home, left a note behind, and likely ran away. FBI agents joined the around-the-clock search.

San Francisco Police Department officers found the teen unharmed at 11:30 p.m. on April 27 inside a white van in the citys drug-plagued Tenderloin neighborhood.

Dizefalo was also inside the white van at the time, MCSO said. Investigators described Dizefalo as the teens adult friend, and he was questioned at the SFPDs Tenderloin police station.

The teen was uninjured and detectives confirmed she had run away from their home voluntarily. After being interviewed by MCSO Detectives, Dizefalo was arrested for multiple criminal violations and was booked in the Marin County Jail, MCSO wrote.

The teens six-day disappearance made international headlines, and the sheriffs office thanked the public for sending in tips that ultimately led to (the victims) safe return.

Prosecutors said Atkins and Dizefalo tried to conceal the teen from Butterfield and Fake.

A criminal complaint filed by the district attorney states that the co-defendants did willfully

and unlawfully, not having a right to custody, maliciously take, entice away, keep, withhold, and conceal a child  with the intent to detain and conceal that child from a lawful custodian, to wit: Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield.

Family searches for answers after girl, 15, dies in San Francisco driveway

Atkins and Dizefalo are also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allegedly encouraging the teen not to return home.

Dizefalo remained behind bars on Tuesday night in lieu of $50,000 bail. Atkins is not in custody, according to Marin County inmate records. The duo was slated to make their first court appearance on Wednesday morning for arraignment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Las Vegas police are investigating a murder-suicide after a man and woman were found shot at a home in the northwest valley.

Las Vegas Metro police officers received a report of a shooting shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Monday in the 10200 block of Gladstone Peak Court near Hualapai Way and Farm Road.

When they arrived they found two people suffering from gunshot wounds. When a medical team arrived they pronounced the woman dead. The man who had been shot was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

During the investigation, LVMPD Homicide detectives said they determined the man

shot the woman and then himself.

Anyone with any information about this incident is urged to contact the LVMPD Homicide

Section by phone at 702-828-3521, or by email at homicide@lvmpd.com. To remain

anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 702-385-5555.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Handout footage from a doorbell camera of police officers tasering a sword-wielding man in Hainault, north east London, after a 14-year-old boy died after being stabbed following an attack on members of the public and two police officers, Tuesday April 30, 2024. (PA via AP)

LONDON (AP)  Two London police officers remained hospitalized Wednesday, a day after suffering horrifically serious injuries as they rushed to stop a sword-wielding attacker on a suburban street, the citys police chief said.

Details about the attack, in which a teenager was killed, emerged a day before London voters go to the polls to elect their mayor and local council members after a campaign where crime and trust in the capitals police force were major issues.

Commissioner Mark Rowley, who leads the Metropolitan Police Service, applauded his officers for running toward the danger as they responded in the northeastern London suburb of Hainault early Tuesday. Daniel Anjorin, 14, was killed in the attack and four people were injured, including the two police officers.

Rowley told LBC Radio that the two officers suffered serious arm and hand injuries as they confronted the suspect. A female officer faces a long journey of recovery after surgeons spent hours basically putting her arm back together, he said.

Rowley didnt contradict press reports that the officer nearly lost her hand.

Thats not a million miles away, he said. I mean its really horrifically serious injuries.

Officers subdued a 36-year-old man at the scene and arrested him on suspicion of murder. Police havent released any information about what led to the incident, though they said it doesnt appear to be an act of terrorism.

Police said the rampage began when the suspect crashed his van into a building and attacked a 33-year-old man, injuring him in the neck. The suspect then entered a nearby property, where a 35-year-old man suffered cuts to his arm.

From there he attacked Anjorin.

Officers arrived on the scene 12 minutes after receiving the first call and the suspect was detained 10 minutes later, Rowley said.

Police initially tried to subdue the suspect with a chemical irritant spray and a taser, but these had little effect and he went on to attack the two officers who were seriously injured, the department said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.

The suspect was finally detained about two blocks from the site of the crash, where he was surrounded by other officers who used a taser to overpower him, police said.

The suspect was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for injuries suffered when the van he was driving struck a building. Officers were unable to interview him on Tuesday because of his injuries.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN)  Two Murfreesboro men will be spending several years in prison for shipping large amounts of meth overseas in cake mix boxes and packages disguised as a Birthday Gift.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Postal Inspection Service launched an investigation in July 2019 during which investigators intercepted 12 packages containing a combined total of nearly 20 kilograms of meth.

Birthday Gifts with 22 lbs of meth seized: 2 Murfreesboro men federally charged

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the packages were all being shipped to New Zealand and Australia from Murfreesboro. Two were reportedly mailed from the mail room at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).

In addition to video footage from the university, two sets of fingerprints on some of the packages later helped investigators identify Jamie Woods and Steven Weaver as the suspects.

Investigators said they were also able to capture surveillance footage of Woods and Weaver buying copious amounts of cake mix boxes from Walmart. Both were arrested in April 2022 by federal agents.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee

Although officials were able to intercept nearly a dozen of the packages, the DOJ said some of them were successfully delivered to their destination.

At sentencing on Tuesday, April 30, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger found that an estimated 50 kilograms of methamphetamine was appropriate for how much was in the boxes and described it as a tremendous amount of incredibly pure methamphetamine.

Weaver was sentenced to 140 monthsa little over 11 yearsin prison and five years of supervised release. He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession and distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Woods received a sentence last week of 120 months, or 10 years, in prison and five years of supervised release.

This prosecution and the sentences imposed, are a testament to the fantastic work of the federal and local law enforcement agencies who investigated this case, said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. Methamphetamine is an incredibly dangerous drug. We will continue to hold accountable those who distribute it, either here in the Middle District or abroad.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
2 women hanging out on front porch shot dead in ambush-style attack, Texas cops say

Two women sitting on the front porch of a Texas home were killed in an ambush shooting early May 1, police said.

Houston police said three friends were just hanging out visiting around 1:30 a.m. on May 1 when a man sneaked up and fired several rounds, according to a news briefing shared by KRIV.

It appeared to be an ambush-style attack, Houston Homicide Detective J Diaz said in a news briefing with KHOU. The suspect hid behind a fence,  then proceeded to ambush the victims from behind.

Diaz said the suspect is likely an estranged boyfriend of one of the victims, noting there was an ongoing domestic issue between them.

Two women, a 39-year-old and a 22-year-old, were killed instantly, and the third woman escaped, according to police, KTRK reported.

Police said there were five children inside the home at the time of the shooting, but none were injured, according to KRTK.

The 39-year-old victim was identified as Mary Arredondo, mother of four, according to KRIV.

It shouldnt have happened, they were just enjoying their night, Selinda Trevino, Arredondos mother, said in an interview with the outlet.

Whoever did it, please turn yourself in, Trevino said. Give me closure.

Police said the suspect was wearing a blue hoodie, camouflage pants, black gloves, black shoes and a cap, KHOU reported.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Houston Police Homicide Division at 713-308-3600, according to the outlet.

Brother shoots and kills sister while aiming for a different woman, Texas cops say

Cook videoed putting genitals in food says he has history of sexual offenses, cops say

Husband shoots, kills wife and drives to sandwich shop, Texas cops say. Shootout ensues
Sunday, May 5 is National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) Awareness Day, and Native communities and organizations across the Nation are gathering to draw attention to the MMIP Crisis and honor those who have been impacted the most.

The first proclamation declaring May 5 MMIP Day was issued in 2017. The date of May 5 was selected after the Montana congressional delegation persuaded the U.S. Senate to pass a resolution declaring the national day of awareness to honor the birthday of Hanna Harris, a 21-year-old member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe who went missing on July 4, 2013.

For generations, Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit individuals and people have experienced high rates of violence and trauma caused by the devastating legacy of assimilationist policies of forced removal, boarding schools, and systemic oppression. Responding with a sense of urgency is part of our nation-to-nation obligation, according to the Administration for Native Americans.

Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.

From marches and vigils to fundraisers and art exhibitions, here is our list of MMIP Awareness Day events happening for awareness that will keep the fire burning for the missing and murdered in Indian Country.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Candlelight Vigil

Sacramento, CA

May 1, 2024

Californias First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, tribes, lawmakers and others will mark the annual remembrance with three activities on May 1 sponsored by the California Native American Legislative Caucus and its chair, Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino). The observance highlights the disproportionate case numbers of violence against Native Americans.

Two tribes have declared states of emergency because of the numbers of missing persons on their reservations: the Yurok Tribe and the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians. The Yurok Tribe took action in December 2021, and the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians issued their declaration on April 25, 2024.

Screenshot_2024-05-01_at_7.37.42_AM.png

2024 March for MMIP

Grand Rapids, MI

May 3, 2023

On Friday, May 3, 2024, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP), Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians will host the third March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) through downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, to observe National MMIP Awareness Day, which is officially on May 5, 2024.

Participants are encouraged to gather at the Ah-Nab-Awen Park (220 Front Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504) to open the event at noon, listen to speakers representing the movement, and then embark on the one-mile march through downtown Grand Rapids. The event is planned to conclude at 3 p.m. Rain or shine, people from all walks of life who wish to stand in solidarity to support this movement are encouraged to join and should wear red to honor those who are missing.

Screenshot_2024-05-01_at_7.57.48_AM.png

National Day of Awareness for MMIW Event

Bemidji, MN

May 5, 2024

MMIW 218 will host its annual walk/run event along with a full day of activities to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Breakout sessions, educational information and awareness-building activities will follow this year's walk/run.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Conference

Wilmington, NC

May 3-4, 2024

The national day to remember Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women is May 5. UNCW annually hosts a series of events to honor MMIW. In collaboration with the MMIWNC, UNCW is hosting a conference May 3-4 to highlight the ongoing issue plaguing indigenous communities and to support families impacted. The event is free and open to the public.

National Day of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness

May 6, 2024

Oklahoma City, OK

Join the MMIP Central Chapter of Oklahoma at the state capital for a memorial walk, speakers including MMIP state chapter president Carmen Harvie, tribal leaders and law makers.

Virtual Screening of "Not Afraid"

May 5, 2024

Virtual

In honor of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's (MMIW) Awareness Day, this Sunday, May 5th, 2024, director Mikaela Bruce Pereira and photographer Jen Murphy will host a special virtual showing of their short film "Not Afraid."

Following the film will be a discussion about the significance of MMIW Awareness Day and Murphy's journey as an artist and advocate.

Join on Zoom. Meeting ID: 854 4961 4834, Password: 075180.

MMIW 5k Walk/Run

La Crosse, WI

May 5, 2024

Come join in for a meaningful event at Burns Park! Lace up your running shoes and show your support for the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women 5k. This 5K is a great way to raise awareness and honor those who have been affected. Let's run together to make a difference.

National Awareness Day for MMIW

Wilmington, NC

May 3, 2024

The National Day to remember MMIW is May 5th. To mark this important day, UNCW annually hosts a series of events to honor MMIW. Join us for this community gathering on May 3rd and 4th at the UNCW ClockTower Lounge and Amphitheater. This event will feature indigenous speakers and performers, as well as a lunch with indigenous cuisine. This event provides a safe space for healing, education, and solidarity. We encourage everyone to attend regardless of their background or knowledge on the subject.

MMIW/MMIP Awareness Event

Flagstaff, AZ

May 3, 2024

The NACA Lasting Indigenous Family Enrichment (L.I.F.E) Program invites you to join in for a morning of awareness and prayer, acknowledging the MMIWP epidemic's impact on Indigenous communities. Gather at the NACA Wellness Center for a Morning Prayer, Awareness Walk, and Restorative Yoga Session, with smudging available. Wear red, the symbolic color for the MMIW/MMIP movement, and feel free to wear ribbon skirts or traditional attire.

MMIW March

Santa Rosa, CA

May 7, 2024

Come together for an afternoon of community connection and action to enjoy lunch, visit and network with fellow advocates, create signs, and then march collectively to Santa Rosa City Hall. Your presence and participation are crucial as we unite to raise awareness and advocate for meaningful change.

2nd Annual MMIW Art Exhibition & Fundraiser

Sioux City, IA

May 4, 2024

Join in for the 2nd Annual MMIW Art Exhibition & Fundraiser opening on Saturday, May 4th, from 10 am to 3 pm at Focused and Framed Portrait Studio and Art Gallery, nestled within the Ho-Chunk Centre. Delight in light hors d'oeuvres as you explore the powerful artworks on display. Your attendance supports a vital cause, with proceeds directly benefiting the MMIR/MMIW Powwow in Sioux City, IA.

MMIW Remembrance Walk

Shawnee, OK

May 10, 2024

The CPN House of Hope is set to host an MMIW Remembrance Walk on the 10th of May, dedicated to honoring those who have been murdered or are missing. The ceremony will commence at 10 am, followed by the walk. All members of the community are invited to attend, extending a warm welcome to families affected by these tragedies to set up tables adorned with pictures and information about their loved ones or to bring banners and signs. Attendees are encouraged to wear red as a symbol of remembrance, with T-shirts available on a first-come, first-served basis.

MMIW Community 5k and 1 Mile Awareness Walk

Antlers, OK

May 11, 2024

This upcoming event is a community-driven initiative alongside a 5K/1M run designed to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Vendor booths will showcase a variety of offerings including products from Choctaw Entrepreneurs, beadwork, artwork, and more.

5th Annual Walk & Vigil for MMIW

Cherokee, NC

May 5, 2024

Please join in at 3:00 pm at the Oconaluftee Island Park for the 5th Annual Walk and Vigil for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. The event will open at the storyteller fire pit at the Island.

MMIW/MMIP Wallk

Mississauga, ON, Canada

May 5, 2024

This event, the MMIW/MMIP Walk, is a crucial gathering aimed at bringing attention to the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People. Scheduled to take place in Mississauga, it serves as a platform for community members to unite in support of this cause. Participants will embark on a walk, symbolizing solidarity and remembrance while also fostering awareness and advocacy. This event provides an opportunity for individuals to show their support and solidarity with Indigenous communities impacted by these tragedies.

Red Dress Day

Dawson City, YT, Canada

May 5, 2024

The Red Dress Day event, hosted by the Dawson Women's Shelter, highlights the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Scheduled for May 5, participants are urged to wear red to symbolize solidarity. The event includes activities to honor those lost and advocate for change, providing a vital platform for community support and awareness.

MMIWG2ST NYC+ East Coast Summit

New York, NY

May 5, 2024

The MMIWG2ST NYC East Coast Summit, Vigil, and Prayer Walk, is a significant gathering aimed at honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit individuals. Attendees are invited to join in a vigil and prayer walk to raise awareness and pay respects to those affected by this crisis. This event provides a meaningful opportunity for solidarity and advocacy, bringing attention to the ongoing issues faced by Indigenous communities.

2024 Honoring the Heartbeat: Mental Health & Wellness Pow Wow

Milwaukee, WI

May 4, 2024

Honoring the Heartbeat's Mental Health & Wellness PowWow is a vibrant celebration promoting mental well-being and cultural resilience. Attendees enjoy a free dinner, dance specials with prizes, and family workshops. The event offers resources for diverse needs, from substance abuse to LGBTQAI+ support, alongside private spaces for reflection. Embracing a drug- and alcohol-free atmosphere, it fosters safety and inclusivity for all ages.

Film Screening: Murdered & Missing in Montana

Milwaukee, WI

May 2, 2024

Join in for a thought-provoking Film Screening hosted by GLIIHC. Dive into compelling narratives and powerful storytelling that shed light on indigenous experiences and cultural heritage. This event provides a platform for community engagement and dialogue, fostering deeper understanding and appreciation. Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and celebrate indigenous voices through the lens of cinema.

Wrap the Capitol in Red

Madison, WI

May 7, 2024

Wrap the Capitol in Red, hosted by GLIIHC, is a symbolic gathering aimed at raising awareness and advocating for indigenous rights and issues. Participants will come together to adorn the Capitol in red fabric, representing solidarity and resilience in the face of challenges. This event serves as a visual reminder of the ongoing struggles and triumphs of indigenous communities, inviting allies to stand in support. Join us as we amplify indigenous voices and demand justice for all.

We March for Them: MMIP Wind River

Riverton, Wyoming

Sunday, May 5, 2024



MMIP Wind River invites all in Fremont County and the Wind River Reservation to participate in this years MMIP March. Participants are asked to wear red, decorate their vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, etc. in red, gather in the FCSD #25 administration parking lot (121 North 5th Street) at 10:30 a.m., then assemble at the top of Main Street at 11:00 a.m. and proceed with a police escort to the Riverton City Park. At the bandshell, there will be a program of prayer, drums, dancers, guest speakers, and an open mic. Families and loved ones of victims, as well as those whose lives are and have been affected by crime and violence, are invited to share their stories.

Say Their Names Marathon and Marathon Relay

Crow Agency, MT

Sunday, May 5, 2024

"Say Their Names" Marathon is a 26.2 mile race along Montana Highway 212 running west from Busby, MT to the Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital parking lot in Crow Agency, MT with a full 8-hour time-frame to finish. The "Say Their Names" theme present along the course is to recognize MMIW / MMIP (Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women / Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples). There will be families from the state of Montana who are directly affected by MMIW/MMIP.

About the Author: "Kaili Berg (Aleut) is a member of the Alutiiq\/Sugpiaq Nation, and a shareholder of Koniag, Inc. She is a staff reporter for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. Berg, who is based in Wisconsin, previously reported for the Ho-Chunk Nation newspaper, Hocak Worak. She went to school originally for nursing, but changed her major after finding her passion in communications at Western Technical College in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. "

Contact: kberg@indiancountrymedia.com
The Massachusetts State Police unit that enforces trucking regulations has been ranked as one of the best in the country for preventing deadly crashes, according to the American Transportation Research Institute, the trucking industrys not-for-profit research organization. However, 25 Investigates found a gap in enforcement that some trucking companies exploit.

On Monday, 25 Investigates reported on a highway crash that killed 25-year-old Jacob Brisbois from Princeton, MA last June. Brisbois and a friend had stopped their motorcycles in the breakdown of Route 190 in Lancaster when he was struck and killed instantly by an oversized truck carrying a crane.

I dont get through a day without crying. Its been horrible for all of us but were so trivial compared to what was taken from Jake, said Donna Brisbois, Jacobs mom.

Jarod Hardaker, a truck driver from Hubbardston, has pleaded not guilty to motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation and negligent operation of a motor vehicle. Hardaker is the general manager of Assabet Heavy Hauling in Shirley. He was transporting a Mantis crane to a construction site in Rhode Island when according to court documents, the oversized load clipped Brisbois as it passed at 1:30 a.m.

An anonymous tipster, who claimed to be a former Assabet employee told state police, that the company regularly operates overnight without permitting.

This truck could be driving next to my wife, and my child, or my mother, said Joseph Mokrisky, President of Capitol Motor Carrier Compliance, a trucking safety company.

Mokrisky told investigative reporter Ted Daniel that oversized and overweight trucks that exceed the limits of standard permitting need superload permits from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Superloads require signage, specified routes, and escort vehicles to guide them.

25 Investigates requested all Assabet Heavy Haulings superload permits since 2018 through a public records request. According to MassDOT, there are none. The MassDOT lawyer who fulfilled the public records request confirmed Assabet opened 4 but they never completed the final steps to officially submit the applications, so none were issued or denied.

Assabet did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

A member of the Massachusetts State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section (CVES) or Truck Team who investigated the crash wrote in his report it is a regular practice for companies to move oversize loads overnight because federal and state inspectors typically only work day shift and sometimes evening shifts, but rarely in the morning hours.

The state police Truck Team does a great job, but theres not a lot of them overall, for the amount of trucks we have in Massachusetts, Mokrisky said.

A State Police spokesperson confirmed there are no Truck Team members regularly scheduled to patrol between 11 pm and 7 am and a public records request revealed there have been no Truck Team checkpoints or special enforcement operations in the overnight hours since at least June 2023.

Truck team members do patrol overnight on overtime shifts. Data provided by the agency shows members have stopped and inspected 1,820 commercial vehicles during the hours of 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. since June and 457 vehicles were inspected during the hours of 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. in the same period.

The unit considers data related to the frequency, peak times, and types of commercial vehicle crashes. The CVES has been recognized by the federal government numerous times over the past 15 years for its role in helping Massachusetts achieve the lowest commercial vehicle crash fatality rate for its population category, a spokesperson said.

Jarod Hardakers lawyer told 25 Investigates Hardaker was not driving negligently and is cooperating with law enforcement.

Court records show Assabet Heavy Hauling has received notice of a pending civil suit.

Im trying to deal with this incredible grief even nine months later. Its very, very hard, Donna Brisbois said.

Anyone who has information about an oversized/overweight truck can call the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section at 978-369-1004.

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

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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A 25-year-old Milwaukee man will spend the rest of his life in prison for shooting and killing barber Dominic Carter in 2021.

Joel Blake was sentenced Monday by Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Ellen Brostrom, according to online court records, after being found guilty by a jury in March with first-degree intentional homicide, possession of a firearm by a felon and felony bail jumping.

Carter, 35, was shot and killed in September 2021 at Domino's Pizza, just down the block from the second barbershop he owned, HairTrappers Suite, at 5416 N. Lovers Lane Road.

According to prosecutors, Blake had been lying in wait outside the shop, circling the parking lot in a vehicle. After Carter was seen walking from his barbershop into the Domino's, the suspect was seen walking into the restaurant and firing at Carter five times.

Carter's mother, Cecelia Jordan, told the Journal Sentinel in 2021 that Carter was a father to eight children, and had been mentoring Black boys on the city's northside, encouraging them to start a business and go into cosmetology.

Dominic Carter

Not everybody is meant to go to college, so he wanted to give kids another alternative, Jordan said. You can be a barber, you can open your own business and stuff like that.

Cosmetology, barbering, being in the shop saved me from the streets, Carter said in the commercial for the shop prior to his death. He described ideal mentor subjects as people who look at the salon as a rescue place.

He was a good person, he didnt bother nobody, his mother said. He just lived life, just trying to be a positive force in life.

Jordan couldn't be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Prosecutors said Blake was a known associate of the Wild 100s street gang and the group had been on the federal authorities' radar. A confidential informant told a federal agent they spoke to two people who said Blake was the shooter.

Eleven days after the shooting, Blake posted to Facebook a video in which he discussed being shot at, possibly in retaliation for Carter's death, according to prosecutors. Yeah, I did it to him, Blake said in the video.

Blake was jailed in an unrelated case prior to the shooting and was out on bail. After two felony charges of armed robbery were dropped  leaving behind one count each of fleeing police, driving a vehicle without consent and possession of a firearm by a felon  a judge lowered his bail from $25,000 to $5,000. He posted bail about a month later.

Elliot Hughes of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Man sentenced to life in prison for killing Milwaukee barber in 2021
WEST MEMPHIS, Ark.  A three-year-old West Memphis boy is dead after a car accident over the weekend.

Family says Chias Jabari Bass was run over by a neighbors car as he and other children played outside a home on North 14th Street in West Memphis. Witnesses yelled to the driver, they say.

Now the family hopes police will file charges against the driver.

Chias was full of hugs and kisses, said his grandmother, Stephanie Bass, surrounded by family outside a Marion apartment. Chias was a happy, energetic child. He always smiled, ran around and played.

(photos courtesy Stephanie Bass)

But his family will never see him play or see his smile again.

The man came outside and got into his truck and backed up, said Chais mother, Tanisha Bass. The kids said, You hit Chias. You hit Chias. You just killed him!

The children said the man moved forward and didnt even get out the car to look.

Nashville man killed in Memphis road rage incident

The family says when the police arrived, they issued a ticket and did not make an arrest.

You got sensors on your truck. You have a backup camera, Stephanie Bass said. This sensor is going to go crazy. So, you failed to ignore everything that something was surrounding you. You say you thought it was a toy.

West Memphis Police, in an email sent to WREG, called the event an accident and said their investigation found no criminal intent.

Their full statement is below:

The West Memphis Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of 3-year-old Chias Jabari Bass following the tragic accident that occurred recently. We understand the immense sorrow such an event brings to all involved, and our thoughts are with the Bass family during this profoundly difficult time. After a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this tragic event, it has been determined that no criminal intent was found. We ask for the communitys continued support and understanding as the family navigates through this incredibly challenging time. The West Memphis Police Department is committed to transparency and justice in all matters affecting our community.

The family is outraged the driver only got a ticket.

To me, its murder, Stephanie Bass said. So, you literally murder my grandchild, and nothing happens? You only get a ticket for being careless?

The family is continuing to grieve as they remember Chais, the little boy whose smile theyll never forget.

Im going to miss his smile, and Ill never hear my baby say, Mommy I love you again, said his mother.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
34-Year-Old Preschool Teacher Died Last Month of Brain Bleed, Students Still Ask Where She Is

The kids still ask where Miss Robin is, Robin Marie Nelson's parents said

Robin Nelson/Facebook Robin Nelson

The death of a Minnesota preschool teacher has left her young students mourning.

Robin Marie Nelson, 34, of Detroit Lakes, Minn. died unexpectedly on March 20 after complaining of a headache just days prior.

Related: Pregnant Teacher Dead After Being Found Unresponsive at School Weeks Before Due Date

The kids still ask where Miss Robin is, her mother Angie Elaleu said in a joint interview with her husband Ken Elaleu for KVLY News.

You can see splashes of Robin everywhere in here, Angie told the outlet as the parents visited the Detroit Lakes Boys & Girls Club. Robins rainbows are the kids, her little students. Robin was like a rainbow.

Robin Nelson/Facebook Robin Nelson

The educator sought medical help related to her headache when she learned the severity of the issue.

When they did the CT scan, it showed a massive brain bleed, Angie told KVLY. The doctor said your daughter is very sick and we need to get her to Fargo as soon as possible. We lost her. It was totally unexpected.

Related: 30-Year-Old Teacher Dies of Coronavirus After Her Symptoms Were Dismissed as a Panic Attack

Its still hard to believe. Its been a little over a month now and were still kind of in shock, she added.

In addition to her students, Nelson leaves behind three children of her own, ages 13, 10, and 6.

Robin Nelson/Facebook Robin Nelson

A fundraiser has been started in Nelsons name and all contributions will be dedicated to covering her medical and funeral expenses, as well as providing essential support for her grieving children.

According to the site, the exact cause of the bleed remains unclear.

Nelsons parents say that the single mother was still able to help others even after her death by being an organ donor.

She saved a 21-year-old gentleman with her heart, pancreas and liver, Angie told KVLY. Two other gentlemen each got one of her kidneys. A 59-year-old man got her lungs.

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.

Nelsons funeral service was held at the Boys & Girls Club of Detroit Lakes on March 28, where several of her students spoke.

Before teaching at the preschool, she worked at MAHUBE-OTWA and Roosevelt School, according to her obituary.

Nelson loved the lake and being at the beach," her obituary reads. "She enjoyed shopping and being around people. Her greatest love, however, was for her family. She will be sadly missed."



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Read the original article on People.
WELLS, Maine  A proposal to build new housing for the elderly on Post Road is currently working its way through the towns planning process.

The applicant, Geoffrey Aleva of Civil Consultants in South Berwick, wants to construct 46 elderly housing units on approximately 9 acres at 2030 Post Road. The homes would be part of a life care facility that would include infrastructure, parking spaces, and amenities such as a shared community building and a pickleball court.

Drakes Station, LLC, of Sanford, owns the property in the towns General Business and Residential-Commercial districts.

This sketch provides an early idea of the more than 40 units of elderly housing that a local developer is proposing for construction on Post Road in Wells, Maine.

During a meeting in April, the Wells Planning Board continued its discussion of the proposal for 60 days to give the Aleva time to address numerous issues. Chief among them is the overall square footage of building space proposed for the residential-commercial portion of the property.

As the application stands now, there are approximately 6,000 square feet of building space proposed for that portion of the overall project. According to the towns ordinances, only 5,000 square feet are allowed in that district.

From a zoning perspective, its just not allowed right now, town engineer Mike Livingston said.

'HB' says farewell: Longtime owners officially sell historic Kennebunk store

Aleva told Livingston and the Planning Board that he could adjust that residential-commercial square footage downward in the hopes of getting preliminary approval for the project. If circumstances allow in the future, that original footprint could be restored, he said.

Aleva will also need to address how contaminated soils on the site will be contained, and how open space targeted for conservation would be configured and used. Aleva will also need to address drainage matters at the site and gather information about potential traffic impacts at the property.

While the extension lasts into June, the applicant could appear at the Planning Boards meeting on May 6 to review these issues further, Livingston said in a recent email.

A preliminary public hearing for the project will be held sometime in June, Livingston added.

The applicant is aiming to subdivide the lot. According to town documents, one lot would be 60,525 square feet and would consist of a two-family duplex that already exists. The second lot would be 352,418 square feet and would be slated for the elderly housing units.

Both lots would be served by the public water and sewer.

More: Boston-based Daher Interior Design expands to Kennebunk with chic studio, retail spot

How upcoming town meeting may impact project

The upcoming annual town meeting on June 11 comes into play for the project, according to Livingston. Proposed revisions to the towns life care facility ordinance are on the ballot.

The article on the town meeting warrant seeks to retroactively amend the Land Use Ordinance to provide definitions, establish the sizes of lots and dwelling units, and establish performance standards as they would pertain to life care facilities. The amendment also seems to address the uses of such facilities within the towns Residential-Commercial and General Business districts and its Residential A and Rural districts.

The developer for the 2030 Post Road project is currently incorporating the proposed ordinance changes into the application, under the assumption that voters will approve them in June, Livingston said.

If the amendments pass, the town officially will define a life care facility as consisting of dwelling units for elderly people or physically disabled individuals. Such a facility would consist of shared community space and would provide tenants with housekeeping services, personal care, assisted living, transportation options, medical support, physical therapy, and recreational opportunities.

Livingston added that the project would not be subject to the towns proposed moratorium on large-scale housing developments if voters approve it on June 11. The reason is that the Planning Board found the application for the project complete on April 15 and is now considered "vested" according to the local ordinance and state statute.

"Once a project is vested, it cannot be subject to a retroactive ordinance," Livingston said.

The proposed moratorium, if approved by voters, would be retroactive to April 16.

Aleva could not be reached for comment.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: New elderly life care facility proposed in Wells, Maine
DERBY, Kan. (KSNW)  Five people have been displaced after a house fire in Derby Monday night.

According to Central Kansas Emergency Photography, Derby Fire and Rescue, Mulvane Fire Rescue, and Sedgwick County Fire District 1 were dispatched at 10:51 p.m. to the report of a house fire in the 1500 block of Mockingbird Court.

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Crews were met with a fire at the back of the house. Derby Fire and Rescue says the fire went into the attic. Significant damage was done to the rear of the house.

Crash temporarily closes K-96 ramp to I-235

Five occupants of the home have been displaced. The American Red Cross is assisting them. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
$6 billion in student loans canceled for those who attended Art Institutes

The Biden administration will cancel $6 billion in student loans for people who attended the Art Institutes, for-profit colleges that closed the last of its campuses in 2023.

Saying the chain lured students with pervasive lies, the Department of Education is using its power to cancel student loans for borrowers who were misled by their colleges, the Associated Press reports.

Loans for 317,000 people who attended any Art Institute campus between Jan. 1, 2004, and Oct. 16, 2017, will automatically be erased.

The Department of Education reviewed evidence from the attorneys general of Pennsylvania, Iowa and Massachusetts. They concluded that the schools and its parent company made pervasive and substantial misrepresentations to prospective students about post-graduation salaries and employment rates, CNBC reports.

The Education Department will start emailing borrowers who will get their loans canceled on Wednesday. They wont need to take any action, and payments already made on the loans will be refunded, the AP says.

The Pittsburgh Art Institute closed in 2019 after a sale of the school fell through.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Abortion rights supporters rally at Orlando City Hall in May 2022. On Wednesday, a law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy in Florida will take effect. File Photo by Chris Chew/UPI

May 1 (UPI) -- Florida's six-week abortion ban took effect Wednesday after being signed into law a year ago, while abortion advocates are submitting about 60,000 signatures to put access on the ballot in November.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the law in April, banning abortion after the gestational age of a fetus is determined to be more than six weeks, including exceptions for pregnancies as a result of rape, incest or human trafficking if a physician reports the crime to a central abuse hotline.

Debbie Deland, president of women's rights advocacy organization Florida NOW called the six-week ban a "near total ban" in an interview with UPI, explaining that most women do not know they are pregnant within six weeks.

Florida also requires two appointments with a medical professional before an abortion can be performed. Deland said it is difficult to get one appointment, let alone two, within such a brief window.

Deland's organization and others have been preparing for the six-week ban to take effect. Several funds have been established to support travel, lodging and meals for women who need to travel out of state for an abortion. However those resources will still be limited, she said.

A sign that reads "Restore Roe" is seen at a rally by President Joe Biden in Florida. Advocates in South Dakota were aiming to put a measure on November's ballot to codify abortion protections established in Roe vs. Wade in the state's constitution. Photo by Steve Nesius/UPI

"The problem there is there are so many people that need abortions outside of six weeks that we need so much funds to do that," Deland said. "But we're doing what we can with the contributions that we get."

Florida already banned abortion after 15-weeks of pregnancy under a law passed in 2022.

The Florida Supreme Court on April 1 upheld that law, amid a challenge from Planned Parenthood and other abortion access advocates, while also allowing a standalone question on whether or not to enshrine abortion into the state's constitution to be placed on the ballot in November's elections.

The constitutional amendment would guarantee access to an abortion before viability. It requires a 60% vote of approval to pass.

A coalition of abortion advocates collected 910,046 signatures to get the amendment on the ballot. The state requires more than 890,000 valid signatures.

Deland said she is confident the ballot measure will pass in November. In the meantime she said thousands of women will be impacted by the ban.

"It will be months before we pass Amendment Four on the 2024 ballot," Deland said. "It's a really serious impact on women in Florida and across the southeast."

While Florida's 15-week ban already offered little access to an abortion, women from neighboring states with total bans like Alabama could come to the state, according to Deland.

For Floridians and others in the southeast region, Virginia and North Carolina, will be the closest states where women can access an abortion beyond six weeks of pregnancy.

Since turning in the petition for the constitutional amendment, Florida NOW has been working on shoring up votes. The group turned in more than enough signatures to put the amendment on the ballot but thousands of signatures were ruled invalid.

Signatures were rejected for a number of reasons, including addresses that did not match. More than 21,000 were rejected in Orange County alone.

Florida NOW is using a postcard campaign to notify individuals whose signatures were rejected that they must update these details to insure they are able to vote in November.

"We're really focused on people we know would vote 'yes' but have to fix their registration," Deland said. "We had plenty of signatures -- but that's why you've got to have a lot more than that."

Despite Deland's confidence in passing Amendment Four, she is not looking past the possibility that the state legislature may yet attempt to undermine the measure.

She recalled the amendment passed in Florida in 2018 to restore the voting rights for people with felony convictions. The legislature passed a law the following year to require those individuals to pay all fines, fees and restitution before being eligible to vote.

"They will try to figure out something to work against the abortion access amendment," Deland said. "They'll take it to the courts. We don't think it's necessarily a done deal. But it's really hard to fight a constitutional amendment."

South Dakota's petition

The petition to put abortion access on the ballot in South Dakota greatly surpassed the 35,017 signature requirement. The measure, if passed by simple majority, would guarantee the right to an abortion throughout the first trimester.

After the first trimester, the state can regulate abortion but it would still be allowed to protect the health of the mother. The language closely mirrors the precedents established in Roe vs. Wade. Rick Weiland, chairman of Dakotans for Health, told UPI this is by design. He calls it the "Restore Roe Amendment."

"We took the language from Roe vs. Wade. It's based on three trimesters as was Roe," Weiland said. "It says pretty much the same thing."

Dakotans for Health took some lessons from a failed effort to repeal a grocery tax and a successful effort to raise the minimum wage, notably finding that initiated laws are not ironclad enough to be used to protect abortion access.

"So initiated laws, the legislature can mess with them. Constitutional amendments they can't," Weiland said.

The petition effort was also faced with challenges from the state and local governments and opposing organizations, Weiland said.

"Throughout our whole signature collection process there's been an effort to try to intimidate people that were circulating the Restore Roe petition by people called the Life Defense Fund," Weiland said. "They usually show up wherever our folks are collecting signatures. They've been very combative. They haven't been very successful."

The legislature, with a super-Republican majority, passed a bill during the last session to allow people to withdraw their names from the petition. Ninety-four of 105 legislators are Republicans.

Minnehaha County Auditor Leah Anderson and the county commission enacted a measure to restrict Dakotans for Health's ability to petition outside of the Minnehaha County Administrators Building. This has been a popular location for candidates and ballot measure petitioners to collect signatures over the years, Weiland said.

Currently, petitioners can use any part of the parking lot to gather signatures. The measure would reduce their access to 0.7% of the parking lot and that space would be away from most of the foot traffic.

Dakotans for Health filed for a restraining order in federal court. Ultimately a judge ruled the auditor's measure was not allowed.

A similar effort took place in Lawrence County, but was quickly withdrawn after Dakotans for Health filed a restraining order there.

In 2022 the legislature attempted to raise the requirement to pass a citizen-driven ballot initiative from a simple majority to a three-fifths or 60% supermajority. Voters struck down the attempt with more than 67% voting against it.

"They're pulling out all the stops because they know that if this gets on the ballot it's likely to pass," Weiland said.

South Dakota joins Florida, Colorado at ballot box

A group in Colorado completed a signature campaign last month to add a constitutional amendment to its ballot as well. Unlike South Dakota and Florida, abortion is legal without restrictions in Colorado.

The measure, called Proposition 89, requires 55% approval to pass.

Along with guaranteeing the right to access an abortion, Proposition 89 would prohibit state and local governments from denying insurance coverage to government employees for abortion services.

Colorado has long been at the forefront of providing access, passing the first law in the country to legalize abortion in 1967. But a law adopted in 1984 restricted the use of tax dollars for abortion, making it illegal for government-issued insurance to cover the procedure.

Petitions for ballot measures have become common across the country following the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision in 2022.

Proponents of abortion access have since been successful on a number of fronts, either knocking down attempts to make it more difficult to pass such measures -- such as Ohio's Issue 1 -- or approving measures to protect access.

Six ballot measures related to abortion access were on the ballot during the 2022 midterm elections, including measures in California, Michigan and Vermont.

Vermont passed a constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to reproductive autonomy. Michigan also passed a constitutional amendment to guarantee access. It was brought to the ballot by petition. California passed Proposition 1, barring the state from denying or restricting abortion access.
78-year-old employee of the year was fired for age, feds say. Now shes owed thousands

A federal lawsuit over the firing of a longtime receptionist at a Georgia retirement community has been settled two months after the case was brought in court.

The woman was 78 when she lost her job at Covenant Woods in Columbus in February 2022  a month after her employer recognized her as a 2021 employee of the year, the lawsuit says. She had worked there more than 14 years, McClatchy News previously reported.

The reason she was fired, according to the suit, was because of her age and a two-day hospital stay the month of her termination.

In February, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Covenant Woods Senior Living and BrightSpace Senior Living, the operators of the retirement community, accusing them of age and disability discrimination.

Now Covenant Woods has agreed to settle the lawsuit for $78,000, the EEOC, the federal agency in charge of protecting workers against discrimination, announced in an April 30 news release.

Covenant Woods is to pay the woman the amount in full, according to a consent decree filed April 29. She will receive $50,000 for compensatory damages and $28,000 for wages.

Chief Financial Officer Brian Hendricks of BrightSpace Senior Living told McClatchy News in a statement on May 1 that We at Covenant Woods and BrightSpace Senior Living resolved this case due to the cost of litigating it.

We do not admit wrongdoing or discriminatory conduct as part of this resolution, Hendricks said, and added that the companies remain committed to compliance with all discrimination and labor and employment laws.

What led to her firing?

On Feb. 10, 2022, the woman was hospitalized after experiencing high blood pressure at work, according to the lawsuit.

When she returned to her office, she noticed a new employee, who was about 30 years younger, sitting at her desk, the lawsuit says.

That day, the woman met with the general manager, who questioned her about how long she planned to work for the company, according to the suit.

Where do you see yourself? Do you need to keep working? Dont you want to travel? See your brother? are questions the manager is accused of asking her, the lawsuit says.

The woman made it clear she wanted to continue working for two or three more years, according to the EEOC.

However, Covenant Woods fired her as a business decision based on a loss of confidence in (her) abilities, the lawsuit says.

Her hospitalization was cited as a safety concern that led to the difficult change, according to the suit.

Afterward, she was replaced with substantially younger employees, according to the EEOC.

Covenant Woods and BrightSpace Senior Living were accused of violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Employers have a responsibility to evaluate an employees performance without regard to age, if the employee is 40 and over, and without regard to an actual or perceived disability, said Marcus G. Keegan, a regional attorney for the EEOCs Atlanta district office.

The EEOC is pleased that through this early resolution, the former receptionist will be compensated, and that Covenant Woods has agreed to take steps to ensure that it meets its obligations under the ADEA and the ADA going forward, Keegan said in the release.

As part of the two-year consent decree, Covenant Woods must revise policies on the ADEA and ADA, inform its employees of the settlement, and train its employees on both federal laws, according to the EEOC.

Woman has miscarriage, is fired for attendance violation, feds say. Shes owed $150K

What are you, about sixty? Longtime store worker wasnt promoted due to age, suit says

78-year-old employee of the year is fired over her age, stay in hospital, lawsuit says

Company refused to hire woman because shes deaf, feds say. Shes awarded $1.6 million
A young brother and sister were killed in a house fire in south Georgia Friday morning, according to WTVM.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Chief Deputy Will Rogers said Josiah Williams, 8, and Kaleya Williams, 13, were killed when a fire broke out at their home in Preston around 7:30 a.m.

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When firefighters got to the scene, the home was engulfed in flames. The two children were found dead inside.

According to WALB, the childrens mother woke up to find a back room in flames. She was able to escape with two of her other children.

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Family members said the victims siblings are 2,5,14 and 18. The community has rallied around the family to provide donations of clothing and money for funeral arrangements.

The cause of the fire has not been determined but may involve old wiring, according to Rogers.
THREE RIVERS, Mich. (WOOD)  It could have been any party store in small-town America.

A hastily scrawled store closed sign is the only evidence of the nightmare that allegedly unfolded inside the walls of the southwest Michigan liquor store.

The owners of the Broadway Market in Three Rivers are staring at different walls now; all three  father, mother and son  are charged with trafficking the wife of the owners son for labor.

Broadway Market on East Broadway Street in Three Rivers. (April 30, 2024)

Ikbal Singh Machhal, Shila Devi and Kartar Chand are accused of physically and emotionally abusing Machhals wife and forcing her to work in their store seven days a week, eight to nine hour shifts a day for eight years.

Investigators say the victim worked without pay.

Chand, 67, is out of the country, but his wife Devi, 66, and son Machhal, 40, were arrested Sunday night by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Three Rivers Police.

Booking photos of Ikbahl Singh Machhal and Shila Devi. (Courtesy St. Joseph County Sheriffs Office)

Mother and son remain in the St. Joseph County jail on one million dollar bonds.

(Machhals wife) reported that she was the victim of almost daily physical abuse at the hands of .. Machhal, wrote HSI special agent Kurt Fiegel in a probable cause affidavit filed in district court in Centreville. She recounted instances wherein (he) beat her up so badly that she had to be taken to the hospital. She was also repeatedly threatened with death by Machhal. He even went so far as to the threaten the lives of their children if she ever reported the abuse to authorities.

In a federal civil suit filed  and won  by the victim, she explained that her marriage to Machhal was arranged in India, where custom dictated that she could not refuse.

On one particular occasion, wrote Fiegel in the affidavit, while trying to refrain from going to work so she could be home with her newborn, she was forced outside into the snow in her bare feet and left there until she agreed to comply.

In a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the family brought the victim to the U.S. from India under the auspices of marriage and later forced (her) into labor in their family-owned liquor mart.

Nessel said the trafficking began in 2014 when the family forced Machhals wife to move from Pennsylvania to Michigan after her husband and in-laws acquired the Broadway Market.

Broadway Market on East Broadway Street in Three Rivers. (April 30, 2024)

Broadway Market on East Broadway Street in Three Rivers. (April 30, 2024)

Nessel announced the charges at the YWCA of Kalamazoo, which advocated for the victim in the case and provides comprehensive services for survivors of trafficking.

Also on hand were Three Rivers Police and agents with Homeland Security Investigations.

This case highlights the fact that forced labor is an issue that can affect any community and we must all remain vigilant, said HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson.

Grand Rapids-based special agent Kurt Fiegel worked on the case for more than three years.

She was forced to work against her will under threat of severe physical, mental and emotional abuse, wrote Fiegel in the court affidavit. On several occasions this involved the brandishing of a firearm.

For eight years, Fiegel said, the victim endured.

This situation continued, wrote Fiegel, until (the victim) was removed from the home by state and local law enforcement in October 2020 when  Three Rivers Police Officer Matt Kilbourn, observed (the victim) in the hospital after being a victim of domestic violence by Ikbal Machhal.

Machhal was convicted of aggravated domestic violence in that case.

Nessel noted that it was Kilbourne of Three Rivers Police who initially uncovered the scheme and his vigilance and dedication that eventually enabled the victim to leave her abusers.

Fiegel emphasized that HSI and its non-governmental partners, including the YWCA of Kalamazoo, have been working for years to raise awareness of trafficking.

Were dedicated to this mission, said Fiegel. Weve come such a long way. But to be honest, were really just at the beginning of this, and theres going to be a lot more coming down the pike.

If convicted on the human trafficking charges, Machhal and Devi could face up to ten years in prison.

If you think youve identified someone who needs help, you can contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888.373.7888 or text 233733.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM) will pay a dividend of $0.40 on the 14th of June. This means that the annual payment will be 2.5% of the current stock price, which is in line with the average for the industry.

See our latest analysis for Agnico Eagle Mines

Agnico Eagle Mines' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. Prior to this announcement, the company was paying out 168% of what it was earning and 84% of cash flows. This indicates that the company could be more focused on returning cash to shareholders than reinvesting to grow the business.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 191.1%. Under the assumption that the dividend will continue along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 66% which would be quite comfortable going to take the dividend forward.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of $0.88 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of $1.60. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.2% a year over that time. We have seen cuts in the past, so while the growth looks promising we would be a little bit cautious about its track record.

Agnico Eagle Mines' Dividend Might Lack Growth

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Agnico Eagle Mines has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 32% per annum. While EPS is growing rapidly, Agnico Eagle Mines paid out a very high 168% of its income as dividends. If earnings continue to grow, this dividend may be sustainable, but we think a payout this high definitely bears watching.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. While we generally think the level of distributions are a bit high, we wouldn't rule it out as becoming a good dividend payer in the future as its earnings are growing healthily. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. 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 3 warning signs for Agnico Eagle Mines that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
The brave 9-year-old ran to get help after his parents were left badly injured in the incident on April 27

GoFundMe Wayne and Lindy Baker and their son Branson

A 9-year-old boy from Oklahoma is being hailed as a hero after a tornado tossed his parent's truck into a pile of trees and left them in the hospital with serious injuries.

Wayne and Lindy Baker were left badly hurt after the vehicle they were traveling in with their son Branson was swept up by an EF-4 tornado in Marietta, Okla., on April 27, CBS News reported.

The family had been heading to Dickson, Okla., to reach a storm shelter as fifteen tornadoes swept the state over the weekend. The tornados have so far reportedly killed four people and destroyed homes and businesses, per the outlet.

Wayne and Lindy both suffered broken backs, necks and ribs in the incident, according to News 9. Wayne also broke his arm and sternum and lost a part of his finger, while Lindy broke her jaw and right hand and suffered a punctured lung.

GoFundMe Branson saved his parents after they got swept up in a tornado in their truck

Related: At Least 5 People, Including a Baby, Dead After Tornadoes Hit Oklahoma and Iowa

While the parents were pinned in the vehicle, their son Branson was able to leave the truck and run to get help. He got a mile down the road in total darkness due to a power outage in the area, then stopped at a neighbors house and found some people who could help.

He ran as fast as he could, as hard as he could, he made a mile in 10 minutes. That's pretty impressive for a little kid, Bransons uncle Johnny Baker told CBS News.

Johnny was also on the phone with his brother when the accident happened, per News 9.

I heard a 'ding ding ding' like hail or rocks hitting the windshield, then a large crash and the phone went dead, he told the outlet.

He then raced to the scene in his car and found the couple in the wreckage while Branson was running for help. Get them out alive thats the only thing I was worried about, Baker told News 9..

Related: At Least 3 Dead After Severe Storms, Suspected Tornadoes Hit Several States: Pure Devastation

Wayne and Lindy were transported to OU Medical Center where they were treated for their injuries.

"The last thing Branson told them was, 'Mom, dad, please don't die, I will be back,' " Bransons uncle recalled. "... He had to become his parent's superman and go do what he had to go do. That's exactly what he said. He said, 'I have to save my parents.' 

Wayne and Lindy are both independent contractors and their ability to take on work has been affected by the incident, due to their injuries, per News 9.

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A GoFundMe page has been set up in effort to help raise money for the family.

In a message on the page, organizer Teri Lloyd described the night of the incident that many Oklahomans will never forget.

One of those tornadoes swept through Dickson, OK and affected our family immensely, she wrote. Wayne, Lindy, & Branson were seeking shelter from the tornado while on the phone with Johnny (Wayne's brother)."

GoFundMe Wayne and Lindy's truck they'd been traveling in at the time of the incident

During that phone call, Johnny had to hear the unimaginable. He heard the tornado overtake them before the phone went dead. As soon as the tornado passed over, Johnny and Kaycie left to search for them. They drove through the debris and were unsure of what they were seeing when they realized they found Wayne's truck, but it was quickly confirmed to them when they heard screaming.



Speaking on Bransons saving efforts, Lloyd added, .. Branson is small, but he is so mighty, he is a hero. You think all the time that children are destined to do great things, but Branson has already started on his greatness.



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Read the original article on People.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A public fountain in Portlands South Park Blocks that depicts a scene from the Torah and the Old Testament and was donated to the City of Portland by Jewish Immigrant Joseph Shemanski in 1926, was vandalized in early March, city officials say.

Portland Parks & Recreation spokesperson Mark Ross told KOIN 6 News that Shemanski Fountains stone base was chipped away and two of the fountains three bronze bowls were stolen. The City of Portland filed a vandalism report on March 4 after city employees noticed the damages.

PP&R maintains the fountain and Portland Water Bureau owns it, Ross said. Both bureaus are working together to determine scope, potential costs and timeline of repairs to restore the fountain.

File: Shemanski Fountain seen in the winter of 2019. (Photos by KOIN 6)

Damages to Portlands Shemanski Fountain photographed on March 28, 2024. (KOIN)







PSU library occupation continues as some leave, number of non-students remain

Shemanski donated the Italianesque trefoil fountain to the City of Portland as a thank you to the city for its kindness, according to the PP&R website. Shemanski found success in Portland after founding Eastern Outfitting Co. The Jewish Museum of the American West states that Shemanski went on to build the eight-story Eastern Outfitting building, which once stood at the southwest corner of 10th and Washington.

Shemanski was a Polish immigrant who went from being a traveling clock salesman to successful businessman, the parks department website reads.

Inside the occupied Millar Library on Portland State Universitys campus

According to the citys records, the sandstone fountain was designed by architect Carl L. Linde. The fountains statue, titled Rebecca at the Well, was sculpted by University of Oregon professor Oliver Laurence Barrett, and depicts a story from the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament.

The fountain, which is located at the north end of the South Park Blocks, is located between Main and Salmon Streets. The city boarded up the fountain chamber that houses the statue following the vandalism.

Its unclear if the vandalism has any relation to Portlands ongoing protests held in response to the war in Gaza. The Portland State University campus remains closed as protesters continue to occupy PSUs Millar Library, located near the opposite end of the South Park blocks.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  With severe weather and flood threats expected over the next few days for Central Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the state has increased its readiness level and is prepared to respond.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) increased that readiness to a Level II, which is an escalated response, according to a news release from Abbotts office.

KXANs First Warning Weather Team said storms will begin to bubble up around mid-afternoon Wednesday in Austin, growing in intensity and coverage into the early evening.

Following afternoon storms, a cluster of what looks to be even stronger storms arrives after midnight and will continue through the early morning hours on Thursday.

Some of the severe weather includes flash flooding through the weekend, the release said. Risks across Texas also include large hail, damaging winds and possible tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.

Below is a list of agencies TDEM requested, as provided in the release:

Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service

Texas A&M Forest Service

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Texas Department of Transportation

Texas Department of State Health Services

Texas Health and Human Services Commission

Texas Parks and Wildlife

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Texas Animal Health Commission

Texas Department of Agriculture

Public Utility Commission of Texas

Railroad Commission of Texas

Texas Department of Public Safety

Texas National Guard

Texas Education Agency

Texas Department of Information Resources

Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

American Red Cross

Salvation Army

Texans are urged to remain weather-aware, check DriveTexas.org before traveling, and heed the guidance of state and local officials. I thank our brave emergency personnel and first responders for working tirelessly to protect communities across our great state. Remember: Turn Around, Dont Drown, Abbott said in the release.

To check road conditions, Texans can check the DriveTexas.org website.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  Abilene ISD says that a vague pre-recorded phone message received by several campuses Wednesday morning is not being considered a threat.

School officials sent a message to parents following the phone message, saying the recording does not mention the City of Abilene or any of our schools and does not represent a threat to any of our students and staff.

Police are helping staff investigate this as a safety precaution, but as of right now, school is proceeding as normal.

No further information is available at this time.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
The Concerned Veterans for America Foundation recognized four Abilene Junior ROTC cadets in Washington, D.C., during a ceremony for the SSgt. Jeremy D. Smith Exemplary Service Award.

Smith, a staff sergeant who enlisted in 2003, served three combat tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps and was deployed to Afghanistan with a Texas reserve unit in 2011.

The award is given in honor of Smith, who was killed in action on April 6, 2011, and recognizes high school cadets who exemplify academic achievement, community service and citizenship.

Four Abilene JROTC cadets were awarded the SSgt. Jeremy D. Smith Exemplary Service Award by the Concerned Veterans for America Foundation in Washington, D.C. April 12, 2024. Individuals in the photo are listed left to right: JROTC Instructor Rogelio DeLeon, SGM Ret. USMC, Cadet Arianna Najera, Cadet Joshua Raymond Barajas Rios, Cadet Trevor Martin, Cadet Timothy Gonzalez, JROTC Instructor Robert Davidson II, LT Col (ret) USAF, Cadet Jayvee Bautista, JROTC Instructor Ron Deos MSgt Ret. USAF, JROTC Instructor Edgar Ramirez, 1SG Ret. USMC.

In its first year, the award recognizes students from across Texas, Smiths home state, with plans to expand eligibility in future years to other states.

Jayvee Bautista from Cooper High School, Arianna Najera from ATEMS High School, and Trevor Martin and Joshua Barajas Rios, both from Abilene High School, were recognized April 12 during a presentation ceremony.

The cadets received a plaque, a challenge coin and a recommendation letter from CVA Foundation legal counsel, retired Army Col. Herb Ford.

I feel like all of my hard work has paid off ever since I came to the United States from the Philippines as a 7 year old," Bautista said.

"I was always afraid of assimilating myself into American society due to my lack of experience and knowledge of English. Now, it feels extremely surreal that I won an award from writing essays in English and being able to visit the Capitol of the very country I was afraid to assimilate into," Bautista said.

Barajas Rios expressed his excitement for being one of the few students to achieve the award.

"Once I heard that I received the SSgt. Jeremy D. Smith Exemplary Service Award, I was shocked and proud of myself due to actually achieving something throughout my high school years and becoming a part of something bigger. Overall, achieving this award felt like a fever dream," he said.

Martin felt honored to be selected for an award honoring an American hero.

When I received the SSgt. Jeremy D. Smith Award, I was very shocked and overwhelmingly excited. Being able to win an award devoted to a person who served and put their life on the line for their country is truly an honor. Achieving this award has improved my confidence and made me even more proud of myself. It has shown me more of how much I value my commitment to my country," he said.

Najera was thankful for the recognition and hopes it will bring her closer to future goals.

It was extremely exciting for me and my family! I have had so many aspirations for my future and career ever since I was little and being able to make these goals come true is such a blessing to me, as well as my family, she said.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene JROTC cadets recognized for exemplary service in Washington
Proposals from the 14 Wisconsin residents, brought together to come up with consensus solutions on abortion, arrived at proposals designed to address the economic, health, and education disparities that can lead to people choose abortion. (Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

Editors note: This story is the third in a series about a group of people from Wisconsin trying to come up with policies to address abortion and its root causes that could be applied nationwide. Their larger goal is to find common ground on one of the most divisive issues in America.

MADISON, Wis.  The Starts With Us civic experiment on abortion began with a hypothesis that was reflected in the sessions first working title: Abortion Access & Limits.

And the experiments results, following heated discussions among 14 Wisconsin residents with divergent abortion beliefs, are reflected in the sessions final title: Abortion & Family Well-Being, whose just-released five proposed consensus solutions are designed to address the economic, health, and education disparities that can lead people to choose abortion. The group ultimately could not come to any consensus about abortion itself.

But they came very close.

Shortly before Starts With Us went live with its public feedback period on Wednesday, participant Dr. Kristin Lyerly experienced what facilitator Mariah Levison had throughout this session described as heartburn.

The OB-GYN and abortion provider told States Newsroom she couldnt sign off on the final language of what would have been a sixth proposal titled, Keep abortion available when a woman is experiencing a life-threatening medical risk. She said she took issue with some of the non-medical terms like unborn child, but her bigger concern was that the proposal used Wisconsins definition of a life-threatening medical risk, which she said is poorly defined and does not explicitly include mental health emergencies.

As a physician  I do this in practice, and everybody else is just talking about the theory of it, said Lyerly, who has since stepped away from the Starts With Us project because her recently launched congressional campaign conflicts with its nonprofit status. When Im taking care of my patients, Im focused on, what does my patient need medically right now? Not, hey, can you Google what current Wisconsin law says about when a mothers life is in danger?

Starts With Us communications manager Tori Larned told States Newsroom that despite high-level consensus on this issue, several participants  both who support and oppose abortion access  disagreed with this proposals final language, so theyve scrapped it for now with the potential to revisit in the near future.

For some, the language is still too permissive and for others its too restrictive, Larned said in an email. Citizen Solutions is about bringing more nuance to what is often a binary, overly simplistic conversation.

Lyerly said she is excited about the proposals the group did achieve consensus on and the connections she made with people who disagree with her. But she remains firm in her view that a medical procedure shouldnt be narrowly regulated.

I think we made some important headway, and I think that the fact that we were not able to address the pressing issue of abortion itself really emphasizes how complicated this problem is, and how it belongs in the realm of medical practice, not politics, Lyerly said. Its really hard to find that middle ground because there isnt necessarily middle ground that applies universally. Its a personal issue for you that affects your personal self and your personal family.

Several of the participants on either side of the abortion access divide told States Newsroom that this civic experiment motivated them to keep engaging in discussions about abortion with people they disagree with. A couple said they were disappointed with the ultimate results. And some expressed improved understanding in the others point of view, but no major shifts in thinking.

Initially, I just felt that, how could you want to kill a baby inside your womb? How could you ever come to that conclusion? said participant Jeff Davis, 76, who has worked with crisis pregnancy centers for women who are contemplating abortion. From just some of the experiences of people who were there who viewed things differently than I do, I could see why a person could come to those conclusions. And so even though I didnt change my view, its like, okay, now how can these concerns be addressed so that a person would want to choose life?

Davis also told States Newsroom that he was among those abortion opponents who initially agreed that pregnancy termination should be allowed to preserve the life of the woman but could not agree to include mental distress as part of that definition. The semi-retired bovine veterinarian said his reasoning revolves around the qualitative nature of mental distress.

It seems to me that those who are pro-abortion want to set the bar very low, Davis said. As a result, almost every woman could claim mental distress as a reason for being able to have an abortion.

Participant Ali Muldrow, the executive director of the abortion fund WMF Wisconsin, said she ultimately thinks theirs is a progressive set of policy proposals in what it doesnt include: abortion-ban exceptions for rape and incest.

The fact that we actually didnt agree on an exception for rape and incest I think is a win, Muldrow said. Were not oversimplifying hugely traumatic experiences as if they can be easily identified, proven, and used to access health care. We didnt take the bait of compassion with a condition of extreme brutality. Thats something youre seeing around the country right now and its really dangerous.

She said that for her the groups dynamics reflect what she sees in the U.S., that there is a majority broadly on the side of abortion access despite their diverse personal views, and a minority (in this case five white Christians) advocating for limits because of deeply held religious beliefs.

When you pair people who represent 80% of the population with people who represent kind of a specific religious perspective and pretend that those sides are equal, while also failing to kind of acknowledge that one of those groups of people has had historically more power than the other group of people, it creates a pretty complex dynamic, Muldrow said.

Abortion opponents also expressed disappointment at what they saw as an imbalance of abortion perspectives. Kateri Klingele said that ahead of the final session held in April she acted as spokesperson for the five abortion opponents, and said they would refuse to consider an abortion exception related to fetal health diagnoses. Lyerly noted that three of the nine abortion-access supporters were absent for the final in-person debate. Heather Martell and Ramona Williams were absent because of personal issues, and Monique Minkens started feeling sick and had to leave.

The proposed consensus solutions on abortion and family well-being

This group of 14 Wisconsinites live all across the state, including Milwaukee, Rock, Chippewa, Door, Brown, Grant, and Dane counties. But now residents from the entire state  and the nation  can vote and comment on the groups proposals for state lawmakers to potentially consider. The proposals were evaluated by 14 health, legal, and policy experts with divergent views on abortion access, three of whom (a Catholic marriage and family expert, pro-life OB/GYN, and professor of educational policy studies) chose to remain anonymous.

In brief, they would:

Require human development education in schools (and ensure that its medically accurate, developmentally appropriate, and state-funded);

Require all options information at pregnancy centers, abortion clinics, and prenatal care providers (and to make sure it is standardized, medically accurate, and required for dissemination at centers that oppose abortion the same way it is at abortion clinics);

Provide a refundable state child tax credit (While Wisconsin recently expanded its state-level child and dependent care tax credit, the state has no state-level child tax credit. Fifteen states do provide these additional state-level child tax credits, many of which come in at or above $1,000 per qualifying child.); and

Enact paid family leave, including foster and adoptive parents.

We envision a world where Wisconsinites have greater support for planning and sustaining their families, the participants write in their joint vision statement. Unintended pregnancies and poor fetal and maternal health outcomes are experienced disproportionately by women of color and lower-income women.  Better community and social supports  including for children and families, as well as during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period  help those who become pregnant feel like they have options for continuing their pregnancy.

Starts With Us head of programs Ashley Phillips said that after the public feedback period concludes on May 31, the participants will find out which proposals got the most support and then evaluate potential next steps, including bringing them to state lawmakers. She noted that for their first session, on gun rights and safety launched last year in Tennessee, more than 30,000 Tennesseans weighed in on eight proposals and five majority-supported proposals were ultimately brought to the state legislature.

Phillips said Starts With Us absorbed a lot of participants feedback (including hiring a mental-health counselor to help guide the final session in April) as they continue to iterate their Citizen Solutions sessions throughout the country. She said the results of this particular experiment, on abortion in Wisconsin, make her optimistic.

If you look at the five [proposals], theyre much more about root causes of abortion, Phillips said. Thats the conversation that this group is trying to have. How can we expand the conversation on abortion, so its not just about weeks, and its not just about exceptions and carve-outs and bans and not bans and morality or not?

Many of the participants said this experience was hard, but for most it was worthwhile.

I think its important to hear where people are, Muldrow said. As important as the areas where we agree, I think the areas where we disagree are deeply important. If you want there to be this kind of happy Kumbaya ending to a conversation about abortion with people with very different beliefs, its a little disappointing that one of the more pronounced elements of that conversation is where people disagree, but people were able to disagree and stay in that space together. I think theres a lot to learn from that.

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The post On abortion, advocates and opponents unite on policies to address root causes appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Proposals from the 14 Wisconsin residents, brought together to come up with consensus solutions on abortion, arrived at proposals designed to address the economic, health, and education disparities that can lead to people choose abortion. (Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

Editors note: This story is the third in a series about a group of people from Wisconsin trying to come up with policies to address abortion and its root causes that could be applied nationwide. Their larger goal is to find common ground on one of the most divisive issues in America.

MADISON, Wis.  The Starts With Us civic experiment on abortion began with a hypothesis that was reflected in the sessions first working title: Abortion Access & Limits.

And the experiments results, following heated discussions among 14 Wisconsin residents with divergent abortion beliefs, are reflected in the sessions final title: Abortion & Family Well-Being, whose just-released five proposed consensus solutions are designed to address the economic, health, and education disparities that can lead people to choose abortion. The group ultimately could not come to any consensus about abortion itself.

But they came very close.

Shortly before Starts With Us went live with its public feedback period on Wednesday, participant Dr. Kristin Lyerly experienced what facilitator Mariah Levison had throughout this session described as heartburn.

The OB-GYN and abortion provider told States Newsroom she couldnt sign off on the final language of what would have been a sixth proposal titled, Keep abortion available when a woman is experiencing a life-threatening medical risk. She said she took issue with some of the non-medical terms like unborn child, but her bigger concern was that the proposal used Wisconsins definition of a life-threatening medical risk, which she said is poorly defined and does not explicitly include mental health emergencies.

As a physician  I do this in practice, and everybody else is just talking about the theory of it, said Lyerly, who has since stepped away from the Starts With Us project because her recently launched congressional campaign conflicts with its nonprofit status. When Im taking care of my patients, Im focused on, what does my patient need medically right now? Not, hey, can you Google what current Wisconsin law says about when a mothers life is in danger?

Starts With Us communications manager Tori Larned told States Newsroom that despite high-level consensus on this issue, several participants  both who support and oppose abortion access  disagreed with this proposals final language, so theyve scrapped it for now with the potential to revisit in the near future.

For some, the language is still too permissive and for others its too restrictive, Larned said in an email. Citizen Solutions is about bringing more nuance to what is often a binary, overly simplistic conversation.

Lyerly said she is excited about the proposals the group did achieve consensus on and the connections she made with people who disagree with her. But she remains firm in her view that a medical procedure shouldnt be narrowly regulated.

I think we made some important headway, and I think that the fact that we were not able to address the pressing issue of abortion itself really emphasizes how complicated this problem is, and how it belongs in the realm of medical practice, not politics, Lyerly said. Its really hard to find that middle ground because there isnt necessarily middle ground that applies universally. Its a personal issue for you that affects your personal self and your personal family.

Several of the participants on either side of the abortion access divide told States Newsroom that this civic experiment motivated them to keep engaging in discussions about abortion with people they disagree with. A couple said they were disappointed with the ultimate results. And some expressed improved understanding in the others point of view, but no major shifts in thinking.

Initially, I just felt that, how could you want to kill a baby inside your womb? How could you ever come to that conclusion? said participant Jeff Davis, 76, who has worked with crisis pregnancy centers for women who are contemplating abortion. From just some of the experiences of people who were there who viewed things differently than I do, I could see why a person could come to those conclusions. And so even though I didnt change my view, its like, okay, now how can these concerns be addressed so that a person would want to choose life?

Davis also told States Newsroom that he was among those abortion opponents who initially agreed that pregnancy termination should be allowed to preserve the life of the woman but could not agree to include mental distress as part of that definition. The semi-retired bovine veterinarian said his reasoning revolves around the qualitative nature of mental distress.

It seems to me that those who are pro-abortion want to set the bar very low, Davis said. As a result, almost every woman could claim mental distress as a reason for being able to have an abortion.

Participant Ali Muldrow, the executive director of the abortion fund WMF Wisconsin, said she ultimately thinks theirs is a progressive set of policy proposals in what it doesnt include: abortion-ban exceptions for rape and incest.

The fact that we actually didnt agree on an exception for rape and incest I think is a win, Muldrow said. Were not oversimplifying hugely traumatic experiences as if they can be easily identified, proven, and used to access health care. We didnt take the bait of compassion with a condition of extreme brutality. Thats something youre seeing around the country right now and its really dangerous.

She said that for her the groups dynamics reflect what she sees in the U.S., that there is a majority broadly on the side of abortion access despite their diverse personal views, and a minority (in this case five white Christians) advocating for limits because of deeply held religious beliefs.

When you pair people who represent 80% of the population with people who represent kind of a specific religious perspective and pretend that those sides are equal, while also failing to kind of acknowledge that one of those groups of people has had historically more power than the other group of people, it creates a pretty complex dynamic, Muldrow said.

Abortion opponents also expressed disappointment at what they saw as an imbalance of abortion perspectives. Kateri Klingele said that ahead of the final session held in April she acted as spokesperson for the five abortion opponents, and said they would refuse to consider an abortion exception related to fetal health diagnoses. Lyerly noted that three of the nine abortion-access supporters were absent for the final in-person debate. Heather Martell and Ramona Williams were absent because of personal issues, and Monique Minkens started feeling sick and had to leave.

Proposed consensus solutions on abortion and family well-being

This group of 14 Wisconsinites live all across the state, including Milwaukee, Rock, Chippewa, Door, Brown, Grant, and Dane counties. But now residents from the entire state  and the nation  can vote and comment on the groups proposals for state lawmakers to potentially consider. The proposals were evaluated by 14 health, legal, and policy experts with divergent views on abortion access, three of whom (a Catholic marriage and family expert, pro-life OB/GYN, and professor of educational policy studies) chose to remain anonymous.

In brief, they would:

Require human development education in schools (and ensure that its medically accurate, developmentally appropriate, and state-funded);

Require all options information at pregnancy centers, abortion clinics, and prenatal care providers (and to make sure it is standardized, medically accurate, and required for dissemination at centers that oppose abortion the same way it is at abortion clinics);

Provide a refundable state child tax credit (While Wisconsin recently expanded its state-level child and dependent care tax credit, the state has no state-level child tax credit. Fifteen states do provide these additional state-level child tax credits, many of which come in at or above $1,000 per qualifying child.); and

Enact paid family leave, including foster and adoptive parents.

We envision a world where Wisconsinites have greater support for planning and sustaining their families, the participants write in their joint vision statement. Unintended pregnancies and poor fetal and maternal health outcomes are experienced disproportionately by women of color and lower-income women.  Better community and social supports  including for children and families, as well as during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period  help those who become pregnant feel like they have options for continuing their pregnancy.

Starts With Us head of programs Ashley Phillips said that after the public feedback period concludes on May 31, the participants will find out which proposals got the most support and then evaluate potential next steps, including bringing them to state lawmakers. She noted that for their first session, on gun rights and safety launched last year in Tennessee, more than 30,000 Tennesseans weighed in on eight proposals and five majority-supported proposals were ultimately brought to the state legislature.

Phillips said Starts With Us absorbed a lot of participants feedback (including hiring a mental-health counselor to help guide the final session in April) as they continue to iterate their Citizen Solutions sessions throughout the country. She said the results of this particular experiment, on abortion in Wisconsin, make her optimistic.

If you look at the five [proposals], theyre much more about root causes of abortion, Phillips said. Thats the conversation that this group is trying to have. How can we expand the conversation on abortion, so its not just about weeks, and its not just about exceptions and carve-outs and bans and not bans and morality or not?

Many of the participants said this experience was hard, but for most it was worthwhile.

I think its important to hear where people are, Muldrow said. As important as the areas where we agree, I think the areas where we disagree are deeply important. If you want there to be this kind of happy Kumbaya ending to a conversation about abortion with people with very different beliefs, its a little disappointing that one of the more pronounced elements of that conversation is where people disagree, but people were able to disagree and stay in that space together. I think theres a lot to learn from that.

The post On abortion, advocates and opponents unite on policies to address root causes appeared first on Kentucky Lantern.
Proposals from the 14 Wisconsin residents, brought together to come up with consensus solutions on abortion, arrived at proposals designed to address the economic, health, and education disparities that can lead to people choose abortion. (Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

Editors note: This story is the third in a series about a group of people from Wisconsin trying to come up with policies to address abortion and its root causes that could be applied nationwide. Their larger goal is to find common ground on one of the most divisive issues in America.

MADISON, Wis.  The Starts With Us civic experiment on abortion began with a hypothesis that was reflected in the sessions first working title: Abortion Access & Limits.

And the experiments results, following heated discussions among 14 Wisconsin residents with divergent abortion beliefs, are reflected in the sessions final title: Abortion & Family Well-Being, whose just-released five proposed consensus solutions are designed to address the economic, health, and education disparities that can lead people to choose abortion. The group ultimately could not come to any consensus about abortion itself.

But they came very close.

Shortly before Starts With Us went live with its public feedback period on Wednesday, participant Dr. Kristin Lyerly experienced what facilitator Mariah Levison had throughout this session described as heartburn.

The OB-GYN and abortion provider told States Newsroom she couldnt sign off on the final language of what would have been a sixth proposal titled, Keep abortion available when a woman is experiencing a life-threatening medical risk. She said she took issue with some of the non-medical terms like unborn child, but her bigger concern was that the proposal used Wisconsins definition of a life-threatening medical risk, which she said is poorly defined and does not explicitly include mental health emergencies.

As a physician  I do this in practice, and everybody else is just talking about the theory of it, said Lyerly, who has since stepped away from the Starts With Us project because her recently launched congressional campaign conflicts with its nonprofit status. When Im taking care of my patients, Im focused on, what does my patient need medically right now? Not, hey, can you Google what current Wisconsin law says about when a mothers life is in danger?

Starts With Us communications manager Tori Larned told States Newsroom that despite high-level consensus on this issue, several participants  both who support and oppose abortion access  disagreed with this proposals final language, so theyve scrapped it for now with the potential to revisit in the near future.

For some, the language is still too permissive and for others its too restrictive, Larned said in an email. Citizen Solutions is about bringing more nuance to what is often a binary, overly simplistic conversation.

Lyerly said she is excited about the proposals the group did achieve consensus on and the connections she made with people who disagree with her. But she remains firm in her view that a medical procedure shouldnt be narrowly regulated.

I think we made some important headway, and I think that the fact that we were not able to address the pressing issue of abortion itself really emphasizes how complicated this problem is, and how it belongs in the realm of medical practice, not politics, Lyerly said. Its really hard to find that middle ground because there isnt necessarily middle ground that applies universally. Its a personal issue for you that affects your personal self and your personal family.

The Wisconsin 14 gather in front of the Wisconsin Masonic Center in Madison, where they spent multiple days trying to come to consensus on abortion and family well-being. Several of the participants on either side of the abortion access divide said the Starts With Us civic experiment motivated them to keep engaging in discussions about abortion with people they disagree with. (Sofia Resnick/States Newsroom)

Several of the participants on either side of the abortion access divide told States Newsroom that this civic experiment motivated them to keep engaging in discussions about abortion with people they disagree with. A couple said they were disappointed with the ultimate results. And some expressed improved understanding in the others point of view, but no major shifts in thinking.

Initially, I just felt that, how could you want to kill a baby inside your womb? How could you ever come to that conclusion? said participant Jeff Davis, 76, who has worked with crisis pregnancy centers for women who are contemplating abortion. From just some of the experiences of people who were there who viewed things differently than I do, I could see why a person could come to those conclusions. And so even though I didnt change my view, its like, okay, now how can these concerns be addressed so that a person would want to choose life?

Davis also told States Newsroom that he was among those abortion opponents who initially agreed that pregnancy termination should be allowed to preserve the life of the woman but could not agree to include mental distress as part of that definition. The semi-retired bovine veterinarian said his reasoning revolves around the qualitative nature of mental distress.

It seems to me that those who are pro-abortion want to set the bar very low, Davis said. As a result, almost every woman could claim mental distress as a reason for being able to have an abortion.

Participant Ali Muldrow, the executive director of the abortion fund WMF Wisconsin, said she ultimately thinks theirs is a progressive set of policy proposals in what it doesnt include: abortion-ban exceptions for rape and incest.

The fact that we actually didnt agree on an exception for rape and incest I think is a win, Muldrow said. Were not oversimplifying hugely traumatic experiences as if they can be easily identified, proven, and used to access health care. We didnt take the bait of compassion with a condition of extreme brutality. Thats something youre seeing around the country right now and its really dangerous.

She said that for her the groups dynamics reflect what she sees in the U.S., that there is a majority broadly on the side of abortion access despite their diverse personal views, and a minority (in this case five white Christians) advocating for limits because of deeply held religious beliefs.

When you pair people who represent 80% of the population with people who represent kind of a specific religious perspective and pretend that those sides are equal, while also failing to kind of acknowledge that one of those groups of people has had historically more power than the other group of people, it creates a pretty complex dynamic, Muldrow said.

Abortion opponents also expressed disappointment at what they saw as an imbalance of abortion perspectives. Kateri Klingele said that ahead of the final session held in April she acted as spokesperson for the five abortion opponents, and said they would refuse to consider an abortion exception related to fetal health diagnoses. Lyerly noted that three of the nine abortion-access supporters were absent for the final in-person debate. Heather Martell and Ramona Williams were absent because of personal issues, and Monique Minkens started feeling sick and had to leave.

A June 2023 poll conducted by Marquette University in Milwaukee found that 32% of those polled believe abortion should be legal in all cases, 34% in most, 25% illegal in most, and 6% illegal in all. The participants in the Starts With Us civic experiment came from diverse backgrounds and points of view on abortion access. (Sofia Resnick/States Newsroom)

The proposed consensus solutions on abortion and family well-being

This group of 14 Wisconsinites live all across the state, including Milwaukee, Rock, Chippewa, Door, Brown, Grant, and Dane counties. But now residents from the entire state  and the nation  can vote and comment on the groups proposals for state lawmakers to potentially consider. The proposals were evaluated by 14 health, legal, and policy experts with divergent views on abortion access, three of whom (a Catholic marriage and family expert, pro-life OB/GYN, and professor of educational policy studies) chose to remain anonymous.

In brief, they would:

We envision a world where Wisconsinites have greater support for planning and sustaining their families, the participants write in their joint vision statement. Unintended pregnancies and poor fetal and maternal health outcomes are experienced disproportionately by women of color and lower-income women.  Better community and social supports  including for children and families, as well as during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period  help those who become pregnant feel like they have options for continuing their pregnancy.

Starts With Us head of programs Ashley Phillips said that after the public feedback period concludes on May 31, the participants will find out which proposals got the most support and then evaluate potential next steps, including bringing them to state lawmakers. She noted that for their first session, on gun rights and safety launched last year in Tennessee, more than 30,000 Tennesseans weighed in on eight proposals and five majority-supported proposals were ultimately brought to the state legislature.

Phillips said Starts With Us absorbed a lot of participants feedback (including hiring a mental-health counselor to help guide the final session in April) as they continue to iterate their Citizen Solutions sessions throughout the country. She said the results of this particular experiment, on abortion in Wisconsin, make her optimistic.

If you look at the five [proposals], theyre much more about root causes of abortion, Phillips said. Thats the conversation that this group is trying to have. How can we expand the conversation on abortion, so its not just about weeks, and its not just about exceptions and carve-outs and bans and not bans and morality or not?

Many of the participants said this experience was hard, but for most it was worthwhile.

I think its important to hear where people are, Muldrow said. As important as the areas where we agree, I think the areas where we disagree are deeply important. If you want there to be this kind of happy Kumbaya ending to a conversation about abortion with people with very different beliefs, its a little disappointing that one of the more pronounced elements of that conversation is where people disagree, but people were able to disagree and stay in that space together. I think theres a lot to learn from that.

The post On abortion, advocates and opponents unite on policies to address root causes appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.
Carrie Anderson, 38, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, joined the "Bans Off Our Mife" rally organized by the Women's March outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as the justices heard oral arguments over access to mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

With Floridas six-week abortion ban taking effect today and the U.S. Supreme Court currently weighing whether Idahos abortion ban should supersede emergency medical treatment, abortion advocates are renewing calls for federal abortion protection, since even in safe states like Pennsylvania access to care is limited.

People need to understand that we went from having over 100 abortion clinics in Pennsylvania to less than 20 in a relatively short period of time, state Sen. Amanda Cappelletti (D-Delaware) told the Capital-Star. So, while the access is legally there, practically speaking for so many Pennsylvanians, they dont have access to abortion or reproductive health care in general.

For instance, while the Pittsburgh area has three abortion providers, the next closest in-state provider is 200 miles to the east in Harrisburg. Abortion is legal up to 24 weeks in Pennsylvania, but a person seeking an abortion has to wait 24 hours after receiving counseling before they can have the procedure, and only physicians  not other healthcare professionals  can perform abortions in the state.

Florida had been a haven of sorts for people seeking abortion in the southeastern U.S., where eight  Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Tennessee  of the 16 states with full abortion bans are located. Of the more than 84,000 abortions performed in Florida in 2023, more than 7,700 were provided to women who came from out-of-state.

Cappelletti, who formerly worked in a policy role at Planned Parenthood, noted that abortion clinics in Pennsylvania had seen a sharp uptick in patients from other states seeking care after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Were definitely seeing it here in the southeast, in the Philadelphia clinics, and the clinics in Allegheny County as well, she added.

The Supreme Court could decide as early as next month whether Idahos near-total abortion ban means doctors who might need to terminate a pregnancy during a health emergency would be protected from prosecution under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, a federal law that requires hospitals to treat patients who come to an emergency room regardless of their ability to pay. That includes treatment to prevent serious damage to bodily functions.

If the court decides the law does not provide that protection, then hospitals and doctors in Idaho have said they will have to continue transferring patients out of state for that treatment.

Cappelletti said in addition to more stress on abortion clinics, she thinks states will begin to see issues with hospital care as well. Because what were talking about what EMTALA is, is people who are heading to the emergency room because something is wrong, she said, so patients who cant get the emergency care in their state may also come to Pennsylvania.

Thats why having federal policy on abortion, rather than each state legislating it differently is so key, Cappelletti and other abortion advocates say.

Kelsey Leigh, of Pittsburgh suburb Mt. Lebanon, has told her abortion story often: In 2016, an ultrasound showed the wanted pregnancy she was carrying was not viable, and she had an abortion. She said she has never doubted or regretted it, but since the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade she has thought about what it would have been like to need that care now in a state with restrictions on abortion.

I was at a hospital where I was waking up next to somebody who had had a knee surgery and somebody else who had their gallbladder out, I didnt have protestors yelling at me, she told the Capital-Star.

I started speaking out and telling my story to tell people: Look, I only know what I did for myself in that moment. I dont know what I would have done five years earlier. I dont know what I would do now or five years from now. And you want that same privacy and protection for your loved ones, Leigh added.

Mifepristone questions

The Supreme Court also heard arguments in March over whether to roll back the rules over mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortions, to what was in place before the FDA began making changes in 2016. If it rules in favor of plaintiffs, the decision could lead to significant changes for doctors and patients.

The two-drug regimen accounted for about 63% of abortions within the United States in 2023, according to a report from the Guttmacher Institute.

On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 GOP nominee for president, said in an interview with Time magazine that he would release more details about how he would regulate access to medication abortion if he wins another term.

Trump said during the interview that he had strong views about access to mifepristone, but so far has not said what those views are. He didnt rule out a nationwide abortion ban during the interview, and on the campaign trail, has boasted about appointing the three Supreme Court justices who played a key role in overturning Roe vs. Wade.

And Trump said in a video released last month that he believed regulating abortion access should be left up to states.

Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement Tuesday that a second Trump term would be a threat to reproductive rights.

Simply put: Novembers election will determine whether women in the United States have reproductive freedom, or whether Trumps new government will continue its assault to control womens health care decisions, Rodriguez said.

With the voters on their side this November, President Biden and Vice President Harris will put an end to this chaos and ensure Americans fundamental freedoms are protected.

The post Abortion advocates in Pennsylvania renew calls for national policy appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) is making what is considered the biggest office move of the year so far in New York City.

Various published reports indicate the fashion retailer, which maintains its corporate headquarters at the SouthSide Works here in Pittsburgh, has committed to a total of a little more than 338,000 square feet of office space in Manhattan at 63 Madison Ave., a building owned by a firm called George Comfort & Sons.

The company confirmed the move in a prepared statement, clarifying it will continue to maintain its local offices along with its new one in New York.

Click here to read more from the Pittsburgh Business Times.

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One of the most important pieces of evidence in Donald Trumps criminal trial is one that jurors may never hear directly in court: the Access Hollywood tape. The latest witness testimony in Manhattan emphasized that notion, as lawyer Keith Davidson told jurors that the infamous recordings release had tremendous influence on interest in Stormy Daniels story.

Davidson represented Daniels, who claimed in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election that she previously had sex with Trump. Michael Cohen, then Trumps fixer/lawyer, allegedly paid her hush money. The payoff is at the center of the former presidents case, in which he is charged with falsifying business records to cover up the alleged scheme. The presumptive GOP presidential nominee has pleaded not guilty and has denied that he had sex with the adult film star.

The tape, released in October 2016, captured Trump bragging in 2005 about being able to grab women by their genitals.

It wasnt until Access Hollywood that interest sort of reached a crescendo, Davidson testified Tuesday, explaining how the deal went down to secure Daniels silence as Trump successfully sought the White House. His testimony is set to resume Thursday. It builds on the states case that started with David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher who testified that he agreed to help Trumps 2016 campaign by squashing negative stories.

Manhattan prosecutors have long pressed the significance of the Access Hollywood recording. In a pretrial court filing, they told Judge Juan Merchan that its release caused a panic within the campaign about defendants electoral prospects and ultimately served as the catalyst for consummating the Stormy Daniels payoff. But citing concerns of undue prejudice to the defense, the judge ruled ahead of trial that prosecutors cant play the tape itself (unless Trump opens the door to its admission).

Nonetheless, the tape remains an important feature of the case, even if its never played in court. Expect to hear more about it beyond Davidsons testimony, as prosecutors hammer home their theory of the case as a conspiracy to corrupt the 2016 election and then cover it up by skewing business records tied to Cohens reimbursement.

Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for weekly updates on the top legal stories, including news from the Supreme Court, the Donald Trump cases and more.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Accused carjacker kills dad of 7 just hours after release from jail, Indiana cops say

An Indiana man accused of killing a father of seven in a gas station carjacking had been released from jail just hours before the fatal encounter, according to police and jail records.

Shane Coffman, 51, stopped at a gas station on Indianapolis east side on April 29 to fill up with gas and buy a few lottery tickets, when a man got into his car and attempted to drive away, his family told WRTV.

A witness, Will Sharpe, says Coffman didnt lose his car without a fight, and he was clinging to the vehicle when the accused carjacker put his foot on the gas and slammed (Coffman) against the pump and kept going, the station reported.

An officer patrolling the area heard a call for help at about 3 p.m., and found Coffman lying on the ground injured, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release. He was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

A short time later, police in neighboring Speedway found the stolen vehicle, and a suspect, 33-year-old Chad Martin, was taken into custody, IMPD said. Martin was arrested on charges of robbery and murder, according to police.

Coffman was a hard-working family man, his wife, Julie, said in a statement, WISH reported.

He (Shane Christian Coffman) was a father of 7 children, 12 grandkids, an amazing husband of 22 years, a dedicated hard worker to provide for his entire family. He was kind, compassionate, wise, and a peacemaker, she said.

Im still in shock that this all happened, Coffmans son, Shane Coffman II, told WXIN. I feel like my dad should have let him take the car.

Court records show Martin has a history of auto theft  for which he was sentenced in 2020 and again in 2023  as well as resisting arrest and battery.

In March, he was sentenced to 360 days in jail for drug possession, though records show his sentence was suspended.

Just two hours before the carjacking that left Coffman dead, Martin was released from jail where he was being held following a DWI arrest, WXIN reported.

For this to happen, its unfair, Shane Coffman II told the station. You cant keep letting people out like this and expect different results. You cant fix some people.

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Accused teen linked to Sydney bishop's stabbing applies for release from custody

FILE - Flores sit on a fence outside the Christ the Good Shepherd church in suburban Wakely in western Sydney, Australia, on April 16, 2024. A 15-year-old boy who claimed to be a friend of a teen accused of stabbing a Sydney bishop applied Wednesday, May 1, 2024 to be released from custody on bail on a charge of planning a terrorist attack. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)

SYDNEY (AP)  A 15-year-old boy who claimed to be a friend of a teen accused of stabbing a Sydney bishop applied Wednesday to be released from custody on bail on a charge of planning a terrorist attack.

The 15-year-old is one of six teens, ages 14 to 17, who were charged in a Sydney court last week with a range of offenses including conspiring to engage in or planning a terrorist act. All remain in custody.

Police alleged they all adhered to a religiously motivated, violent extremist ideology and were part of a network that included a 16-year-old boy charged with stabbing an Assyrian Orthodox bishop and priest on April 15 as a church service was being streamed online.

The 15-year-olds lawyer, Ahmed Dib, argued in the Parramatta Childrens Court that Magistrate James Viney should allow his client to be released on bail due to exceptional circumstances.

Prosecutor Rebekah Rodger opposed the bail application, arguing the boys circumstances were unexceptional.

Viney will make his decision as early as Thursday.

Dib tendered a bundle of documents including an affidavit from the boys mother, school report cards and a psychological report. The documents showed the boy had a history of behavioral issues, lacked confidence and had low self-esteem.

The prosecutor argued such factors were to be expected.

A young person with behavioral issues facing a terrorism accusation is not exceptional, it is rather the norm, Rodger said.

The boy had been part of an encrypted chat group titled Plans where he talked about targeting Jewish people, Rodger said.

Rodger said he had also described the teen charged with the stabbings at Christ the Good Shepherd Church as my mate.

The bishop's attacker was charged with committing a terrorist act four days after stabbing that triggered a riot outside the church. Neither the bishop nor priest suffered life-threatening injuries.

The attack also triggered a major multi-agency counterterrorism response that led to the arrest of another six teens the next week.

Dib told the court the boy put on a macho performance on social media messages about planning an attack and was not the monster prosecutors sought to paint him as.

Dib's client was charged Friday, a day after his five alleged associates were charged.

Two hand-drawn Islamic State group flags were found in the client's bedroom when police raided it last week.

He watched proceedings by video link from a detention center while his parents attended court.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Hundreds of students, faculty and community members gathered on the University of Utah campus on Monday to show their support for Palestine, planning to stay there for hours  or even overnight.

However, as the night went on, university officials informed demonstrators via a statement that they were not allowed to camp on campus overnight or erect structures, and police responded, eventually arresting 19 people.

On Tuesday, the ACLU of Utah issued a statement of its own, addressing the police response to Mondays demonstration.

THE LATEST: Pro-Palestine protesters move demonstration from University of Utah to SLC jail

Last nights police response to the peaceful demonstration at the University of Utah risked the safety and well-being of those directly involved as well as those in the area, the ACLU said in its statement.

Hundreds of students and community members gathered on the University of Utah campus on April 29, 2024. The demonstrators were protesting in support of Palestine and some set up tents, saying they would not leave until their demands were met. (Jay Jensen)

The human rights organization continued on to say it urges law enforcement officers and educational institutions to use great restraint when dispersing protests.

In many instances, especially during times of war, protests on campus can be loud, disruptive, and offensive to others, the ACLU said. A universitys role is to help students navigate this situation, not to shut down protests.

The organization said the manner in which police responded to demonstrators at the University of Utah risked the safety and well-being of those directly involved as well as those in the area, and the ACLU expressed its concern that law enforcement was cracking down on political expression.

Hundreds of students and community members gathered on the University of Utah campus on April 29, 2024. The demonstrators were protesting in support of Palestine and some set up tents, saying they would not leave until their demands were met. (KTVX/Dennis Dolan)

Utah colleges and universities must resist pressure to restrict or prohibit student protest  even on contentious issues  and adhere to their stated commitment to free speech, peaceful protest, and dissent on campus, the ACLU said in its statement.

The ACLU concluded its statement by saying it was calling for increased tolerance and respect for free speech and peaceful dissent.

The university maintained its stance that protesters have the right to free speech, but not the right to break laws.

Protests continued on Tuesday, with demonstrators leaving the U of U campus and protesting outside the Salt Lake County Metro Jail after a protester was arrested.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
State Rep. Carolyn Logan of Mecklenburg County came to Action 9s Jason Stoogenke back in February with an idea to help homeowners when it comes to home warranties.

Stoogenke has helped numerous homeowners navigate warranty issues, so Logan asked what he would put in a bill about that, and he gave her bullet points that could help limit common problems.

SEE MORE >> I felt ripped off: Family frustrated with home warranty company after A/C broke

Logan took those five ideas, asked the North Carolina Attorney Generals Office for input, and drafted the new bill, which was filed on Wednesday.

Its an act to place consumer protections around home service agreements, and if signed into law, it would require home warranty companies to follow new standards. That would include:

Provide a detailed description of whats not included in your policy -- and do so in bold AND in a prominent location in the paperwork.

Make sure you dont have to wait more than five business days for a HVAC or major bathroom issue -- if thats your only bathroom.

If the company cant take care of the claim in those five days, let you hire your own vendor and the home warranty company will pay for it.

Keep a list of vendors and update it often, dropping vendors that are unresponsive or turn down work on a routine basis.

Three other Mecklenburg County representatives are sponsoring the North Carolina House bill, including Mary Belk, Terry Brown, and Laura Budd.

The Senate bill passed its first reading and was referred to the rules and operations cte.

Well keep an eye on the bills progress in the legislature and bring updates if its signed into law.

(WATCH: Action 9 helps homeowner get $3,700 from home warranty company)




WEDNESDAY, 05/01/2024, 5:00 p.m.

MOUNT HOREB, Wis. (WFRV)Following an active shooter incident on Wednesday, children will begin being released to their parents safely.

To our parents of the Early Learning and Primary Centers, beginning at 5 PM, we will begin the process of dismissing our students. Families should report to the following locations based on the age of their child: Kindergarten children will be released from the front entryway. First-grade children will be released from door number one. Second-grade children will be released from door number two Parents should be prepared to sign off when they pick up their child, please. We appreciate your continued support and patience. Mount Horeb Area School District on Facebook

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has since issued a statement regarding the situation at Mount Horeb Middle School after being briefed on the incident this afternoon.

Every day, our kids, educators, and staff go to school and hope a day like this will never come. Having visited the district two months ago today, my heart breaks for the school, the district, and the entire Mount Horeb community. Ive been in contact with local school district officials to extend my full support for students, educators, staff, and their families as they grapple with what has undoubtedly been a scary and traumatic day for everyone involved. As additional details and information become available and first responders continue their important work, the state remains ready to do whatever we can to support the school district and the greater community. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers

More details will be provided in the coming hours.

WEDNESDAY, 05/01/2024, 4:45 p.m.

MOUNT HOREB, Wis. (WFRV)  School officials in southern Wisconsin have provided another update on Wednesdays active shooter incident.

Community members, thank you for your continued patience and resilience during this afternoons horrific event. Communication moving forward in the immediate term will take place through on-scene first-responder personnel via District Facebook and Infinite Campus. It is important to note that they will determine when students will be released. In the interim, we are working to continue to ensure children are safe, comfortable, and fed. Any additional information about the reunification process will be sent in partnership with on-scene first responders. I never cease to be amazed by the loving dedication and support by the adults in this community for our beautiful children. Rest assured all those in decision-making roles are working as quickly as possible. I thank you for your grace. Mount Horeb Area School District on Facebook

WEDNESDAY, 5/1/2024 3:05 p.m.

MOUNT HOREB, Wis. (WFRV)  School officials in southern Wisconsin say that students will remain in buildings while the police continue their investigation.

Mount Horeb Area School District posted an update on their Facebook page. As of 2:45 p.m., students will stay in buildings while the police continue their investigation.

Below is the full release:

Update: Students will remain in buildings while the police continue their investigation. Reunification plans will be communicated to you. Reunification will take time and will be done in stages. Thank you for your patience and await future instructions. Mount Horeb Area School District on Facebook

Original: Active shooter at middle school in Wisconsin, threat neutralized outside the building

WEDNESDAY, 5/1/2024 1:04 p.m.

MOUNT HOREB, Wis. (WFRV)  School officials have released more information about the release of some students, while others will be dismissed later.

The Mount Horeb Area School District posted on its Facebook page that the police in charge have permitted to unite the intermediate center students with their families.

Officials say that all intermediate center parents are asked to report to either Life Church or Good News Lutheran Church. This includes those who assembled at the bus garage. The process was described as fluid.

The middle school students and staff are reportedly still safe, and more information about their unification will come later.

Dismissal for all buildings will remain on hold until such time as the police department gives us approval Thank you for your continued support and understanding. Mount Horeb Area School District on Facebook

WEDNESDAY, 5/1/2024 12:23 p.m.

MOUNT HOREB, Wis. (WFRV)  School officials in southern Wisconsin say there was an active shooter at a middle school, and the threat was neutralized.

The Mount Horeb Area School District posted on its Facebook page that there was an active shooter at the middle school. Officials say that the person did not breach entryway.

The threat was neutralized outside of the building, according to school officials.

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Authorities are reportedly going through the middle school to confirm the safety of the students. As of 12:08 p.m., a search of the middle school did not find any other suspects.

According to the Mount Horeb Area School District, there were no reports of people being harmed except the alleged assailant. No information on the condition of the assailant was provided.

Around 11:45 a.m., the district was reportedly on a full lockdown and asked people not to come to the school campus.

However, intermediate center students were reportedly evacuated. There was no reported threat at that location. Buses are reportedly preparing to escort the students to a reunification site.

Officials say that they are in the process of a systematic release of the middle school students to use restrooms.

Outagamie County motorcycle crash shuts down all lanes on WIS 47, north of Appleton

We are in the process right now of a systematic release of middle school students to use restrooms interior to the middle school. They are not being released at this time. Mount Horeb Area School District on Facebook

No additional information was provided. This story will continue to be updated.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
PATERSON  Social justice activists on Tuesday called for federal authorities to conduct their own investigation into the January 2019 police custody death of 27-year-old Jameek Lowery.

The activists are citing news stories about an autopsy performed for the Lowery familys lawsuit against the Paterson Police Department that reportedly contradicts the findings of the New Jersey Medical Examiners Office.

The Associated Press, as part of a package about police custody deaths, has reported that the family lawsuit autopsy said Lowery was a homicide victim who suffered compressive choking, fractured fingers, bruises, and bleeding from the nose and mouth.

The state medical examiner attributed Lowerys death to an adverse reaction involving an unspecified preexisting medical problem and the illegal drugs he ingested.

Paterson Press has asked the Lowery family lawyers for a copy of the private autopsy multiple times but has not gotten a response. The state has not made public its official autopsy.

Lowery's sister, Jamilyha, said Tuesday that she never believed the reports that said her brothers death involved illegal drugs. The sister said she had seen Lowery at his hospital bedside two days before he died, with a bruised face, a swollen eye and blood on his fingers.

Chard King, Jameek Lowery's father, describes the toll his son's 2019 death has had on his family.

In his final minutes of consciousness, Lowery posted a Facebook Live video he recorded at police headquarters, saying he was paranoid from taking drugs and that cops wanted to kill him. He lost consciousness during the ambulance ride from headquarters to St. Josephs University Medical Center in Paterson.

The Passaic County Prosecutors Office report released seven months after Lowerys death said he became physically combative upon entering the ambulance and the accompanying officers resorted to compliance holds and striking him in order to gain control" and "secure his wrists."

There is no police body-camera footage of the incident because Paterson was last among New Jerseys major cities to equip its cops with the recording devices.

Jamilyha Lowery believes the autopsy done for the family lawsuit offers the true account of her brothers death.

The author of this new report  which came at the behest of Shaquana Duncan, the mother of one of Lowerys children  is Dr. Michael Baden. A former chief medical examiner for New York City, Baden is the same medical professional behind the independent autopsy in the George Floyd case in Minneapolis. The release of Badens report is part of an ongoing investigation by The Associated Press that includes a PBS documentary that aired Tuesday night.

Hours before the PBS documentary aired, Black Lives Matter Paterson stood with Lowerys family members and social justice activists at 200 Federal Plaza to call for a federal investigation into the 2019 death.

We're calling on the Department of Justice to come in and finally fix this corruptness that has been taking place for generations in the city of Paterson, said BLM leader Zellie Thomas, so this family can finally have some peace of mind.

We dont trust the county prosecutors investigation, Thomas said. You know why? Because the county prosecutor also investigated these corrupt police officers and said they were not guilty of any wrongdoing.

Thomas was referring to the robbery squad scandal in 2022 in which county prosecutors dropped an investigation into five police officers who later admitted in federal court to a scheme to assault and steal from Paterson residents.

Yannick Wood, a director at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, said the countys medical examiner should be among those to face consequences for releasing a report that failed to capture the horror of Lowerys death.

The autopsy neglected to observe his fractured fingers, evidence that he was choked, and also did not connect the blunt force trauma endured causing his death," Wood said. They blamed Mr. Lowery for his own death  thats what they did."

The release of the private autopsy, according to Lowerys sister, was delayed because the state wasnt timely in handing over all the collected evidence. She said she has persevered even as her faith has wavered at times.

I made a promise to him that until my last dying breath Im going to fight until he gets justice," she said.

Chard King, Lowerys father, broke down in tears as he recounted the toll his sons death has had on his family. This has destroyed a lot of things in our lives, King said. These cops who killed my son shouldnt be walking around on the street.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jameek Lowery case: Activists urge US attorney to intervene
Warning: This article contains depictions of domestic violence and sexual assault.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (KREX)  WesternSlopeNow has obtained the affidavit for the Glenwood Springs school resource officer arrested Thursday in Garfield County. The following is a timeline of the events leading to Officer Sean Tatros arrest.





October 2023

The victim and Tatro spoke for the first time at the high school homecoming dance. Tatro told the victim she looked like she was around 24 years old, and she told him she was 19. He asked when she was going to buy him a drink; after she told him she was underage, he stated, I know people.

He gave the victim his phone number, telling her to not let it waste space in her phone.

After the dance, the two coordinated to meet at a local Park and Ride. Tatro arrived in his unmarked Glenwood Springs Police Department (GWPD) vehicle and asked her for a hug. The victim got out of the car and Tatro kissed her. They then had sex in the back of Tatros vehicle and talked for a couple of hours before the victim had to leave to pick up her cousin.

Nov. 22, 2023

After spending more time together throughout the month, Tatro invites the victim to his house in Garfield County.

The victim noticed picture frames were turned face-down and other things that made her suspect Tatro was still married.

Tatro provided the victim with alcoholic beverages and marijuana, taking a large hit from a bong and blowing the smoke into her mouth while she thought he was kissing her. The victim was too intoxicated to drive home after visiting Tatro like shed planned to, leaving his house and returning to her home the next morning.

Nov. 23, 2023

Officer Morrison with the Silt Police Department (SPD) learns from the victim that shed recently begun dating Sean Tatro. She also tells Officer Morrison that shed been to his house and he wanted to take her on a cruise.

Morrison advised the victim that dating Tatro was a bad idea since he was married.

Jan. 12-14

Tatro takes the victim on a trip to Moab, Utah for her birthday, stopping at a liquor store in Silt before they arrive at an Airbnb the night of Jan. 12.

On Jan. 13, Tatro took the victim to a birthday dinner, during which her friend called her and texted her multiple times. After dinner, Tatro started drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before going to bed.

On Jan. 14, the victims friend called her and Tatro answered the phone. Tatro was yelling at the friend on the phone and shaking; the victim stated he looked like he was going to punch something.

When the victim tried to calm down Tatro, he grabbed her and pushed her to the ground. The victim stated she was scared Tatro was going to do something else to her and went to the bedroom to calm down.

Tatro entered the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed staring at the victim blankly with a scowl, which she told him was scaring her.

During their stay in Moab, Tatro became aggressive and began slapping the victim, pulling her hair and choking her. When the victim said she didnt know what to do or what was going on, Tatro told her to relax and that it would make the sex better.

Feb. 16-18

Tatro and the victim go to an Airbnb in Cedaredge, stopping at a liquor store in Parachute on the way. When they arrived, they began drinking and smoking.

Tatro set up his PlayStation so he and the victim could play video games with his friend. Tatro fell asleep early and the victim unlocked his phone to find messages from Tatros friend to coordinate when they would start playing. When she did so, she found texts Tatro sent to his wife that were identical to messages shed received from him.

The victim became upset, packed her bags and started to drive away before stopping because she felt guilty leaving Tatro at the Airbnb. She returned and confronted Tatro by saying, You send me the same things you send your wife.

Tatro began yelling at her, saying Youre the f crazy one, youre the reason my life is ruined, and telling her she was ruining a 33-year-old life. He grabbed her by her shoulder and shook her, telling her she was the problem and was creating the problems in his life.

The victim tried to calm Tatro down while he was pacing and threatening suicide, but he continued yelling. The victim started to leave and Tatro threw his phone toward the victim next to her thigh, shattering the front and back of his phone on the ground.

March 8-10

Tatro and the victim go to an Airbnb in Montrose. The two drank alcohol, smoked marijuana and had a lot of sex after they arrived.

Tatro and the victim started to play-fight before the victim got scared and told Tatro to stop. He continued to fight with her and pull her hair. The victim scratched Tatro to get him to stop because he was starting to hurt her.

Tatro got up, left the room and came back with a wooden spoon which he used to hit the victims thigh. The victim took a video or picture of Tatro after he hit her because she was afraid he was going to hit her more and she wanted proof. She also took a photo of the bruise.

March 22-24

Tatro stays in his estranged wifes house to watch the dogs and invites the victim over. The victim asks Tatro about his wife and he got strange about the questions. Tatro and the victim both got drunk and went to bed.

On March 23, the victim woke up and found Tatro drinking. Around 1 p.m. the same day, Tatro became angry with the victim because she was texting her friend while he was playing video games.

Tatro states, If you ever hurt me again, I will kill you. The victim responds, Youre funny, good joke.

Tatro left the kitchen to go to his room and the victim followed him. Tatro came out of the bedroom with his taser in hand and said, No, Im not playing. Tatro then grabbed the victims arm and tased her left thigh, causing her to fall to the floor. The victim, while holding her leg, told Tatro it hurt and he put his taser away.

March 30

While staying at his new apartment, Tatro slaps the victim in the face, telling her hes going to show her how to slap Krav Maga style the way he was trained for work.

Tatro slapped the victim on the upper cheek with his lower palm; the victim stated that it hurt very badly, but brushed it off because she didnt want to make Tatro mad.

Tatros slaps left a bruise on the victims upper cheek. Afterward, Tatro sent a photo to the victims mother, telling her the victim was bruising easily due to medical treatment shed received in Denver the week before.

April 4

Tatro and the victim go to a liquor store, buying two 40-ounce drinks and multiple small shooters of different alcohol.

When they got back to his apartment, they began drinking. Tatro began slapping the victim, continuing to drink.

The affidavit states Tatro then sexually assaulted the victim, becoming angry when she repeatedly tried to pull away and ignoring her when she told him she was in pain. The victim was extremely intoxicated and unable to fully understand what was happening.

April 5

While off-duty in Rifle, Lieutenant Gronbeck with SPD observed Sean Tatro driving recklessly in the Anytime Fitness parking lot.

Tatro was driving recklessly in an unmarked GWPD vehicle and circling the victim who was attempting to walk away. He was driving quickly towards her and swerving away just before he came close to hitting her.

Tatro drove around the parking lot several times, cutting between vehicles and through handicap signposts so quickly that Gronbeck was surprised there wasnt a collision.

Gronbeck assumed the female was Tatros daughter and didnt approach, thinking it was a father-daughter dispute. Gronbeck stated he later realized Tatro was driving recklessly to intimidate the victim.

April 8

Tatro met with the victim at Deerfield Park in Rifle. She stated she could smell alcohol on him. The two left the park in one vehicle and Tatro was drinking while they were driving to the Flat Tops. It is not known who was driving.

Tatro told the victim their relationship was over and moved to the backseat of the car. The victim followed suit, thinking he wanted to talk. Instead, Tatro initiated sex.

Tatro put both of his hands around the victims neck and told her to hold her breath, telling her I want to make you pass out.

She was unable to speak because of how tightly Tatro was squeezing her neck and while she was gasping for air, she pulled at his hands to try to get him to stop. Tatro did not stop or let go of her until he was finished.

April 19

Officer Morrison receives a call from the victim who tells him she broke up with Tatro due to his abuse. The victim stated she planned on reporting the abuse but was afraid nobody would believe her.

She also tells Morrison shed smoked a significant amount of marijuana with Tatro, adding that Tatro told her she better not report him because he has his way of passing drug tests. Tatro also told the victim that because he was a cop, nobody would believe her if she reported any abuse or marijuana use.

April 25

Tatro was arrested on the following charges:

Felony menacing

Contributing to the delinquency of a minor (18-21)

Use of a stun gun

Second-degree assault (strangulation)

Sex assault

Reckless endangerment

Harassment

Third-degree assault

Domestic violence

Tatro is currently on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.

WesternSlopeNow is following this case and will continue to update you with the latest.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  A new affordable rental development celebrated its grand opening Tuesday in the Grantville neighborhood of San Diego.

ShoreLINE, which was developed by Affirmed Housing Group in collaboration with the San Diego Housing Commission, consists of 124 apartments in a five-story building with underground parking to accommodate 54 vehicles. Additionally, there are 12 parking spaces available above ground.

San Diego, Chula Vista have room to improve on energy efficiency, report says

The units are intended for renters who make 30% to 60% of San Diegos area median income, which is currently between $45,000 to $90,000 for a family of four.

The development was constructed on property owned by the Metropolitan Transit System near the Grantville trolley station on Alvarado Canyon Road.

MTS said access to the building will be monitored 24/7 and is designed to give people easier access to public transit and greener modes of transportation, such as walking and biking.

The commission has awarded 25 federal rental housing vouchers to help residents pay for their rent, according to a release Tuesday. It also issued $31.4 million in tax-exempt multi-family housing revenue bonds and $24.5 million in taxable bonds to go toward the development of ShoreLINE.

San Diego State University students walk out of class in pro-Palestine protest

According to the release, the property includes various units ranging from studios to three-bedrooms and will remain affordable for 55 years.

Other features include bike storage, outdoor gathering spaces, play areas for children and a community barbecue area. ShoreLine also includes a laundry room and a courtyard that spans 5,800 square feet.

MTS has other developments planned for the future, including near the Palm Avenue, Rancho Bernardo, 12th and Imperial Avenue, El Cajon, E Street and Beyer Boulevard trolley stations.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Ahead of Biden's visit, what Wilmington projects are in dire need of federal funding?

With President Joe Biden coming to Wilmington Thursday to address environmental issues and highlight ways his administration has helped repair the country's aging infrastructure, there are many different issues that could be of focus.

Biden is expected arrive around 3 p.m. and his remarks could address many issues impacting the city and surrounding Cape Fear region.

Here are some of the issues:

Cape Fear Memorial Bridge

While the N.C. Department of Transportation works on finishing up a $7.1 million preservation project on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, Wilmington officials have been discussing what it would take to build a new bridge to replace the 55-year-old downtown span.

With a potential cost over $400 million, one idea considered is to pay for it via a toll bridge, but local officials have spoken out in opposition to the idea.

Local officials will most likely have to tap into other sources of funding, including at the federal level, to build a new crossing.

PFAS filtration

Because Biden's visit will be focusing on environmental issues, it is likely that per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including GenX, could be a topic of discussion.

The StarNews published a story seven years ago that water in the Cape Fear River downstream of Chemours' Fayetteville Works Plant contained high levels of the, at the time, unknown chemicals.

Now, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority and H2GO that serve New Hanover and Brunswick counties, respectively, have boosted their infiltration systems to remove the manmade "forever chemicals" from public drinking water supplies. But ratepayers are on the hook for the upgrades, and new PFAS drinking water standards recently announced by the EPA could mean additional expenses for many municipal water systems.

Offshore wind

North Carolina remains a spot for potential offshore wind farms.

Offshore wind farms are planned along the coast of North Carolina to send "green" power onshore to meet the state's expected increase in demand on its power grid.

The goal is to help North Carolina meet its future power needs while reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

While the financial aspect of offshore wind is still uncertain, and work on the pair of wind farms off Brunswick County is still in the very early planning stages, Katharine Kollins, president of the Southeastern Wind Coalition, said that offshore wind needs to be a key component in meeting the state's decarbonizing goals in House Bill 951.

New Hanover County Schools' budget shortfall

New Hanover County Schools is facing a budget shortfall in part because of COVID-19 federal funding ending.

New Hanover County Schools has been trying to find ways to address its $20 million budget crisis due to COVID-19 ESSER funds running out as well as the school district borrowing out of its fund balance in recent years.

Now, the school district could be receiving help from the New Hanover County commissioners to save 76 of the original 279 positions that otherwise would have had to be cut. The district also plans to cut 170 of the 279 positions by the end of June, with 80-90 of those positions already vacant.

Community members and those who work in education have been outspoken about the need for more funding at the local and state level, but with the extreme budget shortfall, public education could be on another area of discussion at the federal level.

Affordable housing

With a rising population, finding affordable housing in Wilmington has become a larger issue. In 2021, a study by Wilmington and New Hanover County's joint Workforce Housing Advisory Committee revealed that the county needs over 10,000 additional housing units over the next decade.

Nonprofit organizations and churches have recently been actively working on creating workforce housing for individuals so that they can afford to live the area they work in. Organizations have also been working on creating housing for low-income individuals.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington, NC issues that Joe Biden could discuss during visit
Andrea Hutchins, El Paso Chamber chief executive officer.

Andrea Hutchins, the first woman to serve as CEO of the El Paso Chamber in its 125-year history, will leave the job in June, the Chamber announced Tuesday evening.

Hutchins husband, Army Col. Michah Hutchins, is being reassigned from Fort Bliss to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

It has been an absolute honor to serve as the CEO of the El Paso Chamber and I am filled with immense pride for the work our team has accomplished, Hutchins, who became CEO in August 2022, said in a statement.

Im especially thankful to the board for their trust in hiring me, fully aware of my eventual departure. Their faith speaks volumes about the Chambers commitment to inclusivity and forward-thinking leadership.

More: Bravery, dedication: El Paso police honor officer, detective of the year for 2023

Under Hutchins leadership, the Chamber and its political action committee played a leading role in opposing Proposition K, also known as the Climate Charter, in the May 2023 election. Voters rejected the proposal by a 4 to 1 ratio.

The Chamber also renovated El Paso's iconic Star on the Mountain during Hutchins' time as CEO.

The Chamber is convening a hiring committee to begin an immediate search for Hutchins replacement, said Elizabeth OHara, a Texas Gas Service executive who is chair of the Chamber board.

In the past, policy decisions were made with very little input from the business community. Andrea changed that and created a space for those critical conversations to take place with our local leaders, OHara said. Thats her legacy. Our members now know this organization is looking out for their best interest at all levels of opportunity and risk and, advocates for their interests.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso Chambers 1st woman CEO resigning
Pro-Palestine protesters at Florida State University move away from a sprinkler during a protest on the Tallahassee campus on April 25, 2024. (Photo by Jackie Llanos)

Quality Journalism for Critical Times

Following the arrests of pro-Palestine protesters at Florida universities, the state is authorizing public universities to take any steps necessary to make sure that commencement ceremonies are not canceled or modified because of protests.

Meanwhile, DeSantis said student protesters who do not follow the rules will be expelled. He made the comments Wednesday morning after he signed legislation banning lab-grown meat in Hardee County.

The state of Florida is not New York, and so when you go out and try to commandeer property, when you try to set up encampments, you are not going to be allowed to do that in this state, DeSantis said at the news conference in Hardee, in Central Florida. And people have found that out at University of South Florida, Florida, Florida State. So just understand that thats the way its going to go. We do not allow the inmates to run the asylum in the state of Florida, and if you cant abide by the rules that we have in place for conduct, then we will show you the door, and you will be expelled. It is that simple.

Since Monday, police have arrested more than 20 people holding demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza at the University of Florida, the University of South Florida and Florida State University. The arrests started taking place after the protesters erected tents on the campuses, and at around 5:20 p.m. on Tuesday, police deployed tear gas at USF in Tampa, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Additionally, sprinklers were turned on at the FSU campus in Tallahassee when students rallied last week.

Police arrest a pro-Palestine protester at Florida State University on April 30, 2024. (Screenshot from Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society Instagram page)

As tensions escalate in the campuses across the state, Ray Rodrigues, the chancellor of the State University System of Florida, sent a memo to the presidents of the states public universities on Tuesday. In the memo, he wrote that the presidents cant tolerate protests during the commencement ceremonies, which are scheduled take place over the next few days.

These ceremonies are important milestones for our graduating students, and we owe it to our students to see to it that these ceremonies take place as planned. While we respect and honor the First Amendment, a commencement ceremony is not the time nor place to hold a political

protest, Rodrigues wrote in the memo. You are authorized to take any steps necessary to ensure the safety of all attendees during the ceremony. Please promptly inform faculty, staff, students, and guests that protests, discrimination or harassment at commencement ceremonies will not be tolerated.

Rodrigues also criticized the protests taking place on college campuses outside of Florida.

While we are witnessing a descent into chaos all over the country, under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has maintained law and order, Rodrigues wrote. As the academic year concludes, we must protect the integrity of our commencement ceremonies and ensure the safety of our students.

Pro-Palestine protests have also taken place at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

Five people were arrested Tuesday at the FSU campus.

SDS condemns these sham arrests. We see them for what it is: Blatant intimidation and political repression of student activists by Florida State University, the group Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society wrote in a press release.

The group scheduled a rally on Wednesday afternoon to demand that police drop the charges against the protesters.

A notice from FSU given to a student who was arrested states that the student cannot go to commencement, according to the notice provided to the Florida Phoenix.

Correction: A Wednesday press release on the arrests by the Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society was incorrect. An FSU spokesperson said only two of the five people arrested on Tuesday were FSU students.

The post Ahead of commencements, FL tells universities to take any steps to prevent pro-Palestine protests appeared first on Florida Phoenix.
The Rev. Josh Wester, chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention's Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force, left, poses for a photo with the Rev. Mike Keahbone, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lawton, during Wester's visit to First Baptist-Lawton.

Churches in the Southern Baptist Convention will need ongoing aid to prevent sex abuse and effectively respond to abuse allegations, one of the denomination's leaders said during a recent visit to Oklahoma.

A new independent nonprofit is being launched to fill this need, the Rev. Josh Wester, chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention's Abuse Reform Implentation Task Force, said at First Baptist Church of Lawton.

Southern Baptists from across the state and region recently flocked to the Lawton church to hear from Wester as leader of the group tasked with, among other things, developing a sex abuser database for the nation's largest Protestant denomination. The "SBC Family Meeting" hosted by the Rev. Mike Keahbone, First Baptist-Lawton's senior pastor, gave Oklahomans and others in the region opportunities to hear about some of the issues that will be discussed at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting June 11-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Wester told those gathered that a new independent nonprofit organization will be part of the long-term solution to challenges that arise for the denomination's churches and affiliates.

"We also hope that some portion of the solution can live inside of the SBC itself, but, what we know for sure, is that with a convention as large as the Southern Baptist Convention, where you have more than 47,000 churches, you need some professionals, you need some experts, who are available to help churches when they're facing these crises  and every church that is trying to navigate a sexual abuse allegation is in a crisis."

Keahbone, who is a member of Wester's task force and an expected nominee for Southern Baptist Convention president, said people from his church gathered with church members from other Oklahoma cities and other states for a chance to ask Wester questions and hear him outline some of the latest developments in the task force's work. The task force was created in response to a sexual abuse crisis that erupted after the 2019 release of "Abuse of Faith," an investigative report by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News, and the denomination's subsequent internal investigation.

Sex abusers database development

Wester, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, said very much still on the table is the launch of a database of credibly accused sex abusers with ties to Southern Baptist Convention churches and affiliates. The database, which will be incorporated into the denomination's Ministry Check website, has been touted as a way to help prevent sex abusers from hopping from church to church to prey on unsuspecting congregations. Wester said the database is still in the development stage and he anticipated it would be launched soon.

Bart Barber, Southern Baptist Convention president, offers some money to Josh Wester, a North Carolina pastor and chairman of the SBC's Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force, during the SBC Executive Committee meeting in February in Nashville.

Launch of Abuse Response Commission

Wester told church members about the new, independent nonprofit organization that will help Southern Baptist churches and affiliate entities prevent and respond to sexual abuse. In an interview after the recent gathering in Lawton, Wester reiterated his assessment given in February when he first shared the idea of the independent nonprofit.

"Churches overwhelmingly want to get it right when it comes to sexual abuse but they need help and our convention promised help was on the way," he said. "The reality is this problem is too big for any group of volunteers."

More: Southern Baptists give task force another year to implement sex abuse reforms

Wester said the decision to create the new organization was made in consultation with Southern Baptist Convention President Bart Barber, the denomination's Executive Committee and members of the denomination's Great Commission Council. He said his task force has asked Barber and other Southern Baptist Convention affiliate leaders for help in securing the funds required to launch the new organization he called the Abuse Response Commission.

The minister said he expected to be able to make a report at the denomination's annual meeting in June that the newly launched commission is fully funded and supported by all of the group's national entities.

The Rev. Mike Keahbone, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lawton, left, poses for a photo with the Rev. Josh Wester, chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention's Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force, during Wester's visit to First Baptist-Lawton.

Dual approach to future

In Lawton, Wester said he and other task force members view the creation of the new independent commission as one of the actions they have been given permission to take by delegates (called messengers) to the Southern Baptist Convention's previous annual meetings.

But he said messengers will likely decide in June if they want to authorize the creation of a new entity within the denomination that will help churches with sex abuse prevention and response long-term.

"We want this response to be robust and so our hope is that we're going to end up in a place where this independent nonprofit is able to attend to certain aspects of the work and that whatever the part that lives inside of the SBC, that it will pick up the remainder of those things," Wester said.

He said the task force planned to have conversations along these lines with national leaders within the denomination to develop a plan to present to messengers this dual approach for the future.

A slide show presentation is projected on the screens as the Rev. Josh Wester, chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention's Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force, speaks during the SBC Executive Committee meeting in February at the SBC building in Nashville.

More: Oklahoma church commended for response to long-ago allegations

Keahbone said he was pleased with the turnout for the recent gathering.

The minister, who is also a member of the denomination's Executive Committee, said the task force's presentation about their ongoing work, particularly the independent commission, has been received in an "overwhelmingly positive way" and the recent event at his church was no exception.

"And, I think as we get closer to convention, people are going to see with a lot more clarity how far along we are and how much we're going to get accomplished," Keahbone said.

"I think before we get down that road, I don't think anybody's against it. I think, they just have questions about how it's going to work and what it's going to look like. As we bring further clarity to that, I think we will get even more support."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Southern Baptist churches need ongoing aid amidst crisis, leader says
Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak is the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (CBC News)

Air Canada has been forced to apologise to an indigenous chief, after cabin crew tried to take her sacred headdress and put it in the cargo hold on a domestic flight last week.

Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, the newly elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said she was stunned when crew members attempted to take the sacred item from her on a flight between Montreal and Fredericton, with the case she was carrying the headdress in being thrown into the hold.

I was kind of stunned, she told CBC News on Friday, explaining that her people believe that a headdress is like your child, like your baby. Its with you. Its part of you.

The leader said she had travelled before without any issue, carrying the headdress in a special case alongside her carry-on luggage, but this time staff took a different view.

She told the outlet that the situation got pretty heated, with staff pulling the case from her when she asked to keep it under the seat in front of her.

Woodhouse Nepinak then pulled the sacred item from the case and held it on her lap the entire flight, but crew insisted the case be put in the hold and placed it in garbage bags.

Air Canada planes are seen at the gates at Montreal International Airport (AFP via Getty)

At the end of the flight, staff did not return the case to her and the pilot reportedly had to intervene, while fellow passengers showed her a huge amount of respect.

Theres Canadians from all walks of life kind of sitting in the plane that were pretty astounded, and I was glad to see that, because its not like people just sat there and were quiet. People were genuinely trying to help, Woodhouse Nepinak added.

I want to focus on making sure that First Nations can come through our airport and our airlines, all airlines, Air Canada included, in a safe way, in a respectful way.

Air Canada received backlash from Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who described the incident as unacceptable.

From my perspective, that is an unfortunate situation that I hope is going to lead to a bit of learning, not just by Air Canada, but a lot of different institutions," Mr Trudeau told reporters on Friday.

The actions of the Air Canada crew were also condemned by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, which called for comprehensive cultural sensitivity training across the airline industry.

Systemic discrimination reveals itself in situations like this, AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick said in a statement.

When our sacred items are treated as if theyre just objects. What happened to National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak is a shameful demonstration of how misinformed Canadians are about First Nations sacred cultural items and traditions.

Woodhouse Nepinak was given the headdress by other tribal leaders during a headdress transfer ceremony in January this year, seen as one of the highest honours within First Nations.

Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak greets supporters during the election of the First Nation National Chief, at the Assembly of First Nations General Assembly in 2023. (AFP via Getty)

AMC said that in 2024, with information readily available online, more people should have an understanding of these traditions and beliefs, with Woodhouse Nepinak agreeing.

"This can... set the motion in place for, you know, the airlines, Air Canada, WestJet, whomever, to have a, you know, an understanding of our way of life, our beliefs, and have that mutual respect, she told CBC.

On Thursday, Air Canada apologised, saying it was going to speak with the leader to better understand the situation.

"Air Canada understands the importance of accommodating customers with items and symbols of sacred cultural significance, and in the past the chiefs have been able to travel while transporting their headdresses in the cabin," the airline told CBC News.

Air Canda said it planned to review its policies as a result of the "regrettable incident.

The Independent has approached Air Canada and the Assembly of First Nations for further comment.
This airport says it hasnt lost a single piece of baggage in 30 years

While Singapore and Dohas airports compete against each other for the title of worlds best, another aviation hub is focusing on a different achievement. Japans Kansai International Airport (KIX) is marking 30 years without losing a single piece of luggage.

In a press statement, Japans seventh busiest airport said that it had not lost any passenger bags since opening in September 1994. The airport averages 20-30 million passengers per year.

While airline passengers are probably happy to know their luggage will arrive at their destination with them, theres one group of people who arent making a big deal out of the achievement: airport staff.

We dont feel like we have been doing something special, Kenji Takanishi, a public relations officer for Kansai, told CNN.

We have been working as we normally do. We only do our work on a daily basis and we are recognized for it. We are certainly happy to receive the award. I think our staff, especially those working on the ground, feel more pleased.

Skytrax, a UK-based aviation ranking and rating website, recognized Kansai as having the worlds best airport baggage delivery in awards given out in April.

Its worth noting that according to the airport, their baggage handlers and ground staff have never lost a bag. But if one did get lost on the way to or from KIX, it could be the fault of the individual airline, not the airport itself.

Kansai, built on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, serves the Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe regions. For 2024, Kansai was ranked the 18th best airport in the world overall, behind its neighbors in Tokyo, Narita (fifth place) and Haneda (fourth).

Timely baggage arrival is just one of the factors looked at when naming a worlds best airport. Food and drink offerings, percentage of on-time arrivals and departures, and cleanliness are also considered.

Currently, Kansai is going through upgrading efforts to get ready for Expo 2025 (formerly known as the Worlds Fair), which will take place in Osaka.

Editors Note: CNNs Mai Nishiyama contributed reporting.

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Light from the sun beamed down onto Twyla Stallworths black sunglasses as she approached microphones on a podium in front of an Alabama federal courthouse. Tears instantly rolled down the Andalusia natives cheeks as she thought about that day in February when she and her son could have lost their lives because of an arrogant police officer who did not know the law.

Enough is enough, Stallworth said at a press conference on April 25 with her 18-year-old son, Jermari Marshall, by her side.

Stallworths tears were bittersweet. She appreciated, and was well aware of, the significance that she walked out of jail alive and wasnt carried out in a casket. The 40-year-old mothers tears were also for other Black people, especially Black women, who were met by one or more police officers fatal bullets coming from the other side of their front doors.

Breonna Taylor, 26, was sleeping in her bed. Atatiana Jefferson, 28, was babysitting her nephew. Kathryn Johnston, 92, and Aaliyah Anders, 26, were already living in fear when police showed up at their front doors and shots were exchanged.

And being a legal gun owner, as Anders, Jefferson and Johnston were, did not keep those Black women safe in their homes. Eboni Pouncy was petrified of the idea of coming close to joining that list of names in February when Houston police officers mistook her for an armed intruder inside her friends home. Pouncy, 28, survived being shot five times.

Johnstons family reached a $4.9 million settlement with the city of Atlanta in 2010. The city council in Fort Worth, Texas, approved a $3.5 million settlement for Jeffersons nephew in November. Taylors family landed a $12 million settlement with the city of Louisville, Kentucky, and Louisville Metro Police Department in September 2020.

Marshall and Stallworth filed their own lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama last week against the city of Andalusia and John Gary Barton, the responding officer. They are suing for an unspecified amount for damages, alleging unlawful arrest and assault.

I know I didnt lose my life. I know Im grateful that Im able to stand here and speak to you, Stallworth said while fighting back tears. Im grateful that my son is able to stand here because we could have both lost our lives. We could have both lost our lives.

During the 15 hours of Stallworths false imprisonment, her family was able to pull together $3,035 to get her out of jail. But it was too late. Stallworth said she was sexually violated when Covington County jail officials subjected her to a strip search while in custody for bogus obstruction, resisting arrest, and eluding charges.

Every morning I wake up, I wake up a different person. A piece of me was lost, Stallworth said. This has to stop. Enough is enough for the people in the Black community.

Earl Johnson, the citys mayor, issued an apology in March to Stallworth and announced that the charges were dropped because the officer didnt know the law, he said in a statement.

We have agreed that the entire department will receive additional training on constitutional law, the laws of the State of Alabama, and the City of Andalusias ordinances, so that we will not have problems like this one in the future, he said.

Johnson also added there was an investigation into the allegations of racism. We have reviewed body cam footage of the incident, and see no evidence of racism, he said.

We done heard the city of Andalusias apology.  But there was no accountability, Harry Daniels, an attorney for the mother and son, said at a press conference. That is a dangerous decision. It is a dangerous decision to allow an individual to remain in law enforcement who clearly dont know the law. When people dont know the law, people get hurt and people get killed.

Stallworth, a real estate agent, said that even though the incident was months ago, she is still confused and full of anxiety.

Enough is enough, Stallworth emphasized. Stand up for your rights and stand boldly for your rights. And always cover yourself, have a camera. Make sure that youre recording because without evidence you lose, every time.

Mom, please, just give him your ID, please!

Were just thankful that Ms. Stallworth is here. Were thankful that her son is here, Daniels said. Were grateful that her young son Jamari stayed calm, collected and recorded. Because if it was not recorded, we would not be standing here today because the state of Alabama dont release body cameras. It would have been her word against Bartons word.

For months, Stallworth had been calling the police on her neighbors, who are white, for the noise they were making. Whenever she called, she said the police either didnt respond or did nothing to encourage her neighbors to lower their noise volume.

Twyla Stallworth said she contacted police in Andalusia, Alabama, to complain about noisy neighbors. When the neighbors later called police on her, she wound up under arrest. (Courtesy of Harry Daniels)

On Feb. 23, Stallworth had a plan to ask them to turn the noise down by setting off her cars alarm. Instead of getting their attention, her plan backfired when the neighbors called the police on her.

This time the police, Barton, showed up. Stallworth explained to Barton about her own history of unanswered complaints regarding her neighbors, Daniels wrote in an emailed statement that detailed the events off camera. Barton threatened to arrest Stallworth for refusing to show him her identification. She refused to show it because whenever the police did show up when she called, the police didnt ask for their neighbors identification, her attorney said.

The volume of their verbal back and forth started to escalate on the front porch. Inside, Marshall picked up his cellphone, hit the icon for its camera and started recording. The video begins as Marshall opens the front door and panned the phones camera to frame Barton, who was in the middle of threatening to arrest Stallworth.

His distressed mother couldnt believe that the officers demands for her identification turned into a possibility of a red flag on her record. Stallworth said she was going to put her shoes on when Barton told her she was under arrest and reached for her arm. The camera briefly shook as Barton forcefully pushed his way into their home to arrest Stallworth, according to the lawsuit and the roughly five-minute video.

Mom please, mom please. Everybody please calm down, the 18-year-old pleaded. Mom, please, just give him your ID, please!

In between cries, Marshall continues to hold his phone steady. His voice cracks as his mother begs him to call his dad. Instead of hitting the stop button, Marshall kept recording. As the officer pushed Stallworth on her back and onto their living room couch, one blue handcuff was placed around her left wrist. Marshall assured his mom that its OK  he was still recording, collecting evidence.

At that point, it seemed as if Stallworths survival mode turned down a notch. She got up from the couch on her own, as Barton didnt lose his grip to her cuffed hand.

Read More: What to Do If You Witness Possible Police Misconduct

Why do you wanna rough up a female, dude? Stallworth asked Barton as she put her other hand behind her back without incident.

As Stallworth is being escorted outside her home and to a marked police car, the mother and son peppered Barton with an impromptu quiz about Alabamas law.

Hey dude, Marshall said. Before you take her away, why are you taking her away?

Right now, shes under arrest for failure to identify, the officer replied.

The camera rolled as the young man asked the officer to define the legal statute associated with this alleged crime. As the officer used his phone to search on Google for the law, Stallworth is heard in the background of the video correcting the officers interpretation  as is Marshall.

Jermari Marshall, 18, recorded his mother, Twyla Stallworth, as she was being arrested. (Courtesy of Harry Daniels)

The simple fact is that my clients 18-year-old son was calmer, more composed, and knew more about the law and police procedure than this trained, sworn and armed police officer, Daniels said, adding, Thats not just disturbing. Its dangerous.

Johnson, the citys mayor, also agreed. In that same announcement, Johnson said Barton would be disciplined but didnt elaborate how and the entire department would receive training. Marshall didnt receive an apology.

And they were right.

Alabama law gives a police officer the right to ask for a name, address, and what someone they suspect committed or is in the process of committing a crime is doing  or some form of the latter question. But the law doesnt say that the person has to show a photographic identification.

Historically, it has been through civil litigation or a disciplinary hearing that a survivor or a family of a victim of police brutality would learn if a law enforcement officer broke the law or a police procedure. Criminal charges are rarely filed against law enforcement.

In March, Ruby Johnson, 77, was awarded an extra $4 million in a lawsuit settlement that followed a botched raid inside her Denver home in January 2022. The search warrant was executed without probable cause and based on the use of an iPhone app tracking system.

Eventually, Marshall called his father while still recording the last minute of the encounter.

After five minutes and 14 seconds of recording, the police car drives away with Stallworth in tow. The camera lens drops to the street as Marshall lets out a deep sigh of uncertainty before pressing stop.

Im extremely disappointed in the city of Andalusia, Marshall said at the press conference. Incredibly disappointed. Not surprised, but disappointed.

The post Alabama Family Sues Officer Who Mayor Says Failed to Know The Law appeared first on Capital B News.
Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, speaks to a colleague on the floor of the Alabama Senate on April 23, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Behind Smitherman is Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

The Alabama House Education Policy Committee Wednesday approved a bill that would allow school boards to employ volunteer chaplains.

SB 294, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, was amended in committee to make the position volunteer-only. The amendment also drops a requirement for school boards to create policies for chaplains, instead giving boards the option to do so. The amendment also clarifies that chaplains are there at the request of teachers.

The amendment reads that If a local board of education or governing body of a public charter school votes to accept a campus chaplain as a volunteer, a campus chaplain may be made available to provide support, services, and programs at the request of any teacher in the local school district.

This has nothing to do with replacing counselors or nothing of that nature, said Smitherman.

The bill was approved on a voice vote.

Only one member of the public spoke at a public hearing on the bill.

Adam Jortner, Goodwin Philpott Eminent Professor of Religion at Auburn University, said that the bill as written was a threat to the rights of the Christian majority in this state.

Jortner said that parents have the right to guide their childrens spiritual development. He said the bill could allow chaplains of different denominations than the family or who the parents disagree with to influence their children.

The fact of the matter is that Christians do not agree with one another, he said. If you are a Southern Baptist, you understand this. If you are not, Im telling you.

Rep. TaShina Morris, D-Montgomery, clarified with Smitherman that the bill was strictly for teachers.

Were doing this work for our teachers safety, she said.

Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton, also asked if there were limitations if the bill limited the board to having one volunteer chaplain, which Smitherman said it didnt.

Smitherman told a story from college when he received an A in a comparative religion course by writing that religions could not be compared because peoples experiences were personal with religion.

It gives each one of them individually to make that request, said Smitherman.

Rep. Tracy Estes, R-Winfield, said the bill was a mental health as much as a spiritual bill, which Smitherman agreed with.

Youre just really trying to give our teachers another resource to help them cope if theyre going through a difficult time, he said.

The bill moves to the full House of Representatives. The bill needs at least one day to pass; there are four legislative days left in the session.

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The post Alabama House committee approves bill allowing chaplains in schools appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, speaks to a colleague on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on April 25, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday to ban trigger activators, such as Glock switches.

HB 36, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, would ban the possession of any part or combination of parts designed or intended to convert a firearm into a machine gun. It would make possession a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The bill passed 60-38.

The whole point is that it will stop some people and that can then stop some people from using them which can save lives. And if they can save one life, to me, it is absolutely worth it. And that is why Im up here, Ensler said on the House floor.

Rep. Rick Rehm, R-Dothan, was critical of the bill, getting up to speak against it three times. He brought up historically-used pro-gun arguments, such as claiming that guns dont kill people.

You actually described how a gun went and killed a bunch of folks, or shot a bunch of folks. That gun didnt do anything. That gun is an inanimate object. Its a tool. A human chose to do evil, he said.

He said that if people can get these devices illegally, he wouldnt be able to protect his family because his weapons wouldnt be as powerful.

I should have the same ability to protect my family with the same caliber weapons and thats the deterrent, he said.

Ensler said that having a modified gun with a Glock switch wouldnt necessarily help him because after the first shot, its hard to control aim while the gun is rapidly firing. Ensler said hed probably put his family in more danger by using such a device that is hard to aim.

Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, asked if Ensler supported the Second Amendment, and whether the U.S. Constitution would have been ratified without it.

Its an integral part of it as is every amendment in the Constitution and certainly in the Bill of Rights, Ensler said. This in no way infringes on the Second Amendment.



Butler claimed the founding fathers would never support legislation restricting the right of the people to keep and bear arms, and urged members to vote against the bill.

Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, said that if she had to follow what the Founding Fathers wanted, she wouldnt be standing in the Legislature today.

Were just trying to make sure that there are safeguards to protect innocent lives here, but if you want to continue the wild, wild west and for people to be murdered, then your decision shows up on their board, Givan said.

Rep. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster, spoke in support of the bill. He said that he supports the Second Amendment fully. He said this was not an infringement on the Second Amendment but said he fully supports the bill because this is a public safety issue.

He said he got up to speak on the bill to share his law enforcement knowledge.

This has to do with a reckless discharge of a handgun that is injuring and killing people in our state, and as a legislative body, we have to be comfortable to stand up, despite any of our feelings that we might get into a debate about this being a second amendment issue, Bedsole said.

Rep. Randy Wood, R-Anniston, introduced a similar bill last year to make it a Class B felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, for a person to possess, obtain, receive, sell, use, manufacture, assemble, import or transport a trigger activator. The bill did not make it out of the House. Wood did not speak on Enslers bill.

The bill goes to the Senate for consideration. It would need two legislative days to pass. There are only four legislative days left in the 2024 session.



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Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, hands a resolution to legislative staff in the Alabama Senate on April 18, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

An Alabama Senate committee approved a $9.3 billion education budget Tuesday afternoon that includes $10 million for a summer meal program for children.

Committee chair Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, encouraged members of the committee to speak with him over the next roughly 48 hours about changes before they end up on the floor.

I meant to bring them, your pile of requests, and, thats fine, but theyre about two inches stacked together, he said.

The Senate package of bills includes a 2% pay raise for educators, first introduced in the governors budget.

The Senate Finance and Taxation committee substitute includes a year over year increase of around $113 million (7.5%) for colleges and universities, from around $1.5 billion to around $1.7 billion; a local board of education Foundation program increase of roughly $155 million (3.4%), from around $4.5 billion to around $4.6 billion; a roughly $36 million increase for the Alabama Community College System (6.5%), from around $551 million to around $587 million and an increase to the State Department of Education of around $172 million (32%), from around $535 million to roughly $707 million.

The increase to the Department of Education includes funding for programs like the Alabama Reading Initiative O&M and the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative O&M.

The Senate committee substitute increased funding for the State Department of Education, colleges and universities and the community college system. The Senate version decreased funding for the foundation program.

Other changes highlighted by Orr in the meeting included cutting $2 million from the Education Trust Fund Advancement and Technology Fund for teacher development and putting it in the formula based on headcount and adding $5 million to the budget for automated external defibrillators.

Textbooks or digital resources are allocated at $100 per pupil, up from $75 this year, based on the average daily membership during the first 20 instructional days after Labor Day of the previous school year.

The budget also includes $10 million for the Summer EBT Program in 2025.



Summer EBT is a federal program that helps feed low-income children over the summer break. Federal funding will cover 50% for the 2024 summer benefit program. The pandemic-era program, which Alabama participated in, covered 100% of those costs.

Alabama missed a deadline to participate in the program last year. Speakers at a public hearing last week urged legislators to appropriate money for the program.

Both the SPLC Action Fund and Alabama Arise sent statements in favor of the EBT addition.

We are thrilled to see the state legislature provide the Department of Human Resources with the funding necessary to administer the 2025 Summer EBT program, wrote Jerome Dees, Alabama policy director for the SPLC Action Fund, in the statement. This essential funding means thousands of children across the state will now have access to vital nutrition next summer.

Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, asked about a raise for retired employees.

I think if we can appropriate hundreds of millions of dollars for tax credits for people who could already pay to send their children to private schools and if were talking about paying additional millions of dollars for an election that could already be held on any election thats being handled, we certainly, certainly can do this, she said.

Lets circle up because youre on point, senator, said Orr.

The Alabama State Department of Education requested $22 million to aid struggling readers beyond thir grade. Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, asked about in committee. It appears in the supplemental as $5 million.

Orr told reporters after the meeting that he had heard part of the issue was finding staffing.

So we really have a personnel problem, he said. Its not so much a money problem.

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Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, speaks during a debate over his bill expanding Alabama's "Don't Say Gay" law in the Alabama House of Representatives on April 23, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The bill would expand the current prohibitions on discussions of gender or sexuality from fifth grade to eighth grade. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

A bill that would extend Alabamas Dont Say Gay law received a favorable report from a Senate committee Wednesday morning, though some members expressed concern over the scope of the bill.

HB 130, sponsored by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, would extend prohibitions on classroom instruction or discussion on sexual orientation or gender identity that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards from fifth grade to eighth grade.

The bill would also prohibit K-12 employees from displaying flags or other insignia relating to or representing sexual orientation or gender identity in a classroom or on the property of a public K-12 school.

The bill passed 5-2-2. The Alabama House of Representatives approved the legislation on April 24.



The original legislation passed on the last day of the 2022 regular legislative session in an expansion of bathroom bill legislation.

Dont Say Gay laws spread around conservative states amid ongoing right-wing attacks on LGBTQ+ people in public spaces. Florida, which passed its version of the law in 2022, settled a lawsuit in March that required the state to return books with LGBTQ+ characters to a public school library in one county and restore anti-bullying programs that addressed anti-LGBTQ+ bullying, according to the Associated Press.

Butler said there was a move across this nation to sexualize our children.

Three members of the public spoke in opposition to the bill, and none spoke in support. Opponents said the bill was likely unconstitutional and would cause harm to children who came from LGBT+ families.

Chris Hathcock, who identified as a resident of Senate District 27, which includes Lee, Tallapoosa and Russell counties, said that a portion of the proposed bill that bans flags reflecting sexual orientation on school property could also apply to bumper stickers.

Hathcock cited the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Reed et al. v. Town of Gilbert, a case out of Arizona which said that content-based laws are presumptively unconstitutional unless it can be proved theres a compelling state interest.

In a 9-0 opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas, the court held that restrictions on content on signs on church property were automatically subject to strict scrutiny. Thomas wrote that the First Amendment prohibits censorship and the town had no compelling interest in regulating only one type of sign, according to Oyez.

The state really doesnt have an interest in regulating, you know, bumper stickers, Hathcock said.

Susan Stewart, a Huntsville resident, said that the bill might not impact student speech but could lead to dodged questions or private conferences if a child is confused by another child having two same-sex parents.

Children will be confused and embarrassed and will wonder What is wrong with my family? she said.

Some senators on the committee had concerns about the constitutionality of the law and its extent.

Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, a former constitutional law professor, said the law would violate equal protection.

Ive said what Im saying about certain bills five times, counting this one, since Ive been in the Legislature, he said. All four of them went to court and were declared unconstitutional. If this goes to court its going to be declared unconstitutional.

Sen. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, said that he was tired of the Legislature legislating fear, dislikes and morality. He said he felt people were meant to think, and they expose themselves to ignorance if they do not, and that the space was in a strange space of trying to codify their fears.



We also deprive ourselves of the most, I think rewarding experience available to the human spectrum of human possibilities, he said. Im just, Im sitting here thinking about this type of legislation, which maybe 60 years ago, and how that would apply to me in terms of racial dynamics, and marginalizing people, this notion of sexualizing our children. Now the state is willing to engage in parenting all the children of the state. I dont, I dont see, you probably have good intentions. I believe that with all due respect, representative, but I do know the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, had questions about the law possibly applying to bumper stickers, but Butler said it wouldnt apply to parking lots.

Im just confused, said Stutts. The property is not the parking lot?

Well, were talking about the actual building, said Butler.

The bill moves to the full Senate. The bill needs one day to pass; there are four legislative days left in the 2024 legislative session.

Updated at 1:14 a.m. to correct that Chris Hathcock uses they/them pronouns.

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West Midlands mayor Andy Street says there are concerns Mondelez's decision to operate in Russia will damage Cadbury as a brand - Jacob King/PA Wire

Andy Street has called on the owner of Cadbury to quit doing business in Russia, as he urged bosses to reflect on the confectionery brands Quaker roots.

In a private letter to Mondelez chief executive Dirk Van de Put, the Conservative West Midlands mayor said the company should revisit its stance on Russia given the war in Ukraine.

Mr Street said the US business  which bought Cadbury in 2010  should consider the founding Cadbury familys Quaker faith and the role of pacifism in those beliefs.

It comes after Mondelez, which also owns the Toblerone and Oreo brands, has defended its decision to continue operations in Russia despite fierce criticism from campaigners.

Mr Street has waded into the debate given Cadburys roots in the region, as the company was founded in Birmingham 200 years ago by John Cadbury, a Quaker.

Despite being owned by Mondelez, it still makes its chocolates from its base in Bournville.

The letter sent to Mr Van de Put on Tuesday, seen by The Telegraph, said: In the last few weeks I have received correspondence from both local and international organisations stressing their concerns that Mondelezs continued operations in Russia will have a detrimental effect on Cadbury as a brand and a West Midlands institution  concerns I wholeheartedly share.

Mondelezs continued operations in Russia is causing upset and disbelief across the West Midlands  and indeed the wider UK.

Mondelez chief Dirk Van de Put has so far refused to divest from Russia - Andrew Fox

While other Western companies have sought to end operations in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Mondelez continues to employ around 3,000 people in the country across three factories.

It now operates its Russian business as a separate, standalone entity.

Accounts show that Russia accounted for 2.9pc of its global revenues in 2023, with the company claiming in February that investors do not morally care about its continued presence in Russia.

Along with other businesses still operating in Russia, Mondelez has been dubbed an international sponsor of war by the Ukrainian Government.

Criticism has led to Mondelez pledging upwards of $15m (12m) in financial support for Ukrainian citizens, while it has also discontinued advertising and new product launches in Russia.

However, Mr Street added: Whilst I acknowledge your financial contribution to Ukraine, highlighted in your statement regarding this issue last June, your continued operation in Russia is impossible to look past.

His comments come ahead of a mayoral election in the West Midlands on Thursday that will see the incumbent Mr Street battle for his position against Labours Richard Parker.

Story continues

Mr Street, the former boss of John Lewis from 2007 to 2016, is currently neck-and-neck with Mr Parker, according to recent YouGov polling.

Seen as a moderate voice in the Tory party, Mr Street recently accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of allowing too much noise from the right wing of the party, adding that he would do very good work with a Labour Government if he hangs on to his seat.

A spokesman for Mondelez said: Since the beginning of the war, we have condemned this brutal aggression against Ukraine. If stopping our operations in Russia would stop the war, we would do it immediately. Unfortunately, it is not that straightforward.

Like most other global food and beverage companies, we are continuing to provide food during these challenging times in accordance with applicable sanctions. Suspending our full operations would mean cutting off part of the food supply for many families who have no say in the war and create great uncertainty for our ~3,000 colleagues and more than 10,000 farmers who depend on us. We would also risk turning over our full operations to another party who could use the full proceeds for their own interests.

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X'unei Lance Twitchell teaches an advanced Tlingit course at University of Alaska Southeast on April 29, 2024. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

Before Monday evenings advanced Tlingit language class, Raven Svenson and her classmate discussed how to conjugate the verb boil in the context of cooking. The University of Alaska Southeast class in Juneau is headed into finals week and students are preparing for dialogues that will test their conversational skills.

Professor Xunei Lance Twitchell walked in and suggested the specific verb for cooking meat by boiling. He answered a few questions in English, then switched to Tlingit as he started class. All his students switched languages, too. For the next hour, conversation was almost exclusively in the original language spoken primarily from the mouth of the Copper River to the southern edge of the Alexander Archipelago and the foundation for Tlingit cultural identity.

The classroom is a microcosm of the change Twitchell and other members of the Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council called for statewide: An Alaska committed to increasing the number of Alaska Native language speakers and promoting common use of the languages.

Tlingit, the thing that it has in common with most of the other languages in Alaska is that theres fewer than 50 speakers remaining, he said. The majority of Alaskas languages are severely endangered.

We wanted to make sure that at least we would challenge people to not just receive it and move on.

 X'unei Lance Twitchell, professor of Alaska Native Languages, UAS

The group has issued biannual reports to advise a dozen years of Alaska governors and lawmakers, but this January it issued a call to action instead. The document is titled Ayaruq, the Yupik word for walking stick, to reflect that it is a guide on the path forward. It asks Alaskans and lawmakers to affirm the right to Indigenous education, acknowledge oppression and intergenerational trauma, commit to language equity and normalize the use of Alaska Native languages.

We wanted to make sure that at least we would challenge people to not just receive it and move on. However, there hasnt been any real action on it, Twitchell said.

Council members made specific policy suggestions, including that one semester of an Alaska Native language be a prerequisite for high school graduation in the state, but none of them have yet materialized in proposals from lawmakers.

If we want something other than language death, which I think is guaranteed for probably 20 of the 23 languages  just guaranteed  but if we want something different, then we have to have systemic change, he said.

A decade has passed since the last legislation to support Alaska Native languages became law. In 2014, the state updated a 1998 law that recognized Alaska Native Languages as official state languages.

AYARUQ Final Draft 2024

Only one piece of current legislation, sponsored by Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, addresses Alaska Native languages. House Bill 26 would expand and rename the Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council, as well as add three previously unrecognized Alaska Native languages to the list of official state languages. The House approved the bill in 2023, but the Senate has yet to schedule it for a floor hearing.

Twitchell said part of the difficulty in implementing what he acknowledged are pretty significant changes is that a history of violence and colonial oppression underlie the shift from Alaska Native languages to English. Decades of colonial influence and Alaska Native boarding schools have steadily and often painfully reduced the number of fluent Alaska Native language speakers.

Its very hard to push through political noise, and to talk about just trying to survive the brutality of colonialism, which is what a lot of people dont want to sort of talk about and face, he said.

He observed that Alaska is conceptually built on an idea of the Prospector, a newcomer, and that it has a very white identity. He pointed to the state seal, which depicts a farmer, a train and boat; its motto, North to the Future and its license plate, The Last Frontier.

I think to ask Alaska as an entity to see itself as something more than just whiteness is a big ask, he said. But I think it has to happen, if youre going to have the diversity that should be here, and the plurality that should be here.

Members of the council have cautioned for years that swift state action is needed to support language pedagogy and use, since many first-language speakers have died.

For example, half of the people who spoke the Kodiak dialect of the Alutiiq language died in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Twitchell estimated that there are seven Tlingit speakers left who can do everything in the language and another 20 that have a high level of fluency. It drops off pretty dramatically after that, he said.

A new generation

But as the Alaska Native language community loses its older generation, Twitchell says he sees an exponential increase in the number of young people interested in learning. By his count, there are about 100 active Tlingit learners that ask questions and use the language.

Many of them are in the classroom, where a few of the students have their laptops open to reveal another 15 online learners, several from areas where in-person Tlingit lessons are not available. Next year a fourth year of Tlingit study will be available, a marker that enough students have progressed to the point where they need one. Some of his students are taking the advanced class for the fourth or fifth time.

The reality is there are just not very many places to speak this language, he said. Twitchell said he is starting to see a shift in Juneau, however. Many of the elders he used to speak Tlingit with have died in the last 20 years. He remembered feeling worried that one day he would have no one with whom to speak the language. But then, on a trip to the post office, somebody walked by and greeted him in Tlingit: Yakei yee xwsateeni. As they walked away, Twitchell realized he didnt recognize them.

The post Alaska Native languages at crucial juncture, biennial report says appeared first on Alaska Beacon.
[Editors note: This article has been updated to clarify that the incident is alleged to have occurred at Christ the King Kids Learning Center.]

NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio (WJW)  A child abuse allegation is now under investigation at a learning center located at a North Olmsted church.

A representative confirmed to FOX 8 News that the allegation is against a now-former employee of CTK Kids Learning Center, located at the same address as Christ the King Vineyard Church, located at 30635 Lorain Road.

PHOTOS: 4-car crash involving local police cruiser

Lorain County Children Services notified the center of an allegation of child mistreatment on April 23, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by center Director Gabe Moorman. It allegedly happened in the toddler room, Moorman said.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

The employee has since been terminated, according to police and the church. Its not clear when the employee was let go or when the alleged abuse took place.

The North Olmsted Police Department understands this is a sensitive investigation and are investigating it to the fullest, North Olmsted Police Department detective Sgt. Matthew Beck wrote in an email to FOX 8 News. Understand that cases such as this do take time to investigate and once the investigation is complete, it will be presented to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office for possible charges. Based off that, I cannot release the report, or any video(s) involved yet since no charges have been filed.

Walmart launches new food brand, most items under $5

Moorman said the center is cooperating with police and county children services agents. Moorman added the center is a separate entity from the church, and no church employees are facing abuse allegations.

We are limited on the amount of information that we can release at this time but be assured that we will continue to update as we are allowed, Moorman wrote. CTK Kids Learning Center has lovingly served the children and families of our surrounding communities for 12 years and we firmly denounce any form of mistreatment towards children, prioritizing their safety, well-being and nurturing environment above all else.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
The bison at Yellowstone National Park are a sight to behold, albeit from a distance. A recent park visitor got too close and started a fight with one of the massive animals, and learned quite a lesson in the process.

On April 29, the National Park Service announced the arrest of 40-year-old Idaho man Clarence Yoder on a number of charges. It comes after rangers responded to a report on April 21 of an individual who harassed a herd of bison and kicked one of them in the leg. At that point, he presumably suffered minor injuries, though officials didn't disclose how or whether it tried to gore him. Authorities later found his vehicle near the west entrance to the park.

Yoder was charged with being public intoxication, disorderly conduct as to create or maintain a hazardous condition, approaching wildlife, and disturbing wildlife. The driver of Yoder's vehicle, McKenna Bass, was also arrested and charged with driving under the influence, interference for failure to yield to emergency light activation, and disturbing wildlife. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Related: Man Who Harassed Yellowstone Park Bison Is Going to Jail

It's the first time this year that a visitor to Yellowstone National Park is injured by a bison in the park. According to the NPS, the last reported incident was in July of last year, which followed three incidents in 2022.

With male bison weighing in at around 2,000 pounds, it's probably best to stay out of their wayand certainly not challenge one to a fight.
At a conference center plastered with slogans like Lets drain the swamp, Republican after Republican endorsed harsh immigration policies, crackdowns on LGBTQ rights, and a battle against woke ideology.

The scene could have been any recent GOP event  except it was taking place roughly 4,000 miles away from the US at the Conservative Political Action Conferences third annual gathering in Hungary.

The visiting GOP dignitaries praise for Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his authoritarian government showed how the small central European country has become an unlikely model for a potential Trump second term  despite what international observers have described as an alarming backsliding of democratic rights.

The American rights growing embrace of Orban builds upon millions of dollars that his government has spent on lobbying in the US, and new connections between Hungarian and American conservative think tanks.

In his opening speech at the CPAC conference in Budapest last week, Orban endorsed former President Donald Trumps reelection bid and painted this years elections in the US and European Union in militaristic terms.

Make America great again, make Europe great again! Orban declared in English, before continuing in Hungarian: Go Donald Trump! Go European sovereigntists! Let us saddle up, don our armor, take to the battlefield and let the electoral battle begin.

Trump, who hosted the Hungarian leader at his Mar-a-Lago resort in March, sent a pre-recorded video message to the conference that echoed similar themes. The former president called Orban a great man and hailed so many patriots in Hungary who are proudly fighting on the frontlines of the battle to rescue Western civilization.

The bromance between the two leaders comes as some Trump allies are turning to the Orban playbook as they plan for his potential return to the White House. In his own video message, Trump confidant Steve Bannon described Hungary as an inspiration to the world and called Orban one of my heroes in the world today, in addition to President Trump.

After Trumps loss in 2020, American conservatives started to look for what would be a successful conservative governing agenda, said Gladden Pappin, a conservative political theorist who moved from Dallas to Budapest and now leads the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, a state-run research organization. When American conservatives look to Hungary, they see a prime minister in a government that actually delivered on the slogans that they promised.

Participants sing the national anthem during the opening ceremony for the third Hungarian edition of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Budapest. - Szilard Koszticsak/MTI/AP

Over his 14 years in power, Orban has transformed Hungary into a laboratory for conservative policies and eroded democratic rights and civil society protections, according to his critics and European Union officials.

Orban has centralized power by dismissing judges, changing election rules to favor his party, cracking down on NGOs and appointing loyalists to key institutions. His government built a fence along the countrys southern border amid a migrant crisis in 2015 and passed stricter immigration policies. It tightened its grip on state media, reducing space for dissent.

The prime minister has also promoted a Christian nationalist view of Hungarian society, passing laws restricting transgender rights and adoption by same-sex couples, redefining marriage in the constitution to only cover unions between a man and a woman, and banning materials related to LGBTQ issues in schools.

Those are policies that some Trump allies would love to see him adopt if he returns to the White House next year. (Trump himself has previously called same-sex marriage settled law.)

Orbans policy platform shows you what the recipe is for maintaining your national identity in a conservative way, Pappin said in an interview. Conservative politicians in America had this negative mindset toward government. They need to think about how to use government, as Orban has done.

The rhetoric on display at CPAC Hungary  a branch of the decades-running political confab in the US  showed that the American right is increasingly onboard with that idea. Conservatives from around the US, Europe and beyond traveled to Budapest for the two-day event, which was organized by a Hungarian government-funded think tank.

The meetings and speeches took place at a conference center inside a sprawling park on the west bank of the Danube River. The venue featured posters with English slogans that would have been right at home at a Trump rally, like Lets drain the swamp! and We win, they lose. At least one attendee wore a shirt emblazoned with Trump and Orbans faces that declared the two leaders saviors of the world.

Security guards told reporters to stop filming in the park and organizers denied CNNs request to attend the conference, writing in an email that the venue was a NO WOKE ZONE.

We look forward to welcoming you to future events when and if your organization becomes significantly less woke, the email read. Several other independent news outlets received similar denials.

Three Republican members of Congress spoke at the conference, and prominent GOP figures including Bannon, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, and Trumps former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows sent video messages that were played for attendees.

The Republicans lauded Orban despite his authoritarian bent. Lake gushed about how her experience meeting the prime minister changed my life. Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland said that Hungary has become one of the most successful models as a leader for conservative principles and governance.

Republican Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake addresses CPAC Hungary delegates via a video message. - Zoltan Mathe/MTI/AP

Hungarys immigration policy should serve as a model to the United States in terms of border, border security and immigration enforcement, said Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona. I hope and pray one day that the United States might take a similar prioritization to the safety and security of its citizens.

Hosting CPAC is just one example of how Orban and his allies have worked to build ties with conservatives in the US. Since Orban became Hungarys prime minister in 2010, his government has paid American lobbyists at least $4.4 million, according to a CNN review of disclosures filed with the Department of Justice. The lobbyists met members of Congress, pitched Hungarys economy and strict border policies, and coordinated appearances by Hungarian officials in right-wing US media, the filings show.

More recently, pro-Orban groups have also made connections that arent reported as foreign lobbying. According to documents obtained by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a Hungarian government-funded foundation has paid grants to American conservative writers and activists like Christopher Rufo, who inspired the rights movement against critical race theory in schools.

Two American nonprofits that are actively planning policies for a second Trump term have shown an interest in Hungary and Orbans model. The Heritage Foundation, which has released a 900-plus-page policy roadmap called Project 2025, and the America First Policy Institute, another nonprofit that is working to prepare for a second Trump term, have both partnered with think tanks that receive funding from the Hungarian government.

The collaborations include visits to Hungary by researchers from the pro-Trump groups to learn about its policies. Istvan Kiss, the executive director of the Orban-linked Danube Institute, told a Hungarian publication that the partnerships showed the interest that American conservatives had in his country and suggested that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis policies limiting the discussion of LGBTQ issues in schools was inspired by the Orban government.

Hungary has become the beacon of what it would be like if Trumpists ruled the world, said Princeton sociologist Kim Lane Scheppele, an expert in Hungarian politics. Orban, she said, wants a friendly government that wont demand that Hungary become a democracy again.

In Budapest, critics of Orbans regime argued in interviews with CNN that Americans should see Hungary as a warning sign  not a model to emulate.

Zsuzsanna Szelenyi, who was once a member of Orbans political party but broke with him and now works at a pro-democracy group, said that the policies the prime minister is pushing have stripped away Hungarians fundamental rights.

Democracy means there is a fair competition of political forces to get into power, Szelenyi said. This we do not have.

Orban has pushed rhetoric about LGBTQ issues and migrants to avoid talking about the problems with our hospitals, the problems of our social care services, the problems of the teachers, the problems of all of these essential institutions of the country, which are in a deep, deep trouble right now, said Marton Gulyas, a left-leaning political commentator who runs a popular YouTube channel.

But some of the American conservatives who flew into the country for CPAC seemed more focused on the optics of Budapest than on democratic rights. Right-wing influencers strode the banks of the Danube and marveled at what Joey Mannarino, a conservative political strategist who attended the conference, described in a social media video as an apparent absence of homelessness and crime.

We need to figure out whatever this country did, he declared, and we need to get it back.

Kyung Lah and Anna-Maja Rappard reported from Budapest, Casey Tolan from New York and Curt Devine from Washington.

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Editor's note: This is a regular feature on issues related to the Constitution and civics education written by Paul G. Summers, retired judge and state attorney general.

The U.S. Constitution is our supreme law of America. Amendments are part of the Constitution. The first 10 amendments, or Bill of Rights, were submitted to the state legislatures in September 1789. The Bill of Rights was ratified in December 1791.

Our Constitution created three separate and equal branches of government. The legislative and executive branches are political; the judiciary is not. Judges must be independent and follow the rule of law. Judges act as checks and balances on abuse of power by other branches.

The Supreme Court ultimately decides whether a law or activity of any of the three branches of government comports with the Constitution. The Court ultimately decides constitutionality. The independence of the third branch is the crown jewel of our constitutional republic.

American colonists complained about mandate to house soldiers

Amendment III to the United States Constitution restricts the quartering of soldiers in peoples houses without the consent of the owner. This applies during peacetime. Congress can prescribe by law the manner in which soldiers may be quartered during wartime.

Re-enactors of the Battle of Lexington dressed as British soldiers fire their weapons as they battle with the Lexington militia April 17, 2006 in Lexington, Massachusetts. The Battle of Lexington, which took place in 1775, was the first skirmish of the Revolutionary War.

The Third Amendment says that (no) Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

British Parliament once enacted what was labeled the Quartering Acts. American colonies were required to pay the costs of British soldiers who served in the colonies. If barracks did not have sufficient space or room, the colonists must lodge troops in livery stables, inns, and similar places. The Quartering Act of 1774 provided that colonists might have to house soldiers wherever necessary, including private houses.

This mandate of quartering soldiers was one of many grievances allegedly committed by the King of Great Britain. As provided in the Declaration of Independence of 1776, these alleged transgressions were intolerable.

Third Amendment may seem minimal today, but it is not

The Third Amendment has minimal significance in modern times. Nonetheless, it clearly has implications and should be historically considered. It is arguable that few, if any, Supreme Court decisions specifically address the issue.

This amendment, it has been argued, is at the forefront of an individuals right to domestic privacy. The people are protected against government intrusion in their homes and places in peacetime and wartime, with conditions.

Be mindful that these are arguments, not court decisions. The quartering of soldiers was a complaint or grievance of colonists which predicated our Declaration of Independence against Great Britain. It was an issue of great importance to colonists in 1776.

The Constitution and Amendments are supreme. Our Constitution supersedes states constitutions and statutes, even federal statutes and acts. The judicial branch, headed by the U. S. Supreme Court, is the independent branch of our federal government. Judges decide controversies based on the rule of law. They act as checks and balances on abuse of power by any of the branches, whether by act or action. They interpret what our Constitution says. The Supreme Courts interpretation in a case or controversy is final, as it should be.

We shall continue our study with the Fourth Amendment. Constitutional study is time well spent. Interpretations are that of the author. We always encourage comments from readers.

Paul G. Summers, a lawyer, is a former appellate and senior judge, district attorney general, and the attorney general of Tennessee. Raised in Fayette County, Judge Summers resides in Nashville and Holladay.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Constitutional right to privacy arguably originates from 3rd Amendment
FILE PHOTO: An Amgen sign is seen at the company's office in South San Francisco

By Deena Beasley

(Reuters) -Amgen investors eyeing dramatic share price gains for rivals with successful obesity drugs will be focused on any updates the biotech company may provide on its own weight-loss drug candidates when it reports quarterly earnings on Thursday.

Amgen has said it expects to have first-in-human results from a small, early-stage trial of experimental oral compound AMG786 before the end of June.

"We are still collecting and analyzing the data," Amgen Chief Scientific Officer Jay Bradner told Reuters in an interview.

The Thousand Oaks, California-based company has not disclosed the design of AMG786, saying only that it does not target hormones secreted by the digestive system called incretins.

Amgen's most advanced weight loss candidate, MariTide, does target incretins and is given by injection. It joins a compound designed to activate the GLP-1 hormone associated with a feeling of fullness to an antibody that blocks activity of a different gut hormone, GIP, that has been linked to fat storage and metabolic regulation.

MariTide is "hitting these targets in a really different and unique way ... medically this could translate into better efficacy and better durability," Bradner said.

Amgen is one of several companies trying to grab a piece of the weight-loss drug pie that some analysts forecast will exceed $100 billion a year by the end of the decade.

Popular weight-loss drugs first used as diabetes treatments - Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, neither of which have been able to keep up with demand - are weekly injections that activate GLP-1. Zepbound is designed to also activate GIP.

"Weekly injections with weekly symptoms is not for every patient, and we're hopeful that the dose and schedule of MariTide will be much less frequent," Bradner said, referring to side effects of the medicines.

Lee Brown, analyst at investment research firm Third Bridge, said health insurers and other payers "do not want to be dealing with a duopoly" and would embrace effective new weight-loss options.

A large company like Amgen, despite being a later market entrant, has significant tools at its disposal to negotiate pricing and coverage terms with payers, he said.

Amgen expects to have results from a 52-week, mid-stage trial of MariTide late this year. Some of those patients will be enrolled in another study for a second full year of dosing.

Data from a small Phase 1 trial showed that at the highest monthly dose tested, given for 12 weeks, MariTide led to mean weight loss of 14.5%, which was maintained for 70 days. Some patients sustained substantial weight loss for 150 days after the last dose.

In large Phase 3 trials that lasted more than a year, Wegovy and Zepbound showed weight loss of 15% and 21%, respectively.

'UP A LOT OR DOWN A LOT'

Shares of Amgen have fallen about 15% since early February, when full results of its 49-person MariTide study were published in a medical journal, including details on trial drop outs and high rates of nausea for patients given the highest dose.

"The way the stock market prices Amgen there is always a fear that they won't be able to come up with an outstanding new biologic every three or four years," said Bill Smead, chief investment officer at Smead Capital Management, which holds Amgen shares.

Smead said he remains confident in Amgen's long-term value "in an environment where good ideas are hard to come by."

Year-to-date, Lilly's shares have gained 30% and Novo Nordisk's are up 25%. Both have become among the world's most valuable publicly traded companies due to explosive demand for their weight-loss drugs.

For the first quarter, analysts expect Amgen to report earnings of $3.88 per share on revenue of $7.44 billion, according to LSEG data.

The company's shares were up 0.75% at $275.99 on Wednesday.

Jefferies biotechnology analyst Michael Yee in a recent video said nearly all of his recent meetings have been on the topic of obesity, particularly Amgen's experimental drugs.

"Quite frankly Amgen is the name of the year," he said. "It's either going to be up a lot or down a lot."

(Reporting By Deena BeasleyEditing by Bill Berkrot)
In the midst of tense demonstrations at USC over the war in Gaza, officials found a swastika drawn on a campus fence.

"Clearly it was drawn there just to incite even more anger at a time that is so painful for our community," USC President Carol Folt wrote in a statement on Instagram. "I condemn any antisemitic symbols or any form of hate speech against anyone."

Folt said the swastika was removed hours after it was reported to campus officials Tuesday afternoon  the day that she again met with student organizers who have demanded that the university divest from any financial ties to Israel.

The swastika was found about 3 p.m. Tuesday on a brick column that is part of the fence that borders USC's campus on Vermont Avenue, according to David Carlisle, the assistant chief of public safety for the university. He said the symbol appeared to be drawn in black permanent marker.

Read more: USC protests remain peaceful after campus is closed; LAPD calls off tactical alert

Carlisle said USC's public safety team documented the incident as vandalism before handing the case to the LAPD. He said no arrests have been made in the investigation and that there was no video evidence from the location.

USC's Hillel, a center for university Jewish life, said it was disturbed to learn about this symbol of antisemitism on campus.

"To see this unambiguous symbol of Jew hatred on our campus is deeply distressing," Hillel wrote in a statement. "There is no place for such hostility and hate at USC."

Access to USC's campus remains restricted to students, faculty, staff and registered guests after more than a week of protests at the university  and campuses across the nation  over the Israel-Hamas war.

Demonstrations in recent days have remained peaceful at USC, following an initially tense day when the Los Angeles Police Department swarmed campus demonstrators and arrested almost 100 people.

We are still monitoring the demonstration on campus and patrolling the perimeter of our campus to make sure our access restrictions are enforced," Carlisle 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.
By Felix Light and Lucy Papachristou

TBILISI (Reuters) -Spurred on by a reclusive billionaire founder, Georgia's ruling party has triggered a showdown with young, anti-Moscow protesters that is growing more tense and violent by the day.

Police fired water cannon, tear gas and stun grenades on Tuesday night to disperse thousands of people who have been protesting for weeks against a "foreign agents" law. Critics say the law is modelled on legislation that the Kremlin has used to crack down on Russia's opposition.

The government says the bill, which would designate NGOs as foreign agents if they get 20% or more of their money from abroad, is needed to ensure that foreign funding is transparent.

The standoff is part of a wider struggle that could determine whether Georgia, a country of 3.7 million people that has seen turmoil, war and revolution since the collapse of the Soviet Union, moves closer towards Europe or back under Moscow's influence.

The scale of protest is no surprise: similar demonstrations broke out last year when the government first attempted to pass the same legislation, forcing it to back down.

To retreat again now, with elections due in October, would be a humiliation for the ruling Georgian Dream party. In a rare speech on Monday, its businessman founder Bidzina Ivanishvili laid out his view of the stakes.

Ivanishvili said a "Global Party of War" in the West had pushed Georgia into conflict with Russia in 2008, when it was crushed by Moscow in a five-day war, and done the same with Ukraine in 2014 - when Russia seized Crimea - and again in 2022, when President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

His message, essentially, was that Georgia's opposition was acting as a direct agent of the West and would draw the country back into war and allow it to be used as "cannon fodder" unless Georgian Dream acted to stop it in its tracks.

Natalie Sabanadze, a former Georgian diplomat now with London's Chatham House think tank, said the speech was a blend of "paranoid anti-Westernism", populism and conspiracy theories but the narrative of preserving peace with Moscow was one that had worked for Ivanishvili before.

"People are really afraid of Russian aggression, they remember 2008. Now what he is doing is saying there are these imaginary forces out there  Western forces  that are trying to engage us and open a second front. And we are withstanding it. This is a reaction not to a Russian threat, but to a Western liberal threat. This becomes part of this anti-liberal rhetoric they (Georgian Dream) are pushing."

Michael Emerson, an analyst at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, said there were "stupendous contradictions" between Ivanishvili's tirade against the West and his insistence in the same speech that Georgia would be a member of the European Union by 2030.

"Ivanishvili is playing electoral politics, in view of a crucial parliamentary election this coming autumn. He pretends to be aiming at EU membership ... in order to confuse public opinion and to try and disarm his pro-European critics," he said.

The European Union has said the "foreign agent" bill will put at risk Georgia's EU membership hopes. Its foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday he strongly condemned the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators.

POLITICAL COMEBACK

Ivanishvili, who made his business fortune in Russia, denies accusations he is close to the Kremlin. Having served as prime minister in 2012-13, he announced in January 2021 that he had decided to quit politics completely. But critics have long insisted that he runs government policy from behind the scenes - an impression reinforced by his speech this week.

Ivanishvili told the crowd he had thought wrongly that his political mission was complete and would continue to fight for "full restoration of the sovereignty of Georgia", arguing that the time was right to get the "foreign agents" bill through.

In parliament, Georgian Dream has the numbers to get the bill past a fragmented opposition and to override a promised veto by President Salome Zourabichvili, who opposes it but has only ceremonial powers.

The real struggle will be on the streets.

"This is basically a Gen Z revolution of schoolkids and students. They learned English by watching YouTube, they are an incredibly connected and globalized generation. And they just don't get what's going on," Sabanadze said in a phone interview.

"This time Georgian Dream seems very determined. Backing down is very hard. But protesters are determined too. It's looking pretty dangerous," she added.

"My prediction is they will pass the law and the protests will continue and maybe intensify. The more brutal the police become, the greater the pushback from protesters."

Tina Khidasheli, a former Georgian defence minister who has joined the protests, said people were "united with the idea of freedom and Europe" and they would not be defeated.

"The problem is that the government is just prolonging the inevitable, and we might have serious problems meanwhile but at the end of the day people will go home with victory."

(Reporting by Felix Light in Tbilisi and Lucy Papachristou in London; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
The disbarred defense attorney who represented convicted con artist Anna Delvey in the fake German heiress infamous fraud case is suing Spirit Airlines over a confrontation with a gate agent that she says left her so distraught, she had to be committed to a mental institution.

Former lawyer Audrey A. Thomas, a controversial figure who has long made headlines for her courtroom histrionics, claims it all started when the unnamed Spirit employee took offense to being called lady instead of maam, according to a six-figure lawsuit filed April 26 and obtained by The Daily Beast. It says things spiraled out of control from there, with Thomas contending the stress of it all forced her to miss a conference in Colorado Springs, where she believes she would have sold hundreds of her religious-themed self-help books.

Plaintiff suffered a nervous breakdown and was committed to the psych ward at Mount Sinai Hospital for several days and has been placed on anxiety medications and is now in therapy to cope with the stress of this unwarranted attack by Jane Doe, the lawsuit states. Therefore Plaintiff believes that spirit should compensate Plaintiff for all of the losses that Plaintiff had.

It seems to me that, no matter what I do, I find conflict, Thomas told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. Its horrible what theyve done to me.

I have lived in America since I was 10, but I socialize in the Jamaican community, Thomas said. When you want to respect someone, you say lady. She lost her mind. Ive been through so much in the last three years, I was not looking for conflict.

Audrey Thomas says she was forced to miss a speaking engagement because of a vengeful Spirit Airlines gate agent. Queens County Supreme Court

According to the suit, which Thomas brought herself in Queens County Supreme Court, February 21, 2024, began like any other day. The Queens, New York, resident had been in Atlanta for her daughters funeral the previous month, and booked a flight home on Spirit.

Thomas requested wheelchair service at Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson Airport due to a brain injury associated with a stroke I suffered on March 10, 2023, states an affidavit she filed along with her complaint. She was taken through security with more than a dozen other passengers in wheelchairs, and made it to the gate with about a half-hour to spare, according to Thomas affidavit.

When I got to the gate, I was wheeled to the door to board the plane, the affidavit goes on. The person that was standing there was a light skinned black female. She said to me, can you give me your your [sic] boarding pass[] and I went in my bag and I handed her my Jamaican Passport, and my boarding pass. She was talking to a colleague so to get her attention I said Excuse me Lady[,] here is my ID and my boarding pass. She took my passport and boarding pass and said dont call me lady. I said to her Im sorry I apologize[,] are your pronouns, Sir or Mister? She said Oh now you wanna be smart youre gonna pay for that bag under your wheelchair. We take visa [sic], Mastercard, American Express, Discover.

Thomas says she pushed back, telling the Spirit employee that she didnt have a credit card with money on it, but had cash. She also challenged the notion of being charged extra for her carry-on, as she hadnt been asked to pay for the same bag on the flight down, according to the affidavit.

I then said[,] I am sorry if I offended you[,] I did not mean any disrespect, I am Jamaican by birth[,] American by choice[,] so we say Lady to show respect, Thomas affidavit continues. She said[,] well[,] this is America[,] in America we call people maam[,] so do not call me lady.

Some of the books Audrey Thomas hoped to sell in Colorado Springs. Queens County Supreme Court

At a stalemate, Thomas called a friend who used Zelle to send her the $100 fee, the affidavit states. As the gate agent processed the payment, Thomas says she giggled and whispered to [her friend], I must be six years old, she just resocialized my fucking speech pattern.

When the gate agent realized what Thomas had said, the affidavit claims she turned to her and barked, Oh really, you wanna curse at me now? You are gonna rebook, closing the door to the aircraft some 26 minutes before the flight was scheduled to depart, according to the affidavit.

Two other passengers, a man in a wheel chair [sic] and a couple with a baby all had to re-book [sic] just because this lady wanted to spite me, the affidavit states. I was frantic[,] for I was scheduled to meet some people in New York to travel to Colorado Springs for a No Longer Broken Womans [sic] conference. I pleaded with her[,] Maam please dont do this. I meant no disrespect. I have a once in a life time [sic] opportunity in Colorado Springs[,] I am going to miss it. What did I do to you that was so awful to warrant this?

Thomas alleges the gate agent then replied, Oh, now you wanna beg? Keep that same energy you had before, informing a colleague, Let them rebook.

I then said, I dont know if you hate Jamaicans or if some Jamaican man hurt you but I am someone new and I am a customer I dont deserve this, Thomas affidavit claims. She said[,] I am happily married, byyyye!

According to Thomas, she ended up missing the three day conference [in Colorado Springs] because of all of the flight changes and just the stress of it.

Spirit rebooked her on a flight to New York the next day, and offered her a $50 voucher and told her, Have a nice life, Thomas said on Wednesday.

My friend went to the conference, her affidavit states. She sold over 400 books, and I believe that the opportunity wouldve been the same for me at the three day conference. I have four books and I believe that I wouldve had opportunities that I can not recoup now Because I missed the February 23-25, 2024 conference, I was replaced with [nurse and motivational speaker] Dr. Carlotta Gabriele for the June 6-9, 2024 conference.

Audrey Thomas is seeking $350,000 from Spirit Airlines for lost work and business opportunities. Queens County Supreme Court

Thomas says in the affidavit that she was born with Chiari malformation, a condition in which brain tissue extends down into the spinal canal, is in ongoing treatment for hypertension, diabetes, panic attacks, anxiety, asthma, depression, high cholesterol, insomnia, mania, and bipolar disorder, and has suffered two strokes. She claims the experience at the gate in Atlanta led to her mental breakdown and subsequent psychiatric hospitalization, which allegedly put her out of work for days, and that she is now taking Xanax, Zoloft, and Abilify as a result.

Therefore[,] I believe that spirit [sic] should compensate me for all of the losses that Ive had, Thomas says in her affidavit, which demands a total of $350,000: $100,000 for intentional infliction of emotional distress, loss of earnings, and expenses related to her delayed trip back to New York City, as well as $200,000 for future mental health care, and $50,000 for medication.

In her own affidavit, the friend with whom Thomas was on the phone when the incident went down, said, The level of disregard for Audrey and the other wheel chair [sic] passenger [sic] and the couple with the small child was appalling at best[,] vicious and callously disregarding at worst. This woman was a supervisor and she made it her duty to punish three separate families because Audrey called her lady. I strongly recommend that Spirit takes action immediately.

Spirit Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The Democratic Alliance said ANC's poor mining policies had left Anglo vulnerable to a takeover bid - Nadine Hutton/Bloomberg

BHPs attempt to buy Anglo American has triggered corruption claims against South Africas ruling African National Congress (ANC).

The Democratic Alliance, the official opposition, said Anglo, which has significant operations in South Africa, had been left vulnerable to a takeover bid as a result of the ANCs poor mining policies.

Mineral resources shadow minister James Lorimer said violent mining mafias and corruption had flourished in the strategically important sector under the ANC government. He said the sector was now toxic.

Mr Lorimer said: BHPs attitude reflects how mining companies and mining investors worldwide view the way the ANC has made doing business in South Africa extremely difficult.

The ANCs greed, incompetence and obstructionism has corroded an industry which should be a world leader and a South African champion.

South African mining assets are now seen as toxic. That is why investment is so low in what should be one of the worlds mineral resource treasure houses.

Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for South Africas president Cyril Ramaphosa, said: The Presidency rejects the notion that a commercial approach by BHP Billiton equals a hostile environment for investors.

London-listed Anglo rejected BHPs 31bn takeover approach last week, saying the opportunistic bid undervalued the company. Australias BHP is widely expected to return with an improved offer.

As part of the complex proposed deal, BHP wants to spin off Anglos South African subsidiaries, Kumba and Amplats.

The move is a signal of BHPs reluctance to re-enter the country, having sold off most of its South African assets in 2014 through the demerger of South32.

Minerals resources minister Gwede Mantashe last week said the countrys experience with BHP was not positive.

South Africa is heading to the polls for a general election on May 29, with Mr Ramaphosa standing for his second term. The Anglo takeover is emerging as a key political battleground.

Anglos top shareholder is an arm of the South African government.

Mr Magwenya said the President was seeking to rebuild confidence in the South African economy by battling crime and corruption, which are undermining investor confidence.

The government is trying to get South Africa off the US Financial Action Task Forces greylist, which identifies countries under increased monitoring for problems with money laundering.

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Anti-Israel protesters violently clash with NYPD cops outside City College of New York

Pro Palestinian demonstrators protest at City College of New York in West Harlem.

Anti-Israel protesters violently clashed with police who arrived to clear out an intifada encampment at the City College of New York late Tuesday around the same time as officers were also finally called to end the takeover of nearby Columbia University.

The chaos broke out around 8 p.m. as protesters at the public university in Harlem tried to bust through a barricade blocking them from reaching the tent city that popped up Friday, video posted to social media shows.

Cops can be seen pushing the demonstrators back as they tried to maintain their position, video posted on social media shows.

The chaos broke out as protesters at the Harlem public university tried to bust through a barricade blocking them from reaching the tent city that popped up Friday, video posted to social media shows. William Miller

One man and a cop exchanged hard shoves while some protesters hurled garbage at the officers.

Suddenly a swarm of cops moves in to make arrests, the clip shows.

As the protests moved out into the streets, one man was filmed bashing an NYPD officer in the head with a 5-gallon water jug with a sticker that read Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

The man was promptly wrestled to the ground by several officers and taken into custody, video shows.

Later in the night, a sea of cops in riot gear flooded through the front gates of the college as a recorded message repeated: This is the New York City Police Department. You have been warned as per City College to leave the campus. If you refuse to leave, you may be placed under arrest, police video showed.

As requested by the university, we are currently on campus to assist the university in dispersing those trespassing, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry wrote on X.

The officers then swarmed the lawn where protesters set up tents and began arresting individuals who had linked arms to form a human barrier around some of the tents.

Once the encampment was cleared out, police removed a Palestinian flag that had been raised by the protesters on the campus flagpole and replaced it with the American flag.

It wasnt immediately clear how many City College protesters were nabbed.

The busts unfolded around the same time hundreds of officers swooped onto Columbia Universitys campus to oust a pro-terror mob that illegally took over the Hamilton Hall academic building.

About 100 protesters were cuffed and hauled away from Columbia in the dramatic sweep, law enforcement sources told The Post.

Meanwhile, the City College encampment had popped up at the state-funded college on Friday.

Tensions flared when rumors circulated that CUNY administrators were working to shut the rally down.

The encampment at the City College of New York popped up on Friday. William Miller

The mobs numbers swelled Tuesday afternoon as the group CUNY4Palestine urged supporters to mobilize amid reports the encampment would be cleared.

Organizers had warned hours ahead of the clashes that attempts to shut down the demonstration would be met with anger.

The quad was littered with tents and Palestinian flags, as well as signs demanding that the CUNY system divest from Israel in light of the ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Organizers warned that efforts to dismantle the demonstration would be met with anger. William Miller

Palestine calls this University Intifada, Within Our Lifetime organizer Nerdeen Kiswani shouted to the crowd in a fiery speech earlier this week.

We have a right to control where our tuition goes and that it should never go to oppressing any people anywhere!

It was not immediately clear if all the protesters were affiliated with the school  though CUNY Professor James Hoff wrote on X that there were lots of faculty and  union members in attendance.

City College was on spring break until Tuesday, according to the academic calendar.

The quad was littered with tents and Palestinian flags, as well as signs demanding that the CUNY system divest from Israel in light of the ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. William Miller

CCNY president Vince Boudreau announced Tuesday that campus was closed and all classes would be remote on Wednesday due to the encampment, which he said was posing significant difficulties for us.

Compared to previous demonstrations the college has seen since war erupted in Gaza in October, this latest demonstration has been more contentious and violent than anything weve seen on campus before, the president said.

He said this is not primarily a CCNY demonstration, and perhaps not primarily a CUNY demonstration.

This is obviously a wrenching moment for the CCNY community and for me personally, Boudreau added.

I know that you all join me in the fervent hope that this encampment can be brought to a peaceful conclusion.
Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are having a catastrophic effect on queer youth in the United States.



Between bans on gender-affirming care for minors and laws allowing for queer students to be misgendered, outed, or excluded, 90 percent of LGBTQ+ youth said their well-being has been negatively impacted by recent politics, according to The Trevor Project's 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People.



This legislation is affecting queer students' safety in schools, as nearly half of LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-17 (49 percent) said they experienced bullying in the past year. Those who reported bullying also reported significantly higher rates of attempting suicide.

These laws are also jeopardizing queer youth's well-being in their own homes, as nearly half of transgender and nonbinary young people (45 percent) reported that their family has considered moving to a different state because of LGBTQ+ laws.

Overall, 39 percent of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year  including 46 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth, and 12 percent of all LGBTQ+ youth. Queer youth of color also reported higher rates than their White peers.

Despite these shocking rates, the survey found that 50 percent of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.

More than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across the U.S. in 2023, and 80 were passed into law. In 2024, 487 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced and 21 have passed into law, according to the American Civil Liberties Union . Many involve either curriculum censorship or discrimination against queer students by forced outing.

Much of our efforts to address the public health crisis of suicide among LGBTQ+ young people are made that much harder by the ongoing wave of anti-LGBTQ+ policies pushed by extremist lawmakers across the country, said Janson Wu, Senior Director of State Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project. With such striking numbers and families literally wanting to uproot their homes to seek safety, lawmakers must seriously reconsider the real and damaging impact that their anti-LGBTQ+ policies and rhetoric create. No political victory should be worth risking the lives of young people.

If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has blasted New York Citys mayor and the presidents of Columbia University over a nightmare in the making as hundreds of NYPD officers stormed and cleared out a building on campus.

Dozens of student protestors were believed to have been detained after police were seen entering Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus, renamed by activists as Hinds Hall in honour of a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza.

Columbia officials said on Tuesday evening that they were left with no choice but to involve the police after they said non-students were involved in the halls occupation.

Mayor Eric Adams also spoke on Tuesday evening, stating that what was once a peaceful protest has been co-opted by professionals outside agitators.

The mayor urged the occupiers to leave the area, asking parents or guardians of any students to call their children and ask them to leave before the situation escalates in any way.

This is for their own safety and for the safety of others, Mr Adams said. These external actors are obviously not students, and their presence on campus is a violation of Columbias clearly stated policy.

Demonstrators link arms to protect their fellow protestors barricaded inside Hamilton Hall on Tuesday evening (Getty Images)

Later that evening, NYPD officers headed onto the campus and the occupied hall, using a tactical SWAT ramp to get into Hamilton Halls upper floors.

Police shut down several city blocks ahead of their raid.

A few hours after Mr Adams urged students to retreat from the area, Ms Ocasio-Cortez a Democratic congresswoman for New York condemned the actions being taken and pleaded with the Mayor to rethink his strategy.

She wrote on X: If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents. Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making. I urge the Mayor to reverse course.

If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents.



Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making.



I urge the Mayor to reverse course. https://t.co/52eAEfbJjq  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 1, 2024

Fellow New York congressman Jamaal Bowman also reacted to Tuesday evenings events on Columbias campus, saying he was outraged by the heavy police presence called upon nonviolent student protestors.

I call upon the Columbia administration to stop this dangerous escalation before it leads to further harm, and allow the faculty back onto campus so that all parties can collectively come to a solution that centers humanity over hate, Mr Bowman said.

Police used a SWAT ramp to enter the upper floors of Hamilton Hall on Tuesday (AP)

Arrests began shortly after 9pm with detained protestors led away, some of them carried by officers, to police buses down the road.

By 11pm, the NYPD daid their campus crackdown was over and that Hamilton Hall had been cleared along with encampments on the campus ground.

No demonstrators resisted arrest, and there were no reports of any injuries, the NYPD said.

After the police raid was concluded, Columbia University issued a statement saying that they made the decision to call on the NYPD to their campus.

Hamilton Hall at Columbia was renamed Hinds Hall after a Palestinian girl killed (AP)

We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalised, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, they said in part.

Columbias president, Nemat Shafik, has also reportedly requested that the NYPD maintain a presence on the campus until May 17  two days after the universitys graduation ceremony, according to CNN.

Columbia is one of many universities across the US where pro-Palestine protests have been set in in the forms of encampments, occupations and demonstrations as theIsraels war on Hamas continues in Gaza.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested on various campuses, with reports of heavy force used by law enforcement in attempts to crack down on the protests.
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions gather to attend a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

For one day, workers ruled the worlds biggest streets.

Thousands strong marched Wednesday to mark May Day, the first day of the month when workers rights are celebrated in demonstrations around the globe.

From Seoul to Paris, Istanbul to Berlin, they drew attention to stagnant wages and the high cost of living as they took aim at their governments. In some cases, their governments returned fire.

In Turkey, police in riot gear shot rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of protesters who clashed with officers as they tried to break through a barricade and reach Istanbuls Taksim square in defiance of a ban.

Tear gas also rose from the streets of Paris, where workers seeking higher pay and better conditions were joined by others rankled by the upcoming Summer Games. They torched replica Olympic rings.

Standing out in the crowds were the many messages held high on banners or scrawled in pen on simple signs.

We work to live!!! Not to die!!! read the sign held by a man in Manila, Philippines. The rich want war  the youth want a future, a banner said in Berlin. Dont touch the eight-hour workday! warned a placard in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Thousands of protesters in Seoul sang, waved flags and shouted pro-worker slogans as they stepped up criticism of President Yoon Suk Yeols conservative government and its anti-labor policies.

The lives of our laborers have plunged into despair, said Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. We cant overlook the Yoon Suk Yeol government. Well bring them down from power for ourselves.

In Jakarta, Indonesia, marchers carried banners and wore slogans on their hats protesting a 2020 law that they said harms worker rights and the environment. Metal workers carried bright red flags and wore darker red headscarves. Others dressed as mimes with frowns painted on their faces.

In Beirut, pro-Palestinian marchers mixed with workers demanding an end to economic misery. Young women supporters of the Lebanese Communist party posed for selfies and flashed victory signs.

Most will return to their jobs Thursday.
ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL)  The Appalachian College of Pharmacy (ACP) and Food City are partnering to establish a new online Certified Pharmacy Technician program.

The program hopes to ease the shortage of accredited programs in the area and train the needed workforce.

There is a significant demand for educated pharmacy techs and recently, due to changes in the regulations nationwide, a lot of the schools that have offered this program have ceased to offer it, Appalachian College of Pharmacy President Mickey McGlothlin said. So to assure that we have a supply of people that are qualified to work in pharmacies, we need new educational programs to try to educate the workforce for todays and tomorrows pharmacies.

Food City is investing in the initial costs and start-up of the program, ACP said in a release. It will also provide the clinical experience rotations to support the college in delivering that portion of the program to students in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.

Certified technicians are so important to the operation of a pharmacy, Food City President/CEO Steve Smith said. It allows the pharmacist, which is the most trusted health care professional and also the most accessible, to even be more accessible when you have a full team of certified pharmacy techs in that pharmacy to be able to make sure the operation runs smooth.

Community remembers man killed in tragic lawnmower crash

The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center will develop a simulation lab that students will utilize.

Five modules that follow the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists textbook will be featured in the programs curriculum. Students will learn healthcare communications, pharmacy law, standards, drug compounding and more, according to ACP.

The new program will be offered twice yearly in the fall and spring. Students can finish the program within 26 weeks, including six weeks of experiential rotations.

For more information, click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
Appeals court sides with KC charter school in its fight with state to remain open

The State Board of Education voted to revoke a Kansas City school's charter, prompting a legal battle last fought in Missouri's western district court of appeals (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).

A Kansas City charter school for at-risk students will be allowed to stay open after an appeal of the states decision to revoke its charter.

In a ruling issued last week, the presiding judge of Missouris western district court of appeals ruled a charter school has the right to judicial review if the state attempts to shut it down.

The case comes after the State Board of Education and the Missouri Charter Public School Commission pulled the charter of Kansas Citys Genesis School last year, citing poor performance.

The appeals court decision, which follows a Cole County judges earlier ruling in favor of Genesis, rejects the State Board of Educations argument that the board has final authority over a charters status.

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Mallory McGowin, spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), said the department is looking at the ruling for potential procedural changes. Otherwise, she said, the State Board of Educations role will remain as it is now and continue making decisions about charters.

The charter model is designed to allow for flexibility to promote innovative approaches to educating students, along with a timely closure when low-performing charter schools fail to meet the academic standards outlined in statute, she said. The State Boards role in this process is critical.

McGowin could not comment on whether the department planned to appeal the decision.

The original case in Cole County reversed the charter revocation. The State Board of Educations argument in appellate court was that a 2012 change to the law governing charter schools prevents them from seeking judicial review but it did not challenge the underlying argument.

During the original Cole County hearing, Genesiss attorneys argued that the state didnt have enough consecutive years of performance data to justify closing the school.

When the Missouri Charter Public School Commission met to consider the charter early in 2023, the latest performance data was from the 2017-18 school year.

The commission became Genesiss sponsor in July of 2022 after the State Board of Education removed the University of Missouris ability to sponsor Genesis and other low-performing charters.

In April of 2023, the State Board of Education heard Genesiss appeal. Genesis, a K-8 school with a focus on high-risk students, had low performance scores and average growth, according to an assessment released a month before that hearing.

The school had earned 42.7% on the new annual performance report. The department told school districts the scores, which were calculated under a new system, would not affect accreditation.

The Cole County judge ultimately determined the states decision to pull Genesis charter was unlawful and arbitrary because of the lack of data.

In the appeals court ruling, the judge wrote that Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven noted deficiencies in the charter commissions process. Still, the board made the decision to revoke Genesiss charter.

The state education department had concerns with the Missouri Charter Public School Commissions revocation process, McGowin said, but it had even more significant concerns with allowing a school with long-term, chronic performance issues to remain open, particularly in the face of the educational uncertainty its attending families were facing in planning for the coming school year.

Chuck Hatfield, the attorney representing Genesis, told The Independent that the case is not likely to change the oversight of charter schools beyond allowing them to appeal administrative decisions.

The issue the Court of Appeals decided was just whether a charter school has standing, but the underlying problem is they didnt have [performance] data because of COVID, he said. So I cant imagine thats gonna happen again.

For Kevin Foster, executive director of Genesis School, the process was traumatic.

We didnt find out until July that we were going to be open, and we survived, he said.

Students were worried, Foster said, about where they were going to attend school, sometimes pulling focus from their schoolwork.

In December, Genesis scored 62% in the newest performance reports from the states education department. Kansas City School District scored 66.6%.

Genesiss score is composed of two factors, performance and continuous improvement, in which the school scored 44% and 92.3%, respectively.

Foster said this illustrates the schools ability to teach kids who enroll with a lower knowledge base than students in other areas and schools.

Genesis is located in Census Tract 60, an area where around 5% of residents have at least a bachelors degree and 31% are below the poverty line. Foster told The Independent that 81% of his students live within three miles of the school.

All the students at Genesis are eligible for free or reduced lunch, compared to a statewide rate of 47.4%.

The school markets itself for these students, setting itself as a space for a high-risk population. Foster said the states system of accountability deters charter schools like this.

The accountability system is not designed to encourage people to do this work, he said. Not only is it not designed to encourage me to do this work, but now they are literally trying to close us, to take away our ability to do the work.

The schools charter will be up for renewal in 2025. Foster hopes a sponsor will continue to partner with Genesis.

People just have a model of what reform is gonna look like, and a small little community charter school serving an at-risk population just doesnt fit their model, he said.

Hatfield said the states accountability program may continue to impact charter schools that serve high-risk students.

Thats a real challenge for the way DESE does their (Missouri School Improvement Program) standards these days, he said. The schools that are really focused on highly challenged children, they are going to close a lot of them down if they are not more thoughtful about it.

The Missouri Charter Public School Commission could not be reached for comment.

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The post Appeals court sides with KC charter school in its fight with state to remain open appeared first on Missouri Independent.
The case can be further appealed to the Indiana Supreme Court. (Screenshot from Facebook Live video)

The Indiana Court of Appeals this week reversed a lower court opinion to side with Attorney General Todd Rokita in his legal fight to keep confidential an advisory opinion about his outside legal work.

The decision came after Indiana lawmakers added an exemption for such opinions  while Rokitas appeal was pending  to the states public records access law.

Based on this turn of events, we reverse and remand with instructions, the three-judge panel agreed in an opinion by Judge Dana Kenworthy, released Monday.

The case can be further appealed to the Indiana Supreme Court.

Outside employment spat leads to legal case

When Rokita took office in January 2021, he asked the Indiana Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for an informal advisory opinion on the ethics of his continued external employment with Apex Benefits, an Indianapolis-based employee benefits brokerage firm. He got the opinion.

In comments to the Indianapolis Business Journal several weeks later, a spokesperson from Rokitas office assured readers the opinion clarified Rokitas interests and outside employment are all squarely within the boundaries of the law and do not conflict with his official duties.

Barbara Tully, an Indiana resident, contacted Rokitas office for access to the opinion, and when her request was denied, turned to the states public access counselor. His office still wouldnt provide the document so she sued.

A trial court granted Tully summary judgment and asked Rokita to give Tully a redacted copy of the opinion. Rokita appealed.

While his appeal was pending, Indiana lawmakers during the 2023 session approved new language explicitly making any OIG informal advisory opinion confidential  including previously issued ones.

Subsection 9 changed the playing field by purporting to resolve any dispute over the scope of the OIGs authority to grant confidential informal advisory opinions, Kenworthy wrote.

Rokita had ended his involvement with Apex by March 2021, the Indianapolis Star reported. But his office told the paper that hed maintain other private sector business interests while in office.

Court weighs in

Although Tully argued the last-minute legal change violates Indianas Constitution, the court disagreed, with Kenworthy noting theres no ban on applying retroactive laws on appeal.

Courts must generally honor the legislatures choice to make a law retroactive unless doing so would violate a vested right or constitutional guarantee, she wrote.

Kenworthy observed that because the courts decision was not necessarily a final one, the legal edit wouldnt infringe on the judiciarys duties.

Once a decision reaches finality  meaning no further appeal may be taken  it becomes the last word of the judicial department regarding that case, she wrote. At this point, the legislature cannot declare by retroactive legislation that the law applicable to that very case was something other than what the courts said it was.'

And she emphasized that courts do not set policy, the Legislature does.

Having interpreted the challenged statute, we conclude it falls within the legislatures broad discretion and does not run afoul of the Indiana Constitution, Kenworthy continued. Therefore, we heed our limited constitutional role and leave this policy decision to our coordinate department  the legislature.

The court instructed the trial court to grant Rokitas cross-motion for summary judgment.

The post Appeals court sides with Rokita in public records case following retroactive law change appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle.
The Arizona Senate on Wednesday repealed the 1864 near-total abortion ban that the state Supreme Court greenlighted in a shock ruling last month.

The state Senate voted to pass the repeal in a close vote, 16-14, with two Republicans voting to repeal the near-total ban. The state House voted to repeal the ban last week, and Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) is expected to sign the repeal soon. A spokesperson for the governor said she will not sign the repeal on Wednesday.

The majority of Republicans were frustrated with Democrats, who they claimed were rolling or fast-tracking the bill. There were no initial readings of the bill, although state Sen. Anna Hernandez (D) read the one-line bill on the floor during discussion.

The floor debate over the repeal spurred outbursts from both Democrats and Republicans, as well as people from the public watching the vote from the gallery. One Republican, state Sen. Wendy Rogers, said the 1864 abortion ban got it right, suggesting that life then is the same as life in 2024. State Sen. Anthony Kern (R) agreed, adding that the abortion ban that predates Arizona statehood was the best abortion ban in the nation. Kern also compared repealing the 150-year-old abortion ban to the Holocaust.

While the vote is a huge turning point for abortion rights advocates in the state, the ban will unfortunately still be in effect for a window of time. The ban prohibits nearly all abortions except for when the pregnant persons life is at risk. It also carries a felony punishment of two to five years in prison for providers.

Despite the repeal, the near-total abortion ban will go into effect  likely as early as June 27, according to the states Attorney General Kris Mayes (D). The repeal, once signed by Hobbs, will not go into effect until 90 days after the current legislative session ends. The legislative session doesnt have a specific end date; in past years the session has ended in late June, but in 2023 the session didnt end until August.

The near-total abortion ban could potentially be in effect through the summer and fall, possibly even through the general election in November.

Mayes has vowed to not enforce the abortion ban during the window its in effect.

Make no mistake: Democrats fierce persistence against weeks of Republican obstruction is the only reason the 1864 ban was repealed and this shows a clear contrast in leadership, Heather Williams, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee president, said in a statement.

As Republicans regroup to defend their 15-week ban and work to undermine the upcoming abortion ballot measure in Arizona, we are focused on flipping the two seats in each chamber that will deliver Democratic majorities in Arizonas legislature, she added. The only way to protect and expand reproductive freedoms in Arizona is to elect Democrats to the state legislature.

Abortion rights groups in the state are working to get a pro-choice amendment on the ballot. Although the state legislature has historically been hostile towards direct democracy actions, the coalition behind the amendment is optimistic it will be on the ballot in November. The amendment seeks to enshrine abortion access until fetal viability, or 24 weeks, into the state constitution.
Arizona lawmakers on Wednesday voted to repeal a Civil War-era law that banned nearly all abortions, after a pair of Republican senators joined with all Democrats.

The Republican-controlled Senate had enough votes to pass legislation repealing the 1864 law by a razor-thin margin, 16-14. All 14 Democrats were joined by two Republicans: state Sens. Shawnna Bolick and T.J. Shope.

The bill next heads to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D), who has promised to sign it.

This is a clear statement that the Legislature does not want the territorial ban to be enforceable, said state Sen. Priya Sundareshan (D), who voted yes to repeal.

The 1864 ban has divided Republicans in the state and nationally. Some Republicans, including former President Trump and Senate hopeful Kari Lake, wanted to see the law repealed, saying it goes too far and is inappropriate for the modern era.

Lake has flipped back and forth on how she speaks about the 1864 measure. In 2022, when she was running for governor of Arizona, she called it a great law.

Still, some Republicans recognized the backlash against the 1864 law could upend conservative majorities in the state and hurt Trumps campaign in the crucial swing state. They also want to try to curtail the momentum behind a likely ballot measure that would constitutionally legalize abortion up to fetal viability, with medical exceptions for women who are further along.

Abortion-rights advocates have been gathering signatures to place a referendum on the ballot that would protect access until the point of fetal viability, or roughly 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Bolick, a staunch anti-abortion advocate, gave a long personal speech about her own difficult pregnancies, including one miscarriage that ended with an abortion procedure in her first trimester because the fetus was not viable.

Many women dont have textbook pregnancies, she said.

Still, Bolick also railed against Democrats and Planned Parenthood and explained her vote was aimed at reinstating the 15-week ban. She said the 1864 law was too draconian for the public, who if given a choice would vote for the more permissive ballot measure.

We should be pushing for the maximum protection for unborn children that can be sustained, she said. I side with saving more babies lives.

But Bolick and Shope were still slammed by some of their colleagues, who called them out for betraying the Republican party.

Sen. Anthony Kern (R) said it was insanity that Republicans like Bolick and Shope claim to be pro-life but voted to repeal the ban.

Kern, who was among the Republicans recently indicted last week in the scheme to falsely certify to Congress that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election in Arizona, predicted that the vote would pave the way for acceptance of pedophilia.

Sen. Jake Hoffman (R), who was also indicted as a fake elector, praised the 1864 law as one of the  best, strongest, pro-life measures in the country.

Hoffman said it was disgusting that some Republicans would cross party lines over abortion.

Arizona became the latest battleground state to grapple with abortion access when the state Supreme Court upheld the ban on nearly all abortions in the state, except in instances to save the life of the mother. The law also imposes jail time for physicians who perform abortions.

Wednesdays vote comes one week after the GOP-controlled House narrowly passed its version to repeal the law, with three Republicans joining Democrats.

Even if Hobbs signs the repeal this week, it cant go into effect until 90 days after the legislative session ends, and there is currently no adjournment date.

State Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) this week asked the state Supreme Court to pause its ruling, which will now take effect June 27 at the earliest.

Once the repeal is official, the state would revert to the 15-week ban that was invalidated by the court. Like the 1864 ban, the 15-week law does not make any exceptions for rape or incest.

Republicans are likely to attempt to introduce their own referendum to limit abortion at 15 weeks, or potentially six weeks. If both chambers of the Legislature can pass the same language, it would automatically get on the ballot in November.

Updated at 5:53 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Asahi has struck a deal to acquire Australia-based gin maker Never Never for an undisclosed fee.

The Japanese companys Australian arm, Asahi Beverages, will sell and distribute Never Nevers gins through its local alcohol division Carlton & United Breweries (CUB).

Established in 2016 by George Georgiadis, Tim Boast and Sean Baxter, Never Never is based in McLaren Vale in South Australia where it produces its flagship Triple Juniper Gin. On the businesss website, the spirit is sold for A$69 ($44.70).

The three co-founders are set to continue in their roles at the distillery as the acquisition wont have any effect on day-to-day operations, according to an Asahi statement.

Asahi Beverages Group CEO Amanda Sellers said: We are acquiring Never Never because we recognise Never Nevers incredible brand and success. Combining Asahis reach with Never Nevers amazing portfolio, extensive spirits knowledge and capability will enhance the value proposition for our customers.

Never Never employs about 15 people full-time and around 30 casual workers.

Georgiadis, who is also Never Nevers managing director, said: When we founded Never Never, our vision was to create exciting and innovative gin that competed with the biggest brands in Australia and pushed the boundaries of whats possible.

This partnership allows us to realise our vision by helping change, and also grow, Australias gin market, where around 80% of gin Australians drink is imported  despite Australia being home to some absolutely cracking gin brands.

With their consumer brand-expertise and deep customer relationships, Asahi will help grow Never Never in a way which weve always aspired to. Our values have been crucial in building our brand, and align incredibly strongly with the values and culture of Asahi Beverages.

Last July, one of Asahis Japanese rivals, Kirin, made a move for Australian spirits maker Four Pillars through its Oceania division Lion.

"Asahi snaps up Australian gin distiller Never Never" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
The Arizona legislature secured just enough votes on Wednesday to repeal a 160-year-old abortion ban that was revived by the states Supreme Court in April.

The decision to nix the archaic law appears on track to pass thanks to the votes of every Democratic lawmaker, as well as two state Senate Republicans, T.J. Shope and Shawnna Bolick. If the bill passes, it will go to Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, who is expected to sign it. That will return the state to its previous abortion status, which banned the medical procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

But some legislators fear that even if the vote does pass, there might still be a waiting period before the 15-week ban is officially enactedand during that time, all abortions will still be outlawed. That period would last approximately 90 days after the end of the session, ending in June or July, unless the repeal comes with an emergency provision.

Rest assured, my office is exploring every option available to prevent this outrageous 160-year-old law from ever taking effect, Arizona state Attorney General Kris Mayes told the Associated Press.

Shortly after the new ban took effect, the Arizona legislature devolved into a state of chaos, with Republicans blocking discussions to repeal the ban. In a dramatic show, Democrats responded by chanting shame at their colleagues across the aisle.

The near-total abortion ban from 1864before Arizona was even a stateoffers no exceptions for instances of rape or incest. But some Republicans in the state, especially the ones currently on the campaign trail, immediately came out against it. That includes Senate candidate Kari Lake, who claimed the draconian ban was out of line with where the people of this state are, despite having aggressively fought for it in multiple political campaigns and calling the 1864 legislation a great law.

Other Arizona Republicans who conveniently came out against it include Representative David Schweikert, Representative Juan Ciscomani, and former Republican Governor Doug Ducey, even though he was responsible for appointing four of the justices who brought the ban back to life.

Meanwhile, Republicans are still working on their own plans to permanently rid the state of abortion access, including one plot to introduce an abortion-restricting measure on Novembers ballot with the hopes of confusing voters.

The only solution, according to local Democratic leaders, is to vote. Democrats need to flip just two seats in each state chamber in order to obtain a majority.

As Republicans regroup to defend their 15-week ban and work to undermine the upcoming abortion ballot measure in Arizona, we are focused on flipping the two seats in each chamber that will deliver Democratic majorities in Arizonas legislature, said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams in a statement. Voters have an opportunity this year to deliver Democratic majorities by flipping just two seats in each chamber.

This story has been updated.
The Arizona Senate voted Wednesday to repeal the state's 1864 abortion ban, sending a measure to the Democratic governor that would end weeks of turmoil and keep in place a 15-week abortion limit enacted in 2022.

In a testy and emotional session that included angry spats, a senator reading from the Bible and another playing a recording of his daughter's fetal heartbeat, the Senate voted 16 to 14 to repeal the law, with two Republicans joining Democrats in backing the measure.

The Senate was voting on the language that Arizona's House of Representatives passed a week ago, when three Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the repeal bill.

The bill will next go to Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who has called on the Legislature to repeal the pre-statehood ban.

Im glad to see the Senate answered my call and voted to repeal the 1864 total abortion ban. While this is essential to protecting womens health, it is just the beginning, Hobbs said in a statement once the Senate session ended. I will never stop fighting for womens reproductive freedoms.

The Senate's actions Wednesday, which were punctuated by angry calls from a gallery filled with activists, underscore how animating an issue abortion will be in November's election. The two Republicans  Sens. T.J. Shope and Shawnna Bolick  took heat from their fellow Republicans for voting to repeal the law. Multiple senators choked up during their speeches, and one compared his emotions to "like when 9/11 hit."

"Our Democrat colleagues who are very good at sticking together ... they vote together," said Sen. Dave Farnsworth. "Unfortunately, on this side of the aisle, we are not so good at doing that."

Read more: Inside an Arizona abortion clinic: Uncertainty looms and optimism reigns

Shope did not explain his vote during the legislative session, but wrote previously that he supported the repeal because 15 weeks is what my district believes to be an appropriate timeline.

Bolick, who is married to Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, who ruled to uphold the ban, defended her vote. She took more than 20 minutes to tell the stories of three difficult pregnancies, provoking multiple other legislators  including Senate President Warren Petersen  to interrupt, complaining that her stories were not related to her vote.

The comments are germane because not all pregnancies are the same, she said.

When finishing her three stories, Bolick said, I know the chronicles of these pregnancies quite intimately because theyre all my own.

She added that the proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortions goes too far, concluding, I want to protect our state constitution from unlimited abortions up until the moment of birth.  I am here to protect more babies.

Data for Progress, a progressive think tank, polled Arizonans the day after the state Supreme Court ruling, and found that 66% of likely voters disapproved of the court's decision to ban nearly all abortions. The ruling sent Republican leaders in the state scrambling to find a solution that would appease voters ahead of November.

"I'll hear my colleagues say  it's politically astute because we might lose votes, we might lose the Legislature. We might lose the presidential election," Republican Sen. Wendy Rogers said Wednesday. "And I say to you, it's more important to do what's right. Because maybe not in this life, but after this life we will meet our maker. And whatever faith you are, this is what matters."

The Biden campaign has teed up abortion as a top motivating issue for Democrats this fall, especially in battleground states. While the Arizona Legislature bickered over its law, Vice President Kamala Harris gave a speech on reproductive freedom in Florida to draw attention to that states six-week abortion ban, which went into effect Wednesday.

In states across our nation, extremists have proposed and passed laws that criminalize doctors, punish women, Harris said. Laws that threaten doctors and nurses with prison time  even for life  simply for providing reproductive care. Laws that make no exception for rape or incest. Even reviving laws from the 1800s.

Read more: William Howell wrote Arizona's 1864 abortion ban. He modeled it on California's

The Arizona Supreme Court set off a firestorm when it ruled in early April to ban all abortions except when a woman's life is at risk  a provision that was added to Arizona's code in 1864, decades before the territory became a state. The 15-week ban, which Arizona is set to return to, does not include exceptions for rape or incest. It does allow for abortions, even after 15 weeks, if a doctor determines there is a medical emergency.

The repeal will not go into effect until 90 days after the Legislature concludes its session  which may be weeks away. The 1864 law could still go into effect in June, and remain active until the legislative session concludes and the 90-day period is completed. Abortion rights activists cautiously rejoiced Wednesday.

We appreciate the efforts of pro-reproductive freedom lawmakers to repeal this harmful abortion ban. Unfortunately, Arizonans will still be living under a law that denies us the right to make decisions about our own health," Chris Love, a spokesperson for Arizona for Abortion Access, said in a statement. "Arizonans cannot afford to celebrate or lose momentum. The threat to our reproductive freedom is as immediate today as it ever was."

Activists say they have enough signatures to put a proposed constitutional amendment on November's ballot that would allow for abortions in Arizona. Abortion is poised to be a top issue for voters in the swing state, which President Biden carried narrowly in 2020.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Arizona has officially repealed an 1864 abortion ban that the state Supreme Court revived last month.

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs signed the repeal on Thursday, a day after the state Senate approved it. While Im proud to sign this bill and provide a moment of relief for Arizonans, we still have work to do, Hobbs said. Arizona women are still governed by a ban that leaves no exceptions for rape or incest, nor does it account for complications during pregnancy.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs ahead of signing a bill repealing the state's total abortion ban, which was first passed in 1864:



While I'm proud to sign this bill and provide a moment of relief for Arizonans, we still have work to do. pic.twitter.com/YPCqs71UmH  The Recount (@therecount) May 2, 2024

The ban would have replaced Arizonas 2022 abortion law, which restricted the procedure to 15 weeks in most cases. The repeal will take effect 90 days after the end of the Arizona state legislatures session.

The Arizona state Senate voted to repeal the ban on Wednesday. The 16-14 vote included two Republican state senators  Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope and Sen. Shawnna Bolick  who defected to side with the Democrats. Last week, the Arizona state house voted to repeal the ban 31-29, with two Republican representatives also voting against it, sending it to the state Senate.



In a statement, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) warned against prematurely celebrating the repeal, cautioning that the fight isnt over.



A repeal of Arizonas backwards 1864 abortion law is headed to the Governors desk, but the fight isnt over, Kelly wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Arizona women are still living under an abortion ban and dont have the freedom to make their own health care decisions. In November, were going to change that.

A repeal of Arizonas backwards 1864 abortion law is headed to the Governors desk, but the fight isnt over. Arizona women are still living under an abortion ban and dont have the freedom to make their own health care decisions. In November, we're going to change that.  Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) May 1, 2024

The abortion ban saga brought the reproductive rights battle to the political forefront of one of the most significant swing states this election cycle. GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake has voiced that she supports the ban and wishes for county sheriffs to enforce it.



The Senates repeal vote came the same day as a six-week Florida abortion ban went into effect, and the day after Louisiana lawmakers moved to outlaw the abortion pill Mifepristone.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  A recent state policy change to tighten gender identities on Arkansas drivers licenses is being challenged in court by the ACLU.

Lawyers with the ACLU filed the suit in Pulaski County Circuit Court on Tuesday against the Department of Finance and Administration.

Local advocates react to new Arkansas drivers license mandates regarding gender

At issue is a March ruling by the DFA removing the ability to use X instead of M or F as a gender identity on an Arkansas drivers license. That same ruling created the requirement for the license holders gender identity to match their birth certificate.

According to the lawsuit, that ruling overturned a policy that had been in place since at least 2010 to accommodate transgender individuals, allowing anyone to request X, M or F as their gender on an Arkansas drivers license.

The plaintiffs claim in the suit that the rule change was put into effect without following state law by using an emergency clause to put it into immediate effect.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders mandates drivers license gender must align with birth certificate

The lawsuit asks for a declaratory judgment that the emergency rules use is invalid and a preliminary and permanent injunction to halt enforcement of the rule and return to the earlier policy.

ACLU of Arkansas Legal Director John Williams, alongside the lawsuit, said there was no emergency.

The law requires agencies to listen to the people affected by their rules, Williams said. Agencies cannot fabricate emergencies to evade that responsibility. Having failed to seek public input as required by law, DFA will now hear from us in court.

The five plaintiffs are transgender, nonbinary and intersex Arkansans who want their state issued drivers license to reflect the gender with which they identify, the lawsuit states.

Some states are trying to make sex binary. Transgender people see their existence denied

ACLU of Arkansas Executive Director Holly Dickson said implementing the new rule without adequate comment has the opposite effect than intended.

This rule is not safeguarding Arkansans; its compromising their safety, their mental health, and their ability to participate fully in society, Dickson said.

States push to define sex decried as erasing trans people

Attorney General Tim Griffin said his office is reviewing the lawsuit, and we look forward to defending the Department of Finance and Administration in court.

DFA issues licenses and IDs based on objective information, said DFA Secretary Jim Hudson. Our emergency rule was adopted by DFA and the General Assembly to ensure the safety of our citizens and the stakeholders who rely on the licenses and IDs we issue. DFA is implementing this policy in a manner that is respectful to all. We intend to vigorously defend this policy in court.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, announces a multi-state lawsuit seeking to overturn a federal rule closing the "gun show loophole." With Griffin are Deputy Solicitor General Dylan Jacobs and Solicitor General Nicholas Bronni. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

Attorney General Tim Griffin on Wednesday announced he would join with 20 other states in a lawsuit challenging new federal regulations on firearm sales.

Griffin, who is co-leading the federal lawsuit with the attorney general from Kansas, said the federal rule is not even close to legal. Griffin said the process of how the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have gone about proposing changes is illegal. When asked about the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022  the legislation Congress passed and what the rule will amend  Griffin dismissed its relevance.

I think that this is a combination of election year politics, of frustration [and] not getting what you want through Congress that would do it another way, Griffin said. I think it involves catering to people in his [President Bidens] base who are demanding it.

The Biden administration finalized the rule to close the gun show loophole on April 11. The rule has been touted as a significant step forward in gun regulation as it closes the opportunity for people to sell firearms online or other informal venues without completing background checks on purchasers.

Additionally, it would require more people who sell firearms to seek a federal license. As it exists now, people who dont claim selling firearms as their primary source of income have been exempt from obtaining a Federal Firearms License. With the gun show loophole closed, anyone who sold a gun for profit would be required to register for a license.

A senior White House official told a States Newsroom reporter in April that the Biden administration is confident the rule will survive any legal disputes.

On the contrary, Griffin said Tuesday, I think we make a really strong case that this is not even close to legal.

The suit asks the court to postpone the rule and declare that it violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It also seeks an injunction against the Department of Justice and the ATF from enforcing the rule.

Though not explicitly mentioned in the lawsuit, Griffin referenced the recent fatal shooting of Little Rock airport executive Bryan Malinowski. On the morning of March 19, ATF agents arrived at Malinowskis home in West Little Rock to serve a search warrant.

According to the agency, Malinowski shot at the officers and the federal agents returned fire. ATF agents shot Malinowski in the head, and he died days later in a hospital. Following his death, court documents showed ATF was conducting a raid on the allegations that Malinowski was illegally selling firearms, often at gun shows and other informal settings. Agents seized dozens of guns from Malinowskis house.

About a month after the raid, Griffin and Republican members of the Arkansas Legislature separately called for ATF to release body camera footage from March 19. It was later revealed agents were not wearing cameras, an apparent violation of the agencys policy.

Prosecuting Attorney Will Jones is currently investigating the Malinowski shooting.

Asked if Griffin thought the outcome of the raid at Malinowskis house would have been different if Malinowski had a federal firearm license, he said he didnt know enough about the case to confidently answer.

Following the press conference Wednesday morning, the attorney for Malinowskis family, Bud Cummins, released a statement in support of the lawsuit.

It doesnt matter if you support more gun control, or you fall on the side of more 2nd amendment liberty, Cummins wrote. Everyone must agree only Congress can pass laws, and that none of us should fear prison over rules that are vague and impossible to understand. That is what the Attorney Generals lawsuit announced today is all about.

Other states joining the lawsuit are Iowa, Montana, Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

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The post Arkansas attorney general announces lawsuit challenging gun show loophole rule appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.
Arkansas State Police give update on investigation into I-630 shooting, say shooting was not random

Arkansas State Police give update on investigation into I-630 shooting, say shooting was not random

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Arkansas State Police are providing an update on a Tuesday evening shooting that took place on Interstate 630 in Little Rock.

In a Wednesday release, ASP officials stated that investigators believe the shooting was not random and was not the result of road rage.

According to authorities, witnesses said a Honda Accord was traveling on I-630 with three occupants. As the car approached the Pine Street/Cedar Street exit, witnesses said a Dodge Durango pulled up to the left side of the Honda and started firing, hitting the driver and one of the passengers.

Arkansas State Police confirm three people injured in Interstate 630 shooting in Little Rock

Officials said the two individuals who were hit by gunfire were taken to local hospitals to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Police said the third passenger was treated for lacerations.

The shooting shut down the westbound lanes of I-630 for multiple hours as a large police presence responded to the scene.

Little Rock police identify man killed in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive shooting

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call 501-618-8458.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
In this 2018 photograph released by Mouvement pour le Salut de l'Azawad, Islamic State group commander Abu Huzeifa, known by the alias Higgo, poses in uniform. Mali's army said in a statement late Monday, April 29, 2024, that Huzeifa was killed by Malian state forces. The United States had announced a reward of up to $5 million reward for anyone providing information about him. Huzeifa was believed to have helped carry out an attack in 2017 on U.S. and Nigerien forces in Tongo Tongo, Niger, which led to the deaths of four Americans and four Nigerien soldiers. (AP Photo)

BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  A humanitarian crisis is worsening in northeastern Mali where armed groups linked to Islamic State have besieged major towns leaving residents including some 80,000 children vulnerable to malnutrition, locals and an aid group warned Wednesday.

The town of Menaka has been under siege for four months, driving up the prices of food. Other essential goods like medication are increasingly hard to find, residents and aid groups say.

The humanitarian situation is catastrophic, with displaced people going from house to house asking for food for their families. Children are threatened with starvation, Wani Ould Hamadi, deputy mayor of the town of Menaka, told the Associated Press.

Mali, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russias mercenary units for security assistance instead.

Col. Assimi Goita, who took charge in Mali after a second coup in 2021, promised to beat back the armed groups, but the United Nations and other analysts say the government has rapidly lost ground.

The aid group Save the Children said some 80,000 children were trapped inside the town of Menaka facing malnutrition and disease, and many were unaccompanied having fled violence elsewhere..

Children in Menaka are trapped in a living nightmare. Let us be clear: unless the blockade is lifted , starvation and disease will led to deaths, Siaka Ouattara, the country director, said in a statement.

Ayouba Ag Nadroun, a man who fled to Menaka to escape violence in other parts of the country said he was unable to provide for his extended family of some 15 members, including many women and children, and surviving on scarce handouts of aid. I have no job, how can I help them? he told the AP.

The blockades subject villagers to violence, hunger and fear and have long been a tactic used by these jihadist groups to punish communities for their perceived support of the government, said Sahel analyst Corinne Dufka adding that they had often succeeded in pressuring the communities to sign non-aggression accords with the groups.

Mali's leader, Goita, has promised to return the country to democracy in early 2024. But in September, the junta canceled elections scheduled for February 2024 indefinitely, citing the need for further technical preparations.

Last month, his ruling junta ordered all political activities to stop, and the following day ordered the media to stop reporting on political activities.
This article was published as part of a content-sharing agreement between Army Times and The Fayetteville Observer.

A Fort Liberty Army officer was convicted at trial last week of smuggling weapons to West Africa and lying to a grand jury.

When sentenced in June, Kojo Owusu Dartey, 42, faces a maximum penalty of 20 months in federal prison after being found guilty April 23 of dealing in firearms without a license, delivering firearms without notice to the carrier, smuggling goods from the United States, illegally exporting firearms without a license, making false statements made to an agency of the United States, making false declarations before the court, and conspiracy.

After four days of testimony, the jury found him not guilty of impeding the due administration of justice and five counts of knowingly making a false statement to firearms dealers.

According to the U.S. Attorney Michael Easley for the Eastern District of North Carolina, between June 28 and July 2, 2021, Dartey purchased seven firearms in the Fort Liberty area and tasked a U.S. Army staff sergeant at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to purchase three firearms there and send them to Dartey in North Carolina.

The indictment alleges the staff sergeant purchased the weapons from the Fort Campbell PX and Dartey, also known as Killa K, purchased weapons at the Fort Liberty PX as well as at gun and pawn shops in Fayetteville.

Dartey then hid all the firearms, including multiple handguns, an AR15, 50-round magazines, suppressors and a combat shotgun at the bottom of blue barrels containing rice and household goods and smuggled the barrels out of the Port of Baltimore, Maryland, on a container ship to the Port of Tema in Ghana.

Ghanaian officials recovered the firearms and reported the seizure to the DEA attache in Ghana and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Baltimore, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

At the same time, Dartey was a witness in a case that involved a 16-defendant marriage fraud scheme between soldiers on Fort Liberty and foreign nationals from Ghana that Dartey had tipped off officials to.

In preparation for the trial, Dartey lied to federal law enforcement about his sexual relationship with a defense witness and lied on the stand and under oath about the relationship, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Dartey was indicted and arrested in May 2023. The charges against his alleged co-conspirator, George Archer, are still pending.
Army sergeant checked Powerball numbers  then ran to his wife and started shaking

A U.S. Army sergeant of 22 years checked his recent Powerball numbers  then started shaking, he told Virginia lottery officials.

Sergeant First Class Jerrell Rice narrowly missed the $130 million jackpot in the April 24 Powerball drawing, but he still won $200,000, according to the Virginia Lottery.

When he saw that he had matched four out of five white balls and the red Powerball, he had to bring the ticket to his wife to confirm what he was seeing, he said.

I was excited, he told lottery officials. I ran to my wife and showed her the ticket and said, Tell me this is correct!

The Newport News man paid an extra dollar for Power Play, which quadrupled his win from $50,000 to $200,000, according to the Virginia Lottery. He was one of five people in the country to win $200,000 in that Powerball drawing, the highest prize of the night.

The winning numbers were 2-20-22-26-47 with a Powerball number of 21.

Rice, who is getting ready to retire from military service, told lottery officials he plans to use his windfall on his bills and his family.

Newport News is in southeast Virginia near the coast, roughly a 40-mile drive northwest from Virginia Beach.

What to know about Powerball

To score a jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.

The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.

Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.

Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.

Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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The third annual FreightWaves Future of Supply Chain conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta June 4-5. (Photo: FreightWaves)

Industry executives and supply chain leaders from over 150 companies across the country will attend the third annual FreightWaves Future of Supply Chain conference this spring. The conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta June 4-5.

Programming will include a live rapid-fire demo competition for cutting-edge FreightTech, networking and business opportunities, exclusive parties, and keynotes from industry analysts and visionaries. Those interested in attending or sponsoring are asked to register on the official event page here.

Sessions on the conference agenda include:

An industry keynote from J.B. Hunt President Brad Hicks.

A keynote presentation from Flexport founder and CEO Ryan Petersen.

WHAT THE TRUCK?!? host Tim Dooner will interview Samantha Foley, chief growth officer at transportation management software company Turvo.

Three breakout sessions covering logistics outlooks amid global turmoil, emerging AI capabilities in supply chains, and the critical role of customs compliance and trade law.

15 Fireside chats with a variety of industry experts.

Rapid-fire demos where 10 companies will race against the clock to present their products and services, followed by opportunities to stop by their booths in the exhibit hall.

Additional presentations, market updates, Shipper of Choice Awards and much more.

Day One of the conference will conclude with the J.B. Hunt 360 Happy Hour with Horsepower afterparty at the nearby Porsche Experience Center Atlanta.

The post Atlanta set to host FreightWaves Future of Supply Chain conference appeared first on FreightWaves.
Around 30 injured in May Day wagon accident in Germany

Police units clash with demonstrators during the Revolutionary May Day demonstration in Stuttgart city center. Christoph Schmidt/dpa

Around 30 people participating in a traditional May 1 celebration were injured in an accident involving an agricultural vehicle in Germany.

Police said Wednesday that 10 people had suffered serious injuries in the incident in the village of Kandern, near the borders with France and Switzerland.

None of the injuries were considered life-threatening, but three people were taken to hospital in rescue helicopters.

The vehicle, a so-called "May wagon" consisting of a tractor pulling an open trailer as part of May Day festivities, tipped onto its side on a sharp bend.

A police spokesman said that the driver was being investigated on suspicion of negligent bodily harm.

It was still unclear why the vehicle crashed, as the spokesman said it was almost stationary when it tipped over. "The investigation will focus on whether too many people were loaded onto the vehicle," he said.

Injuries were also reported in two other incidents relating to May Day celebrations to usher in the start of summer.

In Germany's southern state of Bavaria, a falling maypole injured three children aged between 5 and 12 years old and a 52-year-old woman.

Another accident in the Tyrol region of Austria saw a 7-year-old boy seriously injured when a gust of wind brought down a 30-metre-high maypole.

In an ancient custom, communities erect tall tree trunks around which dances and other activities take place.

Police units clash with demonstrators during the Revolutionary May Day demonstration in Stuttgart city center. Christoph Schmidt/dpa
Arrest warrant issued for man accused of shooting at vehicle while driving on 183 Toll Road

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN)  An arrest warrant was issued for a man who was accused of shooting at at vehicle while driving on the 183 Toll Road in November 2023.

On Nov. 9, 2023, the Austin Police Department responded to a gun urgent call at 1900 E. Anderson Lane Service Road westbound, according to the the arrest warrant. The victim told officers the suspect was driving a white Chevrolet truck, court records said.

The victim told police he was driving northbound on the 183 Toll Road near the 6300 block of Loyola Lane in the fast lane. The suspect was driving in the middle lane, according to the warrant. Then, the suspect shot at the victims vehicle multiple times and struck it twice, court records said.

Officials then contacted the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) to obtain license plate and vehicle description information on the suspect, according to the warrant.

That suspect was later identified by officials as Juan Sanchez, 32.

Using the information obtained on the suspect vehicle, investigators conducted surveillance on Sanchezs address based off his license plate from the CTRMA cameras on Nov. 22, 2023, court records said.

Then, on Feb. 20, investigators found an APD police report with an unlawful carry of a weapon, which revealed Sanchez possessed a firearm, according to the warrant. That firearm was submitted as evidence. Furthermore, the seizure of the firearm happened on Nov. 26, 2023, which was 17 days after the victim on the 183 Toll Road was shot at, court records said.

Sanchez is wanted on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge, which is a second degree felony, according to the warrant.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Arrested Old Bridge school board member shows up for meeting. Here's what happened

OLD BRIDGE  The president of the Old Bridge teachers union is among those whove called on the school board member charged with stealing more than $50,000 from a PTA and a youth sports program to resign.

Board of Education member Leonardo Marchetta, who was in attendance at Thursday's school board meeting, and his wife Dana were charged April 8 by Old Bridge police with stealing $41,067.90 from the Grissom School PTA and its vendors, and $12,417.16 from the Rebels Football and Cheer Program.

Dana Marchetta, police said, was involved in the Grissom and Salk schools PTA organizations and the Rebels sports program, and allegedly misused her positions in the organizations for her own financial benefit.

Since then, there have been calls for Marchetta to resign his board seat.

"As an association we cannot help but notice Mr. Marchetta's alleged actions and the impact that these actions have had on our schools, our community and the board," said Andrew Lewis, president of the Old Bridge Education Association.

We hope that now is the time that members of the Old Bridge Board of Education will act in the best interest of Old Bridge students and the community at large and join us in calling for the immediate resignation of Marchetta, Lewis said.

Old Bridge Board of Education member Leonardo Marchetta at the April 25 school board meeting.

Several parents also called for Marchettas resignation.

At the April 16 school board meeting, Board Attorney Christopher Parton explained that the Board of Education currently has no authority to remove a fellow board member because he is innocent until proven guilty.

A board member cannot be removed after just being charged with a criminal offense, Parton said.

Marchetta has not been convicted, Parton said.

State law allows the removal of a board member following certain criminal convictions, he said.

However, a board member can be removed for other reasons.

Parton said meeting attendance requirements remain in place for all board members regardless of what they are alleged to have done.

However, Parton explained that the board can vote to remove a member after missing three consecutive meetings without "just cause or excuse" as determined by the other board members.

Marchetta did miss two consecutive meetings in a row but was in attendance at Thursday's meeting.

Marchetta's wife is charged with altering checks by falsifying signatures and modifying an Old Bridge Police Department Incident Report, which she then presented to the Salk PTA Board, police said. Police also allege that some of the stolen funds were deposited into her husband's personal accounts, and the two allegedly "conspired" to benefit from the stolen money.

She has been charged with seven counts of forgery, four counts of passing bad checks, three counts of theft by deception, two counts of theft, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, forgery by altering documents, public records fraud, falsifying records, money laundering, and conspiracy, police said.

Leonardo Marchetta has been charged with seven counts of passing a bad check, two counts of theft, theft by deception, and conspiracy, police said.

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

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

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Charged Old Bridge NJ BOE member attends meeting. Here's what happened
(Bloomberg) -- Shortly after 9 p.m. on Tuesday evening, New York City police officers entered a Columbia University building that pro-Palestinian demonstrators had barricaded themselves inside. Dozens of people were arrested and loaded into buses.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Protests sparked by the Israel-Hamas war have spread to university campuses across the US, with arrests last week at universities in Austin, Texas and California. Demonstrators are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza  where more than 30,000 people have been killed since October, according to the Hamas-run health ministry  and for schools to sever financial ties with Israel and halt disciplinary action against students. Campuses have long struggled with how to balance the right to free speech with the need for students to feel safe, and critics say the escalating protests have become disruptive and in some cases bigoted.

Police made arrests after entering the building, Hamilton Hall, through an upstairs window.

As arrests were made, some people were led away bound by zip ties.

Demonstrations continued in the streets around the university as police looked on.

As NYPD buses departed, protesters chanted shame on you.

The NYPD said the building had been cleared of protesters after about two hours. The university has asked police to remain on campus through May 17.

Read this next: Endowment Funds Are Not Going to Disclose and Divest

--With assistance from Kyoji Iwai.

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With assaults and robberies on the rise, postal workers rally in Baltimore for better protection

Increasingly fearful for their safety on the job, dozens of letter carriers rallied outside a Baltimore post office Tuesday afternoon for better protection.

Tony Vaughn, president of Baltimores chapter of the National Association of Letter Carriers, which represents around 3,000 letter carriers in the region, said over the past two years that there have been 14 robberies and assaults of letter carriers in Baltimore and an additional nine around the state, most at gunpoint.

In this job, you see the good and you see the bad and you get to know a community, said Vaughn, who has delivered mail in Baltimore for 39 years. But recently it has gotten more and more dangerous for us to try to do our jobs.

Brian Renfroe, national president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, and Donald Matson, president of the National Rural Letter Carriers Association, also spoke at the rally outside the post office on East Fayette Street in the Jonestown neighborhood.

The unions, which have organized similar rallies across the country in recent weeks, are backing the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act introduced in March by Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. The legislation would provide $1.4 billion a year to the postal services to install high-security collection boxes opened by electronic keys that letter carriers say would be faster and safer to use. The bill would also direct the U.S. attorney general to appoint assistant U.S. attorneys in all 94 U.S. judicial districts to lead investigations and prosecutions of crimes against postal service employees, assets and facilities.

Maryland Reps. Steny Hoyer and Glenn Ivey, both Democrats, have co-sponsored the bill.

Its not just happening in Baltimore City. Its happening all over the state, and were fed up, Vaughn said. We love our jobs. We love working for the postal service, but were fed up.
Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder and death. Reader discretion is advised.

In September 2013, authorities discovered the dead body of a 12-year-old girl named Asunta Fong Yang. Reports suggested that her body was found lying on a bed of pine needles. Moreover, there were mud stains on her sweatpants, with her T-shirt pulled above her stomach. During the investigation, police found startling details and ultimately focused their attention on Asuntas adoptive parentsRosario Porto and Alfonso Basterraas the prime suspects. The case of Asunta Fong Yangs brutal murder has recently been explored in Netflixs latest series, The Asunta Case.

Investigators sent her body for an autopsy and found high levels of lorazepam in her urine and blood, reported Forbes. The outlet noted that lorazepam was the main ingredient of the medicine Porto was consuming for her anxiety attacks. Subsequently, authorities found substantial evidence that led to the arrest of Rosario Porto. In the CCTV footage obtained by the police, Porto was seen driving her car with a girl sitting beside her. As a result, police apprehended Porto on the day of Asuntas funeral.

One day after Portos arrest, police arrested her ex-husband, Alfonso Basterra, for killing Asunta Fong Yang. In October 2015, the trial began, and the prosecution team presented evidence that pointed to Asuntas parents being responsible for her death. During the trial, the jury found Rosario Porto and Alfonso Basterra guilty of slaying Asunta Fong Yang.

According to TODAY, Basterra is currently booked at the Penitentiary Center of Teixeiro in northwestern Spain. Meanwhile, Porto died by suicide at Brieva Penitentiary in Avila.

Asunta Fong Yangs murder case explored

Police interrogated Rosario Porto after discovering Asunta Fong Yangs body. During the interrogation, she told the investigators that she left her daughter at her apartment in the evening while she went to the familys country house. Citing her statement, Forbes reported that Porto revealed that Asunta was nowhere to be seen when she returned home. However, the police acquired CCTV footage which showed Porto driving her car with a girl sitting beside her. The timestamp on the video proved that Porto lied about her movements.

During the trial, Porto failed to give a convincing answer when the prosecutors questioned her about her false statements. The Guardian reported that neither of the parents couldnt give a convincing reason for how their daughter consumed around 27 ground-up pills on the day of her murder. Moreover, the outlet stated that Basterra was able to get hold of over 170 Orfidal (or lorazepam) pills for 10 weeks, some of which were obtained without his wifes prescription.

Meanwhile, the prosecutors also claimed that one of Asuntas acquaintances saw the victim with her adoptive father on the day of her death. Forbes reported that Basterra initially told the police that he was alone in the house.

Per The Guardian, the jury deliberated for three-and-a-half days to deliver a guilty verdict. The court sentenced Rosario Porto to 18 years in prison for Asuntas killing, while Basterra received the same sentence.

The Asunta Case is available to stream on Netflix.

The post The Asunta Case: Where Are Asunta Fong Yangs Adoptive Parents Now? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Traffic flows on Interstate 35 through downtown Austin in August. The city envisions building large decks over a lowered I-35 with pedestrian walkways, bike paths and green space.

The Austin City Council on Thursday will consider applying for a federal infrastructure grant for proposed decks over a lowered Interstate 35 through Austin, exploring additional funding avenues to realize the city's estimated more than half-billion-dollar program.

The proposed decks  also referred to as "caps" and "stitches"  would span certain portions of the newly expanded highway, connecting parts of the city with new pedestrian walkways, bike paths and green space. City officials estimate the program, called OurFuture35, could create more than 30 acres of centrally located real estate and cost more than $800 million.

The city of Austin and the University of Texas, which is considering caps over I-35 between 15th and Dean Keeton streets, are facing Texas Department of Transportation-set deadlines to identify funding for elements of their plans. The deadline is a result of TxDOT needing to know whether to engineer parts of the highway to accommodate the decks as it starts construction to expand and widen I-35 through Central Austin later this year  an effort state highways officials say will last a decade and cost $4.5 billion.

A graphic shown to Austin City Council members at a March 19 workshop shows proposed "cap" and "stitch" locations over Interstate 35 in Central Austin.

The vote Thursday would direct city staff to apply for a $124 million grant to fund cap and stitches over I-35 and amenities at Holly Street, Fourth and Seventh and 11th and 12th streets, according to briefing documents for the City Council. The U.S. Department of Transportation grant would require a 40% local match, or roughly $82.6 million, meaning the city could net $206.5 million in total for the proposed decks.

The vote would mark the city's second run for federal funds. In March, the Department of Transportation announced it would award $105.2 million for the city's plans for a 5.3-acre cap over I-35 between Cesar Chavez and Fourth. The city's local match for this grant  part of the department's Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program  is $45 million.

More: TxDOT green-lights $4.5 billion I-35 expansion project through downtown Austin

Also in March, the city submitted an application seeking a 20-year loan for $191 million from the state's TxDOT-managed infrastructure bank for the program  an amount significantly higher than what the bank typically issues. This application has not yet been considered by the Texas Transportation Commission, a five-person body appointed by the governor to oversee TxDOT.

The city is banking on the funds from the pending state loan application. According to the briefing documents, city officials are proposing using a portion of the borrowed funds  nearly $82.6 million  to pay for the 40% local match for the $124 million grant the city is considering during the Thursday vote.

State infrastructure bank "funding would still fund the roadway support and other structural elements as described in the loan application, effectively leveraging those dollars for federal funding for additional decks and surface amenities," city officials wrote in the briefing materials, which recommend that the City Council approve sending the $124 million loan application.

Supporters see the proposed decks as a means to rectify the downsides of I-35 running through the city, including the bifurcation of Austin's neighborhoods. Critics say the infrastructure is too costly and would fall short of addressing the highway's lasting effects, particularly on East Austin.

More: Hundreds rally against TxDOT's plans to expand I-35 through Central Austin

In a memo to the City Council, Assistant City Manager Robert Goode said the city would submit the application Friday ahead of its May 6 deadline if the council votes to approve the move Thursday.

What will be built on the caps remains to be seen. City officials say community input will inform the city's planning decisions, including feedback garnered during a planned May 18 town hall. The city-hosted event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Austin Community College's Highland Campus, at 6108 Wilhelmina Delco Drive, in Building No. 2000.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin may seek $124M federal grant for decks over lowered I-35
Australia's national food standards agency is looking into the possible contamination of spices manufactured by Indian brands Everest and MDH.

In a statement sent to Just Food, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) said it was "working with our international counterparts to understand the issue with federal, state and territory food enforcement agencies".

FSANZ did not confirm how long it expected the process would take but noted it was necessary to decide whether "further action", such as a recall, was needed.

The move comes as food safety agencies in Hong Kong and Singapore issued recalls on three spice mixes from the brands last month.

Singapore has suspended the sale of an Everest fish curry mix, while Hong Kong has forbidden sales of the same product, as well as three MDH spice blends.

In a statement, the Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety said it had found traces of the pesticide ethylene oxide in samples taken from three retailers in its Tsim Sha Tsui district.

The Singapore Food Agency also said it found evidence of the chemical "at levels exceeding [the] permissible limit".

While ethylene oxide is allowed in the sterilisation of agricultural goods, it "is not authorised for use in food", said the Singaporean food safety body.

Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration also announced plans to investigate a potential contamination in Everest and MDH's spices sold in the country.

Speaking to the news agency Reuters, an FDA spokesperson said that the group was "aware of the reports and is gathering additional information about the situation".

Just Food has contacted the FDA for more information.

Everest is based in Mumbai, while MDH is headquartered in Delhi. Both produce blended and grounded spices, among other products, which are supplied worldwide.

MDH released a statement on X on Sunday (28 April), denying the contamination claims.

The ground spices producer said: "We clarify and state unequivocally that these claims are untrue and lack any substantiating evidence.

"Additionally, MDH has not received any communication from regulatory authorities of Singapore or Hong Kong. Our statement is further supported by the fact that nodal regulatory authorities such as the Spice Board of India and FSSAl have not received any communication or test reports from Hong Kong or Singapore authorities regarding this matter. This reinforces the fact that the allegations against MDH are baseless, unsubstantiated, and not backed by any concrete evidence."

Story continues

They added: "We reassure our buyers and consumers that we do not use Ethylene Oxide (ETO) at any stage of storing, processing, or packing our spices."

Everest did not respond to Just Food's request for comment at the time of writing.

"Australia assessing potential contamination of Everest and MDH Indian spices" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Its b******* and it shouldnt happen!: Mayor in Wisconsin gives emotional statements after four-year-old dies following hit & run

Editors Note: This article contains some quoted language that is considered vulgar in nature.

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WFRV)  Authorities in Wisconsin are investigating a hit-and-run that occurred on Tuesday morning, resulting in the death of a four-year-old girl.

At around 11:30 a.m. on April 30, officials in Milwaukee responded to Teutonia Avenue between Good Hope Road and Green Tree Road for a report of a hit and run causing injury.

Former Appleton Police Officer found guilty on forgery and misconduct charges

A preliminary investigation reveals a mother was crossing the street with her four-year-old daughter, and the two were hit by a vehicle. The mother suffered several broken bones, while the four-year-old child died from her injuries.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson addressed the media on Tuesday to talk about the incident and encouraged the suspect to turn themselves into the local authorities. Throughout the press conference, emotions ran high with Mayor Johnson.

Thing thing that pisses me off about this is when the vehicle struck that mother and stuck that child, who is now dead, they just kept on going as if they hit a pothole, or like they ran over a box, expressed Mayor Johnson. Like it was nothing.

Johnson continued voicing his frustrations by reminding the community that due to a lack of safe and attentive driving, the four-year-old girl will never finish kindergarten after having her life taken in a senseless way.

Officials are unaware if the driver of the vehicle was speeding during the hit-and-run, but they are still looking for a suspect.

When I got that information this afternoon, my jaw dropped to the floor, and I said, That is just straight b*******. That is straight garbage. It pissed me off. It pissed me off to no end that a mom was hurt and that a child is gone from this world because somebody decided to go down the street at whatever speed, regardless of speed it was, you hit human beings. You hurt people, and then you just left. You left. added Mayor Johnson.

Mayor Johnson pleaded with the suspect(s) to turn themselves in and do the right thing despite their initial reactions to the incident.

Im watching families over here with other little kids around that same age, and they dont deserve that, explained Johnson. They deserve to be able to go outside and play or cross the street with their parents without having to worry about somebody hitting them and then just leaving the scene. That is garbage. Its garbage! Its b*******! It should not happen.

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The Milwaukee Police Department expressed its condolences to the family and friends affected by this tragedy.

Police have recovered the vehicle involved, which was abandoned on the railroad tracks near 75th Street and Calumet Road. They continue investigating a potential suspect(s).

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
Baltic states' presidents encourage holding accession talks with Ukraine as they mark 20th anniversary of their EU membership

In a joint statement on the 20th anniversary of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia's membership in the EU, the presidents of the three Baltic states have called for intergovernmental conferences to be held with Ukraine and Moldova, and for accession negotiations to begin in June 2024.

Source: European Pravda, citing the text of the statement by Estonia's Alar Karis, Lithuania's Gitanas Nauseda and Latvia's Edgars Rinkevics.

Details: Karis, Nauseda and Rinkevics stressed that they are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia's accession to the European Union at a time when Russia's unprovoked and unjustified aggressive war against Ukraine serves as a reminder that peace in Europe cannot be taken for granted.

"We emphasise that international support remains crucial for Ukraine's victory. Ukraine is defending our democratic values today. We strongly support Ukraine in defending the rules-based world order," the presidents said.

They added that the Baltic states fought for a democratic choice in 1990-1991.

"Today, Ukrainians, Moldovans and Georgians are fighting for European values and the European family as their decisive choice. They have the same dream as we did back then... We strongly support those countries that share European values and the desire to be together," the statement reads.

The presidents vowed to support the candidate countries on their path to European integration and full membership in the European Union.

"We encourage the holding of intergovernmental conferences with Ukraine and Moldova and the start of accession negotiations in June 2024. The enlargement of the European Union has been a strategic political investment for the European Union with inexhaustible potential," the three Baltic presidents stressed.

Background:

On 1 May 2004, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the EU.

At the time of the accession of the 10 states, only 15 countries were members of the EU, so this expansion is called the "Big Bang".

On Tuesday, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of EU membership, 10 EU states raised the flags of these countries near the European Commission headquarters.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that her country's accession to the EU 20 years ago allowed it to help Ukraine today.

In his address on the 20th anniversary of Poland's accession to the EU, Polish President Andrzej Duda highlighted the positive aspects of membership but also made critical remarks on the eve of the European elections.

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The president of Barnard College lost a faculty-wide vote of no confidence on Tuesday, as criticism mounts over the schools response to a pro-Palestine encampment that has sparked a national movement and beckoned the political spotlight.

About 77 percent of participating Barnard faculty voted in no confidence on Tuesday against President Laura Rosenbury, the college confirmed to The Hill. The Columbia Spectator reported that it is the first no confidence vote against a president in the colleges history.

The move comes a week after the Barnard chapter of the American Association for University Professors (AAUP) unanimously recommended the vote, citing the colleges decision to suspend its students involved in Columbias Gaza solidarity encampment.

More than 50 students were suspended, among them the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who complained of poor and unfair treatment by college leadership.

I dont know when I can go home, and I dont know if I ever will be able to, Isra Hirsi told Teen Vogue last week, saying she had effectively been made homeless. I havent formally been evicted. I havent been sent a move out email, but theyve just said that I cant get in, whatever that means.

I have like four shirts, two pairs of pants. Only Barnard students are evicted, and I think its pretty crazy, she continued.

The AAUP recommendation was based on five claims, including a lack of care for students; poor governance with faculty; violations of academic freedom and the freedom of expression; administrative chaos at every level of the college; and a disregard for Barnard culture.

The college did not address the claims against Rosenbury in a statement to The Hill.

The Barnard College administration is aware of the recent faculty vote. We share their commitment to free speech and academic freedom, and to ensuring that students and faculty can engage in political expression within established rules and with respect for the safety of all, a college spokesperson wrote.

We are grateful to our faculty for providing such care and support for students all year, especially over the last few challenging weeks, they continued. The administration looks forward to engaging with faculty members as we continue working to ensure that Barnard remains a safe and inclusive community for all.

The no-confidence vote does not remove Rosenbury from the role, though it adds additional challenges to a university administration already under political pressure amid the protests. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have called on Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to resign if protests cannot be quickly quelled.

Columbia protesters moved to occupy a university building early Tuesday, causing school leadership to consider expulsions and legal action against the demonstrators.

Hundreds of students have been arrested nationwide in similar protests against the Biden administrations response to the Israel-Hamas war. The protesters have also generally demanded that their schools divest from Israeli interests and the defense industry.

This story was updated at 11:20 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Woman going into the bathroom

Colon cancer is relatively common in the U.S. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that it's the third-most common cancer (excluding skin) and more than 106,000 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2024 alone. The ACS notes that rates of new cases in people under 55 have been increasing by 1 to 2% each year. However, overall rates of colon cancer are decreasingin large part because more people are being screened and tweaking habits to reduce their risks.

Screening is vital for another reason: Early detection of colon cancer can save lives.

"If colon cancer is detected early, the majority of patients are cured and can have normal lives," says Dr. Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, a surgical oncologist and the chief of medicine and director of the Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Program at Providence Saint Johns Cancer Institute.

In addition to screening, flagging symptoms of colon cancer can also prompt early detection. Unfortunately, "Often, the symptoms of colon cancer are mistaken for other common things like Irritable Bowel Syndrome or hemorrhoids and then neglected," says Dr. Rosario Ligresti, MD, the chief of the Division of Gastroenterology at Hackensack University Medical Center.

Doctors shared signs of colon cancer to never, ever ignore, plus insights on treatment options and prognosis.

Related: The Simple Measurement You Can Use to Calculate Your Heart Disease Risk, According to Cardiologists

The Common Color Cancer Sign You Should Absolutely Pay Attention To

GI doctors caution against ignoring blood in the stool. "Blood in the stool is one of the more common symptoms of colon cancer in older patientsless so in younger patients," Dr. Ligresti says.

Why might colon cancer prompt blood in the stool? "As precancerous polyps, also known as adenomas, enlarge and become more abnormal and possibly progress towards becoming cancer, they require an increasing blood supply," explains Dr. Brooks Cash, MD, a gastroenterologist with UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann. "Because adenomatous and cancerous tissue is immature and abnormal in terms of their cellular structures relative to normal colon tissue, the blood vessels that supply these lesions are also abnormal and are more prone to leak blood that may be visible in the bowel movements."However, blood in the poop isn't always apparent.

"It may result in dark stools, but a small amount of blood will only be detectable with special stool tests that detect very small amounts of blood," Dr. Bilchik says.

In fact, by the time someone does flag blood in the stool, it may no longer be an "early symptom" of colon cancer. "Blood in the stool is a relatively late sign of colorectal cancer and does not present in every patient," Dr. Cash says.

Related: 3 Foods That Make It Ridiculously Hard to Lose Belly Fat, According to Obesity Medicine Docs

What Else Blood in the Stool Might Indicate

Noticing blood in your poop may be alarming, and understandably so. While it can be an early (or later) symptom of colon cancer, it may not be. "More commonly, it is due to lesions near the bottom of the colon, such as hemorrhoids or small tears called fissures," Dr. Ligresti says. "It also could be coming from the urinary tract or vagina, which can sometimes be confused as rectal bleeding."

Dr. Bilchik says that blood in the poop that is related to hemorrhoids is typically bright red. Regardless, this sign shouldn't be brushed off. "Visible red blood in the stool is known as hematochezia and should never be ignored," Dr. Cash says.

Other Potential Signs of Colon Cancer

Blood in the stool is one potential sign of colon cancer, but it's not the only one to flag. Dr. Cash says other symptoms of colorectal cancer include:

Unintentional weight loss

Abdominal pain

A change in bowel habits

Signs that may be because colorectal cancer spreads to other organs beyond the colon, like seizures with brain metastases or fractures with bone metastases

Dr. Ligresti agrees that colon cancer signs aren't always GI-related, explaining, "Younger patients also present commonly with unexplained anemia and associated fatigue. This might be hard to distinguish from anemia due to menstrual issues and, as always, check with your doctor. It is not normal to be anemic."

There's also a chance that you'll have no symptoms at all. "People may have no symptoms at all, hence the importance of screening everyone over age 45, regardless of symptoms," Dr. Bilchik says.

Related: 'I've Studied Longevity for 30 YearsThese Are the 5 Foods to Avoid if You Want to Live to 100'

Treatment and Prognosis for Colon Cancer

It can't be said enough: "If you notice blood in your stool, you should contact your healthcare provider and discuss your symptoms," Dr. Cash says. "You may need to undergo an examination of the colon known as a colonoscopy."

A colonoscopy is used to screen for colorectal cancer and other causes of blood in the stool. "If a precancerous polyp is found during a colonoscopy, it can often be removed, as can some colorectal cancers, depending on their size and location," Dr. Cash explains.

Dr. Bilchik says surgical removal is generally the recommended route, sharing, "The best chance for cure is surgical removal. Chemotherapy, biological therapy and radiation therapy are often used in combination with surgery to improve the chances for cure. Depending on the presentation, these treatments can be given before or after surgery."

During the process, you'll likely have a large team of experts working to help you achieve the best outcomes. "Colon cancer is best treated by a team of doctorsgastroenterologists, surgeons, oncologists and radiation specialists," Dr. Ligresti says.

And again, there's good news regarding colon cancer's prognosis if it's caught early enough.

"Early colorectal cancer that is detected before it has spread through the wall of the colon or to other organs has a five-year survival of more than 90%," Dr. Cash says. "The most advanced colorectal cancer is stage 4 and is identified when the cancer has spread to other organs. Stage 4 colorectal cancer has a five-year survival of less than 15%."

Next up: Do You Have 'Popcorn Brain'? Here's the #1 Sign That You're Suffering From This Common Condition

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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)  The Baton Rouge Police Department made an arrest in connection to an April deadly shooting on Scotland Avenue.

Police said that Michael Thomas, 51, died after a shooting at the Kangaroo Express on Scotland Avenue on April 22.

Police said a second victim, a 51-year-old woman, was hit by a stray bullet in the 1900 block of Bradfield Avenue. She was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Man dies after shooting at Baton Rouge gas station, EBRSO says

Authorities arrested Alvin Mott Jr., 27, after a standoff in Baker on April 30. Police charged him with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and illegal use of a firearm.

Mott was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

According to court documents, Mott previously pleaded guilty to domestic abuse battery  the victim is pregnant in connection to an incident that took place in August 2023. Mott was placed on supervised probation for three years, according to court documents

If anyone has information on a crime in Baton Rouge, contact police or Capital Region Crime Stoppers at 225-344-7867 or make an anonymous tip online.

Latest News

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to BRProud.com.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  The San Francisco Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting that occurred in the Bayview District on Monday night. Officers responded at around 9:33 p.m. to a shot spotter activation in the area of 3rd and Quesada.

San Jose brothel busted, man arrested for pimping

Arriving on the scene, SFPD officers found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers rendered aid and CPR. Paramedics responded and also rendered aid. Despite the efforts of first responders and medical personnel, the victim was pronounced deceased at the hospital.

The SFPD Homicide Unit is now leading the investigation, police said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS)  A Beckley man pleaded guilty to a federal drug crime on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

34-year-old Michael Dwayne Kelly II, of Beckley, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin.

Mercer County woman faces multiple charges after shooting man

According to court documents, Kelly sold around 6.9 grams of fentanyl for $700 to a confidential informant at his house in Beckley on January 27, 2022. Kelly acknowledged his involvement in the sale, and that on February 20, 2022, he also sold about 28 grams of fentanyl for $500 to the confidential informant.

A search warrant was carried out by law enforcement officers on February 17, 2022 at Kellys house in the Beckley area of Raleigh County. Multiple drugs, including 27 grams of heroin, 189 grams of fentanyl, and 56 grams of cocaine were discovered, as well as four handguns and $13,046. Kelly revealed that he planned to distribute the drugs throughout southern West Virginia.

Mercer County woman charged with Second-Degree Murder

Kellys sentencing is scheduled for August 23, 2024, and he faces up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years of parole, and a $1 million fine.

Co-defendant 31-year-old Savannah Elizabeth Todd, of Beckley, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine and heroin on March 1, 2024 and still awaits sentencing.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Will Thompson, who thanked the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for their work on the investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
New Bedford area housing issues play into a 'dream' for housing at UMass Dartmouth forum

DARTMOUTH  A newly created state agency charged with the Herculean task of addressing the state housing crisis has taken to the road to seek input.

The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities was established in 2023 by Gov. Maura Healey to create more homes and lower housing costs to state residents.

Secretary Ed Augustus and agency officials are making 14 stops around the state to solicit feedback by folks in the front lines dealing with housing issues, which is, preeminently, a lack of housing.

Their third stop was UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday to discuss South Coast housing issues.

Augustus said the input will be used in developing a state housing plan, which is something that hasn't been done in 40 years.

Eric Shupin, Chief of Policy Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities speaks at one of the fourteen regional listening sessions held at UMass Dartmouth. Behind him a chart outlining the impact affordable housing has had on the SouthCoast.

Healey signed an executive order that the agency create a statewide housing plan every five years.

Augustus said they wanted to consider the different regional housing needs through these sessions.

The stakeholders with agencies providing housing  or attempting to provide housing  were asked after an opening introduction to participate in discussion groups.

They were asked their dream/vision for Massachusetts housing, what was working in their communities, what challenges they faced, and what strategies they would like to see explored.

Fair and affordable housing for all was a recurrent answer  it's just the way to accomplish that goal that can appear elusive.

Shelly Correia, Director of the Harbor House, and Rev. David Lima, Executive Director of Inter-Church Council of Greater New Bedford, place their notes on the "What is your dream for housing in Massachusetts" during one of the fourteen regional listening sessions held at UMass Dartmouth, hosted by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

Among the issues:

The lack of housing stock.

The lack of affordable housing stock.

What is affordable housing - what is termed affordable is not affordable to many.

The lack of a reliable safety net for people who suddenly lose their housing.

The lack of help for medium income people. They make too much money to qualify for aid but too little for what's on the market.

Permitting can be difficult and expensive, especially for smaller developers.

Eric Shupin, Chief of Policy Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities speaks at one of the fourteen regional listening sessions held at UMass Dartmouth.

The South Coast numbers compiled by the agency are daunting.

One out of seven households are "severely" cost burdened and spend more than half their income on rent and utilities.

Those numbers are even higher in New Bedford - one in five, or 8,000 households.

And it's worse for renters. One in four South Coast renter households are severely cost burdened.

The problem is exacerbated by historically low vacancy rates. Across the South Coast region, only 1.3% of homes are available for sale or rent.

Eric Shupin, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities policy chief, promoted the $4.1 billion Affordable Homes Act filed by Healey. It would be the largest such investment in the state's history, he said.

The plan will fund or enable the creation of more than 40,000 homes that otherwise would not be built, including 22,000 new homes for low-income households and 12,000 new homes for middle-income households, according to the governor's office.

Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, Edward Augustus, speaks at one of the fourteen regional listening sessions held at UMass Dartmouth, hosted by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

It also includes 28 policy proposals that can help address some of the challenges discussed, Shupin said.

The agency's next stop will be in Brockton Friday. It will wrap up the 14-stop series in June on Martha's Vineyard.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: State agency visits UMass Dartmouth to discuss housing solutions
A British man who wreaked havoc on a United Airlines flight, forcing the flight crew to divert their landing location, must pay over $20,000 to the airline, prosecutors announced.

The charges stem from a March 1 flight that departed from London, when passenger Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, 30, "began arguing with his traveling companion and causing a disturbance," according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"When flight attendants asked MacDonald to be quiet and attempted to calm him, he became belligerent, threatening and intimidating towards them," prosecutors said.

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Despite an international purser onboard the flight attempting to intervene, MacDonald continued to be "belligerent and intimidating" toward the official as well, according to prosecutors.

In the release, DOJ noted that MacDonald threatened to "mess up the plane" amid the altercation.

PHOTO: United Airlines aircraft as seen flying over London, Aug. 2022. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Due to the continued disturbance, flight crew restrained MacDonald in flex cuffs, and the flight diverted from the original destination of Newark, New Jersey, to Bangor, Maine, prosecutors said.

The U.S. District Court in Bangor sentenced MacDonald to time served after being in custody since the March 1 incident and ordered him to pay United Airlines $20,638.00 in reimbursement for the flight diversion.

When the flight landed in Maine, MacDonald and his companion were removed from the aircraft and arrested by local officials, United Airlines said in a statement at the time.

MORE: Airlines required to refund passengers for canceled, delayed flights

The airline noted that both passengers appeared to be intoxicated during the altercation.

The FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Bangor Police Department investigated the case, according to prosecutors.

The Federal Aviation Administration reports there have been 649 incidents of unruly passengers in 2024.

"The rate of unruly passenger incidents steadily dropped by over 80% since record highs in early 2021, but recent increases show there remains more work to do," FAA officials said in the report.

'Belligerent' man ordered to pay United Airlines $20K for flight diversion: DOJ originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
This Bergen County office received so many incorrect calls, they changed their name

HACKENSACK  Bergen County's Department of Human Services will rename two offices to help residents better connect with child care, early intervention and child development services.

The countys Office for Children will become the Division of Childcare Resources, and the Office of Special Child Health Services will become the Office of Child Development.

The name changes have been floating around for a while because they dont encapsulate what the division does, said Jared Lautz, deputy chief of staff for the Bergen County executive. We want to make it more clear on what these departments do. They provide critical services to children, and if you dont know the name and what they do, its hard to find.

Bergen County Administration Building One Bergen County Plaza on Aug. 19, 2016.

The former names felt like the services were being kept a secret, Lautz said, and the hope is that the name changes will help parents who are looking for these services. The names that offer a better description of the services will also make it easier when applying for grants to help fund future programs and additional services, Lautz said.

The name changes will be slowly rolled out over the next couple of months and have already changed in the county directory. Both the old and new names will also be used during the transition.

What services do they provide?

The Division of Childcare Resources, formerly known as the Office for Children, helps connect families with quality, inclusive child care and provides support for the child care community with education and training.

The division was created in 1980 by the Bergen County Board of County Commissioners, known as freeholders at the time. The child care office has three primary functions, which include providing referrals to parents seeking child care, connecting low- and moderate-income families to child care subsidies, including the Child Care Assistance Program, and providing regulatory support for family child care providers.

The Division of Childcare Resources can be reached at 201-336-7150. Julie OBrien is its director.

Bergen County Administration Building One Bergen County Plaza on Aug. 19, 2016.

The one thing we found is people calling thought it was a catch-all for child services, so we had to divert them, said Melissa DeBartolo, director of human services. Were hoping the name change clarifies the child care resources and the special education ones. Hopefully, now, with the name changes, people will know exactly what these groups are doing.

The Office of Child Development, formerly the Office of Special Child Health Services, helps families meet the developmental and health-related needs of children from birth to 21 years who have delays or disabilities by providing education and support services. The program coordinator for the Office of Child Development is Erin Beischer, who can be reached at 201-634-2621.

More: Bergen County Police Academy has reopened. See what's changed

The office houses the Early Intervention Service Coordinator Unit and the Special Child Health Services Case Management Unit. The early intervention unit provides referral services to those with infants and toddlers (up to the age of 3) who are experiencing problems or delays with development.

Those who believe their child is not meeting developmental milestones can call for an early intervention evaluation at 888-653-4463.

The special child health services unit in the Office of Child Development serves as the Bergen County branch of the state Health Department, which operates in each of New Jerseys 21 counties.

More: Bergen County Prosecutor's Office takes over Hackensack police internal affairs bureau

The state-funded program promotes access to preventive and primary care for children with special health care needs from birth until their 22nd birthday.

Bergen County has two permanent case managers who have worked with more than 7,688 children and their families to provide information and referrals based on the results of a needs assessment. The unit can be reached at 201-634-2621.

These two measures provide clarification and will further help residents connect with child-specific resources they need by creating greater transparency and ease of access, Bergen County Executive James Tedesco said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen County Department of Human Services renames 2 child resources
Revenue: Reported at $2.6 billion, surpassing the estimated $2.412 billion.

Net Loss: Recorded at $113 million, significantly above the estimated net loss of $75.53 million.

Earnings Per Share (EPS): Reported a loss of $3.21 per share, falling short of the estimated loss of $2.40 per share.

Liquidity: Ended the quarter with approximately $0.7 billion in liquidity and an additional $3.8 billion of fleet funding capacity.

Adjusted EBITDA: Achieved $12 million, indicating resilience despite a challenging quarter.

Fleet Management: Disposed of a record number of vehicles to align fleet size with demand, maintaining utilization in line with the previous year.

Debt Management: Well-laddered corporate debt with no significant maturities until 2027 following the repayment of euro notes in April 2024.

Avis Budget Group Inc (NASDAQ:CAR) disclosed its first quarter financial results for 2024 on May 1, revealing a challenging quarter despite robust travel demand. The company reported revenues of $2.6 billion and a net loss of $113 million, underperforming against analyst expectations of a net loss of $75.53 million and estimated revenues of $2412.88 million. The detailed financial outcomes can be viewed in their 8-K filing.

Avis Budget Group Inc (CAR) Reports Q1 2024 Earnings: Misses Analyst Revenue and Earnings Estimates

About Avis Budget Group Inc

Avis Budget Group Inc is a leading global provider of mobility solutions, operating under well-known brands such as Avis, Budget, and Zipcar. The company primarily serves North America, Europe, and Australasia directly, while operating through licensees in other parts of the world. Avis targets premium commercial and leisure travel segments, Budget focuses on value-conscious customers, and Zipcar offers car-sharing services.

Quarterly Performance Insights

The first quarter saw Avis continuing to benefit from strong travel demand, particularly in the Americas, where rental days increased by 5% compared to the first quarter of 2023. Despite this, the company faced a significant net loss, which CEO Joe Ferraro attributed to strategic fleet adjustments and vehicle disposals aimed at aligning fleet size with market demand. These steps, according to Ferraro, are foundational for capitalizing on the upcoming peak travel seasons.

Financial Challenges and Strategic Adjustments

While Avis experienced a lift in travel demand, the financial results tell a story of significant challenges. The Adjusted EBITDA for the Americas stood at $44 million, a stark contrast to the previous year's $516 million, illustrating the financial pressures despite top-line growth. Internationally, the company reported an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $15 million, further highlighting the global challenges faced.

Story continues

Analysis of Financial Statements

The income statement reflects a stark downturn, with a net loss of $113 million compared to a net income of $312 million in the same quarter last year, a decline of 136%. This was accompanied by a diluted loss per share of $3.21. The balance sheet shows a slight decrease in cash and cash equivalents from $555 million at the end of December 2023 to $522 million as of March 31, 2024. Total corporate debt increased, indicating higher leverage, which could concern investors about the company's financial health amidst uncertain economic conditions.

Investor and Market Implications

The first quarter results of Avis Budget Group Inc reflect a complex scenario where increased travel demand does not directly translate into financial success. The company's strategic decisions in fleet management and cost adjustments are critical in navigating through the financial turbulence. Investors might remain cautious, watching closely how Avis leverages its operational strategies against ongoing economic pressures and competition within the mobility industry.

Conclusion

As Avis Budget Group Inc navigates through these challenging times, the focus remains on strategic adjustments and operational efficiency. The company's ability to adapt to market demands while managing financial health will be crucial for future stability and growth. Stakeholders and potential investors are advised to keep a close watch on the company's forthcoming quarterly performances and strategic initiatives.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from Avis Budget Group Inc for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)  Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education officials released a statement Tuesday, April 30 in support of Attorney General Liz Murrills decision to challenge recent revisions to Title IX.

Murrill spoke about the new Title IX rules with Gov. Jeff Landry and State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley in a press conference on Monday, April 29. They want to stop new rules being added to Title IX that give protections to transgender students that they feel put women in harms way.

BESE President Ronnie Morris, Vice President Lance Harris and Secretary-Treasurer Stacey Melerine said in a statement that they fully support the decision to sue the Biden administration in response to its radical changes to Title IX.

Louisiana attorney general, superintendent file lawsuit against new US Title IX rules

The officers of BESE fully support the states decision to sue the Biden administration in response to its radical changes to Title IX. Since its inception, Title IX has ensured protections for generations of girls and women in educational environments, resulting in greater equity and opportunity regardless of biological sex. Stretching the interpretation of gender discrimination beyond that which is grounded in clear biological fact undermines the original intent of Title IX, is inconsistent with its historical application, and endangers equal opportunity for females. The leadership of BESE stands with the Governor, Attorney General, and State Superintendent in this action. BESE leadership

Other attorney generals who have joined Louisiana include Idaho, Mississippi and Montana. Rapides Parish has also joined the lawsuit.

Livingston Parish Schools wont change Title IX plan after updates from US DOE, state superintendent

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to BRProud.com.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  Mothers Day is just around the corner, but the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be wary of scams when buying gifts  especially last-minute items like flowers and jewelry.

Scammers anticipate that people will look for last-minute Mothers Day gifts online, and they can try to trick buyers with phony deals. Before you buy, check the legitimacy and reliability of the business, said Claire Rosenzweig, President & CEO of the BBB Serving Metropolitan New York. See what others have reported to BBB about a florist or jeweler before you order.

JetBlue giving away hotel stay, flights to Bermuda during NYC pop-up

The agency says the best way to tell if the agency is legitimate is to check for online reviews and their rating here.

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
David Burr demonstrates removing leaves on marijuana plants to allow more light for growth at Essence Vegas 54,000-square-foot marijuana cultivation facility on July 6, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The Biden administration plans to remove marijuana from a list of the most dangerous and highly regulated drugs, the Department of Justice said Tuesday night.

The Drug Enforcement Administration will propose moving the drug from a Schedule I substance, which also includes heroin and methamphetamine, to Schedule III, which is the category for regulated-but-legal drugs including testosterone and Tylenol with codeine.

Today, the Attorney General circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, DOJ spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement to States Newsroom. Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act.

Cannabis has been listed as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act since 1971, even as many states have moved to legalize recreational use for more than a decade and medicinal use for even longer.

State-legal marijuana businesses make up a multibillion-dollar industry, but the illegal status of the drug under federal law creates barriers unseen by other industries, including a lack of access to banking and the inability to deduct business expenses from taxes.

Social justice advocates have also noted that prosecutions for marijuana-related crimes have hurt communities of color. Many of those convicted for offenses related to marijuana have not benefited from the recent decriminalization in many states.

Moving cannabis to Schedule III would allow a more permissive approach to the drug, including permitting greater study of medicinal uses and allowing related businesses to use a common tax deduction.

Schumer praises development

Congressional leaders on the issue and other advocates of changing marijuanas status welcomed the news Tuesday afternoon, even as they called for further action.

It is great news that DEA is finally recognizing that restrictive and Draconian cannabis laws need to change to catch up to what science and the majority of Americans have said loud and clear, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

The New York Democrat added that other legislation, including bills to provide cannabis businesses with greater access to banking and to completely delist the drug, is still needed.

Congress must do everything we can to end the federal prohibition on cannabis and address longstanding harms caused by the war on drugs, he said.

Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat from Colorado who was the states governor when it and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational use in 2012, said the news was welcome but did not go far enough.

Rescheduling marijuana is a step in the right direction. But  just a step, he posted to X. Marijuana should be DEscheduled altogether.

The states current Gov. Jared Polis, also a Democrat, cheered the move in a written statement.

I am thrilled by the Biden Administrations decision to begin the process of finally rescheduling cannabis, following the lead of Colorado and 37 other states that have already legalized it for medical or adult use, correcting decades of outdated federal policy, Polis said.

This action is good for Colorado businesses and our economy, it will improve public safety, and will support a more just and equitable system for all.

The U.S. Cannabis Council, a business group, applauded the expected change.

The move was based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services research and would have myriad benefits for business, Executive Director Edward Conklin said in a written statement.

The update would put marijuana on a path to full legalization and make it easier for state-legal businesses to run profitable operations, he said.

Moving to Schedule III represents a tectonic shift in our nations drug laws. The US Cannabis Council is committed to ending federal cannabis prohibition, and we believe that reclassification is a necessary and critical step toward that goal, he wrote. In the coming days, we will submit comments to the DEA in support of the proposed rule.

Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.

This report has been updated to include a Tuesday night announcement by the Department of Justice about federal marijuana regulations.

The post Biden administration to greatly ease marijuana regulations appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
The DEA is proposing to reform its classifcation of marijuana as one of the nation's most dangerous drugs. - Credit: Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images

The federal government is on the verge of a landmark retreat from the reefer-madness hysteria that has defined the Drug War since its inception more than 50 years ago.

The Drug Enforcement Agency is moving to strike cannabis from the top tier of prohibited substances  Schedule I, the same as heroin  and classify it, instead, as Schedule III, reserved for drugs with moderate to low potential for addiction. The news was broken by the Associated Press yesterday, and the Department of Justice confirmed Tuesday evening that the attorney general was circulating a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.

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According to industry experts and advocates, the proposal is at once historic  and a half-measure, which keeps the federal government in the business of criminalizing a drug that 24 states (plus D.C.) have now made it legal for adult recreational use, much like alcohol. Reformers reacted to the news with notes of praise and calls for the White House to take the bolder step of removing pot from the schedules of the Controlled Substance Act altogether. Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat from California  the first state to legalize medical cannabis, back in 1996  lauded the move as a historic step in the right direction but insisted that anything short of treating marijuana like alcohol falls woefully short of remedying the harms of the racist War on Drugs.

The proposed re-scheduling of pot would drop marijuana below Schedule II, a class that includes deadly fentanyl and addictive cocaine, and place it on par with substances like ketamine and testosterone. The change will not be immediate, however. The proposal by the Department of Justice will be subject to public comment, before being ultimately enacted, by rule, through the Department of Health and Human Services. It is unclear if this is feasible to accomplish before the November election.

Still a Crime

The DEAs rescheduling of cannabis will not end or alter marijuana-specific federal penalties, including quantity-based mandatory minimum sentences, according to the Congressional Research Service. Nor will it affect the criminal records of those whose lives have already been disrupted by the Drug War.

But this change would have a significant impact on cannabis commerce. A provision of the tax code (known as 280e) bars businesses that traffic in Schedule I and Schedule II substances from taking tax deductions for routine business expenses. This has resulted in state-legal cannabis enterprises facing punishing IRS levies  while providing perverse incentives for black market operators to remain in the shadows.

Schedule III drugs are unaffected by that provision  meaning pot businesses could soon be getting a massive tax break. The National Cannabis Industry Association touted that re-scheduling would bring federal tax parity to state-legal cannabis businesses, with CEO Aaron Smith adding that moving marijuana out of its absurd classification finally recognizes the therapeutic value of pot long recognized by doctors and millions of medical cannabis patients.

Undoing Dark History

The DEA move would correct a half-century-old travesty. Marijuana has been listed as a Schedule I substance since the enactment of the Controlled Substances Act in the early 1970s. But there has never been sound science for legally equating the psychoactive cannabis plant and highly addictive drugs like heroin.

And from the beginning, draconian treatment of pot was tainted by the prejudice of the Drug Wars architect, president Richard Nixon, who sought to wield the power of the state against disfavored groups including people of color, hippies, and Jews, with whom the public associated with the drug. (A rabid antisemite, Nixon complained to his chief of staff, in a recorded 1971 White House conversation, that every one of the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana is Jewish. And he vowed: By God, we are going to hit the marijuana thing, and I want to hit it right square in the puss.)

Classifying cannabis as a Schedule I drug meant that it was deemed to have no medicinal value and a high potential for abuse. This designation created a Catch 22; research of Schedule I drugs is tightly restricted, effectively blocking studies that might have demonstrated pharmacological benefits of pot or offer a more honest accounting of the drugs harm profile.



American voters have long called bullshit on such Drug War fanaticism. Since the mid 1990s, citizen-led ballot initiatives and popular state legislatures have rebuffed the DEA by creating regimes for the distribution of medical marijuana across 38 states  with doctors recommending the drug to treat everything from insomnia to glaucoma.

Will Young Voters Care?

The political dimensions of the decision are potentially significant. The high-profile move to relax the DEAs stance on marijuana  which the administration previewed in 2023  is the latest in a string of marijuana reforms the administration hopes will curry favor with younger voters. While Biden was an eager drug warrior during his career in the Senate, the 46th president has already moved to pardon and expunge the federal and D.C. convictions of Americans convicted for simple pot possession, and encouraged governors to take similar measures.

But the Biden proposal stops well short of the full rescheduling of marijuana that progressive lawmakers have pressed the administration to adopt  which would allow marijuana to be treated like beer and liquor. And it keeps the White Houes out of step with public opinion: A record 70 percent of Americans now favor full legalization of cannabis for adult use

A January letter drafted by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and signed by majority leader Chuck Schumer among other Democrats, details the faults of keeping pot under the regime of the Controlled Substances Act. These defects include perpetuating the harms of prohibition, among them, prison sentences, fines, and asset forfeiture as well as the potential denial of naturalization and green cards to recent immigrants. Re-scheduling also does nothing to address what lawmakers call the growing inconsistency between federal and state law on regulating medical and recreational cannabis.

Is Anybody Happy?

The rescheduling of marijuana, however, is already looking like the kind of split-the-baby compromise that will find few cheerleaders  outside of pot businesses getting tax breaks, that is. It still provokes the ire of drug warriors, and does not satisfy the social justice aims of progressives.

In the wake of the DEA announcement, Chelsea Higgs Wise, the Executive Director of Marijuana Justice, derided the governments long history of targeted enforcement of marijuana laws that has left communities of color disproportionately harmed. She added that re-scheduling only brings benefits to businesses through tax relief, while our loved ones are left with the guarantee of repetitive surveillance, imprisonment, and collateral consequences.

Kevin Sabet served in the Office of National Drug Control Policy under Democratic and Republican presidents. He now heads Smart Approaches to Marijuana (and still serves as a director of the DEA Educational Foundation), and has become one of the most prominent voices against the recreational legalization of cannabis. Sabet blasted the decision as a political statement that only helps the addiction industry. He alleged the Biden administration had unilaterally reversed decades of precedent in the face of volumes of data confirming marijuanas harmfulness, while adding that raw, crude marijuana isnt medicine because its popular.

By contrast, executives for marijuana firms could almost be heard clinking their pot pipes. This is a major milestone for a marginalized industry thats been fighting for recognition, said John Mueller, Founder & CEO of Greenlight, a vertically integrated marijuana business with 28 dispensaries across five states. Were more than ready to be recognized as a legitimate industry on its way to becoming a $50 billion market, he said, adding: Its about time we embraced progress and leave outdated practices behind.

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Biden administration said to be on the verge of easing marijuana regulations

David Burr demonstrates removing leaves on marijuana plants to allow more light for growth at Essence Vegas 54,000-square-foot marijuana cultivation facility on July 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

David Burr demonstrates removing leaves on marijuana plants to allow more light for growth at Essence Vegas 54,000-square-foot marijuana cultivation facility on July 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The Biden administration plans to remove marijuana from a list of the most dangerous and highly regulated drugs, according to multiple media reports Tuesday.

The Drug Enforcement Administration will propose moving the drug from a Schedule I substance, which also includes heroin and methamphetamine, to Schedule III, which is the category for regulated-but-legal drugs including testosterone and Tylenol with codeine, The Associated Press reported.

A spokesperson for the DEA referred questions Tuesday to the U.S. Justice Department, which oversees the agency. A Justice spokesperson declined to comment.

Cannabis has been listed as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act since 1971, even as many states have moved to legalize recreational use for more than a decade and medicinal use for even longer.

State-legal marijuana businesses make up a multibillion-dollar industry, but the illegal status of the drug under federal law creates barriers unseen by other industries, including a lack of access to banking and the inability to deduct business expenses from taxes.

Social justice advocates have also noted that prosecutions for marijuana-related crimes have hurt communities of color. Many of those convicted for offenses related to marijuana have not benefited from the recent decriminalization in many states.

Moving cannabis to Schedule III would allow a more permissive approach to the drug, including permitting greater study of medicinal uses and allowing related businesses to use a common tax deduction.

Schumer praises development

Congressional leaders on the issue and other advocates of changing marijuanas status welcomed the news Tuesday afternoon, even as they called for further action.

It is great news that DEA is finally recognizing that restrictive and Draconian cannabis laws need to change to catch up to what science and the majority of Americans have said loud and clear, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

The New York Democrat added that other legislation, including bills to provide cannabis businesses with greater access to banking and to completely delist the drug, is still needed.

Congress must do everything we can to end the federal prohibition on cannabis and address longstanding harms caused by the war on drugs, he said.

Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat from Colorado who was the states governor when it and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational use in 2012, said the news was welcome but did not go far enough.

Rescheduling marijuana is a step in the right direction. But  just a step, he posted to X. Marijuana should be DEscheduled altogether.

The states current Gov. Jared Polis, also a Democrat, cheered the report in a written statement.

I am thrilled by the Biden Administrations decision to begin the process of finally rescheduling cannabis, following the lead of Colorado and 37 other states that have already legalized it for medical or adult use, correcting decades of outdated federal policy, Polis said.

This action is good for Colorado businesses and our economy, it will improve public safety, and will support a more just and equitable system for all.

The U.S. Cannabis Council, a business group, applauded the expected change.

The move was based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services research and would have myriad benefits for business, Executive Director Edward Conklin said in a written statement.

The update would put marijuana on a path to full legalization and make it easier for state-legal businesses to run profitable operations, he said.

Moving to Schedule III represents a tectonic shift in our nations drug laws. The US Cannabis Council is committed to ending federal cannabis prohibition, and we believe that reclassification is a necessary and critical step toward that goal, he wrote. In the coming days, we will submit comments to the DEA in support of the proposed rule.

The post Biden administration said to be on the verge of easing marijuana regulations appeared first on Kansas Reflector.
Whats happening

In each presidential election for the past 50 years, the two leading candidates  with the occasional addition of a third-party challenger  have faced off in person on the debate stage.

This year may be different, though. While both President Biden and Donald Trump say they intend to keep that tradition alive, theres still plenty of reason to question whether there will be any debates before voters cast their ballots in November.

Biden gave the clearest indication yet of his willingness to debate Trump during an interview with broadcaster Howard Stern on Friday, saying hes happy to do it. That statement marked a shift from his previous position, which was that the likelihood of debates depends on [Trumps] behavior.

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Trump has been hectoring Biden for weeks to commit to debates, insisting that hes eager to do it ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE. Hes also called for as many as seven debates and says he wants them to start much earlier than they typically do, which is usually in the last two months before election day.

But there are still major issues to sort out before debates can happen. Both candidates would have to agree on the rules, format and moderators  which may be a tall task, given how contentious arguments over those things got during the 2020 election.

Biden and Trump took part in only two of the three scheduled debates last time round because Trump, who had COVID at the time, refused to participate remotely in the second debate, forcing it to be canceled. Organizers were compelled to introduce a mute button for the final debate to prevent Trump from interrupting Bidens answers, which he had done relentlessly in the first debate.

Trump has persistently accused the Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan group that has planned the events since the 1980s, of being biased against him. Those complaints helped inspire the Republican National Committee to withdraw from the commission two years ago. Trump also declined to participate in any of the debates during this years Republican primary.

Why theres debate

Theres a lot of disagreement among political experts over how much debates influence the outcomes of presidential elections, but this is the first time in modern history that anyone has had to consider what it would mean if they didnt happen at all.

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Many commentators argue that a lack of debates could be especially risky for the 81-year-old Biden because it could feed the perception that hes not up to the task of serving another four years. At the same time, though, Trump might miss out on the opportunity to put Bidens energy level and mental aptitude to the test on a huge national stage.

But others make the case that the pitfalls of debating may be even more perilous for both candidates. They argue that while a solid performance could help ease concerns about Bidens age, a single ill-timed mental slipup could be devastating for his campaign. Trump  who, at 77, faces his own questions about his age  also faces the danger of coming off as erratic or poorly suited for the presidency if he loses his cool, especially in the likely event that moderators press him on his legal troubles or his lies about the 2020 election.

Whats next

With several months before the first planned presidential debate, which is scheduled for Sept. 16, it may be some time before it becomes clear if both campaigns will formally agree to debate. Another significant unknown is whether independent candidate and vaccine conspiracist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be able to satisfy the commissions qualification rules and earn himself a spot on the stage alongside Biden and Trump.

Perspectives

One big mistake on the debate stage could crater Bidens chances

Bidens handlers are probably worried that hell look old and unsteady  or, worse, make some gaffe that reminds everybody of what they dont like about him.  Bill Cotterell, Tallahassee Democrat

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Trump risks exposing his own shortcomings in an unfriendly debate environment

When Trump claims that hes ready to debate Biden, dont believe him. In attempting to show on a debate stage that Biden allegedly lacks the mental fitness to be president, Trump would inevitably prove just how morally and temperamentally unfit he himself remains for the job.  Renee Graham, Boston Globe

Refusing to debate would feed into Bidens biggest political weakness

Biden wont take that bait, but if he truly wants to debate, he should formally agree to somewhere, sometime, someplace. Otherwise voters might decide Mr. Trump is right about him.  Editorial, Wall Street Journal

Swing voters really do need the debates to help inform their decisions

Its part of the campaign cadence that people come to expect, so if they were not to happen, there would certainly be a void especially for  people who havent made up their mind, those coveted swing voters, they wouldnt be able to hear from those candidates on a national stage.  Jordan Fabian, Bloomberg

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Neither candidate has much to gain by debating

The idea of a Biden versus Trump debate seems like a bad idea for all who would be involved. Biden looks and sounds significantly older  and frailer  than he did during the two 2020 presidential debates. The physical contrast wont help Biden.  Its hard to see how [Trumps] participation in a debate would help him appeal to suburbanites and swing voters. Those voters tend to want someone who is measured and thoughtful, two words rarely associated with Trump.  Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call

Biden should agree to debate only if real rules are in place to keep Trump in control

Biden has the leverage here. And he should use it. Let Trump grumble and groan for a while about debates. Keep the focus where it should be for now, on holding him accountable in court. Then, offer to debate only if Trump concedes to a new and improved set of strict and enforceable rules that empowers that mute button if he tries his old tricks. Because he will. He always does.  Chris Brennan, USA Today

Biden shouldnt participate in a forum that treats Trump as just any other candidate

Imagine watching the debate with the sound offwhat would you see? Two men, both identified as president, standing side by side, receiving equal deference from some of the most famous hosts and anchors on American television. The message: Violence to overthrow an election is not such a big deal. Some Americans disapprove of it; others have different opinionsthats why we have debates. Coup detat: tip of the hat? Or wag of the finger?  David Frum, Atlantic

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The debates would inevitably become a mess that makes this election even more depressing

If televised Biden-Trump debates should happen, voters and the world at large would observe a series of consultant-driven cheap shots, tall tales, angry rhetoric and incoherence.  The chaotic display would simply demoralize an already disgruntled electorate that is starving for sanity in the political process.  Jeffrey M. McCall, The Hill

Debates wont really matter, whether they happen or not

With most voters destined to be locked into Biden or Trump by late summer, how they rise or fall in debates is unlikely to flip decisions about how they are going to vote.  Stuart N. Brotman, Post and Courier

Both candidates are posturing to avoid looking like theyre ducking the debates

That would be a catastrophic mistake for whoever proposes it first or whoever walks away from it. There is a general expectation that if youre running for president, youre going to debate so that the American public can evaluate candidates side by side or three candidates side by side by side.  Chris Kofinis, Democratic strategist, to NBC News
Joe Biden is looking at resettling displaced Gazans with family members who are US citizens or permanent residents - Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Joe Biden is considering plans to allow some Palestinians fleeing the war in Gaza to enter the United States as refugees.

White House officials have in recent weeks been talking about options to resettle displaced Gazans with family members who are US citizens or permanent residents, according to government documents seen by CBS News.

The move would put the Biden administration at odds with his 2024 presidential rival Donald Trump, who has pledged to bar entry of all refugees from Gaza.

One of the proposals being considered involves using the decades-old United States Refugee Admissions Program to provide a lifeline for Palestinians with US relatives, who have managed to escape war-torn Gaza and enter neighbouring Egypt.

Officials have also discussed how to help additional qualifying Palestinians get out of Gaza and process them as refugees, the documents show.

American citizenship

Refugee status would be dependent on passing a series of eligibility, medical and security screenings.

It offers the beneficiaries permanent residency in the US, resettlement benefits such as housing assistance and, ultimately, a path to American citizenship.

The eligible population is expected to be relatively small and the plan would require coordination with Egypt, which has so far refused to take in large numbers of refugees from the latest Gaza conflict.

Palestinian officials claim Israels military campaign  in retaliation to the Hamas attack of Oct 7  has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza and displaced hundreds of thousands of residents.

Without addressing the specifics of any refugee plan, a White House spokesman told CBS News that the US has helped more than 1,800 American citizens and their families leave Gaza, many of whom have come to the United States.

They added: At president Bidens direction, we have also helped, and will continue to help, some particularly vulnerable individuals, such as children with serious health problems and children who were receiving treatment for cancer, get out of harms way and receive care at nearby hospitals in the region.

The US Department of Homeland Security and the State Department are yet to comment on the refugee plan.

Shift in government policy

Carrying out any plan to resettle eligible Gazans as refugees would mark a shift in US government policy, which has not traditionally assisted Palestinians in large numbers.

According to CBS, the US has resettled more than 400,000 refugees fleeing violence and war across the globe over the past decade but fewer than 600 were Palestinian.

In 2023, the US welcomed 56 Palestinian refugees, 0.09% of the more than 60,000 refugees resettled during those 12 months, according to State Department data.

If the plan to increase that number goes ahead, it is likely to provoke strong criticism from Republicans ahead of Novembers election.

Mr Trump told a rally in Iowa last October that he would not allow refugees from Gaza to enter the US and he intends to reintroduce a Muslim travel ban  enacted during his presidency  if he wins another term at the White House.

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President Biden will speak next week on Capitol Hill about the rise of antisemitism, tackling an issue that has been intertwined with ongoing protests on college campuses over Israels war in Gaza.

Biden will deliver the keynote address at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museums annual Days of Remembrance ceremony, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

He will discuss our moral duty to combat the rising scourge of antisemitism, and how his administration is implementing a national strategy to combat hate against Jews, she said.

Those remarks will come as protests across the country over the war in Gaza have reached a boiling point, with the White House and lawmakers criticizing aspects of those demonstrations as promoting antisemitism.

The president, in some of his only public comments on the protests, told reporters last week that he condemned antisemitism, as well as those who did not understand what was happening with Palestinians in Gaza.

The Anti-Defamation League has reported an enormous spike in antisemitic incidents in the aftermath of Hamass Oct. 7 attack, and the Biden administration has taken steps to try to mitigate the resulting threats against Jews.

Israel has carried out military operations in Gaza following last Octobers terrorist attacks by the Palestinian militant group that killed roughly 1,000 Israelis. But tens of thousands of Palestinians have died in the subsequent fighting and shelling in Gaza, and the war there has created a humanitarian crisis as citizens are left without access to adequate food, water and medicine.

The Associated Press reported that roughly 1,000 individuals have been arrested on college campuses amid ongoing protests over the war in Gaza, most notably at Columbia University, where police moved to forcibly clear protesters from a campus building late Tuesday.

Biden has tried to walk a careful line, defending Israels right to respond to Hamas and repeatedly condemning antisemitism in the wake of the attack. But, at the same time, he is also calling for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza and urging the country to do more to protect civilians.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Biden bashed Floridas new abortion ban, arguing former President Trump is worried about voters holding him accountable for it in November.

The law went into effect Wednesday, after Floridas state Supreme Court ruled in early April to allow a six-week abortion ban already approved by the state Legislature.

There is one person responsible for this nightmare: Donald Trump. Trump brags about overturning Roe v. Wade, making extreme bans like Floridas possible, saying his plan is working brilliantly, Biden said in a statement. He thinks its brilliant that more than four million women in Florida, and more than one in three women in America, cant get access to the care they need.

Trump is worried the voters will hold him accountable for the cruelty and chaos he created. Hes right, the president added.

The Biden campaign also released a video Wednesday criticizing Trumps comments in a recent Time interview, during which he said it should be up to individual states whether to monitor pregnancies and whether to prosecute women for having an abortion.

There seems to be no limit to how invasive Trump would let the states be, Biden said in the video. This should be a decision between a woman and her doctor, and the government should get out of peoples lives.

Vice President Harris is set to travel to Florida on Wednesday to further criticize the new abortion law, which Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed last April, and to seize on Trumps comments.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) labeled it Trumps Extreme Florida Abortion Ban and squarely blamed the former president and his fellow MAGA extremists for women in Florida losing abortion access.

We know that if reelected, Trump would take his dangerous anti-freedom agenda even further by banning abortion nationwide  with or without the help of Congress, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said.

Our freedoms are on the line in this election and voters know that President Joe Biden is the only choice in this election who will fight to protect their freedoms, not strip them away, he added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Usually, when one insider buys stock, it might not be a monumental event. But when multiple insiders are buying like they did in the case of Avon Protection plc (LON:AVON), that sends out a positive message to the company's shareholders.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

See our latest analysis for Avon Protection

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Avon Protection

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by CEO & Director Mark Sclater for UK212k worth of shares, at about UK7.00 per share. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (UK11.96), we still think insider buying is a positive. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price.

While Avon Protection insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Avon Protection is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Have Avon Protection Insiders Traded Recently?

Independent Non-Executive Director Victor Chavez bought just UK236 worth of shares in that time. That's not much at all. So it is hard to draw any conclusion about how insiders are feeling about the stock, from these recent trades.

Does Avon Protection Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. From looking at our data, insiders own UK2.3m worth of Avon Protection stock, about 0.7% of the company. We prefer to see high levels of insider ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Avon Protection Insiders?

Insider purchases may have been minimal, in the last three months, but there was no selling at all. Overall the buying isn't worth writing home about. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. The transactions are fine but it'd be more encouraging if Avon Protection insiders bought more shares in the company. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Avon Protection you should be aware of.

Story continues

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden desperately needs Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire, a first step toward resolving a conflict that has shaken the region and harmed his chances of reelection.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Under a fresh proposal for a six-week fighting pause, Israeli hostages would return home, an assault on Rafah would be put on hold and aid could flood into Gaza to relieve human suffering. That could accelerate talks on a long-desired normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia and deflate anti-Israel protests on college campuses that carry political risk for Biden.

If negotiations collapse, Biden could face an increasingly grim scenario. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would likely move ahead with a Rafah invasion, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. It would also complicate progress toward Saudi-Israeli ties  killing a top foreign-policy goal  and demonstrators could escalate their tactics and disrupt Bidens renomination at this summers Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Asked Tuesday what would happen if there is no deal, White House spokesman John Kirby said, there just has to be.

Israel has fought a nearly seven-month war in Gaza after Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the US, invaded the country and killed 1,200 people and abducted 240. Authorities in Hamas-run Gaza say more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war.

The war has become one of the biggest drags on Bidens bid for a second term. The presidents handling of the conflict has come under attack from both sides of the political spectrum and polls show voters have lost confidence in his approach.

The war was Bidens worst-rated issue in a new CNN poll, with 71% of respondents saying they disapprove of how hes handling it. That includes more than eight in 10 adults under the age of 35  a group Biden needs in order to defeat Republican Donald Trump in November.

This week could mark a turning point for the conflict  and for Biden. The sides are the closest they have been to a deal since a week-long pause in November, with negotiators in Cairo weighing the Israeli offer. The White House is moving with urgency to ensure an agreement is reached. Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel would invade Rafah with or without a deal.

Shuttle Diplomacy

Biden has spoken by phone since Sunday with Netanyahu, as well as the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, who are helping mediate talks. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, appearing in Riyadh, urged Hamas to accept the agreement.

The administration signed a letter with 17 other countries pressing Hamas to immediately release hostages. The US and its allies have also warned the International Criminal Court about issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials that could jeopardize negotiations, according to people familiar with the matter.

If talks fall through, youd have to hang a kind of closed-for-the-season sign on US efforts to change the picture in Gaza and to do it reasonably soon for any number of reasons: for policy reasons, for moral reasons and, of course, for political reasons, Aaron David Miller, a former State Department Arab-Israeli negotiator, said Monday on Bloomberg Televisions Balance of Power.

Campus Chaos

Intensifying protests on college campuses nationwide have further exposed disagreements among Democrats. Party members have squabbled over protecting free-speech rights for those concerned by the plight of Gazans and acknowledging the fears of Jewish students who say they are threatened by antisemitic slogans and intimidation.

Those tensions flared on Tuesday when New York City police officers removed pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had occupied a building at Columbia University. Clashes broke out early Wednesday at a separate protest at UCLA in Los Angeles.

If the protests continue, it could fracture the Democratic Party at a time when Biden needs it to be unified  and for progressives to cast ballots for his reelection. Representative Ro Khanna, a top progressive Democrat, urged students at a Wisconsin university last week to back Biden despite any reservations about the war in Gaza.

Whether that message resonates remains to be seen, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another leading progressive, said Tuesday. It is very, very difficult to have any sort of conversation about voting or elections when young people are seeing other young people in Gaza die every day on their cell phones.

Earlier: Turn Down the Ivy League? Students Consider the Once-Unthinkable

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with progressive Democrats on Capitol Hill Tuesday to discuss their concerns about Gaza.

Republicans have sought to capitalize on the protests, using them to paint a picture of a nation in chaos under Bidens rule. House Speaker Mike Johnson staged a press conference at Columbia last week to call for the resignation of the university president, an appearance aimed at suburban parents who are crucial to deciding the outcome of the November election.

On Tuesday, Johnson announced a US House-led crackdown on antisemitism spreading on college campuses, including an expansion of investigations of university administrators.

Trump on Tuesday night called into Fox News as police were entering the campus of Columbia, offering live commentary of the event and suggesting that Biden had permitted the erosion of bipartisan support for Israel.

Biden has to do something, Trump said. Biden is supposed to be the voice of our country  and its certainly not much of a voice.

Taking over buildings is wrong and hate speech and hate symbols have no place in America, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.

--With assistance from Courtney McBride, Joe Mathieu, Kailey Leinz, Sana Pashankar, Hadriana Lowenkron, Christian Hall, Skylar Woodhouse and Jennifer Jacobs.

(Updates with additional context, background in paragraphs 3, 5)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
President Joe Biden is facing pressure from Republicans to more forcefully speak out on the college protests unfolding nationwide in connection to the Israel-Hamas war.

The campus unrest has created a political opportunity for Republicans, typically fractured on a number of issues but united against university leaders and as staunch supporters of Israel, to hold Biden's feet to the fire as he navigates a divided Democratic caucus.

"When will the president himself, not his mouthpieces, condemn these hate-filled little Gazas?" GOP Sen. Tom Cotton said on Wednesday alongside other Republican senators at a news conference on Capitol Hill.

MORE: Speaker Johnson, House Republicans ramp up criticism of 'out of control' college protests

Biden himself last commented on the matter on April 22, when he said he condemned the "antisemitic protests" and also those who "don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians."

The White House announced on Wednesday that Biden will deliver a major speech on antisemitism next week at U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's annual Day of Remembrance Ceremony, but went to great lengths to avoid answering why he hasn't addressed what's played out at college and university campuses in recent days.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks before signing a $95 billion Ukraine aid package that also includes support for Israel, Taiwan, and other allies, in the State Dining Room of the White House, April 24, 2024. (Evan Vucci/AP)

"The president is being regularly updated on what's happening," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday during the daily briefing. "He is monitoring the situation closely. So is his team. And I would just add that no president, no president has spoken more forcefully about combating antisemitism than this president."

Jean-Pierre pointed to Biden's past comments condemning antisemitism, including his sharp denouncement of the clash between white nationalists and counterprotesters that occurred in Charlottesville in 2017, a moment he's said prompted him to run for president.

Jean-Pierre also indicated Biden has not spoken to officials from the universities, telling ABC News White House Correspondent Karen Travers she had no calls to read out or share.

MORE: What to know about 'outside agitators' cops say are co-opting Columbia protests

Peppered with questions about what Biden thought about recent developments, including the New York Police Department clearing protesters from Columbia University and reports of violence at UCLA, Jean-Pierre deferred to local officials and reiterated Americans have the right to peacefully protest -- though she made clear occupying a building does not meet that definition.

Americans "have the right to peacefully protest, as long as it's within the law and that it's peaceful," she said. "Forcibly taking over a building is not peaceful. It's just not. Students have the right to feel safe, they have the right to learn, they have the right to do this without disruption ... They have a right to attend their commencement without feeling unsafe."

PHOTO: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, May 1, 2024. (Bonnie Cash/Reuters)

Meanwhile, congressional Republicans are ramping up their rhetoric this week on the protests and against the administration.

House Republicans on Tuesday announced a coordinated effort among committee chairs to investigate how university leadership has dealt with the protests. Notices have gone to the presidents of Yale, UCLA and the University of Michigan to appear before the Education Committee on May 23.

Senate Republicans joined in the criticism on Wednesday with a press conference of their own on the college protests, which they painted as "chaos."

PHOTO: Sen. Tom Cotton accompanied by Sen. Joni Ernst and Sen. Roger Marshall, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, May 1, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The college protests had been largely peaceful for weeks, officials said, but intensified recently following arrests and clashes at some schools. Officials in New York said protesters unaffiliated with Columbia University have been escalating violence.

Pro-Palestinian students and protesters have called for their colleges to divest from funding Israeli military operations amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Some Jewish students have called the demonstrations antisemitic and said they fear for their safety.

Republican senators called for various responses, including that the federal government revoke student visas for overseas students involved in protests and that the Education Department investigate and possibly withhold funding to schools if they can't protect students.

MORE: Protests engulf Columbia University and other campuses with encampments, arrests

"We're serious about this," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the chamber's top Republican. "We're going to take a look at what legislatively we might do to deal with this problem."

Biden was also a target of GOP remarks, some of whom suggested he was acting out of political calculus.

"Why are the university presidents and why is this president turning his head from the violent crimes going on?" said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan.

"He is catering to a handful of votes in Michigan," Marshall said. "He is totally politically driven rather than doing the right thing."

ABC News' Mariam Khan contributed to this report.

Biden faces pressure from Republicans to speak out on college protests originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
President Joe Biden donned his press critic cap at last weekends White House Correspondents Dinner to lecture the reporters and editors who cover him on how to cover the 2024 presidential campaign.

Hewing to WHCD tradition, Biden delivered a jokey, self-effacing talk that speared his main opponent  former President Donald Trump  with gags and exaggerations. Yes, age is an issue. Im a grown man running against a six-year-old, Biden said to guffaws and applause. But then, at the three-quarters mark in his 10-minute address, Biden modulated to a more serious tone. He accurately cited Trumps ambitions to become a dictator and serve as his supporters retribution and revenge.

We have to take this seriously. Eight years ago, you could have written off it as just Trump talk. But no longer. Not after January 6th, Biden said. He continued.



Im sincerely not asking of you to take sides but asking you to rise up to the seriousness of the moment; move past the horserace numbers and the gotcha moments and the distractions, the sideshows that have come to dominate and sensationalize our politics; and focus on whats actually at stake. I think, in your hearts, you know whats at stake. The stakes couldnt be higher.

It was a discordant note. Was there anybody in the audience who hasnt been taking Trump seriously? Which mainstream publication represented in the crowd has failed to smother Trumps resurrection and authoritarian bluster with seriousness? (No, Fox News doesnt count.)

As described by the president, either youre covering the campaign seriously  meaning reporting out how dangerous Trump is  or youre covering it frivolously by publishing and analyzing poll data, or revealing the Biden administrations mistakes, or publishing stories that embarrass the administration. What rankles is the way he presented this false choice as an either-or proposition.

To cut Biden some slack, perhaps his declaration was rhetorical, crafted to elicit more and more seriousness from the press corps during the campaign, and whats the harm in that even if the seriousness tank is already filled to brimming?

What doesnt deserve slack is the jawboning contained in Bidens speech, asking the press to eschew horserace numbers and the gotcha moments and the distractions and the sideshows and to focus on whats actually at stake.

For a politician to ask the press to downplay the horserace when politicians rank among the most dedicated clients of pollsters oozes hypocrisy. To disdain gotcha moments when every campaign deploys them against opponents is more of the same. As for distractions and sideshows, every political campaign known to mankind  including Bidens  exploits distractions and sideshows to its advantage.

Again, you cant fault Biden too much for urging the press to choose broccoli over Pop-Tarts this year. But what can a journalist, serious or otherwise, say except, Why not both? As long as the press covers how violently Trump has broken with normal politicking and governance  and it has  that shouldnt bar the same newsrooms from reporting polls, mistakes, scandals and other worthy stories that politicians like to erase by labeling them as distractions from whats important.



Bidens jawboning, and thats what it is, shares a lot with that of other presidents. Lyndon Johnson used to call network news executives and yell at them about the way they covered the news. Richard Nixon assigned Spiro Agnew to school the press on how to cover the presidency. George W. Bush sandbagged the press. Barack Obamas administration engaged in day-to-day intimidation of sources, said Washington Post Executive Editor Sally Buzbee when she was the Washington bureau chief of the Associated Press. Trump, well, no hyperlinks are required to make the case against him. His administration set jawboning and harassment records. And Biden is so press averse that members of his own party have begged him to spend more time with reporters.

At the risk of misinterpreting Bidens either-or commandment, he seems to be saying two things. The first is, Get off my back. Dont pester me about my physical frailty  leave my son, Hunter, alone  explain to voters how good the economy is and how they shouldnt be so unappreciative of me  because all of these topics are gotchas and sideshows. For seconds, Biden appears to be asking the journalists at the WHCD, Which side are you on? If youre not covering the campaign according to my playbook, which will amplify my virtues, then youre somehow enabling Trump. Do even Bidens speechwriters believe this formula?

No president seems able to accept that the press, in all its variety and nonpartisan and partisan forms, strives to remain independent from the tidal forces of politics. A politically damaging news story about Politician A is not ordinarily designed as a political favor to Politician B, even if Politician B has announced his dictatorial ambitions. Nor does such a story automatically convey a measure of equivalence between Pols A and B. You would think that after a lifetime-and-a-half in politics, Biden would intuit this and would have hardened his glass jaw.

Bidens call for the press to pay more attention to the stakes  a concept popularized by New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen  seems anodyne. Like seriousness, who is against covering the stakes when one of the two candidates promises deportation camps, monitoring of womens pregnancies, possible pardons for January 6th rioters and criminal prosecutions ordered from the Oval Office, as Trump did in Time magazine this week. As much as the stakes matter, they arent the only thing worth reporting.

Furthermore, Bidens sweeping accusation that stakes-neutering sensationalism has blinded the press from what a second Trump term might become cant be supported by the facts. In addition to the Time piece, the New York Times reported what a second Trump administration would look like in December and just began a podcast series highlighting it. The Atlantic magazine published a special issue on the topic in January. POLITICO filed such a piece in February. New York got there, too. And so on.

Theres been no shortage of stakes reporting, something the president would know if he talked to more reporters, rather than deploying only the usual surplus of press bashing. The president has no case.

******

In 2015, I dissected Hillary Clintons career-long use of the distraction accusation to blunt criticism of her. Send distractions to Shafer.Politico@gmail.com. No new email alert subscriptions are being honored at this time. My Twitter and Threads accounts crave sensationalism. My defunct RSS feed says this election should be about the steaks.
Bidens FY25 budget cuts missile defense when we need it more than ever

Despite the incredible performance of missile defenses in Ukraine, Israel and the Red Sea over the past 12 months, the Biden administrations fiscal 2025 defense budget cuts missile defenses.

This is a mistake. Given the rising threat from missiles and drones  coupled with the effectiveness of missile defenses  the United States should be expanding its missile defense capabilities, not cutting them.

Indeed, autocrats increasingly are relying on a combination of missiles and drones to attack their enemies. From Russias unrelenting air campaign against Ukraine, to the strikes on Israel from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, to the Houthi missile strikes on civilian shipping, missiles are becoming an increasingly central component to fighting forces around the world.

In all of the above instances, however, integrated air and missile defenses have proved capable of intercepting a high percentage of missile salvos, saving countless lives in the process and denying the autocrats battlefield success.

Should the United States need to defend Taiwan or another ally from a Chinese attack, missile defenses will almost certainly be of paramount importance, given that China has one of the largest missile arsenals on the planet.

Why, then, did the Department of Defense propose cutting the U.S. Missile Defense Agencys budget by over $400 million in FY25, when it was supposed to increase its budget by $560 million according to the FY24 defense budget? Why is the Biden administration seeking to cut missile defenses by $2.6 billion over the next five years, as Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., recently pointed out?

When asked about these reductions in congressional testimony, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for space and missile defense, John Hill, noted that the Defense Department must pay bills, to include payroll increases, health care and child care. In other words, the Biden administration is cutting combat-proven missile defenses to pay for noncombat operations.

Given the deteriorating security environment, it would seem that cutting missile defenses is the exact wrong thing to do at this point.

One could argue (correctly) that budget caps are in place, which forces the department to make hard choices. This is certainly true: The 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act does cap discretionary spending, but given the temperature in Congress on the need to increase military lethality, it is entirely possible that both parties could either amend the act or seek cuts in other places.

In addition, while the FY25 defense budget proposal continues to support the integration of partner missile defenses with U.S. missile defenses, while it sustains research and development funding for joint air and missile defenses, it actually slows the fielding of a glide-phase intercept capability for hypersonic missile threats from a 2030 prototype development to a 2034 delivery.

In real terms, President Joe Bidens new budget only funds building 12 SM-3 IIA missile interceptors and cuts production on the SM-3 IB missile interceptor  the preeminent ballistic missile defense interceptors built today.

Such a small purchase of interceptors is wildly insufficient for the emerging missile threat environment in which Russia, the Houthis and Iran are increasingly reliant upon missiles and drones in their attacks.

Indeed, only a few weeks have passed since Israel, along with American, European and Arab partners, intercepted a salvo of over 300 Iranian ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and long-range drones. American warplanes and surface vessels  likely firing Standard Missile-3 missile interceptors  contributed significantly and even achieved the first exo-atmospheric ballistic missile intercept during combat conditions. In total, reports suggest that the coalition intercepted upward of 99% of the threats.

Twelve more missile defense interceptors are not nearly enough to present a credible missile defense architecture in the Western Pacific, given that China is building thousands of missiles with a variety of ranges and capabilities. Such missile salvos from China have the potential to overwhelm current defenses on U.S. and allied bases as well as carrier strike groups across the region.

Thats why the United States should be expanding  not shrinking  theater missile defenses regionally and missile stockpiles across priority theaters of operation.

Indeed, should the United States or one of its allies ever be on the receiving end of a Chinese missile salvo akin to what Israel received, such SM-3 interceptors may be the difference between life and death for many Americans  literally.

With that in mind, Congress should pass a defense budget that includes funding for a credible missile defense architecture capable of replicating the recent successes seen in Israel in other theaters of operation, especially in the Western Pacific. While child care and payroll increases are no doubt important, they shouldnt come at the expense of weakening our defenses from the kind of missile barrage that are becoming increasingly commonplace on the modern battlefield.

Robert Peters is a research fellow for nuclear deterrence and missile defense at the Heritage Foundation think tank. He previously served as the lead strategist at the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
What happens to Texas weed after the Biden Justice Department loosens federal pot rules?

In Reality Check stories, Star-Telegram journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Read more. Story idea? RealityCheck@star-telegram.com.

News that the Biden Justice Department is looking to loosen federal rules on marijuana, possibly reclassifying the weed as a lesser drug, brought new hope to many who want pot decriminalized.

In Texas, where the substance is still illegal, advocates for pot were cautiously optimistic.

Ive heard it so many times, I try not to get too hyped up until it happens, said Peyton Merrell, US Weed Investing CEO and founder. Because, you know, blood pressure.

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In the halls of Congress, the reaction from Democrats were unsurprisingly effusive.

It is great news that DEA is finally recognizing that restrictive and draconian cannabis laws need to change to catch up to what science and the majority of Americans have said loud and clear,Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., told Rollcall.com.

The fight to legalize recreational marijuana has been a slog since Colorado and Washington first passed legislation in 2012 to make pot lawful. Still, issues of banking, cultivation and transport have made the lucrative weed sector a tough business to manage.

The proposed rule changes could open the door for Congress to write laws that would allow financial institutions to serve cannabis operations and to remove the drug entirely from the federal drug schedule.

There is clear support for legal marijuana use among Americans, according to Gallup.com, with the strongest proponents coming from self-identified liberals (91%) and Democrats (87%). The lowest support was among conservatives (52%) and Republicans (55%). Support is inversely correlated with age, reaching 79% among 18- to 34-year-olds. Still, among the oldest age group, nearly two-thirds (64%) are in favor.

Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. Its time that we right these wrongs, President Joe Biden said in a statement in 2022, telegraphing his intentions on marijuana. Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit.

The Justice Department is recommending a reclassification of cannabis from a Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 drug, according to the New York Times. The move would position cannabis alongside other Schedule 3 drugs such as ketamine and testosterone, and out of Schedule 1, which is used to classify drugs the government sees as more addictive.

This is the same schedule as for heroin and LSD, and even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetamine  the drugs that are driving our overdose epidemic, President Biden said.

If adopted, what will the pot rule changes truly mean for Texas?

Well, not much. Weed is still unlawful to possess and use, according to Texas law.

State law is tough on marijuana offenses. Fines can run in the thousands, plus years in jail. Heres how the penalties shake out for marijuana possession:

2 ounces or less  Class B misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $2,000 and up to 180 days incarcerated.

2-4 ounces  Class A misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $4,000 and up to one year incarcerated.

4 ounces to 5 pounds  State jail felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and 180 days to 2 years incarcerated.

5 to 50 pounds  3rd degree felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and two to 10 years incarcerated.

50 to 2,000 pounds  2nd degree felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and two to 20 years incarcerated.

2,000 pounds or more  1st degree felony with a maximum fine of $50,000 five to 99 years incarcerated.

The penalties for selling marijuana are:

7 grams or less for no remuneration  Class B misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $2,000 and up to 180 days incarcerated.

7 grams or less  Class A misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $4,000 and up to a year incarcerated.

7 grams to 5 pounds  State jail felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and 180 days to two years incarcerated.

5 to 50 pounds  2nd degree felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and two to 20 years incarcerated.

50 to 2,000 pounds  1st degree felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and five to 99 years incarcerated.

2,000 pounds or more  Enhanced 1st degree felony with a maximum fine of $100,000 and 10 to 99 years incarcerated.

The Texas Department of Public Safety operates an online registry of physicians who prescribe low-grade cannabis to people with epilepsy, cancer, autism and other conditions. Finding a physician to prescribe low-THC can be found by searching the DPS website.

Talk of changing federal marijuana rules brings hope to Texas pot proponents

The news of adjusting how the federal government sees pot brings new hope to a fledgling movement in Texas to see pot decriminalized  a possible light at the end of a long and hazy tunnel. How it all shakes up is still anyones guess.

But if the government does reclassify marijuana, Merrell, the staunch supporter of legal pot, said hell be the first person to shout from the rooftops.

I dont think its gonna happen, he said. If it does happen, youll hear from me.

In Texas, a pie in the sky gambit to change minds on legal pot

As dozens of investors earlier this year gathered in conference rooms at a Richardson co-working space to explore the economic benefits of cannabis, CBD proponents are banking on the promise of free-flowing tax dollars to make the legalization of marijuana a more palatable dream for Texas.

While recreational pot is still outlawed in the state, hemp and CBD in its many forms are legal, as is medicinal marijuana.

If theyre not opening the floor for legislation for us now, it doesnt matter, Merrell said. Were just gonna open up CBD stores and kick the door down.

If the legal CBD market can quickly scale up its reach, the thinking goes, the state could no longer stay blind to the potential revenue legal marijuana can generate. Merrell and his cohorts are hoping the growth can convince a skeptical legislature to ride pots lucrative gravy train.

The plan is predicated on saturating the CBD market to show cannabis lucrative side. The success other states have had with lawful recreational marijuana has infused the group in Texas with the confidence that a blueprint has already been drawn. It is now a matter of executing the plan.

Take California, where residents voted to legalize recreational marijuana usage in 2016. The first recreational marijuana sale wouldnt come till 2018, but ever since, the Golden State has been rolling in cannabis tax revenue.

In 2018, California raked in over $400 million in cannabis tax revenue. The highest yearly revenue generated from the tax came in 2021 at over $1.3 billion, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.

Only the first three quarters of cannabis tax revenue generated in 2023 have been reported, but in total, California has collected nearly $5.5 billion since 2018.

The economic windfall is obvious from what other states are now raking in. Merrell hopes Texas takes note.

It will force lawmakers to do something, Merrell said. If they dont, were taking Texas tax dollars over and over.

This was the message Merrells Cannabis Gala shared with potential investors at the Jan. 13 gathering.

To sweeten the pot, so to speak, organizers brought a bit of Hollywood smoke to the gathering, teasing the opening later this year of a Cheech and Chongs Cannabis Company storefront in Mansfield. DRMZ Investments, who manages cannabis brands such as CBD Pros, is responsible for the brand associated with the big screen stoner duo played by Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong in movies such as 1978s Up in Smoke.

If we can make sure that everyone in Texas knows that you can get high off CBD and we can do that by slapping Cheech and Chongs on the logo, [lawmakers] have no choice, Merrell said. Theyre either going to lose tax dollars or make the state recreational.
As protests and attempts to quell them spread from New York to Los Angeles and many states in between, President Joe Biden finds himself caught in a series of political and diplomatic crosscurrents without an easy solution.

He is opposed to lawlessness and the takeover of campus buildings and has strongly condemned dark instances of antisemitism. But he is also mindful of students right to protest, even when the anger is directed at his own policies toward Israel.

At the same time, he is navigating a highly sensitive moment in the Gaza war, as officials pursue a fresh proposal to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. The plan, if agreed to, would result in a temporary pause in the fighting  an outcome some Biden advisers hope could lower the temperature at home.

For the president, the dueling domestic and foreign policy challenges have imposed a unique burden six months before the election. Its a rare moment that puts the demand for strong presidential leadership at odds with empathy, a trademark of his public persona.

The Biden campaign is closely watching the protests unfold, particularly those in battleground states, and advisers are keenly aware of the domestic political consequences of the administrations policy toward Israel but remain hopeful the crisis in the region eases by the fall.

If politics was driving this, the president obviously would have changed course months ago, a senior Democratic adviser told CNN, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic inside the campaign. But there is not a simple political solution to this. Its driven by complex policy decisions without easy answers.

One of the biggest worries, the president has told allies, is the impact of images of disorder on campuses and cities across America.

So far, Biden himself has said little about the unrest that has gripped certain college campuses. He told reporters at an Earth Day event on April 22 that he condemned antisemitism, but also those who dont understand whats going on with the Palestinians.

The comment, which drew accusations of both-sides-ism from some Republicans, was his last public remark on the matter. Since then, Biden has avoided questions about the protests. The administration position on the unrest has been conveyed through spokespeople and in written statements instead, and Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have tried calling the president out on the issue, even saying this week Biden should visit a college campus.

The White House on Wednesday sought to answer questions about Bidens relative silence by pointing to his condemnation of antisemitism.

No president, no president has spoken more forcefully about combating antisemitism than this president, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters when asked why the country hadnt heard directly from Biden about the protests.

It is important that students and communities feel safe here and at the same time, we are going to be really forceful here and continue to underscore how antisemitism is hateful speech, she added later.

Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in New York City on April 30. - Alex Kent/Getty Images

Biden to speak on antisemitism next week

Jean-Pierre said Biden would deliver the keynote address next week at the US Holocaust Memorial Museums annual days of remembrance ceremony on May 7, describing his speech as intended to discuss our moral duty to combat the rising scourge of antisemitism.

Still, she did not preview any remarks specifically meant to address the situation on college campuses.

On Tuesday, White House officials sharply condemned the takeover of a building at Columbia University, voicing a rebuke of tactics they said went too far. And in a proclamation noting Jewish American Heritage Month, Biden decried the ferocious surge of antisemitism on campuses and elsewhere.

These acts are despicable and echo the worst chapters of human history, Biden wrote in the proclamation. They remind us that hate never goes away  it only hides until it is given oxygen.

Yet already, Bidens political rivals have seized upon the images of violence  and Bidens relative public silence  to claim the president is absent.

Biden is supposed to be the voice of our country and its certainly not much of a voice. Its a voice that nobodys heard, his Republican rival in Novembers election, former President Donald Trump, said in a phone interview on Fox News on Tuesday evening.

A Biden campaign spokeswoman, Lauren Hitt, said in response to Trumps comments that it was the former president who had a record of fanning violence.

While Donald Trump stood proudly with white supremacists and encouraged violent crack downs on peaceful demonstrators, Joe Biden defends our First Amendment and strengthened protections against antisemitism and Islamophobia, she said.

Biden administration officials say they are watching with concern as the campus protests spread across the country, though havent detected signs of bad actors among the demonstrators.

And they have left all policing decisions to individual universities and local officials. When asked about the prospect of sending in the National Guard to quell protests  a scenario that would immediately draw comparisons to the deadly shooting of four students by guardsmen at Kent State University in 1970  the White House has said that decision is left to governors.

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Challenge to turning out young voters

If protests are still raging by the fall, Biden could well become the first Democratic president since the Vietnam era not welcome to visit college campuses, which have long been a critical piece of turnout efforts for younger voters.

Biden plans to deliver two commencement addresses later this month, at the US Military Academy at West Point and at Morehouse College in Atlanta. His planned speech at Morehouse has already drawn some consternation on campus, though there are no plans for it to be canceled. Some Biden allies expect there to be protests during the event.

For the president, allegiance with campus protests is not necessarily ingrained. He has written that he felt little affinity for antiwar protesters who demonstrated on college campuses in the 1960s, including at Syracuse University, where he studied law.

They were taking over the building, he recalled in a memoir. And we looked up and said, Look at those assholes. Thats how far apart from the antiwar movement I was.

Perhaps at no point in American history has a foreign policy challenge had the potential to weigh so heavily on domestic politics  particularly with American boots not on the ground. And now, the protesters are coming from within Bidens own coalition.

Karim Safieddine, a doctoral sociology student at the University of Pittsburgh, stood outside the United Steel headquarters last month with a group of demonstrators taking a stand against Biden as he visited Pittsburgh.

Our tax money is going into policies that Joe Biden is engaging in and we have a responsibility to stop it, Safieddine said. If there is indeed a will to stop this conflict, it can be stopped.

Asked whether he could vote for Biden again, as he did in 2020, he said: I do not believe so and I do believe that many people will not be voting for Joe Biden.

Heading into the summer campaign season, with both parties bracing for demonstrations at their respective political conventions in Milwaukee and Chicago, the presidents political advisers concede the televised images of protests are not helpful for his re-election bid. But several aides point to concerns about the appearances of a breakdown in law and order more than a worry that young voters will support Trump.

Police start removing tents erected by protesters on the University of Wisconsin, Madison campus on Wednesday, May 1. - Todd Richmond/AP

Bidens team also believes that other issues  namely the economy and abortion  will be more decisive factors in November, including for young Americans.

Dahlia Saba, an electrical engineering graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, helped organize a protest vote in the states primary earlier this month. She bristled at the question of whether her opposition to Biden could help Trump.

We reject the idea that the Democratic Party feels like they have to coerce people into voting for them by leveraging the threat of another candidate that is worse, Saba said. We want to see a democratic system where our politicians reflect our values, rather than threatening us with someone who is the worse of two evils.

Barry Burden, who leads the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin, said he believes Biden is on the cusp of facing a modern-day version of the fraught tensions of the Vietnam era.

He does have this problem of a kind of nagging protest vote on the Democratic side because of his handling of things in Gaza, Burden said. We dont know if that will still be a prime issue come November, but at the moment its something thats dogging him and probably would give him some pause about visiting a college campus.

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Biden and Stabenow to speak at Detroit NAACP event this month

President Joe Biden tours the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Sept. 14, 2022 with U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell. (Andrew Roth | Michigan Advance)

President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) will headline 69th annual Detroit Branch NAACP Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner on May 19.

The announcement was made on Wednesday in Detroit during a morning news conference. In the past, the dinner has attracted 10,000 participants. It will be held at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit.

The Rev. Wendell Anthony, Detroit NAACP Branch president, announces speakers for the 2024 Freedom Fund Dinner, May 1, 2024 | Ken Coleman

Biden, a Democrat, is running for reelection. The White House confirmed on Wednesday he will travel to Detroit on May 19. Stabenow is retiring this year after nearly 25 years of service in Capitol Hills upper chamber.

Vice President Kamala Harris gave the keynote address at the Detroit NAACP event in 2019.

The Rev. Wendell Anthony, Detroit NAACP Branch president, said its important to hear from both Biden and Stabenow during an election year.

As we face critical decisions related to policies and programs concerning health care, the right to vote, economic access and developments, international crises of war and division, a rise in hate crimes, as well as tensions in colleges and universities across the nation, all of us must participate in the great cause of equality and liberty for all, Anthony said.

Biden is expected to face GOP former President Donald Trump in the November general election. Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in the Saginaw area on Wednesday.

The post Biden and Stabenow to speak at Detroit NAACP event this month appeared first on Michigan Advance.
President Biden will travel to Detroit this month to give remarks at an NAACP dinner, a Biden campaign official confirmed to The Hill.

The president is set to travel to swing state Michigan on May 19 and will speak at the NAACP Detroit Branchs 69th annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner, The Detroit News first reported.

The White House announced Bidens trip to Detroit ahead of former President Trumps visit to the battleground state Wednesday for a campaign rally. Trump is also set to visit Wisconsin the same day.

The Detroit News reported that Biden spoke at the dinner, which usually brings in about 10,000 guests, in 2015.

Bidens support among Black voters in swing states, including Michigan, has dipped compared to the support he had in the 2020 election.

The Wall Street Journal earlier this month compared the results of its poll to the AP VoteCast poll in 2020 and found 57 percent of Black men in swing states planned to support Biden and 30 percent said they likely will vote for Trump.

Additionally, a New York Times/Siena College poll last year found 22 percent of Black voters in six battleground states said they would vote for Trump.

Biden gave remarks earlier this month at the National Action Network Convention that warned about the extreme voices in the country he said are targeting Black Americans.

He also visited Michigan, which is an essential state that he won in 2020, in March to campaign. Trump is polling more than 4 percentage points ahead of Biden in Michigan, according to the Decision Desk HQs aggregate polling.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  More than 160 Big Country students received recognition and cords at The Paramount Abilene on Thursday ahead of their graduations. Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas puts on the annual signing day for students committing to skilled trade career paths.

TSTC Abilenes graduating EMT students lead extrication simulation

While higher education is important, it doesnt always come in the form of a traditional four-year college. As the Big Country continues to see a rising need in the workforce for careers in technical and trade skills, high schoolers from all over area were recognized at The Paramount Abilene on Tuesday for making commitments to pursue such careers after graduation.

Known as Career and Technical Education (CTE), students were given a certificate of honor for their choices, and a knotted sash to wear with their graduation robes, signifying their commitments post-graduation.

Chief Partnership Officer for Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas, Amelia Reeves, told KTAB/KRBC Workforce Solutions wanted to recognize these students because of an underlying stigma against CTE careers.

We have young people going into careers that dont always get recognized, coming out of high school as something prestigious or something as exciting, and theres a gap there. But yet, these careers that are making wages well above the average for our region, and so its definitely something worth celebrating, explained Reeves.

More than 160 students were recognized in this ceremony, which showed a significant growth over last years class of 80.

Abilene university & high school students display innovation, research at ACUs 16th annual URCI festival

Students werent the only ones present for the event. Representatives from surrounding trade schools attended, as well as our very own Texas House Representative Stan Lambert.

One of the students recognized was Gabriel Espino, a senior at Winters High School, who told KTAB/KRBC he was grateful for this event.

[Im] Just really happy to be up there, to be able to be one of the students to be honored with one of these cords and a certificate, Espino said. It was fun!

Noah Rodriguez, another student recognized, said his work all these years in school felt worth while, It makes me feel like all the hard work I did just paid off.

Rodriguez said he will be pursuing a career in electrical engineering after graduation. In turn, he gave credit to those who helped him to make it this far.

All these support systems are really helping me out. Its helping everybody out. Its making it clear for this uncertain future we have, shared Rodriguez. Definitely something Im thankful for.

100 years of AHS: Abilene Heritage Square celebrates century-old building with outdoor activities

Others who were recognized were students not quite ready for graduation, but still participating in paid internships and the corresponding businesses they interned with- many of which were part of the medical internship program with Hendrick Hospital.

After the signing ceremony, a meet and greet luncheon was held at The Grace Museum where students were encouraged to mingle and talk with local businesses about potential career opportunities within their companies.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
Legislation aimed at better protecting patients from sexually abusive medical professionals such as Dr. Richard Strauss was unanimously passed by the Ohio Senate and is headed to the House.

Senate Bill 109, proposed by State Sen. Bob Hackett, R-London, and approved by Ohio senators April 24, would require doctors on probation for sexual misconduct to notify their patients in writing. It would also allow the State Medical Board of Ohio to act more quickly when a physician is accused of sexual misconduct and would require prosecuting attorneys to notify the board if a doctor is convicted or pleads guilty to a specific felony or misdemeanor in court.

Ohio state Sen. Bob Hackett, R-London

The bill's passage comes six years after it was revealed that the medical board had ignored a previous complaint made against Strauss. Strauss, who died by suicide in 2005, was accused of sexually abusing at least 177 former students and athletes at Ohio State University.

"Ohioans were not happy with what happened with Dr. Strauss and so we gave the medical board more authority on this," Hackett told The Dispatch. "Everybody knows it's a situation where we need to move quicker. Dr. Strauss abused a number of citizens and we definitely don't want that to happen again."

Read More: State medical board failed to protect Ohioans from doctors' sexual misconduct

The legislation was reintroduced in 2023 in the Senate following a Dispatch investigation of the State Medical Board of Ohio and its handling of sexual misconduct allegations against physicians throughout 42 years. From 1980 through 2022, at least 256 Ohio doctors have faced disciplinary action for sexual misconduct. Of those doctors, 199 sexually abused or harassed 449 patients, The Dispatch revealed.

Two doctors were among lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill, including both Sen. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, and Sen. Stephen Huffman, R-Tipp City.

When reached by phone Tuesday, Huffman told The Dispatch he thought the legislation should have been passed sooner. Most bills spurred by an incident are introduced and passed into law within a year or two rather than the six it took from when the Strauss scandal came to light in 2018, Huffman said.

Still, the senator said he believed the legislation would increase transparency at the medical board and eliminate "some loopholes and gray areas" that existed when a complaint was first filed against Strauss in 1996.

"We want to keep bad physicians, bad providers out of the profession and give the medical board the tools that it needs to do that," Huffman said.

Although the bill was approved unanimously in the senate, it's unclear how it will fare in the house where it was introduced Tuesday. Hackett said he expects it to win approval within a month or two, if not then by the end of the year. Gov. Mike DeWine has already expressed his support for the legislation.

In the Senate, no one testified in opposition of the bill before it passed and just two people spoke in favor of it.

One proponent was medical board executive director Stephanie Loucka, who told The Dispatch via email that the board would "look forward to working with the House of Representatives to help move the bill forward to become law." The other proponent was Leanna Rocheleau, 37, of Johnstown, who told legislators she was sexually assaulted by a massage therapist in August 2021.

Rocheleau told legislators that it took a year-and-a-half for the medical board to begin investigating the massage therapist she accused and another year-and-a-half before an investigation was completed. Rocheleau said she decided to use the pain she suffered as a result of her assault to push for change like Senate Bill 109.

"I transformed from victim to survivor... To find healing through justice reform. To give my traumapurpose. To deeply comprehend the wrong and work towards making it better for my kids," she told the legislature. "That is my mission now. I won't let them forget me."

mfilby@dispatch.com

@MaxFilby

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Law proposed after Ohio State's Strauss scandal closer to becoming law
Revenue: Reported $1.3 billion, a slight increase of 0.8% year-over-year, closely aligning with estimates of $1.294 billion.

Net Income: Fell to $39 million, a significant decline from $61 million year-over-year, falling short of the estimated $89.3 million.

Earnings Per Share (EPS): Diluted EPS decreased to $0.18 from $0.27 year-over-year, below the estimated $0.40.

Adjusted EBITDA: Rose to $259 million from $213 million in the previous year, with margin improving by 340 basis points to 20.0%.

Free Cash Flow: Improved to $15 million, compared to a cash use of $88 million in the same period last year.

Debt Management: Reduced total net leverage ratio to 2.8x and paid down $75 million of term loan principal.

Share Repurchase: Board approved a new $700 million share repurchase program in April 2024.

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd (NYSE:AXTA) disclosed its financial outcomes for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024, in its recent 8-K filing. The company, a global leader in the coatings industry, reported a slight revenue increase but faced a decline in earnings per share due to significant restructuring charges.

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd (AXTA) Q1 2024 Earnings: Mixed Results Amid Transformation Initiative

Company Overview

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd operates through two segments: Performance Coatings and Mobility Coatings, providing advanced coating solutions across a wide range of industries including automotive and industrial applications. The company serves a global market, with operations spanning North America, EMEA, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

Financial Performance Highlights

The first quarter saw Axalta achieving a net sales of $1.3 billion, a modest increase of 0.8% year-over-year, aligning closely with analyst expectations of $1,294.10 million. However, net income experienced a downturn, dropping to $39 million compared to $61 million in the previous year, primarily due to $55 million in restructuring charges linked to the company's 2024 Transformation Initiative. This initiative is expected to generate significant annual savings by 2026.

Despite the lower net income, Axalta reported a record first-quarter Adjusted EBITDA of $259 million, up from $213 million year-over-year, with the Adjusted EBITDA margin expanding by 340 basis points to 20.0%. This improvement reflects effective cost management and operational efficiencies. Adjusted diluted earnings per share rose by 37% to $0.48, surpassing the estimated $0.40, showcasing underlying operational strength excluding restructuring impacts.

Segment Performance

The Performance Coatings segment maintained stable sales at $848 million, with notable growth in the Refinish business, offset by declines in Industrial sales. The Mobility Coatings segment saw a 2% increase in sales to $446 million, driven by robust volume growth in China's Light Vehicle market, despite challenges in the Commercial Vehicle sector.

Story continues

Strategic Developments and Outlook

Axalta's management remains positive about the company's strategic direction, underscored by a new $700 million share repurchase authorization and an optimistic outlook for 2024, raising guidance for Adjusted EBITDA, EPS, and free cash flow. The company anticipates continued revenue growth and operational improvements as it progresses through its transformation plan.

Financial Position and Cash Flow

The company ended the quarter with $624 million in cash and cash equivalents and reduced its total net leverage ratio from 3.7x to 2.8x year-over-year. Axalta also improved its cash flow, with cash provided by operating activities turning positive at $34 million compared to a cash use of $52 million in the prior year's corresponding period.

Analysis

While the restructuring charges have temporarily impacted net income, Axalta's strategic initiatives appear poised to enhance long-term shareholder value. The company's ability to raise its financial outlook amidst these charges suggests confidence in its operational resilience and market positioning. However, investors might remain cautious until the tangible benefits of the transformation initiative are realized in the financials.

Conclusion

Axalta's first quarter of 2024 reflects a period of strategic realignment with mixed financial results. As the company continues to navigate its transformation, the outcomes of these initiatives will be critical in determining its trajectory in the competitive coatings industry.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from Axalta Coating Systems Ltd for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Biloxi man who kept 5,000 sexually explicit photos, videos of minors is headed to prison

A Mississippi Coast man will spend more than 11 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing thousands of photos and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct on his cell phones.

Christopher Lee Parker, 36, of Biloxi, will spend 136 months in prison, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Mississippi announced Wednesday.

He also faces a lifetime of supervised release.

Parker was sentenced April 12 in U.S. District Court in Gulfport. He previously pleaded guilty to possession of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The U.S. Attorneys Office said authorities secured a federal search warrant for Parkers Biloxi home and found he had more than 5,000 photos and videos on his cell phones that showed minors  some under the age of 12  engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The federal court ordered Parker to pay $31,000 in restitution to the victims.

The court also ordered him to pay $2,000 under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.

The case began after Cyber Tipline Reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children showed Parker used social media accounts to talk about trading child exploitation materials, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

A federal grand jury indicted Parker in April 2023. He pleaded guilty in December.
The bird flu outbreak is growing. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 36 dairy cow herds in 9 states have been infected with H5N1, also known as avian or bird flu, as of April 30, 2024. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also announced it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with bird flu outbreaks in dairy cows. According to NBC News, the agency will test beef to see whether any viral particles are present. Previously, viral particles have been discovered in as much as 1 in 5 samples of cow's milk.

Additionally, the USDA started mandating that dairy cows have to test negative for bird flu before being shipped across state lines. The news comes after several infectious disease experts have criticized the government for not doing enough testing and being blind to the true size of the current outbreak  and after a report published in Emerging Infectious Diseases found that cats died after they were fed raw colostrum from sick cows.

Our findings suggest cross-species mammal-to-mammal transmission of HPAI H5N1 virus and raise new concerns regarding the potential for virus spread within mammal populations," the authors wrote.

Just like humans, birds can get the flu. When that happens, they can pass it on to other poultry  such as chickens, ducks and turkeys. But the most recent strain of avian influenza, H5N1, has jumped species. Instead of only infecting birds, the current outbreak is infecting dairy cows and even spread from a cow to at least one human; which is the first time cow-to-human transmission has happened. The last time a human tested positive for H5N1 was in April 2022 in Colorado when an individual got infected from poultry.

As Salon previously reported, public health experts are concerned that the more it jumps from animal to animal, or animal to human, the more likely it is to mutate, have human-to-human transmission and get a foothold in the human population. Notably, some strains of H5N1 have a 50 percent mortality rate in humans (fortunately, the one confirmed case from an infected cow was mild.) This is why epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have been publicly criticizing the governments response and demanding they act fast to contain the spread among animal species.

Want more health and science stories in your inbox? Subscribe to Salon's weekly newsletter Lab Notes.

I think we're slowly inching towards getting some sort of answers for some of our questions, Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist and author of the newsletter Your Local Epidemiologist, told Salon in a phone interview, in regards to recent developments. But I am a bit disappointed in the lack of transparency and urgency, particularly with USDA, and it just doesn't seem that there is an appetite to get ahead in this.

The USDA has said that it is confident that the meat supply is safe and that pasteurized milk is safe to drink. Notably, Colombia has placed restrictions on beef being transported from U.S. states where dairy herds have tested positive for bird flu.

Jetelina emphasized to Salon that H5N1 isnt new, and its important to communicate that to the public. While some people might be inclined to call it cow flu, now that cattle are arguably more prominent than birds in the situation, she said it hasnt mutated into a novel virus that warrants a name change.

We have to make it very clear that this is not a new virus. It's not like COVID-19 in October of 2019. It's existed for over 20 years, Jetelina said. And it's not just among cows, it's still very much in other livestock as well as wild birds  we're just paying very close attention to cows right now because this is a new mode of transmission that has really unfolded in the past couple of months.

Dr. Rajendram Rajnarayanan of the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Ark., told Salon calling H5N1 the cow flu is misleading. If it is only circulating around cows, then it can be called a cow flu, he said.

It has not adapted enough, Rajnarayanan said. So what we have to see is whether it's adapted to cattle species, and if its circulating only in that species. Then we would call it cow flu.

Rajnarayanan said its also important to emphasize that its not a definitive conclusion that the cats from the CDC report died from drinking raw colostrum. Its possible that the cats got sick from eating infected wild birds, too. Jetelina said the report on the cats emphasizes that raw milk shouldn't be consumed right now. An estimated 4.4 percent of American adults consume raw milk.

This is not a virus we want to play around with, Jetelina said. It really confirmed that raw milk is just something we don't want people consuming and we really need to get the public health message out there that that's never safe, but particularly right now.

Jetelina said scientists dont know what happens if someone consumes infected raw milk at the moment, but its a good sign that there haven't been any fatal cases linked to raw milk and H5N1. While experts believe there have been more than one human case from cows, they say its a good sign that hospitalizations arent rising.

If it's going to be a problematic virus circulating, you will see a hospitalization increase, Rajnarayanan said. And that, we dont see.

Still, more surveillance is needed, he said.

It's not going to become a problem immediately, he said. But we have to prevent it from becoming a big deal in the next year.

Jetelina agreed.

I think one good sign is that even if there are more human cases, they seem to be mild, or asymptomatic, given that they haven't kind of gone on the radar yet, Jetelina said. We just really need to stay ahead of this thing and see how it's evolving so we can be prepared in case this does jump to humans, for human-to-human transmission."
A bicameral host of Black lawmakers on Wednesday reintroduced legislation offering protections against hair discrimination.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) gathered outside the Capitol with fellow lawmakers, as well as Adjoa B. Asamoah, co-founder of the CROWN Coalition, in announcing the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act, or CROWN Act.

Watson Coleman said the lawmakers were reintroducing the bill for the simple reason that nobody  no worker, no student, no person  should ever face discrimination because of how their hair grows out of their heads.

We cant control the texture of our hair any way that we can control the color of our skin, Watson Coleman said. And yet, Black Americans routinely face discrimination simply because of the way their hair is.

A 2020 study from Michigan State and Duke universities found that Black women with natural hair are often perceived as less professional and less competent than Black women with straightened hair or white women with straight or curly hair. They are also less likely to be referred for job interviews.

More than 20 percent of Black women have been sent home from work because of their hair. One-third of Black women under 34 believe they have been denied a job interview because of their hair.

Our hair plays a significant role in our overall well-being, self-esteem, cultural identity, and personal expression, Watson Coleman said. Discrimination against Black hair is discrimination against Black people. And were going to put a stop to it.

The CROWN Act would prohibit discrimination based on an individuals texture of hair or hairstyle that is coiled or tightly-curled, or in locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, Afros and any other style of hair commonly associated with a race or national origin in the definition of racial discrimination.

Nobody should face harassment or discrimination based on their natural hair, and the CROWN Act is an effort to heal a systemic bias that tells Black people that who they inherently are is wrong, Booker said.

Prejudice against Black hair demeans an important foundation of our identity and cultural heritage, he continued. Its time that the long and storied history of implicit and explicit biases against natural hair comes to an end. Black hair is beautiful in all of its forms and styles, and we must ensure individuals are free to express their cultural identities without fear of prejudice or bias.

Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said the legislation is backed by the entire caucus.

Whether its students like Darryl George, the student in Texas who has been barred from the classroom because of what is on his head instead of whats in his head, or Black women all over our country that are being forced to change their hair in order to be accepted  whether thats in the workplace or in any other environment  that is wrong, and it must end, said Horsford. Its a direct form of racist discrimination. And it has to end, and that is what the CROWN Act is all about.

Those gathered Wednesday were adamant that discrimination based on hair is racist.

Asamoah, co-founder of the CROWN Coalition, said that hair discrimination is based on Eurocentric beauty standards and as such is anti-Black.

We know in many ways anti-Blackness is pervasive, she said. While race, the way we typically discuss, is a social construct, racism is very real and it requires a thoughtful and intentional approach to dismantle the rules and practices that reinforce it and, in this case, to mitigate the physical, psychological and economic harm caused by race-based hair discrimination.

This is not the first time Democrats have tried to pass the legislation.

In March 2022, the House advanced a national CROWN Act that later stalled in the Senate.

While no federal legislation has passed, more than 20 states have enacted a CROWN Act law.

But each state has different levels of protection, and in recent months, these disparities have made headlines.

FILE  Darryl George, then a 17-year-old junior, is seen before walking across the street to go into Barbers Hill High School after serving a 5-day in-school suspension for not cutting his hair Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Mont Belvieu, Texas.

Most notably, George, the Texas high school student, has remained on in-school suspension for his locs since August. School authorities said his locs fell below his eyebrows and ear lobes and therefore violated the districts dress code, though Georges family disputes this. They are now suing the school district.

While Black students are disciplined at a rate four times higher than any other racial or ethnic group, research has found that 70 percent of all suspensions are discretionary, with many stemming from dress code violations, including unapproved hair styles.

Our babies need to be in school climates that are nurturing and conducive to them thriving, said Asamoah.

On Wednesday, Watson Coleman said the disciplinary action against George is not really because of a dress code violation but because hes a young Black man in an overwhelmingly white school district.

The federal CROWN Act would provide research, statistics and precedent to support that there is a need to define and prohibit hair discrimination in the workplace and schools in order to enforce the protection of civil rights.

It would also provide clear definitions that describe enforcement mechanisms of the bill.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) emphasized that the CROWN Act is also a public health act due to the health issues Black women face from chemicals applied to their hair in order to assimilate.

But, she added, its also about sending a message to Black Americans everywhere that they belong.

Whether you are a student in the classroom, an employee in the workplace or the next Supreme Court justice, you belong everywhere, exactly as you are.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Blind date gets terrifying as flirtatious banter leads to gunshots, Florida cops say

Modern romance nearly got a man killed when a date arranged via social media proved to be a setup, according to Florida investigators.

The victim discovered this the hard way when his date, identified as Crystal Skiba, pulled out a gun and demanded money, the Hardee County Sheriffs Office reported in an April 30 news release.

Investigators say the seemingly innocent online connection turned into a nightmare when the victim drove about 25 miles from Arcadia to a womans home in Wauchula.

What began as flirtatious banter quickly escalated into a harrowing ordeal. ... The victim, whose identity is being withheld for privacy, was invited inside where he was met with unexpected aggression, the sheriffs office reported.

Skiba allegedly attempted to seduce him before revealing her true intentions. It became apparent to the victim that he was in a dangerous situation when Skiba demanded payment and brandished a handgun, blocking his exit.

He managed to get out of the home, but the woman then began firing shots at his vehicle as he sped away, officials said.

The man was not injured and reported the incident to the sheriffs office, which sent detectives to the home.

Detectives uncovered not only the firearm used in the incident but also illicit narcotics, the sheriffs office said.

Two minor children were present during the ordeal, further compounding the gravity of the situation.

Skiba faces a series of charges, including attempted first-degree murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and possession of a controlled substance, among others, the sheriffs office said.

Wauchula is about a 70-mile drive southeast of Tampa.

Double homicide reveals tax office was cover for illicit club, Florida cops say

Man attacks his boyfriend with machete and knife in fight over texts, Florida cops say

Woman fails to show up for prison, then posts that shes at the beach, officials say
President of Israel Isaac Herzog (R) meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv. Ma'ayan Toaf/GPO/dpa

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning at the start of a fresh round of talks aimed at bringing about a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

The release of the hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement was currently a top priority, Herzog said at the meeting, according to his office.

"Were determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home, and to get it now. And the only reason that that wouldn't be achieved is because of Hamas," Blinken said.

Blinken said there was a proposal on the table: "And as we've said, no delays, no excuses. The time is now."

"At the same time, even as we're working with relentless determination to get the ceasefire that brings the hostages home, we also have to be focused on people in Gaza who are suffering in this crossfire of Hamass making, and so focused on getting them the assistance they need - the food, medicine, the water, the shelter - is also very much on our minds and in the work that we're doing."

Blinken said he planned to discuss these issues with Herzog.

A meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planned for later in Jerusalem.

Blinken had previously spoken of a "very, very generous" proposal from Israel for a deal with Hamas.

As part of mediation efforts in Cairo, a response from Hamas is now being awaited.

Israel has announced a rapid start to the controversial offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip if no agreement is reached.

Blinken had previously also visited Saudi Arabia and Jordan as part of his multi-day trip.

President of Israel Isaac Herzog (R) meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv. Ma'ayan Toaf/GPO/dpa
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after their meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Haim Zach/GPO/dpa

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is pushing for a rapid ceasefire and release of hostages held by Hamas, as the world waits for a response from the Palestinian militant group.

Blinken met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday prior to meeting with Netanyahu.

The Israeli Cogat authority, which is responsible for implementing policy in the West Bank and Gaza, said Blinken visited the Kerem Shalom checkpoint on Israel's border with the coastal strip to get an idea of the situation on the ground. He also plans to visit the port of Ashdod.

The visit comes as US universities across the country are exploding with pro-Palestinian protests. Overnight in Los Angeles, or around midday in Central Europe, violence erupted after the university declared the demonstrators' encampment illegal.

Counter-demonstrators clashed with pro-Palestinian demonstrators and the LA police was called to the scene.

At Columbia University in New York City, police officers cleared a building that had been occupied by pro-Palestinian demonstrators as the university administration said those who had occupied the hall would be expelled from the university. Numerous protests rage on many other US campuses.

Back in the Middle East, leaders and observers are not only waiting for a Hamas response but also for Israel's next move.

Israel had announced a rapid start to the controversial offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt if no agreement is reached.

However, Netanyahu made it clear that a Rafah offensive is not dependent on a deal.

"We will go into Rafah and smash the Hamas battalions there - with or without a deal," Netanyahu said at a meeting with relatives of Israeli hostages and fallen soldiers on Tuesday, according to his office. "The idea that we will stop the war before all its objectives have been achieved is out of the question."

Netanyahu is under strong pressure from his far-right coalition partners, who made themselves heard once again on Wednesday with comments from a right-wing minister who said getting back "22 or 33 people" is not worth it, sparking outrage.

Minister Orit Strock from the Religious Zionism party said Israel's war aims should not be sacrificed for the return of a small number of hostages.

She spoke of a "terrible deal" that also jeopardized the hostages who were not part of it. The war aims could not be "thrown in the bin in order to save 22 or 33 people," she said.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid responded on X, formerly Twitter, that a "government with 22 or 33 extremist coalition members has no right to exist."

As the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Egyptian officials, the proposal for an agreement envisages two stages. The first stage would involve the release of at least 20 hostages within a three-week ceasefire in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners. The duration of the ceasefire could be extended by one day for each additional hostage, it said.

A second stage would include a 10-week ceasefire in which Hamas and Israel could agree on a more extensive release of hostages and a longer pause in fighting that could last up to a year.

However, Hamas has so far insisted on a complete end to the war, which Israel rejects

Both sides are not negotiating directly, but via the mediators Egypt, Qatar and the US.

"Were determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home, and to get it now. And the only reason that that wouldn't be achieved is because of Hamas," Blinken said in Tel Aviv.

"At the same time, even as we're working with relentless determination to get the ceasefire that brings the hostages home, we also have to be focused on people in Gaza who are suffering in this crossfire of Hamass making, and so focused on getting them the assistance they need - the food, medicine, the water, the shelter - is also very much on our minds and in the work that we're doing."

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Haim Zach/GPO/dpa
Tel Aviv  Secretary of State Antony Blinken was back in Israel Wednesday morning for his seventh visit to the country since Hamas militants staged their bloody Oct. 7 terror attack on the Jewish state, instantly sparking the war in the group's Gaza Strip stronghold.

Blinken said as he arrived that the Biden administration was "determined" to see Hamas and Israel agree to a cease-fire in the conflict, which health officials in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory say has killed more than 34,000 people, most of them women and children.

Desperate for more American support, Israelis rallied outside Blinken's Tel Aviv hotel, some of them holding signs voicing hope that U.S. pressure will help bring home the remaining 133 hostages still thought to be held in Gaza, including five U.S. nationals still thought to be alive.

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Blinken returned to Israel after stops in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and he met Wednesday with both Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the latest proposal for a cease-fire. Hamas leaders have been reviewing that draft for a couple days and were expected to respond as soon as Wednesday.

"We are determined to achieve a cease-fire that will bring the abductees home, and to achieve it now," Blinken told Herzog as they stood before news cameras on Wednesday. "The only reason a deal will not be reached is because of Hamas. There is an offer on the table, and as we said, no delays, no excuses."

Blinken told Israeli demonstrators outside his hotel in Tel Aviv on Wednesday that he'd delivered the same message to the families of remaining hostages with whom he met soon after arriving back in Israel.

"Bringing your loved ones home is at the heart of everything we're trying to do, and we will not rest until everyone  man, woman, soldier, civilian, young, old  is back home," he told the group. "There is a very strong proposal on the table right now. Hamas needs to say yes and needs to get this done. That is our determination, and we will not rest, we will not stop until you're reunited with your loved ones. So please keep strong, keep the faith. We will be with you every single day until we get this done."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza during a protest calling for their return, after meeting families of hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, May 1, 2024. / Credit: Oded Balilty/AP

It can't possibly happen soon enough for dozens of families, including Aviva Siegel's. Her American husband Keith is still among those being held by Hamas, 208 days after he was seized on Oct. 7.

Over the weekend, he appeared in a Hamas propaganda video. For Siegel, it was proof, at least, that her husband was still alive.

"I think the grief and anguish is unimaginable," she told CBS News in an emotional interview. "I feel like I'm broken up into pieces I know that Keith has had enough. My family's had enough. My country's had enough."

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Aviva was a hostage herself, but she was released after 51 days in captivity.

She and her daughter were among the relatives of American hostages who had a face-to-face with Blinken on Wednesday.

"The feeling was really grateful," Aviva's daughter Elan told CBS News after the meeting. "I think we all feel, and not only the American citizens, I think Israel feels, really grateful for what the United States has been doing since October 7th."

A photo shared by the Hostage Families Forum Headquarters group shows U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken with the family of Hamas hostage Keith Siegel in Tel Aviv, May 1, 2024. From left are Lee Siegel, Keith's brother, Blinken, and then Keith's wife Aviva and daughter Elan. / Credit: Hostage Families Forum Headquarters

A statement from the collective Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, which represents all of the captives' families, characterized the discussion with Blinken as "positive, with Blinken conveying cautious optimism about the emerging deal for their release."

In Jerusalem, Blinken also pushed Netanyahu to increase the flow of desperately needed aid into Gaza and ensure its safe distribution. Israel has taken steps to allow more aid in by land and sea, and aid agencies acknowledge and uptick, but they say it isn't enough to stave off the threat of famine facing tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians in the enclave.

Blinken and Netanyahu "discussed the improvement in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza since the call between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu on April 4 and reiterated the importance of accelerating and sustaining that improvement," the State Department said in a readout after their meeting.

The statement noted that Blinken had also reaffirmed the U.S. commitments to Israel's security, "the need to avoid further expansion of the conflict," and the Biden administration's stance that a long-promised Israeli military ground operation in the crowded southern city of Rafah must only begin when the safety of the estimated 1.4 million Palestinians taking shelter there could be assured.

The White House has urged Netanyahu's government to limit the scale of its operation in Rafah, and the head of the United Nations renewed his warning that a military offensive in the city would be "an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee."

Despite the pressure, Netanyahu promised this week that the operation would go ahead soon and that civilians would be evacuated, but he did not say when the operation would begin.

The Israeli leader has come under increasing pressure from the hostage families to secure an agreement with Hamas to bring the remaining captives home, and that pressure has also ramped up from his political opponents.

After he met with Netanyahu on Wednesday, Blinken sat down with Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid, who said in a social media post that he'd told the top American diplomat "that Netanyahu has no political excuse not to go for the deal for the return of the abductees."

"They must be brought home," Lapid said. "Every hour is critical."

CBS News' Tucker Reals contributed to this report.

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Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, told protesters in Israel that now was the time for a ceasefire - Oded Balilty/AP

Plans to negotiate a permanent ceasefire in Gaza have triggered a backlash in Israel, with members of Benjamin Netanyahus cabinet threatening to break up the government.

Leaked outlines of the hostage deal sent to Hamas include Israel committing to sustainable calm in the Gaza Strip, a phrase used to describe the end of previous conflicts.

Critics argue the commitment would mean Israel abandoning one of its principal war aims of defeating Hamas, a pledge made after the Oct 7 terror attacks.

Orit Strock, the hard-Right settlements minister, said Israel should not throw the war in a trash bin to save 22 or 33 people  I dont know how many, referring to Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Echoing her allies Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, who on Tuesday threatened to leave the governing coalition if the deal was approved, Ms Strock told army radio that Benjamin Netanyahus government has no right to exist if it accepted the agreement.

Speculation is rife that Israel will cancel its planned invasion of Rafah, the only big city in Gaza largely unaffected by fighting, if Hamas agrees to the deal.

Leaked parts of the deal propose a first-stage 40-days ceasefire, in which Hamas would release 33 vulnerable hostages. In exchange, Israeli forces in Gaza will cease fire and allow the movement of humanitarian aid and the return of civilians to their homes.

For every released hostage, Israel will release 20 Palestinian prisoners, a more generous offer than previous offers. Hamas will provide a list of the prisoners in Israeli jails it would like to receive but Israel will be able to veto them.

From Day 16 of the truce, Israel and Hamas are expected to begin talks with the aim of creating sustainable calm in Gaza, a euphemism for ending the war that suits the Israeli government, which has refused to publicly say it is willing to stop the war.

As Israeli opinion shifts towards a ceasefire deal, military preparations have continued for a push on Rafah - MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

The first stage of the deal involves a staged withdrawal of Israeli troops from parts of the Strip in order to allow the movement of humanitarian aid and the return of civilians. The second stage of the deal will involve a complete withdrawal alongside a sustainable calm.

Mr Smotrich, the finance minister and one of the leaders of the Right-wing, warned late on Tuesday that committing to stop the fighting in Gaza and releasing terrorists with blood on their hands would be akin to the surrender of the state of Israel.

The opposition from Israels Right-wing came as Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, came to Israel on Wednesday to reaffirm Israels agreement to the deal at a pivotal moment for the 133 Israeli hostages abducted into Gaza and with a potential invasion of the southern city of Rafah looming.

Mr Blinken said Washington was determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home, and get it now.

The only reason that that wouldnt be achieved is because of Hamas, he said after meeting the president of Israel. There is a proposal on the table. And as weve said: no delays, no excuses. The time is now.

Antony Blinken meets Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president for talks on Wednesday - Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS

A Hamas spokesman on Wednesday criticised Mr Blinkens comments, saying they were intended to put pressure on the group and absolve Israel of responsibility for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the terrorist group was still studying the proposal.

Mr Blinken later on Wednesday sat down with Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, in a private meeting in Jerusalem, with their respective staff.

During the meeting, which lasted about two-and-a-half hours, Mr Netanyahu told the visiting US official that he would not accept a deal that would include ending the war, US news site Axios reported.

With hopes running high in Israel of a breakthrough in the hostage negotiations, dozens of people rallied outside Mr Blinkens hotel in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning, urging him to get a deal done to free them.

The US Secretary of State came out to the protesters after one of his meetings, telling them Washington will not rest until everyone  man, woman, soldier, civilian, young, old  is back home.

Hamas needs to say yes and needs to get this done, he told the crowds.

Antony Blinken speaks to relatives of US and dual citizens who have family members being held hostage by Hamas - Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS

Mr Blinken also met the relatives of American or dual American citizens in Hamas captivity later on Wednesday.

Israel insists the war cannot end before it fully eradicates Hamas, which is why it wants to launch its planned invasion of Rafah in the south.

Hamas, however, has repeatedly indicated that it sees no point in agreeing to a deal that does not provide for a lasting truce.

On Wednesday it asked Egyptian and Qatari mediators to provide clarity on the terms of the latest ceasefire proposal being discussed, an unnamed Egyptian official told the Associated Press.

The terrorist group reportedly seeks clear terms of the unconditional return of displaced people to the north of Gaza and assurances that the initial stage of the ceasefire will be followed by another stage that could include a gradual and then complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

The current proposal apparently does not lay out details for the return of Palestinians to the north of Gaza.

Public opinion in Israel now favours any deal to free the hostages, especially after Hamas last released the first proof-of-life video for 24-year-old Hersch Goldberg-Polin, who had not been seen or heard from since his capture on Oct 7.

A new opinion poll commissioned by public broadcaster Kan on Wednesday showed 54 per cent of Israelis favour the deal that would offer Hamas a temporary ceasefire for the release of at least some hostages.

When asked about a potential agreement that would obligate Israel to stop the war and release thousands of terrorists in return for the release of all hostages, some 47 per cent of Israelis said they would support it, with a third of them against and the rest undecided.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late Tuesday that the time is now for a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza war, and that it is up to Hamas to agree to Israels proposal and compromise.

Blinkens remarks came during a press conference after he met with Israeli leaders earlier in the day.

Asked by a Wall Street Journal reporter if the planned Israeli invasion of Rafah would complicate or jeopardize U.S. efforts for a cease-fire agreement, Blinken said the Biden administrations main focus right now is to reach a deal for civilians in Gaza and the remaining Israeli hostages in Hamas control.

That is the most urgent thing, and its also I think what is achievable, because the Israelis have put a strong proposal on the table, Blinken said. Theyve demonstrated that theyre willing to compromise, and now its on Hamas.

And no more delays, no more excuses  the time to act is now, he continued.

Blinken met with Israeli leaders during his seventh visit to the region since the war began in October. Hes attempting to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas before the Israeli military enters the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where thousands of Palestinians are sheltering amidst the war.

The most recent round of talks appears to be serious, The Associated Press reported, but both Israel and Hamas remain divided on if the war should end as part of a deal.

The United States is focused on the cease-fire deal because it is the best way, the most effective way, to really deal with the suffering of the people and also to create an environment in which we can hopefully move forward to something thats really sustainable and that has lasting peace for the people who so desperately need it and lasting security for the Israelis as well, Blinken said.

He emphasized that the U.S. has been coordinating with Jordan to create a direct route into northern Gaza, and first shipments of humanitarian aid were leaving Tuesday.

Blinken applauded the Jordanians, who he said have done a remarkable job putting together the aid route and shipments.

So, this is real and important progress, but more still needs to be done. And in particular, we have to make sure that our focus is not only on inputs but on impact and really measuring whether the aid that people need actually getting to them in an effect way, Blinken said.

Blinken said the U.S. is committed to creating a cease-fire agreement between both parties and the only reason that wouldnt be achieved is because of Hamas, CNN reported.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
RED BANK - Bottles by Sickles, a sister store to Sickles Market, has filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection, the latest development in the demise of one of Monmouth County's oldest and most well-known businesses.

In its bankruptcy filing, TST Beverages LLC, doing business as Bottles by Sickles, lists $5.26 million in liabilities and $549,388 in assets, including its retail liquor license valued at $400,000. The court papers were filed on April 23.

Bottles by Sickles, which was located at 200 Monmouth St. in Red Bank, recently closed after its landlord, Metrovation, the owner of the Anderson Building, filed eviction papers.

Bottles by Sickles, which opened in 2019, was the last remaining store associated with Sickles Market, a family-owned business in Little Silver with deep roots in Monmouth County. Sickles Market closed its Red Bank store, a location open for nearly four years, in February.

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On March 11, its landmark store in Little Silver which was founded in 1908, abruptly shut its doors for good. Between January and March, 117 employees were laid off. Bottles by Sickles remained open until just over a week ago.

In an interview following the closure of the Little Silver store, owner Bob Sickles Jr. blamed the store's woes on the poor performance of Sickles Market's 2020 expansion into Red Bank's West Side, the COVID lockdown and its aftermath for the company's troubles. The Red Bank store "wasn't good for us," he said.

Court papers filed by TST Beverages lists the debts of Bottles by Sickles.

You can see the full filing at the bottom of this story.

The front of Bottles by Sickles in Red Bank. April 22, 2024

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The largest unsecured debtor is listed as Northfield Bank of Woodbridge which has a $4.5 million claim. Other creditors include Farmlind Produce LLC of River Vale, $213,218; C. Rooney Produce Co., of Sea Bright, $100,235; and Four Seasons Produce of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, $90,935. Various beer, wine and beverage distributors also are listed as creditors.

The company's lawyer, Andrew J. Kelly of Spring Lake, also has filed court papers for permission to hire an auctioneer, A.J. Wilner Auctions, to sell the company's assets, which includes its retail liquor license, inventory and store fixtures.

Metrovation, which restored and remodeled the former Anderson Moving & Storage building and leased the ground floor to Sickles as its anchor tenant, filed a lawsuit in state Superior Court on March 1 over the closure of the Red Bank store. It said it is owed more than $324,000 in back rent and late fees, according to court papers.

Story continues

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The Sickles and Bottles by Sickles names have been removed from the Anderson Building sign in Red Bank. April 22, 2024

Since it closed, Sickles Market's legal troubles have worsened, as the stores' suppliers have filed lawsuits against the company and Bob Sickles Jr. for over tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.

Holiday Meats of New Jersey, which is based in Little Silver, said it is owed $116,845 in unpaid charges that date back to October 2023, according to court papers. "Payment has been demanded and no payment has been made," states the lawsuit. It was filed on March 18.

Performance Food Group Inc., Elizabeth, has filed a lawsuit against Sickles Market and Sickles Red Bank over a total of nearly $80,392 in unpaid bills, according to court papers. Plus, the company also wants Sickles to pay $20,098 for its legal costs, the lawsuit states.

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World's Best Cheeses of Armonk, New York, filed a lawsuit against Sickles Market over $31,446 in unpaid bills.

Food Merchants of Brooklyn also filed a lawsuit against Sickles Market and Sickles Red Bank, seeking $8,705 for unpaid bills and attorney's fees.

Bottles by Sickles bankruptcy by Dennis Carmody on Scribd

This embedded content is not available in your region.

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for more than 25 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bottles by Sickles in Red Bank files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (L) meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during their visit to Nir Oz Kibbutz in Southern Israel. Ariel Hermoni/GPO/dpa

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders, expressed his determination to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a deal that would see more hostages held by Hamas released.

"Israel has made very important compromises in the proposal thats on the table," Blinken said after meeting Netanyahu.

"Hamas has to decide whether it will take this deal and actually advance the situation for the people that it purports to care about in Gaza. There is no time for delay; there is no time for further haggling," the top US diplomat said.

Blinken also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for talks that focussed on getting more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Israel's army announced on Wednesday that the Erez border crossing, located at Gaza's northern end, had been opened to allow 30 lorries carrying food and medical supplies from Jordan.

Relief supplies arriving by ship at the Israeli port of Ashdod are now to be transported directly to the nearby Erez border crossing, Gallant said on Wednesday evening.

Gallant and Blinken visited the Kerem Shalom crossing, which lies on the southern end of the coastal strip, as well as Ashdod, where the US secretary of state delivered remarks.

Blinken said the aid via Erez was a "very important" development in reaching hard-hit north of the strip, where food shortages are severe. He also said the US is "probably a week away" from having its own maritime aid corridor - including a floating pier off Gaza - being operational.

Israel has announced a rapid start to the controversial ground offensive in Rafah, the last Hamas bastion on the border with Egypt, if no agreement with Hamas is reached.

However, Netanyahu has also made it clear that a Rafah offensive is not dependent on a deal.

"We will go into Rafah and smash the Hamas battalions there - with or without a deal," Netanyahu said at a meeting with relatives of Israeli hostages and fallen soldiers on Tuesday, according to his office. "The idea that we will stop the war before all its objectives have been achieved is out of the question."

Netanyahu is under strong pressure from his far-right coalition partners, who made themselves heard once again on Wednesday with comments from a right-wing minister who said getting back "22 or 33 people" is not worth it, sparking outrage.

Minister Orit Strock from the Religious Zionism party said Israel's war aims should not be sacrificed for the return of a small number of hostages.

She spoke of a "terrible deal" that also jeopardized the hostages who were not part of it. The war aims could not be "thrown in the bin in order to save 22 or 33 people," she said.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid responded on X, formerly Twitter, that a "government with 22 or 33 extremist coalition members has no right to exist."

It is believed that around 129 people who were kidnapped on October 7 remain in Gaza, including many that Israel has concluded are no longer alive.

As the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Egyptian officials, the proposal for an agreement envisages two stages.

The first stage would involve the release of at least 20 hostages within a three-week ceasefire in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners. The duration of the ceasefire could be extended by one day for each additional hostage, it said.

A second stage would include a 10-week ceasefire in which Hamas and Israel could agree on a more extensive release of hostages and a longer pause in fighting that could last up to a year.

However, Hamas has so far insisted on a complete end to the war, which Israel rejects

Both sides are not negotiating directly, but via the mediators Egypt, Qatar and the US.

"Were determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home, and to get it now. And the only reason that that wouldn't be achieved is because of Hamas," Blinken said earlier in Tel Aviv.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after their meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Haim Zach/GPO/dpa

President of Israel Isaac Herzog (R) meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv. Ma'ayan Toaf/GPO/dpa
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the press at the port of Ashdod

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the press at the port of Ashdod

By Humeyra Pamuk

KEREM SHALOM, Israel (Reuters) -Tank fire echoed from the Gaza strip on Wednesday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited an aid inspection point, where he heard from Israeli officials including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about efforts to increase assistance to the Palestinian enclave just a few hundred meters away.

Blinken got his first up-close view of the strip six months into the war as he toured a compound at the Kerem Shalom crossing bordered by thick concrete walls where aid trucks bound for Gaza are held for inspection, a process that aid groups have complained has been a major bottleneck.

Sacks of canned chickpeas, rice, potatoes and toilet paper, some marked with the logo of the UN's World Food Programme or the World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid group sat on pallets waiting to enter Gaza. Soldiers carrying automatic weapons roamed around the area known as an "inspection cell".

Israel has sought to demonstrate it is not blocking aid to Gaza, especially since President Joe Biden issued a stark warning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying Washingtons policy could shift if Israel fails to take steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

That move came after seven WCK aid workers were killed by an Israeli strike, increasing anger over the dire conditions for Palestinians in Gaza.

U.S. officials and aid groups say some progress has been made but warn it is insufficient, amid stark warnings of imminent famine among Gaza's 2.3 million people.

The war began when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting 253 others, according to Israeli tallies.

In response, Israel has launched a relentless assault on Gaza, killing more than 34,000 Palestinians, local health authorities say, in a bombardment that has reduced the enclave to a wasteland.

The Kerem Shalom crossing was closed after Oct. 7, when Israel imposed a strict blockade on Gaza, but reopened to limited traffic in December. As well as the crossings at Kerem Shalom and nearby Rafah, on the border with Egypt, Israel has recently said it is opening crossings into northern Gaza to aid trucks.

Israeli officials can inspect 55 trucks every hour at Kerem Shalom and work from morning to sunset, said Shimon Freedman, international media spokesperson for COGAT, an Israeli Defense Ministry agency tasked with coordinating aid deliveries into Palestinian territories.

Freedman said the bottleneck on aid deliveries was inside Gaza, not on the Israeli side.

At least 26 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were waiting by the road just outside the Kerem Shalom inspection point waiting to enter. A Reuters witness also saw dozens of military vehicles and tanks on a field next to the road leading up to Kerem Shalom.

Blinken earlier on Wednesday discussed with Netanyahu "the improvement in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza since the call between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu on April 4 and reiterated the importance of accelerating and sustaining that improvement," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

Ahead of his arrival in Israel, Blinken said Israel needed do more on aid, including by standing up a deconfliction mechanism with humanitarian agencies and making sure there are enough drivers and trucks within Gaza to deliver aid where it is needed.

He said a clear list of humanitarian items was also needed to make sure aid shipments were not arbitrarily denied entry into Gaza during Israel's inspections.

While the focus of Blinken's visit was on getting more aid to Palestinians in Gaza, Washington has also warned Israel not to go ahead with a planned assault on the southern city of Rafah.

Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel will carry out an operation against Hamas in Rafah regardless of whether a ceasefire and hostage release deal is reached.

United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Tuesday that an Israeli ground operation in Rafah was "on the immediate horizon." In a statement, he said Israeli improvements to aid access in Gaza "cannot be used to prepare for or justify a full-blown military assault on Rafah."

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Simon Lewis; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Conservative House lawmakers sparred with campus protesters Wednesday at George Washington University (GW), where they toured the pro-Palestinian encampment that still stands despite repeated calls from the university for its removal.

In videos on social media, Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Byron Donalds (Fla.), Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), James Comer (Ky.) and others are seen facing down hecklers as they addressed a crowd at GW and moved through the packed protests.

Boebert particularly took issue with the Palestinian flag that was draped across a statue of George Washington near the encampment, and she was seen approaching the statue and tugging at the flag to try to remove it. She instructed those around her to remove the flag, noting the statue was federal property.

At another point, while speaking in front of a crowd, Boebert threatened to withhold federal funds if faculty didnt address the issue.

If the faculty here, who many are involved in this right now  I had people proudly saying that they are faculty  and not wanting to remove a Palestinian sign from the George Washington statue. If they dont want to do something to address this? Well, then kiss your federal funding goodbye, Boebert said, speaking over the protesters behind her.

When Luna took the megaphone, she referenced the protests behind her, saying, Theres a really big difference between Palestine and what you guys are seeing behind us.

We know for a fact that there are professional organized protesters that are not students, who are currently inciting what you are seeing happen at this community right now, she said. Theres also a big difference between the First Amendment and peaceful protest and intentionally preventing people from being able to get an education, intentionally trespassing on property going around with signs, which we see, that say, final solution, which you all know is racism. Its not OK, and it should never be tolerated.

Donalds, in a different moment that afternoon, was swarmed by protesters and reporters, one of whom asked what legislative authority GOP members had at the university.

The legislative authority the Oversight Committee has within Washington, D.C., because the federal government does fund directly a lot of activities for the city. Because its a federal enclave, he said, pausing repeatedly as he was shouted down by hecklers.

That being said, the mayor has a responsibility to support George Washington. The encampment is now trespassing. That is what the university president and the administration has said: You are trespassing on GW. Theyve asked for support from the mayor. Mayor [Muriel] Bowser doesnt want to come and support them. She needs to do her job, he continued.

In the background, protesters are heard, including one who said, Do you understand? Do you have any empathy? Do you feel any empathy towards the kids that are dying?

Earlier Wednesday, Comer announced a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing next week that would focus on the GW protests, and he called Bowser and the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) as witnesses.

GW has already suspended multiple students after they would not leave the encampment that popped up last week, but the protest, one of dozens that have emerged on U.S. college campuses in opposition to Israels war in Gaza, has not been disbanded.

The Washington Post reported last week that MPD refused to confront the encampment despite a request from the private university. And two officials familiar with the discussions said the police were worried about how it would look due to the small number of peaceful protesters in the area.

A spokesperson for Bowser, when reached for comment about the reports, referred The Hill to her comments at a press conference earlier Wednesday. At the press conference, she did not go into specifics about whether she denied or turned down requests for help.

I havent ever turned down requests for help, she said in response to the question Wednesday. We support all of our employers, all of our universities, and our police police the laws of the District of Columbia. But I also wouldnt talk about particulars of any private meeting that I have.

Regarding the Tuesday meeting with GW officials, Bowser said earlier at the press conference, We are in constant communication with GW officials and have been throughout, to be supportive to hear their concerns and for them to understand how to work directly with the district government.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
FILE PHOTO: The Paulista Avenue is seen in Sao Paulo

RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil's Senate on Tuesday approved a bill maintaining tax incentives for the meetings and cultural events sector until the end of 2026, which now needs President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's approval to become law.

The bill, which had already been approved by the Lower House, sets a total cap of 15 billion reais ($2.89 billion) for post-pandemic tax benefits granted to the event industry through the so-called PERSE program, valid until the end of December, 2026.

PERSE benefits a large range of segments involved in the events industry in Brazil, including conferences and meetings producers, as well as movie theaters, bars and travel agencies.

In December, Lula's administration introduced an executive order aimed at limiting benefits across various sectors and ensuring fiscal compensation, including a significant downsizing of the PERSE program, targeting its elimination by 2025.

The measure, which required subsequent approval by Congress, was strongly rejected by lawmakers, complicating the economic team's efforts to achieve the fiscal target of erasing the primary deficit this year.

The leftist government then started negotiating some kind of limitation to the program, which resulted in the bill that was approved by Senate unanimously.

Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad told journalists in Sao Paulo the government tax income loss from extending PERSE is estimated at 5 billion reais per year, less than half of the amount government had forecast with earlier versions of the bill.

"This places PERSE in line with the budget approved in 2023 for 2024", he said, thanking Senate and Lower House chiefs for the approval.

($1 = 5.1936 reais)

($1 = 5.1936 reais)

(Reporting by Pedro Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro and Marcela Ayres in Brasilia; additional reporting by Patricia Vilas Boas in Sao PauloWriting by Andre RomaniEditing by Steven Grattan, Matthew Lewis and Lincoln Feast.)
(Reuters) - Brazil will substantially increase income tax exemptions for individuals by the end of the current government's term and grant no tax breaks for companies lacking job commitments, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event in Sao Paulo commemorating Labor Day, a national holiday in the country, Lula reaffirmed his campaign promise to increase income tax exemptions for those earning up to 5,000 reais ($963) monthly.

"The word stands," he said, adding that this would be accomplished by 2026.

During the event, Lula also said there would be no tax breaks in Brazil "to benefit the wealthy" but for those "who work and depend on their salaries."

His remarks came after a Brazilian Supreme Court justice temporarily suspended a law extending payroll tax exemptions for 17 sectors of the economy, following a government request.

Lula, whose veto of the bill was overturned by lawmakers in December, said his administration provides tax relief for the poor but could not do so for companies that were not committing to creating jobs or securing positions for those already employed.

The president approved into law on Wednesday a change that had already been presented to Congress in February through an executive order, expanding the income tax exemption cap to those earning up to two minimum wages per month, or 2,824 reais ($544), up from 2,640 reais last year.

The move implied a 3 billion reais ($577.6 million) fiscal impact for this year, according to the Finance Ministry, underscoring the challenges the president may face in further boosting the exemption ceiling as promised, while his government struggles to balance the public accounts in 2024.

($1 = 5.1936 reais)

(Reporting by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Josie Kao)
A majorly botched rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, impacted students nationwide. Some have managed to overcome the hurdles of applying for federal financial aid. But others have had to drastically alter their plans.

Instead of attending college this fall, a Massachusetts teen plans to join the Marines.

A first-generation student from Illinois hopes her restaurant job will cover college costs.

A Floridian in her 30s says she might go back to exotic dancing to afford tuition.

May 1 has long been the deadline for many students to decide where to attend college. But for applicants across the country, 2024 has been the year the systems in place for decades fell apart. While picking a college is anxiety-inducing in a normal year, the government's botched handling of financial aid upended that decision-making process, disrupting the lives of a broad swath of American students.

The stress stems from a form called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which opens the door to government help with tuition and, many say, to a better quality of life. This year, glitches and holdups with the form kept many vulnerable people from getting across the finish line.

Historically, the application required students and their families to answer dozens of complicated questions using decades-old technology. Facing a mandate from Congress, Biden administration officials set out to fix it. But the new FAFSA was beset with issues and corrupted data, delaying aid offers for months and jeopardizing the prospects for some of the students the updates were supposed to help.

FAFSA is the stepping stone to everything, said Galawe Alcenet, 17, a student in South Saint Paul, Minnesota, who lost her chance at getting several private scholarships because of processing delays.

Even employees in the Education Departments Federal Student Aid office, which was charged with streamlining the form, expressed frustration with their bosses handling of the rollout, two agency officials not authorized to speak publicly told USA TODAY. Then, last week, seemingly capping off the fiasco, the top Biden administration official overseeing the revised process resigned from his post.

FAFSA is the stepping stone to everything, said Galawe Alcenet, a senior in Minnesota who lost her chance at getting several private scholarships because of the processing delays. The biggest challenge has been the waiting.

Applicants experiences were also complicated by colleges evolving stances on standardized entrance exams, last year's Supreme Court decision banning affirmative action, feelings about the Israel-Hamas conflict and the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which threw their middle and high school years into disarray.

More: How did the FAFSA rollout go so wrong? A look at the key events

The FAFSA fiasco hit low-income students the hardest. The vast majority of Americas college students  85% as of the 2019-20 school year  rely on aid. But by late March, 40% fewer high schoolers had completed their FAFSA compared with the same period last year, according to federal data.

We were out of runway, said Alyssa Dobson, the financial aid director at Slippery Rock University, a public school in western Pennsylvania. By the time the Education Department announced in late March that it had flubbed key details on the already-tardy FAFSA information, Dobson said she had no more time to waste.

The entire operation is a house of cards, said Melissa, a student in Florida who kept getting error messages when she tried to submit her application  and still hasnt gotten a clear answer on how much aid shell get. I feel like if I make one wrong move its just going to collapse on itself.

Melissa is among several students who asked USA TODAY to withhold her last name to protect her prospects. She is in her early 30s and pursuing college for the second time after earning her associates degree in her 20s. She had worked as an exotic dancer to cover her bills and said she will probably return to that gig given her precarious financial aid circumstances.

The whole were making FAFSA easier thing? Not true, she said.

"It is an overhaul  its not just a new website," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said at a Senate hearing Tuesday on his department's budget. But, he said, theres no excuse. Our students deserve better.

More than 8 million students have submitted their FAFSA forms to date, said James Kvaal, the undersecretary of education, in a statement to USA TODAY. The applications are now being processed in one to three days, he said, as many schools make financial aid offers. Kvaal encouraged anyone applying to college who hasn't done so to submit the form as soon as possible.

In interviews over the past month, students, parents and financial aid professionals told USA TODAY many of them have struggled to cope with the bungled process.

Military or college? FAFSA changed his mind

Growing up, Sam envisioned hed be on the front lines after high school, protecting his community as a police officer or in the military. He brushed aside the idea of college. It wasnt for him, he decided. He wanted to avoid student loans at all costs. He had been raised by a single mom in Milford, Massachusetts, and there was no way he could afford tuition.

Things changed his junior year when he learned of a national program at his school called OneGoal that works to transform postsecondary advising. The teacher who led the OneGoal class didnt dismiss Sams blue-collar dreams but encouraged him to at least consider college.

That teacher made Sam realize getting generous financial aid for college was possible for a student like him who didnt get perfect grades. Then he visited a campus, and the dream seemed within reach. Sam had pictured college as a bunch of people just running around and partying, like in the movies, he said. I just cant justify that money  thats just stupid. I can party for free otherwise. During the visit, Sam realized people were actually taking this seriously.

He applied to some nearby state schools  and was accepted. Then came the financial aid part.

Man, the FAFSA killed me, he said.

The form kept telling him there was an error with his mothers information. None of his attempts at troubleshooting resolved it  not filling the form out backward, not using all caps or no caps. Like many students who spoke with USA TODAY, he tried to access a helpline. It was rough. I was getting so mad.

Sam never managed to submit his form. He has given up on going to college this fall. The endless dead ends were so frustrating he took them as a sign: He should just enlist in the Marines. The FAFSA frustrations, he said, were what really, really made me not want to go to school and just go straight to the military.

Students in mixed-status families waiting on answers

In mid-April, Janet Leon, 18, still hadnt sent in her FAFSA. Like so many others, it wasnt for lack of trying.

By the time Cardona, the education secretary, designated a FAFSA Action Week urging seniors to submit the form as quickly as possible, the senior had tried just about everything. But the FAFSA continued to boot out her parents, who are Mexican immigrants, every time they checked the box saying they didnt have Social Security numbers.

Her father is a chef at a senior home, and her mother spends most of her time running around after her younger siblings. Getting the pair of them to sit down simultaneously and work through the form with her was a challenge. Shes busy, too: She has worked a restaurant job all through high school, pays her phone bill and is trying to piece together a college fund.

When Janet Leon, an 18-year-old high school senior in the Chicago area, had problems completing the FAFSA, she worked with Green Halo Scholars, a nonprofit organization for first-generation college students, to help her navigate the delays.

Its just so hard to get everyone in one place, said Leon, who hopes to attend Iowa State University, several hours from her home in the Chicago suburbs. She would be the first person in her family to go to college  if word comes through that she can afford it.

Challenges have been widespread for students from mixed-status families, which is often when at least one parent is a non-U.S. citizen who doesn't have a Social Security number. Reports suggest many applicants, like Leon, continued to run into trouble long after the Education Department announced it would fix the problem in February.

It took until Tuesday, April 30  one day before the traditional college decision deadline  for the agency to allow people without Social Security numbers to submit the form. The department called it a temporary fix and said students who didn't have one would have to verify their statuses with schools before they receive federal aid.

The news came too late for people like Angel Ulloa, a student in New Jersey who is still awaiting crucial financial aid information. When the 18-year-old was rejected from Princeton after being waitlisted, he felt disappointed on multiple fronts. Princeton covers tuition for families like his that fall under a certain income threshold. But that was no longer an option.

Ulloa faced FAFSA problems from the get-go: He couldnt discern which information needed to go where or why error messages kept popping up. His mother was anxious about being on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars and tried calling customer service dozens of times. She made four calls every morning and often several more at night over a month.

No matter how many times we got through, I just never felt like any of our voices were being heard, Ulloa said. I just wanted to bang my head on the computer.

Eventually, Ulloa printed the form, filled out the information on paper and mailed it in. In late February, he got an update that his FAFSA had finally gone through. But after two months  and weeks later than students who graduated last year  he was still waiting to hear how much aid schools would offer him.

Angel Ulloa, 18, poses for a photo at College Achieve Central Charter School in North Plainfield, N.J.

Some transfer students remain in limbo

Ximena Penuelas Quinonez wasnt always an expert on how people pay for college.

After graduating from a public high school in Phoenix a few years ago, she didnt apply to too many places. Like lots of students from low-income backgrounds, she didnt want to give her parents something else to worry about. I cant afford college on my own, she used to tell herself. And I cant ask my parents, because theyre already struggling as it is.

So she applied to community college and continued living at home to save money and spend time with her siblings. She got a job in the financial aid office at Phoenix College, where she witnessed this years FAFSA disaster close up.

Shes on track to finish her associates degree and is heading to Arizona State University in the fall. ASU, like many four-year schools, funnels nearby community college grads onto campus as transfers, hoping theyll turn their associates into bachelors degrees.

Penuelas Quinonez was admitted to ASU in March. By mid-April, she had determined which classes shed be taking there. What she didnt know was how much shed be paying.

She struggled through the spring to submit her FAFSA, tripped up because her parents dont have Social Security numbers. Without an idea of next years sticker price, she worried shed have to keep living at home, even though the ASU campus is a longer drive.

She finally got her aid offer in late April, though it still didn't show how much tuition shell have to pay. Shes now looking for an on-campus job and planning to take out loans so she can get an apartment and avoid commuting about two hours, there and back, every day.

A tale of two FAFSAs: Corrections create a waiting game

Ashly and Derick Callejas are twins, two of four children raised by working-class immigrants in Plainfield, New Jersey. The teens financial information is identical. Yet when it came to filling out the FAFSA this year, they had very different experiences. Ashly submitted her form with very few hitches. Derick, meanwhile, encountered problems at almost every step.

In their case, it appeared successfully submitting the FAFSA came down to luck.

Perhaps because he pressed a button too many times or triggered some other glitch, Derick was informed he needed to correct his form once it was processed and couldnt see his estimated aid until he fixed the problems. Making the necessary corrections promptly would be impossible. Hed have to wait weeks. He learned this not from the Education Department but from TikTok videos of students who had experienced similar problems.

The administration indicated the revised forms would accept corrections in March. Then officials extended the timeline, anticipating corrections could be submitted in mid-April. Most of these changes were simple (like adding a missing signature) and would take only a few minutes, Education Department officials and observers said.

Derick and Ashly Callejas, both 18, pose for photos at College Achieve Central Charter School in North Plainfield, N.J.

Derick recently learned, again through TikTok, that he could finally correct his form. But after he submitted the revision, he realized he needed to make another correction. The processing delays prevented him from knowing how much aid hell get for the University of Pennsylvania, where he was accepted earlier this year.

Penn is one of several hundred institutions that uses the CSS profile, an online application that lets students apply for nonfederal financial aid. Derick is optimistic hell get most of his tuition covered, but he has refrained from committing to Penn until he knows more. Neither he nor Ashly wants to leave their parents with bills they cant afford  sending one kid to college is expensive enough. And because of other changes to this years FAFSA, parents no longer get the same automatic discount for having two kids in college at once.

A smooth FAFSA experience and an alternative: success stories

Henry Wolfe will probably remember Aprils total solar eclipse for the rest of his life  but not because of the rare astrological event.

Between his weekend track meets, he and his mother squeezed in a visit to Wake Forest University. While everyone else was busy staring at the sky outside, they were more concerned with the stuff on the ground: The band playing on the quad, the schools mascot (the Demon Deacon), and the Department of Health and Exercise Science, where Wolfe hopes to study.

On the car ride back home to Columbia, Missouri, Wolfe seemed to make up his mind. This visit moved the needle, his mom said from behind the wheel.

While Wake Forest apparently still hadnt received Wolfes FAFSA weeks later, the private North Carolina college uses the CSS Profile and estimated his aid that way. Wolfe got an offer in March that shaved tens of thousands of dollars off tuition, making it more affordable than the University of Pittsburgh, which he then eliminated from his shortlist. Demon Deacons it is! his mom wrote in a text to USA TODAY.

On the other side of the country in Stockton, California, 18-year-old Diorue Hodges has decided shes attending North Carolina A&T, a top HBCU known for educating the most Black engineers in the country. The aspiring mechanical engineer said her relatively painless FAFSA experience allowed her to focus on other matters this semester  studying for finals, connecting with fellow students at her future school and spending quality time with her California classmates.

Hodges didnt even know what the FAFSA was until her junior year. But her school hosted a week dedicated to teaching students and their families about the ins and outs of the process. Counselors also consistently reassured Hodges and her peers when there were delays and changes from the Education Department. The form was just really easy, she said. There werent any in-depth, confusing queries. A lot of it was just, like, Click this if it applies to you.

Diorue Hodges, 18, a student at Aspire Public Schools in California, had a relatively smooth FAFSA experience. She'll be attending North Carolina A&T in the fall.

Even for the luckiest students this year, some questions remain. Because of processing delays, Hodges is still awaiting a finalized aid package.

Eroded trust: Colleges may struggle to solve enrollment problems

For years, the government wanted to put more money in the hands of more low-income college students. And over time, that will surely happen. The new FAFSA allows hundreds of thousands more students to qualify annually for federal aid.

Yet the success stories have been subsumed by an overwhelming frustration over how officials in Washington went about trying to make things better. The resentment that built up devolved into a broader erosion of public trust in the federal financial aid system.

Paul Dieken, financial aid director at Pomona College in California, said the Education Department hasnt done a good job of rebuilding that trust. When the agency suggested that colleges could use corrupted data to get aid offers out the door as quickly as possible, Dieken was flabbergasted.

Halima Moore, the counselor at College Achieve Central Charter School, says she often has to push students to apply to highly selective colleges. Now, she says, "I'm also fighting to convince them to not just go to the community college down the street."

The government has a lot of work to do to regain credibility, experts told Congress a few weeks ago. In the meantime, all the students caught up in this years mess will have to live with choices they were forced to make more quickly than many felt was reasonable.

As of mid-April, the FAFSA completion rate at public high schools with the most minority students was down by more than a third.

Dieken worries about the long-term repercussions of the messiness that has defined this admissions cycle. If the number of students of color at Pomona were to decline, it would be all but impossible for the college to figure out why it had happened.

We don't know if that's because of the FAFSA problem or the Supreme Court decision problem or even the campus protest issue, he said. It's really going to be hard for us to figure out what's causing changes in our class. ... If we don't know what the problem is, how do we course-correct?"

Alia Wong covers inequities in education for USA TODAY. You can reach her at (202) 507-2256 or awong@usatoday.com. Follow her on X at @aliaemily.

Zachary Schermele covers education and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How FAFSA changes have turned College Decision Day into chaos
Breeze Airways adds another non-stop destination from Jacksonville to its routes

Breeze Airways will now offer a new route out of Jax.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

On Wednesday, the Utah-headquartered low-cost airline announced it added a first-ever, nonstop service to San Diego from Jacksonville.

Fares start from $89 for a one-way ticket purchased by May 7 for travel by Sept. 30, 2024.

According to the airline, Breeze now offers a mix of more than 170 year-round and seasonal nonstop routes between 56 cities in 29 states. Its fleet of aircraft includes the Embraer 190/195 and Airbus A220-300.

In May of last year, Breeze added 6 nonstop destinations from Jacksonville in just one week.

For more information on routes and fares, click here to visit their website.

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In England, a judge has ruled that London's Metropolitan Police cannot bar Niyak Ghorbani from attending pro-Palestinian protests. Ghorbani, an Iranian dissident, has become famous for attending such protests while carrying a sign that reads "Hamas is terrorist." He has been arrested by Met police three times at those protests. At his last arrest, he did not have the sign, but he was arrested for refusing to stand where a police officer told him. After that arrest, the police gave him a piece of paper saying that one of his bail conditions was "not to attend any protest relating to Israel or Palestine in the City of Westminster." The judge said that condition was not "necessary or proportionate."

The post Brickbat: Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign appeared first on Reason.com.
British Home Office Secretary James Cleverly said Wednesday that a nationwide detention of Rwandan migrants the government said are illegally in the country is underway. It's meant to deter unlawful and dangerous migrant boat crossings into Britain. The government said detained migrants will be flown back to Rwanda. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI

May 1 (UPI) -- Britain's Home Office said Wednesday it has launched the first efforts to detain migrants for relocation to Rwanda.

The goal is to deliver flights to Rwanda within 9-11 weeks, as promised by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in an effort to deter migrant boat crossings into Britain.

"Operational teams within the Home Office have been working at pace to safely and swiftly detain individuals in scope for relocation to Rwanda, with more activity due to be carried out in the coming weeks," the Home Office said.

Detention capacity for these operations has been increased to 2,200 spaces and 200 new caseworkers have been trained with 500 "highly trained escorts" to carry out the detentions, according to the British government.

The British government said in a Wednesday statement that Rwanda has a strong track record of successfully resettling more than 135,000 refugees and "stands ready to accept thousands more who cannot stay" in Britain.

"Our Rwanda Partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation to deliver it," Home Secretary James Cleverly said.

"This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalizing the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs."

The Labor Party has said it would end the Rwanda policy if it wins the next election.

Despite the party's declared intentions, Labour Party deputy national campaign coordinator Ellie Reeves would not say the party would release migrants detained under the policy.

"We want to get people back to their own countries if their claims have failed which is why we would set up those return agreements and also recruit a thousand case workers," Reeves told the BBC.

Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon said the government should not rely on detention but instead should process asylum claims efficiently and fairly.

"The government's move to detain people is causing fear, distress and great anxiety amongst men, women and children who have fled war and persecution to reach safety in the U.K.," he said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed in April the Rwandan migrant deportations would happen swiftly once Parliament passed legislation legalizing the deportations.

He said that the deportation detention roundups would have happened sooner if the Labor Party had not delayed the bill in an effort to block the resettlement flights.

Meanwhile, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said on Sunday that he is asking his government to form a plan to return asylum seekers to Britain.

He said a newly implemented British plan to return migrants to Rwanda resulted in 80% of recent asylum seekers in Ireland coming across the land border with Northern Ireland, which Britain has denied.
John William Tolbert, 58, faces charges of manslaughter with a weapon in the April 16 death of his older brother, Francis G. Tolbert, 71.

Two weeks after Cape Coral police announced the search for a man believed person of interest in his brother's death, authorities have arrested him during a Pennsylvania traffic stop.

John William Tolbert, 58, faces charges of manslaughter with a weapon in the April 16 death of his older brother, Francis G. Tolbert, 71, police said in a news release.

John William Tolbert was arrested Tuesday in Westmoreland County, in Pennsylvania.

Around 1:45 p.m. April 16, Cape Coral police officers responded to a home in northwest Cape Coral for reports of a patient in cardiac arrest.

Street racing turns deadly: Lehigh Acres man who reached 100 mph on I-75, shot himself, dies at hospital, FHP says

When officers arrived at the home with Lee County EMS, they found Francis G. Tolbert with "a very faint pulse," who was bleeding from the back of his head from unknown causes at that point. Soon after, he died.

Cape Coral officers found a shell casing, which indicated his death wasn't related to heart failure. Detectives assumed the investigation.

Officers learned John William Tolbert had been in the home and fled about an hour before EMS arrived.

The medical examiner's preliminary findings include that the elder Tolbert had a bullet fragment in his head and did not believe it was from a self-inflicted wound.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Man faces manslaughter charge in Cape Coral brother's death
Lemon yellow patches of grass were left behind by students' tents from a pro-Palestinian protest on the Brown University campus that ended Tuesday, April 30. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

Brown University student protesters packed up their tents and peacefully left the College Green Tuesday afternoon, leaving behind lemon yellow patches of grass as a souvenir of their week of solidarity with the people of Gaza.

The exodus came after students reached an agreement with the administration to refrain from further protests through the rest of the academic year. Brown President Christina H. Paxson shared details on the pact with the Brown Divest Coalition in a message to the campus at around 3 p.m.

Students began to evacuate promptly after Paxsons meeting with protest leaders even though university officials had given them until 5 p.m. to clear the area they had occupied since April 24. The Brown Divest Coalition wanted an immediate, permanent cease-fire and lasting peace in Palestine, and for Brown to divest its endowment from companies affiliated with the Israeli government.

A sign on the College Green at Brown University that was displayed and photographed by students before being removed around 4:45 p.m on Tuesday, April 30. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

Although no tents were standing by 4:30 p.m., blue tarps, a bucket of rope, a cooler and sleeping bags lingered in a pile on a sidewalk outside the green. Police were not present, aside from a squad car parked at the far edge of the green. Three broadcast reporters were left alone to do their standups for the evening news.

The placid visual contrasted with scenes on college campuses elsewhere, including Columbia University in New York City, where pro-Palestinian protesters stormed a building and, according to a university spokesperson, broke windows and blockaded entrances.

About 1,200 arrests have been reported on college campuses across the country amid escalating demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war. There were 79 arrests reported at a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the University of Texas at Austin. At the University of Utah, 150 police arrived and ultimately arrested 17 students  some of them tackled, or pushed against asphalt. The University of New Mexico saw one student protester sprayed with chemicals, another tackled, and five tents destroyed. Six students were arrested at Tulane University. All these incidents were reported on Tuesday, April 30.

Paxsons message said five students will be invited to meet and argue their case with five members of the Corporation of Brown University, its governing body, in May. Additionally, Paxson will ask the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management to provide a recommendation on the divestment request by Sept. 30; the request will be brought to the Corporation for a vote at its October 2024 meeting.

Any students charged with involvement in the encampment and associated activities that violate conduct codes will not be subject to suspension or expulsion, provided they abide by the terms of the agreement. Paxson acknowledged that the encampment violated a range of university policies but stated its closure will be viewed favorably in disciplinary proceedings.

Charges have not been dropped, however, for the 41 students with the Brown Divest Coalition who were arrested last fall on separate trespassing charges.

Supplies from the protest that were seemingly left behind were contained to a small section of sidewalk outside College Green at Brown University. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

The agreement also makes clear that reports of bias, harassment or discrimination received during the encampment will continue to be investigated. In addition, if the University receives new information about any conduct violations related to or following the encampment, students wont be exempt from conduct proceedings for those violations.

I have been concerned about the escalation in inflammatory rhetoric that we have seen recently, and the increase in tensions at campuses across the country, Paxsons letter reads. I appreciate the sincere efforts on the part of our students to take steps to prevent further escalation.

Students agreed to end the encampment and cease any further violations of Browns conduct code through the end of the academic year, which includes Commencement and Reunion Weekend May 24-26.

The Brown Daily Herald student newspaper had reported that the university said that its endowment is not directly invested in weapons manufacturers. But student protesters have also singled out Corporation Trustee Maria Zuber, who serves on the board of Textron, a conglomerate whose portfolio includes weapons manufacture. Textron saw protestors outside the doors of its Providence offices starting last fall.

Even with this agreement, there remain many differences within our community about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These differences have been heightened in the months since October 7The devastation and loss of life in the Middle East has prompted many to call for meaningful change, while also raising real issues about how best to accomplish this, Paxson wrote.

The post Brown student protesters decamp from College Green appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
April 30 (UPI) -- Brown University and pro-Palestinian protesters behind an encampment erected on the school's campus reached an agreement Tuesday to disband the demonstration.

Under the agreement, the encampment established April 24 on the College Green of Brown University in Providence, R.I., was to be dismantled by 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday. The protesters, known as the Brown Divest Coalition, have agreed that it will not resume any encampment activity or unauthorized protest this academic year, including commencement and Reunion Weekend.

In turn, the Corporation of Brown University commits to invite five coalition leaders to a May meeting to present their arguments to divest Brown's endowment from companies it accuses of "enabling and profiting from genocide in Gaza."

Brown University President Christina Paxson has also ask its Advisory Committee on University Resources Management to prepare a recommendation on the divestment issues by Sept. 30 to be discussed by the corporation in October.

The Brown Divest Coalition described the agreement as a "victory" for its side -- one that does not mean the end of its work.

"We will continue to pressure Brown to ensure we divest in October and support encampments across the country," it said in a statement published to its Instagram account.

"We will continue fighting until every last cent is divested from the Israeli Occupation and Palestine is free."

The agreement also states that students charged by the university with violating school conduct will not be suspended or expelled, though it will continue to investigate reports of bias, harassment and discrimination.

"Universities were built to hold disagreement and grapple with competing views. This is an essential part of our mission of advancing knowledge and understanding," Paxson said in a letter addressed to the Brown community.

"I am confident that the Brown community can live up to the values of support for free expression within an open and respectful learning community."

Universities across the United States have been confronted with pro-Palestinian protests since the Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7 in Gaza. But in recent weeks, they have been reeling from pro-Palestinian encampments erected on their campuses in demand the schools divest from Israel and support calls for a cease-fire to the conflict.

Police have been deployed and hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested, including at least 60 at Brown.

In New York City, hundreds of police were deployed to Columbia University on Tuesday night after pro-Palestinian protesters barricaded themselves inside the school.
A Charge Point electric vehicle charging station sits ready for use in Bismarck on Feb. 19, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

Gov. Doug Burgum bashed the idea of electric vehicles in North Dakota as the state Industrial Commission passed, at least for now, on funding a regional plan for EVs.

We know that electric vehicles and cold temperatures just dont mix, said Burgum, one of three members of the commission.

The commission was asked to provide $375,000 for the Regional Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Resiliency Plan. The money would come from the Renewable Energy Fund.

Gov. Doug Burgum (Provided by Office of the Governor)

The request was made by the Energy and Environmental Resource Center at the University of North Dakota. It is working with groups in other states and utility companies.

It would be a four-state plan led by North Dakota and also includes Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota.

The plan is to address the unique needs and challenges to developing reliable EV infrastructure in the region.

The commission on Tuesday asked for more information on the regional study, deferring the item to next months meeting. In particular, it asked for more information on how much money the other states are contributing to the plan.

The plan has an overall price tag of $1.875 million, funded in part by the federal Department of Energy and Department of Transportation.

Burgum said his interactions with the federal agencies show that they do not understand the limitations of electric vehicles in a cold climate.

He said federal incentives are artificially inflating the demand for EVs when, at the same time, federal policies are making it harder for baseload power providers like North Dakotas coal-fired power plants to provide affordable energy.

He predicted brownouts and blackouts in the coming years.

If this report is going to highlight all the problems associated with the current plan, then Id be interested in funding it, Burgum said.

He also was critical of Minnesota, which last year approved a carbon-free energy standard requiring Minnesota utility providers to transition to 100% carbon-free electricity sources by 2040, including sources from across state lines. The Industrial Commission is planning to submit comments to Minnesota regulators regarding the implementation of the new rule. Commissioners also are weighing a potential court challenge over Minnesotas regulation.

Over half of the electricity generated in North Dakota goes to out-of-state customers, and most of that supply goes to Minnesota, the North Dakota Lignite Energy Council has said.

They dont want some of our electrons, after 2040, Burgum said. Thats the ongoing battle.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation does have its own EV infrastructure program, receiving almost $26 million in federal funds. The program includes a networking database and a virtual networking event on May 16.

Enhanced oil recovery

The commission also approved a permit for XTO Energy to test using different techniques for enhanced oil recovery at a group of wells along the Little Missouri River. Director of Mineral Resources Lynn Helms noted that the parent company of XTO is ExxonMobil, and it was exciting to see a large oil and gas company experimenting with enhanced oil recovery in the Bakken.

Helms has said developing enhanced oil recovery is critical to extending the life of North Dakotas oil fields.

This is a really important project to move this forward, Helms said. We have three projects running right now that are testing three different technologies. This will bring a fourth technology innovation to the table by a company the scale of ExxonMobil.

The post Burgum gives EV plan the cold shoulder appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) on Tuesday called on billionaires to support former President Trump for the sake of their shareholders and the prosperity of America.

When asked on Fox Newss The Ingraham Angle about his message to billionaires across the country, Burgum said, Well, I wish they had gotten the opportunity to know President Trump the way the first lady and I have, because when you see someone who cares this deeply about this country, what hes going through, and how he gets up and fights for everyday people in America every day.

Ingraham suggested a lot of billionaires are still planning to support President Biden, especially those that are the Wall Street types.

And then his [Trumps] policies are all in the right direction, Burgum continued. If youre a billionaire and you care about your shareholders, you care about your family, you care about your grandkids, you should be voting for someone thats going to bring prosperity to America and peace to the world. Thats what President Trump is doing to do.

Burgum, who suspended his long-shot bid for the White House late last year and is a billionaire himself, endorsed the former presidents reelection bid in January. He was the first of the former 2024 presidential candidates to official endorse Trumps presidential run.

In his endorsement speech, Burgum touted Trumps policies on the economy, the border and energy.

Trump earlier this year hinted Burgum could have an important role in his next administration should he win in November, calling the governor the most solid guy.

Burgums name has emerged on the list of Trumps potential vice presidential picks in recent weeks as speculation continues to swirl over the former presidents choice. Axios reported earlier this week that Trumps team believes Burgum would be a safe choice and help draw moderate votes.

Everybody loves Burgum, one top Trump adviser told CBS News, while noting Trump is the one who will eventually choose. We could learn about it in a Truth Social post, the adviser said.

Burgum announced earlier this year he will not seek another term as North Dakota governor and will depart from the post at the end of his second term in December.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Burned vehicle found in Bamberg Co. with what authorities say appear to be human remains

BAMBERG COUNTY, S.C. (WJBF)  The Bamberg County Sheriffs Office and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) have located a burned vehicle that authorities say appeared to contain human remains.

Authorities say in a statement that this discovery came during a joint investigation involving a missing person.

ALSO ON WJBF: Arrest made in Augusta Mall shooting

The Sheriffs Office say that the SC Department of Natural Resources, Denmark Fire Department, and Bamberg County Coroners Office also assisted at the scene.

Authorities have not identified who the remains belong to, but they state that the identity of the deceased will come from the Coroners Office.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
Californians fed up with fast food chains hiking prices are now biting back  by taking their business elsewhere

Greg LaVay, a 79-year-old retired entrepreneur from San Diego, says he used to visit McDonalds a few times a month  but recently decided to switch to sit-down restaurants for dinner instead.

Why? LaVay noticed the price of hamburgers in his area inching up to $2.50 apiece, with a Big Mac going for $5.39 today.

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I feel ripped off a little, he told The Wall Street Journal.

Since Septembers ruling that California fast food franchisees would be required to increase its minimum wage for employees to $20 starting in April, several eateries have embarked on cost-cutting measures such as raising menu prices.

A recent analysis from market research firm Datassential reveals the Golden States fast-food and fast-casual restaurants, like McDonalds, Chick-fil-A and Pizza Hut, have lifted prices by about 10% overall since September. This growth far surpasses that of the U.S. as a whole, which has seen chains inflate prices by just over 5%.

California franchisees hiking menu prices

Several fast food chains have said theyre raising menu prices in response to the minimum wage hike.

Kalinowski Equity Research says menu prices at some restaurants have escalated by as much as 8% since the beginning of April, with Wendys leading the pack, reports NBC Los Angeles.

In a recent earnings call, Chipotle reported a 6% to 7% menu price increase at its California establishments in April in light of the recent increase. And Gordon Haskett Research Advisors found Chick-fil-As prices jumped 10.6% on average in California since mid-February, according to The Journal.

However, a spokesman for California Gov. Gavin Newsom told The Journal fast food chains can afford to give their workers a raise.

These are wages that will go towards basic necessities like rent and groceries, he said.

Read more: Barbara Corcoran predicted mortgage rates will hit a 'a magic number' and send housing prices 'through the roof'  here's how to set yourself up today

Customers are opting for smaller, independent eateries

Californias wage law doesnt apply to establishments with less than 60 national locations, so smaller, independent restaurants arent impacted by the higher labor costs.

Story continues

As a result, some customers are turning to small neighborhood businesses for lower prices.

Seth Amitin, a 39-year-old therapist based in Los Angeles, told The Journal he saw his usual $16 meal that he picks up once a week at a Chick-fil-A in Hollywood get hiked up to $20.

Theres a really good taco spot just down the street. They kept their burrito prices at $10. Im definitely eating there more often, Amitin said.

John Matthews, a 62-year-old project manager from Imperial Beach who shells out about $600 a month to eat out, has also decided to frequent independent, sit-down restaurants instead of big chains like McDonalds and Chipotle.

Im still eating out, though much more selectively, Matthews told The Journal.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
How this busy airport has managed to not lose a single piece of luggage in 30 years

Visitors to the rooftop deck at Kansai International Airport look at the jetliners on the runway in Izumisano, Osaka prefecture, Japan, Sept. 6, 2000. The airport says it has never lost a piece of luggage since it first opened in 1994. | KATSUMI KASAHARA

When passengers check bags at an airport, their worst fear might be the airline losing their luggage. But if they are traveling through Kansai International Airport in Japan, they probably wont have to worry about that.

The airport says it has never lost a piece of luggage since it first opened in 1994.

So how does an airport go 30 years without losing a single bag?

We believe that the record of having no baggage lost since the opening of the airport is the result of the daily efforts and careful work of everyone involved, including airlines and handling companies, Kansai Airports stated in a press release.

Worlds best airport for baggage delivery

Kansai International Airport, located in Osaka, Japan, won the Skytrax award for the Worlds Best Airport for Baggage Delivery for 2024.

Japans seventh-busiest airport has won the award eight times, according to CNN. The airport handled 10 million bags in 2023 and has an average of 20-30 million passengers per year.

How common is it for airlines to lose luggage?

On average, about 7.6 pieces of luggage are lost per every 1,000 travelers, according to Forbes.

In the U.S., 0.58% of bags were mishandled by airlines in 2023, per the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The bureau defines mishandled bags as check bags that are lost, damaged, delayed, and pilfered, as reported by or on behalf of the passenger, that were in the airlines custody for its reportable domestic nonstop scheduled passenger flights.

How to avoid having your luggage lost

Though there is no way to guarantee that your luggage will get to your destination without issues, there are some ways of lowering the chances of your luggage being lost or delayed.

If possible, fly direct. Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, told CNET that the fewer connections, the lower the chance of the airline losing your luggage.

Remove old tags from your bags.

Use a luggage tag with detailed contact information.

Check in early. The U.S. Department of Transportation warns, Even if you make the flight, your bag may not.

What to do if an airline loses your luggage

If you cant find your luggage after a flight, you should alert airline personnel as soon as possible and file a report, CNET recommends.

Airlines are required to compensate passengers for lost, delayed and damaged luggage.

If your luggage is lost, the airline is responsible for compensating you for your bags contents  subject to depreciation and maximum liability limits, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. For domestic flights, the maximum amount covered is $3,800 per passenger. For international flights, it is approximately $1,700.00 per passenger.
A pro-Palestinian protester waves a flag while attending a demonstration next to an encampment at UC Irvine. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

For the record:

9:11 a.m. May 2, 2024: A previous version of this story referred to UC Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox on second reference as she instead of he.



Pro-Palestinian protesters, who are demanding divestment from Israel and an end to the countrys military actions in Gaza, have set up several new tent encampments at colleges and universities across California this week.

Tensions have escalated and arrests have been made as protesters continue to stake out areas on the campuses of UC Irvine, UC Riverside, Occidental College, Sacramento State, San Francisco State, Cal Poly Humboldt and others.

At least 25 people were arrested early Tuesday at Cal Poly Humboldt. Protesters at USC have also been arrested, and those at UCLA are facing disciplinary action from the college.

Here's a look at what's happening across the state:

Pro-palestinian protesters demonstrate next to their encampment in the central part of the UC Irvine campus. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

UC Irvine

Protesters at UC Irvine on Tuesday faced off with campus police, who were handing out citations.

The situation marked an escalation in tension at the Orange County campus and mirrors intensifying protests unfolding at universities across the nation.

A group crowded around campus police as they wrote a woman who was unaffiliated with the school a ticket for her role in the demonstration. The woman, who was not identified, was told she needed to leave campus immediately.

Read more: Photos: Tensions grow as pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses continue

More than two dozen demonstrators formed a line in front of the encampment and chanted "UCPD, KKK, IOF youre all the same," and, "Shame, shame, shame on you, you have blood on your hands too."

Campus police erected additional barricades around 3 a.m. Tuesday to enclose the encampment, which went up Monday, but did not order anyone to disperse.

Protesters responded by expanding the encampments footprint to the barricades. In the past day, the encampment, which sits between John V. Croul Hall and Rowland Hall, has grown from roughly a dozen tents to more than 20.

UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman said in a statement late Monday that administrators have reached out to the students in "the existing illegal encampment" and have asked them to move to another location. The space they have occupied is in an area where classes are taught and research is conducted, Gillman said.

"We hope that our students and other affiliates do not insist on staying in a space that violates the law, violates our policies and disrupts our mission," he said.

Read more: With furry costumes, water jugs and tambourines, this tiny California college became a Gaza flashpoint

But Sarah Khalil, 21, a fourth-year student, said protesters have no plans to move or dismantle their tents.

The group posted a banner listing their demands: End violent extremism funding, promise amnesty for student protesters, commit to an academic boycott of Israel and remove what the group calls Zionist programming.

Were here for something bigger than ourselves. We're here because of a genocide and we don't want our money to go toward that genocide, Khalil said.

UCLA

At UCLA, demonstrators clashed in a large, but mostly peaceful assembly over the weekend, not far from where pro-Palestinian students have maintained a tent encampment for days.

Physical altercations between demonstrators Monday prompted the university to increase its law enforcement presence, officials said.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold a student-faculty rally at Dickson Plaza at an encampment on the UCLA campus on Monday. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Administrators also are taking disciplinary action against several demonstrators after reports they blocked a student's access to class, Mary Osako, a spokesperson for UCLA, said in a statement.

"This kind of disruption to our teaching and learning mission is abhorrent, plain and simple," she said. While the demonstration remains largely peaceful, our campus must remain a place where we treat one another with respect and recognize our shared humanity  not a place where we devolve into violence and bullying."

Read more: 'We will not move.' Pro-Palestinian encampments, protests grow at California universities

UC Riverside

While students at UC Riverside are also protesting the Israel-Hamas war, a spokesperson said all operations on campus are proceeding as usual.

UC Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox said Monday in a letter to the campus community that the crisis has affected many on our campus in a personal and profound way.

But, Wilcox said, speech and activity that disrupts campus operations is not protected. Large signs and banners will be removed, and the blocking of access to campus venues will not be tolerated, he said in a statement.

Pitzer College

At Pitzer, where students have been inhabiting an encampment of about 25 tents for five days, tensions between protesters and the administration have remained low.

Although campus safety vehicles occasionally park near the encampment, no college or local law enforcement officials have interfered.

"The atmosphere is really joyful," said Sophie McClain, a senior and protest co-organizer. Weve been really lucky that weve had limited to no repression from the college."

A pro-Palestinian Jewish activist paints part of a pro-Palestinian mural on the side of Mead Hall on the Pitzer College campus in Claremont. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

McClain said many students spend time at the encampment during the day, socializing, working on final assignments and playing music. At night, 20 to 30 students sleep in their tents. The encampment is growing, she said, with a few new tents added each night.

There are community meals, study sessions and other programming throughout the day.

"Pitzer respects the rights of students to protest and express themselves peacefully," Vice President and Dean of Students Jan Barker Alexander wrote in a statement to the campus. "It is our expectation that safety will remain the primary concern of everyone."

Read more: Tensions grow at California universities as Gaza protests roil campuses from Berkeley to New York

Occidental College

About 60 students set up an encampment around 4 a.m. Monday at Occidental College.

Protesters worked in the pre-dawn dark to avoid potential issues with campus security, said co-organizer Matthew Vickers, a junior studying diplomacy and world affairs.

We wanted to be as clandestine as possible to not be interrupted, said Vickers, a member of the Occidental chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.

Dozens of tents occupied the quad at the center of campus. Students lounged on the grass, chatted with friends and worked on laptops in tents. Vickers said that campus security officers stopped by Monday morning but were respectful and did not interfere.

In an email to faculty and staff Monday afternoon, Occidental President Harry J. Elam Jr. said the encampment had so far engaged in peaceful demonstration and the college would remain steadfast in [its] commitment to ensure that any dialogue or demonstration remains safe and peaceful.

USC

At USC, where Los Angeles police arrested 93 people on suspicion of trespassing last week as they cleared an encampment at the center of campus, a reestablished campsite was mostly quiet this week.

Each day starts with a daily briefing and includes teach-ins, poetry readings hosted by professors, yoga and crafts. Volunteers have provided enough food for campers to have three meals a day.

USC students protesting the war in Gaza spend time at a tent encampment erected at Founders Park. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Participants declined to provide their names, citing safety concerns.

I think the narrative is that were a security issue or were scaring other people, when in reality it is a place of care and love, said one participant who is involved with the USC Divest from Death Coalition. We are all here because at the end of the day, we believe in humanity.

Cal Poly Humboldt

After a tense standoff overnight with Gaza war protesters at Cal Poly Humboldt, police moved in early Tuesday and arrested at least 25 people, including students and professors.

As part of the operation, officers said they cleared Siemens Hall and Nelson Hall East, which had been occupied for a week. The campus remains closed and it was unclear when it would reopen.

This is a difficult day. It breaks my heart to see it, and truly nobody wanted to see things come to this. Weve all watched this with great concern, and always with the sincere hope that it would be resolved peacefully, Cal Poly Humboldt President Tom Jackson Jr. said in a statement. Unfortunately, serious criminal activity that crossed the line well beyond the level of a protest had put the campus at ongoing risk.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
In 2021, Whittier, California, police arrested Victor Manuel Martinez Wario on an outstanding warrant related to a 2012 child molestation conviction. The only problem? Police had arrested the wrong person. However, despite Wario frequently telling police he didn't have any warrants out for his arrest, they didn't bother to checkleaving Wario imprisoned for five days.

Now, Wario is suing, claiming that police negligence amounted to a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. The officer's actions caused Wario to suffer "emotional and mental trauma," according to the suit. "He also missed time at work, and was unable to provide care to his disabled fiancee."

In March 2021, Wario was pulled over by several Whittier police officers for a minor traffic violation. During the stop, police mistakenly found that he had an active warrant out for his arrest. Even though Wario denied that he had any active warrants, he was still arrested and booked into a nearby jail.

According to the lawsuit, during the booking process, police told Wario that the warrant originated from Wario's failure to register as a sex offender and "check in with the probation department" after a 2012 conviction for child molestation. Wario again "adamantly told them that they had the wrong person," the complaint reads. But, again, no one decided to double-check that the police had arrested the correct person.

Two days later, Wario was transferred to another jail. This time, "he was assigned special housing for custodies with child molestation cases, given a specially colored jumpsuit indicating his status as a sex offender, and a wristband was placed on his wrist also showing that his case involved child molestation," the suit reads. "Because of his perceived status as a convicted child molester, Mr. Wario was in serious jeopardy of being attacked by fellow inmates."

That day, he was taken to be arraigned. During a brief discussion with his attorney, he again insisted that he was the wrong person. However, when the attorney relayed this to Judge Mary Lou Villar, she set a $30,000 bail and refused to release Wario.

"She ordered a fingerprints expert to appear in court the following week to take his fingerprints and verify his identity," the suit reads.

However, the following day, someone finally took basic measures to check Wario's claims. According to the suit, "the Deputy District Attorney assigned to the case obtained the booking photo of the actual defendant in the case and determined that it was not Mr. Wario."

It took another day for Wario to be releasedfive days after his arrest.

On Tuesday, Wario filed a lawsuit against the Whittier Police Department, claiming that his false arrest was a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights, arguing that police had no reasonable basis for arresting and jailing him.

"No reasonable conclusion could be drawn that such an arrest and confinement was reasonable," his suit reads. "No objective facts readily available and known to Defendants could have reasonably led them to conclude that Plaintiff was a fugitive from justice stemming from a 2012 child molestation case."

The post California Cops Locked an Innocent Man in a Sex Offender Unit for 3 Days appeared first on Reason.com.
California crime victims groups and state lawmakers are pushing for $200 million in ongoing funding amid fears of impending deep federal funding cuts for victims services.

Dozens of organizations across California including Sacramentos WEAVE and Sacramento LGBT Community Center, Yolo Countys Empower Yolo and Stand Up Placer in Placer County have signed on to a letter urging lawmakers to approve the funds to counteract an anticipated $700 million in cuts to the federal Victims of Crime Act fund.

VOCA is at the center of Californias response to supporting victims of crime, said Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes, D-Colton, in a March letter to assembly budget committee chair Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, and subcommittee chair James Ramos, D-San Bernardino.

Without some level of support, Reyes wrote, Californias victim service providers are at risk of devastating funding cuts that in some instances may require programs to close their doors all together.

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More than 20 lawmakers  including local state assemblymembers Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, Stephanie Nguyen, D-Elk Grove, and James Gallagher, R-Yuba City  attached their names to Reyes letter.

The 40-year-old Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA, established a fund for crime victims financed by fines and penalties from convictions in federal cases, not from tax dollars.

The funds balance was more than $1.4 billion as of March, according to the Justice Departments Office for Victims of Crime. But some $700 million could be eliminated, Reyes said, paring the pool by half.

The cuts are not expected until the 2024-25 fiscal year, advocates say, but the organizations say the loss of funding could devastate services they provide to victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, elder abuse and more.

Jonathan Raven, assistant CEO of the California District Attorneys Association and former Yolo County chief deputy district attorney, called the potential federal cuts catastrophic to nonprofits and to victims services, many of which are embedded with county prosecutors as at Yolo and Sacramento County District Attorneys offices.

Local district attorneys offices are already figuring out how theyre going to survive this. The impact will be felt by the victims and survivors of violent crime, Raven said. In Yolo County, he said, victim services workers are underpaid and overworked.

Imagine the vicarious stress and trauma in working with people at the lowest point in their lives and now staffing is going to have to be cut, Raven continued. Its shameful.

Reyes has called for the millions in state funding to prevent immediate and drastic cuts to crime victim services and provide time for a longer-term solution at the state or federal level.

Legislation that could address funding stalls

Both Reyes and Gabriel have crime victims funding bills before the state legislature.

Reyes Assembly Bill 1956, the Crime Victim Services Stabilization Act, would require state supplemental funding when the federal VOCA award is reduced more than 10% than the amount awarded the prior year, and require the California Office of Emergency Services to award these funds to federal VOCA funding grant recipients, simplifying the grant process for service providers.

AB 2432, carried by Gabriel, would fund victim services by holding bad corporate actors accountable for financial and legal wrongdoing.

The bill would create a new and permanent funding source for programs historically funded by federal Victims of Crime Act funds.
California electric vehicle sales started strong this year, a sign of a healthy market for low and zero-emissions cars despite last years drop in sales, concerns about public charging and fatigue with the states leading EV manufacturer.

The news comes just days after Tesla, which still sells the most electric vehicles of any other car company, announced it would open up its fast chargers to electric vehicles from other manufacturers including Ford and Rivian.

EV sales in the first three months of this year were the strongest of any other first quarter, according to data released Wednesday by the states Energy Commission  102,507 total sales. That means full electric cars made up a quarter of vehicle sales across the state.

The EV transition is in full swing with nearly one in four California car shoppers choosing to go electric over the last year resulting in record sales, said CEC chair David Hochschild in a written statement. This is good news.

That progress, however, is coupled with a recent slowdown at Tesla. The companys cars still make up the majority of the states EV market, but the companys in-state sales were down for the second straight quarter, according to a recent report from the California New Car Dealers Association.

And not long after saying its highly reliable network of Superchargers made access deals with other car companies, its owner Elon Musk said his company fired the 500 person team who works on the network.

Californias love affair with electric vehicle giant Tesla may have peaked, the group said in a news release, suggesting that the companys dominance is waning as traditional manufacturers such as Mercedes and BMW gain ground.

That doesnt mean consumers arent wanting to drive cleaner vehicles. According to registration data in the CNCD report, the combination of full electric, hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles made up a whopping 37.5% of all new car registrations so far this year.

Whats unclear is whether manufacturers can meet the demand for affordable EVs in Californias race to meet its ambitious climate goals, including Gov. Gavin Newsoms pledge to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel-powered cars and light trucks by 2035.

Carleen Cullen, co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit Cool the Earth, said she expects EV sales to grow at a fast clip as potential car buyers realize the benefits of Supercharger access and more competition enters the market.

The fact that these numbers are this strong, even in this state of flux, means theres really strong demand that is going to grow once consumers catch up with the fact that all these public charging networks are growing and available, she said.
Californias large budget deficit looms for Gavin Newsom. Why it may be getting worse

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is likely to face a budget deficit even bigger than the $38 billion he projected during his initial spending plan presentation in January.

This means it will be tougher for the governor, who must detail his revised budget proposal  updated with the most recent tax receipts  by May 14.

Thats because the latest state tax receipts have brought in revenues below the expectations Newsoms Department of Finance set earlier in the year. The agencys April finance bulletin shows Californias fiscal year-to-date revenues were $5.8 billion or 4% below the $146 billion forecast as of March.

The year-to-date personal income tax receipts made up $3.4 billion of the overall shortfall, the bulletin reported. Year-to-date corporation tax receipts were $1.4 billion below forecast, and sales tax receipts were down $1 billion. The Department of Finance will not release any new budget numbers until Newsom presents his updated spending plan.

The revisions will kick off a month of budget negotiations between Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg.

The Legislature must pass the 2024-2025 budget by June 15. The new fiscal year starts July 1.

Assembly budget advisor Jason Sisney said in an April 25 post on his #CABudget Substack that Newsoms revised budget is virtually certain to lower revenue projections from those he released in January.

Will that downgrade be as significant as the Legislative Analysts Office (LAO) suggested in February and March? Sisney wrote. My personal view is: I doubt it, but that decision is now in the hands of those completing the administrations official forecast update, due to be released on or before May 14.

H.D. Palmer, a Department of Finance spokesman, pointed to a portion of Newsoms January budget document acknowledging revenue forecasting is always subject to significant uncertainty. It suggested projections could be off, even as the magnitude of potential revenue swings has likely declined as revenues have already come down from unsustainably high levels through 2021-22.

The principal drivers that could lead to higher or lower revenues include higher or lower personal income tax withholding receipts, capital gains realizations, corporate taxable profits, and use of corporate net operating losses and business incentive tax credits, the budget document said.

Palmer declined to make projections ahead of the governors upcoming presentation, but he cautioned against using monthly revenue outlooks to assess the budget as a whole.

The Legislature in early April opened up previous budgets from fiscal years 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 to find $1.6 billion in funding solutions, including cuts, delays and other money-saving strategies.

That agreement between Newsom, Rivas and McGuire included $17.3 billion in budget fixes. A large chunk of the agreed-to changes will be implemented as leaders negotiate the budget.

Newsom and the Legislative Analysts Office disagree over the potential size of the states deficit. After the governors January budget presentation, the LAO in February released a deficit update that suggested the spending gap was closer to $73 billion, based on weak revenue collections.

The dueling deficit projections date back to late 2023, when the LAO estimated the state would see a $68 billion shortfall. Although the LAO and the Department of Finance typically calculate different budget numbers, Newsom railed against the bigger projection, saying it was wrong for budget-watchers to take it as gospel.
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

LAWMAKERS RALLY FOR OFFSHORE WIND INFRASTRUCTURE

If theres one thing Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur, D-West Hollywood, wanted the public to take away from his Tuesday press conference, its that the state is not on track to meet its climate goals and that major steps are needed to correct that.

For example?

Offshore wind is a crucial part of the strategy to achieve our goals, Zbur said at the presser.

Zbur and a number of other lawmakers were on hand to advocate on behalf of including a $1 billion bond for seaport infrastructure improvement as part of a larger climate bond being considered in the Legislature and which voters may decide on this November.

Californias seaports are simply not equipped right now to assemble these giant wind turbines, which are so large their arms could barely fit in Dodger Stadium, Zbur said.

We need to make significant investments in our seaports to allow for these massive offshore wind turbines to be assembled, constructed and transported, he said.

Zbur said that $1 billion is just a down payment on this infrastructure project, albeit an important one.

And thats why were here today, to make offshore wind a priority. We must prioritize climate, climate bonds and offshore wind when were allocating this years budget, he said.

STATE INITIATES SECOND ONE-TIME SPENDING FREEZE

The California Department of Finance has sent a formal budget letter to state agencies, directing them to immediately cease state spending of one-time appropriations.

This is the second such letter to be sent out this budget cycle  the first one was sent in December, when it first became clear that the state was looking at a massive deficit.

Last month, lawmakers approved early action aimed at reducing the deficit by as much as $17 billion. This weeks letter is in direct response to that, wrote Jason Sisney, a budget adviser to Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, in a blog post.

The freeze is intended to enlarge the pool of potential options that the Governor and the Legislature have to balance the 2024 state budget in June, Sisney wrote.

The freeze applies only to unallocated (meaning unspent) one-time appropriation funds greater than $1 million (not including state administrative overhead costs).

As noted above, departments with appropriations meeting the above criteria shall immediately cease spending or encumbering these resources. Additionally, affected departments shall contact Finance to assess remaining funds and impacts of this (budget letter), including impacts to other departments and programs, the budget letter reads in part.

The letter strongly encourages statewide elected officials to comply with its provisions.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream and experience the success of the worlds 5th largest economy. From the Inland Empire to the Bay Area, regions throughout California are growing  strengthening local communities and boosting our states future.

- California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in statement responding to news that Californias population grew slightly last year.

Best of The Bee:
California man who died at Pearl Harbor to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  A California man who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 is being buried at Arlington National Cemetery later this month.

On December 7, 1941, the Pearl Harbor naval base was attacked by Japan, bringing the United States into the Second World War. After more than 80 years, Starring Brooks Winfield from San Rafael will be buried on May 9.

Winfield was a Radioman 3rd Class (RM3c), responsible for transmitting and processing all forms of communications and radio signals.

Starring Brooks Winfield (image courtesy of the US Navy)

Winfield was born on July 1, 1919, enlisted on on September 30, 1940, and received many awards and decorations in that time, including:

Purple Heart Medal

Combat Action Ribbon

American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet Clasp)

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

World War II Victory Medal

Winfield died on the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941. He was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor alongside many of his fellow servicemembers serving his country at the age of 22.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
Californians have a right to safe water, yet many dont have it. Is help on the way? | Opinion

Twelve years after California became the first state in the nation to declare a human right to water, achieving this basic societal goal of securing clean water for all 39 million state residents is more daunting than ever.

This is a moral imperative for one of the largest economies in the world. There is no good reason for clean, safe water to be elusive to an estimated 1.2 million Californians who get their water from failing water systems beset with financial problems and safety concerns.

But there is an undeniable reason: The states water system was in far worse shape than previously thought.

California needs to drill more than 55,000 new wells and fix nearly 400 failing public water systems.

The initial estimate in 2021 put the cost at about $4.6 billion. The new preliminary estimate is more than double that, at $10.6 billion.

For these and other reasons, a human right to water is more of a goal than a legal requirement that can be upheld in a California court. Yet its very existence has helped to keep one of Californias shameful resource problems in the spotlight rather than the shadows. And a lot of good work is happening to make this right quite real.

The more regulators at the State Water Resources Control Board have studied this problem, the more they and California understand what it will take for every tap and every well to provide safe, clean water.

Opinion

The problem is about far more than money. If we got $10 billion today, we wouldnt be able to figure this out, said Kyle Jones, policy and legal director at the Community Water Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to this one issue. Some competent local government on the ground would have to do the necessary work. Theres planning, theres other kinds of work, Jones said.

California has officially recognized this human right to water for 12 years when then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed the enabling legislation.Every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes, the legislation said.

Credit goes to the current governor, Gavin Newsom, and the state Legislature for making a sizable down payment toward addressing this issue. In 2019, Newsom redirected some funds annually paid by large greenhouse gas emitters to the Water Board to help fix the states small failing water systems. In essence, they took some money to address climate change and spent it on safe drinking water instead.

This funding stream will last for 10 years, until 2030, about $130 million each year.

Certainly everybody knew it wasnt going to solve all the problems, said Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the water boards division of drinking water. Its really been a learning process.

The cost of connecting some failing systems into a larger one that is working has gone up, said Polhemus. And that original 2021 estimate didnt even try to look beyond the public water systems and assess the failures of individual wells that are connected to no system. Drilling 55,458 new wells is estimated to cost $2.8 billion.

Whos going to pay for all this? It depends.

Assistance to the public water systems is coming in the form of grants and loans through a patchwork of state and federal funds directed to the water board. This is what that $130 million a year is going toward. And so far, the Water Board has dispersed more than $700 million, at about twice the clip of previous years when it received some outside criticism. I think the water board has been really successful and getting a lot of funding out the door, Jones said.

For these new wells, particularly in the Central Valley, Jones is hoping that the agriculture industry will be a major funding source one way or another.

In the southern San Joaquin Valley, for example, proposed pumping levels in groundwater management plans could lead to nearly 12,000 wells going entirely or partially dry. If a local groundwater agency causes wells to fail, they should be collecting funds for the farmers who are causing the problem to pay for it. The regional water board has a separate program aimed at water pollution, again caused by farming in many cases from the excess application of fertilizers with nitrates. Wells tainted by pollution are candidates to be helped through this program.

It shouldnt fall entirely on the state to get this done, Jones said. I think in particular, we should be looking at more resources from the federal government on this.

This is a rare problem in California water that has water users and environmental justice groups working in harmony together. Soren Nelson sits on a board advisory panel on behalf of the Association of California Water Agencies, which is seeking to solve as much of this problem with the funds available. I think its about helping the problem in front of you, he said. Sometimes, (a failing water agency) is not always ready to receive the help.

The water board is expected later this spring to estimate the financial gap between the funds available and the need, Polhemus said. Jones, meanwhile, is crossing his fingers that the states unresolved budget crisis will not cut off any funds, and what will happen in 2030 when that $130 million that now arrives annually from the state expires. That is the dream that keeps me up at night, he said.

Making the human right to water a reality in California is arguably the top financial priority for water in the state, from a perspective of fundamental fairness and decency. Yet in reality it is not, with flood control and climate change and drought and so many other needs competing for dollars. In Sacramento, too often those with the biggest need have the smallest voice.
Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript April 30, 2024

Cameco Corporation isnt one of the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds at the end of the third quarter (see the details here).

Operator: Thank you for standing by. This is the conference operator. Welcome to the Cameco Corporation First Quarter 2024 Results Conference Call. As a reminder, all participants are in listen-only mode and the conference is being recorded. Following the introductory remarks, there will be an opportunity to ask questions. [Operator Instructions] I would now like to turn the conference over to Rachelle Girard, Vice President, Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Rachelle Girard: Thank you, operator. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Cameco's first quarter conference call. I would like to acknowledge that we are speaking from our corporate office, which is on Treaty 6 territory, the traditional territory of Cree people and the homeland of the Metis. With us today are Tim Gitzel, President and CEO, joining the call today from Washington, D.C.; Grant Isaac, Executive VP and CFO; Heidi Shockey, Senior VP and Deputy CFO; Brian Reilly, Senior VP and Chief Operating Officer; Sean Quinn, Senior VP, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary; and Dominic Kieran, Global Managing Director of Cameco UK Limited. I'm going to hand it over to Tim in just a moment to briefly discuss the momentum that continues to build behind nuclear energy and how the continued execution of our strategy and transition back to our Tier 1 cost structure has positioned us to benefit from the tailwinds.

After, we will open it up for your questions. Today's call will be approximately 1 hour, concluding at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. As always, our goal is to be open and transparent with our communications. However, we do want to respect everyone's time and conclude the call on time. Therefore, should we not have time to get to your questions during this call or if you have detailed questions about our quarterly financial results. We will be happy to follow up with you after the call. There are a few ways you can contact us with additional questions. You can reach out to the contacts provided in our news release. You can submit a question through the contact tab on our website or you can use the Ask a Question form at the bottom of the webcast screen, and we will be happy to follow up after this call.

If you join the conference call through our website event page, there are slides available, which will be displayed during the call. In addition, for your reference, our quarterly investor handout is available for download in a PDF file on our website at cameco.com. Today's conference call is open to all members of the investment community, including the media. During the Q&A session, please limit yourself to two questions and then return to the queue. Please note that this conference call will include forward-looking information, which is based on a number of assumptions and that actual results could differ materially. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements, and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements we make today, except as required by law.

Story continues

Please refer to our most recent annual information form and MD&A for more information about the factors that could cause these different results and the assumptions we have made. With that, I will turn it over to Tim.

Tim Gitzel: Well, thank you, Rachelle, and good morning, everyone. We appreciate you taking the time to join today's call. As Rachelle mentioned, I'm joining the call remotely from Washington, D.C., where this afternoon, I'll be attending the Energy Transition Metals Summit hosted by the Northern Miner. In the days to come, we will also be meeting with some of the key policymakers here at D.C. to discuss current and future industry fundamentals. And importantly, we'll talk about how we're going to translate to significant government and public support with the expansion of nuclear power generation into meaningful actions that generate tangible results to the benefit of the entire planet. As Cameco and as an industry, we are ready to respond to the global need for carbon-free, reliable and secure nuclear energy for decades to come.

We've said it several times over the years and it's worth repeating. Our invitation to symposiums and high level discussions now taking place around the world is a testament to Cameco's deep understanding of how the nuclear fuel market works and acknowledgment of the strong relationships we've established over several decades of experience. Let me tie together a few key themes today before we get to your questions. First, nuclear is being recognized by governments, power suppliers and industrial power consumers as a carbon-free energy source that is key to Net Zero and energy security. On that basis, Cameco, along with our investments in Westinghouse and Global Laser Enrichment is key to the nuclear industry and therefore key to the path to Net Zero.

And within that broad positive demand context and in the face of uncertain supply, our strategy and experience provides us with unmatched leverage to add significant long-term value, while ensuring strong downside protection. And our results so far in 2024 remain on track for delivering that value and establishing that protection. So thinking back to this time last year, we were highlighting 18 months of growing momentum and interest in the nuclear space and in Cameco. And I can absolutely say that now 12 months later, the interest and positive outlook have only improved. I would even qualify that further and say it has improved significantly. First, it's improved based on the impact of the global emphasis on clean energy. We believe nuclear power is essential for the ongoing clean energy transition.

A close up of the reactor core, highlighting the complexity of the uranium power process.

If the world is going to meet its Net Zero targets, we need carbon-free baseload and dispatchable power that can be located where it's needed and is always available and consistently reliable. I don't need to tell you that nuclear is one of, if not the only energy source that meets all of those requirements. And we don't just need a bit of it, we need a lot of it. From a sustainability and scientific perspective, both the international community and large power consuming industries are calling for a tripling of nuclear energy from where it is today. And if we are to follow that path, it means a very significant increase in the number of new builds on the horizon, translating into significant value across the fuel cycle and reactor life cycle.

Next, the outlook has improved based on today's focus on secure energy. Nations must ensure that their critical energy infrastructure and fuel supplies are not excessively reliant on risky jurisdictions, unreliable partners and unstable actors and again, nuclear checks those boxes. Fuel supplies and services for nuclear energy are sourced from multiple safe jurisdictions and suppliers in the Western world, and the nature of the fuel itself allows for long-term inventories and storage. So not only can you keep years of reloads behind a reactor, but that reactor can provide carbon-free and reliable energy for months without refueling, giving governments and utilities a runway to adapt should circumstances change. And finally, keeping both clean energy and energy security in mind, the outlook is more positive in the context of the current debate around AI, data centers and the considerable energy needs that are coming with the rapid evolution of technology.

I recently read that using generative AI to provide search results in the same way we use Google requires a ten-fold increase in power requirements, 10 times. And gone are the days of rolling out new technology without worrying about future potential runway environmental impacts. Companies driving the technology forward are doing so while keeping carbon footprint and 24/7 reliability top of mind. And again, nuclear is the clear winner. You don't even have to take my word for it. We're seeing both industrial power users and tech sector experts voicing support for nuclear energy. With some now taking action and signing agreements to ensure their facilities can access zero carbon and reliable nuclear energy now and into the future. Clean and secure electrons are on the critical path for the generative AI development, putting nuclear and chemical on the critical path to the digital revolution and strategic reindustrialization.

So grouping all that together, it is clear that we need to deploy zero carbon, global and secure energy production to move the world forward and the world is now acknowledging the benefits of nuclear. I attended the inaugural Nuclear Energy Summit a couple of months ago, which took place in Brussels with Presidents and Prime Ministers from 32 countries. The goal was to join forces to back supportive measures in areas, including financing, regulatory cooperation, technological innovation and workforce training, enabling the expansion of nuclear power to help boost energy security, address climate change and meet our collective Net Zero targets. Because, as I said, without nuclear, there is no Net Zero. Without nuclear, there is no global and secure energy.

And without nuclear, the next generation of energy-intensive technologies could result in increasingly detrimental environmental impact. Nuclear is key to addressing those challenges, and that's where Cameco comes in, playing a key role in current and future power generation. We believe that at Cameco, we have the right strategy, the right people and the right assets to deliver long-term value along with our investments in Westinghouse and Global Laser Enrichment, we expect to benefit significantly from the tailwinds. From the front end of the fuel cycle and through the reactor life cycle, from fuel supply to plant services to new build and advanced reactors. We've never been in a better position with licensed and permitted brownfield assets in safe, sovereign jurisdictions and the capacity to grow to meet our commitments.

So the future looks bright. Turning briefly to the quarter. Our first quarter performance was as expected, highlighting the benefits of aligning our operational, marketing and financially focused strategy in a market where we are seeing that persistent positive momentum for nuclear energy like never before. The run rate at our operations is on pace to meet our annual production guidance. Operationally, our production results in the first quarter were strong and on track with our 2024 plans with production rates and total production costs in our Uranium segment continuing to reflect the transition back to our Tier 1 cost structure. In fact, we didn't change our 2024 operational or financial guidance metrics in any of our business segments after the first quarter.

However, we can't overlook the geopolitical events that have been amplifying global supply chain and transportation risks. Those risks have continued to have a significant impact on nuclear fuel procurement strategies and the fuel cycle, especially in terms of transportation, which is not getting any easier. It's an elevated risk that we have a team focused on each and every day. And as it evolves, our stakeholders can be confident that, as always, Cameco will be transparent with our related disclosure. In the market, we continue to be selective in committing our unencumbered Tier 1 in-ground uranium inventory and UF6 conversion capacity. We don't focus on the small irrelevant spot market. But on high quality term demand where the majority of uranium fuel and services are secured.

In Q1, we successfully layered in additional long-term contracts increasing our annual commitments to an average of about 28 million pounds per year from 2024 through 2028. Every contract we have reflects the sentiment and dynamics in the market at the time it is negotiated. So in today's market, that allows us to take those price peaks and carry them into the future, creating value for years to come while maintaining significant downside protection for when the cycle turns. From a risk-managed financial perspective, our strong balance sheet and the expectation of strong cash flow generation tied to our contracting strategy guides our conservative capital allocation priorities. In 2024, that includes focused debt reduction and prudent refinancing plans.

As for our Westinghouse segment, results for the first quarter were as we expected, as guided in Q4. And we continue to expect our share of adjusted EBITDA from Westinghouse this year to be between $445 million and $510 million. It was and is a great investment where the prospects continue to improve and where we still anticipate EBITDA growth at a compound annual growth rate of 6% to 10% over the next five years. So I'll stop there. Thank you for your interest today, and we are happy to take your questions.

See also

Dividend Stock Portfolio For Income: Top 15 Stocks and

What is an Annuity for Retirement? 15 Dividend Stocks to Buy Instead.

To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here.
Students and community members at the University of Southern Maine in Portland last week held a rally to support Palestinian rights and criticize the support the U.S. has provided Israel in its bombardment of Gaza. (via Maine Students for Palestine)

As protests over Israels war in Gaza sweep college campuses around the country, students in Maine are also engaging in demonstrations and actions.

Protests featuring student encampments have sprung up at institutions ranging from Columbia University in New York City to Washington University in St. Louis, among others, leading to arrests in some cases. The ACLU in a recent open letter to college and university presidents called the arrests disturbing and urged institutions of higher learning to not sacrifice principles of academic freedom and free speech that are core to the educational mission.

In Maine, students and community members at the University of Southern Maine in Portland last week held a rally to support Palestinian rights and criticize the support the U.S. has provided Israel in its bombardment of Gaza. Students at the University of Maine at Farmington held a similar demonstration on Monday and Tuesday that featured signs such as Free Palestine and End the Genocide.

Furthermore, the Maine Coalition for Palestine, along with students and workers, will rally May 4 at 1 p.m. in Portlands Deering Oaks Park to demand an immediate permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank, an end to Israeli occupation, and no more U.S. military aid to Israel  another in a series of demonstrations that have taken place in Maine since the war in Gaza began.

And at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, students are considering a referendum that would call for the institution to take a public stand against Israels ongoing scholasticide in Gaza, referring to destruction of educational systems in the territory.

The resolution also would urge Bowdoin to disclose its investment portfolios exposure to arms manufacturing, ask the college to commit to not investing in defense-focused funds and certain companies whose weapons have been used in the conflict, and call on the Board of Trustees to reinstate an independent committee of campus members to examine the social responsibility of Bowdoins investments.

Voting on the referendum opened Monday and will conclude on May 4, according to Bowdoin Students for Justice In Palestine.

The actions in Maine and at campuses across the country come as the death toll from Israels war in Gaza has risen past 34,000 Palestinians, with over 77,000 people wounded. The assault is in response to an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas that killed over 1,100 people in Israel and resulted in others being taken captive.

As the number of deaths in Gaza has risen, an expert appointed by the United Nations has accused Israel of committing genocide in the territory. In addition  as seen by the protests at college campuses along with declining approval numbers for President Joe Bidens handling of the conflict  anger is building over the military support the U.S. has provided for Israel.

Despite that, Biden signed a bill last week that provides additional aid to Israel  along with Ukraine and Taiwan  and reiterated that his commitment to Americas alliance with Israel is ironclad while also calling for Israel to ensure humanitarian assistance reaches people in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has announced an expanded investigation into antisemitism at colleges and universities and claimed the campus demonstrations represent a threat to Jewish students. But other political leaders, such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, have argued that opposing Israels war in Gaza should not be conflated with antisemitism.

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The post At campuses across Maine, students protest, question college investments in Israel defense appeared first on Maine Morning Star.
Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party, rises in the Canadian House of Commons - Canadian Press/Shutterstock

The leader of Canadas main opposition party was ejected from the House of Commons after he called Justin Trudeau a wacko.

It followed a parliamentary clash on Tuesday between the Conservative Partys Pierre Poilievre and the Canadian prime minister during a debate over British Columbias decriminalisation of hard drugs.

When will we put an end to this wacko policy by this wacko prime minister? said Mr Poilievre.

Speaker Greg Fergus, a Liberal, told Mr Poilievre the comment was both unparliamentary and unacceptable and asked him four times to withdraw it.

Mr Poilievre declined on each occasion, saying instead he would use the word extremist or radical.

The Speaker told Mr Poilievre he was disregarding the speakers authority and, in an unusual move, said: I order you to withdraw from the House for the remainder of this days sitting.

Amid heated scenes, Rachael Thomas, another Conservative MP, was also expelled.

Mr Poilievre, who left the chamber with his legislators, later repeated his attack on Trudeaus stance on drugs.

This is a wacko policy from a wacko PM thats destroying lives, he said in a social media post.

Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, speaks as Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader, listens during question period in the House of Commons - REUTERS

Conservatives in the British Columbia government, supported by Mr Poilievre, are seeking to reverse the provinces decision to decriminalise some hard drugs in an attempt to reduce the number of overdose-related deaths.

Steven MacKinnon, Liberal parliamentarian in charge of government business in Canadas elected lower chamber, said the incident had been a disgrace and showed a disrespect for institutions.

Mr Trudeau, prime minister since 2015, has a testy relationship with Mr Poilievre, who he accuses of being an extremist and a supporter of the Make America Great Again movement of Donald Trump, the former US president.

The prime minister had earlier in the day accused Mr Poilievre  whose Conservative party is well ahead in polls  of spending time with far-Right groups.

That is not responsible leadership. That is dangerous for democracy, its dangerous for Canadians, he said.

The next election must be held by late October 2025. Opinion polls indicate the Conservatives have a strong lead over Mr Trudeaus Liberals.

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Canton firefighters found a dead man in a burning home early Wednesday morning at 200 Lincoln Ave. NW. Authorities believe the fire was intentionally set.

CANTON  City firefighters found a man dead inside a burning home early Wednesday and say they found evidence the fire was intentionally set.

Authorities responded at 1:27 a.m. to 200 Lincoln Avenue NW, a one-and-a-half-story house that had heavy fire when firefighters arrived. When firefighters entered the front door, they found the body of a deceased man.

"Evidence found on the scene by investigators indicate the fire was intentionally set," the Canton Fire Department said in a news release. Authorities have not shared the specific evidence that made them conclude the fire was arson.

Investigators are asking that anyone with information related to the fire contact the Canton Fire Department at 330-649-5900 and or the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal at 800-589-2728.

Later Wednesday investigators with the State Fire Marshal labeled the fire as arson. The agency is seeking tips from the public to help identify those responsible.

Video captured by witnesses show multiple people fleeing the scene at the time of the fire. A reward of $5,000 is being offered by the Blue Ribbon Arson Committee for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the State Fire Marshals tip line at 800-589-2728. Callers can remain anonymous.

The Stark County Coroner's Office had not publicly identified the victim as of Wednesday afternoon. Tamara "Tammy" Wilkes, forensic investigator, said she expects to know by Thursday whether the man was breathing immediately before he died.

"Right now, we do see evidence that the body was impinged on by fire, but that's all I know," Wilkes said.

Canton firefighters found a dead man in a burning home early Wednesday morning at 200 Lincoln Ave. NW. Authorities believe the fire was intentionally set.

Firefighters extinguished the fire and were able to protect two nearby structures, the Canton Fire Department said in a news release, adding that the home will likely need to be razed.

Fire department investigators received video from a neighbor's doorbell camera, Henderson said.

The structure is considered a total loss, according to the fire department's incident report.

The Stark County Auditor's Office appraised the value of the house, built in 1908 at $10,600. The property was apparently rented, as the auditor's records show the owner lives in Nimishillen Township.

The house is located in a tightly packed residential neighborhood on the first block north of the busy commercial area on West Tuscarawas Street and the fourth block west of Waterworks Park.

This story will be updated.

Canton firefighters found a dead man inside a burning home early Wednesday morning at 200 Lincoln Ave. NW. Authorities believe the fire was intentionally set.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton firefighters find dead body in burning home, suspect arson
The Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity have dropped their request for a temporary restraining order against Bishop Michael Olson and the National Association of Christ the King.

Asked why the nuns dropped their request, Matthew Bobo, an attorney representing the sisters, said in a text message that he told the court there was no need for the hearing, which had been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in Tarrant County district court.

A hearing on the ddioceses request to dismiss the case because of a lack of jurisdiction is scheduled for May 23, according to Michael Anderson, an attorney for the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth.

We are asking the Court to dismiss the lawsuit on the basis that the court does not have jurisdiction to resolve an ecclesiastical matter, Anderson said in an email to the Star-Telegram.

Bobo said it would be up to the nuns canonical adviser whether they appeal an April 18 Vatican decree that placed the nuns under the authority of the National Association of Christ the King. That organization petitioned Rome to have direct oversight and direct responsibility for governance of the Arlington monastery.

The Vatican ruled that the association would have day to day management of the monastery and that Bishop Michael Olson would oversee some events such as the leadership election for the monastery.

Bobo stated in the court filing that the Rev. Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, Sister Frances Therese, and Sister Joseph Marie sought the order to prevent Olson and the association from having authority over the nuns and the monastery.

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In August 2023, the nuns rejected the bishops authority in a dispute over his investigation into reports their prioress, Gerlach, broke her chastity vow with a priest.

In a statement on April 20, the Arlington nuns wrote that accepting the takeover would endanger the integrity of the monastery, threaten the vocations of individual nuns and the liturgical and spiritual life as well as the material assets of the monastery.

The dispute between the nuns and Olson played out publicly for months last year, and came to a head in August when Olson threatened Gerlach and other nuns with possible excommunication after they issued a statement barring Olson from the monastery property.

Olson dismissed Gerlach from the order on June 1, 2023, a day after the Vatican gave him the authority to investigate reports that she had violated her chastity vow with a priest. She has denied the allegation and appealed her dismissal to the Vatican.

Gerlach and Sister Francis Therese had sued Olson a month earlier, alleging that the bishop defamed Gerlach, invaded their privacy and stole personal electronic devices during his investigation into reports of Gerlachs transgressions. A Tarrant County judge dismissed the lawsuit in June, ruling the dispute was a church matter.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A group of 15 Oregon Republican lawmakers toured the United States-Mexico border in Yuma, Arizona on Monday, aiming to bring awareness to how issues at the border are also impacting Oregon.

Though Oregon is not a border state, it still faces the consequences of Americas wide-open southern border, the lawmakers said in a press release announcing the trip.

The lawmakers toured the border with the Border Security Alliance advocacy group and Arizona officials to learn more about illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and human trafficking.

Officials told KOIN 6 News this was not a taxpayer-funded trip, noting most of the lawmakers are returning to Oregon on Wednesday.

$1.3B Powerball winner is Laos-born immigrant battling cancer

After seeing the human tragedy at the border in Yuma, Oregon Republican legislators are reviewing options for legislation to continue to stem the tide of dangerous and deadly drugs. Every state is now a border state. Its time to get serious about making Oregonians safer from the Democrats disastrous policies at the border, said Sen. Tim Knopp (R-27.)

In addition to Sen. Tim Knopp, other Oregon attendees include Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville), Sen. David Brock Smith (SD-01), Rep. Christine Goodwin (HD-04), Sen. Kim Thatcher (SD-11) and Rep. Fred Girod (HD-09.)

One of the most scary things that Ive learned today is that we have we have some border wall, we have some process to try to process the immigrants that come into the U.S. But the reality of whats happening down here real time is the cartel is in charge. The cartel is the one that is pushing people across the border in droves, Rep. Breese-Iverson told KOIN 6 News on Monday.

Drone footage reveals extent of Steel Bridge train derailment

Ahead of the tour, Breese-Iverson said, Here in Oregon, Republicans are choosing to be a proactive part of the solution. We cannot merely recriminalize drugs and expect the drug addiction and overdose crisis to go away. Oregon Democrats think they can bury their heads in the sand and let it be someone elses problem, but we disagree.

Rep. Goodwin added that Oregon is heading in the right direction after moving to re-criminalize drugs, handing out greater penalties for drug dealing and requiring addiction treatment.

A group of 15 Oregon Republican state lawmakers toured the U.S.-Mexico border on April 29.

Goodwin and Breese-Iverson said during the next legislative session, they want to ensure law enforcement and district attorneys have resources to help get drugs off the street.

Mega-rare bird spotted at Oregons Hug Point is first sighting in U.S. history

What we want to bring back is awareness. We want Oregon to understand exactly whats happening in Arizona is affecting what were doing in Oregon, Breese-Iverson said. The more that were aware of whats happening in Arizona, the better we can deal with whats going on.

A cheap stunt

Commenting on the border tour, Oliver Muggli, the Executive Director of the Senate Democratic Leadership Fund told KOIN 6 News, This is a cheap stunt that proves Republicans care more about MAGA politics than solving the drug crisis in Oregon. Democrats led a major overhaul of the states drug policy this year to make our communities safer, and we are still working hard on more solutions. If these politicians were serious about doing their jobs, theyd be here rolling up their sleeves with us, instead of taking a vacation to play cowboy on the border.

To address the addiction crisis, Oregon lawmakers recently passed House Bill 4002, which rolled back parts of the voter-approved Measure 110, a measure that decriminalized hard drugs.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed HB 4002 April 1, giving people the choice between being charged and treatment when they are caught carrying drugs like fentanyl and meth. Treatment includes completing a behavioral health screening and participating in a deflection program in order to sidestep fines.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Causes of Death Revealed for Mom and Son, 3, Found Dead in Park Amid Custody Battle

An Amber Alert was issued for Savannah Kriger and her son on March 18 after they went missing

Bexar County Sheriff's Office Savannah and Kaiden Kriger

The Texas mother who was found dead in a park next to her 3-year-old son died by suicide, the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office confirmed.

On March 19, the bodies of Savannah Kriger, 32, of San Antonio and her son, Kaiden, were found shot to death at a park.

The Bexar County Medical Examiners Office confirmed to PEOPLE that her death was ruled a suicide and Kaidens was ruled a homicide. The cause of death for both was a gunshot to the head.

Bexar County Sheriff's Office Kaiden Kriger

On March 18, authorities issued an Amber Alert for the mother and son after they went missing.

Related: Mom and Son 3, Found Dead in Ditch Amid Custody Battle, as Police Suspect Murder-Suicide

Savannah was last seen leaving work early on March 18 to pick up her son from daycare and take him to a doctors appointment, the Bexar County Sheriffs Office said on March 19.

She was last seen leaving her sons daycare at approximately 2 p.m. She was driving a white 2023 Lincoln Aviator that was later found abandoned in Tom Slick Park off State Highway 151E, the sheriffs office said.

Authorities issued the Amber Alert after they found concerning evidence at the house where Savannah and Kaiden lived, the sheriffs office said, KSAT reported.

Later that day, Sheriff Javier Salazar held a news conference and reported that the case was now being handled as a homicide after authorities found two bodies in that park.

They were both found with gunshot wounds to the head, the sheriffs office said, MySanAntonio.com reports.

A gun was found near the bodies, which were located in a drainage ditch in the park.

Sheriff Salazar said the deaths occurred a day before Savannah had to go to court for a custody hearing about Kaiden, KSAT reports.

Savannah and Kaiden's father were embroiled in a custody dispute, Sheriff Salazar said, WPDE reports.



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Charlotte shooting came after US Marshals tried serving a warrant. Heres what they do

The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force of the U.S. Marshals Service led the effort to arrest a man in Charlotte on Monday, which turned into one of the deadliest days in city history for law enforcement when the suspect opened fire with a high-powered rifle.

The incident left four law enforcement officers and a suspect dead and four more officers injured.

Here are excerpts from a 2021 Observer story explaining what the marshals service is.

Marshals task forces include local police who are deputized as federal agents. Once deputized, those officers can make arrests in jurisdictions other than their own.

What is the US Marshals Service?

The service was the first federal U.S. law enforcement agency, founded in 1789, according to its website, USMarshals.gov.

The president appoints a U.S. marshal for each of the countrys 94 federal judicial districts. About 3,738 deputy U.S. marshals and criminal investigators work for the agency, its website says.

The service is the enforcement arm of the federal courts, involved in virtually every federal law enforcement initiative, according to its website.

Its the primary federal agency investigating fugitives.

What tasks do marshals perform?

The U.S. Marshals Service:

 Tracks down suspects who have outstanding federal warrants. Deputies and members of the task forces arrest an average 310 fugitives each day across the country, according to USMarshals.gov.

Those arrests clear an average of 90,446 warrants a year, according to the service.

An investigation by USA Today and The Marshall Project, however, found that about two-thirds of arrests by deputies and the task forces since 2014 were of suspects wanted on local warrants.

The U.S. Marshals Service says on its website that it also assists state and local agencies in locating and apprehending their most violent fugitives.

 Protects federal courts.

 Manages and sells assets that were illegally obtained by criminals and seized by law enforcement.

 Houses federal prisoners and drives them to and from court.

 Operates the federal Witness Security Program.

Do they wear body cameras?

Deputy U.S. marshals arent required to wear body cameras. Neither are investigators with any other federal law enforcement agency.

Is it time for a change in federal law to require them?

Several national groups think so, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Body-worn cameras provide officers with a reliable and compact tool to systematically and automatically record their field observations and encounters, according to the associations website.

Such cameras have become very popular in the U.S., with thousands of police departments assigning them to their officers, according to the Center on Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

The libertarian Cato Institute found that 89% of Americans support such cameras.

According to the institute, 74% of those surveyed believe the cameras will equally protect both the police officers that wear them and the citizens who interact with the police.
(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The number of North Carolina local school districts to have joined a nationwide lawsuit against social media companies accused of exploiting children grew again last Friday when Chatham County Schools added its name to the list.

The school district becomes one of more than 200 school districts nationwide suing social media giants Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap. The districts accuse the companies of prioritizing profit over the safety and well-being of children, despite being aware of the negative impact their platforms have on young users.

The school board voted unanimously to join the social media lawsuit at its March 11 meeting.

Chathams decision to take legal action reflects our unwavering commitment to the welfare of our students and to ensure that social media corporations are held responsible for their contribution to the mental health challenges faced by our students, Gary Leonard, Chair of the Chatham County School Board, said in the statement.

School leaders say they are seeking both to address what they describe as the surge in mental illness among students due to social media use and to secure financial compensation to help them respond to the mental health crisis among students, according to the release.

Social media companies have deliberately designed their products to attract and addict teen and adolescent users, using targeted algorithms, constant notifications, and insufficient parental controls. Chatham County Schools aims to initiate a transformation of these platforms, seeking both accountability and financial support. By pursuing this legal action, the school district aims to alleviate the burden placed on taxpayers and secure the necessary resources to address the crisis, thereby safeguarding the well-being of its students, according to the statement.

In November, a federal judge shot down an effort from the social media companies to dismiss the nationwide litigation, according to Reuters.

Chatham County Schools becomes the latest North Carolina district to join the lawsuit against social media companies. Others include:

Charlotte-Mecklenburg

Wilson County

Johnston County

Union County

Robeson County

Moore County

Wayne County

Clinton County

Pitt County

Rockingham County

Cumberland County

Wake County

Alamance-Burlington

Currituck County

Edenton-Chowan

Edgecombe County

Northampton County

Durham County

The post Chatham County Schools joins growing wave of lawsuits against social media giants appeared first on NC Newsline.
Chatsworth roadway to reopen more than 1 year after closing due to sinkhole

A road in Chatsworth that was split open by a sinkhole last January is ready to reopen.

Iverson Road at the 118 Freeway underpass was closed Jan. 9, 2023, after a sinkhole appeared during heavy storms, swallowing two cars and stranding a mother and her daughter.

In the days that followed, public works crews watched helplessly as the sinkhole continued to grow in the heavy rain, despite working around the clock to stabilize it.

Two vehicles swallowed by a sinkhole on Iverson Road in Chatsworth are shown in this January 2023 photo provided by Caltrans.

Photos from January 2023 show a sinkhole in Chatsworth that appeared following intense rains. (Caltrans)

Crews with LAFD rescued a mother a daughter after their vehicle fell into a sinkhole in Chatsworth Jan. 9, 2023 (OC Hawk)

Sky5 captures the Chatsworth sinkhole days after it appeared on Jan. 9, 2023 (KTLA)

Tarps and sandbags seen covering a portion of sinkhole to prevent further erosion (Caltrans)

But now the road is ready to handle drivers again and will reopen Wednesday following a $14.2 million repair project that began last May.

Caltrans is excited to reopen Iverson Road with access to local residents and commuters, said Gloria Roberts, Caltrans District 7 director. This emergency repair project represents Caltrans commitment to safety and to properly maintain our infrastructure.

Roberts continued to offer thanks to utility companies for their cooperation and to the public for their patience and understanding.

Among the emergency work completed, crews sealed the 50-feet-wide by 45-feet-deep sinkhole, repaired major damage to drainage and sewage lines, and fixed a damaged water main.

Utility lines were also relocated and Caltrans designed a new drainage system that it says is more suitable for the steep sloping terrain.

Dirt was replaced, the site was graded and the roadway was repaved and restriped, Caltrans said. Adjacent plants and slopes were restored to their previous condition.

During construction, crews saw mountain lions, bobcats and snakes near the work site, officials said. Birds were seen trying to nest in the underpass, which led to crews installing a chicken wire fence.

Final construction work and landscaping will be completed by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Caltrans said, but the road may open before that if work is completed early.

The January 2023 sinkhole stranded four people initially, but two were able to get out on their own. The mother and daughter required rescue from the Los Angeles Fire Department and were both treated for minor injuries.

Officials said the rescue was an important reminder for motorists to not try to traverse a roadway where the pavement isnt visible.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Exploring the Upcoming Dividend and Financial Health of Carrier Global Corp

Carrier Global Corp (NYSE:CARR) recently announced a dividend of $0.19 per share, payable on 2024-05-22, with the ex-dividend date set for 2024-05-02. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. Using the data from GuruFocus, let's look into Carrier Global Corp's dividend performance and assess its sustainability.

What Does Carrier Global Corp Do?

Warning! GuruFocus has detected 9 Warning Sign with CARR.

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How to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock?

Carrier Global manufactures heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, refrigeration, and fire and security products. The HVAC business serves both residential and commercial markets (HVAC segment sales mix is 60% commercial and 40% residential). Carrier's refrigeration segment consists of its transportation refrigeration, Sensitech supply chain monitoring, and commercial refrigeration businesses. The firm's fire and security business manufactures fire detection and suppression, access controls, and intrusion detection products. In April 2023, Carrier announced that it plans to divest its fire and security and commercial refrigeration businesses. The firm also acquired Germany-based Viessmann for approximately $13 billion.

Carrier Global Corp's Dividend Analysis

A Glimpse at Carrier Global Corp's Dividend History

Carrier Global Corp has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 2020. Dividends are currently distributed on a quarterly basis. Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends.

Carrier Global Corp's Dividend Analysis

Breaking Down Carrier Global Corp's Dividend Yield and Growth

As of today, Carrier Global Corp currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.19% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 1.22%. This suggests an expectation of increased dividend payments over the next 12 months. Over the past three years, Carrier Global Corp's annual dividend growth rate was 38.30%. Based on Carrier Global Corp's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of Carrier Global Corp stock as of today is approximately 1.19%.

Carrier Global Corp's Dividend Analysis

The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability

To assess the sustainability of the dividend, one needs to evaluate the company's payout ratio. The dividend payout ratio provides insights into the portion of earnings the company distributes as dividends. A lower ratio suggests that the company retains a significant part of its earnings, thereby ensuring the availability of funds for future growth and unexpected downturns. As of 2024-03-31, Carrier Global Corp's dividend payout ratio is 0.37. Carrier Global Corp's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers. GuruFocus ranks Carrier Global Corp's profitability 7 out of 10 as of 2024-03-31, suggesting good profitability prospects. The company has reported net profit in 7 years out of the past 10 years.

Story continues

Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook

To ensure the sustainability of dividends, a company must have robust growth metrics. Carrier Global Corp's growth rank of 7 out of 10 suggests that the company's growth trajectory is good relative to its competitors. Revenue is the lifeblood of any company, and Carrier Global Corp's revenue per share, combined with the 3-year revenue growth rate, indicates a strong revenue model. Carrier Global Corp's revenue has increased by approximately 9.30% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 62.45% of global competitors. The company's 3-year EPS growth rate showcases its capability to grow its earnings, a critical component for sustaining dividends in the long run. During the past three years, Carrier Global Corp's earnings increased by approximately 10.50% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 53.11% of global competitors. Lastly, the company's 5-year EBITDA growth rate of -3.50%, which outperforms approximately 28.95% of global competitors.

GuruFocus Premium users can screen for high-dividend yield stocks using the High Dividend Yield Screener.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


How to check if you won one of the 55,000 U.S. green cards in the 2025 visa lottery

The results of the 2025 visa lottery will be announced starting at noon Saturday, May 4.

The popular immigration program offers people from countries with historically low immigration rates to the Unites States the opportunity to obtain U.S. green cards or permanent residence, allowing them to live and work legally in the country. The U.S. Department of States Bureau of Consular Affairs will announce the winners of what is formally known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.

What is the visa lottery?

The Diversity Visa Program grants up to 55,000 diversity immigrant visas each fiscal year to randomly selected individuals through a computer-generated lottery from qualified entries.

The visas to be drawn this year correspond to those for fiscal year 2025. They will be available to citizens of countries with low immigration rates to the U.S. that meet the qualifying requirements.

Its almost time for Diversity Visa 2025 selections! Starting May 4, 2024, at 12 p.m. EDT, you will be able to check the status of your entry by entering your confirmation number at https://t.co/zhdK1JgFZy. This is the ONLY way to check if you have been selected to participate. pic.twitter.com/qgvH6mmK4K  Travel - State Dept (@TravelGov) April 30, 2024

How to check if you were selected for the 2025 visa lottery?

 Announcement date: The results of the 2025 Diversity Visa Lottery (DV-2025) will be available from May 4, 2024, until September 30, 2025.

 Verification method: To find out if you were selected, visit the official Diversity Visa Program website and use the Entrant Status Check feature.

 Required information: To check your status, you need the confirmation number you received when you registered for the program, your last name as entered on the entry form, year of birth and authentication code provided by the system.

The Department of State annually administers the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. For Fiscal Year 2024, up to 55,000 Diversity Visas will be available. Heres how to check the selection of entries. kamisoka/Getty Images/iStockphoto

What do to if you win the U.S. Diversity Visa Program lottery?

If your entry is selected, you will be directed to a confirmation page where you will get detailed instructions, including information about the steps to take and the fees associated with the immigrant visa application.

Authorities note that the Department of State does not send notification letters or emails about selection. Verification through the Entrant Status Check page is the only official method of notifying Diversity Visa Program winners of lottery results.

Steps for green card winners in the visa lottery

While there are 55,000 U.S. green cards available, more names will be selected because not everyone meets the requirements.

 Selected individuals must electronically submit Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application.

 They must undergo an in-person consular interview, where their eligibility to immigrate to the United States will be assessed. This includes questions about criminal backgrounds and security issues.

 All those selected, including their family members, must obtain visas by September 30, 2025. Authorities will not issue visas or approve adjustments of status after that date.

Authorities advise acting promptly once selected because visas are issued on a first-come, first-served basis, and theres an annual limit of 55,000 diversity visas that lead to green cards.

If you have questions or need more information, visit the Diversity Visa Program website or refer to questions and answers in the official Instructions for the 2025 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.
Tugs tow the Fujian away from Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard as China's third aircraft carrier sets off on its maiden voyage - LIU FANG/XINHUA NEWS AGENCY / EYEVINE

Chinas newest and biggest aircraft carrier has launched sea trials, in a major step forward for Beijings naval power.

Called Fujian, the vessel is the Communist states third aircraft carrier, but the first to be both designed and manufactured domestically.

Its development has become a central tenet of President Xi Jinpings bid to dominate the region militarily and build a blue-water navy to project Chinese power internationally.

The country aims to have six carriers by 2035. Only the United States, with 11 aircraft carriers and nine aircraft-carrying amphibious assault ships, has more of the vessels than China.

According to Xinhua state media, the Fujians maiden voyage  which launched from Shanghais Jiangnan Shipyard on Wednesday morning  will primarily test the reliability and stability of the aircraft carriers propulsion and electrical systems.

China Daily added that the carrier was among the most important military hardware being developed by the country.

Featuring a full-length, flat flight deck and electromagnetic (EMALS) catapults that allow the carrier to launch aircraft more regularly, the ship is larger and more advanced than the two carriers China currently deploys. These are the Shandong, which was commissioned in late 2019, and the Liaoning, which China purchased from Ukraine second-hand in 1998 and retrofitted.

It will be at least a year before tests are completed and the Fujian, named after the Chinese province opposite Taiwan, will be put into active service. The only other aircraft carrier in the world with electromagnet catapults  the USS Gerald R Ford  was deployed in 2022, five years after it was commissioned.

The latest Fujian trials come as tensions in the disputed South China Sea are escalating.

On Tuesday, The Telegraph witnessed the intimidation tactics used by Beijing to prevent Filipino authorities from accessing the Scarborough Shoal, a valuable fishing territory that falls within the Philippiness borders, but China now lays claim to.

The chain of reefs and rocks covering 58 square miles has become a flashpoint since an international tribunal invalidated Chinas claim to sovereignty of the shoal in 2016. But Beijing has not recognised the ruling, and has dispatched a range of ships to assert control.

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China declines to meet with US on nuclear arms control, US official says

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The Scoop

China has rejected US efforts to resume talks on arms control, following a November 2023 meeting on nuclear weapons that left US officials hopeful of continuing negotiations with their Chinese counterparts.

Unfortunately, the PRC has declined a follow-on meeting and has not provided a substantive response to our suggested options, a State Department spokesperson told Semafor.

The spokesperson said that the Biden administration had proposed common-sense steps that addressed fundamental risks for conflict and uncontrolled escalation in the nuclear and space domains. This included improving crisis communications with Beijing, instituting pre-launch notifications of strategic ballistic missile test launches, and efforts to lower tensions in space.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told Semafor that the US should stop its megaphone diplomacy, and called instead for countries with the largest nuclear arsenals to significantly and substantially reduce their own nuclear arsenals to further arms controls negotiations. The remarks did not single out the US but were a clear reference to Washington, which maintains roughly 5,000 nuclear warheads  although Russia, an important partner for China, holds around 5,580 of its own.

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Know More

The US and China held their first meeting on nuclear arms control in nearly five years in November, and while those talks did not lead to substantial breakthroughs, sitting down to discuss their growing nuclear rivalry was seen as a small step forward.

On the arms-control front, we really want to see China respond to some of our more substantive ideas on risk-reduction, and were still waiting to see if they will, the White Houses top arms control official, Pranay Vaddi, said at an event at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies in January.

Concerns have steadily grown in Washington about Chinas growing nuclear arsenal, which the Pentagon has said now includes more than 500 operational nuclear warheads and is expected to reach 1,000 by the end of the decade.

Chinese officials have said that they continue to embrace a no-first use-policy, which US officials believe to be increasingly at odds with Beijings growing nuclear stockpile. The Chinese foreign ministrys top arms control official called on the US in February to adopt a similar policy.

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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrives at the airport before his trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Sina Schuldt/dpa

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock set off on Wednesday on a week-long trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji where the focus will be on security policy and climate protection.

Baerbock noted that the region is becoming increasingly important to Germany for strategic and economic reasons, especially given tensions with China over human rights, trade and Taiwan.

Australia and New Zealand were "more directly exposed than we are to the violent gusts of wind that are being sent around the world by China's increasingly offensive behaviour," she said.

They had a lot of experience with their authoritarian neighbour, "whose foreign policy toolbox includes economic pressure and who also puts our democracies to the test through espionage and other influence operations."

Three Germans were arrest on suspicion of spying for China in recent days. Beijing is also taking an increasingly aggressive stance in the disputed waters of the South China Sea and has threatened to invade the democratic island of Taiwan, which it views as its own territory.

The German government has resolved to become more involved in security policy in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and is sending a warship, the frigate Baden-Wurttemberg, there for the second time next week for training purposes.

"Security in Europe also depends on security in the Indo-Pacific - and vice versa," Baerbock said. "If the international peace order comes under pressure on one side of the world, it will also crumble on the other side of the world."

The Green politician pointed out that Australia and New Zealand are among the countries outside of NATO that are providing military and financial support to Ukraine as it fends off a Russian invasion.

Baerbock actually wanted to visit the countries last August, but had to cancel the trip after a stopover in Abu Dhabi, when her government plane developed a series of mechanical problems.

The trip has now been rescheduled with a slightly different itinerary. She travels to Adelaide in Australia on Wednesday, then on to the New Zealand city of Auckland on Friday evening and from there to Fiji, which extends over 300 islands in the South Pacific, on Sunday.

With a population of just under 1 million, Fiji is one of the countries most affected by climate change. Residents on some islands have already had to be evacuated because they face flooding from rising sea levels.

Baerbock will be the first German foreign minister to visit the island state.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrives at the airport before his trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Sina Schuldt/dpa
Choking 3-Year-Old Boy Saved by Officers in New Jersey: Stay with Me, Buddy!

Officers sprang into action on April 16 after a charter bus pulled up to Trenton Station with the choking child inside

NJ Transit Police/X New Jersey Transit police officers perform CPR on a 3-year-old boy.

Transit police in New Jersey helped save a 3-year-old boy who was choking on an object as a charter bus reached Trenton Station on April 16

Body camera footage from the incident showed officers jumping into action and performing life-saving measures shortly after the child was carried off the bus

One officer was able to get the child breathing while another officer rushed the pair to a local emergency room

Newly released body camera footage shows the moment transit police in New Jersey helped save the life of a 3-year-old child who began choking on a bus.

Officers approached the bus at Trenton Station around 9:45 p.m. local time on April 16 after hearing cries for help coming from a private bus carrier, according to posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) from transit police.

The boy and his family were on a chartered migrant bus from Texas when the child began choking, according to ABC affiliate KABC-TV.

Body camera footage from the incident showed a man rushing off the bus with the child in his arms as one officer yelled, Baby! Baby! Baby!

Visibly, the unresponsive child began turning blue due to lack of oxygen.



Realizing the immediate need for medical attention, K9 Officer Geoghegan used his K9 vehicle to transport the child to the hospital. Sergeant Filandro continued CPR during transport...  NJ TRANSIT POLICE (@NJTransitPolice) April 30, 2024

Related: Mass. Officer Who Was Recently Re-Certified in CPR Saves Choking Baby's Life

Police said officers performed life-saving measures, but the unresponsive child started turning blue due to lack of oxygen.

At one point, K9 Officer Timothy Geoghegan used his vehicle to transport the child to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, Sergeant Michael Filandro was performing CPR on the child while offering them words of encouragement.

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.

Stay with me, buddy, okay? the officer said as he continued to work on the patient. Moments later, the child let out a cry.

Filandro continued to offer words of encouragement after the boy began breathing again. There we go, buddy! Alright! he cheered. Stay with me, though, okay?  Good job!

"I think officer Geoghegan and I both had a huge sigh of relief, yeah, at that point, yeah, when we realized that the measures we took were successful," Filandro said at a subsequent press conference, according to CBS affiliate KYW-TV.

Related: 12-Year-Old Girl Saves Twin Brother from Choking at School Cafeteria: 'It Was Just Instinct'

The body camera footage then showed the officers arriving at the emergency room. Multiple officers could be seen approaching the vehicle, unaware that the child was breathing again.

We got whatever it was out, Filandro said in the clip. Hes moving again.

Transit police praised the officers who responded to the choking incident for doing an excellent job during the time of crisis.

The child's condition remains unclear as of May 1.

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Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.

Christina Harris, who was 36 years old, died in her home in September 2014 due to an accidental overdose, according to reports. Her neighbor who reportedly went to check on her after Christinas husband, Jason Harris, called to request the neighbor to make sure his wife was fine found her. The neighbor found Christina unresponsive and contacted another neighbor, a nurse. The nurse quickly realized the victim was dead and contacted emergency services, NBC News reported.

A medical examination revealed that the cause of death was accidental heroin toxicity. Christina Harris was a mother of two. Jason Harris claimed she had a bad cold when he left for work that morning. He also added that she was in restless sleep. He reportedly told neighbors that he had given his wife a bowl of cereal, the night before she died, but she dropped the bowl and fell asleep mid-meal.

In August 2019, the death was examined and held as a homicide which was followed by a long investigation. Christina Harris family was adamant that she was not prone to drugs and that there was some manipulation involved. Christinas mother described her daughters marriage as rather rough. She also claimed to have been around Christina the day before she died. Contrary to Jasons statement, she claimed her daughter was not sick that day.

An investigation revealed that Jason Harris gave Christina Harris a bowl of heroin-laced cereal. She reportedly began having trouble holding the spoon, and he put her to bed after that. He was convicted of first-degree murder, solicitation of murder, and delivery of a controlled substance causing death, The Washington Post reported. Jason was sentenced to life in prison.

How was Christina Harris murder solved?

Soon after Christina Harris died, two of Jasons brothers reportedly told the police that Jason might have been having an affair with another woman prior to Christinas death. They also told them he spoke about wanting to get Christina out of the way. According to Fox 2, police also found out that nine days after Christina died, Jason flew to Rhode Island to meet a woman whom he had been in contact with for a while.

Jason Harris allegedly told his co-workers that he once put five Xanax pills into a glass of water and offered it to Christina Harris. But, she didnt drink it because of the taste. He also reportedly told them that he had hired a hitman to kill his wife. However, the person was behind bars in a different case. He also went on to ask one of his co-workers if he would kill his wife. In 2019, authorities reclassified the death as a homicide for further investigation.

Friends and family of Christina told the police that she wasnt someone who was prone to substance abuse. Following that, the police collected some breast milk that was left frozen in the victims refrigerator and tested it. The results were consistent with the family testimonies, as there were no traces of drug abuse in the past. According to CBS News, this marked the first instance in the state where breast milk was utilized as evidence in a criminal trial.

An episode of Meet, Marry, Murder on Lifetime, revolves around the murder of Christina Harris by her husband, Jason Harris, and aired in August 2023.

The post Christina Harris Murder: What Happened to the 36-Year-Old Michigan Woman? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.

In September 2014, Christina Harris, a married mother of two, was found dead in her home in Michigan. A neighbor of Christinas went to check on her after Jason Harris, Christinas husband, called her, asking her to see if Christina was fine. When the neighbor went in to check, she found Christina unresponsive and cold, on the bed. She called for another neighbor who was a nurse. The nurse quickly understood that the victim was dead, NBC News reported.

An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be an accidental heroin overdose. However, Christinas family and friends told authorities that she wasnt prone to substance abuse and found the ruling odd. Moreover, Jason told his neighbors that Christina had been sick the night before her death. He said she dropped a bowl of cereal that he served her before passing out and falling asleep. Her mother gave a contrary statement and said she met Christina that day and she wasnt sick.

As per a report by Fox 2, amidst the demands to investigate Christinas death, Jason Harris brothers reported to the police that Jason had been having an affair for a while before his wife died. They also said that Jason told them he was trying to get Christina out of the way. Supporting this, the police found evidence that Jason went to visit a woman from Rhode Island just nine days after Christina Harris died.

Jasons co-workers told authorities that he spoke about adding five Xanax pills to a glass of water and serving it to his wife. He also claimed that he hired a hitman to kill his wife. He said the hitman got stuck in a different criminal case before he could kill.

What was Christina Harris killer Jason Harris convicted of?

Jason Harris was convicted of first-degree murder, solicitation of murder, and delivery of a controlled substance causing death in the killing of Christina Harris. The police found out that Jason laced Christinas cereal with heroin. He then left her to die so that she would get out of his way. Jason allegedly wanted to see the other woman he was interested in. He was sentenced to life in prison without chance for parole, The Washington Post reported.

CBS News reported that Jason Harris trial was the first criminal trial in the state that used breast milk as evidence. The police collected frozen breast milk from Christina Harris fridge to test for any drug abuse in the past. However, the tests made it very clear that she wasnt prone to drug use. Suspicions of homicidal violence arose. The case was termed a homicide in August 2019.

According to The Detroit Free Press, Jason Harris received $120,000 in life insurance benefits following the death of Christina Harris. Another woman, whom he was reportedly seeing, moved into their home only two weeks after the murder. As per a report by Fox 2, Harris had been in contact with multiple women both before and after Christina died.

The episode of Meet, Marry, Murder that aired on Lifetime in August 2023 explored the death of Christina Harris and the subsequent conviction of Jason Harris.

The post Christina Harris Murder: Why Did Jason Harris Kill His Wife? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the police chiefs name.

BARBER COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW)  A church bus that was stolen early Wednesday has been found in Texas, police say. The bus belongs to the First Christian Church of Medicine Lodge.

Medicine Lodge Police Chief John Defore said someone called 911 just before 5 a.m. and reported seeing the church bus traveling around 70 mph near U.S. Highway 281 and Scott Canyon Road. Thats about 14 miles south of Medicine Lodge.

Officers did not find the bus. They returned to the church to complete the stolen vehicle report so that Barber County dispatchers could place the vehicle in a national database.

It was last seen driving at a high rate of speed off of Highway 281 eastbound on Scott Canyon Road! Barber County dispatch posted. We are truly praying that Jesus takes the wheel on this one! Please call if you have any information on the stolen bus and suspects!

Image of the missing church bus in Barber County (Photo provided by Barber County Sheriff's Office)

The Barber County Sheriffs Office and Barber County Dispatch posted a picture of the bus on their social media accounts early in the morning, asking people to be on the lookout for the vehicle.

Man makes court appearance in murdered Kansas moms case

The City of Medicine Lodge also posted about the theft. It says several people reported two suspicious people on Tuesday during the day and evening. The city says the two people were seen near the First Christian Church.

Defore said the bus was located in Wichita Falls, Texas. He said a Wichita Falls city worker discovered it around 6:30 a.m. and thought it looked suspicious, so he called it in. Medicine Lodge police learned of the discovery around 3:15 on Wednesday.

Authorities in Wichita Falls told Medicine Lodge police that there were no suspects around the bus, so the search for the thieves continues. Defore said they are actively looking for two people, but he would not provide any other details about them.

He said that once the police in Wichita Falls process the bus, the church can reclaim it.

If you have information that could help investigators, call the Medicine Lodge Police Department at 620-886-3908 or 620-930-6573 or Barber County authorities at 620-886-5678 or 620-930-2590.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
How cities across the U.S. are responding to campus protests

Demonstrators clash at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA early Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. Dueling groups of protesters have clashed at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. | Ethan Swope

Police forces are assisting campus public safety officials on campuses across the United States in response to pro-Palestine protests. From New York to Los Angeles, universities have relied on cities to provide police support in attempts to clear encampments set up on campuses in protest of Israels actions against Gaza and in support of Palestinians.

More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested in the last two weeks at universities, including Columbia University and City College of New York, the University of Texas, the University of North Carolina, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt State University and more, The Associated Press reported. Twenty people were arrested this week during protests at the University of Utah.

Violence between police and protesters escalated Tuesday night, with police using chemical munition weapons on demonstrators at the University of Arizona, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

Meanwhile, Brown University chose not to ask the city of Providence, Rhode Island, for help from police. The university reached an agreement with pro-Palestine protesters to have the Brown Corporation vote on a divestment measure later this year in exchange for protesters to leave the encampment Tuesday, The Providence Journal reported.

New York

The New York City Police Department stormed a building on Columbias campus that was occupied by protesters Tuesday night. The NYPD said it arrested 282 people  109 at Columbia and 173 at City College of New York.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has come out strongly against protests on campus.

They are attempting to disrupt our city, and we are not going to permit it to happen, Adams said at a news conference Wednesday morning, according to ABC 7 New York. And were proud to say they have been removed from the campus. The NYPD is precision policing ensured that the operation was organized, calm, and that there were no injuries or violent clashes.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday that the state had offered universities support efforts as needed.

Los Angeles

After reports of violence at UCLAs campus late Tuesday and early Wednesday, the school was slow to call for help from law enforcement, protesters claim.

Violence broke out at a pro-Palestine encampment on UCLAs campus before midnight Tuesday when a group of counter demonstrators arrived on campus and tried to tear down the barricades surrounding the encampment, leading to campers rallying to defend the encampments perimeter, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Nearly two hours after the initial clash, police officers arrived in riot gear. According to The Associated Press, the university said it requested help from the city. However, police did not break up clashes until around 3 a.m., according to a timeline by the LA Times.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass posted on X that the police had arrived on campus, saying the violence unfolding this evening at UCLA is absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable.

The editorial board of UCLAs student newspaper, The Daily Bruin, accused the school of being complicit in violence inflicted upon protesters and failing to protect students by allowing the violence to continue before calling the police.

For hours, UCLA administration stood by and watched as the violence escalated. The editorial reads, ... Daily Bruin reporters on the scene were slapped and indirectly sprayed with irritants.

Civil rights groups speak out

The director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the violence in a statement, saying, Last nights attack on UCLA students supporting Palestine was only the latest incident of violence against them. In recent days, pro-Israel extremists directed racial slurs and sexual threats at students, spat on a student and released a pack of mice into the encampment.

Meanwhile, the Jewish Federation Los Angeles stated, The abhorrent actions of a few counterprotesters last night do not represent the Jewish community or our values.

Gov. Newsom responds to violence on UCLA campus

California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded early afternoon Wednesday in a statement:

I condemn the violence at UCLA last night. The law is clear: The right to free speech does not extend to inciting violence vandalism, or lawlessness on campus. Those who engage in illegal behavior must be held accountable for their actions  including through criminal prosecution, suspension, or expulsion.

Newsoms spokesperson, Izzy Gardon, said the governors office deployed the California Highway Patrol Tuesday night after the limited and delayed campus law enforcement responses.

The Governors Office of Emergency Services has been coordinating law enforcement mutual aid requests statewide, including responding for assistance at UCLA throughout the night and early morning, a statement from the governors office reads. ... We stand ready to provide additional mutual aid to local law enforcement and campuses when requested.
Revenue: Reported at $4,872.7 million for Q1 2024, down 4.5% year-over-year, falling short of the estimated $5,001.52 million.

Net Income: Achieved $216.1 million in Q1 2024, a decrease of 6.1% from the previous year, below the estimated $292.55 million.

Earnings Per Share (EPS): Recorded at $1.59, down 5.2% year-over-year, falling short of the estimated $2.15.

Gross Profit Margin: Improved to 21.8% in Q1 2024 from 21.3% in Q1 2023, indicating a more favorable mix of higher-margin products.

Operating Income: Declined by 7.7% to $328 million in Q1 2024, reflecting increased operational costs and challenging market conditions.

Interest Expense, Net: Decreased to $51 million, benefiting from higher interest income and lower debt levels.

Dividend: Announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.62 per share, payable on June 11, 2024, demonstrating continued return to shareholders.

On May 1, 2024, CDW Corp (NASDAQ:CDW) disclosed its first-quarter financial results for the year, revealing a decrease in both revenue and net income compared to the previous year. The company, a leading provider of IT solutions, reported a decline in net sales to $4,872.7 million from $5,103.1 million in Q1 2023, marking a 4.5% decrease. This performance fell short of analyst expectations, which had projected revenues of $5,001.52 million. The earnings per share (EPS) also declined to $1.59 from $1.68 year-over-year, missing the estimated EPS of $2.15. CDW released these figures in its recent 8-K filing.

CDW Corp (CDW) Q1 2024 Earnings: Challenges Persist as Results Fall Short of Analyst Expectations

CDW Corp operates across various segments, providing technology solutions to business, government, education, and healthcare sectors in North America and the UK. The company's extensive product range includes both hardware and software, alongside comprehensive IT services.

The first quarter saw CDW grappling with several challenges, including cautious customer spending due to economic uncertainties, which impacted the company's sales performance across all segments. The Corporate segment experienced a 3.1% decrease in sales, while the Small Business and Public segments saw reductions of 7.4% and 4.9%, respectively. Sales in the UK and Canadian operations also declined by 6.5%.

Despite the sales downturn, CDW reported a slight increase in gross profit margin, which rose to 21.8% from 21.3% in the previous year. This improvement reflects a favorable shift in the company's revenue mix, primarily driven by higher-margin software as a service offerings, although this was somewhat offset by lower product margins from a higher mix of notebook and mobile device sales.

Story continues

Operating income for Q1 2024 stood at $328 million, down 7.7% from $355 million in Q1 2023, with a corresponding decline in operating income margin from 7.0% to 6.7%. The company's net income also decreased by 6.1% to $216.1 million. These financial metrics underscore the ongoing pressures CDW faces in a challenging IT market landscape.

CDW's management remains committed to navigating these challenges through strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and capitalizing on growth opportunities. The company's CEO, Christine A. Leahy, emphasized the importance of CDW's role as a trusted advisor in helping customers maximize their IT investments during these complex times.

The company's balance sheet remains robust, with an increase in cash and cash equivalents to $803.8 million from $279.4 million a year ago. This financial stability supports CDW's strategic flexibility, including potential mergers and acquisitions and share repurchases, as highlighted by CFO Albert J. Miralles.

Looking ahead, CDW continues to focus on aligning its offerings with evolving market demands and leveraging its strong vendor relationships to outpace IT market growth. Despite the setbacks in the first quarter, the company's strategic initiatives and market positioning keep it on a path to long-term growth.

In recognition of its ongoing financial strength, CDW's Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.62 per share, payable on June 11, 2024, to shareholders of record as of May 24, 2024. This dividend announcement underscores the company's commitment to delivering shareholder value amidst a challenging economic environment.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from CDW Corp for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


City of Belleville one step closer to buying cemetery and leasing land for solar farm

Belleville City Council has voted to take the next step on a proposed plan to buy Mount Hope Cemetery and lease some of the property for a solar farm to pay for its upkeep.

Aldermen held a special meeting Tuesday night that mainly consisted of a closed session to discuss purchase or lease of real property. After the session, they passed a resolution directing city staff to bid on the cemeterys 132 acres at a foreclosure sale.

The resolution didnt specify the expected cost or other details. The vote was unanimous with 12 of 16 aldermen present. Jamie Eros, Kara Osthoff, Mary Stiehl and Chris Rothweiler were absent.

Under the plan, the city would contract with a Texas-based vendor to clear trees from a 25-acre wooded section behind Mount Hopes burial ground, build a 5-megawatt community solar farm, operate it for 25 years and pay $75,000 to $80,000 a year in rent.

I just think its a solution to a problem, Mayor Patty Gregory said after the 30-minute meeting.

Gregory was referring to the fact that the public works department has been spending about $100,000 a year to mow and otherwise maintain a cemetery the city doesnt own.

Nearly 27,000 people are buried at Mount Hope, which dates back to the late 1800s. The most recent owner abandoned it about 20 years ago while being accused of scamming people on prepaid funeral arrangements.

A St. Clair County judge appointed a receiver, who was later replaced by Sara Wooley, an attorney with the Illinois comptrollers office. Problems with tall grass, weeds and trash prompted the city to take over maintenance.

The turquoise line shows the border of Mount Hope Cemetery land, which totals about 132 acres. The orange arrow points to a 25-acre tract where a solar farm could be built if the city of Belleville buys the cemetery.

Its unclear when the foreclosure sale will take place. Wooley said Tuesday shes been waiting to file notices until the city signaled that it was willing and able to buy the property.

I didnt want to hold the sale if the city couldnt bid on it, she said, noting that it has to be sold to an eligible bidder, one that is capable of maintaining and operating a cemetery.

Obviously, anybody can come and bid. Im not limiting it to them. But I think all the Mount Hope families think that the city is in the best position because they run Walnut Hill very well, and theyve been mowing Mount Hope, and they do a great job.

Five burials have taken place at Mount Hope so far this year.

The back section of the property is zoned two-family residential. In January, the City Council approved a special-use permit for a solar farm without committing to its development.

At that meeting, eight local residents stood up to voice opposition. Their main argument was that 25 acres of solar panels would destroy a beautiful natural area with plentiful wildlife and disrupt the peace and tranquility of the cemetery and neighborhood.

One resident argued that flat, vacant land would be more suitable for a solar farm than the steep terrain behind the burial ground.

Tuesday nights special meeting was announced late last week on the citys website and Monday afternoon on its Facebook page. Only one person attended, besides aldermen and city officials.

James Clarida, an elementary-school teacher with a degree in environmental management, questioned why the decision was rushed through. He has relatives buried at Mount Hope.

I know theyre going to (build the solar farm), Clarida said before the vote. This is just a formality to make it appear that theyre giving the public a chance to voice their concerns. Theyve already made up their minds.

Clarida told aldermen he would like to see a non-profit foundation set up to raise money and operate the cemetery instead of cutting down trees and destroying habitat for a solar farm.

This diagram shows how solar panels would be positioned in the southeast corner of Mount Hope Cemetery land if the city of Belleville bought it and leased 25 acres for a solar farm.

In December, Bellevilles Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-0 to recommend that the full City Council approve the special-use permit for a solar farm. Cliff Cross, director of economic development, planning and zoning, told members the plan was contingent on the project receiving up to $2 million in state incentives.

The city worked with vendor Shine Development Partners, owned by Hover Energy, to apply for incentives through Illinois Shines, a state program implemented by the Illinois Power Agency.

Kelly Turner, the agencys chief legal counsel, said Tuesday the program administrator approved the projects Part 1 application in late December and the Illinois Commerce Commission OKd a contract in early January that would guide its sale of renewable-energy credits to a utility company.

From our point of view, (Shine and the city) have the go-ahead to participate in the program, she said.

After the solar farm is built, the Illinois Power Agency must certify that it meets program requirements and contract terms through a Part 2 application process before the vendor can begin operating and receive the utility-funded incentives, according to Turner.

When asked why the city called a special meeting to vote on the resolution instead of doing it at a regular meeting, Gregory and Cross said the vendor told them it had missed a Feb. 19 deadline to submit paperwork and needed to meet an extended deadline of May 3.

The total renewable-energy-credit contract value of the 5-megawatt solar farm at Mount Hope is about $7.2 million, according to Megha Hamal, spokesman for the Illinois Power Agency.

This is the maximum quantity of RECs (renewable-energy credits), and the actual RECs delivered would be what the utility would be invoiced over the term of the contract, she wrote in an email.
City to celebrate renovations to Lower Valley firehouse with uncoupling ceremony

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The City of El Paso will be celebrating the reopening of one of its firehouses which went through a major renovation.

A grand reopening will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 1 at Fire Station No. 26, 9418 North Loop Dr.

The grand reopening will feature a traditional hose uncoupling ceremony, which is the firefighter equivalent of a ribbon-cutting.

Fire Station No. 26 went through a major renovation that was designed to improve fire protection and reduce response times, the City said.

The project included: renovations to the interior and exterior of the building; upgrades to the heating and cooling systems, electrical work and plumbing; improvements to the parking lot and rock wall; ADA compliance improvements; and expansion of the bay opening to fit larger emergency vehicles.

The project cost $1.4 million and was funded through the voter-approved 2019 Public Safety Bond Program.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
City of Fresno could go to appeals court over mans death in 2017

City of Fresno could go to appeals court over mans death in 2017

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  The City of Fresno could once again be defending itself in a legal battle in the U.S. Court of Appeals following the 2017 death of a man in Fresno, who video shows was restrained on the ground in a face-down position.

The petition filed with the appeals court follows the publication of the courts opinion earlier this month; prosecuting attorneys say it sided with Fresno police, sheriffs deputies, and paramedics from American Ambulance.

Fresno Police release body camera video under federal court order related to 2017 death of Joseph Perez

A divided panel ruled that Fresno law enforcement officers and American Ambulance paramedicswere cleared of liability under the legal doctrine of qualified immunity, wrote the attorneys in a statement.

The attorneys are now calling for a review of the decision because they think the panel misapplied qualified immunity in a way that threatens to convert it into absolute immunity.

The case dates back to May 2017, when Joseph Perez was approached by police while walking in Fresno. According to attorney Neil Gehlawat, a neighbor had called the police concerned over Perezs well-being.

Gehlawat says responding officers determined that Perez was a danger to himself and others. According to official accounts of the incident, Fresno Police managed to get Perez to sit but as Perez became agitated officers were forced to subdue him and place him face down on the sidewalk.

Gehlawat says when paramedics arrived, the lead paramedic placed a backboard on Perezs back and told officers to sit on top of the board. He says this is not typical or procedural.

In all of the people we talked to  experts and people who have been paramedics  theyve never heard of anyone being restrained in that fashion, Gehlawat said. Typically the boards are placed next to the person and the person is rolled on to the board in a face-up position.

According to Gehlawat, Perez was put in the ambulance and was pronounced dead a short time later. A Fresno County coroner classified Perezs death as a homicide caused by compression asphyxia.

Gehlawat says that, following Perezs death, a case was filed against the City of Fresno and the Fresno Police Department in federal court  but a judge dismissed all claims on the legal doctrine of qualified immunity.

Its [qualified immunity] known to protect police officers who use excessive force, Gehlawat said. One problem with the doctrine is that it is vague.

According to Gehlewat, unless there is a law in place to indicate that an officers actions are going to violate a persons constitutional rights, the officer can proceed with said action.

The case was then taken to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where Gehlawat and his partner are set to appeal the case. They believe there is no room for qualified immunity. He says that two of the three appellate court judges sided in favor of the original courts decision while one judge dissented.

Now were doing a petition en banc to the Ninth Circuit Court where were asking to have a larger panel of judges, Gahlawat said.

He says if they receive a favorable ruling from the panel, it could set precedents for future cases involving restraint asphyxia deaths. Gahlawat also says a favorable ruling could help give justice to Perezs family who he says have had a long and hard journey through this legal process.

YourCentralValley.com has reached out to the City of Fresno for comment in response.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
Clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators broke out at the University of California, Los Angeles, campus Tuesday night amid ongoing unrest at colleges across the country.

Violence erupted shortly before 11 p.m. local time, when a group of counterprotesters came to the pro-Palestinian encampment set up on campus to try to dismantle it, KTLA reported.

KTLA is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

The counter-protestors threw fireworks and tried to take away the metal fencing and plywood from the encampment, resulting in a series of skirmishes into the early morning, the outlet added.

Yesterday some physical altercations occurred among demonstrators in Royce Quad, Mary Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA Strategic Communications said Tuesday. In response, we have taken several actions to significantly increase our security presence, including adding greater numbers of campus law enforcement, safety personnel and student affairs monitors.

It was not immediately clear how many people may have been injured in the skirmishes.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass confirmed shortly after 1:30 a.m. local time that Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers arrived on campus.

The violence unfolding this evening at UCLA is absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable, Bass wrote in a post on the social platform X.

UCLA campus police also briefly responded to the scene, KTLA reported.

The Hill reached out to UCLA and LAPD for further comment.

The clashes come as protests roil college campuses across the country, leading to the arrests and suspensions of hundreds of students. Demonstrators are calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, along with a halt in U.S. military aid to Israel.

Many of these protests have taken the form of encampments, where scores of students have been sleeping overnight. The encampment at UCLA is demanding the school divest all interests from Israel, KTLA reported.

Just hours before the violence erupted on the California campus, New York City officers moved into Columbias campus after student protests took over a campus building earlier in the day.

Columbia said the decision to call in NYPD was made to restore safety and order to our community.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Clueless Columbia protester demands school get basic humanitarian aid to pro-terror rioters: Do you want students to die?

A clueless Columbia University protester who once worked for a lefty consulting firm hired by Bill de Blasio demanded Tuesday that the school help get basic humanitarian aid such as food and water to the anti-Israel rioters illegally occupying a campus building.

Like, could people please have a glass of water? the young woman told reporters outside Hamilton Hall, which a defiant mob of pro-terror protesters violently stormed early Tuesday and took over.

Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation or get severely ill even if they disagree with you? If the answer is no, then you should allow basic, I mean, its crazy to say because were on an Ivy League campus, but this is like basic humanitarian aid were asking for, the protester said, according to footage posted to X.

Reporter grills Columbia student after she demands the university help feed protestors occupying Hamilton Hall:



"It seems like you're saying, 'we want to be revolutionaries, we want to take over this building, now would you please bring us some food'." pic.twitter.com/vNczSAM4T1  The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 30, 2024

An incredulous reporter replied, It seems like youre sort of saying, We want to be revolutionaries, we want to take over this building, now would you please bring us some food and water.

The protester  who studies Marxist principles at Columbia  replied, Nobodys asking them to bring anything.

Were asking them to not violently stop us from bringing in basic humanitarian aid.

Asked if the university had tried to stop supplies from being brought to the illegal occupiers, the protester admitted she actually didnt know.

Columbia University encampment protester Sueda Polat whined to reporters Tuesday that the school disrupted students with the campus lockdown. Seth Harrison/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK

We are looking for a commitment from them that they will not stop it, the woman said.

I do not know to what extent it has been attempted. But were looking for a commitment.

Before the exchange with the reporter, she had said the students occupying Hamilton Hall were asking for a commitment from Columbia for food and water to be brought in to ensure the safety of their own students.

A video of people passing food to women inside a gate around Columbia was posted to X on Tuesday.

The Columbia protester refused to provide her name since she said other demonstrators who spoke to the press have received threats.

But The Post was able to identify her as a doctoral student and instructor at the Ivy League school whose studies focus on applying a Marxian lens to romantic literature.

Anti-Israel protesters chant outside Columbia on Tuesday. AP

Prior to joining Columbia, she worked as a political strategist for several leftist and progressive causes, including for the consulting firm BerlinRosen  which was tapped by de Blasio for his 2013 mayoral campaign.

The Democrat often used the firms co-founder, Jonathan Rosen, as a private adviser while he was NYC mayor and used other employees of the public relations firm to ghostwrite press release quotes and letters to the editor.

Government watchdog groups had slammed the private-public partnership, noting that Rosen got key access as well as potential favors and profit through his close relationship with the mayor.

An organizer of the universitys weekslong anti-Israel encampment also whined Tuesday about the campus lockdown  claiming it was making life incredibly difficult for students.

Sueda Polat, a grad student at the prestigious Manhattan school, seemed oblivious to the fact that rioters from the tent city illegally erected on Columbias campus caused the major education disruption by hijacking Hamilton Hall.

She boasted that the building occupiers were not leaving anytime soon  and that they were being protected by members of the faculty helping to encircle the site.

Polat scoffed that the most severe school repercussion to date  threats of possible expulsion for participating students  would only cause protesters to dig their heels in more.

Today they locked down the university in an unprecedented way, making life incredibly difficult for the thousands of students who need access to this campus on a daily basis, Polat said of the school.

Historic Hamilton Hall was trashed during the student takeover. via REUTERS

There are students here doing their thesis defenses, theres members of staff who have research work, she added.

By closing the university, they have stopped the function of the university, whereas the student protests have never done that, Polat claimed  even as many students have described severe hardship in continuing their studies and even getting food on campus because of the chaos.

The protest leader blamed the mobs takeover of the historic building on an autonomous group of students angry that obstinance and arrogance by Columbia stopped negotiations between the school and demonstrators.

One of the protesters main demands is for Columbia to divest from companies involved with Israel, which declared war on Hamas in Gaza after the Palestinian terror groups massacre in Israel on Oct. 7.

The university shouldnt be surprised there is an escalation in protest behavior on this campus, Polat said. [School administrators] kept us occupied for 11 to 12 days when we were negotiating with them, sometimes for 10 hours a day, and consequently got no results from those negotiations.

Protesters erect a makeshift blockade outside Hamilton Hall on Tuesday. AP

The more the university acts like an authoritarian police state by setting up checkpoints, even at the library, the more students will be willing to resist, she said.

Polat would not say how many people have barricaded themselves inside the hall but crowed, There are hundreds of students protecting the encampment, protecting their right to protest, and theyre not willing to leave anytime soon.

There are members of the faculty around the encampment, she added.

It would be incredibly shortsighted of the university to expel a huge number of its students, especially considering how much consensus this matter has on campus, the protest leader insisted.

I strongly believe it would galvanize the rest of the campus community.
A harsh truth: As bad as North American wildfires have grown over the past several years, things are only going to get worse. Climate change continues to accelerate the issue, putting people, property, nature and animals at risk.

Drones have been a fixture in the fight for over a decade now, and the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association anticipates its fleet to increase to 30,000 by next year. While effective, however, these systems certainly have their limitations.

"As of now, the military-grade drones used by those fighting wildfires are high-altitude aircraft that fly far above the trees," Carnegie Mellon University PhD student Andrew Jong notes. "They can't fly low because they can't see through smoke. We want to fly just above the trees or even below the canopy."

Researchers at CMUs Robotics Institute are building drones capable of navigating through the smoke, providing firefighters with map and escape routes, while drawing attention to danger zones.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-4QzhzZWNA?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=640&h=360]

Retired firefighter Josh Wilkins, who is collaborating with researchers on the project, notes somberly, "I helped bury too many folks who died for lack of actionable information. He adds that firefighters are often provided 12-hour-old information when they begin their eight- to 12-hour shifts. By that point, the information is outdated and poses a very real risk to first responders.

The project builds on research for CMU's DARPA Subterranean Challenge, which revolved around underground navigation for mine rescues. The forest drones utilize pathfinding to determine the optimal trajectories with obstructed views. The goal is to effectively build a 3D digital twin of the impacted area as quickly as possible.

Wilkins notes, however, that his former colleagues can be hesitant to embrace new technologies. "There's always resistance, particularly in the fire service," the second-generation firefighter explains. "But once we show them the safety factors that have been designed into these systems and the good data that we can collect with the drones, I think we'll win them over."
CNN anchor Dana Bash opened her Inside Politics program Wednesday by blasting demonstrations by pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses across American universities and colleges in recent weeks.

We start with destruction, violence and hate on college campuses across the country, Bash said to open her program before showing clips of protests from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Many of these protests started peacefully, with legitimate questions about the war. But in many cases, they lost the plot, Bash argued.

Now, protesting the way the Israeli government, the Israeli prime minister is prosecuting the retaliatory war against Hamas is one thing. Making Jewish students feel unsafe at their own schools is unacceptable. And it is happening, way too much, right now, Bash said.

Bash then showed a clip of a Jewish student at UCLA being blocked from using an entrance to a campus building by pro-Palestine protesters.

Again, what you just saw is 2024, in Los Angeles. Hearkening back to the 1930s in Europe. And I do not say that lightly. The fear among Jews in this country is palpable right now, said Bash, who is Jewish.

The demonstrations on college campuses have been sparked by the ongoing fighting between the Israeli government and Hamas in Gaza, which has killed thousands in the region since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack Hamas carried out in Israel.

Leading progressive lawmakers and activists have called on President Biden and the U.S. government to negotiate a cease-fire in the region and stop sending money to Israel to support its war effort.

Bash also wrote a social media post promoting the opening segment of her daily politics show on the network.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
CNN gets a rare look at the Iranian missiles and drones that hit Israel

Editors Note: A version of this story appears in CNNs Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, a three-times-a-week look inside the regions biggest stories. Sign up here.

You have to ask the Israelis, Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Brigadier General Ali Belali says with a smirk when asked how many ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired towards Israel in its April 14 strike.

But hes more than happy to show the missiles and drones Iran used in its first ever attack against Israel launched directly from Iranian soil.

It was a punitive measure, Belali says, as he uses a laser pointer to indicate the missiles deployed, towering above him in the exhibit.

Two weeks after the Middle East came to the brink of an all-out war, with Iran firing hundreds of projectiles toward Israel in retaliation for a suspected Israeli airstrike on an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Tehran is keen to show the world that it is capable of fighting a wider conflict should it be faced with one.

On April 19, Israel responded with a suspected attack inside Irans borders. Both the Iranian and Israeli actions resulted in minimal damage and appeared by both sides to be aimed at restoring deterrence. That situation de-escalated, but the threat of war continues to loom large over the region as Israels offensive in Gaza grinds on.

CNN was given rare access to an Islamic Revolutionary Guards exhibit that showcases Tehrans air and space capabilities, including the types of weapons that were used against Israel last month. American media had never been allowed inside until now.

At the permanent exhibit of the Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Forces in western Tehran, dozens of long- and medium-range ballistic missiles stand tall along with cruise missiles and drones. The exhibit is meant to show the development and progress of Irans drone and missile program.

Today, our drones and missiles have become an important factor of strength and the execution of power in the world, Belali, himself a former missile commander during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war that ended in 1988, tells CNN. He says Irans massive drone and missile barrage against Israel was a major success.

Irans attack on Israel included drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. The night sky over Israeli cities lit up as the countrys air defenses worked to intercept the projectiles. Meanwhile, the air forces of Israel, the US, the UK, France and Jordan were busy in the skies, also trying to take down as many Iranian drones and missiles as possible.

NATO, The United States and Arab countries of the region wanted to create barriers for our drones, missiles and cruise missiles, but they failed, Belali says. The world was not able to stop us.

Various Iranian ballistic missiles in the main hall of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards exhibit in Tehran, Iran on May 1, 2024. - Fred Pleitgen/CNN

The Israeli military said that 99% of projectiles fired by Iran were intercepted by Israel and its partners, with only a small number of ballistic missiles reaching the country.

The Iranians claim they managed to hit two locations inside Israel, including the Nevatim airbase in the Negev desert. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that ballistic missiles that reached Israel fell on the airbase and caused only light structural damage.

Accurate, (to) less than five meters, Brigadier General Ali Belali claims, standing in front of two of the ballistic missiles he says were involved in the strikes against Israel, the Ghadr and the Emad. The missiles have a range of more than 1,000 miles and can carry warheads between 450 and 500 kilograms (1,102 lbs), he says. Another missile, called Kheybar, which he says was also used, carries a warhead of about 320 kilograms, the general adds.

Regions largest ballistic missile force

Irans ballistic missiles have long been a cause for concern for the US and its allies in the Middle East, who have called for curbs on the missile program to be part of any deal that Washington strikes with Tehran.

The US says Iran has the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East and considers its missile arsenal as one of its primary tools of coercion and force projection.

Iran has in the past insisted that its missile program is solely for defensive purposes.

Shahed attack drones on an unmarked truck at an Iranian Revolutionary Guards exhibit in Tehran, Iran on May 1, 2024. - Fred Pleitgen/CNN

In recent years, and until its attack on Israel, Iran had carried out at least five major cross-border ballistic missile strikes in the region, John Krzyzaniak, a research associate at the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control in Washington, DC, told CNN earlier. Those include two attacks on ISIS in Syria, and three in Iraq claiming to have targeted US forces, Kurdish militants and Israeli intelligence.

Also on display at the Tehran exhibit is what Iran says is an American RQ-170 Sentinel drone, made by Lockheed Martin, that it claims to have downed in 2011. US officials told CNN that year that the drone was part of a CIA reconnaissance mission that involved both the intelligence community and military personnel stationed in Afghanistan. Three years later, Iran said it had managed to copy the drone.

Belali says Irans missile development is key to the Islamic Republics defense strategy. In our defense capabilities we dont rely on anyone. We have had good progress in this field and we will progress more. There are achievements that have not yet been talked about.

Drones are equally as important for Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards. The exhibit shows various stages of their drone development, starting from small wooden UAVs used in the Iran-Iraq war, all the way to models the Iranians claim have stealth capabilities.

One the most prominent is the Shahed 136, a cheap fire and forget drone, meaning a flight path is programmed, the UAV is launched, and it then independently flies towards the target area.

While the Iranians acknowledge using dozens of Shahed 136 drones to target Israel, both the US and Ukraine also accuse Tehran of giving hundreds to Russia, with Moscow using them to hit Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. The Iranians have consistently denied those claims.

The Shaheds fly low and slow and usually attack in swarms, the general says, standing in front of an unmarked truck that serves as a secretive launching platform.

Everything is preprogrammed. The flight route is chosen according (to) the enemys capabilities and blind spots of radars and all the elements that can help us reach the target.

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The first unit of one of the worlds highest-elevation hydropower plants began operating in China in April. China Energy said the Maerdang hydropower station, sited at more than 16,000 feet above sea level in northwest Chinas Qinghai Province, came online on April 1, with the initial units 550 MW of generation capacity expected to provide 13.2 GWh of electricity daily. Gu Faming, deputy head of the mechanical and electrical center of the Maerdang station, said the plant when fully operational could provide about 15 TWh of electricity annually.

1. China Energy said the Maerdang hydropower station, located more than 16,000 feet above sea level, is the companys first integrated clean energy facility, and includes solar power and energy storage. Courtesy: China Energy

The Maerdang station, designed to have 2,200 MW of generation capacity when complete, is located on the upper reaches of the Yellow River. It is the highest-altitude plant in that basin, which includes other major hydro projects including the 1,280-MW Longyangxia station, which has operated since 1992 with four 320-MW units. Another large project in the region is Yellow River Yangqu, under construction since 2021 with the first unit expected to enter operation in July of this year. The 1,200-MW Yangqu station is expected to be fully operational in 2025. It will feature three 400-MW Francis turbines. Yangqu is located upstream of Longyangxia, and is one of three new cascade hydro stations planned in that area. The other projects are the Ciha and Bando hydropower plants. China Energy said Maerdang (Figure 1) will be the companys first integrated clean energy facility involving hydropower, solar power, and energy storage. The company said the project includes a 750-kV ultra-high-voltage substation, the highest of its kind in China, that was put into operation in September 2023 to serve the hydropower station. Li Jingchang, technical director at PowerChina Northwest Engineering Corp., designed the Maerdang station. Jingchang said the facility marks a milestone among Chinese hydropower projects, as the first unit came online about 36 months after construction began. China Energy has focused on more rapid construction of renewable energy projects in recent years. The company said it installed a record 320 GW of power generation capacity in 2023, with renewable energy accounting for more than 35% of that total. The International Energy Agency said China had 759 GW of wind and solar power generation capacity installed as of 2022, with a goal of having 3.9 TW of renewable energy online by 2030. China Energy said the new substation has raised the voltage grade of the power transmission network in the Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai from 330 kV to 750 kV. The company said the facility is considered an intelligent substation, and is equipped with a counter-unmanned aircraft system, which China Energy said is capable of detecting potential threats from aircraft such as drones. The system has a defense mode that could intercept unidentified drones or other aircraft. China is the worlds largest producer of hydroelectricity. The country features many of the largest operating hydro plants, including the 22,500-MW Three Gorges plant on the Yangtze River, the largest power station in the world. Darrell Proctor is a senior associate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
Nearly two years after the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Americans remain broadly opposed to the ruling, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. But in the midst of a presidential campaign where the major candidates offer starkly different approaches to the issue, the country is less united over how best to handle abortion laws, the survey finds.

The countrys widespread opposition to the 2022 Supreme Court decision, which held that women do not have a federal constitutional right to an abortion, does not translate into equally broad support for taking federal action to protect abortion access. Roughly half of US adults, 49%, want to see federal politicians work to enshrine abortion access nationally, while 37% say abortion laws should be left to states, and 14% call for nationwide restrictions.

About two-thirds (65%) oppose the 2022 Supreme Court decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, and 34% approve, numbers that have remained effectively unchanged in CNNs polling across the nearly two years since the ruling. Those who strongly disapprove of the decision continue to outnumber those who strongly approve by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

A 69% majority who disapprove of overturning Roe, including 82% of those who strongly disapprove, say that federal politicians should work to pass laws ensuring national abortion access. Those who support the ruling largely say federal politicians shouldnt take action on the issue: 59% say laws on abortion should be left up to the states, with 29% in favor of further restrictions to abortion access nationwide. New national restrictions are supported by just about one-quarter of Republicans, White Evangelical Christians and those who describe themselves as conservative.

The poll comes in the wake of two years of largely state-level skirmishes over abortion laws following the overturn of Roe  political fights with tangible consequences for residents access to abortion in those states. Last month, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled to revive a Civil War-era abortion ban in the state, which the states House voted last week to repeal.

Overall, a 45% plurality of Americans say that the laws governing abortion in their own state are currently about right, similar to a year ago, with 37% calling them too restrictive and 17% too permissive.

The share who view their states abortion laws as too restrictive rises to 43% in the states where abortion is currently legal with gestational limits of 6-18 weeks, and to 52% in the states where it is banned. Among those who disapprove of overturning Roe, about two-thirds (64%) in states with gestational limits and three-quarters (74%) in states where abortion is banned find their states laws too restrictive.

Abortion policy is also shaping up as an election issue. President Joe Biden is making support for abortion rights a focal point of his presidential campaign. His Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, has recently distanced himself from GOP-led pushes for a national ban, saying that abortion regulations should be left to the states, although he refused in a recent Time interview to commit to vetoing a federal abortion ban or to say if hed support states prosecuting women who sought abortions, reiterating that the decision is up to the states.

While polling finds a clear public consensus against the decision to overturn Roe, it offers a less precise answer on the role the fight over abortion policy might play in voters decisions this year. Laws on the issue now differ starkly from state to state, and abortion is likely to be directly on the ballot in some states but not others: Florida, Maryland and New York will all vote on measures to establish new protections for abortion, while 10 other states are currently considering adding abortion-related measures to the November ballot.

About one-quarter of registered voters, 24%, say that they would only vote for a candidate who shares their views on abortion, with 55% saying theyd consider a candidates abortion position as one of many important factors when voting, and 21% saying they wouldnt see abortion as a major issue.

The share who say theyd only support politicians they agreed with on abortion represents a downtick from the 31% of registered voters who said the same in July 2023. That decline comes largely from the voters who supported the decision to overturn Roe, suggesting that any motivation advantage on this issue lies with proponents of abortion rights. Last summer, voters who disapproved of the Dobbs decision were 4 points likelier than those who approved of it to say they viewed the issue as a litmus test, 32% to 28%. That gap has now widened to 10 points, 27% to 17%.

How does that translate into voters initial decisions when it comes to the 2024 presidential candidates? Among registered voters who disapprove of the Dobbs decision and say they would only vote for a candidate who shares their views, 81% currently say theyd back Biden against Trump, with 14% currently backing Trump. Among those who disapprove of Dobbs but say its just one of many issues important to them, 6 in 10 back Biden, with 32% supporting Trump.

Among those registered voters who disapprove of overturning Roe and arent currently backing Biden, 15% say theyd consider voting for him, slightly higher than the 9% of non-Biden-supporters overall who currently say theyd consider voting to reelect the president.

Among all adults, Bidens approval rating for handling abortion policy stands at 42%, similar to his overall job approval, the poll finds, although a 62% majority of those who want to see abortion access protected nationally approve.

Most Americans, 58%, say they believe Biden will work to enact national laws ensuring access to abortion if hes reelected this year, with 29% saying hell leave abortion laws up to the states and 13% that hell work to enact national laws restricting abortion. By contrast, a 54% majority say they think Trump will leave abortion laws up to the states if he wins the election, with 34% expecting Trump to work toward restricting abortion nationally, and 12% expecting him to work toward ensuring access.

Democratic and Democratic-leaning adults are 36 percentage points likelier than Republican-aligned adults to expect that Trump would work to restrict abortion nationwide (53% to 17%), while there is little partisan divide in expectations for Biden.

In a previous release from the same poll, 42% of registered voters said that abortion would be extremely important to their presidential vote this year, trailing the majorities who said the same of the economy and protecting democracy. But the issue holds more importance among self-described liberals (63%), female independents (59%), and both male and female Democrats (52% for each), all groups whose turnout is likely to be a focus for the Biden campaign.

About one-third (32%) of Americans nationally now say they consider a womans right to use contraception as a threatened right likely to be overturned, up from 23% who considered that right threatened in May 2022. Women are 10 points likelier than men to say they view the right to use contraception as threatened.

The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS from April 18-23 among a random national sample of 1,212 adults drawn from a probability-based panel, including 967 registered voters. Surveys were either conducted online or by telephone with a live interviewer. Results among the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points, for results among registered voters, it is plus or minus 3.8 points.

CNNs Jennifer Agiesta and Ed Wu contributed to this report.

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Dave Neville told a Hoyt Lakes City Council: "My ultimate goal is to build mining robots to bring to the moon, Mars and the asteroid belt. Photo illustration by Getty Images.

HOYT LAKES  Early this year, a friendly man wearing glasses and a corporate polo shirt approached the City Council here with a big idea.

This was already a contentious meeting. A woman had just accosted officials over the citys decision to stop using Facebook. Another group waited patiently to protest higher pickleball fees. Still ahead, councilors faced logistical challenges related to the merger of the city police department with neighboring Aurora, another cash-strapped small town on the Mesabi Iron Range.

The man, Dave Neville, began his pitch. He runs Infinity Robotics, a company based in Savage, Minnesota, that develops industrial robots, including robots used in mining operations. Business has been good, he said, but hes got a problem. He needs a space port.

Our goal is to [use] automation to help the human condition so that 60 billion people can inhabit our planet at some point and have meaningful useful lives, said Neville. One of the ways to do that is to mine and colonize outer space to help humanity. My ultimate goal is to build mining robots to bring to the moon, Mars and the asteroid belt.

At this point, the City Council blinked politely. Personally, I wondered if this was the origin story of an alien invasion movie where it turns out the aliens were us all along.

Neville continued.

His idea is Can/Am 5M, a company that seeks tens of billions of dollars in private and public investment to create a nonprofit space port. The former mine pits located near Hoyt Lakes and Babbitt are ideal places to launch rockets, he said. He just needed one thing: public support.

We want to get you guys involved now so you can bring in new residents and develop housing, said Neville in his closing pitch. For Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk to write the checks to get this done  thats going to be happening at the end of this month [January 2024]. Wed like them to come in as partners and not as owners. We want this to be state owned or owned by nonprofit. We want to see that infrastructure be maintained in perpetuity. The best way to do that is to get everyone involved.

Musk and Bezos have yet to announce investment in the project.

Becky Lammi, the Hoyt Lakes city administrator, said Neville hasnt contacted the city since its Jan. 8 meeting and left no forwarding address. A social media message to Neville went unreturned.

On his website, Neville describes himself as a serial entrepreneur. He also described his past companies, including a mobile DJ service and a gun manufacturing company. Robotics is just what came next. Now, space.

Despite tantalizing claims that the project would benefit northern Minnesota mining interests, the Hoyt Lakes council took no action on Nevilles request.

But Neville still got what he wanted. The two largest northeastern Minnesota newspapers, the Duluth News Tribune and Mesabi Tribune, both ran generous coverage describing the Can/Am 5M project in January. A few days of intense social media reach followed, including the full range of algorithmic emotions  likes, loves, anger and laughing faces.

Tellingly, statewide media, even Duluth TV stations, declined to cover the story. This one was just too far out there. But the spectacle reveals a common flaw in small town development schemes.

Deep space mine

Its the hope that gets you. Every time.

Hoyt Lakes is the late-bloomer of the Iron Range. Built in 1955 to serve an innovative new low grade taconite mine, the town missed the early 20th century bacchanal of high grade iron ore mining tax wealth. It then took a devastating blow when the LTV mine closed in 2001. Since then, the eastern Mesabi  towns like Babbitt, Biwabik, Aurora and Hoyt Lakes  became a hub for high minded economic development proposals. Each idea promised to restore the boom times of a remembered past. So far, each has failed.

In 2005, a startup called Excelsior Energy proposed the Mesaba Energy Project, a coal gasification power plant at Hoyt Lakes. Backed by a married couple of energy lawyers, one with Iron Range political connections, the company received more than $9 million in loans from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board. Those loans were the main income for the company as it sought and received $36 million in federal energy funds.

The IRRRB included members of the then-DFL dominated Iron Range legislative delegation, all of whom were hungry for a post-LTV win for the Range. The erstwhile Mesabi Daily News threw its editorial weight behind the project as well. But then Excelsior moved the project to a site in Itasca County while arguing the state Public Utilities Commissioner mandate Xcel to buy its electricity. The PUC declined, citing the high cost to consumers. More than 20 years later, no project ever happened, and the loans were never repaid.

Perhaps most notably, Hoyt Lakes is home to the original PolyMet copper-nickel mining proposal, now part of NewRange Minerals. PolyMet began exploring minerals in the area more than a decade before LTV closed. But the company didnt begin its environmental review process until 2005, amid the same local recession caused by the mine closure. It even promised to make use of the old LTV plant.

Once again, backers boosted the promise of restoring lost jobs. The local political establishment so completely bought in that the regions entire political apparatus warped itself around the promise of copper-nickel mining as an all-purpose economic solution. Republican deregulation policies became irresistibly attractive and the region cast away the leftist politics that once defined it.

But even accepting New Ranges proposal at face value would mean just a few hundred permanent jobs. The reality of the project has never matched its political importance. History teaches that commodities are unreliable engines of local economic stability. I could tell you a story about how my family almost moved away from the Range in the 1980s, and how many thousands of other Rangers actually did. This is life in any town dependent on mining alone.

Its hard to make sense of economic development, especially when proposals touch on new or unfamiliar industries. Even in mining, the bread-and-butter of the Iron Range, local leaders know more about working in the mines than the complex skullduggery of global mineral markets and corporate strategy. More often than not, local leaders reduce themselves to cheerleaders. They have no ability to negotiate with the developers because they have pinned their political identity to giving them everything they want. Just like the people they represent, they wait in the lobby for a decision made elsewhere.

Project information comes filtered through intermediaries with a vested interest in the developments. Some environmental opponents are naive to the role of mining in society, but a local public relations echo chamber rolls even valid environmental questions into the same category. The debate calcifies. Political polarization destroys creativity. The end result is a coin flip between disappointment and nothing.

Keeping our cool

Space mining might one day prove an important source of resources. But that fact can be claimed by literally anyone with the gumption to say, without evidence, that theyre on the cusp of launching a multi-billion dollar fleet of mining robots. Meantime, small towns fervently desire a big win after decades of economic decline. False hope and longing souls find each other every day in so many ways.

Of course, Infinity Robotics could turn out to be the next big Fortune 500 company. They could be flying moon rockets out of Hoyt Lakes like Fourth of July and boy, would I look foolish then. Heck, I would enjoy being that wrong, especially if it leads to a robust new tech industry that employs generations of my fellow Iron Rangers.

But there are enough red flags here to suggest that this is another in a long line of PR flimflammery. Given the propensity of skepticism in our society, surely we can spare a little for the high rollers who tell us what we want to hear.

The future of communities like Hoyt Lakes and towns like it must be built brick by brick from within. The only outside force you can count on is the money thats currently buying up all the lakeshore.

If a company offers jobs with great wages on a defined timeline, they might be considered real. But a company asking you to wear their t-shirt on a stage where they demand attention and friendly new legislation? Just so their company might actually exist someday? Thats lobbying. Thats PR work. And believe me, you shouldnt do either for less than $200 an hour and a steak dinner. In St. Paul or D.C., anything less would be an insult.

The post From coal gasification to robot space mining, small towns fall prey to PR promises appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  Anti-war protests on college campuses continue to escalate, with some clashes turning violent.

In Congress, the House is planning to vote on a bill Republicans say will curb antisemitism and get the protests under control.

The bill adds a definition of antisemitism to federal anti-discrimination law.

While clashes play out on campus, theyre also happening in Congress.

As protestors clashed over the war in Gaza in Congress, some lawmakers say its out of control.

This has got to stop, said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.)

Republicans want to crack down on what they say is blatant antisemitism.

Texas Senator John Cornyn says this conduct goes beyond free speech.

The line between protesting and rioting has been crossed time and time again, Cornyn said.

Some Democrats praised the pro-Palestine protestors.

We must stand with our young people, said Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.)

Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said they should be protected.

It needs to be very clear: your students constitutional rights dont end when they enter your college campus grounds, Tlaib said.

The White House defended the right to peacefully protest.

Forcibly taking over a building is not peaceful. Its just not. Students have the right to feel safe, said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

As divisions play out in the U.S., Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel meeting with leaders.

He urged Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal and release hostages.

There is a proposal on the table. As weve said, no delays, no excuses, the time is now, Blinken said.

Blinken also pushed Israel to get more humanitarian aid to Gaza.

While Democrats are opposed to this bill, they are backing an alternative bill that creates a national antisemitism task force.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Colombia to break diplomatic ties with Israel over actions in Gaza

Colombia says it will break diplomatic relations with Israel on Thursday over its actions in Gaza.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro made the announcement at a rally in Bogotas Bolivar Square on Wednesday, describing the Israeli governments handling of the war in Gaza as genocidal.

Israel launched its assault in the Palestinian territory following terror group Hamas attacks on October 7, which left more than 1,200 people dead and saw more than 250 taken hostage  many of whom remain in captivity today.

Now nearing its eight month, Israels war in the isolated enclave has killed more than 34,000 people, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israels foreign minister, Israel Katz, condemned Colombias announcement and accused Petro of rewarding Hamas, which controls Gaza, saying he was siding with the most despicable monsters known to humanity. Katz also called Petro a hate-filled, antisemitic president, but said relations between both countries would remain warm despite the presidents actions.

Hamas said it highly appreciated Petros position, saying in a statement that it considered the decision a victory for the sacrifices of our people and their just cause and calling on other countries to follow suit.

South Africa has previously accused Israel of violating international laws on genocide, telling the United Nations top court that Israels leadership was intent on destroying the Palestinians in Gaza  a case which Israel dismissed as absurd blood libel.

The International Court of Justice later ordered Israel to take all measures to prevent genocide but stopped short of ordering its government to halt the war.

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro at a rally in Bogota, Colombia, on May 1, 2024. - Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters

Regional neighbor Bolivia also cut diplomatic ties with Israel last year, citing crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian people in the wake of Israels war with Hamas.

This is a developing story. More to come.

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Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Wednesday he plans to sever diplomatic ties with Israel over the Middle Eastern countrys conduct in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Speaking at a May Day rally in Bogotas central Plaza de Bolivar, Petro panned Israel for the girls, the boys, the babies who have died dismembered by the bombs.

Here before you, the government of change, the president of the republic, informs that tomorrow diplomatic relations with the State of Israel will be broken, he said.

If Petro follows through with his threat, Colombia will join Belize and Bolivia as Western Hemisphere nations that have suspended or severed ties with Israel over the conflict in Gaza.

Cuba broke relations with Israel in 1973 after siding with Egypt in the Yom Kippur War, and Venezuela cut ties in 2009 in response to the 2008-09 Israel-Hamas war over Gaza.

Petros threat to follow suit is a stark indicator of the shift in Colombias international postures under his government.

Colombias relations with Israel were previously so close that the South American country is the single largest overseas user of the Israeli made Kfir jet fighter.

But Petro, who assumed office in 2022, comes from a background of opposition to Colombias armed forces  as a teenager in the 1970s, he joined the leftist M-19 guerrilla group, a minor player in the countrys 50-year civil war.

In March, Petro first threatened to break relations with Israel with a post on social platform X, which was met with an Israeli Foreign Ministry response saying Israel will not give in to any pressures and threats, according to a report by The Associated Press.

Today the President of #Colombia, a Hamas supporter, severed diplomatic relations with #Israel, Sen Marco Rubio (Fla.), the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, wrote on X.

Very sad to see that such an incredible country of great people who have suffered so much at the hands of narco terrorists, is currently ruled by a terrorist sympathizer who wants to be the Colombian Hugo Chavez, added Rubio, referring to the Venezuelan leader who severed his countrys ties to Israel.

In his speech Wednesday, Petro said he took the measure against Israel for having a government, for having a president, who is genocidal, likely referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel does have a president, Isaac Herzog, but the prime minister is the official in charge of most government duties, including directing military operations.

Petros popularity has been on the rise over the past few months, with Colombians showing more tolerance toward his frequent public gaffes, such as misspelling the name of his own country as Cokombia on X in a now-deleted post.

In December, Petros approval ratings hit a low of 26 percent, but a February poll published by international newspaper El Pais showed him climbing to 35 percent approval.

Updated at 4:40 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Colombia to cut diplomatic ties with Israel over Gaza war

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks at an event of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Hannes P Albert/dpa

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro announced on Wednesday the cutting of diplomatic relations with Israel due to the "genocidal" government in power there.

"If Palestine dies, humanity dies, and we will not let it die," the left-wing politician said in front of thousands of people in the Plaza de Bolivar in Colombia's capital Bogota, where a large International Workers' Day rally was being held.

Diplomatic ties will be cut with Israel on Thursday, he said.

Petro has criticized Israel several times in recent months and threatened to break off relations.

Back in October, he likened the actions of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip to the crimes of Nazi Germany.

In response to the comparison, a spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that exports to Colombia in the security sector would be cancelled.

Israel was an important supplier of military equipment to the South American country, whose armed forces are fighting against guerrilla groups.
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Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Wednesday that his country would sever diplomatic ties with Israel over the countrys war against Hamas, saying he was taking the step for the girls, the boys, the babies who have died dismembered by the bombs.

The times of genocide, of the extermination of an entire people cannot come before our eyes, before our passivity, Petro said. If Palestine dies, humanity dies, and we are not going to let it die.

Israels foreign minister on Wednesday said Colombias decision amounted to handing a reward to Hamas. The Colombian president has promised to reward Hamas murderers and rapists  and today he delivered, Israel Katz wrote on X.

Shortly after, the militant group issued a statement describing Colombias decision to cut ties with Israel as a victory for the sacrifices of our people and their just cause and called on other Latin American countries to do the same.

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Once close with Israel, Colombia joins growing list of nations backing away

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Sources: Axios, The Washington Post, Al-Monitor

Colombia joins a growing list of countries including Bolivia, Chile, Turkey, and South Africa that have taken diplomatic action against Israel over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, either by withdrawing their ambassadors or suspending relations.

Before it severed ties, Colombias decision to remove its ambassador from Israel shortly after the war began surprised experts. The move departs from the traditional close relations between the two countries, a professor of international relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem told The Washington Post. But, as Al-Monitor reported, Leftist heads of government across Latin America have broadly condemned Israels current military operation in Gaza.

US lays groundwork to blame Hamas if ceasefire deal collapses

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Sources: The Wall Street Journal, Reuters

After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken applied more pressure on Hamas to agree to a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that would last up to 40 days. Hamas has to decide, Blinken said. An X post from US President Joe Biden on Tuesday called Hamas the only obstacle to an immediate ceasefire and relief for civilians in Gaza, which The Wall Street Journal noted lays the groundwork to blame Hamas if the deal falls apart.

This particular deal could prove critical; Bidens senior advisers have called it the only conceivable path to a ceasefire in Gaza, Axios reported. There just has to be a deal, White House spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday when asked about a backup plan if these negotiations arent successful.

Saudi Arabia and US look to seal deal that Israel will likely shun

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Sources: Bloomberg, CNN

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is inching toward a historic deal with the US that would set out a possible path for diplomatic ties with Israel and which could reshape the Middle East by bolstering Washingtons presence in the region, Bloomberg reported. Its been some time coming: Saudi Arabia had been in talks aimed at normalizing relations with Israel before the October 7 attack put those discussions on ice. Now, Washington has the kingdom back at the table.

The potential deal could give Saudi Arabia access to more US weapons. In exchange, Riyadh would promise to limit some use of Chinese technology in favor of US investments, and bring the US in to build out its nuclear capacity. Israel would be given the option to join the deal, which could be in its interest, but that looks unlikely, as it would likely require Israel agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza and a pathway to Palestinian statehood.

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Internal conflict has recently ramped up in the southwest of the country as dissident members of FARC, the main rebel group, refuse to lay down arms - RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images

The Colombian military has lost huge quantities of munitions, including millions of bullets, thousands of grenades and 37 anti-tank missiles, President Gustavo Petro has revealed.

Mr Petro blamed the problem on corruption, accusing unnamed officers and civilians of selling off the missing inventory to arms traders, organised criminals, armed rebels and even the gangs currently running riot in Haiti.

He was speaking on Tuesday following unannounced inspections at two military bases, Tolemaida and La Guajira, which first revealed the stunning shortfall.

The only way to explain this type of shortage is that there has existed, for a long time, networks of people in the armed forces and civilians dedicated to the mass commercialisation of arms, using legal arms from the Colombian state, he said.

We must, without a doubt, completely separate the armed forces, as with any branch of public power, from any incident of corruption. That is the only way to guarantee the safety of our citizens and of the armed forces themselves.

President Gustavo Petro revealed the losses on Tuesday following unannounced inspections at two military bases - Nathalia Angarita/Reuters

Ivan Velasquez, the defence minister, added that a full investigation was under way and the culprits would be brought to justice.

Supported by US military aid, the Colombian armed forces are among the best armed in South America, with the country both the worlds largest producer of coca  the key ingredient in cocaine  and the scene of a bitter internal conflict between various groups of Marxist rebels and security forces.

Lasting some five decades, that conflict has cost an estimated 450,000 lives and displaced millions of civilians, mainly from impoverished rural areas.

That violence subsided thanks to controversial peace accords brokered in 2016 by then president Juan Manuel Santos with the main rebel group, the FARC. But it has recently ramped up again in the southwest of the country, near the lawless borders with Ecuador and Peru, as dissident FARC members refuse to lay down their arms.

Throughout the conflict, members of the Colombian armed forces have frequently been accused of human rights abuses and corruption. Mr Santoss predecessor, Alvaro Uribe, faces trial for witness tampering for allegedly covering up his links to far-Right paramilitary groups that were also fighting the FARC.

According to the inspections, nearly one million bullets and 10,000 grenades had gone missing from Tolemaida. In La Guajira, more than four million bullets, 9,300 grenades, 550 rocket-propelled grenades, 37 Nimrod missiles and two Spike missiles were unaccounted for.

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Colombia's president says country will break diplomatic relations with Israel over war in Gaza

Israeli soldiers gather near the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel before they enter Gaza Strip, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday announced his government will break diplomatic relations with Israel effective Thursday in the latest escalation of tensions between the countries over the Israel-Hamas war.

Petro again described Israels siege of Gaza as genocide. He previously suspended purchases of weapons from Israel and compared that countrys actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany.

Tomorrow, diplomatic relations with the State of Israel will be broken  for having a genocidal president, Petro said during an International Workers Day march in Colombias capital. If Palestine dies, humanity dies, and we are not going to let it die.

Israels Foreign Minister Israel Katz quickly rebuked Petros comments on the platform X.

History will remember that Gustavo Petro decided to side with the most despicable monsters known to mankind who burned babies, murdered children, raped women and kidnapped innocent civilians, he said.

Weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that sparked the current war in Gaza and killed some 1,200 people, Petro recalled Colombias ambassador to Israel as he criticized the countrys military offensive.

Historically, Colombia had been one of Israels closest partners in Latin America. But relations between the two nations have cooled since Petro was elected as Colombias first leftist president in 2022.

Colombia uses Israeli-built warplanes and machine guns to fight drug cartels and rebel groups, and both countries signed a free trade agreement in 2020.

Relations between Israel and Colombia always were warm and no antisemitic and hate-filled president will succeed in changing that," Katz wrote Tuesday. "The state of Israel will continue to defend its citizens without worry and without fear.

The South American country deepened its military ties with Israel in the late 1980s by purchasing Kfir fighter jets that were used by Colombias air force in numerous attacks on remote guerrilla camps that debilitated the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The attacks helped push the group into peace talks that resulted in its disarmament in 2016.

Petro participated in Wednesdays march in Bogota to promote his proposed health care, pension and labor reforms.
China has applied to become an associate member of the Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF), the organisation that aims to influence international cooperation on cross-border rail activities.

The OTIF said it had been cooperating with China for several years before this step, and after the Chinese National Railway Administration initiated contact in 2016.

Associate membership would allow the Chinese national rail provider with advisory access to the majority of OTIF activities, except from the Administrative Committee.

The organisation said the application would be accepted unless five of the 50 current full member states object. Otherwise, the membership will become active in June 2024.

China would become only the second associate member, along with Jordan, which was granted access in 2010.

The body was set up in 1985 with the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail. COTIF enables legal interoperability to be extended and technical interoperability to be improved and contributes to the development of multimodal transport, according to its text.

OTIF lobbies on behalf of both passenger and freight operators.

"Chinas rail authority applies to join OTIF" was originally created and published by Railway Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
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Colorado legislators are advancing a last-minute bill that would require public libraries to implement guardrails on how they review and remove materials in their catalogs.

Senate Bill 24-216 would require boards for public libraries across the state to establish written policies on how they acquire, display and use library resources, as well as a process for reconsidering materials. State Sen. Lisa Cutter, a Littleton Democrat sponsoring the bill, said many libraries already have these processes in place and will be able to keep them.

The bills introduction comes shortly before the end of the 2024 legislative session, and months after lawmakers killed a similar bill, Senate Bill 24-49, in February. The new version has broader support given its focus solely on public libraries  the previous bill included school libraries as well, but many school districts opposed the policy. Cutter said that otherwise, the provisions in the new bill are almost exactly the same.

The bill would require libraries to adhere to certain procedural standards when a member of the public seeks to remove material from their collections. During the review, the material would have to remain in circulation, and the results of the review must be made available to the public. Library materials covered by the bill include digital and physical book collections, as well as displays and community programs.

The bill would also require that someone challenging a book or other library material lives within the service area of that library. Materials would also be eligible for reevaluation once every five years. Cutter said both of these requirements are intended to protect library staff from ban bombing to ensure they arent overwhelmed with hundreds of requests.

Cutter said librarians work hard to curate materials that patrons will benefit from under a tight budget, but attacks from culture war extremists have threatened the ability for other library patrons to access the materials and programming they need. The bill would also prohibit retaliation, such as demotion, firing or discipline, against someone working at a library who refuses to remove a library resource before it has gone through the review process.

This is a very thoughtful process that librarians go through, and instead of simply choosing not to attend an event or check out a book, other people want to make those choices for others, Cutter said at the bills committee hearing Monday. Public libraries have a duty in our system to challenge censorship and to stand firmly against partisan or doctrinal disapproval when making their decisions.

While she said she was disappointed after the first bill failed, Cutter still wanted to establish standards for public libraries, many of which strongly supported the legislation. She said Senate leadership knew the bill was a priority for her and shes grateful to have introduced it before the end of session.

Its really interesting to learn about other experiences and other cultures and broaden your worldview, Cutter said. Im really excited that were going to help support the idea that a wide range of literature should be available for people to enjoy and learn from and explore without unnecessary restriction.

Support from librarians

Mark Fink, executive director of Anythink Libraries, the public library system in Adams County, testified in support of the bill on behalf of the Colorado Association of Libraries. He said the bill challenges censorship and protects the right to read freely, as well as library workers.

Our community is becoming more diverse and our library needs safeguards so we can amplify all the voices and experiences of our residents and include diverse items in our collection that resonate with them, Fink said. This bill protects our ability to do this important work.

Fink said parents are entitled to determine what they want their children to read, but that right does not extend to other children.

While a specific book may not be the right fit for one child, that doesnt mean it isnt the perfect fit for another child, Fink said.

In the last few years, an unprecedented wave of book bans and censorship spurred by parents and right-wing groups has targeted books that center on the LGBTQ+ community, Black history and diverse stories across the country. Douglas County Libraries rejected an effort last year to ban four LGBTQ-focused books after months of meetings and public comment.

State Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, a Commerce City Democrat and co-sponsor of SB-216, said at least 136 book titles were challenged across Colorado in the first eight months of 2023  a 143% increase from 2022, according to the American Library Association. Fink added that materials representing LGBTQ and BIPOC voices made up 47% of the titles targeted in Colorado last year.

Regardless of background, zip code or socioeconomic status, we have a right to read a wide range of materials that provide us with the knowledge base and the critical thinking skills that we need to be informed citizens who will contribute positively to our democracy, Michaelson Jenet said at the committee hearing. Our communities deserve to be represented in public spaces like public libraries, and codifying those legal standards demonstrates our commitment to protecting all Coloradans.

The Senate Education Committee approved the bill in a 4-3 vote along party lines. Republicans on the committee thought the five year limitation on material review was too long.

The committee approved two amendments to the bill, making changes to some definitions and wording to better align with library terminology and to win support from the Colorado Municipal League.

The bill will now go to the full Senate for consideration. The 2024 legislative session will conclude on May 8.

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Columbia alumni tell president to order in cops and suspend faculty who support pro-terror mob

Hundreds of Columbia University alumni led by high-profile graduates demanded that cops end the pro-terror protests Tuesday  and faculty who support them be suspended.

More than 2,000 people signed an open letter to the colleges under-fire president, Minouche Shafik, calling for immediate and resolute action to end the antisemitic protests.

Students barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building that has been the focal point of previous student protests. Getty Images

The alumni spoke out after students smashed their way into Hamilton Hall on the Morningside Heights campus in the early hours of Tuesday after a deadline to quit their tent encampment on the lawn had passed.

The Stand Columbia group, which says it supports the schools Jewish Alumni Association, called on the administration to immediately expel students involved in the violence and place professors providing material or emotional support on administrative suspension.

David Friedman, who was US ambassador to Israel from 2017 to 2021, said he was proud to sign the letter.

Friedman, who graduated from the school with a degree in anthropology in 1978, told The Post Tuesday that the Columbia administration and Shafik have lost control.

Theyre sending the wrong signals by bringing in the police and then telling them to leave, Friedman said, referring to the universitys decision to call police to break up the protest on April 18, resulting in 108 arrests, then not using them to clear out the tent city which mushroomed in subsquent days.

Former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman is one of the signatories of the Stand Columbia statement urging administrators at the Ivy League school to crack down on the riots. NurPhoto via Getty Images

Its a misguided and appeasing policy when dealing with criminal behavior. The faculty is siding with criminals.

The Stand Columbia letter also decries the wanton disregard for university policies and the presence of masked outside agitators and self-proclaimed leadersspewing vile anti-semitic vitriol while directing this chaos.

Video footage showed masked protestors smashing a glass door and carrying furniture and metal barricades to Hamilton Hall where 60 protestors occupied the building and vowed not to leave Tuesday.

The university must act forcefully and decisively to end the anarchy that has been allowed to overtake and endanger the Columbia campus, the letter said.

More than 2,000 alumni and others signed a letter demanding that Columbia University act forcefully to end the anarchy on campus. Stand Columbia

This untenable situation requires an emphatic response befitting the gravity of these destructive and discriminatory acts.

Anything less than the full enforcement of laws and policies signals a surrender of Columbias fundamental identity.

Other signatories of the letter include Lisa Landau Carnoy, a former chair of the universitys governing body who has been a major donor.

Another signatory, Sherri Wolf is the current president of the Columbia College Alumni Association, representing thousands of graduates of the liberal arts school.

A pro-Palestinian protestor hangs out on a ledge at Hamilton Hall, the academic building taken over by student rioters. via REUTERS

And it was also signed by a series of members of the Columbia Board of Trustees, which acts as an advisory board to Shafik, and by at least one member of the Senate of Columbia, Jonathan Susman. The Senate selects the trustees and has already demanded a probe into Shafiks handling of the crisis.

The Columbia Jewish Alumni Association was founded just after the October 7 massacre of hundreds of defenseless Israelis by Hamas terrorists, and amid an upswell of anti-Israel protests on the campus.

Hedge fund billionaire Leon Cooperman, who has vehemently criticized the Columbia riots in the past told The Post that administrators have themselves to blame for the anarchy.

Ive said it before, but I think these kids have sht for brains, said Cooperman, a graduate of Columbia Business School in 1967.

Hedge fund billionaire and Columbia Business School grad Leon Cooperman, has called out blatant antisemitism at his alma mater. The Washington Post via Getty Images

What we are seeing on campus is blatant antisemitism. he continued. These kids should be ashamed of themselves. Theyre stupid.

However, Cooperman, who is of Polish-Jewish origin, said he is is not pulling his donations from Columbia Business School, drawing a distinction between it and the rest of the university.

He has donated more than $50 million to the school, including a $25 million grant in 2012 for construction of a new facility in Manhattanville, north of the universitys main campus.

The university has to deal with this now, he told The Post. There are too many left-wing professors at the school.

The schools press department did not return a request for comment Tuesday.
On Tuesday, leadership at Columbia University called in the New York City Police Department to break up student protests demanding the university divest from Israel amid its ongoing siege in Gaza, which has led to the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians. Protestors were seen being arrested by law enforcement, zip-tied, and loaded onto buses that drove away from campus.

Pro-Palestine student protesters have led an encampment at Columbia for two weeks. This is the second time that the university has called in the NYPD to clear the encampment. Police were seen entering the campus in full riot gear Tuesday evening, and entering the second floor of Hamilton Hall through an elevated ramp as protesters shouted, Shame on you! and Fall!

Earlier that day, the universitys president, Nemat Shafik, sent a letter to the NYPD, asking police to help to clear all individuals from Hamilton Hall and all campus encampments. Shafik also requested that law enforcement remain on campus through at least May 17, 2024  two days after the schools commencement ceremony is set to take place on May 15.

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik's letter to the NYPD pic.twitter.com/lhjncq2eio  Evan Hill (@evanhill) May 1, 2024

In a statement, Columbias Vice President for Communications, Ben Chang, said that they believe that the group that broke into and occupied the building is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University. He added that the decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing.

The NYPD released a separate statement and confirmed that multiple individuals were taken into custody on Tuesday and said that the investigation remains ongoing.

Prior to Tuesdays arrests, the university issued a shelter-in-place order and threatened to expel students occupying Hamilton Hall, where students had barricaded entrances  recreating an occupation of the same building by anti-Vietnam War protesters in 1968. Protesters unfurled a banner reading Hinds Hall in tribute to Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in February when the vehicle she and her relatives were traveling in was fired upon by Israeli forces in Gaza City, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

On Monday, Columbia attempted to clear the encampment by issuing suspensions to students who had not left the encampment. The university announced that students who remained and refused to sign a form committing to abide to its policies would be placed on suspension, ineligible to complete the semester or graduate, and will be restricted from all academic, residential, and recreational spaces.

The following morning, students took over Hamilton Hall.

Columbia previously called in the police on April 18, when Shafik broke with a decades-long tradition of the schools handling of student protests and called on the NYPD to arrest activists occupying the Liberated Zone on the campus lawn.

Collegiate demonstrations have erupted across the country as some students demand their universities divest from Israeli investments and military contractors. The protests have added to existing pressure on President Joe Biden and his administration to cease providing military aid to Israel amid its war in Gaza.

Biden condemned the student takeover of Hamilton Hall in a statement on Tuesday. President Biden respects the right to free expression, but protests must be peaceful and lawful. Forcibly taking over building is not peaceful  it is wrong, said a White House spokesperson. And hate speech and hate symbols have no place in America.

Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized Columbia administrators and New York Mayor Eric Adams for sending in police.

If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents, she wrote on X. Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making. I urge the Mayor to reverse course.

This article was updated on May 1 at 5:35 p.m. E.T. to include a statement from the NYPD.

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NEW YORK -- Columbia University called in the NYPD and cleared protesters from campus Tuesday, nearly two weeks after demonstrators set up a pro-Palestinian encampment on the school's main lawn.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said approximately 300 people were arrested when police responded to protests at Columbia and nearby City College of New York. The NYPD's latest count has 282 total arrests, with 109 at Columbia and 173 at City College. It's unclear how many of the arrests were students.

"There is a movement to radicalize young people, and I'm not going to wait until it's done and all of a sudden acknowledge the existence of it," Adams said Wednesday, as he continued to blame "outside agitators" for escalating the situation. "This is a global problem that young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children.

"We're proud to say they have been removed from the campus," the mayor added. "While those who broke into the building did include students, they were led by people who were not affiliated with the university."

NYPD enters Columbia and Hamilton Hall

New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus using a tactical vehicle, in New York Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building was taken over by protesters earlier Tuesday. / Credit: Craig Ruttle / AP

Columbia President Dr. Minouche Shafik called police to campus after two weeks of talks with protesters. Officers arrested dozens of people, who the university said had occupied Hamilton Hall.

"Once I became aware of the outside agitators who were part of this operation, as Columbia mentioned in their letter and their request with the New York City Police Department, it was clear we had to take appropriate actions," Adams said earlier Wednesday in an interview with "CBS Mornings," though he declined to go into specifics about those agitators.

During a later news conference, the mayor held up the letter from Columbia officials asking for help. There was also a moment of drama as NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban showed off one of the lock chains used to barricade Hamilton Hall, which he said further explained why it was necessary for the police to storm the building.

Officials said the lock chain was one of many protesters used throughout the building to keep people out.

"They tried to lock us out. NYPD and the people of the city of New York will never be locked out," Caban said.

A swarm of police started assembling outside the school at around 9 p.m. Some entered campus on foot, while others used a large vehicle with an extended ramp to enter the building through a second-floor window. They pried open the doors, cleared furniture that had been stacked in stairwells, and used flashbangs to disorient the protesters.

Officials found other evidence of the demonstrators' tactics, including a flyer with a map of protests. Police later tried to explain why they knew the students were getting outside aid from agitators.

"The black block attire, the breaking windows, breaking doors, the vandalism property destruction, the barricading, the make-shift weapons that we recovered in the encampment," said Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD's deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism. "That change in tactics, combined with the presence of known individuals on campus in the lead-up to what happened in Hamilton Hall, is why we had a real elevated concern around public safety."

Gov. Kathy Hochul backed the NYPD.

"When that protest devolves into violence, vandalism, destruction of property, even harassment, it's a sign a line has been crossed," Hochul said.

In the end, Hamilton Hall was cleared, and two encampments on the lawn were dismantled.

"The events on campus last night have left us no choice. With the support of the University's Trustees, I have determined that the building occupation, the encampments, and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to persons, property, and the substantial functioning of the University and require the use of emergency authority to protect persons and property," the president wrote in her letter to police. "With the utmost regret, we request the NYPD's help to clear all individuals from Hamilton Hall and all campus encampments. As part of this process, we understand that the NYPD plans to use its LRAD technology to inform participants in the encampments that they must disperse."

Columbia's president asked the NYPD to maintain a presence on campus until May 17, two days after the school's commencement, to make sure the encampments are not re-established.

Fellow college protesters show their support



Protesters and their supporters moved to One Police Plaza overnight, where they waited for their fellow demonstrators to be released. As CBS New York's Natalie Duddridge reported, they cheered each time someone came out, and the mood appeared to be celebratory, with food, supplies and music.

One protester from City College said it took several hours to be processed before he was charged with trespassing.

"They did not listen, they proceeded with the arrests even though I complied with their orders to exit the campus," he told Duddridge. "These are the marks from the zip-ties from how tight they were, bruising here. And this is because they pulled me down from an elevated surface."

Columbia's president: "I am sorry we reached this point"

Shafik released a new statement Wednesday morning, after the police raid went down. She said the occupation of Hamilton Hall meant "tensions on our campus rose to new heights," calling it a "drastic escalation."

"I know I speak for many members of our community in saying that this turn of events has filled me with deep sadness. I am sorry we reached this point," she wrote.



Shafik said she called in the NYPD because "my first responsibility is safety." She also lauded Columbia's history of campus protests and activism.

"But students and outside activists breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our Public Safety officers and maintenance staff, and damaging property are acts of destruction, not political speech. Many students have also felt uncomfortable and unwelcome because of the disruption and antisemitic comments made by some individuals, especially in the protests that have persistently mobilized outside our gates," she wrote.

Students divided over Columbia protests

Students at Columbia are very much divided over the school's decision to call in police. Some said they felt safe this entire time and that it was unnecessary, but others believe it shouldn't have taken this many days.

While students reacted differently to the show of force, there was widespread disappointment in university leadership.

"If they had used adequate police force to stop a second encampment from being built, then we wouldn't even be here today. So I think it's good to take whatever preventative measure needs to be taken," Barnard sophomore Lily Zuckerman said.

"I'm horrified at what our university has done. It's not OK under any circumstance to send that many police onto campus," Columbia senior Masha Sokolova said.

CAIR-NY denounces decision to call in the NYPD

The Council on American-Islamic Relations' New York chapter is denouncing the decision to bring in the police.

"It is sad but not surprising that Columbia University and CCNY officials would rather unleash the NYPD on their own students than simply meet their demand to divest from the Israeli government and its genocide in Gaza. Like the students who engaged in civil disobedience to protest the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa, these anti-genocide students are on the right side of history," CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher said. "Students are empathizing with Palestinian youth who are brutally denied their futures. In contrast, our American colleges are aligning themselves with terrorizing Palestinian children. Instead of joining students calling for an end to war profiteering, our universities are profiting from ethnic-based massacres."

Stormy Daniels' lawyer testifies in Trump trial

Biden addresses campus protests over war in Gaza | Special Report

Leader Jeffries I Sunday on 60 Minutes
New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus in New York on April 30, after the building was taken over by protesters earlier that day. Craig Ruttle via Associated Press

Columbia University defended its decision this week to call New York City police to respond to students who were protesting the war in Gaza and demanding that the university divest from Israel.

In a statement posted online, university President Minouche Shafik said the students occupation of Columbias Hamilton Hall on Tuesday was a drastic escalation of the campus protests that have been ongoing for weeks.

The occupation pushed the university to the brink, creating a disruptive environment for everyone and raising safety risks to an intolerable level, Shafik wrote.

The school requested help from the New York Police Department on Tuesday night. Police, some with guns drawn, cleared Hamilton Hall with zip ties and riot shields and swept through student encampments on campus, arresting about 100 protesters. Shafik has asked police to remain on campus until May 17.

Columbia has a long and proud tradition of protest and activism on many important issues such as the Vietnam War, civil rights, and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, Shafiks statement reads. Todays protesters are also fighting for an important cause, for the rights of Palestinians and against the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza. They have many supporters in our community and have a right to express their views and engage in peaceful protest.

Students were protesting Israels attacks on Gaza, part of a military campaign that began in October after Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 people hostage. Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, including thousands of women and children. Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur tasked with monitoring the Palestinian territories, argued in March that there are reasonable grounds to believe Israels actions amount to genocide.

On Monday, Shafik said in a statement that Columbia will not divest from Israel.

Some people on social media pointed out the irony of remembering past protests by Columbia students while calling the police on present-day demonstrators.

On the same day in 1968, the schools student newspaper reported that Columbia had called in nearly 1,000 police officers to contain people on campus protesting the Vietnam War. The raid led to 700 arrests and 100 injuries.

New York City police rush toward student protesters in the early morning, April 30, 1968, outside Columbia's Low Memorial Library, as they seek to remove demonstrators involved in sit-ins at university buildings. Dave Pickoff via Associated Press

In 2008, Columbias then-President Lee Bollinger said it was a mistake to bring in police to end the protests in 1968.

You simply do not bring police onto a campus, Bollinger said.
Maya Platek, the recently elected student President of Columbias School of General Studies, told Jake Tapper that student groups as well as our leaders and our faculty have failed the school throughout the student-led pro-Palestine protests and that anti-communication becoming the standardized form for all parties.

Jewish Columbia student refuses to be "bullied" from campus. Watch the full video here: https://t.co/e3jmDphf1M pic.twitter.com/fSSnaJ9EXE  The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) April 30, 2024

In reference to students who have occupied the campus Hamilton Hall, Platek explained, Columbia must find a solution that encourages dialogue across campus.

Im not sure what I would have done had I been in Columbias shoes this morning, but this solution which effectively cuts campus off for the vast majority of students because now most students are unable to attend campus, they are unable to eat, theyre unable to attend the buildings that we pay for, or learn effectively is not a long term solution, especially when at its core, Columbia is an institution for learning, she explained.

This is now impeding on every single students experiences at the greatest degree.Rather, I think going forward, especially into the next year, Columbia must pursue communication and dialogue, as well as help build communication that embraces multiple perspectives in its academic departments, which up until this point has been unfortunately shunned to the greatest degree, with anti-communication becoming the standardized form across student groups and our leaders and our faculty.

Platek, who is Israeli, also spoke to Tapper about what role her nationality played in her electionif any. As she put it, she doesnt believe being Israeli had anything to do with being elected.

I think a lot of people really resonated with my platform where I really encouraged development of dialogue and unity on campus, she explained. I think a lot of people are looking for real solutions, and Im hoping that I will be able to help bring them to light next year when Im officially takeover as president.

More than 1,000 protestors have been arrested at college campuses across the United States over the last two weeks. On Tuesday, protestors at Columbia carried furniture and other barriers to Hamilton Hall, which they have renamed Hinds Hall in honor of 6-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed in Gaza in mid-April.

Columbia has threatened the students with suspension and arrest, which have so far gone unheeded. Protestors have stated they intend to occupy the building until Columbia has met their demands: divestment fully from Israel, disclosure of investments and financial information, and amnesty.

On Tuesday nights, students in Hamilton Hall were told to shelter in place according to Newsmaxs Alex Salvi. He tweeted, NEW: Students are ordered to shelter in place, according to an automated message from Columbia University due to heightened activity, as hundreds of NYPD officers make their way to the occupied campus building.

NEW: Students are ordered to shelter in place, according to an automated message from Columbia University due to "heightened activity," as hundreds of NYPD officers make their way to the occupied campus building.  Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) May 1, 2024

NYPD appeared to arrest students Tuesday night. Reuters Tyler Clifford tweeted, NYPD has begun arresting protesters outside the gates. Multiple news outlets now reporting that police were authorized to enter campus to retake Hamilton Hall, where students have occupied.

NYPD has begun arresting protesters outside the gates. Multiple news outlets now reporting that police were authorized to enter campus to retake Hamilton Hall, where students have occupied pic.twitter.com/bNAnE0eK82  Tyler Clifford (@_TylerTheTyler_) May 1, 2024

Watch the interview with Maya Platek in the video above.

The post Columbia Leadership Embraced Anti-Communication and Escalated Israel-Hamas Student Protests, Undergrad President-Elect Says | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
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Embattled Columbia University President Nemat Minouche Shafik defended her decision to call the New York Police Department to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from campus, saying the protests had raised safety risks to an intolerable level.

I am sorry we reached this point, she wrote.

Riot gear-clad officers arrested nearly 300 people at Columbia University and the City College of New York on Tuesday night, as they took back Hamilton Hall, the Columbia building in which protesters had barricaded themselves. Authorities also cleared the weeks-long encampment from the lawn.

More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested across US campuses in recent weeks, as demonstrations demanding universities divest from companies with ties to Israel have intensified: Police were called to quell violence at the University of California, Los Angeles, leading administrators to cancel classes Wednesday. A small fraction of universities have struck agreements with protest leaders to allow them to continue less disruptively, while many other schools have suspended students.

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Biden risks lasting political ramifications over war and campus protests

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President Joe Bidens pro-Israel stance in the face of defiant campus protests could cost him precious youth votes in whats expected to be a tight race in November. The danger to Biden is not that the protesters will vote for Donald Trump, a University of Pennsylvania professor told The Guardian. The danger is much simpler: that they simply wont vote.

Bidens Israel policies already cost him in the primaries, as more than 100,000 voted uncommitted in Michigan alone. Democratic veterans told The Atlantic that no recent foreign policy decision has generated as much sustained discord as Bidens handling of the Israel-Hamas war. And the longer it continues, a senior administration official said, the less time Biden has to resolve the growing rift in the Democratic Party before the election.

Trump seizes on protests as evidence of Bidens weakness

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Trump and other prominent Republicans are pointing to the campus unrest as evidence that the US is out of control under President Biden, The Washington Post reported. Trump referred to the demonstrations as Biden protests on Tuesday, and earlier said its all Bidens fault and everybody knows it.

The tone of the criticism is not new, The Post wrote, and the campus protests present conservatives with some of their favorite targets: elite universities, progressive activists, woke culture and civil rights leaders.

Chinese state medias support of US campus protests criticized as hypocritical

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Source: Voice of America News

State media in China has vocally supported the campus protests and criticized the US government for suppressing free speech. Can blindly using violence to suppress students be able to quell domestic dissatisfaction with the government? wrote a social media account operated by the News Broadcasting Center of the Peoples Liberation Army. Critics pointed out the double standards of Chinas endorsement of the college protests, given Beijings intense surveillance and crackdown on domestic dissent, the Voice of America wrote. A former employee of Chinese state media told the outlet that coverage of protests in other countries is used to show how scary foreign democracies are, especially around elections.

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Police put protesters on buses and removed them from the Columbia campus on Tuesday - GETTY IMAGES

It was after days of back-and-forth between Columbias administrators and the student protesters that the NYPD finally swooped on Tuesday night.

Baroness Shafik, Columbias president, had a distinguished and storied career as a Whitehall mandarin, top official in the Bank of England, and crossbench peer in the House of Lords.

But it seemed that was not enough to prepare her for negotiations with a band of keffiyeh-clad student protesters, who pitched their tents on Columbias front lawn in mid-April and refused to leave.

On paper, the groups demands are relatively mundane. In light of the conflict in Gaza, and Israels continued bombardment of Palestinian villages, the students asked that Columbia sell off its investments in Israeli companies, declare its shareholdings and cancel a planned global centre in Tel Aviv.

However, after Baroness Shafik refused those demands on Monday, the protesters decided to escalate their demonstration and occupy one of the campus buildings.

Hamilton Hall, used mainly for student classes, has no inherent connection to Israel. But it does have experience with student demonstrations, which overran its neoclassical exterior in 1968 and 1985.

Property at the university was vandalised - GETTY IMAGES

After they stormed the building on Monday night and refused to let staff leave, the university said it was left with no choice but to call in the NYPD and have the protesters forcibly removed.

That decision  which will now be pored over endlessly by both Baroness Shafiks supporters and critics  has secured the protests place in history alongside demonstrations over the Vietnam War and South African Apartheid.

The protesters got what they wanted, in the form of endless media coverage of their antics and a major row over the heavy handedness of the NYPD, which had already begun as police stormed the building on Tuesday night.

Claims that the police used tear gas, which circulated online, have been denied. One sympathetic professor, posting a video from his window, cried: These were peaceful protests!

What is clear is that Baroness Shafik had been left in an impossible position. With dozens of recent examples of anti-Semitism, pressure from the White House and a looming graduation ceremony planned on May 15, she could not allow the protests to continue any longer.

An officer leads a student away from Hamilton Hall on Tuesday - GETTY IMAGES

But by acting to remove them, she has added fuel to the protesters argument that Columbia is an authoritarian institution that sympathises with what they claim is a genocide-supporting state.

As the dust clears on the campus and police officers take up residence to prevent the demonstrators returning, other universities will be looking on.

Columbias experience may well be instructive to the dozens of institutions in the US, Britain and France that are already facing similar student demands and tactics.

The protests in the Ivy Leagues enclave on the Upper West Side may be over, but on campuses across the country and Western world, they have only just begun.

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CHICAGO (NewsNation)  Protesters at Columbia University in New York City who barricaded themselves inside an academic building on campus early Tuesday could face expulsion, a spokesperson said.

This comes after university administrators suspended and arrested student protestors who failed to clear out from an encampment erected on campus earlier this month to protest Israels military action in Gaza, which has killed over 34,000 Palestinians.

Now, the university has limited access to the campus as the demonstrations continue. Members of the university who can avoid coming to the Morningside campus are being urged to stay away by Columbias administration. Currently, only essential personnel and those with a university ID are being let inside the school.

Protesters barricade in Hamilton Hall

As of 9 a.m. ET, the group remained inside Hamilton Hall.

Video footage from overnight showed protesters on Columbias Manhattan campus carrying furniture and metal barricades to the building, one of several that was occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protest on the campus.

Demonstrators could be seen in videos, covered in masks and headwear, and placing wooden chairs and metal tables in front of the doors after breaking a window to enter the building. Throughout the day, student protestors in the barricaded building could be seen pulling food up with ropes.

We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. Our top priority is restoring safety and order on our campus, Ben Chang, a Columbia University spokesperson said in a statement. We made it very clear yesterday that the work of the University cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules. Continuing to do so will be met with clear consequences.

David Pomerantz, a Columbia student, told NewsNation that he was not personally afraid for his safety, but as a collective, he felt the demonstrations were an unsafe situation.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest, meanwhile, in a statement Monday, said student protestors had been put in danger by the university after administrators instituted a police state with military-style checkpoints, repressing and isolating students on campus, calling armed riot cops for the largest mass arrests on campus since 1968, and weaponizing food insecurity and houselessness as leverage in negotiations.

Columbia has forced protestors to escalate by contributing to a genocide while refusing to follow baseline stands of conduct that make negotiation possible, the organization said.

Earlier this month, over 100 protestors were arrested at Columbia after university officials called the New York Police Department on them. However, Columbia administrators said they do not have plans to call the NYPD again at this time.

The NYPD told CNN that it would not enter the campus without a request from Columbia University.

As protestors entered Hamilton Tuesday, they unfurled a Palestinian flag out of a window.

Demonstrators shouted shut it down and formed a human chain around the academic building.

An autonomous group reclaimed Hinds Hall, previously known as Hamilton Hall, in honor of Hind Rajab, a martyr murdered at the hands of the genocidal Israeli state at the age of six years old, CU Apartheid Divest posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Tuesday.

Speaking in a press conference Tuesday, New York Mayor Eric Adams urged any external actors participating in the Columbia protest to leave the area immediately.

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 30: A group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, access the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. Protests are sweeping college campuses across the US following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students. Columbia University asked students on Monday to voluntarily disperse amid stalled talks, threatening the students with suspension. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  APRIL 30: A maintenance crew member confronts demonstrators attempting to barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched as a 2 p.m. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university came and went. The students were given a suspension warning if they did not meet the deadline. Students at Columbia were the first from an elite college to erect an encampment, demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, in which more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 29: A group of students advocating for Palestine at Columbia University stage a demonstration and block the entrance of iconic Hamilton Hall building as they chant pro-Palestine slogans at campus in New York, United States on April 29, 2024. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 29: A group of students advocating for Palestine at Columbia University stage a demonstration and block the entrance of iconic Hamilton Hall building as they chant pro-Palestine slogans at campus in New York, United States on April 29, 2024. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 30: A group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, access the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. Protests are sweeping college campuses across the US following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students. Columbia University asked students on Monday to voluntarily disperse amid stalled talks, threatening the students with suspension. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 29: A group of students advocating for Palestine at Columbia University stage a demonstration and block the entrance of iconic Hamilton Hall building as they chant pro-Palestine slogans at campus in New York, United States on April 29, 2024. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 30: A group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, access the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. Protests are sweeping college campuses across the US following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students. Columbia University asked students on Monday to voluntarily disperse amid stalled talks, threatening the students with suspension. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 30: A student of Columbia University advocating for Palestinians, stick a banner on her back as students access the iconic Hamilton Hall building while they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. Protests are sweeping college campuses across the US following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students. Columbia University asked students on Monday to voluntarily disperse amid stalled talks, threatening the students with suspension. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 30: A group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, access the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. Protests are sweeping college campuses across the US following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students. Columbia University asked students on Monday to voluntarily disperse amid stalled talks, threatening the students with suspension. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 29: A group of students advocating for Palestine at Columbia University stage a demonstration and block the entrance of iconic Hamilton Hall building as they chant pro-Palestine slogans at campus in New York, United States on April 29, 2024. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 30: A view of broken window of the entrance door of the Hamilton Hall while a group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, access the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. Protests are sweeping college campuses across the US following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students. Columbia University asked students on Monday to voluntarily disperse amid stalled talks, threatening the students with suspension. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 30: A group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, access the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. Protests are sweeping college campuses across the US following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students. Columbia University asked students on Monday to voluntarily disperse amid stalled talks, threatening the students with suspension. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 30: A group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, access the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. Protests are sweeping college campuses across the US following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students. Columbia University asked students on Monday to voluntarily disperse amid stalled talks, threatening the students with suspension. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 30: A group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, access the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. Protests are sweeping college campuses across the US following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students. Columbia University asked students on Monday to voluntarily disperse amid stalled talks, threatening the students with suspension. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES  APRIL 30: A group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, access the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. Protests are sweeping college campuses across the US following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students. Columbia University asked students on Monday to voluntarily disperse amid stalled talks, threatening the students with suspension. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  APRIL 29: Demonstrators enter into Hamilton Hall where they proceeded to barricade themselves in the academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched around the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University as a 2 P.M. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university passed. The students were given a suspension warning if they do not meet the deadline. Columbia students were the first to erect an encampment in support of Palestine, with students demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  APRIL 29: A demonstrator breaks the windows of the front door of the building in order to secure a chain around it to prevent authorities from entering on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. Demonstrators from the pro-Palestine encampment on Columbias Campus barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements,. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched around the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University as a 2 P.M. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university passed. The students were given a suspension warning if they do not meet the deadline. Columbia students were the first to erect an encampment in support of Palestine, with students demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  APRIL 29: A lone police officer reacts as multiple demonstrators enter into Hamilton Hall where they proceeded to barricade themselves in the academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched around the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University as a 2 P.M. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university passed. The students were given a suspension warning if they do not meet the deadline. Columbia students were the first to erect an encampment in support of Palestine, with students demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  APRIL 29: Demonstrators from the pro-Palestine encampment on Columbias Campus barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched around the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University as a 2 P.M. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university passed. The students were given a suspension warning if they do not meet the deadline. Columbia students were the first to erect an encampment in support of Palestine, with students demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  APRIL 29: A demonstrator breaks the windows of the front door of the building in order to secure a chain around it to prevent authorities from entering on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. Demonstrators from the pro-Palestine encampment on Columbias Campus barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements,. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched around the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University as a 2 P.M. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university passed. The students were given a suspension warning if they do not meet the deadline. Columbia students were the first to erect an encampment in support of Palestine, with students demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  APRIL 29: Demonstrators from the pro-Palestine encampment on Columbias Campus barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched around the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University as a 2 P.M. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university passed. The students were given a suspension warning if they do not meet the deadline. Columbia students were the first to erect an encampment in support of Palestine, with students demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  APRIL 30: Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched as a 2 p.m. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university came and went. The students were given a suspension warning if they did not meet the deadline. Students at Columbia were the first from an elite college to erect an encampment, demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, in which more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  APRIL 30: Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched as a 2 p.m. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university came and went. The students were given a suspension warning if they did not meet the deadline. Students at Columbia were the first from an elite college to erect an encampment, demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, in which more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  APRIL 30: Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched as a 2 p.m. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university came and went. The students were given a suspension warning if they did not meet the deadline. Students at Columbia were the first from an elite college to erect an encampment, demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, in which more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)

Rajab was found in January of this year, lying in a battered and bullet-ridden vehicle, NBC News reported. In the days before Rajabs death, she and her family had tried to flee the devastation in Gaza, but a bombing near a gas station killed her relatives. The Palestine Red Crescent Society later released a phone call of Rajab pleading with emergency dispatchers to come take me, please, will you come? with the little girl saying she was so scared. When dispatchers asked Rajab if she was surrounded by Israeli gunfire, Hind had said yes, NBC wrote. A rescue worker eventually was able to reach Rajab, finding her, her family members, and two paramedics who had tried to save her all deceased.

Columbia is one of many colleges nationwide that have seen demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war.

Columbia University suspends students

This all came after Columbia University officials gave students one last chance Monday deadline to leave the encampment or face suspension. Yet, protesters continued to chant Free Palestine far past that deadline with dozens of tents still on campus.

The halls takeover occurred nearly 12 hours after Mondays 2 p.m. deadline.

Democrat to Columbia board: Adults are failing these kids

Representatives for the university did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment early Tuesday.

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said that there must be accountability for the building takeover, whether thats disciplinary action from the school or from law enforcement.

Asked about the protests, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said President Joe Biden believes that forcibly taking over a building on campus is the wrong approach.

A small percentage of students shouldnt be able to disrupt the academic experience, the legitimate study, for the rest of the student body, Kirby said. Students paying to go to school and want an education are to be able to do that without disruption and they ought to be able to do it and feel safe doing it.

The office of the U.N. human rights chief, Volker Turk, meanwhile, expressed concern about heavy-handed steps taken to dismantle protests on U.S. campuses, while stressing that antisemitic, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian comments were totally unacceptable and deeply disturbing. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres later told reporters that it is up to the university authorities to have the wisdom to properly manage situations like the ones we have witnessed.

Demonstrations across the nation

Universities across the U.S. are grappling with how to deal with encampments as commencement ceremonies approach, with some continuing negotiations and others turning to force and ultimatums that have resulted in clashes with police.

Dozens of people were arrested Monday during protests at universities in Texas, Utah and Virginia.

At the University of Texas at Austin, an attorney said at least 40 demonstrators were arrested Monday. The confrontation was an escalation on the 53,000-student campus in the states capital, where more than 50 protesters were arrested last week. Demonstrators were seen dragged by their feet as well as pouring water in their eyes after being pepper sprayed. State troopers confronted protestors with tear gas and flash bangs.

Gov. Gregg Abbott made his position clear, posting to X, No encampments will be allowed. Instead, arrests are being made.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, pro-Palestinian demonstrators and pro-Israeli counter-protestors got into a scuffle Monday night, NewsNation local affiliate KTLA reports.

Pushing, shoving and shouting between the groups could be seen on videos from around 11:30 p.m. This happened after about 60 counter-protesters tried to breach the encampment, which KTLA said was blocking access to Royce Quad. Before that, the counter-protestors had used a megaphone to shout and play music in front of the tents, surrounded by wood and metal fencing.

A handful of UCLA police officers in riot gear responded to the area, with several security guards, forcing the counter-protestors to move back.

UCLA said in a statement Tuesday that it significantly increased its security presence on campus. Claiming there had been a report of a students access to class being blocked by demonstrators, May Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA Strategic Communications, said the university has initiated its student conduct process, which could lead to severe disciplinary action including expulsion or suspension.

At around 6 a.m. Tuesday, at least 30 people were arrested on trespassing charges among others at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Still, students and faculty put on a silent protest for about 30 minutes on campus, and vowed to return later. NewsNation local affiliate WNCN wrote that classes for the remainder of the day were canceled, with non-mandatory operations suspended.

At one point, protestors brought down the U.S. flag and replaced it with the Palestinian flag, WNCN wrote. Officers came down to the UNC quad to take down the Palestinian flag. One of them was seen by a WNCN crew using an aerosol spray to deter protestors.

The number of arrests at campuses nationwide is approaching 1,000 as the final days of class wrap up.

The outcry is forcing colleges to reckon with their financial ties to Israel, as well as their support for free speech. Some Jewish students say the protests have veered into antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus. Protesters have said, though, that those being antisemitic do not represent them and pointed out that many Jewish students are joining them in their cause. Some student demonstrators held signs saying Jews for Free Palestine or Jews for Palestine, while pictures on social media circulated of Passover seders being held at the encampments.

In addition, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine wrote last week that they fielded many reports of physical aggression and keffiyehs being pulled off.

Los Angeles, CA  April 29: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold a student- faculty rally at Dickson Plaza at an encampment on the UCLA campus on Monday, April 29, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA  APRIL 29: Hundreds of students are gathered at San Francisco State University (SFSU) to protest Israeli attacks on Gaza, in Stanford, California, United States on April 29, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA  APRIL 29: Organizer student Ziniab Imtair speaks as hundreds of students are gathered at San Francisco State University (SFSU) to protest Israeli attacks on Gaza, in Stanford, California, United States on April 29, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

SEATTLE, UNITED STATES  APRIL 29: Protesters lead chants during a Palestinian anti-war encampment on the campus of the University of Washington on April 29, 2024 in Seattle, Washington, USA. (Photo by Noah Riffe/Anadolu via Getty Images)

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS  APRIL 29: A painted protest sign sits on the grass at a tent encampment established on the campus of the University of Chicago to show support for Palestinians in Gaza on April 29, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The encampment is one of dozens being established by students at universities around the country who are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, where nearly 35,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY  APRIL 29: Student protesters occupy a tent camp as as they demonstrate against the war in Gaza at Columbia University on Monday, April 29, 2024 in in New York, N.Y. University administrators gave the protesters a 2 p.m. deadline to evacuate their protest camp or face consequences, including arrest and expulsion. (Photo by Victor J. Blue for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Los Angeles, CA  April 29: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold a student- faculty rally at Dickson Plaza at an encampment on the UCLA campus on Monday, April 29, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Los Angeles, CA  April 29: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold a student- faculty rally at Dickson Plaza at an encampment on the UCLA campus on Monday, April 29, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

University negotiations continue

In a rare case, Northwestern University said it reached an agreement with students and faculty who represent the majority of protesters on its campus near Chicago. It allows peaceful demonstrations through the June 1 end of spring classes and in exchange, requires the removal of all tents except one for aid, and restricts the demonstration area to allow only students, faculty and staff unless the university approves otherwise.

At Yale, campus police issued a final warning Tuesday morning for any protesters to leave or face consequences, including suspension and arrest for trespassing. According to the statement, all student protesters chose to leave the encampment and Yale has started clearing tents off campus.

Yale fully supports peaceful protests and freedom of speech; however, claiming control of our shared space is inconsistent with our principles and values. The university does not tolerate the violation of its longstanding policies on using on-campus outdoor spaces, postering and chalking, or the use of amplified sound, the Yale Police Department said.

Protesters are not in solidarity with Hamas: Emory professor

At the University of Southern California, organizers of a large encampment sat down with university President Carol Folt for about 90 minutes Monday. Folt declined to discuss details but said she heard the concerns of protesters and talks would continue Tuesday.

USC sparked a controversy April 15 when officials refused to allow the valedictorian, who has publicly supported Palestinians, to make a commencement speech, citing nonspecific security concerns for their rare decision. Administrators then scrapped the keynote speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu, who is an alumnus, and declined to award any honorary degrees.

The backlash, as well as Columbias demonstrations, inspired the encampment and protests on campus last week where 90 people were arrested by police in riot gear. The university has canceled its main graduation event, although individual school ceremonies will continue with extra security precautions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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May 1 is usually when high school seniors start flaunting T-shirts and hats from the colleges theyll be attending in the fall.

But decision day is looking more muted this year, the result of a scrambled financial aid application process that has pushed some enrollment deadlines well past Memorial Day.

Christy Loop Dervishi, a teacher in Washington, D.C., said she filed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as FAFSA, for her son in January. But the error-ridden overhaul of this years application has gummed things up for millions of students, including her son, Rias. Dervishi said she was recently told his form had been flagged for corrections and would need reprocessing.

Rias, 18, applied to five schools, got into three, and narrowed his choices to two: James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

He hasnt been offered any merit-based awards at James Madison but is still awaiting potential need-based aid, Dervishi said. So far, he has received two merit scholarships from USC Columbia and expects a roughly $2,000 federal Pell Grant, but he has yet to hear a final figure.

Without knowing, he doesnt know which school is more affordable, Dervishi said via email. Fortunately, both schools have given Rias more time to make a final decision.

There are others in much worse situations than my son, she added. Its heartbreaking for some children.

While higher-education officials across the country have been trying to accommodate applicants affected by the delays, many households are already making tough choices, NBC News has reported. Some have ditched dream schools for cheaper ones or rearranged their finances to afford pricey institutions whose total costs were up in the air much longer than expected.

Because FAFSA information is a prerequisite for many other forms of aid, the series of glitches and errors that plagued the system since its December rollout into this spring has held up many campus officials efforts to assemble their own financial packages for admitted students.

And thats for those whove managed to submit their FAFSAs to begin with. Form completions were down by almost 30% year-over-year through April 19, according to the National College Attainment Network.

But decision day isnt a bust for everyone, and the FAFSA situation is improving. Some families who had faced uncertainty are now getting the funding information they need to make decisions.

Kerri Harrelson, a single mother and infant/toddler developmental specialist in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, said her daughter has finally started receiving financial aid offers. Bricelyn, 18, wasted no time in committing to her top choice, Iowa State University, after it recently offered her a full package that included need-based aid.

She is excited about her future! Harrelson said, sounding relieved after speaking with NBC News a month ago. At the time, Bricelyn had just finished blasting out a second batch of applications to cheaper state schools, fearing she might not be able to afford those shed initially applied to with much of her aid information still unknown.

Bricelyn Harrelson. (Courtesy Kerri Harrelson)

The Education Department has nearly finished working through its backlog, and students who complete a FAFSA today can expect their records to be sent to colleges within one to three days, Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal told reporters Tuesday.

Officials have received over 8.4 million FAFSA submissions and processed more than 8.3 million, he said. They have also processed almost 1 million corrections for issues like missing signatures or IRS tax data authorizations.

Reprocessing forms affected by two previously announced system issues should enable all institutions to package aid offers, agency officials said Monday. And a glitch that had prevented some applicants without Social Security numbers from completing FAFSAs is also being resolved, Kvaal said.

Any schools that had opted to wait for all accurate information before sending financial aid packages to prospective students can now do so, the department said Monday.

Federal authorities are reaching out to 700 high school superintendents nationwide to encourage families to finish incomplete FAFSA applications. If you have been waiting for the dust to settle, now is the time to come in and complete your FAFSA, a senior department official said on Tuesdays press call.

The efforts come as the department faces growing pressure on Capitol Hill. Senators rebuked Education Secretary Miguel Cardona during an appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday. What happened with the FAFSA system is simply inexcusable and inexplicable, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said.

Cardona acknowledged the problems. Our kids deserve better, and we are working around the clock to make sure it improves, he said.

Last week the head of the Federal Student Aid office that administers FAFSA announced he would step down at the end of June.

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, a network that has sharply criticized the Department of Education over this years FAFSA process, applauded its momentum in clearing up roadblocks.

We are pleased to see the Department make forward progress on its timeline to provide accurate student FAFSA information to colleges and universities, so they can complete the work of packaging and delivering financial aid offers to students, the associations president and CEO, Justin Draeger, said in a statement Tuesday.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
NEW YORK  Pro-Palestinian student protesters who forced their way Tuesday into an academic building at Columbia University are facing expulsion, university administrators announced after demonstrators damaged school property and prompted censure from the White House.

The occupation began past midnight at Hamilton Hall, Columbias main administrative building, hours after the school suspended students who ignored an order to break up their encampment. It prompted the university to restrict access to the campus, only allowing students who live in dorms and essential services staff to remain.

Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation  vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances, university spokesman Ben Chang said in a statement.

This is about responding to the actions of the protesters, not their cause, he continued. As we said yesterday, disruptions on campus have created a threatening environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty.

While many classes have already ended for the semester, some graduate programs pivoted to remote. All main campus libraries were shuttered, just as final exam season is getting underway. The restrictions will remain in place until circumstances allow otherwise, according to a memo from the university.

Student protesters said in a statement that they will stay until Columbia concedes to three demands: divestment from Israel, financial transparency, and amnesty for all student and faculty disciplinary action related to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

Resistance is justified in the movement for liberation, said Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of more than 100 groups behind the encampment, which persisted on the lawns while other students occupied the hall.

A representative for Columbia University Apartheid Divest estimated there are around 60 protesters inside the hall, who they said were acting separately from the coalition.

Madeline, a sophomore at Columbia, was trying to make an emergency therapy appointment Tuesday because of the situation on campus. But like many other programs and services, in-person mental health facilities were out of reach.

I think closing off campus is a horrible idea, to close it off to students, Madeline said.

I have meal swipes, she continued. Im basically almost on a full-ride (scholarship) here, so campus dining is my food.

The NYPD said its officers remained off campus and have not yet been asked to intervene. Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban at an evening press conference blamed professional outside agitators for the escalation of tactics overnight.

Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said those include protesters who scaled buildings clad in black and destroyed cameras.

If you are a parent or a guardian of a student, please call your child and urge them to leave the area before the situation escalates in any way, Adams said at police headquarters. Im urging every student, every protester to walk away from this situation now and continue your advocacy through other means.

University officials over the weekend committed to not calling police to break up the recent protests, claiming that police intervention would only inflame an already tense situation. Columbia spokespeople Tuesday declined to say if that commitment was still in place.

Videos showed protesters overnight shattering a window with a hammer and creating a barricade with metal chairs outside Hamilton Hall after they entered the building. They chanted during an Instagram livestream: 1, 2, 3, 4, occupation no more; 5, 6, 7, 8, Israel is a terrorist state.

Protest posters were unfurled from windows and balconies, reading: Liberation Education and STUDENT INTIFADA. Intifada in Arabic means uprising, which has been used by Palestinians for decades.

Another banner read Hinds Hall, referring to Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza during an Israeli military operation in January.

Protesters inside the hall  the center of campus protests in the 1960s  were using tables, chairs and zip-ties to prevent anyone from getting in, according to student newspaper the Columbia Spectator.

The student reporters said they observed a facilities worker, who was already inside the building, leave saying: They held me hostage.

Two students tried to block protesters from barricading the doors, saying, You dont have a right to tear down our university, the Spectator reported.

Theyre already inside, dumb a--es, a protester retorted during the Instagram Live. The student group, Students for Justice in Palestine, used a video filter to put virtual mustaches on the students faces.

At least one of the students was removed by physical force, videos show.

By daytime, black picnic tables flipped upside down were shoved up against the doors, and handles were tied up with rope. Newspapers covered at least six of the glass windows of the hall, up to the third floor.

Protesters throughout the afternoon marched from the front of Hamilton Hall to the campus gates, while one demonstrator on the buildings roof waved a large Palestinian flag and threw a peace sign as the crowd cheered.

Meanwhile, many Columbia students and staff were stuck along the perimeter of campus, removed from jobs and campus facilities.

A 22-year-old physics student who lives off campus was unable to go to work at a Columbia lab. He said he could understand why the university tightened security.

At a time this complicated, its very hard to say whats right or wrong. Im hoping it calms down, just things generally, he said.

Barnard faculty overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence in President Laura Rosenbury on Tuesday, student newspaper Columbia Spectator reported.

A lot of people are decrying the use of NYPD, and saying that the university is escalating this, said Columbia student Caleb, 30. At every turn the protesters are the ones who are escalating this. For some reason, I dont hear that viewpoint on campus.

In their statement, students pleaded with Columbia administrators and trustees: Do not incite another Kent or Jackson State by bringing soldiers and police officers with weapons onto our campus. Students blood will be on your hands.

The pro-Gaza encampment first emerged on campus on April 17, as Columbia President Minouche Shafik testified before Congress about efforts to curb antisemitism. Thirty hours later, university officials had suspended students involved and called the NYPD, with cops arresting more than 100 students while clearing the lawn.

The protesters quickly returned and re-erected the encampment.

Shafik on Monday morning said negotiations with student protesters had broken down, and Columbia will not divest from Israel. Students were told in writing they had until 2 p.m. to leave the quad or risk suspension. The deadline was ignored.

The students are again willing to talk, so long as the university takes a step forward in materially addressing the demands of divestment, disclosure and amnesty, said Sueda Polat, a Columbia graduate student and lead negotiator for the encampment.

Polat said it would be short-sighted of the university to expel them for their protest. I strongly believe that it would galvanize the rest of the campus community, she said.

_____

(New York Daily News staff writer Thomas Tracy contributed to this story.)
Pro-Palestinian student protesters lock arms at the entrance to Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University, on April 30, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by EMILY BYRSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

A large number of police officers descended on Hamilton Hall at Columbia University Tuesday night, evicting protesters who had occupied the building and taking many into custody.

Tensions have flared at Columbia's Manhattan campus for the past two weeks, since students set up a pro-Palestinian encampment and began calls for the university to divest its support for Israel.

The situation intensified this week when protesters ignored a Monday deadline to disband and took control of Hamilton Hall early Tuesday. In a statement Tuesday night, Columbia University said:

"A little after 9 p.m. this evening, the NYPD arrived on campus at the Universitys request. This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community.

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We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation."

Below are scenes from the police response:

Police detain a protester as officers enter the campus of Columbia University in New York City on April 30. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

NYPD officers in riot gear walk onto the campus at Columbia University, where pro-Palestinian protesters had set up an encampment and barricaded themselves inside a building. (Kena Betankur/AFP via Getty Images)

Protesters move barricades as police maintain a cordon around Columbia University. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

A person talks with police outside of Columbia University. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

Police officers stand guard at Columbia University. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

Police maintain a cordon around Columbia University. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

NYPD officers in riot gear arrived at Columbia University. (Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)

Police officers stand near an encampment of protesters. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

Police personnel use a ramp to enter Hamilton Hall, which was occupied by protesters. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

NYPD officers stand on the other side of a door from barricaded protesters. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

NYPD officers take protesters into custody at Columbia University. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

NYPD officers take protesters into custody. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Police at Columbia University. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

NYPD officers in riot gear enter Hamilton Hall at Columbia University. (Kena Betankur/AFP via Getty Images)

NYPD officers stand outside the doors of Hamilton Hall as protesters are seen inside. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

NYPD officers prepare to enter Hamilton Hall. (Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)

NYPD officers enter Hamilton Hall through a window. (Keta Betankur/AFP via Getty Images)

Pro-Palestinian supporters confront police during demonstrations at City College in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A protester watches police standing guard near an encampment at Columbia University. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

Protesters link arms as police officers enter the Columbia campus. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

Protesters at City College. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Police walk near Columbia University. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

Demonstrators confront police at City College. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Police detain a protester at Columbia. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

Pro-Palestinian supporters climb a fence during demonstrations at City College. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

An NYPD official stands guard after establishing a perimeter at Columbia University. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)
Column: No one has more contempt for America than Donald Trump himself

On Tuesday, the judge in Donald Trump's hush money trial held the former president in criminal contempt for violating his gag order. Nine times. With a fine of $1,000 a pop.

Though it's shocking that a former president doesn't appear to understand courtroom rules that anyone who has ever seen "Law & Order" could explain, there is a certain poetic justice.

After all, no one loves contempt more than Donald Trump.

It is his metier, his medium, his world view. Contempt for those who disagree with him, oppose him or attempt to hold him accountable, contempt for the rule of law and norms of governance.

Judge Juan Merchan had previously issued the order to prevent the defendant from threatening or insulting witnesses in the trial, which of course Trump proceeded to do.

Nine grand is a mere bagatelle compared to the $175-million bond he had to pay in his New York fraud case, or the $88.3 million in all that he has been ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll in two separate cases related to Carroll's claim that Trump sexually assaulted her at a New York department store in 1996, then defamed her by saying she lied about it.

No doubt he will simply roll out another set of campaign solicitations, passing the bill down to his supporters.

There may be clearer ways to declare one's contempt for hard-working Americans than to continually expect them to foot the bill for a rich man's court bills, but I can't think of one at the moment.

Then again, Trump does not like most Americans, or the country in which they live, very much.

Read more: Column: As we were warned, the villain Trump has returned. The news cycle proves it

As the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol proved, he has nothing but contempt for our electoral process, on which so many democracies have been modeled  a system that gave him the presidency in 2016 despite his losing the popular vote.

As he has said repeatedly, he will, if reelected, pardon those jailed for illegally breaking into and vandalizing one of this country's most important buildings to threaten members of Congress, and Trump's own vice president, for doing their sworn Constitutional duty to uphold a free and fair election.

Instead of supporting the ideal of the United States of America, he has exacerbated political and cultural divisions to create the kind of us/them mentality in which families are divided and fascism historically flourishes.

In office he repeatedly attacked or attempted to reject the system of checks and balances that, as every elementary school student learns, was put into place to prevent the rise of a dictator or monarch. A pattern, he has made very clear, he plans to repeat with even more vigor next time around.

But Trump is contemptuous of far more than the American legislative and judicial systems. He is one of a long line of "populist" leaders who say they love a country while making it clear they despise many, if not most, of the people living in it.

From the moment the "grab them by the pussy" tape surfaced, Trump's contempt for women was obvious, and has been underscored since by his treatment of Carroll, the alleged hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels, and, of course, his stacking of the Supreme Court with the justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade.

In a recent interview with Time, he said he would do nothing to prevent states from monitoring women's pregnancies or prosecuting those who are suspected of having or performing abortions.

Read more: Stormy Daniels alleges in new documentary that Donald Trump cornered her the night they met

Never mind that the majority of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Why should a president be concerned with the will of the people?

He certainly hates our cities, where 80% of Americans live. Despite being an urban property developer who announced his 2016 candidacy from New York's Trump Tower, he regularly describes America's cultural and commercial centers as crime-ridden hellscapes from an apocalyptic nightmare.

Likewise he shows nothing but contempt for many of our states, including California (with almost 38 million people, the country's most populated), and New York (its fourth). He even suggested recently that Pennsylvania, home to almost 13 million people and one of the 13 original colonies, would cease to exist if he does not win in November.

And then there is Trump's implicit threat of political violence should he lose again in November. No other presidential candidate in modern history has held the specter of bloodshed over the heads of the American people like this. But such is the contempt Donald Trump feels for our own national history.

"Make America Great Again" may have begun as "nostalgia" for a time that never was, but it has clearly become a dog whistle for rolling back the rights of women, people of color, the poor, the middle class and LGBTQ Americans.

As for this country's own roots, well, forget "give us your huddled masses." Trump refers to undocumented immigrants as "animals" and "not human" and has vowed to institute mass deportations  using the military to conduct them if necessary.

When reminded by Time's Eric Cortellessa that using the military against civilians is against the law, he replied Well, these arent civilians, he says. These are people that arent legally in our country.

As if the definition of "civilian"  a person not in the armed services or police force  was the same as "citizen."

Those who support Trump would do well to keep that in mind. Unlike "civilian," "citizen" is a fluid term, dependent on the dictates of the state. Particularly if the head of that state believes that his preferences should supersede the dictates of the Constitution. And though being found in criminal contempt of court may not make any difference to his base, it should give pause to anyone on the fence about voting for him this fall. Because Trump's contempt knows no limits: it could turn on any one at any time.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Column: From a Tommy's security job to a ride home on Metro, her last hours alive

The train pulled into the North Hollywood station Monday at 4:45 a.m., and I boarded with a handful of other riders headed south.

This was the same line a security guard had taken on April 22 after getting off work at a Tommy's burger joint.

It was the last trip of her life, before she became the victim of an unprovoked stabbing on this train.

Her slaying, so senseless, random and unsettling, wrecked her family and shook the city. I can't explain exactly why I felt the need to retrace her steps. Maybe it was simply an attempt to know her a little better.

The doors whooshed closed. The train left the station. Next stop: Universal/Studio City.

::

Mirna Soza Arauz was her name. Age  67. Mother of three with seven grandchildren. Although most of us could not have known her, as the details of her life emerged, she became recognizable.

Soza Arauz was an immigrant with a goal, and she chased it in Los Angeles. She was one of the tens of thousands of front-line workers who take up their posts each day at low-paying jobs in a high-rent region, trying to climb a ladder that keeps getting taller.

The heart of the city could not beat without them.

She was saving up for a planned move back to Nicaragua in the next year or so, a family member told me, which is why  in a place built for cars  Soza Arauz rode buses and trains, even when it became risky to do so.

Recently, two stabbings on buses made headlines in a 24-hour period, one involving a driver and the other a 70-year-old passenger.

Mirna Soza Arauz was saving up for a planned move back to Nicaragua in the next year or so. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

I will not ride our transit system by myself. Im afraid, L.A. County Supervisor and Metro board member Kathryn Barger said last week as Metro declared a safety emergency after Soza Arauz's killing and called for stepping up security measures, including the use of facial recognition technology.

But so many people have no other transportation options, and the region does not function without them.

So what are they to do with their fear?

When people cant commute to and from work, school and the business of the day without fear, when we become suspicious of those around us and the most vulnerable among us are placed in the greatest peril, those failures are our failures.

Read more: Man arrested in fatal stabbing of Metro passenger near Universal City station

We can tighten transit security, but we'd do better to create a society in which buses and trains don't become last-resort mobile shelters for the homeless, mentally ill and addicted.

Arauz Soza "was stabbed without provocation by a man who grabbed the bag she was holding," according to L.A. Dist. Atty. George Gascon. Her accused killer has a criminal record that includes a 2019 attack on another Metro train passenger. He pleaded no contest and under terms of probation was ordered to stay away from Metro trains, but how would anyone have enforced such an order?

::

On Monday, before I boarded the train at the North Hollywood station, I drove to the Tommy's in North Hills, thinking all the while about the last hours of Soza Arauz's life, about the inconvenience of her nightly trek all the way down to South Los Angeles, where she and a son lived together.

Her Tommy's Original is across from the Budweiser plant on Roscoe Boulevard. I arrived just before 4 a.m., and already, a new security guard  Soza Arauz's replacement  was on the job. He was watching over the parking lot, which sits next to a littered lot that fronts a vacant, graffiti-tagged building.

Mirna Soza Arauz was the mother of three and grandmother of seven. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Armando Rubio, 56, told me he didnt know Soza Arauz, but he knew her fate. He said he was attacked several years ago working as a security guard at a South Los Angeles motel.

I was in a coma, Rubio said, jutting his chin and pointing to his lower teeth. Theyre implants.

Tommys doesnt open its doors until 6 a.m., but the drive-through is open all night. I ordered a coffee and the employee at the window told me Soza Arauz usually caught the 152 bus at the stop across the street, at Roscoe and Haskell Avenue. The manager, Jose Murillo, said he didnt know much about Soza Arauz. She showed up, did her job, went home and came back again and again.

Its so sad, he said.

I followed in my car as the 152 cut through the darkness heading east for several miles along Roscoe, collecting its cargo of early risers on their way to their posts, doing the work that keeps the city going. Men, women, young, old, almost all people of color. The bus wheeled south at Lankershim and pulled into the North Hollywood Metro station.

I parked, crossed a dark street, and minded my own business while taking in everything around me. One young man stood and stared, for no obvious reason, in the parking lot near the station. I hated feeling somewhat on edge, thinking about what could go wrong instead of all that was going right in the morning rush. We lose a piece of our humanity when suspicion creeps into our being.

I wondered about Soza Arauz  nearly my own age  with no choice but to be vulnerable, in the dark, alone.

I rode an escalator to the platform, where passengers were already awaiting the next train. When it arrived, I boarded and one man pushed a bike onto the same car. I sat near a middle-aged man and tried to strike up a conversation, but he kept to himself.

Among the several people on our car, two or three looked like they might be homeless. One got up and moved to another car. Another, a young woman, seemed anxious. She turned sharply in her seat, shouted something and banged her hand hard on the back of the seat of a man across the aisle from me.

Read more: Person stabbed after argument spills out of L.A. Metro bus, police say

He didnt look up from his phone. A woman near us avoided eye contact.

It's a quick five-minute ride to the Universal/Studio City station. Somewhere on that stretch, police say, Soza Arauz was attacked.

She was a security guard, but unarmed, tired, and defenseless.

What could she have been carrying that was worth stealing?

"She was ... that hardworking everyday citizen that works and busts their behind to put food on the table, who is the backbone of a family  who has family back in their native land waiting for them to return," said Juan Castillo, the son-in-law of Mirna Soza Arauz. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

The train stopped. I stepped onto the platform and noticed some flowers had been placed on a bench.

This was it, the place where Soza Arauz had stumbled out of the car as her assailant fled.

Someone had taped a photograph of her to the bench. Two more photos were taped to a nearby column and someone had written descanse en paz (rest in peace) next to a heart. Soza Arauz had reddish brown hair. She wore earrings, a bracelet, a faint smile and a look of contentment.

Andres Rios was waiting to board a train to his downtown job as a hotel maintenance man. He knew about the killing and told me hes a bit nervous as a regular rider. Theres not enough security in place, he said.

Two private security guards in yellow vests were walking the platform and I asked one of them if he was on duty the day Soza Arauz was attacked. Alex Salvador, 24, said he was one of the responders. He said he held her hand and encouraged her to try to hang on as she bled on the floor.

I was talking to her, he said, and Soza Arauz was still conscious, but she couldnt talk.

Minutes later, she was rushed to Cedars-Sinai, where she died.

In the last few days, family members have been making funeral arrangements, planning one service in Los Angeles and another in Nicaragua. I spoke to and texted Juan Castillo, her son-in-law, who lives in Managua, Nicaragua. He said Soza Arauz's body would be flown home, and that an outpouring of donations to a GoFundMe page were greatly appreciated.

Read more: Column: Los Angeles is not designed for anyone in their 80s; some days are an endurance test

"She was ... that hardworking everyday citizen that works and busts their behind to put food on the table, who is the backbone of a family  who has family back in their native land waiting for them to return," Castillo said.

He told me Soza Arauz knew the safety risks on public transit but didnt think that she, as an older woman, would be targeted.

She used to help out the homeless and she would have helped out this guy. If he had been in need of food or clothes or anything, she would gladly have helped him out, Castillo said.

The killer didn't "destroy just one life. He destroyed the life of a whole family and extended family.

He destroyed more than that, and the city should be mourning the loss.

steve.lopez@latimes.com





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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) on Wednesday announced a hearing set for May 8 focused on the pro-Palestinian protests at the George Washington University (GWU), calling Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) as witnesses.

The House Oversight Committee is deeply concerned over reports indicating the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department rejected George Washington Universitys request for help in removing the radical, antisemitic, and unlawful protestors occupying the campus and surrounding public lands, Comer said in the statement.

GWU has already suspended multiple students after they would not leave the encampment that popped up last week, but the protest, one of dozens that has emerged on U.S. college campuses in opposition to Israels handling of its war in Gaza, has not been disbanded.

The Washington Post reported last week that MPD refused to confront the encampment despite a request from the private university.

Two officials familiar with the discussions said the police were worried about how it would look due to the small number of peaceful protesters in the area.

MPDs refusal to assist GWU in their efforts to protect the Jewish student body is disturbing and unacceptable. To fulfill our responsibility to oversee the District of Columbia and its affairs, the Committee will hold a hearing next week and seek answers from local leaders on steps being taken to ensure this unlawful activity ends, Comer said.

The hearing announcement comes as multiple Republican and Democratic House lawmakers visited GWU on Wednesday to speak to leadership and see the encampment in person.

Republicans have repeatedly denounced the college demonstrations as antisemitic, an accusation that the protesters deny.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A view of the Savoy area of Spearfish Canyon from atop the 76 Trail. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

A view of the Savoy area of Spearfish Canyon from atop the 76 Trail. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

A federal agency has issued final approval of a companys plan to conduct exploratory drilling for gold above Spearfish Canyon.

The company is Colorado-based Solitario Resources. Project maps show some of the proposed drill sites are less than a mile from the canyon rim in the Black Hills National Forest, about 15 miles southwest of Spearfish.

None of the proposed sites are inside Spearfish Canyon, according to a decision notice Monday from the U.S. Forest Service. The decision finalizes a provisional approval issued in December.

More mining news and commentary

The area of the canyon below the drilling locations is a popular spot, with attractions including Roughlock Falls, Spearfish Falls, Spearfish Canyon Lodge and the Latchstring Restaurant.

Opponents of the drilling include the nonprofit Black Hills Clean Water Alliance.

Not only does this project pose a serious risk to water quality in Lawrence County  including Spearfish Creek  it would also disrupt wildlife, add to our worsening air quality issues, and directly interrupt the recreation and tourism industry in our area, the alliance said in December.

Solitario said in a press release Tuesday that several administrative steps remain before drilling begins, but it plans to begin drilling in June.

There has been a lot of misinformation in the local public domain about mineral exploration, and we are extremely confident that we will be able to demonstrate that mineral exploration continues to be an environmentally safe and economically important activity on multiple-use public lands, said Solitario President and CEO Chris Herald.

The decision from the Forest Service says that based on an environmental assessment, the project will not significantly impact the human environment, and a more comprehensive environmental impact statement will therefore not be prepared.

Additionally, the Forest Service is only authorized to regulate, but not prohibit, lawful locatable mineral operations, the decision says. Thats due to the General Mining Law of 1872, which protects the right to explore for minerals on federal public land.

A yellow box shows the area where Solitario Resources plans to conduct exploratory drilling for gold above Spearfish Canyon. (Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service)

A yellow box shows the area where Solitario Resources plans to conduct exploratory drilling for gold above Spearfish Canyon. (Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service)

Under its power to regulate exploration, the Forest Service will impose numerous restrictions on the project to minimize disruptions to people, wildlife, the environment, groundwater, and cultural and archaeological resources. The company is also required to plug and cap holes, and restore drilling sites to a natural-looking condition.

Solitarios plan includes up to 25 drill sites with holes averaging 1,300 feet deep. Drilling will occur mostly from May to October over the course of five years. The company will examine core samples from the drilling to determine whether theres enough economically recoverable gold to support a mine.

The company is one of several proposing gold exploration or actively exploring for gold in the Black Hills, where exploration and mining have been ongoing since the 1870s.

The industry has brought jobs and economic growth, but also environmental damage. Before modern environmental regulations, the former Homestake Mine in Lead dumped so much pollution into Whitewood Creek that the waterway became colloquially known as Cyanide Creek. Another former gold mine, the Gilt Edge near Lead, has been the site of a cleanup funded by the Environmental Protection Agencys Superfund for more than 20 years since the mine was abandoned by its bankrupt owner.

The only currently active, large-scale gold mine in the Black Hills is the Wharf Mine, near Lead and Terry Peak.

Lithium has also become a sought-after mineral in the Black Hills, with companies staking claims and exploring for deposits to mine for use in the batteries that power electric vehicles and other devices.

A map of Solitario Resources' planned drilling sites above Spearfish Canyon. Highway 14, shown on the map, is inside the canyon. (Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service)

A map of Solitario Resources planned drilling sites above Spearfish Canyon. Highway 14, shown on the map, is inside the canyon. (Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service)

The post Company earns final approval for exploratory gold drilling above Spearfish Canyon appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a majority of the Supreme Court in last summers Students for Fair Admissions opinions, which held that affirmative action policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the Constitution. While colleges can no longer use race as a factor in admission, the Supreme Courts denial of certioari in a case involving a selective public school has unfairly suggested to some that the rules are different for selective high schools.

The court opted to avoid the question in February when it declined to hear Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board. Justice Samuel Alito dissented from the denial of certiorari, writing that a lower-court decision upholding Fairfax County School Boards admissions policy means that intentional race discrimination is constitutional so long as it is not too severe.

How can these two contradictory statements be reconciled? Is the court as poised to strike down all race discrimination in admissions as it appeared in Students for Fair Admissions? Why does it seem that the court feels that race-based admission is unconstitutional for college-aged students but tolerable for those in grades K-12? And what other cases might find their way to the Supreme Court?



What was at stake in Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board?

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) is a magnet school in Alexandria, Virginia, that provides advanced education in math, science, and related fields to gifted students. In fall 2020, the Fairfax County School Board dropped its famously demanding admissions exam and replaced it with a system that awarded most seats to students in the top 1.5 percent of each Fairfax County middle school, based on grade-point average. Because Asian American students disproportionately attend a few particular Fairfax County middle schools, the changes caused TJs admitted class to drop from being 73 percent Asian American to 54 percent.

A parent group called Coalition for TJ sued, represented by my public interest law firm, Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), claiming that the changes constituted unconstitutional race discrimination. The coalition won in district court, where Judge Claude Hilton observed, Everybody knows that the policy is not race-neutral, and that its designed to affect the racial composition of the school. You can say all sorts of beautiful things while youre doing others.

The school board appealed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and won in a 2-1 decision. Judge Alison Rushing dissented, finding that the evidence shows an undisputed racial motivation and an undeniable racial result and criticizing the majority opinion for failing to look past the Policys race neutral varnish.

In private text messages produced in discovery, school board members candidly acknowledged that the changes targeted Asian Americans: there has been an anti asian feel underlying some of this, hate to say it lol, one message said, and another stated flatly that Asian Americans were discriminated against in this process.

To avoid the appearance of racial preferences, the board used middle school attendance as a proxy for race, which nonetheless got them the racial results they wanted. Legally, the use of a racial proxy rather than race itself should not matter: The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled against racial discrimination by proxy, Vanderbilt law professor Brian Fitzpatrick noted in the Wall Street Journal. If the purpose of an apparently race-neutral decision is to cause racial effects, and the decision in fact causes racial effects, then the decision is as illegal as using race itself would be.

After losing at the 4th Circuit, Coalition for TJ petitioned the Supreme Court, emphasizing the national importance of the case in light of Students for Fair Admissions opinions. Those rulings meant universities could no longer use racial reasons, even when narrowly tailored, to pursue a compelling interest in diversity. But that created a follow-up question: What about more indirect methods of discrimination, like the proxy discrimination used by Fairfax County? Could universities forbidden from using race directly still get away with employing proxies for race?

Chief Justice Roberts rejected such proxy discrimination in Students for Fair Admissions: Universities may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today, he wrote. He added: [W]hat cannot be done directly cannot be done indirectly.



Are there other proxy discrimination cases the Supreme Court could decide in the near future?

If TJ is a straightforward example of a school district trying to do indirectly what it could not do directly, why not grant certiorari? The Supreme Court only grants review of a small number of the petitions filed; the process the justices choose is necessarily opaque to the public. Still, a denial of certiorari does not overrule Students for Fair Admissions ringing rejection of proxy discrimination. (Indeed, a denial does not even mean the court agrees with the merits of the lower court ruling.)

Meanwhile, other proxy discrimination cases are being litigated in the lower courts and may eventually reach the Supreme Court. Because the court had never held that affirmative action preferences are constitutional in the K-12 context, many cases, like Coalition for TJ, involve selective middle or high schools rather than universities.

Boston Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence v. School Committee is another proxy discrimination case. There, exam scores traditionally determined admission to three prominent Boston high schools, including the famous Boston Latin School, founded in 1635 as Americas first public school. However, in 2019, the school board adopted a plan that allocated 20 percent of magnet seats based on grade point average and the rest based on zip codes.

Bostons school board did not try to disguise its racial motivations. One working group member said that the admissions changes were meant to address historic racial inequities, and the School Committees chair was caught on a live microphone mocking Chinese American surnames. Because Asian American and white students in Boston tend to live in certain zip codes, the new admissions procedure meant that students from these groups went from receiving 61 percent of the seats available in magnet programs to just over half of them. Boston Parent Coalition lost at the 1st Circuit and will petition the Supreme Court for certiorari this spring.

At least two other similar K-12 cases are in earlier stages of litigation. New York City is home to some of the countrys best-known competitive admission high schools, including Stuyvesant High School, the alma mater of four Nobel Prize winners. Until recently, Stuyvesant and other New York City magnets made most admissions decisions based on Specialized Admissions High School Test scores. However, a small number of students from low-income backgrounds could qualify through the Discovery program, which set aside some seats for students from low-income families scoring just below the cutoff.

In 2020, however, then-Mayor Bill DeBlasio limited the Discovery program to students from middle schools with a 60 percent or higher poverty rate. Because Asian American students cluster in New York middle schools with lower poverty rates, this change decreased the number of seats available to them in new magnet schools, even though many of these students themselves come from low-income families. As elsewhere, the adverse effect on Asian American students was not coincidental; New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza observed in a television interview, I just dont buy the narrative that any one group owns admissions to these schools. This case is pending in the 2nd Circuit.

Marylands Montgomery County Public Schools similarly redesigned its admissions processes to change magnet middle school racial demographics. First, Montgomery County adopted socioeconomic norming, where students test scores are compared to those of kids from a similar socioeconomic background rather than everyone taking the test. In this case, scores were normed according to the socioeconomic status of elementary schools instead of district-wide. Second, it adopted a policy that put students with a group of academic peers in their home middle schools at a disadvantage when applying for magnet programs. In theory, this could be a race neutral policy: if you have enough smart peers in your home school, you dont need a magnet program. In practice, it disadvantages kids with too many smart peers in their home schools. Because Asian American students are concentrated in particular Montgomery County middle schools, these combined policies were intended to, and did, lower Asian American representation in magnet school programs. That case is on appeal to the 4th Circuit.

In the wake of Students for Fair Admissions, many colleges and universities may turn to proxy discrimination to achieve the same racial demographics previously attained through now-forbidden discrimination. At a panel held just days after the decisions were handed down, the dean of UC Berkeley School of Law and the general counsel for the University of Michigan openly advocated that universities follow the 4th Circuits Coalition for TJ opinion as a roadmap for proxy discrimination. Whatever the reasons for not taking up the case, the Supreme Court will likely eventually have to address proxy discriminations legality in a later case.

Should the court wait for a case where it can uphold the facially neutral practice?

Some prominent legal commentators, including the hosts of the Advisory Opinions podcast, have suggested that the Supreme Court might be waiting for a case where it can uphold the challenged practice but indicate that other similar discriminatory practices are illegal.



However, there is no admissions process that will be legal in every instance because the intentions behind the policy matter. Take Top Ten Percent plans: A district that builds a brand new magnet school, admits the top 10 percent from each feeder school and never considers race during deliberations has likely acted lawfully. Now imagine another school district that adopts a Top Ten Percent plan after months of discussions making clear that the plan was chosen for racial reasons. The second school district is on much weaker legal ground under the Supreme Court cases prohibiting proxy discrimination. The analysis is the same for zip codes and other proxies for race. If the Supreme Court is waiting to find a challenged practice that will always be upheld, it will likely have to wait a long time.

What are non-litigation solutions to proxy discrimination?

Although litigation is one important tool for stopping proxy discrimination, it is not the only one. State or federal legislation along the lines of PLFs model legislation can clarify when proxy discrimination is illegal or offer additional remedies to those harmed by it.



The Department of Education can also investigate whether schools that receive federal funds are using proxy discrimination in violation of federal civil rights law. Unfortunately, they largely disregard such discrimination.



Although the cert denial in Coalition for TJ is a regrettable loss for supporters of equal protection, the fight continues and is far from over. Individuals should be treated as individuals and not on the basis of their membership in racial groups. When schools use race to favor one group of people, they deny opportunities to another group. These principles apply both to policies that directly discriminate based on race and those that are race-neutral on their face but adopted for discriminatory reasons. For both high schools and colleges and universities, the Constitutions command is clear: eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it, direct and indirect alike.

Read more at The Dispatch

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An In-depth Look at Upcoming Dividends and Financial Health

Introduction to Commerzbank AG's Dividend

Commerzbank AG (CRZBY) recently announced a dividend of $0.38 per share, payable on 2024-05-16, with the ex-dividend date set for 2024-05-02. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. Using the data from GuruFocus, let's look into Commerzbank AG's dividend performance and assess its sustainability.

What Does Commerzbank AG Do?

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Commerzbank operates primarily in Europe, with Germany contributing about 70% to its total income. The bank operates two business segments: private and small-business customers, and corporate clients. In its private and small-business segment, the group runs its branch business, a mobile bank focused on the Polish market, an online broker, and an asset manager for physical assets. Its corporate client business provides cash management and trade finance solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporates.

Commerzbank AG's Dividend Analysis

A Glimpse at Commerzbank AG's Dividend History

Commerzbank AG has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 2023, with dividends currently distributed on a yearly basis. Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends.

Commerzbank AG's Dividend Analysis

Breaking Down Commerzbank AG's Dividend Yield and Growth

As of today, Commerzbank AG currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.41% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 2.49%. This suggests an expectation of increased dividend payments over the next 12 months. Commerzbank AG's dividend yield of 1.41% is near a 10-year low and underperforms 89.9% of global competitors in the Banks industry, suggesting that the company's dividend yield may not be a compelling proposition for income investors.

Based on Commerzbank AG's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of Commerzbank AG stock as of today is approximately 1.41%.

Commerzbank AG's Dividend Analysis

The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability

To assess the sustainability of the dividend, one needs to evaluate the company's payout ratio. The dividend payout ratio provides insights into the portion of earnings the company distributes as dividends. A lower ratio suggests that the company retains a significant part of its earnings, thereby ensuring the availability of funds for future growth and unexpected downturns. As of 2023-12-31, Commerzbank AG's dividend payout ratio is 0.11.

Story continues

Commerzbank AG's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers. GuruFocus ranks Commerzbank AG's profitability 4 out of 10 as of 2023-12-31, suggesting the dividend may not be sustainable. The company has reported net profit in 9 years out of the past 10 years.

Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook

To ensure the sustainability of dividends, a company must have robust growth metrics. Commerzbank AG's growth rank of 4 out of 10 suggests that the company has poor growth prospects and thus, the dividend may not be sustainable. Revenue is the lifeblood of any company, and Commerzbank AG's revenue per share, combined with the 3-year revenue growth rate, indicates a strong revenue model. Commerzbank AG's revenue has increased by approximately 10.70% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 64.91% of global competitors.

Conclusion: Evaluating Commerzbank AG's Dividend Outlook

Considering Commerzbank AG's latest dividend announcement, historical performance, and financial health, investors should weigh the potential for future dividend growth against the current low yields and profitability concerns. With a robust revenue model but modest growth prospects, the sustainability of dividends could be challenging unless there are significant improvements in profitability or payout ratios. For those interested in exploring more high-dividend yield opportunities, GuruFocus Premium users can screen for high-dividend yield stocks using the High Dividend Yield Screener.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Former Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann on Tuesday said that the early testimony in former President Donald Trumps hush-money criminal trial has been so powerful that the public should recalibrate how it views the case.

Longtime former Trump fixer Michael Cohen has been poised to be a star witness in the case but the former presidents defense team has already gone on attack, painting him as a liar after he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress to aid Trump.

But Weissmann argued after testimony from former American Media chief David Pecker and former Stormy Daniels lawyer Keith Davidson that this case is made very much without Michael Cohen.

This is so corroborated, Weissmann said, noting that the two witnesses accounts fit together so perfectly.

Also its completely corroborated, particularly with respect to Mr. Davidson, by so many texts and email exchanges and the written documents, he continued, adding that virtually every question has been backed up by some form of evidence.

Pecker and Davidson both testified that Cohen had to scramble to come up with the money to buy Daniels story to help Trumps campaign after the National Enquirer refused.

By the time you get to Michael Cohen, the way I think this will be summed up by the prosecution is to say, you know what, if Michael Cohen had said anything else you would have thought he was lying, Weissmann said. It is so completely consistent with this story.
TechCrunch

Starship is ready to fly again  and for the first time, SpaceX is going to try to bring the booster back to the launch site to catch it with a pair of oversized "chopsticks." SpaceX will launch the mammoth Starship on Sunday in a launch window that opens at 5 AM PST (7 AM local time) from the companys Starbase site in southeast Texas. This flight, which will be the fifth in the Starship development program, is coming a little sooner than expected: the Federal Aviation Administration had previously said that it did not anticipate issuing a modified launch license for this test before late November.
A dumbfounded woman said blood suddenly started squirting from her chest in the middle of the night, and investigators linked it to a stray bullet that pierced her wall, according to a Virginia sheriff.

The identity of the woman has not been released, but she remains hospitalized for a gunshot wound to the torso, according to Stafford County Sheriff David Decatur.

Its believed the shot was fired by a neighbor around 12 a.m. Tuesday, April 30, officials said.

A 911 caller in the North Stafford area reported she was bleeding a lot and was not sure what happened, Decatur said. Stafford is about a 40-mile drive southwest of Washington, DC.

Deputies quickly arrived and discovered the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to her torso, he said in a news release.

Upon further inspection of the scene, deputies noticed a bullet sized hole in the wall that directly lined up where the victim was standing in her kitchen. ... Deputies began administering first aid as Fire and Rescue arrived on scene.

A suspect was discovered when deputies asked one of the neighbors if he heard any gunshots in the night. A 56-year-old man advised he had fired such a shot, while checking to see if a handgun was loaded, Decatur said.

The bullet traveled through his garage and approximately 200 feet through the yards and (groups) of trees between the residences, officials said.

The bullet continued on a course through the siding, drywall and backsplash in the victims kitchen before striking a can the victim was holding and entering her torso.

Deputies arrested the man and charged him with felony reckless handling of a firearm, officials said. Bond was set at $10,000.

The suspect lives in the 500 block of Graceview Lane, a two-lane residential street lined with single-family homes, records show.

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TROUP COUNTY, Ga. (WRBL)  The Troup County School District (TCSS) ended its fifth year of offering the Teaching as a Profession (TAP) Pathway with success; celebrating eight LaGrange High School (LHS) seniors who completed the pathway and plan to pursue a degree in education.

During the celebration, students were congratulated for their achievements by teachers, and the superintendent, Dr. Brain Shumate presented students with an Intent to Teach, which the school district says ensures that if the students complete their secondary education and pass a background check, they will automatically be offered a teaching position with TCSS.

Students also signed a Georgia Commitment Certificate, a document committing to improving the quality of education for students.

The following students were commemorated for completing TCSSs TAP Pathway:

Skylar Fausett completed an internship at Franklin Forest under Kirk Slay. Fausett plans to attend Columbus State University.

JaQualen Fields completed his internship with LHSs Exceptional Education Department and will attend LaGrange College.

Adasha Reed finished her internship at Franklin Forrest with her mentor, Mackenzie Rodges, and plans on attending Columbus State University.

Azaleah Staughn completed an internship at Franklin Forrest and will attend the University of West Georgia.

Lexie Vanhoose completed her internship with Franklin Forrest under Madison Shelton and plans on attending LaGrange College.

Lola Whitten worked at a local churchs daycare for over two years and will attend West Georgia Technical College.

Shakaria Woodard completed her internship with Franklin Forrest under Dale Copeland and plans on attending Columbus State University.

Makayla Wills finished an internship at the Franklin Forrest Media Center and plans to attend Savannah State University.

The school district noted that one of the seniors, Wills received the 2024 Dr. Alton Crews Future Georgia Educators Scholarship.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.
A deal for FAA reauthorization would add flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, despite opposition from U.S. senators from Virginia and Maryland, who said in a letter on Monday, April 29, 2024, that the move would hurt safety efforts. Shown is the terminal and air traffic control tower at Washington National. (Photo by Patrick Donovan/Getty Photos)

Key members of Congress announced an agreement Monday on a $105 billion bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for five years ahead of a May 10 deadline.

The 1,000-page bill would raise hiring targets for air traffic control and would codify in law a rule the Biden administration introduced this month requiring airlines to offer refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights, among other consumer-focused provisions.

The legislation also would add flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, despite opposition from U.S. senators from Virginia and Maryland who said in a letter Monday the move would hurt safety efforts.

The compromise measure was negotiated by U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington state, and ranking Republican Ted Cruz of Texas and U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves, a Missouri Republican, and ranking Democrat Rick Larsen, a Washington Democrat.

The four lawmakers released a joint statement announcing the agreement early Monday praising their bipartisan, bicameral, comprehensive agreement.

The American people deserve nothing less than the safest and most efficient aerospace system in the world, and to that end, our bill provides critical safety enhancements, grows Americas aviation workforce, invests in infrastructure at airports of all sizes, sets clear priorities for advancing innovative aviation solutions, improves the flying publics travel experience, and ensures a healthy general aviation sector for years to come, the lawmakers said.

The bill would authorize $66.7 billion to fund key safety programs such as aircraft safety certification and the hiring of air traffic controllers and technical engineers. It would also authorize $19.35 billion for infrastructure improvements. It would more than double annual funding for the Essential Air Service program that subsidizes flights to small rural airports.

No votes have been scheduled in either chamber on the measure, which President Joe Biden must sign by midnight on May 10 to avoid a lapse in FAA authority.

Washington National Airport

With endorsements from committee leaders on both sides of the aisle, the bill should have broad bipartisan appeal in both chambers of Congress.

But senators from the states bordering Washington, D.C., said Monday they opposed the provision adding five incoming and five outgoing flights to Washingtons Reagan National Airport, or DCA, located in Northern Virginia just across the Potomac River.

In a statement, Democratic Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia and Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland vowed to continue to fight against this ridiculous and dangerous provision.

Two planes cleared to take off from the busy airport came within 400 feet of crashing in an April 18 incident. The near-miss should have underscored the crowded conditions at DCA, which, as the closest airport to the Capitol, is a favorite of members of Congress, the senators wrote.

Committee members, none of whom are from the area, decided to ignore the flashing red warning light of the recent near collision of two aircraft at DCA and jam even more flights onto the busiest runway in America, the senators said. It should go without saying that the safety of the traveling public should be a higher priority than the convenience of a few lawmakers who want direct flights home from their preferred airport.

Because the federal government owns DCA and Dulles International Airport further into the Northern Virginia suburbs, Congress has the power to make operational changes.

Consumer provisions

The bill includes several provisions meant to protect consumers.

It would establish in law a rule the Biden administration proposed this month to require airlines to offer cash refunds for flight delays of more than three hours for domestic flights or six hours for international travel.

The Biden administration had sought such a measure, even as it pursued the rule.

It would also require airline credits to be effective for at least five years, bar airlines from charging families to sit together and require the Transportation Department to create a digital dashboard of the minimum seat sizes for U.S. airlines. It does not mandate a national standard for seat size, but it does direct the FAA to decide if a rule on the issue is needed.

The legislation would establish a Senate-confirmed position of deputy secretary for consumer protection, who would run a new office with an annual budget of $14 million dedicated to consumer issues.

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Congressional Republicans, led by Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Rep. John James (R-Mich.), introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution Wednesday that would undo the Biden administrations rules regulating tailpipe emissions.

This is a de-facto electric vehicle mandate that will put all 77,580 manufacturing jobs in [Michigans 10th District] at great risk of extinction, James said in a statement. I am proud to lead this effort to prevent Bidens rule from ravaging the livelihoods of thousands in Michigan and across the country.

The Biden administration announced the proposed rule in March, intended to ensure the majority of cars and light-duty trucks sold in the U.S. are hybrid or fully electric by 2032. Electric cars comprised only 7.6 percent of total American sales last year, while the timeline established by the rule would put that figure at 56 percent by early next decade.

Former President Trump has sought to capitalize on American trepidation around electric vehicles and their potential impact on auto industry jobs, particularly in Michigan, the hub of U.S. auto manufacturing and a key battleground state in 2024. The United Auto Workers union has endorsed President Biden for reelection, but it has frequently cautioned that the process of transitioning to electric vehicles must ensure the preservation of autoworker jobs.

The Republican House majority has passed a number of CRA resolutions attempting to undo Biden administration environmental regulations. The CRA allows a simple majority of both chambers to vote to repeal a rule from the executive branch.

Several of these resolutions have gone on to pass the Democratic-majority Senate, frequently due to the support of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a frequent critic of the administrations energy and environmental policies.

Thus far, Congress has passed CRAs targeting Biden rules on heavy-duty trucks, Endangered Species Act rules and a pause on tariffs on solar panel components. On Tuesday, Manchin announced he would sponsor another CRA resolution opposing a Biden rule on energy permitting reform.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
George Alan Kelly, an Arizona rancher who was accused of killing an undocumented immigrant alleged to have run across his property, is receiving a hero's welcome in conservative media after his case ended in a mistrial.

Kelly was charged with second-degree murder after an investigation into the shooting of an unarmed man named Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea in 2023. Prosecutors said that Kelly recklessly fired an AK-47 at a group of men on his cattle ranch, while Kelly said that he only fired warning shots in the air.

The trial helped turn him into something of a right-wing icon. But on April 19, the jury in his trial deadlocked. And on Monday, Arizona prosecutors said they wont retry the case.

Predictably, the news that Kelly will be allowed to walk free has been gleefully shared across conservative media, which has developed a disturbing affinity for cheerleading armed vigilantes and extrajudicial punishment in the age of Donald Trump.

As far-right social media accounts cheer Kelly on, ultraconservative media outlets like Newsmax have portrayed him as a heroic figure. He sat for a softball interview with conservative News Nation reporter Ali Bradley in which he spoke somberly of all the hardships he says hes experienced as a result of the trial.

As with Kyle Rittenhouse, the conservative gunman acquitted after shooting anti-racist protesters in 2020, Kelly has become a cause celebre among many conservatives. Arizona Republicans even sought to pass a law, seemingly in Kellys honor, that would expand self-defense claims for property owners to include killing or threatening to kill people who cross their property to illegally enter the U.S. The bill was ultimately vetoed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.

Kelly even wrote a novel about a vigilante figure, also named George, who shoots at people who cross his property along the U.S.-Mexico border, a region the book describes as a war zone. Other similarities in the book  such as the protagonists wife having the same name as Kelly's wife  have led observers to note that the book sounds like a thinly veiled recounting of his own story.

Despite his claims of hardship, Kelly has been rewarded by the conservative media machine. He has received at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations via the conservative crowdfunding site GiveSendGo, which was also used to raise funds for Rittenhouse and Daniel Penny, a former Marine who has been charged with second-degree manslaughter and negligent homicide in the choking death of a Black man on a New York subway last year. (Penny has pleaded not guilty to both charges.)

At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if Kelly is asked to speak at this year's Republican National Convention.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
A Leawood mother is suing the Blue Valley school district, alleging that school officials failed to protect her transgender son as he faced relentless harassment and bullying.

The federal lawsuit, filed late last week, claims the Leawood Middle School student faced severe mental health issues, leading him to self harm, as classmates bullied him while often using a slur. The mother accuses school officials of refusing to appropriately address complaints or provide a safety plan for her son, saying they violated his constitutional rights and failed to fulfill their obligations under Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in schools that receive federal funding.

The boy is not named in the complaint, and instead is only referred to by his initials, because he is a minor.

In a statement to The Star, Blue Valley district officials said the district takes all allegations of bullying and discrimination seriously. We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all students.

Officials said they are unable to comment on an individual case or pending litigation.

But they added, Our district is dedicated to adhering to Title IX regulations and ensuring that all students are treated with dignity and respect. We remain focused on our mission to foster a supportive educational environment where every student can thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

The mothers attorney Stephen Williams did not return The Stars request for comment by Tuesday afternoon.

The lawsuit says the boy attended Leawood Middle School during the 2021-2022 school year, where he had a 504 Plan because he was diagnosed with ADHD and social anxiety. The year before, the student began to identify as a transgender male, information that was reportedly included in his 504 Plan.

The mother said the plan was slowly rolled out, resulting in staff initially identifying the boy by his birth name during attendance. Fellow students caught on to his name and identity change.

Students allegedly created a 6th grade Snapchat group, which included the boy, where transphobic and homophobic messages were shared. And the boy started getting bullied inside the classroom as well, the lawsuit says. The mother said she asked school officials to conduct sensitivity training, but was denied.

After the mother raised concerns in the fall of 2021, the school put the boy in contact with a social worker. As he continued to experience bullying, he expressed suicidal ideations. He was diagnosed with depression and started to self harm.

In mid-December, the lawsuit claims a new student transferred to the school and began bullying the boy, making comments about him being transgender and accusing him of being a pedophile. The student allegedly spread rumors that the boy was making terrorist threats.

That resulted in the entire 6th grade class being evacuated, the lawsuit says, but school staff allegedly did not inform the mom or her son that he was at the center of the rumor until he started receiving messages from other students about it.

The mother claimed that school administrators offered no recourse on how to deal with the ongoing bullying. The boy did not return to school for the rest of the semester. When he returned to class for the spring semester, his mother reported continued sexual harassment from students, who used a gay slur against the boy and referred to him by his dead name.

In March, the mother pushed for her son to be placed on a reduced class schedule, which the then-principal agreed to. But the bullying continued, with fellow students allegedly starting a TikTok account where they posted videos of the boy walking to and from school.

The mother complained, but said school officials took no action. She said she contacted the students parents, who she said were either unapologetic or denied their childs participation. She said the TikTok account was eventually taken down.

The boy saw a new psychiatrist, increased his medication, went to a new therapist and began additional treatment at Johnson County Mental Health, according to the suit.

In April, a classmate stood up in the cafeteria and harassed the boy, including calling him a slur. The suit says administrators gave the student one day of in-school suspension.

The mother claims administrators did not investigate her complaint about the sexual harassment or initiate Title IX proceedings to address it. She says the boy repeatedly was harassed and discriminated against, and argues that should have launched a Title IX complaint and investigation process.

The same day in April, the boy attempted suicide. He was taken to an in-patient facility.

The suit says the continual harassment harmed the boys mental health, almost costing Plaintiff his life.

The mother asked school staff for a strict safety plan for her son, and once again asked for sensitivity training. School officials allegedly requested the boy return to school with no clear safety plan.

The suit argues that officials insisted the boy return to school alongside his harassers, whom he shared multiple classes with, without providing any actionable steps to immediately create a safe learning environment and prevent further sexual harassment.

Officials offered an accommodation, the suit says, which included freezing the boys grades and create a pass/fail system to alleviate stress from his classwork.

The mother pulled the boy out of the school.

The boy, the suit says, continues to suffer gravely from the sexual harassment endured at LMS, including having to move schools and deepened traumas as it relates to trust and social anxiety, deepened depression, and continued suicidal ideations and attempts.

These things are the direct result of Defendants lack of care for his concerns, of policy, and of procedural training to adequately carry out any generalized or focal policies as it relates to sexual harassment and abuse in their jurisdiction.

In addition to the Title IX claim, the lawsuit accuses the district of violating the students 14th Amendment rights, and claiming it failed to adequately train staff and investigate reports of discrimination. The mother is seeking compensatory damages, including costs related to money lost and emotional pain and suffering.

The lawsuit comes amid fierce opposition to the latest iteration of Title IX, issued by the Biden administration. It clarifies that the law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, ensuring LGBTQ students are entitled to a response from their school under Title IX. Five Republican attorney generals are now challenging the federal regulation that strengthens protections for transgender students.

Over the past few years, districts across the Kansas City metro and country have considered changing policies that affect transgender students. Johnson County districts have grappled with setting new policies for addressing transgender and nonbinary students by the names and pronouns they use, for example.

Meanwhile, there has been a national wave of bills regulating the rights and lives of transgender Americans. Last year, the Kansas Legislature passed a new law barring transgender residents from single-sex spaces inconsistent with their sex assigned at birth.

On Monday, the Republican-controlled Legislature failed to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kellys veto of a ban on gender transition surgery and hormone therapy for minors, meaning transgender youth will continue to have access to the care.
Exploring the Sustainability and Growth of Constellation Brands Inc's Dividends

Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) recently announced a dividend of $1.01 per share, payable on 2024-05-17, with the ex-dividend date set for 2024-05-02. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. Using the data from GuruFocus, let's look into Constellation Brands Inc's dividend performance and assess its sustainability.

What Does Constellation Brands Inc Do?

Warning! GuruFocus has detected 9 Warning Sign with CARR.

High Yield Dividend Stocks in Gurus' Portfolio

This Powerful Chart Made Peter Lynch 29% A Year For 13 Years

How to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock?

Constellation Brands is the largest provider of alcoholic beverages across the beer, wine, and spirits categories in the U.S., generating 80% of revenue from Mexican beer imports under top-selling brands such as Modelo and Corona. The rest of the business includes some remaining wine and spirits brands, categories where the company continues to prune assets in recent years. With its exclusive rights tied to the Mexican beer brands effective only in the U.S., the firm has small revenue exposure to international markets. Constellation owns a 36% stake in no-moat Canopy Growth, a medicinal and recreational cannabis producer in Canada, and has a 50/50 joint venture with glass manufacturer Owens-Illinois in Mexico.

Constellation Brands Inc's Dividend Analysis

A Glimpse at Constellation Brands Inc's Dividend History

Constellation Brands Inc has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 2015. Dividends are currently distributed on a quarterly basis. Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends.

Constellation Brands Inc's Dividend Analysis

Breaking Down Constellation Brands Inc's Dividend Yield and Growth

As of today, Constellation Brands Inc currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.40% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 1.59%. This suggests an expectation of increased dividend payments over the next 12 months. Over the past three years, Constellation Brands Inc's annual dividend growth rate was 5.90%. Extended to a five-year horizon, this rate decreased to 3.30% per year. Based on Constellation Brands Inc's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of Constellation Brands Inc stock as of today is approximately 1.65%.

Constellation Brands Inc's Dividend Analysis

The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability

To assess the sustainability of the dividend, one needs to evaluate the company's payout ratio. The dividend payout ratio provides insights into the portion of earnings the company distributes as dividends. A lower ratio suggests that the company retains a significant part of its earnings, thereby ensuring the availability of funds for future growth and unexpected downturns. As of 2024-02-29, Constellation Brands Inc's dividend payout ratio is 0.34. Constellation Brands Inc's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers. GuruFocus ranks Constellation Brands Inc's profitability 7 out of 10 as of 2024-02-29, suggesting good profitability prospects. The company has reported net profit in 7 years out of the past 10 years.

Story continues

Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook

To ensure the sustainability of dividends, a company must have robust growth metrics. Constellation Brands Inc's growth rank of 7 out of 10 suggests that the company's growth trajectory is good relative to its competitors. Revenue is the lifeblood of any company, and Constellation Brands Inc's revenue per share, combined with the 3-year revenue growth rate, indicates a strong revenue model. Constellation Brands Inc's revenue has increased by approximately 11.20% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 62.38% of global competitors. The company's 3-year EPS growth rate showcases its capability to grow its earnings, a critical component for sustaining dividends in the long run. During the past three years, Constellation Brands Inc's earnings increased by approximately 18.00% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 55.23% of global competitors. Lastly, the company's 5-year EBITDA growth rate of -1.00%, which outperforms approximately 24.6% of global competitors.

Conclusion

Constellation Brands Inc has demonstrated a solid track record of maintaining and growing its dividends, supported by a sustainable payout ratio and robust profitability. The company's consistent dividend growth, coupled with its strong financial health and growth metrics, makes it an attractive option for investors seeking stable dividend income. As the company continues to navigate through market changes and leverage its strong brand portfolio, it remains well-positioned to continue rewarding its shareholders. For those interested in exploring further, GuruFocus Premium users can screen for high-dividend yield stocks using the High Dividend Yield Screener.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


The four women, from left, Annita McVeigh, Martine Croxall, Karin Giannone, and Kasia Madera, arriving for the tribunal hearing - GEOFF PUGH FOR THE TELEGRAPH

A controversial BBC executive was part of a sham recruitment exercise that resulted in older women presenters losing their jobs, an employment tribunal has heard.

Martine Croxall, Kasia Madera, Annita McVeigh and Karin Giannone are suing the broadcaster, claiming that the process to hire presenters for its newly merged news channel was rigged against them and they were set up to fail.

According to documents submitted to the London Central Employment Tribunal, Jess Brammar, the BBCs then editor of news channels, privately assured four other chief presenters  two men and two younger women  their jobs were safe, but admitted she couldnt say much for legal reasons.

That is alleged to have happened in the summer of 2022, before the announcement that the BBC News and BBC World News channels would be merged, and six months before the recruitment process officially began.

The claimants, all in their 40s or 50s, applied for the new presenter roles but were unsuccessful, and subsequently spent a year off air against our will.

The chief presenter jobs went to two men, Matthew Amroliwala and Christian Fraser, and three women, Yalda Hakim, Maryam Moshiri and Lucy Hockings.

Whistleblower claimed Brammar gave assurances

This was because of a sham recruitment exercise where our jobs were closed even though the redundancies were not genuine as the work still exists, the claimants allege.

They claim that they later discovered, via a BBC whistleblower, that candidates who ended up being successful in the process had previously been given assurances by Jess Brammar that they would keep their jobs. We received no such assurances.

The tribunal will shine a spotlight on the role of Ms Brammar, whose appointment in 2021 proved contentious. She joined from the Left-wing Huffington Post, and Sir Robbie Gibb, the BBC board member and former No 10 communications director under Theresa May, objected to her appointment. He argued that it would damage BBC relations with the Government.

Ms Croxall, 55, Ms Giannone, 50, Ms Madera, 48, and Ms McVeigh, 46, are suing for age discrimination, sex discrimination and harassment, claiming that the BBC created a hostile, degrading, intimidating workplace environment that affected their health and damaged their reputations.

They allege that the recruitment process was rigged. This led to the five of us being kept off air for a year when we challenged the process.

Martine Croxall was taken off air after saying on live television that she was 'gleeful' at the news that Boris Johnson was out of the 2022 Tory leadership contest - BBC NEWS/PA

Ms Croxall said of her battle with her employer: The BBC grinds you down. It breaks you.

The four women have also lodged an equal pay claim, citing Mr Amroliwalas salary. They allege that he was paid more than them for similar work.

The pay structure for news presenters has been tainted by sex, the women claim. Mr Amrilowala is paid 180,000-185,000, representing a gap in pensionable pay of 36,000.

Ms Madera also claims that Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, told her that some people had been at the news channels too long.

Gender pay gap emerged in 2017

The BBC has faced accusations of sex discrimination since its gender pay gap was made public in 2017.

Ms Croxall said that despite assurances publicly from the director-general that these problems would not arise again, I knew that they would.

This is her third pay grievance against the BBC. Others were settled in 2014 and 2020.

The presenter is further claiming that she faced discrimination because she was a trade union representative. I faced hostile attitudes towards me because of my trade union role from managers, some of whom were put in charge of recruitment exercises with which I had to engage but in which I had no prospect of success, she alleges.

Ms Croxall was taken off air in 2022 after bosses ruled she had breached BBC impartiality rules by appearing to react gleefully to breaking news that Boris Johnson had pulled out of the Tory leadership race.

The hearing continues. A fifth presenter, Geeta Guru-Murthy, has withdrawn her claim.

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Convicted felon brought axe, hatchet, more from North Carolina to protest at Emory, police say

Emory police are providing an update on arrests during protests on the universitys campus that started last week.

Protests in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war broke out on the quad at Emory University on Thursday. During the first day of protests, Emory police say 28 people were arrested, including at least two faculty members.

Since then, protesters have been on Emorys campus each day.

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On Sunday, police say they gave six people criminal trespass warnings. They believe they are the people responsible for vandalizing the campus. None of them are affiliated with Emory.

Police are now announcing the arrest of Derek Zika from Statesville, North Carolina. Zika was arrested on the Emory Quad on Sunday afternoon with knives and a pepper spray canister.

When his car was searched on Monday, police found an axe, a hatchet and two more knives in a bag with other survival gear.

Investigators go on to say that Zika is a convicted felon who crossed state lines to come and protest.

RELATED STORIES:

He is charged with criminal trespass, obstructing a law enforcement officer, possession of a weapon in a school safety zone, criminal trespass and crossing state lines with weapons, intoxicants or drugs.

According to jail records, Zika bonded out of the DeKalb County Jail just after midnight on Tuesday morning.

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Protests at multiple universities have popped up over the past week with groups setting up encampments after more than 100 protesters were arrested at Columbia University.

IN RELATED NEWS:
Officers in the New York Police Department entered Columbia University after sunset on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after students protesting the war in Gaza broke into and occupied a campus building, according to its student radio station and The New York Times.

Police entered Hamilton Hall through a second-story window after erecting an elevated bridge with an emergency services truck. Some ascended the ladder with their guns drawn, according to The Washington Post.

Other officers swept an all-but-abandoned encampment on a nearby lawn, shining flashlights into tents as they searched for occupants.

Around 11 p.m. local time, the New York Police Department told CNN that both Hamilton and the rest of Columbias campus had been cleared.

Columbia had earlier issued a campus-wide order to shelter in place.

Dozens of students were arrested and led off campus with their wrists zip-tied. As they were walked off campus and into waiting correctional buses, other protesters jeered the the police and chanted in support of Palestine. At least four other buses were on the scene.

A police representative told reporters outside campus that tear gas had not been used in the action.

The NYPD does not use tear gas, they said, according to the Times. The representative did acknowledge that distraction devices had been used, but did not elaborate.

A NYPD officer arrests a student at Columbia University Tuesday night. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

The university confirmed in a statement issued amid the raid that it had granted the police department the authority to enter campus.

This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community, a spokesperson said. We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions.

The spokesperson said that university leadership had been left with no choice but to turn the matter over to law enforcement after the Hamilton occupation.

We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation, they said.

Columbia President Minouche Shafiks letter to the police authorizing their entrance began circulating on social media shortly after. It noted that law enforcement would be allowed to maintain a presence on campus until May 17, two days after the universitys planned commencement ceremony.

Columbia has been closed to anyone without a campus ID card for days. Tensions kicked into a higher gear on Monday, however, when the administration began suspending students involved in the protests. Protesters converged on Hamilton hours later, breaking a window and carrying metal fences inside.

Lets finish what they did in 1968, one protester could be heard yelling, according to NBC News. Tuesdays police raid took place 56 years to the day that law enforcement stormed Columbia to arrest nearly 700 students occupying several campus buildings, including Hamilton Hall. Nearly 100 people were injured.

In the universitys Tuesday night statement, the spokesperson said that Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened, a reference to an employee who exited the building shouting that hed briefly been held hostage by protesters.

NYPD officers in riot gear break into a building at Columbia University, where pro-Palestinian students are barricaded inside and have set up an encampment. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

WKCR reporters said they believed between 20 and 50 students had been inside the building when police arrived. It was not immediately clear how many arrests were being made.

Student journalists at WKCR reported that they were being forcibly herded away from the scene as officers began clearing student protesters out of he building. Several corralled into Pulitzer Hall, the home of Columbias journalism school, later reported that they and the schools dean, Jelani Cobb, had been threatened with arrest should they leave the building.

Columbias statement noted that it believes the group that broke into and occupied the building is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University. It did not offer evidence or further details.

At a news briefing hours before the raid, city authorities, including Mayor Eric Adams, similarly cast the blame for the protests and occupation at Columbia on professional outside agitators hellbent on creating discord and divisiveness. Neither Adams nor the NYPD officials who spoke identified or elaborated on the supposed outside agitators.

NYPD officers stand next to barricaded students at Columbia University in New York City Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Earlier on Tuesday, as police in heavy riot gear gathered outside campus, Columbia faculty released a statement condemning the situation.

Columbia faculty have attempted for the past two weeks to intervene in the situation, only to be shut out by senior University leadership, they said. NYPD presence in our neighborhood endangers our entire community.

They added that Shafik, her senior staff, and the schools board of trustees will bear responsibility for any injuries that might occur during the police action. It was not immediately clear if anyone had been injured in the raid.

If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted. Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making.

Calling on authorities to reverse course, Ocasio-Cortez was echoed by Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who wrote on X that he was outraged by the police response to both Columbia and the City College of New York, where protesters tangled with police carrying pepper spray.

The militarization of college campuses, extensive police presence, and arrest of hundreds of students are in direct opposition to the role of education as a cornerstone of our democracy, he said.

Demonstrators from the pro-Palestine encampment barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building at Columbia University Alex Kent/Getty Images

The establishment of Columbias Gaza Solidarity Encampment on April 17 has since inspired a wave of similar protests at universities across the country.

More than 900 students have been arrested nationwide this month, according to The Washington Post.

On many campuses, including Columbias, the protesters demands are centered around the idea that the universities should divest their endowments from companies that do business with Israel, and the weapons manufacturers that supply them with arms.

We demand divestment, Seuda Polat, a graduate student, said at a Monday press conference. We will not be moved unless by force.

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How the Corps is trying to get exiting Marines to stay as reservists

WASHINGTON  The Marine Corps wants seasoned Marines to continue being Marines, even if just for one weekend a month.

As the service is updating its approach to fighting in preparation for a potential war with a powerful adversary like China, it also is trying to keep Marines who have the training and experience necessary for more complex operations. One piece of that personnel-focused effort, called Talent Management, is making better use of the Marine Corps Reserve.

The Corps has a plan to stop Marines from leaving. Is it working?

Now were thinking, How can we tap into the skills that (reservists) have, whether theyre militarily gained or they got them on their own? said Kerry Mengelkoch, the director of the Corps Talent Management Oversight Directorate and a Marine veteran, said Tuesday at the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington.

The Corps already has doubled the number of Marines who enter the Reserve right after the end of their active service through the Direct Affiliation Program, Mengelkoch said.

In 2022, approximately 350 Marines became reservists through that program, according to Mengelkoch. The following year, after Marine commanders were given missions for the number of their Marines who ought to go through the program, it was about 750.

The Corps expects to double that number again in 2024, Mengelkoch said.

In the past, we really didnt speak very directly and deliberately with our Marines, once they were making a decision to come off of active duty, Mengelkoch said. We may have emphasized transitioning to the civilian component without emphasizing, And while youre there, you can also  stay Marine and join the Marine Corps Reserve.

Marines who go through the Direct Affiliation Program are eligible for bonuses, health care benefits, and guaranteed duty stations and jobs. The idea is to lure Marines to continue contributing their skills to the Corps even once they have left active duty.

In 2023, one Marine who went that route was Staff Sgt. Ramon Santiago, a joint terminal attack controller and fires chief, according to a Marine Corps news release. In his nine years on active duty, he had deployed five times, racking up experience in his technical job.

Im ready to move on to the next chapter of my life, but still want to give back to the Marine Corps, Santiago said in the release.

Bolstering the Corps Reserve is one of the five priorities Commandant Gen. Eric Smith highlighted in his April 2 guidance to the force.

The Marine Corps also is launching a pilot program that allows active duty Marines to be assigned to a Reserve unit for a set period of time, during which they can continue to compete for promotions, with a plan to return to active duty after that, Mengelkoch said.
Could this New Castle County zoning rule make most short-term rentals like Airbnb illegal?

A little-known rule in New Castle County may upset the short-term rental business in Delawares most populous county.

An Airbnb owner in North Wilmington was recently issued violations for operating a short-term rental in a residentially zoned district.

Little did owner and Wilmington-area resident Paras Turakhias know short-term rentals are prohibited in residential areas.

Commercial lodging is expressly prohibited in all residential zoning districts, a city planner wrote to Turakhias in an email April 18.

In New Castle County, short-term rentals like Airbnb or VRBO are considered commercial lodging, which is permitted only in areas zoned commercial neighborhood, commercial regional, office neighborhood, business park and industrial, county spokesman Brian Cunningham confirmed.

This is the second "commercial lodging case" the county has had this year, Cunningham said. Code Enforcement had six cases last year, he added.

A hearing scheduled Tuesday to review the violations that Turakhias received ended quickly with county planners agreeing to give Turakhias an extension to gather information and present his case.

With the proliferation of short-term rental options across the country, communities and affordable housing advocates have pointed to this particular option causing issues with housing affordability, which has borne out in some recent studies.

In the city of Wilmington, problem short-term rental properties have prompted a bill that would regulate the market and seemingly limit short-term rental ownership to only properties that are owner-occupied.

RELATED: Here's how Wilmington wants to regulate Airbnb and other short-term rentals

Short-term rental owners say both New Castle Countys policy and the proposed regulations in Delawares largest city will stifle their operations and put many of them out of business.

Wilmington resident and short-term rental owner Travis Fogelman said the countys policy essentially makes Airbnbs illegal. There are hundreds, if not thousands of listings, countywide, he argued, that could be shutdown if the county enforces the code regulations.

This need is not going to go away, its been there since biblical times, he said. People hosted people in their homes, it was just word of mouth. Now that its on an app, we have a target on our backs.

An owner-occupied Airbnb

Turakhias purchased 2817 Grubb Road, a single-family home, nearly two years ago, intending to use it as his primary residence with his extended family.

When Turakhias first decided to rent out the North Wilmington home when he and his family weren't staying there, he said he contacted county officials to find out the rules and was told there are no rules in place for short-term rentals.

Now, in order to operate the property as a rental, even short-term, Turakhias said hed have to pursue zoning changes, which would render the property a rental rather than an owner-occupied home.

A neighbor contacted the county to complain about the rental operation, which is what prompted New Castle County to issue citations on Turakhias.

HOUSING: Where you're likely to find a rental home in Delaware you can afford. See results by county

County officials said code enforcement is largely complaint-driven. The county isnt going out looking for illegal Airbnbs, but its approach to enforcing the laws around short-term rental properties does open the door to selective enforcement.

Turakhias pointed out that there are likely 1,000 short-term rentals in the county.

I feel like I'm getting selective enforcement, he said. There needs to be equitable regulation governing short-term rentals.

Cunningham, the county spokesman, did not say what is being done to ensure enforcement is equitable and he could not say how many short-term rental units could be in violation in New Castle County.

County carveout for renting rooms

New Castle County homeowners can rent rooms (up to three nontransient roomers or boarders are permitted by county code) in their homes, provided:

The owner also resides in the dwelling.

No displays or advertising are on the premises.

The roomer or boarder stays for less than 45 days.

These allowances are outlined in the countys code on accessory uses and residential home uses.

Efforts to regulate the industry

New Castle County has yet to wade into conversations around regulating the short-term rental market.

County Council President Karen Hartley-Nagle said council members have yet to introduce legislation that would deal with the industry, but added that shes been doing research and has more questions about the operations within the county.

I have more questions about it and want to get answers to make sure whatever steps we take are productive steps and they dont inadvertently hurt any industry in particular but also look out for my constituents, so there is a balance there, she said.

An aerial view of Wilmington from atop the city's East Side neighborhood.

Fogelman and other short-term rental owners in Wilmington have been working to raise awareness of the regulations the city is considering on the industry.

With the citys proposed regulations, Fogelman said the most problematic provision would be requiring all short-term rental units be owner-occupied.

READ THE PROPOSED REGULATIONS ON SHORT-TERM RENTALS

He stressed that many people  from visitors to professionals who are working short-term in the area  use short-term rentals for their temporary housing needs.

It would ban most Airbnbs except for a handful because most operators dont live in the unit themselves, Fogelman said. Its about the hundreds of very small business owners and collectively all the money being spent that we bring in. City Council members dont know the damage they are doing with this bill.

Other owners say the proposed regulations are unclear, and hope to work with city lawmakers to come up with regulations that all involved parties can agree to.

Courtney Messina, who runs Your BNB Made Easy with business partner Jessy Murphy, said beyond the question of whether all short-term rentals would have to be owner-occupied, other regulations proposed are a bit unclear. She pointed to the limit on the number of guests in a home as well as requiring signage in front of the units.

"We hope that hosts are considered in that conversation. Unless people writing legislation have firsthand experience on this, we do need to be consulted," Murphy said. "How the legislation is currently written will knock most people out."

The state is also looking at imposing an 8% lodging tax to short-term rentals with the introduction of House Bill 168, Spotlight Delaware reported.

Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com, or call or text her at 302-598-5507. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: From county zoning to proposed regulations, Airbnb, VRBO scrutinized
Governor Roy Cooper addresses the media at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department following the April 29 shooting. (Screengrab from CMPD video stream)

Governor Roy Cooper said North Carolina will never be able to fill the void or fully thank the families of the four law-enforcement officers who lost their lives in Charlotte Monday while attempting to serve a warrant.

Authorities identified the slain officers on Tuesday as:

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Joshua Eyer

Samuel Sam Poloche with the NC Department of Adult Correction

Alden Elliot, also with the NC Department of Adult Correction and

Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks, Jr.

Of the four additional Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers wounded on Monday, three have been released from the hospital. CMPD Officer Christopher Tolley remained in stable condition Tuesday after undergoing surgery to treat his gunshot wound injuries.

Gov. Cooper told those attending Tuesdays press conference that he spent time in the hospital Monday with officers and was moved by the stories of the officers who lost their lives.

They were good onespeople that you could trust, people who you could count on, and people who would risk their lives, said Cooper.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles offered praise to the health care providers who treated the officers.

The governor said this tragedy leaves behind an emptiness that will continue to run deep. He asked for North Carolinians to pray for the families and their law enforcement colleagues.

Attorney General Josh Stein joined Cooper and said words are insufficient as we mourn for the officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

We ask our peace officers to do something that is awe inspiring, to run into the face of danger that every human urge is telling them to flee, but they do it to keep us safe, said Stein. They engage the public. They patrol, they investigate, and they make arrests, so that our kids can learn safely at school, play safely in the neighborhood, and sleep safely in their homes.

Stein said the city of Charlotte is strong, and days and weeks ahead will be the time to surround the families and friends of the officers with the love that they need and deserve.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said in this moment of tragedy, she wanted to take a moment and recognize the actions of the Queen Citys health care providers.

You did all that was possible and were grateful for that, that youre able to keep watch over those that are still in your care, and for those that had to take that journey home, said Lyles. If you had to stand in Atrium and Novant and see the kinds of things that these doctors were reaching out to do, you would be grateful as a community. I am grateful as your Mayor.

Authorities say 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes, Jr. had a lengthy criminal record including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was killed during Mondays exchange of gunfire. An AR-15 and a .40 caliber handgun were among the items recovered from the scene.

Flags in North Carolina will fly at half-staff through Friday to honor the fallen officers.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation is accepting contributions to be directed to the officers families. A GoFundMe campaign organized by Back The Blue NC to assist the families of the slain officers had raised more than $82,000 as of Tuesday evening.

The North Carolina Legislative Building

Flags at the North Carolina General Assembly were flying at half-staff on Tuesday. (Photo: Clayton Henkel)

The post This country lost four heroes: NC Governor honors officers lost in Charlotte shooting appeared first on NC Newsline.
Read the full story on The Auto Wire

A Couple Was Shot To Death Buying A Classic Car

As car enthusiasts, we like so many others look through online vehicle listings often. Perhaps youre just perusing to see what all is out there or, like Elrey Bud Runion, youre looking for something specific. The 69-year-old Vietnam veterans quest for a 1966 Ford Mustang like the one he had after returning from the war led him and his 66-year-old wife into a fatal trap.

Beware the check engine light tape scams.

This sort of thing is something all enthusiasts and even just normal people who are car shopping must guard against. Unfortunately, there are people out there who want to use online vehicle listings to lure in victims, robbing and murdering them once the trap is sprung.

The Runions left their suburban Atlanta home and journeyed to the southern part of Georgia back in January 2015, all to see a 66 Mustang, says CNN. They never returned.

Just days later, their bodies with gunshot wounds to the head were found in some woods off a rural road. The SUV they drove was found underwater in a nearby lake. Even though police knew who the Runions had been communicating with about the classic Mustang, the case against that man never made it to court.

But new evidence, a rifle and bag full of the couples personal effects, has breathed life into the case. Hopefully there will be justice for the Runions surviving loved ones. No car is worth anyones life.

Not everyone will agree with how to be careful and protect yourself when looking at a car thats been listed online. While you can say to meet in a public place, with a non-running classic that might not be an option.

Telling people where youre going and who youre meeting doesnt stop that person from robbing and murdering you. These are uncomfortable thoughts, but we think everyone needs to think this through. While the internet allows us to find that perfect hobby car, it also gives nefarious people ways to entrap innocents.

Image via Amanda Mitchell/Facebook Marketplace

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EAST PROVIDENCE  Amid questions about who might get the $1 million in relief money that Gov. Dan McKee wants to split between the two cities hit hardest by the Washington Bridge disaster, East Providence Mayor Roberto DaSilva has come up with a potentially novel idea.

Heading to an unrelated news conference at the State House, DaSilva said only: "debit card." Or gift cards.

Gift cards? How would it work?

The details have yet to be worked out, but here is how DaSilva described the potential use of his city's $600,000 share of the $1 million total left in unspent federal pandemic dollars that McKee has asked the legislature to split between East Providence and Providence.

"The idea is to help those businesses that were most impacted. And it is going to be our job to identify which businesses ... because all businesses were impacted differently," DaSilva said. "Some saw a 40% loss. Some saw a 20% loss."

Direct handouts would "take some work on our part ... to identify which ones had the biggest loss so we can get the money to those who really were [most] impacted."

East Providence Mayor Roberto DaSilva on his hopes of putting bridge-shutdown relief money to use in the form of gift cards: "The idea is to help those businesses that were most impacted."

He gave this example of how to direct the money: A debit card that needs to be spent within the city on businesses that were affected. The logic being, if someone gets a gift card for $25 or $50, and "you go to a restaurant, you are spending more."

"Just an idea,'' he said, but one he is looking at seriously.

His concern: Were East Providence to split the $600,000 McKee wants to give his city equally among East Providence's 500 or so businesses, it would amount to a little over $1,000 each.

"Does that give them the kind of help that is going help them?" he asked. "Or do we come up with another program where we take that money and make it have a multiplier effect?"

What about Providence?

Asked the same question  what might your city do with the money?  Providence Mayor Brett Smiley's spokesman Josh Estrella told The Journal: "Once the city has a better understanding of the rules and regulations around the funding, the city will develop a plan for use."

The bigger picture

The uncertainty stems from McKee's decision to move in a different direction after his initial plan to earmark $300,000 for direct grants to hard-hit businesses drew complaints that it was not enough.

In the more recent budget amendment he proposed to the legislature, he sought $600,000 for East Providence and $400,000 for Providence to be used for direct grants "or other business supports, to be determined by the local community."

If the legislature goes along, another $300,000 would go to the Executive Office of Commerce for unspecified uses "as a contingency fund to potentially support any significantly impacted businesses outside of East Providence and Providence."

Story continues

While the businesses in East Providence and Providence are the most directly impacted by the Washington Bridge reconstruction, effects have been felt statewide, said Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner at that time. Recognizing the critical role small businesses play in our economy, Commerce is dedicating $300,000 to support those affected across Rhode Island, reinforcing our commitment to our small business community.

The proposed $1.3-million package is in addition to a $400,000 marketing campaign to "drive business back into areas impacted by the bridge."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: East Providence mayor floats pandemic-funded gift cards for city businesses
FILE - The Nathan Deal Judicial Center, home of Georgia's Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, is seen, Feb. 11, 2020, in Atlanta. No one disputes that Michelle Wierson crashed her SUV into a car stopped at a traffic light, causing the death of a young boy, but while prosecutors say she needs to be held accountable for her actions, her lawyers say her mental state at the time absolves her of liability. The Georgia Court of Appeals, which is set to hear arguments in the case Wednesday, May 1, 2024, will decide whether Wiersons lawyers can use the insanity defense at trial and, if so, whether the state can try to prove that she wasnt taking her medication. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

ATLANTA (AP)  No one disputes that Michelle Wierson crashed her SUV into a car stopped at a traffic light, causing the death of a young boy.

But while prosecutors say she needs to be held accountable for her actions, her lawyers say her mental state at the time absolves her of criminal liability. When Wierson sped through the streets of a DeKalb County, Georgia, neighborhood in her Volkswagen Tiguan in September 2018, she believed she was on a God-assigned mission to save her daughter from being killed.

On her way to her daughters school, she was traveling at full speed when she hit a Toyota Corolla stopped at a traffic light, forcing it into the intersection, where it collided with another car. Five-year-old Miles Jenness, who was riding in the Toyota, sustained a traumatic brain injury and a severed spine and died days later.

An Atlanta-area psychologist with a years-long history of bipolar disorder, Wierson has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges including vehicular homicide and reckless driving.

Prosecutors want a judge to bar Wierson from using an insanity defense. But if that defense is allowed, they want to introduce evidence they say shows that she wasn't taking all of her medication. Defense attorneys argue that if the state succeeds, the insanity defense would be completely gutted for this case and others.

A three-judge panel of the Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday heard arguments in the case. Now the judges must decide whether Wiersons lawyers can use the insanity defense at trial and, if so, whether the state can try to prove that she wasnt taking her medication. They did not indicate how or when they might rule. But they may not have the last word  either side could appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court.

Court records describe Wierson as irate at the scene of the wreck, where she was arrested after throwing things at first responders and into the street. Witnesses said they thought Wierson was under the influence of some type of intoxicant. Her lawyers assert that she was suffering a psychotic break that rendered her legally insane.

Robert Rubin, a lawyer for Wierson, called the entire situation a horrible tragedy. His client, he said, is haunted by the tragic consequences of her psychotic behavior, but it was wholly without any intention and moral culpability since she was mentally ill at the time.

Bruce Hagen, a lawyer who represents the Jenness family in a separate civil case pending against Wierson, said his clients have been patiently waiting for justice."

The Jennesses are really interested in seeing Ms. Wierson held fully criminally accountable for the death of Miles, Hagen said. If the issue is that she willfully stopped taking her medication, their position is she should not then benefit from claiming temporary insanity brought on by the very predictable result of not taking her medication.

There are two tests for insanity under Georgia law, both having to do with the person's mental state at the time of the alleged crime. The first says a person shall not be found guilty of a crime if she did not have mental capacity to distinguish between right and wrong related to the act. The second says a person shall not be found guilty of a crime if the person acted because of "a delusional compulsion that overmastered" her will.

Two experts  one hired by the defense, and one engaged by the court  found that Wierson met both of those criteria.

But prosecutors argue that it doesnt matter whether she could distinguish right from wrong. All that matters for a traffic offense is that Wierson was driving in a way that violated the law, and that caused the boy's death, they say.

The delusional compulsion defense only applies if the person would have been justified in their actions if the delusion were true, prosecutor Thomas Williams said. But no one is ever justified in driving recklessly.

Therefore, her mental state is not relevant, and her lawyers are simply trying to evoke an emotional response and to confuse the jury, prosecutors argue.

Wierson's lawyers contend that the state's arguments are inconsistent with Georgia case law, arguing in a brief that the state must still prove that the driver's actions were of her own accord and not an external factor that forced her into a choice and overpowered her will. Every action Wierson took that day was a result of her delusional compulsion and her inability to distinguish right from wrong, her lawyers argue.

If Wierson is allowed to use an insanity defense, prosecutors say they should be allowed to produce evidence showing she had intentionally stopped taking her medication, making her psychotic break a reasonable and foreseeable consequence of her own actions.

Wierson had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2005 and had been using several medications, including lithium, according to court filings. Urine and blood tests from the day of the crash suggested she hadn't been taking the lithium as prescribed, and her brother said she had stopped taking it weeks before the crash, prosecutors wrote.

Evidence of Wierson's medication levels will be critical to the jury's assessment of her state of mind and the crux of her insanity defense, prosecutors argue.

Wierson's lawyers insist that she had been taking her medication properly. That the lithium wasn't detected is evidence that her dosage was too low, not necessarily that she didn't take it as directed, they wrote. But even if she hadn't taken her medication, the law is clear that there is no exception to the insanity defense for medication or therapeutic noncompliance.

Allowing medication-compliance evidence will confuse the issues" and improperly cause the jury to judge Wierson based on her conduct as a patient and not on her mental state at the time of the offense.
Colleges are taking more definitive action to end the pro-Palestinian student protests that have sprung up nationwide, either through police force or peaceful agreement between demonstrators and campus leaders.

Multiple universities this week have sent in law enforcement to arrest hundreds of protesters as administrators declare their demonstrations illegal, while at least two schools have been able to reach deals with activists to peacefully close down their encampments.

But even as college administrators likely hope the protests will dwindle naturally once classes are over for the summer, advocates on both sides say the work is not over.

Rabbi David Markowitz, executive vice president at Olami, a group leading a #ZeroTolerance antisemitism campaign on campuses, told The Hill that in the most likely scenario, whats going to happen in the next week to two weeks is that things are going to quiet down, and theres a huge risk that people see that quieting down as the problem going away.

You dont solve the problem by having the semester end conveniently, Markowitz said.

Police had already been called into multiple campuses to deal with the protesters against Israels war in Gaza, but their presence escalated significantly in the last two days.

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 30 people were charged with trespassing on Tuesday.

An encampment at the University of Utah was deconstructed on Tuesday, and 17 people were arrested.

On Wednesday, police removed the encampment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with the college reporting 34 people were arrested. CNN reported that as police left the area, however, more tents were promptly put back up.

And on Monday, riot police again arrested several students at the University of Texas at Austin.

But the schools that have caught the most attention are Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

On Tuesday night, Columbia called in the New York Police Department to take back Hamilton Hall, which protesters had taken over earlier in the day. More than 300 people were arrested, and protesters were cleared from the building and a nearby encampment.

At UCLA, the Los Angeles Police Department came in early Wednesday morning to quell violence at the demonstration after pro-Israel counterprotesters attacked the pro-Palestinian activists, attempting to remove their encampment and reportedly throwing fireworks into the crowd.

We are appalled at the violence that took place on the campus of UCLA last night. The

abhorrent actions of a few counter protestors last night do not represent the Jewish community or our values. We believe in peaceful, civic discourse, the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles said in a statement.

The encampment has been declared unlawful by UCLA, but it has yet to be cleared by the police. The school canceled classes Wednesday due to the violence.

Activists at other universities say they are not discouraged.

I would say that I see the resolve of the student movement just getting stronger and stronger in the face of this repression, said Batya Kline, a student organizer at Wesleyan University.

We are in a situation where were in the midst of a seven-month genocide. And so seeing our friends get arrested and seeing them getting beat up by the cops is not deterring us, because we are so enraged and in so much grief because of whats happening. Its just kind of making our student movement stronger, more tightknit and more widespread.

At least two colleges have managed to get their encampments removed without police force by striking a deal with protesters.

At Brown University, the school agreed to allow five students to present arguments to its board about why they should divest from companies connected to Israel, and the board will vote in the fall on potential divestment. Brown also said it will look favorably on students during disciplinary hearings for willingly taking down the encampment.

And at Northwestern University, students are now allowed to protest through June 1 with only one tent on the premises and must keep the demonstrations in line with university policy. In exchange, the school will provide more transparency in its investments, reestablish an advisory committee to consider investment responsibility in the fall and provide full tuition to five Palestinian students and funding for two visiting Palestinian faculty members.

I think that just demonstrates the power of our student movement, that were mobilizing basically the entire student population at each of these schools so that the administrations, which have been deaf to us for so long, not listening to our demands, are now accepting them at face value and making deals that the organizers, the Palestinian organizers themselves, deem appropriate and are accepting these deals, Kline said.

Others, however, are appalled by the deals Northwestern and Brown made.

I think that any university that agreed to make any concessions on their university-wide policy to these protesters have demonstrated an ultimate failure of leadership, said Ron Halber, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.

There are some among the protesters who have good intentions, who want to see an end of the war, but these protests across the country have been infected with the most vile, Nazi-era type antisemitic language, and there should be no compromise with them on anything. There should just be total condemnation across the board and no offers to meet with any of their demands, Halber added.

He argued these protests would not have lasted as long if they were attacking another group other than Israelis and Jews and that this requires immediate federal action.

House Republicans have in recent months made combating antisemitism, particularly on college campuses, a pivotal part of their messaging.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced Tuesday a House-wide investigation into the matter, and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chair of the Education and the Workforce Committee, said she will be conducting another college antisemitism hearing, calling on the heads of Yale University, UCLA and the University of Michigan to attend.

But some advocates have said there has been a lot of talk with very little action on the issue.

The government needs to hold the schools accountable. Theres been a bunch of stuff from Congress where theyve made statements that are going to hold the schools accountable. I dont know that weve seen any real holding schools accountable. I think weve heard talk about it, Markowitz said.

He argues there needs to be clear rules around where protesting is allowed to happen and the consequences for breaking the regulations.

Here are the rules around which you can do that, and if you dont follow those rules, then youre going to have your group status removed. The student would be expelled, the nonmembers of the school [] will be removed and arrested by the police, Markowitz said.

Everything follows from there, but create policy as a school around what is allowed and whats not allowed, or what are the guidelines into which it can be done, and this way everybody has clarity about what they can do [and] what they cant do.

Updated at 5:33 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A fire broke out at a fire station in Huntington Park early Wednesday morning.

Crews responded to a second-alarm structure fire at Fire Station 164, at 6301 Santa Fe Avenue, around 4 a.m., according to Fred Fielding, spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Law enforcement sent to UCLA following attack on encampment

Video captured by KTLA shows firefighters  some in street clothes  mopping up the mess in the aftermath of the fire; additional footage posted to the Citizen App shows crews on the roof of an adjacent building battling the blaze.

According to Los Angeles County Fire Department Public Information Officer Fred Fielding, crews responded to a second-alarm structure fire at Fire Station 164 in Huntington Park, CA on May 1, 2024. (OnSceneTV)

According to Los Angeles County Fire Department Public Information Officer Fred Fielding, crews responded to a second-alarm structure fire at Fire Station 164 in Huntington Park, CA on May 1, 2024. (OnSceneTV)

According to Los Angeles County Fire Department Public Information Officer Fred Fielding, crews responded to a second-alarm structure fire at Fire Station 164 in Huntington Park, CA on May 1, 2024. (Citizen App)

According to Los Angeles County Fire Department Public Information Officer Fred Fielding, crews responded to a second-alarm structure fire at Fire Station 164 in Huntington Park, CA on May 1, 2024. (KTLA)

According to Los Angeles County Fire Department Public Information Officer Fred Fielding, crews responded to a second-alarm structure fire at Fire Station 164 in Huntington Park, CA on May 1, 2024. (KTLA)

No firefighters were injured, Fielding said, but some fire equipment was heavily damaged.

Man, 33, convicted of gruesome cartel-related murders in Orange County

The flames were extinguished by 5:10 a.m.

An investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing.

Alexis Lewis and Dan Lunsford contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Crime Reports: Abilene man reports ex texts him several hundred times a day

Editors Note: The following arrest and incident reports were supplied by the Abilene Police Department. All information below comes from reports made by responding officers, and all suspects are considered not guilty unless determined otherwise in a court of law.

Incidents

1100 block of Roma Lane  Theft of Motor Vehicle

A vehicle was reported stolen in Abilene.

3600 block of N 1st Street  Criminal Trespass

1000 block of Energy Drive  Burglary of Building

A victim reported a chain saw, computer, and phone were reported stolen.

1000 block of S Bowie Drive  Theft of Property

Furniture was reported stolen.

600 block of Jefferson Drive  Assault Family Violence

A resident in north Abilene reports she was assaulted by her boyfriend.

1200 block of S Jefferson Drive  Harassment

A victim reported his ex-girlfriend was sending him several hundred texts a day.

1900 block of Bel Air Drive  Theft of Motor Vehicle

A vehicle was reported stolen.

2000 block of Briarwood Street  Violation of Bond

A suspect was arrested for violation of a protective order.

4300 block of Buffalo Gap Road  Theft of Property

A computer worth $1,100 was reported stolen.

1600 block of Hwy 351  Criminal Mischief

A store reported two suspects were brazenly taking large TV from multiple businesses in town.

1300 block of N Willis Street  Theft of Property

More than $10,000 worth of jewelry and cash was reported stolen.

2300 block of Amarillo Street  Assault Family Violence

A suspect was arrested for assault family violence.

3200 block of Old Anson Road- Aggravated Assault Deadly Weapon

A report was taken for aggravated assault deadly weapon in north Abilene.

00 block of Queen Anns Lace  Assault Family Violence

An assault arrest was made in south Abilene.

3800 block of S 1st Street  Assault

A suspect was arrested at a south Abilene business.

Arrests

Jacob Poor  Criminal Trespass

Carol Jonas  Public Intoxication

Sydney Handlon  Possession of Controlled Substance

Christopher Owen  Violation of Bond/Protective Order

Peter Dodgen  Public Intoxication

Coleton Stirman  Public Intoxication

Jeremy Bara  Assault Family Violence

Jonathon Roberts  Assault Family Violence, Interfer with Emergency Request for Assistance

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
Kelly Flynn, president of A Womans Choice in Jacksonville, Florida, stands in the doorway of her office. (Agnes Lopez/The 19th)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  Annas period was only three days late when she took a pregnancy test just over a week ago. When she saw the positive result, she knew she wanted an abortion.

A hospitality worker in north Florida, Anna earns barely $2,000 a month. She had only recently returned to work after the birth of her son. She was so sure they could not afford another child that shed begged her partner to get a vasectomy. He declined, so they relied on condoms.

After my last baby, I knew I didnt want to have any more kids, said Anna, who The 19th is referring to by her middle name because of her concerns about abortion stigma. Theres no way  absolutely no way we can afford it. Were finally getting on our feet to get him into day care, for me to actually have a job and start my career again.

This report was originally published by The 19th. The Illuminator is a member of The 19th News Network.

She texted a coworker, who told her about A Womans Choice in Jacksonville. Anna would have to make two visits to the clinic, separated by 24 hours, thanks to a law that took effect in the spring of 2022. The first is a state-required consultation in which physicians must tell patients about options other than abortion, and the second is the actual procedure. She waited an hour on the phone to hear that the first available appointment wasnt until April 30.

Anna was originally scheduled to have her abortion Thursday, May 2, the next day the clinic was supposed to be open. Then during her ultrasound, the technician told her she was five weeks and six days pregnant  and that meant she was running out of time. Starting today, Florida is enforcing a strict ban on abortions after six weeks.

If she waited until Thursday, it would be too late to get an abortion in Florida; the staff would have to send her to North Carolina. Anna started praying, whispering please to herself.

The staff told her theyd see what they could do  theyd talk to the doctor and see if he might be able to come in and care for her on Wednesday, typically his day off.

He agreed, and Anna came in for her second visit on May 1, just as the ban went into effect. She was exactly six weeks pregnant. She was the only patient to receive an abortion in a clinic that, the day before, had been standing room only.

Empty chairs are seen in the waiting room hours before the Florida ban went into effect at A Woman's Choice, in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 30, 2024.

Empty chairs are seen in the waiting room hours before the Florida ban went into effect at A Womans Choice, in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 30, 2024. (Agnes Lopez for The 19th)

It was a dramatic shift from the start of the week, when the state still allowed abortions up to the 15th week of pregnancy. On Monday, almost 60 people came to the clinic; about half for their abortions, and half for the preliminary consults. A third were from somewhere other than Florida, and the vast majority were past six weeks of pregnancy. Staff fretted about whether theyd have enough parking spaces for everyone, and patients filling out paperwork sat on the tiny waiting room floor. When told that day just how many patients hed be seeing  all of them  Dr. Herman Miller, the clinics primary OB-GYN, almost laughed: Thats ridiculous.

But by Wednesday morning, it was all over. Outside, half a dozen abortion opponents chanted prayers. Inside the clinic was quieter. When patients started to trickle in around 8:45 a.m., there was easily room for all of them: Anna, for her surgical abortion, and nine patients who showed up for state-mandated consults.

The contrast and cause were obvious. In a matter of days, the nation had lost one of the Souths last meaningful options for legal abortion.

After Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, Florida  the third largest state in the country  became one of the only realistic options for Southerners seeking abortions. In the next 18 months, Florida recorded the nations second-largest increase in abortions, even as the state enforced what was then a 15-week limit, substantially earlier in pregnancy than what was guaranteed under Roe. In 2023, about 84,000 abortions took place in Floridas 60-some clinics, according to state health department data.

At A Womans Choice, clinicians said they have treated close to 400 abortion patients per month since the end of Roe. Between a third and half came from somewhere else in the South: mostly Georgia, but also Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. Most patients arrived when they were somewhere between eight and 12 weeks pregnant.

With the six-week ban in effect, Kelly Flynn, the president of the clinic, estimates the number of patients they see  virtually all of them people seeking abortions  will fall by more than half. Her clinic is scheduling only a handful of abortions per day; staff think that maybe theyll see 20 to 30 patients in a single week, instead of a single day.

Mikenzie Buchanan organizing charts for the day.

Staffer Mikenzie Buchanan organizes charts at A Womens Choice, on April 30, 2024. (Agnes Lopez for The 19th)

On Wednesday morning, all but one patient seeking a consultation came from Florida. Three of the nine who showed up were already past six weeks, one only by days. Clinic staff offered to help them make appointments in North Carolina, the closest option. One of the physicians on staff is licensed in both North Carolina and Florida, and could do North Carolinas first mandated visit from Jacksonville.

Of the three states whose strictest limit is a six-week cutoff  South Carolina and Georgia also outlaw abortion after that point  Florida is the only one to require patients make two separate in-person visits for an abortion. It makes a tight timeline even tighter: Patients need to discover their pregnancies early enough for both appointments and make sure they have time off from work two days in a row.

Even by Tuesday, the day before the law took effect, its effect was visible; the 24-hour rule meant that in preparing patients for Wednesday, clinicians could only see people who were at or earlier than 5 weeks and 6 days. With such a short timeline, the patients seeking their preliminary abortion consults hailed exclusively from Florida. It was the first time in months that had been the case, Miller said.

You ladies are lucky you got in here this week, he sighed that morning. Something happens tomorrow, youre going to be traveling.

Miller has been providing abortions since he became a physician in the 1970s. He is almost ready to retire  he hopes to make it one more year at the clinic. His arthritis means he can only do so many abortions in a day, especially surgical ones. Standing for too long is painful.

But he worries about what will happen when he leaves the clinic, and who will be left in Jacksonville to care for a dwindling number of patients. An alumnus of the Civil Rights Movement, Miller has started telling patients not only about the new six-week law, but also encouraging them to vote in November for a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

Getting that passed is an uphill battle: Florida requires 60 percent of voters to approve ballot-initiated constitutional amendments, the highest threshold in the country. Since June 2022, abortion rights measures have consistently won at the ballot box, but only two  Californias and Vermonts  got support from more than 60 percent of state voters.

Miller, clad in a green scrubs shirt and blue jeans, handed out pills for patients so they could start their medication abortions. Make sure that you vote, he told them. If the six-week ban  if its not voted out in November, they also plan to go after IUDs or implants.

Most patients said they hadnt heard about the ballot measure. Anna, for one, said she would start telling everyone she could, posting about it on social media, encouraging them to vote in favor.

Women should be voting for these things. Its not about your views on whether youre against abortion or not, she said. Its just about, it is your body. You get to choose whatever you want. Nobodys telling men, You need to have a vasectomy after four kids.

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Staff saw patients rushing to the clinic as soon as they learned they were pregnant: One woman who showed up Monday had tested positive the night before. The staff couldnt schedule her that day; instead, they said, shed have better luck phoning the clinics call center across the street, trying to get on the books for Tuesday, and hoping she would still be within the limit by Wednesday.

Those who already had appointments said they felt lucky to be there. One woman came Tuesday from Louisiana. She is almost 40 years old, with a teenager at home. Another, who had come from Alabama, was 14 weeks pregnant. When she got her abortion Tuesday, she only just made the deadline.

The clinic doesnt track patient demographics, but employees said that anecdotally, most of the people they see arent White. Its unsurprising: Research suggests that 60 percent of Black women now live in states with abortion bans. Black women and Latinas have historically been more likely to get abortions than White women, a trend reflective of the fact that they are more likely to have lower-paying jobs and face more barriers in getting contraception.

A Womans Choice has started directing patients to leave Florida for care. Now, the closest option for an abortion after six weeks is North Carolina, which allows it until the end of the first trimester  12 weeks. But that state requires patients to make two in-person visits to the clinic 72 hours apart, which can make the trip prohibitively expensive. After North Carolina is Virginia, where the procedure is legal until 27 weeks of pregnancy. Danville, home to the closest Virginia clinic, is about 500 miles away from Jacksonville.

Jacksonville is only about an hours drive from the state border. The journey out of state will be even more burdensome to people coming from further south in Florida. By Tuesday, Dr. Chelsea Daniels, an OB-GYN who practices primarily at a Planned Parenthood outside of Miami  850 miles south of Danville, or 12 hours driving  said she already had to tell scores of patients that they were too far along to qualify for an abortion.

She worries the journey north will be too cumbersome and expensive for most patients. Abortion funds in Florida, nonprofits that help patients cover the cost of leaving the state for a procedure, say they do not have enough money to help support every Floridian who will need out-of-state care.

We are going to have these difficult conversations with just about every single patient coming in for their first day physicians consult, Daniels said Wednesday morning. Were going to be having dozens of those conversations today, just like we did yesterday.

Pregnant Floridians could also have the option to order pills online through services like Aid Access, in which physicians practicing in other states mail abortion medication to patients in states that have outlawed the procedure. Its a process thats medically safe but legally tenuous  Anna, for one, said she wouldnt feel comfortable getting pills from a physician potentially hundreds of miles away.

An empty examination room is seen at A Woman's Choice

An empty examination room is seen at A Womans Choice, on April 30, 2024. (Agnes Lopez for The 19th)

Even though she was able to secure her appointment, the process felt almost unbearably isolating. Her husband is the only person she has told about her decision. She is Latina, and most of her family isnt in the United States. She isnt sure many of her older relatives would have supported her in getting an abortion  maybe just her mom and her sister.

Holding back tears, she tried to imagine what she would have had to do if she hadnt been able to get in on Wednesday. Still, she said, she would have done whatever it took, even if that meant driving eight hours out of state and charging the trip over multiple credit cards, hoping someday shed be able to pay it back. Already, she had prepared for this trip to cost her what felt like a small fortune: $375, because she qualified for financial support from the clinic. It was close to a fifth of her monthly pay.

The night before her abortion, she lay awake in bed until 4 a.m. thinking through what might happen when she came into the clinic. But for all her anxiety, she was certain about her decision.

I cannot have a baby. I just know that, she said. I know what I want. What I want is  I just want this to be over.

The post From crowded to quiet: Inside a clinic as Florida bans abortions after six weeks appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
Geoconda "Geo" Hughes (left) is challenging state Sen. Rochelle Nguyen in Nevada State Senate District 3 (Photos courtesy of Hughes, Nguyen campaigns)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

The Culinary union is flexing its political muscle this election cycle, backing the daughter of their former secretary-treasurer in a primary challenge against Democratic state Sen. Rochelle Nguyen because she supported a bill the union vehemently opposed.

But Geoconda Geo Hughes says she wants to be the candidate for all labor, not just the powerhouse union she grew up around. Hughes is an intensive care nurse practitioner who worked through the pandemic.

The winner of the State Senate District 3 Democratic primary will almost certainly prevail during the general election in November, given the districts heavy blue registration advantage and voting history.

Nguyen was appointed to the Nevada State Assembly by the Clark County Commission in 2018. She retained her seat in the 2020 and 2022 elections, winning the district by 27-point and 16-point margins, respectively. Then, in December 2022, she was appointed to the State Senate.

Nguyen says she welcomes this years challenge: Everyone has the right to run. I stand on my accomplishments.

Nguyen handily defeated a Democratic primary challenger in 2020, but that candidate did not have the backing Hughes has.

Hughes is the daughter of Geoconda Arguello-Kline, who led Culinary for a decade before retiring in 2022. Hughess candidacy was announced mid-March at a Culinary endorsement event.

Union leaders said they were targeting Nguyen because of her involvement with 2023s Senate Bill 441, which repealed daily room cleaning provisions established in 2020 as a response to the covid pandemic. That bill, which passed the Legislature and was signed by the governor, was supported by every Republican and 19 Democrats across the state Assembly and Senate, but Nguyen presented the bill during its original committee hearing and has been pegged as one of two Democratic leaders on the effort.

(The other, Democratic state Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, who actually sponsored the bill, is not up for reelection until 2026.)

Culinary ultiimately incorporated some of the repealed provisions into their contract negotiations.

But Hughes said thousands of Culinary workers, who are predominantly women of color, could have been moved from full-time to part-time, or lost their job entirely.

That was the potential that legislation had, she added.

Nguyen defends her support of the bill, saying the provisions needed to be repealed because they were always designed to sunset but wouldnt because the trigger for that sunset relied on covid data that public health officials have since stopped collecting.

It was the right thing to do, she added. It didnt undo anything that was in place prior to covid.

Hughes said Nguyen has sponsored other non-labor friendly bills, pointing to 2023s Senate Bill 108, which revised laws around the sale of craft brews. (That bill received one contentious Senate committee hearing, then languished and died.)

I am the pro-labor candidate, said Hughes.

Hughes has been endorsed by Nevada State Education Association, UFCW Local 711, Bartenders Local 165 and Teamsters Local 631, 14, and 968.

Nguyen has been endorsed by Clark County Education Association, IBEW 357, SEIU 1107 and LiUNA 872. She also has endorsements from Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada and EMILYs List.

Nguyen, when asked what legislation she is proudest of, pointed to her efforts last session to, through the states Medicaid reimbursement rates, increase the minimum pay for home health care workers, many of whom were making $11 per hour. SEIU, which represents the majority of home care workers in the state, heavily lobbied for that legislation.

When it went into effect, you had thousands of home care workers go from making $11.50 to making $16, sometimes $17 an hour. That is something real. That is something you feel in your paycheck, said Nguyen.

When asked what legislation she would like to sponsor or work on if elected, Hughes pointed to specific labor issues, like the allowed ratio of nurses to patients.

There is so much we can do in this community. We need a health care and labor voice, who looks across legislation through the lens of how this will affect the average Nevadan, the workers? That person. Thats the person I represent. Thats who I am.

Hughes also said she wants to support proposed legislation supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers union that would provide protections for grocery store workers after companies are bought or sold. That legislation is considered a priority for the union because of the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons, which could impact thousands of Nevadana across the state.

Thats a no-brainer for me, she added.

Nguyen says if given another term she wants to continue efforts to strengthen reproductive rights, lower costs to prescription drugs, and expand graduate medical education programs to help address health care professional shortages. She also plans to continue her work on legislation related to psilocybin, the chemical component of psychedelic mushrooms, which emerging research suggests has mental health benefits.

Were talking about veterans suffering from PTSD who are seeking treatment outside the country for mental health, she said, emphasizing that the conversation is not about recreational use. Thats heartbreaking. Its heartbreaking we havent looked ahead to what that looks like for our country.

Nguyen had raised nearly $78,000 for her campaign, according to her financial disclosure reports filed April 15. She is currently running a six-figure digital ad buy highlighting her support of reproductive rights, according to the Nevada Senate Democratic Caucus.

Hughes had raised just $6,879, according to her campaign finance report, but that number reflects less than a month of fundraising.

Hughes is one of two candidates being pushed by the Culinary this primary cycle. Linda Hunt, 45-year member of the union who works as a food server at a downtown casino, is the other. Hunt is running in the Democratic primary in Assembly District 17 against Mishon Montgomery, an Air Force veteran being backed by the Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus. That race is an open seat.

Nevadas primary election is Tuesday, June 11, with in-person early voting running from May 25 to June 7. Mail ballots will be delivered to all active registered voters sometime in May.

The post Culinary-backed nurse challenges Democratic incumbent in State Senate District 3 appeared first on Nevada Current.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX)  Culvers is hosting its Scoops of Thanks Day fundraiser on May 2 for the tenth year in a row. On this day, guests can get a single scoop of Fresh Frozen Custard in exchange for a $1 donation to support local chapters of Future Farmers of America and agricultural education programs.

This year, theyre bringing back the How Now Brown Cow flavor of fresh frozen custard for one day only. This flavor was a hit last year and is a tasty way to celebrate farm-fresh dairy.

The fundraiser is part of Culvers Thank You Farmers Project, which aims to support local agriculture and educate people about farming. Since 2013, Culvers has donated over $5 million to agricultural education, with almost $900,000 coming from previous Scoops of Thanks Day events.

Guests can choose between the How Now Brown Cow flavor, chocolate or vanilla for their scoop of custard by making a $1 donation. This year, donations can also be made online or through the Culvers app.

Culvers hopes to beat last years record of serving over 153,000 scoops during the fundraiser. To find a Culvers location near you and join in the Scoops of Thanks Day, visit their website.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com.
12875116 / iStock.com

We Buy Your House Now companies have been more and more abundant over the past few years, and while these organizations might be helpful for some sellers, financial expert and host Dave Ramsey urges caution when using them.

Check Out: Heres the Salary a Single Person Needs To Live Comfortably in Hawaii

Read Next: How To Get $340 Per Year in Cash Back on Gas and Other Things You Already Buy

When asked by a caller on his namesake financial show if these companies are a scam, Ramsay recommended other options instead  suggesting the caller would lose money with a We Buy Your House Now group.

Theyre not a scam, but theyre buying the home to resell it at a profit  which means they have to buy it from you at below retail, Ramsey said in the October 2023 episode.

In turn, Ramsey told the caller that if he was not desperate, then he recommended not using one of these companies.

Instead, he suggested an alternative. Heres what you need to do, you just need to be patient and do a contingency sale, said Ramsey.

As Ramsey explained in a Ramsey Solutions article, in some instances, sellers need to sell their house before they can buy a new one.

That can be kind of rough for the seller, who might miss out on another offer while theyre waiting for you to close on your old house. Because of this, sellers usually attach a kick-out clause to this contingency. This is basically a sell-by date so the seller can move on if you cant get your current house sold, he wrote in the article.

In turn, Ramsey argued in the article that in some instances, it might make more financial sense to sell the house first, and then rent another for some time.

Learn More: Im a Real Estate Agent: 5 Places Id Buy a Vacation Home If I Had $500,000

That way, you wont wind up in a situation where youre making two mortgage payments  and you wont have to worry about this contingency at all! Win, win, he added.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Dave Ramsey: Use Caution When Using a We Buy Your House Now Company
A major breakthrough has been made in a decades-old investigation into the gruesome discovery of a womans body on a road near a Massachusetts state forest, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, First Assistant District Attorney Steven E. Gagne, and representatives of the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit will provide an update Thursday at 10 a.m. on an unsolved homicide in Warwick that dates back to 1989, a spokesperson for the DAs office said.

A driver traveling in the area of Route 78 near Mount Grace State Forest discovered the human remains after stopping to urinate on June 24, 1989, Gagne said in October 2023 as the DAs office renewed its effort to crack the cold case, the Greenfield Recorder reported.

Its just strange. On the one hand, whoever did this took the time to dismember her, which would not have been a quick thing, yet to just dispose of her remains here, off the side of the road, almost as if in haste, Gagne said at the time.

In the quiet old-fashioned town, its not surprising that murder, especially a decades-old unsolved murder, is still a shock.

Its very quiet around here to have something like that happen is very unusual, actually, said Amy Roberts.

Investigators ultimately decided to reach out to Othram, a Texas corporation known for its success in utilizing forensic genetic genealogy to solve unsolved murders, for help in this case, according to the report.

In October, Prosecutor Steven Gagne told the Greenfield Recorder newspaper, his office was taking a fresh look at the case, and enlisting help from the Texas based Othram Labs in an effort to identify the remains.

Othram has had recent success in identifying the Granby Girl, Patricia Ann Tucker, who was found buried under leaves off a road in the town of Granby on Nov. 15, 1978, as well as The Lady of the Dunes, Ruth Marie Terry, whose naked and mutilated body was found near Provincetowns Race Point on July 26, 1974.

Kristen Mittelman, Othrams Chief Development Officer, previously told Boston 25 News that the company has developed a technique that can develop a DNA sequence from even the most difficult and degraded samples.

We work with evidence that most people would say DNA cant be read from, Mittelman explained. We identified a murder victim from 1881 and those bones were found outside of a barn. Degradation that happens over time, we seem to be insensitive to that now. Weve identified a victim that was inside a sewage tank.

Sullivans office didnt reveal any specific details on what will be discussed during the press conference.

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RAYNHAM  Police officers fatally shot a 35-year-old man who pointed a handgun at them on Tuesday, one day after probation officers asked a judge to hold him without bail, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said.

Stephen Maclean, of Raynham, was shot by two of the four Raynham police officers who responded to his residence at the King Philip Street Apartments on Tuesday afternoon, Quinn said.

Police officers were at Maclean's home multiple times between Monday and Tuesday for reports of belligerent behavior, the DA said. Maclean's girlfriend told police that he went to work on Tuesday morning and was fired because he showed up intoxicated.

"Police again, this afternoon, arrived at his apartment," Quinn said. "They're outside the apartment door. He opened the door and pointed a gun at the officers. A Taser was deployed and two of the officers fired their weapons, resulting in the defendant being hit, going to the ground. They provided medical treatment. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after arriving."

Raynham and State Police investigate a shooting at 501 King Phillip St. in Raynham on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

Maclean had appeared in Taunton District Court on Monday after being arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and witness intimidation. He pleaded not guilty, but probation officers asked a judge to detain Maclean because of the new arrest while he's on probation for second-offense drunken driving. The judge denied the request and released Maclean, Quinn said.

"Like all these cases, this is a tragedy," the DA said. "Fortunately, no officers were injured. And this is just another example of police officers putting their lives in jeopardy when they report to these various scenes involving individuals."

Quinn said that a firearm with a 21-round magazine that Maclean was holding was seized. He said Maclean was not licensed to carry a firearm, particularly due to a criminal background.

The DA said he reviewed body camera footage from the officers and that it appears they "clearly acted professionally and appropriately under the extraordinarily difficult circumstances." He said his office will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

The two officers who fired their weapons at Maclean were taken to a hospital for evaluation and later released, Quinn said. They were not identified by authorities.

Raynham Police Chief David LaPlante, center, and Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn, left, hold a press conference at the Raynham police station on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after two Raynham police officers fatally shot a man who pointed a gun at them.

Raynham Police Chief David LaPlante said he's thankful none of his officers were injured.

"This is not a day that any officer hopes will come," the chief said, adding that the officers acted consistent with their training.

Enterprise senior reporter Cody Shepard can be reached by email at cshepard@enterprisenews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Raynham police shooting: Officers fatally shoot man armed with gun
NEW YORK  Manhattan prosecutors on Wednesday told a judge they will retry disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein following the overturning of his rape and sexual assault conviction and will be ready for trial as soon as this fall.

The decision was announced by prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office at a hearing attended by Weinstein and Jessica Mann, one of two women who he was found guilty of abusing more than four years ago. Bragg, whose predecessor brought the New York case against Weinstein, was also in attendance.

We believe in this case, and we will be retrying this case, Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said, asking Judge Curtis Farber to remand the producer.

Weinsteins lawyer, Arthur Aidala, told the court his client, who was rolled into court in a wheelchair, continues to maintain his innocence.

I will tell you hes sharp as a tack, and as smart as he ever was, the defense attorney side said.

Both sides said they could be ready for a trial by fall.

A state Supreme Court jury determined Weinstein, 72, was guilty of criminal sexual act in the first-degree and third-degree rape on February 24, 2020, finding he forcibly performed oral sex on a woman in 2006 and committed third-degree rape in an incident with another woman in 2013.

But a stunning April 25 decision by the New York Court of Appeals found the trial court judge, James Burke, shouldnt have permitted three womens testimony of uncharged, prior sexual acts, and further erred by deciding Weinstein could be cross-examined on those allegations if he elected to take the stand in his defense.

The ruling has no bearing on Weinsteins December 2022 rape and sexual assault conviction in Los Angeles, California, or 16-year prison sentence in that case.

The Miramax founders precipitous fall from grace came after bombshell exposes by The New Yorker and The New York Times in late 2017, alleging he abused scores of women throughout his career. The scandal supercharged the #MeToo movement against workplace sexual abuse and harassment committed by men in positions of power.

-------
Brad Sham has visited Israel four times and prioritizes his Jewish faith, but these realities do not make him blind to the areas of fault over the crisis in the Middle East.

The veteran voice of the Dallas Cowboys is in his 70s, and is a voice of reason on what he calls a layered topic that has divided an increasing number of Americans. As if we needed more.

As the pro-Palestine protest movement across college campuses expands from Columbia in New York to USC in Los Angeles, to the University of Texas in Austin to the University of North Texas in Denton, Sham can only watch with skepticism, dread, sadness, and fear.

This is a difficult thing for an American Jew to be in; that because of the conduct of the Israeli government we are affected, Sham said Tuesday morning in a phone interview. The American Jew is being affected by what (Israeli prime minister) Benjamin Netanyahu is doing.

A lot of my Jewish friends disagree with me, but Netanyahu is the biggest threat to the preservation of the state of Israel Ive seen in my lifetime. Thats my opinion. His conduct on this [war with Palestine] has given all of the anti-semites in the world reason to think, Maybe weve got them this time. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail.

There is a rational view of this latest Middle East crisis, but those are seldom popular because sensible rarely moves the needle.

There is a way to be pro Israel, and not support Israelis leadership.

There is a way for an Israeli to recognize the plight of Palestinians who are in the middle of a tragic situation at the hands of their leadership, whose announced priority it is to eradicate Jewish people.

This is where Shams layered topic line begins to fit; exactly who started what and when is a multi-generational point of contention, and often a source of deep hatred. There are books, movies, documentaries, and podcasts that you can consume in an effort to understand Israel Palestine; it can be as confusing as it is depressing.

Sham sees ground zero for this latest tragedy as the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. According to the American Jewish Council, more than 1,200 people were killed in the terrorist attack, and Hamas took more than 230 Israelis and other foreign nationals as hostages.

Israels swift response against Hamas has become a global point of debate, anger, and protest. The response, which is now months long, has generated far more criticism than the original Hamas attack. Its as if people are forgetting the brutality of that organized assault.

Israels counter attack has, according to a report by the health ministry of Gaza, killed approximately 35,000 Palestinians, and nearly 78,000 have been injured in this war.

The Israeli governments reaction has been way greater in scope and scale than it had to be, and the reason is that it benefits Netanyahu, Sham said. The war is being conducted by a five-man panel that he picked, and most of them hate each other.

The great fallacy to all of this is that you have to choose. That you have to be one or the other. You can be pro-Israel, pro-Zionist and pro-Palestinian. You can be pro-Israel and anti-Israeli government.

Reporter grills Columbia student after she demands the university help feed protestors occupying Hamilton Hall:



"It seems like you're saying, 'we want to be revolutionaries, we want to take over this building, now would you please bring us some food'." pic.twitter.com/vNczSAM4T1  The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 30, 2024

Anyone who has spent five minutes with Sham can attest this is a man who is passionate about a variety of topics. His faith, and its history, sit near the top.

There is genuine, humanist-rationality here that it would appear the protesters dont want to entertain, or even acknowledge. Because there is a better-than-great chance the protesters all over Americas college campuses would earn a C-minus if they were taking Israel - Palestine 101 as a three hour credit.

Sham has lived long enough to know that not only will these things happen, but they will happen again; he knows that so many people who take strident views about this topic dont know much beyond a few images they see on Instagram reels, which may not even be real; five minutes worth of infotainment commentary; a handful of 85-character headlines.

I was around when the [college] students protested the Vietnam war in the 60s, but that was not like this, he said. That was American students protesting the American government. That was relatively black-and-white. This isnt.
TechCrunch

Court documents suggest that TikTok executives are aware of the app's potential harm to teenagers, according to reporting by NPR and Kentucky Public Radio. Fourteen U.S. attorneys general sued TikTok earlier this week, claiming that the app harms childrens mental health. According to Kentuckys lawsuit, the companys own research shows that compulsive usage correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety.
A Davenport man is in the Scott County Jail after he was arrested after a shooting in Davenport yesterday

Davenport Police Officers responded to the 1400 block of West Fourth Street for a report of shots fired on April 30 at about 10:37 p.m. According to the criminal complaint, Danny Young, 59, and another person were in a mutual physical altercation in front of the residence. The fight was broken up and Young went to his backyard to retrieve a black handgun.

Young allegedly returned to the front of the home with the firearm and fired a single shot at the victim while he sat in a car. The shot struck the passengers side of the car. The car was occupied at the time of the shooting by a driver, the victim in the front seat and a back seat passenger. The complaint says Young knew he wasnt allowed to possess a firearm because he was a felon, with convictions dating back over 20 years.

Danny Young (Scott County Jail)

Young was arrested on charges of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, a class C felony, going armed with intent and control of a firearm by a felon, which are both class D felonies . He is being held in the Scott County Jail, with a preliminary hearing on May 10, according to court records.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Mr. Oklahoma History was born on May 1, 1913.

George Shirk, 1966.

According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, George Shirk, also known as Mr. Oklahoma History, was born in Oklahoma City on May 1, 1913, to John Henry and Carrie Hinderer Shirk.

OKLAHOMA HISTORY: April 12

As Shirk got older, he followed in his fathers footsteps and became an attorney after earning an LL.B. degree from the University of Oklahoma Law School. He passed the Oklahoma bar exam in 1936 and worked at his fathers OKC law firm, Shirk and Danner.

While studying at OU, Shirk joined Reserves Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and later saw active duty in Europe during World War II. In 1945, he gained the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army.

OHS says Shirk devoted much of his life to historical pursuits. In 1949, he worked on the committee that chose which sites were to be historical markers. He also wrote the text for many of the markers.

Shirk served on the board of directors of the Oklahoma Historical Society and as its president from 1958 to 1975. He was also a trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and served as state historic preservation officer under governors Dewey Bartlett, David Hall and David Boren.

OKLAHOMA HISTORY: April 5

George Shirk, 1967. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

George Shirk, 1967. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

George Shirk, 1973. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

George Shirk, 1964. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

Officials say he has written and co-written multiple books and several articles for The Chronicles of Oklahoma and The American Philatelist. The OU Press printed his book Oklahoma Place Names in 1965. Shirk was also a collector and kept classic cars and building artifacts.

On November 14, 1976, Oklahoma City University dedicated the George H. Shirk Oklahoma History Center. The center holds his collection of rare books, stamps and maps. Shirk was later inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1969.

Shirk passed away from cancer on March 23, 1977, in his Oklahoma City home.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
In these days of rudeness, lets take a page from George Washingtons book on civility | Opinion

Two public examples of unneighborly activity recently have appeared on these Opinion pages.

Editorial board member Toriano Porter told the story of a woman yelling at kids in Blue Springs and calling one an expletive that begins with a b, and another about a fight over a dog between two Independence neighbors that ended in one neighbor kicking the other as he stopped just short of her in his motorized wheelchair. He kicked the dog, too, and both incidents were caught on video.

Civility certainly appears to be unaccounted for these days, whether on our screens on social media or in our communities.

Founding Father George Washington probably would roll his eyes toward the heavens. As a youth of about 14, he wrote a copy of 110 rules under the title, Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. The list, based on a French book of proverbs, was compiled and published with Washingtons name hundreds of years later. Read it yourself on the official Mount Vernon website.

Most of the rules stand the test of time. But to look at whats happening all over this nation, Id say we arent using them. A lot of us could use a refresher on how to practice common decency, and should peruse a copy.

Rules broken at Capitol in Jefferson City

Reading the short book (the tiny hardcover is only 36 pages), I noticed examples where people today were breaking these vintage directives.

The neighbors mentioned earlier could have heeded rule No. 1:

Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.

Missouri legislators have wandered into issues of decency and decorum, criticized for childish behavior and late-night arguments on the floor. In 2022, Republican state Sen. Mike Moon wore overalls on the Senate floor and was chided for it. Last year, Missouris House of Representatives tightened its dress code  for women legislators only.

Washingtons list covers that with rule No. 52: In your apparel be modest and endeavor to accommodate nature rather than to procure admiration.

I read the book, which was written about the time America was an English colony, to gain some perspective. Sadly, I found little. We still often treat each other poorly and dont respect each other.

Political hostility, divisiveness a problem

A 2021 survey from Public Agenda/USA Today/Ipsos Hidden Common Ground found that most Americans believe political hostility and divisiveness is a serious problem in the U.S.

The Pew Research Center has studied civil discourse and found that a lot of people have stopped talking to each other about politics, and when they do, they find it stressful.

And, of course, civil discourse is what is at the heart of Kansas City-based American Public Squares discussion series. I spoke to organizers last year when a controversial panel on gender and identity fell through. It was the first time a panel didnt go as scheduled.

At that time, I contacted American Public Square at Jewell founder and CEO Allan Katz, and while he recognized the issue was difficult to talk about, he said its better to be exposed to opinions that you disagree with.

Its that exposure that will help us all better understand the complexities of the issues we face as a nation and, perhaps, find common ground in the process, he told me.

Trump, Biden could learn from book

What about our nations leaders? With presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump fined $9,000 for ignoring the judges gag order in his criminal case, Washingtons rule No. 47 comes to mind:

Mock not nor jest at anything of importance; break no jests that are sharp biting; and if you deliver any thing witty and pleasant, abstain from laughing thereat yourself.

Trump also could look at rule No. 21: Reproach none for the infirmities of nature, nor delight to put them that have in mind thereof.

What about the other presumptive presidential candidate? Joe Biden could review rule No. 48:

When you reprove another be unblameable yourself, for example is more prevalent than precepts.

Even table manners matter

Civility can be heavy. But Washington knew how to have a little fun. Rules 90 to 107 have to do with table etiquette. No. 91?

Make no show of taking great delight in your victuals.

Ill be sure to share these with my Star colleagues who write the Lets Dish feature. Who am I to criticize? I wrote about barbecue ribs and Im sure I broke rule No. 94:

If you soak your bread in the sauce, let it be no more than what you put in your mouth at a time.

I suppose its a shame we have to go back hundreds of years to learn how to behave decently, but hey, Ill take it where I can get it. And let us all remember the final rule, No. 110:

Labour to keep alive in your breast that little celestial fire called conscience.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  D.C. police said a man was shot in Northeast Tuesday night.

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers responded to a shooting in the 1500 block of North Capitol St. There, they found a man who had been shot in the shoulder and neck area.

George Washington University protest enters day 6, protestors push for amnesty

He was unconscious and not breathing, according to MPD.

MPD said to look out for a short male who was wearing all black clothing. He was last seen running eastbound towards Florida Ave. in Northeast.

Anyone with information was asked to call (202) 727-9099 or text 50411.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
What is the deadliest subway crash in New York City history?

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11)  On the exterior of a subway station in Brooklyn lies a plaque memorializing the deadliest subway crash in New York City history.

The Malbone Street Wreck occurred on Nov. 1, 1918. Nearly 100 people died in the crash.

In the 1910s, before the creation of the MTA, the citys subway lines were operated by private companies. One of the private systems, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), had a contract with the city to construct new subway lines and upgrade older ones, according to the New York Transit Museum.

The dual contracts era led to the inception of a new tunnel that traveled under Malbone Street in the area of Flatbush and Prospect Park. The tunnel was built in a tricky curved shape, and train operators were instructed to travel 6 miles per hour to ensure safety, per the New York Transit Museum.

More Transit News

At the time, there was an ongoing strike between BRT and a railroad labor union. To accommodate for the lack of motormen, BRT pulled inexperienced employees to operate the trains, according to the New York Transit Museum. Edward Luciano, a 23-year-old train dispatcher, was recruited as a motorman during the strike and operated the train the day of the crash, PBS reported.

On Nov. 1, Luciano  while still grieving the death of his child to the Spanish flu and an influenza infection  set his train toward the Malbone Street tunnel.

Typically, motormen were required to have 90 hours of instruction and hands-on learning. Luciano only received two hours of classroom learning before operating the difficult route on the Brighton Beach-bound train, the New York Times reported.

How a blizzard brought about the NYC underground subway system

As Lucianos train navigated the steep entrance and sharp curve of the Malbone Street tunnel, witnesses estimated that the train rushed in at 30 miles per hour, PBS reported.

The train derailed, and the wooden train cars were crushed by the sheer force of the crash. Many of the victims were injured by shards of wood or glass and electrocuted by the third rail, PBS reported.

First responders used the Brooklyn Dodgers Ebbets Field, which is now the Ebbets Field Apartments, to give first aid to the wounded commuters.

Luciano, as well as five BRT supervisors and executives, were indicted with manslaughter charges, the New York Times reported. However, all six of the defendants were acquitted of the charges.

The tunnel where the crash happened still exists. However, it is used to turn around the Franklin Avenue shuttle train with no passengers onboard. City officials renamed Malbone Street to what is now known as Empire Boulevard.

Charline Charles is a digital journalist from Brooklyn who has covered local news along with culture and arts in the New York City area since 2019. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Comprehensive SWOT analysis for informed investment decisions.

Insight into Martin Marietta Materials Inc's financial health and market position.

Strategic evaluation of opportunities and threats in the construction materials sector.

On April 30, 2024, Martin Marietta Materials Inc (NYSE:MLM), a leading producer of construction aggregates, reported its financial results for the first quarter via a 10-Q filing with the SEC. The company, which sold 199 million tons of aggregates in 2023, operates across key markets including Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. MLM also produces cement in Texas and offers asphalt and ready-mixed concrete services. The Magnesia Specialties business, another segment of MLM, produces magnesia-based chemical products and dolomitic lime. A brief financial overview based on the filing reveals a decrease in total revenues from $1,354 million in Q1 2023 to $1,251 million in Q1 2024. However, earnings from operations saw a significant increase from $196 million to $1,421 million, largely due to a $1.3 billion gain from the divestiture of the South Texas cement business. This financial snapshot sets the stage for a detailed SWOT analysis of MLM.

Decoding Martin Marietta Materials Inc (MLM): A Strategic SWOT Insight

Strengths

Market Leadership and Diverse Product Portfolio: Martin Marietta Materials Inc's position as one of the largest producers of construction aggregates in the United States is a testament to its market leadership. In 2023, the company sold a staggering 199 million tons of aggregates, highlighting its substantial market presence. MLM's diverse product portfolio, which includes not only aggregates but also cement, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete, and magnesia-based chemical products, provides a competitive edge. This diversification helps mitigate risks associated with market fluctuations in individual product lines and allows for cross-selling opportunities.

Strategic Geographic Footprint: MLM's strategic presence in key markets such as Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida ensures access to high-growth regions. These markets are critical for the company's sales, and its well-established network of approximately 360 quarries, mines, and distribution yards across 28 states, Canada, and The Bahamas ensures efficient supply chain management. The geographic spread not only provides a competitive advantage but also reduces dependency on any single market.

Financial Resilience: The company's financial resilience is evident from its robust earnings from operations, which soared to $1,421 million in Q1 2024, largely driven by strategic divestitures. This financial strength provides MLM with the flexibility to invest in growth opportunities, manage debt effectively, and navigate economic cycles with confidence.

Story continues

Weaknesses

Revenue Decline: Despite the increase in earnings from operations, MLM experienced a decline in total revenues from $1,354 million in Q1 2023 to $1,251 million in Q1 2024. This decline may signal underlying challenges in sales volume or pricing pressures in certain segments. It is crucial for the company to analyze the factors contributing to this revenue dip and implement strategies to reverse the trend.

Operational Risks: MLM's operations are subject to risks associated with the construction industry, including weather-related disruptions and fluctuations in demand for construction materials. The company's reliance on the infrastructure, nonresidential, and residential construction markets makes it vulnerable to economic downturns and changes in government spending on infrastructure projects.

Energy Cost Sensitivity: The production of MLM's core products, particularly cement and magnesia-based chemicals, is energy-intensive. Fluctuations in energy prices can significantly impact production costs and profitability. While the company has fixed-price agreements for a portion of its 2024 energy requirements, it remains exposed to energy cost volatility.

Opportunities

Infrastructure Investment: The United States' ongoing focus on infrastructure development presents significant opportunities for MLM. Increased government spending on roads, bridges, and other public works can drive demand for the company's aggregates and related products. MLM is well-positioned to capitalize on such investments due to its extensive product range and geographic reach.

Industry Consolidation: The construction materials industry is ripe for consolidation, and MLM can leverage its financial strength to acquire smaller players, expand its market share, and achieve operational synergies. Strategic acquisitions can also provide access to new markets and resources, further solidifying the company's industry standing.

Technological Advancements: Investing in technology and innovation can lead to operational efficiencies and cost savings for MLM. The adoption of advanced analytics, automation, and sustainable production methods can enhance competitiveness and appeal to environmentally conscious stakeholders.

Threats

Economic Fluctuations: The cyclical nature of the construction industry means that economic downturns can significantly impact MLM's business. A slowdown in construction activity can lead to reduced demand for materials, affecting sales and profitability.

Regulatory and Environmental Challenges: MLM operates in a heavily regulated industry, with environmental laws and climate change regulations posing potential challenges. Compliance with evolving regulations can result in increased operational costs and impact the company's ability to operate certain facilities.

Competition and Market Dynamics: The construction materials market is competitive, with numerous players vying for market share. Intense competition can lead to pricing pressures and margin erosion. Additionally, shifts in market dynamics, such as the adoption of alternative materials or changes in customer preferences, can pose threats to MLM's traditional product lines.

In conclusion, Martin Marietta Materials Inc (NYSE:MLM) exhibits a strong market position with a diverse product portfolio and significant geographic reach.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


The members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission are sworn in by Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday. Left to right: State Rep. Jeff LaRe, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Auditor of State Keith Faber, DeWine, Senate Majority Floor Leader Rob McColley, House Minority Leader Allison Russo and Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio. (Photo by Susan Tebben, OCJ.)

Signature collection continues for an anti-gerrymandering ballot measure in Ohio that would replace politicians on the redistricting commission with citizens. As the July deadline approaches, supporters are pointing to a new study showing how uncompetitive Statehouse races are.

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYUs law school analyzed Ohios current maps alongside the results of the most recent primary election.

Authors of the study said the data reveals one of the tangible ways Ohios gerrymandered maps undermine electoral competition, and how the districts leave millions of Ohio voters without a significant voice in the Ohio House elections slated for this November.

An overwhelming majority of Ohioans will cast ballots this November in legislative districts that were drawn to lock in general election outcomes, and few districts featured meaningful primary contests, the Brennan Center report stated. These are the predictable consequences of living in a gerrymandered state.

One of the authors of the report, released Tuesday, is Yurij Rudensky, who spoke in support of the new ballot initiative proposed to hit voters in November. If it gets on the ballot and is passed by voters, the reforms would replace the current Ohio Redistricting Commission made up of elected officials with a citizen-run, judge-vetted commission to draw the next Statehouse and U.S. Congressional maps.

Rudensky spoke in a March panel, alongside former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen OConnor and others, about the difference between the reforms passed in 2015 and 2018 and the proposed amendment that voters may see on their general election ballots.

At the March panel discussion, Rudensky hesitated to call the last two measures reforms because he argued no changes were made and the previous amendments merely demonstrated that political insiders have no business being in the process.

Since those amendments passed  reforms made through legislative negotiation before hitting the voters  the Ohio Redistricting Commission has been built on a Republican majority, with Gov. Mike DeWine, Senate President Matt Huffman, former House Speaker Bob Cupp, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Auditor of State Keith Faber all standing on the commission during some or all of the proceedings over the two years it took for the group to pass six Statehouse maps and two congressional maps. State Rep. Jeff LaRe, R-Violet Twp., replaced Cupp and state Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, came in for Huffman toward the end of the two-year span.

The Statehouse maps were declared unconstitutionally gerrymandered five times by a bipartisan majority on the Ohio Supreme Court, but voters were forced by federal judges to use them for the 2022 Election.

Statehouse maps passed by the redistricting commission this past September, and set to be used for this years election, were the only to receive bipartisan agreement (with Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio and House Minority Leader Allison Russos votes), while the states Congressional map is still considered unconstitutional under an Ohio Supreme Court ruling.

In analyzing the current Ohio Statehouse maps, Rudensky and co-author Gina Feliz concluded that about 77% of the states population live in districts where elections for state representatives are not in serious dispute.

That is, these districts are either uncontested, or they give one party a disproportionate advantage in the general election so that the district is uncompetitive, even if its formally contested, the researchers wrote.

The report defines uncompetitive as districts where the partisan draw favors one party by 55% or more.

Source: Brennan Center analysis of Ohio Secretary of States Office Unofficial 2024 Primary Election Results.

Nearly half of the districts in the Ohio House didnt have a primary contest in March to drive a November general election race, the Brennan Center research found, citing data from the Ohio Secretary of State.

In all, there are 15 districts (out of 99 total) that will give voters no choice between Democratic and Republican candidates for state representative, according to the study.

The report also recognized the low turnout in the state during the primary season, with an average of 18.8% of registered voters casting ballots in districts with competitive primaries.

Because of that, Rudensky and Feliz counted fewer than 450,000 voters who all but decided who would serve as state representatives on behalf of more than 2.3 million registered voters and 3.5 million constituents.

The report pointed to the proposed ballot initiative led by Citizens Not Politicians as a redistricting reform that could center community needs and voter preferences rather than the interests of incumbents.

Looking to a future that may have an independent redistricting commission, the voting rights group Common Cause put out its own report, a summary of a 2023 conference where members reflected on states who already have such a system in place, and those like Ohio that could see the change come in November.

Unsurprisingly, all those who attended the conference believed in the possibilities of fair and representative maps and that independent redistricting commissions were the best strategy to achieve this goal, Common Cause stated in the new report.

The Roadmap for Fair Maps in 2030, a summary of the 2023 National Citizen Redistricting Commissioners Conference, talked about the need to make redistricting a transparent process that is responsive to community needs. At the conference, the report said a model commission was organized for Ohio and neighbor state Indiana to demonstrate how an alternative process based on community input and transparency can work.

In a previous report, released shortly after the Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted the current Statehouse district maps, Common Cause gave the state a failing grade, calling the current map-drawing process and the results that came from it unmitigated disasters.

Ideally in redistricting, Common Cause members said the process should ensure that commissions reflect the diversity of the jurisdiction and engage community-based organizations and leaders to build resident trust and hold commissions accountable.

What should not be included in the process, according to the report, are legislature-appointed commissioners or any legislative role in the mapping process.

Commission decisions on maps should be final, except for judicial review, with no approval from elected officials required, the report stated.

The Citizens Not Politicians initiative was supported in the report as part of strategies to increase fair representation in 2030, the next time the process is set to start, though maps in Ohio would need to be redrawn in 2025 if the ballot measure passes in November.

Opposition to the initiative has been led by Huffman, who helped formulate the previous redistricting reforms. In an Ohio Chamber of Commerce event following the March primaries, he laid out his arguments against the initiative, saying litigation would pile up with the proposed system, and that when allowed to work, the current system did its job.

In order for the measure to appear on Ohio ballots in the general election, supporters must collect 413,487 valid state voter signatures by July 3.

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The post As deadline for reform measure nears, advocates look to future of Ohio redistricting appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
From ice cream and Jolly Ranchers to a bucket of chicken from KFC, the final wishes of those facing death sentences have captivated news outlets and public attention. Though the practice of a requested final meal has an extended history, the reasons surrounding the act is less clear. Some theorize that it is a demonstration of humanity. Roman gladiators were treated to feasts the night before fights, and 18th-century inmates were permitted meals prior to their executions -- or even allowed a stop at a pub.

In the United States, some condemned prisoners are served meals of their choice. While many states have restrictions on what can be served -- Florida places a $40 limit on the meals, Oklahoma caps off requests at $25, and Texas has banished the practice entirely -- those facing execution can have their choice of foods, except alcohol and tobacco. While in 1835, Manuel Fernandez was permitted a nip of brandy and cigars, most prisoners are not granted the same kind of luxury. The majority of requests for booze are rejected, with prisons classifying alcohol as contraband.

Read more: 25 Most Popular Snacks In America Ranked Worst To Best

The Decision To Honor Last Meal Requests

serving food with beer - Solstock/Getty Images

For those who are granted special meal requests, the final meals are typically planned a few days before the scheduled execution, should the prisoner still have an appetite before their final moments. If no meal is specified or requested, states like Georgia have a set menu, offering plates of rice and chicken, cornbread, turnip greens, dry white beans, and cooked rutabagas served with fruit punch and bread pudding to convicted offenders. In Texas, whatever food is on the menu for the rest of the prison is served, a practice stemming from an instance in which one prisoner requested a long list of items including fajitas, pizza, barbecue, bread, ice cream, root beer, and a specially made omelet without eating a bite of any of it.

Whether it's fried shrimp, steak, or slices of pie, the meal choices of inmates have caused speculation and intrigue among those looking for meaning in the choices of those facing death.

Read the original article on Tasting Table
DEI destroyer in chief? Trump vows to crush 'anti-white' racism if he wins 2024 election

Lending his voice to anti-diversity, equity and inclusion fervor sweeping the Republican party, Donald Trump telegraphed a dramatic shift to America's approach to civil rights if he wins a second term as president, vowing to focus on "anti-white" racism, not on racism against people of color.

Asked about supporters who believe anti-white racism now represents a greater problem than anti-Black racism, the former president told Time magazine: "I think there is a definite anti-white feeling in this country and that cant be allowed."

In the exclusive interview, Trump also said he would use the U.S. military to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants; deploy the National Guard to quash protests and gut the U.S. civil service.

Trump on board with plan to curb 'affirmative discrimination'

Led by the Heritage Foundation think tank  which has helped mold the policies of Republican administrations since the Reagan presidency  conservative activists have drawn up an expansive plan known as Project 2025 in anticipation of Trumps return to power.

One of the goals of the presidential transition plan is reversing the DEI revolution by eliminating policies and programs such as affirmative action which Project 2025 calls "affirmative discrimination."

The plan broadly reflects where Trump's policy stood at the end of his presidency in 2020. In September of that year, his administration issued an executive order prohibiting racial sensitivity training by the federal government and government contractors.

The order had an immediate chilling effect on efforts to reverse historical patterns of discrimination and exclusion in the workplace. President Joe Biden rescinded the order after taking office in January 2021.

Former President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he leaves the courtroom at the end of the day in his criminal trial at New York State Supreme Court in New York on April 30.

Trump aides, allies attack 'DEI revolution'

During the Biden administration, conservative activists picked up the mantle, claiming white workers are being unfairly disadvantaged by diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that benefit minorities.

GOP-led legislatures have introduced dozens of bills to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion in education, state government, contracting and pension investments.

Last years Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions set off a wave of legal challenges from former Trump administration official Stephen Miller and anti-affirmative-action activist Edward Blum. Billionaires Elon Musk and Bill Ackman have also assailed DEI efforts as racist.

Two men fought for jobs in a river town 50 years later, the nation is still divided.

These efforts have gained momentum. In 2021, a federal judge in Florida blocked a debt relief program for Black farmers. Last month, a federal judge in Texas ruled that a government agency created to boost the fortunes of minority-owned businesses was discriminating against white people and must now serve everyone, regardless of race.

Civil rights advocates reject the notion that America has a problem with anti-white racism.

Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said conservative activists are "advocating for the return of white privilege."

"Theyre advocating for the policies that were used during a segregated America, Morial told USA TODAY in March.

Corporate America has a diversity problem

Alvin B. Tillery Jr., director of the Center for the Study of Democracy and Diversity at Northwestern University, told USA TODAY that conservatives vilify diversity, equity and inclusion and advance false charges of anti-white racism in an attempt to convince Americans that the nation has solved anti-Black racism.

These are just codewords they are using to talk amongst themselves about reconstituting the racial order they want, Tillery told USA TODAY in March.

As the nation grows more diverse and research studies suggest that diverse companies outperform more homogeneous peers, businesses are working to make their workforces and leadership better reflect the communities they serve.

After the 2020 murder of George Floyd forced a historic reckoning with race in America, corporations redoubled those efforts.

Racial parity in the business world is a long way off. A USA TODAY investigation of the nations largest companies found that the top ranks are predominantly white and male, while women and people of color are concentrated at the lowest levels with less pay, fewer perks and little opportunity for advancement.

Corporate diversity efforts are broadly supported by the American public. A vast majority of adults  81%  believe that corporate America should reflect the nations diversity, according to a recent study by The Harris Poll.

Trump vows to reverse Biden 'woke equity' programs

Trump has promised to reverse the Biden administrations woke equity programs and said he will call on Congress to establish a restitution fund for those unjustly discriminated against by these destructive policies.

"Every institution in America is under attack from this Marxist concept of 'equity,' " Trump said last year.

Most white voters supporting Trump believe that racial minorities are favored over white people, according to a CBS poll in November.

"If you look right now, theres absolutely a bias against white (people) and thats a problem, Trump told Time.

During his spate of legal troubles, Trump has frequently claimed he, too, is the target of anti-white racism.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump vows to crush 'anti-white' racism, DEI if he wins 2024 election
DELPHI, Ind.  Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen's attorneys were not in contempt of court because the leak of evidence was not willful or intentional, Special Judge Frances Gull ruled Wednesday.

Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland failed to prove that defense attorneys Brad Rozzi and Andrew Baldwin contemptuously released photos in the 2017 killings of Delphi teenagers Libby German and Abby Williams.

Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland speaks during a press conference addressing updates regarding the investigation of the murders of Abby Williams and Libby German, Monday, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, at Delphi United Methodist Church in Delphi, Ind.

The photos were leaked by Baldwin's trusted friend, Mitchell Westerman, who visited his office and saw the photos while left unattended in the law firm's conference room, according to testimony at a March 18 hearing. Westerman took photos of the crime scene images and shared them with others, who published them in public venues.

While Gull found Baldwin and Rozzi not in contempt of court, she did find that they were sloppy, negligent and incompetent in the handing of the evidence.

Gull also said she will not find Baldwin and Rozzi in contempt for their Dec. 1, 2022, news release since the gag order was signed on Dec. 2, 2022.

That doesn't mean Baldwin and Rozzi are in the clear.

"To the extent that the Press Release violated the Rule of Professional Responsibility, the Trial Court has no jurisdiction to enforce those rules," Gull wrote in her order. "As required by the Rules of Professional Responsibility, the Trial Court will, therefore, send a copy of this order and the Press Release to the Office of Judicial and Attorney Regulation Executive Director Adrienne Meiring for that Office to enforce the Rules or determine Counsels' ethical misconduct."

Allen's trial is scheduled to begin May 13 in Fort Wayne with jury selection from Allen County residents. Court documents indicate they expect to pick a jury in three days. Then the jurors will be required to pack a suitcase for a stay during the duration of the trial.

However, Gull still has several motions to resolve, including McLeland's motions to limit what jurors can or cannot hear about Odinism, ritual killings and other theories of the case the defense had mentioned in pretrial motions.

Gull set that hearing for 9 a.m. May 7 in Allen County.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Delphi murder suspect's attorneys not in contempt for leaked photos
Democratic state Sen. Timothy Kennedy on Tuesday won the special election for the New York congressional seat vacated by a retiring Democrat, further narrowing the GOPs slender majority in the House.

Kennedy comfortably defeated his Republican opponent Gary Dickson in the race for the Buffalo-area district seat by a margin of more than 36 percentage points, according to the Associated Press. When Kennedy is officially sworn in to succeed the retiring Brian Higgins, the GOP House majority will be cut to 217-213, affording Speaker Mike Johnson just a single vote to spare on partisan issues.

GOP Reps Slam MTGs Mutinybut Mike Johnson Still Faces Gangplank

Republicans will nevertheless take comfort from three upcoming special elections in the next two months for vacant GOP seats, including in the California district most recently held by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Kennedy, who has served in New Yorks state Senate since 2011, said he plans to focus on immigration and reproduction rights. He also wants to toughen gun laws, and previously campaigned in the state Senate for new firearm safety legislation in the wake of a white supremacist mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket in 2022.

We need to elect pro-democracy, anti-MAGA candidates all around the country this November, Kennedy said in a victory speech, And it starts here in this room in Buffalo, New York, tonight.

Kennedy will serve the remainder of Higgins unexpired term. Higgins, 64, resigned in February and is now the president of a performing arts center. While announcing his intention to step down during his tenth term in office, Higgins said he had grown frustrated with dysfunction on Capitol Hill.

Congress is not the institution that I went to 19 years ago. Its a very different place today, he said at a news conference in December, according to the AP. Were spending more time doing less. And the American people arent being served.

Kennedy was widely expected to win in the district, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a ratio of over two-to-one. He also massively outspent his GOP opponent, pouring a little over $1 million into the race compared to the $21,068 spent for Dickson.

Kennedys victory also follows his fellow Democrat Tom Suozzis special election victory in February for the New York district vacated by former GOP Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from Congress.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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New York state Sen. Timothy Kennedy, a Democrat, has won the Empire States special election to fill retired Democratic Rep. Brian Higginss seat in Congress, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ.

Kennedy defeated Republican Gary Dickson in New Yorks 26th Congressional District for the seat, which was expected to stay in Democratic hands  but the race still drew scrutiny as the GOP grapples with a razor-thin majority.

Both candidates were picked by local party officials to be their respective nominees for the special election. Kennedy will serve out the rest of Higginss unexpired term.

Higgins resigned from Congress in February after nearly two decades in the House, citing growing dysfunction and the slow and frustrating pace of progress in D.C., and now serves as president and CEO of Sheas Performing Arts Center in Buffalo. The longtime lawmaker was among a number of House members who announced they wouldnt seek reelection amid frustration with chaos on Capitol Hill.

The New York district runs along the Niagara River, including the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. A 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo prompted Kennedy to champion gun safety legislation in the New York state Senate.

Dickson, the GOP contender, was the first Republican elected as a town supervisor in decades in West Seneca.

Kennedy will finish the rest of the year in Higginss seat  but the Democrat is also on the November ballot to take on a full term in the House, according to the New York State Board of Elections.

The election was held as  across the state, in Manhattan  presumptive Republican presidential nominee former President Trump is on trial. In the first of Trumps four criminal indictments to go before a jury, he faces felony charges of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment made during the 2016 cycle.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Democrats are casting aside worries that college campus protests opposing the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza could spell trouble for President Biden in November.

Biden and his White House aides have mostly opted to keep their distance when it comes to weighing in on escalating tensions on campuses around the country but have called out antisemitic rhetoric that has plagued some of the demonstrations.

Democrats are maintaining that the protesters, composed of the young and progressive voting bloc Biden needs to win a second term, represent a small but loud minority. They say Biden should continue not to engage, despite the group being part of the party coalition, arguing he would risk alienating even more voters by trying to appeal to the protesters.

Others say his quiet diplomacy around the issue could backfire.

I think where President Biden is right now, currently, is in fact where the majority of the American people are, Symone Sanders-Townsend, who served as Bidens press secretary for the 2020 campaign and as Vice President Harriss spokesperson in the first year of the administration, said last week on MSNBC.

The problem is quiet diplomacy does not speak to what we are seeing in terms of the unrest in the streets. And one could argue the campaign should put the president in situations and scenarios where he could maybe speak to a broader audience on this topic specifically, Sanders continued.

If you do not do the work to meet them where they are and talk to them about what you are doing and also hear them out, you cannot expect them to understand, she added.

Increasing outrage over the war in Gaza has been a recurring issue for Biden and his team, most notably at the ballot box where thousands of voters have cast protest votes against Biden in Democratic primaries. Hes also been met with his own protesters at fundraisers and other White House events across the country since October.

The trouble facing Biden with young voters in 2024 is already apparent. A CNN poll published Sunday found him trailing former President Trump by 11 points among voters ages 18-34. More broadly, polling from Emerson College/The Hill showed Trump leading Biden in seven key battleground states.

Biden, as he has done throughout the conflict that broke out last October between Israel and Hamas, has trod carefully around college campus protests, in which students are demanding their universities divest endowments that have ties to Israel.

When the demonstrations on Columbia Universitys campus first broke out earlier this month, the White House condemned antisemitism that bubbled up. Biden last week added that he also condemns those who dont understand whats going on with the Palestinians when asked about the college protests, attempting to offer a balanced response.

The White House has also condemned the rhetoric used by the student leader of the protests at Columbia, who said in January that Zionists dont deserve to live. Meanwhile, Republicans have called on Biden to bring in the National Guard to deal with the college protests, a move that the White House has said isnt necessary. The administration maintains that handling the situation should be left up to governors.

When protesters on Tuesday took over a building on Columbias campus, the White House called the move the wrong approach and condemned demonstrators for disrupting the academic experience of other students.

Despite escalating college demonstrations that have only increased as the week wears on, the White House is sticking with that messaging.

One reason Democrats say they arent too concerned about the protests possibly hurting Biden is simply who he is running against.

I still feel comfortable that at the end of the day, as the president said, hes an older man, but hes running against a 6-year-old, and I think that makes a difference, said former Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.), referring to a line in Bidens speech at Saturdays White House Correspondents dinner when he took a dig at former President Trump.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), a fervent supporter of Israel, argued the same point on the social platform X, posting, In 2024, it comes with a tremendous responsibility: turn your back on Biden and you embrace Trump, in response to an article about Arab Americans in Michigan angry with Biden.

Dearborn, Mich., mayor Abdullah Hammoud hit back on X, suggesting Fetterman not brush off concerns.

Senator, word of advice: Take your message to the candidates, not the communities whose families are being slaughtered. Arab Americans arent on the ballot in November  Biden and Trump are, he said.

While that contingent of voters is unlikely to vote for Trump, whose policies did few favors for Arab or Muslim Americans, the trouble for Biden will be how many of them sit out the election altogether.

Crowley avoided comparing todays protests to that of 1968, saying that unlike the Vietnam War-era protests, its unlikely Biden will have to haul in the National Guard  as occurred at Kent State in Ohio  and will instead continue to leave it up to local law enforcement and governments to handle.

Its been ugly, but it hasnt necessarily broken out into all-out violence, the former House Democratic Caucus chair said.

The building the demonstrators at Columbia took over Tuesday was occupied in a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protest. Meanwhile, the clashes between protesters and police on college campuses has sparked concern among Senate Democrats, who are bracing for chaos during the Democrats presidential nomination convention in August, which they worry could be reminiscent of the chaotic 1968 convention in Chicago.

The rhetoric from the White House on the college campus protests is more nuanced than Bidens response to other anti-war demonstrations. When hes been confronted with and interrupted by protesters during remarks or rallies, the president has responded with empathy toward Palestinians and sometimes engaged with them.

During recent college protests, however, the president and his administration have firmly stated that its up to the institutions to manage the situation while also calling out the violent, hateful rhetoric thats emerged.

Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic strategist, described Biden as having twin goals: to promote the right to protest while ensuring Jewish students feel safe on campus.

The position theyve tried to stake out is a place where they are obviously supportive of the right to protest but also they want Jews to feel safe on campus. And these two things shouldnt be in opposition to each other. I think theyve been pretty clear about both, he said.

John LaBombard, former communications director for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), said the White Houses instinct to first condemn antisemitism during these protests is the right one because the hate-fueled rhetoric emerging from the demonstrations is not where the vast majority of Americans are.

I think what is coming out of these protests on college campuses broadly is out of step with mainstream Americans, he said. So, I dont think the president needs to go out of his way to communicate what he has already communicated, which is that he shares deep concerns with the plight that is facing Palestinians right now, but that he has continued to support Israel.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
After winning a special election in New York Tuesday, Democrat Tim Kennedy will replace longtime Rep. Brian Higgins, further narrowing the GOPs thin majority in the US House.

Kennedy, a former state senator representing Buffalo, defeated former FBI agent and local town supervisor Republican Gary Dickson. Kennedy won by a large margin, earning more than twice the number of votes as Dickson, according to The Associated Press.

We did it as a COMMUNITY. Because thats what this was all about since Day One. And thats what it will always be about, Kennedy wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Im honored. Im humbled. Im ready to get to Washington and get to work. Thank you, endlessly. Lets meet this moment together.

New York State Senator Timothy M. Kennedy (D)

Higgins, a Democrat, was first elected in 2004 and served the states 26th district, which includes Buffalo and Niagra Falls, for nearly two decades. Higgins resigned on Feb. 2, 2024, citing frustration with growing dysfunction in Congress, and announced he would become president of Sheas Performing Arts Center in Buffalo.

Kennedy will serve the remainder of Higgins term, which ends at the end of the year. However, he is not likely to get a long break from campaigning as he is also running for a full term and will be back on the ballot in the June Democratic primary and November general election.

What does Kennedys win mean for the GOP House majority?

Kennedys victory Tuesday brings the Republican majority in the US House to just 217-213.

Current vacancies in the chamber have lowered the simple majority threshold from 218 to 216, meaning Republican Speaker Mike Johnson will now only be able to spare one of his own members in a party-line vote.

Sign up for Your Vote: Text USA TODAY reporters and the elections team by joining our SMS service.

However, a lineup of special elections for vacant seats over the next two months could help expand the GOPs advantage in the US House. In particular, Republicans are eyeing seats currently held by Democrats who are retiring in New Hampshire and Michigan.

More: The GOP has a slim margin in the House of Representatives. These races could decide control in 2024

What is Tim Kennedys background?

Kennedy has been a member of the New York Senate since 2011, where he led a legislative committee on transportation and served on about ten others.

As a state senator, he supported a package of bills to tighten New Yorks gun laws after a shooter inspired by racist theory shot ten Black people in a Buffalo grocery store in 2022.

Prior to serving in the state legislature, Kennedy worked as a licensed occupational therapist and was a legislator in Erie Countys second district.

Rachel Barber is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on politics and education. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, as @rachelbarber_

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tim Kennedy wins special election for New York House seat
Democratic lawmakers have reintroduced legislation that would ban discrimination based on a persons hairstyle or hair texture, marking the latest attempt in Congress to pass a federal CROWN Act.

New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman introduced HR 8191, also known as the CROWN Act of 2024, in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The bill, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, currently has 84 co-sponsors.

If enacted, individuals with hairstyles that are commonly associated with race or national origin, like tightly coiled or tightly curled, locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and Afros would be protected from discrimination.

The law would prohibit discrimination against anyone participating in federally assisted programs, housing programs, employment, schools and public accommodations, based on their hair.

Being an American is about accepting the wonderful diversity of this country and it is knowing that our society is richer, and culturally and spiritually and economically emboldened because of it, Watson Coleman said during a news conference on the legislation on Wednesday.

Discrimination against Black hair is discrimination against Black people and were going to put a stop to it.

Previous attempts to pass federal CROWN Act legislation have stalled in Congress. Watson Coleman said one of the challenges lawmakers face in getting the new measure passed is securing bipartisan support in a Republican-controlled House.

A major hurdle well have is getting the GOP leadership to bring the bill up for a vote. What is encouraging is that for the first time we have bipartisan support in the Senate, Watson Coleman previously told CNN.

This bill has broad support because people know this is fundamentally about freedom. The freedom to be who you are. Democrats know this, Republicans know this. What we need is for GOP leadership to bring it up for a vote.

CNN has reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Whip Steve Scalises offices for comment on the legislation.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat, and Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine co-sponsored the companion bill in the Senate.

This is not a partisan issue. The federal government would simply be following the lead of our states, Booker said on Wednesday. This is an issue of justice. This is an issue of fairness. This isnt just an issue of ending discrimination that has existed for too long. Enough is enough.

The Biden administration previously said it strongly supports a federal CROWN Act and looks forward to working with the Congress to enact this legislation and ensure that it is effectively implemented.

Lawmakers have worked for years to pass federal legislation to prevent hair discrimination. In March 2022, the then-Democratic controlled House advanced national CROWN Act legislation that later stalled in the Senate.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have continued to urge leadership to take action to pass the bill but Congress has yet to take up the legislation again.

Dove, the National Urban League, Color of Change, and the Western Center on Law & Poverty are original co-founders of the CROWN coalition and several organizations support the movement.

During the news conference, Adjoa B. Asamoah, a lead legislative strategist who is also a co-founder of the CROWN coalition, said purportedly race-neutral grooming policies often reinforce Eurocentric standards of beauty which is problematic.

Racism is very real and it requires a thoughtful and intentional approach to dismantle the rules and practices that reinforce it. And in this case, to mitigate the physical, psychological, and economic harm caused by race-based hair discrimination, she said.

While federal efforts have stalled in the past, some state and local bills have gained momentum. More than 20 states have enacted a CROWN Act law, although the bills offer different levels of protection, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute.

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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is recommending marijuana be reclassified as a lower risk Schedule 3 drug.

Democrats across Capitol Hill praised the historic pivot from the Biden administrations Department of Justice.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.),Chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, says the reclassification will fix a decades long error.

Currently, as a Schedule 1 drug marijuana is considered as dangerous heroin.

It is not highly addictive and has in fact medicinal purposes, said Blumenauer. I could not be more excited and optimistic that we are finally on the home stretch to end the failed War on Drugs, Blumenauer said.

Rescheduling marijuana will not legalize it nationwide but would open the door to new research and make cannabis business owners eligible for tax breaks.

Opponents are not happy.

Luke Niforatos with Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) calls the proposed rule an election year giveaway to this new Big Tobacco like industry.

He accuses the Biden administration of ignoring science, and says SAM is prepared to sue if the rule is finalized after a public review session.

What theyre saying is marijuana has lower potential for abuse at a time when the science is telling us the potency of this drug is unlike its ever been before, Niforatos said.

Democrats on Capitol Hill are vowing to go further and decriminalize marijuana.

Sen. Cory Bush (D-N.J.) Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) reintroduced their bill The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act Wednesday. The plan would also provide federal public safety guardrails to discourage users from driving while under the influence.

Booker says while the DEAs reclassification is a good step, it does not resolve inequities in the law that disproportionately harm African American communities.

People cant get jobs for doing the same things that presidents, and senators and congresspeople have done, thats the height of hypocrisy, Booker said.

The senators say they now have 18 senators supporting their bill and are working to garner additional support.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Robust revenue growth with a significant increase in net income attributable to MPLX LP.

Strategic acquisitions enhancing MPLX LP's asset base and market position.

Challenges in cost management and potential market volatility.

Opportunities for expansion in response to energy infrastructure demands.

On April 30, 2024, MPLX LP (NYSE:MPLX), a leading midstream energy infrastructure and logistics partnership, filed its 10-Q report, revealing a comprehensive financial performance for the first quarter of the year. MPLX LP showcased a robust financial position with revenues and other income totaling $2.846 billion, an increase from $2.713 billion in the previous year. Net income attributable to MPLX LP rose to $1.005 billion, up from $943 million, indicating a strong upward trajectory. This SWOT analysis delves into the strategic elements that underpin MPLX LP's market position and future prospects.

Decoding MPLX LP (MPLX): A Strategic SWOT Insight

Strengths

Financial Performance and Growth: MPLX LP's financial health is a testament to its operational efficiency and strategic initiatives. The partnership's net income attributable to MPLX LP increased to $1.005 billion in Q1 2024, up from $943 million in the same period last year. This growth is supported by a diversified revenue stream, including service revenue from both related and third parties, product sales, and income from equity method investments. MPLX LP's ability to consistently grow its top and bottom lines reflects its competitive advantage in the midstream sector and its resilience in the face of market fluctuations.

Strategic Acquisitions and Asset Optimization: MPLX LP's strategic acquisitions, such as the Utica Midstream Acquisition, have bolstered its asset portfolio and expanded its operational capabilities. The partnership now holds a combined 73 percent interest in Ohio Gathering Company L.L.C. (OGC) and a 100 percent interest in Ohio Condensate Company L.L.C. (OCC). These acquisitions enhance MPLX LP's position in the Utica basin and contribute to a more integrated and efficient asset base, which is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in the industry.

Weaknesses

Cost Management Challenges: Despite MPLX LP's strong revenue growth, the partnership has experienced increases in certain costs and expenses. For instance, the cost of revenues (excluding certain items) rose to $371 million in Q1 2024 from $308 million in the prior year. This uptick in costs could squeeze margins if not managed effectively. MPLX LP must continue to focus on cost optimization strategies to maintain profitability and ensure long-term financial sustainability.

Dependence on Related Party Transactions: A significant portion of MPLX LP's service revenue comes from related parties, which accounted for $986 million in Q1 2024. While these transactions are beneficial, they also indicate a reliance on a limited number of counterparties, which could pose risks if these relationships are disrupted. Diversifying its customer base could help MPLX LP mitigate this risk and stabilize its revenue streams.

Opportunities

Infrastructure Expansion in Response to Energy Demands: The ongoing need for energy infrastructure development presents MPLX LP with opportunities for growth. The partnership's expertise in the gathering, processing, and transportation of natural gas and NGLs positions it well to capitalize on the increasing demand for these services. By investing in new projects and expanding its existing assets, MPLX LP can secure additional revenue sources and strengthen its market presence.

Renewable Energy Initiatives: As the energy sector evolves, MPLX LP has the opportunity to diversify its portfolio by investing in renewable energy projects. This strategic move could not only open up new revenue streams but also align MPLX LP with global sustainability trends and regulatory incentives. By embracing renewable energy, MPLX LP can enhance its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) profile and appeal to a broader investor base.

Threats

Market Volatility and Commodity Price Fluctuations: MPLX LP operates in an industry that is susceptible to market volatility and fluctuations in commodity prices. These factors can impact the partnership's revenue and profitability, as seen in the varying product sales figures between Q1 2023 and Q1 2024. MPLX LP must continue to implement risk management strategies to navigate these challenges and maintain financial stability.

Regulatory and Environmental Risks: MPLX LP faces regulatory and environmental risks that could affect its operations and growth prospects. Changes in environmental policies, increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies, and potential legal liabilities related to environmental incidents are ongoing concerns. Proactively addressing these risks through compliance and sustainable practices is essential for MPLX LP's reputation and operational continuity.

In conclusion, MPLX LP (NYSE:MPLX) demonstrates a strong financial foundation, bolstered by strategic acquisitions and a diversified revenue base. However, the partnership must navigate cost management challenges and dependence on related party transactions. Opportunities for growth lie in infrastructure expansion and renewable energy initiatives, while market volatility and regulatory risks pose potential threats. MPLX LP's ability to leverage its strengths, address its weaknesses, capitalize on opportunities, and mitigate threats will be critical in shaping its future success in the dynamic energy sector.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


In his opening remarks on Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell excoriated campus protesters across the country. McConnell said President Joe Biden refuses to render an unqualified rejection of campus antisemitism and called Bidens words about the protests so far mealy-mouthed equivocation.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a native of New York and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official, notably did not say anything about the crackdowns in his home town as riot police arrested students at Columbia University. University officials said they had had no choice but to bring in authorities after students took over Hamilton Hall, an academic building which protesters began to refer to as Hind Hall.

The silence from Schumer stands in contrast to his gabby persona. Indeed, the late Bob Dole once joked that the most dangerous place in Washington was between the New York Democrat and a microphone.

In March, Schumers decision to call for new elections in Israel was intended, he said, to express how many Jewish Americans feel about Netanyahus actions in Gaza.

Schumers silence, contrasted with McConnells thundering condemnation, reflects the predicament Democrats face when it comes to campus protests. Particularly in Democratic cities and universities, where numerous students identify as left-leaning, the party feels it is in a difficult position. Meanwhile, Republicans see a clear opportunity to win over public opinion.

Republicans in the House had hoped on Tuesday to turn up the heat on Democrats, with House Speaker Mike Johnson holding a press conference with multiple chairmen and chairwomen. They aimed  and still aim  to pass legislation from Representative Mike Lawler that would require the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism to enforce anti-discrimination laws. Lawler represents a district in New York that voted for Biden. Passing such legislation would have needled Democratic progressives and given an endangered Republican a public win.

Some progressives worried about taking on that definition, specifically because they worried it would equate any criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

It is dangerous to actual policing of antisemitism, because it conflates criticisms of Israel with the definition of antisemitism, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told me, when I asked her about the law on Tuesday. And I also think it's dangerous on free speech grounds as well.

By Wednesday, in the aftermath of violent arrests and demonstrations across the country, Senate Democrats  who are always more measured than their House counterparts  had become far more skittish on the issue.

Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who previously served as a professor at Harvard Law School, gave a noncommittal answer when I asked her about it a day after I spoke to AOC.

Our college campuses are places where people debate important ideas, she told The Independent. The debate must remain nonviolent and not interfere with the ability of other students to do their work and attend their classes and make it home at night.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who is up for re-election, also said simply, Its a very hard thing.

This came as students at Virginia Commonwealth University in Kaines hometown of Richmond established an encampment and faced arrests from police in riot gear.

People have very intense emotions about Israel and Gaza, as they should, Kaine told The Independent. They need to express them in a way that doesnt violate universal university policies. And I think university presidents and their campus police departments are generally able to make that decision [about whether such policies have been violated].

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, the first Democratic Senator to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, said that Northwestern University in his home state of Illinois should offer a positive example. There, protesters reached an agreement with the university where it would set up an advisory committee on university investments.

Of course, not all Democrats were in accord. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, the most vocal supporter of Israels military campaign in Gaza, said of demonstrators at Columbia, There is the pro-Hamas and then there's the really pro-Hamas involved. The implication, of course, was that all demonstrators have sympathies with the terrorist group Hamas.

Conversely, Republicans seemed to relish in the moment. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri  the same Senator who pumped his fists at Trump supporters on January 6 before rioters breached the US Capitol  said the US National Guard should be called in to college campuses.

The National Guard, what they ought to do is they ought to safeguard the Jewish Americans, he said, before comparing the moment in history to when President Dwight Eisenhower sent the US National Guard to Little Rock, Arkansas during the desegregation of a high school.

I just think their priorities are misplaced, Hawley added. It should be easy to say Jewish Americans should be safe on campus.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also said he thinks that the federal government needs to take action.

I think we need to restore order, he said. And if you're a Jewish student at one of these campuses, you're under threat. That needs to end.

The dichotomy in rhetoric between Senate Democrats and Republicans shows how Republicans see the chaos of the protests as an opportunity to criticize Democrats about law and order. Meanwhile, surveys have shown that Democratic voters overall disapprove of Bidens steadfast support for Israel, perhaps explaining Democrats reticence to comment strongly either way.
New Hampshire Democrats will send a full delegation to this summers Democratic National Convention after the national partys rules committee voted Tuesday to approve a nominating event the state party held Saturday.

The New Hampshire Democrats have not released formal results from the event, but the state will get 25 pledged delegates, as well nine automatic delegates (also known as superdelegates), according to a plan the committee approved Tuesday.

The vote resolves a conflict between the state and national parties over the timing of the New Hampshire primary.

We, as a committee and as a national committee, have gone through a difficult number of weeks and months getting to this point and I know that New Hampshire has gone through a difficult number of weeks and months, where some things wed liked to have seen take place did not, rules co-chair Jim Roosevelt said during Tuesdays meeting. As it happens, all that is behind us now. We have worked out compliance with our rules and with the charter.

Democrats changed their 2024 nominating calendar to prioritize more diverse states among the early contests. Under the plan, South Carolina replaced New Hampshire as the partys first presidential primary. But Granite State law requires its primary to be held first.

New Hampshire Democrats refused to comply with the new schedule and chose to participate in the state-run contest in January, before any other primary.

Because the election was not sanctioned by the DNC, the results didnt count toward allocating convention delegates and President Joe Biden didnt campaign in the state (although he won the primary as a write-in candidate).

Both of Bidens highest-profile Democratic challengers, Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and author Marianne Williamson, chose to participate in the state-run primary. Campaigning in the unsanctioned contest was a violation of DNC rules, and so both were deemed ineligible for the weekends party-run process and could not win pledged delegates from New Hampshire.

Three months later, with Bidens nomination assured, Tuesdays move allows the national party to hold the line on not recognizing the noncompliant New Hampshire state-run primary, while still allowing delegates from the Granite State to attend the convention.

I know that we have had some challenging moments, Joanne Dowdell, a member of the committee from New Hampshire, said. But we are now focused squarely on the November election and reelecting President Biden and Vice President Harris.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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The News

Democrats arrived to work in Washington facing yet another no-win news cycle around Israel, as a fresh round of police raids on campus protests continued to split their party.

The reactions ranged from fiery denunciations of police tactics as an authoritarian overreaction to equally sharp denunciations of the protests themselves as cover for antisemitism and terrorism.

The protesters at Columbia demonstrated that there are two factions of the protesters  theres the pro-Hamas, and then theres the really pro-Hamas, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman told Semafor. He was, he said, glad that they chose to have the police come in and take charge.

In the House, Rep. Jamaal Bowman delivered an impassioned speech backing the protests at Columbia University, in which he accused police of inflicting brutality on student demonstrators who were cleared from their encampment and campus buildings Tuesday night.

And for what? he asked. Simply exercising their first amendment rights to peacefully assemble as they protest the collective punishment of civilians in Gaza.

At a press conference hours later, Minority Leader defended the polices approach. As far as I can tell, the efforts by the NYPD were thorough, professional and they exercised a degree of calm in a very tense situation, he said. That should be commended.

According to one senior Democratic aide, the partys House leaders did not offer any messaging guidance to members regarding the demonstrations. Democrats dont want to bring attention to the protests, they said.

Rep. Becca Balint, a Vermont progressive, said the party was feeling the pressure with the election growing closer.

Im an anxious little Jewish woman, Im an anxious little dyke from Vermont, of course Im worried, she said. How can I not be worried? Frickin Trump is a freaking maniac and hes like neck and neck. Of course Im worried. Im anxious all the time.

But addressing it meant a balancing act. She said Biden needed to speak directly to these young people who are devastated by the incredible suffering thats going on right now and be a champion for free speech while also condemning antisemitism that right now is off the charts.

Sen. Jon Tester, up for re-election in red state Montana, emphasized that the specific tactics of the protests  including breaking into Columbias Hamilton Hall  crossed the bounds of protected speech.

I am all about First amendment rights, free speech, the ability to protest, he told Semafor. But if those protesters are committing crimes, violence, breaking windows, they need to be dealt with in a way thats commensurate with their actions.

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Know More

These questions of balancing protection for speech with fears of intimidation on campus played out on the House floor, where Democrats debated whether to sign onto a bill directing the Department of Education to investigate alleged instances of antisemitism on campus using the definition created by International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which encompasses some criticisms of Israel common among activists.

The bill ultimately passed 320-to-91, with 70 Democrats opposing it. The bill won backing from Jeffries and other party leaders. But some criticized the legislation as a bad faith messaging exercise by Republicans. It doesnt do anything to combat antisemitism, Rep. Jerry Nadler, one of the most senior Jewish Democrats in Congress, told Politico. Its pure demagoguery.

Some Republicans also shared objections to the wording as overly broad. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene warned on X that a provision prohibiting symbols tying Israel to accusations that Jews killed Jesus could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews.

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Our View

The root of the Democrats problems ultimately is not a specific protest group or tactic or bill. Rather, its a deep, substantive divide among their elected officials, voters, donors, and interest groups over Israel and Gaza. One recurring sentiment among Democrats on Wednesday was that the surest route to progress on unrest at home was progress on ending the war abroad, one way or another.

Several noted that the Biden administration has been trying to push Hamas and the Israeli government towards a deal that would free hostages and implement a temporary ceasefire with the hopes of a more durable deal later on.

It just demonstrates the critical need for us to continue to work to find a hostage release and ceasefire, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told Semafor.

In the meantime, Kaine suggested Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona point to campuses where this is being handled well, where theres robust debate and dialogue about this very tough issue without disruption as models for others to follow.

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Democratic state Sen. Tim Kennedy will win the special election for New Yorks 26th Congressional District, CNN projects, further narrowing  at least in the short term  Republicans paper-thin majority in the US House.

Kennedy will succeed fellow Democrat Brian Higgins in the Buffalo-based district after his victory Tuesday over Republican nominee Gary Dickson, the West Seneca town supervisor. After Kennedy is sworn in on Capitol Hill, the GOP majority in the House will shrink to just 217-213, meaning Speaker Mike Johnson will only be able to spare one Republican on a party-line vote.

However, a trio of special elections over the next two months for vacant Republican seats  including the race to succeed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California  should help extend the GOPs advantage in the chamber.

Higgins had represented the Buffalo area in the House since 2005, winning a 10th term in 2022. He resigned in February to head a local performing arts center. He cited frustration with the chambers persistent turmoil and obstructionism when he announced his departure from Congress.

Congress is not the institution that I went to 19 years ago. Its a very different place today, Higgins said last fall Were spending more time doing less. And the American people arent being served.

Kennedy, who has represented the area in the state Senate for over a decade, will serve out the remainder of Higgins term. He will also run in the June primary for the full two-year term that begins in January.

The New York congressional map has undergone an oftentimes chaotic redistricting process, stretching out over some two years and multiple court and state legislative battles. But the 26th District is expected to remain friendly to Democrats  Joe Biden would have carried it by 25 points under the new lines that will be used in November.

The total ad spending on the race finished at around $1 million, with nearly all of it coming from Kennedys campaign. His spots touted his efforts to aid working families, support for abortion rights and his work to pass stronger gun laws in the state Senate after a White supremacist killed 10 people in a mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket in May 2022.

Kennedys win is the second consecutive special election victory for New York Democrats after Tom Suozzi won the race to succeed expelled Republican Rep. George Santos in a more competitive downstate district earlier this year. Once Kennedy is sworn in, the states US House delegation will stand at 16 Democrats and 10 Republicans.

CNNs Ethan Cohen, David Wright and Renee Rigdon contributed to this report.

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Democrats won a special election for a House seat in western New York on Tuesday, The Associated Press projected, further shrinking the GOP's narrow majority in the House.

Democratic state Sen. Tim Kennedy defeated Republican town supervisor Gary Dickson in the 26th District, a reliably blue area that includes Buffalo and some of its surrounding suburbs. Democrats will now control 213 seats in the House, compared with 217 for the Republicans. Five seats remain vacant.

Kennedy will serve the rest of Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins' term. Higgins, who was in his 10th term, resigned in February to run a local performing arts center, and he had some choice words for partisan gridlock in the House. Higgins told The Buffalo News late last year that Congress is in a very, very bad place and that were at the beginning phases of a deterioration of the prestige of the institution.

Capitol Hill (Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post via Getty Images file)

That did not deter Kennedy from running in the special election or for a full term in November.

The dysfunction has become an embarrassment across this country and across the global community, Kennedy said in a phone interview Monday. And we have to restore honor and civility and functionality back into the halls of the House of Representatives.

Kennedys victory Monday was no surprise  President Joe Biden won the district by 23 percentage points in 2020, according to calculations from Daily Kos Elections, and the district has twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans.

That means Democrats are favored to hold on to the seat in November. Kennedy will first have to win the June primary to run for a full term, but he could have that race to himself.

Former Grand Island Town Supervisor Nate McMurray, who ran unsuccessfully in a neighboring congressional district, is also looking to run. But Kathleen McGrath, a spokesperson for the state Board of Elections, wrote in an email that there are multiple objections to McMurrays petition signatures and that ballot access will be determined at a meeting Wednesday. Kennedy had also filed a lawsuit challenging McMurrays signatures.

Im looking forward to working with my colleagues to deliver for the people of this country and making sure that the House of Representatives is more reflective of the people, Kennedy said of his campaign for a full term. And I believe going into November, we have the moral high ground here to take back the House as Democrats. I believe the people of this country are sick and tired of seeing the dysfunction in the chaos thats reigning under MAGA Republican control in the House.

Kennedy, who is likely to be a reliable Democratic vote in the House, focused his campaign on core party issues, including protecting Social Security and Medicare, defending democracy and codifying the right to an abortion into federal law.

Kennedy, a practicing Catholic, said in 2014 that his views on abortion had evolved, and now he is calling for federal law to reflect the abortion protections in New York state law.

Kennedy was among the state legislators who voted in 2019 to protect the right to an abortion in New York up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for nonviable fetuses and when a patients health is at risk.

"I believe that a womans right to make health care decisions about her own body ought to be made between a woman, her family and her doctor, Kennedy said. And if we do not allow for that scenario to play out, and if we restrict and ban abortion across this country, women will die.

Kennedy had the endorsement of the American Israel Public Affairs Committees political arm. He reiterated his support for Israel while also calling for civilians to be protected in its war against Hamas.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Demonstrators once again gathered on campus at Emory University Wednesday afternoon to protest the Israel-Hamas war and the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

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Earlier in the day, students gathered on the campuses of Kennesaw State University and SCAD. v

NewsChopper 2 was over the campus, where a growing group of demonstrators was gathering Wednesday afternoon. Several protesters entered a building at one point. Demonstrators marched and carried signs.

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Later in the afternoon, protesters had set up tents and a barricade in front of the colleges admissions office.

Over the weekend, multiple Atlanta police officers, Emory campus police officers and Georgia State Patrol troopers arrested dozens of protesters over the course of several days worth of demonstrations on Emorys campus. Parts of the campus were vandalized overnight Friday.

On Monday, students called for the resignation of Emory President Greg Fenves after what they called aggressive police action against protesters.

The administration was ruthless. The use of violence against students and faculty who were exercising the right of free expression non-violently is appalling. Its a betrayal of what a university is, said Emory professor Jason Francisco.

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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  House Speaker Mike Johnsons future could soon come up for a vote on the House floor.

Some GOP lawmakers are looking to remove him as speaker.

Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says its time for House Speaker Mike Johnson to go.

Mike Johnson is not capable of that job. He has proven it over and over again, Greene said.

Greene and Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie are moving forward with their plan to take the gavel from Johnson.

Mike Johnson alone can save us from that ultimate outcome, if he would step down, Massie said.

Greene originally filed the motion to oust the speaker in March, after he worked to pass a government funding bill with the help of Democrats.

Mike Johnson is giving them everything they want, Greene said.

Their beef with Johnson reached a boiling point when he relied on Democrats to help him pass a major foreign aid package that included money for Ukraine.

The Democrats coming out embracing Mike Johnson with a warm hug and a big, wet, sloppy kiss, Greene said.

Speaker Johnson brushed off Greenes sharpened threat to force a vote to oust him from his post, in an interview set to air in full Wednesday on NewsNations The Hill.

I dont think she is proving to be, no, Johnson said in a preview of the interview, which was taped Tuesday night, when asked if he thinks Greene is a serious lawmaker.

Johnson became speaker after House Republicans ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October.

At that time, House Democrats voted against McCarthy. This time, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats will help save Johnsons job.

This is a vote of conscience, Jeffries said.

Greene plans to force a vote next week.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Denham Springs man arrested, accused of extorting child porn from teens across US

DENHAM SPRINGS, La. (BRPROUD)  The Livingston Parish Sheriffs Office arrested a Denham Springs man after a report of indecent behavior with juveniles.

Glenn Walter, 18, was charged with three counts of computer-aided solicitation of a minor, four counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, seven counts of possession of pornography involving juveniles and one count of possession of child pornography involving juveniles (extortion).

The LPSO Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip from the Wolcott County Police Department in Connecticut. That tip led to Walter being identified as a suspect in this case.

Upon further investigation, it was learned Glenn was extorting child pornography from children ages 12-13 years old on social media. The victims in this case span seven other states with a total of 10 child victims  ages 12 years old to 13 years old, said Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard.

Louisiana man found guilty of selling drugs including meth, pot, fentanyl in Livingston Parish

Walter was taken into custody on Tuesday, April 23, and booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Center.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Ard said, This case is an example of how the partnering ICAC Taskforces across the country work together and strive to keep our children safe.

Latest News

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A box of Ozempic made by Novo Nordisk is seen at a pharmacy in London

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark will start putting patients suffering from type 2 diabetes on cheaper drugs before prescribing so-called GLP-1 drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, the Danish Medicines Agency said on Wednesday.

In 2023, 50% of new patients suffering from type 2 diabetes began treatment with a reimbursed GLP-1 drug without trying a cheaper alternative first, the Medicines Agency said.

Demand for Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic has soared as many people have started using the diabetes drug for its weight-loss effects.

Doctors and other prescribers in the UK were in July ordered to stop prescribing Ozempic to people who don't have type 2 diabetes, following a national shortage of GLP-1 drugs due to the soaring demand for approved and off-label use.

The Danish Medicines Agency expects nearly half of all those currently using GLP-1 drugs to switch to cheaper alternatives, but said it would continue to reimburse patients for their GLP-1 drugs, if they cannot be treated with the cheaper counterparts.

The drugs that will be affected by Denmark's new regulation when it enters into force on Nov. 25 this year include Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Rybelsus, and Eli Lilly's Trulicity.

The less expensive counterparts are recommended on the same footing as GLP-1 drugs, the Medicines Agency said.

(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by David Evans)
TALLMADGE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD)  A man was injured after he rear-ended a dump truck near Allendale Tuesday evening, deputies said.

Around 4:37 p.m., deputies with the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office responded to Lake Michigan Drive near Linden Drive in Tallmadge Township for a crash. According to the sheriffs office, a 68-year-old Lowell man made a Michigan U-turn before heading west on Lake Michigan Drive.

Because it was loaded down, deputies say it took a while for the truck to speed up. A 73-year-old Muskegon man also headed west in a Nissan Rogue rear-ended the truck. It then crossed the median and eastbound lanes before resting on the south side of Lake Michigan Drive, according to the sheriffs office.

The driver was not wearing his seatbelt and suffered serious injuries that were not life-threatening, deputies said. He was taken to the hospital.

The driver of the dump truck was not injured in the crash, deputies say.

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Traffic on Lake Michigan Drive was restricted after the crash. The Ottawa County Sheriffs Office is investigating.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Strengths highlight Public Storage's expansive footprint and robust balance sheet.

Weaknesses focus on the challenges of market saturation and increasing operational costs.

Opportunities underscore potential growth through acquisitions and market stabilization.

Threats consider the impact of economic downturns and competitive pressures.

Public Storage (NYSE:PSA), the largest owner of self-storage facilities in the United States, filed its 10-Q report on April 30, 2024. This SWOT analysis delves into the company's financials and strategic positioning. The report reveals a solid financial foundation, with PSA owning over 3,000 self-storage facilities and boasting approximately 218 million square feet of rentable space. The company's diversification into the European market through a 35% equity interest in Shurgard Self Storage, along with its ancillary businesses, positions it well for sustained growth. Financially, PSA has shown resilience with a comprehensive portfolio of self-storage facilities generating steady revenue streams, despite a slight deceleration in revenue growth and occupancy rates returning to pre-pandemic levels. The company's proactive management of its debt profile, including the issuance of senior notes and repayment of maturing debt, underscores its strong balance sheet and financial flexibility.

Decoding Public Storage (PSA): A Strategic SWOT Insight

Strengths

Market Leadership and Brand Recognition: Public Storage (NYSE:PSA) stands as a titan in the self-storage industry, with a commanding presence across 40 states and a significant foothold in the European market through Shurgard. The brand's recognition, built over decades, assures a steady influx of customers, contributing to a 0.1% increase in Same Store Facilities revenue in the first quarter of 2024. PSA's market leadership is further cemented by its expansive network, offering 218.4 million net rentable square feet, which facilitates economies of scale and operational efficiency.

Financial Robustness: PSA's financial health is a testament to its operational success. The company's strategic financial maneuvers, including the issuance of 150 million in senior notes and the repayment of existing debt, reflect a proactive approach to capital management. With $988.5 million in net proceeds from senior notes offerings and a $1.485.4 million borrowing capacity on its credit line, PSA is well-positioned to meet its capital expenditure requirements and pursue growth opportunities.

Weaknesses

Operational Cost Pressures: Despite its strong market position, PSA faces increasing operational costs, with a 4.8% rise in cost of operations excluding depreciation and amortization. Property tax expenses, which surged by 7.4% due to higher assessed values, are a significant contributor to this uptick. The company anticipates a 5% growth in property tax expenses in 2024, which could squeeze margins if not offset by revenue growth.

Market Saturation Risks: PSA's vast network, while a strength, also exposes it to the risks of market saturation. With occupancy rates declining to 92.1% and returning to pre-pandemic levels, the company must navigate a delicate balance between maximizing rental income and maintaining high occupancy levels. The deceleration in revenue growth, coupled with the need for increased promotional discounting to stimulate move-ins, indicates a competitive and maturing market landscape.

Opportunities

Acquisition and Expansion Potential: Public Storage (NYSE:PSA) has a clear opportunity to grow its footprint through strategic acquisitions. The company's recent acquisition of BREIT Simply Storage LLC and the ongoing contracts to acquire additional facilities demonstrate an aggressive expansion strategy. With $34.6 million earmarked for upcoming acquisitions, PSA is poised to capitalize on market opportunities and enhance its portfolio.

Market Stabilization and Demand: The self-storage industry is expected to stabilize as new customer demand levels out over the year. PSA's anticipation of similar same-store revenues in 2024 as in 2023 suggests confidence in its ability to maintain performance despite external pressures. The potential reduction in new competitive supply could also benefit PSA, allowing it to solidify its market position and optimize revenue streams.

Threats

Economic Sensitivity: The self-storage industry is not immune to macroeconomic fluctuations. Economic downturns can lead to reduced demand for storage as consumers and businesses tighten their belts. PSA's performance is closely tied to the health of the broader economy, and any downturn could negatively impact occupancy rates and rental income.

Competitive Landscape: The self-storage market is highly competitive, with numerous players vying for market share. PSA's need to increase marketing expenses by 40.4% to attract new tenants reflects the intensity of competition. The company must continuously innovate and offer compelling value propositions to retain and attract customers in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

In conclusion, Public Storage (NYSE:PSA) exhibits a robust SWOT profile with significant strengths in market leadership and financial stability. However, it must address the weaknesses of rising operational costs and market saturation risks. The company's opportunities for growth through acquisitions and market stabilization are promising, but threats from economic sensitivity and competitive pressures loom. PSA's strategic focus on maintaining its market position while exploring growth avenues will be crucial in navigating the dynamic self-storage industry landscape.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


There may not be a more apt visual metaphor for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' past few years than his opposition to a proposed marijuana legalization ballot initiativewhich he announced Tuesday while literally standing behind a sign celebrating "Freedom Month."

"I don't want this state to be reeking of marijuana," DeSantis said, defaulting to one of the laziest arguments against pot freedom, but one that DeSantis has been using for years. "We're doing fine. We don't need to do that."

How's that for Freedom Month?

In fairness to DeSantis, the jarringly dissonant signage was celebrating the state's sales tax holiday during May. Even so, the gap between DeSantis' pro-freedom messaging and his actions as governor has become a recurring theme for the one-time presidential hopeful.

After all, this is the same guy who wrote a book titled The Courage To Be Free, but has made a name for himself in conservative politics by wielding state power against drag queens, student groups, and others who have had the courage to freely express their opinions. On the presidential campaign trail, DeSantis would talk up the importance of school choice and parental rights, then moments later promise stricter state control over school curriculums. He's championed Florida's status as a refuge for Americans fleeing poor government policies in other states, even as he's tried to boot out migrants who are voting with their feet by coming to America for the same reason.

Freedom, for DeSantis, seems to mean that you can do whatever you'd pleasebut only if he approves.

It's disappointing, but hardly surprising, that DeSantis is applying that same logic to marijuana legalization. Florida residents might get a chance to vote on legalizing recreational weed in November, but DeSantis promised Tuesday that he would be "getting involved in different ways" to combat that ballot initiative. It's unclear exactly what DeSantis means, but State Attorney General Ashley Moody and some anti-legalization groups have already sued in state court to block the initiative from getting on the ballot.

The ballot initiative, Florida Amendment 3, would change the state's constitution to allow adults aged 21 and older to possess up to three ounces of marijuana. Existing licensed medical marijuana distribution centersFlorida voters approved medical marijuana in 2016would be the only places allowed to distribute recreational weed, although state lawmakers could pass new laws to allow for commercial distribution and home growing.

As Marijuana Moment notes, economic analyses of the ballot initiative show that legalization would be a boon for Florida and could generate between $195.6 million and $431.3 million in new sales tax revenue annually.

Greater freedom for Floridians and higher tax revenue seem to matter less to DeSantis than the possibility that some of the state's residents might dislike the smell of reefer. "You want to walk down the street here and smell it," he asked, rhetorically, on Tuesday. "Do you want to not be able to take your family out to dinner because you're worried about it?"

If that's the best argument that the opponents of legalization in Florida can muster, there might be little cause for concern. Even so, having the (admittedly quite popular) governor campaigning against legalization figures to be a factor in the election.

Voters seem to be split on the legalization issue: A poll taken last month by USA Today and Ipsos showed 49 percent of Floridians support the ballot initiativeincluding 38 percent of registered Republicans. That's well short of the 60 percent threshold required for the amendment to pass.

What DeSantis does as Florida's governor will continue to carry national implications, not solely because he remains one of the most well-known Republican politicians in the country. He's reportedly seeking to patch up his relationship with former President Donald Trumpthe two had dinner this week, according to The Washington Postand may have a role to play in a future Trump administration, or as a Republican presidential candidate in 2028.

By then, maybe he'll have gotten over his fear of the smell of weed.

The post DeSantis Frets About Florida 'Reeking of Marijuana,' Says He'll Oppose Legalization appeared first on Reason.com.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is taking steps to thaw relations with former President Trump, his primary-season rival, as he considers his next political move  including another potential White House bid in 2028.

DeSantis met with Trump in a private meeting in Miami over the weekend, the first time he had spoken with the former president since dropping out of the White House race following disappointing showings in the early-voting states.

The meeting underscores DeSantiss need to repair relations with Trump if he intends to run for another office in the future, something many say is likely.

Its a win-win for both of them, said Ford OConnell, a Florida Republican strategist. Trump can use as many strong fundraisers and strong messengers as possible, and I think being in Trumps good graces bodes well for DeSantiss political future.

Its really that simple, he added.

Florida Republicans say unity between the two was somewhat expected, but much needed given the political climate going into the general election.

As a Republican who wants to see the party unite together to defeat Joe Biden, I was pleased that the two former opponents were able to meet face to face, said Justin Sayfie, a Florida Republican strategist.

The former president confirmed the meeting in a Truth Social post Monday, saying he was very happy to have the full and enthusiastic support of DeSantis.

The conversation mostly concerned how we would work closely together to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, Trump wrote. Also discussed was the future of Florida, which is FANTASTIC! I greatly appreciate Rons support in taking back our Country from the Worst President in the History of the United States. November 5th is a BIG DAY!!!

The meeting signals a thaw in Trump and DeSantiss previously frosty relationship, which took a turn for the worst following DeSantiss decision to challenge Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. Trump relentlessly targeted DeSantis over the course of the primary campaign, labeling him DeSanctimonious, among other things.

But DeSantis and Trump were not always campaign rivals. The Florida governor tied himself to the president during his first gubernatorial campaign in 2018 and campaigned for Trumps reelection bid in 2020. By then, DeSantis was already seen as a top rising Republican star, earning praise from conservatives, including Trump, for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

By the time the 2022 midterms rolled around, Trump and his allies were closely watching DeSantis as he oversaw a successful election for Florida Republicans while a blue wave swept across much of the rest of the country.

By the time DeSantis officially jumped into the presidential race in May 2023, some observers speculated that he could surpass Trump as the new GOP standard-bearer.

Ultimately, though, the former governors campaign failed to live up to expectations. He faced constant negative press over his often stilted performances on the campaign trail and consistently polled behind Trump leading up to the Iowa caucuses.

After coming in a distant second to Trump in Iowa, he dropped out of the race just days before the New Hampshire primary, leaving many asking what the 45-year-old governor would do next.

DeSantis really, I think, hurt himself with that campaign in terms of the future, said one Republican strategist. The best way that he can revitalize or reenergize his brand is by being as close to Trump as possible.

And the two men have much in common, coming from the same wing of the GOP and sharing a support base of voters and donors.

Theres a lot of crossover between Trump presidential donors and DeSantis gubernatorial donors, too, OConnell said.

Republican donor Dan Eberhart supported DeSantis during the Republican primary but switched his support to Trump following the governors decision to drop out.

No other governor has accomplished more for the conservative cause than Gov. DeSantis, Eberhart said. If Trump wasnt running, DeSantis would be the nominee.

DeSantis supporters argue that his fundraising prowess and star power among conservatives will be a major factor in ultimately rallying and unifying the conservative base ahead of November.

While recent polling has shown Trump narrowly leading President Biden, the former president has trailed the current president in fundraising. Biden ended last quarter with $155 million in the bank compared to Trumps $42 million. But filings from last quarter suggested Trump and his allies are working to close that gap with Biden.

Trumps fundraising numbers could certainly use a DeSantis boost, Eberhart said.

The detente between Trump and DeSantis in South Florida comes as Democrats increasingly eye the Sunshine State as part of their broader electoral map strategy. Vice President Harris is set to visit the state this week to highlight the states six-week abortion ban, which was signed into law by DeSantis and is set to go into effect.

While most Republicans say the chances of Democrats winning Florida are slim, their strategy of targeting the state forces Republicans to spend money there when they could target other states. Some Republicans argue that the show of unity between Trump and DeSantis, who both call Florida home, will help offset those efforts.

In Florida right now, at least at this stage, Republicans are marching in lockstep together, OConnell said. I think [Democrats] were looking for some chinks in the armor, and theyre not finding it in Florida, at least not certainly in this cycle.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Tanks, where cultivated chicken is made, are seen at the Eat Just office on July 27, 2023. in Alameda, California. Back in June the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) authorized two California companies, Upside Foods and Good Meat, to sell chicken grown from cells in a lab. Cell-cultivated or lab-grown meat is made by feeding nutrients to animal cells in stainless steel tanks. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Quality Journalism for Critical Times

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Wednesday banning cultivated or lab-grown meat in Florida, placing it within a conspiracy by global elites to destroy agriculture in the interests of fighting climate change.

During a ceremony in the Hardee County Cattlemans Arena in Wauchula the governor compared the threat of lab-grown meat to citrus greening and hurricanes.

Those are, though, natural disasters  those are acts of God, he said.

A dish made with Good Meats cultivated chicken is displayed at the Eat Just office on July 27, 2023, in Alameda, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

What were protecting here is the industry against acts of man, against an ideological agenda that wants to finger agriculture as the problem, that views things like raising cattle as destroying our climate, DeSantis continued.

These will be people who will lecture the rest of us about things like global warming  they will say that, you know, you cant drive an internal combustion engine vehicle, theyll say that agriculture is bad. Meanwhile, theyre flying to Davos in their private jets and theyre living like they would ever want to live, the governor added.

So, this is really a vision of imposing restrictions on freedoms for everyday people while these elites are effectively pulling the strings, calling the shots, and doing whatever the hell they want to do in their own lives. And weve said in Florida, these folks like the World Economic Forum in Davos that they meet and they scheme, those policies are dead on arrival in the state of Florida, he added.

DeSantis might easily be considered part of the elite himself, as a Yale- and Harvard Law School-educated governor of the third-largest state who frequently travels by a state-own executive jet and was criticized during his presidential campaign for relying on private rather than commercial jets.

Dept. of Ag legislation

The bill (SB 1084) contains a number of programs for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, including provisions allowing members of 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) to get excused absences from schools to attend events.

It also makes it unlawful for any person to manufacture for sale, sell, hold or offer for sale, or distribute cultivated meat in this state, punishable by up to 60 days in jail. Food establishments that sell or serve the stuff are also subject to penalties including loss of commercial licenses.

The law defines cultured meat as any meat or food product produced from cultured animal cells. The USDA began authorizing its sale in the United States last June.

DeSantis waxed indignant about the prospect.

They want to basically eliminate meat, they want to eliminate cattle, they want to eliminate chickens, all this stuff, and they want to create protein in laboratories. So, its essentially lab-created meat. And their goal is to get to a point where you will not be raising cattle, you will not be developing meat like weve being doing for hundreds and hundreds of years in the state of Florida, he said.

Its not a matter of introducing a product to compete in the marketplace because they (meaning the elites) know that if that was put out there to compete with normal beef they would lose, DeSantis said. Instead, he continued, they want to phase out meat production.

Now, theyre not at the point where theyre going to be able to execute that today, but I think part of being good stewards of these industries, of the state, of the public wellbeing, is to think forward and head off threats before they even come, DeSantis said.

The bill that Im going to sign today is going to say, basically, take your fake, lab-grown meat elsewhere. Were not doing that in the state of Florida, he said.

Not willy-nilly

DeSantis turned his nose up at one suggested solution.

They also want you to believe that consuming insects is a, quote, overlooked source of protein and a way to battle climate change. Now, Im sure theyll say, hey wait a minute, just hear us out before you say yuck. And to that I say, Florida has heard enough on that.

This is not just being done willy-nilly. They want to do this stuff in a lab to be able to wipe the people sitting here out of business. We will not let that happen in the great state of Florida.

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, via Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Commissioner of Agriculture Wilson Simpson, himself a farmer and developer, noted that Italy has also banned lab-grown meat.

He praised the bills support for youth-agriculture groups, saying, We need that next generation in the industry.

Dale Carlton, president-elect of the Florida Cattlemens Association, observed that the cattle industry in Florida dates to the 1500s, when the Spanish introduced the animals to Florida. These developed into the cracker cow, a hardy breed that served as one of Floridas chief contributions to the Confederacy during the civil war. Floridians have long held the nickname crackers in homage to the sound cattlemens whips made.

As of 2021, agriculture contributed more than $7.7 billion to Floridas economy, and cattle-raising more than $546 million.

Some people think Florida is theme parks, South Beach, and maybe some oranges, but they dont really understand that, you know, we have one of the top cattle industries in the country, DeSantis said.

Sen. Jay Collins of the Tampa Bay region, one of the bills sponsors, said his family lost its 3,000-acre farm during the 1980s. I cant stand idly by and watch that happen to other people in our great state of Florida, he said.

Plant burgers

DeSantis also took a swipe at plant-based burgers as less healthy than the actual beef itself  and it doesnt taste as good. (That first opinion is supported by an M.D. Anderson Cancer Center report claiming that plant burgers are highly processed and can contain genetically modified foods, while beef is less processed and can be healthy if eaten in moderation.)

Whatever floats your boat, the governor allowed.

But what theyre doing with the lab-grown, is what they want to say is this the same as raising cattle and doing it naturally, then theres no reason that you have this industry. So, it is designed to represent a threat to agriculture as we know it. It is not just about having a product on the market. Thats the first step but they want much more than that. And I think were snuffing this out at the beginning, DeSantis said.

The post DeSantis signs ban on lab-grown meat in Florida, says elites are pushing it appeared first on Florida Phoenix.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday bashed President Joe Biden and his administration for accepting Palestinian refugees from the war-torn Gaza Strip.

There was a report out that Joe Biden is contemplating importing a bunch of Palestinian Arabs from the Gaza Strip into the United States of America. And I didnt even think Biden was crazy enough to do this, DeSantis said during a Hardee County press conference.

DeSantis was seemingly referring to a Tuesday CBS News report that the Biden administration is considering bringing in certain Palestinians to the U.S. as refugees. CBS reported that the move would offer a permanent safe haven to some fleeing the region who have immediate family members who are American citizens or permanent residents.

DeSantis has been increasing his rhetoric in recent weeks against Palestinians in Gaza and protesters who sympathize with them, equating the population in Gaza, which is reportedly nearly half children, with the Hamas militant organization that governs it. (Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department since 1997.)

On Wednesday, for instance, DeSantis said that to help Palestinians in Gaza relocate to the United States would mean importing blood feuds to this country. He evoked reports of rapes and executions during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, and referenced an account from an Israeli first responder that a baby was found in an oven.

In response, Samir Kakli, the president of the South Florida Muslim Federation, said in a statement to the Herald/Times that DeSantis rhetoric was fanning the flames of hatred against Arabs and Muslims.

Dehumanization of Palestinian lives must stop  this is not an American value, said Kakli.

When the Herald/Times reached out to the White House for a response, a spokesperson stated: Since the beginning of the conflict, the United States has helped more than 1,800 American citizens and their families leave Gaza, many of whom have come to the United States.

The spokesperson didnt comment on DeSantis remarks specifically or the CBS news report.

DeSantis also criticized pro-Palestinian protesters on Tuesday as pro-Hamas people who were taking over bridges, and taking over streets and other parts of the country.

You know, they tried to take over a street in Miami, and they got dragged off the street and dumped on the side of the road, he said, apparently referring to an April 15 protest involving about 150 people that was organized by the South Florida Coalition for Palestine.

Donna Nevel, a member of the coalition as well as the group Jewish Voice for Peace South Florida, told the Herald/Times in a statement Tuesday that DeSantis is an apologist for Israels genocide.

Protesting, blocking streets, demanding an end to financial support for this genocide, and saying no business as usual is what any person of conscience would do and is doing at this moment, Nevel said.

She added: The courageous students across the country are doing just that.

Regarding those student protests, last Monday, DeSantis said that if he were in charge, he would send the Justice Department after those universities that have allowed anti-semitism, where its not just bad speech. Theyre really targeting Jewish students. Its a hostile environment and violates the civil rights of those students. And these universities, they just arent willing to do what needs to be done.

On Wednesday, DeSantis said about the college protests in Florida: When you go out and try to commandeer property, when you try to set up encampments, you are not going to be allowed to do that We do not allow the inmates to run the asylum in the state of Florida, and if you cant abide by the rules that we have in place for conduct, then we will show you the door and you will be expelled. It is that simple.
Photo of the Scofield mine from the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

May Day was in its heyday in the U.S. at the beginning of the 1900s, as Americans, many of them recent immigrants from Europe, continued to celebrate the traditions of their ancestors.

But May 1, 1900, was a difficult day in Utah history.

Shock waves of horror and grief fanned out from the Winter Quarters coal mine in Carbon County as the full impact of a May 1, 1900, underground explosion hit the small community. It was the most lethal mine accident ever in Utah and, at that time, in the United States, per a retrospective story written by Twila Van Leer in 1996 in the Deseret News.

DN-Scofield mine-1

Deaths winding sheet seems to envelop Scofield this morning. Every house, without exception, is a house of mourning, and every household is preparing to receive its dead, read the May 2, 1900, newspaper report at the top of the page, per recaps of the events of the day.

At least 200 men lost their lives in an explosion that rocked the Winter Quarters Number Four Mine at 10:28 a.m. on a day planned to honor the victory of Admiral Dewey over the Spanish navy at Manila in the Philippines two years earlier. In fact, some thought the roar of the deadly explosion was a blast set off by someone beginning a midmorning celebration of Dewey Day.

The men and boys died either directly from the explosion or were suffocated when the afterdamp or carbon monoxide following the blast robbed them of life-sustaining oxygen.

About 20 of the victims were young boys who worked at various tasks inside the mine  helping their fathers load coal, coupling coal cars together, or opening and closing ventilation doors. The official number of dead was placed at 200; however, miners counting the bodies at the mouth of the tunnel claimed 246 had died. A week after the explosion, Finnish miners maintained that 15 of their countrymen had not been recovered.

The disaster left 107 women as widows and 286 children as fatherless.

In the years that followed, stories of heroism, survival and tragedy have been kept alive.

Heres one story, shared in a 1991 article by Deseret News writer A. Kent Powell:

Roderick Davis managed to escape from the mine after the explosion and joined one of the rescue parties, but while back inside the mine, he was overcome by the gas and fell unconscious.

Taken for dead, Davis was thrown into one of the cars being filled with bodies. Once out of the mine, he was placed in a row of corpses to be washed. When the men began to wash him, he regained consciousness and walked out of the room.

According to reports, the dead miners were washed and dressed in white shirts, ties and black suits purchased by the Pleasant Valley Coal Co. and were placed in coffins shipped to Scofield from Salt Lake City and Denver. They were then taken to their homes to await burial on May 5.

More to read from Deseret News archives:

* Remembering Scofield.

* Each home lost someone.

* More about the mine disaster.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Many questions still surround the deadly shooting in Shannon Park which left four law enforcement officers dead and five others injured.

During a media briefing Tuesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings fielded multiple inquiries about the involvement of the two people, besides the gunman, who were inside the Galway Drive home at the time of the shooting. Officers report a woman and a 17-year-old girl were voluntarily at the residence.

Jennings said the pair have been fully cooperative with homicide detectives. Authorities initially reported the teenager was a boy but corrected that statement Tuesday.

Suspect in shooting that killed CMPD officer, 3 with US Marshals Service had lengthy criminal history: Records

As of Tuesday night, officials have not brought charges against anyone but said they have not ruled out the possibility.

We are not looking or interested in any additional suspects or any persons of interest, Jennings said. We feel like we have everyone involved who was at the house we need to speak with.

The gunman, Terry Hughes Jr., 39, was shot and killed during the firefight. There were early reports of possible shots fired toward police after Hughes was brought to the ground in the front lawn.

I know I mentioned yesterday some pretty forward remarks about a possibility of a second shooter, we are not ready to say that at this point, Jennings said Tuesday.

MORE FROM QUEEN CITY NEWS

Shannon Park Shooting

He said there is a significant amount of body-worn camera footage to look through before determining if there were multiple shooters.

Jennings said he is also not ready to release details about the womens relationship to each other or to Hughes.

Queen City News Legal Analyst Khalif Rhodes said, unlike investigations in other states, there is no set time to expect the women to be released from police questioning.

What we have happening, assuming, right now, is that either they already have been released, theyre currently still being detained, or they have been charged but havent been arrested, Rhodes explained. But never in North Carolina can there be a situation where a person has been detained and not been arrested for a lengthy duration of time because theres nothing in our statute that allows that to happen.

Many states allow officers to hold a person for 48 to 72 hours without making an official arrest. North Carolina statute does not address holding an individual. Officers can detain someone for questioning for up to several hours, but not multiple days.

This is a crazy, crazy situation. One of the darkest days in Charlotte history. But while youre talking about the people that were or were not involved in this incident, youve got to allow law enforcement to do their investigation, Rhodes said. But there is still something called the Constitution, and we want to ensure that people have due process. Nowhere in our state constitution, or in any statute, does that allow a person to be detained without being charged while an investigation proceeds.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
DeWine announces funding for eight projects in Ross County

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and other state and count officials celebrated thousands of dollars in grant money making its way to Ross County on May 1, 2024 in Yoctangee Park.

CHILLICOTHE Ohio Governor Mike Dewine and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik visited Chillicothe on Wednesday to announce over $154 million in grants to fund transformational economic development projects in Ohio's Appalachian region.

The Appalachian Community Grant Program will give $500 million to Ohio's 32-county Appalachian region. In the most recent round of funding around $154 million was given to 30 projects in 12 counties. Projects will focus on reviving historical downtown districts, enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities, and attracting tourism to cultural destinations like the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks.

Eight of these projects will be located in Ross County. They are:

Yoctangee Riverside District Renovate the Armory in the park to become home to a farmers market and a UNESCO World Heritage Sites Visitors Center. Make improvements to fields and courts in the park, including the creation of an amphitheater. Add STEM-related programming to the Mighty Children's Museum.

Mound City Visitor Experience Enhancements Enhance the Mound City with a pavilion and shelter as well as improvements to make it more ADA accessible.

Seip Earthworks Experience Enhancements Infrastructure improvements such as new restrooms and a visitors center.

Hopewell Mound Group Visitor Experience Enhancements Expansion of an existing bike trail and new restroom facilities.

Hopeton Earthworks Experience Enhancements Driveway and parking improvements to help accommodate visitors

Paint Creek Recreational Trail Section Repairs Improvements and repairs to fix the trail and prevent further erosion

Village of Bainbridge Main Street Streetscape Revitalization Fix Main Street and improve sidewalks. Construct a new outdoor park and community space.

Village of Frankfort Main Street Streetscape and Downtown Revitalization Installations to calm traffic and increase pedestrian safety. Improve Lightle Park with a bike repair station, signage, new equipment, courts and a dog park.



The goal is to help showcase the Appalachian region of Ohio, an area DeWine called "magnificent", and prepare historical places for more visitors that are expected to come.

"I don't know a region that is more beautiful or a place more beautiful than Ross County," said DeWine.

County and city representatives were also at the celebration Ross County Commissioner Dwight Garrett and Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney both said that the announcement marked a "momentous occasion" and thanked the governor and his team for helping make this happen.

"We are thankful for your commitment to our state and to our county," said Garrett to DeWine.

While each project will have its own timeline Feeney said he expects work to find contractors and design plans will start quickly after the money is dispersed.

Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Governor visits Chillicothe, announces funding for Appalachian areas
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is greeting former President Trumps arrival in Wisconsin and Michigan for Wednesday rallies with billboards aiming to remind voters of his record on abortion.

The DNC is putting up two billboards in Wisconsin and one in Michigan near the sites of Trumps rallies scheduled for Wednesday afternoon and evening.

The billboards will feature the text: Trump: I was able to kill Roe v. Wade. And he wont stop until abortion is banned nationwide. Including Wisconsin, with Michigan swapped for the local billboards there.

Donald Trump is responsible for abortion bans across the country and yesterday reaffirmed his support for allowing states to prosecute women who seek abortions, DNC spokesperson Maddy Mundy said in a statement to The Hill. Trump wont stop until abortion is banned in Wisconsin, Michigan, and across the country. Again and again, voters have rejected MAGA Republicans anti-abortion agenda. Women in the Midwest know abortion is on the ballot in 2024, and the only candidates who will protect their rights are President Biden and Vice President Harris.

The billboards will be on Highway 47 and Highway 84 in Michigan near Trumps rally in Freeland, and the Wisconsin billboard will be on I-94, near his rally site in Waukesha.

Abortion is a major issue heading into the 2024 election and a significant vulnerability for Trump. The former president has repeatedly taken credit for the Supreme Courts decision in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade because he appointed three conservative justices.

Trump, in an effort to get around the issue, has taken the position that abortion policy should be left up to the states through legislation or ballot referendums as GOP-led states enact restrictive policies. In an interview with Time magazine published Tuesday, Trump said it should be up to states to decide whether to monitor womens pregnancies or to prosecute women who have abortions.

Meanwhile, abortion has driven turnout for Democrats in the elections since the 2022 decision, helping the party win the Kentucky governors mansion, the Virginia Legislature and other key races.

President Biden and his campaign have sounded the alarm constantly that a second Trump term would lead to nationwide restrictions on abortion access, something Biden has vowed to protect if he is reelected.

Trumps rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin will be his first such events since his hush money trial began in New York City in mid-April. The trial requires him to be in court four days a week most weeks, with Wednesdays and weekends available for Trump to campaign. He planned a rally in North Carolina, but it was canceled because of severe weather. Trump has otherwise not held public events on days off.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Democratic National Committee voted Tuesday to reinstate New Hampshires delegates ahead of this summers convention in Chicago, ending months of fighting over the states 2024 presidential primary.

We as a committee and as a national committee have gone through a difficult number of weeks and months of getting to this point, and I know that New Hampshire has gone through a difficult number of weeks and months where some things wed like to have seen take place did not, Jim Roosevelt, a co-chair of the DNCs Rules and Bylaws Committee, said at a meeting Tuesday. As it happens, all that is behind us now. We have worked out compliance with our rules and with the charter.

New Hampshire, which state law requires to hold the first presidential primary, had refused to comply with a new Democratic calendar that moved South Carolina to the front of the line. As a result, President Joe Biden did not file to appear on the ballot for its unsanctioned Jan. 23 primary, which took place more than a week before South Carolinas contest. Biden still won New Hampshire with about 64% of the vote through a write-in campaign.

Roosevelt told committee members during a livestream Zoom meeting, Were pleased to move forward in partnership with our colleagues from the great state of New Hampshire reaching a successful resolution that ensures that New Hampshires delegates are represented at the Democratic National Convention this summer.

When Biden visited New Hampshire in March to open his first coordinated campaign office in the state, he told supporters that, without getting ahead of the DNCs process, he expected New Hampshires delegates to count, according to two people in the room.

Before the state Democratic Party held a delegate selection meeting Saturday, it invited members to participate in a party-run primary in which Biden was the only candidate on the ballot. Two dozen people participated, which the DNC viewed as a sanctioned primary affirming New Hampshires right to its delegates at this summers convention, said a source familiar with the process.

New Hampshire is delighted to express our support for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in Chicago, state Democratic Chairman Ray Buckley told NBC News. We are extraordinarily proud of the diverse and perhaps history-making delegates that have been selected to represent us.

Buckley said many of the delegates being sent to Chicago are under age 36 and that some identify as LGBTQ.

Asked about the chaos surrounding the order of the Democratic primaries this cycle, Buckley said the party was ready to move on.

We prefer looking forward to the general election, where were going to re-elect Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, a Democratic governor, both congressional seats and majorities in the State House, Buckley said. We are so over this.

Buckley added that New Hampshires retaining its first-in-the nation primary status in 2028 will be a worry after the election.

We have got to save democracy first, he said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A Missouri hospital is accused of labeling a cardiologist an IMMEDIATE THREAT TO THE PUBLIC on an online data bank used by medical professionals, causing the doctors reputation to suffer.

Dr. Keesag Baron, a Springfield cardiologist, sued Lester E. Cox Medical Centers and Ferrell-Duncan Clinic (FDC) for defamation, interference with a business relationship and violation of the Sherman Act.

Baron worked for Cox and the clinic up until 2008, when he left to open his own practice, according to the lawsuit. He still maintained staff privileges with the hospital, meaning he could admit patients and even perform some treatments.

The cardiologist would occasionally refer his patients to Cox and the clinic, according to the lawsuit, but the hospital pressured him to send it all of his referrals. Baron referred patients based on where he believed they would receive the best care, according to the lawsuit.

Due to Barons decision to refer patients to doctors outside of Cox and the clinic, according to the lawsuit, the hospital was looking for opportunities to remove his staff privileges.

Through a peer-review process, Cox and the clinic cited a case where an 88-year-old died as reason to remove Barons privileges, according to the lawsuit. As a result, some of Barons patients had to find a new doctor because his practice was no longer covered by their health insurance.

Baron had an opportunity to present his side of the situation, Cox and FDCs attorney Kent Hyde told McClatchy News. It didnt turn out the way he wanted. The lawsuit did not list when the peer-review process occurred.

Hyde added that the peer-review process used by Cox and the clinic is common at hospitals throughout the country.

In 2022, the hospital made a report to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, saying Baron had behavior issues with lack of insight including refusal to accept responsibility and accusing him of falsifying medical records, according to the lawsuit.

The report to the departments data bank also called Baron an IMMEDIATE THREAT TO THE PUBLIC, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit said these statements were defamatory and damaged the doctors reputation.

The lawsuit alleges the hospital violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, which is designed to block monopolies and keep competition between businesses.

Cox and the clinics comments to the Department of Health and Human Services and removal of staff privileges was intentionally designed to suppress and/or terminate competition, according to the lawsuit.

Baron is seeking compensation for the alleged damages, though an exact amount was not listed.







Springfield is about a 160-mile drive southeast of Kansas City.

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DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE:DBRG) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript April 30, 2024

DigitalBridge Group, Inc. isnt one of the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds at the end of the third quarter (see the details here).

Operator: Good day and welcome to DigitalBridge Group, Inc.'s First Quarter 2024 Earnings Call. At this time, all participants are in listen-only mode. A question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation. [Operator Instructions] Please note this conference is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Severin White. You may begin, sir.

Severin White: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to DigitalBridges first quarter 2024 earnings conference call. Speaking on the call today from the company is Marc Ganzi, our CEO, and Tom Mayrhofer, our CFO. I'll quickly cover the safe harbor. Some of the statements that we make today regarding our business operations and financial performance may be considered forward-looking. And such statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. All information discussed on this call is as of today, April 30th, 2024, and Digital Bridge does not intend and undertakes no duty to update it for future events or circumstances. For more information, please refer to the risk factors discussed in our most recent Form 10-K filed with the SEC for the year ending December 31, 2023, and our Form 10-Q to be filed with the SEC for the quarter ending March 31, 2024.

Great. So, it's the new year and in connection with the completion of our business transformation, we've advanced and further simplified the format of our earnings presentation. Going forward, we'll start with Marc providing a business update, highlighting key takeaways from the quarter, and covering thematics that would have historically been incorporated in our third section, executing the digital playbook. Tom will cover the financial highlights in the second section, followed by Q&A. Another advance that you'll notice is we've condensed our earnings presentation and supplemental financial report into one document. The goal here is to make it easier for investors to access a single doc that captures the highlights as well as some of the important detail behind the numbers.

We look forward to your feedback on this new format. I also want to highlight our second Investor Day coming in a couple of weeks on Monday, May 13th at the New York Stock Exchange. Some of you will be joining us in person, others on the webcast. Either way, we're looking forward to outlining our simplified business profile, discussing the state of private markets, digital infrastructure and AI, and how we continue scaling our highly differentiated platform. In addition to our senior management, we'll be joined by some of our operating partners as we give you color on what's happening on the ground in digital infrastructure. With that, let's get started and I'll turn the call over to Marc Ganzi, our CEO. Marc?

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Marc Ganzi: Thanks, Severin. Let's start this call with our progress on FEEUM, which as you all know is our key revenue and earnings driver and the solid growth that we continue to see here. As you can see on the left, FEEUM grew 17% year-over-year to $32.5 billion at the end of the first quarter in 2024. Importantly, FEEUM growth was driven not only by our flagship strategy DigitalBridge Partners III and the corresponding co-invest but also via our expanding multi-strat offerings which include contributions from credit and liquid this quarter. In fact, if we hadn't had a step-down in separately capitalized portcos, as Vantage deadco moved from our latest flagship fund, FEEUM actually would have been up over 20% year-over-year.

That transaction which we announced in January is similar to the Vertical Bridge deal we did in DigitalBridge Partners II, which created some short-term FEEUM pressure, but over the long term allows us to maintain exposure to the best growth platforms. In this case, Vantage is one of the best global hyperscale data center platforms, building large campuses at scale with what we think is the best management team in the world, led by our CEO, Sureel Choksi. In partnership with Silver Lake, we're planning on building over 3 gigawatts of capacity to meet the growing demand for cloud and AI infrastructure. And at the same time, DigiBridge shareholders will now earn carry as we create incremental value at that platform versus just a straight historic management fee, which is what investors were getting in the original investment vehicle that we built at Vantage.

Bottom line, FEEUM growth year-over-year remain solid. And next quarter, you'll continue to see this metric March higher as we close incremental capital across all of our strategies. Next slide please. Next up is new capital formation. This quarter we closed on $1.1 billion in new capital commitments. That's up 47% over the prior year. So taking a step back, in summation, Q1 was good. And frankly, it could have even been better. We hold back some commitments from some of our clients that are working on a multi-strategy play with us that will play out over the next few months. We're really starting to have these more holistic conversations with our partners and LPs as our fund strategies expand. We'll talk a bit -- a little bit more about that on investor day, but it's great.

I would say it's a great strategic development for the firm. We have multiple products in the digital infrastructure space that are meeting our clients' objectives. Whether it's credit, core, liquid securities, late stage venture growth, our flagship funds, co-inventing vehicles, and continuation funds, we're really building out that multi-strategy platform where we take advantage of that digital infrastructure flywheel that we maintain here at DigitalBridge. In Q1, we received continuing commitments of over $600 million to DigitalBridge Partners III. Subsequent to our 4Q 23 report in February, we also brought in commitments to our second credit strategy and had also contributions from liquid and co-investments as well. The key here again is multi-strategy, which will increasingly even out fundraising over time.

As you know, we hold periodic closings for our strategies over the course of the year. And I'd say today with Q1 closed and good line of sight on capital formation over the course of the year, we feel very good about our ability to meet or exceed our fundraising targets we laid out for 2024 last quarter. Next slide, please. As Severin mentioned earlier, we've made some changes to the format of the presentation, bringing what used to be the third section up front to address some of the top of mind issues and strategic initiatives that we're executing on to build our business going forward. Today, data centers and AI are front and center, not just in digital infrastructure, but across an increasingly digital global economy. And in this sector, the number one topic today is power.

This is why you're seeing tech CEOs like Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, Satya Nadella, all out there publicly talking about how to access power in order to meet the demand coming down from Generative AI workloads. I'd like to bring some perspective from our end as an owner, operator, and manager of some of the largest data center platforms globally to understand the challenge and some of the ways that we're trying to address it as a firm. I'll start by highlighting that it's actually power generation that's not the issue. It's power transmission and distribution that are constrained. Transmission grids are capacity challenged. And imagine, if you think it's hard to get a new cell tower permitted, think about building new transmission towers or substations.

There's a lot of friction in the system around this right now. In fact, growing contribution from renewables, which is an important development, introduces additional complexities to the grid, especially as it relates to data centers. Next slide, please. For those of you that know us well, we don't spend much time complaining about problems. We pivot pretty quickly, and our goal as a management team is to figure out solutions. So to solve the bottlenecks the grid is presenting, we're helping our portcos get creative and find ways to execute on a different kind of colo, bringing power generation and data centers closer together. On one side, it's building data centers closer to new or existing power generation. We're doing that at a number of our platforms, whether it's hydro, solar, natural gas, or wind.

This actually fits AI training models quite well, since these workloads are less latency sensitive. They can be located further away from enterprises or consumers during the AI model training phase. On the flip side, we're also figuring out how to bring power closer to where you need data centers. You can see we're doing that at our DataBank and Switch platforms today. This will be increasingly important as we move to the AI inference phase, where trained AI models are deployed at scale by enterprises and in apps used by consumers. Here, you need compute closer to the end user, not only in hyperscale but also in edge. Frankly, both of these approaches are going to be necessary to meet the demand that we're seeing across the portfolio for new power capacity.

Aerial view of a city skyline, with many buildings owned by the real estate arm of the company.

We believe it's not going to one technology or one strategy that's going to be the silver bullet to solve the problem. So we're increasingly focused on this today, and you'll hear us talk more about this as the year progresses. Next slide, please. A big piece of the power puzzle centers around renewables. This is an area of intense interest from our portfolio of company customers. Again, it's a customer-driven opportunity and solution who've all have aggressive net-zero targets for their compute and connectivity footprints, and from our institutional LPs as well. They want to see green electrons increasingly power their data center investments, not just through -- directly through PPAs, but actually bringing that power directly behind the meter into the data center.

As you can see here, we're making a lot of progress with two of our six data center portfolios already 100% renewable with Switch powered here in the US principally by wind and solar, and Scala which is powered by hydro in Brazil. DataBank and Vantage are making very good progress as well, increasingly building or procuring renewable energy, as you saw in the prior slide. On the last pane here, another component of solving the power challenge is building and operating data centers that operate more efficiently, which is measured by PUE, or power usage effectiveness. This means the ratio of power into facility relative to the amount [used] (ph) to run the servers directly. Here, lower PUE values are desirable because they significantly use less energy, they're more energy efficient.

Also here, AI is actually part of the solution. A number of our platforms are experimenting with new technology powered by AI that operates data centers more efficiently. We don't just build in for AI, we're also investing in AI for our infrastructure and for our customers. Next page, please. So let's step back and understand why we're so focused on power and see how that aligns with one of the foundations of the DigitalBridge roadmap, invest. Last quarter, I highlighted our portfolio companies are budgeted to invest over $11 billion in data center CapEx globally in 2024 based on the bookings that came in last year and also in this year. Just yesterday, one of our portfolio companies signed a 100 plus megawatt lease. That'll be roughly another $1 billion in incremental CapEx. Today, with over 2 gigawatts under construction at $10 million a megawatt, that's over $20 billion over the next few years in new CapEx commitments.

Those are big blocks and we've already got the power lined up for that 2.2 gigawatts of under-construction capacity. But here's the issue. Looking ahead, looking around corners, our pipeline is over 5 gigawatts today and growing, and I would say growing quite fast. To turn that pipeline into bookings, you've got to be able to deliver the power, power density at scale. This is a key differentiator into the foreseeable future, and while you hear us -- you'll hear from us continuing to cover this topic, including more insights at our Investor Day around data centers and renewable power, and the convergence of those two topics together. So with that, I'll wrap up our business and strategic update and turn it over to Tom to cover the financials.

Tom Mayrhofer: Thank you, Marc, and good afternoon, everyone. As a reminder, this earnings presentation is available within the shareholders section of our website, and this quarter, we've combined the previously separate [Technical Difficulty] financial report with the earnings presentation for your convenience. Starting on Page 15, our key operating and financial metrics have seen significant year-over-year growth. Fee revenues, fee-related earnings and distributable earnings have continued to demonstrate positive trends year-over-year, and we expect this growth trajectory to continue as we progress through 2024. In the first quarter, we also generated year-over-year growth in new capital formation as Marc discussed. As the year progresses, we expect momentum to build and full year results to align with our guidance targets.

Our fee earning equity under management is $32.5 billion as of March 31st, a 17% increase from the same period last year, driven by organic capital formation in the DBP series, co-investments and credit strategies. This increase was partially offset by an anticipated fee-based reduction as Vantage data centers transitioned from our prior separately capitalized vehicle structure into our latest flagship fund, DigitalBridge Partners III, or DBP III, which extends our exposure to Vantage through its next phase of growth. Moving to Page 16, the company continues to simplify its financial reporting to align with our alternative asset management peers, specifically in our presentation of fee-related earnings and distributable earnings. Beginning in the first quarter, the company introduced fee-related earnings on a company-wide basis, which now incorporates corporate expenses and is not equivalent to the metric reported prior to 2024 investment management fee-related earnings.

FRE metrics discussed in this earnings presentation for prior periods have been updated to reflect company-wide fee-related earnings and are suitable for period-over-period comparison. Starting with fee revenues, the company reported $72.8 million in the first quarter, marking a 21% increase from the same period last year. As we progress through 2024, we continue to anticipate additional fee revenue growth, including catch-up fees driven by fundraising for DBP III, which had its initial close on November 1st of last year. Fee-related earnings were $19.6 million in the first quarter, up 28% year-over-year. While cash compensation was up due to the inclusion of a full quarter of the InfraBridge acquisition and continued investments in the platform, general and administrative costs were flat year-over-year, allowing us to improve operating leverage and expand FRE margins.

We expect this trend to continue over the course of the year, with growth in revenue exceeding the growth in compensation and G&A expenses. Distributable earnings were $2.2 million in the first quarter, with the progress we were making at the corporate level de-levering on display with continued reduction of interest expense. The LTM figures on the right, I think, give you a good sense of the operating leverage that is starting to materialize in our operating margin, which has expanded from under 20% to just over 30% on an LTM basis. Turning to Page 17, we reported a reversal of $2.7 million in carried interest income for the first quarter. The company accrues carried interest based on quarterly changes in the fair value of our fund investments.

The reversal in the first quarter stemmed mainly from net increases in fair value during the quarter, which came in below the preferred return hurdle on certain funds, resulting in a reduction on a mark-to-market basis at a small amount of accrued carried interest. Notably, carried interest compensation expense tracks these changes, and there was a commensurate reversal of a small amount of unrealized carried interest compensation. Principal investment income, which is accrued and/or realized income primarily earned on the company's GP investments in our various funds, was $2.8 million in the quarter, with $2.3 million in realized distributions from our funds. Turning to Page 18, you'll see that the company continues to maintain ample liquidity and has continued to de-lever its balance sheet, including the completion of the full exchange and redemption of its $78 million of 2025 exchangeable notes in April, reducing corporate level debt that will result in approximately $4.5 million of annual interest savings.

With that, I'll wrap up the financial results section of our presentation. It's shorter and I hope easier to follow given our simplified business profile. Before handing it over to Marc, I want to express my gratitude to everyone on the finance team and across the firm, especially Jacky Wu for welcoming me to DigitalBridge and helping my transition over the last few months. I'm really excited to be here and look forward to connecting with our shareholders at Investor Day and over the course of the rest of the year. With that, I'll turn it back to Marc for his final remarks.

Marc Ganzi: Thank you, Tom. And again, thank you to Jacky Wu and our entire finance team for making your transition so seamless. Well, look, we're going to wrap it up. I want to thank everyone for their time and attention today. I think we've continued to lay out the foundations for how we're building we believe one of the most powerful alternative asset managers tied to some of the most exciting secular themes on the planet today. We're looking forward to welcoming all of you to our Investor Day. And with that, I'm going to turn it over to the operator for Q&A. Thank you.

Operator: [Operator Instructions] Our first question comes from Michael Elias of Cowen & Company. Please go ahead.

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More questions than answers remain after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed off on a controversial new law allowing public school teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns in K-12 schools if they meet several requirements.

How many districts will allow staff to carry? What risks are involved? What are armed teachers and staff supposed to do in the event of an active shooter? Are the training and background checks required by the law enough? How will it actually work if schools choose to implement a carry policy?

The consensus was clear among three experts The Tennessean spoke with: Arming teachers is a high-risk, complicated idea, and if schools choose to adopt a policy allowing it, they should be extremely cautious in how they proceed.

Their concerns echo those of parents, teachers, students, education leaders, lawmakers and a bipartisan group of gun reform advocates who opposed the bill as it worked its way through the state legislature. It was first introduced just a few months before a shooter left three 9-year-old students and three adult staff members dead at The Covenant School in Nashville last March. Covenant School parents joined the pushback as debate over the bill intensified after the shooting.

Sarah Shoop Neumann, a Covenant parent, listens during a House session with her son Judah at the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, April 22, 2024.

The measure was ultimately deferred, picked back up during this year's session by GOP lawmakers and swiftly passed along party lines, despite vocal protests.

Here's a look at what experts think about the new law and what it could mean if schools implement it.

From August: Tennessee's special session reignited the school safety debate. But what's actually best?

Experts urge caution, ask big questions over arming teachers

Both a school safety expert and a national school resource officer leader said the same thing when it comes to implementing policy that allows armed teachers and staff in schools: "The devil's in the details."

Mo Canady, the executive director for the National Association of School Resource Officers, was a police officer for 25 years before taking on his current role in 2011. Nearly half his time on the force was spent overseeing local SRO programs in Hoover, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham.

Supporters of the new law in Tennessee often cited a critical shortage of school resource officers or limited police forces that can slow response times, especially in rural communities. That's part of an ongoing police shortage.

"Law enforcement is in a recruiting crisis," Canady said. "There are no easy answers here."

Arming teachers: Where Middle Tennessee districts stand on allowing teachers to carry guns

School resource officer Freddirico Pye walks the halls at Pearl-Cohn High School on Friday, May 12, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.

Still, the idea of arming teachers makes him uncomfortable. When asked if he thinks the 40 hours of basic training required under the law is enough for teachers and staff to carry guns in schools, his answer was simple: Absolutely not.

For one, he said, it's limited in how it addresses things like active shooters. The basic training his organization offers includes things like adolescent brain development and mental health issues, special needs, human trafficking and behavioral threat assessment, among others.

"It's so much more than just carrying a weapon," Canady said.

National School Safety and Security Services President Ken Trump has long served the public education space. In the past, he oversaw school safety for Cleveland Public Schools. Now a consultant and speaker, Trump voiced concerns similar to Canady's.

"Any proposition to arm teachers and school staff, it's a high-risk, high-liability proposition. Period," Trump said.

Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, presents a bill that would allow armed teachers before the Tennessee House as a crowd of protesters looks on from the gallery on April 23 at the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville.

He said there is wide agreement in the school safety and law enforcement community that even officers with hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of experience in policing must undergo even more training to become SROs.

He agreed that 40 hours of training is not enough to place armed, non-law enforcement personnel into schools.

"You also wouldn't want to take a police officer off the street, give them 40 hours of training and have them teach second grade," Trump said.

If and when a school staff member is approved to carry a weapon, Canady said several more questions arise for him.

Where will the gun be throughout the day? How will teachers or staff members conceal it if they have it on their person, especially while interacting with students? Will teachers with guns leave their classrooms if an active shooter enters the building, or stay and protect only their classes? How will law enforcement responding to a school know who is an approved staff member with a gun versus a threat?

Canady also pointed to another grim reality for teachers and staff who carry.

"Many of our school shooters have been students," he said. "Are they mentally prepared to deal with that, to have to take the life of a student?"

Protesters gather outside the Senate doors after being removed from the gallery at the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

Canady urges caution for those who develop policies for armed staff in schools.

"Think very deeply about how you're going to implement this," Canady said. "You don't want to  unintentionally allow this to become kind of a Wild West situation."

A growing number of Tennessee school districts, including its larger urban districts and some smaller and rural districts, have said they won't allow teachers or staff to carry guns, despite the new law. Others have said they're still discussing the matter with local law enforcement and school leadership.

Columbia professor: 'There's been no real research on this'

Charles Branas, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, has spent years studying the effects of gun violence in America, especially when it comes to schools. He's currently part of a study funded by the National Institutes of Health analyzing roughly a decade's worth of mass shootings in schools.

He and his team are speaking with nearly 700 schools across dozens of states that have experienced mass shootings. Roughly half of those schools have experienced shootings themselves. The study will comb through what safety measures the schools had in place before the shootings, including things like metal detectors, school resource officers, anti-violence programs and allowing armed teachers. It also takes state and local gun laws into account.

When it comes to arming teachers, Branas said the vast majority of schools he's spoken to dont support the idea.

"The ones that have expressed  that they would consider it were very hesitant about it," he said.

A student gets off the school bus on the first day of school on Aug. 8, 2023, at Goodlettsville Elementary School in Goodlettsville, Tenn.

Branas said he and his team are at least a year away from having results from the study. Like Canady and Trump, he also expressed alarm over how many states are pressing forward with laws that would allow armed teachers. Most recently, Iowa adopted an arming teachers law, just days before Tennessee did the same.

"There's been no real research on this and whether it could be effective," he said. "People are proceeding here in the absence of analytic guidance."

Branas has also been part of a study that observes people in immersive shooting simulations. He said civilians who are untrained or minimally trained do very poorly in simulations of crowded situations. While police officers fare better, they still struggle. He said officers with special weapons training do best in the simulations.

All that leaves him uneasy about schools arming teachers and staff. While specific research on arming teachers is still lacking, Branas said he's open to what he and others will find as they forge ahead.

"It may show that there's benefit," he said. "But right now, we don't know that."

Students walk across the street on the first day of school at Kenrose Elementary School on Aug. 4, 2023, in Brentwood, Tenn.

A glance at Tennessee's law on arming teachers

The newly-passed law in Tennessee maps out several requirements. It requires teachers and staff who wish to carry concealed handguns on campus to maintain a valid handgun carry permit, undergo background checks, get a psychiatric or psychological certification and complete 40 hours of basic training in school policing. They must also get sign-off from their district director, school principal and the leader of their local law enforcement agency. Additionally, they must complete at least 40 hours of training on school policing annually.

Districts and local law enforcement must work together to develop and implement a carry policy. The law also says districts and law enforcement will not disclose who is carrying and cannot be sued for how those staff members do  or do not  use the gun they carry. The law bars teachers and staff from carrying guns into auditoriums and stadiums during school events, certain events like disciplinary or tenure meetings, clinics and hospitals, and areas that are posted as prohibiting firearms.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Arming Tennessee teachers: Experts, others question new gun law
DOJ should prosecute Big Oil like it did tobacco industry, former federal litigator tells Senate

The federal government should take legal action against the petroleum industry, as it once did against Big Tobacco, a former federal litigator told the Senate Budget Committee on Wednesday.

Major oil and gas companies have misled and endangered the public in a manner similar to the tobacco industry, said Sharon Eubanks, a former Justice Department lawyer who led the racketeering lawsuit against the tobacco industry in the mid-2000s, arguing those actions deserve to be sorted out in court.

If you were the attorney general of the United States, would you prosecute in that direction? Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) asked Eubanks.

I would, yes, Eubanks said. No question.

Eubanks was one of five witnesses called to testify in regards to a report released Tuesday by the Senate Budget Committee and Democratic members of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.

As The Hill reported, that investigation cited internal documents from oil and gas companies in its findings that the industry had sought to slow-walk or reverse action to protect the climate even as company leaders publicly announced their support for climate goals.

The report included documents that showed fossil fuel insiders seemingly admitting ways their industry had suppressed research on the dangers of burning oil and gas  even as they publicly insisted they had done no such thing.

Oil companies and other entities named in the report have pushed back against its characterizations, as did GOP senators.

In written and spoken testimony, Eubanks argued that the governments litigation against the tobacco industry offered a road map for addressing the fossil fuel industrys long history of public advocacy against climate science.

Like cigarette companies, she said, fossil fuel majors have been critical of the science regarding their industrys harms while arguing against efforts to regulate it  even as their own internal documents appear to show that they understood their primary products were heating the planet.

In the civil case against the tobacco industry, federal prosecutors successfully argued that the industry was guilty of racketeering  or an organized, illegal conspiracy.

That tobacco litigation established that cigarette companies had defrauded consumers about the health dangers associated with cigarette smoking, according to the Justice Department.

Federal prosecutors brought these charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which was established to combat organized crime.

RICO was a way to bring all of the [tobacco] claims under the same umbrella, Eubanks said.

She added that conspiracy is a good claim to look at in a lot of the statutes that are involved in consumer protection laws.

In written testimony, Eubanks pointed to copious lawsuits against the deceptive advertising and the PR of the fossil fuel industry, with about 1,800 cases proceeding in the U.S. and nearly 1,000 overseas.

Both tobacco and fossil fuel companies, she wrote, lied to the public and regulators about what they knew about the harms of their products, and when they knew it.

In the tobacco case, she wrote, the judge found that companies hid research, entered into agreements not to conduct research, and used lawyers to control research so that it would serve the purposes of litigation and public relations.

Similarly, she wrote, the fossil fuel industry concealed its well-known facts about the cause of climate change and instead deployed significant resources in an effort to sow doubt about the science.

Other witnesses backed up this line of argument.

We have the receipts, Geoffrey Supran, director of the Climate Accountability Lab at the University of Miami, told the Budget Committee.

Supran added that we have overwhelming evidence that this industry has known  since twice my lifetime  about the dangers of their products. And they knowingly and deliberately created a multidecade, multibillion-dollar campaign to 

Sanders broke in. And countries around the world were very slow moving in attempting to deal with climate change? he asked.

Thats correct, Supran said, pointing to evidence from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the main international body of science tracking climate impacts.

In its landmark 2021 report, the IPCC found that the need to address climate risk had been made more urgent by delays due to misinformation about climate science, which it said has sowed uncertainty and slowed the publics recognition of risk.

Republicans pushed back on this framing. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) turned to Ariel Cohen, a senior fellow at The Atlantic Council and a veteran of the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Dr. Cohen, if Democrats had their way, they would destroy Americas fossil fuel production through excessive regulation and unlimited taxation at a time when Americans can least afford it, Grassley said.

In your view, and your point of view, what is the difference between tobacco and fossil fuel commodities?

The fundamental difference between tobacco and the fossil fuel industry is that the fossil fuel industry brings a tangible economic good to the economy, Cohen said.

Without it, we cannot have our transportation, our deliveries, our military, machines, planes tanks moving around. So I do not  I hope that nobody in the right mind is advocating immediate cessation of fossil fuel production.

At least during the hearing, nobody did. In a previous exchange between Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, and Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), Raskin argued for a 4 percent annual reduction in fossil fuel production for the foreseeable future.

Cohen added that the only thing tobacco does is addiction and health harms. Fossil fuel, on the other hand, as polluting as it may be, produces huge amounts of relatively cheap and concentrated energy. Without it, our economy and our society would collapse.

Democrats sought to keep the conversation narrowly focused on the question of deceit  by the fossil fuel industry and by the tobacco industry.

For example, Senate Budget Committee Chair Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) pointed to internal documents in the report in which gas industry executives referred to the fuel as a destination-fuel, in contrast with their public statements that it was a bridge to an all-renewables economy.

That, he argued, was a deception  and a dangerous one, given that leaks of methane, the prime component in gas, heat the planet dozens of times more powerfully than the carbon dioxide released when fossil fuels are burned.

Pointing to the mid-2000s litigation against the tobacco industry, Whitehouse asked if it was fair to say that the federal victory meant that tobacco companies were forbidden to lie?

In a nutshell, yes, Eubanks said. And indeed, that they were under an affirmative obligation to correct some of the lying that they had already done.

As a result of that litigation, stores that sell tobacco must prominently post signs reminding customers that cigarettes cause cancer.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
DOJ sides with Native American tribe in lawsuit against major oil company: 'Lacks any legal right to remain'

Canadian oil company Enbridge owns a pipeline that runs across Wisconsin and Michigan. After years of legal disputes about it in Wisconsin's state courts, the Department of Justice has weighed in, voicing clear support of the Native American tribe standing in opposition to Enbridge, The New York Times reported.

What happened?

Line 5 is an oil pipeline that crosses 645 miles of Wisconsin and Michigan, including reservations, the Times revealed. It belongs to Enbridge, famous for its questionable use of police and sheriff services against pipeline protesters in Minnesota.

Line 5 was built in 1953, according to Clean Water Action, and is wearing out, increasing the risk of highly polluting spills in an area already struggling with pollution.

The Bad River Band, an Ojibwe group whose land Line 5 crosses, wants the line shut down immediately, the Times reported.

Enbridge wants to make repairs and keep the pipeline running  potentially rerouting around the reservation, although it doesn't have permits for construction.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Wisconsin asked the Department of Justice for an amicus brief on the situation, according to the Times. The brief, filed April 10, says Enbridge "lacks any legal right to remain" on the Native American tribe's reservation.

Why does this case matter?

The main disagreement in the case is about treaties surrounding the pipeline. Enbridge claims that a U.S.-Canada treaty from the 1970s gives it a license to operate forever unless one of the two governments says otherwise, the Times reported.

But according to the Bad River Band, the older treaties between the tribe and the U.S.  predating the pipeline and the U.S.-Canada treaty by decades  take precedence, and Enbridge has been trespassing on tribal land all along.

"We're talking about the very essence of what tribal sovereignty is," David Gover, an attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, told the Times.

What's being done about the Line 5 situation?

The brief filed by the Justice Department sides with the Bad River Band and even says that a previous order for Enbridge to pay $5 million in restitution isn't enough to make up for the trespass or to deter companies from doing the same in the future, the Times reported.

However, it doesn't call for the pipeline to shut down or address the treaty issue, so it doesn't go as far as Native groups were hoping.

"The courts passed the mic to the U.S., and the U.S. handed the mic right back to the courts," attorney Debbie Chizewer told the Times. Chizewer is with Earthjustice and represents the Bay Mills Indian Community in a parallel case in Michigan.

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Rather than muzzle students, we should allow them to hear and be heard, New York Times columnist Pamela Paul wrote recently. Its worth remembering how children once responded to schoolyard epithets: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never harm me. Narrow restrictions on putatively harmful speech leave young people distracted from and ill-prepared for the actual violence theyll encounter in the real world.

It's good advice. Unfortunately, I've misled you. Thats actually a Pamela Paul column from Feb. 2023.

Trump Is Wrong. Columbia Isnt Anything Like Charlottesville

Here's what she wrote in response to the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University: [I]ts a rare pleasure to get a chance to applaud the president of a university, in this case Minouche Shafik of Columbia, who on Thursday called in the police to remove student protesters who have camped out on campus in violation of university policy with the authority at her disposal and with the courage that too many academic leaders have lacked, Shafik did what any responsible adult should do in her position: She ordered the police to clear Columbias campus of the students seemingly unaware of how lucky they are to attend one of the nations top universities.

The Columbia protesters had barely set up their tents before U.S. senators like Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley were demanding intervention from the National Guard. Since then, House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the protesters' rights by pointing out they had been endorsed by Hamas, a curious speech endorsed by bad people isnt free exception to the First Amendment that Republicans own antisemitic supporters might find surprising.

Numerous Republican office holders have since described the protests as pro-Hamas, falsely called them rioters and terrorists and made evidence-free claims about violence inflicted on Jewish students.

All of that has been alarming, but not surprising. Republicans and the MAGA right have been openly baying for and celebrating violence against protesters for yearsall while excusing their own violent protesters as patriots and martyrs.

Whats different this time is that MAGA world has been joined by centrist pundits and more than a few prominent Democrats in calling for police dressed for battle to squash student demonstrations against an unpopular war.

Police try to block students and faculty members from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Roosevelt College, and Columbia College. Scott Olson / Getty

FREE SPEECH WARRIORS FOR VIOLENT EXPULSIONS OF NONVIOLENT PROTESTS

While Shafiks police-aided crackdown on protesters did not, predictably, win her any favor from her Republican critics, it did win her praise from some Democratic politicians.

It also won praise from moderate, anti-Trump pundits and public intellectuals like Paulpeople who have spent years positioning themselves as champions of free speech.

The Atlantics Caitlin Flanagana frequent opiner on campus politicsin 2021 contrasted todays campus left-wing activism with the ACLUs defense of Nazi's marching in Skokie, Illinois. The ACLU and leftist America had enough faith in the American people, that if the American people heard the arguments of Nazis, they would not be persuaded by them they would be disgusted by them, she said on a podcast. A week ago, Flanagan publicly pleaded with the NYPD to arrest Columbia faculty members showing solidarity with student protesters.

Last December, Harvard psychology and linguist professor Steven Pinker wrote in The Boston Globe that Deplorable speech should be refuted, not criminalized. Outlawing hate speech would only result in students calling anything they didnt want to hear hate speech. This week, Pinker co-authored an op-ed in The Globe in defense of the police action at Columbia, arguing that chanting and tenting arent legitimate forms of expression.

Rikki Schlott, co-author of a recent book imploring readers to reclaim a free speech culture lamented in a New York Post column how profoundly the university has failed in upholding its idealsnot in its for calling in NYPD to arrest non-violent protesters, mind you, which she celebrated, but for the mere fact that the university allowed pro-Palestine protesters to demonstrate on the schools lawn in the first place.

To be sure, in recent years there have been some genuinely disturbing incidents of academic intolerance against right-of-center or just unorthodox viewsprofessors disciplined or terminated, speaking invitations revoked, and viewpoint discrimination against students and the funding of student groups. But most such examples cited by the right involve students protesting, heckling, or shouting down conservative speakers.

Whatever you make of those tactics, they're orders of magnitude less severe than bringing in police decked out in riot gear to beat, pepper spray, and arrest studentsactions these same free speech warriors are gleefully celebrating.

Texas State Troopers and other members of law enforcement monitor the scene on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin. Suzanne Corderio / Getty

WARRIOR COPS ON CAMPUS

This has been the general blueprint for the recent escalation of the campus debates.

Conservatives leveraged legitimate complaints about ideological conformity in the social sciences and scrutiny of non-conforming views on campuswhich are cultural arguments, not legal onesto bring down the force and authority of the state to punish their ideological enemies. Republican lawmakers have banned entire academic disciplines, dictated what universities can and cant teach, and even prohibited guest speakers in certain fields from speaking on state campuses.

The most common justification for the crackdowns on Gaza protesters is that the encampments are disruptive and make Jewish students feel unsafe. But there have been vanishingly few documented incidents of actual violence. Instead, the justification here is harassment, with examples ranging from genuinely offensive chants like Go back to Poland to the disputed phrase from the river to the sea, to benign chants like Free Palestine.

Its true that some colleges have anti-harassment policies intended to protect students from feeling unsafe on campus. Its also true that these are the very policies mocked and ridiculed by the same people now demanding they be enforced with state violence. It doesnt seem to matter that some of these incidents occurred off campus, or involved people who were neither students nor faculty.

It should.

Collectively punishing hundreds of protesters for the actions of a few outliers isnt consistent with any reasonable conception of free speech.

Decades of research on protests and policing also shows us that it doesnt work, and only increases the risk of violence.

Most protesters want to be taken seriously, so they tend to self-police to keep bad actors in line. But once police begin using force, particularly force thats perceived as unjustified, both good and bad actors unite behind a common enemy. The protests grow, become bolder, and are less deferential to authority figures, as we've seen at Columbia. In response, the police presence grows.

Riotsville, USA Shows the Birth of Police Militarization

After the Ferguson protests in 2014, then-Major Max Geron of the Dallas Police Department, a security studies scholar who studied police response to protests in numerous big cities, told me that the most important thing police can do to maximize safety at a protest is to avoid a show of force for its own sake. When you start by rolling out the SWAT team, and you then position a sniper on top of an APC with his gun pointed at the protesters, what kind of message are you sending? he asked. Did they really expect the sniper would need to start shooting people? It was just a show of force.

Geron said its important to let officers know of their responsibilities as well. Theyre going to be critical of us. They may yell at us. But thats okay. Thats their right. And our job is to protect their rights.

Its a lot more difficult to convey that message to police officers when the entire reason they were called out was to suppress the protesters rights.

The other main argument from supporters of these crackdowns is that many of the pro-Palestinian campus encampments popping up across the country didnt obtain the required permits, and are therefore trespassing.

NYPD officers make arrests of pro-Palestinian protestors on lawn of Columbia University. Barry Williams / Getty

That argument may carry some legal weight on some campuses, but the demand that students ask permission before protesting from the very institutions theyre protesting is an odd argument to hear from people who claim to advocate for not just the letter, but also the spirit of the First Amendment. The trespassing argument carries more weight at a private school like Columbia, but Columbia itself has long celebrated the schools long history of activism in its recruiting materials.

Some of these schoolsincluding Columbia and my own alma mater, Indiana Universityalso changed their policies in ways that appear to have singled out pro-Palestinian activists.

Indiana altered its protest policy for Dunn Meadowlong a site of student activismthe day before the encampments began. Violation of a new policy hastily altered with no notice apparently justified mass arrests, suspensions, police helicopters, armored vehicles, and snipers on the roof of the Student Union.

In Austin, Texas Department of Public safety had no reservations about confronting unarmed demonstrators while in full riot gear as they pepper sprayed protesters and arrested students, faculty, and at least one journalist. (This is the same Department of Public Safety whose officers in 2022 refused to confront the gunman massacring children and teachers at a school in Uvalde.)

As of a few days ago, Axios estimated that over 600 students had been arrested on at least 15 campuses. Nearly all of them were arrested for trespassing or resisting arrestnot for assault, harassment, intimidation, or other crimes against fellow students.

Police arrest more than 100 students at New York University amid pro-Palestine protests. Fatih Aktas / Anadolu / Getty

THIS IS A TERRIBLE PRECEDENT, ESPECIALLY AS ANOTHER TRUMP PRESIDENCY IS POSSIBLE

Meanwhile, the same week Columbia was sending NYPD officers to arrest its own students, lawyers for Donald Trump were arguing before the Supreme Court that the president should have absolute immunity from decisions he makes in office. It seems unlikely the court will go that far, but it seems likely that the majority will rule in favor of some sort of immunity for official actsa ruling that would likely include overly aggressive responses to protest.

Trump, you may remember, was the president who, according to aides, repeatedly asked why police couldnt simply shoot racial justice protesters in the summer of 2020. He wanted to invoke the Insurrection Act to bring in the military to put down the protests. Only resignation threats from top Pentagon officials stopped him from doing so.

Trump has also long expressed his admiration for how authoritarian strongmen have crushed dissent, from the 1989 massacre in Tiananmen Square to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Vladimir Putin. Aides have said he also expressed admiration for how Venezuelas Nicholas Maduro suppressed dissent and how Chinas Xi Jinping violently put down the democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Take Trumps Warning of Violence for What It Isa Threat

The Washington Post and other outlets have reported that Trumps closest and most trusted advisors have put together a post-inauguration blueprint that includes invoking the Insurrection Act to call in the military to disperse and arrest any protests. This time, the plan includes dismissing and replacing anyone in the chain of command who may refuse to carry out such an order.

Federal courts have given the executive branch wide discretion for policy decisions justified by public safety, particularly with respect to the president. As we saw after the violent clearing of Lafayette Square for Trumps Bible-clutching photo-op in 2020, there are already significant bureaucratic and institutional barriers to even effectively investigating abuses of power in this area, much less imposing any sort of accountability for them.

In this regard, the response to the Gaza protests doesn't bode well. Justifying violent suppression of dissidents and protesters by dismissing them as extremists, associating them with violent or terrorist groups, or invoking public safety are the oldest authoritarian tricks in the book.

As we've seen over the last couple weeks, theyre also among the easiestand most successful.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The News

Donald Trump will speak at the Libertarian National Convention on May 23rd in D.C., where the third party will gather to nominate its presidential ticket.

This momentous occasion will mark the first time a former President directly addresses our members, candidates, and executive committee, the Libertarian Party announced on Tuesday morning. Dont miss this opportunity to hear insights from a prominent figure in American politics and watch him engage with Libertarian ideals.

The LP invited both Trump and President Joe Biden to address delegates; earlier this year, the California Libertarian Party invited every major third party candidate to its state convention, getting a warm reception from delegates but next to no support in a straw poll.

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Davids view

In 2016, when it nominated former GOP governors Gary Johnson and William Weld for President, the Libertarian Party positioned itself as a sensible alternative to the statist Democratic Party and the far-right MAGA GOP. It maintained that position during Trumps presidency.

Whatever libertarian impulses Trump the candidate seemed to have, the party wrote in a 2018 statement, his actual performance as president stands in stark contrast. Donald Trump is the opposite of a Libertarian.

What changed? In 2022, the right-wing Mises Caucus won control of the party, powered by frustration at the Johnson/Weld nomination (which compromised on numerous Libertarian positions) and the partys failure to capitalize on anger at COVID-19 restrictions. In her speech to the California convention this year, LP national chair Angela McArdle said that she needed to focus on creative growth and finding new allies. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.s candidacy was appealing to the sort of anti-establishment voters who often voted Libertarian and some members were pushing for him to lead the ticket.

Were going to be in a tough election year, she said. If Kennedy is on the ballot in 40 or more states as an independent, its going to really hurt Libertarian vote turnout.

Kennedy, who did not rule out seeking the LP nomination, hasnt made serious moves toward winning it since getting a single vote in that conventions straw poll. The candidates now running for the nomination arent well-known outside of the movement. Trumps decision to attend will bring star power, media attention, and  very unusual for the LP  intense security to the event, while dividing Libertarians, some of whom are wondering why a Republican candidate who supports tariffs, mass deportations, and state abortion limits should share their stage.

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The View From A former Libertarian Party Chairman

The Mises Caucus has demonstrated that they are a MAGA operation, said Nicholas Sarwark, who led the national LP from 2014 through 2020. Its time to end their involvement in the Libertarian Party.

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The View From The Mises Caucus

Dave Smith, a comedian and podcaster who helped lead the Mises Caucus victory, called the Trump invite an undeniably great thing for the LP.

The former President of the United States of America, and current front runner for that office is coming to OUR convention to speak to OUR issues and grievances, he wrote on X. It will generate more attention on our party and the issues that we care about, than weve ever had.

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Notable

One reason Trump might like what he sees in the Libertarian Party? McArdle, the party chair, condemned his indictment last year on charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in very Trump-friendly terms.

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London is unrecognisable because its opened its doors to jihad, Trump claims

Donald Trump has claimed London has become unrecognisable because it has opened its doors to jihad as he pledged not to let the same happen in the United States.

The former president said that British culture had been eroded by tolerance of pro-Palestine protesters in London and Paris.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Trump took aim at protesters who have staged two weeks of demonstrations on campuses across the US.

Weve seen what happened when Europe opened their doors to jihad, he told supporters. Look at Paris, look at London - theyre no longer recognisable.

And Im going get myself into a lot of trouble with the folks in Paris and the folks in London, but you know what, thats the fact.

They are no longer recognisable and we cant let that happen to our country.

We have incredible culture, tradition - nothing wrong with their culture, their tradition - we cant let that happen here and Ill never let it happen to the United States of America.

Donald Trump told a campaign rally on Wednesday that London and Paris 'are no longer recognisable and we can't let that happen to our country' - Brendan McDermid/Reuters

His comments came after police in New York and Los Angeles intervened to break up protests at Columbia University and UCLA, where pro-Palestine students had gathered to demonstrate against the war in Gaza.

Dozens of students were arrested in New York on Tuesday night after barricading themselves inside Hamilton Hall, a building at Columbia used for classes.

In Los Angeles, supporters of Israel and Palestine clashed in violent scenes that were eventually shut down by the LAPD.

Mr Trump called on university bosses to take a zero-tolerance attitude to the protesters.

To every college president, I say remove the encampments immediately, he said.

Vanquish the radicals and take back our campuses for all of the normal students who want a safe place from which to learn.

Pro-Palestine protesters clash with police officers in Central London - Jordan Pettitt/PA

Mr Trump has previously claimed the streets of London and Paris are unsafe.

During his 2016 election campaign, he said that London and other places are so radicalised that the police are afraid for their own lives as he defended his own plans for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

Lord Cameron, who was then prime minister, said Mr Trumps comments were divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong.

Boris Johnson, then serving as Mayor of London, said the comments were ill-informed and utter nonsense.

The only reason I wouldnt go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump, he said.

Two years later, Mr Trump reportedly told Theresa May, then prime minister, that he thought there were no-go areas in London because of Islamic extremism. A source close to Mrs May said at the time that she had disagreed with that comment.

In 2018, after a car crashed into the gates of Parliament, Mr Trump tweeted: Another terrorist attack in LondonThese animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!

Donald Trump waves as he boards "Trump Force One" after a campaign event in Freeland, Michigan - Brendan McDermid/Reuters

His comments came on the eve of the London mayoral elections in which crime has been a major campaign theme of both Labours Sadiq Khan and the Conservatives Susan Hall.

During Mr Trumps state visit to London in 2018, Mr Khan gave protesters permission to fly a blimp of the Republican president depicted wearing a nappy and crying.

Mr Trump said during the visit that Mr Khan had done a very bad job on terrorism.

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Over 100 arrested as NYPD cops dramatically storm Columbia campus to clear out anti-Israel mob

Over 100 arrested as NYPD cops dramatically storm Columbia campus to clear out anti-Israel mob

NYPD cops stormed onto Columbia Universitys campus on Tuesday night after finally being given the green light to oust a pro-terror mob that illegally took over an academic building  and to clear out an anti-Israel encampment that brought campus life to a halt.

Hundreds of officers swooped inside the gates of the Morningside Heights campus shortly after 9 p.m.  as other officers also descended on an intifada encampment at the nearby City College of New York.

Police use a special vehicle to enter Hamilton Hall Tuesday night. REUTERS

Protesters taken away on an NYPD bus Tuesday. James Keivom

At Columbia, cops set their sights on historic Hamilton Hall, the building that was taken over by rogue rioters in a drastic escalation of the protests that have plagued the campus for weeks.

But when dozens of Emergency Service Unit officers approached the building, they were blocked from entering the front doors which had been barricaded by the unruly mob.

Several protesters appeared unbothered as they stood in the doorway with only a glass pane between them and the officers  as their comrades on the streets shouted Pigs!

The NYPD then brought in its Mobile Adjustable Ramp System vehicle and scores of riot-gear clad cops carrying zip-tie handcuffs entered Hamilton Hall through the second-floor window in a dramatic scene.

According to officials, cops used four distraction devices  described by Assistant Commissioner Carlos Nieves as a very loud bang to distract people  to infiltrate the academic building.

In total, about 100 protesters were cuffed and hauled away in the mass sweep, law enforcement sources told The Post.

The protesters  many of whom covered their faces with surgical masks or keffiyehs  were then marched out of Hamilton Hall and loaded onto three NYPD buses.

The arrests continued hours after both the building and the encampment were eventually cleared  as multiple protestors continued screaming anti-Israel sentiments and at least one was seen crying.

Cops also stationed themselves in front of off-campus housing and were greeted with hostile shouts of NYPD, KKK, IOF! Theyre all the same!

Columbia University issued a statement just 15 minutes after cops entered the campus, saying it regretted having to rely on police to clear the mess.

NYPD officers in riot gear enter a building at Columbia University. AFP via Getty Images

Police use a special vehicle to enter Hamilton Hall. REUTERS

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation, the administration said.

The NYPD then swiftly moved onto the campus South Lawn to clear out student protesters at the mini tent city, which remained in place despite the vacate deadline the university set the day prior.

The people that were in the encampment are now gone, said Nieves.

Police use a special vehicle to enter Hamilton Hall. REUTERS

The camping tents and protesters belongings were all that remained on the lawn Tuesday night and would be cleared by the university, he added.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry told The Post that the hectic operation went very well.

It took about an hour to clear out Hamilton Hall and cuff the dozens of occupiers, sources said.

Members of the New York Police Department detain protesters who did not leave the encampment. James Keivom

Shortly before entering the Morningside Heights campus at 9:13 p.m., about 100 cops from the NYPDs Emergency Service Unit packed into buses and headed to Columbia in preparation for the universitys call for help. Peter Gerber

The dramatic operation unfolded as anti-Israel protesters were violently clashing with cops over at the City College of New York in Harlem.

The chaos broke out at the public university at about 8 p.m. when the NYPD moved in to clear out an intifada encampment erected last week.

It wasnt immediately clear how many were nabbed during the City College ordeal.

NYPD officers arrive in riot gear Tuesday night. AFP via Getty Images

Student protesters are arrested by police and removed from the campus of Columbia University. Getty Images

NYPD officers arrest students as they empty a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters. AFP via Getty Images

NYPD officers transport arrested students in a bus. AFP via Getty Images

Meanwhile, NYPD brass had announced earlier Tuesday that the Hamilton Hall occupiers at Columbia would be charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing, while those camped out on the lawn would be hit with trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

Despite the crowds being dispersed on Tuesday, the NYPD will remain on Columbias campus until the universitys May 15 commencement, sources told The Post.

The Ivy League school said it decided the NYPD would intervene early Tuesday, hours before Police Commissioner Edward Caban indicated his officers would be ready to mobilize as soon as he received the call.

Members of the New York Police Department detain protesters Tuesday night. James Keivom

Protestors link arms as other police officers enter the campus of Columbia University on Tuesday night. REUTERS

Its unclear how many people have been arrested. James Keivom

A NYPD officer arrests a protester Tuesday evening. Getty Images

The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing, officials continued.

We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.

The NYPD had mobilized to storm the campus hours earlier, with about 100 cops from the NYPDs Emergency Service Unit packed into buses and headed to Columbia in preparation for the universitys call for help, sources told The Post.

Cops loading the protesters onto a bus on Tuesday night. Getty Images

As of 8 p.m., the police were only maintaining the perimeter.

Dozens of others wearing riot gear and holding zip-tie handcuffs huddled on the street corner, apparently waiting for the go-ahead.

The NYPD blocked pedestrian and vehicular traffic on 114th Street and Broadway, while spectators chastised them: Shame, shame, shame!

Follow The Posts live blog for the latest on anti-Israel protests on campuses across the US

About 45 minutes before the NYPD stormed the grounds, Columbia University issued a shelter-in-place for students over heightened activity at the Morningside campus  and warned that those who did not obey would face disciplinary action.

The universitys chapter of the American Association of University Professors issued a scathing statement once the officers began mobilizing, accusing Columbias administration of ignoring the facultys offers to defuse the situation.

We hold University leadership responsible for the disastrous lapses of judgment that have gotten us to this point. The University President, her senior staff, and the Board of Trustees will bear responsibility for any injuries that may occur during any police action on our campus, the group said.

Follow The Posts coverage of the pro-terror protests at colleges across the US:

Caban confirmed earlier Tuesday that the NYPD would swoop in if needed, as it had done two weeks earlier when student protesters first set up their mini tent city.

Once the university asks for our help, the NYPD will be there ready to assist them, the commissioner emphasized.

Meanwhile, NYPD officials revealed Tuesday that the mob of masked rabble-rousers who smashed their way into Hamilton Hall in the middle of the night included professional outside agitators not affiliated with Columbia or the pro-Palestinian cause.

Twenty minutes later, Columbia University issued a shelter-in-place for students over heightened activity at the Morningside campus.

The universitys chapter of the American Association of University Professors issued a scathing statement once the officers began mobilizing, accusing Columbias administration of ignoring the facultys offers to defuse the situation.

Student protesters are arrested by police and removed from the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024, in New York City. Getty Images

The group employed escalation tactics seen in the previous rallies, including dragging metal barricades inside the building, using furniture to block the doors and destroying the property.

We were well aware, based on a series of observations that what should have been a peaceful protest as part of the constitutional rights of Americans, has clearly been co-opted the right which this administration supports and defends to voice your concern, Mayor Eric Adams said.

The group took over the building  which they dubbed Hinds Hall in honor of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in the Middle Eastern conflict  after Columbia University threatened to suspend students who didnt vacate the encampment they had hunkered down in almost two weeks earlier.

Onlookers watch the NYPD clear out the Columbia protesters. James Keivom

Pro-Palestinian student protesters pull up a crate with pizza boxes to a balcony at Columbia University. AFP via Getty Images

The protesters stormed into Hamilton Hall in the middle of the night. NYPD

Anti-Israel protesters planted dozens of tents on April 17 in solidarity with the Palestinian people, quickly igniting what has become a trend at elite universities across the Big Apple and the nation.

Hundreds of students  including Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omars daughter  were arrested and charged with trespassing the following day when the Ivy League school called on the NYPD to clear the protesters from the grounds.

Columbia University even doled out suspensions  which would make senior students ineligible for graduation next month  but the crowds returned within just 24 hours.

The administration tried yet again to force the rowdy students off the property but failed to rein in the disruptive demonstration for several hours.

Busloads of police were on standby in case the revolt took a turn, but were ultimately not asked to intervene.
MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, Manhattan (PIX11)  Clashes between protesters and the NYPD at two college campuses in New York City led to around 300 people being taken into custody Tuesday night, according to the NYPD.

Protesters are demonstrating at One Police Plaza on Wednesday morning following the detainments. Some people who were released after being issued summonses joined the protesters outside, sources told PIX11 News.

Hundreds of police officers were called in to clear protesters from Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus, entering the building through a second-story window by using a raised Bearcat stairway.

Students on the Morningside Heights campus were told to shelter in place as police cleared out protesters.

Officials pointed to outside agitators for tensions escalating at the college campuses during a news conference on Wednesday.

There were those who came to the city to disrupt our city, Mayor Eric Adams said. There is a movement to radicalize young people.

Young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children, Adams said. And Im not going to allow that to happen as the mayor of New York.

Agitators were caught on video overwhelming Columbia students, according to NYPD Intelligence and Counterterrorism Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner.

This is two students who are trying to prevent the hall from being broken into being intimidated by some others, as well as some of the external actors that we have been talking about, making a barrier to be dragged into Hamilton Hall, she said during a news conference. Heres an example of two individuals breaking into windows. Again, the black bloc attire is something that weve seen in protest activity for quite some time, barricades that are being dragged into Hamilton Hall. Again, people unaffiliated with the school who are assisting in allowing them entry.

Protesters and police officers were also seen standing off at City College. The NYPD began clearing encampments set up there last Thursday.

City College leadership said it supports peaceful protests, but called police after specific and repeated acts of violence and vandalism. All classes at the school will be held remotely for the time being starting Wednesday, City College announced.

Columbia University has asked the NYPD to maintain an on-campus presence through graduation, which is scheduled for May 15.

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Hundreds of NYPD officers stormed the campus of Columbia University to take back control of a building seized by pro-Palestine protesters.

Dozens of student protesters are thought to have been detained after police were seen entering an upper storey of Hamilton Hall -- renamed Hind Hall by protesters in memory of a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in January.

The protests at the New York university have been going on for weeks, sparking similar demonstrations at some 50 campuses across the country.

On Tuesday evening authorities at Columbia said they had no choice but to bring police in, saying Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded.

Police shut down several city blocks ahead of the raid as hundreds of officers gathered outside the campus, many of them carrying zip ties.

NYPD officers use a tactical ramp to break into Hamilton Hall, which had been renamed Hind Hall by protesters occupying it (AFP via Getty Images)

Arrests began shortly after 9pm. Detained protesters were led away from the campus down Amsterdam Avenue to waiting police buses, some of them carried by officers.

The NYPD denied that officers used tear gas on demonstrators, saying that false reports had been ciculated online. Officers may use flashbang grenades "to deflect or surprise" protesters, CNN reported.

Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who visited protesters at Columbia last week, tweeted a warning as the police action got under way.

She wrote: If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents. Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making. I urge the Mayor to reverse course.

Dozens of protesters are believed to have been arrested (AP)

Students shouted Shame on you as police officers detained protesters.

A statement issued by the university as the police action was under way read in part: A little after 9 p.m. this evening, the NYPD arrived on campus at the Universitys request. This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community.

We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.

It was reported that the president of Columbia, Minouche Shafik, had requested a police presence on the campus until 17 May, two days after graduation.

More follows ...
'Drag story hour' comes to the Arizona House, and Republicans faint dead away

Break out the smelling salts.

On Tuesday, the Arizona Legislature was, as usual, not working, and so the Arizona LGBTQ+ Caucus met in the House basement for a drag story hour.

There were no children present, according to Rep. Lorena Austin, D-Mesa, who organized the event in conjunction with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona.

There was nothing sexually explicit or even vaguely provocative, based upon videos posted to social media. Just a person dressed in makeup, a sparkly suit and what looked to be a rather cool hat that Zorro would have totally worn, reading a story to adults about issues confronting the LGBTQ+ community.

Republicans were in immediate need of oxygen.

GOP freaks over drag, but not forgery claims

The Arizona LGBTQ+ Caucus held a "drag story hour" in the Arizona House basement on April 30, prompting Republicans to reach for their smelling salts.

This is a desecration of the peoples house, Rep. Rachel Jones, R-Tucson, huffed. I am LIVID!!!

She should be #Expelled! Jones seatmate Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, thundered. (If, in fact, you can thunder on social media.) I call on the members of the House to file an ethics complaint immediately.

I second that motion, chimed in indicted Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, who awaits trial on nine felony charges.

Well, goodness.

Lets review, shall we?

Rep. Austin Smith, R-Wittman, ran for the hills on April 18 when he was accused of forging 100 signatures on his nominating petitions to get on the July 30 ballot. Rather than fighting the legal challenge to his petitions, Smith quickly withdrew his reelection bid.

Given that forgery is a serious accusation, you might think that some Republican legislator might have called for an ethics investigation to dig into whether this elected official engaged in election fraud, and if so, whether he meets the Legislatures ethical standards.

Nope.

Indicted senators skate. Democrats must pay

How about Sens. Kern and Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek?

On April 24, they were each criminally charged with nine felonies, accused of forgery, fraud and conspiracy for passing themselves off as phony Trump electors in the scheme to overthrow Arizonas vote in the 2020 election.

Given the state grand jury indictments, you might think that some Republican legislator might have called for an ethics investigation  or at least suggested that perhaps the pair shouldnt be chairing the Senates Judiciary (Kern) and Government (Hoffman) committees while they are awaiting trial.

Nope.

But Rep. Lorena Austin?

OUTRAGEOUS: Democrats are promoting a Drag Story Hour at the State Capitol and using YOUR TAXES to do it, the Arizona Republican Party fumed.

House Speaker Ben Toma, who is running for Congress in a crowded Republican primary, immediately stripped all Democrats of access to House meeting rooms, claiming Austin deliberately misled House leadership when reserving a conference room.

Use of House facilities for radical activism to promote dangerously perverse ideology will not be tolerated while I am Speaker, Toma announced. As a result, Ive ordered that Democrats have lost the privilege of accessing House meeting rooms until trust can be restored.

Arizona Legislature must stop this madness

Austin countered that she was completely transparent ... and the content was not, or should not be, controversial.

This is the peoples House and that includes the LGBTQ+ community, whether my colleagues on the other side of the aisle like that or not ..., said Austin, who is nonbinary. I hosted a drag performer who read stories about LGBTQ+ history and inclusion. There were no minors present, but also no content that would offend a minor.

So, Democrats are in the doghouse and Republicans are apparently in the ER, in need of medical intervention at the mere thought of a drag performer entering their  or should I say our  House.

Just in from the AZ GOP: We be crazy

Meanwhile, no word on whether Republicans will take action against Kern, who several weeks ago convened a prayer circle on the Senate floor wherein they spoke in tongues as they beseeched the Lord to preserve the states 1864 near total ban on abortions.

Yet a handful of consenting adults (read: Democrats) meet in the House basement, on a day when the Legislature isnt even around, to talk about LGBTQ+ issues, and suddenly Winged Victory herself, atop the Capitol dome, is in need of a fainting couch.

The madness must stop, Senate Republicans moaned.

Actually, I agree. The madness must stop.

And given that this Legislature has no evident interest in solving any of the states most pressing problems  the need for affordable housing and reliable water and reasonable regulation of the states runaway school voucher program and such  I know just how to make the madness end.

May I suggest  adjournment?

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @LaurieRoberts or on Threads at @laurierobertsaz.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republicans overreact to 'drag story hour' at the Arizona House
These Dividend Aristocrats Are Slashing Payouts, Ending Decades Of Consecutive Dividend Increases

Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.

Dividend Aristocrats, a group of S&P 500 companies that have consistently increased their annual dividend payouts for at least 25 consecutive years, are often considered a haven for income-seeking investors. These companies are known for their reliable and consistent dividend payments, making them attractive to investors looking for stable income streams. However, two long-standing Dividend Aristocrats, 3M Co. (NYSE:MMM) and Leggett & Platt, Incorporated (NYSE:LEG), are ending their impressive streaks of consecutive dividend increases.

3M Co.: A 64-Year Streak Comes to an End

3M, the well-known maker of Post-It notes and a wide range of industrial and consumer products, has paid a dividend for the past 100 years and has increased that dividend for 64 consecutive years. However, following the spinoff of its healthcare business, Solventum (SOLV), on April 1, 3M announced that it would reset its dividend payout ratio to approximately 40% of adjusted free cash flow, resulting in a dividend cut.

While the exact amount of the dividend reduction will be announced next month, analysts speculate that the annual dividend could be reduced to around $2.85 per share, a 52.8% decrease from the current annual rate of $6.04 per share. This move puts 3M at risk of losing its coveted Dividend Aristocrat status.

Despite the disappointing dividend news, 3M reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and revenue. The companys stock gained nearly 5% on Tuesday and an additional 3% on Wednesday following the release of its quarterly results.

Check out: Passive income investments are one of the most trusted methods for riding out a recession, so it's no surprise that people are turning to these high-yield real estate notes that pay a fixed 7.5%  9%.

Leggett & Platt, Incorporated: 52 Years of Increases Come to a Close

Leggett & Platt, a diversified manufacturer of engineered components and products, has increased its dividend rate for 52 years. However, the company recently announced a significant dividend cut, lowering its quarterly payout to $0.05 per share from the previous years level. This strategic decision comes as the company faces continued weak demand in residential markets and aims to strengthen its balance sheet by reducing debt and improving its financial position in the short term.

In its Q1 2024 earnings call, Leggett & Platt reported a 10% decline in net sales and a 41% decrease in earnings per share compared to the same quarter last year. The company plans to invest in business expansion and acquisitions for future growth while continuing to reward shareholders through a combination of dividends and share repurchases.

Story continues

Is It Time To Consider Alternative Income Investments?

The recent dividend cuts by 3M and Leggett & Platt serve as a reminder that even the most reliable dividend-paying companies can face challenges that force them to reevaluate their payout strategies. While these companies have been consistent dividend payers for decades, its essential for investors to diversify their income streams to minimize the impact of potential dividend cuts.

Alternative income investments, such as real estate, can provide investors with attractive yields and the potential for capital appreciation. Two options worth considering are Arrived and the Cityfunds Yield fund.

Arrived is a platform that allows individuals to invest in shares of rental properties for as little as $100. By providing access to rental income and potential appreciation of carefully vetted properties, Arrived offers investors a passive income stream without the hassles of being a landlord.

View rental properties available to invest in today.

The Cityfunds Yield fund targets an 8% annual percentage yield (APY), with a manager guaranteed floor of 7%, by investing in a diversified pool of collateralized real estate loans. With quarterly distributions, this fund presents an attractive opportunity for income-focused investors seeking exposure to the real estate debt market.

Learn more about Cityfunds.

While alternative investments may not be suitable for every investor, they can play a valuable role in a well-diversified income portfolio. By considering options like Arrived and the Cityfunds Yield fund, investors can potentially mitigate the impact of dividend cuts and build a more resilient income stream.

The recent dividend cuts by 3M and Leggett & Platt serve as a wake-up call for income investors who rely heavily on Dividend Aristocrats. While these companies have a long history of consistent dividend growth, its crucial to diversify income sources and consider alternative investments to navigate the ever-changing landscape of dividend investing.

Read Next:

Elon Musk has reportedly bought 6,000 acres of land just outside of Austin. Heres how to invest in the citys growth before he floods it with new tech workers.

Florida is home to some of the most rapidly growing real estate markets in the country, and this new platform will let you get a piece of the action with as little as $100.

This article These Dividend Aristocrats Are Slashing Payouts, Ending Decades Of Consecutive Dividend Increases originally appeared on Benzinga.com
(KRON)  A driver was airlifted to a local hospital after being involved in a three car crash on Tuesday, the Brentwood Police Department said.

Brentwood PD said they received calls about a traffic collision on westbound Balfour Road at McViking Way at approximately 9:30 p.m.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Zachary Rau, 26, was reportedly driving his Chevy Silverado at high speeds before crashing into a Toyota RAV-4 driven by a 31-year-old man from Brentwood.

After being hit by the Chevy Silverado, the RAV4 crashed into a Honda HR-V driven by a 37-year-old man from Brentwood, police said.

Unlicensed Marin County contractors cited for illegally high prices

A passenger from Raus vehicle, a 26-year-old Antioch male, sustained serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital. He is expected to survive, police said.

The driver of the RAV4, the 31-year-old Brentwood man, was unconscious and unresponsive when police arrived at the scene of the crash. Police said he sustained serious injuries that required him to be extracted from the car, eventually leading him to get airlifted to a local hospital.

Police said he is currently being treated for his injuries and remains unstable.

The driver of the HR-V, the 37-year-old Brentwood man, was not injured.

Rau was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries before getting arrested and booked at

the Martinez Detention Facility for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol,

causing injury.

The other drivers names are being withheld as the investigation is ongoing, police said.

Anyone with further information or if you witnessed the collision and have not already been

interviewed, please contact the Brentwood Police Department Traffic Safety Unit at (925)

634-6911.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A victim was allegedly robbed of his vehicle at a gas station in East Memphis after lending a man and a woman a ride on Sunday.

Hunter Rinex, 31, is facing a long list of charges including carjacking, three counts of evading arrest, three counts of resisting official detention, vandalism, assault on a first responder, two counts of theft of property, two counts of intentionally evading arrest in a vehicle, and theft of merchandise.

Bank teller accused of stealing $18K from 96-year-old man

On April 28, officers responded to a vehicle taken at the Shell gas station at 1781 Getwell Road. The victim stated he was robbed of his Ford Explorer by a man and a woman.

The victim says it all started when he met the man and woman at a hotel on American Way and agreed to give them a ride.

When they arrived at a store, the victim let the woman drive after she asked. That is when the man and woman went to several different locations to buy narcotics and shoplift, reports state.

The victim says he attempted to grab the keys to the truck after they stopped at the gas station but the male suspect began to assault him.

Workers accused of stealing dozens of Apple watches from Amazon warehouse

During the assault, reports state the male suspect bit the victim twice and then pushed him out of the vehicle. The man and woman then drove off in the victims truck.

Police say Hunter Rinex was developed as the man involved in the carjacking after further investigation.

On April 29, investigators say the victim positively identified Rinex as the man responsible for the incident.

On April 30, the victims vehicle was located at a house in Southeast Memphis on Apple Bottom Drive. Officers conducted surveillance on the truck, which showed Ronex coming and going from the vehicle.

When officers approached Rinex, he ran away on foot. However, he was detained shortly afterward. Police also found the Ohio state registration to the Ford Explorer in Rinexs wallet after searching him.

While in custody, Rinex gave a statement admitting to his involvement in the carjacking. He was not given a bond, and his next court date is scheduled for Thursday morning.

It is unknown if the woman involved was arrested or not.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
On November 12 2023, South Carolina issued a ban on the " Carolina Squat, " the modification that lifts the front end of a vehicle higher than the rear. However, to give owners of "squatted" vehicles a chance to remedy them before getting in trouble, police were only dishing out warnings for the first six months. Well, that six-month grace period comes to an end on May 10 and drivers caught with squatted vehicles will face fines and potential loss of license.

Traditionally speaking, a Carolina Squat is when any vehicleusually a pickup truck is lifted significantly higher in the front than it is at the back. South Carolina law accounts for the inverse too, though. "'Squatted' vehicles include those with a front or rear fender raised four or more inches higher than the other," said the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (DOPS).

To make sure owners don't just eat the fines to keep their trucks the way they'd like, the penalties ascend for each continued offense. First offenders will get a $100 fine and second-time offenders receive a $200 fine. However, anyone who's pulled over for a Carolina Squat three times will not only get a $300 fine but they'll also lose their driver's license for a year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok3mIHjB8rk

South Carolina isn't the only state to ban such squatting. North Carolina, Virginia , and Tennessee also banned it, though the latter's first offense fine is $250, higher than South Carolina's.

Why are states banning this modification? Safety. Forward visibility becomes compromised once you aim the driver's point-of-view skyward and headlights become even more blinding. You're also introducing some very wonky steering geometry.

Maybe I'm just an old man yelling at clouds but don't see the visual appeal of the Carolina Squat. It reminds me of a dog doing a gross butt-scoot across a carpet. So I won't be sad to see the squat go, especially since it can be a safety hazard.

Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com
Drone coalition will adapt to meet all needs of Ukrainian military  Latvian Foreign Minister

Baiba Braze, who has recently been appointed the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia, has shared her thoughts on how the coalition of drones, which is co-chaired by Latvia, is going to meet the needs of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

Source: Baiba Braze in an interview with European Pravda

Details: Braze said that the coalition of drones agrees all its plans with Ukraines needs, and that these plans are constantly being reviewed and updated.

"You dont just need the cheapest FPV drones, but also more advanced medium-range drones, and so on. We are looking for this equipment, procuring it, and, if necessary, searching for additional equipment. Were also developing and manufacturing new drones. Were doing all this alongside our Ukrainian partners," Braze said.

She added that the coalition has a branch responsible for the development of new drones, which receives contributions from other countries that have pledged to help Ukraine with drone procurement.

"All in all, were working to ensure Ukraine gets this equipment. As I have already mentioned, Ukraine doesnt just need reconnaissance or one-off attack capabilities. You need capabilities that would enable proactive defence across medium and long ranges," Braze said.

The coalition initially committed to providing one million drones by mid-2025. However, Braze predicted that this number may change.

"Cheap drones are one thing, and more advanced drones are another. So we will see whether it will be a million [drones] or a different number. It will depend on what the armed forces need. And we will adapt to those needs," she explained.

Background:

The UK and Latvia are leading an international drone coalition formed as part of the Contact Group on Ukraines Defence (also known as the Ramstein Group).

In mid-April, the Latvian government decided to send the first batch of drones to Ukraine as part of the drone coalition.

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Drones attacked Ryazan and Voronezh oblasts of Russia on the night of 30 April  1 May. A fire has broken out at the Ryazan oil refinery.

Source: Telegram-based news outlet Baza; Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov; Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev

Details: Witnesses said the attack on the refinery occurred around 03:00. A humming noise was first heard, followed by two explosions.

Emergency services are working at the refinery.

     pic.twitter.com/a8ZyufRNUe     (@ukrpravda_news) May 1, 2024

Malkov confirmed the attack, saying that one drone was supposedly shot down. The official did not disclose the number of UAVs that had reached the Ryazan refinery.

Gusev wrote on his Telegram channel that two drones had been shot down over the territory of Voronezh Oblast on the night of 30 April  1 May.

He said one of them had been shot down in the suburbs of the city of Voronezh and the other in Voronezh Oblast.

For reference: The Ryazan oil refinery is run by Rosneft, a Russian state-owned oil and gas company. Most of its refined products are exported.

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Drones of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence attacked oil refineries in Ryazan and Voronezh Oblast  source in SSU

Russia's Ryazan oil refinery has been attacked by drones of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence on the night of 30 April  1 May. DIU was also behind the overnight attack on the oil refinery in Russia's Voronezh Oblast.

Source: Ukrainska Pravdas source in Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU)

Quote: "A military target in Ryazan has been hit. There is significant damage, it was bright."

Details: The source said information about the consequences of the attack on the oil refinery in Russia's Voronezh Oblast is being gathered.

DIU typically neither confirms nor denies reconnaissance operations officially. However, they emphasise that oil refineries, which sustain the Russian military-industrial complex, are considered the legitimate military targets of Ukraine that has been facing Russian armed aggression for 11 years.

For reference: The Ryazan oil refinery is run by Rosneft, a Russian state-owned oil and gas company.

Background: The Russian authorities reported that drones attacked Ryazan and Voronezh oblasts of Russia on the night of 30 April  1 May. A fire broke out at the Ryazan oil refinery.



This news has been updated since publication.

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Do dying patients have a "right to try" illegal drugs such as psilocybin and MDMA if they might alleviate end-of-life suffering from anxiety and depression?

That question is now before one of the nation's highest courts, with a Seattle-based palliative care physician appealing a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration decision barring him from prescribing psilocybin to his late-stage cancer patients.

Dr. Sunil Aggarwal says he has a right to prescribe psilocybin  the hallucinogenic compound in "magic mushrooms"  under state and federal "right to try" laws, which give terminal patients access to experimental drug therapies before they are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. More than 40 states, including Washington and California, have such laws in place, and Congress passed a federal version in 2018.

"I have patients who want to try psilocybin-assisted therapy for existential distress," Aggarwal said in an interview with The Times. "And there are lots of studies that support that."

Read more: The longest, strangest trip: Some psychedelic drug users are stuck with unwelcome highs

The DEA has denied Aggarwal's request, arguing that therapeutic use of psilocybin remains banned  even for terminal patients  under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which lists the drug as a "Schedule I" narcotic with no recognized medical use. The agency said Aggarwal could only work with the drug if he received a license to do so as a researcher, not as a regular part of his palliative care practice.

The case is one of two Aggarwal now has pending before the 9th Circuit, each pitting the DEA's law enforcement authority against state powers to regulate medicine. In the second case, Aggarwal is asking the DEA to simply reschedule psilocybin, making it available for therapy  not just research.

Physicians and medical experts across the country are closely watching the "right to try" case, and eight states and the District of Columbia have weighed in directly in support of Aggarwal.

In February, the state coalition filed a brief that accused the DEA of reaching far beyond its law enforcement role of preventing the illegal diversion of powerful narcotics. They said the DEA's assertion that the Controlled Substances Act trumps state right-to-try laws represented a "threat to state sovereignty."

"If accepted, DEA's interpretation would ratify federal involvement in some of the most wrenching decisions a person can make, based on the most 'attenuated' relationship to any conceivable federal interest," Washington Deputy Solicitor Gen. Peter Gonick wrote on behalf of the coalition.

Read more: California leaders asked for a Supreme Court homelessness decision. Will it backfire?

Gonick said there is no reason to believe that allowing psilocybin to be given to terminal patients under doctor supervision "will substantially affect any interstate market in such substances or otherwise contribute to illicit use, even in the aggregate."

The same issue will soon arise with other drugs, Gonick said, most notably with MDMA  commonly known as ecstasy or molly  which is being studied as a treatment for anxiety in terminal patients.

Joining Washington and D.C. are Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon and Pennsylvania. State officials and the DEA both declined to comment on the case.

California is not part of the coalition, and California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta's office did not respond to a request for comment on where California stands on the litigation.

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill last year that would have decriminalized psilocybin and other natural psychedelics, and a more recent effort to put decriminalization on state ballots failed. However, advocates continue to push for state approval of therapeutic treatments using the drug.

Aggarwal's case lands at a pivotal moment for medical research into psychedelics and other mind-altering substances. Clinical trials have increasingly suggested efficacy in treating depression, anxiety and trauma-related disorders. With psilocybin, "micro-dosing" has come into vogue as a way to mildly alter or improve one's mental state without inducing hallucinations or intense effects.

Read more: No transcript, no appeal: California courts face 'crisis' over lack of records

Use of the drugs has been on the rise, raising some concerns about unintended consequences.

Aggarwal, a University of Washington faculty member, leader in hospice and palliative medicine nationally and co-director of the Advanced Integrative Medical Science Institute, said he just wants to give his dying patients the best possible care in the safest possible way  which isn't happening right now.

Aggarwal said he has seen it again and again: A terminal patient desperately wants to enjoy their last days with loved ones, but is overwhelmed by "debilitating" anxiety and depression associated with their diagnosis.

"When you are being told that you have an incurable disease, that all we can do is extend your lifespan for a certain amount of time but there is no cure, the psycho-spiritual toll that places on somebody's mind is very high," he said.

Some of his patients have told him that they are already taking psilocybin that they've sourced illegally, which is concerning. Dosage and purity of street drugs are impossible to know, Aggarwal said, and his patients are taking them in uncontrolled settings without proper medical guidance  which studies have shown presents more risk of a bad reaction than when given in a clinical setting.

Right now, all Aggarwal can do in such situations is offer his patients "harm reduction strategies," he said, "but I don't think that's good enough."

In his brief to the 9th Circuit, Aggarwal notes that psilocybin "has shown enormous promise in early clinical trials in relieving debilitating anxiety and depression suffered by terminally ill patients," has been given "breakthrough" status as a promising medical therapy by the FDA, and is in the final phase of clinical trials before approval.

It has shown promise not only in addressing direct symptoms of anxiety and depression related to terminal illness, he said, but can also help patients make clearer and sometimes better decisions about the rest of their treatment plan.

"Getting that kind of relief could change how you actually face cancer itself and what kinds of treatments you accept or don't accept," he said.

However, when he began looking into obtaining the drug under the "right to try" framework a few years ago, it became clear no manufacturer would supply him without DEA approval.

Read more: With a nudge from Newsom, a new bill aims to legalize psychedelic-assisted therapy in California

Since setting up a true research project for accessing the drug for his patients would be too costly and time-consuming, especially for his patients, he said, he asked that the DEA either make clear that no special registration or waiver was necessary for him to prescribe psilocybin under "right to try" law, or that it provide him a waiver.

It refused to do either.

"Unfortunately we feel like we are dealing with a situation where the government is restricting things for their own bureaucratic reasons," Aggarwal said, "and not for sick and dying patients."

Kathryn Tucker, director of advocacy at the National Psychedelics Assn. and one of Aggarwal's attorneys, said she hopes the 9th Circuit will issue a strong opinion telling the DEA that it is "way out of its lane."

"The DEA has interposed itself to nullify the operation of duly enacted state and federal law, and the result is that dying patients suffering from anxiety and depression in the face of death continue to suffer when they could be getting relief," Tucker said. "It's heartbreaking."

Courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have shown deference to doctors over law enforcement in other recent cases to do with prescribing medicine, including powerful opioids. The DEA is preparing to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug with recognized medical uses.

David Olson, director of the UC Davis Institute of Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics, said Aggarwal's case raises "super interesting" questions in a burgeoning field of medicine that holds tremendous promise.

Read more: A California panel is holding up studies on psychedelics. Some researchers want it gone

Evidence suggests psychedelic drugs not only provide patients with potential spiritual and existential peace and acceptance in the face of challenging terminal diagnoses, but can help to physically repair neural circuits in the brain tied to depression  which raises astounding prospects.

"How we think, how we feel, how we behave really comes down to the totality of the circuits in your brain," Olson said.

Olson believes it is just a matter of time before such drugs are approved as therapeutic medicines by the FDA. However, the process of getting to that point is unpredictable, with no clear timeline, he said  which is why Aggarwal's case for his dying patients is so compelling.

"As a society we spend a lot of time trying to help people live well, but we also should be helping people to die well," Olson said. "It's sad if someone has to go through that kind of anxiety and terror without any kind of release."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
There Is an E. Coli Outbreak Linked to Walnuts Sold in Over 300 Stores

It's time to check your pantry, fridge, or freezer.

Simply Recipes / Getty Images

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that they are actively investigating an outbreak of E. coli infections linked to organic walnuts from Gibson Farms, Inc. of Hollister, California.

The recalled organic walnuts were distributed to over 300 natural food and co-op stores in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington state. They were sold as walnut halves and pieces in bulk bins, plastic clamshells, or plastic bags.

The FDA is actively investigating if additional products or states are affected by this recall. Any updates will be posted on the FDA's outbreaks information page.

Simply Recipes / Allison Bickel

As of April 30, 12 illnesses, seven hospitalizations, and no deaths were linked to the E. coli outbreak. The FDA defines a foodborne illness outbreak as when "two or more people get the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink."

According to the CDC, E. coli is a bacteria that can cause severe food poisoning, including stomach cramps, diarrhea, and fever. It can be potentially deadly to young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. If you suspect that you are experiencing symptoms of E. coli, seek immediate medical attention.

What To Do If You Have the Recalled Products at Home

If you recently purchased organic walnut halves or pieces from bulk bins, plastic clamshells, or plastic bags from any of the 300 natural food and co-op stores disclosed by the FDA, check your pantry, refrigerator, or freezer. You should not eat any of the walnuts. Return them to the store for a refund or throw them away. The CDC recommends that you clean and sanitize any surfaces that the walnuts touch.



Read the original article on Simply Recipes.
Donald Trump just landed an approximate $1.8bn stock bonus from Trump Media, the owner of Truth Social, bringing a silver lining to his week that would otherwise be filled with hours of court case proceedings in the criminal hush money trial.

Trump Media & Technology Group disclosed the former presidents sudden gain of the billion-dollar stock in a filing on Tuesday, announcing that he has received an additional 36 million shares in the company.

His bonus, known as earnout shares, came as a result of the companys share price staying above certain target levels on the market.

Mr Trump, who was already the majority shareholder in Trump Media, now holds even more of a stake in the company  114.75 million shares, or around 64.9 per cent of the total outstanding as of Sunday.

According to CNN, the shares value totals approximately $1.8bn on paper at current prices  the price at close on Tuesday was $49.93. However, the share price has been continuously volatile in recent weeks.

Trump Media has the authority to issue a total of 40 million earnout shares as part of the merger deals that combined the company with a publicly traded shell corporation, Digital World Acquisition Corp.

They were only able to do this if the companys dollar volume-weighted average price equaled or exceeded $17.50 for 20 trading days within a 30-day trading period that began on 25 March.

As this period came to a close on 23 April, the stock had not sunk below this target price at any point.

Assuming the full issuance of the Earnout Shares, President Donald J Trump will receive 36,000,000 Earnout Shares, the company said in a previous securities filing.

However, any shares that he owns are subject to a lock-up that prohibits him from selling them within the next six months after the closing date.

In the meantime, Mr Trumps presence is currently required in court for the ongoing hush money criminal trial that has now continued into a third week.

The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, but has recently been handed a $9,000 fine from the judge for violating a gag order on nine separate occasions.

But he is also dealing with other weighty monetary judgements against him as well as continued spending on his presidential campaign.

So far this year, two separate New York judges have ordered Mr Trump to pay out more than $500m in different court cases.

He was ordered to pay a $454m fine plus interest in a ruling that found him, his sons and his former Trump Organization associates guilty of misrepresenting assets and was also ordered in a separate case to pay $83.3m in defamation damages to writer E Jean Carroll.

Story continues

Trump Media saw a recent surge in its value over the past week, but since going public in late March, its trading price has seen noticeable ebbs and flows.

The companys stock has even led the CEO of Trump Media, Devin Nunes, to ask Congress last week if they can investigate whether potential manipulation of their stock could have caused its share price to plummet.

The merged company started publicly trading under the DJT ticker on 26 March, opening with a price of around $70 per share.

That day, the price rose to a high of nearly $80, seeing the company earning market capitalisation of around $9bn for a time.

However, since that momentary peak, the share price of Trump Media started to nosedive, before it made its jump upwards last week.
A peacock on the run is causing headaches for Georgia animal control officers but is bringing joy to those following the birds adventures on social media.

Meet Earl  The Elusive Peacock of Middle GA  as hes known on Facebook.

People in Warner Robins, Kathleen and Perry have spotted Earl over the last few weeks and have posted pictures of him in the Facebook group, WMAZ-TV reports.

Warner Robins Animal Control Officer Holden Trichen said he has tried to catch Earl but has never had any luck nabbing him.

This is the first time Ive ever seen a peacock out in the streets like that, Trichen told the TV station.

He said the first call he got, Earl had already left by the time he got there. The second time, Earl ran into the woods.

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We got a call about it being on someones roof all night. When I got there in the morning it was over on Exeter Way in the road. As I chased it, it flew up on someones fence then flew up on someones roof and laughed at me. It literally, the noise they make, it sounds like a laugh, Trichen said.

Some people do own peacocks in parts of Houston County. They arent necessarily sure if that is the case with Earl.

As far as I know we havent received any calls for the peacock, like anyone missing their peacock, Trichen said.

He told the TV station that he may need another person to help him the next time he gets a call about Earl.

IN OTHER NEWS:
Brian Anthony Mockoski, of East Palatka, is under arrest after officials say he sexually abused a child in 2022.

The charges show that the victim was less than 12 years old.

Officials said the investigation began on Jan 1, 2022, when the victims mother reported a possible sexual assault.

Later that month, Mockoski, 37, quit his job and disappeared from the area.

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A warrant was issued for his arrest on Aug.18, 2022.

Putnam County detectives said they learned Mockoski was in Clarksville, Tennessee.

A detective from the police department in Clarksville found and arrested Mockoski on April 12.

He was transferred back to Putnam County on April 29 and is currently being held in the Putnam County Jail without bond.

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We hope the family can rest easier knowing he is tucked away in our jail and cannot terrorize them anymore, Putnam County Sheriff H.D. DeLoach said. This child doesnt have to look for the monster in the shadows and not knowing if he will reappear. Our next goal is for him to be sent away to prison for the rest of his life.

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LUFKIN  East Texans are bracing for an evacuation order in Polk County to stay in place for several days after heavy rainfall led the Trinity River to overflow, forcing operators at a nearby dam to release the floodgates.

Rainfall in the Polk County region and elsewhere in the state is expected to prolong the evacuation order, officials said.

In the two days leading up to Mondays declaration, the north end of Polk County  Groveton  saw 10.92 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. Further north, into Trinity County, that total rose to 11.8 inches of rain.

This is an unusual total for the region, which typically sees less than an inch of rain per day. But storms formed and reformed above Polk County and those north of it, leaving the county in a deluge over the weekend.

Also on Tuesdsay, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo called for a voluntary evacuation of the county's northeastern region, including the Idlewild and Idle Glen neighborhoods. She cited concerns with a fork of the San Jacinto River that was beginning to see the impact of heavy rainfall in the counties north of Harris County on Sunday. Montgomery County also issued a voluntary evacuation order for the same area earlier on Tuesday.

The Polk County flood is the latest in a torrent of storms that have drenched parts of the Piney Woods.

Many East Texas counties were already under a disaster declaration after storms throughout most of April led to flooding. Gov. Greg Abbott requested a disaster declaration for Jasper County and those surrounding it following storms that damaged personal property that began April 8. Polk and Jasper counties are separated by Tyler County and all are northeast of Houston.

Tim Cady, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston office said the next potential threat will strike communities upriver of Polk County on the Trinity River Wednesday night into the early hours of Thursday. While Polk County itself may not see heavy rainfall, the Trinity River will likely take on additional water, Cady said.

If we have a lot of rain here and we have a lot of rain in Dallas, well then the magnitude of the flooding is going to be much worse, Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy said.

[After Texas largest wildfire is contained, a rancher moves on with a single calf]

Polk County is home to about 54,186 residents. Most of the county is rural and residents primarily live in the unincorporated areas. More than 800 households were asked to evacuate Monday.

Murphy, who also serves as the countys emergency management coordinator, called for a voluntary evacuation leading up to Mondays mandatory evacuation order. This was in hopes residents would leave the area before it became too dangerous, she said.

We cannot risk sending people in [to help those who are stranded] when the conditions aren't safe either, Murphy said. So we needed people to come out while the conditions were still manageable.

Murphy opened the Dunbar Gym as a shelter for those with nowhere to go and encouraged residents to get their families and pets out of harm's way. While residents havent fought the evacuation order, she also doesnt believe theyre following it. She worries about those residents who choose not to leave their homes.

If someone suffers a severe health event at this time and they havent evacuated, it could be almost impossible for emergency responders to help them, Murphy said.

Flooded roadways present an increased risk for travelers. Six inches of water can sweep away someone who is walking. A foot of water can sweep away a car. Murphy said some roadways are covered by two to three feet of water, meaning drivers have no idea what to expect.

A list maintained by the Polk County Sheriffs Office indicated nearly a dozen roadways were not passable or were completely washed out as of April 30.

Murphy, who has seen her fair share of historic weather events in her tenure as county judge, expects the evacuation order will stand for several more days.

This isn't the first time we've seen flooding. And it won't be the last time we see flooding either, she said.

Climate scientists predict these types of storms will become even more commonplace in East Texas in the coming years. They have already done so since the 20th century, said John Nielsen-Gammon, a climatologist at Texas A&M University.

In a report he released with Texas 2036, a think-tank focused on Texas growth, he predicts that while much of Texas will face severe drought moving forward, East Texas will instead see increased rainfall.

Polk County experienced a large increase in extreme rainfall compared to last century, Nielsen-Gammon said. And a part of climate change is increased intensity in weather, or a very heavy rainfall across the southern United States.

This is caused by higher temperatures which led to increased evaporation and more intense precipitation. In 2023, climate scientists said Texans lived through the second hottest summer on record. This trend is likely to continue.

Disclosure: Texas 2036 and Texas A&M University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Weve got big things in store for you at The Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 57 in downtown Austin. Join us for three days of big, bold conversations about politics, public policy and the days news.
By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) -Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa on Tuesday decreed a state of emergency in five coastal provinces because of "internal armed conflict".

The measure marks the second security-based emergency declaration by Noboa, who took office in November on promises to turn around a deteriorating security situation that has led to a spike in violent deaths and other crimes.

The measure for the provinces of El Oro, Guayas, Los Rios, Manabi and Santa Elena will last 60 days, the decree said.

The police and armed forces will be deployed in the provinces because of the "necessity of executing tactical combat operations against organized armed groups," the document added.

The government blames the violence - including the dramatic invasion of a television station and mass hostage-taking of prion guards in January - on drug trafficking gangs.

(Reporting by Alexandra ValenciaWriting by Julia Symmes Cobb)
In the right hands, a power of attorney can make it much easier to manage the finances of someone who cant make their own decisions, or ensure they get the health care they need.

But too often, these powerful documents fall into what turn out to be the wrong hands  sometimes strangers, sometimes family or friends. That can result in shocking financial abuse, particularly for vulnerable people who lack close connections to provide oversight. Orlando residents are watching this narrative play out in the case against City Commissioner Regina Hill, who has been indicted on seven felony charges related to allegations that she abused a power of attorney that gave her control of a 96-year-old constituents finances. Prosecutors say Hill used that power in suspicious real-estate transactions, and to drain $100,000 from the womans bank accounts, spending the money on a hotel stay, vitamin injections, plastic surgery and other purchases. Hill (who has been suspended from office) maintains her innocence  and may yet be acquitted. But this story is shining a light on the inadequacies in Floridas elder-protection laws.

Orlando Commissioner Hills case part of epidemic of elder abuse, experts say

Easy and dangerous

Florida recognizes different types of power of attorney  or POA  contracts. They can grant a limited range of powers or extend over the entire range of a persons finances. Some expire after a specific amount of time or when certain conditions are met. But others so-called durable power of attorney  dont expire unless they are canceled by the grantor. Florida also allows for medical power of attorney grants, which give power over health-care decisions to someone else if the grantor cant make their own decisions.

The thing POAs have in common is this: They are very easy to execute, using standard language found on the internet, and can take force with the notarized signatures of two witnesses. And they can be nearly impossible to challenge if the grantor cant make their own decisions. Unlike guardianships (which give the guardian total control of another persons life) they dont have to be registered with any court and arent subject to any oversight. Theoretically, the grantor can override a POA at any time.

This is by design. Having power of attorney can make it much easier and less stressful for those who are caring for other vulnerable people. But it can also put isolated seniors and others at risk of financial abuse.

That leaves Florida with a serious problem. A legislative bill analysis of the 2023 law that forms the basis of several of the counts filed against Hill cites 2021 FBI statistics on financial abuse of seniors, claiming that 92,000 victims over the age of 60 reported claims that year. Among the states, Florida posted the second-worst record in the nation, with 9,645 victims. Not all those cases involved power of attorney abuse, but many did  and it makes sense that many of the reforms aimed at POA abuse would also stop other kinds of fraud.

This leaves lawmakers with a significant challenge: The state has already increased legal penalties for financial exploitation of elders. What more can they do to protect vulnerable Floridians? The best place to start is to look at other states that have adopted innovations Florida has yet to consider. One good example, backed by the American Bar Association, is a process called Supportive Decision Making, a less-restrictive alternative to POA agreements and guardianships which allows a team of friends, family members and professionals to advise a disabled person in making decisions that best reflect their wishes. This process is authorized in 21 states, and its something Florida should consider.

The state could also benefit from a suggestion by the Florida Bar: Give state investigators the ability to look into financial records when they suspect abuse. Under current law, those records cant be accessed unless the POAs grantor gives permission. That leads to another likely necessity of increased funding for financial-abuse investigations.

There are no easy solutions here, unfortunately. Many cases of financial abuse are likely to go unreported. Public-information campaigns can fight that, but not always successfully. That doesnt mean Floridas leaders should give up. In fact, it should strengthen their resolve to protect vulnerable Floridians whenever possible.

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at insight@orlandosentinel.com


Nine Republican-led states are challenging President Joe Bidens move to protect students from discrimination in public schools. In response to the Biden-Harris administrations recent Title IX rules update that protects transgender and nonbinary students from discrimination, Louisiana , Mississippi , Montana , and Idaho filed a joint lawsuit on Monday, challenging these new federal rules, with Texas pursuing its own separate legal action. On Tuesday morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that his state, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama also filed suit against the U.S. Department of Education.

These legal moves mark a significant confrontation over the interpretation and scope of federal educational policies.



The U.S. Department of Educations updated regulations announced on April 19 extend Title IX protections to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity explicitly. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona highlighted during a press call that these regulations aim to ensure that no one should have to abandon their educational aspirations due to discrimination. This includes safeguarding the rights of transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity and having their preferred pronouns respected.

DeSantis vowed not to follow the new rules in an announcement on X (formerly Twitter).

Florida is suing the Biden Administration over its unlawful Title IX changes. Biden is abusing his constitutional authority to push an ideological agenda that harms women and girls and conflicts with the truth. We will not comply, and we will fight back against Bidens harmful agenda, he wrote.

Florida is suing the Biden Administration over its unlawful Title IX changes.



Biden is abusing his constitutional authority to push an ideological agenda that harms women and girls and conflicts with the truth.



We will not comply, and we will fight back against Biden\u2019s harmful\u2026  (@)

During the rules change announcement in April, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon highlighted the inclusive nature of the process behind these changes. She noted that these regulations were the result of extensive public engagement, including over 240,000 public comments. These regulations are an overhaul aimed at ensuring full protection under Title IX for all students, Lhamon said, emphasizing the importance of public input in shaping these regulations.



However, the states involved in the lawsuit argue that these guidelines exceed Title IXs originally intended boundaries. Louisiana officials have been vocal in their opposition. Do not comply with these radical rules from the Biden administration, was the directive from Cade Brumley, Louisianas education secretary, NOLA.com reports .

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have reacted with dismay and concern. Sarah Jane Guidry, executive director of the Louisiana Forum for Equality, criticized the states actions.

Gov. Landry, Attorney General Murrill, and Superintendent Brumley have a callous disregard for the well-being and dignity of these vulnerable young individuals, Guidry said, according to NOLA.com.

Guidry said, Theyre attacking our children, who deserve love, respect, and acceptance.
Dennis Powanda and Vincent Yakaitis are bound together by a common experience: They were both criminally charged in connection with an attempted burglary. Powanda was the burglar, and Yakaitis was the property owner.

Ah, justice.

Indeed, that's not a misprint, parody, or a bad joke (although I wish it were the latter). Powanda was arrested and charged with criminal trespass and burglary, along with other related offenses, for executing the botched raid a little before 2:00 a.m. in February 2023 at Yakaitis' property in Port Carbon, Pennsylvania. The government charged Yakaitis, who is in his mid-70s, with using a firearm without a license after he shot Powanda, despite that it appears prosecutors agree Yakaitis justifiably used that same firearm in self-defense.

Whatever your vantage pointwhether you care about criminal justice reform and a fair legal system, or gun rights, or all of the aboveit is difficult to make sense of arresting and potentially imprisoning someone over what essentially amounts to a paperwork violation. That injustice is even more glaring when considering that Powanda, 40, allegedly charged at Yakaitis, who happens to be about three and a half decades older than Powanda.

Pennsylvania's permitting regime does carve out a couple of exceptions, one of which would seem to highly favor Yakaitis. Someone does not need a license to carry, according to the law, "in his place of abode or fixed place of business." Yakaitis owned the home Powanda attempted to burglarize. The catch: He didn't live thereit reportedly had no tenants at the time of the crimeopening a window for law enforcement to charge him essentially on a technicality.

If convicted, Yakaitis faces up to five years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Quite the price to pay for protecting your life on your own property. The misdemeanor charge also implies that Yakaitis has no history of using his weapon inappropriately, or any criminal record at all, as Pennsylvania law classifies his particular crimecarrying a firearm without a licenseas a felony if the defendant has prior criminal convictions and would be disqualified from obtaining such a license. In other words, we can deduce that Yakaitis was a law-abiding citizen and eligible for a permit, which means he is staring down five years in a cell for not turning in a form and paying a fee to local law enforcement. OK.

Yakaitis is not the first such case. In June, law enforcement in New York charged Charles Foehner with so many gun possession crimes that if convicted on all of them he would face life in prison. Police came to be aware of his unlicensed firearms when Foehner defended himself against an attempted muggerthe surveillance footage is hereafter which they searched Foehner's home and found that only some of his weapons were licensed with the state.

Prosecutors classified it as a justified shooting. And then they hit Foehner with an avalanche of criminal charges that would have resulted in a longer prison sentence than his assailant would have received, had he survived.

There's also LaShawn Craig, another New York City man whose case I covered in December. He, too, shot someone in self-defense and he, too, was arrested for doing so without a license. Like Foehner, he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, a violent felony in New York. For a paperwork violation.

New York is a particularly relevant case study on the subject, as its highly restrictive concealed carry framework was the subject of a landmark Supreme Court caseNew York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruenwhich the majority disemboweled. It wasn't just conservative gun rights advocates who wanted that ruling, although you'd be forgiven for thinking so based on how polarized this debate tends to be. That Supreme Court decision also attracted support from progressive public defenders with The Black Attorneys of Legal Aid, The Bronx Defenders, and Brooklyn Defender Services. As I wrote in June about the amicus brief they submitted to the Court:

[The public defenders] offered several case studies centered around people whose lives were similarly upended. Among them were Benjamin Prosser and Sam Little, who had both been victims of violent crimes and who are now considered "violent felons" in the eyes of the state simply for carrying a firearm without the mandated government approval. Little, a single father who had previously been slashed in the face, was separated from his family while he served his sentence at the Vernon C. Bain Center, a notorious jail that floats on the East River. The conviction destroyed his nascent career, with the Department of Education rescinding its offer of employment.

In many jurisdictions, including New York, it can be expensive and time-consuming to get the required license, which in turn makes the Second Amendment available only to people of a certain class.

So where do we go from here? Those skeptical of rolling back concealed carry restrictions may take comfort in the fact that this doesn't have to be black and white. Governments, for example, can "give eligible persons a 30-day grace period to seek and obtain a permit after being charged, then automatically drop charges and expunge record once obtained," offers Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, or "remove the criminal penalty entirely" and perhaps "make it a fineable infraction," like driving without a license.

Whatever the case, it should beit ispossible to balance public safety with the right to bear arms, and, as an extension, the right to self-defense. To argue otherwise is to embolden a legal system that incentivizes elderly men like Yakaitis to sit down and take it when someone threatens their life.

The post This Elderly Man Was Arrested After Shooting a Burglar in Self-Defensefor Carrying the Gun Without a License appeared first on Reason.com.
Officials at the Election Law Enforcement Commission have pushed for more lobbying disclosure at the local level for roughly a decade. (Photo by Mary Iuvone for the New Jersey Monitor)

New Jerseys campaign finance watchdog recommended lawmakers provide them more time to probe violations, expand reporting requirements for independent expenditure groups, and reconcile a state law that shields some addresses from disclosure with a statute requiring they be reported.

The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commissions recommendations follow the enactment of the Elections Transparency Act last year. That law sharply increased campaign contribution limits  doubling them in most cases, with larger increases for some groups  cut the statute of limitations on campaign finance violations from 10 years to two, and preempted local pay-to-play laws, among other things.

The commission asked legislators double the statute of limitations to four years, noting that while resolutions in routine cases have become faster since the law sunset roughly 80% of ELECs active cases, it could lead to errors in ones involving complicated or voluminous disclosures.

The two-year statute of limitations would be fine if all we had to do were routine cases, said Joe Donohue, ELECs acting executive director. The problem is some of these take a lot of work among our investigators and our lawyers. Its much more preparation. Much more legwork has to be done.

Financial disclosures from candidates and political committees vary widely in length and complexity. Local candidates, for instance, typically receive far fewer contributions than their counterparts at the state level.

Disclosures from party organizations and leadership PACs, which enjoy larger contribution limits and exemptions that allow party organizations to transfer funds between themselves, can be even lengthier and more complex.

The commission also said lawmakers should work to align ELECs enabling legislation  which requires the disclosure of addresses belonging to donors, candidates, and vendors  with Daniels Law, a more recent state law that bars the disclosure of home addresses belonging to judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement personnel, among others.

Donohue said Daniels Law  named after Daniel Anderl, who was slain during the attempted assassination of his mother, U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas  was incongruous with ELECs reporting requirements.

If someone comes to us right now thats on that list and wants it removed, well do it, but even then, were technically violating our own statute. It compels us to violate our own statute, he said.

Few had requested their information be redacted from ELEC records, Donohue said, and full compliance with Daniels Law would require the commission to comb through millions of documents dating back more than four decades using a list of names that contained errors.

ELEC could comply, Donohue said, but wed have to do everybody.

We can technically hide the addresses of donors, but then what are we here for? Were a disclosure agency, he said. Its just directly counter to our purpose.

The legislature also should require independent expenditure groups to report campaign contributions and spending within the 11 days preceding an election, as is required of all other political committees, ELEC said. Under current law, such groups are not required to report such spending until they file 20-day post-election reports.

Though earlier drafts of the Elections Transparency Act included such a requirement for independent expenditure groups, it was removed before final passage, and the commission said 39% of spending from independent expenditure committees, about $6.7 million, only became public after the election.

We just want everybody to play by the same rules, and we just feel like thats a gap in transparency that was created by that one provision, so its consistency and transparency, thats whats driving our recommendation, Donohue said.

One independent expenditure group, Jersey Freedom, drew attention to the lack of reporting requirements after its 11-day preelection report showed no spending or fundraising and a $35,662 loan that paid for mailers boosting third-party candidates in the second and fourth legislative districts.

Post-election filings showed the group was funded entirely by a PAC linked to South Jersey Democrats and spent $187,066 boosting spoiler candidates. If the loan is counted as an expenditure, Jersey Freedom reported only 18% of its spending before Election Day.

The commission added legislators should mandate disclosure of local lobbying, noting nothing in state law required such influence peddling be disclosed.

During about a decade, the marijuana industry spent about $10 million influencing the state. What did it spend locally? We have no clue, Donohue said. Same with wind power. Wind energy firms spent about $4 million at the state level. What did they spend locally?

The post Elections watchdog asks for Daniels Law tweaks, more time to investigate appeared first on New Jersey Monitor.
Revenue: Reached $2.5 billion in Q1 2024, marking a 23% increase year-over-year, surpassing the estimated $2.452 billion.

Net Loss: Improved significantly to $25 million in Q1 2024 from $162 million in Q1 2023, above the estimated net loss of $23.54 million.

Total Orders: Grew by 21% year-over-year to 620 million, indicating strong demand and operational execution.

Adjusted EBITDA: Increased to $371 million from $204 million in the previous year, reflecting enhanced operational efficiency and profitability.

Marketplace GOV: Increased by 21% year-over-year to $19.2 billion, driven by expanded service offerings and market penetration.

Free Cash Flow: Rose to $487 million, up from $316 million in Q1 2023, demonstrating improved cash generation capabilities.

Net Revenue Margin: Improved slightly to 13.1% in Q1 2024 from 12.8% in Q1 2023, benefiting from higher-margin services.

On May 1, 2024, DoorDash Inc (NASDAQ:DASH) released its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024, detailed in its 8-K filing. The company reported significant growth in several key areas, despite facing regulatory challenges and increased costs.

DoorDash Inc (DASH) Q1 2024 Earnings: Surpasses Revenue Forecasts Despite Challenges

Company Overview

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Francisco, DoorDash operates as an online food order and delivery service aggregator. It provides a platform for restaurants and other merchants to offer food and goods deliveries in the U.S. and, following its acquisition of Wolt in 2022, in Europe as well. The company aims to enhance local commerce by facilitating on-demand delivery and pickup services.

Financial Performance Highlights

DoorDash reported a 23% year-over-year increase in revenue, reaching $2.5 billion, which surpassed the estimated $2.45 billion. This growth was driven by a 21% increase in both Total Orders and Marketplace Gross Order Value (GOV), which stood at 620 million and $19.2 billion, respectively. Notably, the company's net loss improved significantly, decreasing to $25 million from $162 million in the same quarter the previous year.

Operational Efficiency and Market Expansion

The company's operational improvements have been pivotal. By enhancing logistics and expanding service offerings beyond restaurants to include groceries and other retail items, DoorDash has not only increased its market penetration but also its operational efficiency. This is evident from the Adjusted EBITDA, which rose to $371 million from $204 million year-over-year.

Challenges and Regulatory Impacts

Despite its growth, DoorDash faced increased costs due to new earnings standards implemented in Seattle and New York City, which have unfavorably impacted local merchants and reduced the flexibility and earnings potential for Dashers. The company estimates that these regulations have decreased local merchant earnings significantly and increased wait times for Dashers, highlighting a potential area of concern for future operational flexibility.

Story continues

Strategic Initiatives and Future Outlook

DoorDash is actively engaging in strategic initiatives to counteract regulatory challenges, including a pilot program in Pennsylvania to test portable benefits for Dashers. Looking ahead, the company forecasts a Marketplace GOV between $19.0 billion and $19.4 billion for Q2 2024, with an Adjusted EBITDA of $325 million to $425 million. These projections reflect DoorDash's ongoing efforts to innovate and adapt in a dynamic market.

Financial Health and Investor Insights

The balance sheet remains robust with an increase in cash and cash equivalents to $3.1 billion. The company's disciplined cost management and strategic investments in new markets and product categories are poised to support long-term growth. However, investors should be mindful of the potential risks associated with increased regulatory scrutiny and the costs of expansion into new service areas.

Overall, DoorDash's Q1 2024 performance illustrates a company that is successfully navigating market challenges while continuing to expand its footprint and improve operational efficiency. As it adapts to regulatory changes and explores new market opportunities, DoorDash remains a significant player in the evolving landscape of digital commerce and delivery services.

For further details, please refer to the full earnings report and join the upcoming earnings webcast detailed on DoorDash's Investor Relations page.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from DoorDash Inc for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


MANITOWOC  A motion to modify the $15,000 cash bond for Katrina B. Baur was denied by Manitowoc County Judge Robert Dewane Tuesday.

Baur, 31, and her attorney, Ann Larson, appeared by video for a motion hearing Tuesday in the Manitowoc County Circuit Court. Baur is the mother to Elijah Vue, the 3-year-old child who went missing from a Two Rivers apartment in February. After 71 days of searching, Elijah still has not been found.

The motion to the court had asked to change Baur's cash bond to a signature bond, which would not require any money for Baur's release from Manitowoc County Jail during her court case.

Larson said Baur, a Wisconsin Dells resident, already had a place she could live within Manitowoc County if a signature bond were to be granted.

Dewane, however, said he felt there were too many unanswered questions in the case to justify granting a signature bond.

Missing 2 months: 3-year-old Elijah Vue has been missing for 2 months in Two Rivers. Police continue to look for him.

The next event in Baur's case is now a status conference set for May 28. Baur is not expected to be in attendance for that meeting.

Baur was arrested shortly after Elijah was reported missing and is facing a felony charge of chronic child neglect, a second charge of felony child neglect involving a different child, and two misdemeanor charges of obstructing an officer for lying to them about her whereabouts in the days before her child was reported missing, according to the criminal complaint. She pleaded not guilty to the charges March 22.

Jesse Vang, a 39-year-old Two Rivers man who was in a relationship with Baur, was also arrested and charged with felony chronic child neglect. He pleaded not guilty to the charge during an arraignment April 16 and his next appearance is scheduled for June 28. He also is being held at Manitowoc County Jail, on a $20,000 cash bond.

How Elijah Vue was reported missing and more about the case.

Vang told police he was the last person to see Elijah before he reported the 3-year-old missing Feb. 20. Vang reported the disappearance just before 11 a.m. that day, but told police the last time he saw Elijah was three hours prior to that call.

According to the criminal complaint, Vang said Elijah was told to stand next to Vang's bed and pray as a form of punishment. Vang then fell asleep for a few hours and when he woke up, the boy was gone.

The complaint said Elijah had been staying with Vang at his Two Rivers residence  an apartment in the 3900 block of Mishicot Road in Two Rivers  for a week before he went missing.

An apartment complex in the 3900 block of Mishicot Road in Two Rivers was where 3-year-old Elijah Vue disappeared from, as seen Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Two Rivers, Wis.

Baur told police she wanted Vang to teach Elijah "how to be a man." Baur typically resides in Wisconsin Dells with Elijah.

The Two Rivers Police Department sent out a Wisconsin AMBER Alert, which is an emergency child abduction alert, for Elijah a few hours after he was reported missing. That alert is still active.

Vigil honors Elijah: Elijah Vue vigil in Two Rivers sends message of positivity and hope for the missing 3-year-old Wisconsin boy

The total reward for information leading to the discovery of Elijah or the arrest and charging of anyone responsible for his disappearance has now grown to $40,000. The FBI has offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to locating Elijah or convicting those responsible for his disappearance, Manitowoc County Crime Stoppers has offered a $10,000 reward, and the city of Two Rivers has now offered an additional $15,000, reward which was funded through community donations.

If you have information that could help the Two Rivers Police Department find Elijah Vue, contact their tipline at 844-267-6648 or submit information via the Crime Stoppers app P3.

Alisa M. Schafer is a reporter for the Herald Times Reporter in Manitowoc. She can be reached by email at aschafer@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Elijah Vue's mother denied motion to change $15,000 bond
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM)  The Elmira Elks College Fair will be welcoming prospective students in one week.

High school students, college students thinking about transferring, and adults looking to further their education are invited to the Elmira Elks Lodge, located at 300 E. Gray St., from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8 for the college fair. This event is free and open to the public.

Corning Community College to receive funding to support new program

Representatives from two-year schools, four-year schools, technical schools, and the United States Armed Forces will be at the college fair to answer questions. Both public and private schools from New York State and beyond will be present.

Schools attending the college fair include Corning Community College, Finger Lakes Community College, Elmira College, Ithaca College, Syracuse University, Keuka College, St. Bonaventure University, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Fredonia, Alfred State College, and more.

Updates about the event will be posted on the Elmira Elks College Fair Facebook page.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com.
Gov. Tina Kotek listens to questions during a Wednesday press conference where she announced she would not pursue establishing an office of the first spouse.

This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday

Gov. Tina Kotek announced Wednesday afternoon that she has called off efforts to expand the role of the first lady and apologized "for not being more thoughtful in my approach to exploring the role of the first spouse."

"After listening to and reflecting on the concerns of Oregonians who have contacted my office, as well as the advice of staff, I want to be clear about next steps: There will not be an Office of the First Spouse. There will not be a position of Chief of Staff to the First Spouse," Kotek said during a news conference.

The governor's announcement came within days of her office's release of more than 6,000 pages of public records on April 26 in response to multiple reporters' requests after Kotek's chief of staff Andrea Cooper and special adviser Abby Tibbs left her office in late March. Deputy Chief of Staff Lindsey OBrien has been on paid leave since April 5.

"I am sorry for the way this conversation between my office and you has started," Kotek said.

The governor repeated a statement she made last month that no roadmap exists in Oregon to define the role of a first spouse and said she had considered how the state could emulate other states "that rely on the time and talent of a first spouse who has no financial interest or benefit in state government."

Gov. Tina Kotek embraces her wife, Aimee Kotek Wilson, after being sworn-in as governor in January 2023. Thousands of pages of documents have been released in which some former staffers sought clarity on the first lady's role.

Kotek said her administration would wait to learn more from a preliminary review by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission and assemble a first spouse manual to spell out policies and procedures related to the role.

Meliah Masiba, the new adviser originally hired on a temporary rotation to explore the creation of the office of the first spouse, will remain part of the office and report to Chief of Staff Chris Warner, Kotek said.

The governor said she and her wife, Aimee Kotek Wilson, share a commitment to stand up for the most vulnerable and make the world better.

Kotek Wilson joined the governor during her first year as governor on visits to every county in Oregon and is joining her this year during a tour of Oregon's federally recognized tribes. The first lady, who has a master's in social work from Portland State University and previously worked for Cascadia Behavioral Health, also has attended meetings with the governor or on her behalf on behavioral health and other issues.

Oregon First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson gives remarks during an unveiling ceremony for the womens suffrage marker at the Oregon State Capitol State Park in July 2023.

She said the first lady would continue to join her at events representing the governors office and listening to Oregonians about issues impacting them, "especially in the area of mental health and addiction."

"As a family, the First Lady and I jointly and intentionally decided that she not return to employment or have any outside income as to avoid any perceived or actual conflict of interest. And her work as first lady is also unpaid and is on a volunteer basis," Kotek said.

Asked about questions in staff emails about the use of the Oregon State Police's dignitary protection unit for the first lady, Kotek said she didnt believe there had been a shift. She read a statement that said OSP provides "dignitary protection services to Oregons governor and the first family. The Dignitary Protection Unit operates under the authority and direction of the Superintendent. DPUs primary function is to protect the governor and the first family when engaged in business of the governors office. This has been the operating principle since the units creation and these expectations have not changed."

The following is a summation of the public records on the role of the first spouse, which were published Wednesday morning on StatesmanJournal.com

Emails from Kotek's former staffers sought clarity on first lady's role

The day the process was initiated for Abby Tibbs to return to her role at Oregon Health & Science University and leave Kotek's staff, she sent an email to the governor's staff about the expanding role of Kotek Wilson in the administration.

I continue to believe that the office has an obligation to not only meet the letter of the law/ethics rules but exceed them and center the spirit of the laws/ethics rules because there are significant issues of public trust and the obligation to the people of Oregon, Tibbs wrote on March 15.

Tibbs referenced several months of requests from Cooper, OBrien and herself for clarity about the role of the first spouse.

I know theres a shared commitment to ensuring that a first spouse has an opportunity to do meaningful work for an administration and for that work to be supportive of the success of the entire administration and center the highest degree of accountability and public trust, there are many considerations and issues that need to be addressed, Tibbs wrote.

Later that day, an email from the state chief operating officer was sent to OHSU staff, ending an intergovernmental agreement between Oregon Health and Science University and the Department of Administrative Services for Tibbs' services for the governor's office.

"Although 'termination' is the technical word used in the agreement, this departure is obviously a huge loss for the Governors office and for all of us at DAS who work with Abby! Abby is a consummate professional who leads with a public service heart, and she has been a tremendous asset to the state during the transition to a new Governor. We thank her for her service and dedication," wrote Berri Leslie, the director of DAS.

Questions around staffing, security for First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson

Cooper sent an email on Jan. 17 to the Oregon State Police officer charged with Koteks security asking if there was a security reason for state police to drive Kotek Wilson to an event in Eugene the next month.

Later in January, Cooper emailed O'Brien about events on Kotek Wilsons calendar that she said she wanted to "flag for awareness and future discussion."

Since I was asked not to attend the scheduling meeting where these events were added to the FL [first lady] calendar, I didnt have the opportunity to weigh in on the staffing or speaking portions that will now impact comms staff, Cooper wrote.

OBrien sent an email on Jan. 30 to the first ladys scheduler, saying she had not been informed about Kotek Wilson being added to a meeting with Kotek and Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner Christina Stephenson but had received a call from Stephenson's chief of staff.

I hadnt heard anything about this change, OBrien wrote.

Kotek Wilsons scheduler replied the first lady and Kotek had a side convo during scheduling about Kotek Wilson joining during a lunch meeting.

At the same time, Cooper exchanged emails with OBrien restating her questions around the use of the dignitary protection unit, or state police, in upcoming events.

Re: DPU, I think this is ultimately, Sgt. Bates call. My understanding of our agreed to policy from a few months ago was DPU would attend if there was a security need or risk (i.e.: going to the state hospital or a prison) and we would avoid having them take the place of being the driver as that is not their role, wrote Cooper. With that said, Im not sure the security need for UO, so perhaps the policy has changed (I was not in the scheduling meeting)?

Cooper stated she didn't believe state police driving Kotek Wilson when she attends events in the place of Kotek is the correct lens. She also said she agreed with the general rule and direction from Kotek to not over-staff events, limiting staff to two people per event, including the dignitary protection unit officer.

Two weeks later, on Feb. 14, Cooper emailed Kotek's and Kotek Wilson's schedulers saying officers should be provided for Kotek and Kotek Wilson at large events.

"GTK [Governor Tina Kotek] has flagged for me that I have dropped the ball recently (and she is right), on having the correct number of staff at large events," Cooper wrote.

In an email to Cooper the day before, Kotek said: "At one point, the FL and I were by ourselves with DPU in a throng of people...The FL needs her own person at these events because we get separated easily and sometimes it's advantageous to split up so we can make more contacts."

Cooper asked Kotek Wilson's scheduler to confirm with her 24 hours before an event if Kotek Wilson is attending and remind her one week out for large events moving forward that Kotek Wilson also needs staff, which can include security.

Staffer flags request from Kotek and Kotek Wilson as 'highly inappropriate'

Among the records is an email Tibbs sent in February to a state healthcare employee saying she was committing to writing a prior discussion the two had about a request the governor had made.

I realize I never followed up with you in writing about the situation we discussed about the Governor asking you to call Cascadia about a friend of the FLs who is upset with her supervisor, Tibbs wrote on Feb. 7 to Juliana Wallace, the behavioral health initiative director at the governor's office. The email does not specify what the request was.

As we discussed, you handled the situation with grace and appropriately in your call to the suoervisor [sic] at Cascadia  and it was so great to hear that you were able to just generally have a discussion with her about how things are going and move on. And I also totally understand how the situation felt awkward at best, and confusing to the supervisor as to why the Govs office was calling.

Tibbs said she was bringing the issue up as April Rohman was coming on board as an adviser for Wallaces team with the hope that Rohman would not be put in a similar position. Tibbs told Wallace to develop clear lines of communication and expectations with Rohman about what to do if either the governor or first lady reached out to her and asked her to do something.

I also want to just recognize again that requests, and actions by the FL and/or Governor like the ones above are indeed highly inappropriate at best, and you flagging this and anything else that doesnt feel right for me and Coop [Andrea Cooper] is totally the right thing to do. The Governor has been reminded several times now of the power she and the FL hold in this office and externally and the appropriate use of their power, Tibbs wrote.

Emails regarding the role of the first lady and adviser

Several emails discuss the hiring of Masiba as a new adviser on a six-month rotation to "explore the establishment of the Office of the First Spouse."

Emails in February between Cooper and executive staff discuss the governor beginning to take steps on formalizing the role of the first spouse.

On Feb. 9, Cooper emailed the governor that her executive team had reviewed the proposed job description for the first lady.

We believe this meets the goal of developing a meaningful role for the First Lady while also upholding the ethical and legal standards of this office. We hope the two of you will see it the same way, Cooper wrote.

Cooper requested Kotek meet with her executive and legal teams the following week to hear feedback on the job description, hiring a facilitator to support Kotek and the leadership team in working through next steps, and how to improve Koteks work-life balance as the second year of the administration began.

In a Feb. 18 email, Kotek emailed the executive team an agenda for Feb. 19 that includes next steps on establishing policies and protocols for First Ladys work.

Tibbs emails the executive team the next day, saying she hopes Kotek will share as much clarity as possible what her reaction is to the legal memo and job description before we talk about next steps.

I totally respect that this is ultimately her decision just think it needs to land, Tibbs said.

Cooper replied to the email to the executive team with a copy of the governor's office principles and ethos.

Around the same time, the office was preparing Kotek and Kotek Wilson for the National Governor's Association 2024 winter meeting Feb. 22-24 in Washington, D.C. Kotek Wilson's scheduler was asked to join her for the conference. Cooper, in an email Jan. 30 to Campos, said Kotek had said Kotek Wilson needed "to be fully staffed for this conference."

After the NGA meeting, Kotek Wilson's scheduler on Feb. 28 emailed the first lady with notes from the "Opioid & Narcan First Spouse Session" that she attended. Kotek Wilson forwarded those notes to O'Brien saying she was "impressed with the work some first ladies are doing to address fentanyl overdoses among our youth."

"I would be happy to lend my voice to protecting our kids during this crisis," she said, pointing out work by the first lady of Virginia saying "shes doing really incredible stuff if you wanna take a look."

On March 4, Kotek Wilson adds another email to the thread with O'Brien, attaching handouts from the NGA session and asking O'Brien about her thoughts "about doing something like that in Oregon."

That same day Cooper emailed Warner, then a senior aide, about additional follow-up from the NGA meeting and to discuss other items related to the First Lady.

"GTK [Governor Tina Kotek] is hoping you can follow up with the NGA and ask them to get you a written document that summarizes the meeting you had about other FL offices across the country. How they are structured, staffed, etc.," Cooper wrote. "Also, I cced you, but she [Kotek] would like to meet every Friday to discuss items like this and others related to FL to confirm they are moving forward."

Then, on March 8, Leslie with DAS sent an email to Kotek's operations director, Shelby Campos, saying: "The First Lady has asked Meliah to be her Chief of Staff starting as a 6-month rotation agreement." A day later, Campos forwarded the notice to Cooper to confirm whether Cooper was in the loop of the agreement.

The records do not include a reply from Cooper.

I understand that after the advice provided to the Governor that she has clearly made a decision to move forward on the FL [First Lady] role in her own way/direction including this CoS [Chief of Staff] position out of the gate, Tibbs said in a March 10 email to O'Brien, Cooper, Leslie and Warner.

The records do not include anything that says what advice was provided to Kotek, but Tibbs asked in the email if there is a written job description, responsibilities and clear and transparent expectations about how Masibas new role fits into the administration.

For example, will Kotek Wilson's scheduler report to Masiba, Tibbs asked.

Around the same time, the governor sent edits to a new first lady handbook she had requested from Cooper. Kotek edited the manual "to be generic to the First Spouse." Cooper's version was specific to Kotek Wilson.

Masiba on March 11 drafted a list of duties for her role. Among them is staff and support First Lady in all necessary areas including but not limited to; staffing, scheduling, logistics, internal and external communications, policy initiatives, legislative priorities, legal considerations, budget management; serve as a liaison between the first lady and governors office staff, legislature and the public; manage first ladys schedule and oversee policy initiatives created by the office of the first lady.

On March 12, OBrien emailed Tibbs, Warner, Leslie and Cooper saying she agreed with Tibbs that the reporting structure and communication chain needed to be finalized before Masibas rotation is rolled out to the office.

I think there will be a lot of questions and concerns, OBrien wrote.

Campos emailed Warner on March 14  after Kotek Wilson asked for Masiba to join her at an NGA First Spouses retreat in Utah the day after she was scheduled to start  with questions around Masiba's role.

"With Coop [Cooper] out of the office this week, I have some questions about the Office of the First Lady and would like some guidance," Campos wrote. "Given we have not historically had an Office of the First Lady and Meliah is starting so quickly, I would like to get clarification on the structure and guiding principles for the new office."

Campos asked for clarification on the roles and responsibilities of the new COS [chief of staff]; clarity and defined roles between the COS and Executive Assistant; reporting structure for this COS and Executive Assistant; any specific guidelines that govern the activities of the new office; how the new structure would be communicated to staff; clear guidelines provided to staff regarding their interactions and collaborations with the office of the FL and where staff with questions or concerns should direct them to.

On March 18, Masiba emailed OBrien introducing herself and requesting time to discuss her transition to the first ladys team and the messaging and announcements about her role.

OBrien forwarded the email to Warner, saying: I havent been in the loop on this decision, their messaging, or the timing of any of these announcements.

Im concerned GO [Governors office] staff are hearing about this for the first time from DAS with no context from us, she wrote.

Coopers departure was announced March 22.

On April 3, Kotek told reporters she would be sending the Government Ethics Commission questions seeking clarification on what is appropriate for the role of the first spouse. Two days later Koteks office submitted three questions.

Warner said in the April 5 letter to the ethics commission: "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."

"Regardless of party affiliation or gender identity, the Governors spouse or partner serves a role as a public official to serve all Oregonians," wrote Warner.

The ethics commission declined to answer the questions, saying the commission had received complaints related to those same issues which were undergoing a preliminary review.

The commission has 60 days to complete a preliminary review of complaints to determine if it will investigate.

A report of the preliminary review will be presented during an executive session of the commission. The next executive session is scheduled for May 10. If the preliminary review is not complete by then, the next scheduled executive session is June 28.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on X @DianneLugo

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek ends 'Office of First Spouse' try
MILAN  As the United Arab Emirates seeks closer defense ties with the United States and China alike, the prospects of exporting the F-35 fighter to Abu Dhabi anytime soon may be getting slimmer, according to experts.

On April 23, the chief of joint operations for the UAE Armed Forces met with the commander of the Chinese Air Force in Beijing to discuss options for strengthening collaboration between their services. The meeting served as the Gulf nations most recent overture to China, signaling a particular interest in warplane cooperation.

After receiving the first batch of Chinese Hongdu L-15A Falcon jet trainers last year, some observers have speculated that the Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter may be the next platform on the countrys wish-list.

This week, senior U.S. and UAE defense officials met for their annual military dialogue in Washington. On the agenda, were specific discussions, on integrated air and missile defense as well as cooperation on emerging capabilities, per a statement released by the U.S. Department of Defense.

The release made no mention of the elephant in the room  Abu Dhabis request to buy the fifth-generation American combat jet.

The Biden administration froze the sale of 50 Lockheed-made F-35 fighter jets to the Emiratis in 2021, as the bolstered UAE-China defense connection has continued to raise questions among U.S. officials about the future of Washington arms sales to its Middle East ally.

Meanwhile, in 2020, after normalizing ties with the UAE, Israel said that it would not oppose the sale of specific U.S.-made weapon systems to the Emiratis, in what many interpreted as a reference to the F-35s. Israel was previously reported to have been against this deal, viewing it as a possible threat to maintaining its regional military superiority.

In recent years, some developments within the UAE-China relationship have been more concerning than others for the United States, said Daniel Mouton, a former U.S. National Security Council official who is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

One alarming issue regarded the establishment of a Chinese military facility in the country, which the analyst said would be dangerous particularly in terms of its ability to observe U.S. activities inside the Gulf state and area.

Considering the technology associated with the F-35, the presence of a Chinese military base and expanding Chinese technical infrastructure could have posed a risk to this valuable piece of U.S. technology and to the international consortium of F-35 operators, Mouton added.

The planned facility was reportedly being built at a port near Abu Dhabi, where a Chinese shipping group operates. Last year, despite the Gulf states previous pledge to halt Chinas construction at the site, new activity was detected, according to the Washington Post.

While the sale of F-35 warplanes has become something of a white whale for the Emiratis, with Abu Dhabi even threatening to cancel it at one point, Mouton said that the deal remains viable.

A Lockheed Martin representative said they could not comment on government-to-government discussions.

Other experts have a gloomier outlook on the long-pending transaction, viewing it as a possible dead end.

The UAEs decision to commit to a large Rafale buy [80 aircraft] from France in 2022 is likely a good indication that they know the deal isnt going anywhere at this point, Alex Almeida, Middle East analyst at the U.S.-based political risk consultancy group Horizon Engage, said.

Or at least that the timeframe for an eventual F-35 delivery is so far in the future theyll need a sizable fleet of new 4.5 generation aircraft to replace the Mirage 2000s they are currently phasing out before moving on to a full fifth-gen platform, he added.

The F-35 were initially offered as a package deal to the UAE alongside the MQ-9 Reaper manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. This is no longer the case, as the drone acquisition is moving forward and will be integrated with Emirati-made weapons.

The U.S. drone maker, for its part, is still concerned about Chinese dealings with Americas allies.

In testimony before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on April 17, Nicola Johnson, vice president of government affairs and strategic communications at GA-ASI, warned of Chinas rise as a global drone producer. She also flagged weaknesses of the Missile Technology Control Regime, a multinational pact designed to curb the spread of missile technology, which governs the trading of certain unmanned aircraft system (UAS) components.

Strategic partners have pivoted away from American UAS and toward those made by foreign competitors, such as Turkey, Israel and China. Notably China, not a member of the [MTCR] regime, is turning international sales into an engine for revenue that it can use to develop more advanced systems, to the detriment of Americas national security, she said.

The UAE has purchased an undisclosed number of Chinese Wing Loong drones previously, and has made it clear that it intends to follow a pragmatic foreign policy, as Mouton noted.

Last year, GA-ASI opposed the building of a Chinese wet corn milling plant near Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, due to fears about potential espionage, as U.S. defense companies conduct sensitive tests there related to unmanned aircraft and other advanced weapons.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-China tussle over a key ally in the Gulf is also playing out in the field of civilian technology. Microsoft announced last month that it will invest $1.5 billion in the UAEs leading artificial intelligence firm, G42.

The deal, which was orchestrated in large part by the White House, comes with the caveat that the Emirati company must essentially kick Chinese suppliers out of its operations, according to the New York Times.
Tufts University has issued a new warning to student protesters remaining at the encampment on the Academic Quad after negotiations with students failed Tuesday.

We continue to do everything within reason to avoid the confrontations seen at other universities, University President Sunil Kumar and other administrators wrote in a university-wide email. But the encampment needs to end, and Commencement setup needs to begin.

The university said the pro-Palestinian protesters, who are calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and for the school to cut all financial ties with Israel, must break camp and leave the schools common spaces. If not, they could face school discipline or forcible removal.

Tufts University says days are numbered for pro-Palestinian encampment on campus

Tufts University Police Department has begun locking buildings on the Academic Quad as of 5 p.m.

Tufts University leaders say the encampment on campus needs to end. The school says it plans to issue a no trespass order to the protesters. One of the concerns from the school is being able to set up for commencement. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/1TyK86IZ9K  Ryan Breslin (@ryanjbreslin) May 1, 2024

Tufts students who do not vacate the space will be subject to the Community Standards processes which may result in suspension or other sanctions, the email stated. For seniors, this may include not participating in senior week activities or Commencement. It is our strong desire that it does not come to this, and the protesters choose to leave voluntarily.

This comes after weeks of student protests and encampments on college campuses including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Tufts University, and Emerson College.

Dozens of protesters remain at Tufts encampment Tuesday night.

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

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End of war possible when Putin realises he will not win  Polish Foreign Minister

Polish Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski has said that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will likely end the war against Ukraine only when he feels that he cannot win it, and it is dangerous to hope for any further agreements with Russia.

Source: RMF24 with reference to Sikorski at a joint briefing with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, reported by European Pravda

Details: Sikorski was asked whether any diplomatic methods of influencing Russia could be used to end the war in Ukraine.

"The problem with president Putin is that he does not keep his word and is completely unreliable," Sikorski said.

He reiterated that Russia signed the Budapest Memorandum, where it promised to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and violated it itself.

"It's hard to believe a person who says, 'I broke those agreements, but don't worry, if I sign another one, I will respect it,'" Sikorski said.

He also pointed out again the numerous diplomatic efforts of the West before the outbreak of a full-scale war, which failed to stop Putin.

"It seems that Putin respects only pure economic and military power. And we have to use this 'currency' to convince him that the invasion was a mistake and he cannot win. Only then is there any chance for peace," Sikorski said.

In turn, Baerbock added that she shares his view. "For two and a half years, half the world has been doing nothing but trying to convince Putin through diplomatic channels not to inflict even more suffering on Ukraine," she said.

Baerbock stressed the importance of strengthening sanctions against Russia and monitoring compliance with those already in place.

Background: In a recent interview, Sikorski said he saw no reason to be concerned about the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

He also said that he "would not be surprised" if Russia decided to attack Poland in the future.

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Reps. Jesse Sumner, R-Wasilla, and Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, talk to Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, during a break in the Alaska House of Representatives floor session on Monday, April 29, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Reps. Jesse Sumner, R-Wasilla, and Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, talk to Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, during a break in the Alaska House of Representatives floor session on Monday, April 29, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Dozens of firefighters protested outside the Alaska Capitol last week, waving signs and chanting as they urged the Alaska House of Representatives to advance a long-simmering pension bill.

Theyre likely to be disappointed.

On Friday, the House failed, on a 19-19 vote, to advance the pension bill for further consideration.

As the Alaska Legislature enters the final two weeks of its regular session, lawmakers are consolidating their attention on a handful of subjects, rolling together bills that deal with particular subjects into bigger omnibus legislation that includes several smaller bills all rolled together into one because its speedier and easier to pass them together.

In the best world, you wouldnt be doing that, but it is not unusual at all, said Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage and chair of the Senate Rules Committee, which schedules bills for floor votes.

Already, lawmakers have debuted omnibus bills on energy topics, education and crime. An election-related omnibus bill is expected soon, and debate on the states annual budget bills is expected to continue until the end of the session.

Many uncontroversial bills, such as those that rename bridges or extend state boards, are expected to pass before lawmakers adjourn, but when it comes to big policy changes, legislators say, theres not much certainty.

My concern is primarily the amount of time we have left and the issues that we have in front of us, said Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak. We will do the best job we can in the time we have left.

On the budget

The Alaska Senate will take up its version of Alaskas state operating budget starting Wednesday. In part because the Senate is governed by a bipartisan supermajority, few  if any  amendments are expected to pass. The majoritys priorities are already incorporated into the current version of the bill.

The Senates draft budget contains a smaller Permanent Fund dividend  about $1,580 per recipient  than the $2,270 PFD proposed in the Houses draft budget.

The figures are the biggest difference between the two proposals, and the Senates smaller PFD is designed to address an estimated $270 million gap in the Houses draft comprehensive spending plan, said Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka.

Stedman said the House failed to account for the size of the states capital budget  which pays for construction and renovation projects statewide  and the cost of other legislation that has passed or will pass the Legislature this year.

When the Senates draft budget passes this week, lawmakers will set up a conference committee to draft a compromise between the House and Senate spending plans.

That compromise will have many policy implications. For example, the Senate version of the budget defunds the state-owned corporation in charge of licensing and building a trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline. The Houses version contains funding for the corporation.

The latest figures from the Legislative Finance Division estimate a $113 million surplus at the end of the current fiscal year, June 30, and that money could be diverted for use in the final compromise version of the budget, which covers services between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.

Energy legislation

Since the start of this years legislative session, the Alaska Houses predominantly Republican coalition majority has said that legislation needed to address a pending Southcentral Alaska energy crunch was its top priority.

With two weeks left to go, no energy bill has passed the Legislature, and lawmakers in both the House and Senate are considering tax incentives for natural gas producers in Cook Inlet, bills to streamline the storage of natural gas in Southcentral Alaska, and bills that would rewrite the rules governing electricity thats transmitted from one utility to another in Alaskas Railbelt grid.

Also on the docket are bills dealing with community solar projects, geothermal energy, and rules for the injection of carbon dioxide underground.

Many of those subjects may be combined in the last two weeks, House Rules Chair Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, told reporters last week.

I think thats generally the way itll happen, he said.

Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, said she believes the carbon-dioxide bill, which has already passed the House, is a priority for Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

If that bill, viewed as a boon for the oil and gas industry, failed to pass the Legislature during the regular session, she said she believes he would call lawmakers into a special session on the topic.

Education bills

At the start of this years legislative session, the leaders of the Alaska Senates coalition majority  comprised of nine Democrats and eight Republicans  said education reform, including greater funding for public schools, was its top priority.

After Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a Senate-endorsed bill that passed with bipartisan support  and after House Republicans killed a veto override  the predominantly Republican House majority caucus has been advancing an alternative, known as House Bill 392.

That bill includes priorities advanced by the governor and House Republicans, including changes to the way charter schools are approved.

If that bill advances  its currently in the House Finance Committee  it may also pick up one of two bills intended to fix problems with the states correspondence education program.

A state judge last month struck down two state laws governing the program, leaving the parents of more than 22,000 students uncertain about whether they will receive state reimbursements for some of their spending.

Members of the state House and state Senate have introduced separate fixes, and both bills are expected to advance in the last two weeks of the session.

Even if no education bill passes, both the House and Senate budget drafts include a one-time boost to the states per-student funding formula for public schools, though the exact amount of the boost is subject to Dunleavys veto authority.

Criminal justice legislation

On Monday, Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that he would be amending anti-fentanyl legislation backed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to include several other crime-related legislative priorities.

Johnson called the fentanyl bill essential last week and said its also essential to fix a legal loophole that allows people to avoid registering on the states sex offender list.

Both items have been included in the Senates bill.

House Bill 259, establishing the Council on Human and Sex Trafficking, is a priority of House Judiciary Chair Sarah Vance, R-Homer, she said last week, as is legislation changing the name of child pornography to child sexual abuse material.

The name change is included in the Senate omnibus, but not HB 259. Vance said shes seeking to add human trafficking issues to the bill.

Another change with House and Senate support is a bill that allows crime victims to offer testimony to a grand jury without having to appear in person. The hearsay exemption avoids retraumatizing those victims, legislators say.

Elections legislation

In February, the state House approved a bill that would allow the Alaska Division of Elections to trim the states voter rolls more quickly.

The Senates state affairs committee, led by Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks, is preparing to turn that House bill into an elections omnibus, Wielechowski said, and is putting together some components that have been heavily studied over the years in this body that I think are fairly noncontroversial.

A Kawasaki aide said the bill will be scheduled for a hearing Thursday. He declined to say what components might be included, but the committee has previously examined several topics, including the idea of ballot curing, which would allow Alaskans to fix an incorrect signature on an absentee ballot in order to have it counted.

The post Entering their final two regular weeks, Alaska legislators are narrowing their focus appeared first on Alaska Beacon.
Warnings posted in Dickson County near Tennessee Gas Pipeline property. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Environmental groups have filed suit against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission over its approval of a pipeline that will wind through mostly poor and Black Middle Tennessee communities to supply methane gas to a new Tennessee Valley Authority power plant near Clarksville.

The Sierra Club and Appalachian Voices are asking the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to set aside the federal agencys January order approving the 32-mile pipeline through Dickson, Houston and Stewart Counties.

The groups, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, say the construction and ultimate operations of the pipeline pose a host of avoidable risks to the communities and natural resources that lie in its path and criticized federal regulators for caving to pressure from the TVA and Tennessee Gas Pipeline, the company building the pipeline.

FERCs decision to greenlight this project ignored the harm the pipeline and gas plant would inflict on Middle Tennessee and beyond, Spencer Gall, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said in a statement.

FERC is supposed to safeguard the public interest, not rubberstamp unnecessary pipeline projects that will harm our communities, hurt the climate, and contribute to higher power bills.

Kinder Morgan, the corporate owner of Tennessee Gas Pipeline, did not respond to an emailed request for comment about the legal challenge.

The controversial pipeline project is intended to supply natural gas to a new TVA plant in Cumberland City, about 20 miles southwest of Clarksville. Constructed on the existing campus of TVAs soon-to-be-retired coal-burning Cumberland Fossil Plant, the gas plant is expected to be operational by 2026.

The plant is one of eight gas-powered plants that TVA has announced it will open in recent years, drawing criticism from environmental groups for its continued reliance on climate-damaging fossil fuels instead of investments in renewable energy.

A separate legal challenge filed against TVA remains ongoing. That lawsuit, filed by a trio of environmental groups in a Nashville federal court, contends the utility violated federal law by failing to evaluate climate, environmental and financial impacts of the proposed gas-fired plant.

Utility officials have denied those claims saying, TVA takes our environmental compliance obligations seriously.

The proposed pipelines route will take it through 11 communities  seven of which are disproportionately poor or Black. Three of the communities have minority populations of 50% or more, according to an analysis by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The pipeline would also cut through dozens of streams, including those that feed into the popular Harpeth River, using explosives to blast streambeds. Environmental groups have also raised concerns about the danger of pipes leaking methane into the atmosphere; methane is a key contributor to climate warming. And they have warned that the costs TVA is incurring for the project will be ultimately borne by consumers in higher energy costs.

A proposed system map of the Kinder Morgan pipeline to run through three Tennessee counties. (Source: Kinder Morgan)

A proposed system map of the Kinder Morgan pipeline to run through three Tennessee counties. (Source: Kinder Morgan)

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The post Environmental groups sue federal agency over Middle Tennessee pipeline approval appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.
Net Sales: Reported at $2.931 billion, down 3% year-over-year, falling short of the estimated $2.813 billion.

GAAP Net Income: Stood at $183 million, a decrease of 33% from the previous year, falling short of the estimated $275.42 million.

Adjusted EPS: Reached $0.79, surpassing the estimated $0.65.

Operating EBITDA: Recorded at $682 million, down 4% year-over-year.

Adjusted Free Cash Flow: Increased by 65% to $286 million, demonstrating significant improvement in cash generation.

Full Year Guidance: Raised for net sales, operating EBITDA, and adjusted EPS, indicating a positive outlook for the remainder of 2024.

Share Repurchase: Completed a $500 million accelerated share repurchase transaction, reflecting confidence in financial stability and shareholder value enhancement.

On May 1, 2024, DuPont de Nemours Inc (NYSE:DD) disclosed its first-quarter financial results through an 8-K filing, revealing a mixed financial landscape. The company reported a decrease in net sales and GAAP income from continuing operations, yet managed to exceed expectations with its adjusted earnings per share (EPS).

DuPont de Nemours Inc (DD) Q1 2024 Earnings: Adjusted EPS Beats Estimates Amidst Sales Decline

Company Overview

DuPont, a global leader in specialty chemicals, was formed in 2019 following the DowDuPont merger and subsequent separations. The company's innovative portfolio includes high-performance materials like Kevlar, Tyvek, and Nomex, serving diverse industries such as electronics, automotive, construction, and water management. DuPont's patented chemical products provide significant pricing power and strategic market advantages.

Financial Performance Insights

For Q1 2024, DuPont posted net sales of $2.9 billion, a 3% decrease from the previous year, with organic sales dropping by 6%. This decline was primarily due to reduced volumes in industrial-based businesses and unfavorable currency impacts, slightly offset by gains from the Spectrum acquisition. Despite these challenges, DuPont's adjusted EPS was $0.79, surpassing the analyst estimate of $0.65 and demonstrating effective cost management and operational execution.

The company experienced a significant downturn in GAAP income from continuing operations, which fell by 33% to $183 million, influenced by higher restructuring charges and increased net interest expenses. However, DuPont's focus on improving working capital led to a 22% increase in cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations, totaling $493 million.

Segment Performance and Challenges

DuPont's Electronics & Industrial segment saw a modest increase in net sales, driven by the recovery in semiconductor demand and contributions from the Spectrum acquisition. However, the Water & Protection segment faced a notable 11% decline in sales due to ongoing inventory destocking and weaker demand, particularly in China.

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The company's adjusted free cash flow improved significantly, up 65% to $286 million, reflecting strong cash generation capabilities. Despite the overall sales decline, DuPont's strategic acquisitions and cost discipline helped mitigate broader financial impacts.

Future Outlook and Adjustments

Looking ahead, DuPont has raised its full-year 2024 guidance for net sales, operating EBITDA, and adjusted EPS, expecting continued recovery in the electronics market and stabilization in industrial-based sectors. The company anticipates sequential sales and earnings improvements in Q2 2024, driven by favorable seasonality and ongoing market recoveries.

DuPont's CFO, Lori Koch, expressed confidence in achieving the mid-point of the updated guidance ranges, estimating full-year net sales of approximately $12.25 billion and adjusted EPS of $3.60 per share.

Investor and Analyst Perspectives

Despite the current challenges, DuPont's ability to exceed adjusted EPS estimates and generate robust cash flow positions it favorably for future quarters. Investors and analysts may find reassurance in the company's proactive strategies and operational adjustments aimed at navigating market volatility and enhancing shareholder value.

For detailed financial figures and further information, stakeholders are encouraged to review the full 8-K filing and consider participating in DuPont's upcoming earnings call, detailed on their Investor Relations page.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from DuPont de Nemours Inc for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Estonia started to regularly close the Narva-1 border crossing with Russia between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. local time, the Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on May 1.

The schedule of the Narva-1 border crossing will likely remain the same until the restoration of the vehicle checkpoint, which was temporarily closed due to the construction of the border crossing point in the Russian town of Ivangorod, according to ERR.

Russia closed the border crossing between Ivangorod in Leningrad Oblast and the Estonian city of Narva to vehicles on Feb. 1, claiming reconstruction works are being carried out. The completion is expected by the end of 2025.

The Estonian Police and Border Guard (PBGB) said that its Russian counterparts were notified about the updated schedule.

Marek Liiva, the head of the Narva-1 crossing, noted that if someone remains on the bridge over the Narva River towards the crossing checkpoint after 11 p.m., the Border Guard will still check and let them through.

All the bus operators transporting to Saint Petersburg have canceled night trips and added new ones during the daytime. Several buses arriving at once during the daytime create large queues at the border, according to ERR.

The Estonian government considered closing all the border crossing points with Russia the previous winter due to increased migration pressures. The Estonian authorities have been observing an influx of migrants and asylum seekers from Russia over the past few months.

Read also: Finland decides to close border with Russia indefinitely

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Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice President of the European Commission, has said that the EU should quickly consider Ukraine and Moldova's applications for membership.

Source: Dombrovskis in an interview with Politico, reported by European Pravda

Details: Dombrovskis said it would be perfect if 27 European capitals agreed on a framework for negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova's membership before the European Council summit in June.

"The world is watching. Now is not the time to dither," Dombrovskis said.

He also said that the EU is facing uneven growth and "competitiveness challenges" among its existing members that could hurt it in the long run.

"We are facing the green and digital transformation of our economies  and its very important that in this process we are not leaving countries and regions behind," Dombrovskis said.

However, he pointed out that 20 years after 10 Central and Eastern European countries joined the EU, it is clear that enlargement was the right step "both geopolitically and economically."

Background:

Earlier, Czech President Petr Pavel expressed support for new rounds of EU enlargement on the 20th anniversary of his country's accession to the EU.

At the same time, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for the Western Balkan countries to join the EU as soon as possible.

Before that, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reiterated his position that the EU should focus its efforts on completing the accession of the Western Balkans, and that "eastern enlargement" should be addressed later.

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Everyone deserves a second chance: Hundreds lobby for criminal legal reform, policy changes in NC

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN)  Groups from across North Carolina are asking state lawmakers to give people with a criminal record a second chance.

Hundreds of people lobbied outside the state legislative building Tuesday for criminal legal reform. It was part of Second Chance Lobby Day through the North Carolina Second Chance Alliance.

Accidental cooking fire resulted in 3 hurt at east Charlotte apartment complex

People shared their stories with CBS 17, saying just one mistake could impact people for the rest of their lives.

I want to make it so that you dont have as many worries as I had when I came home, said Victor Vincent, just one of many people in North Carolina with previous convictions who is advocating for a second chance.

He said he has worked hard to become a successful member of the community.

So many people fail because theres not a second chance for them, he explained. All we want to do is win. We want to come home, provide for our families, take care of our families and be great members of our community.

Queen City News is tracking CRIME in your area  >> Latest stories here

To help people do this, the North Carolina Second Chance Alliance shared a list of bills they want to see passed in the state:

H888, abolition of debt-based Drivers License suspension, which impacts more than 800,000 community members

S339, reduction of the severity of the Drivers License revocation period

S565, resumption of Automatic Expungements, currently over 1 million records are paused from automatically being cleared

H778, relief from ransom websites like Mugshot.com that force innocent people to pay to have their images removed, even though over 30% of criminal cases are dismissed after arrest

We could start seeing bills move here in the next couple of weeks, said Sarah Crawford, who represents the 66th district in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

North Carolinians who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system; N.C. Sen. Julie Mayfield and NC Rep. Terry Brown Jr. at a press conference Tuesday (Chloe Rafferty/CBS 17)

She said she and other lawmakers are advocating for these changes as well.

Every single person is deserving of a second chance because you may have made one mistake a bunch of years ago, Crawford said. We need to be doing everything we can to help people re-enter society.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
(KRON)  More alleged victims have come forward in connection to Matthew Shelton, a former teacher who worked at schools in Benicia, Napa, and the West Contra Costa Unified School District.

A lawsuit was filed last week in Solano County court against Benicia Unified School District and Shelton accusing the former teacher of sexually assaulting four students, Jane Does 2-5, during the 2022-2023 school year at Robert Semple Elementary School. A second lawsuit was also filed April 9 on behalf of a fifth Robert Semple student, Jane Doe 1.

Attorneys said Shelton, 42, worked in elementary schools for over a decade as a teacher and substitute teacher. When accusations surfaced at one school, Shelton resigned and switched to another school in the Bay Area, attorneys claim. His teaching credentials were not suspended until March 12, 2024, the Vallejo Sun reported.

The five students and their families are represented by attorney Brendan Gilbert of Taylor & Ring.

These cases are appalling and have raised serious questions about how well teachers are vetted given that Shelton had a history of sexual abuse allegations at another school district, Gilbert said. Shockingly, Benicia Unified didnt even fire Shelton when these allegations came to light, he was allowed to quietly resign, and was able to find employment at another school in mid-2023.

The lawsuit accuses the school district of negligent hiring, and accuses the principal of sweeping students allegations under the rug because the principal was friends with the teacher and his wife.

The suit states, Towards the end of the first semester of the 2022-2023 school year, Semples principal  was made directly aware of Sheltons inappropriate conduct towards female students. She also made clear to these students that she did not believe Shelton engaged in the behavior that they were reporting and that it was unfortunate that these students were making these false allegations. This had a chilling effect on these students, as they felt like (the principal) was openly hostile to their attempts to inform her about a predatory teacher.

Mill Valley school teacher arrested on child sex charges

Timeline of Sheltons employment, according to Taylor & Ring law firm:

2007: Shelton was arrested and accused of sexually abusing four female students, between ages 8-9, while employed as a third grade teacher at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa. He was later acquitted by a jury at trial.

2013-2015: Shelton worked as a teacher in the West Contra Costa Unified School District.

2015: Shelton was employed at Robert Semple Elementary School in Benicia.

2018-2019: Shelton was accused of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old student at Robert Semple.

2022: The lawsuit claims that the teacher used grooming, conditioning, and manipulation of Plaintiffs culminated in Shelton inappropriately touching and sexually assaulting Plaintiffs on numerous occasions during the first semester of the 2022-2023 school year at Semple. The abuse took place in Sheltons classroom, as well as other locations.

Shelton was later placed on administrative leave from Benicia Unified School District.

June 2023: Shelton resigned from the Benicia school district.

July 2023: Shelton was employed at the West Contra Costa Unified School District as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School.

February 2024: The Solano County District Attorneys Office charged Shelton with several felony criminal counts, including lewd and lascivious acts against minors. The alleged victims were less than 14 years old, according to the charges.

April 2024: Attorneys file two lawsuits against Benicia Unified School District in April 2024.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Explosions ring out in Kharkiv after Russians drop guided aerial bomb, house struck

The police of Kharkiv Oblast have reported explosions in the city of Kharkiv, and an air-raid warning had been issued in the city prior to that. Early reports indicated that 10 private households had been damaged, with no fatalities or casualties.

Source: Kharkiv Oblast National Police on Telegram; Ukraines Air Force on Telegram; Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov on Telegram

Quote: "Explosions are heard in Kharkiv. Do not leave shelter until the all-clear is given."

Details: It is reported that Russian tactical aircraft launched guided aerial bombs.

Update: Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said early reports indicate that a house on the citys outskirts was hit. Information on casualties and damage is being established.

Later, Terekhov explained that a detailed inspection of the site of the strike revealed damage to 10 private households. There are no confirmed casualties at the moment.

Previously: On 30 April, one person was killed and nine injured in a Russian attack on Kharkiv.

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Chinese FM spokesperson briefs on new round of China-U.S. cooperation on giant panda conservation

Xinhua) 10:54, May 01, 2024

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday briefed on the new round of cooperation between China and the United States on giant panda conservation.

According to media reports, China Wildlife Conservation Association has recently released the information of pandas that are going to be sent to the San Diego Zoo in the United States.

Based on the agreement on giant panda international conservation and research cooperation signed by China and the United States in February, two giant pandas named Yun Chuan and Xin Bao from China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda have been chosen to be sent to the San Diego Zoo, spokesperson Lin Jian said at daily news briefing when answering a relevant query.

Lin added that experts from both countries have conducted multiple rounds of field assessment and exchanges and will make full preparation in accordance with the requirements and technical standards for international cooperation on giant panda conservation to ensure the health and safety of giant pandas in the United States.

"The San Diego Zoo is the first U.S. institution to have cooperation with China on giant panda research," said Lin, adding that since the cooperation began, the two sides have carried out joint research on the conservation of wild giant pandas, rearing and breeding, and disease prevention and treatment.

Together, they've overcome technical difficulties and successfully bred six cubs through six pregnancies, playing a positive role in improving the conservation of giant pandas and forging closer bonds and enhancing friendship between the two peoples, said Lin.

Lin added that this round of cooperation will focus on prevention and treatment of major diseases and protection of habitats and wild giant panda populations, and contribute to the building of giant panda national parks in China.

"We believe as China-U.S. cooperation in this area deepens, it will enhance the capacity for cooperation and research on endangered wildlife and biodiversity conservation and contribute to the conservation of endangered wildlife and the friendship between Chinese and Americans," Lin added.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
BERLIN, May 1 (Xinhua) -- An accident that occurred Wednesday involving a trailer in southwestern Germany has left 30 people injured, 10 of them seriously, according to the German news agency dpa.

Three people were taken to hospitals in rescue helicopters, but the injuries are not life-threatening, a police spokesman has said.

The accident took place at around 1 p.m. local time in the village of Kandern, near the city of Freiburg when the people on the trailer were celebrating May Day, which is observed in many countries to celebrate workers' rights.

Local media reports said a trailer pulled by an agricultural machine tipped onto its side in a sloping left-hand bend and the passengers fell out of the trailer.

A spokesman said the precise cause remains unclear, suggesting that excessive speed or incorrect weight distribution could be potential factors. 
Exploring the Dividend Performance and Sustainability of East West Bancorp Inc

East West Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ:EWBC) recently announced a dividend of $0.55 per share, payable on 2024-05-17, with the ex-dividend date set for 2024-05-02. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. Using the data from GuruFocus, let's look into East West Bancorp Inc's dividend performance and assess its sustainability.

What Does East West Bancorp Inc Do?

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East West Bancorp Inc is the holding company for East West Bank, a full-service commercial bank with cross-border operations concentrated in the United States and China. East-West Bank is one of a few U.S. based banks with a full banking license in China. The bank's cost strategy has increasingly focused on expanding its deposit base away from time deposits to commercial deposits. The bank has also taken part in entertainment partnerships between participants in China and Hollywood. Most of these efforts include financing the production and distribution of film and television projects. The bank leverages its cultural and regulatory knowledge in the U.S. and China to assist its customers in entering new markets. Most of its earning assets are in loans held for investment.

East West Bancorp Inc's Dividend Analysis

A Glimpse at East West Bancorp Inc's Dividend History

East West Bancorp Inc has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 1999. Dividends are currently distributed on a quarterly basis. Since 2010, East West Bancorp Inc has increased its dividend each year. The stock is thus listed as a dividend achiever, an honor that is given to companies that have increased their dividend each year for at least the past 14 years.

Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends.

East West Bancorp Inc's Dividend Analysis

Breaking Down East West Bancorp Inc's Dividend Yield and Growth

East West Bancorp Inc currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.65% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 2.93%. This suggests an expectation of increased dividend payments over the next 12 months.

Over the past three years, East West Bancorp Inc's annual dividend growth rate was 20.40%. Extended to a five-year horizon, this rate decreased to 16.80% per year. And over the past decade, East West Bancorp Inc's annual dividends per share growth rate stands at an impressive 11.00%.

Based on East West Bancorp Inc's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of East West Bancorp Inc stock as of today is approximately 5.76%.

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East West Bancorp Inc's Dividend Analysis

The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability

To assess the sustainability of the dividend, one needs to evaluate the company's payout ratio. The dividend payout ratio provides insights into the portion of earnings the company distributes as dividends. A lower ratio suggests that the company retains a significant part of its earnings, thereby ensuring the availability of funds for future growth and unexpected downturns. As of 2024-03-31, East West Bancorp Inc's dividend payout ratio is 0.24.

East West Bancorp Inc's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers. GuruFocus ranks East West Bancorp Inc's profitability 7 out of 10 as of 2024-03-31, suggesting good profitability prospects. The company has reported positive net income for each of year over the past decade, further solidifying its high profitability.

Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook

To ensure the sustainability of dividends, a company must have robust growth metrics. East West Bancorp Inc's growth rank of 7 out of 10 suggests that the company's growth trajectory is good relative to its competitors.

Revenue is the lifeblood of any company, and East West Bancorp Inc's revenue per share, combined with the 3-year revenue growth rate, indicates a strong revenue model. East West Bancorp Inc's revenue has increased by approximately 17.30% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 82.46% of global competitors.

The company's 3-year EPS growth rate showcases its capability to grow its earnings, a critical component for sustaining dividends in the long run. During the past three years, East West Bancorp Inc's earnings increased by approximately 29.40% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 75.31% of global competitors.

Lastly, the company's 5-year EBITDA growth rate of 15.20%, which outperforms approximately 72.7% of global competitors.

Concluding Thoughts on East West Bancorp Inc's Dividend Sustainability

East West Bancorp Inc's robust dividend growth rate, prudent payout ratio, and strong profitability and growth metrics suggest a promising outlook for its dividend sustainability. These factors, combined with the company's strategic market positioning and consistent financial performance, make it a compelling consideration for value investors focused on dividend income. For those looking to explore further, GuruFocus Premium users can screen for high-dividend yield stocks using the High Dividend Yield Screener.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


The Ukrainian Air Force has stated that they expect F-16 multi-role fighters to appear in Ukrainian airspace as soon as possible.

Source: Illia Yevlash, spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "After Easter [early May  ed.], this is a rather extended concept. Of course, the Air Force, like all Ukrainians, would like to see the F-16 multi-role fighter jets in the airspace as soon as possible, so we are anticipating them in the near future.

As soon as it emerges that the first F-16s have come to Ukraine, we will communicate this issue and officially inform our citizens that we have these multi-role fighter jets."

Details: The spokesperson said that the pilots are currently training in the US and Denmark.

However, the number of fighter jets is not yet known.

Previously:

Media reports indicate that the first F-16 fighter jets may fly in Ukraine's skies in June 2024.

Recently, the Belgian government approved the 25th support package for Ukraine, which includes funds for the maintenance of F-16 fighter jets.

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The Senate on Wednesday took the first step toward passing a five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the final must-pass piece of legislation until the fall.

Senators voted 89 to 10 to overcome the first procedural hurdle and move toward consideration of the package ahead of the May 10 deadline.

Both parties have an incentive to work together to get FAA done as quickly and as smoothly as we can, to keep our skies safe and our federal employees well taken care of, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the floor earlier in the day.

Getting FAA reauthorization done will provide for more air traffic controllers, for more safety inspectors at manufacturing plants, and better customer service standards, all of which are so badly needed, he continued. I hope the Senate can get this important piece of legislation done with as much bipartisan goodwill as possible.

But lawmakers acknowledge it could be a bumpy ride.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters that Republicans have called for upwards of 20 amendment votes, both related and unrelated to the bill at hand.

Headlining the unrelated category is an amendment from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who said he will not agree to speed up passage without an amendment vote to extend federal benefits for victims of nuclear radiation. A stand-alone bill to do so passed the Senate in early March but has not been taken up by the House.

Obviously, we have people on both sides that want amendment votes, Thune said, noting that the bill went through regular order and already includes a large number of amendments offered by those on and off the Senate Commerce Committee.

Outside of Hawleys push, only a few other bills unrelated to the FAA may receive consideration.

At the end of the day, I dont think were going to have a lot of amendments, one Senate Republican said.

The bill is considered the last must-pass piece of legislation that lawmakers will consider until September, meaning it could be their last chance to get a priority into law for many months.

One way to advance those priorities could be a managers package that would attach items that have wide support across the chamber.

Among those is the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill backed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), which Schumer also supports.

The bill would create new guidelines for tech giants to help protect children from being harmed by content that could be damaging and put in place new parental controls on social media apps. The bill has more than 60 co-sponsors, putting it in a prime spot for potential inclusion.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the top Senate GOP member on the Commerce Committee, said Wednesday that a managers amendment is very much in consideration.

Cruz added that the process looks unclear, though he is pushing for a robust amendment discourse.

One hot-button amendment likely to receive a vote would strip out language in the bill adding five slots, or 10 flights, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

The effort to remove the provision is being led by senators from the greater District of Columbia area  Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.)  who have argued the airport cant handle any more traffic.

We understand the desire of senators to shorten their commutes home, but this proposal would benefit few while impacting many, first and foremost in safety but also in delays and in reducing the economic competitiveness of smaller destinations within the perimeter, they wrote to their Senate colleagues recently.

The senators representing the region and the people who most use this airport stand uniform against a provision negotiated without us that will guarantee more unacceptable delay and compromise passenger safety.

DCA is designed to largely handle short-haul flights, with Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport handling the vast majority of longer flights. However, lawmakers from outside the 1,250 mile perimeter of flights in and out of DCA have clamored for more flights into the airport closest to Capitol Hill.

Delta Air Lines has been a top supporter of the addition of flights, while United Airlines has lobbied heavily against it. IAD is a United hub.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  Three people have already been charged in connection with a string of threats against Carolina Forest High School last week, and possibly more could be coming as authorities continue their investigation, Horry County Police Chief Joseph Hill told News13.

I think folks really think theyre anonymous when theyre lodging these threats via the internet, but theyre not. Everyone leaves an electronic breadcrumb, Hill said Wednesday. Between the Horry County Police Department and our federal partners we will find them, and we have.

The school on Monday received its sixth threat in less than a week. Authorities announced the next day that 19-year-old Trenton Alexander Brown of Baton Rouge, La. will be extradited on charges of threatening the use of a destructive device.

Police say the man is behind one of several bomb threats called into South Carolinas second largest high school. Officials said they were able to trace other false alarms to a server in India.

Two local juveniles were also arrested last week in connection with another threat.

The hoaxes, if kids want to do it because they want to get out of school, get out of testing, whatever the case may be, its counterproductive, Hill said. You will face charges. You will face justice, and now you will have a permanent criminal record.

Hills comments echoed those made Monday by 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson.

Theres going to be a few kids that are going to pay a very tough price for this, he said in his weekly YouTube feature. Once youve spent that kind of money (responding to calls) and scared that many people, theres going to be a tough price to be paid for it. When I say that, Im talking about prison time.

Hill wasnt able to say how much money the responses have cost, but said they have been pricey in other ways.

It takes us away from other pressing matters, thats whats important, Hill said. Our community is already growing by leaps and bounds, our resources are already strained and these hoaxes, they do no good for anyone. We have kids out of school. Its just a whole disruption for the whole entire community.

* * *

Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.

* * *

Jackie LiBrizzi is a multimedia journalist at News13. Jackie is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, and was raised in Piedmont, South Carolina. Jackie joined the News13 team in June 2023 after she graduated as a student-athlete from the University of South Carolina in May 2023. Follow Jackie on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
Claim:

A video that circulated in early May 2024 showed actor Robert De Niro yelling at pro-Palestine demonstrators in New York City.

Rating:

Rating: Miscaptioned

On May 1, 2024, as pro-Palestine demonstrations on U.S. college campuses dominated national news, a video showing actor Robert De Niro yelling at a group of people went viral on social media, with multiple accounts claiming he was yelling at pro-Palestine demonstrators in New York City.

For instance, the pro-Israel X account @StandWithUs shared the claim, garnering more than 77,000 views and 2,400 likes. That post, as well as several others with the same message and video, were deleted shortly after they gained popularity. Versions of the video contained a text banner reading "Robert De Niro Stands with Israel" and a caption in which he supposedly references Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, saying, "They are going to do it again! Again! You don't want that."

(X user @StandWithUs)

But that caption was disingenuous. While the video authentically showed the actor looking upset  that is, it was not the product of digital editing or artificial-intelligence technology  he was not yelling at pro-Palestine demonstrators.

Rather, the video was taken on the set of De Niro's upcoming Netflix show, "Zero Day," and he was yelling at other people working on the series. An actor, Mozhan Navabi, posted on X he was "giving a speech as his character"  in other words, De Niro was acting in the clip, not genuinely upset. He plays a former president in the series.

For those reasons, we rated this claim "Miscaptioned."

The account @IMTItionism appeared to be the first to share the video with the incorrect caption, writing, "It's so refreshing to see more people not letting narratives take over their common sense. Well done Robert De Niro, thank you for supporting Israel!" That post has been deleted.

The Israeli newspapers The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz also shared the claim. The latter has deleted its story (archived here), while the former's story remained live (archived here), as of this writing.

(Haaretz)

In the video, De Niro can be heard saying:

This is not a movie. This is real. Right now you gotta listen, you gotta work, you gotta get your job done. Stand by all your support [...] like you talking nonsense then you gotta go home. [...] They are going to do it again! Again! You don't want that. None of us want that. Come on! Let's all get serious.

It was unknown who recorded the clip on the set of "Zero Day." It circulated online in late April, days before it went viral with the misleading caption, because of a post by X user @ArtOfDialogue.

"This is not a movie! This is Real!" Robert De Niro was filmed in New York yelling, "Let's go, get serious!" while on set for his new Netflix series, "Zero Day." pic.twitter.com/Sm6klzRkPU  The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) April 28, 2024

Getty Images' database of photojournalism contains dozens of photos of De Niro on the set, including ones in which he's wearing the same clothes as those in the viral video. Actor Jesse Plemons, who also stars in the series and can be seen in the miscaptioned footage, is also in the Getty Images. Those images were taken on April 27, 2024, according to their captions.

( Getty Images)

Years before the latest violence in Gaza, De Niro met with former Israeli President Shimon Peres. Also, in 2016, he was photographed attending a fundraising dinner hosted by Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, according to Getty Images.

Sources:

AFP News Agency. Robert De Niro Meets Israeli President. 2013. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxe_Hb_71-s.

Friends of the IDF - FIDF. FIDF Western Region Annual Gala 2016 - as Seen on EXTRA. 2016. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOVbvdvl2Oo.

'Https://Twitter.Com/Artofdialogue_/Status/1784710340241936668?S=46'. X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/artofdialogue_/status/1784710340241936668?s=46. Accessed 1 May 2024.

'Https://Twitter.Com/JewishWarrior13/Status/1785645627260469497'. X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/JewishWarrior13/status/1785645627260469497. Accessed 1 May 2024.

'Https://Twitter.Com/Nomarquee/Status/1785662894501470221'. X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/nomarquee/status/1785662894501470221. Accessed 1 May 2024.

'Https://Twitter.Com/StandWithUs/Status/1785645505122386393'. X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/StandWithUs/status/1785645505122386393. Accessed 1 May 2024.

Levy, Adam S. 'Robert De Niro Works on Netflix's Zero Day as Cameras Roll in NYC'. Mail Online, 29 Apr. 2024, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13360283/Robert-Niro-Netflix-Zero-Day-NYC-president-political-thriller.html.

Puente, David. 'De Niro ha contestato gli studenti pro Palestina? Ecco perche la storia di Haaretz non regge'. Open, 1 May 2024, https://www.open.online/2024/05/01/de-niro-new-york-pro-palestina-studenti-haaretz-fc/.

Robert De Niro Immagini e Foto - Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.it/immagine/robert-de-niro?assettype=image&begindate=2024-04-25&enddate=2024-04-27&family=editorial&phrase=robert%20de%20niro&recency=daterange&sort=newest. Accessed 1 May 2024.
Fact Check: The Truth About These Alleged Mug Shots of Pro-Palestine Demonstrators Arrested at University of Florida

Claim:

A set of images circulating online in April 2024 authentically depicted four pro-Palestine demonstrators arrested at the University of Florida.

Rating:

Rating: Originated as Satire

Context:

The mug shots of four of the nine protestors arrested on April 29, 2024, at the University of Florida were digitally altered to appear older and more masculine.

On April 29, 2024, nine participants of pro-Palestine demonstrations were arrested at the University of Florida on charges of failure to obey police, wearing a hood or mask on public property and resisting an officer without violence. One student faced a charge of battery for allegedly spitting on the arm of an officer.

In the days following, multiple accounts on X (formerly Twitter) circulated a set of four photos, claimed they were the police mug shots of some of those arrested.

(@HueyJackNation / X)

X account @RandyHeyyyy was the first to post the photo set on April 29, 2024. The original post has been viewed more than 105,000 times, as of this writing.

(X user @RandyHeyyyy)

The images, though based on actual mugshots of four of the arrestees, were digitally manipulated to change the facial features of the subjects, including their apparent ages and genders.

The account bio of @RandyHeyyyy explicitly states that it is a parody account, and the user also clarified in a follow-up post that the images were digitally altered.

(X User @RandyHeyyyy)

We located the actual mug shots of three of the four students in the April 29 jail booking log of the Alachua County Police Department.

(Alachua County Police Department)

(Alachua County Police Department)

(Alachua County Police Department)

The fourth student whose image was digitally altered was also featured in an article published in the Alachua Chronicle.

(Alachua County Police Department)

Raw footage of the arrests happening can be viewed in three parts (part one archived here) from the WUFT News YouTube account.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the protesters' main demand was that the University of Florida divest from companies with connections to Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement April 29, university spokesman Steve Orlando explained the decision to make the arrests as follows:

This is not complicated: The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children  they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they'll face the consequences. For many days, we have patiently told protesters  many of whom are outside agitators  that they were able to exercise their right to free speech and free assembly. And we also told them that clearly prohibited activities would result in a trespassing order from UPD (barring them from all university properties for three years) and an interim suspension from the university. For days UPD patiently and consistently reiterated the rules. Today, individuals who refused to comply were arrested after UPD gave multiple warnings and multiple opportunities to comply.

Sources:

Cabrera, Jennifer. 'Nine People Arrested at UF Protest'. Alachua Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2024, https://alachuachronicle.com/nine-people-arrested-at-uf-protest/.

'Florida Police Arrest First Pro-Palestinian Protesters in State at Two University Campuses'. WUFT | News and Public Media for North Central Florida, 30 Apr. 2024, https://www.wuft.org/2024-04-29/florida-police-arrest-first-pro-palestinian-protesters-in-state-at-university-campuses.

'Https://Twitter.Com/RandyHeyyyy/Status/1785168702901543211'. X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/RandyHeyyyy/status/1785168702901543211. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

Staff, WCJB, and Mistie Webb. 'Pro-Palestinian Protestors Frustrated after 9 Arrested at University of Florida'. Https://Www.Wcjb.Com, 30 Apr. 2024, https://www.wcjb.com/2024/04/30/pro-palestinian-protestors-frustrated-after-nine-were-arrested-university-florida/.

WUFT News - YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@wuftnews8665. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

'9 UF Protesters Arrested after Days of Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations'. Tampa Bay Times, https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2024/04/29/uf-police-arrest-9-pro-palestinian-protesters-after-days-demonstrations/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Fairfax County, Virginia police issue over 6,500 citations, warnings in wave two of Road Shark campaign

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now)  In April, wave two of the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD)s Road Shark campaign led to over 6,500 citations and warnings.

FCPD started the Road Shark campaign in 2023 to reduce aggressive driving and crashes and change overall driving behavior.

Police issued nearly 25,000 citations across four waves of the program last year.

Fairfax County police to ticket more traffic violators

FCPD announced that it would be continuing the initiative with Virginia State Police (VSP) in March. Wave two lasted from April 22 and 28.

(Image courtesy of the Fairfax County Police Department)

FCPD said that the citations issued included more than 200 for reckless driving. Police issued 1,500 more citations and warnings than they did in the first wave in 2023.

The third wave will start on June 17.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Fallen CMPD officer leaves behind wife and child; described as the kind of officer you want on your team

Fallen CMPD officer leaves behind wife and child; described as the kind of officer you want on your team

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  On Tuesday afternoon, police officers lined up for a procession to carry fallen Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Joshua Eyer from the medical examiners office in Charlotte to the funeral home.

Officer Joshua Eyer (CMPD)

Officer Eyer, a husband and father, is also remembered as a hero.

Over 100 rounds: AR-15 rifle among weapons seized at E. Charlotte home where 4 officers killed, 5 injured

Hes going to be sorely missed in this community; he was the kind of officer you want on your team, as he demonstrated yesterday. Hes the kind of officer you want to respond when you need help. He was rushing in to help a task force officer when he was taken on by gunfire; he finds himself from being the rescuer to needing rescue himself, said CMPD Police Chief Johnny Jennings.

Officer Eyers squad car is draped with an American flag and parked out in front of CMPDs North Tryon Division.

The office was closed Tuesday in memory of Eyer.

American flag-draped police cruiser at @CMPD North Tryon Division where fallen CMPD officer Joshua Eyer worked. The Division is closed Tuesday in memory of Eyer. Mooresville Graded Schools tell me Eyer was a Class of 2011 graduate of @MHSBlueDevils @Queen_City_News pic.twitter.com/gqRHj04XGp  Robin Kanady (@RobinKanady) April 30, 2024

Officer Eyer served with CMPD for six years. He was the police departments Officer of the Month for April.

He was married and had a young son.

Eyer was also a North Carolina National Guardsman.

He was part of the 211th Military Police Company.

They remember him as one of the most trusted and respected members of their unit.

See the video of Tuesdays procession for Officer Eyer below

Chief Jennings remembers Officer Eyer as a hero who rushed into danger Monday trying to help his fellow law enforcement officers.

The police chief was quite emotional at the loss of not only his officer but three other law enforcement officers.

The last few days, its just been very tough, knowing that you have families that are hurting right now, well get through it though, said Jennings.

Officer Eyers funeral is at 10 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church in Uptown Charlotte.

Queen City News

Shannon Park Shooting

The North Carolina National Guard sent us the following information on Officer Eyers service:

Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Eyer served as a military police non-commissioned officer in the North Carolina Army National Guard (NCARNG) with the 211th Military Police Company, 109th Military Police Battalion, 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (Charlotte) from January 29, 2021, until March 27, 2022, and with the 210th Military Police Company, 105th Military Police Battalion, 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade from March 28, 2022, until April 30, 2023. His latest assignment was with the Headquarters Support Company, 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, from May 1, 2023 until November 27, 2023.

Sgt. 1st Class Eyer mobilized twice as a member of the NCARNG, once in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from May 5, 2013, until April 27, 2014, and once in support of Operation Spartan Shield from August 16, 2019 until November 18, 2020.

Sgt. 1st Class Eyer joined the NCARNG on November 28, 2011, and separated on November 27, 2023, with an honorable discharge.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
EDEKA Jaeger, part of German supermarket corporation EDEKA Group, is enabling its customers to authorise the purchase of age-restricted goods at self-service checkouts using automatic age verification.

Implemented at EDEKAs store in Stuttgart Airport, the AI-based solution by Diebold Nixdorf speeds up transactions at self-service checkouts and gives employees more time for other responsibilities.

When an age-restricted item is scanned at the self-service checkout, the system asks the customer whether automatic age recognition is desired. Once consent has been given, the customers facial characteristics are analysed using a camera and AI algorithms to verify their age.

If the age of the shopper is above a predefined threshold, the transaction can continue. Employees only need to check those customers who fall below this age limit or who have opted out of automatic age recognition.

According to Diebold Nixdorf, verification checks are needed in approximately 22% of all transactions in retail stores, impacting throughput times and consumer flow in self-service areas.

Diebold Nixdorf vice-president of retail technology solutions Matt Redwood explained: AI technologies for automated age verification have enormous potential to reduce a typical friction point during the shopping process.

The introduction of the solution at EDEKA Jaeger Stuttgart Airport follows the implementation of a 24/7 concept to optimise consumer experiences.

GlobalDatas thematic intelligence finds that the frictionless commerce market was worth $375.4m in 2023, less than 0.01% of the global in-store retail market.

"EDEKA Jaeger offers AI-powered age verification at self-service checkouts" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
ST. CHARLES, Mo.  A Marine who was killed in a training accident last month is expected to return home to St. Louis this week, and there are hopes for a large homecoming similar to that of another fallen local Marine in 2021.

Sgt. Colin Arslanbas, 22, died April 18 near Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He graduated from Fort Zumwalt West High School in OFallon, MO, in 2019.

Mark Schmitz is the father of Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, another Marine from Wentzville who was killed in a 2021 Afghanistan suicide bombing. Jared was brought home to Lambert St. Louis International Airport and transported to Baue Funeral Home in St. Charles, where thousands lined the 12-mile stretch of highway and streets to honor him.

Now, Mark is urging the public to show the same support for Arslanbas, who was once Jareds classmate.

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Sgt. Colin Arslanbas deserves a heros welcome home and I know what this will mean for his mother (and) family firsthand, Schmitz said in a Facebook post. Get those signs made; pull your kids out of schoolits support time, STL!

According to Schmitz, Arslanbas is expected to return to Lambert St. Louis International Airport Friday around 12:30 p.m. and will be transported to Baue Funeral Home.

Arslanbas funeral service will be private. According to Schmitz, Colins family is asking for donations in his memory in lieu of flowers.

Donations can be made through the Reconnaissance Foundation or via Zelle at arslanbasmemorial@gmail.com, which will go directly to Arslanbas wife, Gracie.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  On Tuesday, Oklahomans united for justice reform. Crowds spoke out at the Capitol, Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) headquarters and the Oklahoma State Supreme Court calling for a change, accusing the child welfare system of failing Oklahoma families.

Protesters, families, lawyers and even legislators were there to share stories and issues they say Oklahoma families are facing with DHS.

Theres lots of times they act quickly with no evidence, but they can make a lot of decisions with no due process, with no appeals, no court involved. It is just a supervisor They are taking away peoples rights and making decisions without the courts there, said Kelly Lynn, attorney and judge in Oklahoma.

Many protestors were accusing DHS officials of misusing power, taking rights away from guardians and taking children away from families with little to no evidence.

Focus on protecting the rights of the people, not just on protecting your own power, your own money, your own budgets. Unfortunately, thats what weve seen happen with these bureaucracies, with the judiciary, is theyre focusing inward on themselves It doesnt seem like the focus is on making sure that the family is together, that its a good and a safe environment for the children, the best environment possible for those children, even in bad and terrible situations, said Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow.

A controversial group looks to join school chaplain program under proposed OK legislation

One Oklahoma mother who happens to be a child welfare specialist for DHS says if she could lose her children, anyone can.

Its a catch-22 where I supervise parents for the State of Oklahoma, but yet I have to be supervised myself with my children. I have never been found unfit. It was a default guardianship We need reform that focuses on children, not just physical safety, but mental safety, said Rosario Chico, protest organizer and DHS child welfare specialist.

Protesters want the agency to help families rather than tear them apart unless necessary.

Dont get me wrong, sometimes they need to be taken, but majority of the time they dont need to be taken Stop taking peoples kids. Try to help the families first. Dont just take our kids away from them. A lot of these families need guidance and help, you know, the economy is bad. People dont have food. Theyre losing our housing. Help them, said Emily Barnes, director and founder of Hooked on Justice.

While DHS told KFOR they cannot comment on many accusations publicly due to confidentiality, a spokeswoman with the agency sent the following statement.

Oklahoma Human Services is committed to protecting the safety and wellbeing of Oklahomas children. Every child welfare case is different and the specific details in those cases impact decisions made by the agency, courts, District Attorneys and others who participate in any case. Additionally, child welfare cases are confidential by state and federal statutes, so we are unable to discuss the facts or circumstances of any child welfare case with anyone who is not authorized by statute or permitted by an order of the court. Oklahoma Department of Human Services

DHS also provided the following additional information about the child welfare process:

CLICK HERE FOR MOREDownload

Child Welfare Journey informationDownload

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Police are looking for the person responsible for shooting a Nashville man during a road rage incident in Raleigh Monday night.

Police confirmed that Frank Platt, 74, was shot during a road rage incident on Coleman Road just before 8 p.m. He was taken to the hospital but unfortunately did not survive.

We were always able to converse in multiple ways, but it always came down to were drinking Miller Lite together, Platts friend, Greg Woody Wood said.

Man accused of killing co-worker after work

Platts loved ones described him as a fun-loving community leader who loved to travel.

Friends like Wood said to know Platt was to love him.

Franks brother, Malcolm, described him as an optimist who was one of a kind and always found the good in people.

In fact, Malcolm said thats what one of their last conversations was about.

I told him that I wish that I shared his faith in humanity, but I dont, Malcolm Platt said. And if he wasnt careful, he was going to end up dead, and that happened.

Memphis Police are remaining tight-lipped about the shooting, but they do confirm that it stemmed from road rage.

Malcolm said that Frank was visiting from Nashville and that he and his older brother, Michael, had just left home.

Suspect in Memphis Jewish school shooting posts bond

He told WREG that a car came speeding around them in the bike lane, so they honked the horn at the driver.

Frank and Michael pulled up next to him. He stuck the barrel of an AR-15, I assume, out of the window and fired off three rounds, Malcolm Platt said. One of them struck my brother and killed him.

As of Tuesday night, the driver is still on the run, leaving Franks loved ones devastated and angry at the senseless violence thats impacting the community.

We need to change this evil, and we need to make it better. This is not about gun control, this is about the education of young people to understand that life is precious. This is all we have, Wood said.

The family believes the shooter was driving a dark or silver-colored Chevy.

If you have any compassion in your soul at all if you have a relative that you hold dear that you dont want to see become another statistic in this city, and you know something about this individual, speak up, Malcolm Platt said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
How far will Florida women be forced to travel for an abortion now?

Abortion rights advocates gather to launch their 'Yes On 4' campaign with a march and rally against the six-week abortion ban ahead of November 5, when Florida voters will decide on whether there should be a right to abortion in the state, in Orlando, Florida, U.S. April 13, 2024 (REUTERS)

A ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect in Florida on Wednesday. Because of a 2023 law passed by Floridas Republican state legislature and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis this week, most women will now be ineligible for the procedure before they even know they are pregnant.

A 2021 study from the University of California in San Francisco found that as many as a third of all women in the US discover their pregnancies at or after six weeks into the gestational process. The Florida ban has extremely limited exceptions: abortion is only allowed to save the life of the mother, or in cases where the pregnancy would cause substantial and irreversible bodily harm.

Thanks to realities of US politics across the deep south, Floridians seeking abortion procedures have another factor stacked against them: geography. Conservative governments in neighboring Alabama and Georgia, as well as further on into South Carolina and Mississippi, have all either passed anti-abortion laws recently or seen so-called trigger bans go into effect with the Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v Wade in 2022.

The closest state to Florida with looser restrictions on abortion is North Carolina, 640 miles away. Driving from Miami, Florida to Charlotte, North Carolina takes just under 11 hours each way. Two-hour direct flights are possible between some cities in the two states, although flights are sometimes contraindicated after a medical procedure.

A purple state, unlike its neighbor to the south, North Carolina also has an abortion ban in place  but after 12 weeks into the pregnancy.

The nearest state to Florida that doesnt have what Planned Parenthood calls severe restrictions and instead has mostly accessible reproductive healthcare is Virginia. In Virginia, abortion by choice is legal up to 26 weeks and 6 days, and remains legal past that limit if it is needed to save the pregnant persons life or to save their health.

Virginia is 861 miles away from Florida. A car journey from Miami to the states capital of Richmond takes over 13 and a half hours.

Accessing abortion is often complicated in such areas even when women believe they are accessing reproductive services. A South Carolina woman who found herself on the wrong side of her home states ban described to The Independent in February how she was misled by an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centre in North Carolina which lured her across state lines on false pretenses of scheduling an abortion procedure and conducting an ultrasound. In fact, the center was being run by anti-abortion activists.

This [clinic]  coerced me into scheduling an appointment, going and driving up to Charlotte, Taylor Shelton told The Independent. They said that you cant do ultrasounds with an IUD in place, which is not true.

The result of this regional block of abortion bans across the American south is that many women in the country will find the procedure out of reach.

Floridas Democratic Party, along with the Biden campaign, is plotting a full-court press against Floridas new ban this election cycle as it eyes a Senate seat held by Rick Scott and numerous statewide races  not to mention the states 30 votes in the Electoral College. Donald Trump remains heavily favoured to win the state in November, given its deepening-red shift in recent years. Nevertheless, Bidens team has declared the Sunshine State in play.

The incumbent president visited the state and campaigned alongside local Democrats in April; on Wednesday, as the ban took effect, Vice President Kamala Harris was set to make a visit too. Harris made history earlier in 2024 as the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic when she did so during a March visit to Wisconsin.

President Joe Biden traveled to Florida on 23 April to campaign against GOP-led abortion restrictions alongside Democrats in the state (Getty Images)

Speaking from a Planned Parenthood facility in St Paul, the vice president condemned Republican politicians for inserting themselves into the healthcare decision-making process.

How dare these elected leaders believe they are in a better position to tell women what [doctors] need to tell them, and what is in their best interest? she asked.

Im here at this healthcare clinic to uplift the work that is happening in Minnesota as an example of what true leadership looks like, which is to understand it is only right and fair that people have access to the healthcare they need, and that they have access to healthcare in an environment where they are treated with dignity and respect, Harris continued.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under fierce pressure from far-right members of his government not to agree to the ceasefire proposal currently on the table, which could prevent an Israeli military offensive in Rafah from moving forward.

Hamas is considering a new framework for a deal proposed by Egypt that would see as many as 33 Israeli hostages released in exchange for a pause in the hostilities in Gaza that have raged for nearly seven months, an Israeli source familiar with the negotiations told CNN.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday capped off his seventh round of shuttle diplomacy in the region since Hamas October 7 attack, as the Biden administration continues to push for a ceasefire that brings the hostages home.

But Orit Strook, Israels settlements minister and a member of the far-right Religious Zionism party, suggested that accepting the deal would throw Israels military progress and the sacrifices of its soldiers in the trash, only to save 22 or 33 or I dont know how many.

Speaking to Israels Army Radio (GLZ) on Wednesday, she said a government that could accept such a deal after calling up hundreds of thousands of reservists has no right to exist, she said. Her comments caused outrage among some Israeli lawmakers and highlighted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus struggle to appease the most extreme wing of his coalition.

Strooks remarks come as Netanyahu mulls an incursion into Rafah, the southernmost point of Gaza to which more than 1 million Palestinians have fled after being displaced and where Hamas is believed to have regrouped after Israels destruction of much of the north of the Strip.

A police officer tries to disperse protesters demanding Israel's government accept the hostage deal on the highway into Tel Aviv. - Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Despite domestic and international pressure to agree to a hostage-ceasefire deal, a vocal part of Netanyahus coalition have urged Israels military to continue into Rafah, prioritizing the destruction of Hamas over the return of Israeli hostages.

Bezalel Smotrich, Israels far-right finance minister, said Tuesday that accepting the proposed deal would mean raising a white flag, and a victory for Hamas.

We have reached a crossroad in which Israel should decide between a clear victory and being defeated in this war with humiliation, he said, urging Netanyahu not to accept the deal.

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israels National Security Minister, said last week that Netanyahu had promised that Israel would enter Rafah, assured that the war would not end, and pledged that there would be no reckless deal.

I believe the prime minister understands very well the consequences if these assurances are not upheld, he warned.

While Netanyahu faces pressure within his coalition to torpedo the deal, large parts of the Israeli public are demanding he accepts it. Families of the hostages blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv on Thursday morning, calling on the governing to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.

Rafah or the hostages  choose life, read a banner held by the protesters. Video from the scene showed a small group of protesters blocking seven lanes of the highway with traffic backed up out of sight.

Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages block Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv on Thursday. - Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images

Former Israeli Prime Minister and opposition leader Yair Lapid hit back at Strooks remarks.

A government with 22 or 33 extreme coalition members has no right to exist, he wrote on X.

Benny Gantz, a member of Israels war cabinet but widely seen as Netanyahus most formidable rival and a potential successor, said over the weekend that the return of the hostages held in Gaza was more pressing than an operation in Rafah.

Entering Rafah is important in the long struggle against Hamas. The return of our hostages, abandoned by the 7.10 government, is urgent and of far greater importance, said Gantz, referring to the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel when more than 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 people taken hostage.

If a responsible outline is reached for the return of the hostages with the backing of the entire security system, which does not involve the end of the war, and the ministers who led the government on 7.10 prevent it  the government will not have the right to continue to exist and lead the campaign.

Strook accused the radio station of misrepresenting her remarks and later sought to clarify her comments, saying that a deal would finally abandon many of the hostages. Any deal with Hamas would also see Israel abandon its efforts to destroy the Hamas regime, she said.

The new framework proposed by Egypt calls for Hamas to release between 22 and 33 hostages kidnapped in Israel and since held in Gaza in exchange for a pause in the fighting in the Strip, an Israeli source told CNN.

The latest proposal, which Israel helped craft but has not fully agreed to, is laid out in two phases.

In the first phase, between 22 and 33 hostages are to be released over several weeks in exchange for the pause and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

In the second phase, which sources have described as the restoration of sustainable calm, the remaining hostages, captive Israeli soldiers and bodies of hostages are to be exchange for more Palestinian prisoners.

A woman looks at a wall of photos of hostages captured by Hamas on October 7, displayed in Tel Aviv. - Amir Levy/Getty Images

Blinken met with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv Wednesday, following stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan earlier this week.

Were determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home, and to get it now, Blinken said during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, adding the only reason that wouldnt be achieved is because of Hamas.

We also have to be focused on the people in Gaza who are suffering, he added, saying the focus also needs to be on getting them the assistance they need, the food, the water, the medicine, the shelter.

Outside the building where Blinken and Herzog met, protesters gathered outside holding posters and chanting, urging US President Joe Biden to stop the war, save the hostages and bring them home.

This story has been updated.

CNNs Jeremy Diamond and Tamar Michaelis contributed reporting.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Fayette Co. judge will not recuse from murder case after prosecutors allege bias

A Fayette Circuit Court judge determined she will not recuse herself from a murder case after local prosecutors alleged the judge is biased against the Fayette Commonwealth Attorneys Office.

Fayette Commonwealths Attorney Kimberly Baird asked Judge Julie Muth Goodman to recuse herself from a murder case against Darryl Russell on Jan. 12, days before his trial was scheduled to begin, alleging the judge has a personal bias against the prosecutors office and could not be impartial.

On Tuesday afternoon, Goodman denied the commonwealths motion to take herself off the case.

If judges risked recusal simply by finding prosecutorial misconduct, no judge would ever do it, and the Commonwealth would be absolutely immune from consequences, which the law dictates that they are not, she wrote.

Bairds request for Goodman to step down came just weeks after Goodman accused Bairds office of seeking disproportionately harsh punishments against minority defendants while dismissing a murder case which involved a Black defendant, Cornell Thomas, who had been driving in a fatal wreck.

Goodman dismissed the case in December 2023 based on lack of evidence to support the legal requirements to charge for murder.

In that dismissal ruling, Goodman said she had observed a pattern of prosecutorial misconduct and disparate treatment based on race by prosecutors.

Fayette County District Court Judge Julie Muth Goodman

On Monday, Goodman and Baird met in the courtroom and had a contentious debate about the motion regarding the case against Russell, 53, charged in March 2022 with the murder of 18-year-old Darian Webb, the son of Russells longtime girlfriend.

Baird and Goodman were talking over one another and at some points, using loud voices and even cutting the other off from speaking.

Fayette Commonwealths Attorney Kimberly Baird, October 9, 2023.

The Commonwealth has valid concerns that this Court cannot try this case in a free, disinterested impartial, and independent manner, Baird wrote in her originally motion to recuse. Unfortunately, during its 5-year tenure in Circuit Court, this Court has made it abundantly clear that it does not treat the Commonwealth with the respect and fairness that is accorded the defense bar.

Baird said Goodmans comments in her original order were rude, and snippy, that Goodman commonly sides in favor of the defendants and blames victim. Baird also took issue that Goodman accused her office in a public manner, instead of calling her office directly.

However, Baird admitted in the hearing that racial inequities exist.

I recognize theres disparate charging at times, she said.

When asked if she recognized there was differing racial treatment towards defendants, Baird confirmed, I do, but it doesnt mean I am racially profiling people.

Defendant caught in the crosshairs

Abe Mashni, Russells attorney, asked the motion be denied, and said the commonwealths claims were not substantive enough for Goodman to recuse herself.

Mashni said it was clear that his client, Russell, was caught in the crosshairs, of certain hostilities that were incredibly clear.

Mashni wrote in his response none of the Commonwealths bases for disqualification support recusal of this Court. Mashni said in court documents prosecutors motion wasnt timely, did not provide corresponding evidence and the judges comments did not rise to a level which warranted her recusal.

In two separate responses to the motion, Mashni said in some instances the commonwealth misquoted Goodman, and misrepresented statements from the victim.

Overall, Mashni said he and Russell were ready for their day in court, but with this motions filing, they have been thrown into the mix.

We were ready to go to court. We wanted to go to court but we were caught in the cross hairs, he said Monday. We were ready to try a case.

The Thomas case ruling, which spawned the recusal motions, is on appeal with the Supreme Court. Baird said on Monday that depending on their ruling, as well as Goodmans for the Russell case, she will plan 100% to file motions for Good to recuse on all cases.

If the commonwealth had its druthers, I would have filed a motion to recuse after that order and in every single case we have, Baird said.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The FBI El Paso Field Office is inviting all interested high schoolers to attend the FBI El Paso Teen Academy.

High schoolers grades 10 through 12 from all accredited high schools are encouraged to apply to the academy, according to a news release from the FBI El Paso Field Office.

The Teen Academy will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. from Monday, July 15 through Friday, July 19, at 660 South Mesa Hills.

Any students interested will be evaluated based on their applications including school activities and community involvement. As well, an essay is required to determine if the student is offered a seat, according to the FBI El Paso Field Office.

The application, release form, and essay are due by 5 p.m. on May 30. Submissions for all documents can be emailed to fbi_ep_outreach@fbi.gov. According to the field office, incomplete and late applications will not be accepted.

Todays students are tomorrows future at the FBI. If you are a student and our mission statement at the FBI-to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States-resonates with you, participating in our Teen Academy is the perfect opportunity to learn more about a career with the FBI, said FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge John Morales.

The FBI El Paso Teen Academy will allow students to have hands-on experience on how evidence is collected at crime scenes, how FBI SWAT makes arrests, and learning about terrorism, civil rights, and cyber programs, according to the FBI field office.

Students will also learn from special agents and professionals about investigative tactics and assisting with cases.

For more information on application or the academy, visit their website here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Czech nuclear electric power generation company CEZ Group and its Elektrarna Dukovany II subsidiary have received binding bids from Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Frances EDF for the construction of four new NPPs in the Czech Republic.

Initially, in October last year, the French and South Korean bidders, along with the US Westinghouse Electric Company, submitted binding bids for a fifth unit at the Dukovany NPP and non-binding offers for up to three more units  a sixth at Dukovany and two at the Temelin NPP.

However, in February the Czech Government ruled out Westinghouse in the tender because it did not meet the necessary conditions.

Elektrarna Dukovany II (EDU II) will now assess the offers from KHNP and EDF using a system based on the International Atomic Energy Agencys recommendations. Economic, technical and commercial aspects of the offers will be evaluated, and an evaluation report will be submitted to the Czech Governments Trade and Industry Ministry.

The ministry aims to finalise the contracts ready for signing by 31 March 2025. The construction of the first new unit should be complete in 2036, with commercial operation penned for 2038.

EDF is proposing its EPR1200 reactor, while KHNP has put forward its APR1000.

The French company said its Updated Initial Bid Supplement covers the supply of engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning activities for up to four EPR1200 reactors at the Dukovany site (units 5 and 6) and at the Temelin site (units 3 and 4). The offer also covers the design and implementation activities for nuclear fuel and delivery of fuel assemblies for this programme.

In a press statement, Luc Remont, CEO of EDF, said: EDF, our strategic industrial partners, and the European ecosystem of suppliers supporting this proposal are fully dedicated to ensuring the success of the Czech Republics new nuclear programme.

By opting for a fleet approach with our European technology (EPR 1200), CEZ and EDU II will secure a European partner committed to delivering the best technology with the best long-term benefits for the Czech industry and economy.

Supporting his companys offer, KHNP CEO Joohoo Whang said: With successful projects in Korea and the United Arab Emirates, KHNP has proven that it builds on time, with quality and at the agreed price. We believe that KHNP is the best option for the Czech Republic in terms of timely completion of the first reactor by 2036 and energy security.

"EDF and KHNP submit bids for four Czech nuclear units" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.

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From the Dispatch Politics on The Dispatch

Happy Wednesday! Is there a more devastating assessment of a colleague you cant stand than bless her heart? Let us know in the comments.

Up to Speed

House Democratic leaders announced Tuesday they would block Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes effort to strip the gavel from Speaker Mike Johnson if the Georgia Republican introduces a motion to vacate resolution on the floor, saving his job for now. At this moment, upon completion of our national security work, the time has come to turn the page on this chapter of Pro-Putin Republican obstruction, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark, and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement. We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes Motion to Vacate the Chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed. As Dispatch Politics reported last week, Republican support for the motion to vacate has sputtered, at least temporarily.

But the announcement appears not to have deterred Greene, who announced Wednesday morning she will bring her motion to vacate to the floor next week. I think the American people need to see a recorded vote of, do they, does Congress, does members of Congress support the uniparty? Is this what they support? she said at a press conference on Capitol Hill. I think every member of Congress needs to take that vote and let the chips fall where they may.

In a brief statement Wednesday, Johnson said, This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country.

On Tuesday, Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan found former President Donald Trump in violation of the gag order in his hush money trial, threatening incarceration if Trump did not stop violating it. Defendant is hereby warned that the Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment, Merchan wrote in his decision. Trump must pay a $9,000 fine by the end of the week, $1,000 for each violationseven of which were on his Truth Social and two of which were on his campaign website.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gained ballot access in a fourth state after receiving the nomination of the American Independent Party in California. His campaign says it has enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in six other states, including New Hampshire, Nevada, and North Carolina. Thus far, the only swing state in which Kennedy has secured his name on the ballot is Michigan, where the Natural Law Party nominated him earlier this month. The news about Kennedy being on Californias ballot comes as he was ready to make a major announcement at a New York City press conference Wednesday.

College Democrats of America, the official collegiate arm of the Democratic National Committee, criticized President Joe Bidens support for Israel amid its war against Hamas in Gaza. The White House has taken the mistaken route of a bear hug strategy for Netanyahu and a cold shoulder strategy for its own base and all Americans who want to see an end to this war, the group said in a statement posted to X. Each day that Democrats fail to stand united for a permanent ceasefire, two-state solution, and recognition of a Palestinian state, more and more youth find themselves disillusioned with the party. The organization also voiced support for pro-Palestinian student protesters who have occupied areas of college campuses across the country, saying the demonstrators have had the moral clarity to see this war for what it is: destructive, genocidal, and unjust.

New Rules Permit Campaigns to (Partially) Coordinate with Super PACs

Donald Trump yard signs photographed on August 6, 2023, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The Federal Election Commission, in a little-noticed decision that could radically reshape campaign politics, is giving candidates the greenlight to coordinate with super PACs and other outside groups on door-to-door voter turnout activities.

Under the Texas Majority PAC advisory opinion the FEC issued on March 20, candidates for Congress and the White House are permitted to work directly with allied groups on the expensive, labor-intensive work of door-to-door voter canvassing. That includes giving strategic direction to supportive super PACs and other politically active organizations, as well as sharing preferred messaging. Additionally, the FECs advisory opinion also permits candidates to access the voter data collected from an allied groups door-knockingas long as their campaigns pay for it.

Political operatives on both sides of the aisle describe this development as consequential, saying it could change how candidatesespecially presidential candidatesmanage field operations. Some Republican insiders worry Democrats will gain yet another fundraising and infrastructure edge heading into November. Were concerned that it gives the Democrats an advantage because their outside groups are better funded and their people are easier to canvas, a GOP election lawyer said, requesting anonymity to speak candidly.

Meanwhile, there are a few legal caveats.

The FECs Texas Majority PAC advisory opinion does not apply to phone banking, text messaging, or direct mail, crucial components of any get-out-the-vote effort. In other words, campaigns must still honor the ban on coordinating with outside groups vis-a-vis those activities. Additionally, election lawyers believe groups that coordinate door-to-door canvassing with candidates are going to have to firewall that effort from the rest of the organization, to ensure communications with the campaign, and the data gathered, are not used in advertising or messaging.

Until the FEC rendered this interpretation of campaign finance law, candidates were prohibited from communicating with outside groupsno exceptions.

So, even though super PACs can raise unlimited cash versus strict donor limits placed on campaigns, the inability to coordinate strategy and messagingand to share in the trove of datamade relying on such groups for voter turnout risky. Further, it was usually ineffective. Exhibit A: Ron DeSantis and his 2024 president bid. The Florida governor delegated his ground game to a super PAC, Never Back Down. The effort devolved into infighting and produced a 30-point loss for DeSantis in Iowas caucuses.

With the barrier to coordinating on door-to-door canvassing lifted, farming out this key aspect of voter turnout to cash-flush super PACs and other resource-rich outside groups becomes eminently more feasible, strategically, since some of the problems that plagued DeSantis are less likely to emerge. Indeed, knowledgeable Republican sources tell Dispatch Politics that former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, and the Republican National Committee, are planning to cede door-knocking efforts to various outside groups.

This pending move is, in part, a workaround for the Trump campaigns and the RNCs lack of financial wherewithal compared to President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee. It could also help the former president build an infrastructure that at least reduces Bidens superiority. The Democratic incumbent has opened 133 field offices and deployed scores of ground troops across key battleground states, CNN reports. As Dispatch Politics reported Friday, Trump and the RNC have virtually zero competing field presence.

Preparations for the RNC to shift a significant portion of traditional field operations to outside entities is expected to be a major topic of discussion Friday during an invite-only meeting, first reported by Politico, that the Trump campaign is convening in Palm Beach, Florida, with allied groups.

In a letter obtained by Dispatch Politics inviting groups to the meeting, James Blair, political director for the RNC and the Trump campaign, tells them the plan for the gathering is to share our macro view of the electorate with you and discuss new opportunities (in light of a recent FEC ruling) for our organizations to collaborate more effectively than we have been able to in the past. We also ask you to come prepared to share any information you legally can about your priorities and plans with us.

Although some GOP insiders are concerned that this reimagined field strategy will ultimately backfire, others are lauding the change.

They have discussed it, which is smart, a veteran Republican voter turnout strategist said. This individual elaborated: With this new FEC [advisory opinion,] they would be smart to encourage different groups to do a variety of tactics regarding ground game.

The RNC declined to comment for this story.

Will Abortion and MAGA Politics Save This Endangered Pennsylvania Dem?

For the last two cycles, Rep. Susan Wild has won reelection by some of the narrowest margins in the country. Could this be the year the Democrat from Pennsylvanias Lehigh Valley finally gets the boot?

Wilds Republican opponent is state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who won last weeks primary as an America First candidate running on a staunchly conservative platform that might be problematic with swing voters. But with Pennsylvania in play in the presidential election and the district increasingly leaning toward the GOP, Mackenzie could give Wild her toughest campaign yet.

The Cook Political Report rates the race as a toss-up and is among those that are pivotal to determining control of the House of Representatives. While Wild first won her seat by 10 points in 2018, a strong year for Democratic candidates across the country, her reelection margins have shrunk ever since. She won by just under 4 points in 2020 (when Joe Biden won it by less than a point) and, after redistricting brought in more Republican-leaning areas, by a mere 2 points in 2022.

But Wild had two major advantages two years ago that she cant necessarily rely on in 2024. The first was the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade months before the 2022 midterms.

She survived that cycle, I think, in significant part due to the increased salience of reproductive rights, which she embraced as an issue in her campaign, said Christopher Borick, a professor and director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion.

Borick predicted that Wild would once again lean heavily into abortion in the fall, and a Republican in Pennsylvania familiar with the states politics said Wild is probably going to smash Mackenzie on it. But in an interview with Dispatch Politics, Mackenzie said abortion regulation is best left to the states.

I dont think a federal ban is the right place for it because, again, I dont even think that you would get agreement on a 15-week or a 20-week proposal at the federal level, he said. I dont see that happening, and I think we need to be focused on the border, the economy, and those issues. Mackenzie added that he supports exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother, and he stood by his vote for a 2017 bill that would have restricted abortion after 20 weeks in Pennsylvania. The states Democratic governor at the time, Tom Wolf, vetoed the bill.

Wild was also helped immensely by the weakness of Republican nominees in statewide races. Gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano, a committed Stop the Steal Republican whom former President Donald Trump endorsed, lost to Democrat Josh Shapiro by nearly 15 points, while Mehmet Oz, whom Trump endorsed for the states open Senate seat, lost to Democrat John Fetterman by nearly 5 points.

You had Mastriano at the top of the ticket, who was a catastrophe for down-ballot Republicans, and you had Oz, who, I think, was also a liability, the Republican with knowledge of the states politics told Dispatch Politics.

But that was a midterm election, and the dynamic will be very different with a presidential race. The latest CBS News poll of registered voters in Pennsylvania finds a statistically tied race: Trump at 50 percent and Joe Biden at 49 percent. And while Trump remains polarizing and a potential liability for Republican candidates like Mackenzie, Biden presents a similar vulnerability to Democrats like Wild.

Both [Wild] and Mackenzie have individuals at the top of their ticket in President Biden and former President Trump that arent very positively viewed right now by voters, Borick said. And so, shell have to find ways to separate a bit in terms of some of the shortfalls that Biden might be perceived to have.

Wild has staked out a position as a relative moderate within the Democratic caucus. In 2021, she criticized the Biden administrations withdrawal from Afghanistan. This past January, she said that she would vote to save House Speaker Mike Johnsons job if right-wing members of the GOP try to oust him. GovTrack has rated her as one of the more centrist Democrats in the House.

But Republicans have sought to shatter Wilds more moderate reputation thus far in the race and associate her with Biden. Mackenzie told Dispatch Politics Wild is a radical, far-left progressive, and he has made multiple posts on X attacking Bidens record and painting Wild as complicit in his shortcomings.

Wilds campaign did not respond to an interview request.

Mackenzie does not appear concerned his association with Trump will hurt his chances in November. In addition to calling himself the America First candidate in the primary, he said he supports Trump and expects the presumptive GOP nominee will win Pennsylvania and the presidency in November.

Ive endorsed and supported Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and [Im] doing it again this year as well, Mackenzie said. I think that he helps our ticket. I think he is advocating and talking about the right issues that voters care about.

Notable and Quotable

This Judge has taken away my Constitutional Right to FREE SPEECH. I am the only Presidential Candidate in History to be GAGGED. This whole Trial is RIGGED, and by taking away my FREEDOM OF SPEECH, THIS HIGHLY CONFLICTED JUDGE IS RIGGING THE PRESIDENTIAL OF 2024 ELECTION. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!! Former President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post responding to Judge Juan Merchan finding him in violation of a gag order, April 30, 2024

Read more at The Dispatch

The Dispatch is a new digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary, informed by conservative principles. Sign up for free.
A proposal from Sen. Glen Womack, to create a majority Black district that stretches from Caddo Parish to East Baton Rouge Parish (Screen capture from bill)

A panel of federal judges has thrown out Louisianas new congressional map that created a second majority Black district, dealing a blow to one of Gov. Jeff Landrys first official actions in office.

The 2-1 decision from a U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel comes in the case Callais v. Landry, in which a group of non-Black voters sued the state. They contend the map, signed into law after a five-day special legislative session convened at the governors direction, constitutes an unconstitutional racial gerrymander and violates the 14th and 15th amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

The two judges who sided with the plaintiffs are former President Donald Trump appointees to the federal bench, while the dissenter was a nominee of former President Bill Clinton.

While Landry and Republican allies argued that politics was the predominant factor in the drafting of the new map, the judges found that race was the true motivator. Partisan gerrymandering remains legal in the United States, but racial gerrymandering is not.

Politics drove the map, Sen. Glen Womack, R-Harrisonburg, author of the congressional redistricting bill, said during a special redistricting session earlier this year.

A key part of the courts finding that the map constitutes a racial gerrymander is the shape of the new 6th Congress District, which runs from Caddo Parish in northwest Louisiana down to East Baton Rouge Parish, crossing the center of the state diagonally to pick up communities of Black voters along the way.

The Court finds that  District 6 does not satisfy the geographically compact and reasonably configured Gingles requirement, the opinion reads.

The Gingles test

Created by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1986 case Thornburg v. Gingles, plaintiffs must show the existence of three preconditions to prove racial vote dilution:

The racial or language minority group sufficiently large and geographically compact to constitute a majority in a single-member district The minority group is politically cohesive The majority votes sufficiently as a block to usually defeat the minoritys candidate of choice

Womack said the primary goal of his map was to provide political protection to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, and Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Start, the delegations sole woman.

The new redistricting plan was enacted in response to an order from U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick, an appointee of President Barack Obama, in the case Robinson v. Landry. She gave the Legislature until Jan. 31 to redraw the lines, as she ruled the enacted map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. A version lawmakers approved in 2022 retained a single majority-Black district, leading to a lawsuit from a group of Black voters to block its boundaries from taking effect.

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prohibits voting laws or procedures that purposefully discriminate on the basis of race, color or membership in a language minority group. Diluting the voting power of racial minorities is one way the law can be violated.

Proponents of Womacks proposal have said the only way to protect the three aforementioned Republican members and comply with Dicks instructions was to draw the sprawling 6th District, which some referred to as a slash map.

Jared Evans, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund who represents the plaintiffs in Robinson v. Landry, expressed disappointment in the ruling in an interview.

This was the governors map  this was never our map, Evans said. While were disappointed in the ruling, because it means that we dont have a map, we are very optimistic about the process.

Attorney General Liz Murrill said she hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will review the ruling.

Ive said all along the Supreme Court needs to clear this up, Murrill said in a statement to the Illuminator. The jurisprudence and litigation involving redistricting has made it impossible to not have federal judges drawing maps. Its not right and they need to fix it.

While plaintiffs in the Robinson case supported the Womack map, they preferred several others put forward by Black lawmakers that drew a substantially more compact majority Black district. This version was opposed by Republicans because it would likely have led to Letlow losing her 5th District seat, while U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, would likely be re-elected in the 6th District.

While no lawmaker outwardly said so, Graves was chosen as a sacrificial lamb, perhaps in part because he was widely viewed as insufficiently supportive of Scalises failed bid for U.S. House speaker. Graves also endorsed Stephen Waguespack, one of Landrys opponents in the 2023 gubernatorial election, potentially putting him crosswise with a powerful governor whose interests drove the special session.

Judges in the Callais case did not find these considerations compelling.

Given the slim majority Republicans hold in the United States House of Representatives, even if such personal or intra-party animosity did or does exist, it is difficult to fathom that Louisiana Republicans would intentionally concede a seat to a Democratic candidate on those bases, a footnote from the majority opinion reads.

Representatives for each party will meet in federal court on Monday to chart a path forward. Secretary of State Nancy Landry has said she needs any new map by May 15 in order to have it in effect for the November congressional elections.

One possibility is a court-imposed map, Evans said.

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The post Federal court tosses Landry-backed Louisiana congressional map appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
Federal government to reclassify marijuana. What does that mean for SCs medical use bill?

The same day the South Carolina House ad-hoc committee on medical marijuana met for a second time, the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify the drug from Schedule I to Schedule III.

Lawmakers in the House couldnt say how the federal shift would impact the Palmetto States decision on access for medical marijuana with no other meetings on the bill are scheduled. Heres what we do know.

The House ad hoc committee has been hearing testimony the last two weeks on the legalization of medical marijuana. Dubbed as the Compassionate Care Act, the bill passed 24-19 in the Senate in February.

After the committee meeting Tuesday, Rep. Sylleste Davis, R-Berkely, said the news about the classification of the drug may or may not impact the bill. She said the committee members got some good input from the testimony during the day and previously.

Were going to have to look into exactly what went on today, and exactly what that means for this process, Davis said. For the bill itself, it may or may not impact the bill. We really dont know yet. We really need to look at it. I dont think its as easy as the headline leads you to believe.

She added that she isnt sure of the outcome of a House vote, if it moves to the House floor, and there wasnt a lot of time left.

I really think that what happened today may play into that, Davis said. You may have people that were against it and now theyre for it.

No further meeting have been scheduled on the bill after the meeting Tuesday, Davis said. She said House members did owe their attention to the bill. She knew the Senate had spent a lot of time on it, she said. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, has been pushing for the passage of a medical marijuana bill for more than 10 years.

The likelihood of the South Carolina bill moving to the House floor is low. With a few days of the 2024 session left, the bill was brought up in the House late. Some people around the state house said the bill was sent to the ad-hoc committee to die off.

Schedule I drugs, which include heroin, LSD and methamphetamine, are defined as ones with potential for high abuse and no medical use. Marijuana has been included in this group since 1971.

The decision to reclassify would not legalize it for recreational use. The next step is the White House Office of Management and Budget clearance. NBC News reported that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland could submit the proposal to OMB as early as Tuesday afternoon.

Twenty seven people testified Tuesday, ranging from community advocates, veterans, researchers, mothers of children abusing the drug, and mothers of children with seizures and medical emergencies who needed the drug.

The previous week, April 23, testimony from law enforcement and medical professionals. Opponents, which included multiple law enforcement officers described marijuana as a gateway drug. Law enforcement and some physicians spoke about marijuanas psychoactive qualities and how this can affect someone. Decreased production, illness and even severe mental illness like schizophrenia were also cited.

But advocates urged lawmakers to pass the bill, citing personal stories, research and evidence that cannabis is extremely useful with decreasing inflammation for patients, decreasing pain levels, aiding PTSD and other mental illnesses and more.

In the second ad-hoc committee Tuesday, some speakers explained the potential reclassification switch of marijuana. Others spoke on their support for the classification switch, how it made sense and confirmed the drugs immense benefits for people in need of pain relief.

When the bill passed the Senate, Sen. Tom Davis told the State he was concerned about the number of opponents in the House.

Its going to take leadership over there saying to the members its been ten years, we deserve a vote on this, and obviously thats up to the speaker whether to do that. I hope that he does. I think it deserves an up or down vote in the House, but thats not my territory thats his, Davis said in February.

Davis said he was specifically concerned about Rep. John McCravy, R-Greenwood, and others putting up multiple amendments to stop the movement of the bill on the House floor.

McCravy told The State in February he was unsure if the House would pass the bill, but he did know a number of representatives including himself who were opposed to it.

If this bill were talking about was simply allowing somebody thats dying of cancer to use marijuana or something like that, I dont think anybody would oppose that, McCravy told The State in February. But a lot of people like me see this bill as the first step towards recreational marijuana. And there are a lot of things in the bill that indicate that.

Two years ago, the House killed a similar bill on a technicality. After the last day of the 2024 session on May 9, if the bill has not passed on the House floor, it have to start over in the Senate.
Wind turbines generate electricity at the Block Island Wind Farm on July 7, 2022, near Block Island, Rhode Island. The first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States, the structures are located 3.8 miles from Block Island, Rhode Island, in the Atlantic Ocean. (John Moore | Getty Images)

As Maine is still figuring out where to build a port for its budding offshore wind industry, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced its proposal to auction offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Maine Tuesday.

As part of the Biden administrations efforts to drive more offshore wind development, the Gulf of Maine is slated to have eight lease areas offshore Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, which have the potential to generate 15 gigawatts of clean energy to power more than 5 million homes, according to a news release from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Were taking decisive action to catalyze Americas offshore wind industry and leverage American innovation to provide reliable, affordable power to homes and businesses, all while addressing the climate crisis, said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

BOEM wants to hold auctions for each of the eight lease areas simultaneously, but is first seeking feedback on details such as size, orientation, and location for each area.

BOEM is also looking for feedback on lease stipulations regarding environmental monitoring and whether to incentivize bidders who commit to supporting workforce training programs or supply chain development, according to the agency. The agency is also proposing provisions that would ensure future leaseholders engage with any communities or groups that may be affected, such as Native American tribes and the fishing industry.

The public comment period will be open starting Wednesday until July 1. People who wish to comment can do so by going to regulations.gov and searching for BOEM-2024-0026, or by attending one of the in-person BOEM public meetings.

The first of three in-person meetings will be held at 5 p.m. on May 28 at the Holiday Inn Portland-by the Bay at 88 Spring Street. People may register online to attend. The second meeting will be held on May 29 in Portsmouth, and the final one will be the day after in Danvers, Massachusetts.

This story was originally published by Maine Morning Star, which like the New Hampshire Bulletin is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

The post Federal government seeking feedback ahead of Gulf of Maine offshore wind auction appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin.
A federal three-judge panel has thrown out Louisiana's new congressional map that created a second Black district, leaving the state's political boundaries in question with the November election less than seven months away.

The 2-1 decision after a three-day trial in Shreveport earlier this month sided with plaintiffs who argued that the new map created by the state's Republican Legislature and signed into law by GOP Gov. Jeff Landry was based solely on race and therefore unconstitutional.

U.S. Western District Judges Robert Summerhays and David Joseph, both nominated by President Trump, sided with the plaintiffs. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Carl Stewart, nominated by President Bill Clinton, dissented.

Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who defended the map, told USA Today Network Tuesday night she is reviewing the decision with her team and Republican Secretary of State Nancy Landry "to discuss next steps."

"We will of course be seeking (Supreme Court) review," Murrill said in a text. "I've said all along the Supreme Court needs to clear this up. The jurisprudence and litigation involving redistricting has made it impossible to not have federal judges drawing maps. It's not right and they need to fix it."

The court will hold a status conference at 10:30 a.m. May 6 to discuss the remedial process. Landry, Louisiana's chief elections officer, has said she needs clarity by May 15 to conduct the Nov. 5 election.

At stake are the political careers of the incumbents and scope of representation for the state's Black voters, who represent about one-third of the population but until now had only one of the state's six congressional districts.

The lawsuit challenging the map attacked the new majority Black 6th Congressional District boundaries stretching from Baton Rouge to Lafayette to Alexandria to Shreveport as unconstitutional, saying they don't meet traditional redistriction principles like compactness and preserving communities of interests.

But the state contended additional factors drove the map, including the politics of protecting powerful incumbent Louisiana Republicans U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (4th District), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (1st District) and Julia Letlow (5th District), a member of the Appropriations Committee that controls the country's pursestrings.

A federal three-judge panel has ruled Louisiana's new congressional map unconstitutional.

Doing so put Republican U.S. Rep. Graves, the current 6th District congressman, in peril by dismantling his boundaries in favor of a majority Black voter population.

Graves insisted all along the map was unconstitutional and predicted it would be overturned by the federal court.

"The court's decision speaks for itself," Graves said in a text to USA Today Network. "We look forward on being able to focus on real problems facing Louisiana and our nation."

The lawsuit is just the latest litigation challenging the state's congressional boundaries.

Late last year a federal appeals court signaled it would uphold Baton Rouge Middle District Judge Shelly Dick's earlier ruling requiring Louisiana's congressional map be redrawn to include a second majority Black district out of six to comply with the Voting Rights Act.

Those rulings sprang from the efforts of civil rights and voting rights groups like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, ACLU and others who have been logging court battles for two years seeking a second Black majority district.

Attorneys for those groups, known as intervenors, joined with the state attorneys in defending the new map.

"Obviously, we are disappointed in today's ruling, but we continue to be optimistic that this will ultimately end with Louisiana having two majority Black congressional districts," said Jared Evans, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. "The only thing that today's ruling means is that this particular version of a map can't be used."

More: With election just months away, Louisiana awaits ruling on Congress map, Black district

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Judges nix Louisiana congressional map with second Black district in Shreveport
A federal court on Tuesday tossed out a newly drawn congressional map that created a second majority-Black district in Louisiana  in a potential blow to Democrats seeking to seize control of the US House in Novembers elections.

The map, which slashed diagonally through the middle of the state to create the new 6th Congressional District, amounts to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander and cannot be used in any election, US District Judges David Joseph and Robert Summerhays wrote in their majority opinion.

The judges, both nominees of former President Donald Trump, were part of a three-judge panel that presided over an April trial challenging the map. The third judge, Carl Stewart of the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals and a nominee of former President Bill Clinton, dissented.

The judges set a May 6 hearing for all parties to discuss next steps.

An appeal to the US Supreme Court is likely  casting doubt over what map will be used in this years elections. State officials have said they need to know the contours of the district by May 15 to prepare for fall elections. Officials with a Democratic redistricting group led by former US Attorney General Eric Holder said they expect an application for an emergency stay to be filed with the high court, urging the justices to keep the map in place.

In a statement on social media, Louisianas Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill said her team was still reviewing the ruling but indicated the state would ask the high court to weigh in.

Ive said all along the Supreme Court needs to clear this up, she wrote.

Louisiana is among the states that saw protracted legal battles over redistricting following the 2020 census. The creation of new districts with sizable Black populations in Louisiana and in Alabama were cast as significant wins for voting rights activists that also could shape the balance of power in the House  where Republicans hold a threadbare majority.

The intense legal skirmishes over redistricting have largely concluded, with observers on both sides of the aisle saying that control of the House could come down to just a handful of seats.

Earlier this year, Louisianas GOP-controlled Legislature  with the support of newly elected Republican Gov. Jeff Landry  approved a map with the new district to comply with a federal court order that found the state likely in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act by diminishing the voting power of Black Louisianians. Although Black residents make up roughly a third of Louisianas population, the state has just one Black lawmaker  who is also the lone Democrat  in its six-member US House delegation.

The new district lines endangered the reelection chances for the current 6th District officeholder, Republican Rep. Garret Graves, who had backed a Landry rival in the 2023 race for governor.

Supporters of the Legislatures map argued that political factors, rather than race alone, had shaped its contours.

Graves had predicted the map would not stand. A dozen non-Black voters filed a legal challenge to the district lines, arguing that it violated the US Constitutions equal protection clause.

The majority on the court agreed.

The evidence at trial, including demographic data, demonstrates that race was the predominate factor driving decisions made by the State in drawing the contours of District 6, Joseph and Summerhays wrote. This evidence shows that the unusual shape of the district reflects an effort to incorporate as much of the dispersed Black population as was necessary to create a majority-Black district.

Holder, who chairs the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, sharply criticized the ruling in a statement Tuesday night, saying it unnecessarily puts Louisianians right to vote in a very precarious position.

He argued the map approved by state lawmakers should remain in place for the 2024 election.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  The Kent County man who was arrested after a girl was found hiding in a car that crossed the Mackinac Bridge has been convicted of child sex crimes, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Michigan announced.

After a three-day trial, a federal jury on Wednesday convicted 39-year-old Terrence Clay of sex trafficking of a child, sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography, according to a release from the attorneys office.

Federal trafficking charges for man arrested at Mackinac Bridge

The office says Clay met the victim at a Grand Rapids park in October 2022. In court documents filed in 2022, the Kent County Sheriffs Office Human Trafficking Task Force said the 16-year-old girl told deputies they left the park for a sexual encounter.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Clay ordered her to have sex with other men for money, secured nude images and advertised her online.

Deputies: Teen said trafficking suspect pimped her

The office says police found the victim and brought her to a foster home in the Upper Peninsula, but Clay found her and picked her up from the home early in the morning on Nov. 12, 2022.

While Clay was driving across the Mackinac Bridge that day, a toll worker saw a person hiding underneath a blanket in the backseat of the mans car. Kent County deputies said the Mackinac Bridge Authority notified police, who stopped the vehicle after it crossed the bridge. Clay was arrested.

Trafficked teen found under blanket at Mackinac Bridge

Treating his victim like nothing more than property, Terrence Clay repeatedly ordered a minor to sell herself for sex, said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten in a statement. Todays guilty verdict on all counts secures a measure of justice for the victim and the entire community who is harmed by these heinous crimes. Working with our law enforcement partners, social service providers, and others we will continue our efforts to end the scourge of human trafficking.

Clay will be sentenced in September, according to the release. He faces decades behind bars.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
'We feel we have no choice': Battle Creek Shelter to close May 31 due to lack of funding

BATTLE CREEK  The Battle Creek Shelter will close its doors at the end of the month due to a lack of sustainable funding, its board of directors announced Wednesday.

The shelter at 209 E. Michigan Ave. will cease operations as of May 31, according to the board.

It is with heavy hearts that we make this momentous decision, Todd McDonald, chair of the BCS Board of Directors, said in a statement. We have spent much time and effort working to find sustainable sources of funding for this much needed shelter. Unfortunately, although government and philanthropic funding for housing increased in recent years, funds designated for shelter services did not. We have explored and exhausted numerous avenues for operational support, but those efforts were not ultimately successful.

The shelter was launched in September 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic after local leaders requested a solution for the unsheltered population. A group of individuals and organizations teamed up to create the Battle Creek Shelter to address the growing needs of adults in the Battle Creek area who dont have housing.

We will work diligently over the next month with local partners to develop solutions for the shelters current patrons, McDonald said.

Last year, the BCS Board of Directors developed a transition plan for the facility as it took several steps to achieve independence as a nonprofit, reduce expenses and move out of the start-up phase that had been supported financially and operationally by the Battle Creek Community Foundation since its inception. That arrangement came to an end in December 2023.

We are grateful for the donations and grants from the Battle Creek Community Foundation, from individuals and from other organizations who helped us keep the doors open, Kim Brubaker, current vice chair and founding chair of the BCS Board of Directors, said. However, with no additional funds identified or forthcoming to continue operations, we feel we have no choice but to close.

The Battle Creek Shelter on Michigan Avenue on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Board members said they will determine what to do with the facility on East Michigan Avenue following the closure.

In January 2024, the board entered into a short-term management services agreement with Kingdom Builders Worldwide, which assumed day-to-day operational control over the shelter. That agreement, which continues through May 31, allowed the shelter to remain open during the winter months, when many unsheltered people face their most arduous health and safety challenges.

In its three-and-a-half years of existence, the Battle Creek Shelter provided a variety of services, including safe overnight housing, meals, clothing, showers, case management and supplies to hundreds of people. In 2023 alone, the shelter provided overnight shelter to 410 people  including 113 women and 39 military veterans  and served more than 19,000 meals.

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek Shelter to close as of May 31
HUGHES COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR)  Governor Kevin Stitt announced on Wednesday that FEMA access has been granted for three Oklahoma counties impacted by severe weather on April 27 and 28.

Severe storms and tornadoes tore through the state Saturday and Sunday, leaving four people dead and around 300 injured. Assessments show that 238 homes were damaged across the three counties.

SEVERE WEATHER COVERAGE: VIDEO: Severe storms cause damage in Cordell

According to the Office of the Governor, the White House has approved the states request for disaster assistance for Hughes, Love and Murray counties

I appreciate the support and quick action from the White House and FEMA in approving Oklahomas request for federal disaster assistance in the wake of devastating storms, Governor Stitt said. As damage assessments continue, I will request aid for all counties that suffered losses to homes or businesses, whether from tornadoes, flooding, or other severe weather.

The assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can help residents with housing repairs or temporary housing. It can also provide U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest loans for individuals and businesses to fix or replace damaged property, disaster unemployment assistance and grants for important needs and disaster expenses not met by other programs.

Officials say the SBA is a leading provider of funds for privately damaged property.

SBAs mission-driven team stands ready to help Oklahomas small businesses and residents impacted by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding, said Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. Were committed to providing federal disaster loans swiftly and efficiently, with a customer-centric approach to help businesses and communities recover and rebuild.

According to the SBA, businesses of all sizes and private organizations may borrow up to $2 million for repairs or replacements regarding real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other assets of business. Additional funds may also be available for costs of improvements to protect, prevent or limit damage in the future.

There are also disaster loans for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses involved in aquaculture and the majority of private nonprofit organizations of any size.

Homeowners also have access to disaster loans up to $500,000 to fix or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters could qualify for up to $100,000 for damaged or destroyed personal property, including personal vehicles.

A business recovery center opens Friday, May 3, and will operate Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mary Parker Library, located at 500 West Broadway Avenue, Sulphur, OK.

For additional information regarding disaster recovery center, you may call 800-659-2955.

SEVERE WEATHER COVERAGE: Local business in Sulphur left picking up the pieces of devastating tornado

To learn more or apply for disaster assistance, you may call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or visit disasterassistance.gov.

The designation also provides limited public assistance for state and local governments in Hughes, Love and Murray counties to help with debris removal and emergency protective measures to include overtime for first responders.

According to the Governors Office, assessments found $8.35 million in debris and emergency response costs in the three counties. That includes more than $7.7 million in debris removal costs in just Murray County alone.

To report damage, residents can visit damage.ok.gov to make sure all areas of damage are included in assessments.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Sacramento State students barely glanced at the circle of tents pitched Wednesday in the library quad and signs declaring support for Palestinians amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

Wind swept through high trees shading the area where professors brought their students to hold class just outside the encampment. A protester sat by a nearby fountain and read a book as music drifted through the area.

Wednesday marked the third consecutive day various groups erected tents outside the commons to demand the California State University system divest from companies backing Israel.

Protesters initially had permission from university officials until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday to stay on the grounds. That deadline was extended Tuesday night so long as the demonstration stayed peaceful and met the schools codes of conduct guiding protests, as has been the case so far, Sac State officials said.

It has been really its own community, said Sac State senior Hamzah, who has been protesting. He declined to provide his last name due to fears of being doxxed by counterprotesters.

Groups taking part in the protest include the Sacramento State branch of Students for Justice in Palestine, which sent a list of demands to the university, the Jewish Voice for Peace and myriad others.

The protest must not incite or promote illegal activity or disrupt the educational process, according to Sac States guidelines.

The scene, and the tactics by protesters and the university here, were far different than the protests and unrest over the Mideast conflict that have erupted into arrests and violence elsewhere in California and across the nation.

That chaos came into full view hours earlier, on Tuesday night, as police swarmed and cleared out a building at Columbia University occupied by pro-Palestinian demonstrators while dueling protesters clashed at UCLA before police moved in to quell the violence.

Pro-Palestinian activists walk through a tent opening surrounded by posters on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at Sacramento State to protest the war in Gaza. The protesters are asking the university to divest from investments in Israel. Jose Luis Villegas/jvillegas@sacbee.com

Sacramento State has given the protesters until May 8 to continue their protests, university officials said late Wednesday.

SJP made several demands to school officials as part of their protest, mirroring the same requests made at other campuses. They include disclosing all companies and organizations providing support to the Israeli government and military. The university must then divest from those entities, the group said.

Protesters asked the university to defend student activism and provide amnesty for those who have faced racist and Islamophobic attacks. SJP also expects the university to declare the occupation, colonization, and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, as well as the U.S.-Israeli genocide in Gaza, illegal and indefensible.

Sac State spokeswoman Lanaya Lewis said the university has responded to SJPs demands but did not detail what that response was. Hamzah said dialogue about the demands was continuing with school officials.

Sac State officials also erected a metal fence cordoning off the library quads from a yard just across a walkway. Hamzah said the school agreed to put up the fence to ease fears of counterprotesters inciting violence, which happened for several hours at UCLA before police stepped in to make arrests.

University of California officials have since ordered an investigation into authorities handling of the incident at the Westwood campus, according to a letter by UC President Michael V. Drake obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

A pro-Palestinian activist places small Palestinian flags on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, amid plants near the area the demonstrators took over three days ago at Sacramento State to protest the war in Gaza. Protesters are asking the CSU to divest from investments in Israel. Jose Luis Villegas/jvillegas@sacbee.com

Meanwhile, in the wake of 31 arrests Tuesday morning at another CSU campus, Cal Poly Humboldt, a letter from school officials including university President Tom Jackson Jr. acknowledged the emotional impact of the police action but vowed the unlawful actions that took place this past week stand in contrast to our values and beliefs  and can never happen again.

We unequivocally support the rights of students and others to assemble peacefully, to protest, and to have their voices heard, the letter sent to the campus community said. We must also recognize the difference between free speech and unlawful activities that put others and protesters themselves at risk. This is something we simply cannot tolerate.

As we call for peace, we must all practice it.

In Sacramento, protests have remained quiet and calm  with a brief exception on Monday night when three students, unaffiliated with the encampment, were cited for vandalizing Sac States property, according to university officials.

Sac State students near the protest said Wednesday that there had been no interruptions to campus life after the encampment was established.

Fernando Arias, 21, said he watched the clashes between protesters that exploded Tuesday in Los Angeles, and worried about whether the same thing could happen in Sacramento.

This makes me feel ... unsure, he said.

Adrien Manzi, however, said they joined the encampment Wednesday and wants to end their senior year by protesting.

The greatest power we have as citizens and as students is power in numbers  uniting for the long game to prove the message that we fight for Palestinian lives, they said.
Zepbound is the new weight loss injection from Eli Lilly. It's the same drug that's in Mounjaro for Type 2 diabetes (tirzepatide.) Eli Lilly

Eli Lilly stock surged as much as 8% on Tuesday after the company's first-quarter earnings report.

The world's biggest healthcare company said it experienced surging demand for its GLP-1 Zepbound weight loss drug.

Eli Lilly raised its 2024 revenue guidance, suggesting that the supply shortage of its weight loss drug may soon ease.

Eli Lilly shares surged as much as 8% on Tuesday after the world's largest healthcare company reported first-quarter earnings.

The company's earnings report was mixed, with earnings per share beating estimates while revenue was light, but encouragingly to investors, the company raised its 2024 revenue guidance.

The results showed soaring demand for its GLP-1 weight loss drug Zepbound, and the revenue guidance increase suggests that ongoing supply shortages of the drug may soon ease.

Here are the key numbers:

Adjusted earnings per share: $2.58, versus analyst estimates of $2.49

Revenue: $8.77 billion, versus analyst estimates of $8.93 billion

2024 revenue guidance: $42.4 billion to $43.6 billion, representing a $2 billion increase

2024 earnings per share guidance: $13.05 to $13.55, representing a $1.25 increase

"Our progress in addressing some of the world's most significant health care challenges has resulted in increased demand for our medicines. As we continue to make pipeline investments that position us for future growth, we are rapidly expanding manufacturing capacity to make our incretin medicines available to more patients," Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks said.

Eli Lilly's stock surge on Tuesday added as much as $51 billion to its market value to $751 billion, making it the eighth largest company in America.

The first-quarter was the first full quarter for sales of Zepbound, which is a GLP-1 drug indicated for treating weight loss and was launched in November. Sales of the drug surged to $517.4 million, while Mounjaro, which uses the same active ingredient as Zepbound but is indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, saw sales of $1.8 billion.

According to JPMorgan, sales of Zepbound exceeded its own estimates, partly driven by an increase in insurance acceptance of the drug.

"We have approximately 67% access in the commercial segment," Eli Lilly CFO Anat Ashkenazi said on the company's earnings call.

Eli Lilly said it expects to see supply constraints ease in the second half of the year considerably, leading to an increase in available doses of its highly popular weight loss drugs. But even that may not be enough to meet demand.

"While we are working tirelessly to ramp supply and expect meaningful increases in shipment volumes in the second half of the year, demand continues to outstrip even increased supply," Ashkenazi said.

Story continues

JPMorgan reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Eli Lilly stock following the earnings report.

"More broadly on the story, LLY remains one of our favorite names in the group, as we see further upside to Street estimates as Mounjaro continues to ramp and Zepbound fully launches as well as a number of additional incretin datapoints ahead," JPMorgan said in a note on Tuesday.

Eli Lilly is looking to expand its indications of Zepbound so it can treat more health problems, including sleep apnea.

While the stock is trading near its all-time highs, JPMorgan isn't too concerned about its premium valuation just yet.

"And while shares trade at a significant premium to peers, we see unprecedented growth for LLY over the next decade with the company's incretin franchise reaching $60bn+ by 2030 and continuing to grow from there," JPMorgan said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Fire breaks out at oil refinery in Ryazan Oblast after drone strikes

Drones struck Russia's Ryazan and Voronezh oblasts overnight on May 1, causing a fire to break out at a Ryazan oil refinery, the oblasts' governors reported.

According to the Russian Telegram news channel Astra, an oil refinery in Ryazan Oblast was hit by drones during the night, causing a fire at the facility. Ryazan Oblast Governor Pavlo Malkov said an "inspection is ongoing" at the site.

Voronezh Oblast Governor Aleksandr Gusev reported that Russian air defense units shot down a drone over the suburbs of Voronezh.

"As a result of falling debris, the glass in the building under construction was broken," Gusev said.

No casualties have been reported in either attack.

Previous attacks and fires at the oil refinery in Ryazan Oblast were reported in March and April, as Ukrainian forces launched a series of successful drone strikes targeting Russia's fuel industry.

Read also: Ukrainian drones hit one Russian oil refinery after another

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
On first day of Floridas six-week abortion ban, Democrats plan to fly banner over Mar-a-Lago blaming Trump

The message from Democrats is short and direct: Trumps Plan: Ban Abortion, Punish Women.

The Democratic National Committee is having that message on a banner flown over Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald Trumps private club and residence in Palm Beach, for four hours Wednesday afternoon and early evening.

The message is one small part of a strong push by President Joe Biden and Democrats to show voters across the country what voters should expect if Trump and Republicans win in November.

Donald Trump is the reason for Floridas extreme abortion ban, and for every abortion ban across the country. As women suffer, Trump claims overturning Roe and his extreme bans are working the way theyre supposed to. Trump supports letting states punish women and their doctors. If given the chance, hell go even further with an extreme nationwide ban, Democratic National Committee spokesperson Jackie Bush said in a statement.

The stakes of this election are clear: The only way to restore and safeguard our freedoms is to reelect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Bush said.

Starting at midnight, Florida banned abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy, with extremely limited exceptions. Later abortions would be allowed to save a pregnant womans life and up to 15 weeks of pregnancy in cases of rape, incest or human trafficking, if the person seeking the abortion provides documentation such as a police report.

Abortion rights advocates have said most women dont know theyre pregnant at six weeks.

The law was passed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republicans in the Florida Legislature. Democrats are using it to show voters nationwide the effect of the three Supreme Court justices nominated by Trump, who provided votes for the majority to overturn the Roe v. Wade protection for abortion rights that allowed states to implement restrictions such as Floridas.

The Biden administration is highlighting the issue with a visit by Vice President Kamala Harris in Jacksonville on Wednesday. And Biden was in Tampa last week highlighting his support and Trumps opposition to abortion rights.

In a news conference on Tuesday, DeSantis defended the law, and cited a ruling from the Florida Supreme Court, most of whose justices he appointed. The court ruled correctly that being able to provide protections for a baby that has a detectable heartbeat is lawful and constitutional. And I think that thats a noble effort. And I think that thats something that will be very meaningful to folks who get a chance to enjoy this great race of life that we have.

DeSantis on Tuesday and Florida Republican Party Chair Evan Power on Wednesday sought to change the subject.

In Florida, especially in Jacksonville, families are suffering under the train-wreck Biden-Harris Bidenomics, Power said in a statement.

Chris Marino, chair of the Broward Republican Party, said this week via text the political impact of the issue might not be what some Democrats hope.

Florida has a proposal on the ballot in November that would enshrine abortion rights in the Florida Constitution. Abortion-related ballot measures havent increased Democratic turnout in other states, Marino said, citing an analysis of five states by Politico.

Also on Wednesday, the eight Democratic members of Congress from Florida jointly condemned the new restrictions.

Today and every day, the truth remains clear: People, not politicians, should be in control of their own reproductive health decisions. Floridas draconian six-week abortion ban is outrageous  a gut-wrenching blow to Floridians reproductive freedom. Rather than progressing as a society, Floridas suffocating law sets us back as a state. The decision to seek an abortion is a personal decision that should remain private, not be put in the hands of politicians, they wrote.
Fisker employees are fixing some customers' cars with parts from the company's vehicle 'graveyard,' sources say

Fisker employees are using parts from preproduction vehicles and inventory to fix some customers' cars, eight sources said.

The practice has been ongoing since Fisker began deliveries in June 2023, some sources say.

Experts say the practice can be acceptable to avoid long wait times, but customers should be informed of part swaps.

Fisker employees have been taking parts off preproduction vehicles and existing inventory to fix some customers' cars, several people familiar with the issue told Business Insider.

In response to a backlog of customer-service requests and a shortage of available parts, Fisker technicians have stripped parts off what some have called "donor cars," which include Fisker Ocean preproduction and production vehicles that are sitting in the company's facility in La Palma, California, three current and five former Fisker employees said. The workers spoke to BI on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about company affairs. Business Insider also viewed several photos of Fisker Ocean cars with missing parts that sources say were used for customer vehicles.

A spokesperson for Fisker told Business Insider the information was false.

"No parts have been taken off these vehicles for use in customers cars," the spokesperson said, adding that parts may have been taken off engineering vehicles "for analysis or to retrofit other engineering vehicles, but never customer vehicles."

One current Fisker employee with knowledge of the issue said technicians have resorted to taking parts off other cars to address customer-service requests in about 10% to 15% of fixes over the past few months, particularly for customers near the company's La Palma site.

"It only happens if there's a dire need for the part," the worker said. "Technicians are just doing this to help customers. Customers are basically begging for parts, and the mentality is: If we have parts available, let's use them."

Typically, the parts are pulled from a back area at the La Palma site, where there is a lineup of preproduction vehicles that some have dubbed the "graveyard," five of the sources told BI. Preproduction cars are made after prototypes and are essentially beta versions of the vehicle not intended for customer use  just testing and demos; production vehicles are the final product that customers are delivered. Some of the vehicles at the site are Fisker Oceans that had been returned by customers, two current employees and one former worker said.

"It was a place where you just parked cars that were cannibalized. They were pushed into a space where it wouldn't cause traffic, and it became a place to check for parts," one former worker said. "It became evident at some point that you couldn't really put these things back together anymore," they added.

The company started taking parts off preproduction and production vehicles when it began deliveries in June 2023, three former employees said.

When the company delivered its first 22 Fisker Oceans some of the cars had to be outfitted with outside parts after a predelivery inspection found at least four of the cars had some faulty parts, including new door handles, seat sensors, and a body-control module, three former workers said.

'Every day was a fire drill'

One former worker said that parts swapping became a daily occurrence after the vehicle was launched in June 2023. Six employees close to the situation said that supervisors were aware that this practice was happening.

"Every day was a fire drill of what car has this part that I need," a former employee told BI. "The first or second time, people were super careful about it and then eventually it was done so often that it became second nature and people weren't asking if they could do it anymore  they were just doing it."

One former worker compared the process to creating a "Frankenstein" car.

A Fisker spokesperson said: "The 'Frankenstein' term was invented by our former CTO and applied to engineering vehicles that were testing multiple versions of software."

Two other workers said that technicians were careful to make sure the parts that were going between the vehicles weren't too different, especially if a part was going from a preproduction vehicle into a production car.

It's unclear whether every customer who received a car with swapped-out parts was notified of the switch. Patrick Burrell, a Fisker Ocean owner in California, said he was told by a Fisker employee that the company would fix a minor paint and trim issue with his car by using a part that was taken off one of Fisker's other cars, but the repair has yet to be complete. Business Insider viewed an email exchange between a Fisker employee and Burrell that showed the employee offered to fix Burrell's car using a part from another Fisker car.

The email shows that a Fisker employee told Burrell and a repair-shop employee that the company had "offered to have the mechanic install parts from another car that are good as new."

"These trim pieces are being pulled off a brand-new vehicle so they are basically brand new," the worker said in a later email to the customer.

A Fisker spokesperson declined to comment on the email exchange.

Burrell said his car has been waiting at a Fisker-approved repair shop for about 10 weeks.

The technicians have taken anything from door handles and windshields to tires, seat sensors, or body-control modules out of the vehicles to put on customers' cars, three of the employees said.

To date, no customer-safety issues have been publicly linked to the issue.

The process of taking parts from cars off one vehicle to use for a different one is not unheard of in the automotive industry. Michael Crossen, an automotive technician at Consumer Reports, told BI he's seen it happen occasionally over the years  typically as a courtesy for customers to avoid long wait times for parts.

"It's certainly not a daily occurrence, but I've seen it a few times over the years," Crossen said, adding that parts that are coded to a car's Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, would be more difficult to swap between cars.

Daniel Blinn, the managing attorney of Consumer Law Group in Connecticut, told BI that depending on the situation, it can be acceptable for an automaker to use parts from another vehicle to avoid long wait times for customers. But the process could become murky if the customer is not informed of the swap or a part is not matched perfectly to a vehicle, he said.

Fisker has been facing headwinds in recent months. The EV startup has delivered about 6,000 Fisker Oceans to date, according to an internal metric viewed by BI. Earlier this year, Fisker lowered its prices by as much as 39%.

The company has warned it could go out of business by the end of the year. Last week, Fisker said in a regulatory filing it had just $54 million in cash as of April 16, and the company is trying to pay off a loan that it has defaulted on. On Monday, the company notified staff that they could face layoffs in two months. Fisker's CEO previously told staff that the startup was in talks with four different automakers regarding a potential buyout.

Do you work for Fisker or have a tip? Reach out to the reporter via a non-work email or device at gkay@businessinsider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
FITCHBURG  The Fitchburg State University Board of Trustees has nominated Donna Souder Hodge to be the university's 12th president, the university announced in a press release.

She would be the university's first woman president if she takes the position.

I am honored and excited for the opportunity to join the Fitchburg State community, Hodge said in a statement. It was clear from my interactions with campus and community constituencies during the search process that Fitchburg State is a special place and I look forward to being part of its continued progress and building upon its strong foundation.

Richard S. Lapidus, the previous president of Fitchburg State, announced in October that he was retiring at the end of June after serving as president for nine years.

The Board of Trustees nominated Hodge following a national search for candidates. Three finalists visited the campus for interviews, according to a Fitchburg State statement.

The nomination is contingent upon approval by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and contract negotiations.

Hodge is vice president of operations and advancement at Colorado State University, Pueblo. She has worked there in various roles since 2010 including chief strategy officer and as a tenured faculty member.

We are confident Dr. Hodge has the leadership skills and experience to find consensus among campus constituencies as we confront the challenges facing all institutions of higher education," C. Deborah Phillips, chair of the Board of Trustees, said in a statement. "She is a strong communicator who is mindful of the critical role that public higher education plays in the success of the city and region.

Lapidus, who became the school's 11th president in July 2015, oversaw, among other things, the modernization of facilities, expansion of academic and extracurricular activities and navigating the university through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hodge would become president at a time when Fitchburg State University, and colleges nationwide, have seen a drop in enrollment in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fitchburg State University in particular saw a 26% drop in undergraduate enrollment from 2013 to 2022.

Within the last 10 years, Fitchburg State University's reported enrollment numbers had begun to decline with the highest number of undergraduate students in 2015 at 4,270. By 2019, that number was down to 4,044. Enrollment further fell in the aftermath of the pandemic, with 3,193 students reported in 2023.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Donna Souder Hodge nominated as next president of Fitchburg State Univ
Fix it or nix it: Future of Charleston Municipal Auditorium hangs in the balance

The Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, W.Va. was shut down on Feb. 5, 2024, over electrical and structural issues, forcing all upcoming events to be canceled, rescheduled or moved to other venues. (Lori Kersey | West Virginia Watch)

February 5 was a dark day for the West Virginia chapter of the Kevin Hart fan club.

Thats the day Charleston shut down its Municipal Auditorium over electrical and structural issues, forcing all upcoming events to be canceled, rescheduled or moved to other venues. That included the pint-sized comedians April 13 date, as well as appearances by comedian John Crist, pop philosopher Jordan Peterson and Sesame Street Live, among others.

The closure was initially temporary, until an engineering inspection deemed the structure dangerously unsafe. ZMM Architects & Engineers told the city there were two options for the Municipal Auditorium. Option 1: fully renovate the 1939 structure. Option 2: tear the whole thing down and begin again.

Coincidentally, both options would cost roughly the same: over $25 million, according to ZMM projections. This leaves the city of Charleston with a difficult decision. Do we preserve what we have, or replace it with something new?

There are good reasons to start afresh. Working on old structures is always a challenge  as anyone who owns a house built before three-prong outlets can tell you. The Municipal Auditorium has problems that would be difficult to fix. The bathrooms and snack bar are laid out weirdly. Its difficult to imagine how youd bring them up to modern accessibility standards. And the acoustics inside have never been great. Not exactly ideal for a venue primarily used for concerts.

But these issues are not unsolvable, given enough smart engineers and money. The real decision at hand is  what kind of city does Charleston want to be?

ZMMs drawings for a rebuilt Municipal Auditorium is a steel and glass structure, much like what the firm did with the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. I doubt anyone would complain. The new coliseum looks great. But like it or not, that glass-and-steel look will someday be a dated relic of the early 21st century, just as the Art Deco design of the current Municipal Auditorium recalls the end of the Great Depression. Old newspaper clippings have people calling the place dusty and dated before its 20th birthday  a new auditorium would be no different.

So, which do we want? A dated structure from the COVID era? Or a dated structure from the New Deal?

A new Municipal Auditorium will never boast the roster of all-time greats the current structure has hosted: Ray Charles, actress Betty Grable, comedian Bob Hope, president Harry Truman, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, AC/DC, Alice Cooper  the list goes on.

But more important than all those big name acts are the countless graduations, dance recitals, local band concerts and theater productions that have graced the auditoriums stage. Those events didnt make the history books, but theyre the stuff that fills family scrapbooks and the soul of the city. You cannot pack up those memories and move them to a new building.

It is possible, I think, to find a balance between ZMMs two options. Theres a perfect example, located just a few blocks east at the downtown branch of the Kanawha-Charleston Public Library.

When I was a greenhorn education reporter 15 years ago, the library was dead set on finding property and funding to build a new, state-of-the art facility. The plan had its supporters but plenty of detractors, too. There was concern about what would happen to the old library, housed in a historic limestone building at 123 Capitol Street. Would it sit empty? Would it become another lawyers office?

Over the years, deals fell through and funding came up short. So the library board came up with a new plan. They would renovate the existing downtown library.

The original 1911 structure was saved and the library now boasts a beautiful modern glass addition, which leaves much of the original stone exterior still visible. Updates also uncovered some of the buildings forgotten glory. During renovations, workers uncovered the original windows, which now bathe the librarys main floor in natural light.

The downtown branch is now a fully modern, world-class library that still maintains a palpable connection to its history. A newly constructed building might have had all the same amenities, but none of the charm.

I hope architects and city officials can find a way to both preserve and update the Charleston Municipal Auditorium. Our town already has a modern steel-and-glass coliseum and convention center, just across the street. We already have a state-of-the-art playhouse over at the Clay Center.

If Charleston wants to live up to its hip, historic branding, city leaders should realize there is one thing we cannot create, for any amount of money. History.

The post Fix it or nix it: Future of Charleston Municipal Auditorium hangs in the balance appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW)  A tragedy in Charlotte on Monday that left four officers dead brought back haunting memories for the Florence County Sheriffs Office after going through a similar tragedy of their own in 2018.

According to Charlotte authorities, a suspect started firing at law enforcement officers when they tried to serve an arrest warrant.

The incident reminded many of the 2018 shooting in Florence County that killed two law enforcement officers and injured several others.

North Carolina, Pee Dee law enforcement supporting Charlotte police in wake of deadly shootout

Fred Hopkins Jr. pleaded guilty to all charges in connection with the Vintage Place neighborhood ambush and was sentenced to life in prison. Sergeant Terrence Carraway and investigator Farrah Turner died in the shooting.

Major Michael Nunn with the Florence Countys Sheriffs Office said the ambush in Charlottle brought back haunting memories.

Nunn said he remembers there was an extensive shootout that took place in an upscale Florence neighborhood, being very reminiscent to what happened in Charlotte.

The entire agency mourns the loss of any police officer, and the state loses a law enforcement officer and theyre all heroes, he said. So, theres a community mourning that takes place as well, not just among the law enforcement community but the public as a whole.

Deputy Jerry Kelly, who is now a school resource officer at Wilson High School, said he and Carraway had plans to go to the movies after their shift that night.

Kelly said the call came in as he was leaving work and he figured Carraway would be there too.

He started checking off gunfire, he was on the drivers side of his patrol car, he moved to the back of the trunk, I looked at him, he looked at me, Kelly said. For some reason, he moved to the passenger side and when I looked back again, thats when he was laying on the ground.

Kelly said hes been an officer for more than 30 years. He said serving a warrant will always be scary because you never know whos on the other side of that door.

Terrence Carraway was a Florence police officer and pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Three weeks after the vintage place shooting, Farrah Turner, a Florence County Sheriffs Office Investigator died.

Kelly said he used to work with Turner, but Carraway was like a big brother to him.

Weve been friends ever since, even when I went to Sumter County, we talked almost every day, Kelly said. He knows my kids, I knew his kid, I mean, we met up throughout the weekend sometimes, we were just tight.

Kelly said Carraway was the reason he moved back to Florence after his mother died. Kelly said he lived with Carraway for six months and he helped him get back on his feet.

He described a call they responded to together.

A homeless guy who was out begging for food, Kelly said. They wanted us to put him in jail for trespassing. Terrance went inside, brought him something to eat and we took him off the property. Stuff like that is what I remember about Terrance, so I try to live my life the same. Here, I do whatever I can to help them.

Charlotte Police Department released a statement regarding the ambush tragedy.

Our department stands alongside you today with the sincerest of gratitude for the heroes who left their mark on this world and for the ones who will bravely continue to serve their community despite the opposition they face, the statement read.

Nunn said incidents like these show how dangerous the nature of law enforcement is.

* * *

Jackie LiBrizzi is a multimedia journalist at News13. Jackie is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, and was raised in Piedmont, South Carolina. Jackie joined the News13 team in June 2023 after she graduated as a student-athlete from the University of South Carolina in May 2023. Follow Jackie on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Floridas six-week abortion ban is in effect on Wednesday, replacing a 15-week ban that was previously upheld by the state Supreme Court.

Its a very important decision to me, said Reginald Hobbs. Its a step in the right direction in creating a culture of life here in the state of Florida.

Hobbs is part of the Tampa Bay Pro-Life Alliance, an anti-abortion group in the area. While he supports the bill, pro-choice supporters condemn it.

There was a 15-week ban, and that was considered pretty extreme, said Christina Diamond, CEO of Ruths List Florida. Now, with a six-week ban, women dont even know that theyre pregnant at six weeks.

The six-week ban was signed into law and supported by Governor Ron DeSantis as the Heartbeat Protection Act. As soon as the states Supreme Court upheld a previously passed 15-week ban in April, that decision meant the more restrictive ban would automatically go into effect 30 days later, which is Wednesday.

What were seeing right now is kind of extreme laws and different laws in every state, said Diamond. So women need to find childcare and travel to other states to receive sometimes life-saving medical care.

This all comes after the fall of Roe vs. Wade at the federal level.

I always thought one of the problems with Roe was that nine unelected judges should not have made this decision, Hobbs said. A very important decision about the life of a preborn child. It should go back to the states.

But the issue is far from over, as both sides are gearing up for a fight in November. After abortion rights advocates got a constitutional amendment on the ballot enshrining Floridians right to an abortion, voters will make the final decision in the fall.

The state now joins many others in the region in sharply restricting abortion access, as state data shows last year, thousands of women traveled to Florida to receive the procedure.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
For nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Florida was the last safe haven for people in need of abortions in the South. As of today, thats no longer true.

Its hard to adequately convey the devastation of a six-week abortion ban taking effect in one of the countrys most populous states.

Last year, one in three abortions in the South happened in Florida. Already this year, 1,300 people have traveled from other states to Florida to access abortion. As of today, if youre more than six weeks pregnant and living in south Florida, the closest abortion clinic will be in Charlotte, North Carolinaa 14-hour drive away. Beyond 12 weeks and youll have to drive 17 hours to Virginia.

Ohios Failed Ballot Measure Shows GOP Is Going Streisand Effect on Abortion Access

But its more than just math stopping people across the country in their tracks today.

Its the reports of clinics being inundated with frantic patients at the beginning of this week, now forced to turn people away. Its the sinking realization that the most personal health decisions are now in the hands of Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Supreme Court. Its the accounts of doctors like the one I met in Louisiana who described the helplessness of talking to patients who couldnt afford to travel hundreds of miles, take time off from work, find childcare, and book a hotel room to access basic health care. Its the knowledge that our daughters have lost a right that goes to the heart of their ability to determine their future.

Its the panic, the fear, and the cruelty.

Whats happening in Florida right nowand what will continue to happen in the coming weeks and monthsis a reminder that this is not some theoretical debate over an abstract issue.

Since Roe was overturned, Americans have been confronted with the very real consequences of abortion bans: child rape victims forced to give birth, miscarrying patients turned away from emergency rooms and told to return when theyre in sepsis, pregnant people forced to undergo unnecessary c-sections rather than receive abortions. In Texas, a young woman died because of the states abortion ban. In Alabama, IVF was put on hold after the state Supreme Court declared embryos to be extrauterine children.

The domino effect doesnt stop there. Floridas six-week abortion banlike similar laws across the countrywill create a drain on health care and education across the state. Again and again, weve seen that obstetricians are being driven out of regions hostile to reproductive health, and its easy to understand whyno doctor wants to live in a state where they cant take care of their patients.

Kari Lake Cant Make Up Her Mind About This 1864 Abortion Ban

Abortion bans are making pregnancy care worse and threatening to exacerbate existing physician shortages, especially in rural areas. Not only that, surveys have found that medical students are less likely to apply for residency in states with abortion bans. And a recent poll found that abortion laws are overwhelmingly impacting high school students decisions about where to go to college, with 84 percent of students reporting that they dont want to be without abortion access at school.

Laws like Floridas dont just affect people who need abortionsthey shape peoples attitudes about whether they would ever consider making a home in these states.

As dire as the situation is for reproductive rights in this country, the truth is, it could get much worse.

This week, Donald Trumpwho not only appointed the three justices necessary to overturn Roe v. Wade and opened the floodgates for whats happening in Florida and beyond, but bragged about itsaid he would support states tracking womens pregnancies and prosecuting people for having abortions, and wouldnt rule out a national abortion ban. The choice between this walking worst-case-scenario and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who are deeply committed to restoring reproductive freedom and rejecting attacks on abortion, is incredibly stark.

Heres the good news (yes, there is good news): Thanks to all of the volunteers and organizers who gathered nearly a million signatures to put the issue on the ballot, Florida voters will have the chance to reject this abortion ban in November.

An overwhelming majority of Floridians (and a majority of Americans!) believe decisions about pregnancy are personal, which is why every time voters have had the chance to weigh in, abortion rights have won. To say the Yes on 4 campaignencouraging voters to support the ballot initiative protecting reproductive rightshas the potential to impact races up and down the ballot in Florida this fall is an understatement.

Florida Voters Will Get to Vote on Hyper-Restrictive Abortion Ban in November

In the meantime, if you live in Florida, you still have options for abortion care.

Abortion providers in-state will continue to provide care before six weeks. After six weeks, you may need to leave the state to get care, or visit PlanCPills.org to get abortion pills by mail. No matter how youre receiving care, abortion funds are here to help pay for your abortion, transportation, and other logistics. If youre not sure where to start, Charley is an abortion chatbot built to provide confidential, accurate, and personalized information about all of your options.

Ive spent a lot of time in Texas and Louisiana since they banned abortion. Which means I can unfortunately say from experience that we have only just begun to see the suffering Floridas six-week abortion ban will cause.

With each new headline and heartbreaking story, Americans have a choice: Are we going to accept this as our nightmarish new reality? Or are we going to channel our righteous fury and do something about it?

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Democrats and abortion-access advocates have been warning for months of an impending voter backlash against Republicans who backed Floridas six-week ban on the procedure. Now, its time to find out whether theyre right or wrong.

The six-week ban, which was quietly signed into law last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis, went into force on Wednesday, formally adding Florida to the list of states that have strictly curtailed abortion access since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade nearly two years ago.

But the abortion debate isnt open and shut in Florida. Voters will have a choice in November: keep the new ban in effect or approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee abortion access before fetal viability  generally understood to be around 24 weeks of pregnancy  or if deemed medically necessary by a patients doctor.

Democrats say they stand to benefit from the ballot measure, known as Amendment 4, in November, believing their position on abortion resonates with a majority of Floridians. Polls show broad support for abortion access among Florida voters, and the issue has proved difficult for Republicans in other states to navigate in recent years.

Nikki Fried, the chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, said that by enacting a six-week ban on the procedure, Republicans have overplayed their hand.

They have completely removed themselves from the reality of what is about to happen here in the state of Florida, Fried told the Miami Herald in an interview on Wednesday. Women are going to die. Women are going to be denied the care they need.

READ MORE: Seven things to know about what Floridas six-week abortion ban means

Floridas 6-week ban maintains exceptions allowing abortions up to 15 weeks in instances of rape and incest, and even later in pregnancy for medical necessity, as determined by doctors. Republicans believe its a policy in line with Floridians values.

But Fried said that the states newly enacted law drastically limits womens access to reproductive health care, not just in Florida, but across the South. Data released in January by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration showed that more abortions were performed in Florida last year than in 2022  an increase driven by a 15% jump in the number of out-of-state residents who had an abortion in Florida.

With Florida joining other states that have either eliminated or drastically limited abortion access, the Sunshine State will no longer be a refuge for women seeking to have the procedure, Fried said. She said that, for the next six months, it will be the job of Democrats to connect the dots between Floridas new abortion ban and the Republicans who paved the way for it.

DeSantis signed a near-total abortion ban. Heres what those directly affected think of it

You cant go into the voting booth and vote for enshrining abortion rights into our constitution and then vote for legislators and congressmen and U.S. senators who would just strip away your right, she said.

Beyond the political debate, Dr. Chelsea Daniels, an abortion provider at Planned Parenthood in Miami, said that the new six-week ban has already had impacts on her patients.

In the weeks before the law took effect, Daniels said that she and other abortion providers worked overtime to see as many patients as possible. As of Wednesday, however, she said she has begun referring patients to clinics in states with looser abortion restrictions, like North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.

We are really on the ground seeing that patients are panicked, theyre terrified, Daniels said. All morning Ive been in conversations with patients  who are extremely early in pregnancy and are still not able to receive necessary care here.

But she noted that, for many patients, traveling several states away to have an abortion isnt an option, because of financial costs and logistical hurdles. She said that sending women elsewhere also creates a burden on clinics in other states that arent equipped to handle a sudden influx of patients.

There is no single state and no single clinic that can possibly accommodate all of Florida, she said.

Democrats highlight Floridas new law

Democrats are going all-in on the abortion debate as they look to claw back some semblance of political power in Florida, where Republicans now hold every statewide elected office, as well as supermajorities in the state Legislature.

Speaking in Jacksonville on Wednesday afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris pinned Floridas new abortion law squarely on former President Donald Trump. She warned that, if he wins another term in the White House, Trump would move to ban access to the procedure nationally, though the former president has said he supports leaving abortion policy to the states.

Donald Trump has told us who he is, Harris told a crowd at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. So heres what a second Trump term looks like: more bans, more suffering and less freedom. But we are not going to let that happen, because you see we trust women. We trust women to know what is in their own best interest. And women trust all of us to fight to protect their most fundamental freedoms.

Harris said that Trump thinks he can take Florida for granted, but insisted that the political momentum is on the side of Democrats and abortion access advocates.

This November, up and down the ballot, reproductive freedom is on the ballot, Harris said. And you, the leaders, you, the people, have the power to protect it with your vote.

Her remarks came just over a week after President Joe Biden campaigned in Tampa on the same message. It also followed a flurry of activity from the Democratic National Committee surrounding the enactment of Floridas six-week abortion ban.

The group placed billboards across the state  in English and in Spanish  blaming Trump for Floridas abortion ban. The DNC is also flying a banner above Trumps Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach on Wednesday, reading: Trumps plan: ban abortion, punish women.

Trump, a Florida resident whos seeking to return to the White House, has repeatedly taken credit for appointing the U.S. Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. A spokesperson for Trumps campaign did not respond to the Heralds request for comment on Wednesday.

While Democrats see Floridas new abortion ban and Amendment 4 as a potential political boon, the ballot measure is already drawing stiff opposition. Republicans and anti-abortion advocates have cast the amendment as an extreme proposal that would effectively allow abortions up until birth. Proponents of the ballot measure have rejected that claim.

READ MORE: DeSantis says ballot proposal allows abortion until birth. Heres what you should know

DeSantis has said that he will oppose Amendment 4, which he has described as radical and going far beyond what most Floridians are comfortable with. He predicted during a bill signing last month that the ballot measure would fall short of the 60% support it will need in November in order to pass.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who is up for reelection this year, is among the Republicans facing fierce criticism from Democrats over his abortion stance. He has previously said that he would have signed the six-week ban into law if he were still Florida governor, and previously co-sponsored legislation that would establish a national 20-week prohibition on abortions.

In a recent interview with the Herald, Scott said that abortion access should be left to state governments to decide, but argued that Amendment 4 was far from a consensus choice for Floridians and would be rejected by voters. He suggested that a 15-week abortion ban would be more appropriate.

If you look at where the consensus is in our state, the consensus isnt even close to where the Democrats are, Scott said. The consensus is around 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.

For now, the fate of abortion access in Florida is unclear. Recent polls show that while more voters back Amendment 4 than oppose it, its still short of the 60% support it will need to pass in November.

READ MORE: Do Florida Hispanics support the marijuana and abortion amendments? What the polls say

Still, Democrats say that similar proposals have passed in other parts of the country  including staunchly Republican states like Kansas and Ohio  when put before voters, arguing that abortion access isnt a partisan issue.

In state after state, when the decision is in the hands of the people, they have chosen to reject government interference, Florida state House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said. For the people, this isnt a Democrat vs. Republican fight. The majority of people, including Republicans, Democrats and NPA voters, all agree that access to abortions should be protected.
The place to be earlier this month in Central Florida was the 242-seat Planned Parenthood Orlando Benefit Dinner, a pink-and-black themed event titled Brave. It even had a waiting list.

It was the whos who of Central Florida, Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando), who attended the April 18 fundraiser, told The Daily Beast. It was a sold-out event.

The dinner did not feature a celebrity speaker like other recent Planned Parenthood events in the areaactress Amber Tamblyn keynoted a dinner in Sarasota and author Judy Blume headlined one in West Palm Beachor raise as much as a Naples soiree in February that raked in a million bucks.

But with a six-week abortion ban about to take effect in Florida, checkbooks were definitely open in affluent Winter Park that night and the event raised a record-breaking $400,000.

This six-week abortion ban is not only devastating, but its a reality check for many who have historically been on the sidelines, thinking that we would never get to this point, Eskamani said.

The reality of a near-total abortion ban is going to be felt by all, especially as more stories of women being unable to access care become public. This has already resulted in the philanthropic stepping up their engagement.

The new law banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancywith exceptions for rape, incest, and human traffickingtook effect Wednesday. It replaces a 15-week ban and includes a 24-hour waiting period.

Florida State House Representative Anna Eskamani (D). Octavio Jones/Reuters

Florida is the third state to impose a six-week ban, joining South Carolina and Georgia. There are now just three states in the SouthDelaware, Maryland, and Virginiawhere abortion remains legal past the first trimester. Fourteen states have total abortion bans.

After Wednesday, the closest state for Florida women to get an abortion is North Carolina, which has a 12-week ban and a 72-hour waiting period, and Virginia, which doesnt have a ban. But the ban also affects women across the state because until now, Florida has been the closest place to get an abortion for women in southern states that enacted earlier bans.

Florida was a safe harbor for abortion access for many many years in the South, Stephanie Loraine Pineiro, executive director of Florida Access Network, told The Daily Beast. Now, were in the apocalypse.

The 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade pre-emptively enacted trigger laws in states like Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky. But Florida still allowed abortion up to 15 weeks.

We saw an even more influx of women from those states, Jessica Hatem, executive director of Emergency Medical Assistance of West Palm Beach, told The Daily Beast.

Florida Voters Will Get to Vote on Hyper-Restrictive Abortion Ban in November

One in three abortions in the South occurred in Florida last year, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that focuses on reproductive rights. That made Florida the second-largest abortion provider behind California, with 84,000 procedures in 2023.

Florida had been seeing patients in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippiand now we arent able to serve them, either, Laura Goodhue, executive director of Florida Planned Parenthood, said.

Kevin Wagner, a political science professor at Florida Atlantic University, said the ban pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis may not be the last word on abortion. Earlier in April, the state Supreme Court approved a ballot measure that would amend the Florida constitution to protect abortion rights up to the point of fetal viabilityor around 24 weeks. Dubbed Amendment 4, it will be on the November ballot and will need support from 60 percent of Florida voters to pass.

According to an April 18 FAU poll of 865 people, 49 percent of respondents said they support Amendment 4, while 19 percent are opposed and another 32 percent did not answer.

The responses, he said, are not surprising given the disjointed nature of Floridas purplish politics and the fact that some residents did not realize the six-week ban was about to be enacted.

Florida is different from the rest of the South, Wagner said. The old political science joke about Florida is basically three states: You have North Florida, which is a lot like Georgia and Alabama. Then theres South Florida, which mimics the Northeast and some people call it the missing borough of New York. And then of course, there's Central Floridaoften tends to be a much more competitive area of the state because it's considerably newer and consists of people that have often moved from other parts of the country. So its a little harder to predict which way they will go.

Stephanie Loraine Pineiro, executive director of Florida Access Network, is banking on the ballot measure to restore some semblance of abortion access but says the movement needs more support.

After Roe fell, her group received $200,000 in individual donations. In this month of April, we have received a quarter of that, she said.

That could change, she thinks, after Floridians realize their abortion rights have been obliterated overnight.

Sometimes, it takes these types of abortion apocalypses for people to realize the abortion impacts all of us and step up, Pineiro said. I suspect that people will be forced to be aware and will respond in monetary donations.

Amber Gavin, vice president of advocacy and operations at an independent abortion clinic with locations in Florida and two other states, said the ban will hurt something many Floridians are worried about: the states bottom line.

It means people fresh out of college wont move to Florida because they wont get the health care they need. There will also be a shortage of OB-GYNs in the state because they will refuse to move somewhere they cant do what they trained for, Gavin said.

Not to mention, health issues and mortality will increase in Florida. Its a compounding issue. Its not just health care, were talking about economics. And speaks to everybody.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN)  A Pensacola man is behind bars in Houston County after investigators alleged he sent several explicit photos of himself to a Dothan child after a phone number mixup.

Charles Micheal Schmaltz, of Pensacola, is charged with 11 counts of transmitting obscene material to a minor and one count of electronic solicitation of a child.

According to Dothan Police, on April 24, a child under 12 in Dothan tried to contact a family member via text; however, the phone number they texted no longer belonged to the family member and instead was now Schmaltzs, who immediately sent an obscene photo of himself to the minor.

Dothan Police spokesperson Lt. Scott Owens says after the minor told Schmaltz they were underage, he continued to send photos, and the minor reported it to the police.

Lt. Owens tells WDHN that throughout the investigation, Schmaltz continually sent obscene photos and tried to solicit the minor for sexual acts.

On Tuesday, April 30, authorities in Escambia County, Florida, arrested Schmaltz at his home in Pensacola, and he was transported to Dothan to face the charges. He is being held in the Houston County Jail with a $330,000 bond on the 11 counts of transmitting obscene material to a minor and no bond for the one count of electronic solicitation of a child.

Due to the victims age and the sensitive nature of the investigation, police have released no further information.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com.
Police and sheriff's departments across Florida spent thousands of dollars sending officers to training conferences that have been banned in nine other states after being accused of promoting unconstitutional tactics and glorifying violence.

Reason obtained invoices through public records requests showing that a dozen of Florida's largest law enforcement agencies spent $31,377 on training seminars hosted by Street Cop Training, a New Jersey-based company, between 2020 and 2023.

The company has been under intense scrutiny since the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller issued a scathing report in December detailing a 2021 Street Cop Training conference in Atlantic City where instructors made discriminatory and unprofessional remarks. At the conference, one instructor flashed a picture of a monkey when talking about an elderly black man, and the founder of the company said that refusing to consent to a police search was justification for prolonging an investigation. Since then, New Jersey has ordered retraining for all officers who attended Street Cop conferences, and the company has declared bankruptcy.

The Florida invoices shed light on Street Cop's foothold in one of the most populous states. Despite the turbulent times for the company, it is soldiering on in the Sunshine State. As Florida Today's John Torres noted in a recent op-ed, Orlando is hosting the 2024 Street Cop Conference this week.

Not only that, but Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey is a speaker at the conference.

Torres noted with disdain that taxpayers were footing the bill to send officers to these conferences.

"Locally, at least one Melbourne officer is attending the training with the department paying for it," Torres wrote. "Palm Bay and Cocoa have none and the Brevard County Sheriff's Department did not respond to my inquiry about how many deputies were attending. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement could not tell me how many officers were attending."

It would probably not surprise Torres to learn that the Brevard County Sheriff's Office spent the most out of any agency that has so far responded to Reason's records requests. Street Cop invoices to the agency total $7,825 between 2020 and 2023.

The next biggest spender was the Osceola County Sheriff's Office with $7,085, followed by the Seminole County Sheriff's Department at $6,604.

Six Florida Highway Patrol officers attended Street Cop training seminars during that time period, according to records.

To compile this report, Reason filed 28 public records requests to the largest police departments and sheriff's offices in Florida. Nine agencies said they had no responsive records. Seven requests are still pending, including from populous jurisdictions such as Broward and Orange County.

Street Cop Training was founded in 2012 by Dennis Benigno, a former New Jersey police officer. It runs training conferences for thousands of police officers around the country, but flew under the radar until New Jersey Comptroller Kevin Walsh's December report. The report documented dozens upon dozens of lewd and discriminatory remarks by instructors and comments glorifying violence.

More concerning than the constant middle-school jokes about penis size, though, were the substance of the presentations. For example, Benigno and other instructors at the Atlantic City conference insisted that refusing to consent to a search of one's vehiclea constitutional right under the Fourth Amendmentwas suspicious and should be used as justification for prolonging a search or detention.

The comptroller investigation found that there was "an entire section of Benigno's training during the Conference dedicated to an 'I Do Not Consent Game,' during which Benigno shows a montage of people refusing consent in an attempt to illustrate that a motorist's refusal to consent is a suspicious factor that justifies further prolonging an investigative detention."

The comptroller's office found that multiple instructors told officers to use a "reasonable suspicion" checklist to decide whether to find a reason to pull someone over or extend a traffic stop. The checklist included a long list of vague and contradictory behavior, including the driver not looking at a police car when passing, looking too long at a police car when passing, wearing a hat, removing a hat when an officer approaches, looking back at their vehicle, leaning against their vehicle, smoking, stretching or yawning, and licking their lips.

"Because none of these factors are more consistent with guilt than innocence, a stop based on a combination of those factors alonewithout some additional factor that suggests criminalitywould be unconstitutional," the New Jersey Comptroller's Office concluded.

Benigno also mocked people who record the police during traffic stops, saying that person was about to "get pepper sprayed, fucking tased, windows broken out, motherfucker." Recording the police is a First Amendment right.

One Street Cop instructor in Louisiana livestreamed himself shooting at a fleeing vehicle and later bragged about it at the Atlantic City conference. "Run from me, somewhere along the chase becomes, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow," he said. The deputy has since been charged with illegal discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice.

The report found that at least New Jersey spent at least $75,000 in public funds sending officers to the Atlantic City conference.

Benigno said in the wake of the report that he was tightening professional standards for the conferences and making other changes, but he denied that the company promoted unconstitutional tactics.

In a lengthy statement to Florida news outlet WESH last week, Benigno said in part: "The context of the Fourth Amendment training at the October conference and the implications that the training was unconstitutional is completely baseless. Officers in attendance have already completed police academy and understand the context in which the training is provided."

Not all of the public records identify which seminars officers attended, but at least some of them involved traffic stops and interdiction. One officer from the Tallahassee Police Department attended a 2021 Street Cop Training class titled "identifying criminal vehicles and occupants," and a Duval County Sheriff's deputy attended "interdiction mastermind."

The Volusia Sheriff's Office paid for five deputies to attend seminars that included "unmasking facial expressions" and "body language for law enforcement."

The ability to reliably detect lies or guilt by reading facial expressions and body language has never been replicated in controlled studies. It's pseudo-science, but it has nevertheless remained popular among law enforcement because it gives officers a wide-ranging and often contradictory list of cues to confirm their suspicions. (Walsh's report also notes that "some other controversial factors [on the checklist] are observing 'micro-expressions' as taught through free online videos and assessing 'blink rate.'")

The controversy over Street Cop Training has led some Florida sheriff's offices to distance themselves from the company.

A spokesperson for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office says none of its members will be presenting or attending this year. The Volusia County Sheriff also told local media that he wouldn't be sending deputies to the conference.

Meanwhile, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey remains a staunch defender of the company.

"This is all a bunch of crap," Ivey said of Walsh's report.

Ivey was a paid consultant at a Street Cop conference last year in Nashville.

The post Florida Police Departments Spent Thousands on Training Seminars Banned in 9 States appeared first on Reason.com.
Clinics, patients and abortion rights activists in Florida are bracing for the impact of a new law that will transform the state overnight from one with the fewest restrictions for the procedure in the South to a place where it will be all but banned.

The six-week abortion law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year and confirmed by the Florida Supreme Court earlier this month takes effect Wednesday. In the days leading up to the ban, clinics have seen a surge in demand. Meanwhile, advocates have started getting the word out on how to access abortion pills by mail.

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People are scrambling to get in before the deadline, said Kelly Flynn, the president and chief executive of A Womans Choice, a network of abortion clinics. Were telling them, Hey, its going to be busy. We dont want them to walk in blindsided.

The laws enactment and an abortion referendum that will be put before Florida voters in November have turned the Sunshine State into one of the most consequential battlegrounds for womens reproductive rights since the fall of Roe v. Wade.

Last year, more than 84,000 people got abortions in Florida, more than in almost any other state. Many of those patients traveled from other states in the South where strict abortion laws were enacted following the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision upending access to the procedure.

Floridas strict new ban will leave women in the South with ever fewer options: The closest abortion clinic for someone living at Floridas southernmost tip will be a 14-hour drive away in Charlotte. A patient whose pregnancy has progressed beyond 12 weeks, the point at which North Carolina bans abortion, will have to drive 17 hours, to southern Virginia.

Meanwhile, a Florida Supreme Court ruling authorizing a referendum on whether to enshrine abortion rights in the states constitution has re-energized what was expected to be a chronicle of a presidential election foretold. Democrats in the state, which has increasingly veered right, see abortion as a winning issue in November.

President Bidens reelection campaign has already begun directing its attention at Florida. The president visited Tampa last week, blaming former president Donald Trump for the overturning of Roe. Biden noted that abortion rights initiatives in other states have been successful, adding, this November, you can add Florida to that list.

Vice President Harris is scheduled to appear in Jacksonville on Wednesday for a speech about abortion bans.

If you want to protect democracy and freedom across the entire country, then you have to come to the belly of the beast, which is here, in the state of Florida, Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, said Tuesday. Democrats have been on that front line.

The Trump campaign has reiterated the former presidents comments that the issue should be left up to the states.

DeSantis on Tuesday called the six-week ban a noble effort, and praised the state Supreme Court for approving the measure. He said the court dropped the ball by allowing the amendment to codify abortion access in the state constitution.

He also said hes not worried about Democrats making abortion a focus of election efforts in Florida.

I welcome Biden-Harris to spend a lot of money in Florida. Light up the airwaves. Do it. Light it on fire, DeSantis said at a news conference in Tampa. We are fine with you doing that here. But I can confidently predict that youll see Republican victories not just at the top of the ticket, but up and down the ballot.

Democratic State Rep. Anna Eskamani has been warning her constituents for months about the consequences of the new law, and on Monday she posted advice from the group Progress Florida on how people can navigate the ban. They include tips on how to get abortion pills by mail, where to find legal help, and a link to a website chatbot named Charley that says I can help you get or manage an abortion.

Eskamani said the abortion landscape in Florida is horrifying for both people in the state and those who would have traveled there for the procedure.

This is by far one of the cruelest abortion bans in the country, said Eskamani, a former senior director at Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida.

The new abortion ban includes exceptions for rape, incest and human trafficking, but requires supporting documents from doctors or law enforcement agencies in those cases, and is only legal up to 15 weeks. The new law also makes exceptions for fatal fetal anomalies, so long as the pregnancy has not advanced to the third trimester.

An abortion can also be performed beyond six weeks if a womans life is at risk, or in the event that she faces a substantial and irreversible physical impairment.

The law could, in theory, could be in effect for less than a year. If 60 percent of voters approve the abortion referendum in November, it would take effect in January and obviate the six-week ban. To reach the 60 percent mark, referendum supporters will need to enlist the support of Republicans and those not affiliated with any party. Democrats make up about 32 percent of the states voters.

In the final days before the six-week ban takes effect, clinics across Florida were expanding their hours to see as many patients as possible.

At a clinic in the Fort Lauderdale area, director Eileen Diamond has been frantically calling patients who did not show up for their appointments last week. Diamond knows women frequently cancel or dont show up because they dont yet have enough money to cover the cost of the procedure - and now shes worried some might not know they have a deadline.

Im calling then, reminding them about the law, said Diamond, who works at Benjamin Surgical Services International. When she cant reach someone, she said, it feels very debilitating.

I feel like this might have been their last chance to get an abortion, she said.

Many patients just hearing about the law for the first time are shocked, she added.

Theyll say, I knew it was coming. I just didnt know it was now.

Supporters of the new law say theyre relieved that a ban on most abortions is about to become a reality.

Its a fantastic milestone, and were extremely grateful for it, said Aaron DiPietro, legislative political director for Florida Family Action, which has lobbied for the ban for years. But I think, just as in any civil rights movement, its just the next step.

In the lead-up to the referendum vote, DiPietro said his group and others will argue to Florida voters that the proposed amendment is deceptive and out of touch with the vast majority of Floridians.

Health care providers are continuing to work up to the last minute before the ban kicks in. A Womans Choice in Jacksonville had between 70 and 80 patients on the schedule for Monday, said Flynn, the head of the abortion clinics network.

The clinic usually sees between 10 and 15 patients a day.

Flynns network includes locations in North Carolina and Danville, Va. - where she expects to see an immediate spike in patient traffic.

Were going to find a way to make this work. My staff has even said, Well, what if we worked Sundays? said Flynn. Were just going to do our best.

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Florida school officer arrested after 3-year-old son shot himself with her gun

Florida school officer arrested after 3-year-old son shot himself with her gun

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A Florida school police officer was arrested Sunday after her 3-year-old son accidentally shot himself with her gun inside their home.

The mother, and Miami-Dade Schools Police officer, Stephanie Jerez, was charged with child neglect with great bodily harm, the Homestead Police Department said.

According to NBC affiliate WTVJ, Jerez was preparing food at their home when the child found the firearm and shot himself in the foot shortly before 2 p.m.

The 3-year-old was airlifted to a Kendall hospital, where is reportedly in stable condition.

When deputies arrived, they found the gun on a kitchen counter with a large amount of blood nearby, WTVJ reported. The firearm was personally owned and not her service weapon, Homestead Police confirmed.

No clothes? No problem: Nude cruise to set sail from Florida next year

The Homestead Police Department takes cases involving child endangerment very seriously, and we are committed to ensuring the safety and well being of all children in our community, the department said in the statement. The Homestead Police Department urges all gun owners to securely store firearms and to educate themselves and their families about gun safety.

Jerez was relieved of her duty pending the outcome of the investigation, Miami-Dade County Public Schools said in a statement to WTVJ.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is aware of a non-school related incident involving a Miami-Dade Schools Police officer that occurred over the weekend. The officer has been arrested by the Homestead Police Department. The Miami-Dade Schools Police Department has relieved the officer of duty pending the outcome of the investigation, the statement read, according to WTVJ.

Man breaks into Palm Harbor home, kills exs mother, then himself, deputies say

Jerez appeared in court on Monday, where a judge set her bond at $5,000. She was also barred from using, purchasing, or possessing firearms or ammunition, unless its work-related, according to the station.

Stephanie Jerezs son is recovering well. The judicial system and police department will understand that this is a tragedy that does not require additional punishment, Jerezs defense attorney, Robert C. Buschel, said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Floridas ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect on Wednesday, setting up the state as a major battleground over reproductive rights in the 2024 election.

The law, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis last year, will replace the existing 15-week ban in the state. The 15-week ban took effect earlier this year after a decision by Floridas supreme court.

The state now joins its neighbors Alabama and Georgia in having one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country.

Many women in Florida were scrambling to get appointments at clinics before the ban took effect, with doctors working to accomodate as many as possible, NPR reported.

"We're going to do everything we can to provide that care for as long as we're legally allowed to do so, Dr Chelsea Daniels, a clinician with Planned Parenthood of Miami, said.

Abortion rights advocates gather to launch their 'Yes On 4' campaign with a march and rally against the six-week abortion ban ahead of November 5, when Florida voters will decide on whether there should be a right to abortion in the state, in Orlando, Florida, U.S. April 13, 2024 (REUTERS)

The ban now means that women in Florida will have to travel hundreds of miles for an abortion after six weeks. The closest state with looser restrictions is North Carolina, which has a 12-week ban.

At six weeks, many women do not know they are pregnant. Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that roughly a third of all abortions take place during the first six weeks of the pregnancy.

Loopholes in the new Florida law will allow for abortions in cases of rape or incest until 15 weeks, or to save the life of a patient. But opponents argue that even in such drastic cases, such a law adds a layer of uncertainty and fear to medical decisions that will harm women in both the short, and long-term.

Democrats are expected to make the abortion ban front and center of their appeals to Florida voters ahead of elections later this year.

President Biden traveled to Florida last month to campaign with fellow Democrats against the GOP-led abortion ban.

One of those Florida Democrats is Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, who spoke about the ban coming into effect withThe Independent on Tuesday.

If you want to understand what Donald Trump means when he says hes going to leave it to the states, the Maga extremist abortion ban that begins tomorrow is going to be a near total abortion ban that will put the judges, politicians and the governments in the middle of deeply personal healthcare decision, she said.

President Joe Biden, pictured in Tampa on 23 April. He traveled to campaign against GOP-led abortion restrictions alongside Democrats in the state (Getty Images)

Republicans seem to have been caught off-guard by the overturn of Roe vs Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision protecting abortion rights.

The party has yet to coalesce around whether or not to pursue an abortion ban at the national level. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, and others facing tough races this fall, have begun backing away from more restrictive bans and legislation pushed by conservatives.

The former president has come out against national legislation banning abortion amid questions of whether he would sign such a bill into law.

In an interview published on Tuesday with Time Magazine, Mr Trump backed away from some of the extreme GOP positions on abortion, and argued that his opposition to Roe stemmed from the federal standard it set for all states to follow.

You dont need a federal ban. We just got out of the federal. You know, if you go back on Roe v. Wade, Roe v. Wade was all aboutit wasn't about abortion so much as bringing it back to the states, he said.

Mr Trump also denied that a national abortion ban was politically possible in the current moment.

You have to remember this: There will never be that chance because it won't happen, he told Time. You're never going to have 60 votes [in the Senate]. You're not going to have it for many, many years, whether it be Democrat or Republican.

The White House condemned the Florida law upon its passage in April 2023.

This ban would prevent four million Florida women of reproductive age from accessing abortion care after six weeks  before many women even know theyre pregnant, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last year.

This ban would also impact the nearly 15 million women of reproductive age who live in abortion-banning states throughout the South, many of whom have previously relied on travel to Florida as an option to access care.

Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried told The Independent in April that the fight for abortion rights in the state will be central to their messaging in 2024. Though Floridas race for governor is not taking place this year, the state is home to a key Senate race as Republican Rick Scott seeks to defend his seat.

Ms Fried described the Democrats message in Florida as centred on the three As: affordability, accountability and abortion.

All eyes are back on Florida, she said. We think that because of all of the moments that were in at this time  were going to be able to not only be competitive but to be able to flip a lot more seats in a lot more areas than people would have expected.
Florida woman accused of chucking machete at neighbor who complained she was being too loud

Florida woman accused of chucking machete at neighbor who complained she was being too loud

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A Florida woman was arrested after she chucked a machete at one of her neighbors faces after they asked her to keep the noise down, Lee County deputies said.

According to NBC affiliate WBBH, neighbor Jamie Dos Santos was trying to sleep on Monday night when he heard his neighbors partying outside of their home in south Fort Myers.

Man charged with murder after girlfriend found dead in St. Pete garage

Dos Santos said he went out and asked his neighbor, identified as 44-year-old Ruby Mancha, to lower the volume since it was midnight.

Ruby or the girl over here decided that she didnt like that I said put earplugs in and go back in my house, Dos Santos told WBBH. There were a couple beer bottles thrown at me, a couple open can beers that were splashed on me and my trailer.

After approaching Mancha, Dos Santos said she grabbed a machete and swung it towards his face. He said it wouldve struck him had he not ducked out of the way. Instead, it hit his trailer, causing damage.

I dont know where it came from, he added. She was standing here arguing with me, she grabbed it from somewhere and just flung it, you know what I think it was, I think it was from the banana tree.

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Mancha called 911 herself, but after officials reviewed security camera footage, they arrested her on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.

I dont think her intent was to kill me but she couldve took my eye or gashed my head, Dos Santos told WBBH.

Deputies said Mancha went hysterical during the arrest and had to put shackles on her legs as they transported her to a nearby jail.

I dont want her around no more, shes dangerous and she cant control her temper when shes drinking, Dos Santos said. So Im good with Ruby, she can stay up the street.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
HANOI, Vietnam, April 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 25 April 2024, Evermos, a connected commerce platform that provides distribution networks and integrated commerce services, is proud to announce its achievement in achieving a Gold position in the Women Empowerment category at The Global CSR & ESG Summit and Awards 2024. This recognition reflects Evermos' commitment to empowering women, through its programs that support their economic independence, especially for women who live in areas with minimal employment opportunities, by providing employment opportunities, encouraging them to become business owners, and providing free access to entrepreneurship training.

Andika Dwi Saputra, Head of ESG & Sustainability at Evermos, presents about the company's women empowerment initiatives during The Global CSR & ESG Awards Summit.

The Global CSR & ESG Summit and Awards 2024 is recognized as Asia's leading awards highlighting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. This event gives appreciation to companies that show dedication in implementing ethical values and making positive contributions to society and the environment.

"We are very grateful for the opportunity that The Global CSR & ESG Summit and Awards 2024 has provided to mark an important milestone in Evermos' journey to empower women," said Ilham Taufiq, Co-founder & Acting CEO of Evermos. "Women's empowerment is an integral part of Evermos. More than 70% of our resellers are women, and some of them live in rural areas. Through Evermos, these women have easier access to job opportunities, entrepreneurship training, and become business owners with affordable capital."

"At Evermos, we believe in the power of diversity and inclusion. Therefore, we are dedicated to creating an environment where women can thrive and make meaningful contributions," explained Andika Dwi Saputra, Head of ESG & Sustainability at Evermos. "This is realized through a number of programs implemented by Evermos, both for resellers, SME entrepreneurs, and women employees, such as providing working capital specialized for women SME entrepreneurs, free training programs for women resellers, as well as company policies towards women employees through office facilities and granting menstrual or maternity leave with enough time to accommodate their needs."

Evermos' commitment to women's empowerment not only shows the company's dedication to promoting gender equality and inclusivity, but also contributes to sustainable development goals. This award also underlines the work that Evermos still needs to do to empower more women, so they can have an impact on Indonesia's economic progress. This award also adds to Evermos' growing list of achievements, strengthening its position as a key player in developing a local entrepreneurial ecosystem that is inclusive and empowers women.

Story continues

About Evermos

Evermos is a connected commerce platform that empowers local brands and underserved communities by providing a distribution network and commerce services focused on curated halal products. It is also a one-stop platform offering comprehensive support services for entrepreneurs, ranging from local brand owners, resellers, to pro sellers. Various free entrepreneurship training programs are available for anyone within the Evermos reseller network to support their success, regardless of gender, educational background, geographic location, or income level.

Established in November 2018, Evermos has built the largest reseller-based connected commerce network in Indonesia, with over 165,000 active sellers across the country and 1,600 MSME (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) partners. To date, Evermos has received numerous industry awards, including the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch award in the Asia-Pacific region, the UN Women 2022 Indonesian Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) award, Nikkei Awards winner 2024, and membership in the global Endeavor Entrepreneur network. Evermos is also a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Innovators Community, an invitation-only group of the most promising startup and scale-up companies worldwide at the forefront of technological innovation and ethical business models.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/evermos-wins-gold-position-from-the-global-csr--esg-summit-and-awards-2024-in-the-womens-empowerment-category-302132454.html

SOURCE Evermos
Florida's 6-week abortion ban is now in effect. Here's how the law affects access to the procedure in the Southeast.

A strict new abortion law goes into effect Wednesday in Florida that prohibits women from undergoing the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy.

In order for the six-week ban to take effect, the Florida Supreme Court first had to uphold the states current 15-week ban on the procedure challenged by abortion rights groups, which it did earlier this month. It then started the clock on a 30-day countdown for the six-week ban to take effect, which brings us to May 1.

Until July 2022, when the 15-week abortion ban signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis took effect, abortions in Florida were legal until about 24 weeks of pregnancy.

 What Floridas six-week abortion ban law says

The newly enacted law bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Many women dont even realize theyre pregnant at that point, which is why many abortion rights advocates say the law amounts to a near total ban on abortion.

Under the legislation, the state also requires women to undergo two in-person visits with an abortion provider 24 hours apart before they are allowed to obtain an abortion.

Doctors will no longer be able to prescribe medication that induces an abortion via telemedicine, and the new law effectively outlaws abortion medication being sent through the mail.

There are some exceptions to the abortion restrictions in the new law, including when the mothers life is in danger, or if theres a fetal abnormality. And there are abortion exceptions until 15 weeks of pregnancy in cases of rape, incest and human trafficking, but women will have to provide proof, whether it be a police report, medical record or court order. Such requirements can pose a steep barrier for those seeking an abortion under those circumstances, as two-thirds of victims dont ever report those incidents, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).

Under the new law, medical providers also face criminal penalties if they violate any part of the 6-week abortion ban.

 Why it matters beyond Florida

Florida, the third most populous state in the U.S., had become a major abortion access point in the Southeast after widespread abortion bans and restrictions took hold in neighboring states following the Supreme Courts June 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Florida performed 15,000 more abortions than expected in the first 15 months following the fall of Roe, according to data in the WeCount report released in February by the Society of Family Planning.

The state has about 50 abortion clinics and performed about 84,000 abortions last year, with about 8,000 of them for women traveling from out of state, according to state health care data.

We don't want to be an abortion tourism destination, said DeSantis, who approved the six-week ban last year prior to his presidential run.

Now that the law has gone into effect, doctors in Florida will face difficult choices.

It will be up to doctors to interpret the new law, and that can lead to denied care, Dr. Robyn Schickler, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. These laws tie our hands and put us in a position where we cant just look at providing care from a medical perspective; now we have to consider it legally as well, she said.

Neighboring states like Georgia and South Carolina have also enacted six-week abortion bans, while Alabama has a complete ban on the procedure.

As of May 1, women in Florida and neighboring states who are more than six weeks pregnant and are seeking an abortion may have to travel as far as Virginia or New Mexico to obtain one.

 Whats next

In November, however, Florida voters will be given the opportunity to undo the six-week abortion ban. They will be asked to weigh in on a ballot initiative to amend the state constitution so as to guarantee access to an abortion through 24 weeks of pregnancy.

In order for the amendment to pass, it will require 60% approval from voters. If it does pass, it would take effect in January 2025.
Shrimper Keo Nguyen displays a sample of wild caught Gulf of Mexico shrimp while on his boat docked east of Lake Borgne prior to bringing it to a seafood market Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

The Louisiana Senate approved a bill Tuesday that would usher in new labeling and licensing requirements for companies that import foreign seafood into the state.

Senate Bill 62, sponsored by Sen. Mike Fesi, R-Houma, cleared the chamber with unanimous support and will head to the House for consideration.

Fesis proposal would adopt new sanitation and labeling laws to prevent processors from misrepresenting foreign seafood as domestic with deceptive packaging that exploits Louisiana cultural references and images. Any imported or commingled seafood product would be required to clearly state the country of origin on its packaging, and commingled products would need to clearly indicate the percentages of imported and domestic catch.

An influx of cheap foreign seafood has flooded the market in Louisiana, and most restaurants in the state choose to serve imported shrimp and crawfish to patrons who are either oblivious to it or mistakenly believe theyre eating local fare, according to the Louisiana Shrimp Association. The effects have decimated a local industry and unique Louisiana culture while also potentially introducing harmful contaminants into the food supply.

Because federal inspectors test only a tiny fraction of seafood imports, Louisiana officials have tried to supplement the effort with their own screening. Fesis bill would use the states commercial seafood permit fees to let the Louisiana Department of Health conduct more inspections and testing of seafood processing plants and levy fines for violations. There are 58 permitted wholesalers of imported seafood in the state.

The proposal also makes changes to the states current licensing structure for commercial seafood dealers. It divides the permits into classifications for domestic seafood processors, imported seafood processors and a separate one for seafood distributors involved in transporting, storing and selling products that come from processors.

Under current law, the health department charges commercial seafood permit fees between $150 and $500 per year depending on the companys gross revenues. It also collects an additional $100 annual seafood safety fee from processors and distributors who import seafood from foreign countries. But the fees are not nearly enough to cover the cost of the departments screening efforts.

Two separate House proposals address that funding shortfall with new fee structures. Both are pending consideration from the Senate Committee on Natural Resources.

Sen. Mark Abraham, R-Lake Charles, who spoke in support of Fesis bill, said the current funding would allow for only slightly more testing than what the state currently does.

We know that restaurants serve more imported seafood than domestic, Abraham said. Thats a fact.

Testing in the United States is far behind that of Europe, which tests 50% of the foreign catch brought into its ports, Abraham said.

Sometimes were the dumping ground, he said. Maybe from this bill, we can lead the rest of the country  Let America know that in Louisiana  we make sure our seafood is safe.

Fesi told his colleagues he reached a compromise with the Louisiana Restaurant Association, which initially opposed the bill because its members benefit financially from serving cheap foreign seafood. In a later interview, he said it took a lot of work to get the restaurateurs on board with his legislation, which had been sidelined in the Senate for several weeks.

The compromise included an amendment that lowered the fines from $5,000 to $1,000 for a first offense, from $10,000 to $2,500 for a second offense, and from $15,000 to $5,000 for a third offense.

Its a balancing act, Abraham said. We want our seafood to be safe in Louisiana. If its domestic, we want it to stay domestic.

The post Dealers of foreign seafood could face new labeling, licensing rules appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
Forget spelling: This Johnson County bee was about civility in our political process

Knowing how many justices serve on the Supreme Court might mean big bucks for a civics-savvy student on May 9.

Three Johnson County middle-schoolers are among 12 students vying for cash prizes and the title of Kansas Civics Bee champion in Wichita.

Civics is very important to democracy, said Pranjal Adhikari, an eighth-grader at Lakewood Middle School. Citizenship means keeping yourself informed and society functioning.

Pranjal is competing along with Rishaan Panchal, a sixth-grader at Lakewood, and Caleb Bonnema, a seventh-grader at Blue Valley Middle School.

Rishaan placed first, Pranjal second and Caleb third in the Johnson County Civics Bee at the end of April. The state winner advances to the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C., in the fall.

This was the first year for the civics bee in Kansas and the contest was open to all middle-school students. The Johnson County bee was sponsored by the Overland Park Chamber Foundation.

The students were selected based on 500-word essays they wrote identifying a problem in their community and suggesting solutions.

For example, Equitable access to health care  everyone deserves this, Rishaan said about his topic. Rural areas are especially hard hit, he explained, and would benefit from free clinics staffed by volunteer medical students.

Topics students chose included affordable housing, juvenile vaping, mental health awareness and antisemitism.

How well-informed the students were about government and American history was tested in a live competition at Johnson County Community College. Contestants were asked questions such as, Who becomes president if the both the president and the vice president can no longer serve?

In the first two rounds of the bee, eight students answered 20 questions on electronic tablets.

Students werent the only ones tested.

During the contest, members of the audience heard the question and saw the question and four multiple-choice answers on a projector screen on the stage. They were able to play along on their cell phones and like the students, spectators had only 30 seconds to choose the correct response.

The top five students advanced to the third round, discussed their essays and answered questions from judges.

Who would oppose access to healthcare? A judge asked Rishaan.

Not really oppose it, but others things might seem more important, especially in urban areas, Rishaan answered. My target is the rural areas.

As the first-place winner, Rishaan was awarded $500. At second place, Pranjal received $250 and Caleb, $125 for third place. First place at state is worth $1,000.

Hosting the first National Civics Bee competition in our area was important to us, said Kevin M. Walker, executive vice president of the Overland Park Chamber. We have talked frequently about the need for civics education and more civility in our political process.

The National Civics Bee emphasizes the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and encourages students to become involved in their communities. The Johnson County winners will compete with students who won bees in Hutchinson, Pittsburg and Wichita, for a total of 12 contestants.

The National Civics Bee was initiated by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation as a way to help students become effective citizens, to increase support for democracy and to combat polarization.

The more knowledgeable you become, the more tolerant you can be of other points of view, said Hilary Crow, vice president of civics at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Involving parents in the audience to play along was deliberate.

There has been a multi-generational decline in civics knowledge, Crow said.

When STEM gained popularity, federal funds were channeled to science, technology, engineering and math and away from civics education. For $60 of federal funds to STEM, Crow said, 50 cents goes to civics.

The National Civics Bee concept was tested in five states in 2022. In 2023, nine states participated and in 2024, 28 states.

Our goal is to be in all 50 states by 2026 in time for Americas 250th birthday, Crow said.
Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, who served in that job for Presidents George H.W. Bush and Donald Trump, said neither Trump nor President Joe Biden were fit to serve as president, but he would vote the Republican ticket in November. (Tim Carpenter | Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA, Kansas.  Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr said the disappointing nomination of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden for president of the United States would compel voters to make a decision about which of two unfit candidates would be the lesser evil during the next four years in the White House.

Barr, a conservative Republican who served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Trump, said during an appearance Monday at the 100th anniversary of the Kansas Chamber that he would vote for the Republican ticket given the option of two major party nominees he viewed as unfit for office.

He said he would cast a ballot for former President Trump, who was his boss for nearly two years as attorney general, rather than endorse reelection of President Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020.

I opposed Trump for the nomination and I spoke out, you know, from the time I left the administration to just about now, hoping that someone else would be the Republican nominee, Barr said. What Im saying is that between the two of those candidates, Biden and Trump, I plan to vote Republican.

I dont think either of them are good candidates, and I think I have to vote for the person I think will do the least damage, he said.

Trump took to Truth Social to express a degree of gratitude to Barr by deleting the word lethargic from a previous description of him as weak, slow moving, lethargic, gutless and lazy. Trump also blasted Barr for not aggressively investigating allegations of widespread voter fraud in the United States. Barr, who resigned as attorney general after Trumps loss to Biden, said claims that a multistate conspiracy denied him reelection in 2020 were groundless.

Working class hero

Barr, who also served as attorney general under the first President Bush, spoke to hundreds of people at the Kansas Chambers annual gathering in Topeka. In 2023, the organizations keynote speaker was former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who represented Kansas in the U.S. House before joining the Trump administration.

In a news conference, Barr declined to say whether a person ordered by a court to pay multimillion-dollar civil judgments and facing dozens of felony charges should be considered a viable candidate for president.

Its too early to tell exactly how these criminal cases are going to work out. I personally think a lot of them are bogus, Barr said. Ive said I didnt think hes fit to be president. I dont think Bidens fit to be president. So, its a comparison. You have to look at the whole picture of all the pros and cons and given that I think the country will be far worse off after four years of Biden than four years of Trump.

Barr, who began work with the American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce after leaving the federal government, said the appeal and resilience of Trump on the campaign trail was built on frustrations of working-class Americans who felt ignored by the government and gravitated to Trump in 2016, 2020 and would again in 2024.

While Barr disputed Trumps theories about election fraud in 2020, he said attempts by politicians to gain marginal advantages in elections by adjusting laws to tilt the playing field one way or another were counterproductive to rebuilding confidence in the electoral system.

Theres a lot of passion in the system and its absolutely critical that people have confidence in the outcome of the election. If we want to avoid the breakdown in the system completely, all Americans should get behind absolute integrity in elections, he said.

Barr said states should prohibit the gathering of completed ballots  a process referred to by critics as ballot harvesting  for delivery to election offices or ballot boxes. He said mail-in balloting, if allowed, had to be restricted to verified, qualified voters. He said the window for advance voting should be no longer than a few days and certainly not a span that resembled an election season.

Biden: Buying votes

In terms of national security, Barr said he couldnt recall a more dangerous moment in his lifetime as it related to challenges facing the United States. He said expansionist objectives of Russia, Iran and China were intended to displace the United States as a global power. China, in particular, was dedicated to completing a geopolitical shift by seizing Taiwan to the embarrassment of the United States, he said.

It meant U.S. presidents and members of Congress had to be firmly committed to Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel to avoid the appearance of abandoning allies, Barr said.

The United States needs friends in the world, said Barr, who worked for the CIA early in his government career. Collective security is important.

Barr said Biden blundered into a crisis on the border with Mexico by reversing Trump administration policies forbidding undocumented foreign nationals from entering the United States pending evaluation of asylum claims. He said champions of border security shouldnt be intimidated by allegations they were racists or hated foreigners for seeking an orderly and fair system of immigration.

He said he was puzzled by Bidens insistence on eliminating without congressional authority repayment of college loan obligations after the U.S. Supreme Court shot down an executive order waiving hundreds of millions of dollars in debts.

To me, it was a clear example of trying to buy votes using public assets  to buy votes in an election year, Barr said.

Barr faulted higher education administrators for failing to curtail protests on college campuses by critics of Israels military campaign in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry says airstrikes, street fighting and a six-month siege had led to the death in Gaza of an estimated 33,000 people since Hamas infiltrated Israel to kill more than 1,000 people and take hostages.

He drew a distinction between protests against the U.S.-led war in Vietnam when he was a student at Columbia University in 1968 and current campus unrest in opposition to fighting by Israel in Gaza. He said protesters in the 1960s had a personal stake because they could be drafted to fight an unpopular war in Southeast Asia. There was no parallel connection for Americans to the battle in Gaza, he said.

I dont understand why its taking these cities and college administrators so long to restore order on campus, Barr said. Its part of the general lawlessness that is gradually overwhelming our system. This has nothing to do with First Amendment rights and expression. You can express your view. You can hold your sign. But this kind of violence, this kind of bullying of everybody else, it has to be met firmly.

This story was originally produced by the Kansas Reflector which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

The post Former Attorney General Barr prepares to vote for Trump, despite calling him unfit for office appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Former FBI agent sentenced for federal gun charges, plus more Fayette Co. court cases

Court cases stemming from several deadly incidents in and around Central Kentucky neared their ends in April as defendants received their prison sentences or entered guilty pleas.

These court developments include a former FBI agent sentenced for federal gun-related charges, along with a woman entering a guilty plea for the death of an Afghanistan war veteran.

Here are some updates on court cases previously covered by the Herald-Leader.

Former FBI agent sentenced to probation for federal gun charges

A former Central Kentucky FBI agent was sentenced for federal firearm charges after he illegally took guns from an FBI storage office, according to court records.

Michael Van Aelstyn, 45, was sentenced to three years probation on March 28 for obstruction of justice and possessing an unregistered firearm, according to court documents.

He was originally charged with possession of a firearm made in violation of the National Firearms Act, possession of an unregistered firearm, and unlawful transfer of a firearm to an out-of-state resident, according to a May indictment. He entered a plea agreement in November 2023.

Van Aelstyn was accused of removing two illegal firearms from a suspects home, transporting them to an FBI office for storage, and later removing them from the evidence room and taking them to his residence, according to court documents.

Van Aelstyn also gave an AM-15 multi-caliber rifle to a man identified in court documents as MH, and told him he should not let anyone else know the source of that firearm.

Another gun, a Cugir Mini Draco pistol, was allegedly destroyed by Van Aelstyn and thrown away, according to court documents.

FBI spokesperson Katie Anderson confirmed in November 2023 that Van Aelstyn no longer works for the bureau.

Man enters guilty plea after deadly hit-and-run

A man who previously denied he was driving a car that killed a pedestrian in a hit-and-run entered a guilty plea on April 12.

Marcus Marshall, 31, pleaded guilty to an original charge of leaving the scene of an accident/failure to render aid/assist with death or serious physical injury in a crash that left Joshua Johnson dead in August 2023, according to court records.

The crash happened on the inner loop of New Circle Road near Alumni Drive, police previously said. Johnson was declared dead at the scene from multiple blunt force injuries, according to the Fayette County Coroners Office.

Marshall was not present when officials arrived at the scene. He was arrested later that morning after police received a tip from the drivers friend, according to court documents.

Marshall originally told police he went to dinner with friends and was home afterwards, despite police finding his Audi A6 with extensive damage and blood on the car.

He faces two years and one day in prison, according to court documents. His sentencing is scheduled for May 17.

Woman approaches sentencing for death of military veteran

A Lexington woman charged with killing a decorated military veteran has entered a plea of guilty to amended charges.

She faces 20 years in prison.

Courtney Young, 33, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, tampering with physical evidence and second-degree persistent felony offender on April 10, according to court documents.

Young originally faced a murder charge, but it was reduced as part of her deal, according to court documents. She was charged for allegedly killing 33-year-old Nicole Morton  an Afghanistan war veteran, and mother  on April 4, 2023.

On Oct. 25, Lexington police were called to the 700 block of Maple Avenue at roughly 4 a.m. for reports of gunshots, according to Lt. Joe Anderson with the Lexington Police Department. When officers arrived they found Morton suffering from a gunshot wound inside Youngs residence.

Cell phone data places Young at the residence at the time of the shooting. Young allegedly did not call police, and had fled the scene, police said in previous testimony. She offered the police two alibis, but both were proved to be untrue.

Youngs sentencing is scheduled for May 23.

Lexington woman pleads guilty to amended charges

One of two suspects arrested for an April 2022 murder has pleaded guilty to amended charges in exchange for her testimony against her co-defendant, according to court documents.

Alysha Noel, 32, was charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence alongside Danny Sims, 52, after the body of William Ashby was discovered at a motel.

Court documents state Noel pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of criminal facilitation to murder on April 10. The second charge of evidence tampering could be dismissed.

Noel could receive a five year sentence for the charge of facilitation, but the dismissal of the evidence tampering charge is contingent upon her sufficient testimony against Sims if his case goes to trial, according to court documents.

Lexington police were called to the Catalina Motel in regards to a homicide and they made contact with Sims who said he struck Ashby several times with a heavy metal object. Sims also told officers that Noel stabbed and cut the victim.

Noels sentencing is scheduled for June 6. Sims is scheduled to appear for a status hearing May 30.

Final suspect sentenced for death of man found in burning car

A Lexington man acquitted of murder was sentenced for other charges against him for burning his friends body inside the trunk of a car.

On April 4, Cecil Thomas Russell was sentenced to 20 years for charges of tampering with physical evidence, third-degree complicity to arson, abuse of a corpse and complicity to criminal mischief, court documents say.

Russell was found not guilty of murder in a December 2023 trial which lasted five days. He was the sole person to be charged with murder of Lazarus Parker, who was killed in 2021 and his body was found burned inside the trunk of a car in a Bourbon County barn.

Co-defendants Martae Shanks and Autumn Owens Shanks did not face murder charges, but pleaded guilty to multiple, amended counts of drug trafficking and possession, criminal mischief, complicity to abuse a corpse and complicity to arson.

Both testified against Russell, and blamed him for the murder. A jury disagreed and found Russell not guilty.

Martae Shanks was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Autumn Owens Shanks was sentenced to six years in prison.
Former Governor Matt Bevin walks to his seat before Gov. Andy Beshear's inauguration at the state capitol in Frankfort Tuesday afternoon. Dec. 10, 2019

Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has been barred from his Anchorage mansion after his estranged wife claimed he has been harassing her, and entering the residence without permission amid their ongoing divorce case.

In a motion later granted by Jefferson County Family Court Judge Angela Johnson, Glenna Bevin said though she and the former governor have been living separately since late 2021, Matt Bevin continually drops by her Anchorage residence without notice several times a week.

During these visits, Glenna Bevin alleges that Matt Bevin tries to speak with her about the divorce case without legal counsel present and will follow her "from room to room and even into the bathroom or my bedroom" when she tries to walk away.

Joe Gerth: Divorce battle shows Matt Bevin still cant figure out when to concede

"To me, his conduct is aggressive and unsettling," Glenna wrote in an affidavit.

In response, Matt Bevin denied her allegations and said her description was "designed to embarrass and malign" him. He said the house on Nutwood Road is better equipped for him to spend time with their children and where all family gatherings have historically been held. In his response, he also notes he does not want to go through the divorce while also agreeing talks of the legal case can be done through their separate attorneys.

Granting Glenna Bevin's motion, Johnson said Matt Bevin seems to be "a caring father" who wants to preserve normalcy for the family throughout the legal proceedings.

"While the Respondent (Matt Bevin) admitted that he did not want the divorce, the Respondent seems to be trying to keep the parties relationship and maintain a 'business as usual' environment. However, the truth of the matter isthat the parties are getting a divorce," Johnson wrote. "Normalcy and the 'business as usual' environment are gone. While the Respondent can delay these changes, these changes are happening."

Johnson gives Glenna Bevin exclusive access to the property because Matt Bevin has acknowledged he has not slept at the home in the last two years.

Matt Bevin has until May 6  one week from April 30, when the order was entered  to remove "essential items" that he may need, such as clothes or work items. For non-essential items, such as televisions, Bevin must ask his wife for permission before removing them.

Per the order, Matt Bevin is now required to ask Glenna Bevin for permission before he can enter the home. This is also true for Glenna Bevin if she wants to go to the former governor's separate home. Neither person is allowed to destroy or remove any item that may belong to the other person while the divorce proceeds.

"In the interest of fairness while the divorce is being finalized, the Nutwood home shall be listed within 60 days from the entry of this order," Johnson wrote.

Johnson also approved Glenna Bevin's request for her and Matt Bevin to communicate solely through the parenting app, "Our Family Wizard."

Matt Bevin has now requested the court to seal his divorce case from public access to prohibit media attention and public discourse due to his status as the former Kentucky governor.

Bevin, a Republican, was elected governor of Kentucky in 2015, serving one term in office. He was defeated in his 2019 bid for reelection by Andy Beshear.

More: Longtime home of former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin sold in Louisville

Sealing the case would prevent "public dissemination of their finances, business interests an other personal information relating to their family," Bevin wrote in the motion.

That motion is still pending.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Matt Bevin divorce: Judge bars ex-governor from home
Former Oregon DHS employee sentenced for sexual assault, kidnapping of woman in his care

A former Oregon Department of Human Services employee was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison and five years supervised release on his guilty plea to aggravated sexual abuse and kidnapping of a woman with developmental disabilities in his care.

Zakary Edward Glover, 30, of Lebanon, pled guilty Jan. 9 to depriving the victim of her civil rights by engaging in sexual misconduct. According to the indictment, Glover was caring for a woman with severe autism and cognitive deficits while employed as a direct support crisis specialist for ODHS.

As an employee with the of Developmental Disabilities Stabilization and Crisis Unit, Glover was responsible for the health, safety and security of those living at the residential facility where he worked.

Mr. Glovers crimes profoundly betrayed the trust placed in him as a state health care support specialist, said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Glover's duties included taking the victim on outings in a state-owned van. It was on one of these outings In November 2021 that Glover drove down a dead-end road near an Aumsville cemetery, parked the van and engaged in sexual acts with the victim without her consent, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

The van was purposely secured with child locks and a heavy partition between seats so the woman could not get out, the release added.

The FBI Portland Field Office and Oregon State Police investigated the case.

In 2022, ODHS said Glover had worked for the agency from Feb. 5, 2018, until Jan. 20, 2022.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said the 300-month sentence "should send a strong message" that the Justice Department would do "all it can to hold accountable those who abuse their authority" by sexually assaulting people in their custody or care.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on X @DianneLugo

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Ex-DHS worker sentenced for assault of woman in his care
Former Oregon DHS employee sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting woman with disabilities

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A former Oregon Department of Human Services employee was sentenced to more than two decades in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a woman with developmental disabilities.

Lebanon resident Zakary Glover, 30, was found by a grand jury to have violated the civil rights of the woman, who has severe autism and cognitive deficits and was under Glovers care at the time.

ODOT sued over DMV hack that compromised 3.5 million residents information

As a Direct Support Crisis Specialist for DHS Office of Developmental Disabilities Stabilization and Crisis Unit, Glover took the woman on an outing in a van on Nov. 21, 2021. However, instead of returning her home, he sexually assaulted her multiple times after parking at a dead-end road near an Aumsville cemetery, court documents show.

Glovers crimes profoundly betrayed the trust placed in him as a state health care support specialist, said U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight for the District of Oregon. We thank our partners at the FBI, Oregon State Police, and Civil Rights Division for their commitment to this victim and the safety of all Oregonians.

Glover received a 25-year prison sentence with five years of supervised release.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
By Pratima Desai and Siyi Liu

LONDON/BEIJING - China's copper producers are planning to export up to 100,000 metric tons of metal, the largest volume in 12 years, aiming to cool a rally that has propelled prices towards record highs and hit their order books, three industry sources said.

Chinese producers are selling into the rally, driven by a speculative frenzy that took copper prices on the London Metal Exchange (LME) to two-year peaks of $10,208 a metric ton this week, close to the record high of $10,845 hit in March 2022, the sources said.

The sources said about the 100,000 tons of copper was likely to leave China over the next few weeks. The last time China exported this amount in one month was in May 2012, data from Trade Data Monitor (TDM) shows.

However, some say shipping 100,000 tons of copper out of China in a few weeks to LME registered warehouses would be logistically difficult, though not impossible.

Two of the industry sources said much of the copper shipped out of China was likely to come through bonded warehouses in Shanghai, where inventories at 77,800 tons compare with 6,600 tons at the start of 2024.

"China wants to push down the price, end-users are putting their orders on hold," a copper trader said. "But I would be surprised if it was that much."

It would also be a fraction of China's total consumption of about 13 million tons a year or around half of global mined supplies. China has copper resources, but not enough for its needs, it is typically an importer.

"LME prices don't translate into what we are seeing in the physical market in China. You can see there is excess metal in stock data and premiums," one of the industry sources said.

Earlier this week, the International Copper Study Group (ICSG) said the global copper market faces a surplus of 162,000 tons this year and a surplus of 94,000 tons in 2025.

Copper inventories in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) above 287,000 tons from around 33,000 tons at the start of this year are close to four-year highs, a sign of sluggish demand.

The Yangshan premium dropping to a record low near zero signals waning appetite for Chinese copper imports.

"China fundamentals suggest lower prices, but prices are on a tear and smelters keep producing," the copper trader said.

Sources say the arbitrage between LME and ShFE prices is making it lucrative to export copper. The arbitrage is the money that can be made on trading between the two exchanges, taking into account costs which can include freight and taxes and exchange rates.

Story continues

A source in logistics said producers had been asking about costs of moving copper from China to LME warehouses.

A source at a Chinese copper smelter is expecting to potentially export 20,000 tons a month if LME prices stay near current levels.

(Reporting by Pratima Desai and Siyi Liu; Editing by Veronica Brown and David Evans)
Authorities arrested a former Pearl River Community College employee on Tuesday on child exploitation charges, the sheriffs department said.

Megan Leigh Boles was arrested Tuesday and charged with exploitation of children, the Pearl River County Sheriffs Department said in a news release on Wednesday.

The sheriffs department notified the college April 18 it was investigating Boles on child exploitation charges, Pearl River Community College said in a statement.

It is unclear what that investigation found. The sheriffs department said it would release no other details out of respect for the privacy, security, and healing process of the victims, and their families and/or guardians.

Pearl River Community College said it immediately put Boles on administrative leave when authorities notified administrators of the investigation.

The school said it learned of Boles arrest on Tuesday and fired her.

The alleged actions of Ms. Boles are not reflective of the values and standards upheld by Pearl River Community College, the school said in the statement. We at Pearl River Community College condemn all behavior that jeopardizes the safety and welfare of children, and we are committed to taking swift and decisive action to address this matter.

Authorities took Boles into custody at the Pearl River County Sheriffs Office on Tuesday. The sheriffs office said victims and their families and guardians have been notified and that investigators do not believe they will find additional victims.

Boles worked at Pearl River Community College since August 2020, according to Kari Eve Valence, the schools director of marketing and recruitment. Valence said Boles started as a child development lab school assistant and was promoted in August 2022 to director of the child development lab school.

The school said it had no knowledge of Boles alleged wrongdoing before April 18.

It also said the sheriffs department told school leaders that so far no evidence suggests the alleged crime occurred on the Pearl River Community College campus.
The Oregon Department of Human Services is in Salem. (Michael Romanos/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

A former Oregon Department of Human Services caregiver was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison on Tuesday for violating the civil rights of a woman with developmental disabilities by having sex with her.

Zakary Edward Glover, 30, of Lebanon worked for the state agencys Stabilization and Crisis Unit, which operates 24-hour residential programs in Oregon for people with developmental disabilities. The program serves about 100 people in group homes between Eugene and Portland.

In November 2021, Glover sexually assaulted the woman, who has severe autism and other challenges, while taking her on an outing to Taco Bell in a state-owned van, court records show. Instead of getting food and returning to the group home, Glover drove the van down a deadend road near a cemetery in Aumsville and parked the van near its gate, court documents show. He then had sex with the woman without her consent. A security camera at the cemetery provided evidence in the case.

In February 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Glover with kidnapping and depriving the victim of her constitutional right to bodily integrity. In January, he pleaded guilty to the felony.

Mr. Glovers crimes profoundly betrayed the trust placed in him as a state health care support specialist, Natalie Wight, U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon, said in a statement. We thank our partners at the FBI, Oregon State Police and Civil Rights Division for their commitment to this victim and the safety of all Oregonians.

Spokespeople for the Oregon Department of Human Services didnt respond to a request for comment, though prosecutors said hes no longer employed at the agency.

This defendant engaged in deplorable acts of sexual misconduct and targeted a victim with severe developmental disabilities who was entrusted to his care and could not defend herself, said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. The defendant breached the public trust and violated the most basic standards of decency.

The post Former state caregiver sentenced to 25 years of prison for sexual assault of disabled woman appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  Former TikTok star Ali Abulaban, who went by the name Jinnkid on social media platforms, is expected to testify in his own double murder trial.

Abulaban is accused of shooting and killing his wife, 28-year-old Ana Abulaban, and her friend, 29-year-old Rayburn Barron, inside a high-rise San Diego luxury apartment on Oct. 21, 2021.

Before the trial began this week, the judge and attorneys held pre-trial motions Monday morning to go over some of the finishing touches, including confirmation that Ali Abulaban plans to testify in his own defense, something not commonly seen.

Im getting the very big vibe that hes getting on the stand, Judge Jeffrey Fraser said in court Monday.

I mean, its not a surprise, Ali Abulabans attorney responded.

Cousin: Fame, failing marriage changed TikTok star accused in double-murder

I mean, my opinion is that you couldnt keep him off the stand, the judge added. Hes the only one who can tell us what his mental state was on that particular day, and I anticipate hes going to do that.

On Oct. 21, 2021, police were called to the 31st floor apartment where Ana and Ali Abulaban had lived together with their 5-year-old daughter, prior to Ana reportedly kicking Ali out of the house amid a rocky marriage.

Ali Abulaban is accused of bugging his daughters iPad, installing a listening device and listening to what was happening in the apartment. When he allegedly heard a mans voice and R&B music, he left the hotel he was staying in and went back to the apartment, where his wife and Barron were found dead.

Prosecutors had claimed he confessed to police and his mother that he killed them, but has since denied that.

Nexstars KSWB/KUSI spoke with Ali Abulaban in an exclusive jailhouse interview in December 2021, just a little more than a month after the shooting.

Jury trial set for TikTok star accused in East Village double murder

About a month later, in January 2022, Ali Abulaban had an uncontrollable outburst in court as detectives were testifying against him.

Fast forward to this week, just days before the trial is set to begin, and Ali Abulaban was in court, handcuffed but calm, as attorneys and the judge went over pre-trial motions and evidence that will be presented to the jury.

Ali Abulaban is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, allegations of using a handgun in the killings, and a special-circumstance allegation of committing multiple murders.

In court Monday, his attorney briefly discussed a meeting where it was decided prosecutors will not be pursuing the death penalty in this case. He remains in custody without bail.

Jury selection began Tuesday and opening statements are expected to take place Wednesday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Four reasons to be concerned (but not freak out) about the bird flu

Even as several federal agencies scheduled a Wednesday news conference to explain steps being taken to monitor and contain bird flu in the U.S., public health officials this week said even more vigilance is needed.

Now is the time to get ahead of bird flu, a handful of experts said, so we don't end up with another nightmare scenario.

"Every moment we're not preparing for it, is a failure on our part," said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious disease specialist and founding director of Boston University's Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases. "It is always later than we think it is in an outbreak."

Bird flu is the nonscientific name for avian influenza, a type of flu virus that commonly infects waterfowl, turkeys and other birds. If it stays in birds, the main danger is to poultry. Flocks of chickens have had to be killed and eggs destroyed.

The larger concern is that it might evolve to become easily transmitted person-to-person. Bird flu is considered more dangerous than the annual flu because it's a strain humans have never encountered and it's likely to be highly contagious.

This probably hasn't happened yet, experts say.

"There's no current evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission," said Dr. Raj Panjabi, a part-time faculty member at Harvard Medical School and the former White House senior director for global health security and biodefense on the United States National Security Council.

"It's the moment to get ready to step up investments in public health, especially around prevention, protection and preparedness," Panjabi said.

Federal officials Wednesday said the latest round of testing proves the commercial milk supply is safe, as are products like cottage cheese and sour cream that are made from milk. They continue to test people who work on farms and only one person is known to have caught the virus in recent months. Vaccines and antivirals should be available if bird flu becomes transmissible from person to person.

But public health officials say they suspect more people have caught the virus from animals than we're aware of, and the chance of a bird flu pandemic cannot be ruled out.

Bhadelia said the absence of more human infections so far may reflect a lack of testing rather than a lack of actual infections.

"If I were a betting person, I would say there have probably been more human infections than what we've detected already in this country," she said. "I would bet part of my retirement on that."

In interviews this week, she and other leading epidemiologists, infectious disease, public policy and dairy industry experts, outlined four major concerns about bird flu, and one area where they feel mostly reassured:

It's called 'bird flu' but it's now in cows and other animals

What makes the outbreak so concerning is that the bird flu virus already has jumped from birds to other animals, including cows.

This form of avian influenza, a strain called H5N1, has been around since at least 1997, but it mutated a few years ago to become adaptable to more kinds of bird species as well as to mammals. Since then, it's been found in a range of animals, including a bottlenose dolphin off the coast of Florida in March 2022 and 29 house cats in Poland in June 2023.

But finding it on American cattle farms in early February was still a surprise, said Gerry Parker, associate dean for Global One Health at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University. Cows are not considered especially vulnerable to flu.

A virus that can thrive in a range of mammals might thrive in humans.

"The probability is going up that we might get a genetic reassortment that could turn this into a human virus," Parker said. "We don't know that, but as this continues to circulate into more mammalian species, the likelihood just increases. It may never happen but if it did, it could easily become a potential pandemic threat."

Do we really know where it's spread?

Bird flu initially struck a single dairy farm in the Texas panhandle and spread to other dairy farms from there, Dr. Rosemary Sifford, chief veterinary officer with the Department of Agriculture, told reporters Wednesday.

But it's still not clear exactly where the flu virus has spread or what it's capable of, said several experts, including Jennifer Nuzzo, a professor of epidemiology and director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health.

"Our surveillance is inadequate to know where this virus is and where it isn't, which is critical for protecting farmworkers and people involved in the dairy industry  but also important for staying ahead of this virus to prevent a future pandemic," Nuzzo said.

About 100 people working on dairy and cattle farms have been tested for active infections. Nuzzo and others said testing should be more widespread and should also include tests to see whether some had already recovered from infections.

"If there are a lot more people infected who aren't sick enough to go to the hospital, that would be important to know," Nuzzo said. "We have to have a much stronger conversation about how to improve our surveillance."

It's also unclear exactly how this virus is being transmitted among animals, which is crucial information for slowing or stopping the spread and protecting people working on farms.

Although flu is typically a respiratory virus passed through the air and by touching contaminated surfaces, it has behaved differently among cows; at least some of the transmission appears to be through unpasteurized milk. Farm cats have contracted the virus, potentially by drinking this milk.

"We think milk is the primary vector for movement (of the virus)," Sifford told reporters.

Milking equipment is cleaned but not sterilized between cows, Parker said, so the virus may be transmitted when one cow with the virus in her milk leaves some of it on the machine to be picked up by the next cow's udder.

The cows also passed it back to birds. Eight poultry flocks located near infected dairy herds contracted the virus after the cows did, though how they got it remains unclear.

No one knows how sick a person might get if they catch H5N1.

Birds often die; most cows, so far, have recovered from their infections, said Jamie Jonker, chief science officer of the National Milk Producers Federation.

The one farmworker in Texas who caught bird flu only suffered from an eye infection and apparently recovered fully. Bhadelia speculated he might have caught it by touching his eye after touching contaminated milking equipment, which is why the infection was focused on his eye.

Since 1997, about half the people hospitalized globally with bird flu have died. But Bhadelia said many more might have caught the virus from direct interactions with infected birds and never showed symptoms or were so mildly ill that they never required treatment  so the actual death rate is unknown. Plus, if the virus did adapt to become transmissible in people, it might become milder, though we can't count on that, she said.

In any kind of emerging crisis, there's never enough data, Parker said. "I call it the fog of war," he said.

Workers may not be adequately protected

Although the average American is not at risk right from bird flu, farmworkers, especially those working around poultry and cattle, probably are.

"We've been so fixated on, 'Is this going to become a pandemic?' and not enough on 'There's a threat on our farms today,'" Nuzzo said. "We should not wait for a severe illness in order to protect farmworkers."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended dairy workers and people who come onto dairy farms use eye protection, wash their hands frequently and wear things like disposable coveralls if they travel from farm to farm, so as not to carry the virus with them, Jonker noted.

In addition to the basic worries about worker health, the more workers become infected, the greater the risk one of them won't be able to clear the virus quickly. Viruses evolve as they pass from person to person but also within a single person, especially if they don't shake it off quickly, Bhadelia said.

"The more people it infects, and the longer it adapts to the human body," she said, the more likely the virus will become contagious  and dangerous  to other people.

Yes, there are vaccines and antivirals, but...

Unfortunately, even people who've gotten annual flu shots or caught the flu recently won't have any protection against the H5N1 strain, said Lawrence Gostin, a leader in global health at Georgetown University, where he is faculty director of the ONeill Institute for National and Global Health Law.

The federal government has flu vaccine and antiviral stockpiles that theoretically could be useful if H5N1 becomes easily transmissible among people.

Sample ready for testing. On April 19, 2022, New York, USA, NYC high school students who work in a virology lab at Mount Sinai collected bird droppings in Central Park. They were looking for pathogens like bird flu and avian paramyxovirus 1, a virus that only affects poultry.

But public health experts say the reality is much more complicated.

There won't be enough for everyone and the vaccine that's been stockpiled hasn't been tested to prove it can effectively prevent infection or severe disease.

"I don't know that anyone has a vaccine that's been tested thoroughly that anyone would be really confident about its effectiveness," said Dr. Jeremy Luban, a professor at the UMass Chan Medical School and member of the executive committee of the Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness. "Part of the problem is we don't actually know what that virus is until it appears."

Two companies are testing a candidate vaccine in early trials, David Boucher, a top official within the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, said at the news conference.

If the virus moves from animals into people, it will continue to mutate, so existing vaccines might not be effective and it's challenging to develop and test a vaccine against a virus that does not yet exist, Luban said.

Such testing would take time and the flu virus, which mutates much faster than the virus that causes COVID-19, would continue to transform.

Antivirals, like Tamiflu, are likely to be effective against bird flu, federal officials say.

But they need to be taken within the first day or two after infection starts, at a time when most people aren't even sure whether they are sick and well before they have time to make a doctor's appointment and get and fulfill a prescription for an antiviral.

But the food supply is almost certainly safe

Both public health and federal officials reassured the public about the safety of the commercial food supply.

Concerns about bird flu passing through milk is another reason people should avoid drinking unpasteurized milk, Nuzzo said.

"There are a lot of reasons not to drink raw milk," she said. "We just added a new one."

The point of pasteurization is to kill pathogens. The Food and Drug Administration has tested 297 commercial samples that had evidence of the H5N1 virus, including 96 milk samples and another 200 products made with milk, like cottage cheese and sour cream. In all cases, the virus had been killed by pasteurization and posed no health risk, said Dr. Donald A. Prater, the FDA's acting director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

The agency also tested infant and toddler formula and found no viral particles at all, Prater told reporters.

Surveillance on poultry farms is more extensive than on cattle farms because bird flu has been seen in birds for much longer, Jonker and others said. At the first sign of infection on an egg or chicken farm, animals are "culled," a polite way of saying "killed" and their eggs destroyed. The government long ago set aside funds to compensate farmers for having to take such drastic actions, he said.

The meat supply is almost certainly safe, Emilio Esteban USDA's Under Secretary for Food Safety, told reporters.

He said animals are inspected before slaughter and carcasses must pass inspection after slaughter. "We are confident the meat supply is safe," he said.

For extra security, his department is now running tests on retail samples of ground beef purchased from states where dairy herds have been affected by bird flu, along with muscle from cows killed after being infected with bird flu and from beef patties cooked at three different temperatures to document that cooking kills any virus that might remain in the meat.

"We are pretty sure that the meat supply is safe," he said. "We are doing this just to enhance our scientific knowledge, to make sure we have additional data points.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bird flu is worth worrying about, but not freaking out about. Yet.
When former President Donald Trump is in New York City for his criminal hush money trial, he stays in Trump Tower, where his penthouse features glittering chandeliers, plush furniture and gold everywhere. But he spends his days in a very different environment: the drab hallways and an aging courtroom in the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.

The historic first criminal trial of an ex-president  Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a violation of campaign finance law  can feel incongruent with the dreary surroundings.

No video cameras are allowed in the courtroom, and there are no still photos save for those typically taken of the defense table in a minute-long photo opportunity, so the millions of Americans following the trial cannot see what it actually looks like.

But USA TODAY has a seat in the courtroom. If you were there, here's what you would feel and see:

The courthouse

The 17-story 1941 courthouse in New York City's civic center has an art deco-style granite and limestone facade. Inside, the walls are unadorned. In addition to the usual court security checkpoint upon entering the courthouse, there's an extra checkpoint just for the Trump trial on the 15th floor.

It looks and feels as old as it is, and not all the bathroom stall locks work.

The "cafeteria" is a seatless, windowless room with the kind of packaged, processed snacks you'd find at a convenience store and made-to-order sandwiches that might be nothing more than bread, mayonnaise and some cold, sliced cheese.

The courtroom

Some courtrooms you see on TV have colorful carpeting and elaborate light fixtures.

Not this one.

The austere room is lined by wood panels from the floor to about the high walls' midpoint and then plain white walls above. There are four windows on one side, but they've been covered by shades. The paneling behind the judge's bench bears the metal-plated words "IN GOD WE TRUST."

In other ways, it looks like a set from "Law & Order," with a wooden witness stand and jury box. The prosecution and defense each get a long table. Trump is often seen sitting between his lawyers with his eyes closed  sometimes even appearing to nod off  in a chair that appears to be lined with leather.

Diagram of Defense and Prosecution seating in Donald Trump hush money trial

The audience, on the other hand, sits on wooden benches. The front two rows are reserved for more members of the two trial teams or security personnel such as the Secret Service, and a back row is also generally reserved or blocked off. About 65 reporters and a handful of members of the public  typically fewer than 10  fill the rest of the main courtroom.

Seats next to the middle aisle have been roped off, possibly for Trump's security as he enters and exits.

The rules

Reporters and the public have to put away their phones in the courtroom, a policy enforced by security officers who patrol along the aisles. Like other defendants at the Manhattan criminal courthouse, Trump  who reportedly likes to use his phone throughout the day to follow news, talk to friends and post on social media  also has to go phone-free.

'Everybody was freezing in there'

Because of a seemingly antiquated heating and cooling system that Judge Juan Merchan says he can't fine-tune, the courtroom can fluctuate from warm to quite cold.

Trump has been clear that's not up to his standards.

"I'm sitting here for days now, from morning till night in that freezing room. Freezing. Everybody was freezing in there," he said to reporters in the hallway on April 18.

The room really can be cold, causing reporters to sometimes keep their winter coats on, but Trump has complained even on days when it was relatively mild.

Famous faces inside the courtroom

Trump has referred to himself as a "star," and his trial has brought a few other famous people to the courtroom.

George Conway, ex-husband of Trump 2016 campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and a thorn in Trump's side on Twitter, has been a regular at the trial; he is writing about it for The Atlantic.

MSNBC television host Rachel Maddow lined up early for opening statements on Monday, April 22. Maddow's colleague, MSNBC television host Joy Reid, was there the next day as the prosecution's first witness, former tabloid publisher David Pecker, testified.

Rachel Maddow Visits "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" at Rockefeller Center on March 15, 2017 in New York City.

The characters

Merchan quietly controls the courtroom. He hasn't raised his voice, but he has adopted a stern tone that may help him keep lawyers and defendants in check.

Like many judges, however, Merchan is gentle toward jurors. When one prospective juror confessed to a criminal history, he explained she may be able to serve in the future. After she left, he asked reporters to "be kind" in our coverage.

After one prospective juror was questioned and then exited the courtroom during jury selection, Merchan said he heard Trump making comments in her presence, although he couldn't make out the content.

"I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom," the judge told Trump lawyer Todd Blanche. "Speak to your client," Merchan sternly instructed.

While lawyers for both sides have seemed adept at offering legal reasoning to Merchan, Trump's team has been chided by the judge when it advanced arguments Merchan found farcical.

"You're losing all credibility with the court," Merchan told Blanche on April 23, after Blanche said his client was working hard to comply with the judge's gag order. On Tuesday, Merchan held Trump in criminal contempt after finding Trump has violated the gag order nine times through social media posts and other online statements attacking potential witnesses and commenting on the jury. Merchan scheduled a hearing for Thursday morning to address four more possible violations.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has sometimes been in the courtroom supporting his trial staff, even though he hasn't participated directly in the lawyering since opening statements. Bragg sits in the first rows of benches.

Susan Necheles and Emil Bove, attorneys for former US President Donald Trump, return following a break at court for his trial for allegedly covering up a hush money payment at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 26, 2024 in New York City. Former U.S. President Donald Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial.

Why binoculars come in handy

Several television screens in the front half of the courtroom show video feeds of the two trial teams, the judge and the witness box, but not the jury. Small monitors on the trial team tables also show those feeds, and Trump sometimes appears to be watching the monitor in front of him.

With binoculars pointed at the screen, you can see if Trump's eyes are closed.

Sketch artists also seem to use visual aids to get a closer look at the people they're depicting.

Trump-centered photos

New York courts typically don't allow cameras to broadcast proceedings from the courtroom, and the Trump trial is no exception.

But the judge has allowed about five photographers to come in briefly each morning and take photographs of Trump seated at the defense table. They don't seem to take photos of prosecutors, and the judge typically comes in after they leave.

Many might be uneasy with that kind of rapid-fire photographer onslaught. But the celebrity-turned-president seems comfortable and posed, as if he knows instinctively the unhappy facial expression and rigid body language he wants to give off.

Notable absences

Melania Trump has not been in the courtroom at all as her husband faces his criminal trial, which involves allegations  denied by Trump  that he had multiple affairs around the time of her pregnancy with Barron Trump. The trial's third week saw the first appearance of one of Trump's children: Eric Trump accompanied his father in court Tuesday, sitting in the first bench behind the defense table.

Donald and Melania Trump stand in front of members of the media after casting their votes at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center on elections day March 19, 2024 Palm Beach.

The former president said Friday that his wife was in Florida, which is now Trump's primary residence when he isn't on trial.

Outside the courtroom

Down the hallway from the main courtroom, more reporters and members of the public are seated in a courtroom-turned-overflow-room that has video screens with live streaming of the proceedings. Unlike in the main courtroom, cellphone use is permitted there, although no audio or visual recording is allowed.Typically, everyone who has shown up in the morning has at least gotten a spot in the overflow room, according to court spokesperson Al Baker.

In between the overflow room and the main courtroom, a metal pen has been set up for reporters. Trump often approaches a separate metal barrier facing the pen to express his feelings before and after court days, or during breaks in the day.

"The judge should terminate the case because they have no case," Trump said Tuesday morning before entering the courtroom. "I'm gonna go into the icebox now," he added. The courtroom was fairly warm on Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Trump trial isn't televised. Come inside the courtroom anyway
By John Irish

CAIRO (Reuters) -The French foreign minister said on Wednesday diplomats were still working to secure a truce in the war between Israel and Hamas and the release of hostages held in Gaza.

The mediation efforts were intensifying following a renewed push led by Egypt to revive the stalled negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.

Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne was updated on the negotiations by Egyptian officials when he made an unscheduled stop in Cairo after a five-day tour of the region.

"We came to coordinate our efforts for a truce. The messages given by France and its Arab partners in the region is that Israel pulls back on this offensive in Rafah," Sejourne said after meeting his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shukri.

He declined to say how optimistic he was of a deal being concluded or give details of where the negotiation stood.

France has three dual-nationals still held hostage by Hamas after the group's assault on Israel on Oct. 7 and has worked closely with Cairo on providing humanitarian aid and medical assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

Sejourne's trip to Egypt follows stopovers in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Israel

With some momentum in the truce talks, Sejourne was in Egypt to assess whether those three hostages, who are not part of the Israeli military, could be on the list of people released and how close a deal actually is.

"We would like them to be on this list if a truce were to happen," he said.

Sejourne said he had also told Egyptian officials that it was important to put a French proposal to defuse conflict between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah high on the agenda in case a Gaza truce is agreed.

The French minister, who met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, said on Tuesday that the truce would only be a first step towards a long-term ceasefire.

"It is a question of life and death for many people on the ground," he said after meeting Shukri in the new administrative capital, some 70 km (43 miles) east of Cairo.

(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Richard Lough, Tomasz Janowski, Ros Russell and Angus MacSwan)
A noncompetes ruling from a federal agency has a ripple effect in Indiana, with some crowing the rule and others vowing to challenge it. (Getty Images)

Decades ago, when Kenneth Dau-Schimdt first started teaching about labor and employment law, he said noncompete agreements werent all that common. But over time, as their use has grown, so too has the scrutiny of the practice, which now extends beyond specialized positions down to employees at sandwich shops.

State lawmakers have been wrestling with the agreements for several years. And now a huge ruling from the Federal Trade Commission could ban the use of noncompetes for all but the highest earners if it survives legal scrutiny.

Doing so would reduce the number of Americans employed under such a contract from roughly 19%  though some research suggests that number is closer to 50%  to 1%.

Kenneth Dau-Schmidt, the Carr professor of labor and employment law at Indiana University. (Photo from Indiana University)

So there are certainly, in the economy, some legitimate cases where an employer can say, If you dont let me have non competes here it will actually decrease my investment in a company. The problem is, is that those are a small minority of the cases where non competes are currently currently applied, said Dau-Schmidt, the Carr professor of labor and employment law at Indiana University.

If they had if they had just kept non competes to those employees. I dont think there would have been a problem but the problem is that non competes have spread much more broadly  (and) the bad cases are outweighing the good cases in terms of the economy as a whole.

Noncompete agreements are contracts that prevent employees from leaving their jobs to work in similar positions with competitors. Businesses often say the agreements protect trade practices while workers chafe at the restrictions. Meanwhile economists say the agreements have become anticompetitive, stifling the free market.

But not everyone is pleased with the agencys move, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and state affiliates like the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. The national organization sued the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shortly after the rule announcement in a business-friendly Texan court.

Aside from questions raised by its national counterpart about whether the federal agency has the authority to enforce such a rule, Greg Ellis, the Indiana Chamber vice president of energy/environmental policy and federal affairs, said the organization opposes intervention in private employer-employee contracts.

We think, primarily, that business should have the opportunity to contract with its employees and if they reach some sort of agreement and one signs a noncompete agreement  generally, theres a reason why they sign it. They want a job and it pays well enough that they decided to do that or whatever it may be, Ellis said.  we think the business community, the employer, should have the ability to contract with its employees.

Debate over noncompete agreements

Several sectors have come to rely on non-competes as a way to protect company investments, whether its medical training, sales client lists or even on-air media personalities. While the particulars vary from position to position, a non-compete can limit an employee from leaving a company  and taking valuable knowledge  to a competitor. Such impositions can be confined to a geographical area or to a set amount of time.

Greg Ellis, Vice President of Energy and Environmental Policy and Federal Relations (Photo from Indiana Chamber of Commerce)

If Im a research scientist and I make discoveries when Im working for you and then I go work for your competitor  or if Im a salesman and we develop a customer list and I take that with me  noncompetes were supposed to protect that, Dau-Schmidt said.

Ellis noted other forms of intellectual property, including trade secrets, and the training employers give their employees as reasons why a business might require such a contract.

You dont want to spend all this money and train somebody up for three months, six months, a year, whatever it is. And then they say, Oh, were just going to take our skills that youve given us and you paid for to your competitor, Ellis said, speaking from the perspective of an employer.

But sometimes, Dau-Schmidt said, companies might require employees to sign noncompetes that are unenforceable  defined as an employer having a legitimate interest  and employees dont know that unless they decide to break it.

Not all noncompetes are unenforceable but the only way to find out is to try to take a job. And then if your employer sues you, you find out later whether (its) successful in court or not, Dau-Schmidt said. And so these noncompetes can have a real dampening effect on people looking for jobs.

Another place where the contracts can stifle markets: employers trying to lure an employee from another company to work for theirs  something that he observed hurt small businesses the most. Often, these potential employers have to pay that employee more to cover penalties for breaking the agreement.

In other labor news, the Biden administration increased the minimum salary for overtime workers, a rule that impacts primarily low-wage salaried employees. Currently, anybody making over $35,568 doesnt qualify for overtime but as of July 1, that threshold moves to $43,888  increasing to $58,656 in January.

Dau-Schmidt said economists have found noncompetes suppressed market competitiveness, effectively discouraging employees from seeking other employment opportunities that might pay more. In the release accompanying the ruling, the FTC said it believed the average worker would earn $524 more each year and an estimated 8,500 new businesses would form each year.

The ruling wont take effect for a few months, even if it survives a legal challenge. Notably, some fields have blanket noncompete exemptions at the state level, such as lawyers, because the public interest outweighs that of an employer.

Where Indiana has taken action

While some states have completely banned noncompete agreements, Indiana has taken smaller steps to regulate the contracts. In the 2023 legislative session, the General Assembly discussed a ban for the health sector but limited it only to primary care physicians  a follow-up to earlier action to allow physicians a buy-out option to break a noncompete.

Testimony for the ban pointed to ever-rising health care costs due to noncompete agreements, proponents said. According to the FTC, the new noncompetes rule is expected to lower health care costs by up to $194 billion over the next decade.

Dr. Gabriel Bosslet (Courtesy of Indiana University School of Medicine)

Gabriel Bosslet, a pulmonary critical care physician and clinical medicine professor with Indiana University Health, said his own noncompete agreement limited him from taking another position at a competitor within a 20- or 30-mile radius for the next two years.

I like my job, but if I was going to leave I would probably have to move, Bosslet said.

Part of that is the contract but his specialty also requires support from a large institution, ruling out many of Indianas smaller hospital chains. But with more corporate firms entering the health care space, Bosslet said other physicians dont have control over their offices.

If my employer fires all the health care staff in my office and wants me to run on a really lean crew of people and that doesnt work  which it doesnt work  and I want to leave  I would have to move, said Bosslet, describing a hypothetical doctor. So its a big deal.

Notably, the noncompetes rule doesnt necessarily apply to nonprofit organizations, which dont all fall under the FTCs purview. That potentially carves out a lot of physicians like Bosslet, who are employed at one of the states non-profit hospital systems.

I think that the ruling is still important in that, I think, a lot of hospital systems are realizing that noncompetes are not needed for a lot of specialties. Frankly, there are a lot of health care organizations that have gotten rid of noncompetes because physicians dont like them and its worked out fine for them, Bosslet said. I really dont think its probably going to wind up being as big of a deal for health care institutions as they make it out to be.

At least one Indiana hospital system has already banned the use of the contract: Eskenazi Medical Group, Indianas sixth largest provider coalition. Back in September, Indiana University Health said it too was considering the move but as of April the entity said it hadnt yet reached a decision.

When Indiana considered its law, one of the biggest opponents were hospitals and their lobbying organization, the Indiana Hospital Association.

In a statement, IHA reiterated that striking noncompetes makes it more difficult to recruit and retain health care professionals, especially with a nationwide shortage.

Noncompete agreements play an important role in health care because they are a standard business practice to protect an organizations investment in time and training in its workforce, the statement read.  if the ban remains in place, hospitals, and all organizations who employ health care professionals, will face yet another challenge in providing access to care for patients.

But Dau-Schmidt said that a legal defeat for the FTC wouldnt spell the end of noncompete discussions, especially as more state move to ban them within their own borders.

There was a lot of movement in the states on this recently and the FTC could end that movement because, of course, none of it is necessary if the FTC rule is upheld. But if the FTC rule is struck down, then I would expect to see that kind of movement happening again, Dau-Schmidt said. You could have a state law that said all noncompetes are unenforceable unless the employee makes over $150,000 a year and theyre a CEO or theyre a research scientist or theyre a salesperson who has access to a sales list. Or whatever. But you could limit it.

The post FTC noncompetes rule ripples out into Indiana appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission seal hangs on the facade of its building in Washington, D.C.

Two executives of a Simi Valley company were indicted last week on securities fraud charges, accused of a pump-and-dump scheme to secretly amass shares in the company and sell them at prices inflated by a false advertising campaign.

Kalistratos Kelly Kabilafkas, 48, and Jack Edward Daniels, 74, each face one count of conspiracy and one count of securities fraud for their roles in running Airborne Wireless Network. A federal grand jury indicted both men last week, but the indictment was kept under seal until Monday, when Kabilafkas made his first appearance in court in Los Angeles.

Kabilafkas is a Moorpark resident and Daniels now lives in Agoura Hills. Daniels was listed as the president and a director of Airborne Wireless, but Kabilafkas actually controlled the company, despite not having an official position there, according to both the criminal indictment and a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission against the company and its executives in 2021.

The SEC won that lawsuit last year, when a judge ordered Kabilafkas to pay the federal agency $78 million, including $45 million in ill-gotten profits, plus interest and penalties. Daniels was ordered to pay a penalty of $230,000. Kabilafkas, Daniels and the other defendants have appealed the decision.

If they are convicted of the criminal charges brought against them last week, Kabilafkas and Daniels could be sentenced to as much as five years in prison for conspiracy and 20 years for securities fraud, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office in Los Angeles. The indictment also lists five residential properties in Moorpark owned by Kabilafkas or Daniels that they would forfeit if convicted.

Kabilafkas pleaded not guilty on Monday and a judge set his trail date for June 24. He is being held on $800,000 bail, and has a hearing scheduled to determine whether he will be held without bail. Daniels is not in custody and has an arraignment scheduled for Friday.

In an email to The Star, Kabilafkas attorney, Matthew Ford, said he and his client are somewhat baffled by these charges, which seek to impose criminal sanctions on Mr. Kabilafkas because a start-up business failed. We plan to vigorously defend against them and look forward to re-establishing his good standing in the community.

Airborne Wireless Network was based in Simi Valley and said it would deliver high-speed internet access by using routers on commercial aircraft to form a satellite network. The product never made it to market and the company racked up more than $130 million in losses between 2015 and 2019, according to its last quarterly report with the SEC, filed in 2019.

Story continues

The federal criminal and civic actions against Airborne Wireless claim that the company's real purpose was not to develop the technology, but to promote it, causing its stock price to rise and allowing Kabilafkas and a few others to profit at the expense of new investors.

The Airborne Wireless saga began in 2012, when a company called Ample-Tee registered with the SEC to sell its shares to the public. Ample-Tee was a shell company, with no products or offices, founded the year before with the stated purpose of acquiring a patent for a crutch designed for people with below-the-knee leg amputations.

According to the grand jury indictment, one of Kabilafkas associates stole the identity of Ample-Tees founder to incorporate the company in Nevada and register its stock with the SEC. In 2015, Ample-Tee told the SEC that Daniels had bought 74% of the companys shares and was now its president, using $250,000 of his own funds.

In fact, according to the indictment and the SEC lawsuit, the real buyer was Kabilafkas, who acquired all of the shares using $350,000 that he misappropriated from a charitable religious organization. The charity was not named in the indictment, but one of the defendants in the SECs lawsuit was a rabbi who runs a Jewish boarding school for girls in Florida.

Story continues below the indictment.

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With Kabilafkas in control, the company changed its name to Airborne Wireless Network in 2016 and announced its new business plan: broadband beamed to the earth from commercial airplanes.

That year, the company bought a patent for the technology from a company called Apcentive, paying with shares of Airborne Wireless stock. At the time, Kabilafkas and his associates controlled Apcentive and had acquired the patent a year earlier. According to the indictment, the patent was a promotional gimmick and a device to defraud investors to buy Apcentive stock.

Once Ample-Tee had become Airborne Wireless, it spent millions to publicize itself and its technology, using what the SEC called false and misleading statements about the company.

Airborne Wireless paid companies to promote its stock, and they issued mass-marketing emails touting the company to potential investors and claiming it was on the verge of, in the words of one marketing email, a major technical breakout.

Airborne also bought cable news advertising spots on CNBC, Fox Business and Fox News from late 2016 through early 2018. The company had no product for sale, and the goal of the ads was simply to pump up demand for the stock, according to the indictment.

Airbornes stock price would spike every time the cable ads ran, and, according to the indictment, Kabilafkas and his associates would capitalize on those spikes by selling shares  the dump half of the pump and dump. Between 2015 and 2018, they sold shares at a profit of more than $22 million, while the company raised another $23 million through private and public stock offerings, according to the SECs lawsuit.

Airborne Wireless value peaked at $4.07 per share in February 2017, in the midst of its marketing blitz. By the fall of 2018, it was worth less than a penny per share.

Tony Biasotti is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tbiasotti@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Simi Valley execs charged in securities fraud case
G7 nations pledge to decrease dependence on Russian goods in nuclear industry

The turbine hall of a nuclear reactor in France. Photo: Nathan Lein/Bloomberg

The Group of Seven (G7) countries committed on 30 April to working to reduce their dependence on "civil nuclear-related goods" from Russia.

Source: European Pravda, citing Bloomberg

Details: In a closing statement in the Italian city of Turin, G7 energy ministers said their countries would join multilateral efforts to promote diversification of fuel supplies free of Russian influence.

Officials also vowed to promote nuclear fusion as a future energy source.

Additionally, the ministers agreed to phase out the use of coal in power generation by the first half of the 2030s, citing commitments to limit future temperature increases, the statement said.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that Germany had previously objected to any mention of nuclear power in the G7's so-called "green transition" initiatives.

Background:

The US Senate adopted a law banning the import of enriched uranium from Russia after a similar vote in the House of Representatives in December.

Earlier, it was reported that the UK plans to invest over US$380 million to launch its own production of high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel (HALEU) for nuclear reactors.

Before that, it became known that the European Union again increased imports of Russian nuclear fuel and services for Russian reactors in 2023 compared to 2021, i.e. the period before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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A Galesburg roller rink once in jeopardy of losing its role as a safe community spot has residents back skating again after installing a new floor.

As Our Quad Cities News reporter Victoria Frazier found out, the rink is ready to roll into the future.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  The Alabama House of Representatives advanced a compromise on gambling legislation to authorize a state lottery and allow slot machines at seven locations in the state, but the measure stalled late Tuesday amid opposition in the Alabama Senate.

Senators delayed a decision on the proposal after an initial vote showed it was one short of the required 21 needed to win approval. The move keeps the bill alive for senators to try again in the final four days of the 2024 legislative session.

We had a vote that ended up being a test vote. The bills are carried over, so the legislation is still available to us to continue to debate it, Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed told reporters.

US drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana: AP sources

A conference committee  appointed to negotiate differences between House and Senate versions of the bill  on Tuesday proposed a compromise that would authorize a state lottery and allow electronic games of chance including slot machines and video poker, but not table games, at seven locations. The seven locations would be the dog tracks in Macon, Jefferson, Greene and Mobile counties, plus existing bingo halls in Lowndes, Houston and Greene counties. The conference committee proposal would also direct the governor to negotiate a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.

If approved by three-fifths of lawmakers, the proposal will go to a statewide vote on Aug. 20.

Supporters are aiming for the first public vote on gambling in 25 years. Voters in 1999 rejected a lottery proposed by then-Gov. Don Siegelman.

The Alabama House of Representatives voted 72-29 for the conference committee proposal, exceeding the 63 votes required to win approval in the 105-member chamber. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said in a statement that he was proud of conference committee members for reaching a compromise and urged the Alabama Senate to pass the bill.

Most importantly, it allows the people of Alabama to vote on this issue for the first time in 25 years, Ledbetter said in a statement.

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However, the measure stalled in the Alabama Senate, where it needs 21 votes. Senators voted 20-15 for a motion to concur in the conference committee, and Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth announced that the conference committee failed. Senators then voted to carry over the bill for the evening.

Senate Secretary Pat Harris said the initial vote was to adopt the conference committee report. Harris said because it was short of the needed 21, a second vote was required, and lawmakers delayed taking that vote.

If you adopt the conference committee report with less than 21 votes, then you have to repass the bill. We had 20, Harris said.

Harris said he had seen the situation one other time in his decades working with the Alabama Legislature

United Methodists repeal longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy

The move keeps the bill alive for supporters to try to muster an additional vote.

Several legislators said their constituents often drive across state lines to play the lotteries in neighboring states and want to have a lottery at home.

They want to be able to vote for it. They want to not have to go across state lines, Democratic Rep. Laura Hall said during debate.

Republican Rep. Rep. Arnold Mooney, who voted against the proposal, said it does much more than authorize a lottery because slot machines would be allowed at multiple locations.

I feel like the bill basically allows full-scale Las Vegas-style casino gambling statewide. You know obviously no physical cards, dice, roulette wheels or dealers. But if it is on a screen, you can play it, said Mooney, a Republican from Indian Springs.

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The gambling legislation had been stalled since March, when senators scaled back a sweeping House-passed plan that would have allowed a lottery, sports betting and up to 10 casinos with table games.

The proposal under debate Tuesday was largely negotiated in private. The conference committee approved the bill with little discussion. Copies of the bills were not available in the online legislative system until after the House vote.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.
A game-changer in NC seafood is ready to unveil its giant new fish market in Raleigh

A giant seafood market will open in Raleigh next month, making the coast seem closer than ever.

Locals Seafood is set to debut its 10,000-square-food seafood market, hosting a grand opening event Saturday, May 18.

The emergence of Locals Seafood 14 years ago helped make North Carolinas coastal bounty more accessible to Triangle diners, both in restaurants and at home. Owners Lin Peterson and Ryan Speckman started the company by driving to the coast twice a week and selling seasonal seafood out of the back of a pickup truck.

Now Locals unveils one of the states largest inland seafood markets, in a new building at 1408 Corporation Pkwy in East Raleigh. For now the market is only open two days a week, Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A half-ton of seafood a week

Our new facility in East Raleigh is a game changer, Speckman said in a press release. The secret to our success has been our hyper-focus on the supply chain. We are obsessed with ensuring the highest quality care as soon as our cherished resource comes out of the water. We are now able to process more seafood as close as possible to the consumer to ensure peak freshness and quality.

Locals expects to process a half-ton of seafood each week at the new facility, focusing on whole fish butchery.

Having a seafood processing facility further inland in the Triangle is actually a huge benefit to the consumer, Peterson said in a release. We are excited to open our doors to the public. We feel that this facility can serve as a flagship for the North Carolina seafood industry.

When Peterson and Speckman announced the new market in 2022, it also meant closing Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh, one of the cornerstone pieces of the Transfer Co. Food Hall.

Locals Oyster Bar lives on, though, in the Durham Food Hall as a restaurant and seafood market.

Initially Locals planned to have a restaurant component as part of the new market, but those plans appear to be on ice.

Locals will have a hand in a new Raleigh restaurant, Mala Pata, a collaboration with burrito artisans Ex-Voto, slated to open in Gateway Plaza.

Grand opening details

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday May 18

Customers who spend $100 will get a free Locals t-shirt.

The opening event will include chef demonstrations on shucking an oyster, filleting a fish, cleaning a softshell crab and deveining a shrimp.
(Bloomberg) -- When regular gas prices in Seattle blew past $5 last month, it appeared to play into the hands of conservative activists and politicians who say the surefire way to bring down fuel prices is repealing Washington states most ambitious climate policy: a cap-and-trade program.

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Created under Washingtons 2021 Climate Commitment Act, cap and invest, as its known in the state, requires companies with high emissions to pay for their pollution in a carbon market that began operating last year. Its raised roughly $2 billion to help fund state programs. Novembers ballot initiative I-2117, bankrolled by a wealthy Seattle-area investor, would repeal that law and prevent anything similar from taking its place.

Deep-blue Washington and its outgoing Governor Jay Inslee, who put climate at the top of his agenda, have sought to lead the US in carbon-cutting commitment. But the backlash to his signature policy could come with its own serious costs to the environment that would extend beyond the state.

Scrapping cap-and-invest would dramatically increase pollution that we are fighting in Washington, Inslee said in a phone interview with Bloomberg Green. We cant afford the repeal initiative, Inslee said, because it would strip Washingtonians of major benefits theyre now getting because of the Climate Commitment Act.

The conservative effort to end the carbon market rests largely on the argument that it has increased fuel costs for those who can least afford it, as oil companies have passed on some of their compliance costs to consumers. Gasoline is extremely inelastic demand, meaning people need and buy it even when prices go up, said Brian Heywood, the money manager who has poured millions of dollars into this and five other ballot initiatives, including one to repeal the states new tax on capital gains.

That, he said, makes the cap-and-trade policy like Marie Antoinette  let them drive Teslas.

Meanwhile, some unlikely bedfellows have come together to defend the climate program. Organized labor joined forces with some of the states largest companies, including Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp. Environmental groups are backing the effort alongside oil major BP Plc. In a No on 2117 press release, BP said it urged state voters to vote no on this initiative and keep the states carbon pricing program alive.

The coalition has raised more than $11 million to defeat the repeal initiative. (Chris Stolte, a co-founder of Tableau Software Inc., gave $1 million. So did Bill Gates.) In a coalition video, a wildland firefighter, a dairy farmer and a solar power entrepreneur all describe repeal as the costlier option.

And there is a price in terms of Washingtons contribution to global carbon emissions. The world is on track for dangerous levels of warming  between 2.5 to 3 degrees Celsius this century. President Joe Biden set a target of halving national emissions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.

Washingtons cap-and-invest program is one of the strongest things happening right now in the US, state or federal, on climate, said Pam Kiely, associate vice president for US climate policy at the Environmental Defense Fund. So losing those tons matters not just to Washington and how they are going to meet their goals, but it broadly matters in the context of how the US is going to meet its targets, she added.

Read More: Following California, Washington Starts Cap and Trade Market

This isnt the first time that Washington climate policy was settled at the ballot box. Voters rejected ballot initiatives proposing a state carbon tax in 2016 and again in 2018. Back then, oil and gas companies funneled millions of dollars into opposing the ballot initiatives, far outspending the carbon tax proponents.

Democrats in the state legislature have since managed to pass a series of climate bills, making Washington one of 10 states that have committed their emission reductions targets to law. Its among an even smaller subset of states with a robust strategy for meeting those goals, explained Kiely.

A big part of that strategy is the cap-and-trade program. We are pretty reliant on it, said Joel Creswell, climate pollution reduction program manager at the states Department of Ecology.

Heres how it works: The states largest emitters must buy allowances covering most, if not all, of their greenhouse gases at auctions run by the state or in secondary markets; certain companies, such as gas and electric utilities, currently get their allowances largely for free. The largest emitters are companies producing 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent or more a year in the state, including but not limited to oil and gas companies. The number of available allowances (the cap) decreases every year so as to incentivize companies to cut emissions. Companies that reduce their emissions can sell surplus allowances to companies that want more (the trade).

The auctions held so far have raised around $1.9 billion dollars. This money is going into a mix of infrastructure, transportation and climate programs  helping low-income homeowners replace their fossil fuel-run HVAC systems with heat pumps, installing air filtration systems in schools and paying for young riders to use public transportation for free statewide.

Some of the programs critics say that its not the most effective way to actually reduce carbon. The system is not set up to maximize CO2 reductions or to get the most bang for the buck, said Todd Myers, head of the environmental practice at the Washington Policy Center, a right-leaning think tank. The system is set up to maximize tax revenue. Myers said he preferred a flat carbon tax to make pollution more costly.

The other critique is that the program is pushing up gas prices, which are higher in Washington state than almost anywhere in the US. The cost of buying carbon allowances has led oil companies to pass on an average 34 cents per gallon to consumers so far this year, according to Bo Quin, an analyst with BloombergNEF. Geopolitics and normal annual price cycles are also pressuring prices across the US.

Inslee said its a falsity for cap-and-trade opponents to claim that repealing the program would lower gas prices, pointing to other factors that make it expensive on the West Coast. He said his ultimate goal is to drive down gas prices to zero, and that means you don't have to use this stuff.

Its too early to predict the likelihood of the repeal effort succeeding, but cap-and-trade supporters are taking that risk seriously. The coalition to defeat the initiative has polling showing that additional ballot language detailing the cost of repeal  a reduction in funds for climate initiatives  makes voters more likely to oppose it.

The repeal threat is already distorting the carbon markets auctions. Whereas allowances went for about $63 in the state auction last August (and even higher in the secondary market), they went for just nearly $26 in the states March auction, barely over the minimum price of $24 set by law. Some companies may delay purchasing allowances until the law's fate is determined in November, said Qin.

A planned merger of Washingtons relatively small carbon market with California and Quebecs, which have been linked since 2014, could be finalized next year if theres no repeal, which would likely further stabilize prices. Officials in both California and Quebec said linkage would be a plus, pointing to both the global nature of the problem and the larger market providing more opportunities to reduce emissions and lower the cost of mitigation.

Repeal would force the Washington legislature and officials back to the drawing board to come up with a new way to meet aggressive climate goals  to slash emissions 45% by 2030, 70% by 2040 and 95% by 2050 over 1990 levels. Other solutions might not be quite so flexible, quite so economically efficient, said Creswell. And in the end, he said, the cost could be higher.

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After nearly five years of legal proceedings, a court ruling has brought closure to a notorious 2019 assault case involving prominent fashion designer Pol Atteu. The designer was attacked during a charity fashion show at St. Johns Cathedral in Los Angeles , an event intended to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation and featured in the couples Amazon Prime Video reality show, Gown and Out in Beverly Hills.



In September 2019, Atteu was assaulted by an attendee , later identified as Jesus Rodolfo Zepeda, who was upset that his daughter had not been selected to participate in the fashion show. Atteu suffered severe injuries, including a concussion and bruises, necessitating a two-day hospital stay. The assault, caught on security footage, showed Zepeda fleeing the scene, and he was later apprehended but released shortly due to COVID-19 pandemic-related jail constraints.

Related: Dad Beats, Hurls F Word at Gay Designer After Daughter Cut From Runway

Last week, Zepeda was sentenced to a total of five years in state prison for his assault on Atteu, with certain conditions of the sentence allowing for probation. The sentence includes stipulations that heavily monitor Zepedas behavior, with immediate imprisonment for any violations, even minor infractions. Initially, Zepeda is required to serve four days in county jail, credited for time already served, with the rest of the prison sentence suspended unless he commits further offenses.

prominent fashion designer Pol Atteu hospital bed attacked Jesus Rodolfo Zepeda hate crime

Courtesy Pol' Atteu & Patrik Simpson

In an interview with The Advocate, Atteu, 58, and his husband, Patrik Simpson, 55, shared their lengthy and frustrating journey to justice, which culminated in a conviction and a court acknowledgment of the attack as a hate crime . I dont think I was given justice, Atteu said. I dont think we were able to find a resolution, and I understand that it had to fall within the guidelines of what the law is, but it wasnt there to protect me, it wasnt there to help me.

The courts decision included a 10-year order of protection for Atteu and Simpson, they said.

This is [Zepedas] second time, and so now if he gets pulled over, or if he says something derogatory, negative, or does anything bad, he will go to jail for a minimum of five years, Simpson noted about the strict conditions set by the court.

Reflecting on the ordeal and the courts final acknowledgment of the hate crime , Atteu expressed relief and determination. It was important for us to bring attention to it and to make sure that this was, in fact, duly noted as a hate crime, as it was, he said.

prominent fashion designer Pol Atteu husband Patrik Simpson famous gay couple

Courtesy Pol' Atteu & Patrik Simpson

The couple said that investigators appeared not to take the attack seriously and that they had to advocate for prosecutors to categorize the attack as one based on homophobia.

Despite the resolution, both men acknowledge that the scars of the incident linger, but they are committed to turning their painful experience into a force for change within the legal system and beyond.

They are now looking forward to using their platform to advocate for others hesitant to report hate crimes.

As the legal battle unfolded over the years, the couple faced numerous challenges with the justice system, they said, which initially hesitated to classify the assault as a hate crime. This hesitation was a source of significant frustration for Atteu and Simpson, who were adamant about the importance of acknowledging the attacks homophobic undertones. Simpson recounted their persistence: We were very specific about it that were not accepting anything, and Pol said well go to trial next week if this is not included.

The acknowledgment of the assault as a hate crime was a critical victory for Atteu and Simpson. It highlighted the often unseen struggles that members of the LGBTQ + community face when interacting with the justice system, especially in cases involving hate crimes. Atteu emphasized the broader implications of their fight for justice, noting, Its so difficult to go through. Ive been blessed.

prominent fashion designer Pol Atteu husband Patrik Simpson famous gay couple appear Jeff Lewis Live show

Courtesy Pol' Atteu & Patrik Simpson

I want to see if I can advocate for others and maybe give them insight into how it could be done, what documentation needs to be filled, where they go to get the kind of help they need, Atteu said.

They plan to continue their advocacy beyond just legal battles. They aim to engage with community support groups and legal advocates to ensure that others dont have to endure the same lengthy and often disheartening process.

Were both very charitable, so I think that is something were going to [do]  be a spokesperson for someone that has gone through something horrific and figure out a way that we can join forces with others to create a movement or something where it could assist and help others that are afraid, Simpson said.
Looking at the images might make you feel as if youve stepped back in time.

Late on Tuesday, New York City police clad in riot gear entered Columbia University and removed dozens of peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstrators, leading them away with their hands zip-tied behind their backs.

Over the past week, hundreds of college students calling for Palestinian rights at universities across the U.S. have been arrested, as city police and state troopers have moved to disperse protesters and dismantle their encampments.

The images of these clashes, which come as a new survey from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace shows that most Black Americans support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, not only recall the unrest that followed the police killings of George Floyd and Michael Brown in 2020 and 2014, respectively. They also bring to mind Black student-led opposition to civil and human rights abuses at home and abroad in the 1960s and 70s, and the sometimes brutal crackdowns that those young demonstrators faced.

When it comes to social justice movements, you can detect sonorous echoes between our past and our present. And as the Israel-Hamas war, which has claimed more than 34,000 lives, enters its seventh month, President Joe Bidens handling of the crisis is increasingly enraging younger Black voters, who see the situation not merely as a political issue but as a moral one.

Read More: Planned Biden Morehouse Visit Angers Black Student Gaza Supporters

Capital B spoke with Omar Wasow, an assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley, about these historical similarities. Hes also the author of a widely read paper on Black protest and public opinion.

At least in part, Wasow explained, these different waves of protest are alike in the way students occupy a space to push an issue onto the national agenda.

Our conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Capital B: What parallels do you see between the student protests of today and those of the past, such as student-led opposition to racial segregation and the Vietnam War?

Omar Wasow: My mind immediately goes to the sit-ins at lunch counters that were initially led by students from historically Black colleges, and then were later joined by white students. Those are similar in the sense that it was really college students at the forefront of a movement.

If we fast-forward a little bit, Occupy Wall Street is another example of where there was a kind of encampment to take up space  a strategy or a tactic to create a confrontation that then pushed an issue to the forefront of our politics.

In the context of Capital B, its worth thinking about not only the shootings at Kent State [where in 1970 the Ohio National Guard fatally shot four college students who were protesting growing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War], but also the shootings just days later at Jackson State, a historically Black school where two students were killed when police shot into a dorm [tensions between police and students grew after a rumor starting spreading that a local civil rights leader and his wife had been assassinated].

So, I do see echoes of Jackson State and Kent State in whats happening at the moment, and thats partly because were seeing very heavy-handed tactics being used against students when the protests themselves are nonviolent and dont seem to merit such repressive tactics. Of course, at Jackson State and Kent State, students were killed. Thankfully, were not seeing that, at least not yet.

Demonstrators at Jackson State College give a Black Power salute outside bullet-riddled Alexander Hall womens dormitory following memorial services for Phillip Gibbs and James Green, who were out down by police in May 1970. (Getty Images)

The images of students facing off with law enforcement conjure images of the confrontations we saw following the deaths of George Floyd and Michael Brown.

One interesting way to think about all of this is that were seeing an evolution not only in protest tactics but also in police tactics.

In Ferguson, police basically rolled up in tanks, and even people such as U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky were taken aback by that level of militarized policing being brought to bear on American citizens engaging in nonviolent protest.

While the current situation hasnt been quite as extreme as that, more generally, as this one writer, Radley Balko, has described it, weve had the rise of the warrior cop. And that, I think, isnt only a modern trend. Its also partly in response to the perceived disorder of the protest movements of the 1960s.

How do todays student protests, some of which Black students are leading, fit into a broader history of Black solidarity with global human rights movements?

An overlooked element of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements was the sense of solidarity with other independence movements around the world.

For example, theres this great 2013 book called Black Against Empire [by Joshua Bloom and Waldo E. Martin Jr.] that details how the Black Panther movement saw itself as something of an anti-imperial project that wasnt only concerned about what was happening here in the U.S. but was also concerned about the Vietnam War, and it took inspiration from independence movements in Africa and Asia.

At one point, the Panthers even had an embassy in Algeria, after Algerian independence. They thought of themselves as a Black colonized people in the U.S. fighting for liberation. There was very much this kind of cross-national conversation that informed the politics of groups such as the Panthers.

You could also see this in the work of Bayard Rustin, who was a huge influence on Martin Luther King Jr. and who in the 1940s went to meet with disciples of Mahatma Gandhi to study their ideas of noncooperation and to bring those ideas and tactics back to the U.S.

Theres a cross-national conversation  a sense of shared mission  that goes back decades, and I think that what were seeing today is a continuation of that.

What role does social media play in energizing recent student protests?

I want to step back a little bit. I think that theres a through line from Emmett Tills mother publishing the photo of her sons body [in 1955] through to the video documenting the beating of Rodney King [in 1991] through to Darnella Frazier documenting the murder of George Floyd [in 2020], where these powerful images of injustice become calls to action.

In that sense, even though the technologies have changed  photograph, video camera, smartphone  the way these images work to mobilize people is quite similar.

That said, I think that what youve keyed in on is a really important change. In the 1950s and 60s, in order to get some of those images out into the world, a news outlet needed to be there to document and to bear witness to what was happening. Now, through smartphone cameras and social media, its possible for anyone to be a citizen journalist and do what Tills mother did, which is to reveal suffering that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

The post Gaza, Student Protest, and the Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement appeared first on Capital B News.
Gazans thank US university protesters as Israel calls for students to be expelled

Gatherings of people across north and central Gaza on Wednesday expressed gratitude to students on US college campuses who have been protesting the war in Gaza.

In Deir al-Balah, in front of Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital, doctors, nurses, and medical staff held signs with messages that included United against genocide, The killing of children must stop, and Keep on fighting for justice.

Dr. Saad Abu Sharban told CNN he was over the moon at images of protesters in other countries, because it meant that around the world there are human beings who know what is happening here in Gaza Strip right now.

Members of a hospital's medical staff in Deir al-Balah join a rally to thank pro-Palestinian students in the US on May 1, 2024. - AFP/Getty Images

Palestinians in Gaza have been showing support for the US protesters for several days. In several refugee camps in the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday, children could also be seen holding signs and banners with the names of different American universities where pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held, saying thanks for your solidarity!

Nadia Al-Dibs, a mother whose children were holding banners behind her in Deir al-Balah, told CNN she felt grateful to the brave students at American universities for their solidarity with Gaza and for calling for a ceasefire.

Arab populations havent cared about us, while students at American universities have felt with us, have felt the blood that spills from us, our buildings that get struck and our kids whose lives get destroyed  a thousand thanks to them, she said.

The public appreciation from people in Gaza come amid growing controversy in the US over the campus demonstrations, which have spread across the country in recent weeks amid mounting tensions over Israels war on Hamas, launched after the terror groups October 7 attack that left more than 1,200 dead.

The protests in the US are broadly aimed at demanding an end to Israels devastating assault in the Palestinian enclave, which has killed more than 34,000 people, according to the Palestinian health ministry, and is nearing its eighth month.

But critics say some demonstrations have crossed the line into anti-semitism. Israel has claimed the protests are being manipulated by outside agitators.

Palestinians in Deir el-Balah stage a rally to thank pro-Palestinian student protesters in the US on May 1. - AfP/Getty Images

Israels UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan denounced the university demonstrations in a speech to the General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

Erdan accused the demonstrations of being made up of antisemitic protesters affiliated with outside agitators. He said the students should face expulsion, while university professors and presidents should face swift and severe action.

The speech in the General Assembly followed a Security Council vote last month on a resolution that would have recognized a Palestinian state. That vote was vetoed by the US.

Erdan lashed out at his UN colleagues, accusing the General Assembly of spreading anti-Israel rhetoric which he claimed had helped galvanize the protesters. He yelled shame toward the countries seated in the hall.

Several colleges have recently hardened their stance by calling in law enforcement to clear their campuses  a crackdown hailed by former US President Donald Trump as a beautiful thing to watch at Columbia University in New York.

Meanwhile, Shiraz university in Irans Fars province has offered scholarships to students from universities in the US and Europe who are expelled over the protests.

Additional reporting by Artemis Moshtaghian and Richard Roth.

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George Santos, who left a trail of lies after being expelled from Congress, is doubling down on his post-politics career on Cameo.

The disgraced former House Republican announced Monday that "for a limited time," he will be selling videos on Cameo  a website where fans pay celebrities to make short personalized videos for them  as his drag queen persona, Kitara Ravache. He added that 20% of the proceeds will go to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which supports 9/11 victims, and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a pro-Israel group.

But that was news to them. Both organizations he claimed to be fundraising for said they did not know he was doing so on their behalf, nor had they been in contact with Santos or anyone on his team, NBC News reported.

Given Santos' record, some critics have raised doubts about the charitable aspect of the initiative. Multiple people for whom he raised money to help animal-related causes have said that Santos ended up taking their money or freezing them out after successfully raising those funds. He was accused of taking $3,000 from a mans GoFundMe for his dying dog in 2016. (Santos called the accusation "insane.")

When Santos announced the news Monday, he was charging $350 for a Kitara Ravache video. By Tuesday, that price had dropped to $275. He also sells personalized videos out of drag for $300 a video.

Santos' new Cameo initiative also ties in with some of the untrue statements he's made in the past. He has claimed he was Jewish, then later said that he actually meant "Jew-ish." He also claimed that his mother was in the World Trade Center on 9/11, though records show that his mother was, in fact, in Brazil during the terror attack. And when a photo of Santos in drag first surfaced, he decried those reports as "categorically false," only to suggest a few days later that he was merely having "fun at a festival."

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
This photo provided by the George W. Bush Presidential Center shows former President George W. Bush working on a portrait of service members and veterans. The George W. Bush Institute is loaning the 60 color portraits by the former U.S. president to Walt Disney World. The paintings of service members and veterans will be on display for a year starting next month at Epcot's American Adventure pavilion. (Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Center via AP)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP)  Walt Disney World will host dozens of portraits of service members and veterans from the nation's Painter-in-Chief.

The George W. Bush Institute will loan the 60 color portraits by the former U.S. president to the Florida theme park resort. The paintings of service members and veterans will be displayed for a year at Epcot's American Adventure pavilion starting next month.

Accompanying each painting is a veteran biography written by the former president. The exhibit also will include information and resources created to support veterans and their families.

My hope is that those who have the opportunity to see this special exhibit will also remember the leadership, service and sacrifice behind each of the heroes painted and the unique challenges our servicemembers and their families face when transitioning out of the military, said Ken Hersh, president and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
In an ever-evolving financial landscape, the role of regulatory bodies like the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is crucial in maintaining transparency and accountability. However, recent proposals by the FCA to name and shame firms under investigation have sparked significant debate within the financial services industry.

In an article in City AM yesterday, entitled "UK Finance CEO: FCAs name and shame plans will harm UK competitiveness", David Postings who as UK Finance chief executive represents the City's top banking and finance corporations, raised valid concerns about potential reputational damage to innocent firms. However, it's crucial to recognise that the advantages of enhanced transparency outweigh these risks.

FCA defends early naming of investigated firms

So why is the FCA's bold move a step in the right direction?

Firstly, transparency is the bedrock of a healthy financial system and by publicly disclosing firms under investigation, the FCA demonstrates its commitment to holding businesses accountable for their actions. An investigation indicates to the market that the FCA has uncovered ample evidence warranting further scrutiny. This transparency fosters trust among investors, consumers, and stakeholders, who can have confidence that misconduct will be addressed promptly and openly.

Secondly, naming and shaming firms under investigation serve as a deterrent against unethical behaviour. Think of it as a neon sign flashing "Play Fair or Pay the Price." Public scrutiny acts as a powerful incentive for firms to adhere to regulatory standards and conduct business ethically. Knowing that their actions could be made public motivates firms to prioritise compliance and ethical practices, ultimately reducing the likelihood of misconduct.

Additionally, transparency promotes fairness and equality in regulatory enforcement. Without public disclosure, firms under investigation may receive preferential treatment or leniency, undermining the integrity of the regulatory process. By publicly naming all firms under investigation, the FCA ensures that enforcement actions are applied consistently and impartially, regardless of the firm's size or influence.

Furthermore, transparency enhances market efficiency by providing investors with access to relevant information. Investors have a right to know if the companies they invest in are under investigation for misconduct, as this information can impact investment decisions and risk assessments. Public disclosure of investigations enables investors to make informed choices and promotes market integrity. At any rate, large corporations have significant public relations teams and budgets, alongside City lawyers on retainers, specifically tasked with promoting and defending their reputations.

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While there may be concerns about potential reputational harm to innocent firms, it is essential to recognise that the FCA's naming and shaming plans are not intended to prejudge guilt or imply wrongdoing. Instead, they are a necessary tool for promoting accountability, deterring misconduct, and maintaining public trust in the financial system.

The FCA's plans to name and shame firms under investigation are a vital step towards greater transparency and accountability in the financial services industry. Reputational damage is no joke. But in the grand scheme of things, a little short-term pain is worth it for long-term gain.

In an April 2022 study by Grant Thornton, led by Tom Middleton, Ed Millinger, and Schellion Horn, the economic impact of adverse regulatory findings on reputation is explored. Examining data from UK-based PLCs in the financial sector, the study exposes a significant decrease in market value following such disclosures, surpassing the fines imposed and emphasising the disproportionate effect of reputational harm. It suggests that an average FTSE 100 firm could endure a staggering 1.15 billion loss in value due to reputational damage from regulatory actions.

Furthermore, the study highlights the expanding influence of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors alongside reputation in driving long-term growth, especially amidst increasing calls for accountability amid environmental challenges.

Looking ahead, as the ESG landscape evolves, CEOs and their boards will need to revisit their strategies and core competencies to ensure alignment with regulatory frameworks meets stakeholder expectations. That's the job.

In this context, by publicly disclosing investigations, the FCA will help drive market efficiency. While there may be challenges associated with reputational harm, the benefits of transparency far outweigh these concerns.

"FCAs bold move: the case for naming investigated firms" was originally created and published by Leasing Life, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a series of public safety bills Wednesday, including a controversial measure aimed at illegal immigration.

The bills include:

House Bill 1105, which the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed primarily along party lines, requires local sheriffs and the Georgia Department of Corrections to notify the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) when they have a suspected illegal immigrant in custody.

The bill gained momentum after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was murdered on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. A 26-year-old Venezuelan man allegedly in the country illegally has been charged with the crime.

The Biden administration has failed in its duty to secure our southern border, and as a result, we do not know who is entering our country or where they are going, Kemp said during a bill-signing ceremony at the Georgia Public Training Safety Center in the city of Forsyth.

In Georgia, we will do everything in our power to ensure criminals are not allowed to walk free and terrorize our communities.

During the debate over the bill, legislative Democrats argued the bill would lead to racial profiling and divert local law enforcement agencies attention from going after all violent criminals, not just those in the country illegally.

Democrats also opposed Senate Bill 63, which adds a lengthy list of offenses that are ineligible for no-cash bail, ranging from murder and rape to such non-violent crimes as possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

The bills opponents said it will force suspects charged with minor crimes to remain in jail even if the offenses they have been accused of dont carry a prison sentence if theyre convicted.

But Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who made the bill a priority, said banning no-cash bail will keep Georgians safe.

We will not allow criminals to roam free in our streets, he said.

Another bill backed by Jones that Kemp signed Thursday - Senate Bill 421 - increases penalties for swatting and drive-by shootings. Swatting became an issue during this years legislative session after a surge in false reports of criminal activity sent police to the homes or offices of targeted victims, wasting law enforcement resources and potentially threatening safety.

The governor also signed Senate Bill 159, which increases penalties for smuggling prohibited items including cellphones into prisons, and Senate Bill 10, which creates the crime of facilitating a drag race and stiffens penalties for operating a vehicle while drag racing.
FILE - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks to members of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce regarding the beating death of nursing student Laken Riley on Feb. 26, 2024, in Athens, Ga. Kemp on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, signed a law that requires jailers to check the immigration status of inmates, a move he says could help prevent crimes by people who entered the United States illegally. (Nell Carroll /Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, file)

ATLANTA (AP)  Jailers in Georgia must now check the immigration status of inmates and apply to help enforce federal immigration law, under a bill that gained traction after police accused a Venezuelan man of beating a nursing student to death on the University of Georgia campus.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed the bill into law Wednesday at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. Most provisions take effect immediately.

The Republican governor signed a separate law that requires cash bail for 30 additional crimes and restricts people and charitable bail funds from posting cash bonds for more than three people a year unless they meet the requirements to become a bail bond company. That law takes effect July 1.

Kemp said Wednesday that the immigration bill, House Bill 1105, became one of our top priorities following the senseless death of Laken Riley at the hands of someone in this country illegally who had already been arrested even after crossing the border.

Jose Ibarra was arrested on murder and assault charges in the death of 22-year-old Laken Riley. Immigration authorities say Ibarra, 26, unlawfully crossed into the United States in 2022. It is unclear whether he has applied for asylum. Riley's killing set off a political storm as conservatives used the case to blame President Joe Biden for immigration failings.

If you enter our country illegally and proceed to commit further crimes in our communities, we will not allow your crimes to go unanswered, Kemp said.

Opponents warn the law will turn local law enforcement into immigration police, making immigrants less willing to report crime and work with officers. Opponents also point to studies showing immigrants are less likely than native-born Americans to commit crimes.

The law lays out specific requirements for how jail officials should check with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to determine whether prisoners are known to be in the country illegally. Georgia law previously only encouraged jailers to do so, but the new law makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly and willfully fail to check immigration status. The bill would also deny state funding to local governments that dont cooperate.

The law also mandates that local jails apply for what is known as a 287(g) agreement with ICE to let local jailers help enforce immigration law. It is unclear how many would be accepted because President Joe Bidens administration has de-emphasized the program. The program doesnt empower local law enforcement to make immigration-specific arrests outside a jail.

Republicans said Senate Bill 63, requiring cash bail, is needed to keep criminals locked up, even though it erodes changes that Republican Gov. Nathan Deal championed in 2018 to allow judges to release most people accused of misdemeanors without bail.

Too many times we have seen some of our cities or counties, its been a revolving door with criminals," Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said.

Supporters said judges would still have the discretion to set very low bails. A separate part of the 2018 reform requiring judges to consider someones ability to pay would still remain law.

But the move could strand poor defendants in jail when accused of crimes for which they are unlikely to ever go to prison and aggravate overcrowding in Georgias county lockups.

Its part of a push by Republicans nationwide to increase reliance on cash bail, even as some Democratic-led jurisdictions end cash bail entirely or dramatically restrict its use. That split was exemplified last year when a court upheld Illinois plan to abolish cash bail, while voters in Wisconsin approved an amendment to the constitution letting judges consider someones past convictions for violent crimes before setting bail.
This article was originally published in Georgia Recorder.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed a suite of education-related bills into law Tuesday, including a controversial measure that will allow parents of children in low-performing schools to claim $6,500 in state education funds to pull their children out of the public system and enroll them in private school or teach them at home.

Supporters say expanding school vouchers will help kids in schools that dont meet their needs succeed academically. Opponents say they siphon needed dollars from underfunded public schools to private institutions with less oversight.

Kemp thanked the bills author, Cumming Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal, and House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones for working on the bill for years before it finally passed this year.

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I am grateful for that dedication because this legislation has always been about one thing, providing every Georgia child the opportunity to get the education that they deserve, Kemp said. To ensure that participating schools are living up to that promise, they must demonstrate their own sound financial footing and submit student performance data before enrolling students, and they must administer an education savings authority approved assessment to ensure quality student performance.

Those additions Kemp mentioned were sweeteners added to help convince Republican holdouts in the House to support the measure. Other additions make temporary teacher pay raises approved over the last few years permanent and allow public schools to use state capital construction dollars to build or renovate Pre-K facilities.

The program is set to go into effect for next years fall semester and is limited to students zoned into the lowest 25% of Georgia schools. Except for kindergartners, participants must have been enrolled in public school for at least a year to qualify. The cost to the state is capped at 1% of the cost of the Quality Basic Education formula used to determine the states school funding share, which now equals more than $100 million.

Though some House members needed convincing, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones indicated the Senate is ready to move further.

As a longtime proponent of school choice, I am proud of the General Assembly for passing the most substantive initiative in decades, Jones said. I want to thank Gov. Kemp for his support for school choice and education freedom within our state. Todays signing of SB 233 is a great step in the right direction, however, there is still more work to be done to give parents the choice and resources that can meet their childs unique educational needs. I look forward to working with Governor Kemp and my colleagues in the General Assembly to ensure educational freedom in Georgia.

Many education leaders were not cheering as Kemp affixed his signature to the bill. Teachers and education lobbyists have long complained that the voucher bill will leave already cash-strapped schools with less money. In a virtual news conference hosted by the Intercultural Development Research Association Association following the bills signing, activists lamented what they called a rushed and non-transparent process that led to the bills passage and predicted that it will do little to help the families proponents say it will because $6,500 is not enough to pay for tuition at most Georgia private schools, which tend to be clustered around major metro areas.

Elijah Brawner, a divinity student at Emory University, said every private school in his area is Christian-based, which would further alienate some students.

So if you can get a public school voucher and that lets you leave your supposedly terrible public schools and take your money with you, first of all, the voucher doesnt cover the whole tuition, he said. So now youre only letting people come through who can already afford to pay partial tuition through subsidizing students above a certain income level, and youre not subsidizing any students that are of a diverse faith background.

Tracey Nance, the 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year, said she is concerned that families who take advantage of the program may be exposed to legal discrimination and give up rights that public school families would have.

The private schools that accept these publicly funded vouchers are not held to the same standards as public schools, and they are in fact even legally allowed to discriminate, she said. They have little oversight students will not be required to take the same accountability test as the rest of Georgia students, they will not be held to the same instructional standards. Even more when parents use this voucher they waive all rights to federal protection and public education services, including services for students with disabilities and services such as transportation and school meals.

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on Facebook and Twitter.
Georgia seniors losing more money than ever before to online fraud, FBI report says

New numbers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that Georgias seniors are losing more money than ever to online fraud.

Whether its text messages, social media and email, more criminals are getting into our families lives.

Now, more than ever, you need to watch what you click online.

Channel 2s Linda Stouffer has a warning from the FBI about different types of online fraud, and how theyre costing people real money.

I know people who have gotten scammed, but you never think its going to happen to you, Kathie Lunsford told Channel 2 Action News.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

In April, Channel 2 Action News showed you how it happened to Lunsford. A fake number led to pictures of badges and information.

It all sounded so official, Lunsford handed over her social security number.

The FBIs latest report on elder fraud says in the past year, cyber crimes and fraud was up 18% in the past year in the Peach State.

For Georgians, it was a stunning $92.4 million. The FBI said most of that money is gone, lost to criminals overseas.

TRENDING STORIES:

Crypto investment fraud, an individual befriends you online, Special Agent Aaron Seres told Channel 2 Action News. The best advice I would give is, one, dont send your money to people who you dont know, have not met in person.

The top crimes impacting seniors in Georgia are investment fraud to the tune of $32 million, tech support for $12 million and confidence or romance scams for at least another $10 million lost.

Nationally, the FBI said investment scams cost elderly Americans $1.2 billion.

According to the full report from the FBI, elder fraud complaints to the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center (or IC3) increased by 14% in 2023, and associated losses increased by about 11%, nationally. Overall, elderly Americans lost $3.4 billion in 2023, the FBI said, with an average loss of $33,915.

In Georgia, more than 2,100 people were victims of these types of crimes in 2023, according to the FBI.

Seres said there are ways to avoid falling for different cybercrimes, like a tech support scam, which the FBI said were the most widely reported type of elder fraud in 2023.

You can always turn off your computer, restart it, run a virus protection, see if you still have a problem, then call a legitimate vendor, Seres said.

He said sometimes, confidence and romance schemes can also have bigger impacts than just losing money.

Youre losing your money, and then youre having these emotional stressors that even sometimes lead to suicide. So if youve been in one of these situations, the most important thing to do [is] contact your bank, contact your trusted ones, get help, Seres said.

The FBI said communication about these issues is so important. Talk to your loved ones and share the information so more people can spot the red flags.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Georgia woman charged with murder of woman on South Side

CHICAGO  A Georgia woman was charged and extradited back to Chicago for allegedly shooting and killing another woman last year.

Shaunaria Watson, 31, of Covington, Georgia, was charged with first-degree murder.

Shes accused of shooting Erica Reed, 26, in the head on May 12, 2023. Reed died of her injuries and the shooting happened in the 8500 block of South Commercial Avenue.

Gurnee man dragged by car found dead in roadway, police say

Watson was arrested in DeKalb County, Georgia and taken into custody by Chicago police and a fugitive task force at OHare on Tuesday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
Demonstrators hold a rally to protest against a bill on "foreign agents", in Tbilisi

Demonstrators hold a rally to protest against a bill on "foreign agents", in Tbilisi

By Felix Light

TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia's parliament on Wednesday approved the second reading of a bill on "foreign agents" that has been criticised as Kremlin-inspired, as police fired tear gas and stun grenades to clear a large crowd of protesters opposed to the draft law.

The bill, which would require organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence, has sparked a rolling political crisis in the South Caucasus country.

Ever-growing numbers of protesters have been taking to the street nightly for almost a month, with a heaving crowd tens of thousands strong shutting down central Tbilisi on Wednesday, the largest anti-government demonstration yet.

Georgia's Health Ministry, in a bulletin quoted by Georgian media, said 11 people, including six police officers, had received hospital treatment after Wednesday's altercations.

Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, quoted by Georgian media, said protesters had tried to push their way into parliament using various objects and were attacking policemen.

Darakhvelidze said police action on Tuesday resulted in 63 arrests and six police officers injured.

PRESIDENT SAYS LOOK TO THE ELECTION

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who opposes the bill but has only largely ceremonial powers, told protesters in a video posted on social media to show restraint. The real task, she said, was to oust the government in an October election.

"Our fate will not be determined by this law," she said in comments quoted by media. "This fight will take place in the forthcoming parliamentary election after which (this) law and many others will be rescinded."

Georgian media cited the country's Orthodox Church, one of its most respected institutions, as calling for the government and protesters to hold talks to resolve a "political crisis".

Protester Sergi Kapanadze said that for him the protest movement amounted to a struggle for Georgia's national survival.

"What are we afraid of more?" he told Reuters. "Being gassed, being beaten up, or losing the country?"

Georgian critics have dubbed the bill "the Russian law", saying it is inspired by laws used to suppress dissent in Vladimir Putin's Russia. Russia is unpopular among many citizens of Georgia, which lost a brief war with Moscow in 2008.

Both the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, condemned the violence. The EU gave Georgia candidate member status in December but has said the bill could halt its integration into the bloc.

Police cleared the crowd by the parliament building using tear gas and stun grenades fired from within the fortress-like complex. Water cannon were also deployed.

Protesters regrouped, with some lighting a bonfire outside parliament, and others attempting to build makeshift barricades to block key roads. A Reuters eyewitness saw at least one man carried away from the action, his face bloodied.

The protests have pitched the ruling Georgian Dream party against a coalition of opposition parties, civil society groups, celebrities and the president.

Parliament, controlled by Georgian Dream and its allies, voted to advance the bill, prompting a boos from protesters outside. The bill must pass one more vote before becoming law.

Wednesday's parliamentary debate was tense, with opposition members expelled and scuffles between legislators, a not uncommon occurrence in Georgia's often-rowdy parliament.

One pro-government deputy was seen throwing a book at opposition legislators, while others shouted and physically confronted opponents.

Levan Khabeishvili, leader of the United National Movement party, Georgia's largest opposition bloc, spoke in parliament with his face heavily bandaged. His party said he was beaten by police at the previous day's protest, leaving him with concussion, broken facial bones, and missing four teeth.

The bill's supporters, including Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of Georgian Dream and former prime minister, say the law would bolster sovereignty amid what he said were Western attempts to pit Georgia against Russia.

(Reporting by Felix Light, Writing by Maxim Rodionov, Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Timothy Heritage, William Maclean, Ron Popeski and Jamie Freed)
Georgian police arrested 63 demonstrators during a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters who gathered in opposition on April 30 to the controversial foreign agents law, said Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze at a briefing on May 1.

The bill, which must be passed in three readings before it becomes law, would require organizations that receive foreign funding to be labeled as "foreign agents." The law mirrors repressive Russian laws used to crack down on Kremlin regime critics and is popularly referred to in Georgia as the "Russian law."

For the past two weeks, thousands of protesters have gathered nightly in front of the Georgian parliament building on central Rustaveli Avenue.

The protest on the evening of April 30 remained peaceful for several hours, a Kyiv Independent journalist reported. Demonstrators voiced their opposition to the proposed law and the ruling Georgian Dream party under the control of oligarch and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.

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Suddenly, and largely without warning, police violently attacked the demonstrators with tear gas and water cannons. Many were also beaten by masked officers in scenes that were captured on video and widely spread on social media.

Darakhvelidze said that "participants of the rally continued to attack the policemen," in unsubstantiated claims that contradicted both the Kyiv Independent's reporting on the ground and widespread media coverage of the event.

"The public clearly saw that the action had fully taken on a violent character," Darakhvelidze said, claiming that six police officers were injured as a result.

Opposition lawmaker Levan Khabeishvili said he was severely beaten by police at the rally and shared pictures of his injuries on social media.

Khabeishvili entered the parliament earlier on May 1 in a wheelchair as lawmakers continued to debate the foreign agents law.

"If someone thinks we wont smile because we lose a tooth or cant open our eyes, they are very mistaken. We will smile because Georgia will win," he said to lawmakers.

The use of violence to break up the protests was widely criticized by Western officials.

"I strongly condemn the violence against protesters in Georgia who were peacefully demonstrating against the law on foreign influence," said the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell.

"I call on its authorities to ensure the right to peaceful assembly. (The) use of force to suppress it is unacceptable."

Despite the violent crackdown, protesters vowed to return to the streets again on May 1.

Read also: Georgian government holds massive anti-West rally as it aims to pass Russian-style law

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Revenue: Reported at $794 million, surpassing the estimated $702.18 million.

Earnings Per Share (EPS): Achieved $2.20 per diluted share, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.99.

Net Income: Realized net income significantly exceeded expectations with $236.6 million compared to the estimated $212.90 million.

Net Cash Balance: Ended the quarter with $1.4 billion, reflecting a decrease from the previous quarter's $1.6 billion due to capital expenditures.

Year-to-Date (YTD) Net Bookings: Reached 2.7 GW, with an average selling price of 31.3 cents per watt, excluding adjusters.

Guidance: Full-year 2024 earnings guidance remains unchanged, with expected net sales between $4.4 billion and $4.6 billion and EPS ranging from $13.00 to $14.00.

Capital Expenditures: Updated to range from $1.8 billion to $2.0 billion, reflecting ongoing investments in manufacturing capacity expansions.

First Solar Inc (NASDAQ:FSLR) released its 8-K filing on May 1, 2024, disclosing a strong financial performance for the first quarter of the year. The company reported net sales of $794 million and a net income per diluted share of $2.20, both exceeding analyst expectations which had projected earnings of $1.99 per share on revenues of $702.18 million. This performance highlights First Solar's robust operational execution and strategic positioning in the solar technology sector.

First Solar Inc (FSLR) Surpasses Analyst Earnings and Revenue Estimates in Q1 2024

First Solar, a leading American solar technology company, is renowned for its advanced thin-film photovoltaic modules and its commitment to eco-efficient solar solutions. With manufacturing facilities across Vietnam, Malaysia, the United States, and India, First Solar stands as the world's largest thin-film solar module manufacturer, leveraging cadmium telluride technology to convert sunlight into electricity.

Financial and Operational Highlights

The company's financial strength is evident from its net cash balance of $1.4 billion, despite a decrease from the previous quarter's $1.6 billion, primarily due to capital expenditures for expanding manufacturing capacity in Alabama, Louisiana, and Ohio. This strategic expansion underscores First Solar's commitment to enhancing its production capabilities and maintaining its industry leadership.

First Solar's CEO, Mark Widmar, expressed satisfaction with the company's performance, citing "good operating performance, selective bookings with a year-to-date average selling price over 31 cents per watt excluding adjusters, and solid financial results." This statement reflects the company's strategic focus on profitable growth and market adaptability amid industry fluctuations.

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The company has maintained its full-year 2024 guidance, expecting net sales between $4.4 billion and $4.6 billion and earnings per diluted share ranging from $13.00 to $14.00. These projections are supported by a strong sales backlog of 78.3 GW and year-to-date net bookings of 2.7 GW, demonstrating robust market demand for First Solar's products.

Analysis of Financial Statements

Reviewing the condensed consolidated statements of operations, First Solar's cost of sales stood at $448 million for the quarter, resulting in a gross profit of $346 million. The operational expenses, including selling, general and administrative costs, and research and development, totaled approximately $104 million. This efficient cost management facilitated an operating income of $243 million.

The balance sheet further reveals a solid financial position with total assets amounting to $10.76 billion as of March 31, 2024, compared to $10.36 billion at the end of 2023. The increase in assets is a positive indicator of the company's ongoing investments in its operational capabilities and technological advancements.

Market Outlook and Strategic Movements

First Solar's performance in the first quarter of 2024 positions it well within the competitive landscape of the solar industry. The company's focus on technological innovation, cost-effective production processes, and strategic market positioning are pivotal in driving its financial success and operational resilience. As the industry continues to evolve with increasing emphasis on renewable energy solutions, First Solar's proactive strategies and robust financial health suggest a promising outlook for its stakeholders.

Investors and market watchers will likely keep a close eye on First Solar's progress through 2024, as it continues to navigate the complexities of the global solar market while striving to deliver sustainable shareholder value.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from First Solar Inc for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


People take part in a demonstration organized by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) on May Day at Karl-Marx-Allee. Christoph Soeder/dpa

As workers across Germany celebrate International Workers' Day, the head of the country's employers' associations said people should put in more hours on the job.

"We need more work in Germany, not less," Rainer Dulger said in a statement on the group's website on Wednesday.

"Germany discusses too much about the conditions of non-work and too little about the value of work," lamented the president of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA).

The question of how to make Germany an attractive place to work again must take centre stage, he said. "This also means that we will all have to work more and longer," Dulger stressed.

To achieve this, the framework conditions for work must be improved, he said.

"Work is much more than a necessity, and this must be brought back into focus on May 1," emphasized the BDA boss, adding: "There is no such thing as effortless prosperity. And added value is created by private entrepreneurs."

Dulger also emphasized the value of social partnership. "In times of low growth, an ageing society and a high shortage of labour and skilled workers, we must work together to secure good jobs and prosperity in Germany for the future," said Dulger.

He called on trade unions and politicians to "finally help shape work constructively again. That will help everyone: When the economy is booming, wages will also rise faster."

People take part in a demonstration organized by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) on May Day at Karl-Marx-Allee. Christoph Soeder/dpa
German Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock speaks to journalists after the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers. Britta Pedersen/dpa

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock sets off on Wednesday on a week-long trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji where the focus will be on security policy and climate protection.

The Indo-Pacific region, where the three destinations are located, is becoming increasingly important to Germany for strategic and economic reasons.

Baerbock actually wanted to visit the countries last August, but had to cancel the trip after a stopover in Abu Dhabi, when her government plane developed a series of mechnical problems.

The trip has now been rescheduled with a slightly different itinerary. She will first travel to Adelaide in Australia on Wednesday, then on to the New Zealand city of Auckland on Friday evening and from there to Fiji, which extends over 300 islands in the South Pacific, on Sunday.

With a population of just under 1 million, Fiji is one of the countries most affected by climate change. Residents on some islands have already had to be evacuated because they face flooding from rising sea levels. Baerbock will be the first German foreign minister to visit the island state.
Dietmar Woidke (3rd L), Minister President of Brandenburg), Radoslaw Sikorski, Foreign Minister of Poland, Annalena Baerbock, Foreign Minister of Germany, Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, former Foreign Minister of Poland and Joschka Fischer, former Foreign Minister of Germaany, stand on the city bridge between the twin city of Frankfurt (Oder) and the Polish city of Slubice on the 20th anniversary of Poland's accession to the EU. Patrick Pleul/dpa

Germany and Poland staged festivities in twin towns on their shared border to mark the 20th anniversary of Poland's accession to the European Union.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Polish Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski met in Frankfurt an der Oder and Subice on Wednesday.

The two visited Subice's Collegium Polonicum academic institution on the Polish side, then joined a festival and crossed the Oder Bridge to Frankfurt an der Oder in Germany.

Baerbock called May 1, 2004, an "incredible moment" for the continent.

On that day, the former Eastern Bloc states of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, in addition to Malta and Cyprus, joined the EU, in what is described as the "big bang" enlargement.

"We as countries, as societies, as Europe found the strength to overcome the division of Europe and finally became a community of peace and freedom," Baerbock said.

"Today we experience how we are stronger as a common European Union of now 27," she continued, saying the unity went beyond the single market to encompass transport networks, joint law enforcement operations and cross-border relationships.

On the same day 20 years ago, then German foreign minister Joschka Fischer and his counterpart Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz ushered in the new era of partnership on the Oder Bridge by shaking hands at midnight. The moment was welcomed by thousands of cheering people.

Poland and other former Soviet satellites are celebrating the anniversary of their EU accession against the backdrop of war, with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine well into its third year.

The events also hold particularly significance for Berlin and Warsaw, as Germany's attack on Poland in September 1939 launched World War II.

(L-R) Radoslaw Sikorski, Foreign Minister of Poland, Annalena Baerbock, Foreign Minister of Germany, and Joschka Fischer, former Foreign Minister of Germany, stand in front of the city bridge between the twin city of Frankfurt (Oder) and the Polish city of Slubice on the 20th anniversary of Poland's accession to the EU. Patrick Pleul/dpa
The police lettering is seen on an emergency vehicle. Daniel Vogl/dpa

A new German-Swiss police agreement is set to improve cross-border cooperation to combat smuggling while cracking down on drivers avoiding speeding and parking fines.

The new police agreement replaces an existing arrangement from 1999 and came into force on Wednesday.

It will allow officers from both countries to cross the border in emergencies and establishes liaison offices and joint operational units.

The agreement aims to combat terrorism, violent extremism, people smuggling and arms trafficking.

Meanwhile, German drivers who were long able to avoid heavy traffic fines in Switzerland - as long as they did not travel to the country again - are set to receive a fright.

Fines from countries outside the EU, such as Switzerland or the United Kingdom, could not previously be enforced in Germany.

The agreement will allow fines above 70 ($74.70) or 80 Swiss francs ($86.90) to be collected by authorities on both sides of the border.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement that the agreement would extend cooperation between the two countries' police forces.

"The new agreement expands our toolbox. We are ensuring more effective searches for suspects and better protection for witnesses and victims of crime. In this way, we are strengthening the security of our citizens," she added.

Swiss Federal Councillor Beat Jans, head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police, said that cross-border crime is constantly on the rise. "This is why bilateral police cooperation with Switzerland's neighbouring countries is essential," he stated.
WOODVILLE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  A man has been arrested after giving marijuana and vape pens to his daughter so she could sell them at school, the Tulare County Sheriffs Office said.

Deputies say they were called to an elementary school in Woodville for a report that a 13-year-old girl was trying to sell marijuana and vape pens on the school campus.

Over 1K marijuana plants eradicated in bust in Merced County

As the investigation progressed, detectives say they learned the girl had gotten the marijuana and vape pens from her dad, who encouraged her to sell them at school.

Investigators say they were called to take over the investigation and served a warrant in the 25000 block of Road 216 in Lindsay.

Sheriffs officials say the girls dad, 35-year-old Juan Ortiz of Lindsay, was taken into custody without incident under suspicion of child endangerment and providing marijuana and vape pens to a minor.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Tulare County Sheriffs Office at 559-733-6218.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
Golden predator  the source of legends  caught on trail cam in Thailand. See it

There are stories of the fire tigers.

Creeping through the forests of Thailand, the nocturnal predator hunts under the cover of darkness.

They have golden coats and a ferocity unmatched by their orange and black striped cousins.

They are incredibly rare animals, captured only in fleeting glances between thick forest underbrush  until now.

In Khao Sok National Park, in the southern peninsula of Thailand, a trail camera installed by wildlife officials captured one of these mysterious big cats stalking through the forest, according to an April 30 Facebook post from Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

The Asiatic golden cat was caught walking past a trail camera set up by wildlife officials.

The Asiatic Golden Cat, or Temmincks Cat as its sometimes known, is a medium-sized wild cat on the verge of extinction, wildlife officials said.

They have a smooth fur coat, wildlife officials said, which is sometimes reddish-brown, sometimes a darker brown, black or gray. The cats have two black lines running down their foreheads and white tips to their long tails.

Asiatic golden cats spend most of their lives on the ground, but they are also skilled climbers and will go up into trees to hunt a variety of rodents, birds, hares, reptiles and insects, according to wildlife officials.

They are also not afraid of a larger target and regularly hunt deer and wild boar, wildlife officials said.

Some communities believe the pelt of the golden cat can deter tigers, officials said.

The cats are called fire tigers and stone leopards by local groups, and they are the subject of multiple myths and legends.

According to Thai National Parks, some communities believe the cats fur keeps dangerous tigers away and will burn the pelt of the animals as a preventative measure, or eat the animal.

Some people believe that just by holding a single hair off the golden cats you may be protected from tigers, according to the park service.

Indigenous groups in Thailand consider the cats to be fierce, but when kept in captivity they are often peaceful and docile, according to Thai National Parks.

Asiatic golden cats are among the worlds endangered big cats and were near threatened when the species was last evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List in 2014.

The animals live throughout southeast Asia, ranging from Tibet to Malaysia, preferring evergreen and tropical forest habitats, according to Thai National Parks.

Facebooks translation was used to translate the post from the   .

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Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) unveiled a $786,000 TV buy, with the first ad focused on veterans, as conservatives to his right line up behind his primary opponent, social media influencer Brandon Herrera.

Gonzales, who has faced criticism from hard-right GOP members after personally attacking them on national TV, is looking to secure his reelection in Texas 23rd Congress Congressional District runoff contest slated for May 28.

On Tuesday, the moderate Republican showcased his campaigns ad, where he touts the support from veterans, and he goes after Herreras remarks regarding service member suicides.

I was awarded a Purple Heart in Iraq, but the war followed me home, the first veteran says in the 30-second ad. Veteran suicide is real. If you listen to Brandon Herrera, he thinks thats a joke.

The ad then shows an excerpt from Herreras February appearance on the Unsubscribe podcast where the Second Amendment activist says If it makes everyone in the room feel better, I often think about putting a gun in my mouth. So, Im basically an honorary veteran.

If Brandon Herrera wont support veterans, he has no business representing us in Congress, another veteran says in Gonzales ad. Tony Gonzales is a veteran. Tony Gonzales stood up for us in the Middle East; now he is standing up against Joe Biden here on the border. Thats why veterans stand with Tony Gonzales.

Gonzales told reporters about the six-figure ad buy during a press conference on Tuesday.

Herrera instantly accused Gonzales of cherry picking the line out of context and argued his campaign rakes in more money from veterans than the Texas lawmaker, who was elected to Congress in 2020.

Its honestly disgraceful to see you take one line purposefully out of context, and use it to diminish all of the work me and my friends have done for the veteran community here, Herrera said in a Tuesday post on the social media platform X. I guarantee weve raised more for veterans than you ever have, and thats a promise. Shame on you.

In addition to touting his background as a two-decade-plus veteran, Gonzales touched on how the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border is a major issue in this race.

Ive hosted over 200 Members of Congress, heck I even hosted the richest man on earth, Elon Musk, to bring highlight for what is happening, he said during the press conference. I think in many cases, that is a reason why Border Patrol Council is endorsing me and why I have the support of the men and women in green.

Gonzales drew fire on himself when he went after two of his hard-right conference colleagues during his appearance on CNN.

Its my absolute honor to be in Congress, but I serve with some real scumbags, he said when talking about Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Bob Good (R-Va.) on CNNs State of the Union.

Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex with them at drug parties, he said. Bob Good endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi. These people used to walk around with white hoods at night. Now theyre walking around with white hoods in the daytime.

In response, Gaetz re-upped his endorsement of Herrera. Good also backed his challenger and slammed the incumbents voting record.

It is not surprising that one of the most liberal RINOs in Congress, who has egregiously fought real border security, and votes like a Democrat, would resort to the Dem playbook in screaming racism, Good said.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) held a fundraiser with Gonzales last week. The event raised $300,000, according to Gonzales campaign.

Gonzales has been in hardliners crosshairs for some time since opting to vote for all four components of the foreign aid package, a tranche of bills hardline members criticized.

While Gonzales did not directly address the attacks from House members during the Tuesday press conference, he stated the crisis at the southern border is something he paid attention to for some time, longer before it was in the brightest spotlight.

No one knew where Eagle Pass was, it wasnt a whole lot of infrastructure and then all of a sudden, thats where all the people were going, Gonzales said. Nobody knew about Arizona, right? No one was talking about Arizona a year and a half ago and then all of a sudden Arizona became the hotspot.

So in my district, we live in every day.

One of the things that Ive been pushing for is not just rhetoric but also results and ultimately end this border crisis, he said.

Going into the final stages of the runoff, Gonzales enjoys a money advantage, currently having over $1.5 million cash-on-hand, according to the latest Federal Election Commission reports, while Herrera has a tick over $302,000.

This story was updated at 7:43 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Republican Party candidate for Monroe County Family Court has been booted from the ballot after what a judge determined was an improper petitioning process.

State Supreme Court Justice Daniel Doyle ruled this week that GOP Chairman Patrick Reilly could not place his name on party petitions as a placeholder for the judgeship because Reilly is not a lawyer.

That petitioning misstep in turn invalidated the subsequent petitions of local lawyer and Wheatland Town Justice Nicole Bayly, who was chosen to fill the candidacy. The Democratic candidate is lawyer Ella Marshall.

In the ruling, Doyle wrote that:

Reilly put his name on the petition as a placeholder until the GOP and Conservative Party had decided upon a candidate. That candidate was ultimately Bayly.

However, Reilly under the law could not be a placeholder because a family court judicial candidate must be a lawyer, and Reilly is not.

Because Reilly's petitioned position was invalid, the subsequent placement of Bayly "as the Republican Party and Conservative Party (candidate) must be invalidated."

Ella Marshall

In a statement, Democratic Party Chairman Stephen DeVay said that he and Reilly, as party chairs, "have a duty to abide by election law and put forth the most qualified candidates to serve our community.

"With regards to this race, Pat failed at both," DeVay said.

Reilly said the Democratic lawsuit challenging the petitions has denied voters a choice.

The Board of Elections had accepted the petitions. In court papers, Reilly said he had been told by knowledgeable people that he could use his name as a placeholder.

"It is common practice by both parties to use placeholder names on petitions and for the Democrats to sue to overrule the Board of Elections Commissioners ruling and remove Judge Bayly from the ballot is a disservice to the people of Monroe County," Reilly said in a statement.

Bayly's campaign unsuccessfully challenged Marshall's candidacy, claiming that she was trying to mislead voters by using a name that she has not commonly used in the past. Marshall said she has used the name commonly after a divorce.

Doyle refused to remove Marshall from the ballot, saying there was no evidence "beyond mere supposition" that voters would be confused by the name.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: GOP candidate for Monroe County Family Court booted from ballot in New York
BEIJING, May 1 (Xinhua) -- China's trade with other BRICS members hit 1.49 trillion yuan (about 209.7 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter, up 11.3 percent year on year, according to customs authorities.

The trade value accounted for 14.7 percent of the nation's total foreign trade value during the same period, said the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Among BRICS members, China's exports to Brazil and imports from it rose 25.7 percent and 30.1 percent year on year, respectively, in the first quarter.

Trade between China and Russia continued to expand during the period, featured by growth in traded products such as energy, automobiles, as well as general machinery and equipment, according to the GAC.

Trade between China and India grew 8.5 percent in the first quarter, marking growth for five consecutive quarters.

Meanwhile, as China's largest trading partner in Africa for 14 consecutive years, South Africa saw robust growth in its trade with China. During the first quarter, China's exports to South Africa totaled 35.11 billion yuan, while its imports from the African nation stood at 66.46 billion yuan, said the GAC.

Customs data showed that China has maintained good cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the field of energy trade. The two countries were among the top 10 sources of energy products imported into China in the first quarter.

China also carried out practical cooperation with Egypt and Ethiopia in the field of infrastructure, while in the first quarter, China's export of contracted projects to the above two countries achieved rapid growth, according to the GAC.

Meanwhile, Chinese-manufactured goods were popular in Iran, with China's exported goods purchased by the Iranian market growing 15.2 percent year on year in the first quarter, the data shows.

Lyu Daliang, director of the GAC's Department of Statistics and Analysis, said that the value of goods trade among BRICS countries accounted for about 20 percent of the world's total.

There remains great potential for trade to grow among BRICS nations and the bloc is expected to become an "accelerator" for global economic recovery and trade development, the official said.

BRICS is the acronym for an emerging-market cooperative mechanism that initially featured Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. On Jan. 1, 2024, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia joined BRICS. 
Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript April 30, 2024

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. isnt one of the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds at the end of the third quarter (see the details here).

Operator: Good day and welcome to the Franklin BSP Realty Trust First Quarter 2024 Earnings Call. [Operator Instructions] Please note this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Ms. Lindsey Crabbe. Please go ahead, maam.

Lindsey Crabbe: Good morning. Thank you, Chuck, for hosting our call today. Welcome to the Franklin BSP Realty Trust first quarter 2024 earnings conference call. As the operator mentioned, I'm Lindsey Crabbe. With me on the call today are Richard Byrne, Chairman and CEO of FBRT; Jerry Baglien, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of FBRT; and Michael Comparato, President of FBRT. Before we begin, I want to mention that some of todays comments are forward-looking statements and are based on certain assumptions. Those comments and assumptions are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties as described in our most recently filed SEC periodic report and actual future results may differ materially. The information conveyed on this call is current only as of the date of this call, April 30, 2024.

The company assumes no obligation to update any statements made during this call, including any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Additionally, we will refer to certain non-GAAP financial measures, which are reconciled to GAAP figures in our earnings release and supplementary slide deck. Each of which are available on our website at www.fbrtreit.com. We will refer to the supplementary slide deck on todays call. With that, I will turn the call over to Rich Byrne.

Richard Byrne: Great. Thanks, Lindsey and good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us today. As Lindsey mentioned, our earnings release and supplemental deck were published to our website yesterday. We will begin today's call on slide four, and I'm going to review our first quarter results and then open the call up, as always, for your questions. First, we were pleased with our first quarter results. FBRT's distributable earnings increased to $0.41 per fully converted share compared to $0.39 in the prior quarter. This equates to a 10.4% distributable earnings return on common equity. Our distributable earnings dividend coverage for the quarter was a 115%. Our strong earnings are the result of stable portfolio size throughout most of the quarter, which had the continued benefit of higher base rates as well as a strong contribution from our conduit business.

Story continues

Our conduit is an alternative business line that can be an earnings enhancer. CMBS has again become one of the lower cost financing options in the market, so we remain cautiously optimistic that conduit revenues will continue to benefit our earnings in future quarters. Our core portfolio ended the quarter at $5.2 billion of principal balance, which is an increase from the last quarter. This was due to very strong originations in Q1. In fact, Q1 was our fourth largest origination quarter since the inception of our company. We added $591 million of new loan commitments in the quarter and committed to $756 million of originations through the entire year-to-date as of yesterday. Most of our Q1 portfolio growth happened towards the back half of the quarter.

So, we did not see the full benefit of the larger portfolio in our first quarter net interest margin. We expect to enjoy this positive impact in future quarters. Multifamily continues to be our main sector. This represents 75% of our commercial real estate loan portfolio. We closed the quarter with $1 billion in available liquidity, including $240 million of unrestricted cash. Our cash balance decreased by $98 million in the quarter versus Q4 due to our active deployment into new originations. Our strong liquidity position allows us to capitalize on the current abundance of attractive new investment opportunities and provides us flexibility to resolve credit issues to the extent they arise. Turning to our watch list, we ended the quarter with six loans with a risk rating of four on our watch list.

Our watch list represents approximately 5% of our core portfolio. As previously disclosed, one asset was removed from our watch list during this quarter, taken as REO and then liquidated at a modest gain. We have been successful in working through problem loans and achieving positive outcomes. While, there will continue to be changes to our watch list each quarter with loans potentially being added and/or removed, we are optimistic about our team's ability to continue to manage this process. Mike will provide more watch list detail in his comments, including promising feedback on several assets. The risk profile of our portfolio remains low with an average overall risk rating of 2.3 at quarter-end, unchanged from the prior quarter, and 95% of our loans are risk rated three or better.

Our foreclosure REO positions also remains unchanged, sitting at three at quarter-end. The Walgreens retail portfolio continues to make up most of this balance. And as we have said previously, the portfolio is being actively marketed for sale. In aggregate, our foreclosure REO positions represent 2.2% of our total assets. Lastly, I want to mention that we purchased 1.9 million of FDRT common stock during the first quarter. We continue to be active in the second quarter. And so far, we've repurchased an additional 2.0 million of our common stock through April 19th, 2024. This totals 3.8 million year-to-date. In total, since our program began, the company and its advisor purchased 68 million of FBRT common stock. Our company buyback program is authorized through the end of 2024.

Finally, FBRT's first quarter was a strong start to 2024. Our distributable earnings once again comfortably exceeded our dividend level and we were able to grow our loan portfolio, adding what we would call a new vintage of loans that offers strong credit quality, which will also enhance FBRT's earnings power. While we continue to see a challenging environment for commercial real estate, especially as many loans reach initial maturity this year, we are confident in the resilience of our multifamily focused portfolio and our ability to effectively resolve challenging loans. Now, with all that, Jerry, I'm going to turn things over to you to cover our financial results.

Jerry Baglien: Great. Thanks, Rich. And I appreciate everyone being on the call today. Moving on to our results, let's start on slide five. FBRT generated GAAP earnings of $35.8 million or $0.35 per diluted common share. That's an increase of $0.07 from the prior quarter. And this earnings level represents an 8.9% return on common equity in the first quarter. We earned $41 million in distributable earnings in the first quarter and a walkthrough of our distributable earnings to GAAP net income can be found in the earnings release. Our CECL reserve increased by $2.9 million during the quarter, which includes an asset-specific reserve of $700,000 on one of our watchlist loans. The CECL increase resulted in a $0.03 per share reduction to GAAP earnings.

This also impacted our first quarter book value, which ended the quarter at $15.68 per share. Slide seven summarizes our portfolio progression. As Rich said, our core portfolio ended the quarter with $5.2 billion in principal balance. New commitments, future funding on existing loans and repayments this quarter resulted in a net increase of $199 million from last quarter. Nine loans were repaid in full during the quarter. Multifamily made up 70% of our repayments with hospitality, self-storage, and office contributing to the remaining balance. We expect the pace of repayments to be similar in the coming quarters. Turning to slide eight. This provides a high-level snapshot of our capitalization. Our average cost of debt during the quarter was modestly lower at 7.8%.

A broker negotiating the terms of a mezzanine loan in a meeting with developers.

Our liability structure provides us with optionality. A large portion of our portfolio is financed through our CLOs. At quarter-end, 87% of our financing on our core book is non-recourse and non-mark-to-market. The reinvestment period is still available on two of our five CLOs. And despite limited issuance, the CRE/CLO market has seen some activity and offerings since our last deal in September. Our current funding position is strong. However, we will remain opportunistic in accessing the capital markets when necessary in future quarters. We can strategically tap into CLO financing when market conditions are attractive and align with our future funding needs. Our liability structure is further enhanced by our warehouse facilities. We maintain strong relationships with a diverse group of six lenders, each demonstrating a healthy appetite for our loans.

This strong demand underscores the credit quality of our entire portfolio, encompassing both legacy assets and our recent originations. Notably, our new loans boast some of the highest credit quality we've seen in several years. We maintained a net leverage position of 2.4 times at quarter-end. Importantly, we have consistently delivered relatively strong distributable earnings return on our equity without taking what we believe to be an outsized risk. With that, I'll turn it over to Mike to give you an update on our portfolio.

Michael Comparato: Thanks, Jerry. And good morning, everybody. Thank you for joining us. I'm going to start on slide 12. Our core portfolio ended the quarter at $5.2 billion, spread across 145 loans with an average size of $36 million. As you can see, 99% of our loans are senior secured, and our exposure is 75% in the multifamily sector. We continue to be long-term bullish on the fundamentals of multifamily. As previously discussed, the asset class offers compelling advantages to do its superior credit quality and robust liquidity profile. We're strategically concentrated on the southeast and southwest U.S. Given the positive macroeconomic trends of the major metros within those geographies, these areas continue to be a focus for new investments.

Slide 13 highlights our origination activity in the first quarter. We originated 11 loans at a weighted average spread of 464 basis points. While we had several unique transactions this quarter, this spread is indicative of the market opportunity previously mentioned. The quality of the deal flow we are seeing is very attractive with strong terms, including higher debt yields and lower loan to values off revalued asset levels. This quarter, we originated loans in the multifamily, industrial, hospitality, and office sectors. And while we remain extremely bearish on office, the office loan we closed in March was a unique credit opportunity that came with very attractive economics. However, inclusive of this new loan, our office exposure still stands at only 6% across our entire portfolio, and excluding our long-term, net least corporate headquarters and distribution facility, our office exposure is under 5% of the portfolio.

Our conduit program platform had an excellent quarter closing five transactions. Echoing Rich's earlier remarks, we are encouraged by the conduit's momentum, and in Q1, we securitized $101 million of loans with a weighted average profit margin of 5.5 points. We looked to conduit revenue to continue to contribute to earnings in the coming quarter, but this is historically lumpy revenue and difficult to model. We believe this is the first quarter in quite some time that we can say that all businesses within FBRT were hitting on all cylinders. That said, we recognize the current market presents challenges with increased borrowing costs and softening asset values. Fortunately, FBRT benefits from being a part of BSP's broader real estate platform and can leverage a team we believe is among the industry's best.

Our asset and senior management teams are actively working with borrowers to develop solutions and address any loan-related issues that may arise. Moving to slide 14, you will see a summary of our watch list activity. We ended the quarter with six loans on our watch list, all four rated with an aggregate value of $264 million. Last quarter, I provided detailed information on our risk rating process, and I'll remind you today that a four-rated asset is one that is an asset with an underperforming business plan with the potential of some interest loss, but still expecting a positive return on investment. The six loans on our watch list are a CBD high-rise office building in Denver, Colorado. This loan was amended and extended maturity by two years and requires a $2 million principal paydown later in 2024.

We have a Class A suburban office building in Alpharetta, Georgia. This loan was also recently amended to extend maturity by one year. The borrowers were paid down the loan by approximately $1.4 million in 2023 and paid down an additional $1 million in the first quarter of 2024. A full-service, 279-Key hotel in Dallas, Texas. This property is finalizing its sale process and should pay-off at or very close to our outstanding debt balance based on offers received to date. A 426-Unit apartment property in Cleveland, Ohio is a new ad this quarter and we are in active dialogue with the borrower. And the last two watch list loans are a 471-Unit apartment community in Raleigh, North Carolina and a two-property portfolio of apartment assets in Mooresville & Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

We are in the process of foreclosing on these assets and as of today, we expect to finalize their sale to third parties at or above our basis in the second quarter. With respect to non-accruals, we will highlight the four loans. One is a newly built multifamily asset in Las Vegas where subsequent to quarter-end, a mezzanine lender has taken control of the asset and the loan is now current. Another two assets are the two last watch list loans I just discussed. And lastly, we have a cross-portfolio of multifamily assets that are also in the process of being sold. It is important to note that while we place these assets on non-accrual in Q1, we have been receiving payments and recognizing them on a cash basis. All-in-all, I believe we are making good progress through our watch list loans and we are hopeful the three remaining non-accruals will be resolved in the second quarter.

With respect to modifications in Q1, we close 17 credit-positive loan modifications and negotiated paydowns on nine loans, representing 4.1% of their respective loan balance on average. Our borrowers contributed nearly $30 million of incremental equity related to extensions and modifications in the first quarter. Moving to slide 15. We had three foreclosure REO positions at quarter-end. Those positions are a Portland office building, which we continue to believe is not the right time to exit the asset. A multifamily asset in Lubbock, Texas, where our asset management team continues to meaningfully improve the asset and increased occupancy. It is still classified as held for investment through our improvements in retenanting. And our last REO is our Walgreens portfolio.

We hold 23 retail stores as part of this portfolio at quarter-end, all assets around the market for sale, and we are actively attempting to liquidate the entire portfolio. In aggregate, our foreclosure REO balance ended the quarter $122 million, which is approximately 2.2% of our total assets. Wrapping up, we are very bullish about the market opportunity for FBRT. We have a legacy loan portfolio that will continue to require our focused attention, but at the same time, a combination of factors are leading to compelling new origination opportunities, which we are taking advantage of. Every new loan we originate improves the overall credit quality of our portfolio, and we will continue to be a market leader on new originations. With that, I would like to turn the call back to the operator and begin the Q&A session.

Operator: Thank you. We will now begin the question-and-answer session. [Operator Instructions] And the first question will come from Stephen Laws with Raymond James. Please go ahead.

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To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) called for the U.S. government to revoke the visas given to international students who are Hamas sympathizers and deport them as college protests continue nationwide.

You cannot go around yelling I am Hamas or We are Hamas or River to the sea and pushing out Jewish students and have the university not step up, Blackburn said Tuesday on The Hill on NewsNation.

Now, in my opinion, for the students who are out protesting, shouting Death to America and Death to Israel and  being Hamas sympathizers, if theyre foreign students, I would pull their visa and deport them, she continued.

Blackburn continued, arguing that if they are U.S. students who are federal student loan borrowers, she would pull their loans, since they are funded by taxpayer dollars.

Students at Columbia University took control of a campus building early Tuesday morning. Demonstrators barricaded entrances and flew a Palestinian flag from a window at Hamilton Hall in an escalation of what has largely been a nonviolent protest.

The movement has spread across the country, with many other college campuses experiencing encampments and pro-Palestinian protests. More than 1,000 people have been arrested on campuses due to protesting.

Many of the student protesters have called for their schools to divest from Israel and support efforts for a cease-fire. The protests have denounced antisemitism and have not explicitly endorsed Hamas in the ongoing conflict, but a few incidents have become part of the larger contention around the protests.

Columbia banned a student protest leader from campus who said Zionists dont deserve to live. A video of a protest organizer, Khymani James, showed him saying earlier this year that people should be grateful that he doesnt go around murdering Zionists. James has apologized for his comments.

Blackburn said that if people are looking in the camera and saying, I am Hamas, we should believe them and add them to the terrorist watch list and no-fly list.

You cannot sit by and just let this activity continue and have Jewish students put  in harms way, she said.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
GOP wants research group barred from federal funding over COVID work with Wuhan

A key House committee investigating the origins of COVID-19 wants a scientific research group to be barred from receiving federal funds and criminally investigated over its presidents work with a lab in Wuhan, China.

A GOP staff report released Wednesday from the majority in the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic found that EcoHealth Alliance used U.S. taxpayer dollars to facilitate high-risk research on coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), the Chinese lab at the center of the lab leak theory.

The report said the organizations president Peter Daszak failed to report that research to the federal government, in violation of the terms of its grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Given Dr. Daszaks apparent contempt for the American people and disregard for legal reporting requirements, the Select Subcommittee recommends the formal debarment of and a criminal investigation into EcoHealth and its president, the report stated.

The committee issued the report ahead of a hearing, where Daszak defended himself from accusations that he has been uncooperative in the investigation and tried to cover up evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus came from a Chinese lab.

Daszak repeatedly maintained he did not conduct gain of function research, which enhances a viruss ability to cause an infection in order to predict pandemics and develop cures. Gain-of-function research isnt illegal, but Republicans have been calling for it to be banned as they try to directly tie gain-of-function research in Wuhan to the COVID-19 pandemic .

Dr. Daszak either cannot or will not distinguish between the common understanding of gain-of-function research and the more technical definitions provided under various and narrowly defined regulatory frameworks, subcommittee chairman Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) said.

Wenstrup added that Daszak has displayed a disregard for the risks associated with gain-of-function research, stonewalled the Congressional oversight process, and willfully violated the federal grant process.

Republicans said experiments EcoHealth Alliance was conducting in 2019 made the SARS-CoV-2 virus stronger and more pathogenic.

Members from both parties grilled Daszak and appeared skeptical of his answers on gain-of-function.

Democrats focused on the safety of the research, as well as organizations compliance with federal funding rules.

In a separate report also released Wednesday, Democrats said internal documents raise reasonable questions about EcoHealth getting any future taxpayer funding.

EcoHealth potentially misled the federal government on multiple occasions in both their transparency obligations and reporting requirements as recipients of federal grant funding  raising serious questions about their overall commitment to the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, said Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) the top Democrat on the panel.

Still, Democrats made clear they did not think Daszak and EcoHealth caused the pandemic.

In combative back-and-forth questioning, Daszak said lawmakers and the respective counsels for both parties were misinterpreting his research. Frequently talking over members asking questions, Daszak defended his work, saying its been the target of misinformation.

Daszak said his family as well as EcoHealth staff have been harassed and received death threats.

In March 2020, Daszak signed onto a letter to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that Covid-19 does not have a natural origin.

Under questioning from Ruiz and others, Daszak said he doesnt think its a conspiracy theory to suggest a lab leak but still believes the virus has a natural origin.

I categorically condemn the threats you and other scientists or public health officials have received due to extreme accusations like weve heard from some of my colleagues, Ruiz said, but pushed Daszak as to why he helped write the statement when he had a financial interest in tamping down scrutiny on the Wuhan lab.

Both Ruiz and Wenstrup said they felt Daszak was dodging difficult questions.

Your responses here are unsatisfactory, Ruiz told Daszak at the hearings conclusion. You are explaining things to your convenience to avoid consequences.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Whos got your vote for Canyon County commissioner? See the candidates and what they say

Canyon County Republican voters will have six candidates to choose from for three contested county races in four county races in Idahos primary election on May 21. Democrats will have one candidate.

Three Republicans are running for county commissioner in each of Districts 1 and 3, and two are running for prosecuting attorney.

The races for sheriff and clerk are uncontested, with just the incumbents running for reelection. There is a lone Democratic candidate seeking county office: Kyle Thompson, who is running for county commissioner in District 3. While the commission candidates must live in their districts, all elections are countywide.

For this Voter Guide, the Idaho Statesman sent surveys to the candidates for their thoughts on the most pressing issues facing Canyon County. The candidates responses are copied below, unedited except when answers exceeded the 100-word limit and were trimmed from the end.

Please note the slider at the bottom of each presentation, which will allow you to scroll among all candidates.

County Commissioners

District 1: Leslie Van Beek is seeking a third term. She is running to maintain the status quo since the 2022 election, when Commissioners Brad Holton and Zach Brooks were elected.

I am running for reelection to continue the good work that began with the on-boarding of Commissioner Holton and Commissioner Brooks in January 2023, Van Beek said in her Voter Guide answers.

The other two candidates  Pamela Blacker Wagoner, a substitute teacher from Caldwell; and Theresa Denham, a Middleton business consultant and real estate agent  hope to shake things up.

Wagoner slammed the commissioners for giving themselves raises while county residents struggled under the weight of increasing property taxes. We need leadership that will remember they work for the citizens, not the other way around, she said.

Denham also criticized the salary increases but focused most on protecting the countys rural lifestyle and reducing county spending. Budget increases totaling 84% . . . since 2021 is too much increase, Denham said.

The District 1 commissioner will be elected to a two-year term.

District 3: Zach Brooks, the incumbent District 3 commissioner, faces Nampa sandwich and pizza shop owner Richard Williams.

Brooks shared Van Beeks platform of continuing the good work and success that this unified board has achieved.

Williams criticized the existing board, calling for greater transparency and public input in the budgeting process and a more thoughtful approach to spending property tax dollars.

The District 3 commissioner will be elected to a four-year term.

Prosecuting Attorney

Incumbent Bryan Taylor is not seeking reelection. Running to succeed him are Adams County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Boyd, of Nampa, and former state legislator and attorney Greg Chaney, of Caldwell.

Boyd began his career as a Canyon County prosecutor under Taylor for five years before going north to Adams County, home to Council, New Meadows and the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway. He said his experience has prepared him to lead the prosecutors office in Idahos second-largest county.

His platform is being tough on crime and defense attorneys and ensuring the prosecutors office works as a team.

Chaney touted his experience building his private law office and his four terms in the Idaho House, including three years as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He wants to be tough on crime, including fentanyl trafficking, and to help the county avoid expensive civil suits.

The county prosecutor is elected to a four-year term.

Visit IdahoStatesman.com/Election to learn more about this race and other local elections.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. Dec. 27, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  Gov. Jim Pillen on Tuesday set his sights on eliminating any state government positions that have remained vacant for more than 90 days, estimating millions of dollars in savings.

Gov. Jim Pillen signs an executive order seeking to review vacant state positions every three months, eliminating those that have been unfilled for at least 90 days. April 30, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Pillen outlined the new plan in an executive order, slating the elimination of nearly 1,000 positions that have been vacant for months, if not years, while preserving certain critical positions. In total, the positions could save the state $39.4 million, according to the Governors Office.

I promised to run state government like a business and this order delivers on that promise, Pillen said in a statement. We have proven we can work without them, so we will eliminate them and return the money to the taxpayers.

Savings could increase by up to 25%, the office states, considering market factors in certain higher rates of hiring  up to roughly $49 million in that case.

State law already requires the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services Budget Division to review all full-time positions that have been vacant for 90 days or more. The new order states that such vacant positions will be eliminated beginning June 1 and every 90 days after.

The state budget administrator would be authorized to redistribute those funds, such as to other priorities or returned through property tax relief.

Maintaining a level of service

Justin Hubly, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees. Dec. 7, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

The Nebraska Association of Public Employees, which represents more than 8,000 state employees, said Tuesday that more than one in five state jobs are vacant and waiting for qualified applicants.

Through the order, the union said, it is clear that the governor expects public employees to work short staffed permanently.

This decision hurts all Nebraskans, Justin Hubly, union executive director, said. We should expect consequences, including longer lines and closures at DMV locations, to continue, hold times to increase when applying for Medicaid, and a slowdown in the delivery of unemployment services, just to name a few.

State Sen. Robert Clements of Elmwood, chair of the Legislatures Appropriations Committee, said the governor has been looking at operational efficiencies alongside a need to prevent the states level of service from dropping.

I dont have a problem with eliminating vacancies as long as the level of service is maintained, which theyre telling me theyre making sure thats the case, Clements said.

The employees union remains in a legal battle with Pillen over a previous executive order that seeks to end most remote work.

Property tax relief

Laura Strimple, a spokesperson for Pillen, said the vast majority of vacancies are no longer necessary for operating state government, but wasnt immediately able to provide a list of such positions.

She didnt respond to a question about what other priorities exist for redistributing funds, beyond property tax relief.

That is certainly the top priority, Strimple said in an email to the Nebraska Examiner.

The state is currently contracting with Epiphany Associates to find additional cost savings, though the executive order is not related to that process, she said.

However, the savings would supplement savings that are identified through the work by Epiphany, Strimple said.

More than 100 state employees rallied during a noon hour in early December against Gov. Pillens order to end remote work. Dec. 7, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Union members will begin negotiating a new labor contract in September, a news release states. In light of Tuesdays order  which the union says could ask employees to do more for the same pay  members plan to negotiate for higher wages if they conclude the governor is unwilling to appropriately staff state agencies.

The governor has a noble goal of reducing property taxes and running the most efficient state government possible, Hubly said. Funding for property tax relief, however, cannot come at the expense of providing quality frontline services to all Nebraskans.

Spending money well

State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the Legislatures Revenue Committee chair, who is working closely with Pillen on tax relief, including for a likely special session this year, said the governor protected public safety in protecting certain positions from being eliminated while allowing more transparency about how funds will be moved within agencies.

I think the governor is really trying to make sure that were spending money well, Linehan said.

The order would preserve the following positions should they become vacant for 90 days:

Law enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, children and family services specialists and similar positions directly related to public safety.

Positions that provide direct operational support for facilities offering 24/7 services.

Highway maintenance and construction workers and other directly related positions.

Positions exempt from the State Personnel System.

Positions being held vacant due to those allocated funds being used for other temporary personnel liabilities.

Positions in the active process of being reclassified.

Other positions approved by the Office of the Governor to remain vacant, at the budget administrators recommendation.

The authority to move funds

Typically, transfers of appropriated funds are not allowed between departments or even between some programs within departments unless the Legislature has given such authority, multiple senators and the Legislative Fiscal Office confirmed to the Examiner.

State Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams. Jan. 5, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska News Service)

State Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams said this authority depends on, I call it, the nuances.

Take DHHS  they are one of 70 some agencies, but they are the biggest one in that within them they have approximately 25 to 30 programs, Dorn said. Certain ones they can transfer [funds] between them, other ones they cannot.

Asked about the authority to redistribute funds, Clements noted that Pillens chief of staff, Dave Lopez, is an attorney and said, I dont think that theyre interested in doing anything illegal.

The post Gov. Jim Pillen announces plans to slash nearly 1,000 vacant state positions appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  Taking aim at gun violence and making communities safer: Thats the goal of Governor Josh Shapiro.

Local lawmakers joined the Governor and Lieutenant Governor at the Luzerne County Courthouse to talk about the proposal and how it will be funded.

Governor Josh Shapiro says around 2,000 Pennsylvanians lost their lives to gun violence last year.

Now, hes proposing $100,000,000 in the 2024-2025 budget to prevent and reduce gun violence and support law enforcement across the commonwealth.

Recovering from gun violence is a lifelong process, said gunshot survivor Kathy Lee Toothill.

Lee Toothill was walking home from a day of classes at North Pocono High School in Moscow in 1972 when she was confronted and shot multiple times by her ex-boyfriend.

She shared her survivor story on Wednesday in support of Governor Shapiros budget proposal, which would allocate $100,000,000 to combat gun violence across the commonwealth.

Drugs seized from Monroe County hotel room, three arrested

And whats clear to me both as attorney general and now as your governor, is that we need a well-funded multipronged approach in order to reduce gun violence across our communities, Governor Shapiro explained.

The $100,000,000 would increase Pennsylvania state police staffing and create new afterschool programs for students.

It would also allocate $37,500,000 toward the gun violence investigation and prosecution program. Last year, the program awarded $600,000 to increase staffing at the Luzerne County District Attorneys Office.

Thanks to Governor Shapiro and previous funding, we were able to hire a detective that was dedicated to fighting gun violence full-time and another detective part-time, and they have teamed up to make more arrests than ever before in luzerne county to combat gun violence, said Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce.

The District Attorney expresses that continuing to fight the problem stretches across party lines.

You might notice Im the only Republican up here. Id like to think thats because gun violence and fighting crime is not a democrat or republican issue. Again, this is proof that reaching across the aisle, we can row in the same direction, do the best that we can do to fight crime in northeast Pennsylvania and across the Commonwealth, Sanguedolce explained.

The budget is due June 30.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
Russian troops attacked the town of Hirnyk in Donetsk Oblast on May 1, killing two people and injuring six, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said citing preliminary information.



Russia carried out the attack using Uragan multiple rocket launchers, killing a 57-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man, according to the governor.

Hirnyk is located some 50 kilometers west of the occupied city of Donetsk.

"The final information on the number of victims and the extent of damage will be established later," Filashkin said.

Donetsk Oblast, partially occupied by Russian forces since 2014, suffers regular attacks. Local officials report losses among the civilian population on a near-daily basis.

Russian forces attacked seven settlements in the region over the past day, including in the Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk and Bakhmut districts, the local authorities said. Two people were reportedly killed.

Read also: Russia throws thousands of troops to capture Chasiv Yar. Why is it so important?

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Three more children have been brought from Russian-occupied territory in Kherson Oblast, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on May 1.

At least 19,500 children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and less than 400 of them have been returned home, according to the Children of War database.

An 11-year-old girl, who was left alone and thus could have up in an orphanage, was rescued. She was brought back thanks to the cooperation of the humanitarian NGO Save Ukraine, guardianship authorities, and the children's services, according to Prokudin.

Two boys aged nine and 13 were also rescued. Their adult brother was looking after them while he was at risk of being drafted into the Russian military. The Reintegration Ministry, the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, guardianship authorities, as well as the the children's services in Kherson Oblast were involved in the rescue mission.

Prokudin said all the children are safe and receiving the required psychological help and medical care.

According to Prokudin, 66 children from Kherson Oblast have been returned home from Russian-occupied territories since the beginning of the all-out war.

On April 25, Ukraine provided Qatar with the list of the names of 561 Ukrainian children illegally held in Russia. Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that the Russian authorities started processing the list.

Read also: NGO Save Ukraine rescues 6 more children, their families from Russian occupation

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Governor: First 5 underground schools to be built in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

The Education Ministry approved the projects of the first five underground schools in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Governor Ivan Fedorov announced on May 1.

Kharkiv was the first Ukrainian city where the concept of underground schools was introduced to ensure offline education despite regular Russian attacks. The first school was established in Kharkiv's metro.

As the front line runs through both Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv oblasts, both regions suffer from frequent Russian strikes.

The subvention from the state for the schools' project is up to Hr 500 million ($12.6 million). Fedorov said that the school construction tender will be announced this week.

Three schools will be built in the regional center of Zaporizhzhia, and the other two elsewhere in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The governor did not specify the deadline for their completion.

The newly built educational facilities will become educational platforms for children from several Zaporizhzhia districts, as well as from the nearby settlements.

The local administration aims to build 10 underground schools in the future, according to Fedorov.

According to the February poll of the Ukrainian polling agency Vox Populi, 81% of students in front-line regions learn online rather than in physical classrooms.

Deputy Education Minister Yevhen Kudriavets said in February that over 3,500 educational institutions were damaged due to the Russian full-scale invasion. Nearly 400 of them were almost destroyed.

Every seventh Ukrainian school was damaged by Russian attacks, according to the ministry's calculations.

Read also: Education Ministry creates manual for teachers on discussing war in schools

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
When Steve Wilson, a Fort Worth resident and Star-Telegram employee, kept getting calls, letters, and people showing up to his house talking about a foreclosure, he got worried. He thought maybe he fell victim to title fraud.

Title theft is when a fraud uses a home owners title and information to make a deed in their name according to Forbes. This can expose homeowners to foreclosures or credit damage because of a fraudulent accounts inability to make payments.

Property Fraud Alert, PFA, is a free service where Tarrant County property owners can sign up to have their name tracked to monitor fraudulent activity. Once enrolled, PFA will scan the exact name entered in over 90 different documents submitted to the County Clerk, checking that they are not victims of mortgage or property fraud.

This free service is available to all Texas residents, but it is managed by individual counties.

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For Wilson, the County Clerk made a typo, transposing address numbers and mistaking his house as a property in foreclosure when it should have been the house down the street. Luckily he caught the anomaly. But to play things safe, he went ahead and signed up for PFA following a suggestion from his sister who happens to be a Realtor. Now, if his name ever shows up as a grantor or grantee on a deed, he will receive an email alert.

PFA uses a wild card system, meaning if your name is Paul, you may be receiving notices for the name Paula as well. It is highly recommended that you enter only the first letter of your first name in the first name field. For example, with a name such as Steve, Stephen, or Steven, you may wish to enter the letter S in the first name field, according to the Tarrant County Clerks office.

You may enter as many names as you want, you just need to apply separately for each title. This is not a bad idea for those who have names that are common misspelled. You may also direct the same name to different email addresses. If your phone number or email changes, simply submit a new request under the correct contact information.

If you end up with an alert that your title has been stolen, take appropriate action. The Federal Trade Commission suggests the following.

Call the department, explain that your identity has been stolen. Freeze accounts, and change passwords.

Place a fraud alert on your credit card if needed.

Go to your local police department and file a report.
Update: Russia reportedly attacks postal depot in Odesa, injuring at least 14

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Russia launched ballistic missiles at the city of Odesa on the evening of May 1, injuring at least 14 people, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said.

Several explosions were reported in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa at 10 p.m. local time almost immediately after an air raid alert went off in the region. One man is in stable condition after being hospitalized as a result of the attack, Kiper reported on Telegram.

Russia hit a postal depot of Ukraine's largest privately-owned postal service Nova Poshta, the company wrote on Facebook.

Nova Poshta, known abroad as Nova Post, has a number of foreign branches. The latest one was opened in Barcelona in late April, making Spain the 12th European market for the company.

Photos and video published on social media show a fire and smoke rising after the Russian strike.

"There are no killed or injured among our employees," Nova Poshta said.

The company said it would fully compensate its customers for the cost of destroyed parcels.

A postal depot of Nova Poshta was hit by Russia in the village of Korotych in Kharkiv Oblast in October 2023. The attack reportedly killed seven people and injured over 10 others.

The company's co-founder Volodymyr Popereshniuk announced that Nova Poshta would arrange additional bomb shelters in its depots following the strike.

Odesa Oblast and other southern regions of Ukraine are regular targets of Russian missile and drone attacks.

Russian forces launched three Iskander-M ballistic missiles against the southern port city also overnight on May 1, killing three people and injuring three others.

Russia carried out another attack against Odesa on April 29, using a cluster munition-armed Iskander missile. A total of six people were killed, and around 30 injured, according to local authorities.

Read also: Prosecutor General: Russia using cluster munition against Odesa points to deliberate targeting of civilians

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Grizzly bears coming back to Washington state as some decry return of 'apex predator'

Grizzly bears will roam Washington state once again after federal authorities decided in April that the animals will be restored to the North Cascades ecosystem.

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed an agreement in April to bring grizzlies back to the North Cascades mountain range, a decision that is the result of a process that began in 2022.

"The purpose of this plan is to restore the grizzly bear to the (North Cascades ecosystem), a portion of its historical range," according to the Joint Record of Decision.

A grizzly bear living at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana, explores its enclosure.

How will the agencies bring back grizzlies to Washington state?

To restore the bears to North Cascades, the federal agencies will undergo a translocation process that will bring in grizzlies from other ecosystems in the Rocky Mountains or interior British Columbia, the National Park Service said in a news release.

Once in the North Cascades, the grizzlies will be designated as a "nonessential experimental population" under the Endangered Species Act, according to the agency.

"The designation will provide authorities and land managers with additional tools for management that would not otherwise be available under existing Endangered Species Act regulations," the agency said.

Why do the agencies want grizzlies back in Washington state

Grizzlies have been rooted out of the North Cascades ecosystem since they were listed as "threatened" in the lower 48 states under the Endangered Species Act on July 28, 1975, according to the agencies. Thousands of grizzlies were killed for their fur, causing them to be spotted sporadically since 1996, the agencies added.

Restoring grizzlies to the mountain range will help enhance the variety of life in the ecosystem and make it more resilient to disturbances, which benefits and contributes to the enjoyment of people of present and future generations, the agencies said.

In addition to helping the ecosystem, the restoration efforts will "enhance the probability of long-term survival of grizzly bears in the (North Cascades ecosystem) and thereby contribute to overall grizzly bear recovery through redundancy in multiple populations and representation in a variety of habitats," the agencies continued.

The end goal of restoring grizzlies to North Cascades is to get the bear's population to the point where it can be removed from the federal list of engaged and threatened wildlife, according to the agencies.

Pictured is Ross Lake awaiting spring runoff to fill it on April 15, 2001, near the North Cascades National Park, WA.

How long will it take to get grizzlies back to North Cascades?

The grizzlies in the North Cascades will initially begin with a "founder population" of 25 bears over the next five to 10 years, and the animals will be released into remote parts of the forest, according to the agencies.

The agencies said they plan to release three to seven grizzlies each year with the goal being a population of 200 bears inhabiting the North Cascades ecosystem within 60 to 100 years.

Jason Ransom, a wildlife biologist at North Cascades National Park, told NBC News that "theres a lot to be done before we could even come up with a timeline."

For a project like this to be successful, its really important you get the planning right," Ransom said.

Congressman not in favor of grizzlies returning to Washington state

Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington called the agencies' decision to restore grizzlies "outrageous" and "misguided."

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services decision regarding the North Cascades grizzly restoration plan is outrageous, yet consistent based on the recent actions of this administration, Newhouse said in a statement.

Newhouse's statement went on to criticize the federal government's decision-making and lack of care for residents' input.

"Throughout this entire process, I have been hearing from local residents, participating in public comment sessions, and meeting with the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent this misguided decision from moving forward, and todays announcement reinforces what we feared: no amount of local opposition was going to prevent these federal bureaucrats from doing what they wanted all along," the congressman said.

U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) speaks during a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol on February 13, 2019, in Washington, DC.

'We're busy dealing with wolves'

Rachel McClure, a rancher in Washington state's Okanogan County, told NBC News, "We already have predator issues in the state. We dont need another apex predator when we cant deal with what we have."

"Were busy dealing with wolves," McClure said. "We dont need to be thinking about bears.

Two buffalo wolves roam their pen at a Wolf Haven International sanctuary outside Bridger, Montana.

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) said it counted 260 wolves in 42 packs in Washington state at the end of 2023. Twenty-five of the packs were successful breeding pairs.

"Gray wolves play a large role as an apex species and can influence the dynamics of wildlife species across an entire ecosystem," the WDFW said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Grizzly bears coming to Washington state's North Cascades ecosystem
Rick Weiland of Dakotans for Health announces on May 1, 2024, in Sioux Falls that the group is turning in petition signatures to put abortion rights on the ballot. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Rick Weiland of Dakotans for Health announces on May 1, 2024, in Sioux Falls that the group is turning in petition signatures to put abortion rights on the ballot. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

SIOUX FALLS  The group leading the effort to put abortion rights on South Dakotas November ballot said Wednesday it was turning in far more petition signatures than required, while an opposition group said it will challenge the legitimacy of the petitions.

The ballot-question committee proposing the measure, Dakotans for Health, held a press conference attended by about 50 people at a Sioux Falls library before driving the petitions to the Capitol in Pierre. The deadline to submit the petitions is next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, about 20 anti-abortion activists associated with the Life Defense Fund protested outside the library. The Life Defense Fund is a ballot-question committee organized to oppose the abortion-rights measure.

After the U.S. Supreme Courts 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, a trigger law that the South Dakota Legislature had adopted in 2005 immediately banned abortions in the state except when necessary to preserve the life of the pregnant female.

As a result, weve been living in a state with the most restrictive abortion ban in the country, said Rick Weiland, chairman of Dakotans for Health.

He said the group collected about 55,000 signatures, well ahead of the 35,017 needed from registered voters to put the measure on the Nov. 5 ballot.

The ballot measure would amend the state constitution to legalize all abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy. It would allow regulations on abortion during the second trimester, but only in ways that are reasonably related to the physical health of the pregnant woman. In the third trimester, it would allow regulations up to a ban on abortions, with exceptions for the life or health of the pregnant woman.

During the press conference, Weiland referenced Republican Gov. Kristi Noems Freedom Works Here workforce recruitment campaign and said it really doesnt work for women.

Freedom doesnt work for a woman who has been raped, becomes pregnant, and is told it is illegal to choose an abortion, he said. Freedom doesnt work when there is someones daughter who is a victim of incest and is forced to carry her pregnancy to term.

Opponents allege deception

The Legislature passed a law in March allowing petition signers to withdraw their signatures after the fact, and anti-abortion activists are conducting a coordinated signature-withdrawal effort.

The Secretary of States Office said it does not have a count on the number of withdrawal requests received so far. The office stores the requests until a court challenge is filed against the validity of the petitions, in which case the withdrawal requests would become part of the challenge.

Anti-abortion protestors with Life Defense Fund outside of the downtown Sioux Falls library on May 1, 2024. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Anti-abortion protesters with the Life Defense Fund outside of the downtown Sioux Falls library on May 1, 2024. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Leslee Unruh, Life Defense Fund co-chair, was one of the people protesting outside during the press conference. She said her volunteers have witnessed lies and deception from petition circulators.

And people being told that theyre signing a food tax petition, and really, it ended up being the abortion petition, she said. And we have hundreds of hours worth of video. We cant wait to get to court.

In addition to the abortion-rights petitions, Dakotans for Health also circulated petitions for a measure that would repeal state sales taxes on groceries.

Its unclear when the Life Defense Fund intends to file its legal challenge, but fellow Life Defense Fund Co-Chair and state Rep. Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, said it will happen soon.

During the press conference, Weiland called the move a desperate charge by anti-abortion activists.

Sioux Falls resident Tiffany Campbell has gathered thousands of signatures to put the amendment on the ballot. She shared that when she was pregnant with twins, due to complications, her pregnancy was guaranteed to end with the death of at least one of her twin boys, if not both. Aborting one of the fetuses saved the life of the other.

Today, I would not be able to make that decision, Campbell said.

She told South Dakota Searchlight that neither she nor any of her fellow petition circulators engaged in the lies and deception that the Life Defense Fund is alleging.

In addition to the potential legal challenge from the Life Defense Fund, the petitions also must clear a check by the Secretary of States Office to verify enough of the signatures are from registered South Dakota voters.

SDs place in national debate

Some regional abortion-rights groups do not support the ballot measure, including Planned Parenthood North Central States and the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota. The groups have alleged there are problems in the language of the measure resulting from a rushed process to draft it without sufficient input from interested people and groups.

Weiland said he hopes those groups will reconsider as the ballot measure moves forward.

If the measure makes the ballot, it will not be the first time South Dakotans have voted on abortion rights. South Dakota voters rejected abortion bans in 2006 and 2008.

The 2006 ballot measure would have banned abortions except to preserve the life of the pregnant woman, and the 2008 ballot measure would have banned abortions with the same exception plus additional exceptions for rape and incest.

According to KFF Health News, there are efforts underway to put constitutional amendments regarding abortion on the 2024 ballot in at least 13 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.

Since the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, six states  California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Vermont and Ohio  have voted on abortion-related constitutional amendments, and the side favoring access to abortion prevailed in each state.

The abortion measure is just one of many questions that could appear on South Dakotas November ballot. Several other citizen-initiated petitions are circulating, including a measure to switch the state from political-party primary elections to open primaries. The Legislature has already exercised its right to place two measures on the ballot: one would replace references to male officeholders in the state constitution with neutral language, and the other would ask voters to lift a prohibition against work requirements for Medicaid expansion enrollees.

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The post Group submits abortion-rights ballot petitions as opponents pledge legal challenge appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Daniel Tucker, a leader with the Missouri Workers Center, teaches chants customized to an initiative petition to raise the minimum wage and mandate paid sick leave outside of the Secretary of State's office building in Jefferson City Wednesday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).

An initiative petition campaign that seeks to raise Missouris minimum wage delivered over 210,000 signatures to the Secretary of States Office Wednesday afternoon  nearly double the amount needed to make the statewide ballot.

It is the first of five initiative petitions the Secretary of States office expects to deliver signatures this week.

Petitioners need at least 107,246 signatures to make the ballot. A spokesperson for the Secretary of State said the office expects to complete the verification process around Aug. 8.

If approved by voters, the petition would raise the states minimum wage to $13.75 beginning in January 2025 and $15 in 2026, with annual cost-of-living increases after that. It also seeks to set the minimum paid sick leave to one hour per 30 hours worked, and paid sick leave would extend to caring for family members.

Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages prepares for a press conference about an initiative petition that seeks to raise the states minimum wage (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).

Marieta Ortiz, a restaurant worker from Kansas City who helped gather signatures, said during a rally at the Secretary of States office in Jefferson City that this petition would benefit her as a mom of three, with a fourth child due this summer.

Ive spent multiple hours in the hospital losing pay over my sick kid, she said. As an expecting mom again, Im going to automatically choose my kids no matter what.

The petitions organizers, Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages, rallied inside the Secretary of States office building after turning in boxes of signatures. Speakers said paid sick leave was just as important as a $15 minimum wage.

Alejandro Gallardo, a food-service worker from Columbia who gathered signatures, said he has to weigh the risks when he begins feeling sick. He needs to get paid, he said, but he doesnt want to put himself and others at risk.

It is a constant stress, a constant anxiety, Gallardo said during the rally. People come into work sick all the time because they have no choice.

Petitioners with Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages unload dozens of boxes of signatures to deliver to the Secretary of State Wednesday afternoon (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).

DeMarco Davidson, executive director of Metropolitan Congregations United, said Wednesday that the initiative is part of a historical movement to secure better wages.

Today is the accumulation of years, years and years of people organizing and building power together to bring us here to this point, he said.

The minimum wage is currently $12.30, a product of Proposition B in 2018 which raised the minimum wage from $7.85 to $12 in five years with cost-of-living adjustments thereafter. The 2018 initiative won over 62.3% of voters.

Before that, voters approved a minimum-wage hike in 2006, which raised the floor to $6.50 or the federal minimum wage, whichever is higher. It was passed with nearly 75% of the vote that year.

The post Group turns in signatures to put minimum wage hike, paid sick leave on Missouri ballot appeared first on Missouri Independent.
An attempted attack on a Wisconsin middle school was thwarted by law enforcement before anyonebesides the wannabe active shooterwas harmed, authorities said Wednesday.

The alleged gunman was neutralized outside Mount Horeb Middle School and did not breach entryway into the building, district officials said.

An initial search of the middle school has not yielded additional suspects, the district said. As importantly, we have no reports of individuals being harmed, with the exception of the alleged assailant.

No information on the assailant was immediately released. Sources told ABC News that the suspect was 14 years old. Authorities later said at an evening news conference that the gunman had been a student at Mount Horeb Area School District, but did not elaborate.

An investigation remains ongoing, with FBI agents on the scene to assist state and local agencies, a spokesperson told ABC News.

An earlier alert sent to community residents phones had warned them that an active shooter armed with a rifle was at the school.

A witness told the Associated Press that she heard gunshots and saw children scrambling for cover. It was maybe like pow-pow-pow-pow, Jeanne Keller said in a phone interview. I thought it was fireworks. I went outside and saw all the children running... I probably saw 200 children.

More than a dozen law enforcement vehicles, including SWAT-style trucks, were pictured outside the school on Wednesday afternoon. Photos published by the Wisconsin State Journal showed a rolling gurney positioned on the sidewalk.

Mount Horeb Middle School lies roughly 22 miles west of the states capital city of Madison. The Mount Horeb Area School District works with around 2,500 children across five schools.

You would be so proud of our students and staff, and were so grateful for our first responders, it said on Wednesday.

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A Gwinnett County man is taking efforts to stop Mulberry from incorporating as a fully-fledged city to court.

Stephen Hughes, a resident in the county, is suing on the grounds that the charter up for vote by Gwinnett residents violates state home rule powers granted by the Georgia Constitution.

Located north of Dacula and next to Braselton, Mulberrys effort to fully incorporate was made official through the Georgia legislature, who voted to approve the cityhood effort in February.

Then, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the legislation into law, granting cityhood to Mulberry.

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As mentioned in comments by House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration in February before the bill was signed into law, the charter would create Mulberry as a city that could not collect taxes from its residents.

A feasibility study cited by members of the Georgia House of Representatives explained how they believe the city would be financially viable without collecting any city property taxes.

Now, Hughes lawsuit is arguing that the charter, which must be approved by a referendum of Gwinnett County voters, is unconstitutional.

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More specifically, the lawsuit says Senate Bill 333, which made Mulberry a city, should not be on the ballot because the proposed charter removes the ability for Mulberry to impose ad valorem taxes on residents, and it allegedly takes away the citys ability to use home rule and supplementary powers for items such as planning, zoning, code enforcement and storm-water collection and disposal, among other powers.

SB 333 seeks to create a city that cannot collect property ad valorem tax, according to a release by Hughes attorney, Allen Lightcap of Mayer & Harper LLP. This is strictly and explicitly prohibited according to binding precedent of the Supreme Court of Georgia in Peacock v. Georgia Municipal Association. The General Assembly can only regulate a citys constitutional authority to tax through general law, not local law. SB 333 is plainly a local law, so its restrictions on taxation will be immediately struck down, if the voters approve the city.

Additionally, Lightcap said in a statement that allowing the scheduled Mulberry vote on ballots for a May 21 referendum would perpetuate a fraud on the public, due to lack of certain collection and home rule powers.

The taxation portion is one of the points at the heart of Hughes lawsuit, according to a statement from Lightcap.

Mr. Hughes filed this lawsuit because SB 333 is indisputably unconstitutional, and these defects go to the heart of the bill. Whats worse, the very features of the proposed City of Mulberry that are being touted to the voters are the same features that are unconstitutional, Lightcap said in a statement.

The lack of taxation was one of the explicit purposes of the bill, according to its legislative supporters.

I am thankful to both my Democrat and Republican colleagues who voted in favor of this legislation in todays vote, which would create the City of Mulberry without implementing any city property taxes, Efstration said in a February statement. As a resident of the proposed city, I look forward to voting in favor of granting my neighbors local control over planning and zoning in the May 21st primary.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
I picked up a pair of scissors  perfectly normal orange-handled scissors  and they baffled me. I turned them this way and that, but I could not work out how to use them or where to put my fingers. That was 18 months ago.

There were other oddities: I tried to put jar lids on upside down; held knives blade-side up and pens back to front. My writing deteriorated but old people have wobbly handwriting, dont they? At a family dinner I put the pepper grinder up to my lips instead of my glass. How we laughed. What took me so long to get it? Fear, probably.

Last September when I was reading a newspaper online, the page froze, regardless of how much I scrolled on the mouse pad. There was a hackle-raising moment when I realised that my hand was nowhere near the laptop but scrolling away on the edge of the table. Time to get help.

My sympathetic GP rang me back immediately and the next morning I saw her and another doctor. We did the usual neuro and strength tests. Im beginning to wonder if Ive got a brain tumour, I said, hoping for a rebuttal. They looked at each other. Oh dear.

No driving, obviously, so my daughter Rosie delivered me to my brothers house and he ferried me up and down the A34 for scans and appointments. After an MRI scan early one Saturday the hospital telephoned me literally as I arrived home. Can you come straight back: we need to start your treatment today. Tell me, I said. There was a 4.4cm mass on the left-hand side of my brain. In the UK, someone is diagnosed with a brain tumour every 45 minutes and this seemed to be my time.

Lucy with her children (L-R): Rosie, Sophia, Henry and Drummond

At this point a strange sort of heat wave rolled down my right arm, rendering it numb and useless; I imagined I was having a stroke. Like a complete diva I folded onto the kitchen floor but the dogs fussed anxiously over me so I had to sit up again. Back to hospital, this time with my daughter Sophia, to the department called  for the avoidance of doubt  acute oncology. We held hands, drank tea, cried a bit and went home with steroids.

Steroids are great, arent they? True, you eat your body weight in toast and barely sleep but the pressure behind my eyes reduced and I floated about in a Zen state of calm, listening to meditation apps and Georgette Heyer audiobooks. (Yes, I know.) I didnt even scream at spiders which in my brothers house are the size of Yorkshire terriers.

I am not a stranger to all this; I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 11 years ago and it occasionally pops its head above the parapet like the Monty Python knights: its been a series of blips and cautious successes. But something growing inside the safe space of your head is particularly invasive. It was as though my own little fortress had been breached by a fat man in a vest who climbed up a ladder, got into my bedroom and put his feet up. Playing in my head is the mantra that ovarian cancer does not travel above the neck. Perhaps its just a one-off tumour roosting up there; maybe its benign? You take what you can from these situations.

A date in October is set for the surgery, just a month on from discovering the disconnect between my right hand and my brain. My remarkable oncologist Cheng, who has been looking after me for 11 years, rings me when were walking the dogs. Dont trip she says, dont even sneeze: a bleed on the brain would complicate the surgery.

The pre-checks involve an appointment with the clinical neuropsychologist, lovely reassuring Kizzy who shows me pictures of random objects  a badger, an aardvark, a retort. I study puzzles and look for connections between pairs of words. Music and tides anyone? (Movement.) I hope Ill get that in the exam.

Lucy: 'It's the door in the back of the wardrobe, this cancer business, and once you've passed through it there's no turning back' - Clara Molden for The Telegraph

We meet Joy the surgeon, wonderfully calm, and look at the brain scans with her. The tumour is a glioma and I will be having an awake craniotomy  brain mapping, using electrodes to determine which areas are safe to cut. This will mean initial sedation and local anaesthetic in my head, then I will be woken up so that I can talk to Kizzy and her team during the removal of the tumour. (Will I hear whats going on? You will hear drilling, Joy says matter of factly, but you wont remember it.)

My children come up and down from London like flocks of parakeets, bringing treats and new books and jokes. Weve been here before and theyre cheering and stoical. Who knew how many good gags are to be had out of a brain tumour?

On the day of surgery, my daughters and I arrive early at Southampton in precariously high spirits. The girls discuss what theyll have for breakfast and giggle about the handsome anaesthetist. I take anti-seizure meds. The theatre is cold and full of people. I am positioned on my right side, my arms propped out in front of me as if Im holding an invisible box or posing for Egyptian art.

After maybe an hour I wake to hear somebody saying, Her legs are shaking, but its just the cold in the theatre and they wrap my legs in those blow-up water wings. Kizzys face is close in front of me. If she shows me a picture will I recognise it without my glasses  what happens if I mistake a badger for an aardvark? I feel nothing at all in my head  there are no nerves in our brains. What I do hear is suction as if a dental assistant is hoovering up saliva.

Kizzy talks to me encouragingly; we go through the days of the week and the months of the year and I try and make shapes with my fingers. She doesnt ask me the one about waves and music. Occasionally I stumble on a word and somebody says stop to the surgeons. Its surprisingly hard to concentrate even on something as simple as what comes after Tuesday. Then the anaesthetist says, were going to let you sleep again. Ah, bless you Rhys.

Lucy: 'When the girls come into the recovery ward they expect to see me looking like the bandage emoji, but there is no bandage. Just a spiral shaped circle on the left side of my head with 46 staples'

When the girls come into the recovery ward they expect to see me looking like the bandage emoji, but there is no bandage. Just a spiral shaped circle on the left side of my head with 46 staples; they have thoughtfully shaved the minimum of hair. Joy visits to say they are pleased with how it went and confident that they have removed the tumour. I spend one night in hospital and go home the next day feeling no worse than if Ive had a tooth out  recovery is far quicker after awake surgery.

Next the biopsy results and the disappointing news that the tumour is not a primary but a metastases from my old friend ovarian cancer. For a couple of weeks there are unnerving clicking noises in my head as it begins to heal, like an ill-fitting teapot lid settling into place. There follow in swift succession three doses of radiation to clean up my head and a course of chemo for a couple of defiant spots in my abdomen; there is to be a regular infusion of Avastin and a pill called Olaparib for maintenance. Its all go. My head feels like a coconut and theres a turnip-shaped bald patch from the radiotherapy. The right hand is still wayward and I use the dictation app instead of typing. The slightest headache makes me fidget. Welcome to Mastermind, Lucy, and what is your specialist subject? Well, Clive, its headaches: their position, longevity, severity and general alarm bell rating.

Its the door in the back of the wardrobe, this cancer business, and once youve passed through it theres no turning back, but with the cheerleading and inspiration of four children and the care and diplomacy of the medical team anything seems possible. On we go, trusting like Mr Micawber that something will turn up.

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Revenue: Reported at $165.1 million, marking a 20% year-over-year increase, slightly exceeding the estimated $163.73 million.

Net Income: GAAP net loss was $(23.3) million, significantly below the expectations of a net income of $23.59 million.

Earnings Per Share (EPS): Non-GAAP net income per share was $0.10, surpassing the estimated $0.08.

Free Cash Flow: Achieved $38.7 million, demonstrating a substantial improvement from $9.1 million in the same quarter last year.

Operating Cash Flow: Net cash provided by operating activities was $40.6 million, a significant increase from $11.5 million in the prior year.

Customer Growth: Number of customers contributing more than $5,000 in ARR grew by 11% year-over-year to 20,549.

Net Dollar Retention Rate: Recorded at 106%, slightly down from 107% in the same quarter the previous year.

Freshworks Inc (NASDAQ:FRSH) released its 8-K filing on May 1, 2024, revealing a robust financial performance for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024. The company reported a significant 20% year-over-year increase in revenue, achieving $165.1 million against the estimated $163.73 million, showcasing its ability to exceed market expectations. Notably, the non-GAAP net income per share stood at $0.10, surpassing the analyst estimate of $0.08.

Freshworks Inc (FRSH) Q1 2024 Earnings: Surpasses Revenue Forecasts and Achieves Strong Free Cash Flow

Freshworks Inc, headquartered in San Mateo, California, is a prominent player in the software as a service (SaaS) industry, providing innovative solutions designed to enhance business efficiency across customer support, IT, and sales and marketing sectors. The company's products are crafted to allow users to work more effectively, thereby creating immediate business impacts.

Financial Highlights and Operational Achievements

The first quarter of 2024 was marked by not only revenue growth but also significant improvements in profitability and cash flow metrics. Freshworks reported a non-GAAP income from operations of $21.8 million, a substantial increase from $3.9 million in the same quarter the previous year. The GAAP loss from operations narrowed to $(32.2) million from $(48.1) million year-over-year, indicating enhanced operational efficiency.

Moreover, the company demonstrated strong liquidity with net cash provided by operating activities at $40.6 million, compared to $11.5 million in Q1 2023. Free cash flow also saw a significant rise to $38.7 million from $9.1 million in the prior year's quarter. These figures reflect Freshworks' solid cash generation capability and operational improvements.

Story continues

Strategic Moves and Market Expansion

During the quarter, Freshworks announced the acquisition of Device42, a strategic move aimed at bolstering its IT solutions offerings for mid-market and enterprise companies. This acquisition is expected to enhance the company's product portfolio and drive further adoption across its customer base.

The company also reported an 11% year-over-year increase in the number of customers contributing more than $5,000 in annual recurring revenue (ARR), highlighting its growing market penetration and customer trust.

Leadership Transition

In a significant development, Freshworks announced that Girish Mathrubootham, Founder and CEO, will transition to the role of Executive Chairman, and Dennis Woodside will take over as CEO and President. This leadership change is poised to bring fresh perspectives to the company's strategic initiatives and growth trajectory.

Forward-Looking Statements

Looking ahead, Freshworks provided its financial outlook for Q2 and the full year of 2024, projecting a revenue range of $168.0 million to $170.0 million for the second quarter and $695.0 million to $705.0 million for the full year. These estimates reflect the company's confidence in its ongoing business strategies and market demand for its innovative solutions.

In conclusion, Freshworks Inc's first quarter of 2024 illustrates a company that is not only growing revenue and improving profitability but also strategically expanding its market presence and enhancing its product offerings. With strong financial health and strategic leadership changes, Freshworks is well-positioned to continue its growth trajectory and strengthen its position in the global SaaS market.

For detailed financial figures and further information, investors and interested parties are encouraged to refer to the full earnings release and supplementary financial data provided by Freshworks.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from Freshworks Inc for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Halle Berrys next starring role is on Capitol Hill: The Monsters Ball star is joining a bipartisan group of five female senators to make the push for menopause research funding.

The 57-year-old actor will be present Thursday to announce a new bill that proponents call the most expansive effort so far to boost federal research on menopause, which would create new public health efforts to improve womens mid-life health.

Berry will join Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) at the Senate steps for the news conference unveiling the historic legislation, organizers said Wednesday.

Its not the first time that the Academy Award winner has appeared alongside political figures in the name of womens health. In January, Berry accompanied first lady Jill Biden at a stop to promote the issue during the first ladys trip to Chicago.

In an essay she penned last year about menopause, Berry wrote, We can make talking about womens health issues less taboo by daring to talk about it.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Vice President Harris will head to Florida on Wednesday as the states six-week abortion ban is set to take effect, using the occasion to tear into former President Trump for his most recent comments about how he would approach reproductive rights if he is reelected.

Harris will deliver remarks in Jacksonville, where a Biden campaign official said she will describe Floridas new law as one of the Trump abortion bans that have been implemented since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

This ban applies to many women before they even know they are pregnant  which tells us the extremists who wrote this ban dont even know how a womans body works. Or they just dont care, Harris will say, according to excerpts of her remarks.

The vice president will also seize on Trumps recent comments in an interview with Time magazine in which he said it should be up to individual states whether to monitor womens pregnancies and whether to prosecute women for having the procedure.

Florida, the contrast could not be clearer: Under Donald Trump, it would be fair game for women to be monitored and punished by the government, Harris will say in her speech. Joe Biden and I have a different view: we believe no politician should ever come between a woman and a doctor.

Harriss visit comes one week after President Biden traveled to Tampa, where he also pushed back against the states restrictions on abortion.

A Florida court ruling in early April upheld the states 15-week abortion ban and allowed a six-week ban to go into effect after 30 days. It also approved a ballot measure that would protect abortion access if voters pass it in November.

The renewed attention on abortion in Florida has led to optimism among some Democrats about their chances of competing in the state, which has become reliably red in recent election cycles and is Trumps home state.

Biden, in a statement through the campaign, said Trump was directly responsible for the state of abortion access in Florida.

Trump is worried the voters will hold him accountable for the cruelty and chaos he created. Hes right. Trump ripped away the rights and freedom of women in America, Biden said. This November, voters are going to teach him a valuable lesson: Dont mess with the women of America.

Abortion is a major issue heading into the 2024 election and a significant vulnerability for Trump. The former president has repeatedly taken credit for the Supreme Courts decision in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade because he appointed three conservative justices.

Trump, in an effort to get around the issue, has taken the position that abortion policy should be left up to the states through legislation or ballot referendums as GOP-led states enact restrictive policies. But that, too, has prompted attacks, including from some on the right who expressed disappointment the former president was not embracing a federal minimum standard for abortion.

President Trump has long been consistent in supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion. Joe Biden and the Democrats are radically out of touch with the majority of Americans in their support for abortion up until birth and even after birth and forcing taxpayers to fund it, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

A Republican National Committee spokesperson argued Democrats position on abortion is out of step with many Americans and noted Biden and Harris have not outlined any limits on abortion they would support.

Updated at 9:31 a.m. EDT

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Vice President Harris bashed former President Trump on Wednesday in Florida, a state the Biden campaign is trying to flip to blue, as the states 6-week abortion ban went into effect.

As of this morning, 4 million women in this state woke up with fewer reproductive freedoms than they had last night. This is the new reality under a Trump abortion ban, Harris said during a campaign rally.

Starting this morning, women in Florida became subject to an abortion ban so extreme it applies before many women even know they are pregnant. Which, by the way, tells us the extremists who wrote this ban either dont know how a womans body works or they simply dont care, she added.

The law went into effect after Floridas state Supreme Court ruled in early April to allow a six-week abortion ban approved by the state Legislature. The Biden campaign has since announced it is making a play for Florida, which is Trumps new home state.

While winning the state will be an uphill battle, Democrats are hopeful the issue of abortion, which will be on the ballot in November thanks to the new state law, will give them a boost.

Donald Trump may think he can take Florida for granted. It is your power that will send Joe Biden and me back to the White House, Harris said. Today I ask  Florida, are you ready to make your voices heard?

Harris added a personal story into her remarks, sharing that a high school friend lived with her family after the friend told Harris her stepfather was molesting her.

The idea that someone who survives a crime of violence to their body, a violation to their body, would not have the authority to make a decision about what happens to their body next, thats immoral, she said. One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do.

The Biden campaign released a video earlier Wednesday that criticized recent comments from Trump in a Time interview, during which he said it should be up to individual states whether to monitor womens pregnancies and whether to prosecute women for having the procedure.

Harris brought up the Time interview statements in her remarks.

So Florida, the contrast in this election could not be more clear. Basically, under Donald Trump, it would be fair game for women to be monitored and punished by the government. Whereas Joe Biden and I have a different view. We believe the government should never come between a woman and her doctor she said.

She also warned against a second Trump term, saying Trump allies in Congress have called for a national abortion ban.

Now, Trump wants us to believe he will not sign a national ban. Well, I say, enough with the gaslighting, enough with the gaslighting, Harris said. We all know that if Donald Trump gets the chance, he will sign a national abortion ban.

She also accused Trump of gaslighting earlier this month in Arizona, during which she repeatedly knocked the former president just days after the states Supreme Court upheld an 1864 law that made performing abortion a felony.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Prosecutors said Wednesday they are aiming to retry Harvey Weinstein in the fall after a New York appeals court overturned his 2020 rape conviction.

Weinstein appeared before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Curtis Farber around 2:15 p.m., his first appearance since his conviction was overturned.

He entered the court in a wheelchair, looking gaunt.

A Weinstein accuser, former aspiring actor Jessica Mann, sat in the second row, a few seats from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Mann accused Weinstein of raping her in a New York City hotel in 2013.

Much of the discussion centered on whether Weinstein should be released and whether there will be a new trial.

Weinsteins attorney, Arthur Aidala, asked that Weinstein be allowed to stay in the hospital where he was receiving treatment.

Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg asked that he remain in custody.

"It was a strong case, and he was convicted and sentenced to 23 years. ... It remains a strong case," Blumberg said.

Blumberg told the judge that they "will retry the case."

"We think early fall date, possibly as early as September, for a trial," she said.

Farber remanded Weinstein back to Bellevue Hospital for treatment and set a discovery hearing for 10 a.m. May 29.

The state Court of Appeals overturned his conviction Thursday in a 4-3 decision, and he was hospitalized days later for a battery of tests.

The Court of Appeals found that the judge in the landmark #MeToo trial had prejudiced Weinstein with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that werent part of the case.

The court said that the "trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts" and that the "testimony served no material non-propensity purpose." It said the court "compounded that error" when it ruled that Weinstein, who had no criminal history, could be cross-examined "about those allegations as well as numerous allegations of misconduct that portrayed defendant in a highly prejudicial light."

Judge Jenny Rivera, writing for the majority, called the errors "egregious" and said the remedy was a new trial. In his dissent, Judge Anthony Cannataro wrote that the court's decision was an "unfortunate step backwards."

Many of Weinstein's accusers expressed shock and disappointment with the reversal. Bragg said he planned to retry the case.

Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court (Etienne Laurent / AFP - Getty Images file)

Weinstein, 72, had been serving a 23-year sentence in New Yorks Mohawk Correctional Facility after he was found guilty of forcibly performing oral sex on a television and film production assistant in 2006 and third-degree rape for an attack on an aspiring actor in 2013.

On Friday, he was transferred to a medical ward at Rikers Island jail in New York City. The next day, he was taken to Bellevue Hospital for a more thorough exam after doctors checked him out at Rikers, said Aidala, his attorney.

Aidala said Weinstein "needs a lot of help physically" and has "a lot of problems."

Weinsteins spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, said last week that he uses a walker and a wheelchair and has audio and heart issues.

Weinstein was convicted of rape in Los Angeles in 2022 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He was acquitted of one count of sexual battery in that case.

Engelmayer said last week that Weinstein may be extradited to California. His legal team is appealing that case.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office will put Harvey Weinstein on trial again for rape allegations, after the highest court in New York overturned his conviction last week.

In court Wednesday, Judge Curtis Farber presided over arguments to retry the case, remanding 72-year-old Weinstein and ordering a trial after Labor Day.

Weinstein was one of the earliest figures found guilty for serial sexual abuse in the #MeToo movement, originally sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York. He was later found guilty in California for similar crimes, convictions which have not been overturned.

The New York Court of Appeals struck down the initial conviction, citing Judge James Burkes decision to allow testimony from Weinsteins victims that they found to be outside the scope of the trial. New York prosecutors said they will take the case back to court.

There was nothing consensual about this conduct, prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said. "We believe in this case and will be retrying this case."

Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office will once again make the case that Weinstein committed first-degree sexual assault and third-degree rape.

Weinsteins attorney, Arthur Aidala, championed the overturn and told reporters Wednesday that Weinstein was confident in his chances in a new trial.

#MeToo leaders decried the appeals courts decision last week, including Ashley Judd, who pointed out institutional betrayal in the verdict. Judd said that subjecting victims to another trial could inflict even more harm.

"Courtrooms are not healing spaces," Judd previously told CBS Mornings. "They are traumatizing spaces and victims should not have to perform their trauma in order to find peace.
Harvey Weinstein to be retried in New York after rape conviction overturned

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Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein will be retried after the New York Court of Appeals last week overturned his 2020 rape conviction, the Manhattan District Attorneys office said in court on Wednesday.

There was nothing consensual about this conduct, prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said. We believe in this case and will be retrying this case.

Weinstein, 72, was convicted by Manhattan jurors in 2020 of raping an actress in 2013 and sexually assaulting a former production assistant in 2006. But the appeals court found the judge presiding over that case made a critical mistake by allowing three witnesses whose allegations were not part of the criminal charges against him to testify about alleged sexual assaults.

More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, with many of their stories coming to light during the #MeToo movement.

Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison last year after a California court found him guilty of raping another former actress in 2013, though the two sentences cannot be served concurrently. He had been serving a 23-year prison sentence in Rome, New York, but had more recently been transferred to a Manhattan hospital following the overturn of his conviction, his lawyer said.

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Weinstein was ordered back into custody pending the new trial. Judge Curtis Farber did not set a specific date, but said it would fall after Labor Day, which is Sept. 2.

His lawyers did not object to the retrial and said they were confident that a court would uphold the ruling to overturn his conviction.

Were very confident that if he goes to trial, the only words well hear at the end of trial are not guilty, said Weinsteins lawyer Arthur Aidala.

The former Hollywood producer has denied having any non-consensual sexual encounters. His other attorney, Gloria Allred, said that she has yet to decide whether Weinstein should testify during his retrial.

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Hate crimes laws passed in Washington have been remarkably ineffective in protecting LGBTQ people for decades

On Feb. 23, 2024, Daqua Lameek Ritter was found guilty of a hate crime for the murder of Dime Doe, a transgender woman from South Carolina believed to be in a relationship with Ritter.

The ruling marks both the first trial and first conviction of a hate crime on the basis of gender identity under the 2009 Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Under the act, hate crimes are violent acts motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of a victim.

Between 2013, the year the FBI first began monitoring hate crimes motivated by gender identity, and 2022, the bureau recorded 1,969 hate crimes against trans and gender-nonconforming people, including a rise in 2022.

Ritters trial reflects low rates of prosecution for all hate crimes. Between 2005 and 2019, federal prosecutors investigated 1,878 suspects in hate crime matters, resulting in 310 prosecutions and 284 convictions for hate crime statutes violations.

I am a historian who studies the development of hate crime activism in Australia, Europe and the U.S. My research has found that hate crime legislation is strikingly ineffective at preventing violence through producing convictions, as is clear from the fact that it took 15 years to produce a conviction based on gender identity under federal law.

The legislation was hailed at the time by leading gay rights advocate Joe Solmonese as our nations first major piece of civil rights legislation for LGBTQ people. But it was not the result, as many believe, of unequivocally progressive impulses. Instead, it emerged from an unexpected convergence of gay and civil rights goals and a Reagan-era war on crime.

At an Oct. 28, 2009, White House ceremony marking passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, President Barack Obama stands with relatives of both Shepard and Byrd. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Hate crime statistics

Through the 20th century, same-sex-desiring and gender-nonconforming people were often subject to violence and police harassment. Although early grassroots anti-violence initiatives in the 1970s offered some protection, LGBTQ people had little legal recourse.

By 1980, 29 states still had anti-sodomy statutes on the books, and LGBTQ activists faced a backlash against limited gains of the 1970s. The 1980 election of Ronald Reagan, supported by an ascendant religious right, embedded this backlash in national politics. It also led to two important consequences for LGBTQ politics.

First, the medical reporting of what would become known as AIDS in 1981 among several gay men established a lasting association between homosexuality and deadly disease, triggering further resurgence of homophobia.

Second, anxieties about a national crime wave led many to support the Reagan administrations tough-on-crime approach, including expanded policing and harsher sentencing.

The claims of a national crime wave were based on data collected from the FBIs Uniform Crime Report. Begun in 1930, the program gathered data submitted voluntarily by local and state law enforcement agencies.

However, discrepancies between regional jurisdictions, inability to track crime unreported to the police and inefficient data-collection procedures, among other factors, led to questions about whether the system accurately represented national trends.

More detailed system

At the start of the 1980s, the FBI and several other law enforcement agencies began modernizing the Uniform Crime Reporting Program. The agencies joint efforts through the decade resulted in an FBI-managed system in 1989 that moved from summary reporting to more detailed, incident-based reporting.

In 1986, at the height of the AIDS crisis and amid national anxieties about violent crime, gay activists Kevin Berrill of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the countrys largest gay rights group at the time, and Diana Christensen, of San Franciscos Community United Against Violence, testified before Congress on anti-gay violence. Together they argued that such violence constituted a second epidemic after AIDS. Active data collection was essential to addressing violence. Legislation on hate crime statistics collection then under consideration excluded attention to sexual orientation, requiring revision before passing Congress.

Statistics alone were not enough. According to Berrill and Christensen, approximately 80% of anti-gay attacks went unreported to the police, and those that were reported were often dismissed. The activists recommended tougher laws that would allow federal prosecution if local authorities failed to do so. Berrills organization further commends the Reagan administration for its concern with victims of violent crime, and called on federal, state and local agencies concerned with crime and its victims to study and prevent anti-gay violence.

These arguments were successful. Aided by additional civil rights organizations, the Hate Crime Statistics Act passed Congress with sweeping support and was signed into law by Reagans successor, President George H. W. Bush, in 1990. The law defined hate crimes as crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity and authorized the attorney general to begin collecting data on such crimes.

The Hate Crime Statistics Act was the first update to the revised Uniform Crime Reporting Program, adding prejudice as a motivation. While doing so informed prevention efforts, it also made hate-motivated violence a federal criminal category.

And that laid the groundwork for future tough-on-crime legislation.

Excerpt from a 1992 press release by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force about the federal governments poor response to hate crimes. University of North Texas Libraries

Expanded hate crime laws

The new law provided funding only for the collection of statistics, not policing and prosecution of crime.

Law enforcement agencies were asked to provide data on a voluntary basis. That meant data might not be provided, given the documented problem of anti-gay police bias. Activists in some cities, including San Francisco, New York and Dallas, were able to collaborate with individual police officers on violence prevention initiatives. But efforts nationally were piecemeal at best, hampered by Republican opposition.

In 1993, however, the Hate Crimes Sentencing Act, which established federal sentencing guidelines for hate crimes, was added to the bipartisan Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act that was pending in Congress. That legislation, passed in 1994, increased funding for police forces, law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities. It has been criticized for expanding U.S. prison systems and promoting punitive responses to crime.

With the Hate Crimes Sentencing Act attached to what was the largest crime bill in U.S. history, it became emblematic of a bipartisan tough-on-crime era.

Prosecuting hate crimes

In 1998, the highly publicized murders of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming, and James Byrd Jr., a Black resident of Jasper, Texas, launched renewed pressure to expand federal authority to prosecute hate crimes, rather than simply gather data or establish sentencing guidelines.

In 2001, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was introduced in Congress. Republican and conservative opposition meant the act was not passed until 2009. It expanded federal jurisdiction over hate crimes and allocated local police forces and courts additional money to investigate and prosecute hate crimes.

The law included gender identity as a protected category, making it theoretically applicable to crimes against any LGBTQ+ person. It was under this law that Ritter was convicted of the murder of Dime Doe, a transgender woman.

The law is ineffective at both accumulating data and enforcing penalties. Not only was the first federal conviction for a hate crime on the basis of gender identity made 15 years after the laws passage, but hate crimes generally are also subject to chronic underreporting.

In 2022, the FBI reported 11,634 offenses categorized as hate crimes. While the FBI explains that the Uniform Crime Report is not exhaustive, some researchers have indicated that the system specifically underreports hate crime data. In 2022, about 80% of participating agencies reported zero hate crimes, which diverges from other reputable data sources.

In short, and as researchers continue to point out, the expansion of national criminal law since 1990 has yet to prove effective at preventing hate crimes and other violence.

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: Christopher Ewing, Purdue University

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Christopher Ewing 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.
Volunteers supporting the Idaho open primaries ballot initiative celebrate reaching their goal of 90,000 signatures on Saturday April 27 at Ivywild Park in Boise. (Courtesy of Idahoans for Open Primaries)

Supporters of the Idaho open primary ballot initiative are turning in their final signatures to local county clerks for verification today after building up what they believe is a comfortable margin to qualify for Novembers upcoming general election.

Supporters of the open primary initiative gathered 94,795 signatures statewide and have met the signature gathering requirements in 20 legislative districts, Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville said Tuesday afternoon.

The fact that nearly 100,000 Idaho voters have signed this petition speaks to a widespread frustration with our elections system and agreement across party lines that something needs to be done to make sure that all voters have a voice, Mayville said.

What is a ballot initiative?

In Idaho, a ballot initiative is a form of direct democracy where the voters of Idaho propose and vote on their own law, independent of the Idaho Legislature. An example of a ballot initiative is the 2018 Medicaid expansion ballot initiative led by Reclaim Idaho, which more than 60% of Idaho voters voted for in November 2018.

In order to qualify for the November election, supporters need to surpass the states requirement to gather signatures from at least 6% of voters in 18 different legislative districts and gather signatures from at least 6% of registered voters statewide, or about 63,000 voters in total.

As part of their final push, supporters gathered an additional 2,000 signatures at events that took place in 20 Idaho towns and communities over the weekend, Mayville said.

There was an outpouring of support in the final stretch as people around the state realized the deadline was looming and that they needed to show up at their local signing location, Mayville said. (Now) we are tying up all the loose ends and making sure that every last signature gets submitted to the county clerks.

Reclaim Idaho is a member of the Idahoans for Open Primaries coalition and is the same group behind the successful 2018 Medicaid expansion ballot initiative, which more than 60% of Idaho voters voted for in November 2018.

How would the open primaries ballot initiative change Idaho elections?

The open primary coalition hopes to qualify a ballot initiative for the November general election that would make changes to the primary election and general election. The initiative would do away with the closed party primary elections in Idaho and replace them with a single primary election open to all Idaho voters and candidates, regardless of party affiliation. The initiative would also create a new ranked choice voting system for the general election. That system is also sometimes called an instant runoff voting system. Under that system, voters would vote for their favorite candidate in the race and then have the option to rank the remaining candidates in order of preference. The candidate with the fewest votes would be eliminated and their votes would instead be transferred to any second choice candidates voters marked on those ballots. That process would continue until two candidates are left and the candidate with the most votes would be elected the winner. Under that system, voters would still only vote one time in the general election because the instant runoff elections would be determined by the ranked choices that Idaho voters marked on their ballot.

Supporters say the changes would ensure that Idahos 275,000 independent registered voters would be able to vote in a primary election and force candidates to be accountable to more voters.

But opponents, including Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon, say the ballot initiative is different and more complicated than the elections Idahoans are used to voting in. Moon also said the changes reduce the influence of political parties and could lead to more moderates or Democrats being elected.

The ballot initiative that Reclaim Idaho is collecting signatures for are complex strategies that essentially sideline political parties from the primary process, enabling Democrats, independents or even Socialists to determine your nominee for the general election, Moon said in a written statement first posted in August 2023 that Idaho Republican Party officials sent to the Sun last week when the Sun requested an interview with Moon. Rather than ensuring the security of our elections, Reclaim Idaho aims to complicate our electoral system with California-style voting mechanisms.

Moon also opposes the initiatives ranked choice voting component.

The American Republic has long been guided by the principle of one person, one vote, Moon said. Ranked choice voting twists this system into something unrecognizable.

Many open primary signatures have already been verified in Idaho

Heading into last weekend, Mayville told the Sun that 40,000 signatures from voters had already been submitted and verified by county clerks across the state.

Supporters worked to surpass the states minimum signature requirements because any signatures that are illegible or invalid will not be counted toward the required total during the forthcoming review by county clerks, Mayville said. Signatures could be declared invalid if they are illegible, if the person who signed is not a registered voter or if the voters address on the petition does not match the address in voter registration records.

Idaho open primary volunteers

Volunteers collect signatures for the open primary ballot initiative on April 27 at Cassia Park in Boise. (Courtesy of Idahoans for Open Primaries)

County clerks will spend 60 days verifying the signatures and then return them with the results of the verification to the Idahoans for Open Primaries coalition, Mayville said. Then in early July, open primary supporters will take the signatures to the Idaho State Capitol in Boise for an additional round of verification by the state.

If supporters exceed the requirement of 6% of registered voters statewide and 6% of registered voters in at least 18 of the states 35 legislative districts, then the ballot initiative will appear on Nov. 5 general election in Idaho. If it qualifies for the November election, it would take a simple majority of voters to approve the ballot initiative.

Mayville said open primary supporters know the job isnt finished if they gather enough signatures to get the initiative on the ballot in November. Next they will turn their attention to a campaign aimed at getting Idaho voters out to vote to pass the initiative.

Quickly we will start the work of making sure that every voter knows about this initiative and knows about the opportunity they are going to have in November to give all voters a chance to participate in primary elections and make sure we have better choices on our ballots, Mayville said.

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As a proud Penn State alum, longtime resident of Centre County and leader for one of the states largest providers of health care coverage, Im calling on my home community to rally behind a worthy cause: saving the lives of mothers and babies. As the chair of the 2024 Central and Western PA March for Babies, I harness my passion for the health of humankind, which is more than just my professional duty, its a cause that hits home.

My grandmother tragically lost her life during childbirth and my twins were born premature due to complications from preeclampsia. I was fortunate. Equipped with robust health care resources and family support, we made it home safe and sound and ultimately thrived. But too many mothers and babies in Pennsylvania arent as lucky, living in ZIP codes that often determine post-birth health outcomes. We must do better. Though Centre County scored relatively well in a 2023 report on maternal health, its maternal vulnerability index was higher than the bordering counties of Blair, Union and Cambria.

March of Dimes mission is to prevent the death of mothers and babies  this includes closing the health equity gap. The western side of the state has set a formidable pace by raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to date against our $1 million March for Babies target. But as Nittany Lions, we know a friendly rivalry can bring out the best in us. All of us, in some way, have been touched by unexpected birth outcomes, including premature birth and postpartum depression. By sharing our personal stories, organizing a walk, and giving what you can, its my hope that we can surpass this years fundraising goal by Mothers Day.

At Highmark Wholecare, were expanding access to doulas, providing nutritionally dense food to mothers postpartum, and have one of the most robust programs to prevent and manage maternal depression. These initiatives are vital steps in our comprehensive approach to improving outcomes for mothers and babies, and they are all directly connected to March of Dimes advocacy work, which arms health care providers with strategies to push forward with impactful initiatives.

The stakes are high, and not just in terms of bragging rights. Pennsylvanias maternal health statistics are stark: birthing hospitals have decreased by 14% and our maternal mortality rate is double the national average. Together, lets harness the power of Penn State pride and reach this years fundraising goal for our mothers and babies.

Ellen Duffield is the president and CEO of Highmark Wholecare.
An oil executive embroiled in a price-fixing lawsuit will be barred from serving on ExxonMobil's board when the energy giant buys the Texas-based petroleum producer Pioneer Resources, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The Federal Trade Commission is set to greenlight the $64 billion deal, despite antitrust concerns  but on the condition that Scott Sheffield, Pioneers founder, two-time former CEO and current board member, not serve as planned on Exxons board, the people said.

The FTC alleges that Sheffield exchanged hundreds of messages with OPEC officials discussing oil output and prices, one of the people said. While OPEC participants have antitrust immunity as sovereign entities, U.S. firms do not. The FTC also has competition concerns about Sheffields position on the board of Williams Cos., which is primarily focused on oil and gas transportation, that person said.

Pioneer and other producers in the region have also faced allegations in a private class-action lawsuit of collusion with OPEC to limit oil supplies, and Sheffield, though not a defendant, has factored prominently in the complaint. The FTC is concerned about potential anti-competitive conduct if he remains with the company after the deal closes, according to the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss the confidential matter. Sheffield has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Any solid evidence of energy price-fixing would be politically explosive, potentially undermining Republicans' accusations that President Joe Bidens energy policies have saddled motorists with rising fuel costs. But Pioneer and other companies named in the suit, including Diamondback Energy and Hess Corp., have rejected the allegations in a response to the class action claims filed by consumers.

The FTC is expected to announce its decision on the deal as soon as this week, though details of the allegations are typically redacted in court filings.

It couldnt be learned if the FTC is requiring any other concessions from the companies.

An FTC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did Sheffield or spokespeople for Exxon and Pioneer.

Sheffield had been expected to take a seat on Exxons board of directors following completion of the merger, according to a securities filing.

Bloomberg earlier reported that the FTC is expected to clear the deal.

The class-action lawsuit alleges Pioneer and the other companies had for several years coordinated their production decisions with OPEC, which had previously linked their production strategy with Russia under the moniker OPEC+.

Story continues

That lawsuit contends that OPECs coordination with the U.S. companies kept production growth rates lower than would be seen in a competitive market, including during the period in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, driving oil prices to record levels. That surge prompted Biden to tap the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to release 180 million barrels of crude to cool the market, an action that led Republicans to accuse him of leaving the oil stockpile dangerously depleted.

As oil producers found themselves flush with cash, merger activity in Texas and New Mexicos Permian Basin  the largest oil field in the U.S.  has skyrocketed, with more than $200 billion in deals in the last year. Among those are Chevrons $53 billion takeover of Hess, Occidentals $12 billion takeover of CrownRock, Diamondbacks $26 billion tie-up with Endeavor and the $24 billion deal between natural gas giants Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy.

The FTC has opened in-depth investigations of all of the above deals. While the agency has challenged energy mergers in the past, it has focused its attention historically on pipeline and retail markets. Given the global market for oil and gas and OPECs role in setting prices, cases against U.S. producers are considered difficult.

But U.S. antitrust enforcers have taken a wider look at mergers across the economy, asking how they will affect competition among all companies in a particular industry. That includes whether a particular deal will increase the potential for price-fixing and other collusion.

In its reviews of the current oil deals, the FTC is asking companies for all communications among the companies and any officials at OPEC or OPEC+, according to people involved in the probes and a document POLITICO has seen.

The agreement to bar Sheffield from Exxons board would be an unusual way to resolve government concerns that a merger is anti-competitive, but would be both an acknowledgment of the low chances of the government succeeding at blocking the deal in court, and a way to put the industry on notice that it is under intense scrutiny for any possible misconduct.

Dictating board seats is not unheard of, however. In a settlement last year, the FTC prevented a private equity firm from getting a seat on the board of natural gas company EQT as a condition to approving an acquisition.

Pioneer dates back to 1997, and was created after a merger involving another company led by Sheffield. Pioneer is the biggest crude producer in the Permian Basin, whose output is the main reason the U.S. has become the worlds largest oil producer  and has challenged OPECs power to influence global crude oil prices in recent years.

The Pioneer takeover represents a huge expansion for Exxon in the region.

Coined pejoratively as the Mother Fracker by an activist investor in 2015, Sheffield stepped down from the top post at Pioneer in 2016, only to return three years later. The company announced his retirement in the spring of last year, several months before the Exxon deal was announced last October, but he remains on Pioneers board.

While it is not known what exactly the FTC has uncovered, according to the complaint filed in the recent class-action litigation, the defendants met and communicated regularly with each other, and with OPEC, to coordinate their collective oil output in response to market conditions.

Sheffield played a key role in those talks dating back to 2017, according to the lawsuits. That led, among other things, to Sheffield correctly predicting an OPEC+ production cut in 2023, according to the litigation.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  A 20-year-old from Franklin is dead after being hit by a car Monday night near the Florida State University (FSU) campus.

According to the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD), Elizabeth Ellie Sims was using the designated crosswalk just before 7 p.m. on Monday, April 29 when she was hit by a car driven by 18-year-old Willis Trueblood Jr., who drove off after the incident.

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Authorities were able to track down and arrest Trueblood two hours later. He was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death, which is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

An outpouring of love and support for Ellie from leadership and friends at FSU has been rolling in since the tragedy happened. Ellie was enrolled as a sophomore majoring in Undergraduate Studies.

Courtesy: Family of Ellie Sims

FSU president Richard McCullough shared the following statement with News 2:

We are deeply saddened by the heartbreaking loss of one of our students, Elizabeth Ellie Sims, who was killed Monday when she was struck by a vehicle near campus. Our thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends during this difficult time. Counseling services are available to anyone in the Florida State University family who would like support as we navigate this tragedy together. I encourage anyone struggling with this loss to reach out for assistance. Richard McCullough, FSU president

| READ MORE | Latest headlines from Nashville and Davidson County

FSU officials confirmed Ellie was a member of the Beta Eta chapter of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. The organization released a remembrance message on its Facebook page that said in part:

We will love and remember you forever. You were truly the epitome of an Alpha Chi Omega: involved with FSU Honors College, FSU CHAW [Center for Health Advocacy & Wellness], an avid runner, an entrepreneurship student, and a fashionista. We will forever miss your infectious smile, jamming out while meal prepping in the kitchenette and positive presence that lit up every room. Beta Eta will not be the same without you, but your legacy will live on. FSU Alpha Chi Omega

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

The sorority partnered with Ellies family to establish the Ellie Sims Memorial Fund. If youd like to donate, click here.

A GoFundMe was also created in Ellies honor to help her family with funeral and transportation costs.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  After being chased off by other hawks, the Fresno Chaffee Zoo is asking for the publics assistance in locating their very own Harriss hawk, Ripley.

The Chaffee Zoo says Ripley is one of their free-flying birds featured in the Zoos Winged Wonders Bird Show.

Old devices needed to celebrate orangutans 40th birthday at Fresno Chaffee Zoo

All of the birds in our Winged Wonders Bird Show are free flying and work with our Zoological Care Teams voluntarily and choose to participate in the show every day, said Fresno Chaffee Zoo General Curator Nicole Presley.

Ripley, image courtesy of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo

On Saturday, April 27, while participating in the daily bird show, Ripley wandered off into nearby trees where native red-tailed hawks were nesting. The native hawks then drove Ripley off zoo grounds until he was no longer visible.

This was an extraordinarily rare occurrence where Ripley strayed into the territory of local red-tailed hawks that are nesting here, said Presley.

Since his disappearance, a team has worked tirelessly to search for him as Ripleys participation in the bird show for the past seven years has left an impact on the zoo.

Throughout his time with our team, we have built a strong trusting relationship with Ripley, and he has become one of the Winged Wonder Bird Shows most reliable team members, Presley said.

Ripley Courtesy of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Ripley Courtesy of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Anyone seeking to aid in the search for Ripley should know that Harriss Hawks are easily identified by their chestnut color and dark tails with white at the base and tip. Ripley also has an identification band on his left leg.

Anyone who believes they have spotted Ripley should not approach him but instead, immediately call the Fresno Chaffee Zoos 24-hour emergency hotline at 559-286-7403.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
Amy Schumer Doubled Down On Her Israel Comments, And It's Not Great

Warning: Discussion of violence and rape.

Amy Schumer's latest interview with Variety where she defends her controversial comments about Israel and Palestine is attracting further backlash.

Raymond Hall / GC Images

Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, at least 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli counterattacks  including 13,000 children.

It is unclear how many Israeli hostages from the over 200 taken by Hamas remain. According to Human Rights Watch, Israel holds around 7,000 Palestinians in detention, the majority of which have never been convicted of a crime.

As Amy has been incredibly outspoken about the topic, let's take a moment to break down her quotes piece-by-piece to get a better understanding of the situation.

1.Amy: "The focus is so razor-sharp on Jewish people but not on Hamas..."

The idea that the mainstream discourse has somehow ignored Hamas feels out of touch with the way the ongoing conflict has been reported. Let's take the New York Times as an example. According to a NYT staff memo obtained by the Intercept, the paper advises writers not to use the term Palestine." It uses the phrase "Israel-Hamas war" for its news page for updates. The word "Hamas" was used in at least 10 different headlines within the NYT's news coverage over April 2024. In late 2023, the op-eds "There Should Be More Public Pressure on Hamas" and "I Might Have Once Favored a Cease-Fire With Hamas, but Not Now" ran. In March 2024, an op-ed blamed the 30,000 death toll in Palestine on Hamas. I can continue on with other examples from other newspapers, but you get the gist. Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images

2.Amy: "...So Id recommend people read a book..."

There is a persistent idea that those criticizing Israel are simply coming from a position of being uninformed (such as the person who once emailed me the Wikipedia link to Hamas). Still, the people advocating for Palestine include academics and professors at the highest-ranking universities in the world, who, one can assume, have read a book or two. Interestingly, Martin Luther King's daughter encouraged Amy to read Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? after accusing her of misusing her father's words on Israel. Nbc / Nathan Congleton / NBC via Getty Images

3.Amy: "...Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth by Noa Tishby. Or anything  Jewish people wrote everything down."

Of course, people can read any book that they want to gain an understanding of a topic or worldview. I would, however, caution against Noa Tishby as a neutral writer on the topic. Noa accused artists such as Billie Eilish and Mark Ruffalo, who wore Artists4Ceasefire pins to the 2024 Oscars, of furthering Hamas hateful agenda into the world, "subconscious antisemitism" at best and "deliberate attacks against Jews" at worst. Amy herself "liked" this post and has shared other posts of Noa's  such as one where she insinuates that student protests in favor of Palestine are connected to terrorist organizations and should be banned by the FBI. It's safe to assume that Amy's point here is less about education and more about hearing more on Israel and Palestine from those she agrees with. Not all Jewish people are Zionists, so one could have easily recommended work by, say, Sara Roy. Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images

4.Amy: "I dont agree with anything that Netanyahu is doing, and neither do the Israelis I know."

Amy seldom mentions Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on her Instagram account, but she did share a Regina Spektor post that says, "Netanyahu does NOT speak for all Israelis, or all Jews living across the world," before saying in the following sentence that Israel is "the ONLY land where LGBTQ people are able to live safely. The ONLY land which doesn't mandate women's dress or behavior" in the Arabic world. Here, the vague criticism of Netanyahu is quickly swept over in favor of a homonationalist and femonationalist worldview in which a "progressive" Israel is allowed to do what they want in the face of what they consider a "backward" Arabic world. Never mind that queer people are far from truly safe in Israel, or that even a stellar womens' and LGBTQ record could not be used as a shield for accusations of genocide... But I digress. One way that Amy is remarkably similar to Netanyahu is in her rejection of a ceasefire. Just yesterday, Netanyahu said that Israel would invade Rafah "with or without" a peace deal. Jacquelyn Martin / POOL/AFP via Getty Images

5.Amy: "Of course whats going on in Gaza is sickening, horrifying and unthinkable."

One might find it challenging to find this opinion obvious from Amy's post history. For one, in October, Amy posted, then deleted, a comic mocking supporters of Palestine that held signs such as, Gazans rape Jewish girls only in self-defense" and "Proud of our rapist martyrs." Naturally, the insinuation that Gazans are rapists was not received well. She later posted on Instagram, "Hamas terrorists are who Im talking about. No Gazans. Sorry I posted something that was hurtful to them." Again, Amy is against a ceasefire, so it remains unclear how she intends to remedy the "sickening, horrifying and unthinkable" situation beyond the continuing bombardment of Gaza. Yahya HASSOUNA / Getty Images

6.Amy: People get really mad at women. They save a special kind of vitriol for us. Its not new. I think its because they fear women. Thats my guess.

Amy has absolutely been the target of misogyny, and I have no doubt that there are some individuals who are using Palestine as a cover for their own sexism. However, it is disingenuous to imply that all criticism of Amy's statements on Israel and Palestine is because she is a woman. Steve Granitz / FilmMagic

You can read Amys full interview with Variety here.
A highway collapsed in southern China early on Wednesday after days of torrential rain, sending cars plummeting down a hill and killing dozens of people, Chinese state media reported.

At least 48 people were killed following the collapse of a section of the expressway linking Meizhou city with Dabu county in Guangdong province, according to Ma Zhengyong, Communist Party secretary of Meizhou city.

Some 23 vehicles had been recovered as rescue work continued Thursday, while 30 injured people remain in hospital in stable condition, CCTV said.

The Guangdong provincial government had sent a rescue team of about 500 people, the state broadcaster said.

More than 184 square meters of the highway disintegrated, officials told state news agency Xinhua.

The incident sparked calls to strengthen inspection and reinforcement work of infrastructure to cope with increasingly extreme weather conditions, state media have reported.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned of the widespread rainfall and strong atmospheric convection  a cause of unstable weather  saying it could subject the country to more frequent accidents and natural disasters, Xinhua reported, citing an instruction he gave.

Xi ordered authorities to improve alert systems, strengthen emergency planing and identify potential risks.

Extreme weather around the world is becoming more intense and more frequent against the backdrop of a very fast-warming climate.

Southern China has been bombarded with heavy rain in recent weeks.

Guangdong, an economic powerhouse home to 127 million people, has seen widespread flooding that has forced more than 110,000 people to relocate, state media reported, citing the local government.

The floods have killed at least four people in Guangdong, including a rescue worker, Xinhua reported Monday. At least 10 people remain missing, it added.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNNs Nectar Gan contributed reporting.

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NEW YORK (PIX11)  The American Veterans Memorial Pier hosted the original ferry terminal decades ago and its still standing today.

Councilman Justin Brannan says all the city has to do now is add a stop.

Macys 4th of July Fireworks Show to return to Hudson River

Enjoying the pier. Just an easy way to get around Brooklyn without traffic, said Mike Figueroa, a Brooklyn resident strolling along the 69th Street pier with his family on Tuesday.

Figueroa was admiring the waters separating Staten Island from Brooklyns Bay Ridge neighborhood  the very spot where a ferry once shuttled commuters between the two boroughs for over seven decades until the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge rendered it obsolete in 1964.

I think it would be beneficial to everyone to just open up another avenue to get to and from Staten Island, Figueroa remarked.

As a lifelong Staten Island native who now calls Brooklyn home, Figueroa understands the challenges of traveling between the two boroughs. I use my car, my motorcycle, subways, he said of his current commuting options.

Thats why City Councilman Justin Brannan is on a mission to resurrect the Bay Ridge-Staten Island route.

Recognizing the success of the citys revamped ferry network, Brannan sees an opportune moment to revive what was once a critical ferry service between the two boroughs.

People on both sides of the bridge have family on opposite sides. They live, work, and play interchangeably, constantly visiting loved ones, Brannan stated.

At the heart of his efforts is the aim of re-establishing an affordable and convenient transit option for residents who maintain close ties across the Narrows despite the physical divide.

Brannan says with congestion pricing looming as a deterrent for driving into Manhattan, he believes resurrecting the Bay Ridge-Staten Island ferry could provide a much-needed alternative. You have to provide more options and alternatives for people. Right now, all you have is either the Verrazzano Bridge or the Staten Island ferry into Manhattan. You dont have any other options.

While Figueroa admitted he would be an occasional rider at best, preferring his car for the commute, he could see the revived ferry resonating with others. I would use my car instead, but I think it would be a good option, he said.

While securing funding remains a key next step, Brannan advocates instituting a pilot program through the citys ferry network. Mayor Eric Adams has yet to respond to the proposal.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Swallows Charter Academy K-12 Principal Matthew Hawken celebrated his students' completion of a reading challenge by spending a night on the roof of the school.

On April 24, Pueblo West Fire Department trucks lifted Hawken to the Swallows Charter Academy K-12 roof during a 2 p.m. assembly to celebrate students earning 10,000 Accelerated Reader points. At 7 p.m., Hawken read bedtime stories to students on a livestream posted to the school's YouTube channel.

Despite cool overnight temperatures, Hawken managed to get a good night's sleep in a tent nestled by a "Swallows Charter Academy" sign atop the roof, according to the Swallows Charter Academy K-12 Facebook page.

Swallows Charter Academy Principal Matthew Hawken waves to students from the top of the school. Hawken was lifted to the roof of the school by the Pueblo West Fire Department where he stayed overnight to celebrate a student reading challenge on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

A video of Hawken reading students bedtime stories from the roof can be viewed on the Swallows Charter Academy YouTube channel.

"I want all of you students to know how incredible you are for meeting 10,000 points," Hawken told students in the video. "For me to sleep up here is a small thing compared to all of the reading and the work that all of you put forth in attaining that goal. I am just so proud of all of you."

'Noche de Mariachi' to explore state of mariachi education, feature free performances

Pueblo's own Mariachi Aguila and Mariachi Diamente will headline a statewide event exploring mariachi music programs and their future in Colorado's education landscape.

The free performances and discussion are part of the "Noche de Mariachi" at El Pueblo History Museum on May 8. Mariachi Aguila, a group of advanced musicians from the Chavez Huerta K-12 Preparatory Academy, will open the evening with a 5 p.m. performance.

Discussions will feature a panel of mariachi education experts, including David Benavidez of Mariachi Diamente, Jorge Melo of Chavez Huerta, Isahar Mendez of the Colorado Youth Mariachi Program, Lorenzo Trujillo of Metropolitan State University, Frank Vigila of Mariachi San Luis, and Marlene Vigila of Mariachi San Luis.

Mariachi Diamente will close the evening with a 6:30 p.m. performance.

Chavez Huerta receives Folk and Traditional Arts Project grant from Colorado Creative Industries

Chavez Huerta K-12 Preparatory Academy has received a $2,000 Folk and Traditional Arts Project grant from Colorado Creative Industries  a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

Chavez Huerta was the only entity in Pueblo County to be awarded one of the 21 Folk and Traditional Arts Project grants. Funds will support the school's Ballet Folklorico project, "Bailes de Aztlan (Dances from the Chicano Ancestral Homeland)."

The recipients announced today will help carry on the diversity, culture and heritage of Colorado communities, offering all of us the opportunity to realize the rich history our state holds, said Eve Lieberman, director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, in an April 10 news release.

Nine Pueblo students awarded 'Damon Days' scholarships

Nine college students were recognized by the Damon Days Committee and awarded $1,000 scholarships on April 25 at Pueblo's Rosemount Carriage House.

Students who received Damon Days scholarships included Ryna Bailey of Pueblo Community College, Julie Fellion of Colorado State University Pueblo, Theoren Gernazio of CSU Pueblo, Marika Guthrie of PCC, Sarah Iskra of PCC, Kyle Jackson of CSU Pueblo, Alex Moore of CSU Pueblo, Dara Shepherd of CSU Pueblo and Heather Ward of CSU Pueblo.

The Damon Days Committee raises funds through an annual "Guys and Dolls for Scholars" banquet and Damon Runyon Days festivities. More information can be found at damonrunyondays.com.

Student of the Week: The Pueblo Chieftain Student of the Week poll is back. Vote here for an outstanding student

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Swallows principal sleeps on roof and other Pueblo education news
Editors Note: This article is part of a series on incumbents and challengers running in the four upcoming Chatham County Board of Education district representative elections. The non-partisan School Board elections will be held on May 21 in conjunction with county primary elections. The advance voting period is April 29 through May 17. The registration deadline was April 22.

Dionne Hoskins-Brown is running unopposed for the third time for the Chatham County School Board District 2 seat which she has held since being appointed in 2011.

Chatham County School Board District 2 - Incumbent

Introduction

Dionne Hoskins-Browns bio on the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) board members page sums up a life of accomplishment and servant leadership. Born in Virginia but raised in Savannah, she came up through SCCPSS schools ultimately graduating from Alfred E. Beach High School. Earning a Bachelor and Doctor of Science in marine sciences, she embarked on a career in higher education, first as a Marine Science Postdoctoral Fellow at Savannah State University (SSU). She would later develop the first Cooperative Marine Education and Research program at SSU (or any historically black college or university for that matter). She oversees National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsored programs at SSU.

Outside of her roles in education and as the current District 2 school board representative, she is active in the Savannah community through multiple nonprofit organizations and local boards. She calls the Live Oak neighborhood home.

She has been on the school board since 2011 and is seeking her fourth full-term as the District 2 board representative.

Early voting updates: What you need to know as early voting for May's state and local primaries that begin next week.

New school complex has name: Savannah-Chatham school committee proposes new name for Groves-Mercer-Gould complex

Background

Hoskins-brown was first appointed as the SCCPSS school board District 2 representative in September 2011. The last time she faced a challenger for her seat was in 2012, when she ran against Malinda Hodge and Daniel Frazier. Hoskins-Brown overtook Frazier in a runoff election securing the seat. With no qualifying challenger, this upcoming election marks her third time running unopposed since 2016.

She credited her staying power to District 2 constituents valuing her professional credentials. It may not actually be an asset, but I think there's a perception of the asset of those credentials of being a college professor, of advanced education. She also believes that perception of her educational skills translating to a role on the school board is tied to her actual performance in office. She believes people in her district see her as communicative, accountable and objective.

With 13 years of experience on the board, she has seen a great deal of change. She feels that her longevity allows her to note when a new idea might not be so new. She can provide insights on the obstacles that might have been encountered by a past strategy or proposed solution as it reappears in board discussions.

She also values the perennial support of people within her district, making a point to note that her constituents on the eastside of town might not be the most vocal. But that's not the only currency that demonstrates you care about your school district, she said. She expressed that the board needs to remember that and pay attention to the other ways that families show up and participate in their schools and in the process beyond simply voting in board members.

Platform

Like many incumbents Hoskins-Brown feels there is work yet to be done. At the top of that list is her wanting to support Superintendent Denise Watts efforts to identify and amplify what we do well we as a district. On the other hand, Hoskins-Brown acknowledges that there are some things that need answers that we don't have all the answers to. She expressed a desire to continue addressing the ongoing attendance, transportation and literacy challenges.

The districts profile page on Hoskins-Brown sums her vision for the district, which is one that is inclusive and that uses its resources to meet the needs of all its students and staff. She values accountability and transparency, noting her position as chair of the District Accountability System Committee as well as serving on the Board Audit and Wellness committees as key markers of her commitment to those values. She specifically highlighted the implementation of the districts Chevron Reports through the board accountability system as one of her major contributions. The reports require district leaders to compile data into school performance snapshots for each school, which assists the board in making data-driven decisions.

She also wants to continue to contribute to a climate of dignity and decorum on board that creates a model of unified servant leadership. She said, I'm one of the people who was on the board when we didn't have a unified board. During that time, she saw how disunity affected operations and progress because too much time was focused on trying to maintain peace and accord rather than focusing the boards intellectual energy on the districts challenges.

Hear the candidates in person

A candidate forum, hosted by Voices for Schools and Deep Center, will take place Sunday, May 19 at Front Porch Improv, 210 West Victory Drive, Savannah. Hoskins-Brown will not be speaking since she is running unopposed. Candidates for the other districts will be engaged in dialogue, however. District 1 will start at 2 p.m. District 3 will start at 3:15 p.m. District 7 will start at 4:30 p.m.

Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: SCCPSS District 2 school board rep runs unopposed for third time
During Tesla CEO Elon Musks visit to Beijing on Sunday (28 April) to discuss the rollout of its autopilot, or full self-driving (FSD) software, the US automaker won an endorsement from a top Chinese auto association, which saw its Model 3 and Y cars named compliant with China's data security requirements.

The endorsement would give local governments the power to allow Tesla cars into parts of China they were previously banned from, according to Chinese media.

Tesla also reached an agreement with Chinese tech giant Baidu to use Teslas mapping license for data collection on Chinas roads, according to Reuters, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Due to data security hurdles, Tesla has been offering a limited version of its FSD software in China for the last four years.

Tesla has stored all data collected by its vehicles in China domestically to appease Chinese regulators since 2021, acting as a major hurdle to widespread adoption in the country.

While Teslas endorsement from one of Chinas auto associations is a positive step for a future unrestricted autopilot rollout in the country, it is unclear how many other hurdles Tesla will need to overcome for it to become a reality.

Why does Tesla want its autopilot software in China?

China is the largest automotive market in the world and remains the largest market for autonomous driving systems. A full rollout of autopilot in the country would allow Tesla to have a better chance at competing with its local rivals.

According to research and analysis company GlobalDatas Thematic Intelligence: Autonomous Vehicles (2023) report, Chinas car makers are rapidly gaining ground from technology transfer through joint ventures with foreign car makers such as GM, Daimler, and BMW.

At the same time, a flurry of specialist start-ups funded and backed by state institutions and corporate venture capital firms (many of them foreign, such as Intel) is enabling China to compete in auto AI, according to the report.

China launched its Made in China 2025 program in 2015, an ambitious 10-year-plan to achieve manufacturing self-reliance within the decade. A primary goal of that plan was to ensure its autonomous vehicle industry became the worlds best.

The country has focused on Level 4 and Level 5 self-driving testing, hoping to outpace other markets.

Level 5 autonomy relates to self-driving cars that do not require human interactionmeaning that when theyre eventually deployed, they wont have steering wheels or pedals.

Despite Musks promises, Teslas FSD software has still not moved the system beyond Level 2. Level 2 driving consists of lane-centering capabilities alongside adaptive speed control.

Story continues

Crucially, Tesla drivers are still required to be monitoring driving at all times and must intervene if something goes wrong.

Releasing full-scale FSD software in China will help provide a much-needed boost to Teslas declining EV sales. In April, Musk reaffirmed his commitment to making self-driving technology a significant revenue source for the company.

Tesla's vehicle deliveries in the first quarter fell for the first time in nearly four years. The company began the second quarter announcing layoffs of more than 10% of its global workforce and slashing vehicle prices in major markets, including the US, China and Europe.

Why is Tesla's FSD rollout so slow in the US?

Tesla has been heavily criticised by the leading US auto safety regulator for being complacent about driver safety.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) argues that Tesla owners are using the system beyond its intended purpose and that the title autopilot or FSD is misleading.

The regulator closed a three-year probe into Teslas autopilot system crashes in April. The regulator claimed 13 of the crashes were fatal.

Last week, the regulator said that Teslas autopilot label could lead drivers to believe that the automation has greater capabilities than it does and invite drivers to overly trust the automation.

According to GlobalData, the difficulty of commercialising autonomous vehicles has been one of the industrys biggest hurdles.

The early hype in expectations, a period that went from approximately 2015 to 2020, has given way to far more realistic positioning as the wide range of challenges to full commercial deployment becomes clearer, according to GlobalData's thematic research in autonomous driving.

The autonomous driving systems market size was 212.5 million units in 2023, according to GlobalData's 2024 market analysis.

The market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than five percent during 2023-2028, according to the report.

"Analysis: What would a full rollout of autopilot in China mean for Tesla?" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said passing the health agency merger bill this year after the Legislature has adjourned sine die for 2024 would be a big lift.

A controversial and wide reaching energy bill that seemed fast tracked for passage, despite public criticism, now needs a lifeline to even be debated in the Senate before the end of session.

Following a slew of hearings and hours of public testimony, the South Carolina Energy Security Act  which, among other things, would have paved the way for Santee Cooper to partner with Dominion Energy in constructing a large natural gas plant  appeared to have a clear, fast track to becoming law. That is, until Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, expressed concern over the legislation earlier this month, suggesting his colleagues take more time to fully evaluate the bill in the fall.

Rather than wait, state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, who drafted a companion bill that amended the House version, is still pushing, and hopeful, for its passage this session. But the only way thatll happen, Davis says, is if the proposal is extremely shaved down.

Its been incumbent upon me to take this 80 page bill and whittle it down to about 15 pages in a way that is meaningful, clear, and concise, Davis said.

Now, Davis says he must work to convince his colleagues in the Republican caucus to support a motion for special order in favor of H. 5118, and he only has until the end of this week to do it.

Masseys suggestion to stall the bill garnered bipartisan support as several senators cited their own concerns with the proposed legislation, its potential impact on the ratepayers and their memories and lasting impact of VC Summer. This included state state Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton, whose district encompasses the newly proposed Canadys natural gas plant.

Its not going to go anywhere in here either, Massey told state Rep. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, this month while discussing H. 5118 on the Senate floor.

Because the energy act is contested, a special order motion is likely needed before it can be brought up for debate on the floor. Only Massey has the power to raise such a motion, if a majority of the Republican caucus supports it. With 30 members making up the Senate Republican caucus, Davis would need to secure support from at least 15 of his colleagues.

State Sen. Wes Climer, R-York, said he would be amenable to a more digestible version of the bill.

If the bill is simplified, and more people understand it, I could see support for that, Climer said.

Davis said he plans to chisel the bill down to focus on four areas, which include strengthening the Public Service Commission, expanding the Energy Freedom Act to help level the playing field between utilities and independent power producers, protecting rate payer interests and adopting energy efficiency incentives.

My sense is that (my colleagues) will consider what I have to offer in good faith, and they will then make a determination based on how well I can make the case, Davis said. Theres where I see things going, and well see in the next three days where that leaves us.
The House on Wednesday approved controversial legislation that would reinstate rights to drill in a wildlife refuge that were overturned by the Biden administration.

The bill, which passed in a 214-199 vote, would reinstate six oil and gas leases to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that the Biden administration revoked last year.

Two members, Reps. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) and Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) voted present.

Peltola was an original co-sponsor of the bill but said in a floor speech that she would vote present over a provision she did not support that would nullify a climate resilience area in the state.

The refuge is home to caribou herds, wolves and more than 200 species of birds, as well as land considered sacred to the Gwichin people.

Supporters of drilling there say it could open up economic activities, including for indigenous groups such as the Inupiat.

The bill would also undo the administrations move to ban drilling on 13 million acres in Alaskas National Petroleum Reserve  an area that was set aside in the 1920s as emergency oil for the Navy and home to wildlife including caribou herds and polar bears.

While the legislation has some bipartisan support, its unlikely to move past the Democrat-led Senate or win White House approval.

It does, however, express House Republicans disapproval with the Biden administrations policy, and puts swing-district lawmakers on the record.

Updated at 7:10 pm EST.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A new house is being built for Mr. Rogers in his not-yet-neighborhood

Construction site of new home on White Lake Township property owned by Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, April 30, 2024 | Jon King

The White Lake Township home owned by GOP former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, whos running for U.S. Senate, has been demolished, with a new home under construction in its place.

The one-bedroom, 728-square-foot home, purchased by Rogers and his wife, Kristi, for $295,000 in July 2023, became a focus of questions about Rogers residency in January when the Michigan Advance first reported that he had never actually resided at the White Lake property. Instead, Rogers said he was living at his sister-in-laws Genoa Township house, near Brighton, where he was also registered to vote.

At the time, Rogers campaign provided copies of Oakland County permits to plug an onsite well and install a new one at the home, which had undergone $100,000 in renovations prior to its sale. But as of Tuesday morning, the old house was gone and the cement foundation for a new structure was in its place. There were no workers or active construction visible at the time. A sign on the property indicated the construction was being handled by EBI Inc., a home building company owned by Rogers brother, Bill Rogers.

Mike Rogers campaign spokesman Chris Gustafson confirmed for the Advance that Rogers was still staying at the Genoa Township home of his sister-in-law with plans to move into the White Lake Township home once it was completed, although no timeline was provided.

White Lake home owned by Mike and Kristi Rogers, Jan. 27, 2024 | Jon KIng

Rogers has been accused by political rivals of being a carpetbagger in his pursuit of Michigans U.S. Senate seat that will open up with the retirement of Democrat Debbie Stabenow. Although born and raised in Livingston County, which he represented during his six years in the Michigan Senate and 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rogers later moved into a 4,751-square-foot home in Cape Coral, Fla., valued at $1.7 million.

That home, which he still owns, was his official residence until his decision to run for U.S. Senate last year. It was reported in mid-April that Rogers remained registered to vote at the Cape Coral residence, although his campaign said that officials there had failed to act yet on a form filed by Rogers requesting that his name be removed from the Florida voter rolls.

However, a check of the online Florida voter database shows he was still listed as an active voter in Lee County as of Wednesday morning.

Rogers, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is facing off against former U.S Rep. Justin Amash (I-Cascade Twp.), physician Sherry ODonnell and businessman Sandy Pensler in the Aug. 6 GOP primary.

On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly), actor Hill Harper and businessman Nasser Beydoun have filed.

Construction site of new home on White Lake Township property owned by Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers , April 30, 2024 | Jon King

Sign at construction site of new home on White Lake Township property owned by Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers , April 30, 2024 | Jon King

Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) (C), chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, speaks to members of the media on June 11, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

White Lake home owned by Mike and Kristi Rogers, Jan. 27, 2024 | Jon KIng

The post A new house is being built for Mr. Rogers in his not-yet-neighborhood appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Never missing an opportunity to make life easier for extractive industries, House Republicans passed a suite of bills this week to boost development and dismantle environmental protections across millions of acres of federal land.

The bills stand little chance of passing in the Democratic-controlled Senate, but they give GOP industry allies something to tout heading into the 2024 elections. And since several of the measures closely mirror priority actions found in Project 2025, the 920-page policy blueprint that dozens of right-wing organizations compiled to guide former President Donald Trump, it might be a preview of whats to come next year should Trump win the election.

The measures seek to dismantle several of the Biden administrations recent actions to better conserve Americas public lands and protect wildlife, including those to limit oil drilling in large areas of Alaska and mineral development near Minnesotas Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) portrayed the measures as safeguards against what she described as President Joe Bidens war on fossil fuels and other extractive industries  rhetoric that ignores the fact that domestic oil production and natural gas exports have never been higher.

From energy in Alaska to minerals in Minnesota, the bills under this rule empower our domestic producers, Fischbach said in a speech on the House floor. The Biden administration is leaving America at a disadvantage while adversaries like China work to expand their global influence. We cannot let this happen. We can be both good stewards of our public lands and take advantage of the many resources they provide.

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) called the package a great gift to corporations and one that ignores public support for protecting wild landscapes and would overturn decades of conservation work.

The bills fail to protect Americas blessed creation for future generations, she said.

Caribou from the porcupine caribou herd migrate onto the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. One of the bills in the package requires the Interior Department to reissue all Trump-era oil and gas leases in the wildlife refuge. via Associated Press

The package of bills passed Tuesday and Wednesday include:

H.R. 6285 would reverse the Biden administrations rule barring oil and gas development across more than 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve on Alaskas North Slope. It also requires the Interior Department to reissue all Trump-era oil and gas leases in Alaskas fragile Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which the Biden administration canceled last year.

H.R. 3195 would rescind the Biden administrations 20-year ban on new mineral development across 225,000 acres of national forest land adjacent to Minnesotas iconic Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It also would reinstate canceled leases to Chilean mining giant Antofagasta in an effort to rubber stamp the companys controversial plans for a $1.7 billion underground copper-nickel mine on the doorstep of one of the most visited wilderness areas in the country, as well as block judicial review of any mining leases and permits in the region.

H.R. 3397 would require the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw a new rule aimed at balancing conservation and ecosystem restoration with traditional land uses, including drilling, mining, logging and grazing. It would also prevent Americas largest land manager from proposing or finalizing any similar rule in the future.

H.R. 764, dubbed the Trust the Science Act, would require the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reissue a Trump administration rule that stripped gray wolves of protections under the Endangered Species Act. Like other bills in the package, it blocks judicial review.

H.R. 615 would largely bar federal agencies from prohibiting the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle on federal lands and waters.

Their passage, mostly along party lines, followed hours of fiery debate on the House floor, during which Republicans accused Democrats and the Biden administration of advancing the agenda of radical environmentalists, and Democrats condemned the GOP as being beholden to polluters and special interests.

A wolf from the Snake River Pack passes by a remote camera in Wallowa County, Oregon, in 2014. One of the bills in the package requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reissue a Trump administration rule that stripped gray wolves of protections under the Endangered Species Act. via Associated Press

One of the more contentious debates centered on the bill to block the Bureau of Land Managements new rule to boost conservation on federal lands, which confronts the agencys long legacy of prioritizing drilling, mining and other extractive uses. Republicans painted the Biden administration rule as an unconstitutional federal land grab and an attack on Western communities.

This rule is a poorly concealed effort to lock up more lands to advance the Biden administrations radical 30x30 agenda, said Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), the chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, referring to the administrations goal to conserve 30% of Americas lands and waters by 2030. This rule would fundamentally upend more than 50 years of land management practices across the West that rural communities have relied on for their livelihoods.

Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) repeatedly stressed that Westerman and other Republican colleagues were mischaracterizing what the rule does.

One need look no further than the plain language, Neguse said. The rule says that its putting conservation on par with these other uses. Grazing is allowed under the rule. Oil and gas development is allowed under the rule. Conservation is allowed under the rule. If my colleagues dont want conservation considered by the [Bureau of Land Management] with respect to how these lands are managed, which is clearly what they believe, then they should just say so. Just be candid with the American people that they dont think these lands should be managed with conservation in mind at all.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said the entire raft of bills misses the mark.

It elevates right-wing ideology over the actual needs of the American people, he said.

Ahead of the votes, the League of Conservation Voters, a progressive environmental advocacy organization, put lawmakers on notice that supporting the bills would likely factor into its forthcoming environmental scorecard for members of Congress.

These extreme bills are a gift to Big Polluters and would have devastating impacts on our countrys public lands and waters, and wildlife at the expense of the climate and our communities, America Fitzpatrick, LCVs conservation program director, said in a statement.

Related...
House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are pushing back against the Pentagons proposal to fund the procurement of just one Virginia-class attack submarine in fiscal 2025 instead of two.

Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., Rob Wittman, R-Va., and 118 other lawmakers made the case in a May 1 letter to the chambers top defense appropriators as Congress drafts its FY25 defense budget.

Preserving a consistent production schedule is essential for shipyard and industrial base stability, and to meet the Navys operational requirements, the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Defense Appropriations Chairman Ken Calvert, R-Calif., and Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., the panels top Democrat.

This is exactly why Congress has strongly supported and defended the consistent two-per-year build rate of Virginia-class attack submarines since 2011.

The Navy has said it needs to procure two Virginia-class attack vessels and one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine per year to meet its requirements. The AUKUS agreement, in which the U.S. will transfer at least three and as many as five attack submarines to Australia in the next decade, would require a production boost of 2.3 to 2.5 Virginia-class vessels per year, on average.

However, industry has not been able to keep pace with production requirements, producing at an average rate of roughly 1.2 Virginia vessels annually. The Navy has said the production constraints have prompted it to request one vessel amid a defense budget topline capped at $895 billion under the terms of last years debt ceiling deal.

The proposal to request one attack submarine is contrary to the Department of Defenses National Defense Industrial Strategy, which cites procurement instability as a systemic challenge, Courtney and his colleagues wrote.

Sustainable production of the Virginia-class program, and the development of a follow-on attack submarine program, is key to maintaining our undersea advantage in the years ahead. To that end, we respectfully request that you fully restore procurement for two Virginia-class submarines in FY 2025.

Courtneys Connecticut district includes General Dynamics Electric Boat, which makes the vessels. He told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a Tuesday hearing that procuring only one submarine instead of the usual two disrupts suppliers lower down the supply chain.

I talked to supply chain companies who are hitting the pause button on claimed investments, Courtney said Tuesday. This has a real ripple effect when that signal shows instability.

Courtney made the case that despite the COVID-era supply chain shocks and labor shortages, production tempo and capacity is increasing in both his district and at Virginias Newport News shipyard.

He noted on Monday that Electric Boat hired 5,300 new workers last year to retain 88% of its workforce and is on track to hire an additional 5,200 workers in 2024. Newport News also hired 8,300 more workers in 2022 and 2023, he added.

While the FY25 budget request includes substantial investments in the nationwide submarine industrial baes, there is no alternative to stabilize the supply chain other than consistent procurement of two Virginia-class submarines in FY25, the lawmakers letter states.

The foreign aid package Congress passed in April included $3.3 billion in submarine industrial base funding to shore up production of Virginia and Columbia class vessels. Wednesdays missive notes that this includes the first increment of funding to begin construction on the second boat in the Columbia class program to replace the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines.

The program remains on a razor thin schedule with little margin for absorbing delays resulting from technical challenges or funding-related issues, the lawmakers wrote.
HB 499 seeks to carry out a number of changes to boost meal services, both inside and outside schools. (Jon Cherry | Getty Images)

House Republican lawmakers are moving to strip out major portions of a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing child hunger, arguing they are costly and unnecessary, in a decision that drew sharp criticism from Democrats and advocates.

The House Finance Committee Division III voted Monday to recommend eliminating most of House Bill 499, an omnibus bill that would create a program to provide families meal assistance in the summer as well as new programs to encourage breakfast take-up in school.

Sponsored by Sens. Becky Whitley, a Hopkinton Democrat, and Denise Ricciardi, a Bedford Republican, the bill passed the Senate unanimously. But the proposed House amendment would eliminate most of those programs from the bill, including the summer meal program, which would allow the state to receive about $4.5 million per year in federal funding to distribute in the summer to families who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school.

House Republicans have raised issues with required startup costs for the program: The state would need to provide $1.2 million in its first year for administrative expenses, and then about $259,000 every year after. That represents half the cost; the federal government would provide an equivalent in matched funds.

Some Republicans objected to spending federal money at all.

The federal government is very broke right now, said Rep. J.R. Hoell, a Dunbarton Republican. So counting on somebody whos very broke to continue to write checks is a fraught mission.

Supporters of the bill have countered that those costs are relatively low compared to the benefits low-income families would receive from the EBT program.

These are children that due to no fault of their own do not have healthy food in their kitchen cabinets and not enough of it, said Rep. Laura Telerski, a Nashua Democrat. And I think that for this division to throw out an opportunity for a relatively small investment from the state to enable this opportunity to bring that extra benefit to families who are struggling is really unfortunate.

Mondays recommendation is not final; Division III is a nine-member subcommittee of the full 25-member House Finance Committee, and the full committee will need to approve the measure in the coming weeks. But the amendment was supported by top Republicans on the Finance Committee, including Chairman Ken Weyler of Kingston.

And the recommendation comes as lawmakers have quarreled in recent years over whether and how to expand school meal assistance in New Hampshire. Earlier this month, House Republicans rejected a bill to raise the eligibility for free and reduced-price meals in school from 185 percent of the federal poverty level to 350 percent. Republicans have also voted down efforts to expand the number of participants in school meal programs by enrolling the state into Medicaid Direct Certification, which would allow schools to use Medicaid data to sign up families automatically.

A multi-pronged bill

HB 499 seeks to carry out a number of changes to boost meal services, both inside and outside schools.

The bill would require that school districts provide both breakfast and lunch during school hours; currently, they are obligated to provide only one meal. It would allow school districts to implement breakfast after the bell, in which students are allowed to eat breakfast after classes begin so they dont need to arrive early, and receive reimbursement from the state for extra costs.

The bill would require that school districts offer online applications for families to sign up for the free and reduced-price meal program. It would provide an opportunity for school districts to receive additional federal reimbursement for free and reduced-price lunches and breakfasts if they also adopt a school wellness policy as defined in the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

It would join New Hampshire to the federal summer EBT program, allowing families making up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level  $57,720 for a household of four  $40 per child per month to help with groceries. That federal money would be distributed in the form of pre-loaded cards and would work with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

The Department of Education has estimated that 37,000 children in the state would qualify for the program if approved.

And HB 499 would also direct the state to adopt the Elderly Simplified Application Project, a federal effort to improve access to food stamps for people 60 years and older by waiving certain application requirements and reducing the need to re-apply.

At its meeting Monday, the House Finance Division III passed an amendment to eliminate all provisions from the bill except the Elderly Simplified Application Project, in a 5-3 vote along party lines.

Laura Milliken, executive director of New Hampshire Hunger Solutions, an advocacy group that has championed the bill, said HB 499 was intended to bridge gaps that some low-income families face when school is not in session and children dont have regular school meals.

While some school districts and private organizations provide food assistance in some areas of the state, Milliken said the summer EBT program would provide more steady support.

Many times families cant get their children to the place where the meals are being provided, she said. So its just a much more direct way of making sure that children are not hungry in the summer.

Philosophical differences

To Milliken and other supporters of the bill, the federal money would provide a return on investment and help stimulate local economies by encouraging more food spending. If the bill doesnt pass, the state Department of Education would not be able to participate in the program, Milliken said.

The federal government has provided these funding streams and to my mind, it doesnt make sense not to use them to feed hungry kids, Milliken said Monday.

But House Finance Republicans raised concerns over cost and implementation.

Weyler argued that the summer EBT program duplicated aid already available to families through SNAP, often known as food stamps, and that it would make more sense to increase federal funding to those programs. He also said the breakfast after the bell model raised logistical questions.

That whole arrangement of: what type of food, was it going to be in a refrigerator, were they going to pick it up going down the hall to the home room, or how was it going to work out? That wasnt carefully thought out, Weyler said.  It just seemed to needlessly complicate everything without really spelling out how it would be done.

And he said the bills supporters had not made the case that the bill is needed. Do we really have that big a hunger problem in this state? Weyler asked. I dont think they properly proved such a thing.

Advocates for the bill say the breakfast before the bell model has been successfully tested and implemented in schools in other states. A 2015 survey by the Food Research and Action Center that polled 105 high school principals that implemented alternative breakfast approaches found that 82 percent reported increased school breakfast participation and 46 percent reported improved student attentiveness.

But Rep. Erica Layon, a Derry Republican who was filling in on the committee for Rep. Jess Edwards, questioned whether students should be given meals after school begins. I have three young boys who cannot concentrate while they are eating, she said. Im just worried about the consequences on the actual instructional time.

Hoell had more fundamental objections. Support for food-insecure families should come from donations, organizations, and church groups, he argued.

What were doing is requiring other taxpayers to foot the bill when we do this, he said. It is not about generosity at this point. Generosity starts when it comes out of your own piggy bank. We cannot compel someone else to fund this.

As the debate unfolded, Democrats expressed alarm, accusing Republicans of gutting a broadly supported bill.

I just think its inhumane, said Rep. David Preece of Manchester. And maybe its just my values, but I think its inhumane.

Some raised issues with the process. The House Finance Committee has three subcommittees that are designed to work on distinct policy areas; Finance Committee III largely deals with health care spending, while Finance Committee II handles education spending. Democrats said Finance Committee III was recommending an amendment to eliminate provisions that should be examined by Finance Committee II.

I think its shameful that we are throwing the whole thing away and we did not actually have proper process to even get to this point, said Telerski.

The amendment will go to the House Finance Committee in the coming weeks; that committee has until May 16 to vote on whether to adopt the amendment and recommend the bill to the full House.

The post House Republicans recommend eliminating most of anti-hunger bill appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin.
The Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives has cruised to victory in a New York special election, dealing a further blow to Republicans slim majority in the chamber.

State Senator Tim Kennedy defeated Republican Gary Dickson on Tuesday night in the solidly blue 26th district, which comprises the city of Buffalo and the surrounding suburbs. The special election was announced shortly after Representative Brian Higgins, a Democrat, resigned in February to take over a performing arts center in the district. President Joe Biden won the same district by 23 points in the 2020 elections.

Now the makeup of the House is 217 Republicans to 213 Democrats, with five vacant seats. With their narrow majority and constant infighting, Republicans have rarely passed any significant legislation, with the exception of aid to Ukraine and Israel over the opposition of far-right representatives such as Marjorie Taylor Greene. This loss will only hurt future efforts.

Greene has said she will push to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, but she has only rallied two other Republicans to her cause. Johnson himself only assumed the speakership in October thanks to a successful effort to push out the previous speaker, Kevin McCarthy, when he passed a legislative budget over the objections of his caucuss far-right members.

Johnson has more support from his party but less of a majority to work with than McCarthy, so a vote to remove him would depend a lot on the support of Democrats. Although they didnt save the previous speaker, House Democrats have indicated they intend to back Johnson, in an effort to stave off pure mayhem.
A group of renters, advocates and some lawmakers formed a human chain of paper keys outside the State House on March 13, 2024 urging legislators to fund homeless shelters and rent relief in the supplemental budget. (Jim Neuger/Maine Morning Star)

84,000: The number of additional housing units Maine needs in the next decade to meet the states housing demand.

This number, which came from a statewide study released in October, was repeated over and over again as members of the Maine Legislatures Housing Committee weighed dozens of bills this session, hoping to make a dent in the states housing crisis.

With the business of the legislative session mostly complete, housing advocates say that the work done in Augusta since January shows a continued investment in solving the combined challenges of limited housing stock, rising costs and widespread insecurity.

Erik Jorgensen, senior director of government relations and communications for the Maine State Housing Authority, said the support coming from both the Legislature and the Mills administration has been largely nonpartisan because people from different viewpoints agree that it is an issue. The progress made this past legislative session is a testament to those different perspectives coming together to find solutions, he said.

You can have different opinions about cost or whatever but people understand the need for this and they recognize this is our part of solving what is a national problem, Jorgensen said. Maine is really taking a bold step to try to move the needle.

That bold step has come in the form of $76 million in the supplemental budget passed a few weeks ago  on top of $70 million in last years biennial budget for new construction and $12 million for emergency housing to continue funding existing programs and projects as well as help create new ones.

We think that these are really smart investments, said Andrea Steward, affordable housing policy advocate for Maine Equal Justice.

Given the various housing-related challenges, Steward said successful efforts from funding new construction to launching a pilot rent relief program are all pieces of the puzzle to really help us all come together.

The public push for rent relief

One area that saw significant public engagement was around the issue of rental assistance. After multiple events, including a rally and delivery of a letter signed by dozens of business owners, $18 million in one-time money for a rent relief pilot program was added to the supplemental budget.

The pilot will provide eligible people with up to $800 per month in rental assistance paid directly to a persons landlord for up to two years. The Maine State Housing Authority is responsible for designing what Jorgensen described as an eviction prevention program.

In 2023, more than 5,500 Maine households faced eviction, up from about 4,000 just the year before, according to state court records.

Jorgenson said MaineHousing will work with advocates and other invested parties to find the most effective way to use the money. Because the $18 million is one-time money, Jorgensen said the agency wants to avoid creating cliffs for people and sending them back into an unaffordable situation once the money is gone.

But Allina Diaz, a community organizer with Maine Equal Justice, said she hopes rent relief will continue to be funded in the future and serve as a longer term solution beyond this initial $18 million.

Were hoping that through the pilot program its going to become visible what the need is as people apply, she said.

Getting state assistance for renters was a top priority for Maine Equal Justice, a nonprofit civil legal aid and economic justice organization, which along with other groups organized a postcard campaign, rallies and other efforts to tell lawmakers that Mainers need rent relief.

While the money allocated to develop new affordable housing is helpful, Steward said those projects take time, whereas rent relief can be a targeted, immediate solution to keep people in their existing homes.

Added funding for new development

The bulk of the supplemental funding has been slated for developing new affordable housing, to get the state closer to that goal of 84,000.

These include existing programs, such as $20 million for the Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program, which both support the development of new housing units.

The big blocks of funding for construction are really the key, Jorgensen said. Those things are going to be what we need to really move the needle.

The Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program is a subsidy program that was created in the last few years to create buildings with five to 18 rental units suited to the needs of a particular community.

Jorgensen said it has been helpful in attracting new developers, which was another goal of the program. So far, the program helped fund the creation of more than 200 units across the state including in Madison, Rockland, Presque Isle and Belfast, according to data Jorgensen shared with Maine Morning Star. Its hard to say for certain because construction costs are still brutally expensive, Jorgensen said, but the money allocated in the most recent supplemental budget could fund another 50 units.

Shelter funding still in limbo

One urgent aspect of the housing crisis is providing shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

The supplemental budget included $2 million to specifically help students experiencing homelessness. Jorgensen said MaineHousing is working with the Department of Education to determine how best to utilize those dollars.

However, legislation that would provide an infusion of much-needed cash to the states low-barrier shelters, remains in limbo.

A subset of Maines homeless shelters are low-barrier, which means they accept guests regardless of substance use, criminal involvement, mental illness or other ongoing needs. Five low-barrier shelters in Bangor, Portland and Waterville told the housing committee in December they were at risk of closing because of a combined $4 million deficit.

LD 2136 would increase funding for homeless shelters from $2.5 million to $12.5 million, with dedicated funds for low-barrier shelters. Originally, the low-barrier funding was in a separate bill, but the Housing Committee combined the two and added a study group to investigate the root causes of homelessness.

The money for homeless shelters is huge, Steward said.

However, despite passing both chambers of the Legislature, the funding was not included in the budget, nor has it been taken by the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, which has a pot of discretionary funding to dole out.

More than a hundred bills have yet to be acted on by the budget committee and, as of Tuesday afternoon, it remained unclear if and when they would reconvene.

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The post Housing advocates in Maine celebrate big wins from this legislative session appeared first on Maine Morning Star.
The Houthis struck an MSC merchant ship hundreds of miles east of the Horn of Africa on Friday in the first indicator that the Yemen-based militant group is widening the scope of its ongoing offensive on shipping beyond the Red Sea and neighboring Gulf of Aden.

Damage to the Portugal-flagged MSC Orion was minimal, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center, with the crew discovering debris from a drone on board.

More from Sourcing Journal

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed Monday that the drone attack occurred between 300 and 400 nautical miles (345 to 460 miles) off the coast of Somalia.

Sourcing Journal reached out to Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which has yet to publicly comment on the attack.

The vessel and crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.

For now this does not appear to have changed the carriers operations, said Lars Jensen, CEO of container shipping consultancy Vespucci Maritime, in a LinkedIn post. Should more such attacks happen on container vessels this might result in vessels heading to/from the Persian Gulf and the transshipment hubs in Oman might take a more easterly detour. This will add some sailing time and, likely, prompt new surcharges.

The Iran-affiliated group also targeted the Cyclades bulk carrier, as well as two U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised address early on Tuesday.

In March, the Houthis announced their intent to extend their attacks to Israel-linked ships in the Indian Ocean sailing toward Africas Cape of Good Hope. The Orion has been associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime, which is owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. The Joint Maritime Information Centers report determined the MSC ship was likely targeted due to the perceived Israeli affiliation.

The vessel is the sister ship of the MSC Aries, seized by Irans Revolutionary Guard on April 13 in the Strait of Hormuz, and was operating the same service between Europe and ports in Sri Lanka and India.

Irans foreign minister said the 24 crew members remaining on board the ship will be released, but did not give a timeline for the release date.

The seizure of the Aries had the wider shipping industry up in arms, with 16 maritime shipping organizations calling for the seafarers release, and asking United Nations members to do more to ensure the safe transit of ships throughout the affected areas.

Given the nature of the dual MSC incidents and dozens of others, leaders in the global logistics landscape seem to suggest that the Red Sea detours are likely to extend well into the second half of 2024, and potentially into 2025.

Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said in an analyst call organized by the company Monday that he expects the crisis to simmer out before the end of 2024.

Habben Jansen also indicated that the companys ships are taking seven to 10 days longer to go around the Cape of Good Hope than they would have if they traversed the Suez Canal.

The safety of our people is more important than seven days transit time, Jansen said.

On the same call, Thorsten Meincke, who heads air and ocean freight at DB Schenker, said the German freight forwarding giant expects the Red Sea turmoil to likely last through the rest of the year.

It takes us at least into summer because that would already require getting it solved as we speak right now and that is probably very unlikely, Meincke said. So our planning goes that we need to continue with this throughout 2024.

Alan Murphy, founder of maritime trade advisory service Sea-Intelligence, said multiple factors must take place for Red Sea shipping volumes to normalize.

Even if the conflict was resolved magically tomorrow, we wouldnt see Suez transits tomorrow, Murphy said, indicating that there must be assurances that the Red Sea is safe over the longer term. If that occurs, the schedule adjustments would still take several months given the distances involved.

If we ever have a long-term safe resolution to the Red Sea crisis, its going to take six to 12 months before we actually have stable networks running through the Suez again, Murphy said.

Habben Jansen was much more optimistic regarding a potential return to normalcy to the Red Sea scenario if safety was assured.

I think that will go a little bit fasterin reality you should be able to do that in one round trip, which is probably 14 to 17 weeks, Habben Jansen said.
.

A federal jury convicted a Georgetown woman in connection with receiving $2.4 million after submitting fraudulent loan applications to a federal paycheck protection program, officials said.

Tiffany Fullerton, 47, was convicted on Monday of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to a news release from the U.S. district attorney's office. She has not yet been sentenced, according to the court docket.

Fullerton, along with her husband Michael Fullerton and two other people, David Scott Starkes and Joseph Robles, used dormant and expired business names to submit five paycheck protection loan applications, the release said. It said the applications were for more than $3 million.

More: Official: Williamson County could get $114.5 million in federal coronavirus relief

The federal government established the paycheck protection program in 2020 to help small businesses meet their payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fullerton, her husband, Starkes and Robles received $2.4 million in paycheck protection funds after four of their applications were accepted, the release said. It said the money was used to try to start a business in Oklahoma that included a marijuana dispensary, a bar and grill and an auto/boat repair shop.

More: Austin-area business got billions from pandemic loan program

The money also was partly used to buy a motor home, luxury watches and a boat, according to the release. Michael Fullerton, Starkes and Robles have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on May 30, authorities said.

Information about when Tiffany Fullerton will be sentenced was not available on Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Georgetown woman convicted after paycheck protection program fraud
HOXIE, Kan. (KSNW)  Hoxie residents are being warned of possible high nitrate levels in water.

The city says they are currently awaiting testing of the public water system after high nitrate levels were discovered in the city well. A sample from the well showed a concentration of 12 milligrams per liter; 10 milligrams or less per liter is considered safe for consumption.

The City of Hoxie says that the well is out of service, and there is currently not a high nitrate level in the citys water system. The are awaiting a confirmation testing kit from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to test the well to determine if the well truly does have unsafe levels of nitrates.

Ingestion of nitrates can cause a variety of health issues, and it is a suspected carcinogen. Nitrates enter the water through the use of inorganic fertilizers and animal manure.

Man makes court appearance in murdered Kansas moms case

Until they receive confirmation, they are asking Hoxie residents to take the following precautions:

 DO NOT GIVE THE WATER TO INFANTS. Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue baby syndrome. Nitrate is an acute toxin to infants less than six months of age. In infants, it can cause a condition known as methemoglobinemia, or blue-baby syndrome which can be fatal. The most obvious symptom is a bluish skin coloring, especially around the eyes and mouth. Other symptoms can include shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and dizziness. An infant with bluish skin should be taken immediately to a medical facility for treatment. It is safe to bathe or shower in tap water with elevated nitrate levels.

 Water, juice, and formula for children under six months of age should not be prepared with tap water. Bottled water or other water low in nitrates should be used for infants until further notice.

 DO NOT BOIL THE WATER. Boiling, freezing, filtering, or letting water stand does not reduce the nitrate level. Excessive boiling can make the nitrates more concentrated, because nitrates remain behind when the water evaporates.

 Adults and children older than six months can drink the tap water (nitrate is a concern for infants because they cannot process nitrates in the same way adults can). However, if you are pregnant or have specific health concerns, you may wish to consult your doctor.

Residents with questions can contact City of Hoxie Superintendent Justin Armknecht at 785-675-3291.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters march across NYC, hitting every university tent city: This is a siege

Hundreds of protesters snaked through Manhattan Tuesday in a rowdy demonstration that hit every ritzy university that has erected encampments in the past two weeks  with rally leaders threatening that administrators should be scared of their students.

The Flood the Encampments for Gaza march started at New York University, where some clueless students admitted last week they had no idea what they were rallying over, before moving on to The New School, FIT, Columbia University and City College.

We have made it clear to the institution what the only appropriate resolution is. And we will not de-escalate, we will not decamp and we will not rest until this university  which has blood on its hands  cuts every last tie with a Zionist institution, to the Zionist entity, one protester shouted outside the John A. Paulson Center, the universitys fitness center and classroom space named after a Jewish alumnus.

William Miller

She claimed that the administration was attempting to strong arm the protesters into leaving the encampment before [their] demands are met.

The threats of disciplinary action, she continued, are considered the highest honor for protesters.

The group also blasted Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal and called for canceling Zionist universities.

Many of the roughly 150 protesters wore keffiyehs, a Middle Eastern headdress, to cover their faces as they waved Palestinian flags and signs calling for the nation to be freed from Israeli rule.

Sometime during the protest, vandals splattered a blood-like substance on the home of NYU President Linda Mills, whose failure to tackle on-campus antisemitism in the weeks after Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attack caused several Israeli alumni to cut ties with the prestigious institution.

A protester is seen being arrested by NYPD officers at City College of New York in West Harlem on April 30, 2024. William Miller

City College administrators had seemingly anticipated the escalation. William Miller

The gory mess was delivered by external community members in solidarity with NYU students, independent journalist Talia Jane reported, and was accompanied by a note: Linda Mills: Your administration is complicit in genocide. Blood on your hands. Long live Gaza.

The crowd swelled to roughly 400 protesters by the time it made its way to the Fashion Institute of Technology, with many waving giant Palestinian flags and running through the streets while chanting, Shut it down!

Some ralliers even jumped on top of a parked pick-up truck to dance along to the crowds shouts.

A group of NYPD officers at City College of New York in West Harlem on April 30, 2024. William Miller

Campus police had intervened at the protests earlier this week, stopping a food delivery from reaching protests before ripping down encampment equipment like tents.

Richard Dickinson, 79, a French professor from Sarah Lawrence College walking through the scene called the student activists the conscience of America.

Im here to support them because I believe in what theyre doing, he said as he sported a pro-Palestine pin.

This is the most important thing I have seen in my life. I have never seen anything as ugly as what Israel is doing in Gaza. And if we dont stop it, then its our sin, Dickinson continued.

A number of protesters were arrested near the City College of New York in West Harlem on Tuesday night. William Miller

Rather than march the 4.5 miles to Columbia University, the protesters opted to move their parade underground  swarming Penn Station and disrupting hundreds of straphangers on the rush hour commute.

The protesters squished in with regular New Yorkers aboard the uptown A train, chanting: Uptown A train you will see. Palestine is almost free!

They terrorized the train for four stops before riling off at the 125th Street station and bolting toward the Ivy League, which kicked off the nationwide encampment trend when it first erected its mini-city April 17.

The crowd rallied outside Hamilton Hall in support of the dozens of protesters who bolted themselves inside the day before  with some protesters carrying Palestinian flags and waltzing on the roof of the academic building.

Protesters are seen marching by the City College of New York in West Harlem on April 30, 2024. William Miller

Yesterday we continued the revolutionary legacy of the anti-imperialist students that came before us. Students who refused to pay for death, destruction and genocide, a student told the crowd, alleging that the university is denying protesters food, water and bathroom access.

We are reclaiming our right to this campus. We are liberating territory.

The crowd  which officials said is comprised of agitators not affiliated with the school  took over the building in the middle of the night Tuesday, hours after administrators ordered students to vacate their tents.

The aggressive protesters smashed windows and dangled signs around the building, which theyve dubbed Hinds Hall in honor of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed during the Middle Eastern conflict.

The Flood for Gaza march started at a New York University building named in honor of a Jewish alumnus. Dorian Geiger

Our necessary escalation last night was in response to the repression and violence from our administration. We were victorious, the protester continued.

Columbia University failed to rein in the disruptive protests Monday, even after instituting a deadline for the crowds to vacate their mini-tent city on the campus lawn.

The Ivy League has since announced it would hand out suspensions to any students still defying the orders  which would prevent some from graduating next month  which the crowd considered as a siege.

They have locked us in on this campus, they have locked the campus down, they have threatened us with suspension, they prevent us from using the bathroom, they prevent us from getting food, they prevent us from receiving water, a demonstrator shouted to the crowd.

This is a siege. They want to starve us to keep us from staying and holding our ground.

The administration is scared of the students and frankly, they should be.

The parade moved on to its final destination at City College just as hundreds of NYPD officers in riot gear and carrying zip-tie handcuffs began to mobilize in front of Hamilton Hall Tuesday evening  eventually storming into the building and arresting dozens.

One protester said that NYUs threats of disciplinary action are considered the highest honor for protesters. Dorian Geiger

The rally at the CUNY school turned out to be the most violent of all the university stops. Chaos erupted when the anti-Israel protesters tried to bust through a barricade blocking them from reaching the intifada encampment that popped up Friday

Protesters and cops exchanged hard shoves, while other ralliers hurled garbage at the officers, dramatic video of the fight shows.

One man was even seen bashing a cop with a 5-gallon water jug with a sticker that read Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

The crowd called to cancel Zionist universities. Dorian Geiger

Organizers had warned hours ahead of the clashes that attempts to shut down the demonstration would be met with anger.

City College administrators had seemingly anticipated the escalation  just hours before the march was slated to arrive, the school shut down campus buildings to everyone except essential personnel.

For obvious reasons I cannot tell you how long these restrictions will be in effect. We will reassess regularly, the internal letter from City Colleges of New York Provost Tony Liss, obtained by The Post, stated.

The public school  which was on spring break until Tuesday  also announced all classes and college functions would be held remotely until further notice starting May 1.
NEW YORK  Hundreds of NYPD officers in riot gear stormed Columbia University Tuesday evening, hours after administrators at the school announced Pro-Palestinian student protesters who forced their way into a campus building are facing expulsion.

It was not immediately clear from official sources if the police had entered Hamilton Hall, Columbias main administration building. Social media posts from campus reported NYPD cops had entered Hamilton through a window.

The disciplinary decision to expel students involved in the buildings violent takeover came after demonstrators damaged school property and prompted censure from the White House.

The occupation began early Tuesday morning at Hamilton Hall, Columbias main administrative building, hours after the school suspended students who ignored an order to break up their encampment. It prompted the university to restrict access to the campus, only allowing students who live in dorms and essential services staff to remain.

Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation  vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances, said university spokesman Ben Chang in a statement.

This is about responding to the actions of the protesters, not their cause, he continued. As we said yesterday, disruptions on campus have created a threatening environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty.

While many classes have already ended for the semester, some graduate programs pivoted to remote. All main campus libraries were shuttered, just as final exam season is getting underway. The restrictions will remain in place until circumstances allow otherwise, according to a memo from the university.

Student protesters said in a statement that they will stay until Columbia concedes to three demands: divestment from Israel, financial transparency and amnesty for all student and faculty disciplinary action related to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

Resistance is justified in the movement for liberation, said Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of more than 100 groups behind the encampment, which persisted on the lawns while other students occupied the hall.

A rep for Columbia University Apartheid Divest estimated there are around 60 protesters inside the hall, who they said were acting separately from the coalition.

Madeline, a sophomore at Columbia, was trying to make an emergency therapy appointment Tuesday because of the situation on campus. But like many other programs and services, in-person mental health facilities were out of reach.

I think closing off campus is a horrible idea, to close it off to students, Madeline said.

I have meal swipes, she continued. Im basically almost on a full-ride (scholarship) here, so campus dining is my food.

Hours before cops surrounded the campus, setting up barricades and forcing swaths of people off of streets and up onto the sidewalk, NYPD officials said its officers remained off campus and have not yet been asked to intervene.

Police entered the campus through a southern gate the southern gate at W. 114th St. between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave. just after 9 p.m. as protesters chanted shame.

Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban at an evening press conference earlier Tuesday blamed professional outside agitators for the escalation of tactics overnight.

Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said those include protesters who scaled buildings clad in black and destroyed cameras.

If you are a parent or a guardian of a student, please call your child and urge them to leave the area before the situation escalates in any way, Adams said at police headquarters. Im urging every student, every protester to walk away from this situation now and continue your advocacy through other means.

University officials over the weekend committed to not calling the cops to break up the recent protests, claiming that police intervention would only inflame an already tense situation. Columbia spokesmen Tuesday declined to say if that commitment was still in place.

Videos showed protesters overnight shattering a window with a hammer and creating a barricade with metal chairs outside Hamilton Hall after they entered the building. They chanted during an Instagram livestream: 1, 2, 3, 4, occupation no more; 5, 6, 7, 8, Israel is a terrorist state.

Protest posters were unfurled from windows and balconies, reading: Liberation Education and STUDENT INTIFADA. Intifada in Arabic means uprising, which has been used by Palestinians for decades.

Another banner read Hinds Hall, referring to Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza during an Israeli military operation in January.

Protesters inside the hall  the center of campus protests in the 1960s were using tables, chairs and zip-ties to prevent anyone from getting in, according to student newspaper the Columbia Spectator.

The student reporters said they observed a facilities worker, who was already inside the building, leave saying:They held me hostage.

Two students tried to block protesters from barricading the doors, saying, You dont have a right to tear down our university, the Spectator reported.

Theyre already inside, dumb a--es, a protester retorted during the Instagram Live. The student group, Students for Justice in Palestine, used a video filter to put virtual mustaches on the students faces.

At least one of the students was removed by physical force, videos show.

By daytime, black picnic tables flipped upside down were shoved up against the doors, and handles were tied up with rope. Newspapers covered at least six of the glass windows of the hall, up to the third floor.

Protesters throughout the afternoon marched from the front of Hamilton Hall to the campus gates, while one demonstrator on the buildings roof waved a large Palestinian flag and threw a peace sign as the crowd cheered.

Meanwhile, many Columbia students and staff were stuck along the perimeter of campus, removed from jobs and campus facilities.

A 22-year-old physics student who lives off campus was unable to go to work at a Columbia lab. He said he could understand why the university tightened security.

At a time this complicated, its very hard to say whats right or wrong. Im hoping it calms down, just things generally, he said.

Barnard faculty overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence in President Laura Rosenbury on Tuesday, student newspaper Columbia Spectator reported.

A lot of people are decrying the use of NYPD, and saying that the university is escalating this, said Columbia student Caleb, 30. At every turn the protesters are the ones who are escalating this. For some reason, I dont hear that viewpoint on campus.

In their statement, students pleaded with Columbia administrators and trustees: Do not incite another Kent or Jackson State by bringing soldiers and police officers with weapons onto our campus. Students blood will be on your hands.

The pro-Gaza encampment first emerged on campus on April 17, as Columbia President Minouche Shafik testified before Congress about efforts to curb antisemitism. Thirty hours later, university officials had suspended students involved and called the NYPD, with cops arresting more than 100 students while clearing the lawn.

The protesters quickly returned and re-erected the encampment.

Shafik on Monday morning said negotiations with student protesters had broken down, and Columbia will not divest from Israel. Students were told in writing they had until 2 p.m. to leave the quad or risk suspension. The deadline was ignored.

The students are again willing to talk, so long as the university takes a step forward in materially addressing the demands of divestment, disclosure and amnesty, said Sueda Polat, a Columbia graduate student and lead negotiator for the encampment.

Polat said it would be shortsighted of the university to expel them for their protest. I strongly believe that it would galvanize the rest of the campus community, she said.

_____

(New York Daily News staff writer Thomas Tracy contributed to this story.)
NEW YORK  Hundreds of NYPD officers in riot gear stormed Columbia University Tuesday evening, forcing out pro-Palestinian student protesters who had had seized an administration building and making dozens of arrests.

The NYPD was also arresting protesters gathering in the streets surrounding the Manhattan campus following the removal of students from the building.

Social media posts from campus and photos from the scene showed NYPD cops entering Hamilton Hall, Columbias main administration building, through a window. Students had taken over the building early Tuesday morning amid a weekslong protest on campus over the war between Israel and Hamas.

A little after 9 p.m. this evening, the NYPD arrived on campus at the Universitys request. This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community, a Columbia spokesperson said.

We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.

Police led dozens of protesters from the campus and onto waiting NYPD buses. As one of the buses pulled away, protesters ran into the street and blocked the vehicle.

Students asked to shelter in place in their dorm rooms watched the arrests and chanted free, free Palestine as cops pushed protesters up onto the sidewalks, allowing the bus to leave the neighborhood.

The disciplinary decision to expel students involved in the buildings violent takeover, announced earlier by university officials, came after demonstrators damaged school property and prompted censure from the White House.

Police entered the campus through a southern gate the southern gate at W. 114th St. between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue just after 9 p.m. Eastern time as protesters chanted shame.

The occupation began early Tuesday morning at Hamilton Hall, hours after the school suspended students who ignored an order to break up their encampment on the campus lawn. It prompted the university to restrict access to the campus, only allowing students who live in dorms and essential services staff to remain.

Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation  vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances, said university spokesman Ben Chang in a statement.

This is about responding to the actions of the protesters, not their cause, he continued. As we said yesterday, disruptions on campus have created a threatening environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty.

While many classes have already ended for the semester, some graduate programs pivoted to remote. All main campus libraries were shuttered, just as final exam season is getting underway. The restrictions will remain in place until circumstances allow otherwise, according to a memo from the university.

Student protesters said in a statement that they will stay until Columbia concedes to three demands: divestment from Israel, financial transparency and amnesty for all student and faculty disciplinary action related to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

Resistance is justified in the movement for liberation, said Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of more than 100 groups behind the encampment, which persisted on the lawns while other students occupied the hall.

Earlier Tuesday, a representative for Columbia University Apartheid Divest estimated there were around 60 protesters inside the hall, who they said were acting separately from the coalition.

Madeline, a sophomore at Columbia, was trying to make an emergency therapy appointment Tuesday because of the situation on campus. But like many other programs and services, in-person mental health facilities were out of reach.

I think closing off campus is a horrible idea, to close it off to students, Madeline said.

I have meal swipes, she continued. Im basically almost on a full-ride (scholarship) here, so campus dining is my food.

Hours before cops surrounded the campus, setting up barricades and forcing swaths of people off of streets and up onto the sidewalk, NYPD officials said its officers remained off campus and have not yet been asked to intervene.

Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban at an evening press conference earlier Tuesday blamed professional outside agitators for the escalation of tactics overnight.

Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said those include protesters who scaled buildings clad in black and destroyed cameras.

If you are a parent or a guardian of a student, please call your child and urge them to leave the area before the situation escalates in any way, Adams said at police headquarters. Im urging every student, every protester to walk away from this situation now and continue your advocacy through other means.

University officials over the weekend committed to not calling the cops to break up the recent protests, claiming that police intervention would only inflame an already tense situation.

Videos showed protesters overnight shattering a window with a hammer and creating a barricade with metal chairs outside Hamilton Hall after they entered the building. They chanted during an Instagram livestream: 1, 2, 3, 4, occupation no more; 5, 6, 7, 8, Israel is a terrorist state.

Protest posters were unfurled from windows and balconies, reading: Liberation Education and STUDENT INTIFADA. Intifada in Arabic means uprising, which has been used by Palestinians for decades.

Another banner read Hinds Hall, referring to Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza during an Israeli military operation in January.

Protesters inside the hall  the center of campus protests in the 1960s  were using tables, chairs and zip-ties to prevent anyone from getting in, according to student newspaper the Columbia Spectator.

The student reporters said they observed a facilities worker, who was already inside the building, leave saying: They held me hostage.

Two students tried to block protesters from barricading the doors, saying, You dont have a right to tear down our university, the Spectator reported.

Theyre already inside, dumb a--es, a protester retorted during the Instagram Live. The student group, Students for Justice in Palestine, used a video filter to put virtual mustaches on the students faces.

At least one of the students was removed by physical force, videos show.

By daytime, black picnic tables flipped upside down were shoved up against the doors, and handles were tied up with rope. Newspapers covered at least six of the glass windows of the hall, up to the third floor.

Protesters throughout the afternoon marched from the front of Hamilton Hall to the campus gates, while one demonstrator on the buildings roof waved a large Palestinian flag and threw a peace sign as the crowd cheered.

Meanwhile, many Columbia students and staff were stuck along the perimeter of campus, removed from jobs and campus facilities.

A 22-year-old physics student who lives off campus was unable to go to work at a Columbia lab. He said he could understand why the university tightened security.

At a time this complicated, its very hard to say whats right or wrong. Im hoping it calms down, just things generally, he said.

Barnard faculty overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence in President Laura Rosenbury on Tuesday, student newspaper Columbia Spectator reported.

A lot of people are decrying the use of NYPD, and saying that the university is escalating this, said Columbia student Caleb, 30. At every turn the protesters are the ones who are escalating this. For some reason, I dont hear that viewpoint on campus.

In their statement, students pleaded with Columbia administrators and trustees: Do not incite another Kent or Jackson State by bringing soldiers and police officers with weapons onto our campus. Students blood will be on your hands.

The pro-Gaza encampment first emerged on campus on April 17, as Columbia President Minouche Shafik testified before Congress about efforts to curb antisemitism. Thirty hours later, university officials had suspended students involved and called the NYPD, with cops arresting more than 100 students while clearing the lawn.

The protesters quickly returned and reerected the encampment.

Shafik on Monday morning said negotiations with student protesters had broken down, and Columbia will not divest from Israel. Students were told in writing they had until 2 p.m. to leave the quad or risk suspension. The deadline was ignored.

_____

(New York Daily News staff writer Thomas Tracy contributed to this story.)
More than 250 Tufts University students are threatening to boycott the schools upcoming commencement on May 19 amid pro-Palestinian protests on the Medford campus and across the nation.

In an open letter addressed to Tufts President Sunil Kumar, more than 250 members of the graduating class have pledged to boycott commencement if the university employs police violence, sweeps the encampment or arrests students.

Let us be perfectly clear: we believe that ending the Universitys complicity in slaughter and famine in Gaza is far more important than holding a normal commencement ceremony. As members of the Tufts community, we strongly urge you to meet the encampments demand for University leadership to engage in dialogue with the student protesters about the Universitys financial complicity in the ongoing devastation of Gaza, the letter states.

If the University turns to police violence rather than engaging with its own students, we pledge to boycott the commencement ceremony in solidarity with our peers currently protesting on the Academic Quad and the people of Gaza, the letter states.

The letter to Kumar came amid violent clashes during protests over the Israel-Hamas war seen at colleges and universities across the country, and reports of antisemitic activity on college campuses across America.

House Republicans on Tuesday launched an investigation into federal funding for universities amid the campus protests and reports of growing antisemitism on college and university campuses, The Associated Press reported.

We will not allow antisemitism to thrive on campus, and we will hold these universities accountable for their failure to protect Jewish students on campus, House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a news conference.

Tufts University students are among campus protesters across the country who are calling for their schools to cut financial ties to Israel.

We support the call, passed by the Tufts Community Union Senate on March 4, for transparency in the Universitys investments and products sold on campus, and for the University to divest from companies which are funding and profiting off the mass killing of Palestinian civilians, the students open letter to Kumar states.

Tuesday night, violence erupted at UCLA in Los Angeles, hours after police forced their way into Hamilton Hall on New Yorks Columbia University campus and cleared the building that had been taken over by a pro-Palestinian group.

Over the weekend, at Northeastern University in Boston, more than 100 protesters were arrested for an illegal encampment on the campus, and Northeastern Universitys Chancellor later wrote a letter to the community explaining why these actions were taken.

Last week, at Emerson College in Boston, more than 100 people were arrested and four officers were injured after police clashed with protesters and tore down an encampment protesting the Israel-Hamas war on Emersons campus.

We have watched with shock and horror the past several weeks as university administrators throughout the country (including just across the river at Emerson College and Northeastern University) have unleashed violent police riots to quash undergraduate protests, Tufts students said in their letter to the universitys president. If the Tufts administration were to unleash this violence against our peers currently occupying the Academic Quad, it would mar our experience of commencement far more than chalked slogans and a keffiyeh on an elephant statue ever could.

Students in their letter to Kumar wrote, We were shocked and deeply concerned by your email sent Sunday evening using the approaching commencement ceremony as a pretext for implied violence against the students currently protesting on the Academic Quad.

We wish to be resoundingly clear: any commencement celebration built on violently sweeping, arresting, or otherwise harassing the Gaza solidarity encampment is not a celebration in which we would partake, the letter states.

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

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A man accused of shooting and killing his wife was tracked to a sandwich shop, where he died during a shootout with officers, Texas authorities say.

San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus said officers discovered the 33-year-old woman had been fatally shot when they went to her home Tuesday, April 30, for a welfare check.

Officers identified the womans 32-year-old husband as the suspect in the shooting, McManus said. He is accused of taking his wifes car, which officers tracked using OnStar.

When the four police officers found him, he was inside a San Antonio sandwich shop, McManus said. Officers waited for him to exit and approached his vehicle.

Thats when the man, who has not been identified, fired multiple shots at the officers, the police chief said. They fired back, killing the murder suspect, according to McManus.

The police chief said none of the officers involved in the shooting were injured. They each have three to six years of experience with the department.

The officers handled this situation exactly as they were trained, McManus said. They did a good job protecting themselves (while) attempting to apprehend this individual for murdering his wife.

Woman shot 15 times in front of her kids, Michigan cops say. Ex-boyfriend convicted

Man sets wife and himself on fire in Texas murder-suicide with sons inside, cops say

Mom of 2 killed by husband one day before divorce is finalized, Colorado officials say
CHICAGO  Hyundai and the Chicago Police Department are teaming up to host a three-day event beginning Friday to upgrade eligible Hyundai vehicles with the latest anti-theft software.

It takes place Friday to Sunday in Lot G at Guaranteed Rate Field.

No appointment is needed. The event runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Justice Department ramps up efforts to reduce violent crime with gun intel center, carjacking forces

Technicians will be on-site to install and complete the software upgrade, which should take less than 30 minutes, according to Hyundai.

All attending Hyundai owners will receive a no-cost steering wheel lock.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
The top UN court rejected on Tuesday a request by Nicaragua to order Germany to halt military and other aid to Israel and renew funding to the UN aid agency in Gaza, UNRWA.

The International Court of Justice said that legal conditions for making such an order weren't met and rejected the request in a 15-1 vote.

Based on the factual information and legal arguments presented by the parties, the court concludes that, as present, the circumstances are not such as to require the exercise of its power... to indicate provisional measures, said Nawaf Salam, the court's president.

However, the 16-judge panel declined to throw out the case altogether, meaning it will continue to be heard at the court.

Salam said that the court remains deeply concerned about the catastrophic living conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in particular in view of the prolonged and widespread deprivation of food and other basic necessities to which they have been subjected.

The reading of the decision lasted less than 20 minutes.

Germany argued at hearings in the case that it has barely exported any weapons to Israel since the offensive against Gaza started following Hamas' deadly incursion into southern Israel on 7 October.

Nicaragua, a longstanding ally of the Palestinians, alleges that Germany is enabling an alleged genocide by sending arms and other support to Israel. Tuesdays ruling by the International Court of Justice is only about preliminary orders in the case that will likely take years to resolve. Germany rejects the allegations.

Israel, which isn't a party to the case between Nicaragua and Germany, strongly denies that its assault on Gaza amounts to acts of genocide, and insists that it's acting in self-defence.

Nicaraguas case is the latest legal bid by a country with historic ties to the Palestinian people to stop Israels offensive.

Late last year, South Africa accused Israel of genocide at the same court. The cases come as Israel's allies face growing calls to stop supplying it with weapons, and as some, including Germany, have grown more critical of the war.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Israel must still do more to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip.

At hearings early this month, Nicaraguas Ambassador to the Netherlands, Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez, told the 16-judge panel that Germany is failing to honour its own obligation to prevent genocide or to ensure respect of international humanitarian law.
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  The man who was found dead facedown behind a Malaga alley Tuesday morning has been identified by the Fresno County Sheriffs Office.

Deputies say at 4:40 a.m. a person discovered a body facedown in an alleyway along Frank Avenue between Muscat and Grand Avenues. They immediately contacted the sheriffs office.

Man found dead in Fresno County after gunshot heard

Upon investigation, officials determined the man, identified as 43-year-old Jonathan Franco of Fresno, had suffered a gunshot wound to the upper body and was dead.

Detectives report, after gathering evidence from people in the area, that possible gunshots were heard between 10 and 11 p.m. on Monday, but no calls were made to authorities.

Investigators have not identified a suspect but believe the incident is possibly gang-related. It is unknown how the suspect arrived and fled.

Anyone with cameras in the area or additional information about this shooting is asked to contact the Fresno County Sheriffs Office at 559-600-8208.

Deputies add this marks the sixth homicide investigation the Fresno County Sheriffs Office has conducted in 2024.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
The board of The Gorman-Rupp Company (NYSE:GRC) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 10th of June, with investors receiving $0.18 per share. The dividend yield will be 2.2% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

See our latest analysis for Gorman-Rupp

Gorman-Rupp's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Prior to this announcement, Gorman-Rupp'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.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 17.7% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 47% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Gorman-Rupp Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from $0.32 total annually to $0.72. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 8.4% over that duration. Companies like this can be very valuable over the long term, if the decent rate of growth can be maintained.

The Dividend's Growth Prospects Are Limited

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. However, initial appearances might be deceiving. Gorman-Rupp hasn't seen much change in its earnings per share over the last five years.

Our Thoughts On Gorman-Rupp's Dividend

Overall, we think Gorman-Rupp is a solid choice as a dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't raised this year. While the payments look sustainable for now, earnings have been shrinking so the dividend could come under pressure in the future. This looks like it could be a good dividend stock going forward, but we would note that the payout ratio has been at higher levels in the past so it could happen again.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Gorman-Rupp that you should be aware of before investing. Is Gorman-Rupp 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.
On Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Bill SB 1084 into law, making it a second-degree misdemeanor to sell or manufacture lab-grown beef in the state.

READ: Florida Republican proposes bill to ban sale, distribution of lab-grown meat in the state

The controversial measure includes a series of changes related to the State Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Gov. DeSantis said the main goal is to protect the states cattle industry against an ideological agenda that wants to finger agriculture as the problem.

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One of the things that these folks want to eliminate is meat production in the United States, DeSantis said while behind a podium stating Save Our Beef at the Hardee County Cattlemens Arena in Wauchula.

Opponents of the bill believe that making it illegal to sell or manufacture cultivated meat will slow innovation and place hurdles before free market sales.

According to the News Service of Florida, the measure doesnt prohibit cultivated-meat research because of concerns that such a ban could affect the space industry, which is looking at cultivated meats for long-term space journeys.

Some believe an outright ban on lab-grown meat will prevent businesses from investing in Florida.

A ban like this threatens a free market and sets a dangerous precedent for government interference, Emily Bogan, of New Jersey-based Fork & Good, Inc. told a House panel in February. We want to ensure that affordable meat is available for generations to come.

Others argue that the ban will further dependence on foreign countries while closing the door on increased job opportunities.

Far from protecting American jobs, banning cultivated seafood in the United States will deepen our countrys dependence on imports from countries like China, Justin Kolbeck, co-founder of the San Francisco-based seafood company Wildyp said. This ban will create Chinese jobs at the expense of small businesses like mine. And this ban will also stifle innovation in Florida as investment dollars are redirected towards more business-friendly states.

READ: Seismic: FDA says companys laboratory-grown meat safe to eat

Aside from lab-grown meats, Bill 1084 also prevents local governments from regulating electric vehicle charging stations.

Supports believe this will make it easier for businesses to pay for and install these charging stations throughout the state.

But Kim Ross, of ReThink Energy Florida, called the proposed preemption overreaching and warned it could stifle growth in the industry.

The News Service of Florida said senate staff analysis counted 3,230 public charging stations in 44 of the 67 counties in the state.

Oversight of charging stations will land under the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services just as pumps at gas stations are regulated.

However, it is important to note that, as of now, no company in the U.S. is currently selling or distributing lab-grown meat products.

Global elites want to control our behavior and push a diet of petri dish meat and bugs on Americans.



Florida is saying no. I was proud to sign SB 1084 to keep lab grown meat out of Florida and prioritize our farmers and ranchers over the agenda of elites and the World Economic pic.twitter.com/vHdWaJtckU  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 1, 2024

The News Service of Florida contributed to this story.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  Following the Confederacys 1861 attack on Fort Sumter, often viewed as the event that sparked the Civil War, then-President Abraham Lincoln had to decide how to retaliate against the Southern states.

The Anaconda Plan would be the result, a critical strategy the Union employed to cut off the supply chains to the South that would remain in place until the Confederacy was defeated in 1865. The plan became Lincolns first direct military action against slave states trying to secede, and its codified in a document formally called the Order to Affix Seal of the United States to a Proclamation of a Blockade.

On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife, M.K., donated that historic document to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. The couple acquired it at auction for $471,000. Its now one of about 13 million documents and artifacts amassed at the Springfield library and museum.

This was an act of leadership that required careful consideration but also courage and immediate action to take every action possible to keep the nation intact, the governor said to a small audience during a ceremony at the library, flanked by his wife, moments before the framed document was unveiled. To me, this document and the museum as a whole serves as a reminder of how far weve come as a nation. Despite our current divisions and challenges, more than 150 years after a terrible Civil War, our nation perseveres.

Ian Hunt, the acquisitions director for the library and museum, explained the historical significance of the document, discussing the division within Lincolns cabinet over how to respond to the Fort Sumter attack and Confederate President Jefferson Davis plans to authorize private citizens in the South to capture U.S. shipments, actions that would amount to piracy.

The Anaconda Plan was championed by Winfield Scott, the general and chief of the U.S. Army, who believed it would prevent the Southern states from selling agricultural commodities like cotton and tobacco to Europe, while at the same time denying the South access to arms, munitions and heavy machinery.

But U.S. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles felt the Navy was too small and ill-equipped to properly patrol the roughly 2,500 miles of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico shoreline. Welles advised that a port could be closed and law enforcement could search and seize vessels with contraband if necessary, which would effectively impose an embargo, Hunt explained.

U.S. Attorney General Edward Bates warned that a blockade was an act of war that would by default recognize the Confederacys independence.

The cabinet ended up being split down the middle on the issue, and Lincoln chose to order the blockade.

This document, asking the secretary of state to affix the seal of the United States to his proclamation, was the final step in making the presidents proclamation official, Hunt said. While the blockade may not have the dramatic moments that other famous battles such as Gettysburg or Vicksburg are remembered for, it was no less important. It denied the Southern economy much-needed revenue from the sale of agricultural exports while simultaneously skyrocketing prices in the South on the limited materials that did make it through.

Calling the document from April 19, 1861, a magic piece of paper, Christina Shutt, the library and museums executive director, said it represents a terrifying decision point for Lincoln.

Seven states have already announced they want to tear America apart, rather than risk any chance of freedom for 4 million enslaved people, Shutt explained. They opened fire on U.S. troops and seized federal property. They stole weapons and (began) amassing an army. Now the president must decide whether to act boldly to win a war the Confederacy has started or dither and hope that somehow the crisis fails. It was a moment like no other in American history.

The document will be available for viewing in the library and museums Treasures Gallery beginning Wednesday and will remain on display until February, when it will be transferred to the library and museums vault.

_____
A new bill in the state legislature might address the problems that caused Highland to lay off some of its first responders this year.

State Rep. Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) has filed a bill that increases the amount a district can levy for emergency services. It also allows the districts to charge fees not exceeding the reasonable cost of the service for ambulance services rendered outside the district, and removes a provision setting fees at a certain dollar amount for more flexibility.

Meier filed the bill back in October, before Highland city leaders announced that their contracts with neighboring districts would end and they would be laying off several EMS workers. The other districts had ended their contracts because Highland asked them to increase their tax levies; Highland was maxed out at the amount it could levy, but thanks to reduced payments from Medicare and Medicaid, the city was losing money on its ambulance services, according to city leaders.

House Bill 4179 would amend the Emergency Services District Act to increase the total taxing authority of emergency service districts from .6 percent to .8 percent, and increase the tax rate for current rescue squads from .2 to .4 percent. The ambulance service levy limit remains at .4 percent. It removes the fee caps of $250 per hour and $70 per hour per ambulance worker, while retaining the requirement that fees should be equal to the reasonable cost of service.

However, City Manager Chris Conrad said Meiers bill would not have helped Highlands EMS problem because the bill is specific to ambulance service districts, which are separate from municipal and fire protection districts. Fire protection districts tend to be more rural and can levy up to .3 percent, he said, while municipalities, which tend to be more urban, levy up to .25 percent.

The statutes recognize the difference between providing these services in rural areas vs. urban, Conrad said. So this is the legislature taking note that it costs more to provide the same service in rural areas vs. urban.

Conrad said the problem really lies with the federal reimbursements for Medicare and Medicaid, as the amounts are below the cost of service and thus the remainder have to be made up from property taxes. He said many municipalities are giving up public ambulance services and contracting out to private companies.

As our population ages and each service sees their call volume of Medicare and Medicaid patients rise, it is becoming impossible to cash-flow the services, he said. This issue has been seen for years in the more rural areas that tend to be higher average age, but is creeping toward more urban areas as our population as a whole is aging.

Conrad has said the city leaders were committed to keeping a public ambulance service, which is why they took the route that they did. But even if Meiers bill wouldnt have helped Highlands EMS, he said, its a good idea to support ambulance service districts.

It really is a pretty good piece of public policy, he said. It gives local voters the ability to answer a problem that has been created at the federal level. I think that is why the ambulance service districts have received such a tremendous amount of bipartisan support.
I'm an American who visited Tokyo for the first time. Here are the expectations I had that were completely wrong.

After reading blogs and watching countless YouTube videos, I landed in Japan with some expectations.

While delicious food and a pristine transit system weren't overhyped, other things were.

I had expected to see subway pushers on train platforms and vending machines selling odd items.

Japan is a magical place. It's a country where you can roam futuristic neighborhoods one minute and walk down streets that feel like stepping back in time the next.

It's a place filled with delicious cuisines and friendly people.

And it's a place I spent years dreaming of visiting. For the past decade, I've watched videos, read blogs, and eagerly listened to friends' stories from Japan.

When I finally had the chance to visit Tokyo last spring, I had some expectations of what the trip would be like.

Plenty of these expectations were exceeded. The sushi was the freshest I've had, the ramen was better than my wildest dreams, the transit system was always on time, and the cherry blossoms were spectacular.

It was a cherished trip, but that doesn't mean I didn't have a few incorrect expectations. Take a look.

Subway pushers aren't as common as I expected.

A group of people standing on a subway in Tokyo. Monica Humphries/Business Insider

Across the internet, you can find dozens of lists centered on "unique things you can only find in Japan." On nearly every list, you're bound to read about the subway pushers.

A subway pusher is a job title. According to some outlets like CNN, subway stations and trains get so packed in cities like Tokyo that people are paid to push the commuters onto the train.

Leading up to the trip, I read about the pushers on blogs, and friends urged me to be on the lookout since they, too, had heard the rumors about them.

Nearly every time I stepped on a train's platform, I searched for a white-gloved subway pusher.

No matter the time  bright and early one morning or during evening rush hour the next  I didn't spot a single one.

I had expected to see them everywhere in Tokyo, but after doing some digging, they don't exist in the city anymore. According to Amusing Planet, subway workers will step in now and then to push passengers onto packed trains during rush hour, but it doesn't seem to be a common job.

Vending machines really are everywhere  but I didn't spot anything besides drinks.

Vending machines in Tokyo. Monica Humphries/Business Insider

As I prepped for my trip to Japan, I watched endless TikTok videos and YouTube vlogs.

I knew vending machines were popular in the country, and content creators have shared videos documenting the wildest things you can find in them.

Safiya Nygaard, for example, posted a video discovering electronics, pizza, sushi, canned bread, and hornet larvae. Strictly Dumpling, on the other hand, documented himself eating freshly popped popcorn, hot dogs, and burgers.

I was under the impression that these unique vending machines were everywhere. I thought I'd naturally run into a vending machine dropping grasshopper snacks or Cup Noodles. I didn't.

During my 14 days in Japan, I saw more vending machines than I could've imagined. There was at least one vending machine down nearly every street I walked  no matter how remote. According to Statistica, the country has almost 4 million of them.

But in all of these vending machines, I didn't find anything out of the norm. Instead, I mostly spotted soda, coffee, water, tea, cigarettes, and toys.

Don't get me wrong, vending machines selling everything from dumplings to bananas exist, you just have to seek them out. Thankfully, blogs and travel guides like Tokyo Cheapo have mapped them out for visitors like me.

Night markets can be found in top food cities around the world, so I mistakenly thought they'd be more common in Tokyo.

Tokyo's Tsukiji Market. Monica Humphries/Business Insider

Before landing in Tokyo, I had outlined the dozens of street foods I was itching to try.

I wanted to taste everything from Yakisoba to Takoyaki, as well as mochi, Tamagoyaki, and Taiyaki.

I had done my research on what to eat and had jotted down places where I could find these dishes. For example, I carved out an entire morning exploring Tokyo's world-famous Tsukiji Market, a fish market with plenty of food vendors.

I also thought I would naturally run into night markets across the city. From New York City to Australia to China, night markets can be discovered in major cities around the globe. A typical night market is jam-packed with people, shops selling souvenirs, and stalls with cheap eats.

Admittedly, I hadn't researched Tokyo's night market scene before arriving. Once I was there, I learned that there aren't many that exist in the city, according to the travel guide Tokyo Cheapo.

There are a few streets across the city known for cheap eats, late-night bars, and a handful of events each month that offer Japanese street food, but there's nothing in Tokyo like the night markets you'll find in destinations like Thailand and China.

Read the original article on Business Insider
This story is part of a series, Fighting Forever Chemicals: Women face pervasive PFAS risks.

While forever chemicals have been linked to numerous adverse health impacts from cancers to kidney disease, they also may have disparate impacts on male and female bodies.

Very often you see something in one sex and not the other sex, said Linda Birnbaum, former head of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program.

Forever chemicals, or PFAS, can be found in many common household products and certain kinds of firefighting foams. Their use in manufacturing has led their proliferation in the air, water and soil, and they are estimated to be in the blood of about 97 percent of Americans. The federal government recently set the first nationwide limits on a few types of these substances in drinking water.

Some of the different ways the pervasive chemicals affect men and women are clearly tied to reproductive organs.

PFAS exposure is associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer, for example: A panel of scientists established in 2012 that there is a probable link between exposure to a type of PFAS called PFOA and testicular cancer.

A January 2022 Toxicology review explored several issues related to the female reproductive system  such as birth defects, fertility and menstrual cycle changes  that could be connected to PFAS exposure. The effects are many, the authors found, though they said its not yet clear exactly how the substances target female endocrine and reproductive systems due to a major research gap.

A study published in September sought to narrow that gap by zooming in on sex-specific relationships between three classes of probable endocrine disruptors  including PFAS  and previous diagnoses of hormone-related cancers. The scientists observed particularly striking indications of these differences with regard to melanoma: Higher blood levels of PFAS were linked to prior diagnoses in women, but not in men.

Sex-specific associations between PFAS chemicals and previous melanoma diagnosis, suggest that sex-mediated mechanisms may be at play, wrote the authors, from the University of Southern California and the University of Michigan.

While the precise mechanism behind the melanoma connection is still uncertain, the scientists surmised that because these tumor cells have estrogen receptors, environmental contaminants that mimic estrogenic activity  such as PFAS, potentially  could be fueling the cancers growth in women.

Similar to melanoma, other health impacts that arent so obviously tied to sex-specific characteristics may still affect men and women differently following exposure to environmental contaminants, such as PFAS.

High blood pressure, for instance, appears to be more pronounced in women than in men, recent studies have revealed.

Sometimes, this manifests in pregnancy-induced hypertension, which can lead to a potentially fatal condition called preeclampsia  a potential effect of PFAS exposure that Erin P. Hines, a researcher in the Environmental Protection Agencys reproductive toxicology division, said shes eager to see more research into.

Having preeclampsia or having pregnancy-induced hypertension during pregnancy can change a womans health outcome for the rest of her life, putting her more at risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes like stroke, Hines said, noting that this risk is independent of PFAS exposure.

But if you have a pregnancy where you have preeclampsia or one of these hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, over your lifetime, there are increased risks of morbidity and mortality associated [with] cardiovascular events, she added.

Beyond the pregnancy-induced type, additional research has also identified hypertension in the PFAS-exposed female population broadly.

A 2022 study from the American Heart Association found that middle-aged women with higher blood levels of certain types of PFAS had a greater risk of hypertension. Analyzing the annual follow-up visits of 1,058 midlife women who were initially free of hypertension from 1999 to 2017, the scientists found that 470 individuals developed this condition. The authors determined that women ages 45-56 who had high concentrations of PFOS in their blood had a 42 percent higher chance of developing high blood pressure, while those with high concentrations of PFOA had a 47 percent higher chance. Women who had high concentrations of all seven types of PFAS examined by the study had a 71 percent increased risk of getting high blood pressure.

Study author Ning Ding said PFAS exposure appears to put women at especially high risk in a broader way, as well.

Women seem to be particularly vulnerable when exposed to these chemicals, Ding, a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Michigans epidemiology department, said in a statement. Exposure may be an underappreciated risk factor for womens cardiovascular disease risk.

Studies are also emerging that suggest links between PFAS and other health outcomes in girls or women, such as ADHD in girls or weight gain in women. Scientists have also linked PFAS exposure to an increased susceptibility of developing diabetes among middle-aged women. Some types of PFAS could disrupt the regulatory behavior of certain protein molecules and, in turn, raise the risk of diabetes within this cohort, according to the April 2022 study.

Although the researchers stressed that evidence of sex-dependent links between PFAS and diabetes in humans is lacking, they pointed to another recent study showing that the metabolic responses of female mice to PFOA exposure were greater than those of male mice.

Meanwhile, another impact from PFAS has been shown to primarily affect boys. A 2022 study found that teen boys who are exposed to a mixture of the substances and another type of hormone-disrupting chemicals known as phthalates may have lower bone density  which makes bones weaker and more prone to fractures.

Some vulnerabilities associated with PFAS may take root in utero. Prenatal exposure to the substances has been linked to preterm births, changes in birth weight or congenital issues that manifest later in childhood  including ADHD or IQ effects, according to Birnbaum.

We are seeing with PFAS  like a lot of chemicals which actually disturb hormone systems  that you do get a boy or girl difference, she said, noting that some effects are appearing in only one sex.

If you look at, say, baby boys and baby girls together, you might not see an effect. But if you separate out the sexes, all of a sudden you can see an effect in one of them, Birnbaum added.

But she also acknowledged that not all researchers are open to that type of separation: Whats interesting to me is that there are some people who dont want to believe that. They think, well, if you dont see it in both, you know, males and females, it cant be happening.

The discovery of sex-dependent health impacts often hinges upon what, exactly, scientists are looking for in their research, according to Birnbaum.

Its kind of the old story: If you dont look, you dont see. But when you start to look, you start to find.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Incumbent Macon-Bibb mayor faces challenger in bid for reelection. Here are the candidates

First-term Mayor Lester Miller faces his first reelection battle this year as he seeks another term leading Macon-Bibb County.

Miller is one of only two candidates who have qualified for the mayors race ahead of the May 21 election, with his opponent being Shekita Maxwell.

Because the race for mayor of Macon-Bibb County is a non-partisan election, the race will be decided on Mays Election Day rather than the General Election in November. The new term will begin Jan. 1.

Heres what to know about the candidates.

LESTER MILLER

Miller is a graduate of Mercer University and Mercer University School of Law. He won the race for mayor in 2020 and prior to that ran for Superior Court judge but did not win. Miller also ran for the Bibb County School Board, where he served two terms.

Miller serves on the boards of directors of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, NewTown Macon, the Central Georgia Joint Development Authority, the Economic Development Commission, the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority, the MATS (Policy Committee), the Middle Georgia Regional Commission, the Macon-Bibb County Affordable Housing Fund Board and the Georgia Municipal Association.

I work collaboratively with all of these organizations to attract new businesses and industry to Macon, support job growth, build on the success of existing businesses and revitalize struggling neighborhoods in our city, Miller said.

He is also involved with nonprofit organizations, youth programs and schools.

Miller said that if elected for a second term, he plans to focus on improving public safety, expanding economic development, keeping taxes low while providing needed services, getting the Ocmulgee River area recognized as Georgias first national park, promoting tourism and improving infrastructure.

I will continue prioritizing public safety, continuing full funding for law enforcement and providing additional funding for upgraded facilities, training for first responders and to attract new and retain veteran public safety employees, he said. I will continue the successful Macon Violence Prevention program, focusing funding on the successful interventions that address the root causes of violent crime, including accessible and effective mental health services.

Miller said his team is also focused on major upgrades to the local airport to attract more travel through the area.

Miller said he would also look to build on the progress made in attracting economic development to all areas of Macon, even neighborhoods that previously have not been given attention as destinations for development.

Weve made tremendous progress in just three short years. As mayor, I did not do that alone. I work with a great team of both elected officials and community leaders who are always determined to find a way to say yes to the things that will benefit our community, he said. In the next four years, I look forward to continuing the good work that has begun and seeing Macon-Bibb continue to flourish.

SHEKITA MAXWELL

Maxwell graduated from Tuskegee University with a Bachelors of Science in clinical laboratory science, two masters degrees from Mercer University and is currently enrolled in Westland College in the industrial organization psychology program.

Maxwell is a biological scientist and chemist with the United States Food and Drug Administration, according to her campaign website.

Maxwell didnt respond to interview requests from The Telegraph. But in an interview with The Glory radio show, Maxwell said she is running for mayor to fight for all the people who have been left out of the story of prosperity. She said it looks like there are two different cities in Macon.

Were not united and people are not being heard, she said. So, Im running for mayor to unite the city.

She went on to say her main focus, if elected, would be affordable housing, stopping wrongful evictions, Medicaid expansion and mental health.

Maxwell discussed the lack of resources and opportunity in areas such as south and east Macon.

In these neighborhoods we see degradation, we see debris, we see drugs, we see crime increase, she said. Only in north Macon do you get all the luxury of what is seems like to be a community.

Maxwell says her goal is to bring hope, unity, transparency, respect, and love throughout Macon-Bibb County. She stated all citizens of Macon-Bibb will have an opportunity to prosper and have a safe life if she is elected, according to her Facebook campaign page.

Maxwell has faced legal issues in the lead-up to the election. She faces battery charges for allegedly attacking an employee of her old apartment complex, according to court documents.

She has denied wrongdoing.

Since the election for mayor is nonpartisan, the mayors race will be decided in the primary on May 21 and the new term will begin on January 1, 2025.

Voters can take a look at a comprehensive election calendar, voter registration status and voting precincts on the Georgia Secretary of States website.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A crew of firefighters from the Independence Fire Department is being recognized for a successful rescue mission that saved someones life in March.

On March 22, at approximately 8 p.m., crews were dispatched to a house fire near 17th Street in Independence, Missouri.

Man pleads guilty to million-dollar cocaine bust in Kansas City

Upon arrival, they found a working fire and began a series of rescue and fire attack operations. Shortly after, they received a report from a neighbor that someone was still inside the home.

According to IFD, personnel from Quint 7, Rescue 7, Squad 4 and Pumper 1 immediately went into action and removed the person from the home through a window. Once they were out, advanced life support was performed right away with the help of Pumper 1.

The hard work performed by the firefighters helped the individual regain a pulse and breathe again.

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Within 48 hours of being transported to the hospital, the victim was conscious and communicating with their family.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Federal and state constitutions afford destitute Hoosiers accused of crimes the right to public defense. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

A regional public defense offices three part-time lawyers  and ad hoc help  stand between Fountain County and a constitutional violation: of the impoverished Hoosiers right to a defense attorney.

The countys misdemeanor cases have gone through the roof following neighbor Illinois legalization of marijuana, says Circuit Court Judge Stephanie Campbell.

We just get inundated and then we get to the point where were out of attorneys, said Campbell, a Republican. Officials pull help from elsewhere.

Fountain County, like the other 66 members of Indianas Public Defender Commission, receives partial state reimbursement for public defense on felony and child abuse cases. Thats in exchange for following standards on caseloads, pay, independence and more.

But the increasing cost of defense for misdemeanor cases is each countys own problem. Indiana hasnt reimbursed for those services in nearly three decades.

Thats about to change.

Legislators during the most recent session authorized a pilot for up to a dozen counties. The counties would comply with commission requirements and send in data; in return, theyd get back up to 40% of their spending on misdemeanor defense.

For the commission and supportive counties, the pilot is potentially a step toward statewide reimbursement and a healthier public defense system.

Some lawmakers, however, have been openly critical of the pilot as a slippery slope into a pricey long-term budget commitment.

Its always been the commissions (goal) to get that misdemeanor funding authority back. Were already convinced its important, said Andrew Cullen, the commissions public policy director. But the Legislature asked us to show them  in bottom line dollars and cents, and clear data  why its important.

Counties struggle

The U.S. and Indiana constitutions afford destitute Hoosiers accused of crimes the right to public defense.

While some states run central public defender agencies with regional offices, Indiana uses a county-based system. Only those that opt in to the commission must follow its quality requirements  to an extent.

Our authority to convince counties not to overload their attorneys with cases, to underpay their attorneys, or to have unqualified attorneys stems wholly from our ability to reimburse, Cullen said.  However, since we cannot reimburse for misdemeanor cases, we have no authority over any of those attorneys.

The commission as created in 1989 had the power to reimburse for all case types. Lawmakers removed misdemeanor authority in 1997, in a decision Cullen contends was a temporary cost-saving measure. But its persisted.

The commission recommends that defense attorneys without support staff max out at 300 misdemeanor cases annually, and at 400 for those with such support.

The average non-compliant attorney shoulders 557 misdemeanor cases per year, according to the commissions most recent annual report, although Cullen said some are taking as many as 900 annually.

Thats a high example. But if youve got nine hundred files on your desk  your clients are not receiving the proper representation, he said.

Kendal Gulbrandsen

Marion County Misdemeanor Supervisor Kendal Gulbrandsens division is funded for 26 attorneys but is down to just 15 until the next wave of mostly law school graduates start working in May.

The division handles approximately 4,500 cases annually. When fully staffed, Gulbrandsen estimates his team approaches commission caseload guidelines but falls short on support staff.

Attorneys, according to Gulbrandsen, typically work 50-hour weeks, always on the go: in court, calling clients, visiting clients, negotiating pleas and so on.

For graduates in their first full-time jobs, we really are throwing them very much in the deep end, he said. Turnover, particularly after two to three years, is high.

Still, the countys Public Defender Agency  an independent agency servicing the states busiest courts  is better off than most.

We are in the unique and lucky position in that we can kind of survive without (misdemeanor) reimbursement, said Gulbrandsen, who posited that small counties could stand to reap significant benefits.

Those outside the commission system also struggle.

Dubois County doesnt have a dedicated public defender office. Instead, it uses contracts  except that Circuit Court Judge Nathan Verkamp has gone years without any takers. The states attorney shortage hurts.

Joel Schumm

Hes cobbled together a list of seven or eight attorneys willing to take cases on a rotating basis, but said, Were one or two attorneys away from not being able to cover.

The state needs to get serious about public defense. Its the one thing thats in the Constitution: a person has a constitutional right to be represented by an attorney, said Verkamp, a Democrat, who outlined a state-led system as ideal.

Proponents of reimbursement for misdemeanor defense say asset inequalities between counties can lead to justice by geography.

For people who value local control, they would say, We know our county the best; were best equipped to do this,' said Joel Schumm, a professor at Indiana Universitys McKinney School of Law. But if the funding is inadequate because its coming from the county,  if theres not training, if theres not supervision, its not an ideal situation.

Balancing critiques in pilot construction

Senate Enrolled Act 179 establishes a four-year pilot program of up to 12 counties, selected according to population and geographic diversity.

Cullen said the commission hadnt yet chosen criteria, but would generally choose some larger and smaller counties, along with counties nearly in compliance and some far from it.

The commission also wants counties that can deliver high-quality data so that it can put together statistically reliable results.

Counties must report data on:

Attorney appointment rates

Jail populations

Trial rates

Case outcomes

The commission must collect the above, plus reimbursement requests and actual amounts, in a 2029 report to lawmakers.

We want (the pilot) to stand up to any scrutiny that it may receive, because were well aware that some legislators see a pilot as just the beginning of an ongoing spending process, Cullen said. And if we do ask for that at the end of the pilot, we want to make sure that we are justified in what were asking for.  Its all about data for us right now.

Several lawmakers were openly critical of that prospect.

Were starting down a path thats going to look for full funding of public defenders with state dollars, Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, said during a January Appropriations Committee meeting, at the beginning of the legislative process. We just need to be cautious to be able to say no someday.

Such concerns hadnt waned by the end, despite myriad tweaks.

We are incapable of taking something away. We are incapable of holding somebody accountable, Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, told the Senate in March, as the chamber voted to approve a compromise final draft of the legislation.

If you think that pilot is a pilot, friends  again  in Arizona, I have beachfront property for you at a great price, Freeman continued. You will be back here next year, you will be back here two, three, four, five, six. It will never be enough. It will be more and more.

Author Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, said hed worked to build guardrails, like a pilot end date, into the bill.

Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, speaks on the Senate floor Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (Leslie Bonilla Muniz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

In addition, the pilot is expected to pay for itself.

The commission is putting a pandemic-era surplus toward the effort, and the legislation doubles the fees  last raised in the 1990s  paid by some Hoosiers with assigned public defense. The money goes to the Public Defense Fund.

If they reimburse less than 40%, its actually a revenue-positive, Koch said of the measure.

The legislation also tasks the Office of Judicial Administration with creating a uniform form to courts to use in deciding whether an accused qualifies for public defense.

There appears to be, or at least anecdotally, a wide range of standards used in different places around the state, Koch said. And so that was also a concern (f0r) many legislators, you know, about what those standards are, and are there some people getting public defense that perhaps should not be? Or, are those standards too variable?

Koch, whos one of four lawmakers serving on the Public Defender Commission, said the costs of public defense are a growing financial burden on counties.

Any way that we can make that system more efficient and more cost effective, I think, is something that helps local government and helps those local judges, he said.

The post Indiana to pilot return to misdemeanor defense reimbursement appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Indiana Treasurer Daniel Elliott, pictured at the 2023 Indiana Pork ham breakfast, announced the purchase of an additional $5M in Israeli bonds, bringing Indiana's total investment to $110M. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliott announced the purchase of another $5 million in Israeli Bonds on Wednesday, bringing Indianas total investment in the U.S. ally to $110 million.

Despite the hardships currently faced by the nation of Israel and their citizens, the economy and will of the Israeli people remains unbroken, Elliott said in a release. These investments are a reflection of my confidence in those markets and will provide great value for Hoosier taxpayers.

As treasurer and chief investment officer, Elliott oversees Indianas investment of nearly $17 billion in state assets.

In the 2023 legislative session, Elliott spearheaded an effort to remove politics  specifically environmental social and governance conscious investing, or ESG  from state investments before approving the purchase of $35 million in Israeli bonds several months later.

The office told the Indiana Capital Chronicle the November investment still has 18 months left on its term at a bond rate of 5.28%. It noted that compared to an 18-month note from the U.S. Treasury, the Israeli bonds are 16 basis points higher.

Wednesdays purchase has a three-year term at 5.5%, or 65 basis points over U.S. Treasury notes. Additionally, the office noted the bond purchases make up .8% of the states overall portfolio.

Elliott, in his statement, tied the move to ongoing protests at Indiana universities demanding a Gaza ceasefire and divestment of campus assets in Israel. Several students at Indiana University have been arrested, adding to the hundreds of students nationwide who have been arrested in campus protests calling for fighting to stop after the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians and over 1,400 Israelis.

While there may be a few loud individuals on college campuses and other places that want us to abandon Israel, I believe now is the time to refocus and recommit to our most important ally, Elliott said. We dont need to boycott and divest, but engage and invest.

The move was lauded by the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council, which decried the shocking sharp increase in antisemitism  and the anti-Israel protests emerging on college campuses.

Thank you to Treasurer Elliott for his leadership, says Jamie Ratner Rich, the organizations president. Investing in Israel bonds sends a loud and clear signal that Indiana stands with and supports Israel.

Indiana State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla also shared her support for the move.

What a privilege to represent a state that is offering further investment to Israel that aligns with our fiduciary duty to deliver solid yield, low risk and high liquidity with state dollars, said Nieshalla in a statement. As an American, seeing what is happening to Israel and the Jewish people is devastating and there is a strong sense of duty to stand with our friends. As a Hoosier, I value the opportunity for our state to partner with a country that has offered us decades of innovation and security support.

The post Indiana purchases another $5M in Israeli bonds, total of $110M investment appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Inmate allegedly stabbed to death by another inmate at Scotland Correctional Institute

LAURINBURG, N.C. (WBTW)  An inmate at Scotland Correctional Institution died Tuesday night after being stabbed to death by another inmate in a prison housing area.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper released the information Wednesday in a news release.

Christopher Michael Edwards, 39, was found with multiple stab wounds in a housing unit common area at about 9 p.m. Prison staff and emergency care attempted to save Edwards but were unsuccessful, the release said.

Edwards was pronounced dead at about 10:30 p.m. Local law enforcement is investigating the stabbing, and the Department of Adult Correction is conducting an internal investigation, the release said.

Edwards was serving a life sentence for a 2018 conviction on first degree murder charges in McDowell County.

Count on News13 for updates.

* * *

Taylor Ford is a digital journalist for News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2023. Taylor is a Florence native and covers the Pee Dee out of News13s Florence Bureau. Read more of Taylors work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
Public school officials are concerned about the potential impact of charter schools in Boone County.

Columbia Public Schools could lose up to $13.3 million if just one charter school opens in Boone County based on financial analysis, said district spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark.

"When considering all six impacted districts, it's well above $13 million," Baumstark wrote in an email, referring to all the Boone County school districts.

Awaiting governor's signature

Charter schools are independent public school districts.

With the Omnibus Education Bill awaiting the signature of Gov. Mike Parson, the possibility of a charter school is looking more and more likely, despite opposition from educators and education officials.

The Columbia delegation of the Missouri House of Representatives sent a letter last week to the governor, appealing to him to veto the bill.

"Senate Bill 727 jettisons the voice of the local taxpayer and changes the funding formula for each charter school opening in Boone County," Baumstark said, referring to the legislation by its bill number. "Abandoning the obligation for equitable state funding, Senate Bill 727 requires the school districts of Boone County to absorb the entire funding impact of financial aid to a charter school."

Rural districts

The financial effect on rural Boone County districts may be more marked, Baumstark wrote.

"The school districts in Boone County experience a tremendous range in student size and local revenue," Baumstark said. "The opening of a charter school and the depletion of state and local funds from some of these rural districts would have a devastating effect on their continued ability to operate and/or operate at the level local taxpayers expect based on their investment."

Hallsville teacher Kendall Koopmann talks with a kindergarten student in this 2020 file photo.

The charter schools won't have the same level of accountability to the public, Baumstark wrote.

"Charter schools have no oversight by elected officials," Baumstark said. "Charter schools should not be permitted to handle millions in taxpayer dollars with no accountability. Charter school legislation would allow for the expansion of charter schools without a vote by local school boards. Voters made a choice to elect the school board and have also voted to approve levies and bonds to fund our public schools. By circumventing the authority of a locally elected board, the legislature is negating the choice voters made. "

Making hard choices

Linda Quinley, a former chief financial officer in CPS, now is senior director of school finance for the Missouri School Boards Association, where she has done a detailed financial analysis of how charter schools affect other public schools.

She also has worked as CFO at Kansas City Public Schools.

Story continues

"My personal experience at KCPS was that we worked hard to keep neighborhood schools open while slowing losing students to charters," Quinley wrote in an email. "That became difficult, so choices had to made. Choices such as close a neighborhood school or reduce offerings/services to students in all buildings. Neighborhood schools are loved by and valuable to their community and alumnae, so offerings to students were reduced over time. That resulted in virtually no fine arts in elementary schools and limited fine arts in middle schools. Limited foreign language offerings and high-level math and science as well as limited extra-curriculars for students were a common theme."

Gentry Middle School 7th graders compete in a trivia match in this 2022 file photo.

The teacher shortage will become more extreme if a charter school opens in Boone County, Quinley wrote.

Several Boone County Districts have gone to four-day weeks as a way to recruit teachers.

"The most important and challenging fiscal issue in Boone County should charters open will be the impact on teachers and leaders for school buildings," Quinley wrote. "We are already in a teacher crisis, and this will add to the number of needed FTE for teachers, principals, even leaders/superintendents. Where will they come from? Will they be appropriately accredited? Will students be served at the level they deserve? Will CPS be able to continue the good strides they have made on teacher compensation? Will charters be able to afford to match CPS in compensation?"

FTE is education shorthand for full-time equivalent employees. For example, two half-time employees is one FTE.

More: Columbia school board 'deeply concerned' about Missouri charter school legislation

Accountability, just different

There's no reason for the us-versus-them dichotomy put forward by charter school opponents, said Noah Devine, executive director of the Missouri Charter Public School Association.

He made the point that the legislation had advocates, including State Sen. Caleb Rowden, R-Coumbia, and State Rep. Cheri Reisch, R-Hallsville.

Reisch's advocacy for charter schools stemmed from her repeated unfounded claims that CPS students, identifying as animals, use litterboxes to go the restroom.

The taxpayer money should follow the taxpayers wherever they want to send their children, Devine said.

"Who does the money belong to?" Devine asked. "It's taxpayers. Public school money is taxpayer money."

If Boone County parents don't want a charter school, it won't open, Devine said.

"I attended Ridgeway," a CPS elementary school with enrollment from throughout the district, Devine said. "I love CPS. I want CPS to continue to be a great school district."

Principal Sue Haugen greets families at Southern Boone Primary School in this 2017 file photo.

Accountability for charter schools looks different, Devine acknowledged.

If a charter school fails, it closes, he said.

"Charter schools can and do close," he said.

Charter schools have annual performance reports and students take the same Missouri Assessment Program exams, Devine said.

Every charter school every five years must justify its existence to the State Board of Education, he said.

"It's accountable, just in a different way," Devine said.

CPS could sponsor a charter school, he said.

"It would be an interesting conversation," he said.

Not everything is known yet about how a charter school might affect Boone County school districts, Quinley said.

"We speak of the fiscal impact as it is significant," Quinley wrote. "The greater challenge is really about the students while a change in available resources will impact students. Probably not right out of the gate, but over time."

Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on X at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: A charter school would cost Columbia Public Schools. Here's how much
Police remove protestors blocking the entrance to Hamilton Hall, occupied by pro-Palestinian protestors, on Columbia University campus in New York City, on April 30, 2024. Credit - Andres Kudacki for TIME

Police officers arrived at Columbia University and The City University of New Yorks (CUNY) City College campus Tuesday evening, tasked by school administrators with restoring safety amid nationwide pro-Palestinian campus protests in response to the Israel-Hamas war. But their conduct is what made many students and protesterswho saw their large presence and actions as disproportionate and violentfeel unsafe.

On Tuesday night, outside Columbia Universitys Hamilton Hall, which was then being occupied by students, police ripped pro-Palestinian student protesters linking arms away from each other. Most of them were women, according to TIME photographer Andres Kudacki, who says police flung chairs and trash cans. Footage circling social media shows at least one protester hurtling down steps. As attending press, my eyewitness account, along with that of the protesters I spoke to, is detailed below.

Police enter Hamilton Hall, where pro-Palestinian protestors barricaded themselves. Andres Kudacki for TIME

Police arrest protestors outside Hamilton Hall. Andres Kudacki for TIME

Police carry an arrested protestor at Columbia University. Andres Kudacki for TIME

Darializa Avila Chevalier, an Afro-Latina alumnus of Columbia Universitys class of 2016 and former member of Students for Justice in Palestine, managed to stay on campus during the lockdown. She was among the women blocking the entrance to Hamilton Hall. They sang, We shall not be moved, amid the clanging of metal as police threw furniture, she tells TIME.

Police pushed her and others to the floor, Avila Chevalier says. I felt totally helpless at that point... it was quite horrific, she says. There was nothing calm or organized about the situation. Avila Chevalier says she has bruises on her legs and arms. Once arrested students arrived on the bus, they sang all the way to the police station to calm themselves down, she says.

READ MORE: Gaza Calls, Columbia Falls: Campus Protesters Defy Suspension Threats and Occupy Hall

When contacted by TIME, the NYPD did not comment on specific questions about restricting media access or violence towards students, but sent a link to a press conference held by the city on Wednesday. At that event, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said there were no injuries or violent clashes and described the policing operation as organized and calm. He went on to blame external actors hijacking a peaceful protest and influencing students to escalate without elaborating on how many of the arrested were not students.

Columbia directed TIME to university President Minouche Shafiks message addressed to members of the Columbia community, which was sent on Wednesday. She acknowledged inviting the NYPD onto campus and thanked them for their incredible professionalism.

Students and outside activists breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our public safety officers and maintenance staff, and damaging property are acts of destruction, not political speech, she wrote. Shafik did not expand specifically on how public safety officers and maintenance had been treated.

Police arrest protestors at Columbia University. Andres Kudacki for TIME

Protestors shout slogans in support of the protestors arrested at Hamilton Hall. Andres Kudacki for TIME

The NYPD arrested approximately 300 people at Columbia and City College campuses, per Mayor Eric Adams. Charges include trespassing, criminal mischief, and burglary. Student protesters at Columbia University had occupied Hamilton Hall just after midnight on Tuesday, following a breakdown in negotiations with the administration over divestment and amnesty for disciplined students. They renamed the building Hinds Hall as a tribute to 6-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed during Israels military offensive in Gaza. Footage of Columbia Universitys lawn on Wednesday shows the encampment has been cleared. The encampment at City College has also reportedly been cleared.

Ahead of approaching the students, police ordered press to leave the Hamilton Hall area, TIME photographer Kudacki recalls. He managed to stay right outside the building, although says that police pushed him and threatened him with arrest. Get out of here, they told him, as they carried students away, holding them by their arms and legs.

Police barred press from entering Hamilton Hall, where they pursued students who were occupying the academic building. Desperate for any information, the public tuned into WKCRColumbia Universitys radio stationwhere student journalists could be heard talking about police with sledgehammers descending onto campus. The student journalists asked police where they should go and worried that no one would be left to document the raid. I can confirm that I saw an NYPD officer duck his head into Pulitzer Hall and he said, If you come out one more time then youre going to get arrested, one reporter said on air. After what I saw today, I dont know how I can feel safe on this campus with this police presence, a WKCR reporter is quoted as having said.

Samaa Khullar, a journalist reporting on Columbias campus protests and a student at the universitys journalism school, said that students were brutally arrested. She said student press were hit, shoved, and pushed away from Hamilton Hall. Its hard to take this as anything but the administration trying to prevent recordings/photographs of brutal arrests, she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Police locked down campus and some of the surrounding area, leaving many protesters stuck a few blocks down the road. Every time a bus full of arrested students approached, protesters cheered. Police constantly pushed them back. One protester told a cop: Youre on the wrong side of history, youll see in 20 years.

Police arrest a protestor at The City University of New York (CUNY) City College campus, on May 1. (Photo/Andres Kudacki) Andres Kudacki for TIME

Police arrest protestors for blocking the road during a pro-Palestinian protest, outside The City College of New York. Andres Kudacki for TIME

Police arrest protestors at The City College of New York. (Photo/Andres Kudacki) Andres Kudacki for TIME

Three female Columbia undergraduate students, who are supportive of pro-Palestinian protests and the divestment demands, stood at the police barricade, wondering who officers were protecting. To police our students in this manner is disgusting and displays a flagrant disregard for our wellbeing, one of them tells TIME. They asked for anonymity because they feared discipline from the schools administrators. The students say that antisemitism allegations have been weaponized to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests. It makes it easier because if you can weaponize that then you have grounds to treat these students the way that they do it looks like [Columbia University's President Minouche Shafik] is protecting someone when shes calling the police on her students, one of the students said. They stress that Shafiks position was created to serve them and not politicians. Its not too late to divest or extend amnesty to disciplined students, they say.

Read More: It's Not Easy to Be Jewish on American Campuses Today

Police also arrived on and around CUNYs City College campus, where they held back peaceful protesters, who were chanting slogans, by rushing at them with batons. There is no violence here, why are you in riot gear? protestors chanted.

CUNY noted in a statement Wednesday that Tuesday nights actions were taken in response to specific and repeated acts of violence and vandalism, not in response to peaceful protest. They sent TIME pictures of broken windows and a hallway with a table and chairs upside down.

You cant block this building, its illegal, police said, after shoving protesters in front of the building. Asked where protesters could stand, they didn't answer and instead charged forward with their batons, repeatedly yelling move back. To which one protester argued: Its a public sidewalk.

Youre the biggest gang in New York City, one woman yelled, after police shoved her back. What are you gonna do with that fing baton? Hit a bunch of kids? At one point, police wrestled a man to the ground and TIME's filming was obscured.

Arrested protestors are taken away by bus outside The City College of New York. Andres Kudacki for TIME

Bianca Guerrero, a program manager at a CUNY institutewho uses they/them pronounssays that as law enforcement pushed people, they pulled a few people into a deli to keep them from being trampled on. They bought snacks and lingered for half an hour, at which point cops entered to ask what they were doing and started talking to the store owner. A video they took, and shared with TIME, shows the NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard getting behind the bodega counter and pressuring store owners to kick them out. If they are not purchasing and then leaving the store, then we are going to have to close the whole store youre now in an emergency zone so you have to make a decision, do you want to stay open and do business and sell something and let them move on? When a store owner starts to interject, the police cut in again. I dont take sides, all I want to do is clear this area; its not safe for us to operate when you let these people just hang out behind our backs.

Later in the night, police arrested protesters who were standing in the street, after an announcement that they were unlawfully blocking a roadway. They also chased after individuals standing on the sidewalk.

I work with students; I care deeply about their safety. I really dont agree with the decision to call the NYPD on them, Guerrero tells TIME, noting that she is speaking in a personal capacity, not an official one. CUNY is willing to use the force of the state on their own communities.

Correction, May. 2: The original version of this story misstated in one instance the day that police arrived at Columbia University and the City College campus. It was Tuesday evening, not Wednesday.

Write to Sanya Mansoor at sanya.mansoor@time.com.
(Illustration by Jim Cooke / Los Angeles Times)

At a diner just off the freeway north of Sacramento, a mostly white crowd listened intently as it learned how to save America by leaning on the same laws that enshrined the rights of Black voters 60 years ago.

Over mugs of coffee and plates of pot roast smothered in gravy, attendees in MAGA and tea party gear took notes about the landmark Voting Rights Act and studied the U.S. Constitution. They peppered self-proclaimed "election integrity" activist Marly Hornik with questions about how to become skilled citizen observers monitoring California poll workers.

The nearly 90 people gathered in the diner in February were there to understand how they can do their part in a plan to sue California to block certification of the 2024 election results unless the state can prove that ballots were cast only by people eligible to vote.

If any votes are found to be ineligible, Hornik explained, then all voters are being disenfranchised  just like those decades ago who couldn't vote because of their race.

"If we think our right of suffrage ... has been denied or diluted, we have to stop that immediately. We have to stop it right in its tracks," said Hornik, co-founder of a group called United Sovereign Americans, which is led by a man who helped push former President Trump's baseless challenges to Joe Biden's election in 2020.

Marly Hornik, co-founder of United Sovereign Americans, speaks at a Sacramento diner in February 2024. (Mackenzie Mays / Los Angeles Times)

The two-hour meeting at the Northern California diner  one of several similar presentations that have taken place across the country in recent months  is part of the group's plan to file lawsuits in multiple states alleging voters' civil rights are violated by errors on the voter rolls. The goal is to prevent states from certifying federal elections in 2024 until substantial changes are made to election processes.

What United Sovereign Americans has planned is a legal long shot. But election experts worry that if even one sympathetic judge rules in their favor, it could sow doubts about the integrity of a presidential rematch between President Biden and Donald Trump.

"Sometimes the whole point is to whip up enough smoke that it seems like a fire, said Justin Levitt, a former deputy assistant attorney general who specializes in voting rights.

The groups legal arguments rely on faulty interpretations of federal election law and are likely to fail in court, according to Levitt and other experts who believe the group's evidence of voter registration fraud is overstated and inaccurate.

United Sovereign Americans is part of a cottage industry of far-right election deniers that has sown disinformation since Trump lost his reelection bid. The group aims to scrutinize elections with a legal strategy that can "throw massive amounts of sand in their gears," Hornik said during a February presentation in Orange County.

Its first lawsuit in the multi-state plan was filed against Maryland election officials on March 6, alleging that the state's voting policies don't comply with federal laws requiring accurate voter rolls and thus violate the plaintiffs' civil rights. The suit asks the court to keep the State Board of Elections from certifying any election until their claims of voter roll irregularities and other election law violations have been resolved, an action that could potentially derail Maryland's May 14 primary. On April 22, Maryland asked the judge hearing the case to dismiss the lawsuit or, at a minimum, deny the request for the restraining order.

Similar lawsuits are expected in coming weeks in California, Ohio, Illinois, Texas and several other states, Hornik said in an interview. Once they have built a legal fund for the suits, her group plans to file in multiple federal jurisdictions in hopes that judges will rule differently in different areas of the country, causing the Supreme Court to step in and settle the issue ahead of election day, she said.

An 'ecosystem of grift'

Hornik said she lives in rural upstate New York with her "three home-birthed children" and a small herd of dairy goats. The self-described "home school mom" has long gray hair and the air of a patient teacher as she fields questions and flips through PowerPoint slides explaining her plan to disrupt America's elections.

She drew laughs from the crowd in Sacramento as she cracked jokes about COVID protocols drawing people into "a medical experiment."

Hornik became involved in an online community questioning election results while stuck at home during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, then went on to create a group called New York Citizens Audit in 2021. Its members spread conspiracy theories about the results of the 2020 and 2022 elections at events across the state.

In September, the New York attorney general issued a cease-and-desist letter ordering Hornik to stop "voter deception and intimidation efforts," describing complaints that volunteers with her group had "confronted voters across the state at their homes, falsely claimed to be Board of Elections officials and falsely accused voters of committing felony voter fraud."

Hornik said at the time that the group was not knocking on doors.

She expanded her efforts after teaming up with Harry Haury, whom she met at a 2022 conference hosted by the group that funded the debunked pro-Trump propaganda film "2000 Mules," which is based on lies about the 2020 election.

Haury, a St. Louis native with deep ties to the Stop the Steal movement, approached Hornik about nationalizing the work of New York Citizens Audit. Haury had been part of a little-known team of self-proclaimed cybersecurity experts who helped search for evidence of fraud in the 2020 election for some of Trumps closest allies in the weeks after Trump lost. Haury's background as a software engineer has largely been focused on energy technology.

Supporters gather for a "Stop the Steal" rally in Atlanta after Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Together, they created United Sovereign Americans and began recruiting activists in at least 20 states to obtain voter registration rolls and analyze the data for potential errors  such as a person registered at multiple addresses or dead people with active registrations.

Hornik said they have completed examinations of voter rolls in Ohio, Illinois, New York and Texas, and they are finishing that work in California. Florida, Missouri and North Carolina are close behind.

In California, they are working with Election Integrity Project California, a nearly 15-year-old group that has been sending election observers to the polls since 2012. Linda Paine, a former Santa Clarita tea party activist now living in Arizona who leads the group, hosted Hornik for a three-day speaking tour in February with stops in Fresno, Shasta and Ventura counties.

A federal lawsuit that Election Integrity Project California filed to challenge the state's election laws and procedures was dismissed, but the group has appealed.

The group has trained hundreds of poll watchers to observe whether local officials are following proper election procedures, including during the attempted recall of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021.

Paine did not respond to requests for an interview.

Observers from the Election Integrity Project watch ballots being processed in Orange County during California's 2021 gubernatorial recall election. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

David Becker, who leads the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a group focused on restoring trust in the nation's election system, described the work of Paine and Hornik as an effort to dismantle election integrity under the auspices of election integrity amid an ecosystem of grift."

"The grifters have evolved," Becker said. "They used to just say, 'There's so many dead and illegal voters on the list.' And then they started coming up with a really specific number ... as if there was some analysis that went into that."

The problem, he said, is that voter registration rolls obtained by these groups are a snapshot of a system that constantly changes as people move or die. It can't be compared to a static event like an election result: "It is not possible to maintain a voter list that is accurate at every single second of every single day."

As they've crisscrossed the country spreading misinformation about election procedures, Hornik and Haury have asked for donations at public events and on far-right media, saying they need millions of dollars for their lawsuits. Their website allows donors to pick which state effort receives funds, with up to half going to the national group. In Shasta County in February, Hornik urged attendees to think about what they can do to help save America in 2024.

Read more: At far-right roadshow, Trump is God's 'anointed one,' QAnon is king, and 'everything you believe is right'

"I want to ask you to really look inside yourself and ask yourself what are you called to do to help this mission?" she said, according to a recording of the event posted online.

"Are you called to participate? Are you called to come and work on the resolutions? Are you called to work on the legal briefings? Are you called to write me a $10,000 check today? Because we need money to get this done."

The civil rights claim

At the diner in Sacramento, Hornik told the crowd that her plan to sue states for alleged civil rights violations should be easier than challenging results based on election laws.

We believe that this very simple approach can advance rapidly, she said. It doesn't matter if you weren't allowed to vote or if your vote was drowned and suffocated by invalid ballots, either way, you didn't really get to vote.

Hornik argues that people's constitutional right to choose their elected representatives is violated when the power of lawful votes is diminished by votes cast illegally.

But the entire plan is based on a count of alleged errors in the voter rolls conducted by volunteers who lack expertise in the election system and election law. Hornik's allies at Election Integrity Project California claim to have counted 257,894 people who voted in the state's 2022 election despite potentially being ineligible to cast ballots. But they did not explain their criteria for identifying alleged discrepancies in the voter rolls, raising serious questions about their count.

The volunteer analysts' work is reminiscent of past efforts by "armchair detectives" to examine voter rolls, said Levitt, the former deputy assistant attorney general. Their arguments claiming fraud are also based on fundamental misunderstandings of what is allowed under federal voting laws, he said.

These are people sitting at home who don't actually understand all that much about how the election structure works who are trying to impose their will on how the process is supposed to work on the government, he said.

Read more: The 'Johnny Appleseed of election fraud' wants to upend voting in America. Why he's focused on California

And their legal argument is based on a "really troubling" interpretation of civil rights law, said Sean Morales-Doyle, director of voting rights for the Brennan Center for Justice.

"The idea that somehow the votes of ineligible voters is drowning out the votes of eligible voters is not at all based on reality," he said.

The concept of "vote dilution" stems from a provision of the Voting Rights Act that is meant to give people of color equal rights to elect the candidates of their choice. It typically comes up in disputes over drawing political boundaries where the preferences of a minority group could be diluted by a white majority that votes as a bloc.

"The notion that this puts them in a similar situation to people who are actually being disenfranchised is just not a fair or reasonable analogy," Morales-Doyle said.

Hornik admits that her group does not expect to win a lawsuit against California. She said United Sovereign Americans intends to file lawsuits in least 11 states across nine federal court circuits. Failing in some and winning in others is part of the strategy to get to the Supreme Court, Hornik said.

"It doesn't matter that we are going to get turned down in New York. It doesn't matter that we get turned down potentially in California," Hornik said. "It matters that we get a favorable ruling in Tennessee and Missouri. It matters that we get a favorable ruling in Texas so that there is a diversity of opinion and ultimately that also means that there is a possibility that the matter is settled for the entire country."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
If approved, Horse Heaven wind farm would be southeast of the Wild Horse wind facility, near Ellensburg, Washington. (Heidi Ihnen/Getty Images)

The fate of one the largest wind farms ever proposed in Washington now rests with Gov. Jay Inslee.

On Monday, the states energy facility siting panel sent Inslee its recommendation for approval of the Horse Heaven wind and solar project, ending a contentious multi-year review. It culminated with regulators paring the Benton County project to curb threats to tribal cultural resources and endangered hawks.

By law, Inslee has 60 days to approve or reject the project, or direct the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council to reconsider aspects of the proposed approval agreements.

We are now in receipt of the EFSEC recommendation, said Inslee press secretary Mike Faulk.

Because the governors decision is considered quasi-judicial, it will be based solely on the record developed by the siting council and information from outside sources will not be considered, according to the governors counsel.

The recommendation arrived one week after the council voted 5-2 to approve the project, which could see dozens of wind turbines and thousands of solar panels installed across a swath of land south of Kennewick. Of the council members in the majority, Inslee appointed one and the others work in his cabinet agencies.

In its decision, the majority acknowledged the difficult trade-offs between heeding community concerns and fighting climate change by reducing Washingtons reliance on power generated from fossil fuels.

Weighing the imperative to develop new sources of clean energy against the evidence of adverse project impacts, the Council finds it cannot recommend denial of the Project, members wrote in their report to Inslee.

Conditions imposed on the project should minimize the most adverse effects of the nearly 500-foot tall turbines and acres of solar arrays, they wrote.

Like all energy facilities, they will necessarily have impacts. The question is not whether all impacts must be avoided. They cannot be, the council concluded. Instead, the question is whether all reasonable measures have been required to mitigate and minimize them with the full understanding of the tradeoffs and benefits.

A map of the proposed project area for the Horse Heaven wind farm project. (Courtesy of Scout Clean Energy)

Lenny Young from the state Department of Natural Resources, and Ed Brost of Benton County dissented.

For Young, the terms and conditions imposed will not be enough to prevent damage to the traditional cultural properties of the Yakama Nation. Brost expressed concern that the wind towers will be too close to homes and could impede the ability to fight grassland fires.

Balancing costs and benefits

Horse Heaven wind and solar project is a massive undertaking proposed in a footprint spanning roughly 72,500 acres along Interstate 82 south of the Tri-Cities.

Scout Clean Energy of Boulder, Colo., the company behind the effort, submitted its project application to the state on Feb. 8, 2021. It called for up to 244 wind turbines and three solar arrays. The turbines were to be spaced along a 24-mile stretch with the solar panels covering about 5,500 acres.

In the ensuing years of environmental reviews and public hearings, concerns proliferated about the wind farms potential to alter the landscape, endanger wildlife habitats, threaten tribal cultural resources and disrupt the economy and character of nearby communities.

The councils recommendation, and a draft agreement imposing dozens of conditions, reportedly halves the number of turbines and shrinks the spread of solar arrays.

One difficult issue involved protections for the Yakama Nation cultural properties. Tribal leaders shared confidential data with the council that showed how there would be unavoidable negative impacts. Slimming the project is seen as one way to reduce those impacts, the council concluded.

Another major hurdle involved protections for ferruginous hawks, a state endangered species with a presence in the area. In the end, the council barred wind turbines within two miles and solar panels within one-half mile of occupied and formerly occupied ferruginous hawk nests.

In the report, the council concluded the buffer would minimize damage to habitat and the risk of the hawks flying into the turbines.

Such a move also would reduce disturbances to the Horse Heaven Hills viewshed and areas used for paragliding and hang gliding, while also cutting the chances of obstructing aerial firefighting, according to the council recommendation.

The council majority concluded that other concerns needed to be balanced against the projects long-term benefits.

Most important is encouraging the development of abundant clean energy at a reasonable cost to meet the states greenhouse gas reduction obligations and to mitigate the significant near-term and long-term impacts from climate change, the recommendation says.

The post Inslee has 60 days to decide on controversial Horse Heaven wind farm appeared first on Washington State Standard.
Organizers of pro-Palestinian protests said they would continue at the University of Minnesota Wednesday evening, despite Interim U President Jeff Ettinger's attempts to broker a deal with the group earlier in the day.

Shortly before 5 p.m. a coalition of student groups who have been organizing protests on the Twin Cities campus posted on social media asking "all friendly forces" to join them on the U's Northrop Mall, where an encampment was entering its third day.

This is the second straight week of protests on the campus and others nationwide, and the second encampment at the U. University police arrested nine people last week after it said their tents violated a U policy prohibiting encampments, but protesters set up again earlier this week.

In an email after the meeting, Ettinger and four other U administrators thanked protest leaders for "the productive and respectful conversation today." They said U regents had agreed to give protesters a chance to address the board during its meeting next week.

"As discussed in the meeting, we have a shared understanding that the encampment will be disassembled and removed by 5 p.m. today, and that there will be no organized disruptions at final exams and commencements," the U administrators said. "We appreciate your willingness to engage with us and reflect the perspectives of your organizations, but also seek opportunities to move forward."

They wrote that they committed to having another meeting in late May or early June.

But in a social media post Wednesday afternoon, protest organizers wrote that they "have no intention of clearing our encampment by 5 pm today, let alone any time soon."

By 6 p.m., the encampment had grown to about 30 tents, and there were no signs of a police presence. People gathered at the protest site were kicking soccer balls, sitting on tarps or grabbing plates of pasta from a designated food area.

Donia Abu Ammo, with Students for Justice in Palestine, said: "They told us to clear the encampment by 5 p.m., and we have been negotiating with them since then."

Off to the side, a group of supportive faculty members watched. Among them was Eric Van Wyk, a computer science professor who leads the University Senate's Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee and believes that the camp should be allowed to remain.

"It's hardly a disruption, and students should be given the space to speak their minds," Van Wyk said.

The student groups are calling on the school to, among other things, divest from companies with ties to Israel, ban some recruiters from campus and release a statement in support of Palestinian students.

About a dozen buildings along the U's Northrop Mall remained closed Wednesday, while others on the East Bank campus were accessible only to people with a university ID. Some faculty sent Ettinger a letter urging him to reconsider the closures, saying they feared they would have a chilling effect on free speech and upend the final days of the spring semester.

The U is hosting several graduation ceremonies this week and next, and has not announced any changes to those events.

Ettinger is also working to schedule a meeting with Jewish student organizations on campus.
International Workers Day, otherwise known as May Day or Labour Day, takes place every 1 May and honours the labour movement around the world.

The occasion serves as an opportunity for working people to come together to call attention to important workplace rights issues or political, economic and social injustices in their societies and to celebrate the power of collective action.

This year, mass demonstrations are already prevalent in many countries, with tensions running high over Israels war on Hamas in Gaza in particular, which has led to violent clashes between pro-Palestinian student demonstrators and police at Columbia University in New York and UCLA in California.

May Day unrest has already been reported at parades in Istanbul, Turkey, but, for the most part, events marking the date have been impassioned but peaceful, with simple messages like Tax the rich! and Dont touch the eight-hour workday! heard in Belgium and Sri Lanka respectively, according to the Associated Press.

In France, workers have used May Day 2024 to demonstrate against this summers upcoming Olympic Games and what they regard as inadequate compensation for having to work during the holiday season.

In Iraq, demonstrators have called for improved wages, the reopening of factories and an end to privatisation in certain sectors.

And in Asia, mass gatherings have been seen in Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and the Philippines as workers take to the streets to demand improved conditions in their professional lives.

Heres everything you need to know about the history of the day.

Why was 1 May chosen as the date for International Workers Day?

The date was chosen to commemorate a massive general strike in the United States that began on 1 May 1886.

However, the US and Canada mark their own Labour Day on the first Monday of September, federal holidays that typically attract far greater attention than their international counterpart.

Demonstrators with Tax the rich! placards in Brussels, Belgium, on International Workers Day 2024 (Hatim Kaghat/AFP/Getty)

The reason for this, according to historian Peter Linebaugh, is that, in North America, where suspicion of communist activity has raged since the Cold War: The ruling class did not want to have a very active labour force connected internationally.

The principle of national patriotism was used against the principle of working-class unity or trade union unity.

In the immediate postwar era, 1 May was known as Loyalty Day in the US and celebrated combat veterans before President Dwight D Eisenhower moved in 1961 to designate it Law Day instead at the suggestion of the American Bar Association.

What happened in 1886?

The events of that year were centred around industrial Chicago and saw labour activists and anarchists join the American Federation of Labors call to protest long working hours, deteriorating workplace conditions and large-scale unemployment caused by technological advances that had simultaneously served to make magnates, owners and employers wealthy.

The multi-day strike that ensued turned violent on 3 May when demonstrators clashed with police near the citys McCormick Reaper plant and again a day later at a meeting staged at Haymarket Square, which would lead to the deaths of both strikers and officers  an episode that became known as the Haymarket Affair.

A protester on a bicycle waving a flag depicting Argentinian revolutionary Che Guevara during an International Workers Day demonstration in Strasbourg, France, on 1 May 2024 (Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty)

Eight men were eventually placed on trial and four of them hanged after being accused of placing a bomb that exploded and killed combatants on both sides, despite a lack of evidence and a campaign on their behalf that found popular support in Europe and Latin America.

August Spies, one of the convicted men doomed to execution, secured his place in the history books by declaring: There will come a time when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today.

The horror of the Haymarket affair inspired the Marxist International Socialist Congress, at its meeting in Paris, France, in 1889, to choose the date for an annual international day on which to remember the ongoing struggles of working people across the globe and advocate for an eight-hour working day as standard.

What is its subsequent history in the United States?

Despite the later postwar opposition to what some considered a communist or anti-capitalist celebration, International Workers Day was marked by American activists throughout the first half of the 20th century.

Occasionally this led to further violence, as was the case in New York, Boston, Cleveland and Milwaukee in 1919, but the day proved an important unifier during the hard days of the Great Depression in the 1930s when the out-of-work and destitute came together in American cities to demand a solution from their government, pressure that played a part in eventually yielding Franklin D Roosevelts New Deal economic reforms.

More recently, left-wing groups have used 1 May as a symbolic date on which to hold major demonstrations to draw attention to such contemporary concerns as immigrants rights (2006), the malign influence of Wall Street (2012) and the protection of retail workers during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020).
A controversial Iowa immigration law is the topic of candlelight vigils across four major cities in Iowa, including Davenport, on Wednesday, May 1.

In a concerted display of unity, resilience and resistance, the Latinx Immigrants of Iowa, Escucha Mi Voz, Forward Latino, LULAC Iowa, Obreros Catolicos, Iglesia Reina de la Paz de Waterloo Iowa, and Quad Cities Interfaith are organizing the simultaneous vigils at 6:30 p.m. in Iowa City, Waterloo, Des Moines, and Davenport. They oppose enactment of the contentious bill SF 2340 by Gov. Kim Reynolds, due to take effect July 1, 2024.

The Latino community, advocates, and allies stand firm in declaring SF 2340 unconstitutional and antithetical to American values, according to a Tuesday press release.

The Quad Cities Interfaith vigil will be at 6:30 p.m. May 1, at St. Anthonys, 417 N. Main St., Davenport.

This bill isnt just a piece of legislation; its an attack on our communitys very essence, said Jose Alvarado from Latinx Immigrants of Iowa.

The Davenport vigil will be at St. Anthonys Catholic Church, 417 N. Main St., Davenport, organized by Quad Cities Interfaith (641-990-2118).

Our state thrives because of immigrant labor. This law is a step backward for everyone, Mayra Hernandez from Quad Cities Interfaith, said in Tuesdays release.

These peaceful vigils serve as a reference of solidarity, sending a resounding message that fear will not govern the lives and actions of the Latinx community in Iowa. With the rallying cry of No Tenemos Miedo  We Are Not Afraid, participants aim to galvanize public opinion and showcase the collective resolve to challenge and overcome this unconstitutional legislative hurdle, the release says.

President Joe Biden talks with the U.S. Border Patrol and local officials as he looks over the southern border, Feb. 29, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas, along the Rio Grande. Democrats are trying to outflank Republicans and convince voters they can address problems at the U.S. border with Mexico as immigration likely becomes a major issue in elections that will decide control of Congress. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

The organizers emphasize that Americas immigration system is in dire need of repair and reform.

In a profound reflection of their faith and community values, the organizers express that silence in the face of injustice is not an option. The vigils invite Iowans from all walks of life to join hands peacefully in a demonstration of support and to convey the unwavering spirit of unity and the power of collective action.

When signing the bill into law on April 10, Gov. Reynolds said:

The Biden Administration has failed to enforce our nations immigration laws, putting the protection and safety of Iowans at risk. Those who come into our country illegally have broken the law, yet Biden refuses to deport them. This bill gives Iowa law enforcement the power to do what he is unwilling to do: enforce immigration laws already on the books.

The Iowa Legislature has passed one of the most extreme, discriminatory, and unconstitutional anti-immigrant bills in the country, which is based on a Texas law that the courts have currently blocked, Mark Stringer, ACLU of Iowa executive director, has said.

Migrants who crossed the Rio Grande and entered the U.S. from Mexico are lined up for processing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Sept. 23, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, lifted a stay on a Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally, while a legal battle over immigration authority plays out. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

This law, which is set to go into effect on July 1, 2024, authorizes police to arrest people based on their federal immigration status and tells Iowa judges to order someone to be deported or jailed before they have an opportunity to seek humanitarian protection that they are entitled to, he said.

The Iowa law enforcement and state judges tasked with authority to carry out this outrageous law are not trained in immigration law and have no proper authority to enforce it. The law encourages and facilitates racial profiling and stereotyping, Stringer said.

It underminesnot promotespublic safety and the rule of law. It will consume already strapped state court and law enforcement resources. This law is designed to wreak havoc in Iowa families and communities; it threatens Iowans who are citizens and noncitizens alike.

You can read the complete bill HERE.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
The Iranian Rapper Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to death, early this week as he released music, which was critical of the government and showed support to the protests of 2022 in Iran.

An order for the execution of Toomaj Salehi has been issued, confirmed Amir Raesian, Salehis lawyer on Twitter. Raesin plans to get the sentence appealed which might lead to the reduction of this case.

Toomaj Salehi was arrested in October 2022 amid the chaos that got ignited due to the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who was allegedly arrested by the molarity police of Iran and later passed away in the custody itself. The police charged Salehi with spreading corruption on earth, which is a punishable and a death penalty offense, as he released music that was critical of the government and also asked his fans to join him in this journey, through social media.

Toomaj Salehis Receive Support And Condemnation Over His Arrest From The Office Of U.S. Envoy to Iran

Certain allegations emerged after the rappers arrest. The allegations were about Salehi being tortured and held in solitary confinement. Certain U.N. experts mentioned that the rapper was seen with a broken nose, damaged legs, and several broken fingers. There were also certain rumors that his hearing at courts took place behind closed doors without the presence of his lawyer.

Back in July 2023, a lower court of the city of Isfahan sentenced Salehi to over six years of jail and he was also banned from creating music or even singing for 2 years. However, in November, Salehi was released on bail, thanks to Irans Supreme Court, which found flaws in the original statement. Nonetheless, he got arrested again just two weeks later getting bailed.

We strongly condemn Toomaj Salehis death sentence, we call for their immediate release. These are the latest examples of the regimes brutal abuse of its citizens, disregard for human rights, and fear of the democratic change the Iranian people seek. said the office of U.S. Envoy to Iran.

Further Reading

Cypress Hill Will Finally Play With The London Symphony Orchestra, As The Simpsons Predicted

Billie Eilish Announces 2025 Australian Arena Tour

Griff Announces 2024 Australian Tour

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By Humeyra Pamuk

ASHDOD, Israel (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he has still not seen a plan for Israel's planned offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that would protect civilians, repeating that Washington could not support such an assault.

Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem for two-and-a-half hours, after which Israel repeated that the Rafah operation would go ahead despite the U.S. position and a U.N. warning that it would lead to "tragedy".

"We cannot, will not support a major military operation in Rafah absent an effective plan to make sure that civilians are not harmed and no, we've not seen such a plan," Blinken told reporters.

"There are other ways, and in our judgment better ways, of dealing with the ... ongoing challenge of Hamas that does not require a major military operation in Rafah," he said, adding that it was the subject of ongoing talks with Israeli officials.

An Israeli government spokesperson said Israel remained determined to destroy the remaining Hamas fighting formations.

"When it comes to Rafah - we are committed to remove the last four of five Hamas battalions in Rafah - we are sharing our plans with Secretary of State Blinken," the spokesperson told a regular briefing.

Israel is the final stop on the top U.S. diplomat's Middle East tour, his seventh visit to the region which was plunged into conflict last October when Hamas attacked southern Israel. It has largely focused on efforts to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

Blinken spoke at Israel's main port, Ashdod, and praised "meaningful progress" in recent weeks on humanitarian access, including by allowing flour for Gaza to flow through the port, as well as by opening up new border crossings.

"The progress is real but given the need, given the immense need in Gaza, it needs to be accelerated, it needs to be sustained," he said.

Blinken asked Israel's government to take a set of specific steps to facilitate aid to Gaza, where nearly half the population are suffering catastrophic hunger, he said.

The United States is Israel's main diplomatic supporter and weapons supplier. Blinken's visit comes about a month after U.S. President Joe Biden issued a stark warning that Washington's policy could shift if Israel fails to take steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers.

Blinken also urged Hamas to accept a truce deal proposed by Egyptian mediators which would see 33 hostages released in exchange for a larger number of Palestinian prisoners and a halt to the fighting, with the possibility of further steps towards a comprehensive deal later.

"Israel has made very important compromises," he said. "There's no time for further haggling. The deal is there. They (Hamas) should take it."

A senior official for Hamas said it was still studying the proposed deal but said Israel was the real obstacle.

"Blinken's comments contradict reality," Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Israel is holding off sending a delegation to Cairo for follow-up truce talks, pending a response from Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, an Israeli official told Reuters.

ASSAULT ON RAFAH

U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Tuesday that an Israeli ground operation in Rafah was "on the immediate horizon." In a statement, he said Israeli improvements to aid access in Gaza "cannot be used to prepare for or justify a full-blown military assault on Rafah."

Netanyahu has insisted the operation will go ahead, whatever the outcome of the talks, and Israeli media reported on Wednesday that he was still refusing to accept Hamas' central demand that any deal would have to include a permanent ceasefire and a withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Ynet news site, citing the Prime Minister's Office, said Netanyahu told Blinken a Rafah operation "was not contingent on anything" and that he rejected any truce proposals that would end the Gaza war.

While facing international calls to hold off on any Rafah offensive, Netanyahu has faced pressure from the religious nationalist partners he depends on for the survival of his coalition government to press ahead. Israel has described Rafah as a last bastion of Hamas, which it has vowed to eliminate.

En route to a visit to Kerem Shalom, one of the main crossing points for aid into Gaza, Blinken made a brief stop at Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, where Hamas militants attacked on Oct.7, killing dozens of residents and kidnapping others. Blinken visited the heavily damaged home of an American-Israeli family, all of whom, including five-year old twins, were killed in the assault.

Hamas killed 1,200 people and abducted 253 in the assault, according to Israeli tallies. The hostages are mostly Israeli but include some foreign nationals.

In response, Israel has overrun Gaza, killing more than 34,000 Palestinians, local health authorities say, in a bombardment that has reduced much of the enclave to a wasteland.

More than one million people face famine after six months of war, the United Nations has said.

As night fell on Wednesday, Israeli planes and tanks pounded several areas across Gaza, residents and Hamas media said.

Medics in Gaza said at least 27 Palestinians were killed in strikes on Wednesday, with others likely hurt or killed in areas they were unable to reach.

(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo and Simon Lewis in Washington; Editing by Michael Perry, Ros Russell, Nick Macfie and Alexander Smith)
Since 1973, the nonprofit Perach, which pairs university student mentors with elementary school-age mentees from disadvantaged backgrounds, has built a prestigious program based on the power of one-to-one tutorship. But that connection was tested as never before after the terror attacks of Oct. 7.



Perach mentor and law student Sarit Sivan, 23, was evacuated from her home in the southern town of Ofakim to the Tel Aviv area, as was her young mentee from Sderot. Their initial meetings in the weeks after the start of the war were more complicated over Zoom, but eventually the two were able meet in person and Sivan took her mentee to restaurants and helped her with her homework.



It was not so easy at first, we never experienced something like this. When I first met my mentee, I tried to take the meetings in other directions [away from the trauma.] It also helped me for those two hours to be cut off from our day-to-day reality, Sivan said. It helped us to find the balance between what happened in real life and what we need to do. For two hours it was just fun with her. After all she is a child and expected me to come and have fun with her.



Now, as the national mentoring program marks its 50th year, it has rebounded since Oct. 7 and within a month of the Hamas attacks at least half of its 23,000 university student mentors who had been scheduled to begin the project in October were already meeting with their young elementary school mentees. And as the school year nears an end, Perach officials are trying to figure out how the mentors and mentees keep their connection alive.



Founded in April 1973, right after the Yom Kippur War, Perach, which is Hebrew for flower as well as the acronym of proyekt chonchot, or tutoring project, is based on a model of providing scholarships for university students who volunteer as mentors to mostly elementary school-aged students from Israels geographical and social periphery, to Jews and Arabs, religious and secular children from all over the country.



Over the years it has grown from the modest project of a dozen volunteer students proposed by Rony Attar, then a graduate student of computer science at the Weizmann Institute of Science, to a project which now yearly distributes scholarships amounting to NIS 150 million ($40.5 million) to 24,000 students, who mentor some 40,000 children and teenagers, focusing on mainly one-to-one tutorship targeting underachieving, socially disadvantaged children. The early efforts were supported by professor Haim Harari, then dean of the Graduate School of the Weizmann Institute, and the project continues to be headquartered at the Weizmann Institute. It is recognized by the Israeli Ministry of Education, with most of its funding coming from the Council of Higher Education. In 2008, Perach was awarded the Israel Prize.



Four students scheduled to be mentors this year were killed in the initial weeks of the war, Alon Galron, national director of Perach, told eJewishPhilanthropy.



The Perach framework is pyramid-style with coordinators in touch with groups of mentors, providing guidance and supervision throughout the year. This format has also allowed them to provide emotional assistance for the mentors when needed, said Galron.



Because they have to advise their mentors, sometimes it can be overwhelming and as an organization we have to support our people in the field. The year is not over  we dont know what we are facing yet, he said. The main challenge in getting the university students to be mentors was that the opening date of the school year kept moving [because of the war], but we managed to cope with it and have been able to get 23,000 mentors out of our normal 24,000.



This year, as the number of student mentors in reserve duty has doubled, Perach has given special scholarships to accommodate their limited availability, he said.



Under the extenuating circumstances the staff coordinators in the field were over-motivated this year and took on more mentees than normal, resulting in the program uncharacteristically going over budget, he added. There are challenges, but we are meeting them successfully, he said.



There have been changes in the perception and implementation of the program over the years, he said. While in the early years children might have been initially embarrassed to participate in Perach out of fear of being negatively labeled, now it is viewed as a specialized program to help students reach their potential.



At first my parents and I had doubts. We were new immigrants from the former Soviet Union and we were worried this may be like having a social worker. At first I worried it was because I was different, recalled Avital Pries, 22, today a psychology and sociology student from Ashkelon who a little over a decade ago was a mentee in Perach and now is on staff as a coordinator after having also been a mentor. They spoke to my parents and convinced them to give it a try. I remember I enjoyed it and that it was fun. My parents saw me go from a closed, shy girl who did not talk and did not participate to being someone who speaks in front of people, manages groups, organizes students.



She always knew she wanted to give back to the organization that played such a significant role in her life, she said, and last year she was a Perach mentor.



Once using the term tutoring, Perach today prefers to see itself as a mentoring organization helping children reach their potential not only academically but also on a social and emotional level, Galron said, and also has expanded to include mentorships for college students with disabilities.



Now we focus more on the childs strengths, and show them positive things, creating a horizon and hope for them, something they can look forward to achieving, said Galron. These kids mainly need someone who can give them personal attentionfour hours a week is a lot with someone who cares only about you.



Mentorships normally last for a year to 18 months, said Galron, and are based on creating this personal relationship between the two young people. Their research has shown that building a place of trust, social efficacy and learning efficacy, leads to academic results, he added. The personal connection between two individuals is a basis for everything, he said.



Over 50 years, Perach has had more than 800,000 higher education students participate in the program and more than 2 million people in Israel directly or indirectly affected by the program either as mentees, parents or teachers, he said.



The program does have something of a gender imbalance, as 70% of the mentors are women, while 55% of the mentees are boys. This can present challenges as many boys say they prefer a man as a mentor, Galron said.



Perachs scholarship format has also become a model for similar programs abroad, Galron said, and last year they provided direction to an organization in Portugal trying to build a similar mentoring model with students.



Perach is the largest mentorship program worldwide, Galron said. He credited its low dropout rate of 8% primarily to the financial scholarship incentive, but also to its support system for mentors. However, Galron stressed that the mentors also benefit from the program besides the money.



They receive a scholarship, yes, but more important is for them to get a lifetime experience about what Israeli society is, he said. Most mentors come from middle-class or upper-class families, and this may be their first introduction into the backyard of their country. It is more than just receiving money. It is receiving life experiences if they are to be future leaders of this country.



Indeed, many of Israels social leaders are Perach mentors who have gone on to contribute to Israeli society, such as World WIZO CEO Mira Mines and director of HaEmek Medical Center, Dr. Maor Maman.



Mines said her experience as a mentor, coordinator and later deputy director of Perach Tel Aviv gave her an important tool box for the world of management. Since her experience with Perach, she said, it has been important for her to use her heart and intuition in all the CEO positions she has held  even in the business world.



Maman said his connection with Perach began with the need for a scholarship but then grew to be much more than that.



I mentored a student from Migdal HaEmek, and this allowed me to give back to the community where I grew up and help a child who needed guidance It gave me a lot of meaning. The gratitude of the families of the mentees when I taught and also as a coordinator when I made home visits is worth everything, he said. I strongly believe in education and influencing the younger generation, in my opinion it is one of the most important roles there is.



Over the years the demand of schools from Perach as a solution to the increasing challenges they face has increased, said Galron, and they receive lists of students from the schools with complex issues who need more professional intervention rather than a student mentor.



Today families are demanding more from the establishment and then the establishment wants our help in many cases. Israeli society is changing and we have to find the right to adapt to that, he said. Certainly this year there are many more challenges.



For now Galron said Perach is focused on how to complete the current year of mentoring, when in June normally mentors and mentees stay in touch with each other even at the end of the program, but now they dont necessarily live in the same city and informal meet-ups may not be an option.



How do you say goodbye to a child who has been through turmoil and has come to rely on you for eight months? he said. Professionally it is the right thing to do, but how to do it is something we are grappling with right now.





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Mr Quinn's unexpected retirement sparked the company's search for a new chief executive - Andres Kudacki/AP

HSBCs Hong Kong shareholders have demanded the bank appoint an Asian chief executive and focus more on the region after the unexpected retirement of Noel Quinn.

Activist Ken Lui, who leads Spin-Off HSBC Asia Concern Group from Hong Kong, said: The group should consider candidates in Asia or Hong Kong, who have better experience doing business in the region.

Another shareholder, Surich Asset Management founder Simon Yuen, told Reuters: Id expect the candidate would be someone with vast experience in Asian and Middle East markets, who is open minded on the banks strategy and could re-consider the option of re-domicil[ing] HSBCs headquarters to Asia.

Hong Kong is HSBCs largest market and home to thousands of ordinary investors who hold shares in the company.

Mr Ken told Reuters: For our small shareholders, HSBC is a Hong Kong company.

Pressure to focus more closely on the region comes after Mr Quinn, HSBCs current chief, surprised investors on Tuesday by announcing plans to step down this year, kicking off a face to find his successor.

The vacant role has revived tensions between the bank and Hong Kong shareholders, who say the 185bn lender puts too much focus on London.

HSBC saw off a shareholder rebellion last year from Chinese insurer Ping An, its biggest investor, who had called for a break-up of the group. Ping An called for HSBC Asia to be spun out on the stock market, with HSBC retaining a stake.

The company accused HSBC of failing to give enough prominence to Asian talent. Despite making most of its profits in Asia, the bank continues to be run from London and overseen by British regulators in the form of the Bank of England.

Mr Quinn and all of his predecessors have been based in the UK.

After taking over in 2019, Mr Quinn sought to improve the banks presence in Hong Kong, moving the two executives responsible for the banks profit engines  wealth and commercial banking  to the former British colony.

However, Asian people are still underrepresented in the upper echelons of the bank. Only a small proportion of HSBCs current executives are from Asia. David Liao, the co-head of HSBCs Asia-Pacific business, is the only senior executive who comes from Hong Kong.

Mark Tucker, the banks chairman, has refused to be drawn on whether the new chief executive would come from Asia. He has said the process of finding a new chief has only just begun but should be completed by the end of the year.

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.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War think the Russians have delayed their advance and are preparing reserves to attempt to move from their salient north of Avdiivka towards Toretsk to supplement Russian offensives at Chasiv Yar.

Source: ISW

Details: On 30 April, Russian troops did not launch any confirmed offensives in or around Avdiivka for the first time in several days, while Ukrainian sources indicated that Russian troops launched more assaults in the direction of Bakhmut-Chasiv Yar than in Avdiivka.

According to the General Staff of Ukraine's morning and evening reports for 30 April, Ukrainian troops repelled 47 Russian attacks on the Avdiivka front and 57 Russian attacks on the Bakhmut front, while the Russians launched significantly more attacks on the Chasiv Yar front.

A single day's report is insufficient to establish a pattern, but it may indicate that Russian forces are slowing down their efforts near Avdiivka while beginning offensive operations surrounding Chasiv Yar, as predicted by the ISW.

Beginning around 20 April, Russian forces concentrated on establishing tactical success in Ocheretyne (northwest of Avdiivka) and Novokalynove (north of Avdiivka), but by 30 April, the confirmed progress appeared to have stalled.

Russian forces may decide to deploy from their salient north of Avdiivka to Toretsk to augment Russian offensives at Chasiv Yar, which would most likely entail a tactical pause by Russian forces to focus resources on the offensive.

Chasiv Yar is an operationally significant object since it will serve as a launchpad for Russian soldiers to launch offensive assaults on Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka, two strongholds that protect Donetsk Oblast's four major cities. If Russian forces attempted to advance north to Toretsk, they would most likely require a longer pause to reinforce current units and redeploy additional soldiers near Ocheretyne.

To quote the ISWs Key Takeaways on 30 April:

Russian forces did not make any confirmed advances in the Avdiivka area on 30 April for the first time in several days, while Ukrainian sources reported that Russian forces conducted several more attacks in the Bakhmut-Chasiv Yar direction than near Avdiivka.

Russian forces may decide to push from their salient north of Avdiivka towards the Toretsk area to complement Russian offensive operations near Chasiv Yar, which would likely require Russian forces to conduct a tactical pause to concentrate forces for such a drive.

Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted a short-range MGM-140 ATACMS strike against targets in occupied Crimea on the night of 29-30 April.

Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin expressed outrage over Russian authorities treatment of Central Asian migrants, particularly Tajik citizens, indicating that increased Russian efforts to control migrants living in and entering Russia following the 22 March Crocus City Hall attack are continuing to strain Tajik-Russian relations.

Former Georgian Prime Minister and founder of the Georgian Dream political party Bidzina Ivanishvili reiterated a series of standard Kremlin information operations during his first public speech since announcing his return to Georgian public politics in December 2023.

Russian forces recently made confirmed advances near Kreminna, Chasiv Yar, and Robotyne.

The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported on 30 April that Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and First Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov inspected a drone testing ground in an unspecified area of occupied Ukraine.

An investigation by Russian opposition outlet Vazhnye Istorii implicates Kremlin-appointed Russian Commissioner on Childrens Rights Maria Lvova-Belova and her sister in the deportation of special needs Ukrainian adults to Russia.

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Early Tuesday morning, a protester on the campus of Columbia University announced that Hamilton Hall is now liberated and indeed renamed to honor a Palestinian child killed in Gaza. By Tuesday night, the building had been liberated again, this time by dozens of officers with the New York City Police Department  a show of force that came after Mayor Eric Adams alleged, without providing evidence, that the building had been occupied by professional outside agitators.

Columbia University echoed the agitators claim in a statement justifying the raid, which resulted in dozens of arrests.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, the school said Tuesday night. We believe that the group that broke into and occupied the building is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University.

That assertion came after a university official earlier warned that students who occupied the building face expulsion. Although there were no reports of violence by the campus occupiers, they did use a hammer to smash a window when they broke into the building and rejected pleas from some students that they not barricade the structure; a school facilities employee also accused protesters of holding them hostage for 10 minutes, the school newspaper reported

Columbia President Dr. Minouche Shafik is now asking the NYPD to stay on campus at least until commencement on May 17. That comes after Shafik admitted that an earlier request for police assistance  clearing an encampment that began as a protest of the schools investment in companies that do business in Israel  had backfired, drawing more attention to activists demands and growing their ranks, at Columbia and elsewhere.

Tuesday nights operation was on a scale previously unseen in New York, according to CNN reporter Miguel Marquez, the Columbia raid paired with a police clearing of a nearby encampment at City College of New York. The way the NYPD came in with such force, with such precision  its clear, in part, this was to send a message, in part to protect themselves, he said. Ive covered lots of this sort of stuff around the world, and Ive never seen this many police moving into one area," he added.

The NYPD itself certainly viewed the evening's events as having propaganda value, particularly after Republican lawmakers seized on the protests as evidence of left-wing lawlessness. Columbia has requested our assistance to take back their campus, which has seen disturbing acts of violence, forms of intimidation [and] destruction of property, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry posted Tuesday night. A few hours later, he shared a video of a Palestinian flag being taken down at the nearby city college campus, writing on X: An incredible scene and proud moment as we have assisted [CCNY] in restoring order in campus, culminating in raising Old Glory once again on their campus flagpole.

There were no confirmed reports of injuries in either police action, a possible disappointment to lawmakers and right-wing pundits who had called for President Joe Biden to deploy the National Guard.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a student group that has helped organize the campus protests, in a statement on social media accused Shafik of choosing to militarize the campus rather than to divest from the genocidal State of Israel. Shafik has said the school does not intend to comply with protesters demands, which would require the school to drop investments in companies such as Google and Amazon.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., urged both school leaders and the NYPD to reconsider their approach to student protests, suggesting that their actions would only incite more unrest. Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path, she posted on X Tuesday night. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making.

Her New York Democratic colleague, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, echoed the call for restraint. The militarization of college campuses, extensive police presence, and arrest of hundreds of students are in direct opposition to the role of education as the cornerstone of our democracy, he said on X.
Is IVF protected in Kentucky? Depends on whom you ask.

Kentucky Rep. Lindsey Burke, D-Lexington, whose son was born through IVF, says she doesnt believe the procedure is protected under current law. As long as fetal personhood is enshrined in Kentucky law, IVF is at risk, she says. (Photo by LRC Public Information)

None of the bills to explicitly protect in vitro fertilization in Kentucky got a hearing this legislative session, making them effectively dead on arrival.

With roughly eight months until the next session, some lawmakers and attorneys disagree on what protections exist for IVF under current Kentucky law.

Republican Sen. Whitney Westerfield  who has children thanks to IVF  believes there is an appetite in the General Assembly to pass specific IVF protections.

The failure to do so this year, he said, was probably a function of time.

Westerfield, of Fruit Hill, filed a bill to protect the process on the filing deadline for Senate bills. His House and Senate colleagues who filed similar bills also did so right before or on the filing deadlines.

The issue, he pointed out, wasnt on anybodys radar until an Alabama Supreme Court decision  which came down right before the deadline to file Kentucky bills  seemingly complicated the treatment.

They should always be preserved

Westerfield and his wife, Amanda, are expecting triplets this summer. The three, as well as their 6-year-old son, were adopted as embryos  the result of someone going through IVF and donating eggs. The Westerfields also have a daughter who joined their family as a traditional domestic adoption. They have another embryo they are paying around $500 annually to preserve.

I think they should always be preserved, Westerfield said. But I also understand not everybody holds that view. My son is one of those that was preserved, thankfully. These boys that are on the way were preserved.

The Westerfields chose to have children this way because, had they gone through IVF themselves, we were worried that we might have more than we could try to transfer on our own, Westerfield said.

Sen. Whitney Westerfield (LRC Public Information)

We didnt want to have so many left over that we couldnt  bring to full term birth ourselves and give a home to. And then you worry about making sure they end up in a home somewhere because we dont want them destroyed. Not everybody wants to adopt an embryo and be pregnant. Some people do, thankfully.

Even though the legislature didnt pass the IVF-specific bills this year, it did pass House Bill 159, which Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear then signed into law. The new law gives Kentucky health care providers criminal immunity for medical mistakes.

On the day HB 159 passed the Senate, Westerfield said he believed it would protect IVF by default because it broadly protects providers.

It states: A health care provider providing health services shall be immune from criminal liability for any harm or damages alleged to arise from an act or omission relating to the provision of health services.

Westerfield, who is also a lawyer, said this is more comprehensive than what he proposed to specifically protect IVF.

It covered everything mine covered and then some, Westerfield told the Lantern. He is not seeking reelection.

Ben Potash, a lawyer representing three Jewish women who are suing over Kentuckys abortion law, believes HB 159 does not protect IVF since discarding extra eggs in the IVF process is a willful act.

HB 159 says Nothing  limits any liability for gross negligence or wanton, willful, malicious, or intentional misconduct.

No one really knows what the law is

Potash believes the two topics  abortion and IVF  are too closely related to be separated. Going through IVF in Kentucky right now is precarious, he said. No one really knows what the law is.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman has called IVF an incredible blessing for so many seeking to become parents, as the Lantern previously reported.

The AG also said the plain language of Kentuckys laws makes it clear that neither IVF nor the disposal of embryos created through IVF and not yet implanted are prohibited.

In Potashs view, making it civil, secular law that life begins at conception introduces all kinds of complications to IVF, to motherhood in general, to parenthood in general.

Kentuckys Human Life Protection Act  the trigger law that went into effect once the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade in 2022  states that an embryo is an unborn human being from egg fertilization to birth.

The 1973 Roe V. Wade decision established abortion as a constitutional right. Once that federal protection was gone, Kentuckys law updated to all but ban abortion entirely, except in rare and life-threatening situations.

Judith Daar (photo provided)

Judith Daar, the dean of Northern Kentucky Universitys Chase College of Law, where she is also a professor, said that while many states have language in their statutes regarding abortion that declare life begins at conception or fertilization, those laws also link abortion to pregnancy, which is defined as an attachment of the embryo inside the mom.

That is the case in Kentucky. The law states that pregnant means the human female reproductive condition of having a living unborn human being within her body throughout the entire embryonic and fetal stages.

To the extent that all the abortion laws tether and condition the conduct on the existence of a pregnancy, then IVF really does escape application of the abortion laws, at least in the preimplantation stage when the embryos are still in the laboratory, explained Daar, a legal expert on reproductive assistance. That is not, per se, a pregnancy because it doesnt meet the definition of the attachment of the embryo into the uterus.

Because of this, Daar said, Kentucky doesnt necessarily need to pass an explicit bill on IVF at this time.

Theres nothing that Im aware of  in the commonwealth, she said, that suggests that any aspect of IVF practice is illegal under Kentucky law.

The IVF process

Dr. Sigal Klipstein (photo provided).

Dr. Sigal Klipstein, chair of the Ethics Committee for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said people need IVF for many reasons. Some seek it because of infertility  a man has little to no sperm or a woman does not ovulate, for example. Same sex couples may undergo IVF as a way to have biological children, she said, or uncoupled people may seek that service for themselves.

In a typical IVF cycle, a woman might take about 10 days of injections, Klipstein explained. These are little, under the skin injections, kind of like insulin needles.

They sort of bypass the system, she said. So instead of having enough hormone to release one egg, you might release five or 10 or 20 eggs.

A final shot at the end of those 10 days triggers ovulation, Klipstein said. The patient then undergoes anesthesia and eggs are removed with a needle that enters through the vagina under ultrasound guidance.

Eggs are then mixed with sperm in a lab and grown for five to six days. The best one is then implanted into the uterus.

A lab tech uses equipment employed for in vitro fertilization in this file photo. (Getty Images)

Usually, there are extra eggs leftover, Klipstein said. They can be donated, stored, discarded, or be placed in the uterus during a time that wont result in pregnancy. This is called compassionate transfer, Klipstein explained. In this process, youre sort of more physiologically, more naturally, allowing the embryos to reabsorb into the body.

Potash said the routine extra eggs make the process complicated if they are considered human beings by law. The Alabama Supreme Court set the precedent for that complication when it ruled in mid February that frozen embryos are children, as the Alabama Reflector reported.

Its unrealistic and cost prohibitive, as well as I think a little cruel, Potash said, to make those mothers keep those fertilized ova on ice, essentially, forever.

Klipstein agrees. What happens if someone stops paying or a storage facility closes, she asked. Do you require them to have more babies than they want? I mean, I dont think you can compel someone to get pregnant against their will to prevent them from discarding those embryos.

It would be nice if we had one embryo for one baby, and we could do it as a one to one ratio, she added. But, you know, medicine doesnt work that way. And IVF doesnt work that way.

Westerfield has a different perspective. Its hard for me to imagine someone going into that process without an awareness of the cost, he said.

IVF can cost between $15,000 and $30,000 per cycle, according to a 2023 article in Forbes. Storage can cost from $350 to $600 per year as well, the magazine reported.

There's nothing that I'm aware of  in the commonwealth that suggests that any aspect of IVF practice is illegal under Kentucky law.

 Judith Daar, dean of Northern Kentucky University's Chase College of Law

I dont think anybody goes into that without knowing whether or not they either can afford it, or have insurance to cover it, or what have you, Westerfield said.

He and his wife wouldnt have adopted as many embryos as they did, he said, if we thought we couldnt afford to keep this one on ice, frozen.

We wouldnt have done more than what we could transfer at a time, he said. We wouldnt have adopted three; we would have adopted one or maybe two.

Providers, parents in limbo

Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, filed one of several unsuccessful bills to protect IVF this session. She told the Lantern she is disappointed no specific protections passed.

It might be plausible, she said, that HB 159 does provide protection to IVF. But, she said: I dont think that its decisive.

The new law deals with criminal and not civil prosecution. That makes it unlikely to be applied to IVF, NKUs Daar said.

Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville. (LRC Public Information)

Instances of physicians acting in a criminal manner in the IVF setting is virtually non-existent, Daar said. Im not saying it never happens, but its very, very rare. So a bill that generalizes criminal immunity  would not have a tremendous impact, if any impact, on IVF because that conduct just doesnt occur.

For now, Chambers Armstrong is particularly worried about how providers view the law. She wants to spend the interim talking to those people ahead of the next session.

If IVF providers feel as though they have protection and this bill gives that to them, they will continue to offer services, she said. If they are concerned that theyre going to be subject to criminal liability for just doing their jobs, Im worried that were going to see a chilling of making those services available.

Meanwhile, she does think the state should repeal  language that people believe could give embryos rights, she said. But: I dont believe this General Assembly is going to do that anytime soon. I hope that people are correct when they say that we can provide some level of protection to IVF with those statutes on the books.

Rep. Daniel Grossberg, D-Louisville, said the legislature has left women and medical professionals in limbo. He filed one of the unsuccessful bills to protect the process, and the only one in the House.

The message that (this) sends, he said, is that women in Kentucky dont have control over their reproductive choices.

Lets be proactive

Rep. Lindsey Burke, D-Lexington, has openly discussed her journey with assault, infertility, IVF, miscarriage and abortion.

She told the Lantern she doesnt believe IVF is truly protected under current law.

As long as fetal personhood is enshrined in Kentucky law, IVF is at risk, said Burke, who is an attorney and mother of a son whom she had after undergoing IVF.

She is also paying $100 per month to store an embryo, as she hopes for another child someday.

Burke would like to file legislation to get better insurance coverage for reproductive care next year. She went into debt around $60,000 to have her son, she said. And: I dont think that anybody should have to do that.

Im not sure that were going to get an answer as to whether this bill provides the type of protection for IVF that were hoping (for) unless and until it is challenged in court and we get a decision from the court, said Chambers Armstrong, who is also a lawyer.

But she doesnt want to wait on litigation, she said.

Lets be proactive. Lets go ahead and pass a law that is very clear that its protecting IVF services and make sure that folks know that they can continue to receive the care that they have been seeking, Chambers Armstrong said.

That must wait until at least 2025.

The post Is IVF protected in Kentucky? Depends on whom you ask. appeared first on Kentucky Lantern.
Screenshot of Vice President Kamala Harris speaking in Jacksonville on May 1, 2024

Quality Journalism for Critical Times

A little more than 14 hours after a six-week abortion ban became the law of the land in Florida, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Jacksonville, where she put the responsibility for the new restrictions directly at the hands of former President Donald Trump.

As of this morning, 4 million women in this state woke up with fewer reproductive freedoms than they had last night. This is the new reality, under a Trump abortion ban, Harris said on Wednesday afternoon. Starting this morning women in Florida became subject to an abortion ban so extreme it applies before many women even know that they are pregnant. Which by the way tells us, the extremists who wrote this ban, either dont know how a womans body works, or they simply dont care.

While Democrats continue to push on Trump  who added three conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court during his tenure Floridas GOP-controlled Legislature approved the measure and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the rigid six-week abortion ban.

Harris appearance in Florida comes just eight days after President Joe Biden came to Tampa, and both of their speeches focused on the new abortion ban, which now will affect reproductive rights for women across the southern United States. With complete abortion bans in nearby states like Alabama and Mississippi, Florida had been a refuge of last resort for women in the Southeast to legally access an abortion, but that has now changed with the six-week ban now in effect.

Today 1 in 3 women of reproductive age live in a state with a Trump abortion ban, Harris said. Many with no exception for rape or incest.

She then told the audience that when she had begun her career as a prosecutor, she chose to specialize in working on crimes against women and children. She said the reason why that became her focus was because of a high school best friend who had been molested by her stepfather.

And one does not have to abandon their faith, or deeply held beliefs to agree, the government should not be telling her what to do! she said, generating the largest round of cheers in her 16-minute address.

In a TIME magazine interview published on Tuesday, Trump said abortion rights should be left to the states. But Democrats continue to insist that if he is elected again, the former president would sign a national abortion ban if such a bill came to his desk.

How do we know? Harris asked rhetorically. Congress tried to pass a national abortion ban in 2017, and the then-president Trump endorsed it, and promised to sign it if it got to his desk, she said.

Trump did say as recently as this past March that he was leaning toward a 15-week national ban on abortions, but ultimately announced he wanted to leave the choice with the states.

So heres what a second [Trump] term looks like, Harris said. More bans. More suffering. Less freedom.

She went on to cite how abortion rights measures have won at the polls every single time over the past two years in both red and blue states, proving that it is not a partisan issue, and she exhorted the crowd to make their voices heard when they vote on a constitutional amendment in Florida this fall. If it receives 60% support from voters, the measure would return a womans right to have an abortion up until the point of viability.

Among those who were seen at the event were Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, state Democratic lawmakers Fentrice Driskell and Tracie Davis and Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.

Florida Republicans weighed in after the speech, noting how Trump has led Biden in every public opinion survey taken in Florida over the past year.

Joe Biden is losing in Florida, and he knows it, said Republican National Committee spokesperson Rachel Lee. Despite Biden and Harris best attempts to gaslight voters, they know exactly who is to blame for soaring costs, a spiraling border crisis, and staggering crime rates across the country.

The Trump campaign blasted the Democrats as being the extreme party when it comes to the issue of abortion.

President Trump has long been consistent in supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion, said Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaigns national press secretary. Joe Biden and the Democrats are radically out of touch with the majority of Americans in their support for abortion up until birth and even after birth .

The post In Jacksonville, VP Kamala Harris says abortion rights are a fight for freedom appeared first on Florida Phoenix.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at his office in Tokyo Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Kishida acknowledged Tuesday that his governing party's major defeat in the weekend's by-elections was due to a slush fund scandal, but said he would not step down or replace party executives to take responsibility. (Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO (AP)  Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday that he will stress the need for a rules-based international order in the face of global challenges and tensions when he attends a meeting of the Organizations for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

Kishida began a six-day trip abroad in Paris, where he is scheduled to give a keynote speech on Thursday, the first of a two-day OECD ministerial meeting, which will be chaired by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa.

I would like to stress that Japan will take a leading role in creating and strengthening a free, fair and rules-based international economic order, Kishida told reporters at Tokyo's Haneda international airport.

Kishida said he also plans to step up an effort to support emerging countries, especially those in the Indo-Pacific region, to join the OECD, whose 38 member nations are mostly developed Western economies. Japan and South Korea are the only two East Asia members, and both Indonesia and Thailand want to join the OECD.

Kishida is also expected to propose a multinational framework to discuss the development and use of AI and its spread of disinformation.

This year also marks the 60th anniversary of Japan's joining of the OECD.

Kishida will also visit Brazil and Paraguay, as Japan seeks to deepen relations with emerging and developing nations that Tokyo considers share common values and democratic principles.

Brazil chairs the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging-market nations.

Kishida said he hopes to discuss cooperation in economy, space, information and communication between Japan and Paraguay when he hold talks with Paraguayan President Santiago Pena.

Kishida said he is also bringing a 170-member business mission that includes executives from 50 companies to the two South American nations.
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ark.  A growing controversy in Jefferson County has led to a lawsuit over the countys failure to pay employees.

Assessor Gloria Tillman is suing Judge Gerald Robinson over county employees unpaid wages. The lawsuit was filed in the countys circuit court on April 30, the same day wages were not distributed.

Jefferson County clerk speaks out on payroll delay, disagreement

The lawsuit, filed as a class action to represent all the employees impacted, states that Robinson did not authorize payroll for no legal reason in violation of the Arkansas Minimum Wage Act.

The suit asks for at least $750,000, both to cover payroll and to pay for damages. The county payroll is approximately $400,000 per month.

Robinson said earlier that he refused to sign the payroll claim authorizing payroll distribution because of two names on the claim, both employees of the assessors office. The first person filed a claim for accumulated sick leave, and the second is a relative of Tillmans. In total the payroll impact of the two is $4,866.65.

Community members speak out amid Jefferson County payroll controversy

In a Wednesday afternoon email, Tillman explained the situation with the two employees in her office

The first was an employee who had an accumulated sick leave claim from a 48-year county employee who had a short break in her employment while an elected official. Her sick leave claim was from January through April for time she had rightly accumulated while an employee, Tillman wrote.

The second employee is a relation of Tillmans she admitted, but was employed by her office before she was elected and did not report to her, both in keeping with county law. Tillman said she had checked with Robinson before assuming office and had been told at the time that having a relative in the office under those terms was not a problem.

Jefferson County judge approves payroll after denying it 3 times, causing financial uncertainty for county employees

Robinson has claimed that the accumulated sick leave is past the time it can be claimed and that a relative of an elected official may not work in that officials office.

Robinson initially filed a court order removing the two from the payroll, but County Clerk Shawndra Taggart said in a Monday email that neither she nor the judge are empowered to remove or change any elected officials payroll submission for their employees.

Jefferson County judge responds to payroll controversy, layoffs

On May 1, the day after the originally scheduled payday, Robinson issued an order to pay county employees using paper checks but to withhold the checks for the two employees he is disputing.

Jefferson County judge told us he is signing off on the payroll. Pay will be distributed by paper checks. He filed a court order to have the County Clerk hold the paychecks of 2 employees. We are waiting to hear from County Clerk since this has been filed. @KARK4News @FOX16News pic.twitter.com/Nd9dSLYUXz  Caroline Derby (@CarolineWDerby) May 1, 2024

On Wednesday afternoon, Taggert said she could not honor the judges order withholding the two checks and instead distributed all employee checks to department heads, including Tillman in the assessors office.

Photos of county offices show many empty as employees did not show up for work on Wednesday.

Empty county offices in Jefferson County, May 1, 2024 (Caroline Derby)

Empty county offices in Jefferson County, May 1, 2024 (Caroline Derby)

Empty county offices in Jefferson County, May 1, 2024 (Caroline Derby)

This same dispute led to the county almost missing its April 15 payday for the same reason. In that case, Robinson relented and signed the claim just in time for that payday to take place.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  More efforts are being made to aid asylum seekers in Erie County.

On Wednesday morning, Jewish Family Services (JFS) announced plans to partner with New York City to help get migrants living in Western New York out of hotels and into more permanent housing.

At no cost to local taxpayers, Jewish Family Services intends to enter into a $22.4 million contract with New York City, with the city footing the bill. The program specifically aims to help 539 asylum seekers in Amherst and Cheektowaga with housing, and also provide support services as they get integrated into the community.

JFS CEO Molly Carr says the organization is not limited in regards to geographics, but is aiming to get the migrants into housing where public transportation is easily accessible. They hope to get everyone re-settled within nine months, but Carr noted that it could take up to a year.

It is extremely diverse and these are all individuals who have individual needs, Carr said.

This new route of assistance for migrants would be a transition away from DocGo, which Ryan says New York City has been paying more to get asylum seekers into hotels.

As opposed to paying that private company money to put people in hotels, at a cost of $50,000 per year just for the hotel room for one person, theyre going to transition that into a full range of services, he says of the contract with Jewish Family Services.

Love and Basketball: Emotional journey leads UB womens coach Becky Burke and her wife into parenthood

The transition of services from DocGo to JFS is anticipated to take place over the summer.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been a controversial figure in the effort to house migrants, with the city appearing to have taken on more than it can handle.

Its clear, New York City was facing a crisis, Ryan said Wednesday morning.

It was this past June when dozens of asylum seekers came from New Yorks biggest city to Cheektowaga, with hundreds more arriving later in Erie County. Some local leaders, including County Executive Mark Poloncarz, embraced them with open arms.

But the arrival of these migrants was met with controversy. A number of other local leaders critiqued the decision to bring asylum seekers here, especially in light of arrests that took place over the summer.

Tim Kennedy declares victory in NY-26 special election

New York State has pointed fingers at NYCs handling of the crisis. This past August, legal counsel representing Gov. Kathy Hochul, essentially, said that the city could have done better, citing the help Adams has received from New York State and the strain the city has put on state resources.

The City has not made timely requests for regulatory changes, has not always promptly shared necessary information with the State, has not implemented programs in a timely manner, and has not consulted the State before taking certain actions, an excerpt from the counsels letter to NYCs 81st Corporation Counsel reads.

And at the federal level, there have been bipartisan calls for action.

NY-23 Congressman and former New York Republican State Committee Chairman Nick Langworthy said This crisis is a result of President Bidens dangerous open border policies and the sanctuary state policies of Albany Democrats.

Hochul, the most powerful voice in New York State, previously said it was past time for President Joe Biden to take action on the situation.

Asylum seeker shares his experience living in WNY

The reality is, weve managed thus far without substantive support from Washington, despite the fact that this is a nation and inherently a federal issue, Hochul said in August, after DocGo said 100,000 migrants had come to NYC.

Its been months since any new asylum seekers have been sent to the Buffalo area by New York City.

We are not here to solve the migrant crisis, Carr said Wednesday morning. We are here to help manage and alleviate the crisis.

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Evan Anstey is an Associated Press Award, JANY Award and Emmy-nominated digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) brushed off Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes (R-Ga.) sharpened threat to force a vote to oust him from his post, in an interview set to air in full Wednesday on NewsNations The Hill.

I dont think she is proving to be, no, Johnson said in a preview of the interview, which was taped Tuesday night, when asked if he thinks Greene is a serious lawmaker.

I dont spend a lot of time thinking about her, the Speaker continued. I got to do my job, and we do the right thing, and we let the chips fall where they may. That is my philosophy. That is how we are governing.

The full interview will air at 6 p.m. Wednesday on NewsNations The Hill.

His defiance comes ahead of a scheduled news conference Wednesday morning in which Greene is expected to address her motion to vacate resolution, which she initially filed in late March. For weeks, the Georgia Republican has declined to force a vote on the motion, even after Johnson championed more aid for Ukraine, which she opposed.

Democratic leaders announced Tuesday that they would provide the votes to shield Johnson from a potential conservative coup, prompting Greene to vow to bring her resolution to the floor. Still, she did not say when it would happen.

If the Democrats want to elect him Speaker (and some Republicans want to support the Democrats chosen Speaker), Ill give them the chance to do it, Greene wrote in a long post on social platform X.

Im a big believer in recorded votes because putting Congress on record allows every American to see the truth and provides transparency to our votes, she continued. Americans deserve to see the Uniparty on full display. Im about to give them their coming out party!

The House made history nearly seven months ago by ousting former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who then resigned from Congress at the end of last year.

Johnson, in the interview, vowed to press ahead with a conservative agenda.

We are going to keep the train on the tracks and show the American people not just what we are against, but what we are for, the Speaker said. That there is a conservative agenda that is necessary to get the country back on the right track, and the way for us to do that is to keep and grow the House majority.

Descending into chaos and closing the House down and vacating the chair again is exactly the opposite of what needs to happen, he added.

Updated at 9:50 a.m. EDT

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday it has offered to pay $6.5 billion to settle allegations that its talc products caused cancer, a key step in the pharmaceutical giant potentially resolving decades of litigation over what was once one of the most widely used consumer products in the U.S.

The proposal is aimed at ending a protracted legal battle stemming from thousands of lawsuits that accused J&J of selling products that allegedly led women to develop ovarian cancer, in some cases causing their death.

J&J maintains that its talc products are safe. But the company stopped selling talc-based items in 2020, and two years later announced plans to cease sales of the product worldwide.

The company said the proposal would settle 99.75% of the pending talc lawsuits in the U.S. The legal actions not covered by the proposal relate to mesothelioma, a rare cancer that affects the lungs and other organs. The company said it would address those suits outside the proposed settlement.

"The Plan is the culmination of our consensual resolution strategy that we announced last October," Erik Haas, worldwide vice president of litigation for J&J, said in a statement Wednesday. "Since then, the Company has worked with counsel representing the overwhelming majority of talc claimants to bring this litigation to a close, which we expect to do through this plan."

Johnson & Johnson made its settlement offer as part of a bankruptcy reorganization plan for a subsidiary, LLT Management, that J&J said would give ovarian claimants three months to vote for or against the plan.

While the majority of law firms support the plan, attorneys for some plaintiffs dismissed the settlement offer, saying "would cheat victims legitimately harmed by talc."

"We believe any bankruptcy based on this solicitation and vote will be found fraudulent and filed in bad faith under the Bankruptcy Code," Andy Birchfield, head of the Mass Torts Section at the Beasley Allen Law Firm, said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. "On behalf of our clients who deserve better, we are blowing the whistle on this cynical legal tactic and will resist it at every turn."

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Rhode Island Beef and Veal in Johnston is shown in 2019. (Google)

A Johnston slaughterhouse will pay a $20,000 fine and spend three years on federal probation for selling fraudulently labeled beef in 2019, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced Tuesday.

U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroys ruling had probation time twice as long as the 18 months that the Rhode Island Beef and Veals lawyers argued would be appropriate for their client.

The Court should impose a sentence that deters similar misconduct but does not threaten the existence of a struggling company with no prior criminal history, argued Gary G. Pelletier, Beef and Veals attorney, wrote in an April 29 sentencing memorandum.

In entering into the agreement with Rhode Island Beef and Veal, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) recognized the value of the company as one of the only  if not the only beef processing plants in Southern New England  and sought to fashion a solution that will allow the company to survive and make a profit, Pelletier wrote, and added that the company has operated at a loss since 2019.

Rhode Island Beef and Veal caught the feds attention that same year during a visit from USDA inspectors. Two major events in the butchering process need to comply with USDA standards. First, is the slaughter itself. Second is the packaging process.

It was here that they ran afoul of the law, Pelletier wrote of the packing process.

During the August 2019 inspection, a USDA official noted the presence of rodents at the butchering plant and issued a suspension. But Rhode Island Beef and Veal had an emergency beef order from Soeltl Farms in Salem, Connecticut. To fulfill that order, the Johnston slaughterhouse ignored the suspension, and slapped USDA inspection stamps onto the beef that had been approved but not stamped by the USDA.

While the company certainly acknowledges the wrongfulness of its conduct, this is not a situation where the businesss misdeeds harmed anyone, Pelletier wrote. Nothing suggests that the company placed unsavory beef into commerce; rather, the company did not abide by the rules when it undertook actions to satisfy the needs of a longstanding customer in Connecticut.

The falsely labeled Connecticut shipment was found during a subsequent USDA inspection a week later. A supervisor at Beef and Veal again found employees cutting meat and applying USDA stamps without the appropriate inspector present.

The supervisor retained 10 beef carcasses and twenty pounds of falsely marked ground beef, Pelletier recounted. The companys management destroyed the beef confiscated by the supervisor.

Pelletier noted the company has not had any civil or criminal violations since 2019, and has worked with the USDA since then to ensure adherence with federal protocol.

Micheal A. Quattrucci, one of the owners of Rhode Island Beef and Veal, admitted in federal court last year that the slaughterhouse had falsely applied inspection stickers to some slaughterhouse products.

The post Johnston beef slaughterhouse fined $20K, given probation for violating Federal Meat Inspection Act appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Jon Mark Weathers returns to the University of Southern Mississippi's Office of General Counsel after an eight-year absence.

After serving eight years on the bench in Mississippi's 12th Circuit, judge Jon Mark Weathers returned this week to the role of general counsel for the University of Southern Mississippi.

I appreciate the opportunity to return to Southern Miss as general counsel and look forward to assisting Dr. Paul in his journey as president and rejoining my colleagues in the General Counsel's Office, Weathers said in a news release.

Weathers worked in the Office of General Counsel from 2010 to 2016, when he was elected to the newly created position on the bench, joining Judge Bob Helfrich in serving Forrest and Perry counties.

I am thrilled to welcome the Honorable Jon Mark Weathers back home to Southern Miss, President Joe Paul said in a news release. His extensive legal experience, along with his knowledge of the university, makes him the perfect person for this role at this time. He will undoubtedly guide us well in our journey to the top.

Bob Gholson, who currently holds the position, will officially retire June 7, after eight years with the university's legal office.

"The retirement of Counsel Gholson is a bittersweet celebration for me, as his friendship and leadership have been vital to the success of Southern Miss for eight years," Paul said. "However, I am grateful for Judge Weathers eager return to a position he previously held for five years with honor and distinction."

Gov. Tate Reeves will appoint a judge to fill Weathers' seat until a special election can be held in November 2025 to fill the remainder of Weathers' term, which ends in December 2026.

"I appreciated working with Jon Mark when he was district attorney and also when he came back as judge," Helfrich said. "Southern is gaining an asset. I hate to see him go."

Weathers was elected district attorney in the 12th Circuit, where he served from 1976 to 1980 and again from 2003 to 2010, to work at Southern Miss the first time. He practiced civil litigation between stints as district attorney.

He attended the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Weathers is a lifelong resident of Hattiesburg and a 1970 graduate of Southern Miss. He and his wife, Peggy, have two children and six grandchildren.

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on X @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Jon Mark Weathers steps down from bench, returns to USM
JOPLIN, Mo.  The Joplin School Board says a bill passed by both the Missouri legislature could jeopardize the financial future of the school district.

In a resolution signed by members of the Joplin Board of Education, the board asks the governor to veto Senate Bill 727.

That legislation has several components dealing with education, like increasing teacher pay. If signed into law, the minimum teacher salary  state wide  would go from $25,000 a year to $40,000 a year beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.

By the following school year, it would increase minimum teacher pay to $48,000 a year.

The Joplin Board of Education says these would be unfunded mandates, and that the state cant guarantee ongoing funding for existing educational expenses, like transportation.

We know that the majority of our funding comes from people right here in Jasper and Newton counties, and from peoples personal property tax, but at the end of the day theres still almost 18% of our funding thats coming from the state of Missouri, and we know that if that money isnt there, then were going to have to cut services and other items that may be here in the district and move money from local funding to cover the state funds that are currently coming from Jefferson City, said Rylee Hartwell, Joplin BOE President.

Senate Bill 727 has been passed by both the house and senate, and sent to Governor Mike Parson for consideration. Theres no word on if, or when, he could sign the bill into law.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been imprisoned in London for five years, while Texas journalist Priscilla Villarreal was only briefly detained at the Webb County Jail. But both were arrested for publishing information that government officials wanted to conceal.

Assange and Villarreal argue that criminalizing such conduct violates the First Amendment. In both cases, the merits of that claim have been obscured by the constitutionally irrelevant question of who qualifies as a "real" journalist.

Assange, an Australian citizen, is fighting extradition to the United States based on a federal indictment that charges him with violating the Espionage Act by obtaining and publishing classified documents that former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning leaked in 2010. He has already spent about as much time behind bars as federal prosecutors say he would be likely to serve if convicted.

President Joe Biden says he is "considering" the Australian government's request to drop the case against Assange. But mollifying a U.S. ally is not the only reason to reconsider this prosecution, which poses a grave threat to freedom of the press by treating common journalistic practices as crimes.

All but one of the 17 charges against Assange relate to obtaining or disclosing "national defense information," which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Yet all the news organizations that published stories based on the confidential State Department cables and military files that Manning leaked are guilty of the same crimes.

More generally, obtaining and publishing classified information is the bread and butter of reporters who cover national security. John Demers, then head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, implicitly acknowledged that reality in 2019, when he assured reporters they needn't worry about the precedent set by this case because Assange is "no journalist."

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit took a similarly dim view of Villarreal in January, when it dismissed her lawsuit against the Laredo prosecutors and police officers who engineered her 2017 arrest. They claimed she had violated Section 39.06(c) of the Texas Penal Code, an obscure law that makes it a felony to solicit or obtain nonpublic information from a government official with "intent to obtain a benefit."

The cops said Villarreal committed that crime by asking Laredo police officer Barbara Goodman to confirm information about a public suicide and a fatal car crash. As interpreted by the Laredo Police Department, Section 39.06(c) sweeps even more broadly than the Espionage Act, making a felon out of any reporter who seeks information that is deemed exempt from disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act.

Gliding over the alarming implications of making it a crime for reporters to ask questions, the 5th Circuit dismissed the idea that Villarreal is "a martyr for the sake of journalism." The majority opinion by Judge Edith Jones dripped with contempt for Villarreal, an independent, uncredentialed journalist who posts her unfiltered reports on Facebook instead of publishing vetted and edited stories in a "mainstream, legitimate" news outlet.

Seemingly oblivious to what quotidian news reporting across the country entails, Jones faulted Villarreal for relying on a "backchannel source" and for "capitaliz[ing] on others' tragedies to propel her reputation and career." But like the judgment that Assange is "no journalist," such criticism fundamentally misconstrues freedom of the press, which applies to anyone who engages in mass communication.

The 5th Circuit's decision provoked four dissents authored or joined by seven judges, and it is not hard to see why. "If the First Amendment means anything," Judge James C. Ho wrote, "surely it means that citizens have the right to question or criticize public officials without fear of imprisonment."

In a petition it filed on Villarreal's behalf last week, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression urges the U.S. Supreme Court to vindicate that right. "Villarreal went to jail for basic journalism," it notes. "Whatever one may make of Villarreal's journalistic ethics, they are of no constitutional significance."

 Copyright 2024 by Creators Syndicate Inc.

The post Journalism Is Not a Crime, Even When It Offends the Government appeared first on Reason.com.
Journalists to be allowed into Ukrainian parliament for the first time since the full-scale invasion

The Head of the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat, Viacheslav Shtuchnyi, announced that journalists will again be allowed access to the parliament during sessions. After Easter (5 May), a special briefing will be held with media representatives.

Source: Ukrinform

Quote from Shtuchnyi: "We are returning to the practice that was in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the sessions of the Verkhovna Rada in the building, 20-30 representatives of the media will be allowed in. Journalists have already submitted applications for accreditation. We are ready to conduct additional accreditation. After Easter, we will gather journalists for a briefing on their presence in the parliament."

Details: Additionally, Ruslan Stefanchuk, Head of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stressed that the legislative body operates under martial law and may, therefore, be considered a target by one of the decision-making centres. "We face risks that are confirmed monthly by relevant letters from the security services," he said.

In light of this, Valentyna Savitska, a representative of the State Security Department, noted that it will be necessary to properly verify those media representatives who will be allowed into the parliament building. "Previously, over 4,000 journalists were accredited to the Verkhovna Rada," she reminded.

"We need to form a pool of journalists who hold themselves to high reputational standards," Stefanchuk emphasised.

For reference: Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, journalists have been denied access to the Verkhovna Rada building. Additionally, parliamentary sessions are not broadcast live.

Background: At the end of 2023, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament's Committee on Freedom of Speech, announced that the Verkhovna Rada's apparatus was developing a mechanism for re-accreditation of media representatives, which would further facilitate improvement in their access to work in the parliament.

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A judge limited former Republican governor Matt Bevins access to the house where his estranged wife, Glenna Bevin, lives this week after she alleged that he regularly followed her around in the home, asking her questions about their divorce case.

Glenna Bevin called the former governors behavior aggressive and unsettling in an affidavit attached to an order seeking exclusive use of the home they co-own in Anchorage. She described Matt Bevins behavior in the home as disruptive to the household, as hed stay for hours against her wishes, following her into bedrooms and bathrooms and not leaving until after she goes to bed.

The ruling from Jefferson Circuit Judge Angela Johnson came after a motion from Glenna Bevin asked for exclusive use of the Anchorage home, that the two communicate only through a parenting phone application, that Glenna receive half the funds from the sale of another Jefferson County home last year and to hold the former governor in contempt for a failure to answer discovery.

Johnson granted Glenna Bevins motion on all counts except the last.

Matt Bevin was not held in contempt, with Johnson noting that such an order would be premature.

Johnson cited his hesitancy in producing certain discovery documents due to the risk of having confidential information about the family exposed because of their status as former governor and first lady.

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Glenna Bevin currently lives in the pairs Anchorage house with two of their children, one adult and one minor. Matt Bevin primarily lives in another home they co-own in Jefferson County. As part of the order, Johnson ruled that the Anchorage home be listed for sale within 60 days of the order.

Johnson gave Bevin one week to retrieve essential items like clothes and work-related things, he needs from the house. After that, he will have to seek permission from his wife or a judge before reentry.

The former first lady filed for divorce last May citing an irretrievably broken marriage, and the couple has been separated for more than a year.

While Glenna Bevin remains in their Anchorage residence with their minor child, Matt Bevin has relocated to another property in the same city. The ruling noted that Matt Bevin had not slept in the Anchorage home in two years, using that fact as reason to side with Glenna Bevin in her request.

The order cast Matt Bevin as a caring father who has yet to come to terms with the divorce.

Johnson wrote that the former governor seems to be a caring father that is trying to maintain as much a sense of normalcy as possible while the divorce proceeds. While (Matt Bevin) admitted that he did not want the divorce, (he) seems to be trying to keep the parties relationship and maintain a business as usual environment. However, the truth of the matter is that the parties are getting a divorce.

Normalcy and the business as usual environment are gone.

Matt Bevin, 57, was Kentuckys Republican governor from 2015 to 2019. He was defeated in his re-election bid by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

Bevin teased at another run for governor this year, including a dramatic appearance at the state Capitol shortly before the candidate filing deadline, but he drove off after giving a speech to reporters.
Iowa Workforce Development manages unemployment claims filed on behalf of Iowans. (Photo by Getty Images, logo courtesy the State of Iowa)

A worker at a Davenport home for people with disabilities cannot collect jobless benefits after being fired for abusing and stealing from the homes residents, a judge has ruled.

State records indicate Tavita Smith-Williams, 56, of Bettendorf, was employed by REM Iowa Community Services of Davenport as a full-time direct support professional from 2020 until she was fired on March 11, 2024. As part of her job, Smith-Williams worked three 13-hour shifts per week in a small, residential group home in Davenport, assisting three adult women with disabilities.

At a recent state hearing, REM managers alleged that in February 2024, one of the three resident clients complained that Smith-Williams had been hostile and had yelled at her; had called her a lesbian for occasionally sleeping in the room of another resident; had been unable at times to assist her with medications; was taking baths in the home; and was walking around the home in her bra and underwear.

The resident also alleged Smith-Williams had been cooking and eating the residents food without their permission and was occasionally on her phone and swerving through traffic while driving the residents on errands.

In addition, Smith-Williams had allegedly used a residents food-stamp benefits to purchase items for herself and was having her personal mail delivered to the home while instructing the residents to watch for the deliveries.

The two other residents of the home allegedly corroborated the complainants version of events, saying Smith-Williams was hostile, verbally abusive and had used the residents money to purchase a phone charger for her own use. They also alleged there was some sort of transfer of funds between one resident and Smith-Williams in connection with a gasoline purchase, and said Smith-Williams was keeping a basket of her own clothes inside a closet at the home.

When interviewed by REM management, Smith-Wiliams allegedly denied many, but not all, of the allegations, saying she was having her mail delivered to the home because she was in the process of moving. She denied being hostile, but reportedly confirmed using a residents money to purchase a phone charger. She allegedly confirmed she had used a residents money to purchase food for herself, but asserted she had repaid the resident for the expense.

REM fired Smith-Williams, citing dependent-adult abuse laws that pertain to financial exploitation and verbal abuse.

Smith-Williams subsequently collected $4,074 in unemployment benefits. REM appealed the decision to pay benefits, which led to a hearing before Administrative Law Judge James Timberland. The judge recently ruled that Smith-Williams was ineligible for jobless benefits and ordered her to repay what she had already collected.

The weight of the evidence establishes that (Smith-Williams) knowingly violated several reasonable and uniformly enforced employer policies, Timberland ruled. These include stealing food, money, and supplemental food benefits from the clients (and) verbally abusing one or more of the clients in her care.

Smith-Williams could not be reached for comment. Court records indicate no criminal charges have been filed in the case.

In 2015, prior to working for REM, Smith-Williams was convicted of theft for stealing $579 worth of merchandise from a JC Penney store.

The post Judge: Iowa woman stole from and abused her disabled clients appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
With two weeks to go until Sen. Bob Menendezs federal bribery and corruption trial is set to begin, the federal judge overseeing the case has made a request: Stop wasting time.

Menendez, his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, and two of their initial co-defendants, New Jersey businessman Wael Hana and North Jersey developer Fred Daibes, face 18 counts brought by federal prosecutors. The counts include conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice, amid allegations that Menendez was working to benefit Egypt and Qatar.

Menendez's attorney made a motion last week to require the government to comply with the court's decision to disclose the pretrial exhibit list. The attorney argued in his letter to U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein that the government didn't disclose the actual exhibits it intends to offer at trial. Instead, it provided a list identifying over 38,000 possible exhibits.

Senator Bob Menendez is shown as he walks toward federal court in the Southern District of New York, in lower Manhattan, Monday, October 23, 2023.

The trial is set to begin on May 13 for Menendez, Hana and Daibes  a week later than initially planned because of a delay over negotiations regarding the potential testimony of Hana's lawyer. Arslanian's trial will begin this summer after her case was severed from the others' due to an unknown medical diagnosis.

In a handwritten note, Stein denied Menendez's motion on Monday.

"The parties are directed to avoid needless motion practice, which wastes everyone's time," Stein wrote.

Several motions have been made by all parties since the first indictment dropped in September. In April, Stein addressed the pending motions in a pretrial conference. The judge denied a request to transfer the case to New Jersey and determined the motion to sever the case of Arslanian and Menendez as moot, as well as motions related to evidence and dismissal of parts of the indictment.

Blaming Nadine?: Bob Menendez's defense may blame wife Nadine Arslanian Menendez in federal bribery charges

What is alleged in the Menendez case?

The group was initially indicted last fall alongside a third businessman, Jose Uribe. He has since changed his not guilty plea to guilty and agreed to cooperate.

Menendez and his wife allegedly received, among other things, cash, gold bars and a luxury car in exchange for the use of his political influence.

More than $480,000 in cash was found in envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets and a safe at Menendez's home during a search by investigators in June 2022, according to the indictment. Investigators said they also found more than $70,000 in Arslanian's safe deposit box. The indictment includes photos of cash said to be found in the clothes, including a windbreaker with Menendez's name stitched on it.

Some of the envelopes contained the fingerprints or DNA of Daibes  a longtime political donor to Menendez  and Daibes' driver, the indictment says. Investigators also discovered in the home more than $100,000 worth of gold bars, which were provided by Hana or Daibes, the indictment says.

Both Menendez and Arslanian tried to have the warrant that led to the discovery of the gold bars dismissed, but that motion was denied.

Menendez could pin his defense strategy on his wife, according to filings made earlier this year. Newly unredacted sections show that Menendez wanted the trials separated so that Arslanian could not assert marital privilege over information that could excuse or absolve Menendez and that as part of his defense, Senator Menendez may elect to testify to communications with his wife that may inculpate Nadine by demonstrating the ways in which she withheld information from Senator Menendez or otherwise led him to believe that nothing unlawful was taking place.

The memo specifically notes that this could include information about dinners with Egyptian officials and explanations for monetary items from Hana and Uribe.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bob Menendez trial: Judge warns lawyers not to waste time with motions
A federal judge has rebuked Trader Joes for filing a meritless trademark claim against its workers union and ordered the grocer to cover the unions legal fees as a deterrent against similar litigation.

The company had claimed that Trader Joes United, a new union representing employees at four stores, violated Trader Joes trademarks through its name and logo. But U.S. District Judge Hernan D. Vera dismissed the lawsuit in January, finding that Trader Joes had tried to weaponize the legal system against its own workers.

In a new order issued Tuesday, Vera went a step further and said Trader Joes should have to pay more than $112,000 in attorneys fees for the union. He wrote that the trademark claim was notable for its lack of substantive merit, and reiterated his belief that Trader Joes never would have filed it if it wasnt battling the union in an organizing campaign.

Employers should be discouraged from bringing meritless claims against unions they are challenging at the ballot boxU.S. District Judge Hernan D. Vera

Employersshould be discouraged from bringing meritless claims against unions they are challenging at the ballot box, he wrote.

A Trader Joes spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

Union attorney Seth Goldstein said the order should put employers who would pursue similar claims on notice. Goldstein and one other lawyer for the union will be paid by Trader Joes under Veras order.

This is a very, very good day for labor because companies are now being told that you cant use trademark law and other types of cases to try to deter workers from organizing, Goldstein said. If the company wants to continue this frivolous exercise then theyre going to have to pay for it.

Trader Joe's United has said the company's trademark infringement lawsuit was meant to bog the union down in costly litigation. John Greim via Getty Images

Trader Joes has appealed Veras dismissal of the case from January, and Goldstein said the company could pursue a stay against the order to pay the unions attorneys fees. But such litigation could end up only increasing the companys legal tab with union.

Trader Joes is not the only company to pursue trademark litigation against a staff union.

Medieval Times and Starbucks filed similar claims against Medieval Times Performers United and Starbucks Workers United, respectively, alleging they could dilute the brands with their names and logos. In all three cases, the unions criticized the claims as an effort to intimidate them and bog them down in costly litigation.

If the company wants to continue this frivolous exercise then theyre going to have to pay for it.Seth Goldstein, attorney for Trader Joe's United

Trader Joes brought its lawsuit against the union last July. It claimed the goods the union was selling in its online store, such as a reusable shopping bag that says Trader Joes United, could confuse customers and lead to significant reputational harm for the grocer.

Vera, however, found it highly unlikely that a customer would conflate the unions merchandise with that of the grocer, noting that it could only be bought from the unions online store. In his order Tuesday, Vera said the companys claim that it was worried about its brand being hurt cannot be taken seriously.

Setting aside the Unions use of the name Trader Joes ... all that remains are two red concentric circles, Vera wrote of the logos. And even those concentric circles are of different ratios.

Related...
TEHRAN, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Burkina Faso's Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachimson Kyelem de Tambela met in Tehran on Wednesday to discuss the expansion of bilateral relations across various sectors, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

During the talks, the officials reviewed potential areas for enhancing comprehensive ties between their nations. Amir-Abdollahian expressed satisfaction with the progress made in bilateral relations and emphasized the importance of implementing agreements in trade, industry, science, technology, and tourism.

For his part, Kyelem de Tambela said he was pleased with the "positive" outcomes of his visit to Iran and negotiations with high-ranking Iranian officials.

His visit was motivated by a desire to deepen the understanding of Iran's civilization, culture, and advancements, reflecting his government's commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, the prime minister noted.

He also commended Iran for its political independence and progress in infrastructure, economy, trade, science, technology, and technical services.

Heading a delegation, Kyelem de Tambela arrived in Iran on April 24 to participate in the second International Economic Conference of Iran and Africa, held from April 26 to 29, and the 6th Export Potential Exhibition of Iran, known as Iran Expo 2024, which concluded on Wednesday. 
Key Insights

Clariant's significant individual investors ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public

A total of 8 investors have a majority stake in the company with 50% ownership

23% of Clariant is held by Institutions

A look at the shareholders of Clariant AG (VTX:CLN) can tell us which group is most powerful. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 39% to be precise, is individual investors. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

As a result, individual investors were the biggest beneficiaries of last weeks 4.2% gain.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Clariant, beginning with the chart below.

See our latest analysis for Clariant

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Clariant?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

Clariant already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Clariant's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Clariant is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Saudi Arabian Oil Company with 32% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 3.8% and 3.5%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

On further inspection, we found that more than half the company's shares are owned by the top 8 shareholders, suggesting that the interests of the larger shareholders are balanced out to an extent by the smaller ones.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.

Insider Ownership Of Clariant

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

Story continues

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in Clariant AG. This is a big company, so it is good to see this level of alignment. Insiders own CHF107m worth of shares (at current prices). It is good to see this level of investment by insiders. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

With a 39% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Clariant. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 3.5%, of the shares on issue. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private company.

Public Company Ownership

It appears to us that public companies own 32% of Clariant. It's hard to say for sure but this suggests they have entwined business interests. This might be a strategic stake, so it's worth watching this space for changes in ownership.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Take risks for example - Clariant has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
North Dakota Rep. Jason Dockter, R-Bismarck, participates in a special session of the Legislature on Oct. 23, 2023. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

A judge presiding over the upcoming trial of a state lawmaker for an ethics-related charge on Tuesday denied a request by the defense to limit evidence related to votes cast by the legislator in 2021.

Rep. Jason Dockter, R-Bismarck, was charged in December with a misdemeanor crime alleging he violated state law by voting on legislation he had a financial interest in.

The representative has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge. His attorney has previously declined interview requests.

At the center of the case is a Bismarck building partially owned by Dockter and leased to the Attorney Generals Office and the North Dakota Department of Health.

The lease to the AGs office originally came together during Attorney General Wayne Stenehjems tenure. Dockter helped coordinate the deal, a 2022 report by the state auditor showed. The representative was a friend of Stenehjems and previously served as his campaign treasurer. Stenehjem died in office in 2022.

During the 2021 regular session, Dockter voted on both the Attorney Generals Office budget and the Department of Health budget, according to the Legislatures website.

In 2023, the representative again voted on the Department of Health budget, but wasnt present for votes on the Attorney Generals Office budget.

In a Monday hearing, Dockters attorney, Lloyd Suhr, argued that evidence related to the 2021 votes should be analyzed according to rules governing alleged prior bad acts because they lie outside the states two-year statute of limitations for the prosecution of misdemeanors.

South Central Judicial District Judge Bobbi Weiler denied Suhrs request, concluding that evidence related to the 2021 votes is part of the conduct leading up to Dockters vote during the 2023 session.

Evidence regarding the 2021 votes explains the circumstances and the context of the crime charged because the 2021 votes, and the 2023 vote, all relate to Mr. Dockter allegedly taking official actions likely to benefit himself financially, she wrote in the Tuesday order.

The case is scheduled for a jury trial on Friday starting at 9 a.m. in the Burleigh County Courthouse.

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The post Judge rules on evidence issue in upcoming lawmaker trial appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
A judge ruled Tuesday that some of North Carolinas restrictions on the distribution of abortion pills are unlawful, citing arguments over the drug mifepristone that bypassed federal regulators.

In her order, U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles in Greensboro granted a partial victory to the plaintiff, a physician who sued the state over the regulations for concerns around the pill that were not addressed by the Food and Drug Administration, The Associated Press reported.

Some restrictions on the drug that have not been expressly reviewed and rejected by the FDA  such as requiring an in-person consultation 72 hours before an abortion, an in-person examination, and an ultrasound before prescribing the drug  are allowed to remain in the state, Eagles wrote.

The judge noted the state-level laws also hinder Congress from creating a federal regulation for mifepristone.

The Court finds and concludes that to the extent North Carolina law imposes safety restrictions on the distribution of the drug that the FDA has implemented and then later affirmatively rejected and removed, those laws frustrate the congressional goal of establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework under which the FDA determines conditions for safe drug distribution that do not create unnecessary burdens on the health care system or patient access, Eagles wrote.

The lawsuit was filed Jan. 25, 2023, by Dr. Amy Bryant, alleging it was unconstitutional for North Carolinas government to impose regulations on medication abortion because the federal government already had through the FDA.

Following Eagless ruling, Bryant released a statement saying she was pleased the judge recognized the state cant impose all restrictions on the FDA-approved medication.

Bryant said the states restrictions second-guess or interfere with the FDAs expert judgment, and that many of North Carolinas restrictions on mifepristone are preempted  including requirements that mifepristone be prescribed, dispensed, and administered in person, and the mandatory in-person follow-up appointments and laws that restrict nurse practitioners from prescribing the drug.

We are carefully reviewing the ruling and the implications it has for providing care to patients in North Carolina, she wrote.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein (D), a gubernatorial candidate who has supported abortion access throughout his campaign, was named a legal party in the case. He blamed GOP legislators who enacted the law for making it harder for women, especially in rural North Carolina, to get medication abortion, per the AP.

The ruling is the latest in efforts to target abortion rights after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2022  ending a federal right to abortion access. North Carolinas Republican-led General Assembly enacted new laws in 2023 that moved the ban on abortions from 20 weeks of pregnancy down to 12 weeks.

Restrictions were also placed on medication abortions and violating some rules could result in criminal, civil and professional penalties, the AP noted.

The FDA approved mifepristone in 2000 as a drug that could end pregnancy, when used with a second drug, misoprostol. The FDA announced in 2021 that women would be able to get the drug via an online consultation and through the mail, but the Supreme Court heard arguments in March for advocates who want to further restrict the drug.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The city of Miami has reached an agreement with advocacy groups on a new voting map after a federal judge tossed out the citys current map last month, having ruled that commissioners in 2022 approved unconstitutional and racially gerrymandered district boundaries that sorted city residents by race and ethnicity.

The agreement lands after months of litigation with a coalition of city residents and community groups, including two branches of the NAACP, Grove Rights and Community Equity (GRACE) and multiple individuals who sued the city in late 2022. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Dechert law firm are representing the community groups.

In a press release issued Wednesday, the ACLU said the new map unifies neighborhoods across the city that were previously divided along racial lines, including Coconut Grove, Overtown, Allapattah and Edgewater.

Today, we celebrate an expected end to this racial gerrymandering lawsuit, with a new map that prioritizes the people over politicians, Daniella Pierre, president of the Miami-Dade NAACP branch, said in the press release. Our new map unites Historic Overtown to District 5 and ensures Black residents have an equal voice in local government, as the Voting Rights Act requires.

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The new map was drawn to serve communities, rather than dividing the city along racial lines or improperly favoring incumbents or candidates, as in the struck-down maps, the ACLU wrote.

The City Commission will vote May 9 to authorize the city manager to enter into the settlement agreement, which includes the new map and also stipulates that the city will pay the plaintiffs nearly $1.6 million in attorneys fees. The settlement would not require the city to make any admission of liability.

The new district boundaries will become effective seven days after the settlement is approved by the court. Commissioners currently serving the city would retain their office through the end of their term regardless of the redrawn district boundaries.

The agreement further stipulates that at the time of the next municipal election in 2025, residents will also vote on a charter change that establishes a Citizens Redistricting Committee. According to the ACLU, the charter amendment will also ban gerrymandering that favors particular candidates and incumbents.
A panel of federal judges rejected a newly drawn congressional map Tuesday that would have created a second majority-Black district in Louisiana. The move tees up a potential redistricting battle in the nations high court.

In a 2-1 ruling, the judges ruled the new maps constituted an impermissible racial gerrymander in violation of the U.S. Constitutions equal protection clause.

The Voting Rights Act protects minority voters against dilution resulting from redistricting maps that crack or pack a large and geographically compact minority population, the ruling stated. On the other hand, the Equal Protection Clauses applies strict scrutiny to redistricting that is grounded predominantly on race.

The updated congressional maps would have kept the 2nd Congressional District a majority-Black district, and made 6th Congressional District  represented by Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.)  the second.

The Louisiana state Legislature approved the maps in January, and Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed the legislation into law days later.

Liz Murrill, attorney general for the Bayou State, said she plans to meet with the Louisiana secretary of state to discuss next steps.

We will of course be seeking Supreme Court review. Ive said all along the Supreme Court needs to clear this up. The jurisprudence and litigation involving redistricting has made it impossible to not have federal judges drawing maps. Its not right and they need to fix it, she wrote on the social platform X.

The maps came after a nearly-two-year battle over states congressional lines. In 2022, then-Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) vetoed a set of maps passed by the state Legislature, arguing it violated the Voting Rights Act by creating only one majority-Black district in a state where Black one-third of the population is Black. The state Legislature eventually overrode Bel Edwardss veto.

A federal judge ordered the state Legislature later that year to establish a second majority-Black district with new lines, but the Supreme Court eventually allowed for the map stand during November midterms, and paused the judges ruling.

Following the Supreme Courts ruling last year that Alabamas congressional map likely violated the Voting Rights Act, the high court unfroze the case and sent it back to a federal appeals court, which ordered the creation of a new map by mid-January.

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, chaired by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr., slammed Tuesdays ruling and said backers of the new map would likely apply for an emergency order from the Supreme Court to keep the map while the appeals process plays out.

The courts ruling today unnecessarily puts Louisianians right to vote in a very precarious position, Holder said in a statement. This decision is a radical departure from multiple recent court decisions regarding Louisianas congressional map. It is so wildly out of step from settled law and recent Supreme Court precedent that the ideological nature of the decision could not be more clear.

The majority ruling, from U.S. District Judges David Joseph and Robert Summerhays, said race predominated in the drawing of the new district, violating the equal protection clause in the 14th Amendment

Judge Carl Stewart disagreed, arguing the majority did not take enough consideration into the political motivations behind the new map.

The panel majority is correct in noting that this is a mixed motive case, Stewart wrote in his dissent. But to note this and then to subsequently make a conclusory determination as to racial predominance is hard to comprehend.

The decision is a temporary win for Graves, whose district was significantly altered by the new map. When it was passed earlier this year, Dave Wasserman, senior editor and elections analyst for the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report, wrote on X that Gravess district is now a virtually certain Dem gain.

The new map would likely keep five incumbents safe, including Rep. Troy Carter, the only Democrat of the states congressional delegation, and four Republicans including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

The panel set a May 6 status conference, The Associated Press reported. State election officials ordered the congressional maps be finalized by May 15, the news wire added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Nearly 10 months after firing their last top executive, in an era described by one council member as a mess - county leaders began this week interviewing candidates for a permanent replacement.

As Chairman of the Beaufort County Council, I am pleased to confirm that interviews for the vacant administrator position are underway, Council Chair Joe Passiment said. We are committed to a thorough and transparent selection process to ensure the best candidate is chosen to lead our county forward.

So far this week the council has had four closed-door executive sessions, two on Monday and two on Tuesday, signaling at least four candidates have been interviewed as of Wednesday. The agendas for the meetings read to engage in discussions incident to employment, appointment or compensation of a person regulated by a public body.

One of the candidates is known to the council. According to county spokesperson Hannah Nichols, John Robinson did apply for the permanent administrator position, and is participating in the interview process. He has been the interim administrator since late July 2023. It is unknown if he was one of the people who already interviewed this week.

In February, the council contracted with a Greenville-based headhunting firm Find Great People to assist in lining up candidates for the countys top position. At the same time Find Great People was hired, Chairman Passiment told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette his goal was to have an administrator hired by July 1, meaning the council has less than two months to fill the job.

Some of the key things that Im pushing for is somebody that thinks outside the box, Council Member Logan Cunningham said. Its going to be different, its going to be energetic and bring in that positive morale in Beaufort County that I think that has been lacking years prior.

I mean, you know the mess that came out with the previous administrator, and that is continually ongoing, but we do have a standard here in Beaufort County. We are responsible for the trust of the public and that starts with us and starts with the County Administrator to put that onto our staff. So we need to make sure that we can build that positive morale and also set that expectation of what we want here in Beaufort County, and to build trust with our residents, Cunningham added

Cunningham seemed optimistic after this weeks interviews.

I can tell you that we had a lot of highly qualified people apply. Were excited about the people that did apply and the interviews weve had.

Council Member Tom Reitz echoed many of Cunninghams sentiments and added a heavy emphasis on transparency.

We want someone that is open, transparent not only with colleagues within the county council and staff but the people, Reitz said. The first thing that I believe is most important is that we start to build the trust back with the people that we serve.

What happened to the previous administrator?

Eric Greenway was terminated on July 28 for cause. At a hearing requested by the former administrator to contest the action, Chairman Passiment cited Greenways failure to follow the statutes on hiring outside contractors, his relationship with a former contractor turned employee and his disregard for the countys procurement process as the reasons for his termination. The former employee accused Greenway of sexual harassment and retaliation.

A series of other questionable actions came to light in the wake of the Greenway firing including a mysterious purchase of nearly $36,000 worth of weighted blankets, reportedly from a company owned by then Deputy Administrator Whitney Richlands husband. It was later discovered that the county was in possession of the blankets, which were all still boxed and on the floor in a county warehouse. Officials had previously denied that the county ever took possession of the order.

Unrelated to the blankets, county leaders eventually learned that $800,000 in playground equipment had been purchased and installed in Port Royal before getting the required council approval. The council retroactively approved the playground despite the substantial expense with a vote of 8-2.

Beaufort Countys former director of Parks and Recreation Shannon Loper now faces a hearing from the South Carolina Ethics Commission later this year over a separate complaint alleging she used her position to benefit family members. The allegation is focused on Chapter 13 of the South Carolina Code of Laws.

County contracting questions continue

This year, the county has found itself caught in a fight with residents of Daufuskie Island, who have raised issues about the new contractor for the islands ferry service and the details in the contract. Accusations of breach of contract, longer travel times, a lack of cargo space, safety concerns and higher prices all have been part of the rancor. Last month someone fell off the ferry and needed assistance from people on another vessel to get to safety.

In the wake of Greenways firing the council tasked Greenville-based law firm Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd to complete an audit of the countys purchasing rules, purchases and contracts in the previous year. In March, a representative for the firm gave a brief oral report to the council about their findings. There has been no written report made public.

Boyd Nicholson Jr., the firms managing director said the investigation concluded the issues began at the top, saying the countys leadership at the time at worst willfully flouted the countys procurement code, or at the very least, were woefully ignorant of it.

Nicholson described the countys P-card purchases since 2019 as excessive, personal, frivolous, not business driven and often in violation of the countys P-card manual. Unnamed employees used their purchasing cards on things like an Apple watch, office decorations, earbuds, cellphone cases, meals and inappropriate books.

All the while, the investigation into Greenway and possibly others has been elevated to the South Carolina Attorney Generals Office, the states top prosecutor. There have not been any updates to the public about its status or findings and no charges have yet to be filed.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  A Kern County jury is experiencing difficulty in deciding whether Anthony Devonte Williams was sane when he opened fire on a crowded Greyhound bus four years ago.

We are at an impasse, the jury foreperson wrote in a note to the court at 3 p.m. Tuesday. The foreperson said they took three votes and were unable to reach a verdict. Theyve been deliberating about seven hours.

Judge Judith K. Dulcich told them to think about whether having testimony read back, or listening to further argument from attorneys, could help in reaching a decision.

The jury will return 9 a.m. Wednesday.

If found insane, Williams, 37, will be sent to a mental hospital, possibly for life. If found sane, hell be sent to state prison to serve a life term.

Earlier this month, Williams was found guilty of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder, among other offenses. The sanity phase of his trial began immediately afterward, with witnesses including psychiatrists testifying on whether they believed he was legally insane at the time of the shooting.

Early Feb. 3, 2020, Williams began shooting on a bus traveling north on Interstate 5 over the Grapevine. Lurbis Elena Vance, 51, was hit multiple times and died at the scene, and another woman was hit and paralyzed from the chest down. Four others were also struck.

Williams got off the bus after the gun was wrestled away. Arrested soon after while walking along the highway, he admitted bringing the gun onto the bus headed from Los Angeles to Oakland. He said he began shooting after arguing with a man.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.
Teen hospitalized after car crashes into pole, catches fire in yard of Lynchburg home

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR) The Lynchburg Police Department says two juveniles were injured in a crash that led to a vehicle fire on Greenview Drive on Wednesday, May 1.

According to the police, officers responded to the 1400 block of Greenview Drive around 12:43 p.m. after a report that a car allegedly ran off the road and caught fire in a residents front yard.

Officers arrived and found a 2006 Toyota Corolla with severe fire damage. According to the fire department, the vehicle first crashed into a light pole and then caught fire a few feet away from the home.

The fire was then extinguished by the Lynchburg Fire Department.

Four Virginia men arrested after high-speed chase with stolen car in North Carolina

Police say a 17-year-old girl was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Three other juveniles were in the vehicle at the time of the crash, with LPD reporting one juvenile sustained a minor injury.

Police say the crash remains under investigation. It is believed that speed was a factor in the crash and charges are pending.

WFXR News will update this story further as more information becomes available.

(courtesy, Lynchburg Fire Department)

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
Kamala Harris hammers Trump for Florida's 6-week abortion ban, warns it will be 'even worse' if he wins

Vice President Kamala Harris hammered rival Donald Trump in a speech in Jacksonville, Florida, on Wednesday, the day the state's six-week abortion ban took effect, blaming the former president for the new restriction and saying it would be "even worse" if he wins a second term.

"Just this week, in an interview, he said states have the right to monitor pregnant women to enforce these bans and states have the right to punish pregnant women for seeking out abortion care," Harris said, citing Trump's comments in a recent Time magazine story. "So, Florida, the contrast in this election could not be more clear."

"It's irrelevant whether I'm comfortable or not," Trump had told Time magazine, stressing his view that states should be free to enforce or not enforce restrictions that match their voters. "It's totally irrelevant, because the states are going to make those decisions."

"You don't want to go back into the federal government," Trump said in that story. "This was all about getting out of the federal government."

But in Florida, Harris also sought to tie Trump to some Republicans on Capitol Hill, saying, "Donald Trump's friends in the United States Congress are trying to pass a national ban and understand a national ban would outlaw abortion in every single state, even in states like New York and California."

"And now Trump wants us to believe he will not sign a national ban," Harris said, rejecting his insistence that he won't sign such a ban if he's elected back to the White House.

"I say enough with the gaslighting," Harris said. "Enough with the gaslighting."

President Joe Biden also released a statement on Wednesday, blasting Trump and the state's newest abortion ban, calling the restrictions "extreme" for "banning reproductive health care before many women even know they are pregnant."

The new ban has some narrow exceptions, for the life of the pregnant woman for fatal fetal anomalies and in cases of documented rape, incest or trafficking -- up to 15 weeks of pregnancy.

PHOTO: Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about Florida's new 6-week abortion ban during an event, May 1, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Harris' trip comes a little more than a week after Biden traveled to the state for a campaign event in Tampa. There, the president called out former President Trump by name, blaming him for the spread of abortion bans across the country following the overruling of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

"He's [Trump is] wrong, the Supreme Court was wrong. It should be a constitutional right in the federal Constitution, a federal right, and it shouldn't matter where in America you live," Biden said then, adding, "This is about women's rights."

The Biden-Harris reelection campaign has been seeking to focus on abortion as a defining issue of the 2024 race.

Harris said in her speech on Wednesday that "momentum is on our side," pointing to Americans' support of abortion rights in recent ballot initiative votes in various states across the country.

Since the decision against Roe, handed down by the court's six conservative-leaning justices, including three named by Trump, 17 states have enacted total or near-total bans on abortion access.

Shelly Tien, an abortion provider at a Planned Parenthood health clinic in Jacksonville, told ABC News' Selina Wang on Wednesday that the new ban will have a "devastating and profound" impact for women across the South.

People seeking abortions in Florida will in most cases have to travel to North Carolina and, after 12 weeks of pregnancy, head to Virginia.

"Patients are very scared," Tien said.

She had concerns of her own, as well.

"I follow the law to the best of my understanding," she said, "but it puts physicians in an impossible position where we have to wonder, 'Well, my medical training dictates that I do this'  then on the other hand we have these bans that have very, very, very narrow exceptions that don't incorporate or recognize the complexity and nuances of complicated pregnancy care."

How will the issue sway politics?

Biden's remarks on abortion in Florida were notable given his complicated relationship with the issue of abortion because of his faith as a devout Catholic. Instead, the White House and campaign have largely used Harris as their primary messenger on abortion.

She launched a "Reproductive Freedom Tour" in January and quickly traveled to Arizona in April after that state's Supreme Court ruling upholding a 160-year-old, near-total abortion ban that state lawmakers, including some Republicans, have since voted to repeal.

Ahead of Harris' trip to Florida, the Democratic National Committee held a call with reporters and Southern Democratic leaders, including Democratic Party chairs from Florida, North Carolina and Virginia.

Democrats have been underlining the Biden campaign's attacks on Trump, connecting the former president to state bans and warning that if Trump is elected again, restrictions will become more widespread.

Democrats have also emphasized how abortion rights have come out on top every time voters have been casting ballots about it.

"We have seen reproductive rights initiatives win on every ballot since Roe v. Wade was overturned because the vast majority of Americans believe that reproductive health care decisions should be made by women and their doctors, not politicians," Florida Democratic Chair Nikki Fried said. "And as President Biden has repeatedly said, Trump and extreme Republicans don't have a clue about the power of women in America, but they will soon find out."

Trump, for his part, has celebrated the end of Roe but said abortion should now be determined by each state: "At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people. You must follow your heart or in many cases, your religion or your faith," he said last month.

While he maintains that he wouldn't sign a national abortion ban as president if Congress passes one, he also hasn't said that he would veto such a law if needed.

"I won't have to commit to it because it'll never -- No. 1, it'll never happen, No. 2, it's about states' rights," he told Time in the magazine's recent story.

PHOTO: Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a roundtable on criminal justice in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, April 25, 2024. (Bonnie Cash/Reuters)

Harris' trip to Florida marks her 12th visit to the state since being sworn in as vice president, a sign of how seriously her and Biden's campaign is about trying to win back Florida this election cycle following Trump's 2016 and 2020 wins.

Evan Power, the chair of the Florida GOP, contends that abortion isn't the issue to tip the state in the opposing party's favor.

"Democrats made [abortion] the No. 1 issue that they ran in on in Florida in 2022 and we won by 19% of the votes," Power previously told ABC News.

Referring to the six-week ban, Power has said, "This is what the voters sent their legislators to Tallahassee to deliver on and they did deliver on it. So I don't think there's a backlash coming in at all."

MORE: Abortion could dominate the 2024 election in Florida. Will that help Democrats flip the state?

But national and state Democrats believe that the combination of the state's six-week abortion ban and an abortion ballot measure, which would allow access to the procedure up to viability -- considered to be at about the 24th week of pregnancy -- will give the party a stronger chance of flipping the state in November given that abortion access has been seen as a winning issue for Democrats since 2022.

"Our agenda, our coalition, and the unique dynamics this election presents make it clear: President Biden is in a stronger position to win Florida this cycle than he was in 2020," Biden's campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, wrote in a memo in early April, reflecting the cautious optimism among some in her party.

Amanda Zurawski, a Texas woman who says she nearly died after she was denied care for a miscarriage, told ABC News that Florida's abortion ban is "devastating" and heartbreaking."

"I'm scared for every state in this country right now," Zurawski said. "Even states that are you know, quote unquote, safe If Trump is reelected, this is going to be a national problem and no one is going to be safe, so it's terrifying."

Abortion opponents see it differently.

Nicole Love, protesting outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Jacksonville on Wednesday, called the six-week ban a victory but said that she opposes both Biden and Trump as "too old" and doesn't plan to vote for either in the general election.

Deacon Deluca and Carol Butler, two other demonstrators with Love, said they will support Trump in November and agree with his position that abortion access should be left up to each state.

ABC News' Ely Brown and Libby Cathey contributed to this report.

Kamala Harris hammers Trump for Florida's 6-week abortion ban, warns it will be 'even worse' if he wins originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Kansas has new abortion laws while Louisiana may block exceptions to its ban

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  Kansas is requiring abortion providers to share new patient information with the state and increasing funds to anti-abortion centers, while in Louisiana bills to loosen its restrictive ban face an uphill battle, thanks to Republican supermajorities in both Legislatures.

Democratic lawmakers in Louisiana are pushing bills to add exceptions, including in cases of rape and incest, to the states near-total abortion ban. A GOP-dominated House committee began its review of those measures Tuesday, but similar proposals failed last year.

Meanwhile in Kansas, the GOP-controlled Legislature on Monday overrode all four of Democratic Gov. Laura Kellys vetoes of measures sought by anti-abortion groups. Starting July 1, abortion providers must ask patients why they are terminating their pregnancies and report the answers to the state, and it will be a specific crime to coerce someone into having an abortion.

Kansas also will offer both direct aid to anti-abortion centers and tax breaks for them and their donors. The aim of anti-abortion centers is to dissuade people from getting abortions while offering supplies, classes and other services.

Anti-abortion groups still exert a strong influence over Republicans in statehouses across the U.S. Thats even after votes on ballot initiatives in multiple states demonstrated public support for abortion rights following the U.S. Supreme Courts Dobbs decision in 2022  with the first one in Kansas in August 2022.

We did not put this to bed, Kansas Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes said Tuesday. Those people who showed up to vote who had not voted before need to show up in November to vote.

The two states, nearly 400 miles apart, have dramatically different abortion laws because of their top courts. In August 2022, just months after Dobbs, Louisiana Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge to that states near-total abortion ban, allowing the prohibition to go into effect. That was 10 days after Kansas voters decisively affirmed the position in a 2019 state Supreme Court ruling that the state constitution protects abortion rights.

Kansas doesnt ban most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy. Kelly is a strong supporter of abortion rights and has consistently vetoed the GOP-controlled Legislatures abortion measures.

She is expected to veto a fifth measure sought by abortion opponents, a bill aimed at ensuring that judges order child support payments apply to fetuses so that the mothers pregnancy expenses are covered. It would be similar to a Georgia law.

Critics believe the Kansas child support measure advances the anti-abortion movements long-standing goal of giving embryos and fetuses legal and constitutional protections on par with those of the people carrying them. There are dozens of proposals in at least 15 states aimed at promoting fetal rights, though most have not advanced, according to an Associated Press analysis earlier this year using the bill-tracking software Plural.

If were going to say that fetuses now have legal rights, that is going to affect downstream a whole bunch of other things, state Sen. Ethan Corson, a Kansas City-area Democrat, said before the measure passed last week.

But Kansas has had a law in place since 2007 that allows people to face separate charges for what it considers crimes against fetuses, and a 2013 state law declares that unborn children have interests in life, health and well-being, though it isnt enforced as a limit on abortion.

The child support bill wouldnt change state policy on the legal status of fetuses, said Kansas Senate Judiciary Chair Kellie Warren, a Kansas City-area Republican.

The real impact of this bill is helping women, she said.

Abortion opponents also have touted the other measures as helping pregnant women and girls, in part by gathering better data about abortion so lawmakers can set clearer policy.

One measure continues to give $2 million a year in direct aid to anti-abortion centers that provide free supplies and services. Another exempts them from paying the states 6.5% sales tax on what they buy and gives their donors a state income tax credit.

Kansans for Life, the states most influential anti-abortion group said in a statement Monday that the measures seek to meet Kansans where they are and save as many lives as possible.

Meanwhile, many Republicans reject the argument that the August 2022 vote means Kansas voters expect lawmakers to stop regulating abortion.

I think most Kansans would agree that we did want certain safeguards, said GOP state Sen. Renee Erickson, of Wichita.

Louisianas only exceptions to its abortion ban are when there is substantial risk of death or impairment to the patient in continuing a pregnancy and when the fetus has a fatal abnormality that makes a pregnancy medically futile.

Earlier this year, lawmakers rejected an effort to let voters decide whether abortions should be legal in Louisiana. The legislation proposed an amendment to Louisianas Constitution to enshrine reproductive rights for women, including access to birth control, abortion and infertility treatments.

Public opinion polls nationwide, including one in Louisiana conducted in March 2023 by Louisiana State University, have found that the majority oppose the most restrictive bans in the state.

During the Louisiana House committees first review Tuesday of bills adding new exceptions, Democrats shed tears and raised their voices in pleading for exceptions to the current law for rape and incest.

Democratic state Rep. Alonzo Knox, of New Orleans, questioned why young girls who have been violated in the most unfathomable way should be forced to give birth and be repeatedly traumatized by the experience.

Not only that, she gives birth to a child that she has no knowledge or education about how to care for, he added.

The committee expects to take a vote next week. Sponsoring state Rep. Delisha Boyd, another New Orleans Democrat, said she will try to sit down with Republican lawmakers and GOP Gov. Jeff Landry to see whether she can amend the bill to increase its chances of passage.

Landry, elected last year, replaced term-limited Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who supported some abortion restrictions but was a vocal backer of some exceptions.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach open government enforcement unit concluded the Junction City Commission violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act to obscure from the public details of a proposal to allow construction of an industrial beef slaughter facility on the city's west side within walking distance of residential homes. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach open government enforcement unit concluded the Junction City Commission violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act to obscure from the public details of a proposal to allow construction of an industrial beef slaughter facility on the city's west side within walking distance of residential homes. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  An investigation by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach revealed the Junction City Commission violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act by convening a closed-door meeting to discuss an economic development project that included a livestock slaughter facility on the outskirts of the city.

Public opposition to the once-confidential project, which could have forced sale of farmland for construction of roads and a traffic exit from Interstate 70, appears to have derailed the meatpacking project that was to have been built by Foote Cattle Co.

During debate on the proposal, landowner Michelle Munson filed a two-part complaint in July 2023 with the attorney general containing allegations against the city commission.

Munson, part of the Munson Angus Farms family, said the commission didnt take steps during a public meeting nearly three years ago to approve expenditure of $5,000 used to secure a right of first refusal for the option to buy 150 acres of real estate for the project. That land on the west side of Junction City was bought by Foote Cattle, but the city had their eyes on adjacent land owned by the Munsons.

In addition, Munson asserted the commission broke the open meetings law two years ago by failing to precisely describe the subject to be discussed in an executive session. That closed session was also about the meatpacking facility project.

Amber Smith, first assistant attorney general in Kobachs office, issued a letter to Munsons attorney that said the preponderance of the evidence indicated the commission didnt violate KOMA while considering the $5,000 option.

However, the attorney generals office found the commission failed to follow the law in the later meeting by trying to limit public knowledge about the project.

We have determined the commission failed to comply with the statutory requirements for recessing into executive session because its motion did not adequately describe the subject to be discussed, Smith aid.

She said the city attorney would be informed of the investigations result and the commission would be urged to take remedial action to comply with KOMA.

Munson, part of a six-generation farm family in Geary County, said the process of contesting the citys plan to convert farmland into a manufacturing hub that included an animal slaughter facility had been time consuming and difficult.

Were very pleased to see that the attorney general has upheld the Kansas law in terms of transparency and sunshine on the issue, Munson said.

Allen Dinkel, city manager for Junction City, didnt return a call Tuesday for comment about the attorney generals response to Munsons complaints. In previous interviews, Dinkel said the commissions objective was to broaden the citys tax base by creating manufacturing and trade jobs through development of land west of the city.

The post Kansas attorney general concludes Junction City Commission broke open meeting law appeared first on Kansas Reflector.
On April 30, 2024, Jeffrey Melucci, Chief Business & Transformation Officer, sold 13,714 shares of Kimberly-Clark Corp (NYSE:KMB) as reported in the SEC Filing. The transaction occurred with shares priced at $135.53, totaling approximately $1,859,188.42.

Kimberly-Clark Corp (NYSE:KMB), a global leader in personal care products, manufactures and markets a wide range of products primarily for household use. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Huggies, Kleenex, and Scott, serving customers worldwide.

Over the past year, Jeffrey Melucci has sold a total of 27,527 shares of the company and has not made any purchases. This recent sale is part of a broader trend within the company, where there have been 13 insider sells and only 1 insider buy over the same period.

Insider Sale: Chief Business & Transformation Officer Jeffrey Melucci Sells 13,714 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corp (KMB)

As of the latest transaction, Kimberly-Clark Corp (NYSE:KMB) holds a market cap of $45.97 billion. The stock's price-earnings ratio stands at 25.10, which is above both the industry median of 18.645 and the company's historical median.

The GF Value of Kimberly-Clark Corp is calculated at $136.17, suggesting that the stock is Fairly Valued at a price-to-GF-Value ratio of 1. This valuation is supported by historical trading multiples, an adjustment factor based on past performance, and future business performance estimates.

Insider Sale: Chief Business & Transformation Officer Jeffrey Melucci Sells 13,714 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corp (KMB)

This insider sale might interest investors tracking insider behaviors as an indicator of corporate confidence and market movements. For more detailed insights and further updates, investors are encouraged to follow the links provided and monitor Kimberly-Clark Corp's filings and market performance.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  The Kansas Bar Association is setting up a program that will help with legal assistance for people who otherwise could not afford it.

Kansas Free Legal Answers is a program that will provide legal assistance to individuals who dont have access to a lawyer. Its funded by the Kansas Bar Foundation.

These are civil cases, really generally any kind of matter thats noncriminal, Mitch Biebighauser, an assistant federal public defender, said. That might be a family dispute, or it could be a proper dispute. It could be a question about a contract. Non-criminal matters are all fair game for consideration.

Storm reports and photos: Tornadoes and large hail hit parts of Kansas

The service is intended to give people advice on how they can settle disputes without having to hire legal services. From the website, here are some of the qualifications for the program.

Your income is low for a family the size of yours.

The value of your checking account, savings account, stocks or bonds is low.

You arent in jail or prison.

Your legal problem isnt related to a criminal charge.

You dont already have a lawyer to help you with your legal problem.

You are an adult.

Biebighauser said the program is really meant to serve those who cannot afford a lawyer.

Thats the goal, Biebighauser said. Is to serve those people, and we hope that users with a household income of less than 250% of the federal poverty level exceed what other services they might be able to gain.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
Kansas Courts to fly flags at half-staff for fallen U.S. Marshal

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  Chief Judge Eric Melgren in Wichita has requested that all U.S. flags at District of Kansas courthouses across the state be flown at half-staff.

The flags will be lowered in honor of Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr., who was one of 4 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty while serving an arrest warrant in Charlette, N.C.

Man charged in 2023 fatal shooting in Oaklawn

U.S. Marshals are responsible for the protection of federal judges and court staff, apprehending federal fugitives, managing and selling criminals seized assets they acquired through illegal activities, housing and transporting federal prisoners and operating the Witness Security Program.

Weeks Jr. was a 13-year veteran of the department. Prior to becoming a Deputy U.S. Marshal, he spent eight years with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

He is survived by his wife and four children.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
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.

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)

In the waning hours of its 2024 veto session, the Kansas Legislature stumbled to and fro like a drunken sailor, pushing some bills into law, scrapping others, and holding its mouth closed tight to prevent itself from becoming violently ill.

Perhaps no single action from Thursday to Tuesday encapsulated members wayward legislating like the decision to earmark $15.7 million for Kansas National Guard troops to assist Texas law enforcement with the so-called migrant crisis. Despite the fact that Kansas most assuredly doesnt share a border with Mexico and that the Guard has to be called up by Gov. Laura Kelly, lawmakers overrode her veto anyway. Great job, folks.

In case you hadnt figured it out already, this allotment of state money doesnt actually accomplish anything.

Kelly wont deploy the Kansas Guard to Texas. The money wont be spent. Sometime early next year, legislators will determine what to do with the bonus $15.7 million, perhaps spending it on popsicles or pony rides for their donors. For that matter, Kansas industry depends on immigration for meatpacking and other agribusiness jobs. With full employment, migrants fill a needed role in the U.S. labor force.

Legislators didnt care about the facts. They wanted to fulfill an empty conservative talking point while on the campaign trail this summer and fall. Never mind the chain of command. The majority decided to serve the national political narrative above all.

Every state in the nation is a border state at this point, proclaimed Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, in ignorance of both geography and common sense. Let Kansas be a part of it. Its not much short of an invasion. Were a little isolated up here, but its coming.

Sigh. Someone needs to carry our Legislature to its bed at the flophouse to sleep this off. If you dont, it might try more overrides.

Lawmakers heard common sense from their fellow members. They just chose to ignore it.

State Sen. Ethan Corson, shown on Jan. 17, 2024, warned his fellow lawmakers that a border security allotment wouldnt actually deploy the Kansas Guard. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

They might have paid attention to state Sen. Ethan Corson, D-Prairie Village, explaining his vote on the allocation: The fact is that we the Legislature arent sending anybody anywhere, at any time. We never have, we never will. We wont if this passes, we wont if this fails. That is a decision to make for the governor, who is the commander in chief of the National Guard, and she will decide if, when and how the Kansas National Guard is used. And that point of information seems to be lost on many members of this body. So I just wanted to repeat it again.

You can look at this exhibitionistic waste of time in a couple of ways. On one hand, lawmakers should have been using their precious minutes to pass Medicaid expansion, medicinal marijuana rules, and a tax plan that actually benefits lower- and middle-income Kansans rather than the wealthiest among us. That might have required negotiation and profound consideration, also known as work.

On the other hand, at least legislators didnt do something actively harmful. They didnt pass a bill targeting transgender children into law. They didnt decide to send the entire state budget surplus to Charles Koch. They didnt allow unlicensed sugaring practitioners  whoever and whatever that is  to work near childrens genitalia.

Perhaps we should be grateful that they wasted time on a just-for-show border bill.

This all raises the question of why legislators bother turning up in Topeka at all. If the point of the job is to spread crude political messaging, couldnt you do the same work in front of your computer at home? Mark Zuckerberg built a haven for online cranks. If the point is to propagate political narratives untethered from reality, couldnt you apply for a Fox News hosting gig? You have options, and they dont involve spending hours on end at the Statehouse.

I dont care if youre liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat. If youre a legislator, you should be trying to solve actual problems on behalf of actual Kansans. Not allocating money that will not be spent for a challenge that we dont face.

Pull yourself together and sober up, sailor.

Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.

The post Kansas lawmakers neglect problems at home, throw $15.7 million at the border. It wont be spent. appeared first on Kansas Reflector.
Rep. Stephen Owens, a Republican from Hesston, spoke in support of changes to current Kansas Department of Corrections policy regarding juvenile offenders. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  New bills passed in the last frenzied days of the legislative session would allow Kansans to seek potentially life-saving drug overdose treatment without fear of arrest, expand parameters for teenagers held in state custody and increase penalties for fentanyl-related crimes.

Senate Bill 420, which passed 113-1 in the House and 36-0 in the Senate, would establish work and educational program access for teenagers held in juvenile correctional facilities. Current law only allows the corrections secretary to grant leave to teens for medical services, or when reintegrating into the community accompanied by a staff member or other adult. The change would allow teens who meet the criteria to leave the facilities for beneficial educational or vocational programs not offered at the facilities.

Rep. Stephen Owens, a Hesston Republican who chairs one of the Legislatures juvenile justice committees, pointed out that youths held at the states only juvenile correctional facility in Topeka eventually would be released anyway. State law allows for the holding of a young offender until the age of 22 in a juvenile correctional facility.

The vast majority are going to get out, a limited few will just cycle right into the adult facility, Owens said Friday during negotiations on the bill. This provides the mechanism for the Department of Corrections to allow those juveniles out under certain circumstances, to begin to reintegrate into society, get used to being around other people.

Earlier versions of the legislation would have put guardrails on juvenile case limits. Current law allows for courts to extend a juveniles overall case length limit incrementally in cases of failure to complete an evidence-based program. Juvenile justice advocates have spoken against the practice because it can lead to quasi-indefinite probation.

An early form of the bill also would have restricted courts ability to extend case lengths, and would have set a time limit on how long cases can be extended.

Owens said the provision had to be removed during negotiations with Senate lawmakers.

Unfortunately, the Senate didnt want to have that in there, Owens said Friday during bill discussion in the House.

Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat and one of the lawmakers tasked with shaping juvenile justice policies, called the resulting piece of legislation a salvage job.

This is what happens when the Senate just doesnt do its work, Carmichael said.  And so we were in a situation where we could really stand by what you all voted for and get nothing or we could salvage what we could. This is a salvage job, but Im gonna vote for it.

Citing alarm over the spread of fentanyl in the state  the extent of which is unknown  lawmakers approved two bills meant to combat fentanyl overdoses.

Senate Bill 414 would increase criminal penalties for distribution of fentanyl-related substances. It also would add fentanyl to the list of drugs included under the crime of child endangerment. Allowing a child to be in an environment where the person knows or suspects fentanyl is present would come with a heightened charge.

The bill passed 114-0 in the House and 36-0 in the Senate.

Senate Bill 419, which passed 114-0 in the House and 36-0 in the Senate, would put a Good Samaritan law in place, providing exceptions from drug and alcohol charges for those who call for help from law enforcement or emergency medical services when someone requires life-saving intervention in cases of overdose. The legislation marks a significant change from current practice, where people who call for help for themselves or others during overdoses can be arrested.

All three bills will go to the governor for consideration.

The post Kansas lawmakers pass trio of crime bills dealing with juvenile justice, fentanyl appeared first on Kansas Reflector.
A multi-year effort fueled by Kansas Republicans to prohibit public universities from requiring prospective students or hires to make any statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion has succeeded.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a similar policy last year tucked into the states budget, arguing that DEI facilitates open dialogue to challenge students thinking. This year, she allowed the policy to become law without her signature despite her concerns about the legislation.

I dont believe that the conduct targeted in this legislation occurs in our universities, Kelly said in a statement. We need to move forward and focus our efforts on making college more affordable and providing students from all backgrounds with the tools they need to succeed. I am focused on advancing policies that drive economic growth and develop tomorrows workforce.

The approval of the policy came after Republicans threatened to withhold 5% of state universities budgets  totaling $35.7 million  if Kelly did not sign the bill into law. The provision, tucked into the states $25.4 billion budget, attempted to pressure Kelly or the state university leaders to eliminate the DEI initiatives.

It would have also returned the funding if all six public universities presidents certified to Kelly and legislative leaders that they had eliminated DEI requirements in applications for admissions, hiring, promotions, training, and tenure processes. Kelly did not line-item veto the budget proviso, though she has the authority to do so.

While the bill does specifically target DEI policies, it also includes language that would prohibit hiring or admissions teams from requiring prospective students or job applicants to agree or disagree with any political ideology.

The legislation does not define what DEI is, however, a major point of contention from Democrats, who say its dangerous to punish state universities for an undefined violation.

Rep. Steven Howe, a Salina Republican, sponsored the legislation. He applauded the governor and the Legislatures support of the policy which he said promotes academic freedom, intellectual diversity, and freedom of speech on college campuses.

In recent years many colleges and universities have required students and faculty to pledge their allegiance to a politicized understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion as a condition for employment and promotion, Howe said. Loyalty oaths and political litmus tests are not constitutional.

Republicans in more than 20 states have attempted to limit DEI initiatives. They argue requiring job candidates to sign statements agreeing or disagreeing with these statements discourages academic freedom and forces candidates to subscribe to a liberal ideology. Utah and Alabama signed the measure into law this year.

House Minority Leader Vic Miller, a Topeka Democrat, said the legislation is a solution in search of a problem.

Theres very little evidence that peoples First Amendment rights are stifled, he told the Star. I think its good to have support for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and I dont think theyre harmful. It benefits everybody to learn more about DEI  it helps people understand the world in a better way.

Earlier in the session, an audit revealed that public Kansas universities spent a total of $45 million on DEI programs, the majority of which was used for salary and benefits for staff. A fraction of that figure  around $9 million  came from state funds.

But since the bill does not define DEI, the universities who reported these numbers also gave differing definitions, the audit said. Its not clear, therefore, how accurate that dollar figure is.
Sen. Beverly Gossage asked senators to override the governor's veto on a bill that would deregulate sugaring, then withdrew her motion. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  The Kansas Senates attempt to override Gov. Laura Kellys veto of legislation that would deregulate sugaring, a hair-removal technique, faltered this week after Democrats voiced concerns about giving sexual deviants unfettered access to customers genitalia.

They also raised concerns about the potential for unsanitary conditions and serious health risks that include bleeding, tearing, bruising, ingrown hairs, burns and infection.

Sugaring is the practice of removing hair with a paste made from sugar, lemon and water. It is mostly used to remove pubic hair, but also applied to eyebrows, arms, legs and lips.

Senate Bill 434 would have eliminated criminal background checks, training, continuing education and inspections for sugaring practitioners by exempting them from oversight by the Kansas Board of Cosmetology. The bill cleared the Senate 38-1 in February and the House 71-52 in March.

Kelly said she had serious concerns about deregulating the practice when she vetoed the bill last week.

Deregulating sugaring risks contamination, improper infection control, and potential safety issues involving minors, Kelly said. I am not willing to undermine the Kansas Board of Cosmetologys expertise or threaten the long-term health and safety of Kansans who receive sugaring services.

On Monday, Sen. Beverly Gossage, R-Eudora, said she was confused by the governors veto message.

All that she mentioned was something to do with concern that this might be a medical issue of some kind, Gossage said.

Gossage, who made the motion to override the governors veto, repeatedly said sugaring is simple.

But Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, and Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa, said they had talked to medical officials who highlighted a number of problems. Some of those concerns were addressed during hearings in the House, after the Senate had already voted on the bill.

Holscher said she had abstained from voting in February because the bill moved so fast, she couldnt have her questions answered. Now, she said, the risks are clearer.

A lot of this process with sugaring is in regard to some very sensitive areas, Holscher said. If not done properly, this type of hair removal can cause ripping up the skin, burning of the skin and detaching genitalia, which is a very serious issue.

Unlicensed means these individuals will not be screened by anyone, she added. You could have sex offenders, sexual deviants, touching people in very sensitive areas. This is buyer beware in the regard to some of the safeguards that consumers anticipate being in place.

Sykes said the absence of inspections would increase the risk of unsanitary conditions, allowing for the spread of infectious diseases, lice, ringworms and parasites.

Additionally, there would be no age requirement or parental oversight for consumers.

There are ways that maybe we could reduce some of those regulations, but having no licensure, or cleanliness, or no background checks on people who are looking at women or mens genitalia  I think we need to have some caution, Sykes said.

As debate ended, Gossage said she realized the Kansas Board of Cosmetology would like to regulate folks. She also said it doesnt make sense that people would be at risk of burning, a common side effect, because this sugaring is done at room temperature.

But after a break in Senate action following the debate, Gossage withdrew her motion to override the veto.

The post Kansas Senate retreats from effort to deregulate pubic hair removal appeared first on Kansas Reflector.
Prince William has reassured the public that Kate Middleton and his family are doing well, amid his wifes break from public-facing duties as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for an undisclosed type of cancer.

The Prince of Wales gave the rare update during a series of royal engagements on Tuesday, including a visit to the newly-opened Newcastle branch of James' Place, a charity therapy centre for men struggling with suicidal ideation in the North of England.

"Do you mind if I ask how your wife and children are?" one well wisher asked. "All doing well, thank you. Yes, were doing well, William responded.

The comment comes weeks after the Princess of Wales announced that she was diagnosed with cancer following a planned abdominal surgery. In the video message on March 22, Kate said the news came as a huge shock and she and her family needed time to deal with the news before sharing it with the public.

It has taken time for me to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment," she said at the time. "But most importantly it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them and to reassure them that I am going to be OK

Prince William, Prince of Wales speaks with well wishers after he visits James' Place Newcastle on April 30, 2024 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Ian ForsythGetty Images

Middleton had not been seen in public since Christmas Day, and as weeks passedand only obscured or edited images emerged of the royalthe public began intensely speculating about her whereabouts.

William had taken some time off earlier in the year to care for his wife, as well as taking at least three weeks off for the Easter holiday. The couple reportedly spent the time with children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis on the Sandringham Estate. But Williams royal schedule is now back in full force.

The couple celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary on April 29, sharing a never-before-seen photo captured by Millie Pilkington to mark the occasion.

Tuesday also marked King Charles IIIs return to public duties since he was also diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in February. The monarchs first official visit was a cause close to home, as he and Queen Camilla visited a cancer treatment center in London.

The visit aimed to highlight the lifesaving research conducted at the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, while stressing the importance of early cancer diagnoses.

Write to Armani Syed at armani.syed@time.com.
As the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel rages on with more than 35,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis dead, tensions and violence across America's most prestigious universities have arisen. College students across the U.S. have set up encampments on properties at schools like Columbia, Harvard, Yale and UCLA to protest the war.

While these protesters come from all walks of life, one visible similarity is a white and black piece of clothing called the keffiyeh. Draped around protesters' and Palestinians' shoulders, necks, faces or heads, the keffiyeh is a Palestinian symbol of pride and resistance. Its origins are rooted in rich Palestinian history and struggle. Years ago, nomadic communities or Bedouins wore the traditional Arab headdress in historic Palestine, NPR reported.

The scarf is typically made of cotton but can be made with textiles like silk or wool with a distinct woven pattern. The keffiyeh can be in various colors like green and red but the black and white version of the keffiyeh has mostly become synonymous with Palestinians.

Some say that the patterns on the scarf represent aspects of Palestinian life. The black stripes on the border of the garment are said to mimic historical merchant trade routes that used to go through Palestine. The dominant pattern on the keffiyeh is its fishnet design. This represents Palestinians' ties to the Mediterranean Sea. Lastly, the curvy lines symbolize olive trees, a major point of pride, perseverance and strength for Palestinians. Alternatively, some see the wavy lines as symbols of wheat or the sea.

According to NPR, the first time the keffiyeh was used as a political statement was during the Arab Revolt in Palestine in 1936. This was an uprising against British imperial rule where Palestinians demanded sovereignty and an end to Jewish immigration. Palestinian fighters used the keffiyeh, usually draped around the face and head, to conceal their identities. This led to the keffiyeh becoming widely associated with the revolution. Revolutionary leaders also mandated that it was worn to express resistance and solidarity.

During the '60s, the keffiyeh was connected to Palestinian nationalism because it was worn by former Palestinian leaders like Yasser Arafat. Again, it held a larger significance, representing solidarity and resistance against the Israeli occupation. A story told amongst Palestinians is that Arafat folded his keffiyeh in a way  letting the side panel drape, paralleling the historic Palestine map  to remind him of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

Not much has changed in the keffiyeh's cultural and political importance for Palestinians. The garment still represents a continued struggle, yearning for freedom while also nodding to their history. However, wearing the historical scarf potentially has become a danger for Palestinian Americans. Last year, three Palestinian students, who were reportedly speaking Arabic, were shot in Vermont while one wore a keffiyeh. Law enforcement officials are investigating the shooting as a hate crime, PBS reported.

Despite heightened tensions, now it is worn by non-Palestinians across the world as a sign of solidarity and allyship. Similarly, people have also used the image of watermelons to emphasize their solidarity with the Palestinian people. NPR reports that people use it because the fruit's colors, red, black and green, match the Palestine flag. Others cite that activists use it to battle reports of online censorship and shadow banning. The symbol can be roughly traced back to Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour in the 1980s.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will call a special session after the Legislature early Wednesday passed tax cuts she intends to veto because of concerns over cost.

The Democratic governor has promised for months to return lawmakers to Topeka if they ended their annual session without tax relief she was willing to sign. The Legislature adjourned around 12:30 a.m., hours after a top Kelly aide reiterated the promise.

The special session could prove politically volatile, coming in an election year in which Democrats are hoping to end Republican supermajority control of the Legislature. Kelly, in her second term, isnt on the ballot but GOP lawmakers are likely to run as opponents of her agenda.

The House passed the tax cuts package, SB 37, in a bipartisan 108-11 vote. The Senate passed it 25-9.

Ahead of the vote, Kellys chief of staff, Will Lawrence, said the governor would veto the tax plan. She will call the Legislature back into special session if this is the tax plan sent to her desk, Lawrence said in a statement.

Kellys office didnt immediately announce the timing of a special session, but Lawrence told a meeting of House Democrats that it would potentially come in a couple weeks. Because Wednesday marked the end of the annual session, lawmakers will have no opportunity to override Kellys veto.

Lawmakers passed the tax plan a day after the Legislature failed to override Kellys veto of a previous tax measure, HB 2036, by one vote. The new plan passed by lawmakers is substantially similar to the vetoed plan, leaving little doubt that Kelly would reject it.

I think its time that we go down to the second floor and try to figure out what in the world the governor will accept, Sen. Tim Shallenburger, a Baxter Springs Republican, said as the Senate debated the bill just before midnight. The governors offices are located on the second floor of the Capitol.

The new plan moves Kansas from three state income tax brackets to two, which will provide many taxpayers with a break in the process. It sets the top rate for married couples filing jointly at 5.57% and the bottom rate at 5.2%, with $46,000 serving as the dividing line between the two rates.

All other taxpayers would be taxed at 5.15% in the bottom bracket and 5.55% in the top bracket, with $23,000 dividing the two brackets.

The plan contains other tax changes, including raising the personal exemption allowance for dependents, lowering the statewide mill levy for schools, and accelerating the elimination of the state sales tax on food to July 1, in addition to ending taxes on Social Security income.

All session long we have worked toward tax relief for Kansans, House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said, accusing Kelly of moving the goalposts on taxes.

Kelly said the vetoed measure was too expensive when she vetoed it, citing the anticipated $460 million annual cost of the bill as well as the costs of additional tax bills passed by lawmakers. She has called for the cost of tax cuts not to exceed roughly $425 million a year.

The new plan, after a first-year cost of $641 million, is projected to cost between $462 million and $472 million a year during the first five years.

The latest Republican tax proposal hikes the income tax rate for lower income Kansans while increasing the fiscal cost, Lawrence said in an earlier statement on Tuesday. This isnt a serious proposal. Its an attempt to leave town without tax relief.

Kelly has gone back and forth with the Legislature over taxes throughout the session, with the governor previously vetoing a flat tax plan that would have set a single income tax rate for all taxpayers. Kelly also vetoed HB 2036, leading to Mondays veto override showdown.

Republicans have been dismissive of the roughly $35 million annual difference between the size of the plans passed by the Legislature and what Kelly is willing to accept. But Kelly has emphasized that lawmakers have also passed other tax plans that add to the annual total.

When do you not say that shes being a bit of a dictator when you bipartisan supermajorities repeatedly sending her tax cuts? Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said.

Projections circulated among House Democrats indicate that if several other tax measures become law in addition to the tax plan, the states ending balance could dwindle over the next few years.

In a late night meeting, several House Democrats voiced frustration with Kellys position and sought answers from Lawrence on what exactly she would support. Lawrence emphasized concerns about the ending balance and the overall, comprehensive costs of the tax measures.

Democrats in the House have supported previous tax proposals, including a measure vetoed by the governor, while Democrats in the Senate have voted against them.

Ive been through different governors and Ive been through different Houses and different speakers, said Rep. Barbara Ballard, a Lawrence Democrat who entered the Legislature in 1993. But Ive never seen the frustration as high.
Revenue: Reported $1.8 billion, a 2% increase year-over-year, closely aligning with estimates of $1808.34 million.

Net Income: Achieved $79 million, falling short of the estimated $81.18 million.

Earnings Per Share (EPS): Recorded at $2.08 per diluted share, below the estimated $2.13.

Gross Profit: Rose by 4% to $345 million, driven by robust pricing and favorable benefits costs.

Operating Expenses: Increased by 12% compared to the previous year, reflecting ongoing investments in growth and technology.

Adjusted EBITDA: Reached $142 million, indicating strong operational performance.

Shareholder Returns: Distributed $44 million through share repurchases and dividends in Q1 2024.

On May 1, 2024, Insperity Inc (NYSE:NSP) disclosed its first quarter results for the period ending March 31, 2024, through an 8-K filing. The company, a prominent provider of human resources and business performance solutions, reported a net income of $79 million and diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.08, closely aligning with analyst expectations of $2.13 EPS and $81.18 million in net income. Revenue for the quarter stood at $1.8 billion, slightly under the forecast of $1808.34 million.

Insperity Inc (NSP) Q1 Earnings: Aligns Closely with Analyst Projections Amid Economic Challenges

About Insperity Inc

Insperity Inc specializes in a comprehensive suite of human resources solutions aimed at enhancing business performance primarily for small and midsize enterprises. The company's offerings, delivered through its Workforce Optimization and Workforce Synchronization solutions, include payroll and employment administration, employee benefits, compliance management, and other essential HR functions. Insperity operates entirely within the United States, with a revenue stream rooted deeply in its expansive client base across the nation.

Quarterly Performance Insights

The first quarter saw a slight decline in the average number of worksite employees (WSEEs), with a 1% decrease compared to the previous year, primarily due to layoffs and loss of large accounts. Despite these challenges, the company achieved a 2% increase in revenue, attributed to a 3% rise in revenue per WSEE, which helped offset the decline in employee numbers. Gross profit rose by 4% to $345 million, driven by strong pricing strategies and favorable outcomes from benefits cost management.

Operating expenses, however, climbed by 12% due to ongoing investments in growth initiatives and the integration of new service and technology enhancements, including the initial phases of a strategic partnership with Workday. The effective tax rate for the quarter was 29%, a rise from the previous year's 23%, influenced by stock price variations affecting tax benefits related to employee stock awards.

Story continues

Strategic Moves and Future Outlook

Insperity's management remains optimistic about its strategic direction despite the economic slowdown. The company's robust balance sheet, coupled with expected strong cash flows, positions it well to continue investments in strategic initiatives like the Workday partnership while still returning value to shareholders. For 2024, Insperity has updated its guidance, reflecting a cautious yet steady approach towards growth amid prevailing economic uncertainties.

Investor and Analyst Engagements

Following the earnings release, Insperity is set to host a conference call to discuss these results in detail and provide further insights into its 2024 outlook. Additionally, the company has scheduled an Investor Day on May 16, 2024, promising deeper dives into its business model, market strategies, and upcoming initiatives.

Conclusion

Insperity's first quarter results reflect a resilient business model capable of navigating economic headwinds, underscored by strategic foresight in its operational and financial maneuvers. As the company continues to adapt and innovate, it remains a significant player in the HR solutions sector, poised for sustained growth.

For detailed financial figures and further information, refer to the full earnings release and join the upcoming investor discussions as Insperity continues to unfold its strategy for 2024 and beyond.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from Insperity Inc for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Kemp warns those involved in college protests, if you break the law, you will have a very bad day

Protesters gathered on several metro college campuses Wednesday to protest the war in Gaza.

But Gov. Brian Kemp has a warning for any protester who breaks the law  they will have a very bad day, if they do.

Kemp told Channel 2s Richard Elliot that he supports suspending students who break the law.

His statements Wednesday were the toughest words weve heard from Kemp yet on the campus unrest that has happened over the last week on the Emory University and UGA campuses.

He blamed most of the problems on outside agitators but also warned students not to break the law or face consequences.

Those kinds of people, if they break the law, if they spit in officers faces like weve seen, theyre going to have a pretty bad day, and they will be put in jail, Kemp said.

Kemp spoke to Elliot just minutes after he signed a number of law enforcement related bills into law.

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Protests at Emory and UGA have led to dozens of arrests. Kemp blamed much of the unrest on outside agitators.

A lot of these people that are protesting are not peaceful. Its the same instigators that weve seen for months and months on the Stop Cop City, Kemp said.

In an exclusive interview with Elliot on Tuesday, Georgia Emergency Management director Chris Stallings confirmed theyre monitoring Georgias college campuses.

Our agency has been standing by to assist emergency managers and response on their campuses, all University System of Georgia campuses have an emergency manager, so we are providing resources to them to assist, Stallings said.

Kemp said he supports suspending or expelling any student caught breaking the law or engaging in violence.

I mean, people need to pay the piper, you know? If youve broken the law, if youre damaging property, if you are assaulting, especially police officers, you should have harsh penalties. Send a message we are not going to allow Georgia to become the next Columbia University, Kemp said.

Kemp reiterated his support for peaceful protests but said he wouldnt allow protesters to disrupt the lives of other students and citizens.

RELATED NEWS:
Kendall man charged in the shooting death of his son granted house arrest until trial

David Contreras  charged with shooting and killing his son inside their Kendall home in November  can spend the remainder of his time before trial out of jail and under house arrest, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge David Young made the decision despite objections from state prosecutors and hearing from a psychologist and a gaggle of Contreras close friends and associates during the hearing.

I know the state wants me to keep him in, but I cant get over the fact that this was an isolated incident, it doesnt pose a danger to the community at large, so therefore Im going to grant release, Young said near the hearings conclusion, according to WTVJ Channel 6.

READ MORE: Father charged in killing of son at Kendall area home, cops say. He was an FIU student

Young ordered David Contreras to remain at home in almost total lock-down. He must wear a GPS ankle monitor and can only leave his home to see a doctor or his attorney. Hes required to continue with therapy that began in jail and cant see any remaining family members without a note from a doctor.

The judge also named an additional psychologist to re-evaluate David Contreras and family members, in order to determine whether there is any danger in letting them be together. David Contreras, a general contractor with no criminal history, has a wife and a married older son.

Judge Young really took a lot of time and gave this thing a lot of thought, said David Contrerass attorney Jose Quinon. Hes proceeding in a very deliberate manner and I think that absolutely, its the right call.

David Contreras and his son Eric Contreras had just returned from a trip to Disney World in early November, when something sparked an argument that led to gunfire inside the home. When police arrived, they found Eric Contreras, a 21-year-old Florida International University student, shot dead.

READ MORE: Father charged in killing of son at Kendall area home, cops say. He was an FIU student

The elder Contreras and his son were the only two people in the house at the time, police said. And Eric Contreras was shot multiple times, according to police.

Police said David Contreras called 911 and confessed to the killing, at one point saying he just lost it. He also confessed, police added, once they arrived. And he was captured on the familys Ring doorbell camera trying to explain to his wife what he had done to their son.

David Contreras was charged with second-degree murder and had been jailed at the Metro West Detention Center until Tuesday. He pleaded not guilty during his November arraignment.

A trial date has not been set.
The president of the United Auto Workers union, Shawn Fain, on Wednesday condemned the brutal and excessive response to university student protest encampments across the country over the war in Gaza.

In a thread of posts to X (formerly Twitter), Fain criticized law enforcement actions against protesters and expressed support on behalf of the UAW for demonstrators.

The UAW will never support the mass arrest or intimidation of those exercising their right to protest, strike, or speak out against injustice, Fain said. Our union has been calling for a ceasefire for six months. This war is wrong, and this response against students and academic workers, many of them UAW members, is wrong.

If you cant take the outcry, stop supporting this war, he added, in a stinging rebuke to politicians.

The UAW also represents student workers under its local 4811, which encompasses 48,000 academic student employees, graduate student researchers, academic researchers, and postdocs in the University of California system. The Gaza solidarity encampment on the University of California, Los Angeles campus was attacked by counterprotesters while police stood by.

Fain has not shied away from taking bold action since his election to head the UAW in March 2023. He led the union through a strike against the three largest American car companies last year and successfully negotiated a good deal for autoworkers, even ensuring electric vehicle battery workers would have union protection. He was not afraid to criticize Donald Trump and endorse Joe Biden in January, a key boost for Biden that earned Fain the ire of the belligerent former president. Most recently, the union won an unprecedented victory in Tennessee, successfully unionizing a Volkswagen plant.

Fains successful record means that the UAWs support for a cease-fire in Gaza and those protesting for it cannot be discounted. The UAW under his leadership wields a lot of influence and has shown that its members know how to use it. Other politicians seeking the support of working people and younger voters, like those that the UAW represents, in the coming election would do well to follow their example.
Rep. Dan Kildee and a bipartisan congressional delegation meets with President Tsai at the presidential office building in Taipei, Taiwan. | Kildee office photo

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) met with Taiwanese political and business leaders during a recent visit to the island nation.

Kildee led the three-day bipartisan congressional delegation, which also included U.S. Reps. Lisa McClain (R-Bruce Twp.) and Mark Alford (R-Mo.), were received by a host of Taiwanese leaders, including President Tsai Ing-wen, President-elect Dr. Lai Ching-te, Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu , Minister with Portfolio John Deng, and Legislative Yuan Vice Speaker Johnny Chiang.

It was an honor to visit Taiwan on a bipartisan congressional delegation, said Kildee. Americans and the people of Taiwan are close friends and partners who share democratic values, close people to people ties, and deep economic relationships. Our bipartisan congressional delegation held a series of high-level meetings with Taiwans political and business leaders to find ways to strengthen our relationship, including expanding economic investments that will benefit both the American people and people of Taiwan..

According to a release from Kildees office, a wide range of issues were discussed during the trip, including the recently passed national security supplemental bill signed into law last week by President Joe Biden.

That bill provided a total of $95 billion in funding, of which $8.12 billion would be for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific; $60.84 billion for Ukraine; and $26.38 billion for Israel, though $9.15 billion of that total is for humanitarian assistance for Gaza and other vulnerable populations.

Rashida Tlaib | Andrew Roth

The four funding bills were separated out for the House vote, with all Michigan Democrats except Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), voting in favor of the Taiwan appropriation. Tlaib voted present. A request was made by Michigan Advance to her office seeking comment on why she declined to support the measure, but has yet to be returned.

Other topics discussed included expanding trade relations with Taiwan and addressing unfair trade practices by the Chinese Communist Party that hurt Michigan and American workers.

Kildee also promoted the Michigan-Taiwan office, which was opened by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in March during her five day trade trip to Taiwan and South Korea in which she promoted economic investment and helped strengthen ties between Michigan and Taiwanese semiconductor and electric vehicle industries.

Both of the trips followed last years passage of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade First Agreement Implementation Act, the first agreement between the U.S. and Taiwan on important trade issues. Negotiations are expected to resume this week towards a second phase agreement.

Underscoring that was Kildees visit to ProLogium  a Taiwanese solid-state battery developer and manufacturer  to highlight Michigans growing role in electric vehicle manufacturing. Taiwan is Michigans fifth-largest source of imports and sixth-largest destination for exports in Asia.

The post Kildee leads congressional delegation to Taiwan appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Once again, hammerhead flatworms are wriggling into the spotlight - this time in Canada.

The toxic and invasive pests, which originate from Southeast Asia, have the ability to regenerate even if chopped into pieces. They have long been spotted across the United States and in other countries, including Canada. On iNaturalist, an invasive species reporting platform, there is evidence of Canadians mentioning the worms since at least 2019, with the most recent report logged as of Tuesday.

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But sightings are increasing across Ontario, where the species is making itself at home, and some Canadians are wondering what to do if they spot a giant toxic worm on their land and if they should kill it.

People are surprised to see them because they are very unusual, John Reynolds, a laboratory biologist and worm expert, told CTV News Toronto.

- - -

What do hammerhead flatworms look like?

Hammerhead flatworms are, you guessed it, flat in appearance.

The group of worms is usually referred to as the broadhead planarians and contains more than 200 different species, experts said.

They have broad, shovel-shaped heads and are usually shades of tan or brown with various patterns of stripes on their backs, Theresa Dellinger, an entomologist with the Insect Identification Lab at Virginia Tech, wrote in an email.

She said some of the worms are long and skinny, while other species are shorter and broader. They range in length from about 1 inches to about a foot.

- - -

Where are hammerhead flatworms found?

The worms are spread through the horticultural trade and the movement of infested plants and soil, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. Experts say their egg cases are tough, hard to detect and able to endure weeks in transport.

Dellinger said that hammerhead worms probably entered North America in the soil of plants imported from Asia and that once they arrived they were spread in a similar manner through the movement of potted plants and perhaps mulch and similar materials.

The planarians are usually found in dark and moist conditions such as under rocks, in leaf litter or in flower beds, Dellinger said, adding that they are not typically found in hot, dry environments.

In the more northern parts of the United States and the southern parts of Canada, the most common species is Bipalium adventitium, called the wandering broadhead planarian, said Peter Ducey, a professor in biological sciences at the State University of New York at Cortland, in an email.

It has been in North America for probably more than 100 years, but the northern extent of its range may be expanding as the climate warms, Ducey said.

Last year, The Washington Post reported that hammerhead worms were invading the D.C. area, much to the concern of residents. These worms are one of the craziest creatures I have ever seen and are pretty darned creepy, entomologist Michael Raupp said in July.

In the United Kingdom, Buglife, a nature conservation charity, said it is concerned about an invasion of nonnative flatworms.

Once introduced these flatworms can reproduce rapidly, cannot be eradicated, and pose a risk to native soil invertebrates such as earthworms by feeding on them, the website said.

- - -

Are hammerhead flatworms dangerous?

Some species of broadhead planarians, such as Bipalium adventitium and Bipalium kewense, secrete a neurotoxin, which is found in the worms mucus, Dellinger said. It is believed to be used to subdue prey, though the worms are unable to bite or inject the toxins into humans or animals, she said.

The neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin also is found in puffer fish and certain salamanders, Ducey said.

I dont know of any cases of humans or their pets being seriously harmed by handling broadhead planarians, but It is wise not to handle the flatworms, and certainly not a good idea to lick them, Ducey said.

Seek veterinary advice if your pet eats a hammerhead flatworm, and wear gloves if you handle the worms, experts said.

When asked if Canadians should be worried about recent reports, Ducey said that this is not a sky is falling situation, though any spreading, nonnative species should be monitored carefully to see whether they are having negative impacts on the native ecosystems.

The flatworms are considered a possible threat to the environment, however, as they feed off earthworms, slugs and snails and may disrupt soil ecosystems. The predators could impact agricultural, horticultural, and natural ecosystems, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.

While flatworms are not generally considered a health risk to humans, Ducey urged people to be vigilant in reporting sightings of hammerhead flatworms to government agencies and researchers.

- - -

Should you kill hammerhead flatworms?

Hammerhead worms found in the United States are not native to North America, Dellinger said. Its okay to kill any that you find around your home as these species are considered invasive.

She said you can kill the hammerhead flatworm by dropping it into a container and using one of these methods:

 Keeping the container in the direct sun for several hours.

 Sprinkling some table salt into the container.

 Squirting some hand sanitizer into the container.

 Placing the container in a freezer.

 Adding soapy water into the container.

Dellinger warned against preventively scattering salt in areas where hammerhead worms might be found, as the salt will harm plants and beneficial invertebrates.

She also cautioned against using pesticides as a preventive measure as this will likely kill more beneficial species of animals than just the occasional hammerhead worm.

Experts also warned against trying to destroy hammerhead worms by chopping them up, as this will produce more hammerhead worms.

Hammerhead worms can regenerate from fragments of their body, which is why we suggest you dont cut them in half to kill them, Dellinger said.

Ducey said the group of worms was incredibly fascinating biologically, and their special powers of regeneration are being researched for possible medical implications.

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Late last year, Iowas Board of Regents ordered the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and initiatives at the states three public universities. Now lawmakers claim that an amendment to the state budget, added surreptitiously and speedily before Legislature adjourned, is finishing the job. I think what were doing here is just kind of cleaning it up, getting it done with, said Rep. Carter Nordman of Panora.

But Nordman is wrong about what the bill, Senate File 2435, would actually do. Banning universities from having offices that support underserved students would be bad enough, but in reality this bill is much worse. While the text would indeed ban DEI offices, its sweeping language would prohibit much more. If signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, Senate File 2435 would be the most extreme anti-DEI restriction anywhere in the country.

The bill, which is copied directly from model legislation written by the conservative Manhattan Institute, doesnt explicitly censor the words of students or faculty. But it would prohibit public university administrations from expressing any widely contested opinion on a dizzying array of specific ideas: implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender ideology, microaggressions, group marginalization, antiracism, systemic oppression, social justice, intersectionality, neo-pronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, racial privilege, (or) sexual privilege. Even a university that has carefully avoided opining on any of these ideas isnt safe; it must then ensure it has not weighed in on any related formulation of these concepts.

What idea isnt a related formulation of these concepts? Such a broad and vague phrase is essentially a license to ban anything the government of Iowa dislikes. A maximal interpretation of the bill could ban a university, in its official capacity, from stating any idea of any kind.

The bills excesses dont stop there. Banned DEI practices include any effort to promote or promulgate trainings, programming, or activities designed or implemented with reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation. That provision could ban not only staff-organized lectures, panels, or conferences discussing those identity categories, but using university resources to promote events of this type organized by faculty or students.

It could be argued that a huge range of events are designed or implemented with reference to these ideas. A university staff member could violate the bill by mentioning a panelists research on race while introducing them, or by even thinking about gender identity while designing an admissions event.

Campus free speech requires that universities remain independent from direct ideological control by the government. Yet as Iowa is demonstrating, that autonomy is increasingly under threat across the country.

Senate File 2435 is part of a larger national push to weaken the traditional support network for academic freedom and free speech in higher education. Statehouses from Indiana to Utah have introduced legislation that would weaken or eliminate tenure, abolish diversity offices, undermine faculty governance, and otherwise chip away at higher eds ability to protect freedom of expression on campus. And just like in Iowa, much of this legislation has been advanced under the guise of supporting intellectual freedom, even while it does the opposite.

Again, the bill doesnt explicitly censor students or faculty. But it defies belief that such a broad and invasive set of prohibitions on staff and administrators wouldnt impact professors or students downstream. It is easy to see the trickle down effect in action in Texas, where a recently enacted DEI ban, SB 17, has prevented a guest speaker from discussing their LGBTQ+ identity and caused professors to change their course titles and self-censor in faculty committee meetings. Now, faculty are beginning to flee the state.

Iowa is already having problems with faculty retention. But instead of trying to shore up universities, the Legislature has sent a bill to the governors desk that contains language so extreme and restrictive that it was cut from the final version of Texass law. A similar Nebraska bill died this year after robust opposition from University of Nebraska students, faculty, and administrators, including the interim president.

Iowans deserve to know that their Legislature has quietly passed a university DEI ban with such misguided, far-reaching consequences that other conservative states have rejected it. If not vetoed or halted by the courts, the language in Senate File 2435 could bring about nothing less than the dismantling of academic freedom in Iowa universities.

Jeremy C. Young is the Freedom to Learn program director at PEN America. Sam LaFrance is the editorial projects manager for Free Expression and Education at PEN America.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa is about to ban its public universities from expressing ideas
King Charles III

King Charles III returned to public duties on Tuesday, April 30, with a meaningful visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, and the monarch opened up a bit about his experience learning that he had cancer.

During the visit, Charles sat and spoke with cancer patients, hearing their stories and telling some of his own. When one person asked him how he was, via Hello!, Charles touched on his personal experience learning that he had cancer, saying, "Not too bad. It's always a bit of a shock, isn't it, when they tell you?"

Someone also asked how he was feeling that day and Charles replied, "I'm alright thank you very much, not too bad."

At one point during the visit, Charles mentioned his ongoing cancer treatment, speaking to a patient receiving chemotherapy and saying, "I've got to have my treatment this afternoon as well."

The king appeared to be in good spirits, holding hands with the patients and greeting everyone with a smile. Before heading into the facility, Charles and Queen Camilla waved to the crowds outside.

This was Charles' first public visit since announcing his cancer diagnosis in February. As he underwent treatment and stayed out of the public eye, his wife Camilla and other royals stepped in to take on some of the duties in the meantime.

Buckingham Palace shared the news last week that Charles would return to his royal duties, with a statement saying that his treatment would continue but "doctors are sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far."

Along with Charles, Princess Kate was also diagnosed with cancer around the same time, though she didn't publicly share the news until the end of March. She is currently undergoing "preventative chemotherapy," and her husband, Prince William, just shared a rare update, noting that she was "doing well."

Next: How King Charles' Major Change at Sandringham Estate Will Affect Kate and William
Wednesdays Top Stories

Wednesdays Five Facts

[1] APD involved in police shooting in northeast Albuquerque  Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting Wednesday morning near Tramway Blvd, east of the I-25 frontage road, south of Sandia Casino. According to the Albuquerque Police Department, officers were conducting surveillance on a person who had outstanding warrants Tuesday night and eventually tracked the suspect to Sandia Casino. APD states when officers stopped the suspects vehicle using a grappler, two women got out of the car and were arrested. Police say the male suspect inside the vehicle then tried to escape, dragging the grappler more than 20 feet before confronting officers. At one point in time during the confrontation officers reported hearing shots from the vehicle the suspect was in and returned fire toward that vehicle, said Chief Harold Medina. The suspect was taken to the hospital and is in critical condition, but stable. No officers involved were injured.

[2] Police arrest highly wanted Albuquerque man connected to copper thefts  One of the Albuquerque Police Departments top ten most wanted shoplifting offenders has been arrested. Albuquerque police have connected Brian Robinson to copper thefts across the city causing more than $100,000 in loss and damages.

[3] Warmer and windier across New Mexico on Wednesday  Wednesday morning is off to a cool start, with temperatures in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, slightly warmer than Tuesday morning. The skies are clear and the winds are calm. Wednesday will be a breezier day, with 20 to 40 mph wind gusts, and higher gusts up to 45 mph closer to Colorado. Gusty winds and dry air are leading to high fire danger in the upper Rio Grande Valley and eastern New Mexico. Red flag warnings will be in effect from midday until tonight. A couple of spotty showers will be possible in southwest Colorado this evening, as the cold front moves in.

[4] San Juan County reopens Cedar Hill Bridge to foot traffic  An old bridge in San Juan County has been rededicated. The Cedar Hill Bridge was built in 1914 over the Animas River. It was the main crossing for vehicles in the area for decades. In 1989 it was declared unsafe for vehicle traffic, but remained open for foot traffic until 2017 when it was determined to be unsafe due to deteriorating decking.

[5] New Mexico gives UPS over $473,000 to upgrade to cleaner trucks  The New Mexico Environment Department is giving UPS (United Parcel Service) over $473,000 in grant money to replace 16 old delivery vehicles. UPS is also pitching in to cover the cost of the replacement vehicles, which run on compressed natural gas.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
Kyrgyzstan has decided to cancel the Immortal Regiment propaganda march, which takes place annually on Victory Day (Victory Day is a Russian holiday commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, celebrated on 9 May  ed.).

Source: Kyrgyz Ministry of Internal Affairs

Quote: "In order to ensure public order and security, a set of measures is being taken to prevent and eliminate the risks of disturbances and crimes in crowded places.

In view of the existing threats to public security, it was decided to cancel the marches of the Immortal Regiment in Kyrgyzstan."

Details: The Interior Ministry further added that law enforcement agencies are taking measures to ensure public order and security.

Earlier, the Kyrgyz Defence Ministry reported that a military parade would not be held on Ala-Too Square in Bishkek on 9 May. Instead, a requiem rally will be held on Victory Square that day.

Background: Russia has decided to cancel the traditional Immortal Regiment march in 2024, traditionally held on Victory Day.

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Labour is preparing to announce watered-down plans for a ban on late-night office emails after softening a workers rights package championed by Angela Rayner.

The party is expected to reveal that it has ditched plans for a legal right to switch off from work emails and calls out of hours, instead including the rule in a code of practice for companies over a certain size.

It is also expected to make clear that companies will still be able to fairly sack workers under its day one workers rights, which protects staff from unfair dismissal.

The softer proposals are likely to be welcomed by businesses after months of lobbying but risk being interpreted as a defeat for Ms Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, who has previously vowed to deliver the biggest levelling-up of workers rights in decades.

Labour insiders said the renewed package of reforms will simply spell out more clearly policies that were discussed with businesses and unions last summer and will not show any significant departure from what was already agreed.

But it triggered immediate criticism from trade unions and the left of the party, who warned that any backtracking would be a betrayal.

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT transport union, said: Labour must not bend the knee to corporate greed.

Working people need a Labour government that will protect them from the excesses of business, not one that kowtows to the vested interests of the super-rich.

Any attempt to water down this popular policy will be met with a robust response from the entire trade union movement.

A spokesman for Momentum, the left-wing Labour campaign group, said that any changes would be beyond disappointing and added: Once again, the labour movement and the public are united behind a desire for transformative change, but they are being let down by a Labour leadership more interested in pleasing big business.

A spokesman for the trade union Unison said: Keir Starmer has made clear the new deal will happen. Thats because he knows the promised package of employment measures is the right thing to do for the UKs struggling economy and for hard-pressed working people too.

Consolidating the expected measures is fine, but any watering down of the contents wont be.

Ms Rayner and Sir Keir Starmer have repeatedly vowed to deliver a major overhaul of workers rights, but Labour insiders have admitted in recent months that party officials had not done a great job of being super clear with business about the changes.

Lobbyists have been urging Labour to tread carefully with their reforms, which it has said include creating a single status of worker that would mean all staff are afforded the same basic rights from day one in a job.

The changes to the right to switch off plans are expected to mean companies are less likely to risk a legal penalty for any breach.

Instead of being written into law, the rule is expected to be included in the existing Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) codes of practice for employers. France, Italy, Ireland and Belgium have adopted a similar approach.

Labour also said it planned to end zero-hour contracts, ban fire and rehire practices, increase minimum wage and beef up laws that block companies from blacklisting union workers.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and other major business groups met with Ms Rayner last week to discuss the partys workers rights plans.

Behind the scenes shadow ministers have been debating how to tone down some of the pledges to ease employer fears following talks with executives, sources told the Financial Times, which first reported that a finessed package of measures will soon be published.

Allen Simpson, the deputy chief executive of UK Hospitality, said he had attended five or six meetings with senior Labour officials this year alone and had discussed the workers rights plans in depth.

He added: Its not just language, there has been a change in the detail of the thinking. I really would stress that this is what politics is supposed to look like. Im always grateful to any politician willing to dig into the detail to make it work.

A Labour spokesman said the workers rights reforms remains a core part of its offer to the country, with details on how it would work in practice agreed last summer and a promise to consult widely on certain policies unchanged.

The move follows months of pressure from senior executives. The chairman of Marks & Spencer last month told The Telegraph that Britain risks being unable to attract investment if a Labour election victory results in an overhaul of worker rights.

A Labour insider said the workers rights reforms are not something were shirking away from as it is popular with voters.

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.
Thefirsttime I walked through the doors of Columbia University as the first Native American student to be admitted into the creative nonfiction graduate program, I felt a wave of ambivalence wash over me. I remember glancing around at all my cohorts mostly white, eager faces  they appeared confident that they belonged there. Many of them had been prepared for this moment through the years of Ivy League degrees and decades of expectations of legacy families.

On the stage of Low Library, a faculty member began the orientation address: Columbia University School of the Arts recognizes Manhattan as part of the ancestral and traditional homeland of the Lenni-Lenape and Wappinger people.

I was glad to hear a land acknowledgment on that stage, especially because the school is named after Christopher Columbus, who is still celebrated despite colonizing, killing and enacting cultural genocide against the Indigenous people of Turtle Island. Awareness is always the first step toward bringing necessary institutional changes to combat systemic racism and barriers that prevent BIPOC students from thriving.

But what exactly does a land acknowledgment do to rectify the hundreds of years of oppression? Even in the short address, the verbiage relegated the local Indigenous people to that of the past. It was as if our land was not taken from us in blood  and as if we still dont walk among these grounds, affected.

Land acknowledgments are becoming popularized in so many different spaces now, but are they simply hollow efforts from people hopping on progressive bandwagons?

On the one hand, its absolutely necessary to vocalize the truth about the stolen land that our society and institutions are built on. But the undeniable reality is that our history still very much affects the present. So, what actions can institutions take in order to mitigate the systemic harm against Indigenous communities? Because talk is cheap unless its backed up by action.

Some of the biggest offenders of performative land acknowledgments have been museums that house stolen Native artifacts. Earlier this year, new revisions to a federal law were implemented to require that museums have consent from lineal descendants and Native Tribes to display certain artifacts.

The Museum of Natural History in New York City was one of these institutions with a land acknowledgment on its website while housing these stolen artifacts, and it has since closed two of its halls because it did not comply with the new regulations. According to the president of the museum, these exhibitions did not respect the values, perspectives, and indeed shared humanity of Indigenous peoples.

New regulations such as these have forced important conversations between museums and Native Tribes that have been extremely beneficial. What a radical thought: that non-Native people could actually learn more about a people from members of their community directly. Real action (that would ideally come alongside every land acknowledgment) gives rights back to the communities that were stolen from and taken advantage of.

Other actionable change comes from seeking knowledge about Native American history directly from the source. Almost all Native reservations have their own cultural centers and museums that can be visited, including school tours and group rates. Supporting these centers directly supports the Indigenous people and their communities. You can learn about these histories while supporting the very real communitiesand people that are still here.

Also, Indigenous art is often exploited and appropriated  and its rarely supported in a meaningful way outside of the community. Take the effort to seek out projects, books and other forms of contemporary art created by Native people versus by outsiders imagining what our lives are and were like. There are Native artists and playwrights producing insightful work every day that examines the condition, struggles and joys of our lives.

Another way to back up land acknowledgments is to approach inclusion in an intentional and equitable way. Since Im often the only Indigenous person in a room, Ill be asked to give presentations on our histories for Indigenous Peoples Month  without any kind of honorarium offered. As racial minorities, we want representation, but we also deserve to be compensated for our labor.

Though land acknowledgments are a first step toward accountability for the injustices committed against the original inhabitants of this land, the next time you hear one, ask yourself: What actions are they employing to accompany these words?

Related...
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Metro police hope video showing a deadly attack on the Las Vegas Strip will lead them to a man suspected of murder in broad daylight.

Joseph Bettles, 42, died several days after the unidentified man beat him on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road, police said. The attack happened on the morning of Dec. 31, 2021  New Years Eve.

I was shocked that it actually happened one, in daylight, two on the Strip and three there was nobody there interceding or stopping it from happening, LVMPD Det. Lawrence Gilbert said.

Video the 8 News Now Investigators obtained shows Bettles running up to his accused killer that morning. The man then pushes Bettles onto a divider, but the attack does not end there.

Las Vegas Metro police hope video showing a deadly attack on the Las Vegas Strip will lead them to a man suspected of murder in broad daylight. (LVMPD/KLAS)

He kicked him in the face and stomped on his face, Gilbert said. And then [he] stomps on his head twice.

Paramedics would take Bettles to the hospital where he would die from blunt force trauma, the Clark County coroners office said. Because the unsolved homicide happened during the COVID pandemic, a time when mostly everyone wore a mask, finding the unidentified man has proven difficult.

A few clues could lead to locating him, Gilbert said.

His dark hair was all on the top, but in the back, he had blonde hair or a blonde ponytail or knot at the very back of his head going back, Gilbert said. I thought that was very unique as far as hairstyles go.

Joseph Bettles, 42, died several days after the unidentified man beat him on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road, police said. The attack happened on the morning of Dec. 31, 2021  New Years Eve. (LVMPD/KLAS)

The man was also wearing a distinct sweatshirt sold in Beaver, Utah, Gilbert said.

Is there a rhyme or reason? 8 News Now Investigator David Charns asked Gilbert.

Honestly, maybe he was insulted at the fact that this person had the nerve or push him or hit him so that he had to teach this individual a lesson, the detectives said.

More than two years since his murder, just a few frames of a partially concealed face are the only thing that could lead police to Bettles attacker.

Video the 8 News Now Investigators obtained shows Bettles running up to his accused killer that morning. The man then pushes Bettles onto a divider, but the attack does not end there. (KLAS)

Hes still walking around not even answering for what was done, Gilbert said. I dont think its right and I dont think its fair for the victim or the victims family.

Police located the man the alleged attacker was with in the video, Gilbert said. He was unable to provide identification and said he only knew the man for a few hours.

Tips can be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 702-385-5555 or at crimestoppersofnv.com/report-a-crime. Information can also be sent via text by sending CRIMENV and then your message to CRIMES (274637). Crime Stoppers offers a reward for information that leads to an arrest.

Las Vegas Unsolved:

Shawna Maynard: Family suspects teenager found dead denied killers romantic advances

Linda Anderson: Daughter learns mother is unidentified murder victim 30 years later

Gwenn Story: Strip murder victim identified 44 years later as Ohio 19-year-old

James Wagner: Grandfather killed on Mothers Day

Daniel Montes-Rodriguez: 29-year-old murdered on way to work; video could lead to suspect

Renick Lambey: Driver hits, kills grandfather crossing street in wheelchair

Alfonso Turner: Videos show men casing apartment complex, shooting father of 4 as he left work

Brittney Briggs: 3-year-old at home as killer strangles mother to death

David McMillan: Fathers family offers reward in holiday murder

Eugene Bell: Family pleads for answers after man celebrating birthday is found murdered in car

John Norris: Pizza deliveryman murdered while dropping off order

Steven Colburn: Veteran, grandfather likely saved friends life; his killer remains on the run

Celia Luna-Delgado: Men who killed grandmother left something behind at crime scene

Raheem Rice: Student murdered was not intended target; suspected shooter living in valley

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
[In the player above, watch previous coverage on a missing Ohio cat that was found in Chicago from FOX 8 sister station 2News.]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW)  A new Ohio House bill would require road workers to work to identify pets found dead on roadways, offering their families closure, said a state lawmaker.

In addition to plowing roads and keeping them safe, Ohio road crews are tasked with removing and disposing of dead animals. Under House Bill 379, dubbed Lassies Law, which was introduced last month, workers would be required to first scan dead dogs and cats found in Ohio roadways for identifying microchips, so their owners can be notified.

PHOTOS: 4-car crash involving local police cruiser

I am an avid dog lover. I have two wonderful dogs named Ebony and Ivory, who I cannot imagine living without, state Rep. Sara Carruthers of Hamilton, R-47th, one of the bills co-sponsors, is quoted in a news release. Lassies Law allows the families to have a sense of closure which, in times of a pets disappearance, is the best gift anyone could give.

The bill requires road service employers to buy the scanners, which can vary in cost from $30 to $300, according to an Ohio Legislative Service Commission analysis of the bill. Local road crews may only need a few of them, the commission noted. The Ohio Department of Transportation would likely be buying the most, to supply each of its 12 districts.

If a microchip is found, workers would have to pass along the pet owners contact information to their employer, according to an analysis of the bill. If its found by a private company, then the information must be passed on to the public entity with jurisdiction over the roadway.

Being the owner of three dogs, Hashtag, Rey and Louie, I can attest that having my friends chipped has paid dividends in at least one instance, the bills other co-sponsor, state Rep. Brian Lorenz of Powell, R-60th, wrote in his testimony.

Public employees would then take possession of the body, or receive it from a privately operated crew. Public workers would then have to make a reasonable effort to contact the owner registered on the pets microchip.

The owner would have 24 hours to retrieve the remains before theyre disposed of. The bill requires the remains to be stored in a sanitary manner, which may also create additional costs, the commission noted.

Ohio has $4 billion in unclaimed funds  how to get your share

Since Ohio is a home rule state, Ohio Legislative Service Commission analysts note the courts may consider whether the bill applies to municipal corporations and chartered counties, since they may govern themselves so long as they dont conflict with general law.

To be considered general laws, statutes must be part of a statewide and comprehensive legislative enactment and apply uniformly to all parts of the state, according to the LSC. They must also set local regulations and prescribe a rule of conduct upon citizens.

The bill is now before the Houses Transportation Committee, and further hearings are expected.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
The Latest | Police tell UCLA protesters to disperse or face arrest

Announcements broadcasted on the University of California, Los Angeles campus Wednesday evening told demonstrators to disperse or they would be arrested and face a misdemeanor charge. The protesters largely stayed in place, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans. Police stood by strapping on riot gear.

UCLA posted on the social platform X that campus operations will be limited Thursday and Friday with all classes required to pivot to remote instruction. The post urged people to continue avoiding campus and the Royce Quad area.

Currently:

 Dueling protesters clash at UCLA hours after police clear pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia

 Student protesters reach a deal with Northwestern University that sparks criticism from all sides

 How Columbia University became the driving force behind protests over the war in Gaza

 Trumps comparison of student protests to Jan. 6 is part of effort to downplay Capitol attack

Here's the latest:

MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS BLAST UCLA FOR FAILURE TO INTERVENE

Muslim organizations and students blasted UCLA officials and police in a Wednesday news conference, saying they failed to intervene as students in pro-Palestinian encampment on the Los Angeles campus were verbally harassed, pepper sprayed and beaten during a brawl with counter-protesters earlier in the day.

The community needs to feel the police are protecting them, not enabling others to harm them, said Rebecca Husaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

Speakers disputed the universitys account that 15 people were injured and one hospitalized, saying the number of people taken to the hospital was higher. One student described needing to go to the hospital after being hit in the head by an object wielded by counter-protesters.

Several students who spoke said they had to rely on each other, not the police, for support as they were attacked, and that many in the pro-Palestinian encampment remained peaceful and did not engage with counter-protesters.

UCLA CHANCELLOR SAYS INSTIGATORS CAME ON CAMPUS

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement Wednesday that a group of instigators came on campus to forcefully attack the pro-Palestinian encampment, prompting the school to ask for assistance from outside law enforcement agencies.

However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable, Block said. It has shaken our campus to its core.

Block promised the university will conduct a thorough investigation.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TO HOLD REMOTE EXAMS

The Provost at Columbia University in New York says all final exams and any remaining class sessions should be held remotely for students at its Morningside Heights campus. Any papers, projects or presentations due this week also are being delayed until next week.

The university has been paralyzed by demonstrations, and police have cleared out a building that had been occupied by anti-war protesters.

The university is strongly encouraging students to leave campus and go home early for the semester.

ISRAEL'S AMBASSADOR TO U.N. DENOUNCES CAMPUS PROTESTS

Israels ambassador to the United Nations denounced the murderous cries of the pro-Palestinian mobs on university campuses across the United States that were calling for the annihilation of Jews and Israelis.

Gilad Erdan said Wednesday that anti-Semites failed to annihilate us during the Holocaust and wars that followed and Hamas tried again in its Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel, but they wont succeed.

He said the protesters represent the Palestinian goal of a single Palestinian state achieved through repeated Oct. 7ths against Israel and also against Jews.

Erdan accused most of the 193 U.N. member nations of collaborating with them and encouraging their racism and antisemitism, and he blamed the United Nations for spreading anti-Israel vitriol.

He called for swift action against faculty backing this mayhem, the arrest and expulsion of students who call for the murder of their peers or use violence, and for university presidents and professors to be held accountable for permitting this.

Erdan spoke at a U.N. General Assembly meeting where the United States was defending its veto last week of a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have paved the way for Palestines full membership. The resolution was approved by 12 of the 15 council members with Britain and Switzerland abstaining.

TEXAS JOURNALIST AT CAMPUS PROTEST RELEASED AFTER ARREST ON MISDEMEANOR CHARGES

A Texas journalist who was arrested during a protest on the University of Texas campus was booked and released Wednesday on misdemeanor charges of assault and interference with public duties.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has accused Carlos Sanchez, a photojournalist with Austin television station KTBC, of hitting a state trooper with a camera while covering the April 24 protest. Video on social media showed troopers pulling Sanchez to the ground after he followed a mass of protesters and police. Sanchez had originally faced a felony charge of assaulting a public servant, then was rebooked on misdemeanor charges.

Lets call this what it is blatant retaliation and intimidation, said Society of Professional Journalists president Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins in a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Gerry Morris, Sanchezs attorney, said in a statement Wednesday that he looked forward to someone taking a unbiased look at the evidence and exonerating Sanchez. DPS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAYS ABOUT 170 PEOPLE ARRESTED AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY RECEIVED SUMMONSES

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Wednesday that about 170 of the 280 arrested at Columbia University and nearby City College the night before have received summonses.

The remaining 100 or so cases will be making their way through the court system, with the earliest arraignments later Wednesday afternoon and into the evening.

He said he didnt yet have a sense how many of those arrested were students and how many werent affiliated with the colleges.

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA IN TALKS WITH PROTEST LEADERS

Interim university President Jeff Ettinger said he had constructive dialogue Wednesday with student leaders of an ongoing protest.

The protesters are demanding that the University of Minnesota divest from companies that do business in Israel and put out a statement that supports Palestinian students. Ettinger said the planned half-hour meeting stretched for 90 minutes.

University officials have allowed a Gaza Solidarity Encampment that includes dozens of tents and hundreds of people to remain in the heart of the Minneapolis campus. Thats despite earlier orders by police to disperse.

GEORGIA REPUBLICANS REITERATE SUPPORT FOR FORCEFUL POLICE RESPONSE TO CAMPUS PROTESTS

Georgia Republicans on Wednesday reiterated their support for a forceful police response to campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war.

Gov. Brian Kemp, before he signed laws related to policing, praised officers for standing strong and maintaining order in the face of protests and disturbances on our college campuses.

State troopers have aided local and campus police in breaking up encampments and arresting protesters at Emory University in Atlanta and the University of Georgia in Athens. Emorys president has since apologized for calling outside officers after police used pepper spray balls, aggressively tackled protesters and used an electrical stun gun to shock at least one protester.

The governor said he supported suspending and expelling student protesters who break laws. We are not going to allow Georgia to become the next Columbia University, he said.

Protesters arrested at the University of Georgia were issued interim suspensions and barred from campus without being given a chance to appeal.

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR SAYS ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR AT UCLA SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said anyone who engaged in illegal behavior on the UCLA campus should be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution, suspension or expulsion.

The law is clear: The right to free speech does not extend to inciting violence, vandalism, or lawlessness on campus, said the Democratic governor.

His spokesman Izzy Gardon said the California Highway Patrol was deployed to the Los Angeles campus after unacceptable delays and limited response from campus police to clashes between dueling groups of protesters.

No one was arrested, and its not clear if all the demonstrators were students. The California Highway Patrol has not responded to further questions.

MORE THAN 100 MARCH NEAR COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

More than 100 people, most identifying themselves as Columbia University faculty and staff, marched and chanted near the schools New York campus Wednesday.

They marched on the eastern side of the campus by Hamilton Hall, where, hours earlier, New York police burst in to break up a demonstration by protesters who had occupied the building.

Many marchers held signs reading No cops on campus, and chanted slogans aimed at Columbia University president Nemat Shafik, including How many kids did you arrest today?

4 OFFICERS INJURED REMOVING PROTESTERS AT UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN IN MADISON

Campus police spokesperson Marc Lovicott said four officers were injured Wednesday as police tried to remove protesters tents from a central square at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Lovicott said a state trooper was hit in the head with a skateboard and three sheriffs deputies suffered injuries directly related to the physical resistance from protesters. At least 34 people were arrested.

Most of those arrested Wednesday were released with no citation issued," Lovicott said.

The protesters tents and belongings were loaded into a truck and hauled away, but the protesters later erected several new tents on the mall.

The university said camping is prohibited under campus policy and state law.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT EXPLAINS WHY POLICE WERE CALLED

Columbia Universitys president released a statement Wednesday morning to members of the college community outlining why she called in police the night before.

Nemat Shafik said protesters taking over an administration building on campus early Tuesday was a drastic escalation of the encampment at the college, which pushed the University to the brink, creating a disruptive environment for everyone and raising safety risks to an intolerable level.

Shafik, who goes by Minouche, acknowledged the school has a long and proud history of activism on campus, but argued those occupying the building committed acts of destruction, not political speech.

I know I speak for many members of our community in saying that this turn of events has filled me with deep sadness. I am sorry we reached this point, she wrote.

PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS ARRESTED AT 2 ARIZONA CAMPUSES

Police at two campuses in Arizona have cleared out encampments and arrested pro-Palestinian protesters.

Several people were arrested by police in riot gear early Wednesday at the University of Arizona in Tucson after President Robert Robbins directed school officials to immediately enforce campus use policies.

And about 20 people were arrested at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff on Tuesday night on trespassing charges. Police dismantled a small fence made of chicken wire as well as nearly two dozen tents.

NEW YORK MAYOR SAYS OUTSIDE AGITATORS WERE PART OF PROTESTS

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in an appearance on CBS Mornings Wednesday that police had identified organizations and individuals who werent university students, but professional agitators.

Once I became aware of the outside agitators who were part of this operation, as Columbia mentioned in their letter and their request with the New York City Police Department, it was clear we had to take appropriate actions when our intelligence division identified those who were professionals, well trained, Adams said.

Adams and the NYPD made similar claims before the arrests that the protest had been co-opted by outside agitators, though did not provide specific evidence to back up that contention. While people involved in the Columbia demonstrations acknowledge that some people not part of the college community have participated, they forcefully dispute the idea that outsiders were driving or unduly influencing the protests.

PROTESTERS CLASH AT UCLA AFTER POLICE CLEAR DEMONSTRATORS FROM COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Dueling groups of protesters clashed Wednesday at UCLA, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another.

Hours earlier, police carrying riot shields burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others.

After a couple of hours of scuffles between pro-Palestinian and counter-demonstrators, police wearing helmets and face shields formed lines and slowly separated the groups. That appeared to quell the violence.

Police have swept through campuses across the U.S. over the last two weeks in response to protests calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza. There have been confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza during a protest calling for their return, after meeting families of hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel on Wednesday to press for a cease-fire deal in the Israel-Hamas war, saying  the time is now  and warning that Hamas would bear the blame for any failure to reach an agreement to halt the war in Gaza.

On his seventh visit since the latest war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October, Blinken is trying to advance a truce that would free hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a halt to the fighting and delivery of much needed food, medicine and water into Gaza. Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be released as part of the deal.

The U.S. has pressured Israel to increase aid deliveries during the war, and on Tuesday, Israel reopened a border crossing with hard-hit northern Gaza Strip for the first time since it was damaged at the start of the war.

On Oct. 7, Palestinian militants launched an unprecedented attack into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people  mostly civilians  and abducting around 250 hostages. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Nearly seven months of Israeli bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 34,500 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and sparked a humanitarian catastrophe. The war has driven around 80% of Gazas population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine.

Currently:

 Live updates: Police crack down on U.S. college protests against the war in Gaza.

 Nonstop Mideast coverage of Israel-Hamas war pauses for protests and police action at U.S. schools.

 Blinken urges Israel and Hamas to move ahead with a cease-fire deal and says the time is now.

 Lebanese Christian leader says Hezbollahs fighting with Israel has harmed Lebanon.

 UCLA cancels classes after violence erupts on campus over the war in Gaza.

Follow APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Here's the latest:

U.S. DEFENDS ITS VETO OF PALESTINAIN MEMBERSHIP IN U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

UNITED NATIONS  The United States defended its veto of a strongly supported U.N. resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine. The U.S. stressed that while it supports a two-state solution, statehood must be the result of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday that there are unresolved questions as to whether Palestine meets the U.N. criteria for membership, and premature actions at the U.N. even with the best intentions will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people.

He said the United States is committed to intensifying its engagement with the Palestinians and the rest of the Mideast not only on the Gaza crisis but to advance a political settlement that will create a path to Palestinian statehood and membership in the United Nations.

Wood reiterated what he said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told regional partners during talks earlier this week -- that the U.S. will oppose any unilateral measures that undermine the prospect of a two-state solution.

He cited the three principles Blinken reaffirmed: that Gaza cannot be a platform for terrorism, that there should be no Israeli re-occupation of Gaza, and that the size of Gazas territory should not be reduced.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, insisted that Palestine meets the qualifications for membership and said the General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, will vote May 10 on a resolution asking the Security Council to reconsider favorably Palestines bid for full membership.

Responding to the United States, he told the assembly: You cannot say that you support the two-state solution and stand idly by while Israel is openly trying to destroy the Palestinian state, as openly confessed to by the Israeli prime minister.

Israels U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan countered that granting full U.N. membership to Palestine would have two destructive results. It will further incentivize terrorists, he said, and it is a clear message to the Palestinians that they never, ever have to sit at the negotiating table, let alone make any compromises.

U.S. SAYS CONSTRUCTION OF OFFSHORE AID PIER FOR GAZA IS ON SCHEDULE

WASHINGTON  The U.S. militarys construction of a floating pier and causeway to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza is more than half done and remains on track to begin operations early this month, the Defense Department said Wednesday.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters that the pier, which is located several miles offshore, is completely constructed and set up, and U.S. troops are now working on the causeway, which will be attached to the beach.

Singh said she did not have an exact date for the initial aid deliveries.

The USNS Roy P. Benavidez and several U.S. Army vessels are off the coast of Gaza assembling the pier and causeway. Once the causeway is finished, it will be anchored to the shore by the Israeli military.

U.S. military officials have said that deliveries will begin after that, once final security assessments have been made and confirm that the distribution area is also safe and ready to go.

HAMAS LEADERS SAY THEYRE STUDYING CEASE-FIRE PROPOSAL AND WORKING ON A RESPONSE

BEIRUT  Hamas leaders say they are studying a cease-fire proposal put forward by Egyptian mediators and hope to respond by Thursday, according to a statement the militant group sent to The Associated Press late Wednesday.

The current round of truce talks between Israel and Hamas appears to be serious, but the sides remain far apart on one key issue  whether the war should end as part of an emerging deal.

Most probably tomorrow, Thursday, God willing the mediators will be given a response, the Hamas statement said.

Repeating their core positions, Hamas leadership said theyre working on a response to the proposal that results in an end to Israels military operations in the Gaza Strip, deliveries of much-needed humanitarian aid, and a start to rebuilding the devastated territory, as well as freeing hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

According to an Egyptian official familiar with the plan, Israel has offered an extended halt in fighting and withdrawal of troops from the territory.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeated his determination to attack Rafah in talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday.

BLINKEN PRAISES ISRAELI COMPROMISES IN CEASE-FIRE TALKS

ASHDOD, Israel  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel has made very important compromises in cease-fire efforts, and it is now up to Hamas to get the deal done.

Blinken made the announcement Wednesday after a day of talks with Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during his seventh trip to the region since the war erupted last October.

Israel has made very important compromises, he said. Hamas has to decide whether it will take the deal and actually advance the situation for the people that it purports to care about in Gaza.

Theres no time for further haggling. The deal is there, Blinken said, shortly before he was to depart.

Egyptian mediators have reported significant progress in the talks, though there still appear to be disagreements over Hamas demand that a cease-fire include an end to the war and full withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, has pledged that Israel will invade the southern city of Rafah, Hamas last stronghold, with or without a deal.

Blinken said the U.S. remains opposed to an Israeli operation in Rafah until Israel finds a way to protect civilians. An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians are seeking shelter in Rafah, most of them people who fled war in other parts of the territory.

Blinken said his talks with Netanyahu focused on an agreement that involves an immediate cease-fire, the return of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and longer term arrangements.

Blinken also said he is seeing meaningful progress in efforts to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, speaking after a visit to Israels border crossings used to deliver aid into Gaza.

Blinken praised recent Israeli efforts to increase the flow of aid  including the opening of an additional crossing into hard-hit northern Gaza on Wednesday. He also praised Israel for allowing its Ashdod seaport to be used for aid deliveries bound for Israel. He also lauded plans to open a new U.S.-built temporary pier off Gazas shore to process additional aid.

We have seen in recent weeks real meaningful progress that is starting to make a difference for people in Gaza, Blinken said. It needs to be accelerated. It needs to be sustained.

ISRAEL REOPENS EREZ CROSSING FOR DIRECT AID DELIVERIES INTO NORTHERN GAZA

EREZ CROSSING, Israel  Israel has reopened a border crossing to allow increased humanitarian aid into the hard-hit northern Gaza Strip for the first time since it was damaged on Oct. 7, bowing to intense U.S. pressure to increase aid deliveries.

The Erez crossing, which connects directly to northern Gaza, was reopened for the first time on Wednesday during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. International aid organizations have reported a widespread humanitarian disaster in Gaza, warning that hundreds of thousands of people face the risk of famine in the besieged territory's north.

This is the first day that we reopened Erez crossing for a robust and continuous route for entrance of humanitarian aid into Gaza, said Col. Moshe Tetro, a top official in COGAT, the Israeli military agency for Palestinian civilian affairs. He said he expected the crossing to operate daily and that U.N. organizations would distribute the aid inside Gaza.

Before Hamas Oct. 7 attack, Erez served as a passenger crossing for Palestinians, including medical patients, laborers and travelers, going in and out of Gaza. The crossing suffered heavy damage in the attack and has been closed since then.

Israel has previously allowed aid to enter Gaza via land crossings near the Egyptian border, and limited aid to pass through temporary crossings in northern Gaza. But aid organizations have struggled to distribute aid in Gazas north, where the humanitarian situation is most dire.

The delivery was reportedly held up for at least two hours by Israeli demonstrators who blocked the convoy after it entered the West Bank from neighboring Jordan on its way to Gaza.

Jordans foreign ministry condemned in the strongest terms what it said was violence by Israeli extremists and accused the Israeli government of failing to protect the convoys.

PALESTINIANS IN GAZA RALLY IN SOLIDARITY WITH U.S. CAMPUS PROTESTS

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip -- A small group of Palestinians demonstrated Wednesday in central Gaza in solidarity with pro-Palestinian protests taking place across university campuses in the United States.

At a camp for displaced people in the city of Deir al-Balah, signs read: Thanks for your solidarity! THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY. Other posters thanked several other American universities where pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been taking place, including Harvard, MIT, Northwestern and George Washington universities.

In the past two weeks, student groups opposed to Israels military campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza have led protests across renowned American universities reaching from New York to Texas and California. They have called on the schools to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza.

This protest is to thank American universities and American students for standing with us and conveying our message to the world to stop the war and genocide that is taking place in Gaza, said Mai Afifi, a Palestinian university student.

I hope that Arab and Islamic universities will stand with us like American universities and try to stop the genocide, because we are students with dreams and ambitions and we want to complete our university studies, Afifi added.

SISTER OF HAMAS' TOP LEADER PLACED UNDER HOUSE ARREST IN ISRAEL

TEL AVIV, Israel An Israeli court has released the sister of Hamas top leader to house arrest, after she was indicted for incitement and identification with a terror group, Israeli media reported.

The sister of Hamas supreme leader Ismail Haniyeh, Sabah Haniyeh, 57, was born in Gaza but has Israeli citizenship and lives in southern Israel. She was arrested in early April and indicted on April 21.

Haniyeh was released to house arrest on Wednesday.

According to the indictment, she sent several messages praising the Oct. 7 attack to Whatsapp groups that seem to include members of the extended Haniyeh family.

Previously, rights groups have accused Israel of cracking down on Palestinian online expression during the war. Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli authorities, fired by Israeli employers and expelled from Israeli schools for online speech deemed incendiary, rights groups say.

Israel is currently holding negotiations mediated by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar to try to release dozens of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a cease-fire in the nearly 7-month-old war.

Ismail Haniyeh lives in exile in Qatar.

TURKEY SAYS IT WILL JOIN SOUTH AFRICA'S CASE AGAINST ISRAEL AT ICJ

ANKARA, Turkey  Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says his country has decided to formally join the legal case alleging genocide filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Speaking at a joint news conference with his Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, in Ankara, Fidan said Turkey would submit an official application to intervene in the case against Israel at the ICJ after completing procedures. He did not give a time frame.

We hope that with this step the proceedings at the International Court of Justice will move in the right direction, Fidan said.

South Africa filed a case at the ICJ accusing Israel of breaching the U.N. Genocide Convention with its military offensive against Hamas. Israel fervently denies that its military campaign in Gaza amounts to a breach of the Genocide Convention.

Turkey is among the strongest critics of Israels military actions in Gaza. Turkish President has described Israels actions as war crimes and genocide while asserting that the Hamas militant group, considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union, is fighting for the liberation of its lands and people.

A LEAKED CEASE-FIRE AGREEMENT INCLUDES ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL FROM GAZA

CAIRO  A leaked proposal detailing an emerging cease-fire agreement would include an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in exchange for a planned release of hostages.

The proposal, confirmed Wednesday by an Egyptian official and a Hamas official, sheds light on the thorny details being hammered out in a bid to secure the deal. The details were first reported by Al-Akhbar, a Lebanese newspaper close to Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group.

According to the proposal, Hamas would release female civilian hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during the first week of a 40-day initial phase of the deal.

After this first batch, Israeli troops would withdraw from a coastal road and head eastward to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid and allow the return of displaced civilians to their homes in northern Gaza. Hamas would also provide a list of hostages who are still alive during that time.

Within the third week, both sides would start indirect negotiations that aim to restore permanent calm. Three weeks into the first phase, Israeli troops would withdraw from central Gaza.

The second six-week phase would finalize arrangements for a permanent calm, the release of all remaining hostages, both civilians and soldiers, held by Hamas, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners. The soldier hostages will not be released before the start of the calm.

The third and final stage would include the release of the remains of hostages held in Gaza, more prisoners held by Israel and the start of a five-year reconstruction plan. The plan says that Hamas would agree not to rebuild its military arsenal.

Hamas earlier Wednesday said it wanted clarity from Egyptian mediators over certain terms of the deal, specifically over the unconditional return of displaced people to the north of Gaza and assurances the second stage will include a full withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza.

The Egyptian and Hamas officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing behind the scenes negotiations.

___

By Associated Press writer Samy Magdy

IN ISRAEL, BLINKEN ADDRESSES PROTESTERS SEEKING HOSTAGES' RETURN

TEL AVIV, Israel  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken greeted the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza who were protesting outside a meeting he held earlier Wednesday with Israels president.

Blinken briefly greeted several dozen demonstrators calling for an immediate hostage release deal on the sidewalk outside a Tel Aviv hotel. Earlier, he had met the families of Americans held captive by Hamas.

Chanting SOS, USA, only you can save the day and In Blinken we trust, bring them home to us, the protestors urged Blinken to make their case to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his War Cabinet.

Blinken told them that setting their loved ones free was at the heart of everything were trying to do.

In its Oct. 7 raid, Hamas killed 1,200 people and took some 250 people captive. About 100 were freed in a November truce. Hamas and other militant groups still hold 100, as well as the remains of 30 more, according to Israeli authorities.

Blinken is in the region to try to push Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire deal that might bring a pause to the nearly seven-month-long war and free some of the remaining hostages. An emerging deal would see the release of 33 hostages in a first phase lasting six weeks, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

HEALTH MINISTRY ADDS 33 PEOPLE TO THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR DEATH TOLL IN GAZA

CAIRO  The Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday the bodies of 33 people killed by Israeli strikes have been brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 57 wounded, it said in its daily report.

That brings the overall Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war to at least 34,568, the ministry said, and 77,765 wounded.

The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its tallies, but says that women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed.

The Israeli military says it has killed 13,000 militants, without providing evidence to back up the claim.

HAMAS ASKS MEDIATORS TO CLARIFY CEASE-FIRE TERMS

CAIRO, Egypt  Hamas has asked Egyptian and Qatari mediators to provide clarity on the terms of the latest cease-fire proposal being discussed as part of negotiations with Israel, an Egyptian official said Wednesday.

The official, who has close ties to the talks and spoke on condition of anonymity in order to freely discuss the deal, said Hamas wants clear terms for the unconditional return of displaced people to the north of Gaza and to ensure that the second stage of the deal will include discussing the gradual and complete withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the entire Gaza Strip.

The official said the current deal didnt fully explain who would be allowed to return north and how it would be decided.

It was not clear if Hamas demand for clarity would delay progress on the deal that's emerging out of some of the first serious rounds of talks between the sides in months. Israel and Hamas have been far apart on the key issue of whether the war eventually ends as part of a later phase of the deal.

The emerging phased deal includes the release of 33 civilian and sick hostages held by militants in exchange for a halt to the fighting and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

___

AP writer Samy Magdy contributed to this report.

BLINKEN IN ISRAEL TO PRESS THAT THE TIME IS NOW FOR A CEASE-FIRE DEAL

TEL AVIV, Israel  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was meeting with Israeli leaders on Wednesday, telling the countrys ceremonial president that the time is now for a cease-fire deal.

Blinken has blamed Hamas for any delay is getting a deal off the ground.

We are determined to get a cease-fire that brings the hostages home and to get it now, and the only reason that that wouldnt be achieved is because of Hamas, he said.

Blinken visited key regional leaders in Saudi Arabia and Jordan before arriving to Israel. He met Israeli President Isaac Herzog and was set to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later. According to the State Department, he will meet also with families of the hostages as well as visit an Israeli port where aid is entering for shipment to Gaza.

The emerging deal between Israel and Hamas appears to be gaining steam but a key sticking point remains over whether the war will end as part of the agreement, a demand Hamas has stuck to and which Israel rejects.
NEW YORK  Hes nowhere to be seen at Donald Trumps New York criminal trial, but hes everywhere: Michael Cohen, the former presidents ex-fixer.

Two witnesses on Tuesday testified to key questions in the hush money scheme which put Cohen at the center. Cohens former banker, Gary Farro, discussed the mans finances, while a Los Angeles attorney detailed his interactions with the former Trump attorney in the run-up to the 2016 election.

According to that witness, Keith Davidson, those interactions were usually unpleasant. The moral of the story is no one wanted to talk to [Michael] Cohen, Davidson said.

Cohen is seen as a uniquely vulnerable and valuable witness for the DA. He can testify to key parts of the prosecutions case, namely that Trump falsified business records in reimbursing him for the hush money payments.

For that reason, his testimony is expected to be a major moment in the trial. It is unknown when  or if  he will appear on the witness stand.

But on Tuesday, the prosecution seemed to be building toward calling Cohen.

Prosecutors called Davidson on Tuesday morning, introducing a witness with direct involvement in allegations at the core of the first criminal case against a former president. Davidson represented both Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels in their hush money negotiations with the National Enquirer and Cohen.

Davidson at first appeared stiff and unhappy to be on the stand, but loosened up as time went on, joking at times with prosecutor Joshua Steinglass. His testimony earned laughs at times from myself and other journalists in the overflow room. But Davidson is an attorney, and his knowledge of law showed throughout his testimony: he spoke formally and described himself as on a set of discrete assignments throughout the seamy events his testimony described. He was, in his telling, representing his clients while doing no more.

The presentation gave him an air of credibility, though the overall thrust of his testimony was to thicken the sleaze that envelopes the case. At one point, Davidson described a meeting in which his client Karen McDougal brought along two associates for reasons that were not explored: an ex-porn star named Jay Grdina and a former Phoenix police officer named Johnny Crawford.

But it was Cohen who played the biggest role in testimony on Tuesday without ever being present in the courtroom. Davidson described his increasing  and unwanted  interactions with Cohen over the course of 2016 as AMI, the National Enquirers parent company, became less involved in the hush money effort and Cohen, as Trumps direct representative, began to step into AMIs shoes.

Before the 2016 scandal, Davidson told jurors, he had had one interaction with Cohen. In 2011, a website called The Dirty had published an account of Daniels tryst with Trump. Daniels agent got an angry call from an unnamed person who she described to Davidson as a jerk.

Who was that jerk? Steinglass, the prosecutor, asked.

Michael Cohen, Davidson replied.

Davidson told Steinglass that he called Cohen to say that his client, Stormy Daniels, was also unhappy with the blog post, and to see if anything had been done to have it removed. Cohen met him with a hostile barrage of insults and insinuations and allegations that went on for quite a while.

Eventually, Davidson got the website to take the story down.

But that episode meant that five years later, in 2016, Davidson went out of his way to avoid having to interact with Cohen when he was again trying to keep the Stormy Daniels story from coming out  this time in the final days of the presidential election.

Davidsons testimony set the stage for why Cohen will be a key witness. But he has planetary-sized problems with his credibility. As Davidson testified, he frequently lied while working for Trump, and would become unreasonably angry for little reason.

But Steinglass had Davidson  so far a measured and calm witness  introduce these elements of the Michael Cohen experience to the jury. It potentially dampens the impact when defense attorneys eventually try to demolish Cohens credibility before the jury.

Those same issues threaded through the rest of Davidsons testimony.

By October 2016, Stormy Daniels story had hit what Davidson described as a crescendo in interest for the Trump campaign. The Access Hollywood tape had just come out  were another salacious story about Trump to emerge, Davidson said, the thinking was that it would kill what was left of the Trump campaign.

AMI, which had paid for McDougals silence, backed out of engaging in a similar agreement for Stormy Daniels, Davidson said. The replacement was Michael Cohen.

In essence, Michael Cohen stepped into AMIs shoes, he recalled.

But after the agreement to buy Daniels silence for $130,000 was signed, a problem immediately arose: the money did not come through.

Davidson said that Cohen came back with a series of increasingly absurd excuses: the wiring instructions didnt work. It was Yom Kippur. The Secret Service was messing around in Trump Tower, erecting firewalls which would make payment impossible.

But Davidson knew something else: the value of Daniels story would decrease dramatically come Election Day 2016.

I thought he was trying to kick the can down the road until after the election, Davidson said of Cohens excuses.

Davidson said that he began to send a series of increasingly dire emails to Cohen and to try to explain the situation to Cohen over the phone.

Its making me look bad, Davidson told Cohen. And I dont really believe a word that youre saying.

Eventually, Cohen relented: Goddamit, Ill just do it myself, he said, per Davidson. Cohen did not have the authority to spend Trump Org funds, Davidson believed, and he understood it to mean that Cohen would pay the terms of the hush money deal with his own money.

Its an important detail, in part because it sets up a key sequence of events for the case: with Trump refusing, Cohen paid Stormy Daniels with his own money, leading him to demand reimbursement from Trump. It was the alleged reimbursement which forms the basis of the charges against Trump.

Davidsons testimony tightly set up those questions around Cohen and how he was reimbursed. His testimony stopped just short of covering the ultimate completion of the hush money deal for Stormy Daniels: per his testimony, we know that Cohen had committed to paying for it himself, but had not yet completed the transfer.
Latvian FM: Some countries have provided Ukraine weapons with no restrictions on strikes in Russia

Some of Ukraine's allies have sent weapons to Kyiv with no restrictions on strikes inside Russia, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said in an interview with European Pravda published on May 1.

Ukraine has continued to press its Western allies for longer-range weapons, but partners have hesitated about delivering arms that could potentially be used to strike within Russian territory.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv will not use weapons supplied by foreign partners to hit targets outside of the countrys borders. Such restrictions do not apply to domestically produced arms, some of which are reportedly capable of striking deep into Russia.

Braze said that Ukraine needs the capabilities to conduct "deep precision strikes," including against targets on Russian territory.

"Ukraine's (use of Western weapons) is permitted by international law. If there are facilities from which Russia is carrying out attacks on Ukraine, you have the right to respond," the Latvian minister said.

When asked whether the approach to the ban on foreign-made weapons strikes on Russian territory could change, Braze answered that "there are countries that have already provided Ukraine with weapons without such restrictions."

"Not everything is announced publicly, and it is even better not to say it out loud until a certain time. The main thing is the impact on the battlefield. Because there is a choice here  either to speak loudly about something or just to do what is necessary," the minister said.

Ukraine has received long-range missiles, such as the Storm Shadow from the U.K. and the French-made SCALP. It was reported on April 25 that the U.S. had secretly sent more than 100 long-range ATACMS missiles to Kyiv.

Ukrainian forces reportedly successfully used them to strike targets on the Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea.

Read also: The US weapons making their way to Ukraine right now

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
~Unique Advisor Incentives, Virtual Coffee Chats, Tropical Trip Giveaways, and Beachside Trainings Mark Sandals' Sponsorship of Global Travel Advisor Day 2024~

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating the invaluable contributions made by Travel Advisors and their steadfast commitment to excellence every day  Sandals Resorts joins coveted partner, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), as the global sponsor of Global Travel Advisor Day 2024 with an array of happenings honoring and further investing in the Travel Advisor community  champions of travel to the Caribbean.

Sandals Resorts celebrates Global Travel Advisor Day 2024 with special incentives for Travel Advisors and a trip giveaway to the brand new Sandals Saint Vincent and Grenadines, pictured here.

"From the brand's inception, we have always recognized that Travel Advisors are the heartbeat of our industry. We not only express our sincerest gratitude for their unwavering commitment today, but every day," said Gary C. Sadler, Executive Vice President of Sales and Industry Relations at Unique Vacations Inc., an affiliate of the worldwide representatives for Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts. "We are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with ASTA, the leading global advocate for travel advisors, in recognizing their invaluable expertise and offering an extensive suite of tools to help Travel Advisors turn wanderlust into reality."

A Fascinating 'Facebook Live'

As the exclusive sponsor of Global Travel Advisor Day 2024, Sandals Resorts and ASTA are engaging directly with the Travel Advisor community with a Facebook Live session  with viewers sitting in on a captivating one-on-one conversation between ASTA President Zane Kerby and Sadler. Hosted exclusively on ASTA's Facebook page at 2:00 p.m. EST, Kerby and Sadler will celebrate Travel Advisors as an indispensable pillar of the hospitality industry, while bringing forward the latest travel trends, exploring cutting-edge research and discussing the programs that assist Advisors in creating tailor-made experiences for their customers. Capping off the session, a three-night stay will go to one lucky Travel Advisor who will experience Sandals Resorts' newest home in the Eastern Caribbean, Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines .

"We are overjoyed to continue our collective commitment with Sandals Resorts to our valued Travel Advisors and their steadfast dedication to providing their clients with unforgettable experiences," said Zane Kerby, President and CEO of the American Society of Travel Advisors. "We greatly value partners such as Sandals for the organization's unwavering support of the Travel Advisor community and for seamlessly aligning with ASTA's mission of facilitating the business of selling travel through effective representation, shared knowledge and the enhancement of professionalism."

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"Back to the Beach" at Beaches Turks & Caicos

Taking celebrations 'on location' to the Caribbean, UVI executives and Business Development Managers (BDMs) teamed up to host the latest edition of "Back to the Beach"  bringing together more than 80 travel advisors at Beaches Turks & Caicos through May 3rd. Welcome Travel Advisor Month with great momentum, the five-day event includes sessions and coffee chats diving into the latest travel trends, what's new in social media marketing, destination weddings and more  with Grace Bay Beach's unmistakable bright blues as a backdrop. A special Global Travel Advisor Day luncheon will be attended by Turks and Caicos Islands Minister of Tourism, The Hon. Josephine Connolly, who will salute travel advisors for their remarkable impact on tourism into the island.

An Intriguing Incentive & Driving The Brand Forward

Travel Advisors who secure new bookings of six (6) nights or more at any Sandals or Beaches resort directly through Unique Vacations, Inc. between May 1-31, for travel through December 26th, 2024, will qualify for extra booking incentives of up to $200.

Today, Sandals also reveals newly designed car wraps for Travel Advisors  unveiling a diverse selection of branding options designed to leave a lasting impression on clients during travel commutes.

"In a world where every impression counts, standing out is not just an option, it's imperative," said Sadler. "As Travel Advisors traverse through the heart of our cities, every mile leaves a lasting impression, sparking conversations and engagement wherever they go. This program is not just about wrapping our vehicles; it's about wrapping ourselves in the spirit of innovation and boldness."

Additional details are available on the Travel Advisor Portal .

More Ways to Celebrate in May:

On the Sandals Palmcast: Tune in to hear Gary C. Sadler and ASTA President Zane Kerby elaborate on their organizations' mutual support of the Travel Advisor community, their perspectives on the current state of the industry, and how they're celebrating on this Global Travel Advisor Day.

Listen here: https://sandalsresortspalmcast.podbean.com/e/global-travel-advisor-day

The STAR Awards: Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will host the Sandals Travel Advisor Recognition (STAR) Awards, honoring the top performing travel advisors from around the world and inviting them to make themselves at home at the brand's newest resort in a new island home, May 13-17, 2024.

About Sandals Resorts:

Sandals Resorts offers the ease and refinement of the most-awarded luxury all-inclusive vacation experience in the Caribbean. With 18 beachfront settings in Jamaica, Antigua, Saint Lucia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Curacao, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, each resort reflects the design, cuisine, and unique essence of its island home. From butler service and gourmet dining to top-shelf spirits and luxurious suites, including the Caribbean's first Overwater Villas and Bungalows, Sandals Resorts is celebrated for pioneering innovations that constantly evolve and elevate the all-inclusive vacation experience. The brand has recently piloted fresh concepts such as MINI Coopers for exploring beyond the resort gates and an off-site Island Inclusive dining program, while staying true to its Caribbean roots and showcasing the transformative link between tourism and its power to transform lives through its philanthropic arm, the Sandals Foundation. Sandals Resorts is part of family-owned Sandals Resorts International (SRI) which includes family-friendly Beaches Resorts, and is the Caribbean's leading all-inclusive resort company. For more information about Sandals Resorts, visit www.sandals.com .

Contact:

The Decker/Royal Agency

sandals@deckerroyal.com

Sandals (PRNewsfoto/Sandals)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/a-journey-of-appreciation-sandals-resorts-commemorates-global-travel-advisor-day-302133103.html

SOURCE Sandals Resorts International
Latvia's new foreign minister thinks time is not on Russia's side  video

Baiba Braze, Latvia's newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, believes that time is not on Russia's side in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

Source: Braze in an interview with European Pravda

Details: Braze had been asked who time favours in this war  Russia or Ukraine.

Quote from Braze: "I don't think the time plays for Russia. Ukraine is getting the military support, and also political, legal, sanction support. All of these certainly play for Ukraine's victory. "

At the same time, she understands that the protracted conflict is immensely difficult for Ukraine.

"But the road for this is very painful. It costs lives, it costs health, environment damage. It costs Ukraine more than anything else. It's horrible," she emphasised.

Braze agreed that there need to be changes in partners support for Ukraine. She stressed that Ukraine needs more than just air defence or shells  it also needs the ability to execute deep precision strikes, even on Russian territory.

"Because that's covered by international law: you can strike not only Ukraine's sovereign territory, but also those places from where Russia is attacking," Braze said.

The Latvian foreign minister also explained how the drone coalition, which her country co-chairs, intends to supply the needs of the Ukrainian army.

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Lauren Boebert is her own best asset  and worst enemy  as she fights to stay in Congress

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) says she moved to a new congressional district to give her troubled family a fresh start. But opponents say it was political move aimed at boosting her reelection chances. (Francis Chung / Associated Press)

Lauren Boebert was preaching to the faithful, prowling the stage of a megachurch and delivering a sermon  filled with Scripture and references to Christ and Satan  taken straight from the Book of Grievance.

She spit fire.

At President Biden and denizens of the Beltway swamp. At those criminally prosecuting former President Trump. At politicians presuming to substitute their judgment for God's. And, not least, at the "sellouts" within her own Republican Party.

"Every time that dirty four-letter word called 'compromise' comes up," Boebert fumed, "it's always Republicans stepping away from their principles, their platform, your priorities and siding with socialists, communists and Marxists."

The darkened sanctuary of the Rez Church filled with claps, whoops and cries of "yes!"

With her swaggering persona, distinctly non-Washington wardrobe and gleeful trampling of protocols  heckling Biden during his State of the Union speech, toting a pistol in defiance of the capital's tough gun laws  Boebert made herself one of the most prominent faces of a feral breed of conservatives attacking Congress from within.

It didn't play so well back home.

Despite her district's solidly Republican leaning, Boebert very nearly lost her seat after a single term, to a Democrat who assailed her headline-hunting and "angertainment" approach to office. Facing a tough rematch, she abruptly decamped this year to a district clear on the other side of Colorado, where the Republican faces five opponents in a June 25 primary  many with deep roots in the region.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) gives a thumbs down as she sits with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) during President Biden's 2024 State of the Union address. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP/Getty Images)

"This is where I grew up," conservative activist Deborah Flora pointedly stated as Boebert scribbled notes alongside her at a breakfast forum in Castle Rock, a fast-growing exurb on the far edge of Denver's sprawling metropolitan area. "This is where I raised my children."

"I promise not to embarrass you," another opponent, Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg, chimed in. "I promise not to humiliate you."

Sonnenberg wasn't any more specific. He didn't have to be.

In September, Boebert was tossed out of a Denver showing of the musical "Beetlejuice" after vaping, carrying on and getting handsy with her date. The scene was captured on camera and the PG-13 clip went viral, turning the 37-year-old lawmaker into a national punchline.

Worse, from a political standpoint, the off-color episode raised doubts about Boebert's judgment and impetuous nature, and badly undermined her image as a family-minded conservative and devout Christian.

She has apologized repeatedly, though at times Boebert seems less than contrite.

Rallying a few hundred supporters at the Rez Church in Loveland, she assailed the $95-billion military aid package Biden just signed into law, calling the emergency relief for Ukraine and others a shameful product of Republican treachery and Democratic deceit.

"More political theater in Washington, D.C.," she sniped. "If there's any theater to criticize, I think it's that one."

The response was knowing laughter and a smattering of applause.

"Praise the Lord for his mercy," Boebert added after a beat.

"And yours."

::

Boebert is, in many ways, her own greatest political asset.

She's a charismatic campaigner, filling a room with her slight 5-foot frame and a fusillade of attacks that issue forth in a high-volume, highly caffeinated rat-a-tat: against "open borders," a "woke and weaponized federal government," "the corruption of the Biden crime family," say-one-thing-do-another Republicans.

"When I go to D.C., it isn't to have fancy dinners with lobbyists and special-interest groups," she told several dozen Republican regulars at the Castle Rock breakfast. "That is not a representative. That's a welfare recipient."

When Boebert moves about, she's swarmed by selfie-seeking fans, reflecting the celebrity that's turned her into a national personality and built a formidable fundraising base. (The $3.4 million and counting that Boebert has raised so far is several times more than her Republican opponents combined.)

But the reputation preceding her also makes Boebert her own worst enemy.

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, attending a news conference defending former President Trump, is less a Republican than a MAGA stalwart. (Tom Williams / Roll Call )

It's not just the "Beetlejuice" episode. Details of her nasty divorce, including a restraining order against Boebert's ex-husband, have been splattered across the media. In February, the oldest of Boebert's four sons was arrested and charged with identity theft and other crimes.

She cited the personal shambles as the reason she switched districts, moving from western to eastern Colorado. "I wanted a fresh start for my boys," Boebert said in an interview  though she could have very well stayed in her old district, which is roughly the size of Pennsylvania, and still put some distance between herself and her ex-husband.

Some voters question whether Boebert, with all her mess, is worth the trouble.

Larry, a 73-year-old retired postal worker, showed up at the fairgrounds in Castle Rock to look over the congressional field and eye Boebert in person. (He declined to state his last name to avoid being hassled for giving his opinion.)

"I like her voting record and the way she stands up to Democrats," Larry said, as he added creamer to his coffee. "But I'm not sure about her leaving her district. And as a devout Christian, from a moral standpoint, I don't like her antics at the theater in Denver."

For some, however, Boebert's don't-give-a-flip attitude and not-in-the-least-conventional biography  she's a high school dropout and became a grandmother at age 36  make her authentic in a way most politicians aren't.

Bill Bennett brought his French bulldog, Donald J. Tank, to see Boebert when she dropped by a coffee shop in Elizabeth, farm country about 15 miles east of Castle Rock. Portraits of livestock and multiple crosses filled the small space, which barely contained the 75 or so who crowded in.

Bennett, a 61-year-old civil contractor who switched from independent to Republican when Trump became president, wasn't the least fazed by Boebert's unruly escapades.

"She's a total bad-ass. A total bad-ass," he said, holding a Boebert for Congress sign in one hand and Tank's leash in the other, "and I love that. We need strength and she's got backbone. We need backbone in the Republican Party. I can't stress that enough."

In fact, Boebert may perhaps best be described as a Republican in name only, an epithet she frequently hurls at others; her allegiance is to Trump and the MAGA movement, not the expectations or designs of the Grand Old Party.

Boebert's special guest in Elizabeth was Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, a fellow traveler in the GOP's burn-down-the-House caucus, who drove straight from Amarillo  a six-hour trip  to lend his support. Boasting of his contrarian approach, Jackson described his political "superpower" as not giving "a damn what anyone says about me."

Boebert smiled broadly and clapped enthusiastically.

::

Whoever wins the GOP primary is virtually certain to be the next representative from Colorado's 4th Congressional District. (The incumbent, Ken Buck, unexpectedly stepped down in March; a caretaker is running in a separate contest to fill the final few months of his term.)

Unlike Boebert's old district, which includes the posh mountain resorts of Aspen and Telluride, the new one is as flat and Republican as neighboring Kansas. There's a broad streak of Christian conservatism, more akin to the South or Midwest than the rest of Colorado. Farming and ranching, not apres-ski, are the major industries.

In short, this is Trump Country.

In 2020, the former president won the 4th District by nearly three times his margin in Boebert's old district. That makes Trump's support for Boebert vitally important. He's showcased in one of her TV spots  "Lauren, you're gonna do fantastically"  and his son Donald Jr. appeared alongside her at church in Loveland, after campaigning for Boebert in her former district last summer.

Past a small forest of American flags, past tables of Trump merchandise and two armed policemen standing guard, Trump Jr. performed more than 30 minutes of political stand-up, mocking Biden ("this dips has the nuclear codes?") and making light of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, before turning to the business at hand.

He acknowledged Boebert's relatively recent arrival to the district, but said she "obviously made a mark in D.C., because they're going after her like you wouldn't believe. That's a good thing. That, in and of itself, is probably the only endorsement you need. If the D.C. swamp people  especially the Republicans  dislike you, that's probably a no-brainer."

Boebert may be a newcomer, but having the most money and highest name recognition (for good and ill) makes her the candidate to beat. Running against a lone rival or two would be one thing. But with multiple candidates splitting the Republican vote, Boebert's standing with the MAGA base  which may be 35% or more of the primary electorate  could be enough to send her back to Washington.

"It's an environment that gives her a lot of advantages," said Seth Masket, head of the University of Denver's Center on American Politics, who's closely followed the race. "But it doesn't guarantee a win."

The question is whether Boebert can stay out of her own way  and keep out of any more trouble  between now and the June primary.

"I do live large," she said, unabashedly, in a conversation between campaign stops. "I live fast. I am very spontaneous."

So put that down as a maybe.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) sharply criticized Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Wednesday for her decision to oppose their antisemitism legislation, and for her rationale for opposing it.

Greene in a social media post said she would vote against the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023, introduced by Lawler and Moskowitz last October and passed later Wednesday in a 320-91 vote.

Greene said she opposed the bill because it would define antisemitic behavior to include remarks about Jews killing Jesus, which she said went against the Bible.

Greene said she wasnt voting for the bill because the new definition could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews.

Antisemitism is wrong, but I will not be voting for the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090), Greene posted.

Lawler appeared to roll his eyes when CNNs Jake Tapper asked Moskowitz for his reaction to her position. Lawler and Moskowitz were making a joint appearance on The Lead with Jake Tapper.

Both said the bill would not make believing in the Gospel illegal, but that it would help police general acts of antisemitism.

Were not interested in messing with the Gospel, nor does this language do that, and I dont think the Jewish community is worried right now what the Jew Laser Lady has to say, I mean thats not who we want on our side, Moskowitz said.

Moskowitz was referencing an earlier controversy with Greene in which she linked wildfires in California to a space laser and the Rothschild family.

So, she doesnt want to be helping us protect communities against antisemitism, were not surprised.

Lawler called Greenes comments absurdity that was thrown into this discussion at the last minute.

Lawler said the bills text uses a working definition of antisemitism that has been adopted by former President Trump.

The bill would force the Education Department to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances (IHRA) definition of antisemitism for use in enforcing nationwide antidiscrimination laws.

The group defines antisemitism as a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews and says Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

The definition also would cover using the symbols and messages associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.

Lawler said he is a practicing Irish Italian Catholic who believes in Jesus Christ and the Gospel but said he knows the bill will not prosecute Christians.

Its absurd on its face. Its inflammatory and its irrational, he said of Greenes argument.

Lawler argued that using the IHRA definition will help combat antisemitism that is happening on college campuses right now. He said there are students hiding behind the conflict between Israel and Hamas and somehow spewing antisemitism, and its being accepted by these universities.

So, this bill is targeting that, Lawler said.

The Hill has reached out to Greenes office for a comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Members of Congress are pushing Pentagon leaders to publicize complaints from troops and military family members about predatory college practices that could upset their education goals.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and military personnel officials, the group of lawmakers  Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Tom Carper, D-Del.; and Tim Kaine, D-Va.; and Rep. Donald Davis, D-N.C.  are asking for an update on the departments Postsecondary Education Complaint System, and reasons why information from the database has not been made widely available for almost a decade.

Because the DOD has stopped releasing summary reports, it is unclear how many complaints have been filed in recent years, let alone any critical information about what problems service members and their spouses might be facing and at which schools or institutions, they wrote.

Accurate data and information is needed to fully understand the problems service members, veterans, and their families are facing in the Tuition Assistance and My Career Advancement Account Scholarship programs.

Will the Supreme Courts GI Bill ruling mean more money for vets?

The complaint system was launched in 2014 as a way to track military students problems with using their education benefits, with an eye towards the prevention of abusive and deceptive recruiting practices.

Department officials reported 628 complaints through the PECS in the first two years of operations, and detailed the types of issues facing students in annual reports in fiscal 2014 and 2015. About 40% of the complaints were related to tuition payment or collection issues.

But the lawmakers said that public transparency stopped in 2016, to the detriment of troops and advocates. They argued the annual reports should restart in order to safeguard the hard-earned military education benefits of our service members and their families.

According to department statistics, about 300,000 service members receive some form of military tuition assistance annually. In fiscal 2022, total spending on those programs topped $644 million.

Defense Department officials did not provide an immediate response to the lawmakers requests.
Avroh, left, Maya and Maryam are among the 18 California children suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency over climate change. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Eighteen California children who allege the United States' climate policies intentionally discriminate against minors appeared in federal court this week with their landmark lawsuit in jeopardy.

The children, ages 8 through 17, sued the U.S. government and the federal Environmental Protection Agency for violating their constitutional rights. Their attorneys claim the nation's environmental policies have allowed dangerous levels of greenhouse gases to be released and accumulate in the atmosphere, knowing these emissions will endanger their well-being and future.

Although younger generations will undoubtedly experience the worst effects of global warming, children have little, if any, recourse to influence the rules that will shape their future.

"Their only redress is not the ballot box, elections or political power," said Julia Olson, an attorney for Our Children's Trust, an Oregon-based nonprofit that has filed legal actions over climate change in several states.

But U.S. Department of Justice attorneys this week petitioned a federal judge in California to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing in part that the court did not have the authority to make sweeping public policy changes.

Judge Michael Fitzgerald, 64, acknowledged climate change would have profound effects for all Americans, especially those "younger than my age or the president." But Fitzgerald, who did not make a ruling Monday, said he was inclined to side with the government, noting these decisions should rest with Congress and the executive branch.

"There are ways everyone can express their political views," Fitzgerald said, noting that he volunteered for an elected official as a child.

Read more: Los Angeles makes progress but earns 25th-straight F in air quality

In the coming weeks, Fitzgerald will rule on whether the case can proceed to trial. Ironically, in a case adjudicating the rights of children, the 18 plaintiffs  who live in communities that have been devastated by wildfires, flooding or heat waves  remained silent in the courtroom Monday.

Outside of the downtown Los Angeles courthouse, however, the children and their attorneys expressed their desire to be heard.

That included Genesis B., a 17-year-old from Long Beach, whose family does not have air conditioning. She has experienced summer temperatures so hot that she waits until sunset to start homework. By then, she's typically tired and dehydrated.

Genesis said she hopes Fitzgerald allows the case to move forward, because she feels the suit is their best chance to make a difference.

"I would say just to keep future generations in mind, because this is one planet for everyone," she said. "One quote I would share with the judge is: 'We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors  we borrow it from our children.'"

"When the EPA looks at the value of a life, it doesn't treat a child's life as worth as much [as an adult's] because they're not income-earners," said Julia Olson, an attorney for Our Children's Trust, an Oregon-based nonprofit that has filed legal actions over climate change in several states. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

One of the main arguments of their lawsuit is that the EPA's analyses of air pollution and greenhouse gases treats the lives of adults as worth more than those of children, according to Olson.

"When the EPA looks at the value of a life, it doesn't treat a child's life as worth as much because they're not income-earners," Olson said outside the courthouse. "All of that economic analysis drives the government's decisions on whether to control pollution or to allow it. And if it's cheaper to allow it, then they'll keep allowing it."

Federal attorneys argued no court ruling would be able to fix previous damage from climate change.

But the children and their attorneys argued this case is just as much about mitigating future damage.

"This may not automatically reverse the damage," said Maryam A., a 13-year-old from Santa Monica. "But I think that you, as government officials, should be able to protect all Americans, regardless of age, gender, race, or anything like that.

"The fact that you are dismissing our claims because we're children doesn't invalidate what's happening to us. And I feel that sometimes people may not take seriously children sitting in a courthouse. But we're the same as anyone else."

Read more: Santa Monica school expansion delayed by toxic dry cleaning chemicals in soil

To reduce levels of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere this century, the plaintiffs argue that the U.S. government needs to cease burning fossil fuels by 2050. The Biden administration has set a lofty goal of completely eliminating the nation's carbon footprint by 2050, although it will take decades of concrete policy action for the nation to achieve that target.

In the meantime, the U.S. and other countries continue to endure record-setting heat, intensifying wildfires and powerful storms.

Avroh S., a 14-year-old student from Palo Alto, said extreme storms and flooding at his middle school caused a power outage and prompted an evacuation. For him and other plaintiffs, these recurring natural disasters only reinforced the importance of their case.

"Apathy isn't the answer. Action is," he said. "If climate change wasn't happening, I wouldn't be here. I would much rather be hanging out with my friends or in school."

Read more: Red state coal towns still power the West Coast. We can't just let them die

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
In a new civil filing, a Minneapolis attorney is asking a Hennepin County judge to appoint a special master to oversee payments from a city office to violence prevention groups in order to ensure taxpayer funds are going through proper accounting practices.

Zachary Coppola, a Minneapolis resident, filed a lawsuit last November alleging the city's Neighborhood Safety department, formerly called the Office of Violence Prevention, used an illegal procurement process to arbitrarily select recipients for millions of dollars using substandard accounting methods.

"If they are going to spend tens of millions of dollars on these programs, they can spend a small amount more to ensure that these contracts are properly procured and properly administered according to basic accounting principles," said Dean Thomson, an attorney representing Coppola. "We are not against alternative violence prevention programs. We're only against their improper administration in which public funds are being spent without any accountability."

In court documents, the city has denied the allegations of improper accounting. The city would not comment on the pending litigation, but in a statement, Minneapolis Commissioner of Community Safety Toddrick Barnette said making sure the Neighborhood Safety department is "sustainable, accountable and expanding its capacity" has been his top priority since being sworn in last year.

"It is a critical part of the Office of Community Safety's mission to provide coordinated, comprehensive, and equitable safety services to all residents and visitors," said Barnette, adding that he is overseeing a restructure of the department, which includes bringing in a director of administration "to assist with ensuring compliance and accountability."

Minneapolis launched Neighborhood Safety in 2018 to address violence through a public health lens. The office currently has a $23 million budget, up from $2.7 million in 2020, and is a key part of the city's strategy to reduce violent crime.

The safety office oversees the Violence Prevention Fund and Gang Violence Initiative  grant programs funded in part by a pandemic stimulus package passed by Congress in 2021. Each program has paid out millions of dollars since 2019 to nonprofit organizations and private contractors aligned with the community safety-driven mission. The final grant recipients are chosen by the commissioner of the Minneapolis Office of Public Safety, the position now held by Barnette.

The lawsuit says the evaluation process is so flawed that it falls short of "the most basic competitive bidding or proposal evaluation process," and is therefore illegal.

The motion filed Tuesday alleges the city violated federal law by making payments through the Gang Violence Initiative to contractors for "personnel wages," though the contractors couldn't provide invoices showing the amount paid was accurate.

In one invoice, attached as an exhibit to the lawsuit, a contractor billed the city for more than $350,000 over two months in personnel wages without listing the names of the employees or specific dates of work performed  identifying them only as "violence interrupter" and a number  and without evidence of actual payment.

"Because the City either intentionally or ineptly failed, and continues to fail, to request proper support from its contractors, and because the City continued, and continues, to pay them without proper support, the Court should appoint a special master to ensure the City properly administers payments under its violence prevention programs before payments are made to contractors," the motion says.

Coppola said he believes in the value of community-based alternatives to traditional policing, but he doesn't think the city has provided sufficient oversight to ensure meaningful impact. "To me this is a key piece of the future," he said in an interview. "Citizens have demanded it, and citizens have the right to know that what they want is actually happening."

Coppola said he became concerned about the city's procurement practices after reading of fraud allegations against Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit facing dozens of federal charges for improperly paying out hundreds of millions of dollars. While still in law school at the University of Minnesota, Coppola filed a series of requests for access to public records. City officials initially denied him records that they claimed weren't public and later "resorted to silence when called out on those misrepresentations," according to the suit. In some cases, the city unilaterally closed his data requests after producing only some of the documentation required under law.

The motion filed this week says the city produced some of this information during the discovery process to Coppola and his lawyers under an agreement for a protective order. But when the lawyers received the documents, none were marked confidential, and the city confirmed the documents are considered public data.

"Those unnecessary actions evidence the extraordinary measures the City has taken to prevent Plaintiff and the public from obtaining public data about its violence prevention programs," said the court motion.
Any Lawyer Who Followed Trumps Advice Would End Up in Jail

What do you call a lawyer who obeys Donald Trumps advice?

Felon.

Okay; Im just kidding. Some of the crimes are misdemeanors, and a few people have been indicted but not yet convicted.

The New York Times reported this week that Trump is criticizing his lawyer in the New York criminal case, Todd Blanche, for not following the former presidents instructions. According to The Times, Trump wants Blanche to attack witnesses, attack what the former president sees as a hostile jury pool, and attack the judge, Juan M. Merchan.

How Trump Screwed Up His Lawyers Ability to Do Their Jobs

For Todd Blanches sake, I hope he sticks to his guns.

Rich people, such as Donald Trump, rarely face consequences for their misconduct. If Trump had ever had to hold a job, he surely would have been firedfor creating a sexually hostile environment, sexual assault, getting his employer sued repeatedly for nonpayment of the employer's bills, or some other misconduct.

But Trump never faced this problem. His father set up trusts worth $1 million for each of his children in 1976, loaned Trump $14 million in the early 1980s, guaranteed construction loans, and otherwise insured that the younger Trump would always be self-employed.

When you're the boss, you dont get fired.

Former President Donald Trump and his attorney Todd Blanche appear for the second day of his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 16, 2024 in New York City. Mark Peterson / Getty

Beyond that, people are held accountable in two primary ways.

First, people get sued in civil cases. Trump and his companies did, of course, get suedhundreds, or perhaps thousands, of times. But Trump settled the cases, stayed in business, and suffered no other consequences. Second, people get indicted in criminal cases. Until the last couple of years, Trump never paid a consequence on those grounds.

Trump has led a consequence-free life. But lawyerslitigators, in particulardo not live consequence-free lives.

When a litigator writes a brief, a highly motivated opponent (the lawyer on the other side of the case, paid to prove the scrivener wrong) writes an opposing brief, catching any misstatements in the original brief and casting even correct statements in the most disparaging light. Those briefs are then assessed by a neutral person (a judge) who rewards the honest and clever and punishes the dishonest and foolish.

When a lawyer argues orally in court, every word the litigator speaks is challenged by a motivated opponent. Lawyers learn quickly not to overstate things; you pay an immediate price for overreaching.

If litigators do overstep the bounds, the lawyer is likely to be punished in a way that affects his or her career. If the lawyer files a frivolous lawsuit or motion, the lawyer can be sanctionedeither monetarily or by referral to a bar association.

Attorney Todd Blanche appears outside the courtroom during former President Donald Trump's trial on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Eduardo Munoz / Getty

Those sanctions often must be disclosed publiclyto state bar associations, whose records are generally public, or on applications to represent clients in cases in states in which the lawyer does not have a license. If a lawyer is sanctioned just once in his career, every future opponent will locate that sanction and tell the judge that you're a recidivist. Potential clients may choose not to hire you, preferring instead to hire litigators with unblemished records.

The consequences dont stop there. To punish egregious misconduct, a state bar association can revoke a lawyers license to practice law.

If youre that lawyer, that means losing your livelihood. Thats seeing consequences for your misconduct.

Indeed, thats a consequence that Roy Cohnthe lawyer who represented Trump early in his career, and who Trump veneratesactually paid. Cohn was disbarred later in life. Trump thought Cohn was properly aggressive; disciplinary authorities thought otherwise. Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and others in Trumps penumbra, are all lawyers who acted as Trump desiredand have lost, or are at risk of losing, their licenses.

Trump Being Thrown in Jail for Contempt Could Really Happen

Todd Blanche is a serious lawyer. He was a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, perhaps the most respected prosecutors office in the country. He worked for years at large and well-respected law firms. He resigned from a large firm only when he chose to represent Trump, perhaps assuming that, for a criminal defense lawyer, this was the case of a lifetime. And it may well beif Blanche hangs on to his license through this ordeal.

If youre a serious lawyer, you do not use cross-examination to attack every witness viciously. That approach loses its impact over time, and causes the jury to dislike you, both of which make it more likely that your client will be convicted.

Serious lawyers do not attack jurors. That approach is both sure to make jurors resent you and probably get you referred to a bar association for disciplinary action.

Serious lawyers do not attack presiding judges. The presiding judge will make endless discretionary decisions during trial: Will borderline testimony be deemed admissible or inadmissible? When, if at all, will you learn the name of the witness who will take the stand tomorrow, allowing you to prepare for cross-examination? At sentencing, should the judge be lenient, or should the judge throw the book at your client?

Trump may not understand, or may not care, about these things. But Blanche does. He wants to look professional, and wants to win, and wants to maintain his license to practice law, so Blanche is more restrained than Trump prefers.

Is This Legal Strategy Trumps Last Hope in Hush-Money Case?

Theres one other point to consider. During a long trial, things will go wrong.

Thats inevitable; you win some, and you lose some. But Trump is sure to blame Blanche for every misfortune the Trump team suffers over the next few weeks.

After all, has Trump ever in his life blamed himself when something went wrong?

Trump insists that the media is to blame when his outrageous conduct is reported in the press. The Chinese government was to blame for COVID. Dominion Voting Systems was to blame when Trump lost the 2020 election. More recently, short sellers have been to blame for drops in the value of stock in Trumps media company, DJT.

Who do you suppose is responsible for Trump sitting in the dock in a criminal trial? Partisan Democratic prosecutors, who indicted Trump over nothing? Or Trump himself, for having violated the criminal law?

Heres the Speech Trump Should Give at Barrons Graduation

Things will go wrong during this trial, and Trump will blame Blanche. Blanche should accept the criticism, and he should ignore Trumps advice.

Theres an old saying among criminal defense lawyers: Be sure that, at the end of the trial, your client is the one who goes to jail.

Heed your conscience, and your instincts, and the law, Todd Blanche. You may have to endure Trumps criticism. You may get fired. You may lose. But be sure that, at the end of the trial in New York, its Trump, and not you, who goes to jail.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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STAUNTON  Late Tuesday afternoon, the clerk of the Staunton School Board sent out an email that a called meeting of the board would be held Wednesday night, May 1, at 6 p.m.

The only topic on the agenda: Consideration of school board leadership.

"The Staunton City School Board will convene in a special called meeting on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Rita S. Wilson Council Chambers located on the first floor of City Hall, 116 W. Beverley Street," the email read. "The purpose of the called meeting is to consider the status of the School Board leadership."

Beyond that, there is no further indication of the exact topic that will be discussed, although it seems certain it will involve Chair Natasha McCurdy. As reported by The News Leader on April 19, McCurdy and her twin sister, Felecia Neil, are both under investigation after money reportedly went missing from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) at Staunton's A.R. Ware Elementary School.

Neil is the PTA's treasurer. The sisters own Queen City Games and Gifts, and purchases at the store came into question in the affidavit obtained by The News Leader.

"No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the investigation that is alleging embezzlement, grand larceny and obtaining money by false pretenses," Brad Zinn wrote in The News Leader story.

In an effort to obtain Ware's PTA minutes last week, The News Leader contacted principal William "Billy" Brown. A message left with Brown went unanswered.

McCurdy, who was first elected in 2018 in a special election for a two-year term, and then again in 2020 for a regular four-year term, does not plan to run again in November. Her term is up at the end of this year and, two days before the story broke, she told The News Leader, when asked if she was running again, "No, I'm done."

The News Leader reached out to the other members of the school board the day the story published, asking if there had been or will there be any discussions about making a change in who is chair or asking her to step down from the board. No board remember has yet to respond.

"I am aware of these allegations and have cooperated from the the beginning, and will continue to do so," McCurdy said in a statement to The News Leader. "The records will show that I have not done anything wrong. I look forward to being cleared of any wrongdoing. Beyond that I will not comment on an ongoing investigation."

More: Staunton woman, 15 cats, saved from fire. Now the animals need homes.

More: Do no harm: Staunton pharmacy still on probation after board investigation in 2023

 Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton School Board holding called meeting Wednesday to address leadership
BEIRUT  The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has exchanged near-daily strikes with Israeli forces near the border region for almost seven months in the wake of Israels war against Hamas in Gaza.

And while Lebanons national military is working closely with a United Nations-led force to deescalate tension and improve border security, economic and political factors are hindering these efforts, analysts have told Defense News.

The Lebanese Armed Forces, or LAF, is struggling to fulfill its mission due to Hezbollahs position in national politics, the spillover effects of the Syrian and Gazan conflicts, the severe and prolonged economic depression and an ongoing governance crisis, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank.

Formed in 1982, Hezbollah is an Iran-backed armed group and also a Shiite political party in Lebanon. The U.S. considers the organization a terrorist group.

In the years leading up to Lebanons 1975-1990 civil war and throughout the conflict, the presence of militant groups affiliated with sectarian parties grew. The sectarian leaders themselves preferred to create their own armed groups instead of empowering a government institution with the mandate to defend the whole country, according to Dina Arakji, a defense analyst with the Middle East Institute think tank.

Hezbollah members stand in formation during a gathering in Beirut's southern suburb on April 5, 2024. (Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)

In October 2019, Lebanon was plunged into a severe financial crisis, stemming from decades of corruption and mismanagement by a political class that has ruled the country since the end of the civil war. The state of the economy was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the deadly Port of Beirut explosion in August 2020, per the World Bank.

The government has predominantly allocated its defense budget to salaries and benefits over the last two decades, limiting procurement programs. The situation is worsened by the absence of a political will to empower the military, Arakji told Defense News.

Hassan Jouni, a former Lebanese Armed Forces brigadier general who now works in academia, agreed.

There is no accordance neither in politics, nor in strategy. We lack a national view, Jouni told Defense News.

While the military does have governmental support, Jouni added, some perceive it as weak and unable to defend the countrys borders, especially people in south Lebanon, who have firsthand experience with the Israeli threat.

Foreign aid

Since the 2019 economic collapse, foreign security assistance to the LAF has largely focused on supporting and sustaining existing capabilities, including providing the force with spare parts for its equipment, Arakji noted.

Until recently made up of approximately 80,000 troops, the military likely lost about 7,000 personnel due to early retirement and a failure to adjust salaries following the economic crash, according to Jouni. To avoid mass resignation, the military allowed personnel to work other jobs, such as driving for ride-hailing services.

When I was commander of the Staff College, the yearly budget used to be around $160,000 for approximately 100, between trainers and students. After the collapse, it went down to $10,000, Jouni said.

An armored vehicle with the U.N. interim force in Lebanon patrols a coastal road in the country's south on April 17, 2024, amid cross-border tension as fighting continues between Israel and Palestine-based Hamas militants. (AFP via Getty Images)

In current U.S. dollars, Lebanon went from a $2 billion defense budget in 2019 to a $432 million fund in 2020, after the economy crashed, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a Swedish think tank. Its 2023 defense budget dropped to $241 million.

The LAF remains dependent on foreign support to replace and modernise its ageing equipment. Lebanon has no significant domestic defence industry, the IISS think tank wrote in a February report analyzing militaries around the world.

Amid its financial troubles, the military lacks advanced air defense systems that would defend against the increased proliferation of drones and missiles in modern warfare. However, the LAF has some capabilities that Hezbollah does not, and most of those are derived from the fact that the LAF is a conventional military, whereas Hezbollah remains fundamentally an asymmetric paramilitary force, said Aram Nerguizian, a Middle East military expert at the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

He noted the military fields the A-29 Super Tucano plane and the MD-530F+ helicopter for light attack capabilities and to fulfill intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Both aircraft types can deploy U.S.-supplied weapons systems that let the force launch precision strikes against soft, high-value targets.

He pointed to the militarys drone fleet, which includes the Boeing Insitu ScanEagle provided by the United States. The force has also significantly expanded its artillery inventory with the M109A5 self-propelled howitzer.

Lebanese soldiers, equipped with turrets on military vehicles, patrol the country's southern border on Aug. 8, 2023. (Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)

In addition, some LAF units, such as the special forces, have counterterror and warfare experience, and they receive training abroad. Indeed, Lebanons armed forces are one of the most operationally capable among Arab militaries, Nerguizian said. As an example, he cited the militarys response to the threat of the Islamic State group along the border with Syria from 2014 to 2017.

The U.S. military looks at the LAF as the only case of a national military in the Middle East decisively defeating and ejecting ISIS, he told Defense News.

The United States is a major financial contributor to Lebanons security. Since 2006, the U.S. has provided more than $5.5 billion in total foreign assistance to Lebanon, according to the U.S. State Department, with more than $3 billion meant to boost the military and security as well as counter Hezbollahs influence.

The Lebanese security environment is not organized the way you would have it in Jordan or Egypt in terms of the bilateral relationships. For example, there is no explicit U.S.-Lebanon state-to-state military relationship. Its a U.S.-LAF military-to-military relationship, Nerguizian said.

Together with Qatar, the U.S. also helps pay the salaries of security personnel.

Americas support signals its confidence the Lebanese military is an innovative and adaptable partner in a complicated region Nerguizian said. But this commitment remains subject to periodical review, and is vulnerable to the ebbs and flows of U.S. politics.

Still, there are other sources of foreign aid, Jouni noted: NATO members, such as the U.K., support Lebanese special units; Italy trains Lebanese forces on military combat techniques; and Canada provides winter weather training and the necessary equipment for such conditions.

The British, American, Italian and Canadian embassies in Lebanon did not respond to requests for comment. The Lebanese Army also did not respond to Defense News inquiries.

However, Kai Zimmermann, a military official with the German Embassy in Beirut, told Defense News the country has supported the LAF as part of the Enable and Enhance Initiative started in 2017, with a focus on rebuilding the military infrastructure in the port of Beirut as well as strengthening the Lebanese Navys training activities and ability to deploy vessels at sea.

Twofold threat

For Jouni, the LAF faces two challenges: defending itself against Israel and countering the threat of terrorism.

When we talk about [the] Israeli threat, we talk about the implementation of the Resolution 1701, the former officer said, referring to the U.N.s call to end the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

It also encouraged the deployment of 15,000 Lebanese troops along the southern border with Israel, although the military contingent there currently numbers about 5,000, according to Abdallah Bou Habib, Lebanons foreign minister, who spoke to the Lebanese daily newspaper LOrient-Le Jour.

Indeed, theres support among the partners of Lebanon and Israel for an expanded and consolidated LAF deployment along the U.N.-drawn border demarcation line, Nerguizian said, adding that this is also preferable to the Israel Defense Forces and would benefit the region, within a larger international framework.

A house lies in ruins in the border village of Kafr Shuba in southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike on April 27, 2024. (Rabih Daher/AFP via Getty Images)

One of the LAFs missions is to fully implement that U.N. resolution, preferably in a nonconfrontational way, Jouni said; others include neutralizing the threat of militias and resistance groups as well as uniting a divided population. Failure to achieve these aims could lead to further conflict, Jouni said, and the force can only reach its goals with a military and defense strategy, backed by a political vision.

There are events happening in the Middle East that are relatively routine and predictable, Nerguizian said.

Then you have once-in-a-generation, but potentially dramatic, changes, he added, citing Hamas attack on Israel in early October, and before that the formation of Hezbollah, which ultimately led to a tectonic change.

According to the expert, Lebanons military proactively understood the scale of potential change to come, more so than any other Lebanese institution or faction.

However, the only missing element is the national political willpower to commit the LAF to its national security duties, Nerguizian said. Without this, Lebanon risks remaining unprepared for these rare but significant events.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
By Nupur Anand

NEW YORK (Reuters) -JPMorgan Chase said in a filing on Wednesday that its assets in Russia may be seized after lawsuits in Russian and U.S. courts.

The bank faces several legal challenges over its Russian dealings after the U.S. and European nations imposed economic sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

The value of claims and orders to freeze assets exceeds JPMorgan's available assets in Russia, the largest U.S. lender said. JPMorgan Chase did not specify the amount of its assets in Russia.

A Russian court last month ordered the seizure of funds in JPMorgan accounts after Russian state-owned bank VTB sued to regain its funds blocked abroad.

Meanwhile, JPMorgan sued Russia's VTB Bank as the U.S. lender sought to block VTB's effort to recover $439.5 million.

JPMorgan's Russian assets are worth less than VTB's claims alone, a source said. These assets could range from cash to real estate to office equipment. JPMorgan declined to comment beyond the filing.

JPMorgan accused Russian courts of ignoring the bank's contractual rights and obligations, and disregarding its inability to make various payments because of sanctions laws.

JPMorgan said U.S. law prohibits it from releasing funds to sanctioned companies, including VTB, which was put on the U.S. Department of the Treasury's sanctions list in February 2022.

Separately, the bank expects to enter into a resolution with a third U.S. regulator that will require it to pay a civil penalty of $100 million for reporting incomplete trading data to surveillance platforms, it said.

The third agency is the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the source said. Before this, the Fed and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency had fined JPMorgan on the same issue. The CFTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Nupur Anand in New YorkAdditional reporting by Jonathan Stempel in Omaha, NebraskaEditing by Lananh Nguyen and Matthew Lewis)
LEBANON, Pa. (WHTM)  The local transportation agency Lebanon Transit is offering a day of free rides next week in honor of Rider Appreciation Day.

According to the agency, Rider Appreciation Day is a statewide initiative organized by the Pennsylvania Public Transit Association and transit agencies across Pennsylvania.

Transit is an essential part of Pennsylvanias economic success. Our customers recognize whether its to get to work, educational opportunities, healthcare, or recreation and play, public transit takes them there. We appreciate their strong commitment to transit as their preferred mode of transportation, PPTA Board Chair Sheila Gombita said.

In addition to the free rides, Lebanon Transit will also have a table set up at the Transfer Station at 7th and Willow Streets in Lebanon from 8 am to 4 pm where customers can take swag items and enter a raffle.

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Three raffle winners will each receive four ticket vouchers for Field Box Seats at the Lancaster Stormers during Lebanon Ironmasters Weekend from May 31 to June 2.

Lebanon Transit is proud to participate in Rider Appreciation Days, Executive Director Theresa Guirintano said. We want to take this opportunity to thank all of our Fixed Route bus customers to show that Lebanon Transit is here for our community.

The promotion is happening on Wednesday, May 8.





For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
Supreme Court oral arguments were made for social media. Social media was not made to make Supreme Court arguments persuasive or even understandable.

The courts latest Donald Trump case is a perfect illustration. The justices on this court are relatively young. Their questions are clear and direct, and they all are engaged, respectful, and fair. If you listen from start to finish, you cant help but think this is the most deliberate and serious branch of the three-ring circus that is Washington, D.C.

Yet clips from any argument, taken out of context, especially for an audience untrained in law, are catnip for the kitten-focused internet. They trigger us, and become the focus of angry exchanges. We yearn to roll our eyes and ridicule, and social media provides an endless supply of eye-rolling treats. When Justice Elena Kagan asked Trumps lawyer to say whether a president ordering the military to stage a coup would qualify as an official act, Sauer responded that it would depend on the circumstances. It would depend on the circumstances? What the freak are you talking about?!

But what was troubling about the exchange last Thursday was not the snippets. It was the whole show drawn together. The court let this case appear to be much harder than it actually is. And if were lucky, it will recognize in time that it need not map a full range of executive insanity to decide whether Donald Trump should face trial in a D.C. district court.

Donald Trump v. United States is an easy case made difficult only because we can so easily imagine Trump behaving in ways that would actually raise difficult constitutional questions.

Lawyers and scholars of the Constitution have long struggled to understand the limits that the Constitution imposes on Congress ability to hold the executive accountable. The great Chief Justice John Marshall, in the one decision that every high school student reads about, Marbury v. Madison (1803), signaled clearly that there would be some limit. But alas, he didnt grant us the favor of specifying precisely what that limit would be.

As Marshall wrote for a unanimous court: [Is the act] a mere political act, belonging to the executive department alone, for the performance of which, entire confidence is placed by our Constitution in the supreme executive; and for any misconduct respecting which, the injured individual has no remedy?  By the Constitution of the United States, the president is invested with certain important political powers, in the exercise of which he is to use his own discretion, and is accountable only to his country in his political character, and to his own conscience.

More recently, a lesser lawyer (but still quite a lawyer), Richard Nixon, tried to explain the puzzle to David Frost in perhaps Nixons most famous post-presidency interview.

Frost: So  youre saying  there are certain situations  where the president can decide that its in the best interests of the nation  and do something illegal.

Nixon: Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.

Frost: By definition.

Nixon: Exactly. Exactly. If the president, for example, approves something because of the national security  then the presidents decision in that instance is one that enables those who carry it out, to carry it out without violating a law.

Yet what makes these questions so hard is the same thing that makes Trump v. United States so easy: Marshall and Nixon are speaking about cases where the president is clearly executing core presidential powers. But left obscure in the oral argument in Trump v. United States is that Donald Trump was not executing presidential power in any legally relevant sense when he engaged in the behaviors charged in Jack Smiths indictment. None of the hard questions of presidential immunity are raised by the case. Indeed, the only hard question is why the lawyers have let it seem as if this is a difficult case.

The trigger for any question of presidential immunity is the presidents performing an official act, as the leading Supreme Court case on absolute presidential immunity, Fitzgerald v. Nixon, put it in 1982. The lawyers at the oral argument last Thursday obscured the clarity of that trigger by speaking of official powers and public acts. But those are confusions of a much clearer idea: The first question that must be asked when asking whether the president is immune is whether his act was an official act, part of, as Justice Story put it in 1833, the duties of his office as president of the United States.

What is absolutely clear about our Constitution and constitutional tradition, however, is that the president has absolutely no official duty when it comes to selecting the next president. Indeed, its a hard question whether Congress itself has anything to do with the selection of the president, beyond the (naively expected-to-be simple) counting of electoral votes. Instead, it is the states that have the primary, and perhaps exclusive, power to determine the elements necessary for choosing the president of the United States. The state legislatures are given the exclusive power to appoint, in such manner as [they] may direct presidential electors; in 2020, the court held that power to tell presidential electors how they must vote.

The Constitution then imagines that those certified slates of electors and their votes will then be transmitted to Congress, where those votes are  counted on a date set by Congress [read: Jan. 6], those votes are counted. Unlike with elections to the House and now Senate, the Constitution does not make Congress the judge of those elections (someone needs to explain that fact to Sen. Josh Hawley). And the Constitution certainly does not involve the president in any part of the process by which state legislatures determine the electors that will cast the ballots representing their states.

This doesnt mean the president wont play a role in that process. Its a free country. Any of us are free to lobby a legislature or reach out to a secretary of state. But it does mean that when a president does try to play a role in that process, he or she does so as a citizen, or a candidate, not as a president performing the duties of his office. Or more directly, he or she is not executing an official act.

Trumps lawyer in the Supreme Court brilliantly suggested the contrary, and perhaps because the argument had not been made in Trumps briefs in the Supreme Court, the governments lawyer, perhaps the greatest Supreme Court advocate of our time, Michael Dreeben, let the point slide.

When Justice Sotomayor suggested that Trumps acts insisting and creating a

fraudulent slate of electoral candidates could not be seen as plausibly legal, Dean Sauer responded: We have the historical precedent we cite in the lower courts of President Grant sending federal troops to Louisiana and Mississippi in 1876 to make sure that the Republican electors got certified in those two cases, which delivered the election to Rutherford B. Hayes. The notion that its completely implausible I think just cant be supported 

Later on, Sauer gave a similar response to Justice Elena Kagan. Kagan had asked why engaging with the RNC to gather electors would  be [an] official [act]?

Because the organization of alternate slates of electors is based on, for example, the historical example of President Grant as something that was done pursuant to and ancillary and preparatory to the exercise of the core recommendation clause power, Sauer claimed.

Bullshit. Ulysses Grant, in 1876, was not executing any inherent presidential power  certainly not the recommendation clause power  when he sent troops not to Florida and Mississippi but to Florida, North Carolina, and Louisiana. Instead, Grant was executing powers given to him by Congress in the Enforcement Act of 1871. That statute gave the president extraordinary power to ensure fair and peaceful elections. Grant had exercised that power effectively in 1872, making that the most peaceful and fair election in the post-Civil War 19th century.

He had tragically failed to repeat the exercise of that power to protect the vote in 1876, leading most to conclude that violence and intimidation had radically suppressed the Black Republican vote across the South, giving Samuel Tilden, the Democrat, a popular vote majority. Many questioned whether Congress had the power to pass the Enforcement Acts. But whether they did or not, Grants acts were official acts only because he was exercising power given to him by Congress, not because of any power given to the executive by the Constitution.

Trump, by contrast, was not exercising any power to police presidential elections given to him by Congress when he engaged in the acts charged in Jack Smiths indictment  because, again, neither Congress nor the president has any constitutional power to police how the states carry out their obligation to participate in a presidential election. Trumps acts were, therefore, not official acts because the authority to perform those acts flowed neither from the Constitution nor from any federal law. He acted, in other words, not with any shield of federal law, but merely as an ordinary citizen trying to bring about the political result that he wanted.

Granted, it is sometimes difficult to see this point clearly, given the extraordinary immunity the Supreme Court has granted the president in Fitzgerald v. Nixon, at least in the civil context. There, the high court instructed lower courts to secure presidents immunity for acts within the outer perimeter of the duties of his office. But to suggest that there is an outer perimeter is to recognize that there are acts beyond that perimeter. And if one parses carefully the sort of duties of  office that Fitzgerald was speaking of, it is perfectly clear that acting to secure or overthrow a presidential election is nowhere near any outer perimeter of any constitutionally granted presidential duty.

As the court in Fitzgerald explained, the presidents position is unique. He is vested with the Executive Power of the United States  not the power to ensure the Georgia secretary of state has not missed 11,780 ballots. The Constitution makes him the chief constitutional officer of the Executive Branch. But the Executive Branch does not oversee presidential elections  the states do.

The president oversees the enforcement of federal law  which is why Grant was empowered to send troops to the South in 1876, and why Trump had no license from Congress to muck about with alternate slates of presidential electors. The president is charged with the conduct of foreign affairs  which a presidential election is not. And he is charged with the management of the Executive Branch  which again does not oversee state elections or state legislatures or slates of presidential electors or anything else related to electing a president.

The point is that even though Fitzgerald gave incredibly broad immunity (in the civil context) to a president when performing anything within the outer boundaries of the duties of his office, Fitzgerald gives no protection to a president who has wandered outside of the duties of his office. And though many wonder whether there is anything that is truly beyond the duties of an American president, here is one clear case: the selection of the next president.

And obviously, this choice by the Framers makes infinite sense. If an incumbent has absolute immunity to muck about with the process that will determine whether he or she is reelected  while his or her opponent is bound by law to avoid fraud or threats or physical violence  then incumbency in America becomes something perfectly Putin-esque. Everyone understands why no effective challenger to Vladimir Putin ever appears on a Russian ballot: Anyone credible with the courage to challenge him ends up either dead or in jail; anyone left sees local and regional administrators bending over backward not to insult Russias current czar. Yet, though I doubt any incumbent, including Trump, would ever assassinate a political opponent, I dont doubt that with absolute immunity, some would do everything in his or her power to coerce election officials to bend the rules to favor the incumbent.

Such a system would be a nightmare. But the point is, it is not our nightmare! The Constitution is perfectly clear that the president has no role in a presidential election. Any act an incumbent engages in to advance his candidacy should, therefore, be considered a personal act, not within the duties of his office.

As confident as pundits watching Supreme Court arguments are, the truth is that the court  and especially this court  is a much more careful institution than social media clips might suggest. Though Ive long given up forecasting, I do believe that this court will see that there is a very simple path they could follow to decide this case and decide nothing more. Yes, when a president executes the duties of his office, theres a really hard question about how much Congress can involve itself in that execution. But this court need not answer that question now. Because neither the Constitution nor current federal law gives any president any official duties when it comes to his or her own reelection. His or her acts are, therefore, his or her own. And a D.C. jury should thus have the power to determine whether those acts violated federal law.

So then, would, as Justice Sotomayor asked, a president be immune if the president decides that his rival is a corrupt person and he orders the military  to assassinate him?

This is a deliciously ambiguous question that invites two very different answers. If a corrupt person means simply a person who shouldnt be president, then no, the incumbents order enjoys no presidential immunity. It is the action of a candidate trying to secure his own election.

But imagine the president is told by the CIA that his or her opponent is the Manchurian candidate  an agent of a foreign power. Is the president immune then?

Here, the D.C. District Court should do exactly as the Supreme Court instructed in United States v. Nixon: Presumptively, the president would not be immune. But the president could ask the court for immunity, and the high court could decide, in camera, whether the president could show that his order was indeed related to the duties of his office. Undoubtedly, protecting the nation from a foreign operative could be related to the duties of his office. The president could receive immunity.

Thus, candidates challenging an incumbent need not worry that immunity would embolden the incumbent. Manchurian candidates should beware.

Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School.

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Conservative protest at the Capitol against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, April 30, 2020 | Anna Liz Nichols

A pair of bills will be introduced Thursday in the Michigan Senate that would codify a ban on firearms at the Capitol in Lansing, state Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) told the Advance.

The legislation, sponsored by Polehanki and Rosemary Bayer (D-West Bloomfield), seeks to place into state law a decision by the Michigan State Capitol Commission, which voted unanimously in August to adopt new security procedures that banned guns at the Capitol, with an exemption for state lawmakers with concealed weapons permits.

Id like to codify this into law in the event that maybe a Republican majority might happen sometime in the future, Polehanki told the Michigan Advance on Wednesday afternoon. And I think that it would be more difficult to repeal a law than to just change a commissions policy because with the Capitol Commission, the membership often kind of mirrors whatever party is in power.

The issue has special resonance for Polehanki, whose picture of armed gunmen in the Senate gallery on April 30, 2020 went viral. The armed men had been allowed inside the Capitol with sidearms and long guns while outside roughly 600 more angry right-wing protesters flooded the Capitol lawn, angry over Gov. Gretchen Whitmers plan to expand a pandemic emergency declaration.

Directly above me, men with rifles yelling at us. Some of my colleagues who own bullet proof vests are wearing them. I have never appreciated our Sergeants-at-Arms more than today. #mileg pic.twitter.com/voOZpPYWOs  Senator Dayna Polehanki (@SenPolehanki) April 30, 2020

You couldnt be more of a fish in a barrel than the way that the Senate chamber and the House chamber are, said Polehanki, adding that the architecture places the public gallery above the lawmakers desks.

I was a new legislator, still, she said. I came from the high school classroom. So I went up to my colleagues and I said, Is this normal? and the consensus was, Weve seen it before, but this has an intensity to it that we have not seen before. I saw one of them was kind of staring me down, so I decided to take a picture, and they saw me do it and I did. And I just thought, Maybe Ill tweet this out, and I did. And then it just immediately went viral.

That picture not only went viral on social media, it became a visual exhibit during the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, with the armed protest referred to as an example of a state level dress rehearsal for the siege of the U.S. Capitol, on January 6, 2021.

Regardless, Polehanki says the proposed legislation is a needed guarantee nothing like happens again.

Id like to get this codified into law, so if anyone in the future decides that theyd like the Capitol to return to more of a Wild, Wild West shooting gallery atmosphere, then theyre going to have to cast votes and put their names on record to repeal that, she said.

Polehankis bill, SB 857, would ban the concealed carrying of guns at the Capitol, as well as the Binsfeld Senate Office Building and the Anderson House Office Building, while Bayers would ban open carry in those locations. However, as with the Capitol Commission rules, the proposed legislation does provide an exception for state lawmakers with concealed weapons permits.

I left that in the bill because if and when the bill passes into law, its important to me that any future legislature, in which Republicans retake the majority, does not have a reason to overturn it, she said. I know that legislator concealed carry is important to my Republican colleagues [and] hasnt been a problem, so I just left it in. I dont want to give anyone a reason to vote no.

Sen. Dayna Polehanki

Current procedures also allow on-duty employees of private security companies contracted by the state to provide protection to state officials, and on duty employees of the Michigan Supreme Court or the Michigan Court of Appeals to carry a concealed pistol if they have a valid CPL and are authorized by their employer to carry a firearm. The ban does not apply to members of Capitol security, law enforcement officers and other on-duty state security employees.

When asked if she thought she and Bayer could draw any Republicans to vote on the bills, Polehanki was optimistic, yet also realistic.

I think the way the bill is, its hard to say no to this, she said. I dont understand how anyone can go back to their district and say, I voted no on this. Why? Will I get any Republicans on board? I have no idea. I hope so, but I dont know.

The post Legislation to codify Michigan Capitol firearms ban to be introduced Thursday appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Henry Siravo, a Smithfield High School student, speaks in support of Rep. Leonela Felix's bill at a March 26, 2024, meeting of the House Committee on State Government and Elections. (Screencap/Capitol TV)

They can serve as pages in the General Assembly. They can drive a car. They can give blood. They can consent to medical care, or sex. They can work 48 hours in a week and pay taxes on these earnings. They can put that money in a savings account theyve opened.

These are some things 17-year-olds can do in Rhode Island, and a few apply to 16-year-olds as well. A recent pair of bills brought to the State House would give older teenagers one more privilege: the ability to vote in elections for their local school committees.

Students go to the meetings, they can talk at the meetings, they can give all the ideas that they want, said Henry Siravo, 17, a senior at Smithfield High School. But at the end of the day, how often do they get listened to? We get brushed off as kids.

A pair of bills sponsored by two Democratic lawmakers  H8046 by Rep. Leonela Felix of Pawtucket and S2895 by Sen. Tiara Mack of Providence  would make it harder to brush off kids.

The identical bills do not mandate any statewide changes. They would create the statutory outline to allow 16- and 17 year-olds to vote in school committee elections, but the key phrase in the bills language is that municipalities may provide this privilege  it wouldnt be required. Additional stipulations are that the 16- or 17 year-old would have to be a resident of the municipality for at least 30 days, and register at least 30 days before the school election itself.

We always talk about people not being engaged in elections as adults, Felix said in a phone interview. What better way to get them engaged than starting early?

A sign posted at the Myron J. Francis Elementary School in East Providence informs voters they are at a polling place on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. (Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)

Siravo started early: He originally became involved with Young Democrats of Rhode Island, who have also pushed for the current legislation, after he rallied against the Smithfield School Committee in 2023, who were considering a disclosure policy that could potentially out transgender and LGBTQ students to their parents.

I organized over 100 students, but mostly parents, teachers and just community members to come out against that, because as powerful as the testimonies of the students were, they didnt vote. They didnt get to hold them accountable at the ballot box, Siravo said.

We really dont have financial power to donate to candidates, Siravo continued. The bare minimum that were asking for is a voice, so that we can say, If you slash our department funding, if you make school really hell to go to  were gonna vote you out. Right now, we dont have that voice. We dont have that say.

The legislation mirrors efforts in other states to see youths represented in electoral processes. Maryland state law leaves it up to municipalities to lower the voting age for local elections  and the city of Takoma Park enacted their youth voting legislation over a decade ago in 2013 when they approved 16-year-olds participation in local elections.

Earlier this year in Newark, New Jersey, municipal officials OKd 16-year-olds votes in school committee elections  although Chalkbeat reported in February that the law wouldnt be in effect until 2025 because of voter registration issues. KQED reported that Berkeley and Oakland passed measures allowing 16-year-olds to vote but that the law hasnt been satisfactorily enacted yet either.

Meanwhile, campaigns similar to Rhode Islands are underway in Michigan, Hawaii, Illinois and Massachusetts as well as a number of California cities, according to advocacy organization Vote16USA. A successful passage of youth voting laws in New York that will take effect by July 1, 2024, has led the New York City Bar to offer guidance on the rollout.

Data from the CIA World Factbook shows that 18 is the standard voting age for many countries, although suffrage begins earlier in some places than others. Nicaragua, Cuba and Austria provide universal suffrage starting at age 16. Estonia and Germany allow 16-year-olds to vote in some local and state elections. If youre 16 and employed, you can vote in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Argentina and Brazil up the ante by requiring citizens ages 18 to 70 to vote in elections or face fines and penalties  but 16- and 17 year-olds can voluntarily vote, too.

We always talk about people not being engaged in elections as adults. What better way to get them engaged than starting early?

 Rep. Leonela Felix, a Pawtucket Democrat who proposed extending right to vote to teens for school committee elections

At the March 26 hearing of Felixs bill in the House Committee on State Government and Elections, two Republicans and one Democrat were unconvinced. Rep. Brian Newberry, a Smithfield Republican, worried about students having say over municipal bodies who make budgetary decisions.

Rep. Patricia Morgan argued against 16-year-olds mental readiness to vote. At the age of 16, they really are not adults, said Morgan, a West Warwick Republican. And they dont have that capacity. As much as whatever, you know, research you got, its just not true.

Rep. Arthur Corvese, a North Providence Democrat, was more specific in his criticism: I dont buy that the same individuals who would support allowing teenage and young adult murderers to either get out of jail or have a reduced sentence because of their inability to understand what they did  but you want 16-year-olds to vote in elections? Im sorry.

Felix told Corvese that cognitive processes involved in crime and voting are hardly the same. Comparing impulse decisions like crime is entirely different from the decision making they would use at the ballot box, she suggested.

The research has shown that youth, when it comes to non-impulsive behavior, theyre just as rational as adults, Felix said. Its astonishing to me to hear folks talk about that.

The Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore supports the legislation, offering a few reasons why youth voting is worth considering.

Ultimately, we believe that our youth should be directly engaged in their communities and in the democratic systems and structures that govern them so that they become lifelong citizens and active participants in our democracy, Amore wrote in a testimony submitted in support of Felixs bill.

Potential issues with the bill involved ballot preparation and implementation, but Amore noted his office would be happy to help tweak the law and make it more logistically viable.

Both Felixs bill and Macks have been held for further study since their respective hearings in House and Senate committees.

Larry Berman and Greg Pare, spokespeople for the House and Senate respectively, offered a statement via email.

These bills were heard in their respective Senate and House committees earlier this session, they wrote. The Senate President and Speaker will be reviewing the testimony and communicating with the chairpersons as part of the normal committee review process.

This is the second year Rhode Islands General Assembly has seen this legislation, said Mary-Murphy Walsh, the president of the Young Democrats of Rhode Island. But the idea is still young.

I think next year might be easier considering all the other priorities that the legislature has, Felix said.

The post Legislators propose giving 16- and 17-year-olds right to vote in school committee elections appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
(File/Getty Images)

Culture war debates over whats appropriate for library shelves put a rural South Carolina school district in the national spotlight, as a Moms for Liberty book challenge escalated into a legislators calls for the state to investigate and fire employees.

The Department of Education isnt commenting on whether an inquiry even exists.

But it has sought the Legislatures approval for a regulation that would create a standard policy for challenging books in South Carolinas schools and give the State Board of Education final say over parents complaints.

The House could take up and OK the regulation Thursday. But with only four legislative days left in the session, its not expected to go any further this year.

The two GOP House members representing Anderson One School District have urged for passage as they await the outcome of an investigation they say is underway.

Rep. Thomas Beach, R-Piedmont, during a House of Representatives session in Columbia, S.C., on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. (Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA/Special to the SC Daily Gazette)

The regulation would also require school districts to maintain on their websites at all times a publicly available and easy-to-find listing of all books and materials available to students  addressing their accusation that books were hidden from parents.

How Anderson became national news

The issue exploded after the Anderson County branch of Moms for Liberty, a conservative parental rights group founded in Florida, sent out a news release in late February highlighting portions of emails Anderson One provided in response to a public records request.

The release quoted school librarians complaining in emails about Moms for Liberty.

In one from March 2022, a librarian was explaining to a teacher  who was trying to find a book  that shed taken the library catalog offline so parents cant scour it for critical race theory books (sigh).

Five months later, she wrote, I still dont have my catalog visible to the public  we removed those links, right?

I think mine goes straight to the log in page as well (if I did it right), another librarian responds.

Rep. Thomas Beach, R-Piedmont, wrote to state Superintendent Ellen Weaver, saying the records showed a coverup by public employees.

The father of three children in Anderson One schools called for employees to be investigated and fired, as well as a statewide investigation to see if these methods of hiding graphic and pornographic materials from parents is happening throughout South Carolina.

Anderson One officials firmly deny Beachs allegations.

A district spokeswoman said the catalog of library books is and always has been open to parents through their childs school login. And its been open for public searches without a login since last fall, according to the district. However, as the Gazette learned, finding the database can be difficult for anyone unschooled on where to click.

The following nine books in Anderson One school libraries were challenged. One was removed. One was put back on shelves without restrictions. Seven need parental permission for students to check out:

And They Lived by Steven Salvatore: Removed

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie: No restrictions

The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood*

Looking for Alaska by John Green*

Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez*

Breathless by Jennifer Niven*

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison*

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas*

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews*

*Parental permission needed

Source: Anderson One School District

While book battles are occurring nationwide, the fight in Anderson One stands out due to Beachs request and where its happening.

The accusations involve one of the most staunchly conservative areas of a Republican-dominated state. Both Beach and Rep. April Cromer of Anderson, who requested the records on Moms for Libertys behalf, are members of the Houses hardline Freedom Caucus.

Patrick Kelly, a lobbyist for the Palmetto State Teachers Association, said that in 19 years of teaching, hes never heard of a legislator asking the Department of Education to investigate specific educators.

Anderson is just one example of how book challenges have been accompanied with threats and harassment, the South Carolina Association of School Librarians said in a statement to the Gazette.

There are politically-motivated groups behind this behavior and, unfortunately, some of our states lawmakers have decided to join in, it read.

The president of the association is a librarian and former teacher of the year in Anderson One.

News of the Anderson One allegations quickly spread beyond Upstate South Carolina, as it was picked up by several conservative outlets, including the national Daily Signal, a publication of the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation, and Fox News. According to the school district and librarians, threats followed.

As intended, it is painful and traumatic to be the focus of their name calling, accusations, and even threats to my physical safety and the safety of my family, wrote Tamara Cox, the library associations president, in an email to the SC Daily Gazette. No librarian should be targeted for simply doing their job.

10 boxes of documents

The records that Anderson One provided Cromer last November ran to roughly 17,000 pages, according to the school district.

The Gazette asked for a copy of the communications released to Cromer but was told it would cost $6,000 to $7,000 to get the same information. The Gazette instead paid $22.80 for a much more limited request.

Cromer got the requested communications for free because shes a legislator. A district spokesperson said Cromers request took several staff a full week to redact the information released in hardcopy.

The pages filled 10 boxes, according to Moms for Libertys Feb. 28 news release, which said a thorough review found emails that show school librarians conspiring to hide books from parents so they are not flagged as controversial.'

The group attached six pages of emails dating from November 2021 to July 2023. In them, public school teachers and librarians, mostly in Anderson One, discuss book selections for lessons, book challenges elsewhere and frustrations with Moms for Liberty specifically.

Founded in 2021 to fight pandemic mandates and closed classrooms, the controversial conservative group has spread nationwide to counter what it considers woke ideology, with tactics that include seeking the removal of books from school libraries.

There are 19 county chapters in South Carolina.

One email chain from July 2023 that the Anderson chapter released is between a Powdersville High librarian and a teacher asking for recommendations for contemporary young adult fiction to read aloud during class.

We are in a really weird climate right now with books in ASD1, the librarian wrote. The Moms of Liberty are coming hard at us with book challenges (mind you, the leader of the group doesnt even have a child in our district  *grrrr*), so were going to need to tread lightly with our topical choices. They have their censoring guns loaded.

In another exchange shared later by Moms for Liberty, a teacher of Advanced Placement English reached out to some students over the summer, asking if theyd be interested in organizing a pushback to book challenges, emailing back and forth with them to strategize.

Whats happening is that books are being removed because of a challenge that is based on excerpts. These excerpts are distributed and read aloud at board meetings for a shock effect, he wrote in June 2023. They are explicit. And out of context, they could reasonably be called obscene. But the excerpt is not the book as a whole, and that is what I am defending.  And that would be one of the ways we would argue against these bans.

Multiple sources told the Gazette that teacher left the district following the Moms for Liberty email blast. The district said it could not discuss personnel matters, and the teacher did not return messages from the Gazette.

Theres no record that any other Anderson One employee has left over the controversy.

The trouble started percolating over a year ago.

In March 2023  two months after the Anderson County chapter of Moms for Liberty held its first meeting  the Anderson One school board proposed changing its book-challenging policy so that only residents of the district could challenge books in its schools. And Anderson One is among five school districts in Anderson County.

This raised red flags for the parents, who then found many of the sexually explicit books that had been challenged across the country, Moms for Liberty chapter leader Carly Carter wrote in an email to the Gazette. That was when parents contacted her, she said.

Then last spring, amid the Legislatures debate on banning abortions, GOP Sen. Sandy Senn of Charleston said on the Senate floor that a parent in Anderson One asked that the 1985 dystopian novel The Handmaids Tale  about a society where women are valued only as baby-making machines  be removed from shelves.

That prompted a flurry of open records requests from news outlets, according to records released to the Gazette.

Parents in Anderson One ultimately challenged nine books, including The Handmaids Tale, which is among seven that students now need parents permission to check out. Only one on the list has been removed from shelves entirely.

After parents challenged nine books for being sexually explicit, the subsequent school board meetings were very contentious, and it became obvious that there were people within the district working together to block parents, Carter, the chapter chairwoman, wrote.

After several months of back and forth with the school district, Moms for Liberty decided to file a Freedom of Information Act request on which books were removed from high school libraries. When the group learned the FOIAs cost, they asked Cromer to request it instead in her official capacity, so they could get it for free. And she asked for much more, including all communications from librarians containing the words critical race theory, privilege, and LGBTQ.

Cromer, whose children graduated from the district, said what was found in the boxes confirmed the groups concerns.

I think it just highlighted a lot of the things we were told were not happening. We saw it first-hand in their own emails and their back and forth that they were working actively, intentionally to hide stuff from parents, Cromer told the Gazette.

A bombshell report

Days after the Moms for Liberty press release, Beach sent his letter to Superintendent Weaver, pointing to the groups bombshell report. His letter, which did not name anyone, accused Anderson One employees of deliberately and secreting grooming students  alleging, without evidence, that educators are deliberately sexualizing children.

I dont think Ive been more upset since his 2022 election to the House, Beach told the Gazette about seeing the emails in the release.

The district called his accusations ridiculous.

Our teachers and administrators have dedicated their careers to serving students and helping them reach their full potential, said district spokeswoman Jennifer Mazza. Accusations that there is a deliberate campaign of secret grooming are not only false, but also diminish the hard work of teachers in our district who are focused on the academic success of all students.

Such success was celebrated just last week when Weaver announced that the states Teacher of the Year is a social studies teacher in Anderson One.

Cromer said she supports Beachs request for an investigation but said she doesnt think she can call for the firing of a school employee.

The Gazette requested and reviewed all emails since last June between the district superintendent and Beach and Cromer. These included invitations to award ceremonies and a discussion with Beach about a potential budget earmark for the district. The emails made no mention of the FOIA responses or any specific employees.

Mazza said the district has investigated any concerns about employee conduct, and is addressing concerns in accordance with the district policies. There have also been security concerns, she said.

Student and employee safety is a top priority for Anderson One and we take any threats very seriously, Mazza wrote.

Other parents in the district have opposed the push by Moms for Liberty.

Jessicka Spearman, a mental health therapist, founded the organization Anderson Reads last April to support both the school and public library.

Spearman, a Democrat who is challenging GOP Sen. Richard Cash in November, has four children in the Anderson One district  two at Wren Middle and two at Wren High.

Ultimately, what I am more concerned about is within the community, how this affects the LGBTQIA students, those within marginalized communities, said Spearman, who has a transgender teenage son.

Spearman said her parents met at Wren High, and she graduated from the district herself.

No, I do not see any grooming in the school district, she said. I am a product of Anderson District One. I graduated in 2000. As far as the books go, there is no grooming.

The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union meanwhile began tracking Cromers public records request early on to push back on what the organization called in a blog post a smear campaign.

Rep. Cromer has proudly aligned herself with Moms for Liberty, and weve seen their agenda kind of play out across the state and across the nation, so I think theres definitely reason to be concerned that a larger swath of books will be targeted if theyre not already, said Joshua Malkin, a legal fellow with the state ACLU.

Malkin said parents have the right to choose what their children are exposed to, using opt-out forms for particular material, but not the right to limit what all children can access.

Legislators have their freedom of speech as well but the fact we are seeing legislators use their platform to harass, bully, name just incredibly hard working and dedicated public servants is especially problematic and I havent really seen that elsewhere around the state, Malkin said.

Cromer told the Gazette that having an adult conversation, especially when your children are involved, does not amount to bullying and harassment.

The post Legislators put their SC school district into spotlight of book challenge debate appeared first on SC Daily Gazette.
This April marked three years since I first started working as HuffPosts editor-in-chief. In that time, there have been huge amounts of threats to the free press, all cropping up at the exact moment that our democracy seems to be most at risk. Its clear that this is a challenging moment for digital media. And yet, in the last three years, HuffPost has reached historic growth. Were regularly producing award-winning journalism, holding power to account, and bringing you fun and fearless news every single day.

This is one of the most critical moments for news I have ever experienced. Threats on IVF, a draconian abortion ban in Arizona, and the looming Biden-Trump showdown all will have vast and potentially dire impacts on American life. Im incredibly proud of the journalism weve produced and the stories were telling every day. But this challenging moment for the media means we have to think critically and creatively to ensure the future of our newsroom.

This is one of the most critical moments for news I have ever experienced. Threats on IVF, a draconian abortion ban in Arizona, and the looming Biden-Trump showdown all will have vast and potentially dire impacts on American life.

We are in a perilous time, but HuffPost was built for this moment. When I joined HuffPost in 2021, I was familiar with the brand as it was a newsite Id been reading since its inception, but I didnt know the people. What I found were dedicated, warm and hard-working journalists, committed to their craft. Individuals like Christopher Mathias, a reporter covering the fringes of our politics so we better understand what nefarious forces are at play, seeking to undermine our diverse democracy. And journalists like Taryn Finley, a writer and podcast host who brings a fresh perspective and humor to our race and culture reporting. Or an editor like George Zornick, who runs our National desk, covering pressing issues  from education to healthcare and beyond  across the U.S.

We are a lean, dedicated newsroom committed to delivering necessary, award-winning, and paywall-free journalism in the style and personality we are known for. And in this age of misinformation and disinformation, having timely, accurate information focused on the facts is more important than ever.

We are in a perilous time, but HuffPost was built for this moment.

And your trust in us to deliver those facts fuels our excellence.

But we need your support to fuel our fight. Journalists like Chris, Taryn and George and so many more in our newsroom need your help so we can continue to bring you the news you need daily. Advertising revenue simply isnt guaranteed  and for that reason, were asking you, the people most deeply impacted by and deeply engaged with our work, to play a part in our next chapter.

If you are able, wed deeply appreciate your financial support. You can contribute as little as $2 to help us fund our work and keep our journalism free for all.

If we are going to win this fight to protect our democracy, its going to take all of us  together. We need you. Please join us so HuffPost stays free.

Sincerely,

Danielle
SIR  Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative Partys 1922 Committee, would like the choice of leader to be removed from party members and entrusted to MPs (Letters, May 1).

One starts to wonder what point is left in being a member at all when the democratic essence of it is less evident. Rightly or wrongly, members chose both Boris Johnson and Liz Truss because they reflected their political views. Have MPs done much better?

Even the selection of candidates has been purloined by the powers that be, and largely removed from local associations. Central Office takes over in respect of by-elections and true blue Tories are often declined admission to the approved list of candidates.

Its as if the party has been stolen by well-meaning liberals. We will not see the country regaining confidence in it until real Conservatives take control.

Jonathan Fogg

Loule, Algarve, Portugal

SIR  No wonder the Conservative Party is in such disarray. It has too many MPs who are not conservative. You would have thought it would have learnt its lesson.

Maybe next time?

Simon Warde

Bognor Regis, West Sussex

SIR  How many times do we hear the cry that the current major political parties are not listening to voters and their priorities?

This is clear in the evidence that some in desperation will vote Labour just for change, not out of conviction, while others will vote Reform to signify their priorities or, significantly, will not vote at all. Are we really going to have to wait for Labour to fail under Sir Keir Starmer, as most anticipate, or for the Conservatives to collapse before politicians emerge who actually represent the will of the people?

Lets hope that a sustainable leadership that listens to people and common sense will emerge, sooner rather than later, so that we get the country the electorate voted for in 2016, before the grim period that so many of us anticipate.

Peter Williman

Chatteris, Cambridgeshire

SIR  When deciding who should have a say in the choice of Conservative Party leader, surely the fact that MPs see and work with the contenders on a daily basis must put them in a better position to judge suitability than mere onlookers.

Christopher Hunt (Letters, May 1) writes that being a good performer in the case of Penny Mordaunt is not enough. However, I would say that carrying a sword at the Coronation and giving the first speech in sign language to the House of Commons demonstrate, among other things, determination and character. A good team leader doesnt need to be a financial wizard  they appoint one.

Sandra Jones

Old Cleeve, Somerset

Police officers safety

SIR  The horrific episode in London that left a schoolboy dead and others injured has again shown how police officers who are committed to defending the public will willingly head towards danger despite being under-equipped to defend themselves.

You report (May 1) that a 2019 survey showed that 89 per cent of officers in England and Wales would like to be issued with a Taser, while 81 per cent said they would feel safer if they were armed with the devices. Surely the same duty of care that police regularly demonstrate to the public should now be applied to them as well.

Stuart Harrington

Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset

SIR  The Metropolitan Police is roundly criticised on a number of issues, but credit where credit is due: Tuesdays incident in Hainault demonstrated the exemplary behaviour that has long been the hallmark of good policing.

The female officer is to be commended for her action, placing herself in harms way to immobilise the suspect with her Taser while colleagues did everything possible to protect the public.

Stephen Howey

Woodford Green, Essex

SIR  The failure by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to tackle knife crime is not only a public safety and public health concern, it is also precipitating an economic crisis.

Londons streets do not feel safe. Hospitality and retail are struggling  and is it any wonder, when young people like me face rampaging mobs in far too many communities across the city?

Liam Bruce

London SE1

BBC balance

SIR  I must agree with Philip Richardson (Letters, May 1), who objects to the whooping and cheering of the Any Questions? audience on Radio 4.

I used to listen regularly but rarely do now due to the audience bias displayed, regardless of the location of the programme. However, I did listen last week and, like him, was appalled.

The Labour and Green Party members were cheered after virtually every sentence they uttered, while the Conservative representative was laughed at on most points he raised  though they were important and he expressed them calmly.

As the BBC does not even pretend to offer any balance, I will not be listening again.

Stephen Ford

Rayleigh, Essex

Good clean work

SIR  My husband, who is a retired company director, is one of a group of local residents who go litter-picking along the roads in our village.

He does not find this demeaning, so why should a young unemployed person think it is (Letters, May 1)? Helping to keep the local community tidy is a positive thing and helps to establish a work ethic.

Sarah Pearson

Burridge, Hampshire





For peats sake

SIR  The reason plants at supermarkets and DIY stores fail (Letters, May 1) is that they put them in peat-free compost, which doesnt hold water and quickly dries out.

Although it is more expensive, I use compost with peat in it  which works.

Stephen Woodbridge-Smith

Tavistock, Devon

Scottish instability

SIR  The instability now affecting the Scottish political system is in large measure the consequence of the Additional Member System, a form of proportional representation that was instituted when Scottish devolution was enacted in 1998.

Under it, top up members are assigned to the Scottish parliament from party lists in order to make up the proportion of members deemed to have voted for each political party. Not only is this undemocratic, it also encourages the representation of single-issue parties in parliament. Except during the past heyday of the SNP, the outcome has been a coalition in which a minority single-issue party can seek to control the governments agenda, as we have seen.

The Left-wing fashion for PR exists and remains potentially dangerous. A future prime minister with Tony Blairs naivety on the matter could still bring it about.

Anthony Pick

Newbury, Berkshire

Covid vaccine risks

SIR  I was sad to read the criticism of AstraZeneca and the legal actions against the company (report, April 29). People seem to have forgotten that AZ produced a vaccine that enabled us to end the dreadful lockdown.

All vaccines and medications have risks attached. Anyone who takes regular medication will know the packet contains a long list of possible side effects. We all know this but judge that the benefit of taking the medication outweighs the risks. The same applies to the Covid vaccine.

Geoff Blackman

Mullion, Cornwall

Visitor charges

SIR  While a 5 charge for day trippers to visit Venice has attracted some controversy (report, April 26), your readers may not be aware that at least two tiny, privately owned, villages in the south of England already effectively charge visitors a similar amount.

While the tiny hamlet of Bucklers Hard in Hampshire, owned by the Beaulieu Estate, doesnt charge for entry, it does cost 4.80 to park a car for between one and three hours  and theres no alternative. The undeniably picturesque village of Clovelly on the North Devon coast, which is owned by the Rous family, charges adults 9.50 for access to the village, although this does include entry to a couple of museums.

Jeremy Archer

Newport, Isle of Wight

A memorable addition to a glass of Babycham

A Babycham beer mat: the first alcoholic drink to be advertised on British television - Alamy

SIR  Further to Beryl Frankss letter (April 30), I too was allowed a Babycham by my aunt in the 1950s. It was served in the Babycham glass with  wait for it  a glace cherry bobbing in it. The height of sophistication.

Jacqui Griffiths

Bwlchllan, Cardiganshire

SIR  Many years ago I took my family to a popular Chinese restaurant in Leicester. As my son was a toddler, I asked for the baby chair, but the waiter brought a Babycham instead. To my eternal regret, I turned it down.

Michael Quinn

Bridport, Dorset

The need for clarity in the assisted dying debate

SIR  Citing the Oxford English Dictionary, Juliet Buckley (Letters, May 1) writes that euthanasia means a gentle and easy death, not deliberately ending someones life. Yet the full OED definition includes: the action of inducing death.

She tries to distinguish this from assisted dying, which she describes as how we give very ill or old pets an easy death. Leaving aside that being very ill or old need not mean dying, putting down pets is euthanasia, and euthanasia of a non-voluntary kind.

Assisted dying is a vague euphemism that dangerously conflates the intentional killing of patients and/or assisting them to commit suicide with legally and ethically uncontroversial palliative care, including decisions to withhold or withdraw treatment.

In a recent podcast on the topic, Lord Falconer of Thoroton said: Assisted dying can mean a whole range of things. It can mean taking your own life because you are terminally ill. It can mean taking your own life simply because you are suffering. Or it can mean turning off the machines and not getting treatment.

Such woolly phrases can only confuse public understanding and should have no place in public policy debate.

Professor John Keown

Kennedy Institute of Ethics

Georgetown University

Washington DC, United States

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Letters to the Editor: What Biden needs to say now: 'Mr. Netanyahu, end this war'

To the editor: I understand that from a diplomatic perspective, it is best for President Biden to keep his plans and conversations private. Israel is a loyal ally to the U.S. ("Biden and Netanyahu speak as pressure grows on Israel over Rafah invasion," April 28)

But the president is losing some of the voters he needs to win the next election. Young people have pure hearts and little understanding of nuance or political subtlety. They see evil actions in the Gaza Strip and they want them stopped.

And, of course, they are right  just as they were right when they protested against the Vietnam War.

If these people vote for former President Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jill Stein or a write-in candidate, or if they just don't vote, Trump will become our next president. That would be far worse for the country and the world than anything else besides nuclear war.

I know Biden cannot convince everyone of his good intentions, but I wish he would address the nation in prime time, express his anger and grief and give us all a plan. He needs to sound strong and unequivocal  something like, "Mr. Netanyahu, end this war."

It worked for President Reagan, and it would make a real difference in November.

Dixie McIlwraith, Pasadena

..

To the editor: We must remember that Israel dismantled all of its settlements in Gaza in 2005. Hamas has ruled it since 2007.

There is a simple solution to the heartbreaking loss of lives in Gaza: Hamas should immediately leave Gaza, because if Hamas were truly interested in protecting its fellow Palestinians, it would do so.

The bombing would then stop. There would be no need for further retaliation against Hamas in Gaza for its horrendous surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

The Israeli military has since waged a punishing campaign to eliminate Hamas, which operates among Gaza's population. So, all the deaths from the war must be placed at the doorstep of Hamas.

Analysts should stop blaming Israel and instead demand that Hamas vacate Gaza immediately.

Jack Salem, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's actions are a case study in what can happen when a country elects an authoritarian whose motivation for being in office is to avoid that country's legal system.

Are voters in the U.S. paying attention?

David Avirom, Whittier

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Letters to the Editor: I miscarried and was denied care at first. Will women die in antiabortion states?

To the editor: The scenario of a miscarrying patient being denied medical treatment is not hypothetical. It's reality  I know because I lived it. ("How treatment of miscarriages is upending the abortion debate," April 25)

In 1989, while living in Florida, I suffered a miscarriage at 14 weeks pregnant. Because my health insurance required that I go to one particular hospital (which did not allow abortions), my obstetrician was not able to give me the care I needed to prevent sepsis.

I went home and bled heavily for another week. Clearly frustrated by the hospitals rule, my OB eventually told me to meet him at the emergency department. There, he led the orderly pushing my wheelchair to the elevators while ignoring protests from the admitting desk. He performed the needed procedure.

My care was not illegal at that time. My OB had been on the medical staff for decades and wasnt concerned that he might get a "slap on the wrist" for performing a dilatation and curettage. He was more concerned for my health.

Today, in Florida, which has a six-week abortion ban, a doctor could fear being arrested for rendering this care. I wasn't yet so sick that my life was in immediate danger, but I could have eventually developed sepsis. It could have killed me and left my toddler without a mother.

If this happened when abortion was legal, imagine what is happening now in many states where it is not.

JK Hinger, Simi Valley

..

To the editor: I take issue with your editorial board's contention that abortion laws such as those in Idaho treat women as incubators.

Women's lives are cheap, but incubators are expensive pieces of equipment. No state in the country would require healthcare facilities to withhold service until the unit was on the brink of complete burnout.

Shelley Wagers, Los Angeles

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
JPMorgan ETF Head Bryon Lake Departing

Bryon Lake, who has led JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s ETF business for the past three years while its JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPI) soared in popularity, is departing the firm, according to published reports.

JPMorgan, which oversees $150.5 billion in 61 U.S. exchange-traded funds, didn't immediately respond to a request seeking comment. The departure of London-based Lake was first reported by CityWire.

Lake has most recently overseen the growth of the New York banking giant's active ETFs, as demand surges for that type of fund that typically charges higher fees than their passive counterparts. Active funds are grabbing customer assets from mutual funds, and in recent years have grown at 20% annually, according to Morningstar.

In October, it announced the launch of the JPMorgan Active Bond ETF (JBND), which has grown to $218.9 million in assets. Lake also announced in July that the company was converting four mutual funds to active ETFs. The conversions coincide with the company becoming the No. 1 firm year-to-date in net active flows across U.S. active ETFs, according to data from JPMorgan.

Lake on "Hot Streak" With Active Funds

Bloomberg Intelligence senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said Lake has been on a hot streak with low-cost active funds, and another firm may be quick to grab him.

If you were looking to lead your ETF business, he has to be on a very short list of people you think of, he told Bloomberg News. He really combined high-quality brand-name active for a more Vanguard-ian fee and that is a powerful combination.

Vanguard Group, the No. 2 U.S. ETF issuer, on March 1 said that Chief Executive Officer Tim Buckley will retire from the company after six years in the role and 33 years at the asset manager.

Lake's LinkedIn page said he spent 7 years at JPMorgan, all of them in the ETF business, and most recently as Managing Director, Global Head of ETF Solutions. He was at Invesco for 11 and-a-half years before that. He earned a Bachelor's degree in International Business at Taylor University in Indiana in 2002.

"Bryon Lake has informed us of his intention to leave the firm and we wish him well in future endeavors," JPMorgan told CityWire.





Permalink |  Copyright 2024 etf.com. All rights reserved
A coalition of 26 Lexington churches gathered Tuesday night in downtown Lexington to press the city to address the problems of transportation for those without private vehicles and care for an aging population.

Rev. Joseph Owens, of Shiloh Baptist Church, told the crowd gathered at Central Bank Center that the BUILD organization has found proven solutions to the citys unjust transportation and elder care systems.

BUILD, which stands for Building a United Interfaith Lexington through Direct-Action, has been working to get Lextran to develop a microtransit program, which would provide on-demand transportation similar to a publicly-subsidized Uber or Lyft service.

The organization also wants the city to take the lead on developing a program that would help connect senior citizens to community supports that would help them live independently at home longer.

BUILD said it expected 1,500 people to attend its annual Nehemiah Action Assembly Tuesday night in support of those goals.

We believe our city can and should make changes to prioritize the health and safety of all Lexingtonians, Rev. Nathl Moore of First African Baptist Church told the crowd.

Rev Joseph Owens of Shiloh Baptist Church addressing the BUILD assembly during BUILDs 2024 Nehemiah Action Assembly at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Ky., on April 30, 2024.

Microtransit study in the works

Vladimir Stafford told the crowd at the Nehemiah Action that a microtransit program would give him the same access as able-bodied people.

Stafford, who uses a wheelchair, said the citys Wheels program, which provides transportation to those with disabilities, is his only means of transportation.

A few years ago, Stafford said, Wheels dropped him off at Walmart one night, but the driver did not return to pick him up at the scheduled time.

I kept waiting and waiting, he said. Then my panic set in and I got scared.

After being unable to reach anyone at Wheels, he said he finally called the police, who also tried without success to get someone with the Wheels program on the phone.

Stafford said the police then called an ambulance, but Stafford said he was told the only place the ambulance could take him was the emergency room. He wasnt sick. And, he said, he was told hed have to leave his wheelchair at Walmart if he left in the ambulance.

I couldnt do that, Stafford said, his voice breaking. My wheelchair is important to me, and its my legs.

I ended up sleeping at Walmart that night, he said.

Vladimir Stafford tells of being left at Walmart overnight during a shopping trip by the citys Wheels paratransit service during BULDs 2024 Nehemiah Action Assembly at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, Ky. on April 30, 2024.

He said he recently lost a job opportunity because of transportation concerns.

One of the things they ask is, Do you have reliable transportation, Stafford said. I had to tell them no, because I was scared. ... Microtransit would be life-changing for me and many others.

Lextrans board of directors agreed last week to fund a $75,000 feasibility study for a microtransit program, BUILD leaders said Tuesday night.

Seven members of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council committed at the Nehemiah Action to keeping that funding in the Lextran budget when it is brought before the council for approval in May. The council members present were Chuck Ellinger, Jennifer Reynolds, Tayna Fogle, James Brown, Dave Sevigny, Denise Gray and Shayla Lynch.

We are one step closer to all of our neighbors having access to reliable transportation, said Ellinger, who has worked with BUILD on microtransit and committed to providing the organization with updates as the study progresses.

Council At-Large Member Chuck Ellinger expresses pride and gratitude for the work completed thus far on pressing issues raised during the BUILDs 2024 Nehemiah Action Assembly at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, Ky on April 30, 2024.

Elder care program sought

Bill and Fredda Moody, ages 90 and 87, respectively, told those in attendance that as they grow older, more challenges are bound to come their way, from how to get the snow shoveled off their long driveway to how theyre going to get to the grocery store.

The couple live on a mini farm, and they want to stay there.

Our goal is to age in place with dignity, maintain social contacts and have service providers we can afford, Bill Moody said.

Bill and Fredda Moody give testimony of lacking access to efficient elder care during BUILDs 2024 Nehemiah Action Assembly at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Ky., on April 30, 2024.

BUILD organizers say that as many like the Moodys grow older, they may have too many resources to qualify for programs like Medicaid, but they may not have enough to pay for high-quality care.

Belinda Snead, of Consolidated Baptist Church, said BUILD would like to see the city implement the Village to Village Networks model, in which villages, or membership organizations, would be set up to help connect people to services.

The networks website says all villages are different, but they all coordinate access to affordable services, including transportation, health and wellness programs, technology support, home repairs, social and educational activities.

Snead said a nonprofit organization could run one central Lexington Village, providing staff, volunteers and other support for the program, and individual neighborhoods could set up their own smaller groups. But first, she said, BUILD needs the city to get the ball rolling by conducting a survey and drafting an administrative framework for the program.

So far, BUILD leaders said they havent gotten much traction with that.

The city does not want to take leadership on this issue, said Rev. David Holden, of Second Presbyterian Church.

He said some Lexington neighborhoods have been trying to form villages already, but starting a village is hard.

If this couldve happened without the city, it wouldve already happened, he said.

Mayor Linda Gorton and Social Services Commissioner Kacy Allen-Bryant were invited to the Nehemiah Action Assembly, BUILD leaders said, but they did not attend.

City spokeswoman Susan Straub said in a statement Tuesday night that Gorton has been an advocate for seniors.

The city has had a vibrant senior program for many years, city spokeswoman Susan Straub said in a statement Tuesday night. We offer many services and programs. The mayor has advocated for seniors. She recently included plans for a new senior center in her budget proposal.

BUILD distributed postcards addressed to city officials to those in attendance Tuesday night and asked people to write to the mayor and social services commissioner in support of the villages model.

We want our city officials to know our stories, Holden said.

BUILD members write their requests following the BUILDs 2024 Nehemiah Action Assembly at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, Ky on April 30, 2024.

Attendees talk during the BUILDs 2024 Nehemiah Action Assembly at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, Ky on April 30, 2024.

The crowd cheers as the votes are a unanimous yes form all councils present during the BUILDs 2024 Nehemiah Action Assembly at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, Ky on April 30, 2024.

Lexington churches want a transportation solution for people trapped in transit deserts
Lexington rejects bids for new city government center. Mayor says search is not over

A decades-long search to move Lexington city government operations to a new location will continue.

On Tuesday, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted unanimously to reject bids for a public-private partnership for a new city government center.

Mayor Linda Gorton said the city received two bids but one was rejected for not meeting the specifications of the bid requirements. The second bid was rejected. The bid was for either a new or a renovated building.

The names of the bidders and the proposals were not released Tuesday.

The council agreed that this particular proposal would not ultimately be in the best interest of the government, Gorton said.

The vote came after the council met behind closed doors in executive session for more than an hour at the end of Tuesdays council work session. Council is allowed to go behind closed doors for limited reasons, including discussing real estate transactions.

Gorton said her staff would return to the council in the next few months with possible proposals and said the search for an affordable solution for a new city government center was not over.

We are going to look at other possibilities and return to the council, Gorton said after Tuesdays work session. We are hopeful. We are optimistic. We are all kind of disappointed that the (request for proposals) didnt work but we are hopeful.

Vice Mayor Dan Wu said ultimately the bid was rejected because it was not in the citys best interest to pursue the bid.

Wu said the city still has options, including renovating some of its current buildings or finding a new building. The bids were received in February. A request for proposals committee, which included Wu and other city officials, went back and forth with the bidders to get more information.

It was not just cost, but cost was part of the reason why the bid was rejected, Wu said.

Wu said the options include a brand new building to renovating the current buildings. In addition to the former Lafayette Hotel building, the main city government building on Main Street, the city has other downtown buildings including the Phoenix building on Vine Street.

The city has tried for decades to find a new city government center dating back to Mayor Pam Miller in the late 1990s.

In 2018, the city considered leasing the former Lexington Herald-Leader building on Midland Avenue through a private-public partnership. However, that deal was ultimately nixed.

Other options the city has pursued included buying the Central Library building or putting a new government center at Phoenix Park. At one point there was a proposal to put a new city government center at what is now City Center.
CHICAGO  Organizers of the annual Chicago Pride Parade and allied groups are calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson to rescind the citys plan to downsize the event this June.

The city last month cited safety and logistical concerns when it said this years parade would be limited to 125 groups, a decrease of more than a third from last year. The start time for the parade, set for June 30, was also dialed back to 11 a.m. from noon, as first reported by The Windy City Times.

Jin-Soo Huh, chair of the Johnsons Advisory Council on LGBTQ+ Affairs, said the council was not consulted or told in advance about the decision. He said city officials subsequently cited an ordinance that prohibits parades from lasting more than two hours and 15 minutes, except that where a traditional parade consistently has lasted longer and the commissioner determines that there is no traffic safety or undue congestion problem in continuing to allow the longer time period.

The Pride Parade, of course, is a traditional parade  its been around for a long time, and this hasnt ever been enforced, Huh said in an interview. And so that was the thing that really surprised us: like, if youre going to enforce it, let us know.

Chicagos Pride Parade has been coordinated by the same organization, PRIDEChicago, for over 50 years to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City.

Huh said the reasons the city gave for limiting the scale of the parade included the need to provide Chicago police officers with more time to change shifts and to allow them to adequately patrol both the parade and manage the crowd that lingers after the event ends.

While Huh said he understands the challenges regarding police staffing and ensuring safety, he said he remains unsure why the city chose to implement a new policy this year. He also questioned if the number of participants in other major parades, such as the St. Patricks Day Parade and the Bud Billiken Parade, will be similarly downsized moving forward.

This felt very targeted, Huh said. And I think thats our confusion; its like, why now? Why so abruptly, and not involve anyone in the decision? Cause I think this is something that caught basically everyone in the LGBTQ community by surprise. So, how do we make sure that these decisions are made with us at the table?

Members of the mayors advisory council, parade organizers and supporting organizations including Equality Illinois asked the city to return the parade to a scale commensurate with prior years and to hold community conversations to discuss in more depth the citys concerns with this years Pride event.

Parade organizers do not take issue with the change in the parade stepping-off time, according to the statement.

We urge the city of Chicago to work toward having the largest, most visible, and most powerful Pride Parade in the country, especially at a time when LGBTQ+ communities, and in particular trans youth, are facing unprecedented and life-threatening attacks, the statement said.

We ask the mayor and the city of Chicago to lean into their values of equity and transparency and work with parade organizers, the advisory council and the supporting organizations to restore the Pride Parade and support the LGBTQ+ community in Chicago and beyond.

The city replied to a request for a response to the groups objections with a statement from Chicago Department of Transportation spokeswoman Erica Schroeder, who said we are constantly evaluating options to improve resource allocation while still delivering the best possible experience for our visitors, residents, and communities

The city said that limiting entries will ensure the parade is completed within the time frame laid out in the ordinance.

_________
Liberty Hospital to merge with University of Kansas Health System

KANSAS CITY, Kan.  One of the largest hospitals in Kansas City, Kansas is taking over a hospital in the Northland.

Its a partnership they say will benefit patients for years to come.

Leaders of the University of Kansas Health System and Liberty Hospital met Wednesday after taking a big step forward in their partnership.

Liberty Hospital signed a definitive agreement to join the University of Kansas Health System.

Ford recalls 243K pickups because tail lights can go dark, increasing crash risk

Liberty Hospital CEO and President Dr. Raghu Adiga says the vote among the Board of Trustees was unanimous, Liberty Hospital will join the University of Kansas Health System.

Its a partnership one year in the making. KU Health System also signed the definitive agreement.

President of the Health Systems Kansas City division Tammy Peterman said Wednesday, 35% of their patients come from Missouri.

Its so important as Liberty and the Northland to continue to grow, there will be opportunities for the care they need to be received right here close to home, Peterman said.

She says theyll bring additional services to Liberty, like the University of Kansas Cancer Center.

Peterman said all the employees of Liberty Hospital become part of KU Health System.

As part of the deal, employees and employed physicians will be retained at the time of closing for at least one year.

Another key part of the agreement, significant investments by KU Health System.

President and CEO Bob Page says that includes committing more than $300 million over the next 12 years.

Independence firefighters recognized for life-saving rescue in March

Those investments will cover a variety of topics like clearly technology will be one, another will be facilities another will be people recruiting physicians to add to the already great team thats up here, Page said.

Adiga is excited about the future partnership for patients.

Patients will continue to receive the same care, from the same physicians starting from July 1, theyre not going to notice anything differently. It only will be enhanced as the time passes, Adiga said. They will have more access to higher level of care.

See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri

Plans to close the deal continue. KU Health System said that could happen on July 1.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Chairman of the United Services Union (Verdi) Frank Werneke pictured before the start of the annual press conference. Soeren Stache/dpa

German trade union leaders on Wednesday called for social justice and reforms to the strict constitutional debt rule as the country marked International Workers' Day.

May 1 is a national holiday in Germany, with unions traditionally organizing demonstrations for workers' rights across the country.

Frank Werneke, the chairman of the powerful verdi trade union, demanded that Germany's strict "debt brake," which caps government borrowing, be reformed or suspended in favour of greater investment in public services and climate adaptation.

"Urgently needed investments in infrastructure, local and long-distance public transport, and education are no longer taking place or remain piecemeal," Werneke said. "The debt brake is a brake on the future," he added.

The trade union leader said that employers' associations and politicians from Germany's conservative and liberal parties were "outdoing each other with demands to dismantle the welfare state," a strategy he called "playing with fire."

Werneke argued spending on social services could provide a "successful firewall" against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has been surging in polls.

The chairwoman of the IG Metall trade union, Christiane Benner, said investment was crucial to maintaining workers' prosperity and warned against relocations and redundancy plans.

At a rally in the central city of Erfurt, Benner said companies' "short-sighted downsizing plans" and lack of trust in employees were "a fatal signal for society."

Companies must recognize German workers' high levels of education and industrial skills, she stated. "Clear prospects secure prosperity, growth and democracy," Benner added.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) claimed in a Wednesday interview that President Biden is afraid of pro-Palestinian protesters while urging the president to take action against them.

Hes afraid of the protesters, Graham said on Fox Newss America Reports to hosts Sandra Smith and John Roberts, in a clip highlighted by Mediaite.

Grahams comments follow violence erupting at Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) the previous night, as both the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) cracked down on pro-Palestinian protesters at the two schools.

There are radical elements within the Democratic Party and the country right now, at large, that would literally help destroy the Jewish state, Graham continued in the Fox News interview.

Graham also claimed, Theres a real Hamas wing of the Democratic Party.

Tuesdays events at Columbia and UCLA follow weeks of campus protests focused on Palestinian human rights and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war. The protests have also faced accusations of antisemitism, which protesters have pushed back against.

We are frustrated by media distractions focusing on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us, Columbia protest leaders said in a statement last month. Our members have been misidentified by a politically motivated mob.

We firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry and stand vigilant against non-students attempting to disrupt the solidarity being forged among students, they continued. Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, Black and pro-Palestinian classmates and colleagues who represent the full diversity of our country.

The Hill has reached out to the White House and the Democratic National Committee for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named Little Tokyo to its 2024 Most Endangered Historic Places list.

The list is assembled every year to spotlight American landmarks and historic sites, in hopes of bringing attention to efforts to protect them from being lost to the annals of history.

More than 350 sites have received the designation since the nonprofit began its list in 1988. It says only a handful of those places have been lost in the 37 years since the campaign began.

This years list features 11 places in and beyond the continental U.S. that the National Trust says help tell the full American story.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation shines a long-overdue spotlight on generations of trailblazers by saving the places where they raised their voices, took their stands, and found the courage to change the world, the nonprofit organizations website reads. Its a story that does justice to the contributions of women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, and all Americans in shaping our nation and leading us forward.

Little Tokyo on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 in Los Angeles. (Getty Images)

The National Trust says the 2024 list of endangered places have a common theme of communities coming together to protect their cultural landmarks, local business and preserve their customs and traditions.

Los Angeles own Little Tokyo, one of only four surviving Japantowns in the U.S., is among the 11 landmarks and neighborhoods that the National Trust has recognized as an endangered place.

The enclave was established in 1884 and has bloomed into a cultural landmark for Japanese Americans, expats and immigrants. Its now home to more than 400 small businesses, authentic restaurants and shops, including dozens that have operated for decades.

But Little Tokyo has endured many challenges and adversities since its founding, including the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

It survived demolition plans for the construction of municipal buildings and experienced an urban renewal, but has remained an important cultural hub for the Japanese American community thanks to community efforts to preserve it. Those efforts reached a head in the 1990s when the community banded together to have part of Little Tokyos main commercial corridor designated a National Historic Landmark.

But the National Trust says development from downtown Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods have encroached on the community in the decades since World War II and current residents face gentrification, rising rents and displacement of longtime businesses.

Little Tokyo and its multigenerational restaurants, businesses, and cultural institutions are a

distinctive part of Los Angeless history and character, said Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. We hope that by bringing attention to displacement and gentrification occurring in the neighborhood, Los Angeless Little Tokyo can get the support and policy protections needed so that the community can thrive long into the future.

Several local organizations within Little Tokyo have come together to advocate for more say in the future of the neighborhood and how to protect its history and culture while continuing to move forward as a community.

It is particularly meaningful for Little Tokyo to receive this designation this year, while we commemorate 140 years of Little Tokyo, said Kristin Fukushima, Managing Director of the Little Tokyo Community Council. Together, they serve as a testament to generations of community working towards the preservation of this historic community, as well as the ongoing fight for Little Tokyos future. 

For more information about Little Tokyo, as well as the other ten places to receive the National Trust designation, click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Governor Ron DeSantis signed new legislation focused on keeping lab-grown meat out of Florida.

During a news conference in Hardee County on Wednesday, the Florida governor said the state was taking action against the World Economic Forum, which DeSantis claims is trying to force the world to eat lab-grown meat and insects.

Today, Florida is fighting back against the global elites plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals, said Governor Ron DeSantis. Our administration will continue to focus on investing in our local farmers and ranchers, and we will save our beef.

The legislation, SB 1084, prevents the sale of lab-grown meat in the state of Florida.

The bill signing is part of DeSantiss crusade against ESG (environmental, social and governance), a business philosophy that encourages investors to throw their money behind companies with consideration to their handling of environmental and social issues.

The idea goes back to the 2019 Green New Deal proposed in Congress by Democrats in 2019 and subsequent committee findings suggesting the meat industry is one of the more significant contributors to global warming.

A 2020 study published in the National Library of Medicine found red meat production has a significant impact due to greenhouse gas contribution.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the sale of cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown meat, from two companies: Good Meat Inc. and Upside Foods. The product is grown from animal cells and shaped into familiar forms like burger patties and chicken nuggets.

Though touted as a more environmentally friendly meat alternative, a 2023 study from the University of California, Davis, suggests that lab-grown meat actually may be worse for the climate, as the cultivation process is energy-intensive. The study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, concluded that more research is needed.

You can watch the news conference on the video player above.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  The families of a Seattle couple who were killed in a shooting at the 2023 Beyond Wonderland at The Gorge EDM festival in Washington have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the event organizers and security companies working the event.

The lawsuit was filed against Live Nation on April 10, claiming the companys egregiously deficient security protocols led to the shooting, which killed 29-year-old Brandy Escamilla and 26-year-old Josilyn Ruiz and injured three others.

ODOT sued over DMV hack that compromised 3.5 million residents information

Live Nation has the means and the duty to make sure security is the highest priority for their concert patrons. Never should someones life be taken so senselessly and tragically at a music event, said the Escamilla and Ruiz families in a joint statement. We hope filing this lawsuit sends a message to Live Nation and their associates that they are responsible for the deaths of Brandy and Josilyn. They are responsible for our broken and shattered lives. Our families will never recover from this loss, but we do not want their deaths to be in vain. This could have and should have been prevented.

Authorities say on June 17, 2023, fellow concertgoer and active-duty member of the U.S. Army James Kelly, 26, opened fire at the festival in an area where people were camping.

Kelly told detectives he took psychedelic mushrooms that caused him to hallucinate and may have led to the shooting, according to court documents.

Speed racer allegedly driving 123 mph gets hefty ticket in Hillsboro

A woman he was dating who was also shot recalled him saying he thought the world was ending, probable cause documents showed. Kelly then went to his truck to get a gun and shot the two women. He also shot the woman he was dating, another person attending the festival and an employee, the documents allege.

In July 2023, Kelly pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and one count of first-degree domestic violence assault. His next hearing is scheduled May 6, according to Grant County Superior Court clerks office.

The plaintiffs attorneys claim Kelly was acting erratic before the shooting occurred and despite displaying obvious signs of illicit drug use and suspicious behavior that were grounds for immediate ejection from the festival campgrounds, not a single Live Nation staff member, manager, or security member attempted to intervene or approach the shooter, before he opened fire.

5 Oregon restaurants make Yelps list of Top 100 Brunch Spots in the US

As alleged in the complaint, Live Nation and The Gorge had strict policies prohibiting the possession of drugs and weapons on its premises and campgrounds, and Live Nation woefully fell short in enforcing its policies. Live Nation systematically failed to meet its own standards and take reasonable steps to make the venue and campgrounds safe for concertgoers. Those failures cost Brandy and Josilyn their lives, said the familys attorneys at Panish, Shea, Ravipudi LLP.

The lawsuit further claims Live Nation has a history of poor security practices.

Upon information and belief, Live Nation and the Gorge Amphitheatre have a history of illicit drugs and weapons on the campgrounds and venue grounds. That history pre-dates the shooting, the lawsuit alleges. For years, Live Nation had notice of, and knew that, illicit drugs and weapons were making it into the Gorge Amphitheatre venue and campgrounds. Despite that history and knowledge, Live Nation failed to take reasonable steps to make the venue and campgrounds safe for concertgoers.

All Brandy and Josilyn wanted to do that weekend was enjoy good music, dance, and unwind from the week but instead, they lost their lives and their opportunity to spend their lives together as theyd intended, added the Escamilla and Ruiz families. We now only have pictures of our beautiful girls to look at instead of being able to hold them in our arms again, hear their voices, and let them know how much they are loved. We never want any parent or family to have to go through what we have been through.

KOIN 6 News reached out to Live Nation for comment. This story will be updated if we hear back.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
TechCrunch

The FCC just decided that anyone affected by a natural disaster can get a break on broadband and mobile service; it's not much, but every little bit counts. The Lifeline program is a long-running program that helps lower the cost of internet access for anyone that, temporarily or chronically, finds it difficult to pay for. Because of the exigent circumstances that arose from Hurricane Milton, we find that there is good cause for further action to expeditiously ensure that households receive critical assistance for their communications needs in the aftermath of hurricanes and other tropical weather systems in the near term.
A business owner who rigged meters to get paid for natural gas he didnt actually supply has been sentenced to four months in jail.

After the jail time, Marshall Holbrook with serve six months on home detention under the sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom on Tuesday.

Boom also ordered Holbrook to pay $239,642 in restitution to Delta Natural Gas.

Holbrook, of Knox County, and his father, Mark E. Holbrook, were partners in a company that leased natural gas wells in southeastern Kentucky. Mark Holbrook was the majority owner.

They supplied gas to customers that included Delta and the city of Somerset, which provides gas service to homes, businesses and industrial plants.

After the price of natural gas dropped, cutting into the Holbrooks revenue, they took part in a scheme to manipulate meters in a way that showed their company was sending more gas to Delta and Somerset than it really was, according to Mark Holbrooks plea agreement.

That resulted in the victims paying for gas they didnt receive.

The prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney William P. Moynahan, said in a sentencing memorandum that Marshall Holbrook also benefited from a separate scheme in which gas flowed into his company through an unsanctioned tap on a Delta line, which Holbrook then got credit for putting back into the Delta system.

Marshall and Mark Holbrook each pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge. Boom sentenced Marshall Holbrook Tuesday at a hearing in federal court in London.

Mark Holbrook has not been sentenced.

Marshall Holbrooks attorney, Samuel B. Castle Jr., said in a sentencing memorandum that his involvement in the events were the result of the orders and direction of his father.

The potential sentence for Holbrook under advisory guidelines was seven to 12 months in prison, though he also was eligible for probation.

Castle asked Boom to place Holbrook on probation, saying he is a good husband and father and would be better able to work and pay restitution if he wasnt locked up.

Holbrook apologized during the hearing, saying he was overwhelmed with regret. He said he had prayed to be a better person.

I let evil win and Im never going to let evil win again, he told the judge.

However, Moynahan asked Boom to sentence Holbrook to 10 months behind bars, pointing out he and his father continued the fraud for years.

His primary motive appears to have been greed, Moynahan said in a sentencing memo.

Boom said she was persuaded to impose a lower sentence on Holbrook because of his humility, his professed intent to run his business honestly, his family support and because spending less time behind bars would increase his chance to pay restitution.

Story continues

But Boom said said not requiring some jail time for Holbrook would have depreciated the seriousness of the crime.

The fraud resulted in higher prices for gas customers, including poor people, she said.

Ultimately the cost of your crime was visited on some of the most vulnerable in the community, Boom told Holbrook.

The charge covered in Marshall Holbrooks guilty plea dealt with manipulating Delta meters in Whitley and Laurel counties. His sentence makes him liable for restitution only to Delta.

Bruce Neely, director of the Somerset Gas Department, said in an interview that his understanding is any restitution for the city would be covered in Mark Holbrooks case.

The impact of the Holbrooks fraud was about $3.6 million, not counting the cost of work to pin down the problem, Neely said in a victim impact statement to the court.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Florida on Wednesday, the day the states 6-week abortion ban goes into effect.

Harris stopped Jacksonville to deliver a speech about the fight for reproductive freedom.

This comes after President Joe Biden spoke about the issue in Tampa on April 23. Biden vowed to hold Trump accountable if reelected in November.

Were going to hold Trump accountable: President Biden speaks on abortion rights at Tampa campaign stop

Harris shared stories of pregnant women denied reproductive care and miscarrying women turned away from emergency rooms, eventually developing life-threatening sepsis.

We trust women, Harris said on Wednesday. We trust women to know whats in their best interest.

While speaking in Tampa last week, President Joe Biden called Floridas six-week abortion ban one of the nations most extreme anti-abortion laws. Abortion rights advocates say it is effectively a total ban: six weeks gestation is before many women know they are pregnant, and the state will still require two in-person visits with the abortion provider, occurring 24 hours apart.

Advocates have scrambled to prepare for the shockwaves Floridas new law will send throughout the southeastern U.S., including in the critical swing states of Georgia and North Carolina. Thats why the Biden-Harris campaign recently zeroed in on the state, focusing their efforts on urging Florida voters to oppose Republican candidates who support limiting abortion access and calling for them to vote for an amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution.

Women from states with more restrictive laws frequently seek abortions in Florida. 6,566 out-of-state residents travelled to the Sunshine State for an abortion in 2023, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.

Ahead of Harris appearance, the Florida GOP released a statement to welcome the Vice President to Florida.

In Florida, especially in Jacksonville, families are suffering under the train-wreck Biden-Harris Bidenomics. Groceries cost more. Gas prices are surging. And the cost of housing continues to push Americans wallets to the breaking point, Chairman Evan Power said in a statement. Meanwhile, the open border lawlessness of the Biden Bloodbath has made all states  including Florida  a border state. As Bidens border czar the nations borders have become a crisis.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
KILLIAN, La. (BRPROUD)  The Livingston Parish Government is updating residents on the ongoing water system failure in Killian.

This morning, the process has begun to identify the primary cause of the water well equipment failure in Killian. If you are part of this water system, we kindly request your cooperation in conserving water until the inspection is finished. We anticipate that this investigation will take a minimum of four hours. Your assistance is greatly appreciated! Thank you.

The Town of Killian told residents they could experience low water pressure during the inspection.

On Tuesday, April 23, Livingston Parish President Randy Delatte issued an emergency declaration about the water system failure.

Where to get bottled water as Killian water system failure continues

Cajun Navy Relief asked for donations to help the community. They requested that bleach, sanitizing wipes, bath wipes, baby wipes, paper towels and paper goods be dropped off at Killian Town Hall, located at 28284 State Hwy 22.

Cajun Navy Relief delivered pallets of water to the town on Tuesday, April 30.

Latest News

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to BRProud.com.
Local elections 2024: Everything you need to know

This spring everyone in England and Wales will have the opportunity to vote in some kind of local election, whether that be for a local councillor, mayor, or police and crime commissioner.

While issues such as potholes and bin collection tend to decide these votes, it still offers the biggest test of political opinion ahead of the next general election, which will take place at some point before January 2025.

Heres everything you need to know ahead of the ballot:

When are the 2024 local elections?

Most of England will be heading to the polls on May 2 for local elections, and also mayoral elections in many of Englands biggest cities.

Voters will go to the ballot box to elect their local councillors, police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and, for those in the capital, all 25 members of the London Assembly.

Is there a local election in my area?

You can enter your postcode into The Telegraphs local elections lookup tool to see the votes taking place in your area:

Who are the local election candidates?

Roughly 2,600 seats across 107 of Englands 317 councils are being contested in the local elections, with the Conservatives and Labour both defending just under 1,000 each.

Either a third, half or all councillors in a particular authority holding a ballot will be up for election.

Councillors are elected for a four-year term to represent their ward, shape policy and oversee the provision of a wide range of services in the community.

Mayoral elections 2024

Directly elected mayors have devolved powers over the local economy, transport infrastructure, the environment and planning.

Labours Sadiq Khan is seeking re-election as Mayor of London, as are the mayors of six combined authority regions  including Labours Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester and Andy Street, the Tory mayor for the West Midlands  and Salford.

Mr Khans main challenger is Conservative candidate Susan Hall but the polls suggest that the incumbent is on track to win a historic third term despite anger over his handling of crime, green transport schemes and months of pro-Palestinian protests.

Three regional mayors will also be sworn in for the first time in the East Midlands, North East, and York and North Yorkshire.

Police and crime commissioners

England and Wales are divided into 39 police force areas, each of which is headed by a unique police and crime commissioner (PCC).

PCCs are elected every four years and 37 will be up for re-election on May 2. They are the public face of the force they oversee, and bear ultimate responsibility for setting budgets, cutting crime and holding officers to account.

The mayor is in charge of policing in London, Manchester and the three combined authorities across Yorkshire.

Greater London Authority

While none of the capitals 32 boroughs are holding local elections, Londoners will be asked to cast ballots for two of the 25 members of the London Assembly  one representing their area, and another from a city-wide list.

Their main role is to scrutinise the mayor and their executive teams work.

Am I registered to vote?

Voter registration ended on 16 April, however, you normally only need to register to vote once - only requiring to register again if you have changed your name, address or nationality.

You can check if you are on the register by contacting your local electoral registration office.

How to vote in person

Since May 2023, voters in England and Wales have needed to provide a form of photographic ID at the ballot box.

This means that at the upcoming local elections voters will need to show a form of identification such as a driving licence, passport or blue badge in order to be able to cast their vote.

Certain travel passes can be used as valid photographic ID. The name on the ID must match the name provided on the electoral register, otherwise a voter can bring a document with them to the polling station that proves they have changed their name.

Voters are also able to apply for a free voter authority certificate (VAC), either online or by post, if they do not have accepted photo ID available.

Local electoral registration offices can provide information about where the nearest polling station is - but voters are also sent a poll card that says when the vote is and which station to attend.

Why is voter ID so controversial?

The Government has said the change is necessary to curb the inexcusable potential for stealing someones vote by simply quoting their name and address at the ballot box.

But critics say actual claims of electoral fraud are very rare in the UK. The Electoral Reform Society says that in 2019, the last general election year, there were only 33 allegations of impersonation at the polling station out of more than 58 million votes cast.

Opponents of the rule have also warned it will make it more difficult for certain people to vote, including the disabled, transgender and non-binary people, and black and ethnic minority groups.

How to vote by proxy

You are able to get someone else to vote on your behalf if you cannot attend a polling station in person for the upcoming local elections.

Voters can apply for a proxy to go to the ballot box on their behalf in a limited set of circumstances, including if you are away on polling day, are a registered overseas voter or have a medical issue or disability.

You can also do so if you cannot vote in person because of work or military service.

Applications for proxy voting ended at 5pm on 24 April, though you may be able to put in an application for an emergency proxy vote in certain cases. These include a lost photographic ID or a medical emergency.

Your chosen proxy must be someone you trust to vote on your behalf. They must be registered to vote, and can do so at the polling station on your poll card.

Can I still apply for a postal vote?

No. Applications for postal votes ended on 17 April.

How will the Tories do in the local elections?

The scale of Conservative Party losses may also prove significant, with some analysts predicting that the Tories could lose half of the approximately 1,000 councillors they have up for election.

Analysis by election experts Michael Thrasher and Colin Rallings suggests that the Conservatives could lose as many as 500 seats if they repeat their poor showing at last years local elections.

However, Lewis Baston, who has written about elections for more than three decades, noted one-third of the seats were last fought in 2019, 2022 or 2023 because of boundary changes.

This suggests that Tory support in those seats is more resilient, having already withstood multiple changes of leadership.

However, just as a better-than-expected showing could bolster Mr Sunak and shift the tone of the discourse surrounding the next general election, the Conservatives underperforming could add to fresh speculation about whether the Prime Minister could be replaced before the next national poll.

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Local nurse expected to plead guilty to charges related to patient deaths

11 Investigates has learned that former nurse Heather Pressdee is expected to plead guilty Thursday to multiple charges related to patient deaths while she was working at care homes across the area.

>> 11 Investigates how killer nurse moved from one nursing home to another, avoiding authorities

Pressdee is expected in court in Butler on Thursday.

A guilty plea could potentially take the death penalty off the table.

Pressdee is facing numerous charges for allegedly administering lethal doses of insulin to patients at five different care facilities between 2020 and 2023.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

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Donald Trump leaned into his anti-immigrant rhetoric when he made a claim about immigration from Venezuela to America. But the former president then struggled to back up his assertion when quizzed on the source of his statistic.

Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, ended an interview with Fox 2 Detroit anchor Roop Raj by saying: One stat before we go. Venezuela was very crime-ridden. They announced the other day 72% reduction in crime in the last year. You know why? They moved all their criminals from Venezuela right into the good old U.S.A. and [President Joe] Biden let them do it. Its a disgrace.

Raj asked Trump, But sir, where are those numbers coming from?

Trump floundered in response: Uhhh, I guess I get them from the papers in this case. I think its a federal statement or, well, theyre coming actually from Venezuela. Theyre coming from Venezuela.

Well have to check on that, said Raj, whose full interview with Trump will air Thursday.

FOX 2's Roop Raj one-on-one with former president Trump. Abortion, immigration, states-rights...a wide-ranging "nothing off-limits" interview Thursday on FOX 2. pic.twitter.com/uKIbgjm1oc  FOX 2 Detroit (@FOX2News) April 30, 2024

Trump has made a similar claim about the effect that Venezuelan immigration to the U.S. is having on its own national crime stats before  but with a different number.

Crime is down in Venezuela by 67% because theyre taking their gangs and their criminals and depositing them very nicely into the United States, he told supporters at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 2.

PolitiFact, the nonprofit political fact-checking site, described that instance of Trumps spin as exaggerated.

Crime is down in Venezuela, it noted, but not by the massive percentage that Trump claims. As official figures are hard to come by, it could be by around 20% to 30%. The website also cited local sources saying its down because of varying factors  including the economy and the consolidation of organized crime  and not, as Trump tells it, the emptying of its prisons into America.

Related...
(Bloomberg) -- A sword attack in northeast London that left a 14-year-old boy dead has propelled Mayor Sadiq Khans record on tackling knife crime to the forefront of the election campaign a day before the capitals voters decide whether to renew their faith in him for a record third term.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Footage and images of the incident have circulated widely online after the man, wielding a samurai-style weapon, attacked the boy and four other people in the district of Hainault in the space of half an hour on Tuesday. The 36-year-old suspect was subdued and arrested by officers, and remains in the hospital on Wednesday, according to the Metropolitan police.

The horrific attack has raised questions over rising violence in the UK capital, where the mayor oversees policing. Official data last week showed that serious offenses involving a knife rose to 14,577 last year, an increase of more than a fifth in a year. On Wednesday, Conservative Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch accused the mayor of not taking the issue seriously.

Just a few days ago he was on LBC laughing when the Conservative candidate Susan Hall was talking about machete wielding in London, Badenoch told LBC on Wednesday. I dont think he takes it seriously. He is responsible for enforcement.

Badenoch was referring to an exchange on the same channel last week between Hall and Khan about gang violence.

Khans allies argue that policing in London isnt entirely his purview: Londons police chief is hired and fired by the home secretary, and the central government  which has been led by the Conservatives since 2010  has cut the capitals police funding in real terms while also slashing spending on youth clubs and other services that help prevent crime.

On Wednesday, Khans team hit back at Badenochs remarks, accusing the Tories of losing all direction and all sense of decency.

Its quite extraordinary that the Tories are seeking to politicize the awful murder of a child, the mayors office said in a statement.

YouGov polling published Tuesday put Khan at 47% and Hall on 25%, showing he is likely to hold office in Thursdays vote.

(Updates with context in sixth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
Long-awaited Chicago policy doesnt do enough to protect migrating birds, advocates say

Annette Prince peered between glossy downtown buildings: Theres a bird in that grate.

Sure enough, sitting very still in the rain was a tiny white-throated sparrow, so drenched you could barely make out its canary-yellow face markings. The bird was too dazed to move  an easy target for the hungry seagulls that were patrolling the area.

Prince looked up at the nearest skyscraper, with its rows of dark windows.

He probably hit the glass up there and fell down, she said.

A long-awaited policy update from the city of Chicago is supposed to help prevent such injuries and deaths, which occur by the thousands each year when migrating birds crash into local buildings.

But Chicago bird safety advocates say they are disappointed that the citys policy update, now in draft form, does not make bird safety measures mandatory.

Instead, anti-collision measures, which can include installing glass with tiny markings, are included in a menu of sustainable design options from which developers working on affected projects can pick and choose.

We feel its not adequate, said Prince, chair of Bird Friendly Chicago, a coalition of local birding and conservation groups thats been working for bird-safe building measures since 2016.

(These measures) are not just bonuses  theyre essential to protecting valuable bird lives and a healthy environment, that these birds are foundational to. Theyre good for people. Theyre good for birds, she said.

Chicago Department of Planning and Development Deputy Commissioner Peter Strazzabosco pointed out that the proposed policy update, available for public comment until May 15, gives additional weight to bird-safe building options.

Under the update, one category of bird safety measures would be awarded 30 points, compared with just 10 points under the current policy.

Those points count toward the 100 points that certain new buildings and renovations must earn  by choosing from a list of sustainability options  if the project developers want the citys permission to build.

Related Articles

(The new policy) has incentivized the bird-friendly design section by tripling the point total (in one category), and by including, for the first time, an implementation section that helps developers figure out how to use bird-friendly measures in their projects, Strazzabosco said.

The draft sustainable development policy update would typically apply to about 50 to 75 new or renovated buildings a year, many of them larger projects that are getting some form of assistance from the city, he said.

The proposed update, the first since 2017, comes less than a year after at least 960 birds died in a single day after crashing into McCormick Place Lakeside Center, a glassy, low-lying convention building on the lakefront.

Birds were crashing into windows even as monitors collected the casualties, according to David Willard, a retired bird division collections manager at the Field Museum.

It was just discouraging as can be, Willard told the Tribune. Youre looking at a rose-breasted grosbeak that, if it hadnt hit a Chicago window, would have made it to the Andes of Peru.

McCormick Place Lakeside sought expert advice immediately, and has set a goal of installing about $1.2 million worth of bird-safe film on all its windows in time for the fall migration season, according to Larita Clark, chief executive officer at the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which owns the building.

But Chicago, which is located in the Mississippi Flyway  a major bird migration route  remains a perilous place for millions of birds that fly through each year, some from as far away as South America and northern Canada.

Prince, the director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, said the all-volunteer organization recovers 7,000 to 10,000 dead and injured birds a year  and thats just a small fraction of the citys casualties.

During a walk through the Loop, she pulled out her phone to show an array of birds, including an injured meadowlark and a deceased northern flicker with a spotted belly and bright yellow feathers on the undersides of its wings.

The losses come at a time of growing concern about North American birds, which are in the midst of a staggering population decline, according to a widely quoted 2019 study in the journal Science.

The study found a net loss of 2.9 billion birds since 1970, a 29% population decline.

A wide range of threats were cited in the study, including habitat loss, agricultural practices, coastal disturbances, climate change and deaths due to human activity, a category that includes collisions with buildings.

Through the years, Chicago has made some major efforts on behalf of the tiny visitors, including a seasonal late-night lights-out program.

Princes group patrols a high-risk section of downtown Chicago during spring and fall migration, rescuing birds as well as providing casualty counts.

The white-throated sparrow that Prince spotted on a grate was easy to catch: She came up behind him with a net, then gently placed him in a brown paper bag for transfer to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center.

He didnt seem harmed, just dazed, Prince said, and he was very likely to recover and be released back into the wild.

Despite such success stories, bird advocates say that the transparent and reflective surfaces of Chicago buildings, as well as certain gratings and landscape and lighting practices, continue to create peril.

Advocates began pushing the city for bird-safe building design measures in 2016, with early efforts focusing on an ordinance.

In 2020, advocates turned their focus to a planned update of the citys sustainable development policy.

Prince said she and her allies were clear, from the beginning of their discussions with the planning department, that they were calling for bird safety requirements, not options.

Its an understanding they had from us, and they continued to indicate that was the direction they were taking, said Prince.

She said the word required was used in the departments presentations and slides until the end of 2023, and then there was a reversal at the 11th hour.

We feel that we wasted four years, and in those four years, hundreds of buildings have gone up that in their lifetime are going to kill thousands of birds, she said.

Strazzabosco said that he wasnt going to dispute what bird advocates may have heard or what they thought they heard.

Im kind of uncomfortable talking about this he said, she said stuff because neither of us was in the room, but I can tell you that mandatory menu items were suggested, but anything presented was in the discussion phase; it wasnt final, he said.

Strazzabosco said that policy documents such as the sustainable development policy update dont have the authority to create mandates; that typically requires an ordinance with a City Council vote behind it.

At the nonprofit American Bird Conservancy, which tests and rates bird-safe building options, glass collisions program director Bryan Lenz said that point-based policies such as the Chicago sustainable development policy update are more effective than purely voluntary measures but less effective than requirements.

Faced with a menu of sustainable building methods and materials, developers tend to pick ones that are more familiar to them, such as water-conserving low-flow toilets, he said.

I dont think (Chicagos proposed policy) would have the impact anybody was hoping for in terms of reducing collisions, he said.

Since 2017, about 30 projects have chosen bird safety from Chicagos menu of sustainable building strategies, Strazzabosco said. Thats approximately 10% of the projects that had to choose from the menu.

Other menu options include energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, landscape and green infrastructure, public health and community benefits, stormwater management, sustainable transportation, waste diversion and water use reduction.

The policy update was released as a draft April 15. A final policy will be posted online July 1, and the policy will be fully implemented in January, according to the planning department.

The owners of McCormick Place Lakeside are finalizing a contract to apply bird-friendly patterns to all the buildings windows, according to Clark.

The glass will be marked with tiny dots  applied via a removable film  that will warn birds they are approaching a hard surface. Workers are also closing blinds at the building, unless customers request otherwise.

Prince said that regardless of what happens with the proposed policy update, bird advocates plan to pursue an ordinance with bird-safe building requirements.

New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Skokie and Evanston already have local laws with such requirements.

We think thats a direction thats going to put the strongest protections in place, Prince said.

nschoenberg@chicagotribune.com
A look at the violent clashes at UCLA as college protests, counterprotests intensify

UCLA became a focal point of nationwide campus protests early Wednesday morning when violent clashes broke out between protesters and counterprotesters as police allegedly stood by.

Some counterprotesters attempted to rip down gates of a pro-Palestinian encampment, kicking and punching people while holding batons or other objects, according to video footage of the incidents.

The clashes grew increasingly violent, and one protester could be seen in photos with a head wound that was dripping blood

PHOTO: Counter-protestors clash with pro-Palestinian protestors at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Ethan Swope/AP)

PHOTO: Demonstrators clash at an encampment at UCLA early, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Ethan Swope/AP)

One video appears to show an apparent pro-Israel protester throwing objects at the student encampment, while a separate video captures apparent pro-Israel protesters using planks of wood to hit protesters.

Other counterprotesters can be seen spraying substances and throwing fireworks toward and into the encampment.

ABC's Los Angeles station KABC reported that a group also "piled on a person who lay on the ground, kicking and beating them with sticks until others pulled them out of the scrum."

KABC stated that "after a couple of hours of scuffles between protesters," police formed lines between the groups to quell the violence.

The LAPD referred ABC News to UCLA police, which then deferred to the university, which did not immediately comment.

The Jewish Federation Los Angeles released a statement on the violence at UCLA, stating that the abhorrent actions of a few counterprotesters last night do not represent the Jewish community or our values.

It continued, We believe in peaceful, civic discourse. Unfortunately, the violence at UCLA is a result of the lack of leadership from the Chancellor and the UCLA administration.

This is the second time in recent days that protesters and counterprotesters have clashed at UCLA. In a statement on Sunday, April 28, Vice Chancellor of UCLA Strategic Communications Mary Osako condemned people who jeopardized "the physical safety of the community."

UCLA has a long history of peaceful protest and we are heartbroken to report that today, some physical altercations broke out among demonstrators on Royce Quad," Osako said. We have since instituted additional security measures and increased the numbers of our safety team members on site. As an institution of higher education, we stand firmly for the idea that even when we disagree, we must still engage respectfully and recognize one anothers humanity. We are dismayed that certain individuals instead chose to jeopardize the physical safety of the community.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the recent violence in a statement on Wednesday: "The law is clear: The right to free speech does not extend to inciting violence, vandalism, or lawlessness on campus. Those who engage in illegal behavior must be held accountable for their actions -- including through criminal prosecution, suspension or expulsion."

Newsom's office published an additional statement calling the delayed law enforcement response "unacceptable" and demanding answers.

As soon as it became clear that state assistance was needed to support a local response, our office immediately deployed CHP personnel to campus, the governors office said.

PHOTO: CHP officers hold the line near an encampment by supporters of Palestinians in Gaza, on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (David Swanson/Reuters)

PHOTO: Counter-protesters attack protesters pro-Palestinian protesters in an encampment on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (David Swanson/Reuters)

MORE: College encampments protesting Israeli military operations in Gaza grow nationwide: What students are saying

LAPD declined to comment, directing ABC News to UCLA's police department, which further directed ABC News to the university for comment.

The UCLA Palestine Solidarity Encampment criticized the university and public safety officials for what they say was inaction amid the violence. Students accused campus security and local law enforcement officers of watching from the sidelines as the violence continued.

The life-threatening assault we face tonight is nothing less than a horrifying, despicable act of terror, an online statement from the group read. We call on UCLA, protect your fellow students and call for what we need -- a divestment from systems of death that profit off of indiscriminate bombing and a call to end the genocide in Gaza and the occupation of Palestine.

A UCLA official said in a statement that staff were sickened by the violence.

Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support, Mary Osaka, a vice chancellor, said in a statement.

PHOTO: Counter-protesters try to remove barricades at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (David Swanson/Reuters)

PHOTO: A pro-Palestinian protester receives help getting pepper spray rinsed off amid clashes with counter-protesters, at an encampment on the UCLA campus, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (David Swanson/Reuters)

The LAPD said it responded to assist UCLA's police department at the request of the university, "due to multiple acts of violence within the large encampment on their campus."

UCLA canceled all Wednesday classes due to the "distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad" overnight, according to a statement from the university.

The hospital and health system, the Luskin Conference Center and pre-k through high schools will remain open.

"We have law enforcement presence stationed throughout campus to help promote safety. Student Affairs will have essential staff on campus to support our students who have been impacted by this tragedy," UCLA said in a statement.

A look at the violent clashes at UCLA as college protests, counterprotests intensify originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A Los Angeles Metro bus is seen in Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 2022.

A Los Angeles commuter train and a college shuttle bus collided on Tuesday, injuring 55 people.

Firefighters responded to the scene just before noon after a Metro train collided with a University of Southern California bus, according to the county fire department.

Los Angeles fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen told KNBC-TV that there were about 150 people on the train and two people on the bus when the collision happened. Eighteen people were taken to the hospital while another 37 were treated and released from the scene, the department said.

Fire officials said two of the injured passengers are in critical condition while the other 16 are in fair condition, the Los Angeles Times reported.

LAPD News: USC Bus vs MTA Train

Today at around 11:50 a.m. LAPD South traffic division along with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to Exposition and USC Watt way for a traffic collision involving a USC bus and an MTA train.  LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) April 30, 2024

Bus crossed train's path, Metro says

The bus crossed the path of the Metro E Line train, which heads from east Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica, according to Metro.

"Metro offers its sympathies to those injured during this accident," Metro said in a statement to USA TODAY.

The train will only operate on a single track in the affected area until further notice, Metro said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Los Angeles Metro train, USC shuttle bus collide, injuring 55 people
Fertram Sigurjonsson, founder and CEO of the medical-fish-skin company Kerecis, will describe his entrepreneurial journey at the European Wound Management Association (EWMA) Innovation Forum Thursday, May 2, at 10 a.m. Kerecis is the only approved manufacturer of medical devices containing intact fish skin globally. (Photo: Business Wire)

ARLINGTON, Va. & REYKJAVIK, Iceland, May 01, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kerecis, the company pioneering the use of sustainably sourced fish skin and fatty acids in cellular therapy and tissue regeneration and protection, will present two symposiums and 27 abstracts on its intact medical fish skin at the European Wound Management Association (EWMA) this week. The company will also host a medical education event on the utilization of fish skin grafts on Wednesday, May 1. Finally, Kerecis founder and CEO will summarize the companys journey at the EWMA Innovation Forum Thursday, May 2. Kerecis will be exhibiting at booth Nr. G30 at EWMA, which takes place in London from May 1 to May 3.

"It is great to see all these abstracts being presented EWMA. They represent the commitment of the medical community to organically grow the body of clinical evidence supporting the efficacy of the Kerecis fish skin," said Fertram Sigurjonsson. "There is a lot of innovation taking place in the field of wound and tissue damage. We look forward to participating in the EWMA Innovation Forum to learn about the latest innovations."

Kerecis will be the subject of the following events at the conference:

Intact Fish Skin for Chronic Wound Care  Dr. John Lantis, chair. Industry-supported symposium. Thursday, May 2, 4 to 5 p.m. in the South Gallery Room 8-9-10

Fish Skin for Wound Management: Are There Advantages?  Dr. Franziska Remy-Wohlfender, chair. Thursday, May 2, 9:30 to 9:50 a.m. at the Veterinary Wound Healing Association side conference, South Gallery Room 27-28

Kerecis medical education event: Improving Outcomes with Fish Skin Grafts in Orthopedic, General Surgery and Pediatric Wound Care Prof. Guido Ciprandi, Marcus Duda, MD, and Elsa Valsdottir, MD. Wednesday, May 1, 7 p.m. Please register at events@kerecis.com

Overcoming the Hurdles from Idea to Market  G. Fertram Sigurjonsson, EWMA Innovation Forum, Thursday, May 2, 10 a.m. at the South Gallery Room 22. To request an invitation to this event, please email innovation@ewma.org.

The following abstracts containing scientific and clinical updates and trial results for the Kerecis fish skin:

EP144: Christoph Wallner, Sonja Schmidt, Jana Holtermann, Marcus Lehnhardt, Enhancing Burn Wound Management: Fish Skin Grafts Expedite Healing and Improve Outcomes

EP375: Richard Bruno, Association of Hemoglobin A1c and Wound Healing with Application of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Fish Skin

EP376: Richard Bruno, Utility of Fish Xenograft in Diabetic Plantar Foot Ulcerations

EP296: Richard Bruno, Fish Skin Xenografts in the Management of Gas Gangrene Foot Infections

Story continues

EP054: Woo Jin Song, Revolutionizing Hard-to-heal Wounds with Fish Skin Acellular Dermal Matrix: Pioneering Excellence and Efficacy

EP267: Roxana Reyna, OP: Successful Use of Decellularized Piscine Graft in a Pediatric Extensive Wound Reconstruction

EP397: Peter Lovato, Non-Healing Diabetic Plantar Hallux Wounds Healed with Distal Medial Partial Plantar Fasciotomy and Fish Skin Grafting

EP065: Alexandra Savage, Phillip Smit, Marina Carro, Mark Melendez, Innovative Solutions in Reconstructive Surgery: A Case Series on Complex Back Closures Using Omega-3

EP008: Marcus Duda, A Novel Application of Fish Skin Graft for Reinforcement of Transtibial Amputation

EP462: Eric Lullove, Use of a Fish Skin Graft with Synthetic Covering in Lower Extremity Wounds: A Pilot Study of Efficacy and Cost

EP067: Ryan OQuinn, Healing of Difficult Mohs Surgical Scalp Wounds with Exposed Bone Using Decellularized Fish Skin Grafts

EP422: Rimvydas Statkus, Peter Lovato, Patrick McEneaney, Kimberly Nolan, Successful Treatment of Complex Lower Extremity Wounds with Subcutanceous Ossification in Heinz-Lippmann Disease: Case Report

EP744: Savatore Pacella, Reinforcement of the Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System (Smas) with Intact Decellularized Fish Skin in Deep Plane Facelifting: a Novel Salvage Technique

EP378: Peter Lovato, Rimvydas Statkus, Patrick McEneaney, Use of Fish Skin Grafting in Diabetic Wounds with Known Peripheral Arterial Disease

EP460: Rene Amaya, Novel Application of Fish Skin Grafts in Neonatal Wounds

EP654: Shufen Neo, Enming Yong, Li Zhang, Case Report: Achieving Filling of Hard-to-Heal Diabetic Foot Wound Cavity with Physician-modified Cut-up Fish Skin Graft to Achieve Good Wound-Bed Contact

EP745: Ashtyn Vogt, Elise Steinberger, Jeremy Tan, Skin and Bone  Intact Fish Skin to Reconstruct Traumatic Orbital Floor and Wall Defects

EP578: Elsa Valsdottir, Acellular Fish Skin for Severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa

EP742: Rimvydas Statkus, Peter Lovato, Patrick McEneaney, Kimberly Nolan, Hyperpigmentation of Legs and Feet after Use of Minocycline for a Wound Infection

EP739: Rimvydas Statkus, Patrick McEneaney, Peter Lovato, Kimberly Nolan, Successful Healing of Multiple Fasciotomy Wounds Secondary to Acute Compartment Syndrome with the Use of Skin Substitutes and Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT).

EP738: Rimvydas Statkus, Patrick McEneaney, Peter Lovato, Kimberly Nolan, Surgical Applications of External Fixator, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) and Application of Skin Substitutes for Complex Lower Extremity Wounds: Multiple Case Report

EP737: Rimvydas Statkus, Patrick McEneaney, Peter Lovato, Kimberly Nolan, Complex Lower-Extremity Trauma Wounds Successfully Treated with Surgery, Application of Skin Substitutes and Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT).

EP334: Kirsten Smith, Fish Skin Graft for Closure of Complex Stage 4 Pressure Wounds of Trunk in Non-Operative Patients in the Outpatient Setting

About Kerecis

Kerecis develops products from fish skin and fatty acids for cellular therapy, tissue regeneration and protection. When grafted onto damaged human tissue or implanted, the patented material supports the bodys own processes to heal and regenerate. Because no disease-transfer risk exists between cold-water fish and humans, the Kerecis fish skin is only gently processed and retains its similarity to human tissue. The gentle processing preserves the skins original three-dimensional structure, maintaining its inherent natural strength, complexity and molecules (such as fatty acids). Clinical studies have found that the Kerecis products heal wounds faster than competing products and are found cost effective. Kerecis is the only approved manufacturer of medical devices containing intact fish skin globally.

Kerecis is the fastest-growing and one of the top five companies in the U.S. biologics-skin and dermal-substitute market, according to SmartTRAK Business Intelligence. Kerecis expanding product portfolio includes SurgiBind/SurgiClose, which are used for reconstructive surgery in hospital operating rooms; GraftGuide, which is mostly sold to burn centers; and MariGen and Shield, which are sold to healthcare facilities to treat chronic wounds such as diabetic wounds, as well as post-Moh's surgery wounds.

Kerecis is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The fish skin used in Kerecis products derives from wild and sustainable fish stock caught in pristine Icelandic waters and processed with 100% renewable energy in the town of Isafjordur, close to the Arctic Circle. Kerecis is part of Coloplast, the leading global supplier of intimate healthcare products. For more information, visit https://www.kerecis.com.

Trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240501756159/en/

Contacts

Kay Paumier

Communications Plus

kay@communicationsplus.net

408-370-1243 (office)

408-806-1177 (mobile)
The Louisiana Legislature is considering a bill that would give Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and his successors unprecedented power over higher education: the ability to directly hire university system presidents. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

The Louisiana Legislature is considering a bill that would give Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and his successors unprecedented power over higher education: the ability to directly hire university system presidents.

Senate Bill 462 by Sen. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, gives the governor the authority to appoint chairs and other officers for hundreds of boards and commissions as long as he sends notice to the affected groups within 180 days of taking office.

The provision in Hodges bill that allows the governor to appoint officers of the boards is of concern to higher education leaders, as state law defines university system presidents as officers.

There shall be a president of each public postsecondary education system, who shall be the executive officer of the postsecondary system and shall serve as secretary to the systems governing board and its executive committee and standing and special committees, the law reads.

Hodges bill is supported by Landry, who has said higher education is the motivating factor for the bill.

This fight is all about universities, Landry said in an interview with WAFB-TV. The people of this state are ready for these universities to start taking some responsibility for putting out students that are graduating with degrees that they cant even get a job for.

Kate Kelly, a spokesperson for Landry, did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

Under present law, the respective boards of supervisors have the power to hire system presidents. It is standard across the nation for boards to then delegate much of this work to search committees, which include faculty and student representation. These search committees usually work for months to interview candidates. This search typically includes public forums and campus visits.

In an interview with the Illuminator, Steven Procopio, president of the good-government group Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, raised concerns about the possibility of the governor having the authority to hire system presidents.

If that were true  that would usurp the most important function of the board, which is hiring someone to run the systems, Procopio said.

Hodges said this was not the intent of the bill. She added that she is working on amendments to her bill for when it comes up on the Senate floor next week but would not share if they would address this language.

Procopio also raised concerns about the implications for university accreditation.

I do think there probably are good accreditation issues because there needs to be some separation between the academic units that they are self-governing, rather than being run by a political entity, Procopio said.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the accrediting body for Louisiana universities, requires that the governing boards for its accredited schools are free from undue external influence. Giving the governor additional authority over higher education governing boards could violate that.

University faculty have raised concerns about the potential for increased politicization of higher education.

The proposed process would make higher education inherently more political and less stable by leading to larger swings in priorities as governors change, which I think would deteriorate the campus climate and quality of education we can provide, Dan Tirone, an LSU political science professor who serves as Faculty Senate vice president, said in a statement to the Illuminator.

Hodges bill is one of many the Legislature is considering that would give the governor more authority, although hers is the broadest, Procopio said. Hodges bill was approved by the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee and will likely come up for discussion by the full Senate next week.

Another bill, Senate Bill 403 by Rep. Mike Fesi, R-Houma, would give the governor the authority to appoint the chair of each higher education board, as well as the commissioner of higher education. The Louisiana Board of Regents, which oversees higher education in Louisiana, currently hires the commissioner.

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The post Louisiana governor could hire university system presidents under proposal appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
Louisiana lawmakers are trying to quietly criminalize possession of the most commonly used abortion pills.

In a move that took the states abortion advocates and OB-GYNs by surprise, last-minute amendments that would place mifepristone and misoprostol on the states list of controlled substances were added to a bill focused on making coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud a crime.

State Sen. Thomas Pressly (R) filed Senate Bill 276 in honor of his sister, whose husband slipped abortion medication in her drink without her consent. The House Criminal Justice Committee heard multiple bills regarding abortion Tuesday, and there was not much buzz surrounding this particular one, until Pressly submitted the set of amendments that would classify the abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV controlled substances under Louisiana law.

Abortion is almost completely illegal in Louisiana. Mifepristone and misoprostol both have other uses.

The legislation would include an exemption for pregnant women to possess mifepristone and misoprostol for their own consumption, and still allow people who have a valid prescription to obtain them from pharmacies. Thus, it appears to be designed to target people who might stockpile abortion pills ahead of their own pregnancy, or the pregnancy of their friends and family members. Health care workers worry the legislation will make it more difficult to do their jobs.

The penalties would make possession of the medications a felony punishable up to five years in prison with a fine of up to $5,000. In Louisiana, the distribution or possession with intent to distribute of Schedule IV drugs is punishable for up to 10 years in prison with a fine of up to $15,000.

When one state legislator, who admitted he was not familiar with the last-minute amendments, expressed concern they were not conservative or pro-life enough, Pressly reassured him by saying that the legislation and the amendments were written in partnership with Louisiana Right to Life, the states anti-abortion organization.

Louisiana is a trigger ban state, meaning in June 2022 when Roe v. Wade was overturned and federal protections for abortion rights ended, abortion was made almost entirely illegal. The state has one of the strictest bans in the country, with no exceptions for rape or incest, and narrow exceptions for life of the pregnant person and medically futile pregnancies. In the months that followed, the legality of Louisianas ban was argued in court and staunchly defended by current Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who was the states attorney general at the time. An August 2022 court decision effectively ended abortion in the state and resulted in all three abortion clinics shutting down.

On Tuesday, as the revised bill advanced out of committee, news slowly began to spread across the state that mifepristone and misoprostol might soon be categorized as controlled substances, a move that seems to be unprecedented.

Lawyer Elizabeth Ling manages the Repro Legal Helpline at If/When/How and says, to her knowledge, she hasnt seen language like this proposed or legislation like this enacted in any other state. Its unknown how police or prosecutors might choose to use this law, or might choose to use information against people, Ling tells Rolling Stone. The amendment may have an exception for the pregnant person, but theres no exceptions for the people supporting a pregnant person. Ling says shes not surprised, because there have been multiple states across the country trying to successfully criminalize abortion support.

The Supreme Court recently heard arguments from conservatives fighting to limit access to mifepristone, following a controversial ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Louisianas move to classify the abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances could signal the latest front in Republican-led states war on abortion access.

Neither mifepristone nor misoprostol belong in the category of dangerous controlled substances, as there is no potential for abuse or dependence (the definition of a controlled medication), Dr. Jennifer L. Avegno, director of New Orleans health department, says in a statement. As we have seen, any perceived barrier to accessing appropriate maternal health care produces confusion and worsens Louisianas existing poor outcomes for women.

By making these medications a controlled substance, should the bill become law, it could add a lot of red tape for doctors prescribing the pills. Rolling Stone spoke with a maternal fetal medicine specialist based in Louisiana who worries patients are going to suffer because of the sweeping implications of this legislation. She says misoprostol is a medication that OB-GYNs often prescribe, sometimes even multiple times a day, to help provide miscarriage care, to induce labor when someone needs to give birth, and for cervical ripening before putting in an IUD.

The majority of times youre prescribing misoprostol, its not for abortion, at least not here, says the doctor, who asked to remain anonymous. Twenty-five percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage, and the FDA-approved protocol for medically managing miscarriage is either a combination of misoprostol and mifepristone or a misoprostol-only regimen.

She says if this measure were to become law, it could result in a potential disaster, explaining that there would likely be a period of time where doctors are fearful about how to proceed, and unsure whether or not they are qualified to prescribe Schedule IV controlled substances, but theyll still have patients daily coming in who are miscarrying.

Louisiana OB-GYNs are no strangers to shifting reproductive health laws, as doctors have been in a constant state of fear and paralysis as what exceptions are legal have been debated in courts and committee hearings. When the Supreme Court first overturned Roe, there were reports that pharmacies refused to fill misoprostol, even when the intention was not for elective abortions.

Patients seeking miscarriage treatment have been turned away by health care workers fearful of being criminalized for providing care. Even prior to the ban, Louisiana had one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. A recent report about the criminalization of care in the state found that doctors were forcing women to undergo unnecessary cesarean sections to preserve the appearance of not doing an abortion.

Were all so scarred from the last two years of not exactly knowing what we can and cant do, says the Louisiana OB-GYN, adding that doctors now feel sheer terror in what used to be easy, daily decisions. Before anybody writes a prescription, theyre going to be damn sure that theyre not doing something illegal because we all just feel like we have targets on our back from Jeff Landrys personalized letter he wrote to each of us that basically said, You have a target on your back.

The doctor says she had been texting with colleagues throughout the day, and they are all in complete shock about the amendment. This was not on anyones radar at all  it feels very sneaky, she adds. Your husband should not slip you abortion pills without you knowing it; that story is terrible. But linking that with this is totally backwards.

Anti-abortion doctor Kim Hardey testified in support of the amendments at the hearing, saying in his opinion that making the medication controlled substances wouldnt really affect their availability to doctors, but would make it so youd be able to see whos prescribing these drugs more clearly.

Following the committee hearing, Pressly released a statement, shared by Louisiana Right to Life, saying that he added the amendments because the abortion pills are being weaponized and are a risk to the public health. He also claimed he is aware of increasing incidents of men using threats of violence or duress to cause women to take abortion pills against their will.

I recognize that there are legitimate medical uses other than elective abortion for these drugs, says Pressly. Louisiana law is clear that if abortion-inducing drugs are used for purposes other than elective abortion, they are legal for use. The medical community is well-versed with using controlled substances in the course of their medical practice.

It should be noted that the anti-abortion legislators often insist that abortion laws are clear, even when they throw the medical community into crisis. It should also be noted that this amendment was made in the criminal justice committee, not the health and welfare committee. Louisiana Right to Life did not respond to a request for comment.

The confusion around the consequences of this legislation parallel what happened in the state following the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, allowing states to ban abortion. Ling says she thinks this confusion is often intentional.

It means that people become too scared to do anything, whether that means you are someone who is pregnant and thinking about what makes the most sense or whether youre a doctor thinking about what is medically sound treatment for your patient, she says. That confusion is paralyzing.

Ling adds shes also worried that making mifepristone and misoprostol controlled substances will add to the stigma around abortion pills. The science really shows that abortion pills are extremely safe. I think [this bill] is really harmful because [it] is perpetuating the stigma that weve seen around abortion in general for decades  that has led to the criminalization of people, suggesting that abortion is somehow unsafe, and somehow not health care.

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CAROLINA FOREST, S.C. (WBTW)  A Louisiana 19-year-old is facing charges in connection with one of several bomb threats at Carolina Forest High School over the past week, Horry County police said Tuesday.

Trenton Alexander Brown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with threatening the use of a destructive device. He was arrested Tuesday with the assistance of Baton Rouge police and the FBI.

Police said Brown will be extradited back to South Carolina to answer to the charges.

Police: Student detained for making bomb threat at South Carolina school

The hoax threat was received last Wednesday at about 10:15 a.m., which falsely claimed there were bombs on the campus of Carolina Forest High School.

More threats were then received on Thursday, Friday and Monday. Two juveniles were arrested Friday in connection with one of the prior threats. One of the threats was traced to an internet server in India.

The Horry County Police Department takes these threats seriously and will continue to investigate each and every threat, Chief Joseph Hill said. I applaud the cooperation from our federal and out-of-state partners. We hope communities across the country can rest a little easier knowing public safety professionals are hard at work, day and night.

15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson recently commented on the series of threats warning those who try to mask their IP addresses that they will still be found.

Two of the three were found in the United States, he said. One in Louisiana and one locally.

He encouraged parents to sit down with their kids and have conversations.

Encourage your kids to think about, is this worth it, and if its worth it, the prison systems for you, he said.

Queen City News is tracking CRIME in your area  >> Latest stories here

Richardson said law enforcement will use a lot of money and resources to find the people behind these kinds of threats. He adds offenders will face the consequences through jail time.

Richardson said people tend to copycat and take advantage of situations like this.

People that look back and say, they did it, sounds pretty cool, and thats what happened last week, I hope that has ended now but if it aint, theres plenty of space in the prisons, he said.

Horry County Police said its treating each threat as a separate investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call its tipline.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)  The queen of the 2023-24 Louisiana Pirate Festival is searching for pageant items she says were stolen from the trunk of her car at a Baton Rouge apartment complex.

McKinley Cobb said a crown, crown box, pin and banner worth over $5,000 were taken on Monday, April 1.

The crown, banner and box were given to me from the Buccaneers of Lake Charles, an

entity of the pirate festival, upon crowning to be used throughout my reign, Cobb said.

The Louisiana Pirate Festival Pageant posted pictures of the items reportedly taken last month. Cobb said the Baton Rouge Police Department has been investigating the theft. According to the social media post, the items were taken from the LSU area near East State Street and the Lakeview Apartment area.

Louisiana woman wins national pageant, wants to see more women in business

She said that at the last LAFF convention, she was honored to have placed Top 10 at the pageant and receive the coveted Top 10 pin, which was on my banner at the time of the incident.

The Louisiana Pirate Festival, established in 1957, celebrates the history of Jean Lafitte and his influence on Lake Charles founding. Cobb said the festival is typically held in the first two weeks of May.

She said the loss of the crown is so much more than a shiny thing, it is a symbol of our history, culture and the efforts of many that have come before me.

She said that several people have offered to help with replacing some of the items that were stolen. Cobb said plans are in the works to get the crown and the other items remade.

The festival board announced that the Louisiana Pirate Festival was postponed in early March. Cobb said the board is planning a September event to continue its membership with LAFF.

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ST. FRANCISVILLE, La. (BRPROUD)  Louisiana State Police are investigating after an inmate was shot and killed Wednesday morning while being transported to Baton Rouge for a court appearance.

Troopers said the shooting happened on U.S. Highway 61 near the Mississippi state line in West Feliciana Parish.

According to the Catahoula Parish Sheriffs Department, two inmates were being taken to East Baton Rouge to appear in court. After entering Louisiana, an inmate, identified as Raymond Huddleston, 46, reportedly faked a seizure, causing deputies to pull over.

Once pulled over, the officers opened the van door to check on Huddleston. Huddleston jumped out of the vehicle and attacked the officers, according to the sheriffs department. LSP said he had removed his restraints and attempted to take one of the officers guns.

Louisiana rapper NBA YoungBoy to stay in jail; court date in drug ring case moves to May

LSP said the officer retrieved the gun and Huddleston entered the vehicle while the other inmate was still inside and tried to flee the area.

State police said at least one officer discharged their firearm into the van and hit Huddleston.

Despite the officers attempting to render first aid, Huddleston succumbed to injuries received at the scene. The officers were transported to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries, LSP said.

The second inmate was not involved, according to state police.

LSP asks that anyone with information, pictures or video submit it anonymously online or by calling the LSP Fusion Center Hotline at 1-800-434-8007.

Image of Catahoula Corrections Inmate Transport van. (Michael Thompson)

Investigators on scene after shooting in West Feliciana Parish. (Michael Thompson)

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DENVER (KDVR)  A Loveland-area man was arrested in early April on 23 charges resulting from thefts reported since September 2023, according to the Loveland Police Department.

Craig Clemons, 51, is facing almost two dozen charges for reported thefts in the Berthoud and south Loveland areas, primarily from businesses and construction sites, the agency announced on Tuesday. The initial theft was reported in September 2023 about a jet ski.

Wheres Shindig? 4-week-old foal missing from Boulder County farm

Over the next few months, investigators say they identified a suspect and linked him to several locations where theft had occurred, particularly in Berthoud, Johnstown and south Loveland. Deputies served a search warrant on Clemons property and found several items they said were known as stolen.

Clemons is facing at least 14 felony charges, with court records detailing all 23 charges as:

Eight counts of second-degree burglary of a building

Two counts of theft of less than $300

One count of theft amounting between $300 to $1,000

One count of theft amounting between $1,000 to $2,000

Four counts of theft amounting between $2,000 to $5,000

Two counts of theft amounting between $5,000 to $20,000

Criminal mischief amounting between $300 and $1,000

Criminal mischief under $300

Three counts of trespassing into a dwelling

Clemons was booked into the Larimer County Jail on April 5 and issued a $20,000 cash or surety bond.

Investigators have found several additional items they believe may have been stolen.

Any potential victims of an unreported theft from the past several months are asked to fill out a form online so an investigator can reach out. Stolen items included building materials, home appliances and construction tools. Anyone contacting the Larimer County Sheriffs Office is asked to provide as detailed information as possible, including serial numbers or identifying marks to assist in reuniting the items with their rightful owners.

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Additionally, anyone with information about incidents involving this suspect should contact Investigator Bryce Hinrichs at 970-498-5542.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Fool Me Once, which described itself as a "cosmic cantina" at the intersection of Lyndale and Lake in Minneapolis, has closed.

Workers were surprised when they arrived at the establishment, which opened on the site of the former Country Bar and Side Chick last summer, and found it closed, according to Facebook posts and a GoFundMe for the staff.

"The bar faced challenges from the beginning with the owner's concept not fit for the neighborhood it was in. ... The team worked tirelessly to try to fix the issues," wrote June De, Fool Me Once's general manager, who is organizing the fundraiser. The post blamed "mismanagement at the hands of ownership" for the closure.

"Without notice, the owners took the keys and laid off all the staff," the post says. "The team and community are heartbroken and many of the team have nowhere to go as of now."

Food and beverage director Will Benedetto did not respond to a request from the Star Tribune for comment, and an email to another principal, Jeremy Hicks, came back as "undeliverable." Social media accounts for the bar have been deleted.

The whimsical bar opened last August, a rainbow/outer-space/cowboy-themed watering hole that aimed to be a neighborhood and industry hangout, with cocktails and smashburgers in front of a trippy neon back bar.

Benedetto, who partnered and consulted on bars in Tennessee and New York, originally came to Minneapolis to revamp the drinks at Up-Down, half a block away. Up-Down's ownership partnered in the launch of Fool Me Once.

In a 2023 interview, Benedetto said that the bar's outer-space theme reflected the way the founders felt as non-Minnesotans, and drove their effort to create an inclusive space.

"We're aliens here," he said. "Everyone's an alien somewhere. So, how do you make an alien comfortable?"
(Photo by Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)

As the owner of a bilingual child care center, Im up every day before 6 a.m. to make sure the kids at my center get started with a high-quality, safe education while their parents are at work. This is often invisible work, but like most in my community, I want to leave things better for the next generation, including the children in my program.

Access to child care was critical for working families during the pandemic and still today. High-quality child care is expensive, and the new capital gains tax helps families afford the cost. By taxing the enormous profits the super-rich earn by selling stocks and bonds, our state brought in almost $900 million last year. This revenue helps to make quality care at child care facilities like mine more affordable for families, provides resources to K-12 public schools, and helps pay for school repairs and construction across the state.

The capital gains tax also made our tax code more fair. Its no secret that Washingtons tax code is rigged, with low- and middle-income earners, like me, paying more than our share for things we all depend on  like schools, roads, health care and child care. Meanwhile, the wealthiest in our state pay a smaller proportion of their income in taxes.

Unfortunately, a hedge fund manager and the states Republican Party chairman teamed up to propose Initiative 2109, which would repeal the capital gains tax. That measure will appear on this Novembers ballot. It could cost our kids and schools billions of dollars over the coming years and would give a tax break to millionaires and billionaires.

While the rich seem to be doing fine, the kids in my program need all the help they can get.

Many were born during the pandemic and are behind in social-emotional learning and verbal communication because of quarantine policies. All of them need age-appropriate play and games, a daily routine they can count on, nourishing meals, and trained staff to teach literacy, math, and problem-solving so they are ready for kindergarten.

If I-2109 passes, I could lose as much as half of my enrollment. This would be catastrophic for my small business and families who could no longer afford care. Missed learning for children and missed hours for working parents wont help Washington. The potential consequences could be devastating to an entire generation of early learners.

Early learning matters. Data show investments in quality early learning programs pay off, with better outcomes in school and careers. Former students at college or working their first jobs have told me about the difference I made. They remember me as their very first teacher and recognize the strong, successful start they got from early learning.

Families in my child care center get peace of mind and know their children are safe, cared for, learning, and getting ready for kindergarten. My staff and I are trained professionals who teach, nurture, and give their children a strong start and an early love of learning.

Its disappointing that the wealthy few care more about a tax break than the future of our kids. But I know Washingtons families understand and value the important work child care providers like me do. The capital gains tax is crucial for supporting these services and so many other important programs for children in Washington.

The post Im a child care provider. Washingtons capital gains tax is critical for the families I serve. appeared first on Washington State Standard.
Columbia University is restricting access to its campus after a night of heated pro-Palestinian protests.

Update:

This was a Morningside Campus alert from Columbia University:

Shelter in place for your safety due to heightened activity on the Morningside campus. Non-compliance may result in disciplinary action. Avoid the area until further notice.

Previous story:

Video captured students storming Hamilton Hall, smashing windows and barricading the doors with furniture.

This is just one among the dozens of colleges seeing clashes on campus.

9 Investigates Shannon Butler spoke to a Columbia University student who fled the university in fear of doing classes and final exams back at home.

Read: Not a day care: Several arrested during pro-Palestinian protests at Florida universities

An order to leave by 2 p.m. Monday did not detour the pro-Palestinian protestors.

Threats of suspension and expulsion for students in an encampment was not enough and last night things got more chaotic.

Ella Saffron worked hard to get into Columbia, a family tradition. Her grandfather, father and brother all went before her.

But now, in her junior year, she could not wait to leave.

I keep saying, I tried so hard to get into Columbia, she said. Now Im trying hard to get out.

Read: Orlando City soccer player, wife accused of refusing to leave downtown Orlando nightclub

She said she woke up to an encampment outside her dorm room window two weeks ago. The next day she was gone.

I decided to leave because I felt like it wasnt safe, Saffron said. The threats are getting worse. I was seeing videos of what was going on

I decided to leave because I felt like it wasnt safe. The threats were getting worse. I was seeing videos of what was going on on campus, and it was honestly just so difficult to concentrate and study.

I got a call. And when the 60 tents went up and I said, you know what? When what time is your last class? And she said, 7:00. And I said, Im getting you on a 9 p.m. flight to come home. And so she came home at midnight that night. And shes been home ever since. We just left everything in the dorm

Read: Cabana Live was not allowed to operate as an event venue, Seminole County Officials say

Saffron is Jewish, but had no problem with people protesting. But she feared that someday the protestors would get out of control.

On Tuesday morning, she and her mom watched as students broke into Hamilton Hall, breaking windows and barricaded themselves inside.

Just before 6:30 a.m., she received an email asking students and faculty to stay home, but she blames the university for letting it get this far.

An email from the university president on Monday morning showed that he was balancing keeping students safe and allowing the protestors their First Amendment rights.

But pleading with everyone to be respectful as the campus was divided over the war in Gaza.

The email reads in part:

The encampment has created an unwelcome environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty.

The email also said students like Saffron who felt they needed to leave was a tragedy.

But she said it shouldnt have had to make that choice.

Im very frustrated with the Columbia administration, Saffron said. And I think thats the one thing that both sides share, is feeling really not protecting or not heard by the Columbia administration. Both on the pro-Israel and pro-Palestine side, actually. Its ridiculous. Its awful. I cant even imagine that Columbia would do something like this, especially I come from a family that prides themselves on going to Columbia.

Many students across the country did not graduate from high school because of the pandemic, and some will not graduate from college either.

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Will Macon be home to GAs first national park? This bipartisan bill would make it happen

The effort to make Macon home to Georgias first national park now has bipartisan support in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Reps. Austin Scott (R) and Sanford Bishop (D), alongside Sens. Jon Ossoff (D) and Raphael Warnock (D), introduced bipartisan legislation to establish Georgias first National Park, the politicians offices announced Wednesday.

The group of lawmakers introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Ocmulgee Mounds Park and Preserve Establishment Act, which would establish Ocmulgee Mounds and surrounding areas in Middle Georgia as a national park and preserve, according to a news release from Rep. Austin Scotts office.

The area is the ancestral home of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and has been inhabited continuously by humans for over 12,000 years. American Indians first arrived in the area during the Paleo-Indian Period hunting Ice Age mammals.

Around 900 CE, the Mississippian Period began, and Muskogean people constructed mounds for meeting, living, burial, agricultural, and other purposes, many of which remain today and would be encompassed in the new U.S. National Park and Preserve.

Late last year, the U.S. National Park Service released a Special Resource Study that was initiated in response to a bill authored and passed into law.

The new bipartisan bill incorporates information from that study to define the boundaries of the proposed National Park and Preserve. The proposition comes with input from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation; local elected officials; business, faith, agricultural, environmental, and community leaders; Robins Air Force Base; and others.

Scott said the Ocmulgee Mounds are of invaluable cultural, communal, and economic significance to Georgia.

Designating them as the first National Park and Preserve in Georgia is a great bipartisan and intragovernmental effort, and I thank Rep. Sanford Bishop, Senators Ossoff and Warnock, the Muscogee Creek Nation, and all local stakeholders for their efforts to preserve this remarkable cultural site, he said in a statement.

Warnock said the Ocmulgee Mounds is a living testament to intertwined histories and a robust source of economic and cultural vitality.

In a Facebook post Monday morning, Mayor Lester Miller said Macon-Bibb has taken a giant leap ahead in its effort to make Ocmulgee the states first national park.

This is the moment we have been talking about for decades and finally everyone has United to make this a reality. This bipartisan effort is what we so desperately need all across America, the post read. I am extremely proud of our Georgia delegation and local leaders coming together to make this happen.

David W. Hill, principal chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, said the Muscogee (Creek) Nation has worked closely with Sens. Ossoff and Warnock and Reps. Scott and Bishop to help develop and review the draft Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve Bill.

We are in full support of the draft text and proposed boundary of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve unit, he said. We are thrilled to see this bill introduced and stand ready to support this legislation every step of the way.

In February 2017, the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, officially setting in motion a plan to expand and protect the Ocmulgee Mounds under federal law, according to Telegraph archives.

The designation would put the Ocmulgee Mounds under National Park Service protection.

The full text of the legislation can be found online.
Maddow Blog | Believe it or not, Medicaid expansion is advancing in Mississippi

Late last year, Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act finally reached North Carolina, extending health security to an estimated 600,000 low-income residents. It brought the total of states that have embraced the policy to 40, leaving just 10 holdouts.

A Washington Post report added soon after, North Carolina may be the last of the Medicaid expansion holdout states to reverse course for a while. There was every reason to believe that was true.

But once in a while, as weve discussed, when it comes to the politics of health care, surprises happen. The New York Times reported:

Yes, Mississippi is a reliably red state. And yes, Republicans continue to control all of the levers of power, including sizable majorities in the state House and state Senate.

But on this issue, after years in which the states health system has struggled and hospitals have struggled to keep their doors open, theres newfound interest in making this progressive change.

Circling back to our recent coverage, there was an unexpected breakthrough in February, when the GOP-led state House passed a Medicaid expansion bill with surprising ease  98 to 20  thanks in part to support from Jason White, Mississippis Republican state House speaker who championed the effort.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves remained a fierce opponent of the idea  his reasoning has never made a lot of sense  but given the veto-proof margin in the state House, it didnt much matter.

What did matter, however, was skepticism from the GOP-led state Senate, which preferred a far more conservative approach to the policy. Republican state senators in Mississippi were open to the possibility of accepting Medicaid expansion, but they wanted a less generous policy that helped fewer people.

Bicameral negotiations began, resulting in a bill that would, if approved, extend coverage to people with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level (roughly $20,000 a year for an individual), though Mississippians would have to work 100 hours a month to be eligible.

Success is by no means a sure thing. The compromise will still need to clear both chambers and probably overcome a gubernatorial veto. Just as importantly, as the Mississippi Free Press noted, it will be up to the Biden administration to approve the onerous and unnecessary work requirements in this proposal  and the Democratic administration has already rejected similar efforts in other states.

All of which is to say, theres been an unexpected breakthrough in Mississippi, and thats encouraging, but there are some difficult hurdles between here and the finish line.

As for how we arrived at this point, when the U.S. Supreme Court initially upheld the Affordable Care Acts constitutionality, the courts majority delivered some bad news to health care advocates: Medicaid expansion, the justices concluded, had to be optional, not mandatory under federal law.

In policy circles, many assumed this wouldnt be too big a deal. After all, they thought, states would obviously want to do the right thing  not only for its low-income citizens, but also for its hospitals and state budgets. There are plenty of far-right ideologues and Republicans at the state level, the assumption held at the time, but they could do arithmetic. No state would choose to be so foolish as to voluntarily reject Medicaid expansion, right?

As things stand, 10 states have done exactly that  though theres reason to believe that number might yet shrink. Watch this space.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
To appreciate just how aggressive the Florida Republicans abortion ban is, consider the fact that Donald Trump last year condemned the far-right policy as a terrible thing. As recently as last month, the former president  who has celebrated his role in destroying the popular Roe v. Wade precedent  said Floridas six-week ban is so far from what people want, its probably going to have to change.

But it didnt change. Last month, the Florida Supreme Court cleared the way for the GOP-imposed abortion ban to take effect on May 1. That, of course, is today.

The ban  which includes exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the woman  will likely have the effect of a full abortion ban because many women dont even know theyre pregnant after six weeks.

As NBC News reported, the implementation of the policy will reverberate throughout the region.

We dont want to be an abortion tourism destination, Gov. Ron DeSantis said last year.

Now, it wont be.

As for the near future, a New York Times report added that all of the changes could prove temporary: A ballot measure in November will ask Florida voters whether to amend the constitution to allow abortions until about 24 weeks. It will require more than 60 percent support to pass, a high threshold, and it would not take effect until January, assuming that lawmakers or anti-abortion groups did not challenge it in court.

Watch this space.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Todays installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

* In response to Donald Trumps highly controversial comments about abortion rights to Time magazine, President Joe Bidens re-election campaign released a new video overnight with a direct-to-camera message.

NEW: President Biden responds to Trumps TIME interview.



[Trump] said states should be able to prosecute women... This should be a decision between a woman and her doctor. pic.twitter.com/f87BUEyH7h  Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) May 1, 2024

* After the judge in Trumps criminal trial ruled him in contempt of court, the Republicans political operation launched a new fundraising campaign based on the developments. A Democrat judge JUST HELD ME IN CONTEMPT OF COURT! the appeal read.

* Despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, two Trump-appointed federal judges yesterday rejected Louisianas new congressional map. As Roll Call reported, this sets up a potential last-minute Supreme Court fight ahead of this falls election.

* NBC News reported this morning that a proposed amendment to enshrine abortion access in South Dakotas constitution is one step closer to appearing on the November 2024 ballot, after a coalition of reproductive rights advocates submitted the required number of signatures on Wednesday. Dakotans for Health, the group leading the ballot effort, announced it had collected the signatures of more than 55,000 registered voters  far more than the 35,000 needed to move forward with the process of getting their proposal on the ballot.

* After Democratic officials in New Hampshire ignored their partys presidential primary calendar, the Democratic National Committee punished them by stripping them of their convention delegates. Yesterday, the DNC restored the delegates, which as the Associated Press noted, ended a bitter feud with the state over its presidential primary no longer being the first in the nation.

* Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s independent presidential campaign has reportedly now qualified for the presidential ballot in California. The conspiracy theorist ended up securing the nomination of the American Independent Party.

* And former White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews became the latest former member of Team Trump to announce shes voting for Biden in the fall. Matthews made the comments to MSNBCs Jen Psaki.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Made an incredible impact: Fallen CMPD Officer of the Month Joshua Eyer served with NC National Guard for 12 years

Made an incredible impact: Fallen CMPD Officer of the Month Joshua Eyer served with NC National Guard for 12 years

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  The North Carolina National Guard is sharing additional information on fallen CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer who served with them for 12 years.

CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer died in the line of duty Monday when a suspect, identified as Terry Hughes Jr., 39, opened fire on law enforcement officers, killing Eyer and three others.

The husband and father was part of a team executing a warrant for the arrest of Hughes, who was wanted out of Lincoln County, on Monday along Galway Drive in east Charlotte.

PREVIOUS: Fallen CMPD officer leaves behind wife and child; described as the kind of officer you want on your team

The other three law enforcement officers who were killed have been identified as:

Samuel Poloche, NC Dept. of Adult Corrections (Member of U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force)

William Elliott, NC Dept. of Adult Corrections (Member of U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force)

Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr. (Assigned to the Western District of North Carolina and supporting the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force)

Hughes was fatally shot by law enforcement on Monday when police said he came out of the east Charlotte home, armed.

Served with the National Guard for 12 years

Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Eyer served with the North Carolina National Guard from November 28, 2011, to November 27, 2023.

He earned an honorable discharge from the NCNG after 12 years of service, which included two deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Spartan Shield.

Our thoughts and prayers are with our public safety partners during this tragic time, as well as the family and friends of those who lost a loved one, the NC National Guard said Wednesday.

April 2024 Officer of the Month

CMPD released additional information on fallen Officer Eyer on Wednesday. The department said on Monday, April 15, he was awarded Officer of the Month for his outstanding proactive policing efforts patrolling the areas of Sugar Creek, North Tryon Street and the I-85 corridor.

CMPD said Eyer worked to address quality of life concerns within these areas, helping the community and local business owners.

In the span of just three weeks before receiving this award, Eyer and fellow CMPD Officer Aubrey Guldager made 16 arrests with 14 of those linked to felony cases involving charges of:

Possession of a firearm by a felon

Attempted first-degree murder

Armed robbery

Common law robbery

Various drug-related felonies and property crimes

These arrests made an incredible impact on local crime and quality of life concerns, CMPD said.

This is just a small glimpse at Officer Eyers dedication to his work and his commitment to protecting and serving the City of Charlotte. He was a phenomenal officer and the epitome of what our officers and all law enforcement strive to be each and every day. We ask that you continue to keep Officer Eyers family in your thoughts and prayers. We are so grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of support for our CMPD officers and staff who continue to serve our community during this devastating time. CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG POLICE

CMPD will honor the life and service of Officer Joshua Eyer on Friday, May 3, at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church located at 301 S. Davidson Street in uptown Charlotte.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
MAGA world tried to push her into darkness. Now she's back with 'Sunlight.'

Happy Tuesday! Here's your Tuesday Tech Drop, a roundup of the top stories at the intersection of tech and politics from the past week.

She's back!

Remember Nina Jankowicz? Shes the disinformation expert who came under attack from right-wingers in 2022, when the Biden administration sought to have her lead a board focused on combating the spread of disinformation online. Shes back on the scene, having recently co-founded an independent organization focused on combating the spread of harmful info. Announced last week, its called the American Sunlight Project. And one of the group's first acts is a demand that House Republicans  like committee chairs Jim Jordan and James Comer  release transcripts of their committees interviews with disinformation researchers. Jordan, in particular, has rabidly attacked government efforts to curb the spread of harmful information online, and he's sought to frame their work as censoring conservatives. As a result, researchers who specialize in identifying disinformation have said the attacks have had a chilling effect on their work.

Jankowicz has thrown down the gauntlet on their behalf.

Read the organizations letter here.

Truth Social honcho cries "RICO!"

Devin Nunes, the CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group, is whining to Congress over the companys stock price, which has bounced around considerably since it's initial public offering. Nunes claims that top investment firms are facilitating unlawful manipulation of the stock and says racketeering laws may have been broken by investors who are betting against the stock. Nunes kvetching is of a piece with Jordans crusading against private businesses that dont invest in his preferred companies and cultish figures: Both see a conspiracy behind the market when things dont go their way.

Read more at Politico.

Trumps big tech lifeline

NBC News reports Donald Trump is collaborating with a secretive conservative donor group full of right-wing techies who want to spend millions of dollars to mobilize Trump voters this election season. The Rockbridge Network, as the group is called, is a Trump-aligned organization co-founded by tech bro-turned-Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and conservative media investor Chris Buskirk. Others associated with the group include far-right tech investor Peter Thiel, conservative megadonor Rebekah Mercer, and more.

Read more at NBC News.

AI insults

A Maryland teacher was arrested last Thursday after he allegedly used artificial intelligence tools to mimic the school principals voice and give the impression the principal had used racist and antisemitic slurs. Its another reminder that the sophistication of generative AI tools  and their increasing availability  exponentially increases the potential for manipulation and deception.

Read more at The Associated Press.

All the news that's fit to mimic

Journalists continue to bristle at their works being used to hasten the robot revolution. Eight news organizations have jointly filed a lawsuit against artificial intelligence company OpenAI that alleges the company has illegally used the outlets articles to train its AI tools, including ChatGPT. The lawsuit is similar to a suit filed by The New York Times. OpenAI has claimed that it's fair use to use the online content in this way, and a spokesperson for the company told The Washington Post that we take great care in our products and design process to support news organizations.

Read more at The Washington Post.

Meta met a probe

Social media giant Meta is under investigation by the European Union over allegations the company hasnt instituted effective safeguards to prevent the spread of misinformation and other deceptive content across its platforms. Meta responded to the probe on Tuesday, saying it has a well established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms and that the company looks forward to informing the E.U. of this.

Read more at the New York Times.

Your own personal crypto

An early bitcoin investor known as "Bitcoin Jesus" is facing criminal charges for evading nearly $50 million in taxes, according to a DOJ news release. Not a great look for Bitcoin enthusiasts who are trying to cleanse the currency of its shady reputation.

Read more at Cointelegraph.

CORRECTION (May 2, 2024, 12:54 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the disinformation experts surname. She is Nina Jankowicz, not Jancowicz.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
The Maine state flag flies outside the State House in Augusta. (Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star)

The Maine Legislature is scheduled to reconvene on May 10 to consider the roughly 200 pieces of legislation that remain in limbo between passage and funding, as well as consider overriding legislation vetoed by Gov. Janet Mills.

House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) and Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Allagash) announced Wednesday that legislators would return to Augusta next Friday. The Legislature will convene to conduct legislative business and consider objections of the Governor, a spokesperson for Jackson said, adding we expect to run the special appropriations table.

If a measure costs money to implement or run, it needs to be funded either explicitly in the budget or by the remaining unappropriated money once the budget plan is set. Shortly before the sun rose the day after the Maine Legislatures adjournment deadline, April 17, both chambers passed state budget changes, however the Legislature left a number of measures on the table.

The Legislatures Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee handles bills placed on the table and the 13 members have the discretion to pass a bill as is, amend it to change its cost or kill it outright. In a flurry of votes on statutory adjournment day, the committee passed some bills as-is, which were sent to the Senate for approval, while amended items had to be re-sent to both chambers to determine their ultimate outcome.

A handful of these measures got caught in the Senate. When taken up on the floor for re-enactment as amended, the Senate tabled them, leaving them as unfinished business. The majority of bills caught between passage and funding, however, remain on the table.

These include bills to create an Office of Tribal-State Affairs, an advisory council to ensure Wabanaki and African African studies requirements are effectively taught in schools, establish a Civil Rights Unit, create a state board to handle the naming and renaming of places, among others.

If bills remain on the table when the Legislature adjourns sine die, the bills will automatically die.

The Speaker, House Democratic Leaders and our Appropriations members are preparing for items to be taken off the table and  if those items are amended  will consider them in our chamber, a spokesperson for Talbot Ross said. Ultimately, we know that there are still vital pieces of legislation that deserve action and immediate funding.

While there are outstanding questions about the legality of lawmakers taking action on bills without calling a special session, the Speakers spokesperson said her office is in conversation with the Attorney Generals office to ensure steps taken are in accordance with state law.

Regarding bill vetoes, as of Wednesday afternoon, Mills had vetoed six bills since statutory adjournment. A two-thirds vote of those present in both chambers is required to override a veto.

The bills the governor has vetoed so far include measures to tax wealthy Mainers at higher rates, apply the state minimum wage to farmworkers, allow agricultural workers to discuss wages and engage in other concerted activity, require employers leasing state land for a clean energy projects to enter harmony agreements with leeses, ban conversion devices that make semi-automatic weapons operate like machine guns, and prohibit the state from extending the operating services agreement for the Juniper Ridge Landfill unless the site operator, Casella, implements PFAS treatment technologies.

Earlier this session, Mills also vetoed legislation to prevent felony-level charges for petty theft and limit non-compete clauses, both of which the House has already sustained.

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The post Maine Legislature to return May 10 to address unresolved bills, vetoes appeared first on Maine Morning Star.
(Bloomberg) -- Mirzan Mahathir, the son of former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, intends to invest $100 million in a cement factory in South Sudan.

Most Read from Bloomberg

If approvals are granted timeously, the plant should be operational in 24 months and will use limestone from Kapoeta, 275 kilometers (170 miles) east of Juba, the capital.

Juba, being the main market for cement, is a good location for us, Mirzan told journalists on Tuesday.

The factory will reduce reliance on expensive cement imports and speed up infrastructure development in oil-rich South Sudan, according to Kuol Daniel Ayulo, the first undersecretary at the Trade and Industry Ministry.

Mirzans investment company, B Smart, will also construct an office building for the government, Investment Minister Dhieu Mathok told a separate media briefing.

B Smart is committed to coming here. We are already working on a number of investment projects, Mirzan said.

In January, Malaysias anti-corruption agency ordered Mirzan and his younger brother Mokhzani to assist in an investigation against their father. They are required to declare their assets dating back to 1981, the year he became prime minister.

Mahathir, who led Malaysia for nearly a quarter century in two different stints, said at a press briefing in January  conducted before Mokhzani was ordered to declare his assets  that the probe involving his son Mirzan was politically motivated.

Read More: Mahathir Sons Say 98-Year-Old Father Focus of Malaysia Probe

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Mali says it killed extremist commander who took part in one of worst attacks on US forces in Africa

In this 2018 photograph released by Mouvement pour le Salut de l'Azawad, Islamic State group commander Abu Huzeifa, known by the alias Higgo, poses in uniform. Mali's army said in a statement late Monday, April 29, 2024, that Huzeifa was killed by Malian state forces. The United States had announced a reward of up to $5 million reward for anyone providing information about him. Huzeifa was believed to have helped carry out an attack in 2017 on U.S. and Nigerien forces in Tongo Tongo, Niger, which led to the deaths of four Americans and four Nigerien soldiers. (AP Photo)

BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  A senior Islamic State group commander wanted in connection with one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. forces in Africa was killed in an operation by Mali's security forces, the country's army said.

Abu Huzeifa, known by the alias Higgo, was a commander in the group known as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. The State Department had announced a reward of up to $5 million for information about him.

Huzeifa is believed to have helped carry out the 2017 assault on U.S. and Nigerien forces in Tongo Tongo, Niger. Four Americans and four Nigerien soldiers were killed.

Following the attack, the U.S. military scaled back operations with local partners in the vast Sahel region south of the Sahara desert.

The identification and clues gathered confirm the death of Abu Huzeifa or Higgo, a foreign terrorist of great renown, the Malian army said in a statement late Monday.

Moussa Ag Acharatoumane, the leader of a Tuareg armed group allied with the state, said his forces participated in the operation, and that it took place in Mali's north.

A photo of Huzeifa on state television showed him in army fatigues with a long black beard and a machine gun in his hands.

Mali has battled a worsening insurgency by jihadi groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group for over a decade. The country also has experienced two coups since 2020 during a wave of political instability in West and Central Africa.

The killing of the commander over the weekend could mean less violence against civilians in the area, but the threat remains high since for sure there are leaders with similar brutality ready to take over and prove themselves, said Rida Lyammouri of the Policy Center for the New South, a Morocco-based think tank.

Col. Assimi Goita, who took charge in Mali after the second coup in 2021, has vowed to end the insurgency. The junta has cut military ties with France amid growing frustration with a lack of progress after a decade of assistance, and turned to Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group for security support instead.

Mali has also formed a security alliance with neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, which also battle worsening insurgencies and have experienced coups in recent years. Conflict analysts say the violence has worsened under their regimes. Their security forces are overstretched in fighting the jihadi violence.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The suspect in a gruesome murder case made his first appearance in court Wednesday morning.

Colin Czech, 29, is accused of killing another man and eating the victims face at a bus stop on Las Vegas Boulevard near Charleston Boulevard around 5 a.m. on Sunday, April 28, the 8 News Now Investigators first reported.

Murder suspect accused of eating victims face near Las Vegas Strip

Czech was in Las Vegas Justice Court where his public defense attorney David Westbrook told Judge Amy Chelini that he believes Czech is incompetent to stand trial. Westbrook said paperwork is underway to have Czech go through competency hearings where he will be evaluated by doctors who will make a determination on his mental well-being.

Documents obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators said when police responded to the scene, Czech was kneeling next to the victim with biological matter in his hair, mouth and on his clothing. He told officers the victim had attacked him. The victim was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital.

Czech told police he was unhoused and was awake for five days straight because something was possessing him, documents said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
A child experiences a Lynk & Co's new energy vehicle at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 30, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

A recent report from global market research firm International Data Corporation predicted that the global sales of smart driving cars will maintain rapid growth, and the development of smart driving empowered by AI investment and the expansion of unmanned driving application scenarios are important market trends in the future. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

People watch a vehicle at the booth of Skyworth Auto at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 30, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

Visitors watch the "Magic Core" hybrid drive super off-road platform of BAIC at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 30, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

Visitors watch an AI digital chassis of Geely at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 30, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

Visitors experience a smart cockpit of an Aito M9 vehicle at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 25, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

Visitors watch a display on Huawei's smart charging network at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 30, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

People visit the booth of CATL at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 30, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

Visitors watch a new energy vehicle equipped with Huawei's Qiankun system at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 25, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

Visitors watch a land-and-air vehicle displayed at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 30, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

Visitors experience Xiaomi's new energy vehicle model SU7 at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 28, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

People watch products related to Bosch's intelligent transportation system at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 25, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

Products related to Bosch's intelligent transportation system are displayed at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 25, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

A visitor experiences IM Motors' new energy vehicle model at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 30, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

Visitors watch the demonstration of a battery swap station of Chinese brand NIO at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 30, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

Visitors watch the demonstration of a battery swap station of Chinese brand NIO at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 25, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

A child watches cartoon in a new energy vehicle at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 28, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.

Visitors experience Xiaomi's new energy vehicle model SU7 at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, April 28, 2024. The 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, an A-list event continuing through May 4, is showcasing an unprecedented number of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 278 distinct NEV models on display, reflecting the growing dominance of NEVs in the auto industry. The cutting-edge technologies, customer-friendly novelties and affordability have wowed visitors at the show and underlined how the Chinese NEV sector has succeeded in zooming ahead over the past decade.
Kroger announced Wednesday it plans to invest $84 million this year into stores in Greater Cincinnati and Dayton, with projects including a new Marketplace store in Hamilton Township and remodeling of 15 other stores in the region.

The cash infusion is almost three times the typical $30 million in capital projects Kroger spends each year in for region. The Kroger Marketplace in Warren County alone represents a $39 million investment in southwest Ohio. The supermarket giant controls about half the region's grocery sales.

The Cincinnati-based grocer will also spend $45 million on renovations and upgrades to several stores in the region, including: Blue Ash, Colerain Township, Fairfield, Green Township, Huber Heights, Kings Mills, Lebanon, Kettering (two different locations), Middletown, Monfort Heights, Mount Washington, Sharonville, West Chester and Connersville, Indiana.

A handful of Kroger's 26 Cincinnati locations offer in-store bars.

The new 123,000-square-foot Marketplace store is slated to open later this year and will feature enhanced produce, deli, bakery, meat, seafood and sushi departments. It will also have a Murrays Cheese shop, Starbucks, a fuel center and an apparel section.

This investment is yet another demonstration of the commitment Kroger makes each and every day to the customers and communities in which we serve, said Ann Reed, Cincinnati/Dayton division president. It also reconfirms our dedication to increasing career advancement for our associates, economic growth and supporting local producers who supply our stores with high quality products.

Kroger's local division employs 20,000 workers and has more than 100 local stores in southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kroger said it will spend $84M on store upgrades, expansions in Ohio
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  More than a week after a man was found shot to death in his car in Raleigh, a co-worker has been charged with his death.

Investigators said Alexavier Williamson, 20, was the last person seen with Cleon Osby on the morning of April 19. They said Williamson admitted to shooting Osby in a wooded area near Rolling Woods Drive and Scenic Highway.

Police said Williamson and Osby worked at the Checkers in the 600 block of North Germantown Parkway, and surveillance video showed them leaving in Osbys Pontiac G3 at around 2:30 a.m.

Osbys body was discovered several hours later inside the Pontiac. Police said he died from a gunshot wound to his left side.

Detectives have not said what led up to the shooting. Williamson was booked in the Shelby County Jail on Sunday and is facing a charge of second-degree murder.

Williamson is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  A Genesee County man has been arraigned on two charges in connection to allegedly making a bomb threat to Buffalo General Medical Center in March, the Erie County District Attorneys Office said Wednesday.

31-year-old Lordseth Phoenix, of Corfu, is accused of falsely reporting in a 911 call on the morning of March 17 that an explosive device would be placed in the parking garage of the hospital.

The hospital was searched, cleared and no bomb was found.

Phoenix is charged with one count of second-degree falsely reporting an incident and one count of making a threat of mass harm. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison.

He was released on his own recognizance and will return to court on May 28.

Latest Local News

Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.
A man has been arrested and accused of intentionally causing a natural gas explosion that destroyed his house and damaged other homes near Fort Worth in 2022, Westworth Village police said Tuesday.

Mitchell Glenn Evans, 33, was taken into custody on Saturday in Brown County by Brownwood police on a charge of arson of a habitation, a first-degree felony.

Evans was the only person inside his Westworth Village home in the 5600 block of Watters Place when the house exploded around 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2022, police said. Evans was taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas in critical condition for burns he suffered in the blast.

The explosion caused structural damage that left about five other houses on the street uninhabitable, city officials said at the time.

The investigation, which unfolded over more than a year, revealed Evans was responsible for the explosion, police said in a news release.

According to a search warrant obtained by the Star-Telegram, investigators learned that Evans wife left him and took their children with her two days before the explosion.

On the day and night leading up to the explosion, Evans sent his wife numerous messages through voicemail, text and social media in which he threatened to harm or kill himself and said he had a plan to do so, an investigator wrote in an affidavit supporting the search warrant.

Atmos Energy records reviewed by investigators showed an incredibly high and unusual delivery of natural gas to the couples home between 4 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. the day of the blast, the warrant stated. The amount of natural gas was consistent with the results that would be reported if someone intentionally released natural gas into the home, according to the warrant.

The records showed the house could have been filled with four times the amount of natural gas needed to cause a destructive explosion when ignited by a open flame, the warrant stated.

The warrant also noted that Evans had training as a plumber, which meant he had knowledge of how natural gas fixtures work.

The Fort Worth Fire Departments Arson/Bomb Unit and ATF, in addition to other local police departments, assisted Westworth Village police in the investigation.

Atmos Energy also responded to the scene to help with the investigation. The electricity and natural gas in the Westworth Village neighborhood were turned off as a precaution following the explosion.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  A man has been charged for the shooting death of Evan Harrison, 24, in March 2023.

Julian Wedge was charged by a judge in Sedgwick County with first-degree murder, robbery, criminal possession of a weapon and interference with law enforcement.

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The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. on March 4, 2023, in the 4200 block of S. Clifton. Deputies with the Sedgwick County Sheriffs Office responded to the area for a welfare check and found Harrison lying in the street with people around him trying to save him.

Harrison had been shot. He was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Wedge is next due in court on May 16. His bond has been set at $1 million.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA)  A man was charged with murder in his girlfriends death Wednesday after she was found hanging in their St. Petersburg home in February, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.

Police said they were called to a home on Whiting Drive Southeast on Feb. 20 to investigate a suspicious death.

According to police, 48-year-old Gregory Shinn found his girlfriend, 59-year-old Katrin Simpson, hanging in their garage and asked his neighbor to call 911.

When paramedics arrived, they said they found Simpson with a black wire wrapped around her neck, connected to a beam in the garage.

Police said Shinn told them that Simpson was suicidal in the days leading up to her death. However, investigators said Simpsons injuries were not consistent with the allegation that the victim hung herself.

Throughout the investigation, detectives said they determined there was a history of domestic violence and inconsistencies in Shinns statements.

The medical examiners office said an autopsy determined Simpson died of strangulation with contributing factors of blunt force trauma and multi-drug toxicity. Her death was then ruled a homicide.

Shinn was charged with first-degree premeditated murder.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Daniel Anjorin was killed in the Hainault sword attack

A Spanish-Brazilian dual national has been charged with the murder of a schoolboy during a samurai sword rampage in London.

Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, 36, of Newham, east London, will appear at Barkingside Magistrates Court on May 2.

Mr Monzo had also been charged with two counts of attempted murder after a further four people  including two police officers  were seriously injured, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday night.

He has also been charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article.

A man in a yellow hoodie was arrested at the scene on Tuesday

The charges came as the teenager killed in the sword attack was described as a wonderful, well-loved and hard-working child whose death had left a gaping wound in the family.

Daniel Anjorin, 14, was named as the Bancrofts School pupil killed in Hainault, north-east London, on Tuesday.

Tributes poured in for Daniel, who was described as a true scholar with a gentle character in a statement by his school in Woodford Green.

Only 10 months ago, Grace OMalley-Kumar, a 19-year-old former pupil at the same private school in Woodford Green, was stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane during a spate of frenzied attacks in Nottingham that left two others dead.

Simon Marshall, the headmaster at the 25,000-a-year school, told of the profound shock and sorrow felt by pupils and teachers after they learnt of the heartbreaking news of Daniels death.

The teenager is said to have been travelling from his home in Hainault to school when he was killed.

Mr Marshall said the boy, who joined Bancrofts aged seven, had demonstrated commendable dedication to his academic pursuits and had become a core member of our community.

Relatives described Daniel Anjorin as 'wonderful, well-loved and hard-working' - Metropolitan Police

He said his death will have a lasting impact on us, and added: Losing such a young pupil is something we will always struggle to come to terms with.

The schools flag was flying at half-mast on Wednesday as pupils and parents brought flowers to lay at its front gates.

In a letter to parents, the headmaster said: It seems scarcely believable that less than a year on from the terrible death of Grace OMalley-Kumar in the Nottingham attacks we are facing fresh sorrow.

He added: It is therefore with great sadness and shock that I am writing to inform you of the tragic death of Daniel Anjorin, one of our pupils. Our thoughts and prayers at this moment are with Daniels family and friends.

More details will be forthcoming over the coming hours and days, but for now, our focus is on supporting the members of our community and particularly those who knew Daniel well.

The school said it was offering support to grieving pupils, as well as his family during this incredibly difficult time.

An unnamed relative of the boy told Sky News that he was a wonderful  well loved  and hard-working child whose death had left a gaping wound in the family.

No family should have to go through what we are experiencing today, they said. Any family will understand its an absolute tragedy.

Daniels parents are understood to be Dr Ebenezer Anjorin, a 59-year-old health and safety consultant who worked at Transport for London for 20 years, and Grace Anjorin, a 49-year-old science teacher at the Holy Family Catholic School in Walthamstow.

The couple, of Nigerian heritage, are believed to have two other children and the family regularly attend the Jubilee Church in Enfield.

In a statement, the church urged its congregation to pray for the family at this sad time.

A police cordon remained in place at the scene on Wednesday, as friends of the Anjorin family spoke of their sadness.

Janti Charalambous, whose son attended prep school with the victim, said: Daniel was an amazing young man. He was good at his studies. He was good at his sports. Very much loved by many people and [he] came from a wonderful family. The family are in shock. Obviously, they are heartbroken.

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BROCKTON, Mass. (AP)  A Massachusetts man who told police he was exorcising a demon and performing a baptism when he shoved his fathers head under water multiple times has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in his death.

A jury found 22-year-old Jack Callahan guilty on Thursday.

Hes scheduled to be sentenced on May 3. In June 2021, investigators said the younger man was at first trying to help his father, who had left a center where he was being treated for alcohol abuse.

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Prosecutors said they took a ride-share vehicle from Boston to a Duxbury pond and began fighting. Police later found the father submerged in the pond.

Jack Callahans lawyer said the state didnt have enough evidence to convict him.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Man expecting sex with woman in parking garage gets shot instead, Louisiana cops say

A man learned a tough lesson on hooking up in parking garages when his intended sex partner pulled a gun and started shooting, according to police in Louisiana.

He suffered multiple gunshot wounds but survived, Baton Rouge police said in a news release.

It happened around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, April 7, but it wasnt until May 1 that police announced a suspect had been charged.

Latoria Matthews, 23, is accused of shooting the 24-year-old victim in a parking garage on LaFayette Street, one block east of the Mississippi River, officials said.

Matthews picked the victim up after meeting on Instagram and drove to the LaSalle parking garage to have sex, police said.

As the victim prepared to have sex with Matthews, she shot him multiple times. The victim was able to escape from the vehicle, and seek assistance.

He was hospitalized with multiple non-life threatening wounds, police said.

Matthews fled to Houston, Texas, and was recently extradited, police said. She has been charged with attempted second degree murder and illegal use of a weapon, police said.

A motive for the shooting has yet to be revealed.

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A man who failed to get asylum in the UK is said to have voluntarily flown to Rwanda

FILE - A security guard stands in the reception area of the Hope Hostel, which is one of the locations expected to house some of the asylum-seekers due to be sent from Britain to Rwanda, in the capital Kigali, Rwanda on June 10, 2022. Rwanda government's deputy spokesperson Alain Mukuralinda said Tuesday, April 23, 2024, it's ready to receive migrants from the United Kingdom after British Parliament this week approved a long-stalled bill seeking to stem the tide of people crossing the English Channel in small boats by deporting some to the East African country. (AP Photo, File)

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP)  An unsuccessful asylum-seeker in the U.K. has voluntarily arrived in Rwanda, an official said, as the British government rounded up the first group of migrants it expects to fly to Kigali this summer.

The man, whose nationality was not disclosed, did not arrive under a controversial deal to deport to Rwanda migrants who enter the U.K. illegally, Alain Mukuralinda, deputy spokesman for the government, told The Associated Press.

We received him yesterday and we are taking care of him, he said. In a few days the asylum-seeker will tell us about his wish either to stay in Rwanda or go somewhere else."

Rwandan authorities will assess his status and decide accordingly, he said.

Last week, the U.K. Parliament approved legislation allowing deportations to Rwanda despite criticism from human rights groups that the plan is inhumane and illegal.

Although no flights have yet taken place under that policy, the U.K. government said Wednesday that it had rounded up the first group of migrants it expects to deport to Kigali this summer.

The legislation, known as the Safety of Rwanda Bill, was a response to a U.K. Supreme Court decision that blocked the deportation flights because the government couldnt guarantee the safety of migrants sent to Rwanda. After signing a new treaty with Rwanda to beef up protections for migrants, the government proposed the new legislation declaring Rwanda to be a safe country.

Kemi Badenoch, the U.K. business and trade secretary, said the asylum-seeker who chose to leave shows that Rwanda is safe for deportees.

We should be trumpeting it because one of the big arguments about this scheme was Rwanda wasnt a safe country, and actually people are volunteering to go there, Badenoch told Times Radio. I know people who go there on holiday, a lot of people have been.

The deportee was reportedly paid 3,000 pounds ($3,750) to leave. Badenoch told Sky News there is no cost-free option for border control.

The U.K. government hopes the deportations will deter migrants who risk their lives in leaky, inflatable boats in hopes that they will be able to claim asylum once they reach Britain.

The plan has been condemned by both the United Nations refugee agency and the Council of Europe.

Some rights groups say the way to stop the trafficking is for countries to work together to provide safe and legal routes for migrants, not for countries like Britain to put up barriers and outsource their problem to others. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said last week that deportation flights would begin in July.

The U.K. Home Office did not disclose how many migrants were snared in their roundups this week or where the detainees were being held.

Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground, Home Secretary James Cleverly said.

Advocates for migrants denounced the detentions and images of the raids distributed by the government.

Were appalled at the governments treatment of people seeking asylum, which has now sunk so low as to release footage of people in handcuffs being forced into immigration vans," said James Wilson, director of Detention Action. We work with people in detention every day and we see the damage caused by locking people in small cells, behind high fences, with no idea when they will be freed."

___

Melley reported from London.



Follow APs global migration coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/migration
Industrial parking new the Port of LA can be difficult. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Trailer parking near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is notoriously constrained, and it is likely to get worse. Hoping to gain customers who struggle with this issue, some real estate developers are taking a new approach.

Finding adequate facilities to park trucks and store shipping containers is difficult throughout the United States, but the Greater Los Angeles area poses an even bigger challenge for the logistics sector.

The port complexes are closed in with boundaries on all sides from residential neighborhoods or wetlands that are not possible to build on.

On top of that, a Harbor Gateway Community Plan under review by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning would only allow 25% or less of industrial outdoor storage within the designated area.

The Harbor Gateway Community Plans designated area. (Photo: Los Angeles City Planning)

The plan area is approximately 3,229 acres linking the harbor and the San Pedro, Wilmington and Harbor City communities to the main area of Los Angeles. The city touts improved transit, greater pedestrian development, park facilities and clean industrial uses that will contribute to a healthy and active environment.

But this new zoning plan, along with new emission rules from the Environmental Protection Agency and growing activity at the twin ports will likely only constrict industrial storage more.

Carriers looking to store any asset related to freight, like empty chassis or containers, typically search for parking off port property to avoid costly daily rate fees, driving up demand for these facilities.

Thomas Wasson, enterprise trucking carrier expert at FreightWaves, says carriers often look for their own leased spots to better handle costs.

Some developers and real estate managers are taking the opportunity to transform old business sites into new trailer storage facilities.

CBRE represents a developing site like this, hoping to entice carriers looking for spots to lease as parking becomes tighter. Atlas Capital Group is demolishing an aging office facility on 5 acres and replacing it with a striped concrete slab that will accommodate 193 trailers. The converted property on South Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles will be ready by June, according to CBRE.

The site on Vermont Ave is 7 miles from the Port of Los Angeles. (Photo: CBRE)

CBRE Senior Vice President James Hooks, who is the broker for the site, told FreightWaves the yard will focus on empty containers on chassis for those seeking to avoid storage penalties at the ports. Inland Empire storage yards are further from the ports and mostly utilized for containers moving cross-country.

Atlas intends to create an aesthetically pleasing environment for the surrounding area, balancing utility with charm to blend into the neighborhood.

Story continues

The fenced site is fronted by a 14-foot concrete wall covered with stucco to hide containers from passersby.

Hooks explained other industrial sites can also be more creative with the environment, by using living walls or lining them with ivy. He also noted that the ability to process trucks inside the facility, instead of at the security gate, will reduce congestion and community disturbances.

The post LA zoning proposal could reduce supply of trailer parking appeared first on FreightWaves.
Man found guilty for death of infant child in Topeka

TOPEKA (KSNT)  A man was sentenced for a slew of charges including murder in the second degree on April 30.

On March 30, 2021, Topeka police saw a white SUV driving the wrong way on a one-way street. Later officers found the vehicle had crashed into a Toyota Camry at Southwest 5th Street. and Southwest Polk Street. The occupants of the Camry were stuck inside the car.

A 7-month-old infant died as a result of the crash.

Troy Vsetecka, 54, attempted to run from police, breaking into a home. Officers were able to find and arrest Vsetecka.

On Dec. 8, 2023, Vsetecka was found guilty of:

Count 1: Murder in the Second Degree- Reckless

Count 2: Involuntary Manslaughter; Reckless (Victim is Under 6 Years Old)

Count 3: Aggravated Battery Reckless- Great Bodily Harm

Count 4: Aggravated Battery Reckless- Great Bodily Harm

Count 5: Aggravated Battery Reckless- Great Bodily Harm

Count 6: Aggravated Endangering a Child- Reckless

Count 7: Aggravated Burglary of a Dwelling

Count 8: Leaving the Scene of an Accident- Death, Defendant Unaware Injury Resulted

Count 10: Driving the Wrong Way on One-Way Highway, Road, or Traffic

Count 11: Transporting Open Container

Count 12: Reckless Driving

On April 30, 2024, Vsetcka was sentenced to 45 years by the Shawnee County District Court.

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.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
Man jailed for days after hes mistaken for sex offender during traffic stop, suit says

A case of mistaken identity led to five days in jail for a California man wrongly arrested on an active sex offender warrant for child molestation, according to a federal lawsuit accusing authorities of violating his civil rights.

Victor Manuel Martinez Wario of Los Angeles County is suing those he says are responsible for his dayslong detainment before his release from the Mens Central Jail in Los Angeles following a traffic stop last year.

At the jail, he was housed with other sex offenders, had to wear a colored jumpsuit that signaled he, too, was an apparent sex offender  and had to wear a wristband given to inmates involved in child molestation cases, according to a complaint filed April 30.

Mr. Wario lived a waking nightmare for five days. ... A nightmare that would have been prevented by the most basic investigation or smallest amount of care from law enforcement, his attorney David Gammill, of Gammill Law APC, told McClatchy News on May 1.

His incarceration prevented him from going to work, caring for his disabled fiancee and caused extreme emotional distress, sleeplessness, anxiety and mental anguish, the suit says.

What led to his arrest?

In March 2023, Whittier Police Department officers pulled Wario over for a minor traffic infraction and arrested him, according to the lawsuit.

The officers believed there was an active warrant out for his arrest, but Wario told them he didnt have any criminal history besides a misdemeanor offense for driving under the influence, which he was convicted of seven years earlier, the complaint states.

Wario was detained on March 12, 2023, and released from law enforcement custody on March 17, according to Gammill, who said he will update the complaint to correct dates mentioned in the filing.

Wario was first booked into the Whittier Police Departments jail, where the officers told him his warrant was for an old case in which he was convicted of child molestation, the complaint says.

He adamantly told them that they had the wrong person, according to the complaint, which says the warrant was meant for a sex offender convicted in September 2012.

Two days later, he was transferred to the Mens Central Jail run by the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department and held on a $30,000 bond, the complaint states.

Keri Blakinger, a reporter with the Los Angeles Times, shared the news of the lawsuits filing the evening of April 30 on X, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote:

Whittier police arrested the WRONG guy for a sex offender warrant & put him in Mens Central Jail in a sex offender unit bc no one bothered to compare him to the ACTUAL DEFENDANTs mugshot for 4 days. He was released on day 5.

According to the suit, the judge who set Warios bail at his arraignment ordered a fingerprint expert to verify his identity.

The next day, a deputy district attorney received a booking photo of the person who shouldve been arrested instead of Wario and determined that it was not Mr. Wario, the complaint says.

Los Angeles County spokeswoman Liz Odendahl told McClatchy News on May 1 that because this lawsuit was filed yesterday this is the first it has come to our offices attention.

I do not, however, speak for the county as a whole, Odendahl said in an emailed statement.

The county, its sheriffs department, the city of Whittier and the Whittier Police Department are all named defendants in the suit.

The sheriffs department, the city and Whittier police didnt immediately respond to requests for comment from McClatchy News on May 1.

Wario was released from jail one day after it was realized that he wasnt a convicted sex offender, according to the lawsuit.

Because of his perceived status as a convicted child molester, Mr. Wario was in serious jeopardy of being attacked by fellow inmates, the complaint states.

The person who the warrant was meant for never registered as a sex offender as required under California law, the suit says. This is also a requirement under the federal law known as Megans Law.

With his lawsuit, Wario demands a jury trial and is seeking an unspecified amount of damages to be determined at trial.

He was labeled as and treated like the most detested population in our society  child molesters, Gammill said.

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Man kidnaps woman, goes to prison and kidnaps her again after release, Florida cops say

A man accused of kidnapping a woman went to prison in Florida, then he was released and kidnapped the same woman two months later, authorities said.

Jeffrey Holley, 53, is now back in jail and faces 11 charges.

His attorney information is not available in Santa Rosa County court records.

Holley was found guilty on charges of false imprisonment and kidnapping his girlfriend in August 2022 and was sentenced to prison, but he was released early on Feb. 8, 2024, according to county officials.

After his release, he sought out the same woman he was accused of kidnapping before and stayed with her for four days until the incident, Santa Rosa County deputies said in an arrest affidavit.

The evening of April 26, the woman told Holley he needed to find another place to stay, authorities reported. Thats when he took her phone and keys, assaulted her, then bound her hands and feet with duct tape, authorities said.

He later removed the tape and returned her keys, but when she tried to escape, her truck wouldnt start, she told deputies.

She tried twice to flee to the neighbors home, but both times he dragged her back to the garage, where he restrained her with rope and duct tape until a neighbor called the police, deputies said.

The neighbor requested a welfare check when they couldnt reach the woman and saw Holley take zip ties from the womans truck and go back in the home, Santa Rosa Sheriff Bob Johnson said in an April 29 news conference.

Law enforcement said they found the woman on the floor of the garage, while Holley fled into the woods and was brought into custody by a K-9.

Johnson called the repeat kidnapping a textbook example of the revolving door of crime.

When he got sentenced the first time for doing the exact same thing, he got sentenced to two years in prison, Johnson said. So obviously that did not have an effect on him because as soon as he got out he did it one more time.

Holley currently faces an array of charges, including multiple counts of kidnapping, domestic violence battery and theft, Santa Rosa County records show.

Santa Rosa County is one of the westernmost counties in the Florida Panhandle, just east of Pensacola and the Alabama border.

If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.

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This man has never met his American-born twin babies. Why he is trapped overseas

As reports swirl that Israel will forge ahead with plans to invade Rafah, a Gazan city crowded with refugees, and is preventing men from leaving the besieged area, Marowa Abusharia sits at home in Woodbridge and waits in fear, hoping her husband will one day get out and meet the twin daughters she birthed six months ago.

Since the start of the war, Abusharia has implored public officials to help her husband leave Gaza, but his exit has been blocked despite a U.S. pledge to help American citizens' immediate family members evacuate.

Born in New Jersey, Abusharia is an American citizen, as are her twin girls, Miriam and Mayar. She feels the United States has failed her family, and that her husband's life is at risk as an invasion looms.

My husband still has not been able to meet his daughters, and I do not know if he ever will, said Abusharia. Our home, which we have poured so much love into, has been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, just like the life that we had worked so hard to build together.

The U.S. State Department said it has worked with Israel and Egypt, which controls Gaza's borders, to secure safe passage for immediate relatives of American citizens. Gaza has been under siege since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 Israelis. In the ensuing war, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and thousands are missing.

Amid war and turmoil, Loai, her husband, has been unable to leave, blocked by wartime bureaucracy, foreign obstruction and a system critics say is skewed against men.

Apr 16, 2024; Woodbridge, NJ, United States; Marowa Abusharia and her 6-month old twins (from left) Mayar and Mariam pose for a photo at Alvin P Williams Memorial Park on Tuesday afternoon. Abusharia's husband Loai is unable to leave Gaza and hasn't met his daughters.

Like Abusharia, many Palestinian Americans have been trying for months, in vain, to get their loved ones out of Gaza. The State Department said it has worked to help U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and immediate family  including spouses, unmarried children under age 21, and parents of U.S. citizens  to evacuate.

So far, it has helped over 1,800 people depart Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt, a State Department spokesperson said. Families are pleading for the United States to do more by pushing Israel and Egypt to allow their loved ones to leave.

Sometimes I go weeks without knowing if my husband is dead or alive, Abusharia said. I have been contacting everyone with a huge sense of urgency and despair in the hopes that something can be done, that somehow this nightmare can end, and by some miracle, my husband can be united with us.

War: In NJ, a push to vote uncommitted to protest Biden support for war in Gaza

No explanation

Abusharia's relatives introduced her to Loai in 2018, and they got to know one another online, she said, describing him as sweet, kindhearted, generous. She lived in Gaza for three years after they married, as he went through interviews and checks to immigrate to the United States.

She returned to New Jersey last summer to give birth to her children, expecting he would join her soon.

Since the outbreak of war, about 120 members of her family have been killed in airstrikes or by sniper fire, including beloved uncles and cousins, Abusharia said. Others have been displaced from their homes and face starvation, she added.

Apr 16, 2024; Woodbridge, NJ, United States; Marowa Abusharia and her 6-month old twins (from left) Mayar and Mariam pose for a photo at Alvin P Williams Memorial Park on Tuesday afternoon. Abusharia's husband Loai is unable to leave Gaza and hasn't met his daughters.

She provided his name to the State Department, but Loai has not been included on lists of people permitted to pass through checkpoints to leave Gaza. No one has explained why, she said. Loai is in Northern Gaza, waiting for his name to appear on a crossing list.

It has been to no avail, she said. No matter how much we try, we cannot get his name on the evacuation list.

I am and have been carrying the financial and emotional burden of raising two babies without my husband present. I am in desperate need of my husband's support and presence in my daughters life.

Despite President Joe Biden's statement that an invasion in Rafah would be a "red line," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated he will push ahead with an invasion. The administration has said that it would not support a Rafah operation without a plan in place to protect civilians.

More than 1 million Palestinian civilians are sheltering in Rafah, which Israel said is the last Hamas stronghold. The international community has warned of the massive humanitarian toll of targeting the area.

Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel will carry out the Rafah invasion regardless of whether or not a cease-fire and hostage release deal is reached, Reuters reported.

"The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its objectives is out of the question," Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.

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Men excluded

Americans can get help to leave Gaza or evacuate immediate family members by contacting the U.S. Embassy at JerusalemACS@state.gov with a copy of the individuals travel document, according to the State Department.

The United States provides names to Israeli and Egyptian authorities, who have final say on who can leave. They are instructed to monitor lists on Facebook of those approved to cross from Rafah to Egypt.

The State Department warned that it does not control the crossing lists and cannot guarantee an individual will have success in departing Gaza even if their name is on a crossing list.

Sammy Nabulsi, a Boston-based lawyer, has been aiding Palestinian Americans trying to get their loved ones out of Gaza. He said he has noticed that men, particularly those in their teens to their 50s, have been excluded from the lists of people allowed to cross.

"You see everyone listed is largely women, children and very elderly men," he said. "It's noticeable that young adults through middle aged men are not appearing at all."

It fits with reports of discrimination against "military-aged" men, who have been routinely detained and treated like combatants even when they are civilians, he said.

"I think its a broad brush approach because its just so prevalent and obvious, and no one seems to have the answer why this is occurring," he said.

I have asked the State Department about this a couple of times, and they dance around it, he said. I believe they are uncomfortable acknowledging that their partner in the Middle East is making it difficult for U.S. citizens to unite with their relatives.

On Tuesday, the Middle East Eye reported that Israel was setting up a system of checkpoints that will prevent men of "military age" from fleeing Rafah in preparation for its offensive, citing a senior western official on condition of anonymity.

Paying to live

Nabulsi has lobbied U.S. officials to widen their criteria of people recommended for crossing lists to include extended relatives. Under current rules, a California family he tried to help was unable to secure passage for their 10-year-old niece who was orphaned in the war, he said.

We have citizens who are begging and pleading the government, that if you cant stop this conflict, then please get our brothers, sisters and nieces out, Nabulsi said. The U.S. can do it and is choosing not to and, to me, thats a total failure of the United State not prioritizing its own citizens.

While people with dual citizenship and personal connections have crossed into Egypt, the Egyptian government has said it will not open its border to refugees at large. Officials have cited concerns about the economy and security, and said they do not want to be complicit in the permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

Desperate to leave, some are paying Egyptian brokers to get them across the border. The cost is about $5,000 per adult and $2,500 for children, sums that are out of reach for most people. A plethora of GoFundMe pages exist to raise money for Gazans to be able to pay Egyptians to leave.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker has helped Abusharia with her case. Its a heartbreaking situation for Marowa as she cares for her young children in New Jersey. Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, it has been Sen. Bookers priority to get U.S. citizens and their family members out of harms way," a spokesperson said.

Booker was among a group of U.S. senators who signed a letter in February imploring the State Department to expand criteria of who can leave.

They also called for the State Department to expedite applications for "humanitarian parole" and provide a pathway for applicants who cannot get to an embassy for in-person interviews. Parole allows individuals to enter the U.S. due to urgent humanitarian reasons and was used widely for Ukrainian and Afghan war refugees.

In Gaza, the current death toll is devastating, and the humanitarian conditions continue to worsen with extraordinarily limited access to food, water, medicine, fuel, shelter, and safety, the senators wrote.

While the United States does not control who is able to depart through Rafah Crossing into Egypt, we must do all we can to help American citizens and their family members who seek to leave Gaza do so quickly and safely.

They did not receive a response to that letter, said the spokesperson.

Left behind

In New Jersey, home to one of the largest Palestinian American communities in the nation, numerous families also have tried to help relatives escape Gaza. Abdullah Okal of Kenilworth rallied to help his wife, Haneen, and their three children, leave Gaza after the outbreak of war. After several difficult weeks of trying to cross through the border, they were finally able to leave in early November. Haneen is a U.S. citizen and the family's case drew intense media scrutiny.

The State Department did their best, Okal said. They helped my [newborn] son get an emergency passport. It was a nightmare for us. They made it happen.

Now, they are wracked with guilt for those left behind, including loved ones who have been displaced five or six times. His relatives now shelter in tents in Rafah, where 1.1 million Palestinians are crowding, facing hunger and despair.

Gazans, he said, did not want to leave their homes. But most people feel they no longer have a choice.

The United States is a big player in the region there, so of course they can help," Okal said. "They have a good relationship with both sides, Israel and Egypt. They can coordinate something so they can evacuate from Gaza. The whole of Gaza is destroyed. Everyone can see that.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Trapped in Gaza, a father hopes to meet his American-born daughters
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  An Oklahoma man pleaded guilty in court on Monday for his role in a conspiracy to distribute over $1 million of cocaine in 2023 before being caught in Lafayette County, Missouri.

According to a news release from the U.S. District Attorneys Office, 37-year-old Luis Gerardo Nieto-Acosta, a citizen of Mexico living in Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

KC man accused of contaminating food at a Leawood Hereford House

He is the fourth and final person to plead guilty in this case.

The other individuals are co-defendants 25-year-old Wilmer Antony Mendoza-Perez, a citizen of Honduras, and 27-year-old Miguel Angel Anguiana-Viera. Both live in Oklahoma City. The third is 29-year-old Jose Eduardo Acosta-Bermejo, a citizen of Mexico who lives in Bethany, Oklahoma.

The news release said on January 24, 2023, a Missouri State Highway Patrol officer stopped a Penske rental truck headed eastbound on Interstate 70. It was said to have been driven by Mendoza-Perez.

While attempting to pull over the rental truck, Nieto-Acosta and Acosta-Bermejo, in a Toyota Highlander, tried to prevent the officer from getting behind the truck. The officer, however, was able to initiate the stop, and the two men continued eastbound on Interstate 70.

According to the rental agreement for the truck, it was rented in Oklahoma City four days prior by a woman not seen at the time of the stop. It was scheduled to be returned to Fullerton, California, on January 26, 2023, and when asked about this, Mendoza-Perez could not explain why he was in Missouri.

The officer then searched the rear cargo area of the truck and found two boxes filled with 34 kilograms of cocaine. According to the release, the average street price for a kilogram of cocaine in Kansas City, at that time, was $30,000. This would make the total $1,020,000 for the delivery.

Kansas lawmakers get glimpse of Chiefs future as they consider STAR bond package

As for Nieto-Acosta and Acosta-Bermejo, the Toyota Highlander was found abandoned at a truck stop a few miles away. Inside the vehicle, officers found two handguns, four magazines and ammunition.

In a surveillance video from the truck stop, investigators saw Anguiano-Viera with an under age girl passenger pick up Nieto-Acosta and Acosta-Bermejo in a Honda Pilot. Shortly after, the Honda was located at a convenience store in Odessa, Missouri, and the passengers were arrested.

The release said, under federal statutes, Nieto-Acosta could face a minimum sentence of 15 years without parole and up to a life sentence without parole, in a federal prison.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after investigations are completed. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert M. Smith and John C. Constance, and it was investigated by the Lafayette County Sheriffs Office, the Kansas City Airport Police, MSHP and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON)  The man who punched San Jose Mayor Matt Mahans bodyguard during a news interview has a checkered past, according to court documents obtained by KRON4 on Tuesday.

Wesley David Pollard, 35, is currently out of jail on $0 bail and he is facing battery charges for the April 23 downtown incident. A KRON4 reporter was interviewing Mahan on-camera when Pollard punched an on-duty San Jose Police Department officer who was assigned to guard and protect the mayor.

Just before the physical altercation broke out, the officer had asked Pollard to move farther away from the mayor. Pollard told the officer that he worked nearby, that the officer should mind his own business, and Ill smack you right now b**ch. I will f**king smack you, a SJPD police report states. The plainclothes officer showed his police badge and Pollard struck the officer in the head, the report states.

The mayor of San Jose, far right, watches his security guard fight a man downtown on April 23, 2024. (KRON4 Photo)

Pollard moved from Georgia to California two years ago, court records show.

Since then, he has been arrested in Mountain View and Sunnyvale for squatting in vacant apartments, hotel rooms, and an Adobe office building, according to court records.

On Oct. 29, 2023, Mountain View Police Department officers were contacted by a married couple that owns a vacant apartment building. The couple reported that a man was living in one of the apartments and refusing to leave. One of the landlords said when he found Pollard in the apartment, he was resting on a sofa, had dirty dishes in a sink, and groceries in the fridge. When the landlord asked Pollard to leave, he claimed he was renting the space through AirBnB. When police officers arrived, Pollard showed police a fake lease contract that he claimed he obtained through Craiglist, a MVPD police report states.

Officers suspected that Pollard printed out a generic template from the Internet and filled out the document with bogus information, the report states. MVPD arrested Pollard on suspicion of burglary for stealing more than $500 worth of utilities.

Controversy swirls around San Jose Mayors security detail after punch caught on video

On Sept. 1, 2023, Pollard was arrested in Sunnyvale for squatting in a Grand Hotel room on El Camino Real, court records show. A hotel employee told police that she found the man sleeping in a room and he was not a guest of the hotel.

On Nov. 7, 2023, Pollard was smoking cigarettes and using his laptop in an Adobe office building in Mountain View, a police report states. When he was confronted by an Adobe employee, Pollard lied, claiming he worked for the company and he was there for a meeting, the report states. The Adobe employee called 911 to report that a trespasser was inside the building and refusing to leave.

Mayor Matt Mahan tells Wesley Pollard that he is in the middle of a news interview on April 23, 2024 on South First Street in San Jose. (KRON4 photo)

When officers arrived, the employee told police that he found Wesley Pollard inside the womens restroom on a computer laptop. (The employee) exited the building because he was concerned for his safety, according to the police report. Officers arrested Pollard for burglary and booked him into jail.

Pollard later pleaded guilty to trespassing in the hotel, and no contest to illegally entering the Mountain View apartment building, according to court records.

Pollards criminal history stretches back to Georgia, where he was charged with assault and resisting arrest with violence. He currently has an outstanding warrant in Georgia, SJPD said.

Last week, a Santa Clara County judge issued a two-year restraining order against Pollard that forbids him from being within 300 yards of Mayor Mahan. The judge ordered Pollard to return to court on July 11 to face charges connected to the April 23 incident. He has not entered a plea.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
The Cherokee County District Attorneys Office announced a 55-year-old man was given a 20-year sentence for sexually exploiting children and having drugs.

The DAs office said Allen Joseph Peacock was charged in relation to a 2022 investigation after an individual close to him told members of law enforcement that theyd found a message on Snapchat talking about being sexually interested in minors.

Members of law enforcement got a search warrant for his cell phone and found sexually explicit pictures and videos of unidentified children, which the DAs office said Peacock found online.

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Drugs identified as containing tetrahydrocannabinol were also found in Peacocks home.

While there was no evidence of Mr. Peacock committing acts of abuse against children, the evidence was clear that the defendant has a deviant sexual interest in children. The harmful and perverse images and videos on his electronics allowed us to prosecute this individual before he could act out his deviant fantasies further, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Hines, of the Special Victims Unit said in a statement.

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The DAs office said during Peacocks plea hearing, his sentence was negotiated to 20 years with the first five in prison, with the balance to serve on probation under sex offender special conditions.

As a result, Peacock will not be allowed to have contact with anyone under the age of 18 and will have to register as a sex offender upon leaving prison. He was sentenced on April 18, the DAs office said.

In Georgia, it is a felony to possess or control sexually explicit material depicting minors, District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said in a statement. By prosecuting and closely monitoring individuals who possess sexually explicit imagery of children, we can be proactive in preventing these offenders from victimizing children in our community.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Man sentenced for 2022 Olathe shooting that left man seriously injured

OLATHE, Kan.  A 20-year-old man is sentenced for a May 2022 shooting in Olathe, Kansas that left another man seriously injured.

A Johnson County judge sentenced Jalen Marquis Banks-Shepherd Wednesday to eight years and two months in prison. He was sentenced to five years and six months on an attempted first-degree murder charge and two years and eight months on an attempted aggravated robbery charge.

Cass County Sheriffs Office looking for driver in hit-and-run crash

Both sentences will be served consecutively.

On Monday, May 16, 2022, Olathe police officers responded to the intersection of South Ridgeview Road and East Kansas City Road for an armed disturbance.

A man had called police saying he had been shot. The victim was taken to an area hospital in stable condition.

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Banks-Shepherd was taken into custody shortly following the incident.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  An Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison on Tuesday for his role in the overdose death of a teenager in Salem, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Oregon.

Officials said 21-year-old Javen James Pedro of Monmouth was sentenced to over six years in prison with six years supervised release for distributing a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21.

According to court documents, Salem police responded to the overdose of the 15-year-old on Feb. 24, 2022. Paramedics took the teen to a local hospital where he died.

Speed racer allegedly driving 123 mph gets hefty ticket in Hillsboro

Authorities said the day before, the teen bought and consumed counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl in front of other kids. Investigators also obtained video surveillance footage from a neighbor appearing to show the drug transaction.

Pedro was arrested on Feb. 24 in Monmouth and admitted to selling 10 counterfeit pills to the teen, noting he sold pills to the teen five to 10 times before the overdose.

On March 17, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Pedro for distributing fentanyl. Pedro later pleaded guilty to one-count superseding criminal information, charging him with distributing a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Man sexually assaults two women he met online on the same day, Texas cops say

A 29-year-old man was arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting two women in Texas, officials said.

On April 29, Brandon Michael Miller met a woman on Snapchat and invited her over to his house, according to a Facebook post by the Bexar County Sheriffs Office.

While at his home, Miller sexually assaulted the woman at gunpoint, officers said.

On the same day, Miller reached out to another woman on an app called Text Now and said hed pay for her manicure if she came over, officials said.

When she got to his house he also sexually assaulted her at gunpoint, officers said.

Both women reported the sexual assaults and police contacted Miller, who said he was driving to Minnesota, officials said.

Officers executed a search warrant at Millers home, and he was taken into custody when he returned home, officials said.

Miller was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault and robbery, officials said.

Anyone with information or who has been victimized by Miller is asked to call 210-335-6000, officers said.

Bexar County is home to San Antonio.

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.

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It's the final countdown for long-struggling Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights.

Lakeside's owner plans to announce Wednesday that it will permanently close the shopping mall on July 1.

Plans then call for demolishing the 1.5 million-square-foot enclosed mall that was built in the 1970s. And by late 2025, a groundbreaking is expected for a $1 billion-plus redevelopment plan for the 110-acre site: Lakeside Town Center, a town-square-type project with apartments, new retail, restaurants, offices, a hotel and public recreation space.

A rendering of the planned Lakeside Town Center development, which would replace Lakeside Mall.

The existing Macy's and J.C. Penney department stores at the mall are to stay open and help anchor the future development. The former Sears and Lord & Taylor stores also will remain standing  at least for now.

While the current mall itself is in a state of decline and theres more and more vacancies, the area around Lakeside Mall is thriving," Sterling Heights City Manager Mark Vanderpool told the Free Press on Tuesday. That area right there at M-59 and Schoenherr is one of the most vibrant areas in the region, and everyone is greatly anticipating this project coming forward.

People walk in and out of Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The tenants inside are being told they have to move out by July 1, 2024, as the longtime mall is closing. The site will be redeveloped as a mixed-use project.

The Taubman-built Lakeside Mall opened in 1976 and was once known for its luxury retailers. It was expanded in 1990 and last renovated in 2007. But Lakeside experienced an exodus of tenants in recent years amid the rise of online shopping and the 2007 opening of The Mall at Partridge Creek, a nearby open-air center in Clinton Township.

Out of the Box Ventures, a subsidiary of Miami-based investment firm Lionheart Capital, bought the mall for $26.5 million in late 2019. Lionheart Capital will be developing the new Lakeside Town Center; the project was first announced in 2022.

Also read: What was Detroit like in the 1920s? These vintage photos take you back in time.

Large tires in the parking lot of Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The tenants inside are being told they have to move out by July 1, 2024, as the longtime mall is closing. The site will be redeveloped as a mixed-use project.

The Lakeside Mall parking lot was more crowded on the day after Thanksgiving in November 1999.

Today, occupancy inside Lakeside Mall is down to about 20%, said Lionheart Capital's Chief Development Officer Allison Greenfield.

The writing is obviously on the wall," Greenfield said. "If you go almost any day of the week, its pretty vacant.

Lionheart intends to apply within the next year for a special development incentive, known as a Transformational Brownfield, to help finance the ambitious redevelopment.

A Transformational Brownfield is a capture of local and state-level taxes over 30 years that are generated by a new development. Examples of such projects include the 45-floor skyscraper and neighboring 12-story office block under construction at the Hudson's site in downtown Detroit.

As part of the redevelopment, Lionheart would donate about 30 acres of the site for public spaces, including parks with outdoor seating and various infrastructure needed for the project. Plans also call for a new two-story community center and a biking/walking trail that would connect with other area trails.

Story continues

An aerial of Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The tenants inside are being told they have to move out by July 1, 2024, as the longtime mall is closing. The site will be redeveloped as a mixed-use project.

The Macomb Daily reported that Sterling Heights' city council last month voted to accept a $3 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. to help with acquiring properties around the derelict mall in support of the redevelopment.

The properties in mind include the former Sears and Lord & Taylor department stores. Sterling Heights officials have described the owners of those shuttered stores as "holdouts" who have yet to agree to sell.

Public infrastructure for the new project, such as roads, sidewalks and sewer lines, would be financed through a $45 million city bond issue. The money would be paid back with future tax revenue generated at the site.

Lakeside Town Center would be built in phases and, as currently proposed, eventually include:

2,219 units of housing (including 750 units of independent living and assisted living).

Nearly 180,000 square feet of retail and food and beverage spaces.

120-room hotel.

70,000 square-feet of office space.

A rendering of the planned Lakeside Town Center development, which would replace Lakeside Mall.

Lakeside Mall will join a growing list of once-busy metro Detroit shopping malls that slowly died and then closed and met the wrecking ball. A few of those old malls:

A Lakeside Mall sign at one of the entrances off Hall Road in Sterling Heights on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

Summit Place Mall in Pontiac

Northland Center in Southfield

Eastland Center in Harper Woods

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights to permanently close July 1
Man Tries to Board Flight with Snakes in His Pants at Miami Airport

The snakes were discovered by Transportation Security Administration officials on Friday, April 26

TSA Gulf/X Snakes found in luggage at Miami International Airport

A plane flying out of Miami International Airport almost had a group of slithery travelers onboard.

Transportation Security Administration officials announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a bag of snakes was found hidden in a passenger's pants at a checkpoint on Friday, April 26.

The passenger, identified as a man by WBBH-TV, hid the snakes in a small green camo bag. TSA officials gave a glimpse of the bag through three different photos included in the post.

One of the photos showed two pink snakes crawling around the exterior of the bag with white packaging material around them.

Officers at @iflymia detected this bag of snakes hidden in a passengers pants at a checkpoint on Fri, April 26. @TSA called our @CBPSoutheast and Miami-Dade Police partners in to assist, and the snakes were turned over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. pic.twitter.com/CggJob8IT8  TSA_Gulf (@TSA_Gulf) April 30, 2024

Related: The Pet Travel Policies for North America's Top Airlines: Which Pets Are Allowed to Fly and How

According to the announcement, officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Miami-Dade Police Department were called to the scene, and the snakes were turned over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

WFTV reported that the passenger was attempting to go on an international flight, and was denied boarding after the snakes were found. PEOPLE has reached out to the Miami-Dade Police Department for comment.

The U.S. Department of Transportation explains on its website that "federal and state governments impose restrictions on transporting live animals. In addition, each airline establishes its own company policy for the proper handling of the animals they transport."

TSA Gulf/X Bag where snakes were found

Related: Spring Travel and Pets: 10 Tips for Flying with Furry Friends Courtesy of JFK's The ARK

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advises pet owners to purchase flights with fewer connections or layovers, allowing a smoother travel experience.

"Pick departure and arrival times to avoid extreme heat or cold. For example, planning a nighttime arrival to a hot destination may be better for your pet," the CDC adds on its website.

In a previous conversation with PEOPLE, Dr. Sarah Nold, an on-staff veterinarian for Trupanion, advised that the safest way to fly with pets is to be "prepared for any situation."



TSA Gulf/X Snakes discovered inside bag at Miami International Airport

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"Make sure your carrier is the proper size for your pet and durable. Call the airline to determine if your carrier/pet is approved for riding in the cabin or if they will have to go in cargo," continued Nold. "Keep in mind there may be maximum weight and minimum age requirements for traveling, these are usually enforced for the safety of your pet."



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Read the original article on People.
WILLIAMSPORT, LYCOMING COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force announced the arrest of a Philadelphia murder suspect in Williamsport.

The U.S. Marshals Service Middle District of Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force stated on Wednesday in Williamsport, they located and arrested a man wanted for a June 2022 homicide in Philadelphia.

Teen charged with Edwardsville apartment shooting

Police say Calvin Solomon, 34, was wanted by the Philadelphia Police on homicide, abuse of a corpse, and firearms charges.

Around 1:30 pm, members of the Task Force arrested Solomon in the 700 block of West Edwin Street in Williamsport without incident.

Solomon remains in the Lycoming County Prison while he waits for extraction back to Philadelphia.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
A Florida man is behind bars in Westmoreland County in connection to a death investigation in Cape Coral, Florida.

John William Tolbert was wanted as a person of interest in the April 16 death of his brother, Francis, at their home on April 16.

Family members initially believed Francis Tolbert was suffering a medical emergency, and EMS responded for a cardiac arrest.

When detectives got on scene a man had a faint pulse and had bleeding from the back of his head. Upon further investigation, they found a gunshot casing in the home, said Lisa Greenberg of the Cape Coral Police Department.

Police said Tolbert was in the home with his brother and then suddenly drove off an hour before EMS was called.

As far as I know it was not John who made that call, Greenburg told Channel 11. Im not sure who exactly made that call, but it was not John.

Two weeks and nearly 1,200 miles later, State Police in New Stanton arrested him as he was driving westbound on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

He now faces a manslaughter with a weapon charge for the death of his brother.

Police said state troopers saw a Chevy Impala with New Mexico plates driving westbound on the Turnpike on Tuesday.

Troopers havent said why they ran the plates, but when they did, they found they were not registered to the car they were on, and they were connected to a death investigation in Florida.

Troopers say they took him into custody without incident. They believe Tolbert was just driving through.

I dont know if he was just running or if there was a connection to a specific area he was headed to, Greenberg said. Im not aware of any connection to the Pennsylvania area.

Police in Cape Coral are thankful for the tips they received in the last two weeks and for the quick actions of state troopers in Westmoreland County.

The synergy of the law enforcement agencies working together is a huge deal, and were always grateful for our law enforcement partners in helping us in cases like this, Greenberg said.

Tolbert is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison. A detective from Cape Coral is in the area, but it is unknown when they will take Tolbert back to Florida.

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Man wanted for threatening COTA bus passenger with gun in east Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Columbus police are searching for a man accused of using a gun in a threatening manner on a Central Ohio Transit Authority bus nearly two weeks ago.

According to a CPD incident report, officers were informed of an unknown male getting involved in an altercation with another passenger on a COTA bus in the 5300 block of East Livingston Avenue. The alleged incident occurred at in the Shady Lane neighborhood.

Oregon doctor accused of operating pill-mill out of north Columbus faces 147 felony charges

Police are searching for a suspect believed to have threatened a COTA bus passenger in east Columbus, April, 20, 2024. (Courtesy/Columbus Division of Police)

Police are searching for a suspect believed to have threatened a COTA bus passenger in east Columbus, April, 20, 2024. (Courtesy/Columbus Division of Police)

The man allegedly pulled out a gun on the passenger and threatened to shoot him. Security footage captured images of the suspect, who is being charged with aggravated menacing.

Police ask that anyone with information to call Detective Kerr at 614-645-4035.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
A waiter told his manager he could no longer tolerate the insults and sexual harassment he had endured from a co-worker for months  then he was fired, federal officials said.

The Memphis restaurant now owes the waiter $60,000, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in an April 30 news release.

The company agreed to settle but denies wrongdoing.

The waiter, an openly gay man, had been working at Amerigo Italian Restaurant for roughly two months when another waiter started calling him homophobic slurs, federal officials said in a complaint filed in September 2023.

After multiple incidents, the man complained to his general manager, who told the employee he would fire the other man if it happened again, according to the lawsuit.

Contrary to the companys policy, it did not investigate the report of a hostile environment and didnt speak with anyone who may have witnessed the harassment, federal officials said.

From January to October 2021, this continued, and it started affecting other workers, according to the waiter.

Managements lack of remedial action caused other employees to avoid working shifts when the harasser was scheduled for fear of being targeted based on their sex/sexual orientation and (the accused harasser) oft-expressed disapproval of people who do not conform to gender stereotypes, officials said in the lawsuit.

The waiter went to management again and said he couldnt continue working alongside the man, requesting to be moved to another shift or another one of the restaurants locations.

Federal officials said the general manager asked him, Why cant you drop this? and What do you want me to do? before denying those requests.

He told the waiter he wouldnt fire the other employee, officials said.

The next day, the waiter said he was scheduled to work a shift with the accused harasser and tried to get someone else to cover his shift but could not. The general manager fired him that day on the grounds of no call, no show, which the waiter contested, according to the complaint.

Three days after he notified management that he could no longer suffer such abuse due to the impact it was having on him mentally and physically, the restaurant terminated him, federal officials said.

The EEOC said this violated the Civil Rights Act, but the restaurant objects.

Amerigo has and will continue to promote a robust policy of inclusion for all communities, including the LGBTQ+ community, and is welcoming of all applicants and employees who want to be part of our team, a spokesperson told McClatchy News in a statement. As an employee-owned company that is committed to the needs of every staff member, Amerigo has always maintained and promoted an open-door policy of reporting any concerns among our staff.

We will continue to do so through our ongoing zero-tolerance policy on discrimination and harassment, as well as annualized training to foster an inclusive, healthy, productive and professional workplace providing a comfortable dining experience to our guests, the statement continued. While we adamantly deny any wrongdoing, we are pleased to have resolved the unjustifiable and categorically false claims brought against us in this matter.

In addition to the $60,000 payout, the company agreed to revise and distribute their anti-harassment and anti-retaliation policies, post a notice in the workplace informing employees of the settlement and provide specialized training to all supervisors, managers and employees, according to the EEOC.

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Homeowners on Jewfish Key are pushing for de-annexation from the town of Longboat Key to circumvent restrictions on short-term rentals that limit stays to less than 30 days.

Manatee County and Longboat Key officials met Tuesday to discuss the matter, as well as plans for a new traffic roundabout, the potential expansion of the Gulf Islands Ferry Service, a learning center at Whitney Plaza, and funding for increased police presence on Greer Island.

Jewfish Key homeowners seek de-annexation

The Jewfish Key Preservation Association submitted a voluntary petition for de-annexation to town officials on Jan. 16, triggering a state-mandated process to study the feasibility of de-annexation. Town officials said there are five or six homes on Jewfish Key and 26 buildable lots.

The study is on pace for completion and presentation at a June 3 meeting. If de-annexation occurs, the key would become a part of unincorporated Manatee County, which does not have restrictions on short-term rentals.

Longboat seeks additional funding for Gulf of Mexico roundabout

The Town of Longboat is proposing a roadway that incorporates a 7 foot wide bike lane, a 12 foot multi-se trail, landscape and median treatments and resiliency improvements in addition to the roundabout project planned for the Gulf of Mexico Drive and Broadway Street.

In April 2023, the Florida Department of Transportation rejected project designs by Longboat Key's consultant, Kimley-Horn and Associates, for aspects of a proposed roundabout at the Gulf of Mexico Drive intersection with Broadway Street.

The town is now proposing a roadway that incorporates a 7-foot wide bike lane, a 12-foot multi-use trail, landscape and median treatments, and resiliency improvements in addition to the roundabout project.

The new project scope has increased the cost of the effort. Manatee County contributed up to $150,000 toward the original design of the project and serves as the certified project administrator for the effort to qualify for FDOT funding. FDOT has committed $1.685 million.

Could Manatee County's ferry service expand to Longboat Key?

The Gulf Islands Ferry will launch on its first public voyage on Jan. 12, giving residents and visitors a chance to travel from downtown Bradenton to Anna Maria Island.

Tourism officials are eyeing Longboat Key for potential expansion of Manatee County's Gulf Island's Ferry Service.

The service ferries visitors between stops in Bradenton and the cities of Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach and is currently transporting about 325 to 350 people per day Wednesday through Sunday.

Bradenton Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau Director Elliott Falcione said the ferry has been running smoothly since services opened in January, but indicated the ferry had to stop operations for 25 days because of bad weather. He pitched plans to purchase an enclosed 90-passenger ferry that could supplement the county's two existing pontoons and operate during inclement weather.

The county is working to add a new ferry stop at the South Coquina Beach boat ramp before the end of the year, and eventually another stop at the Palmetto Estuary Park located next to the Bradenton Area Convention Center. Town officials expressed interest in adding a ferry stop in Longboat Key in the future.

Longboat Key North Learning Center at Whitney Plaza

Manatee County Director of Property Management Cary Knight delivered a presentation discussing progress made on efforts to build the Longboat Key North Learning Center at Whitney Plaza.

Knight said the maximum pricing for the project will be settled in May and presented to Manatee County commissioners during the June 11 meeting or sooner. Necessary construction could begin as early as July and finish in time to open during the second quarter of 2025.

Plans include a main lobby with a lounging area, a multi-purpose room that can be divided into two rooms, an arts center, and a computer lab. The county is holding conversations with the School Board of Manatee County about providing programming for the space.

Additional funding for law enforcement on Greer Island

Longboat Key officials have asked for an increase in funding for law enforcement services on Greer Island to keep up with an increase in police salaries.

The town's police department has provided services on Greer Island on behalf of Manatee County since 2018 in exchange for $60,000 in county funding. Since then, town officials said Tuesday that police salaries have increased by 40%. They requested an additional $20,000 to cover the associated cost increase. County commissioners will consider the request on May 14.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Manatee County huddles with Longboat Key on joint initiatives
Map: Where university protesters have been arrested across the United States

Map: Where university protesters have been arrested across the United States

As pro-Palestinian protests have erupted on college campuses nationwide, protesters  including students and faculty  continue to be arrested since the first demonstrators were detained at Columbia University three weeks ago. Nearly 200 protesters were arrested on May 7, the highest number of arrests in a day this week, according to a CNN review of university and law enforcement statements. April 30 saw the most arrests since protests began, with nearly 400 arrests.

More than 2,600 people have been arrested on college and university campuses since April 18 as schools prepare for spring commencement ceremonies, according to CNNs review. The University of Southern California, where nearly 100 protesters were arrested April 24, canceled its primary commencement event. Protesters have been arrested on more than 50 campuses across at least 25 states and the District of Columbia. Many other schools have experienced protests without arrests.

Protest demands vary from campus to campus, but a major focus is that universities divest from companies with financial ties to Israel amid its war with Hamas. There have also been counter-protests, resulting in clashes at UCLA.

CNN is monitoring campus protests and will continue to update this map with any new arrests.

CNNs Melissa Alonso, Camila Bernal, Chris Boyette, Josh Campbell, Sarah Dewberry, Nicquel Ellis, Lucy Kafanov, Ashley Killough, Jeffrey Kopp, Ed Lavandera, Jamiel Lynch, John Miller, Raja Razek, Rebekah Riess, Taylor Romine, Andy Rose, Devon Sayers, Amy Simonson, Sara Smart, Joe Sutton, Jillian Sykes, Zenebou Sylla, Cindy Von Quednow, Alicia Wallace and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Revenue: Reported $294.9 million, a 12.0% increase year-over-year, exceeding estimates of $278.66 million.

Adjusted Earnings Per Share (EPS): Achieved $0.73, significantly surpassing the estimated $0.49.

Net Income: GAAP net loss was $41.9 million, contrasting sharply with the prior year's net income of $7.4 million.

Segment Performance: Cardiopulmonary revenue rose to $155.9 million, up 14.8% year-over-year; Neuromodulation revenue increased to $133.9 million, up 10.9%.

Operating Income: Adjusted operating income more than doubled to $53.1 million from $26.8 million in the prior year.

Full-Year Guidance: Adjusted diluted EPS for 2024 projected to be between $3.05 and $3.15, with revenue growth expected between 8% and 9% on a constant-currency basis, excluding ACS segment wind down.

Capital Management: Closed a private offering of $345.0 million 2.50% convertible senior notes due 2029 and repurchased $230.0 million 3.00% exchangeable senior notes due 2025.

LivaNova PLC (NASDAQ:LIVN), a leader in medical technology, disclosed its first-quarter results for 2024 on May 1, revealing significant revenue growth and a positive outlook for the year. The company reported first-quarter revenue of $294.9 million, a 12.0% increase on a reported basis and 12.4% on a constant-currency basis compared to the same period last year. This performance notably exceeds analyst expectations, which estimated revenue at $278.66 million. The detailed earnings can be viewed in LivaNova's 8-K filing.

LivaNova PLC (LIVN) Surpasses Analyst Revenue Forecasts in Q1 2024

LivaNova PLC, headquartered in London, operates primarily in the cardiovascular and neuromodulation sectors. The company has a significant presence in the US, which accounts for about half of its revenue, with Europe contributing another 21%, and the remaining revenue coming from other global markets.

Financial Performance and Market Impact

The company's adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter stood at $0.73, showing a robust improvement from $0.43 in the first quarter of 2023. This figure also surpasses the analyst's EPS estimate of $0.49 for the quarter. The substantial growth in revenue and EPS is attributed to strong performance in both the Cardiopulmonary and Neuromodulation segments, with notable sales increases from the EssenzTM Perfusion System in the U.S. and Europe, and strong consumable demand worldwide.

CEO Vladimir Makatsaria expressed satisfaction with the quarter's outcomes, emphasizing the double-digit growth in revenue and operating income across key business segments. He highlighted the company's focus on execution, innovation, and talent development as drivers for improving patient outcomes and creating shareholder value.

Story continues

Challenges and Forward-Looking Statements

Despite the positive performance, LivaNova faces challenges including potential volatility in global markets, regulatory changes, and competitive pressures in the medical technology industry. The company's forward-looking statements project revenue growth of 6-7% on a constant-currency basis for the full year 2024, adjusting for the wind-down of the Advanced Circulatory Support (ACS) segment. Adjusted diluted EPS is expected to be between $3.05 and $3.15.

Strategic Financial Moves

LivaNova also reported strategic financial activities during the quarter, including a private offering of $345.0 million 2.50% convertible senior notes due 2029 and the repurchase of $230.0 million 3.00% exchangeable senior notes due 2025. These moves are aimed at optimizing the company's capital structure and reducing financial risk.

The company's robust financial health is further evidenced by its operational achievements and strategic initiatives aimed at long-term growth. Adjusted operating income for the quarter was $53.1 million, a significant increase from $26.8 million in the prior year. This financial stability positions LivaNova to continue its growth trajectory and enhance its market presence in the medical technology sector.

Conclusion

LivaNova PLC's first-quarter results for 2024 reflect a strong start to the year, with performance exceeding analyst expectations in key financial metrics. The company's strategic focus on high-growth areas and operational efficiency continues to yield positive results, supporting an optimistic outlook for the remainder of the year. Investors and stakeholders may look forward to continued progress and innovation from LivaNova in its mission to deliver life-changing technologies to patients worldwide.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from LivaNova PLC for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


How the Marine Corps barracks got to be so bad, according to 2 generals

WASHINGTON  Now that the Marine Corps is engaged in a sweeping effort to fix problems in its barracks buildings, Marine leaders have offered some explanations for how the barracks got to be substandard in the first place.

As the Marine Corps budget chief sees it, one reason was years of spending more on weapons systems than on quality of life.

For too long, because we were taking risk in those types of initiatives in order to buy the weapons systems, they became more and more in disrepair, Lt. Gen. James Adams, the deputy Marine commandant for programs and resources, said about the barracks at a panel discussion Wednesday at the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington.

As the land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were ending, the Marine Corps began to prepare for the next big conflict, which it anticipated might be a faceoff with the powerful Chinese military in the Indo-Pacific. In 2020, then-Commandant Gen. David Berger launched the Force Design initiative to update the Corps structure, training and platforms for that potential fight.

Meanwhile, the barracks were in bad shape.

A Government Accountability Office report in September 2023 found widespread problems, such as mold and water issues, in barracks across the military. Media reports in ensuing months highlighted dilapidated, moldy, vermin-infested and otherwise insufficient barracks in the Marine Corps.

Commandant Gen. Eric Smith, who took the helm of the Corps in summer 2023, has made improving the barracks a top priority.

As part of the Barracks 2030 initiative, the Marine Corps plans to consolidate Marines in the better buildings and demolish the worse ones, install professional barracks managers and spend more money on restoring barracks. In February, the Corps ordered each barracks room to be inspected wall to wall so it could gather data about the problems and fix some of them immediately.

Heres how the Marine Corps wall-to-wall barracks inspections went

In response to a Marine Corps Times question about who was at fault for the previous underinvestment in barracks, Adams said, I wouldnt say its a fault.

Previously, the Corps had spent approximately $200 million a year toward maintaining and modernizing its living facilities, he said. That wasnt enough to stave off the degradation that happens to buildings over time.

But it was hard to justify receiving additional funds for barracks, especially as the force shrank as the military withdrew from Middle East wars, according to Adams.

We didnt have the data to say, How are we tracking the facilities condition in detail to defend more than $200 million a year for that? Adams said. But we did have the data to say, We need this Force Design weapons system or this modernized vehicle or this modernized weapon platform.

For fiscal year 2025, the Marine Corps is seeking from Congress $274 million for restoring barracks, a $65 million increase, and it has signaled via its budget wish list that it would like a further $230 million for that effort.

One major asked the panelists, who had a collective eight stars on their shoulders, if any Marine leaders would be held formally accountable for the problems with the barracks, which he characterized as systemic and organizational.

Im the organizational failure that happened, said Maj. Gen. David Maxwell, who has served as commander of Marine Corps Installations Command since July 2022.

Maxwell said he had been unable to communicate the state of the barracks to senior Marine leadership because he had been limited by having merely anecdotal data. That changed after his command launched the Corps-wide inspection, which determined approximately half of barracks rooms were only partially mission-capable, meaning they had fallen short in at least one aspect of living standards.

Asked by Marine Corps Times why the Corps hadnt assembled the necessary data on the barracks earlier, Adams said, We didnt have the tools that we needed to actually collect up the data and to organize it in a way thats usable.

Those advanced analytics tools include the big-data platform Advana, Adams said. The Defense Department has used that tool for some purposes since at least 2019, according to congressional testimony.
The Marine Corps is expecting delivery this summer of two more Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Craft from an Australian manufacturer.

The Whiskey Project Group, named for the callsign of specialist water operators, earlier this year provided an initial pair of MMRC variants to the Corps. Experiments have since been conducted with the help of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, which aids in the development and adoption of novel technologies and weaponry.

An additional lot of the vessels would mean expanded testing at exercises this year and next, according to Maj. Pat OMara, who oversees in-the-field assessments.

The big focus right now is getting Marines comfortable on the new platform, comfortable with the new systems, so they can buy down that risk and we can go into deeper water and do a lot more complex experimentation, he said April 30 at the Modern Day Marine defense conference in Washington.

The groups MMRC is designed to shuttle both people and sensors, recognizing the Corps need to quickly distribute manpower and assist with situational awareness and targeting.

Drone-killing costs must come down, says Pentagons chief weapons buyer

Crews right now comprise a handful of people, according to OMara. Onboard tech includes infrared imagers, navigation radar and a tethered drone that can act as a variable-height antenna. Kit can be added or subtracted to fit the needs of a specific operation, Defense News previously reported.

The Marine Corps wants to push those capabilities to the tactical edge to support the warfighter, OMara said. A large part of sensor coverage is really land-based and air-based. MMRCs goal is to take that coverage and extend it seaward along the surface of the water.

An MMRC was photographed months ago at the Armys Project Convergence Capstone 4.

The event is considered the services contribution to Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or CJADC2, a state in which forces across land, air, sea, space and cyber seamlessly share information and coordinate firepower.
If you get orders to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, but your spouse has orders to Hawaii, theres good news: the Marines new dual-military monitor may be able to help.

The new post, expected to be operational before summer, will exist to make it easier for the more than 4,300 enlisted Marines married to another active-duty service member to meet career goals and manage permanent change of station moves in a mutually beneficial way, according to Maj. Christopher Dippel, deputy section chief for the Corps enlisted assignments branch. The move is part of a broader effort by the Marine Corps to be responsive to the needs of dual-military couples, signaling that they are not just an afterthought or on their own while navigating a complex and decentralized bureaucracy.

Marine leaders also hope the new role will support retention at a well-known pain point.

PCS is a large driver for potential departure from the service, he told a panel at the March quarterly meeting of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.

More could be done to help dual-military couples, DoD IG reports

Its a bigger deal for the Marine Corps than for the other services. Nearly 60% of married female Marines are in a dual-military marriage, compared to a Defense Department-wide average of 45.3%, according to Dippels presentation.

A 2021 survey of active-duty service members with a military spouse showed that 88% of Marines lived with their spouse while not deployed, the lowest of any service except for the Army at 86%, according to data from the Pentagons Office of Personnel Analytics. The Marine Corps also had the highest proportion of respondents, 14%, who said they lived in a separate home from their spouse, double the Defense Department average of 7%.

Policies and protocols related to co-locating military couples are critical for personal and professional longevity, Dippels presentation stated.

According to Manpower and Reserve Affairs spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Eason, the dual-military monitor is a staff sergeant who is now in training to execute the first-of-its-kind role.

Once officially on the job, the monitor will help dual-military Marine couples report their marriages to administrative centers, submit co-location requests and navigate separation waivers, Eason said. The monitor can also offer career options to couples looking to co-locate, advise on timelines and educate Marines on programs that can help them, she said.

Without a dedicated monitor, Marines in dual-military marriages have had to navigate the Corps decentralized system of 75 different assignment monitors and manage the liaising and communication around aligning two different career tracks, Dippel said. The new monitor role will take on much of the responsibility of managing communication, both across units within the Marine Corps, and, in the case of couples with a spouse in another military branch, across service lines as well.

We envision that [such Marines] will have liaisons within our sister services monitor and detailer networks, Dippel said. And with all the planners in communication, we can target and find the right billet for both of those service members at the right time.

This move to better meet the needs of dual-military couples is part of a larger shift within Manpower and Reserve Affairs, according to Dippels presentation.

A system modernization effort underway, he said, will reframe the way orders for dual-military couples are processed, making it more akin to the system in place for troops in the exceptional family member program. Under that program, serving military families with special-needs members, the orders process includes a review to ensure the post receiving the service member has access to the medical or educational services the family requires.

We envision that building this into our next systems architecture will ensure that any time a set of orders for a dual active-service couple is written, that will automatically get sent directly to the dual active-service monitor, Dippel said. That gives that monitor the opportunity to ensure that policies are being met, and that the needs of both of those service members are being met with that set of PCS orders.

This is not always easily done, particularly with more senior couples for whom the available billets for a new assignment might be limited. Dippel said the Corps will work with couples to meet co-location needs while also ensuring the needs of the service are met. He said one solution in more complex situations could be an exception to policy that allows for a tour shorter than the standard 36 months, for example, to keep the couple together as much as possible.

The Marine Corps firmly does believe that geographic stability does encourage retention, he said.

Later in 2024, Dippel said, the Marine Corps plans to publicize the changes in a strategic narrative video messaging campaign so that both dual-military Marine couples and their leaders understand how the system is supposed to work.

Across the Defense Department, retention of military talent has increasingly been a focal point for the services, particularly in light of historic recruiting challenges. Efforts like the recent bipartisan Quality of Life panel and accompanying congressional hearing emphasized the connection between living conditions and military career satisfaction.

The Marine Corps is not the first to try to ease the way for dual-military couples: the Married Army Couples Program allows dual families to establish a recognized joint domicile to support co-location.

Air Force and Navy leaders have said they work to give dual military couples special basing consideration, although without a dedicated liaison for the purpose.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Greene announced that she would be moving forward with her motion to vacate Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., next week. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI

May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Wednesday stated her plan to try to force a vote to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson at some point next week, accusing him of "betraying" his conservative principles.

"So next week, I am going to be calling this motion to vacate," Green, R-Ga., promised Wednesday morning. "Absolutely calling it."

The effort to remove Johnson, R-La., signals further turmoil in the GOP-lead House during a presidential election year where voters are surely set to pick either President Joe Biden or Greene's ally, former President Donald Trump.

"I can't wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker and have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again," Greene said at a press conference outside of the Capitol building in between two different pictures of Johnson embracing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Greene in March had filed a motion to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson over his willingness to work with Democrats on a handful of issues and after his successful effort to advance a bipartisan budget plan to avert a government shutdown.

With U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., behind her, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Greene announced that she would be moving forward with her motion to vacate Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., next week. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI

The motion is similar to the one that led to the ouster of former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., that led to the House being paralyzed for weeks as it struggled to pick the next speaker before settling on Johnson.

But Greene's intent to remove the Louisiana Republican as speaker is very likely to fail before it gets to a vote.

Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speak at a joint press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI

After a Tuesday meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, of Massachusetts, and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, of California, said House Democrats will vote to "table" Greene's motion to vacate the speakership.

The letter said that if Greene does go ahead to invoke the motion to vacate Johnson's chair, "it will not succeed."

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Wednesday said she will force a vote to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Pool Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI

"I think every member of Congress needs to take that vote and let the chips fall where they may," Greene said Wednesday behind a podium that had a sign which stated: "Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Mike Johnson the uniparty speaker."

Johnson in an interview with NewsNation's "The Hill" set to air Wednesday, was dismissive of Greene's effort to remove him as speaker.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (L) chats with U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA, (R) before President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union speech at the U.S. Capitol in March. On Tuesday, Greene wrote that Americans deserve to see the Uniparty on full display. Im about to give them their coming out party! on X. Pool Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI

"I don't think she is proving to be, no," Johnson said when asked if he thinks Greene is a "serious lawmaker."

"I don't spend a lot of time thinking about her," he says in the interview set to be viewed Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., speaks during an official House proceeding at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, Feb. 2023. "I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker and have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, Greene said Tuesday. File photo by Jemal Countess/UPI

But so far only two other House Republicans -- Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., -- have joined in Greene's effort to oust Johnson as speaker.

In April, Massie became the first House Republican after Greene to join her effort to oust Johnson when he said during a closed-door meeting of the GOP conference that he would publicly back Greene's motion to vacate in the effort to remove Johnson from the speakership.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., at a press conference with other House Committee Chairs on antisemitism on college campuses at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on Tuesday. On Tuesday, Johnson was dismissive of Greene's effort to remove him as speaker in an interview set to air Wednesday. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI.

Although there reportedly was very minimal reservation by Democrats to vote against Greene's proposal, it was made clear that their intent was not to specifically save Johnson's speakership but to kill Greene's plan by House procedures.

"None of the discussion that we had in caucus was about saving Mike Johnson," Aguilar told reporters after Tuesday's meeting of House Democrats.

"The underlying motion to vacate was not discussed. The motion to table was," Aguilar had said.

But Jeffries told his members to vote their conscience on the issue, according to sources in the room during Tuesday's meeting with House Democrats.

On Tuesday, Greene took to social media -- in response to Democrats' letter to shut down her motion -- to taunt Johnson and Democrats ahead of Wednesday's Capitol news conference to announce her plan to go ahead to force a vote.

"Mike Johnson is officially the Democrat Speaker of the House. Here is their official endorsement of his Speakership," she posted on X.

In their Tuesday letter, House Democrats said how for months "House Republicans irresponsibly delayed critical security assistance to our democratic allies in Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, while simultaneously blocking humanitarian assistance to civilians in harm's way in places like Gaza."

She called on Johnson to either resign, switch parties or "continue voting for Biden's open border invasion of America, endless wars, full term abortion on demand, trans agenda on children, warrantless spying on the American people, weaponizing government against President Trump and his supporters, and every other Democrat wishlist item he's handed over."

Greene wrote that "Americans deserve to see the Uniparty on full display. I'm about to give them their coming out party!" she said Tuesday.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Jennifer Shutt | States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Jennifer Shutt | States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on New Jersey Monitor.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Former President Donald Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
More than $80 million in federal student loan debt will be discharged for over 3,500 former Massachusetts borrowers who attended predatory art colleges, including the New England Institute of Art, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and the U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday.

The relief for Bay Staters who attended NEIA, a Brookline-based predatory for-profit school, comes as the Department of Education discharged more than $6.1 billion in automatic student loan relief to nearly 317,000 borrowers nationwide who enrolled at The Art Institutes, Campbells office said in a news release.

The Massachusetts AGs office played a significant role in the investigations and litigations leading to the loan discharges. A 2018 lawsuit filed by the AGs office alleged that NEIA and its operator, Education Management Corporation, violated the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act by misrepresenting the likelihood of job placement to prospective students to induce enrollment.

The now-discharged debt was incurred by students and parents of students who enrolled in Art Institutes on or after January 1, 2004, through October 16, 2017.

In 2019, Suffolk Superior Court entered final judgment against NEIA and EDMC, ordering them to pay restitution of about $60 million plus interest based on the amount of tuition paid by students, Campbells office noted. They were also ordered to pay $11,765,000 in penalties.

EDMC and NEIA filed for bankruptcy in 2018.

In a statement, Campbell said, These predatory for-profit schools harmed vulnerable students for their own financial gain, leaving student borrowers burdened with debt and without viable job or financial prospects. Thanks in part to the diligent work of my office, I, alongside the Department of Education, am tremendously proud to announce meaningful debt relief for former students of The Art Institutes and help advance consumer and economic justice for these struggling borrowers.

This group discharge will provide relief automatically to borrowers and the Department of Education will begin notifying eligible borrowers today that they are approved for discharges. Borrowers do not need to take any action.

The Department of Education also noted that it will take immediate steps to pause loans identified for discharge, so borrowers do not make further payments. When their discharges are processed, borrowers will see any remaining loan balances adjusted and credit trade lines deleted.

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Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom).

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Missouri Independent.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, walks back to his office following a vote in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, walks back to his office following a vote in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

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The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

 U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie stands to her left. Photos of House Speaker Mike Johnson shaking hands and embracing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stand on easels to each side of the lawmakers.

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

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The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Jennifer Shutt | States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

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The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Utah News Dispatch.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who supports the effort, stands to her left. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

She also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie address a press conference on the future of the speaker - Rod Lamkey/CNP /Splash News

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a pro-Trump Republican, has moved to oust the speaker of the US House of Representatives, claiming he backed every single foreign war.

In a tirade against Mike Johnson and the rest of her party she said she would force a vote on his position next week after he paved the way for a military aid package for Ukraine last month.

Nobody in this town gives a damn about Americans, she told a press conference in Washington, batting away the attempts of her fellow representatives to drop the issue.

Her effort seems destined for failure after a number of Republicans  who hold a tiny majority in the House  and Democrats signalled they would back Mr Johnson.

Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has also previously lent his backing to the speaker.

Ms Taylor Greens move leaves her potentially isolated and risks splitting the pro-Trump wing of the party, although she insisted she still backed the former US president.

Ms Taylor Greene said she had attempted to be patient with Mr Johnson for the sake of her party, but was tipped over the edge when he allowed funding for Ukraine to come to the House floor last month.

Congress later passed the foreign aid bill, which provides $61 billion (49 billion) to defend against Vladimir Putins invasion, with bipartisan support.

Thats when Johnson fully joined the disgusting business model of Washington DC to fund forever wars, Ms Taylor Greene said, claiming the speaker had become part of an establishment uni-party.

The uni-party is all about funding every single foreign war. They think this is the business model that needs to be done, she added.

Americans do not want to spend their hard-earned tax dollars to fund the murder and killing in foreign countries.

Theyre fed up with it, and theyre screaming it as loud as they possibly can. Our economy should not be built on the blood of wars in foreign countries.

In a brief statement, Mr Johnson said the Georgia congresswomans move was wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country.

Republicans urge her to drop issue

Republicans had attempted to dissuade Ms Taylor Greene from holding a vote on the speakers future  something she had been threatening to do for months.

Two Republicans have previously signalled they support the move. One of them, Thomas Massie, spoke alongside Ms Taylor Greene on Wednesday.

Michael Whatley, the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, urged her not to plunge the party into fresh turmoil earlier this week.

He said, one, this is not helpful, and two, we want to expand and grow the majority in the House, said a person familiar with their meeting, according to Politico.

He was clear that any disruption to the conference on these efforts - including filing this [motion to vacate], does not help the case for party unity.

The following day she poured scorn on efforts by Republicans to placate her, accusing her own party of funding foreign wars while ignoring the fentanyl drug crisis, which she labelled a war on America.

Nobody wants to rock the boat in Washington DC. Oh, no. That would be uncomfortable, Marjorie. We dont want to face the issue, she said.

Lets just wait and get through the election, Marjorie. Lets just assume president Trump is going to win and well fix it next Congress Marjorie.

It comes six months after a group of Republicans rebelled against then-speaker Kevin McCarthy, after he struck a deal to avoid a government shutdown.

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Its Kentucky Derby Week, which means all eyes will be on Louisville leading up to Saturdays Run for the Roses.

But a Herald-Leader analysis of recent spending measures approved by the General Assembly revealed lawmakers didnt wait until the first Saturday of May to look favorably toward Kentuckys largest city: Louisvilles city government earned more than 11 times more money than Lexingtons in the states massive one-time spending bill.

And the biggest winner: Louisvilles downtown, which landed $100 million to revitalize its troubled core.

Looking strictly at an apples-to-apples comparison, Lexington tallied $10 million.

Some legislators and Fayette County officials point to math to defend the considerable difference in spending for Louisville vs. Lexington.

First off, Louisvilles population of 772,000 is almost 2.5 times more than Lexingtons 320,000 population.

Others underscore the fact that Lexington and Louisville are very different cities, and the view from Frankfort  which is run by a GOP majority that skews rural and suburban  varies.

I think theres an understanding that, for a variety of reasons, Louisville is in a little bit more of a crisis situation than Lexington, Senate GOP Floor Leader Damon Thayer told the Herald-Leader.

Lexingtons problems with crime arent as severe or as publicized as Louisvilles, whose 2023 homicide rate was more than twice Lexingtons per capita.

The downtown is more visibly thriving, too, with new businesses and a major park incoming; its also largely avoided a war on Louisville-style narrative in its dealings with Frankfort.

These and many other factors may help explain the Kentucky General Assemblys spending decisions this year, as it had money to spend in a way it hadnt during budget session years since the 2008 recession.

The legislature spent more than $2.7 billion on one-time appropriations alone, on top of the $30 billion-plus biennial General Fund budget.

Mayor Linda Gorton and members of the city council break ground for Cardinal Run North Park in Lexington, Ky, Wednesday, October 11, 2023. The land for Cardinal Run North Park was bought in 1997 and will have 137 acres.

The comparison between Lexington and Louisville gets a little more complicated, and shifts slightly more in Lexingtons favor, when taking into consideration other investments.

Some questions must be asked:

Does the $36 million backing major renovations at the Kentucky Horse Park, a state-run operation that straddles the line between Fayette and Scott counties, count for Fayette County?

Does all $20 million invested in Kentuckiana Works, a regional workforce effort headquartered in Louisville but serving six other counties, count towards Jefferson Countys total?

Further, the states flagship university, the University of Kentucky, brings in just under twice as much from the state General Fund as the University of Louisville  about $685 million to $374 million. How should that be considered?

Story continues

All of this is up to interpretation and not as clean of a comparison as Louisville Metro Governments $111 million compared to Lexington-Fayette Urban County Governments $10 million in the one-time spending bill.

Greenberg & Gorton

Some told the Herald-Leader that leadership in the two cities play a factor with legislators in Frankfort.

One lawmaker said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenbergs tenacity on budget issues was the biggest difference between Jefferson and Fayette counties.

Our mayor was in Frankfort working very hard. Ive never even seen your mayor, House GOP Whip Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, said of Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton.

That doesnt mean that she wasnt in Frankfort working, but I didnt see her. Mayor Greenberg was in Frankfort frequently.

Unlike Nemes, Greenberg is a Democrat.

I mean, Im not in the business of going out and praising (Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg) him high and wide, Nemes said. I didnt vote for him, and if he were in my district he wouldnt vote for me, (but) he worked it.

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, for her part, said that there was no big-ticket item the city asked for that it did not receive in the state spending budget.

The mayor stressed Fayette County also got help from the state legislature for expansion projects at the Blue Grass Airport to the tune of $9 million.

She said she personally lobbied for a $10 million allocation to widen a part of Georgetown Road and $1.8 million for designs for a new connector between Polo Club and Sir Barton Way in the citys bustling Hamburg area.

I was over lobbying for those road projects because those are huge and we cant build them by ourselves, Gorton said. ... When we started looking at all the appropriations we got, its pretty big.

Louisvilles government also outspent Lexington by a considerable margin on official lobbying efforts.

According to records provided to the Herald-Leader, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government has a 7-month contract with a lobbyist for $15,000 ending this June; Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission records show $6,000 spent over the first three months of the legislative session.

Combined, Louisville Metro Government and its sewer division spent almost $47,000 during the first three months of session.

Thayer attributed Louisvilles influx of funds to the work of Nemes, Adams and Greenberg. Thayer said the GOP-led legislature likes Greenberg much more than his predecessor Greg Fischer, a Democrat who began his 12-year tenure as mayor when his own party had control of the House and the Governors Mansion.

Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said that hed spoken more with Greenberg during his short tenure than he did with Fischer through his 12 years.

The fact of the matter is the bar was pretty low, Thayer said. I mean, I dont know anybody that likes Greg Fischer.

It wouldnt take much for us to like the new mayor better, and hes a decent, easier guy to work with.

Greenbergs staff said he visited Frankfort to meet with legislators four times during the session and made daily phone calls regarding state projects.

My approach is that were all people, we all share common goals, so lets talk to one another and find areas that we can work on together, Greenberg said in an interview.

Ive met some really wonderful people, as a result of working to build relationships, and I think thats the way that government should work.

Both the House Speaker and Senate President held a press conference this week in Louisville highlighting the funds provided to the area. They praised Greenbergs efforts.

Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington, serves as vice chair of the Senate Appropriations & Revenue Committee. She framed this budget session as Louisvilles shot.

This was Louisvilles shot. Theyre getting a significant investment, and this is their shot to revitalize, she said. Now we wait and see.

Lexingtons success

When it comes to getting money from Frankfort, Lexington may be a victim of its own success.

At least thats what Bledsoe indicated.

I think Lexington has done a very good job of taking care of its community, Bledsoe said. We have needs, certainly, but I dont have a good answer for you. We just havent done that.

We havent been the community that goes to Frankfort a lot and asks for help.

Indeed, Lexington has gotten help from other sources.

Gorton has touted millions of dollars in federal money in recent years for key road projects and economic development projects like the $10 million direct allocation from the federal government to pay for infrastructure at a nearly 200-acre new business park off of Georgetown Road.

The city is also benefiting from private funds. Donors recently rounded up $39 million in funding for a public park downtown, adjacent to Rupp Arena.

Friends in high places

And a lot of how the money shakes out may depend on whos in what post.

Former Lexington Democratic senator Ernesto Scorsone recalled the days of former senator Mike Moloney serving as Senate Appropriations & Revenue chair.

When Lexington needed something, it could get it pretty easily, he said.

Who the Senate A&R chair is still matters. McDaniel, for instance, shepherded a massive $135 million investment, partly in his district, to move Northern Kentucky University Chase School of Law to Covington.

Scorsone served as a House member, in the Senate and as Fayette circuit judge for more than a decade in each post, retiring as a judge in 2021. In Frankfort, he served through 12 budget cycles up until 2008.

He sees the budget in fairly simple terms.

Im not so sure that need is the driving force, Scorsone said. I would go to political clout as the driving force.

Lexingtons last big push for state dollars, according to Bledsoe and Scorsone, came for renovations to downtowns Central Bank Center and Rupp Arena, which were completed about 18 months ago.

During former mayor and current Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Grays tenure, the state provided $60 million in bond funds for the project after some drama between state and local governments.

It could be soon that Lexington makes another big ask, Bledsoe said. Her assignment as A&R vice chair in her first term might indicate that Lexington will someday have one of its own in Senate majority leadership  however, she also represents Woodford, Mercer and Boyle counties, which together comprise the majority of her districts population.

It definitely helps Lexington for me to be in the position Im in to be an advocate for Lexington and Central Kentucky, Bledsoe said. One of things I hope to do is to have a better, more thorough and comprehensive approach to meeting some of our best needs moving forward.

As for major projects in Lexingtons future, a new city hall looms large and a new park on the banks of the Kentucky River.

Political lines could also play a role.

Jefferson County has two members of Republican leadership with House GOP Whip Jason Nemes and Senate Majority Caucus Chair Raque Adams in its boundaries  House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, also lives in the Louisville metro area.

Meanwhile, one Fayette County senator whose district is entirely in the county: Sen. Reggie Thomas, D-Lexington.

In Fayette County, Democratic Senator Reggie Thomas District 13 seat is compact and surrounded by six Republican-held districts comprised mostly of voters outside Fayette County.

Louisville has six such senators. Louisville-only House members also outnumber Lexington-only House members disproportionately  15 to 5.

The Senates Fayette County map looks like a donut, with the hole being Thomas district. The outlying donut is split six ways between six Republican senators; Fayette Countians make up a minority of all those districts.

Thayer was asked about what effect this might have on Lexingtons needs in the summer of 2022, before Bledsoe was elected.

None of us live in Lexington, but we live awfully close, Thayer said.

Im in Lexington all the time. I was here for dinner last night, I come to Keeneland all the time, I shop at Hamburg and in Fayette mall. I go eat at The Summit.

I think most of us here spend a lot of time in this community, and were pretty aware and can talk pretty easily about about what it needs.
As Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene announced her intention to force the resignation of Speaker Mike Johnson, she attempted to criticise US aid to Ukraine using a cap with the slogan "Make Ukraine Great Again" (MUGA).

Source: European Pravda

Details: During a press conference outside the Congress building, Greene pulled out a blue and yellow cap with "MUGA" on it, echoing the slogan of former president Donald Trump, "Make America Great Again".

She then put her cap on a poster of Johnson and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Photo: Getty Images

The Trumpist Republican also posted a video of her performance on Twitter (X), hinting that Ukraine is "another forever war spending hundreds of BILLIONS of your dollars" thanks to Speaker Johnson.

The Uniparty hates MAGA. They dont want to Make America Great Again.



The Uniparty is MUGA. Make Ukraine Great Again.



Another forever war spending hundreds of BILLIONS of your dollars brought to you by Uniparty Speaker Mike Johnson. pic.twitter.com/e2MnJXQO0V  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) May 1, 2024

MUGA went viral among Twitter users, mostly ridiculing Greene (a selection of tweets was collected by HuffPost), with many expressing a desire to buy caps with the slogan.

Says Marjorie Taylor Greene -- '#MUGA Make Ukraine Great Again.' Hell yeah! That's a brilliant idea. Count me in.



We're gonna send 100 to the DC Ukrainian Embassy!!!#MUGA #UkraineWar https://t.co/OFJ3sgldDX pic.twitter.com/4MDtptmNRv  Chaz Stevens, I do Art (@TChazStevens) May 1, 2024

Where can we get these, fantastic?

100% want one #MUGA  pic.twitter.com/BDRe2DZBo9  Shaun Pinner (@olddog100ua) May 1, 2024

Can we make #MUGA trend fellas? pic.twitter.com/WM1PrcpdqJ  Rocke Fella - NAFO Raccoon Spec Ops (@NAFORaccoon) May 1, 2024

Marjorie Taylor Greene achieved notoriety after she submitted a number of absurd amendments to the Ukraine aid bill, such as proposing that all members of Congress who voted in favour should be sent to fight in Ukraine.

Read more: For Trump, Putin and conspiracy theories: all about Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ukraines critic in US Congress.

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Officers from the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force take Isaiah McKinney, a 19-year-old suspect, into custody on Kling Street in Akron on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force members on Wednesday arrested Isaiah McKinney, a 19-year-old murder suspect, at a Kling Street home in Akron.

Law enforcement officers blocked off the street as onlookers watched the scene unfold.

A resident who asked not to be identified said he watched the incident escalate as officers ducked behind vehicles.

"I noticed that the cops were taking cover," he said. "It was real serious."

McKinney was wanted in connection with a slaying April 29 on Everton Drive, according to a news release from the U.S. Marshal's Office. Gregory Dykes, 37, was found in the hallway of an apartment complex with a gunshot wound to the head.

Monday homicide: 37-year-old man found shot dead in Sherbondy Hill apartment complex Monday night identified

Information from the investigation suggested that an altercation occurred between McKinney and Dykes.

A task force news release said McKinney allegedly discharged a firearm inside the Kling Street residence on Wednesday. No task force members were injured or returned fire during the incident.

Following the arrest, a firearm and a shell casing were located and seized, the U.S. Marshal's Office said.

The Akron Police Department was processing the scene, with additional charges expected, the release said.

At the scene on Kling Street, Akron Police acting Chief Brian Harding said the task force performs some of the most dangerous law enforcement work. He referred to the Charlotte, North Carolina, attack on Monday in which four officers were killed.

He declined to comment on specifics of the Kling Street operation.

"We're really thankful for our partnership with the U.S. Marshal's Office," he said.

Another Kling Street resident said she was cautioned by officers to stay away from the scene as the street was being blocked off. She said police brought a K-9 unit to the scene as the situation unfolded.

She said crime in the neighborhood has been on the rise recently, most of it petty crime. Police response time, however, has been good, she said.

"When they come, they come fast," she said. "They are here, and I do appreciate them."

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said in the release that the Akron Police Department is an important partner in the task force. The task force's Akron division is made up of the Marshal's Office and several Akron-area law enforcement agencies, including the Akron Police Department.

Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj or Facebook at www.facebook.com/alan.newsman.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Isaiah McKinney arrested in Akron in shooting death of Gregory Dykes
Maryland approves more than $3M for a man wrongly imprisoned for murder for three decades

FILE - Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, center; Treasurer Dereck Davis, left; and Comptroller Brooke Lierman, right, who comprise the Board of Public Works, are seen, Nov. 8, 2023, in Annapolis, Md. Maryland officials approved more than $3 million on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, for Gary Washington, a Baltimore man who was wrongly convicted of murder and spent more than 31 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Moore apologized to Washington during a Board of Public Works meeting where the compensation was approved. (AP Photo/Brian Witte, File)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  Maryland officials on Wednesday approved more than $3 million in compensation for a Baltimore man who spent 31 years in prison on a wrongful murder conviction.

Gov. Wes Moore apologized to Gary Washington during a Board of Public Works meeting where the compensation was approved.

On the behalf of the entire state, Im sorry for the failure of the justice system," Moore said, adding that while no amount can make up for the injustice, he prayed the state could provide compensation "in a way that your family deserves.

Washington was a 25-year-old new father when he was convicted in 1987 of first-degree murder and a gun crime in the fatal shooting of Faheem Ali the year before.

No physical evidence linked him to murder, according to Moore, and multiple witnesses said that he was not the shooter. Also, multiple people accounted for his whereabouts at the exact time of the crime, Moore said.

The prosecutions key witness for the trial, who was then 12 years old, later recanted his identification of Mr. Washington as the murderer, saying that he was manipulated by the police and sent Mr. Washington to prison, the Democratic governor said.

Washington, now 63, was released in October 2018, months after his convictions were vacated in the Baltimore City Circuit Court. In January 2019, the Baltimore states attorneys office dismissed the charges.

An administrative law judge found that under state law, Washington is entitled to $94,991, or the current median household income in Maryland, for each of the 31 years he was wrongly incarcerated.

In addition to receiving nearly $3 million for erroneous confinement, he will get more than $89,000 to resolve housing benefit claims.
Gov. Wes Moore joined members of the Maryland State Board of Education on Tuesday to present awards to eight public schools that excel at supporting students from military families.

Children from military families have specific needs related to how often they move to different states and school systems. The state started the Purple Star School program in 2022 to recognize schools that connect these students to their communities and handle other challenges caused by differences in credits, classes and volunteer hours.

Moore, a Democrat, told a packed boardroom how he had signed up for the Army as a 17-year-old student and became a lieutenant in the Army Reserve. His experience in the military created a personal mission to leave no one behind, which became the slogan for his gubernatorial campaign.

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Col. Michael Sapp, garrison commander at Fort Meade, said at Tuesdays meeting that hes moved 10 times since he joined the Army at age 18. His daughter, now a freshman in college, was enrolled in 12 schools across seven states.

Every move means rebuilding a sense of trust, Sapp said. Only then can they focus on their sense of worth, their sense of identity. And as a child, we wrap that up in academics, and we wrap it up in sports. So if you were varsity last week and next week, youre on [junior varsity] or, heaven forbid, on the bench, that breaks you down as a child.

The eight schools that received the Purple Star School designation have a military liaison and programs that transition students into academic and social life. Three schools on the Fort Meade Army base in Anne Arundel County received the award: Meade High School, MacArthur Middle and West Meade Early Education Center, which has prekindergarten and kindergarten programs.

Other recipients were Mt. Harmony Elementary in Calvert County, Bellows Springs Elementary in Howard County, Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary in St. Marys County, and Kent Island High and Queen Annes County High in Queen Annes County.
BALTIMORE  Maryland officials on Wednesday awarded more than $3 million to a Baltimore man who served 31 years in prison before he was exonerated, one of the largest payments under a 2021 law that reformed how the state compensates people who have been wrongfully convicted.

Gary Washington, 63, met privately with Gov. Wes Moore and then watched silently as the three-member Maryland Board of Public Works approved $2,982,205 that will be paid to him in seven installments through early 2027.

Washington was released in 2018 after spending 11,459 days in prison for his conviction of first-degree murder and use of a handgun in a crime of violence in the 1986 fatal shooting of Faheem Ali. The Baltimore City States Attorneys Office dismissed the charges against him in early 2019.

Moore, a Democrat, apologized to Washington and his wife, Theresa, during the public meeting at the State House after spending time, and praying, together in the governors office.

There are no words that can convey how sorry I am to you two today, how sorry we are to both of you for what you had to endure, Moore said. On behalf of the entire state, Im sorry for the failure of the justice system.

A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge vacated Washingtons convictions, in part, because of testimony from a witness who was 12 years old at the time of the shooting and later recanted and said police forced him to falsely identify Washington.

In a federal lawsuit filed in 2019 against five former Baltimore Police officers, Washington said detectives investigating Alis death coerced that witness, Otis Robinson, and a 13-year-old girl into testifying by threatening to take them away from their parents.

A U.S. District Court judge ruled in favor of the officers last year. Washingtons attorney, Renee Spence, accompanied him to the State House for the board meeting and declined to comment Wednesday, citing an appeal in that case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.

Washington is the 14th person to receive compensation under the Walter Lomax Act, the 2021 state law named after a man who spent nearly 40 years behind bars for a murder he didnt commit.

The state board  which includes Moore, Treasurer Dereck Davis and Comptroller Brooke Lierman  has previously awarded more than $9.2 million since the law went into effect and more under an earlier law that expanded eligibility of wrongfully convicted people.

Washington will be paid $94,911, the current median household income in Maryland, for each of his 31 years served.

The total will be close to the roughly $3 million that Lomax was awarded in 2019, and more than the $2.9 million awarded last year to John Huffington, a Harford County man who wrongfully spent 32 years in prison for an infamous 1981 double murder.

There is no amount that can undo the injustice that can make up for what this state took from you, Moore said.

-------
A sharp drop in confidence in higher ed, a trend seen regardless of party affiliation, gender, educational attainment, or age, poses a big challenge for colleges and universities everywhere, not just in Massachusetts. Pictured is Bunker Hill Community College in Boston. (Massachusetts Department of Higher Education)

Massachusetts famously brags of living by its wits. While other regions may claim better year-round weather as a draw, or natural resources or an industrial base that fuel their economies, the Commonwealth has looked to a surfeit of brain power as its comparative advantage.

That has made recent decades a golden era in Massachusetts, as the global knowledge economy has richly rewarded places with economies built on the foundation of a robust higher education sector. But that also means the rocky road now ahead for higher ed will pose a far bigger threat to Massachusetts than to other states.

Higher eds fortunes, whether good or bad, are more pronounced here than in any other state, said Doug Howgate, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, during a recent presentation and panel discussion the organization convened on the economic impact of higher education in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts has the highest share of adults with a bachelors degree of any state  nearly 46%  and employment in the Massachusetts higher education sector accounts for a larger share of total wages than in any state but Rhode Island.

A decline in the countrys college-aged population is being held up as a grave threat to the sector. We are going to have a smaller and smaller young population in this country, and that is an existential threat to higher education, said Howgate, summarizing how the issue has been framed. But Howgate said its a more nuanced story than that, and, as his presentation made clear, its more complicated than just changes in population numbers.

During the 60-year span from 1952 to 2012, for example, the U.S. population under 20 grew by 51%, but higher ed enrollment soared by nearly 900%, or 16 times as much, Howgate said. In other words, its not just changes in the college-aged population that matter but, as Howgate put it, the batting average higher education has in convincing students higher education is the place for them. That batting average soared in the last half of the 20th century, and Howgate said maintaining  or increasing  that average is where long-term economic policy needs to go.

Recent data already point to some slippage. From 2010 to 2021, the states population of residents under 20 fell by 4% but higher education saw an even larger enrollment decrease of 6.1%.

Part of the explanation is a decline nationally in confidence in higher ed. From 2015 to 2023, according to Gallup results shared during the session by Evan Horowtiz of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University, there has been a sharp drop in confidence in higher ed, a trend seen regardless of party affiliation, gender, educational attainment, or age.

That trend corresponds with a decline in interest in pursuing higher education among high school graduates in Massachusetts that is more pronounced in communities of color that are accounting for an increasing share of the states population.

In annual data collected by the state education department on plans of graduating high school seniors, there was a decline from 2016 to 2023 in the share of those planning to enroll in higher ed the next year, from 80% to just over 70%. In Lawrence, however, where 94% of the student population is Hispanic, there was a far steeper drop in the share of graduates planning to go on to college, from just over 70% in 2016 to 50% in 2023.

From 2010 to 2022, Howgate said, the states White population decreased by 327,000, while the Black and Hispanic population increased by almost the same amount  by 332,000 residents. If we are going to continue to maintain and grow our sector of higher education, and connect Massachusetts residents to the Massachusetts economy, what is happening in Lawrence is critically, critically important, he said.

Chris Gabrieli, chair of the state Board of Higher Education, said addressing the huge demographic disparities in college completion rates must be a top priority. We have a 30-point difference in this state between your likelihood of earning a college degree within six years of graduation [from high school] if youre not low income or [are] White or Asian than if you are low-income or Black or Latino, said Gabrieli. That should be completely unacceptable to all of us.

The good news, he said, is that the state is taking steps that can meaningfully narrow that gap. Gabrieli highlighted the states commitment to early college programs, which let students take college courses  and earn credits toward a degree  while still in high school. He said evidence shows participation in early college is leading to 15 to 16 percentage point higher rates of college matriculation and persistence after high school.

Thats huge, he said, calling it one of the largest effect sizes of any known education strategy.

This article first appeared on CommonWealth Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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The post Mass. higher ed sector facing stiff headwinds appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Massachusetts man indicted for manslaughter in overdose death of his toddler, DA says

A Massachusetts man was indicted Wednesday on a manslaughter charge in the death of his 2-year-old son after methadone was detected in the toddlers system, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.

Donald Humes, 32, of Onset, was indicted by a Plymouth County grand jury on charges in connection with a lengthy and in-depth investigation into the 2022 death of his son Cameron Humee, said Cruz.

On April 24, 2022, Wareham Police received a 911 call from Humes, stating that his son, Cameron, was unresponsive and not breathing. Cruz said that officers responding to the home on Waban Avenue located the unresponsive toddler and began performing life-saving procedures. Cameron was transported to Tobey Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Chief Medical Examiner determined that the childs cause of death was acute methadone intoxication.

Humes will be arraigned, on one count of manslaughter charge and two counts of reckless endangerment of a child charge, at a later date.

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

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Massie, Greene say they will force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson

Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about removing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from the leadership office. Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who launched the effort, stands at right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office  despite the extremely long odds of success.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just steps from the Capitol, calling for lawmakers and Johnson to use the weekend to think through how they want to vote on the so-called motion to vacate.

Greene also rebuked Democrats for their plans to support Johnsons speakership, implying it would be problematic for them when voters decide on whether to reelect lawmakers in November.

I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker. And have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker, a Christian conservative, Greene said. I think thatll play well. Im excited about it.

I also cant wait to see my Republican Conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it, she added. Have the Republican Party finally learned their lesson, have they finally heard the message from voters back at home?

Congress, which is split between Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate, has passed too many bipartisan bills during Johnsons six months in leadership, Greene said.

That includes the government funding packages approved in March; a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and the military and humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan approved in April.

Massie rejected the bipartisan legislation as well, pointing to two posters staff had set up at the press conference showing Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York holding the gavel and hugging.

The two leaders, Massie contended, should be archrivals, not working together to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress.

This is about who holds that gavel, Massie said. Right now, they are both holding that gavel. They are sharing power about procedures, about what bills will come to the floor, about how long we will debate those bills and which committees are comprised of which members.

Johnson: This motion is wrong

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, released a written statement after the press conference saying the motion to vacate is not the right path forward.

This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country, Johnson wrote.

House Democratic Leaders released a statement Tuesday saying the party would support Johnson during a floor vote, likely dooming efforts to oust him from the speakers office given the slim GOP majority.

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar supports removing Johnson from the leadership post as well, but was unable to attend the press conference Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, according to Greene.

Many of the Republican Partys other far-right members, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the best time to have internal debates about House leadership is after the November elections.

Greene said during the Wednesday press conference that the vote will give all Americans the chance to see which lawmakers support Johnson remaining speaker and which want to remove him from leadership.

This vote will be called next week and I just want to urge all our colleagues to prepare for it, Greene said. Its the right thing to do for America. Its time to clean house and get our conference in order and get ready to support President Trumps agenda, God willing he wins in November.

Former President Donald Trump has publicly expressed support for Johnson remaining speaker in the last month, saying during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago that Johnson is doing a very good job and then, following the foreign aid vote, that hes a very good person.

The post Massie, Greene say they will force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Kentucky Lantern.
baona / Getty Images/iStockphoto

More couples are divorcing after age 50 than ever before. While divorce rates have declined among adults in their 20s and 30s, the divorce rate between 1990 and 2010 doubled for couples over 50. In 2019, 36% of all divorces in the United States were among adults 50 and older.

While divorce at any age can be complicated and financially taxing, divorce after age 50 can be financially devastating. After many years of marriage, you likely have intertwined finances, property and/or assets. These can be difficult to split during a divorce. Plus, at age 50, youre likely preparing for retirement, and divorce at this stage can shatter retirement plans.

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If you are over 50 and planning for or are in the middle of a divorce, here are five ways to protect your assets.

Sponsored: Owe the IRS $10K or more? Schedule a FREE consultation to see if you qualify for tax relief.

Hire a Good Divorce Attorney and Financial Advisor

A good divorce attorney can help you through a divorce. The attorney should prioritize protecting your assets but also advocate mediation or collaborative divorce litigation, which are best for your mental health and finances. The attorney should also be a good fit for your personality since you will work closely with them on intimate matters in the divorce.

Seeking the help of a financial planner can be beneficial for protecting your assets and securing your future. A financial planner can provide you with a clear picture of your financial life after the divorce and help you create a solid financial plan. Their insights can be useful during the divorce proceedings to consider asset division, alimony or spousal support, and tax implications.

Avoiding litigation is not just about saving on legal fees  its about preserving your financial portfolio and emotional health, said Erin Levine, an attorney and the founder and CEO of Hello Divorce.

Courts often split assets down the middle, which might not be the most beneficial arrangement. Working with a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) can help craft a settlement that is attractive to both parties, balancing short-term needs with long-term financial growth, she said.

Try This: Im a Financial Advisor: Heres Why My Rich Clients Identify With the Middle Class

Take Inventory of Assets and Debts

With your divorce attorney, you should gather a complete inventory of your joint and individually owned assets and debts. You should make copies of loan statements, credit card account statements, home equity lines, past tax returns, business debts, etc. You should also understand what nonmarital assets you and your partner have. Nonmarital assets are those that belong to only one spouse, like property bought before the marriage, inheritances and gifts that were given specifically to one spouse and not the other.

Story continues

Open Accounts in Your Name Only

If you dont already have accounts in your name only, this is the time to open some. It is important to have your own credit history that isnt tied to your spouse in case you need a car loan or mortgage later. Plus, many lawyers advise freezing or closing joint bank accounts and credit card accounts during the divorce process.

Change Your Will and Other Documents

You should adjust your will during the divorce process or immediately upon its settlement. Your former spouse was likely an important part of your will, so you should adjust it accordingly. In some states, former spouses are automatically excluded from serving as trustees or estate administrators and receiving under your will.

You should also update other important documents, such as your healthcare proxy, power of attorney and retirement account beneficiaries.

Where You Live Determines How Your Assets Are Split

Marital assets include investments, joint real estate, savings and retirement accounts. How those marital assets are divided will depend on where you live. There are community property states and equitable distribution states.

In community property states, whatever assets you obtain or accumulate during the marriage will be split equally, roughly 50-50. Any assets you or your spouse brought into the marriage are excluded from this equal split. Community property states are Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

In equitable distribution states, the court will divide marital property in a manner it considers fair, based on each spouses overall needs and particular circumstances. The assets may not necessarily be divided equally.

Retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s and IRAs, can be considered marital property, even if they are under only one spouses name. This could be a crucial issue for couples going through a divorce in their 50s if one spouse has a substantial retirement account but the other does not. The larger retirement account may need to be redistributed, resulting in smaller retirement savings than initially planned.

When dividing retirement assets, opt for percentages rather than fixed dollar amounts to account for market fluctuations that could occur during the divorce proceedings, Levine said.

This method ensures a fair division reflective of the accounts value at the time of actual division, not just when the agreement is made. Tools like a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) can facilitate these transfers efficiently, minimizing tax implications, she said.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Im a Divorce Attorney: 5 Ways To Protect Your Assets If You Divorce After 50
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11)  New York City Mayor Adams detailed that outside agitators are radicalizing student protesters at Columbia University in a press conference Wednesday morning.

Adams on Wednesday said outside agitators are influencing college protests; people agitators city officials say are not affiliated with the university and are known to the department, according to NYPD Intelligence and Counterterrorism Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner.

New School University students show support for Columbia pro-Palestinian protesters

There are a number of different individuals who we know from over the years associated with protests, not just in our city but in other cities as well, who are linked to and who see doing training around the change of tactics, Weiner said.

Adams said these alleged professionals are impacting the students.

Young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children, Adams said. And Im not going to allow that to happen as the mayor of New York.

Nearly 300 people were arrested Tuesday night after the NYPD was called in to clear out protestors at Columbia University and the City College of New York.

At Columbia, student protesters took over a campus building, Hamilton Hall, in an escalation of ongoing student protests that landed hundreds in NYPD custody, according to police and student groups.

Student organizers said the takeover was inspired by previous campus anti-war movements after negotiations over the Universitys financial ties to Israel fell through, according to students with Columbia University Apartheid Divest.

This escalation is in line with the historical student movements of 1968, 1985, and 1996, which Columbia repressed then and celebrates today, wrote the organizers in a statement to Instagram.

Adams explained that the NYPD used several tactics to clear out Hamilton Hall and the encampments, including drones, encrypted radios, and updated police training.

The NYPD and University have faced criticism for their response to student protests, which students and faculty have called brutal and heavy-handed.

We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the heavy-handed, militaristic response to student activism that we are seeing across the country, wrote representatives of the American Association of University Professors in a statement.

At this critical moment, too many cowardly university leaders are responding to largely peaceful, outdoor protests by inviting law enforcement in riot gear to campus and condoning violent arrests.

Charline Charles is a digital journalist from Brooklyn who has covered local news along with culture and arts in the New York City area since 2019. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

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A private company connected to Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is building a luxury residence in the mountains near Sochi, Russia, according to a joint investigation by the Polish news outlet Belsat and the association of former Belarusian security officials BELPOL.

Lukashenko has been the only president of Belarus since he came to power in 1994, in what is widely considered the first and last time free elections were held in the country since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The residence is reportedly being built in the elite resort town of Krasnaya Polyana on a plot of more than 97,000 square meters. Investigators obtained the purchase agreement for the plot along with Lukashenko's secret orders to transfer ownership of the property from the state of Belarus into the hands of Lukashenko's private associates.

The site in Krasnaya Polyana was owned by Belarus from 2009 to 2022, investigators said. Belarusian authorities acquired the land in exchange for Belarusian lands given to Russia in an agreeement signed in May 2009.

The plot was reported sold in February of 2022, the same month Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The listed buyer was Kompleks-Invest LLC, a Russian entity created six months before the sale. Around the time the LLC was set up, Lukashenko reportedly issued secret orders for the privatization of the land.

Plans for the residency include a swimming pool, a movie theater, Russian and Turkish baths, a massage room, and a fitness center, among other amenities. The site will also include a restaurant and a hotel.

According to Belsat investigators, Lukashenko may have decided to establish a residence outside of Belarus after mass protests broke out following the falsified 2020 election results. The luxury complex may be his intended home after he leaves office, either voluntarily or forcibly, journalists suggested.

Read also: Belarus Weekly: Belarus classifies depiction of LGBTQ+ relationships as pornography

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian-Israeli citizen Artem Marchevskyi, accused by the Czech authorities of running a Moscow-paid propaganda network from Prague, has been granted temporary protection in neighboring Slovakia, the Czech news outlet Denik N reported on April 30, citing its undisclosed sources.

Marchevskyi and pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who lives in Russia, were accused by Czechia back in March of spreading disinformation and funding Kremlin-friendly politicians in the EU.

After the Czech authorities put both men under sanctions, Marchevskyi left his Prague residence for Slovakia. The Slovak government is currently led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is known for his anti-Ukrainian rhetoric and warm stances toward the Kremlin.

Marchevskyi had been living in Czechia since 2022, where he reportedly arrived shortly after the outbreak of the full-scale war and was given temporary protection as a Ukrainian "refugee."

Denik N said that the reason for his departure from Ukraine was not so much the war itself but an investigation by Ukrainian authorities into his suspected cooperation with Russia.

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Prague was planning to cancel Marchevskyi's EU residency status after his purported role in the Voice of Europe disinformation network was uncovered, but this was possible only 60 days after the sanctions came into force.

These plans were thwarted by the decision by the Slovak Interior Ministry to grant Marchevskyi temporary protection in Slovakia, which meant that the Czech authorities could no longer affect his residency status in the EU, the sources told Denik N.

The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the claims.

The Slovak Interior Ministry told Reuters that it was looking into the case together with the country's intelligence services but declined to provide further comments.

The supposed activities of Marchevskyi, Medvedchuk, and the Voice of Europe have prompted investigations in several EU countries. Belgium and Czechia believe that the main goal of the influence operation was to support pro-Russian politicians in the June elections for the European Parliament.

Read also: How Czechia busted Russian propaganda network targeting European elections

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Editor's note: The article was updated after sources in Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) confirmed the attacks in a comment for the Kyiv Independent.

Drones operated by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) attacked the Ryazan Oil Refinery and a refinery in Voronezh Oblast overnight on May 1, military intelligence sources confirmed for the Kyiv Independent.

Russian authorities reported on drone strikes against the two oblasts earlier on May 1, with claims being spread on the Russian Telegram channels that the Ryazan refinery was on fire.

Ukrainian media outlets subsequently reported that Ukraine's military intelligence agency was behind the attacks.

The first four explosions could be heard at the Ryazan refinery at around 2 a.m. local time, after which a large fire started on the facility's territory, the sources said.

The Voronezh Oblast refinery was also hit, the sources confirmed, without elaborating on the consequences.

According to Russian media, fragments of a downed drone also damaged buildings in Voronezh Oblast.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces downed six Ukrainian drones overnight: three over Voronezh Oblast, one over Ryazan Oblast, one over Belgorod Oblast, and one over Kursk Oblast.

Ukrainian forces have recently launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia's oil industry. Attacks against oil depots in Russia's Smolensk Oblast last week destroyed 26,000 cubic meters of fuel, security sources told the Kyiv Independent.

The Ryazan Oil Refinery, the largest plant operated by the Rosneft company, was reportedly targeted also back on March 13.

The strikes against Russia's oil industry have prompted criticism from U.S. officials, who have made it clear that Washington does not support Ukraine's targeting of oil refineries, citing fears that it could threaten the global energy market.

Ukraine retorted that it considers Russian refineries to be legitimate military targets.

Read also: Ukrainian drones hit one Russian oil refinery after another

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Medical marijuana in SC likely dead, again, as House lets clock run out

Rep. Sylleste Davis, R-Moncks Corner, speaks during a Medical Cannabis Ad Hoc Committee on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Screenshot of SCETV legislative livestream)

COLUMBIA  A bill that would legalize medical marijuana in South Carolina is almost certainly dead for the year after a House panel made no decision on it Tuesday, as news the federal government is reclassifying cannabis raised a whole new set of questions to a proposal thats failed repeatedly for a decade.

After hours of testimony Tuesday, the special House committee created to consider the proposal adjourned without voting on the bill, which the Senate passed in February on a 24-19 vote. It was the panels second and likely last meeting of the year.

Lawmakers have only five working days left in the regular session. A special session is guaranteed but is limited to negotiations on the budget and legislation cleared by both chambers by 5 p.m. May 9.

The chances of the House passing its own version before then are slim to none, especially with no other meeting of the Medical Cannabis Ad Hoc Committee scheduled and the added questions of the federal governments actions.

February marked the second time in two years senators passed a medical marijuana bill. The last attempt failed on the House floor before debate even began  thrown out on a point of order that the Senate bill raised a sales tax, and constitutionally, legislation that raises revenue must start in the House.

The version passed by the Senate this year had no tax.

Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, has touted the bill hes been pushing for nine years as the most restrictive in the country. It decriminalized the drug only for people with certain conditions  such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and post-traumatic stress disorder  who could eat, vape or apply cannabis as a lotion.

Under Davis bill, smoking a joint would remain illegal. And businesses would be allowed to prohibit employees from using marijuana, even for medical reasons. People working in some fields, such as public safety and trucking, would not be allowed to get a medical card.

But opponents argued the seed-to-sale tracking thats supposed to ensure use is limited to medical purposes actually created the framework for a full-scale marijuana industry and opened the door to legalizing recreational use in South Carolina.

Federal rules

Complicating matters was the Biden administration moving forward Tuesday with plans to remove marijuana from a list of the most dangerous, addictive drugs.

The move would take marijuana from Schedule I, the tier with heroin and LSD, to Schedule III, the category for regulated-but-legal drugs including testosterone and Tylenol with codeine. Schedule III drugs are generally available with a prescription.

The proposal, which still needs to go through several levels of review, does not legalize marijuana nationwide. Instead, it acknowledges that marijuana has medical uses and a low potential for abuse.

Committee Chairwoman Sylleste Davis said she was unsure how it might affect the bill or representatives opinions of it. The U.S. Department of Justice didnt even confirm the reports until after the meeting was underway.

Were going to have to do some homework and evaluate where that puts us and whether that may or may not affect this legislation, the Moncks Corner Republican said.

While marijuana is illegal under federal law, the federal government has barred the U.S. Department of Justice from enforcing that law since the Obama administration, leaving states to decide.

But law enforcement officials in South Carolina have remained adamantly opposed.

A chief critic has been Mark Keel, chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, who has long opposed the idea of an illicit drug being considered medicine. He has said his position would not change until the federal government approves its use and a doctor can write a real prescription.

He repeated to the committee last week that he wouldnt support the bill until the federal Food and Drug Administration gives cannabis products the go-ahead.

The day the FDA approves it, youll never see me downtown again to testify against medical marijuana, Keel told the panel. Ill never speak before another committee.

The debate

Keel, who spent a decade in SLEDs narcotics unit, warned that drug use of any kind can be dangerous.

I was in many homes and saw the devastation in the homes of what marijuana does to parents and the impact that it has on children who are living in homes with parents who are routinely using marijuana, Keel said.

The states top cop asked lawmakers to add caps on how much THC, the psychoactive chemical found in cannabis, would be allowed in each dose if they did choose to move forward.

Law enforcement from across the state echoed his concerns. Allowing medical marijuana could make it easier for people to get the drug recreationally, putting it in the hands of more citizens, Greenville Sheriff Hobart Lewis told lawmakers.

Legalizing cannabis at this point would only exacerbate existing challenges and endanger the safety of our citizens, Lewis said.

On the other hand, doctors and researchers contended that marijuana is a safe and effective treatment for certain disorders, such as the ones listed in the bill.

Cannabis is often safer than other treatments, such as highly addictive opioids, said Prakash Nagarkatti, a University of South Carolina professor who has been studying medical uses of marijuana for years.

You know what happens when people start taking opioids, Nagarkatti told lawmakers.

People with medical conditions covered under the bill told the panel that medical marijuana changed their life.

Charleston chef Orlando Pagan started using medical marijuana legally in California to treat his multiple sclerosis, a disease causing peoples immune system to attack their brain and spinal cord. The first time he tried cannabis, he slept without spasms for the first time in weeks, he said.

For the first time, I began to feel hopeful about living with the chronic illness we all know has no cure, Pagan said.

People desperate to treat their diseases or relieve their pain are already using marijuana, said Jill Swing, president of SC Compassionate Care Alliance. After realizing cannabis was the only treatment that relieved her daughters severe epilepsy prescriptions werent helping, Swing began buying marijuana illegally.

Despite her best efforts, she knew she was running the risk of getting products laced with other drugs, possibly even deadly fentanyl, she said.

Some of these drugs, we didnt know what we were getting, Swing said through tears.

Stories from both sides of the issue hit home with some of the representatives.

Rep. Mark Smith, R-Daniel Island, said he didnt support legalizing marijuana across the board, but he couldnt ignore the people who said it helped them.

It is impossible not to empathize with the stories that we hear from families who are oftentimes in end-of-life situations and dealing with chronic issues and seizure issues, Smith said.

That said, Smith questioned whether lawmakers should come back to the issue next year and work on tightening up its restrictions even more.

Is there a path or a lane that truly addresses the issue thats tight as a tick? That doesnt create a gateway to recreational marijuana in the state? Smith asked Keel. I have to believe that there is.

The post Medical marijuana in SC likely dead, again, as House lets clock run out appeared first on SC Daily Gazette.
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton outlined his vision and progress to revitalize the citys downtown, spur redevelopment and improve public safety and infrastructure within the first 100 days of his administration.

This city has seen some tough times, but its the hope, the grit and the determination that I see in the people that inspires me to fight like I do every single day, Melton said. I truly believe we can and we will restore the heart and soul of this city.

The First 100 Days State of the City address was held Tuesday at the West Side Leadership Academy auditorium, which was packed with residents, students, elected officials, like Gary State Representatives Vernon Smith and Ragen Hatcher and and music artists Ja Rule and Grammy Award winner Deniece Williams.

Stretching across 52 square miles, Gary is a top steel producer and has an international airport, deep water seaport and three rail lines, Melton said. The city lies at the southern tip of Lake Michigan and four major highways intersect through it, he said.

The citys once vibrant downtown is on the cusp of being revitalized, Melton said, to once again be the commercial epicenter of Northwest Indiana. Melton said his administrations vision is to have a liveable and walkable downtown. In 2023, then-State Senator Melton authored Senate Enrolled Act 434, which established a blighted property demolition fund to assist in the revitalization of the Gary Metro Center at 4th and Broadway and encourage state investment in a potential Lake County convention center.

Recently, the Regional Development Authority issued a Request for Qualifications, asking for proposals from firms or teams qualified to help the RDA with the demolition project in Garys transit development district (TDD), which covers 315.5 acres along Broadway and Fifth Avenue. The demolition would clear the way for new development in the TDD.

Our city is valuable and were worthy. Its time we feel like it, and its time we act like it, Melton said.

Shortly after being elected mayor, Melton said he attended Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a program for new mayors. There, Melton said he began crafting his 100-day plan, which started with hiring his administrative team.

When he returned, Melton said he hired Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon and Gary Fire Chief Larry Tillman. Tillman has sworn in 15 new recruits to the fire academy and established a 20-member dive team who will respond to emergency situations along the beachfront in Gary.

Recently, four recruits graduated from the police academy, Melton said. Under Cannons leadership, the police department has increased its proactive patrol by 25%, Melton said, which has led to a 59% decrease in homicides compared to last year.

But, Melton said his administration realizes we cant arrest our way to a safer Gary. Melton said the city has established group violence intervention, an evidence-based, nationally recognized model to lowering violent crime.

Melton said he removed the position of deputy mayor and created the position of Chief Operating Officer, who will work toward eliminating barriers and work more efficiently for residents.

The Gary Health Department is led by Commissioner Dr. Janet Seabrook, Melton said. The department was recently awarded $800,000 from the state to address infant and maternal mortality rates, he said. The funds will go toward providing free prenatal care and education on infant safe sleep and shaken baby syndrome, Melton said.

The health department has also begun working toward establishing a mobile mental health crisis response unit, Melton said. In early 2023, the City Council allocated $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to create the team which has mental health professionals assisting police and responding to non-violent mental health crises in the city.

Meltons administration also hired a city engineer, who has already reviewed each street light in the city. The study found that out of more than 2,000 street lights, 913 fixtures arent working, 110 street light poles are knocked down and 115 fixtures are on during the day, he said.

Melton said he will work with the city council to use $3.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to address the street light issue. The city also received $1.4 million in matching funds from the Indiana Department of Transportation for street paving, he said.

The city has a balanced budget, Melton said. His administration has focused on reducing wasteful spending, Melton said.

Since January, the city has discontinued phone services to vacant buildings and canceled the cellphone lines of former employees, which saved the city about $500,000 in fees. Currently, the city is spending 5.5% less than it did this time last year, he said.

To help bolster the budget, Melton said the city received $75,000 to hire a full-time grant writer, who will focus on obtaining state and federal funding.

Melton said his administration is working toward eliminating illegal dumping  a consistent issue in the city. As people come to Gary to rehabilitate old houses, Melton said they do the work without a permit and take the items from inside the house and dump the items in an open lot or behind an abandoned building.

The city has started an anti-dumping fund and campaign, Melton said. The city has received $500,000 from the state to address illegal dumping, he said, and the funds will go toward cleaning up the sites and installing fences and cameras. Anyone caught illegally dumping will be fined, he said.

On weekends, Melton said city officials and residents have come together to clean up sections of the city.

People are starting to tell us that they can see and feel the difference every single day, Melton said.

Toward economic development, Melton said his administration demolished 35 blighted structures in the Aetna neighborhood. It used the Indiana unsafe building law to identify 85 buildings in Aetna that need to be updated, he said, and the majority of the owners have been contacted and have 90 days to make improvements.

We want to make an example and replicate that work throughout the city, Melton said.

The city also awarded a fellow through the International Economic Development Council who will help the administration build a plan to attract investors into the city, Melton said. The city has also partnered with the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture to design and develop new standards that honor the citys architectural heritage, he said.

The city administration plans to apply for the states READI 2.0 program to fund the demolition of blighted buildings and development throughout the city, Melton said. The administration also established a small business advisory council to encourage more small businesses to open in the city, he said.

The Melton administration has cleaned up and secured the Genesis Convention Center, he said. Right now, city officials are coming up with plans on how to move forward with the building, he said.

We need time to figure out whats the best use of our resources to figure out how we address that facility, Melton said.

In the future, Melton said hed like to work with businesses, state and local officials to bring a Lake County Convention Center in Gary, which would bring tourism and hospitality dollars to the city.

Theres much more to come. We hope for a greater Gary. We cant fully see it yet, but were working on it with faith and focus, Melton said.

Gary Council President Tai Adkins, D-4th, said the council looks forward to working with Melton on moving the city forward.

Let us as a community reflect and share responsibility in this commitment to build a stronger, more vibrant community, Adkins said.

akukulka@chicagotribune.com
A metal detectorist in Denmark stumbled on a worn green object  and found a unique, well-used 400-year-old artifact. A photo shows the rare find.

The metal detectorist from Sundeved spotted the tarnished bronze item and, recognizing its significance, gave it to officials, Museum Snderjylland said in an April 24 Facebook post.

The museum identified it as a rare belt hook from between roughly 1450 and 1600, or the late Middle Ages. The worn bronze artifact was shaped like two lovers embracing.

A photo shows the green-brown belt hook. A male figure stands on the left, his arms reaching around a female figure. The pair appear to stand on a small loop.

The 400-year-old belt hook would be clipped onto a belt and used to hold other objects such as keys, the museum said. The main clip is long gone, likely broken during use, but two additional holes were drilled into the hook so that it could still be attached to a belt with string.

Uncover more archaeological finds

What are we learning about the past? Here are three of our most eye-catching archaeology stories from the past week.

 Massive 2,200-year-old tomb with grand interior unearthed in China

1,000-year-old weapon  the first of its kind  found sticking out of grave in Spain

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Officials said the shape of the belt hook was a common motif used in art and literature during the Middle Ages. The embracing pair symbolized a concept of love focused on devotion and physical touch.

These types of old belt hooks are rare and likely unique to Denmark, the museum said, but a few have been found in Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom.

Sundeved is a peninsula in southern Denmark, a roughly 200-mile drive southwest from Copenhagen, and near the border with Germany.

Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Museum Snderjylland.

3,400-year-old site  where the Pharaoh relaxed  unearthed in Egypt. See the ruins

Turtles may have been taken by ancient humans while traveling  and eaten as snacks

Rare statue sat hidden in dried-up pond at 800-year-old temple  until now. See it
Atlanta Uber and Lyft drivers are joining a national day of action called May Day.

The day is in demand for fair pay and deactivation protections.

On Wednesday, the Justice for App Workers coalition is initiating a national day of action with strike action in Atlanta to protest the nations app companies.

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Justice For App Workers represents over 130,000 rideshare and delivery drivers across the United States.

The coalition is holding work stoppages, protesting to demand higher wages and job protections from rideshare and delivery companies

Demonstrations and strike activities are planned in United States cities, including New York, Chicago, Orlando, Denver, Hartford, Tampa, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Providence, Philadelphia, Miami, Portland, Newark, Nashville, and Charlotte

The coalition began in New York City in 2022 and has grown across the country.

In a press release, app workers in Atlanta say they are prepared to take action on May 1 to call out the insatiable corporate greed of Americas app companies. They also plan to address growing issues for rideshare and delivery workers in the city and across the nation.

TRENDING STORIES:

The May Day app worker demonstrations and work stoppages are a result of the exploitation and human toll behind the algorithms and policies governing these platforms. Workers hope to highlight the urgent need for regulations to safeguard their rights and livelihoods in the digital age. Drivers are seeking a union so they can have a mechanism to address sexual harassment and assault at work, industrywide poverty wages, unfair deactivations without due process that take their livelihoods in the click of a button, and to have a voice at work, the release stated.

On February 14, thousands of app workers across the country went on strike, along with workers in Canada, and the UK, in the largest display of activism around the mistreatment of app workers in the last decade.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Mexico emerges as a destination for Americans seeking reproductive health services  not for the first time

When its six-week abortion ban went into effect on May 1, 2024, Florida joined nearly two dozen other U.S. states that ban abortion or greatly restrict it.

These laws came into effect after the Supreme Courts 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade ended nearly 50 years of the constitutional right to abortion in the United States.

Florida health officials in 2023 reported more than 84,000 abortions statewide, including nearly 7,800 from out-of-state residents.

The Tampa Bay Times recently reported that about 2 in 5 abortions in Florida over the past six years occurred in the first six weeks of pregnancy, meaning that roughly 60% of the procedures performed over that time frame would be illegal under the new restrictions.

The new laws in Florida and other states are sending some Americans across the border into Mexico to access an abortion, where the procedure was legalized in recent years.

Clinics in Mexico do not require proof of residency, so solid numbers about who they are treating are hard to come by. But providers in Mexico report they have been seeing more Americans.

In 2022, Luisa Garcia, director of Profem, an abortion clinic in the border city of Tijuana, told NPR that the percentage of patients coming from the United States had jumped from 25% to 50% in just the two months following the Dobbs decision.

My research and teaching focuses on gender and sexuality in Latin America and the Caribbean. I often ask students to think about the differences between the United States and Latin America  and the struggles the two regions share.

Different paths

In recent years, the U.S. and Mexico have each struggled over access to abortion care, with the two countries moving in opposite directions.

The year before the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled the criminalization of abortion by the northern state of Coahuila unconstitutional. This decision set a precedent that led to decriminalization at the federal level in 2023.

Change has since been slow. Only 13 of Mexicos 31 states have modified their penal codes to reflect the courts resolution, with Jalisco being the latest state to do so, in April 2024.

Unlike in the U.S., federal laws in Mexico do not automatically overrule local ones. But Mexican women living in states where abortions are illegal can still have one in a federally run hospital or clinic. And the federal statute protects the staff of those facilities from punishment.

Marea Verde movement

A crucial force behind the legalization of abortion care in Latin America is a movement called Green Tide, or Marea Verde, which emerged in Argentina and expanded across the region over the past two decades.

Although it began as a collective fight for abortion rights, Green Tide has grown to encompass issues such as the prevention of violence against women and members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as femicide  the violent death of women motivated by gender.

Expansion of abortion access in Mexico

Following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in 2022, Mexican organizations offering abortions have expanded locations to increase choices for Mexican and U.S. residents seeking care. For example, Fundacion MSI opened its newest clinic in Cancun late last year.

It chose this location intentionally, MSIs Latin America regional managing director told the health news website Stat. Cancuns status as a popular tourist destination means that multiple U.S. airports offer direct flights for about US$400 round trip. In-person abortion services range from $250 to $350. MSIs website caters to Americans by offering information in English and featuring links to search for flights.

In Mexico, an acompanante often accompanies other women who want to terminate their pregnancy but dont know where to turn or fear hostility at public clinics. AP Photo/Maria Alferez

To assist those traveling to Mexico, Mexican and American abortion rights groups created the Red Transfronteriza, a transnational network that supports those crossing the border in search of care but whose primary mission has become the shipping of misoprostol and mifepristone, the pills generally used to induce abortions, into the United States.

One group that is part of the network on the Mexican side of the border is Guanajuato-based Las Libres, or The Free Ones. In September 2023, its founder estimated that her organization had sent abortion pills to approximately 20,000 women in the U.S. since the Dobbs decision.

Red Necesito Abortar, or I Need to Abort Network, was founded in 2017 by Sandra Cardona and Vanessa Jimenez in the northern city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, to help those seeking abortion services.

History of abortion, US-Mexico border

Although the Dobbs decision brought renewed attention to the issue, the relationship between the United States and Mexico and people from both countries seeking abortions has a long history.

Womens studies professor Lina-Maria Murillo, who studies the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and teaches a course on global reproduction, explains that abortion in the United States was legal and performed by midwives before the Civil War. In the following decades, declining birth rates and gender inequality led to restrictions across the country and a nationwide ban in 1910.

As Murillos research has documented, criminalization led women seeking abortions to travel to Mexico more than a century ago.

These border crossings ultimately declined as Mexican abortion restrictions were enforced and clinics shut down by the late 1960s. At the same time, U.S. activists and doctors contributed to the narrative that portrayed Mexico as a dangerous place where back alley abortions were performed by butcher physicians. Murillo argues that these myths contributed to a loosening of abortion restrictions in several U.S. states like California and New Mexico, helping set the stage for Roe v. Wade.

As elections loom closer in the United States, abortion will likely take center stage once again  including in Florida, where a referendum to reverse the six-week ban will be on the November ballot.

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: Alejandra Marquez Guajardo, Michigan State University

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Alejandra Marquez Guajardo 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.
jacoblund / iStock.com

Getting married can be one of the most joyous occasions of your life, but it can also be one of the most overwhelming. Not only are you entering into what many people consider a spiritual union, but you are also entering into a legal one.

Tying yourself financially to another person can be costly. In order to protect yourself and your future, it is strongly recommended that you speak with a financial and legal advisor.

Check Out: 6 Reasons the Poor Stay Poor and Middle Class Doesnt Become Wealthy

For You: 4 Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money

At GOBankingRates, we asked family law attorney Cynthia Hernandez to provide some insight on what prospective spouses should think about before saying their nuptials. She said, Marrying someone with debt involves critical legal and financial considerations, an area where I frequently provide guidance through my experience in family law at Hernandez Family Law & Mediation. Dealing with such scenarios requires not only an awareness of the legal implications but also proactive financial strategies to protect both parties.

Here are the three things she said you should know about marrying someone with debt.

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Consider Collaborative Planning

Hernandez explained, In practice, Ive observed several couples benefit from collaborative financial planning prior to marriage. For instance, a client in Florida, where laws deem any debts incurred during marriage as shared responsibility, benefited significantly from our pre-marital financial session. We secured a clear understanding of each individuals financial liabilities, and drafted a prenuptial agreement that outlined the handling of these debts, mitigating potential future disputes and financial strain.

Transparency is often critical in these situations. A SunTrust Bank Survey reported on by CNBC, said that 35% of people blame finances for the stress they experience in their relationships. The same study found that 3 in 5 people have thought about waiting to get married so they wouldnt take on their partners debt. Over half of the respondents (54%) even said their partner being in debt was a major reason to consider divorce.

Read Next: Mark Cuban Reveals Why He Keeps a Strict Budget Everyday

Know Your Laws

The state you reside in plays a crucial role in how debt is managed within a marriage, said Hernandez. For example, in community property states, most debts acquired by either spouse during the marriage are owned jointly. However, in common-law states, youre typically not responsible for your spouses individual debts. Knowing these legal nuances can dramatically influence your financial planning. During my tenure, advising clients about their specific states regulations has been key before making any commitment or financial agreement.

Story continues

According to consumer credit reporting company Experian, debts acquired before marriage will typically remain the responsibility of the person who incurred them. An exception to this is if you or your spouse co-signed or co-borrowed the loan. Then, you would both be responsible. Debts taken on after marriage, on the other hand, are dealt with differently depending on state law.

Communication Is Key

Lastly, explained Hernandez, communication is imperative. In my legal experience, couples who regularly discuss their finances and set mutual goals tend to navigate financial challenges more effectively. For instance, setting up an agreed proportion of income to tackle existing debts, and deciding on spending limits can create disciplined financial habits, crucial for marital harmony. These steps not only help in managing debt effectively but also in building trust and partnership in other aspects of the marriage.

It is no secret that finances are one of the most common things couples fight about. A study by Ramsey Solutions found that it was, in fact, the number one issue married couples argue about. The study also found that the more debt married couples were in, the more likely it was an issue they would fight about.

However, having common financial goals and healthy conversations about money tend to have a positive impact on a marriage. Over half (54%) of people who said their marriage was great, said they talk daily or weekly with their spouse about money, compared to less than one-third of those who report their marriage as okay or in crisis.

Incredibly, 94% of respondents who described their marriage as great also said they discuss their money dreams together. Communication about money seems to prove essential to protecting yourself and your marriage.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Im a Family Law Attorney: 3 Things You Should Know About Marrying Someone With Debt
A drag performance at a New Mexico high school prom night has resulted in outrage, death threats against the performer, and more.

Some parents of Atrisco Heritage Academy High School students were upset after the April 20 end-of-year dance after learning that it involved a performance by local drag artist Mythica Sahreen, whose real name is Dylan Payan. Albuquerque Public Schools confirmed that the schools principal was replaced, and several employees were placed on administrative leave as they investigated the event.



According to Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT, Payan said he received full clearance from the schools administration, including the student body, prom officers, and the activities coordinator, indicating the performance was officially sanctioned.

Payan is facing severe backlash, including death threats, which he reported to local law enforcement, according to KOAT.

Im getting death threats. Ive already had to report this to the sheriffs department. Its okay to have your opinion. Its okay to express it, but theres an appropriate way to do that. The fact that Im being belittled, harassed, and targeted  that my life for the past 36 hours has quite literally been destroyed, and I dont know where this end is going to be right now. Its hard, and Im scared, Payan said.

The performance has divided community opinion, with some praising the inclusivity and others questioning the suitability of such an act for a high school setting.

In response to the fallout, APS appointed an acting principal.

The event at the Albuquerque Convention Center featured Payan performing in drag, engaging with students in a way some parents later described as more fitting for a nightclub. These concerns were echoed by some community members on social media, where videos of the performance drew significant attention.

The far-right anti- LGBTQ+ account Libs of TikTok, run by Chaya Raichik, escalated the situation by posting a video of the performance on April 24, describing it as a provocative sexually explicit routine for kids at Atrisco Heritage.

The Albuquerque Pride Organization, while indicating its support of drag as an art form for all ages, distanced itself from Payan's performance in a statement to KOAT.

We would like to make it clear that this particular performer does not represent the Albuquerque Pride Organization in any function, the group wrote. With that said, we would like everyone to know that while we do support drag performances at welcoming all ages events, at no time do we support sexually suggestive or explicit material at these functions. All ages events provide the opportunity for people to see the art of drag.

The statement continued, Drag performance is only a small fraction of our community. Albuquerque Pride is an entire organization built on the principle of inclusion and acceptance. This, however, does not extend to anything that would cause harm to another person. Having this particular situation in mind, with only 10 seconds of video to see, we were able to ascertain that the performance did show an element of suggestiveness. It is up to the performers themselves to be cognizant of their actions and their audience to perform appropriately. Albuquerque Pride will never condone sexually explicit content at any event with minors present.
New Mexico Supreme Court hearing gives students an in-person look at a teacher discrimination case

Over 260 high school students attended the Supreme Court hearing for Johnson v. Board of Education as part of the Rules of Law program on Monday April 29, 2024. (Photo by Jeanette DeDios / KUNM)

On Monday, the New Mexico Supreme Court heard arguments from a 2018 lawsuit against Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) over the behavior of a high school teacher towards Native American students.

The court convened not in Santa Fe, but at Central New Mexico Community College, where over 260 high schools students from across the state could participate in learning more about how state government works. It was the first time the Rule of Law program has come to Albuquerque.

The former teacher at the center of the case, Mary Eastin, allegedly called Navajo student McKenzie Johnson a bloody Indian during a class that took place on Halloween. KRQE reports Johnson was dressed in a Red Riding Hood costume with fake blood on her cheek. Eastin also allegedly cut off part of another Native American students braided hair.

Johnson sued the school district in 2020, alleging violations of the New Mexico Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination by any person in places of public accommodation.

The act defines public accommodations as any establishment that provides or offers its services, facilities, accommodations or goods to the public, but does not include a bona fide private club or other place of establishment that is by its nature and use distinctively private.

A district court dismissed the lawsuit, concluding the school district was not a public accommodation. But the state Court of Appeals overturned that ruling last year.

This case is not about condoning bad behavior. That is not why were before the court. This case is about a choice of law, said Attorney Roxie De Santiago who represents APS and teacher Mary Eastin.

The Legislature changed the anti-discrimination law last year to apply it to governmental entities, but the case before the Supreme Court involves the statutory provisions in effect at the time Johnson sued.

Johnsons attorney, Leon Howard, argued public schools should be included within the Human Rights Act in order to protect the safety of children.

Its one thing to follow the academic plan under academic freedom to teach the troubling history of this country and have a discussion about it, he said. And then when you turn that discussion to target a student with a racial epithet, with a racist action, with a discriminatory action, its really the targeting why were here today.

Zander Cheromiah is from the Pueblos of Laguna, Acoma and Jemez and a student at the Native American Community Academy (NACA). He said the hearing was educational and sparked his interest.

It makes me feel like then I could fight for my people or if anyone were to need my help, they can come and call me and I can fight for them, he said.

The Supreme Court will issue its ruling at a later date.

APS put Eastin on paid suspension at the time of the incident. She has since left for another teaching position outside New Mexico.

The full court hearing is online.

Support for this coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.

The post New Mexico Supreme Court hearing gives students an in-person look at a teacher discrimination case appeared first on Source New Mexico.
There was a time when Miami Beach was proudly in the liberal camp  no more.

Now Miami Beach has a mayor, Steven Meiner, elected on an explicitly pro-law-and-order platform and an avowed right-wing city commissioner, David Suarez. Both have an undisguised hostility toward those with whom they disagree.

Meiner and Suarez are uncompromising supporters of Israel, and their comments at last months commission meeting about efforts to control protests in the city leaves little doubt that critics of Israel are the laws intended targets.

While the ordinance passed unanimously, Meiner and Suarez were its only public defenders. Both complained repeatedly of protests in the city directed at Israels brutal military assault on Gaza, although the protests have been peaceful and unarguably protected by the First Amendment.

But Meiner and Suarez do not intend to let the Constitution get in their way. Meiner has even made the breathtaking proposal that speech be limited because of the importance of supporting nations that share [our] values, including the state of Israel.

The ordinance allows Miami Beach police to order protesters to move from the citys public sidewalks. How this would work was apparent when protesters tried to pass out leaflets at a recent climate conference about Israels destruction of Palestinian natural resources.

When they went to the venue, police forced them to move to a free speech zone so remote from the venues entrance that no conference attendee could possibly have known of the protesters message. Speech that no one can hear is not what the First Amendment contemplates.

One Miami Beach resident, who spoke at last months meeting, said she wished there had been more protests against Nazi Germany, prompting Meiner to interrupt her and warn her about comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and then launched into a diatribe about Hamas atrocities.

When she said she had made no such comparison, the mayor angrily instructed aides to cut off her mic.

When I spoke next at the meeting and said that Israels values included the use of starvation as a weapon of war, Meiner again shouted to cut the mic and warned that I was close to being removed from this meeting.

As for the proposed efforts to quash protests, I noted that the Supreme Court had once said of a law allowing for the arrest of protesters on the whim of any police officer that it bears the hallmark of a police state.

Later in the meeting, Meiner and Suarez lashed out at protesters who had gathered outside of a synagogue where attorney and Israel defender Alan Dershowitz was speaking.

As mayor, Meiner said, I will not tolerate our residents being harassed and accosted and threatened for simply trying to pray.

Of course no one had come to the speech to pray, and the only person accosted that day was a Jewish woman in the audience who had yelled, Ceasefire now! and was wrestled to the floor by audience members.

Suarez, in one of the meetings uglier moments, warned Wayne Jones, the citys first Black police chief, that his handling of the event at the synagogue was grounds for firing, adding, If that were a KKK rally, things would have been different.

Meiner and Suarez are entitled to their personal views about Israel. But they also have a responsibility to ensure that those who disagree with them have an opportunity to express their opinions.

Cutting the mic of members of the public whose views they disagree with, yelling at constituents speaking out about injustice, and enacting anti-protest rules, this is not the behavior of responsible public officials.

Alan Levine is a civil rights lawyer who has specialized in First Amendment cases. He lives on Miami Beach.






Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber spent much of his State of the City speech Monday discussing ways his administration has worked to improve residents quality of life with more parks, cultural experiences and enhanced public safety.

Gelber touted the 57 parks, infrastructure and public safety projects that are now fully funded after voters in 2018 approved $439 million in general obligation bonds.

When residents approved the general obligation bonds with 70% support, you did so with the promise that the city would deliver these quality of life enhancements in a timely and transparent manner, he said. We take that promise seriously.

The bond program is helping fund the citys green-space renaissance, Gelber said, with the city on its way to adding more than 30 acres of new park space around the city and upgrading 20 existing parks.

A planned park at the site of an old par-3 golf course in the Bayshore neighborhood near Miami Beach Senior High School will account for 19.5 acres of that green space. Gelber said the city will break ground on the park by the end of the year.

Bayshore Park will have a central lake and boardwalk, six tennis courts and a dog park. Its designed with environmental remediation measures to help naturally reduce storm water runoff, he said. It will include 259 additional trees and a playground.

Gelber touted the citys efforts to open parks near the convention center, at Pride Park and the Collins Canal Park, and in North Beach at Altos del Mar.

Parks provide recreational opportunities, preserve property values and, most importantly, give family and friends (and their pets) beautiful spaces in which to share common experiences, Gelber said. And in our city, where many residents dont have yards, they are especially vital.

A legal settlement at the Feb. 12 commission meeting ensures that developers will build a new three-acre park at the entrance to South Beach on Alton Road. Up to $9.6 million in bond money is going into the construction of a colorful pedestrian bridge to span the MacArthur Causeway near Fifth Street and Alton Road.

While the citys beaches are not technically considered parks, Gelber said the city prioritizes their maintenance and improvement as if they were green spaces. He said the citys plan to build an uninterrupted beach walk from 88th Street to South Pointe Park will be complete by early 2022. Construction of the last sections to be replaced, from 24th Street to 45th Street, is under way and expected to be completed by spring of 2021. The final section of beach walk in North Beach will be completed by 2022, he said.

Public safety

Ahead of a vote on Wednesday to move up last call at South Beach bars for spring break, Gelber expressed concerns about turning Ocean Drive into Bourbon Street.

He spoke about efforts the city has undertaken to curb excessive partying in the entertainment district, like requiring that bars hire off-duty officers and eliminating promoted parties.

During the Super Bowl the entire world saw how uniquely stunning Ocean Drive can be. But Ocean Drive  and our entire entertainment district  sometimes doesnt meet expectations, he said. Too often it feels like Bourbon Street or a place where anything goes.

Officer Ricardo Castillo suffered wounds in a knife attack that were more serious than was originally thought, said a Miami Beach police spokesman.

Miami Beach Police Officer Ricardo Castillo, who was stabbed on Ocean Drive in January, sat in the crowd on Monday as Gelber thanked Castillo and the departments other 415 officers.

While noting that recent FBI data shows overall crime decreasing in Miami Beach, Gelber said that the influx of millions of visitors every year can pose dangers to residents and tourists.

Part of the challenge is to make sure our efforts to protect our tourists dont cause us to neglect our residential communities who have an understandable expectation that our neighborhoods should be crime-free, he said.

Among the new programs the police department has rolled out under new Chief Rick Clements, Gelber highlighted the formation of a Community Affairs Unit and new high-visibility patrolling practices in busy areas.

Gelber mentioned the citys efforts to improve bicycle safety as well, a few months after the death of a local chef on the Venetian Causeway. The commission voted on Feb. 12 to approve, in concept, support for a multi-jurisdictional effort to upgrade the bike lanes.

Holocaust Memorial

Among the city officials, employees and residents in attendance at the New World Center on Monday, Gelber singled out three: Holocaust survivors Lazlo Selly, David Mermelstein and Fred Mulbauer.

Thirty years after the citys Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach was dedicated, Gelber said he feels duty-bound to expand the memorial in size and mission after he was approached by Norman Braman and Ezra Katz, local businessmen and founding members of the memorial.

The Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach at 1933-1945 Meridian Ave.

Recently the Braman and Katz families and others reached out to discuss a plan to expand the memorial in size and mission so it can have a more active and relevant presence in a world where hate, clearly, still exists, Gelber said. A modest expansion would give it the bandwidth to take a greater role in education and outreach to the entire community, combating hatred of all kinds  giving it a vitality at a time when all communities must speak out against hate.

Rising seas, rising streets

There is no pause in the citys fight against rising seas, Gelber said, using a term that his critics have weaponized. To those critics, like Commissioner Ricky Arriola, the city has studied to death the issue of climate change. Instead of taking decisive action, the city has hired experts to study the issue and bring back recommendations.

Several experts have told the city that in order to keep Miami Beach dry  and insurance premiums low  roads will need to be raised. The most recent findings from Jacobs Engineering, presented to the commission in January, indicated that the longer the city waits to elevate its streets, the more it will cost.

There is no pause in the citys fight against rising seas, Miami Beach Mayor Mayor Dan Gelber said Monday in his State of the City address.

We cannot push this issue to the bottom of our inbox. And there is no pause, he said. We are simply informing our program with new information.

Residents have consistently bristled at the idea of raising roads, pointing to years-long construction timelines and instances of water overflowing from higher roads onto their property.

But Gelber said the scientists are right. Now its time for the city to develop an updated action plan with community input, he said.

We dont have the luxury of converting this into a political debate, he said. For me the only thing we should care about is what is the best science and engineering available to guide our decision-making.
Miami-Dade voters will pick an elections supervisor. Donald Trump just got involved

Former President Donald Trump is backing a Republican candidate in the race for Miami-Dade elections supervisor, wading into the contest after years of falsely claiming the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

Trump used social media to post an endorsement Tuesday night of Florida state Rep. Alina Garcia, who represents a suburban district southwest of Miami.

Alina Garcia has done an incredible job, Trump wrote on his Truth Social site shortly after 9:30 p.m. Now, Alina is running to be Miami-Dades Supervisor of Elections and protect Voters Rights. Alina has my Complete and Total Endorsement.

On Wednesday, Garcia sidestepped Trumps false claims about the election being stolen for President Joe Biden. In reference to the 2020 elections, I can only speak to how the elections were conducted in Florida and in Miami-Dade County, which were fair, transparent and the results reported timely, she told the Miami Herald.

READ MORE: The Trump factor looms over Miami-Dade races  and Democrats are on defense

Trump did not contest the results in Florida, a state he won by 4 points in 2020. Biden won Miami-Dade by 7 points.

In an interview with the Herald after filing for the county elections job in February, Garcia said elections are overwhelmingly fair but cited doubts in public opinion. People dont always feel that theyre fair, she said, and perception is very important.

In November, Garcia dropped her endorsement for Gov. Ron DeSantis and backed Trump when the two were rivals in the GOP presidential primary.

Florida state Rep. Alina Garcia, a Republican candidate for Miami-Dade elections supervisor, poses with former President Donald Trump on Nov. 8, 2023, in Hialeah. Trump endorsed Garcias county candidacy on April 30, 2024.

Tuesday night, Garcia posted a screenshot of the endorsement on her Twitter feed with the announcement: President Trump endorses Alina Garcia. In her statement Wednesday, she said she was humbled by the former presidents endorsement.

This is Trumps second endorsement in a Miami-Dade race in seven days as he prepares for a rematch against Biden in the 2024 election. Last week, he endorsed Rosanna Rosie Cordero-Stutz in the crowded GOP primary for Miami-Dade sheriff.

A change in Floridas Constitution requires Miami-Dade to create independently elected offices for sheriff, elections supervisor and tax collector, posts that currently report to the countys Democratic mayor, Daniella Levine Cava.

State rules also require partisan elections for the posts, with the winners of the Aug. 20 party primaries facing each other on Election Day in November.

Unlike Cordero-Stutz, Garcia is not facing a crowded race for the GOP nomination ahead of the June 14 filing deadline. While there are 13 Republican candidates for sheriff, Garcia has only one rival so far in the GOP primary: Miami lawyer Megan Pearl.

J.C. Planas, a Democratic candidate for supervisor who is also a lawyer focusing on election law, used the endorsement for a dig against Trump.

Being that I never bought into Trumps election lies, he told the Herald, I figured he was never going to endorse me anyway.
Miccosukee tribe member charged after an argument-turned-shooting on the reservation

An argument on the Miccosukee Indian Reservation last week culminated in a violent ending and the arrest of a tribal member, who officials say now has been federally charged.

Sutanga Rex Cypress, 42, was arguing with a man Friday when he pulled out a gun and shot him in the abdomen, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of Florida.

READ MORE: Man shot on Miccosukee reservation, according to police

Miccosukee police officers responded to the shooting on Southwest Eighth Street and Loop Road to find the injured man lying on the ground, an FBI criminal complaint read.

Ive been shot, the man said.

The victim, who was not identified, was airlifted to the hospital and taken to the intensive care unit. The victims condition was not immediately known.

The complaint notes that a neighbor and his mother overheard the argument next door and what sounded like a pop. The neighbor recorded the argument on his mobile phone before calling the police about the shooting, according to the FBI complaint.

Cypress, still at the scene of the shooting, was arrested.

On Monday, Cypress made his first appearance in Fort Lauderdale federal court. The complaint charges him with assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. His detention hearing is on Friday, and his arraignment is scheduled for May 13.

He faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

His criminal case is being handled by the FBI and U.S. prosecutors because the shooting occurred in the Miccosukee Indian Reservation, a federal jurisdiction.
Former first lady Michelle Obama surprised high school students from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to celebrate College Signing Day and their decision to pursue higher education.

Look, on a day when so much is about looking ahead, I just want to take a little moment to look back with you all, she said. Because I know it has been a long, hard road for all of you to make it to this day  and [there] has been nothing normal about this journey, especially that your class has been through.

Obama, speaking at Capital One Arena, applauded the students for their ability to stay in school throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and urged the students to sign up for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Despite missing out on typical high school experiences and conducting class via Zoom, the students pushed through and buckled down and now are ready to graduate, she said.

Now, I know that even on a day like this  maybe some of you are feeling some trepidation, some nerves about whats to come  especially if you are a first-generation college student like I was, Obama said.

She emphasized how she had a voice inside her head saying she couldnt do it and how easy it is to write yourself off before you begin, but thats why she wanted to talk to students. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Obamas Reach Higher program.

My goal then was to make sure that every student realized the importance of getting their education beyond high school and to ensure that everyone had the resources, information, and the tools to make that happen, she said. But, more importantly, I wanted students to know that higher education wasnt just for the privileged few, for the kids with connections and money who were expected to fill those seats on college campuses.

Obama announced that Reach Higher was partnering with Common Application, an undergraduate college admission application that allows students to apply to more than 1,000 schools.

The event was hosted by the DC College Access Program (DC-CAP) and brought 2,500 students to celebrate their accomplishments. Obama was joined by DC-CAP President Eric Waldo, DC-CAP board chair Ted Leonsis and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Youve got a community of people around you, including me and Barack, who is sending his love to you all too, Obama told the students. We are rooting for your every step of the way.

Updated May 1 at 10:02 a.m. EDT

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A group of publications that include the Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News and the Orlando Sentinel are suing Microsoft and OpenAI, as reported by The Verge. The eight publications in this particular lawsuit, all owned by Alden Capital Group (ACG), are accusing the companies of "purloining millions" of their copyrighted articles "without permission and without payment to fuel the commercialization of their generative artificial intelligence products, including ChatGPT and Copilot."

This is but the latest lawsuit filed against Microsoft and OpenAI for their use of copyrighted materials without express consent from publishers. The New York Times also famously sued the companies late last year, alleging that they've used "almost a century's worth of copyrighted content." Their products can regurgitate Times' articles verbatim and can "mimic its expressive style," the publication said, even though they didn't have a prior licensing agreement. In a motion seeking to dismiss key parts of the lawsuit, Microsoft accused the Times of doomsday futurology by claiming that generative AI can pose a threat to independent journalism.

ACG's newspapers complain of the same thing, that the companies' chatbots are reproducing their articles word-for-word shortly after they're published without a prominent link back to the sources. They included several examples in their complaint. In addition, the chatbots are apparently suffering from hallucinations and are attributing inaccurate reporting to ACG's publications. The publisher argued that the defendants pay for the computers, the specialized chips and the electricity they use to build and operate their generative AI products. And yet they're using copyrighted articles "without permission and without paying for the privilege" even though they need content to train their large language models. The plaintiffs referenced OpenAI's previous admission that it would be "impossible to train today's leading AI models without using copyrighted materials."

OpenAI is no longer a non-profit company, the plaintiffs said, and is now valued at $90 billion. Meanwhile, ChatGPT and Copilot have added "hundreds of billions of dollars to Microsoft's market value." The publications are seeking an unspecified amount in damages and are asking the court to order the defendants to destroy GPT and LLM models that use their materials.
Elizabeth "Ellie" Sims

Florida State University and the Franklin community is mourning the death of Elizabeth Ellie Sims after she was killed in a hit-and-run crash on campus earlier this week.

An arrest has been made in the crash.

Here's what we know so far.

What happened to Sims?

According to the Tallahassee Police Department, Sims, 20, a university sophomore, was hit by a car at the intersection of Lorene and Pensacola Streets after leaving the library around 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Authorities in Florida identified a suspect and made an arrest two hours later in southwest Tallahassee. Willis Trueblood Jr, 18, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death  a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Detectives said Trueblood fled the scene of the crime because he didnt even see her coming." He also said he "was panicking" and "I didnt know what to do," officials said.

What is the status of the case?

As of Tuesday, Trueblood was out of jail on a $10,000 bond.

"Witnesses and passersby immediately attempted to render life-saving aid to the victim, who sadly succumbed to her injuries on scene," according to a police spokesperson, who gave an interview to the Tallahassee Democrat, a sister paper to The Tennessean.

Trueblood told police the sun was glaring and he had his visor down when he hit Sims, court records note.

They also say Trueblood entered a conditional plea of not guilty.

After news of Sims' death and Trueblood's arrest broke Monday, social media commenters pushed for more charges, leading local authorities in Florida to explain that the charges were filed in consultation with the State Attorney's office and "in accordance with Florida law."

Who was Elizabeth 'Ellie' Sims?

A 2022 graduate of Page High School in Williamson County, Sims was majoring in undergraduate studies at Florida State. She was also a proud member of the Beta Eta Chapter of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority after being initiated in 2023.

Her sorority released a social media statement.

We will forever miss your infectious smile, jamming out while meal prepping in the kitchenette and positive presence that lit up every room. Beta Eta will not be the same without you, the statement reads.

How has the FSU and Franklin community reacted?

University president Richard McCullough released a statement, saying FSU was "deeply saddened by the heartbreaking loss.

"Our thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends during this difficult time," the statement continues. "Counseling services are available to anyone in the Florida State University family who would like support as we navigate this tragedy together. I encourage anyone struggling with this loss to reach out for assistance."

The principal of Sims' high school, Katie Hill, issued a statement Thursday.

"The Page High family is deeply saddened to hear of Ellies passing, and we extend our deepest sympathy to her family. Ellie will be greatly missed by her teachers, coaches, teammates, peers and all who knew and loved her, and we will remember her for her sweet smile, her kind spirit and her compassion for all, the statement read.

Since the crash, students, parents and the greater FSU community are calling for a traffic light to be put at the crosswalk where Sims was killed. An anonymous petition created on Change.org had garnered 17,000 signatures since its creation Monday.

A memorial for Sims has been set up at the crash site.

How can people help Sims' family?

A GoFundMe fundraiser been created to help the family with funeral costs.

"Please consider donating to help offset these unexpected and tragic travel and funeral expenses," the site reads "Our stretch goal would be to help fill the gap to allow the Sims some days off work to grieve and grow as a family of four," wrote the creator of fundraiser Johannah Paiva.

As of Thursday afternoon, the site had raised about $74,000 of its $75,000 goal.

Sims is survived by her parents, brother and sister. The family has announced that the funeral is planned for 10 a.m. May 25 at Holy Family Catholic Church in Brentwood.

Tallahassee Democrat staff contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee community mourns slain FSU student killed in hit-and-run
Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (KLSE:AIRPORT) Full Year 2023 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: RM4.91b (up 57% from FY 2022).

Net income: RM485.7m (up 275% from FY 2022).

Profit margin: 9.9% (up from 4.1% in FY 2022).

EPS: RM0.29 (up from RM0.078 in FY 2022).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad Revenues and Earnings Beat Expectations

Revenue exceeded analyst estimates by 3.1%. Earnings per share (EPS) also surpassed analyst estimates by 22%.

The primary driver behind last 12 months revenue was the Malaysia Operations - Airport Operations - Airport Services segment contributing a total revenue of RM2.48b (51% of total revenue). The most substantial expense, totaling RM2.04b were related to Non-Operating costs. This indicates that a significant portion of the company's costs is related to non-core activities. Explore how AIRPORT's revenue and expenses shape its earnings.

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 11% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 8.6% growth forecast for the Infrastructure industry in Asia.

Performance of the market in Malaysia.

The company's share price is broadly unchanged from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

You still need to take note of risks, for example - Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

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.
One Quad Cities artist is among 17 throughout Illinois to be honored with the Illinois Arts Council (IAC) 2024 Artist Fellowship Award (AFA).

The IAC AFAs are $15,000 awards to Illinois artists in recognition of their outstanding work and commitment within the arts.

This year, the IAC awarded 17 Illinois artists with fellowships totaling $255,000. Finalist awards of $1,500 were also awarded to 13 Illinois artists for a total of $19,500, according to a Wednesday release.

Individual artists fuel our states creativity, communities, and economy, IAC executive director Joshua Davis-Ruperto said in the release. They tell stories, spark conversations, pass on traditions, and provide inspiration.

A textile artwork by Nicole Davis of Milan, one of the 17 Illinois artists honored by the Illinois Arts Council.

IAC Fellowship Awards acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality artistic work being created in Illinois, he said. The 2024 IAC Fellows were selected for their remarkable artistic practice and their commitment to Illinois communities  both within their specific regions and discipline at large. The IAC congratulates each of these extraordinary individuals.

These artists represent the highest levels of craft for their respective disciplines, and Im proud to uplift their work through IACs Fellowship Awards, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in the release. I look forward to seeing how they will continue to represent their communities across Illinois and grow their work, and I congratulate each of them on the award.

The Artist Fellowship Program offered funding in seven artistic disciplines. This years Fellowship and Finalist Award recipients were selected from 302 Illinois-based creative artists working in Ethnic and Folk Arts, Crafts, and Visual Arts  which includes Visual-Based Arts (Installation, Mixed Media, Painting, Graphic & Drawing), Photography, and Sculpture.

Quad Cities winner

In the Crafts category, Nicole Davis of Milan was named a $15,000 fellowship winner. Shes a visual artist and educator.

Nicole Davis of Milan

Having served as a special education teacher for 21 years, Davis pivoted to pursue a career in art, according to her bio on the IAC website. In 2020, she graduated with honors from the University of Iowa with an MFA degree in painting and drawing. Her current art practice encompasses textiles, photography, and painting.

Her artwork uses the energy embodied time-honored materials to address issues related to her lived experience as a Black woman. Black feminist theory, memory, and identity are themes deeply rooted in her work. Davis was honored with numerous scholarships and fellowships in pursuit of her graduate work and has had residencies at Ox Bow.

She has been a visiting critic and/or given lectures at institutions including: Cornell College, Drake University, Divine Word College, and the Figge Art Museum. Her artwork has been shown throughout the Midwest, at the Soo Visual Arts Center, Minneapolis; Koehnline Museum in Skokie; Legion Arts in Cedar Rapids; South Bend Museum of Art in South Bend, Ind., and Freeport Art Museum, Freeport, Ill.

A 2020 textile artwork by Davis.

In 2020, Davis was selected to be an Artivism Fellow for the Broadway Advocacy Coalition. She is currently an Art Instructor and Gallery Coordinator for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges.

The IAC is proud to be able to provide Illinois artists with unrestricted funds in these awards that will support their creative endeavors and artistic growth, according to Wednesdays release.

The mission of the Illinois Arts Council is To build a strong, creative, and connected Illinois through the arts. The Agency recognizes that Illinois artists are an essential component of the social fabric and economic vibrancy of the state.

The Artist Fellowship Awardees and Finalists are representative of the diversity found in the arts across Illinois and represent a diversity of age, gender, and geographic locations.

For brief bios on all the Artist Fellowship Awardees, click HERE.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
Russia's mercenaries from Nepal deployed in Ukraine are deserting the Russian army in droves, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) reported on May 1.

Russia has been reportedly recruiting foreigners from such countries as Nepal, Somalia, India, Cuba, and others to fight in Ukraine from the very beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Moscow use them as "cannon fodder" on the front without preparing mercenaries for combat activities, said Petro Yatsenko, a spokesperson of Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

The Nepalese soldiers, assigned to military unit number 29328 of Russia's Armed Forces, are deserting due to heavy losses, non-payment of salaries, and commanders' abuse, "including executions for refusing to follow orders," according to HUR.

The agency published an alleged list of soldiers and profiles of some mercenaries. The Russian military has mostly failed at finding fleeing mercenaries in the occupied territories of Luhansk Oblast, where the military unit was deployed, HUR said.

In reports to the top leadership, Russian commanders claim that an earthquake in Nepal was the reason for mercenaries' desertion, according to the agency.

"Getting from occupied Luhansk Oblast back to Nepal alone is not an easy task. In addition, Nepalese citizens may face prosecution in their own country for participating in hostilities against Ukraine as part of the Russian army," HUR said.

Over 18,000 soldiers of the Southern Military District have abandoned their posts, with around 12,000 of them belonging to the 8th Combined Arms Army  a unit often deployed in hostilities in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine's military intelligence said on April 29.

Read also: Id be a king in Somalia with this money: Foreign POWs on being lured to fight for Russia in Ukraine

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The Feeding Our Future trial is being held at the Diane E. Murphy United States Courthouse in downtown Minneapolis. Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer.

The director of Minnesotas nutrition program testified Tuesday that she became concerned about an unusually high number of reimbursement claims soon after a pandemic relief program started to feed children under looser rules.

Emily Honer, director of Nutrition Program Services for the Minnesota Department of Education, testified all day Tuesday during the first federal trial of seven defendants out of the 70 people charged with defrauding the federal government of over $250 million through the meals program.

Once the pandemic shuttered schools and daycares, the U.S. Department of Agriculture loosened its rules for two programs to get food to people and allowed restaurants to participate.

That fueled massive growth for two Minnesota nonprofits: Partners in Nutrition and Feeding Our Future. The two organizations, founded less than five years earlier, grew from collecting a few million dollars a year before the pandemic to dispersing about $200 million each in 2021.

As sponsoring nonprofits, Partners in Nutrition and Feeding Our Future could enroll restaurants in the program while keeping 15% of the meal reimbursement money.

We became concerned very quickly, Honer testified. As July and August went on, we had more and more site applications coming in for restaurants and I found that to be highly concerning.

Before the pandemic, a distribution site would serve maybe 100 or 200 children, but those numbers began climbing to 500 or 600, she said. Most of the applications were coming from Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition, which was the first to ask if it could partner with restaurants.

She checked business filings and learned a main vendor to Partners in Nutrition, Empire Cuisine & Market, a halal market, was incorporated in April 2020. The tiny Shakopee strip mall restaurant quickly began seeking reimbursement for more meals than the states biggest high schools.

Honer and her staff began asking the nonprofits questions about whether they could handle that many children and whether the sites were even open.

The reimbursement claims began rolling in at incredibly high numbers, Honer said.

I had never seen payments of that magnitude before, she said.

Her department asked the USDA to refer concerns about claims to the Officer of Inspector General because it wasnt getting reasonable answers from Feeding Our Future or Partners in Nutrition.

In the fall of 2020, MDE consulted the USDA and concluded restaurants were not properly operating as sites, and halted the practice. Feeding Our Future had already been threatening legal action, and sued MDE in November 2020. Partners in Nutrition seemed to take it better, Honer said.

Empire Cuisine & Market pivoted and began acting as a vendor for other distribution sites. This turned out to be even more lucrative, as Empire became a vendor for about 30 sites, such as the Samaha Islamic Center in Shakopee, Cedar Run Townhomes in Owatonna, and Winfield Townhomes in Savage. It participated in both the summer and after-school programs.

Defendants Mohamed Ismail and Abdiaziz Farah were owners and operators of Empire.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson spent hours walking through MDE records with Honer that showed meal numbers exploding with each month.

Empires summer program claims rose from 9,180 meals in May 2020 to 46,000 in August 2021.

Honer was particularly concerned about a site at Tot Park in Circle Pines, a suburb north of the Twin Cities, because it wasnt even open  it was under construction.

Nonprofit Mind Foundry Learning Foundation began claiming 500 snacks and suppers were being distributed in January 2021, and three months later that number had climbed to 2,500. Then the nonprofit reported the exact same number of meals served April through June.

That is not realistic because children get sick, people go on vacation, parents arent able to go and get the meal, Honer said.

Nonprofit ThinkTechAct Foundation  sponsored by Feeding Our Future  began submitting claims it served 62,000 meals in January 2021 and the number climbed to 101,780 meals in August 2021.

Honer said she continued to express concerns to MDE leadership and the USDA signed off on serious deficiency notices to Partners in Nutrition and Feeding Our Future in March 2021. Honer also contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation because she hadnt heard from the USDA Office of Inspector General and MDE didnt have investigatory authority.

MDE issued stop pays, meaning the sponsor can continue to submit claims but wont get paid until after it provides documentation of invoices, menus, meal counts and attendance. In April 2021, Feeding Our Future got a temporary restraining order halting the stop pays, accusing the department of being racist and discriminatory against minorities.

A judge told MDE it didnt have the authority to issue the stop pay in that manner. The claims continued to increase.

Frederick Goetz, attorney for Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff, asked Honer why MDE didnt go to sites, and Honer said that was the sponsors job. Onsite monitoring was paused by the USDA during the pandemic, and instead MDE could do desk audits. Honer said she did not do a desk audit of any of the sites she was worried about.

Goetz said Honer told federal agents and prosecutors in March 2022 that upper MDE management was worried about the Feeding Our Future lawsuit and told her to stop looking into problems  although Honer testified Tuesday that she didnt recall telling them that.

He suggested Honer couldnt identify with the food insecurity being experienced by people who lost their jobs as taxi drivers, Uber drivers, housekeepers and restaurant workers.

Honer agreed that the Feeding Our Future lawsuit was very nasty and MDE staff was accused of being racist.

I was frustrated but I was also confident that I was not [racist], she said.

Her testimony continues Wednesday.

The post Minnesota Education Department official testifies about reporting Feeding Our Future fraud to FBI appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
This image provided by the Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, Minn., shows Abelhamid Al-Madioum, a Minnesota man who once fought for the Islamic State group in Syria. Al-Madioum, who has been cooperating with federal authorities and now expresses remorse for joining a death cult, will learn Wednesday, May 1, 2024, how much prison time he faces. Al-Madioum was brought to the U.S. in 2020 and pleaded guilty in 2021 to providing material support to a designated terrorist organization. (Sherburne County Jail via AP)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A Minnesota man who once fought for the Islamic State group in Syria but now expresses remorse for joining a death cult and has been cooperating with federal authorities will have to wait to learn how much prison time he faces after his sentencing hearing set for Wednesday was canceled.

Federal prosecutors have recommended 12 years for Abelhamid Al-Madioum in recognition both of the seriousness of his crime and the help has he given the U.S. and other governments. His attorney says that seven years is enough and that Al-Madioum, 27, stopped believing in the group's extremist ideology years ago.

A court notice posted online just over two hours before the hearing was to begin said it would be rescheduled for a date to be determined. The notice did not give a reason for the cancellation.

Al-Madioum was 18 in 2014 when IS recruited him. The college student slipped away from his family on a visit to their native Morocco in 2015. Making his way to Syria, he became a soldier for IS, also known as ISIS, until he was maimed in an explosion in Iraq. Unable to fight, he used his computer skills to serve the group. He surrendered to U.S.-backed rebels in 2019 and was imprisoned under harsh conditions.

Al-Madioum returned to the U.S. in 2020 and pleaded guilty in 2021 to providing material support to a designated terrorist organization. According to court filings, he has been cooperating with U.S. authorities and allied governments. The defense says he hopes to work in future counterterrorism and deradicalization efforts.

The person who left was young, ignorant, and misguided," Al-Madioum said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery, who will sentence him.

Ive been changed by life experience: by the treachery I endured as a member of ISIS, by becoming a father of four, a husband, an amputee, a prisoner of war, a malnourished supplicant, by seeing the pain and anguish and gnashing of teeth that terrorism causes, the humiliation, the tears, the shame, he added. "I joined a death cult, and it was the biggest mistake of my life.

Prosecutors acknowledge that Al-Madioum has provided useful assistance to U..S. authorities in several national security investigations and prosecutions, and that he accepted responsibility for his crime and pleaded guilty promptly on his return to the U.S. But they say they factored his cooperation into their recommended sentence of 12 years instead of the statutory maximum of 20 years.

The defendant did much more than harbor extremist beliefs, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo. He chose violent action by taking up arms for ISIS.

Al-Madioum, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was among several Minnesotans suspected of leaving the U.S. to join the Islamic State group, along with thousands of fighters from other countries worldwide. Roughly three dozen people are known to have left Minnesota to join militant groups in Somalia or Syria. In 2016, nine Minnesota men were sentenced on federal charges of conspiring to join IS.

But Al-Madioum is one of the relatively few Americans who have been brought back to the U.S. who actually fought for the group. According to a defense sentencing memo, he's one of 11 adults as of 2023 to be formally repatriated to the U.S. from the conflict in Syria and Iraq to face charges for terrorist-related crimes and alleged affiliations with IS. Others received sentences ranging from four years to life plus 70 years.

Al-Madioum grew up in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park in a loving and nonreligious family, the defense memo said. He joined IS because he wanted to help Muslims he believed were being slaughtered by Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime in that country's civil war. IS recruiters persuaded him to test his faith and become a real Muslim.

But he was a fighter for less than two months before he lost his right arm below the elbow in the explosion that also left him with two badly broken legs and other severe injuries. He may still require amputation of one leg, the defense says.

While recuperating in 2016, he met his first wife, Fatima, an IS widow who already had a son and bore him another in 2017. They lived in poverty and under constant airstrikes. He was unable to work, and his stipend from IS stopped in 2018. They lived in a makeshift tent, the defense says.

He married his second wife, Fozia, in 2018. She also was an IS widow and already had a 4-year-old daughter. They had separated by early 2019. He heard later she and their daughter together had died. The first wife also is dead, having been shot in front of Al-Madioum by either rebel forces or an IS fighter in 2019, the defense says.

The day after that shooting, he walked with his sons and surrendered to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which held him under conditions the defense described as heinous for 18 months until the FBI returned him to the U.S.

As for Al-Madioums children, the defense memo said that they were eventually found in a Syrian orphanage and that his parents will be their foster parents when they arrive in the U.S.
Minute Man National Historical Park in Lincoln and Walden Pond in Concord are among the most endangered historic places in America, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

A proposed expansion of Hanscom Field Airport landed the local historic sites onto the National Trusts annual list of Americas 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, which lists over 350 sites.

The proposed airport expansion could significantly increase aviation activity over nearby historic and natural landscapes, doubling private jet hangar capacity, and increasing the airport footprint in what would be the largest expansion in Hanscoms history, if approved, the National Trust said on its website.

Advocates are concerned that the proposed development could lead to increased noise disruption in an area that is already impacted by noise from jet traffic, often interrupting park programming, the National Trust for Historic Preservation said. Advocates also cite the potential for increased vehicular traffic and negative environmental and climate impacts of private jets.

Local residents can sign a petition to Gov. Maura Healey and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg urging them to stop expansion of Hanscom Field and preserve these irreplaceable American treasures, the National Trust said.

According to published reports, actress and activist Ashley Judd is expected to attend an event at The Old Manse in Concord on Wednesday to officially unveil the list. Massachusetts State Sen. Mike Barrett is also expected at the event, and historian David Brinkley will address the attendees in a pre-recorded video message.

Minute Man National Historical Park, Henry David Thoreaus Walden Pond and Woods, and nearby areas of Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, and Bedford are home to places of great significance in American history, the organization said.

According to the National Trust, the 1775 shot heard round the world that began the Revolutionary War took place in what is now Minute Man National Historical Park, and the area includes preserved homes open to the public. These include Orchard House, where Louisa May Alcott wrote and set the novel Little Women, the Robbins House, commemorating a formerly enslaved Revolutionary War veteran, and Henry David Thoreaus Walden Pond and Woods.

Visitors draw inspiration from these places significant to the American literary renaissance and environmental movements, the National Trust said.

According to the organization, this is not the first time the historic area has been threatened by proposed changes to Hanscom Field.

In 2003, Minute Man National Historical Park and nearby historic sites were included on the National Trusts list of Americas 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, helping ward off potential jet expansion at Hanscom, the organization said.

A strong coalition has formed in opposition to the new proposed expansion, advocating that this extraordinarily important historic area that witnessed the beginning of the United States struggle for independence is not the right place for a development of this scale and potential impact, and the National Trust is once again joining these efforts, the National Trust said.

One theme connecting the 2024 list is the power of communities to come together to combat erasure and protect the cultural landmarks, treasured local businesses, restaurants, customs, and traditions that help tell the layered stories of those whove called a place home, the National Trust said.

By rallying around the places that bring these stories to life, communities are not only empowered by their unique pasts, but also safeguarding a sense of identity, continuity, and vitality for the future, the organization said.

Other historic locations on the list include the Wilderness Battlefield Area in Orange County, Virginia; the Cindy Walker House in Mexia, Texas; Eatonville, Florida, known as one of the first self-governing all-Black municipalities in the nation; Hudson-Athens Lighthouse in Athens, New York; Little Tokyo in Los Angeles; Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana; New Salem Baptist Church in Tams, West Virginia; Sitka Tlingit Clan Houses in Sitka, Alaska.

This years list challenges us to broaden our perspectives about American history, what it means to save places, and what our goals for preservation should be, the National Trust said.

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

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FILE - Mississippi House Democratic Leader Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, speaks during a debate, Feb. 1, 2024, at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Johnson said Tuesday, April 30, that many House Democrats have concerns about a bill that he said would provide "Medicaid expansion in name only." (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A Medicaid expansion plan endorsed by leaders in the Republican-led Mississippi Legislature could struggle for bipartisan support because it includes a work requirement that is unlikely to receive federal approval, the state House Democratic leader said Tuesday.

Approving the plan could create false hope among people who want Medicaid coverage but might not receive it, Rep. Robert Johnson told reporters after his party's caucus met privately to discuss the issue.

The Democratic Caucus in the House didnt want to vote for a Medicaid expansion bill that was Medicaid expansion in name only, said Johnson, of Natchez.

House and Senate leaders were working behind closed doors to secure support. They need at least a two-thirds margin in each chamber  enough to override an expected veto by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves.

Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the U.S., with some of the worst health outcomes. It is also one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the health care law that then-President Barack Obama signed into law in 2010.

Democrats have said for years that Medicaid expansion could help people receive care for chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes, and that an infusion of federal money could give a boost to financially strapped hospitals.

Reeves said Tuesday on social media that legislators were poised to vote on FULL Obamacare Medicaid Expansion and that it would be Just like Obama-Biden wanted!

A plan filed Monday night would require new Mississippi Medicaid recipients to be employed at least 100 hours a month in a job that does not provide private health insurance. Or they could fit into other categories, such as being a fulltime student or the parent of a child younger than 6.

Georgia is the only state with a Medicaid work requirement, and it is suing the federal government to try to keep the mandate in place. The work requirement was approved by then-President Donald Trumps administration, but the Biden administration announced in December 2021 that it was revoking the approval. That prompted Georgia officials to sue.

If the federal government rejects Mississippis work requirement, the state Division of Medicaid would be required to continue seeking approval each year  an acknowledgement that a different federal administration might provide a different decision.

Mississippi's previous House speaker, Republican Philip Gunn, also opposed expansion. He did not seek reelection. The new speaker selected in January, Republican Jason White, has said expansion is a priority to try to help people working low-wage jobs that don't provide insurance.

The House voted by a wide bipartisan margin in late February to expand Medicaid coverage to about 200,000 people who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level, or $20,120 annually for one person. Mississippi has about 3 million residents, and its Medicaid program covered 374,823 people in March.

In late March, the Senate passed its own pared-down version that would extend eligibility to people earning up to 100% of the federal poverty level, just over $15,000 for one person. Senate Medicaid Committee Chairman Kevin Blackwell, a Republican from Southaven, said about 80,000 people would become eligible for coverage. But he thought about half that number would enroll.
A protracted filibuster from a group of hard-right senators has ground the Missouri Senate to a halt, threatening to derail the General Assemblys final weeks of session.

The states Medicaid program and a roughly $50 billion budget that funds state operations hang in the balance. The results could be devastating to Missouri.

Members of the hard-right Missouri Freedom Caucus have for more than 28 hours held the Senate floor hostage, halting all action until a laundry list of their demands are met. The hours-long filibuster has sparked chaos among lawmakers who fear that it could blow up the session with less than three weeks left.

A chorus of Missouri health care groups and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday also issued a stark warning: The Freedom Caucus is endangering the well-being of millions of Missourians.

The filibuster has blocked the Senate from taking up the renewal of a crucial series of taxes that would keep the states Medicaid program operating. The program provides health coverage to roughly 1 million residents. Failure to renew the taxes called the Federal Reimbursement Allowance or FRA, would result in a loss of billions in state and federal Medicaid funds.

Members of the Freedom Caucus have vowed to block the renewal until two of their priorities are completed: Republican Gov. Mike Parson must sign into law a bill to prohibit Planned Parenthood from Medicaid reimbursements and lawmakers must also pass a measure that would make it harder for Missourians to change the constitution.

One of the leaders of the Freedom Caucus, Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican, has chewed up a significant amount of floor time railing against the tax renewal. On Tuesday, he referred to it as a pyramid scheme.

We feel like we have to stand today and hold up the renewal of one of Missouris largest health care taxes that is levied on our hospitals, he said.

The push from Eigel and his colleagues follows months of infighting between members of the Freedom Caucus and Republicans aligned with Senate leadership. Some Republicans appear to be growing increasingly frustrated with the groups tactics.

Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican who filed the bill to renew the FRA, said in an interview that the Freedom Caucus was blocking funding that would help rural hospitals stay afloat.

I think theyre standing in the way of themselves at this point, said Hough, who is running for lieutenant governor. This idea that we have to stop everything and do something else right now, its kind of counterintuitive to actually getting anything done.

If lawmakers fail to renew the FRA this session, Republican Gov. Mike Parson would almost certainly call them back into a special session  which is what happened the last time the taxes were up for renewal in 2021.

The filibuster has also prevented the Senate from taking action on the states budget for the next fiscal year, which lawmakers are required by the Missouri Constitution to complete.

Parson spokesperson Johnathan Shiflett in an email declined comment on the filibuster but said the governor could have a statement by the end of the day on Wednesday.

In the meantime, Missouri health care groups are sounding the alarm. The Missouri Hospital Association, the Missouri Pharmacy Association, the Missouri Ambulance Association, and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry released a joint statement criticizing the Freedom Caucus tactics on Wednesday.

The groups called on Eigel and the Freedom Caucus to immediately cease their destructive filibuster.

Failure to renew the taxes would hurt children with chronic illnesses, force nursing homes to close, shut down rural hospitals, collapse mental health care services, and jeopardize pharmacy and emergency services, the groups said.

These are not mere warnings; they are the grim realities we face if Senator Eigel and his colleagues continue to prioritize political spectacle over practical governance, the statement said.

The FRA is levied on hospitals, ambulance companies, and pharmacies, which have voluntarily contributed to the system since 1992. The taxes are a critical funding source for the entire state budget.

Not renewing the FRA would lead to an estimated loss of $4.3 billion in state and federal Medicaid funds in fiscal year 2026, according to an analysis by the Missouri Budget Project, a nonprofit that analyzes fiscal policy.

The filibuster in the Senate has also halted most action across the Capitol building in the House, effectively derailing the entire General Assembly.

All eyes are on the Senate, House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson, a Lees Summit Republican, told reporters earlier this week. Our focus is on really getting the budget and the FRA done and we kind of have to wait on the Senate for that.

House Speaker Dean Plocher, a St. Louis-area Republican, went a step further on Tuesday and appeared to align himself ideologically with one of the Freedom Caucus demands. However, he told reporters that he was not endorsing the groups tactics.

Plocher, in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Cindy OLaughlin, a Shelbina Republican, requested that Senate leaders pass the measure that would make it harder to amend the constitution before they take up the FRA and the budget.

The push by hard-right Republicans comes as abortion rights supporters are expected to turn in more than 171,000 signatures this week to get an amendment that would overturn the states abortion ban on the ballot. Some Republicans feel that making it harder to change the constitution through the states initiative petition or IP process could block that potential vote.

Sen. Nick Schroer, a Freedom Caucus member from St. Charles County, on Wednesday, described the petition to legalize abortion as a doomsday scenario.

I have been vocal that yes, this issue, the IP issue, the FRA issue and arguably even the budget are all right to life, pro-life issues in different ways, Schroer added.

Democrats in both the Senate and the House also appear to be growing increasingly concerned about the General Assemblys tight deadline to renew the taxes and pass the budget.

Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, said the filibuster could have been avoided if the bill had been brought up earlier in the session.

It was a situation that we all knew how important this was, Rizzo said. Every senator from the top senator to the last senator understood this was essential to passing a balanced budget, to keeping rural hospitals open, to keeping nursing homes open, Medicaid, all these things.

And as the clock continues to tick, House Minority Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Springfield Democrat, has filed her own bill to renew the taxes. She took to social media on Wednesday to attack the Freedom Caucus.

The stakes are too high to let extremists hold Missouri hostage for their campaign ads, said Quade, who is running for governor. Lets get it done and keep more of our hospitals from closing.
Bolstered by healthy first-quarter global card-spending trends, Mastercard is focusing on opportunities outside the U.S., including a unique card-processing arrangement beginning this month in China. Credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

Mastercard's overall card spending held up during the first quarter, with worldwide gross dollar volume up 10% over the same period a year earlier, buoyed by healthy travel spending , the ongoing momentum of more contactless transit payments and strong cross-border transactions , the card network announced Wednesday.

U.S. gross dollar volume increased 6% during the quarter ended March 31, 2024, underscoring its slower growth compared to other regions. Minus U.S. spending, Mastercard's worldwide gross dollar volume increased 13%, propelled by a 21% surge in Latin America, a 16% increase in Europe and an 8% rise in Canada.

The Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa region surpassed the U.S. slightly with a 7% increase in gross dollar volume. Even though Asian economies have been constrained from a relatively late post-pandemic recovery, Mastercard sees future growth opportunities across Asia, and this month the firm will process its first payment card transactions in China through a joint venture announced last year with a local processor there, Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach told analysts during a conference call to discuss quarterly results.

"This is a medium- to long-term opportunity [to process card payments locally]," Miebach said, noting that Mastercard is also working with Chinese merchants to expand Mastercard acceptance in local digital wallets "so they can be used at the whole wide range of merchants in China" as the Chinese government pushes to increase inbound cross-border travel .

Mastercard is also focusing on opportunities to convert cash to digital transactions in countries like Indonesia, where about 70% of transactions are still conducted in cash, and Italy, where 45% of purchases are made with cash, Miebach said. In cash-centric Germany, Mastercard recently expanded card acceptance for health care payments. Across Latin America, Mastercard is seeing strong digital-payments growth in countries including Mexico, Colombia and Chile.

Tap on Phone is driving significant growth for merchants around the world who are using Mastercard's approach to accepting payments directly on smartphones, with 1.5 million merchants in Brazil now live with the technology, Miebach said.

Global cross-border payments volume rose 18% during the first quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. Mastercard recently dubbed that business Mastercard Move, now encompassing its real-time debit service Mastercard Send and its cross-border payments service across 10 million endpoints worldwide, according to Miebach.

Story continues

Contactless payments continue to gain momentum around the world, with two out of three in-person transactions now conducted by tapping a card or a device, versus one in three prior to the pandemic, Miebach said. "That is multiple transactions as consumers get into open-loop [mass-transit payment] systems multiple times a day. And when they get out of the station, they use that same tapping behavior as they buy a coffee and so forth."

More than one in four Mastercard transactions are tokenized as of the end of the first quarter, up 50% from a year ago, which has significantly increased card security, according to Miebach.

The company is bullish on the potential impact of a recent proposed settlement card networks reached with merchants to cap interchange rates, he said. (Several merchant associations oppose finalizing the settlement.)

"We're going to have a mild reduction of interchange rates  and we're providing more clarity and simplification around surcharging rules and discounting rules," Miebach said. Broadly speaking, Miebach said he doesn't expect a major business impact, but noted that the settlement, if finalized, could represent "a lot of competition in the payments market."

Mastercard's net revenue for the first quarter was $6.3 billion, up 11% from $5.7 billion during the same period a year earlier, on a currency-neutral basis. Adjusted net income was $3 billion, up 16% from $2.7 billion during the year-earlier quarter. Adjusted operating expenses during the recent quarter were $2.6 billion, up 9% from $2.4 billion during the first quarter of 2023.

Mastercard's results were modestly above expectations, according to analysts with HSBC Global. "While our base case outlook entails healthy top-line and EPS growth, we believe a more rapid-than-expected lowering of volume growth could trigger a valuation de-rating," the firm said in a Wednesday note to investors.


Update

JOPLIN, Mo.  Jasper County Judge Gayle Crane issues a ruling in a case weve been telling you about that involves Vernon County elected officials and the Republican Committee.



At the heart of this case is whether the Vernon County GOP Committee can control which candidates are listed as Republicans. The committee sued the clerk in this case.

Current county commissioner Cindy Thompson also asked to join the lawsuit. She was named as one of the candidates the committee wanted to prevent from appearing on the ballot in August.

Judge Crane ruled she could not join this lawsuit.

Additionally  the judge overruled the motion to dismiss the case. She ordered the Vernon County Republican Committee to produce the documents requested by the county clerk.

There will likely be another hearing before theres a decision about whether the GOP can control who is listed on the ballot.

Missouri Republicans clash over candidate selection process

JOPLIN, Mo.  County officials all over Missouri are watching a Vernon County court battle between the Vernon County Republican Committee and County Clerk, Adrienne Lee.

PREVIOUS: Missouri Republicans begin legal battle with County Clerk over vetting

Jasper County Judge Gayle Crane was appointed to preside over the case because it involves current Vernon County officials and the Vernon County Republicans.

Attorneys for the Republican Committee argued today (4/30) the committee should have the right to say who can run as a Republican for any county office.

Republican committees across the state of Missouri are attempting to put in place a vetting process they say will allow them to select true Republicans to appear on election ballots.

Opponents say it should be up to the voters to say who their candidates should be.

The state law being argued deals with the payment of the candidate filing fee, RSMo. 115.357.

Republican committees say they have the final right of refusal and if they decline to accept the filing fee, that person should not be allowed to appear on the ballot as a Republican.

She [Judge Crane] understood, that this isnt about vetting. This is about whether not government has the right to tell a political party who its candidate is going to be when the party doesnt want that candidate, said Cyndia Haggard, Vernon Co. GOP Committee chair.

Travis Elliott, the attorney for County Clerk Adrienne Lee, says that her position on free and fair elections and open elections in the state of Missouri is a really important thing and he hopes that came across today to the judge.

As the Vernon County Clerk, Lee is responsible for accepting the filing fee and paperwork provided by candidates who file for elected office.

Her attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case and to quash an Order of Mandamus issued by the Court.









Ultimately we want the voters to make those decisions and I think the judge will see that and allow the candidacies to go forward and the elections in August, said Marc Ellinger, attorney for Cindy Thompson, County Commissioner.

The Vernon County Republican committee has listed at least eight names they want to be kept off the ballot.

BRENT BANES  COLLECTOR/TREASURER

KELSEY WESTERHOLD  PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR

LENA KLEEMAN  ASSESSOR

MIKE BUEHLER  RICH HILL POLICE CHIEF

CINDY THOMPSON  COUNTY COMMISSIONER

JIMMY DYE

FRANK RADSPINNER

JOHN SHORTEN

Judge Crane says she intends to issue her ruling tomorrow.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com.
Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at RealityCheck@kcstar.com.

Missouri Republican lawmakers are attempting to target Kansas City through the state budget, proposing to strip all state funds from any city that becomes a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants.

But while the proposal is aimed at Kansas City, Mayor Quinton Lucas has said he has no plans to make the city a sanctuary city for illegal immigration.

It comes as Missouri Republicans repeatedly distort comments Lucas made welcoming migrant workers who are in the U.S. legally and legal experts say the budget language would likely not affect Lucas plans.

The GOP-controlled Senate in the coming weeks is poised to debate the states $50 billion spending plan for the next fiscal year which includes an amendment requiring cities that welcome undocumented immigrants to pay back all state funds. It builds on a state law that bars cities from giving undocumented immigrants a lawful presence in violation of federal law.

I think Mayor Lucas is in error in this, said Sen. Mike Cierpiot, a Lees Summit Republican on the Senate budget committee. Kansas Citys having a good run. I dont know why he wants to mess that up.

The move comes just weeks after Lucas wrote on social media that All are welcome in Kansas City.

Lucas linked to an article in which he said that the Kansas City economy would benefit from workers seeking asylum or other legal status in the U.S. but who are stuck in crowded shelters in cities such as New York awaiting work permits or other documentation.

The Kansas City mayor also posted a follow-up, emphasizing that he was talking about persons who are lawfully present, with lawful work permits, and the lawful ability to come to our community.

A chorus of Missouri Republicans, including all three major GOP candidates for governor, have seized on Lucas comments over the past two weeks as Republicans seek to draw attention to issues at the southern border with Mexico ahead of the 2024 election.

But legal experts say that the budget language, which was added at the urging of Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, a Parkville Republican, would likely have no impact on Kansas City largely because it is already illegal to adopt sanctuary policies in Missouri.

Luetkemeyer did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Its more of a press release than an attempt at lawmaking, said Chuck Hatfield, a Jefferson City-based attorney who previously worked in the Missouri Attorney Generals Office. Its just performative.

Hatfield also pointed to previous court rulings that stated lawmakers could not change state laws through the budget, saying that the budget language could also run afoul of the Missouri Constitution.

Michael Wolff, a former Missouri Supreme Court chief justice, said in an interview that he also didnt think the budget language would do anything to Kansas City.

The object of a budget bill is to allocate money, he said. What theyve taken on is a new duty and that is to confuse people.

Still, some Republicans remain steadfast in framing Lucas comments as an invitation for undocumented immigrants to come to Kansas City. One of those officials is Republican Treasurer Vivek Malek, who immigrated to the U.S. from India.

Malek moved to the U.S. and underwent a 16-year immigration process that included a student visa, a work visa, legal permanent resident status and then he became a lawful naturalized citizen, he said.

There is no question that Mayor Lucas is pushing to accept undocumented immigrants, Malek said, pointing to policies under Democratic President Joe Biden. This is a slap in the face to those who, like me, waited for years and followed the law, for Biden to simply turn the law upside down and create shortcuts.

The Biden administration has authorized expedited work permits for some eligible migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua for humanitarian reasons. People who obtain those permits are allowed to temporarily live and work in the U.S. legally.

But House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson, a Lees Summit Republican, told reporters this week that he understood Lucas was talking about Kansas City accepting workers who were in the country legally  a statement he did not have an issue with.

I dont have any problem with legal immigration, he said. I have a problem with illegal immigration.

Patterson, however, said that while he had not read the proposed budget language, he would be supportive of barring funding from cities that adopt sanctuary policies.

Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat, said in an interview that she hoped the budget language was just a political maneuver and not something serious. But she signaled she was concerned by the move.

This isnt the time to play these types of games, she said. We need to get a budget through that helps everyoneyou dont file something that would hamper Missourians, which is what this language can potentially do.

Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, said in an interview that he also didnt think the language would do anything to Kansas City  pointing to current Missouri laws surrounding sanctuary cities.

However, Rizzo also appeared to express some frustration with Lucas for his comments on social media that have sparked a firestorm among Republicans in Jefferson City.

It causes us heartburn down here, he said. I know it sounds good to fire off a tweet from 200 miles away, but, you know, theres real people on the other end that are gonna have to expend man hours and energy to try to figure out how to resolve the situation.

Rizzo said he has a good relationship with Lucas, but wished there was more communication and substantive plans in place before he made his comments.

For Hatfield, the Jefferson City-based attorney, the budget language does not change anything about current Missouri laws surrounding sanctuary cities.

Either it doesnt do anything or it does something thats likely unconstitutional, he said. I think its the former  it just doesnt do anything.
The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday took the unusual step of striking down a 2022 voter-approved constitutional amendment that required Kansas City to spend a larger percentage of its money on the police department, and ordered that the issue go back before voters in November.

The ruling overturns a ballot measure approved by 63% of voters in November 2022. It required the city to spend 25% of general revenue on police, up from the previous 20% requirement.

Democratic Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas filed suit in 2023, alleging that voters were misled because the ballot language used false financial estimates in the fiscal note summary.

The lawsuit stated that Kansas City leaders had informed state officials prior to the November 2022 election that the ballot measure would cost the city nearly $39 million and require cuts in other services. But the fiscal note summary stated that local governmental entities estimate no additional costs or savings related to this proposal.

State Supreme Court Judge Paul C. Wilson wrote that the ruling wasnt about whether Kansas City adequately funds its police.

Instead, the only issue in this case is whether the auditors fiscal note summary  the very last thing each and every voter saw before voting yes or no on Amendment No. 4  fairly and accurately summarized the auditors fiscal note , Wilson wrote. This Court concludes it did not and, therefore, orders a new election on this question to be conducted as part of the statewide general election on November 5, 2024.

Lucas responded on X by stating that the court sided with what is fair and just: the people of Kansas Citys voices should not be ignored in conversations about our own safety,. This is an important decision standing up for the rights of cities and their people.

Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who is running for governor, wrote on X that while Lucas went to Court to defund the police, I will never stop fighting to ensure the KC police are funded.

Former Missouri Supreme Court Judge Michael Wolff said the ruling was unusual. But Wolff said that state statutes have no provisions allowing interested parties to see the wording of the fiscal note summary prior to an election.

The only time you can do it is in a post-election challenge, Wolff said. So either you have no remedy at all or you have the remedy that the court gave them.

Kansas City is the only city in Missouri  and one of the largest cities in the U.S.  that does not have local control of its police department. Instead, a state board oversees the departments operations, including its budget.

State lawmakers passed a law earlier in 2022 to require the budget increase but feared it would violate the state constitutions unfunded mandate provision. The ballot measure was meant to resolve any potential conflict.

Republican leaders and Kansas City officials have sparred over police funding in recent years. In 2021, Lucas and other city leaders unsuccessfully sought to divert a portion of the police departments budget to social service and crime prevention programs. GOP lawmakers in Jefferson City said the effort was a move to defund the police in a city with a high rate of violent crime.

Kansas City leaders maintained that raising the percentage of funding for police wouldnt improve public safety. In 2023, the year after the amendment passed, Kansas City had a record number of homicides.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Monroe County's ethics watchdogs plan to investigate District Attorney Sandra Doorley's actions when she was ticketed last week for speeding.

Late Tuesday, Janson McNair, director of the Monroe County Office of Public Integrity and chair of the county's Board of Ethics, said both of those entities would conduct an investigation into Doorley.

"The investigation begins immediately," he said. "We will report the results of our thorough investigation and subsequent recommendations to the appropriate authorities and share them with the public via a press release."

More: Rochester City Council calls for state inquiry into DA Sandra Doorley's conduct in traffic stop

The county's ethics code states that officials "should not use or attempt to use" their official positions "to secure unwarranted privileges or exemptions" for themselves.

Sandra Doorley apologizes in a video released early Monday morning.

Intentional violations of the code may result in removal from office. However, McNair clarified that his office was not empowered to execute this provision, stating that only the governor could do so.

While much of the public ire toward Doorley has focused on her demeanor toward a Webster police officer during an attempted traffic stop, video of the interaction raises ethical issues about not only her words but her intent.

Doorley is being roundly criticized for failing to pull over when the officer, Cameron Crisafulli, pursued her using emergency lights and sirens, and for her contumacious attitude towards the officer upon arrival at her house. Doorley had been going 20 miles over the posted speed limit.

It isnt lost on us that if a Black or brown member of the community fled the police and refused to follow instructions, the situation might have met a tragic end, as we have seen so many times in our country," the Working Families Party, which called on Doorley to resign, said in a statement Monday.

Also of significant concern are the words Doorley used during the confrontation with the police officer who was ticketing her. After stating that she is the county's district attorney, Doorley says, "Im going to prosecute myself. Do you know what Ill do with the ticket?"

Admittedly, Doorley doesn't answer the question, but the appearance of impropriety is hard to ignore, regardless of the possibility she was being angrily farcical with her comments.

More: Sandra Doorley releases apology video in response to viral confrontation with officer. Watch now

More: Who is Sandra Doorley? Monroe County DA under fire after her response to traffic stop

In her position, she could not offer a favorable outcome to any defendant  nor could any of her staff  yet her words could imply that she was planning just that.

In a short video released Monday, Doorley said she intends to self-report to an attorney grievance committee and ask that her actions be investigated. She also said she'll refer the matter to an outside prosecutor.

Doorley has pleaded guilty to the speeding ticket, but a prosecutor could determine whether her refusal to immediately stop for the officer constitutes a separate offense. Doorley admitted to driving 55 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has referred the incident to the state's Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct, which has yet to hear a case partly because of challenges to its legal standing.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Sandra Doorley traffic stop flap to be investigated by ethics board
The Monroe County Legislature Tuesday blocked the appointment of a new fiscal sponsor for the troubled Neighborhood Collaborative Project, with two Democrats joining 13 Republicans in voting no.

The resolution would have installed Starbridge Services, a local nonprofit focusing on people with disabilities, to handle the financial and administrative component of about $6 million in remaining federal funding intended to reduce homelessness and other social ills. The first administrator, Community Resource Collaborative, was jettisoned after major irregularities surfaced with its handling of the money.

The question that now splits the Legislature is not simply who should be appointed as fiscal sponsor, but whether the Collaborative Project in its present form should be funded at all. Democrats Rachel Barnhart and Mercedes Vazquez Simmons said that it should not.

They cited unusually high administrative costs and the inclusion of for-profit companies among the Neighborhood Collaborative Project's 12 member entities, among other things. They and the 13 Republicans urged County Executive Adam Bello to reconsider how best to ensure that the federal funding reaches those in need.

"We recognize some of the members of the Neighborhood Collaborative Project did good work and are waiting for much-needed funding," Vazquez Simmons said in a press release. "But we have to do this in a legal and responsible manner. ... We are asking the administration to bring us an improved proposal."

Without a fiscal sponsor in place, the project's member agencies cannot be reimbursed for work they already do or as they continue to do it going forward. Many of them have laid off employees or scaled back their operations until the funding matter can be resolved.

More: Community Resource Collaborative financial crisis takes toll, impact grows

'Exacerbates the plight of those already struggling'

Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart.

The Democratic majority caucus criticized Barnhart and Vazquez Simmons for their defection and insisted funds distribution process has been strengthened to prevent further misuse.

"Denying our constituents this chance because of a personal agenda is completely unfair to the agencies involved, and exacerbates the plight of those already struggling," Majority Leader Michael Yudelson said in a statement.

Barnhart and Vazquez Simmons singled out in particular Beatriz LeBron, executive director of the Father Tracy Advocacy Center, one of the Neighborhood Collaborative Project's anchor agencies. They criticized her for paying herself $3,900 to serve as a vocational trainer rather than hiring someone else, and said she threatened Vazquez Simmons at a public meeting.

More: Money shifting, excuses, head-scratching questions: The story behind CRC's fall

LeBron, who is also vice president of the Rochester school board, said Vazquez was lying about their interaction.

"Two (legislators) who lack any real experience in nonprofit management, procurement or grant oversight procedures continue to share uninformed and unqualified opinions that misrepresent and mischaracterize the work of grassroots service providers who are in the trenches of this community daily," she said in a statement. "They have ensured that more Rochesterians will stay in crisis, go hungry ... and be removed from critical services they need to survive."

 Justin Murphy is a veteran reporter at the Democrat and Chronicle and author of "Your Children Are Very Greatly in Danger: School Segregation in Rochester, New York." Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/CitizenMurphy or contact him at jmurphy7@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Legislature denies contract for Neighborhood Collaborative Project
Employee housing in Yellowstone River during the 2022 Yellowstone River flood. (Photo by Gina Riquier/Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park)

Montana Disaster and Emergency Services said it has seen 60% staff turnover in the two years since the Yellowstone River flood and asked lawmakers Tuesday for 14 more full-time employees.

Administrator for the Disaster and Emergency Services Division Delila Bruno told legislators the staff losses are in part due to burnout, and most often they lose employees to the private sector after training them.

Legislators are looking into disaster and emergency service recovery response in Montana as part of a study bill passed in the last legislative session. Lawmakers in a subcommittee of the State Administration and Veterans Affairs Interim Committee will eventually have to draft recommendations for how to improve emergency response in the state.

Department suggestions beyond staff increases included enhancing recovery coordination between agencies pre-disaster, training state experts to provide damage assessments to reduce reliance on federal partners, developing a statewide debris management plan and increasing staffing to assist individual assistance post-disaster.

In June of 2022, the Yellowstone River flooded in a 500-year event with nearly 10 inches of rain and snowmelt in 24 hours, destroying homes and structures along the river and sections of northern roads leading into Yellowstone National Park from gateway towns. The event required a massive recovery effort.

In the past 12 years, Montana has made 50 statewide disaster declarations and 15 federal declarations, including the 2022 flood, Bruno said. The recovery team, which works to restore a community to pre-disaster conditions, has six open disasters it is working on  half of which are floods.

She said federal resources for recovery efforts significantly outweigh whats available at the state and local level. It would be better to reduce the reliance on the federal government to get communities back on their feet, she said, and may allow for a faster response.

Rep. Kelly Kortum, D-Bozeman, proposed writing a bill to provide emergency services with the additional 14 staff members, but other lawmakers shot the idea down as premature and wanted to hear from other stakeholders first.

Bruno said in an example of how the department loses staff, if they trained someone up to be a floodplain manager, then they suddenly became incredibly marketable for disaster firms for nationwide projects.

They pay way more than we do, Bruno said. Thats very, very common to see people get gobbled up in the private sector and work nationally.

The legislature gave staff raises during the last legislative session, which Bruno said has been a huge help in retention. She said getting more employees to share in the workload could also help with burnout.

Bruno said there also needs to be an emphasis on hiring for different skill sets in the division, and said they need more grant writers and people who understand local policies.

What is appealing to a lot of emergency managers that we have apply for these positions is that they still associate the work with kind of a first-responder type work, she said.

She said the division is looking to develop a certification program to train people on the recovery aspect of the job and the more administrative side of the division, which she said is the bulk of their work, though there are opportunities for first responders as well.

We want to make sure that whether youre at the local level or youre at the state level, when you take a job with disaster emergency services, its clear what your what your job really is, she said.

Bruno said Montana needs to increase support for local communities to be able to respond and recover from disasters.

We know we need more training at both the state and local levels, she said. We do know that Montana communities do a better job when they have the resources at their fingertips.

The SAVA sub-committee did not take action Tuesday, but will meet with the full interim committee on May 23.

The post Montana Disaster Services reports massive turnover since 22 flood appeared first on Daily Montanan.
More than 24 million women will give birth without medical assistance this year, research shows

Somalia, long devastated by a civil war, has the lowest rate of skilled birth attendance in the world - Ed Ram/Getty Images

More than 24 million women will give birth without medical assistance in 2024, new research estimates.

Women in countries affected by conflict are three times more likely to go without a skilled birth attendant, and three times more likely to give birth outside of a health facility, according to a new report by Save the Children.

Climate disasters and regressive reproductive rights and education are also denying pregnant women access to a doctor or midwife, the charity said.

These interlocking crises are threatening the progress made in reducing maternal mortality rates (MMR), Save the Children added.

Although rates have plateaued in numerous countries they are on the rise in others.

Maternal deaths fell from 339 fatalities per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 227 by 2015. However, this rate remained fixed at 223 between 2016 and 2020.

The presence of skilled birth attendants  doctors, nurses, or midwives  diminishes the risk of complications and significantly improves survival rates of both mothers and newborns, but for millions of women this assistance is not an option.

In 2024, a total of 17.9 per cent of births will not have a skilled birth attendant (SBA) present, and 22.2 per cent of births  a total of 28 million women  will give birth outside of a health facility, Save the Children found.

Access to skilled birth attendants is lowest in countries affected by conflict and climate crises, the report said.

Harm to mother and baby

In Somalia, which has been devastated by a long-running civil war, only 31.9 per cent of women give birth with a doctor, midwife or nurse present  the lowest rate of skilled birth attendance in the world.

Eritrea follows, with 34.1 per cent of births attended by a medical professional. In South Sudan, this figure stands at 39.7 per cent.

Save the Children said that many women in these countries frequently refrain from seeking medical care due to fear and insecurity, stemming from concerns about violence, harassment, or the absence of safety during the journey to health facilities.

If they do choose to travel to receive medical attention, they often endure long, difficult journeys that can be harmful to both mother and baby.

Among those countries at risk of climate-related disasters is Niger, with just 43.7 per cent of women accessing a skilled birth attendant, and Madagascar, with 45.8 per cent.

Tara Brace-John, Head of Global Policy, Advocacy & Research at Save the Children UK, said that every woman deserves the right to give birth safely and with dignity.

Women living in even the most remote and dangerous areas of the world should have access to medical care, and equipment, as well as the right to access reproductive services and education, she added.

A mother holding her newborn baby safely in her arms for the very first time is the most precious moment there is.

Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security

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.
More than 50 injured after train collides with bus in downtown Los Angeles: officials

LOS ANGELES (KTLA)  At least 55 people were hurt, two seriously, when a Metro train collided with a University of Southern California shuttle bus Tuesday in Los Angeles, officials said.

The crash happened around 11:55 a.m. in the downtown area, near the USC campus and Natural History Museum, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Two victims were hospitalized with serious injuries and 16 others were transported in fair condition, the department said. Another 37 people were treated at the scene.

According to preliminary information released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash occurred at 11:54 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, on Exposition Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Figueroa Street near the campus of USC. (KTLA)

According to preliminary information released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash occurred at 11:54 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, on Exposition Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Figueroa Street near the campus of USC. (KTLA)

According to preliminary information released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash occurred at 11:54 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, on Exposition Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Figueroa Street near the campus of USC. (KTLA)

According to preliminary information released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash occurred at 11:54 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, on Exposition Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Figueroa Street near the campus of USC. (KTLA)

According to preliminary information released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash occurred at 11:54 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, on Exposition Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Figueroa Street near the campus of USC. (KTLA)

According to preliminary information released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash occurred at 11:54 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, on Exposition Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Figueroa Street near the campus of USC. (KTLA)

According to preliminary information released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash occurred at 11:54 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, on Exposition Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Figueroa Street near the campus of USC. (KTLA)

According to preliminary information released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash occurred at 11:54 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, on Exposition Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Figueroa Street near the campus of USC. (KTLA)

According to preliminary information released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash occurred at 11:54 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, on Exposition Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Figueroa Street near the campus of USC. (KTLA)

According to preliminary information released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash occurred at 11:54 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, on Exposition Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Figueroa Street near the campus of USC. (KTLA)

The shuttle bus had at least two occupants at the time of the collision, Nexstars KTLA reported.

Dave Sotero, a spokesperson for LA Metro, said the bus crossed into the path of an E Line train. The light rail line runs from East Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica mostly along streets, and not all of the crossings have gates.

Footage of the scene showed the left side of the red and white bus smashed against the first car of the train. The front section of the bus had significant damage.

Former TikTok star expected to testify in own double murder trial

Sotero said the Los Angeles Police Department would be in charge of the investigation.

Metro offers its sympathy to those injured in the accident, Sotero said in an email to the Associated Press.

Metro announced on social media that the crash will temporarily prevent service on a portion of the Metro E line and and buses would be used to get passengers through the crash area.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Americans are increasingly viewing China as an enemy of the U.S., according to a new survey.

The survey, from the Pew Research Center, found 42 percent of Americans said they think China is an enemy to their country, up 4 points from last year at a similar time. In both years, only 6 percent of surveyed Americans said they think China is a partner of their country.

A large majority of Americans also said they have either a very unfavorable or somewhat unfavorable opinion of China, at 81 percent in the survey, down from last year only slightly, when 83 percent of surveyed Americans said the same.

President Biden recently had a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which was a follow-up to their meeting in California last year, with a senior administration official referring to the call as a check-in.

Both President Biden and President Xi agreed to try to pick up the phone a bit more, use that tool as a means of responsibly managing the relationship, of being in closer touch at the leader level  which is so very critical in the Chinese system  on a more regular basis, the official said.

The president also signed a $95 billion foreign aid package last week that included $8 billion in security assistance to push back against Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

The Pew survey was conducted April 1-7, featuring 3,600 people and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
This is Totally Normal Quote of the Day, a feature highlighting a statement from the news that exemplifies just how extremely normal everything has become.

Youll have to speak to the individual states. Donald Trump, responding to the question of whether state governments should be allowed to monitor womens pregnancies to know if theyve had abortions

On April 12, former President Donald Trump sat for an interview with Time. That interview, which ran with some follow-up questions from this past Saturday, was published on Tuesday, and it included a number of alarming tidbits from Trump, many of which reaffirmed his earlier extreme positions or took them further.

But perhaps the most shocking response dealt with a hypothetical posed by the reporter, Eric Cortellessa. Relatively early in the conversation, Cortellessa pushed Trump to take a stance on a federal abortion ban. Trump refused, insisting that his views on abortion did not matterthat he was leaving it up to the states to decide, and that was that. Even as Cortellessa insisted that it was important to voters to know where he stands, Trump didnt budge, even when asked how he felt about women being punished for having abortions. Cortellessa then raised the prospect of a surveillance state keeping tabs on women and their reproductive systems:

Cortellessa: Do you think states should monitor womens pregnancies so they can know if theyve gotten an abortion after the ban?

Trump: I think they might do that. Again, youll have to speak to the individual states. Look, Roe v. Wade was all about bringing it back to the states.

Trumps refusal to take a stance on such a sinister possibility shows he remains just as concerned about disappointing his white evangelical base as he is about alienating more moderate voters. But he may have underestimated just how radical this nonstance really was, and just how unsettling it may seem to voters.

That ended up being a theme of the more than hourlong interview: Trump dodged so many questions by railing about his victimhood, boasting about his victories, or just straight-out lying, but when he did give a direct response, it showed a man who had learned no lessons from his 2020 loss or his ongoing legal challenges. The Trump of the interview was just as extreme as ever.

On the topic of immigration, for example, he dismissed concerns about deploying the military against noncombatant, noncriminal migrants by saying it was necessary to do whatever it takes to handle the invasion of our country. He vowed to give police protection from prosecution as long as theyre doing their job, to give the police back the power and respect that they deserve.

There were others. Here are some highlights:

Asked if he would fire a U.S. attorney who didnt prosecute someone under his orders, Trump said, It depends on the situation, honestly. He also implied that if the Supreme Court case on the matter of presidential immunity didnt go Trumps way, Joe Biden would be prosecuted for his many crimes.

He said he would consider pardoning all the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, implying that many of them had been tricked into storming the Capitol: You see it on tape, the police are ushering them in.

When asked if he would restrict hiring to people who believe the 2020 election was stolen, he said he wouldnt feel good about anyone who thought (accurately) that Biden won.

Trump said, perhaps predictably, that he would send in the National Guard to deal with student protesters.

Asked if he agreed that anti-white racism was worse than anti-Black racism, he said, somewhat evasively, If you look right now, theres absolutely a bias against white and thats a problem.

He criticized Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to prevent the events of Oct. 7, but his main critiques of the countrys military actions had to do with its poor handling of public relations.

And finally, when asked what would happen if he didnt win the election, Trump didnt commit to a peaceful defeat: And if we dont win, you know, it depends. It always depends on the fairness of an election.

Trump also lied a fair bit, as he typically does in interviews. He insisted that his Manhattan trial was not even a criminal case. (It is.) He insisted that the only person who died on Jan. 6 was Ashli Babbitt. (She wasnt.) He once again denied that he had ever written on TruthSocial that he might have to terminate parts of the U.S. Constitution. (He did.)

But if a presidential candidate being open to placing a significant portion of its populations bodies under biological surveillance bodes poorly for a liberal democracy, Trump at least said some less strictly autocratic things, as well. He said he would comply with a Supreme Court order. He didnt quite say that he would not prosecute Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, but he did say we are going to have great retribution through success. And he said he would retire after a second term, rather than trying to overturn the 22nd Amendment. He did not address just how grim it was that the interviewer felt he needed to push him on basic questions of operating in a democracy.
Fulani herdsmen attacked residents of a village in central Nigerias Plateau state as they slept at 2 a.m. on April 19, killing 12 Christians, sources said.

In the farming community of Mangu Countys Tilengpan Pushit, the Fulanis attacked with deadly weapons without provocation, said resident Israel Bamshak.

Most of the victims are women and children who were unable to escape from the invaders, Bamshak told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.

Resident Monday Mwansat confirmed the attack on the predominantly Christian community, as did John Musa.

Twelve members of our community have been killed, Musa said. We have become targets of attacks from Fulani herdsmen for no just cause.

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Markus Artu, chairman of the Mangu Local Government Council, also said the attacks were carried out by Fulani herdsmen.

Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang expressed sadness that in spite of efforts his government has made to curtail the unprovoked attacks, the assailants have continued to carry out more vicious assaults. Mutfwang appealed to Christians to remain steadfast in the face of unprovoked attacks, saying his government will continue collaborating with security agencies to bring about security.

I extended my heartfelt condolences to all those affected by the incidents, and pray for the recovery of the injured who are currently being treated in various hospitals, Mutfwang said.

Nigeria remained the deadliest place in the world to follow Christ, with 4,118 people killed for their faith from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023, according to Open Doors 2024 World Watch List (WWL) report. More kidnappings of Christians than in any other country also took place in Nigeria, with 3,300.

Nigeria was also the third highest country in number of attacks on churches and other Christian buildings such as hospitals, schools, and cemeteries, with 750, according to the report.

In the 2024 WWL of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria was ranked No. 6, as it was in the previous year.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdoms All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.

They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity, the APPG report states.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigerias Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.
Metals Acquisition Corp (NYSE:MTAL) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript April 30, 2024

Metals Acquisition Corp isnt one of the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds at the end of the third quarter (see the details here).

Operator: Hello and welcome to the Metals Acquisition First Quarter 2024 Results Conference. At this time, all parties are in a listen-only mode. Later, you will have an opportunity to ask questions. [Operator Instructions] Please note that this call is being recorded and I will be standing by should you require any assistance. I would now like to the call over to CEO, Mick McMullen. Please begin.

Mick McMullen: Thank you, and thank you, everyone, for joining. I'll be speaking to these presentation slides today along with Morne Engelbrecht, our CFO. We're going to give an update on our Q1 2024 results as well as a bit of an update on the business up until now. So, CSA, obviously, we own is a very high-grade copper mine sitting in a Tier 1 jurisdiction in Western New South Wales. And as most of the people on the call would know, it's been operating for a very long period of time. And so it's sort of a known quantity in terms of infrastructure and great relationships with local stakeholders and a very stable regulatory taxable royalty regime, which in day and age is becoming increasingly rare. The company has got just under 70 million shares in issue.

We, as everyone would know, we're listed on the New York Stock Exchange as well as the ASX. And the enterprise value is near -- about $1.1 billion. We have a very strong register, large institutional banking, not a lot of retail in the company. And we view CSA as a great foundational asset for us in terms of a phenomenal resource in the ground with a lot of excess infrastructure. We thought we'd put in a bit of a scorecard for us to sort of mark how we've progressed along our journey since acquiring the mine back in June of last year. And I think overall, we've delivered on many of the things that we said to people we would do. Obviously, closing the mine with the first of those, operate the mine safely and in a fully permitted fashion. We managed to deliver on several key permits since we got the mine, including the Tailings [ph] M Stage 10 lift.

We said we'd deliver a large resource increase. We always believe that the mineral resource and reserve have potential for significant expansion and as with our call last week, we've delivered on that. We said we'd deleverage and simplify the balance sheet. And as you will see, when Morne starts to talk here shortly, you can see exactly to the extent that we've done so. We've indicated that we'd like to simplify our capital structure, and I would say that's a work in progress, but something that is front and center of our mind. We've been building our team, both at a Board and management level. And I'd say that's a bit of a work in progress as well. And we have certain steps underway that we'd like to take in order to sort of further broaden our board diversification as well as management.

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A technician in a hardhat examining a drill head inside a mining facility.

Operational turnaround. We've always said that CSA was a turnaround story in terms of it being a very small asset inside its previous owner, which is a very large company and perhaps didn't have the level of focus that the asset really needed. And so I would say we're partway along there in terms of operational turnaround, whereby no means where we'd like to be, but we see a good potential to further turn the asset around. We said we'd deliver a meaningful reserve life upgrade and we've now delivered that with an 11-year reserve life based on data up until the end of August. We -- clearly, we have aspirations to grow the business, but we would be disciplined on M&A, and I think we've demonstrated that. And for those of you who can recall from the closing in the middle of last year, we had a reasonable sized deferred payment due to Glencore, which if we didn't pay it in cash by the middle of 2024, would have converted to equity.

And so having paid that down, we've removed that potential dilution overhang. So, three quarters into our ownership, I give us a reasonable score in terms of our delivery. And I think a few of those orange or yellow ticks there, we have plans in place in order to deliver on the remainder of those over the next six to nine to 12 months. Moving on to the next slide, Slide 6. Obviously, we've increased the life of mine and the reserves very significantly. And I think, again, based on the call that we had last week, the fact that the 11-year mine life actually only goes down 95 meters beyond the bottom of the current decline is very important in terms of the requirement for development going forward. We've had a very large increase in resources.

And again, the top 850 meters of the ore body actually are not in that resource. Q1 production was down a bit from where we'd like it to have been. It was 8,700 tons of copper. And similarly, because of the high fixed cost nature of the operation, our C1 went up about $0.15 a pound relative to the prior quarter. I would say, and I did indicate on the call last week that sequentially, we expect quarters to be better production during the course of the year. We spent about $13 million of capital, which again was sort of exactly where we guided to before. And look, as everyone knows, the copper price has been increasing. We did achieve slightly higher than the average price -- the spot price during the quarter. So, again, we're achieving a better price relative to the market.

Balance sheet. At the end of the quarter, we had about $100 million of liquidity, so AUD155 million. We did pay down $127 million of interest-bearing liabilities. We've been very clear that one of the key things from operating cash flow and the ASX IPO was to delever the balance sheet, and we have some further simplification that we'd like to do there. And we've also put out our first sort of guidance for the three years there indicating that by 2026, we'll be producing in excess of 50,000 tons of copper. So, in terms of production, look, it was a bit of a weaker quarter relative to the prior quarter, and that was a combination of really a couple of -- two or three things. One was we did see a bit higher labor turnover in absenteeism, which impacted the production a little bit.

It was also partly with the planning of the stope. So, as we've said before, the mine would sort of turn over circa 70 stopes a year. The top half a dozen of those could be as much as a third of your metal. And so if you're out of those, then you have weaker production, if you're in those as we're sort of seeing -- in two of those stopes coming online or have come online during Q2, then obviously, you get a large increase in metal. So, we do have a bit of variability or volatility quarter-on-quarter in terms of production. The other thing in Q1 was that we announced we had a three-day complete power outage to the mine due to that storm to the east of us. And we did lose a bit of momentum coming out of that. So, that was a sort of 500, 600-ton copper impact for the quarter.

C1 really was driven by the volume and so we did see a little bit of an increase in C1. We do expect Q1 for 2024 to be our weakest quarter for the year. And part of the scheduling is we were mining a reasonable portion of ore from the East and West deposits, which are shallower, but they are quite a bit lower grade and so we did see that come through in the average grade. So, again, as we move out of those East and West deposits into QT North and QT Central, which is sort of really what the new mine plan is based on, we expect to see grade start to tick back up again. Similarly, development meters were down. Now, we did a couple of things in the quarter. One was that we did a fair bit of rehabilitation meters, which are included in the primary development meters.

We sort of went back and did a fair bit of extra ground support, but also under the new mine plan because we sort of -- we only need to advance about 95 meters below where we currently are for the next 11 years. It does mean that we actually need to do a bit less development relative to where we had been before. So, again, we focus very much on productivity. So, productivity was in line with the previous quarter, well above where it had been a year ago. And similarly, CapEx was basically exactly as we'd sort of forecast in the previous couple of quarters. We are doing those TSF works and in the quarterly report, we put some photos there of all those earthworks. And so as those things roll off during the course of the year, we expect the sort of the capital spend to drop back down.

But again, it was exactly in line with where we guided the market to be. At this stage, we don't have any growth CapEx. It's all-in sustaining CapEx and so it's trending exactly where we said it would be. I'm going to hand over to Morne, our CFO, for the next three slides, as he talks about the cost side of the business.

Morne Engelbrecht: Thanks Mick. Good evening and morning everyone. My name is Morne Engelbrecht and I'm the CFO for Metals Acquisition. I'll take you through the next three slides and also the high-level liquidity order flow at the end of the quarter. Before we get into Slide 10, if you look at through our risk -- S-K 1300 report, we issued in the U.S. and copy on the ASX as well. You'll note that in that BDA report, they note that around two-thirds of our overall costs are being fixed costs from a mining point of view, which impacts to a large degree, our cost per ton and cost metrics as presented here, especially if volumes are down. Going to Slide 10 and to the left, there's our processing cost per ton in U.S. dollars, which remained pretty steady with a slight uptick of around 2% on the lower volumes compared to last quarter.

And due to the higher fixed cost nature of our mining cost per ton will also impacted by those lower mining volumes as Mick has already covered off on. That metric is also impacted by the fact that our capital development meters were down by almost 45% compared to last quarter, which just means that less of that sort of fixed cost component, it's capitalized and therefore, had to be distributed over the mining volumes as well and therefore, it allows a net higher cost per meter. Going on to Slide 11. You will see there that the volume gain is critical once again, with two-thirds of the G&A costs being fixed. There's little room to move when volumes drop off. The underlying costs are still high for my liking and we are actively working to reduce these overall retendering contracts where possible.

As added before, on the development meters side, we're almost 45% lower on quarter-on-quarter. And as Mick has outlined, this is predominantly due to more meters being completed, which is not part of the weight calculation. And then we're also pivoting in the new mining plan where they're going to mine higher grades areas going forward. On Slide 12, here I wanted to take you through a high-level liquidity update as at the end of March 2024. As you can see, we started off the year with liquidity of around $32 million, which included the drawdown of our revolving facility of $25 million. We then completed a very successful oversubscribed equity raise on the ASX, which brought us in so much needed liquidity of around $215 million or AUD325 million before cost.

Almost immediately, we paid a deferred Glencore consideration of around $83 million, which was one of our higher debt costs on our balance sheet as it carries the same interest as the mxx debt facilities, so immediately accretive to earnings. Alternatively, this liability could have been converted to shares, which would have been RDWS [ph], so paying that back as soon as possible was the best thing to do for us there. We then reduced further some additional interest-bearing liabilities by repaying the revolving facility of $25 million and reducing some of our principal on our senior facility as well of around $8 million. We ended up the quarter with around $100 million of liquidity, which is around that AUD155 million Mick has outlined as well.

I think it's very important to note that this liquidity does not include the two shipments we referred to previously as well on our previous calls of around $48 million, which was shipments around -- one of the shipments was the last week of March and the other one in the first week in April. And if you look at that sort of liquidity graph, you will see that we carry, obviously, all the costs in the quarter for those two shipments during the quarter, but there's no revenue or cash to offset that. So, you will see that coming through in the next quarter. And that's just based on our terms and offtake agreement, which sort of states that title doesn't transfer until that provisional payment is made, which can be around two weeks after the ship is loaded.

So, that's just a cash flow timing issue there. And then also there's no revenue accrued at the end of March for those two shipments as well. So, just I wanted to make that very clear. Also of note, this subsequent to quarter, we paid the stamp duty on the acquisition of the CSA Copper mine, which is around $24 million, which you will see coming through the next quarter as well. And then as Mick has mentioned, we are looking at ways to strengthen our balance sheet and simplify our capital structure, as I mentioned before as well. So, we're looking at a number of options there, which we can report on over the next couple of quarters. With that, I'll hand back to Mick.

Mick McMullen: Thanks, Morne. And for those of you who are trying to sort of back calculate our free cash generation during the quarter from operations, I think the point around that $50-odd million worth of two shipments right at the end of the quarter and dropped into the first, I think it was the 2nd of April, we have booked all the costs associated with those shipments, but none of the revenue. So, if you were sort of lining up on an accruals basis, you would need to put that $50 million back into the revenue line. And so you can see even at $3.87 copper that was our average price during the quarter, the mine is generating quite strong free cash flow. Clearly, at $4.60 copper, the prices are even better. And each of the shipments today is worth around about $28 million to $29 million of bode load.

So, it does make your cash flow somewhat lumpy. But at the end of the day, the mine is generating quite strong free cash flow. And again, just rolling into some of the information we put out the other day, we think coming out with an 11-year reserve life really sort of gives people confidence that this truly is now a long-life asset, all of those ore bodies are outlooked. That's on information up until the end of August. We continue to drill at some pace. And so you can see on the graph there, it truly is a significant increase in the resource and reserve. They have historically been very successful at maintaining a sort of a certain level of resource and reserve despite annual production. You can see how significant this R&R update has been relative to where it's been in the last 10 years.

And we see opportunity subject to exploration success and sort of economic factors for that to continue to increase. We have run those resources and reserves at a $3.76 copper price, obviously, $4.60, everything becomes economic. So, again, circa 1 million tons in contained copper at a fantastic rate of 4.9%. Again, everything is open. Really, we now see the opportunity to be to try and produce this faster than what the current mine plan has us doing. We did talk the other day about some of the shallower mineralization in the ore body. So, again, QT South Upper is that little thing on the top left in green, we do intend to get in and start mining that fairly soon. But interestingly, we've been mining the historical data, so to speak, and have discovered that there is substantial zinc mineralization in the upper portion of the mine, very proximal to existing infrastructure within 50 to 70 meters of the decline in most cases.

And at drill hole had about 16 meters of massive sulfide zinc-rich sitting right up in your surface, so around about 300 meters below surface. So, we're very excited about this. We're not specifically chasing zinc. We still see CSA as a predominantly copper ore body. But if there's a free ore body, we'll take that as well. Again, reserves, very significant upgrade in the reserve status, which underpins some of the discussions that we've sort of touched on in terms of balance sheet simplification. This is one of the key building blocks along with the ASX IPO and the large equity raise and then obviously, the operations generating strong free cash flow. They're really the three pillars upon which you can sort of replan our balance sheet in terms of where you'd like to be.

Again, guidance, we see guidance, production gradually picking up. Again, we'd like to see if we can improve on that as our knowledge of the ore bodies change and we can sort of now focus our development efforts on unlocking that bottom of the mine through additional ventilation, which is really the -- one of the key changes in the development plan is to sort of not have to be driving down as deep, but actually take those meters and use some of those on pushing that ventilation in because that's really the key in terms of actually unlocking production. So, just coming back to our highlights, again, a little bit weaker quarter in Q1. We do expect sequentially the quarters during 2024 to improve and costs up slightly, again, fixed cost base, but really at $4.60 copper, this mine, clearly, with the C1 having that sort of $2, $2.15 a pound level, clearly is generating significant operating free cash.

And then the CapEx of sort of historically, we've guided the market to around about $50 million to $52 million for the year. It obviously generates some very good free cash. I think the simplification of the balance sheet is something that we see as pretty critical here going forward and obviously, generating lots of free cash and paying down interest-bearing debt is right on the top of that list of things to do. And so with that, I think that's really the summary of the update. I'm happy to turn it over to questions.

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By Jason Lange and David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - - A majority of Americans believe that China uses TikTok to shape U.S. public opinion, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted as Washington moves closer to potentially banning the Chinese-owned short-video app.

Some 58% of respondents to the two-day poll, which closed on Tuesday, agreed with a statement that the Chinese government uses TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, to "influence American public opinion." Some 13% disagreed, and the rest were unsure or didn't answer the question. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to see China as using the app to affect U.S. opinions.

TikTok says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on data security efforts and would not share data on its 170 million U.S. users with the Chinese government. The company told Congress last year that it does "not promote or remove content at the request of the Chinese government."

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Joe Biden last week signed legislation giving ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban.

TikTok has vowed to challenge the ban as a violation of the protections of free expression enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and TikTok users are expected to again take legal action. A U.S. judge in Montana in November blocked a state ban on TikTok, citing free-speech concerns.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll found 50% of Americans supported banning TikTok, while 32% opposed a ban and the rest were unsure. The poll only surveyed U.S. adults and doesn't reflect the views of people under age 18, who make up a significant portion of TikTok's users in the United States. About six in 10 poll respondents aged 40 and older supported a ban, compared with about four in 10 aged 18-39.

The poll showed 46% of Americans agreed with a statement that China is using the app to "spy on everyday Americas," an allegation Beijing has denied.

The app is ubiquitous in America. Even Biden's re-election campaign is using it as a tool to win over voters ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. Biden's rival, Republican Donald Trump, who has criticized a potential ban and is the majority owner of the company that operates his social media app Truth Social, has not joined.

A majority of Americans, 60%, said it was inappropriate for U.S. political candidates to use TikTok to promote their campaigns.

Biden's signing of the law sets a Jan. 19 deadline for a sale - one day before his term is set to expire - but he could extend the deadline by three months if he determines that ByteDance is making progress on divesting the app.

The poll, which was conducted online, gathered responses from 1,022 U.S. adults nationwide and had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.

(Reporting by Jason Lange and David Shepardson; Editing by Scott Malone and Leslie Adler)
Janet Morrison-Heberling says shes grateful for the close and loving relationship she had with her daughter Brianna Sanner.

She had an infectious laugh. A beautiful smile, said Morrison-Heberling. Loved her momma. We used to hug and smooch each other all the time.

Tragically, Briannas life was cut short in 2022 when she was just 30 years old. Brianna died from fentanyl-laced heroin, leaving behind her young son.

There comes a time in your grief that you have to find purpose and purpose for me now is advocating for these kids that could possibly end up like mine, said Morrison-Heberling. I had to find a purpose for her.

That advocacy is what brought the Pennsylvania native to Capitol Hill. Morrison-Heberling has been a strong supporter of a new law called the FEND off Fentanyl Act. Its a sanctions and anti-money laundering bill.

The law expands sanctions for fentanyl traffickers in Mexico and manufacturers in China. It also declares the international trafficking of fentanyl a national emergency.

The law was a rare case of having overwhelming support from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

Our Washington News Bureau spoke with Morrison-Herberling alongside Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). Casey is one of 68 cosponsors in the Senate.

The main thing is going after those who are trafficking in fentanyl and hitting them at their bottom line where theyre making money, said Casey.

Casey praised the bipartisan effort in Congress to pass the law.

Its a devastating tragedy for the country that knows no political party, said Casey about the fentanyl epidemic.

We have to hit them where it hurts and thats their wallets, said Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) during a Senate hearing in January. The illicit money engine needs to be turned off.

Scott is a lead sponsor of the Senate bill.

Morrison-Heberling said shes thankful for the new law, which she hopes can help save others from the same fate as her daughter.

It certainly is a huge positive step in the right direction, said Morrison-Heberling.

But she cautions the hard work is still not over. Shes focusing a lot on awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, as Congress debates other ways to combat the fentanyl crisis.
Motorist dies in Arden Arcade crash after SUV strikes pole on Watt and El Camino avenues

A motorist died Wednesday in Arden Arcade after his vehicle collided with a car and a pole, authorities said.

The California Highway Patrol was alerted just before 8:40 a.m. of a collision between a silver SUV and a white Toyota Prius on Watt and El Camino avenues, according to its dispatch log.

A man driving the SUV south on Watt Avenue failed to stop at a red light and crashed into the Prius driver attempting to make a left-hand turn onto El Camino Avenue, said Officer Justin Fetterly, a spokesman for the CHPs North Sacramento office, in an email.

The SUV struck a light pole after making contact with the Prius, said Battalion Chief Parker Wilbourn, a spokesman for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. The SUV driver died at the scene, Fetterly said.

The Prius driver complained of pain and was released, Fetterly said.

The CHP is investigating the incident.
Mount Horeb middle school reports no injuries except to suspect after reported active shooter

MOUNT HOREB - An active shooter at Mount Horeb Middle School was "neutralized" Wednesday before anyone was injured, according to the school district.

The individual "did not breach entryway" into the building, the Mount Horeb Area School District said in a statement.

"An initial search of the middle school has not yielded additional suspects," the district said Wednesday afternoon. "As importantly, we have no reports of individuals being harmed, with the exception of the alleged assailant."

An emergency alert was sent to residents phones late Wednesday morning that warned people of an active shooter at the middle school.

They are armed with a rifle and should be considered dangerous, the alert said. For your safety stay inside, lock all doors, and avoid the area until further notice.

The process to reunify intermediate center students with their families was beginning to get underway Wednesday afternoon, according to the district, which serves 2,500 students across five schools.

More: Police shoot, kill Mount Horeb student they say brought gun to school

Students still barricaded inside as of Wednesday afternoon

The district first reported the incident on its Facebook page shortly after 11:30 a.m. In a series of posts, the district said all its buildings were on full lockdown as police "scope out" the rest of the building.

Within an hour, police and emergency vehicles appeared to be focused around the high school, which is across the street from the middle school. There was one helicopter on the ground, and another overhead, as well as ambulances parked in front of the high school.

Brett Halverson, a member of the village board of trustees, said he has a child in the school district and was thankful they and other students were safe Wednesday.

Its very scary, he said of the events. Nobody ever wants to see this kind of thing happen. I wish politicians who had some say would do something about it.

Kristen Malone was among the parents who were waiting at Life Church for their children. It was designated as a reunification center for the intermediate school, grades 3 to 5.

More: Nationally, there have been 2,069 shootings on K-12 school properties from 1970-2022

When she heard about the active shooter at the middle school, she felt complete panic and terrified."

She said shes glad her children followed the emergency protocols and stayed safe. But shes still anxious about the entire ordeal, she said.

Its unthinkable that it happened here. I just never really ever considered that it would happen in our community, Malone said.

Water was being distributed for parents waiting at the church, and police brought two therapy dogs: golden retrievers named Luna and Nova.

Melissa Alvarado picked up her middle schooler daughter minutes before the incident began because she was feeling sick.

Her other child heard gunshots from the high school building across the street. Teachers told students to run to the other side of the school to barricade themselves in classrooms, Alvarado said.

Two golden retriever therapy dogs, Luna and Nova, are accompanied by a law enforcement officer at Life Church in Mount Horeb on Wednesday to offer support to students following an active shooter incident.

This is our home, our safe spot, thats no longer safe, she said.

Alyssa Kopczynskies daughter is also in middle school. She finally reached her daughter on the phone after calling her several times.

Obviously she's crying hysterically. All of her friends are crying. You can hear all of them in the background literally bawling their eyes out, Kopczynskie said.

Speaking around 1:30 p.m., she said her daughter was still barricaded in the classroom. She had been on the phone with her daughter for two hours straight, periodically telling her to breathe and to rub the back of her friend, who has been sobbing.

Im literally shaking to death and can hardly breathe, she said. Its not something that you would ever think would happen to you I dont think Ill ever be the same after this.

Aurora Powers, a parent who runs a cleaning business, knew most students wouldnt have eaten lunch. So she called the Pizza Hut location in Mount Horeb and asked: would you donate pizza to the reunification site?

They said yes.

Powers understands well the challenges the students and teachers are facing. She quit teaching two years ago. The Uvalde, Texas school shooting in 2022 was a big reason.

The whole system needs to be reevaluated, she said, to put more focus on students health.

Mentally, the wear and tear on teachers, staff, children, everybody  all of this is just a byproduct of people needing better mental health and better programs for people to get help, she said.

Residents shocked it would happen here

Nancy Parsley, the administrative assistant at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish, a block from the school, said sirens were the first clue something was wrong. She and Fr. Robert Butz were the only two people in the church.

We heard the sirens, she said. And then we heard more sirens, and more sirens, and more sirens.

Then she received an emergency alert to her phone. The downtown village area appeared to lock down, Parsley said.

Your heart just drops, she said.

News of the active shooter was shocking for the small village of 7,700, located roughly 20 miles southwest of Madison in Dane County.

You dont think that it would (happen), but you know that it could, she said. Its just the way that it is in the world.

Heidy Lange, who owns Firefly Events Decor & Flowers two blocks away from the middle and high school, said she saw children sprinting down the street earlier Wednesday and that her phone rang with a recording from the school saying it was on lockdown.

Madison365 reported that an outdoor physical education class was ongoing at the time of the lockdown, and posted photos of roller blades lying abandoned in the grass near the middle school.

Lange said one of her employees had to leave to pick up her granddaughter who goes to the middle school. The child's mother works at a different school and could not leave to pick up her child.

It's kind of hard for a parent that cant do anything, Lange said. I dont think anyone thinks it would happen here.

Lange said there were parents lined up along the street and police had to direct them to the reunification area.

Im devastated today, Lange said. Its such a wonderful quaint little town ... I think its going to be a long recovery.

Because the store is so close to the school, Lange said shes gotten to know the students, their families and the school community.

I do flowers for their dances, Lange said. The kids come in here and shop ... its a small town.

Parsley often sees middle and high school students pass by the church on a bike trail.

Reacting to reports that the shooter had been neutralized, Parsley said: Theres some family thats going to be suffering tonight.

Eric Boyle, whose children attend the middle school, said his eighth grader ran home after seeing someone shooting a gun.

They were at lunch, and then they just ran out the front door because they saw a guy with a gun, Boyle said.

Boyles seventh grader was still on lockdown, he said.

Asked how it felt to see an incident like this in Mount Horeb, Boyle replied, Its crazy, but the world is crazy.

Evers, others react to incident

Gov. Tony Evers said on X that he has been "briefed on the incident " and is "closely monitoring the situation."

"I am praying for the health and safety of our kids, educators, and staff and grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond," Evers posted.

State Superintendent Jill Underly said the district has asked folks "to stay away."

"I ask for all to respect the need for law enforcement and school staff to do their jobs and to take care of the kids," Underly said in a X post.

State Rep. Mike Bare, D-Verona, whose district includes Mount Horeb, in a statement called the community "one of Wisconsins very best and most peaceful places to live."

His statement continued: "Unfortunately, that sense of peace was shattered today. ... Im grieving with everyone in Mount Horeb. ... Im grateful to our first responders for their response, and Ive offered local leaders my full support and assistance.

Ricardo Torres contributed to this story.

Law enforcement officers stand outside the Mount Horeb Intermediate Center in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

This is a breaking story. Check back later for updates.

Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter @elliothughes12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Active shooter Mount Horeb, Wisconsin: Suspect reportedly injured
People line up outside of the Essex County Courthouse on May 1, 2024, to pay their respects to late Congressman Donald Payne Jr. (Sophie Nieto-Munoz | New Jersey Monitos)

Each time Monica Sanchez reached out to Congressman Donald Payne Jr.s office for her sustainability program with the United Nations, he responded without fail. He was a humanitarian at heart who always wanted to support marginalized communities, said Sanchez, holding a Guyanese flag as a symbol of his support for the community.

If he couldnt do it himself, he directed us exactly where we could go and get some progress, for the community and we love him dearly, she said.

Ira Lewis, Monica Sanchez, and Brenda Telford-Sarfo remembered Paynes work with Caribbean communities (Sophie Nieto-Munoz | New Jersey Monitor)

Sanchez joined dozens of mourners who lined up outside the Essex County Courthouse Wednesday afternoon to pay their respects to Payne, who died April 24 after suffering a heart attack three weeks earlier. He was 65 years old.

Payne is lying in state in the historic courthouse in Newark, where he previously served as council president. The visitation period runs through midnight Wednesday, and a funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.

His son, Jack, called his father a good man who loved his job in public service but balanced it with raising their family.

Congressman Payne will lie in state Wednesday through midnight. (Sophie Nieto-Munoz | New Jersey Monitor)

As much as he did in his public life, he did in his personal life, he said. Some of his proudest moments of being our father, he would tell us, is he would hear so many good things from other people about his three children.

Several people waiting in line to enter the courthouse remembered Payne as a quiet giant who kept a low profile but always advocated for the 10th Congressional District during 12 years in the House of Representatives.

Payne was elected to Congress after his father, Donald Payne Sr., died in office in 2012. Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) recalled how people stressed to the younger Payne the big shoes he had to fill  his father was the first Black person elected to Congress from New Jersey.

We shouldnt only lose sight that not only did he fill those shoes and kept the legacy of his dad, he set his own path and created an inclusive agenda that lifted people up, she said.

The post Mourners remember Rep. Donald Payne Jr. as humanitarian, New Jersey advocate appeared first on New Jersey Monitor.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A former bank teller is facing multiple theft charges after he allegedly used CashApp to steal thousands of dollars from a 96-year-old man.

Demeries Brooks, 21, has been charged with theft of property $10,000-$60,000, financial exploitation of an elderly/vulnerable person, identity theft and forgery $10,000-$60,000 after police say he stole over $18,000 from a 96-year-old victim between August and October 2023.

On October 13, 2023, a police report was filed to the Bartlett Police by the power of attorney for the victim. The report claimed that he did not receive his Regions bank statements for the months of August and September.

The victims power of attorney reached out to Regions Bank to enquire about this. A representative told them that the address on the victims bank profile had been changed from his assisted living center to an address on S. Main Street.

The victim said that the address change was fraudulent and they did not authorize anyone to make the change. Regions Bank provided the victim with the bank statements, which revealed numerous fraudulent transactions.

$600 in laundry detergent stolen from Home Depot

It was revealed that at least the last five fraudulent transactions occurred through CashApp from August 23 to October 2 and totaled approximately $13,000.

Police say this was supported by a records request issued to CashApp which showed the victims bank account number linked to the CashApp account.

Investigators continued to review the bank statements and saw an unauthorized transaction on October 3 for $1,357.86 made to Toyota Lease under the name of Demeries Brooks.

A Regions Bank investigator said that Brooks was a recent employee of Regions and worked as a bank teller during the time frame the fraud occurred.

A records request was issued to Toyota who provided a car loan application in Brooks name and a payment of $1,357.86 that was made on October 3, utilizing the victims bank account. A search of the vehicles VIN number showed a 2023 Toyota Camry registered to Brooks.

Investigators also learned that a card was unlawfully opened against the victims account on October 5 and three unauthorized transactions were made while using that card.

Woman charged with shooting man in neck

Police say video surveillance captured Brooks using the card at Kroger to make a cashback withdrawal of $2,000.92 on October 6. Video surveillance also showed Brooks making cashback withdrawals of $1,003.92 and $1,010.00 that same day.

Police say the video surveillance footage was compared to Brooks drivers license and was a positive match.

Brooks allegedly used the victims bank account to make approximately $18,375.70 in fraudulent transactions.

WREG reached out to Regions, and they provided the following statement:

Regions has worked closely with law enforcement in support of the investigation, and we appreciate their diligence in bringing this matter to justice. We deeply value the trust our customers place in us, and if someone violates a customers trust, that goes against everything we believe in. We have provided reimbursement to the individual who was impacted, and the former associate, who worked for us briefly, is no longer with the bank.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
MS finally has a Medicaid expansion deal. Are the states Democrats about to kill it?

For a decade, House Democrats have been beating the drum  often when it seemed no one else was listening  to expand Medicaid to provide health care for working poor Mississippians.

It looks as though a large majority of those House Democrats as early as Wednesday will vote against and possibly kill a bill that purports to expand Medicaid.

They say the agreement reached late Monday between House and Senate Republicans may be called Medicaid expansion, but it is not written to actually go into effect or help the hundreds of thousands of Mississippians who need health care coverage.

It is just like an eggshell with no egg in the middle, said Rep. Timaka James-Jones, a Democratic lawmaker from Belzoni in her first term. It does not make sense.

Republicans, who have have supermajorities in both the House and Senate and do not need a single Democratic vote to pass any bill, have for years relished their power over legislative Democrats. But when a three-fifths vote is needed and Republicans arent in unanimous agreement like on this current bill, Democrats have real power to flex.

Earlier on Tuesday, after a closed-door luncheon meeting of House Democrats, Rep. Robert Johnson of Natchez, the minority leader, informed Speaker Jason White that 32 of the 41 House Democrats planned to vote no. That news sent shockwaves through the Capitol.

With several House Republicans also expected to vote no, that number of dissenting Democrats would likely prevent the legislation from getting the three-fifths majority needed to pass. And no votes by 32 Democrats would surely mean the proposal would fall short of the two-thirds majority that would be needed later to override an expected veto from Gov. Tate Reeves, who is opposed to accepting more than a $1 billion a year in federal funds to provide health care for an estimated 200,000 Mississippians.

The work requirement

At issue for the House Democrats is a work requirement that Senate Republicans insisted be placed in the bill and that House negotiators agreed to minutes before the Monday night deadline to reach an agreement between the two chambers.

Federal officials have made it clear in the past that they would not approve a work requirement as part of Medicaid expansion. But in the proposal that House and Senate leaders agreed to, Medicaid expansion would not go into effect until federal officials approve a work requirement.

Senate leaders have expressed optimism that the Biden administration would be so pleased with longtime Medicaid expansion holdout Mississippi making an effort that it would approve a work requirement, or that the conservative federal 5th Circuit Court would approve it if litigated.

It is tough. For the 11 years I have served in the House, I have supported the state expanding Medicaid, said Rep. John Faulkner, D-Holly Springs. But the truth is this conference report really doesnt do anything to help poor people who need it.

The comments made by Faulkner were echoed by multiple House Democrats at the luncheon meeting, according to numerous sources inside the meeting.

After that meeting, Democratic leader Johnson relayed those sentiments and the Democrats plans to vote against the proposal to White.

So White called a Tuesday afternoon meeting with Johnson. After the Republican speaker and Democratic leader met behind closed doors, Johnson announced on the House floor that House Democrats would hold another caucus meeting. It did not last long.

After that meeting, several Democrats said their plans to vote against the bill had not changed, though some acknowledged privately that voting against the bill would be difficult. One member, when asked if the Democrats still planned to vote against the proposal in large numbers, replied, It is fluid. I dont know. We will see.

Many of the Democrats praised White, a first-term speaker, for finally tackling Medicaid expansion. And they praised the original House bill that that allowed Medicaid expansion to go into effect in Mississippi like it had in 40 other states even if a work requirement was struck down by federal officials. They also praised Republican Medicaid Chairwoman Missy McGee for her work to pass a clean Medicaid expansion bill.

But they expressed disappointment with the final agreement worked out between House and Senate leaders with the non-negotiable work requirement. They said they had informed House leaders all along that they would oppose a compromise that included a work requirement.

We know all eyes are on us right now because the Republican supermajority couldnt reach an agreement among themselves, said Rep. Daryl Porter, D-Summit. Republican infighting on Medicaid expansion becoming our responsibility to referee feels unfair when theyre the ones who couldnt get the support for their own bill. Theyre waiting to see if well bail them out.

A hard vote

Several House Democrats said it would be difficult to go back home and explain to their constituents that they voted against Medicaid expansion.

But Rep. Rickey Thompson, D-Tupelo, said people should not view them as voting against Medicaid expansion simply because the bill would not expand Medicaid.

It just puts something on paper, but it does not do anything, said Thompson.

It is not Medicaid expansion, said Zakiya Summers, D-Jackson, who said she campaigned on Medicaid expansion when she first ran and was first elected in 2019. She spoke as a surrogate for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley last year in support of Medicaid expansion.

Rep. Bryant Clark, D-Pickens, said it would be more difficult to explain to constituents that they could not get health care through Medicaid even after the Legislature approved it than to vote against it and explain the reason for that vote.

Numerous members said Rep. Percy Watson, D-Hattiesburg, made the most salient point at the Democrats first caucus meeting on Tuesday.

Watson, the longest serving member of the House, told the story of a vote in the 1982 session on a bill that would have allowed local school districts to enact kindergarten and require mandatory school attendance. Watson said he voted for the bill, but later was pleased that it died.

If that bill had passed, there would not have been the landmark special session later that year when statewide kindergarten was created and school attendance was mandated statewide.

Sometimes it takes more than one session to pass something important, Watson said.

Everyone at the Capitol is closely tracking what the House Democrats decide  including Senate Republicans, who are reportedly struggling to get a three-fifths vote of their own to pass the bill in that chamber.

After word spread Tuesday of the House Democrats meeting and potential killing of the expansion bill, Senate Medicaid Chair Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, said he would not present the expansion proposal in his chamber until after the House acted.

The bill, which faces a Wednesday evening deadline, could be sent back for additional negotiations where the work requirement could be removed. But the Senate has thus far not yielded on the work requirement  something that House Democrats, clearly, believe would result in the bill never going into effect.
PAYSON, Utah (ABC4)  Following a series of three bomb threats to Mt. Nebo Middle School, authorities gave insight into the scope of the threat in a press conference Wednesday.

The first bomb threat came on April 19, two days after a group of students and adults participated in an hours-long protest against what they referred to as furries. Videos of the protest went viral on social media, with students expressing grievances.

Some claimed there were attacks from these furries  which they described as students who dressed up as animals  where they would bite or scratch other students. However, school officials said on Wednesday that they had no evidence of this happening.

Seth Sorensen, Nebo School District Public Information Officer, said the one incident they had confirmed was that a group of girls had come to school wearing headbands with ears on them. He said another group of students then threw food at them in response. He said the administration got involved and requested the girls not to wear the headbands, which they have complied with ever since.

RELATED: Students walk out of Utah middle school to protest furries

As for biting and scratching, the district said it has not seen it or found evidence of it happening. However, Sorensen asks parents and students to speak with teachers or administrators if they do witness such an incident.

Regardless of the furry debate at Mt. Nebo Middle School, bomb threats have continued to come, with the latest threat taking place Tuesday. Sorensen said the threats did not reference furries or any groups of students in particular but appeared to be linked to the protest since they began after the walkout.

Payson police said that while they do not believe there is a credible threat to the community, they are treating every threat as if it is credible and investigating to the fullest extent.

During the most recent threat, the school was evacuated and bomb detector dogs surveyed and cleared the school. They said they have brought in the K-9s from Utah and Salt Lake County as well as deployed several other resources to ensure the safety of the school following each threat.

They also said they now have an officer stationed at Mt. Nebo Middle School every day and will continue to keep the position until the end of the school year.

Sorensen added that they also have positioned additional adult supervisors to be in the hallways during classes and break time as well as upgraded all security camera systems to HD quality.

Student safety is our top priority in school, Sorensen said, adding that they want parents to feel confident their children will be safe when sending them to school.

The debate over the extent to which students dress up and act like animals at school has bred skepticism among some in the community. Sorensen says the only way to be confident of what is happening inside the school is to see it for yourself.

We encourage parents to take the opportunity to come into schools and see whats happening with their own eyes, Sorensen said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
MTG has little support to oust Mike Johnson  but he may already be doomed anyway

Marjorie Taylor Greene isn't winning many converts to her cause of replacing House Speaker Mike Johnson, who offended the pro-Russia Republican by allowing a vote on aid for Ukraine. But that doesn't mean she isn't making life difficult for the GOP caucus and its tenuous grip on power.

At a press conference Wednesday, the Georgia Republican said she plans to force a vote next week on Johnson's leadership, accusing him of trying to "Make Ukraine Great Again" by not depriving it of American ammunition. She was joined by just one other colleague, Rep. Thomas Massie, a far-right lawmaker from Kentucky; another supporter of the leadership challenge, Rep. Paul Gosar, a far-right lawmaker from Arizona, did not attend.

Johnson has claimed support from former President Donald Trump, publicly dismissing Greene, an ally of deposed Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as fundamentally unserious. But as CBS News noted, three votes from disgruntled Republicans would be enough to throw the House of Representatives into turmoil, forcing Johnson to rely on support from Democrats to remain in power ("They will doom him if they try that," Massie told the outlet).

Most Republicans do think Johnson's days are numbered, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, his fate sealed by the vote on long-delayed assistance for Ukraine. Trump has bristled at long-term support for the victim of Russian aggression, which he previously accused of working to elect Democrats and refusing to investigate President Joe Biden. But most Republicans say they want to wait until after the 2024 election.

People have ruled him out for any leadership position in the next Congress, a senior Republican aide told the Post.

But even if most Republicans are confident that Democrats will spare them from another ugly leadership fight  Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said he would block any motion to dismiss Johnson  the party remains concerned about the damage Greene could to do.

On Tuesday, RNC co-chair Michael Whatley met with the Georgia lawmaker to talk her down, stressing that "any disruption" would "not help the case for party unity" ahead of November, a GOP source told Politico.

Greene held her press conference, explicitly rejecting that request, less than 24 hours later.
When Bill Burns became CIA director in March 2021, he vowed to investigate a mysterious illness afflicting a growing number of soldiers, spies and diplomats who reported a sudden onset of debilitating symptoms, including severe headaches, loss of balance and reduced cognitive function.

Many of them felt ignored, gaslighted and unprotected by the Trump administrations handling of the phenomenon, known colloquially as Havana syndrome. Burns, victims felt, was going to treat it like a real disease and, they hoped, get to the bottom of what some strongly believe is the result of a new weapon being wielded by Russian agents around the world.

But three years later, some of those same victims and their advocates say they are once again deeply frustrated by the CIA, which continues to assess that the strange illnesses are unlikely to be the work of a foreign actor. For some victims  some of whom are gravely injured  that is tantamount to a betrayal.

There is so much anger among the victims right now, said Marc Polymeropoulos, himself a victim and an outspoken advocate for those struck by what the government terms anomalous health incidents, or AHI.

The intelligence communitys insistence that they dont have enough evidence to attribute the episodes to Russia just translated to in public, It doesnt exist  and then we turn into UFO chasers, Polymeropoulos said. Thats psychologically damaging.

Marc Polymeropoulos - CNN

Congressional sources familiar with the CIAs internal efforts to investigate say the agency is telling the truth: the evidence simply isnt there. And while victims do say the CIA has made strides in caring for injured officers, even as dozens of cases remain unexplained, many of them remain infuriated over controversial studies of the illness by the National Institutes of Health that found few clinical differences between AHI patients and healthy comparison groups.

The study work has recently been suspended pending an internal investigation into allegations from some of the victims that the CIA required them to participate as a prerequisite for obtaining care at Walter Reed.

In interviews with CNN, more than 10 people intimately involved with this issue, including current and former officials, victims and congressional overseers, all described how a fundamental disagreement over the evidence of Russias involvement has led, once again, to deep disillusionment, distrust and increasingly pitched friction between the victims of Havana syndrome and the government agencies charged with investigating it.

Because most of the evidence for either side of the ledger is classified, the debate has become a frustrating case of he said, she said.

Internal memo after 60 Minutes

Victims felt deeply vindicated by a recent 60 Minutes investigation relying on open-source materials that strongly suggested Russia was launching attacks on American officials overseas and on US soil. Some former US officials, including one senior defense official who ran the Defense Departments investigation into the matter, have said that based on the intelligence they have seen, they have little question Russia is behind the injuries.

CIA Director Bill Burns - (Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA/AP)

But the CIA in an internal memo sent to its workforce shortly after the episode aired claimed that all of the incidents in the piece had been investigated and that the agency had not changed its conclusion that Russia was unlikely to be involved, according to two sources familiar with the memo.

I had my own assumptions when I became Director about the possibility that a foreign adversary was responsible, Burns wrote in the memo, portions of which were shared with CNN, which frustrated some victims. My job is not to validate my assumptions, however, but to ensure an intensive and professional effort to get as close to ground truth as we can.

The CIA looked into the 60 Minutes allegations as part of a broader review by the entire intelligence community, a spokesman from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told CNN, which did not cause IC elements to alter their analytic judgments.

Lab rat for a week

The NIH study into the mysterious illness has only stoked animosity among victims, some of whom claim the CIA made them participate as a prerequisite for obtaining care at Walter Reed.

They wanted us to be a lab rat for a week before we actually got treatment at Walter Reed  and at bare minimum that is unethical and immoral, said Polymeropoulos, who believes that this was ordered by senior leadership at the agency.

The NIH in a statement to CNN confirmed that its Institutional Review Board, which is responsible for the ethical oversight of studies, is investigating the allegations. The NIH takes the claims very seriously, it said, and is trying to determine whether they are valid.

The CIA in a statement denied that victims were required to participate.

What I can tell you is that NIH studies were research-focused and participation in them was voluntary by design, a spokesperson said. It bears repeating that these findings do not call into question the experiences and real health issues that US Government personnel and their family members have reported while serving our country.

The tensions go both ways. Multiple US officials who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity to describe the dynamic expressed sympathy for victims, but also frustration that some of them are unwilling to accept the intelligence communitys judgment that there simply isnt enough evidence to definitively tie different episodes to Russia.

Weve kept officers [at the CIA] who are still very focused on this issue, said one source familiar with the governments investigation. We have officers who are exclusively focused on any incidents that come up and are working with the FBI and DOD to pursue any new information.

I started looking at Moscow

Across Washington, the issue has spawned congressional investigations, lawsuits and intense advocacy efforts. Reports of strange episodes impacting US officials in China, Russia, Austria and even near the White House in Washington, DC, have been filed with investigators.

One of Burns own staff was struck during an official trip to India in 2021. Some of the officials who have reported symptoms consistent with the phenomenon have been so severely impacted that they have been forced to retire.

Under pressure from victims, Congress in 2021 passed legislation mandating that agencies provide compensated care for those afflicted. Some lawmakers, like Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, have made the issue a priority.

Greg Edgreen, the former defense official who went public on 60 Minutes with his conviction that Russia is behind the phenomenon, has started his own company specifically to acquire government contracts to provide additional care for victims. Edgreen, who says he invested his retirement savings to start the company, told CNN that he has yet to win a contract. He continues to argue publicly that Russia is behind the injuries.

I can tell you at an early stage I started looking at Moscow, he said. I believe that weve lost our way in the [intelligence community] in terms of how we put out assessments.

Both the Senate and the House Intelligence Committees continue to investigate, evaluating the intelligence communitys work on the issue, and hearing testimony from victims and following their own potential leads.

But the issue remains a frustrating mystery. Some experts believe that the injuries could be the result of some kind of directed energy attack. According to two sources familiar with the effort, multiple government agencies, including the National Labs and DARPA, over the years have tried to recreate a weapon that could, theoretically, cause the same kind of damage. But the power needs of such a device are so huge, those sources said, that government researchers couldnt figure out how to get the power source small enough to make the hypothetical weapon portable.

I think we have confidence that [the intelligence community] are doing the best they can, said one person familiar with the Senate Intelligence Committees work. The panel is empathetic to victims, the person said, but I wouldnt necessarily say we share their frustration. The victim community is going to be frustrated at any finding that isnt the one theyre expecting to see.

The CIA insists it remains focused on the issue and that its following the evidence where it leads. But the official line remains the same: The available evidence consistently points against the involvement of US adversaries in causing the reported incidents.

That should never happen

A lawyer representing some of the victims, Mark Zaid, as well as Polymeropoulos, are now claiming that CIA officers were required to participate in the NIH studies as a prerequisite for receiving care at Walter Reed. According to Zaid, any order to participate in the study was conveyed to officers verbally.

Other sources familiar with the allegations say the truth is more nuanced.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center - Samuel Corum/Getty Images

I think its true that victims perceived it to be true  i.e., [that] participation in the NIH study [was] a prerequisite to receive care. And CIA did send victims to the study, said one source familiar with the matter. But I dont know that we have evidence, e.g. some written rule, that participation in the study was actually a prerequisite.

But, this person added, I fully recognize that the pressure of the Agency itself could have very well implied it was required. And so just because theres nothing in writing doesnt mean it wasnt.

According to the NIH, serious allegations like those made in this case are extremely uncommon.

New York University medical ethicist Dr. Art Caplan, who was not involved in the studies, said participants should never be told that they can get treatment only if they participate in a study.

That should never happen, Caplan said. Its a huge ethical  almost legal  no-no.  You cant pressure people with rewards or saying youd be cut off from a benefit if you dont do it.

He pointed out another potential ethical problem if people are pressured to give consent to a study to get treatment, because there is no specific treatment for Havana syndrome.

Making such a promise could give false hope, Caplan said.

CNNs Natasha Bertrand contributed to this report.

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Net Income: Reported $174.1 million for Q1 2024, surpassing the estimated $166.93 million.

Earnings Per Share (EPS): Achieved $0.64 per diluted share, exceeding the estimated $0.60.

Revenue: Total revenue reached $294.36 million, slightly below the forecast of $300.51 million.

Return on Equity: Delivered a strong return on equity of 13.7% for the quarter.

Book Value Per Share: Increased to $18.97, up from $16.57 year-over-year, reflecting a 14.5% growth.

Shareholder Returns: Paid dividends of $0.115 per common share and repurchased 4.7 million shares using $93.3 million of cash.

Insurance in Force: Grew to $290.9 billion, compared to $292.4 billion in the previous year.

On May 1, 2024, MGIC Investment Corp (NYSE:MTG) released its 8-K filing, revealing a robust financial performance for the first quarter of 2024. The company reported a net income of $174.1 million, or $0.64 per diluted share, outperforming analyst estimates of $0.60 per share. This represents a notable increase from the previous year's $154.5 million, or $0.53 per diluted share.

MGIC Investment Corp (MTG) Q1 2024 Earnings: Surpasses Analyst Revenue Forecasts

MGIC, a key player in the private mortgage insurance sector, continues to benefit from favorable market conditions and strategic initiatives. The company's revenue for the quarter stood at $294.36 million, surpassing the estimated $300.51 million and reflecting a growth from $283.96 million in the same quarter last year. This growth is primarily driven by higher net premiums earned and a significant increase in net investment income, which rose from $49.22 million to $59.74 million year-over-year.

Company Overview

MGIC Investment Corp provides private mortgage insurance and other mortgage credit risk management solutions. The company operates across all 50 states and Puerto Rico, with significant exposure in major states including California and Florida. Insurance premiums, which form the bulk of MGIC's revenue, are complemented by investment income from the companys well-managed portfolio.

Operational Highlights and Financial Metrics

During Q1 2024, MGIC wrote $9.1 billion in new insurance, a slight decrease from Q4 2023's $10.9 billion but an improvement over $8.2 billion from Q1 2023. The company's insurance in force rose to $290.9 billion, showcasing steady growth and market confidence. Notably, MGIC's loss ratio improved significantly to 1.9% from 2.7% in the prior year, indicating better risk management and underwriting practices.

The company's solid financial position is further underscored by its capital and liquidity metrics. MGIC reported $5.9 billion in PMIERs available assets and a robust holding company liquidity of $793 million as of March 31, 2024. These figures reflect MGICs strong balance sheet and its ability to meet future claims and other financial obligations.

Story continues

Strategic Shareholder Returns

MGIC's commitment to enhancing shareholder value is evident from its active return of capital. The company paid dividends of $0.115 per common share and repurchased 4.7 million shares for $93.3 million during the quarter. Furthermore, the board approved a new share repurchase program authorizing up to $750 million in buybacks through December 31, 2026.

Managements Perspective

CEO Tim Mattke expressed confidence in the company's strategic direction, citing robust quarterly performance and strong market positioning. He highlighted the favorable credit trends and the resilience of the housing market as key drivers of MGIC's success.

Future Outlook and Industry Position

MGIC's performance in the first quarter sets a positive tone for 2024. With a strong capital position, effective risk management, and proactive shareholder return strategies, MGIC is well-positioned to capitalize on market opportunities and navigate potential challenges. The company's focus on maintaining underwriting discipline and leveraging market dynamics will be crucial in sustaining its growth trajectory and market leadership in the competitive mortgage insurance landscape.

For detailed financial information and future updates, stakeholders and interested investors are encouraged to refer to MGIC's filings and upcoming reports on their official website.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from MGIC Investment Corp for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Phoenix's police oversight office soon could swear in its first-ever Civilian Review Board if the City Council moves Wednesday to authorize the panel.

The nine-member board would be tasked with reviewing and determining whether the Phoenix Police Department's investigations dealing with use-of-force incidents and claims against officers were completed thoroughly and fairly. It would be embedded in the city's Office of Accountability and Transparency.

The board would have no role in the department's investigations or in disciplining officers but could recommend changes on how the department conducted future investigations and weigh in on the appropriateness of how officers were being disciplined.

The proposed city code also eliminates OAT's authority to conduct or participate in investigations and recommend disciplinary actions for officers  a response to changes in state law that former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey approved in 2022 that curtailed local police oversight.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said at a policy meeting in March the Civilian Review Board would "modernize and strengthen" the Police Department and "add another layer of community conversation and accountability" that hopefully increases trust.

Gallego added that the city's plan to nix OAT's investigative authority was "not wanted or expected" but done to comply with state law.

The removal of OAT's investigative authority from city code means even if the state Legislature were to repeal its laws restricting police oversight, the Phoenix City Council would need to draft and pass a new ordinance to reinstate the powers initially intended for the office.

The city could have kept OAT's investigative authority in city code and not enforced it, as it has done since the changes to state law occurred, but Deputy City Manager Ginger Spencer said to avoid confusion, it made sense to clean up the ordinance while amending it to establish the Civilian Review Board.

The mayor noted it was already difficult to hire staff at OAT because state law changes confused applicants about what their positions would entail. Gallego said clarity was important to ensuring the office's future success.

Spencer said with council's approval, the nine-member board could be appointed in June, trained over the summer and begin monthly meetings in the fall.

The board would review cases dealing mostly with police shootings, in-custody deaths and any duty-related incidents involving serious physical injuries or death. The members would also look at cases where officers were investigated for homicide, assault, kidnapping, illegal sexual behavior or use of force.

The vote to establish the Civilian Review Board comes four years after the City Council first conceived of it.

The council approved conceptual plans for civilian oversight of police in February 2020, then formally created OAT in May 2021. Council members were waiting to staff the oversight office before creating the civilian panel. The office had 11 employees as of March, the mayor said.

In January, OAT's first director, Roger Smith, resigned. Smith cited a lack of independence to be able to perform the job. City documents show he was engaged in a months-long bitter dispute because city management objected to an attorney he wanted to hire for the office. City leadership said the candidate's previous volunteer work with a police agency disqualified her, based on city code.

Smith also had been placed on a performance improvement plan in early January. His supervisor said he needed to improve conflict-resolution skills.

Phoenix's for,er Office of Accountability and Transparency Director Roger Smith takes questions from the media during a one-on-one interview at Phoenix City Hall on Feb. 2, 2022.

Shannon Johanni, former research director at the Academy for Justice at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, took over as OAT interim director.

The council's vote to establish a Civilian Review Board also comes as the Department of Justice continues its investigation into the city's Police Department, which launched in August 2021.

Federal investigators promised to look into the department's use of force, how officers interacted with unhoused individuals and people with disabilities, and whether discriminatory practices were used. It was unclear when the investigation would be completed.

More: First Minneapolis, then Phoenix? What's next in the ongoing Justice Department probe

On Wednesday, the City Council also was slated to approve $4 million worth of contracts with two law firms, Steptoe & Johnson and Dentons US, to represent the city during the DOJ investigation.

How the Civilian Review Board would work

After an incident that triggers a review, OAT staff members would write a report that examines the Police Department's finished investigation. Then the Police Department would write a response to OAT's monitoring report.

That monitoring report and the Police Department's response would be sent to the Civilian Review Board.

The mayor will appoint nine members to the Civilian Review Board. Two-thirds of the City Council must approve the appointments, or six of the nine council members including the mayor.

Board members would serve three-year terms for no more than two consecutive terms. The appointments would be staggered in groups of three to avoid high turnover. The board members must live or work in Phoenix, be at least 21 years old, and have no background in law enforcement.

The board would meet monthly, with a requirement of at least five members present. In the meetings, the members would:

Review reports completed by the OAT staff and Phoenix Police Department investigations.

Host presentations by guest speakers.

Allow public comment.

Determine if the OAT and Police Department reports are complete and thorough, and potentially add recommendations related for future investigations, trainings or policies.

By the end of each investigation review, the board would take one of five actions: adopt the investigation; adopt with revisions; decline; decline with revisions; and request additional information.

In addition to investigation reviews, OAT is tasked with conducting mediation to resolve disputes, administering a youth outreach program and "addressing other issues of concern to the community."

Gallego in March said the use of emerging technology in policing has been a growing concern in Phoenix, and that she hoped the Civilian Review Board would help contemplate "understanding the implications, which we may not understand without some robust community discussion."

Councilmember Kesha Hodge Washington said she hoped OAT would establish better communications protocols after a police shooting occurs, "because I think sometimes that creates more harm or injury to the individuals and their family members than is necessary."

Police union pushes back against Civilian Review Board

The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, one of the city's police unions, emailed the mayor and Councilmembers Kevin Robinson, Jim Waring, and Ann O'Brien Tuesday to oppose the ordinance.

President Darrell Kriplean said he worried the ordinance was "being rushed through" and asked the council to delay the vote. The union had questions, he said, about board members' qualifications to weigh in on on police policy, and how the city would ensure OAT had no influence on open, unfinished investigations.

But as of Tuesday, all signs pointed to passage for the ordinance.

The most likely council member to reject the ordinance, Councilmember Jim Waring, said he was undecided on Tuesday. He noted it wasn't as "black and white" as to whether to approve OAT in the first place. He didn't support civilian oversight of police to begin with and was happy to see the Legislature curtail OAT's authority.

But given the office still exists and the city is paying for it, Waring said he acknowledged it may be worthwhile to approve the review board while the DOJ investigated the department. He said he would think about it overnight and listen to PLEA arguments if its representatives spoke at Wednesday's meeting.

Councilmember Ann O'Brien, another frequent defender of law enforcement, supported the ordinance, her chief of staff, Derrik Rochwalik, said Monday.

Councilmember Betty Guardado said Tuesday she supported the ordinance. She said Wednesday's vote would be the culmination of years' worth of work, and that she hoped it would create a bridge between community members and the police.

"Trust was always the end goal for me, and it still is the end goal for me," she said.

Councilmember Kevin Robinson, a 36-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department, also said he backed the Civilian Review Board.

"It's 2024. Times are changing, and it's going to be important for us to meet the needs and make sure we're transparent, we're accountable, we're all the things that we strive to be as a law enforcement agency," Robinson said in March.

Councilmembers Kesha Hodge Washington, Debra Stark and Laura Pastor could not be reached for comment.

Taylor Seely covers Phoenix for The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix City Council nears vote on police Civilian Review Board
MIDDLESEX COUNTY, N.J. (PIX11)  One woman is dead, and several others severely injured in a Wednesday morning fire at a manufacturing plant located in Old Bridge Township, N.J., police say.

All traffic is being redirected away from West Greystone, and a shelter-in-place was issued for a nearby school, police said.

Earthquake shakes New Jersey

At 11:21 a.m., police responded to a call for a fire and possible explosion at a Superior Signal located at 178 West Greystone Road. Upon arrival, police said multiple people were found at the scene.

Police, EMS, and fire units from other towns also assisted in battling the blaze, according to a statement from the Old Bridge Chief of Police.

One person in a stretcher, two fire trucks, and more than a dozen firefighters were at the scene. Firefighters were also seen removing gear and washing it in a nearby blue portable shower, as shown in a video from AIR11.

Two medical helicopters were called in to transport victims to local hospitals. One female, a 73-year-old female, was pronounced deceased. Another victim, a 57-year-old woman, suffered severe burns to her face and hands, police said.

A male in his 20s suffered burns to his hands, another victim, a 65-year-old female, suffered minor burns, and a 62-year-old man was taken to a nearby hospital for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated. No foul play is suspected, police said.

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Heres what you need to know.

LumenSt/Getty Images

Check your pantries!

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning Tuesday about a multistate E. coli outbreak connected to organic walnuts.

The walnuts were supplied by Gibson Farms, Inc and were shipped to co-ops and natural food stores like Whole Foods in 17 states including Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The products have since been recalled.

Gibson Farms, Inc. organic walnut halves and pieces were sold in bulk bins and plastic clamshells or bags with expiration dates between May 21, 2025, and June 7, 2025. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)s list of retailers where the affected walnuts were sold is available here.

CDC has received reports of 12 people from two states who have been infected with this strain of E. coli and seven people have been hospitalized. Two people have developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Fortunately no deaths have been reported.

E. COLI OUTBREAK: If you buy organic walnut halves or pieces from bulk containers in AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, KS, LA, MT, NE, NM, NV, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, or WY, check if your store had recalled walnuts.



If you are unsure, its safer not to eat them. https://t.co/l6sfPcRAhV pic.twitter.com/cGZG74wjCR  CDC (@CDCgov) April 30, 2024

E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea, and abdominal cramps two to eight days after exposure. While most people recover within a week, five to 10 percent develop HUS. This condition is most likely to occur in children under five and in older adults. It is marked by easy bruising, pallor, and decreased frequency of urination. If you experience these symptoms, seek emergency medical care immediately.

FDA is currently working with Gibson Farms, Inc. and its distributors to determine whether additional store locations, products, or states are affected.

If you have the recalled walnuts in your home, do not eat or use them, throw them away, and clean and sanitize surfaces they touched using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.



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Read the original article on Southern Living.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  The Metro Nashville Police Department is continuing to try to track down a number of wanted fugitives, including 10 who are considered the citys Most Wanted.

The police departments list of Top 10 Most Wanted fugitives is updated every Wednesday on the Criminal Warrants Divisions Facebook page. Officials said those featured on the list are often considered to be some of the most violent offenders in the city.

More than 100 of Nashvilles Most Wanted fugitives arrested since 2022

Of the suspects on this weeks list, all but three are wanted for either homicide or charges related to alleged sex crimes. The rest of Nashvilles Most Wanted suspects are accused of crimes such as aggravated burglary and criminal impersonation.

The newest addition to the list is wanted after being indicted on multiple assault charges. Some of the suspects on the list, including many who are believed to have been involved in homicides, have been on the run for years.

A man accused of vehicular homicide was also added back to the list this week as police continue to search for his whereabouts in connection with a deadly October 2022 crash.

However, the Most Wanted list has aided police in several arrests since its launch in October 2022. In total, at least 107 wanted fugitives have been taken into custody since then, stacking up to a nearly 78% arrest rate.

Wanted woman turns herself in to Metro police for alleged child abuse

One of the most recent arrests was that of 42-year-old Jennifer Urbina, whos alleged neglect and abuse of a child in May 2023 resulted in serious bodily injury to the child. Officials said the child was only a few months old at the time.

While Urbina turned herself in to authorities, investigators said tips from the public have aided them in several other Most Wanted arrests. Below is a list of the suspects who made the police departments Top 10 Most Wanted list the week of May 1, 2024.

1. Lagarrion L. Blacksmith

Lagarrion Blacksmith (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

At number one, Lagarrion Blacksmith, 35, is considered this weeks Top Most Wanted fugitive, according to the MNPD. Blacksmith has remained at the top of the list for several months as police continue to try to track him down.

He was initially added to the Most Wanted list on Nov. 29, 2023, after investigators said they were able to connect him to a deadly shooting that took place outside a Dickerson Pike bar last year.

Officers found 35-year-old Chancellor Eddins lying on the ground just outside of Trvth Lounge on Feb. 18, 2023. He had been shot and later died at the scene. Another man who had also been hit by the gunfire was able to give officers an account of what happened.

RELATED: Man wanted for homicide, other charges following fatal February shooting on Dickerson Pike

According to police, the injured man told them he and Eddins had gotten into an argument with the suspect inside of the bar. Then, shots were fired as they left the location. At the time, the identity of the alleged shooter was unclear.

Months later, investigators announced Blacksmith had been identified as a suspect. On Nov. 22, 2023, officials said arrest warrants had been issued against Blacksmith for criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and felon in possession of a handgun.

However, efforts to locate him have reportedly been unsuccessful. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

2. Jaylen Bender

Jaylen Bender (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Jaylen Bender, 22, is a new addition to the list this week. Police said Bender was recently indicted by a grand jury on charges for aggravated assault with intent and assault with bodily injury. His last location is unknown.

3. Raceme Crutcher

Raceme Crutcher (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Police have been looking for Raceme Crutcher, 22, since July 2023, when he was named as one of two suspects in a deadly Fourth of July shooting.

Officials said the shooting happened at the Fallbrook Apartments on Dellway Villa Road. Etabo Malanda, 16, was reportedly standing on the porch of an apartment when two armed individuals came from around the corner and confronted him.

RELATED: Teen killed in shooting at East Nashville apartment complex

Malanda allegedly tried to pull out a pistol that was inside his hoodie, but he was shot. Police said he died shortly after he was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

According to investigators, four guns were recovered from the apartment, including one that was reported stolen. Crutcher and 17-year-old Jaylin Brown were reportedly connected to the crime through witness accounts.

Investigators also obtained surveillance footage and additional information from community members that they said pointed to Crutcher and Brown as suspects in the case. Officials believe the motive may have been an ongoing dispute between the suspects and Malanda.

SEE ALSO: Teen wanted in connection with deadly Fourth of July shooting arrested

Brown was taken into custody on Aug. 31, 2023, after police said they caught him driving a stolen car. However, Crutcher is still on the run. He was added to the Most Wanted list on Nov. 15, 2023. His last location is unknown.

4. Michael A. Yarlett

Michael A. Yarlett (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Michael Yarlett, 29, is wanted on three counts of aided and abetted rape, according to police.

Court documents indicate he is one of two suspects in the incident, which happened in September 2022. Yarlett was added to the Most Wanted list on Nov. 22, 2023. Officials said his last location is unknown.

5. Ladonte J. Groves

Ladonte Groves (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Ladonte Groves, 23, was added back to the list on April 3 after first being featured among Nashvilles Most Wanted on Aug. 16, 2023. Police said Groves has since been indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges related to alleged sex crimes.

The charges against him include two counts of rape, two counts of sexual battery and one count of domestic assault. Authorities said Groves was last seen in the East Nashville area. However, efforts to locate him have been unsuccessful.

6. Adrian Abernathy

Adrian Abernathy (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Adrian Abernathy, 30, is believed to have been behind the wheel of a stolen car in a deadly October 2022 crash on the Rosa L. Parks Boulevard exit ramp from I-65 North.

Abernathy has outstanding warrants for vehicular homicide, three counts of aggravated assault, felon in possession of a weapon, theft of a motor vehicle, theft of a firearm, reckless endangerment and making a false report.

RELATED: Man wanted after allegedly lying about driving stolen car involved in deadly crash

According to police, Abernathy initially said he was a backseat passenger in the stolen Lincoln Navigator SUV. However, over the course of the investigation, detectives determined the seating positions were reversed and Abernathy was the one driving the car.

Authorities said he was traveling over 100 mph shortly before the crash, which killed 29-year-old Todd Bryant of Antioch.

Abernathy has been featured on the Most Wanted list several times since early February 2023. He was added back to the list this week after last being featured in November. Officials said he was last seen in Hermitage.

7. Mateus B. Alves

Mateus B. Alves (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Mateus Alves, 18, is wanted for one count of rape, according to authorities. Court records show he was arrested for DUI about a month ago. However, officials said his last location is unknown. Alves was added to the Most Wanted list last week.

8. Anthony O. Etuk

Anthony O. Etuk (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Anthony Etuk, 51, is wanted on outstanding warrants for two counts of solicitation of a minor, police said. Etuk first appeared among Nashvilles Most Wanted last week. He was last seen in Mt. Juliet.

9. Ricky C. Roach

Ricky Roach (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Ricky Roach, 43, who was the subject of a massive manhunt in Cheatham County in 2022, is wanted by police after being indicted on multiple charges out of Davidson County.

Those charges include aggravated burglary, aggravated burglary acting in concert and theft of property less than $250,000. Court records show those offenses date back to March 4, 2022  only about two months before he escaped from corrections officers at an Ashland City hospital.

At the time, Roach was reportedly serving jail time in Cheatham County for a parole violation. Cheatham County court records indicate that Roach has previously pled guilty to charges for robbery, assault, theft and contempt of court.

SEE ALSO: New details released after escapees arrest caught on camera

After hours of searching, the May 26, 2022, manhunt ended when a reserve off-duty Ashland City police officer spotted Roach and held him at gunpoint until other officers arrived.

Following his arrest, Cheatham County Sheriffs Office Lt. Ken Miller told News 2, Ive been dealing with Mr. Roach for quite some time, pretty much my whole career here actually.

Now, Metro Nashville police are looking for Roach in connection with more alleged crimes across county lines. Authorities said his last location is unknown.

10. Joseph Cavaleri

Joseph Cavaleri (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Joseph Cavaleri, 39, is wanted by the MNPD on outstanding warrants for five counts of burglary, three counts of theft of property, criminal impersonation and four counts of failure to appear. Cavaleri was added to the list on Feb. 7. Authorities said he was last seen in the Central Precinct.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee

Anyone with information on any of the suspects listed is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Hundreds of rock art enthusiasts of all kinds are expected to gather in Farmington later this month for the 50th annual conference of the American Rock Art Research Association.

The event will be held Thursday, May 16 through Monday, May 20 at the Courtyard by Marriott, 560 Scott Ave. in Farmington. It is open not just to those who study petroglyphs and pictographs professionally, but to students and to those who are simply interested in rock art.

The conference, which draws a nationwide audience, is returning to Farmington for the first time since 2008 and just the second time since the inaugural event was held 50 years ago, according to Linda Olson, the conference co-chair. The conference also will serve as another step forward for the citys efforts to establish itself as an outdoor-recreation destination.

It was always the wish of the people who started it to return to Farmington and celebrate that, she said of the half-century milestone.

The 50th annual conference of the American Rock Art Research Association will take place in the middle of May at the Courtyard by Marriott in Farmington.

As of April 29, 174 folks from across the country already had registered for the event, and more are expected, Olson said, noting that another 20 people had registered to participate in the conference on a virtual basis.

The event will feature several speakers, educational presentations, vendors and receptions, along with a banquet, in addition to a variety of field trips to rock art sites throughout the region, with the Four Corners area serving as home to an abundance of such sites.

Included are trips to Mesa Prieta, Jesus Canyon, Crow Canyon, Encierro Canyon, Pueblito Canyon, Lower Gobernador Canyon, Humming Bird and Montoya canyons, Pine Springs in Upper Gobernador Canyon, Blanco Canyon, the B-Square Ranch, Adalfo and Gomez canyons, Chaco Culture National Historic Park, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Upper Largo Canyon, Ute Mountain Park, Chimney Rock, and Simon and Pump canyons.

More: Aztec Ruins historic inscriptions survey yields plenty of results  and a few surprises

The Aztec Ruins trip will by led by Cortez, Colorado, historian Fred Blackburn, who will focus on the recent discovery by his team and documentation of 300 rock art images  painted, incised and pecked  that previously had gone unnoticed at the ruins.

Colorado historian Fred Blackburn will lead those attending the American Rock Art Research Association annual conference in Farmington on an excursion to Aztec Ruins National Monument, where he will discuss the 300 rock art images he and his research team recently discovered.

Olson said she has attended nearly every national conference the organization has held since 1992  and she has a trunkload of event T-shirts to prove it. She encouraged anyone who has even a passing interest in rock art or archaeology to consider attending at least part of the conference, explaining that it is designed to be accessible to a wide audience.

I would encourage them to check it out, she said, adding that when she attended her first conference, she was just a novice. You will find our membership is at all levels.

Several field trips to local rock art sites are planned during the American Rock Art Research Association's annual conference in Farmington May 16-20.

Interest in rock art has grown significantly in recent years, Olson said, explaining that it once was a lightly studied area of academia because it was virtually impossible to ascertain the age of petroglyph and pictograph sites. But recent advances in technology have changed that, she said, enabling researchers to date sites with far greater accuracy and inviting a greater depth of study.

But the sites themselves remain vulnerable, she said, explaining that natural deterioration and the threat of vandalism pose an ever-present danger to rock art sites. Unfortunately, some people simply have no respect for things that were created before they came along, Olson said.

The conferences keynote speaker will be Navajo archaeologist Richard Begay, the tribal historic preservation officer, who will speak on Sunday, May 19 during the conference banquet. A reception at Salmon Ruins is planned for Saturday, May 18.

The conference registration fee is $95, and you must become a American Rock Art Research Association member. But registration is free to students and to Native Americans, Olson said.

The hotel also is offering special rates to those who register for the conference.

To register for the conference, visit https://arara.wildapricot.org and click on the Events tab.

Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: National rock art conference will take place in Farmington May 16-20
The Navy issued a pause on operations for its T-45C Goshawk jet trainer fleet this month, following an engine failure on April 12.

The incident, which is under investigation, involved a T-45C Goshawk from Training Air Wing 1 that suffered an in-flight engine malfunction, according to Chief of Naval Air Training spokeswoman Anne Owens. The aircraft completed a precautionary landing in Hesler-Noble Field in Laurel, Mississippi in response.

CNATRA is investigating the incident as [Naval Air Systems Command] spearheads the engineering investigation, Owens said in an email to Navy Times. Out of an abundance of caution, operations of all T-45C Goshawk aircraft have been paused while CNATRA, Naval Air Forces, and NAVAIR assess the fleets ability to safely resume flying.

No injuries were reported, and the Navy is evaluating the amount of engine damage present in the aircraft, Owens said.

Navy grounds T-45 Goshawk fleet over engine blade failure

Naval Safety Command also reported an engine malfunction at takeoff from a T-45 based out of Naval Air Station Meridian in Mississippi on March 18, prompting the crew to conduct a high-speed abort. No injuries were reported in that case.

According to Owens, the two incidents are not believed to be related. Both were categorized as Class A mishaps, which the Navy stipulates involve death, or $2.5 million or more in damages, or the destruction of an aircraft.

The grounding marks the second for the Goshawk fleet since October 2022, when the Navy paused operations for the T-45 fleet to review an engine blade fault. Operations resumed less than three weeks later in that case.

The Navy and Marine Corps utilize the T-45 for its pilot training program for jet carrier aviation and tactical strike missions. The Navy first introduced the T-45C variant to the fleet in 1997.
Some NC restrictions on abortion drug are unlawful and undermine FDA, judge says

In a lawsuit by an OB-GYN challenging North Carolina regulations on dispensing medication abortion, a federal judge struck down some of the laws on the grounds that they undermine the national regulatory system.

Dr. Amy Bryant of UNC Health sued the state last year challenging its regulations on mifepristone, which is the first part of a two-pill regimen for termination of a pregnancy within the first 10 weeks of gestation. Bryant challenged state laws in place around prescribing the pill, such as requiring doctors to provide the pill in-person at certified facilities, and after a 72-hour waiting period.

She argued that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration usage requirements, which are more lenient than state laws, preempt North Carolinas restrictions.

On Tuesday in Greensboro, U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles granted a partial victory to Bryant.

She ruled that several of North Carolinas laws go against a congressional mandate that the FDA create the regulatory framework for safe drug distribution and use. Among those are state laws requiring:

That mifepristone must be prescribed, dispensed, and administered in-person.

That only physicians prescribe and provide the drug, not other medical providers.

That an in-person follow-up appointment be scheduled.

That complications caused by the drug be reported to the FDA.

These state safety rules must yield to the safety decisions made by the federal agency in whose hands Congress placed decision making authority about safety, Eagles wrote.

But state laws can stand if they do not impose requirements reviewed by the FDA or if they focus more on the practice of medicine and a patients informed consent  such as the states requirements for an in-person, 72-hour advance consultation and blood type testing.

The ruling could be appealed to higher courts.

Parties in the case

Eagles, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, was not persuaded by arguments made by defendants in the case around the the major questions doctrine, which centers on whether agencies have taken power beyond what Congress grants.

The FDA acts in accordance with Congress command ... imposing requirements to reduce risks to patients while declining to impose requirements which in the agencys judgment do not effectively reduce risks and ensure safe access, Eagles wrote.

On Wednesday, Bryant wrote in an email to The N&O she was reviewing the ruling and was pleased that Chief Judge Eagles recognized that North Carolina cannot impose restrictions on an FDA-approved medication that second-guess or interfere with the FDAs expert judgment, and that many of North Carolinas restrictions on mifepristone are preempted.

Bryant filed her lawsuit in January 2023, the same month that the the FDA removed in-person dispensing requirements, allowing the medication to also be mailed. The agency also enabled certified pharmacies to dispense mifepristone directly to patients with a prescription from a certified prescriber.

The states top lawyer, Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, would typically defend the state in such a case and was in fact named in the original lawsuit as a defendant. But he has recused himself in several abortion lawsuits and in this case, argued against the state in a legal brief.

On Tuesday, the court held that parts of North Carolinas anti-abortion law that make it harder for women, especially in rural North Carolina, to get medication abortion are unconstitutional. Republican legislators enacted the law to control, not protect, women. Ill keep fighting to protect womens freedoms, Stein said in a statement sent by spokesperson Nazneen Ahmed.

Also named as defendants in the case are the top two Republican legislative leaders, state Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore. The N&O wasnt immediately able to reach Berger and Moore by email for comment.

In a court filing, attorneys for Berger and Moore said that the lawsuit seeks to eradicate important state-law protections for unborn children and their mothers health and welfare, and that the FDA does not have the final say over one of the most divisive and consequential social and political issues of our day and the past fifty years.

Eagles called on the parties in the case to meet to narrow areas of disagreements.

Legal battle across the nation

Medication abortion has been the topic of lawsuits across the nation.

Since the U.S. Supreme Courts Dobbs ruling in 2022, which overturned the constitutional right to abortion, at least four new cases have been filed in federal court regarding the FDAs regulation of medication abortion, according to KFF. This includes North Carolinas lawsuit.

One major case involves a group of doctors who filed a federal lawsuit in Texas, months after the Supreme Court ruling, challenging the approval of mifepristone, as previously reported by The N&O.

The judge in that case revoked approval of the medication last year, but following a series of appeals, the Supreme Court agreed to review this ruling. A decision is expected by the end of June, according to the Associated Press. The Texas Tribune in March reported following arguments that the majority of justices seem willing to preserve access to mifepristone.

NCs abortion legal landscape

Since the Dobbs ruling, North Carolinas abortion legal landscape has changed significantly. Previously, abortions were permitted in the state up until fetal viability, generally considered to be around 23 or 24 weeks of pregnancy.

But once states got to determine their laws, North Carolina began enforcing a 20-week abortion ban that had been on the books in some form since 1973.

Last year, lawmakers also introduced and passed a new law that prohibited abortions after 12 weeks, starting last July. It included exceptions: up to 20 weeks for rape and incest, up to 24 weeks for life-limiting fetal anomalies, and without limit if a physician determines that the mothers life is in danger due to a medical emergency. Medication abortions are also legal through 12 weeks.

But there were new requirements that physicians providing abortion-inducing drugs determine the womans blood type and schedule two new in-person appointments, one 72 hours before taking the pill and another appointment one to two weeks afterward. This was in addition to the in-person appointment already required when taking the pill.
Scientists say theyve traced the origins of a potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid to the far side of the moon

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An unusual asteroid traveling near Earth is thought to be a chunk of the moon, but exactly how it ended up zooming through the solar system has remained a mystery. Now, researchers say theyve made a key connection in this cosmic puzzle.

The space rock, known as 2016 HO3, is a rare quasi-satellite  a type of near-Earth asteroid that orbits the sun but sticks close to our planet.

Astronomers first discovered it in 2016 using the Pan-STARRS telescope, or Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, in Hawaii. Scientists call the asteroid Kamooalewa, a name derived from a Hawaiian creation chant that alludes to an offspring traveling on its own.

While most near-Earth asteroids originate from the main asteroid belt  between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter  new research has revealed that Kamooalewa most likely came from the Giordano Bruno crater on the moons far side, or the side that faces away from Earth, according to a study published April 19 in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Its the first time astronomers have traced a potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid to a lunar crater, said lead study author Yifei Jiao, a visiting scholar at the University of Arizonas Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and a doctoral student at Tsinghua University in Beijing.



This was a surprise, and many were skeptical that it could come from the moon, said study coauthor Erik Asphaug, professor at the University of Arizonas laboratory, in a statement. For 50 years we have been studying rocks collected by astronauts on the surface of the moon, as well as hundreds of small lunar meteorites that were ejected randomly by asteroid impacts from all over the moon that ended up on Earth. Kamooalewa is kind of a missing link that connects the two.



In addition to helping confirm Kamooalewas potential relationship to the moon, the findings could ultimately lead to other revelations  including how the ingredients for life made their way to Earth.

Once upon a crater



Measuring between 150 and 190 feet (46 and 58 meters) in diameter, Kamooalewa is about half the size of the London Eye Ferris wheel. During orbit, it comes within 9 million miles (14.5 million kilometers) of Earth, making it a potentially hazardous asteroid astronomers keep track of and learn more about in case it ever strays too close to our planet.

Previous research focused on the asteroids reflectivity, which unlike typical near-Earth asteroids is similar to lunar materials, as well as the space rocks low orbital velocity in relation to Earth, a quality that suggests it came from relatively nearby.

For the new study, astronomers used simulations to narrow down which of the moons thousands of craters could have been the asteroids point of origin.

The Giordano Bruno crater matched all of the criteria determined by impact simulations in the study. - NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Based on the modeling, the team determined that the impactor that potentially created the asteroid would need to be at least 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) in diameter to dislodge such a massive fragment. When the object hit the moon, it likely dug Kamooalewa out from beneath the lunar surface, sending the space rock flying and leaving a crater larger than 6 to 12 miles (10 to nearly 20 kilometers) in diameter.

These simulations also helped the team search for a relatively young crater, given that the asteroid is only estimated to be a few million years old, while the moon is believed to be 4.5 billion years old.

These parameters helped researchers zero in on Giordano Bruno, a 14-mile-wide (22-kilometer-wide) crater estimated to be 4 million years old, as the likely spot where Kamooalewa started its journey.

The anatomy of an impact

The studys simulations showed that Kamooalewa was excavated from the lunar surface at several miles per second.

Youd think the impact event would pulverize and distribute the (lunar material) far and wide, Asphaug said. But there it is. So, we turned the problem around and asked ourselves, How can we make this happen?

Based on their models, the team believes the impact event sent tens of hundreds of 32.8-foot (10-meter) fragments flying into space. Yet Kamooalewa survived as a massive, singular fragment.

While most of that debris would have impacted the Earth as lunar meteorites over the course of less than a million years, a few lucky objects can survive in (sun-centric) orbits as near-Earth asteroids, yet to be discovered or identified, Jiao said.

Understanding how such a giant chunk of the moon could remain intact enough to become an asteroid could help scientists studying panspermia, or the idea that the ingredients for life may have been delivered to Earth as organic hitchhikers on space rocks such as asteroids, comets or other planets.

While Kamooalewa comes from a lifeless planet, it demonstrates how rocks ejected from Mars could carry life  at least in principle, Asphaug said.

Kamooalewa specimen: A connecting puzzle piece

Studying crater impacts on the moon can also help scientists better understand the consequences of asteroid impacts should a space rock pose a threat to Earth in the future.

Testing the new model of Kamooalewas origin from a specific, young lunar crater paves the way for obtaining ground-truth knowledge of the damage that asteroid impacts can cause to planetary bodies, said study coauthor Renu Malhotra, a planetary sciences professor at the University of Arizona, in a statement.

Chinas Tianwen-2 mission, launching in 2025, will visit Kamooalewa with the aim of collecting samples from the asteroid and eventually returning them to Earth.

It will be different in important ways from any of the specimens we have so far  one of those connecting pieces that help you solve the puzzle, Asphaug said.

Studying a sample excavated from the lunar far side could reveal insights into a part of the moon that has been less studied and shed light on the composition of its subsurface. Given that the impact likely happened a few million years ago  relatively young on astronomical timescales  the samples could also help scientists study how space radiation causes weathering and erosion on asteroids over time.

The exciting thing is that when a space mission visits an asteroid and returns some samples, we have surprises and unexpected outcomes, that usually go beyond what we were anticipating, said study coauthor Dr. Patrick Michel, astrophysicist and director of research at the National Centre for Scientific Research in France. So, whatever Tianwen-2 will return, it will be an extraordinary new source of information, as all asteroid missions so far.

For a long time, astronomers thought it was impossible for meteorites to come from the moon until lunar meteorites were found on Earth, said Noah Petro, NASA project scientist for both the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Artemis III. Petro was not involved in the study.

The hope is that future samples could confirm the lunar origin of Kamooalewa.

Going there and finding out is absolutely a way to go about it now, Petro said. Its a great, great reminder that we live in a very exciting solar system and we live in a very exciting corner of the solar system with our moon. Theres no other place, no other planet in our solar system with a moon like our moon. And things like this are great reminders of how special the Earth-moon system is.

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FILE - President Joe Biden speaks before a screening of the series "American Born Chinese" in the East Room of the White House in Washington, in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, May 8, 2023. It has been almost 50 years since the U.S. government established that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and their accomplishments should be recognized annually across the nation. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

It has been almost 50 years since the U.S. government established that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and their accomplishments should be recognized annually across the nation.

What started as just one week in May has evolved over the decades into a monthlong tribute of events in cities big and small. The nature of celebrations also evolved. Asian American and Pacific Islander or Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is not just about showcasing festive fare like food and fashion, but hard subjects like grief and social justice. The rise of anti-Asian hate during the pandemic only heightened that effort.

I think the visibility and the level that the increased participation of organizations in Asian Pacific Heritage Month activities is also an indication of the increasing voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in civic life more generally, said Karen Umemoto, director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. And also an indication of the spaces that weve come to collectively enter to be able to create those.

Indeed, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrations are not relegated just to ethnic enclaves or culturally-specific venues. Across the U.S. this year, events are planned at public libraries, parks and museums either highlighting a specific Asian culture or a myriad of them.

HOW DID AAPI HERITAGE MONTH START?

Many credit the observance's origin to Jeanie Jew, a co-founder of the congressional Asian-Pacific staff caucus. In 1977, the Chinese American shared a moving story with New York Republican Rep. Frank Horton about how her grandfather had helped build the transcontinental railroad in the 1800s and then was killed amid anti-Asian unrest.

Jew believed Asians should appreciate their heritage and Americans must know about the contributions and histories of the Asian-Pacific American experience, Horton said in 1992, according to congressional archives. At that time, Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month had already been instituted. Yet, Asian Americans were described as the fastest growing racial group.

Horton and California Democratic Rep. Norm Mineta proposed President Jimmy Carter issue a proclamation that the first week of May be Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week." Hawaii Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga, both Democrats, brought up a similar bill in the Senate.

WHY IS IT IN MAY?

May was chosen because of two significant events. The first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. arrived on May 7, 1843. Then on May 19, 1869, the final spike for the transcontinental railroad track, in which Chinese laborers played a crucial role, was embedded.

Umemoto recalls hearing talk of Asian Pacific Heritage Week as a college student. But it wasn't something that was mainstream.

I think it was more of a kind of cultural celebration in the early days, she said. And so a lot of student groups, I remember as doing programming around the different histories, cultural traditions and issues in the community.

In May 1990, President George H.W. Bush expanded the designation to the entire month. In 2009, President Barack Obama changed the name to Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Now, President Joe Biden's administration refers to it as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

As artists and journalists, doctors and engineers, business and community leaders, and so much more, AA and NHPI peoples have shaped the very fabric of our Nation and opened up new possibilities for all of us, Biden said in an official Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month proclamation issued on Tuesday.

The White House will hold a celebration in Washington on May 13 to commemorate 25 years since the inception of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

HOW HAS IT GROWN IN SIGNIFICANCE?

Asian American and Pacific Islander advocacy groups have long used the month as a platform to bring resources to underserved communities and educate the public. But, the one-two punch of COVID-19 and assaults on Asian people in the U.S. really gave some a new appreciation for the heritage month's purpose.

Pre-pandemic, Amber Reed, of Montclair, New Jersey, didn't really think about Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. A Korean-American adoptee who grew up one of few Asian children in rural Michigan, she said she didn't feel a strong connection to her Asian ancestry. That changed after the March 2021 Atlanta spa shootings that left eight dead, including six Asian women.

Certainly it jolted me out of thinking that my family could be safe and that we could just sort of muddle through without sort of reckoning with some of the very vicious currents of racism in our culture, Reed said. And I take no pride in having needed that moment to wake me up.

In response to the shootings, Reed and around 50 others started the nonprofit AAPI New Jersey  originally AAPI Montclair. Their advocacy began with surveys of local schools and other institutions' recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

The group then quickly organized the Lantern Festival for Justice and Remembrance for May. The Chinese tradition of lighting lanterns became a vehicle to honor victims of hate or injustice, Reed said. The event is now in its fourth year.

I think one thing Asian cultures do so well is provide these rituals, including for collective grief, said Reed, who still finds it surreal that the group continues to grow.

WHAT EVENTS MARK THE MONTH?

The variety of subjects and cultures feted during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month has flourished. There are events happening this month that include more narrow topics, such as a panel on the Asian American Church in Pasadena, California. There's an Asian Comedy Fest in New York City. And in Wisconsin, the state will celebrate May 14 as Hmong-Lao Veterans Day, which was signed into law in 2021. Thousands of Hmong-Lao soldiers fought alongside U.S. forces during the Vietnam war. Many Hmong and Laotian families resettled in Wisconsin.

These heritage month celebrations are helping to erode the notion that the whole population is a monolith, Umemoto said.

I think its important for people to visibly see from a wide range of groups that fall under the category Asian American and Pacific Islanders. There are over 70 different ethnic and national groups and over 100 languages spoken within those communities," Umemoto said. "And theyre very different.

___

Terry Tang is a Phoenix-based member of AP's Race and Ethnicity team.
Consolidated Net Revenues: Reached $4.4 billion, marking a 13% increase year-over-year, surpassing the estimated $4.24 billion.

Net Income: Reported at $217 million, exceeding the estimated $182.65 million.

Earnings Per Share (EPS): Recorded at $0.67, exceeding the estimated $0.56.

Free Cash Flow: Amounted to $377 million, indicating robust operational efficiency and cash generation.

MGM China: Showcased a significant revenue increase of 71% to $1.1 billion, driven by the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and a strong market rebound.

Las Vegas Operations: Continued to show strength with net revenues rising to $2.3 billion, a 4% increase from the previous year.

Share Repurchases: Repurchased 12 million shares during the quarter, emphasizing ongoing shareholder return initiatives.

On May 1, 2024, MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) disclosed its financial results for the first quarter of 2024, revealing a performance that exceeded analyst expectations in terms of revenue. The company's detailed financial outcomes can be accessed through its 8-K filing. MGM Resorts, a leading global entertainment company, operates prestigious properties including MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, and Bellagio among others, and is a significant player in the U.S. sports and iGaming sectors.

MGM Resorts International (MGM) Q1 2024 Earnings: Surpasses Analyst Revenue Forecasts

Financial Highlights and Strategic Achievements

The quarter saw MGM Resorts achieving consolidated net revenues of $4.4 billion, marking a 13% increase year-over-year, primarily due to robust performance in MGM China and continued strength in Las Vegas operations. This figure surpasses the estimated revenue of $4235.55 million projected by analysts. The company reported a net income of $217 million, with diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.67, which although lower than the previous year's $1.24, still outperformed the adjusted EPS estimate of $0.56 for the quarter.

Significant developments included the successful launch of a strategic licensing agreement with Marriott, which has already seen over 130,000 room nights booked, indicating strong future growth potential. Additionally, MGM China resumed its dividend following record quarterly results, with Adjusted Property EBITDAR up 78% year-over-year.

Operational Performance Across Key Markets

In Las Vegas, MGM's flagship market, net revenues slightly increased by 4% to $2.3 billion. However, Adjusted Property EBITDAR saw a slight decrease of 1%. The Regional Operations segment faced a 4% decline in net revenues, primarily due to the disposition of Gold Strike Tunica and a decrease in casino revenue. Conversely, MGM China experienced a significant revenue surge of 71%, benefiting from the easing of COVID-19 related travel restrictions.

Story continues

Capital Management and Future Outlook

MGM Resorts demonstrated strong capital management through the repurchase of 12 million shares, reflecting confidence in its financial health and future prospects. The company's venture in Japan continues to progress, with substantial financing now in place for the development of the countrys first integrated resort, signaling potential long-term growth.

CEO Bill Hornbuckle expressed optimism about the company's strategic growth initiatives, emphasizing sustainable cash flow generation from resort operations and international expansion. CFO Jonathan Halkyard highlighted the financial strength and shareholder value enhancement through strategic share repurchases and operational growth.

Analysis and Investor Implications

MGM Resorts' Q1 results reflect a resilient operational model and an effective strategic direction, particularly in its ability to exceed revenue expectations and manage capital effectively. The company's focus on expanding its luxury and digital offerings, along with strategic international ventures, positions it well for sustained growth. Investors should note the potential for increased profitability and market expansion, particularly with developments in Japan and digital integration.

As MGM continues to navigate the post-pandemic recovery and expand its global footprint, its ability to maintain operational efficiency and capitalize on strategic partnerships will be crucial for long-term success. The strong Q1 performance, particularly in revenue growth, sets a positive tone for the fiscal year.

For detailed financial figures and further information, refer to MGM Resorts' official earnings release and supplementary financial data.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from MGM Resorts International for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  Nearly 700 pounds of fentanyl have been seized in the past year in a law enforcement crackdown in San Francisco, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The multi-agency enforcement, which was launched last May, has also resulted in over 500 arrests, the governors office said.

As part of the crackdown, Gov. Newsom deployed the California Highway Patrol and the California National Guard to SFs Tenderloin neighborhood. The CHP and guard have been working in partnership with local agencies including the San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Sheriffs Office and San Francisco District Attorney.

Lack of Oakland leadership led to missing retail theft prevention grant deadline: audit

Our coordinated work to shut down drug markets in San Francisco is making a difference, but we have more work to do, said SF Mayor London Breed. Im grateful for the dedicated and sustained support of Governor Newsom to deliver the California Highway Patrol and California National Guard to work with our local and federal law enforcement officers.

The various agencies have worked in coordination with one another under the umbrella of the SF Drug Market Agency Coordination Center (DMACC). The effort is intended to dismantle illegal drug markets in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods.

Additionally, the CHP has issued over 6,200 citations as part of the operation and recovered over 115 stolen vehicles. Gov. Newsoms office also cited a significant drop in violent and property crime in the year since the special operation began.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  An hours-long standoff between Abilene police and a suspect ended in the 44-year-old womans fatal shooting Monday night. She allegedly fired at officers after hours of negotiations. The officers returned fire, killing the suspect. An Abilene Police Department (APD) news release and witness statement reveal that the altercation began around 9:00 p.m. that night with a separate shooting.

Prior to the standoff, APD received a call of shots fired at a home in the 1000 block of Grape Street. Court documents say the suspect had been living in a shed in the backyard of the propertys main house when she fired a gun at one of the main houses residents while they were out with their dog.

Shed during the day

Shed on the night of the standoff

KTAB/KRBC spoke with the family of the victim in the main house, who said the woman was staying in that shed for several months, but they did not know her. The resident said they believed there was an agreement between the suspect and the propertys landlord as the resident and her family had complained about the woman to their landlord multiple times, though she said this was the first time things had gotten violent.

Report: Abilene woman killed by police was squatter who fired shots at victim, officers

APDs release said the suspect has a history of assault and aggravated assault, as well as appearing to be intoxicated upon officer arrival.

Both the main house victim and the landlord described the suspect as a squatter.

On scene, APD made contact with the suspect ordering her to vacate the shed to which she did not comply, and instead barricaded herself inside. A SWAT team was also called to the scene in an attempt to negotiate with the suspect from about 9:00 p.m. to around 3:00 a.m.

A neighbor just across the alley, Rachel, said they could hear the commotion all through the night. She and her family watched cautiously as the scene played out.

All you could see was cop cars They had this whole street, north 11th from here to grape, blocked off, Rachel said.

Rachel and neighbors around the block watched for hours as Abilene officers attempted to resolve the altercation peacefully. Those negotiations broke down abruptly, as Rachel recalled.

The next thing I know, I heard a BOOM BOOM, and then I heard glass breaking, and within like five minutes it was just silent, described Rachel.

Those booms she heard were the two shots fired right before the suspect was killed. The APD news release reads:

The female suspect then barricaded herself inside her home. Officers arrived and set up a perimeter around the home. Negotiators and SWAT were called out to assist. After several hours of negotiating, the female opened the door and fired a round at officers. Officers returned fire, striking the female. The 44-year-old female suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene by Justice of the Peace Joiner. Next of kin notification has not been made. -News release from Abilene Police Department

KTAB/KRBC made contact with the family in the main house of that property, but requested to not be interviewed on camera. The family said they are all still in a state of shock at the events that in their own backyard.

No APD injuries were reported, and the officer who fired their weapon was placed on a mandatory administrative leave. The incident is under continuing investigation by Abilene police and Texas Rangers.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
In a new statement, Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the violence that unfolded at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA on Tuesday night.

I condemn the violence at UCLA last night. The law is clear: The right to free speech does not extend to inciting violence, vandalism, or lawlessness on campus, a portion of the governors statement said.

The statement went on to say that those who engaged in illegal behavior will be accountable for their actions including through criminal prosecution, suspension, or expulsion.

Campus protests grow across the country

The violence erupted shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday when the group of about 50 counter-protesters wearing dark clothing, hoods and white masks covering their faces stormed the barricade and tried to tear it down.

Unarmed security guards were forced to flee as fireworks were launched at the encampment, exploding near the tents that have overtaken Royce Quad.

Aerial footage from Sky5 captured the chaotic scene, including countless clashes between the two sides. The number of people injured and the severity of the injuries were unclear.

UCLAs night of violence in photos

At the request of UCLA officials, LAPD was sent to the campus early Wednesday morning to restore order and maintain safety.

The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles also issued a statement Wednesday denouncing the violent attacks on the encampment.

We are appalled at the violence that took place on the campus of UCLA last night. The abhorrent actions of a few counter-protestors last night do not represent the Jewish community or our values. We believe in peaceful, civic discourse, a portion of the statement read.

Pro-Palestinian protesters are demanding UCLA divest all interests in Israel and are calling for an immediate halt to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Counter-protesters calling for the release of Israeli hostages taken captive on Oct. 7 by Hamas have used screens and speakers to blast images and stories of survivors just feet away from the encampment.

UCLA students staging counter-protest as campus encampment grows

UCLA declared the encampment unlawful in a letter issued just hours before the violent confrontations began. Officials also asked demonstrators to leave the area and stated that those who decide to stay could face disciplinary measures, including suspension or expulsion, the Daily Bruin reported.

School officials also announced that Royce Hall will be closed through Friday and that Powell Library wont reopen until Monday. All classes were canceled Wednesday morning.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
It was a night of stars, surprises and countless inspirational stories as Nexstar Media Group, Inc. honored Remarkable Women winners from across the nation and named 2024s Nexstar Woman of the Year.

The awards gala was held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in early April and was the culmination of an amazing trip for more than 100 regional winners. They visited the world-famous TCL Chinese Theatre, got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Warner Bros. Studios lot, and participated in a taping of The Jennifer Hudson Show.

Jerelyn Rodriguez, co-founder of The Knowledge House in the Bronx, was named Nexstars 2024 Remarkable Women winner during the ceremony. Rodriguez focuses her work on teaching coding and other digital skills in underserved communities. Ultimately, she wants to help pull people from poverty by giving them the skills they need for high-paying tech jobs.

Jerelyn Rodriguez

Every March, Nexstar Media Group, Inc., celebrates Womens History Month by honoring Remarkable Women across the country and recognizing one of them as the Nexstar Woman of the Year. Remarkable Women, a nationwide initiative to honor the influence that women have had on public policy, social progress, and the quality of life, celebrates local women who inspire, lead, and forge the way for other women.

Our more than 200 Nexstar broadcasting stations in 117 markets accept nominations for Nexstar Woman of the Year. Based on nominations with universally selected criteria, including community contributions, self-achievement, and family impact, each market selects four local women for consideration as that markets Remarkable Woman. Profiles of the top four nominees in each market air on local newscasts every Tuesday during the month of March and the nominees are featured on the websites of each local television station.

Each markets Remarkable Woman receives a $1,000 contribution on their behalf to a non-profit of their choice and that winner is then considered for Nexstar Woman of the Year. The Nexstar Charitable Foundation make a $10,000 contribution on behalf of the Nexstar Woman of the Year to the non-profit organization of her choice.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
EXETER  Democratic candidates for governor of New Hampshire will face questions Sunday from high school students and the public.

Students from five New Hampshire schools (Phillips Exeter Academy, Oyster River High School, Raymond High School, Nashua North and Nashua South High Schools) are welcoming the Democratic gubernatorial candidates to the historic Exeter Town Hall on Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m. for a forum where students and community members will have the chance to ask questions.

A New Hampshire Democratic gubernatorial candidates forum is coming to the historic Exeter Town Hall on Sunday, May 5, 2024.

The forum will feature the candidates one by one. The students pulled straws to decide the order of the candidates: Newmarket resident and restaurant owner Jon Kiper will lead off, followed by Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig.

Jon Kiper

The forum, which is expected to end by 4 p.m., is free and open to the public. The three candidates are competing for the Democratic nomination in the state's Sept. 10 primary. The winner will advance to the Nov. 5 general election ballot.

Cinde Warmington

Exeter Democrats town chairman Frederick "Skip" Berrien approached Exeter resident and mother Karishma Manzur about creating the event a couple of months ago. She brought it to various high schools, where about a dozen students were interested. From there, the students organized the event, from finding the venue to reaching out to campaigns to publicizing it.

Joyce Craig

Students will ask questions on issues that matter to their generation, said Manzur, including the climate crisis, reproductive rights, the high cost of living, and demographic changes in New Hampshire. If there is time after the student questions, community members will also have a chance to ask questions.

More: Craig and Warmington seek Democratic nomination for governor. What voters need to know.

Manzur said the students have become more interested and active in the political process throughout this experience. Some are 18 and will be voting for the first time this year. She hopes the event will inspire others to help increase youth engagement.

There is no Republican forum planned yet, but Manzur said she and the students are interested and hope to connect with the local Republican Party.

More: Jonny Bostons restaurant owner running for NH governor to be 'a voice' for middle class

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH Democratic candidates for governor coming to Exeter public forum
NH's delegates for Biden will count in 2024. But will NH primary be first in 2028?

CONCORD  The Democratic National Committee voted to count New Hampshires delegates at the national convention this summer in Chicago on Tuesday, bringing what pundits say is an inevitable ending to long feud over the state's first-in-the-nation primary.

Last year, the DNC announced South Carolina would be the first state to vote instead of New Hampshire, calling it an effort to have a more diverse state lead the way. New Hampshire refused to break tradition and held an unsanctioned primary (before South Carolina's primary) where President Joe Bidens name was absent from the ballot. But through a write-in effort led by Democrats in the state, Biden won anyways, garnering almost 64% of the vote.

New Hampshire state Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, is at the center of a celebration of President Joe Biden's write-in win in the New Hampshire primary in Manchester Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024.

On Tuesday, the co-chair of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee Jim Roosevelt said that all of that is behind us now at a meeting where the rule-making arm of the committee voted to reinstate New Hampshires delegates.

The vote came after the state party met to ratify delegates on Saturday in a "party-run delegate selection primary" as directed to by the DNC.

Political pundits said this outcome was the inevitable ending of the years drama.

Its a little bit of a reward for not embarrassing President Biden during the primary, Southern New Hampshire University civic scholar Dean Spiliotes said, adding that the result is not unprecedented as parties usually try to smooth things over after these types of disagreements.

Plus, Biden may need New Hampshire's electoral college votes in the November election.

New Hampshire is a small state and a swing state, said Chris Galdieri, a politics professor at Saint Anselm College. I think given the state of the president's polling and everything, they can't really afford to put four electoral votes at risk just over this state party-national party conflict.

Will New Hampshire be the first primary in 2028?

Granite State Democrats shouldn't celebrate yet: the DNCs decision doesn't mean New Hampshire will be the first primary officially again in 2028.

On the one hand, Spiliotes said, the state proved its mettle.

Theyve made a case that you dont want to ignore New Hampshire, said Galdieri. This whole thing made it clear that New Hampshire just has no interest in changing its state law, simply because one of the national parties tells it to.

But Dante Scala, an associate professor of political science at UNH, thinks that the way the DNC accepted the delegates  in a meeting over the weekend instead of by taking the results of the January primary  is telling.

Ultimately, New Hampshire Democrats admitted that the first-in-the-nation primary was not a legitimate event, Scala said. Thats kind of what they conceded by holding a second event that would actually seat delegates.

The election in 2028 will also be a much different race than this year, with open primaries on both the Democratic and Republican side, warned the pundits.

New Hampshire has been on the chopping block multiple times in the last several decades, Spiliotes said. It could be another very nasty fight over the schedule.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: What does DNC decision mean for 2028 New Hampshire primary?
NH's delegates for Biden will count in 2024. But will NH primary be first in 2028?

CONCORD  The Democratic National Committee voted to count New Hampshires delegates at the national convention this summer in Chicago on Tuesday, bringing what pundits say is an inevitable end to the long feud over the states first-in-the-nation primary.

Last year, the DNC announced South Carolina would be the first state to vote instead of New Hampshire, calling it an effort to have a more diverse state lead the way. New Hampshire refused to break tradition and held an unsanctioned primary (before South Carolinas primary) where President Joe Bidens name was absent from the ballot. But through a write-in effort led by Democrats in the state, Biden won anyways, garnering almost 64% of the vote.

New Hampshire state Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, is at the center of a celebration of President Joe Biden's write-in win in the New Hampshire primary in Manchester Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024.

On Tuesday, the co-chair of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee, Jim Roosevelt, said that all of that is behind us now at a meeting where the rule-making arm of the committee voted to reinstate New Hampshires delegates.

The vote came after the state party met on Saturday to ratify delegates in a party-run delegate selection primary, as directed by the DNC.

Political pundits said this outcome was the inevitable ending of the years drama.

Its a little bit of a reward for not embarrassing President Biden during the primary, Southern New Hampshire University civic scholar Dean Spiliotes said, adding that the result is not unprecedented as parties usually try to smooth things over after these types of disagreements.

Plus, Biden may need New Hampshires electoral college votes in the November election.

New Hampshire is a small state and a swing state, said Chris Galdieri, a politics professor at Saint Anselm College. I think given the state of the presidents polling and everything, they cant really afford to put four electoral votes at risk just over this state party-national party conflict.

Will New Hampshire be the first primary in 2028?

Granite State Democrats shouldnt celebrate yet: the DNCs decision doesnt mean New Hampshire will be the first primary officially again in 2028.

On the one hand, Spiliotes said, the state proved its mettle.

Theyve made a case that you dont want to ignore New Hampshire, said Galdieri. This whole thing made it clear that New Hampshire just has no interest in changing its state law, simply because one of the national parties tells it to.

But Dante Scala, an associate professor of political science at UNH, thinks that the way the DNC accepted the delegates  in a meeting over the weekend instead of by taking the results of the January primary  is telling.

Ultimately, New Hampshire Democrats admitted that the first-in-the-nation primary was not a legitimate event, Scala said. Thats kind of what they conceded by holding a second event that would actually seat delegates.

The election in 2028 will also be a much different race than this year, with open primaries on both the Democratic and Republican sides, warned the pundits.

New Hampshire has been on the chopping block multiple times in the last several decades, Spiliotes said. It could be another very nasty fight over the schedule.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: DNC decision could affect 2028 New Hampshire primary: Elections
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The U.S.-Mexico sister cities of Nogales spent much of their early history in harmony, their only division a street labeled "International Ave" and infrequent obelisks erected in the 19th century.

Then, on Aug. 27, 1918, shots were fired over the border after a man seemingly tried to cross into Mexico with unauthorized goods and a dispute broke out between customs officials.

"Mexicans and Americans clash in bloody fight in the city of Nogales," The Arizona Republican, as The Arizona Republic was then known, headlined the Aug. 28, 1918, front page. The incident  called the Battle of Ambos Nogales, which means "both Nogales"  sparked the first permanent U.S.-Mexico border fence.

"While the casualties on the Mexican side of the border were not known tonight, it was estimated that 100 had been killed by fire from the American side, while at least twice this number, including a number of civilians were wounded," the Associated Press reported Aug. 28 in The Republican.

On Aug. 28, 1918, The Arizona Republican, as this news outlet was then called, published a report about what became know as the Battle of Ambos Nogales.

A day after the battle, the Associated Press reported lower death estimates, stating that the Mayor of Mexico's Nogales, Felix Penaloza, and 13 others on the Mexican side, including four women, were killed. In the end, there were as many as 129 Mexicans killed, four American deaths and a total of 330 people wounded, according to Carlos Parra's research published in Nogales International.

Parra, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arizona, said many factors were at play when simmering tensions in Nogales reached a tipping point. Residents of Ambos Nogales used to openly travel back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico to trade or get groceries, Parra said, which got harder once World War I led to rationing restrictions that non-English speakers were not always informed about.

"You have the ongoing violence of the Mexican Revolution that's been going on for eight years by the time the Battle of Ambos Nogales happens," Parra said. "You have the tensions of World War I  that xenophobia  and you have this rationing sort of crisis."

In the Aug. 29, 1918, paper, The Republican featured the story of an American businessman who took refuge in Sonora during the battle. He said residents of Nogales felt more "regret rather than animosity over the shooting," according to an Associated Press report.

"The opinion, insofar as it is expressed by the people of Nogales, Sonora, with whom I conversed, was that the shooting was an unfortunate affair started by irresponsible persons under undue stress of excitement," the man told a reporter on Aug. 28, 1918.

The battle lasted less than 24 hours, and most of the shooting happened the evening the battle started, the Associated Press wrote. The first permanent Southwestern border fence was built by the U.S. Army shortly after the battle to prevent miscommunication and violent altercations at the border, Parra said.

"It's just a two-mile long fence between neighbors and that's it," Parra said of 1918's border fence in comparison to today's U.S.-Mexico border wall. "It's a reminder of how we take for granted the current crisis that we have today, and we lose sight of the fact that we haven't always had these issues."

Reach the reporter at alexis.waiss@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How the Battle of Ambos Nogales led to Arizona's first border fence
(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. and Brookfield Asset Managements green energy arm signed the biggest corporate clean-energy purchase agreement ever announced, as the technology giant ramps up its investment in artificial intelligence.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Brookfield Renewable Partners will provide more than 10.5 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity in the US and Europe starting in 2026, according to a statement Wednesday. Thats comparable to about 10 nuclear power plants and reflects the turbocharged demand for electricity from data centers and artificial intelligence.

Technology companies are clamoring for more clean energy to meet their own climate goals, just as overall energy demand is rising.

It is absolutely the largest single announcement for a corporate clean-power purchase agreement ever, BloombergNEF analyst Kyle Harrison said in a message. It cements Microsoft as the second-largest corporate buyer of clean energy through power purchase agreements, after Amazon.

Its difficult to estimate the cost for 10.5 gigawatts of new capacity because development costs vary significantly by energy type and location. But if all the development was US solar farms, they would cost more than $11.5 billion to build, according to BloombergNEF. Building that much US wind power would cost almost $17 billion.

Shares of Brookfield Renewable Partners rose as much as 8.5% in New York, the biggest intraday increase since mid-November. Microsoft rose as much as 1.6%.

After minimal growth over the past two decades, US power consumption is forecast to expand quickly in response to demand from the new data centers needed to develop and run AI, as well as new factories and electric vehicles. Last month, power generator Exelon Corp. predicted a 900% jump in power demand from data centers planned in the Chicago area.

Such a dramatic forecast presents a challenge for technology companies to secure additional power supplies while simultaneously reducing emissions. Microsoft has a goal of matching all its electricity consumption with zero-carbon energy purchases by 2030.

Read More: AIs Growing Energy Use Has Data Centers Chasing Clean Power

Microsoft is pouring billions into developing its AI capabilities, and the data centers needed to support them, because it sees the technology as a key tool to attract customers for its cloud computing services.

Story continues

AI tools are incredibly resource-intensive to run and many companies dont have the data center capacity to support their own large-scale AI operations. Instead, theyre turning to big tech companies such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon.com Inc. for help running AI programs on the cloud.

Just last week, Microsoft reported a 17% jump in revenue in the third quarter, totaling $61.9 billion, thanks to a surge in corporate demand for its cloud and AI offerings. On Tuesday, Amazons cloud unit posted the strongest sales growth in a year.

Microsoft and Brookfield said the deal is almost eight times larger than any other single corporate power-purchase agreement, and it may later be expanded to include new renewables capacity in Asia and Latin America.

The accord will focus on wind and solar, but also include new or impactful carbon free energy generation technologies, the companies said.

(Updates with share move in sixth paragraph. An earlier version corrected timing of announcement in seventh paragraph.)

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Butte County prosecutors on Tuesday formally filed a murder charge against a defendant accused of shooting a man in the face in Oroville, before detectives found the wanted suspect six days later in Stockton.

Joseph Andrew Perkins, 54, of Oroville, is accused of fatally shooting Richard Allen Kelly, 61, of Chico, the Butte County District Attorneys Office announced in a news release. Along with the murder charge, Perkins faces a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and an enhancement for allegedly using a gun in Kellys death.

Perkins appeared Tuesday for his arraignment in Butte Superior Court. Prosecutors said the judge postponed Perkins arraignment until Thursday and ordered the defendant to remain in custody without bail at the Butte County Jail.

Perkins has eight previous felony convictions, including two convictions considered strikes under Californias Three Strikes law.

The deadly shooting was initially reported shortly before 10:30 p.m. April 20 in the 500 block of Lodgeview Drive, in an Oroville residential neighborhood just south of Lake Oroville State Recreation Area.

A woman called 911 to report that her friend had just been shot outside her home in the 500 block of Lodgeview Drive in the Kelly Ridge area of Oroville. Prosecutors said the woman during the 911 call identified the shooter as her boyfriend, whom she referred to as Joey, and she said he had already left the area.

Sheriffs deputies arrived at the home and found Kelly dead with a gunshot wound to his face, according to the District Attorneys Office. The deputies found Kelly in the street next to his vehicle.

The woman who had called 911 and the homeowner were at the home and questioned by sheriffs detectives. Prosecutors said detectives identified Perkins as the shooting suspect based on those interviews and learned that Perkins had driven away in the homeowners vehicle. That vehicle was later found abandoned nearby.

A judge that night issued an arrest warrant for Perkins. Two days later, the Butte County Sheriffs Office asked the public to help find the wanted homicide suspect.

Sheriffs officials said detectives learned Perkins had been staying at a Stockton home. The detectives conducted surveillance on the home.

After Perkins was spotted leaving the home Friday evening, sheriffs detectives  with help from the Stockton Police Department  arrested Perkins at a nearby gas station. Prosecutors said the detectives served the search warrant and found several firearms in the home, including a loaded pistol under the pillow on the bed where Perkins had been sleeping.
State House GOP candidates Ed Massey and T.J. Roberts debated at a forum Tuesday night hosted by the Commonwealth Policy Center at the main branch of the Boone County Public Library.

BURLINGTON, Ky.  A Republican candidate forum ended abruptly Tuesday night after one man accused the other of having a profile on a gay hookup app.

Republican Kentucky House candidate Ed Massey told The Enquirer afterward he stood by his claim that his primary opponent T. J. Roberts is rumored to be on Grindr. The comment sparked 120 or so attendees at the event to shout toward the stage  some confused, others adamant the accusation was a lie.

Roberts called for his opponent to withdraw from the race.

Id ask that he apologize. Id ask that he drop out of the race because Boone County deserves better, Roberts told The Enquirer.

Do I have Grindr? No. That is stupid. And he used (the phrase) rumored to be because he is getting to a level where hes this close to getting sued for defamation, Roberts, 26, said.

Both candidates are running in the GOP primary for the empty state House seat in District 66, which includes the northern part of Boone County, located about 15 miles southwest of Cincinnati.

Massey and Roberts were two of six candidates slated to attend the forum hosted by the Commonwealth Policy Center at the main branch of the Boone County Public Library.

The center is a conservative political organization that recruits candidates, lobbies lawmakers and promotes traditional Christian values.

Kentucky House District 66

'I don't know who we're dealing with'

Massey, 56, did not provide evidence of a Grindr account linked to Roberts but defended the comment after the debate.

Ive heard from more than one person that he may have a different affiliation. I dont judge him for that, but Id rather people just be truthful about what it is. Again, I said it was a rumored Grindr account because I dont know that for certain, Massey said. But I will tell you, the lies that Ive caught him in, the things that hes said  I dont know who were dealing with.

Roberts has previously told The Enquirer he believes marriage is between a man and a woman but accepts the issue has been settled legally by the Supreme Court. He lives with his grandparents and acts as their caretaker, he said.

About 71% of people in the United States agree marriage between same-sex couples should be legally recognized, according to a 2023 Gallup poll. That includes 49% of Republicans and 41% of weekly churchgoers.

Part of a broader Republican divide

Roberts is part of a vocal and more conservative branch of the Republican party that emerged after the 2020 election  one that is deeply rooted in Christian values that support legislation such as total abortion bans without exceptions for rape or incest. They're sometimes called liberty candidates or constitutional Republicans.

Thats in contrast to establishment Republicans who thrived in a pre-Trump era, which is when Massey won two terms as state House representative.

Whoever wins the May 21 primary election will go up against Democrat Peggy Houston-Nienaber in the general election this fall. A Republican has represented the district in the House for more than 40 years.

During the forum, Massey also brought up what he said were Roberts offensive online comments, including about veterans.

My opponent got into a debate with a military member where he said to him, basically, that he needed to get a real job to get off the taxpayer dime and that he had no respect for the military, Massey said, displaying a printout of the comments.

Roberts said he could not remember the specific conversation or its context, but he said his stepfather and grandfather are both veterans.

My issue is that I despise the military-industrial complexs use of our soldiers because, foundationally, I think that they sign up to defend America, they sign up to defend America first, he said.

Roberts made few personal accusations about Massey during the debate. Instead, he wanted to keep the conversation focused on issues, like limited government and the protection of peoples individual rights.

"What he said was so false it was hardly deserving of a response," Roberts said. "All I can say is how I am less than half that man's age and yet still, in my view, was the adult in the room was beyond me."

The Enquirer previously interviewed Roberts and Massey about issues such as abortion, school vouchers, and Donald Trump. You can read more about their stance on specific issues at the link below.

More: A censure and 'cheap political points' highlight GOP divide in Kentucky

Have a news tip or question about something happening in Northern Kentucky? Contact NKY reporter Jolene Almendarez at jolenea@gannett.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @jolenea1.

More: A censure and 'cheap political points' highlight GOP divide in Kentucky

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: T.J. Roberts calls for Ed Massey to withdraw after Grindr rumor
Oslo will increase aid to Ukraine by 7 billion Norwegian kroner (about $630 million), the bulk of which will support Kyiv's anti-aircraft and artillery ammunition supplies, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told the E24 news outlet on April 30.

Stoere previously said on April 21 that Norway would direct "significant sums" to Ukraine's air defense but did not specify the exact amount.

The new funds will primarily support military aid to Ukraine, with a smaller portion allocated to civilian financial aid, Stoere said.

Norway will partner with Germany, the United States, and other allies to find anti-aircraft ammunition to better protect Ukraine's skies. According to Stoere, air defense systems have already been produced and are ready to deliver to Kyiv in the near future.

"Now it's about delivering fairly immediately on this with air defense," Stoere said.

"We get daily news that Ukrainians are waking up to apartment buildings, hospitals and power plants being hit by Russian missiles. They must be able to defend themselves against this."

The funds will also support the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine's front-line troops.

Norway has recently ramped up efforts to increase defense production, both for domestic needs and for aid to Ukraine. Oslo allocated 2 billion Norwegian kroner ($190 million) in January for Ukrainian aid.

Read also: Skynex: The German drone destroyer reinforcing Ukraines air defense

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Not Just Columbia: Student Protesters Across U.S. Are Occupying Campus Buildings

Officials at the Portland State University in Oregon announced the closure of the campus on Tuesday over an ongoing incident at the library, a reference to students who, protesting the ongoing war in Gaza, broke into and took over the building late the previous night.

At a late-night news conference, school and local officials said that they had requested the city polices help in the matter, suggesting that the occupation was illegal.

Unfortunately tonight with the breaching of the library it has become a criminal event not a free speech event, Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day said.

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt added his office would prosecute anyone arrested as a result of the takeover. I expect that felony charges could be filed depending on what evidence we gather, including burglary and felony, criminal mischief along with other potential misdemeanors, he said.

Police had not intervened as of Tuesday night, and it was unclear if any action was being planned. At the news conference, PSU President Ann Cudd called for the protesters to leave the library before law enforcement got involved.

The beleaguered administrators were in good company, with similar occupations taking place across the country by student protesters this week.

The trend began on Monday at Columbia University, the epicenter of widespread campus unrest taking place across the country. Students broke into Hamilton Hall, one of the buildings also occupied during the 1968 anti-Vietnam War student protests.

Further uptown in New York City on Tuesday, police officers deployed pepper spray and clashed with protesters attempting to occupy a building at the City College of New York, according to The New York Times.

Student protesters at both Princeton University and Cal Poly Humboldt have similarly taken over buildings on campus in recent days. Early Tuesday, police swept into Cal Poly and arrested 35 people as they cleared occupied buildings, one of which had been informally renamed Intifada Hall.

Cops Close in on Student-Occupied Building at Columbia University

The Portland State University protests on campus began last Thursday, according to Cudd, who said that by Monday morning the encampment [had] grown and resulted in much more significant property damage and intimidation.

The protesters were asked to disperse that afternoon, Cudd said, only for students to swarm into the schools Millar Library hours later.

Portland State University supports free speech. Thats what were all about. And we know that this issue, the war in Gaza, is important to many individuals in our community. Emotions are running high, she said. Many feel that the injustices are just too large to ignore, and I understand this, but I cannot condone or excuse breaking and entering. I cannot condone the property damage that has taken place at PSUs library.

Between 50 and 75 people were believed to be inside the building on Tuesday. Organizers have said on social media that protesters will not harm any books in the library, according to The Oregonian.

At Columbia, dozens were still barricaded inside Hamilton on Tuesday night, as scores of police officers gathered outside campus gates. On Tuesday morning, a department spokesperson told CNN that it had no plans to enter campus without an official request from the university.

But the network reported later that the department was expecting a letter from Columbia officials asking for officers to clear out the encampment. A department official cautioned that the situation remained fluid.

The White House has unilaterally condemned the takeover of campus facilities.

President Biden respects the right to free expression, but protests must be peaceful and lawful. Forcibly taking over buildings is not peacefulit is wrong. And hate speech and hate symbols have no place in America, said Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates.

President Biden has stood against repugnant, antisemitic smears and violent rhetoric his entire life, he continued. He condemns the use of the term intifada, as he has the other tragic and dangerous hate speech displayed in recent days.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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MMIP. Amidst the launch of MMIP Awareness week, a notable victory in Northern California sees justice served for Milton Yogi McGarva, a Pit River tribal citizen.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently announced the sentencing of Jarrett Bleu Rucker to 26 years to life in prison for McGarva's murder, marking a crucial development in the ongoing fight against the Missing Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis.

Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.

The tragic events unfolded on March 9, 2020, when Modoc County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a stabbing report at a residence on County Road 65 in Likely, California. Upon arrival, they discovered McGarva, fatally wounded, alongside Rucker, who sustained injuries requiring urgent medical attention.

The prosecution, led by the California Department of Justices Criminal Division, concluded with a jury finding Rucker guilty of first-degree murder. This verdict, reached on February 27, 2024, marked the end of a legal saga that began with McGarva's tragic death.

If it wasnt for the Attorney General's Office, I dont think we would have had this moment," Morning Star Gali, executive director of Indigenous Justice said in a press release. "We are extremely grateful for all of the efforts involved to bring justice for Yogi and his family."

Since becoming Attorney General, Bonta has taken action to address the MMIP crisis in California. He's organized statewide MMIP events called "Missing in California Indian Country," providing crucial support for tribal communities. These events allow loved ones to report missing individuals, get updates on cases, and provide DNA samples for identification.

Bonta also created the Native American Marsys Law Information Card to inform tribal crime victims of their rights. Additionally, he supports Assembly Bill 2695 (AB 2695) by Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland), which requires law enforcement to report crime data from Indian lands to the DOJ, aiding in MMIP crisis resolution.

Today, I am thinking of the family of Milton Yogi McGarva. I cant begin to imagine what they have been through these past few years. My team fought hard to secure justice for them, and now, Yogis killer will be behind bars for a substantial amount of time, Attorney General Bonta said. At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to hold accountable those who terrorize any of our neighborhoods, including our tribal communities that too often are overlooked.

About the Author: "Kaili Berg (Aleut) is a member of the Alutiiq\/Sugpiaq Nation, and a shareholder of Koniag, Inc. She is a staff reporter for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. Berg, who is based in Wisconsin, previously reported for the Ho-Chunk Nation newspaper, Hocak Worak. She went to school originally for nursing, but changed her major after finding her passion in communications at Western Technical College in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. "

Contact: kberg@indiancountrymedia.com
BRIAR CREEK TOWNSHIP, COLUMBIA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) A home in Columbia County was destroyed by a fire early Wednesday morning.

First responders say they were called to a working house fire on Loop Road, Briar Creek Township, around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Chief Craig Fisher with the Summer Hill Fire Company said the police department is near the home so officers got to the house within a minute and reported a heavily involved house fire.

PSP pursuit ends with DUI arrest in Columbia County

By the time the fire department got to the house, Chief Fisher said part of the house had already collapsed.

The fire had a good head start on the fire department according to Chief Fisher, but both residents were able to get out of the home safely.

No one was injured in the fire, but according to Chief Fisher, there is nothing left of the house.

The fire department also said two cars near the house were also damaged. One was totaled and the other had significant damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Chief Fisher says the fire was not suspicious.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
School Resource Officer Josh Moore, Officer Micaela Zagar, Officer Cameron Martinez and Chief Eric Vaughn pose for a photo with Mayor Dirk Cavanaugh and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn after receiving the Iowa Medal of Merit during a ceremony on Friday, April 25, 2024.

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn presented four officers with the Perry Police Department with the Iowa Medal of Merit for their actions in responding swiftly to the shooting on Jan. 4 at Perry High School.

In January, our community was rocked by the tragic attack at Perry High School. The Perry Police Department helped save lives with their courageous and rapid response, Nunn said during a ceremony on Friday, April 25. Its my privilege to honor these men and women in uniform for their willingness to run into danger to keep our community safe. We cant say thank you enough!

The officers honored with the Iowa Medal of Merit include: Chief Eric Vaughn, Officer Micaela Zagar, Officer Cameron Martinez and School Resource Officer Josh Moore.

School Resource Officer Josh Moore, Officer Cameron Martinez, Officer Micaela Zagar and Chief Eric Vaughn pose for a photo after receiving the Iowa Medal of Merit during a ceremony on Friday, April 25, 2024, at the Perry Police Department.

Our officers were honored to be recognized for their response and actions on January 4th," said Chief Eric Vaughn. Our training had taught us how to respond to a situation we hoped we would never have to.

We appreciate all you did. Were still healing from what happened. Were going to get through it, said Mayor Dirk Cavanaugh. We appreciate you all, and everyones efforts through this whole time.

Members of the Perry Police Department pose for a photo with Mayor Dirk Cavanaugh and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn on Friday, April 25, 2024.

The Iowa Medal of Merit recognizes heroes in the community, including law enforcement, that serve their community honorably.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Nunn awards Iowa Medal of Merit to Perry Police Department officers
Editors note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

HCA Healthcares Galen College of Nursing  one of the nations largest private nursing schools  will debut an Orlando campus soon.

The Louisville, Kentucky-based for-profit college signed a lease for 42,145 square feet in Ingenuity Point at 12650 Ingenuity Drive in Orlando, according to Cushman & Wakefields first-quarter 2024 office report. The building is in Central Florida Research Park near the University of Central Florida.

Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare Inc. (NYSE HCA) bought the college in 2020, according to Orlando Business Journal sister paper Louisville Business First. The acquisition of Galen effectively created a pipeline for HCA, which allows new nurses to feed the companys hospital system amid a nationwide shortage.

SEE: Restaurant violations: Action 9 reveals the top offenders

Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journals website.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.




Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Third Quarter 2024 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: US$61.9b (up 17% from 3Q 2023).

Net income: US$21.9b (up 20% from 3Q 2023).

Profit margin: 36% (in line with 3Q 2023).

EPS: US$2.95 (up from US$2.46 in 3Q 2023).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Microsoft Revenues and Earnings Beat Expectations

Revenue exceeded analyst estimates by 1.6%. Earnings per share (EPS) also surpassed analyst estimates by 4.0%.

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 13% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 13% growth forecast for the Software industry in the US.

Performance of the American Software industry.

The company's shares are down 4.5% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

You should learn about the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Microsoft.

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.
NY judge may get slap on the wrist after wild caught-on-video brawl over parking spot ended with him shoving cop

An upstate New York judge who was caught-on-video shoving a cop during a wild shirtless brawl with his neighbors over a parking spot could get off with just a slap on the wrist.

Mark Grisanti, 59, was formally reprimanded by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct [SCJC] for the cuss-laden June 2020 melee that ended with him cuffed.

The judicial watchdog group explained that while SCJC Administrator Robert Tembeckjian recommended Grisanti be kicked off the bench, and four members voted for his ouster, six other panelists opted for the lighter censuring, or public admonishment.

I hope Judge Grisanti appreciates how close he came to being removed, and that his future conduct will exemplify the integrity and dignity required of his high office, Tembeckjian said in a statement Tuesday.

Judge Mark Grisanti should be censured for a brawl with his neighbors in 2020. Buffalo Police Department

Judge Grisanti allegedly got into the fight with his neighbors over where their cars were parked.

Grisanti, a Court of Claims judge and acting Erie County Supreme Court Justice, was elected to office in 2015 and while his term expired in July 2023 hes been continuing to serve in a holdover capacity, the SCJC said.

 was formally reprimanded by the for a curse-laden physical fight with his neighbors and with cops in Buffalo, NY on .

Grisanti got into an altercation with the neighbors who live across the street from his Buffalo New York home. Buffalo Police Department

He earned $210,900 in 2023, according to SeeThroughNY.

The June 22, 2020 altercation began because Grisanti believed his neighbors Joseph, 69, and Gina Mele, 57, were encroaching on his driveway in Buffalo, according to the SCJC determination from April 22, made public Tuesday,

The allegedly troublesome neighbors again parked two cars on opposite sides of Grisantis driveway when he got home the night of the fight, the filing says.

The judge called 911 before he and wife Maria Grisanti confronted the Meles with Grisanti yelling Every fking Thursday, Ill fking flatten your face again and other profanities, the papers claim.

During the melee, the Meles lobbed swears back at the Grisantis and the quadruple tussled before cops arrived, the documents allege.

Buffalo police officers tried to break up the bitter neighbors, handcuffing a slight five-foot-tall, 100-pound Maria and eventually bringing her to the ground while she resisted, the determination says.

This prompted Grisanti to shove the arresting officer, before another cop held him while he yelled you better get off my fking wife and also threatening theyd be sorry because his son and daughter are cops, the filing claims.

The cops showed up to the fight and arrested Grisanti and his wife. Buffalo Police Department

Grisanti, who was also cuffed, eventually apologized for pushing the cop before he was taken away. Charges were never brought against any of the four neighbors.

The judge had lost family members around the time of the incident, which contributed to the meltdown, the filing claims.

He enrolled himself the next month in counseling provided by the courts, which he remained in until February 2021.

The SCJC also found Grisanti should be admonished for presiding over eight cases in which an attorney who the judge had sold his law firm to was involved in.

Grisanti continued to receive compensation from the lawyer  who bought the practice for $50,0000  through June 2019 but failed to report their ties and did not disclose the pay in 2015, the SCJC alleged.

Grisanti allegedly told the cops that they would be sorry for the arrest because his daughter and son were officers. Buffalo Police Department

The judge has 30 days to request a review of the SCJCs determination from the New York Court of Appeals, otherwise, the censure will be finalized.

Neighbor Gina Mele told The Post by phone Tuesday that she was puzzled that the SCJC was letting Grisanti  who she said still lives across the street from her  off so easily.

Im shocked that he was only censured, she said. I have lost confidence in our judicial system altogether. Me and my husband were the victims in this situation.

Mele claimed that she and her husband didnt encroach on Grisantis property, but would merely park on the public street in front of the judges house and never understood why he would get so angry.

The Commission on Judicial Conduct recommended that Grisanti be censured for the incident. Robert Kirkham

She said she felt it was unfair that charges were never brought against the Gristantis and felt a cover-up had taken place.

As for her husband, Mele said, he always says that our rights were violated and it boils down to who you are and who you know.

Grisantis lawyers Terrence Connors and Vincent Doyle said in a statement that the judges conduct that day didnt warrant his removal.

The Judicial Conduct Commission examined every inch of Justice Grisantis career, the statement said. The multiple-day hearing featured testimony from lawyers, court personnel, and other judges that Justice Grisanti is an exemplary judge who is diligent, hardworking and courteous.

Todays decision concludes that, on balance, Justice Grisantis conduct during a two-hour period of one day, compared to his excellent record as a judge, does not warrant removal from the bench, the lawyers concluded.
New Yorks asinine climate change law demanding a dramatic increase in green energy has set unattainable goals  and could trigger soaring electrical costs for consumers, a top state business advocate claims.

It is very clear that New York will not meet the goals that are required under the statute when it comes to climate change, Paul Zuber, senior vice president at the NYS Business Council, said during an interview on WABC 77 radios The Cats Roundtable program.

Without modifications, the law will just drive more residents and businesses out of New York because of skyrocketing energy costs to build the transmission lines for renewal projects, Zuber argued.

Paul Zuber, senior vice president at the NYS Business Council, claimed that New York wont be able to meet the goals required by the states asinine climate change law. Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050 from 1990 levels.

The goal is to boost wind and solar power production and achieve 70% non-fossil fuel, non-carbon renewable energy by 2030.

It is not a realistic goal, Zuber said. Its asinine.

He noted the recent cancellation of three offshore wind projects was a major setback to meeting the targets set under the law, and provides strong evidence that the statute is impractical.

New York is betting too heavily on wind and solar instead of a more diverse energy portfolio to juice the state that includes nuclear energy and natural gas, Zuber said.

It especially doesnt work when you do what many of the environmentalists want  having only wind and have only solar When you look at it that way, it is a joke, he said.

The cost for the average consumer when theyre paying their electric bill is going to skyrocket because utilities have to build transition lines lines to these renewable projects, which costs money, and that cost is passed on to the taxpayer.

Zuber said the recent cancellation of three offshore window projects will be a set back for meeting the targets. zentilia  stock.adobe.com

Gov. Kathy Hochul faced a fierce backlash after the state banned gas stoves for new housing construction to help reach climate goals.

Meanwhile, a coalition representing thousands of New York City co-op and condo owners is pushing for tax relief to help with the $20,000 per unit costs to comply with the mandate.

An energy expert at the conservative-leaning Empire Center for Public Policy agreed that the renewable energy targets set by the law are not attainable.

Zuber claimed that New York is putting too much stock in solar and wind projects. Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

This climate change law has the potential to murder upstate manufacturing, said Ken Girardin, the Empire Centers research director, who published a recent study claiming state projections undercount the true costs of complying with the statute.

Hochuls office defended her administrations implementation of the climate change law and claimed that nearly 60% of the states power generation mix is now coming from clean energy sources including hydropower, wind and solar.

Under the status quo, New York consumers are stuck with dramatic fluctuations on utility bills and sky-high costs after extreme weather events, a Hochul spokesperson said Tuesday.

Governor Hochul is advancing the clean energy revolution to protect New Yorkers, while investing $1.6 billion this year alone in energy affordability initiatives.

Environmental advocates also defended the law and accused the NYS Business Council of carrying water for the fossil-fuel industry, charging the groups stance is predictable given their core memberships of oil and gas related businesses.

Their position is shortsighted and disregards the urgent need to transition off the roller coaster ride of dirty fossil fuels to renewable energy, which will benefit the health and safety of our communities as well as our economy, said Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters.

The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act requires New York to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in 2030 and 85% in 2050 from 1990 levels. Helayne Seidman

Now might be the time to ease off the gas in our cars, but we absolutely should be going pedal to the metal to reach our clean energy goals, added Tighe.

The Hochul Administration continues to be a leader on this issue, and we applaud their efforts to meet the ambitious goals of the CLCPA.

Another green energy insider said offshore wind projects will get back on track but added that the state erred by decommissioning the Indian Power nuclear plant in Westchester under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Indian Point provided about one-quarter of power to juice New York City.
What to know about 'outside agitators' cops say are co-opting Columbia protests

Protests at Columbia University against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have been allegedly "co-opted" by what New York City police officials described as professional outside agitators bent on sowing chaos and violence.

Top police brass said protesters unaffiliated with Columbia University have been escalating the violence.

On Thursday morning, the NYPD said a preliminary analysis of the 282 people arrested Tuesday night at Columbia and the City College of New York 47% were not affiliated with either school.

At Columbia, 32 people arrested were not affiliated with the university, while about 80 people were, according to the NYPD. At CCNY, 102 people arrested were not affiliated and 68 were, police said.

"I know that there are those who are attempting to say, 'Well, the majority of the people have been students.' You don't have to be the majority to influence and co-opt an operation. That's what this is about," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

The mayor added, "We're going to protect our city from those who are attempting to do what is happening globally. There is a movement to radicalize young people and I'm not going to wait until it's done and all of a sudden acknowledge the existence of it."

PHOTO: Pro-Palestinian supporters confront police during demonstrations at The City College Of New York (CUNY) as the NYPD cracks down on protest camps at both Columbia University and CCNY on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

"These external actors are obviously not students and their presence on campus is a violation of Columbia's clearly stated policy," Adams said during a press briefing Tuesday. "This is to serve their own agenda. They are not here to promote peace or unity or allow the peaceful displaying of one voice. But they're here to create discord and divisiveness."

On Tuesday night, police arrested nearly 300 people at Columbia University, and at City College of New York in Harlem, the latter where Adams said officers had bottles and garbage cans thrown at them as they moved in to make arrests.

The mayor said demonstrators who occupied Columbia's Hamilton Hall were guided by people who have no connection to Columbia University. He further said those arrested were at the time still being processed by police, who were determining who is a student and who is not.

The arrests at Columbia and CCNY Harlem came hours after Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD deputy commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism, said officers have observed outsiders on campus with whom they are familiar from other protests staged in the city over the years.

PHOTO: New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Edward Caban and Mayor Eric Adams appear at a press conference in New York City, May 1, 2024. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Without identifying them, Weiner said some of the alleged demonstrators unaffiliated with Columbia were active in the Occupy Wall Street protests of 2011, the 2020 so-called "autonomous zone" protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota following the police killing of George Floyd, and the ongoing Stop Cop City demonstrations opposing a police training facility in Atlanta.

"These protests have been and are being influenced by external actors who are unaffiliated with the universities, some of whom have been known to our department and others for many years for their dangerous, disruptive and criminal activity associated with protests for years," Weiner said during Tuesday's briefing. "So, this is not about what's happening overseas, it's not about the last seven months. It's about a commitment to, at times, violent protest activity as an occupation."

MORE: Biden, speaking on campus protests, says both free speech and rule of law 'must be upheld'

Weiner said officers observed the alleged outside agitators on campus at Columbia teaching students, who have been conducting mostly peaceful pro-Palestinian protests, aggressive tactics that she said were used in the takeover of Hamilton Hall.

MORE: Protests engulf Columbia University and other campuses with encampments, arrests

Weiner played a two-minute video showing individuals dressed in black breaking into windows at the Hamilton Hall academic building, and others dragging metal barricades into the building to use to help block entrances and exits. She said the alleged agitators taught students to use de-arresting tactics, and encouraged them to destroy property and to fortify protest signs for use as shields. Another tactic Weiner said protestors used was chaining themselves together to block access to Hamilton Hall.

"Cameras have been destroyed and there's only one reason to destroy a camera. It's certainly not something anyone is taught at school," Weiner said.

She added, "We think these tactics are a result of guidance that's being given to students from some of these actors."

PHOTO: Police watch as pro-Palestinian supporters continue to demonstrate outside of an encampment on the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Protesters allegedly unaffiliated with Columbia who were removed from Hamilton Hall and arrested are facing charges of trespassing, destruction of property, vandalism, and criminal mischief, according to police officials.

New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban said the more aggressive tactics being deployed by protesters are "endangering public safety."

"These once-peaceful protests are being exploited by professional outside agitators and the safety of all students, faculty and staff are now a concern," Caban said at Tuesday's briefing.

He said Columbia University is private property, and so "decisions on what to do on that property are up to the university."

On Tuesday, Columbia officials asked the NYPD to come on campus and clear Hamilton Hall of the demonstrators, Adams said Wednesday, adding that university officials acknowledged that "outside agitators were on their grounds training and really co-opting this movement."

MORE: Speaker Johnson, House Republicans ramp up criticism of 'out of control' college protests

Other U.S. colleges have also alleged that outside agitators have infiltrated student protests. At the University of Texas in Austin, officials said 45 of the 79 people arrested on campus Monday had no affiliation with the university.

"These numbers validate our concern that much of the disruption on campus over the past week has been orchestrated by people from outside the University, including groups with ties to escalating protests at other universities around the country," University of Texas officials said in a statement. "To date, from protesters, weapons have been confiscated in the form of guns, buckets of large rocks, bricks, steel-enforced wood planks, mallets, and chains.

"Staff have been physically assaulted and threatened, and police have been headbutted and hit with horse excrement, while their police cars have had tires slashed with knives," the statement also said. "This is calculated, intentional and, we believe, orchestrated, and led by those outside our university community."

"We will continue to safeguard the free speech and assembly rights of everyone on our campus, while we protect our University and students, who are preparing for their final exams," the statement concluded.

What to know about 'outside agitators' cops say are co-opting Columbia protests originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
(Bloomberg) -- New York police officers arrested almost 300 people as they broke up escalating pro-Palestinian protests at two colleges amid an outpouring of anger over the Israel-Hamas war.

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A total of 282 people were arrested, including 119 at Columbia University and the rest at City College of New York, John Chell, chief of patrol at the New York Police Department, told reporters Wednesday. Officials reiterated their view that outside agitators had joined the Columbia protest but said they were still determining how many non-students were arrested.

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We went in and conducted an operation to allow Columbia University to remove those who have turned the peaceful protest into a place where antisemitism and anti-Israel attitudes were pervasive, New York Mayor Eric Adams said at a media briefing.

The crackdown capped two weeks of rising tensions at Columbia, punctuated by more than 100 arrests on April 18 and subsequent protests that culminated with the takeover of the schools Hamilton Hall building. The activists have condemned the Israeli military campaign in Gaza that the Hamas-run health ministry says has left more than 34,000 people dead, and are demanding that the university divest from companies supplying weapons to Israel.

Television broadcasts showed officers surging onto the grounds and entering Hamilton Hall, the latest focal point of the protest, which had been occupied by demonstrators early Tuesday. After the police action, university personnel took down tents and removed supplies from the main encampment, the school newspaper reported.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik asked police to stay on campus through at least May 17, two days after graduation.

Across the country at the University of California at Los Angeles, clashes broke out early Wednesday at a pro-Palestinian encampment after the university declared it unlawful, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The newspaper said a group of counter-demonstrators tried to tear down the barricades surrounding the protest area. Pro-Palestinian protesters later used pepper spray on those demonstrators, it said.

The violence unfolding this evening at UCLA is absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a post on X. LAPD has arrived on campus.

Later on Wednesday morning, private security guards in windbreakers were guarding many campus buildings, while around 100 uniformed officers from nearby police departments including the LAPD, the LA County Sheriff and the California Highway Patrol surrounded the encampment at Dickson plaza, where the clashes took place overnight.

A handful of pro-Palestinian protesters remained at the encampment and were asking supporters via encrypted messaging apps to send in N95 masks and goggles. The metal barricades were still up.

At Columbia, the student newspaper reported that Provost Angela Olinto said all academic activities on the Morningside Heights campus would be fully remote for the remainder of the semester, including final exams.

Luis Garcia Praslin, a freshman, criticized Shafiks handling of the protests. He said he was only informed about the police raid a few minutes before it occurred, even though his dorm was next to Hamilton Hall.

We were left in the dark he said. He was in his dorm room, but friends of his were stuck outside near the police, which he says put them in danger.

Shafik should never have arrested protesters because it only spiraled things, said Garcia Praslin, who wasnt involved in the protests.

Further uptown, police made arrests outside City College of New York, dispersing protesters and erecting steel barricades in the area. The school is part of the City University of New York system.

Protests have spread to colleges around the country, sparking recriminations and drawing in everyone from students to faculty and donors to politicians. Universities are struggling to handle the increasingly confrontational pro-Palestinian protests amid accusations that theyre not responding strongly enough to antisemitism on campuses.

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, called the protesters raging lunatics and commended the NYPD for its crackdown.

I say remove the encampments immediately, vanquish the radicals and take back our campuses for all of the normal students who want a safe place from which to learn, he said at an appearance in Wisconsin.

Read more: Arrests at Columbia, Students at Brown to Move: Protest Tracker

In a statement earlier this week, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said, President Biden respects the right to free expression, but protests must be peaceful and lawful. Forcibly taking over buildings is not peaceful  it is wrong.

Rebecca Weiner, the NYPDs deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, said the police have been concerned about a change in tactics that presents a concern and a normalization and mainstreaming of rhetoric associated with terrorism.

Read more: How NYPD Arrests of Columbia Universitys Protesters Unfolded

Police warned that the barricaded protesters in Columbias Hamilton Hall would face a range of charges including burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing, while those in the encampments would face trespassing and disorderly conduct.

--With assistance from Hadriana Lowenkron, Dayana Mustak, Emily Cadman, Sarah McGregor, Carla Canivete, Kevin Whitelaw, Maxwell Adler, Jennah Haque and Nacha Cattan.

(Updates with Trump, Biden comments in 18th paragraph)

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Screenshot: Morning Joe

If theres one thing New York City Mayor Eric Adams wants you to know about the student protests on the campuses of Columbia University and City College of New York, its not that the students are justifiably upset about the ongoing genocide in Palestine. No, after nearly 300 people were arrested for protesting, Adams blamed outside agitators, saying, This is a global problem that young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children. It might sound crazy, but the NYPD has actually discovered irrefutable proof  a bike chain.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, Isnt a bike chain a very common way to keep a bike from being stolen? And dont a lot of students who go to college in New York City ride bikes? Is there something Im missing here? Did someone swing the bike chain at a cop or something? And those would all be valid questions. To answer them, as best as we can tell, its yes, yes, no, no. Its literally just a bike chain.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard went on Morning Joe to show off the bike chain that proves the student protests are actually run by outside forces and not a bunch of college kids who understood what Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich meant when he called for the total annihilation of Israels enemies. This is not what students bring to school. This is what professionals bring to campuses and universities, Deputy Commissioner Sheppard said before explaining that they were used to chain the doors to Hamilton Hall shut.

This bike lock is/was available for sale on campus via Columbia's Public Safety department under their "Crime Prevention Discount Bike, Locker and Laptop Lock Program".



See their flier with a discount here: https://t.co/cXudPIG70k https://t.co/RIjIoRCuw5 pic.twitter.com/hVb60tpFTC  Aric Toler (@AricToler) May 1, 2024

To be fair, those chains are very strong and quite difficult to break, which is why theyre popular with cyclists who would like their bikes to be in the same place they left them when they come back. Oh, and also, as it turns out, Columbias Public Safety department sells those exact bike chains. And at a discount, even! And yet, were supposed to believe that instead of Columbia students using bike chains they most likely bought through the school itself, they actually got them from Hamas or George Soros or some other people who were not affiliated with the university. OK, Eric. Whatever you say.

Now, if you ignore everything thats been going on in the U.S. the entire time these kids were growing up, it is fair to question why the student protesters were so good at keeping the cops out of the building they were in. Theyre college kids, after all, so how could they possibly make it so difficult for the cops to get in without professional assistance?

Think about it for more than half a second, though, and youll remember that this is the generation that was raised with constant school shooting drills. The professional assistance they got almost definitely came in the form of years of detailed instructions and practice in how to barricade a door. If they didnt want college kids to be pros at keeping a shooter out, maybe they should have actually done something to stop school shootings instead.

Alternatively, university administrators could have followed the time-honored tradition of ignoring campus protests until they inevitably fizzle out, but apparently, that was simply too much to ask. Instead, they decided to bring in the cops, a method we all know worked so well during the Vietnam war. Oh, wait...

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Some startling rumors emerged shortly after New York Police Department officers  clad in what looked like every piece of riot gear available to the department  stormed Columbia University to forcibly remove and arrest student protesters occupying a campus building.

These werent students; these were professional agitators. These skilled infiltrators had used industrial chains to barricade the doors of Hamilton Hall. Even worse, one of the protesters was the wife of a known terror suspect.

The claims were at best misleading and at worst outright false  but that didnt stop law enforcement, national lawmakers, state officials, members of the press, and online influencers from spreading the accusations far and wide in an attempt to justify the NYPDs disproportionately aggressive action against Columbia students at the direction of university administrators.

On Wednesday morning, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard appeared on MSNBCs Morning Joe to discuss the previous nights arrests. Sheppard brought a heavy chain as a prop for the interview. This is not what students bring to school he said, he said, telling the hosts that the chain was an example of what had been used to secure the doors of Hamilton Hall. This is what professionals bring to campuses and universities. These are heavy, industrial chains that were locked with bike locks.

On Wednesday, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban held up a similar chain during a press conference discussing the arrests.

But the chains were not dissimilar to bike locks  ones sold by the Columbia University Department of Public Safety at a discount to students. Morning Joes X post highlighting the segment was flagged with a community note, but had not been removed by the network at the time of publication.

This bike lock is/was available for sale on campus via Columbia's Public Safety department under their "Crime Prevention Discount Bike, Locker and Laptop Lock Program".



See their flier with a discount here: https://t.co/cXudPIG70k https://t.co/RIjIoRCuw5 pic.twitter.com/hVb60tpFTC  Aric Toler (@AricToler) May 1, 2024

On Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams suggested that outside agitators were on their grounds training, and really coopting this movement, but provided no evidence to back up the claim. There are people that we have been watching  and organizations  that are not part of the campus, he said during a press conference. We know that there are outside individuals who have been influencing this issue.

The suggestion that the protests are the product of outsiders also circulated online on Tuesday night. It will be interesting to learn how many of those arrested in Hamilton Hall at Columbia are actually students, David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, wrote on X.

CNN also repeatedly aired suggestions that a significant portion of the protesters at Columbia were outside agitators despite the school having restricted access to the campus to individuals holding Columbia-issued IDs for more than a week.

The NYPD has so far refused to confirm if they arrested any so-called outside agitators when clearing Hamilton Hall.

Claims also spread Tuesday night that the wife of a convicted terrorist had been spotted alongside protesters at Columbias campus. The unverified report went viral in a tweet from a CBS New York reporter, who cited unnamed sources. The NYPD later confirmed that the woman was not at the protest site Tuesday night, and that law enforcement had no evidence of criminal wrongdoing on her part.

On Wednesday, Columbia University President Nemat Minouche Shafik issued a statement lamenting that its going to take time to heal following the events of the past month. I hope that we can use the weeks ahead to restore calm, allow students to complete their academic work, and honor their achievements at commencement. Shafik has requested that the NYPD remain on campus through mid-May after graduation ceremonies have concluded and students leave campus.

But much of the schools student body and faculty remain enraged, and they hold Shafik responsible for the escalation of violence against protesters. Columbia has become a national spectacle. Instead of defending your students right to free expression or engaging publicly with activist organizations, you and other administrators are scrambling to save face, wrote the editorial board of The Columbia Spectator, the universitys student newspaper of record. President Shafik, this is your legacy: a president more focused on the brand of your University than the safety of your students and their demands for justice.

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The New York City Police Departments (NYPD) sweeping operation at Columbia University late Tuesday was met with fierce criticism from many progressive lawmakers, who pushed officials to deescalate the situation.

Hundreds of police officers stormed a campus building Tuesday, as they sought to regain control of a building that had been seized by pro-Palestinian protestors more than 20 hours earlier.

I am outraged by the level of police presence called upon nonviolent student protestors on Columbia and CCNYs campuses. As an educator who has first hand experience with the over-policing of our schools, this is personal to me, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) wrote on X on Tuesday, adding, The militarization of college campuses, extensive police presence, and arrest of hundreds of students are in direct opposition to the role of education as a cornerstone of our democracy.

I call upon the Columbia administration to stop this dangerous escalation before it leads to further harm, and allow the faculty back onto campus so that all parties can collectively come to a solution that centers humanity over hate, Bowman said.

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) on Wednesday responded on X to footage of the NYPD arresting protesters, and wrote, The continued repression and violence against anti-war student activists and their allies by Columbia University, NYPD, and Mayor Adams is abhorrent and barbarous.

The nationwide crackdown on protesters must end, Bush added.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) issued a similar call for deescalation earlier that evening.

If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents, Ocasio-Cortez wrote on the social platform X, responding to Mayor Eric Adamss (D) warning ahead of the police raid for students to vacate the building before the situation escalates.

Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making, she continued. I urge the Mayor to reverse course.

The New York Democrat later reposted a CNN report of the NYPD operation, which quoted a reporter saying, Ive covered lots of this sort of stuff around the world, and Ive never seen this many police moving into one area.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) reposted a statement from journalist Glenn Greenwald, who was responding to the same footage.

If this were in Russia or Iran  a police force of this size deployed against students protesting the states war policies  itd be universally denounced as evil tyranny, Greenwalds post, shared by Omar, reads.

The problem for the protesters is they chose the one issue that could provoke police force of this kind, he added.

Demonstrations against the war in Gaza have spread across campuses in recent weeks. On Columbias campus, protesters escalated the situation by seizing control of Hamilton Hall, smashing windows and unfurling an intifada banner in the process.

The move prompted Columbias president, Minouche Shafik, to send a letter to senior NYPD officials Tuesday, requesting police remove protesters from the occupied building and a nearby tent encampment with the utmost regret.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) issued his harshest criticism yet of the protests Tuesday.

Smashing windows with hammers and taking over a university building is not free speech, he said Tuesday on the Senate floor. It is lawlessness. And those who did it should promptly face the consequences that are not merely a slap on the wrist.

Campuses cannot be places of learning and argument and discussion when protests veer into criminality, and those who commit such acts are doing nothing to convince others that their cause is just, he added.

Updated at 10:36 a.m.

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NEW YORK (PIX11)  NYPD officers took down a Palestinian flag off a flagpole after clearing protesters from the City College campus in Harlem Tuesday night, according to an NYPD video released on social media.

The footage shows cops taking the flag down and someone from the school tossing it on the ground before replacing it with the American flag on the campus flagpole, according to police and a video posted by NYPD Chief of Operations Kaz Daughtry.

Doughtry and Tarrik Sheppard, NYPDs deputy commissioner for public information, were then seen posing in front of the U.S. flag before Sheppard threw up a peace sign.

An incredible scene and proud moment as we have assisted @CityCollegeNY in restoring order on campus, culminating in raising Old Glory once again on their campus flagpole, Daughtry said in the X post.

The chief claimed officers saw many American flags ripped and burned on campus. Mayor Eric Adams was also disgusted with another countrys flag flying on New York City buildings, saying it peeved him because his uncle died defending America.

Its despicable that schools will allow another countrys flag to fly in our country. So blame me for being proud to be an American, Adams said during a press briefing Wednesday.

Approximately 300 people were detained during demonstrations at Columbia University and City College Tuesday night, according to the NYPD. Around 109 arrests were made at Columbia and 173 at City College.

Officials referred to the protesters who were not affiliated with the schools as outside agitators.

Young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children, Adams said. And Im not going to allow that to happen as the mayor of New York.

Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

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NYPD cops hoist US flag at City College after school worker tosses away Palestinian flag

NEW YORK  Cops including two high-ranking NYPD officials proudly hoisted an American flag  and a school worker pulled down and tossed away a Palestinian flag  after evicting protesters encamped at City College, video posted by the department shows.

Kaz Daughtry, the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner for Operations, posted the video early Wednesday.

In the video, a man jumps up and rips down the Palestinian flag then hands it to a school worker who tosses it to the ground. Daughtry and Tarik Sheppard, the NYPDs deputy commissioner for public information, then participate in hooking an American flag to the pole in its place.

The moment appears to have been captured by an NYPD photographer as credentialed media were blocked from accessing the encampment.

At the end of the video, Daughtry and Sheppard smile and pose for the camera next to the flag pole.

An incredible scene and proud moment as we have assisted @CityCollegeNY in restoring order on campus, culminating in raising Old Glory once again on their campus flagpole, Daughtry tweeted alongside the video.

Observers criticized the flag video for sending the wrong message and straying too far into politicizing the NYPD.

NYPD sees itself as a conquering military (not protectors of free speech/protest as they often falsely claim), wrote Joo Hyun-Kang, director of Communities United for Police Reform. Replacing a flag isnt about safety, its propaganda. And why in the hell should cops be doing this?

The criticism brought a defense from the mayor who noted his uncle died defending the country.

You dont take over our buildings and put another flag up, Adams said. Its despicable that schools will allow another countrys flag to fly in our country. So blame me for being proud to be an American.

Sheppard said he assumed the Palestinian flag was later thrown away.

If there is a flag that is up .. that the school didnt put up, wouldnt the school normally  say it doesnt belong here and take it down and put it in the trash? Wouldnt they normally do that? Sheppard said.

Palestinian flags have been raised during protests that have unfolded at City College, Columbia University, NYU and campuses elsewhere in recent weeks.

The American flag at City College appears to have been taken down by protesters on Tuesday.

The NYPD Administrative Guide bars cops who are on duty and in uniform from publicly expressing personal views and opinions concerning the merits of any public policy matter. The police procedural guide also bars cops from showing prejudice on the basis of religion, gender or political orientation.

After cops cleared the encampment at Columbia on Tuesday night, they turned to City College and cleared an encampment there, making 173 arrests for lower level charges like trespassing.

The video aligns with a trend in recent months of police brass aggressively targeting critics and promoting their own views on social media.

In March, Daughtry and Chief of Patrol John Chell criticized Daily News columnist Harry Siegel over a column on subway crime. In early April, Chell called out Council Member Tiffany Caban for supporting Olayemi Olurin, a commentator and lawyer, who criticized the mayor on a radio show.

If you want change, vote the change you seek, Chell wrote.

City law bars government officials from using their official social media handles to electioneer or perform activity thats political in nature.

Chief Chell used his official account to repeatedly praise the mayor, who is a candidate for office, and concluded by urging everyone to vote. That is explicitly prohibited conduct by an NYPD official, Caban told The News.
Median home-sale prices in Morris County continued to approach $1 million in 2023, while applications for commercial properties have slowed, according to the county's 2023 Development Activity Report

The annual report indicates the residential "building boom" of recent years, fueled by towns required by the state to build more affordable housing, may be cresting, even as previously approved projects with hundreds of units can be seen rising now in Parsippany, Hanover, Montville, Lincoln Park and elsewhere.

The county's commercial real estate landscape, however, continued a startling transformation last year as developers demolished vacant office properties to make way for previously approved residential units, warehouses and retail-restaurant complexes.

"With limited available and suitable land for these expansive projects, developers are increasingly turning to the redevelopment of abandoned or underutilized properties for future projects," reads the annual report, released on April 17. "The shift towards remote work prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the decline in occupancy of large office campuses, spurring their targeted redevelopment efforts."

Applications for commercial site plans have also dropped off since a significant spike in 2022 when the county Planning Board reviewed non-residential site-plan applications for 4,811,659 square feet of space. That number fell sharply in 2023 to 2,656,801 square feet, but was still significantly higher than from 2014 to 2021 when annual applications ranged from a low of 850,000 in 2016 to a high of 1.9 million in 2021.

"Robust" development in Morris County continues to be driven by three factors, said County Commissioner Stephen Shaw. A growing trend of people working from home, negating the need for office space, the need for towns to meet their affordable housing obligations and the "desirability" of Morris County, where interstates 80 and 287 intersect, are the driving factors, Shaw said.

"I'm in the building business and study this stuff quite often," said Shaw, a second-generation home builder and the county's representative to the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. "This redevelopment is meeting current demands."

Affordable housing

Residents of many towns have been angered by the sight of multi-story, multi-family dwellings replacing tight property lots or vacant buildings in their neighborhoods, and have expressed concerns about increased traffic, school enrollment and flood drainage.

Denville, NJ - April 2, 2024 -- An area along Route 10 east is cleared of trees to make way for the construction of 120 new homes in Denville.

What they often overlook is a state mandate requiring towns to build more affordable housing. The solution many towns look for is to attract developers willing to reserve 20% of their project for affordable housing to produce 80% at market rate.

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Much of the new residential construction in Morris County and throughout New Jersey is the result of court-ordered affordable housing settlements with towns. The county Planning Board has already seen an elevation of multi-family unit applications. There were 3,232 multi-family unit applications in 2020 and 3,748 in 2021. But that number fell to 1,900 in 2022 and 1,023 in 2023.

Shaw said despite the decrease in 2022 and 2023, a new round of affordable housing requirements in 2025 will continue to generate more new residential development in coming years. Meanwhile, thousands of approved units are currently under construction throughout the county.

Home prices and rents rising

Some of that housing is also needed for a new round of urban migration to the suburbs that began during the COVID lockdown when people were looking for more open space to live in, Shaw said. That has opened up a market for new luxury housing. High-end units at the Parq residential complex off Parsippany Road, for example, were listed at $1.3 million.

Construction at the Parq residential complex in Parsippany, where prices top out above $1 million for luxury units. April 30, 2024.

So while new affordable housing units are now opening up in several towns, housing affordability continues to drive up sale prices. In 2022 (figures for 2023 not yet available), the median new single-family attached home sales price in Morris County was $815,832, while the median sales price for new single-family detached homes was $957,750.

Most of the proposed developments were luxury rentals that have projected rent levels higher than the median rent level for the county, the report states. The median rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,923. Approximately 43% of renters in Morris County are paying 30% or more of their gross income for rent.

Overall, the amount and type of applications put before the county Planning Board in 2023 was similar to the levels received in 2022, the report states. A total of 310 applications were received by the board in 2023, slightly more than 2022. New applications totaling 1,022 multi-family units were reviewed in 2023.

Wave of warehouses

Much of the recent commercial development and redevelopment in Morris County has been driven by the increased demand for warehouse space, the report indicates. The county Planning Board received 65 new non-residential site plans in 2023, a 22.6% increase over 2022.

The 930,000-square-foot former North American headquarters of BASF in Mount Olive, which has been abandoned for years, undergoes demolition on Nov. 7, 2023.

The largest new project is a 585,000-square-foot warehouse facility that will replace the former BASF headquarters in Mount Olive. That same developer is also building a 200,000-square-foot warehouse near the BASF property.

In Roxbury, the Planning Board has been reviewing an application for more than a year to build a 2.5-million-square-foot warehouse on the site of the former Hercules munitions plant on Morris County's largest undeveloped property zoned for commercial use.

Smaller warehouses are planned for Parsippany, Denville and other Morris County towns.

"Everybody is doing their shopping online now and expecting their packages in a day or two," Shaw observed. "So more regional warehouse space is needed. That's what you're seeing going into these office properties."

Obsolete offices

Morris County's "Crossroads of North Jersey" location lured hundreds of Fortune 500 companies and other businesses to Parsippany to build or occupy new office space in the 1980s and 1990s. That same advantage has become a disadvantage in an age where those companies need less office space due to more people working remotely, especially after COVID.

Construction is seen at two commercial sites off Campus Drive in Parsippany, where several vacant office buildings have been demolished or slated for demolition in favor of redevelopment.

Routes 80 and 287 intersect in Parsippany, which once boasted more office space than Newark. But with the modern workforce migration to home offices, those increasingly empty office buildings have become a crippling burden to the tax base.

"When you look at these complexes that have been vacant for 10 years," said Shaw, who now runs Shaw Construction out of a home office. "It's eerie when you drive through the parking lots and there's weeds coming up through the cracks."

The new county report focuses an entire section on what it identifies as Parsippany's "Campus Drive and Sylvan Way" office park, where "decreased utilization of the various properties provided an opportunity for widespread redevelopment in the area."

Several properties there have already been demolished, with several more projects approved in the area to replace office space with warehouses, multifamily dwellings and a Lifetime Fitness facility.

They include 690 multi-family residential units and at least 242,000 square feet of warehousing proposed just within that one aging office complex in Parsippany. Elsewhere in Morris County's largest municipality, proposals are in progress for an additional 1,555 multi-family residential units (including 370 for age-restricted and assisted living) and 416,886 square feet of warehousing, the report states.

Shaw expressed one caveat he learned during a recent meeting of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. "Seventy-one percent of the new warehouse space produced in the region last year was built vacant," he said.

The complete 2023 Morris County Development Report can be viewed online at Morriscountynj.gov.

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morris County report shows median home-sale prices nearing $1 million
NYPD cops hoist US flag at City College after school worker tosses away Palestinian flag

NEW YORK  Cops including two high-ranking NYPD officials proudly hoisted an American flag  and a school worker pulled down and tossed away a Palestinian flag  after evicting protesters encamped at City College, video posted by the department shows.

Kaz Daughtry, the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner for Operations, posted the video early Wednesday.

In the video, a man jumps up and rips down the Palestinian flag then hands it to a school worker who tosses it to the ground. Daughtry and Tarik Sheppard, the NYPDs deputy commissioner for public information, then participate in hooking an American flag to the pole in its place.

The moment appears to have been captured by an NYPD photographer as credentialed media were blocked from accessing the encampment.

At the end of the video, Daughtry and Sheppard smile and pose for the camera next to the flag pole.

An incredible scene and proud moment as we have assisted @CityCollegeNY in restoring order on campus, culminating in raising Old Glory once again on their campus flagpole, Daughtry tweeted alongside the video.

Observers criticized the flag video for sending the wrong message and straying too far into politicizing the NYPD.

NYPD sees itself as a conquering military (not protectors of free speech/protest as they often falsely claim), wrote Joo Hyun-Kang, director of Communities United for Police Reform. Replacing a flag isnt about safety, its propaganda. And why in the hell should cops be doing this?

The criticism brought a defense from the mayor who noted his uncle died defending the country.

You dont take over our buildings and put another flag up, Adams said. Its despicable that schools will allow another countrys flag to fly in our country. So blame me for being proud to be an American.

Sheppard said he assumed the Palestinian flag was later thrown away.

If there is a flag that is up .. that the school didnt put up, wouldnt the school normally  say it doesnt belong here and take it down and put it in the trash? Wouldnt they normally do that? Sheppard said.

Palestinian flags have been raised during protests that have unfolded at City College, Columbia University, NYU and campuses elsewhere in recent weeks.

The American flag at City College appears to have been taken down by protesters on Tuesday.

The NYPD Administrative Guide bars cops who are on duty and in uniform from publicly expressing personal views and opinions concerning the merits of any public policy matter. The police procedural guide also bars cops from showing prejudice on the basis of religion, gender or political orientation.

After cops cleared the encampment at Columbia on Tuesday night, they turned to City College and cleared an encampment there, making 173 arrests for lower level charges like trespassing.

The video aligns with a trend in recent months of police brass aggressively targeting critics and promoting their own views on social media.

In March, Daughtry and Chief of Patrol John Chell criticized New York Daily News columnist Harry Siegel over a column on subway crime. In early April, Chell called out Council Member Tiffany Caban for supporting Olayemi Olurin, a commentator and lawyer, who criticized the mayor on a radio show.

If you want change, vote the change you seek, Chell wrote.

City law bars government officials from using their official social media handles to electioneer or perform activity thats political in nature.

Chief Chell used his official account to repeatedly praise the mayor, who is a candidate for office, and concluded by urging everyone to vote. That is explicitly prohibited conduct by an NYPD official, Caban told the Daily News.
NEW YORK  Cops including two high-ranking NYPD officials pulled down and tossed away a Palestinian flag and proudly hoisted an American flag after evicting protesters encamped at City College in Harlem, video posted by the department shows.

Kaz Daughtry, the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner for Operations, posted the video early Wednesday.

In the video, one plainclothes officer jumps up and rips down the Palestinian flag then hands it to a second cop who tosses it to the ground. Daughtry and Tarik Sheppard, the NYPDs deputy commissioner for public information, then participate in hooking an American flag to the pole in its place.

The moment appears to have been captured by an NYPD photographer as credentialed media were blocked from accessing the encampment.

At the end of the video, Daughtry and Sheppard smile and pose for the camera next to the flag pole.

An incredible scene and proud moment as we have assisted @CityCollegeNY in restoring order on campus, culminating in raising Old Glory once again on their campus flagpole, Daughtry tweeted alongside the video.

Palestinian flags have been raised during protests that have unfolded at City College, Columbia University, NYU and campuses elsewhere in recent weeks.

After cops cleared the encampment at Columbia on Tuesday night, they turned to City College and cleared an encampment there, making multipe arrests for lower level charges like trespassing.

The video of the flag raising aligns with a trend in recent months of police brass aggressively targeting critics and promoting their own views on social media.

In March, Daughtry and NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell criticized Daily News columnist Harry Siegel over a column on subway crime. In early April, Chell called out Council Member Tiffany Caban for supporting Olayemi Olurin, a commentator and lawyer, who criticized the mayor on a radio show.

If you want change, vote the change you seek, Chell wrote.

City law bars government officials from using their official social media handles to electioneer or perform activity thats political in nature.

Chief Chell used his official account to repeatedly praise the mayor, who is a candidate for office, and concluded by urging everyone to vote, Caban told The News. That is explicitly prohibited conduct by an NYPD official.
NEW YORK -- Columbia University protesters were taken into custody late Tuesday night after the school president asked the NYPD to clear them from campus.

Police set up a massive presence outside the university before officers began moving in around 9 p.m.

A dramatic scene unfolded as the NYPD brought in a large vehicle with an extendable ramp to enter a second-floor window of Hamilton Hall, which schools officials said had been occupied by protesters. Around 9:30 p.m., dozens of officers wearing helmets began to enter the building through a window they had pried open. Additional crowds of officers entered campus on foot through the main gate.

NYPD officers in riot gear arrive at Columbia University, where pro-Palestinian students are barricaded inside a building and have set up an encampment, in New York City on April 30, 2024. / Credit: KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images

According to police, flash bangs were used to disorient the protesters as officers made their way inside Hamilton Hall. They said no tear gas was used.

Columbia's student radio station WKCR was broadcasting live as officers began moving in.

Police said protesters had barricaded the halls with soda machines, chairs and other furniture. The NYPD released video of officers clearing chairs from a stairwell, as well as officers prying open a door to a room inside the building. No students appeared to be inside the room.

According to police, dozens of people were taken into custody, and three encampments were dismantled. At least two New York City Department of Correction buses full of protesters were seen driving away from the school.

NYPD officers arrest students at Columbia University in New York City on April 30, 2024. / Credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Police set up barricades around the university's perimeter earlier Tuesday evening. Protesters outside the campus were heard chanting "shame on you" and "free, free Palestine" as officers made their way inside and led students in handcuffs out.

An alert sent from the school Tuesday night urged students on the Morningside campus to "shelter in place for your safety due to heightened activity" and "avoid the area until further notice."

The university says until further notice, access to the Morningside campus will be limited to students who live in residential buildings on campus, essential service employees who work in campus buildings and labs and essential residential student life employees. Students and employees must use the gate at 116th Street and Amsterdam to enter and exit the campus.

Security personnel will be available at the Wien Gate to assist those who need special access to Wien Hall and East Campus.

According to the MTA, 1 trains traveling in both directions are skipping the 116th Street-Columbia University due to police activity. The MTA says riders should instead take the B or C train to 116th Street.

Columbia University protesters refuse to leave Hamilton Hall

Early Tuesday, groups of demonstrators forced their way into Hamilton Hall and locked themselves inside. Protesters smashed windows and doors to get into the building and then refused to leave. Furniture could be seen boarded against doors, and supplies were being lifted up to people inside the building via a rope and pulley.

Hamilton Hall is across from the school's main lawn, where a tent encampment was set up for about two weeks.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and local law enforcement officials said Tuesday afternoon they believed "outside agitators" had "co-opted" the on-campus protests. At a press conference, they urged Columbia student protesters to leave the area "before the situation escalates in any way."

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik requests NYPD's assistance with protests

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik wrote a letter to NYPD Deputy Commissioner Michael Gerber on Tuesday evening requesting the department's assistance to clear protesters from Hamilton Hall and the encampments.

Shafik wrote in part, "The events on campus [Monday] night have left us no choice. With the support of the University's Trustees, I have determined that the building occupation, the encampments, and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to persons, property, and the substantial functioning of the University and require the use of emergency authority to protect persons and property. With the utmost regret, we request the NYPD's help to clear all individuals from Hamilton Hall and all campus encampments. As part of this process, we understand that the NYPD plans to use its LRAD technology to inform participants in the encampments that they must disperse."

NYPD officers in riot gear march onto Columbia University campus, where pro-Palestinian students are barricaded inside a building and have set up an encampment, in New York City on April 30, 2024. / Credit: KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images

Shafik also requested that the NYPD maintain a presence on campus through May 17 "to maintain order and ensure encampments are not reestablished."

Columbia University's commencement is scheduled for May 15.

Columbia University releases statement after NYPD enters campus

A university spokesman released the following statement at 9:26 p.m.:

"A little after 9 p.m. this evening, the NYPD arrived on campus at the University's request. This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community.

"We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.

"The leadership team, including the Board of Trustees, met throughout the night and into the early morning, consulting with security experts and law enforcement to determine the best plan to protect our students and the entire Columbia community. We made the decision, early in the morning, that this was a law enforcement matter, and that the NYPD were best positioned to determine and execute an appropriate response.

"We believe that the group that broke into and occupied the building is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University. Sadly, this dangerous decision followed more than a week of what had been productive discussions with representatives of the West Lawn encampment.

"We severely curtailed the number of people on Morningside campus starting Tuesday morning. Over the course of the day, we updated our community on access to campus buildings, and will continue to do so through the next few days.

"The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.

"Early Tuesday, protesters chose to escalate to an alarming and untenable situation  including by vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, blockading entrances, and forcing our facilities and public safety workers out  and we are responding appropriately as we have long made clear we would. The safety of our community, especially our students, remains our top priority."

Columbia University student protesters arrested

The NYPD had previously been called in by University President Shafik on April 18 after pro-Palestinian demonstrators first set up their unsanctioned tent city on the school's lawn. In a letter, Shafik wrote in part, "The encampment and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University ... With great regret, we request the NYPD's help to remove these individuals."

More than 100 people were arrested. Most of them were given summonses for trespassing, and Shafik said participating students would be suspended.

In the following days, the encampment was set back up and grew even larger.

This isn't the first time student protesters have been arrested at Columbia University.

Back in April 1968, students took over five campus buildings, including Hamilton Hall, while protesting multiple causes, including the Vietnam War. After several days, police moved in to remove the demonstrators on April 30, 1968. More than 700 people were arrested and more than 130 were hurt.

What is happening at Columbia University?

Pro-Palestinian protesters have been calling on Columbia to divest from companies doing business with Israel.

School officials and student protest organizers entered into discussions to try to come to an agreement that would lead to the encampment being dismantled, but officials said Monday that talks had broken down.

Students were told the tents needed to be packed up by Monday afternoon, but protesters refused to comply and later forced their way into Hamilton Hall.

The NYPD says those inside Hamilton Hall could face burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing charges, while those in the encampments could face trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

Columbia officials say students inside Hamilton Hall face expulsion and students who refuse to leave the encampment are being suspended. They say seniors will be ineligible to graduate.

University President Shafik said while she respects students' right to protest, the demonstration has created an unwelcome environment for some Jewish students and a distraction for final exams.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the actions at Hamilton Hall crossed into vandalism and violence, but ultimately it's up to the university to decide how to handle it.

Protesters, police clash at City College

The pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University are among many happening not only in the Tri-State Area, but across the country.

Protesters and police clashed at City College on Tuesday. Video showed large crowds gathered, and some people threw liquid at police and people getting arrested.

Another video showed large crowds of protesters cheering while holding flares underneath a gothic arch on campus.

As a precaution, all City College classes and functions will be remote beginning Wednesday.

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On Tuesday night NYPD dressed in what journalism students at Columbia University described as riot gear entered Columbias Hamilton Hall, which was occupied by approximately 60 students for most of the day.

The students at WKCR also reported police used sledgehammers at the front of Hamilton Hall to enter the building.

Police told media just before 11:00 p.m. local time that Hamilton Hall was cleared out completely, according to CNN. There were no reports of people resisting arrest.

Meanwhile, MSNBC also reported hundreds of people outside the Hamilton building at Columbia were chanting Shame on you and that the situation is the worst nightmare for everyone involved.

NYPD officers in riot gear enter Hamilton Hall on Columbia University's campus. pic.twitter.com/wT9EPuerdX  MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 1, 2024

As I said, Alex, this is their worst nightmare and thats for people on many sides of this issue, Hylton said. Even for students who are upset with the classmates who escalated it to this point, who dont condone whats happened in Hamilton Hall, this is not what they wanted to have happen.

The occupying students renamed the building to Hinds Hall in honor of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed under Israeli fire as authorities attempted to rescue her in Gaza.

Reports also surfaced that the NYPD deployed tear gas on campus and attached ladders to the school to enter the building.

SWAT is using trucks with attached ladders to enter #Columbia's Hamilton Hall on 116th and Amsterdam.  The Barnard Bulletin (@BarnardBulletin) May 1, 2024

Armoured Vehicles with the %NYPDs Strategic Response Group have moved up to the Windows of #Hamilton Hall on #Columbia University, with a Storming of the 2nd Floor of the Building by Riot Police and Tactical Teams appearing to be Imminent.



pic.twitter.com/K1IJr6zsX7  Knowledge Seeker (@ketarbmann1) May 1, 2024

Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine tweeted that police pushed three students down the stairs and dragged out on passed out student, and Columbia student Gwynne Hogan wrote that authorities would not let her and fellow students out of their buildings.

AFTER LOCKING MEDICS INTO JOHN JAY, NYPD AT COLUMBIA PUSHED THREE STUDENTS DOWN THE STAIRS AND DRAGGED OUT ONE PASSED OUT STUDENT. THEY THREW ALL ITEMS DOWN THE STAIRS, ENDANGERING STUDENTS, AND PUSHED A GROUP OF FIVE THAT WERE WALKING WITHOUT RESISTING ARREST. pic.twitter.com/pt6KoY1UqL  Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (@ColumbiaSJP) May 1, 2024

In the building where I'm currently blocked in by police, they won't let me out despite showing many of them my NYPD press pass, students chant as more are lead away in zip ties who'd been blocking "Hinds Hall" pic.twitter.com/ZPvVGEtqdA  Gwynne Hogan (@GwynneFitz) May 1, 2024

Columbia University issued a lengthy statement approximately 30 minutes after police entered the building. The school claimed in part We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice and We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.

The occupation has called to mind a similar act at the school decades ago. On April 30, 1968, police arrested nearly 700 students who had occupied various buildings at Columbia, including Hamilton, to protest U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

The Columbia Spectator reported that dozens of people were arrested by police Tuesday night. The student newspaper also stated that the NYPD approached the admissions office entrance, where they pushed protesters to the ground and slammed them with barricades and another group approached the main entrance, arresting protesters who had formed a human chain outside the doors.

In a related turn of events, UCLA leaders declared on Tuesday that the pro-Palestine encampment on campus is unlawful and has warned that students who dont leave may be suspended or expelled.

Also on Tuesday, video was shared on social media claiming to show a Jewish girl who had been beaten up by protesters on the UCLA campus. However, the video does not show the alleged attack and nothing identifying UCLA is visible in the clip. The video also cannot be found on the Instagram account it is attributed to.

JUST IN: Jewish girl at UCLA sent to the ER after being beaten unconscious by pro-Palestine protesters.



The incident reportedly happened at Dickerson Plaza.



According to ThatKoreanJew on IG who is a medical student at UCLA, the girl was surrounded by 5 people.



She suffered a pic.twitter.com/ctv1hAl6Wu  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 30, 2024

The post NYPD in Riot Gear Enter Columbias Occupied Hamilton Hall | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Exactly 56 years since the New York City Police Department violently dispersed anti-Vietnam War protesters who'd taken over a campus building, Columbia University administrators called on police to break up pro-Palestinian encampments and clear out protesters who had occupied the same building Tuesday night.

More than 100 people were arrested, according to the NYPD. Police in riot gear used ramps and broke windows to enter Hamilton Hall, where protesters had taken over the building earlier that day. They renamed it "Hind's Hall" after Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old girl in Gaza who had begged for help from first responders from inside a car as an Israeli tank closed in. She and the first responders who were deployed to save her were found dead days later.

An NYPD official had said earlier that evening that those inside Hamilton Hall would be charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing. School and city officials said that outside agitators had been involved, but they have not identified those individuals, said how many non-students were detained or provided credible evidence for the claim.

The NYPD arrest protesters outside the gates of Columbia University. (Alex Kent / Getty Images)

Students and faculty members have criticized the police operation, carried out at Columbia President Nemat Shafiks request, as a huge escalation. In a letter to the NYPD, Shafik wrote that the administration had been left with no choice after discussions with organizers of the encampment broke down, and that they called the police to campus "with the utmost regret."

The university's chapter of the American Association of University Professors said its faculty offered to help defuse the situation on campus but had been "shut out by senior University leadership."

Shafik said in a statement Wednesday morning that she was "filled with deep sadness" at the turn of events and thanked the NYPD "for their incredible professionalism and support." She also acknowledged the schools long and proud tradition of protest before justifying the police intervention by calling the occupation of Hamilton Hall one of several acts of destruction, not political speech.

Shafik's decision to call the cops on protesters in mid-April helped to set off string of pro-Palestinian protests and Gaza solidarity encampments at other college campuses across the country. University administrations have handled protesters and their demands in drastically different ways, ranging from negotiating to the most draconian tactic of calling in the police or state troopers.

The NYPD detain protesters from the pro-Palestinian protest encampment. (Stephanie Keith / Getty Images)

After arresting protesters at Columbia, the NYPD carried out a similar operation at City College of New York near midnight, clearing out an encampment and arresting protesters at the request of the university's president. Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday morning that a total of about 300 protesters had been arrested at CCNY and Columbia.

On the other side of the country, the Daily Bruin reports that the University of California, Los Angeles, called police onto campus as counterprotesters carrying Israeli flags tried to tear down a pro-Palestinian encampment, throwing a metal fence and lit fireworks into the encampment.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
(KRON)  Four East Bay residents, all of whom were part of an Oakland Ghost Town street gang, were arrested and fined $1 million total for burglarizing several businesses in 2022, U.S. District Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey said on Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Attorneys office, Jakari Jenkins, Demarco Barnett, Garland Rabon, and Keanna Smith-Stewart collaborated with each other and other members of the street gang to rob four Bay Area businesses in less than a year, prosecutors said.

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#1) Coin & stamp store

The first robbery involved Barnett and Jenkins, who, along with other members of the Ghost Town gang, robbed a coin and stamp store located on the tenth floor of a building in the SoMa neighborhood in San Francisco.

Barnett and Jenkins allegedly rented a car to be used as a gateway car. The gang members used a stolen license plate to cover the rental cars license plate, prosecutors said.

On March 18, 2022, Barnett, Jenkins, and at least two additional unnamed gang members entered the store with firearms and demanded money from the owner and his son.

The robbers struck the head and zip-tied the owners son, then took cash, jewelry, and coins, having a cumulative value of more than $300,000, prosecutors said.

#2) Jewelry store

The following robbery occurred approximately eight months after the first, but instead of a coin and stamp store, members of the Ghost Town gang robbed a jewelry store in San Pablo.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Jenkins, Barnett, and Rabon arrived at the jewelry store on November 12, 2022, with at least four other co-conspirators.

The robbers arrived in two Dodge Charger getaway cars bearing stolen license plates. Five gang members, three of whom were armed, entered the store while two others waited in the Chargers, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the co-conspirators stole bags of jewelry valued at approximately $300,000 and $500,000. Later, all four defendants were described as wearing the stolen jewelry, sharing it with other Ghost Town gang members or otherwise selling it.

#3) Audi dealership

Approximately 12 days after burglarizing the jewelry store, members of the Ghost Town gang burglarized an Audi dealership in Oakland.

Two days before the robbery, Smith-Stewart allegedly purchased a black Audi S5 from the dealership using a fake drivers license and another persons social security number.

After providing a $9,500 down payment for the Audi S5, Jenkins, Barett, and another unnamed gang member burglarized the dealership and stole the safe containing Smith-Stewarts down payment, prosecutors said.

#4) Marijuana business

Approximately a month later, on Christmas Eve, the final burglary occurred in an Oakland marijuana business.

Prosecutors said Jenkins, Banett, Rabon, and Steward drove to the business in two getaway cars.

The four approached a worker as he was leaving the business, pointed a weapon toward him, and forced the worker to let them inside the business, demanding budded weed and money.

One of the robbers hit the worker in the head with their gun and searched the workers pockets before stealing his debit card, prosecutors said.

Robbers then left the business with the victims debit card and several plant trimmings.

Two days after the robbery, Smith-Stewart allegedly used the victims debit card at Westfield Mall in San Francisco to purchase more than $1,000 worth of items at Bloomingdales and Nordstrom.

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Moving forward

Photo Courtesy: U.S. Attorneys Office

Each gang member was fined $250,000 and charged with conspiracy to engage in robbery affecting interstate commerce and access device fraud.

All were charged with robbery and aiding and abetting robbery. Jenkins and Barnett were charged with three counts, whereas Rabon was charged with two and Smith-Stewart with one count.

The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, with assistance from the police departments of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Pablo.

Jenkins and Barnett are in custody and are scheduled to make their next court appearance on July 15 in Oakland. Defendants Rabon and Smith-Stewart are in custody and scheduled to appear on May 1.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Agricultural enterprises in Donetsk Oblast have suffered losses totaling over five billion hryvnias ($125 million) since the start of Russia's full-scale war, according to Olena Rybakova, deputy agriculture director for the Donetsk Oblast State Administration.

Settlements in Donetsk Oblast suffer from daily Russian strikes due to their proximity to the front line. Russia controls around 60% of Donetsk Oblast and illegally annexed the occupied territory along with Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts in the fall of 2022.

The estimated losses to farms and agricultural enterprises may be lower than the recorded figures, Rybakova cautioned.

"This is only the calculated amount, because there are still many unaccounted for, because it is impossible to get to the territories there, to inspect them," Rybakova told a reporter from the news outlet Ukrinform at a press briefing on April 30.

There are 352 agricultural enterprises in the Ukrainian-controlled territory of Donetsk Oblast that are currently on the list of local companies that have sustained damage and losses since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Rybakova said.

"Before the full-scale war, in 2021, about 850 agricultural enterprises operated in the government-controlled Donetsk region," she told reporters.

"Now 352 enterprises operating in the region have been affected and suffered losses ... It is difficult to say exactly how many enterprises have left the region, as circumstances change every day."

According to a report published by the Kyiv School of Economics in February 2024, Ukraine's total agriculture losses since the full-scale invasion amount to over $10 billion.

Read also: Ukrainian grain exports slump in March, expected to further slow down this year

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  A local childrens advocacy center and community leaders reaffirmed their commitment to child wellbeing in New Mexico on Wednesday in honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month. All Faiths hosted a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding, an agreement restating several agencies commitment to combat child abuse in New Mexico.

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Agencies in the event included the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, the City of Albuquerque, the Bernalillo County District Attorneys Office, the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department, and the University of New Mexico Hospital.

Today is a day of resigning our agreement of how we come together as partners and shed light on the importance of these investigations and ensure that we partner for swift and good outcomes for these children, said Krisztina Udvardi, President & CEO of All Faiths Childrens Advocacy Center.

Wednesdays memorandum was the first re-signing in more than 30 years. Attendees also got to take a tour of the childrens safehouse following the ceremony.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
Ohio bill would limit the ability of employers to punish employees for not taking vaccines

Ohio State Rep. Jennifer Gross, R-West Chester. Photo by WEWS.

A proposed Ohio House Bill would restrict the ability of an employer to punish employees for not taking vaccines, or other medical treatments. The sponsors of the bill laid out their case during the bills first hearing earlier this month.

Ohio House Bill 319, also known as the Conscientious Right to Refuse Act, restricts was introduced by state Reps. Jennifer Gross, R-West Chester, and Scott Wiggam, R-Wayne County, on Nov. 8 last year.

According to the bill, A business, employer, including an administrator or supervisor, health plan issuer, health care provider, hospital, institution, nursing home, person, political subdivision, private college, public official, residential care facility, state agency, or state institution of higher education, cannot deny or terminate employment, deny service, or otherwise treat differently an individual based on an  individuals refusal of any biologic, vaccine, pharmaceutical, drug, gene editing technology, RNA-based product, or DNA-based product for reasons of conscience, including religious convictions.

If someone believes their rights have been infringed, they can petition a court of competent jurisdiction for injunctive relief or a declaratory judgment, or, bring a private civil action for money damages in a court of competent jurisdiction, against the entity.

Speaking at the bills first hearing on April 9, Gross said, With the founding of this great nation, two principles at the root of our constitution include: protecting the liberties of the individual and protecting our freedom of religion.

Chastising unnamed government leaders who she said have lost sight of what that means, and have allowed the rights of corporations and businesses to supersede those of the individual and their right of conscience and religion, Gross added, Until now, we, as a legislative body have failed to protect citizens as their freedoms were being held in contempt at the height of the vaccine mandates.

Gross recommended her colleagues support HB 319, because it ensures Ohio citizens have the freedom to refuse vaccines or pharmaceuticals without discriminatory action.

Wiggam also spoke on April 9, noting that no portion of the act shall prevent the recommendation of, the education on, or access to any of the medical interventions described in this act, and that the law does not apply to children, because K-12 law in Ohio already allows conscientious, religious and medical exemptions.

Besides Gross and Wiggam, HB 319 is supported by Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom(OAMF). Founded in 2015, OAMF is the foremost anti-vaccine organization in Ohio.

HB 319 is listed as one of OAMFs current initiatives, on their website, with the group asking their supporters to please contact the House Health Provider Services Committee Chair, Representative Al Cutrona and let him know why HB 319 is important to you.

On April 9, after the bills first hearing, OAMF posted on Twitter, Thank you Representative Jennifer Gross, and Representative Scott Wiggam for giving amazing introductory testimony today for HB 319.

Speaking on the Bruce Hooley Show on Nov. 10, OAMF President Stephanie Stock discussed HB 319s support in the Ohio House and praised House Speaker Jason Stephens, saying hes been great for us. Hes actually the most pro-medical freedom speaker weve ever had. So all of our bills have been progressing well.

Gross introduced the Vaccine Choice and Anti-Discrimination Act in 2021, for which Stock offered proponent testimony, writing Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom strongly encourages you to vote in favor of Ohio House Bill 248 to codify Ohioans right to maintain sole direction in their healthcare decisions and reaffirm Ohioans right to healthcare privacy.

In turn, Gross endorsed Stock when she ran for the Republican State Central Committee, saying, Stephanie Stock has the leadership, strength, and determination needed for the state Central Committee.

Wiggam sponsored House Joint Resolution 4, which stated, No individual shall be required to wear a mask or other facial covering, in numerous locations, including court or a place of public accommodation.

Wiggam appeared alongside Stock on Always Right Radio with Bob Frantz in an interview from Dec. 1 last year. In it, Wiggam critiqued the effectiveness of masks from preventing illness, claiming the mask movement was more of a public policy to disrupt society. We knew at the time that they didnt really work against viruses.

The American Academy of Pediatrics wrote, in an article published on June 30, 2022, Face masks can be safely worn by all children 2 years of age and older, including the vast majority of children with underlying health conditions, with rare exception. In addition to protecting the child, the use of face masks significantly reduces the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory infections within schools and other community settings.

In 2017, OAMF distributed cards with anti-vax messages along with candy, to trick-or-treating children. During the 2018-2019 measles outbreak, Stock opposed restricting vaccine exemptions, saying the biggest percentage complication with measles is diarrhea. I mean youre looking at a relatively mild childhood illness that results in a rash and fever for about a week and then the child has lifelong immunity. In 2021, OAMF was deplatformed by Facebook for sharing inaccurate information about vaccines.

An analysis of 250,000 patients, published in January of this year by researchers for the University of Pennsylvania and the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, shows Children and adolescents who received one of the main COVID-19 vaccines were significantly protected from the illness and showed no increased signs of cardiac complications compared to young people who were not vaccinated.

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The post Ohio bill would limit the ability of employers to punish employees for not taking vaccines appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Elon Musk's electric car company has already laid off a tenth of its workforce - AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

Elon Musk has called for absolutely hardcore job cuts at Tesla, as the company lays off hundreds more employees in an attempt to control costs.

The electric car makers chief executive told managers that staff who were not excellent, necessary and trustworthy should be axed.

It comes a week after Tesla made around 14,000 staff redundant, roughly a tenth of the companys workforce.

Tesla dismissed two key executives, while also cutting entire teams.

Rebecca Tinucci, the head of its Supercharger network, and Daniel Ho, its head of new products, are both leaving.

Ms Tinuccis 500-strong Supercharger team and Teslas lobbying operation are also being dismissed

Hopefully these actions are making it clear that we need to be absolutely hardcore about headcount and cost reduction, Musk wrote in an email to executives, according to the technology news website The Information.

While some on exec staff are taking this seriously, most are not yet doing so.

Last week, Tesla reported its biggest sales drop in 12 years and a slump in profits amid stalling demand for electric cars and growing competition from China.

The companys shares have soared in recent days as it promised to speed up the release of a new, cheaper vehicle and made progress towards releasing its fully self-driving technology in China.

However, shares have still fallen by more than 25pc this year.

Falling share prices came as Volkswagens (VW) profits plunged by a fifth in the first three months of 2024, following a slowdown in sales of upmarket brands such as Porsche.

The German car giant said profits for the first quarter fell by 22pc to 3.7bn (3.2bn), down from 4.7bn a year earlier.

However, Arno Antlitz, the carmakers finance chief, insisted it was on course to hit its 2024 sales targets  adding that it planned to launch 30 models across its brands this year.

Rival manufacturer Stellantis  which owns brands including Vauxhall, Fiat and Peugeot  separately reported a 12pc drop in first quarter sales.

During the quarter, VW said electric vehicle (EV) sales had also fallen 3.3pc in the latest sign of a market slowdown.

But it argued this was only temporary, pointing to separate figures that showed EV orders had nearly doubled in the first three months of this year compared to 2023.

VW has poured huge sums into the shift to electrification but is making slow progress due to tepid demand and fierce price competition from Chinese brands.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  As demonstrators on college campuses across the country have turned destructive, there was nothing but peaceful protests on the campus of Ohio State University Wednesday night.

Organizers of the protest urged the crowd to leave the South Oval after about three hours.

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A crowd of hundreds, bigger than the crowd at last Thursdays protest, called on university president Ted Carter to end investments with Israel, marking the fourth such protest on the campus in the last two weeks.

Before the crowd began gathering just before 6 p.m., the university closed public access to some campus buildings, with the Ohio State Highway Patrol prepared to assist university police ahead of the protest.

Wednesdays protest saw no encampment, which was the reason the university said it stepped in last week.

One of the leaders of Ohio State Students for Justice in Palestine said they wanted to come back to the same spot and show they arent going away.

Were talking about Palestinian lives that are being murdered, at the end of the day, Mohammad Ghassan with Students for Justice in Palestine OSU said. So I dont know how people can oppose that, and its just disgusting behavior from the administrations of the schools and its disgusting behavior from the police itself. So, just disappointment.

Hours before students planned to demonstrate on campus against Israels war in Gaza, Ohio States facilities operations and management sent a message to building coordinators asking them to post Building Locked signs on the doors of buildings. Only people with swipe card access will be permitted in buildings out of an abundance of caution, the email read.

A poster that reads "Building Locked" in large black text. Underneath, in red text, reads "Staff Use Buck ID to Gain Entry." In smaller black text, "Please only allow access to individuals who have scheduled business in the building." At the bottom of the poster is Ohio State's logo.

Given what has occurred on other college campuses, the university has locked some buildings. The buildings remain open for business, Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson said in a written statement before the protest. This proactive measure is intended to allow university employees to continue their work and best maintain safety on campus.

Unsolved Ohio: Woman missing for nearly four decades after leaving for fake attorney appointment

Several OSU faculty members came to show their support of the students during Wednesdays protest. Many in the crowd were not affiliated with the university, some during from Cincinnati and Cleveland to protest.

Three dozen protesters were arrested last week for staging a pro-Palestine encampment there, one of dozens at universities across the U.S. calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Protesters, led by students, are calling on Ohio State to disclose its investments in companies tied to Israels military campaign in Gaza, and to ultimately divest from those.

The university has declined to disclose its investments and cited a state law forbidding targeted boycotting of Israel as an explanation for its inability to divest. On Monday, Ohio State President Ted Carter defended the arrests and general police response to the protests, saying that Ohio States campus will not be overtaken by protest encampments.

Thursdays arrests marked the most arrests of protesters on Ohio States campus in more than 50 years. More than 40 people have been arrested for protesting there since April 23, when two students were arrested outside an academic building.

All arrested protesters have been charged with criminal trespassing, with Ohio State saying the planned encampments violated the universitys space rules. Amid calls to drop the charges, the Columbus city attorneys office told NBC4 on Monday  and reiterated again in a Wednesday social media post  that the office is reviewing each case against protesters as it does with any criminal case.

The arrests  particularly of students  have sparked criticism from faculty, students and activists and commendation from Republican elected officials.

When an organizer was asked about the use of chants such as There is only one solution and From the river to the sea, he said it is not meant to offend anyone.

These chants are not to offend or make people feel unsafe, Ghassan said. It is to show these chants shouldnt be agitating anyone or agitating everyone. There are many Jewish students that are pro-Palestine. There were plenty here today.

Ohio bill seeks to stop property tax hikes nears House vote

On Tuesday, Ohio States chapter of the American Association of University Professors sent a letter to Carter and the board of trustees regarding the deployment of law enforcement against peaceful protesters.

We just wanted to be peaceful and stand our ground, and then they made it not peaceful, Ohio State student Saphia Abdelsalam, who has family members in Gaza, told NBC4 after the arrests last week. They started attacking and started arresting.

The OSU administrations avowed concern with student safety is irreconcilable with the decision to send in large numbers of armed police in response to a peaceful protest and prayer, AAUP-Ohio States letter read.

Faculty, students and staff of Ohio States sociology department, graduate and doctoral students in the department of history and other academic departments have published similarly condemning statements about Ohio States response to protests.

From Gov. Mike DeWine to Sen. J.D. Vance and state representatives, Republican politicians, meanwhile, have praised how Ohio State and other colleges have broken up anti-war protests on their campuses.

I think that its reasonable to say that, yes, you have the right to free speech, but there are certain time, place and manner restrictions to ensure that we still have an orderly society, Vance told NBC4 on Wednesday. He previously posted on social media that wanting to participate in pro-Palestine protest encampments is a mental illness.

Central Ohio homelessness at all-time high, according to new report

DeWine said that Ohio State fairly balanced protesters freedom of speech with campus safety and security concerns. He told reporters at an event in Chillicothe on Wednesday that state police is prepared to assist the university at evening protests, as it did at the universitys request last week.

We cant camp out overnight. You cant erect tents, but you can stand there and advocate, and thats what Ohio State has enforced, DeWine said. They ask us for help from the Highway Patrol, our highway patrol. We are happy to do that. We will continue to do that if necessary.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol declined to discuss its preparations ahead of the Wednesday protest, citing safety concerns. Last week, state troopers on the roof of the Ohio Union had rifles ready reactively to protect the safety of all present, including demonstrators, an Ohio State spokesperson confirmed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR)  The Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation are continuing to look into the 2023 death of 19-year-old Noah Presgrove.

Officials say Pregroves body was discovered on September 4, 2023, along Highway 81 in Jefferson County. He lived 30 miles north in Comanche.

RELATED STORY: Family of teen found dead along highway last year still looking for answers

After multiple interviews, reviewed leads and evidence, OHP says Presgroves death is currently not being investigated as a murder. The investigation into his death is still ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Southwest Regional Communications Center at 580-353-0783.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
OTTAWA COUNTY, Okla.  Rep. Steve Bashore, R-Miami, released a statement on Wednesday about the accumulation on the US-60 bridge over the Neosho River in Ottawa County.

Driftwood, logs, and debris continue to pile up over the Neosho River on the US-60 bridge near Wyandotte after a weekend round of heavy rains.

Bashore learned the Oklahoma Department of Transportation is monitoring the water elevations and the amount of drift build-up but has no immediate concern with the bridges structural integrity.

We are still looking for solutions, said T.J. Gerlach, ODOT spokesman referring to removing he logs and debris.

Right now there is no structural problem with the bridge, but if one should develop we will close down the bridge. T.J. Gerlach, ODOT Spokesman

I have reiterated to the Grand River Dam Authority and ODOT that these concerns are the utmost importance and must be considered as such, Bashore said in a prepared statement. Years of flooding and the continuation of flooding impact more than waterways. It also threatens homes, roadways and other infrastructure throughout our district, as well as businesses and our very way of life. These state agencies must work together to find a solution.

The debris pile and logs appear to be mostly floating on top of the water.

He said that allows water to continue to flow downstream and does reduce the upstream flooding potential.

ODOT working on plan to remove log jam at Twin Bridges area

Bashore said any removal process will need to be done from the water, and the water will need to recede before that can be evaluated further.

The current river forecast shows the water should begin receding the evening of May 2, but additional rain could change that forecast.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Attorney General Gentner Drummond is encouraging Oklahomans to be aware of charity fraud, following the recent tornadoes that devastated several areas of the state.

Charity fraud is a very common trend following natural disasters and can happen through different social media platforms, phone calls, emails and several other methods.

LIST: Tornado recovery assistance

Its important for Oklahomans to stay on alert against scammers looking to take advantage of those wanting to help, Drummond said. In Oklahoma, we are rightly known for helping our neighbors and lending a hand to those in need. Before making a donation to help, do your research and make sure your gift is going to a legitimate cause.

The best ways to avoid these charity scams include:

Research the charity to make sure it offers true charitable programs and services and check to see if it is authorized to receive tax-exempt donations. Resources include the IRS, Oklahoma Secretary of States Office, the Better Business Bureaus Wise Giving Alliance and Guidestar.

Beware of any charity that appears to have been created recently and does not have much publicly available information.

If you get donation requests via email or text, never click on links or open attachments unless you know who sent the message. Messages could be phishing attempts to gain your personal information. If you are interested in donating to the charity who contacted you, visit the organizations website for giving options.

Exercise diligence when giving money to a charitable cause or a charitable organization through a crowdfunding platform such as GoFundMe. Crowdfunding campaigns can be set up by anyone and are not limited to charities. Obtain information on who the campaign organizer is; if you dont know the person or entity, research them further.

 Find more coverage of the deadly tornado outbreak

Drummond adds that anyone who violates the law by operating charity scams is subject to legal consequences.

If you suspect a charity is fraudulent, you can report it to the Attorney Generals Consumer Protection Unit by calling 1-833-681-1895 or by emailing consumerprotection@oag.ok.gov.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mikenzie Buchanan scooped up an armful of clipboards piled behind the front desk at A Womans Choice, an abortion clinic here; it was almost too many to hold. On each clipboard, behind a blue cover to protect personal information, were documents and charts for patients who had visited the clinic to receive a medication abortion that day.

Starting tomorrow, I will be making a lot less of these, said Buchanan, who has been working at the front desk for a few months.

Over the past couple of days, the Jacksonville clinic had been seeing two to four times as many patients as it typically would. But today, May 1, a significant shift in Floridas abortion law takes effect, cutting the 15-week ban down to a six-week ban  a time before many women know theyre pregnant.

The new restrictions will reverberate through the state and the broader region, as Florida has become a key abortion access point for the South in the years since the US Supreme Courts Dobbs decision revoked the federal right to an abortion.

Buchanan is often the first person people see when they arrive for their appointments. Some patients who come in arent familiar with the new six-week ban, but many are worried and stressed about beating the clock, she said. I feel a sense of urgency, too. I dont want to add any stress to it. But behind the scenes, were definitely making sure that they can be seen as quickly as possible and get where they need to go.

Candace, a Jacksonville resident and 36-year-old mother of two, learned about Floridas six-week ban when she called A Womans Choice to make an appointment for an abortion. She was within that limit when she had her appointment on Tuesday but worries about what it means for the future, including for her teenage daughter.

I feel relieved to be able to get in, and I feel lucky that, you know, right now, I do have a voice, and I have a right over my own body. But waking up tomorrow  its devastating. I know my daughter and myself are waking up tomorrow with less rights than we do today, she said. The new time limit raises fear in Candace, who has experienced high-risk pregnancies and traumatic births, including the death of a newborn. Now, she worries that shes at even greater risk since shes older than 35.

Im terrified, she said. My life matters.

Books on a shelf at A Woman's Choice of Jacksonville clinic, which provides abortion care, in Jacksonville, Florida. - Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Candace said she would have preferred to get a surgical abortion but opted for medication abortion to leave space for the many women who may need to travel from other states.

Last year, nearly 8,000 people traveled from out of state to receive an abortion in Florida, according to data from the state health department  thats nearly a tenth of all abortions that happened in the state and three times more than five years ago. After the Dobbs decision, nine of the 16 states in the South banned abortion. Florida now joins Georgia and South Carolina with a six-week ban. This leaves just three states in this US Census region  Delaware, Maryland and Virginia  where abortion remains legal past the first trimester and North Carolina with a 12-week limit.

The parking lot behind the single-story gray building that houses the A Womans Choice clinic in Jacksonville had been full for weeks leading up to the new ban, and some patients had to park in neighboring lots, a group of clinic escorts told CNN. The clinic escorts volunteer to help patients and staffers avoid harassment or danger as they come and go from abortion facilities.

The crowded lots and farther parking distances have made their role extra important, especially as anti-abortion activism has also ramped up, said Ryan Moran, a clinic escort who has been volunteering for years.

Its a struggle to try to cluster all these appointments before May 1 to get people the care they need, he said.

On Wednesday, at least a half-dozen anti-abortion activists had stationed themselves behind the Jacksonville clinic, with regular trips up and down the parking lot, making beelines for parking cars that could have patients in them.

Floridas new six-week ban is a landmark for the pro-life movement and for women, said one person who asked to be identified as Wayne. Today, we see this as a victory for all women. Its not a victory for us in any way.

By 11 a.m. Tuesday, the last day when abortions up to 15 weeks were allowed in Florida, all of the patients who had appointments for the day at A Womans Choice in Jacksonville were checked in, and the parking lot was full once again, with a half-dozen clinic escorts with big rainbow umbrellas and a sheriffs patrol car scattered throughout. The parking lot emptied a little slower than usual throughout the afternoon, as the busy day had the clinic running a few hours behind schedule.

Florida law requires that people seeking an abortion have an in-person visit for an ultrasound, lab work and meeting with a physician at least 24 hours before their appointment to receive the procedure or medication. Sometimes, patients wait weeks to come back for their second appointment  in some cases, its so long that the lab work expires and the process has to start over again. But over the past couple of days, with the new ban looming, more patients showed up for their second appointments to be sure they made it in time.

The examination room in the A Woman's Choice of Jacksonville clinic. - Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The last day before the new ban took effect may have seemed like business as usual. Up and down the clinics bright yellow hallways dotted with inspirational quotes, patients waited behind closed doors for their appointments. They met medical staff in exam rooms or sat in leather reclining chairs with heating pads to recover.

But the work to get to that point has been months in the making.

The Florida Supreme Court issued the decision that paved the way for the six-week ban on April 1, just 30 days before it took effect. A Womans Choice often schedules appointments a few weeks out, so alternate plans had to be made for some patients almost as soon as the decision was made public.

All of that coordination happens in the call center across the parking lot from the clinic, where a few operators answer a near-constant stream of calls from people trying to understand their options and schedule appointments across the five clinics that A Womans Choice has: the Jacksonville location; three in North Carolina, where abortion is legal through 12 weeks; and one in Virginia, where there are no restrictions.

Having this network of clinics in locations with different laws lets workers in the call center make real-time adjustments to help patients find the best option for their situation, said Gabby Long, the hotline director for A Womans Choice.

Having that direct line makes it easier on patients, she said. When you go to a place you kind of already know, you dont have to say, Oh, I dont know where to call. I dont know where to go. What is my next move?

Communicating with patients about the new ban in Florida has been disheartening, but managing what it means for patients and how they might feel is nothing new, Long said.

I feel like we were more prepared for this just because weve seen so much change, she said. My biggest thing was my girls in the call center  its just humanity. Just be mindful of patients. Put yourself in their shoes. Because we know that our patients are stressed. We know theyre scared. They just want to have access to basic health care. But there are always options for our patients.

Sometimes, that option might mean coordinating care for patients at the Virginia location and helping them access abortion funds to help them make the 500-mile trip from Jacksonville.

The Virginia clinic just opened in February; its so new that the address, just a few miles across the states southernmost border, isnt yet included on much of the printed material that can be found around the offices.

But opening that clinic was in direct anticipation of stricter laws in Florida and planning for it started as soon as we knew [state law] was being challenged, said Terry Sallas Merritt, an executive team member at A Womans Choice.

On Wednesday, when the new ban took effect, three patients who had their initial consultation at the Jacksonville location of A Womans Choice learned that they were past the new gestational limit in the state and would have to travel out of state to get an abortion.

One patient was about eight weeks along, and two were just over six weeks, Kelly Flynn, president and chief executive officer of A Womans Choice, told CNN. The clinic helped one patient schedule an appointment for an abortion in North Carolina, and the other two connected with patient navigators to help them find funding and other resources for an out-of-state trip.

Thats the majority of our patients. They dont know the exact time they got pregnant, Flynn said. If they werent previously [aware of the new ban], they are now.

The battle over abortion in Florida continues, as its one of at least three states that have an abortion-related measure on the November ballot.

But for now, the focus remains on individual patients.

We are going to continue to stay open, Flynn said. The biggest hurdle right now is just to get patients in the door that need an abortion, get their consent process started and then help them navigate the way to the option they choose.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Editors Note: Quinn Mitchell is a high school freshman from Walpole, New Hampshire. He runs a podcast and has attended over 100 presidential campaign events. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN.

I live in a New England community where town hall meetings foster open dialogue  anyone can openly participate and inquire into public issues. If answers arent satisfactory, the audience can ask more questions.

Quinn Mitchell - Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer

Yet Ive watched presidential candidates dodge and weave through straightforward questions with answers that never would have held up in town meetings: places where every citizen can be a journalist, seeking public answers and accountability from town officials (who typically answer to the voters gathered).

As a 16-year-old aspiring journalist whos been called a clown, a disruption and a joke, it might be surprising that these pejoratives did not come from my siblings or classmates  they came from presidential campaign staff and political operatives.

Ive asked presidential candidates pointed and respectful questions. Did Trump violate the peaceful transfer of power? Was January 6 a danger to democracy? While I ask questions to candidates on both sides of the political aisle, I mostly attended Republican events this primary cycle with the Democratic Partys recent stripping of New Hampshires first-in-the-nation status.

Still, Ive been removed from a Republican event by the police and physically intimidated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis security team. At an Our Great American Comeback event in New Hampshire, DeSantis evaded responding to my question about the peaceful transfer of power. (His previous remarks stressed the importance of upholding the Founding Fathers key principles  the peaceful transfer of power being one of them.) A week later, DeSantis guards physically intimidated and removed me after I asked him to follow up on his January 6 answer  to which the Florida governor replied, Come to my next event.

Last November, I attended another event with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Even after following her Q&A instructions, she refused to answer my question, and I was moved along by Haley and her team.

My experiences are just part of a disturbing trend. Gen Z journalists are often shut down by authoritative figures and officials, and student journalists across the country are not guaranteed complete constitutional First Amendment protection  discouraging active participation from students and rousing fear of litigation.

Encouraging my generation to speak up and not be fearful is crucial, particularly with the looming 2024 presidential election in November. Young people have the power to enact real change; a Tufts study found that Gen Z will make up over 40 million voters this year, accounting for nearly one-fifth of the American electorate.

But keep in mind that we dont know whos running the show: super PACs or the candidates. Like many in our country, I worry about the prospect of escalating conflict due to growing political, social and economic divisions. If a then-15-year-olds questions provoked such hostility, we must pose more challenging questions to politicians, especially on topics they want to avoid or withhold from the public. The obsessive control, management of campaign events and media response Ive experienced echo a long history of censorship in the US, dating back to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, which made it made it a crime for American citizens to print, utter, or publishany false, scandalous, and malicious writing about the government.

If officials across the political aisle cant talk to each other with respect and understanding, how can we solve existential threats to our future? Ive tried asking how candidates plan to address these issues. While some might think were too young to be concerned about or understand national policy, these outcomes determine our future: a future that Gen Z is increasingly concerned about.

Many people in my generation feel that were inheriting a troubled and burning world: one stripped of resources and devoid of the hope and possibilities that previous generations enjoyed.

Knowing the power of open access and seeing the lack of access on the campaign trail, I continue to explore my passion in journalism: the act of seeking truth from power  especially when that power is dodging and weaving. I decided to recast my experiences as a call to action, witnessing the political process with the critical eye of Gen Z and asking the hard questions that matter to the world around me  even when it gets a little scary.

I plan to do my part by practicing amateur journalism anywhere I can. I want to encourage my generation to participate in the process, to take their seats and to ask the questions that politicians seem most eager to avoid. Its our legacy, right and responsibility.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Editors note: Deborah Tuerkheimer is a professor of law at Northwestern Universitys Pritzker School of Law and the author of Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. Read more opinion at CNN.

When a Manhattan jury found movie mogul Harvey Weinstein guilty of sex crimes in 2020, the verdict seemed to herald a new era of accountability. The #MeToo movement was in full swing, and even the most powerful of men were being prosecuted for the kind of abuse that had long eluded punishment.

Deborah Tuerkheimer - Eileen Molony

Last weeks 4-3 decision by the New York Court of Appeals to overturn Weinsteins conviction brought this new era to what many saw as a stunning end.

The reason for the reversal stemmed mainly from a decision by the trial judge to allow the testimony of several women who were not victims of the charged crimes, and whose allegations could not be prosecuted by the Manhattan district attorney because they either fell outside the statute of limitations or occurred elsewhere. After hearing from these women, along with the main accusers, the jury convicted Weinstein of criminal sex act and rape. He was serving a 23-year prison sentence when the conviction was overturned.

I was not shocked by the reversal, nor do I view this as the demise of sex crimes prosecution. Im a professor of evidence and criminal law as well as a former prosecutor. So I teach that in most states, including New York, the law is designed to limit jurors access to information about a defendants past bad acts, including  as in the Weinstein case  witnesses who would testify to similar alleged sexual misconduct.

There are exceptions to this rule, which is how the prosecution successfully persuaded the trial judge to allow the additional women to testify, and why three of seven justices on New Yorks highest court would have affirmed Weinsteins conviction. In cases of gender-based violence, the admissibility of a defendants history of misconduct is often a close question.

Particularly in these cases, the testimony of additional victims can be critical. My book, Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers, details the widespread practice of credibility discounting and explains why an accusers account on its own will not likely be believed. Sexual assault victims routinely anticipate the credibility discount and opt not to report to law enforcement officers, keeping most allegations from ever making their way to the police, much less to prosecutors. When they do, prosecutors know that, as a practical matter, the already high burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is even higher for sex crimes.

This extra burden is nothing new. For much of this nations history, special skepticism has indeed been the official rule. Exclusively in sexual assault cases, a victims testimony alone could not possibly prove guilt. In other words, without further corroboration, a witness who recounted her rape would see her allegation dismissed before ever reaching a jury for deliberation.

When New York first enacted its corroboration requirement, it did so to shield rape defendants from untruthful, dishonest or vicious accusers, as one court wrote in 1939. Other states widely adopted this approach.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse for jury deliberations in February 2020. New York's highest court overturned his sex crimes conviction last week. - Seth Wenig/AP

In 1962, a formal posture of disbelief was enshrined in the Model Penal Code, which cast the unique corroboration requirement as an attempt to skew resolution of disputes in favor of the defendant. (The Model Penal Code is published by the American Law Institute, an influential scholarly organization of academics, judges and lawyers. After 10 years of work to reformulate the provisions on sexual assault, an update is expected to be published later this year.)

Today, as a result of efforts by feminist law reformers, the corroboration requirement is no longer formalized by law. But still, within and outside the criminal justice system, credibility is often reserved for those who come forward in numbers.

This reality may help explain the trajectory of Weinsteins case. When one woman first reported that Weinstein had sexually assaulted her in 2015, her case went nowhere; when dozens of women ultimately came forward, Weinstein became the stand-in for #MeToo abusers  and he was prosecuted.

The trial in February 2020 was without precedent. Aside from Weinsteins power and fame, the case revealed a novel prosecutorial willingness to proceed in the face of what are called bad facts facts that, however commonplace, tend to create doubts for jurors. Prosecutors could point to no physical injury or weapon; the accusers delayed reporting and maintained contact with Weinstein (some intimate) after the assaults; and their accounts varied over time.

All this predictably gave rise to familiar credibility attacks on the accusers, along with a countervailing impulse on the part of the prosecution. Of course, prosecutors wanted jurors to hear not only from the main accusers in the case but also from others. Quite apart from the technical evidentiary arguments, the effort to introduce testimony of the additional women was essentially an attempt to compensate for the credibility discount. But with Thursdays ruling by the Court of Appeals that Weinstein hadnt received a fair trial, it became clear: However justified, this workaround could not pass legal muster.

For survivors who continue to confront high barriers to belief, it might well feel like the system is destined not to deliver justice. Yet there is reason to believe in the promise of accountability. As collective understandings of sexual misconduct evolve, so too does our ability to fairly judge the credibility of accusers. Although progress is halting and maddeningly slow, trials such as Weinsteins help bust the myth of the perfect victim.

Another important innovation is the use of sex crimes experts to educate the jury  and in high-profile cases, the public. Weinsteins trial featured one such expert, forensic psychiatrist Barbara Ziv, who testified about common behaviors on the part of sexual assault victims. Ziv explained to jurors that notwithstanding considerable variation, most victims dont physically resist, many maintain contact with their abuser, most delay reporting to law enforcement and memories are often incomplete. (P)eople come to assess sexual assault with preconceived notions that are usually wrong, Ziv testified.

In this post-#MeToo age of sex crimes prosecution, I have described sex crimes experts as a needed if partial corrective to the credibility discount.

The injustice of credibility in numbers reaches well beyond Weinsteins unraveled conviction. (Apart from facing the possibility of a retrial in New York, Weinstein is expected to appeal his California conviction on similar grounds, although the evidence rules in that state may make his argument more difficult.) Regardless of Weinsteins fate, requiring that multiple accusers come forward before any are believed is not a solution.

The problem is impunity for sexual abuse. Its root is our cultural disposition to doubt accusers.

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As Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine rages on, the stability of neighboring Belarus, which has been backing Russia's aggression, appears to be fracturing. Has Russian President Vladimir Putin's war of aggression opened a Pandora's box for a regime that is practically a remote wing of the Kremlin?

Recall that, in Belarus' presidential election in August 2020, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya almost certainly defeated the incumbent Alexander Lukashenko, whose minions had dismissed his opponent as a "housewife." When an upswell of support made it obvious that Tsikhanouskaya was heading for victory, Lukashenko falsified the results, awarding himself over 80% of the vote  and inciting huge protests that lasted for months.

Lukashenko's regime responded to the post-election demonstrations with terror and mass arrests, which led to even larger protests. Within days of the election, his grip had begun to weaken, with workers, public media, doctors, students, pensioners, and many others coming out publicly against the security services. The entire country went on strike, but Lukashenko, in power since 1994, held on by the skin of his teeth, owing to brutal interventions by loyal special forces, who were already drenched in innocent blood and therefore completely dependent on him  ultimately, Lukashenko chose not to test the army's loyalty.

Nonetheless, it has since been clear that Belarusians will not return to the passivity that they exhibited before August 2020. We have all changed, and forever, Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava, who is serving an 11-year sentence in Belarusian prison for politically motivated charges, said in 2022.

Read also: Opinion: Russias nuclear giant is falling through the sanctions cracks

Because Lukashenko's regime had offered hardly any state assistance or media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the months before the election, Belarusians had already switched en masse to independent media, which they still read and watch today, despite the threat of imprisonment.

Like Ukraine, Belarus is culturally alien to Russia. That is why Belarusians were able to stun the world with their sustained protests and demands for democracy in 2020, despite Belarusian society having been subjected to Sovietization and centuries of Russification. Belarusians acted as if they lived in a modern, democratic, liberal society, because that is what many Belarusians consider themselves to be (though older cohorts are still heavily influenced by Russia and Lukashenko himself).

To keep this broad-based opposition movement at bay, Lukashenko must rely on constant draconian repression. More than 1,000 political prisoners have been given decade-plus prison sentences, and 1,500 others have been jailed for protesting against the war in Ukraine, including by sabotaging railroads to impede the Russian army. Others have received on-the-spot unofficial punishments such as rifle shots to the knee.

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For example, as she was led from a courtroom back in 2022, the then-28-year-old Belsat reporter Katsiaryna Andreyeuna remarked to her husband, I got a longer sentence than Solzhenitsyn. Whereas the famous Russian dissident was sentenced to eight years by the Soviets, Andreyeuna was sentenced to eight years and three months.

Comparing Belarusians to Ukrainians and expecting the same type of resistance is unfair. Belarusians do not have opposition members in parliament or in local governments like Ukrainians had before the invasion. Poles also protested peacefully against the imposition of martial law in December 1981, because it was the only way they could make their voices heard. And while the 10-million-strong Solidarity trade union was diminished after 16 months of operation, the myth survived. A million people may have left Poland, but the rest stayed and did not forget how to take to the streets.

Polands experience offers a preview of what could lie ahead for Belarus. Poles got their chance at independence in 1989 because they took advantage of a brief moment of uncertainty in the Kremlin. Likewise, when the Soviet Union finally collapsed in 1991, Ukraine seized the moment and gained sovereignty (though Russia has threatened that sovereignty ever since).

Read also: Opinion: Trump is Putins only hope now

Russias war in Ukraine could soon offer a similar opportunity to Belarus. Since 2020, Belarusian society has articulated its values, learned the art of long-term resistance, and created a free media based abroad. And now, for perhaps the first time ever, Belarusian dissidents are getting their hands on weapons and joining the fight against Putin in Ukraine, where they are becoming renowned for their courage and battlefield successes. (It is worth remembering that in 2014, Ukraine also had mostly volunteer battalions.)

All political forces have come to an agreement and a Belarusian government-in-exile was formed, headed by Tsikhanouskaya. It includes her office operating in Vilnius; the National Anti-Crisis Management, headed by Pavel Latushka; the Warsaw-based BYPOL initiative of former members of the uniformed services; the Opposition Initiative, which includes the Cyber Partisans; and the Pahonia regiment fighting in Ukraine. The Coordination Council, created during the protests and featuring Nobel Prize winner Sviatlana Aleksievich, is being transformed into a substitute for parliament.

A marked change is that the government-in-exile already has its own armed branch, ready to rise up against Lukashenko at the first opportunity  including by force. Until recently, Belarusian soldiers and government officials had no alternatives. But now they have a choice between the illegitimate government in Minsk and the legitimate one elected by a majority vote in 2020, headed by Tsikhanouskaya. That choice will be made when the opportunity arises, which could be when Russias humiliation in Ukraine engulfs the Kremlin in chaos.

Editors Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.

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Looking at our country in 2024, it seems like Americans can barely talk to each other anymore, much less understand and navigate differences to come up with solutions that benefit us all. Heading into another election cycle, everyone from talking heads on television to community leaders are worrying about bringing American adults together. But its just as important to bring young people together, and K-12 education can help do this. I have dedicated my career to school choice because it changed my life and helped me and countless others succeed academically and break cycles of poverty. But new evidence suggests this educational freedom can also help build stronger social bonds and cohesive communities.

The idea is simple: Civil engagement requires, well, engagement. When parents get to choose their childrens schools, they become more engaged and invested in their communities. That is why Black school founders are launching schools  pastors in churches, former public school teachers in pods. For the Black school founders and education entrepreneurs I work with at Black Minds Matter, this experience can be transformational for everyone involved. School leaders change and lift their communities, parents become empowered to make positive changes for their families and connect with others doing the same, and students experience and appreciate vastly new experiences and peers.

A new study finds strong evidence that private schooling is associated with better civic outcomes than public education. The authors show theres a statistically significant association between attending private school and having more political tolerance, political participation, civic knowledge and skills, and volunteerism and social capital than students who attended public school.

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As the authors note, its clear there is a problem with the status quo, as studies show both public school students and adults are woefully behind on civics education. The trickle-down effects are clear, and public schools are just one of many areas of American life where hostility and lack of trust are common. Private schools can offer a different experience, where parents are encouraged to be involved and schools must work to earn their trust.

When parents go from a hostile to a cooperative relationship, they can recognize their power to become engaged to make change in their communities; when that option is threatened, they realize they can make a difference and use their voices to maintain their rights.

Not long ago, I participated in a march and rally for school choice alongside over 10,000 people in Florida. Martin Luther King III said at the event, This is about justice; this is about righteousness; this is about freedom  the freedom to choose for your family and your child. Disenfranchised parents have become powerful leaders in this cause.

Students are transformed, too. This latest study follows others in showing the potential. For example, research published in 2014 shows that Milwaukee voucher recipients showed modestly higher levels of political tolerance, civic skills, future political participation and volunteering than public school students did  notable for a program limited to at-risk communities. And thats not the only positive life outcome. A 2016 study found that participating in a voucher program throughout high school reduced a students likelihood of being accused of a crime between 21% and 50%  with statistically significant reductions for all types of crimes.

Society does not have to consist of adults at odds and children on the wrong path. There is a better way. Improving civil society is a big task, but school choice offers one pathway for making change. Policymakers should take it for the sake of the present  and the future.

Think of the ripple effect that can occur when just one student gets to attend a school to a place where he or she can thrive; when just one parent goes from feeling ignored to having a seat at the table. Multiply this effect by many students and families, and the potential is clear. Its time to empower every family and every student to reach their potential so our society can truly thrive.

Denisha Allen is a senior fellow at the American Federation for Children and founder of Black Minds Matter.
Editors Note: David A. Andelman, a contributor to CNN, twice winner of the Deadline Club Award, is a chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, author of A Red Line in the Sand: Diplomacy, Strategy, and the History of Wars That Might Still Happen and blogs at SubStacks Andelman Unleashed. He formerly was a foreign correspondent and bureau chief for The New York Times in Europe and Asia and for CBS News in Paris. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion at CNN

Ive been an on-again, off-again resident of France for some 44 years, at times quite permanently, more often peripatetically, always in the same building around the corner from the Musee dOrsay and directly across the Seine from the Tuileries.

David A. Andelman - CNN

We were never really forced to make a choice whether it should become our home, permanently. Now, along with hordes of our fellow Americans, we are considering just such a move.

In a growing number of cases, that reason can be traced to one proximate source  former President Donald Trump. Or more precisely  how he has torn apart America and our democracy that, for my nearly 80 years on this planet, I have cherished.

And as I began asking ever more widely about this concern, my wife, Pamela, and I have found a growing sentiment that we are hardly alone.

Its the first thing they say, get me out of [America], said Adrian Leeds. For a quarter century, through her Adrian Leeds Group real estate agency, she has been advising mostly American folks who are considering a move to France on how to find a place to live. But now theres a real wave of younger people who are saying, we dont want to bring our kids up in this country. We really we want to give our kids the best. And were very unhappy, she told me.

And the trend only seems to be accelerating. Were up 100%, weve doubled our business year to date, January through March, over a year ago, Leeds continued. Its going so fast the numbers are insane. I hear it every single day: Get me out!

Of course, its not only France where such discussions are happening. Beginning in 2020, we went from Americans being 5% of our clients to becoming today 70%, Patricia Casaburi, CEO of London-based Global Citizen Solutions, an upmarket migration consultancy firm, said in a Zoom interview from Dubai. And most recently, the number of Americans has only been increasing, she added.

To be sure, there are reasons for Americans to make the move beyond the prospects of a second Trump presidency. When you have mass shootings in schools, they just trigger people to act on something that theyve been considering for a while, said Casaburi. But, she added, definitely the political agenda does influence people.

Tony Kahn, a veteran former producer for PBS and NPR, was sitting in a hotel lobby in Mexico City earlier this month making just such calculations.

At the very minute youre asking me, I have mixed feelings about the extent to which America is my country, Kahn said in a zoom conversation between my perhaps not-so-temporary abode in Paris and Mexico City. In Kahns youth, Mexico took us in when America did not want us, basically. That is the fact of the matter. Mexico was always home to expatriates as long as they didnt practice the politics that got them in trouble in their own country, he said.

In 1950, at age eight, Kahn and his entire family fled to Mexico when his father, the renowned Hollywood screenwriter Gordon Kahn, was summoned by the feared House Committee on Un-American Activities over alleged communist ties to the film industry. He never ended up testifying.

His father was pursued nearly to the end of his life at age 62 by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. Today, Kahn fears similar perils are not so far over the horizon.

Theres a feeling of safety that you have and a feeling of belonging in Mexico, Kahn continued. Im not afraid of a stranger going berserk [at me] there because Im Jewish. At the same time, Im not possessed by this feeling that Ive got to get out of America right now before its too late, but Im getting close to it, he said.

Over the past six months, hes made five trips to Mexico City with his wife preparing for a final decision.

There are all sorts of avenues of escape, too. There are those who are simply seeking a refuge where they can work and live unfettered without any pressing need to acquire second citizenship. In France, for instance, there is a range of options  from simple visas that allow people to stay beyond the 90 days out of 180 under European rules, to the carte de residence (renewable every 10 years).

In most countries, like France, to make that next leap towards citizenship means learning the language and customs as well.

Then there are the golden passports, where in some countries, broad categories or levels of investment can be a fast track toward citizenship, or a talent passport if youre bringing unique personal capacities.

A lot of people now know what a Trump administration will look like, and theyre realizing more than ever that the doors are open to live in another country and its not as challenging as they thought it might be, Paris-based immigration lawyer Daniel Tostado told me.

Eight years ago, at the very start of Trumps rise to the presidency, Skyler Schmanski became one of these Americans making a choice. Hed come to France to study at a Marseilles business school. Now he plans to stay.

I began to experience the quality of life thats over here, he told me. Whether its the education or the healthcare, but when I start entering that next chapter of life in my 30s, those things start to ring more true, he said. Now, with a wife and a career, and finally French citizenship, he has no doubt he made the right choice.

Schmanski recalls two pocketbook issues that were deeply persuasive. I cracked my head open at midnight when I stood up under an armoire door I wasnt aware was open above me, saw blood, passed out, woke up and thought, I should probably go to the hospital. But as a good American I went, no, I dont want to go to the hospital. I dont want the $20,000 bill.

But my girlfriend, now my wife, said, go to the hospital, its covered. And I walked out with a 15 Euro [$16] bill. Wow 15 Euros. To sew up my head. So, I went, Wait a minute. Maybe theres a little something to the system over here.

Then there was grad school. I went to business school, a very good masters program in 15 months, in and out for the equivalent of $15,000, Schmanski said.

The most popular destinations at the moment for Americans looking for a way out, seem to be Spain, Portugal and Greece, according to Casaburi of Global Citizens Solutions. She added that Italy was a popular choice for a time, but suggested that the arrival of hard-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made some Americans question whether they might be risking a move from the frying pan to the fire.

As for my wife and me, a permanent move to France would not be such a leap  merely, as would be the case for many others, it would be an extension of the time we spend there today.

But do the next generation of Americans also see their futures elsewhere? In the past, the conversations we have had with Americans is, do I need to go and retire in Europe? but now the pool of people is a very different profile  younger families, said Casaburi.

So, at some point theres a cost for the country when youre losing out on income taxpayers, but also talented young professionals, she added.

As Casaburi, herself a Brazilian who now lives in London, concluded, Americans suddenly found themselves in a position where they feel that they dont know who their neighbors are or their family members.

I dont think it matters much on which side of the political spectrum you find yourself. I think everyones re-evaluating a bit of everything, she said.

As for us, much would depend on just what the nature of Trumps pledge to embrace the role of dictator-for-a-day turns out to be. As Pamela says, it depends how safe we feel in the type of country hes promising  one thats no longer a democracy.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Neptune Flood, the nation's largest private flood insurance company, today announced its acquisition of Charles River Data, a renowned Boston-based data science consulting group. This strategic move aims to bolster Neptune Flood's already cutting-edge Triton underwriting system through advanced data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence capabilities.

Charles River Data contributes a prestigious background rooted in big tech and academia, enhancing Neptune's ability to analyze and underwrite flood risk with even greater precision and speed. "The integration of Charles River Data's expertise will enable us to expand our analytical capabilities, ensuring faster and more accurate flood risk assessments for our customers," said Trevor Burgess, CEO of Neptune Flood. "This acquisition aligns perfectly with our commitment to leveraging the best technology to revolutionize insurance."

Matt Duffy, Chief Risk Officer at Neptune Flood, emphasized the synergy between the two companies. "Joining forces with Charles River Data empowers us to enhance our Triton system with new layers of predictive analytics, machine learning, and generative AI, further solidifying our position at the forefront of the insurance technology industry," said Duffy.

Mike Dezube, CEO of Charles River Data, expressed enthusiasm about the opportunities this acquisition presents. "We are thrilled to join Neptune and contribute to a platform that is transforming an industry through data and AI. Our expertise in data science aligns seamlessly with Neptune's vision of accuracy and efficiency in underwriting flood risk, and together, we will bring the industry forward setting new standards as we go". Mike spent eight years as a data scientist at Google before co-founding Charles River Data with Gleb Drobkov, most recently a consultant at BCG X. Mike will join as Neptune's Chief Data Science Officer and Gleb as Neptune's Chief Strategy Officer.

This acquisition marks a significant milestone in Neptune Flood's growth strategy, following a series of technological innovations aimed at improving customer experience and operational efficiency. The company's commitment to investing in cutting-edge technology has positioned it as a leader in the flood insurance sector, capable of responding to the evolving needs of its customers.

About Neptune Flood: Neptune Flood is a technology-driven insurance company specializing in providing affordable, comprehensive flood coverage. Using an advanced AI-driven platform, Triton, Neptune leverages data analytics and machine learning to process over 30,000 quotes per day and offer efficient underwriting solutions and superior customer service, making flood insurance accessible for all.

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About Charles River Data: Based in Boston, Charles River Data is a leading data science consulting group with deep expertise in big tech and academia. The company specializes in developing sophisticated analytical tools and models that enable businesses to harness the power of data for strategic decision-making.

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SOURCE Neptune Flood
The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.

That passage from the United Methodist Book of Discipline haunted me as I grew up in a UMC congregation in Texas. I sensed a call to ministry from an early age, but I also knew my denomination denied my God-given dignity because I was gay.

Wednesday morning, the UMCs highest legislative body removed the discriminatory ban from the Book of Discipline. The denomination also adopted another policy barring clergy or churches that celebrate same-sex weddings from being penalized. Last week, the UMC proclaimed a new statement of support for the equal rights, liberties, and protections of all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Additional measures affirming LGBTQ dignity will be taken up this week as the UMCs General Conference meets in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This monumental embrace of the dignity of LGBTQ people will be the most impactful move by any Christian denomination to change its policies in recent years. The United Methodist Church is the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the country, with 5,424,043 members and 29,746 active churches as of 2022.

The Methodist change of church policy is an important moment in the broader cultural shift toward LGBTQ acceptance and affirmation. We can put to rest the idea that religion and LGBTQ rights are inherently in conflict. Just as positive views on LGBTQ rights have trended upward, so, too, have Christian groups evolved their theological understandings of human sexuality and gender identity. In the process, more and more churches have embraced a more expansive view of human dignity.

Unsure whether the God vs. Gays narrative is outdated? I invite you to visit your local Pride parade this June and count the number of churches marching in the street.

The UMC vote is the latest in a wave of good news for LGBTQ Christians as more and more churches change their policies. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church USA, the nation's second-, third- and fourth-largest mainline Protestant denominations, have all taken pro-LGBTQ steps in recent years. Pope Francis has moved the Catholic Church in a positive direction, allowing priests to bless same-sex couples.

And whether or not their official teachings condone homosexuality, Christians in the pews favor LGBTQ rights. Majorities of white Catholics, Hispanic Catholics, white evangelicals, white mainline Protestants, Black Protestants, Latter-day Saints and Orthodox Christians support laws protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.

Theres also a movement for LGBTQ dignity in Christian communities around the globe. South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died in 2021, was one of the fiercest advocates. I would not worship a God who is homophobic, he once said. I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say, Sorry, I would much rather go to the other place.

Some parts of the United Methodist Church didnt wait for the discriminatory language to be removed to start treating LGBTQ Methodists with dignity. The Rev. Karen Oliveto became the first openly LGBTQ bishop in the denomination in 2016. As I bring my full self into spaces, it invites others, no matter who they are, to be more authentic, Oliveto told CBS News. To have people who are powerful role models can change everything.

I wish Id had Bishop Oliveto as a role model when I was growing up Methodist. My mom and I attended the 2016 meeting of the General Conference in Portland, Oregon. I was in seminary and hoping the denomination would remove the harmful language then. It didnt, and I left in search of a church outside the UMC that didnt discriminate. Im still connected to the UMC, though, as a student in the doctor of ministry program at one of its seminaries, Iliff School of Theology in Denver.

While I left the UMC because of the discriminatory language, some churches have left recently out of a concern that those self-avowed practicing homosexuals werent being sufficiently punished. The formerly UMC anti-LGBTQ congregations have dominated news coverage of the UMC vote for LGBTQ equality.

It's sad that these disaffiliations have dominated news coverage. Yes, some Christians are anti-LGBTQ. Thats not noteworthy, and it's certainly not the main story here. The lifting of the ban is the story. The trend in American Christianity is toward an embrace of LGBTQ equality.

Granted, in some ways, the focus on the anti-LGBTQ animus that is deeply entangled with religion makes some sense. Waves of anti-LGBTQ legislation are sweeping state legislatures. There's no doubt we are witnessing a backlash to advances in LGBTQ rights. But its wrong to portray that backlash as religious and the advance in rights as a secular phenomenon.

Debates about LGBTQ dignity are happening within religious bodies, just as they are happening in secular legislatures. Chalk up this Methodist vote as perhaps the biggest victory yet for LGBTQ dignity within religious spaces.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Alexander Dobrindt, head of the CSU parliamentary group, speaks during a press statement before the start of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group meeting. Dobrindt calls for tough consequences after Hamburg Islamist demonstration. Michael Kappeler/dpa

The head of the Bavarian opposition party in the German parliament, or Bundestag, has called for tough consequences following a demonstration in Hamburg in which speakers called for an Islamist caliphate to replace German democracy.

"Anyone who wants to introduce sharia [strict Islamic law] in Germany and declare a caliphate is an enemy of our democracy," Alexander Dobrindt, the head of the Bundestag's faction for Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), told the Bild newspaper.

"The state must confront them with consistency and rigour," he said.

More than 1,000 people attended the Hamburg rally on Saturday, in which speakers called for strict Islamic law to replace German democracy.

In future, anyone who publicly calls for the abolition of the free democratic basic order and wants a so-called theocracy, for example, should be liable to prosecution, Dobrindt said, adding that they should face a minimum prison sentence of six months.

He said the Citizenship Act should also be amended so that a person would lose their German citizenship if they publicly call for the abolition of the free democratic basic order.

In addition, such Islamists should lose their entitlement to benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, the Bavarian politician said. After the demonstration, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called for the state to take "tough action" against such organizers.

Dobrindt demanded that Faeser implement measures as quickly as possible to stop Islamist propaganda in Germany. In Germany, the rule of law applies instead of the rule of God, he said.

According to information from the Hamburg office of the domestic intelligence service, formally known as the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the rally's organizer was close to the group Muslim Interaktiv.

The organization is categorized as a confirmed extremist movement.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  A doctor from Oregon accused of running a pill mill out of Franklin County was indicted in common pleas court and faces a judge Wednesday afternoon.

According to court documents, Dr. Mark Fettman, of Portland, Oregon, is accused of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, including knowingly trafficking narcotics, out of an office space in the 6100 block of Busch Boulevard, just off State Route 161 in north Columbus.

Man charged after punching, cracking school bus window in road rage incident

On October 15, 2021, a search warrant was executed as part of a long-term investigation of Fettman, who is facing 147 total felony charges, including 137 counts of drug trafficking. Those charges stem from incidents between January 7, 2021 and Oct. 14 of the same year.

Documents state Fettman, 76, was operating a pill mill after the State of Ohio began receiving complaints of his alleged practices. An investigation into Fettman included recordings and reports of an undercover investigator meeting with the doctor at his clinic on Busch Blvd.

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Authorities believed that Fettman knowingly conducted office-based opioid treatment without complying with requirements of Ohio Admin. Code Rule 4731-33-03, which includes guidelines and regulations as it pertains to treatment for opioid addiction.

Fettman reportedly operated his clinic two days a month, when he saw patients and prescribed the maximum legal dosage of buprenorphine, a Schedule III opioid. He then allegedly accepted cash payments and money orders in the amount of $290 and did not accept patient insurance.

The undercover investigator stated that Fettman told him, When you see me, Id like you to pay me right off the bat, before receiving a prescription for Suboxone.

Ohio bill seeks to stop property tax hikes

Fettman was arrested on Oct. 15, 2021. Two weeks ago, he was indicted on 137 counts of drug trafficking, nine counts of money laundering, and one count of engaging in corrupt activity.

He was not present for his arraignment hearing on Wednesday in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Fettmans lawyer entered a not guilty plea with the judge setting a $10,000 recognizance bond.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Orlando police offer $5K reward to help find killer who attacked man in his home

Police are offering an award for information that helps them solve a murder in an Orlando neighborhood.

Officers said Ruben Davila was attacked at his home on Frigate Drive in November 2020.

Davila was critically hurt and eventually died from his injuries.

Read: 2 girls, both 17, injured in drive-by shooting outside Sanford home

Investigators are now offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).

Read: Cabana Live was not allowed to operate as an event venue, Seminole County Officials say

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The late-night NYPD raid of an occupied administration building at Columbia University resulted in the arrest of more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters amid a growing debate over who was behind the violent turn of events in the weekslong campus protest.

NYPD officers, some wielding chainsaws, climbed in through windows Tuesday night to enter Columbias Hamilton Hall academic building after protesters barricaded doors with bicycle locks and overturned vending machines, officials said Wednesday.

Hamilton was taken over shortly after Columbia President Minouche Shafik warned students who had set up an an encampment on the schools main lawn theyd be subject to disciplinary action if they failed to leave.

The universitys decision to bring in the NYPD was made less than 24 hours after the takeover began. Shafik has asked the NYPD to remain on campus through May 17, two days after graduation.

In an early Wednesday morning MSNBC appearance with Mayor Adams, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard said once inside Hamilton Hall, cops found protesters had barricaded doors with heavy chain-link bicycle locks.

This is what we encountered on every door inside Hamilton Hall, Sheppard said while holding up one of the heavy locks. This is not what students bring to school, OK?

NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said 109 protesters in total were arrested at Columbia, about 50 of them inside the occupied Hamilton Hall. Another 173 protesters were arrested during a separate raid of a pro-Palestinian encampment on the City College campus in Harlem, where video posted to X showed officers tackling protesters to the ground before cuffing them.

Sheppard said there were no reported injuries during the clashes, though he added the NYPD is still sorting through those arrested.

Sheppard called the police raid of Hamilton Hall a calm, precise operation.

Charges protesters could face include burglary, trespassing and criminal mischief, according to police officials.

As more protests cropped up across the city Wednesday night, arraignments for those arrested at Columbia and City College the night before kicked off in Manhattan Criminal Court, with some being charged with assault on a police officer.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protestors gathered in lower Manhattans Foley Square Wednesday afternoon and marched to Washington Square Park. At City College, hundreds more gathered.

Tuesdays Columbia University raid sparked an ongoing debate over whether outside agitators were driving events on the Manhattan campus.

The mayor and members of his administration have said the escalation of pro-Palestine protests this week was spearheaded by unidentified outside agitators, a claim denied by student demonstration leaders.

On Wednesday, Adams said theres evidence the demonstrators who took over Hamilton smashed security cameras and were trained on how to barricade a location, on what type of locks to use.

The mayor and NYPD officials declined to say how many of those arrested were outside agitators, citing an ongoing investigation.

Though he didnt identify her, Adams also said the NYPD discovered that among those who have participated in the Columbia encampment is a woman whose husband is a convicted terrorist. Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Rebecca Weiner said at NYPD Headquarters that woman wasnt present for Tuesday nights raid, however, and that theres no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing on her part.

But thats not someone who I would want necessarily influencing my child if I were a parent of somebody at Columbia, said Weiner, adding that the woman was seen on the campus last week.

Adams said Weiners investigation materialized and actualized fears he had that outside agitators were influencing student protesters.

When I first started seeing these protests in the city, something didnt fit right, Adams said. I saw similar incidents during the Black Lives Matter marches.

I know there are those that will say a majority of the protesters were students, he added. You dont have to be the majority to influence and co-opt an operation.

On MSNBC, Adams suggested the outside agitators may have overseas connections.

There are people who are harmful, who are trying to radicalize our children, and we cannot ignore this. These outside influences, I dont know if theyre international; I think we need to look into that as well, he said. But theres an attempt to radicalize young people in this country.

The mayor declined to elaborate on why he suspects there might be an international connection to the campus protests when asked by the Daily News later in the day during an unrelated event at City Hall.

Besides bike locks, videos shared by the NYPD show cops removed chairs and other furniture used as barricades during the Hamilton Hall raid. Cops said protesters also blocked the doors with building vending machines.

New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman, whose group had legal observers on the Columbia and City College campuses during the raids, said her team received reports that NYPD officers pepper sprayed, threw to the ground, and even drew weapons on students, resulting in injuries amid the tumult.

Lieberman also said NYPD officials prevented journalists from accessing the campuses to report during the raids. The NYPD did not return a request for comment regarding the allegations.

At a press conference at City College Wednesday evening, an adjunct faculty member at John Jay and Brooklyn Colleges also claimed she witnessed the NYPD execute excessive use of force at Columbia Tuesday night.

During the raid, I personally witnessed several people thrown to the floor being brutalized by the police, alleged Corinna Mullin, who was arrested at the protest. There were violent arrests made both inside and outside of the encampment.

Students took over the building shortly after midnight Monday amid a weekslong protest on campus against Israels military incursion in Gaza, which has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead and was launched in response to Hamas terrorists killing 1,200 Israelis and taking hundreds more hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Columbias decision to call in the NYPD marked a reversal from Shafiks earlier statement that the university would not invite NYPD officers back after they arrested about 100 protesters as part of a day-time raid on April 18 to clear the first encampment.

Instead, Shafik said Columbia would engage in negotiations with the student protest leaders, who have demanded the university divest all its Israeli financial holdings in response to the war in Gaza.

The NYPD operation at City College, which also came at the invitation of school leaders, included officers clearing an encampment set up on the campus quad and taking dozens of people into custody.

The mass arrests just before midnight at City College followed an announcement that the Harlem college would shift to online classes until further notice as the campus continued to be roiled by the pro-Gaza encampment.

After clearing the City College encampment, NYPD officials, including Sheppard and Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry, were seen on video hoisting an American flag after a Palestinian flag on the campus flagpole had been removed. At NYPD Headquarters Wednesday, Adams said it was despicable that protesters had hoisted a Palestinian flag.

Blame me for being proud for being an American, the Democratic mayor said. We are not surrendering our way of life to anyone.

Left-leaning supporters of the pro-Palestinian protesters argued the NYPDs campus crackdowns were counterproductive and noted they fell on the anniversary of city police officers violently breaking up a demonstration on the Columbia campus against the Vietnam War in 1968.

On the very same day that Columbia University brought violence upon students protesting the Vietnam War, the mayor and administration have chosen to repeat history, said Ana Maria Archila, co-director of the progressive New York Working Families Party.

The violent crackdowns on students at Columbia and CCNY protesting the mass killings in Gaza are reckless, escalatory, and put the entire university community in harms way.  This is a shameful day in our citys history, and one that will not be forgotten.
NEW YORK  Over 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested when an army of NYPD cops stormed Columbia University to end the seizure of a school building where all the doors had been barricaded with bicycle locks, officials said Wednesday.

This is what we encountered on every door inside Hamilton Hall, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard said in a Wednesday morning appearance on MSNBC with Mayor Adams, holding up one of the heavy chain-link locks. This is not what students bring to school, OK?

At the request of Columbia University administrators, hundreds of cops in riot gear entered the campus about 9 p.m. Tuesday, climbing in through windows to access Hamilton Hall, which had been occupied by protesters less than 24 hours earlier as part of an encampment protest that started last month.

At least 292 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested citywide overnight, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said Wednesday. Some 119 of them were busted at Columbia University, about 50 of those inside Hamilton Hall, while another 173 were arrested at the City College campus in Harlem, where a separate encampment protest has been playing out this week, Chell said.

Sheppard said the police raid of Hamilton Hall was a calm, precise operation. Charges the protesters could be facing include burglary, trespassing and criminal mischief.

Adams said the student protesters were trained on how to barricade a location, on what type of locks to use.

Adams has said unidentified outside agitators hijacked the protests at Columbia this week, a claim student demonstration leaders deny.

Though he did not identify her, Adams said that among those who have participated in the Columbia encampment is a woman whose husband is a convicted terrorist. In a briefing later Wednesday at NYPD headquarters, Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Rebecca Weiner said the woman wasnt present for Tuesday nights raid and that theres no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing on her part.

But thats not someone who I would want necessarily influencing my child if I were a parent of somebody at Columbia, said Weiner, adding that the woman was seen on the campus last week.

The mayor and NYPD officials declined to immediately say how many of those arrested were outside agitators.

Videos shared by the NYPD show cops removing chairs and other furniture used as barricades during the raid Tuesday night. Students had taken over the building early Tuesday morning amid a weekslong protest on campus over the war between Israel and Hamas.

We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, a university spokesman said in a statement of why the NYPD was called in. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.

The NYPD operation at City College included officers clearing an encampment set up on the campus quad and taking dozens of people into custody.

The mass arrests just before midnight followed an announcement the Harlem college would shift to online classes until further notice, as the campus continued to be roiled by the pro-Gaza encampment drawing students and faculty from across the City University of New York.

Cops, including Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry, were seen on video taking down a Palestinian flag from the campus and tossing it away, replacing it with an American flag.

In a briefing later at NYPD headquarters, Adams said it was despicable that protesters had hoisted a Palestinian flag and lauded Daughtry for replacing it with an American one.

Blame me for being proud for being an American, said the mayor. We are not surrendering our way of life to anyone.

The occupation of Hamilton Hall at Columbia began early Tuesday, hours after the school suspended students who ignored an order to break up their encampment on the campus lawn. It prompted the university to restrict access to the campus, only allowing students who live in dorms and essential services staff to remain.

These were professionals that were here, and I just want to send a clear message out: There are people who are harmful, who are trying to radicalize our children, and we cannot ignore this, Adams said, adding that the so-called outside agitators could be coming from abroad.

These outside influences, I dont know if theyre international, I think we need to look into that as well, he said, though he didnt elaborate on why he suspects the protests might have international connections. But theres an attempt to radicalize young people in this country.
Overdose surge in Sussex: Beebe ER in Lewes sees over 30 overdoses in 6 days

Over the last six days, Beebe Healthcare in Lewes has seen six times the usual number of overdoses, Emergency Department Dr. Paul Cowan said at a news conference Wednesday.

Cowan and other Beebe officials spoke following Tuesday's alert from Delaware State Police and the state Department of Health and Social Services related to a surge in overdoses in Sussex County.

Beebe has seen more than 30 overdoses in the six-day period since April 25, Cowan said, when typically, the hospital sees about five overdoses in that amount of time. Delaware State Police said their agency saw a "significant" increase in overdoses in Sussex from April 26 through April 30, at least one of which was fatal.

Many of the patients require a significant amount of naloxone to revive, and more than 11 have required mechanical ventilation and intubation, said Dr. Paul Sierzenski, Beebe's senior vice president and chief physician officer.

Beebe Healthcare CEO and President Dr. David Tam at a press conference on the surge in overdoses in Sussex County May 1, 2024.

"These patients are unique in that they are much more critically ill than most. Many of these are requiring long-term care in our intensive care unit," Cowan said.

Delaware State Police added that many recent overdose victims experienced "uncontrollable convulsions despite administering anti-seizure medication."

More: Fatal overdoses in Delaware appear to be going down, but new troubling trends are emerging

A preliminary investigation by police found the substances involved were packaged in small, white, wax-covered paper bags. Such bags are typically associated with heroin, which is sometimes cut with dangerous substances like fentanyl or xylazine.

The recent overdoses show no patterns related to age, sex or race, Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Director Joanna Champney said, and the cases are spread widely throughout Sussex County.

Brent Waninger, a director within the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, shows a Narcan spray at a Delaware Drug Overdose Community Briefing and Response Meeting held at Delaware State Police Troop 2 in Newark, Del., Wed., Jan. 18, 2023. Narcan can save lives by reversing the effects of an opioid overdose.

"It's the same spots where drug use is already occurring," she said.

The division is ramping up Narcan (naloxone) distribution in Sussex, with Beebe receiving an extra 1,300 kits Wednesday.

More: For the first time in 10 years, Delaware sees a drop in fatal overdoses. Six reasons why

While the surge in overdoses is happening primarily in Delaware's southernmost county, the rest of the state should "exert extreme caution" as well, Champney said.

She advised health care professionals to encourage patients not to use alone and recommended they test their drugs. Repeat doses of Naloxone may be necessary to restore normal breathing, she said, and 911 should be called at the first signs of an overdose.

Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Director Joanna Champney at a press conference on the surge in overdoses in Sussex County May 1, 2024.

Support for those struggling with substance abuse and a list of Narcan training events are available at helpisherede.com. In Sussex, patients can talk with clinicians about substance abuse regardless of their insurance status at the Thurman Adams State Service Center at 546 S. Bedford St. in Georgetown.

Assistance for those struggling with substance abuse is also available through the following avenues:

911 : In cases of overdose or medical emergencies, dial or text 911.

988 : For immediate crisis support, dial 988.

Delaware 211 : Dial 211 or visit delaware211.org for free, confidential assistance in multiple languages.

Delaware Hope Line : Call 833-9-HOPEDE (833-946-7333) for 24/7 access to resources, support, and crisis assistance.

Treatment Connection: Find nearby treatment providers at TreatmentConnection.com.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Overdoses surge at Beebe ER in Lewes and across Sussex County
Owner of Wally the emotional support alligator pleads to bring my baby back in tearful TikTok

It has been 11 days since Joie Henney last saw his pet and emotional support alligator named Wally.

Henney, from Philadelphia, was visiting friends in Brunswick when Wally vanished.

Henney took to social media, pleading for help to find his pet and friend.

Im Wallygators dad, he said in the video. We need all the help we can get to bring my baby back. Please, we need your help.

As we reported on Tuesday, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said it was dispatched to Brunswick the same day Wally disappeared for reports of a nuisance alligator.

Henney said DNR told him that Wally was stolen with the intent of dropping him off in a residents yard to terrorize them, USA Today reported.

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A trapper was called out and trapped a gator. That gator was reportedly released in a remote area. Its unclear if it was Wally.

Hes no longer here but we know hes nearby, Henney said.

Henney posted another TikTok giving a tour of the enclosure the gator was being kept in.

Henney said he is offering a reward for Wallys safe return, no questions asked.

Please help us, please, Henney said.

Henney has started a GoFundMe account to help cover travel costs, advising costs, and possible legal and veterinary costs.

IN OTHER NEWS:
(Capital-Star photo)

With all eyes turned to Pennsylvania for the 2024 presidential election, county election workers would be able to start processing mail-in ballots up to a week before Election Day under legislation that passed the state House on Wednesday.

Republicans, who supported early processing of mail-in ballots in past election reform measures, opposed the bill passed Wednesday in a 102-99 party-line vote. The bill now goes to the GOP-controlled state Senate for consideration.

House Bill 847 extends the period in which county election officials may open and electronically scan vote-by-mail ballots, which currently begins at 7 a.m. on Election Day. State Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Centre), the bills prime sponsor, said the legislation was requested by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.

Heres what they said: Pre-canvassing is the most important change that would significantly improve the election experience. For both counties and voters without sacrificing  ballot security, Conklin said.

The bill would allow election workers to open the secrecy envelopes containing mail-in ballots and scan the ballots up to seven days before Election Day. Tabulation of the results from mail-in ballots would not be performed until after polls close and the process would be witnessed by representatives of each candidate and each party.

Observers and participants in the process would be barred from disclosing the results before in-person voting has concluded, although lawmakers who opposed the bill noted that it carries no penalty for doing so.

While voting by mail has been an option for decades for people who are away from home or otherwise cant make it to the polls on Election Day via absentee ballots, Act 77 made voting by mail an option for any qualified voter without an excuse for the first time in 2020.

That year, delays counting mail-in ballots meant that the winner of Pennsylvanias presidential election was uncertain for days after polls closed. That provided grist for conspiracy theorists who echoed former President Donald Trumps false claims that he had only lost the welection because of ballot fraud.

This will not change the election, Pennsylvania will be standing as a shining star because they will know that conspiracy theories that come out will not work. So Im asking you for a yes vote, Conklin said.

Gov. Josh Shapiro posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Wednesday that he was pleased that the House had acted on the requests of Republican and Democratic county election officials.

I hope the Senate will follow suit and send this simple, bipartisan reform to improve our elections to my desk so I can sign it into law, the tweet said.

Shapiros administration also oversaw the redesign of mail-in ballots for the 2024 election, intended to reduce confusion among voters who have written the wrong dates on return envelopes or omitted the date altogether.

A sweeping election reform bill backed by Republican lawmakers that passed both chambers of the Legislature in 2021 included additional time to prepare to mail-in ballots for counting. Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the bill because it also required voters to show ID every time they vote, which Wolf said would restrict freedom to vote.

House Minority Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) said that the pre-canvassing bill under consideration Wednesday would compound the problems election workers face during the transition from election preparation to Election Day by making them overlap. Cutler also noted that counties across the state have experienced other election problems that require attention.

Cutler cited incorrectly prepared touch screen voting machines in Northampton County in 2023 and polling places that ran out of paper for voting machines in Luzerne County in 2022, among others.

These are the real problems that voters have called me about and I think that theyve been well publicized  I think that Pennsylvanians have said consistently, they want to restore trust and faith in our election systems, Cutler said, adding that other election reform measures such as voter ID and pollbook signature matching have similar support as early canvassing.

Urging support for the bill, Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery) recalled the horrible months after the 2020 election, when members of the Pennsylvania Legislature proposed bogus audits of the results, amplified false claims that voting machines were rigged and the horror of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.

The idea that pre-canvassing is a Democrat or Republican issue is shameless, Bradford said. This is simply about giving people timely results in an election so we dont have what we had in 2020  the mindless conspiracies, the election denialism.

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The post Pa. House answers county election officials request for more time to count mail-in ballots appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
BRIAR CREEK BOROUGH, COLUMBIA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  State police are investigating a theft after a PA Lottery ticket was reported stolen at Sheetz.

According to PSP, on April 26 around 12:30 a.m., troopers were called to Sheetz in Columbia County for a theft.

Search for two wanted after alleged retail theft

Police say the victim claimed she left a $50 lottery ticket on the counter, left the store for around 5 minutes, and returned to retrieve the ticket. However, when the victim returned to Sheetz she discovered her purchased lottery ticket had been taken, troopers said.

Sheetz employees told troopers two people, a man and a woman, were in the store once the victim left.

Troopers say the incident remains under investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
NexPoint Residential Trust, Inc. (NYSE:NXRT) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript April 30, 2024

NexPoint Residential Trust, Inc. misses on earnings expectations. Reported EPS is $0.68 EPS, expectations were $0.86. NXRT isn't one of the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds at the end of the third quarter (see the details here).

Operator: Good day. My name is Shelly, and I will be your conference operator for today. At this time, Id like to welcome everyone to the NexPoint Residential Trust First Quarter 2024 Earnings Call. [Operator Instructions] Thank you. Id now like to hand over the call to Kristen Thomas, Investor Relations. You may now begin the conference.

Kristen Thomas: Thank you. Good day, everyone, and welcome to the NexPoint Residential Trust conference call to review the companys results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024. On the call today are Brian Mitts, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Matt McGraner, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, and Bonner McDermett, Vice President, Assets and Investment Management. As a reminder, this call is being webcast through the companys website at nxrt.nexpoint.com. Before we begin, I would like to remind everyone that this conference call contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are based on managements current expectations, assumptions and beliefs.

Listeners should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements and are encouraged to review the companys most recent annual report on Form 10-K and the companys other filings with the SEC for a more complete discussion of risks and other factors that could affect any forward-looking statements. These statements made during this conference call speak only as of todays date and except as required by law, NXRT does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. This conference call also includes an analysis of non-GAAP financial measures. For a more complete discussion of these non-GAAP financial measures, see the companys earnings release that was filed earlier today. I would now like to turn the call over to Brian Mitts.

Please go ahead, Brian.

Brian Mitts: Thank you, Kristen, and welcome to everyone joining us this morning. Im Brian Mitts. And Im joined today by Matt McGraner and Bonner McDermett. Im going to kick off the call and cover our Q1 results, provide our updated NAV and our guidance for the remainder of the year, which we are reaffirming. Ill then turn the call over to Matt and Bonner to discuss the specifics driving our performance and guidance. Results for Q1 are as follows: Net income for the first quarter was $26.3 million or $1 per diluted share on total revenue of $67.5 million. This includes a $31.7 million gain on the sale of old farm that was completed on March 1, 2024. The $26.3 million, net income for the quarter compares to a net loss of $4 million or $0.15 per loss per diluted share for the same period in 2023 on total revenue of $69.2 million.

For the first quarter of 2024, NOI was $41.1 million on 37 properties compared to $41.1 million first quarter of 2023 and 40 properties. For the quarter, same-store rent decreased 0.4%, while same-store occupancy increased 0.3% to 94.7%. This coupled with an increase in same-store expenses of $3.6 million  sorry, 1.8% thats an increase in same-store NOI of 4% as compared to Q1 2023. As compared to Q4 2023, rents for Q1 2024 and the same-store portfolio were down 0.1% or $2 sequentially. Reported Q1 core FFO of $19.6 million or $0.75 per diluted share compared to $0.71 per diluted share in Q1 2023. During the first quarter, the properties in our portfolio, we completed 59 full and partial upgrades, at least 59 upgraded units, achieving an average monthly rent premium of $240 and a 21.8% return on investment.

Since inception from properties currently in our portfolio, weve completed 8,593 full and partial renovations 4,829-kitchen laundry plant appliances and installations and 12,348 technology packages, resulting in $170, $39 and $43 average monthly rent increase per unit and a 20.9%, 51.4% and 37.8% return on investment, respectively. NXRT paid a first quarter dividend of $0.46 per share on the common stock on March 28, 2024. Since inception, we have increased our dividend 124.5%. For Q1, our dividend was 1.61x covered by core FFO and with a payout ratio of 56.3%. During the first quarter, NXRT completed the sale of old farm for sales price of $103 million. This sale generated $49.4 million of net sales proceeds, a 22.1% levered IRR and a 2.98x multiple on invested capital.

On March 5, 2024, NXRT fully repaid the remaining drawn balance of $24 million on its corporate credit facility. As of March 31, 2024, we had $37.1 million in cash and $335 million of available liquidity on the corporate credit facility. Further, we are pleased to report that we are scheduled to complete the sale of Radbourne Lake in Charlotte, North Carolina later today for gross sales proceeds of $39.25 million. This disposition is expected to retire $20 million of property level debt and generated $18.8 million of net sales proceeds an approximately 19.3% levered IRR and a 3.64x multiple on invested capital. Given the success of our recent pending sales, their increase in liquidity position to what we perceive to be an attractive private market arbitrage opportunity, where our stock trades above a 7% implied cap rate versus mid- to upper price for the private market transactions.

An aerial view of multifamily properties in the southeastern United States.

And its notable to touch on Blackstones recently announced purchase of air communities. We initiated a share buyback program to purchase up to $25 million of our shares. To date, this quarter, we have purchased approximately 8.5 million shares at an average price of $31.75 per share, which represents an approximately 40% discount to the midpoint of our Q1 NAV estimate. And speaking of the NAVs move to that, based on our current estimate of cap rates in our markets and forward NOI we are reporting an NAV per share range as follows $45 91 from the low end, $58.97 on the high end for a $52.44 midpoint. These are based on average cap rates ranging from 5.5% on low end, 6% on the high end, which remained stable quarter-over-quarter. Moving to guidance.

NXRT is reaffirming 2024 guidance ranges for earnings per diluted share core FFO per diluted share same-store rental income, same-store total revenue, same-store total expenses, same-store NOI, interest expense and its related components and reaffirming acquisitions and dispositions as follows. Our core FFO per diluted share, $2.60 in the low end, $2.85 on the high end, for midpoint of $2.72. Same-store rental income, 1.4% increases on the low end, 3.2% increase on the high end, for a midpoint of 2.3% increase. Same-store NOI, negative 2% or a 2% decline in the low end, 2% increase on the high end at the midpoint of 0%. So that completes my complete remarks. Let me turn it over to Matt and Bonner for commentary.

Matt McGraner: Thanks, Brian. Let me start by going over our first quarter same-store operational results. Same-store rental revenue was 3.6% for the quarter, with 7 out of our 10 markets averaging at least 3% growth with our Charlotte and South Ford assets leading the way at 8.6% and 7.6% growth, respectively. Were also pleased to report some continued moderation in expense growth for the quarter. first quarter same-store operating expenses were up just 1.9% year-over-year. Marketing and Payroll decline 8.4% and 6.2% respectively in year-over-year R&M expense growth continued to moderate just up 2.9% from first quarter of 2023. Five out of our 10 markets achieved year-over-year NOI growth of at least 5.9% or greater, with Orlando and South Florida leading the way at 12.3% and 9.9% growth, respectively.

Our Q1 same-store NOI margin registered a healthy 61.9%. Thats up 24 basis points from the prior year. Now turning to components of Q1 performance. With peak deliveries in most of our markets occurring in Q3 of this year, as detailed on Page 5 of the supplemental, we continue to focus on our operational efforts on maximizing resident retention, reducing our exposure to rising turnover costs and further centralizing later. Maintaining and building occupancy has remained a key focus. The portfolio registered 94.6% occupancy to close the quarter. And as of this morning, the portfolio is 94.7% occupied and 93% leased  on the rental revenue side, new lease growth remains constrained due to near-term concentrated supply in our markets, but there are signs that the deceleration in new lease growth is bottoming.

New leases for the quarter improved 130 basis points to negative 6.5% from negative 7.8% quarter-over-quarter and April is trending better than Q1 by 80 basis points. Renewals are also positive for the quarter at 92 basis points and have accelerated sequentially since the third quarter of last year to 1.4% as we said in April. Bad debt is also trending in a positive direction, improving quarter-over-quarter. Q3 2023 was 3.2%. Q4 was 2% and Q1 was down to 1.8%, trending approximately 90 basis points better than our expectations. On the value-add front, during the first quarter, as Brian said, we completed 59 full and partial interior upgrades, achieving an average monthly rent premium of $240 and 21.8% ROI. We also installed 68 washer and dryer sets for an average monthly rent premium of $48 and a 54.6% ROI.

Lastly, we completed a bespoke upgrades on an additional 55 units with average rent premiums of $56 per unit  and for the remainder of 2024, we intend to complete an additional 352 full or partial upgrade interior upgrades, 465 washer dryer sets and 318 bespoke upgrades and units where we see demand to drive rental income. On the expense side, we completed our insurance renewal at the end of March, and Im happy to report that our premiums will remain flat, which aligns with our midpoint guidance expectations. On the transaction front, we continue to actively monitor the investment sales market for opportunities and price discovery. While apartment transaction volume is at the lowest point in the past decade,  over the last 60 days, private equity investors have aggressively priced over $15 billion of housing product in the low 5 in-place cap rate range.

Over $240 billion of North American focused real estate closed end fund dry powder, remains on the sidelines in search of 13% to 20% levered IRRs according to East Dole. Against this backdrop and even with the near-term elevated supply picture, our strategically positioned Sunbelt portfolio screens attractively, particularly given our in-migration and demographic backdrop. Indeed, as you can see from the supplemental according to Costar, one out of every two jobs are expected to be created in NXRT markets through 2027. Now with the sale of old farm closed and with the closing of Radon later today, we will have roughly $36 million of cash to continue to buy back shares and/or pay down debt. And given our current cost of capital, we have prioritized this balance sheet cleanup and share buybacks over external growth pursuits.

At current levels, NXRTs implied cap rate remains north of 7.5% and with the construction view a constructive view, sorry, on when supply will wane, we believe repurchasing our shares at these levels makes the most sense. In closing, we are happy with the start of 2024 through late April. We will remain focused on occupancy and controlling expenses to maximize NOI growth. In the long-term, we remain bullish on our Sunbelt market as we expect to outpace northern and coastal cities and population, job and wage growth. In the short-term, we expect to see modest growth, specifically in the second half of the year as supply growth begins to decline. Thats all I have for prepared remarks. Thanks to our teams here at NexPoint BH for continuing to execute.

Now Id like to turn it over to the operator for Q&A.

See also

10 Best Long Term Low Risk Stocks to Buy and

11 Best Home Appliance Stocks to Invest In.

To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here.
Get paid for fishing the Columbia and Snake rivers. Last years top earner made $107,800

The 2024 northern pikeminnow bounty season on the Columbia and Snake rivers opens May 1, with decent money to be made.

Catch cash, save salmon, says the Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program. Pikeminnow are voracious eaters, feeding on young salmon and steelhead in the two rivers in Washington and Oregon.

Last year the top angler in the program earned $107,800 for the fish they caught from May to September. And the runnerup made about $99,000.

But you dont have to fish all season to earn cash. You just have to sign up each day you want to fish for northern pikeminnow in the reward program and then turn in your catch at one of 22 stations.

The more you catch, the more you earn.

This year the first 25 northern pikeminnow you catch are worth $6.

After that you can earn $8 each until you catch 200. Any fish above that number can be turned in for $10 each.

In addition, specially tagged northern pikeminnow in the program are worth $500 each or $200 if a tag loss is verified.

Daily registration is required, but anglers no longer have to drive to the station where they will turn in their fish to sign up before they start fishing.

The Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program that pays registered anglers for turning in pikeminnow caught in the Columbia and Snake rivers starts May 1.

They can do it on their phone with the Pikeminnow Registration app released last year. But they still must pick the station where they will turn in their pikeminnow when they register.

The app also has program rules and times stations are open.

Date-stamped registration forms are also available at boxes at stations or from staff there during hours they are open.

The fish need to be turned into the pre-selected station within 24 hours of registration to be eligible for the bounty program. Vouchers need to be mailed in for payment within 30 days of the end of each years season.

Northern pikeminnow must be 9 inches or longer to be eligible for a reward.

Where to fish for pikeminnow

For Tri-Cities area anglers, nearby stations are at Columbia Point Park, open 2-6 p.m.; Hood Park station in Burbank, open 3-6 p.m.; the Umatilla Boat Ramp in Oregon, open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Vernita Bridge Rest Area open 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Pikeminnow may be caught for the bounty program in the Columbia River from its estuary to Priest Rapids Dam upstream from the Tri-Cities and on the Snake River from its mouth up to Hells Canyon Dam.

In areas near the Tri-Cities, May and June are usually the months when the most pikeminnow are caught, and near the mouth of the Yakima River is one of the best places to catch them.

The fish in orange circles on this map show areas that have historically been good for catching northern pikeminnow near Columbia Point Park in Richland

The reward program posts maps showing good areas historically to catch pikeminnow near each station.

Northern pikeminnow congregate in rocky areas with fast currents near dams, islands, stream mouths, points, eddies, rows of pilings, and ledges or bars in the river. Most fish are caught in 7 to 25 feet of water.

They move to feed on concentrations of smolts, freshwater clams and crayfish. After fishing an area for 30 minutes to an hour without good results, try somewhere upstream or downstream, advises the reward program.

Sunrise, sunset and night are generally the best fishing times and the pikeminnow may be in shallower water then.

The rewards program posts information online on how to fish with bait, grubs and lures for pikeminnow at pikeminnow.org/resources/how-to.

The fish in orange circles on this map show areas that have historically been good for catching northern pikeminnow near the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers.

Saving Snake, Columbia salmon

If you catch and turn in northern pikeminnow, you will not only be earning money but helping the salmon and steelhead populations.

Northern pikeminnow eat millions of young salmon and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake river systems each year.

The goal of the rewards program is not to eliminate the northern pikeminnow, which is a native species, but to reduce the number of large pikeminnow that eat the most young salmon and steelhead juveniles making their way to the ocean.

The Bonnevillie Power Administration pays for the program to help mitigate the impact of the Columbia and Snake river hydroelectric dams on salmon.

Since the rewards program started in 1991, more than 5.4 million northern pikeminnow have been caught ,and pikeminnow predation on juvenile salmon ha been reduced up to 40%.

The program has grown in popularity.

Last year participants surpassed 1 million angling days recorded since the program began.

That milestone is a really big deal as a testament to a very successful, long-lived BPA project that has been helping Pacific Northwest salmonids for the past 33 years, said Eric Winther, project leader of the Columbia River Predator Control Program through the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The program is administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, along with the Oregon and Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife.
Sabrina Donnellan of Girdwood, Alaska, sits with her 13-month-old, Blakely, on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and talks with Candace Winkler, ZERO TO THREEs chief development and strategy officer, at the eighth annual Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to make a fuss for babies, who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children.

Parents and kids representing 50 states and the District of Columbia convened for the eighth annual Strolling Thunder. Moms and dads pushing strollers decked out in state license plates rallied on the Capitols East Lawn to lobby lawmakers to fund child care, establish national paid family leave, and permanently expand the child tax credit.

Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE, the organization behind the event, rallied parents to tell their representatives that the 11 million babies in the U.S. make up 3.4% of our population, but 100% of our future.

Youre here with the pork producers and the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical industry. Members of Congress dont normally see real people, and they rarely see babies and toddlers, particularly babies and toddlers who need to have their diapers changed on their desks. And thats what I encourage you to do if you need to have that happen, Melmed told the crowd.

The nonprofit ZERO TO THREE bases its advocacy on health and developmental research findings in infants up to age 3, the years the group describes as the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.

Melmed praised top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut for achieving a $1 billion increase for child care block grants and Head Start in this years government funding bills.

DeLauro, who spoke to the crowd, said families deserve better.

The cost of living has increased year after year, and more and more Americans simply do not get paid enough to live on, let alone to raise a family, the Connecticut lawmaker said, promising to advocate for the reinstatement of a fully refundable child tax credit.

Diapers, child care, formula

Candace Winkler, a former Alaska resident and current ZERO TO THREE leader, sat on the Capitol lawn next to Sabrina Donnellan who traveled to D.C. from Girdwood, Alaska, with her 13-month-old Blakely to advocate for lower child care costs and paid family leave.

Winkler, the organizations chief development and strategy officer, said the group of families would divide up in the halls of Congress Tuesday to meet with their representatives about six key policy issues, including permanently expanding the child tax credit to pandemic levels.

Weve seen that time and time again that families are using those resources for diapers, child care, formula and things their babies and their family needs. And its really critical for their success, WInkler said.

The current child tax credit is $2,000 a year after tax liability, but the amount a parent could receive per child under 17 in a refund check is capped at $1,600 in 2023. The credit phases in at 15% on every dollar after earnings of $2,500.

As the U.S. was digging out from under the COVID-19 economic crisis, Congress approved a one-year expansion of the tax credit to $3,000 per child under age 18, and $3,600 for those under age 6  including for families who made $0 in income. Lawmakers made the entire amount refundable, and a portion of it was sent to families in monthly installments.

Advocates hailed the research findings that showed the temporary move was a game changer for lifting children from poverty in the U.S.

A current bipartisan proposal, widely supported by U.S. House lawmakers, to temporarily expand the child tax credit until 2025  though not to pandemic levels  is currently stalled by U.S. Senate Republicans who liken aspects of the bill to a welfare program.

The proposal, as passed by the House, would increase the credits refundable portion to $1,800 in 2023, $1,900 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025. The legislation would also increase the phase-in rate to 15% per child, simultaneously  in other words, 30% for a family with two children, 45% for a family with three, and so on.

Credit card debt for child care

Cruz Bueno, a parent from Warwick, Rhode Island, shared her story of racking up credit card debt to enroll her 11-month-old Rosie in child care, along with her 2-year-old sister Amalia.

Putting Rosie into daycare means that we must put a halt to our dream of buying a home, said Bueno, an economist who lives in Warwick with her husband, Xhuljan Meta.

One of the stipulations of our mortgage pre-approval was to keep our credit card balances low. Even so, we remain hopeful that one day in the not-so-distant future we will be able to buy a home to raise our girls and pass on wealth to them, she said.

When asked about the Strolling Thunder event at Tuesday mornings regularly scheduled House Republican press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said, Theres lots of ideas out there. What we stand for, what our party stands for, is support of families. We support infants and children, and theres an appropriate role to play in that.

The devils always in the details on legislation, so Im not sure exactly what theyre proposing, but all of us are looking at those avenues. We want to support families. Thats good public policy, Johnson said. In our view, the best way often for the government to do that is to step back and allow the local and state officials to handle their business at that local level.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, House Republican Conference Chair, said the GOP is proud to be a pro-family conference.

There are many of our members who have proposed innovative solutions  one is rural child care. Home-based child care, thats an issue Ive worked with many of my colleagues on the Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik, of New York, said. But the economy, the border, crime, these issues, these crises caused by Joe Biden, they impact every family.

The post Parents tote toddlers to D.C. to press for expanded child tax credit, child care funds appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Antonio, of Arizona, stands at a child-size podium in front of the U.S. Capitol for "Strolling Thunder," a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to make a fuss for babies, who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children.

Parents and kids representing 50 states and the District of Columbia convened for the eighth annual Strolling Thunder. Moms and dads pushing strollers decked out in state license plates rallied on the Capitols East Lawn to lobby lawmakers to fund child care, establish national paid family leave, and permanently expand the child tax credit.

Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE, the organization behind the event, rallied parents to tell their representatives that the 11 million babies in the U.S. make up 3.4% of our population, but 100% of our future.

Youre here with the pork producers and the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical industry. Members of Congress dont normally see real people, and they rarely see babies and toddlers, particularly babies and toddlers who need to have their diapers changed on their desks. And thats what I encourage you to do if you need to have that happen, Melmed told the crowd.

The nonprofit ZERO TO THREE bases its advocacy on health and developmental research findings in infants up to age 3, the years the group describes as the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.

Melmed praised top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut for achieving a $1 billion increase for child care block grants and Head Start in this years government funding bills.

DeLauro, who spoke to the crowd, said families deserve better.

The cost of living has increased year after year, and more and more Americans simply do not get paid enough to live on, let alone to raise a family, the Connecticut lawmaker said, promising to advocate for the reinstatement of a fully refundable child tax credit.

Sabrina Donnellan of Girdwood, Alaska, sits with her 13-month-old, Blakely, on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and talks with Candace Winkler, ZERO TO THREEs chief development and strategy officer, at the eighth annual Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

Diapers, child care, formula

Candace Winkler, a former Alaska resident and current ZERO TO THREE leader, sat on the Capitol lawn next to Sabrina Donnellan who traveled to D.C. from Girdwood, Alaska, with her 13-month-old Blakely to advocate for lower child care costs and paid family leave.

Winkler, the organizations chief development and strategy officer, said the group of families would divide up in the halls of Congress Tuesday to meet with their representatives about six key policy issues, including permanently expanding the child tax credit to pandemic levels.

Weve seen that time and time again that families are using those resources for diapers, child care, formula and things their babies and their family needs. And its really critical for their success, WInkler said.

The current child tax credit is $2,000 a year after tax liability, but the amount a parent could receive per child under 17 in a refund check is capped at $1,600 in 2023. The credit phases in at 15% on every dollar after earnings of $2,500.

As the U.S. was digging out from under the COVID-19 economic crisis, Congress approved a one-year expansion of the tax credit to $3,000 per child under age 18, and $3,600 for those under age 6  including for families who made $0 in income. Lawmakers made the entire amount refundable, and a portion of it was sent to families in monthly installments.

Advocates hailed the research findings that showed the temporary move was a game changer for lifting children from poverty in the U.S.

A current bipartisan proposal, widely supported by U.S. House lawmakers, to temporarily expand the child tax credit until 2025  though not to pandemic levels  is currently stalled by U.S. Senate Republicans who liken aspects of the bill to a welfare program.

The proposal, as passed by the House, would increase the credits refundable portion to $1,800 in 2023, $1,900 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025. The legislation would also increase the phase-in rate to 15% per child, simultaneously  in other words, 30% for a family with two children, 45% for a family with three, and so on.

Credit card debt for child care

Cruz Bueno, a parent from Rhode Island, shared her story of racking up credit card debt to enroll her 11-month-old Rosie in child care, along with her 2-year-old sister Amalia.

Putting Rosie into daycare means that we must put a halt to our dream of buying a home, said Bueno, an economist who lives in Warwick with her husband, Xhuljan Meta.

One of the stipulations of our mortgage pre-approval was to keep our credit card balances low. Even so, we remain hopeful that one day in the not-so-distant future we will be able to buy a home to raise our girls and pass on wealth to them, she said.

When asked about the Strolling Thunder event at Tuesday mornings regularly scheduled House Republican press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said, Theres lots of ideas out there. What we stand for, what our party stands for, is support of families. We support infants and children, and theres an appropriate role to play in that.

The devils always in the details on legislation, so Im not sure exactly what theyre proposing, but all of us are looking at those avenues. We want to support families. Thats good public policy, Johnson said. In our view, the best way often for the government to do that is to step back and allow the local and state officials to handle their business at that local level.

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The post Parents tote toddlers to D.C. to press for expanded child tax credit, child care funds appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
Sabrina Donnellan of Girdwood, Alaska, sits with her 13-month-old, Blakely, on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and talks with Candace Winkler, ZERO TO THREEs chief development and strategy officer, at the eighth annual Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray | States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to make a fuss for babies, who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children.

Parents and kids representing 50 states and the District of Columbia convened for the eighth annual Strolling Thunder. Moms and dads pushing strollers decked out in state license plates rallied on the Capitols East Lawn to lobby lawmakers to fund child care, establish national paid family leave, and permanently expand the child tax credit.

Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE, the organization behind the event, rallied parents to tell their representatives that the 11 million babies in the U.S. make up 3.4% of our population, but 100% of our future.

Youre here with the pork producers and the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical industry. Members of Congress dont normally see real people, and they rarely see babies and toddlers, particularly babies and toddlers who need to have their diapers changed on their desks. And thats what I encourage you to do if you need to have that happen, Melmed told the crowd.

The nonprofit ZERO TO THREE bases its advocacy on health and developmental research findings in infants up to age 3, the years the group describes as the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.

Melmed praised top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut for achieving a $1 billion increase for child care block grants and Head Start in this years government funding bills.

DeLauro, who spoke to the crowd, said families deserve better.

The cost of living has increased year after year, and more and more Americans simply do not get paid enough to live on, let alone to raise a family, the Connecticut lawmaker said, promising to advocate for the reinstatement of a fully refundable child tax credit.

Diapers, child care, formula

Candace Winkler, a former Alaska resident and current ZERO TO THREE leader, sat on the Capitol lawn next to Sabrina Donnellan who traveled to D.C. from Girdwood, Alaska, with her 13-month-old Blakely to advocate for lower child care costs and paid family leave.

Winkler, the organizations chief development and strategy officer, said the group of families would divide up in the halls of Congress Tuesday to meet with their representatives about six key policy issues, including permanently expanding the child tax credit to pandemic levels.

Weve seen that time and time again that families are using those resources for diapers, child care, formula and things their babies and their family needs. And its really critical for their success, WInkler said.

The current child tax credit is $2,000 a year after tax liability, but the amount a parent could receive per child under 17 in a refund check is capped at $1,600 in 2023. The credit phases in at 15% on every dollar after earnings of $2,500.

As the U.S. was digging out from under the COVID-19 economic crisis, Congress approved a one-year expansion of the tax credit to $3,000 per child under age 18, and $3,600 for those under age 6  including for families who made $0 in income. Lawmakers made the entire amount refundable, and a portion of it was sent to families in monthly installments.

Advocates hailed the research findings that showed the temporary move was a game changer for lifting children from poverty in the U.S.

A current bipartisan proposal, widely supported by U.S. House lawmakers, to temporarily expand the child tax credit until 2025  though not to pandemic levels  is currently stalled by U.S. Senate Republicans who liken aspects of the bill to a welfare program.

The proposal, as passed by the House, would increase the credits refundable portion to $1,800 in 2023, $1,900 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025. The legislation would also increase the phase-in rate to 15% per child, simultaneously  in other words, 30% for a family with two children, 45% for a family with three, and so on.

Credit card debt for child care

Cruz Bueno, a parent from Rhode Island, shared her story of racking up credit card debt to enroll her 11-month-old Rosie in child care, along with her 2-year-old sister Amalia.

Putting Rosie into daycare means that we must put a halt to our dream of buying a home, said Bueno, an economist who lives in Warwick with her husband, Xhuljan Meta.

One of the stipulations of our mortgage pre-approval was to keep our credit card balances low. Even so, we remain hopeful that one day in the not-so-distant future we will be able to buy a home to raise our girls and pass on wealth to them, she said.

When asked about the Strolling Thunder event at Tuesday mornings regularly scheduled House Republican press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said, Theres lots of ideas out there. What we stand for, what our party stands for, is support of families. We support infants and children, and theres an appropriate role to play in that.

The devils always in the details on legislation, so Im not sure exactly what theyre proposing, but all of us are looking at those avenues. We want to support families. Thats good public policy, Johnson said. In our view, the best way often for the government to do that is to step back and allow the local and state officials to handle their business at that local level.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, House Republican Conference Chair, said the GOP is proud to be a pro-family conference.

There are many of our members who have proposed innovative solutions  one is rural child care. Home-based child care, thats an issue Ive worked with many of my colleagues on the Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik, of New York, said. But the economy, the border, crime, these issues, these crises caused by Joe Biden, they impact every family.

The post Parents tote toddlers to D.C. to press for expanded child tax credit, child care funds appeared first on New Jersey Monitor.
Sabrina Donnellan of Girdwood, Alaska, sits with her 13-month-old, Blakely, on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and talks with Candace Winkler, ZERO TO THREEs chief development and strategy officer, at the eighth annual Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom).

WASHINGTON  Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to make a fuss for babies, who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children.

Parents and kids representing 50 states and the District of Columbia convened for the eighth annual Strolling Thunder. Moms and dads pushing strollers decked out in state license plates rallied on the Capitols East Lawn to lobby lawmakers to fund child care, establish national paid family leave, and permanently expand the child tax credit.

Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE, the organization behind the event, rallied parents to tell their representatives that the 11 million babies in the U.S. make up 3.4% of our population, but 100% of our future.

Youre here with the pork producers and the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical industry. Members of Congress dont normally see real people, and they rarely see babies and toddlers, particularly babies and toddlers who need to have their diapers changed on their desks. And thats what I encourage you to do if you need to have that happen, Melmed told the crowd.

The nonprofit ZERO TO THREE bases its advocacy on health and developmental research findings in infants up to age 3, the years the group describes as the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.

Melmed praised top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut for achieving a $1 billion increase for child care block grants and Head Start in this years government funding bills.

DeLauro, who spoke to the crowd, said families deserve better.

The cost of living has increased year after year, and more and more Americans simply do not get paid enough to live on, let alone to raise a family, the Connecticut lawmaker said, promising to advocate for the reinstatement of a fully refundable child tax credit.

Diapers, child care, formula

Candace Winkler, a former Alaska resident and current ZERO TO THREE leader, sat on the Capitol lawn next to Sabrina Donnellan who traveled to D.C. from Girdwood, Alaska, with her 13-month-old Blakely to advocate for lower child care costs and paid family leave.

Winkler, the organizations chief development and strategy officer, said the group of families would divide up in the halls of Congress Tuesday to meet with their representatives about six key policy issues, including permanently expanding the child tax credit to pandemic levels.

Weve seen that time and time again that families are using those resources for diapers, child care, formula and things their babies and their family needs. And its really critical for their success, WInkler said.

The current child tax credit is $2,000 a year after tax liability, but the amount a parent could receive per child under 17 in a refund check is capped at $1,600 in 2023. The credit phases in at 15% on every dollar after earnings of $2,500.

As the U.S. was digging out from under the COVID-19 economic crisis, Congress approved a one-year expansion of the tax credit to $3,000 per child under age 18, and $3,600 for those under age 6  including for families who made $0 in income. Lawmakers made the entire amount refundable, and a portion of it was sent to families in monthly installments.

Advocates hailed the research findings that showed the temporary move was a game changer for lifting children from poverty in the U.S.

A current bipartisan proposal, widely supported by U.S. House lawmakers, to temporarily expand the child tax credit until 2025  though not to pandemic levels  is currently stalled by U.S. Senate Republicans who liken aspects of the bill to a welfare program.

The proposal, as passed by the House, would increase the credits refundable portion to $1,800 in 2023, $1,900 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025. The legislation would also increase the phase-in rate to 15% per child, simultaneously  in other words, 30% for a family with two children, 45% for a family with three, and so on.

Credit card debt for child care

Cruz Bueno, a parent from Rhode Island, shared her story of racking up credit card debt to enroll her 11-month-old Rosie in child care, along with her 2-year-old sister Amalia.

Putting Rosie into daycare means that we must put a halt to our dream of buying a home, said Bueno, an economist who lives in Warwick with her husband, Xhuljan Meta.

One of the stipulations of our mortgage pre-approval was to keep our credit card balances low. Even so, we remain hopeful that one day in the not-so-distant future we will be able to buy a home to raise our girls and pass on wealth to them, she said.

When asked about the Strolling Thunder event at Tuesday mornings regularly scheduled House Republican press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said, Theres lots of ideas out there. What we stand for, what our party stands for, is support of families. We support infants and children, and theres an appropriate role to play in that.

The devils always in the details on legislation, so Im not sure exactly what theyre proposing, but all of us are looking at those avenues. We want to support families. Thats good public policy, Johnson said. In our view, the best way often for the government to do that is to step back and allow the local and state officials to handle their business at that local level.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, House Republican Conference Chair, said the GOP is proud to be a pro-family conference.

There are many of our members who have proposed innovative solutions  one is rural child care. Home-based child care, thats an issue Ive worked with many of my colleagues on the Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik, of New York, said. But the economy, the border, crime, these issues, these crises caused by Joe Biden, they impact every family.

The post Parents tote toddlers to D.C. to press for expanded child tax credit, child care funds appeared first on Missouri Independent.
Sabrina Donnellan of Girdwood, Alaska, sits with her 13-month-old, Blakely, on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and talks with Candace Winkler, ZERO TO THREEs chief development and strategy officer, at the eighth annual Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to make a fuss for babies, who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children.

Parents and kids representing 50 states and the District of Columbia convened for the eighth annual Strolling Thunder. Moms and dads pushing strollers decked out in state license plates rallied on the Capitols East Lawn to lobby lawmakers to fund child care, establish national paid family leave, and permanently expand the child tax credit.

Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE, the organization behind the event, rallied parents to tell their representatives that the 11 million babies in the U.S. make up 3.4% of our population, but 100% of our future.

Antonio, of Arizona, stands at a child-size podium in front of the U.S. Capitol for Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

Youre here with the pork producers and the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical industry. Members of Congress dont normally see real people, and they rarely see babies and toddlers, particularly babies and toddlers who need to have their diapers changed on their desks. And thats what I encourage you to do if you need to have that happen, Melmed told the crowd.

The nonprofit ZERO TO THREE bases its advocacy on health and developmental research findings in infants up to age 3, the years the group describes as the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.

Melmed praised top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut for achieving a $1 billion increase for child care block grants and Head Start in this years government funding bills.

DeLauro, who spoke to the crowd, said families deserve better.

The cost of living has increased year after year, and more and more Americans simply do not get paid enough to live on, let alone to raise a family, the Connecticut lawmaker said, promising to advocate for the reinstatement of a fully refundable child tax credit.

Diapers, child care, formula

Candace Winkler, a former Alaska resident and current ZERO TO THREE leader, sat on the Capitol lawn next to Sabrina Donnellan who traveled to D.C. from Girdwood, Alaska, with her 13-month-old Blakely to advocate for lower child care costs and paid family leave.

Winkler, the organizations chief development and strategy officer, said the group of families would divide up in the halls of Congress Tuesday to meet with their representatives about six key policy issues, including permanently expanding the child tax credit to pandemic levels.

Weve seen that time and time again that families are using those resources for diapers, child care, formula and things their babies and their family needs. And its really critical for their success, WInkler said.

The current child tax credit is $2,000 a year after tax liability, but the amount a parent could receive per child under 17 in a refund check is capped at $1,600 in 2023. The credit phases in at 15% on every dollar after earnings of $2,500.

As the U.S. was digging out from under the COVID-19 economic crisis, Congress approved a one-year expansion of the tax credit to $3,000 per child under age 18, and $3,600 for those under age 6  including for families who made $0 in income. Lawmakers made the entire amount refundable, and a portion of it was sent to families in monthly installments.

Santiago Castillo, of Arkansas, stands with his 9-month-old, Elizabeth, in a stroller marked with an Arkansas license plate. Castillo, who runs a child care center with his spouse Jenny Castillo, attended Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

Advocates hailed the research findings that showed the temporary move was a game changer for lifting children from poverty in the U.S.

A current bipartisan proposal, widely supported by U.S. House lawmakers, to temporarily expand the child tax credit until 2025  though not to pandemic levels  is currently stalled by U.S. Senate Republicans who liken aspects of the bill to a welfare program.

The proposal, as passed by the House, would increase the credits refundable portion to $1,800 in 2023, $1,900 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025. The legislation would also increase the phase-in rate to 15% per child, simultaneously  in other words, 30% for a family with two children, 45% for a family with three, and so on.

Credit card debt for child care

Cruz Bueno, a parent from Rhode Island, shared her story of racking up credit card debt to enroll her 11-month-old Rosie in child care, along with her 2-year-old sister Amalia.

Putting Rosie into daycare means that we must put a halt to our dream of buying a home, said Bueno, an economist who lives in Warwick with her husband, Xhuljan Meta.

One of the stipulations of our mortgage pre-approval was to keep our credit card balances low. Even so, we remain hopeful that one day in the not-so-distant future we will be able to buy a home to raise our girls and pass on wealth to them, she said.

When asked about the Strolling Thunder event at Tuesday mornings regularly scheduled House Republican press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said, Theres lots of ideas out there. What we stand for, what our party stands for, is support of families. We support infants and children, and theres an appropriate role to play in that.

The devils always in the details on legislation, so Im not sure exactly what theyre proposing, but all of us are looking at those avenues. We want to support families. Thats good public policy, Johnson said. In our view, the best way often for the government to do that is to step back and allow the local and state officials to handle their business at that local level.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, House Republican Conference Chair, said the GOP is proud to be a pro-family conference.

There are many of our members who have proposed innovative solutions  one is rural child care. Home-based child care, thats an issue Ive worked with many of my colleagues on the Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik, of New York, said. But the economy, the border, crime, these issues, these crises caused by Joe Biden, they impact every family.

The post Parents tote toddlers to D.C. to press for expanded child tax credit, child care funds appeared first on SC Daily Gazette.
Sabrina Donnellan of Girdwood, Alaska, sits with her 13-month-old, Blakely, on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and talks with Candace Winkler, ZERO TO THREEs chief development and strategy officer, at the eighth annual Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to make a fuss for babies, who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children.

Parents and kids representing 50 states and the District of Columbia convened for the eighth annual Strolling Thunder. Moms and dads pushing strollers decked out in state license plates rallied on the Capitols East Lawn to lobby lawmakers to fund child care, establish national paid family leave, and permanently expand the child tax credit.

Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE, the organization behind the event, rallied parents to tell their representatives that the 11 million babies in the U.S. make up 3.4% of our population, but 100% of our future.

Youre here with the pork producers and the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical industry. Members of Congress dont normally see real people, and they rarely see babies and toddlers, particularly babies and toddlers who need to have their diapers changed on their desks. And thats what I encourage you to do if you need to have that happen, Melmed told the crowd.

The nonprofit ZERO TO THREE bases its advocacy on health and developmental research findings in infants up to age 3, the years the group describes as the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.

Melmed praised top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut for achieving a $1 billion increase for child care block grants and Head Start in this years government funding bills.

DeLauro, who spoke to the crowd, said families deserve better.

The cost of living has increased year after year, and more and more Americans simply do not get paid enough to live on, let alone to raise a family, the Connecticut lawmaker said, promising to advocate for the reinstatement of a fully refundable child tax credit.

Diapers, child care, formula

Candace Winkler, a former Alaska resident and current ZERO TO THREE leader, sat on the Capitol lawn next to Sabrina Donnellan who traveled to D.C. from Girdwood, Alaska, with her 13-month-old Blakely to advocate for lower child care costs and paid family leave.

Winkler, the organizations chief development and strategy officer, said the group of families would divide up in the halls of Congress Tuesday to meet with their representatives about six key policy issues, including permanently expanding the child tax credit to pandemic levels.

Weve seen that time and time again that families are using those resources for diapers, child care, formula and things their babies and their family needs. And its really critical for their success, WInkler said.

The current child tax credit is $2,000 a year after tax liability, but the amount a parent could receive per child under 17 in a refund check is capped at $1,600 in 2023. The credit phases in at 15% on every dollar after earnings of $2,500.

As the U.S. was digging out from under the COVID-19 economic crisis, Congress approved a one-year expansion of the tax credit to $3,000 per child under age 18, and $3,600 for those under age 6  including for families who made $0 in income. Lawmakers made the entire amount refundable, and a portion of it was sent to families in monthly installments.

Advocates hailed the research findings that showed the temporary move was a game changer for lifting children from poverty in the U.S.

A current bipartisan proposal, widely supported by U.S. House lawmakers, to temporarily expand the child tax credit until 2025  though not to pandemic levels  is currently stalled by U.S. Senate Republicans who liken aspects of the bill to a welfare program.

The proposal, as passed by the House, would increase the credits refundable portion to $1,800 in 2023, $1,900 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025. The legislation would also increase the phase-in rate to 15% per child, simultaneously  in other words, 30% for a family with two children, 45% for a family with three, and so on.

Credit card debt for child care

Cruz Bueno, a parent from Rhode Island, shared her story of racking up credit card debt to enroll her 11-month-old Rosie in child care, along with her 2-year-old sister Amalia.

Putting Rosie into daycare means that we must put a halt to our dream of buying a home, said Bueno, an economist who lives in Warwick with her husband, Xhuljan Meta.

One of the stipulations of our mortgage pre-approval was to keep our credit card balances low. Even so, we remain hopeful that one day in the not-so-distant future we will be able to buy a home to raise our girls and pass on wealth to them, she said.

When asked about the Strolling Thunder event at Tuesday mornings regularly scheduled House Republican press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said, Theres lots of ideas out there. What we stand for, what our party stands for, is support of families. We support infants and children, and theres an appropriate role to play in that.

The devils always in the details on legislation, so Im not sure exactly what theyre proposing, but all of us are looking at those avenues. We want to support families. Thats good public policy, Johnson said. In our view, the best way often for the government to do that is to step back and allow the local and state officials to handle their business at that local level.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, House Republican Conference Chair, said the GOP is proud to be a pro-family conference.

There are many of our members who have proposed innovative solutions  one is rural child care. Home-based child care, thats an issue Ive worked with many of my colleagues on the Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik, of New York, said. But the economy, the border, crime, these issues, these crises caused by Joe Biden, they impact every family.

The post Parents tote toddlers to D.C. to press for expanded child tax credit, child care funds appeared first on Utah News Dispatch.
Sabrina Donnellan of Girdwood, Alaska, sits with her 13-month-old, Blakely, on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and talks with Candace Winkler, ZERO TO THREEs chief development and strategy officer, at the eighth annual Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to make a fuss for babies, who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children.

Parents and kids representing 50 states and the District of Columbia convened for the eighth annual Strolling Thunder. Moms and dads pushing strollers decked out in state license plates rallied on the Capitols East Lawn to lobby lawmakers to fund child care, establish national paid family leave, and permanently expand the child tax credit.

Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE, the organization behind the event, rallied parents to tell their representatives that the 11 million babies in the U.S. make up 3.4% of our population, but 100% of our future.

Youre here with the pork producers and the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical industry. Members of Congress dont normally see real people, and they rarely see babies and toddlers, particularly babies and toddlers who need to have their diapers changed on their desks. And thats what I encourage you to do if you need to have that happen, Melmed told the crowd.

The nonprofit ZERO TO THREE bases its advocacy on health and developmental research findings in infants up to age 3, the years the group describes as the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.

Melmed praised top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut for achieving a $1 billion increase for child care block grants and Head Start in this years government funding bills.

DeLauro, who spoke to the crowd, said families deserve better.

The cost of living has increased year after year, and more and more Americans simply do not get paid enough to live on, let alone to raise a family, the Connecticut lawmaker said, promising to advocate for the reinstatement of a fully refundable child tax credit.

Antonio, of Arizona, stands at a child-size podium in front of the U.S. Capitol for Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

Diapers, child care, formula

Candace Winkler, a former Alaska resident and current ZERO TO THREE leader, sat on the Capitol lawn next to Sabrina Donnellan who traveled to D.C. from Girdwood, Alaska, with her 13-month-old Blakely to advocate for lower child care costs and paid family leave.

Winkler, the organizations chief development and strategy officer, said the group of families would divide up in the halls of Congress Tuesday to meet with their representatives about six key policy issues, including permanently expanding the child tax credit to pandemic levels.

Weve seen that time and time again that families are using those resources for diapers, child care, formula and things their babies and their family needs. And its really critical for their success, WInkler said.

The current child tax credit is $2,000 a year after tax liability, but the amount a parent could receive per child under 17 in a refund check is capped at $1,600 in 2023. The credit phases in at 15% on every dollar after earnings of $2,500.

As the U.S. was digging out from under the COVID-19 economic crisis, Congress approved a one-year expansion of the tax credit to $3,000 per child under age 18, and $3,600 for those under age 6  including for families who made $0 in income. Lawmakers made the entire amount refundable, and a portion of it was sent to families in monthly installments.

Advocates hailed the research findings that showed the temporary move was a game changer for lifting children from poverty in the U.S.

A current bipartisan proposal, widely supported by U.S. House lawmakers, to temporarily expand the child tax credit until 2025  though not to pandemic levels  is currently stalled by U.S. Senate Republicans who liken aspects of the bill to a welfare program.

The proposal, as passed by the House, would increase the credits refundable portion to $1,800 in 2023, $1,900 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025. The legislation would also increase the phase-in rate to 15% per child, simultaneously  in other words, 30% for a family with two children, 45% for a family with three, and so on.

Credit card debt for child care

Cruz Bueno, a parent from Rhode Island, shared her story of racking up credit card debt to enroll her 11-month-old Rosie in child care, along with her 2-year-old sister Amalia.

Putting Rosie into daycare means that we must put a halt to our dream of buying a home, said Bueno, an economist who lives in Warwick with her husband, Xhuljan Meta.

Santiago Castillo, of Arkansas, stands with his 9-month-old, Elizabeth, in a stroller marked with an Arkansas license plate. Castillo, who runs a child care center with his spouse Jenny Castillo, attended Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

One of the stipulations of our mortgage pre-approval was to keep our credit card balances low. Even so, we remain hopeful that one day in the not-so-distant future we will be able to buy a home to raise our girls and pass on wealth to them, she said.

When asked about the Strolling Thunder event at Tuesday mornings regularly scheduled House Republican press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said, Theres lots of ideas out there. What we stand for, what our party stands for, is support of families. We support infants and children, and theres an appropriate role to play in that.

The devils always in the details on legislation, so Im not sure exactly what theyre proposing, but all of us are looking at those avenues. We want to support families. Thats good public policy, Johnson said. In our view, the best way often for the government to do that is to step back and allow the local and state officials to handle their business at that local level.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, House Republican Conference Chair, said the GOP is proud to be a pro-family conference.

There are many of our members who have proposed innovative solutions  one is rural child care. Home-based child care, thats an issue Ive worked with many of my colleagues on the Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik, of New York, said. But the economy, the border, crime, these issues, these crises caused by Joe Biden, they impact every family.

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The post Parents tote toddlers to D.C. to press for expanded child tax credit, child care funds appeared first on Maine Morning Star.
Kelley Direct students participate in Kelley on Location in Chicago in September 2022. The online MBA program at Indiana University Kelley School of Business has topped P&Qs Online MBA ranking for the second straight year. Courtesy photo

Kelley Direct students participate in Kelley on Location in Chicago in September 2022. The online MBA program at Indiana University Kelley School of Business is the highest ranked U.S. program in QS most recent ranking. Courtesy photo

Whats the best online MBA program in the world? Depends on who you ask.

According to the latest ranking from QS, the British-based admissions events company, the answer is Imperial College Business School in Londons South Kensington. Imperials online program beat out second-places IE Business School in Madrid, Spain by 5 points on a 100-point scale.

But, if youre looking at the most recent ranking of global online MBA programs from The Financial Times, youd have to flip those results. IE Business School comes out on top with Imperial College in second.

Moral of the story: Take these, and all rankings, with a grain of salt.

TOP 10 ONLINE MBAS ACCORDING TO QS

QS released its annual ranking of online MBA programs last week. In the interest of giving school seekers all the information available, we present the results here. However, weve written in the past why QS results should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Following IE, Warwick Business School in Coventry, England, came in at No. 3, followed by Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at No. 4. Kelley Direct Online MBA at Indiana University rounded out the top 5 and was the highest ranked program based in the U.S.

2024 Rank Institution Country/Territory Overall Score 1 Imperial College Business School United Kingdom 100 2 IE Business School Spain 95 3 Warwick Business School United Kingdom 92.4 4 AGSM @ UNSW Business School Australia 88.9 5 Indiana University (Kelley Direct Programs) United States 88 6 Alliance Manchester Business School United Kingdom 81.2 7 Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) United States 79.2 8 (Tie) POLIMI Graduate School of Management Italy 78.7 8 (Tie) University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) United States 78.7 10 Southern California (Marshall) United States 78.5

After Kelley, three other U.S. programs broke the top 10 of the QS ranking: Carnegie Mellon Universitys Tepper School of Business debuted on the QS ranking at No. 7. University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School tied for 8th while University of Southern California Marshall School of Business ranked 10th.

Overall, QS ranked 101 ranked programs across 21 countries, up from the 86 ranked in 2023. That includes 53 U.S. programs, 13 UK programs and 6 from Spain.

CMU Tepper was one of 18 new programs on 2024 list, and it earned the highest score of any school in Faculty and Teaching, earning 88.2 out of a possible 100 points..

Story continues

THE ONLINE RANKING LANDSCAPE

Theres now several players attempting to rank a growing number of online MBA options, all of which are far from perfect.

U.S. News & World Report is arguably the most robust, ranking 345 U.S. programs in its most recent list. But its ranking is based on unaudited data provided by regionally accredited business schools along with its peer assessment survey of high-ranking academic officials at MBA programs. U.S. News does not survey students, graduates, or employers for the ranking. It also does not rank international programs.

P&Qs online MBA ranking also sticks to U.S. schools, and we ranked 51 schools for 2024. Our methodology is based on three equally-weighted categories  admission standards, academic experience and career outcomes. Data is collected through institutional surveys and surveys of the most recent class of alumni. We require a minimum response rate of 10%, and schools that dont meet that threshold do not get full credit for their alumni data. You can see how we calculate our online MBA ranking in our full methodology.

The other major ranking that looks at international programs comes from the Financial Times. But, that list is known as much as for the schools that are not ranked as for those that are. It ranked only 10 schools in 2024. FT reported that just 25 schools submitted data for this years ranking, but several failed to make the final list because of an insufficient response rate to the FTs alumni survey.

While the QS ranking includes 10 times more online programs as the FTs, we dont typically pay it as close as attention as we do other rankings. After consulting with MBA consultants and business school staffers who work on rankings, P&Q has called out QS Global ranking of full-time MBA programs as being one of the worst for its vague methodology, poor transparency, and concerns over conflict of interest. While the critiques werent lodged at QSs online MBA ranking specifically, its enough to give one pause. (In response, QS co-founder Nunzio Quacquarelli defended their ranking.)

KELLEY DIRECT TOPS SEVERAL ONLINE MBA RANKINGS

The best way to use rankings is to view them as a collection  as a single data point in a spreadsheet of data points. And, if you view QS recent online MBA list through that perspective, the results at the top arent that different from the other major rankings.

Seven of QS top 10 programs showed up in FTs 2024 list. Similarly, four U.S. programs that ranked highly in P&Qs and U.S. News 2024 rankings cracked the top 10 at QS, as you can see in the table below. That kind of consistency should encourage school seekers.

School 2024 QS Rank 2023 FT Rank 2024 P&Q Rank 2024 U.S. News Rank Imperial College London 1 2 NR NR IE Business School 2 1 NR NR Warwick Business School 3 3 NR NR Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) 4 7 NR NR Kelley School of Business 5 NR 1 1 Alliance Manchester Business School 6 NR NR NR CMU Tepper School of Business 7 5 5 2 Politecnico di Milano School of Management, Ital 8 (Tie) 8 NR NR UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School 9 (Tie) NR 7 3 (Tie) USC Marshall School of Business 10 4 9 3 (Tie)

As the highest ranked U.S. program at QS, the Kelley Direct Online MBA continues a truly impressive streak for the ranking season. It also topped P&Qs latest ranking (for the second straight year) and the U.S. list for the third straight year. It also topped lists compiled by Fortune and The Princeton Review.

Kelley Direct is a unique MBA experience, and thats reflected in our rankings, says Ash Soni, dean of the Kelley School of Business and The Sungkyunkwan Professor. Our faculty and staff have worked very hard to create an innovative curriculum and engaging in-person events that set Kelley apart from other programs.

QS ONLINE MBA RANKING METHODOLOGY

QS ranks online MBAs based on four metric groups, according to its methodology.

FACULTY AND TEACHING (35%): For this metric, QS incorporates data from both its proprietary Academic Survey which surveys schools on their perceptions of peer schools reputations as well as inputs provided by participating schools and/or public data. Specific metrics in this group include:

Academic reputation (15%) evaluates the reputation of an online MBA program based on nominations from its Academic Survey. QS notes, The survey has grown to become the worlds largest survey of academic opinion, and, in terms of size and scope, is an unparalleled means of measuring sentiment in the academic community. But it does not state how many surveys it sent out nor does it offer the response rate.

FTE/number of enrolled students ratio (10%): QS notes that a higher ratio means students can expect to receive more individual attention from program faculty.

Completion rate (10%)

EMPLOYABILITY (30%): Here, QS uses data from its proprietary Global Employer Survey, which aims to evaluate sentiments of hiring managers worldwide. QS has administered the survey for more than 20 years, so gives the greatest weight to the most recent responses.

But, the majority of online MBA candidates are part-time students and fully employed. Not all, or even most, are necessarily looking to change jobs at the end of their programs.

In contrast, Poets&Quants own online MBA ranking evaluates career outcomes based on metrics such as percentage of graduates who report earning a promotion or salary increase during or after the program and how alumni rate the schools career services and advising.

CLASS PROFILE (30%): This metric group looks at the make-up of the cohort on average with data collected from participating schools and publicly available sources.

Number of students enrolled (10%), rewarding schools with higher numbers to reflect the schools experience in providing a quality online MBA experience as well as the strength of the class network.

Applicant/place ratio (5%):

Work experience (5%), the higher the better

Proportion of female students (5%)

Number of nationalities represented (5%)

CLASS EXPERIENCE (5%): This group includes a range of evenly-weighted metrics including opportunity for physical meetups, regular synchronous classes, access to a learning app on a mobile and/or tablet, and 24/7 tech support.

NEXT PAGE: See the full QS Online MBA ranking for 2024

Online MBA ranking

QS Online MBA Rankings 2024 2024 Rank Institution Faculty and Teaching Score Class Profile Score Employability Score Class Experience Score Overall Score 1 Imperial College Business School 95 66.5 100 100 100 2 IE Business School 99.5 58.8 91.4 83.8 95 3 Warwick Business School 86.7 73.9 88.7 57.5 92.4 4 AGSM @ UNSW Business School 93.5 57.9 83.2 81.9 88.9 5 Indiana University (Kelley Direct Programs) 68.6 70.9 96.7 81.9 88 6 Alliance Manchester Business School 73.1 71 78.7 47.2 81.2 7 Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) 88.2 40 87.8 42 79.2 8 POLIMI Graduate School of Management 100 35.9 67.7 96.4 78.7 8 University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) 76.7 53.3 79 87.4 78.7 10 Southern California (Marshall) 78.1 47.2 92.5 28.6 78.5 11 Florida International University College of Business 59.6 61.7 97.1 29.8 77.6 12 Arizona State University (Carey) 99.6 27.6 71.1 85.6 76.2 13 California (Davis) 55.1 62.3 84.2 82.5 74.4 14 Washington (Foster) 85.3 33.8 76.6 84.7 74.2 15 University of Florida (Warrington) 68.6 47.4 90.3 29.8 73.7 16 Hult International Business School 59.1 79.7 57 90.4 73 17 Babson (Olin) 70.2 38.9 91.2 43 72.5 18 NC State University (Poole) 54.8 49.9 94.8 49.6 71.6 19 Durham University Business School 84.3 53.2 54.2 52.8 70.8 20 UT Dallas (Naveen) 61.6 45.3 81.3 90.4 70.4 21 Bayes Business School 98.7 30.7 52.5 90.4 70.3 22 University of Maryland (Smith) 75.4 51.6 56 100 69.9 23 Rice University (Jones) 72 38.4 76.5 69.8 69.3 24 Universidad de Chile 96.3 22 66.1 53 68.8 24 Vlerick Business School 75.5 51.2 57.2 77.7 68.8 26 Oxford Brookes Business School 67.6 52.2 68.8 54.1 68.7 27 American University (Kogod) 56 35.7 89.5 90.4 67.4 28 EAE Business School 64.3 53.5 60.7 90.4 66.9 29 Macquarie Business School 58.4 64.4 55.5 93.4 66.7 29 Massachusetts, Amherst (Isenberg) 62.9 68.8 47.1 85.6 66.7 31 Penn State (Smeal) 73.6 48.6 56.7 63.4 66 32 Birmingham Business School 70.7 52.2 52.8 53 64 33 WHU (Otto Beisheim) 88.8 20.5 56.5 90.4 63.7 34 George Washington University 46.3 56.2 69.3 90.4 63.4 35 EHL Hospitality Business School 58.6 48 65.6 74.5 63.3 36 EU Business School 54.3 60.3 54.2 90.4 62.8 37 University of Otago Business School 68.9 54.2 39.3 100 61.9 38 RMIT University 47.8 81.5 38.8 79.5 61.4 39 Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin 77.4 34.9 51.9 62.6 60.8 40 Pepperdine (Graziadio) 54.7 45.5 68.8 39 59.7 41 Baylor University 49.6 30.6 85.2 61.4 59.4 41 ESMT Berlin 58 45.4 66.8 24.9 59.4 43 Syracuse (Whitman) 44.2 52.6 72.5 39 59.2 44 Arizona (Eller) 65.2 32.4 65.6 43 58.5 45 Bentley (McCallum) 67.5 40.7 46.9 88.6 58.3 46 CENTRUM PUCP Graduate Business School 62.9 46.3 48.7 59 57.4 46 EGADE Business School 63.5 26.5 61.2 100 57.4 48 Lehigh University 59.3 23.2 78.1 29.8 56.3 49 Bologna University Business School 92.8 28.7 21.8 90.4 55.8 50 IAE Business School 79.1 24 48 51.8 55.4 51 Colorado State 28.9 44.8 85.7 41.1 54.7 52 La Trobe University 58.6 54.7 33.5 80.9 54.3 53 Texas Tech (Rawls) 62 27.2 56.4 82.3 54.2 54 Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen) 58.6 29.2 55.8 91.8 53.8 55 RIT (Saunders) 73.7 44.3 23.2 86.4 53.5 56 HKUST 66.3 25.3 60.4 24.9 53.3 56 International Business Academy of Switzerland (IBAS) 47.2 84.4 20 47.2 53.3 58 Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB 56.4 33.6 49.4 81.9 51.5 59 Liverpool Management School 63.5 30.3 47.2 55.3 50.8 60 The Open University Business School 27.8 74.6 38.4 86.4 50.6 62 Pacifico Business School 67.5 44.8 20.9 80.5 49.9 63 Jack Welch Management Institute 20 100 22.6 71 49.7 63 Rome Business School 62.5 48.1 20 100 49.7 65 Aston Business School 53.7 34.1 51.5 54 49.6 66 SBS Swiss Business School 45.6 52.5 33.5 89.7 48.4 67 Temple University (Fox) 48.5 44.9 47.6 26.6 48.3 68 University of South Florida (Muma) 68 42.9 23.2 43 47.9 69 OBS Business School 51.5 60.4 20 71 47.8 70 Hofstra (Zarb) 62.3 30.2 37.9 63.8 47.4 71 GBSB Global Business School 68.9 46.5 20.3 22.1 47.3 72 Fundacao Getulio Vargas 50 31.7 56.5 24.9 47.2 73 Amity Directorate of Distance & Online Education 34.6 61.2 30.7 93.2 46.1 74 Bradford School of Management 44.1 49 35 71 45.9 75 Nottingham Trent University 49.6 42.1 36 59 45.3 75 United International Business Schools (UIBS) 61.3 42.1 20.1 71 45.3 76-100 Athabasca University 32.8 31.4 26.1 24.9  76-100 Business School Netherland 26.1 53.6 31.1 27  76-100 Cincinnati (Lindner) 47.6 49.4 22.2 20  76-100 Clarkson University 55.7 28.8 20 32.4  76-100 Connecticut (UCONN) 29.6 33.1 27.1 60.2  76-100 Delaware(Alfred Lerner) 50.3 41.6 21.4 41.1  76-100 Georgia Southern University (Parker) 48.1 33.1 20.9 24.9  76-100 IU International University of Applied Sciences 21.5 66.2 20 81.9  76-100 Kennesaw State (Coles) 54 44.5 20.5 44.6  76-100 Kent State University 37.5 33.8 20.9 29.8  76-100 Milpark Business School 42 23.4 37.5 59  76-100 Rowan University 39.1 36.8 20 22.1  76-100 Stetson School of Business and Economics, Mercer University 35.2 30.5 41.1 76.7  76-100 Suffolk University (Sawyer) 37.7 29.8 28.4 78.8  76-100 Swiss International Institute Lausanne 36.4 39.7 20 49.6  76-100 University of Kansas School of Business 45.7 40.5 22.1 23  76-100 University of Louisville 36.8 42.4 20.8 22.1  76-100 University of Memphis (Fogelman) 54.7 26.7 20.3 41.1  76-100 University of Nebraska  Lincoln 49.6 36 21.2 25.4  76-100 University of Wisconsin  WhiteWater 72.5 23.9 20 100  76-100 University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium 50.2 38.9 20 64.8  76-100 Walsh College 26.9 50.6 20.8 80.9  76-100 West Texas A&M University (Engler) 42.4 49.1 20 65.1  76-100 Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Foisie) 57.3 25.7 38 47.2  101+ Michigan-Dearborn 26.9 21.4 20 24.9  101+ University of Massachusetts (Dartmouth) 32.8 20 20 24.9 

DONT MISS: POETS&QUANTS BEST ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS FOR 2024 AND IE BUSINESS SCHOOL CLAIMS TOP SPOT IN FINANCIAL TIMES 2024 ONLINE MBA RANKING

The post Imperial College Tops New Ranking Of Global OMBAs appeared first on Poets&Quants.
Sabrina Donnellan of Girdwood, Alaska, sits with her 13-month-old, Blakely, on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and talks with Candace Winkler, ZERO TO THREEs chief development and strategy officer, at the eighth annual Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray | States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to make a fuss for babies, who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children.

Parents and kids representing 50 states and the District of Columbia convened for the eighth annual Strolling Thunder. Moms and dads pushing strollers decked out in state license plates rallied on the Capitols East Lawn to lobby lawmakers to fund child care, establish national paid family leave, and permanently expand the child tax credit.

Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE, the organization behind the event, rallied parents to tell their representatives that the 11 million babies in the U.S. make up 3.4% of our population, but 100% of our future.

Youre here with the pork producers and the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical industry. Members of Congress dont normally see real people, and they rarely see babies and toddlers, particularly babies and toddlers who need to have their diapers changed on their desks. And thats what I encourage you to do if you need to have that happen, Melmed told the crowd.

The nonprofit ZERO TO THREE bases its advocacy on health and developmental research findings in infants up to age 3, the years the group describes as the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.

Melmed praised top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut for achieving a $1 billion increase for child care block grants and Head Start in this years government funding bills.

DeLauro, who spoke to the crowd, said families deserve better.

The cost of living has increased year after year, and more and more Americans simply do not get paid enough to live on, let alone to raise a family, the Connecticut lawmaker said, promising to advocate for the reinstatement of a fully refundable child tax credit.

Diapers, child care, formula

Candace Winkler, a former Alaska resident and current ZERO TO THREE leader, sat on the Capitol lawn next to Sabrina Donnellan who traveled to D.C. from Girdwood, Alaska, with her 13-month-old Blakely to advocate for lower child care costs and paid family leave.

Winkler, the organizations chief development and strategy officer, said the group of families would divide up in the halls of Congress Tuesday to meet with their representatives about six key policy issues, including permanently expanding the child tax credit to pandemic levels.

Weve seen that time and time again that families are using those resources for diapers, child care, formula and things their babies and their family needs. And its really critical for their success, WInkler said.

The current child tax credit is $2,000 a year after tax liability, but the amount a parent could receive per child under 17 in a refund check is capped at $1,600 in 2023. The credit phases in at 15% on every dollar after earnings of $2,500.

As the U.S. was digging out from under the COVID-19 economic crisis, Congress approved a one-year expansion of the tax credit to $3,000 per child under age 18, and $3,600 for those under age 6  including for families who made $0 in income. Lawmakers made the entire amount refundable, and a portion of it was sent to families in monthly installments.

Advocates hailed the research findings that showed the temporary move was a game changer for lifting children from poverty in the U.S.

A current bipartisan proposal, widely supported by U.S. House lawmakers, to temporarily expand the child tax credit until 2025  though not to pandemic levels  is currently stalled by U.S. Senate Republicans who liken aspects of the bill to a welfare program.

The proposal, as passed by the House, would increase the credits refundable portion to $1,800 in 2023, $1,900 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025. The legislation would also increase the phase-in rate to 15% per child, simultaneously  in other words, 30% for a family with two children, 45% for a family with three, and so on.

Credit card debt for child care

Cruz Bueno, a parent from Rhode Island, shared her story of racking up credit card debt to enroll her 11-month-old Rosie in child care, along with her 2-year-old sister Amalia.

Putting Rosie into daycare means that we must put a halt to our dream of buying a home, said Bueno, an economist who lives in Warwick with her husband, Xhuljan Meta.

One of the stipulations of our mortgage pre-approval was to keep our credit card balances low. Even so, we remain hopeful that one day in the not-so-distant future we will be able to buy a home to raise our girls and pass on wealth to them, she said.

When asked about the Strolling Thunder event at Tuesday mornings regularly scheduled House Republican press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said, Theres lots of ideas out there. What we stand for, what our party stands for, is support of families. We support infants and children, and theres an appropriate role to play in that.

The devils always in the details on legislation, so Im not sure exactly what theyre proposing, but all of us are looking at those avenues. We want to support families. Thats good public policy, Johnson said. In our view, the best way often for the government to do that is to step back and allow the local and state officials to handle their business at that local level.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, House Republican Conference Chair, said the GOP is proud to be a pro-family conference.

There are many of our members who have proposed innovative solutions  one is rural child care. Home-based child care, thats an issue Ive worked with many of my colleagues on the Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik, of New York, said. But the economy, the border, crime, these issues, these crises caused by Joe Biden, they impact every family.

The post Parents tote toddlers to D.C. to press for expanded child tax credit, child care funds appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Sabrina Donnellan of Girdwood, Alaska, sits with her 13-month-old, Blakely, on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and talks with Candace Winkler, ZERO TO THREEs chief development and strategy officer, at the eighth annual Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to make a fuss for babies, who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children.

Parents and kids representing 50 states and the District of Columbia convened for the eighth annual Strolling Thunder. Moms and dads pushing strollers decked out in state license plates rallied on the Capitols East Lawn to lobby lawmakers to fund child care, establish national paid family leave, and permanently expand the child tax credit.

Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE, the organization behind the event, rallied parents to tell their representatives that the 11 million babies in the U.S. make up 3.4% of our population, but 100% of our future.

Youre here with the pork producers and the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical industry. Members of Congress dont normally see real people, and they rarely see babies and toddlers, particularly babies and toddlers who need to have their diapers changed on their desks. And thats what I encourage you to do if you need to have that happen, Melmed told the crowd.

The nonprofit ZERO TO THREE bases its advocacy on health and developmental research findings in infants up to age 3, the years the group describes as the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.

Melmed praised top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut for achieving a $1 billion increase for child care block grants and Head Start in this years government funding bills.

DeLauro, who spoke to the crowd, said families deserve better.

The cost of living has increased year after year, and more and more Americans simply do not get paid enough to live on, let alone to raise a family, the Connecticut lawmaker said, promising to advocate for the reinstatement of a fully refundable child tax credit.

Diapers, child care, formula

Candace Winkler, a former Alaska resident and current ZERO TO THREE leader, sat on the Capitol lawn next to Sabrina Donnellan who traveled to D.C. from Girdwood, Alaska, with her 13-month-old Blakely to advocate for lower child care costs and paid family leave.

Winkler, the organizations chief development and strategy officer, said the group of families would divide up in the halls of Congress Tuesday to meet with their representatives about six key policy issues, including permanently expanding the child tax credit to pandemic levels.

Weve seen that time and time again that families are using those resources for diapers, child care, formula and things their babies and their family needs. And its really critical for their success, WInkler said.

The current child tax credit is $2,000 a year after tax liability, but the amount a parent could receive per child under 17 in a refund check is capped at $1,600 in 2023. The credit phases in at 15% on every dollar after earnings of $2,500.

As the U.S. was digging out from under the COVID-19 economic crisis, Congress approved a one-year expansion of the tax credit to $3,000 per child under age 18, and $3,600 for those under age 6  including for families who made $0 in income. Lawmakers made the entire amount refundable, and a portion of it was sent to families in monthly installments.

Advocates hailed the research findings that showed the temporary move was a game changer for lifting children from poverty in the U.S.

A current bipartisan proposal, widely supported by U.S. House lawmakers, to temporarily expand the child tax credit until 2025  though not to pandemic levels  is currently stalled by U.S. Senate Republicans who liken aspects of the bill to a welfare program.

The proposal, as passed by the House, would increase the credits refundable portion to $1,800 in 2023, $1,900 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025. The legislation would also increase the phase-in rate to 15% per child, simultaneously  in other words, 30% for a family with two children, 45% for a family with three, and so on.

Credit card debt for child care

Cruz Bueno, a parent from Rhode Island, shared her story of racking up credit card debt to enroll her 11-month-old Rosie in child care, along with her 2-year-old sister Amalia.

Putting Rosie into day care means that we must put a halt to our dream of buying a home, said Bueno, an economist who lives in Warwick with her husband, Xhuljan Meta.

One of the stipulations of our mortgage pre-approval was to keep our credit card balances low. Even so, we remain hopeful that one day in the not-so-distant future we will be able to buy a home to raise our girls and pass on wealth to them, she said.

When asked about the Strolling Thunder event at Tuesday mornings regularly scheduled House Republican press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said, Theres lots of ideas out there. What we stand for, what our party stands for, is support of families. We support infants and children, and theres an appropriate role to play in that.

The devils always in the details on legislation, so Im not sure exactly what theyre proposing, but all of us are looking at those avenues. We want to support families. Thats good public policy, Johnson said. In our view, the best way often for the government to do that is to step back and allow the local and state officials to handle their business at that local level.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, House Republican Conference Chair, said the GOP is proud to be a pro-family conference.

There are many of our members who have proposed innovative solutions  one is rural child care. Home-based child care, thats an issue Ive worked with many of my colleagues on the Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik, of New York, said. But the economy, the border, crime, these issues, these crises caused by Joe Biden, they impact every family.

The post Parents tote toddlers to D.C. to press for expanded child tax credit, child care funds appeared first on Kentucky Lantern.
Sabrina Donnellan of Girdwood, Alaska, sits with her 13-month-old, Blakely, on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and talks with Candace Winkler, ZERO TO THREEs chief development and strategy officer, at the eighth annual Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to make a fuss for babies, who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children.

Parents and kids representing 50 states and the District of Columbia convened for the eighth annual Strolling Thunder. Moms and dads pushing strollers decked out in state license plates rallied on the Capitols East Lawn to lobby lawmakers to fund child care, establish national paid family leave, and permanently expand the child tax credit.

Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE, the organization behind the event, rallied parents to tell their representatives that the 11 million babies in the U.S. make up 3.4% of our population, but 100% of our future.

Youre here with the pork producers and the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical industry. Members of Congress dont normally see real people, and they rarely see babies and toddlers, particularly babies and toddlers who need to have their diapers changed on their desks. And thats what I encourage you to do if you need to have that happen, Melmed told the crowd.

Antonio, of Arizona, stands at a child-size podium in front of the U.S. Capitol for Strolling Thunder, a child and family issues advocacy event on April 30, 2024, organized by the nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

The nonprofit ZERO TO THREE bases its advocacy on health and developmental research findings in infants up to age 3, the years the group describes as the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.

Melmed praised top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut for achieving a $1 billion increase for child care block grants and Head Start in this years government funding bills.

DeLauro, who spoke to the crowd, said families deserve better.

The cost of living has increased year after year, and more and more Americans simply do not get paid enough to live on, let alone to raise a family, the Connecticut lawmaker said, promising to advocate for the reinstatement of a fully refundable child tax credit.

Diapers, child care, formula

Candace Winkler, a former Alaska resident and current ZERO TO THREE leader, sat on the Capitol lawn next to Sabrina Donnellan who traveled to D.C. from Girdwood, Alaska, with her 13-month-old Blakely to advocate for lower child care costs and paid family leave.

Winkler, the organizations chief development and strategy officer, said the group of families would divide up in the halls of Congress Tuesday to meet with their representatives about six key policy issues, including permanently expanding the child tax credit to pandemic levels.

Weve seen that time and time again that families are using those resources for diapers, child care, formula and things their babies and their family needs. And its really critical for their success, WInkler said.

The current child tax credit is $2,000 a year after tax liability, but the amount a parent could receive per child under 17 in a refund check is capped at $1,600 in 2023. The credit phases in at 15% on every dollar after earnings of $2,500.

As the U.S. was digging out from under the COVID-19 economic crisis, Congress approved a one-year expansion of the tax credit to $3,000 per child under age 18, and $3,600 for those under age 6  including for families who made $0 in income. Lawmakers made the entire amount refundable, and a portion of it was sent to families in monthly installments.

Advocates hailed the research findings that showed the temporary move was a game changer for lifting children from poverty in the U.S.

A current bipartisan proposal, widely supported by U.S. House lawmakers, to temporarily expand the child tax credit until 2025  though not to pandemic levels  is currently stalled by U.S. Senate Republicans who liken aspects of the bill to a welfare program.

The proposal, as passed by the House, would increase the credits refundable portion to $1,800 in 2023, $1,900 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025. The legislation would also increase the phase-in rate to 15% per child, simultaneously  in other words, 30% for a family with two children, 45% for a family with three, and so on.

Credit card debt for child care

Cruz Bueno, a parent from Rhode Island, shared her story of racking up credit card debt to enroll her 11-month-old Rosie in child care, along with her 2-year-old sister Amalia.

Putting Rosie into daycare means that we must put a halt to our dream of buying a home, said Bueno, an economist who lives in Warwick with her husband, Xhuljan Meta.

One of the stipulations of our mortgage pre-approval was to keep our credit card balances low. Even so, we remain hopeful that one day in the not-so-distant future we will be able to buy a home to raise our girls and pass on wealth to them, she said.

When asked about the Strolling Thunder event at Tuesday mornings regularly scheduled House Republican press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said, Theres lots of ideas out there. What we stand for, what our party stands for, is support of families. We support infants and children, and theres an appropriate role to play in that.

The devils always in the details on legislation, so Im not sure exactly what theyre proposing, but all of us are looking at those avenues. We want to support families. Thats good public policy, Johnson said. In our view, the best way often for the government to do that is to step back and allow the local and state officials to handle their business at that local level.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, House Republican Conference Chair, said the GOP is proud to be a pro-family conference.

There are many of our members who have proposed innovative solutions  one is rural child care. Home-based child care, thats an issue Ive worked with many of my colleagues on the Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik, of New York, said. But the economy, the border, crime, these issues, these crises caused by Joe Biden, they impact every family.

The post Parents tote toddlers to D.C. to press for expanded child tax credit, child care funds appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
Journalists will be again given limited access to Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, to cover plenary sessions and the work of lawmakers, the Ukrinform news agency reported on May 1, citing a senior lawmaker.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, journalists have been prohibited from attending plenary sessions due to security reasons.

Ukraine's parliament also adopted a regulation on Sep. 6, 2022, forbidding live streaming of the sessions during martial law. Since then, the video recordings of the sessions have been uploaded with a delay on the parliament's YouTube channel.

Journalists will work at the parliament on conditions similar to the COVID-19 period. Up to 30 media representatives will be allowed to stay at once in the building, according to the parliament's Secretary General Viacheslav Shtuchnyi.

Shtuchnyi said some journalists have already applied for the accreditation. They will be provided with instructions after the Orthodox Easter on May 5, Shtuchnyi added.

Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of Ukraine's parliament, stressed that Ukraine's parliament is the only legislative body in the state that continues to operate during martial law and could be targeted as one of the decision-making centers.

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"We have risks confirmed monthly by relevant letters from the security services," Stefanchuk said.

The speaker added that a pool of journalists who "set themselves high reputational requirements for themselves" must be created.

Taras Pastushenko, the head of the parliamentary press service, also reminded that over the past two years, the "temporary media center" has been operating, where journalists have had a chance to communicate with lawmakers.

According to the State Security Administration, over 4,000 journalists had parliament's accreditation before the beginning of the all-out war.

Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, the head of the Ukrainian parliament's Committee on Freedom of Speech, said earlier that there was a significant demand in society to allow journalists return to the parliament.

Yurchyshyn noted that his committee does not see any convincing argument for why it cannot be done.

Read also: Freedom of speech committee examining reported surveillance of Ukrainian investigative outlet

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Will they pass? 5 SC bills to watch as legislative session comes to a close next week

With a handful of days remaining in this years legislative session, here are five bills to watch and their chances of passing.

The sessions last day is May 9, even though lawmakers are planning to come back June 5 to hold a state supreme court election, and after the legislative primary elections to finish up work on the budget.

Bills that dont cross the finish lines by 5 p.m. May 9 will be dead for the session, unless theyre in a conference committee, or lawmakers decide to take up with a two-thirds vote of each chamber later in the year. However, lawmakers have indicated they dont plan to come back unless they need to respond to an emergency.

Energy bill

A bill meant to help the state meet growing energy needs in the future has been a top priority of the House this session. The House hopes the Senate takes up the bill and send it back so a conference committee can be started.

But Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey asked the bill be delayed until the fall to allow for further study.

But state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, is trying to push a smaller version of the energy bill to see if it could address concerns of lawmakers that the larger piece of legislation moved too quickly. If Davis is successful, that may set the bill up for an eventual conference committee to keep the legislation alive this year.

House Republicans are trying another tactic to force the bill into conference committee. State Rep. Bill Sandifer, chairman of the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee attached the bill to several Senate bills, including one dealing with suicide prevention training, a bill dealing with pharmacies service organizations, a bill dealing with anti-money laundering, and a bill on professional counseling.

Making the comptroller general an appointed position

Following last years disclosure of a $3.5 billion accounting error, senators in a 42-0 wanted the governor to appoint the comptroller general rather than voters electing a comptroller every four years.

Making it an appointed position requires voter approval because it would make change to the constitution.

The comptroller general serves as the states top accountant.

When the bill moved to the House, however, it stalled and has not moved out of the House Judiciary committee, as the committee has had to deal with about 475 bills.

Weve got a limited amount of time which we can move forward, said House Judiciary Chairman Weston Newton, R-Beaufort. Obviously the various caucuses that identify what their priorities are and we try to work and address as many of those priority items that we can so and nothing substantive in particular against the bill. I may even be a co-sponsor of it, but that doesnt mean whether I am or not, that it accelerates whether it moves or not.

Former Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom resigned last year and was replaced by Brian Gaines. When Eckstrom ran for reelection in 2022, he was unopposed and received 98% of the vote.

Having the job appointed by the governor could allow for quicker changes when problems arise in the agency.

Currently the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, comptroller general, secretary of agriculture and superintendent of education serve as constitutional officers who are elected on a statewide basis.

Because the bill is not expected to move, the comptroller general position may be elected again in 2026.

Senators even suggested the treasurer also be appointed, but the recommendation took place after the chamber passed the comptroller appointment bill.

Judicial reform

Making changes to how the state elects judges through the Judicial Merit Selection Committee has been a push of the General Assembly.

The state Senate passed legislation that raises the cap of who could be nominated in front of the General Assembly from three candidates to six. It also requires a judicial candidate to receive a majority of the House and majority of the Senate to be elected. The bill also increases the number of people who sit on the Judicial Merit selection commission from 10 members to 12. Instead of five being appointed by the Senate and five by the House, four would be appointed by the governor, four by the Senate and four by the House.

But the House has its own version, which moved out of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, calls for a 13-member JMSC with a retired judge serving as a chair. It also addresses screening of magistrates, eliminates the cap of how many candidates can be considered for a judicial position and creates term limits on JSMC members.

Lawyer-legislators have been under scrutiny this year for the appearance of having undue influence over judges because judges rely on lawmakers to get reelected.

This has been an ongoing process. Were trying to take bites at this process to hopefully get to a place that we could have a product that everyone could be proud of, said state Rep. Jay Jordan, R-Florence.

This bill appears destined for a conference committee.

Health agencies bill

The Department of Health and Environmental Control is splitting into the Department of Public Health and the Department of Environmental Services on July 1.

Now the lawmakers are considering whether to combine the new Department of Public Health with the Departments of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, Disabilities and Special Needs, Health and Human Services, Mental Health, and Aging to create the Executive Office of Health and Policy.

Opponents of the legislation have called it the creation a health czar.

The legislation passed the Senate, but it is sitting in the House.

Sunday sales of liquor

An effort to allow liquor stores to operate on Sundays finally moved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a favorable report.

Counties and municipalities would be able to allow Sunday sales if its approved via referendum.

However, small mom and pop stores are concerned they would be be forced open on Sundays in order to compete with larger operations, or risk losing customers.

The bill passed the House earlier this year, but awaits a vote in the full Senate.
PATERSON, N.J. (PIX11)  Paterson, N.J., known as the Silk City  is working to spin the fabric of its future into something people will feel good about.

Its a delicate balance, threading the needle between the reality of the citys blight and poverty and its potential as a tourist hub and dining destination.

Paterson is a work in progress, and progress is a process, said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.

Sayegh fashions himself as Patersons biggest cheerleader. He took office in 2018.

Two of my predecessors went to jail, so essentially, what I had was a startup enterprise, said Sayegh. [We] had to balance our budget, find new streams of revenue. Clearly, the police department had issues with rogue officers.

Paterson is New Jerseys third-largest city. It is home to Great Falls National Park, Hinchliffe Stadium, and more than 50 distinct ethnic groups.

Alexander Hamilton founded Paterson, in part, as the first planned industrial city in the United States. Paterson produced everything from textiles and trains to beer and firearms. But by the 1980s, Paterson was one of the poorest cities in the country, and its still working to rebound.

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As a result of divestment, the white flight, suburbanization, we were never really able to recover, said Sayegh.

Unlike Newark and Jersey City, Paterson has not seen a major economic renaissance. It lacks the large corporations of its counterparts, including Prudential and Panasonic in Newark and Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase in Jersey City. There are also fewer transit options and colleges.

That brings a crowd of itself, said Sam Ishage, who lives in Jersey City, graduated from NJIT in Newark, and frequents Paterson with her Sudanese family. It brings people that want to come during their college career, but then they may stay and work as well. And you really dont see too much of that in Paterson, New Jersey itself.

Ishage said she enjoys spending time in Paterson.

Paterson actually has a lot of our culture and a lot of restaurants that kind of appeal to us there, said Ishage. So whether its supermarkets, clothing stores, you want quick dessert or coffee or a full-blown meal with your family, you can find it in Paterson.

Sayegh wants to attract small businessesnot necessarily major corporationsto Paterson. He envisions Paterson as a top-notch tourist destination for its diverse food and the Great Falls. A riverwalk will open in September, just steps away from Hinchliffe Stadium, part of a $100 million investment in Patersons parks and fields. Plans also include a visitors center and more.

I just got the renderings for the corridor leading to the Great Falls, the gateway to the Grate Falls, which would include restaurants, a brewery  potentially  so that we can create a nightlife in the city, said Sayegh. And thats what weve been missing out on, being able to attract tourists to the City of Paterson.

One of Patersons newest businesses is Mokafe, a Yemeni coffee shop on Market Street.

Its a great place to do business, said owner Abdul Mubarez. I think Paterson is up and coming. A lot of middle-class people over there.

Perhaps the biggest business betting on Patersons success is the Art Factory. The 21-building campus was once a rope manufacturer. It is now a creative playground for filmmakers including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorcese and Aaron Sorkin, as well as hundreds of artists.

Bon Jovi shot three music videos here, said David Garsia, general manager of the Art Factory. 50 Cent [shot] six music videos [here], said Garsia, who described the venue as a creative hub for the Northeast. People are starting to realize what were doing here and theyre coming.

Several of its spaces also serve as wedding venues.

We figure within the next year or so, well be doing 600 weddings a year, said Garsia.

The Art Factory is certainly one of Patersons blockbuster businesses, but behind the scenes, the citys struggles remain. Sayegh faces an ongoing opioid crisis and issues reintegrating formerly incarcerated residents back into society.

He says hes slowly working to change the perception of Paterson and weave a different narrative for the once-thriving Silk City.

Were not trying to be Newark, said Sayegh. Were not trying to be Jersey City. Were trying to be Paterson and the best Paterson we can be.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Paul Auster, the acclaimed American author of The New York Trilogy, has died at age 77.

Auster, who was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1947, had a long career not only as a celebrated novelist, but also as an essayist, translator, screenwriter and poet, whose work was published in more than 40 languages.

A host of media outlets reported that Austers death was confirmed by his friend and fellow author Jacki Lyden.

Auster began translating the works of French writers when he moved to France after graduating from Columbia University in 1970. It was then that he also started publishing his own work in American journals.

Major recognition came after the publication of The New York Trilogy  a series of experimental detective stories  in 1987. His other bestselling novels included 4 3 2 1, Sunset Park, The Book of Illusions and Moon Palace.

Last year, Austers wife, the writer Siri Hustvedt, revealed that he had cancer. Sharing the news on Instagram, she said he had been diagnosed in December 2022, that he was receiving treatment and that she was living in Cancerland.

A few months later, Hustvedt posted a picture of herself and Auster  with whom she lived for more than four decades  and an update on his condition. Watching Paul I have understood what grace under pressure looks like. Stalwart and uncomplaining, humor intact, he has made this time of his sickness, which has now lasted almost a year, beautiful, not ugly, she wrote.

Auster often wrote about the impact of chance and coincidence. - Timothy Fadek/Corbis/Getty Images

Much of Austers fiction explored the idea of self and often featured him in veiled incarnations, prompting many critics to speculate on his use of autobiography. Another preoccupation in his work was the question of chance and fate. In 4 3 2 1, published in 2017, the novels main character experienced four alternative lives.

An early experience of how life can change in an instant played a major influence on Auster and his writing. In an interview with the BBC prior to the 2012 publication of his autobiographical work Winter Journal, Auster said chance and coincidence are what he described as the mechanics of reality.

He explained: Unexpected things are happening all the time to everybody and in fact much of life is about chance. There are very few necessary facts. I suppose the only ones are once you are born you are destined to die and pretty much everything in between is up for grabs.

Auster then went on to describe how at just 14 he was on a hike with a group of 20 boys when they got caught up in a thunderstorm. One of his peers was hit by a lightning bolt and killed.

This absolutely changed my life, he said. I think about it every day. It never goes away. It was my first big lesson in the capriciousness of life, how unstable everything is, how quickly things can change. From one eye blink to another, the world is entirely different.

Here was a 14-year-old boy, happy, alive and in an instant later he was dead.

The impact of this episode was lifelong, he said. I havent lived through wars, pestilences but this is my war experience. This is, I think, the kind of thing that soldiers go through all the time. I was young and it made an enormous impression on me, so if you want to talk about my philosophy thats the kernel of the whole thing.

Auster, who lived in Brooklyn, New York, received numerous honors, including Spains Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature in 2006. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a Commander of Frances Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Posting on X, the account for The Booker Prizes paid tribute to Auster, writing: We are very sad to hear of the death of Booker Prize shortlistee Paul Auster, whose work touched readers and influenced writers all over the world, and whose generosity was felt in just as many quarters. We extend our condolences to his wife Siri Hustvedt and his family.

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A pedestrian was killed in a collision on a Central Kentucky interstate late Tuesday evening, according to the Lexington Police Department.

The collision happened around 11:45 p.m. in Lexington in the westbound lanes of I-64 near mile-marker 73. Lexington police Lt. Jesse Palmer said a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and declared dead on scene.

The Fayette County Coroners Office will release the victims identity after immediate family is notified.

Its unknown why the pedestrian was in the road, Palmer said. The Collision Reconstruction Unit is investigating the crash.

No charges have been filed at this time, according to Palmer.

The westbound lanes of I-64 was blocked off and traffic was diverted onto I-75 while police investigated the collision. Palmer said the interstate reopened around 3:20 a.m. after being shutdown.

This is the sixth fatal collision in Lexington this year, the second involving a pedestrian. At this point in 2023 there were 17 fatal collisions reported.

In 2023, 52 people died in fatal collisions in Fayette County, according to Kentucky State Police data. That is the highest number of deaths from crashes recorded in a single year in Fayette County since KSP began tracking deadly crashes in 2010.
A Pennsylvania father is seeking answers after his teen son died on Friday night after allegedly being chased by other teens who had come to his home and asked him to play a game of tag, the father told ABC News.

Orville Johnson told ABC News that his son, Justin Johnson, had sickle cell disease and he understood that because of his condition, the teen could not run or exert too much energy because it could "cost him his life if he has to do anything like that."

"He was so special," Johnson said of his son, who would have turned 17 on Tuesday. "I'd do everything in my life to make sure he can live a good life, and they took him away from me."

The Dauphin County coroner ruled Justin Johnson died of natural causes from complications of sickle cell disease, also listing cardiomyopathy as a significant contributor, local ABC affiliate WHTM reported Tuesday.

Around 8:20 p.m. on Friday, the16-year-old was at home in Harrisburg, PA, when a group of four teenagers went over to his house. As one of the teens rang the doorbell holding what appears to be a toy gun, another teen called Johnson, asking him to "come outside," home security videos provided to ABC News show.

During the call and while standing in Johnsons lawn, the teen tells Johnson, "Justin, I see you in the window,' and to "come out."

Orville Johnson was notified by the home security system that someone was outside the door, which prompted him to let his son know someone was at the door, Orville told ABC News.

MORE: LAPD officer who killed teen bystander with stray bullet while she was Christmas shopping will not be charged

"[Justin] called me and said "Dad, they didn't want to chase nobody but me and I had to run fast, fast away to come home, run away from them and come home," Johnson said.

About an hour later, Orville Johnson finished work and called his son, but the calls went unanswered. Upon getting home about 30 minutes later, he noticed his son's phone on the counter. As he stretched to grab the phone, he noticed Justin on his stomach on the ground.

PHOTO: 16-year-old Justin Johnson had moved to the United States on January 2023 from Jamaica. Johnson died on April 26 when he suffered a cardiac arrest after allegedly playing a game of tag with other teens who appeared to have been targeting the teen. (Family Handout)

Orville Johnson then called 911, a dispatcher instructed him to perform CPR until help arrived. The teen was then taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before midnight.

Nick Johnson, a lawyer representing the family, told ABC News that the teens were first seen coming to Justin Johnsons home on Monday night while both father and teen were home. Justin Johnson came out and briefly spoke to one of the teens before going back to the basement of the house, where hed been with his dad before the teens arrived.

Remembering the incident, Orville Johnson reviewed his video surveillance footage from that night and noticed the teens had been hiding in an area where they couldn't be seen when answering the door.

"They're trying to lure him to come outside and Justin didn't want to take part of it on Monday," Nick Johnson said. "Then on Friday, after Mr. Johnson called him and told him 'Listen, your friends are outside,' Justin gives in and he goes with them."

PHOTO: Home security video shows a teen holding what appears to be a toy gun while ringing on Justin Johnson's doorbell on April 26. (Family Handout)

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Nick Johnson said that the teen, who had moved to the United States from Jamaica in January 2023, wanted to make friends and fit in socially.

Home security video from Friday night shows Justin Johnson ultimately coming out of his home to play with the group. One of the videos shows Johnson running down an embankment on the side of his home and hiding as he was being chased by the teens.

"What we're hoping for is a full and thorough investigation by law enforcement to find out exactly what happened," Nick Johnson said.

"What precipitated this event, what led to Justin running away from these folks as if he was scared for his life going down this embankment and tried to hide from them. Those are the questions that we're asking," Nick Johnson said. "And we hope we can get answers to those questions."

Sgt. Autumn Lupey with the Lower Paxton Police Departments Criminal Investigation Section confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday the department is investigating the incident. In a statement posted on their website Monday, the police asked anyone with information regarding the incident to contact them.

"There is not one person on Earth that I know that knows Justin that doesn't want to have a conversation with Justin," Orville Johnson said, remembering his son.

Pennsylvania father seeks answers after son dies following alleged game of tag originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Three Christians were detained and tortured for weeks in southern Sudan after soldiers at a Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) checkpoint found one of them carrying a Bible, one of the victims said.

Hamza Haroon Ahmed is still recovering from injuries he suffered after SAF soldiers at a military checkpoint in El Daein, East Darfur state, detained him and two other Sudanese refugees as they re-entered Sudan from South Sudan on Jan. 16. The three Sudanese Christians, who had re-entered Sudan in an effort to move their families away from war dangers to safety in South Sudan, were released in March.

Whose Bible is this? a Muslim soldier asked them at the checkpoint, Ahmed said.

Ahmed admitted ownership as the Arabic-language Bible was in his bag, but his two companions, both recent converts from Islam, refused to abandon him and went to jail with him, he said.

All three Christians were jailed and tortured under harsh conditions, he said. During interrogations, one of the Muslim soldiers beating them with wooden sticks broke Ahmeds right hand, he said.

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You have caused confusion in the country because of your book, and now you are going to cause more damage, the soldier said, according to Ahmed.

He said he prayed for God to help him as he was being tortured by the Muslim solider.

I was wondering, What did I do to deserve all this persecution, I told God in my prayer, Ahmed told Morning Star News. They insulted us and said, You have messed up this country with your Bible, and you are still going to Darfur to cause more confusion among the people.

Fighting in Sudan between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the SAF broke out in April 2023. The conflict between the RSF and the SAF, which had shared military rule in Sudan following an October 2021 coup, has terrorized civilians in Khartoum and elsewhere, leaving more than 14,600 people dead and displacing an estimated 8 million others inside and outside the country.

The SAFs Gen. Abdelfattah al-Burhan and his then-vice president, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, were in power when civilian parties in March 2023 agreed on a framework to re-establish a democratic transition the next month, but disagreements over military structure torpedoed final approval.

Burhan sought to place the RSF  a paramilitary outfit with roots in the Janjaweed militias that had helped former strongman Omar al-Bashir put down rebels  under the regular armys control within two years, while Dagolo would accept integration within nothing fewer than 10 years. The conflict burst into military fighting on April 15, 2023.

Both military leaders have Islamist backgrounds while trying to portray themselves to the international community as pro-democracy advocates of religious freedom.

Christian sites have been targeted since the conflict began.

In Open Doors 2024 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Sudan was ranked No. 8, up from No. 10 the previous year, as attacks by non-state actors continued and religious freedom reforms at the national level were not enacted locally.

Sudan had dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in six years when it first ranked No. 13 in the 2021 World Watch List.

Following two years of advances in religious freedom in Sudan after the end of the Islamist dictatorship under Bashir in 2019, the specter of state-sponsored persecution returned with the military coup of Oct. 25, 2021.

After Bashir was ousted from 30 years of power in April 2019, the transitional civilian-military government had managed to undo some sharia (Islamic law) provisions. It outlawed the labeling of any religious group infidels and thus effectively rescinded apostasy laws that made leaving Islam punishable by death.

With the Oct. 25, 2021 coup, Christians in Sudan feared the return of the most repressive and harsh aspects of Islamic law. Abdalla Hamdok, who had led a transitional government as prime minister starting in September 2019, was detained under house arrest for nearly a month before he was released and reinstated in a tenuous power-sharing agreement in November 2021.

Hamdock had been faced with rooting out longstanding corruption and an Islamist deep state from Bashirs regime  the same deep state that is suspected of rooting out the transitional government in the Oct. 25, 2021 coup.

The U.S. State Department in 2019 removed Sudan from the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) that engage in or tolerate systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom and upgraded it to a watch list. Sudan had previously been designated as a CPC from 1999 to 2018.

In December 2020, the State Department removed Sudan from its Special Watch List.

The Christian population of Sudan is estimated at 2 million, or 4.5 percent of the total population of more than 43 million.






By Niket Nishant and Manya Saini

(Reuters) -New York Community Bancorp forecast far better-than-expected profit for the next two years and said on Wednesday it was close to selling $5 billion of assets, sending its beaten-down stock up nearly 27% despite posting a first-quarter loss.

The upbeat forecast boosted confidence in the bank, whose shares have plummeted 70% since January when it cut its dividend and reported a surprise loss due to its loan exposure to commercial real estate.

"We have a clear path to profitability over the following two years," newly appointed CEO Joseph Otting said, charting out the bank's plans for the coming years.

Diversification of its loan portfolio is one of the targets for the medium-term, he said, adding that the bank could announce asset sale in the coming days.

NYCB said it will aim to cut loans to the commercial real estate sector, which has been roiled by high borrowing costs and lower occupancy, to around $30 billion from nearly $47 billion at the end of March.

The bank will also look to increase its share in the commercial and industrial lending space, easing investor concerns about its heavy exposure to rent-regulated multi-family properties and office buildings in New York.

NYCB forecast 2025 earnings per share between 35 cents and 40 cents, higher than the average estimate of 28 cents, according to LSEG data. It also expects 2026 EPS between 50 cents and 60 cents, well above estimates of 36 cents.

"The plan is clear, uncomplicated and does not necessitate anything that we would consider to be a herculean lift," Piper Sandler analysts wrote in a note, upgrading NYCB's stock to "overweight" from "neutral".

Total deposits shrank to $74.9 billion from $81.5 billion at the end of the fourth quarter. Only 16% of its total deposits are uninsured, one of the lowest among peers, and the bank has disclosed enough liquidity to offer expanded deposit insurance.

"While we are still quite early in this turnaround story, we believe shares are likely to move higher today from the smaller-than-feared deposit mix shift trend plus a formal 3-year goal of profitability improvement," Citigroup analyst Benjamin Gerlinger wrote in a note.

Raymond James, however, reiterated its "underperform" rating, saying that turnarounds take a long time.

"We liked new management's vision and business plan, but the timeline and guidance appear optimistic," analyst Steve Moss wrote.

NO RELIEF THIS YEAR

The bank said it expects annual loss between 50 cents and 55 cents per share in 2024, higher than the estimate of a 5 cent loss, suggesting there would be little relief this year.

Story continues

"We anticipate an elevated level of loan loss provision over the remainder of 2024 related to the potential for market and rate conditions to impact borrower performance on certain portions of our loan portfolio," Otting said.

Provision for credit losses rose to $315 million in the quarter, compared with $170 million a year ago.

The bank posted a loss of $327 million, or 45 cents per share, in the three months ended March 31. That compares with a profit of $2.01 billion, or $2.87 per share, a year earlier.

Loans tied to multi-family properties - apartment buildings with more than four units - made up 45% of the lender's $82.3 billion loan portfolio.

Nearly 7% of the multi-family loan book will reprice this year, the bank said, subjecting those borrowers to higher interest rates.

Office loans, which some analysts have said are more risky than multi-family loans, accounted for nearly 4% of the total loan book, the New York-based lender said.

(Reporting by Niket Nishant and Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Arun Koyyur)
People are more likely to regret having children than gender-affirming surgery: study

People are significantly more likely to regret elective plastic surgery, tattoos, and even having children than they are to regret having gender-affirming surgery.



A new report, published in The American Journal of Surgery, reviewed 55 studies involving regret rates for common plastic surgery operations and major life events. Gender-affirming surgery, which encompasses mastectomies, breast augmentation, facial, vocal chord, and genital surgeries, has a rate of regret of less than 1 percent, making it "extremely low," according to the study.

Patients who received elective common plastic surgery procedures reported rates of regret of up to 47.1 percent for breast reconstruction, up to 9.1 percent for breast augmentation, and up to 33.3 percent in body contouring. Patients also showed higher rates of regret in other surgical subspecialties, with 30 percent reporting regret after a prostatectomy, and 19.5 percent expressing regret after bariatric surgery.

When it came to major life events, 16.2 percent regretted getting a tattoo, and 7 percent regretted having children  still exponentially lower than the rate of regret for gender-affirming surgery.

More than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across the U.S. in 2023, and 80 were passed into law. In 2024, 487 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced and 21 have passed into law, according to the American Civil Liberties Union . The majority of the bills target transgender minors, banning even reversible non-surgical options such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for those under 18. Some states have also pushed restrictions on gender-affirming care for trans adults.

The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the World Medical Association, and the World Health Organization all agree that gender-affirming care is evidence-based and medically necessary not just for adults but minors as well.

The report's authors noted that those seeking "to limit access to gender-affirming services, most vehemently gender-affirming surgery, and use postoperative regret as reason that care should be denied to all patients."

This over-reaching approach erases patient autonomy and does not honor the careful consideration and multidisciplinary approach that goes into making the decision to pursue gender-affirming surgery," they wrote. "[Other] operations, while associated with higher rates of post-operative regret, are not as restricted and policed like gender-affirming surgery.
People react to Columbia protests as week three of encampment nears

Columbia Universitys student encampment in support of Gaza began on 17 April and sparked a nationwide wave of student activism.

Columbias gated campus has tightened security, leaving many protesters without access to the inside. As the protests leak out into the streets of the Upper West Side, New Yorkers and tourists alike have been stopping to watch.

A prospective student told The Independent he traveled from Greece to visit the university. But its impossible, he said.

Students have historically been a catalytic force in shaking up society, said Raymond Lotta, who came to support the protesters.
In the years leading up to menopause, a person can experience a multitude of symptoms, including emotional shifts such as depression. Now, a new study has quantified the risk of depression during the transition, known as perimenopause  showing that women in this stage are about 40% more likely to experience the mental health condition than premenopausal women.

Our findings show just how significantly the mental health of perimenopausal women can suffer during this time, said Dr. Aimee Spector, corresponding author of the study published Tuesday in the Journal of Affective Disorders, in a news release. We need greater awareness and support to ensure they receive appropriate help and care both medically, in the workplace and at home.

Spector is also a professor of clinical psychology of aging in the division of psychology and language sciences at University College London.

Perimenopause typically occurs about three to five years before menopause, a day that marks 12 months without menstruation and signals the end of a womans reproductive life. The transitional stage is a natural process prompted when the ovaries gradually stop working, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. During this time, estrogen and progesterone levels can fluctuate, leading to mood swings, irregular menstrual cycles and other symptoms such as depression.

The authors conducted the study  which is a review of seven studies totaling 9,141 women  to provide an estimate for the risk of developing clinical, diagnosed depression or depressive symptoms at different menopausal stages. The women, who were from the United States, Australia, China, the Netherlands and Switzerland, had provided information on their moods and interest in doing activities.

The authors didnt find a significant difference in risk of depression for postmenopausal women compared with premenopausal women.

These findings are consistent with what is known about the vulnerability women have for depressive symptoms during perimenopause, which has been shown in past research, said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of The Menopause Society and the Penny and Bill George Director for the Mayo Clinics Center for Womens Health in Minnesota. Faubion wasnt involved in the study.

A systematic review of the existing literature on perimenopausal depression is what drove The Menopause Societys 2018 recommendations for the evaluation and treatment of depression during perimenopause.

Monitoring your moods in transition

Cultural factors or lifestyle changes have sometimes been used to explain depressive symptoms women experience during the years before menopause, but the combined data from global studies indicate the findings cant be attributed to those factors alone, said lead study author Yasmeen Badawy, who was a masters student in the division of psychology and language sciences at University College London when she conducted the research. Badawy is now an associate graduate mental health worker at the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust in London.

It appears to (be) the variability in hormone levels  rather than absolute levels  that can trigger these symptoms in vulnerable individuals, Faubion said. It is also likely that a variety of factors play a role, including genetics, the environment, level of education, access to care and other social determinants of health, and level of social support.

Estrogen, for one, has been found to affect the metabolism of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, -endorphin and serotonin, all of which have a role in emotional states, the authors said.

Given these risk factors, its important for clinicians to be mindful that women transitioning into menopause may experience depressive symptoms or major episodes, and to ask patients about their moods, Faubion said. Thats especially necessary if they have had past issues with mood, such as depression or hormone-related mood problems such as those experienced in premenstrual or postpartum stages.

Depression is a chronic disease that is typically recurrent over the lifetime, said Dr. Rebecca Thurston, Pittsburgh Foundation Chair in Womens Health and Dementia at the University of Pittsburgh, who wasnt involved in the study. We know that these episodes can snowball  if left untreated, they can become increasingly severe. This underscores the importance of not ignoring symptoms and getting them treated.

Learning your own early warning signs of a depressive episode can be helpful for the purpose of early treatment, said Thurston, who is also a psychologist treating depression in women who are in midlife. And doctors should develop and maintain relationships with mental health providers to whom they can refer patients diagnosed with depression.

I also recommend that doctors follow up with the women to ensure they are getting care, she said. They should also consider treating menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes if significantly interfering with a womans life.

A variety of either pharmaceutical or evidence-based behavioral treatments are available, and sometimes women need both, Thurston added. A previous study by the same authors found that mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy could be an effective treatment for nonphysical symptoms related to menopause.

And having close friends can be a buffer for depressive episodes, Thurston has found as a principal investigator of the national longitudinal study of the midlife transition called the Study of Womens Health Across the Nation, or SWAN.

Editors note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 to connect with a trained counselor, or visit the 988 Lifeline website.

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Immigrants wait overnight next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence to seek asylum in the United States on Jan. 07, 2023 as viewed from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. As of August, there is a backlog of more than 2.6 million pending immigration cases, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a research center at Syracuse University. (John Moore/Getty Images)

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) last week sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, seeking information about how its border search authority applies to electronic devices and their data.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) speaks at the Mackinac Policy Conference, June 1, 2022 | Laina G. Stebbins

The letter, which was also signed by U.S. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), sought to understand how U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials use their authority to search, download content, and access sensitive information on electronic devices without a warrant.

Both CBP and ICE assert broad authority under the border search exception to the Fourth Amendments warrant requirement, which permits officers to conduct routine inspections and searches of all persons, including U.S. citizens, crossing the U.S. border without warrant, probable cause, or reasonable suspicion, Peters wrote in the letter.

We are concerned that the current policies and practices governing the search of electronic devices at the border constitute a departure from the intended scope and application of border search authority, he wrote.

The search of electronic devices has raised civil rights concerns due to the amount of information they contain, with the Supreme Court unanimously ruling in Riley v. California that police officers must obtain a warrant in order to search a persons device under Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.

However, searches at the border receive an exception to the Fourth Amendment, allowing federal officers to conduct routine inspections and searches of individuals at the U.S. border without probable cause or reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.

The ACLU, which submitted a brief in the Riley case, has pushed for limits on the governments power to search phones and laptops at the border.

The CBP and ICE have a distinct ability to inspect property at the border that is subject to different legal standards than agencies without border search authority, Peters wrote in the letter. The senators are specifically interested in how other agencies use CBPs and ICEs search authority to access information on individuals electronic devices where they would normally be required to receive a warrant.

They are also seeking information about other law enforcement agencies providing tips that lead to these searches, and how data collected during the search is stored and shared.

Letter-to-Secretary-Mayorkas-Regarding-Border-Search-Authority_FINAL

The post Peters presses DHS officials on searching electronic devices at the border appeared first on Michigan Advance.
FILE PHOTO: Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons towards a Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea

MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines on Wednesday accused China's coast guard of elevating tensions in the South China Sea after two vessels suffered damage from water cannon use by Beijing, an official said.

Philippine officials have said a coast guard ship and a fisheries vessel were damaged when Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons at them while on their way to the disputed Scarborough shoal on Tuesday to help Filipino fishermen at sea.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine coast guard spokesperson on South China Sea matters, said their Chinese counterparts have elevated tensions after it directly used water cannon against one of its vessels for the first time.

"It just goes to show that Goliath is becoming more Goliath. They don't hesitate to use brute force to violate international law," Tarriela told a briefing.

China has previously used water cannons against Philippine navy-crewed civilian supply vessels in the region.

No country has sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing patch close to major shipping lanes that is used by several countries. The shoal falls inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and has been a constant source of flashpoint between it and China.

Tarriela added China's actions do not count as an armed attack against a Philippine vessel, but he said China has been raising the pressure of its water cannons which have damaged their ships.

The Philippines has a longstanding mutual defence treaty with the United States and Washington has pledged its "ironclad commitment" to defending its ally against an armed attack on Filipino military and public vessels, including coast guard ships, anywhere in the South China Sea.

A spokesperson at China's embassy in Manila said Scarborough shoal, which it calls Huangyan Dao, "has always been China's territory" and urged the Philippines to "stop making infringement and provocations at once and not to challenge Chinas resolve to defend our sovereignty".

China claims sovereignty over much of the 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.

An international tribunal in 2016 said China's expansive claim had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Lincoln Feast.)
New photos show the US Army's latest version of the Bradley fighting vehicle that's proven itself in Ukraine

The US Army has posted photos of its new Bradley infantry fighting vehicle.

In a statement, the Army called it "the most modern and survivable version" of the vehicle yet.

Bradleys have been an important tool for Ukrainian forces, who have repeatedly praised the vehicle.

The US Army has released photos of the newest and most advanced version of its Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, combat-proven armor that Ukraine has been using against Russia.

In a Tuesday statement, the Army's Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems posted images of the new next-generation M2A4E1 Bradley variant that was unveiled in Maine last week, calling it "the most modern and survivable version" of the armored vehicle.

The office explained in a social-media post that the new Bradley infantry fighting vehicle was the result "of integrating an Iron Fist Active Protection System, improved High Definition Forward Looking Infrared Gunner's Sight, and an Environmental Control Unit to prevent heat stress for dismounts."

The Iron Fist APS is a significant defensive upgrade for the Bradley and one that the Army had long been looking into for its vehicles. Manufactured by Israel's Elbit Systems, the Iron Fist provides hard-kill protection against anti-armor weapons such as rockets or missiles by firing an interceptor munition to engage the inbound threat from a distance.

The new M2A4E1 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. US Army photo

Iron Fist "increases survivability" for armored vehicles against anti-tank threats and is "effective against all types of anti-armor threats," according to a fact sheet published by Elbit. Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, who leads the Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems, told Breaking Defense in late March that the Army had finally signed a deal to acquire the Iron Fist after previously suggesting it couldn't afford the highly advanced systems.

"The Army received funding to procure the M2A4E1 for every Bradley donated to Ukraine," the office said this week. It's not immediately clear how much money that will amount to.

According to the latest Pentagon data, the US has sent more than 200 M2A2 Bradleys to Ukraine as part of the more than $50 billion in security assistance Washington has committed to Kyiv since Russia's full-scale war began in February 2022. That aid also includes other American-made armored systems, such as Stryker vehicles and Abrams tanks.

The Bradleys first arrived on the battlefield in Ukraine almost exactly a year ago, giving Kyiv a significant armor boost ahead of its much-anticipated  though ultimately lackluster  summer counteroffensive.

An M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle during a live-fire exercise at Fort Cavazos, Texas. Spc. David Dumas/US Army

Ukrainian soldiers have since praised the Bradley for its survivability and firepower in combat, commending it for being a powerful upgrade over similar Soviet systems.

The vehicles have been captured on video raking Russian troops' positions and destroying advanced tanks, but they're not untouchable, as many have fallen victim to Russian artillery and defensive measures, including mines.

The Bradley, initially built as a response to Soviet infantry fighting vehicles, entered service in the 1980s and was deployed to the Gulf War the following decade before being sent to Iraq in the 2000s. They're highly maneuverable and can transport as many as six fully equipped troops to and from the battlefield.

Bradleys are armed with tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missiles (the US has sent Ukraine more than 9,000 of these TOW missiles), which can hit enemy armor; a 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun; and a 7.62mm M240C machine gun. It has an operational range of about 300 miles and can drive at speeds of more than 40 miles an hour.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Gov. Jim Pillen announces Brig. Gen. Craig Strong as his pick for adjutant general of the Nebraska National Guard on Friday, May 26, 2023, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  Approximately two dozen Nebraska National Guard members will be deployed to Elkhorn to assist with security as early as Wednesday, in the wake of last weeks tornado outbreak.

Gov. Jim Pillen on Tuesday announced that the Guard will assist with neighborhood security after a string of tornadoes ripped through Lancaster, Douglas and Washington Counties, particularly the communities of Waverly, Elkhorn and Bennington. Soldiers will assist with deterring looting and managing heavy vehicle traffic.

Gov. Jim Pillen, front, toured Washington County with State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair (center right) and Maj. Gen. Craig Strong (right). April 28, 2024. (Courtesy of Gov. Jim Pillens Office)

At this time, Douglas County officials have requested National Guard personnel only for Elkhorn, though additional requests could be made in the future.

Pillen signed an emergency proclamation Sunday allowing access to the Governors Emergency Fund to help communities in the three counties recover from storm damage.

Over the weekend the governor and Adj. Gen. Craig Strong, who oversees the Nebraska National Guard, toured parts of the storm path and witnessed the damage firsthand. At a Monday news conference, Pillen said he and Strong were assessing damages and had not reached a decision on Guard deployment.

I dont know that anybody can find the right words to use it, but its a war zone, Pillen said. The longer it (the tornado) went, the bigger it got and the wider it was.

The National Weather Service estimated the tornado that hit Elkhorn in western Douglas County, before moving into Washington County, was an EF-3 tornado, with 165 mph peak wind, the highest wind in the EF-3 rating before being classified an EF-4.

The tornado was on the ground for nearly one hour and traveled 31.16 miles, crossing the Missouri River into Harrison County, Iowa. It had a maximum width of 1,600 yards, or 0.9 miles.

Pillen has said the Arbor Day storms destroyed about 450 Nebraska homes and that Nebraska remains in contact with federal partners, including FEMA, for additional assistance.

Strong said resources and highly trained volunteers who are eager to help their neighbors in need will be deployed whenever local officials request support.

Part of our dual mission is to always be prepared to deliver support throughout the state and nation to help protect the safety and welfare of our fellow citizens, Strong said in a Wednesday statement.

The post Pillen deploys Nebraska National Guard to assist with storm recovery, security appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for accessing deepfake child abuse images on the Internet. File Photo by Steve Buissinne/Pixabay

May 1 (UPI) -- A Pittsburgh man was sentenced in a Western Pennsylvania federal court to more than 14 years in prison on Tuesday for possessing deepfake child sexual abuse material falsely depicting child celebrities.

James Smelko, 57, was convicted last November on one count of possessing child pornography and one count of accessing with the intent to view child pornography. He faced a maximum of 40 years.

While his trial was pending, prosecutors said Smelko violated the conditions of his pretrial release by accessing illegal videos and images that were detecting court-mandated software on his cellphone.

Law enforcement initially found deepfake child abuse pictures during a search of Smelko's computer.

According to court documents and trial evidence, Smelko would digitally superimpose faces of child celebrities onto images of other bodies that were nude and ones that depicted people engaged in sex.

Authorities said he had the images at his Pittsburgh home.

The Justice Department's Project Safe Childhood brought the case as a joint project of federal, state and local law enforcement to locate and apprehend individuals who exploit children via the Internet and rescue victims.
Pittsburgh police are warning the public about an increase in several fraud scams.

Police said the most recent scheme targeted a local business owner who was contacted by someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House and said the victim won a prize. The business owner sent $125,000 in cashiers checks to several addresses before calling the police when he realized he was scammed.

The grandparents scam is also a popular ploy in the area, police said. This is when senior citizens are contacted by a scammer who tells them their grandchild or loved one is in jail, in an accident or otherwise in some type of trouble that requires them to send money immediately.

Police said this week in the Pittsburgh area, a scammer contacted a couple and made them believe all of their accounts and investments had been compromised. They were told to download an application so the caller could remote in to the victims computer and fix the problem, but the couple realized it was a fraud call.

Pittsburgh police said the scams all have the same method of operating and often do not originate from within the country.

Police provided the following tips to avoid being cheated out of your money:

If a phone call seems unusual or unlikely, it probably is. When in doubt, hang up immediately and call your bank or financial institution directly to a phone number provided on a bank statement or official bank website, never from an email link.

Banks will never ask for PIN numbers or one-time access codes over the phone.

Avoid answering or block calls from repetitive unknown, or blocked numbers.

Dont rely on caller ID. Sophisticated scammers can spoof phone numbers to make it look like your bank.

Never divulge personal or private account information over the phone, email or text to unknown people.

Dont click on unsolicited emails or text messages where the sender is not familiar to you.

We are more susceptible to digital and online fraud as we do more and more over text and email every day, Pittsburgh Public Safety said.

Fraud calls, emails and text scams should be reported to 911 immediately.

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(NewMediaWire) - May 01, 2024 - DALLAS According to an American Heart Association 2020 presidential advisory, there is currently a three-year life expectancy gap between rural and urban American populations. Additionally, mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that the death rate for heart disease in rural areas is now 21% higher than in urban ones[1]. A new original video docuseries from the American Heart Association's content production team, AHA Studios -- "Health Wanted: Finding Care in Rural America" -- sheds renewed light on the unique health equity barriers faced by rural communities across America.

The series uses first-person, on-location documentary-style storytelling -- focused from Alaska to Appalachia -- to highlight real world obstacles to the successful prevention and treatment of heart disease, treatment of mental health concerns, and reduction of maternal health mortality rates in rural America. The series also focuses on the specific challenges faced by understaffed rural hospitals and health clinics while highlighting struggling yet innovative efforts to promote better health outcomes, primarily through local community engagement and improved local systems of care.

"Patients and health care professionals in rural areas face unique challenges and opportunities by focusing on removing barriers, the American Heart Association aims to improve equitable cardiovascular care for everyone in the United States, regardless of where they live," said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, MD, MPH, American Heart Association volunteer, co-author on Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association and co-director of the Center for Health Economics and Policy at the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Through the use of powerful visual storytelling, the Association hopes to raise broad awareness of the unique challenges faced by rural populations while inspiring positive systems change through collaboration, innovation and advocacy. Each episode features compelling, authentic firsthand accounts of individual people, their families and their communities, each grappling with inequitable health, underscoring the urgent need for action.

"With Health Wanted: Finding Care in Rural America, we seek to leverage the power of storytelling to spur a national conversation about rural health disparities and create lasting, positive change," says American Heart Association Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Katrina McGhee. "The American Heart Association's trusted brand and history of rich storytelling makes it uniquely positioned to be a change agent prompting this important national conversation."

Story continues

As a committed champion for heart health and overall well-being for all, the American Heart Association has historically focused on health equity, including working to close the gap between the quality of rural and urban hospital care. In 2020, the Association released Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, emphasizing the need for increased access to care, improved quality of health care and a more targeted approach to reducing risk factors. In 2021, the Association announced a three-year initiative to help rural hospitals and clinicians provide high-quality, consistent, timely and appropriate evidence-based care through the Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator. The organization launched HeartCorps in 2022 to support 100 Public Health AmeriCorps members each year in rural areas to grow a sustainable pipeline of public health workers, reduce cardiovascular risks among rural residents and accelerate the adoption and implementation of systems changes to improve cardiovascular health. This summer, the Association announced a $20 million investment into scientific research of health challenges in rural areas . The American Heart Association continues to advocate for states and communities to pass public policies that increase access to health care, prevent tobacco use, strengthen systems of care, make healthy foods more available, create opportunities for physical activity and ensure governments can address the health concerns of their residents. Additionally, with support from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust over the last 15 years, the American Heart Association has implemented key rural health solutions, including statewide heart and stroke systems of care across the Upper Midwest; the development and implementation of new quality standards to guide Post-Acute Stroke Care; developing the HeartCorps program; and expanding professional education and training opportunities so that all healthcare providers are equipped to deliver the highest-quality telehealth to patients through the establishment of the AHA Center for Telehealth.

The public, media channels and platforms, as well as public health and community stakeholders are invited to act now and rally behind fellow Americans living in rural areas and view the powerful docuseries, which is now available. The series can be found on the American Heart Association - YouTube channel, a verified health source, identified and designated as an authoritative health source by You Tube, providing easy-to-understand video content that can help educate and inspire. To volunteer or donate to help us improve access to care in rural areas and communities across the country, please visit heart.org/ruralhealth.

Spanish news release (to be added to this link when available)

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About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public's health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for a century. During 2024 - our Centennial year - we celebrate our rich 100-year history and accomplishments. As we forge ahead into our second century of bold discovery and impact our vision is to advance health and hope for everyone, everywhere. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

For Media Inquiries:

Joseph Marks, Joseph.Marks@heart.org

For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)

heart.org or stroke.org

[1] Products - Data Briefs - Number 417 - September 2021 (cdc.gov)
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  After several months of seeking out federal funding, the County of San Diego said it has secured nearly $20 million to support programs for people seeking asylum in the U.S.

In a 4-1 vote Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors voted to advance a plan for a long-term migrant transfer site and respite shelter in San Diego.

Two migrants injured in fall from border wall near San Diego

The board allocated $3 million back in October with an additional $6 million in December to operate a temporary transitional center for migrants. The center, which opened at a former elementary school about five miles east of downtown San Diego, was forced to close in February when funds ran out.

Migrants were brought to the temporary center by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers after processing, before they were connected with resources including food, shelter or travel support.

Following the closure of the temporary site, the Border Patrol began transporting asylum-seekers by bus, taking them to transit centers throughout San Diego.

According to a letter from California Sen. Laphonza Butler in February, Without the intervention this transitional facility was able to provide, Border Patrol will now be forced to release an estimated 800-1000 migrants a day without orientation or basic humanitarian service at regional transit stations.

San Diego Police prevent weekend intersection street takeover

Then Chairwoman Nora Vargas started advocating for a federally funded migrant transition center, which the board approved in late February.

Together, we are working to tackle the global humanitarian crisis at our border by expediting the asylum process, reducing street releases, and ensuring that asylum-seekers are treated with the utmost dignity as they seek safety and a brighter future, Vargas said in a statement Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the board authorized the interim chief administrative officer to begin requesting money from the General Fund Reserve, which will be used until the county receives $19.6 million in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agencys Shelter and Services Program. The officer was also asked to start seeking grants and funding for shelter and services for migrants.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Poland will use EU presidency to tighten ties with US, Duda says

Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks at an event during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos. Hannes P Albert/dpa

Poland's upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union will focus on tightening cooperation with the United States and Ukraine, President Andrzej Duda said on Wednesday in Warsaw.

"We should organize two European summits in Poland to underline the most important elements of Europe's development for the future," Duda said in a speech marking Poland's 20th anniversary of accession to the European Union.

The EU presidency is held on a rotating six-month basis. Poland's turn will come in the first half of 2025. The presidency handles portions of the bloc's business and helps set the EU agenda.

Duda said one summit should take place between the EU and the US, which in 2025 appears destined for either a second term of Joe Biden or Donald Trump.

The meeting between the EU and Ukraine should be dedicated to the reconstruction of the country attacked by Russia, Duda said.

Poland, a staunch backer of Kiev, wants to see progress on Ukraine's accession to the EU, Duda said. He also mentioned support for Moldova and Western Balkan nations joining.

Duda is closely aligned with the nationalist conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which was voted out of office in elections last year. Centrist Donald Tusk, a former president of the European Council, then became prime minister in December.

As Tusk was ill on Wednesday, Duda laid out the agenda for the Polish EU presidency without the prime minister at his side.

Poland joined the EU on May 1, 2004 together with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Cyprus and Malta.

"Our presence in the EU has contributed to Poland's dynamic development over the last 20 years in a way that cannot be overestimated, Duda said, according to the PAP agency.
Poland: US arms deliveries to Kiev could be 'inspiration' for Germany

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, take part in a press conference to mark the 20th anniversary of Poland's accession to the EU. Patrick Pleul/dpa

Polish Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski on Wednesday said US deliveries of long-range weapons to Ukraine could be an "inspiration" for Germany to provide Kiev with Taurus cruise missiles.

Sikorski made the comments in a joint press conference with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock in the Polish border town of Subice. The event was held to mark the 20th aniversary of Poland's accession to the European Union.

The Polish foreign minister has previously encouraged Germany to deliver Taurus missiles to Ukraine but said he would not intervene in the internal affairs of a friendly country.

An "intense debate" was taking place in Germany on the issue, Baerbock said. "As is the case in democracies, we have to decide together," she added.

Baerbock also mentioned an initiative she is leading alongside German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to lobby partners for more air defence systems for Kiev.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has previously rejected supplying Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles, fearing that the country could be drawn into direct conflict with Russia.

The United States has in recent weeks supplied Kiev with long-range ATACMS missiles.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, take part in a press conference to mark the 20th anniversary of Poland's accession to the EU. Patrick Pleul/dpa
AUBURN, Ala. (WRBL)  The Auburn Police Department said a man was arrested after allegedly stealing a business check, altering it and depositing it into a bank account.

Auburn Police with help from the Montgomery Police Department, arrested 19-year-old Dmitri Miguel German on Monday on a felony warrant charging him with identity theft.

Germans arrest came after the Auburn Police Department received a report about a fraudulent check on Nov. 15, 2023. Officers met with a person who told police that a check made out to a business was mailed from a location in Auburn.

During transit, police said the check was stolen, changed, and deposited into a bank account associated with an unknown suspect. Auburn Police eventually developed German as a suspect and after additional investigation, police obtained an arrest warrant for German.

Following his arrest in Montgomery, Alabama, authorities transported him to the Lee County Jail, where he is held on a $5,000 bond.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.
The Richmond Police Departments K-9 Division has announced a new event to honor the life of fallen K-9 Officer Seara Burton, according to a social media post from the department.

Burton died in September 2022, more than five weeks after being shot in the line of duty, according to a previous News Center 7 report.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: A warrior and a hero; Community, loved ones gather to remember K-9 Officer Seara Burton

On May 25, the department will host its first Searas Legacy K-9 Trails for law enforcement K-9 teams, the post said.

It will feature events and awards like Hard Dog-Fast Dog, Best Nose, Obstacle Course Champion, and Best Overall Team.

The event is free to the public, but those interested can make donations to support Richmonds K-9 Division.

For law enforcement K-9 teams interested in participating, there is a $25 admission fee, and teams will receive participant tee shirts. To register, click here.
A police department is mourning the loss of a veteran Ohio detective.

>>Man dies after being hit by 2 vehicles on Ohio road, OSHP says

The Columbus Division of Police announced on social media that Detective Brett Johnson, 42, died unexpectedly on Monday.

He spent 20 years at the department.

We extend our deepest condolences to Detective Johnsons wife and children, as well as his friends and family, as they navigate this unimaginable loss, Columbus Police said in a statement.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther paid tribute to Det. Johnson on social media.

Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of (Columbus Police) Brett Johnson, who died unexpectedly (Monday) morning. His bravery, courage, and decades of service to our community will never be forgotten. Please lift up his family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.

>>Have you seen her? Statewide Endangered Missing Alert issued for Dayton woman

The Middletown Police Department also offered its condolences on Tuesday.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Columbus Division of Police, they said in a statement on social media.

Dozens of police cruisers escorted Det. Johnsons body to a funeral home in Gahanna on Tuesday, according to Columbus TV station, WSYX.

He leaves behind a wife and four children.
UW-Madison protesters sit around tents at 8:40 a.m. as police work to dismantle their encampment on Library Mall. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)

Campus and state police officers broke up University of Wisconsin-Madison students anti-war encampment protest Wednesday morning  physically removing tents and arresting several protesters in the process.

A total of 34 people were arrested, the UW-Madison Police Department said Wednesday afternoon, but most were released without being given citations. Four people were booked into the Dane County Jail.

By late afternoon, however, some tents had returned and the UW-Madison encampment site was peaceful. Over 15 tents were again set up on Library Mall and students were spread out across the lawn eating, talking and screen printing t-shirts.

Hours earlier the protest was entering its third day when officers arrived shortly before 7 a.m. and began issuing warnings to people to leave the encampment and remove the tents to avoid being cited or arrested. Video posted by the Daily Cardinal showed students encircling several of the tents as officers issued the warnings.

Shortly after the warnings, officers forced their way in to remove the tents. The removal was led by the UW Police Department and assisted by the Madison Police Department, the Dane County Sheriffs Office and the Wisconsin State Patrol.

At least a dozen arrests were made at the protest, according to a UW-Madison Police Department statement. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)

Students at UW-Madison started the encampment on Library Mall on Monday morning, joining protests happening across the nation against Israels ongoing attacks on Gaza, which have killed over 30,000 people, as part of the countrys war against Hamas. The students are demanding that the university cut ties with Israel.

Marc Lovicott, UW-Madison Police executive director of communications, told reporters that the main issue was the tents.

We remain on the scene here to ensure everyone is safe and things remain peaceful. We are not asking protesters to leave. We support their constitutional right to be here, but the main issue we moved into today is because they were in violation of Chapter 18, which does not allow camping or camping equipment on campus properly, Lovicott said.

According to a statement by UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, approximately 30 protesters were cited and several others, who police said resisted their action to remove tents or otherwise interfered with the operation, were arrested.

Camping on university lands is prohibited unless it is on an area specifically designated as picnic or camping grounds or is authorized by the universitys chief administrative officer, according to state law. Mnookin had said she wouldnt authorize the encampment protest.

According to the UW Madison police, three Dane County deputies were injured as well as a state trooper, who was struck on the head with a skateboard by a protester.

Of the four people arrested, one  who was affiliated with the university  was charged with battery to a police officer, the UW-Madison PD said Wednesday afternoon. According to UWPD, three Dane County deputies were injured as well as a state trooper, who was struck on the head with a skateboard by a protester.

Dahlia Saba, a member of UW-Madisons Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and a first-year graduate student, said students were sleeping on the lawn when officers showed up.

The police came in, they told people that they had to leave. Students got out of their tents and the police started clearing out peoples stuff, Saba told reporters. They took peoples belongings, they destroyed the tents and then we saw them start to attack students.

Saba called the action shameful.

All of this is to show that our chancellor, our administration would rather attack the UW-Madison community directly than listen to our demands to ask that they simply end their complicity in an ongoing genocide, Saba said.

Throughout the first two days of the protest, things were mostly peaceful, with students hosting teach-ins, talking and eating at the site. The tents, however, were an issue for university administration.

On Monday night, UW-Madison issued a statement saying that university officials would be willing to talk to students if they stopped camping. On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers weighed in on the protests, saying, at some point in time, the encampments have to go. Whether thats done voluntarily or not. We will eventually take action if we have to.

Lovicott said police were brought in on the third day because officers and the administration finally reached a point where a decision was made that Chapter 18 had to be enforced, and thats what we did.

The police move to dismantle the encampment Wednesday was a decision made by campus police, Lovicott said. It was a group decision made by administrators.

UW-Madison professor Samer Alatout said officers detained him, then released him and told him he would receive a citation. He returned to the protest with cuts and blood on his face. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)

Police quickly detained Samer Alatout, a UW-Madison associate professor who was present at the protests throughout the week, once officers started to work to dismantle the encampment. He said he thought he was targeted by officers.

Its really isolated to the only Palestinian-American professor who is in defense of the group of students, and they targeted me specifically for violence, Alatout said. They did not come to me and say, come with me. They pushed me to the ground.

Alatout said he was released and told that he would receive a citation. He then returned to the protest with cuts and blood on his face.

They hit me with the shield several times hit me in the face and they hit me several times, Alatout said. Im feeling okay. I told them I dont want them to clean it because really, I mean they have to face the fing responsibility of what they did.

Alatout, who told the Examiner on Monday that he hoped the university would avoid the militarization seen at other college campuses across the U.S., said encampment participants tried to find a different way forward.

We tried. I think the administrations position is that [they] are the power. The students are not the power and therefore they were like We are not going to talk to the students unless the tents come down, Alatout said. Students refused and they refused that precisely because the tents became a symbolic kind of expression around the United States, about Palestinian resistance and resistance in favor of Palestine.

Sami Schalk, a UW-Madison associate professor of gender and womens studies, was also detained during the protest and eventually released.

Ive been released & am at the hospital to be checked out for injuries, Schalk wrote on social media. A cop grabbed my dress & ripped it half off my body, injuring my arm. Another put his hands around my throat from behind to get me on the ground.

Students at the protest cheered when law enforcement left at around 9 a.m. taking confiscated tents away in a truck. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)

Students at the protest cheered when law enforcement left at around 9 a.m., taking confiscated tents away in a truck. All but two of the tents were cleared away. Some students chanted Chancellor Mnookin shame on you, you imprison students too, and From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

Shortly after police officers left, Dean of Students Christina Olstad and Argyle Wade, chief of staff to the vice chancellor of student affairs, arrived at the protest, where they were met by screaming from students.

Students also said that they would be getting more tents, and were starting to set more up by late morning. By noon, about 15 tents were back up on Library Mall, and groups of police were watching from the side.

Mnookin said in a statement following the removal of the tents that students were free to resume peaceful protests if they remained within university guidelines.

Now that the tents have been removed, and as long as protest abides by campus and state rules and policies, members of my leadership team stand ready to continue to listen to the concerns of the members of our community involved in this weeks protest. This was a condition we communicated to protesters repeatedly, Mnookin said.

Reacting to the days events, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman commended Mnookin for her reasonableness and resolve, as well as her commitment to free expression and the safety and security of her students.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) called the removal of the encampment a good move and thanked Mnookin for doing the right thing by enforcing campus policies and standing up to that unruly mob.

Others were more critical of the universitys decision to remove protesters. State Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee) called the move an unnecessary escalation that flies in the face of the values the university claims to uphold.

The same law that prohibits camping also prohibits picnics, which happen in these exact same spaces on a near daily basis during warm weather, Clancy said. The decision to enforce this policy  and how to enforce  is entirely up to the discretion of chancellors.

ACLU of Wisconsin Executive Director Dr. Melinda Brennan said in a statement that responding to peaceful acts of dissent with police makes things worse and dangerous. She said that students shouldnt be sanctioned for participating in non-violent, peaceful acts of civil disobedience.

Inviting armed police into a campus protest environment can create unacceptable risks for all students, faculty, and staff, Brennan said.

This report has been updated.

The post Police dismantle UW-Madison anti-war encampment protests, but tents return appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Authorities are investigating the death of a 10-year-old Northern Indiana boy who died while in the Indiana Department of Child Services' foster care system.

Dakota Levi Stevens died after he was taken to the hospital last week. Officers with the Porter County Sheriff's Police arrived at a house in the 200 block of Falcon Way in Valparaiso after receiving a call about a medical emergency shortly after 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

Police have said little about the circumstances surrounding Dakota's death, citing an ongoing investigation, but family members told IndyStar he was in the custody of a foster parent when he died. He was first taken to Porter Memorial Hospital, then was airlifted to a hospital in South Bend, where he was taken off life support on Saturday, said Ana Parrish, Dakota's aunt.

Dakota is at least the second child involved with DCS to have died in April, which Gov. Eric Holcomb had designated as Child Abuse Prevention Month. His death has left questions among family members who said they have tried unsuccessfully for several years to gain custody of the boy to remove him from the foster care system. The case also raises concerns about the ability of DCS to adequately protect children who are either in the agency's care or in abusive family situations.

IndyStar is not naming the foster parent at this time and no one has been accused of abuse or any crime. A woman who answered a telephone listed in the foster parent's name, and tied to the address where police responded, said she could not comment because the matter is under investigation. When asked if she had been caring for Dakota, the woman hung up the phone.

Porter County authorities are investigating the death of 10-year-old Dakota Levi Stevens, who family members said died while in foster care.

"Our entire staff is heartbroken by this news," DCS said in a statement to IndyStar. "DCS works with stakeholders and partners across the state to investigate the death of a child any time there is suspected abuse or neglect and will take the appropriate action."

The statement added: "DCS foster parents must complete intensive training and education to achieve licensure. Licensure is reexamined each year to ensure the foster family continues to meet DCS requirements, including additional training each year to maintain this license. DCS policy also addresses termination of licensure, which includes circumstances where a foster parent or member of the household has been substantiated for abuse or neglect."

Three weeks before Dakota's death, a 5-year-old Indianapolis girl died in what police described as a "horrifying" case of child neglect. Kinsleigh Welty was locked in a squalid closet for months before dying of malnutrition on April 9. The child's mother, the mother's boyfriend and the child's grandmother are facing criminal charges.

DCS had significant involvement with Kinsleigh's family, and Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said the abuse would have been obvious to anyone. A caseworker even visited the home the day the girl died, but was told she was with a grandparent, according to court records. The childs other family members are calling for reforms at DCS.

Brian Welty, the grandfather of 5-year-old Kinsleigh Welty, who died April 9 of severe malnutrition, holds a poster seeking justice for his grand daughter during a gathering of family and friends to bring attention to DCS reform at the Indiana Statehouse on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Indianapolis.

In another case, 4-year-old Judah Morgan died in 2021 after being beaten over potty training and duct taped in a basement, according to court records. His parents pleaded guilty to their roles in the boys torture and death. His former foster mother has filed a lawsuit against DCS alleging caseworkers performed sham investigations, downplayed concerns from relatives and failed to execute court-ordered drug tests.

Another lawsuit, a class action filed in federal court last year, accuses DCS of failing to keep foster children safe.

An ongoing IndyStar investigation also found problems in how DCS responds to allegations of abuse and neglect at schools and residential treatment centers. For example, DCS continued to send children and money to Pierceton Woods Academy, a treatment center in northeast Indiana, even after finding it failed to report sexual abuse. In at least two cases, DCS declined to look into allegations against staffers who were later found by police or a subsequent DCS investigation to have abused residents.

More recently, IndyStar found DCS failed to involve law enforcement after learning of allegations that an Indianapolis elementary school teacher orchestrated a "fight club"-style disciplinary system in his second-grade classroom.

More child welfare coverage: Despite teacher's disturbing video, school officials and DCS failed to involve police

According to DCS' latest annual child fatality report, 61 children died from abuse and neglect in 2022. This includes seven children involved in active investigations or open cases with the state agency at the time they died. In 13 of the deaths  or 21%  DCS had substantiated prior reports of abuse or neglect involving the children or their caregivers. The annual report, released in December, noted that represented a drop from 25% in 2021.

But a deeper review of the report reveals that in 38 deaths  62% of the fatalities  DCS also was aware of prior allegations of abuse or neglect involving the children or their caregivers.

Lawmaker calls for deeper look into DCS protocols

That statistic alarmed Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, a member of the House Family, Children, and Human Affairs Committee, who called the recent child deaths in cases in which DCS had been involved  and should've intervened  "profoundly disturbing."

"DCS has been fully staffed since November, which seems promising, but last month's deaths of Dakota Levi Stevens and Kinsleigh Welty raise concerns for me that DCS has bigger barriers to caring for our state's most vulnerable children," Wilburn said.

Wilburn, a Democrat from Fishers, called for a "full breakdown" of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Dakota and Kinsleigh.

Indiana State Representative, Dr. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, D-Fishers, speaks during a House session on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis.

"In light of these tragedies, I hope DCS will take a deeper look at their internal protocols and work with the General Assembly to implement the legislative tools and authority they need to protect Hoosier kids," Wilburn said.

Richard Wexler, the executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, said the real problem in Indiana is that too many children are getting dragged into the child welfare system for being in low-income families or similarly tangential issues, making it difficult to identify and pursue legitimate cases of abuse and neglect.

"The children who die are the worst imaginable tragedy," he said. "They also are needles in a haystack and we cannot find the needles by constantly making the haystack bigger."

For example, while drug use is often cited as a reason to remove children from families, DCS may not differentiate meth addiction from occasional marijuana use for health issues, he said. Racial bias may also cause unnecessary interventions.

Wexler also noted that some 17% of cases where children are separated from families in Indiana are due to "inadequate housing," which is significantly higher than the national average.

"So there's poverty confused with neglect for you right there," he said.

Juvenile injustice: Low-income families pay brunt of fees and fines that vary by county

Family members tried to get custody

Dakota's parents lost custody of him and his younger sister in 2018, after DCS concluded they were unable to care for the children, family members told IndyStar.

Parrish, whose younger sister was Dakota's mother, said the siblings were temporarily placed in her care after their parents lost custody. At that time, Dakota was 5 and his sister was 3. In May 2019, after about a year, Parrish said the state took the children out of her care for reasons that she said were never explained to her.

Dakota's sister was later adopted, while he spent the last five years of his life moving through different foster homes, Parrish said. Several family members tried to get custody of Dakota, Parrish said, but all were deemed unqualified.

It's mandatory: How to report suspected child abuse or neglect in Indiana

"This is beyond heartbreaking for our family. Myself, other family members, grandparents, aunt, my adoptive parents, we have all reached out since the beginning of this case to try to get custody of Dakota and to provide him a home," Parrish said. "Every single person in my family was turned down."

"Our family hired attorneys. The family of their father hired attorneys," Parrish added. "We tried our damnedest."

George Stevens, Dakota's grandfather, said the boy struggled to adapt with various foster families and yearned to be reunited with his parents. The boy's father died in 2021.

"When they first took him, he had a really, really hard time dealing with all of it," said Stevens, who remembered his grandson as a stubborn boy who could throw a tantrum but also could flourish with the right support. "He was a normal kid. He liked frogs, he liked bugs, he liked snakes."

Dakota also liked to draw and was a big fan of music and dancing. He loved any kind of music, but his favorites were Katy Perry and Bruno Mars, Parrish said. He was wise beyond his years and was well-spoken even at a young age.

"He was brilliant at math. He loved to read," Parrish said. "He could write his name when he was 3 years old."

He also was his little sister's best friend and confidant. Parrish said Dakota was devastated when he was separated from his sister.

The boy's death caught the family off guard, Parrish added, and left them feeling guilty.

"All of our attempts were just not enough," she said, "not good enough to help him."

Contact IndyStar reporter Kristine Phillips at (317) 444-3026 or at kphillips@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Dakota Levi Stevens died while in foster care by Indiana DCS
19-year-old accused of firing over 30 shots into occupied Wilmerding house turns himself in

UPDATE: Allegheny County police say Hicks has turned himself in.

Allegheny County police are looking for a man in connection with a shots fired investigation in Wilmerding.

On April 7 at around 5:40 a.m., Allegheny County police were called to assist Pitcairn police after multiple shots were fired into a house on Airbrake Avenue. Eight people, including five adults and three children, were inside the house at the time of the shooting.

Officials recovered 30 shell casings from multiple firearms from the scene. There were also several projectiles recovered from inside the house, including the room where the juveniles were sleeping.

Braden Hicks, 19, and Darnell Edge, 16, are accused of the shooting, Allegheny County police said. There were multiple social media photos showing several people, including Hicks, with guns and a video posted to one of Edges accounts from the morning of the shooting where the suspects discussed shooting random people.

Hicks and Edge are facing several charges, including aggravated assault, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure and recklessly endangering another person.

Edge was taken into custody on April 25.

Police are looking for Hicks, who is described as being 6 feet tall and around 140 pounds. If seen, do not approach and call 911, as he is potentially armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.

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Outpayce is planning to issue pre-paid virtual cards so travel services can be purchased more easily within booking systems. This follows the grant of an e-money institution (EMI) licence by the Bank of Spain.

As a licensed e-money issuer, Outpayce will be able to provide regulated payment services in Spain. These include accepting customer funds, issuing pre-paid debit cards, and offering transfers of funds on a payment account. Future plans include passporting its services across the European Union.

Outpayce intends to use these new capabilities to simplify travel payments in several areas.

For example, it will soon be possible to use Outpayce-issued pre-paid virtual cards across travel agency booking systems and corporate self-booking tools to pay providers such as airlines and hotels. In addition, the virtual cards will enable business travellers to pay for on-trip expenses like taxis or meals with their digital wallets.

By issuing pre-paid debit cards, Outpayce will simplify the payments experience. And it will ensure closer integration with travel booking systems, while offering travel companies improved choice.

e-money licence complements Outpayces open payments platform

David Doctor, CEO, Outpayce said: Becoming a licensed entity is an important step in our journey to simplify payments across the travel industry. Not only do we have the regulatory greenlight to begin issuing cards. Were already building a modern fintech stack natively in the Microsoft Azure cloud. And we have plans to partner with an increased number of leading financial institutions and innovative start-ups. This move complements Outpayces open payments platform. It will allow any fintech company to easily connect with Amadeus travel customers. With core banking in the cloud and with the eMoney license, we are one step closer to Outpayces vision to deliver a smooth and connected travel payments experience to travellers.

"Outpayce granted e-money licence to offer regulated payments services" was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
By Lisa Richwine and Omar Younis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Hundreds of helmeted police muscled their way into a central plaza of the University of California at Los Angeles early on Thursday to dismantle a pro-Palestinian protest camp attacked the previous night by pro-Israel supporters.

The pre-dawn police crackdown at UCLA marked the latest flashpoint for mounting tensions on U.S. college campuses, where protests over Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza have led to student clashes with each other and law enforcement.

Live TV footage showed about six protesters under arrest, kneeling on the ground, their hands bound behind their backs with zip-ties.

Dozens of loud explosions were heard during the clash from flash-bang charges, or stun grenades, fired by police.

Demonstrators, some carrying makeshift shields and umbrellas, sought to block the officers' advance by their sheer numbers, while shouting, "push them back" and flashing bright lights in the eyes of the police. Others on the opposite side of the camp gave up quickly, and were seen walking away with their hands over their heads under police escort.

Around sunset on Wednesday, officers in tactical gear had begun filing onto the UCLA campus and taking up positions adjacent to a complex of tents occupied by throngs of demonstrators, live footage from the scene showed.

Local television station KABC-TV estimated 300 to 500 protesters were hunkered down inside the camp, while around 2,000 more had gathered outside the barricades in support.

But the assembled police stood by on the periphery for hours before finally starting to force their way into the encampment around 3:15 a.m. PDT (1015 GMT), tearing down barricades and arresting occupants who refused to leave. The raid was led by a phalanx of California Highway Patrol officers carrying shields and batons.

Some of the protesters had been seen donning hard hats, goggles and respirator masks in anticipation of the siege a day after the university declared the encampment unlawful.

Prior to moving in, police urged demonstrators in repeated loudspeaker announcements to clear the protest zone, which occupied a plaza about the size of a football field between the landmark twin-tower auditorium Royce Hall and the main undergraduate library.

An initial group of Los Angeles police officers who briefly entered a corner of the camp were overwhelmed by demonstrators and forced to retreat, before reinforcements arrived by the busload about an hour later.

VIOLENT CLASH PRECEDES CRACKDOWN

UCLA had canceled classes for the day on Wednesday following a violent clash between the encampment's occupants and a group of masked counter-demonstrators who mounted a surprise assault late Tuesday night on the tent city.

The occupants of the outdoor protest camp, set up last week, had remained mostly peaceful before the melee, in which both sides traded blows and doused each other with pepper spray.

Members of the pro-Palestinian group said fireworks were thrown at them and they were beaten with bats and sticks. University officials blamed the disturbance on "instigators" and vowed an investigation.

The confrontation went on for two or three hours into early Wednesday morning before police restored order. A spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom later criticized the "limited and delayed campus law enforcement response" to the unrest as "unacceptable".

As the much-expanded police force entered the campus on Wednesday night to clear the encampment, some of the protesters were heard yelling at them, "Where were you yesterday?"

Taylor Gee, a 30-year old pro-Palestinian protester and UCLA law student, said the police action felt "especially galling" to many protesters given the slow police response a night earlier.

For them to come out the next night to remove us from the encampment, it doesn't make any sense, but it also makes all the sense in the world."

PROTESTS AT SCHOOLS ACROSS U.S.

UCLA officials said the campus, which enrolls nearly 52,000 students, including undergraduates and graduate scholars, would remain shuttered except for limited operations on Thursday and Friday.

The protests follow the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip and the ensuing Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave.

Students have rallied or set up tent encampments at dozens of schools across the U.S. in recent days, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and demanding schools divest from companies that support Israel's government. Many of the schools have called in police to quell the protests.

The demonstrations across the country have been met with counter-protesters accusing them of fomenting anti-Jewish hatred. The pro-Palestinian side, including Jews opposed to Israeli actions in Gaza, say they are being unfairly branded as antisemitic for criticizing Israel's government and expressing support for human rights.

The issue has taken on political overtones in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election in November, with Republicans accusing some university administrators of turning a blind eye to antisemitic rhetoric and harassment.

Wednesday night's police action came a day after police in New York City arrested pro-Palestinian activists who occupied a building at Columbia University and removed a tent city from the campus of the Ivy League school.

Police arrested a total of about 300 people at Columbia and City College of New York, Mayor Eric Adams said. Many of those arrested were charged with trespassing and criminal mischief.

The clashes at UCLA and in New York were part of the biggest outpouring of U.S. student activism since the anti-racism rallies and marches of 2020.

Ninety pro-Palestinian demonstrators - students and outsiders - were arrested at Dartmouth University in New Hampshire on Wednesday, the Hanover Police Department said. They were charged with criminal trespass and resisting arrest.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Omar Younis in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Brad Brooks, Nichola Groom, Maria Tsvetkova, David Swanson, Jonathan Allen, Brendan O'Brien, Rich McKay and Dan Trotta; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Caitlin Webber, Lincoln Feast, Michael Perry and Alex Richardson)
Police not looking for any more suspects in ambush that killed 4 officers, injured 4 more

Police not looking for any more suspects in ambush that killed 4 officers, injured 4 more

The chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said they are not looking for any more suspects after four officers were killed and four more were shot in the line of duty on Monday.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

According to Action News Jaxs sister station WSOC-TV, 3 members of a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force, deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks, North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections workers Sam Poloche and William Alden Elliott, were killed while serving a warrant at an east Charlotte home.

CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer was critically wounded before he died at the hospital Monday, Chief Johnny Jennings said.

I cant tell you how much Im grateful for these officers and their heroic act, Jennings said in a news conference Tuesday.

CLICK HERE to read the full story by WSOC-TV.

Read: Looming Duval school closures prompt community members, parents to make their voices heard

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A police officer has been charged under the Terrorism Act after publishing a Hamas-supporting image on WhatsApp.

A police officer has been charged under the Terrorism Act after allegedly publishing a Hamas-supporting image on WhatsApp.

PC Mohammed Adil, 26, was charged after an investigation was carried out by Counter Terrorism Policing North East into messages shared on WhatsApp.

He is charged with two counts of publishing an image in support of a proscribed organisation, specifically Hamas, contrary to section 13 of the Terrorism Act.

PC Adil, based in Calderdale, is currently suspended from West Yorkshire Police. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court tomorrow.

This is a breaking story, more follows

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DENVER (KDVR)  A police officer was hurt in a crash with another vehicle on Tuesday night in Thornton.

It happened near 128th Avenue and Washington Street, according to the Thornton Police Department, which posted about the incident at 9:26 p.m.

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A police spokesperson said the officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while the other two people who were involved in the crash were OK.

Northbound Washington Street was closed at 124th Avenue, according to police. Drivers were advised to use alternative routes.

Colorado State Patrol was headed to the scene to investigate.

FOX31 has a crew headed to the scene and is working to learn more about the circumstances of what happened. Check back here and on FOX31 News for updates.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT)  A man who barricaded himself in a home for over 10 hours after two people were found dead nearby has been charged with three counts of capital murder, the Huntsville Police Department says.

HPD says 33-year-old Maurice DAntonio Chatman was arrested and charged with three counts of capital murder on Wednesday. One of the charges is a result of a modifier for the aggravated circumstance of a burglary.

Florence man pleads guilty to producing child pornography

Officers with the department were responding to a shots fired call at a home on Mt. Charron Road around 12:30 a.m. when they made contact with a person walking down the street in front of the house in question, The person, later identified by HPD as Chatman, started running when he saw them.

He ran into a home two or three houses down which was his and barricaded himself in the attic, according to HPD. Chatman was taken into custody around 11:00 a.m.

After the department set up a perimeter, two people were found dead in the home where the shots fired call originated from. Madison County Coroner Tyler Berryhill said both people died as a result of gunshot wounds and ruled both deaths a homicide.

The two victims were identified by police as 74-year-old Ernest Bragg and 49-year-old Daniel Jones.

Officers searching for runaway teen in Decatur

HPD said throughout the morning, it was working to make contact with Chatman in the second house. Negotiators were on the scene as well and were able to get a phone inside the home.

Several attempts were made to get Chatman to surrender voluntarily. He was taken into custody utilizing several specialized HPD Units after he attempted to flee the scene, HPD said in a release.

You can see Johnsons entire news conference here:

According to Madison County jail records, Chatman was booked on Wednesday afternoon and is being held with no bond set.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  As campus protests escalate, Congress is threatening consequences.

House Republicans are launching an investigation into federal funding for these universities and pushing to pass a new antisemitism law.

House leaders accuse university officials of failing to keep the protests under control and they say not enough is being done to protect Jewish students.

Fireworks erupted at UCLA and protesters clashed on campus overnight.

Across the country at Columbia, New York police stormed a university building to arrest dozens of protesters who had been occupying it.

This thing is out of control, said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

From Capitol Hill lawmakers are watching with concern and House Speaker Mike Johnson warns if universities dont get the chaos under control, you will see Congress respond in kind, youre going to see funding sources begin to dry up. Youre going to see every level of accountability that we can muster.

He says several House committees will be investigating the protests and may decide to take away federal funding and this week Congress is gearing up to vote on a bill to change the federal definition of antisemitism under an anti-discrimination law.

The rampant antisemitism requires action by the federal government, said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.)

Congressman Mike Lawler introduced the legislation and supporters say it would allow universities to crack down on harmful speech.

This is not the free marketplace of ideas. This is open threats to Jewish students because of their faith and who they are, said Johnson.

Some worry it goes too far like Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.).

We are constitutionally bound to protect free speech. Even, and more importantly, when it is speech with which we do not agree, she said.

Congressman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) prefers letting universities respond.

They have guidance, they have rules. They need to enforce those before Congress creates new ones, Aguilar said.

The White House says while the president supports peaceful protest he is concerned about antisemitism on campus and doesnt agree with protestors occupying university buildings.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Hundreds of New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers, many with batons and in riot gear, moved onto Columbia Universitys campus Tuesday evening as student protesters continued a largely peaceful occupation of a campus building in protest of the Israel-Hamas war.

Student protesters barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, escalating after more than a week of a protest encampment in the universitys outdoor common space.

Police entered the hall through a second-floor window at about 9:30 p.m., hours after Columbia ordered its students to shelter in place on campus and after NYPD demanded students stay inside their dorms.

Columbia said the decision to call in NYPD was made to restore safety and order to our community.

We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions, a university spokesperson wrote. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice.

Tensions have built for more than a week at Columbia, which sparked hundreds of similar campus protests nationwide against the Biden administrations response to the Israel-Hamas war. Protests have demanded a cease-fire in the conflict, the end of military aid to Israel, and for their colleges and universities to divest from Israeli interests.

The university spokesperson said Columbia believes the protesters who occupy Hamilton Hall are not affiliated with the University. The campus has been inaccessible to those who do not hold school IDs for nearly two weeks.

At a press conference earlier Tuesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) claimed that the protests have been co-opted and urged demonstrators to give up their cause before the situation escalates.

Im urging every student and every protester to walk away from this situation now and continue your advocacy through other means, Adams said. This must end now.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry added that the protesters inside Hamilton Hall could be charged with burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing, while those protesting outside the university could face charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct.

At least dozens of protesters were arrested Tuesday evening, with video showing demonstrators in zip ties being led into NYPD buses. Police said Hamilton Hall was cleared of protesters just before 11:00 p.m., The Associated Press reported.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who met with protesters earlier this week, blasted the mayor and Columbia leadership over its response and the police action.

If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents. Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path, she wrote on the social platform X. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making. I urge the Mayor to reverse course.

The Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) also denounced the police presence, warning of potential violence.

Columbia faculty have spent the day offering our help to defuse the situation on Columbias campus and have been rebuffed or ignored. We have been locked out of our campus and have demanded to be allowed back in, and have been rebuffed or ignored, the chapters executive board wrote in a statement as police assembled outside campus.

NYPD presence in our neighborhood endangers our entire community. Armed police entering our campus places students and everyone else on campus at risk, the group continued. We hold University leadership responsible for the disastrous lapses of judgment that have gotten us to this point.

The AAUP chapter noted that campus bylaws require that faculty vote to approve any deployment of NYPD on campus, which did not occur.

Student-run WKCR radio at Columbia reported that NYPD will remain on campus until May 17, citing an email to students. The unprecedented police response is planned to continue past the universitys graduation ceremony next month.

The police action against protesters comes 58 years to the day after Columbia called in NYPD to break up a similar occupation of Hamilton Hall in protest of the Vietnam War. The university has since denounced its own decision to call in police at that time, which resulted in more than 700 arrests.

Also Tuesday, Barnard Colleges president faced a vote of no confidence. The Columbia subsidiarys vote resulted in 77 percent of participating faculty going against the president, citing the schools response to protests.

Columbia is at the center of political attention for the protests. The campus has hosted visits from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and numerous members of Congress from both sides of the aisle in the last week.

Lawmakers from both parties have called on Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to resign if protests cannot be quickly quelled.

More than 1,000 students have been arrested nationwide at similar protests, some of which have featured violent clashes with police and counterprotesters.

While many notable universities have responded to the protests with a police presence, others have allowed the protest encampments to go on undeterred. Brown University announced Tuesday that its protest will end after the university agreed to hold a vote of its corporate board on the students divestment proposal.

Updated at 10:54 p.m. EDT

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
88-year-old man with dementia has been found, according to Athens-Clarke County authorities

UPDATE: Athens-Clarke County says Blickendefer has been found.

The update was posted around 10:30 Tuesday night.

ORIGINAL:

Athens-Clarke County has issued a missing person alert for an 88-year-old man.

Police said Lowell Blickenderfer was last seen in Oconee County off of Epps Bridge Road.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Family says he suffers dementia.

He was last seen driving a white Honda Fit tag AIX5612.

He was wearing a gray t-shirt, black pajama pants, and black loafers.

TRENDING STORIES:

If you see him, contact Athens-Clarke County Police.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Terry Clark Hughes Jr., the man suspected of killing four law enforcement officers Monday, sped away from Lincoln County deputies in January during a traffic stop, the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office said in emails to The Charlotte Observer.

Sheriff Bill Beam and his office said a warrant was issued for Hughes for the following crimes:

 Felony Flee to Elude

 Driving while License Revoked

 Aggressive Driving

 Resisting a Public Officer

 Speeding

 Failure to Stop at a Red Light

 Unsafe Passing

Hughes fired some 100 rounds from a home on Galway Drive, killing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer Joshua Eyer, Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott  14-year veterans with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction  and Deputy US Marshal Thomas Weeks. They were part of a U.S. marshals task force who went to the house to arrest him.

Before the gunfight, Hughes had racked up dozens charges from Alamance County to Chatham County to Mecklenburg County.

Hughes had a warrant for his arrest from charges in Person County, near the Virginia border.

According to Person County court records, Hughes pleaded guilty to felony breaking and entering in 2010 and served about five months in prison. In 2021, he was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of marijuana between a half ounce and 1.5 ounces, Person County records show.

He never showed up to court during his scheduled hearing last year, triggering the warrant. Hughes also had two orders for his arrest for missed court appearances in Mecklenburg County. One followed his failure to appear on a charge of fleeing to elude arrest and the other stemmed from his failure to appear for possession of marijuana with intent to sell or deliver, court records show.

Several marijuana-related charges against Hughes in Mecklenburg County were dismissed in 2021 and this year.
Overwhelmingly, low-income women arent feeling good about their roadmap to retirement. A new survey from the National Council on Aging and the Womens Institute for a Secure Retirement has found that over 70% of low-income women say they are not confident about their ability to plan and save for retirement.

Check Out: Suze Orman: 5 Social Security Facts Every Soon-To-Be Retiree Must Know

Read Next: 6 Unusual Ways To Make Extra Money (That Actually Work)

In an email, Ramsey Alwin, NCOAs president and CEO, told GOBankingRates that its very difficult to save for retirement when you do not have access to a cost-effective way to do it. She added that on their own, women, particularly low-income women, can only do so much.

We prefer policy solutions, which will always help more people, and especially those without means, to things people can do individually, she explained.

In the survey, women said they stand behind several possible Medicare and non-Medicare policy solutions. These are the eight that had the most support.

Sponsored: Protect Your Wealth With A Gold IRA. Take advantage of the timeless appeal of gold in a Gold IRA recommended by Sean Hannity.

Potential Medicare Policy Solutions

Ninety-five percent of women said they want to see an expansion of Medicare coverage so that beneficiaries can get total care for chronic diseases. Alwin noted that obesity is an example of a chronic condition where Medicare needs to step up.

The problem is that Medicare does not cover the full range of obesity treatments, she wrote. It covers intensive behavioral therapy only if delivered in a primary care setting and bariatric surgery, but it does not cover anti-obesity medications. It needs to start covering FDA-approved medications to diverse therapy options. We support the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA), which is a bipartisan bill designed to ensure coverage of anti-obesity medications under Part D.

The majority of women (94%) also want to see Medicare and Medicaid updated so that older adults can get in-home care instead of ending up at nursing homes. Alwin stated that NCOA is a proponent of the HCBS Relief Act of 2023.

Another change women want to see? Ninety-four percent support an increase in assistance that enables low-income older adults to get Medicare benefits they qualify for but arent getting.

Alwin added that Medicare gives modest funding for low-income beneficiary outreach and enrollment efforts, but since 2008, the funding has been extended with bipartisan support 12 times. NCOA wants Congress to make this program permanent, so that enrollment efforts can continue without the threat of disrupted funding.

Story continues

Finally, on the Medicare front, 94% of women said theyd like the program to incorporate health promotion and disease prevention programs that will help with more effective chronic pain management, decrease the risk of falls and lower social isolation.

There are a lot of evidence-based programs that can help older adults improve or maintain their health, even when they have chronic conditions, but not all are covered by Medicare, Alwin noted. Covering something like chronic disease self-management programs that are offered, for instance, at senior centers instead of clinical settings would be more cost-effective and would help older adults live healthier lives.

Potential Non-Medicare Solutions

As for non-medicare policy solutions, 96% of women who were surveyed supported giving a tax break to family caregivers. Caregiving drastically affects women financially, Alwin wrote.

Many times, they need to quit their jobs, which affects not only their income, but their retirement savings as well, she explained. At the same time, the care infrastructure is insufficient. Medicaid does not cover much of the home- and community-based services, where someone would come to help with things like bathing, dressing, or walking. So many caregivers, themselves sometimes older adults, do not get much reprieve from their responsibilities.

Additionally, 94% of women were in favor of refreshing the Supplemental Security Income program. Alwin stated that NCOA supports the bipartisan SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act.

The majority of women (93%) also want lower-income adults to receive government help with necessities like food and housing.

Right now, we have a patchwork of safety net programs for which people have to apply separately, which have different eligibility criteria, and which do not offer a solid support to all older who need it, Alwin explained. We need to simplify this and make enrollment easy or automatic, so all older adults can age with dignity and economic security.

The last non-Medicare policy proposal concerned workforce shortages in elder care and disability care. Ninety-two percent of women said they want home care workers to get paid a minimum of $18 to $20 hourly and also get health insurance, retirement plans and other benefits. Alwin noted that NCOA supports the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act and is taking additional action in this space.

Learn More: 7 Things You Must Buy at Costco While on a Retirement Budget

The shortage of direct care workers at a time when the population that will need these services is increasing is a slow-rolling crisis we need to address, Alwin wrote. Yes, low pay is part of why we have a shortage, but so is the fact that we have not made this a priority. NCOA was awarded a 5-year, $6.5 million grant from the Administration for Community Living (part of the Department of Health and Human Services) to establish the Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center to strengthen the care economy. This initiative will provide technical assistance to states and service providers to improve recruitment, retention, training and professional development of direct care workers.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Over 70% of Low-Income Women Have No Confidence in Their Ability To Plan for Retirement  8 Solutions That Would Help Them
WHITEFISH BAY, Wis. (WFRV)  Authorities in southeastern Wisconsin are reminding people that drinking and driving dont mix as a woman allegedly backed her vehicle up her neighbors stairs at 7:30 in the morning.

The Whitefish Bay Police Department posted on its Facebook page about a recent incident where a resident tried to back out of their driveway. Officials say that the driver backed all the way out of their driveway, across the street, and ended up on their neighbors stairs.

The driver was only identified as a woman, and allegedly showed signs of impairment. She was arrested for OWI.

De Pere firefighters rescue pelican entangled in fishing line off of shore in Voyageur Park

Authorities say that the driver refused a breath sample. Police also wanted to remind drivers that drinking and driving never mix.

Drinking and driving NEVER mix; especially at 7:37 in the MORNING. Whitefish Bay Police Department on Facebook

No additional information was provided.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletters, and follow them on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Facebook.

STOUGHTON, Mass.  The last known person to see Sandra Birchmore alive was a police officer.

He stopped by her apartment days before the elementary school teachers aide, 23 years old and newly pregnant, was found dead in February 2021. The medical examiner later ruled her death a suicide.

The officer worked for the Stoughton Police Department, near Boston, where he first met Birchmore about a decade earlier through the agencys Explorer post  part of a youth mentorship program run by local departments across the country.

UPDATE: Ex-officer charged with killing pregnant woman he allegedly abused as a teen in police program

He acknowledged having sex with her when she was 15, according to a court ruling citing the officers text messages. That document indicates that his twin brother  also an officer and Explorer mentor  and a third Stoughton officer, a veteran who ran the program, eventually had sex with her, too.

These assertions, disclosed in an internal police investigative report and through an ongoing lawsuit filed by Birchmores family, have sparked demonstrations and an online petition asking for further investigation into her death. The three men, who did not respond to requests for comment, have denied any wrongdoing and have not been charged with a crime.

Sandra Birchmore sought direction in law enforcement.

The youth program that introduced Birchmore to the officers is among hundreds of such chapters at police agencies around the country. Created by the Boy Scouts of America decades ago, law enforcement Explorer posts are designed to help teens and young adults learn about policing.

Birchmores case is among at least 194 allegations that law enforcement personnel, mostly policemen, have groomed, sexually abused or engaged in inappropriate behavior with Explorers since 1974, an ongoing investigation by The Marshall Project has found. The vast majority of those affected were teenage girls  some as young as 13.

Lack of oversight was partly responsible for the abuse, The Marshall Project investigation found. In many programs, armed officers were allowed to be alone with teenage Explorers. In a few instances, departments minimized or dismissed the concerns of those who reported troubling behavior, records show.

The officers accused of abusing teenagers spanned the ranks, from patrolmen to police chiefs. Some were department veterans cited in news articles for their community work. A handful had served their agencies for barely a year. And some were married men with families of their own.

Many cases led to criminal charges. Some officers went to prison, while others received probation or werent required to register as sex offenders. A few departments allowed officers to keep their jobs after a reprimand or short suspension. The Marshall Projects analysis found at least 14 departments, among 111 agencies, that had a history of repeated allegations.

The Marshall Project is investigating abuse in police Explorer programs. We want to hear from you.

The Boy Scouts, which sets guidelines for Explorer posts, declined a request for an interview, and did not answer questions about how it enforces its rules for police departments. Records from the Stoughton Police Department showed no evidence that Scouting leaders conducted evaluations or made sure officers were trained to spot and report abuse of young people. And the former director of youth protection for the Boy Scouts told The Marshall Project he was alarmed by abuse in police Explorer programs.

In a statement, the organization said it is committed to safeguarding youth, including Explorers. When we are made aware that a leader in one of our programs has abused a position of trust we will take appropriate measures, including removing that leader, and work to ensure that offenders are held accountable.

To track allegations of abuse, reporters examined thousands of pages of documents, including lawsuits, investigative reports, police agency records, academic studies and news articles. They also spoke with lawyers, researchers, and current and former Boy Scout officials.

Reporters found abuse allegations in big and small departments spanning much of the country. In Connecticut, an officer first tried to ply a 17-year-old Explorer with compliments and a silver bracelet. After her repeated rejections, he took her into a vacant house, handcuffed her and sexually assaulted her, according to police records and her lawsuit. In South Miami, police records show a detective offered to teach teenagers about sex before he assaulted them  so often that some older Explorers warned new recruits against being alone with him. And in Porterville, California, a sergeant who led his departments Explorer program took a 17-year-old alone on ride-alongs and complained about his marriage before having sex with her, according to a now-settled lawsuit.

People set up signs during an April 7 protest near Stoughton Town Hall calling for further investigation into Sandra Birchmores death.

Supporters of the program, including police officials and Scouting leaders, say that abuse cases are rare and represent just a fraction of the tens of thousands of law enforcement Explorers over the decades. Some experts say the program helps teenagers become interested in law enforcement  boosting recruiting in a profession that faces labor shortages.

Craig Martin, who chairs the National Exploring Program, said one way to keep young people safe is the requirement that adults working with Explorers attend a Youth Protection Training at least every two years. Martin referred reporters to Scouting headquarters for specific answers, but said he believes most abuse in the program took place 25 or more years ago.

Slightly more than half of the cases reporters found occurred since 2000. It can take years for people who are abused to come forward  and many never do, experts say.

The power imbalance between officers and Explorers can leave teenagers vulnerable, said Anthony DeMarco, a lawyer who has represented several former Explorers who accused officers of abuse.

One of the greatest injuries that the Explorers Ive worked for have talked about is they dreamed of being in law enforcement, he said. And because they were abused, and because in some ways it became known, it felt like it got ripped from them.

Sandra Birchmore was kind and generous to the friends and family who knew her well. Her mother and grandmother raised her. Both women died when Birchmore was a teenager  her mother after a long illness, her grandmother suddenly.

She had a lot of dreams and a lot of goals, said Barbara Wright, a cousin. She said Birchmore hoped to go to nursing school. She was just trying to make her way in this world, just like the rest of us.

Birchmore was ambitious but sometimes lacked direction, her teaching colleagues told investigators. At times, her immaturity was so pronounced that one of them said she came across like a child without parents that needed help.

Birchmore struggled with mental health challenges for much of her life, according to police and court records. As a teen, she sought strength and direction in law enforcement.

Its why in 2010, at age 13, she joined the local Explorer post, hoping to become a police officer. By then, the Stoughton Police Department had weathered years of scandals involving whistleblower retaliation, lies to the FBI and witness intimidation.

Robert Devine ran Stoughtons police Explorer program.

When Birchmore joined, veteran officer Robert Devine led the Explorer post. He ran the program for more than a decade as he rose through the ranks from a school resource officer to deputy police chief. His supervisors said he transformed its focus from mentoring to a paramilitary-style youth program.

He brought in former Explorers Matthew Farwell and his twin brother, William, as guest instructors. The Farwells met Birchmore when she was 13. The brothers were in their mid-20s and Devine in his late 30s. The department later hired both Farwells as officers.

Outwardly, the program seemed a positive influence on Birchmore. In 2014, her mother wrote a letter to Devine thanking him for running the Explorer post. By then, officer Matthew Farwell had reportedly had sex with Birchmore, according to police evidence later cited in a judges decision allowing the Birchmore familys lawsuit to proceed.

Two years later, Devine was demoted from deputy chief to patrolman after photos of an extramarital affair caused a scandal in the department. One of his superiors later described him as exploitive, misogynistic and risk seeking.

In spring 2015, Birchmore graduated from high school, walking across the stage in flip-flops, and with her hair pinned back in a bun.

Though Birchmores participation in the Explorers ended, the officers involvement with her didnt. Devine and the Farwell twins were having separate sexual relationships with her in her early 20s, according to the departments investigative report. Though Devine denied having any contact with her, police found Facebook messages showing that while on duty he discussed meeting Birchmore for sex.

Devine violated his inherent position of the public trust, an investigator wrote in the report, adding: I do not view Devine to be a credible person.

Birchmore was found dead in the Canton Woods apartment complex, shown at left.

By early 2021, Birchmore was pregnant and was looking forward to being a mother. She believed Matthew Farwell was the father, according to police and court records  an assertion that he denies. He also told investigators that he didnt have a sexual relationship with Birchmore until 2020. Investigators found text messages indicating it began much earlier.

Although Massachusetts doesnt explicitly define an age of consent, state law forbids anyone from having sex with someone under age 16.

On Feb. 1, 2021, Matthew Farwell stopped by Birchmores apartment for about 30 minutes. He told investigators that he went there to end their relationship, and that he and Birchmore had a pretty nasty argument. When police did a wellness check three days later, the only living beings inside her cluttered apartment were her two cats.

The day after Birchmores body was found, Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara  the first woman in the job  ordered an internal investigation. At a news conference announcing the findings the following year, McNamara said Devine also had inappropriate contact with a female student in a middle school program in the early 2000s.

All three men, the Farwells and Devine, violated their oath of office and should never have the privilege of serving any community as a police officer, she said at the news conference. Through a sustained and deliberate combination of lies, deceit and treachery, they violated the policies and the core values of the Stoughton Police Department. Not to mention human decency.

In 2022, Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara described an internal investigation that found three officers had an inappropriate relationship with Birchmore.

Later in 2022, Birchmores aunt sued the officers for wrongful death and Stoughton for negligence and civil rights violations. In the lawsuit, her attorneys described Birchmores death as the culmination of a near decade long scheme of grooming and repeated assaults from a young age by the officers.

The familys attorneys declined an interview request. Lawyers for the Farwells did not respond to requests for comment, and Devines attorney declined to speak with reporters.

The three officers have resigned. Matthew Farwell surrendered his law enforcement certification in March. William Farwell and Devine are fighting to keep theirs.

There has been no evidence that other police officers were involved with Sandra or knew about the actions of the three other officers, McNamara told The Marshall Project. Sandras death is a tragedy. She should be alive today.

Stoughton police ran the Explorer program for about 15 years. The department could locate only a single one-year agreement with Learning for Life, the Scouting affiliate that oversees the national Explorer program.

The agreement  signed by Devine in 2010  required the department to encourage officers to take Youth Protection Training, as well as undergo an annual evaluation by Learning for Life. But the agency said it hasnt found records that Devine, the Farwells or any of its officers completed the training, nor did it locate any records related to an evaluation.

The Stoughton Explorer program ended in 2016. The department said it hasnt found records of an agreement with Learning for Life or the Boy Scouts for any of the programs other years.

Stoughton ended its police Explorer program in 2016.

The Boy Scouts didnt respond to questions about its oversight of the Stoughton Explorer program.

While the structure of Explorer programs can vary by departments, participants are generally required to maintain an average grade score while in school, attend program meetings and exemplify good moral character. The curriculum can include community service, firearms training and evidence collection.

One of the key components of many Explorer programs is the ride-along, where participants accompany officers for hours as they patrol. Each agency has slightly different rules for ride-alongs: Some require time limits or switch up the officers that teenagers spend time with.

Since at least the 90s, the Boy Scouts has required a two-deep leadership rule, mandating two adults present in all its programs. The intent was to prevent an adult from being alone with children. But the Boy Scouts carved out an exception to the two-deep rule for police ride-alongs in Explorer programs. Explorers are allowed to ride alone with an officer  though they must be at least 18 to do ride-alongs after midnight, according to documents on the Learning for Life website.

What could possibly go wrong? You know, one adult, no supervision, said Timothy Kosnoff, a lawyer who has represented thousands of clients, including Explorer participants, suing the Boy Scouts for sexual abuse.

A few departments said their Explorer programs were run by a single precinct or even individual officers. And while several departments have policies that explicitly ban fraternization between officers and Explorer participants, other agencies made changes only after misconduct occurred.

In one lawsuit filed in 2019 a woman said a police officer abused her as a teenager in Connecticut. Her lawyers alleged that the Scouts and Learning for Life knew that police departments were not following their policies to prevent sexual abuse.

Attorneys for the Boy Scouts responded by calling child sexual abuse a broad societal problem.

This abuse can occur anywhere, even in Scouting and Explorer programs, the attorneys wrote in a court filing. They argued that the organization wasnt responsible for the abuse she alleged because the officer had violated Explorer policies.

The officer was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

The Boy Scouts has faced tens of thousands of abuse allegations.

In 2022, the Boy Scouts agreed to settle with more than 82,000 people, most of them men, who said they were abused as minors in Scouting programs. The Scouting organization did not say how many Explorer cases are part of the settlement, which is now about $2.5 billion.

Michael Johnson, a former police detective who investigated child abuse, said he became alarmed by the sexual abuse in Explorer programs after the Boy Scouts hired him in 2010 as the national director of youth protection.

They have these Explorers with them riding around at night and the officers do a nonexistent-to-poor job of maintaining clear boundaries, he said.

He said he tried internally to root out abuse, especially on overnight ride-alongs, though he was also publicly promoting Scouting during those years.

Johnson said the Boy Scouts fired him in 2020, and he became an outspoken critic of how the organization handled cases of abuse.

Allegations of Explorer abuse did not always result in criminal prosecutions. Of the 156 officers identified by The Marshall Project who faced professional or legal consequences in connection with the allegations against them, at least two-thirds were criminally charged. Among those charged, about half were sentenced to time behind bars  from weekends in jail to decades in prison. And at least 20 had to register as sex offenders.

Some allegations involved misconduct that wasnt criminal behavior  for example, an 18-year-old Explorer in a consensual relationship with an officer  but may have violated departmental policies.

In at least 19 cases, officers accused of abuse or inappropriate behavior were reprimanded or suspended but kept their jobs. In other instances, officers relinquished their law enforcement certifications in plea deals to avoid criminal charges.

Sometimes, it took years for an officer to face repercussions.

In 2004, a police sergeant in the small city of Brownwood, Texas, was known for making female colleagues and Explorers uncomfortable, according to a criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers.

There are hundreds of police Explorer posts across the U.S.

The sergeant only wanted me to ride along in the patrol vehicles with him and not others and he did not like me riding with the other officers, a victim later told investigators, adding that when she was in high school the officer would discuss the size of his penis with her and send her sexually graphic text messages. When she and others tried to report the abuse, the police chief at the time deemed the allegations unfounded, according to the Rangers report.

She told investigators she left the program after the officer followed her into a storage room and groped her. She had to push him out of the way to escape.

Two-and-a-half years later, at age 53, the sergeant was arrested for sexually abusing a different Explorer, who was 15. He was later convicted for both assaults and is now incarcerated.

Troy Carroll, a Brownwood lieutenant who assisted with the investigation, said that he supported holding the sergeant accountable and that overall the Explorers was a great program.

The city reportedly agreed to a $300,000 settlement with one of the victims in 2010.

In San Bernardino County, California, a sheriffs deputy faced felony charges in 2017 related to having sex with a teenage Explorer participant. He ultimately pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor assault charge and served probation, court records show. Four years later, authorities were seeking help to identify more of the mans victims after an allegation that he had sexually abused a young family member for years. He is now serving a decadeslong prison sentence for child sexual abuse.

Victims in the Explorer abuse cases said they experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety after the assaults. Some detailed their trauma in lawsuits and at sentencing hearings.

He took away what were supposed to be the best years, one young woman told a judge in 2015, according to a local news report, before a California police officer was sentenced to 45 days in jail, probation and community service for assaulting her.

No criminal charges have been filed in Birchmores case. The Norfolk County district attorneys office began investigating after her death. But a spokesman said they handed the investigation over to the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office last fall. The attorney generals office declined to comment.

True-crime enthusiasts have latched onto the circumstances of Birchmores death and fanned speculation online, leading to podcasts, YouTube videos and Reddit threads. An online petition has more than 2,000 signatures calling for further investigation, and thousands more have joined a Justice for Sandra Birchmore Facebook group.

Barbara Wright, center, Birchmores cousin, joined a demonstration seeking accountability in Birchmores case.

On a cloudy Sunday in Stoughton in early April, roughly two dozen people rallied outside the town hall at an event organized by the Facebook group. They held signs displaying Birchmores photo and an illustration of a mother and her baby with angel wings.

Wright, Birchmores cousin, joined the event. She said she learned many of the details of Birchmores relationships with the officers through news reports after her death. She then started doing research about other Explorer programs.

Theres so many cases all over the place with them, she said. Its disgusting to see how people of authority will take advantage sometimes.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. The hotline, run by the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN), can put you in contact with your local rape crisis center. You can also access RAINNs online chat service at https://www.rainn.org/get-help.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

How we reported this investigation

For this article, reporters reviewed thousands of pages of lawsuits, police internal investigations, sex offender registries, program contracts and policies, as well as hundreds of news articles. We spoke to attorneys to gain a better understanding of the scope of police abuse within Explorer programs, as well as researchers and advocates whose expertise focuses on police sexual misconduct or child sexual trauma.

We created a database of incidents focused specifically on police officers, sheriff deputies and other law enforcement personnel alleged to have sexually abused, or behaved inappropriately with, Explorer program participants. The database includes cases from the 1970s to present. In cases in which officers may have had multiple victims, we counted only incidents involving people who were part of Explorer programs. We did not include incidents in which the alleged perpetrators were fellow Explorer participants. Some officers had more than one victim; some victims had more than one perpetrator.

Our numbers are surely an undercount. According to experts, many victims of sex crimes do not report the assaults to police.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The Polish government approved draft amendments to the law on Ukrainian refugees, extending their protection status until Sep. 30, 2025, in addition to several changes, the Polish outlet RMF24 reported on April 30.

If adopted by the Polish parliament, the amendments will enter into force on July 1.

The EU activated the Temporary Protection Directive in March 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to Eurostat, over 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees are currently registered for temporary protection to legally access housing, find work, and receive social benefits in EU states.

Poland hosts roughly 1 million of them, representing the highest number of all countries.

"We will support Ukrainian citizens who had to flee the war and took refuge in Poland, but we also expect clear and explicit rules. This is all in the act that the government adopted," Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

Apart from extending protection status by the decision of the Council of the European Union from March 4, 2023, Poland will introduce a new status for Ukrainian refugees as well.

Ukrainians will be able to apply for a three-year temporary residence permit with a "previously had temporary protection" note after updating their personal information in a database and filling in the particular form for the province where they live.

The updated law will also introduce changes to the state payment programs for Ukrainian refugees. An "800 Plus" program, which provides 800 zlotys ($197) per child every month, and the "Dobry Start" program with a one-time 300 zlotys ($74) payment for those children who go to school will demand mandatory Polish kindergarten or school attendance.

The Polish government will also establish a 36-month period during which Ukrainian pupils can participate in additional free Polish language classes. Ukrainian children who study in eighth grade will be exempted from the obligatory Polish language exam in the 2024-2025 school year as well.

Other changes in the law are related to the limitation of financial assistance for food and accommodation for Ukrainian refugees. The assistance will be provided on the basis of a signed agreement with the local province or other local government bodies acting on the province's order.

Read also: Ambassador: Poland absolutely neutral whether refugees stay or return to Ukraine

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The political center in both parties is pushing back more against the fringes on the far right and the far left, reflecting the weariness and exasperation with the threats to boot Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) out of his job and the ongoing clashes with pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses across the country.

The overwhelming vote in the House for a foreign package including funding for Ukraine was a rebuke to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who is now running into bipartisan opposition as she threatens to force a snap leadership election in the House.

Johnson made it clear he had run out of patience with hard-line conservative critics when he put the Ukraine funding bill on the floor and shrugged off warnings that it could cost him his job.

House Republican lawmakers said Tuesday that Greenes efforts to pressure Johnson are falling flat with their constituents back home.

In a remarkable development Tuesday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) announced he and other Democrats would step in to help Johnson defeat any motion offered by conservatives to vacate his position.

I think people are sick and tired of chaos and dysfunction. So I congratulate all of our friends on both sides of the aisle in the House for  actually doing their job instead of all of the sideshow, said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Senate leadership team.

Republicans are by and large tired of all the antics and the chaos, and they realize its a political liability, he added.

Vin Weber, a GOP strategist and former member of the House Republican leadership said, We are seeing a very strong reaction against the political process by the fringes of both parties.

Even though hes of the other party, were seeing in the reaction of the Democratic leader a leader, he said of Jeffriess decision to side with Johnson against the conservative insurgents in is conference.

And he praised Johnson for standing up to the critics in his conference by pushing the foreign aid package through the House, even though doing so put his job at risk.

That bold decision was validated by the strong vote its different components received from House Republicans, including 101 GOP lawmakers who voted for Ukraine funding.

I saw the Ukraine vote as the rebellion of the normies, said Scott Jennings, a GOP strategists.

I just sense that you had an overwhelming bipartisan majority in both chambers that are tired of having their lives run and ruined buy a tiny minority of the Republican conference, he said. None of these people get elected to go to Washington, D.C., so they can have their lives upended daily by Marjorie Taylor Greene. Its not why they worked so hard to get to Congress or the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) warned last week that Greene is dragging our brand down.

She  not the Democrats  are the biggest risk to us getting back to a majority, he told CNN.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday condemned protesters at Columbia University who smashed windows and unfurled an intifada banner while occupying Hamilton Hall, located just off the campuss South Lawn.

Smashing windows with hammers and taking over university building is not free speech. It is lawlessness. And those who did it should promptly face the consequences that are not merely a slap on the wrist, Schumer said on the Senate floor.

He was joined by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who said the images of protesters smashing glass brought more evidence that administrators at Columbia have utterly, utterly failed to bring order to their Manhattan campus.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is helping to lead Democratic pushback against pro-Palestinian protesters, whose rhetoric has veered into antisemitism, forcing some college campuses to close for the final weeks of the school year.

Its a great American value to protest, but I dont believe living in a pup tent for Hamas is really helpful, Fetterman told NewsNations The Hill Sunday.

Fetterman broke with progressives in December by defending reasonable border security negotiations and urged fellow Democrats to acknowledge the huge flow of migrants across the southern border.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is also winning plaudits from centrists after he braved criticism from the left by landing a major deal with Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) to give President Biden broad new emergency powers to shut the border.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said this week he will sponsor a Congressional Review Act Resolution to overturn the Biden administrations final rules on streamlining the environmental review process to speed up the permitting of infrastructure upgrades.

Jonathan Kott, a Democratic strategist and former Manchin aide, said, the political center is always where you win elections and how you govern.

The fringes are where you get Twitter followers and cable news hits, he said. When you actually govern responsibly and get elected, the middle is where its at.

Kott said Fetterman is speaking his mind and what he believes on a very tough issue and he should be commended for being able to not be held hostage to one side of the ideological spectrum.

Some Democrats are growing worried that their party could lose support in November if voters associate it with the chaos on college campuses across the country or the border crisis.

This election is going to be decided in the middle, not on the fringes, said Jim Kessler, the executive vice president for policy at Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank.

John Fetterman has been fantastic not only on the college protests but also on the border and also on energy policy as well, he said.

Fetterman expressed concern that President Bidens pause on natural gas imports could impact Pennsylvania jobs.

But Fetterman has been most outspoken on Israels right to defend itself after the attacks of Oct. 7.

I dont know who needs to hear this but blocking a bridge or berating folks in Starbucks isnt righteous, it just makes you an asshole. Demand Hamas to send every hostage back home and surrender, he posted on the social platform X, responding to a video of protesters waving a Palestinian flag and yelling at patrons at a Starbucks in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Kessler said Democrats have a lot to run on in 2024, such as major legislation investing in infrastructure and renewable energy technologies, but warned that pro-Palestinian protesters on the far left could spoil the election.

Whats going on on college campuses has gone too far. A lot of it attracts media attention, he said.

The Biden administration has a lot to tout, including a plummeting murder rate and record gas and oil drilling and record permitting. Those cant be state secrets. Those are popular with voters, he added.

Weve seen in the past where something that happens on the left absolutely spoils Democrats election chances. Defund the police. Abolish ICE. Those hurt Democrats in the past. We cant let unrest on college campuses do that to us again, he warned.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Politico: Russia low on fuel after Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries

Ukrainian drone strikes were successful in putting pressure on Russia's fuel supplies, causing gasoline and diesel prices to surge for Russian consumers, Politico reported on April 29.

The cost of diesel went up almost 10% in the past week, while gasoline's prices hit a six-month high, going up by more than 20% when compared to the start of the year, Politico wrote, citing government data.

Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia's oil industry. Attacks against oil depots in Russia's Smolensk Oblast last week destroyed 26,000 cubic meters of fuel, security sources told the Kyiv Independent.

More than a dozen oil refineries have been reportedly hit in recent months, and just earlier on May 1, Russian Telegram channels claimed that a refinery in Ryazan Oblast caught fire following an overnight drone strike.

In the wake of the attacks, many refineries have been forced to suspend production, leading to a drop in fuel supplies.

The campaign has led Russia, traditionally a fuel exporter, to restrict its sales abroad. Bloomberg reported on April 18 that the country's diesel exports continue to drop amid the ongoing attacks.

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Energy exports have long been a key source of Moscow's revenue and have helped to sustain its ongoing war against Ukraine.

Russia sold just over 712,000 metric tons of diesel and gasoil last week, compared to more than 844,000 metric tons during the same period last year, Politico noted.

This data suggests that while Ukraine faces an increasingly difficult situation on the battlefield, its campaign against the Russian oil industry is achieving success.

The strikes have prompted criticism from U.S. officials, who have made it clear Washington does not support Ukraine's targeting of oil refineries, citing fears that it could threaten the global energy market.

Ukraine retorted that it considers Russian refineries to be legitimate military targets.

Read also: Ukrainian drones hit one Russian oil refinery after another

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Pope Francis on arms trade: 'Terrible to make money from death'

Pope Francis (C) attends tha weekly General Audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. Evandro Inetti/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Pope Francis on Wednesday denounced the global arms industry, saying it was "terrible to make money from death."

"Unfortunately, today the investments that bring the greatest return are arms factories," he said in his weekly general audience in the Vatican.

Francis used the speech to appeal for peace, mentioning the war in Ukraine, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the persecution of the Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar by government forces.

According to a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research International, a record $2.44 trillion was spent on armaments worldwide last year, a 6.8% rise from 2022.

Russia's war in Ukraine was cited as one of the key reasons for the global increase in defence spending.

The United States has the highest military expenditure in the world by some distance, representing 37% of total global spending.

Pope Francis (C) attends tha weekly General Audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. Evandro Inetti/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
A number of protesters occupying a library at Portland State University rejected a deal to stand down on Wednesday morning, after they found the university presidents offer of legal amnesty questionable, and said she failed entirely to address their demand that the school divest from Boeing.

University president Ann Cudd said that she was given verbal assurances from negotiators working for the protesters inside Millar Library that they would accept her offer, which she said promised protection from suspension and expulsion, as well as criminal charges, if they left the library by 1:30 a.m. However, student organizers ultimately refused to take the deal.

I fervently wish that the students in the library had signed on to our agreement, but, after their negotiators told us they had a deal, they apparently chose not to sign, Cudd said, in a letter to the campus community sent on Wednesday morning.

Shortly after the deal fell through, around 50 protesters exited the libraryleaving only a small, steadfast group inside the occupied building.

On Wednesday afternoon, the remaining protesters released a statement claiming that Cudd was lying about the deal, according to a report posted to Instagram by PSU Vanguard, the student newspaper.

Their statement claimed that Cudd had lied numerous times, said Zoe Burmaster, of the PSU Vanguard. She said the protesters had called the presidents lofty promises utterly false, and they noted that, amnesty was a very important condition for negotiations to even begin with.

According to protesters, Cudd demanded they identify themselves by name and student ID, which they would release to the District Attorneys office if requested. Cudd said the administration would cooperate with requests from local law enforcement and prosecutors.

In their statement, protesters determined that Cudd did not have the authority to grant legal amnesty to protesters. That power rests with Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, who had refused to come to the table, according to the PSU Vanguard. On Tuesday, Schmidt posted about the occupying protesters on X, promising to prosecute these cases when they come to my office.

Cudd told protesters she would recommend their charges be lowered to a misdemeanor, according to the PSU Vanguard report.

The protesters also criticized Cudds offer because it failed to mention their demands for the university to divest from Boeing, which helped to develop Israels missile defense system, and has continued to arm the IDF as it continues a brutal military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Students at Portland State University have been pushing for the university to cut ties with the aerospace giant since mid-October, shortly after Israel launched its assault on Gaza. Boeing has donated $150,000 to name a classroom and provides $28,000 a year for scholarships and emergency funds for students, according to the PSU Vanguard.

Cudd had told protesters she would meet with them at a later date to discuss the remaining concerns of the protest to continue our dialogue on how Portland State can continue to advance the interests of peace and humanity in our world.

The students have barricaded themselves inside the building, spray painting the walls with slogans such as Genocide is an Emergency, and Stop Cop City.

In Cudds letter she urged protesters to stop destroying school property. We have no control over what happens in the Middle East; we do have control over how we treat each other, she said. Protesters criticized her use of the phrase Middle East, as opposed to naming Gaza directly, according to the PSU Vanguard report.

Since occupying the building on Monday, protesters have maintained that the building is open for students, and on Tuesday some non-protesting students were reportedly studying inside the building, according to the PSU Vanguard.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  As tents remain pitched at the Portland State University library with several occupants inside the building, its a matter of time before police make their next move.

I have been forced to make a difficult decision to give over operational control of the situation, PSU President Ann Cudd said in an announcement Tuesday afternoon. PSU has requested the assistance of the Portland Police Bureau to remove trespassers from the library.

On Monday, several protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza formed an encampment on campus, with most leaving before 7 p.m. However, some protesters remained in what they called the Gaza Solidarity Encampment outside the library.

ODOT sued over DMV hack that compromised 3.5 million residents information

But when a group of around 75 people began to occupy the inside of the building, city officials said the resulting property damage crossed the line into criminal behavior. District Attorney Mike Schmidt said his office will prosecute the cases as they come and felony charges could be filed.

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza set up camp on the campus of Portland State University. April 29, 2024 (KOIN)

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza set up camp on the campus of Portland State University. April 30, 2024 (KOIN)

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza set up camp on the campus of Portland State University. April 30, 2024 (KOIN)

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza set up camp on the campus of Portland State University. April 30, 2024 (KOIN)

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza set up camp on the campus of Portland State University. April 30, 2024 (KOIN)

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza set up camp on the campus of Portland State University. April 30, 2024 (KOIN)

As a result, the school remained closed through Tuesday and the PSU Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting which functioned as an executive session  meaning reporters could listen but not report specifics about what was said.

He was a positive man: Family grieves Haitian student killed in Portland drive-by shooting

Board President Cudd briefed the board on the general timeline of the protest and its subsequent events.

Cudd also posted the following message to students that addressed those who remain inside the campus library:

I have  heard concerns about how PSU responds to individuals engaged in protest during this fraught time and on this point I want to be absolutely clear. No one involved in a protest has been sanctioned for the content of their message. PSU has always been and will remain a place where free speech and academic freedom are treasured.

Our focus is on drawing a bright line between protecting freedom of speech and activities including discrimination, harassment, intimidation, property damage and assault. We have reasonable time, place and manner restrictions in place  these are community standards so that our university can continue to be a place for learning, teaching, working and living. We will continue to enforce our policies evenly for all campus events, including protest, and expect all of our campus community members to conduct themselves in ways that follow student and professional codes of conduct. This includes following all anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.

Protesters occupy PSU library as classes are canceled Tuesday

On Monday, Cudd was among Portland city leaders who held a late-night news conference, during which the Portland police chief, mayor, and district attorney gathered to tell occupiers to leave the building.

By Tuesday afternoon, Cudds position shifted to ask police to help the university remove all occupiers from the library.

Let me be clear: Portland State University supports free speech and academic freedom, including protest. The war in Gaza holds immense significance to many in our community, Cudd said in her message Tuesday afternoon. However, I cannot condone or excuse criminal activity that places students and PSU community members at risk. Nor will I condone the property damage that has taken place at PSUs library and other buildings.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

Wednesday is May Day, otherwise known as International Workers Day  a common day for protests every year. While some schools across the country have begun to cancel their graduation ceremonies, PSU will not have a ceremony until mid-June.

PSU announced the school will be closed Wednesday.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
McGhee Tyson Airport is waiting for a call.

It could come next month, or it could come in five years, but airport leaders are confident it will come sooner or later.

On the other end will be Southwest Airlines.

It won't be the first call between the airport and the airline, but it will be the most important. Southwest leaders will say that the airline is finally able to enter the Knoxville market.

For travelers with a long memory, Southwest is a beloved budget airline that offers better customer service and cheaper fares than other airlines. Many drive out of their way to take advantage of getting two free checked bags, a first come, first serve seating policy and flexible ticketing services.

More recent memories of Southwest include massive holiday cancellations, an aging scheduling system and aircraft manufacturing delays courtesy of Boeing.

But though these events have threatened Southwest's reputation, they have done little to dampen the zeal of Knoxville residents who want the airline.

Luckily for Southwest enthusiasts, McGhee Tyson has a "great partnership" with the airline, said Jim Evans, the airport's vice president of marketing and air service development.

When a chartered Southwest flight touched down in Knoxville in 2017, airport staff put out an emergency radio call to summon anyone who wasn't busy to come immediately to the gate. Staff posed with a banner in front of the plane that read "Hey Southwest! Knoxville is Waiting."

The airport sent the photo to Southwest's headquarters in Dallas. "They thought it was funny, but it didn't work," Evans said.

But getting Southwest is not a will-they, won't-they situation. It's simply a matter of time.

More McGhee Tyson: The Knoxville airport is growing, and we're doubling down on covering it.

We visit with them on a regular basis, Evans told Knox News. "They have been here looking at the city, and I think they have a great deal of confidence that they would do well flying to McGhee Tyson Airport. As they have told us many, many times, our time will come. We don't know when that is. I'm not sure if they do either."

Southwest stunned the industry when it added 18 new destinations in a short period at the height of the pandemic. Since then, the airline has not added any new destinations, choosing instead to focus on improving the performance of its network.

"We have regular conversations with airports about the potential of bringing Southwest to a particular market," airline spokesperson Dan Landson told Knox News. "We do not currently have plans to expand into Knoxville."

Story continues

As its mix of business and leisure passengers grows, McGhee Tyson Airport wants to attract new airlines and it has a plan to entice them. Though it is unlikely to be a deciding factor in whether Southwest comes to Knoxville, the airport's updated air service incentive program could hasten the announcement.

What incentives can McGhee Tyson give airlines?

More than 250 commercial airports in the U.S. use air service incentive programs, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates them. The programs let airports offer incentives to airlines that defray the cost of starting a new flight. Behind almost every announcement of a new airline is an airport's effort to entice them with incentives.

McGhee Tyson's sticker price for airline incentives is $240,000, but it can be raised with a vote of the airport board. Though the airport has spent only a fraction of that amount in recent years, its incentive budget has skyrocketed due to a slate of new flights and a new airline coming this summer.

All money for McGhee Tyson's incentives come from nonaeronautical revenue, like parking fees and airport concessions.

The FAA has a slate of incentive rules airports must follow, including:

An airport cannot subsidize a flight.

Its incentives cannot last forever, and the airport has to get something in return.

An airport cannot charge one airline higher fees to pay for another airline's incentives.

Incentive programs cannot be tailored to a specific airline (sorry, Southwest).

The airport has a new incentive program that meets new FAA guidelines and was approved by the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners in February.

The program went into effect April 1 and will continue through 2029. It lays out various levels of marketing incentives, based on whether an airline is new to Knoxville and how desirable its new destination is.

If Southwest came to McGhee Tyson with a nonstop flight to Los Angeles, it could receive up to $100,000 in marketing money. On the low end, if an existing airline added a flight to a not-so-exciting destination, it could receive up to $40,000 in marketing money.

The marketing money is a reimbursement for advertising an airline buys for up to its first three years at McGhee Tyson. All advertisements must feature the airport's name and logo.

Airlines also get rewarded for how successful a new flight is: McGhee Tyson will give them $1 per passenger flown on the route during the incentive period. The program does not apply to airlines that increase the frequency of existing service or "upgauge," an industry term for putting flights on bigger planes.

In addition to marketing, McGhee Tyson can waive fees that an airline pays to land and use its gates during the incentive period. Evans said these fees typically add up to between $900 and $1,000 per flight.

The airport is unlikely to reach maximum incentives spending, said Evans, who oversees air service development and marketing. Knoxville's incentive budget is relatively small and the airport hasn't needed to use many incentives to get airlines to add new service.

"We are blessed that we don't generally have to throw out massive amounts of incentives to attract air service. You know, our local market is so strong and our airlines do very well here," Evans said. "They really are not demanding massive amounts of incentives, which is great for us. Not every other airport has that luxury."

McGhee Tyson's reputation as an airport that doesn't need incentives could be changing as the airport adds seven new flights this summer.

Southwest Airlines has no plans to expand into Knoxville, but passengers are hoping the carrier adds flights here. It has a reputation for flexibility and known for allowing a free carry-on bag.

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport raised its incentive budget from $467,000 to $684,000 last summer in a bid to attract airlines. In general, airports modify their incentive plans to get what they want. Nashville International Airport's incentive program goes big on international flights  up to $500,000 a year for two years  but gives only up to $25,000 for new domestic flights.

Aviation expert: Southwest not likely swayed by incentives

There's another lever McGhee Tyson could try to pull to get Southwest here sooner: incentives supported with financial backing from community partners.

Some airports have gone big and won. Real estate companies and local governments in Panama City, Florida, put together a $26 million incentive package for Southwest in 2010 to fly from Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. Though that partnership worked well, don't expect something similar in Knoxville.

One incentive the airport has not explored is a minimum revenue guarantee. These are risky ventures that are common in the aviation industry in which nonairport partners, like chambers of commerce and tourism boards, agree to make up any difference between how much an airline wants to make from new service and how much it actually makes.

"There are bunches of them out there that have been done in the past and sometimes they work great. Sometimes, as soon as the incentive guarantee is over with, the airline pulls the service, and there is risk involved in that," Evans said. "We as the airport just don't do that."

Even if McGhee Tyson did put together an ambitious package of incentives, Southwest has much larger problems to deal with at the moment, said Bill Swelbar, chief industry analyst at Swelbar-Zhong Consultancy and a leading aviation expert.

Incentives can help move a city higher up on an airline's list of markets it wants to enter, but they aren't likely to make the decision for them, Swelbar said. Besides, Knoxville may not need them.

Knoxville has a lot of airlines and a lot of service and they have been one of the best-performing airports in terms of attracting air service without incentives," Swelbar said. Knoxville is a very strong market and it can stand on its own."

As the airport grows, airlines are likely to gain confidence that Knoxville is a good bet, and that could include Southwest. But the same qualities that made Southwest a favorite  industry leading customer service and low prices  are not necessarily true of the airline today as competitors catch up.

Southwest canceled around 16,700 flights in December 2022 thanks to winter storms and a rudimentary scheduling system. As the operator of the largest Boeing fleet in the world, it has also been hit hard by aircraft delivery delays after a series of fatal crashes and emergency landings of Boeing aircraft operated by other airlines.

Ten years ago, Southwest was a very different carrier than it is today. If you had Southwest in your city, they were the low fare operator, Swelbar said. They had tremendous power. They were the great price disciplinarian. They are no longer that price disciplinarian.

Passengers return to Southwest perhaps for the customer service, the free carry-on bag or the nostalgia. Some even drive to Nashville, a regional hub for the airline, instead of flying on a budget airline from Knoxville.

Knoxville airport throws $1 million in incentives amid rapid growth

McGhee Tyson is executing a record seven incentive programs at once this summer for new flights. The incentives have pushed the airport far beyond its $240,000 sticker price for incentives to around $1 million, Evans said.

McGhee Tyson saw a record 2.8 million passengers in 2023 and led Tennessee airports with the fastest growth rate. The airport has embarked on a long-term construction project to add a new $180 million parking garage and expand the terminal.

The airport will offer marketing funds and fee waivers to four airlines for seven new flights this summer:

Avelo Airlines to Tweed New Haven Airport beginning May 9

Frontier Airlines to Philadelphia International Airport beginning May 16

Allegiant Air to Orlando International Airport beginning May 17

Delta Airlines to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport beginning June 7

Allegiant Air to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport beginning June 13

Allegiant Air to South Bend International Airport beginning June 14

Allegiant Air to Jacksonville International Airport beginning June 14

Airlines will get $30,000 for marketing, $1 per passenger flown on the new service and a fee waiver for up to a year for year-round flights and three years for seasonal flights. As a new airline, Avelo Airlines will get $40,000 for marketing.

Low-cost carrier Avelo became the first new airline in Knoxville since 2011 when it announced in February that it would begin flying from Knoxville to its hub in New Haven, Connecticut.

Six airlines fly out of Knoxville: Allegiant, American, Avelo, Delta, Frontier and United.

Chamber program tries to attract new flights to Knoxville

For over 10 years, the Knoxville Chamber has helped McGhee Tyson to try to keep fewer locals from traveling to airports in other cities.

The chamber operates the competitive airfare partnership, or CAP, to bring Knoxville community partners to the table to offer airlines additional incentives. CAP is on standby in case an airline asks McGhee Tyson for something it can't give them.

For the most part, McGhee Tyson and CAP must operate completely separately from one another. Doug Lawyer, the chamber's vice president for economic development, is the program's de facto leader.

Attracting new air service is not so different from traditional economic development, where the chamber tries to sell Knoxville to companies looking to build in a new city. The main difference is how volatile the aviation industry can be, Lawyer told Knox News.

"The airline industry can change very quickly," Lawyer said. "Airlines have got these $150 million assets called airplanes that they can move around at a moment's notice and those decisions tend to happen really rapidly. We try and position ourselves to be able to respond rapidly as well when those requests come."

CAP put around $100,000 on the table many years ago to help Allegiant add new nonstop service from Knoxville, which was the program's largest offer, Lawyer said.

It is not involved in every new airline announcement, though it actively seeks to attract more low-cost air service, including from Southwest.

"In my opinion, no amount of incentives, whether it's an airline trying to expand or recruiting a business is going to make make a bad location a good one. Airlines are looking at where the population growth is and where they can drive revenue," Lawyer said. "I think we're blessed to be in a good position."

Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.

Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville airport McGhee Tyson wants Southwest flights
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  The protests over the Israel-Gaza conflict on the campus of Portland State University are just the latest in a long history of protests in the city.

Three of the most recent notable protests happened in 2011, 2018 and 2020.

Likely no one has forgotten the protests of 2020, as thousands gathered for about 100 consecutive nights following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. What began as largely peaceful demonstrations to address racial unrest morphed into clashes between protesters and law enforcement on an almost daily basis.

Protesters occupy PSU library as classes are canceled Tuesday

Kelly Kretschmer, an associate professor at Oregon State Universitys School of Public Policy, said this was a civil rights protest, but that over time protesters brought a lot of their own motivations.

Theres a common phrase among scholars of activism, Theres no bouncer at a protest. So, people show up, said Kretschmer.

Local businesses suffered millions in damage and there was substantial property damage to city parks and federal buildings in downtown Portland.

He was a positive man: Family grieves Haitian student killed in Portland drive-by shooting

The ICE protests in 2018 became an encampment that was hard to miss. The immigration facility on Macadam Avenue was closed for a bit as hundreds gathered for weeks to protest then-President Trumps immigration policies.

You will always will have a much smaller core of people whore willing to upend their lives for days, weeks, months on end, Kretschmer told KOIN 6 News. The people who will actually stay in encampments are a much more dedicated, advocacy group.

In 2011, the Occupy protests took over Chapman and Lownsdale Squares. That scene played out for more than a month and cost the City of Portland millions in police overtime and repairs to city property.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A mother in Haiti was left grieving after her 30-year-old son was shot and killed in Portland on Monday, April 15.

Marc Leon Telean was driving home after school when he was struck in a drive-by shooting that police called a random incident. So far, no suspects have been identified.

Protesters occupy PSU library as classes are canceled Tuesday

His older brother, Rodely, said Marc moved to Portland from Haiti in January 2024 after being accepted for a student visa at Mt. Hood Community College.

Rodely said his brother was a very beloved member of the family who always put 100% of himself in everything to succeed in life.

The important thing to know about him is that he was a positive man, Rodely said. He always thought he would reach his goals, and this hits us even harder that he wasnt able to attain the goals he had.

PSU library occupation now criminal behavior, not free speech, city officials say

The family said they want justice for Marcs killing and created a GoFundMe page to help with funeral arrangements.

Anyone with information about this shooting is encouraged to contact Portland police.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
The Post Offices lead lawyer considered halting prosecutions of sub-postmasters two years before the cases were eventually dropped, the inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal has heard.

Jarnail Singh, then head of the Post Offices criminal law team, raised the issue in a March 2013 email while the organisation was waiting for an interim report on Horizon from forensic accounts Second Sight.

In the email, shown to the inquiry on Wednesday, he questioned whether prosecutions for cases where there were concerns about Horizon inaccuracies should be paused while the business waited for the outcome of the report on the IT system.

The correspondence was sent to Martin Smith, who at the time was employed by Cartwright King Solicitors to advise the Post Office about prosecutions. He gave evidence to the inquiry on Wednesday.

In the email, Mr Singh asked: Why POL [Post Office Ltd] cannot simply stay and hold fire in prosecutions where there has been alleged Horizon issues, yes or no[?].

He added: Can we stay some or is it all or nothing?

In response, Mr Smith advised that if the Post Office were to take such an action, it would be assumed by many that [Post Office Ltd] had found and was trying to resolve a problem with the Horizon system.

He wrote: If applications were made to adjourn all existing cases until after the report becomes available, this would result in a nightmare situation.

An image of the Fujitsu Horizon IT system in 2000. Its failings led to hundreds of prosecutions and many innocent sub-postmasters being jailed - UNPIXS

The Post Office continued to wrongly prosecute sub-postmasters until 2015, with many going to prison for false accounting and theft.

Mr Smith told the inquiry on Wednesday: I thought at the time it was language used, but obviously as this has rolled on, I think that he perhaps knew a lot more than he was letting on.

He also described how, during a phone call with Mr Singh later that year, he had pulled over while driving because he had been told that minutes taken from internal meetings discussing concerns about the Horizon software had been destroyed.

Mr Smith said he understood that this was under the instruction of John Scott, then the Post Offices head of security.

The inquiry was shown a brief note on the call taken on Aug 31 2013. A summary of the call read: JScott has instructed that typed minutes be scrapped.

Describing what he remembered of the call, Mr Smith said: I was actually driving at the time when I took the call from Mr Singh and I can recall complaining to him about the influence being exerted over the Post Office, in my view by the civil lawyers, the external civil lawyers.

I was horrified and shocked

And I can also recall him telling me that an instruction had been sent out that the typed minutes should be scrapped and that if anyone asks, then Cartwright King would be blamed for providing that advice, or words to that effect.

Mr Smith added: I can recall being absolutely horrified and shocked by what Id heard and when I had the opportunity to pull over, I was able to use another mobile phone to record at a distance the latter part of the conversation because I was just so shocked by what Id heard.

He said he couldnt remember the exact phraseology but said his understanding was that Mr Scott had given the instruction for typed minutes of internal discussions about Horizon to be destroyed and this action had been carried out.

Mr Smith will continue giving evidence on Thursday, with Mr Singh set to return to the inquiry for the second time on Friday.

04:24 PM BST

Thats all for today

Thats all for today. Thank you for following our live coverage of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.

Check the website for the latest updates.

04:21 PM BST

Smith absolutely horrified to hear notes on Horizon concerns destroyed

Martin Smith pulled over his car to record the second part of a 24-minute phone call with Jarnail Singh after being absolutely horrified by hearing typed minutes on Horizon concerns had been destroyed.

The inquiry was shown minutes which showed the former Cartwright King solicitor had been on a 24-minute call with the Post Offices then Head of Criminal Law on August 31, 2013.

A summary of the call read: JScott has instructed that typed minutes be scrapped.

Describing what he remembered of the call, Mr Smith said: I was actually driving at the time when I took the call from Mr Singh and I can recall complaining to him about the influence being exerted over the Post Office, in my view by the civil lawyers, the external civil lawyers.

And I can also recall him telling me that an instruction had been sent out that the typed minutes should be scrapped and that if anyone asks, then Cartwright King would be blamed for providing that advice, or words to that effect.

Mr Smith added: I can recall being absolutely horrified and shocked by what Id heard and when I had the opportunity to pull over, I was able to use another mobile phone to record at a distance the latter part of the conversation because I was just so shocked by what Id heard.

Mr Smith said he couldnt remember the exact phraseology but said his understanding was that the then-Head of Security had given the instruction for typed minutes of internal discussions about Horizon to be destroyed and this action had been carried out.

He said: I remembermaking the decision that I would ask [Simon Clarke] to prepare formal advice to the Post Office so that it put absolutely in black and white their obligations and confirming effectively that he had them at the very first meeting.

04:15 PM BST

Recap

Earlier today the inquiry heard Harry Bowyer, a former Cartwright King Solicitors barrister, who helped the Post Office prosecute sub-postmasters said claims there were issues with Horizon amounted to people jumping on the bandwagon.

However, Mr Bowyer told the inquiry his use of the term should not be seen as pejorative, adding: You can join a bandwagon that is perfectly proper.

The inquiry was also shown a document in which a barrister for the Post Office advised against prosecuting a sub-postmaster over fears it would expose weaknesses in the Horizon system.

Giving advice on the 2015 case, Martin Smith said his understanding was that the sub-postmaster was able to exploit a known weakness in the Horizon system.

Mr Smith went on to say there was a substantial risk that any reports generated by prosecuting this case would be utilised by those who seek to argue that Horizon is defective or inadequate.

03:55 PM BST

Smith says he didnt read document he sent to Post Offic lawyers

Mr Smith has claimed he may not have read a response drafted by a colleague for the Criminal Cases Review Commission - despite sending it on to Post Office lawyers.

The document, written by Simon Calrke, was a response to correspondence sent by the Commission to then-CEO Paula Vennells.

It stated that solicitors who had defended sub-postmasters whose cases may be affected by the disclosure of the Second Sight Interim review, had been written to.

The paperwork did not mention any concerns about Gareth Jenkins, despite Mr Clarke advising the Post Office that his evidence may not be reliable days earlier.

It concluded with: We take the view that it is incumbent upon POL as a major public institution to take every reasonable step to ensure that only the genuinely guilty are convicted and that those who are, or may have been convicted without good reason, have every opportunity of correcting such a miscarriage of justice.

Mr Smith told the inquiry he may not have read the document before forwarding it to Post Office legal executive Susan Crichton.

He told the inquiry: I dont believe I gave that any thought at the time. It seems to me that Ive simply forwarded documents.

03:31 PM BST

Smith not aware of post conviction duty of disclosure

Asked about a statement in which Martin Smith said he was not aware of a post conviction duty of disclosure, Mr Smith confirmed this was the case.

The former Cartwright King solicitor told the inquiry: Yes, I wasnt aware of that. I became aware of the post conviction duty of disclosure upon discussing Mr Ishaqs case with Mr Clarke.

He added: I pointed out that Mr Jenkins had said there had been no bugs in the branch and Mr Clarkes views was that this was still disclosable because it would give Mr Ishaq the opportunity to argue that there were bugs [in the Horizon IT system] as yet unknown to Post Office, and therefore they should be disclosed.

Khayyam Ishaq was sentenced to 54 weeks imprisonment after pleading guilty to theft.

03:10 PM BST

Postmasters lawyers given report told not to share

Lawyers for an imprisoned postmaster were given two reports on Horizons accuracy - but told not to share them further.

The inquiry was shown an email written by Cartwright King barrister Simon Clarke to solicitors representing Khayyam Ishaq.

The correspondence explained that had Cartwright King Solicitors been in possession of Second Sights interim report and the Helen Rose report - which also looked into cases related to Horizon issues - they should have been disclosed at the time of Mr Ishaqs prosecution.

The newly published reports were attached to the 2013 email in case the sub-postmaster wished to consider appealing his conviction.

However, the email contained no apology and Mr Simon concluded it by saying: We would also remind you of your duty not to disclose this material to any third party other than your client in particular the Helen Rose report is not in the public domain.

Addressing Mr Smith, Mr Blake said: No sharing allowed in relation to the Helen Rose report? Is that again a concern about the publicity that might raise?

Mr Smith said: I didnt consider that point. This is the letter as Mr Clarke prepared it.

03:00 PM BST

Smith warned Post Office disclosing rough draft of report could lead to bad publicity

Martin Smith advised Post Office lawyers not to disclose a rough draft of the first half of Second Sights interim report, warning that it would give rise to adverse publicity and speculation.

An email sent by Mr Smith in July 2013 in response to the doucment read: Our advice overall with regard to disclosure has not changed. The disclosure of a partial report would not meet with our duties or help the current situation.

It added: I think the disclosure of a partial report would provide partial information and give rise to adverse publicity and speculation.

When asked about this, Mr Smith said the comments followed a meeting at Post Offices headquarters in London in which he said those in the organisation had expressed concern about adverse publictiy.

He said: So I think our approach to this would have been that it would be better to await the full report and then make deicisons rather than start to disclose bits of the report.

Solicitor Martin Smith who acted for the Post Office is giving evidenc

02:50 PM BST

Smith: Fujitsu expert told me there was no bug at postmasters branch

Martin Smith has said Gareth Jenkins told him personally that a sub-postmasters branch had not been impacted by bugs - before telling he and a colleague months later that the Horizon system as a whole had been affected by at least two bugs.

Khayyam Ishaq was sentenced to 54 weeks imprisonment after pleading guilty to theft.

However, in one of his defence statements he suggested that his losses were attributed to a freezing screen.

Mr Smith told the inquiry: I thought if anything there was more to that and I specifically asked Mr Jenkins at court whether or not there had been a bug affecting Mr Ishaqs branch and he had said there was not.

It was later revealed Mr Jenkins had not disclosed the existence of bugs when giving evidence in Mr Ishaqs case and others.

He also acknowledged there were bugs in a phone call with Mr Smith and a colleague in a phone call months after Mr Ishaq was sentenced.

Mr Smith told the inquiry: I was actually quite upset about the position.

I remember actually feeling quite angry about that, because a man had gone to prison and quite frankly those bugs should have been closed.

He added: I asked Simon [Clarke] to review the case as a matter of urgency and I believe that he did.

02:29 PM BST

Post Office chief considered halting prosecutions until Horizon report published

A former Post Office head of criminal law considered halting all prosecutions of sub-postmaster until a report into Horizon was published, the inquiry heard.

An email sent by Jarnail Singh to Martin Smith, then a Cartwright King solicitor, asked for Mr Smiths view on Why POL [Post Office Ltd] cannot simply stay and hold fire in prosecutions where there has been alleged Horizon issues, yes or no.

Mr Singh added: Can we stay some or is it all or nothing?

Mr Smith replied to the email advising that it would be assumed by many that POL had found and was trying to resolve a problem with the Horizon system.

He wrote: If applications were made to adjourn all existing cases until after the report becomes available, this would result in a nightmare situation.

Mr Smith, who described the advice that he had been given as the view of Cartwright King, suggested that Mr Singh was potentially deliberately being less than clear in his communications.

He told the inquiry: I thought at the time it was language used, but obviously as this has rolled on, I think that he perhaps knew a lot more than he was letting on.

02:09 PM BST

Saying postmasters defence team were grumbling about disclosure was inappropriate

Martin Smith has acknowledged it was inappropriate to describe a sub-postmasters defence team as grumbling about disclosure.

In an internal email sent by Mr Smith to another employee at Cartwright King Solicitors in 2013, Mr Smith said: There is a chance it [a trial] could go off, however, as the defendants solicitors are grumbling about disclosure and the lack of information on the disc prepared for them by Stebe B [Bradshaw].

They have asked the court to list the case for an intervention hearing and the provisional data for that is the 5th feb 2013.

When asked if he felt grumbling was a fair term to use, Mr Smith said: No I dont.

He added later: Grumbling is perhaps an inappropriate term.

02:04 PM BST

Inquiry resumes

The inquiry has resumed following a break for lunch.

01:00 PM BST

Inquiry breaks for lunch

The inquiry morning session has ended. The afternoon session will begin at 2pm following a lunch break.

12:55 PM BST

Smith quite horrified when reviewing document ahead of inquiry

Martin Smith has said he was quite horrified when he reviewed a spreadsheet in preparation for the inquiry.

The former Cartwright King solicitor was sent a spreadsheet which he told the inquiry he believed were a list of cases where unsubstantiated challenges against Horizon had been made.

In reality, they were a list of cases being compiled, following Mr Bowyers advice on documenting cases where Horizon integrity had been challenged.

However, he told the inquiry he did not open the spreadsheet at the time because no issues had been raised about it internally and he therefore did not see the need to.

When asked if the spreadsheet was precisely the kind of information one sub-postmasters defence team were requesting, Mr Smith said: Well it was - the short answers is yes, when I opened the spreadsheet, when I was as preparing for this public inquiry, I was actually quite horrified that I had read on it.

He said he had believed it was a list of unsuccessful challenges but added, the more appropriate title would be list of unsuccessful challenges the Post Office dare not prosecute.

When asked if it was a personal failing that he did not open the spreadsheet, Mr Smith said: Well, with hindsight, I wish I had.

12:17 PM BST

Post Offices Head of Criminal Law and an investigator claimed Horizon was robust

Martin Smith said he was told Horizon was robust by the Post Offices Head of Criminal Law and an investigator.

The inquiry was shown an email sent by Mr Smith in 2012 in which he described one request for documents from defence lawyers as a fishing expedition.

Julian Blake said: Is it fair to say that irrespective of how you feel now, the picture we see is one of pushing back against disclosure requests relating to the integrity of the Horizon system?

Mr Smith: The picture at the time was that Post Office was saying that the system was robust. They were clear that the system was robust.

When asked who from the Post Office told him this, Mr Smith said: Jarnail Singh, Head of Criminal Law, was telling us the system was robust. Stephen Bradshaw, an investigator, was saying the system was robust.

He added: The message Cartwright King was receiving was that the message was robust.

12:08 PM BST

Pictured: Former Cartwright King solicitor Martin Smith

Martin Smith, a former Cartwright King solicitor, is giving evidence at the Post Office inquiry today.

Former Cartwright King solicitor Martin Smith

12:02 PM BST

Smith advised against prosecuting sub-postmaster over fears it would expose Horizon weaknesses

Martin Smith advised against prosecuting a sub-postmaster over fears it would expose weaknesses in the Horizon system.

The inquiry was shown charging advice over a sub-postmaster who admitted to discovering that it was possible to sell a postal order, reverse the transaction and cash it out for their own gain.

Giving advice on the 2015 case, Mr Smith said his understanding was that the sub-postmaster was able to exploit a known weakness in the Horizon system, adding: Whilst this is not an Horizon issue to the extent that the system permitted the sequences of transactions in accordance with its programming, it does not of course make the position any less embarrassing for the Post Office.

He went on to say there was a substantial risk that any reports generated by a prosecution of this case would be utilised by those who seek to argue that Horizon is defective or inadequate.

Mr Smith also expressed concerns that the case would encourage others replicate the act for their own personal gain.

Concluding his advice later in the document he wrote: Whilst the public interest in this case is clearly met, for the reasons set out above I do not regard a prosecution as being in the public interest.

11:48 AM BST

Solicitor says he didnt know what Post Office prosecution policy was

A solicitor who acted and advised in sub-postmaster prosecution cases said he and colleagues initially didnt didnt know what Post Offices prosecution policy was.

Martin Smith told the inquiry that until the publication of the interim Second Sight Review in 2013, Cartwright King Solicitors were working without policies.

Mr Smith said he initially was acting as an agent in sub-postmaster prosecutions - presenting cases in court on instructions and then reporting back.

He told the inquiry: It wasnt clear who was ultimately making decisions and I assumed that it would be going back to the [Post Offices] Head of the Legal Department to make decisions.

We didnt for example know what Post Offices prosecution policy was at that point.

11:34 AM BST

Inquiry resumes

Former Cartwright King solicitor Martin Smith has just been sworn in.

He will be questioned by counsel to the inquiry Julian Blake.

11:27 AM BST

Post Office key statistics

11:19 AM BST

Bowyer finishes giving evidence

Mr Bowyer has now finished giving evidence.

The inquiry will break, before hearing from former Cartwright King Solicitor Martin Smith.

Harry Bowyer a former Cartwright King Solicitors barrister

11:18 AM BST

Bowyer describes one conviction as extremely worrying

Harry Bowyer described one conviction as an extremely worrying case and said that disclosed material would have caused the Post Office a great deal of embarrassment.

Gillian Howard pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over a 45,850 shortfall and received a six-month community sentence order with a six-month supervision requirement.

However, evidence that a son of one of her employees had been committing thefts from the secure area was not disclosed.

Advice Mr Bowyer gave while reviewing the case read: This is an extremely worrying case. It is only through good fortune, sensible prosecution counsel and a sympathetic Judge that we are not going to have to disclose material which could cause POL, a great deal of embarrassment.

In his witness statement Mr Bowyer admitted he should have advised disclosure of the subsequent thefts.

He told the inquiry: As I said in my statement, I think I got this advice wrong.

11:02 AM BST

Bowyer defends non-disclosure of documents

Harry Bowyer defended non-disclosure of certain documents by claiming that the Post Office would not want a route map on how to attack lawyers working for it.

Advice written by Mr Bowyer in 2014 and shown to the inquiry in relation to one case, read: The views of the prosecuting lawyers, at an early stage of the proceedings on strengths/weakness of our case being exposed to defendants and their defence teams. This could create problems should we recommence prosecutions.

Mr Bowyer went on to say: In extreme instances we could become witnesses in our own cases. An obvious example is the case of Choudry (Wasim Abbass) in which neither the PO investigators not the POL systems cover themselves in glory - I am sure that our mutual client POL, does not want a document in the public domain that provides a route map to how to attack us where we are most sensitive.

When asked why he had written the final sentence, Mr Bowyer said: Because as far as thats concerned it should be considered in the context of each case.

10:45 AM BST

Importance of Post Office as client impacted advice by law firm

The importance of the Post Office as a client to Cartwright King impacted the firms ability to give impartial and independent advice, the inquiry heard.

Harry Bowyer was asked if the size of the Post Office as a client to Cartwright King influenced consciously or subconsciously the way it approached giving advice impartially and independently.

He said: Yes. I think it must have.

Mr Bowyer added: When we actually pulled the plug on the prosecutions, it was worrying as to how our bosses would take it.

And it was a big moment telling the Post Office that they could not rely on their experts and that they should stop prosecuting.

10:29 AM BST

Barrister: There are perfectly proper bandwagons.

Harry Bowyer has defended using the term bandwagon to describe challenges to Horizon and has told the inquiry he doesnt see it as a pejorative term.

Yesterday the inquiry saw an email in which Mr Bowyer used the term in August 2012 to describe how more challenges would come to Horizon as the bandwagon picks up speed.

When asked why he used this term, Mr Bowyer said: I think the inquiry is attaching pejorative terms to it.

He added: There have been bandwagons that Ive joined when Ive seen that a defence seems to be working. I will leap upon it.

When challenged as to whether he should have been wary of using the term, which he used twice when advising the Post Office, Mr Bowyer said: I dont think so.

No, because you can join a bandwagon that is perfectly proper.

There are occasions when the reason people are all heading in the same direction is that theyve got a valid cause. As I said, I dont find the term bandwagon pejorative.

10:28 AM BST

Bowyer discussed Scottish Horizon cases without relevant legal training

Harry Bowyer was not trained in Scottish law but despite this discussed investigations into Scottish Horizon investigations, the inquiry heard.

When shown an email chain of Mr Bowyer discussing a Scottish case, he was asked if it was common for him to look at similar investigations.

He replied: Not terribly because I am not qualified in Scottish law.

Mr Bowyer was asked if he felt able to advise on the Scottish case being discussed on the email chain, to which he replied: I do not recall the case.

10:12 AM BST

Cartwright King marking its own homework, says Bowyer

Harry Bowyer has said he had concerns that Cartwright King was marking its own homework when the firm was reviewing historic postmaster prosecutions and considering disclosure issues.

The firm carried out a review of cases following revelations that evidence given by Gareth Jenkins - an expert witness used in several cases - may not be reliable.

Emma Price: At the time did you recognise the risks inherent in Cartwright King and this phrase has been used a number of times marking its own homework?

Mr Bowyer: Well, yes because that was addressed at a very early point, especially we had a conference with Briam Altmann in his chambers in September, I think 2013 and that point was addressed there and then.

He added: But I think it was felt that the Cartwright King barristers actually hadnt prosecuted the cases themselves and this was the fastest way of getting the job done.

10:10 AM BST

Postmistress should have been told expert who helped convict her was unreliable

Postmistress should have been told the expert witness who helped convict her while pregnant could not be relied upon, Harry Bowyer has said.

Yesterday the inquiry heard of how ex-Fujitsu engineer Gareth Jenkins was branded unreliable by Cartwright King Solicitors - after it was discovered he had failed to disclose bugs in the system when giving evidence used to prosecute sub-postmasters.

Seema Misra was eight weeks pregnant when she was handed a 15 month sentence for false accounting and theft in 2010.

Asking Mr Bowyer about reviews of historic cases which were carried out after concerns about Mr Jenkins reliability were raised in 2012, Ms Price said: It was your view at the time that Mr Jenkins evidence could not be relied upon once the interim Second Sight Review came out and following that?

Mr Bowyer: Yes.

Ms Price: Did you give any consideration to whether Seema Misra should be told in clear terms that the expert witness in her trial was in your view discreed?

Mr Bowyer: Well, I didnt review Seema Misras case, but I think my view would have been that it should have been disclosed.

10:04 AM BST

Post Office Inquiry hears from Harry Bowyer

Harry Bowyer, a former Cartwright King Solicitors barrister, giving evidence at the inquiry today.

Post Office Inquiry will hears from Harry Bowyer

09:55 AM BST

Recap: Former Post Office legal boss cant recall reading crucial document

A former Post Office legal boss told the Horizon IT inquiry he could not recall opening a crucial document as he did not like reading them on his mobile, writes Fiona Parker.

Emails shown to the inquiry on Tuesday revealed how Hugh Flemington and the Post Offices then general counsel Susan Crichton were sent a file containing vital legal advice.

The document, written by senior Cartwright King barrister Simon Clarke, expressed concerns about Fujitsu employee Gareth Jenkins - who had been used by the Post Office as an expert witness in sub-postmaster trials.

Yet Mr Flemington told the inquiry he could not recall reading the advice - sent to him in July 2013 - because he was on sabbatical and did not tend to open attachments on his Blackberry device.

Read the full story here.

09:52 AM BST

Cartwright King Solicitors barrister returns

Harry Bowyer, a former Cartwright King Solicitors barrister, has returned to continue giving evidence.

Mr Bowyer, a former employee at the legal firm which was previously instructed by the Post Office, gave evidence yesterday.

He will be questioned by counsel to the inquiry Emma Price.

Martin Smith, another former employee of Cartwright King solicitors, is also due to give evidence today.

Mr Smith had previously been due to take the stand in December last year.

However, inquiry chair Sir Wyn Williams postponed his appearance after a last minute disclosure of documents relevant to his evidence.

Mr Smiths session will follow the conclusion of his former colleagues evidence, Harry Bowyer.

09:45 AM BST

Good morning and welcome

Good morning and welcome to The Telegraphs live coverage of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.

Martin Smith, a solicitor who helped the Post Office prosecute sub-postmasters, is to give evidence today.

Follow this blog for the latest updates.

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Editor's note: Follow here for Thursday updates on the Mount Horeb shooting.

Police in Wisconsin shot and killed a boy who was armed with a weapon outside of a middle school late Wednesday morning, law-enforcement officials said.

The armed boy was a student in the Mount Horeb School District, Josh Kaul, state attorney general confirmed at an afternoon press briefing. The boy was shot and killed by officers outside before he could make his way inside the school, Kaul said.

"For a period of time today there was concern that there was an ongoing threat related to this incident. We currently believe that there is no ongoing threat to public safety. But again, this is an ongoing investigation, and we will update the public if any additional threat to safety is discovered," Kaul said.

The shooting in the community about 20 miles west of Madison was reported a little after 11:15 a.m. local time when Mount Horeb Area School District Superintendent Dr. Steve Salerno said in a social post: "The threat has been neutralized outside of the building. Law-enforcement is circulating throughout the middle school to confirm the safety of all students."

Kaul said officers responded to a report of "an individual with a weapon" outside the middle school and used "deadly force" to neutralize the threat posed. Kaul confirmed that no students or school staff were injured, stating that the reunification process between parents and students would continue through Wednesday night.

He declined to release any specific information on the student involved or the weapon, stating that it is an "ongoing investigation."

'The safety of students and school staff is our number one priority'

The Wisconsin Department of Justice will be leading the investigation, receiving additional assistance from the agency's Office of School Safety.

"The safety of students and school staff is our number one priority. We want to thank the parents and community members of Mount Horeb for their patience as this process took place to ensure the safety of students and school staff," Kaul said.

Salerno echoed the statements made by Kaul, complimenting "amazing staff that have rallied in support of our beautiful children. And the community, that envelops and holds their children and their schools in high esteem. We, of course, lift our prayers to all who have been impacted by today's events."

Kaul recommended that parents and caregivers "restore a sense of safety" by providing reassurance, and safe environment to ask to questions/verbalize their feelings. As well as keeping media exposure to these "upsetting events" limited.

"And we encourage you to contact your local school staff, if you have any specific concerns about your child. School violence prevention is a shared responsibility. And if you have concerns that somebody may be planning an act of school violence, we urge you to report the concern," Kaul said.

Mount Horeb School District to 'take a beat,' schools open to those who need it

Mount Horeb School District schools will be open Thursday to any and all students and staff that need support, with Salerno adding that he thinks it's best for everyone to "take a beat, take a rest" after the day they've had.

"It is our hope that based upon the tone and tenor of those visits...that we can bring students and staff back on Friday," Salerno said. "We'll have a decision on that some point here in the near future. But at this point, we are ready to roll up our sleeves and work shoulder to shoulder with our amazing law enforcement, first responders who came to help support and protect our young people."

The district hopes to begin the process of engaging with parents and community about questions they might have about school safety.

Salerno also noted the community's support for capital referendums that helped install safety measures at schools around the district.

"This could have been a far worse tragedy," the superintendent said. "We're beyond grateful for the community's support of our beautiful children and our loving staff."

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Armed teen killed at Mount Horeb Middle School stopping attack: Police
ASCENSION PARISH, La. (BRPROUD)  A hospital in Prairieville has closed after about five years in business. The Louisiana Department of Health notified the owners that the hospital had not met the states criteria to operate as a hospital.

Dr. John McLean M.D. is the CEO and one of the owners of Prairieville Family Hospital. He said he got the notice at the end of March.

In a letter, LDH Secretary Ralph Abraham said that the decision to take away the license was due to the hospitals violation of La. R.S. 40: 2115.33, which requires that emergency facilities in Louisiana operate as part of the hospitals main campus. Or, they can operate as a separate off-site campus of an existing hospital.

McLean said LDH determined them a freestanding hospital, which is prohibited in Louisiana.

US drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana: AP sources

The state legislature enacted a very tight bill that said you have to have two people in the hospital at all times on average and stay two nights to be considered a hospital and we werent hitting that mark, McLean said.

The hospital closed at 7 p.m. on Sunday. McLean said there was so much water under the bridge and it would take too long to fight back. He thinks people prefer something closer. They dont want to be transferred back to Baton Rouge.

Each access hospital that was just trying to grow business and provide exceptional health care to local people communities, cant do it. The state doesnt want you to evolve, McLean said. So yeah, I think the legislature needs to reconsider it for the future. But I think its gonna be an uphill battle to get that change.

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McLean said patients can go online to see their charts for the next 60 days.

Outside of that, I think theyre just going to have to find healthcare through the usual sources, he said.

The hospital opened in April 2019.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to BRProud.com.
President Biden to visit families of fallen officers in Charlotte after deadly shootout

President Biden to visit families of fallen officers in Charlotte after deadly shootout

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  President Biden plans to visit families in Charlotte on Thursday following the senseless deaths of four law enforcement officers, sources confirm.

Four officers part of the US Marshals Service Task Force died from injuries when a suspect, identified as Terry Hughes Jr., 39, opened fire on a group of law enforcement officers Monday.

Watch live: Procession for fallen Deputy US Marshal Thomas Weeks

The four officers were part of a team executing a warrant for the arrest of Hughes, who was wanted out of Lincoln County, Monday in the 5000 block of Galway Drive in east Charlotte.

The four law enforcement officers who were killed have been identified as:

Officer Joshua Eyer, CMPD (Also a Sergeant First Class in the North Carolina Army National Guard  211 th Military Police Company)

Samuel Poloche, NC Dept. of Adult Corrections (Member of U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force)

William Elliott, NC Dept. of Adult Corrections (Member of U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force)

Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr. (Assigned to the Western District of North Carolina and supporting the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force)

Hughes was fatally shot by law enforcement on Monday when police said he came out of the east Charlotte home, armed.

Earlier this week, President Biden had announced plans to visit Wilmington on Thursday. No further information about the reason for the visit has been released at this time.

This is a Developing Story . Check back for updates

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
President Joe Biden will visit Charlotte Thursday following a shooting that killed four law enforcement officers and injured others. In this 2023 file photo, Biden touts the $23.7 million investment that North Carolina received from his American Rescue Plan during a visit to Nash Community College.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday evening announced plans to travel to Charlotte Thursday to honor the law enforcement officers killed in a mass shooting.

The presidents daily schedule says hell be at Charlotte Douglas International Airport around midday to pay his respects to the brave law enforcement officers killed and wounded in the line of duty in Charlotte on Monday.

The President will meet with families of the fallen heroes, the wounded law enforcement officers, and other law enforcement officers and elected officials, the presidents daily guidance for reporters states.

From there, Biden plans to travel to Wilmington for a previously scheduled event. Gov. Roy Cooper plans to be with Biden at both events, according to his public schedule for Thursday.

WSOC-TV, The Charlotte Observers media partner first reported Bidens plans to visit the Queen City on Thursday, though the White House wouldnt immediately confirm reports.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said called the officers heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, during Wednesdays news briefing.

Obviously we pray for them, we pray for their families and others who were injured as a result of this senseless violence. Jean-Pierre said. Well continue to keep them in our prayers.

Bidens visit would come after four officers were killed and several more were injured during a warrant service in east Charlotte on Monday. Around 1:30 p.m., the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force went to serve a warrant on Galway Drive when they were met with gunfire.

NEW INFO: CMPD updates on Charlotte police shooting

A U.S. Marshal, two officers from the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections and a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer were killed. Four others sustained injuries.

Twelve officers are on administrative leave, which is standard protocol, after firing their service weapons in an attempt to disarm the suspect and help their colleagues.

The exchange of gunfire killed 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr. who was wanted for possession of a firearm by a felon and two counts of felony flee to elude out of Lincoln County.

PHOTOS: Scene from east Charlotte where multiple law enforcement officers killed

Biden had already announced plans to visit North Carolina on Thursday when the shooting broke out. His visit to Wilmington was scheduled to highlight his Investing in America agenda and discuss rebuilding infrastructure and creating good paying jobs.

Late Monday evening, Biden called on members of Congress to do more to enhance gun policies in the U.S. in order to prevent further mass shootings. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed that sentiment from the Senate Floor Tuesday taking a moment to recognize Charlottes loss.

Biden is making visiting the state a priority ahead of the 2024 election.

Daniel Desrochers contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden landed in Charlotte on Thursday afternoon to meet with the families of officers who were killed in an ambush this week in east Charlotte.

>> How to support families of the fallen officers

The president was in Charlotte for two hours as he privately met with families of the fallen officers and other people impacted by Mondays tragedy.

Biden visits officers' families in Charlotte President Joe Biden has landed in Charlotte to visit with the families of four officers who were killed in an ambush earlier this week. Posted by WSOC-TV on Thursday, May 2, 2024

Three members of a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force, deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks, North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections workers Sam Poloche and William Alden Elliott, were killed while serving a warrant at an east Charlotte home. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Officer Joshua Eyer was critically wounded before he died at the hospital Monday.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Air Force One touched down at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Thursday and was greeted by Gov. Roy Cooper, Mayor Vi Lyles, CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings, and U.S. Marshals Director Ronald Davis.

Governor Roy Cooper is sharing a ride in the motorcade with President Joe Biden  Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) May 2, 2024

Because the meeting was private, details about what exactly happened are limited right now. Everything took place at the Air National Guard base at the airport. Channel 9 was told Biden was meeting with families of the fallen officers, the injured officers and other elected leaders.

On his way to Charlotte, the press secretary told reporters the president believes more needs to be done to protect law enforcement officers. She said that means providing them with the resources they need to do their jobs and keep us safe. She also said it means taking additional action to combat gun violence and prevent future tragedies.

The President was already planning to be in North Carolina. After his meeting with families, he went to Wilmington to deliver a speech on replacing lead pipes to improve drinking water. But first, he talked about his visit to Charlotte and said the nation mourns the fallen officers.

Every time an officer puts on that shield and walks out the door, families members dont want to get that call, Biden said. The entire nations grieves these families.

Thank you to @POTUS for stopping in to meet with our officers and families of fallen officers today. I have been so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support this entire week. It has been one of the toughest weeks for all of @CMPD, but to know that we have the support of our pic.twitter.com/ApPmghuRKV  Chief Jennings (@cmpdchief) May 2, 2024

Biden did not go into specifics about what was shared during his meeting.

Chief Jennings thanked the president for visiting and also thanked the nation for its support.

 FAMILY - @POTUS came to Charlotte today and his pilot on Air Force 1 was Jeff Gosselin (02) who was a member of the 2000 and 2001 North Meck Cross-County State Championship teams. #Viking4Life @CharMeckSchools @wcnc @wbtv @wsoctv @QueenCityNews @theobserver pic.twitter.com/Bfd7mkHUxT  North Mecklenburg Athletics (@NM_Vikings) May 2, 2024

The pilot who flew Air Force One on Thursday was Jeff Gosselin, who was a member of the 2000 and 2001 North Meck Cross-County State Championship teams.

(WATCH: Police not looking for any more suspects in deadly officer ambush)
A home sits heavily damaged by a weekend tornado near downtown Sulphur on Monday. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice)

OKLAHOMA CITY  President Joe Biden declared a major state of disaster for three Oklahoma counties related to the deadly weekend storms that brought tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding to the state.

The declaration makes federal funding available to impacted Oklahomans in Hughes, Love and Murray counties. The funding is also available to state, tribal and local governments for debris removal and emergency protective measures, according to a press release from the White House.

The aid includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs. It also could provide low-cost loans to help Oklahomans cover uninsured property losses as well as other programs to help businesses and homeowners recover.

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Norman reported that at least 34 tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma over the weekend, leaving four dead and over 100 injured.

Three strong tornadoes hit Sulphur, Marietta and near Holdenville.I appreciate the support and quick action from the White House and FEMA in approving Oklahomas request for federal disaster assistance in the wake of devastating storms, Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement Wednesday. As damage assessments continue, I will request aid for all counties that suffered losses to homes or businesses, whether from tornadoes, flooding, or other severe weather.

White House officials said additional counties could be added to the declaration as disaster assessments continue.

For more information on applying for aid, visit www.disasterassistance.gov or call 800-621-FEMA.

The post President Joe Biden approves federal disaster declaration as Oklahomans recover from deadly storms appeared first on Oklahoma Voice.
PCF Insurance, a US-based insurance brokerage, has purchased the insurance businesses of Encore Advisors and All Star Insurance.

Both Encore and All Star are located in key markets for PCF Insurance as the brokerage aims to expand its footprint in Georgia and Texas, among other high-growth geographies in 2024.

Encore is a fast-growing, family-run boutique employee benefits company outside of Atlanta. Joining PCF will help the firm's clients benefit from better coverage solutions and increased access to services.

All Star is based outside of Dallas and will bolster the collective offering of insurance, risk management and loss control solutions within the industry.

"We are excited to welcome Encore Advisors and All Star Insurance to the PCF family as we continue to expand our footprint and deepen our capabilities," said Brooke K. DeWyze, chief development officer at PCF Insurance.

"These dynamic teams are an excellent fit for PCF because their specializations and niche markets align well with our growth strategy, with Encore expanding our capabilities for employee benefits solutions and All Star strengthening our collective bench strength in serving the transportation industry."

In deals news, Ardonagh has announced that it has agreed to purchase Mansutti, the commercial lines business of Italian insurance broker Mansutti S.p.A..

The firm has existed for nearly a century and generations of the Mansutti family have crafted a reputation servicing personal customers. It has been most recently led by Tomaso Mansutti.

Mansutti S.r.l services 8,000 customers across SME lines including Liability, Property, Employee Benefits, Automotive, and Marine, encompassing 45.5m of Gross Written Premium.

In addition, the Mansutti S.r.l team of 30 will continue to service their client base and contribute to the accelerated growth of the Groups European footprint, sitting alongside the recently announced acquisition Mediass, led by Gianluca Graziani, and reinsurance and MGA business, Teksure.

"PCF Insurance snaps up Encore and All Star" was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 21: Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales attend a ceremonial welcome for The President and the First Lady of the Republic of Korea at Horse Guards Parade on November 21, 2023 in London, England. King Charles is hosting Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee on a state visit from November 21-23. It is the second incoming state visit hosted by the King during his reign. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Kate Middleton is reportedly still "doing well" as she undergoes "preventative chemotherapy" to address her unspecified cancer diagnosis.

The Princess of Wales' husband was happy to reassure fans of the royal family who inquired about the health and well-being of her and their three children during an appearance at the grand opening of James Place Newcastlea new branch of a charitable therapy center established to aid men who struggle with suicidal ideationon Tuesday, April 30.

In a video posted by the Daily Mail, a concerned attendee, wrapped in the Union Jack, asked Prince William, "Do you mind if I ask how your wife and children are?"

"All doing well, yes, thank you," he assured, placing his hand on their shoulder in an apparent gesture of gratitude. "We're all doing well."

According to British media outlet ITV, just a few minutes before the kind interaction someone else had gifted him a bouquet of flowers for the princess.

Though Middleton revealed her diagnosis in a video back in March that seemed to be designed to quell the ongoing conspiracy theories surrounding her total media blackout, concern only continues to grow as she remains out of the spotlight.

At a prior engagement, Prince William accepted get-well cards on behalf of his wife, as well as his father, King Charles, who is also battling an unspecified type of cancer.

"Oh, some cards, you're very kind. Thank you very much," the prince said at the time, assuring the gift-giver that he would look after the princess.

Next: Kensington Palace 'Scares' Royal Fans With Photo of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Their 13th Anniversary
A policy advocacy group founded by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) is investing $500,000 into efforts to enshrine abortion rights in the Florida Constitution as a strict six-week ban takes effect in the Sunshine State.

Today, women in Florida will be stripped of nearly all their reproductive rights. An extreme, six-week abortion ban is dangerous, cruel, and un-American, said Christina Amestoy, communications director for Pritzkers pro-abortion rights group, Think Big America. Restoring abortion access in Florida is critical not just for women in the state but for women across the region.

The nonprofit group is backing Floridians Protecting Freedom, the primary coalition behind the abortion amendment, which the states Supreme Court last month said can go before voters this November.

But Floridas highest court on the same day also upheld a 15-week abortion ban, which effectively greenlighted a six-week ban to take effect this Wednesday. The new restrictions include exceptions for rape, incest, medical emergencies and some fetal anomalies, but patients must provide documentation to claim the exception.

If approved this fall, the Florida constitutional amendment would counter the six-week restrictions and solidify reproductive protections up to fetal viability.

Think Big Americas support for the Sunshine States effort follows a $1 million donation to a similar ballot campaign in Nevada, and a $250,000 donation to a campaign in Arizona, according to Amestoy.

Measures to enshrine abortion are now on the ballot in Florida, New York and Maryland  and organizers are working to get similar initiatives in more than half a dozen other states. Democrats hope the measures, coupled with a sense of doom about impending bans, will juice turnout and boost blue candidates up and down the ballot.

By eliminating a crucial abortion access point in the region, Floridas abortion ban not only hurts women and families in Florida but those in neighboring states as well, Pritzker said Wednesday in a statement. It is critical that we restore reproductive rights in Florida this November.

He also argued that Floridas six-week ban has made women second-class citizens in their state.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
UPDATE: Gaza Solidarity encampment at UC San Diego enters second day

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  Pro-Palestine demonstrations ramped up on college campuses in San Diego on Wednesday, with an encampment forming on UC San Diegos campus and University of San Diego students walking out of class for a memorial of those killed in Gaza.

Both demonstrations began around noon on Wednesday. The USD students memorial took place at the the Paseo De Colachis plaza and ended at 2 p.m., while the UCSD encampment formed along Library Walk outside Geisel Library.

According to a report from The USCD Guardian, the campus newspaper, a campus police presence gathered around the encampment about 20 minutes after the camp formed.

In an Instagram post at 5 p.m., student organizers said UCSD administration threatened an imminent police response to dismantle the encampment despite it appearing to have remained peaceful, according to a FOX 5/KUSI crew on the scene.

In a statement earlier in the day, UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla alluded to possible law enforcement action against the encampment, saying that the site is in violation of campus policy. He added that students could be met with sanctions, such as suspension or legal action.

However, Khosla also said the university fully supports the right to peacefully protest and express views on campus.

We are encouraged that the protest activities on our campus have been peaceful to this point  and reiterate the importance of adhering to our campus Principles of Community, he continued. Our focus remains squarely on maintaining a safe campus environment free from discrimination and harassment and continuing the operation of our academic mission without disruption. We implore all campus community members to treat each other with dignity and respect.

The protests came less than a day after hundreds of San Diego State students staged a walkout, calling on the universitys administration to cut financial ties with Israel and better support Palestinian members of the campus community.

All three build off of movements mounted by students at college campus across the country against the conflict in Gaza and U.S. involvement in the war. Protesters have specifically pressed for their schools to divest from Israel and condemn its ongoing military offensive, which they describe as an unfolding genocide.

In a post on Instagram, Students for Justice in Palestine at UC San Diego, who helped organized the encampment, echoed these demands, asking for the university administration to Affirm Palestinians right to life and safety and call for an immediate cease-fire in the war.

They also called on the university to permanently sever all institutional ties to Israel, both financial and academic. They specifically demand UCSD end research partnerships with the Israeli Defense Ministry, U.S. [Department] of Defense, and private defense contractors.

Specific demands have not been made by the organizers of the USD demonstration, instead describing Wednesdays action as a way to remember the dead and dying in Gaza.

Students gather at University of San Diego on May 1, 2024 to protest the ongoing war in Gaza. (SkyFOX/KUSI in the Sky)

FOX 5/KUSI also reached out to USD administration for comment on the protest.

Pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses have become a flashpoint in the U.S. surrounding its involvement in the conflict, prompting crackdowns on the rallies by local law enforcement and university administration that have resulted in over 1,000 arrests nationwide.

The demonstrations began with an encampment that was set up on the lawn of Columbia University on April 17, harkening back to other consequential protests at the campus against segregation, the Vietnam War and South African apartheid. The action prompted student activists at other universities to create similar sites.

On Tuesday one such encampment at UC Los Angeles turned violent, when pro-Israel protestors attacked the students site with fireworks and what appeared to have been bear or pepper spray in an attempt to dismantle it.

The clash, which left numerous people injured, marked one of the greatest escalations to date in the the antiwar demonstrations, as the Los Angeles Times reported.

Other California universities where encampments have popped up include: UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, Sonoma State and University of Southern California.

However, opponents of these protests at universities, including many Jewish students and alumni, argue it has veered into displays of antisemitism, instilling what they describe as a sense of fear in members of the campus community supportive of Israel.

The movement comes as the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 34,000 people, the majority of whom the United Nations says are civilians, in the midst of a dire humanitarian crisis that is inching parts of the enclave near famine.

Since the fighting began, about 1,200 Israelis have died  the vast majority being civilians killed in the unprecedented raid by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 that led to the Israeli military incursion  and at least 100 hostages remain in Gaza.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Police cracked down on pro-Palestine protests on college campuses. Arizona moved to repeal its 1864 ban on abortions. And what's all the twitter about bird flu?

 Wednesdays greetings! Laura Davis here. Its time for the news.

But first: AI is coming to a store near you!  Sam's Club is rolling out technology to replace physical receipt checks.

Pro-Palestine protests continue amid police crackdowns

Hundreds of faculty and graduate student workers rallied Wednesday afternoon outside Columbia Universitys only open entrance, protesting the universitys decision hours earlier to send police on campus and arrest more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

What's been going on? The NYPD announced almost 300 arrests had taken place Tuesday at Columbia and City College  hours before Los Angeles police in riot gear swept onto UCLA's campus to break up a violent melee between dueling protesters as opposition to Israel's war in Gaza continued to roll through universities across the nation.  Here's the latest.

Northwestern, Brown reach deals with student protesters.

California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment at the UCLA campus on Wednesday, the morning after it was attacked by counterprotestors, leaving some demonstrators wounded.

Arizona Senate repeals near-total 1864 abortion ban

Arizona lawmakers took a significant step Wednesday toward blocking a Civil War-era abortion ban after the state's Senate voted to repeal the measure. The vote fell largely on party lines, with two Republican state senators breaking from the chamber's GOP majority to back the repeal. Along with banning abortions in all situations except life-threatening medical emergencies, the law imposes prison terms for doctors and others who aid in an abortion. The repeal will next head to the desk of Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has promised to sign it.  Everything we know.

Florida's 6-week abortion ban takes effect, and its impact takes a quick toll.

Demonstrators hold signs protesting the 1864 near-total abortion ban in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 14.

Real quick

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Don't freak out about bird flu  yet

Even as several federal agencies held a Wednesday news conference to explain steps being taken to contain bird flu in the U.S., public health officials this week said even more vigilance is needed. Now is the time to get ahead of bird flu  so we don't end up with another nightmare scenario, experts say.

What is bird flu? Bird flu is the nonscientific name for avian influenza, a type of virus that commonly infects waterfowl, turkeys and other birds. If it stays in birds, the main danger is to poultry. Flocks of chickens have had to be killed and eggs destroyed. The larger concern is that it might evolve to become easily transmitted person-to-person.  Four reasons not to freak out.

Deadly flooding devastates Kenya

At least 50 people have died and mass search and rescue operations were underway in Kenya Wednesday following severe flooding in the East African county, the Red Cross reported. In all, more than 100,000 people have been affected by the deluge in the country's capital city of Nairobi, which destroyed homes, swept away bridges and left dozens injured, officials said. Crews were also searching for people trapped by floodwaters in more than 14 tourist camps after the Talek River broke its banks.  A look at the destruction.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hi: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pro-Palestine campus protests, Arizona abortion laws, bird flu: Wednesday's news
DENVER (KDVR)  On the sixth day of the pro-Palestinian protest at the Auraria Campus in Denver, students told FOX31 that one of their demands was met, even as the campus restricted building access.

Dozens of tents remained at the protest site on Tuesday, with many protesters there since Thursday. Things were mostly quiet besides a 2 p.m. rally after a morning meeting with two campus leaders.

Steps are happening but very slowly, and were not being heard in the way we want to, one student said.

We have demands and we want them met

The meeting was one of the students top demands and included Michelle Marks, the University of Colorado Denver chancellor; Janine Davidson, Metropolitan State University of Denver president; and Colleen Walker, Auraria Higher Education Center CEO.

Its a lot of discussion and not a lot of action, and we have demands and we want them met, the student said.

Marijuana could be rescheduled: Will that change anything in Colorado?

Protesters want the universities to condemn what they call genocidal actions in Gaza. They are also asking for more transparency about where their tuition money is being spent.

We want our money, our tuition, we want our education to not be going to a genocide and not going to Israel, the student said.

Theres a lot of things theyre keeping from us, and we pay tuition to be here  really expensive tuition to be here  and we dont even know where our money is going, said Kit, a student at Community College of Denver, which also shares the campus.

Auraria Campus statement: Seeking amicable path forward

FOX31 reached out to Auraria Campus and the universities there.

They released a joint statement that said leaders met for more than an hour with the leaders of the Students for a Democratic Society to listen to the groups perspectives and try to achieve an amicable path forward.

They said that during the meeting, they reiterated to students that their demands are largely outside their authority.

According to the statement, the campus supports community members free speech and peaceful assembly, but the tents violate campus policy. But protesters say they will not budge until a resolution is met.

Ive been out here since it started Thursday, and I plan to be out there every day until they start meeting us realistically, Kit said.

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Campus leaders say if the tents are removed, they will provide sunshades to the protesters and provide a different protest space on campus.

Meanwhile, the campus on Monday restricted some access to the university, making the library inaccessible to anyone without a key card.

Most of the buildings on campus are only accessible by key card by students, staff, and faculty. As of April 29 (yesterday), and out of an abundance of caution and safety for everyone on campus, the library is now only accessible by key card, reads a statement from the campus.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  On Tuesday evening, demonstrators returned to the University of Utah campus to continue their protest efforts in support of Palestine  but the protest later moved to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail after an event organizer was arrested.

On Monday, demonstrators took to the U of U campus to protest, following the footsteps of colleges like Columbia University. Demonstrators in Utah were prepared to camp out on campus throughout the night until the university and other officials said that was not allowed.

Event organizers from Mecha de U of U said they were not planning to camp out on Tuesday.

PREVIOUS STORY: Pro-Palestine protest at University of Utah declared unlawful assembly, demonstrators told to leave or be arrested

On the evening of Tuesday, April 30, 2024, pro-Palestine demonstrators returned to the University of Utah campus to continue their protest efforts. The protest later moved to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail after one of the organizers was arrested. (KTVX/Sarah Murphy)

Were trying to, like, strategize, rally organizer Chris Lorea-Pena told ABC4.com. Were just here peacefully.

Before Tuesdays rally started, one of the event organizers was arrested and taken to jail. Officials told ABC4.com that the organizer was arrested for three charges from Monday (including trespassing, disorderly conduct and failure to disperse) and one charge of resisting arrest on Tuesday.

About an hour into Tuesdays demonstration, word began to spread that the protest was moving to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail. Some protesters said they want the arrested event organizer to hear them from inside the jail, and then the demonstration moved into the street.

No one from Mecha de U of U was arrested on Monday. However, there were 19 arrests made in relation to the demonstration that night  14 were unaffiliated with the university, four were students and one was an employee of the university, according to U of U officials.



County records show the 19 people were booked into jail on suspicion of disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and failure to disperse. One protester was booked for aggravated assault. Of those booked, 10 were male, and nine were female. Their ages ranged from 20 to 44 years old.

University officials also said two officers received minor injuries, but neither were taken to the hospital. One protester was taken to the hospital for chest pain, and two other protesters had medical calls.

The situation in Palestine hasnt gotten any better, Lorea-Pena said. Even though theres finals, even though theres exams we need to study for, homework to do, we need to stay in the streets.

Protesters told ABC4.com that they plan to continue to protest as long as they can do so peacefully.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
NYPD police officers remove and arrest Pro-Palestine protesters who occupied the Hamilton Hall building the campus at Columbia University in New York City late on Tuesday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

May 1 (UPI) -- As pro-Palestinian protests continue to affect college campuses throughout the United States, New York Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday said nearly 300 people were arrested the night before at Columbia University and City University of New York.

"While those who broke into the building did include students, they were led by people who were not affiliated with the university," Adams said at a Wednesday morning press conference with the city's police commissioner.

On Tuesday, hundreds of New York Police Department officers wearing riot gear began to assemble on Columbia University's campus at about 9 p.m. EDT. They later swarmed and entered Hamilton Hall, where they cleared the building and arrested dozens of protesters inside and outside.

The mayor blamed "outside agitators" for the escalation, stating his belief that "there is a movement to radicalize young people, and I'm not going to wait until it's done and all of a sudden acknowledge the existence of it."

Columbia University announced that all remaining classes and final exams on campus will be held virtually. They said they believe non-affiliated actors took part in forcing the situation's escalation.

Pro-Palestine protesters gather in front of the Broadway entrance of Columbia University in New York City on Tuesday. By Wednesday, the pro-Palestinian student demonstrators and others who occupied the Hamilton Hall building had been arrested by NYPD. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

By Wednesday, Columbia University's President Nemat "Minouche" Shafik, who had requested for law enforcement to intervene, said she was "sorry we reached this point."

"Over the last few months, we have been patient in tolerating unauthorized demonstrations, including the encampment," Shafik, who has held the job since July 2023, wrote in a letter. She added that university officials had "spent eight days engaging over long hours in serious dialogue in good faith with protest representatives" to not avail.

Pro-Palestine protesters march in front the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia University on Tuesday. The university's president said Wednesday she was sorry we reached this point. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Hamilton Hall had been cleared and two lawn encampments dismantled at the request of the university administration. Dozens of protesters were taken into custody, zip tied and escorted outside to NYPD buses. The rest of Columbia's campus was put on lockdown as students were ordered to shelter in place.

It is unclear for now just how many of the 282 arrested Tuesday night were actually students of the 109 taken into custody on the Columbia campus and 173 at CUNY.

The flag of Palestine is waved from the roof of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in New York City on Tuesday as protestors stormed the building. They were cleared out later in the night by NYPD at the request of University President Minouche Shafik. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

"This is a global problem that young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children," said Adams, who was a police officer for 22 years prior to entering politics.

While the police officers refrained from using tear gas and said there were no injuries, they reportedly were forced to use flash-bang grenades to get past doors barricaded with chairs, tables and vending machines inside the building, according to officials.

Pro-Palestine protesters gather in front of the Broadway entrance of New York City's Columbia University on Tuesday as protests have continued for almost 2 weeks on the school's campus. It is not clear yet how many of the 282 arrested Tuesday night were actually students of the 109 taken into custody on the Columbia campus and 173 at CUNY. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

"But students and outside activists breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our Public Safety officers and maintenance staff, and damaging property are acts of destruction, not political speech," the university president wrote in her Wednesday letter.

The NYPD is expected to maintain a presence on college campus' ahead of Columbia's upcoming May 15 commencement ceremonies. But reactions among the city's college students were seemingly mixed.

A pro-Palestinian encampment is seen cordoned off by stanchions on the UCLA campus on Sunday Mary Osako, vice chancellor of UCLA Strategic Communications, issued a statement Sunday saying, "UCLA has a long history of being a place of peaceful protest, and we are heartbroken to report that today, some physical altercations broke out among demonstrators on Royce Quad," adding how UCLA had "instituted additional security measures and increased the numbers of our safety team members on site." Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

"I'm horrified at what our university has done. It's not OK under any circumstance to send that many police onto campus," Columbia senior Masha Sokolova told CBS News.

Another Columbia University student told MSNBC Wednesday morning that he saw law enforcement tearing down things including flags and using expletives.

A pro-Palestinian encampment is seen on Sunday cordoned off by stanchions on the UCLA campus. Things had turned violent over the weekend when pro-Israeli activists held a rally of their own in proximity of the encampment. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

"It got violent," said Edgar Gomez, a student. "I've never seen this tension at all," he said.

"If they had used adequate police force to stop a second encampment from being built," said Lily Zuckerman, a sophomore at Barnard College, "then we wouldn't even be here today. So I think it's good to take whatever preventative measure needs to be taken."

A pro-Palestinian encampment on the UCLA campus on Sunday. On Tuesday night, a violent clash between protesters at UCLA followed just before 11 p.m. when approximately 50 counter-protesters showed up to the pro-Palestinian encampment and tried to knock down placed barriers. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

All classes were canceled Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, as students were told to "avoid the Royce Quad area." A clash between protesters at UCLA followed just before 11 p.m. Tuesday night when approximately 50 counter-protesters showed up to the pro-Palestinian encampment and tried to knock down placed barriers. There was one reported injury.

The president of California's college system -- which has over 280,000 students -- in a letter obtained by the LA Times called for an independent review of UCLA's handling of the situation, saying there was "sufficient confusion" for there to be an investigation.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks with the press after meeting with members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, Dec. 2023. On Wednesday, Adams blamed outside agitators for the escalation at Columbia, stating his belief how "there is a movement to radicalize young people, and I'm not going to wait until it's done and all of a sudden acknowledge the existence of it. File photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

"I believe such a review can address many of my immediate questions but also help guide us for possible future events," UC President Michael Drake wrote in a letter to all 26 members of the University of California's Board of Regents.

On Monday, UCLA was forced to step-up security around an encampment of 50 tents on Royce Quad after "physical altercations" broke out between pro-Israel demonstrators and pro-Palestinian protesters.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass addresses supporters after being sworn in as the first women to be LA's mayor at Microsoft Theater, Dec. 2022. On Wednesday, Bass called the unfolding violence at UCLA absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable as she said law enforcement had arrived on campus before 5 a.m. local time. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

On Tuesday, the university had informed pro-Palestinian protesters that their encampment was "unlawful" and violated school policies as officials likewise took steps to disband the demonstrations.

A spokesman for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in the early morning noted how she had "spoken to Chancellor Block and Chief Choi" and that "LAPD is responding immediately to Chancellor Block's request for support on campus."

NYPD police officers remove and arrest Pro-Palestine protesters who occupied the Hamilton Hall building the campus at Columbia University in New York City on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Pro-Palestine student demonstrators occupied the Hamilton Hall building overnight and have refused to vacate the premises. Pro-Palestinian protests have continued for almost 2 weeks on the school's campus. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

That was followed later by a Los Angeles Police Department post on X how at the request of UCLA and because of "multiple acts of violence within the large encampment on their campus," the police department will be assisting other law enforcement agencies "to restore order and maintain public safety" on UCLA's campus.

Bass called the unfolding violence at UCLA "absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable" as she said law enforcement had arrived on campus before 5 a.m. local time.

Scores of pro-Palestine protests and encampments on college or university campuses have spread across the United States in recent weeks, leading to the arrests of hundreds and an increasing administrative nightmare for college officials.

On Sunday, Massachusetts' Tufts University said a pro-Palestinian encampment erected on the campus "must end," calling on protesters to remove it "peacefully and voluntarily."

At nearby Yale University in mid-April, nearly 50 demonstrators were arrested at after refusing to leave the school's Beinecke Plaza during a mass protest calling for military weapons divestment.

On Tuesday at neighboring Brown University in Rhode Island, officials said they had reached an agreement with pro-Palestinian protesters to end their encampment.

"When you've had genocide carry on for this long, people are just not going to be able to live side by side with two governments in the way that it's been suggested," a pro-Palestinian demonstrator at UCLA, Luke Veltz, was quoted on Wednesday.

"And I think that a free Palestine is the only way forward," he told KTLA in Calif.

A UCLA professor of Jewish history said what had happened "was the darkest day in my 32 years at UCLA." It was a "complete and total systems failure at the university, city and state levels," David Myers, a UCLA professor, had told the LA Times.

There are similar issues currently ongoing at other college campuses across the country, such as at Portland State University in Oregon and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
As protests against the war in Gaza roil college campuses across the country, some high school students are launching their own pro-Palestinian protests.

On Monday afternoon, about 100 high school students in Austin, Texas, walked out of their classes in protest.

"I'm protesting against a government that is actively hurting people just because of where they were born and what language they speak," Pia Ibsen, a senior at McCallum High School in Austin, told USA TODAY. Ibsen helped organize a walkout and left class for about an hour and a half.

Local media reports have tracked high school students in Seattle who filled out excused-absence forms ahead of a walkout last week, and Chicago students at a college preparatory school planned a sit-in Wednesday.

The student walkouts and marches at high schools look different from the student encampments and occupations at college campuses. But they're also prompting backlash from school administrators and community members who want them shut down  some even before they begin.

New Jersey high school students canceled a pro-Palestinian walkout scheduled for last Thursday after two county commissioners wrote a letter demanding that the school district's superintendent cancel the event to protect Jewish students, reported the Cherry Hill Courier-Post, part of the USA TODAY Network.

"The student walkout is an intentional effort to create a hostile and isolating environment for Jewish students, the majority of whom support Israel as an integral part of their identity," wrote Camden County Commissioners Jeffrey Nash and Melinda Kane in a letter to Eastern Camden County Regional School District Superintendent Robert Cloutier.

Student protests have erupted at college campuses across the U.S. in support of Palestinians after Israel launched its siege of the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 surprise attack. About 1,200 people in southern Israel were killed and more than 200 taken hostage in that attack. The Israeli military response has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza health ministry figures, and obliterated much of the enclave's infrastructure.

Students participate in a walk-out during a pro-Palestinian protest in Texas on April 29, 2024.

The humanitarian crisis has fueled outrage on some U.S. campuses and spurred demands for an end to investment in Israeli companies and amnesty for student protesters.

Critics said the protests fed into antisemitism on campuses and created a dangerous atmosphere for Jewish students. Some Jewish students and faculty reported that they had been targeted with harassment and threats of violence.

What are protesting high school students allowed to do?

Even at K-12 schools, students "don't check their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse doors," said Aaron Terr, director of public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. That means school administrators can't shut down a protest unless they have "solid evidence" it will substantially disrupt the school's activities.

Terr said the main distinction between the rights of college and high school students to stage a protest stems from the fact that students live on college campuses, unlike students in high schools.

When it comes to walkouts, when students leave class as a form of protest, truancy laws, which require students to attend school, could come into play.

"From a First Amendment perspective, what's important is that the school is not treating unexcused absences differently based on the reason that the student is absent," Terr said.

Chicago students: Stage walkout in support of Palestine

Pro-Palestinian high schoolers have protested before

It's not the first time young people have spoken out against the war in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations erupted on high school campuses soon after the Israel-Hamas war broke out after Oct. 7.

Chicago Public Schools high school students surrounded city hall carrying signs that read "Students for Palestine" and "Stop bombing Gaza" in January. About 50 high school students west of the White House held a walkout in support of Palestinians in October, a local news station reported. Oakland middle school students held a walkout and protest in support of Palestinians in February, according to Oaklandside.

Some of the earlier protests also were surrounded by controversy.

Last November at Teaneck High School in Englewood, New Jersey, a pro-Palestinian walkout organized by high school students drew criticism from local Jewish groups and drew a heavy police presence.

Contributing: Keri Heath and Jim Walsh, USA TODAY Network; John Bacon and Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Reach her on email at cmayesosterman@usatoday.com. Follow her on X @CybeleMO. Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pro-Palestinian protests reach some US high schools too
Pro-Palestinian student groups described the students who have occupied Columbia University's Hamilton Hall since early Tuesday as an "autonomous" subgroup of those involved in the encampment that had overtaken the Ivy League campus' West Lawn.

Student groups, including Columbia Student Apartheid Divest and Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, said they are not specifically organizing the occupation of the academic building. But the groups say those inside intend to remain there until the university concedes to demands centered on divesting its endowment from companies that they contend are profiting from Israel's war in Gaza.

"I'm not inside, so I can't speak to their state of mind right now, but from everything I know from speaking with student protesters on campus, we have all taken risks to our safety, our careers, our education," a woman who said she is a member of Columbia Student Apartheid Divest told reporters Tuesday afternoon, declining to give her name.

"We are willing to take on an extremely minor amount of risk compared to what the heroic people of Gaza are dealing with every single day," she added.

On Tuesday, with Hamilton Halls doors barricaded, students used a milk crate on a pulley to lift supplies into the building through an upper-floor window. At one point, someone stood on the roof to wave a Palestinian flag, energizing demonstrators below.

Despite the tumultuous events at the school, the campus was largely quiet Tuesday after Monday was the last day of classes for the spring semester, with final exams due to begin Friday. A small rally in support of protesters was held Tuesday outside Hamilton Hall, where a Free Palestine banner hung from a window. The building, named after Alexander Hamilton, the countrys first treasury secretary, was a base for Columbia students demonstrating against the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

In a statement Tuesday, university spokesman Ben Chang said the protests have created an "untenable situation," as students smashed windows to get inside Hamilton Hall and barricaded doors. While it is unclear exactly how many are inside, the student newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, reported that "dozens" entered after the school began suspending students who defied a deadline of Monday afternoon to leave the tent encampment.

Image: (Michael M. Santiago / Pool via AP)

Image: (Michael M. Santiago / AP)

"Students occupying the building face expulsion," Chang warned.

Columbia did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. In a virtual call with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Chang also said "dozens" of students were inside Hamilton Hall. He reiterated that students who had not complied with the school's request for them to dismantle the encampment and disperse were being suspended and have been denied access to academic and recreational spaces and that, if they are seniors, they would be ineligible to graduate.

"Disruptions on campus have created a threatening environment for many," Chang said, adding that the steps the school is taking are "about responding to the actions of the protesters, not their cause."

Some students say the protest inside Hamilton Hall, renamed by those inside as "Hind's Hall"  for a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed in February amid the fighting in Gaza  is necessary to prod the university administration to their side.

A member of the schools Student Governing Board, Mohammad Hemeida, a junior studying history and political science, said that "when the administration doesn't listen to our demands and ignores the student body," then it's "time for an escalation."

"It's absolutely no surprise that they're threatening students inside, as well, with expulsion," Hemeida said.

Columbia University Issues Deadline For Gaza Encampment To Vacate Campus (Alex Kent / Getty Images)

Image: Columbia University Issues Deadline For Gaza Encampment To Vacate Campus (Alex Kent / Getty Images)

"I think it's entirely expected of the administration," he added, in the wake of the more than 100 Columbia students being arrested and issued summonses for trespassing two weeks ago for setting up an initial encampment on the school's South Lawn.

At the time, university President Nemat "Minouche" Shafik said in a memo to police that the encampment and the related disruptions "pose a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University."

A New York police official said the officers would enter Columbia's upper Manhattan campus only at the orders of the university or because of an emergency.

At a news conference Tuesday evening, police officials and New York Mayor Eric Adams accused "professional outside agitators" of being part of the occupation of Hamilton Hall. Adams has previously accused outsiders of arranging the encampment at the school  a form of protest that has sprouted up on college campuses across the country, leading to dozens of arrests as tensions between students and schools mount.

The police departments deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism said the concern with the outside group at Columbia is that it is using and teaching the types of tactics that will make it difficult for police to enter buildings and that it appears the group is preparing for a fight if police do enter.

Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner told NBC News that the group can best be described as anarchists who, as she said at the news conference, are well known to police.

The police department said it could not quantify how many of those occupying Hamilton Hall are outsiders and how many are students.

Buildings on Columbia's campus were largely locked down Tuesday as a "safety measure," officials said, and students who do not reside in campus residence halls were prohibited from entering and performing routine tasks, like obtaining food from the dining hall or returning library books.

Protestors and supporters said they were bracing for what is to come.

Maryam Alwan, who was arrested and suspended when Columbia called in police to the campus this month, described suspensions announced Tuesday as "arbitrary," alleging they included one student who was not in New York City when the deadline arrived.

"It just feels like this university is so far beyond the law and their own policies and regulations that all of us have no idea what could come," Alwan said. "We might be targeted by association."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
NEW YORK  Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied a City College administration building, vandalizing offices and shattering glass doors, before the City University of New York called in the NYPD to clear the encampment overnight, officials and students said Wednesday.

The group at the tent demonstration on the schools Harlem campus also tried breaking into Shepard Hall, an ornate building modeled after Gothic cathedrals, according to a CUNY spokesperson.

NYPD cops entered campus at City Colleges request around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, resulting in 173 arrests in and around the CUNY college, university and police officials said.

Campus safety arrested 25 people who advanced from outside Columbia University, where hundreds of cops in riot gear stormed campus and arrested students occupying Hamilton Hall, to City College to continue their protest.

We will not be intimidated by these brutal and spineless tactics, students from the Gaza Solidarity Encampment said in a statement. We take our lead from the steadfast resistance of the Palestinian people.

Faced with a Wednesday deadline to clear the encampment before classes resumed after spring break, students said they voted unanimously to stay and defend the encampment. Several protesters were beat with batons, while one undergraduate student broke their ankle and two protesters cracked their teeth, they said.

Students have a right to demonstrate peacefully and exercise their First Amendment rights, the CUNY spokesperson said. Actions were taken in response to specific and repeated acts of violence and vandalism, not in response to peaceful protest.

CUNY will continue working to keep our community free from violence, intimidation and harassment.

Photos from inside the building show metal air vents ripped from the walls and chairs flipped upside down. Several umbrellas were fastened in front of glass doors as barricades while masks to cover protesters faces were seen scattered across the floor.

VICTORY: STUDENTS HAVE ENTERED AND BEGAN OCCUPYING A BUILDING AT CCNY, students from the CUNY Gaza Solidarity Encampment wrote on Instagram. The post showed two protesters pouring water into the eyes of another demonstrator, who appeared to have been pepper sprayed.

The Howard E. Wille Administration Building houses the institutions administration offices, including those of the president and provost.

Columbia alum Fernando Bobis said he was arrested outside City College as part of the group that moved between campuses to protest.

Bobis, 42, said an officer tried shoving him to the ground three times, before changing tactics and pulling him down by his keffiyeh and straps for the Egyptian drum he plays during protests. Two other officers then jumped on him and brought him to his knees before pulling his arms very violently in a zip tie behind his back, he said.

The altercation left him with a large purplish bruise on his hip and swelling after more than seven hours in zip ties, while he struggled to monitor his sugar levels on his diabetes pump.

Bobis accused Mayor Eric Adams of violently repressing the rights of citizens who are deeply, deeply disturbed and want an end to the violence against Palestinians.

Harlem resident Omar, 51, said he was not part of the demonstration but walking his Pomeranian dog, Neptune, past campus when confrontations began between police and protesters.

If people werent moving fast enough, they were just getting swept up. People who were getting arrested were not people who were causing trouble or mayhem, he said.

Five cops moved toward him and pushed him to the ground, he said, when he realized he was being put under arrest. In a moment of faith, he made eye contact with a stranger and handed her Neptune, who will turn 1 on Sunday. His wife picked the dog up in Queens on Wednesday morning after Omar spent four hours at police headquarters.

My whole world came crashing down and Im very grateful (Neptunes) back, Omar said.

Close to 300 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested citywide overnight, police said. Some 119 of them were busted at Columbia University, about 50 of those inside Hamilton Hall.

Police defended their response.

A lot of these people would have resisted, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard said at a press conference, but the way that these officers talked to them, handled them and took them into custody, it was very professional. And the overwhelming majority of arrests just led to a quick arrest with no incident.

Students at City College have shifted to remote learning because of the campus unrest.

The CUNY encampment had demanded the public university system divest from Israel, guarantee amnesty for student antiwar protesters and make CUNY tuition-free and not beholden to Zionist donors.

That is what we tried to engage the administration on from the beginning, said N.H., 32, a CUNY law student from the West Bank who has friends who have died in the Gaza conflict. The chancellor refused to come to the (negotiation) table. They unleashed NYPD on students before any good faith engagement with the demands.

I dont know what exact next steps look like, but I know that were not going anywhere, N.H. added.

The faculty union in a statement condemned in the strongest possible terms the NYPDs response to campus protests.

Lawful student protests on any CUNY campus should not be met with NYPD arrests, the university chapter of the Professional Staff Congress said. Administration can and must ensure students safety and prevent harassment on campus without resorting to the forcible removal of peaceful protesters.

_____
Pfizer (PFE) beat on earnings in the first quarter of 2024, giving its stock a much-needed 7% boost Wednesday.

The company reported $14.9 billion in revenue, down 19% compared to last year. That beat Wall Street estimates of $13.9 billion by 6.9%. Without its COVID products, the company is up 11% with $12.5 billion in revenues.

Despite the win, investors have cooled their enthusiasm for Pfizer in recent months. In addition to waning COVID product revenues, the company lacks a near-term potential blockbuster  making it a safe but unexciting bet.

Pfizer's stock is trading near its 52-week low of $25 and is down 30% in the past year, much lower than its pandemic high of $58 per share at the end of 2021.

CEO Albert Bourla has made several moves to bolster the pipeline, including the $43 billion Seagen acquisition, and continues to announce new product launches  all of which will take time to bear fruit.

It's why investors, despite the boost to the stock, are wary.

"We continue to see PFE shares as range bound in the near-term ... [and] we do not believe that COVID upside alone ... is enough to drive shares higher in the near-term. Rather, we believe stronger new launch performance and/or further progress on the pipeline will be necessary to change the current narrative on the stock," wrote JPMorgan analyst Chris Schott in a note to clients Wednesday.

Pfizer also faces the expiration of patents on some of its biggest drugs, including breast cancer drug Ibrance in 2027 and its Prevnar 13 vaccine in 2026, and has one drug, Eliquis, facing pressure from Medicare drug pricing negotiations.

Lee Brown, global sector lead for healthcare at research firm Third Bridge, said in a statement that the Medicare negotiations, a part of the Inflation Reduction Act, are a concern.

"Our focus remains on Eliquis with sales increasing 9% (year over year) to just over $2.0 billion and topping consensus by 4.5%. Eliquis represents nearly 14% of Pfizers Q1 revenue, and we recognize the uncertainty tied to the Inflation Reduction Acts Medicare Part D price negotiations," Brown said.

"The maximum fair price will be published September 1 and could materially impact Eliquis outlook. We also note that Eliquis faces generic competition in several international markets, as well as faces loss of exclusivity in the U.S in April 2028," he said.

But beyond the product pipeline, the company's value to shareholders has remained a question in the past year.

A pharmacist holds a bottle of the drug Eliquis, made by Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, Jan. 9, 2020. (George Frey/REUTERS/File Photo) (REUTERS / Reuters)

'The dividend is a sacred cow for us'

In addition to the pipeline concerns, investors had been waiting for their share of the pandemic windfall  either through increased dividends or the company's share repurchases. But that hasn't panned out.

Story continues

The company said it will maintain its dividend and has no plans to cut it, which had been a concern for some investors prior to the call with profits waning post-pandemic.

Bank of America managing director and senior healthcare analyst Geoff Meacham told Yahoo Finance that most businesses would cut their dividend if they were in the same position as Pfizer with muted growth prospects.

"It is a diversified, big business, so it's not going to be the end of the world. But the growth is just going to look kind of nasty," he said.

Pfizer has paid a dividend for 340 consecutive quarters and is focused on enhancing shareholder value, executives said on its earnings call Wednesday.

CFO David Denton told investors the company is prioritizing maintaining and growing the dividend and has returned $2.4 billion to shareholders in the first quarter. In addition, Pfizer plans to de-lever from its acquisitions and other debt and reinvest $2.5 billion in internal R&D.

"Our No. 1 priority from a capital allocation perspective is both supporting and growing our dividend over time  and that is not at risk," Denton said.

While the yield from Pfizer is not considered low, at more than 6% annually, its quarterly dividend is just $0.42. And investors have worried the company will have to cut the dividend as its revenues right-size in coming months both from the pandemic impact as well as patent cliffs.

But CEO Bourla emphasized that is not the case.

"The dividend is a sacred cow for us. The dividend  it is secure, and we will continue our policy on [the] dividend as we have promised repeatedly," he said on the earnings call.

Bourla has also made bold personal moves to back the company's outlook, including putting all of his pension into Pfizer's stock earlier this year.

The company has no plans to repurchase shares in the year, adding to the reasons investors are no longer excited.

Anjalee Khemlani is the senior health reporter at Yahoo Finance, covering all things pharma, insurance, care services, digital health, PBMs, and health policy and politics. Follow Anjalee on all social media platforms @AnjKhem.

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NEW YORK  A city Department of Investigation probe of mayoral adviser Timothy Pearson has been expanded to include his role in NYPD personnel and promotional matters concerning officers involved in two lawsuits accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation, the New York Daily News has learned.

DOI probers have asked the NYPD for a wide range of records related to personnel procedures, discretionary promotions and disciplinary charges, sources said. The agency was previously investigating Pearson for his role in a scuffle with security guards at a Midtown migrant shelter in October.

Theyve also asked for the complete personnel files, including discrimination allegations and Internal Affairs complaints, for Pearson, a retired NYPD inspector, and at least five cops who worked in the Mayors Municipal Services Assessment unit, sources told The News.

The request came after retired NYPD Sgt. Roxanne Ludemann sued Pearson and the city March 22 alleging that Pearson improperly touched her repeatedly in the office and then retaliated against her by using his influence with Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, the highest ranking uniformed officer, to block her promotion.

Ludemann was then bounced to four different commands in six months before she retired in disgust in December 2023, her lawsuit alleges.

The assessment unit was created in June 2022 by the Adams administration to examine the performance of city agencies and given broad powers to request information, do site visits and conduct interviews with agency staff.

Retired Sgt. Michael Ferrari, another staffer in MSA, sued April 17 alleging Pearson used his influence with Maddrey to effectively end his 16-year police career by seeing to it he was placed back on patrol working nights after backing Ludemanns allegations.

Ferrari alleges that when he was called to a meeting in April 2023 with Maddrey, Pearson walked out of Maddreys office  allegedly after discussing Ferraris transfer.

Lt. George Huang, a third MSA member who supported Ludemanns claims, was moved to a Transit District, the Ferrari lawsuit alleges.

Deputy Chief Militadis Marmara allegedly counseled Ludemann to file a complaint against Pearson, and got into a heated argument April 11, 2023 with Pearson over her promotion, the lawsuits allege.

Marmara, who has not filed any legal action against the city, was transferred out of MSA at his request then assigned as second-in-command in Brooklyn North. On two consecutive days after the blow-up with Pearson, he was ordered to get a drug test and called by an NYPD unit that counsels cops in crisis, The News has reported.

At the whim of Tim Pearson, all of our careers were turned upside down, Ferrari told The News April 17.

On April 12, 2023, once they learned Marmara was being transferred, most of the cops in the unit indicated they wanted to themselves leave.

Pearson then held a staff meeting in which he warned the cops in the unit, You could be in the 75, you could be in the 47. I dont know. Before you go jumping ship  be smart about it, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by the News. The 75th Precinct in East New York and the 47th Precinct in the northern Bronx are considered higher crime commands.

City Hall often intervenes in NYPD promotions at least at the higher ranks, but its rare for DOI to investigate the discretionary promotional process.

DOI spokeswoman Diane Struzzi declined comment.

John Scola, the lawyer representing both Ludemann and Ferrari, said the lawsuits demonstrate Pearson is a free agent able to pull strings inside the NYPD and added its unusual for DOI to examine the Police Departments promotion process.

We are pleased that the Department of Investigation is investigating Tim Pearson and will cooperate in any way that is needed, Scola said Tuesday.

The NYPD did not respond to multiple emails seeking comment.

Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for Eric Adams, declined to answer questions about the DOI probe, but referred The News to the mayors remarks on April 23.

The suits, in any legal process, we will follow the process. We respect the process. Were going to do that, Adams said at the time.

Lawyers with the firm Wilson Elser, which is representing Pearson and the city, did not reply to a request for comment.

Pearson was already being investigated by DOI for his role in an Oct. 7 scuffle with security guards at a migrant shelter in Midtown.

During the scuffle, Pearson clashed with guard Terrence Rosenthal outside the 31st St. shelter after Pearson showed up for an unannounced inspection in a fleece jacket that spelled out his title and NYPD on the back.

The shelter was later shut down over fire safety issues. The charges against Rosenthal and a female guard were dropped by the Manhattan District Attorneys office.

A lawyer representing Rosenthal filed a notice of intent to sue with the city in late October.

DOIs investigation into the October 2023 incident at the migrant shelter is ongoing and DOI declines further comment regarding your other inquiries, Struzzi, the DOI spokeswoman, said.

Mayor Adams has described Pearson as sharp and ethical and cited his efforts to rescue people on 9/11.
NYPD brass and Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday blamed outside agitators for the illegal takeover of an academic building at Columbia University as officials urged the Ivy League student protesters to call it quits.

This is to serve their own agenda, Adams said of the outside group at a Tuesday press conference. Theyre not here to promote peace, unity, allow a peaceful display in one voice, but they are here to create discord and divisiveness.

We cannot and will not allow what should be a peaceful gathering to turn into a violent spectacle that serves no purpose. We cannot wait until this situation becomes even more serious, the mayor said.

The group that took over Hamilton Hall are not students, but professional agitators, the NYPD said. Mary Altaffer/UPI/Shutterstock

The NYPDs Intelligence and Counterterrorism unit first realized they were dealing with the antagonistic mob when dozens of agitators stormed into Hamilton Hall in the middle of the night Tuesday  a significant escalation of the anti-Israel student encampment protest.

We are seeing the tactics changing in a way that is endangering public safety, said NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. These once-peaceful protests are being exploited by professional outside agitators. The safety of all students, faculty, and staff are now a concern.

The group early Tuesday violently broke into the building  which they dubbed Hinds Hall in honor of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in the Middle Eastern conflict  and used metal barricades, tables, chairs and other materials to seal themselves inside.

One shocking video captured a hammer-wielding demonstrator smashing through a glass-paneled door and placing what appeared to be a bike lock around its handles, and another image showed a man brawling with a campus security guard.

Officials said the group is using escalation tactics seen at previous, unrelated protests across the nation. NYPD

The group also broke cameras, scaled walls and were seen tossing the schools property out the window.

One of the agitators was identified as Lisa Fithian  a professional protester who has been raising hell across the country across a myriad of movements since the 1970s.

These protests have been and are being influenced by external actors who are unaffiliated with the university  some who have been known to our department and others for many years for their dangerous, destructive and at times criminal activity associated with protests, said Rebecca Ulam Weiner, the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism.

The NYPD worries that the dozens of agitators are instructing peaceful student protesters to follow their lead. James Keivom

Several of the rioters were also reported to the NYPD by Columbia, which recognized they were not affiliated with the prestigious school.

The NYPD worries that the dozens of agitators are instructing peaceful student protesters to follow their lead.

We think these tactics are a result of guidance thats being given to students from some of these external actors, Ulam Weiner said.

Mayor Eric Adams warned students to discipline themselves from the aggressive group. Getty Images

This is an escalation that violence began last night at Columbia. We do expect it to continue  not in one building on one campus but to other protests to other universities, and to other cities. We are in constant dialogue with Columbia University officials as well as other partners, and we are as always fully prepared to respond.

Caban emphasized that the NYPD would step in to clear out the agitators if the university asks for help, similar to when it helped clear out the tent city when it was first erected.

If the NYPD moves in, the Hamilton Hall occupiers would be charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing, officials said.

The group apparently has no interest in the pro-Palestine movement, but only in escalating unrest, officials said. Michael M Santiago/UPI/Shutterstock

Those still on the campus lawn  despite Columbias warnings to vacate by 2 p.m. Monday  will be hit with trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

In the meantime, Adams urged students to distance themselves from the violent group before it was too late.

If you are a parent or guardian of a student, please call your child and urge them to leave the area before the situation escalates in any way. This is for their own safety and for the safety of others. These external actors are obviously not students, and their presence on campus is a violation of Columbias clearly stated policy, Adams said.

Caban added: To the parents, and I say this as a father of a college student myself. Be aware of where your children are. Be aware of what theyre involved in. If you dont know, reach out to them, The University and the NYPD or are taking the situation seriously. You should be taking the situation seriously too.
A Southern Illinois University professor appeared to be beaten and injured by police at a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Washington University in St. Louis over the weekend, according to video footage shared by a bystander.

On Saturday, protesters gathered at a park in St. Louis and later moved the demonstration to the Washington University campus, the St. Louis Police Department (SLMPD) told HuffPost in an email. Video footage from the demonstration captures the chaos that unfolded as police crowded around protesters and attempted to restrain them.

In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), the professor, Steve Tamari, can be seen moving closer to the chaos, trying to capture the scene on camera, when a police officer grabs his arm and pushes him back. A few other officers joined in restraining Tamari, grabbing the man, slamming him to the ground and later dragging his limp body to a police van.

In a post on X, a woman who identified herself as Tamaris wife, Sandra Tamari, shared a video of her husband being brutally beaten by police, noting that both of them were arrested at the student encampment.

I was arrested at the Gaza encampment at Washington University in St. Louis on [Saturday]. My husband, a 65-year old full professor at [St. Illinois University Edwardsville], was brutally beaten by police. Here is the video of his arrest, she wrote.



According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the SLMPD, along with several other departments, was at the protest on Saturday. The St. Louis police told HuffPost that they did not arrest any protesters. The department also did not comment on the video of Tamari being beaten.

The Washington University Police Department did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment.

According to a statement on Tuesday from Washington University Chancellor Andrew D. Martin, 100 protesters  including 23 students and at least four faculty members of the college  were arrested Saturday and are facing criminal charges for trespassing, resisting arrest and assault.

Martin stated that the group that set up the encampment was in violation of the colleges policies and was asked to leave multiple times. When the group did not voluntarily leave, he said, the university decided to peacefully remove them.

Martin claimed that the protesters were behaving aggressively, swinging flagpoles and sticks, attempting to break into locked buildings or to deface property and were repeating chants that many in our community find threatening and antisemitic. Some Jewish students said they felt terrified during the protest, NBC News reported.

To be crystal clear, we will not permit students and faculty, and we certainly will not permit outside interests, to take over Washington University property to establish encampments to promote any political or social agenda, he wrote in the statement.

To those who plan to continue to come to campus with the intention of disrupting our education and research mission and violating our policies, please know we will respond proportionately each and every time. You will not do this here.

But in a post on X, Sandra Tamari pushed back on Martins characterization of the demonstration, claiming that protesters had not instigated violence or property damage and that there had been a festival atmosphere before police officers started making arrests.

Everything that occurred on Saturday is documented and clear for those who wish to see.[Washington University] used violence against its own students, faculty, staff and the community to maintain its complicity in genocide, she wrote on X.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri condemned the colleges response to the protest and the arrests in a statement on Tuesday.

In its efforts to silence students and other protesters, the university set up a direct confrontation between police officers and student activists. The escalatory tactics of law enforcement, which led to the physical breakup of the protest and arrests of more than 100 participants, chills, curtails, and restricts expression despite the universitys claims of commitment to that very principle, the statement said.

Washington Universitys demonstration on Saturday was one of several that have occurred on college campuses across the country over the past several weeks to protest Israels retaliatory response to an Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel led by the Hamas militant group in Gaza, which left about 1,200 dead and more than 200 people taken hostage. So far in Israels military assault, more than 30,000 people in Gaza have been killed, most of the population has been displaced and famine is threatening mass starvation. Student protesters are pressing for a cease-fire and are demanding that their colleges divest from companies linked to Israel and publicly denounce the attack on Gaza as a genocide.

There was a lot of screaming of Palestinian liberation versus Jewish, Penelope, a member of Jewish Students for Palestine, who was at the protest Saturday, told NBC News, adding that she supports Washington University students demands. I truly, to my entire core, believe that we can and we must have both. To focus exclusively on Jewish safety through militarily arming Israel is something that does not fundamentally ring true to me.

Related...
Prosecutors in Kansas are reviewing nearly 10,000 pages of documents generated by the investigation into the raid on the newspaper in Marion.

The August 11 search at The Marion County Record prompted concerns about press freedom from across the country.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation took the lead in the investigation shortly after the raid, but then tapped the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to take over.

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett and Riley County Prosecutor Barry Wilkerson were appointed as special prosecutors on the case.

Last month, they went to Denver where they received a detailed synopsis of the investigation, Bennett said in an email.

Rob Low, a spokesman for the CBI, said the prosecutors asked for some additional investigative steps, which are being done now.

The CBI has received more investigative documents which will be forwarded to them, Bennett said Wednesday.

He and Wilkerson were in the process of reviewing the investigation which already appears to run to nearly ten thousand pages.

When that review is complete, our findings will be made public, Bennett said.

Its unclear what charges prosecutors may be considering and Bennett said they do not plan on making any additional comments until their assessment is finished.

Gideon Cody, then the Marion police chief, obtained search warrants for the newspaper, the home of the newspapers owners Joan and Eric Meyer, and the home of Marion city councilwoman Ruth Herbel.

Joan Meyer, 98, died the next die after suffering a heart attack.

The search warrants were withdrawn within days amid widespread condemnation of Cody, who resigned weeks later.

Before the searches, the Record had been investigating Codys tenure at the Kansas City Police Department, where he was facing possible disciplinary action for allegedly making sexist comments. In applying for the search warrants, Cody wrote that he was investigating alleged identity theft of local restaurant owner Kari Newell after a reporter looked up her drivers license records  which are public records  on a state database.

Two of The Records reporters and the papers office manager have filed lawsuits. Last month, a fourth lawsuit was filed by Eric Meyer and the newspaper, who claimed that the police raid was an intolerable violation of their constitutional rights.
Prosecutors in Australia said Wednesday that a 15-year-old boy charged along with other teens in a stabbing at a church in Sydney plotted an attack against the Jewish community. Photo by Bianca De Marchi/EPA-EFE

May 1 (UPI) -- Australian prosecutors argued on Wednesday that a 15-year-old involved in a stabbing at a Sydney court wanted to attack Jewish community members but his attorney said his talk was nothing more than boasting.

The revelations came during a hearing where a judge was determining whether to release the youth on bail. The Joint Counter Terrorism Team arrested the boy and others connected to the April 15 stabbing attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and three others inside a church at Wakeley in western Sydney.

The boy, who is officially charged with conspiring to engage in any act in preparation for or planning a terrorist act, sent messages to others in a group chat on the messaging app Signal called "Plans" expressing his motivation to harm Jewish people.

"I want to do it to a bunch of Jews," the boy said on a group chat on April 20, according to prosecutors. "I want to do it bad. Don't youse want to do an attack? What about Palestine? I want to attack Jews here."

The boy's attorney Ahmed Dib said his client was simply putting on a "macho" performance in the messages.

"This is a young person venting something wrong, deranged but that doesn't go to the strength of the prosecution's case," Dib told the court. "It wouldn't be outside of the realm of possibility that a 15-year-old is trying to brag and be macho about something that he has no connection to."

Dib also argued that the conversations shared in court did not constitute "substantial planning."

"In terms of taking proactive steps, this was a young person venting unethically, it's deranged, but does not go to strength of prosecution case," he said.

Prosecutors told the court, though, the boy was already on bail in a separate incident on April 22 where he was part of a group accused of throwing rocks and a plank of wood that just missed the suspect.

They noted the teen had a knife in his possession during this incident, but Dib cited his restraint in not using it.

He said it was a "significant jump" to go from throwing a wooden plank to plotting a terrorist attack.

"He does not pull that knife out at any point," Dib said. "He complies with police, it's a very different type of person to the one described as having potential to carry out [a] terror attack."

The judge adjourned the court until Thursday without making a ruling on bail.
Levan Khabeishvili, the leader of Georgia's largest opposition United National Movement party, and Aleko Elisashvili, the leader of the Union of Citizens of Georgia, were beaten by security forces during a protest against the "foreign agents" law in Tbilisi.

Source: Ekho Kavkaza, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The Formula TV channel published a photo of Khabeishvili with signs of beating on his face. He sustained injuries to the maxillofacial area.

SOVA, a Georgian outlet in Russia, reported that before this, the party called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure the physical safety of the opposition figure and immediately release him.

"A few minutes ago, by the personal order of Bidzina Ivanishvili [honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream ruling party  ed.], representatives of the Russian regime in Georgia kidnapped Levan Khabeishvili, the leader of Georgia's largest opposition United National Movement party and a member of Parliament. At the time of the arrest, he was assisting a citizen injured at the rally," the United National Movement statement said.

Meanwhile, the opposition figure published a video message from the hospital, stating that he "doesn't feel any pain".

"Everything will be alright with my eye, body and so on, but the fight against Putin supporters must continue," Khabeishvili said.

Aleko Elisashvili, the leader of the Union of Citizens of Georgia, was also hurt due to the actions of law enforcement officers, who threw him to the ground after he approached the police.

"They also grabbed me, but when I saw Levan's photo... It doesn't matter which party I represent, you can't treat a deputy like that, you can't treat them like a dog," he noted.

Prior to this, law enforcement officers attempted to attack Giorgi Vashadze, the leader of the Strategy Aghmashenebeli party.

Background:

On the night of 30 April-1 May, Georgian special forces attempted to forcibly disperse participants of a peaceful protest against the "foreign agents" law in Tbilisi but later retreated. Prior to that, Georgian law enforcement officers deployed tear gas against at least 10 demonstrators.

Clashes between activists and police occurred on Shio Chitadze Street, where Ministry of Internal Affairs employees, using force, cleared the area near the side entrance to the parliament, where politicians and activists were holding a sit-in protest.

On 29 April, the Georgian Parliament's Legal Committee approved the proposal in its second reading. Its discussion in the Georgian Parliament's plenary session could span many days.

The EU warned Georgia on Monday that adopting the law on "foreign agents" would have ramifications for the country's integration into the European Union.

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On the night of 30 April-1 May, Georgian special forces withdrew from Tbilisi's large rallies against the law on "foreign agents".

Source: Ekho Kavkaza

Details: Protesters were allowed to return to the legislative building.

The discussion of the measure on "foreign agents" will resume in the assembly at 12:00 Tbilisi time.

Background:

On Wednesday night in Tbilisi, police deployed tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse protesters against the bill on "foreign agents". Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili asked Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri to stop dispersing the peaceful demonstration.

For the 16th day in a row, Tbilisi is witnessing protests against the ruling party Georgian Dream's second attempt to pass legislation on "foreign agents". Protesters carry Georgian and European Union flags, as well as posters with statements condemning the leadership and hinting at its ties with Russia.

On 29 April, the Georgian Parliament's Legal Committee approved the proposal in its second reading. Its discussion in the Georgian Parliament's plenary session could span many days.

The EU warned Georgia on Monday that adopting the law on "foreign agents" would have ramifications for the country's integration into the European Union. And US lawmakers Gerry Connolly and Austin Scott described the bill as "Putin's anti-democratic tool".

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DICKSON CITY, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  State police in Lackawanna County held a ceremony to honor troopers who have been killed in the line of duty.

Both current and retired members of the Pennsylvania State Police Troop R gathered at Eagle Hose Company Number 1 in Dickson City for a memorial service to commemorate 119 years of dedication and service.

Every day that you go out into the line of duty you always risk that chance, you see your wife, your kids, your significant other in the morning and you know you take that risk that you might not be coming home, said Tpr, Robert Urban the community services officer Troop R.

Provided moments for reflection for the troopers killed in the line of duty since the inception of the Pennsylvania State Police.

Today we honor their bravery, their memory their legacy, we honor these individuals who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, says Captain Michael Walsh the commanding officer of Troop R.

Ice cream trail is coming to Luzerne County

103 Pennsylvania State troopers have died in the line of duty, six of them from Troop R, they were remembered with a roll call.

Retired trooper Michael Yanochko served for 25 years. He says this Memorial Day he is honoring the lives of two troopers in particular.

I lost two very good friends of mine, Tpr. Paul Bickelman and Tpr. Mike Morrisey in the last two months so it really touches my heart, it was an honor to put a wreath on a memorial for me, added Yanochko.

Every day not just on May 2, known as Pennsylvania State Police Memorial Day retired trooper Richard Kane says he prays for state police and their families.

Youre in situations not daily, but in a situation too often when you could be hurt and its all in how you react, using your common sense, stated Kane.

Similar state police memorial ceremonies will be held across our region over the coming weeks.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  The Shawnee County Planning Commission will consider a wind energy ban and a one-year solar energy moratorium.

At 6 p.m. on Monday, May 13, a public hearing will be held at the East Wing of the Great Overland Station at 701 N Kansas Ave.

This public hearing process is a very important step to take as Shawnee County considers banning wind farms, and a moratorium on solar farms, Director of the Shawnee County Planning Department Joni Thadani said. We look forward to hearing from the community. Even if you are unable to attend in person, you can watch the meeting on the Shawnee County YouTube livestream.

Anyone interested in letting their voice be heard can attend and make comments. If you cant attend you can submit your support or concerns to planning@snco.us.

Images show destruction after tornado strikes NE Kansas town

For more weather news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
A far-right Russian philosopher whos called for Russia to expand its borders and rise up against the West says his interview with Tucker Carlson shows Americans are ready to accept his fascist ideas.

Alexander Dugin, dubbed Putins brain for supposedly influencing the Russian leaders geopolitical crusades, took to Telegram in the wake of his interview with the former Fox News host to note that hed made it into the American mainstream by sitting down with Carlson, and that the American public is a little ready for my ideas.

He claimed thered been a defamation campaign against him hatched by globalists and left-wing liberals who portrayed him as Dr. Evil and the most dangerous philosopher in the world. Of course, Carlson himself used precisely those descriptors in trying to hype the 20-minute interview on X, falsely claiming Dugins ideas are so dangerous that Amazon wont sell his books. (In fact, several of his books are currently available for purchase on Amazon in Russian.)

Dugins interview with Carlsonwhom he describes as the number one journalist in the worldwas the first time he was able to appeal directly to Americans on such a scale, Dugin said.

He went on to share a roundup of praise for his interview said to be from ordinary American YouTube commentators, including the likes of, What a wonderful, wise person! I love Russia! Kremlin-controlled media and Kremlin-friendly bloggers have also pushed the narrative that the interview somehow marks a win for Moscow vs. Western liberalism.

Dugin, whose ideas are believed to have influenced Moscows genocidal war against Ukraine, was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2015 for his role in the conflict, which included peddling disinformation and recruiting volunteers to fight alongside pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.

In his interview with Carlson released this week, Dugin blamed the Anglo-Saxon world for the rise of liberalism, claimed films like The Terminator and The Matrix will become a reality in the West, and declared that Vladimir Putin is the one man who can save the world from such horror.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The hook: Tucked inside of a seemingly typical-looking library on the University of Cincinnati campus is a small, tattered booklet containing the transcripts of one of Ohios most salacious 20th century trials. Between its faded covers is a tale of an illicit affair, tawdry sex and the downfall of an Olympic competitor.

Its titled The Murder of Theora Hix and Trial of Dr. James H. Snook, and back when it was hot off the presses in 1929, it was a bestseller on the streets of Columbus, Ohio  where the shocking trial took place  and beyond. Today, it resides in UCs Archives and Rare Books Library, an appointment-only section of the Blegen Library.

The University of Cincinnati's Archives and Rare Books Library houses one of the few surviving booklets of transcripts from the murder trial against Ohio State University veterinary medicine professor James Snook, convicted in the 1929 murder of coed Theora Hix.

The people: James Snook was a revered professor of veterinary medicine at Ohio State University with an Olympic past: Hed competed as a member of the U.S. Olympic pistol team (yes, thats still a thing), winning a gold medal in the mens 30-meter team military pistol event in the 1920 Olympics in Belgium.

After his Olympic gold, Snook continued to pistoleer as a hobby but focused his career on veterinary medicine, even inventing tools for his trade  including his most famous, a small surgical device to help in the neutering and spaying of dogs and cats. The device, called a Snook Hook, is still used today.

He was a married father in his early 40s when he met Theora Hix, a coed enrolled at the university. She was the daughter of Melvin Hix, a school principal and textbook author, and Joanna, a homemaker whod viewed her daughter as a gift from God when, after years of not being able to conceive a child, she welcomed her first and only baby at the age of 41.

Teddy, as Theora was nicknamed, was an exceptionally bright student who flew through undergrad at Ohio State before entering its College of Medicine. She met Snook not by taking one of his classes, but rather by joining a paid stenography pool to make extra money. Because Snook wrote a lot, he often tapped the stenography pool to take notes and dictation. Soon, Hix caught his eye.

The relationship: One rainy day, Snook spotted Hix and a friend of hers walking outside so he offered the duo a ride. A week later, he offered Hix alone a ride in the country. They seemed an unlikely pair: Snook was a buttoned-up, staid-seeming professor, while Hix was more outspoken and ahead of her time. In an era when women comprised about 4% of American physicians, she was pursuing a medical degree. And while she was quiet and studious, she also had views on sex that couldnt be reprinted in newspapers then  and would spare The Enquirer some outraged letters by not detailing them today.

Murder victim Theora Hix, 24, and her killer, renowned Ohio State University professor James Snook, are pictured In this June 17, 1929, edition of the Urbana Daily Citizen. The coed and professor had a three-year affair in one of Ohio's most salacious 20th century trials.

Instead, heres a sanitized overview: Hix was single and sexually active. On its own, that wasnt unusual for the 1920s  about half of the women enrolled in college at the time admitted in polls that they were sexually active  but Hix was more experimental and open about her views than average.

After a few weeks of flirtation, Snook and Hix began a years-long affair. The professor even rented a room where the two could meet without raising suspicion.

The gruesome discovery: Hix shared a Columbus apartment with two roommates who were also sisters, Alice and Beatrice Bustin. While Hix didnt share much about her personal life, the sisters at least knew that she was supposed to come home after a date with an unnamed beau June 13, 1929.

When she didnt show, they werent immediately worried. By the next afternoon, however, they were concerned enough to report her missing at a police station.

Soon after, two teenage boys happened upon what appeared to be a bundle of fabric in the weeds at the New York Central Railroad rifle range, where theyd gone for target price. As they drew closer, they realized the bundle was the body of a woman wearing a high-end brown dress with a white collar. They fetched police, who turned over the body to discover the womans head had been crushed by what appeared to be a ball-peen hammer. Her throat had also been slit.

Police at first zeroed in on a past boyfriend of Hixs, a man named Marion Meyers who had proposed marriage and been heartbroken when Hix laughed at the request. Meyers had an alibi and insisted he could never have inflicted the types of wounds Hix endured, but he gave police important information: the name of another of Hixs lovers, whose entanglement with a student would ignite a nationwide scandal.

The confession: At first, Snook denied knowing Hix beyond having met her through the steno pool. But the police pressed, and soon came more details: Snook admitted hed had a three-year affair with Hix, who was 24 when she died. Still, he maintained he had nothing to do with her death.

Then a woman stepped forward who said she recognized Snook and Hix from photos of them that ran in the newspapers. Shed known them as a married couple who paid weekly for a rented room from her. Snook admitted to renting the room but again said he had nothing to do with his lovers murder.

Thats when the prosecutor, John J. Chester Jr., did something that would endanger a conviction nowadays: He ignored Snooks pleas for his attorney and beat him, leaving red welts on each of his cheeks. Still, Snook didnt confess. It was only after multiple beatings, and upon learning that Ohio State University had fired him for having an affair with a student, that Snook signed a full confession.

I took a very strong liking to the girl, but I do want it understood that ours was not a silly little love affair, Snook said. I still love my wife and baby and want to see them happy.

Snook said the affair had begun as a frivolity but evolved into an obligation he resented. The night Hix died, hed told her that he planned an upcoming trip with his wife and baby. Hix demanded he cancel the trip, but he refused. He said her reaction was startling. She screamed, Damn you! Ill kill your wife and your baby! Ill kill you, too!

The University of Cincinnati's Archives and Rare Books Library houses one of the few surviving booklets of transcripts from the murder trial against Ohio State University veterinary medicine professor James Snook, convicted in the 1929 murder of coed Theora Hix.

She reached for her purse, in which Snook knew she sometimes kept a handgun hed given her as a gift. He was sure she was about to shoot him, he said, so he grabbed a ballpeen hammer inside of his car and bashed her repeatedly in the head.

As she staggered from the car, he realized she was too injured to survive but yet still alive, so he said he took a pocketknife and slit her throat, taking care to cut both her jugular vein and carotid artery to ensure a quick death.

The trial: Big-name reporters from the nations top newspapers and wire services arrived in Columbus to cover the so-called Trial of the Century. Snook took the stand and described his sex liaisons in such detail that newspapers deemed the testimony unfit for print.

The public clamored for those details, and a court stenographer knew a moneymaking opportunity when he saw one. He compiled the courtroom testimony from the trial into a soft-cover book and sold it at newsstands. Most copies were seized by angry protesters and police, but a few copies remain, including one on the UC campus.

The jury in Snook's trial took less than half an hour to find the professor guilty of murder. He spent his last day alive with his wife, sharing with her his final meal of fried chicken, lamb chops, mashed potatoes and ice cream. He was executed Feb. 28, 1930.

This case was featured in Amber Hunt's book "Crimes of the Centuries: The Cases That Changed Us." Hunt is host of the podcast Crimes of the Centuries and co-founder of the Grab Bag Collab podcast network.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Details in 1929 murder trial of Theora Hix live on in rare booklet at UC
Questions grow over claims by Eric Adams and NYPD that outside agitators behind Columbia protests

New York mayor Eric Adams and police officials are blaming radicalizaton by outside agitators for the Columbia University protests that resulted in more than 100 arrests on Tuesday night.

After speaking with [Columbia] throughout the week, at their request and their acknowledgement that outside agitators were on their grounds... we went in and conducted an operation, Mr Adams said, at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Hundreds of NYPD officers in riot gear stormed Columbias campus overnight after Gaza protesters occupied Hamilton Hall 24 hours earlier. Police used drones for surveillance and then a SWAT ramp was attached to the roof of a truck for officers enter the barricaded building and clear protesters. Some 109 people were arrested.

NYPD officers arrest pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University on Tuesday night. They arrested 109 people on the Ivy League campus after protesters barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall on Monday (Getty Images)

In total, 282 protesters were arrested at New York schools on Tuesday as violence flared at campus protests across the country.

However official explanations given by New York officials on Wednesday were swiftly called into question by Columbia professors and reporters.

At the Wednesday press briefing, journalists pushed city officials for more details on the agitators asking if they had been identified and how many were involved in the Columbia protests.

One reporter asked if authorities are concerned about a new breed of homegrown terrorist.

NYPD officers, pictured on Tuesday night, removed protesters occupying Columbia Universitys Hamilton Hall. Mayor Eric Adams says the Gaza protests and building occupation were fueled by outside agitators (Marco Postigo Storel)

Rebecca Weiner, the NYPDs deputy commissioner of intelligence & counterterrorism, said this was not a concern but that authorities are instead focused on radicalisation.

Mr Adams acknowledged that the outside agitator terminology was used during the 1960s Civil Rights movement to delegitimize protesters.

He added: But this police department cannot be caught up on Western politically correct terminology, we have to be caught up on public safety.

Later on Wednesday, Columbia faculty members rejected claims from Mr Adams and the police that the protests were led by outside agitators.

When I was a student, back in the 60s, we were told we were led by a bunch of outside agitators by politicians nobody remembers the name of today, said Columbia Professor Rashid Khalidi at a press conference on campus.

He said that Columbias school administrators will go down in infamy for their actions against protesters and calling in the NYPD to remove them.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (left) and New York City Police Department Edward Caban (right) spoke to reporters on Wednesday. Mr Caban, who is holding a bike lock and chain that protesters reportedly used to barricade Hamilton Hall, said more than 100 people were arrested at Columbia University on Tuesday (REUTERS)

Police officials also described makeshift weapons used by the agitators. NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard appeared on MSNBC morning show, Morning Joe, on Wednesday with a bike chain that he said protesters used to barricade Hamilton Hall.

This is not what students bring to school, Commissoner Sheppard said. This is what professionals bring to campuses and universities.

However, social media users point out that the same bike chain is sold by Columbias public safety office to students.

The NYPD also faced questions over press access during clearing of protests. On Wednesday, Mr Adams said the national press was able to report from the scene. National independent journalists acknowledged what the police department did yesterday and they were on the ground to see it, he said.

This bike lock is/was available for sale on campus via Columbia's Public Safety department under their "Crime Prevention Discount Bike, Locker and Laptop Lock Program".



See their flier with a discount here: https://t.co/cXudPIG70k https://t.co/RIjIoRCuw5 pic.twitter.com/hVb60tpFTC  Aric Toler (@AricToler) May 1, 2024

The Independent reported that the NYPD prevented media from accessing the campus and closed off entire city blocks around the university on Tuesday.

Later, the NYPD confined at least a dozen reporters and legal observers for nearly an hour with a group of protesters, refusing to allow them to leave a cordoned-off area as they loaded arrested students on to buses.

The NYPD referred The Independent to Wednesdays press conference when contacted for comment.

NYPD officers, pictured entered Hamilton Hall on Tuesday night on a SWAT ramp, which was occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters. Some journalists are criticising the school for reportedly limiting access to campus during police activity (AFP via Getty Images)

For weeks, Gaza protests have roiled college campuses across the US as demonstrators have demanded that schools divest from Israel in light of the heavy bombings in the territory that followed the Hamas militant groups 7 October attack.

In California, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators clashed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Tuesday night with police intervening in the violence. The Los Angeles Police Department has yet to release how many people were arrested.

Counter protesters attack pro-Palestinian protesters on 1 May at the University of California, Los Angeles campus. It is unclear as of Wednesday afternoon how many arrests police made, if any (AFP via Getty Images)

SWAT teams were deployed to a demonstration at the University of Arizona on Tuesday night. Police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly before using tear gas and tearing down a pro-Palestinian encampment, according to the Daily Wildcat student newspaper.

Conflict broke out between protesters and counter-protesters throughout the night on the Tucson campus with some counter-protesters removing parts of the encampment, the student newspaper reported. Officers arrested at least four people, the Arizona Daily Star reports.
As radical as the contemporary GOP has become in recent years, it remains generally verboten in mainstream circles to openly call for murder. At least, for all but one demographic: migrants, whom Texas Governor Greg Abbott earlier this year lamented he couldnt order killed. At best, party officials might argue that they are disease-ridden freeloaders; at worst, that theyre a demographic ticking time bomb engineered to wipe out real, white America.

This rhetoric has often been mistaken as a new turn for American political discourse, but its more of a return to an earlier era, one cemented by a law signed a century ago this month by Calvin Coolidge: the Immigration Act of 1924, known as Johnson-Reed after its House and Senate sponsors.

In a 2015 interview with right-wing operator Stephen Bannon, thenAlabama Senator Jeff Sessions spoke glowingly of the era set off by this bill that most listeners, and most Americans writ large, were probably unfamiliar with. In his languid drawl, Sessions described an era that created really the solid middle class of America, with assimilated immigrants, and it was good for America.

What this meant, in practical terms, was a system geared toward prioritizing the immigration of white Northern Europeans in direct response to the heyday of Southern European immigration at the turn of the century. This was accomplished through a national immigration quota of only 2 percent of any given countrys immigrant population in the United States as of the 1890 censusright before recent waves of European arrivalsand effectively banned Asian immigration entirely. In doing so, the law codified ethnic preferences, and it was soon bolstered by the newly created Border Patrol. In effect, the United States of 1890 was the one that was to remain, untainted by the now-romanticized steamships at Ellis Island.

Two years after this interview, Sessions became Donald Trumps first attorney general, making him the de facto top appellate decision-maker of the immigration court system. There, he leveraged a little-used review power to remake immigration courts in his restrictionist image, as one of several Trump-era immigration policy hawks who looked to the lessons of a century ago to guide their thinking. Among them was Stephen Miller, the administrations chief architect of anti-immigrant filth and a onetime communications director for Sessions; in leaked emails of his 2015 communications with right-wing journalists, Miller references the law repeatedly, at one point writing that they should remind people about the heritage established by Calvin Coolidge.

Insofar as the general public knows anything at all about immigration policy, its probably relatively recent legal efforts: this years Senate border deal, or longtime efforts to protect people brought illegally to the country as children. Maybe theyre aware of the 1986 amnesty signed by Reagan, or the significant expansion of detention and deportation enacted under Clinton 10 years later.

Yet the fundamental template for how immigration policy is written, communicated about, and implemented, how its discussed in Congress and exists conceptually in the minds of lawmakers and voters alike, traces back to Johnson-Reed. In a huge amount of the basic structure of immigration law and policy and the debate over it, you can see 1924 as a central inflection point for that, said Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law.

It was born out of the maturation of the openly racist eugenics movement, which emphasized now-debunked theories around increasing the quality of humans by ensuring the preservation of genetic desirability. Representative Albert Johnson, the legislations House sponsor, once appointed an expert eugenics agent to the House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, which he chaired. In justifying his legislation, he fretted that our capacity to maintain our cherished institutions stands diluted by a stream of alien blood. A hundred years later, Donald Trump would make headlines for doubling down on his assertion that immigrants were poisoning the blood of our country.

Johnson-Reed updated a law from three years earlier that set similar quotas at 3 percent of any nations 1910 census population. The 20-year change in cutoff was debated extensively in the run-up to Johnson-Reeds passage, and the 1890 adjustment won out for a simple reason. The Emergency Quota Act was not strict enough from a nativist perspective, said UC Berkeley historian and author Hidetaka Hirota. There was still too much room for Italians, Jews, Greeks, Slavs, those European immigrants considered inferior, weaker stock.

The quota system would eventually be repealed in 1965 with the passage of the second Immigration and Nationality Act, one of the final and less heralded triumphs of the civil rights movement. The act still forms the basis of our current immigration system. Yet Johnson-Reed left its residue, a lingering conviction that a bad stock of immigrants would be a cultural and political poison pill decaying the exceptional character of an ascendant United States.

Legend has it that the way [Lyndon] Johnson, a pretty effective arm-twister, sold it to the liberal Democrats [was] that it was consistent with civil rights, eliminating discriminatory provisions, said Paul Wickham Schmidt, a professor at Georgetown Law and a former chief appellate immigration judge who began working in the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the 1970s before becoming the agencys acting general counsel. Meanwhile, he told Southern and Western Democrats: Dont worry, this really isnt going to change anything. Who can apply for family-based [immigration] except people whose families are already here? And those are all our white, European, longtime ancestors.

If its residue grew lighter over the intervening years, its reemerged today in the so-called great replacement theory. The right-wing concern that unimpeded immigration is engineered to diminish and eventually supplant white political and social power has conclusively moved from a whisper at the edges of the insurgent alt-right to practically become GOP doctrine.

Johnson-Reed also helped usher in the lasting phenomenon of policy contorting itself to satisfy the twin imperatives of keeping undesirables out while extracting their labor. Despite some strong anti-Mexican sentiment on the House and Senate floor, those nativist sentiments, those racist voices, were ultimately [overridden] because of the more predominant demand, stronger demand for Mexican labor, said Hirota. It really established this idea that the Mexicans were not desirable as people, as members of society in the United States, but the country needed the labor. So thats a compromise.

Much like the Chinese immigrants who built the transcontinental railroad and then found themselves the target of heavy-handed restrictions once the labor had been completed, Mexican workers who entered post-1924 to prop up massive agricultural and industrial demand for labor would soon bear the brunt of the backlash. The Bracero Program of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s all but guaranteed exploitation. As the population of Mexican immigrants increased, Dwight Eisenhower instituted the notorious Operation Wetback, which led to at least hundreds of thousands of deportations, including those of U.S. citizens (and which Trump reportedly views as a template).

That operation was conducted by the Border Patrol, which was created shortly after Johnson-Reed to actually ensure that this system of racialized preferences and controlled migrant labor was enforced. In the century since, the force has grown in size and authority to eventually become a large paramilitary organization with some 20,000 officers andfactoring in its parent agency, Customs and Border Protectionan arsenal that includes predator drones and sophisticated surveillance tools. CBP and the Border Patrol have been the frontline executors of both Trump- and Biden-era asylum restrictions, which are facilitated by the immigration systems relative insularity within the federal government.

That walling off is also to some extent a product of Johnson-Reed, according to Schmidt, who also worked on the aftermath of the 1980 Refugee Act and Reagans 1986 amnesty and would eventually chair the Board of Immigration Appeals in the 1990s, acting as the overseer of the immigration courts appellate branch. Schmidt sees the laws staying power in not only the legal realm but the conceptualization of immigration as a separate animal with different due process standards, including in the very court system he once presided over. Thats still one of the arguments that opponents of an Article I independent court system make: This is too sensitive, controversial, and tied in with national security and other policies to allow it to just be treated by mere judges, Schmidt said. You need politicos in there who can make sure nobodys giving away the store.

By the early twentieth century, the group of so-called Chinese Exclusion cases put the final nail in the coffin of state-based attempts to regulate immigration by recognizing Congresss implicit plenary power to do so and the presidents role in enforcement. (Incidentally, the current Supreme Court opened that firmly closed door in March by allowing Texas to move forward with a law essentially establishing a state immigration enforcement system.)

Johnson-Reed sketched out, for the first time, a formal immigration superstructure with components that are recognizable todayimmigration visas to be issued abroad and screened on arrival; expanded deportation powers; and, of course, a militarized Border Patrol to be the governments muscleand put that superstructure in its own due process and constitutional category.

Youll find that in both constitutional law and administrative law, there are the rules, and then theres immigration, which is sort of its own thing, where things that you couldnt do in administrative law happen all the time, said Schmidt. Youd probably have a due process problem if you treated people in traffic court or misdemeanor court the way we treat asylum-seekers in immigration court.

Unlike the earlier Chinese Exclusion Act, whose national-origin and race-based aims were made explicit in its title and language, Johnson-Reed does not specifically establish new national or race exclusions. It really suspended all Asian immigration without using actual racial language. The key phrase is, those ineligible to citizenship could not enter the United States. But then, if you look at the naturalization law, those who were not eligible for naturalization were Asians, said Hirota. This skirting right to the edge of making racial intent clear without stepping over the line has become a feature of policymaking around immigration, perhaps best exemplified by Trumps so-called Muslim ban.

Despite Trumps repeated and explicit promises to target Muslim immigration on the campaign trail, the Supreme Court ruled 54 in 2018s Trump v. Hawaii that the third version of the policywhich functionally suspended immigration from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and North Korea, with some restrictions on Venezuela thrown in to further muddy the waterswas not unconstitutional, because it did not specifically target Muslims in its text. What they said is, basically: Well make a standard of review which is so preposterous that we can actually close our eyes to the like thousand statements that Trump made before and during and after the campaign, said Arulanantham. What theyve done is theyve made it basically impossible to challenge anyone unless they wrote in the executive order, We hate Muslims, basically.

He and others saw pangs of Johnson-Reeds staying power in the disparate treatment of Ukrainians fleeing Russias 2022 invasion. Within weeks, the Biden administration had directed border authorities to consider exempting Ukrainians from the still active Title 42 expulsion program, even as thousands of Venezuelans and others were turned away, and quickly instituted a specialized program as Afghan refugees, left behind by Americas messy withdrawal, floundered. Biden is, I would say, an accomplice. He may not be so vocal as Trump, but essentially he inherited the whole system, and he continued the whole system and the policy. He hasnt really actively opposed anti-immigrant or nativist policies, said Hirota.

The only large group of Europeans who have tried to get in [recently] were Ukrainians, and they werent the ones who were living under bridges, stuck for years waiting for [the] CBP One [app] to work a miracle of miracles. They figured out a way to get the Ukrainians in fairly quickly. That shows that the system could work if there were really motivation to make it work, said Schmidt, referencing the system for migrants to navigate Bidens reinstatement last year of a Trump-era asylum restriction policy. Now, the president is reportedly considering heavy-handed executive actions to restrict new arrivals.

Those of us that sort of thought the 24 act was in the rearview mirror, you know, I think weve been proven wrong, the former immigration judge added.
A Raleigh hospital has again been named one of the best in the nation by a group that studies patient safety and care.

The Leapfrog Groups latest report, released Wednesday and searchable by the public online, gave UNC Health Rex straight As after evaluating the hospitals performance on more than two dozen measures in five categories of safety and care. Leapfrog issues the reports twice a year for nearly 3,000 general hospitals in the U.S., based on rates of preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals use to prevent those.

Leapfrog said Rex is one of only 15 hospitals nationwide  and the only one of 90 hospitals in North Carolina  to get straight As every year since the group began its evaluations in 2012. Last year, it noted 18 straight-A hospitals across the country.

The president of the Raleigh hospital will step down next month in order to pursue another opportunity, the health system said in a press release. ABC11

Across UNC Health, we focus on providing safe and excellent care to all patients, Dr. Wesley Burks, CEO of UNC Health, said in a news release from the hospital after the ratings were announced. In addition, we look at measurements like Leapfrog to help us constantly improve.

Leah Binder, president and CEO of the non-profit Leapfrog Group, said, Everyone who works at UNC Health should be proud of these A Hospital Safety Grades. It takes complete dedication of at every level, and an ironclad commitment to putting patients first. I thank UNC Health, its leadership, clinicians, staff, and volunteers for caring so deeply for its patients and their safety.

How did other area hospitals rate?

The Leapfrog Group gave these overall grades for other area hospitals:

A grades:

WakeMed Raleigh Campus

Duke Raleigh Hospital

WakeMed Cary Hospital

Rex Holly Springs Hospital

Duke University Hospital

Duke Regional Hospital

Person Memorial Hospital, Roxboro

B grades:

WakeMed North Hospital

UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill

Johnston Health Clayton

Johnston Health in Smithfield

Central Harnett Hospital, Lillington

Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital, Dunn

Maria Parham Health, Henderson

C grade

Central Carolina Hospital, Sanford

D grade

Granville Medical Center, Oxford

What trends appeared in the ratings?

In general, The Leapfrog Group found, hospital patient experience has declined since the pandemic and although there was some improvement during the last half of 2023  the period measured in the most recent report  safety and patient care have not returned to pre-pandemic quality.

The report found notable improvements in the rates of certain kinds of infections, including central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA.

While todays results are promising, patient safety remains a crisis-level hazard in health care, Binder said on the organizations website. Some hospitals are much better than others at protecting patients from harm, and thats why we make the Hospital Safety Grade available to the public and why we encourage all hospitals to focus more attention on safety.
Oak Ridge native Ram Uppuluri will talk about his mother, the late Shigeko Uppuluri, at the Wednesday, May 8 meeting of Altrusa International of Oak Ridge.

"Remembering My Mother, Shigeko Uppuluri, and Her Unique and Adventurous Life in Oak Ridge," is the title of his talk. His mother died June 8. Rams parents, V.R.R. (Ram) and Shigeko were longtime residents of Oak Ridge and were instrumental in bringing the International Friendship Bell to Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge native Ram Uppuluri, far right, is seen with his mother Shigeko and son Adam at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga in 2019. Ram will be speaking on his mother's 'remarkable' life at the Mother's Day meeting of Altrusa International of Oak Ridge on May 8.

Ram is an attorney licensed in Tennessee and the District of Columbia. A 1979 graduate of Oak Ridge High School, he recently moved back to Oak Ridge after living in Washington, D.C. for the past 25 years, where he served in the Clinton Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy, followed by a 20-year career in the local D.C. government and local nonprofit sector, according to an Altrusa news release.

He served as Legislative Counsel to the D.C. Councils Committee on Human Services from 2007-2010, as vice president for partnerships at the D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust, as executive director of the D.C. Alliance of Youth Advocates, and most recently, as committee director of the Councils Housing Committee. From 2010-2014, he served on the Districts Juvenile Justice Advisory Group.

Ram returned to Oak Ridge in 2022 to take care of his mom, and decided to stay after she died.

Ram is a member of the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, and also serves on the boards of the Oak Ridge Fund for Achieving Community Excellence (ORFACE) and CASA of the Tennessee Heartland. Ram is also a community representative on the Sister City Support Organization and a member of the Scarboro 85 Monument Committee.

The in-person Altrusa meeting, will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a time to socialize. The buffet opens at 11:45 a.m. A short business meeting will begin at noon and the program will follow. Reservations should be made by sending an email to: altrusareservations@gmail.com by noon Monday, May 6.

Altrusa International is a service organization comprised of community members focusing on leadership, partnership and service with an emphasis on literacy and education.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Ram Uppuluri remembers his mother Shigeko at May 8 meeting of Altrusa
The Senate Budget Committees Democratic majority and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) took aim at the oil industry Wednesday for historically minimizing the impacts of fossil fuels on the climate in a hearing on the results of a bicameral investigation into the industrys efforts.

In perhaps the most contentious exchange of the hearing, during which senators from both parties were cordial with Raskin, the Maryland Democrat also turned his criticism on a Republican committee member, calling Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) a climate fatalist.

In testimony before the committee in the first half of the hearing, Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, told the panel that instead of telling the world about the perils of global warming and working to change their business model, the companies suppressed relevant scientific findings for decades and came to challenge and contradict urgent calls by scientists to take climate change seriously as a global threat.

As the experts told us, this pattern of lying and evasion set the country back decades in our ability to seriously address and manage climate change, Raskin added.

Raskins testimony echoes the report issued Tuesday by the Senate Budget Committee and Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. The report, the continuation of an investigation that began while the latter committee was under Democratic control, alleges the oil industry knowingly suppressed scientific evidence of the relationship between fossil fuels and climate change. It further claims the industry publicly supported efforts to reduce emissions while privately working against them or relying on front groups and trade organizations to oppose them.

Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee largely did not address the material in the report, with ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) calling it an inappropriate matter for the panel to review, saying this committee doesnt legislate climate policy.

Johnson invoked a declaration by more than 1,800 scientists that there is no climate emergency. Johnson has frequently touted the document, which critics have noted is signed by numerous experts in fields unrelated to climatology, such as engineering. One of its highest-profile signatories, Nobel laureate Ivar Giaever, won the prize for research relating to electrical superconductors.

Johnson, who was recorded calling human-caused climate change bullshit in 2021, said he was a climate realist rather than a climate change denier, with Raskin countering that the Wisconsin senator was a climate fatalist.

Raskin elaborated on the exchange to reporters after the hearing, saying mixed in with his remarks was the idea that all of this is just a product of nature and theres nothing we can do, its out of our hands. And I think that is a recipe for capitulation to disaster.

In the second half of the hearing, Sharon Eubanks, former director of the Justice Departments tobacco litigation team, called for similar legal strategies to be used against the oil industry. She pointed to findings in the tobacco lawsuits that the industry had knowingly suppressed scientific evidence, akin to the allegations made in the committees report on the oil industry.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
BitcoinImage

A recent slump in asset flows to spot bitcoin ETFs notwithstanding, traditional finance holdouts are struggling increasingly to ignore the surging interest among investors for cryptocurrency assets.

Exhibit A is a recent report that Morgan Stanley is reevaluating its policies for financial advisors about recommending spot bitcoin ETFs to its clients. Morgan Stanley is currently allowing advisors to invest on behalf of clients as long as the request came from the clients.

Morgan Stanley declined to comment on how the company is policing this vague policy and might allow advisors to start recommending the ETFs directly to clients.

The firm is not alone in its cautious approach to what has become the hottest ETF category ever. Such notable platforms as Raymond James Financial, LPL Financial and The Vanguard Group are among the firms still restricting access in varying degrees to spot bitcoin funds.

Last week, after 71 straight days of net inflows totaling nearly $12 billion, some spot bitcoin ETFs experienced their first outflows. Still, the speed with which the now 11 funds currently trading have generated this total has reluctant platforms reconsidering their stance.

Spot Bitcoin ETF Access Demand Rises

It doesnt hurt that bitcoin's is up more than 38% this year. Platforms are likely finding it difficult to ignore investors' voracious appetite for cryptocurrency exposure with its potential for big gains.

Similar to many old-school financial advisors who are still trying to ignore cryptocurrency as a potential investment, the brokerage platforms will find it increasingly difficult to deny access.

On Tuesday, the cryptocurrency space took another big step forward with the debut of separate bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in Hong Kong. The ETFs from China Asset Management opened on the Hong Kong exchanges as the two most active funds during the trading day.

Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Eric Balchunas posted on social media that the dual launch in Hong Kong presents the first opportunity to measure investor appetite for bitcoin and ether-based products (ether is the native token of the Ethereum smart contracts blockchain). And it looks like the initial edge goes to the spot Ethereum funds, but that might be because the spot Ethereum ETFs are the first of their kind.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is still reviewing multiple applications for spot Ethereum ETFs to be offered on U.S. exchanges, and it remains unclear how the agency will rule. But what is clear is the market forces behind these kinds of products.

Story continues

Morgan Stanley, Raymond James, LPL and Vanguard are surely paying attention to the SEC's deliberations as they consider expanding access for their clients.

Kudos to those firms taking the most cautious approach to cryptocurrency investing, but rest assured, it is a matter of when, not if, they will all eventually be on board.





Permalink |  Copyright 2024 etf.com. All rights reserved
A member of the Ragin' Grannies, an environmental advocacy group, sings "No Frackin' Way," outside the Durham County Courthouse, where the NC Utilities Commission was holding a public hearing about Duke Energy's carbon plan. (Photo: Lisa Sorg)

Bobby Jones, a founder of the Down East Coal Ash Environmental and Social Justice Coalition in Goldsboro, had been seated for less than five minutes when he bolted from his bench.

This hearing is a farce! Jones said, as a Durham County Sheriffs deputy led him from the seventh-floor courtroom. Youre in cahoots with Duke Energy.

Jones was among several people who walked out in protest of the N.C. Utilities Commission, which held its final public hearing yesterday in Durham on Duke Energys updated carbon plan  a plan that few people like, except for Duke Energy.

While the Duke plan would add more renewable sources, like solar, those efforts would be dwarfed by a massive build-out of natural gas infrastructure: as many as five new plants, including one in Person County and another in Catawba County, plus the pipelines and compressor stations to transmit and distribute the gas.

Across the state line, in South Carolina, Duke plans to build another large natural gas plant, which, with the North Carolina facilities, will meet what the utility calls unprecedented demand.

Yet natural gas is a major source of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas and significant driver of climate change. Just last month, average global carbon dioxide levels reached an all-time high, while sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic have also broken historical records.

Other components of the plan include:

the development of small nuclear reactors, as well as hydrogen power, whose nascent technology has yet to be commercially deployed in the U.S.,

the possibility of higher energy bills for ratepayers, as much as 73% by 2033, and

the possibility that Duke could delay meeting its decarbonization requirements by five years.

A state law (House Bill 951) enacted in 2021 mandates that the utility cut its carbon emissions by 70% over 2005 levels by 2030. The Utilities Commission has the discretion to extend that target date, but as several ratepayers testified, the climate crisis is nearly out of runway.

These deadlines are not arbitrary, said Rebecca Maselli of Raleigh. They are crucial to help stave off the worst effects of climate change. We know that the extraction and use of fossil fuel is what has caused our climate crisis. We should be doing everything within our power to stem this tide as soon as possible. The reality is we do not need more fossil fuel plants. We should be prioritizing renewables.

The two main issues I have with [Dukes] plan are one, the lack of urgency. It seems as if you dont think climate change is actually real, David Balletta of Durham said. The second is the lack of innovative thinking. The plan is traditional and conservative, and has a bias in favor of gas and nuclear and against renewables.

Balletta encouraged the commission to emphasize stronger energy efficiency measures in the plan. The benefits of energy conservation are well known; the reduction in demand is immediate.

Whats next?

The N.C. Utilities Commission is scheduled to hold another hearing Monday, July 22, at 2 p.m., in which it will receive testimony from Duke Energy and other intervenors in the case. The Commission will decide whether to approve, amend or deny the plan by the end of the year.

Melissa McCullough of Chapel Hill is the EPAs former assistant national program director of sustainable and healthy communities research. Dukes counterproductive proposal fails to choose the most cost-effective option, McCullough testified before the commission. That is renewable energy.

Natural gas will result in higher and unpredictable energy rates, said McCullough, also a Chapel Hill Town Council member. And the plan will probably fail to meet decarbonization goals, because Duke is proposing to rely on a wildly expensive if not infeasible technology, hydrogen.

The EPA recently finalized carbon pollution standards that would affect not just existing coal plants but new natural gas facilities  like the ones planned for North and South Carolina.

New gas plants that run the most, Newsline previously reported, will have to capture 90% of their carbon emissions by 2032. Thats just three years after the Roxboro plant is scheduled to come online.

The cost of these upgrades would be passed along to customers. The current plan already projects significantly higher rates. Based on monthly usage of 1,000 kilowatt hours, a household would pay $52-$57 a month in 2033  far higher than original carbon plan estimates of $30 to $41.

Jose Saucedo lives in Winston-Salem with three people and cant afford to adequately heat their house in the winter. We use kerosene and space heaters, Saucedo said. We use the furnace only on the coldest of nights.

He asked the commission to hold Duke accountable to the clean energy goals established in House Bill 951. Failure to do so means that our testimony has fallen on deaf ears.

As the hearing wound down, people ambled through the courthouse hallway, whose windows overlook a half dozen new apartment buildings. On the roofs were mounted hundreds of air conditioners. The high temperature had reached 85 degrees that afternoon  well above average  and many of them were already running.

The view of hundreds of rooftop air conditioners, as seen from the seventh floor of the Durham County Courthouse

The view of hundreds of air conditioners, as seen from the seventh floor of the Durham County Courthouse, where the N.C. Utilities Commission held a public hearing about Duke Energys amended carbon plan. (Photo: Lisa Sorg)

The post Ratepayers plead with NC Utilities Commission to reject Duke Energys carbon plan appeared first on NC Newsline.
The sun sets on the Urdaneta Philippines Temple in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, Philippines on Friday, April 26, 2024. The 190th temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be dedicated Sunday, April 28, 2024, by President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Read the text of the prayer offered by President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, to dedicate the Urdaneta Philippines Temple on Sunday, April 28, 2024.

Our Father in Heaven: As Thy grateful children, we approach thee in prayer on this sacred occasion when, by the power of Thy Holy Priesthood, we will dedicate this Urdaneta Philippines Temple unto Thee and Thy beloved Son.

We thank Thee for the plan Thou hast established for the eternal life of Thy children. We thank Thee for Thine Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for His Resurrection for our immortality, for His Atonement for our repented sins and for His experiencing all of our pains and infirmities that He may strengthen us in our infirmities.

We thank Thee for the Restoration of the gospel, beginning with Thy appearance with Thine only Begotten Son to the Prophet Joseph Smith, whom Thou hast called to bring forth the Book of Mormon as another witness of Thy Son and of Thy plan of happiness for Thy children.

To read the full story, visit TheChurchNews.com.
Redding Regional Airport could close to travelers for a month this fall due to runway work

There is a good chance travelers wont be able to fly out of Redding for a month this fall.

The city of Redding has applied for a multi-million-dollar federal grant to resurface the main runway and upgrade the runway lighting at Redding Regional Airport.

Officials expect to hear if the city got the Federal Aviation Administration grant in early June, Assistant City Manager Steve Bade said.

We have been working on this for five years, so we are pretty hopeful, Bade said.

If the city does get the grant, the main runway would be closed Oct. 1-Oct. 31, Bade said. The last time the runway was resurfaced was in 2001.

A United Express jet taxis after landing at Redding Regional Airport on May 20, 2021.

The airports cross runway would stay open for all but five days in October.

State and federal agencies also use the airport, especially during the North State's fire season, which can run through October.

Just last week, officials gathered at Redding Regional Airport to mark the completion of an expanded air base in Redding they say will be the only one of its kind in the world for battling wildfires.

Jas Shaw, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman, said Cal Fire planes will use the cross runway in October. For the five days the cross runway closes due to work on the main runway, operations will launch from Chico, she said.

But twin-engine passenger jets flown in and out of Redding by Alaska, Avelo and United airlines use the main runway, so the airport will be closed in October if the city gets the grant. The airlines offer service to Los Angeles, Hollywood-Burbank, San Francisco and Seattle.

They have been encouraging people to fly out of Redding and then this happens. I know they have to redo the runway, but its a little difficult for those travelers who have already booked flights, so now we have to rebook them and find alternatives, said Janette Webber of Avanti Travel in Redding.

Webber said its been a hectic few months because airline schedules in and out of Redding have been changing. She blamed some of that on runway work being done at San Francisco International Airport that started in January and is expected to last until early summer.

It presents a lot of challenges, I will tell you, she said.

Bade said the city is working with the airlines. Each airline programs their schedules a little differently, he said.

Bade said the city submitted a base bid for $21.7 million to do the primary runway work and then an alternative bid of $8.1 million for the shoulder and lighting work.

We will know in early June what funds will be awarded and if we can do the base bid and alternative bid, or just the base bid (work), he said.

The grant would pay for all but $2.1 million of the runway resurfacing and all but $700,000 of the shoulder and lighting work, Bade said. The city would pay for the balance from its passenger facility charge account.

David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. Hes part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on X, formerly Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding Regional Airport could close in October due to runway work
To reduce Black-on-Black crime, two criminal justice experts explain why offering monthly stipends to people at risk makes sense

After a historic spike in homicides in 2020, murder rates in most U.S. cities appear to be returning to pre-pandemic levels. This drop has sparked some public attention, as demonstrated during a meeting of police chiefs in February 2024 at the White House.

During the meeting, President Joe Biden lauded investments made in law enforcement and community anti-violence initiatives during his administration. In 2023, Biden said, the U.S. had one of the lowest rates of all violent crime in more than 50 years.

But the most striking fact about homicide in the U.S. has been largely overlooked during such meetings  Black Americans are murdered at nearly eight times the rate of white Americans.

Young Black men in inner cities are disproportionately affected. They are both the primary victims and perpetrators of gun assaults and homicides.

This grave reality does not mean Black people are inherently violent. Instead, it largely reflects their disproportionate experience of systemic barriers such as poverty and limited access to quality education, good jobs and affordable housing  all factors that research shows contribute to neighborhood violence.

Making matters worse are the high rates of illegal gun possession among young men in urban areas. This behavior is often driven by reasons beyond criminal intent and include distrust of the legal system and the perceived need for self-protection.

More people walking around with weapons raises the risks for minor disputes escalating into deadly encounters. Studies revealing a connection between increased gun carrying and a rise in gun-related fatalities highlight the dangers of ready access to guns.

Limits of tough-on-crime policies

To be clear, keeping Americans safe requires arresting and locking up dangerous offenders. But the problem of street violence transcends punishment strategies that emphasize more police, more enforcement of petty crimes and, ultimately, more incarcerations.

Such traditional, tough-on-crime responses fail to address deeper social issues and unwritten rules like the street code and the elusive American dream dictating daily life in many inner cities.

This street code discourages police cooperation and glorifies guns and violence as ways to resolve conflicts and gain respect. At the same time, the code encourages intimidation and swift retaliation against perceived threats or insults.

An Alameda County Coroners Bureau van leaves the scene of a fatal shooting by police officers in West Oakland, Calif., on April 17, 2024. Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images

For many people in underserved communities, generational poverty and limited opportunities for upward mobility make crime a viable alternative to a system that seems rigged against them. When people are presented with few legitimate economic prospects, studies show that some turn to crimes such as drug-dealing and theft.

Despite being classified as nonviolent offenses, those involved frequently use violence to establish dominance or settle disagreements.

As scholars of criminal justice  one of us is also a former police officer of 10 years  we have found that one way to reduce crime and its harmful effects on communities is to develop strategies for at-risk individuals that offer a range of mental health and other professional services, including a monthly stipend.

It is no coincidence that young Black males, who are most at risk of gun violence, also have the lowest chance of escaping poverty.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 54% of Black men born in the poorest households end up in the lowest earnings bracket between the ages of 28 to 35, compared with 22% of white men, 29% of white women and 34% of Black women.

Such grim prospects, along with the relatively small group of offenders driving community violence, highlight the importance of targeted, holistic interventions.

Cash incentives

There is one approach that cities can consider  cash allowances for young Black men at greatest risk of committing gun violence.

Community-based initiatives like Advance Peace, a nonprofit agency focused on anti-gun violence, are addressing the economic pressures behind street violence and demonstrate the potential of providing people with guaranteed payments each month.

Advance Peace members gather for a meeting in Sacramento, Calif., on Oct. 26, 2018. Mason Trinca for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Launched in Richmond, California, in 2009, Advance Peace receives its funding from city contracts, federal grants and private donations.

Its programs offer participants as much as US$1,000 monthly for up to nine months. This stipend is conditional on meeting goals intended to steer them away from crime and violence, such as completing educational courses or finding jobs.

To address underlying emotional and behavioral issues, participants are also connected with round-the-clock mentorship by staff counselors for at least 18 months. Other services include cognitive behavioral therapy to help manage aggressive and impulsive tendencies associated with violence.

In addition, gang rivals are paired together during sponsored trips to foster dialogue and humanize one another.

In California cities implementing Advance Peace, such as Richmond, Sacramento and Stockton, shootings decreased from 2018 to 2021, and the overwhelming majority of participants have avoided both gun violence and new arrests.

Research on these California cities shows that neighborhoods with Advance Peace programs saw a 5% to 52% decrease in the number of victims of gun violence in 2021 compared with 2018.

Black men under 35 also were involved in 15% to 42% fewer shootings across the three cities.

Solutions that address root causes

Opponents of the monthly stipend, including former Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, have criticized the idea of paying people to obey the law as cash for criminals. They contend that this approach suggests compliance requires monetary incentives rather than personal accountability. While understandable, we believe these criticisms are misguided.

The objective is not to pay off potential offenders but rather to stabilize tumultuous lives and open avenues for personal and professional growth. It is challenging to develop these initiatives without stigmatizing recipients or creating dependency. But the harsh truth is that we either pay now or pay later.

Besides the loss of life and the trauma caused by gun violence, its massive economic burden extends beyond victims and their families. Recent estimates reveal that the financial toll of gun violence in the U.S. amounts to a staggering $557 billion annually, surpassing the gross domestic products of countries such as South Africa and Denmark.

These costs include immediate and long-term medical bills, legal expenses and lost earnings from victims death or disability.

To this point, another analysis found the potential shootings prevented by Advance Peace programs saved cities $67 million to $268 million in associated costs in 2022. But direct payments to participants offer only temporary relief.

To effectively break the cycle of violence, comprehensive efforts are needed to improve access to quality education, jobs, housing, health care and community development in inner cities. Initiatives that address community violence without tackling its underlying causes is akin to treating symptoms while ignoring the root causes of a disease.

Strategically investing in equal opportunities for upward mobility can create a society in which young Black men are less likely to turn to guns for empowerment and self-preservation. We view this investment as a small price to pay for the promise of safer cities.

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: Thaddeus L. Johnson, Georgia State University and Natasha N. Johnson, Georgia State University

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Thaddeus L. Johnson is a Senior Fellow with the Council on Criminal Justice.

Natasha N. Johnson 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.
Refugee kids get special, fuzzy message from this Quincy woman. How she knew what to do

QUINCY  A city woman is sending a message to refugee children passing through Quincy: they are loved.

Thuy Leung, owner of Eye Lush Salon on Hancock Street, got 1,500 teddy bears, each one dressed in a blue T-shirt emblazoned with the motto, "Quincy Loves You," as gifts for every refugee child passing through Eastern Nazarene's processing center and temporary shelter. For Leung, it feels like a gift to her former self. At age 8, she and three siblings fled southern Vietnam on a fishing boat.

"My journey was tough," Leung said. "As a kid, I remember all I wanted was a teddy bear."

Since last summer, homeless refugee families fleeing poverty and violence have stayed at Eastern Nazarene College, a waystation before hopefully finding permanent housing.

Thuy Leung of Quincy came to the United States as a child refugee from Vietnam. She has created a 'Quincy Loves You' bear for refugee children passing through the temporary shelter at Eastern Nazarene College.

How the 'Quincy Loves You' teddy bears came to be

Leung's story of the teddy bears began at a contentious community meeting at Central Middle School in September.

In her speech before the crowd of supporters and critics of ENC's refugee assistance program, Leung shared her own refugee story.

Many in the audience feared that the new visitors would burden the city's resources and create security issues, while others wondered why immigrants should receive help when so many veterans struggle with homelessness and addiction.

On the spur of the moment, she came up with the idea of donating teddy bears, thinking back to her hard journey and childhood wish.

"I imagine all the little kids as myself," she said.

Fighting back tears, she appealed to the assembly for help. She said the response was warm and energetic. "Everyone in their seats was turning around, saying 'Ill help you with a teddy bear drive.'"

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Leung said the families at the shelter are probably more fearful than anyone.

"They went through a very tough journey to get here," she said. "They just want to settle down and be a part of American life."

Thuy Leung of Quincy came to the United States as a child refugee from Vietnam. She has created a 'Quincy Loves You' bear for refugee children passing through the temporary shelter at Eastern Nazarene College.

Thuy Leung's journey from Vietnam to Indonesia to the United States

Leung was born to a large Catholic family in southern Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, her family had ties to the South Vietnamese government, which fought alongside U.S. forces against the communist government of North Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh.

When South Vietnam fell and the U.S. withdrew in defeat, life was hard for Vietnamese aligned to the defeated side. Leung said her family was targeted.

In 1986, when Leung was only 8, she and three older siblings boarded a fishing boat. All four children were under 16 years old. After 10 days and nights on the open sea, and an attack on their boat by pirates, they landed in Indonesia, where they stayed in a refugee camp.

Fortunately, a Lutheran couple from Virginia brought Leung and her siblings to the United States, becoming their foster parents. All four lived with the couple for two years, until their foster mother developed breast cancer and could no longer provide for them.

At the point, Leung and her siblings were split up, each going to a different group or foster home. Fortunately, an adult brother tracked them down and became their guardian. The reunited family settled in Amherst, where Leung spent the rest of her childhood.

'Something permanently theirs.' How the kids the responded

An Eastern Nazarene official and some students have personally distributed the bears to children staying at the temporary shelter on two occasions, once on Valentines Day and again on Easter.

"They were so excited," said L. Michaels, the college's director of missional engagement and community development. "They were hugging them. As families are leaving to go to more permanent sites, I watch the kids. They're still clinging onto the bears."

Due to safety and privacy concerns, Leung cannot personally give out the bears and see the kids' reactions.

"I imagine myself in all those kids, and I don't know who they are," she said.

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Michaels said that the necessary focus of service providers on urgent needs can lead a gap on the more human, intangible needs, especially for the children. Like the need to have a stuffed comfort toy.

"For the kids, its been a really big deal just to have something that belongs to them," she said. "It allows them a moment to just be children again."

'Quincy Loves You'  a message that travels

Thuy Leung of Quincy came to the United States as a child refugee from Vietnam. She has created a 'Quincy Loves You' bear for refugee children passing through the temporary shelter at Eastern Nazarene College.

The stuffed bear is brown and fluffy, big enough to fill a child's embrace, but small enough to travel easily. It wears a blue shirt with a big heart in the middle, inscribed with the message, 'Quincy Loves You.'

Leung said she that many people held signs with the heart symbol outside of the community meeting where she first shared her story and appealed for help with the teddy bears.

She decided to write the words "Quincy Loves You" not only to make the kids feel welcome and loved, but to create a positive memory in the midst of uncertainty.

"When these kids move around, they're going to have these teddy bears that say, 'Quincy Loves You.' They're going to remember the word Quincy, and hopefully they will have a positive memory of their stay in Quincy," Leung said.

That's 1,500 memories of Quincy, and 1,500 messengers carrying Leung's and Quincy's message through the state. Michaels said that the gift is enough for all the refugees passing through the city.

"We expect to give a bear to every child that comes through this shelter for a long time," she said.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Vietnam refugee gives 'Quincy Loves You' bears to migrant children
I regret spending 2 weeks in Europe traveling to 6 different places. Next time, I'm choosing quality over quantity.

Business Insider's reporter took a two-week backpacking trip through six cities in four European countries. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I spent two weeks backpacking through four European countries for the first time.

I visited six different cities for short stays: Berlin, Vienna, Venice, Rome, Milan, and Zurich.

I didn't have enough time in each place, so I regretted packing so many destinations into one trip.

Berlin, Vienna, Venice, Rome, Milan, and Zurich. Is two weeks in Europe enough time to explore all of these places?

I found out for myself in October 2022 when I went backpacking in Europe for the first time, visiting four countries and six cities.

Back then, I wanted to see as much of the continent as possible. Since I was going for two weeks, I thought one or two nights in each city would help me make the most of my trip by allowing me to see a variety of places.

But once I was there, I realized I only got a sampling of what each destination had to offer.

48 hours isn't enough time to explore a city

I longed for more memories in Berlin  my first stop on the trip  as soon as I boarded my train to Vienna. And when I was headed from Austria to Italy, I felt I had barely gotten a taste of Vienna's art scene.

I spent a week in Italy, but splitting my time between three different cities  Venice, Rome, and Milan  left me craving more.

This was especially true in Rome  one of the most popular tourist destinations for the summer of 2024, according to a recent study of trending searches by Delta.

The ancient city blended old and new. I strolled down cobblestone streets with ruins on one side and modern buildings on the other. Seeing the dramatic exteriors of Renaissance museums had me longing for enough time to go inside. And seeing ruins from a distance made me wish I had the chance to see them up close.

Narrow alleys in Rome. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

My last stop in Switzerland had my favorite landscapes of the whole trip, and after just two nights, I flew home wishing I'd made time for an epic mountain hike.

From stunning architecture and rich histories to striking landscapes, these cities impressed me upon arrival.

But with less than 48 hours to explore each destination, I could only hit the top tourist highlights, like the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Colosseum in Rome, and the canals in Venice.

Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I didn't have a chance to dive deeper into what life in each city was really like. If I had more time, I would have cruised on Lake Zurich, shopped in Milan, or stayed in the neighborhood of Kreuzberg in Berlin. Each day in every city, I walked past remarkable buildings and massive museums that intrigued me and thought, "Next time."

So, no  two weeks is not enough time to explore six European cities, and I learned the hard way.

Visit fewer places and take your time

Top Left: Berlin, top center: Vienna, top right: Venice. Bottom Left: Rome, bottom center: Milan, bottom right: Zurich. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

If you're planning a trip to Europe, don't find yourself saying "next time" every day, like me.

Instead, I recommend focusing on one or two cities or towns and taking the time to immerse yourself in their art scenes, neighborhoods, and history. That way, you'll leave with a deeper sense of the destinations you carefully selected.

On my flight back to New York City, I'd already started mentally planning to visit Zurich, Berlin, Rome, and Vienna again.

So, on the way home, if you still wonder about a destination you didn't get to, make sure there's a next time.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Rep. John Curtis speaks on House floor against BLM rule that would limit use of public lands

Cattle graze on public lands, some of which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, in Tooele County on Friday, April 19, 2024. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Several Utah representatives introduced legislation last week to withdraw a proposed rule from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that the agency says would promote conservation through the protection and restoration of certain landscapes, but that opponents say would stop state-level management of public lands and block land from important uses.

Reps. John Curtis, Celeste Maloy, Blake Moore and Burgess Owens and nine other members of Congress Western Caucus sponsored legislation to withdraw the rule, alleging it would limit access to public lands. The rule, titled Conservation and Landscape Health, was introduced in March and purportedly lays groundwork for conserving wildlife habitat, restoring places impacted by wildfire and drought, expanding outdoor recreation, and thoughtful development, according to an Interior Department press release.

Gov. Spencer Cox and several other governors have said they plan to sue the federal government over the new rule.

The sponsors of last weeks legislation said the BLMs rule would have a disproportionate effect on Western states and citizens, as more than 90 percent of the 245 million acres controlled by the BLM are located in the West.

Curtis spoke about the bill on the House floor, where he spoke about Utahs rural communities, and how they work hard to feed our families, protect American energy, and lead in manufacturing.

We should be making it easier for them, he continued. Instead, the Biden administration is pushing this rule to allow environmental groups funded by Swiss billionaires who pretend to be representing Utah to lock up public lands. This is completely backwards .

Curtis said the new rule favors wealthy individuals and environmental groups, allowing them to lock up land that belongs to all Utahns. I am pleased that the House voted in a bipartisan manner to pass my bill revoking its implementation.

The rule proposes a number of regulations under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), including allowing environmental groups to lease land to close it off to other uses.

The proposal is consistent with strategies used by other state and federal land management agencies to ensure the federal government has tools and direction to identify areas in need of restoration or conservation, as well as the ability to encourage investments in public lands to help balance the impacts of development, the Interior Department press release states.

Although the release also claimed the rule would increase access to outdoor education by putting conservation on equal footing with other uses, the Western Caucus sponsors claimed it would actually limit recreational opportunities, as well as hinder access for energy and mineral development, grazing and forest management.

In the West, we know locking up lands with preservationist designations does not automatically guarantee healthy landscapes. In fact, the opposite is often the case, said Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse. Farmers and ranchers are the best stewards of the land, not bureaucrats in Washington who seek to hamper our land managers ability to conserve the land they rely on for their livelihoods.
WASHINGTON  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said Wednesday she will force a vote next week to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, daring Democrats and Johnson's GOP allies to step in and save his job.

Wearing a red "MAGA" hat, Greene accused Johnson, R-La., of betraying the GOP and going against conservative wishes on government funding bills, passing Ukraine aid and reauthorizing the foreign intelligence surveillance program without new warrant requirements, among other issues.

"So next week, I am going to be calling this motion to vacate. Absolutely calling it," Greene said at a news conference outside the Capitol. "I cant wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker and have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and his Democratic leadership team issued a rare statement Tuesday announcing that Democrats would band together to protect Johnson by voting to "table," or kill, a motion by Greene to oust him to promote bipartisan cooperation and return to normalcy.

Image: politics-impeachment (Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images)

"House Democrats have aggressively pushed back against MAGA extremism. We will continue to do just that. At this moment, upon completion of our national security work, the time has come to turn the page on this chapter of Pro-Putin Republican obstruction," the Democratic leaders said in their statement Tuesday.

"We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes Motion to Vacate the Chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed," they said.

Even some of Johnsons other conservative critics have opposed Greenes push to depose Johnson and say it will go nowhere. She has just two co-sponsors.

Moments after Greene's news conference, Johnson released a terse statement: This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country.

Greene has been threatening to move against Johnson for months, warning him not to pass emergency foreign aid for Ukraine while thousands of migrants cross the southern border. But last month, Johnson, after negotiations with the White House, pushed through a $95 billion national security package that included aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, along with a potential ban on the social media app TikTok. President Joe Biden quickly signed it into law.

"Now we have Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats coming out, embracing Mike Johnson with a warm hug and a big, wet, sloppy kiss. And they are ready  they have endorsed him, they are ready to support him as speaker," Greene said. "They want to keep it going, keep the band together. Why? Because Mike Johnson is giving them everything they want.

Greene labeled Johnson a member of the "uniparty," a term hard-right Republicans use to disparage Republicans who work with Democrats to pass bipartisan measures. Behind Greene was a large poster of a photo of Johnson and Jeffries, with Jeffries passing the speaker's gavel to Johnson. A hat sat on top of the poster with the acronym "MUGA," which Greene said stands for "Make Ukraine Great Again."

The dynamic was much different with Johnsons predecessor as speaker, Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Last fall, Democrats decided to join with just eight House conservatives to make McCarthy the first speaker in history to be removed by a vote in the middle of the congressional term.

Had Democrats decided to do the same thing this time, Greene would have had enough GOP support to topple Johnson given the GOPs razor-thin, two-seat advantage. Democrats decision to stand by Johnson undermines Greenes efforts while at the same time giving her more political ammunition against Johnson and his allies.

Both Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., have signed on to Greene's motion. On Wednesday, Massie stood next to Greene and defended her from charges that she wasn't behaving like a serious lawmaker.

"She's the most serious representative up here," Massie said.

Asked by NBC News whom she has in mind to replace Johnson as speaker, Greene replied: "I'm not naming names, but I think we have people that are capable."

"Anybody that's willing to fight for our agenda. Anyone that refuses to share the power with Hakeem Jeffries," she said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Far-right Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene officially launched her much-discussed plan to oust Speaker Mike Johnson on May 1, delivering on the threat she has made since the U.S. Congress passed Ukraine aid in April.

Greene, who is one of the most outspoken opponents of U.S. support for Ukraine in Congress, first submitted a motion to oust Johnson in March amid the impasse on the aid bill.

Following weeks of warnings, Greene finally decided to force a vote, which will require Congress to act on the motion within the next two days.

The congresswoman later posted on X that she was "calling for a vote to vacate the chair next week."

Greene has voiced a number of complaints against Johnson but has particularly focused on his decision to allow a vote on aid for Ukraine.

Beyond her move to oust Johnson and continuous criticism of U.S. aid, Greene has repeatedly spread debunked conspiracy theories about Ukraine.

Only two of Greene's Republican colleagues have publicly supported the motion to oust, and Democrats in Congress have indicated that they would back Johnson. Due to the slim majority Republicans have in Congress, Greene's move is unlikely to succeed as long Johnson has the support of some Democrats.

Read also: How Johnson came to allow a vote on Ukraine aid after months of delays

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
(Bloomberg) -- Qualcomm Inc. shares soared as much as 10% after the worlds biggest seller of smartphone processors gave an upbeat forecast, suggesting that demand for handsets is increasing after a two-year slump.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Revenue in the three-month period ended in June will be $8.8 billion to $9.6 billion, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Excluding certain items, earnings will be $2.15 to $2.35 a share. Analysts had projected sales of $9.08 billion and profit of $2.16 a share.

The outlook signals that the smartphone market has begun to bounce back, tracking with Qualcomms forecast that demand would gradually recover in 2024. The San Diego-based company also reported better-than-predicted results in the second quarter  buoyed by headway in China, where it sells technology to local phone manufacturers.

The shares rose as high as $181.25, the biggest intraday gain since April 2022. They had been up 13% this year through Wednesdays close.

Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon has been trying to decrease reliance on phone chips by pushing into personal computers, vehicles and other markets. But Qualcomm remains heavily dependent on demand for handsets, particularly in China.

In the second quarter, which ended March 24, profit was $2.44 a share, excluding some items. Revenue rose 1% to $9.39 billion. Analysts had estimated profit of $2.32 and sales of $9.32 billion.

Revenue from the smartphone segment gained 1% last quarter, a slowdown from the 16% increase in the previous three months. But China was a bright spot, Qualcomm said. Sales to phone makers in that country, the biggest market for the devices, surged 40% in the first half of the fiscal year, reflecting our strong competitive positioning and recovery of demand.

In that market, Qualcomms Amon said that his local customers, including Xiaomi, Honor, OnePlus Technology, Oppo and Vivo, are fueling demand. Theyre not losing smartphone market share to a resurgent Huawei Technology Co. in China, he added. Amon said that Huaweis reentry into the market has helped stoke interest in the Android operating system, which is often paired with Qualcomm chips.

We have not seen signs of weakness in the Android premium market in China, he said.

Huawei has been blacklisted by the US government, and Amon pointed out that Qualcomm only sells less-advanced 4G phone parts to the company  in line with US trade restrictions. His company expects that business to wind down to nothing next year.

Story continues

Apple Inc., which reports earnings tomorrow, and Samsung Electronics Co., a maker of Android-based phones, are major phone customers of Qualcomm. But Apples iPhone relies on Qualcomm for connectivity chips, rather than the main processor.

Qualcomms Internet of Things group, which creates electronics for web-connected appliances, has suffered from a glut of inventory. Revenue at that unit was down 11% last quarter. Qualcomms automotive sales rose 35%.

An additional portion of Qualcomms profit comes from licensing the fundamental technology that underpins all modern mobile networks. Phone manufacturers pay these fees whether they use Qualcomm-branded chips or not.

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2024 Bloomberg L.P.
The Justice Department yesterday confirmed that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) plans to move marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), a list of completely prohibited drugs, to Schedule III, which includes prescription medications such as ketamine, Tylenol with codeine, and anabolic steroids. The Associated Press notes that the change, which is based on an August 2023 recommendation by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that resulted from a review President Joe Biden ordered in October 2022, "would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use."

That is by no means the only thing rescheduling marijuana will not do. Biden wants credit for "marijuana reform," which he hopes will help motivate young voters whose turnout could be crucial to his reelection. The announcement of the DEA's decision seems designed to maximize its electoral impact. But voters should not be fooled: Although moving marijuana to Schedule III will facilitate medical research and provide a financial boost to the cannabis industry, it will leave federal pot prohibition essentially untouched.

Rescheduling marijuana will not resolve the conflict between the CSA and the laws of the 38 states that recognize cannabis as a medicine, 24 of which also allow recreational use. State-licensed marijuana businesses will remain criminal enterprises under federal law, exposing them to the risk of prosecution and forfeiture. While an annually renewed spending rider protects medical marijuana suppliers from those risks, prosecutorial discretion is the only thing that protects businesses serving the recreational market.

Even if they have state licenses, marijuana suppliers will be in the same legal position as anyone who sells a Schedule III drug without federal permission. Unauthorized distribution is punishable by up to 10 years in prison for a first offense and up to 20 years for subsequent offenses. That is less severe than the current federal penalties for growing or distributing marijuana, which include five-year, 10-year, and 20-year mandatory minimum sentences, depending on the number of plants or amount of marijuana. But distributing cannabis, with or without state permission, will remain a felony.

That reality suggests that banks will remain leery of providing financial services to state-licensed marijuana suppliers, which entails a risk of potentially devastating criminal, civil, and regulatory penalties. The dearth of financial services has forced many cannabis suppliers to rely heavily on cash, which is cumbersome and exposes them to a heightened risk of robbery. It also makes investment in business expansion difficult.

Although federal arrests for simple marijuana possession are rare, cannabis consumers likewise will still be committing crimes, even if they live in states that have legalized marijuana. Under 21 USC 844, possessing a controlled substance without a prescription is a misdemeanor punishable by a minimum $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. Moving marijuana to Schedule III will not change that law, which only Congress can do. Nor did President Joe Biden's mass pardons for people convicted of simple marijuana possession under that statute, which apply only retrospectively, "decriminalize the use of cannabis," as he promised to do during his 2020 campaign.

Biden has repeatedly decried the barriers to education, employment, and housing that marijuana convictions create. But contrary to what he claims, his pardons do not entail expungement of criminal records and therefore do not eliminate those barriers. Nor did the pardons address the various legal disabilities associated with marijuana convictions, cannabis consumption, or participation in the cannabis industry, which include loss of Second Amendment rights (a policy that Biden defends) and ineligibility for admission, legal residence, and citizenship under immigration law. Rescheduling marijuana likewise will not remove those barriers and disabilities.

Moving marijuana to Schedule III will not even make it legally available as a medicine, which would require regulatory approval of specific products. Doctors can legally prescribe Marinol (a.k.a. dronabinol), a synthetic version of THC listed in Schedule III, and Epidiolex, a cannabis-derived CBD solution listed in Schedule V. But they will not be able to prescribe marijuana even after it is moved to Schedule III unless the Food and Drug Administration approves additional cannabis-based medications.

The medical "recommendations" that authorize patients to use marijuana for symptom relief under state law are not prescriptions, and they do not make such use compliant with the CSA. So rescheduling marijuana not only will not legalize recreational use; it will not legalize medical use either.

What will rescheduling do? It should make medical research easier by eliminating the regulatory requirements that are specific to Schedule I, and it will provide an important benefit to state-licensed marijuana suppliers by allowing them to deduct standard business expenses when they pay federal income taxes.

Under Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code, which is aimed at sticking it to drug dealers, taxpayers may not claim a "deduction or credit" for "any amount paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on any trade or business" that involves "trafficking" in Schedule I or Schedule II drugs. As that provision has been interpreted by tax courts, marijuana businesses can still deduct the "cost of goods sold," which counterintuitively means they can deduct the expenses associated with obtaining and maintaining an inventory of cannabis products. But they cannot deduct any other business expenses, including rent, utilities, salaries and benefits, office supplies, security, cleaning services, insurance, and legal fees.

That rule results in a crushing financial burden, forcing marijuana retailers to pay an effective tax rate as high as 70 percent or more. But because Section 280E applies only to businesses that sell drugs in Schedule I or Schedule II, moving marijuana to Schedule III will eliminate that disadvantage.

"I cannot emphasize enough that removal of  280E would change the industry forever," cannabis lawyer Vince Sliwoski writes. "Having worked with cannabis businesses for 13 years, I view taxation as the largest affront to marijuana businessesmore than banking access, intellectual property protection problems, lack of bankruptcy, you name it. This would be HUGE." In addition to making it much easier to turn a profit, Sliwoski says, the tax change would help attract investors and give marijuana businesses "more leverage" in negotiating those deals.

Aside from those practical changes, rescheduling represents a historic federal about-face on the benefits and hazards of marijuana. Schedule I is supposedly reserved for drugs with a high abuse potential and no accepted medical use that cannot be used safely even under a doctor's supervision. Explaining its rationale for recommending marijuana's reclassification, HHS acknowledged that the drug does not meet those criteriaa point that critics had been making for half a century.

HHS cited "credible scientific support" for marijuana's use in the treatment of pain, nausea and vomiting, and "anorexia related to a medical condition." Regarding abuse potential and safety, it noted that marijuana compares favorably to "other drugs of abuse," such as heroin (Schedule I), cocaine (Schedule II), benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax (Schedule IV), and alcohol (unscheduled). "The vast majority of individuals who use marijuana," HHS said, "are doing so in a manner that does not lead to dangerous outcomes to themselves or others."

In agreeing to follow the HHS recommendation, the DEA likewise is implicitly admitting that the federal government has been lying about marijuana for decades. But that long-overdue reversal falls far short of addressing today's central cannabis issue: the conflict between federal prohibition and state tolerance, which extends to recreational use in jurisdictions that account for most of the U.S. population. Repealing the federal bana step that Americans overwhelmingly supportwould resolve that conflict. And while Biden cannot do that on his own, he has stubbornly resisted the idea, even as he emphasizes the irrationality and injustice of the war on weed.

The post Rescheduling Marijuana Does Not Address Today's Central Cannabis Issue appeared first on Reason.com.
RFK Jr. challenges Biden to drop out, insisting he has better shot of defeating Trump

NEW YORK  Despite lagging some 30 points behind President Joe Biden in the latest polls, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. convened national media on Wednesday to make an audacious claim: It's Biden who should drop out of the race to stop former President Donald Trump from reclaiming the White House.

We only have one chance to beat Donald Trump, and we need a nominee who can get the job done. And that would be me, Kennedy said during a 30-minute presentation on campaign polling at a rented venue in downtown Brooklyn.

Kennedy then called on Biden to take a No Spoiler Pledge, and withdraw from the race if he were to perform worse than Kennedy in a head-to-head matchup with Trump in a 30,000-plus person poll in mid-October.

Kennedy said he would be happy to make a similar appeal to the former president as well, but Trump is not a spoiler because he can actually win.

The presentation seemed aimed at responding to attacks from both parties about his ability to swing the general election. Kennedy has undergone a barrage from Trump in particular in recent days, with the former president saying on social media that supporting Kennedy amounted to a "wasted vote."

Democrats have not been shy about their critiques of Kennedy either, standing up an operation with veteran campaign strategists to combat third-party threats like Kennedy.

Democratic National Committee spokesperson Matt Corridoni said Kenendy's proposal to get Biden to drop out is "as deeply unserious his campaign is.



Kennedy and his campaign manager Amaryllis Fox Kennedy presented a poll from John Zogby Strategies, a firm that has worked with both the campaign and a Kennedy-aligned super PAC, as evidence for why he should remain in the race instead of Biden. The survey showed Kennedy beating the former president in a scenario without Biden, or any Democratic Party candidate, in the race.

Is there any scenario in which President Trump participates in the election and doesnt win it? Yes, there is exactly one. And that scenario is that President Biden acknowledges that he cannot win, said Fox Kennedy during the presentation.

Fox Kennedy said calling on Biden to drop out of the race is fair because the DNC has also called on Kennedy to withdraw.

The Trump and Biden campaigns did not respond to a request for comment.

Any hypothetical decision to drop out in October would be far too late to affect the election results  mail and early voting begins in some states as early as September  and would likely split the Democratic vote.

In its presentation, the Kennedy campaign did not show any results for a three-way race. Against Biden and Trump, Kennedy draws about 11 percent support in national polls, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average  far short of what would be needed to win any Electoral College votes.

But for the Kennedy volunteers at the press conference, the polling presentation was well-received and provided welcome new talking points.

Im always talking to people on Instagram, and they say hes a spoiler, and they say a vote for Kennedy is a vote for Trump, said Alexis Leyco, 28, of Queens. Im excited. Im going to definitely use this.

About one dozen volunteers canvassed ahead of the event and gathered 500 signatures, said Will Boothby, the Kennedy campaigns Northeast regional director. The campaign is aiming to gather about double the 45,000 signatures needed to get Kennedys name on the ballot in New York and is getting thousands every day, he said.

Boothby added that much of the support on Kennedys petitions comes from younger voters, who expressed concern about issues like student loan debt and affordable housing, followed by support from older veterans around the Empire State.

The campaign did not share how many signatures it currently has in New York, which has one of the highest signature thresholds to get on the November ballot.

Kennedys ability to gather those signatures and fight off legal challenges to his candidacy from both parties will determine how much of a factor in the November election.

People who believe that I am spoiling at this point for President Biden, Kennedy said, "need to look at data.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to attendees during a press conference in New York, U.S., May 1, 2024. ( REUTERS / Eduardo Munoz)

Robert F. Kennedy Jnr, the presumptive third-party candidate in the 2024 presidential election, summoned the nations media on Wednesday to an office building in downtown Brooklyn, next door to Norms Pizza, to make a major announcement.

Admittedly, the threshold for major announcements at this point in the campaign calendar, the dead zone between primaries and the conventions, is extremely low, but even by those standards, he fell drastically short.

What he delivered, instead, was a meandering PowerPoint presentation that he used to demonstrate that he was not a spoiler candidate (thats the term given to when one political candidate who will clearly lose draws enough votes away from another candidate to ensure their defeat). Given that spoiler candidate has become something of an unofficial slogan for Mr Kennedys campaign, he faced an uphill battle.

After an uncomfortable minute spent trying to find his opening slide, Mr Kennedy presented a dizzying array of maps and polls and tweets to make his argument.

2024 candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr appears on NewsNation for a town hall (NewsNation)

He brought to the screen a mammoth Zogby poll commissioned by his campaign, with a sample size of 26,408 people  statistical overkill, in other words  that showed president Joe Biden would lose to former president Donald Trump in a head-to-head race if the election was held today.

The same poll showed Mr Kennedy narrowly beating Trump, he said, in a head-to-head-race. He invited the press to check his numbers at ( www.kennedy24.com/spoiler ).

The problem here, of course, is that Mr Kennedy is not the Democratic Party candidate, and unless he convinces the Democrats not to field a candidate for the first time in the partys history, head-to-head polls dont mean much.

One of his slides was simply the dictionary definition of the word spoiler, in its full glory.

A political candidate who cannot win but who prevents another candidate from winning by taking away votes

Britannica Dictionary 20204

Barack Obama inspired the youth vote in 2008 with his soaring oratory. RJK Jnr, who has pitched himself as a candidate for disaffected young Americans, is doing it with his dictionary.

Joe Biden with members of the Kennedy family  but not RFK Jnr  at the White House (@KerryKennedyRFK/Twitter)

Channeling Richard Nixons infamous I am not a crook speech, and similarly protesting too much, he insisted again and again that only he could defeat Donald Trump.

The people who think that Im spoiling at this point for president Biden need to look at data, he said.

Mr Kennedys big announcement came towards the end of his slideshow. Blink and you could have missed it.

No spoiler pledge, the slide read.

In an act of blue-sky thinking the vaccine-sceptic Kennedy campaign has become known for, the pitch was for the Biden campaign to agree to co-fund and conduct a 50-state poll in mid-October, just a few weeks before election day, to discover who would make for the strongest head-to-head candidate against Mr Trump.

The loser, according to the pledge, would drop out.

Ultimately, I think what we all want in this election is for Americans not to feel like they vote out of fear. That they feel like they can vote out of hope. That is only going to happen if theres a two-way race, Mr Kennedy said.

It was a brazen pitch: Asking both of the two main party candidates to drop out of a race on the strength of a Clipart rendering of an imaginary map.

Robert Kennedy, RFK Jnrs father, was shot dead in Los Angeles while campaigning for Democratic presidential nomination (GETTY IMAGES)

Still, there is another story here. The Kennedy campaign has been dogged by accusations that he is acting as a spoiler since the moment it launched. What is interesting about those claims, however, is that the people making them have changed.

As an heir to one of the most revered Democratic political dynasties in the countrys history, political observers thought that even a failed campaign by the son of Bobby Kennedy would damage Mr Biden.

The Trump campaign could hardly believe its luck, and the former president initially praised him as a very smart person.

But as the months dragged on, it became clear that the kind of audience that Mr Kennedy was attracting and the kind of media hits he was doing may indicate that he would instead be a drag on Mr Trump. The latest polls indeed show that to be the case, which led to Mr Trump going on the attack.

Over the weekend, Mr Trump made at least four Truth Social posts attacking Mr Kennedy, falsely asserting he is a Democratic plant installed to help President Joe Biden win, that he is more liberal than any other candidate and that his views on vaccines are fake.

Mr Kennedy replied with his own social media post.

When frightened men take to social media they risk descending into vitriol, which makes them sound unhinged, he wrote on X . President Trumps rant against me is a barely coherent barrage of wild and inaccurate claims that should best be resolved in the American tradition of presidential debate.

It was perhaps being tarred with the spoiler brush by both sides that Mr Kennedy felt the need to hold his press conference and beat the allegations.

The thing about candidate viability is that it is intangible. There is no set of specific personality traits required for someone to be able to win an election  the shock of Trumps victory all-but proved that much. But one thing is for sure: If you have to keep shouting that you are viable, you probably arent.
Police arrest protesters during pro-Palestinian demonstrations at The City College Of New York - Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America

Eric Adams, the New York mayor, has said universities that allow Palestinian flags to be hung on campus are despicable.

At a press conference, in the wake of 300 arrests at Columbia University on Tuesday night, Mr Adams showed a video of officers dispersing the demonstrators, which ended with an American flag being restored.

Thats our flag, folks. Dont take over our buildings and put another flag up, he said.

Its despicable that schools will allow another countrys flag to fly in our county so blame me for being proud to be an American Were not surrendering our way of life to anyone.

Mr Adams said officers were still processing those detained to determine which were students and which were outside agitators.

He described how some had thrown bottles and garbage cans at officers, who showed great discipline in not bringing the situation to a peaceful conclusion.

06:12 PM BST

Thank you for following todays live blog

Thank you for following our live coverage of the pro-Palestine protests in the United States.

We will continue to bring you the latest updates on our website.

05:38 PM BST

UCLA suspends classes after violent scenes

UCLA cancelled its classes on Wednesday after counter-protesters stormed a pro-Palestine demonstration wielding sticks. At least one man was pepper sprayed during the clash.

Due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad late last night and early this morning, all classes are cancelled today, the university said on social media. Please avoid the Royce Quad area. 

Due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad late last night and early this morning, all classes are cancelled today. Please avoid the Royce Quad area. https://t.co/pgwx9ZOdWI  UCLA (@UCLA) May 1, 2024

05:33 PM BST

Columbia President: We have been pushed to the brink

Activists who took over a building at Columbia University are not following in the footsteps of Vietnam War protesters, its president said.

Baroness Shafik said Columbia had been pushed... to the brink by months of demonstrations, and claimed the students who occupied Hamilton Hall on Tuesday were indulging in destruction, not political speech.

She wrote to students and academics:

Columbia has a long and proud tradition of protest and activism on many important issues such as the Vietnam War, civil rights, and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. Todays protesters are also fighting for an important cause, for the rights of Palestinians and against the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza. They have many supporters in our community and have a right to express their views and engage in peaceful protest. But students and outside activists breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our Public Safety officers and maintenance staff, and damaging property are acts of destruction, not political speech.

05:07 PM BST

University did nothing as encampment attacked, say UCLA protesters

The pro-Palestine protesters at UCLA have accused the university of doing nothing to stop an attack on their encampment on Tuesday night.

Vincent Doehr, a spokesperson for the demonstrating students, told CNN that, as the clashes began, the police the university had hired, the private security guards, stared and watched as this happened despite us warning the (University of California) repeatedly that this was likely to happen.

04:55 PM BST

Ten arrested at University of South Florida

Ten protesters have been arrested at the University of South Florida, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office.

Police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators who had gathered at the university campus in Tampa, after they ignored several requests to leave, said Jessica Lang, the sheriffs spokeswoman.

This is Florida, a law and order state. Every student, regardless of color, creed or religion, should be able to feel safe and learn in a secure environment, Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.

04:30 PM BST

At least 14 arrested as police clear Tulane University camp

At least 14 people have been arrested in New Orleans after police cleared a pro-Palestine protest encampment at Tulane University.

The campus police, the Louisiana State Police and the New Orleans Police forcibly removed the demonstrators from the site, the university said, calling the camp an unlawful demonstration.

Police officers had surrounded the encampment on Tuesday, but it was not until Wednesday morning that they swept in to break up the protest, the Tulane Hullabaloo, the universitys student newspaper, reported.

The university is also investigating reports that teaching staff participated in the protests.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in front of Tulane University in New Orleans - Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate

04:07 PM BST

Police begin clearing protesters in University of Wisconsin-Madison

An operation to begin clearing the protest encampment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has begun.

Local broadcaster WMTV showed footage of police with riot shield advancing into a crowd chanting pro-Palestine slogans.

The demonstrators can be seen linking their arms together as the police push on, using batons to drive the protesters away, while other officers began dismantling tents and barricades.

Campus police had given the protesters 15 minutes to take down and remove their tents, The Daily Cardinal, the universitys student newspaper, reported.

03:47 PM BST

AOC holds mayor and NYPD responsible for nightmare in the making

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has condemned New York Citys mayor and the presidents of Columbia University over a nightmare in the making as hundreds of officers stormed a building on the campus.

Dozens of student protestors were arrested after police broke in through a second story window at Hamilton Hall on the campus.

Columbia officials said that they were left with no choice but to involve the police after they said non-students were involved in the halls occupation.

Mayor Eric Adam said that what was once a peaceful protest had been co-opted by professionals outside agitators.

Read more below.

If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents.



Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making.



I urge the Mayor to reverse course. https://t.co/52eAEfbJjq  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 1, 2024

03:34 PM BST

Pictured: Violence erupts at UCLA campus

Violent clashes broke out on the campus of the University of California in Los Angeles in the early hours of Wednesday, when counter-demonstrators stormed a pro-Palestinian encampment.

Aerial footage showed protestors beating each other with sticks and attempting to rip down wooden boards being used as a makeshift barricade by the students. At least one firework was launched into the camp.

Counter-protesters try to remove barricades at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus - David Swanson/REUTERS

Violent clashes erupted between pro-Palestinian protesters and counter-demonstrators at the UCLA campus - ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP

03:05 PM BST

Top NYPD officers says protesters were throwing objects

Jeffrey Maddrey, the NYPDs highest ranking uniformed officer, is explaining just how complex last nights operation was.



We had to breach a building, a building fortified with vending machines, couches, chairs, he said.



Some protesters were throwing objects at officers and emergency responders as they made entry, he said.



He added: For the first time in years, we used distraction devices, something we havent used in many years.

Anti-semitic graffiti on the wall of Columbia University - JOHN RUDOFF/AFP

02:59 PM BST

Mayor says police showed a positive shift in tactics

Mr Adams and NYPD representatives at the press conference have revealed that police intelligence showed a shift in the protesters professionalism.



There were individuals in the campus who should not have been there, Mr Adams said. We saw training, a shift in tactics that was used.

The mayor said once police intelligence detected that, they alerted Columbia University: you have more than a peaceful protest on your hands.

02:56 PM BST

NY mayor calls universities allowing Palestinian flags despicable

Mayor Adams has a message for the protesters and the universities that has allowed them to have their buildings adorned with the Palestinian flag.



He showed a video of officers dispersing the demonstrators which ended with an American flag being restored.

He said: Thats our flag, folks. Dont take over our buildings and put another flag up. That may be fine to other people but its not to me. My uncle died defending this country and these men and women put their lives on the line.



Its despicable that schools will allow another countrys flag to fly in our county so blame me for being proud to be an American. So dont put another countrys flag up. Were not surrendering our way of life to anyone.

#HAPPENINGNOW: An incredible scene and proud moment as we have assisted @CityCollegeNY in restoring order on campus, culminating in raising Old Glory once again on their campus flagpole. @NYPDPC @NYPD1stDep @NYPDChiefOfDept @NYPDChiefPatrol @NYPDnews pic.twitter.com/XZWFmvXcUs  NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) May 1, 2024

02:44 PM BST

NY mayor: This is not a celebratory moment

New Yorks mayor said the policing action would continue.



We know that this is only a comma in the full sentence of public protection in the city, Mr Adams said.



This is not a celebratory moment, Mr Adams said, adding: we should never have had to get here in the first place.



Mr Adams has used this mornings press conference to suggest the most violent scenes from last night were promulgated by outside actors rather than students.



He said it was a difficult decision to enter Columbia. We cant create environments where children can be in danger, he said.



We must push back on all attempts to radicalise our young people in the city.

Watch Mr Adams briefing in full below.

02:38 PM BST

Around 300 people were arrested in NYC protests

Approximately 300 people were arrested by New York Police officers between Columbia University and the City College of New York (CUNY), the citys mayor Eric Adams said.



Mr Adams said officers were still processing those detained to determine which were students and which were outside agitators.



The mayor said external actors with a history of escalating situations to create chaos, not to peacefully protest had hijacked peaceful protests.



He described how some had thrown bottles and garbage cans at officers, who showed great discipline in not bringing the situation to a peaceful conclusion.



They are trying to disrupt our city and we are not going to let it happen, Mr Adams said.

02:19 PM BST

What we know so far

Here is a summary of todays events.

Hundreds of NYPD police officers fought to control two protests at Columbia University, split between a sit-in at Hamilton Hall and an encampment on the West Lawn.

The NYPD broke into Hamilton Hall via a second floor window.

Students, with their hands bound by zip ties, were swiftly escorted away from the campus and loaded into a law enforcement bus.

Tensions reached boiling point at UCLA as a group of counter-protesters swarmed the campus wielding sticks and yellow spray.

The Los Angeles police arrived at the university at around 1:50 am after a request for support.

At around 3 am, a line of officers arrived at the camp and threatened the remaining counter-protesters with arrest if they didnt leave the area.

12:24 PM BST

Breakdown of what happened in the early hours of Wednesday

The University of California, Los Angeles, called in law enforcement officers early on Wednesday after violent clashes broke out at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on campus, a university official said early Wednesday.

The Los Angeles police were responding immediately to a request for support from the university, according to the office of the Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass.

At around 1:50 am, riot police arrived on the scene and some counter-protesters began to disperse.

US Police officers stand guard after clashes erupted on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles - ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP

However, the police did not immediately break up the clashes at the encampment, allowing the violence to continue unchallenged.

At around 3 am, a line of officers arrived at the camp and forced the remaining counter-protestors to leave the area, or face arrest.

A number of reports have condemned the police for waiting so long to step in and stop the fighting.

11:53 AM BST

Police called to other university campus across the US

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, police said they were spraying chemical irritant munitions and ordering crowds to disperse in response to an unlawful assembly.

The university said that its president had directed university police to immediately enforce campus use policies and all corresponding laws without further warning.

UAlert

Update 5

Police deploying chemical irritant munitions. Follow orders of police and disperse immediately. Avoid the area of University Blvd & Park Ave.  University of Arizona Police (@UArizonaPolice) May 1, 2024

Meanwhile, state and local police were helping campus police disperse protesters at Tulane University, said a spokeswoman for the New Orleans Police Department.

The university President, Michael Fitts, wrote in a letter that six arrests and seven suspensions were made.

11:40 AM BST

Ex-police officer hits out at inexplicable delay of police response

A university professor and former police officer has hit out at the inexplicable delay in officers appearing on the scene at UCLA  where he said counter-demonstrators had been launching bear spray into the student encampment.

What we have here has been an ongoing riot for hours, Brian Levin, professor at California State University, and founder of the Centre for the Study of Hate and Extremism, told Sky News.

Its gone on so long that a local columnist said even the helicopters had to refuel. So theres been an inexplicable delay with regard to law enforcement getting onto the scene in any meaningful way.

Prof Levin called the situation terrible and warned that there will be a lot of questions as to why a stronger police presence was not deployed.

11:31 AM BST

Watch: protester is pulled to the ground at clashes outside of UCLA

A group of counter-protesters, clad in black and white masks, surround a protestor that has been pulled to the ground.

One holds up a sign that reads: Hamas, free the hostages.

The scenes at UCLA come after police raided Columbia Universitys campus in New York City on Tuesday

The unrest at UCLA comes after police cleared Columbia Universitys campus in New York City on Tuesday and evicted a building occupied by pro-Palestinian student protesters.

The NYPD said that more than 100 demonstrators had been arrested.

11:22 AM BST

Violence ongoing at UCLA despite police presence

Footage from UCLA has shown counter-demonstrators wielding sticks and attacking large wooden planks held us as a makeshift barricade by pro-Palestinians protestors.

11:17 AM BST

Chaos on campus as police raid UCLA

Pro-Israel protesters arrived in the middle of the night to try to tear down barricades on the UCLA campus.

11:01 AM BST

UCLA protesters battle as one is caught outside of a barricade

11:00 AM BST

Rival protest groups beat each other with sticks as UCLA demonstrations turn violent

10:59 AM BST

Protesters spray rival with smoke as they attempt to take down barricade at UCLA

10:51 AM BST

Tensions reach boiling point at UCLA

UCLA has traditionally been viewed as one of the most tolerant US universities students rights to protest.



It has a policy avoiding law enforcement action unless absolutely necessary to protect the physical safety of our campus community.



After protesters established the encampment on Thursday, university officials did not intervene and said they wanted to support free speech rights while minimising campus disruption.



But patience has run out after the escalation of violent clashes in recent days between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israel supporters.

Clashes broke out on Wednesday around pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the University of California, Los Angeles. - ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP

On Tuesday night, UCLA officials declared a pro-Palestinian encampment illegal and warned protesters that they faced consequences if they did not leave.



Administrators took issue with instances in which protesters used metal gates and human walls to control access to campus walkways and entrances, videos of which had circulated on social media.



In a statement on Tuesday, Gene Block, the chancellor, called such tactics shocking and shameful and said that protesters who engaged in such behavior could face suspension or expulsion.



U.C.L.A. supports peaceful protest, but not activism that harms our ability to carry out our academic mission and makes people in our community feel bullied, threatened and afraid, Mr Block said.



These incidents have put many on our campus, especially our Jewish students, in a state of anxiety and fear.

10:40 AM BST

Police clamp down on campus skirmishes

The Los Angeles Police Department said on X that it was responding at the universitys request due to multiple acts of violence within the large protest encampment on the UCLA campus.

10:35 AM BST

Pictured: Savage clashes break out after officials declare camp unlawful

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator is beaten by counter protesters as violent skirmishes break out across the campus. - ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators regroup and rebuild the barricade surrounding the encampment set up on the campus of UCLA. - ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP

10:29 AM BST

Welcome back

Our live coverage of US college campus protests is resuming as violence erupts at UCLA in California.

05:24 AM BST

The live blog is now closed

Thats the end of our live coverage. Well update you again on the pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University later on Wednesday.

In the meantime, read the latest news and expert analysis:

04:20 AM BST

What happens now?

On paper, the protesterss demands are relatively mundane. In light of the conflict in Gaza, and Israels continued bombardment of Palestinian villages, the students asked that Columbia sell off its investments in Israeli companies, declare its shareholdings and cancel a planned global centre in Tel Aviv. Baroness Shafik, Columbias president, refused those demands on Monday and, as a result, the students decided to escalate their demonstration. The university had little choice but to call in police  but acting to remove students may only embolden a cause that has swept the US...

Read more: Columbia protesters got what they wanted

04:09 AM BST

Protesters face criminal charges

Kaz Daughtry, the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Operations, said before police moved in that the protesters inside Hamilton Hall may be charged with burglary in the third degree, criminal mischief and trespassing.

Those at the encampment could be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, she said.

The protesters also face sanctions from Columbia itself. Those on the West Lawn face suspension, while the students who broke in to Hamilton Hall on Monday night face expulsion, a spokesman said earlier on Tuesday.

03:49 AM BST

Protesters are not deterred

As the Columbia sit-in appeared to be concluding, one protester in a keffiyah sounded a note of dejection but said the police action was merely a setback.

It always ends this way because there are more police than us, the young woman said.

Asked if taking over the hall was a step too far, she said: Nothing is too far in the face of a genocide.

But it has been a feature if the anti-Israel pro-Palestinian protests to date that many do not wish to comment unless they have been  media-trained.

Another protestor said she was not disappointed by the outcome. Liberation is coming, she said.  You can quote me on that. Hell yeah.

A NYPD officer remarked that he anticipated a long night on duty.

Theyre young and full of vigour so I dont think theyre going home anytime soon, he said and chuckled.

03:46 AM BST

Trump capitalises on Bidens campus chaos

Donald Trump has released an attack advert criticising Joe Biden over the campus protests unfolding at US universities.

A post on his Truth Social platform shows videos of protesters chanting we are all Hamas and smashing up university property.

The video also includes some of Mr Bidens comments on the protesters, selectively edited to give the impression he supports them.

They have a point, he says in one clip. In another, he says: I dont resent their passion.

In reality, Mr Biden has been strongly critical of the protesters, and on Tuesday accused them of hate speech. But this video shows that Mr Trump is intending to make the protests an election issue:

03:43 AM BST

Pictures: NYPD loads protesters on to buses

Columbia protests

Columbia protester

Columbia protesters

03:34 AM BST

Many bus loads of students arrested

Police are yet to confirm how many people have been arrested. But a video shared by Tom Slater, a Columbia professor, suggests dozens of students were taken away by police.

Prof Slater shared footage of a bus pulling away from the university campus. The bus contained students who had been arrested, he said, adding that it was was one of many.

These are students being driven off to jail. One of many bus loads pic.twitter.com/HoHRwcid1X  Tom Slater (@tomslater42) May 1, 2024

03:30 AM BST

NYPD used flash bang grenades but deny using tear gas

The NYPD used flash bang grenades this evening to distract the protesters, but has denied using tear gas to suppress the demonstrations on Columbias campus and outside the gates.

CNN reported comments from an NYPD spokesman describing the use of distraction devices, including flash bangs and other methods. The spokesman would not confirm the number of people who have been arrested.

Flash bang grenades are hand-thrown devices which upon detonation deliver a bright flash and loud noise. They are non-lethal but have caused injuries when police used them to control crowds during past protests.

03:04 AM BST

British-American peer wrote to NYPD

Columbia has released a letter sent to the NYPD on Tuesday from Baroness Shafik, the British-American peer who is president of the university.

In the two-page letter, she described the break-in at Hamilton Hall, and the continued encampment on the Universitys West Lawn.

The takeover of Hamilton Hall and the continued encampments raise serious safety concerns for the individuals involved and the entire community, Baroness Shafik wrote.

The actions of these individuals are unfortunately escalating. These activities have become a magnet for protesters outside our gates which creates significant risk to our campus and disrupts the ability of the University to continue normal operations.

The events on campus last night have left us no choice. With the support of the Universitys Trustees, I have determined that the building occupation, the encampments, and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to persons, property, and the substantial functioning of the University and require the use of emergency authority to protect persons and property.

She wrote that it was with the utmost regret that the university was requesting help to clear all individuals from Hamilton Hall and all campus encampments.

As part of this process, we understand that the NYPD plans to use its LRAD technology to inform participants in the encampments that they must disperse, the Baroness wrote, referring to Long-Range Acoustic Devices which are sonic weapons police use for crowd control.



02:59 AM BST

Columbia had no choice but to call police

A new statement from Columbia, just released, says that the university had no choice but to call the NYPD to remove protesters after Hamilton Hall was occupied, vandalised and blockaded.

Ben Chang, a Columbia spokesman, said: The leadership team, including the Board of Trustees, met throughout the night and into the early morning, consulting with security experts and law enforcement to determine the best plan to protect our students and the entire Columbia community.

We made the decision, early in the morning, that this was a law enforcement matter, and that the NYPD were best positioned to determine and execute an appropriate response.

He added that the protesters had created an alarming and untenable situation and that the decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing.

We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law, he said.

02:58 AM BST

Students arrested

Students have been led away from the campus with their hands bound by zip ties, The New York Times reported.

They have been loaded onto a law enforcement bus outside of the campus and driven away by police.

As they were dragged away, some protesters shouted: Free Palestine!

A NYPD officer arrests a student - TIMOTHY A. CLARY/Getty

02:56 AM BST

Chanting protesters compare IDF to Ku Klux Klan

Protesters outside Columbia tonight as arrests begin.



They chant: "NYPD, KKK, IOF they're all the same."



IOF = Israeli Occupying Forces



Video: Edward Helmore pic.twitter.com/4ZUObnpacB  Tony Diver (@Tony_Diver) May 1, 2024

02:45 AM BST

Haley calls for law and order

Nikki Haley, the Republican presidential candidate, has called for law and order to be restored to campuses after the NYPD swooped on protesters at Columbia.

She said anyone breaking the law should be arrested.

We need law and order. Any international student participating should be sent back to their country. Any student violating school policy should be expelled. Anyone breaking the law should be arrested. Breaking the rules does not entitle you to a free ride. This isn't hard.  Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) May 1, 2024

02:42 AM BST

NYPD enter Hamilton Hall via window

The NYPD has entered Hamilton Hall via a second floor window after students locked the front doors and barricaded themselves inside.

Live footage from the scene shows officers breaking into the second floor window using a bridge.

The doors to the front of the building  which protesters say they have renamed in honour of a six-year-old killed in Gaza  have been locked since Tuesday morning.

02:37 AM BST

Police are trying to control two protests at once

There are two protests going on at Columbia this evening. One is the student demonstration that has been going on for almost two weeks, and is split between a sit-in at Hamilton Hall and an encampment on the West Lawn.

The other, on Amsterdam Avenue, is between police and members of the public. The student protests have inspired a copycat demonstration outside of the university gates, which non-students are not allowed to cross.

This is a major police operation, and will be scrutinised endlessly by critics of Columbia, who have previously condemned the administration for involving the NYPD.

02:33 AM BST

Stand-off on Amsterdam Avenue

Its a stand-off now. A group of perhaps 100 students have been pushed up Amsterdam Avenue by a slow moving wave of police.

The police, designated the crowd-control SRG, stand impassively, their visors down on their helmets, batons in hand.

The chanting continues: Free Palestine, quit your job! Why are you in riot gear, there is no riot here!

Another shouts: Oink, oink, piggie, piggie, were going to make your life s---ty.

Pro-Palestine protesters link arms - REUTERS

02:14 AM BST

Shouts of NYPD, KKK

Police have now moved us up the street.

Protestors are 100 feet apart. They are attempting to run toward the police line, refusing to move from outside Hamilton Hall.

Quit your job, they shout at police. NYPD, KKK.

Police are moving on protests at Columbia - EDWARD HELMORE

02:08 AM BST

Police move in

The police are moving up Amsterdam Avenue. A recorded message played by police said: You are unlawfully obstructing pedestrian traffic. You are ordered to disperse now. If you do so voluntarily, no charges will be placed against you. If you refuse to disperse you will be charged with disorderly conduct.

02:08 AM BST

Chanting students pledge to observe but not engage

As the campus was encircled by New York police, chanting students outside a dark Hamilton Hall said they would not attempt to resist police if they move. Observe but not engage, said one.

Another, who had been suspended in the initial camp sweep ten days ago, said she planned to get out if the way.

I cant afford to be suspended again , she added.

But most said they had no plan and returned to now familiar chant: We will not stop, we will not rest, disclose, divest.

02:05 AM BST

University staff sent shelter in place alerts

Joseph Howley, a classics academic at Columbia, said that staff had been sent shelter in place alerts on their mobile phones because of disturbances at Columbia this evening.

We all just got a "shelter in place" text alert  Joseph A. Howley (@hashtagoras) May 1, 2024

02:05 AM BST

Columbia academics blame university leadership for chaos on campus

A group of university academics have issued a statement blaming Columbias president, a British-American peer, and the university board for the chaos this evening.

Members of the American Association of University Professors issued a statement shortly before 8.30pm Eastern Time, warning that the NYPD is massing on barricaded streets outside the gates of Columbia University.

NYPD presence in our neighbourhood endangers our entire community, the statement said. Armed police entering our campus places students and everyone else on campus at risk.

That is why University statutes require consultation with faculty  statutes which appear to have been ignored since April 17, and again tonight.

We hold University leadership responsible for the disastrous lapses of judgment that have gotten us to this point. The University President, her senior staff, and the Board of Trustees will bear responsibility for any injuries that may occur during any police action on our campus.

02:04 AM BST

Student leader mocked for asking for food

A student leader was mocked after she claimed that protesters in the Hamilton Hall building needed humanitarian aid because they had run out of food less than 24 hours into their sit-in protest.

In an exchange with reporters, the student called on the university to allow food deliveries into the building to support the protesters, pointing out that they had paid for a meal plan from the university.

She claimed that the protesters, who have been asked to leave the building, needed humanitarian aid including a glass of water.

Reporter grills Columbia student after she demands the university help feed protestors occupying Hamilton Hall:



"It seems like you're saying, 'we want to be revolutionaries, we want to take over this building, now would you please bring us some food'." pic.twitter.com/vNczSAM4T1  The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 30, 2024

01:57 AM BST

Hundreds of officers outside Columbia

Hundreds of NYPD officers have gathered outside Columbia University before an expected swoop on protesters on the campus.

Here are the latest images from the scene:

Police at Columbia

Police at Columbia

Police at Columbia

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Police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday night, ending a two-week stand-off that sparked copycat demonstrations across the world.

The universitys administration called in the New York Police Department (NYPD) after students barricaded themselves inside a building, in echoes of 20th century protests against the Vietnam War and South African apartheid.

Officials said they had no choice but to call in reinforcements after Hamilton Hall, a neoclassical building on the universitys Upper East Side, was occupied by students who were calling for the institution to divest from companies linked to Israel.

#HAPPENINGNOW: @Columbia has requested our assistance to take back their campus, which has seen disturbing acts of violence, forms of intimidation & destruction of property. @NYPDnews is dispersing the unlawful encampment and persons barricaded inside of university buildings pic.twitter.com/gQUzXDUlFe  NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) May 1, 2024

Police in riot gear formed up in the streets around the campus shortly before 9pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, staring down demonstrators who had come out in sympathy with the students.

Chanting protesters waved Palestinian flags and compared the officers to the Ku Klux Klan and Israel Defence Forces.

Oink, oink, piggie, piggie, were going to make your life s---ty, the crowd shouted.

Police officers use a ramp on an armored vehicle to enter Hamilton Hall - Stephani Spindel/EPA-EFE

New York police officers at the university with barricaded students behind a closed door - Timothy A. Clary/AFP

The NYPD stormed the campus, accessing Hamilton Hall from a second-floor window and making dozens of arrests.

Officers used flash bang grenades as distraction devices as they entered the building, a police spokesman said.

Students had their hands bound with cable ties and were led away onto buses, with some shouting Free Palestine as they were detained.

In a statement, Columbia said that the demonstrators have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalised, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, said Ben Chang, a spokesman.

The university also released a letter from Baroness Shafik, the universitys president, to the NYPD requesting assistance earlier on Tuesday and asking that officers stay on the campus until May 17, after a planned graduation ceremony later this month.

Columbia is committed to allowing members of our community to engage in political expression  within established rules and with respect for the safety of all. she wrote.

The policies we have in place around demonstrations are in place to support both the right to expression and the safety and functioning of our University.

Furniture is seen piled up after police cleared the building - Ben Change/Columbia University/Reuters

Windows were smashed by protesters - Ben Chang/Columbia University/Reuters

The protests have spread to more than two dozen US states, and to campuses in Britain, France and Canada. Students in other universities have copied the encampment style of protest by erecting tents in prominent university locations.

Some faculty members criticised Baroness Shafiks decision to involve the police.

Tom Slater, a Professor of Urban Studies at the university, said: Her actions are beyond despicable. She has no support from anyone other than her inner circle.

Tuesdays police action at Columbia comes exactly 56 years after officers swept into Hamilton Hall to arrest protesters occupying the building in 1968. The more than 700 students taken into custody on that day had taken over the hall and other campus buildings for a week to protest racism and the Vietnam War.

Joe Biden, the US President, did not comment following the arrests on Tuesday night. Earlier in the day, he warned the students against tragic and dangerous hate speech as he described their occupation of the university building as wrong.

#HAPPENINGNOW: @Columbia has requested our assistance to take back their campus, which has seen disturbing acts of violence, forms of intimidation & destruction of property. @NYPDnews is dispersing the unlawful encampment and persons barricaded inside of university buildings pic.twitter.com/lEB6TdhB0c  NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) May 1, 2024

Donald Trump, meanwhile, seized the chance to turn the media spotlight on Bidens campus chaos and away from his hush money trial after he was told on Tuesday he could be jailed if he continued to violate a gag order.

In stark contrast to rhetoric on the day his supporters stormed the US Capitol, the former president said the NYPD should have taken action before the students took over a building.

It should never have gotten to this and they should have done it a lot sooner than before they took over the building, Mr Trump told Fox News.

It would have been a lot easier if they were in tents.

Mr Trump also said on Tuesday that he would absolutely consider pardoning the hundreds of rioters who took over the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Asked about the possibility of violence if he loses in November, Mr Trump replied: It always depends on the fairness of the election.

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The sun glistens on the Ganges as Hindu devotees bathe in the holy rivers waters, and the Muslim call to prayer reverberates through the dusty air. Varanasi, an ancient city of temples and gods, is Indias spiritual capital. And here, in Prime Minister Narendra Modis political stronghold, tensions between the two faiths are escalating.

When Modi chose this holy city as his constituency a decade ago, it was the perfect setting for him to meld his partys political and religious ambitions. Having risen to power on a promise of development and anti-corruption, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now stands accused of turning India  a nation constitutionally bound to secularism  into a Hindu rashtra, or homeland.

As Sana Sabah celebrated the Muslim festival of Eid with her family in Varanasi, she raised these fears with trepidation in her voice.

Its scary that someone like Modi  is not only celebrated but validated, the 33-year-old entrepreneur said. The Hindu-nationalist right wing, she said, is not even trying to hide it anymore. And its troublesome.

With voting now underway in the worlds most populous nation, a significant portion of its more than 200 million strong Muslim population express fear at the prospect of Modis re-election. Vying for a rare third term in power, he is defending his seat in the traffic-clogged, diverse city of some 1.7 million people.

The Gyanvapi mosque, left, and Kashiviswanath Temple on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi, India, December 12, 2021. - Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP

Muslims in Varanasi pray during Eid, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. - John Mees/CNN

Yet, 10 years after his ascension, many of Varanasis Muslims feel neglected, even betrayed, especially now as a centuries old-mosque becomes the latest flashpoint in a case that tests Indias secular fabric.

Local Muslim leader Syed Mohammad Yaseen, 78, feels the government is failing to protect his community, which he says is feeling increasingly vulnerable and fearful of hate crimes in todays India.

The worst will happen (if Modi gets reelected), he said from his office in Varanasi. We are tolerating these things, maybe one day there can be change. But we are hopeless.

We hide our names

Modis BJP has its roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing paramilitary organization that advocates Hindu supremacy within India  though the party has repeatedly said it does not discriminate against minorities.

There is not one welfare scheme where religion, or community, is used as a base to discriminate, said BJP Varanasi leader Dileep Patel, referring to the governments welfare programs. The prime ministers schemes (programs) apply to our Muslim brothers, Hindu brothers, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis, who have, without any discrimination, benefited from Modi.

There is no doubt that Modis decade in power has been transformative. India has arrived on the world stage, inching ever closer to global-power status, boasting the fastest-growing major economy, and making great strides in technology and space.

But there is also no doubt that religious polarization has increased.

Hindu nationalists have been appointed to top positions in key government institutions, giving them the power to make sweeping changes to legislation that rights groups say unfairly target Muslims. Textbooks have been rewritten to downplay the history of Indias ancient Islamic rulers, cities and streets with Mughal-era names renamed and Muslim properties have been demolished by authorities for illegal encroachment on government land and as punishment for alleged rioting.

In 2019, Modi removed the special autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir  Indias only Muslim-majority state  bringing it under the direct control of New Delhi. That same year, his administration passed a controversial citizenship law that excludes Muslim migrants, giving rise to deadly riots.

Nasir Ali recalls the evening, weeks after the laws enactment, when right-wing Hindu mobs gathered near his home in New Delhi, chanting anti-Islam slogans, attacking property and harassing residents. He was bringing his sister home from a hospital in a taxi. He felt safe, he said, because this was the capital, Delhi, and it was daytime.

But as his taxi approached the streets, Ali saw the mob. Among them, there was a man who took out his pistol and fired at me. He started chanting Jai Shree Sri Ram (a Hindu religious slogan) and ran away, says Ali.

Nasir Ali claims he was shot because he is Muslim during an intense period of communal unrest in New Delhi in 2019. - Vijay Bedi/CNN

Ali says he believes he was shot because of his Muslim faith, and said it was a neighbor who pulled the trigger.

He attempted to file a police complaint at his local station against the alleged perpetrators, a 2021 Delhi court order seen by CNN shows. But the police did not register his complaint, nor properly investigate, the court order said.

The local Bhajanpura Police have since disputed those findings, and the case is winding its way through the legal system, with the next hearing expected in September, according to Alis lawyer. CNN has contacted Bhajanpura Police for comment.

The riots were described as some of the worst sectarian violence in decades, leaving dozens, mostly Muslims, dead. Delhi police made about 800 arrests, according to a report shared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Ali, who was blinded in one eye, now says he is wary of letting his fellow citizens know he is Muslim. We do not let anyone realize (our religion), he said. We hide our names as well.

Moments of large-scale violence like those Delhi riots often make national or international headlines. But it is the day-to-day incidents which spring up all over India that many say characterizes the way life has changed for so many of Indias Muslims under Modi.

Muslims look inside a charred mosque after it was set on fire by a mob during riots in the Mustafabad area of New Delhi on February 29, 2020. - Muzamil Mattoo/NurPhoto/Getty Images/File

When Usman, 28, moved from Kashmir to northwestern Rajasthan state for work in 2021, he said he struggled to find a home for weeks, visiting broker after broker in the city of Jaipur, who looked at his name and had one remark: This is going to be a problem.

Its a given, a Muslim will face a struggle finding an apartment, said Usman, who asked CNN to use only his first name, citing privacy concerns. Things were bad before. Now, its become worse.

CNN has verified dozens of social media videos that paint a stark picture of religious divisions.

In one from March this year, a policeman can be seen kicking Muslims offering prayers on the side of the road in New Delhi. In another from the western state of Gujarat last year, right-wing groups projected Jai Shree Ram on the walls of a mosque. In an incident that shocked the nation in August, a railway police officer opened fire on a moving train, killing three Muslim passengers and a Hindu constable, while allegedly advocating for Modis leadership.

Anti-Muslim speech has also risen dramatically, a recent report by the Washington-based research group India Hate Lab showed, which documented 668 such cases in 2023.

Protesters gather to demand action against hate speech in New Delhi, December 2021. - Manish Swarup/AP

BJP politician T. Raja Singh openly called for violence against Muslims in an October speech in Rajasthan, proclaiming: If they (Muslims) take one Hindu girl, well take 10 of theirs. At another event, he allegedly said: You (Muslims) are half cut (circumcised), we will cut you fully.

India prohibits hate speech under several sections of its penal code, including a section that criminalizes deliberate and malicious acts intended to insult religious beliefs. Singh is facing a slew of police investigations, including for his alleged hate speeches, but in October last year he was fielded as a BJP candidate in state elections  winning his seat for the third time in a row.

CNN has contacted Singh for a response.

Analysts say the lack of repercussions for vitriolic comments has given extremists tacit support, making them even more brazen. Many Muslims fear this rise poses a danger to their communities  and worry it may only get worse as India votes in this election.

Multiple human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights have warned of continued discrimination against religious minorities, particularly Muslims, over the past decade, and have repeatedly called on authorities to end it.

BJP National Spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill has said his party is not prejudiced against Muslims, and the community has benefited from Modis leadership. Indias constitution protects the Indian democracy. No political party in country is strong enough to bulldoze the Constitution, to bulldoze the will of the people, he said.

Yet, critics have pointed to the lack of representation within the BJP. Despite being a party that claims to represent all Indians it doesnt have a single Muslim lawmaker.

This week, Modi himself sparked a row over hate speech while campaigning in Rajasthan, a BJP ruled-state, when he accused Muslims  who have been present in India for centuries  of being infiltrators, and echoing a false conspiracy voiced by some Hindu nationalists that Muslims are displacing the countrys Hindu population by deliberately having large families.

The speech caused widespread anger among Muslims leaders and opposition politicians as well as calls for election authorities to investigate the comments. BJP party spokespeople subsequently said Modi was talking about undocumented migrants.

Reclaiming mosques

Shamsher Ali, a shopkeeper in Varanasi, fears for his two young daughters growing up in an increasingly polarized India. Ali looks back at his childhood  a time when, he says, Muslim-Hindu camaraderie was the norm.

Muslims havent felt this level of fear in years, Ali says.

Shamsher Ali worries for his young daughters, who he says are growing up in an increasingly polarized India. His arm was in a cast from a recent traffic accident. - John Mees/CNN

So much hate has been sown that people now look at each other with suspicion  the tensions have become so bad that a Hindu and a Muslim cant even see eye to eye, the 45-year-old said. This government is relying on driving a wedge between the two communities.

Meters from Alis shop, the Gyanvapi Mosque has become the latest battleground between Hindu nationalists and Varanasis Muslims.

The mosque was built in the 17th century by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. It is widely believed a temple devoted to Lord Shiva on the same site was destroyed to make way for it. A different Hindu temple was subsequently built nearby in 1780 and for centuries, Hindus and Muslims prayed at their respective sites side by side, the temples gold stripes standing alongside the mosques white domes.

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple stands next to the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi. Pictured here in December 12, 2021. - Pawan Kumar/Reuters

Muslim women would wear their niqab (Muslim traditional dress) and Muslim men with their skullcaps would frequent the Ghats nearby (a holy Hindu area), Ali recalled.

But now, the Gyanvapi Mosque sits at the apex of a wider legal campaign to reclaim places of worship, and Hindu nationalists are demanding it back. Its fate is being debated across courtrooms in India, in a case that will have ramifications nationwide.

In May 2022, a court survey claimed to find an artifact that resembled a Hindu relic inside the building. Muslims question the conclusion of the survey, saying it runs counter to their own findings.

In January, a Varanasi court ruled that Hindus could offer prayer in the basement of the mosque.

Today, the police is against us. I dont have faith in the judiciary, said Yaseen, the local Muslim leader, from his office filled with documents related to the case. They are giving judgment, but not justice.

Syed Mohammad Yaseen at his office in Varanasi. - John Mees/CNN

Outside the temple gates, guards patrol the area. Monkeys scale the walls of the complex, unconcerned by the high security and barbed-wire fence that fortifies the mosque. On the streets, vendors sell marigold flowers, and saffron flags fly high on shops and buildings.

The incident has echoes of another major flashpoint  the 16th century Babri mosque in Ayodhya. It was demolished by Hindu hardliners in a 1992 attack, sparking deadly riots, in an incident that helped turbocharge the BJP from a fringe party to a major player.

Earlier this year, Modi inaugurated a vast Hindu temple on the site, the culmination of a decades-long campaign and an event seen as a seminal moment by Indias leader  one, critics say, pulled the country away from its constitutionally secular foundations.

(Today) is the beginning of a new time cycle, Modi said at the new temple. After centuries of waiting, our Ram has arrived.

Guards patrol the street outside the Gyanvapi Mosque. - John Mees/CNN

Muslims return after offering prayer at the Gyanvapi Mosque. - John Mees/CNN

The Ghats on the banks of the Ganges river, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. - Lucas Vallecillos/VWPics/AP

Unique fabric threatened

Dressed in a saffron robe with religious beads draped around his neck, Hindu priest Swami Jitendranand Saraswati doesnt think fears harbored by Muslims are substantiated.

If they are saying they feel like they are second-class citizens, then this makes me happy, he said with a smile, as worshippers touched his feet while bringing offerings to his small temple.

He believes Gyanvapi is not a mosque, but a Hindu temple, and wants to see his community worship inside the walls of the building. Swami Saraswati also wants his community to reclaim some 3,000 more Hindu places of worship allegedly destroyed by Mughals centuries ago.

The Hindu community wants its lost self-respect back. The Hindu community wants its places of worship back, he said.

Hindu priest Swami Jitendranand Saraswati at his temple in Varanasi. - John Mees/CNN

Amit Pandey, the general secretary of the BJPs youth wing in Varanasi, says India is a Hindu nation, and claims that all the countrys Muslims were forcibly converted and made slaves by changing their religion from Hinduism centuries ago.

Mainstream historians paint a much more complicated picture, where the South Asian subcontinent experienced waves of migration, invasion, colonialism, trading, conversion and assimilation over the centuries that created the multifaith giant of todays India.

But not all Hindus are supporters of a Hindu nationalist narrative.

Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, the priest of a prominent Hindu temple in Varanasi, believes Modis stoking of religious tensions is ruining the fabric of Indian society. Varanasi, he noted, is a spiritual center, home to all faiths.

All practices are allowed, and they help each other grow, Mishra said, standing outside his temple near the banks of the Ganges.

Vishwambhar Nath Mishra prays inside his temple in Varanasi. - John Mees/CNN

Christianity, Muslims, Buddhism, Hinduism  they live here in a good harmony. And if we have any differences, we sit across the platform and we discuss the issues. This unique fabric has a strained condition now. We have a fear that this fabric may break.

The sentiment is echoed by Ali in his Varanasi shop, where he fears for his communitys survival.

Muslims have anyway become untouchables in this government, he said.

People say leave the country, but we say we were born here. We will be buried in the soil of this land. This is my country.

Read more from CNNs India election coverage:

Billions spent, jungle-trekking poll workers and voting at 15,000 feet. What to know about the worlds biggest election.

Can India become an economic superpower? Heres what the data says.

Narendra Modi: Indias popular but controversial leader seeking a transformative third term.

In face of Modi juggernaut, Indias opposition appears increasingly weak.

India election: A visual guide to voting in the worlds largest democracy.

Utpal Pathak contributed reporting

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Winding through the South Carolina low country, the Cooper River is a reed-lined haven for sportfish and shorebirds. The waterway originates in Berkeley County's Lake Moultrie. From there, it proceeds all the way down to Charleston, where it merges with the Ashley and the Wando to form that city's world-famous harbor. (Ever hear of Fort Sumter?)

The Cooper River took its name from Anthony Ashley Cooper, a 17th-century English lord. As time wore on, it became a lifeline in the region's burgeoning rice trade. But the Cooper also bears the hallmarks of a far more ancient chapter in South Carolina history.

If you know where to look, and you've got scuba gear handy, you just might find a mammoth tusk lurking beneath the water's surface.

Matthew Weas knows that feeling. He and his father, Joe Harvey, are experienced local divers who patrol the Cooper for fossils  many of which end up on display at the Berkeley County Museum in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.

Not all the giants they encounter are prehistoric. To hear Weas tell it, run-ins with living modern-day river-beasts aren't uncommon. "I have had a [catfish] swallow my hand in a log jam underwater, a manatee break the surface while I was swimming back to the boat... [and] alligators swim toward me," he says via email. Once, he came "nose-to-nose" with a gator measuring about 10 feet (3 meters) long.

This skull was from an extinct lemur that was part of a primate community in Madagascar that disappeared during the last 1,100 years. Barry Coleman

Cave of Wonders

The American alligator may be synonymous with the South, but underwater fossil-hunting is a global pastime. Outside the U.S., divers have encountered paleo-treasures in such places as Australia, Bali, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and the Bahamas.

Back in 2014, a bona fide "lemur graveyard" was discovered in the submerged caves of Madagascar's Tsimanampetsotsa National Park. The big find was made possible by an international collaborative effort between anthropologists, paleontologists and scuba divers.

Hundreds of bones appeared in the underwater sediments. Some came from contemporary species like the invasive black rat. Other remains were left behind by animals that went extinct within the past few millennia.

The site quickly established itself as the world's biggest cache of Pachylemur fossils. An ancient relative of the ruffed lemur, this creature was about twice as heavy, weighing an estimated 22 pounds (10 kilograms). It would've been utterly dwarfed by the gorilla-sized Mesopropithecus, a gargantuan lemur also represented in these caves.

Pygmy hippo, elephant bird and horned crocodile material was also recovered by the dive team  along with the rare, virtually complete skull of yet another bygone lemur species.

Getting access to the bounty wasn't easy. The caves in question were likely dry at some point, but today they're part of a flooded sinkhole. Right now, the system's most fossil-laden cave runs 82 feet (25 meters) deep. It's a dark environment with a complex layout, full of horizontal passageways and murky waters.

In short, this is no place for novice divers. Cave-diving in general is a high-risk sport; if you wander off-course, you can't always ascend straight up to the surface. So to avoid getting lost, the scuba specialists on that 2014 team tracked their pathways with about 879 feet (268 meters) of safety lines.

This 30-inch piece of Mastodon tusk was recovered during a dive in the Cooper River in South Carolina. Joe Harvey

Preparation Is Key

Another precious sinkhole is the Page-Ladson site in northwestern Florida. Hidden below the Aucilla River, it's yielded some of the oldest-known human artifacts in North America. Equally fascinating are the locality's mastodon bones, including some 14,550-year-old fossils bearing scars that suggest the animals were butchered by ancient Floridians.

Here, tannins are a real nuisance. A vital component in leather, tannins are chemical compounds released by various plants. When these seep into ponds or rivers, they can turn the water blackish-brown. Needless to say, this impairs visibility. In some corners of the Aucilla, the tannins help block out sunlight, shrouding everything deeper than 10 feet (3 meters) beneath the surface in inky darkness.

Back north in the Cooper River, divers face this same problem. To see clearly, they  and their Aucilla-based colleagues  make good use of high-wattage underwater lights.

Weas says he and his father wear Dive-Rite "cave lights" attached to their helmets. The rest of the duo's equipment would look pretty familiar to other recreational divers. "We use the standard tank, regulators and BCDs," Weas says. (For the record, BCD stands for "Buoyancy Compensating Device," a wearable gadget used to keep divers at their desired depth.)

On summer dives, Weas and Harvey can comfortably don pants and T-shirts. But under some weather conditions, dry suits, semi-dry suits or wetsuits might be more appropriate. Since the Cooper gets strong tidal currents, the water's speed at any given moment affects their schedule. Faster currents make for shorter excursions.

This cache from a dive in the Cooper River includes several shark's teeth as well as a brass Colonial belt buckle. Joe Harvey

Giant Sharks ... And Beavers?!

Why do people go through all this trouble when there are loads of fossils hanging out on dry land? Well for one thing, immersion in water has some preservation benefits. Deep in the bowels of a sunken cave, bones are less likely to be disturbed  either by scavengers or the ravages of open-air climates.

And whereas land fossils are often caked in rock, some of the bones in flowing rivers get polished clean by the currents.

Most of the material Weas discovers out in the Cooper River comes from two different points in geologic time. The river's most sought-after fossils are probably shark teeth from the Miocene Epoch, which lasted from 23 million to 5.3 million years ago. Some of these chompers get quite large: A tooth from the extinct megalodon shark can be up to 7.6 inches (19.3 centimeters) long!

"Shark's teeth are the most common finds," says Weas, "though whale ear bones come [in] a close second."

Other Cooper River fossils were laid down during the more recent Pleistocene Epoch. That began just 2.6 million years ago and ended a mere 11,700 years before the present. Back then, sea levels were lower and the Carolina coastline lay farther to the east.

Over the years, Weas and Harvey have extricated the bones of Pleistocene mammoths, capybaras, hoofed herbivores  and giant beavers. The latter calls for an explanation. During the last ice age, North American wetlands were occupied by Castoroides, 8-foot (2.5-meter) beavers that likely weighed 220 pounds (100 kilograms) or more.

Having a manatee sneak up on you is undoubtedly scary. But just imagine taking a dip with one of those mega-rodents! Thanks, but no thanks.

Now That's Interesting



Great Britain was connected to the rest of mainland Europe as recently as 8,200 years ago. For this reason, mammoth bones are periodically dredged up out of the North Sea, which separates the U.K. from its continental neighbors.

Original article: River-bottom Bones: The Strange World of Underwater Fossil Hunting

Copyright  2024 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company
Fulani herdsmen on Sunday (April 28) killed two Christians in one area of Benue state after killing five Christians the previous day in another area, sources said.

The killings on Sunday in Agatu County were the latest of 30 slayings in the same area since January, sources said.

In Agatu County, herdsmen attacked the predominantly Christian villages of Egba and Ogbaulu at about 6 p.m., killing Agness Salahu, 28, and 25-year-old Ademu Efugoga, said area resident Napoleon Otache.

The killings followed attacks on four villages in Agatu County on March 21 that resulted in the slaughter of 15 Christians, said Joseph Ngbede, a member of the Agatu Local Government Council. The predominantly Christian villages of Atakpa, Oshigbudu, Okpagabi and Ogbaulu were raided.

Those villages and five others  Ogwumogbo, Ikpele, Okokolo, Ejima and Ogboju  have been attacked since January, Ngbede said.

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Godwin Edoh, a legislator representing the Agatu area in the Benue State House of Assembly, said herdsmen on Jan. 31 killed 15 Christians in the villages of Ogwumogbo, Ikpele, Okokolo, Ejima and Ogboju. Area resident Mike Inalegwu, a former civil commissioner in the Benue state government, confirmed the Jan. 31 attack.

Catherine Anene, a local police spokesperson, said the command had received reports of attacks in those communities.

Our personnel have been deployed to the affected communities, and efforts are being made to end these disturbances, Anene said.

Attacks on Saturday

In Benue states Gwer East County, Fulani herdsmen on Saturday (April 27) raided predominantly Christian Mbamar-Mbasombo village, killing five Christians and wounding another, sources said.

The previous month, residents said, herdsmen killed 18 Christians in the area.

In the attack on Saturday, about 40 herdsmen attacked Mbamar-Mbasombo at about 10 p.m., resulting in the death of the five Christians, resident Felix Kunde told Morning Star News.

One other Christian was shot and wounded and is currently battling for his life in an Intensive Care Unit of a hospital, Kunde said.

Comfort Agbo, chair of the Gwer East Local Government Council, said this was not the first time the area has been attacked.

There have been series of such attacks carried out by armed herdsmen against our people, Agbo said.

On March 7, 18 Christians were slaughtered in 13 predominantly Christian communities of Gwer East by armed herdsmen, said resident Tersoo Adagher.

During these attacks, which occurred at about 7 p.m., 50 houses belonging to Christians were burned down, Adagher said.

The villages attacked were Wa-ndoo, Tse-Agernor, Tse-Najime, Tse-Wandor, Wandor Market Square, Tse-Ate, Tse-Anyol, Tse-Abagi, Tse-Ifian, Tse-Ukombor, Tse-Girgi Akwaya, Tse-Tion Ukpa, and Tse-Abuur, Adagher said.

Among Christians slain were Peter Tion, Nyityo Kyoon, Iorfa Ukombor, Doopinen Awua, Tyoshaa Mkaanem, Asan Ate, Asough Ate, Terzungwe Asoo Ate, Mbatsavbun Gbatar, John Ndahagh Tyohemba, Tertsea Ukombor, Akuma Kpenge, Abume Kpenge, Igba Byuan, Ter Byuan, Terzungwe Aulugh and a small child, Adagher said.

Agbo, the chair of the Gwer East Local Government Council, confirmed the killing of the 18 Christians by armed herdsmen.

And theres no doubt that those responsible for the ceaseless attacks on my people are armed herdsmen, Agbo said.

Vearumun Tarhule, an area community leader, in a press statement expressed surprise at the attacks in spite of the military and police presence.

When will this end? How can our people sleep with their eyes closed? Tarhule said. With the farming season approaching, how will our people return to their farms when their properties are destroyed, and they are displaced? These are the urgent concerns that demand immediate attention and action.

Similar attacks occurred in 2014 at Agana, Mbatsada, and on April 24, 2018, when the Rev. Joseph Gor, the Rev. Felix Tyolaha and 17 parishioners were killed during morning Mass at St. Ignatius Quasi Parish Ayar-Mbalom in Ubuluku Kindred, he said.

Police spokesperson Catherine Anene acknowledged a rise in unprovoked attacks.

Its a known fact that there have been rise of unprovoked attacks against the people of Gwer East Local Government Area, but the police and other security agencies are collaborating towards ending such incidents in that area, she told Morning Star News.

Nigeria remained the deadliest place in the world to follow Christ, with 4,118 people killed for their faith from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023, according to Open Doors 2024 World Watch List (WWL) report. More kidnappings of Christians than in any other country also took place in Nigeria, with 3,300.

Nigeria was also the third highest country in number of attacks on churches and other Christian buildings such as hospitals, schools, and cemeteries, with 750, according to the report.

In the 2024 WWL of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria was ranked No. 6, as it was in the previous year.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdoms All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.

They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity, the APPG report states.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigerias Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.
Revenue: Reported $79.3 million, falling short of the estimated $94.86 million.

Net Income: Achieved $211.8 million, significantly exceeding the estimated loss of $30.31 million.

Earnings Per Share (EPS): Recorded at $0.82, surpassing the estimated -$0.14.

Adjusted EBITDA: Reached a record $245.7 million, up from $81.7 million in the same quarter last year.

Bitcoin Mining Revenue: Totalled $74.6 million with a gross margin of 45%, driven by higher Bitcoin prices and expanded mining capacity.

Operational Expansion: Energization of the new Corsicana Facility, set to be the world's largest dedicated Bitcoin mining facility upon full development.

Stock Offering: Generated net proceeds of approximately $345.7 million from at-the-market equity offerings during the quarter.

On May 1, 2024, Riot Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:RIOT), a leader in vertically integrated Bitcoin mining, released its financial results for the first quarter of 2024, showcasing substantial growth and operational achievements. The company announced a total revenue of $79.3 million and a net income of $211.8 million, significantly surpassing analyst expectations. For further details, readers can access the 8-K filing.

Riot Platforms Inc (RIOT) Surpasses Analyst Revenue Forecasts with Record Q1 Earnings

About Riot Platforms Inc

Riot Platforms Inc operates primarily through its Bitcoin Mining and Data Center Hosting segments, with the majority of its revenue generated from Bitcoin mining activities. The company's strategic focus on expanding its mining operations has positioned it as a significant player in the blockchain technology industry.

Q1 2024 Performance Overview

The first quarter of 2024 was marked by remarkable financial achievements for Riot, with a reported earnings per share (EPS) of $0.82, a stark contrast to the estimated EPS of -$0.14. This performance is a new record for the company, substantially higher than the same period in 2023. The adjusted EBITDA also reached a new high of $245.7 million, compared to $81.7 million in the previous year, reflecting a robust improvement in operational efficiency and profitability.

Operational Highlights and Future Outlook

During the quarter, Riot announced the energization of its Corsicana Facility, anticipated to be the world's largest dedicated Bitcoin mining facility upon completion. This strategic expansion is expected to nearly triple the company's current self-mining hash rate capacity to 31 EH/s by year-end. The deployment of additional miners at both the Corsicana and Rockdale facilities is set to further enhance Riot's mining capabilities.

Story continues

Financial Metrics and Analysis

The substantial increase in net income was primarily driven by a significant change in the fair value of Bitcoin, amounting to $234.1 million. The company also benefited from power curtailment credits, which contributed approximately $5.1 million to the Bitcoin Mining revenue, adjusting the cost of revenue to $38.6 million on a non-GAAP basis.

Selling, general, and administrative expenses saw an increase, mainly due to higher stock compensation expenses and costs associated with ongoing growth and expansion efforts. Despite these increases, the company's strategic investments and operational enhancements have clearly paid off, as evidenced by the impressive financial outcomes.

Investor and Market Implications

The significant outperformance of Riot Platforms Inc in both revenue and net income relative to analyst expectations highlights the company's strong operational execution and strategic positioning within the cryptocurrency mining sector. This performance not only enhances investor confidence but also positions Riot as a robust entity in the capital markets, capable of sustaining growth and delivering value.

For more detailed information and to view the full financial statements, visit Riot Platforms Inc's official website or access their recent SEC filings.

Contact Information

Investors and media seeking further information can contact Phil McPherson, Investor Relations, at IR@Riot.Inc or Alexis Brock, Media Relations, at PR@Riot.Inc.

Riot Platforms Inc continues to leverage its innovative approach and community partnerships to drive growth and operational excellence, aiming to maintain its leadership in the rapidly evolving Bitcoin-driven infrastructure sector.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from Riot Platforms Inc for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of assault, sexual abuse and suicide. Reader discretion is advised.

Robert Berchtold abducted and sexually assaulted Jan Broberg during the 1970s, starting when Jan was just 12 years old. Berchtold was reportedly a close friend of the Brobergs and almost became a part of their family, to the extent that he was considered a second father figure. The Brobergs and Berchtold were both members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This served as a common point for them to bond, BBC reported.

In August 1974, Robert Berchtold fled to Mexico with the Brobergs 12-year-old daughter, Jan Broberg. He allegedly drugged her while they were on the way to a horseback riding lesson. She then woke up in a motorhome in Mexico, where someone played out several tape recordings to her. The voices in the recordings told her that she was special and was a scion of a rare alien species.

Robert Berchtold then convinced her that she had to procreate with him to ensure the sustenance of her species. He threatened her that she would be punished if she didnt comply. He held her there for five weeks and repeatedly raped her. Meanwhile, Bob Broberg and Mary Ann Broberg did not report a kidnapping when Jan disappeared. They trusted Berchtold so much that they thought it would have been a car accident, as per NBC News.

Soon, the Brobergs began getting worried, and the FBI launched an investigation into the disappearance. They tracked Robert Berchtold and Jan Broberg down. They brought them home from Mexico. However, Berchtold managed to avoid charges as he brainwashed the Brobergs. He convinced them to sign an affidavit that stated that they permitted him to take Jan.

Was Robert Berchtold convicted and how did he die?

NBC News reported that Robert Berchtold brainwashed the Brobergs so powerfully that he managed to abduct Jan Broberg once again, in 1976. Even after his return from that abduction, he wasnt charged or convicted of any crimes, as he claimed he had a mental illness and was detained in a mental institution for around six months. Jan Broberg, meanwhile, hadnt revealed to her parents what exactly Berchtold had done for a long time after the kidnappings.

Later, many other women came out with their stories and informed Jan Broberg that Robert Berchtold had also abused them. It was in 1986 that Berchtold was found guilty of the rape of a child. However, he only spent one year in jail. Berchtold disappeared after that. He returned only thirty years later when he began to talk and harass Jan Broberg when she went out to events or spoke about her past. When she accused him of stalking, Berchtold was finally convicted of assault, criminal trespassing, and disorderly conduct. However, before he could be sentenced, he died by suicide in November 2005, according to Distractify.

Abducted in Plain Sight is a true-crime documentary film on Netflix that digs deeper into the repeated crimes of Robert Berchtold and how he managed to inflict abuse on Broberg for years together by consistently manipulating her family. It was released on May 26, 2017, and is currently streaming on Netflix.

The post Robert Berchtold: What Did He Do and What Happened to Him? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Bonneville Elementary School 5th grader Graham Beeton, is interviewed during a block party supporting trans and non binary students and staff Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salt Lake City. Utah will become the latest state to implement restrictions for transgender people using school bathrooms and locker rooms in public schools and government-owned buildings when key components of a law passed by the Republican controlled Legislature take effect May 1. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Utah public schools have been rushing to prepare students and teachers as the state starts cracking down Wednesday on any school found not enforcing new bathroom restrictions for transgender people.

Residents and visitors are required under state law to use bathrooms and changing rooms in government-owned buildings that correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Although the law took effect when Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed it Jan. 30, it was not widely enforced before a key compliance mechanism began this week. Schools and government agencies now face steep fines of up to $10,000 per day for each violation.

The rollout has been roiled in confusion for Utah families amid a patchwork of plans that differ across districts. Their experiences are mirrored in many of the other 10 Republican-led states with similar restroom restrictions. Enforcement of one of those laws  in Idaho  has been put on hold by a court.

Utah state Rep. Kera Birkeland, a Morgan Republican and the bills primary sponsor, has argued its a necessary safeguard against people who might claim theyre transgender to infiltrate a gendered space. She pitched the law as a safety measure to protect the privacy of women and girls without citing evidence of threats or assaults by trans people against them. Trans residents say she has used a hypothetical to justify exclusion.

Legislators left it up to each school district to decide how it will communicate the changes. Some have held classroom presentations. Others have sent home fact sheets or met privately with families who might be affected.

Despite their different approaches, the state's largest school districts say they share a common goal: make affected individuals feel safe while handling any issues in-house.

Principals in the Granite, Alpine, Davis and Salt Lake City school districts have been trained to address bathroom concerns on an individual basis, with discretion and empathy for LGBTQ+ students, spokespeople for the districts said.

The law requires schools to create privacy plans for those who do not feel comfortable using group bathrooms, but Graham Beeton, 11, said such accommodations can be isolating. The Salt Lake City fifth grader, who uses he/they pronouns, said he feels loved by his classmates and does not understand why the government cares which bathroom he uses.

It hurts me, Beeton said. I might be uncomfortable going into that restroom, so I want to go into a different one, but the law doesnt say that I can.

Trans people in Utah may only use facilities that align with their gender identity if theyve legally changed the gender on their birth certificate and undergone certain gender-affirming surgeries, which are rarely performed on minors.

Draped in an LGBTQ+ pride flag with rainbows painted on his cheeks, Beeton beckoned his classmates to a block party held just across the street from Bonneville Elementary School on Monday afternoon. With teachers in all Salt Lake City schools set to present about the bathroom law, his mom and many other parents pulled their kids out early and threw a party in support of affected students and staff.

Among them was Mia Norman, an emergency room technician and the mother of twins, who said she did not understand how the law could realistically be enforced on children. She worried kids and their parents might be encouraged to snitch on school administrators and vulnerable students.

Norman and other parents said the rollout this week has led to tough conversations with their kids about how politics can impact their lives at a young age.

Fourth grade students Lila and Sophia left the presentation confused about why the law existed and worried that it might make some of their peers feel bad about themselves. They were told to approach a teacher with any questions about which bathroom they should use and to report instances of bullying, according to a copy of the presentation obtained by The Associated Press.

There shouldnt be a law in place to tell people who they can be or to stop feeling how they want to feel, said 10-year-old Lila Hathaway.

Bree Taylor-Lof, a transgender teacher, left school on the verge of tears Monday after having to present to students about a policy that affected them personally. They fought to keep their emotions in check while fielding questions from confused fifth graders who did not understand why the law had been passed.

Realizing that the restrictions would affect their teacher, many of the kids gave Taylor-Lof hugs and handwritten cards on their way out the door.

Our youth today have a keen sense for justice and inclusion and looking out for each other," Taylor-Lof said. That was clear in the concern that they expressed about their fellow peers, and for me.
Romeoville man who led police on a high-speed chase through La Porte Co. handed 7 year sentence

Romeoville man who led police on a high-speed chase through La Porte Co. handed 7 year sentence

ROMEOVILLE, Ill.  A Romeoville man who led police on a high-speed car chase through La Porte County will spend more than seven years in prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Northern District of Indiana, 40-year-old Martin Devalois was found guilty of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, following a two-day jury trial in December of 2023.

Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines

Court documents indicate that in March of 2021, Devalois led police on a 30-minute car chase throughout La Porte County that reached speeds of up to 90 mph. The chase eventually came to an end after Devalois crashed into a snow bank.

Following the crash, authorities say they found a loaded handgun in the center console of his vehicle.

Devalois was prohibited from possessing the firearm, due to multiple prior felony convictions.

LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland

Devalois was sentenced to 92 months in prison which will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
Russian forces launched attacks at 11 communities near the Sumy Oblast border on April 30, causing nearly 300 explosions in the region, the local military administration reported.

The border settlements of Mykolaiv, Khotin, Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Nova Sloboda, Esman, Shalyhyne, Seredyna-Buda, and Znob-Novhorodske came under fire over the course of the day.

Russian troops attacked the Sumy border with artillery, drones, missiles, rocket launchers, and mines, causing 286 recorded explosions.

The community of Bilopillia was hit hardest, sustaining 69 explosions in 24 hours. Velyka Pysarivka recorded 50 explosions caused by Russian artillery and drones.

No casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure were reported.

Sumy Oblast lies along Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia. Residents of vulnerable border communities endure daily attacks launched by nearby Russian forces. Russian attacks against the region have become increasingly destructive in recent weeks, killing and injuring civilians.

An attack against the region on April 29 damaged a school in Yampil.

Read also: Russian strikes overwhelm Ukraines overstretched air defense amid Western aid delays

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
By Jonathan Landay and Daphne Psaledakis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Wednesday accused Russia of violating the international chemical weapons ban by deploying the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and using riot control agents "as a method of warfare" in Ukraine.

"The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident and is probably driven by Russian forces' desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield," the State Department said in a statement.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Chloropicrin is listed as a banned choking agent by the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which was created to implement and monitor compliance with the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

German forces fired the gas against Allied troops during World War I in one of the first uses of a chemical weapon.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported the Ukrainian military as saying Russia has stepped up its illegal of use riot control agents as it presses its biggest advances in eastern Ukraine in more than two years.

In addition to chloropicrin, Russian forces have used grenades loaded with CS and CN gases, the Ukrainian military says. It says at least 500 Ukrainian soldiers have been treated for exposure to toxic substances and one was killed by suffocating on tear gas.

While civilians usually can escape riot control gases during protests, soldiers stuck in trenches without gas masks must either flee under enemy fire or risk suffocating.

The State Department said it was delivering to Congress its determination that Russia's use of chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops violated the CWC.

Moscow's use of the gas "comes from the same playbook as its operations to poison" the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020 and Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in 2018 with the Novichok nerve agent, the statement said.

Russia denied involvement in both cases.

The department also determined that Russia has breached the CWC's prohibition on the use of riot control agents as a method of warfare, the statement said.

It said it was sanctioning three Russian state entities linked to Moscow's chemical and biological weapons programs, including a specialized military unit that facilitated the use of chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops.

Four Russian companies that support the three entities were also sanctioned, it said.

The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets belonging to the targeted entities and generally prohibit Americans from doing business with them.

Separately, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on three entities and two individuals involved in purchasing items for Russian military institutes involved in the country's chemical and biological weapons programs.

The sanctions were among new measures announced by the United States on Wednesday targeting Russia over its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The CWC bans the production and use of chemical weapons. It also requires the 193 countries that have ratified the convention, which include Russia and the U.S., to destroy any stocks of banned chemicals.

The State Department was expected to convey its determination that Russia has violated the CWC to the OPCW.

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of breaching the treaty in OPCW meetings. But the organization says it has not been formally asked to open an investigation into the use of prohibited substances in Ukraine.

Reuters has not been able to independently verify the use of banned chemical substances by either side.

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
The five-month wait before US Congress approved $61 billion in military aid to Ukraine may have caused lasting damage that will be felt on the frontlines for months to come.

Russian forces have used the artillery drought hampering Ukraines defenses since December to push forward on the eastern front near Avdiivka, making the largest advance since the early months of the war. Moscows progress has prompted warnings from senior Ukrainian military officials of a possible threat to Kyivs supply lines and hubs in the east, which are now perilously close to being in range of superior Russian firepower.

The bleak news of progress comes ahead of an anticipated Russian offensive in late May, which could threaten Ukraines presence in the Donetsk region and hard-fought, if modest, gains towards the occupied port city of Mariupol. Russia has thrown vast resources at weak Ukrainian defenses across the eastern frontlines, pushing toward three key points: the vital military hub of Pokrovsk, west of Avdiivka; the strategic heights of Chasiv Yar, near Bakhmut; and Kurakhove in the southeast.

On February 17, Ukraine announced it had withdrawn from Avdiivka, a town battled over for a decade, one which Russia appears to have sacrificed hundreds of troops to take. Yet Moscows advance did not stop there. Over the next 10 weeks, as a CNN map and analysis by the Ukrainian monitoring group DeepStateMap shows, Russian forces slowly took village after village to Avdiivkas west, taking advantage of Kyivs failure to build fortifications and reluctance to publicly state the extent of their territorial losses in that area.

Only on Sunday did the top Ukrainian military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, admit the fall of a series of villages that his subordinates had insisted for days were still contested. The resulting fallback showed Russian forces had, in just over two months, made the most substantial and swift progress since July 2022s advances near Severodonetsk, according to a CNN analysis.

The Ukrainian reluctance to admit these losses led to public criticism from some pro-Ukrainian military bloggers and analysts. DeepStateMap, which updates the frontline situation daily, showed significant losses near Avdiivka. One of the groups founders, Ruslan Mykula, told CNN they spoke out because they had felt a military spokesperson has the opportunity to check the real situation, but he [still] provides untrue information and this undermines our credibility.

Mykula said the Russian advances near Ocheretyne, a village taken by Russia in the past weeks west of Avdiivka, are a tactical success so far, but could become a strategic one. He added: In the current situation, it will be very difficult to stop the enemy because it is pushing where the defense was not paying enough attention.

He said there was a lack of defensive fortifications along the Avdiivka entire left flank  which would effectively mean open plains are now vulnerable almost as far as a key highway that leads to the strategic Ukrainian hub of Pokrovsk.

Tuesdays update from the Ukrainian general staff said their forces were defending a series of villages much closer to Pokrovsk than is comfortable. Tuesdays presidential address from Volodymyr Zelensky demanded a significant acceleration of [Western] supplies to significantly strengthen the capabilities of our soldiers. He said Kyivs defenses needed a strength that must prove itself in the Pokrovsk direction, along with other perilous frontlines to the south near Kurakhve, but also to the northeast near Kupiansk.

Further Russian advances towards Kurakhove in the southeastern part of this frontline could imperil gains made by Ukraine during the summer counteroffensive. To the north, Russia is regularly bombarding Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv, but also pushing hard along the frontlines near Kupiansk, to reoccupy territory liberated by Ukraine in a lightning advance in the late summer of 2022.

Ukrainian servicemen of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade load a Marder infantry fighting vehicle near a frontline in Donetsk in April 29, 2024. REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak - Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters

Ukrainian officials have also warned publicly about the threat to Chasiv Yar, a small town near the city of Bakhmut, brutally torn from Ukrainian control last May. Chasiv Yar sits on a hill, and Lt. Col Nazar Voloshyn, spokesman for the Ukrainian Khortytsia command, said Tuesday on Ukrainian television that Russian forces were aiming to push along the canal near it, and seize it to gain a strategic advantage over vital nearby Ukrainian military towns.

It would be very important for them to take Chasiv Yar before we receive foreign aid  when we stop having a shortage of ammunition, Voloshyn told Ukrainian television. If the enemy captures the dominant heights and the occupiers gain a foothold there, it will be a big problem for us, because Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, Sloviansk and Druzhkivka will immediately come under attack.

People visit an exhibition, displaying armored vehicles and equipment captured by the Russian army from Ukrainian forces, at Victory Park open-air museum in Moscow, Russia, on May 1, 2024. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina - Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters

If those four towns, which sit along the same highway, were to come under serious threat of capture, Russias goal of control over the entire Donetsk region would come much closer to fruition.

Yurii Fedorenko, commander of the Achilles attack drones company at the 92nd separate assault brigade in that area, said the next two months marked a window of opportunity for Russian forces. He said Russian forces had realized Ukraine will soon have the necessary air defense assets and the necessary range of ammunition concentrated on the frontline, which will make it impossible for the enemy to perform tasks with the intensity it has now.

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Russia may not start an all-out war with NATO, but already has plans to destroy it from within

Some politicians say Russia poses the gravest threat to European security since World War II.

But Russia has been weakened by the Ukraine war and is in no position to attack NATO, experts say.

Instead, they say Putin wants to weaken and undermine NATO from within.

The era of relative peace and prosperity the West has enjoyed since the end of World War II may be coming to an end.

In March, Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, said Europe was in a "prewar" era and that if Russia defeated Ukraine, it could spell trouble for the security of the continent.

"I don't want to scare anyone, but war is no longer a concept from the past," Tusk said in an interview with several European media outlets. "It is real. In fact, it already started more than two years ago," referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It's one of a series of increasingly stark warnings that the war in Ukraine could be a prelude to a much bigger conflict.

German military-planning documents that leaked in January laid out a scenario where Russia launched a massive 2024 offensive to take advantage of waning Western support in Ukraine.

The documents, obtained by Bild, said Russia could then turn its sights on NATO members in Eastern Europe as it seeks to destabilize its enemies through cyberattacks and internal chaos.

Late last year, Poland's national-security agency said Russia could launch attacks on NATO countries within three years.

Article 5 of NATO's charter treaty stipulates that NATO nations must protect each other from attack, which means a Russian attack on one member could spark a war involving several nuclear-armed states.

But whether Putin really intends to attack a NATO country  and what an attack might look like  remains unclear.

In March, Putin said he doesn't intend to attack any NATO members, describing such claims as "complete nonsense."

However, Western military chiefs are not convinced. A month earlier, Putin threatened NATO with the prospect of a nuclear attack over its support for Ukraine.

He alluded to a suggestion by France's president Emmanuel Macron that NATO could send troops to Ukraine to support its fight against Russia.

Geopolitical analysts told Business Insider that Russia has been weakened by the war in Ukraine and is in no position to attack a NATO state.

But Putin is playing a long game, and the outcome of the Ukraine war and Russia's long-standing bid to corrode NATO will be key factors in determining whether Russia wants to attack.

Putin plots to corrode NATO

Philip Ingram, a former UK military intelligence officer, told BI that Putin has one key advantage over many of his enemies.

Democratically elected Western leaders often make plans that are mindful of elections that take place around every four years; Putin is an authoritarian with no serious challengers to his power  that means he can look decades ahead

"He does not want, at this moment, a direct confrontation with NATO," Ingram said. "But he thinks in a different way and plans in a different way to we do in the West, and therefore the way NATO countries do."

"So, his ambition in growing is not going to be that he will attack NATO and NATO countries next year, but he will set the conditions to be able to," he added.

Analysts like Ingram think Putin realizes that attacking a NATO member now would exact a punishing cost on Russia. Instead, Putin could seek to weaken NATO from within to create soft spots he can strike in the future.

To do this, Putin will likely intensify Russia's so-called "hybrid warfare" against NATO countries.

Hybrid warfare "often plays out in gray zones below the threshold of a conventional war," an article on NATO's website said.

"The instruments or tools employed and fused together to unleash hybrid warfare are often difficult to discern, attribute, and corroborate," it added.

These tools can include spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation, boosting extremist parties in certain countries, stoking terror threats, and launching cyberattacks to undermine the foundations of NATO countries.

"The threat posed by Russia to NATO is unlikely to be an invasion, it's more likely to come from a range of other military and nonmilitary threats  what are often called hybrid threats," Ruth Deyermond, an expert on the Russian military at King's College London, told BI.

A core Russian aim is to prise away the US from its commitment to defend its European allies, either by hoping it gets embroiled in another costly military campaign elsewhere or it gets tired of NATO.

"For this reason, I expect we'll see Russia using all of the tricks and capabilities in its cupboard to undermine Western unity over the years to come," Bryden Spurling, an analyst with the RAND Corporation, told BI.

A covert war is already underway

Some analysts say that Russia is already engaged in war with NATO  albeit covertly.

Last Friday, a group of men in the UK were charged with conducting an arson attack on a Ukraine-linked business on behalf of Russian intelligence.

And in recent months, Russia has also been accused of scrambling GPS airplane-navigation systems in northern Europe and the Baltic states. Both of these are examples of hybrid warfare.

Robert Dover, a professor of international security at the University of Hull, said the question of whether Russia will attack a NATO country is already redundant. "Russia is already engaged in a meaningful conflict with NATO countries and their allies," he said.

The Ukraine war exposed serious limits to NATO's military power, as the alliance has struggled to produce enough artillery shells and ammunition for Ukraine.

While Congress stalled on providing more military aid, European NATO countries were unable to make up the shortfall, and Ukraine's forces were significantly outgunned on parts of the frontline, which were close to collapse.

The US recently sent more aid, but Spurling said the situation exposed deep problems with NATO that Russia could exploit.

"This conflict has exposed how underprepared Western militaries are for war that's not on their terms," he added. "While we maintain that fragility, there is a greater risk that Russia thinks it could chance its arm."

Russia has been weakened by the war with Ukraine

A member of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces walking past destroyed Russian military vehicles in a forest outside Kharkiv, Ukraine. SERGEY BOBOK

But Russia also faces problems of its own. Its military has been depleted by the Ukraine invasion. According to some US estimates, 300,000 soldiers have been killed or wounded, its stock of armored vehicles has been decimated, and its commanders have made consistently bad decisions.

"It's hard to imagine a near- or medium-term scenario in which the Russian government has the resources to engage in another war on anything like the scale of Ukraine," Deyermond told BI.

An attack on a NATO country would come at such a devastating cost that it could imperil Putin's grip on power.

"War with NATO would destroy Russia  as Putin will know very well  and even if he thinks there's a possibility that the US might not step up to defend a fellow NATO member from a Russian invasion, he shows no sign of wanting to find out by playing nuclear Russian roulette," she added.

Ingram said Putin is determined to achieve some form of victory in Ukraine  however long it takes  so that he can use it as a platform to plan Russia's next campaign.

After Ukraine, Putin will survey the field and could be keen to exploit further opportunities to expand Russian power.

"He wants the Soviet Union back in the hands of a Russian leader  and that's his ultimate goal," he added.

Correction: May 2, 2024  An earlier version of this story misstated information about arson charges against a group of men in the UK. There was only one arson attack, not multiple attacks.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ukraine, which is badly outgunned on the front lines, is believed to have stepped up its use of artillery because of the imminent arrival of US aid - STATE BORDER GUARD SERVICE OF UKRAINE

Russia has ordered more weapons to the front lines in Ukraine in a scramble to make a significant breakthrough before the arrival of US military aid.

To maintain the required pace of the offensive it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to troops, primarily weapons, Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, said.

Sergei Shoigu, second left, who announced the escalation in weapons delivery, inspects new equipment with Valery Gerasimov, Russia's chief of the general staff - RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY

Moscows forces have made near daily advances in eastern Ukraine as they mount attacks in at least seven separate directions.

And Kyiv has warned that up to 25,000 troops have been thrown into the fight for Chasiv Yar, a strategic town west of the Donetsk city of Bakhmut.

Ukrainian forces defending the area, a key position in their defence of the wider Donbas region, complained on Wednesday they are still waiting for fresh ammunition supplies from the US amid intensifying attacks from Russian troops.

Chasiv Yar sits on a hill that offers a natural barrier, helping Kyiv to hold crucial supply lines to the north, as well as the regional capital of Kramatorsk.

Moscow is believed to have ordered its commanders in the area to capture the town by May 9, when the country celebrates Victory Day.

Russian soldiers targeting Ukrainian positions at one of a number of front lines where Moscow is trying to break through - RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE

Analysts believe Russian forces are exploiting the window before US military supplies arrive in the hands of the Ukrainians defending the hilltop settlement.

It has become increasingly difficult for Ukrainian forces to hold on because of the significant advantages in artillery fire and aerial dominance enjoyed by the Russians.

But the front line has remained largely static in the past week, since Joe Biden signed off on a $61 billion aid package for Kyiv, suggesting Ukraine is deliberately expending more ammunition to stall Russian advances.

Recent gains around Ocheretyne, a small village west of Avdiivka, could further add to Ukrainian headaches, with some predicting Russia could attempt to push its forces there north to join the Chasiv Yar front.

Ukraine recently surrendered three villages close to Ocheretyne in an attempt to save lives instead of holding ground that is not well fortified.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  The United States on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on hundreds of companies and people tied to Russia's weapons development program, more than a dozen Chinese entities accused of helping Moscow find workarounds to earlier penalties, and individuals linked to the death of Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The actions by the departments of Treasury and State target Russias military-industrial base, chemical weapons programs and people and companies in third countries that help Russia acquire weapons components as its invasion of Ukraine has entered its third year.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the action will further disrupt and degrade Russias war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it.

The Senate, meanwhile, gave final approval to legislation barring imports of Russian uranium, boosting U.S. efforts to disrupt Russias war in Ukraine. Democratic President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law.

About 12% of the uranium used to produce electricity at U.S. nuclear power plants is imported from Russia, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council said Wednesday that Biden shares lawmakers concerns about U.S. reliance on Russia for low-enriched uranium to support its domestic nuclear fleet.

Included in the administration's announcement are importers of cotton cellulose and nitrocellulose, which are used to produce gunpowder, rocket propellants and other explosives. The penalties also target Russian government entities and people tied to Russia's chemical and biological weapons programs, companies related to Russia's natural gas construction projects and three workers at the penal colony where Navalny died.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has railed against earlier rounds of U.S. and Western penalties, claiming they are illegitimate sanctions on his country.

A group of 16 targets in China and Hong Kong, most of which are related to Russian procurement workarounds, are named by the Biden administration.

Yellen traveled to Guangzhou and Beijing last month to warn Chinese officials that they must not provide material support for Russias war and that they will face significant consequences if they do."

China has said it is not providing Russia with arms or military assistance, although Beijing has maintained robust economic connections with Moscow, alongside India and other countries, as the West imposes sanctions.

Companies in China, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates were accused of helping Russia acquire technology and equipment from abroad. The penalties aim to block them from using the U.S. financial system and bar American citizens from dealing with them.

Story continues

Biden last week said he would immediately rush badly needed weaponry to Ukraine as he signed into law a $95 billion war aid measure that also included assistance for Israel, Taiwan and other global hot spots.

The upcoming uranium ban is also expected to impact Russian revenues by at least $1 billion. The U.S. banned Russian oil imports after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022 but did not against uranium, despite frequent calls to do so by U.S. lawmakers in both parties.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called the import ban a tremendous victory and said it will help defund Russias war machine, revive American uranium production and jumpstart investments in Americas nuclear fuel supply chain.

Wyoming has the uranium to replace Russian imports, and were ready to use it, Barrasso added.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat who heads that Senate committee, said it was "unconscionable for the U.S. to help make it possible for Putin to finance his unlawful war against Ukraine through U.S. reliance on Russian uranium.

Besides the import ban, the legislation frees up $2.7 billion in previously authorized funding to ramp up domestic uranium production.
The aftermath of a Russian attack on Odesa. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa Oblast

The death toll from the Russian attack on the city of Odesa on 29 April has risen to six after a man injured in the attack died in the hospital.

Source: Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov on Telegram

Quote from Trukhanov: "The death toll from the attack on Odesa on 29 April has risen to six."

Details: Trukhanov said that doctors fought for the life of the man who died on 1 May until the very end.

The mayor expressed his condolences to the mans family.

Previously: Russian forces carried out a missile strike on Odesa on 29 April. Earlier reports suggested five civilians were killed and 32 injured in the attack. A large fire broke out in the house of Serhii Kivalov, a former Ukrainian MP, which is the property of the International Humanitarian University. The Odesa Oblast Military Administration said at the time that eight people were hospitalised in serious condition, and four of them, including a four-year-old girl, were in critical condition.

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Russian forces attacked densely populated areas of the city of Odesa with three Iskander-M ballistic missiles on the night of 30 April  1 May.

Source: Major Illia Yevlash, Head of Public Relations of Ukraine's Air Force, on air during the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "As we can see, the enemy has now chosen Odesa as its key target. Just like they were attacking Kharkiv before (and are continuing to do so). This time, they have attacked densely populated areas of Odesa with three Iskander-M ballistic missiles, resulting in fatalities and casualties. Clearly, this is yet another manifestation of the bloodthirsty face of Russian terror."

Details: Yevlash said such Russian attacks serve only to intimidate Ukrainians and destabilise the situation.

He noted that Russia continues to target Ukraine with ballistic missiles, which are extremely difficult to shoot down.

The major noted that only one system at Ukraines disposal (which has repeatedly proven its effectiveness in combat) is able to intercept ballistic missiles, the US-made Patriot.

Therefore, Ukraine needs more of these systems and missiles to fight Russian terror and preserve the lives of civilians.

Background:

On the night of Wednesday, 30 April  1 May 2024, a Russian missile attack in Odesa claimed three lives and left three more injured.

On 29 April 2024, Russian forces launched a missile attack on Odesa. A fire broke out in the house of Serhii Kivalov, a former MP from the pro-Russian Party of Regions and the notorious former head of Ukraine's Central Election Commission. The house is owned by the International Humanitarian University. Kivalov was among the injured.

The Russian military leadership deliberately struck the city of Odesa on 29 April with an Iskander ballistic missile equipped with a cluster warhead in order to kill as many civilians as possible, an investigation believes.

On 30 April, a day of mourning was declared in Odesa Oblast.

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A Russian zoo said it sent peacocks to the front to 'inspire' troops. It deleted its post after people used it to mock Putin.

A Russian zoo said it sent peacocks to the front to 'inspire' troops. It deleted its post after people used it to mock Putin.

A Russian zoo said it sent two peacocks to those fighting in Ukraine.

It said it wanted to "brighten up soldiers' everyday life in combat."

But it then deleted the post, saying comments were insulting Putin.

A Russian zoo said it sent two peacocks to Ukraine with the aim of inspiring Russian troops fighting there  but then deleted its post after people mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin in the comments, according to reports.

The Lipetsk Zoo, in southwest Russia, announced the move on social media website VK on Tuesday.

It wrote: "For guys in difficult combat situations, the beauty of birds inspires and brings a piece of joy. This is not an advertisement for the zoo, but a gift from the heart. We hope that the beauty of these birds will brighten up soldiers' everyday life in combat," The Daily Beast reported.

It also shared a video of a masked soldier in front of an enclosure with the two birds.

The soldier said that every soldier would be able to look at the birds and get some "spiritual peace," according to The Daily Beast's translation.

He added that an aviary was being built for the birds, according to Ukrainian outlet Pravda's reporting.

It's unclear if the video was filmed in Ukraine. It's also not clear where the birds were sent, or how close to the fighting they had been.

The zoo later deleted its announcement post, according to The Daily Beast and Pravda.

It told Russian news outlet Rise that comments were left that insulted Putin.

The zoo blamed Ukrainian bots for the comments  a common excuse that Russia gives for online comments that insult Putin or criticize Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It said that "insults against the president are unacceptable," per The Daily Beast.

Some commentators were confused by the move, with one writing, according to The Daily Beast: "What are peacocks going to do there?"

Russia has heavily restricted information that its citizens can get about the war, and has punished Russians who speak out against it, leading to little visible dissent in the country.

While some protests have taken place, with thousands of people arrested, Russian citizens have largely not been seen to oppose the invasion.

Putin has also put in place a law that effectively criminalizes any reference to the fighting in Ukraine being a "war" or "invasion."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Russians attacked the village of Leliukivka in Kharkiv Oblast on 1 May, injuring a civilian woman. She later died of her injuries in hospital.

Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration; Kharkiv Oblast Police

Quote: "On 1 May at 12:20, Russian troops struck the village of Leliukivka in the Shevchenkove hromada in the Kupiansk district. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories.]

As a result, a 67-year-old woman has been injured. She was taken to hospital."

Details: Syniehubov later reported that the woman had died in hospital.

An investigative operative group from Police Department No. 1 of the Kupiansk District Police Department has been working at the scene, in addition to forensic experts and bomb technicians.

The investigators have opened criminal proceedings with respect to the violation of the laws and customs of war (Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

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Crowds examine military vehicles captured by Russian troops during the conflict in Ukraine, at an exhibition in Moscow - YURI KOCHETKOV/EPA-EFE/shutterstock

Russians flocked to see the bullet-riddled wreck of a British Husky armoured vehicle that featured in a display in Moscow alongside other Nato equipment captured in Ukraine.

State television proclaimed that the star of the show was an American M1 Abrams tank, which it said had been taken out by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine using a guided rocket and kamikaze drones.

Clambering over the tank holding his microphone, a Channel One correspondent told viewers that the tank had been billed in the United States as an indestructible wonder weapon.

But that was all nonsense  look at this  all of its reputation has been destroyed, he said.

The flags of the countries that supplied vehicles to Ukraine are emblazoned on the side of the armoury - YURI KOCHETKOV/EPA-EFE/ishutterstock

Dozens of vehicles, including tanks from Germany and France, made up the exhibit, and each was emblazoned with the flag of the country that supplied it to Ukraine.

Long queues of families began forming even before the Trophies of the Russian Army exhibition opened on Wednesday, a national bank holiday.

Among them was one woman who appeared to have come with her husband and daughter and marvelled at the display of stricken Western armour.

Its incredible, jaw dropping, she told the BBC. Its amazing to think our guys managed to get these trophies.

A Saxon AT105 armoured personnel carrier donated to Kyiv's cause from Britain formed part of the display - Getty

The exhibition, intended to reinforce Russias claim that it is fighting against the collective might of the West in Ukraine, was held outside a museum celebrating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

History is repeating itself, a spokesman for the Russian defence ministry said, adding that in 1943 the Soviet Union had also paraded captured tanks and hardware, in that case from the German army.

Strength is in the truth. Its always been that way. In 1943 and today. These war trophies reflect our strength. The more of them there are, the stronger we are, the ministry stated, predicting a Russian victory in what it officially calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

No Western military equipment will change the situation on the battlefield, it added.

Ukraine has previously displayed destroyed Russian vehicles in the centre of Kyiv.

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The Russian army has used Uragan multiple-launch rocket systems to attack the city of Hirnyk in Donetsk Oblast. A man and a woman were killed and six other people were injured.

Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on social media

Details: Filashkin said the attack happened on Wednesday afternoon.

It has been confirmed that a 57-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man were killed. The injured people are receiving medical attention.

Filashkin noted that these are early reports, and that final figures on the number of casualties and the scale of the destruction will be released later.

Updated: The Prosecutor's Office later reported that the Russians targeted residential buildings. The body of the deceased man was discovered in the garage.

The six wounded are men aged from 46 to 77 who sustained varied degrees of bodily injury during the incident. They were diagnosed with mine-blast and traumatic brain injuries, as well as shrapnel wounds and concussions.

Debris and flames in the village caused damage to houses and outbuildings.

Prosecutors launched a pre-trial investigation into the violation of wartime laws and customs.

Previously: Russian troops killed two civilians in Donetsk Oblast on 30 April.

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By Andrew Osborn

(Reuters) - Western tanks and military hardware captured by Russian forces in Ukraine went on display in Moscow on Wednesday at an exhibition the Russian military said showed Western help would not stop it winning the war.

Long queues of people formed on what was a sunny May Day public holiday at the entrance to the exhibition, entitled "Trophies of the Russian Army," which is being held outside a museum celebrating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

"History is repeating itself," the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement, adding that the Soviet Union had in 1943 also put on a display of captured tanks and hardware, in this case from the German army.

"Strength is in the truth. It's always been that way. In 1943 and today. These war trophies reflect our strength. The more of them there are, the stronger we are," the ministry stated, predicting a Russian victory in what it officially calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

"No Western military equipment will change the situation on the battlefield," the statement added.

According to Western and Ukrainian critics, much of Russias military hardware is old or outdated, and Russian battlefield gains have resulted from sheer force of numbers and high casualties. Both sides keep the number of dead and injured a secret but are known to have suffered heavy losses.

The Moscow display, which includes U.S., German and French tanks supplied to Ukraine, came days after the U.S. approved a $61 billion aid package for Kyiv and after Russia made some swift but incremental territorial gains in eastern Ukraine at a time when Kyiv's forces say they lack ammo and manpower.

Ukraine, whose President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says it will eventually push Russian forces from its soil, held a similar exhibition along Kyiv's central boulevard last summer featuring burnt-out husks of Russian tanks and fighting vehicles.

Russia, says the International Institute for Strategic Studies, has itself lost over 3,000 tanks in Ukraine amounting to its entire pre-war active inventory, but has enough lower-quality armoured vehicles in storage for years of replacement and says it is now ramping up production of new tanks.

In addition to tanks, British and Australian armoured vehicles seized in Ukraine are on display in Moscow along with military hardware made in Turkey, Sweden, Austria, Finland, South Africa and the Czech Republic.

State TV's Channel One said the star of the show was a captured American M1 Abrams battle tank, which it said had been taken out by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine using a guided rocket and kamikaze drones.

Clambering over the Abrams holding his microphone, a state TV correspondent told Russians that the tank had been billed in the United States as an indestructible "wonder weapon".

"But that was all nonsense - look at this - all of its reputation has been destroyed," he said.

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; editing by Mark Heinrich)
All Universe

Westminster, Colorado, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- David Mitchell, founder of the Silicon Valley-based Apex Foundation and Vice President Dilhan Pillay, led by Kelvin Khoo, the Project Director for the Asia-Pacific region at All Universe, visited the tobacco plantation base in Kelantan, Malaysia. They inspected the tobacco seedling preparation and spring tillage operations on site, gaining a detailed understanding of the tobacco planting area, tobacco seedling cultivation and tobacco processing.

Kelantan, located in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, borders Thailand to the northeast, Perak to the west, Terengganu to the east and Pahang to the south. It offers excellent climatic conditions and soil for tobacco cultivation, which was one of the early economic pillars of the region. In this expansive 2,000-acre land in Kelantan's tobacco plantation area, the ambitious tobacco cultivation project of All Universe is nurturing a complete supply chain that spans from planting to processing of tobacco.

During the visit, the team first toured the tobacco planting area where the varieties have been carefully selected to adapt to Kelantan's climate and soil conditions. Kelvin Khoo explained the planting techniques and ecological management methods, emphasizing efficient resource use without harming the local ecosystem. David Mitchell appreciates this approach and highlighted the importance of sustainability in this model for the future expansion of global projects.

While inspecting the planting fields, David Mitchell and Vice President Dilhan Pillay inquired in detail about the irrigation of the trial area, pest outbreaks during the crop season and the construction of shade nets for tobacco varieties. They also made suggestions for improvements in the irrigation systems and shade net selections for 2024.

Subsequently, the team visited the tobacco processing factory. At the All Universe tobacco plantation based in Kelantan. The new tobacco leaf electric curing house uses a heat pump to centrally cure the tobacco leaves with full intelligent control, precisely matching the curing parameters for a more intelligent, convenient, standardized, controllable, and efficient curing process. Dilhan Pillay expressed satisfaction with the modernization level of the facilities and proposed further efficient enhancements.

Regarding the operation of the tobacco processing factory, Kelvin Khoo provided detailed explanations about the production process, employee welfare and product sales markets. He emphasized that All Universe is committed to creating an enterprise ecosystem that not only drives regional economic development but also ensures employee welfare. Through collaboration with local governments, the project aims to achieve a win-win outcome.

Story continues

Why choose the tobacco cultivation?

Tobacco cultivation has always been a highly profitable industry. According to previous data, the global tobacco market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.0% to reach $1,187.5 billion by 2025; the performance of the world's four major multinational tobacco companiesPhilip Morris International, British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco and Imperial Brandsshowed growth in 2023. These figures highlight the promising development prospects of the tobacco industry. The All Universe team is well aware of the industry's potential and has chosen to focus on the tobacco cultivation. Supported by the industry's robust "hematopoietic" capacity, they aim to build a digital asset + tobacco cultivation business segment. Providing a reliable, convenient and secure new investment setctor for global users. Allowing them to easily tap into the tobacco industry's dividends.

Furthermore, tobacco cultivation, as a core business ecosystem for All Universe, is backed by the growing performance of the Kelantan plantation base. Which will further enhance the essential demand for UNV. Under the combined effects of demand and token deflation mechanisms, UNV's total circulation will undergo extreme deflation. The ongoing deflationary effect will also directly stimulate the price of UNV tokens. Thereby further safeguarding the interests of all Universe players.

Following the completion of the visit. Leaders of the All Universe Foundation stated that the trip not only deepened their understanding of the project's current status but also reinforced their commitment to advancing the global sustainable development agenda. They look forward to the tobacco cultivation business serving as a model to be promoted in other regions worldwide. Driving further social and economic progress. Through this visit, All Universe demonstrated its commitment to ecological sustainability and a clear strategy for future development. As it expands its global perspective, All Universe will continue to seek more cooperative and development opportunities worldwide to achieve its ambitious global development goals.



Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities.



CONTACT: Sally Dolores All Universe sallymarketing at alluniverse.io




MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's defence minister on Wednesday ordered a hike in weapons production and said deliveries needed to be faster for the war in Ukraine, a week after U.S. President Joe Biden signed off on tens of billions of dollars of new military aid for Kyiv.

President Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine touched off the worst breakdown in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, according to Russian and U.S. diplomats.

Biden on April 24 signed a bill into law that provides $61 billion in additional aid to Ukraine, including an array of artillery, rocket systems, anti-tank munitions and ammunition.

Russia is gradually advancing at key points along the 1,000-km (620 mile) front line and stated that U.S. arms will not prevent victory by Moscow, but some Russian officials are concerned that the U.S. support will escalate the conflict.

At a meeting with the top military brass in charge of what Moscow calls the "special military operation" in Ukraine, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the volume, quality and speed of arms production needed to be increased.

"To maintain the required pace of the offensive ..., it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to the troops, primarily weapons," Shoigu said in footage released by the defence ministry.

Shoigu, who was shown inspecting drones and other weapons and giving his own thoughts on improvements, said industrial enterprises had been ordered to reduce production time while repair units at the front, in Ukraine's east and south, and at the rear had been told to improve their efficiency.

The chief of the Russian general staff, General Valery Gerasimov, who is in charge of the military campaign in Ukraine, delivered a report to Shoigu on the current state of operations.

With both the West and Russia upping their stakes in the war with billions of dollars in further arms, the stage is set for a third year of the grinding artillery and drone battles that have typified the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two.

Russia now controls about 18% of Ukraine and has been gaining ground since the failure of Kyiv's 2023 counter-offensive to make any serious inroads against Russian troops dug in behind deep minefields.

U.S. AND RUSSIA

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns warned last month that without more U.S. military support Ukraine could lose on the battlefield, but that with support Kyiv's forces could hold their own this year.

Whether or not Ukraine can recover the territory that Russia has taken, though, is less clear.

Russia's ability to recruit hundreds of thousands of relatively well-paid contract soldiers and ramp up weapons production has surprised the United States and its allies in the NATO military alliance.

Russia's army is now 15% larger than before the invasion, the command has adapted fast to the innovative challenges of the battlefield and Russia will manufacture more artillery this year than all of NATO's 32 members combined, General Christopher Cavoli, the head of U.S. European Command, said last month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that vital U.S. weapons were starting to arrive in Ukraine in small amounts, but that deliveries needed to be faster as advancing Russian invasion forces were trying to take advantage.

Ukraine is facing advancing troops northwest of the town of Avdiivka, which fell to Russia in February, and around the town of Chasiv Yar, which Kyiv's top commander says Moscow wants taken by May 9, Russia's World War Two victory anniversary.

Russia is grappling with Ukrainian drone strikes on its oil refining industry deep inside Russia and missile attacks using U.S. weaponry on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 and now considers to be part of Russia.

Russian officials said Ukraine had attacked Crimea with U.S.-produced Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) over recent days in an attempt to pierce Russian air defences, before targeting Russian military installations there.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Lidia Kelly; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Clarence Fernandez and Mark Heinrich)
The death of a 14 year old boy in Hainault, east London is a tragic reminder of the real, legitimate fears that Londoners have about the safety of our streets. A suburban area on the edge of the city bordering Essex, local residents and the wider community will undoubtedly still be feeling a huge sense of shock and concern following this weeks events.

Every Londoner will feel appalled by this senseless attack, and my thoughts are with this young mans family. The tragedy that they have experienced is difficult for any of us to begin to imagine, and the awful pain that they are suffering is being felt by a growing number of families losing young people to knife crime.

Doorbell camera footage showing the terrifying moment the attacker was arrested is a testament to the bravery of those police officers who put their lives on the line to keep us safe. Having seen two colleagues already attacked, suffering what we now know to be life-changing injuries, an officer courageously moves towards the machete wielding suspect to taser them, bringing this appalling attack to a close.

Nobody doubts there are areas in which the Met can improve, but the dedication and bravery of these officers to put themselves in harms way during life threatening situations is second to none. This is well worth remembering.

In an exchange now widely shared on social media, the Conservative Candidate for Mayor of London and my colleague Susan Hall raised the prevalence of machetes on the streets during a debate with Sadiq Khan last week. In response, the Mayor smirked, remarked that the Tory candidate should stop watching The Wire and told her that we are not living in Baltimore, USA in the noughties.

Whilst Sadiq Khan evidently could not have predicted the tragic events which would follow, the exchange highlights the Mayors dismissive and ultimately flawed attitude to crime and policing. Having previously suggested he would do everything in [his] power to cut stop and search, its use has dropped significantly during Sadiq Khans time as Mayor and by 44% in the past two years alone.

The result is an epidemic of knife crime, violence and robbery on Londons streets. New figures show that knife crime has reached a record high, increasing by 20% in the last year alone. In Redbridge, the borough in which this horrific attack took place, the number of knife crimes is at its highest rate since 2018.

The Met themselves now recognise the drop in the use of stop and search as a fundamental mistake, with Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley suggesting in an interview yesterday morning that stop and search does work, and that the force will look to increase its use over coming months. When meeting the mothers of young men who have been tragically stabbed, Sir Mark says, they always say why cant the police do more stop and search?.

The reality is that the police can, and should, be making far greater use of stop and search to take dangerous weapons off our streets. This should of course be done in the right way and for the right reasons, for the benefit of all communities  something Sadiq Khan has consistently failed to do.

Stop and search is as much about a deterrent as its use in practice  those who are tempted to carry a knife or weapon on our streets and in our communities must know that they will be stopped, they will be searched and they will be caught. This fear simply does not exist as it stands, with young men carrying an ever-growing selection of dangerous weapons and then using them.

The last time London had a Conservative Mayor, crime of all types fell and the homicide rate halved between 2007 and 2015. Today Londoners will make a choice at the ballot box  who do they want to run their city and its police force? Only one of two candidates will be Mayor of London after this election  Sadiq Khan or Susan Hall.

Susan has put a tough approach to tackling skyrocketing crime at the heart of her campaign, by supporting stop and search and by pledging fully-funded commitments to provide the Met with an extra 200 million, recruiting 1500 additional police officers, reintroducing borough-based policing, offering knife arches to the schools that want them and by providing officers with knife detecting devices.

The best way we can stop this escalating knife crime, violence and lawlessness in our city is by casting your vote for Susan Hall, and for your Conservative Assembly Member in the election.

Shaun Bailey is the former Conservative candidate for Mayor of London

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ST. LOUIS  Saint Louis University students are set to hold a pro-Palestinian, anti-war protest today. This follows a similar demonstration by Washington University students, faculty, and activists in Forest Park yesterday, as community passions intensify regarding the conflict in Gaza.

The protest at Saint Louis University comes in the wake of tensions escalating after the arrest of 100 people during a demonstration on Saturday. Despite these arrests, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office has not filed charges against any participants.

The universitys response to the protests has also stirred controversy. Chancellor Andrew Martin of Washington University reported receiving calls from students who felt threatened by the protests, which included chants some found intimidating. Protest leaders, however, dispute these claims and argue that such focuses are distractions from the events in Gaza.

Hundreds of Tesla vehicles parked outside Chesterfield Mall. Why?

Megan Green, President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and a former adjunct professor at Washington University, led Tuesdays demonstration. Green was suspended from her teaching position following her involvement in Saturdays protest. She asserts a different interpretation of the controversial chants, suggesting that the emphasis on them serves to divert attention from the issues in Gaza.

As todays protest unfolds, Green has requested that St. Louis police refrain from interfering unless necessary. Meanwhile, city officials, including the mayor and police chief, have expressed their support for the publics right to peaceful protest, affirming their readiness to intervene if the situation escalates.

Saint Louis University has not yet responded to requests for comment on todays planned demonstration.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Salem looking for ways to save Movies at the Park, First Friday concerts

Kids play at the River Road Park splash pad during the 2021 heat wave.

The proposed budget before the Salem Budget Committee contains several cuts due to the multimillion-dollar deficit in the city's general fund.

The cuts are anticipated to have a big impact on parents, kids and parkgoers.

Come summer, Movies at the Park, First Friday concerts and Kids Relays would no longer fill the city's parks. Crews would shut off irrigation to neighborhood parks, closing almost all of the city's splash pads, bathrooms and drinking fountains, and parching the vegetation.

"There are many children within this community that are being hit especially hard with this budget," said Andrew Cohen, a Ward 4 budget committee member and father of three, during an April 24 meeting.

He called the proposed cuts "the most unfriendly to families" budget in decades and urged the committee to find the funds to support programs like Movies at the Park and the Kids Relay races.

The committee is set to meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday to discuss finding funds to avoid cutting the events. The meeting in Salem City Council chambers is open to the public.

The proposed cuts to the city's library, which would have resulted in closing the West Salem branch, cutting eight positions and the main branch's already reduced hours, were temporarily avoided due to a reallocation of money from the Cultural and Tourism Fund.

Other spending areas did not get the same reprieve.

If the cuts are approved, all splash pads and fountains except the one at Riverfront Park will shut down. The splash pads are popular sites for families looking to cool down in the summer heat and are routinely packed when temperatures reach the 90s in Salem.

"It's going to be tough on families," Cohen said.

Kids play in the splash pad at River Road Park.

Irrigation, bathrooms and drinking fountains at neighborhood parks would close. Playground equipment and the ability to repair amenities would also be reduced. The elimination of most seasonal staff would mean litter, full trash cans and overgrown vegetation would become more commonplace at parks.

The cuts are set to save $109,000 from irrigation, $132,000 from park maintenance and $25,000 from splash pads.

Cohen said he expects families to look to nearby cities for events like Movies at the Park and amenities like splash pads.

"It's not going to be as attractive to parents and they're going to look to other communities," he said. "Salem is going to miss out economically, I guarantee it."

Cohen previously put forward a motion to consider using the Transit Occupancy Tax's Cultural and Tourism Fund to save the Movies at the Park, First Friday concerts and Kids Relays.

The city attorney said he didn't think the funds could be used for those events because they did not qualify as tourist attractions.

The committee on Wednesday will discuss finding funding to avoid cutting the events, including Councilor Virginia Stapleton's motion to move $75,000 from the Business Retention and Recruitment/SEDCOR line item to the Parks Department to fund Movies in the Parks, Kids Relays and other events.

If the cuts prevail, Cohen said, people will be in for a hard summer and rude awakening when the parks, amenities and events that previously made Salem attractive to residents and visitors are no longer available.

People considering moving here might look to the surrounding cities. Companies thinking of relocating might have second thoughts, he said.

"Salem is self-sabotaging itself," he said. "(Leaders) need to focus on making Salem a place where people want to come and stay and not want to leave."

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com call 503-910-6616 or follow on X at @wmwoodworth.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem Budget Committee member blasts proposed cuts to city events
SARASOTA COUNTY (WFLA)  As we inch closer to some of the rainiest months of the year, residents can expect to see more mosquitoes out and about.

Sarasota County is preparing to respond as needed, but theyre asking the public to prepare as well.

You may recall last year, Sarasota County saw seven malaria cases. It was the first time in 20 years that the state of Florida had any confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne illness.

Crews treated more than 580,000 acres and more than 2,400 miles of ditches.

With all of those efforts, we still cannot reduce the risk of mosquito-borne viruses and parasites to the public completely. That is our primary focus. We do everything we can, but we still need the publics help and ways that everyone can help us on that is making sure to get rid of all containers on your property. Also, avoid mosquito activity at dawn and dusk; that is the primary activity time for mosquitoes feeding on humans, said Sarasota County Mosquito Management manager Wade Brennan.

Sarasota Bay Estuary Program deploys 24 artificial reefs into bay

Residents are also encouraged to wear insect repellent and wear loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves.

To help protect the public from mosquito-borne illnesses, the countys mosquito management department does ongoing surveillance through sentinel chickens and pooling mosquitoes and testing them in their labs.

We are more prepared than we were last season, and our staff is more prepared, but this was something that we are ready for. We are always battling the possibility of dengue, malaria, Zika, chikungunya, West Nile, and eastern equine encephalitis. These are things we face every single year, and we have to be prepared for it, and we need the public to be prepared for it as well, said Brennan.

To see the countys latest mosquito spray missions, you can visit scgov.net.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Saudi Arabia confirmed in a letter to the United Nations that a female fitness instruction who was popular online received an 11-year prison sentence but did not specify any of her alleged terrorism offenses.

Though the kingdom insisted the case had nothing to do with the instructor's online presence, human rights activists say the conviction levied against Manahel al-Otaibi shows the limits of expression in Saudi Arabia.

It also highlights another side of the kingdom, now run day-to-day by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who under his 88-year-old father King Salman has dramatically liberalized some aspects of women's lives in the country.

Her charges related solely to her choice of clothing and expression of her views online, including calling on social media for an end to Saudi Arabias male guardianship system, publishing videos of herself wearing indecent clothes and going to the shops without wearing an abaya, said Amnesty International and ALQST, a London-based group advocating for human rights in Saudi Arabia thats followed al-Otaibis case.

The human rights organization issued joint statements on Tuesday about al-Otaibi's prison sentence, first revealed in Saudi letter dated Jan. 25 and sent to the U.N.'s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

In its letter, Saudi Arabias permanent mission to the U.N. in Geneva did not outline any of the evidence that convicted al-Otaibi while saying there had been unfounded and uncorroborated allegations and claims made about her case.

Al-Otaibi, who posted fitness videos on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, faced charges of defaming the kingdom at home and abroad, calling for rebellion against public order and societys traditions and customs, and challenging the judiciary and its justice, according to court documents earlier seen by The Associated Press.

Her posts included advocacy for liberal dress codes for women, LGBTQ+ rights and the abolition of Saudi Arabia male guardianship laws. She was also accused of appearing in indecent clothing and posting Arabic hashtags that include the phrase overthrow the government.

Al-Otaibi has been detained since November 2022. Her sister Fouz faced similar charges but fled Saudi Arabia, according to ALQST.

The kingdom's letter said the Saudi government "wishes to underscore the fact that the exercise and defense of rights is not a crime under Saudi law; however, justifying the actions of terrorists by describing them as exercising or defending rights is unacceptable and constitutes an attempt to legitimize terrorist crimes.

Since 2018, women have been allowed to drive and other restrictions have been lifted in the once-ultraconservative kingdom as it tries to rapidly diversify its oil-based economy. That came as Prince Mohammed solidified his power, partly by imprisoning members of the Saudi elite as his father retains formal control in the kingdom.

Several activists have been arrested for denouncing Saudi rules, or following dissidents who do so, on social media. This includes Salma al-Shehab, a former doctoral student at Leeds University who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence.
SC man attacked mail carrier at day care, then threw her from moving truck, prosecutor says

A South Carolina man is going to prison following an attack on a U.S. Postal Mail Carrier that began inside a day care facility and continued when he threw her from a moving mail truck, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Gregory Ellison, a 42-year-old Orangeburg resident, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to assault on a federal employee, the U.S. Attorneys Office said Wednesday in a news release.

The assault happened March 20, 2023, at a day care facility in Orangeburg, according to the release.

Ellison, who had a prior relationship with the mail carrier, arrived at the facility, and the victim tried to escape into the day care, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Ellison caught her and began assaulting the victim inside of the facility where children and workers were present, according to the release.

The mail carrier convinced Ellison to leave the facility and talk outside, but when they exited Ellison pinned the victim against the mail truck, ripped out her earring, and took her cellphone, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

The mail carrier distracted Ellison long enough to get into her mail truck and drive away, but Ellison caught up to the truck, punched her in the head, and pulled the victim out of the moving vehicle by her hair  causing her to land on dirt and concrete resulting in visible injuries, according to the release. The truck continued to roll and crashed into a nearby ditch, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Information on the victims condition was not available.

An investigation showed that Ellison previously visited the carriers place of employment multiple times in the weeks leading up to the assault, according to the release.

Additionally, a search of Ellisons social media account revealed that he had sent multiple messages to the victim before and after the assault threatening to kill her with a firearm, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Prior to the assault, he also sent messages to two other individuals asking for a gun, according to the release.

Ellison has prior convictions for third-degree domestic violence and second-degree harassment, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Following the three-plus year prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Sherri Lydon ordered that Ellison undergo three years of supervision, according to the release. There is no parole in the federal system.

While this incident stemmed from domestic violence, this sentencing clearly illustrates that individuals who endanger the safety and well-being of USPS workers will be held accountable for their actions, said Tommy Coke, inspector-in-charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office, and the Calhoun County Sheriffs Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar Fyall prosecuted the case. Ellison was previously represented by Robert Mellard of the public defenders office, Orangeburg County court records show.
Shell chief executive Wael Sawan plans to drive up profits and share value - AMR ALFIKY/REUTERS

Shell is to close its power generation business in China amid a wider Western exodus from the country.

The company  which employed almost 2,000 people across the nation  is to close divisions that generate green power and trade in low-carbon electricity, although it will retain an electric vehicle charging operation.

Shell is following a raft of other European and US companies in reducing their presence in China.

The rush to exit is being driven by factors such as the China-US trade war, arguments over intellectual property theft and fears of reputational damage linked to Chinas use of Uighur slave labour in Xinjiang.

Shell is expected to tell investors that the decision was largely commercial, fuelled by chief executive Wael Sawans drive to drive up profits and share value. The company will report quarterly profits on Thursday.

A Shell spokesman said: This decision is in line with the messages delivered on Shells Capital Markets Day 2023. We are selectively investing in power, focusing on delivering value from our power portfolio, which requires making difficult choices.

The companys reorganisation has included the replacement of executive chairman Lin Chen, appointed just nine months ago, with Sabrina Qu who took over this month.

Shells latest published tax contribution report, covering 2022, showed that it employed 1,928 people across 24 separate subsidiaries in China. It made a pre-tax profit of $277m (222m) and paid the Chinese state $53.4m in corporate income tax.

Shells UK operations, by contrast, generated a far larger pre-tax profit of $1.8bn but paid the UK Government far less tax at $40.5m.

Shell still retains other Chinese businesses including five lubricant blending plants and one grease production plant, and remains one of the leading suppliers of liquid natural gas.

It also has a range of partnerships including with PetroChina and CNOOC, Chinas state-controlled oil companies.

These include the Changbei onshore gas project, developed with PetroChina, and a petrochemical plant in Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, with CNOOC.

Shell also has joint ventures and wholly-owned businesses that operate a network of around 2,000 fuel stations, 800 standalone electric vehicle stations and an EV charging network of 25,000 public charge points.

As part of its drive to save up to $3bn in annual costs, Shell has in recent months pulled out of the European retail power business and several offshore wind and low-carbon projects. It has also put US solar assets up for sale and placed its giant refining and petrochemical complex in Singapore under review.

Story continues

Ashley Kelty, director of oil and gas research at Panmure Morgan, an investment bank, said the cutbacks were another step towards focusing on higher margin core oil and gas business  While it did offer access to the burgeoning carbon markets in China, Shell is sufficiently diverse that this will have no impact on their wider carbon offset plans.

Shell said: Shells commitment on operationalising our powering progress strategy in China remains unchanged. We will work with our partners and customers to contribute to Chinas energy transition.

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A Pierce County man has been charged after he chased after his stolen truck as law enforcement watched due to current laws.

PURSUIT:

KIRO 7 News spoke with Aaron Babcock, the owner of Sunrise Auto Sales in Eatonville, Washington, Tuesday.

On November 23, 2022, Babcock said a man casually walked towards one of his Ford trucks parked at his dealership in broad daylight. Surveillance video captured Babcock running outside when the man got inside the truck and began driving off.

Babcock said he had parked the vehicle in the parking lot, while the engine was running, and quickly ran inside the building to get For Sale signs.

When Babcock confronted the suspect, he pointed his gun at him to stop him from leaving the parking lot, but the suspect continued to drive off, while crashing into another truck and almost running over people.

Babcock did not want to shoot the suspect; he told KIRO 7 News.

He was afraid of it (gun), but it didnt stop him, he said. It was scary. I was putting myself in this position to stop him, and I couldve gotten easily ran over and couldve died myself, but no, he had no fear. No fear of getting shot or anything. He just got out of here quick.

According to court documents, law enforcement tried to stop the suspect, Kiliona Hunkin, 28, with their lights and sirens on, however Hunkin drove faster and began to pass other vehicles on the road.

Pierce County deputies stopped their pursuit, but the trucks owner continued to chase after the stolen truck, investigators said.

Deputies set up stop sticks at the intersection of 304th Street and Meridian Avenue East to slow down the suspect, but the stolen truck swerved through the intersection and crashed into another vehicle before the suspect sped off.

That was the most heart-breaking moment. To show up and see all these cops there. I could see it from a distance, and I thought, oh good, they got him. Theres many many police officers there, and for me to pull up and hes not there, he said.

Babcock eventually caught up with the stolen truck near Graham after the vehicle had engine failure. He held the suspect at gunpoint until deputies arrived at the scene.

Eatonville police arrested the suspect, deputies told KIRO 7 News.

Babcock said the incident had cost him more than $10,000, adding that his insurance rate has significantly increased.

The trucks owner has been charged with a misdemeanor of reckless driving and is scheduled to appear in court on May 13 after he chased after the criminal who stole his truck, he said.

Pierce County deputies said Babcock ran two red lights during the pursuit.

CURRENT LAW:

Under current Washington State law, law enforcement cannot pursue suspects except for specific reasons, including there is reasonable suspicion that the suspect has committed a violent offense or sex offense, is driving under the influence, the pursuit is needed to identify a person, or the suspect poses a serious risk of harm to others.

Babcock said he does not blame law enforcement for the outcome or his charge, however, he and his father put the blame on lawmakers.

No police officer, they dont become law enforcement to not want to do their job. They want to enforce the laws. They want to help the community. Its frustrating for them, I understand, to not be able to do that, said Aaron Babcock.

Hopefully itll change. Hopefully people will understand this is a huge problem in Washington, he said. I hope the laws change. The laws need to change. Its very dangerous for people to stand up and defend their own property on their own. Thats why we have law enforcement to do that for us and its heartbreaking to see that theyre unable to do that in a lot of aspects.

Babcock said the current law is putting many small businesses at risk along with families.

Its not just affecting businesses; its affecting everyone in the community. And I think its only getting worse. Auto theft is only growing in numbers every day and unless we dont change the laws or change things about it and come together, it is only going to get worse. Its going to affect us worse every day, he shared.

We also spoke with David Babcock, Aarons father, who owned the business prior to 2024.

They (suspect) cant be pursued. If youre a little kid and can go get a cookie out of the cookie jar and mom isnt going to do anything about it, that little kid is going to take more cookies and thats exactly what these thieves are doing, he said.

The system has been faltering and I believe that if it continues to falter, I wont be in business much longer. My insurance went from $7,000 to $14,000, the father added.

However, the current law will change beginning in June.

Law enforcement will be able to pursue suspects if they have reasonable suspicion that someone has violated the law and poses a threat to the safety of others,

This will take effect on June 6.

COURT DOCUMENTS:

According to court documents, Hunkin was initially charged with stealing a vehicle, failure to obey, reckless driving, duty in case of damage to attended vehicle or property, and duty on striking unattended vehicle.

However, the prosecutors office amended the charges to second-degree stealing a vehicle.

KIRO 7 News looked at a court document that included the prosecutors statement behind the amendments.

The document had a list of checkboxes to support the prosecutors changes, including:

Evidentiary problems exist which make conviction on the original charge doubtful

The nature and seriousness of the offense(s) charged justify an amendment

The amendment corrects errors in the initial charging decision

There was a request for a reduction by the victim and it was not the result of pressure from the defendant

There is a probable effect on the witness in this case which justify an amendment

There were facts discovered which mitigate the seriousness of the defendants conduct

The defendant has no criminal history or minimal criminal history

The defendant cooperated in the investigation or prosecution of others whose criminal conduct is more serious or represents a greater public interest

None of the boxes were checked and the prosecutors office did not provide any explanation, except the victim has been notified of the amended information.

KIRO 7 News asked Babcock if he was notified and was given an explanation.

Babcock said the prosecutors office did not inform him.

KIRO 7 News reached out to the Pierce County Prosecutors Office to get more information. Were still waiting to hear back.
Tonight features shower chances decreasing as the evening progresses with our cold front heading off to the east. A stray sprinkle or two is possible after midnight, but they will be isolated. Patchy dense fog will develop in places as we head toward dawn, with low temperatures in the mid 50s. Our wind will switch to coming out of the west at 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday begins with a few clouds and patchy dense fog and we keep the risk for an isolated mountain sprinkle or two possible over the mountains early but everyone will see plenty of sunshine as we head into the afternoon with high pressure taking control in our region. By the late afternoon, well have hardly a cloud in the sky with high temperatures in the mid 70s under a light northwest breeze. With mostly clear skies expected Wednesday night, temperatures will dip back into the low 50s and upper 40s with an instance or two of fog still possible.

Thursday continues with the great weather, as high pressure heads off to our northeast. This will enable our wind flow to switch to coming out of the southeast, which will warm us up into the low 80s  a few western towns will push into the mid 80s, as yet another summer-like day arrives. Itll be slightly cooler in the mountains and Greenbrier River Valleys with highs in the 70s with some cooler air damming up against the eastern facing slopes with more of an easterly breeze. Its a mild night in store, with temperatures dropping into the upper 50s.

Friday sees an increase in our chances for thunderstorms as a cold front approaches from the west. With a few peaks of sunshine out ahead of our front, there is enough juice for a few embedded thunderstorms among showers pushing through. However, aside from the threat for brief locally heavy rainfall, severe weather is not expected. High temperatures will still reach summer-like levels with low 80s expected.

Saturday continues our threat for scattered showers and thunderstorms as our cold front slows down and takes its sweet time crossing through the area. Again, much like Friday, though severe weather is not expected, the threat for locally heavy rainfall will once again be something to watch within scattered showers and thunderstorms that push through the area, as storms will be working in a humid airmass. In addition, there isnt much wind in the mid to upper levels of the atmosphere to steer storms that do pop up, so theyll be slow movers. With numerous showers and a few storms expected, high temperature will be a little cooler in the low to mid 70s.

Sunday continues our chances for scattered showers and thunderstorms, though the coverage will be not as widespread as on Saturday. However, downpours will once again be slow-moving, so the threat for very localized heavy rainfall will continue. High temperatures will be in the mid to upper 70s.

10 must-haves to prevent heat exhaustion this summer

Monday continues the risk for at least a few showers with a secondary cold front approaching and then stalling. As a result, with clouds and occasional showers around, we will see high temperatures in the low to mid 70s.

Tuesday will provide more of an isolated chance for showers and storms, as Mondays stalled front lifts to the north. That will also open the gates for some warmer weather to return, as well see high temperatures spike into the low 80s.

Tick season is here: Heres how to protect yourself and your pets

Looking ahead, its an unsettled weather pattern that continues Wednesday and Thursday, which will both feature scattered shower and storm opportunities. High pressure finally returns on Friday, which will dry us out. High temperatures will remain in the 70s for Wednesday and Thursday and push toward 80 for Friday.

Help us with our growing community of weather photos with #weathertogether. Head to our website and search for the Weather together tab and upload your photos of weather going on around our region.

We are in spring forest fire season in West Virginia  this means dont burn between 7 AM and 5 PM through May 31st. Low humidity values during the daytime, along with breezier and warmer conditions will at times increase the fire threat, hence the burn ban during most of the daytime. Follow all regulations or be faced with potential consequences, such as fines! In Virginia, the spring fire season ends tonight, but practice common sense and follow all laws when burning.

TONIGHT

Decreasing showers. Still mild! Lows in the mid 50s.

WEDNESDAY

AM fog and a mountain sprinkle. PM sunshine. Highs in the mid 70s.

THURSDAY

Mostly sunny. Highs in the low 80s.

FRIDAY

Afternoon scattered downpours. Highs in the low 80s.

SATURDAY

Scattered showers and storms likely. Highs in the low to mid 70s.

SUNDAY

Scattered showers and storms. Highs in the upper 70s.

MONDAY

Shower chances continue. Highs in the low 70s.

TUESDAY

Isolated shower, mostly dry. Highs in the low 80s.

WEDNESDAY

Scattered storms return. Highs in the 70s.

THURSDAY

Few showers. Highs in the 70s.

FRIDAY

Mostly sunny. Highs near 80.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
The first Chinese scientist to publish a genomic sequence of the COVID-19 viruswithout permission of government health authoritiessays he has been allowed to return to his lab following a sit-in protest he started after he claimed to have been locked out of the facility over the weekend.

Virologist Zhang Yongzhen on Wednesday wrote online that the medical center where his lab is located had tentatively agreed to permit him and the rest of his team to return and resume their research activities. In an earlier post that has since been deleted, Zhang said he and his colleagues had been suddenly informed last Thursday that their lab had been closed for renovations, according to the Associated Press.

MTG Calls Bullshit on Doctors Claim COVID-19 Vax Saved Millions

Zhang started sitting outside the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center where his lab is hosted after guards prevented him from entering over the weekend. Images shared online show Zhang lying on a piece of cardboard in front of the entrance to the facility. His protest was widely discussed on Chinese social media, putting the actions of local authorities under scrutiny.

The dispute between Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and Dr. Zhang Yongzhen's team continues. Dr. Zhang allegedly shared photos of himself sleeping on the floor at the entrance of the laboratory. https://t.co/K5ztBAv6yE pic.twitter.com/6wBkkLLQnB  Yanzhong Huang (@YanzhongHuang) April 29, 2024

The Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center had said in its own post Monday that Zhangs lab was shut for safety reasons during renovation work and that Zhangs team had been given an alternative lab space. Later in the day, Zhang alleged that the alternative space lacked sufficient safety measures for their work and that they werent even offered the new lab until after they were told of their eviction.

Zhang has reportedly faced various professional setbacks and demotions since he published the virus sequence four years ago without the approval of the state.

He and his colleagues first decoded the pathogena crucial step for the eventual development of effective test kits and vaccinationson Jan. 5, 2020. Zhang wrote an internal notice warning Chinese authorities of the virus ability to spread, but did not initially publish the sequence.

The day after, Chinas top health official issued a temporary closure order on Zhangs lab and the virologist faced pressure from local authorities. He eventually published the sequence without health officials sign-off on Jan. 11, 2020, amid international calls for it to be released.

In his Wednesday post on Chinese social media platform Weibo, Zhang expressed gratitude to those who had expressed solidarity with his sit-in protest.Thank you to my online followers and people from all walks of life for your concern and strong support over the past few days! he wrote.

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A small bright blue point in the center is surrounded by exploding gas, hued red then diminishing to green before fading into the black of space.

The glorious, billowing Southern Ring Nebula is the cocoon of a dying star  and it has a secret. Scientists have found this nebula to exhibit a double-ring structure that evidences not one, but possibly three stars at its heart.

The Southern Ring Nebula, also designated NGC 3132, is a planetary nebula located about 2,000 light-years away in the constellation of Vela, the Sails. The name "planetary nebula " is a misnomer  such nebulas have nothing to do with planets . Instead, they are the final exhalations of dying, sun -like stars , which transform inside the nebulous chrysalis until finally blossoming into a white dwarf. A nebula is formed from the dying star's outer envelope, which is puffed off into space following the star's red giant phase.

The Southern Ring Nebula was imaged in December 2022 by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which revealed molecular hydrogen gas forming the nebula's "exoskeleton." This refers to warm gas radiating with a temperature equal to about 1,000 kelvin (1,340 degrees Fahrenheit, or 726 degrees Celsius) as it gets illuminated and heated by ultraviolet light coming from the white dwarf itself. That exoskeleton, however, only represents a small fraction of the molecular gas in the nebula.

Related: Horsehead Nebula rears its head in gorgeous new James Webb Space Telescope images (video)

A team led by Joel Kastner of the Rochester Institute of Technology went hunting for more of the nebula's molecular gas, specifically searching for carbon monoxide gas using the Submillimeter Array (SMA), which is a group of eight radio telescopes on an inactive volcano named Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Carbon monoxide is mixed in with hydrogen and other molecular gases inside the nebula, so observing the carbon monoxide content is actually a proxy for observing all those other molecules that are not as easy to detect. Sure enough, the SMA was able to measure both the distribution and velocities of the carbon monoxide molecules, showing which parts are moving towards us and which are moving away from us.

"JWST showed us the molecules of hydrogen and how they stack up in the sky, while the Submillimeter Array shows us the carbon monoxide that is colder that you can't see in the JWST image," said Kastner in a press statement .

As the Southern Ring's name suggests, it is primarily shaped (from our point of view) as a ring. The SMA observations showed that this ring is expanding, which is to be expected as the nebula slowly grows before eventually dispersing. However, the data also allowed Kastner's team to create a three-dimensional map of the nebula's molecular exoskeleton. This offered up a surprise. Not only were the researchers able to show that what we see as a ring is merely a lobe in a bi-polar nebula seen end-on, but they also found a second ring perpendicular to the first.

"When we started to turn the whole nebula around in 3D, we immediately saw it was really a ring, and then we were amazed to see there was another ring," said Kastner.

The whole bizarre arrangement paints a fascinating tail of not one, not even two, but quite possibly three stars at the heart of the nebula. Only one of these stars, the most massive of the three, will have reached the end of its life  but the stellar trio, if all three really exist, are likely either too close to one another or too faint to be separately resolved, even by the JWST.

a small bright blue point in the center is surrounded by exploding gas, hued red then diminishing to green before fading into the black of space.

There's growing evidence that some planetary nebulas, at least those that sport complex structures, are formed from the interference of a companion star to the central dying star. For the Southern Ring, Kastner's team posits that a triple system formed of a close binary is orbited by a more distant, third star within an orbital radius of 60 astronomical units of the binary (one astronomical unit, AU, is the distance between Earth and the sun, and in our solar system 60 AU would be out at the far edge of the Kuiper Belt ).

The two lobes of the Southern Ring have a narrow, or "pinched," waistline, like an hourglass, which is a common feature of planetary nebulas emanating from a binary star system in which one of the stars is reaching the end of its life. The binary companion is able to corral the material shed by the dying star so that it escapes along a polar, rather than equatorial, direction, forming the two lobes. The JWST's mid-infrared observations support this hypothesis, having found an excess of infrared light coming from the central star system, which is a classic signature of a dusty disk formed from interactions between the red giant and a close binary companion.

So, that explains the first ring. The origin of the second ring, the team says, is less certain.

Though the Southern Ring appears bi-lobed, some material must have been emitted as a roughly spherical or ellipsoidal envelope of material cast off by the red giant, a rapid mass-loss event that perhaps represented its final exhalation of material to leave behind the white dwarf. The binary star system produces a series of fast, narrow jets, but if a third star is present, then the extra star's gravity would act on the inner binary, causing the direction of the jets to "wobble," like a spinning top. Those precessing jets would have carved out a circular hollow in the ellipsoidal component of the nebula, thereby creating the second ring.

Kastner emphasizes that this explanation is still speculative, but the nebula's central ionized cavity does bear the evidence of such jets in its structure.

Other ring-shaped planetary nebulas, such as the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293 in Aquarius ), have also been shown to have bi-lobed structures by which we are looking "down" the end of one lobe. The discovery of the second ring in the Southern Ring Nebula  or should that now be Southern Rings, plural?  is prompting astronomers to revisit some of those other well-known ring nebulas to see if they have missed second rings in them, too.

Planetary nebulas don't just signify stellar death. They also hold the promise of new life  literally, in a sense.

"Where does the carbon and the oxygen and the nitrogen in the universe come from?" wonders Kastner. "We're seeing it generated in the sun-like stars that are dying, like the star that's just died and created the Southern Ring."

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As an expanding planetary nebula disperses into interstellar space , it spreads those molecules across the cosmos, where they wind up in giant molecular clouds that form the next generation of stars and planets.

"A lot of that molecular gas would wind up in planetary atmospheres and atmospheres can enable life," says Kastner. Indeed, all the elements on Earth heavier than hydrogen and helium originated inside stars and were then ejected into space when those stars died.

We are literally star-stuff, as many experts like to say.

So, when we marvel at the beauty of stellar death in nebulas such as the Southern Ring, we can also imagine it as a stellar phoenix to one day rise from the ashes and begin the cycle of star-birth and death all over again. To quote Battlestar Galactica, all this has happened before, and all of this will happen again.

The findings were published on April 2 in The Astrophysical Journal .
Private school had parents investigated by social services in row over trans daughter

Participating schools in Scotland are given a gold, bronze or silver rating denoting their LGBTQ+ friendliness as part of a charter scheme backed by the SNP government

A leading private school in Scotland had parents investigated by social workers after they fought teachers attempts to affirm their daughters transgender identity.

George Watsons College in Edinburgh called in social services in December 2020 after a long-running dispute in which the parents, acting on advice from psychologists who had assessed their child, asked for the school to adopt a watchful waiting approach.

Watchful waiting is an approach in which a childs view of their gender is closely observed but without social or medical intervention. Evidence suggests that many children with gender issues will revert to identifying as a member of their biological sex as they become older.

However, the school insisted upon respecting his [the childs] wishes to use the masculine pronouns, claiming they had the teenagers best interest and wellbeing at heart.

The school announced it received a gold charter award from the controversial trans activist charity LGBT Youth Scotland (LGBTYS), which requires schools to rewrite policies and send teachers on its training courses, in April 2019.

Schools are given a gold, silver or bronze rating denoting their LGBTQ+ friendliness as part of the charter scheme that is backed by the SNP government.

Our child was seen as a guinea pig

The childs mother, whom The Telegraph is not naming to protect the young persons identity, said the school would defer to the charity rather than listen to the parents, who were acting on clinical advice, which said affirming the teenagers gender was not in her best interests.

Like hundreds of other schools that are part of the LGBTYS charter scheme, the school runs an LGBT club, which the child had joined.

We were repeatedly lied to by the school, the mother said. I feel that our child was just seen as a little guinea pig by the school and LGBT Youth Scotland.

The school policies, which LGBT Youth Scotland help write, are set up to ensure parents are deliberately misled.

We had received two expert opinions, including from a specialist in gender, not to challenge our child but that adults should basically turn a blind eye, and not affirm her.

But these experts were repeatedly dismissed by teachers. They literally said to us on one occasion that LGBT Youth Scotland were the experts in this.

She added: Rather than engaging meaningfully with us, we were referred to social services by the school and investigated.

Fortunately, they were sensible and it went no further, but the fact that this was deemed appropriate in the first place is outrageous.

Sources at the school, where Olmpian Sir Chris Hoy and former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind were educated, admitted social services were contacted but said this was for advice about how to support the young person.

They added they had never seen the professional advice obtained by the parents.

Trans activist charity criticised Cass review

The paediatrician Hilary Cass, whose landmark review into child gender services in the English NHS was published last month, has warned about the possible dangers of social transitioning, meaning to informally change name and gender.

Dr Cass called for a cautious approach, including in schools, saying social transitioning was more likely to push children on to a potentially damaging medical pathway.

LGBTYS has criticised the Cass review recommendations that led to the suspension of hormones and puberty blockers for under 18s in Scotland, saying this would directly harm young people.

Social workers were called in by the school in December 2020. They interviewed the parents and the child before agreeing with the clinical advice the parents had received and taking no further action.

However, the mother says the school persisted with the affirming approach.

The school was still attempting to contact social workers the following August, with an email from a staff member claiming attempts to get in contact with his allocated social worker have proved fruitless.

The mother said she felt able to speak out about her ordeal now that her child had left the school, and with the activities and influence of LGBTYS coming under increasing scrutiny.

Jenny Gilruth is the SNP's Education Secretary and is looking into the implications of the Cass review on schools - Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

Jenny Gilruth, the SNP Education Secretary, said last week that she was looking at implications of the Cass review into Scottish governments guidance for schools, which LGBTYS helped write.

It urges teachers to take an affirming approach to all children who say they are trans no matter how young they are.

In a letter from Ms Gilruth regarding the George Watsons case, sent last November, she said ultimately a childs wishes on whether parents were informed about gender transition should be respected.

Information the mother obtained from the school after making a Subject Access Request shows her daughters preferred name was changed on school systems after she said she was non-binary.

The child later said she identified as male, and the school adopted male pronouns in a move the mother said was kept from her.

Meeting records show the school said in late 2019 it would be respecting his [the childs] wishes to use the masculine pronouns despite the fact that mum and dad absolutely do not agree with the positive affirmation approach that school is endorsing.

Correspondence with social services states the child was anxious now that social work have been contacted and asked for her to be reassured that social workers were part of a support network.

A spokesman for George Watsons College said: Social and gender transitioning are amongst the most challenging and polarising issues facing schools today.

We have always worked collaboratively with parents and apologise to those involved in this case for any distress caused by what are difficult and challenging circumstances.

Every school in Scotland has to weigh up parental engagement with the rights of children, with transitioning being a fluid and ongoing challenge for all.

The welfare of our pupils remains our first priority and we continue to work constructively with both parents and their children as we work through these matters.

A spokesman for LGBTYS said George Watsons had been awarded a charter in 2018 and that it expired in 2022.

He added: When it comes to advising on supporting trans pupils in schools we always refer to Scottish government guidance.

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UPDATE: The Shelby County Sheriffs Office says Cordarius Fisher, 32, has been charged with simple assault in this incident.

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  An inmate physically assaulted a nurse over the weekend at 201 Poplar, according to the Shelby County Sheriffs Office.

The Mid-South nurse and mother of two is now speaking out saying she is still traumatized after the assault. She wants to share her story hoping it can prevent another nurse from experiencing the same fate.

I couldve lost my life and you know I have family. I have kids, the nurse said. My lip was torn on the inside and my face was swollen.

Sheriff says plans in the works for new Shelby County Jail

On April 27, the nurse says she was on the fourth floor of the jail distributing medication to the detainees when one of them stood out to her and for the wrong reasons.

I approached pod D and thats when the inmate he was standing out, and he made gestures like he was going to perform sexual acts on himself, she said.

She says he quickly became hostile with her.

I said could you please move, could you please move? I put my hand up and thats when he got his fist and hit me in the face, she said.

The nurse says she desperately tried to defend herself but the blows to her head continued. She says a female officer eventually intervened.

I dont remember anybody else coming. So, I panicked and I ran down two flights of stairs, the nurse said.

Former county judge Melissa Boyd back in jail

A spokesman for the sheriffs office says the inmate was immediately detained.

We will not name him since he has not been charged in this incident. However, WREG can confirm the inmate was in jail for two aggravated burglary charges, an aggravated assault charge, and theft.

According to the nurse, the inmate was standing in the hallway, outside the pod, without restraints or a guard nearby.

Thats negligence on the security part because he was supposed to be in handcuffs, the nurse said.

The Sheriffs office did not provide any details as to why or how the inmate was able to roam freely through the jail.

 Download the WREG App today and stay up to date with breaking news and weather.

 Sign up for WREG newsletters and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox.

 See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South.

Just last week Sheriff Floyd Bonner explained to WREG that some inmates have been jamming the outdated doors to prevent them from fully closing.

But actually, the door is able to slide open, Sheriff Bonner said.So it leads to fights, it leads to all kinds of things because these detainees can get out when they want to instead of when we allow them to.

A spokesman says they will provide more details after detectives complete their investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
FRANKLIN, Ala. (WRBL)  Law enforcement agencies in East Alabama are intensifying their efforts to locate 60-year-old Michael Thompson, who was last seen on April 14th. Thompsons disappearance has raised alarm among investigators, particularly after possible blood stains were discovered inside his Tallassee home.

The search, which has now extended to Macon County, involves a coordinated effort by multiple agencies, including the Macon County Sheriffs Office. An ALEA helicopter has been deployed to scour the skies over Macon County, focusing on areas near County Road 27 and 36, while search teams on the ground, aided by dogs, comb through dense terrain.

Sheriff Andre Brunson of the Macon County expressed the challenges of the search, highlighting the difficulty of navigating thick vegetation. Despite extensive efforts, Thompson has yet to be found, heightening concerns for his well-being.

Thompson was last seen leaving a family gathering in Eclectic, Alabama, driving his Red 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee with Alabama license plates. The vehicle was later discovered in Macon County, near the area where the search is currently concentrated.

Authorities emphasize the urgency of the situation, citing the need to bring closure to Thompsons family. Detective work and ground searches continue, with the hope of locating him alive.

Individuals with any information regarding Thompsons whereabouts are urged to contact the Macon County Sheriffs Office or call 911. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and any information, no matter how small, could prove crucial in locating Thompson and bringing him safely home.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  Topeka police have arrested another individual relating to the fifth homicide of 2024 in Topeka.

Topeka police have made another arrest after investigating a shooting in the 3700 block of SW Park South Ct. According to a release from the Topeka Police Department (TPD), after the investigation, Lolita Bradford, 25, of Topeka was taken to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for the following charges:

Conspiracy to commit, murder in the first degree; intentional and premeditated

Conspiracy to commit, aggravated burglary; dwelling for felony, theft, domestic violence, or sexually motivated crime

Conspiracy to commit, theft >$1,500 <$25,000 from building

Police have also arrested Kavshun J. Boykin, 26, of Topeka was arrested on the following charges:

Murder in the first degree; intentional and premeditated

Aggravated burglary; dwelling for felony, theft, domestic violent, or sexually motivated crime

Theft >$1,500 <$25,000 from building

Just after 8 a.m. April 19, Topeka police responded to a reported shooting in the 3700 block of Southwest Park South Ct. When officers arrived, they found one individual suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound who was later pronounced dead by medical personnel. TPD is investigating this incident as the fifth homicide of 2024 in the Capital City.

The deceased has been identified as Cody P. Cooper, 22, of Topeka.

If you have any information regarding this shooting, send an email to TPD at telltpd@topeka.org or call 785-368-9400. You can make anonymous tips to Shawnee County Crime Stoppers by calling 785-234-0007 or by clicking here.

For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
Mint Butterfield, 16, was found alive days after going missing.

Marin County Sheriff's Office; Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images Mint Butterfield, left, and Stewart Butterfield

A second adult has been charged in connection with the alleged abduction of the child of former Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield.

Mint Butterfield, 16, who uses they/them pronouns, went missing from their familys home in Bolinas, Calif., on April 21, the Marin County Sheriffs Office said. Mint was found alive six days later in San Francisco in a van allegedly belonging to 26-year-old Christopher Kio Dizefalo, who was subsequently arrested in connection to the case, authorities said.

According to reports from KRON, the San Francisco Chronicle and The San Francisco Standard, prosecutors have now charged a second individual, Sarah Atkins, with child abduction, along with Dizefalo.

Jail records indicate that Dizefalo is currently in custody in Marin County Jail, though it is not clear if Atkins has been arrested. It is not immediately clear if either has entered a plea or retained an attorney.

Related: Man Arrested After Slack Co-Founders Child Found Alive

Police previously said they believed Mint had been run away from home and described Dizefalo as an adult friend.

In a statement, Mints family thanked law enforcement for locating them and safely returning the 16-year-old home.

Our hearts are full of gratitude tonight to the hard working men and women of the Marin County Sheriffs Office, the San Francisco Police Department, and the other law enforcement agencies of the Bay Area who worked together to safely recover our child, Mint, from the streets of San Francisco this evening, said the statement, which was posted on the website of Mints mother. We want to thank family, friends, volunteers, and strangers who called in tips and made this recovery possible.

The last seven days have been terrifying, the statement continued. We are painfully aware that people die of overdoses every day in this city and we are lucky to have had the support of seasoned police officers who understand the very real threat of predators who groom and manipulate teenagers with the lure of drugs.

The statement was signed by Mints mother, Caterina Fake; stepfather, Jyri Engestrom; and Stewart Butterfield.

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.

Fake and Butterfield, who were previously married, co-founded Flickr in 2004 and sold it to Yahoo the following year.

Butterfield went on to co-found Slack, which was sold for $27.7 billion in 2021, according to Forbes. He left the company in 2022.

Forbes estimates that Butterfields net worth is $1.6 billion. He did not immediately respond to a message from PEOPLE.



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Read the original article on People.
slobo / iStock.com

Costco is known for its high-quality items at affordable prices. Although a membership costs at least $60 per year, Costco fans say they still save money compared to other stores.

See: 7 Things You Must Buy at Costco While on a Retirement Budget

Find: How To Get $340 Per Year in Cash Back on Gas and Other Things You Already Buy

The key when shopping at Costco is to plan ahead and stick to your list to avoid wasting your savings on impulse purchases, said Andrew Latham, a certified financial planner with Supermoney.com.

When youre on an extra-tight budget, its important to stretch your dollar as far as possible. Here are some of the best things to buy at Costco when youre low on cash.

Sponsored: Owe the IRS $10K or more? Schedule a FREE consultation to see if you qualify for tax relief.

1. Bulk Items

Its widely known that buying items in bulk at Costco can save you money. When shopping at Costco on a tight budget, I recommend prioritizing bulk staples like rice, pasta, and canned goods which offer substantial savings over time, Latham said.

Dave Ramsey even recommended bulk buying certain items at Costco, including toiletries, dental care items, paper products, batteries, canned goods, rice, cereal and dry beans. But not everything in bulk is a good deal. Ramsey said to avoid buying fruits and vegetables, dairy and other perishables and condiments and spices, as previously reported by GOBankingRates.

2. Kirkland Signature Products

Kirkland Signature, Costcos in-house brand, generally offers comparable or superior quality products at lower prices than name brands, making it a smart choice for everything from groceries to clothing, Latham said.

Kirkland Signature is about 20% cheaper than national brands, according to The Motley Fool. There are over 350 Kirkland products available, so youre sure to find an alternative to name brands on your shopping list.

3. Restaurant Gift Cards

Hands down, one of the best items you can buy at Costco has to be restaurant gift cards, said Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst at DealNews.com. Youll pay less than the face value, so your dollar is going further and youre getting a much better value compared to shopping elsewhere.

For example, Ramhold said you can find $100 worth of gift cards to restaurants like Fogo de Chao and IHOP for $79.99. Other deals offer $100 to Sullivans Steakhouse for $69.99 after an additional $5 off, she added.

There are a variety of restaurants available too, so its worth a look if you want to gift someone or yourself. While high-end restaurants like Texas de Brazil, Mortons and more are available, there are also plenty of gift cards that would be ideal for gifting to college students ahead of graduation to help them treat themselves when theyre away from home for the first time, Ramhold explained.

Story continues

4. Pharmacy Items

Latham also recommended picking up pharmacy items at Costco. The retailer also offers a Costco Member Prescription Program, which provides discounts on prescription drugs up to 80% or more, depending on the medication.

According to users on Reddit, over-the-counter and prescription items at Costcos pharmacy are priced way below retail. Also, you dont need a membership to use the pharmacy, in stores or online.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Single Best Thing To Buy at Costco When Youre on an Extra Tight Budget
Section of I-70 to close overnight in Aurora May 2-3

DENVER (KDVR)  If you commute overnight on Interstate 70 in Aurora, you will need to find an alternate route on Thursday and Friday night.

The city of Aurora said I-70 will be closed in both directions between Colfax Avenue and Tower Road from May 2-3. The closures will be from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and detour signs will be posted to guide traffic.

Crews will be placing a pedestrian bridge over the interstate east of Tower Road.

According to the city, eastbound traffic will be directed off I-70 at the Tower Road exit and will follow a detour south on Tower Road and east on Colfax Avenue to return to I-70.

See the latest traffic conditions in Denver on FOX31

Westbound traffic will be diverted to exit I-70 at Colfax Avenue and will follow a detour west on Colfax and then north on Tower Road to return to I-70.

I-70 Aurora detour

Aurora said the pedestrian bridge is part of the Aurora High Line Canal Trail improvement project. The full project is expected to be completed this spring.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Sen. Mitt Romney says he is pleased the U.S. is sending more aid to Ukraine during hearing on Taiwan

In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113) prepares to come alongside Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship Cesar Chavez (T-AKE-14) in the East China Sea, on Jan. 21, 2024. China has accused the U.S. of abusing international law with its military maneuvers in the western Pacific, one day after the American naval destroyer sailed through the politically sensitive Taiwan Strait. | Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Stack

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said a top representative of Taiwan in the United States recently gave a simple answer when asked to name the single most important thing that could be done to protect the island from being invaded by China.

The representative said it would be to provide funding support for Ukraine, Romney, a Republican, said during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing Tuesday on U.S. policy in Taiwan, adding that he is very pleased we finally got that done.

Last week, a $95.3 billion national security package that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and imposes additional sanctions on Iran and forces ByteDance to sell TikTok passed Congress after months of delay in the House and was signed by President Joe Biden.

Romney, who serves as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on East Asia, The Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, said theres a message behind the foreign aid to countries.

I think it sends a signal to would-be aggressors around the world, that we will stand by our commitments and that we honor and respect the rights of democratic people to retain their freedoms and their vision for their own livelihoods, he said.

In Taiwan, Romney said there have been number of troubling developments as a result of Chinese President Xi Jinpings stated goal of reunification with Taiwan, including threatening military moves as well as economic pressures and even disinformation campaigns in the islands recent election.

It is our hope that Taiwan can be an aggressive competitor with China and with other nations, even with us, the Utah senator said, adding the investment in Taiwans military is intended to help ensure the country wont be conquered by China.

Although the U.S. has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the two nations have a robust unofficial relationship, the State Department says. Those ties are stronger than ever, the hearings sole witness, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, testified.

Kritenbrink spoke in favor of maintaining the status quo of that framework, in place for some 45 years, warning that changing the countrys policy would undermine stability. More protective, he said, is to focus on building Taiwans deterrent capabilities and expanding international support.

Romney, however, suggested several times that China appears to be more successful in winning other nations over to its position on Taiwan. The Utah senator pointed to Chinas efforts to build roads and other infrastructure in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean while were asleep at the wheel.

Kritenbrink said he remains confident in our standing in these regions and what we have to offer. He said the U.S. attempts to alert other countries to be careful in their dealings with China to ensure theyre not making themselves vulnerable to coercion over the long term.

But Romney said Chinas much stronger presence, brings into question the billions spent by the U.S. on charitable development. China tends to do whats in their self interest, establishing mines and rail lines and ports that will strengthen their economy and their position on the global stage.

America, Romney said, needs to go from just doing things that are humanitarian and showing what we stand for to instead doing things that are actually in our best interest and promote our national security and the strength of our own economy. Were pretending like were in a world where we dont have a competitor, and we do.
Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville, discusses her legislation to ban "junk fees"  undisclosed charges tacked on to a bill at the end of a transaction  ahead of the Senate floor session on May 1, 2024. Photo by Madison McVan/Minnesota Reformer.

The Senate passed a bill Wednesday to curtail service charges and undisclosed fees tacked onto a customers bill at the end of a transaction.

The legislation would require companies to incorporate any service charges or other non-tax mandatory fees into the prices it advertises. Restaurants would still be allowed to charge a mandatory gratuity, as long as all of the money goes directly to employees and the tip is clearly included in advertisements that contain price information.

Employee wellness fees or other charges added to a customers bill to help an employer pay for health insurance and other worker benefits would not be allowed if the bill becomes law.

Those are the costs of doing business, said Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville, the bills lead author. If you need to provide your employees benefits in order to continue to be able to hire in this climatethats the cost of labor.

Bill advocates say it would promote price transparency, allowing consumers to make more informed choices.

Delivery platforms like DoorDash would have to disclose mandatory charges before a customer reaches the final checkout page. Businesses that determine prices based on time and travel requirements would have to disclose the factors associated with the total price, any mandatory fees and that the total cost of the services may vary.

Taxes, reasonable shipping fees and certain state-mandated charges associated with vehicle purchases would not be subject to the disclosure rules.

While a handful of Republicans voted with their Democratic colleagues to pass the bill, others opposed it, arguing that businesses itemize certain fees to call attention to, and protest, government mandates.

Oftentimes, proprietors will include additional costs to highlight the fact that this is not a part of them providing a product. This is a part of the labor mandates, the state mandates, the local mandates that have been put on them to raise their costs, said Sen. Eric Pratt, R-Prior Lake.

The bill now goes to a conference committee, where the Senate and House authors will hammer out minor differences in the legislation, Port said. After conference committee, it will go back to the House and Senate floors for a final vote before heading to the governors desk to be signed into law.

The post Senate approves ban on junk fees appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
The Senates work to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will kick off in earnest Wednesday as members push to meet the May 10 deadline despite multiple looming battles, including over the push to add additional flights out of Reagan Washington National Airport.

FAA reauthorization has already been punted three times, but Congress is attempting to pass a full, five-year extension. It is likely to be one of the final must-pass bills  and legislative fights  before fall.

Lawmakers are hopeful they can wrap work up by next weeks deadline but are worried the process may get messy.

Its going to be bumpy. Turbulence, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) noted that Republican senators have nearly 20 amendments on which they want votes, a number of them unrelated to the FAA blueprint.

Its a pretty complex piece of legislation, a lot of moving parts, and I think there will be a good interest in some amendment process, Thune said, adding it is an open question whether lawmakers can strike a deal to speed up passage.

A compromise bill unveiled Monday morning includes a codification of the Department of Transportations recent rule requiring refunds to travelers of some domestic and international flights, funding to hire more air traffic controllers and other provisions to improve runway safety and avoid near-collisions.

Chopped from the final package was raising the retirement age of pilots from 65 to 67 and language introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) that would have allowed lawmakers and judges facing threats to receive special security escorts through airports.

The must-pass bill was expected to be a prime opportunity to advance the ambitious bipartisan agenda Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has laid out.

But lawmakers indicate it would be a steep climb to attach any unrelated provisions to the bill.

Punchbowl News reported Monday that Schumers attempt to include a cannabis banking and stablecoin cryptocurrency reform package was shot down. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been a longtime opponent of SAFE banking legislation, which would give the cannabis industry access to the U.S. banking system.

Democrats have also been unable to win inclusion for a federal cost-sharing measure as part of the rebuild of Baltimores Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed last month. Top Republicans believe it is too early to pass a federal cost-share, as state officials have yet to unveil a recovery cost estimate.

Theres a lot of nongermane stuff people want to put on this, Thune said. I just dont know what the appetite is going to be for nongermane amendments, because once you go down that path, everyone wants their nongermane amendment too.

The marquee fight in the coming days remains over whether five additional slots, or 10 round-trip flights, will be added to National Airport. Lawmakers from the Washington, D.C., area are crying foul over its inclusion in the negotiated package.

A quartet of Democratic senators  Ben Cardin (Md.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Chris Van Hollen (Md.) and Mark Warner (Va.)  have argued for months that adding the slots will increase delays and decrease safety.

It should go without saying that the safety of the traveling public should be a higher priority than the convenience of a few lawmakers who want direct flights home from their preferred airport, the foursome said in a statement Monday. We will continue to fight against this ridiculous and dangerous provision.

National Airport is predominantly known as a short-haul airport. Most of its flights are kept under 1,250 miles, with only a couple of exceptions.

Lawmakers coming from longer distances have pushed to increase the number of those exceptions. The two other airports in the area, Dulles International Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), are both better suited for long-distance flights but are further from D.C.

The four area senators are also worried adding the flights to National Airport could harm Dulles and BWI. Dulles is also a United Airlines hub, with the airline lobbying heavily against the additional National Airport slots.

It is expected that the Virginia- and Maryland-based members will receive an amendment vote on overturning the provision.

Kaine noted to reporters last week that two planes nearly collided at National Airport in April and that more flights raises the chances it could happen in the future.

That near-miss at Reagan National two weeks back is a flashing-red warning light telling Congress: Do not do this, Kaine told reporters late last week.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will host a legislative hearing on S.465, the Bridging Agency Data Gaps and Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act, and S.2695, the Parity for Law Enforcement Act on Wednesday, May 1 at 2:30 p.m. - EDT.

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, will lead the hearing.

Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.

Prior to the legislative hearing, the Committee will hold a business meeting to consider five bills 

Event Details:

WHAT:

Schatz and Murkowski to lead Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Legislative Hearing

WITNESSES:

The Honorable Bryan Newland, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Affairs  U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC

The Honorable Mark Macarro, President, National Congress of American Indians, Washington, DC

Mr. Chris Sutter, Chief of Police, Tulalip Tribal Police Department, Tulalip, WA

WHEN:

TOMORROW, May 1, 2024 at 2:30 p.m. EDT

LIVESTREAM:

Live video of the event will be available here.

About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. "

Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), co-chair of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, is raising concerns over Saudi Arabias intention to pursue a civil nuclear program with the U.S., citing the countrys appalling human rights practices and desire for nuclear weapons.

In a Wednesday letter to President Biden, Markey said he was worried about reports that the administration is getting close to a deal with Saudi Arabia that would see the Arab Gulf state normalize ties with Israel in exchange for U.S. military commitments and partnership on the development of a nuclear energy program.

Although I strongly support and would eagerly welcome a rapprochement between Israel and its Arab neighbors, including a two-state solution, I have deep concerns about the reported military and nuclear contours of a U.S.-Saudi deal, Markey wrote.

I fear that Saudi Arabia  a nation with a terrible human rights record  cannot be trusted to use its civil nuclear energy program solely for peaceful purposes and will instead enrich uranium and seek to develop nuclear weapons. I urge your Administration to ensure that the path towards Middle East peace holds Saudi Arabia accountable for its appalling human rights practices and constrains its ability to become a nuclear power.

Markeys objections highlight the challenges facing the Biden administration to carry out an ambitious, paradigm-shifting policy in the Middle East ahead of the election in November.

The Biden administration is moving forward on plans to broker ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, shifting parameters of a deal that was described as nearly done before Hamas launched a shocking attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

For Saudi Arabia, opening ties with Israel are contingent on new U.S. military commitments that would include a mutual defense pact similar to NATOs Article 5 provision; safeguarding weapons supplies to Riyadh amid congressional opposition; and partnership on a civil nuclear program.

Saudi Arabia is reportedly growing concerned with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus blanket rejection of a Palestinian state and is pursuing a plan B to move forward on U.S. and Saudi agreements, The Guardian reported.

Nearly all Republicans and a significant number of Democrats support efforts by the administration to establish ties with Israel and Saudi Arabia and deliver on Saudi requests for deeper U.S. military commitments in the region.

Achieving such a deal between Israel, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia is viewed as having a better chance of succeeding in the Biden administration, where pushback from Democrats would be muted compared to their reaction to a Republican such as former President Trump seeking a deal if he returns to office.

Still, skeptics of Riyadhs plans to develop its nuclear energy sector say strict safeguards must be in place to prevent the development of nuclear weapons. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de-facto ruler, has said that the kingdom would develop nuclear weapons if Iran followed through on its ambitions to build a bomb.

Saudi Arabias public flirtation with becoming a nuclear-armed state, however, strongly militates against an agreement that includes defense guarantees and support for its civil nuclear energy program, Markey wrote in his letter.

Markey also raised objections to doing business with Saudi Arabia over a long list of human rights concerns. Biden backtracked on making Riyadh a pariah over the October 2018 killing of U.S.-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi, which the intelligence community pointed to the crown prince approving an operation to capture or kill the Saudi critic.

Saudi Arabia must make substantial progress on human rights, including through the release of political prisoners, before the United States should even consider the kind of agreement it is reportedly negotiating with the Kingdom, Markey wrote in his letter.

He cited restrictions on nearly all political and civil liberties, criminalization of dissent, discrimination against women and minority groups, death penalty executions for nonviolent crimes and peaceful opposition to the monarch and unfair judicial processes.

Saudi Arabia also has an established pattern of unlawful and extrajudicial killings, such as the killing of hundreds of Ethiopian displaced persons and asylum seekers at the Yemeni-Saudi border; unlawful airstrikes in its military campaign against the Houthis, which have killed and wounded thousands of civilians  Working conditions for the mostly foreign labor force are often exploitative, with laborers vulnerable to harassment, detention, trafficking, and forced labor, he continued.

Markey requested the administration respond by May 15 on the details of U.S. talks with Saudi Arabia.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
State Sen. Rick Brattin speaks to an empty chamber Wednesday as the filibuster blocking renewal of provider taxes needed to finance Missouri's Medicaid program approached its 24th hour (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).

A filibuster blocking renewal of taxes essential to funding Medicaid passed 39 hours early this morning as a small group of Republicans held the Missouri Senate floor demanding action on other bills.

Five members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus have tried four times to amend the bill, failing each time when their proposals were tabled during overnight action. As the 39-hour mark passed at 1:30 a.m., state Sen. Rick Brattin of Harrisonville was holding the floor on the fourth amendment to the fifth attempt to change the bill, to shorten the sunset when taxes would expire.

The stakes are enormous.

The first is the $1.4 billion generated by the taxes on hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes and ambulance services, which is used to match approximately $2.8 billion of federal funds in the Medicaid program.

The second, and more importantly, the filibuster is delaying debate on the $53 billion budget proposal approved last week in the Senate Appropriations Committee. All spending bills must pass by May 10 or lawmakers will have to return for a special session to finish the budget before the fiscal year ends on June 30.

This is pathetic political gamesmanship out here, state Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican and chairman of the appropriations committee, said in an interview.

Depending on how it is counted, the filibuster is breaking the 39-hour record set in 2016 when Democrats blocked a proposed constitutional amendment to allow businesses and clergy members to refuse services to same-sex couples. The first eight hours of this years filibuster were on procedural motions, leaving the issue of the record length in question.

Freedom Caucus members are demanding action on two bills  one barring Planned Parenthood from receiving state payments as a medical provider and another that would change the majority needed to pass constitutional amendments proposed by initiative petition. The Freedom Caucus has been at war with the chambers GOP leadership since the session started, a stance that has cost them chairmanships and parking spots.

Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, ended his shift in the filibuster about 10 a.m. and argued he was holding up the Senate as a principled stand to preserve Missouris ban on abortions for most women.

That is why I stood here all night long and why I will continue to stand here to protect life, Brattin said.

The bill on Planned Parenthood is awaiting Gov. Mike Parsons signature, and his actions are out of the control of the Senate GOP leadership. On Tuesday, Parsons office told a reporter for Nexstar Media Group that he would decide when to sign the bill.

This deliberate dysfunction in the Senate is unfortunate for the people of Missouri and senators trying to do good work for the people back home, Parsons office told the reporter.

Sen. Lincoln Hough, left, chats with Senate staff Wednesday morning as he endures a filibuster of his bill renewing medical provider taxes that finance Missouris Medicaid program (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).

The bill to change the majorities for initiative proposals is awaiting a final Senate vote that would send it to a ballot later this year. But because the version sent from the House includes other provisions Democrats oppose, GOP leaders are reluctant to bring it to a vote before the budget is complete.

Under the constitution, the deadline for budget bills is set one week before the final date for consideration of other bills.

The provider taxes, in place since 1991, have been renewed 17 times in the past. On 16 occasions, the renewal occurred during the regular session and with little controversy.

The 2021 renewal was the first time anti-abortion lawmakers sought to use the taxes as leverage to pass provisions that would otherwise be defeated. No resolution could be found during the regular session and lawmakers returned in late June to complete the job.

The taxes, known as the federal reimbursement allowance, are paid by hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes and ambulance services for the privilege of engaging in the business of providing medical services within the state. Each entity pays the tax in a different way and the rates are adjusted every year to meet the financial needs of Medicaid. This year, pharmacies pay 0.52% of receipts and hospitals pay 4.8%. Nursing homes pay $12.93 per patient day, and ambulance services pay about $1.50 per mile.

The taxes arent mandated by federal law, but allow less general revenue funds to be needed for the Medicaid program. While the federal government requires Missouri to put up about 35% of the cost of most Medicaid services, general revenue accounts for only about 20% of the current cost.

The budget proposal awaiting Senate debate is $2.3 billion more than the House-passed version. The changes, including higher Medicaid payments to nursing homes and dozens of local projects, need a close look, said state Rep. Mike Haffner, a Raymore Republican challenging Brattin in this years 31st District primary..

We just had a caucus meeting where we discussed this: these ongoing filibusters year after year after year, especially during budget time, Haffner said. We dont have an opportunity to adequately review what the Senate position is on every one of these aspects of the budget and were forced to do a quick review where we dont have a comprehensive analysis taking place.

Associations representing hospitals, nursing homes, pharmacies and ambulance services back the provider tax renewal and on Wednesday morning issued a news release jointly with the Missouri Chamber of Commerce calling for an end to the filibuster.

Cuts to the Medicaid program would endanger rural hospitals and nursing homes, the organizations said, and reduce the availability of emergency services.

We urge you to set aside personal political ambitions and bring the FRA bill to a vote, the release stated. Your refusal to act responsibly is crafting a scenario that will devastate Missouris health care system and cause irreparable damage to countless lives.

The proposal to change the majority needed to pass constitutional amendments has taken on a new urgency for Republicans afraid that a proposal to legalize abortion will make the ballot this year.

The inability of the Senate to bring any of the issues to a resolution is frustrating to Missouri House members, Speaker Dean Plocher said Tuesday. At a news conference backed by dozens of GOP members, Plocher said he wanted the Senate to pass the proposal to require a concurrent majority in congressional districts along with a statewide majority on initiative proposals.

During the winter caucus, there was a residual animosity and House members were reticent to take up senate bills this session, Plocher wrote in a letter to Senate leaders. This year I strongly urge the Senate to take (initiative petition) reform up now and avoid the situation where IP reform dies on the floor of the Senate again.

At the news conference, Plocher said he was not endorsing the Freedom Caucus tactics.

I am advocating on behalf of the members of my house, Plocher said. I am not here to tell the senate what to do, per se, That is their sandbox.

The Independents Allison Kite contributed to this report. This article will be updated.

The post Senate filibuster of taxes that fund Missouri Medicaid approaches record at 39-hour mark appeared first on Missouri Independent.
Two hospitals in the Columbia metro area received the highest mark possible in the safety grades released by a medical watchdog group Wednesday. Most Midlands medical facilities received solid ratings, although there were more declines than improvements since the last scores were released in fall of 2023.

The newest biannual ranking shows that both Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge and Prisma Health Baptist can be considered among the safest in South Carolina. They retained their As from the fall ranking, while another hospital in that medical chain  Prisma Health Richland  had its grade improve in the latest ranking.

Since 2012, the Leapfrog Group has published Hospital Safety Scores twice a year  once in the spring and once during the fall  to create transparency in the U.S. health system. The rating is focused on errors, accidents, injuries and infections.

Based on this criteria, Columbia and Lexington hospitals received two A grades, two Bs and two Cs for the spring. Those include:

 Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge repeated its score from the fall ranking of A

 Prisma Health Baptist repeated its score from the fall ranking of A

 Lexington Medical Centers grade dropped one letter from A in the fall ranking to B in the spring, marking the time since 2022 it hasnt received the highest score

 Prisma Health Richlands grade rose one letter from C in the fall ranking to B, the first time it has scored this high in at least three years

 MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeasts grade dropped two letters from A in the spring ranking to C. The facility was formerly Providence Health Northeast.

 MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtowns grade dropped one letter from B in the spring ranking to C. The hospital was formerly Providence Health.

Two other hospitals in the Midlands received an A, while another saw its score improve and another failed to get a grade.

 MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center repeated its score from the fall ranking of A

 McCleod Health Clarendon in Mannings grade rose one letter from B in the fall ranking to A

 Prisma Health Tuomey (in Sumter) repeated its score from the fall ranking of B

 Newberry County Memorial Hospitals grade rose one letter from C in the fall ranking to B

 MUSC Health Orangeburg which received a grade of C in the fall ranking did not receive a grade in the spring because of missing data, Leapfrog said. The hospital, which was formerly Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties, had received a grade in each of the previous six rankings.

Grading South Carolina

Overall in South Carolina, of the 50 hospitals that were ranked, 21 received a letter A. Thats a slight decrease from 22 in the fall rankings.

No hospitals in the Palmetto State received an F in the spring grades. But for the first time since the fall 2022 grading period a hospital in South Carolina  Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill  was issued a D grade.

The decline in hospital grades was reflected in South Carolinas standing among other states. Nationally, South Carolina ranked 9th among all states, with 42% of its hospitals scoring an A rating. Again, that was a slight drop from the fall (43.1%), when the Palmetto State was ranked 5th in the nation.

The bigger picture

Utah (57.7%) remained the top-rated state in the U.S. There was a seven-way tie for lowest grade among North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming and Washington, D.C., as none had a hospital with an A grade.

This marked the first time that Leapfrog issued a ranking of the top metropolitan areas in the U.S. for hospital safety. The Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA-NJ area received the highest score in the nation at 72.7%. While the Columbia region did not post in the top 10, another area in South Carolina was recognized in the metro rankings, as Charleston-North Charleston ranked seventh in the U.S. with 62.5% of its hospitals meriting an A grade.

Upwards of 200,000 people die every year from hospital errors, injuries, accidents, and infections, the Leapfrog Group said. Its important to remember that most hospital errors can be prevented. Hospitals need to work hard every day to protect their patients from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

Leapfrog said it graded about 3,000 hospitals nationwide this spring.

The grades are based on safety data and rate how hospitals have checks in place to prevent mistakes, and ensure strong lines of communication between hospital staff, patients, and families, according to Leapfrog.

Patient experience is very difficult to influence without delivering better care, so these findings are encouraging, Leapfrog President and CEO Leah Binder said on the groups website. We were also pleased to see the decrease in preventable infections, which cause terrible suffering and sometimes death. When we look at these positive trends, we see lives savedand that is gratifying.

Leapfrog said more than 500 people will die today because of a preventable hospital error, and every year 1-of-31 patients will develop a preventable infection while in the hospital.

You should never refuse care in an emergency because of a hospitals safety grade, Leapfrog said. But talk with a doctor about the best hospital for planned, elective procedures.

However, Leapfrogs study shows that patients at D and F hospitals face a greater risk of dying than those at hospitals graded A.

We know A hospitals do a better job at preventing errors, Leapfrog said. If your local hospital rates below an A, talk with your doctor at that hospital and urge them to improve their safety.

Making the grade

The Leapfrog Group said 22 measures are used to generate hospital safety grades, and it reports on five patient experience measures that have a direct impact on patient safety outcomes: nurse communication, doctor communication, staff responsiveness, communication about medicine and discharge information.

The Leapfrog safety grade is divided into two domains: Process/Structural Measures and Outcome Measures.

 Process Measures represent how often a hospital gives patients recommended treatment for a given medical condition or procedure. For example, Responsiveness of hospital staff looks at patients feedback on how long it takes for a staff member to respond when they request help. Structural Measures represent the environment in which patients receive care. For example, Doctors order medications through a computer represents whether a hospital uses a special computerized system to prevent errors when prescribing medications.

 Outcome Measures represent what happens to a patient while receiving care. For example, Dangerous object left in patients body measures how many times a patient undergoing surgery had a dangerous foreign object, like a sponge or tool, left in his or her body.

The Process Measures include:

 Computerized Physician Order Entry

 Bar Code Medication Administration

 ICU Physician Staffing

 Leadership Structures and Systems

 Culture Measurement, Feedback & Intervention

 Nursing Workforce

 Hand Hygiene

 Nurse Communication

 Doctor Communication

 Staff Responsiveness

 Communication about Medicines

 Discharge Information

The Outcome Measures include:

 Foreign Object Retained

 Air Embolism

 Falls and Trauma

 CLABSI

 CAUTI

 SSI: Colon

 MRSA

 C. Diff.

 Death Rate among Surgical Inpatients with Serious Treatable Conditions

 Patient safety and adverse events composite

SOURCE: Leapfrog Medical Group
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until midnight for Johnson, Miami, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and Pettis, Saline, Howard and Cooper counties in Missouri.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been canceled for Wyandotte, southern Leavenworth and Johnson counties in Kansas and for western Clay, southeastern Platte and western Jackson counties in Missouri.

View the latest Weather Alerts in the Kansas City region on FOX4

Emergency Management in Jefferson County reported multiple trees and poles on fire at 37th and K-4 Highway.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 11 p.m. for northeastern and east central Kansas.

FOX4 will continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Bellingham community members are circulating a petition to try to encourage Southwest Airlines to maintain its operations at the Bellingham International Airport (BLI) after the airline announced it would end its service there by August 4, 2024.

We urge Southwest Airlines to reconsider this decision and continue providing its invaluable services to the residents of Bellingham beyond August 2024. We believe its crucial not just for us but also for countless other families who depend on their services to stay connected with loved ones, the petitions description states.

Southwest Airlines announced last week that it would no longer offer services in or out of the Bellingham International Airport based on the companys 2024 first-quarter financial results, which showed a net loss of $231 million.

Southwest attributed the loss to changes in customer travel patterns and preferences, higher fuel prices, and Boeings aircraft delivery delays.

The Change.org petition was started by Anneke Palmerton and published April 27, two days after the announcement by Southwest.

More than 1,300 people had signed the petition by Tuesday afternoon, with a total goal of 1,500 signatures.

Southwest Airlines is one of only three major airlines operating out of BLI. It stands out for its full flights, affordability, and reliability. Its departure would leave a significant void in our communitys transportation options. We would be left with expensive or unreliable alternatives that do not meet the needs of our vibrant community, the petition states.

The decision to discontinue service from BLI is a huge mistake that will affect many lives beyond ours. Every flight weve been on has been full  a clear indication of the high demand for their services here in Bellingham, the petition states.

Many of the petitions supporters left public comments on the petition expressing their concerns about the airline ending its local services.

Southwest in Bellingham is vital for the community and our travelers and workers. I cant imagine not having it, said petition signer Dustin Jackson.

I fly to Bellingham OFTEN to visit family! Taking SW flights out of the terminal is going to jack up all the Alaska flights forever. Theres not enough flights to Bellingham as it is. Your airplanes are full leaving Bellingham to Seattle. Those flights are very much needed, said petition signer Karen Ott.

Southwest Airlines did not respond to a request for comment from The Bellingham Herald before publication. But the airlines announcement about ending its operations locally labeled Bellingham International Airport, along with three other airports, as underperforming markets for the company.

Story continues

Port of Bellingham Aviation Director Kip Turner previously told The Herald the airport intends to fill the loss in service with another airline, although he declined to offer specifics as no decisions had been finalized.

Southwest Airlines flies direct from Bellingham International Airport to Las Vegas, Oakland and Denver. It will continue to offer full service through August 4.

Bellingham International Airport still offers flights through Alaska Airlines, Allegiant and San Juan Airlines.
ST. LOUIS  A registered sex offender is headed back to federal prison after being found with child pornography at a halfway house in 2022.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Eric M. Swancutt, 46, pleaded guilty in January 2024 to one count of receiving child pornography.

In 2017, Swancutt was sentenced in East St. Louis, Illinois, to 97 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of receiving child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

WashU community meets in advance of planned protest at SLU

Following his release from prison, Swancutt was placed in a residential reentry center near Farmington, Missouri. On Aug. 17, 2022, a staffer at the center found a cellphone hidden in Swancutts sock during a search.

Authorities found the phone contained child porn and that Swancutt had searched for the illicit material with the device.

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Swancutt to 15 years in federal prison.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Sheboygan Area School District will release results of the Urban Middle School traffic study during a public meeting Monday.

A sign indicates the intersection of Mill and Najacht roads on April 30.

SHEBOYGAN  Results of the Sheboygan Area School Districts traffic study on intersections surrounding the proposed Urban Middle School rebuild site will be released to the public Monday.

Earlier this year, SASD announced plans for a referendum to a rebuild both Urban and Farnsworth middle schools. The $140 million project was proposed by the district because the nearly century-old buildings need extensive repairs and upgrades.

While Farnsworth will be rebuilt on the same site, Urban will move from its current location by North High School to the corner of Mill and Najacht roads. One reason SASD proposed the move was because the proximity between the two buildings created congestion issues.

Sheriff plans to retire: Sheboygan County Sheriff Cory Roeseler to retire in June

During the planning phase of the project, SASD initiated a traffic study to assess the impacts of increased traffic on intersections surrounding the proposed Urban rebuild location.

The study, now complete, was prepared by Wisconsin Department of Transportation certified engineers from Traffic Analysis & Design, a Cedarburg engineering firm.

At 6 p.m. May 6, the results of the study will be presented to the public in the Urban Middle School auditorium. Representatives from SASD and Bray Architects will be at the presentation and attendees can submit questions to be answered after the presentation.

EMS Fun Day: Sheboygan South student plans Fun Day for EMS workers and their families

For those unable to attend the meeting, the traffic study results will be available on the SASD website after the presentation.

Questions can be directed to Superintendents-Office@sasd.net.

Have a story tip or public interest concern? Contact Sam Bailey at sgbailey@gannett.com or 573-256-9937. To stay up to date on her stories and other news, follow her on X (Twitter) @SamarahBailey.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Urban Middle School traffic study results to be released in Sheboygan
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  In an effort to curb crime in one central Las Vegas community, law enforcement and local leaders pounded the pavement to bring awareness to an underserved neighborhood.

Hundreds of Las Vegas residents walked under police escort down East Twain Avenue from Maryland Parkway to South University Center Drive handing out community resource pamphlets to pedestrians.

The second annual Big Walk was initially started in response to an increase in crime in the area, which led to some residents and business owners reportedly feeling unsafe.

The second annual Big Walk (KLAS)

The second annual Big Walk (KLAS)

The second annual Big Walk (KLAS)

William Matchko, LVMPD Police Captain and South Central Area commander has walked this road before and said he hopes it reminds patrolmen of their impact on the neighborhoods they protect.

Its important for our officers to engage with the community, he said. Get out of their cars, shake hands, make a new friend, and let them know we are there to support them.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill walked alongside other community partners who engaged with passersby about their area.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill at the second annual Big Walk (KLAS)

McMahill pointed out that the extending of a friendly word by police officers is a good first step toward a larger issue facing the community, noting the changes from this walk would not be immediate but rather working toward a long-term goal.

This effort, again, is to radically change the neighborhood, he said. Weve seen these kind of things work in our community, Bolden Area Command, is probably our greatest success story.

Tick Segerblom, Clark County Commission Chairman, spoke during the community block party about the importance of awareness for a neighborhood in need.

Tick Segerblom, Clark County Commission Chairman at the second annual Big Walk (KLAS)

The truth is this is the kind of area where we need to focus, he said. Make sure people understand we are here to protect them, help them and provide servicesincluding the police.

South Central Area Command has seen an increase in robberies by 21% and prostitution incidents by 175% in the past year but has also curbed car thefts and property-related crimes, according to crime statistics from South Central Area Command.

Some organizations sought to offer resources to the community such as the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada, Family 2 Family, and the LV Reach Community Help Center among others.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Rep. Shri Thanedar's campaign is alleging one of his most significant primary challengers failed to submit enough valid petition signatures to appear on the Democratic primary ballot for Michigan's 13th Congressional District this August.

In a news release sent Tuesday evening, the Democratic congressman from Detroit's reelection campaign says it's challenging the petition signatures submitted by Adam Hollier, a former state senator who finished second to Thanedar in the Aug. 2022 primary for the 13th District. Hollier, however, told the Free Press Thanedar is attempting to disenfranchise voters and is using "legal tricks" to keep him off the ballot.

Michigan Sen. Adam Hollier

Thanedar's campaign says it's challenging 791 of the approximately 1,555 signatures submitted by Hollier's campaign. It alleges several reasons why the signatures shouldn't be accepted, including potential duplicate signatures, signatures from voters registered outside the 13th District, signatures from people not registered to vote or registered at wrong addresses and potentially forged signatures.

"Some of the signatures, the handwriting, look like just one person doing it all," Thanedar said in a Tuesday interview. "It just looks, in general, like the quality of the work seems questionable."

State Rep. Shri Thanedar, representing the third district, talks to the crowed gathered at the Cass Community Social Services Taylor Park in Detroit on Thursday, July 28, 2022. The social service agency hosted a "Get Out the Vote" community day along with giving out free haircuts to kids

Longtime Michigan political consultant Mark Grebner reviewed the signatures at Thanedar's request, according to an affidavit submitted by his campaign.

Thanedar's campaign says it's asked the Wayne County Clerk's office to investigate the signatures. Ultimately, it's the Board of State Canvassers that will determine who appears on the August primary ballot.

If the signature challenge is unsuccessful and Hollier ends up on the primary ballot, Thanedar said "(w)e'll be happy to engage and show the voters the work that I have done in the job for nearly a year and a half now."

The 13th District covers part of Detroit, several Downriver communities and most of the Grosse Pointe communities. Its heavily Democratic lean makes the primary extremely competitive.

Hollier is one of four primary challengers vying to oust Thanedar after a single term, in a field that also includes Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters. He received the second-most votes among five Democratic candidates in the 2022 primary, receiving nearly 3,800 fewer votes, almost five percentage points, than Thanedar.

He's touted several notable endorsements, including from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and former U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, among others. Hollier said he ultimately believes he will end up on the primary ballot, despite Thanedar's challenge.

"I think Detroiters and people in the 13th Congressional District should be deeply frustrated that their Congressmember is trying to disenfranchise their ability to vote," Hollier said.

Along with Hollier and Waters, attorney Shakira Lynn Hawkins is running in the Democratic primary to challenge Thanedar, according to the Secretary of State's office.

Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com. Follow him on X (Twitter) @arpanlobo.

Looking for more on Michigans elections this year? Check out our voter guide, subscribe to our elections newsletter and always feel free to share your thoughts in a letter to the editor.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Thanedar challenging Hollier's petition signatures for Detroit seat
Slain 'Midtown Jane Doe,' Who Vanished in 1960s, ID'd Using DNA of 9/11 Victim's Mother

Patricia Kathleen McGlone disappeared around 1969, and was found bound and strangled under a Manhattan building in 2003, police say

NYPD 'Midtown Jane Doe' has been identified as Patricia Kathleen McGlone

In 2003, construction workers found the body of a teen female who'd been bound and encased in cement under a Manhattan building, per police

With evidence from the scene, the NYPD says they traced the case back to 1969

The teen, initially named "Midtown Jane Doe," has finally been identified more than 50 years since her disappearance, police say

A teenager who vanished in New York City in the 1960s  and whose remains were found in 2003  has been identified after authorities connected her DNA to the relative of a 9/11 victim.

The cold case involving the teenager's body, which was found under a Manhattan building, has been traced back to around 1969, when the 16-year-old vanished from her Brooklyn neighborhood, New York Police Department Detective Ryan Glas said, per NBC New York and CBS News.

On Feb. 10, 2003, construction workers at a Manhattan building that was set to be demolished discovered a body that was encased in cement.

"When knocking through a concrete floor, a skull rolled out," Glas told NBC New York.

According to investigators, the body was in the fetal position and bound with an electrical cord, NBC New York and CBS News reported. The body was buried in a carpet and encased in the cement, per authorities.

The medical examiner said the teen died from strangulation, per CBS News.

The victim was initially labeled Midtown Jane Doe, NBC New York and CBS News reported. More than 20 years later, police say they have now identified her as Patricia Kathleen McGlone.

The identification came after investigators pieced together bits of evidence that had been collected over decades.

When McGlone was found, police reportedly found a ring with her initials on it, Glas said, per the outlets. They also found a 1969-minted dime, which eventually led investigators to establish a timeline, per NBC New York.

Police were not able to identify her in the decades after her body was discovered, but in 2017, the cold case of the Manhattan Jane Doe was reopened, CBS News reported.

Police began applying modern forensic science using DNA evidence, per the outlet. They created "a suitable genetic profile," Glas said, which helped them link the profile to a list of potential relatives.

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.

Authorities were not immediately able to trace her origin, however, since both her parents had died and she did not have any siblings, per CBS News. However, police obtained the DNA of a maternal cousin who turned out to be the mother of a 9/11 victim who had submitted her DNA after the terrorist attack.

We were able to match that they were from the same family," Glas said, per NBC New York.

McGlone grew up in Brooklyn and attended Catholic school, Glas says, according to NBC New York. She was not reported missing by her family, and Glas says she may have run off voluntarily and gotten married, per CBS New York.

USA Today reports that according to Glas, school records showed that McGlone dropped out before getting married at age 16 and possibly having a child with her husband.



The outlet reports that it's not clear what happened to her child or husband.

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Read the original article on People.
Slavery and colonialism did not make Britain rich, and may even have made the nation poorer, a new study has found.

The riches of the slave trade were concentrated in a few families while the nation footed the bill for extra military and administrative spending, according to a book by Kristian Niemietz at the Institute of Economic Affairs.

Profits earned from overseas engagement were large enough to make some individuals very rich, but they were not large enough to seriously affect macroeconomic aggregates like Britains investment rate and capital formation, he said.

Mr Niemietz argued that that the slave trade had little overall impact on the economy or the countrys ability to industrialise.

He said: The transatlantic slave trade was no more important for the British economy than brewing or sheep farming, but we do not usually hear the claim that brewing financed the Industrial Revolution or sheep farming financed the Industrial Revolution.

It comes amid a heated debate over Britains imperial past. Caribbean states have demanded reparations from Britain, while more than 100 British families whose ancestors benefited from the slave trade, including former BBC broadcaster Laura Trevelyan, have pledged to seek ways to make financial amends.

Former BBC broadcaster Laura Trevelyan has pledged to make financial amends for her ancestors' role in the slave trade - David Levenson/Getty Images

By contrast, leading figures including Kemi Badenoch, the Business and Trade Secretary, have hit back to argue that Britains wealth was not built on imperialism.

She hailed the report as a welcome counterweight to simplistic narratives that exaggerate the significance of empire and slavery to Britains economic development.

She added: It was British ingenuity and industry, unleashed by free markets and liberal institutions, that powered the Industrial Revolution and our modern economy. It is these factors that we should focus on, rather than blaming the West and colonialism for economic difficulties and holding back growth with misguided policies.

The paper argues persuasively that colonialism played a minor role in Britains economy, and may have actually been a net negative after accounting for military and administrative costs  a reminder that state overreach is always an expensive endeavour.

Mr Niemietz found that while the empire did deliver some modest gains for the British economy, it came with eye-watering military and administrative costs and so may have failed any cost-benefit test.

He said that although Britain overall profited little from slavery, its effect on its victims was devastating.

The regions affected still struggle today with what the economist calls long-term scarring from imperialism and slavery, pointing to evidence places that were once subject to short-termist colonialist extraction continue to have worse institutions today and are poorer as a result.

Colonialism and slavery were not zero-sum games that benefited the colonisers at the expense of the colonised, he found. It was more like a negative-sum game, which hurt the latter without really benefiting the former.

He said the biggest example of a highly profitable colony was Belgiums rule over the Congo, often singled out as a particularly atrocious form of colonialism. It may have claimed up to 10 million lives.

But most nations appear to have benefited little from colonialism or slavery, he said, with industrial development in particular instead powered by other factors.

Germany industrialised before it established a significant empire, for example, while Japan was relatively poor by Western standards in its imperial era, only becoming wealthy in the second half of the 20th century.

The best predictors of how rich or poor a country is today are economic policy and governance indicators such as the Economic Freedom Index and the Ease of Doing Business Index, Mr Niemietz said.

This tells us a lot more than whether or not a country was involved in the slave trade, how many colonies it once possessed, or how long it held on to them.

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Slovakia gives protection to man accused of running pro-Russian influence campaign, media say

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Slovakia has given temporary protection to a Ukrainian and Israeli citizen who is accused of running a pro-Russian influence campaign via a news website and is under Czech sanctions, Czech media reported.

Czech newspaper Denik N cited two unnamed sources as saying Slovakia's interior ministry had granted Artem Marchevskyi temporary protection status.

Marchevskyi was placed on a Czech sanctions list in March after Czech intelligence services said he ran the Czech-registered Voice of Europe website. Prague said he had used the website to spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda and disinformation under instruction from pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk.

Reuters was unable immediately to confirm the Denik N report, or Marchevskyi's status. Marchevskyi could not be reached for comment.

Slovakia's interior Ministry said in a statement that it had been dealing with the case along with intelligence services, but declined further comment. It said it would provide more details after completing its investigation.

Denik N, in its report published on Tuesday evening, said that after Prague imposed sanctions on Marchevskyi, he had headed to Slovakia, where a new government led by Prime Minister Robert Fico has been warmer to Moscow than its predecessor and has ended state military support for Ukraine.

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Marchevskyi was granted temporary protection in the Czech Republic as part of European Union efforts to help people fleeing the fighting.

Czech officials expected him to lose that status 60 days after his inclusion on the sanctions list, depriving him of EU residency.

Fico's position on Russia has caused unease among some of Slovakia's EU allies, especially in central Europe, where the Czech Republic and Poland have been staunch supporters of Ukraine during the war.

(Reporting by Jason Hovet, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Net Revenue: Reached $773.2 million, an increase of 89.9% year-over-year, falling short of the estimate of $833.6 million.

Net Loss: Widened to $67.27 million from $31.21 million in the previous year, falling short of the estimated loss of $35.87 million.

Basic EPS: Reported at -$0.40, below the estimated -$0.23, reflecting a 74% increase in loss from the prior year.

Adjusted EBITDA: Improved significantly by 194.2% to $121.2 million, driven by strong contributions from new acquisitions and organic pricing growth.

Operating Loss: Increased to $44.85 million, influenced by $61.3 million in transaction and integration costs from the Argos USA acquisition.

2024 Guidance: Adjusted EBITDA forecast raised to between $970 million and $1.01 billion, reflecting positive business momentum and operational efficiencies.

Capital Expenditures: Projected to be between $430 million and $470 million for the full year 2024.

On May 1, 2024, Summit Materials Inc (NYSE:SUM), a leading producer of aggregates and cement, disclosed its financial results for the first quarter ended March 30, 2024, through its 8-K filing. The company reported a significant revenue increase but faced challenges that led to a net loss and an operating loss during the quarter.

Summit Materials operates through three segments: West, East, and Cement, providing materials essential for the public infrastructure, residential, and non-residential end markets across 21 U.S. states and British Columbia, Canada.

Summit Materials Inc (SUM) Q1 2024 Earnings: Revenue Surges Amidst Challenges

Fiscal Performance Overview

The company's net revenue reached $773.2 million, marking an 89.9% increase from $407.3 million in the same quarter the previous year. This surge was primarily fueled by the partial quarter impact of the newly acquired Argos USA assets, which contributed $378.5 million. Despite the revenue boost, Summit Materials reported an operating loss of $44.9 million, a significant increase from the $15.5 million loss reported last year, and a net loss of $67.3 million, compared to a $31.2 million loss in the prior year period.

The losses were largely due to $61.3 million in transaction and integration costs associated with the Argos USA acquisition. Adjusted EBITDA saw a substantial rise by 194.2% to $121.2 million, reflecting strong contributions from the new cement assets and robust organic pricing growth across all business lines.

Segment and Operational Highlights

In the aggregates business, net revenues slightly increased by $1.9 million to $145.5 million. However, aggregates sales volume decreased by 7.3%, affected by poor weather and subdued residential activity, although average selling prices for aggregates rose by 10.8%. The cement segment notably improved, with net revenues jumping to $231.8 million and adjusted cash gross profit margin increasing to 30.6% due to pricing gains and operational efficiencies.

The products business, which includes ready-mix concrete and asphalt, saw revenues double to $359.1 million. However, the adjusted cash gross profit margin in this segment declined to 12.3%. Notably, organic sales volumes of ready-mix concrete decreased by 15.1%, impacted by reduced residential activity, though pricing grew by 8.3%.

Strategic and Financial Outlook

Summit Materials' CEO, Anne Noonan, expressed optimism about the company's trajectory, citing effective integration of businesses, strong pricing momentum, and an improved synergy outlook. Consequently, the company has raised its full-year 2024 guidance, projecting an Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $970 million to $1,010 million and capital expenditures between $430 million to $470 million.

The company's strategic acquisitions, particularly of Argos USA, are set to strengthen its market position, despite the short-term financial impacts reflected in increased operating losses. With a solid balance sheet and a promising pipeline of acquisition targets, Summit Materials appears well-positioned for sustained growth.

Conclusion

While Summit Materials faced significant challenges in the first quarter of 2024, marked by increased losses due to acquisition-related costs, the substantial growth in revenue and strategic expansions paint a promising picture for the future. Investors and stakeholders may look forward to potential value creation driven by operational improvements and market expansion strategies.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from Summit Materials Inc for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


ST. LOUIS  A group of Saint Louis University students is planning to hold a pro-Palestinian, anti-war protest Wednesday evening on campus grounds.

This follows a demonstration Saturday at Washington University that ended with 100 arrests, including students, faculty, and community activists who gathered to protest the war in Gaza.

Ahead of the protest, several notable figures at Saint Louis University and within the City of St. Louis have offered statements on the planned protest.

SLU President Statement

Saint Louis University President Fred Pestello addressed members of the SLU community in a letter prior to Wednesdays planned protest. It reads:

Dear members of the SLU community,

You may be aware that students and other St. Louis community members have announced plans for a rally on SLUs campus this evening at the clock tower.

I write today to share  and emphasize the need for  a sense of calm and a commitment to our Jesuit mission and values.

As we did in October 2014, we intend to meet peace with peace, permitting our students to engage in advocacy while ensuring that the work of the institution continues.

SLU is committed to free expression and civil discourse, as outlined in our Policy on Speech, Expression, and Civil Discourse. That policy is clear: We embrace engagement with challenging ideas as a necessary  if sometimes uncomfortable  component of our mission to pursue truth. However, violence, threats, intimidation, harassment, and disruptions to University operations are not permitted. Student conduct expectations are outlined in SLUs Student Handbook.

The University is also committed to the safety and well-being of the entire SLU community  especially our students, whom we are entrusted to mentor and guide. It is my expectation that any visitors to our campus will share the same commitment.

We have created a number of plans to ensure that faculty, staff and students can continue to teach, learn, study and work on campus this evening. We encourage you to wear or carry your SLU ID to ensure you can access the campus spaces you need to.

It may be helpful to know that SLU students have organized a number of rallies and protests on our campus since last November. While at times loud, all of these demonstrations have been well-managed, student-led, and peaceful. This is largely due to the planning and leadership of our student leaders, who have worked with DPS leadership on site to support student safety.

Over the past several months, we have established guidelines and routines that have served us well. This evening, SLU leaders from across divisions will continue to engage with SLU student leaders to ensure the safety and well-being of our community:

Protestors have been permitted to gather and rally, as long as their demonstration remains non-violent and does not severely disrupt studying, teaching, ministry, research and other critical University work.

Anyone who threatens violence or engages in harm to persons or property will be escorted from the area.

Anyone who engages in harassment or discrimination will be escorted from the area.

We recognize that there are members of our community who have felt anxious or fearful because of the very presence of these protests. We are making intentional efforts to reach out to those students, faculty and staff and to provide proactive support to them. Please remember that a range of well-being resources are available for SLU faculty, staff and students  do not hesitate to access them or to refer them to others.

During my tenure here at SLU, we have, on numerous occasions, transformed moments of conflict into opportunities for challenging dialogue and deepened understanding. I ask that you let our mission and values continue to guide you in the days ahead  to listen even when it is difficult, and to demonstrate in real ways how we care for one another.

Mayor Jones Statement

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department issued this joint statement ahead of Wednesdays planned protest:

The Jones Administration and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are aware of a protest planned on St. Louis Universitys (SLU) campus this evening.

SLUs campus is contained within the boundaries of the City of St. Louis and SLU does not have their own law enforcement agency. Therefore, the Mayors administration, SLMPD, and SLUs administration have been in contact for the past several days to coordinate plans to ensure the safety and security of all parties involved.

Mayor Jones and SLMPD unequivocally express our support for the First Amendment right to assemble and engage in nonviolent protest. Peaceful protests will not be met with force by SLMPD. There have notably been several peaceful protests in the City of St. Louis since October that have not resulted in any action by SLMPD. This includes several protests on the issue of the Israel-Hamas war.

The St. Louis University campus is private property and SLMPD will be responsive to the requests of university leadership to maintain a safe environment. The University has a history of supporting peaceful protest and our expectation is that the protest tonight will match that precedent. We ask the entire community to recognize that the rejection of violence is central to ensuring a safe environment for all.

It remains our top priority to ensure that all members of the community are safe. In the event of physical altercations, damage to school property, or harassment of students, staff, or faculty, SLMPD officers are prepared to engage to ensure safety.

We appreciate that St. Louis University is working diligently to provide clarity to its community regarding their expectations for this evening. Peace will be met with peace.

The world events that have brought us to this moment are challenging institutions and their communities across the globe to have difficult conversations. The City of St. Louis is a community capable of those conversations and prepared to engage one another in a respectful and productive dialogue.

Megan Green Statement

Megan Green, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen President who also attended Saturdays protest, offered the following remarks in response to Jones statement:

I want to thank Mayor Jones and Chief Robert Tracy for their commitment to preserving the publics right to demonstrate peacefully in our city.

In 2014 Saint Louis University established itself as a model for engaging with student-led demonstrations rather than escalating tensions during the Ferguson movement

Diplomacy, not violence, is the most effective way to bring about lasting change.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Images and video released by Columbia University show overturned and stacked furniture, broken windows and other damage in the aftermath of the seizure and occupation of Hamilton Hall by protesters and its clearing by police Tuesday.

The images from inside Hamilton Hall show overturned chairs, tables and other furniture. Protesters broke windows and caused other damage at the occupied hall, university officials said and images showed. Barricades had also been set up.

In videos released by the university, police with riot helmets and other equipment are seen inside the building, near the piles of furniture, recycling bins and other items. Panes of glass inside the building were also smashed.

New York police used a large vehicle with a ramp on it to get into the second-story window of the hall on the Manhattan campus, and they later reported that it was cleared and secured.

Police cleared the protesters in Hamilton Hall and at protest encampments at Columbia after Mayor Eric Adams said the protest against the war in Gaza has "basically been co-opted by professional outside agitators."

israel hamas conflict nypd columbia university hamilton hall entry (Kena Betancur / AFP - Getty Images)

"We cannot and will not allow what should be a peaceful gathering to turn into a violent spectacle that serves no purpose," Adams said at around 6 p.m. ET Tuesday, adding, "This must end now."Shortly after 9 p.m., police entered the campus after Columbia asked for their help.

"The events on campus last night have left us no choice," university President Nemat Minouche Shafik wrote in a letter to the police department.

Shafik has been criticized by students as well as faculty members for the university's response to protests against the war in Gaza, and she has been accused of silencing pro-Palestinian voices on the Ivy League campus.

columbia university hamilton hall unrest israel hamas conflict protest nypd riot gear broken glass door (Columbia University)

One of those critics was Debbie Becher, a professor of sociology at Barnard College, which is an official Columbia college, who said Tuesday night on NBC News that the administration for months "has continuously suppressed students speech."Columbia has said encampments had to go for safety reasons, but negotiations with students did not result in people leaving. The occupation of Hamilton Hall and the vandalism were "an untenable situation," university spokesman Ben Chang said Tuesday.

columbia university hamilton hall unrest israel hamas conflict protest (Columbia University)

Nearly 100 people were arrested, about 40 of them at Hamilton Hall, after police moved in to clear protesters at the universitys request, officials said.Shafik also asked police to keep a presence on the campus through at least May 17  two days after the scheduled May 15 commencement. An estimated 15,000 students are set to graduate, the university has said.

columbia university hamilton hall unrest israel hamas conflict protest (Columbia University)

Hamilton Hall has been occupied by protesters before, famously in the 1968 protest at Columbia against the Vietnam War.This year, police cleared an encampment protesting the war in Gaza on Columbia's South Lawn at the university's request on April 18. Over 100 people were arrested. Protesters then set up a new encampment.

Protesters at Columbia and at other universities have demanded that colleges divest from companies connected to Israel or the war in Gaza.

Israel went to war with Hamas in Gaza after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people, as well as taking hostages. More than 34,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
As Ukraines defenders and allies display a constellation of weaknesses, Russian forces are taking advantage and pushing forward in Donetsk Oblast.

The Russians have begun their assault of Chasiv Yar, while a complementary, flanking assault is slowly pushing up from occupied Avdiivka, in an attempt to cut the supply road from Kramatorsk to Kostiantynivka.

Chasiv Yar is the foyer of Kostiantynivka, a larger town that has served as an important Ukrainian military staging ground.

Their intention is to approach the main transit hubs and thereby render the defense of Donetsk (Oblast) systemically difficult to sustain, said Michael Kofman, a military scholar with the D.C.-based Carnegie Endowment.

In the past few days, this force breached Ukrainian defenses, overrunning Ocheretyne, a front-line village in Donetsk Oblast. The beleaguered defenders withdrew from several nearby villages on April 28, as Russia continued the pressure.

The infographic shows the Russian offensive on Ocheretyne as of May 1, 2024. (Lisa Kukharska / The Kyiv Independent)

Though theyve kept the Russians from breaking through, Ukrainian units are having a very hard time on this part of the front. There are many reasons, including Ukraines shortages of ammunition, supplies, personnel  and in some units, training, experience, and organization. Some have also complained about a lack of sufficient support and clear planning from the General Staff or government.

The full outcome remains to be seen. Kofman said that its the general view that Russia lacks the capacity to use its forces on a scale sufficient for a major breakthrough and cant sustain momentum.

But they can keep creeping like this and put at risk major transit hubs or supply roads nonetheless, especially if there are multiple advances pressuring the line, he said. .

The question is less whether Russia can exploit a breakthrough, its clear theyve been unable to do that, but more how deeply do Ukraines problems run, and how long will it take to stabilize the force.

Russia captured Avdiivka in February after a grueling four-month operation, with Russian combat fatalities reportedly climbing into the five digits. Moscow continued the offensive, relying on its ability to replenish forces mainly by recruiting the poor and the desperate lured by high military salaries, resilient domestic defense production, and weapon supplies from allies like North Korea.

The Russian assault force likely contains the surviving elements of four or five brigades that fought for Avdiivka, according to Pasi Paroinen, a satellite analyst with the Black Bird Group, an OSINT-community based in Finland. This force is advancing northwest along a railroad track, which is also the shortest path toward the strategic road going to Kostiantynivka.

A Ukrainian soldier stands in front of railroad station destroyed as result of Russian shelling in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine on March 15, 2024. On Feb. 25, the Russian army attacked Kostiantynivka from air, resulting in destruction of the city's railroad station and damage of a church, residential buildings, stores, educational institutions, and administrative buildings. (Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Russian forces likely found unmined routes along the railway, letting them do a sudden strike on Ocheretyne as Ukraines 115th brigade was being rotated into the area to replace the exhausted and diminished elements of the 47th. The Russians were able to drive the defenders away and take the village.

The capture of Ocheretyne has opened up tactical opportunities for Russians to widen the breach.

We saw this when other villages were quickly captured during the following days. Right now Russians seek to bypass and flank Ukrainian strongpoints, Paroinen said. To cause even more casualties and further strain the defenders.

Read also: Russian strikes overwhelm Ukraines overstretched air defense amid Western aid delays

If theres space, they go through, said Glen Grant, a retired UK military officer who has advised the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the past. And there is space because the numbers (of fighting men) keep dropping on the Ukrainian side that are not getting replaced by firepower.

Ukraine continues to struggle with severe ammunition and military supply shortages, as its most significant military aid was delayed for six months by theatrics in Washington. Even though the aid finally passed, it will take some time before Ukrainian forces get to use it on the battlefield.

Grant said that European allies would have to send many more shells for Ukraine to be able to do more than just try to hold the line. Though the EU promised to provide a million artillery shells by March 2024, it fell short of that goal, as member states have struggled to ramp up military production to a sufficient degree.

"Dragon's teeth" fortifications near the town of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, on April 2, 2024, amid Russia's invasion on Ukraine. The eastern city of Chasiv Yar is facing a "difficult and tense" situation, a Ukrainian army official said on March 25, 2024. If Russia took Chasiv Yar, it could step up attacks on the strategic city of Kramatorsk, which is already facing growing bombardment. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images)

A damaged Ukrainian tank is hidden on a road near the village of Novoselivka Persha on the outskirts of Avdiivka, Ukraine, on Feb. 3, 2024. (Wojciech Grzedzinski/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Whatever we get now will only staunch the blood flow, but we still need the operation, he said.

Ukraines fighting ability also continues to be hamstrung by ongoing internal problems, from the unit to the state level.

Kofman also said that there are issues with force structure, command echelon, and unit coordination within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. These issues are not new  theyve been a continuous factor throughout the invasion.

Inter-unit coordination is extra important during brigade rotations, especially in a very hot combat zone.

Read also: Russia throws thousands of troops to capture Chasiv Yar. Why is it so important?

Many military decisions are made at the brigade level, which affects brigades abilities to fortify their lines. A single brigade only has enough equipment to dig a forward fighting position.

Properly fortifying an area requires sustained attention from the center, which was very slow to prioritize building strong fortifications against the coming Russian offensives.

Different units can have inconsistent levels of training and organizational support. The 115th brigade rotated into the area was one of the new brigades of volunteer reservists created in March 2022.

In his April 29 video about the front, military journalist Yuriy Butusov said the brigade wasnt properly trained on how to fight as a unit, which drastically cut their effectiveness. He said the government didnt provide enough support to the unit before sending it off to fight.

Drone operators with the Ukrainian Security Service's Alpha unit prepare to launch first-person-view drones from the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant near Avdiivka, Ukraine, on Feb. 6, 2024. (Wojciech Grzedzinski/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

This tracks with what the Kyiv Independent has been told about similar units, such as the 110th, which defended Avdiivka. Soldiers speaking on condition of anonymity said the 110th also didnt get enough support, including with building fortifications. Expert observers said the order to retreat from Avdiivka came far too late, leading to casualties during the withdrawal.

Some Ukrainian forces in the area were only at several battalions strength, Paroinen said. The rest have suffered such heavy casualties that it would be logical to consolidate them.

Unlike Russia, which can replace the men it casually sacrifices for the time being, Ukraine is struggling with unit depletion and replenishment.

Solving this might run into the problem that the patriotic motivation that swept Ukraine during the early phases of the invasion was a finite resource.

The military leadership changes, mobilization scandals, and publicized conditions in Ukrainian units have done little to help replenish it.

Read also: Skynex: The German drone destroyer reinforcing Ukraines air defense

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Less than six months before Florida residents decide whether to pass Amendment 3, which will allow adults over 21 to purchase cannabis products for non-medical, personal consumption, Hialeah passed a resolution opposing the proposal.

If Amendment 3 passes, the City of Hialeah will fully advocate for and take proactive measures to maintain a social, smoke-free social environment within the city, states the resolution unanimously approved by Hialeah council members at an April 23 meeting. The mayor and City Council of the City of Hialeah oppose Amendment 3 to the Florida Constitution, Adult Personal Use of Marijuana.

The resolution does not, however, explain what proactive measures the city would take in the event that Amendment 3 passes in November.

Councilwoman Monica Perez, who proposed the resolution, stated that she has been working for several years to prevent the imminent impact that the approval of recreational marijuana could have on Hialeah.

I have been working since 2021 on an ordinance that prohibits smoking tobacco and e-cigarettes in our parks, knowing that in the future marijuana could be approved. By containing it, I wanted to include the term smoke-free in our notices, Perez said.

This resolution follows a debate in the April 9 session when Councilwoman Angelica Pacheco proposed to discuss creating an ordinance prohibiting marijuana, anticipating what could be voted on in November.

Although recreational marijuana is still illegal in Florida, Pacheco believes it is essential to establish regulations that discourage its use.

The councilwoman claimed at the previous council meeting, she had personally witnessed marijuana use outside a Publix supermarket in the city, where managers said that they would not receive much police support if they called authorities. But Mayor Esteban Steve Bovo criticized her comments saying asking the board to pass a piece of legislation that is unnecessary is totally useless.

The debate between the mayor and Pacheco became tense when Bovo stated, I know what youre trying to do, creating something that may not be necessary just to appear on the radio and talk about it.

Bovo sarcastically mimicked Pacheco, saying, What I propose is that we create an ordinance that says heroin use is illegal, fentanyl is illegal.

I understand youve only been a councilwoman for four months, but perhaps your time to honor yourself will come to an end quickly, Bovo said.

In response, Pacheco angrily replied, In your office, you told me that if I wasnt on your side, I wouldnt be successful. The mayor, rising from his seat, called her a liar in Spanish and, as he walked down the stairs from the chamber, referred to her as chusma (trash).

After the dramatic debate from the previous meeting, Perez reminded the council that Hialeah could only pass a resolution because they do not know what the voters of Florida will decide in November.

Is marijuana a problem in Hialeah?

The councils unanimous approval of the resolution is at odds with what reports show to be major concerns affecting the community.

Councilwoman Perez said that reports from the Hialeah Community Coalition show that the main problem facing young people is alcohol consumption and then tobacco.

We dont even have marijuana in the top substances our young people are exposed to, Perez said.

Jose Torres, Executive Officer of Hialeahs Police indicated that in the last three years, there have been 597 drug-related arrests, with only 38 of these for marijuana, representing 6.36% of the total detentions in the city.

Deputy City Attorney Barbara Govea, who worked for 19 years in the Miami-Dade County Prosecutors Office, explained that minor offenses involving marijuana possession and consumption had stopped being pursued in the county due to the difficulty police officers faced in determining whether the person was consuming cannabis or hemp, a variety of marijuana that has been legal in Florida since 2019.

This isnt the first time Hialeah has taken a stance against cannabis: In 2018, under the administration of Carlos Hernandez, the city passed an ordinance prohibiting dispensaries for the sale of medical marijuana in Hialeah.

The Hialeah councils resolution appears to be in line with Governor Ron DeSantis and other state officials, who also oppose the amendment, citing that the language of the amendment will make it difficult for the state to regulate the cannabis industry.

Recently, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced a historic shift in American drug policy, stating its intention to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. This decision could have far-reaching ripple effects across the country.
As part of his pity pageant, Humza (youve only got) Yousaf (to blame) posted a photograph on Twitter of himself reading a bedtime story to his small daughter. The caption read: Today of all days, remembering and being grateful for all the blessings I have in life.

Nauseating. Does the departing First Minister of Scotland really think he was doing the right thing for little girls like his own by pursuing gender identity policies which, if the SNP had its warped way, would have allowed children to carry on taking puberty blockers before proceeding to mutilation? Thats the thing about the advocates of progressive politics like Nicola Sturgeon and Yousaf. They accuse anybody who dares to oppose them of racism, misogyny and homophobia, while being the worst, most authoritarian bigots going.

Kate Forbes, who came second to Humza in the leadership contest, is one senior SNP figure who deserves some credit for standing firm against Scotlands appalling gender self-ID reforms, which would have allowed people to change their legally recognised sex faster than you can say, Sorry, that rapist showing his willy in pink Lycra leggings really doesnt belong in a womens prison.

Yet, since Yousaf stood down, it is Forbes, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, who has been under attack for being socially conservative. (Or reflecting the views of the majority of Scots still in possession of any moral sense, as its also known.)

Muslims are a minority group renowned for their social conservatism, but the SNP boys club had no difficulty electing a Muslim leader, even though Yousaf awkwardly skipped a key vote on gay marriage. (Anyone who thinks that was on purpose to avoid awkwardness within his gay-averse community is, of course, white and racist, which amount to the same thing in Yousafs chippy world view.)

You may recall that one of Yousafs first acts in office, after Sturgeon departed in a stinking cloud, was to organise a Muslim prayer session in Bute House. It was the opposite of inclusive. In fact, it looked very much like a defiant marking of territory by a man who gave a speech in the Scottish Parliament spitting contempt because so many senior positions in the country were held by white people. The fact that Scotlands population is 95 per cent white need be no bar to spurious allegations of institutional racism. He loves a hate crime, does Humza.

The real prejudice here is against Forbes. She has committed the cardinal sin of being a Christian in oh-so-tolerant Scotland and is being called names so that any fresh bid she might be considering for the leadership is sabotaged. Actually, the SNP allows conscience votes, as other parties do, on matters such as abortion. And the Free Churchs stance on moral questions is nearly identical to, if not more liberal than, official Roman Catholic positions. Christianity, it seems, is the only protected characteristic that doesnt count under the infamous Hate Crime Act (For the Protection of Humza Yousaf).

But who is the real danger to Scotland? To hold on to power, the SNP got into bed with the Scottish Greens, who give every appearance of being stark staring bonkers. Despite the fact that NHS England banned puberty blockers following the Cass Review, the Greens thought NHS Scotland should keep prescribing unproven drugs to vulnerable children. They also bitterly opposed the decision to suspend Scotlands statutory 2030 goal to reduce carbon emissions by 75 per cent, even though the Climate Change Committee recently stated that the target was no longer credible.

When the SNP finally succumbed to reality and moved to suspend both puberty blockers and the 2030 emissions goal, the co-leader of the Greens, Lorna Slater, accused them of being reactionary because they had betrayed the marvellous, progressive politics that has done so much to make Scotland the basket case it is today. (On Tuesday, the broadcaster and proud Scot Andrew Neil damned the Left-wing consensus that has damaged his country in every department, from education to health.)

To be fair, Slater has clearly spent so much time on the moral high ground that her brain may have been deprived of oxygen. Another explanation is that the poor woman is Canadian. Her native land now being the world capital of woke woo-woo.

Astonishingly, all mainstream news bulletins on Monday night solemnly repeated an outlandishly biased version of events. The Greens, viewers were told, were upset by the reactionary SNP  actually the farthest Left party in the UK. Meanwhile, Forbes, she of the rather sensible economics reforms, was a dangerous conservative because she doesnt believe you can turn boys into girls, or vice versa.

I am sick of reporters treating Left-wing ideologues and their deranged views with weird courtesy. Why are eco-crazies and trans advocates who threaten JK Rowling and MSP Joanna Cherry dignified with the term progressives? Why are Tories always far-Right but Humza Yousaf is never far-Left (which he is) or the authoritarian author of the demented Hate Crimes Act?

Such unmerited reverence and kid-glove treatment for the devolved Scottish government is what allowed Sturgeon, her now-arrested and charged husband, and their cronies to get away with so much for so long. Including a focus on identity politics and virtue signalling at the expense of the Scottish people. Hows that 110,000 SNP battle bus parked in the mother-in-laws drive, Nicola?

As I write, it looks very much like the Scottish Greens, who commanded a mere 1.3 per cent of the popular vote, have the whip hand when it comes to choosing the countrys new leader. He  almost certainly a he  will have to sign up again to those progressive policies. Hard to believe that 18th-century Edinburgh, home to Boswell the biographer, Hume the philosopher and Smith the economist  giants all  is now at the mercy of a Canadian called Laura.

Worth recalling Adam Smith, I reckon, so wise on human dealings. Man is an animal that makes bargains: no other animal does this  no dog exchanges bones with another. The SNP is right down to the bones now.

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South Bethany will hold an election Saturday, May 11, voting for a mayor and three town council members.

Residents of the southern Sussex County beach town can cast their vote at Town Hall, at 402 Evergreen Road, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Both the mayoral and council seats have a two-year term. South Bethany's charter requires at least four of the seven members of the Town Council (including the mayor) to be residents of the town. Because the two candidates for mayor are residents, and due to the makeup of the current Town Council, at least one of the three council seats up for election this year must be filled by a resident, according to the South Bethany website.

Two seats may be filled by a nonresident property owner, but there is no minimum nonresident requirement for the council.

Tim Shaw and Edie Dondero, both current council members, have filed for the position of mayor. Five people have filed for the Town Council seats:

Randall Bartholomew (resident, incumbent)

Robert Biciocchi (resident, incumbent)

Steven Gallagher (nonresident)

Robert Shields (nonresident, incumbent)

Robert Taishoff (nonresident)

Delaware Online/The News Journal sent all candidates an identical questionnaire. Their answers are listed below unedited. Randall Bartholomew did not respond by the deadline.

Tim Shaw, 72

Work history and other relevant experience: I began as a computer engineer and systems programmer in 1973 back when computers still ran on coal and filled several large rooms. I did a stint as a part-time College Professor, teaching graduate engineering courses. (Along the way I got a Masters and PhD.) I joined a high-tech startup in Baltimore in 1977 and eventually rose to be the VP of Engineering of the company, which was applying computers to automate industrial processes. I left to start my own process automation company and eventually sold it. I then became the CTO of a high-tech startup based in Florida, providing condition monitoring systems for wind turbines and cruise ships. We sold that company, and I spent a year getting a set of certifications in cyber security and was subsequently hired as a cyber security consultant to the Nuclear Regulatory Agency. I have spent the last decade helping domestic nuclear power plants to be cyber secure.

South Bethany mayoral candidate Tim Shaw.

What are the top three most important issues facing your town and how do you plan to address them?

Our town is generally safe, clean, and financially sound and so those factors dont need any special focus as they are being pretty well managed. As the Mayor I plan to focus on the bigger, long-range problems that are rather essential to the Towns well-being:

1. Combating the impacts of sea level rise which result in far too frequent flooding of our streets and homes, and which adversely impacts property values and safety. This is going to involve raising bulkheads, building berms, building up shorelines and managing storm water runoff better. The start is funding engineering studies focused on shovel-ready projects, and concurrently going after all available grant funding to help pay for the work.

2. Maintaining our beach and dunes to both protect the town from Noreasters and hurricanes and make them attractive to tourists, who we rely upon for part of our operating revenues. The major challenge here is convincing the State that funding to periodic nourishment is not a local issue, and shouldnt fall on the coastal towns, as the beaches generate a huge revenue to the state every year and because people from all over the state and region take advantage of the beaches. I plan to work with A.C.T. and other coastal Mayors on pushing that agenda.

3. Getting our canals dredged, which will aid navigability as well as water circulation and quality, and property values for canal-front homes. This will probably require the Town to issue a G.O. Bond, something we have never done, to provide the needed funds. Done properly, this could provide a revolving 10-year mechanism to fund periodic dredging into the future. I plan to explore bonding requirements and get guidance and aid from the Business School of the U of Delaware.

Edith (Edie) Dondero, no age provided

Work history and other relevant experience: I have served as a member of the South Bethany Town Council since 2021, currently in the role as Council Secretary. During my tenure on Council, I served as Chair of the Community Relations Committee, created and led a Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety Committee, and formed and currently lead the Towns new Resiliency Committee. I bring to the job professional experience in environmental conservation and land stewardship, municipal planning, and non-profit management, and skills in communications, strategic planning, and leadership.

South Bethany mayoral candidate Edie Dondero.

What are the top three most important issues facing your town and how do you plan to address them?

Our stormwater management infrastructure is failing. The inability of precipitation and stormwater runoff to drain off our roads is contributing to frequent flooding. This is a safety hazard for our residents who need to be guaranteed access by emergency vehicles, if needed, and assured safe ingress and egress from their homes. The Town should immediately develop a multi-year plan for repairing the existing infrastructure and assuring its functionality, and spreading the cost of this effort over several fiscal years. In addition, the Town should consider decreasing the amount of impervious surface permitted on residential lots to allow for more infiltration and less stormwater runoff. Rising sea levels are threatening our properties, particularly those on the west side of Town that are affected by the flooding of the Assawoman Bay. The Town should proactively plan for a continued rise in sea levels and more frequent flood events and take measures to increase the Towns resiliency. Along with repairs to the stormwater system, such measures would include raising infrastructure (roads, bulkheads) where appropriate, incentivizing resiliency-enhancing actions by homeowners, and amending the Town building codes as needed to accommodate these actions. Additionally, the Town should actively participate in regional efforts to address flooding issues across all the inland bays and adjacent coastal communities, and build relationships with the State and Federal agencies that could help lead this effort. The Town needs to engage in long-range planning. With significant infrastructure improvements needed, new annual expenses for water quality improvements, the need for canal dredging, and potential new costs for beach replenishment, developing a new comprehensive plan for the Town with significant input from residents is critical. A ten-year comprehensive plan developed with community input that documents and prioritizes project needs, estimates costs, and identifies potential funding sources should serve as a guide to the Council and aid in decision making and fiscal planning.

Steven Gallagher, 65

Work history and other relevant experience: I currently serve in a senior position within the Judicial Branch of the federal government. Previously, following my service in the U.S. Air Force, I served in the foundation, not-for-profit, advocacy, and legal education communities. I earned my Bachelor of Science from the College of Engineering and Technology of the Southern Illinois University (USAF-affiliated program), my Juris Doctor from Rutgers University School of Law, and my Masters in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.

South Bethany Town Council candidate Steven Gallagher.

What are the top three most important issues facing your town and how do you plan to address them?

Flooding: Flooding in town has gone from being a nuisance to being a life-safety issue. I am reminded of this every time I stand in the middle of the street with water up to my ankles. Emergency vehicles must be able to reach the entire town all day, not just during low tide. Sea level rise is inevitable. The failure of our stormwater system was not. Current town leadership, including incumbents running for reelection, have pledged to address these issues, but these are not new issues. I applaud Edie Dondero, her Resiliency Committee, and Bob Biciocchi for making a great start by accessing federal funds to start to address the life-safety issue on York Road. However, as I understand current council thinking, York Road will take priority in 2025, Cat Hill will follow in 2026 or 2027, and years later the town will consider Canal Road. This piecemeal approach over many, many years is insufficient. We cannot wait that long to address these issues. We need to lay out the options for the community and start to take more drastic action. Budget: Current town leadership has led us to a financial crisis. Even the outgoing mayor said that [i]ts the day of reckoning. (Coastal Point, April 18, 2024.) Fifteen years ago, he pledged to not raise taxes, and he kept his word. To accomplish this, the mayor and Town Council increased fees by over 500%, used one-time available funds for basic daily government operations, and neglected the towns infrastructure. According to the Coastal Point article, the mayor said that these avoidance techniques were now maxed out. Most recently, the mayor and Town Council closed the budget gap by drawing on the towns limited investments for basic daily operations while touting the no new taxes slogan. Not only is that approach not sustainable, but it has left us in a huge whole. Edie Dondero, who is running for mayor, and Bob Biciocchi have urged a different approach, but the rest of the current town council has proven itself to be not up to the challenge. A change in leadership is necessary. Community Engagement: I initially decided to run for Town Council to ensure that there would be an election. No one ran for an open seat last year, and no one challenged the incumbents the prior year. Elections are essential for the health of any community. Incumbents should be held accountable even if they are deserving of reelection. While many of us are not full-time residents, we all need to get more involved with the issues facing the town if we want it to stay the wonderful community that it is today. South Bethany is facing tough challenges. There are no easy answers, magic bullets, or simple absolutes. I can meld technical issues, legal issues, and public policy concerns into options for consideration by stakeholders. What does the community want and what is it willing to accept as a trade-off to get it?

Bob Shields, 73

Work history and other relevant experience: Naval Academy Graduate, Served 27 years in Cruisers and Destroyers  Captain of two of the six ships in which I sailed. Joined the Navy and saw the world. Ashore, I served as Congressional liaison to General Powell and the Secretary of the Navy. Retired from active duty as a Navy Captain.

Subsequently was an Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense in the Pentagon. I was present there on 9/11 and lost shipmates and friends. This focused the rest of my career on counter-terrorism. Following government service, I had a successful 20 year career in the defense and Intelligence Industry where my focus was on developing tools and processes to prevent another 9/11 attack. Fully retired now except for pro bono work.

As a 30 year homeowner in South Bethany, my primary goal in running for reelection to Town Council is to preserve this magnificent jewel of a Town for my kids and grandkids. Thus, my campaign slogan was developed by my Granddaughter  Give Bob the Job.

South Bethany Town Council candidate Bob Shields.

What are the top three most important issues facing your town and how do you plan to address them?

Issue #1 Counter Rising Sea Levels. Sea levels are predicted to rise by another 1.5 feet by 2050  regardless of what we do now to stop warming the oceans. South Bethany is already experiencing flooding in certain areas (York Road and Cat Hill) during modest storms. This flooding can be strong enough to prevent passage of emergency vehicles. With an additional 1.5 foot rise in sea level, we will be experiencing Hurricane Sandy level flooding events several times per year. This would destroy our community. I am currently on the South Bethany Resiliency Committee and fully focused on this task. We need to improve our ability to absorb ground water, clean out and maintain our storm drainage system and either raise bulkheads or develop an area-wide approach to counter storm surges. Raising bulkheads (we have 10 miles of bulkheads) will be very expensive. I would like to join with the Coastal Towns and pressure DENREC and the Army Corps of Engineers to restart the Back Bay Study (currently on hold due to funding concerns) which should develop such an area-wide approach. One potential concept would be install controllable flood gates at the Indian River and Ocean City Inlets. We need to start on innovative approaches like that NOW.

Issue #2 Canals and Water Quality: Our canals are an integral and extremely valuable part of South Bethany. They are a beautiful and vital recreational resource. We have done a good job in the past two years in cleaning out Spring algae  at a significant expense. We need to continue to investigate ways to do that in a cheaper manner. We also need to dredge the canals and maintain a strong flow through them to restore them to health. I remember catching and eating crabs out of the canals. We need to regain that experience. It will be expensive, and we have not yet found grants available for this. We need to work on ways to finance this and spread the cost of that investment to avoid major cash outlays in a short period.

Issue #3 Maintain Our Beaches: Our beautiful and extensive beach is our primary natural resource. It is essential that we protect it. We must maintain the dunes and ensure that we get periodic beach replenishment. We rely on federal and state assistance to achieve this so we must be persistent in making this case to our elected representatives. A worrisome development in this regard is the recent DENREC concept / study to require the Coastal Towns to share in the costs for replenishment. We must continue to advise our legislators  along with other Coastal Towns  that our beaches are a statewide asset that contributes a great deal to Delawares economy. They generate significant tax income to the state. The Coastal towns do not have the resources to fund this effort and  as with other statewide priorities like agricultural development  Delaware should fund the states share of beach replenishment costs.

Robert Biciocchi, 66

Work history and other relevant experience: I've been a full time resident of South Bethany since Fall 2020 and currently serve on Council the past 2 years. My career in Information Technology included executive roles in start up companies and consulting organizations. IBM acquired my last company and I managed the Smarter Cities-IBM program working with State and Federal government agencies to help modernize their infrastructures and processes. Today, I teach an entrepreneurial class for technology start ups that are working to commercialize research coming from our US Federal labs.

South Bethany Town Council candidate Robert Biciocchi.

What are the top three most important issues facing your town and how do you plan to address them?

1. Strategic Planning - The Town is now faced with several infrastructure improvements that require large capital investments. There has been a recent creation of a Strategic Projects Planning Initiative where long term critical infrastructure projects are considered by Council. Next, there will be a Capital Finance Plan that will outline sources of funds to accomplish these Projects. All of this planning needs to be transparent and communicated to residents for their input and support. It is important that this process transitions from one administration to the next in order to achieve results. Ive helped to shape and voted to create this procedure and will continue to review solutions and the financial planning to make them possible.

2. Flooding - There is an increase in flooding that is impacting a significant portion of the Town residential areas. It can make streets impassable to vehicles and even walking/biking for extended periods. This has serious public safety consequences if an emergency response unit is needed during these flood occurrences or if there needed to be an evacuation of the area. It also affects the rental property market and general use of the properties by the owners.

I have supported the formation of a Resiliency Committee that is undertaking an engineering assessment of remediation actions to moderate these conditions. Ideas such as raising road levels, higher canal bulk heads, and constructing a natural berm mound as a barrier to flooding waters are all part of the solutions mix.

3. Public Safety - One of the most important things for our residents and visitors is to participate safely in "life at the beach. There has been rapid increase of inland homebuilding and also regional tourism that has brought more people and traffic into the area. As Chair of the Bike and Pedestrian Committee I have co-sponsored and passed new ordinances to slow vehicle traffic and promote safe walking and biking to the beach area. I continue to push upgrades for better signage, street crossing devices, traffic calming methods to slow things down which is the number 1 contribution to public safety. As the current chair of the Charter and Code Committee I have co-sponsored changes in our Town ordinances that define safety procedures for building codes and to preserve set backs needed to sustain our special beach and canals environment.

Robert Taishoff, 59

Work history and other relevant experience: I graduated from Syracuse University in 1986 and from The Delaware Law School Widener University in 1989. I received my LLM in Litigation from George Washington University Law School in 2002. I served on active duty in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate Generals Corps from 1987 until my retirement in 2010. As a retired Navy Captain I served in a variety of leadership positions throughout my career; including Assistant Professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, Executive Officer at Trial Service Office Northeast, Command Judge advocate deployed aboard USS George Washington (CVN-73) and Director of Appellate Defense for the Navy and Marine Corps.

South Bethany Town Council candidate Rob Taishoff.

From 2010 until the end of 2023. I owned and operated Annapolis Yacht Sales and have served on numerous local and national philanthropic Boards, including 16 years on the Board of the National Down Syndrome Society where I held the position of Vice Chairman for two years and Chairman for 3 years. Im also a member of the Board of Trustees for Syracuse University.

What are the top three most important issues facing your town and how do you plan to address them?

I am firmly opposed to the development of Offshore Wind Power off our Coast. I will work to bring the CBA to a vote and I will vote against continuing are participation in this agreement. Development of comprehensive long-range plan to address the rise in sea water causing flooding to significant areas of the South Bethany Community. Develop a parking plan to ensure all residents have fair access to the Beach in South Bethany.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Mayor, 3 council members to be elected in South Bethany on May 11
Is your South Florida hospital safe for patients? Check these rankings to find out

MORE: SEE HOW YOUR HOSPITAL RANKED WITH THESE CHARTS

Some Florida hospitals do such a good job with patient safety that theyve propelled parts of the state into a nationwide Top 25 list.

But hospitals in the Miami-Fort-Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro area have fallen short in patient safety, with more than half of the hospitals getting a C in preventing medical errors, accidents and infections.

Thats according to a new report released Wednesday by the Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog nonprofit that has analyzed hospital data for more than 20 years.

Leapfrog gives A-F grades to hospitals nationwide twice a year for patient safety. The organization uses more than 20 factors, including rates of preventable errors, injuries and infections to help patients pick the best hospital near them for care. Some of the collected data is voluntarily reported by hospitals to Leapfrog and other data is collected from other sources, such as from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Overall, Florida hospitals have a very strong performance in patient safety, according to Katie Stewart, Leapfrogs director of health care ratings.

Heres what to know about the grades and rankings:

What the Leapfrog patient safety hospital report shows

 LeapFrog said it grades nearly 3,000 hospitals in the country twice a year on the very basics of medical care, such as hand-washing, entering prescriptions through a computer, and the availability of highly trained nurses. While you can look at a hospitals overall grade, you can also get a more detailed look at how your hospital ranked in categories including infections; problems with surgery; safety problems; practices to prevent errors; and how well doctors, nurses and hospital staff respond and communicate.

 Good news: Leapfrog said it noticed significant signs of improvement nationwide in patient experience and a sustained drop in preventable healthcare-associated infections after unprecedented rates during the height of the pandemic.

Patient experience is very difficult to influence without delivering better care, so these findings are encouraging, Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a statement. We were also pleased to see the decrease in preventable infections, which cause terrible suffering and sometimes death. When we look at these positive trends, we see lives saved  and that is gratifying.

 Five Florida metropolitan areas, including the Orlando and Tampa areas, made it into the Top 25 metro list for A hospitals in the country, a new feature of the nonprofits report. South Florida didnt make the cut. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro area ranked No. 69.

 Florida got kicked off the Top 10 list for patient safety and now sits at No. 12 in the watchdog groups new spring 2024 report, even though 75 hospitals received an A grade, slightly more then in the previous fall 2023 report. Stewart said this is because hospitals in other states also saw improvements, enough to move their states rankings above Florida.

In Florida, patients have many great choices on where they can receive care, but not all hospitals perform the same, Stewart said. Hospitals receiving an A Safety Grade are better at protecting their patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections, and have processes in place to prevent them.

 LeapFrog recommends people consider how well a hospital scores in hand-washing, reducing blood infections and patient falls when picking a place to seek care. Of course, if you have an emergency, go to your nearest hospital for care.

Best and worst South Florida hospitals for patient safety?

Ten hospitals in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties scored an A in this new report, nearly double than in the fall rankings. Eight hospitals got a B, 26 got a C and six got a D. No hospitals were given an F grade.

The rankings dont include specialty hospitals, including childrens hospitals such as Nicklaus near South Miami or Joe DiMaggio in Hollywood. It also doesnt include surgical centers, critical access hospitals and veteran hospitals, including the Miami VA. LeapFrog said this could be because the hospitals arent required to publicly report their safety record to the federal government, the hospitals are too small or they lack the necessary data.

Here are the hospitals that scored an A grade:

 Baptist Health Doctors Hospital, 5000 University Dr, in Coral Gables, kept its A score.

 Broward Health North, 201 E Sample Rd., in Deerfield Beach went from a B to an A.

 Baptist Health Homestead Hospital, 975 Baptist Way, kept its A grade.

 HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, 11750 SW 40th St., went from a B to an A.

 Baptist Health West Kendall Baptist Hospital, 9555 SW 162nd Ave., went from a B to an A.

 Memorial Hospital Miramar, 1901 SW 172nd Ave., scored an A once again.

 HCA Florida Westside Hospital, 8201 W Broward Blvd. in Plantation, kept its A grade.

 Baptist Health South Miami Hospital, 6200 SW 73rd St., scored an A, better then in the previous report, when it got a B.

 Larkin Community Hospital South Miami, 7031 SW 62nd Ave., kept its A grade.

 Jupiter Medical Center, 210 S Old Dixie Hwy. in Palm Beach County, kept its A grade.

Response from Memorial Healthcare System:

Dr. Ari Sareli, the chief medical officer for Memorial Healthcare System, told the Miami Herald in an emailed statement that while Leapfrogs safety scores are valuable, it is not a real-time snapshot of the hospitals current situation. He says some of Leapfrogs pivotal data points stem as far back as July 2020, when hospitals were feeling the strain of COVID-19 and no COVID vaccines existed. Memorial is dedicated to enhancing patient safety practices and expects to see better grades in the future once more updated data becomes available, he said.

Response from HCA Florida:

HCA Florida, which owns a variety of hospitals across the state and saw more than half of its facilities get a grade of B or higher, said it remains committed to clinical excellence in all areas of our hospital, including patient safety and noted that its hospitals have received recognition from other organizations such as Healthgrades for patient safety. The health system also criticized Leapfrog, saying that it no longer voluntarily provides data to the nonprofit because it continues to move away from evidence-based metrics and we believe outcomes are the best measure of quality.

Here are the hospitals that scored a D grade:

 Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Rd. in Miami Beach, saw its score go from a C to a D.

 West Boca Medical Center, 21644 State Rd. 7 in Palm Beach County saw its score go from a C to a D.

 Delray Medical Center, 5352 Linton Blvd., in Palm Beach County saw its score go from a C to a D.

 Florida Medical Center, 5000 W Oakland Park Blvd in Lauderdale Lakes kept its D score.

 North Shore Medical Center, 1100 NW 95th St. in North Miami-Dade, kept its D score.

 HCA Florida JFK Hospital, 5301 S Congress Ave. in Atlantis in Palm Beach County, kept its D score.

Response from Mount Sinai Medical Center:

Mount Sinai Medical Center, in an emailed statement to the Miami Herald, said it is constantly striving to deliver true clinical excellence, and a patient-centric approach to care. Mount Sinai said it does not voluntarily provide information to Leapfrog. The hospital also disputed its D grade, noting that its been on Healthgrades Best Hospitals list for five consecutive years and is also in U.S. News & World Reports Top 10 list for hospitals in Florida.

What about Miami-Dade and Browards public hospitals?

 Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Jackson North, Jackson West in Doral and Jackson South all scored a C, just like in the previous report.

 Memorial Hospital Miramar kept its A. Memorial Hospital Pembroke Pines was bumped down from a B to a C. Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Memorial Regional Hospital South and Memorial Hospital West kept their C grades.

 Broward Health Norths grade went from a B to an A. Broward Health Coral Springs kept its B grade. Broward Health Medical Center was bumped down from a B to a C. Broward Health Imperial Point kept its C grade.

Check your South Florida hospitals patient safety grade

Go to hospitalsafetygrade.org/ or use the chart to see how your South Florida hospital scored in Leapfrogs new report.

Best Florida metro areas for patient safety

Leapfrog also made a Top 25 list of metro areas with the most A hospitals. This is the first time the watchdog group has ranked metropolitan areas that have at least six graded hospitals and a population of at least 500,000 by the percentage of A grades received by hospitals in the area.

How Florida fared:

 The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area ranked No. 9.

 The Jacksonville area tied at No. 13 with the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton area and the Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pennsylvania metro area.

 The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area secured the No. 16 slot.

 The Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metro area tied at No. 19 with three other metro areas  Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado; Grand Rapids-Kentwood, Michigan; Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, Connecticut.

The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach metro area didnt make the cut. It ranked at No. 69. getting an A grade. The Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Pennsylvania-New Jersey metro area came out at No. 1.

Check your Florida hospital

To search for another hospital or to read the report for your hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org/
South Korea discusses joining part of AUKUS pact with US, UK and Australia

By Lewis Jackson

SYDNEY (Reuters) - South Korea has held talks about joining part of the AUKUS defence deal between the U.S., Britain and Australia, Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said on Wednesday, only weeks after the pact said it would consider including Japan.

Formed in 2021, AUKUS is a two-stage security pact to counteract China's growing power in the Asia Pacific region.

While a first stage to give Australia nuclear submarine technology is limited to the core trio, they have raised the possibility of other countries joining a second stage, or "Pillar 2", that aims to share other military technology.

South Korea could contribute to that second stage with its defence, science and technological capabilities, Shin said at a news conference after a meeting between Australia and South Korea's foreign and defence ministers in Melbourne.

"During today's meeting we also discussed the possibility of partnering with AUKUS Pillar 2," he said.

"We support AUKUS Pillar 2 activities and we do welcome that members are considering Korea as an AUKUS Pillar 2 partner."

South Korea, with its close ties to the U.S. and world-leading defence industry, has long been speculated as a potential Pillar 2 partner along with Canada, New Zealand and Japan.

Less than a month ago the AUKUS partners announced they were considering working with Japan on specific Pillar 2 defence projects and would hold talks over its involvement this year.

"Korea is a country with deeply impressive technology where we do have shared values," said Defence Minister Richard Marles.

"As AUKUS Pillar 2 develops there will be opportunities in the future, and we're seeing that play out in relation to Japan as well."

China, a vocal critic of the pact, said in April that adding new members would destabilise the region.

Expanding the pact faces hurdles from strict U.S. restrictions on sharing technology, which Canberra and London worry could bog down the deal for all if new members are added too quickly.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday unveiled a plan to relax those restrictions and make it easier to transfer military gear and sensitive technology to Britain and Australia.

(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Sonali Paul)
(Bloomberg) -- South Korea is discussing participation in the Aukus security pact as a research partner, Defense Minister Shin Wonsik said, the latest major country in the Indo-Pacific to examine cooperating with the US-led group.

Most Read from Bloomberg

At an annual meeting of South Korean and Australian officials, Shin said there were discussions about how Seoul could contribute to Pillar II of the Aukus agreement, which focuses on research collaboration in areas of strategic significance such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

We welcome that Aukus members are considering Korea as an Aukus Pillar II partner, Shin said at a news conference in Melbourne on Wednesday. Koreas defense science and technology capabilities will contribute to the peace and stability of the development of Aukus Pillar II and regional peace. The ministers comments came via a translator.

South Korea is the latest country to explore the possibility of working with Aukus, with both Japan and New Zealand flagging their interest in recent months.

Aukus is a security partnership signed by Australia, the UK and the US in September 2021, designed to boost all three countries defense and research capabilities at a time of growing competition with China.

Under the first pillar of the Aukus pact, the UK and US will work with Australia to help Canberra field a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines by the 2030s. However, it is the strategic research partnerships under Pillar II of Aukus that interests regional partners including Seoul.

While Japan, New Zealand and now South Korea have all expressed interest in working together with Aukus partners, Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out any suggestion of formally expanding the pact beyond its initial three members in the short term.

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A 54-year-old man, a member of what federal prosecutors referred to as the Hoover Criminals Gang, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was found guilty of running a drug trafficking enterprise that distributed methamphetamine and crack cocaine, among other narcotics, out of his South Los Angeles storefront, authorities announced Tuesday.

From June 2017 to May 2018, according to a news release from the United States Attorneys Central District of California Office, Andrew Batman Tate engaged in drug sales out of his store, TNN Market, and directed his employees to do the same.

He and a co-defendant, 59-year-old Bobby Lorenzo Reed, also known as Zo and Z, who owned a South L.A. store called H&E Smoke and Snack, supplied each other with narcotics and were implicated in dozens of illegal drug transactions and referrals.

Reed is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence in this case after pleading guilty to federal narcotics charges in June 2022.

The 54-year-old was the lead defendant in an indictment targeting the gangs members and associates in an investigation dubbed, Operation Hoover Dam, the release noted. Prosecutors secured 10 convictions in the case, with Tate being the last defendant sentenced.

Toiletry thief in California makes off with more than $1K in deodorant

Tate participated in an extensive and long-running drug conspiracy to sell drugs, including methamphetamine and crack cocaine, in South Los Angeles, prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. Tates role in the drug conspiracy was significant; he was the head of the entire drug trafficking enterprise pumping drugs into a vulnerable area of Los Angeles.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the Los Angeles Police Department and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, investigated the case.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Net Income: Reported at $21.1 million for Q1 2024, up from $17.7 million in Q1 2023, exceeding estimates of $18.05 million.

Earnings Per Share (EPS): Achieved $0.23 per diluted share, surpassing the estimated $0.22.

Revenue: Totalled $488.4 million, slightly above the prior year's $487.8 million and exceeding estimates of $457.85 million.

Adjusted EBITDA: Increased modestly to $67.9 million from $67.1 million year-over-year.

Domestic Coke Segment: Revenue slightly increased to $459.5 million, with sales volumes growing to 996 thousand tons from 950 thousand tons.

Logistics Segment: Experienced a slight decrease in revenue and Adjusted EBITDA, with revenue falling to $20.6 million from $21.1 million.

2024 Full-Year Guidance: Reaffirmed, with expected Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA between $240 million and $255 million.

On May 1, 2024, SunCoke Energy Inc (NYSE:SXC), a leading independent producer of coke in the Americas, disclosed its first-quarter financial results for 2024 through an 8-K filing. The company reported a net income of $21.1 million, with earnings per diluted share of $0.23, surpassing the analyst estimates of $0.22 per share and net income of $18.05 million. Revenue for the quarter stood at $488.4 million, also exceeding the estimated $457.85 million.

SunCoke Energy Inc (SXC) Surpasses Analyst Earnings Projections in Q1 2024

SunCoke Energy operates through three segments: Domestic Coke, Brazil Coke, and Logistics, providing metallurgical and thermal coal alongside handling and mixing services. The company's strategic focus on maintaining full operational capacity at its domestic coke plants and delivering robust logistics solutions has significantly contributed to its current financial upturn.

Financial Performance Highlights

The company's revenue saw a slight increase from $487.8 million in Q1 2023 to $488.4 million in Q1 2024, driven by higher blast coke sales volumes and activity at domestic logistics terminals. This was slightly offset by the impact of lower coal prices on long-term contracts and reduced volumes at the CMT terminal. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was reported at $67.9 million, a marginal rise from $67.1 million in the prior year, reflecting efficient operational management and cost control.

Net income attributable to SXC rose by $3.7 million year-over-year, primarily due to reduced depreciation, amortization, and interest expenses. The earnings per share increase from $0.19 to $0.23 reflects not only improved operational performance but also effective financial stewardship.

Operational Insights and Segment Performance

In the Domestic Coke segment, revenues edged up to $459.5 million from $458.8 million in the previous year, with adjusted EBITDA increasing to $61.4 million. This segment benefited from an increase in coke sales volumes, though it faced challenges from lower coal prices affecting long-term contracts. The Logistics segment, however, experienced a slight decline in both revenues and adjusted EBITDA, primarily due to lower transloading volumes at CMT, despite higher volumes at other domestic terminals.

Story continues

The Brazil Coke segment maintained stable performance, aligning with previous year results, demonstrating resilience in its operations. Corporate and other activities also reflected consistent performance with slight fluctuations in financial metrics.

Looking Ahead

For 2024, SunCoke Energy anticipates domestic coke production to be around 4.1 million tons, with net income projected between $67 million and $84 million. The company expects adjusted EBITDA to range from $240 million to $255 million, with capital expenditures estimated between $75 million and $80 million. These projections underline the company's confidence in maintaining operational efficiency and financial stability.

SunCoke Energy's robust quarterly performance, coupled with a positive outlook for 2024, positions it well within the competitive coke production industry. The company's strategic operations and financial management not only provide a solid foundation for sustained growth but also enhance shareholder value in a challenging market environment.

Conclusion

As SunCoke Energy continues to execute its operational strategies and financial management, it remains a significant player in the coke production industry, poised for further growth and profitability. Investors and stakeholders can look forward to the company's continued success based on its strong Q1 performance and optimistic projections for the rest of the year.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from SunCoke Energy Inc for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Spotswood mayor tapes: 'The public needs to know' or they 'should have been destroyed'

The legal battle over whether recordings of Spotswood Mayor Jackie Palmer's interaction with police during an incident at Borough Hall two years ago should become public boils down to whether a Superior Court judge decides if the public has a right to see them or if they should be destroyed because they were made illegally.

Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Michael Toto has scheduled a hearing on May 10 to hear arguments whether the 10 recordings made in the course of an April 2022 incident when police were called to deal with a Black resident allegedly causing a disturbance at the municipal building should be released.

The controversy over the bodycam footage accelerated when Richard Sasso, president of the Spotswood PBA, filed a Superior Court lawsuit on Jan. 15 against Palmer and the borough, alleging violations of the state's Whistleblower Law and other charges.

The recordings, Sasso argues in his lawsuit, illustrate Palmer's "antagonism" toward police and possible inappropriate "racially charged" comments she made about the incident.

Spotswood Mayor Jackie Palmer

Gannett, the parent company of MyCentralJersey.com and the Home News Tribune, along with borough resident Steven Wronko have filed Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests for the recordings which Toto has released only to the attorneys of the parties in this case.

Toto wrote to the lawyers that his decision whether to release the recordings is based on whether they were made as "part of a continuous event," made surreptitiously or in contravention of the state's body-worn camera (BWC) law and the state Attorney General's guidelines.

CJ Griffin, attorney for Gannett, argues in her brief to Toto that "the public needs the whole story."

"The public deserves to see every video, as it will allow the public to verify whether the statements Sasso attributes to the mayor in his complaint are truthful," Griffin argues.

But Matt Moench, the attorney for Palmer, argues the videos "were improperly taken" and "the officers knew exactly what they were doing  improperly and surreptitiously recording the mayor outside the BWC policy."

Moench says the recordings, now in the hands of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, should have been destroyed.

He also contends the conduct of the police officers "raises even greater questions" about their actions "which should be taken seriously by the court. The actions were wrong, they were intentional and those actions should not be rewarded or even remotely justified."

More: Judge blocks Spotswood council's effort for special counsel in town's legal woes

Kathryn Hatfield, attorney for the borough, also argues the recordings should be destroyed because they were "surreptitiously made with no notice to the mayor for reasons we can only speculate."

Hatfield also maintains the interaction between the mayor and the officers was not part of a continuous event but "very clearly an administrative strategy meeting."

Hatfield concludes that "indiscriminate dissemination of the recordings in contravention of law and policy erodes public confidence more than it bolsters it."

But, in its brief, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office argues that keeping the BWCs activated during the officers' meeting with the mayor "was altogether appropriate under BWC policy and statute."

"It would have been inappropriate and potentially prejudicial  if the officers did not record their interactions with the individuals who requested service, especially if those conversations contained indications that  race may have been a factor in the request for service," the Prosecutor's Office wrote in its brief to the judge.

"Recording these interactions is consistent with the BWC policy that favors capturing police encounters in their entirety rather than through selective recordings," the Prosecutor's Office's brief continues.

Griffin concludes that the videos "provide neutral evidence of what occurred and the public deserves to see them."

"The public should also see and hear the mayor speak," Griffin wrote, "so it can judge whether her statements were 'racially charged,' as Sasso alleges in his complaint, and whether her interactions with law enforcement were proper."

Sasso's lawsuit is one of many that police officers have filed against the borough and even each other.

In the 45-page lawsuit, Sasso alleges Palmer repeatedly interfered in the police department and retaliated against him.

In one part of the lawsuit, Sasso details "racially charged" April 2022 incidents when a Black resident came to the municipal building and was allegedly confronted by Palmer.

More: Spotswood mayor trying to trample residents' constitutional rights, court papers charge

Sasso alleges that in surveillance he reviewed, he saw Palmer "being extremely antagonistic" and telling the resident he had to listen to her because she "is the mayor."

The surveillance also shows Palmer ignoring a police captain's advice to stay in her office rather than approach the man, Sasso alleges.

When the resident returned to the municipal building six days later, police were dispatched to the building because unnamed municipal employees felt unsafe because the resident was there, the suit contends, and they asked for police escorts to their offices.

But, during that time, the suit says, Palmer went on a "verbal tirade" because the man was not removed from the building.

The mayor allegedly said, "everyone is going to get an (expletive) chewing because if I (expletive) call downstairs and say get this (expletive) guy out of here," according to the lawsuit.

"I don't give a (expletive) if (expletive) Spotswood is on fire, there's got to be someone downstairs that can two foot this (expletive) stairs to find out what's happening," the lawsuit quotes the mayor.

After police called the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office to confirm the resident could not be ejected from the building because it would a violation of his civil rights if he were not committing a criminal act, Palmer was told of that directive from the authority that oversees all police departments in the county, the suit says.

But Palmer became "immediately hostile" and made "inappropriate comments," Sasso alleges, including "we need to control the perception of what's happening" and "I don't need BLM and the KKK fighting on our front steps over this."

The suit alleges that Palmer had the municipal administration initiate an Internal Affairs investigation into the police officers who were present because their bodycams recorded Palmer's comments.

That was done, Sasso said, as a legal strategy to block any potential OPRA requests for video footage of the meeting. One of the officers has since left the department.

Palmer has also suspended Police Chief Phillip Corbisiero and Acting Capt. Nicholas Mayo Jr., the two top-ranking officers in the Spotswood Police Department, on a litany of infractions, from incompetence and insubordination to discrimination and sexual harassment.

In January, Corbisiero filed a $2.5 million tort claim against the borough, claiming he has been subjected to a hostile work environment, harassment, retaliation, age discrimination and defamation by Palmer, Borough Administrator Brandon Umba and Assistant Business Administrator John Scrivanic, a retired Tinton Falls police chief.

Corbisiero alleges that he has been targeted for filing a lawsuit in 2020 with former Police Chief Michael Zarro alleging they were victims of age discrimination and whistleblowing retaliation against former Mayor Ed Seely and former Business Administrator Dawn McDonald. Zarro received an out-of-court settlement for $350,000 and Corbisiero received $120,000.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Spotswood NJ mayor tapes: Will the public get to see them?
SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  A Springdale man pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Monday to multiple charges including helping solicit a minor to join a gang, according to court documents.

Marco Ramirez, 21 (Courtesy: Washington County Jail)

Marco Ramirez, 21, was arrested on Oct. 5, 2023, for being an accomplice to soliciting or recruiting a minor to join or to remain a member of a criminal gang, organization or enterprise charge.

Ramirez pleaded guilty to that charge along with committing a terroristic act, fleeing in a vehicle and fleeing on foot charges, according to a sentencing order. He was sentenced to 20 years at the Arkansas Department of Corrections with 10 years suspended.

The terroristic act charge was related to a shooting that took place at a McDonalds on Joyce Boulevard in Fayetteville in April 2022, according to Washington County Prosecutor Matt Durrett.

His two-day trial was set to begin on May 1.

The arrest of a Springdale man raises questions in the community about gangs

Court documents said that on or between April 1 and April 30, 2023, Ramirez participated in beating a child with his fists as part of a gang initiation.

Washington County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Denis Dean confirmed that Marco Ramirez is the brother of Rogelio Ramirez, who was arrested in July 2023 on accomplice to soliciting or recruiting a minor to join or to remain a member of a criminal gang, organization or enterprise and simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm charges.

The Washington County Sheriffs Office said in an October 2023 social media post that Rogelio Ramirez is the alleged leader Savage Locos Street Gang.

According to an affidavit, a detective with the WCSO was investigating the Savage Locos gang in Springdale in May 2023.

A video filmed on April 7 was found on Rogelios phone which had been searched during a warrant that showed a gang ritual.

The video showed Marco and another person brutally attacking a juvenile with their fists in an identified backyard in Springdale, the affidavit said.

After the attack, the men and the juveniles engaged in a celebration and exchanged messages such as savage to the grave. The attack was identified as a beat-in by investigators.

RECAP: Four arrested for NWA gang recruitment

Rogelio Ramirez pleaded not guilty in August 2023 and has a June 4 court date.

Sebastian Martinez, 20, of Springdale, was also arrested in connection to the gang on Sept. 29. Hes accused as an accomplice to soliciting a minor to join a gang.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced on April 26 to six years in prison with three years suspended.

A former employee with the Washington County Juvenile Detention Center was accused of providing Rogelio Ramirez with information.

Clara Garcia, 31, of Fayetteville was arrested on June 23.

Tad Sours, a spokesperson for Washington County, said that Garcia was officially terminated on June 27.

Sours said that Garcia was first hired with the JDC in December 2017 before voluntarily leaving in March 2021. She was rehired with the JDC in December 2021 before being transferred to work in Judge Stacey Zimmermans juvenile court on March 1, 2023.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  A Middle Tennessee hospital has received a low safety grade from The Leapfrog Group, according to its latest report.

The hospital safety advocacy organization reported TriStar NorthCrest Medical Center in Robertson County received a D grade for hospital safety, making it one of the lowest-scoring hospitals in Middle Tennessee.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade ranks hospitals on a A through F scale based on how safe they are for patients. The grades are based on things like how well the hospital protects against patients contracting infections, the hospitals support network staff as well as patients, and the number of procedures in place to prevent errors or accidents.

The safety grade is a comparative measure against the average score of hospitals nationwide, according to The Leapfrog Group.

According to the report, the Springfield hospital scored worse than the average hospital for multiple preventative practices, including safe medication administration, handwashing, communication about medicines and communication about discharge.

Bicyclist seriously injured in hit-and-run crash on Charlotte Avenue

The average hospitals score was 93.42 out of 100, but TriStar NorthCrest scored a 75 for safe medication administration. According to the report, hospitals that score higher use bar coding technology effectively for all orders, meaning medication errors happen less frequently. For handwashing, TriStar NorthCrest scored 40 out of 100, compared to the average of 78.65/100.

Areas of improvement for the hospital also included accidental cuts and tears, harmful events, dangerous bed sores, patient falls and injuries, collapsed lung, responsiveness of hospital staff, communication with nurses and specially trained doctors care for ICU patients, per the report. All these areas saw the hospital score worse than the average hospital.

This is the hospitals third D grade in the last year-and-a-half, as it had a D in both the fall and spring of 2023, per Leapfrog. The hospital received a C grade in 2022 and 2021.

Despite the low letter grade, TriStar NorthCrest fared better than average in several categories, including C.diff infections, dangerous object left in patients body, air or gas bubbled in the blood, and doctors order medications through a computer.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

News 2 has reached out to TriStar NorthCrest Medical Center for comment.

Another Middle Tennessee hospital received a D grade from Leapfrog: Cookeville Regional Medical Center. According to Leapfrog, Cookeville Regional scored worse than average for MRSA infections, infections in the blood, UTIs, sepsis after surgery, death from serious treatable complications, blood leakage, kidney injury after surgery, serious breathing problem, harmful events, falls causing broken hips, doctors order medications through a computer, safe medication administration, handwashing, communication about medicines, and specially trained doctors care for ICU patients.

Other results from the Spring 2024 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade report show hospitals in the immediate Nashville area scoring A through C, with TriStar Centennial Medical Center scoring an A, Vanderbilt University Hospital with a B, and Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital, Ascension Saint Thomas West Hospital, and Nashville General Hospital all with C grades.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter stood high in the air in the bucket of utility vehicle as a crowd of a couple hundred shouted a countdown Tuesday afternoon. Then the mayor removed fabric covering a street sign to reveal the road's now-official name: Rondo Avenue.

The street, once the main commercial artery for St. Paul's historically Black community, was mostly destroyed when Interstate 94 was built in the 1950s and 60s. A part that remained as a frontage road was renamed Concordia Avenue in 1964 in honor of the nearby college.

But a few months ago, the City Council voted to restore the Rondo name to stretches of Concordia and St. Anthony avenues to match the street's historic footprint.

It was an emotional moment for those gathered at Tuesday's ceremony outside the Rondo Center of Diverse Expression, many of whom remembered a time when the avenue was a bustling hub for business and culture.

"I'm not going to go into what happened in the past; we know what that was," said former St. Paul City Council Member Russel Balenger, who grew up in Rondo and led the effort to restore the street name. "But maybe what some don't realize is what we were able to take from that  that we knew what community was, and we knew how to rebuild community."

About a decade ago, ceremonial street signs were installed to honor the Rondo name, but the council's recent actions made the change official. About $23,000 was allocated in the city's 2024 budget to pay for new street signs and assistance to property owners whose addresses will be affected.

North of the interstate, Rondo Avenue now runs between Western Avenue and Rice Street. South of the highway, it's bookended by Griggs and Mackubin streets.

"Although the freeway  took away our homes, our families, our businesses, it did not take away the spirit of Rondo, the spirit of the place that we continue to call home," said City Council Member Anika Bowie, who grew up in the neighborhood she now represents.

Carter, whose grandfather owned businesses in Rondo, christened the moment as a bridge connecting the community's past and future.

"It is a symbol  but it's a symbol of an enormous body of work that exists," the mayor said, aimed at making amends for past injustices.

Such efforts include Reconnect Rondo, the push for a land bridge capping the interstate; St. Paul's reparations commission, an advisory body exploring ways for the city to repair damage caused by systemic racism; and the Inheritance Fund, a program that Carter's administration launched to help former Rondo residents and their descendants with down payments and home repairs.

Music blared as current and former residents of the neighborhood mingled after the ceremony, catching up with those who returned for the occasion, including one Rondo native who now lives in the Virgin Islands. Organizers handed out keychains and cookies commemorating the day.

Balenger said that earlier Tuesday he'd received questions from friends asking where the event would be held.

"I got to tell them," he said, "on the corner of Rondo and Fisk."
Funding cuts jeopardize support for victims of crime in Stanislaus County. What can be done?

After the alleged perpetrators are put behind bars, the victims of crime often need help with the trauma. They need emotional support in court and assistance with filing claims for compensation.

The victim services unit in the Stanislaus County District Attorneys Office assisted 14,031 crime victims in the 2023 calendar year and helped 2,388 victims file claims with the California Victims Compensation Board for funeral expenses, medical bills and other costs.

Funding for the county program through the federal Victims of Crime Act amounted to $1.55 million in 2023, but the program is facing a $690,000 reduction in VOCA funding starting in October, a staggering 45% cut, said Cheryl Grogan, county victim services program manager.

Cuts this deep will absolutely impact our ability to serve crime victims as fully, effectively and timely as necessary, Grogan said by email. We need state or county intervention to fully support this program.

Charlotte, a Stanislaus County resident, said she believes her young granddaughter would not have survived the trauma of assault without the victim services. Charlotte asked that her full name be concealed to protect her grandchilds identity.

Mentally and emotionally, they were right there for us, Charlotte said. They were the best group of people I ever worked with, from the detectives to the victim advocates.

Members of the unit provided emotional support during the multiyear court case. Mental health counseling was among the services offered to the young victim, who was then 13. She probably received the most vital support from a victims advocate in court and an assistance dog named Honor. The dog remained at her side when she was on the witness stand.

My granddaughter is an animal lover, Charlotte said. As soon as she saw the dog, she latched onto her and would not let her go.

Charlotte said she was told by detectives the suicide rate among teenage victims of assault is high. Because of defense legal maneuvers, the court process dragged on for years. It was not until they received a letter that the assailant was in prison that her granddaughter perked up and didnt have to look over her shoulder anymore, Charlotte said.

Her granddaughter, now a young adult, still struggles with anxiety but is getting her life on track. This funding is extremely important, Charlotte said. It is a roller coaster. I am grateful they were there.

Despite lobbying by domestic violence coalitions, the state Office of Emergency Services announced in April a 43% reduction in VOCA allocations for the 2024 fiscal year. The allocation for county programs and nonprofit agencies that support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault is $87 million this year, compared to $153.7 million the previous year.

The funding cuts also affect the HAVEN center of Modesto, Court Appointed Special Advocates and the Family Justice Center of Stanislaus. Groups like HAVEN are trying to determine how the overall figure translates into a reduction of grant dollars.

May Rico, executive director of HAVEN, said via email that the center assisting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault is in a better position than some agencies. VOCA funding represented about 30% of HAVENs expenditures last year.

Some agencies in other counties receive 60% to 90% of their funding through VOCA, Rico pointed out. HAVEN has been dealing with the funding challenges for months, making cuts to legal staff who assist people with obtaining domestic violence restraining orders.

County programs and nonprofit agencies are hoping for approval of Assembly Bill 2432. It proposes larger fines for corporations that commit wrongdoing and would direct the money into a fund for crime victim services.

Victims of crime need assistance

Grogan, who has managed the unit for almost 10 years, said crime victims may need crisis intervention, grief counseling, a court escort to help them understand trial procedures and other help to pick up the pieces.

Many of the people receiving assistance suffered violence at home, while others lost loved ones to vehicular manslaughter or homicide.

State compensation is available for funeral expenses and burial costs, medical bills, lost wages and damage to vehicles or homes. Some victims may need help with recovering property that was taken as evidence in a court case, Grogan said.

The District Attorney victim services unit has 17 staff positions, though some are vacant. Other than two county-funded positions, the Victims of Crime Act accounts for 87% of the county programs funding, Grogan said.

She said the program already has taken losses because the VOCA funding does not keep pace with cost-of-living and negotiated salary increases. The major reduction announced last month could cost the program additional positions. The canine court escort, Honor, is semiretired but is still called on to assist as needed. A new facility dog, Janie, is undergoing training.

Grogan said the program is looking for ways to provide services for crime victims, regardless of the funding level.

If we have a smaller staff, we will always do the best we can, Grogan said. But we wont be able to meet everyones needs. We wont be in court with everyone.
Star on the Mountain lights up blue in honor of police

Star on the Mountain lights up blue in honor of police

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Tropicana Homes and Patriot Mortgage announced that the Star on the Mountain will light up in blue for the entirety of May in honor of El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association, El Paso Police Department, according to a press release sent by the El Paso Chamber.

This tribute expands on the local, state and national police week celebrations, which happen from May 12 throughout May 18, according to El Paso Chamber.

El Paso Chamber says this symbolic gesture honors fallen officers and the unwavering dedication and sacrifices of all law enforcement personnel. It also serves as a gesture of appreciation and support.

The lighting of the Star in blue symbolizes the deep respect and appreciation the El Paso community holds for its police force. It serves as a visual reminder of the bravery, dedication, and commitment our local law enforcement officers bring to their roles every day, read the press release.

Our police force is vital to the safety and well-being of our city, said Andrea Hutchins, president & CEO of the El Paso Chamber. Lighting the Star in blue is a gesture to show our gratitude and support for these brave individuals who protect and serve our community around the clock.

Interested in dedicating the Star in honor of someone special or an important cause? Visit elpaso.org/star-on-the-mountain, or call (915) 534-0500 for more details.

Additionally, proceeds from these lightings contribute to the ongoing maintenance and enhancement of the Star. Chaparral Wireless is the official internet provider for the Star on the Mountain, according to the El Paso Chamber.

Chaparral Wireless named official internet provider for the Star on the Mountain

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Starbucks is set to roll out its own version of boba in May, CEO Laxman Narasimhan said Tuesday.

"We are launching our first texture innovation, Pearls," he said.

Some Starbucks baristas have posted TikTok videos making drinks with "raspberry-popping pearls."

Starbucks is set to roll out its own version of boba at its stores this summer, more than two years after it first confirmed that it was testing drinks with pearls.

"For summer, we are launching our first texture innovation, Pearls," CEO Laxman Narasimhan told analysts at the company's earnings call Tuesday. "This is the first of more texture-based innovations that our customers can expect in the coming years."

The drink will be rolled out during the week starting May 6 as part of Starbucks' summer menu, he said.

Some TikTok users who appear to be Starbucks baristas have made videos of themselves making what they say are summer berry-flavored Refreshers from the coffee chain's upcoming range. Some of the drinks are served with raspberry-popping pearls.

Another video appeared to show a barista making an iced matcha with the pearls.

In December 2021, Starbucks confirmed to Business Insider that it was conducting a limited test of two beverages "made with coffee pearls" at two stores. A viral TikTok posted at the time appeared to show drinks called "Iced Chai Tea Latte with Coffee Pearls" and "In the Dark" on sale at a Starbucks in Palm Desert, California.

Boba, also known as bubble tea, is a Taiwanese drink typically made with milk, tea, and chewy tapioca pearls, which are created using starch from the roots of cassava plants. Sometimes, the chewy pearls are substituted for popping ones. It's usually served cold.

Iced and cold drinks are a crucial part of Starbucks' strategy: In the quarter to July 2023  the early part of the summer season  three-quarters of the drinks it sold were cold.

Starbucks has previously sold flavored iced oolong tea with flavored pearls in some Asian markets, including plum pearls.

Alongside boba, the coffee chain is rolling out a "new functional product, a zero to low-calorie handcrafted energy beverage" and more sugar-free customization options, Narasimhan said Tuesday.

Product innovation like this helps to "elevate the brand" and boost sales, Narasimhan said. He noted that Starbucks' range of lavender-infused drinks performed nearly as well in the quarter as the chain's famous Pumpkin Spice Latte.

The drinks with popping pearls have been a long time coming. Starbucks wants to roll out new products more quickly: It's working on halving its average product development cycle from the current 12-to-18 months, Narasimhan said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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Leading financial expert Suze Orman originally published her New York Times bestselling book, The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying, in 1997. Since its publication, the book has been converted to an online course.

Discover More: Suze Ormans 5 Social Security Facts Every Soon-To-Be Retiree Must Know

Check Out: 4 Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money

Unlike traditional financial management books, Suzes nine-step approach to money is based on emotions and the human spirit. Orman emphasizes that fear, shame and anger are the chief roadblocks to wealth.

Here are the nine steps to financial freedom, as outlined in her book.

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Identify a Money Memory

According to Orman, you can predict your financial future by first looking into your past. Certain events and words spoken in your youth can influence your attitude toward money as an adult. For example, losing money or something else thats valuable can instill a fear of losing money in the future. This type of fear can cause you to be a conservative investor and not trust others, such as financial advisors.

In this step, Orman notes that most peoples biggest problems are directly related to their early, formative experiences with money, and your greatest fears can block your path to financial freedom.

Find Out: 6 Reasons the Poor Stay Poor and Middle Class Doesnt Become Wealthy

Face Your Money Fears and Create New Truths

When you replace your money fears with new truths, you can begin moving in a positive direction. Maybe youre afraid of losing everything you have and becoming homeless. You may fear that if your spouse walks out, you wont be able to support yourself or your children. And how about the fear of losing your job and not being qualified for another position?

Ormans philosophy is that thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become habits and habits become destiny. Exchanging your old, crippling fears for new truths and repeating them every day until you believe them can produce a positive change in your financial life.

Muhammad Ali repeated strong and sometimes seemingly arrogant affirmations like, Im the greatest! He believed his words and in himself, and his truth became his reality.

Be Honest With Yourself

Taking control of your finances requires an honest look at your current situation. First, determine how much money you need to live on each month. Next, compare your income with your spending habits to understand your financial status.

Story continues

Orman believes that most people deceive themselves by thinking they need less money than they actually do to continue living as they currently are. Their projections are usually far off from reality because they forget to include irregular expenses, such as medical bills, vacations, holidays and insurance premiums.

Orman has a simple solution to rectify this problem:

Determine your monthly expenses by adding up your bank statements, your credit card statements, your canceled checks and anything else that shows how much youre spending. Make categories for each item and divide each category by 12 to determine your monthly living expenses. Add up all of your income. Subtract your spending from your income to see if you have enough money to meet your financial obligations with some savings left over.

Be Responsible for Your Loved Ones

Orman emphasizes that people should always come first. She says providing for the future of those you love is non-negotiable. This financial responsibility includes having:

A valid will or trust

A durable power of attorney for legal matters

An advance healthcare directive

Adequate life insurance

Long-term care insurance

Long-term disability insurance

An estate plan

Respect Yourself and Your Money

For many, the more they make, the more they spend. The opposite should be true: Spend less than you earn. If your company offers a good retirement plan, Orman suggests that you should invest the maximum amount, if possible, each month.

A simple trick to making yourself spend less is to put more into your retirement savings. Doing this will help secure your financial future, and youll train yourself to spend less, just as you did when you didnt earn as much.

In 9 Steps to Financial Freedom, Orman illustrates how disorganization can lead to a lack of money. Clutter equals disrespect and leaves little to no room for money to come in. She advises organizing your wallet and the money in it. Orman gives clients who struggle with disorganization homework assignments to clean and declutter their homes. Its about making room for what they really want in their life.

Trust Yourself

In money matters, trusting yourself means doing whats right for you and not being influenced by the Joneses or doing what everyone else is doing. If youre not comfortable with investing in the stock market, then dont take the risk. If you decide that investing is right for you, educate yourself, take charge of your portfolio and perhaps work with a financial advisor to manage it.

Even if you didnt learn about financial literacy in school, you dont have to feel ignorant about financial matters.

This step also focuses on owning what you want outright instead of leasing a high-priced item like a car. Orman also advises paying off all credit card debt to avoid a credit card crisis. Heres Ormans debt-payoff solution for financial freedom:

Total all of your credit card debt. Start paying for things with cash and save the change in a jar or some other secure container. At the end of every month, collect the change and put the extra money toward your credit card debt.

Be Open to Receiving All That You Deserve

Throughout Ormans life, she has discovered that giving to those in need makes her happier and often leads to her receiving even more. Its all about cause and effect.

Orman has observed that her more generous clients experience similar results. For new clients facing financial difficulty, she encourages them to consider giving more. Those who follow her lead often experience incredible financial gain.

In general, Orman suggests giving to parents in need, being cautious about giving to friends and relatives (including your children) and giving to charities whose work you value.

Understand the Money Cycle

No matter how well you plan financially, its important to familiarize yourself with the ebbs and flows of money. When planning your financial future, remember that money has its ups and downs.

If youre at a low today, it wont last forever. Try to turn every seemingly bad situation into a positive one. Financial setbacks can lead to financial success down the line, but Orman believes true wealth lies within every person.

Recognize True Wealth

If youre relatively young now, you might look back later and feel differently about whats important. What will you value the most?

Your net worth may be more important to you now than it will be years later. Your self-worth may be tied more to your health than how much money you have. Orman suggests deciding on whats really important to you and putting those things first. It takes time and attention to change the patterns of your mind.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Suze Ormans 9 Steps to Financial Freedom
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA)  Nearly one year after a Decatur mans murder, Illinois State Police are still investigating the crime and are again asking the public for help in solving the case.

James Taylor, 51, was last seen alive on May 10, 2023, and was reported missing two days later. On May 19, he was found dead in a rural area near his home in Decatur. He had been shot.

Danville man arrested after police chase in stolen car

State Police have asked twice for help in the case, in July and November of 2023. But the case remains unsolved.

Anyone who knows something about Taylors death is asked to submit their knowledge to either Decatur & Macon County Crime Stoppers at 217-423-8477 or an Illinois State Police tipline at 217-278-5004. All tipsters can remain anonymous.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
High-voltage transmission lines provide electricity to data centers in Ashburn in Loudon County, Virginia, on Sunday, July 16, 2023. The centers house the computer servers and hardware required to support modern internet use, including artificial intelligence. The county is home to the world's largest concentration of data centers. Tech companies like to place the centers here, partly because the region's proximity to the nation's traditional internet backbone allows the servers in those data centers to save nanoseconds crucial to support financial transactions, gaming technology and other time-sensitive applications. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

State Sen. Norm Needleman championed the 2021 legislation designed to lure major data centers to Connecticut.

The Democratic lawmaker hoped to better compete with nearby states, bring in a growing industry, and provide paychecks for workers tasked with building the sprawling server farms.

But this legislative session, hes wondering if those tax breaks are appropriate for all data centers, especially those with the potential to disrupt the states clean energy supply.

Particularly concerning to him are plans for a mega data center on the site of the states only nuclear power plant. The developer is proposing an arrangement that would give it priority access to electricity generated at the plant, which would mean less carbon-free power for other users.

That affects our climate goals, he said. Its additional demand of renewable energy that we would have to replace.

Needleman, co-chair of the Senate Energy and Technology Committee, is now reconsidering details of the state incentive program as he works on legislation to study the impact of data centers on the states electric grid. Mistakes now, he said, could lead to a real crisis.

Compared with other employers that states compete for, such as automotive plants, data centers hire relatively few workers. Still, states have offered massive subsidies to lure data centers  both for their enormous up-front capital investment and the cachet of bringing in big tech names such as Apple and Facebook. But as the cost of these subsidy programs balloons and data centers proliferate coast to coast, lawmakers in several states are rethinking their posture as they consider how to cope with the growing electricity demand.

From the outside, data centers can resemble ordinary warehouses. But inside, the windowless structures can house acres of computer servers used to power everything from social media to banking. The centers suck up massive amounts of energy to keep data moving and water to keep servers from overheating.

Data centers are the backbone of the increasingly digital world, and they consume a growing share of the nations electricity, with no signs of slowing down. The global consultancy McKinsey & Company predicts these operations will double their U.S. electric demands from 17 gigawatts in 2022 to 35 gigawatts by 2030  enough electricity to power more than 26 million average homes.

Some states, including Maryland and Mississippi, continue to pursue incentives to land new data centers. But in other states, the growth of the industry is raising alarms over the reliability and affordability of local electric grids, and fears that utilities will meet the demand by leaning more heavily on fossil fuel generation rather than renewables.

In South Carolina, lawmakers have started to question whether these massive power users should continue to receive tax breaks and preferential electric rates.

In Virginia, home to the worlds largest concentration of data centers, a legislative study is underway to learn more about how those operations are affecting electric reliability and affordability.

And Georgia lawmakers just passed legislation that would halt the states tax incentives for new data centers for two years. Georgia is home to more than 50 data centers, including those supporting AT&T, Google and UPS, according to the state commerce department.

Georgia Republican state Sen. John Albers, a sponsor of the Senate bill, said the significant growth of data centers in his state has helped communities and schools by boosting property tax revenues. But, considering factors such as water and electric use, he said the return on the states investment is not there and that initial findings do not support credits from the state level.

Nationwide, data center subsidies were costing state and local governments about $2 million per job created, according to a 2016 study by Good Jobs First, a nonprofit watchdog group that tracks economic development incentives. That figure has certainly ballooned in recent years, said Kasia Tarczynska, the organizations senior research analyst, who authored the report.

The Georgia bill now sits on the desk of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, whose office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Data Center Coalition, a trade group representing tech giants including Amazon, Google and Meta, is urging a veto.

Josh Levi, president of the organization, said data center companies are investing billions in new Georgia data centers, making metro Atlanta one of the nations biggest industry hubs.

Levi noted that lawmakers in 2022 extended the states tax credit program through 2031.

The abrupt suspension of an incentive that not only has been on the books, but that was extended two years ago, I think signals tremendous uncertainty, not just for the data center industry, but more broadly, he said.

Levi said the data center industry has been at the forefront of pushing clean energy. As of last year, data center providers and customers accounted for two-thirds of American wind and solar contracts, according to an S&P Global Market Intelligence report.

Fundamentally, data is now the lifeblood of our modern economy, he said. Everything that we do in our personal and professional lives really points back to data generation, processing and storage.

Electricity hogs

In fast-growing South Carolina, lawmakers have pointed to data centers as a major factor in rising electricity demand.

As part of a broader energy bill, the legislature considered a measure that would prevent data centers from receiving discounted power rates.

Republican state Rep. Jay West said inducements such as reduced power rates are appropriate for major, transformational endeavors. He pointed to the BMW factory in Spartanburg, which employs 11,000 people, draws in major suppliers and pumps millions into the state economy.

While data centers boost local property taxes receipts, they dont do much for the state, he said, and shouldnt receive preferential rates. And they are being built faster than new energy generation can be added.

I do not speak for my caucus or the [legislative] body in saying this, he said, but I dont think South Carolina can handle more data centers.

The House provision on data center utility rates was quickly struck in a Senate committee, the South Carolina Daily Gazette reported.

Lynn Teague, vice president of the League of Women Voters of South Carolina, said that change was made with no public discussion.

Teague, who lobbies the legislature, said South Carolinians, including more than 700,000 people living in poverty, shouldnt have to pick up the tab for tax or utility breaks for major data center firms.

We have companies like Google with over $300 billion in revenues a year wanting these folks to subsidize their profit margin at the same time that theyre putting intense pressure on not just our energy, but our water, she said.

Lawmakers saw data centers as a possible successor to South Carolinas declining textile industry when they approved the data center incentives in 2012, The State reported at the time. One Republican bill sponsor, then-state Rep. Phyllis Henderson, also cited North Carolinas success with data center incentives, saying South Carolina was just losing projects right and left to them.

But on the Senate floor earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, a Republican, described data centers as electricity hogs that arent really providing a whole lot of jobs.

Rippling effects

Virginia has been a hub for data centers for decades, touting its proximity to the nations capital, inexpensive energy, a robust fiber network and low risk of natural disasters. Now, Virginia lawmakers are increasingly scrutinizing the industry.

Thats in part because data centers have moved into traditionally residential areas, said Republican state Del. Ian Lovejoy, who represents a Northern Virginia district.

Theres no way to power the data center inventory thats being proposed and is likely to be built without substantial increases to the power infrastructure and power generation.

 Virginia Republican state Del. Ian Lovejoy

He sponsored two pieces of legislation this year affecting data center land use issues. One would have prevented data centers from building too close to parks, schools or neighborhoods; another would have altered land use disclosure rules for developers.

Theres no way to power the data center inventory thats being proposed and is likely to be built without substantial increases to the power infrastructure and power generation, he said. And thats going to have rippling effects far away from where the data centers are being sited.

Aaron Ruby, spokesperson for Dominion Energy in Virginia, the states predominant electric provider, said data centers, like other classes of customers, pay for the costs of their electric generation and transmission.

He said the company forecasts consumers monthly bills to grow by less than 3% annually over the next 15 years. That increase, he said, is due to the companys significant investment in renewable energy projects. While Dominion is all in on renewables, Ruby said it doesnt foresee being able to meet increasing demand with only renewables.

Thats just not physically possible, he said.

Dominion has pointed to data center growth as a key driver of its increasing electricity demand. In one state filing, the company said Virginias data centers had a peak load of almost 2.8 gigawatts in 2022.That was 1.5 times the capacity of the companys North Anna nuclear plant, which powers about 450,000 homes.

It is heart-stopping  just the scale at which these things are growing and the power theyre sucking up, said Kendl Kobbervig, the advocacy and communications director at Clean Virginia, a well-funded advocacy group pushing for renewable energy, campaign finance reform and greater oversight of utilities.

She said the state must address how data centers could undercut its clean energy goals and how the industry is affecting the utility bills of everyday households and small businesses.

Over the past two years, Clean Virginia has tracked more than 40 proposed bills related to data centers.

Most of those efforts stalled this session as some lawmakers elected to wait on the results of a study announced in December by the states Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.

The lack of action frustrated many lawmakers and residents.

I dont know exactly what the study is going to say that we dont already know, said Democratic state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam, who sponsored a bill that would have required data centers to meet certain energy efficiency and clean energy standards to be eligible for the states lucrative sales tax exemptions.

I think we already know that data centers take up a lot of power and present a lot of challenges to our grid.

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The post States rethink data centers as electricity hogs strain the grid appeared first on Virginia Mercury.
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A Statesville Police officer is among those shot and injured during Mondays fatal shooting in Charlotte, according to the Statesville Police Department.

Cpl. Casey Hoover, whos been with the department for eight years, was shot in his upper torso that was not protected by his bulletproof vest.

Hoover was transported by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to a level one trauma center in Charlotte where he underwent surgery, officials said. Hes in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery.

Over 100 rounds: AR-15 rifle among weapons seized at E. Charlotte home where 4 officers killed, 5 injured

With eight years of dedicated service to our department and two years with the CRFTC, Cpl. Hoover exemplifies the bravery and resilience of our law enforcement community, Statesville Police Chief David W. Onley said.

In September of 2023, Hoover received a promotion following corporal assessments by the Statesville Police Department. He began with the Patrol Division and is currently in the Criminal Investigations Division and serves as a member of the Special Response Team. Earlier in 2023, Hoover earned the rank of Master Police Officer.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
WASHINGTON  While pro-Palestinian protests have exploded at colleges across the nation, President Joe Biden has stayed largely silent about campus unrest that complicates his reelection campaign.

Biden has not addressed the protests in a speech.

Nor has he given any public remarks on the college protests at Columbia University and elsewhere in more than a week, with the White House instead issuing statements and addressing questions on the protests through spokespeople.

The approach underscores the no-win situation Biden faces. Biden has remained a steadfast defender of Israel's war against Hamas, putting him at odds with many young progressive voters in his race against former President Donald Trump.

He risks alienating himself even more with these young voters if he speaks out against the protests and applauds actions of university leaders and police to shut down student encampments. But if Biden takes a more forceful defense of the rights of protesters, he risks feeding new lines of attack to Trump and Republicans, who have tried to tie the president to the campus chaos and unlawfulness.

"The president is being kept regularly updated on what's happening," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday at a White House briefing as she was pressed repeatedly on why Americans haven't heard from Biden on the protests. "He is monitoring the situation closely."

More: Columbia faculty, students continue protests; UCLA cancels classes after melee: Live updates

US President Joe Biden walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on April 30, 2024, in Washington, DC. Biden is travelling to Wilmington, Delaware for a campaign event. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776139674 ORIG FILE ID: 2150347312

Even as arrests of hundreds of students have produced dramatic images over the past 24 to 48 hours, Biden's most recent comments on the campus protests came April 22, when he called on Americans to speak out against the "alarming surge of antisemitism" in a written statement.

Later that day, he told reporters, "I condemn the antisemitic protests" and added: "I also condemn those who dont understand whats going on with the Palestinians."

"No president has spoken more forcefully about combatting antisemitism than this president," Jean-Pierre said Wednesday. "Let's not forget, in 2017 he was very clear about the antisemitic vile that we saw on the streets in Charlottesville, (Virginia)  he called that out. And one of the reasons he stepped into the 2020 election is because of what he saw."

More: President Biden warns of 'alarming surge of antisemitism' after Columbia University protests

A reporter pushed back, noting that speaking out against antisemitism isn't the same as addressing protests unfolding in the present.

"The president has been very, very clear about this," Jean-Pierre reiterated. "He's taken action," she added, pointing to the administration's National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, which was released last May.

Todd Belt, professor and political management program director at George Washington University, said Biden knows that voters ages 18 to 29 were an essential part of the coalition that won him the 2020 election.

"He really can't afford to lose them. And he also knows that his party is split on this issue, and if he comes out strongly on one side or the other, he's going to alienate the other side," Belt said. "He's really in a catch-22 on this."

Belt said he believes Biden will eventually have to say more about the protests. "When you have members of Congress calling for the use of the National Guard, the president has to step in and be definitive about what, if and when he would do something like that," he said.

Biden is set to deliver the keynote address May 7 at the Holocaust Memorial Ceremony at the Capitol, giving him a prime opportunity to speak on the widespread protests.

NYPD officers detain people as they evict a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University, in New York City on April 30, 2024. New York police entered Columbia University's campus late April 30, 2024 and were in front of a building barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters, an AFP reporter saw.

White House officials have condemned the takeover of an academic building at Columbia, other illegal acts and the use of words such as "intifada," the Arabic word for rebellion or uprising, by protesters.

"Americans have a right to peacefully protest, as long as its within the law," Jean-Pierre said. "Forcibly taking over a building is not peaceful. Students have the right to feel safe, they have the right to learn, they have the right to do this without this destruction."

Although Jean-Pierre stopped short of explicitly endorsing the police responses at colleges, she said a "a small percentage of students" should not be able to disrupt the academic experience of others.

The campus unrest comes as the Biden administration is seeking to secure a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that would allow for the release of some of the more than 130 hostages remaining in Gaza.

For months, Biden has been the target of pro-Palestinians protesters who have shadowed his events and coined the name "Genocide Joe."

As arrests were unfolding Tuesday night at Columbia, Trump called into Fox News' telecast to assess Biden's response.

Hundreds of police officers stand near Columbia University April 30, 2024 as they get ready to rid the campus of protesters.

"Biden is supposed to be the voice of our country. And it's certainly not much of a voice. It's a voice that nobody's heard," Trump said. "I don't think he's able to do it. I don't think he's got what it takes to do it. But he's got to. He's got to strengthen up and he's got to be heard."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Biden stays mostly silent amid college campus chaos
Republican Reps. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) and Mike Turner (Ohio) are calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to open a criminal referral into former President Trumps ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, for making contradicting statements to a congressional panel in 2019.

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Turner, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, and Stefanik claimed Cohen knowingly made false statements while testifying before the Intelligence Committee in 2019.

The lawmakers reference Cohens testimony made in Trumps civil fraud trial last year, in which he answered no when asked if he was honest during his congressional testimony. When asked if he lied under oath during his 2019 testimony about the former presidents personal financial statements during a deposition, Cohen said yes, the lawmakers noted.

The letter, dated May 1, is a follow-up to the two lawmakers initial criminal referral sent in November, when they first recommended the Justice Department pursue charges against Cohen.

To date, we received no response from the Biden Justice Department regarding this criminal referral. This is unacceptable, the latest letter stated.

A criminal referral urges prosecutors to take action but is largely symbolic and does not carry any legal weight.

The letter comes as Cohen, Trumps onetime personal attorney, is widely expected to be a star witness in the New York district attorneys case against the former president on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

The charges are centered on a hush money payment Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 to stay quiet about an alleged affair with Trump.

In Cohens 2019 testimony before the congressional committee, he said Trump did not ask him to inflate the numbers detailed in his statements of financial condition, which looked into the value of the Trump Organizations various assets.

Then, while testifying last fall in Trumps civil fraud trial, Cohen said Trump did direct him and Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organizations former chief financial officer, to reverse engineer the former presidents assets in order to achieve the number that Trump had tasked us with.

Cohen, who has served jail time for crimes that included lying to Congress, later tried to clarify his comments, telling attorneys Trump speaks like a mob boss and [tells] you without specifically telling you what to do.

Stefanik and Turner argued the DOJ is showing a double standard after the prosecution of Steve Bannon, the onetime aide to Trump, and Peter Navarro, Trumps former White House adviser.

The obvious implication is that you have politicized and weaponized the Biden Justice Department to help your boss and hurt his political enemy. You are trying to protect the reputation of an admitted perjurer, one who just so happens to be set to testify against former President Trump in New York, the lawmakers wrote.

A spokesperson for the DOJ confirmed the receipt of the letter, but declined to comment further.

Stefanik is a staunch ally of Trump and has repeatedly defended him in the wake of various legal challenges. A day earlier, Stefanik filed an ethics complaint against special counsel Jack Smith, alleging he is attempting to unlawfully interfere with the 2024 election through the federal election subversion case.

The Hill reached out to Cohens lawyer for comment.

Updated at 4:55 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Some of the weapons and ammunition recently discovered stolen from two Colombian military bases might have ended up in the hands of armed gangs in Haiti, according to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who warned that arms smugglers have created alliances with corrupt members of his countrys military.

While describing the theft of the weaponry as a grave issue, Petro also warned that part of the military supplies could have ended up in the hands of Colombian guerrillas and other local armed groups. Besides ammunition, the missing supplies include explosives, hand grenades and anti-tank missiles.

The weapons were destined for third parties such as armed irregular groups in Colombia... and probably for groups involved in foreign conflicts, the closest being Haiti, Petro said on Tuesday from the presidential palace in Bogota.

More than a million rounds of ammunition have been lost, he said, as well as explosives, grenades and weapons such as missiles from the military bases at Tolemaida, 75 miles southwest of Bogota, and La Guajira, near the northern border with Venezuela. There have been networks made up of people from the military and civilian forces dedicated to a massive arms trade for a long time, the president added.

The missing equipment was detected amid reports that foreign smugglers have been supplying weapons to Haitian gangs, feeding the growing spiral of armed violence gripping the country. Amid a two-month-long insurgency by armed groups in Haiti, gangs have seem to have an endless supply of ammunition, raising questions about their origin.

Experts following the trafficking of arms into the country also note the presence of newer heavy-caliber weapons popping up in the hands of gangs, raising suspicions about whether they could be coming from nations other than the United States, the leading source of illegal guns and ammunition to Haiti.

Petro did not say if his government has specific evidence suggesting that part of the stolen equipment was sent to Haiti, but pointed out that the Guajira base is only seven hours away by fast boat from the Caribbean nation.

The discovery was the result of inspections of military bases in the center and northern sectors of the country between February and April, which found that ammuition and weapons were missing, said Petro, who did not disclose the caliber of the armaments. The audits also showed that thousands of grenades and anti-tank charges were also missing, as well as 550 rockets and two missiles.

In Haiti armed groups have attacked hospitals, police stations and the premises of the countrys newspaper, Le Nouvelliste, as they continue to tighten their hold over the capital, Port-au-Prince. Even the downtown premises of the National Press, home of the governments official newspaper, Le Moniteur, hasnt been spared.

Earlier this week, the Office of the U.S Secretary of State for the Integration of People with Disabilities said that disabled individuals living at the St. Vincent Home in downtown Port-au-Prince were victims of an attack by armed groups. The home is now among several facilities and government structures in the downtown area of the capital that have been targeted by gangs that have vandalized or looted training schools and the National Library.

Petro, wearing a military cap while meeting with journalists at the presidential palace on Tuesday, described the theft of Colombias weaponry as a scandalous act of corruption involving officials in charge of protecting the state.

The missing weapons were detected amid his governments efforts to fight corruption. One of the main goals is to separate members of the public force from any criminal association, he said.
The Sacramento City Council will this month consider listing a building that formerly housed a bank on the citys historic register, which would halt plans to demolish it for a Shake Shack.

The building, at 1950 Arden Way, is a former Home Savings and Loan, according to the city staff report. Its at the busy intersection of Arden Way and Exposition Boulevard, near the Arden Fair Mall.

In August, the owners of the building approached the city about a proposal to demolish the building and replace it with drive-through fast food restaurants, the staff report stated. An evaluation by Sacramento firm Dudek found it lacked historical significance necessary to be listed on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources.

The evaluation was circulated to neighborhoods and architecture experts. Preservation Sacramento and several other groups submitted comments to the city claiming it did indeed belong on the register. City staff along with the citys Preservation Commission agreed, prompting council consideration.

If the council adds it to the register, it could technically still be demolished, but the process would be more complicated because it would be subject to various environmental regulations, city spokeswoman Kelli Trapani said.

But if it is added to the register, the project would not be able to go forward, said Charles Smyth of Newport Beach-based Market Street Development.

The developer is planning to build a Shake Shack at the property, Smyth said. It would be the second location in Sacramento County for the popular East Coast-based burger chain, which opened a restaurant in the midtown Ice Blocks in 2020.

The second restaurant that would open at the property would also have a drive-thru, but would mostly be a sit-down restaurant with non-disposable silverware and plates, Smyth said. The third building could be a restaurant or another type of retail use, and would not have a drive-thru, Smyth said.

The building has been vacant for at least five years, and the firm has been trying hard to find tenants for two years without success, he said. A large regional medical provider was in escrow to use it for an imaging center in 2021, but that plan fell through, he said.

Its not a great office location, its more of a retail location, Smyth said.

The building is one of several Home Savings and Loan buildings in California.

To people who lived in California during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the local Home Savings and Loan buildings were distinctive and immediately recognizable, the staff report stated. They helped foster an interest in local history and helped to create a sense of place in a rapidly changing world. They were important buildings in their time period and their high-quality materials, design, and artwork were rightly seen as a gift to the community and urban landscape. 1950 Arden Way is an excellent late example of the work of Millard Sheets.

Sheets designed over 100 buildings for Home Savings, the report stated. The three-story Arden Way location is one of the largest and most visible of the sites in Northern California. It also contains small glass mosaics and murals, all in the late new formalist style.

A similar former bank building downtown was redeveloped into a since-closed bar, restaurant and event space, and city staff believe a reuse could also be feasible on Arden Way, the report stated.

The council plans to consider the item May 28, but the date could change, Trapani said.
Storms were isolated to start and now clustering together on its march farther east into the first half of Thursday.

On Thursday, there is a Marginal Risk a storm or two reaches severe thresholds basically along and east of the Turnpike. Damaging winds and hail are primary concerns before we get a break on Friday.

That said, Friday evening after 7 PM, new thunderstorms and rain will move into the northwest corner of Kansas. This tracks east/southeast across the state into Saturday morning. A storm or two could produce brief gusty winds and small hail.

Another system gels to the south of us on Saturday. Some rain and storms may fire across southern Kansas, but the bulk of the energy and moisture stays in Oklahoma and Texas.

We may gain a few more raindrops on Sunday out of this wave before we anticipate another round of severe weather early next week. Strong to severe storms are possible especially across central and eastern Kansas next Monday afternoon through the evening.

We will need to watch this system closely.

Once it departs by Tuesday, we are looking at a quieter stretch when it comes to severe storms. Temperatures look comfortable once the cold front tracks across the state early in the workweek.

KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman:

Wichita:

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, breezy. 60% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 63 Wind: SE/S 10-20

Tomorrow: Mostly to partly cloudy, breezy. 60% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 74 Wind: S/N 10-20

Tomorrow Night: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 50 Wind: N/NE 5-15

Wichita Weekly

Fri: Hi: 74 Lo: 54 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.

Sat: Hi: 72 Lo: 53 Partly to mostly cloudy, breezy. 30% chance of showers and storms.

Sun: Hi: 72 Lo: 59 Mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.

Mon: Hi: 80 Lo: 58 Mostly to partly cloudy, windy. 30% chance of showers and storms.

Tue: Hi: 82 Lo: 58 Partly cloudy, breezy.

Wed: Hi: 78 Lo: 53 Partly cloudy, windy.

Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
Student at Arlington Sam Houston wont face charges after shooting toy gun at teacher

A student accused of shooting a toy gun at Sam Houston High School in Arlington on Tuesday will not face charges, police announced in a news release.

Officers immediately responded to the campus at around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in response to a report that a student may have brought a fake weapon on campus.

Investigators determined a student had an Orbeez gun and fired a gel pellet at a teacher, according to the release.

The employee was not seriously hurt and did not wish to press charges against the student, police said. School administration will handle any disciplinary actions.

Classes were already dismissed when the report was made. Officers determined the school did not need to be placed on lockdown, the release states.

The incident comes a week after an 18-year-student was fatally shot outside of Arlington Bowie High School.

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Tanzania has conducted the inaugural test run of a train on its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) between major port city Dar es Salaam and its capital Dodoma, with Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa flagging off the train on its first journey.

Part of the Tanzanian Governments $10bn SGR International Strategic Railway programme, the new railway is scheduled to begin services in July, with the inaugural trip carrying a group of local religious leaders to trial passenger operations to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Tanzania.

Prime Minister Majaliwa said: Today is a historic day towards the culmination of sixty years of the Union of the United Republic of Tanzania, the launch of the Railway line from Dar Es Salaam - Dodoma shows that there are still a few steps left for us to start the official journey.

The ceremony launching the inaugural service also saw the government assure Tanzanians that the 627km line would open by July 2024, with 65 of the 89 passenger carriages ordered for the services already delivered.

The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) also confirmed that nine of its new 19 passenger and cargo locomotives had been delivered, while just one of 10 Hyundai Rotem EMUs on order was now in its possession.

Despite the celebration of the beginning of passenger trials, the TRC said it was particularly keen to begin similar trials for cargo operations on the line.

Ndugu Masanja Kungu Kadogosa, director general of the TRC, said: We are very much waiting for the cargo carriages because that is where there are more economic benefits and opportunities.

Development on the Dar es Salaam to Dodoma line continues the heavy investment put into Tanzanias rail infrastructure in recent years, with the country also recently welcoming a $200m loan from the World Bank to improve the existing rail line between the port city and Isaka.

"Tanzania launches first test run on Dar es Salaam to Dodoma line" was originally created and published by Railway Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







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Tents, flags and other supplies remain at Deering Meadow on Northwestern University's campus in Evanston, Ill. on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, a day after the university and protest organizers announced an agreement which largely ended anti-war demonstrations that have lasted days. (AP Photo/Melissa Perez Winder)

CHICAGO (AP)  For five days, the shouts of student protesters and supporters rang out from Northwestern Universitys Deering Meadow as they joined demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war unfolding on college campuses nationwide.

But the meadow on the suburban Chicago campus fell silent hours after student organizers and the school announced an agreement late Monday to curb protest activity in return for the reestablishment of an advisory committee on university investments and other commitments.

By Tuesday, only two unoccupied tents remained, surrounded by abandoned folding chairs, cases of bottled water and other supplies.

By quickly defusing the protests in Evanston and avoiding the longer standoffs that happened on other campuses, the agreement at Northwestern offered an example of successful negotiations between anti-war demonstrators and administrators. Brown University announced a similar deal on Tuesday, while administrators at Johns Hopkins University focused talks on limiting student protests to daytime hours.

Still, the arrangement drew dissent from both sides.

Some who are protesting the war in Gaza condemned the Northwestern agreement as a failure to stick to the original demands of student organizers. Some supporters of Israel said the deal represented cowardly capitulation to protesters.

The deal lets protests continue through June 1 but bars all tents except one for aid supplies. The pact also prevents people without ties to Northwestern from participating and requires school permission to use loudspeakers or similar devices, according to copies made public by the school and the student organizers.

University administrations across the country have used a variety of strategies in response to the protests. In some places, police have arrested dozens of people. Elsewhere campus leaders have sought to negotiate over protest strategies while allowing them to continue.

Northwestern said the terms include penalties for students who fail to comply, including suspension.

This agreement represents a sustainable and de-escalated path forward, and enhances the safety of all members of the Northwestern community while providing space for free expression that complies with University rules and policies, said a statement from President Michael Schill, Provost Kathleen Hagerty and Vice President for Student Affairs Susan Davis.

The American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League Midwest criticized the university, arguing that the deal succumbed to the demands of a mob and did little to make Jewish students on campus feel more secure.

The pro-Palestinian tent encampments began sweeping across the country after a crackdown at Columbia University when police arrested more than 100 protesters on April 18. On Tuesday night, Columbia called police back again to clear protesters who had occupied a campus building.

Around the country, protest organizers at U.S. universities say they are building a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war. One of several groups that planned the anti-war protests at Northwestern was Jewish Voice for Peace.

In Instagram posts about the deal, protest organizers said the reestablishment of the advisory committee is a first step toward divestment  an original demand that the school stop investing in all companies profiting from the war.

University representatives did not reply to messages seeking more information on the advisory committee's role or the history of a similar body at Northwestern. The agreement said the committee would include students, faculty and staff.

The protest organizers also noted Northwestern's commitment to build a house for Muslim student activities and to raise money for scholarships going to Palestinian undergraduates.

But the organizers seemed to anticipate disappointment. They said they view the deal as just a beginning and that they will continue to pressure administrators.

We have seen incredible momentum grow in support of our movement in these past few days and will not let it go to waste, a post on the NU Divestment Coalition's Instagram account read. We consider this to be a prime moment to take stock, recharge, plan, and build power. But we have much work ahead of us and we will not stop now.

Eden Melles, a graduate student among the Northwestern protest organizers, said Tuesday that reestablishing the advisory committee is huge," but she also understands criticism of the agreement.

I know that a lot of students and people, community members, are disappointed in this agreement, Melles said. But I just want to say that theres things in this agreement that I think a lot of Palestinian, Arab, Muslim students have been fighting for for a long time. But this agreement by no means, you know, suggests that this movement is dying or that were stopping.

She said organizers on each campus have to make their own decisions when negotiating with administrators, not follow an exact model created by another school.

Brown University on Tuesday became the second school to announce a deal aiming to end student protests.

Administrators and student organizers of the protest on the Providence, Rhode Island, campus said President Christina Paxson had committed to an October vote by the school's governing board on the students' divestment proposal. Protest organizers removed their tents Tuesday.

In Baltimore, leaders of Johns Hopkins University announced Tuesday that they had reached an agreement with student protesters who started setting up an encampment Monday evening. After several hours of discussion, they said, students agreed to clear the encampment and resume protesting only during daytime hours.

Our conversations were frank and constructive, university President Ron Daniels and Provost Ray Jayawardhana wrote in a message to the school community. We are immensely relieved at this peaceful and productive resolution.

But protesters with the group Hopkins Justice Collective released statements saying their demonstration continued through the night and wouldn't end until demands are met.

We are not letting Johns Hopkins shut down our encampment, they wrote in a social media post. We are still here.

___

Associated Press video journalist Melissa Perez Winder and reporter Lea Skene in Baltimore contributed.
Student protests take over some campuses. At others, attention is elsewhere

Students walk on the campus of Boston College, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Boston. While many colleges and universities in the Boston area have been scenes of encampments and arrests, Boston College has been relatively quiet. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BOSTON (AP)  Boston College students held a protest rally against the Israel-Hamas war last week.

Bullhorns were banned, lest the noise disturb studying for finals. Tents weren't allowed. Students who'd been arrested at other Boston campus protests were barred. After an allotted hour, the students went quietly back to their rooms.

A student protest movement has washed over the country since police first tried to end an encampment at Columbia University in New York nearly two weeks ago. But while there have been fiery rhetoric and tumultuous arrests on high-profile campuses from New York to Los Angeles, millions of students across the country have continued with their daily routines of working their way through school, socializing and studying for exams.

The protests are demonstrating wide differences among Americans in 2024, even for groups that have tended to unite during divisive times such as the 1960s.

Take Boston, the city most identified with American higher education and a lens onto the diversity of student bodies' reactions to the Israel-Hamas war.

Students have set up encampments on at least five campuses, including Northeastern University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. But calm has prevailed elsewhere in Boston.

Its just not the vibe at this school, said Emmett Carrier, a junior studying biology at Boston College, a Jesuit institution with an enrollment of 15,000. I dont think theyre as committed to it here as they are at other schools."

Boston College faculty and students had addressed the Israel-Hamas war in class discussions, through a faculty vigil and at a rally last week, all of which were civil and respectful, Boston College spokesperson Jack Dunn wrote in an email.

Its an atmosphere where students are very polite, said Brinton Lykes, a professor of community psychology. They will discuss things, debate things intellectually, but they are shockingly rule-bound.

Juliana Parisi, a sophomore who attended the rally, said she thinks a lot of students who want to protest are afraid of the repercussions but also believes many students dont want to get engaged.

I do think that there is a good amount of apathy on campus, she said.

It's worth remembering that most campuses dont have encampments, said Robert Cohen, a professor at New York University who has studied the history of U.S. student protests. Even at those that do, the number of students involved is often not enough to fill even a single large lecture hall, he noted.

A day before the Boston College rally last week, Lykes helped organize a faculty vigil where speakers talked about grieving those who had died in the conflict and the history of events in the Middle East. She said there were uniformed and plainclothes police at the event. She got requests to check university identification and to make people leave backpacks outside and found some of the demands ridiculous, she said.

At Boston University, a sprawling urban campus not far from Fenway Park with a student enrollment of more than 35,500, students have avoided encampments but set out chairs to represent Israeli hostages and held die-ins to bring attention to those killed in Gaza. On Wednesday, many students at the school were hunkered down over laptops in study halls and cafeterias gearing up for the end of the school year and looming finals.

We have our finals coming up next week," said Matt Przekop, a junior studying engineering. "People, if they were passionate, they wouldnt really let this bar them from protesting.

Brandon Colin OByrne, a freshmen who is also studying engineering, said students debate the issue but arent sitting in tents on campus.

We have the school involved, we have students involved, we have individual groups involved," he said. We also have tension between Jewish and Palestinian students, but it generates productive debates, he added.

A protest at Emerson College in downtown Boston ended when police forcibly removed protesters, arresting more than 100. Another protest at Northeastern was also broken up by police, who detained more than 100 protesters who had created a tent encampment on campus.

Other local universities have allowed protests and tent encampments, including MIT, Harvard and Tufts University, although officials at some of the schools cautioned that the protests cant go on indefinitely. At Harvard, school officials opted to lock the gates to Harvard Yard  where protesters set up camp  to all but those with school IDs.

One thing that has remained consistent over decades of student protests, Cohen said, is that they are unpopular with the public. But the campus movement is raising public awareness of the Israel-Hamas war.

Cohen said he believes the protests will likely simmer down over the summer, as students return home. They could easily kick off again as the U.S. election season progresses, he said.

___

Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire.
We already know that in the years leading up to menopause, often called perimenopause, women can experience a lot of symptoms, both physical and mental. But a new study has quantified the risk of depression for perimenopausal women, and the results are shocking: It found that women in this stage of life are around 40% more likely to become depressed.

Our findings show just how significantly the mental health of perimenopausal women can suffer during this time, Dr. Aimee Spector, author of the study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, said in a press release. We need greater awareness and support to ensure they receive appropriate help and care both medically, in the workplace and at home.

According to Johns Hopkins, perimenopause typically occurs during the period of about three to five years before menopause, which starts when a woman has gone 12 full months without menstruating. Perimenopause is a transitional phase that happens when the ovaries start to slow down and gradually stop working, and during it, estrogen and progesterone levels can fluctuate, causing irregular menstrual cycles and other symptoms, including mood swings.

Dr. Spectors study looked at 9,141 women from the United States, Australia, China, the Netherlands, and Switzerland who provided information about their moods, mental health, and interest in doing activities over time. The study authors found the significantly increased risk of depression during perimenopause, but didnt find a significant risk for depression during premenopause or postmenopause. Experts now say this points to the variability of hormone levels during perimenopause likely playing a role. The studys authors note that estrogen has been found to affect the metabolism of dopamine, norepinephrine, -endorphin, and serotonin, which all play a role in mental health.

Given this studys findings, experts say its important for doctors and women in or near perimenopause to be aware of the heightened risk and to watch for symptoms of depression or depressive episodes, especially if theyve struggled with mood orders at any other point in their lives.

Depression is a chronic disease that is typically recurrent over the lifetime, Dr. Rebecca Thurston, Pittsburgh Foundation Chair in Womens Health and Dementia at the University of Pittsburgh, explained. We know that these episodes can snowball  if left untreated, they can become increasingly severe. This underscores the importance of not ignoring symptoms and getting them treated.
A Sulphur man reconsiders his saying of 'if a tornado gets me, it's how I was meant to go'

OK, so I wasnt in the "eye" of the tornado. From the aerial photos and the proof of a walk through the neighborhood, I was at the edge of the tornado. But that doesnt make for a catchy title. Wherever I was, for the first time in my life, I heard the dreaded calm of the storm.

This was my 42nd tornado season, discounting a few years I worked out of state, so I felt pretty invincible tornado-wise. I dont even get out of bed for tornado sirens. I cuss the city manager for interrupting my sleep for another heavy thunderstorm. I curse the weathermen, whom I have referred to as divas, finally getting their time to bask in the glow of the silver screen  local though it may be. Like most rednecks, I watch from the front porch and stay behind with the men while the women take the kids to the shelter, saying that if a tornado gets me, its how I was meant to go.

I tested that theory on Saturday night in my hometown of Sulphur.

More: Oklahomans rebuild after tornado outbreak: 'It'll never be the same, but it will be OK.'

I had just lain down in bed. I was watching the beloved 2007 cult classic Reaper when the sirens went off. I turned the TV up. It was a good episode. The one where the devil made Sam fight a whole army of escaped souls.

The sirens went off again.

Drama queens, I told the dogs confidently. But, just in case, on the off chance that it was my time, I got up and put on some clothes and a pair of sandals. No one deserves to find the corpse of an obese white man in his tighty-whities under a pile of rubble. They would be scarred for life.

So I walked outside with my flashlight to take a look. I saw my neighbor on his porch with his flashlight taking a look, as well. It wasnt the worst I had seen, but the storm did seem to be intensifying.

I had just resubscribed to Fubo to watch Cody Dennisons NASCAR races, so I had access to the local stations. I turned on the news. The "drama queens" were warning to get to shelter. Thats always their line. Ive heard it 42 times over, but I watched for some time anyway and moved into the living room to watch it on that TV.

Get to shelter.

No.

Get to shelter.

N

The power flickered and went out. I opened the app on my phone.

Get to shelter.

Maybe. My English bulldogs dont get out of bed for anything.

Get to shelter.

Thats when things got quiet. And you know what that means. Its a literary trope. Everyone knows the calm of the storm. But every Oklahoman knows what it means because its drilled into your head every spring as a child. It means its time to "get to shelter."

Waylon Wyche's dogs are shown in his living room after Saturday night's tornadoes in Sulphur. His Jack Russell and heeler mixes are Conan, Slagathor, Venkman, Boland and Boudicca. The bulldogs are Nymeria and Chalupa Batman MacArthur, IV, esq., bottom right. Barely visible is Willie Nelson to Nymeria's left.

I ran back into the bedroom and finally got my bulldog Nymeria out of bed while the other dogs ran behind me, bound for the staircase closet that I had cleared out after the 15th or so "Get to Shelter." I turned the corner, turned around, yelling for the dogs to follow me into the closet, when I heard the whine. I think it was a whine.

And then it was like a bomb exploded from behind us. Wind was blowing through the house so hard it felt like a hurricane. Felt like minutes. Maybe it was, but Ive been told that it's usually closer to 10 seconds. I couldnt tell yet, but my bedroom window on the south side had blown completely out, glass sprayed across the house.

I finally got the dogs in the staircase closet, and we all panted along for several minutes until I thought I could stick my head out. It wasnt quiet. It was still storming horribly, in fact, but I thought I should check. I looked around and saw the bedroom destroyed. I closed the bedroom door behind me, hoping that would end the thing. But then the storm felt like it intensified again, and we were back in the closet.

My house is old, 75 years at least. Its basically raining in the house because there are holes in the roof, but I cant leave. I looked outside and saw trees blocking the driveway and road. I ran back into the closet, dogs following close behind.

I called my cousin and told him if he doesnt hear from me by morning, Im in the staircase closet and come dig me out. I tell the dogs that this might be it for us, but hopefully at least some of them would make it out if I didnt. They didnt seem to believe me. I dont know how anything was more freaked out than me.

But then, after another 10 minutes or so, the storm lessened a bit. It was still storming, but I got out of the closet. I looked at the bedroom again and theres no way. I found a dry blanket in the closet. I lay down on the rug with the dogs and we tried to sleep, but there were sporadic knocks on the door for several hours. The fire department was doing a house-to-house check within an hour or so. Volunteers were doing a house-to-house check about an hour after that. The fire department came back for another check.

Photo gallery: Tornadoes in Oklahoma Saturday night strike downtown Sulphur

Within a couple of hours, the city had dozers out, pushing debris out of the street. It was all very loud. The storm was still loud, but we finally fell asleep sometime about 5 a.m. Amazingly, we slept until about 7.

I walked around a bit and saw that two houses across the street from me were gone. Another about three doors down from them was gone. My neighbors house just to the west of me had no roof. All of the giant trees in his yard were uprooted. The giant pecan tree in the neighbors yard to my south was uprooted and lay across my fence.

Debris shown around Waylon Wyche's home in Sulphur after Saturday's tornadoes.

I had a few holes in my roof. And a busted window and a broken fence. Their houses were gone. I had had no idea how lucky I was when I was in that closet.

My cousins came over and helped me clean up, but as we did, people stopped by  lots of people. People we knew from town were driving up and down the street with their chainsaws, clearing driveways and the street. People we didnt know from out of town were walking by, asking everyone if they needed help. I didnt need it. I had my family and my house was standing. "Go help them down the road. They got hit worse."

And that continued. It has continued for days now.

It was a weird thing. Im an introvert by nature. Get me tipsy and Ill spin a yarn, but I dont go out of my way to engage with strangers. It was the kind of stuff you see on TV. The helping hand, the community spirit, the American way.

Like I said, my damage was minimal. Everyone I know was OK. My house was standing and I had a generator. I was fine. But I couldnt get over being asked so many times if I needed help. I cant imagine how the people who actually needed help felt.

It opened my eyes a bit going through it. Kind of raised my estimation of humanity. Restored my faith in us, so to speak.

And those drama queens? They saved my life.

The city workers whom my libertarian views always feel should be private employees? They cleaned my streets up in two days. Worked tirelessly. Probably got less sleep than I did. I felt a bit like the Grinch when Whoville started caroling the next morning.

My heart grew four times its normal size. And not just because it was an enlarged heart from my being overweight. It was a true uplifting of spirits. I was a man who had been awakened by the power of "us."

And then they had to initiate an 8 p.m. curfew because we had reports of looters. So the dogs and I are sleeping on a mattress on the floor with a pistol next to us, falling asleep as we watch "Reaper," contemplating whether Sam or Satan is right.

But I think the former feeling is going to stick with me. For the few who would take advantage of the situation to find something to pawn, there were hundreds of people who came into this town and offered us a piece of themselves.

Although I turned down all offers of help because I was the last person who needed it, I did accept the gift of a tiny crucifix from an older American Red Cross worker asking if I needed any food. Im not one of the faithful, but I do believe that Ill hold onto that cross for the rest of my days so I dont forget that with days like these, I could be.

Waylon Wyche

Waylon Wyche was born and raised in Sulphur and lives in the house where he grew up, which his grandparents bought in 1973. He is a self-published author of two novels and has been a landman in the oil and gas industry for 13 years.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma man, dogs ride out Sulphur tornado in staircase closet
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen speaks in front of the Montana State Capitol on May 1, 2024. (Photo by Nicole Girten/Daily Montanan)

Superintendent Elsie Arntzen joined by about a dozen supporters spoke against federal government changes in Title IX policies to include protections for LGBTQ+ students at a press conference outside the Montana State Capitol on Wednesday.

Arntzen characterized the rule change as an attack on young women and biological sex based on a dangerous ideology being pushed by fringe organizations.

The U.S. Department of Education announced changes in April to Title IX sex discrimination protections to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ+ students or employees based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics.

The department made the change citing the U.S. Supreme Courts 2020 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, which extended the protections in the Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

The changes are set to go into place on Aug. 1, but before then, Arntzen said state laws passed in the last legislative session are the law of the land. These include Senate Bill 458 defining sex as binary and House Bill 361, which creates a loophole for misgendering from being considered discrimination in the state. There are currently three lawsuits against SB 458.

Arntzen joins other Montana GOP officials bucking the rule change from President Joe Bidens administration, including Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who joined a coalition of other states suing the federal government regarding the change.

When asked if schools would be risking federal funding if they bucked federal government regulations as she is directing, Arntzen said theres always a risk, but said theres a lot of time for the courts to potentially intervene before Aug. 1.

She said if schools change their policies before the federal rule change goes into effect, they are breaking the law.

Montana law trumps it right now, she said.

Lance Melton of the Montana School Board Association told the Daily Montanan Title IX takes precedence over any state law unless the courts enjoin the new rule prior to its effective date, which is possible.

We are preparing model policy changes while we wait to see what lies ahead and will take the necessary steps to ensure that our members have the resources they need to ensure compliance with applicable local, state and federal laws, Melton said.

Arntzen is running in the Republican primary in Montanas eastern congressional district. She has used anti-LGBTQ rhetoric as part of her campaign in a crowded race.

In response to criticism of her job performance from Republican legislators, Arntzen said part of her accomplishments in office was fighting the radical transgender agenda and said she was being attacked for being a conservative.

The post Superintendent Arntzen against new federal Title IX rule change appeared first on Daily Montanan.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, community has come together to support affected families in the aftermath of Monday's gunfight, which left multiple law enforcement officers dead.

The standoff broke out Monday afternoon when officers arrived at a Charlotte home to serve warrants against Terry Clark Hughes Jr., who fired on officers with a high-powered rifle, according to police in the USA Today story. Hughes was shot dead on the front lawn in the standoff and left eight officers shot and four dead from their injuries.

Since the announcement of the information, officials and community members have come together to support the families of the deceased officers.

Flowers in memory of fallen law enforcement officers accumulate at the base of a flag pole outside the Federal Courthouse on April 30, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Four members of law enforcement were shot and killed the previous day while serving a warrant at a residence in Charlotte.

More: Charlotte, North Carolina shootout leaves 4 officers dead, 4 officers injured; What we know

Memorials for fallen officers

Memorials to honor the officers wounded and killed during the standoff have been established. Many have placed flowers in front of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department building and Federal Courthouse in Charlotte in memory of the slain officers, photos from the scenes show.

Reports from USA Today said that these sites and the crime scene have also received supportive visitors, including Rev. Raymond Johnson, associate pastor of the Mount Pisgah Baptist Church in Marion, S.C., who said he was moved by his faith to drive to Charlotte.

Johnson stood on the front lawn of the partially destroyed home and waved signs that read Praying for Peace and Praying for Everyone." Johnson said he was present on behalf of family members of his congregation who live in the area.

A Tuesday vigil at Little Rock A.M.E. Zion Church drew visitors, including Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, members of the Charlotte City Council, and others.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper ordered U.S. and NC flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff until sunset on Friday, May 3, to honor the slain officers.

An interfaith vigil was held at Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, April 30, 2024, to honor four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers killed in the line of duty.

More: Why are flags flying at half-staff in North Carolina?

Charlotte community sees local and national support

The support for Charlotte hasn't been limited to local solidarity. Lyles said she received calls from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden also released a statement on Monday in which he called the officers "heroes," saying he and First Lady Jill Biden would pray for their families and recovering officers.

"They are heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, rushing into harms way to protect us," the president said in his statement. "We mourn for them and their loved ones. And we pray for the recoveries of the courageous officers who were wounded."

From left, William Elliott, Samuel Poloche, Joshua Eyer and Thomas Weeks. All three men were among four officers who were killed on Monday during an incident that broke out when officers attempted to serve a warrant at a house in Charlotte, North Carolina, authorities said.

More: Charlotte community mourns loss of officers in deadly shooting: 'No apologies for my tears'

Multiple fundraisers established for those affected by the shooting

Fundraisers established so far include:

The Rev. Raymond Johnson, associate pastor of the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Marion, South Carolina, carries flowers onto the front lawn of a home partially destroyed by law enforcement on April 29, 2024, during an incident in which four law enforcement officers, including three on a U.S. Marshals Task Force, were killed and four other officers were injured after being shot while attempting to serve a warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Lawmakers call for bans on assault weapons

USA Today reporting said that lawmakers have rallied for a ban on assault weapons in response to the deadly shootout. Several Charlotte City Council members, Mecklenburg County Commission members, and Rep. Alma S. Adams were all present during a Tuesday night vigil.

Adams told USA Today that assault weapons like the high-powered rifle used by the suspect in the Monday standoff "do not belong on our streets."

We need to turn our anguish into action  Im calling on leaders in Congress, my colleagues, to not forget what happened here in Charlotte, Adams said while addressing the vigil.

"Im calling on them to join me. We need to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and require safe storage of guns. And (we need) to pass universal background checks and a National Red Flag Law.

Authorities used a battering ram attached to an armored vehicle to tear off the front of a Charlotte, North Carolina, home that was the site of a shooting incident in which four law enforcement officers were killed while attempting to serve a warrant on April 29.

Christopher Cann, Trevor Hughes, N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Ryley Ober, USA TODAY Network, contributed to this report.

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Memorials, fundraisers for Charlotte, NC officers killed in shooting
A pivot irrigation system watering crops (Photo by Getty Images).

In a decision that some in the Treasure State agricultural community warned could have far-reaching impacts on both education and agriculture, the Montana Supreme Court unanimously sided with the states Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, saying the state owns a portion of the water rights a Gallatin County family has understood to be theirs for more than 60 years.

The decision could upend the complex balance and relationship of water, all of which is owned by the state, and the states agricultural community, while having economic impacts on state-owned school trust land, which generates revenue to support public education in Montana. Ranchers, farmers and other advocates who showed up at an April Montana Land Board meeting have vowed theyll continue to pressure leaders to make sure their water rights arent gobbled up by the state.

The case centers of Debra and Sidney Schutter and their potato farming operations in eastern Gallatin County. For decades, they have used a water right that they were granted in 1960 to water four parcels of land. Three of those parcels they own, and one of those parcels has been state-leased school trust land that theyve leased continuously.

However, in the 1960 application for water rights, the family said while the well for the water was located on the Schutters property, the point of use listed four parcels, including the state trust land, which the state has owned since its territorial days.

In its decision, the Supreme Court said that since the original water right was granted based on watering the four parcels of land, including the school trust portion, part of the Schutters water right belongs to the state.

Meanwhile, agricultural leaders and private property rights advocates said in the lead-up to the court case that such a decision could obliterate the good relationship the agricultural community has with the state because it means that the state could claim it has an interest in private water rights even if theyre located on private property. Furthermore, they said the case also has the potential for problems because, while the Schutters obtained the water rights in 1960, the state did not claim ownership until 2019.

Most state school-trust land is dry, meaning it has no water rights. For many who lease those state portions of land for grazing or farming, it means that water has to often be piped or brought to the land. Broadly speaking, the more productive the land, the more money the state makes, so its a mutually beneficial relationship with the revenue going to support public education.

But farmers and ranchers said in public meetings and in interviews with the Daily Montanan that if private water rights, which are prized and guarded by the agricultural community, are in jeopardy, there wont be many who risk losing them by renting the land.

The Montana Supreme Courts decision yesterday was a blow to private property rights in the state. The court disregarded the intent of the 2019 law, HB 286, sponsored by Rep. Alan Redfield, designed to safeguard private water rights from government claims. This ruling significantly undermines private property rights and will have long-lasting and negative effects. Notably, it leaves senior water rights holders unprotected, said rancher Carl DeVries, of Edgar. DeVries sits on the board of the Montana Senior Ag Water Rights Alliance.

As a result of the Supreme Courts decision, water rights holders are now faced with a tough choice: Protect their valuable water rights or fully use their state-leased land. If they opt for the former, local schools could suffer financially. If they choose the latter, they risk losing a valuable asset. This decision places significant burdens on our ag community, DeVries told the Daily Montana.

The decision

In a unanimous 5-0 decision written by Justice Beth Baker, Montanas highest court said that its not just about the location of the source of water, in this case, on Schutters private land; instead, its also about what the purpose of the water rights being granted in the first place.

Under the prior appropriation doctrine, the existence and contours of a water right primarily are controlled by the intent of the appropriator, determined by the facts and circumstances surrounding an appropriation, the court said. Two geographical points are crucial to determine the existence and scope of a claimed water right  the point of diversion and the place of use.

The court held that because school trust land was part of the basis for the water rights, that the state should have always been named as a water right holder, or, in legal terms, the water right was appurtenant to the land.

The validity of (Schutters water claim), therefore, relies not only on the Schutters private land, but on that portion of water used on (school trust land). Accordingly, that portion of (the land) intended for use is appurtenant to school trust land, the high court opinions said. The (Montana Land) Boards duty as trustee of the school trust lands prohibits it from alienating this interest in the land absent full compensation.

The decision also said that while the state will now have a portion of the Schutters total water rights, it doesnt mean the Schutters will be required or must provide water from the well on their private property.

We reiterate that the Board does not claim, the water court did not grant, and we do not hold that the board has any ownership interest in the well or in the means of transporting water to the (school trust land), the court said.

The day before

As the court case wound its way through the water court and then was appealed to the states Supreme Court, farmers, ranchers and private property rights advocates had been pressuring the Montana Land Board, which is comprised of the states top five elected officials, to either vacate the lawsuit, or assert more control of the DNRC, which has been charged with managing the states school trust lands and water rights.

At the previous meeting on April 15, ranchers, farmers and organizations representing agricultural interests lobbied the board to take immediate action, but it instead decided to request more information and presentations from the DNRC, leading to criticism of Gov. Greg Gianforte and the slow-moving process.

At the same meeting, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen tried unsuccessfully to wrest the decision-making process back to the Land Board, with other members wanting to move more slowly.

The decision from the high court came down on Tuesday afternoon, but just the day before, the Schutters and the state had discussed a settlement agreement that may have averted the conflict. The Schutters, through their counsel, proposed a settlement that would leave each side paying for their own attorneys, and the state agreeing not to pursue the Schutters water rights, according to documents obtained by the Daily Montanan.

Gianfortes office did not respond to requests for comments on the deal. However, leaders of three powerful ag organizations sent a joint letter to the Montana Land Board urging it to accept the deal and hopefully restore the working relationship among the agricultural community, the Montana Land Board and the states DNRC.

Accepting this settlement now would pave the way for a complete, unpressured review of the delegation of power that led to the DNRC pursuing its internal policy of asserting state ownership over private property rights in water developed by private persons on private land, and used, temporarily, on a state lease, wrote a group of three leaders.

Those leaders include Errol Galt, president of the Senior Ag Water Rights Alliance; Ross Morgan, president of the Rocky Mountain Stockgrowers Association; and Walter Schweitzer, president of the Montana Farmers Union.

We believe it is the correct policy, legally and morally, for a government to restrain itself from usurping its citizens property rights, they wrote.

The letter, addressed to the Land Board on April 29, said accepting the Schutters proposal would have left the case without a likely resolution at the Supreme Court level, and allowed the DNRC to examine its policies without the public pressure from the agricultural community.

However, with just one day separating the letter and the Supreme Courts decision, it made the option impossible. The Land Boards next scheduled meeting is for May 20, and the ag community said it will be there to try and change the way the DNRC makes decisions.

The Land Board needs to step in and withdraw the delegation of authority from the DNRC. The board has the constitutional duty and power to restore oversight of the agency so it can no longer make these unilateral decisions, DeVries said. Attorney General Austin Knudsen has proposed a motion to do just this, which has been supported by Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. We urge the Land Board members to put the motion on the Land Boards May agenda and approve it. Farmers and ranchers deserve assurance they can use their water rights without losing them.

Schutters SupCo decision

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Supreme Court reinstates acquittal of former Baton Rouge teacher accused of threatening family with gun

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)  The Louisiana Supreme Court reinstated an acquittal for a former Baton Rouge physical education teacher accused of hitting a familys car with a bat and flashing a gun at the driver who passed her home during a 2016 flood.

Bridgette Digerolamo, 42, who was a former P.E. teacher at Broadmoor Elementary School, was found guilty of three counts of aggravated assault in February 2023. In February 2024, the jury returned with the verdict of not guilty on all charges for Digerolamo.

According to court documents, in February 2024, the judge reversed the not guilty ruling and changed it to guilty after asking for Digerolamo and the court to return.

Baton Rouge man accused of sex crimes involving a teen girl arrested

The Louisiana Supreme Court stated that after receiving a final verdict and retiring the jury, the trial court erred by allowing the jury to continue to deliberate and change its verdict, particularly after the court violated the sanctity of any further deliberations by meeting privately with the jury.

A separate judge listened to the objections and filed for a mistrial, according to court documents.

The Louisiana Supreme Court stated that the trials court order declaring a mistrial is reversed, and the jurys verdict finding defendant not guilty is reinstated.

Digerolamo originally was arrested and charged in 2020 with three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, which was downgraded to misdemeanor charges of aggravated assault at a trial.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to BRProud.com.
The Supreme Court won't intervene to stop an anti-porn law from taking effect in Texas.

The lawH.B. 1181pertains to websites publishing "sexual material harmful to minors," a category defined to include virtually all depictions of nudity or sexual activity. Sites where more than one-third of the material falls into this category must make visitors provide government-issued identification or verify visitor ages in some other way.

Under H.B. 1181, such platforms must also display a litany of absurd and unscientific messages. These include telling visitorsin 14-point font or largerthat porn can be "biologically addictive," that it's "proven to harm human brain development," and that it "weakens brain function." Such sites must also tell visitors that exposure to porn "is associated with low self-esteem and body image, eating disorders, impaired brain development, and other emotional and mental illnesses," and that "pornography increases the demand for prostitution, child exploitation, and child pornography."

Compelled Speech and Court Rulings

Unsurprisingly, adult-industry trade group the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and Pornhub's parent company sued over the law. And a day before it was scheduled to take effect last fall, a U.S. district court put a halt to enforcement.

But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit then reversed course. (And Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has since started enforcing it.)

The 5th Circuit ultimately kept the lower court's injunction on enforcing the public health warning portion of the law but vacated the injunction against the age verification mandate.

"The district court properlyruled that H.B. 1181 unconstitutionally compelled plaintiffs' speech," held the 5th Circuit in an opinion authored by Judge Jerry E. Smith. But "the age-verification requirement does not violate the First Amendment.So, the district court erred by enjoining the age-verification requirement."

In April, the Free Speech Coalition asked the Supreme Court to take up the case, and to issue a stay of the 5th Circuit's judgment in the meantime.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court denied the stay request.

"No reason was given. No justices noted their dissent or even issued a statement respecting or concurring with the denial to explain the basis for the action," noted Law Dork's Chris Geidner. "And yet, the silence spoke volumes about the freedom that the Fifth Circuit has to ignore Supreme Court precedent when it wishes."

(Supreme Court)

Ignoring Porn-Law Precedent

Supreme Court precedent should prohibit the Texas age-verification law, argues Geidner.

In the 2004 ruling Ashcroft v. ACLU (known as Ashcroft II), the Court considered the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), which criminalized websites publishing content "harmful to minors" but provided an affirmative defense for platforms that took steps (like requiring a credit card) to verify that visitors were adults. Applying the legal standard known as strict scrutiny, SCOTUS decided COPA was not narrowly tailored enough to pass constitutional muster.

In the 5th Circuit's recent ruling on the Texas law, Smith noted the Court's Ashcroft decisionbut dismissed it. "Though Ashcroft II concluded that COPA would fail strict scrutiny, it contains startling omissions," writes Smith, concluding that the Supreme Court "did not rule on the appropriate tier of scrutiny for COPA."

In other words, the 5th Circuit basically decided the Supreme Court was wrong and so it would ignore its precedent here.

And in declining to issue a stay of the 5th Circuit's ruling, the Supreme Court seems to be OK with this. It's wild.

Of course, this isn't the first time in recent years that the Court has allowed a very constitutionally questionable Texas law to take effect rather than pressing pause as the full case played out. But at least in the other cases, the Court attempted justification.

More from Geidner:

Back in 2021 when the Supreme Court allowed Texas's S.B. 8 vigilante enforcement six-week abortion ban to go into effect, the court twisted itself in knots to claim that the particulars of the law ("complex and novel antecedent procedural questions") made the high court's intervention at that stage in the litigation too questionable. When the Supreme Court briefly allowed Texas's S.B. 4 immigration criminal enforcement law to go into effect earlier this year, some members of the court claimed procedural peculiarities counseled restraint from the high court to allow the Fifth Circuit to act ("an exercise of its docket management authority," Justice Amy Coney Barrett, joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, wrote).

In the current case, however, the high Court didn't offer a reason for its refusal to stay enforcement.

"Likely because a law regulating porn was at issue," writes Geidner, "the Supreme Court decided it didn't even need to put up the pretense of an excuse for allowing the Fifth Circuit to proceed with a ruling that explicitly disclaimed adherence to Supreme Court precedent."

What's Next for H.B. 1181?

There's still a chance that the Supreme Court could step in here. The Free Speech Coalition's petition for a full merits review by the Court is still pending.

"We look forward to continuing this challenge, and others like it, in the federal courts," the Free Speech Coalition commented. "The ruling by the Fifth Circuit remains in direct opposition to decades of Supreme Court precedent, and we remain hopeful that the Supreme Court will grant our petition for certiorari and reaffirm its lengthy line of cases applying strict scrutiny to content-based restrictions on speech like those in the Texas statute we've challenged. We will continue to fight for the right to access the internet without intrusive government oversight."

Meanwhile, Texas has sued Pornhub's parent company and other adult websites, alleging that they are failing to comply with the age verification component of the law.

More Sex & Tech News

 An "abortion trafficking" bill passed by the Tennessee Legislature "harms young people's ability to access the support of those they trust when they need it most and is an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment right to free speech and expression," according to American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee Policy Director Bryan Davidson.

 A divorce case in Virginia is drudging up a debate about whether embryos can count as "property."

 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on Monday heard oral arguments in a case concerning Texas A&M University canceling drag performances."Whether it's a drag show, a political debate, or a Bible study, public university officials cannot silence protected expression based on their personal views," said J.T. Morris, a senior attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), in an emailed statement.

 A piece of paper scribbled with "Buy Bitcoin" sold for $1 million in an auction. Christian Langalisthen an intern at the Cato Instituteheld the note up behind then-Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen during a 2017 Congressional hearing.

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Austin, Texas | 2018 (ENB/Reason)

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In May 2018, members of the Palestinian community and their supporters protested then-President Donald Trump's decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This year, Palestinians' backers are protesting the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and U.S. military support for Israel. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace found that an increased number of Black Americans say they feel connected to Palestinians.

A recent survey shows that an increased number of Black Americans feel a sense of solidarity with the plight of Palestinians and want to see an immediate and permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace released the survey on April 25, revealing that an increased number of Black Americans (45%) say they feel connected to Palestinians, up from 32% in an October survey after following Hamas unexpected Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The racial discrimination, the racist oppression, the segregation, the apartheid. It all sounds very familiar because there are obvious similarities, Edward Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told theGrio. Not to mention the similarities between what Black people in South Africa experienced and what Palestinians in Israel and in the occupied territories experience.

Mitchell, who is Black and Muslim, said that while he believes any American with an open heart who learns about Palestine might sympathize with Palestinians plight, Americans who have experienced something similar are even more inclined to do so. Criticism is aimed at not only the Israeli government, but our governments funding.

For nearly seven months, advocates have called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and have been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his administrations military operation in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, including women and children.

Advocates have also been critical of President Joe Biden and his administrations continued military aid supplied to support what they believe is Israels right to defend itself from Hamas, which is classified as a foreign terrorist group by the U.S. State Department.

President Joe Biden is drawing criticism, including from a growing number of Black Americans, for U.S. military aid to Israel, whose fight against Hamas in Gaza has left thousands of Palestinians dead. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Though Biden has toughened his public statements about how Israel is conducting its war, his policy to support Israel, a longtime U.S. ally, has been unchanged. The Biden administration is currently working through diplomatic channels alongside other countries in the Middle East to secure a deal that would include a ceasefire and Hamas release of hostages.

The Carnegie Endowment survey also found that an overwhelming 68% of Black Americans want to see an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Fifty-nine percent said they want U.S. military aid to be conditioned on Israels meeting human rights standards.

President Biden just signed a bill giving the Israeli government about $17 billion and additional unconditional military funding, noted Mitchell. He has crossed the lines of all demands the American people placed upon him, including the demands that Muslim, Black, Jewish and other Americans have placed upon him to end this violence.

As students on dozens of college campuses participate in mass demonstrations across the country  with some forcibly removed and arrested by law enforcement  the movement for Palestinians is escalating to dramatic proportions.

Black Americans sense of solidarity with Palestinians and criticism of Bidens position on the conflict could signal trouble for his reelection campaign. Even a modest shift in support among Black voters, who were crucial to Bidens victory in the 2020 presidential election, could impact the outcome in November.

If he were to somehow reverse course radically, secure a ceasefire, apologize for what hes done, and take other drastic steps like recognizing a Palestinian state, you know, lets talk, said Mitchell. But no one expects him to do any of that.

Students and faculty members from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Roosevelt College and Columbia College rally and march in Chicago on April 26 to show support for the Palestinians in Gaza. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

He added, He has dug in on his policy and the American people have made it very clear they dont support that policy.

But there is a silver lining for Biden in the Carnegie Endowment survey, which found that despite their concerns about the war, Black Americans opinions of Biden are unchanged. Seventeen percent felt better about Biden, 18% felt worse and a majority (66%) reported no change in their feelings about the president.

When asked about the survey, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told theGrio the administration recognizes that the conflict in Gaza is incredibly painful.

We understand  thats why White House officials, including this president, has had many conversations with communities, leaders of those communities, to talk about  to hear from them, to listen to them, and to talk about how to move forward, she said.

Jean-Pierre said U.S. officials are actively engaging diplomatically to reach a ceasefire, telling theGrio, We understand how important it is.

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A bill designed to prevent child marriages in Pakistans most populated province has raised hope for protection of Christian girls and others from Muslims abducting and forcibly marrying and converting them, sources said.

The Punjab Province government on Thursday (April 25) submitted the draft of the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2024 with the Punjab Home Department, which would raise the legal age for marriage for both boys and girls to 18 years; previously the age for girls was 16.

Introduced by Member of Punjab Assembly Sarah Ahmad, who is also chairperson of the Child Protection & Welfare Bureau (CPWB), the bill would criminalize underage marriages. Anyone who marries a girl or boy under 18 or arranges such a marriage  including parents or guardians  would face two to three years in prison and a fine of between 100,000 Pakistani rupees (US$358) and 200,000 rupees (US$717).

Religious freedom advocates termed the bill a big gain in efforts to protect minor girls from sexual exploitation as they are forcibly converted and married, but they called for the law to be equally applied to cases of girls belonging to minority religions in the 96-percent Muslim country.

It has been a longstanding demand of the civil society to end the gender-based age discrimination in Punjabs child marriage restraint act, said Peter Jacob, executive director of research and advocacy organization the Center for Social Justice. Raising the legal marriage age to 18 years for both boys and girls will help in preventing child marriages, but certain amendments are required to ensure that minority girls also get due coverage of the law.

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A veteran rights activist based in Lahore, Punjab Province, Jacob was awarded the U.S. State Departments Religious Freedom Award earlier this year for his efforts to uphold human rights in Pakistan. He said the law should override all special laws and maxims related to determining of a girls age of maturity.

This is particularly important for the protection of underage minority girls who are victimized through forced conversions and marriages under the cover of special laws, Jacob told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News, referring to sharia (Islamic law) allowing girls attaining puberty to be considered adults.

Those who can file charges of child marriage under the bill include parents or guardians, neighbors, community members, teachers, members of local bodies, social workers, friends, imams, Nikah Khawan (marriage solemnizers) and Nikah (Islamic marriage certificate) registrars.

At the time of marriage registration, the marriage solemnizer, secretary of the union council and marriage registrar under the legislation would check the computerized national identity card (CNIC) of the girl or boy, passport, educational certificate or other documents proving both of them are 18 years of age. Attested copies of these documents are required to be attached with the application of marriage certificate.

Violation of law or omission shall constitute an offense punishable under Section 6 of Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2024, the bill states. In case of any dispute regarding determination of age of any of the parties to marriage, the court shall determine the age on the basis of birth certificate, educational certificate or other necessary documents after hearing the case.

In the absence of these documents, the age of both parties would be determined through medical examination, it states.

As soon as a case of child marriage is reported, police and courts would take notice, and a court can try the case even before marriage takes place, under the bill.

Violators would be subject to arrest by police employing an irrevocable warrant. Under the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898, the family court would have powers of Judicial Magistrate of First Class. Those convicted by family courts may appeal to sessions courts.

Equal Enforcement

Christian lawmaker in the Punjab Assembly Ejaz Augustine said that Christian lawmakers will fully support it when its presented in the legislature for debate.

Ive decided to introduce an amendment in the draft bill to ensure that Christian and other minority underage girls get full protection under this law, he said.

Augustine, a former minister for minorities affairs and human rights in Punjab during the 2018-2022 government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, said he had submitted a bill seeking to prevent forced conversion and forced marriages of minority girls in 2021, but it was not taken up for discussion under pressure from hardline Muslims.

The Lahore High Court has now ordered the government to end the gender-based age discrimination in the child marriage laws, and I think it is the best time to make a legislation that protects the girl child irrespective of her faith affiliation, he told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.

He also called for strict enforcement of the bill if it passes into law.

Theres a lack of implementation of the existing laws that protect women and girls, therefore its very important that the government take measures to ensure that all laws are implemented in letter and spirit, he added.

Lahore High Court Justice Shahid Karim on April 15 declared as discriminatory Punjab Provinces Child Marriage Act of 1929, which fixed 18 and 16 years as legal ages for marriage for boys and girls respectively.

The verdict arose from petitioner Azka Wahid seeking amendments to the Child Marriage Act to avert harmful gender distinctions in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistans guarantee of equal rights for men and women.

Activists say that Pakistans Islamic clergy play the biggest role in underage marriages involving minority girls, particularly Christians and Hindus. Islamic clerics have fiercely opposed legislation against forced conversions in Sindh Province, and they also censured a federal bill seeking to curb forced conversions in 2021.

Forced conversion and child marriages are human rights issues, not religious matters, and it is unfortunate that the progressive laws dealing with child marriage and forced faith conversions are resisted by religious groups, said Adeel Rehmat of faith-based humanitarian group Pak Mission Society.

He said the government must not leave the complaints of forcible religious conversions of minority girls unaddressed.

It should prioritize criminalizing the practice of forced conversions without surrendering its political will to religious groups that facilitate child marriage and coerced religious conversions, Rehmat said.

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.
Suspect ID'd after 4 law-enforcement officers gunned down in Charlotte, N.C., day before

A makeshift memorial marks the area in which four officers were killed and four others injured while serving warrants for the arrest of Terry Clark Hughes Jr. in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday. Photo by Veasey Conway/EPA-EFE

April 30 (UPI) -- A day after a shooting left four law-enforcement officers dead in North Carolina, authorities on Tuesday identified the suspected gunman, saying he had a lengthy criminal record.

Police said Terry Clark Hughes Jr., 39, had faced 49 criminal charges since 2001 and was convicted of crimes in many parts of North Carolina, The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday. He served time in prison in 2011 and 2013, and in 2021 he was accused of marijuana-related offenses.

Hughes died in the gunfight on Monday in which he and possibly others shot and killed three U.S. Marshals and another officer and wounded four others at about 1:30 p.m. EDT in the 5000 block of Galway Drive in Charlotte, WXII 12 reported.

The officers were trying to serve two warrants for Hughes' arrest on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and fleeing and eluding, both of which are felonies.

Three of the slain officers were members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and the fourth victim was a member of the local Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

A second-story window shows bullet holes where police said Terry Clark Hughes Jr. opened fire on officers serving two arrest warrants at a home in Charlotte, N.C., Monday afternoon. Photo by Veasey Conway/EPA-EFE

Police officers recovered an AR-15 rifle and a .40-caliber pistol inside the home and detained a woman and a 17-year-old, ABC News reported.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings told news media that police investigators found more than 100 bullet casings and projectiles inside the home.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings told reporters the four officers killed in the Monday afternoon shootout in Charlotte, N.C., are Sam Poloche, Alden Elliott, Joshua Eyer and Thomas Weeks Jr. Photo by Veasey Conway/EPA-EFE

He said Hughes was on the home's second floor when he opened fire and he had the officers at a tactical disadvantage.

Jennings said investigators are looking into how Hughes obtained the firearms and, he said, the woman and teen are cooperating with the investigation.

The slain officers were identified as Sam Poloche, Alden Elliott, Joshua Eyer and Thomas Weeks Jr.
Suspect in shooting that killed CMPD officer, 3 with US Marshals Service had lengthy criminal history: Records

Suspect in shooting that killed CMPD officer, 3 with US Marshals Service had lengthy criminal history: Records

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Records show the suspect whom U.S. Marshals and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police were attempting to serve a warrant on had an arrest history dating back more than two decades.

Terry Hughes, Jr., 39, was killed Monday during a shootout, while law enforcement agencies were attempting to serve an active warrant on him.

Over 100 rounds: AR-15 rifle among weapons seized at E. Charlotte home where 4 officers killed, 5 injured

Authorities said he was the man who shot and killed three members of the U.S. Marshals and a CMPD officer.

Hughes public arrest history started just weeks after he turned 18, according to records obtained by Queen City News, for a charge of communicating threats, though the case was later dismissed.

He had various charges placed against him in the early and late 2000s for Driving While License Revoked, though it was unclear how that license became revoked.

In 2009, he was convicted of Felony Breaking and Entering. He served five months in prison.

He later served additional time for being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2011 and served an additional nine months in prison.

In 2012, he served 10 months in prison for a felony Fleeing to Elude charge.

Queen City News

Shannon Park Shooting

His criminal record appears to be largely nonexistent afterward until 2021 when he was arrested on several charges related to marijuana and fleeing to elude.

The most recent warrants he was wanted on, which were the ones that authorities were attempting to serve Monday, were for a weapons possession charge and for fleeing to elude charge, the latter of which was out of Lincoln County.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
A convicted killer who was suspected in at least two other murders died in a California prison Monday evening.

John Thomson, 64, was found unresponsive in his cell in the California Medical Facility hospice unit in Vacaville. He was pronounced dead by medical staff around 5:55 p.m., according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The official cause of death will be determined by the Solano County Coroners Office.

Convicted killer John Wayne Thomson is shown in this prison photo from Sept. 15, 2023. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

Thomson was sentenced to death in San Bernardino County on April 4, 2014 after he was convicted of first-degree murder with an enhancement for using a deadly weapon. He received additional life sentences for carjacking and attempted carjacking under Californias Three Strikes Law.

Thomson was convicted of killing Charles Hedlund of Lucerne Valley in August 2006. Hedlund had stopped on the side of 15 Freeway in the Cajon Pass to help Thomson after seeing that his car was disabled, authorities said at the time.

Thomson then stabbed Hedlund multiple times with a short blade and stole an unspecified amount of cash, according to the Los Angeles Times.

At the time of Hedlunds slaying, Thomson was also wanted in connection with two additional homicides that took place in Washington State months earlier, which led to prosecutors dubbing him a serial killer, according to the San Bernardino Sun.

He was arrested days later after going on a robbery and carjacking spree in Victorville.

According to reports at the time, Thomsons reign of terror ended when two employees from the Victorville Daily Press stopped him as he attempted to carjack a woman in a parking lot. They detained him using zip-ties and held him until authorities could arrive to arrest him.

Those employees said Thomson was armed with a hammer when they intervened.

Thomson was eventually tried in San Bernardino County and was sentenced to death for Hedlunds killing, as well as the crimes that followed.

According to multiple media outlets in both California and Washington, Thomson was also previously convicted of rape on three occasions.

In 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order that placed a formal moratorium on all executions in the state. Since then the state has made an effort to dismantle its death row system, closing the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison and moving those condemned to death at the notorious prison into other facilities that have adequate security to house them.

Prosecutors may still seek the death penalty as a sentence and a judge may grant it, but California has not executed an inmate in nearly 20 years when convicted murderer Clarence Ray Allen was killed by lethal injection on January 17, 2006.

CDCR says it currently houses 639 inmates who have been sentenced to death, otherwise known as condemned.

For more information about capital punishment in the state of California, click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  The Fresno Police Department is asking for the publics assistance in identifying three suspects who shot at multiple homes in Fresno in January.

Police say on Jan. 19, three suspects were seen shooting in the area of Hawes and Teilman Avenues where multiple residences were struck by gunfire.

Detectives are asking for the publics assistance in identifying the suspects responsible for the unprovoked shooting. The picture below shows the suspects and vehicle that fled after the incident.

Listed below are the descriptions provided by the Fresno Police Department of the suspects involved:

Suspect #1: African American man, about 6 feet tall, with a medium build. He appears to be wearing a black colored sweatshirt with a white logo on the front, and black colored pants.

Suspect #2: African American man, about 6 feet tall, with a thin build. He appears to be wearing black-colored clothing.

Suspect #3: African American man, with a stocky build, and thick braids. He appears to be wearing a white t-shirt.

Detectives describe the suspect vehicle as a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee which was later found in the area of North Marks Avenue and West Dakota Avenue.

Anyone with any information regarding the identities or whereabouts of the suspects or suspect vehicle is asked to contact Detective J. Garcia at 559-621-3000 ext. 3257.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
DENVER (KDVR)  Police are searching for two suspects who allegedly beat a victim at a light rail station on Denvers west side.

The attack happened at the Perry Street RTD Station along the W Line on April 8 at around 9 p.m.

RTD assault suspect

RTD assault

Investigators said one of the suspects, identified in the pictures as suspect two, pushed the victim off the train and punched him. The victim was knocked out and landed on the ground.

The other suspect, suspect one, then allegedly kicked the victim in the head.

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Both suspects reportedly grabbed the victims belongings and took off.

Pictures from security cameras show one suspect wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey. The other suspect is riding a bike and wearing what appears to be a camouflage jacket. He also has a mustache.

At this time, police have not provided an update on the victims condition.

If you have any information, please contact Denver Police or the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Suspects in Whatcom Co. drug investigation accused of assaulting witness while out on bail

Whatcom County authorities arrested two Lyden residents for possible witness tampering following a monthslong investigation by the Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force.

Officers arrested Benjamin Vallejo, 46, and Ashley M. Andrews, 31, on April 25 for numerous weapon and drug charges. Both posted bail  $6,000 for Vallejo and $750 for Andrews  on April 27.

Vallejo and Andrews are accused of visiting a witness in their case on April 28 and assaulting the witness.

The witness told authorities he was physically assaulted by Vallejo, and that Vallejo yelled Im going to kill you during the assault. The witness reported being punched in the face five to six times, the assault only stopping when the witness threatened to call police.

Detectives, assisted by Whatcom County Deputies and the Lynden Police Department, located Vallejo and Andrews at their residence in the 8800 block of Depot Road in Lynden and took them into custody without incident.

Vallejo and Andrews have been arrested on suspicion of intimidating a witness, a class C felony, and first-degree burglary for intimidating and assaulting the victim in their home. Vallejo also was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault in the commission of a felony.

Vallejo and Andrews are back in custody at Whatcom County Jail.
Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.

According to CNN, NBC, and CBS, a coroner who conducted Suzanne Morphews autopsy ruled her death a homicide by unspecified means. The Colorado mother went missing after going on a bike ride on Mothers Day in 2020. The Gazette reported that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation discovered Suzannes remains in September 2023. The team was searching for a separate missing person when they made the discovery. Subsequent findings revealed that she had a drug concoction used in animal tranquilizers in her system.

Before investigators found Suzannes remains, prosecutors had charged her husband, Barry Morphew, in 2021. They suspected Barry was behind his wifes death or disappearance, but he pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations. Then, in April 2022, prosecutors dismissed the charges, claiming they had hoped to find the victims body but couldnt. The judge approved prosecutors could pursue the charges again, per CNN.

Suzanne Morphews murder case previously aired on CBS 48 Hours before the recent revelations from the autopsy surfaced. The episode The Suzanne Morphew Case: Nothing Is What It Seems premiered in April 2022.

What did Suzanne Morphews autopsy report reveal?

The coroners report on Suzanne Morphews autopsy revealed that they found drugs in her system, per CNN. The Gazette stated that these chemicals comprised butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine, which the coroner found in her femur. This drug fusion is commonly found in animal tranquilizers. The discovery brought an end to the four-year-old missing case. However, investigators and prosecutors have yet to name a suspect or file charges.

Reportedly, Suzanne mysteriously vanished after going for a bike ride near Maysville, Colorado, in 2020. One of her neighbors filed a missing persons report on Mothers Day that year when she failed to return from the ride. CNN stated that her bicycle was found in a ravine and the helmet in a separate location without significant damage, said the coroners report, which revealed Suzanne Morphews autopsy details.

According to CBS News, Suzannes husband, Barry Morphew, claimed someone had abducted the mother-of-two. Then, in 2021, a year after Suzannes disappearance, investigators arrested Barry for killing his wife. They claimed to have arrested the accused after finding evidence that led them to believe he was involved in Suzannes disappearance or murder. Agents had reportedly found a tranquilizer dart cap in their family home.

NBC News stated that at the time, prosecutors had alleged that Barry murdered Suzanne using a tranquilizer gun. They claimed the accused was an avid hunter who often used tranquilizer darts to shoot deer. This enabled him to cut off deer antlers without killing them, per CBS. They stated Barry believed his wife was having an affair and wanted to divorce him, which was his motive for murder. Prosecutors had also mentioned a text message Barry sent to his wife, saying, Im done, days before she went missing.

Nonetheless, prosecutors moved to drop the murder charges against Barry Morphew in April 2022. Their motion was to dismissed without prejudice so prosecutors could re-file the charges against him in the future. More than a year later, in September 2023, the Colorado Bureau of Investigations team found Suzannes remains while investigating a separate missing case.

Findings from Suzanne Morphews autopsy revealed her death was a homicide by unspecified means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication. Per CNN, these chemicals, present in wildlife tranquilizers, can sedate sedation someone. CBI director Chris Schaefer stated that their agents continue to look into evidence and only the evidence as we seek justice for Suzannes death.

CBS stated that after recent findings from Suzanne Morphews autopsy, Barry released a statement declaring his innocence. Moreover, his attorneys urged investigators to investigate specialized veterinarians. The attorneys suspect that authorities may find potential leads in and around the area where Suzannes remains surfaced last year. They also alleged that whoever murdered Suzanne likely acquired the drugs using a prescription.

In a statement to CNN, Barry Morphews attorneys, Jane Fisher-Byrialsen and Iris Eytan, said the autopsy leaves more questions than answers for the victims family. They believed the findings outline the lack of justice for Suzanne, the family, and the community. Fisher-Byrialsen and Eytan also claimed that investigators are yet to share updates on DNA evidence from Suzannes clothes and the unknown DNA they collected from the glovebox in her SUV.

According to NBC News, Iris Eytan also drew a comparison between Suzanne Morphews autopsy findings and other remains found in rural Colorado. The attorney noted the prevalence of the animal tranquilizer in Colorado. Eytan said. The drugs are common use in Colorado with hunters and ranchers  and [Colorado] Parks and Wildlife.

Lastly, Barrys attorneys said on behalf of the family to respect their privacy and request authorities to look at the case with fresh eyes, follow all leads, conduct all forensic testing, and solve Suzannes murder.

Authorities are yet to make an arrest in Suzanne Morphews murder after the autopsy findings.

The post Suzanne Morphews Autopsy: How Did the Missing Colorado Mother Die? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
DENVER (KDVR)  The Denver Police Department and Aurora SWAT team served a narcotics-related search warrant in Aurora on Wednesday that they say was connected to a suspected fentanyl operation.

The search was in conjunction with Homeland Security and Drug Enforcement Administration and was marked by a brief shelter-in-place warning.

Just after 7 a.m. on Wednesday, the Aurora Police Department posted on X that APD SWAT was serving a search warrant in the 1800 block of South Olathe Street. The area is east of Horseshoe Park in the Stone Ridge Park neighborhood, and a shelter-in-place order was in effect for around 40 minutes.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

However, officers were expected to be in the area for several hours and remained at the house as of Wednesday afternoon.

At about 1:42 p.m., the Denver agency reported that they had worked in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Agency on a months-long operation resulting in a search warrant in the 1800 block of South Olathe Street.

Officers said they found a large-scale fentanyl pill-making operation and Wednesdays search resulted in officers recovering pill-making equipment, suspected fentanyl and firearms.

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People who live in the neighborhood told FOX31s Vicente Arenas they were surprised by the raid.

I was watching television and I saw it on the news, and I said thats two blocks away. So, I walked over to see what was going on, said neighbor David Tafoya.

Another neighbor said hed heard the demand for fentanyl pills was on the rise.

It doesnt surprise me  the fact that its fentanyl. Its a new thing, said Matt Minton. Ive lived in Aurora most of my life. I have seen this happen with heroin with cocaine. So, there have been busts all over Aurora for as long as I can remember.

A source told FOX31 at least three motorized pill presses were found with the capacity to make up to 10 thousand pills a day.

FOX31 was also told there were three children in the home who are OK.

Its usually a very quiet neighborhood, so its unusual for the police and all of this activity and then I found out it was Fentanyl. I was very surprised, Tafoya said.

But what surprised most people Arenas talked to was where the fentanyl pills were allegedly being made.

This whole neighborhood is quiet. (I am) shocked that it happened in this neighborhood. It happens everywhere. Im glad they got (them) so its not happening anymore there, said Kim Webb, another neighbor.

The DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division said Wednesday that more than 1.3 million Fentanyl pills had been seized by the end of March in Colorado. Thats already half the number that were seized in all of last year.

Denver police reported two people were taken into custody on unrelated warrants. The agency also said the situation is being treated as a possible hazmat situation; however, it is contained to one house and there is no risk to neighboring houses. Additionally, the agency thanked the Aurora Police Department and Aurora Fire Rescue for assisting in the search warrant operation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
By Ben Blanchard

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan is on alert for China to carry out military exercises after the inauguration of President-elect Lai Ching-te this month, the island's top security official said on Wednesday, adding China has already begun using unusual new tactics.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has a strong dislike of Lai, believing him a dangerous separatist. China's government has rejected his repeated offers of talks, including one made last week.

Lai, like current President Tsai Ing-wen, rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims; both say only the island's people can decide their future. Lai, now vice president, will be inaugurated on May 20.

Speaking to reporters at parliament, Taiwan National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen said maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait was in the interests of everyone in the international community, including China.

China is currently using a carrot-and-stick approach toward Taiwan, hoping to influence the incoming government's China policy, added Tsai, who shares a common family name with the president but is not related to her.

"What needs special attention is that following May 20, from June to November, is when the Chinese Communists hold their regular military drills," he said. "Whether the Chinese Communists use this hot season as an excuse to carry out some military drills to further pressure Taiwan is a key point the National Security Bureau is focusing on."

China's defence ministry did not answer calls seeking comment outside of office hours on Wednesday, the start of the Labour Day holiday.

China's military has during the past four years massively increased its activities around Taiwan.

NIGHTTIME PATROLS

Taking lawmaker questions, Tsai said China had been observed three times so far this year carrying out "joint combat readiness patrols" at night, something he described as a new development.

"In addition, inflight refuelling aircraft are being used during the joint combat readiness patrols" to extend the time combat aircraft can remain in the air, Tsai said.

Landing ships and minesweepers have also been observed joining these patrols, he added.

"These are new patterns for this year."

Taiwan's defence ministry last reported a Chinese combat readiness patrol, where warships and warplanes operate together in the skies and waters near Taiwan, on Saturday.

In 2022, China carried out major war games near Taiwan after a visit to Taipei by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and again last year after President Tsai met then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on a stopover in California.

Taiwan-based security sources have repeatedly warned China could show their displeasure with Lai using the military.

Since Lai's January election victory, China has kept up a steady stream of pressure on Taiwan, including coast guard patrols near a group of Taiwanese-controlled islands that sit next to the Chinese coast, and opening new air routes in the Taiwan Strait that Taipei says threaten aviation safety.

But Beijing has also offered to resume, albeit in limited form, Chinese tourism to Taiwan, a proposal the government in Taipei is still considering, as it wants a full resumption of visits by Chinese tourists.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Lincoln Feast.)
One of the best investments we can make is in our own knowledge and skill set. With that in mind, this article will work through how we can use Return On Equity (ROE) to better understand a business. By way of learning-by-doing, we'll look at ROE to gain a better understanding of Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC).

Return on equity or ROE is a key measure used to assess how efficiently a company's management is utilizing the company's capital. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.

See our latest analysis for Tenet Healthcare

How Is ROE Calculated?

ROE can be calculated by using the formula:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations)  Shareholders' Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Tenet Healthcare is:

24% = US$1.3b  US$5.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. Another way to think of that is that for every $1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn $0.24 in profit.

Does Tenet Healthcare Have A Good ROE?

Arguably the easiest way to assess company's ROE is to compare it with the average in its industry. However, this method is only useful as a rough check, because companies do differ quite a bit within the same industry classification. Pleasingly, Tenet Healthcare has a superior ROE than the average (12%) in the Healthcare industry.

roe

That is a good sign. However, bear in mind that a high ROE doesnt necessarily indicate efficient profit generation. A higher proportion of debt in a company's capital structure may also result in a high ROE, where the high debt levels could be a huge risk . You can see the 4 risks we have identified for Tenet Healthcare by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.

How Does Debt Impact Return On Equity?

Virtually all companies need money to invest in the business, to grow profits. The cash for investment can come from prior year profits (retained earnings), issuing new shares, or borrowing. In the case of the first and second options, the ROE will reflect this use of cash, for growth. In the latter case, the use of debt will improve the returns, but will not change the equity. Thus the use of debt can improve ROE, albeit along with extra risk in the case of stormy weather, metaphorically speaking.

Combining Tenet Healthcare's Debt And Its 24% Return On Equity

Tenet Healthcare clearly uses a high amount of debt to boost returns, as it has a debt to equity ratio of 2.69. Its ROE is pretty impressive but, it would have probably been lower without the use of debt. Debt increases risk and reduces options for the company in the future, so you generally want to see some good returns from using it.

Story continues

Conclusion

Return on equity is useful for comparing the quality of different businesses. Companies that can achieve high returns on equity without too much debt are generally of good quality. If two companies have the same ROE, then I would generally prefer the one with less debt.

Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, you'll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. The rate at which profits are likely to grow, relative to the expectations of profit growth reflected in the current price, must be considered, too. So you might want to take a peek at this data-rich interactive graph of forecasts for the company.

But note: Tenet Healthcare may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

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.
Tale of 2 solar projects: How 1 garnered support and the other, disdain

A city-owned 2.6-megawatt solar farm sits on Rittman Road in Wadsworth. Mayor Robin Laubaugh said the solar farm received community support when it was built in 2020.

Stark County townships have until today to notify the county commissioners if they support or oppose large wind and solar farms being built in their communities.

Many in the county so far have been in opposition.

Township trustees and residents across Stark County have voiced concerns over the look, location and safety of the projects.

Under Ohio Senate Bill 52, local governments have veto power to oppose wind and solar projects over 50-megawatts. The county commissioners plan to pass a resolution to disallow large projects in townships that opposed them.

Communities voicing objections to wind and solar projects isn't new. Opposition has become more visible in recent years, as larger and more frequent projects are being proposed, said Sarah Mills, a professor at the University of Michigan's Graham Sustainability Institute who researches energy policy and land use planning.

Opposition to solar and wind projects more visible today

According to Mills' research, the biggest indicator of if a community will accept a large wind project is if it believes the planning process was just.

"Not everyone learns to live with wind turbines, and the biggest driver is how you felt about the siting process," she said. "People who felt like the siting process that led to those turbine being there was unfair have a more negative attitude toward wind development that over time actually becomes even more negative because there's a constant reminder."

A city-owned 2.6-megawatt solar farm sits on Rittman Road in Wadsworth. Mayor Robin Laubaugh said the solar farm received community support when it was built in 2020.

The research suggests that developers should work to build trust with residents in the community during the planning process.

In a 2024 survey, Mills found that the majority of solar neighbors living within 3 miles of large solar plants have positive perceptions of the projects.

Respondents preferred solar projects that were sited on disturbed lands, such as landfills and industrial sites, versus productive farmland. They also preferred projects that hired local employees, utilized local materials and offered local ownership.

Peggy Ewald, owner of White Timbers Winery in Wadsworth, speaks about a city-owned 2.6-megawatt solar farm located next to her business on Rittman Road. She said the solar farm is a good neighbor.

Community supportive of solar farms in Wadsworth

Two city-owned solar farms in Wadsworth were completed in 2020: a 6.25-megawatt farm on Seville Road and a 2.6-megawatt farm on Rittman Road.

Wadsworth Mayor Robin Laubaugh said the community had a positive reception to the solar project at its inception.

"It provides diversity in our portfolio, it's a lower cost for us," she said. "It's nice to have it nearby because that offers us a bit of independence."

Wadsworth is a Public Power Community, meaning residents have part ownership of their electricity through American Municipal Power.

"Electricity is a vital component of the utilities we provide, and I think our electric division is a great pride," Laubaugh said. "Individuals that live in our community, they're proud of our community. They think of our community as being forward thinking."

The only concern Laubaugh recalls about the solar project was that it would take up a lot of land. She said the city addressed this by carefully choosing the location.

"There's appropriate places for it, and that's where the due diligence is," she said. "One of the areas is an area that would have been less likely for something else to be constructed there. It's not wetlands, but it has a tendency to get wet in that area, so it was very well suited for the solar field."

A city-owned 6.25-megawatt solar farm is seen on Seville Road in Wadsworth. The solar farm was built in 2020.

Peggy Ewald, owner of White Timbers Winery on Rittman Road, said being next door to the solar farm has had no impact on her business.

"We're happy having that nice neighbor," she said. "There could be far worse neighbors than that."

Ewald said she thinks the city of Wadsworth's investment in solar has paid off and has been a benefit to the community.

She said there is never any noise, and she doesn't mind the appearance of the solar panels.

"Some people say, 'It's so ugly,' but I don't think it's ugly," Ewald said.

Opposition dominates discussion surrounding Washington Township solar project

Dozens of community members in Washington Township in Stark County, where a 150-megawatt solar farm is proposed, have submitted public comments to the Ohio Power Siting Board opposing the large solar project.

People in the community have been vocal about their concerns related to the solar project. They say the developers have done little to answer their questions and listen to their concerns.

Vicki Duhamel, who lives on Salem Church Street in Washington Township, said she voiced concerns about glare from the solar panels and how they will impact the view from her home at public meetings.

"We've asked questions, we've asked for information," she said. "We were promised that they would provide us with more information and some other options for us because of our location, and we have yet to receive anything from them."

Her concerns about the project include the impact on property values and noise from the inverters.

Duhamel said she has found the entire planning process has lacked transparency from the company. She said her trust has been broken.

"Most of the townships around us have had the opportunity to say no and put a ban on the large solar," Duhamel said, referencing the county survey. "This was pushed before we had the ability to do that. To me, that's a problem in itself."

Washington Township trustees recently passed a resolution to oppose the project following public outcry, but Samsung C&T said it will continue to seek approval for the project.

Reach Grace at 330-580-8364 or gspringer@gannett.com. Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.

A city-owned 6.25-megawatt solar farm is seen on Seville Road in Wadsworth. The solar farm was built in 2020.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County, Washington Township, oppose wind and solar. Find out why
Tampa has seven sworn city fire inspectors tasked with monitoring commercial buildings for hazards and enforcing code so residents can live and work in safety.

Most members of that team  called the Existing Inspections Division  inspected hundreds of locations last year: schools, hospitals, high-rises and more. One inspected more than a thousand.

But one staff member conducted just 31 inspections in 2023, according to records reviewed by the Tampa Bay Times. So far this year, he hasnt conducted any.

Still, Nicolas Nick Stocco collects a $120,307.20 fire inspector salary from the city, thanks to a clause in the citys contract with the firefighters union. Stocco is the Local 754 president, representing some 750 Tampa firefighters  a role for which he receives an additional estimated $40,000.

Under the citys agreement with the union, Stocco can devote his city fire inspector time to handling union business. Its called union leave, and can be used for tasks such as handling grievances, dealing with negotiations and attending City Council meetings.

But even now, as Stocco is suspended from his fire inspector position following his March arrest by St. Petersburg police for disorderly intoxication, he continues to collect his inspector salary because he is classified as being on union leave, according to city records.

The citys Fire Department directed questions seeking Stoccos precise union pay to the union, which did not respond to calls from the Times.

Police caught Stocco urinating in a downtown parking garage in late March, the Times previously reported.

Stocco, 33, asked officers: Do you know who I am?

Nope, replied the police officer, according to bodycam footage obtained by the Times.

Stocco did not elaborate, but about 20 seconds later he added: I would never do that to yall.

He soon added: I work with you guys.

Stocco, who said he was unavailable to comment for this story, was taken to the Pinellas County Jail in a police van, arrested on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly intoxication in the early hours of March 24. Officers noted his slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and the smell of alcohol wafting from him as he staggered. The charge against him has since been dropped, according to court records.

Stocco first informed Mayor Jane Castors chief of staff, John Bennett, of the arrest the day it happened.

Tampa Fire Chief Barbara Tripp didnt find out until more than a week later, according to a department spokesperson.

Three days after that, on April 5, Stocco was suspended from his inspector position for conduct that did not follow both departmental and city policies, according to the spokesperson. He remains suspended while the city investigates.

Bennett told the Times he received a text and a call from Stocco, but declined to comment on their communication further. Its still an open investigation, he said.

When asked why he thought Stocco reached out to him, rather than the fire chief or his inspection supervisor, Bennett said: Thats under investigation.

The citys union agreement allows for members designated by the president to collectively use up to 3,300 hours of union leave  time off with pay to handle union business. Thats more than 400 standard, eight-hour workdays.

The agreement has permitted 3,300 hours since October 2019, when it jumped from an allowance of 2,500 hours per year.

Stocco, who has been president of Local 754 since Jan. 1, 2023, used 1,380 hours of union leave during the last fiscal year. Since October, when fiscal year 2024 began, he has used 996 hours, according to department records.

I believed the arrest was unwarranted and expressed that belief to the arresting officers, Stocco previously told the Times in a written statement, adding that he reported the arrest to Tampa officials that Sunday, March 24, and retained counsel to contest the charge. He was not in uniform or on duty at the time of the arrest.

In addition to the citys seven sworn fire inspectors on the existing inspections division, the city has five sworn inspectors responsible for new construction. Each is expected to conduct 75 inspections per month.

One member of the existing inspections division conducted fewer inspections than Stocco: Scott Acker, who, according to a statement from the department, was tasked with handling fire watch responsibilities for large events, including pyrotechnic permit reviews. That didnt leave much time for building inspections.

In addition to the 12 full-time city fire inspectors, there are an additional 12 who work part time and are expected to conduct an average of 65 inspections a month.

Stocco joined the department as a firefighter in 2011 and later was promoted to a driver. Then, in October 2022, he was promoted to fire inspector.

His current inspector salary places him at the higher end of the citys pay range for the position, which is $78,470 to $132,760.
At a critical moment during the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, the order was given for the blacked-out US aircraft carriers to turn on their lights to assist American pilots returning to their ships in the dark. We stood open-mouthed on the deck for a moment, wrote one naval officer, at the sheer audacity of asking the J-ps to come and get us, then a spontaneous cheer went up Let them come if they dared. J-ps or no J-ps, the Navy was taking care of its own; our pilots were not expendable!

Despite the lights, more than 80 American planes ran out of fuel and crash-landed in the sea, though many air crew were rescued. But the battle overall was a crushing victory for the US Navys Task Force 58  made up of 16 aircraft carriers, 1,000 combat aircraft and an armada of escorts  which had just completed an epic 3,500-mile dash across the Central Pacific to crush, once and for all, Japans carrier-borne air power, and establish for the United States a maritime supremacy that it still enjoys today.

A vital chapter of naval history, it has been often overshadowed by the better-known battles of Coral Sea, Midway and Leyte Gulf. That should change thanks to Evan Mawdsleys impeccably researched and compellingly argued study of the men, machines and logistical backup that made it all possible. Supremacy at Sea opens with the naval battle of the Santa Cruz in late October 1942, during the epic struggle for Guadalcanal island, when the US Navy lost one of its last two operational carriers in the Pacific, and the other suffered serious damage. This was arguably the nadir for the US Navy as it tried to take on the Imperial Japanese Navy with a tactical, technical and numerical inferiority in terms of ships and planes. In the battle of 26 October, Mawdsley writes, the US Navy had been outnumbered and outfought.

Its recovery was partly down to new equipment: the arrival, from the summer of 1943 to the spring of 1944, of 16 new aircraft carriers, seven of which were of the large 27,000-ton Essex class; and a new generation of faster, more agile and more robust planes, including the Grumman Hellcat fighter-bomber. Just as significant, however, were two key appointments at the top of the pyramid: rear admiral Marc (Pete) Mitscher, who became the commander of Task Force 58 in January 1944; and his boss, vice-admiral Raymond Spruance, commanding the US Fifth Fleet.

Mawdsley provides excellent pen-portraits of both men: the cautious, genteel Spruance who did well at the Annapolis Naval Academy, worked his way up through big gunships and was fortunate to be given credit for the great US victory at Midway in June 1942; and risk-taking Mitscher, the scion of German immigrants from frontier Oklahoma, who needed two attempts to graduate from Annapolis 107th out of a class of 130. Both were taciturn, says Mawdsley, though Mitscher was a more aggressive tactician, less averse to risk, while Spruance could be seen as a manager with a wide range of responsibilities and a longer-term perspective.

Also critical to the success of the fast-carrier force was the extraordinary logistical support provided by the fleet train, a huge number of supply and support ships that operated from advanced naval bases set up on islands recently captured from the Japanese in the mid-Pacific. This allowed Spruances fleet to remain at sea and in action for extended periods of time not seen since the age of sail.

By June 1944, Task Force 58 had advanced from the Marshall to the Mariana Islands, the latter just 1,500 miles from the Japanese archipelago, to support the landings on Saipan. It was opposed at the Battle of the Philippine Sea  the largest carrier-versus-carrier battle in history  by almost the whole of the Imperial Japanese Navys mobile fleet, which planned to knock out American air-power by launching long-range carrier aircraft strikes against the American flat-tops, and then mopping up the remaining surface ships.

The strikes failed because of superior American radar, fighter direction, anti-aircraft fire, planes and even pilots. In what became known as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, more than 300 Japanese planes were shot down on June 19, inflicting damage on the Japanese Navys carrier squadrons that was terrific and irreversible. American losses were negligible: a handful of planes, and not a single ship seriously damaged.

Curtiss SB2C Helldivers above the task force in February 1945 - Danvis Coll

A day later, having finally located the Japanese carriers, American air strikes were launched too late in the day to be effective  only a single escort carrier was sunk  and many planes were lost as they ran out of daylight and fuel. But Mitschers blushes were spared when he learned that two of Japans best aircraft carriers had been sunk on June 19 by American submarines. While often seen as a triumph of carrier aviation, the battle was rather a combined arms effort, with the submarine playing a crucial role in both reconnaissance and attack.

The main controversy of the battle was Spruances refusal on June 18 to allow Mitscher to move his carriers west into a position from which he believed  correctly, as it turned out  that he could launch air strikes on the Japanese carriers the following morning. Determined to protect the amphibious forces at Saipan, Spruance was playing it safe. Mitschers hunch was right, Mawdsley writes. Spruances was wrong. Neither man was ignoring convincing evidence.

A former professor of international history at the University of Glasgow, Mawdsley is that rare breed: an academic who writes as fluently about combat as he does about logistics. In Supremacy at Sea, he has produced an important, insightful book about the most powerful naval force in history, and the battle that ushered in a new global era of sea power.

Saul Davids books include Sky Warriors: British Airborne Forces in the Second World War. Supremacy at Sea: Task Force 58 and the Central Pacific Victory is published by Yale at 20. To order your copy for 16.99, call 0808 196 6794 or visit Telegraph Books

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.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  New bills have been introduced to combat the use of bots to buy tickets to shows or concerts in Michigan.

Some call them Taylor Swift bills, a reference to the 2022 controversy when tickets to her upcoming tour were purchased almost immediately and sold for high prices on resale sites. Ticketmaster blamed bots and unprecedented demand for the issue.

It may have happened to you or someone you know: You try to purchase tickets to a show and theyre gone in an instant. But sometimes competition between fans isnt the only reason tickets cant be found.

16 years ago: Taylor Swift plays at Western Michigan University

What happened is a bad-acting illegal bot or robot company got on and snapped up all those tickets using software and then sold them on a secondary market, said State Representative Graham Filler, R-Clinton County.

Filler is one of the Michigan lawmakers targeting automated ticket bots.

Its unfair, its unhelpful and the person who pays the price is the citizen of Michigan, Filler said.

The federal BOTS Act makes it illegal to use bots or other means to get around online ticket purchasing limits, but Filler said its been largely ineffective.

For some reason, theyve been unable to prosecute or knock down these bot companies, so states are starting to take action, Filler said.

Alongside State Representative Mike McFall, D-Hazel Park, Filler has introduced bipartisan legislation that would give the Michigan Attorney Generals Office the authority to file a civil lawsuit against people or groups that use bots to buy up tickets.

Fines could be up to $5,000 for each ticket illegally bought.

What we think is that fine would be so steep, in the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars, that these bot companies would not want to take the chance and come to Michigan, Filler said.

Similar legislation has already been passed in states like Arizona. The hope is that every day fans can enjoy their favorite artist in Michigan by keeping bots out.

I dont want them attacking websites in Michigan, knocking down a concert website, and then that hurting our tourism and hurting our tax revenue, and hurting the ability of citizens ability to go to concerts, Filler said.

The bills have been referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
UPDATE: According to the TBI, Daniel Baer was found safe as of 11:34 p.m. Tuesday.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL)  The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) issued a Silver Alert Tuesday night for a missing Johnson City man.

According to a post by the TBI, 66-year-old Daniel Baer was last seen Tuesday afternoon wearing jeans, a grey t-shirt and a red Ohio State hat.

The TBI said Baer has a medical condition that may impair his ability to return home without assistance. As of Tuesday night, the TBI said there was no known direction of travel.

Anyone who may spot Baer is asked to call the Johnson City Police Department at 423-434-6125 or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
Watch the full interview with York County teacher Todd Hoglund above.

YORK COUNTY, Va. (WAVY)  A York County teacher whos been speaking out against the actions of the countys new school board majority said hes doing it for others who are fearful of retaliation.

Todd Hoglund also spoke to 10 On Your Side about private accusations from the boards vice chair that he was harassing her with questions, claims that the principal at his school and others believe were clearly groundless.

Hoglund, an 18-year teacher and York County School Division parent who currently teaches at Grafton Middle School, says its not a personal or political issue for him.

These people were duly elected by constituents. Now I will say I dont believe most of the voters who voted [for Chair Lynda Fairman, Vice Chair Kimberly Goodwin and board member Zoran Pajevic] understand what they were doing, as far as voting in people with the rhetoric and the very far-right methodology that they have, Hoglund said.

Trainwreck: New school board leadership in York County accused of militia ties, could face legal issues

Previous: Petition calls for resignation of 3 York County School Board members

He said revelations in the boards Feb. 12 work session, in which those three members were accused of ties to a local militia (which theyve denied) and retaliatory behavior against Superintendent Victor Shandor, spurred him to start speaking out and asking questions.

He said he also found very quickly a lot of teachers are fearful of speaking up and speaking out due to concerns over retaliation from those board members and their supporters, particularly after Goodwin and Fairman chose to remove themselves from the districts Lets Talk platform that lets staff anonymously share their concerns.

Their supporters will publicly dox people. They will publicly list names and allude to addresses, allude to family situations. Just really scary behavior, Hoglund said.

10 On Your Side was able to independently corroborate those claims after a review of social media posts and other information obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.

Alleged militia actions in York County may lead to democratic erosion, expert says

So Hoglund felt it was his duty to speak up for those who felt like they couldnt.

This board is at a place where they are divisive, they are trying to turn York County into something that it shouldnt be. And I feel its my duty as a parent and a teacher to speak up for my students and my children, Hoglund said.  and I approached every public comment that I made with the idea well, if somethings going to happen to me, Id rather it happen to me than someone else who I care about. I can stand up for myself, I can speak for myself.

Push for answers, claim of harassment

After that Feb. 12 work session, Hoglund reached out to all five members of Yorks school board with concerns and questions.

They included whether the board would commit to mediation with Shandor, and whether they would take cultural competency training from the Virginia Department of Education. He also asked about the alleged militia ties and requested evidence of alleged indoctrination in the school districts.

He said he got responses from all but one school board member, Vice Chair Goodwin, who represents him in District 3.

Previous: York School Board vice chairs comments on slaves highlight history of incendiary rhetoric online

Hoglund followed up several times through mid March, emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show. Thats when Goodwin emailed School Board Attorney Melanie Berry on March 15 stating she believed Hoglunds requests were a form of harassment. She also asked if she should consult an outside attorney.

FY24_Hoglund_Redacted (1)Download

I might expect this kind of harassment from a parent or citizen but I do not expect nor think its

appropriate for this kind of harassment by a teacher in our division. Excerpt from Goodwins email to Berry.

In an email to Berry on March 22, Goodwin said shed completed a harassment claim form and was set to deliver it to the school division office.

However, Goodwin said at the boards April 22 meeting that in a follow up email she shared that she decided not to follow through with the complaint because she didnt want it to be perceived as retaliatory.

We do want your comments, and I want people to know that you can submit them and not fear that youre not going to be retaliated against, Goodwin said.

10 On Your Side followed up with Goodwin, who confirmed she did not follow through with the complaint.

I did not want it to be perceived as retaliatory. I sought guidance from our school board attorney who said I had a right to file a complaint and oddly enough she asked me a couple of times if I had completed the paperwork to file. After further thought I felt it was not right. I find it interesting that whoever FOIAd the correspondence neglected to include the email dated 3/29 that explains all this. Clearly whomever is leading the charge is trying to craft a narrative. I find it sad that the very same people who say that we (the board) need to be focused on students continue to try and bog us down with their antagonism. Vice Chair Kimberly Goodwin

10 On Your Side also reached out to an independent attorney for an expert opinion on the matter. Tim Schulte with the law firm Shelley Cupp Schulte in Richmond said both Hoglund and Goodwin enjoy First Amendment protection here.

Teachers in public schools, like Mr. Hoglund, enjoy First Amendment protection, even though they are employed by the government. The Supreme Court made that very clear in 1968 in a case called Pickering v. Board of Education. By the same token, Ms. Goodwins statements (and her silence) are also protected speech, and she has the right to refuse to answer Mr. Hoglunds questions. If you agree with her, or disagree, the way to show that is at the ballot box. Tim Schulte

Shelley Cupp Schulte

Hoglund said that he would have stopped emailing early on, but never got real responses to his questions.

If Ms. Goodwin, as she implied in her email to Ms. Berry, isnt going to answer my questions, tell me that. Communicate. Give me the recognition and respect to say Mr. Hoglund thank you for your question, Im not going to indulge you with a response. OK, I think thats pretty cruddy, its not the best response, but its a response.

Im absolutely within my right as a parent, as a teacher, as a community member to ask questions of a public official, added Hoglund.  if you feel like I didnt harass you, you should say thats my fault, I went too far, Mr. Hoglund did not harass me with his comments, which everyone believes.

That claim of harassment also led to Grafton Middle School Principal Tianna Anthony speaking up for Hoglund at the April 22 board meeting.

I have reviewed the emails, and while they contain several questions, they were not unprofessional in nature, said Anthony, who added  [Hoglund] embodies the qualities of a good special education teacher. Todd is dedicated and deeply committed to the success and well-being of his students.

Meanwhile Alan Kennedy, a professor of public policy at William & Mary whos provided pro bono legal advice to those petitioning for the resignation of the new board majority, added that its part of a pattern of intimidation by the new board majority.

And it is having a chilling effect on educators and parents and other community members, Kennedy said.

Hoglund said overall hell continue to speak up because he loves the district that he and his family have called home for years.

I want York County Schools to be successful, and I think the best way for that to happen is to hold people accountable. When somebody runs for political office  they need to listen to the constituents. And thats a big thing that these three new board members were saying, is that they hear their constituents, the people that voted for them. However its more than just the people who voted for them.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
An exclusive Capitol Hill forum meant to connect the tech industry with Congress took a bewildering political turn on Wednesday when a key CEO condemned pagan anti-Israel protests, suggested the protesters be sent to North Korea and mused about launching drone strikes on his business enemies.

The comments came from Alex Karp of Palantir Technologies, the Peter Thiel-linked firm increasingly at the center of Washington's defense-tech plans.

Karp was a featured speaker at the invite-only event, held in the heart of Capitol Hill. It included appearances from a number of sitting lawmakers and tech executives, most of whom made far blander pronouncements about national security, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

It was organized by Jacob Helberg, a senior Karp adviser and key driver of last weeks passage of a bill that could lead to a TikTok ban in the United States.

Karps talk, a one-on-one with Helberg, was billed as an early look at how defense software and AI are impacting the Ukraine and Israel conflicts, but veered in some unexpected directions. He said some students protesting the Israeli response to the Oct. 7 attacks have also praised North Korea, and perhaps should be sent there for reeducation.

Were gonna do an exchange program sponsored by Karp, he said. A couple months in North Korea, nice-tasting flavored bark. See how you feel about that.

The Palantir CEO is one of an emerging cadre of Silicon Valley hawks bringing the tech industrys disruptive ethos to a newly MAGA-tinged brand of politics  often couched in freewheeling rhetoric very different from even normal Washington jabs.

As if to underscore the point, Karps remarks were followed just minutes later by a surprise recorded video appearance at the forum by former President Donald Trump.

The event was not advertised as a partisan forum. Elected officials who spoke included Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, as well as several Republican lawmakers.

Asked about Karps remarks, which at times caused visible discomfort among some attendees, the organizer said that was part of the point.

The whole goal of the Hill & Valley Forum is to bridge the cultural gap between Washington and Silicon Valley, said Helberg, who conducted the on-stage interview with Karp on Wednesday. So its great for both sides to familiarize themselves with a little bit of West Coast humor.

Palantir specializes in data analytics for the defense sector, and has partnered with the Israeli military on the use of AI and other tools.

Karp has been an outspoken supporter of the Israeli response to last years Oct. 7 attack  and on Wednesday, he spent much of his 30-minute appearance railing against the anti-Israel protests that have rocked Columbia University and other campuses.



Look at Columbia, Karp said. There is literally no way to explain the investment in our elite schools, and the output is a pagan religion  a pagan religion of mediocrity, and discrimination, and intolerance, and violence.

The Palantir CEO called the protests unforgivable and incomprehensible, and claimed that progressive students have bought into an architecture of anti-discrimination while dressing in masks and excluding the population thats been most discriminated [against] for the last 3,000 years.

In an earlier aside, Karp also mused about his traditional animosity toward some venture capitalists.

I historically have been one that would rage against Silicon Valley venture people, Karp said. And I had all sorts of fantasies of using drone-enabled technology to exact revenge  especially targeted  in violation of all norms.

In an interview with POLITICO after Karps comments, Helberg said Karp has a background and a Ph.D. in philosophy, so he cares about philosophical issues in general. He said that as a private citizen, Karp is certainly entitled to be able to speak out on these issues.

But Helberg also said that Karps strong language against anti-Israel protests  a somewhat riskier stance to take in Washington, particularly when compared to Palantirs tough anti-China stance  is kind of part of the DNA of the company.

Palantir is a company that was founded after 9/11 premised on the notion of taking a side, Helberg said. It was never a company that hedged its bets, and that tried being neutral on big ethical and moral international events.

Helberg denied that Karps bombastic rhetoric was meant to curry favor with former President Donald Trump or his Make America Great Again movement ahead of the November elections. He believes in working with the U.S. government regardless of whos in office, Helberg said.

But Helberg  himself a Trump supporter  couldnt contain his glee while giving POLITICO an early look at the video Trump sent to the Hill & Valley Forum on Wednesday.



Jacob, I want to thank you, the presumptive GOP nominee for president said in the brief video. Our meeting was very productive, talking about AI and all of the ramifications  both good and bad.

Asked about that meeting, Helberg said Trump cares about artificial intelligence. Hes worried about deep fakes ... and artificial intelligence is the topic that everyones talking about on both sides of the aisle.
The Department of Transportation announced a new final rule last week that would require airlines to automatically refund passengers whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed. There are some exceptions, but in general, its a huge win for passengers who are tired of airlines giving them the runaround. As with anything that benefits normal people, though, this new DOT rule has reportedly upset Senator Ted Cruz enough that the New Republic reports hes proposed legislation to put a stop to this whole consumer protection nonsense.



Senators Cruz and Maria Cantwell, along with Representatives Sam Graves and Rick Larsen have proposed legislation that would only allow passengers to get a refund if they submit a written or electronic request after their flight is canceled or significantly delayed. Who this would help other than the airlines, we have no idea, but its probably safe to assume that American or United isnt exactly going to make it easy to find and properly fill out the appropriate form  and lets be honest, itll probably end up being multiple forms  wherever they decide to hide it on their site.

It also goes against the whole concept of holding airlines accountable and ensuring that displaced passengers dont have to jump through hoops to get their money back. As Secretary of Transportation Mayor Pete Buttigieg said in a statement last week, Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes themwithout headaches or haggling. Our new rule sets a new standard to require airlines to promptly provide cash refunds to their passengers.

Considering this is Ted Cruz  a man who multiple Republican presidents have said they hate  were talking about here, this kind of screw the people, the corporations need to make more money tomfoolery is probably to be expected. Senator Cantwell and Representative Larsen, however, are Democrats who you wouldnt expect to undermine their constituents like that. Could it perhaps have something to do with Boeings presence in their home state of Washington?

Even if the proposed legislation somehow passed both the House and Senate, which seems incredibly unlikely despite its bipartisan support, Biden would still have to sign it into law, which is probably even more unlikely. Assuming it goes nowhere, though, hopefully, a couple of people who actually care about the people they represent will primary Cantwell and Larsen over this ridiculous attempt to minimize the number of owed refunds that airlines end up being forced to pay out.

For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Tens of thousands of Colombians march in support of Petro's reforms

Supporters of Colombia's President Petro march in support of reforms proposed by his government, in Bogota

Supporters of Colombia's President Petro march in support of reforms proposed by his government, in Bogota

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people marched in Colombia's biggest cities on Wednesday to support reforms proposed by President Gustavo Petro which he says will tackle inequality, but which have struggled to win congressional approval.

The demonstrations mark the latest in a series of tit-for-tat rallies convened by the opposition against the reforms, which they argue are economically damaging, and also by Petro, the country's first leftist leader, in favor of them.

"We want (the reforms) to go ahead," said 69-year-old Hernando Pamo as he marched toward Bogota's central square. "The people are tired of all the stealing by big (businesses)."

The reforms will benefit working people, said Fernando Riascos, a 62-year-old farmer.

"It's a show of affection for our president," he said.

Petro, who has promised to begin to undo centuries of inequality in the South American country and ink peace or surrender deals with armed groups, thanked crowds in Plaza Bolivar for backing progressive reforms.

Traditional political parties and economic elites do not want the reforms to go ahead, Petro said.

"This is our answer," Petro said, accompanied by leaders of major unions. "The more they challenge us to confrontation, the happier we are. We will not retreat, the history of Colombia has changed definitively and there is no going back."

Petro also announced he will break diplomatic relations with Israel over its actions in Gaza.

Marches around the country were peaceful, the head of the national police said.

Tens of thousands marched in late April against the reforms, shortly after a Senate committee rejected a proposed health reform which the government has said would strip power from insurers and expand access to healthcare.

Critics have said the health reform would open the door to corruption, but the government is expected to propose a new version.

Pension and labor reforms are still being debated by lawmakers.

(Reporting by Herbert Villarraga and Nelson Bocanegra, Writing by Oliver Griffin and Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Tesla has laid off two executives and the hundreds of employees on the company's supercharging team late Monday  a move with possible implications for other automakers that are seeking to tap into Tesla's extensive electric vehicle charging network.

In an email to company executives, first reported by The Information, Tesla said that Rebecca Tinucci, Teslas senior director of EV charging, was leaving the company and that almost all of the team she managed would be laid off.

Lane Chaplin, now former real estate lead for the company, confirmed the layoffs on the supercharging team in a Tuesday LinkedIn post.

"In the middle of the night, I learned, along with all my Tesla Global Charging colleagues, the Tesla Charging org is no more," the post read.

Tesla's proprietary charging network, by far the largest in the United States is being opened up to other automakers. Ford Motor Co. in February launched an order link for its EV owners to order free adaptors that would allow them to charge their vehicles at thousands of Tesla fast-charging stations, in addition to other charging stations. Rivian also is taking orders for its adapter, and General Motors and other automakers have been working to build adapters for the network.

We think this is a huge move for our industry and for all electric customers, Ford CEO Jim Farley said last year when he struck the deal with Musk.

On Wednesday, company spokesman Marty Gunsberg told the Free Press, Fords plans for our customers remain unchanged.

The layoff affected nearly 500 employees with "a few" being reassigned to other teams, according to The Information. Tesla announced earlier this month that it would layoff 10% of its workforce.

EV charging equipment installed at a fueling station outside Denver, Colorado.

The Information also reported that Daniel Ho, head of the new vehicles program, and his employees will be let go and that the company's public policy team will be dissolved. Rohan Patel, former vice president of public policy and business development, left the company earlier this month.

"Hopefully these actions are making it clear that we need to be absolutely hard core about headcount and cost reduction," CEO Elon Musk wrote in the email, according to The Information. "While some on exec staff are taking this seriously, most are not yet doing so."

Tesla did not respond to USA TODAY'S request for comment Tuesday.

Cuts lead to questions about charging network

Bullet EV Charging Solutions learned of the layoffs when an executive was told to "turn around" ahead of a meeting with a now laid-off Tesla construction lead, according to Andres Pinter, co-CEO of Bullet, an electric vehicle charging installation and maintenance firm that has contracts with Tesla

Story continues

Pinter told USA TODAY on Tuesday that he had confidence that Tesla would meet its commitments to his company and in Musk's long-term management of the company while noting that the charging network overseen by the department affected by the cuts was a key element in the company's success.

"I think that it would be suicide for the business to retreat from charging. Tesla's Supercharger network in particular is one of the reasons that consumers buy the vehicles because there's ubiquitous charging that has nearly 100% uptime," Pinter said. "It's a move I think, whether or not it was the right move is to be determined. But he's (Musk) also much smarter than any of us."

In a post on X, Musk said that the company would expand the charging network at a slower pace while expanding existing locations.

Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace for new locations and more focus on 100% uptime and expansion of existing locations  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 30, 2024

Supercharger team latest in line of layoffs

Musk and Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja addressed layoffs in the company's earnings call earlier this month with CFO Vaibhav Taneja saying, "Any tree that grows needs pruning."

The Reno Gazette Journal, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, reported Tuesday that the company posted a layoff notice for 693 employees in the state, primarily at Gigafactory 1 in Sparks.

On April 22, the company posted a layoff notice for 2,688 employees at Tesla's Austin, Texas, factory. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that 2,735 workers in the Bay Area would be laid off the following day.

"We're not giving up anything that significant that I'm aware of," Musk said on the call.

Martin Viecha, Tesla's vice president of Investor Relations, announced his departure from the company during the earnings call and Drew Baglino, senior vice president of powertrain and electrical engineering, left ahead of the call.

Tesla had 140,473 employees globally at the end of 2023, according to Reuters.

Detroit Free Press reporter Phoebe Wall Howard contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tesla lays off multiple teams in latest round of cuts
As tensions grow, more Americans see China as an enemy

U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, center, visits with his Chinese counterpart at the time, Qin Gang, in Beijing in 2023. (Leah Millis / Associated Press)

Americans are increasingly concerned about China's power abroad and want to combat that influence, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center.

Some 42% of respondents indicated that they consider China an enemy of the United States  up from 34% in 2021 when the Washington-based research organization began asking the question.

The study, published Wednesday, also found 71% of Americans believe China's global influence has been growing in recent years.

Nearly half of respondents said limiting China's power should be a top priority for U.S. foreign policy, along with protecting the U.S. from terrorist attacks and curbing the flow of illegal drugs into the country.

The rising suspicion comes as the two countries clash on a growing number of issues and the major candidates in the U.S. presidential election vow to stand tough on China.

Read more: Trump and Biden both say theyre tough on China. But whom would Beijing prefer to deal with?

President Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump have expressed concerns about the impact of low-cost Chinese goods on American industries. About two-thirds of respondents in the Pew survey believe that China has a negative impact on U.S. economic conditions.

Biden recently called for the tripling of tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum to target what he called "unfair trade practices" by China. And on a trip to Beijing last month, Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen raised the issue of "overcapacity" in Chinese manufacturing of electric cars and other clean-energy goods.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials in Beijing to discuss long-simmering sources of tension. Blinken raised the need to stem the supply of fentanyl from China to the U.S. and warned China to stop providing tools and technology to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.

"Russia would struggle to sustain its assault on Ukraine without China's support," Blinken said at a news conference Friday. "I made clear that if China does not address this problem, we will."

Meanwhile, China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, criticized the U.S. for using trade policy and sanctions to contain China's economic development. Wang also reiterated his government's concerns about U.S. interference in China's claim on Taiwan and called on Biden to respect Beijing's sovereignty over the island democracy.

Read more: 'Only you can save your own lives': Disinformation and fake news flood Taiwan before election

The high-level meetings followed the passage of a U.S. bill that allocated $8 billion in funding for Taiwan. The bill, which Biden signed last week, would also force a ban of TikTok in the U.S. if the Chinese-owned company does not sell its short-video app business.

To assess American attitudes toward China, Pew researchers surveyed a representative sample of 3,600 U.S. adults by mail, text and email during the first week of April.

The survey found that 81% of U.S. adults view China unfavorably, a slight decline from 83% last year but still near the highest level in data going back to 2005. Public opinion has changed radically since 2017, when about 47% of respondents held unfavorable views of China and 43% held favorable ones.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A Pinzgauer M 712 T 6x6 army all-terrain vehicle bearing the flag of neutral Austria has been spotted at a Moscow exhibition of trophy vehicles allegedly captured by Russian troops in Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda; Heute

Details: The exhibition on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow displays Western military equipment allegedly captured in Ukraine, including a German Leopard 2 tank, a German Marder infantry fighting vehicle and an American Bradley.

The exhibition also features a large collection of wheeled vehicles, including a Pinzgauer M 712 T 6x6 marked with the Austrian flag.

These vehicles were used for medical purposes by both the Austrian and Swiss armies between 1972 and 2008 and have now been withdrawn from production. From the photo, Heute points out, it can be seen that the all-terrain vehicle displayed in Moscow was used in Switzerland.

While it remains unclear how the Pinzgauer got to Ukraine, as it was never officially reported as having been provided to Ukrainian troops, the question arises as to why the vehicle is marked with the flag of neutral Austria.

Background:

Austria has never provided Kyiv with weapons and is not a member of NATO. Heute writes that the manufacturer of Pinzgauer is the Austrian company Steyr-Puch, and the flags of Austria and Switzerland both contain the colours red and white, which is why "the Russians later painted the Austrian flag on the vehicle".

Swiss Eagle 1 armoured vehicles have previously been spotted in Ukraine, and there have also been reports of Swiss-made ammunition being supplied to Ukraine.

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Testimony begins to determine if juvenile will be tried as adult in Chiefs rally shooting

A flurry of gunfire that erupted at the conclusion of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally in February lasted just seconds, a Jackson County judge heard during testimony Tuesday. The incident would leave dozens of people injured, one woman dead, and countless attendees at the community celebration with lasting trauma.

The testimony came as part of a certification hearing for a 16-year-old boy who has been charged in connection with the rally shooting. The proceedings, which will resume later in May, could end in the boy being prosecuted as an adult.

The teen, referred to throughout Tuesdays proceedings by his initials, A.M., has been charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon and one count of resisting arrest.

State law lays out a group of factors for a judge to consider when reviewing whether to send a juvenile case to general jurisdiction court, where the defendant would be prosecuted as an adult, including the seriousness of the alleged offense, whether it involved viciousness and violence, whether it was part of a pattern of offenses, as well the childs age and history.

A.M. and family members listened Tuesday afternoon as an attorney representing the Jackson County Juvenile Officer and the boys own defense attorney presented testimony and evidence to Jackson County Family Court Administrative Judge Jennifer Phillips, who will eventually rule on how the case against A.M. will proceed.

The testimony

The bulk of testimony presented focused on the rally shooting itself.

Ahmad Belcher, a deputy juvenile officer with Jackson County who assessed A.M. as part of the proceedings, testified the boy had a supportive family system and had a lot going for him, but ultimately recommended the boy be prosecuted as an adult, pointing to the seriousness of the incident in which he said A.M. had fired into a crowd of people as they fled, fearful for their lives.

After gunfire broke out, police swarmed the area around the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, asking fans to leave the area at Union Station. One person was killed and twenty-two others were shot and wounded, some critically. Tammy Ljungblad/tljungblad@kcstar.com

He chose to come to an event armed with a dangerous weapon. He chose to discharge this weapon, Belcher said of A.M., noting the incident left those in attendance with lasting trauma.

The shooting was a deeply traumatic experience for A.M., his attorney Yashwanth Manjunath said, emphasizing that it was Lyndell Mays, one of three men later charged with murder in connection with the rally shooting, who fired first and who would shoot A.M.s friend in the face. The boy, he noted, had no history with the juvenile justice system.

At the end of Tuesdays proceedings, as Phillips heard arguments over the boys continued detention, Manjunath indicated to Phillips that he was making a self-defense argument.

Kansas City police detective Grant Spiking testified, referencing video surveillance he said showed A.M. as a member of one of two groups involved in an argument in which a member of the opposite group, alleged to be Mays, first pulled a gun and began to fire at a member of the group A.M. was in. The two groups began firing at each other.

Spiking testified A.M. could be seen running away after Mays allegedly pulled a gun and advanced on a man who he would shoot in the face, firing multiple times even as uninvolved people were in between him and his target. Gunfire traded between the two groups lasted about four seconds, Spiking said.

It was at the end of the flurry that Mays was struck and fell to the ground, when A.M. turned from running, fired a gun in Mays direction and then ran off before he was eventually tackled by a police officer, Spiking said. Two shell casings that matched A.M.s gun were later recovered by investigators.

Everyone in the direction he was shooting was in danger, Spiking said of A.M.s gunfire.

Spiking noted 25 people were injured in the incident and one woman was killed, but a larger number, 60, would eventually report injuries or go to a hospital in connection with the rally shooting.

The proceedings for A.M. are expected to resume May 20. Then, Phillips is expected to hear testimony from family members of the boy and a defense expert witness.

At the conclusion of Tuesdays hearing, Phillips ruled that A.M. would remain in custody.

Nick Wagner/The Kansas City Star

The other suspects

Another teen, a 15-year-old, also was charged on March 20 with unlawful use of a weapon for shooting at a person and armed criminal action. That youth is due back in court for a detention hearing on May 15, and also may be tried as an adult. A certification hearing for that matter has not yet been set.

A third teen was also detained on gun-related charges that do not rise to the level to be tried as an adult.

Three men also face murder charges in the Feb. 14 mass shooting, in which Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a 43-year-old Johnson County mother of two and a beloved party DJ, was killed.

In February, prosecutors charged Mays, 23, of Raytown, and Dominic Miller, 18, of Kansas City, with identical charges  second-degree felony murder and unlawful use of a weapon, as well as two counts of armed criminal action. About a month later, prosecutors charged Terry J. Young, 23, of Kansas City, with second-degree felony murder and unlawful use of a weapon, as well as two counts of armed criminal action.

Since then, grand juries have indicted Mays and Young on identical charges, replacing the original charges filed by prosecutors.

Investigators have alleged that Mays drew and fired first. Gunfire from Millers firearm struck and killed Lopez-Galvan, according to court documents. In the surveillance video, Young can be seen drawing a gun and appearing to shoot several times.

Under Missouri law, a person who did not pull the trigger can still be charged when someone is killed during the commission of a dangerous felony.

Lyndell Mays, one of the men charged with murder in the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally mass shooting, listens to his public defender, John Reed, before a bond hearing in Jackson County Circuit Court on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Kansas City. Nick Wagner/nwagner@kcstar.com

The Stars Robert A. Cronkleton contributed to this story.
Can Texans start lighting up joints if the federal government makes marijuana legal?

If the Biden administration is successful in relaxing federal rules on marijuana, Texans could start smoking joints freely. Though the drug is illegal in Texas, a clause in the U.S constitution says federal law generally takes priority over a state law. This was declared as the supreme law of the land.

Issues with the Articles of Confederation, which ruled the United States from 1781 to 1789, prompted the creation of the Supremacy Clause, which can be found in article VI of the Constitution. The clause was designed to resolve disagreements between federal and state laws that addressed the same subject. Arizonas immigration law is an example of how the federal government enforces the supremacy clause.

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Until federal law changes officially, pot is still illegal in Texas

Marijuana offenses are subject to strict state law. An offense can result in fines of thousands of dollars and years behind bars.

The consequences for possessing marijuana are as follows:

2 ounces or less  Class B misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $2,000 and up to 180 days incarcerated.

2-4 ounces  Class A misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $4,000 and up to one year incarcerated.

4 ounces to 5 pounds  State jail felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and 180 days to 2 years incarcerated.

5 to 50 pounds  3rd degree felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and two to 10 years incarcerated.

50 to 2,000 pounds  2nd degree felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and two to 20 years incarcerated.

2,000 pounds or more  1st degree felony with a maximum fine of $50,000 five to 99 years incarcerated.

The penalties for selling marijuana are:

7 grams or less for no remuneration  Class B misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $2,000 and up to 180 days incarcerated.

7 grams or less  Class A misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $4,000 and up to a year incarcerated.

7 grams to 5 pounds  State jail felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and 180 days to two years incarcerated.

5 to 50 pounds  2nd degree felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and two to 20 years incarcerated.

50 to 2,000 pounds  1st degree felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and five to 99 years incarcerated.

2,000 pounds or more  Enhanced 1st degree felony with a maximum fine of $100,000 and 10 to 99 years incarcerated.

With a prescription, Texas permits the selling of medical marijuana. A list of doctors that recommend low-grade cannabis to patients with epilepsy, cancer, autism, and other diseases is available online through the Texas Department of Public Safety. Searching the DPS website will help you find a doctor who can prescribe low-THC.
This photo provided by Sunrise Veterinary Service in May 2024 shows Barbara Petersen. The first calls the Amarillo veterinarian received in early March 2024 were from dairy owners worried about crows, pigeons and other birds dying on their Texas farms. Then came word that barn cats _ half of them on one farm _ had died suddenly. Within days, she was hearing about sick cows with unusual symptoms: high fevers, reluctance to eat and much less milk. (Sunrise Veterinary Service via AP)

The first calls that Dr. Barb Petersen received in early March were from dairy owners worried about crows, pigeons and other birds dying on their Texas farms. Then came word that barn cats  half of them on one farm  had died suddenly.

Within days, the Amarillo veterinarian was hearing about sick cows with unusual symptoms: high fevers, reluctance to eat and much less milk. Tests for typical illnesses came back negative.

Petersen, who monitors more than 40,000 cattle on a dozen farms in the Texas Panhandle, collected samples from cats and cows and sent them to Dr. Drew Magstadt, a friend from college who now works at the veterinary diagnostic laboratory at Iowa State University.

The samples tested positive for a bird flu virus never before seen in cattle. It was the first proof that the bird flu, known as Type A H5N1, could infect cows. As of Wednesday, 36 U.S. herds had confirmed infections, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.

It was just a surprise, recalled Petersen. It was just a little bit of disbelief.

At the same time, on almost every farm with sick animals, Petersen said she saw sick people, too.

We were actively checking on humans, Petersen said. I had people who never missed work, miss work.

So far, two people in the U.S. have been confirmed to be infected with H5N1, most recently a Texas dairy worker linked to the cattle outbreak, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About two dozen people have been tested and about 100 people have been monitored since the virus appeared in cows, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, a CDC respiratory diseases official, told reporters Wednesday.

Daskalakis said CDC has seen no unusual flu trends in areas with infected cows, but some experts wonder if anecdotal reports of sick workers mean more than one person caught the virus from the animals.

Petersen said some workers had symptoms consistent with flu: fever and body aches, stuffy nose or congestion. Some had conjunctivitis, the eye inflammation detected in the Texas dairy worker diagnosed with bird flu.

Dr. Gregory Gray, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, has been taking samples from livestock and people on two Texas farms. On farms with confirmed cattle infections, there have also been reports of mild illnesses among the workers, he said.

His research has been difficult. Many workers are reluctant to be tested. That may be because they have limited access to health care or fear divulging private health information.

Without confirmation, no one knows if the sick workers were infected with the bird flu virus or something unrelated, Gray said.

They seem to be linked in time and space, so one would say its biologically plausible, said Gray.

Some of the workers who fell ill sought treatment and were offered oseltamivir, an antiviral drug sold under the brand name Tamiflu, Petersen said.

Some farm workers who were exposed to infected animals or people were offered the medication, CDC spokesman Jason McDonald said. State health officials are responsible for evaluating and providing treatment, according to federal guidelines.

Health officials in Texas provided Tamiflu to the person known to be infected with H5N1 and household members, plus two people on a second dairy farm who tested negative but were exposed to infected animals, said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. He said he wasn't sure if others had been offered the antiviral.

Farmers have been hesitant to allow health officials onto their land, said Dr. Kay Russo, a Colorado veterinarian who consulted about the outbreak with Petersen.

This particular disease is looked at as a scarlet letter, Russo said. It has this stigma associated with it right now.

Russo called for wider testing of cattle, people and milk.

We do not know what we do not measure, she said. Unfortunately, the horse left the barn and took off a lot faster than we were able to mobilize.

Gray worries that a recent federal order requiring testing of all lactating dairy cows moving between states could hinder cooperation even further. All labs that conduct tests must report positive results to the Agriculture Department. But many farmers may simply decide against testing, hoping to outlast the outbreak, he said.

The reluctance of workers and farmers to allow testing is greatly hampering understanding of how the virus spreads, how large the outbreak is now and how quickly it may grow, Gray said.

Its a negative, very negative, effect, he said.

Petersen said she understands workers' and farmers' fears. She praised the farmers who had been willing to let her gather the first samples that confirmed the outbreak and reflected on what the results could mean.

You immediately think about the cows, the people that care for them and the families that have these farms, she said. Youre thinking about the big picture, long term. Your mind starts to go down that entire path of concern.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Members of Fort Worths ad hoc council committee on emergency medical response have recommended that MedStar employees who transition to the proposed fire department-based EMS model receive civil service benefits.

Michael Glynn, president of the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association, called the decision the right thing to do, and said it sends a message that Fort Worth is committed to caring for its EMS employees.

Tuesdays decision comes two weeks after the committee narrowed down the EMS options under consideration to a fire-based model that would incorporate MedStar employees. If the Fort Worth City Council approves the committees recommendation, MedStars current employees would come on board as Fort Worth employees and serve as paramedics and emergency medical technicians on ambulances run by the Fire Department.

This is going to be a great opportunity for us to work together as one team in one department, Glynn told the Star-Telegram.

Even though the EMS workers wouldnt serve as firefighters, their status as civil service employees would allow them to receive line-of-duty death and injury benefits, among other protections afforded to firefighters and police officers.

The Fort Worth City Council is expected to vote on adopting the ad hoc committees EMS recommendations and the implementation/transition plan on May 21.

MedStar has served as the sole ambulance provider for Fort Worth and the surrounding communities since 1986. Spokesperson Matt Zavadsky said MedStar will support whatever decision the council makes.

Whatever its going to take to make a smooth transition and make sure that the new system is as operationally efficient, and clinically proficient as possible, we want to help facilitate that, Zavadsky said.

Assistant City Manager Valerie Washington said the citys goal is to make the change to fire-based EMS as easy as possible for residents.

Were going to do everything we can to make it a seamless process so users of the system wont notice anything, Washington said.

According to Washington, the transition could take up to 18 months, though she thinks that estimate is on the high end. City officials are working with Fitch and Associates, the independent consultant hired to assess Fort Worths EMS system, to fine tune the timeline.

A major part of the transition, according to Washington, will be the hiring and onboarding of employees to staff the ambulances.

We would anticipate sitting down with all of the (MedStar) employees and determining, you know, which ones can move over, Washington said. Were anticipating that many of them will.

According to Zavadsky, the ambulance service currently employs around 400 paramedics and emergency medical technicians. Around 100 more employees work in dispatch and various support roles, including logistics, human resources, payroll and those who re-stock the ambulances.

Its not clear where those who serve in support roles at MedStar would fit into the new EMS model, but Washington said some of those functions may go to other city departments outside the Fire Department.

Another part of the transition, Washington said, will be working with local hospitals and other healthcare facilities to manage their own inter-facility transports. MedStar currently provides all inter-facility transports for Fort Worth and the 13 member cities.

Officials said Tuesday that an inter-facility transfer working group will identify vendors and help coordinate the details for this portion of the transition.

Thats definitely one of those processes that we want to make sure is solid, Washington told the Star-Telegram.

Fort Worth is also working toward streamlining its 911 service. Currently the Fort Worth Police Department, Fire Department and MedStar each use separate communications and dispatch centers. Washington said the goal is to get all of the areas emergency services using the same technology and eventually bring them under the same roof.

Our goal is making sure the 911 process is as efficient as possible and making sure the end users get the fast service that they need, Washington said at Tuesdays meeting. We know that time matters, and so were trying to find where there are minutes, seconds in the process that we could shave this down.

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I think we need a widespread, systemic response: Critics condemn NUs agreement with pro-Palestinian demonstrators

EVANSTON, Ill.  Pro-Palestinian demonstrators tents have come down at Northwestern University, following an agreement that was reached on Monday, but another controversy is surfacing.

Critics are now condemning the schools deal with student protestors that led to the removal of the encampment.

I think we all deserve to feel safe on campus and it robs us a little of our human dignity, to feel like we cant walk down the street and feel completely unapologetically ourselves, MBA student Susan Radov said.

I think the agreement was weak and Im glad the encampment came down I would like to see all the hateful posters come down too, MBA student Susan Radov said in response to the agreement reached between university officials and protestors.

Northwestern reaches agreement with pro-Palestinian demonstrators

The deal came five days after demonstrators set up an encampment on the Deering Meadow. Administrators responded by banning tents and temporary structures but did not enforce the new policy as they negotiated over the weekend.

Theres no reason to have this conversation because theyre not following school policy. Its a very simple ask, unfortunately, they just wanted to hush it up the admin capitulated and conceded, Executive Director at Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF) Avi Gordon said.

Mondays agreement requires the removal of all tents and sound systems, but students and staff can continue demonstrating on campus until June 1. In return, the school will re-establish an advisory committee on investment responsibility, fund two visiting Palestinian faculty and five student scholarships per year, and renovate a safe space building for Muslim students.

Members of the Jewish community say they are upset about what they call un-checked antisemitism on campus.

Theyre sharing hateful speech rhetoric calling for the annihilation of the holy Jewish state in the world, calling for Zionists to die, Gordon said.

Seeing undergraduates wearing t-shirts with pictures of Hamas terrorists is quite frightening, Radov said.

Radov is among more than a dozen Jewish students from Northwestern heading to Washington D.C. this week.

DePaul University students begin encampment protesting war in Gaza

This is rampant at UCLA, USC, Penn, Columbia I think we need a widespread, systemic response, Radov said.

The students are calling on the federal government to step in, advocating for legislation that would define antisemitism.

Many states have adopted it, schools have adopted it, NU needs to adopt it as well, Gordon said. What that adoption does is create another tool in the toolbox for this administration to say when something happens on campus, That action is antisemitic in nature.'

Several other groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, the Israeli consulate in Chicago, and the American Jewish Committee have voiced opposition to the agreement.

WGN-TV reached out to Northwestern for comment and has not yet heard back.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
A third of Americans could have had data stolen in big health care hack

A third of Americans may have had their personal data swept up in a February ransomware attack on a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary that disrupted pharmacies across the US, UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty estimated in testimony to Congress on Wednesday.

It will likely take several months before UnitedHealth is able to identify and notify Americans impacted by the hack because the company is still combing through the stolen data, Witty said in written testimony.

In hours of hearings in the Senate and House Wednesday, Witty apologized to patients and doctors, admitted that hackers broke into the subsidiary through a poorly protected computer server and confirmed that he authorized a $22 million ransom payment to the hackers.

The testimony shows that the scope of what experts consider to be the most significant health care cyberattack in US history is even bigger than previously known. And the hacking incident has led some lawmakers to call for cybersecurity regulations for health care companies.

The February ransomware attack paralyzed computers that Change Healthcare, the UnitedHealth subsidiary, uses to process medical claims across the country. Health providers were cut off from billions of dollars in payments, according to one hospital association, and some health clinics told CNN they were close to running out of money. The Department of Health and Human Services is investigating whether UnitedHealth complied with federal law in protecting patient data.

More than two months since the ransomware attack, Witty touted the companys recovery by rebuilding computer systems and getting insurance claims flowing to near-normal levels. But, he said the process for identifying and notifying Americans affected by the hack was cumbersome partly because data files were compromised in the incident.

In the hearing, multiple lawmakers asked if UnitedHealth and Change Healthcare, which processes about 15 billion health care transactions annually, controlled an outsized portion of the US health sector, leaving the sector vulnerable to hacks and other disruptions.

Your revenues are bigger than some countries GDP, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, told Witty. And how in heavens name did you not have the necessary redundancies so that you did not experience this attack and find yourself so vulnerable?

UnitedHealth has blamed its hack on a notorious criminal group called ALPHV, or BlackCat, that the Justice Department says has been responsible for ransomware attacks on victims around the world.

The FBI generally discourages victims to pay a ransom because it can fuel more ransomware attacks. But UnitedHealth is one of multiple major US firms that have made multimillion-dollar ransom payments to try to recover stolen data or get systems back online. Colonial Pipeline, a pipeline operator that transports fuel to the East Coast, paid a $4.4 million ransom in 2021 after a Russian-speaking ransomware group disrupted the pipeline operations for days.

UnitedHealth has said it paid the ransom as part of the companys commitment to do all it could to protect patient data from disclosure.

But lawmakers on Wednesday said they would keep the pressure on the company to get to the bottom of what personal health information was accessed.

Americans are still in the dark about how much of their sensitive information was stolen, Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who chairs the finance committee, lamented.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Range Anxiety

Tesla CEO Elon Musk isn't wasting any time in pulling out of one of his car company's key value propositions: its Supercharger network.

Earlier this week, news emerged that Musk was conducting yet another round of layoffs, including senior director of EV charging Rebecca Tinucci  alongside her 500-person-strong team.

Now, Electrek reports that the EV maker has backed out of four Supercharger location leases across the New York City area that were meant to address overcrowding at existing lots.

In other words, charging your Tesla at a Supercharger could soon get a whole lot more miserable  the direct result of Musk tightening the belt and making major cuts across the board in light of plummeting sales and a disastrous financial outlook.

The move is particularly confusing because just a few years ago, Musk had been a huge public believer in the Supercharger vision  even bragging about plans to open burger restaurants at the locations so that drivers could dine while their EVs charged.

Plenty of investors are blaming Musk for the company's wandering vision, saying he's alienated buyers and tanked the carmaker's reputation with his bizarre political outbursts and fixation on autonomous driving  all at the expense of basic services for Tesla drivers, like a reliable charging network.

Charging Deserts

Overcrowding at Superchargers, especially in busy city centers, has become a real issue. New York City passed new incentives to electrify ride-sharing vehicles, which made the situation even worse.

Tesla had promised to install 100 additional chargers around the city by the end of 2024. Given the latest news, however, those sites will likely never be realized.

Or at least, Tesla won't be operating them. EV charging company Revel has already expressed interest, per Electrek, in taking over three of the four sites where initial work had already begun.

In short, Musk's commitment to a core feature that sets it apart from its rapidly growing competition is seriously waning, highlighting just how much trouble the car company is.

The rest of the car industry has fallen woefully behind, struggling to provide a reliable  and fast enough  way to charge EVs in many parts of the country.

Perplexingly, Tesla is blowing a considerable lead. The carmaker is in a unique position, especially considering its fast-charging plug, the North American Charging Standard is quickly becoming ubiquitous across other car brands.

Tesla is making some drastic changes in a very short amount of time. Even the team designated to develop and market new vehicles was let go in its entirety during the second round of layoffs, which could have major repercussions for Tesla's alleged plans to build a cheaper passenger car.

More on Tesla: Tesla Reportedly Laying Off Every Single Employee Working on Superchargers
Thiru Vignarajah tries again to take another chip out of Baltimore mayoral race

Thiru Vignarajah takes a bite out of his loaded, cheese-drenched vegan sausage at Lexington Market and reflects on how this year is different, refreshing even.

In his fourth campaign in six years  twice for states attorney and now twice for mayor  Vignarajah has jumped into the Baltimore harbor and ditched his wealthy donors to instead spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money through Baltimores new public campaign financing system.

Hes campaigned alongside the families of victims from some of the citys highest-profile recent crimes.

Hes also addressed allegations that have dogged his previous campaigns. While not denying or confirming specific claims that he was an abusive boss in the offices of the Baltimore states attorney and the Maryland attorney general, hes apologized and acknowledged he said and did things he regrets, including in a recent interview with The Baltimore Sun.

But whether the attempts at candid or attention-seeking moments make any difference in the May 14 primary  a rematch with Mayor Brandon Scott and former Mayor Sheila Dixon, plus businessman Bob Wallace  remains to be seen.

Breaking this door down is not easy. You know, hacking down a tree, each ax swing takes a chip out of it, Vignarajah said in a recent interview, about two weeks after a poll for The Baltimore Sun, FOX45 and the University of Baltimore pegged his support at 10%.

Vignarajah finished fourth in the sprawling, 24-person 2020 Democratic mayoral primary, with 11.5% of the vote.

His pitch four years later is largely the same as it was then  reduce homicides, provide free city bus rides, cut property taxes in half over a decade. Gimmicks, by his own admission, like jumping into the water in Fells Point, have been designed to get attention to previous environmental plans. And a 185-page Blueprint for Baltimore he previously released is still the only platform on his campaign website (a note attached to the plan says some of its policies may need to be changed or removed).

Other tacks are fresher, designed to rib Scott for what is now his track record. The Harborplace redevelopment plans are nothing more than a backroom deal; American Rescue Plan Act money, stemming from the federal governments response to COVID-19, has been used by the Scott administration like a personal political slush fund.

This market is incredible, but it didnt need $5 million, Vignarajah said, sitting in the center of the redeveloped Lexington Market after mingling with vendors, getting lunch from Sausage Master and warmly greeting supporters who approached him every few minutes during a recent Friday afternoon.

Scotts administration allocated ARPA funds to the market in 2022, saying they would help rising construction costs and maintain minority vendor participation. Vignarajah said Scott was rewarding campaign donors and that the money would have been more effective going toward Northeast, Hollins or other historic markets.

He said Scotts ARPA spending on a variety of smaller projects and nonprofits is the most consequential mistake of this mayors administration. Hed prefer focusing it on larger investments.

2024 voter guide: Candidates for Baltimore mayor

One of the generational projects Scott has backed  Harborplace  Vignarajah has vowed to block. The plan would replace the existing pavilions with a new retail and commercial space and high-rise luxury apartments.

If elected, Vignarajah said he would sign an executive order to ban the construction of residential buildings in public parks and kick off a new planning process with an international design competition. Though hes pledged to only choose a design with public input, he said he might encourage public support for plans that connect McKeldin Square with the promenade, build a pedestrian bridge over the harbor, increase park space or that create areas for events, retail and waterfront dining.

Vignarajah has long been known for his detailed plans and his energy. A Harvard Law School graduate who clerked for a U.S. Supreme Court justice, he became an assistant Maryland attorney general before going into private practice.

That resume and charisma on the campaign trail helped him attract contributions from wealthy donors across the country and the support of independent political committees backed by some of Marylands wealthiest individuals  at least until this year. Since launching his latest bid in January, hes raised small, $150-maximum donations from city residents in order to qualify for more than $600,000 in public financing.

In the first year that systems been available in Baltimore, Vignarajah said its a joy to raise money in a way that ensures he spends time with people that our elected officials are supposed to be talking to. Over a few hours at the market, he handed out dozens of invitations to his home  an 8-bedroom, 7-bath Georgian colonial he recently bought in the Guilford neighborhood for $1.25 million, according to public records  for a fundraiser that night.

Vignarajah equated the fundraising to his high-profile, pro-bono legal work, which has helped him grow the kind of name recognition he knows he needs to eventually win a citywide race.

Shannon Reynolds, whose husband, Timothy Reynolds, was killed in a clash with squeegee workers in July 2022, was recently among family members of a dozen murder victims who stood with Vignarajah at a press event to support his candidacy. Also in that group was Krystal Gonzalez, whose 18-year-old daughter, Aaliyah Gonzalez, was one of the two young people killed in the Brooklyn Homes mass shooting last year. (Reynolds family is a client of Vignarajahs and Gonzalezs is not.)

Gonzalez doesnt live in the city but said in an interview she believes Vignarajah has compassion for victims and gets it the most when it comes to prosecuting and holding these violent offenders accountable. Frustrated with her experience dealing with the city after her daughters death, she also said Scotts administration has not done enough to recruit additional police officers since the Brooklyn shooting.

Gonzalezs public comments before the City Council after the shooting were a flashpoint in the outrage over violence in Baltimore. Though murders in 2023 dropped below 300 for the first time in nearly a decade and some city programs show signs of progress, Vignarajah said Scott should not get the credit for a trend seen in other major cities after the pandemic.

I listen to Brandon talk about homicides being down and, great leaders, they dont look for recognition. The work speaks for itself, Gonzalez told The Sun. Homicides being down means absolutely nothing to a mother who lost her child.

The slow police response to the violence in Brooklyn was featured in Vignarajahs first major campaign ad this year. It also showed three women who were arrested last year while protesting Baltimore Gas & Electric Co.s shutting off of their gas to install new meters. Vignarajah represented the women in the case.

I love how he did that BGE thing, said Vanessa Terry, who was working behind the counter at Betty Lees Candy Dish at the market when Vignarajah walked by last week.

While Vignarajah said he believes hes defined himself as a candidate whos willing to fight for the little guy  no matter the political costs, hes had to acknowledge a darker past, too.

In the recent interview with The Sun and in a separate group setting where he summoned reporters to his office in mid-April, Vignarajah addressed past allegations that include depictions of him as an abusive manager.

I was a demanding boss. I had high expectations of myself and the people that worked with me. I pushed people as hard as I thought they needed to be pushed. I was also a young manager, said Vignarajah, who was in his mid-30s at the time.

Vignarajah said he was going through a difficult time in his personal life and struggled with demons. He said he has no doubt that I said and did things I shouldnt have done, but that he did not remember any of the specific instances reported by The Sun. That includes a 2013 incident in which former law clerk Katie Dorian said he drove a car she was riding in toward a wall and threatened to crash it.

If I ever made anyone feel that way, I genuinely regret that and Im sorry, he said.

In 2022, Dorian shared text messages with The Sun in which Vignarajah used abusive language, calling her a bitch and a wretched piece of s and told her to go to hell when he felt she was either being disloyal or not working hard enough.

Vignarajah said he did not recall sending those specific texts, but again acknowledged things that were inappropriate that I regret saying.

He said hes tried to be more open about his past during this campaign  partly, he admits, out of necessity.

At meet and greets in this campaign, I found myself talking about it with strangers  Its not easy, he said. Youve got to really love this city to put your head in the buzzsaw over and over knowing what it is going to require.

Baltimore Sun reporter Emily Opilo contributed to this article.

Third in a series of articles about candidates for mayor. Coming Thursday: Sheila Dixon
A view of Ruang volcano eruption in Tagulandang village, Sitaro regency, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. (best quality available) Sijori Images/Sijori Images via ZUMA Press/dpa

Authorities on Wednesday began evacuating about 12,000 residents after Indonesia's Mount Ruang volcano erupted, spewing ash and rocks.

Mount Ruang, located in the Sangihe Islands arc in North Sulawesi province, has been increasingly active in recent weeks. Authorities on Tuesday raised the alert level to the highest possible after new eruptions, warning of potential pyroclastic flows, deadly ash surges and the possibility of tsunami.

The eruption also caused a power outage on neighbouring Tagulandang island and forced the closure of Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, disrupting air travel in the region, officials said.

"A total of around 6,500 people have been evacuated from five districts," Feri Ariyanto, a search and rescue official in Manado city, told dpa.

Abdul Muhari, the spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency, said 12,000 residents who live within a 7-kilometre radius around the volcano would have to be evacuated.

He said residents were being evacuated by ferries operated by the National Search and Rescue Agency, the Indonesian navy and police.

"We will ensure that they are prohibited from leaving the evacuation shelters to return home during the extended emergency response period of up to 14 days, or until conditions are completely normal," he said in a statement.

Residents of Tagulandang were plunged into darkness following Tuesday's eruption, while the airports in Manado and Gorontalo remained closed, said Ariyanto.

"All power has been cut off," he said.

Ships provided the only source of illumination at the island's port, local media reported.

"We panicked as showers of volcanic rocks, gravel, and ash rained down," Yefti, a resident, was quoted as saying by medcom.id news portal.

The Indonesian archipelago sits on the seismically active "Ring of Fire" and is no stranger to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

A view of Ruang volcano eruption in Tagulandang village, Sitaro regency, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. (best quality available) Sijori Images/Sijori Images via ZUMA Press/dpa
Thousands turn out in Berlin and Hamburg for May 1 demos

People hold Palestinian flags during the "Revolutionary May 1st demo" demonstration organized by the Roter Aufbau (Red Reconstruction). Axel Heimken/dpa

Thousands of people took part in left-wing demonstrations to mark International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, in Berlin, Hamburg and other German cities on Wednesday.

The traditional rallies by workers and activists were held this year amid the backdrop of the tensions surrounding the war in Gaza.

Germany has banned or restricted pro-Palestinian demonstrations over the past seven months, often citing fears they could lead to incitement to hatred and anti-Semitic statements.

Police said a demonstration organized by the German Trade Union Confederation in Berlin was temporarily halted due to repeated pro-Palestinian chants and banners being displayed.

There was a massive police presence at the rallies, many of which were organized by trade unions to demand greater social justice and rights for workers.

Berlin police said that they were accompanying a total of 19 gatherings with 5,600 officers. There were no major reports of violence by early Wednesday evening.

Water cannon, a helicopter and light masts to illuminate the streets were also on standby in case the situation got out of control in the evening

But there was convivial atmosphere in the Kreuzberg neighbourhood, a traditional bastion of the German capital's radical and underground culture.

If not marching, many people simply partied, played music and hung about the parks and public squares, a drink in hand.

In the south-western city of Stuttgart, a demonstration by the left-wing scene in the city centre was broken up after attacks on police officers. Officers responded with pepper spray and batons.

According to the police, the demonstration was "against social welfare cuts" and campaigned "for a society based on solidarity" and had been organized by an individual.

In the northern port city of Hamburg, more than 6,000 people took to the streets in various demonstrations by leftist and anarchist groups. Some of the marches went though the posh districts of Harvestehude and Poseldorf and included demands for wealth redistribution.

People hold a banner with the slogan "Push back the shift to the right - It must not stay the way it is" during the "Revolutionary May 1st demo" demonstration organized by the Roter Aufbau (Red Reconstruction). Axel Heimken/dpa

People hold a poster in the style of the Palestinian flag with the slogan "War on war". Under the slogan "War, crisis, capitalism - it must not stay as it is" during the "Revolutionary May 1st demo" demonstration organized by the Roter Aufbau (Red Reconstruction). Axel Heimken/dpa

People hold up a banner with the words "War on War" during the "Revolutionary May Day Demonstration". Sebastian Gollnow/dpa

People hold up a banner with the words "War on War" and set off pyrotechnics during the "Revolutionary May Day Demonstration". Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
Three juveniles have been charged in connection with a deadly home invasion that occurred in Mooresville two months ago.

On March 9, deputies were called to Home Drive near Bailey Road after a neighbor reported hearing gunshots. That neighbor said they saw three men in ski masks go into the home before hearing the violence.

When the deputies got to the house, they said they found two people dead inside and a third person with a gunshot wound on the back porch. All of the victims were found restrained and bound.

The immediate investigation led deputies to a home on Ostwalt Amity Road, where the suspect, Justin Michael Strawser, had barricaded himself and started shooting at deputies with a rifle.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 3 dead, including suspect, after victims tied up in home invasion

Deputies surrounded the home and learned that four children were inside the house at the time. Eventually, Strawser was shot and killed by deputies.

An additional investigation revealed that Strawser was one of the three men seen entering the house on Home Drive the night of the murders. Deputies executed search warrants on both scenes and collected evidence that helped them piece together what occurred.

That evidence revealed that two of the four juveniles inside the home on Ostwalt Amity Road had accompanied Justin Strawser to Home Drive and were involved in the homicides. Investigators also determined another one of the juveniles had fired shots at deputies during the standoff.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Troutman woman accused of helping husband in deadly home invasion

On May 1, the Iredell County Sheriffs Office announced that those three male juveniles, ages 17, 15, and 15, had been charged in connection with this case.

The 17-year-old has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and felony conspiracy to commit murder.

The first 15-year-old has also been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and felony conspiracy to commit murder.

The second 15-year-old has been charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon against law enforcement.

Deputies said two of the juveniles are being held in South Carolina, and the third is being held in a juvenile detention facility here in North Carolina, awaiting upcoming juvenile court proceedings.

Its hard to comprehend, said one of Strawsers family members who did not want to be identified. Its hard to comprehend.

Strawser was killed in the shootout.

The family member stated that Strawser would have turned 40 years old in June.

What was he thinking hanging out with those kids? the man said. He went from trying to help them to being an accomplice with them.

Neighbors said it was common knowledge that some teenagers were involved and because they had not been arrested, they were worried.

When you would hear a noise or your dog would bark you would get up to look and see, Is somebody in my yard tonight, the neighbor said. So, yeah, its been uneasy.

The neighbor, who also did not want to be identified, said hes thankful the kids were arrested.

Strawsers family member said he has dealt with mental health issues for years.

To everyone involved to the law enforcement officers to every single family that was affected by this, my family is deeply sorry, he said. We are deeply sorry that all this has happened.

VIDEO: Troutman woman accused of helping husband in deadly home invasion
Three people hurt following apartment fire in east Charlotte

The people have been hurt following an apartment fire in east Charlotte.

The Charlotte Fire Department responded to a fire at Winding Cedar Trail near Albemarle Road around 3 a.m.

It took firefighters just 20 minutes to get the fire under control.

MEDIC says one of the injured people was taken to an area hospital. The other people declined treatment.

ALSO READ: $850k in damages reported, 30 people displaced following large apartment fire in south Charlotte

Fortunately, no firefighters were injured.

Channel 9 has reached out to the Charlotte Fire Department to learn the cause of the fire.

This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.

VIDEO: $850k in damages reported, 30 people displaced following large apartment fire in south Charlotte




IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Three teens have been charged with murder in connection to a double homicide in Mooresville from March 9, according to the Iredell County Sheriffs Office.

Two boys, ages 15 and 17, are charged with:

2 counts of first-degree murder

Felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill

3 counts of felony armed robbery with a dangerous weapon

Felony conspiracy to commit murder

Another 15-year-old boy is being charged with:

Felony assault with a deadly weapon on law enforcement

Felony possession of methamphetamine

Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia

Misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon

More on QCNews

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

On March 9, deputies responded to 109 Home Drive and found three victims restrained and bound, officials said. Two people were killed and one was transported to a local medical center with life-threatening injuries.

On Sunday, March 10, deputies responded to 1580 Ostwalt Amity Road near Troutman with warrants for the suspect, Justin Michael Strawser. Police had an hours-long standoff with Strawser, with minors inside the home. The minors involved refused to leave the home for several hours, according to the Sheriff.

Deputies said they eventually forced the teens out through tear gas, with Strawser coming in right behind them in a bulletproof vest, firing a rifle at law enforcement on the scene. Deputies fired back, killing Strawser.

3 US Marshals members and CMPD officer killed while serving warrant in east Charlotte

On Tuesday, March 12, investigators received warrants for 40-year-old Ashlee Louise Klepfer, Strawsers wife. Deputies arrested her during a traffic stop in Statesville, where she was with a 15-year-old boy with a loaded handgun and methamphetamine.

Klepfers charges include felony accessory after the fact, five counts of misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor and 4 counts of misdemeanor failure to secure a firearm from a minor.

Deputies say of the juveniles who were charged, two are being held in South Carolina and the third is being held in a juvenile detention facility in North Carolina.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Deputies have arrested a 43-year-old man accused of raping two people at knifepoint.

After a months-long investigation, the man has been booked into the Thurston County jail on suspicion of first-degree rape, first-degree rape of a child and failure to register as a sex offender, according to the county jail log.

The Thurston County Sheriffs Office alleges the man approached women in downtown Olympia and lured them to what he claimed was his home under deceptive conditions, according to a Tuesday news release. Detectives know of two victims, but the release says they believe there may be more.

The man is accused of sexually assaulting the victims at knife point and then transporting them to a different location, Sheriff Derek Sanders said in a Facebook post. Detectives and elements of the countys SWAT Team arrested the man after the county Narcotics Task Force confirmed his location at a residence, Sanders said.

This case was a great example of exemplary teamwork and dedication to the victims to safely bring a violent sex offender before the courts, Sanders said.

The jail log notes the arrest occurred Tuesday afternoon near the 8800 block of Quinault Drive, which is northeast of Tanglewilde and near Interstate 5.

Detectives connected the two known allegations after one of the victims provided detail that significantly aided the investigation, according to the release. The Sheriffs Office described the suspect is a registered sex offender in a different county.

Court records show the suspect has an active case in Kitsap County where hes accused of failing to register as a sex offender.

He was previously convicted of third-degree rape, second-degree assault and third-degree rape of a child in a 2020 Thurston County Superior Court case.

The Sheriffs Office urges anyone who may have experienced a similar ordeal or any form of sexual assault to contact a deputy via dispatch at 360-704-2740 or email at detectives@co.thurston.wa.us.

Your information could be crucial in furthering this investigation and preventing future offenses the release says. Your courage in sharing your story can make a significant difference.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  A Tasmanian devil described as a cherished member of the Columbus Zoo who had an infectious love for life has died.

Thyme, a 5-year-old Tasmanian devil, died after facing health issues that may have been age-related, the Columbus Zoo announced on Facebook Wednesday. Tasmanian devils have a life expectancy of around 5 to 6 years.

From her early days as a fierce, fiery baby to her later years as a trusting and loving adult, Thyme taught us invaluable lessons about her species and left an indelible mark on our hearts, the zoo said.

(Photo Courtesy/Columbus Zoo and Aquarium)

May is National Water Safety Month: keeping your family safe in the water

The energetic and curious marsupial was a gentle soul with a fiery spirit who captured the hearts of everyone she encountered, the zoo said. When Thyme wasnt basking in the suns rays or playfully exploring her surroundings, she enjoyed dragging paper into her nest box and snuggling up in a cozy lawn bag.

Thyme originally came to the Columbus Zoo from Tasmania in 2019 through the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. Thyme was the last member of the original Tasmanian devil family at the zoo, which consisted of Thyme, Sprout and Mustard.

Pathology reports are still pending, but the zoo said Thyme seemingly did not respond to treatment for discomfort she appeared to be in. While Thymes beloved presence cannot be replaced, the Columbus Zoo states it is working to bring in more Tasmanian devils soon.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

Tesla stock dropped as much as 5% on Tuesday amid reports of more layoffs at the company.

Layoffs include senior executives and their teams overseeing charging infrastructure.

The slump pared some gains from the previous day following optimism around Musk's surprise China visit.

Shares of Tesla dropped as much as 5.5% on Tuesday amid reports that Elon Musk announced hundreds more layoffs, including two high-level executives.

Shares of Elon Musk's company were trading 4.7% lower as of 1:40 p.m. in New York, at around $185 each. The loss eats into some of Monday's big gain following the Tesla CEO's trip to China.

The Information reported that the layoffs of hundreds of staffers include Rebecca Tinucci, who supervises the charging infrastructure, and Daniel Ho, an executive overseeing vehicle programs and new products.

Around 500 people from Tinucci's division are set to be let go, and Tesla's public policy team is being trimmed as well, with vice president Rohan Patel having left on April 15, according to Musk's email cited by The Information.

The latest cuts add to Musk's broad efforts to be "absolutely hardcore" about employee retention and budget reduction, as he said he would ask for quit letters from executives who keep "more than three people who don't obviously pass the excellent, necessary and trustworthy test."

Two weeks ago, Tesla cut over 10% of the company's workforce globally, citing a "duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas."

Following the slump in vehicle sales in the first quarter, the tech giant reported earnings per share that missed consensus forecasts, but delivered the news on a cheaper model that investors were looking to hear.

Tesla stock is down almost 30% since the beginning of this year, while its rating and price target were slashed by a number of Wall Street analysts.

Musk boosted investor optimism this week when he made an unexpected trip to China, the EV manufacturer's second-largest market. The stock soared 12% on Monday in response to his visit, which culminated in reports that the company's full self-driving technology could soon debut in the country.

Read the original article on Business Insider
NOTE: A lawsuit represents only one side of a story.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  The new filing in the lawsuit against Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard claims that Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, Ballards longtime friend, used cocaine at a Salt Lake City penthouse.

The amendment to the lawsuit was filed Friday, and it contained several new assertions, including that a now-deceased leader in the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knew about one of the alleged sexual assaults perpetrated by Ballard.

RELATED Tim Ballards victims claim connection between him and late LDS apostle

In a statement, Chad Kolton, the spokesperson for Tim Ballard said the women behind the civil suit will smear anyone  including respected members of the LDS church  without any evidence at all if they think it can help them get rich.

The new filing says that Operation Underground Railroad gave nearly $1 million to the attorney generals office to motivate Reyes to protect Tim Ballard and the anti-child sex trafficking organization he founded.

The lawsuit claims via an unidentified witness that Ballard was upset with Reyes over a criminal investigation opened in Davis County, especially since Ballard made arrangements for General Reyes to use a penthouse at Macs Place with women and cocaine.

Macs Place is a members-only lounge in downtown Salt Lake City. According to its website, it offers conference rooms, a penthouse, and services such as massages, haircuts and beard trims.

ABC4 reached out Reyes personal advisor for comment, but the stations calls were not answered.

In December, Reyes announced that he wouldnt seek re-election. During that announcement, he said that he believed the women who have come forward against Ballard, accusing Ballard of grooming them and abusing them in the guise of fighting child sex trafficking.

After hearing their stories in person, I believe them, Reyes said at the time. Im heartbroken for what theyve endured and the trauma they will face their entire lives.

The women allege that Ballard sexually abused them under what was known as the couples ruse, which Ballard publicly touted as an undercover tactic where female employees or volunteers would pretend to be his girlfriend on overseas missions.

BACKGROUND INFO: Everything to know about the Tim Ballard controversies

This tactic was supposed to shield him from engaging with child sex trafficking victims, but the women behind the lawsuit allege he used it to coerce and abuse them. The lawsuit was initially filed in October against Ballard, OUR, and several other groups.

Among the new assertions in the lawsuit is that the late President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles sanctioned the couples ruse and was aware of one of the sexual assaults, wherein Tim Ballard allegedly went to a womans home and raped her.

President Ballard did not tell Tim Ballard to go to the police and report his horrible act, the lawsuit states. Rather, President Ballard told Ballard to do better at obeying the couple ruse rules.

ABC4 reached out to the Latter-day Saint church for comment, but the station has yet to hear back.

Last fall, the church released a statement denouncing Tim Ballard, saying that he betrayed President Ballards friendship and that President Ballard had never authorized his name, or the name of the church, to be used for Tims personal or financial interests.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
UCLA was rocked by violence when a group of counterprotesters arrived on campus Tuesday night and clashed for hours with students who had set up a pro-Palestinian encampment.

It took hours for police to push away the counterprotesters and bring calm to the campus, raising sharp questions about whether the campus was prepared for the unrest. During that time, there was a series of attacks on the camp and fights as the pro-Palestinian group tried to defend their space.

Here's a timeline of what we know. The timestamps are our best approximations based on Times reporting, social media content and official statements:

Protesters battle for a fence barricade overnight at UCLA. (Trevor Jackson / For The Times)

10:30 p.m.

Counterprotesters swarm campus.

Pro-Palestinian protesters guard their encampment. (Trevor Jackson / For The Times)

11 p.m.

People inside the camp send urgent appeals for help, saying their area is under attack.

Pro-Palestinian protesters try to shore up the barrier to their encampment. (Trevor Jackson / For The Times)

11:15 p.m.

Videos on social media show the camp under siege. People wearing black outfits and white masks are seen trying to tear down the barricades surrounding the encampment. Campers, some holding lumber and wearing goggles and helmets, rally to defend the encampments perimeter. Sources told The Times only four police officers were on the scene. The Daily Bruin reports that a small group of university police were on the scene. The paper quotes UCLA Police Chief John Thomas as saying the department had five to six officers on duty at the time. "Officers came under attack while trying to help an injured person, and so they left," the Daily Bruin reports.

11:45 p.m.

Video shows fireworks landing inside the camp and waves of counterprotesters rushing at the barriers that served as the camp boundaries.

Milk is used to soothe the eyes of a protester as pepper spray and other irritants were used. (Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)

12:30 a.m.

Violence appears to intensify. Reporters see counterprotesters throwing objects at the camp and its occupants and trying to breach the barrier. Campers use pepper spray to defend themselves and their space, but they also come under assault from some type of spray. The Times records a group of unarmed security guards observing the scene but not intervening. A makeshift medical facility inside the camp is used to treat people for eye irritation and other wounds.

Apex Security Group employees watch as dueling protesters clash at UCLA. (Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)

12:45 a.m.

Mary Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA strategic communications, issues a statement saying: Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support. The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene. We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end. A few minutes later, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass also decries the violence and says the LAPD is assisting.

Pro-Palestinian supporters are attacked by counterprotesters at UCLA. (Trevor Jackson / For The Times)

1:40 a.m.

Police officers in riot gear arrive, and some counterprotesters begin to leave. But police do not immediately break up the clashes at the camp, which continued for at least an hour despite law enforcement's presence.

California Highway Patrol officers stand guard during an altercation at UCLA. (Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)

3 a.m.

Lines of officers from several agencies arrive at the camp and push the remaining counterprotesters out of the quad area.

A woman prays in front of California Highway Patrol officers at UCLA. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

3:45 a.m.

The situation calms, but people in the camp are still dealing with those who were wounded in the attacks.

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.
Trauma surgeons saved a Statesville police officer who was shot in his upper torso during Mondays fatal attack on officers in east Charlotte, Statesville Police Chief David Onley said.

Eight officers were shot outside a home on Galway Drive where they went to serve a warrant on 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr., police officials said. Four of the officers died. Another officer suffered a broken leg.

Hughes fired at least 100 rounds from a high-powered rifle at the officers from a second-floor room, police said. Hughes died during the exchange of gunfire.

A shootout, a livestream, an armored vehicle: What neighbors on Galway Drive saw Monday.

Statesville Cpl. Casey Hoover was shot in an area unprotected by his bulletproof vest, Onley said on Facebook Tuesday.

Hoover underwent surgery at a level one trauma center in Charlotte and was listed in stable condition this week, Onley said, without identifying the center. The eight-year veteran of the Statesville Police Department is expected to make a full recovery, the chief said.

Hoover was helping serve the warrant Monday as a two-year member of the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, Onley said. Hoover exemplifies the bravery and resilience of our law enforcement community, the chief said.

RECORDS: Charlotte police shooting suspect ran from Lincoln County deputies in January

Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the tragic incident that occurred in Charlotte, Onley said in a statement. We extend our deepest sympathies to the U.S. Marshals Service, the N.C. State Department of Adult Corrections and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for their loss of four fallen law enforcement members.

We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who were lost, and we stand in unwavering solidarity with our law enforcement brethren during this difficult time.
Trial starts for only prison officer to not take plea in prisoners beating death

Only one of four state corrections officers charged with murdering a prisoner during a transfer to a North Florida state prison two years ago has not pleaded guilty to the crime and accepted a 20-year sentence.

And Wednesday morning, Ronald Connors attorney told the six jurors tasked with determining his fate why her client should not be incarcerated. The attorney said despite claims to the contrary from the convicted officers, Connor was trying to help Robert Gene Ingram get up from the ground after he was battered  not injure him.

What happened to Mr. Ingram is not in dispute. What is in dispute, is who did that to Mr. Ingram, Yanelis Zamora told the jurors during opening statements. Mr. Connor comes in to try and get to Ingram to help him up.

Jurors also heard lead state prosecutor Tim VanderGiesen explain how Ingrams ribs were so badly crushed it appeared a car had run over him. And, he said, though investigators cant pinpoint who struck the fatal blow, everyone who participated is responsible for the crime.

There are no innocent witnesses, VanderGiesen said. Connor picked him up and threw him.

The three other former state corrections officers who took plea deals  Kirk Walton, 36, Christopher Rolon, 31 and Jeremy Godbolt, 31  are expected to testify against Connor, 26.

Tossed urine leads to a death

Theres no disputing that Ingram, 60, and a diagnosed schizophrenic, died after refusing to leave his cell at the Dade Correctional Institution, near Florida City, and tossing urine at Godbolt. What is in dispute came afterward.

Its also ironic, VanderGiesen pointed out to jurors, that Ingrams life was taken as he was being transferred to a North Florida prison that was supposed to provide him with better care.

They were moving him to be better treated, said the prosecutor. He didnt want to go.

By all accounts, Ingram had refused to take his medication the night he was killed. And when Godbolt entered the prisoners cell to walk him to a transport van for the ride to North Florida, Ingram tossed urine at him. Angered, Godbolt radioed for help to get Ingram out of his cell. But the prisoner agreed to leave, his hands cuffed behind his back, after a senior officer talked with him.

Over the next few minutes, state prosecutors contend, several guards kicked and beat Ingram so severely  and purposely out of camera view  that they practically had to carry him outside to a bench before the ride.

The disagreement on Connors participation stemmed from about a 90-second span in a hallway without video cameras. There, investigators say, Ingram was punched and kicked after he fell to the ground. At one point, Connor, who was watching from the control room, walked over and lifted Ingram up.

The other guards say he lifted the 133-pound man over his head and slammed him to the ground. Connor and his attorney say he merely helped Ingram to his feet. Either way, the prisoner was helped outside and eventually placed in the van for transport. He was found dead in the back during a stop along the route.

Killed by blunt-force trauma

The Leesburg Medical Examiner said Ingram died of blunt-force trauma, suffering broken ribs and a punctured right lung that caused extensive internal bleeding. Ingrams death was classified as a homicide. Connor was arrested several weeks after the other correction officers, when one of them mentioned his name to prosecutors.

Walton, Godbolt and Rolon were found guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, aggravated abuse of an elderly person and conspiracy to commit aggravated abuse of the elderly, cruel use of use-of-force and use-of-force while battering a detainee. Each was sentenced to 20 years.

Dade Correctional has been plagued by prisoner mistreatment and inmate deaths. The Miami Herald published investigations into the prisons transitional care unit, where mentally ill inmates have complained about being refused food and laxatives placed in their urine and meals.

Its also where Darren Rainey died in 2012 after being confined to a hot shower, a case detailed extensively by the Herald. Mortality records dating back less than a decade show there have been at least 99 deaths at facility, the vast majority listed as natural causes.

READ MORE: Graphic photos stir doubts about Darren Raineys accidental prison death
A Bradenton driver accused of hitting and killing a bicyclist in March has been arrested over a month after the fatal crash happened, the Florida Highway Patrol announced.

The FHP Traffic Homicide Division arrested and charged John Arthur Sanfanandre, 84, with leaving the scene of a crash involving death. He was booked into Manatee County Jail on Wednesday, troopers said.

On March 22, Sanfanandre was driving east on State Road 70, approaching the intersection with Caruso Road around 9 p.m., when he hit the Sarasota bicyclist and fled the scene, according to FHP.

The bicyclist, 28, whose name was not released, suffered serious injuries in the crash and was taken to HCA Florida Blake Hospital, where he died the next day, a news release said.

On March 24, the FHP Traffic Homicide Division impounded the red sedan believed to be involved in the crash.

Court records show Sanfanandre previously pleaded no contest to a DUI charge in 2008. At the time, a judge sentenced the Bradenton man to 12 months of probation.

Further information about the March 22 crash was not immediately available Wednesday afternoon.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A white pickup truck crashed into a parked school bus in Rockaway Beach near the intersection of Highway 101 and Hollyhock Street at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The lettering on the side of the bus shows that the bus is used by the Neah-Kah-Nie School District.

The Tillamook County Sheriffs Office said that the school bus was empty at the time of the crash. The driver of the pickup was the sole victim of the crash. Medics from Tillamook Ambulance inspected the driver for injuries at the scene of the crash.

We responded to a single vehicle that ran into a school bus in front of the bus barn on 101 in Rockaway Beach, said TCSO Deputy Sean Ahlers. The bus was unoccupied. No students were on board.

Photos of the crash scene provided by the Tillamook County Sheriffs Office. (TCSO)



Speed racer allegedly driving 123 mph gets hefty ticket in Hillsboro

Oregon State Police is investigating the cause of the crash. KOIN 6 News reached out to OSP for more information but has not received a response. Neah-Kah-Nie School District Superintendent Tyler Reed told KOIN 6 that the crash did not affect students commutes.

All bus routes were on schedule and all students were safely transported home, Reed said. First Student, [a privately contracted school transportation company], has been an excellent partner and responded quickly to todays event. We are thankful to the first responders who took charge of the situation. Our thoughts are with the occupant of the other vehicle involved.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
New Autopilot features are demonstrated in a Tesla Model S during a Tesla event in Palo Alto, California Thomson Reuters

Tesla's roll out of full-self driving technology in China could earn it over $2 billion by 2030, Bank of America said.

But rising competition in the country could prompt Tesla to offer the software for free.

In any case, FSD should push up demand for Tesla vehicles, supporting the stock.

Tesla's success in getting China to approve its full self-driving technology could rev up the firm's earnings this decade, Bank of America said.

The electric vehicle maker could pocket in excess of $2 billion by 2030, assuming that its software is increasingly adopted by Tesla drivers in China, the bank wrote on Monday.

News of CEO Elon Musk's surprise trip to China this weekend has propelled Tesla's troubled stock as much as 16.6% since early Monday, as reports followed that Beijing would green light the self-driving technology.

Also announced was a partnership reached with Chinese firm Baidu, which will contribute navigation functions to Tesla's software.

Once the technology rolls out, Tesla could charge Chinese FSD users around $99 a month, based on its US pricing.

In the case that just a quarter of the 1.6 million Tesla drivers subscribe, this would amount to just half a billion in annual revenue, Bank of America said.

"But with a gross margin likely to exceed 70% the earnings benefit could be ~$350mm," the note said. "This number could increase meaningfully over time and, based on IHS projections for TSLA's China auto sales, could be $2.3bn in annual earnings by 2030 under the same assumptions."

Also possible is that FSD generates zero earnings if Tesla feels pressured to deploy the technology at no cost to the consumer. Rising competition in the country could spur Tesla to do this. That doesn't mean the company won't benefit, as allowing more vehicles to use FSD would accelerate the software's neural network training, the bank said.

At any rate, FSD is certain to spur Chinese demand for Tesla models, potentially reversing declining interest the company has seen in the market.

"Competition is increasing from domestic manufacturers and FSD will help TSLA catch up to, and potentially exceed, other EV offerings on the market. Combined with recent price cuts in China (by 14,000 yuan, or ~$1,930), this could spur volume growth," Bank of America said, though it noted that Chinese EV sales have slowed in the first quarter.

Aside from the China FSD deal, Tesla's stock will also benefit from the August Robotaxi event, a fresh product in 2025, and the possible licensing of FSD.

Story continues

Bank of America maintains a $220 price target on Tesla, representing almost 20% upside from current levels.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Vaccination is one of mankinds most miraculous innovations. The eradication of smallpox, and the retreat of measles and other cruel afflictions, mean that vaccines rival sanitation for first prize in the saving of lives. New jabs against malaria and melanoma promise great benefits. All the more reason to worry that Covid vaccines may have tarnished the technologys reputation.

Vaccines never have been without some side-effects and risks. They are harm-reduction interventions, not harm-elimination ones. Mistakes have been made in the past. Some polio jabs in the 1960s were contaminated with the monkey virus SV40. Vaccination campaigns in Africa that re-used needles may have helped spread HIV.

The Covid jabs developed in 2020 undoubtedly reduced the severity of the virus for vulnerable people and contributed to the defeat of the pandemic  though the evolutionary replacement of harmful variants by the milder omicron types may have been a bigger factor. But the vaccines were not as effective or as safe as we were led to believe at first.

Indeed, some public health officials exaggerated the benefits and underplayed some of the risks. Thrombosis caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine and myocarditis caused by the messenger-RNA vaccines of BioNTech and Pfizer have emerged as rare but serious side effects. The pandemics legacy now seems to include greater public mistrust of vaccines in general. Measles is on the rise. More people are refusing the MMR jab. A recent Unicef survey found that vaccine confidence had fallen in 52 out of 55 countries.

Who is responsible? Public health officials tend to blame antivaxx campaigners with lurid conspiracy theories about Bill Gates, and they are partly right. But perhaps they should also look in the mirror. Misinformation came from both sides, and by overpromising what the vaccines could do, and demanding vaccine mandates, many scientists and government officials contributed to scepticism.

For example, the US government tried to reassure people about messenger-RNA vaccines by implicitly criticising live vaccines like those used for measles: The mRNA vaccines do not contain any live virus. Instead, they work by teaching our cells to make a harmless piece of a spike protein. So, live vaccines are not harmless?

Americas leading infectious-disease expert, Anthony Fauci, said in May 2021 that vaccination makes it extremely unlikely  not impossible, but very, very low likelihood  that theyre going to transmit it  In other words, you become a dead end to the virus. That turned out to be wrong, as he later admitted, with the jab doing little to prevent reinfection and transmission.

Preventing transmission was the excuse used for vaccinating children, yet when that excuse evaporated, the policy continued. For young age groups, wrote a clutch of doctors in the BMJ in December 2021, the harms of taking a vaccine are almost certain to outweigh the benefits.

Authoritarianism made the problem worse. France criminalised criticism of vaccine mandates; Canada froze the bank accounts of truckers for protesting against them. Part of the reason governments were so reckless in forcing vaccines was probably that they wanted an exit from lockdowns, which were imposed for longer and more often than promised.

Some of us urged ministers not to claim too much for vaccines or pretend there would be no side effects as that would backfire. But the Government pressed ahead with mandates to prevent care-home workers going to work unless vaccinated. A study by doctors concluded: Our data suggest that debate around mandates can arouse strong concerns and could entrench scepticism. Policymakers should proceed with caution.

This was compounded by a baffling refusal to acknowledge that natural immunity from Covid itself had a role in protecting people. In 2020 a paper in The Lancet stated that there is no evidence for lasting protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following natural infection. Yet we now know that it lasts longer and is more effective than the protection provided by a jab.

The backlash against vaccines will go too far. Italys former health minister Roberto Speranza, who imposed vaccine mandates, can no longer walk in a street without angry Italians calling him a murderer. But public health officials worldwide must concede that overblown claims and underestimated risks of the vaccines developed during Covid have hurt the reputation of a valuable medical technology.

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Trump admits he told Secret Service to take him to Capitol on Jan 6 in rambling campaign rally

Former president Donald Trump has now admitted to ordering Secret Service agents to drive him to the US Capitol on January 6  but still relayed a very different version of events to the testimony given by his former aide.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump administration chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified before Congress back in June 2022 that, when the mob of rioters stormed the building, Mr Trump insisted Secret Service agents take him to the Capitol.

When the agents refused, she said the then-president lunged to grab the steering wheel of the car.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump used a day off from his criminal trial in Manhattan to hold a rally in Wisconsin where he regaled his version of what happened that day, admitting that he did demand to be taken to the Capitol that day.

I sat in the back, he said, and then asked the Secret Service agents: Id like to go down there because I see a lot of people walking down.

Sir, its better if you dont, the agents insisted, according to Mr Trump.

Well, Id like to, Mr Trump pressed.

Its better if you dont, the Secret Service insisted, he said.

Mr Trump then mocked Ms Hutchinsons claims that he had attacked the agents.

He insisted that he was using a soft tone throughout the car ride.

Remember the person that said I attacked a Secret Service agent in the front of the car? Its not my deal. Im a lover, not a fighter, he told the Wisconsin crowd.

Donald Trump speaks at rally in Wisconsin on 1 May 2024 (RSBN)

He went on to label previous descriptions of the encounter as crazy stuff, though failed to mention her by name.

The White House aide had testified to the January 6 House select Committee that she had heard that Mr Trump had told Bobby Engel, the head of his Secret Service detail, something to the effect of, Im the f***ing president, take me up to the Capitol now.

Ms Hutchinson told the committee that Mr Engel replied: Sir, we have to go back to the West Wing. The president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel.

She continued, Mr Engel grabbed his arm and said, Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel, were going back to the West Wing. Were not going to the Capitol.

Ms Hutchinsons testimony was echoed somewhat by that of an unnamed Secret Service agent who was driving the car at the time.

Trump: I told the Secret Service to let me follow the rioters traveling towards the U.S. Capitol on January 6.*pic.twitter.com/qn3cnbkdFC  The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) May 1, 2024

The president was insistent on going to the Capitol, the driver said, according to a transcript from the January 6 panel.

It was clear to me he wanted to go to the Capitol. He was not screaming at Mr Engel, he continued. He was not screaming at me. Certainly his voice was raised, but it did not seem to me that he was irate  certainly not, certainly didnt seem as irritated or agitated as he had on the way to the Ellipse.

The January 6 Committees final report called Mr Trump the central cause of the Capitol riot.

Mr Trumps Wisconsin rally, where he was joined by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, comes before the sixth day of testimony in his criminal trial gets under way in New York on Thursday. T

he former president is accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election in exchange for her silence over an alleged affair.
Donald Trump has floated the baseless theory that pro-Palestine protests spreading across university campuses are deliberately providing cover for an ongoing influx of migrants.

Alongside re-posting a series of memes, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee wrote on his Truth Social platform: Do you think that the Radical Left Lunatics that are causing all of the CHAOS at our Colleges and Universities are doing so in order to take the FOCUS away from our Southern Border, where millions of people, many from prisons and mental institutions, are pouring into our Country? Just askin???

While Fox News and other conservative outlets have often peddled the idea that protesters are paid agitators, Trumps version  that pro-Palestine demonstrators are specifically covering for migration policy  hasnt yet gained much traction on right-wing media.

A wave of student protests washing over the country began when police first tried to end an encampment at Columbia University in New York nearly two weeks ago.Broadly speaking, activists are calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, and some are questioning university investments in companies that do business in Israel.

Meanwhile, illegal immigration is seen as a growing crisis for the Biden administration  and an issue where Trump can score political points  as authorities both at the border and in cities nationwide have struggled to handle recent surges.

Trump's post on Truth Social. Truth Social

Trump has also used the protests to downplay the Jan. 6 insurrection. Speaking on Tuesday, Trump said he feared pro-Palestine demonstrators could be treated more leniently than the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol.

With court of session Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to make his first campaign stops since his hush money trial began, and is set to visit Waukesha, Wisconsin, and then head to Freeland, Michigan. Both states flipped from Trump to President Joe Biden in 2020, and remain on a knife-edge ahead of Novembers vote.

Related...
Donald Trumps campaign is complaining about the debate commissions unacceptable decision to stick to its schedule  rather than changing its plans to suit the whims of the former commander-in-chief.

The Commission on Presidential Debates has been governing the presidential debate showdowns for decades.

This time around, it has scheduled the first debate for 16 September at Texas State University in San Marcos, with a vice presidential debate then slated for 25 September at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Another two presidential debates are scheduled to go ahead the following month in Virginia and Utah.

The commission released its schedule in late November, close to a year before the 2024 election, and has rejected requests from the Trump campaign to bring forward debates to earlier in the year.

The CPDs criteria  will be applied in early September; afterward, the Commission will extend debate invitations to qualifying candidates, the commission told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

The CPD is proceeding with production and broadcast plans at its four debate sites as also announced on November 20, 2023.

Senior Trump campaign officials Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles have griped about the CPDs plans  taking issue with the fact that the commission has refused to alter the schedule at their request.

The Presidential Debate Commissions schedule does not begin until after millions of Americans will have already cast their ballots, the statement said.

This is unacceptable, and by refusing to move up the debates, they are doing a grave disservice to the American public who deserve to hear from both candidates before voting begins.

The statement added: President Trump has stated he will debate Joe Biden anytime, anywhere, anyplace, and Joe Biden himself just agreed to debate. We are committed to making this happen with or without the Presidential Debate Commission.

We extend an invitation to every television network in America that wishes to host a debate, and we once again call on Joe Bidens team to work with us to set one up as soon as possible. The American people deserve it.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has been pushing allies to argue for debates between Mr Trump and President Joe Biden.

Former US president Donald Trump walks out of court to speak to the press during a break in his trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on 30 April 2024 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In recent months, the president had been vague about whether or not he was going to debate Mr Trump, saying it depends on the former presidents behaviour.

But in an interview with radio host Howard Stern last week, Mr Biden said he would be happy to debate his Republican rival.

Mr Trump quickly responded on Truth Social, challenging the president to come meet him outside his hush money trial to debate him on the steps of the Manhattan courthouse.

Everyone knows he doesnt really mean it, but in case he does, I say, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, an old expression used by Fighters, Mr Trump wrote.

When Mr Biden did not instantly take him up on the challenge, Mr Trump invited himself to the White House to debate the president there.

The commission has hosted and produced the debates for more than 30 years, but the RNC voted two years ago to stop cooperating with the commission, claiming that it was biased against Republican candidates.
Former President Donald Trumps campaign managers on Tuesday criticized the Commission on Presidential Debates after the commission told Fox News it would stick to its original debate schedule despite calls from the Trump campaign to move the dates earlier and add more debates.

Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement they were extending an invitation to every television network in America that wishes to host a debate, and called on President Joe Bidens campaign to coordinate with them to set up a debate as soon as possible.

For weeks, Republicans have been urging debates between Trump and Biden to take place, and as early as possible.

The Presidential Debate Commissions schedule does not begin until after millions of Americans will have already cast their ballots. This is unacceptable, and by refusing to move up the debates, they are doing a grave disservice to the American public who deserve to hear from both candidates before voting begins, the statement from LaCivita and Wiles reads.

President Trump has stated he will debate Joe Biden anytime, anywhere, anyplace, and Joe Biden himself just agreed to debate. We are committed to making this happen with or without the Presidential Debate Commission, they added. We extend an invitation to every television network in America that wishes to host a debate, and we once again call on Joe Bidens team to work with us to set one up as soon as possible. The American people deserve it.

The commission defended its debate schedule in a statement on Wednesday. The first debate, scheduled for September 16, will be the earliest televised general election debate ever held, the commission said. As it always does, the CPD considered multiple factors in selecting debate dates in order to make them accessible by the American public. These factors include religious and federal holidays, early voting, and the dates on which individual states close their ballots.

The commission added: The CPD purposefully chose September 16 after a comprehensive study of early voting rules in every state.

The commission told Fox News earlier Tuesday that it was sticking to its original schedule and said, The CPDs criteria [] will be applied in early September; afterward, the Commission will extend debate invitations to qualifying candidates.

The CPD is proceeding with production and broadcast plans at its four debate sites as also announced on November 20, 2023, the statement from the commission reads, according to Fox News.

The Republican National Committee has been encouraging surrogates to push for Biden to debate Trump in televised interviews. And Trump and his team have issued multiple statements making near carbon copy arguments about how the former president is ready to debate Biden anytime anywhere.

The subtext of these calls points to the contrast Trump and Republicans are hoping to make with Biden: that the former president is energetic and willing to stand on stage while Biden is less so.

But Biden recently said in an interview with Howard Stern that hed be happy to debate Trump. Previously, he has equivocated, saying it would depend on the former presidents behavior.

Trump has had an uneven history with debates since emerging on the presidential campaign scene. There have been moments, like in 2016, when he was eager to debate his rivals. In the 2024 Republican primary, though, the GOP front-runner skipped every debate and still ended up clinching the party nomination.

Two years ago, the RNC voted decisively to withdraw from debates hosted by the Committee on Presidential Debates after months of then-chair Ronna McDaniel lobbying the committee to make changes to the debates in response to complaints by Trump.

This story has been updated Wednesday with a statement from the Commission on Presidential Debates.

CNNs Rashard Rose and Daniel Strauss contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
As state violence ramped up against student-led Gaza solidarity protests across the country late Tuesday, Donald Trump couldnt seem to put his thoughts together.

In a jumbled word salad, Trump hopped from buzzword to buzzword on the issue, and the result is a big nothingburger.

You look at the antisemitism, the hatred of Israel by so many people, Trump told Fox News. You go back 10 years, Israel was protected by Congress. And now, Congress is just doing numbers that are unbelievable with I think a very, very small group of people within Congress, and its gotta stop.

Trump: You go back 10 years, Israel was protected by Congress. Now, Congress is just doing numbers that are unbelievable with I think a very very small group of people within Congress and its gotta stop pic.twitter.com/Vcs0YnzHEQ  Acyn (@Acyn) May 1, 2024

The New York Police Department violently uprooted student protests at Columbia University and City College of New York at the behest of Mayor Eric Adams late Tuesday night, making 282 arrests and indiscriminately attacking activists, students, and members of the press. The upheaval, during which police also threatened to arrest the dean of one of the countrys top journalism schools for shielding the medias First Amendment right to cover the event, shocked international human rights and press freedom advocates, and even other local lawmakers, who appeared more able in the moment of conflict to voice their opinions than the GOP presidential candidate.



If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and [university] presidents, wrote New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making.

Protest-related arrests were also made at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Tulane University. Meanwhile, authorities at the University of California Los Angeles allowed a mob of pro-Israel supporters to beat and attack the student encampment with weapons that appeared to include fireworks, pepper spray, and tear gas.

The international criminal court at The Hague is weighing whether or not to charge Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with war crimes as the countrys war on Gaza claims so many lives that local authorities say they can no longer keep count. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 77,000 Palestinians have been injured in the conflict, according to data from the Gaza Health Ministry. Most of the victims have been women and children.

Israel has advanced its attacks on the beleaguered nation by blocking humanitarian aid from reaching those who need it. Israel has also utilized mass starvation, as well as blocking or destroying access to critical resources such as water, food, fuel, electricity, and medical aid.
Former President Trump on Wednesday confirmed he told Secret Service agents he wanted to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, while he mocked the claim that he lunged at officers in his vehicle when they refused.

Trump, speaking to supporters in Wisconsin, complained at length about his legal cases when he began attacking lawmakers who probed the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol.

Remember the person that said I attacked a Secret Service agent in the front of the car? Its not my deal. Im a lover, not a fighter, Trump told supporters in Waukesha. Remember that? And these are tough guys. You know these Secret Service guys, I hate to admit it, theyre slightly younger than me. Just slightly.

Trump continued to mock the testimony of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who told the congressional panel investigating that day she had heard from others that Trump lunged for the steering wheel following his speech near the White House in an apparent effort to veer toward the Capitol.

This is crazy stuff. I sat in the back, and you know what I did say, I said Id like to go down there because I see a lot of people walking down, Trump said Wednesday. They said, Sir, its better if you dont. I said, Well, Id like to  whatever you guys think. That was the whole one of the conversation. These people are crazy.

Trumps actions on Jan. 6, when rioters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to halt the certification of the 2020 election results, have been central to President Bidens campaign for reelection, and they have been at the core of federal charges against Trump in Washington.

Hutchinsons bombshell testimony before the now-disbanded Jan. 6 committee in 2022 raised new questions about Trumps actions and his efforts to join supporters marching toward the Capitol.

The driver of Trumps car on Jan. 6 disputed the testimony that Trump tried to take control of the car.

[President Trump] never grabbed the steering wheel. I didnt see him, you know, lunge to try to get into the front seat at all, the unnamed driver told the committees investigators, according to a report from House Republicans released earlier this year.

A copy reviewed by The New York Times, however, indicates the driver backed Hutchinsons details about Trumps insistence on joining supporters at the Capitol, making the demand to the driver as well as Bobby Engel, the head of former President Trumps security detail on Jan. 6.

The president was insistent on going to the Capitol, recounted the driver, whose name was not disclosed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPMs Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.

Not Looking Good For Jeff Clark

Jeff Clark, the DOJ attorney who Trump unsuccessfully sought to install mid-coup attempt as attorney general, is facing an effort to disbar him in Washington D.C. And things arent going well for him.

On Tuesday, a panel recommended that he be disbarred, finding that it is the only possible sanction befitting his attempt to create national chaos.

From the disciplinary counsels proposed finding of fact and conclusions:

It is not enough that the efforts of these lawyers ultimately failed. As a profession, we must do what we can to ensure that this conduct is never repeated. The way to accomplish that goal is to remove from the profession lawyers who betrayed their constitutional obligations and their country. It is important that other lawyers who might be tempted to engage in similar misconduct be aware that doing so will cost them their privilege to practice law. It is also important for the courts and the legal profession to state clearly that the ends do not justify the means; that process matters; and that this is a society of laws, not men.

The proceedings are not over, but Tuesdays report was a serious blow to Clark.

(Perhaps the most serious since his boss at the DOJ swatted away his January 2021 power grab by reminding him he had only ever been appointed to lead the Departments Environmental and Natural Resources Division: Youre an environmental lawyer. How about you go back to your office, and well call you when theres an oil spill. But we digress )

Reactions to Trumps TIME Interview

In case you missed it, Trump made some of his most ominous noises yet about what to expect in 2025 in an interview with a publication close to his heart: TIME magazine.

He said it was up to the states to monitor pregnant women for abortions, promised mass immigrant deportations, declared hed prosecute Biden if the Supreme Court didnt grant him full immunity, mulled pardons for January 6 rioters, and speculated about violence if he doesnt win.

Some reactions to that interview:

Josh Marshall: Decoding Trump Bullshit: Foreign Defense Budget Edition

Philip Bump: Trump wont say what he plans to do as president

Dems (via the Times): Biden and Democrats Seize on Trumps Striking Interview

Important Case Come November

Kate Riga reports on a case out of Pennsylvania that could decide a close election, and may be SCOTUS-bound.

The fight centers on the date voters must write on the outer envelope holding the ballot; if its wrong or missing, the ballot goes uncounted. Its a steep penalty given the reality that none of the parties involved in the case asserts that those dates are actually used for anything. People are gonna have their votes not counted under this ruling for totally immaterial reasons, like writing 2023 instead of 2024, Ari Savitzky, lead attorney on the case for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is representing individual voters and a group of state civil and voting rights groups, told TPM. Filling out the date on this form has nothing to do with anything.

Trump Trial Update

Were off today.

On Tuesday, Josh Kovensky reported, prosecutors seemed to be building toward testimony by Michael Cohen, Trumps former lawyer. Its been unclear when  or even if  he would take the stand, but the information given by former Stormy Daniels lawyer Keith Davidson yesterday seemed to set the stage for him, with Davidson describing his interactions with Trumps fixer, many of which were  unpleasant. The moral of the story is no one wanted to talk to [Michael] Cohen, Davidson said, per Josh.

So well be looking to see if Cohen makes an appearance when things resume tomorrow.

Also Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan found Trump in contempt, fined him and threatened to jail him if he continues to flout the gag order. He laid out what hell be looking for going forward. Heres Josh:

Trump needs to be able to fully campaign for the office which he seeks and must be able to respond and defend himself against political attacks, Merchan wrote in the order, adding that witnesses shouldnt take advantage of the gag and use it as a sword instead of a shield. The limit, Merchan wrote, comes when theres no precipitating political attack to which Trump might be responding. Merchan did not hold Trump in contempt for the Avenatti post in part because of what Merchan described as a tenuous correlation to a preceding post that Cohen had made. For the remaining ten, Merchan wrote, Trumps attorneys had failed to identify any political attack which Trump might have been responding.

Trump immediately fundraised off the contempt finding.

Related

Trump is, predictably, pissed at his lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, the Times reports:

He has griped that Mr. Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and veteran litigator, has not been following his instructions closely, and has been insufficiently aggressive. Mr. Trump wants him to attack witnesses, attack what the former president sees as a hostile jury pool, and attack the judge, Juan M. Merchan.

Secession Cosplay To Own The Libs

Just as Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton will not recognize that the federal Border Control is in charge of the international border, they also want you to know that they arent going to let the U.S. Department of Education define what counts as discriminatory in schools. The more they can lob toward the Supreme Court, the better, it seems.

Nicole Lafond has the details.

Making Trump Own It

As Floridas six-week abortion ban goes into effect officially today  making access to the procedure nearly impossible for women in the state and ending Floridas status as a stronghold for abortion in the southeast  both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are sending a message to Florida voters and those in the South who have relied on the state for the procedure:

Today, an extreme abortion ban takes effect in Florida, banning reproductive health care before many women even know they are pregnant, Biden said in a statement. There is one person responsible for this nightmare: Donald Trump.

Harris will be in Jacksonville for a campaign event highlighting the dangerous new law.

Repeal Vote In Arizona

After Arizona state House Republicans repeatedly blocked their Democratic colleagues efforts to advance legislation that would repeal the draconian abortion ban the state Supreme Court just allowed back on the books  mostly by mucking up procedural votes to advance it  three House Republicans ultimately voted with Democrats to pass the legislation last month. The state Senate is expected to vote on that legislation today. Democrats will need to pick up two Republican votes for it to pass.

But even if it passes and becomes law (Gov. Katie Hobbs is expected to sign it) the repeal wont go into effect until 90 days after the legislative session ends, which may be June or July.

Back On Schedule

The Commission on Presidential Debates told Fox News Tuesday that, despite calls from the Trump campaign to move up the first presidential debate, its planning to stick to its OG schedule, meaning the first debate will be held in September. The Trump campaign is already trying to circumvent the CPD.

WH Mulls Welcoming Some Palestinian Refugees

Per CBS News, which obtained internal federal docs:

In recent weeks, the documents show, senior officials across several federal U.S. agencies have discussed the practicality of different options to resettle Palestinians from Gaza who have immediate family members who are American citizens or permanent residents. One of those proposals involves using the decades-old United States Refugee Admissions Program to welcome Palestinians with U.S. ties who have managed to escape Gaza and enter neighboring Egypt, according to the inter-agency planning documents.

The Ever-Shrinking Republican Majority

New York state Sen. Tim Kennedy, a Democrat, has won the special election in New Yorks Twenty-Sixth Congressional District to replace former Rep. Brian Higgins (D), who left Congress in February. Kennedy defeated a local Republican town supervisor and will serve for the rest of Higgins term, which ends in January.

Once Kennedy is sworn in, House Republicans majority will be temporarily reduced to one seat until other vacancies are filled. For example, the race to serve for the remainder of ousted-Speaker Kevin McCarthys (R-CA) term will be determined during a runoff election later this month.

Federal Three-Judge Panel Tosses Louisiana Map

The recently redrawn congressional map included the addition of a second majority-Black district in the state. The Tuesday ruling from a Fifth Circuit panel leaves Louisiana without a congressional map six months out from a major presidential election, and the Supreme Court is expected to get involved in the case.

Big Deal

The Drug Enforcement Administration is reportedly moving to ease restrictions on cannabis, reclassifying it from a schedule I drug  alongside heroin and LSD  to a schedule III drug, part of a push by the Biden administration to decriminalize marijuana use. The move has to clear more regulatory hurdles, but, once it does, would be the biggest shift in DEA policy in 50 years, per the AP.

Sneaky, Sneaky

The Daily Beast: Fox News Quietly Deletes Hunter Biden Mock Trial Series

As Morning Memo noted yesterday, Biden had threatened to sue.

David Kurtz will be back later this week.

Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know!
Trump expected to hold fundraiser in Ohio with JD Vance

Former President Donald Trump is expected to make a trip to southwest Ohio this month.

Trump will be hosting a fundraiser on May 15 in Cincinnati alongside Sen. J.D. Vance, CNN reported.

The event is advertised as a lunch discussion with Vance listed as a special guest.

>> Verdict announced in case involving driver accused of causing deadly school bus crash

Each attendee is asked to contribute $50,000.

The exact location of the event has not been announced.

According to CNN, Vance is a contender to be Trumps 2024 running mate.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears ahead of the start of jury selection at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Jabin Botsford-Pool/Getty Images)

Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears ahead of the start of jury selection at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Jabin Botsford-Pool/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump defied a gag order in his New York state hush-money trial by posting attacks on likely witnesses on his social media platform and campaign website, the judge in the case ruled Tuesday.

Judge Juan M. Merchan fined Trump $9,000 for nine violations of an order barring him from making public statements about reasonably foreseeable witnesses or prospective jurors in the case, in which Trump is accused of disguising payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels to conceal an alleged affair.

Merchan also ordered the offending posts to be taken down by 2:15 p.m. Eastern Tuesday.

Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee for president, had posted to his social media site, Truth Social, and to his campaign website comments about Daniels and Michael Cohen, Trumps former attorney and fixer, who prosecutors say delivered a $130,000 payment to Daniels.

Cohen and Daniels are expected to testify for the prosecution in the criminal trial, the first involving a former U.S. president.

Trump did not deny posting any of the items, but said they were in response to political attacks by Cohen and Daniels. Merchans order allowed Trump to respond to political attacks.

Prosecutors had asked Merchan to fine Trump for 10 statements, but the judge gave Trump a pass on the first post in question, which Merchan said could be interpreted as a response to tweets from Cohen that could be considered political attacks.

Merchan said Tuesday he was broadly interpreting political attacks out of deference to Trumps First Amendment right to free speech, which he said was especially important as Trump runs again for the White House.

It is critically important that Defendants legitimate free speech rights not be curtailed, that he be able to fully campaign for the office which he seeks and that he be able to respond and defend himself against political attacks, Merchan wrote. For that reason, this Court exercised discretion when it crafted the Expanded Order and delayed issuing it until the eve of trial.

Reposts as endorsements

Trump also argued that reposts from other accounts should not count as his own speech.

Merchan roundly rejected that argument, noting Trump has bragged about the size of his audience on Truth Social and fully controlled its content.

There can be no doubt whatsoever, that Defendants intent and purpose when reposting, is to communicate to his audience that he endorses and adopts the posted statement as his own, Merchan said. It is counterintuitive and indeed absurd, to read the Expanded Order to not proscribe statements that Defendant intentionally selected and published to maximize exposure.

Tuesdays order also warns Trump that the Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of the gag order and warned that Merchan may impose jail time for further violations.

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat who is the ranking minority member on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, told reporters in Washington Tuesday that he did not expect the ruling to lead Trump to change his behavior.

I dont think hell take it seriously, unless hes going to be held overnight or something like that, Raskin said. He acts with utter contempt towards the rule of law.

Raskin, a constitutional law professor, was the lead impeachment manager during Trumps second impeachment, which dealt with the then-presidents efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. Raskin also was a member of the House Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, Attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The trial resumed Tuesday with testimony from Gary Farro, a former banker of Cohens, after a break Monday.

Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.

The post Trump fined $9,000 for violating gag order in NY hush-money trial appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.
Former President Donald Trump, who has called Jan. 6, 2021, rioters unbelievable patriots, on Tuesday criticized anti-war protesters at Columbia University for damaging property during their occupation of Hamilton Hall.

The hypocrisy was not lost on commentators, who wondered where this outrage was when hundreds of Trumps supporters laid siege to the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 election.

Calling into Sean Hannitys Fox News show, Trump praised New York police for clearing people from the university administration building on Tuesday night. Protesters had occupied the building in protest of Israels war on Gaza.

It should never have gotten to this, and they should have done it a lot sooner than before they took over the building because it would have been a lot easier if they were in tents rather than a building, Trump told Fox News Sean Hannity in a phone interview.

And tremendous damage done, too. You know, when you look at that building, thats a landmark, and its really been damaged badly by these people.

Photos from the university show broken windows and stacked furniture inside Hamilton Hall after police had cleared the structure of protesters, dozens of whom were arrested. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Trump: Tremendous damage done too. Thats a landmark and its really been damaged badly by these people pic.twitter.com/4NkVPLrV7w  Acyn (@Acyn) May 1, 2024

Earlier on Tuesday, speaking at the Manhattan courthouse where he is on criminal trial, Trump compared the Columbia situation to the Jan. 6 attack, and wondered if participants would face the same consequences.

They took over a building. That is a big deal, Trump said of the pro-Palestinian protesters. And I wonder if whats going to happen to them will be anything comparable to what happened to J6, because theyre doing a lot of destruction, a lot of damages, a lot of people getting hurt very badly.

More than 1,200 people have been charged by the Justice Department in connection to the deadly Capitol attack, during which rioters ransacked the Capitol and assaulted police.

According to the DOJ, the violence resulted in approximately $2.8 million in losses, including damage to the building and grounds, as well as costs carried by Capitol police.

Trump has promised to pardon Jan. 6 defendants as a priority if he returns to the White House.

Social media users were quick to point out the obvious:

He didnt say this on Jan 6. https://t.co/PE59xVRKy5  Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) May 1, 2024

I don't recall Trump saying that about the Capitol on January 6. https://t.co/vvsAak9VoE  Miranda Yaver, PhD (@mirandayaver) May 1, 2024

Somebody put this audio over J6 footage please. https://t.co/QQVQ9jVUNd  Melvin White  (@cmonmanbfd) May 1, 2024

Ironic him being angry and complaining about outsiders damaging a landmark building https://t.co/IKBEiiQxxI  Guy Norman Bee (@guynormanbee) May 1, 2024

His people literally smeared feces in the halls of the US Capitol. https://t.co/NcgrYFEl7c  att Seyfang (@mseyfang) May 1, 2024

He must be really pissed about the US Capitol, then... https://t.co/XQaGC6WhlR  Imagine all the people... (@MAGAisfascism) May 1, 2024

Say what you want but there is literally no better expert on this topic https://t.co/LtLYHx5ueA  Niles Francis (@NilesGApol) May 1, 2024

Related...
Former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance will fundraise in Cincinnati this month as speculation swirls over whether the former president will tap Vance as his running mate.

Trump is slated to headline the May 15 "lunch discussion" that features Vance as a special guest, according to an invitation obtained by the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau. Attendees must contribute $50,000 each or $100,000 per couple, which will go toward a joint fundraising committee that includes Trump's campaign, the RNC and several state GOP groups  including Ohio's.

The exact location of the event, first reported by NBC News, is unknown.

Former President Donald Trump appears with Sen. J.D. Vance at Dayton International Airport on March 16.

Vance, who garnered fame for his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022 after securing Trump's endorsement during a chaotic primary. The Cincinnati Republican is now one of Trump's closest allies, even though he was once an outspoken critic of the former president. The two last appeared in Ohio together at a rally for Bernie Moreno, who will take on Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall.

Vance is widely considered to be on the short list for Trump's vice president, along with South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York. In a recent Fox News interview, Ohio's junior senator dismissed the rumors as "media speculation" and said he hasn't talked to Trump about the job.

"Of course if he asked me, I'd have to think seriously about it because I think it's really important that he win," Vance said. "The world is on fire, and I sort of see Donald Trump as a bit of a fireman."

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: JD Vance to raise money with Donald Trump in Ohio amid VP speculation
Sen. JD Vance, an Ohio Republican who is among the contenders to be Donald Trumps vice presidential running mate, will help the former president raise money next month in Cincinnati, according to an invitation obtained Tuesday by NBC News.

Vance is billed as the "special guest" for a May 15 fundraiser and "lunch discussion" to be headlined by Trump. Host committee members are being asked to contribute or raise $250,000 per couple. For attendees, the amounts are $100,000 per couple or $50,000 per person. All funds will go to the Trump 47 joint fundraising committee.

The event could be a trial of sorts for Vance, a first-term senator who lives in Cincinnati and has been a top Trump ally in Ohio. Eight years ago, during his first run for president, Trump made a show of auditioning potential running mates at rallies before he settled on Mike Pence, then the governor of Indiana.

Such public spectacles have yet to materialize in Trumps third White House bid. He has been tied up in his hush money trial in New York and unable to campaign as much, though he has rallies scheduled for Wednesday in Wisconsin and Michigan, two Midwest battlegrounds.

"Any person who tells you they know who, how or when President Trump will choose his VP is likely wrong unless that person is named Donald J. Trump," Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said late Tuesday.

Trump forged a relationship with Vance, 39, after Vance endorsed him in the crowded 2022 Senate primary. More recently, they joined forces in Ohio on behalf of former car dealer Bernie Moreno, who won the GOP Senate primary this year after Trump headlined a rally for him in the closing days of the race. Vance threw himself into the primary by courting high-level donors and helping shore up money for the rally, which was hosted by the pro-Moreno Buckeye Values PAC.

Moreno will face Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall in what is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races in the country.

Ohio is not the presidential swing state it used to be  Trump won it in 2016 and 2020 by 8 percentage points.

Vance said Sunday on Fox News that he has not spoken with Trump about the vice presidency but that he would "seriously think about it" if he were asked to join the ticket.

Vance is among several vice presidential prospects scheduled to appear this weekend at a Trump 47 spring retreat in Palm Beach, Florida. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Tim Scott of South Carolina, Govs. Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York are also expected at the event.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Ill concede, readily, that in my old age I find it almost unbearable to listen to U.S. Supreme Court arguments. After all, Ive been studying them, in one format or another, for many decades. This is the bench of Earl Warren, Thurgood Marshall, William Brennan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day OConnor, John Marshall Harlan. Its high ground. Or was.

Now there are other occupants. Massively different driving forces. Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, John Roberts, and the three Trump judges  Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Committed enlistees in a Republican crusade. Untethered to law. Lifelong opponents of the high aspirations of independent judicial review. Warriors against the enforcement of the Constitutions obligations to open and secure the channels of democracy.

Its hard to hear them talk. To hear them speak as if they pursued actual inquiry  instead of Federalist Society shop talk. To see the masquerade. Theyre delivering gold for Donald Trump in last weeks insurrectionist-immunity case. Like you knew they would.

Gene Nichol

First, there is no straight-faced claim in the case that Trump is immune from the operation of the criminal law. As Jack Smiths brief put it: a criminal scheme to overturn an election and thwart the peaceful transition of power is the paradigm example of conduct that cannot be immunized. And, as the Court of Appeals had held, Trumps actions sought to interfere with the constitutionally established design for determining the presidential election  which provides no role for the president. Of course it doesnt. The framers werent nuts.

But Justice Gorsuch said he wasnt concerned about this case  he wanted to write a rule for the ages. Of course he does. Gorsuch, Thomas, Kavanaugh and Alito for the ages. It makes one nauseous. And its the literal definition of judicial legislation.

But it does at least distract. They can simply ignore what Trump has done. (Thats what Republicans do.) Plus, itll take forever to craft an unnecessary set of rules. Theyll need more process. Tons of it. They received the memo. Delay, delay, then delay some more. And who knows, presidents may need to stage coups, sell nuclear secrets, assassinate opponents and pay off porn stars. Judges have to be pragmatic futurists  not originalists, not this day.

A second point. A test of imaginative powers. Imagine that Barack Obama had done what Donald Trump did. (I know thats actually impossible, Obama is the anti-Trump.) But go with me. Assume it was Obamas case before these faux-judges rather than Trump. Is there any possibility that Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett and Roberts would declare  even for a moment  that Obama was immune, or might be immune, or that his immunity should be examined, except to throw it on the trash bin of history?

Ive been doing this for 40 years, and I promise there would be no possibility of that. None. No honest lawyer in the country would disagree with that assessment. These are partisans in charade. Nothing more. We should expect no more of them than we would Marjorie Taylor Greene or Matt Gaetz. They do the same work. They just pretend otherwise. They pose. They deserve the same level of respect we afford to the formal nutjobs.

They are also engaged, ironically, in bold, unprecedented election interference. Trumpists, not jurists.

The rest of us need to understand this. Clear eyed. If we are committed to the American democratic experiment, these pretenders must be disempowered  dismantled as the anti-democratic wrecking ball theyve become. Worry not about the institution. There is no institution left to save. Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, George H.W. Bush and the Republican Party have already done that work. Fully.

Contributing columnist Gene Nichol is a professor of law at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
The firm that has repped ex-President Donald Trump and his campaign in multiple battles with high-profile women has asked a federal judge to let them abandon the embattled politician in a sex discrimination suit by a former female advisereven if he and his team protest.

The firm, LaRocca, Hornik, Greenberg, Kittredge, Carlin & McPartland, unsuccessfully defended the former commander-in-chief against rape allegations by writer E. Jean Carroll and in the 2016 NDA case brought by one-time aide Jessica Denson. But on Friday the firm submitted a motion in Manhattan federal court to withdraw as his attorneys as yet another suit advances. The lawyers withheld details about why they wanted to pull out, except to say that their rapport with the campaign had suffered an irreparable breakdown.

The firm asked to explain its exit request to the bench in private, and signaled that the campaign might fight to keep them onboard.

The primary reason for the firms motion is due to an irreparable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship between the firm and the campaign, Blumetti wrote in a declaration in support of the motion. It is well-established that a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship is sufficient reason to permit withdrawal, even if the source of the breakdown is disputed and the client opposes the motion to withdraw.

Neither Blumetti nor Patrick McPartland, whose names appear on the motion and have long fought on Trumps behalf, responded to calls or emails for comment from The Daily Beast. Nor did the Trump campaign, which as of this writing has yet to object or accede to the motion.

But the request provoked outcry from the plaintiff in the case, first-run staffer Arlene A.J. Delgado, who has accused the operation of stripping her of her responsibilities after she revealed she had become pregnant. The father of her child is her former supervisor and Trump 2024 senior adviser Jason Miller, whom Delgado has also accused of raping her, a claim Miller has denied.

An attorney herself, Delgado joined the Trump campaign in August 2016 as a senior adviser and the director of Hispanic outreach. She claims in her lawsuit that Trump praised her as a star and said multiple times that he would hire her as a White House staffer if he won the 2016 election.

The lawsuit also alleges discrimination from three of Trumps top lieutenants when he entered the White House Stephen Bannon, Sean Spicer, and Reince Priebuswho she claims sidelined her once he came into office. She gave birth to the child in July 2017.

Trumps lawyers Jared Blumetti and Patrick McPartland. Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty Images

In her objection, Delgadowho is representing herselfwrote that the withdrawal motion stinks to high heaven. She noted that only two days prior, the judge in the case had granted one of her motions to compel disclosure of information concerning gender-related complaints against the Campaign during the 2016 and 2020 campaign cycles, including complaints of sexual harassment, gender, or pregnancy discrimination.

Delgado also highlighted that only days remain in the discovery process, and that the firm has not sought to sever from Trump in an ongoing case involving Denson in New York State.

The firm cannot be permitted to the withdraw in the middle of compliance on a pending, imminently due, specific order, Delgado asserted. This is, as aforementioned, seeking to swap players on the field while a play is already in motion.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Mifepristone is one of two medications used for an abortion.

Mifepristone is one of two medications used for an abortion. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Donald Trump is planning to release more details in the weeks ahead about how his administration would regulate access to medication abortion, according to comments he made during a lengthy interview with Time magazine published Tuesday.

Trump, the Republican Partys presumptive nominee for president, said that he has strong views about access to mifepristone, though he declined to say exactly what those are. He did not rule out a nationwide ban, or imposing new restrictions.

Well, I have an opinion on that, but Im not going to explain, Trump said, according to the transcript of the interview. Im not gonna say it yet. But I have pretty strong views on that. And Ill be releasing it probably over the next week.

Mifepristone is one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortions, which make up more than 63% of abortions nationwide, according to research from the Guttmacher Institute.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration originally approved mifepristone in 2000 before updating prescribing guidelines in 2016 and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The changes to when and how mifepristone can be prescribed are at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case brought by anti-abortion medical organizations and doctors. A ruling is expected this summer on whether access to mifepristone will stay as it is now or go back to what was in place before 2016.

Reverting prescribing would mean that mifepristone would be approved up to seven weeks gestation, not the current 10-week ceiling; it could no longer be prescribed via telehealth and shipped to patients; patients would need to attend three in-person doctors office appointments; and only doctors would be able to prescribe it, not qualified health care providers with the authority to prescribe pharmaceuticals.

Big statement coming on Comstock Act

Trump was also asked about the Comstock Act, an 1873 anti-obscenity law that conservative organizations and anti-abortion groups believe a Republican attorney general could use to ban shipping of mifepristone nationwide.

Trump said, I will be making a statement on that over the next 14 days, when asked if his Department of Justice would try to enforce the Comstock Act to ban mailing of abortion pharmaceuticals.

The interview was on April 12, more than 14 days ago.

I have a big statement on that, Trump said. I feel very strongly about it. I actually think its a very important issue.

Trump said in a video released in early April that he believed regulating abortion access should be left up to state lawmakers, infuriating anti-abortion organizations and some members of his own party who believe there should be a nationwide law setting restrictions on access.

Trump said during the interview with Time that he didnt have a strong viewpoint on states punishing women who seek abortion. Anti-abortion organizations generally have opposed penalties for women, though Trump has mentioned it in the past.

I dont have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, Trump said of states punishing women who seek abortions. The states are going to make that decision. The states are going to have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, not me.

Trump said he thinks that some states might monitor womens pregnancies, when asked about the issue.

Trump, who is registered to vote in Florida, repeatedly declined to say how he would vote on a ballot question this November that would add protections for abortion rights to the states constitution.

I dont tell you what Im gonna vote for, Trump said. I only tell you the states gonna make a determination.

Biden campaign reacts

Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a written statement that a Trump reelection would be a threat to reproductive rights.

Simply put: Novembers election will determine whether women in the United States have reproductive freedom, or whether Trumps new government will continue its assault to control womens health care decisions, Rodriguez wrote.

With the voters on their side this November, President Biden and Vice President Harris will put an end to this chaos and ensure Americans fundamental freedoms are protected.

Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said in a written statement about Trumps latest comments on abortion access that she has zero doubt in my mind that Trump will choose anti-abortion extremists and their horrifying agenda over American families every single chance he gets, and this new interview proves that he will ban abortion in all 50 states.

Its imperative that we double down on our mission to reelect the Biden-Harris ticket and deliver Congressional majorities to lock our right to abortion care into federal law.

The post Trump leaves door open to banning medication abortion nationwide appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle.
Former President Donald Trump rally in Battle Creek, Dec. 18, 2019 | Andrew Roth

WASHINGTON  Donald Trump is planning to release more details in the weeks ahead about how his administration would regulate access to medication abortion, according to comments he made during a lengthy interview with Time magazine published Tuesday.

Trump, the Republican Partys presumptive nominee for president, said that he has strong views about access to mifepristone, though he declined to say exactly what those are. He did not rule out a nationwide ban, or imposing new restrictions.

Well, I have an opinion on that, but Im not going to explain, Trump said, according to the transcript of the interview. Im not gonna say it yet. But I have pretty strong views on that. And Ill be releasing it probably over the next week.

Mifepristone is one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortions, which make up more than 63% of abortions nationwide, according to research from the Guttmacher Institute.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration originally approved mifepristone in 2000 before updating prescribing guidelines in 2016 and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The changes to when and how mifepristone can be prescribed are at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case brought by anti-abortion medical organizations and doctors. A ruling is expected this summer on whether access to mifepristone will stay as it is now or go back to what was in place before 2016.

Reverting prescribing would mean that mifepristone would be approved up to seven weeks gestation, not the current 10-week ceiling; it could no longer be prescribed via telehealth and shipped to patients; patients would need to attend three in-person doctors office appointments; and only doctors would be able to prescribe it, not qualified health care providers with the authority to prescribe pharmaceuticals.

Big statement coming on Comstock Act

Trump was also asked about the Comstock Act, an 1873 anti-obscenity law that conservative organizations and anti-abortion groups believe a Republican attorney general could use to ban shipping of mifepristone nationwide.

Trump said, I will be making a statement on that over the next 14 days, when asked if his Department of Justice would try to enforce the Comstock Act to ban mailing of abortion pharmaceuticals.

The interview was on April 12, more than 14 days ago.

I have a big statement on that, Trump said. I feel very strongly about it. I actually think its a very important issue.

Trump said during the interview with Time that he didnt have a strong viewpoint on states punishing women who seek abortion.

Trump said in a video released in early April that he believed regulating abortion access should be left up to state lawmakers, infuriating anti-abortion organizations and some members of his own party who believe there should be a nationwide law setting restrictions on access.

Trump said during the interview with Time that he didnt have a strong viewpoint on states punishing women who seek abortion. Anti-abortion organizations generally have opposed penalties for women, though Trump has mentioned it in the past.

I dont have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, Trump said of states punishing women who seek abortions. The states are going to make that decision. The states are going to have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, not me.

Trump said he thinks that some states might monitor womens pregnancies, when asked about the issue.

Trump, who is registered to vote in Florida, repeatedly declined to say how he would vote on a ballot question this November that would add protections for abortion rights to the states constitution.

I dont tell you what Im gonna vote for, Trump said. I only tell you the states gonna make a determination.

Biden campaign reacts

Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a written statement that a Trump reelection would be a threat to reproductive rights.

Simply put: Novembers election will determine whether women in the United States have reproductive freedom, or whether Trumps new government will continue its assault to control womens health care decisions, Rodriguez wrote.

With the voters on their side this November, President Biden and Vice President Harris will put an end to this chaos and ensure Americans fundamental freedoms are protected.

Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said in a written statement about Trumps latest comments on abortion access that she has zero doubt in my mind that Trump will choose anti-abortion extremists and their horrifying agenda over American families every single chance he gets, and this new interview proves that he will ban abortion in all 50 states.

Its imperative that we double down on our mission to reelect the Biden-Harris ticket and deliver Congressional majorities to lock our right to abortion care into federal law.

Trump is set to hold a campaign rally in Saginaw County on Wednesday. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is scheduled to do an event in Flint beforehand highlighting Trumps anti-abortion positions.

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The post Trump leaves door open to banning medication abortion nationwide appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Because Donald Trump must always be seen as wielding absolute mastery over his hapless, flailing opponents, he and his propagandists want you to believe his hush-money trial in Manhattan has proven nothing but a smashing political success for him.

On Monday night, Trump posted a video on social media featuring Fox personality Jesse Watters gushing that his trial may win him the White House. Trump also promoted a video of Foxs Jeanine Pirro insisting that it showcases his ability to withstand pressure. Other Fox figures have spun Trumps buffoonish outbreaks of narcolepsy in court as proof hes Owning the Libs: Certain of acquittal, he can do some power-napping while showing the trial the contempt it deserves.

Trump himself, however, doesnt appear to be even remotely this confidentat least in private. The New York Times reports that behind the scenes, Trump has been angrily venting about one of his lawyers, Todd Blanche, ever since the trial began:

He has griped that Mr. Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and veteran litigator, has not been following his instructions closely, and has been insufficiently aggressive. Mr. Trump wants him to attack witnesses, attack what the former president sees as a hostile jury pool, and attack the judge, Juan M. Merchan.

Trump would not be so angry with his lawyer if he thought the trial were going as well as his spinners say it is. Indeed, this saga shows how deeply flimsy the vast illusion that MAGA propagandists have woven around Trump and his legal travails has truly become.

Trumps trial keeps the former president disciplined, structured, and away from his tongue-wagging rallies, Watters enthused in the video that Trump promoted. By this Watters meant that the prosecution is keeping Trump quiet behind a courtroom table.

You might wonder if Watters accidentally committed heresy in suggesting Trumps rally performances might occasionally be less than politically perfect. But Watters avoided this pitfall by quickly adding that having fewer rallies denies the media an opportunity to twist Trumps words. If the rallies ever create political problems, its only due to the Fake News media. By temporarily pausing them, the trial is owning the media, and the media doesnt even know it.

Here in the real world, according to the Times, Trump is angry at Blanche, his lead lawyer in the case, because he isnt more aggressively attacking witnesses, jurors, and the presiding judge. Its likely that Trumpwho in his own twisted way harbors powerful instincts about political theatricsgrasps that the trial is depicting him as a diminished, constrained, sordid figure who is not in charge of events, and badly wants his lawyer to do more to undermine the legitimacy of the proceedings.

Thats far from the fearsome, dominant figure depicted in MAGA propaganda about the trial. Note that both Watters and Pirro insist Trump is shining in the role of defendant. They are trying to depict Trump as simultaneously a victim and a formidable warrior, one who is fighting back against corrupt, powerful forces that are persecuting him. Similarly, as Media Matters Matt Gertz details, Fox figures praising Trumps courtroom naps are practically painting them as acts of heroic defiance against an illegitimate prosecution.

Now, its true that this affair might be weaker than the cases against Trump over his insurrection attempt and theft of state secrets. But experienced prosecutors persuasively argue that its a straightforward case: Trump engaged in falsifying business recordswith the intent to commit or conceal other election-related and tax-related crimeswhich makes that falsification a felony. This is serious, likely criminal corruption that helped Trump deceive the American people and scam his way into the presidency.

Yet Trump wants his lawyer to treat the prosecution as wholly lacking in legitimacy. The Times reports:

He has vented to others that he does not have a Roy Cohn, a reference to his notoriously ruthless former lawyer. Mr. Cohn, who represented Mr. Trump in his formative business years, was repeatedly indicted and ultimately disbarred.

Trump wants a lawyer who treats any and all legal actions directed at Trump as worthy of nothing short of total-war tactics. As journalist Timothy OBrien chronicles in his book TrumpNation, thats exactly what he appreciated about Cohn. Roy was brutal, but he was a very loyal guy, Trump told OBrien. He brutalized for you.

On Tuesday, Judge Merchan held Trump in contempt of court for violating his gag order with public attacks on witnesses and jurors. The principle at work here is that such attacks undermine the legal system and the rule of law, and that there will be consequences for this. But Trump wants Blanche to go further in that direction, to place himself at maximal risk on Trumps behalf.

Whats remarkable is that Blanche has already been reprimanded by Merchan for defending Trumps right to violate the gag order. But to Trump, thats still not enough. Just as Trump belittled William Barr after his attorney general endorsed him, simply because Barr wouldnt literally help him steal the 2020 election, Trump demands that his current lawyer must show a level of devotion and sacrifice that is quasi-absolute. Blanche must attack witnesses, the jury, and the judgein effect, he must treat the system itself as irredeemably corrupt.

Trump will never be satisfied with a lawyer who doesnt share the same contempt for the rule of law that he does, OBrien told me. Thats what he took from Roy Cohn. From Cohn onward, OBrien added, this became Trumps expectation from every other lawyer.

The truth is that no one knows what will happen in this trial. Its certainly possible Trump will get acquitted, giving him a political boost. But a conviction seems quite plausible, and its likely voters will punish him for it, as polls suggest they will.

Either way, heres what we know right now: Trump is not wielding absolute mastery over events. Trumps own lawyers are not treating his trial as fundamentally illegitimate. Voters outside the MAGA information universe regard the charges against him as serious, and they see the other prosecutions against him in a similarly grave light. A whole lot of people will likely see Trumps sneering dismissal of these proceedingsthe dozing off, the attacks on jurors, the rage fits against the supposed unfairness of it allas whiny entitlement, as contempt for the very notion that he should ever be held accountable for anything.

And as his private anger at his lawyer suggests, despite all the MAGA mythmaking to the contrary, no one is more aware of all this than Trump himself.
Key Insights

British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad to hold its Annual General Meeting on 8th of May

Salary of RM1.11m is part of CEO Nedal Salem's total remuneration

The overall pay is 114% above the industry average

British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad's three-year loss to shareholders was 28% while its EPS was down 7.0% over the past three years

British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad (KLSE:BAT) has not performed well recently and CEO Nedal Salem will probably need to up their game. Shareholders will be interested in what the board will have to say about turning performance around at the next AGM on 8th of May. This will be also be a chance where they can challenge the board on company direction and vote on resolutions such as executive remuneration. We present the case why we think CEO compensation is out of sync with company performance.

View our latest analysis for British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad

How Does Total Compensation For Nedal Salem Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?

At the time of writing, our data shows that British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad has a market capitalization of RM2.4b, and reported total annual CEO compensation of RM3.7m for the year to December 2023. We note that's an increase of 60% above last year. While we always look at total compensation first, our analysis shows that the salary component is less, at RM1.1m.

For comparison, other companies in the Malaysia Tobacco industry with market capitalizations ranging between RM954m and RM3.8b had a median total CEO compensation of RM1.7m. Hence, we can conclude that Nedal Salem is remunerated higher than the industry median.

Component 2023 2022 Proportion (2023) Salary RM1.1m RM988k 30% Other RM2.6m RM1.3m 70% Total Compensation RM3.7m RM2.3m 100%

On an industry level, around 30% of total compensation represents salary and 70% is other remuneration. There isn't a significant difference between British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad and the broader market, in terms of salary allocation in the overall compensation package. It's important to note that a slant towards non-salary compensation suggests that total pay is tied to the company's performance.

British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad's Growth

Over the last three years, British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad has shrunk its earnings per share by 7.0% per year. It saw its revenue drop 9.0% over the last year.

The decline in EPS is a bit concerning. And the fact that revenue is down year on year arguably paints an ugly picture. These factors suggest that the business performance wouldn't really justify a high pay packet for the CEO. Looking ahead, you might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for the company's future earnings..

Story continues

Has British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad Been A Good Investment?

Since shareholders would have lost about 28% over three years, some British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad investors would surely be feeling negative emotions. So shareholders would probably want the company to be less generous with CEO compensation.

In Summary...

Not only have shareholders not seen a favorable return on their investment, but the business hasn't performed well either. Few shareholders would be willing to award the CEO with a pay raise. At the upcoming AGM, the board will get the chance to explain the steps it plans to take to improve business performance.

While it is important to pay attention to CEO remuneration, investors should also consider other elements of the business. That's why we did some digging and identified 2 warning signs for British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad that you should be aware of before investing.

Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out this free list of interesting companies that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

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.
Donald Trump continues to claim that Americans are positively over the moon about the destruction of reproductive rights  but he couldnt be more wrong.

During a Wednesday rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the former president once again bragged about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade, and ending the federal right to abortion.

Basically the states decide on abortion, and people are absolutely thrilled with the way thats going on, Trump told a crowd of supporters.

Trump on overturning Roe: People are absolutely thrilled pic.twitter.com/o44rnhUTXo  Acyn (@Acyn) May 1, 2024

From the great legal experts to everybody  Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives  they wanted to get abortion out of the federal government. Everybody wanted that, that was uniform, Trump fantasized.

Trump: It was always the plan from the great legal experts of this country and even the world. Democrats, Republicans, everybody wanted to get abortion out of the federal government. Everybody wanted that pic.twitter.com/7Ur4oSPLeF  Acyn (@Acyn) May 1, 2024

Most Americans are not thrilled by the destruction of abortion rights in the United States. In reality, reproductive rights are one of the weakest points of the Republican partys 2024 platform, and the former president has been scrambling to salvage the damage thats already been done.

Last month, Trump released a video attempting to clarify that in the aftermath of Roes demise, his view is that the states will determine their own abortion policies, by vote or legislation or perhaps both.

Whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state, he added. The statement was a decisive pivot from his support for a national 15-week abortion ban earlier this year.

The statement drew mild backlash from anti-abortion groups and conservative religious demographics, who likely view the recalibration as what it is: a short term strategy to combat criticism of Trumps abortion policy in a crucial election year.

Trump contradicted his new states-rights stance days after making it when he said the Arizona Supreme Court went too far by enacting an 1864 abortion ban, and that the issue would be straightened out. The state Supreme Courts decision and the ensuing backlash is emblematic of the chaotic upheaval of abortion law across America since the overturning of Roe. Days before the Arizonas Supreme Courts decision, the Florida Supreme Court green-lit a near-total abortion ban in the Sunshine State, which had become the only state in the South offering care after 12 weeks.

In virtually every state where abortion rights have been put on the ballot, voters have protected reproductive rights. In red states that have attempted to further restrict access to comprehensive reproductive health care  or where trigger bans went into effect in the aftermath of Roe  studies have already shown an increase in adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Florida, Maryland, and New York are all expected to have voter-driven abortion rights measures on the ballot in November, and a slew of other states are working to approve their own measures.

One such state is Arizona, where the Civil War-era law that placed a near-total ban on abortion is still in effect. The only exceptions to the law are narrowly defined allowances to protect the life of a pregnant person and the legislation carries a penalty of up to five years in prison for abortion providers.

On Wednesday, Arizona Senate Democrats voted to repeal the ban with the support of two Republicans who defected from their party bloc. The repeal is expected to be signed by the states Democratic Governor, Katie Hobbs.

More from Rolling Stone

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Trump says hed use police, National Guard and possibly the military to expel immigrants

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on Feb. 24, 2024 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Former President Donald Trump in his second term would carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants by utilizing local law enforcement, the National Guard and potentially the U.S. military, according to a lengthy interview he conducted with Time magazine.

When we talk military, generally speaking, I talk National Guard, the presumptive 2024 GOP nominee for president said in an interview that published Tuesday.

Trump has vowed that on his first day in office, he plans to roll out a massive deportation effort reminiscent of an immigration crackdown that took place in the 1950s.

I would have no problem using the military, per se, he said. We have to have law and order in our country. And whichever gets us there, but I think the National Guard will do the job.

The interviewer, Time magazine national politics reporter Eric Cortellessa, asked how Trump could justify using the military, given the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that removed the military from civil law enforcement. Well, these arent civilians, Trump responded. These are people that arent legally in our country.

The Biden campaign on Tuesday night issued a statement slamming Trumps remarks, saying he would use the military to separate immigrant families.

Trump repeating troubling and dangerous rhetoric goes against the very fabric of who we are as a nation, said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, Biden-Harris 2024 campaign co-chair. He isnt just committing to reimplement the cruel, systematic policies of ripping away mothers from their children from his time in office  hes pledging to go further by using the military and law enforcement to enact his cruel, anti-American, and ineffective immigration policies.

I saw the dire consequences of his language and policies firsthand during my first term in Congress: my community was the victim of his continued and consistent xenophobic rhetoric when a white supremacist  who published a screed online using Trumps own words  slaughtered Latinos in El Paso on August 3rd, 2019. We cannot go back.

Trump cited using the National Guard in Minneapolis in 2020. However, it was not Trump but Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz who activated the National Guard in response to massive protests after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd.

Floyd, a Black man, died when Chauvin held his knee on Floyds neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin was convicted of murder in 2022.

We will be using local law enforcement, Trump said, adding that he wants special immunity for police from prosecution.

And we have to give the police back the power and respect that they deserve, he said. Now, there will be some mistakes, and there are certain bad people and thats a terrible thing. And you know, police are being prosecuted all the time. And we want to give them immunity from prosecution if theyre doing their job.

Trump said he would create funding incentives for local and state police departments to take part in deportations.

Well, theres a possibility that some wont want to participate, and they wont partake in the riches, you know, Trump said.

Hes likely to face pushback from Democratic-led states and municipalities, as well as legal challenges.

Trump did not go into detail about how much money he would request from Congress for his deportation plans. The control of Congress, now split between Republicans in the House and Democrats in the Senate, also could shift after this falls elections.

Trump added that he would not rule out building mass detention centers to carry out mass deportations.

Its possible that well do it to an extent, but we shouldnt have to do very much of it, because were going to be moving them out as soon as we get to it, Trump said.

Those policies are likely to face legal challenges, and Trump said he would follow any ruling from the Supreme Court, where he picked three of the nine justices, solidifying a conservative court for decades.

I have great respect for the Supreme Court, he said.

Even though Trump also promised mass deportations in his first term, those first four years had fewer deportations than the first term of the Obama administration.

In the first four years of the Obama administration, there were more than 1.5 million non-citizens deported and the first Trump administration deported more than 1.2 million non-citizens, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration authorized the public health tool Title 42 and expelled more than 2 million migrants from claiming asylum.

The post Trump says hed use police, National Guard and possibly the military to expel immigrants appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
Trump says hed use police, National Guard and possibly the military to expel immigrants

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on Feb. 24, 2024 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Former President Donald Trump in his second term would carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants by utilizing local law enforcement, the National Guard and potentially the U.S. military, according to a lengthy interview he conducted with Time magazine.

When we talk military, generally speaking, I talk National Guard, the presumptive 2024 GOP nominee for president said in an interview that published Tuesday.

Trump has vowed that on his first day in office, he plans to roll out a massive deportation effort reminiscent of an immigration crackdown that took place in the 1950s.

I would have no problem using the military, per se, he said. We have to have law and order in our country. And whichever gets us there, but I think the National Guard will do the job.

The interviewer, Time magazine national politics reporter Eric Cortellessa, asked how Trump could justify using the military, given the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that removed the military from civil law enforcement. Well, these arent civilians, Trump responded. These are people that arent legally in our country.

The Biden campaign on Tuesday night issued a statement slamming Trumps remarks, saying he would use the military to separate immigrant families.

Trump repeating troubling and dangerous rhetoric goes against the very fabric of who we are as a nation, said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, Biden-Harris 2024 campaign co-chair. He isnt just committing to reimplement the cruel, systematic policies of ripping away mothers from their children from his time in office  hes pledging to go further by using the military and law enforcement to enact his cruel, anti-American, and ineffective immigration policies.

I saw the dire consequences of his language and policies firsthand during my first term in Congress: my community was the victim of his continued and consistent xenophobic rhetoric when a white supremacist  who published a screed online using Trumps own words  slaughtered Latinos in El Paso on August 3rd, 2019. We cannot go back.

Trump cited using the National Guard in Minneapolis in 2020. However, it was not Trump but Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz who activated the National Guard in response to massive protests after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd.

Floyd, a Black man, died when Chauvin held his knee on Floyds neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin was convicted of murder in 2022.

We will be using local law enforcement, Trump said, adding that he wants special immunity for police from prosecution.

And we have to give the police back the power and respect that they deserve, he said. Now, there will be some mistakes, and there are certain bad people and thats a terrible thing. And you know, police are being prosecuted all the time. And we want to give them immunity from prosecution if theyre doing their job.

Trump said he would create funding incentives for local and state police departments to take part in deportations.

Well, theres a possibility that some wont want to participate, and they wont partake in the riches, you know, Trump said.

Hes likely to face pushback from Democratic-led states and municipalities, as well as legal challenges.

Trump did not go into detail about how much money he would request from Congress for his deportation plans. The control of Congress, now split between Republicans in the House and Democrats in the Senate, also could shift after this falls elections.

Trump added that he would not rule out building mass detention centers to carry out mass deportations.

Its possible that well do it to an extent, but we shouldnt have to do very much of it, because were going to be moving them out as soon as we get to it, Trump said.

Those policies are likely to face legal challenges, and Trump said he would follow any ruling from the Supreme Court, where he picked three of the nine justices, solidifying a conservative court for decades.

I have great respect for the Supreme Court, he said.

Even though Trump also promised mass deportations in his first term, those first four years had fewer deportations than the first term of the Obama administration.

In the first four years of the Obama administration, there were more than 1.5 million non-citizens deported and the first Trump administration deported more than 1.2 million non-citizens, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration authorized the public health tool Title 42 and expelled more than 2 million migrants from claiming asylum.

The post Trump says hed use police, National Guard and possibly the military to expel immigrants appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Trump says hed use police, National Guard and possibly the military to expel immigrants

Former President Donald Trump arrives for an event at the Adler Theatre on March 13, 2023 in Davenport, Iowa. Trump's visit follows those by potential challengers for the GOP presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who hosted events in the state last week. | Scott Olson/Getty Images

WASHINGTON  Former President Donald Trump in his second term would carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants by utilizing local law enforcement, the National Guard and potentially the U.S. military, according to a lengthy interview he conducted with Time magazine.

When we talk military, generally speaking, I talk National Guard, the presumptive 2024 GOP nominee for president said in an interview that published Tuesday.

Trump has vowed that on his first day in office, he plans to roll out a massive deportation effort reminiscent of an immigration crackdown that took place in the 1950s.

I would have no problem using the military, per se, he said. We have to have law and order in our country. And whichever gets us there, but I think the National Guard will do the job.

The interviewer, Time magazine national politics reporter Eric Cortellessa, asked how Trump could justify using the military, given the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that removed the military from civil law enforcement. Well, these arent civilians, Trump responded. These are people that arent legally in our country.

The Biden campaign on Tuesday night issued a statement slamming Trumps remarks, saying he would use the military to separate immigrant families.

Trump repeating troubling and dangerous rhetoric goes against the very fabric of who we are as a nation, said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, Biden-Harris 2024 campaign co-chair. He isnt just committing to reimplement the cruel, systematic policies of ripping away mothers from their children from his time in office  hes pledging to go further by using the military and law enforcement to enact his cruel, anti-American, and ineffective immigration policies.

I saw the dire consequences of his language and policies firsthand during my first term in Congress: my community was the victim of his continued and consistent xenophobic rhetoric when a white supremacist  who published a screed online using Trumps own words  slaughtered Latinos in El Paso on August 3rd, 2019. We cannot go back.

Trump cited using the National Guard in Minneapolis in 2020. However, it was not Trump but Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz who activated the National Guard in response to massive protests after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd.

Floyd, a Black man, died when Chauvin held his knee on Floyds neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin was convicted of murder in 2022.

We will be using local law enforcement, Trump said, adding that he wants special immunity for police from prosecution.

And we have to give the police back the power and respect that they deserve, he said. Now, there will be some mistakes, and there are certain bad people and thats a terrible thing. And you know, police are being prosecuted all the time. And we want to give them immunity from prosecution if theyre doing their job.

Trump said he would create funding incentives for local and state police departments to take part in deportations.

Well, theres a possibility that some wont want to participate, and they wont partake in the riches, you know, Trump said.

Hes likely to face pushback from Democratic-led states and municipalities, as well as legal challenges.

Trump did not go into detail about how much money he would request from Congress for his deportation plans. The control of Congress, now split between Republicans in the House and Democrats in the Senate, also could shift after this falls elections.

Trump added that he would not rule out building mass detention centers to carry out mass deportations.

Its possible that well do it to an extent, but we shouldnt have to do very much of it, because were going to be moving them out as soon as we get to it, Trump said.

Those policies are likely to face legal challenges, and Trump said he would follow any ruling from the Supreme Court, where he picked three of the nine justices, solidifying a conservative court for decades.

I have great respect for the Supreme Court, he said.

Even though Trump also promised mass deportations in his first term, those first four years had fewer deportations than the first term of the Obama administration.

In the first four years of the Obama administration, there were more than 1.5 million non-citizens deported and the first Trump administration deported more than 1.2 million non-citizens, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration authorized the public health tool Title 42 and expelled more than 2 million migrants from claiming asylum.

The post Trump says hed use police, National Guard and possibly the military to expel immigrants appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Trump says hed use police, National Guard and possibly the military to expel immigrants

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on Feb. 24, 2024, in National Harbor, Maryland. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Former President Donald Trump in his second term would carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants by utilizing local law enforcement, the National Guard and potentially the U.S. military, according to a lengthy interview he conducted with Time magazine.

When we talk military, generally speaking, I talk National Guard, the presumptive 2024 GOP nominee for president said in an interview that was published Tuesday.

Trump has vowed that on his first day in office, he plans to roll out a massive deportation effort reminiscent of an immigration crackdown that took place in the 1950s.

I would have no problem using the military, per se, he said. We have to have law and order in our country. And whichever gets us there, but I think the National Guard will do the job.

The interviewer, Time magazine national politics reporter Eric Cortellessa, asked how Trump could justify using the military, given the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that removed the military from civil law enforcement. Well, these arent civilians, Trump responded. These are people that arent legally in our country.

Biden campaign slams remarks

The Biden campaign on Tuesday night issued a statement slamming Trumps remarks, saying he would use the military to separate immigrant families.

Trump repeating troubling and dangerous rhetoric goes against the very fabric of who we are as a nation, said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, Biden-Harris 2024 campaign co-chair. He isnt just committing to reimplement the cruel, systematic policies of ripping away mothers from their children from his time in office  hes pledging to go further by using the military and law enforcement to enact his cruel, anti-American, and ineffective immigration policies.

I saw the dire consequences of his language and policies firsthand during my first term in Congress: my community was the victim of his continued and consistent xenophobic rhetoric when a white supremacist  who published a screed online using Trumps own words  slaughtered Latinos in El Paso on August 3rd, 2019. We cannot go back.

Trump cited using the National Guard in Minneapolis in 2020. However, it was not Trump but Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz who activated the National Guard in response to massive protests after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd.

Floyd, a Black man, died when Chauvin held his knee on Floyds neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin was convicted of murder in 2022.

We will be using local law enforcement, Trump said, adding that he wants special immunity for police from prosecution.

And we have to give the police back the power and respect that they deserve, he said. Now, there will be some mistakes, and there are certain bad people and thats a terrible thing. And you know, police are being prosecuted all the time. And we want to give them immunity from prosecution if theyre doing their job.

Incentives to help with deportations

Trump said he would create funding incentives for local and state police departments to take part in deportations.

Well, theres a possibility that some wont want to participate, and they wont partake in the riches, you know, Trump said.

Hes likely to face pushback from Democratic-led states and municipalities, as well as legal challenges.

Trump did not go into detail about how much money he would request from Congress for his deportation plans. The control of Congress, now split between Republicans in the House and Democrats in the Senate, also could shift after this falls elections.

Trump added that he would not rule out building mass detention centers to carry out mass deportations.

Its possible that well do it to an extent, but we shouldnt have to do very much of it, because were going to be moving them out as soon as we get to it, Trump said.

Those policies are likely to face legal challenges, and Trump said he would follow any ruling from the Supreme Court, where he picked three of the nine justices, solidifying a conservative court for decades.

I have great respect for the Supreme Court, he said.

Even though Trump also promised mass deportations in his first term, those first four years had fewer deportations than the first term of the Obama administration.

In the first four years of the Obama administration, more than 1.5 million non-citizens were deported, and the first Trump administration deported more than 1.2 million non-citizens, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration authorized the public health tool Title 42 and expelled more than 2 million migrants from claiming asylum.

The post Trump says hed use police, National Guard and possibly the military to expel immigrants appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
Fox 2

During an interview that touched on immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, a Detroit news anchor challenged Donald Trump to support his claim about rapidly falling crime in Venezuelawhich fact-checkers have previously noted is false.

In his interview with Fox 2 anchor Roop Raj, which will air in its entirety on Thursday, the former president closed with a shot at President Joe Biden regarding immigration, a topic that Trump has signaled he wants to use to help his campaign at the expense of relevant legislation.

One stat before we go: Venezuela was very crime-ridden. They announced the other day 72 percent reduction in crime in the last year, Trump asserted. You know why? They moved all their criminals from Venezuela right into the good old USA, and Biden let them do it. Its a disgrace.

Raj followed up. But sir, where are those numbers coming from?

Uh, I guess I get them from the papers in this case, Trump replied. I think its a federal statement orwell actually theyre coming from Venezuela. Theyre coming from Venezuela.

Trump made a similar claim during an April 2 speech in Wisconsin, saying crime had decreased 67 percent. In determining that comment to be false, Politifact cited data from Venezuelan sources showing a 32 percent drop in crime in 2024 over the prior year, and a 25 percent drop in violent deaths from 2022 to 2023. The fact that the Venezuelan government doesnt regularly publish data for homicides or robberies also makes it difficult to support Trumps claim.

Additionally, one expert told the fact-checker that migration was only one factor in the countrys reduction in crime.

"Crime dropped because the opportunities for crime were lost. Generalized poverty in the country, the absence of money circulating, the bankruptcy of companies and commerce all made the opportunities for crime in the country drop," said Briceno Leon, the founder and director of the nonprofit Venezuelan Observatory of Violence. "When crime opportunities drop, criminals dont have people to steal from or extort."

Trump, who said last month that some undocumented immigrants are not people, has made nativist language a feature of his 2024 campaign, spurring the Biden administration to compare his comments to those of Adolf Hitler.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Former President Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail, hitting two battleground states Wednesday after severe weather and his legal calendar have prevented him from holding his traditional campaign stops for weeks.

Trump will first campaign in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and then head to Freeland, Michigan, for an evening rally, packing his campaign schedule on his only regularly scheduled off day from court during the week.

PHOTO: Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court before his trial in New York, April 30, 2024. (Justin Lane/AP)

It'll be the first time Trump has held a rally since the start of his criminal hush money trial in New York. The former president was scheduled to hold a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, two weeks ago but had to cancel it shortly before he was scheduled to take the stage due to incoming severe weather, and was only able to participate in a campaign fundraiser in Charlotte earlier that afternoon.

"I'm going to go into the icebox now and sit for about eight hours or nine hours," Trump complained Tuesday as he entered his third week of the trial. "I'd much rather be in Georgia. I'd much rather be in Florida. I'd much rather be in states that are in play."

Rather than campaigning in key swing states, Trump has instead been forced to make New York City his political stomping grounds, making statements outside the Manhattan courtroom and holding stops around the city in between his mandatory court appearances.

PHOTO: Supporters of former President Donald Trump are asked to move to a shelter as a storm moves in at a campaign rally in Wilmington, NC, April 20, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

4 big takeaways from Day 9 of Trump's hush money trial

Trump stopped by a bodega in Harlem on April 16, two days into the trial, and a construction site in Manhattan last week to criticize Democratic policies in the area but also using it as a chance for reporters to shout questions at him. He has also allowed select media to capture arrivals from foreign leaders he has welcomed as he resides in Trump Tower for the duration of his court proceedings.

The choreographed stops highlight how Trump has had to balance being both a defendant and a presidential candidate.

Aside from the quick stops in New York and a couple of media interviews, Trump has had to rely on talking to reporters in the hallways of court; however, he has kept his statements relatively brief.

Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday morning fined Trump a total of $9,000 for nine violations of the case's limited gag order, which prevents Trump from targeting potential witnesses and others involved in the case. Trump was ordered to pay the fine by the close of business Friday, and all nine of his social media posts cited by Merchan in his contempt of court ruling were removed.

MORE: Trump and DeSantis meet to 'bury the hatchet' after 2024 primary fight: Sources

Meanwhile, both President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their respective spouses have been campaigning aggressively in key states like Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Florida.

Wednesday will be Trump's first time back in front of a large audience where, according to his campaign, he plans to attack Biden on the economy and crime, with Trump's legal battles at the forefront.

Wisconsin and Michigan are states Biden flipped in 2020 from Trump, and key states that remain close heading into 2024. According to 538's polling averages, Trump leads Biden in Wisconsin by close to 3 points, and just over a point in Michigan.

MORE: Michael Cohen is cashing in on the Trump trial with TikTok livestreams -- and it could be a problem

Trump to swing through 2 battleground states for 1st time since start of criminal hush money trial originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Will Trump testify in his hush money trial  and should he? Experts weigh in

It would be yet another historic first for Donald Trump: a former president taking the stand to testify in his own criminal trial.

Currently staring down the possibility of jail time, Mr Trump appears to be toying with plans to take the stand and defend himself against allegations about a scheme seeking to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to stop her from speaking out about an alleged 2006 affair in the lead-up to the election.

Mr Trump allegedly reimbursed his former fixer and attorney Michael Cohen for the hush money payment and then fraudulently logged it as legal expenses.

Prosecutors argue this is a case about election interference, with the man who later went on to win the 2016 election allegedly orchestrating the payment as part of a wider scheme to hide stories about his alleged affairs from voters. Mr Trump meanwhile denies the charges and that the affairs even took place.

Jurors have so far heard testimony from a number of key prosecution witnesses including former National Enquirer boss David Pecker and Ms Daniels former attorney Keith Davidson.

But, the big question is whether or not Mr Trump himself will take the stand.

Like all criminal defendants, Mr Trump doesnt have to testify in his trial but has hinted that he might.

In April, he was asked at Mar-a-Lago if it would be risky for him to take the stand.

Donald Trump in court sketch during jury selection at his trial (REUTERS)

I dont know, Im testifying. I tell the truth, he said at the time. I mean, all I can do is tell the truth. And the truth is that theres no case, they have no case.

He later doubled down, telling reporters outside the New York courtroom that he wants to take the stand.

But last week, after sitting through seven days of the trial, Mr Trump appeared to be getting cold feet. Calling into right-wing network Newsmax, he was asked if he still planned to testify based on what he seen so far in the courtroom.

Appearing much more hesitant, Mr Trump responded: Well I would if its necessary. Right now, I dont know if you heard about today. Today was just incredible. People are saying  the experts, Im talking about legal scholars and experts  theyre saying, What kind of a case is this? There is no case.

So will Mr Trump make history by testifying in his trial? And, more crucially, should he?

The Independent spoke to two legal experts to get their insight on what impact his testimony might have on the jurors deciding his fate, how prosecutors could grill him if he takes the stand, and what the former presidents legal team is likely urging their client to do.

What would the jury think?

For Steve Duffy, a jury consultant at Trial Behaviour Consulting, Mr Trump is in something of a lose-lose situation in the eyes of the jury whether or not he testifies.

Should he testify? That is a lose-lose proposition for many criminal defendants, he tells The Independent.

But he thinks thats especially true for someone like Mr Trump.

Jurors generally dont react well to criminal defendants not testifying, because it just leads to speculation about why  what do you have to hide? he adds.

The most important thing when someone does testify is their ability to control themselves and youre talking about someone with a track record of the opposite of control when speaking publicly, Mr Duffy says of Mr Trump, citing his penchant for lashing out at judges, their families, court staff, the prosecution, political opponents, reporters, and anyone else who may stand in his way.

The way Mr Trump speaks in public violates all the golden rules of how to testify, Mr Duffy adds.Any misstatements can be used against you.

Writer E Jean Carroll leaves federal court on 26 January 2024 (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Trump has testified in some of his past civil cases, such as in the defamation trials brought against him by writer E Jean Carroll.

In those cases, it didnt appear to work in his favour.

After hearing from him, federal juries found that he did defame Ms Carroll when he denied her rape allegations and he was ordered to pay her $83.3m in damages.

During one infamous moment in the first trial last year, the jury was played a video from Mr Trumps deposition where he mistook an image of the former Elle magazine columnist for his ex-wife Marla Maples.

This is someone who plays very loose and fast with the truth generally, Mr Duffy tells The Independent.

So the odds that he gets caught in a contradiction or undermines his own testimony I think would be very high.

Attorney Duncan Levin, who worked at the Manhattan District Attorneys Office years before the case against Mr Trump, tells The Independent thatthe jury will likely be keen to hear from the man himself  but wont take kindly if he gets caught in lies on the stand.

I think they will be quite keen to hear him out, he says.

I think jurors do like to hear from defendants on trial, but its their constitutional right not to talk and most defendants dont.

Asked about the possible benefits of testifying, Mr Levin says that Mr Trump would be able to testify about his intent, and argue that he wasnt attempting to interfere in the election and that he was simply trying to keep the details of his affairs private.

That said, if Mr Trump does take the stand, he will have to concede several points such as false entries being made in the records at his direction, adding that a jury is unlikely to believe any testimony that it had nothing to do with the election.

The defence is just trying to poke holes in the case, theyre looking for one juror who can say that the prosecutors did not meet their burden. And I think that his testimony wont necessarily be helpful with that, he adds.

Mr Duffy says Mr Trump is the kind of witness who mortifies lawyers to put on because hes so unpredictable [and] untethered to the truth in terms of what he says, [hes] easy to provoke.

Donald Trump appears in a Manhattan criminal courthouse on 30 April for his hush money trial (Reuters)

Jurors dont like to see people get caught in lies, he adds.

What could the prosecution do if he takes the stand?

Mr Levin thinks the former president will also get destroyed by prosecutors if he takes the stand.

Judge Juan Merchan ruled last week that the prosecution will be allowed to bring up prior rulings against Mr Trump if he chooses to testify, such as for fraud and defamation.

Prosecutors will also be able to bring up his repeated violations of gag orders, which have so far cost him $9,000 in fines.

But two federal rulings finding Mr Trump liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll will not be part of the process. The prosecution will also not be allowed to bring up the monetary damages Mr Trump faces.

Mr Levin, who has represented figures like Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, the ex-daughter-in-law of former Trump Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, and disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein, tells The Independent that this has left the prosecution with a lot to throw at the former president on the stand.

I think its exceedingly unlikely that he is going to testify for a number of reasons, hes going to get absolutely destroyed on cross-examination, Mr Levin tells The Independent.

The judge has ruled that he will be able to be cross-examined about prior uncharged bad acts and some of the adverse court rulings against him. So the prosecutors have a lot to work with.

What are Trumps legal team advising?

Should he choose to testify, the defence can call him as a witness at any time after the prosecution rests its case.

The prosecution has not been telling the defence about the order of their witnesses. Thats a two-way street, if hes going to testify, theyre probably just going to call him as a witness without any warning at all, Mr Levin says.

Based on his expertise as a defence attorney, Mr Levin believes Mr Trumps legal team will advise him not to put himself on the stand.

He has never shied away from speaking out, and theres a distinct possibility that he will testify, he says.

But if he does, it will very likely be over his over the objection of his lawyers because it is not advisable in this case.

Mr Levin notes that the judge may find that Mr Trump is lying in court, which could enhance his sentence and put him at risk of committing perjury.

The strength of the prosecutions case will play a part in the defences strategy as to whether or not to put him on the stand, he explains.

While a strong case is likely to increase the chances that hell take the stand, a weaker case is a factor making it less likely that Mr Trump will testify but I think in this case, theyre unlikely to recommend it at all.

Mr Duffy argues that the very same reason why Mr Trumps supporters like him  that he speaks his mind  could be very dangerous on the stand when he would be under oath.

My guess is his lawyers are advising him not to testify, but hes clearly driving the bus here, even the way theyre trying this case, he says. Its almost like the political considerations are superseding the criminal considerations, just in terms of the way theyre approaching it.

The Trump legal team is taking on a lot of water by arguing that Mr Trump did nothing wrong, Mr Duffy says.

Instead, they could rely on the high burden of proof for the prosecution, to convince the jury that the former president is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Theyre effectively raising the standard for their own case, he argues.

I think the reason behind that is either ego or political considerations or some combination of the two, he says.

The former presidents biggest problem, says Mr Duffy, is that hes often unable to stop himself from lashing out.

His persona is antithetical to how you typically want a witness to behave, he says.

Whatever he decides, theres no doubt that the jury, the court, and the whole world will be enthralled.

As Mr Duffy says: Ive no doubt the entire courtroom will be enraptured  youre not gonna see anybody falling asleep when Donald Trump is testifying.
Beautiful things cant last forever: The relationship between Donald Trump and Kari Lake is reportedly strained.

Lake, the election denier who rode Trumpism all the way to an Arizona gubernatorial loss in the 2022 midterms, is now running for Senate with Trumps blessing. But Trump, as the Washington Post reports, isnt so sure about it anymore. Hes skeptical shell be able to win her Senate race, and hes been irritated at the amount of time shes spent at Mar-a-Lago. As the Post reported, he gently suggested to Lake that she should leave the club and hit the campaign trail in Arizona last year.

Trump doesnt care whether Lake wins her Senate race, per se. He is famously uninterested in the satisfaction of others. What he is concerned about is Lake hurting his own chances in Arizona. Trump, the Post writes, has asked if she can really win in Arizona and if she might drag down his own poll numbers as he seeks the presidency again in 2024.

Trump had no such concerns about the electoral prospects of Kari Lake in 2022 when he endorsed her then. He liked that she sucked up to him and backed his claims about the 2020 election being stolen.

But, crucially, Trump wasnt up for election in 2022, so his priority wasnt building a strong Republican ticket up and down the ballot. His priority was about asserting control over the Republican Party, demonstrating that he could still pick winners and losers in primaries, and forcing candidates to swallow his meritless assertions about the 2020 election. It worked, and the GOP had a lousy midterm cycle. Now that Trump is on the ticket, his priorities have changed, and hes in the unusual position of trying to suction out some of the more harebrained ideas within his party.

In other words, Trump meted out endorsements in midterm races to candidates who did the best Trump impressions, but being weird and appealing to the narrow MAGA base no longer gets the job done.

For example: There are any number of maniacs in the state of Michigan whom Trump could have recruited for the Senate Republican primary. Instead, Trump endorsed Rep. Mike Rogers, a member in good standing in the pre-Trump Republican establishment, a longtime CNN contributor and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Rogers is the sort of Republican, in other words, who knows Trump for what he is, and for years struggled to keep that thought to himself. Though Rogers pretended to be an enthusiastic Trumper once he announced his Senate run last year, few found that particularly convincing. He was, however, the strongest Republican in the primary in a state that Trump hopes to flip in November, and so Rogers earned the endorsement. Trump doesnt want a dingbat dragging him down.

Thats not the only place Trumps resisted the bait to prop up an extreme candidate. In Montana, Trump endorsed the Senate campaign arms recruit Tim Sheehy over Freedom Caucus member Matt Rosendale. The impact of that endorsement was so sharp that Rosendale dropped out days after entering the race. Trump similarly endorsed Senate GOP leaders pick of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice in that states Senate race, essentially locking up the primary for Justice and forcing Sen. Joe Manchin into retirement. While Trump hasnt endorsed Larry Hogan in Marylands Senate race, he has agreed not to attack him (for now). Thats a big deal, as Trump hates Hogan, and vice versa. In the House, Trump endorsed incumbent GOP Rep. Mike Bost over challenger Darren Bailey, a far-right candidate whom Rep. Matt Gaetz had boosted; in South Carolina, Trump endorsed Nancy Mace, who recently made a Trumpish turn after being regularly critical of the former president following Jan. 6.*

Outside of his endorsements, Trump has also warded off members of his party pursuing various election-year dead ends.

He quickly called on the Alabama Legislature to protect in vitro fertilization procedures after a state Supreme Court ruling threw the practices legality into doubt. He played a similar role when the Arizona Supreme Court breathed new life into a near-total abortion ban from 1864. And then, of course, he said that abortion would remain a states rights issuei.e., that he wouldnt pursue a national abortion ban. (While telling voters that you have to follow your heart on this issue, Trump also added, you must also win elections.)

Its a significant change of course from last election cycle. Perhaps most interesting is his newfound relationship to the most embarrassing Republican institution: the House of Representatives. While one of his dear friends, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, was working toward ousting Speaker Mike Johnson following his decision to bring up Ukraine aid for a vote, Trump rode to Johnsons defense.

Well, look, we have a majority of one, OK? Trump said in a radio interview, defending Johnson. Its not like he can go and do whatever he wants to do. I think hes a very good person.

Trump may or may not care about Johnsons employment situation. But he does know that another booted speakerand the prospect of another monthlong saga of House Republicans slapping themselves silly attempting to pick a new leaderwould not present the best face of Republican leadership to the voting public. Greenes plan is going nowhere.

That Trump has a more pragmatic streak now that hes on the ballotand may need to win in order to avoid going to jaildoes not mean that hes pursuing a moderate presidency. Its more that hes cutting the bullshit on things he doesnt care about so that theres more space for his actual priorities.

In a new feature on what a second Trump administration would look like, Trump told Time magazine about his plans for migrant detention camps and deploying the military to deport millions of people from the country; how hed withhold funding appropriated by Congress; how he might fire U.S. attorneys who wouldnt prosecute cases he orders them to; and various other visions of mass firings of career bureaucrats. But those are his fights to wage. Republicans running for Congress just need to focus on getting themselves elected by not being stupid so that Trump can haveas one Trump endorsee in the Time piece recounted Trump telling himallies there when Im elected.

Among those who are certain to not be in Washington when hes elected is South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. Noem, a supposed vice presidential prospect, wrote in her soon-to-be-released book about her experience shooting her puppy. Noems veepstakes chances were already dim given her states strict abortion ban. But if she intended to impress Trump with this display of cruelty, it didnt work. Trump, again, would like to win the election.

Trump isnt a dog person necessarily, one Trump source told the New York Post, but I think he understands that you cant choose a puppy killer as your pick, for blatantly obvious reasons.

If this were a midterm year, and Trump wasnt atop the ticket? Sure, maybe puppy-killing would be an asset toward securing an endorsementor at least not a hindrance. But right now, he has no space for anyone elses electoral risk but his own.
(Bloomberg) -- TikTok reported that more than 500,000 merchants were selling to US users on its app at the end of 2023, more than double the number from three months earlier, as the video service stepped up its e-commerce effort.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Worldwide, TikToks e-commerce platform had more than 15 million sellers in December, adding more than 6 million in the second half of the year, the company said Tuesday in its first TikTok Shop Safety Report.

The report underscored TikToks growth in e-commerce, as well as the ways its trying to keep shoppers safe. The company, owned by China-based ByteDance Ltd., said it blocked 2 million sellers from the app for failing to meet its policy requirements and removed 1 million for violating those guidelines.

E-commerce is seen by TikTok as its next big potential revenue source as well as a way to keep users spending time and money on its app. After starting Shop in Southeast Asia, the company has expanded to markets like the UK and, last year, the US. Users can shop through products tagged in both posted and live-streamed videos from their TikTok feed, or from the Shop marketplace tab thats more like a traditional e-commerce site.

While your traditional model might be scrolling through a list of products on a web page, were aiming to create an experience where its something more entertaining and engaging than that, said Mary Hubbard, head of governance and experience for TikTok Shop Americas. We want people to feel that their shopping experience is tailored and relevant to them, in the same way that they feel their For You Feed is. Our focus is making sure the experience is a positive one, whichever way they do it.

TikTok has faced heightened scrutiny over its parent company and the potential for the Chinese government to acquire user data or influence what people see on the app. The US Congress last week passed a law requiring ByteDance to divest its stake in TikTok by January or face a ban in the country. TikTok has said the Chinese government cant access user data or influence the app and has threatened to take legal action to overturn the law.

Read More: What a TikTok Ban in the US Would Mean for the App

The company said it spent more than $400 million on platform safety as it expanded the e-commerce effort and increased its governance team for the shopping site to more than 7,500 people in 2023. The company blocked more than 37 million products from appearing on the app in the second half of the year and removed 133,000 after listing for policy violations, TikTok said in its report. The company monitors for things like fraud, counterfeit products and intellectual property infringement.

Story continues

In general, I think as people become more familiar with our policies and safeguards well see the types of violations change, Hubbard said. On Day 1, a seller might not be as familiar with the paperwork they need to provide as Day 365, for example.

In addition to merchants, approved users can link products in their videos and livestreams and make a cut of sales made through the app. TikTok said it removed the e-commerce features from more than 500,000 creator accounts worldwide for policy violations in the last half of the year.

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(The Hill)  Former President Trump blasted the protests taking place on college campuses nationwide over the war in Gaza and questioned if Columbia University students who took over a building will face similar consequences to those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

This whole country is up in arms, breaking into colleges, knocking the hell out of Columbia University, Trump told reporters Tuesday, standing outside the courtroom where he is attending his first criminal trial, centered on an alleged hush money scheme during the 2016 campaign.

I mean, they took over, I know the building very well. They took over a building, that is a big deal, the former president continued. And I wonder if whats going to happen to them will be anything comparable to what happened to J6, because theyre doing a lot of destruction, a lot of damages, a lot of people getting hurt very badly.

I wonder if thats going to be the same kind of treatment they gave J6, he added, referring to the Jan. 6 rioters. Lets see how that all works out. I think I can give you the answer right now. And thats why people have lost faith in our court system.

Trump has in recent days ripped President Biden over the college protests and tried to connect the outrage on campuses around the country to the Biden administrations handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

HIs latest comments came after students seized control of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus in New York City, barricading doors and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans. The university has closed the campus to everyone except students who live in dorms there and essential employees.

The Associated Press reported roughly 1,000 people have been arrested on campuses nationwide amid the protests.

The former president had previously minimized the violence at a Charlottesville, Va., white nationalist rally in 2017 compared to the ongoing unrest on college campuses. But Tuesday marked the first time hed compared it to the events of Jan. 6, when Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol to try and stop the certification of the 2020 election results.

Hundreds of people have been criminally charged in the aftermath of the insurrection, including many who pleaded guilty, and Trump himself is facing federal charges in Washington, D.C., over his attempts to subvert the election and remain in power.

Trump has repeatedly expressed sympathy for rioters charged in connection to Jan. 6, and has said one of his first acts if reelected would be freeing those imprisoned on charges over the riots.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at the Waukesha County Expo Center in Waukesha, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

NEW YORK (AP)  Donald Trump this week lamented the possibility that Columbia University's pro-Palestinian protesters could be treated more leniently than the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in January 2021, marking the second time the former president has invoked the ongoing campus protests to downplay past examples of right-wing violence.

Speaking Tuesday in the hallway outside a Manhattan courtroom where his criminal hush money trial is taking place, Trump questioned whether student demonstrators who had seized and barricaded a campus building, some of them vandalizing it in the process, would be treated the same way as his supporters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 to stop certification of the presidential results.

I think I can give you the answer right now, he said. And thats why people have lost faith in our court system.

Trump's remarks demonstrate anew how he and the Republican Party have tried to minimize the deadliest assault on the seat of American power in over 200 years, arguing that violent or criminal behavior by the left is a larger threat. Trump has called the rioters unbelievable patriots and has talked openly about the prospect of issuing pardons if he wins a second term.

His comments come as he runs to reclaim the White House and is juggling charges in four separate criminal cases. They promote his position that the charges are being orchestrated by Democrats to keep him out of the White House and that he and his supporters are the targets of political persecution by a fundamentally corrupt justice system.

"They took over a building. That is a big deal, Trump said of the Columbia protesters. And I wonder if whats going to happen to them will be anything comparable to what happened to J6, because theyre doing a lot of destruction, a lot of damages, a lot of people getting hurt very badly. I wonder if thats going to be the same kind of treatment they gave J6. Lets see how that all works out.

Hours later, New York police stormed the campus building the protesters had occupied and arrested several dozen people. The scene prompted Trump during a Wednesday rally in Wisconsin to characterize New York as being under siege the night before.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said those who had taken over the Columbia building would face charges that included burglary, trespassing and criminal mischief. In the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, more than 1,350 people have been charged with federal crimes. Over 800 have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds receiving terms of imprisonment ranging from a few days to 22 years. According to the Justice Department, 89 have pleaded guilty to federal felony charges of assaulting law enforcement officers.

Legal scholars and political scientists said Trump's strategy could help his campaign, but point out there are stark differences between Jan. 6 and the campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war. College students have gathered in encampments on Columbia and other campuses to call for a ceasefire and demand their universities cut financial ties to Israel.

The Columbia protests are not aimed at stopping the peaceful transition of power following an election, so they do not threaten the functioning of U.S. democracy, said Richard Hasen, an expert in election law and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles law school.

Hakeem Jefferson, an assistant professor of political science at Stanford University, said the demonstrations at a Columbia building that also was occupied during a civil rights protest in the 1960s reflect a long tradition of college students pushing on the conscience of their country.

This is a tradition of protest. Disruptive, to be sure. Annoying to university administrators, to be sure," Jefferson said. To the contrary, what happened on January the 6th was a violent attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. There is no tradition of that in American history. It is unprecedented. And that is why we should, of course, treat it differently.

Some of the recent campus protests have erupted into clashes with police, and hundreds of students have been arrested. Protesters in some parts of the country have hurled water bottles or other objects at officers, and police have deployed chemical agents to disperse crowds or carried them away amid screams.

Trump's remarks build on a strategy of Republicans and conservative social media influencers to reframe what constitutes an insurrection as part of an ongoing attempt to influence the public's perception of Jan. 6. They have used the term to describe public demonstrations and even the 2020 election that put Democrat Joe Biden in the White House.

Some social media users on Tuesday called the takeover of Columbias Hamilton Hall an insurrection, and said the media wouldnt describe it that way because the views of the protesters aligned with the political left. Fox News used the reference in an article Tuesday about the student protesters, reporting that the insurrection began at approximately 12:30 a.m.

Legal experts say the term insurrection has a specific meaning  a violent uprising that targets government authority  and that protests that do not involve an attempt to dismantle or replace a government shouldn't be classified that way.

Tuesday was the second time in a week that Trump has compared the campus protests to past examples of right-wing violence.

Last week, he claimed the deadly 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where torch-wielding white supremacists chanted Jews will not replace us was nothing compared to the antisemitism displayed at the campus protests.

The hate wasn't the kind of hate that you have here, he said.

He returned to the reference in his comment outside court on Tuesday, saying, Charlottesville is peanuts compared to what youre looking at now.

The campus protests have pitted students against one another, and videos show instances of demonstrators making antisemitic remarks and violent threats. Some Jewish students say the hateful rhetoric has made them afraid to set foot on campus.

Meanwhile, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.

Columbia University on Tuesday said students occupying Hamilton Hall would face expulsion.

Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation  vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances  and we are following through with the consequences we outlined yesterday, said Ben Chang, the university's spokesperson.

___

Associated Press writer Melissa Goldin in New York contributed to this report.

___

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.
Donald Trump has said many things that should have chased him out of politics a long time ago. But in an interview with Eric Cortellessa of Time Magazine this week, he finally said something so outrageous that it could make a difference in this campaign. When asked if states should monitor women's pregnancies so they can know if they've gotten an abortion after the ban, Trump replied:

"I think they might do that. Again, you'll have to speak to the individual states."

In other words, he's fine with whatever medieval torture a state might want to inflict.

That wasn't all. He went on to say that states prosecuting women who get abortions is none of his concern. He promised to reveal his position on a possible national ban on the widely used drug Mifepristone in two weeks. (The two weeks have passed and when Time approached him to see if he had an update he extended it.) He may be waiting to see if the Supreme Court lets him off the hook with a ruling in the FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case they heard last month. And he was unwilling to say whether he will vote to overturn the 6-week abortion ban that goes into effect in his home state of Florida on Wednesday. Again, he said that it would be up to the state.

Trump thinks he's brilliantly found a way to evade responsibility for the backlash by insisting that turning it back to the states solves the problem. He really seems to believe that by putting the words "states' rights" on repeat, and constantly pushing the lie that ending Roe v. Wade, for which he proudly takes credit, was what every expert and the majority of Americans wanted, he can convince people the controversy is over. Here he is telling the press that people are very happy with what he's done:

Trump says everyone is happy with his statement on abortion and all Republicans and Democrats wanted to see Roe overturned so the states could decide. pic.twitter.com/0zGYGSYqH9  Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) April 10, 2024

Trump believes, with some reason, that he can change reality just by saying something over and over again. His Big Lie is proof that there are tens of millions of people who are ready to believe anything he says. But this position that the Supreme Court ban is exactly what "everyone" always wanted is a lie too far  even for him.

Support for abortion rights has grown since the Supreme Court issued the Dobbs decision and there is no evidence that this fatuous "states' rights" rationale means anything, especially since we all know that the extremists are planning to exhume archaic laws like The Comstock Act to further restrict reproductive rights on a federal level.

The Time interview comes on the heels of a flurry of belated reports in the press about his second-term agenda, which many of us have been screaming about for months. Project 2025 and Agenda 47 among other plans being pulled together by the MAGA establishment, which now includes venerable institutions like the Heritage Foundation and the Club for Growth, have been public for months but the media seemed to be reluctant to take them too seriously. Perhaps this was because Trump campaign officials Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita put out several statements insisting that none of these plans were official campaign policies and that any lists of personnel or plans were mere suggestions. But the election is just six months away now and it is long past time that Trump is confronted with what we've been hearing. This interview makes it clear that the candidate is on board with all of it and even has some extreme ideas of his own to add to the list.

For example, Trump confirmed in this interview that he plans to control the Department of Justice and ensure that his attorney general does his bidding. He said that if the Supreme Court does not grant the president total immunity, then Joe Biden will be prosecuted for a plethora of unnamed crimes. (He later said he didn't want to hurt Joe Biden because he has respect for the office but essentially blames Biden personally for all of his legal troubles and payback's a bitch.)

He plans to round up millions of immigrants, put them in camps and deport them, using the military if necessary. If the local police won't cooperate he'll withhold federal funds from their cities until they comply. He will destroy the civil service as we know it and replace the personnel with loyalists and any member of his administration must swear that they believe the 2020 election was stolen. He'll close the pandemic preparedness office (!) because he knows how to deal with it without spending all that money.

On foreign policy, he believes that the whole world is in awe of his awesomeness and that world peace will be achieved the moment he becomes president again. And if our allies don't comply with his edicts, as he's said on the campaign trail, their enemies "can do whatever the hell they want."

Does Trump think there will be violence if he doesn't win the election in November?

I don't think we're going to have that. I think we're going to win. And if we don't win, you know, it depends. It always depends on the fairness of an election.

That is a threat. (Nice little election you've got here...) As we all know, there is no such thing as a fair election that Trump doesn't win. He's made that crystal clear. And by saying over and over again to his people that he's way ahead in the polls (not true) and that it's impossible for him to legitimately lose, he's setting the stage for more violence if it happens.

Cortellessa asked Trump if he thinks his loose talk about dictatorship is "contrary to our most cherished principles" and Trump blithely replied, I think a lot of people like it. Well, he certainly does.

Trump and the MAGA establishment have laid out a vivid plan for a revolutionary imperial presidency. He's said before that the Constitution can be suspended and repeatedly insisted when he was president that he had "an Article II" that gave him unlimited power. Now he's got the Supreme Court contemplating giving him immunity from prosecution for any of his crimes. As Biden would say, it's not a joke. He means it.
In late April 2024, as thousands of college students across the United States established encampments protesting the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and standing in solidarity with the residents of the Gaza Strip, an idea began to spread online: that the students had been paid to protest.

Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz echoed the claim on a podcast, claiming that the billionaire investor and philanthropist, George Soros, Geowas paying students to organize the protests.

Ted Cruz outlines how following the money behind the Pro-Hamas college protests leads to George Soros and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Protestors are being paid nearly 1000 dollars per hour:

"Copycat tents have been seen at Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, Ohio State, they're organized pic.twitter.com/xkg5MeDTCL  Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) April 30, 2024

By going through the publicly available list of grants given by Soros' charity, the Open Society Foundations (OSF), Snopes found that one of the organizations involved in the protests received a grant from OSF. But it is very misleading to claim or suggest that Soros was funding the protests directly. Here's why:

Cruz was paraphrasing an article that originally appeared in the New York Post on April 26, 2024. The last publicly available records from the Open Society Foundations are from 2022, before the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023. As explained in The Washington Post, the money provided by those grants is long gone  the organizations aren't just squirreling money away for two years until they need to pay people to protest. When Snopes checked all of the money mentioned in the New York Post article, we found the exact same numbers. The entire claim was based on data that predates the war itself.

Origins of the Rumor

On April 17, 2024, as their university president was preparing to testify before Congress, students at Columbia University began setting up tents in front of the school's library, creating what has now become known as the Gaza Solidarity Encampment. It wasn't the first  students at Vanderbilt University organized a sit-in on March 26, 2024  and it would not be the last.

But as the protests grew, with students across the country setting up encampments at their own universities, at the risk of suspension, expulsion and arrest, questions arose about where the money to support them came from. For instance, many users on social media questioned why many of the tents used in the encampment were the same, suggesting that it was due to a large funding effort rather than a grassroots movement. We'll fact-check this rumor later.

Something odd about those campus tent encampments. Almost all the tents are identical - same design, same size, same fresh-out-of-the-box appearance. Which suggests that rather than an organic process, someone or some group is sponsoring this fake protest. pic.twitter.com/LspPxvnr8Q  Rob (@_ROB_29) April 29, 2024

On April 24, 2024, an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal claimed that two activists and organizers, one at the University of California, Berkeley, and the second at Yale University, had indirectly received money from Soros.

On April 26, 2024, the New York Post published an article with the headline "George Soros is paying student radicals who are fueling nationwide explosion of Israel-hating protests." The article claimed that three individuals, including both mentioned in the Wall Street Journal piece, received funding from Soros, and that Soros (among others) covertly hid his donations by using a "network of nonprofits that help obscure their contributions."

These two articles helped circulate this claim, which, like other tricky claims that Snopes investigates, has a tiny nugget of truth surrounded by a lot of misleading and strange rhetoric.

A Tiny Nugget of Truth and Curtain of Lies

Soros' charitable givings are done through the Open Society Foundations, which his son Alexander runs. It also publishes a list of every grant issued by the organization between 2016 and 2022.

The New York Post article claimed Soros funded the protests through three organizations: Education for Just Peace in the Middle East, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace.

We searched through the database and found three donations to Education for Just Peace in the Middle East, totaling $700,000. That organization publicly operates under the name U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, or USPCR. According to the New York Post, USPCR paid three organizers "between $2,880 and $3,660" through a fellowship program. This is where the idea that Soros had "paid protesters" to organize comes from.

Snopes was able to confirm that at least one of these organizers had participated in USPCR's fellowship program. But in a statement to The Washington Post, a representative of USPCR confirmed that all three individuals named in the article were former fellows. In more explicit terms, they were not receiving money from USPCR in April 2024 when they independently decided to organize protests.

Next, we checked any money sent to Students for Justice in Palestine. The New York Post follows a money trail from Soros' Open Society Foundations to the Tides Foundation to the Westchester People's Action Coalition Foundation (WESPAC) to SJP.

Snopes found that the Tides Foundation received about $15 million from OSF from 2016 to 2022  out of total donations of $4.09 billion over the same time frame. Of that $4.09 billion, WESPAC received one donation of $132,000, and Snopes could not find any public evidence of that donation. For its part, SJP denied the claims that it was funded by WESPAC in The Washington Post article, calling the idea "baseless."

As for Jewish Voice of Peace, OSF did donate directly  $875,000 over four separate donations, two of which were to a branch of the organization that can participate in political advocacy directly. The organization spent $18.3 million over the same time period. That's a metaphorical drop in the bucket.

All of this money, we remind you, was donated by Open Society Foundations between 2016 and 2022  more than a year before the relevant protesting began.

An Open Society Foundations spokesperson shared the following statement with Snopes via email:

The Open Society Foundations has a long history of fighting antisemitism, islamophobia and all forms of racism and hate. Open Society has funded a broad spectrum of US groups that have advocated for the rights of Palestinians and Israelis and for peaceful resolution to the conflict in Israel and the OPT. This funding is a matter of public record, disclosed on our website, fully compliant with US laws, and is part of our commitment to continuing open debate that is ultimately the only hope for peace in the region. The Open Society Foundations proudly support the right of all citizens to peaceful protest  a bedrock principle of our democracy.

As for the claim about the tents: We found that the most commonly used tent at the protests would set a protester back about $35 on Amazon and was available for overnight delivery. Therefore, the tents were easily procurable by individual students.

There's one more way Snopes was able to determine that these organizations were not receiving massive amounts of funding from the foundations themselves  social media. Pulling up Instagram accounts for college chapters that have organized the protests, we find donation requests  here's one from Northwestern University and another from UCLA (archived link). If the protests really had the financial backing of a billionaire, why would they be asking the public for donations?

Why Soros?

As Snopes has previously reported, Soros is a wealthy businessman and philanthropist who donates money to left-leaning causes. He has become, arguably, one of the most common targets of the far right  who cast him as an evil "globalist" responsible for pulling the strings of virtually any left-leaning political dissent in America.

The invocation of Soros, a Jewish man who survived the Holocaust, is often a tacit nod to antisemitic conspiracy theories that cast the Jewish people as being in control of institutions like banks and the media. His name is also frequently included in variations of the xenophobic "replacement theory" conspiracy theory that accuses wealthy Democrats of importing foreigners into America to ensure Democratic electoral success.

The suggestion that he secretly funds high-profile protest movements is not new. He has been falsely accused of funding Black Lives Matter protests, the progun control March for Our Lives demonstrations and protests against the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The spring 2024 claims were particularly fascinating because many of the same people claiming Soros was a funding source also claimed the protests themselves were antisemitic.

Sources:

"About." National Students for Justice in Palestine, https://nationalsjp.org/about. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

"---." JVP, https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/about/. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

"---." Tides, https://www.tides.org/about/. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

About the Grantee Database. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past/about. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

"About Us." US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, https://uscpr.org/about-us/. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

Archive, View Author, et al. George Soros, Maoist Fund Columbia's Anti-Israel Tent City. 26 Apr. 2024, https://nypost.com/2024/04/26/us-news/george-soros-maoist-fund-columbias-anti-israel-tent-city/.

Bernstein, Noah. "Live Updates: Shafik Testifies before Congress on Columbia's Handling of Antisemitism on Campus." Columbia Daily Spectator, https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/04/17/live-updates-shafik-testifies-before-congress-on-columbias-handling-of-antisemitism-on-campus/. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

---. "Sorett Issues Statement on Arrests, Encourages Students to Avoid 'Familiar Assumptions.'" Columbia Daily Spectator, https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/04/18/sorett-issues-statement-on-arrests-encourages-students-to-avoid-familiar-assumptions/. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

Bump, Philip. "Analysis | The Dishonest  and Ironic  Push to Blame Campus Protests on George Soros." Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2024. www.washingtonpost.com, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/26/dishonest-ironic-push-blame-campus-protests-george-soros/.

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Lele, Aaditi. Protestors Suspended for Kirkland Hall Sit-in Leave Campus, Await Student Accountability Hearings - The Vanderbilt Hustler. 27 Mar. 2024, https://vanderbilthustler.com/2024/03/27/suspended-students-from-kirkland-hall-sit-in-as-they-await-student-accountability-hearings-beginning-on-march-28/.

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Some students said theyre not backing down after Tufts University pressured pro-Palestinian protesters to move their encampments ahead of the May 19 graduation.

It sucks if you feel unsafe but some people actually are unsafe, said a Sophomore at Tufts University.

As protestors continue calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and asking the school to stop all financial ties with Israel, they said theyre not moving their encampments from the Academic Quad in Medford.

All eyes on Gaza, were not backing down, said a representative of the Students for Justice in Palestine for Tufts.

After negotiations with students failed Tuesday, Tufts University President Sunil Kumar sent a letter saying the encampment has to end so they can start setting up for commencement or students could face discipline or forcible removal.

I think you guys have time we all have to be off campus by May 10th so I dont know forcing us to move in the last four days is kind of ridiculous, said the student.

In response to the President, more than 250 students signed a letter saying in part:

We wish to be resoundingly clear: any commencement celebration built on violently sweeping, arresting, or otherwise harassing the Gaza solidarity encampment is not a celebration in which we would partake.

A Tufts University spokesperson, Patrick Collins, said the two sides have made contact, saying in part:

As previously reported, the university issued a no trespass order to the protesters in the encampment on its academic quad yesterday evening. Today, President Kumar has met with protest leaders in the spirit of exploring every path possible for a peaceful and voluntary resolution and a successful Commencement for our graduates and their loved ones. We have no further updates at this time.

Ilina Smaletz, a Jewish student and Co-President of Chabad said she feels threatened and thinks the school needs a stronger reason for asking the students to move out.

Whats the next step, what is a reason that youre giving for them to have to take the tents down other than the blatant antisemitism thats been happening across this campus? said Smaletz.

MITs graduation is scheduled for May 31st on campus at Killian Court and is undergoing similar protests.

In the interim, weve continued to prioritize safety for the entire community. The gathering is on a single lawn, and MIT has set up fencing along adjacent pathways to ensure students can pass the area with a feeling of security. Student Life staff, faculty, and MIT Police have been present on an ongoing basis, said Kimberly Allen, Institute Office of Communications, MIT.

(John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via AP, File)

Boston 25 News was at Northeastern last Saturday when a mix of student and outsider protestors were detained and their tents removed after the school said they violated their code of conduct. Boston 25 reached out to the school asking if protestors have returned but hasnt gotten a response. Northeasterns graduation is scheduled for Sunday at Fenway Park.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said shes keeping in contact with local schools ahead of commencement plans.

It really depends on where the location is, some of them are on campus and therefore its their property and we work to support them.

Boston 25 also reached out to Emerson where protestors were arrested and later not charged, the school has not commented on whether or not protestors have returned. Their graduation is scheduled for May 12th at the Agganis arena.

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Turkey is joining South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made the announcement in Ankara on Wednesday. He said the legal details of taking part in the lawsuit were still be worked out.

At the end of December, South Africa took Israel to the top UN court in The Hague for alleged violations of the Genocide Convention.

South Africa contends that Israel is committing "systematic" acts of genocide in Gaza, citing examples of military violence and statements by Israeli politicians and military brass.

Israel has denounced the lawsuit, calling it "unfounded" and "absurd."

The ICJ issued an interim ruling in January in which it recognized a risk of genocide in the Gaza Strip, but did not oblige Israel to end its military operation there. The court said that Israel needed to take all necessary measures to prevent genocidal acts.

Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a staunch critic of the Israeli military operation in Gaza to crush the Islamist Hamas movement, which launched an unprecedented attack on October 7 that left some 1,200 people dead in Israel. Erdogan has also accused Israel of committing "genocide."
Turkish riot police clash with protesters as they try to reach Taksim Square for an unauthorized May Day rally in Istanbul. Tolga Uluturk/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Turkish police used tear gas on protestors to prevent an International Workers' Day march to the symbolically important Taksim Square in the metropolis of Istanbul on Wednesday.

Footage from CNN Turk showed the police action. There were also scuffles between demonstrators and police.

Security forces in several rows blocked the route from the Sarachane district to Taksim Square, several kilometres away. According to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, 210 people were detained.

The authorities had issued a ban on demonstrations in the square and cordoned off a large area of the centre, saying it was needed for security reasons.

Amnesty International called this justification "flimsy" and called for the ban to be lifted, referring to a judgement by the Constitutional Court.

The Constitutional Court ruled at the end of last year that a ban on demonstrations on Taksim Square violated the right to peaceful assembly.

Opposition leader Ozgur Ozel described the ban as shameful and pointed out that the judgements of the Constitutional Court were binding.

Taksim Square in the centre of Istanbul is symbolically important for trade unions and the opposition. On May 1, 1977, trade unionists wanted to hold a rally there to commemorate International Workers' Day when snipers shot at a demonstration attended by about 500,000 in the square, killing numerous people.

The square has also become a symbol for government opponents because the anti-government Gezi protests started there in 2013. The protests were initially directed against the development of Gezi Park, which is located next to Taksim Square. They grew into nationwide demonstrations against the then prime minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He had the protests crushed. Anti-government gatherings on Taksim Square have been banned ever since.

Turkish riot police clash with protesters as they try to reach Taksim Square for an unauthorized May Day rally in Istanbul. Tolga Uluturk/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Molly Cook, an emergency room nurse, and state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston, are facing facing each other in a special election to replace former state Sen. and Houston Mayor John Whitmire in Senate District 15. Credit: Campaign websites

The race to succeed Houston Mayor John Whitmire in the Texas Senate has narrowed to a runoff between state Rep. Jarvis Johnson and emergency room nurse Molly Cook  but first, the two Democrats are duking it out in a sleepy special election to decide who occupies the seat through the start of next year.

Saturdays contest is largely symbolic: Cook or Johnson will be the first person other than Whitmire to represent Senate District 15 in more than 40 years, but with no legislative session scheduled this year, the winner is unlikely to cast a vote during the stopgap term.

Still, a win would bestow the authority of incumbency  and a potential fundraising bump from donors eager to support the favorite  heading into the all-important May 28 Democratic primary runoff. Saturdays election could also signal what to expect in the runoff, which will effectively determine who represents the solidly blue district until 2029, and perhaps for decades to come. Incumbent senators can be tough to dislodge once in office, as Cook discovered when she lost to Whitmire by 17 points two years ago  his narrowest margin in 30 years.

With both candidates touting similar platforms, from abortion and LGBTQ+ rights to boosting public school funding, the race has come down to differences in style, background, and how each would approach life in a chamber dominated by hardline conservatives.

Johnson, a member of the House since 2016, has leaned on his experience, arguing he would be more effective in the role thanks to his relationships in Austin and knowledge of what it takes to shape and pass legislation. Cook, meanwhile, says her regular contact with emergency room patients  from those with pregnancy complications to victims of the 2021 winter storm  and her background in grassroots organizing would bring a much-needed fresh perspective to the upper chamber.

Though Johnson finished well ahead of Cook in the six-candidate March primary, drawing 36% to Cooks nearly 21%, the top two contenders are battling over a much smaller slice of the electorate in Saturdays contest. Through Monday, with only a day left of early voting, just 8,157 voters in the district had voted in person or sent in mail ballots that had reached the county clerks office  about 1.5% of the districts nearly 550,000 registered voters.

Cook has outraised and outspent Johnson since the primary, giving her a financial edge she did not have in the initial round.

The district, home to a diverse cross-section of nearly 1 million Harris County residents, carries major political weight for Democrats. Shaped like an upside-down horseshoe, it covers some of Houstons biggest liberal strongholds  including Montrose, The Heights and Acres Homes  and blue-trending neighborhoods that are key to Democrats aspirations of flipping Texas, such as Bellaire and suburban pockets of northwest and northeast Harris County.

A completely different race

Johnson faced a similar gauntlet of primary and special elections in 2016, when he sought the House seat of lawmaker-turned-mayor Sylvester Turner. He said it has been a struggle to explain to voters not only why hes asking them to turn out three times in a three-month span, but also why Saturdays election even matters.

It's been hard, because youve got to explain to people over and over again, and they go, now, whys that? Johnson said. And then you can't really give a true, heartfelt explanation.

Jeronimo Cortina, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said the silver lining for both campaigns is that they generally know who to target: hardcore Democratic voters who reliably turn out for primaries year after year.

The ones that are likely to be engaging in these [elections] are the core base, Cortina said. The fact of the matter is, to some extent, the campaigns have an easier job of knowing who are the core supporters of that particular campaign, and making sure that they're going to go out and vote.

Cook said shes unfazed by her distant second-place finish in March, arguing that going from a six-way primary to a head-to-head special or head-to-head runoff is completely different.

I am talking to voters for hours and hours a day, and the data looks good, the response is enthusiastic, and I think that really came through in our fundraising reports, she said.

In fact, Cook has won the backing of some heavy-hitting supporters for the last leg of the race.

Her financial advantage can be largely attributed to a political group called Leaders We Deserve, which describes itself as a sort of EMILYs List for young, progressive courageous candidates  a reference to the national group that backs female candidates who support abortion rights. Since early April, Cook, 32, has received some $190,000 from the group, which is led by David Hogg, the Parkland school shooting survivor and gun control activist, and Kevin Lata, who managed the campaign of U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost when he was elected to Congress last cycle at age 25.

The support from Leaders We Deserve accounts for more than half of the $335,000 Cook has raised since the March primary, helping her outpace Johnsons $220,000 haul over the same period, according to public campaign finance data that goes through last week.

Cook has also received an influx of small-dollar donations, with around 500 contributions of $50 or less coming in since March 5. She has outspent Johnson more than 2-to-1 during that span.

Johnson, 52, said he has routinely overcome fundraising deficits over the years, pointing to his initial run for Houston City Council, when he defeated the outgoing incumbents daughter. He went on to serve three terms on the council, from 2006 to 2012.

I've always been outraised and outspent, but Ive never been outworked, Johnson said. When I ran for city council, I never had endorsements. I just knocked on every door, made every phone call and worked in the community. And it always resonated.

Cook targets Johnson voting record, PAC support

Perhaps the biggest source of tension in the race has been Cooks attacks on Johnson over his support from a PAC that advocates for charter schools  which Democrats have increasingly opposed in recent years. The group, Charter Schools Now, has raised nearly half its money this cycle from Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, a major Democratic donor. Much of its funding comes from GOP donors, however, including Walmart heir Jim Walton.

Cook has also taken aim at Johnson over his support for certain Republican-backed legislation, including a bill last year that would have incentivized school district employees to become certified as so-called school guardians, or staff who can carry guns in school. One of Cooks online ads claims that Johnson voted with the NRA to help arm teachers.

Johnson said Cooks criticism of his PAC donations was a matter of sour grapes, because she did not land the charter groups endorsement herself. He said he has at times voted for GOP bills he opposes because, in return for his support, Republicans allowed him and other Democrats to amend the bills to make them more palatable. He said he supported GOP school safety legislation last year because it included a requirement related to safe gun storage that Democrats favored.

Youve got to learn how to be strategic and how you get things done, he said.

Cortina said the attacks on Johnsons voting record show how experience can be a double-edged sword for candidates, helping them garner fundraising, endorsements and name recognition among voters  but also creating a target for their opponents.

The other question is, What have you done? Have you met my needs, wants, and preferences? Cortina said. That can backfire. So, as a candidate, you need to be very careful in terms of how you portray that experience.

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Two Broward County men are facing charges after leading police on a high-speed chase through a busy area of town, damaging several cars before running from officers, according to a police report.

Palm Beach police said a 21-year-old from Sunrise and a 22-year-old from Fort Lauderdale, who were arrested following the April 21 incident, had burglary tools in their car as they fled.

Officers were first called just before 8 p.m. that night by someone who reported a suspicious white Chevrolet Camaro in the 200 block of Via Del Mar, an arrest report said. The car had pulled into a private driveway, the caller told police.

When a member of Palm Beach Police Department's Burglary Strike Force ran the license plate number provided by the caller, the officer found that the plate was registered to a blue Nissan, not a white Chevrolet, the report said.

The officer then ran the plate number through the town's license-plate reader system and found that while the Camaro had entered Palm Beach, it had not left.

Soon, another officer reported seeing the car driving west on Kenlyn Road, the report said. The officer lost sight of the Camaro, but within a few minutes found it again driving south in the 1300 block of North Ocean Boulevard, police said.

When that officer tried to pull over the Camaro, the driver sped away, passing cars in the oncoming lane and driving recklessly, the arrest report said.

When the officer caught up to the Camaro at the intersection of South County Road and Royal Poinciana Way, the driver turned west onto Royal Poinciana and immediately made a U-turn to go back east toward South County Road, police said.

The Burglary Strike Force member and another Palm Beach officer joined the chase, which led to Sunset Avenue, where the Camaro's driver turned west in the eastbound-only 200 block, police said.

The Chevy's driver sped down the busy block, with people and cars rushing to get out of the way, the arrest report said.

The Camaro traveled through the Sunset Avenue intersection with Bradley Place so quickly that the driver almost lost control and side-swiped cars that were parked along the street, police said.

The driver pulled into a condominium parking lot at 333 Sunset Ave., and the two men inside the car jumped out and ran, the arrest report said.

The man from Sunrise was seen walking toward Bradley Park, but when he spotted officers looking for him, he ran back toward the condominium and was arrested in the parking lot there, police said.

The other man was arrested in the condominium building's lobby while trying to get into the elevator, police said.

The Sunrise man admitted to police that he was the passenger in the car and that the driver was "actively fleeing law enforcement prior to bailing," police said.

The Fort Lauderdale man said he was the Camaro's driver and that he did not stop for officers because "he was not a fan of law enforcement," the arrest report said. He also told police that the car was rented, but he was not the one who rented it.

Surveillance video from the condominium showed the two men jump out of the Camaro and try to get into the building through a locked gate, police said. The video showed the men trying unsuccessfully to get into the building through a locked door, police said.

But they were able to get into the building's private pool and patio area, police said.

In the Camaro, police found a Missouri license plate, a key fob to another car, and burglary tools including two sets of black gloves, a ski mask and two screw drivers, police said.

The Sunrise man was charged with a misdemeanor of resisting an officer without violence, and he remains in Palm Beach County Jail on a $5,000 bond as of Wednesday, court records show.

The Fort Lauderdale man was charged with fleeing or eluding at a high speed, burglary of an occupied residence, resisting without violence and driving with a suspended driver's license. He was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on April 23 on a $130,000 bond.

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: Men arrested after high-speed chase through busy area of Palm Beach
As part of a multi-stop tour through Arizona this week, Janet Yellen, President Joe Bidens Treasury secretary, will visit an exclusive policy summit in Sedona to warn that threats to democracy could hurt the U.S. economy.

She will deliver a speech on Friday at the Sedona Forum, an annual gathering of national and international leaders founded by the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

According to excerpts of her remarks, Yellen will directly mention the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Former President Donald Trump, Biden's Republican rival in this year's presidential election, is battling criminal charges over his actions leading up to that day.

Undercutting democracy undercuts a foundation of sustainable and inclusive growth," Yellen is expected to say.

Janet Yellen, Secretary of the United States Department of the Treasury, attends the Senate Financial Committee hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2025 on March 21, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Recently, democracy has come under threat. That challenge was especially terrifying on the notorious day of January 6th, when rioters, spurred on by a lie, stormed the Capitol."

On Saturday, Yellen will visit the Phoenix area for a series of events focused on Biden administration's efforts to revitalize U.S. manufacturing and the training programs needed to meet demand for those new jobs.

Yellens visit comes at a time when polling suggests many Americans doubt Bidens leadership on key economic issues compared to Trump.

Arizona has been a beneficiary of the Biden-passed investments in U.S. manufacturing, particularly for semiconductors or chips, a key technology used in many electronics.

On Saturday morning, joined by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Mesa Mayor John Giles, Yellen will visit Mesa Community College, which is involved in the effort to train more workers for the semiconductor industry.

In the afternoon shell visit the East Valley American Jobs Center, which has used federal funds for apprenticeship and jobs programs, according to a Treasury official. She will deliver remarks there and hold a roundtable with local elected officials and people involved in workforce training.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Janet Yellen, Treasury secretary, to tout Biden's economic agenda
Two men sentenced for setting inmate on fire in Ottawa County jail

TULSA, Okla. Two Ottawa County men were sentenced to five years for setting a sleeping inmate on fire.

Justin Randall Gering, 30, of Fairland, and Tyler Levi Tavis, 23, of Miami were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell for arson of property of an institution and organization receiving federal financial assistance.

Frizzell also ordered a year of supervised release for each man.

Tyler Tavis

Justin Randall Gering

Tavis and Gering were in Ottawa County Jail in Dec. 2022. They were caught on video surveillance wrapping a sleeping inmate in toilet paper and setting it on fire. The sleeping inmate was covered by a county-issued fire-retardant blanket, which kept him from being severely burned. Other inmates at the jail responded quickly to put the fire out, keeping it from spreading further within the jail.

Gering and Tavis will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com.
Two rabid animals in Raleigh this week. How to get a low-cost vaccine this weekend

Two rabid wild animals were found in Raleigh this week.

A rabid fox had contact with a person on Pineland Circle, off of Western Boulevard in west Raleigh. Its less than a tenth of a mile from where a child was bit by a rabid fox earlier this year.

The second animal, a dead bat, was found on Calorie Court, near the Lake Park area in northwest Raleigh.

The fox was euthanized and both animals were sent for testing,which came back positive for rabies, the Raleigh Police Department said in a news release.

What is rabies?

The viral disease can spread to people and pets that are bitten or scratched by a rabid animal, often bats, raccoons and foxes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Whats the danger?

If untreated, rabies infects the nervous system of animals and people. A person who gets rabies and is not treated can experience flu-like symptoms that eventually progress into delirium, abnormal behavior, fear of water and insomnia.

Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal, and treatment is typically supportive, according to the CDC. Less than 20 cases of human survival from clinical rabies have been documented.

When an animal is bit or scratched, the virus can take weeks to affect the brain and spinal cord. Once it reaches the brain, it passes to the salivary glands and the animal begins to show signs of the disease. Usually animals die within 10 days of showing signs of being sick.

How can you prevent rabies?

People should avoid wild animals and teach children to do the same. Stray animals acting strangely should be reported to a local animal control office, according to Wake County.

But what does strange look like in wild animals? The CDC provides a few examples:

Animals that are excessively drooling

Animals that are overly aggressive or appear tamer than normal

Animals that bite at imaginary objects

Animals that have trouble moving or may be paralyzed

Bat on the ground

North Carolina also participates in a federal program to give oral rabies vaccine coated in fishmeal to raccoons in the western part of the state.

How much does it cost to get a rabies vaccine?

State law requires dogs, cats and ferrets get a rabies vaccine.

The vaccine can range in price from $30 to $100 depending on if its for one or three years. Veterinarians often require a wellness exam or charge an office fee that can add another $50 to $75.

Are there low-cost options? Yes, but they take a bit of planning to use. Wake County Animal Services just held four community days in March and April. And some area nonprofits, like the SPCA of Wake County, hold low-cost clinics that are shared on social media and their websites.

Raleigh Animal Control will hold a low-cost rabies clinic from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Roberts Park, 1300 E. Martin St. One-year rabies vaccinations are $5 and pets can be microchipped and get a distemper shot for free. The event is cash only.

Other upcoming clinics:

11 a.m. - 3p.m. May 19, Oakwood Park, 910 Brookside Drive

11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Sept. 15, Anderson Point Park, 20 Andrews Point Drive

11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Dorothea Dix Park, 1030 Richardson Drive

How dangerous are bats?

Most bats dont have rabies, but they are the leading cause of rabies deaths for people in the United States, according to the CDC.

Bats bites can be small and people may not always know theyve been exposed.

If you wake up with a bat in your room, you may have been exposed to rabies and should see your doctor or call your health department, even if you dont feel a bite, according to the CDC. Healthcare providers will conduct a risk assessment to determine if you need rabies vaccination.

If the bat can be captured and tests negative for rabies, a person may not need a rabies vaccination.

May is the start of bat roosting season and bats may be able to get in small holes in attics and chimneys. People who need to have bats removed can find a wildlife control agent for their area by visiting ncwildlife.org.
Two workers seriously injured in Braintree industrial accident

Two workers suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries after an industrial accident in Braintree Wednesday morning.

The workers from New Hampshire were in a crane basket on Quincy Avenue when a wheeled boom fell onto its side, knocking into the crane.

The two men, aged 19 and 40 suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said. They were rushed to a Boston hospital for treatment.

OSHA is investigating the incident.

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

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By Alexander Cornwell

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - The United States, Britain and the European Union are pressing the United Arab Emirates to show it is cracking down on firms evading sanctions imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine, according to three sources aware of the diplomatic outreach.

American, British and EU officials visited the Gulf state last week as part of a wider coordinated effort to prevent sanctioned goods from reaching Russia, a British Foreign Office spokesperson said, declining further comment.

The sources said the officials asked the UAE in a series of separate meetings to share detailed trade information on its exports to Russia and on the re-export of so-called dual-use goods that have both civilian and military purposes.

Asked for comment, a UAE official did not address whether talks had taken place but said bans on certain dual-use products "deemed essential in mitigating the conflict in Ukraine" had been issued and that preliminary data indicated there had been no export or re-export of such products so far this year.

The official did not share the preliminary data.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said a U.S. delegation had visited the UAE as part of an ongoing dialogue about transshipment trends, especially of dual-use goods that support the Russian defense industrial base.

Among Western concerns is that companies in the UAE are involved in the export of computer chips, electronics, machinery and other sanctioned products to Russia that could be used to aid Moscow's military effort against Ukraine, the sources said.

UAE imports of some sanctioned dual-use products have increased since Russia was hit with Western sanctions, the sources said, adding that Russian trade data had shown the origin of imported sanctioned goods as being the Gulf state. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the reported data.

The sources said UAE officials had last week repeated assurances given in September that export controls had been put in place that banned the export of sanctioned products, without providing any evidence of such measures.

Sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including bans on exports of sensitive goods, have largely been enforced by Western states and other countries are not necessarily compelled to comply with them.

However, the U.S. has taken action against individuals and companies circumventing the sanctions, including in the UAE and has also pressed NATO member Turkey, among others.

The UAE official said Abu Dhabi had a clear and robust process in place to deal with sanctioned entities, which had been exercised against several companies since the start of the war.

"We remain in close dialogue with our international partners, including the US and EU, concerning the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and its implications for the global economy" the official said in the emailed statement, which did not mention Russia by name.

SOURCES RAISE PROSPECT OF MORE SANCTIONS

The sources familiar with the Western diplomatic outreach to the UAE said it was likely more companies in the UAE could soon be hit with Western sanctions for circumventing sanctions against Russia. The European Commission did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Existing sanctions have had limited impact. Russia, which has accused the West of trying to bully other nations into following its restrictions, has found ways to procure dual-use products through third countries.

Russia's government did not respond to a request for comment for this article during national holidays.

The UAE, a magnet for international wealth and trade, has sought to maintain balance in its ties with Washington, its most important security partner, and Moscow.

The Gulf state's economy benefited from an influx of Russian wealth, which has drawn scrutiny from Washington and other Western allies who have sought to isolate Moscow over the war.

But the UAE has condemned the invasion of Ukraine and also helped facilitate prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine.

Western officials are also asking the UAE for details of oversight of companies registered in its many so-called free zones, including laws and regulations that govern anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance, the two of the sources said.

Earlier this year, the UAE was dropped from a global watchdog's list of countries at risk of illicit money flows, an acknowledgement of efforts to bolster anti-money laundering practices.

Western diplomats also say UAE banks have closed accounts of some Russian nationals and that it was now generally more difficult for Russians to open accounts after the U.S. threatened sanctions against financial institutions in third countries that were found to be helping Russia skirt sanctions.

However, last week, during the visit by Western officials, the European Parliament voted to keep the UAE on its own watch list for countries found to have deficiencies in their framework to counter money laundering and terrorist financing.

(This story has been refiled to add the spokesperson's title in paragraph 2)

(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell, additional reporting by Alistair Smout in London, Daphne Psaledakis in Washington, Julia Payne in Brussels and Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Michael Georgy and Philippa Fletcher)
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A view of a worker fixing an electrical component.

What You Need to Know There is a growing shortage of skilled laborers in the U.S. construction industry. Many high-school students are pushed toward a 4-year college degree rather than vocational school, which leads to fewer young people entering the skilled trades industry. The demand for single-family home construction is growing as the nation faces a housing deficit. Theres a false assumption that working in the trades is unfulfilling and low-paying; however, the opposite can be true. Unlike many industries, the skilled trades arent greatly affected by the state of the economy. After all, if a homeowner has a leaky pipe, they need to call a plumber ASAP rather than hoping the problem resolves itself. Likewise, a homeowner with a busted AC unit on a 90-degree day isnt going to want to deal with the issue for weekstheyll need an HVAC technician to come and fix it immediately. If a homeowner is feeling short on funds, it makes much more sense to cut back on going to restaurants or put off a new car purchase than it does to ignore a major home repair. But the skilled trades industry in the U.S. doesnt have enough workers to keep up with the growing demand. In addition to the steady demand for home repairs, single-family home construction is up, with the National Association of Home Builders estimating that the U.S. will need to build over 1.15 million single-family homes each year in order to reduce the countrys housing deficit. Those who opt to stay in their current homes will undoubtedly need repairs and updates as their houses age. But what if there arent enough pros to keep up with that demand? Photo: istockphoto.com fstop123 The State of the Skilled Trades Industry Today Theres always a demand for skilled labor workers, but that demand is growing. According to Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), a national construction industry trade association representing more than 23,000 members, the construction industry will need to add approximately 501,000 jobs in 2024 to meet demandand thats in addition to standard hiring to replace employees who leave. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the construction industry will have around 646,100 openings per year between 2022 and 2032. The specific occupations expected to have the biggest increase in demand are as follows. Occupation Job Outlook, 2022 to 2032 Number of Additional Jobs, 2022 to 2032 Wind turbine technicians 45% (Much faster than average) 5,000 Solar photovoltaic installers 22% (Much faster than average) 6,600 Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners 7% (Faster than average) 2,200 Electricians 6% (Faster than average) 49,200 Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers 6% (Faster than average) 23,000 Given this projected growth, those entering the construction workforce can expect a steady flow of work and a livable wage. So why arent more people choosing this path? The biggest barriers I see are financial and also perception, says Kyle Stumpenhorst, owner and founder of RR Buildings in Franklin Grove, Illinois. [Historically], young people havebeen told the big money jobs are not in the trades. Yet, the opposite is true. The median salary for plumbers is $61,550 per year, while an electrician salary is around $61,590 per year. Those who opt to start their own business in industries such as HVAC, construction, plumbing, residential cleaning, and tree maintenance can make over $1 million in annual revenue. Knowing all this, the question of why there arent enough skilled trade workers in the U.S. is even more mystifying. Why is there a shortage of skilled labor in the U.S.? Its widely accepted that there are not enough skilled labor workers to meet current demands in the U.S. However, the reasons behind this phenomenon are debated, and they can likely be attributed to a variety of factors. Residual Effects From the COVID-19 Pandemic Labor shortages impacted almost every industry following the COVID-19 pandemic, including the skilled trades. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, labor force participation is around 62.5 percent as of 2024, compared to 63.3 percent in February 2020. Across all industries, factors such as lack of childcare, early retirement, and improved unemployment benefits have meant that more employees are postponing their return to the workforceor not returning at all. Across the board, a preference for remote work following the pandemic has also impacted the workforce. The Chamber of Commerce survey showed that 49 percent of unemployed workers are only interested in considering roles that are remote. While there are more remote and hybrid positions than ever before in sectors such as finance, customer service, and software development, most skilled trade positions require workers to be on-site every day. Workers Reaching Retirement Age In general, previous generations were more likely to pursue jobs in the trades following high school than the current generation. This has resulted in the trades industry having an older workforce than many other fields. Around half of all trade workers are over the age of 50, which for many means retirement is not too far in the future. As more members of the current trade labor force retire, there are fewer and fewer entry-level recruits to replace them, resulting in an overall shrinkage of the workforce. Another effect of older, experienced workers approaching retirement is that they are taking their knowledge with them. Young people who aspire to a career in the trades may have difficulty finding people to train and mentor them while they get their start. Emphasis on Higher Education Niki OBrien, an operations manager at Custom Exteriors, LLC in Berthoud, Colorado, suspects a major reason for the shortage is a cultural emphasis on sending students to college immediately after high school. When I graduated high school in 1995, substantially fewer of us were headed to college for many different reasons, she explains. However, in recent decades, she perceives that more kids have been pushed to choose college, leaving fewer people choosing the trades for their careers. A recent study from Jobber supports this. A full 79 percent of the college-aged members of Gen Z surveyed reported that their parents wanted them to attend a traditional university, with only 5 percent saying their parents wanted them to attend vocational school. Stumpenhorst can attest to this. My generation was told to go to college and learn technology because that is where the money was. We were told that was the only way to be successful. However, while plumbing school costs an average of $3,000 per year, tuition at a public school for a 4-year degree runs about $9,700 per year. Therefore, students can expect a lot less debt if they choose a vocational school over a traditional 4-year college or university. Young people havebeen told the big money jobs are not in the trades. Kyle Stumpenhorst, owner and founder of RR Buildings Stigma Many Americans have preconceived notions that prevent them from pursuing (or encouraging their children to pursue) a job in the trades. According to Andrew Prchal, co-founder of Gunner Roofing in Stamford, Connecticut, The industry itself isnt looked at as the most glamorous. Most people probably think of trades and associate them with being dirty, when really there is a whole subset of people out there who would thrive in the kinds of hands-on, independent work that the trades industry provides. Surveys confirm that 74 percent of college-aged students believe that there is a stigma associated with choosing to attend vocational school in lieu of a 4-year college. There may be an additional perceived barrier for women who are interested in the industry but dont think it is for them. According to OBrien, There is a stigma that construction is a mens industry and [that] very few women enter the skilled trades. This couldnt be further from the truth. I have seen women plumbers, electricians, painters, and more. Photo: istockphoto.com josh hodge The Future of the Skilled Trade Industry Between 2022 and 2032, the Bureau of Labor statistics predicts faster-than-average growth for employment opportunities in some skilled trades. Those looking to enter the skilled trades may want to research the areas with the biggest projected growth when planning their career trajectory. Theres also expected to be much faster than average growth for industries related to sustainability. For example, while the electrical trade is expected to grow 6 percent over the next decade, specialized electrical jobs in the renewable energy sector have a much faster projected growth. The demand for solar panel installers is expected to increase by 22 percent between 2022 and 2032, adding 6,600 jobs, while the demand for wind turbine technicians is expected to grow by 45 percent in that same period, adding 5,000 jobs. In other words, this may be a good time to enter these more niche fields while demand is increasing and the number of workers with these specific skill sets is relatively low. Other skilled trades are likely to grow by 2032 as well. The demand for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) mechanics and installers is projected to grow by 6 percent, with 23,000 jobs expected to be added by 2032. And the demand for septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners is expected to increase by 7 percent in that time frame, with 2,200 jobs anticipated to be added. So how are pros working in the skilled trades feeling about the demand in their industries? I think it is going to get worse before it gets better, says Prchal. This is definitely a known thing in the industry, which is why manufacturers are constantly making products easier and easier to install. OBrien has a more optimistic takeaway. I think the future of construction looks bright, she says. [My husband] and I have already built and sold one successful roofing company. We are now building a roofing and exteriors company, which is growing at an even faster rate. Any young person entering the workforce now should consider a career in construction. Equally as important: Many are noticing a shift in attitude toward the trades. Stumpenhorst, who has a robust social media following, has seen this reflected in his interactions online. I have been blown away by the optimism, passion, and willingness to lift the trades up by many amazing people involved. [Social media] has allowed people like myself to directly share our passion and love for what we do to others who otherwise might not have considered it as a career. Those who are graduating from high school or considering a career change will want to look into the skilled tradeseven if theyre being pushed toward college. A career in the trades can provide job stability and self-sufficiency while paying a livable wage. And its clear that the demand for these jobs isnt decreasing anytime soon. Article Sources Associated Builders and Contractors, Explore the Trades, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Home Builders
California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment, the morning after it was attacked by counter-protesters at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, on May 1, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Republicans Wednesday passed a bill, with heavy support from Democrats, that would define antisemitism for the Department of Education, amid nationwide college campus protests in which students are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The 320-91 vote would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  with which all schools that receive federal funding are required to comply. All of Iowas representatives voted for the bill.

But some Democrats raised concerns that the language is too broad and could chill freedom of speech at schools.

Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, said during debate of the bill, H.R. 6090.

Republicans have slammed the leaders of higher education institutions that are the sites of protests, calling for them to resign and to send in law enforcement to crack down on the students protesting.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana is also rolling out a Congress-wide effort to address the protests, such as tougher oversight of university presidents and pulling funding.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York in a Wednesday press conference did not commit to putting the House bill on the Senate floor.

We havent seen what the House is sending us yet, he said.

Lawmakers have focused on Columbia University in New York, where students set up a Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

Students are demanding that the university cut financial ties, such as endowments, with companies that do business with Israel or those that make weapons used in the war in Gaza. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The New York Police Department was deployed on the campus early Wednesday by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, who authorized the NYPD to sweep the campus after students took over one of the buildings that has a history of student activism, Hamilton Hall, according to the Columbia Spectator.

However, students occupying the building have drawn criticism from Democrats as well.

Smashing windows with hammers and taking over university buildings is not free speech  it is lawlessness, and those who did it should promptly face the consequences that are not merely a slap on the wrist, Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday.

More than 300 students were arrested by the NYPD, according to The Associated Press.

Cotton calls for protection of Jewish students

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton held a press conference Wednesday, where he was joined by several Senate Republicans in urging university presidents to crack down on the encampments and to protect Jewish students.

Cotton called for the State Department to pull the visas of international students who have participated in the protests and for the Department of Education to withhold federal funding to those schools where protests are taking place.

They have a right if they want to go out and make fools of themselves, and protest on behalf of Hamas, but they dont have the right to build little Gazas in violation of the laws, Cotton said, referring to protesters and encampments.

Cotton was joined by Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, James Lankford of Oklahoma, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

Lankford said the protesters have crossed a line and have made Jewish students feel unsafe.

Every university and every student has the right to be able to speak their mind, to be able to test out new ideas  its the nature of being on a college campus to be able to speak out and be able to think through different things, Lankford said.

Were a nation that prides ourself on the right to speak out, but were also a nation that says, You cannot go and intimidate someone else in the process.

Kennedy and Marshall said policies on diversity, inclusion and equity resulted in the protests on college campuses.

Kennedy said he blamed some of the faculty members at those higher education institutions for the protests.

There are members of the faculty at some of these universities who believe in diversity, equity, inclusion, he said.

Ernst said the universities need to put an end to this.

If they dont, they should kiss their federal funding goodbye, she said.

Argument against bill

Nadler was the sole Democrat to speak out against the bill during Wednesdays floor debate.

He argued that the language is too broad and would curtail freedom of speech.

While there is much in the bill I agree with, its core provision would put a thumb on the scale in favor of one particular definition of antisemitism to the exclusion of all others to be used when the Department of Education assesses claims of antisemitism on campus, Nadler said.

He took issue with some of the examples the definition provides that can be considered antisemitic, such as criticism of the state of Israel.

That definition would be: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

GOP Rep. Tom McClintock of California said the bill was needed because there has been a spike in antisemitism since Oct. 7, the start of the Hamas-Israel war, when Hamas staged an attack against Israeli civilians.

You cannot fight antisemitism if you cannot define it, he said.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who sponsored the bill, said without a clear definition of antisemitism, the Department of Education and college administrations are having trouble discerning what is considered antisemitic.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect students from discrimination based only on religion. If a student does bring up a complaint, the civil rights division in the Department of Education refers those complaints to the Department of Justice, according to the Department of Education.

Nadler argued that the bill would threaten freedom of speech, while doing nothing to combat antisemitism.

The chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, said the definition is needed to ensure the safety of Jewish students.

Foxx has held several hearings throughout the year where she and Republicans on the committee grilled the leaders of universities about the pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses. Another is set for May 23 for the heads of Yale, UCLA and the University of Michigan.

The post U.S. House approves definition of antisemitism as campus protests continue appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment, the morning after it was attacked by counter-protestors at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, on May 1, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Republicans Wednesday passed a bill, with heavy support from Democrats, that would define antisemitism for the Department of Education, amid nationwide college campus protests in which students are calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

The 320-91 vote would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  with which all schools that receive federal funding are required to comply.

But some Democrats raised concerns that the language is too broad and could chill freedom of speech at schools.

Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, said during debate of the bill, H.R. 6090.

Republicans have slammed the leaders of higher education institutions that are the sites of protests, calling for them to resign and to send in law enforcement to crack down on the students protesting.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana is also rolling out a Congress-wide effort to address the protests, such as tougher oversight of university presidents and pulling funding.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York in a Wednesday press conference did not commit to putting the House bill on the Senate floor.

We havent seen what the House is sending us yet, he said.

Lawmakers have focused on Columbia University in New York, where students set up a Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

Students are demanding that the university cut financial ties, such as endowments, with companies that do business with Israel or those that make weapons used in the war in Gaza. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The New York Police Department was deployed on the campus early Wednesday by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, who authorized the NYPD to sweep the campus after students took over one of the buildings that has a history of student activism, Hamilton Hall, according to the Columbia Spectator.

However, students occupying the building have drawn criticism from Democrats as well.

Smashing windows with hammers and taking over university buildings is not free speech  it is lawlessness, and those who did it should promptly face the consequences that are not merely a slap on the wrist, Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday.

More than 300 students were arrested by the NYPD, according to The Associated Press.

Cotton calls for protection of Jewish students

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton held a press conference Wednesday, where he was joined by several Senate Republicans in urging university presidents to crack down on the encampments and to protect Jewish students.

Cotton called for the State Department to pull the visas of international students who have participated in the protests and for the Department of Education to withhold federal funding to those schools where protests are taking place.

They have a right if they want to go out and make fools of themselves, and protest on behalf of Hamas, but they dont have the right to build little Gazas in violation of the laws, Cotton said, referring to protesters and encampments.

Cotton was joined by Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, James Lankford of Oklahoma, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

Lankford said that the protesters have crossed a line and have made Jewish students feel unsafe.

Every university and every student has the right to be able to speak their mind, to be able to test out new ideas  its the nature of being on a college campus to be able to speak out and be able to think through different things, Lankford said.

Were a nation that prides ourself on the right to speak out, but were also a nation that says, You cannot go and intimidate someone else in the process.

Kennedy and Marshall said policies on diversity, inclusion and equity resulted in the protests on college campuses.

Kennedy said he blamed some of the faculty members at those higher education institutions for the protests.

There are members of the faculty at some of these universities who believe in diversity, equity, inclusion, he said.

Ernst said the universities need to put an end to this.

If they dont, they should kiss their federal funding goodbye, she said.

Argument against bill

Nadler was the sole Democrat to speak out against the bill during Wednesdays floor debate.

He argued that the language is too broad and would curtail freedom of speech.

While there is much in the bill I agree with, its core provision would put a thumb on the scale in favor of one particular definition of antisemitism to the exclusion of all others to be used when the Department of Education assesses claims of antisemitism on campus, Nadler said.

He took issue with some of the examples the definition provides that can be considered antisemitic, such as criticism of the state of Israel.

That definition would be: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

GOP Rep. Tom McClintock of California said the bill was needed because there has been a spike in antisemitism since Oct. 7, the start of the Hamas-Israel war, when Hamas staged an attack against Israeli civilians.

You cannot fight antisemitism if you cannot define it, he said.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who sponsored the bill, said without a clear definition of antisemitism, the Department of Education and college administrations are having trouble discerning what is considered antisemitic.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect students from discrimination based only on religion. If a student does bring up a complaint, the civil rights division in the Department of Education refers those complaints to the Department of Justice, according to the Department of Education.

Nadler argued that the bill would threaten freedom of speech, while doing nothing to combat antisemitism.

The chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, said the definition is needed to ensure the safety of Jewish students.

Foxx has held several hearings throughout the year where she and Republicans on the committee grilled the leaders of universities about the pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses. Another is set for May 23 for the heads of Yale, UCLA and the University of Michigan.

The post U.S. House approves definition of antisemitism as campus protests continue appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment, the morning after it was attacked by counter-protestors at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, on May 1, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment, the morning after it was attacked by counter-protestors at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, on May 1, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Republicans Wednesday passed a bill, with heavy support from Democrats, that would define antisemitism for the Department of Education, amid nationwide college campus protests in which students are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The 320-91 vote would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  with which all schools that receive federal funding are required to comply.

But some Democrats raised concerns that the language is too broad and could chill freedom of speech at schools.

Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, said during debate of the bill, H.R. 6090.

Republicans have slammed the leaders of higher education institutions that are the sites of protests, calling for them to resign and to send in law enforcement to crack down on the students protesting.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana is also rolling out a Congress-wide effort to address the protests, such as tougher oversight of university presidents and pulling funding.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York in a Wednesday press conference did not commit to putting the House bill on the Senate floor.

We havent seen what the House is sending us yet, he said.

Lawmakers have focused on Columbia University in New York, where students set up a Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

Students are demanding that the university cut financial ties, such as endowments, with companies that do business with Israel or those that make weapons used in the war in Gaza. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The New York Police Department was deployed on the campus early Wednesday by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, who authorized the NYPD to sweep the campus after students took over one of the buildings that has a history of student activism, Hamilton Hall, according to the Columbia Spectator.

However, students occupying the building have drawn criticism from Democrats as well.

Smashing windows with hammers and taking over university buildings is not free speech  it is lawlessness, and those who did it should promptly face the consequences that are not merely a slap on the wrist, Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday.

More than 300 students were arrested by the NYPD, according to The Associated Press.

Cotton calls for protection of Jewish students

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton held a press conference Wednesday, where he was joined by several Senate Republicans in urging university presidents to crack down on the encampments and to protect Jewish students.

Cotton called for the State Department to pull the visas of international students who have participated in the protests and for the Department of Education to withhold federal funding to those schools where protests are taking place.

They have a right if they want to go out and make fools of themselves, and protest on behalf of Hamas, but they dont have the right to build little Gazas in violation of the laws, Cotton said, referring to protesters and encampments.

Cotton was joined by Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, James Lankford of Oklahoma, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

Lankford said that the protesters have crossed a line and have made Jewish students feel unsafe.

Every university and every student has the right to be able to speak their mind, to be able to test out new ideas  its the nature of being on a college campus to be able to speak out and be able to think through different things, Lankford said.

Were a nation that prides ourself on the right to speak out, but were also a nation that says, You cannot go and intimidate someone else in the process.

Kennedy and Marshall said policies on diversity, inclusion and equity resulted in the protests on college campuses.

Kennedy said he blamed some of the faculty members at those higher education institutions for the protests.

There are members of the faculty at some of these universities who believe in diversity, equity, inclusion, he said.

Ernst said the universities need to put an end to this.

If they dont, they should kiss their federal funding goodbye, she said.

Argument against bill

Nadler was the sole Democrat to speak out against the bill during Wednesdays floor debate.

He argued that the language is too broad and would curtail freedom of speech.

While there is much in the bill I agree with, its core provision would put a thumb on the scale in favor of one particular definition of antisemitism to the exclusion of all others to be used when the Department of Education assesses claims of antisemitism on campus, Nadler said.

He took issue with some of the examples the definition provides that can be considered antisemitic, such as criticism of the state of Israel.

That definition would be: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

GOP Rep. Tom McClintock of California said the bill was needed because there has been a spike in antisemitism since Oct. 7, the start of the Hamas-Israel war, when Hamas staged an attack against Israeli civilians.

You cannot fight antisemitism if you cannot define it, he said.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who sponsored the bill, said without a clear definition of antisemitism, the Department of Education and college administrations are having trouble discerning what is considered antisemitic.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect students from discrimination based only on religion. If a student does bring up a complaint, the civil rights division in the Department of Education refers those complaints to the Department of Justice, according to the Department of Education.

Nadler argued that the bill would threaten freedom of speech, while doing nothing to combat antisemitism.

The chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, said the definition is needed to ensure the safety of Jewish students.

Foxx has held several hearings throughout the year where she and Republicans on the committee grilled the leaders of universities about the pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses. Another is set for May 23 for the heads of Yale, UCLA and the University of Michigan.

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The post U.S. House approves definition of antisemitism as campus protests continue appeared first on Utah News Dispatch.
California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment, the morning after it was attacked by counter-protestors at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, on May 1, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Republicans Wednesday passed a bill, with heavy support from Democrats, that would define antisemitism for the Department of Education, amid nationwide college campus protests in which students are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The 320-91 vote would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  with which all schools that receive federal funding are required to comply.

But some Democrats raised concerns that the language is too broad and could chill freedom of speech at schools.

South Carolinas only Democrat in Congress, Jim Clyburn, voted against the bill. Joining him was GOP Rep. Ralph Norman of Rock Hill. The other five Republicans voted yes.

Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, said during debate of the bill, H.R. 6090.

Republicans have slammed the leaders of higher education institutions that are the sites of protests, calling for them to resign and to send in law enforcement to crack down on the students protesting.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana is also rolling out a Congress-wide effort to address the protests, such as tougher oversight of university presidents and pulling funding.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York in a Wednesday press conference did not commit to putting the House bill on the Senate floor.

We havent seen what the House is sending us yet, he said.

Lawmakers have focused on Columbia University in New York, where students set up a Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

Students are demanding that the university cut financial ties, such as endowments, with companies that do business with Israel or those that make weapons used in the war in Gaza. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The New York Police Department was deployed on the campus early Wednesday by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, who authorized the NYPD to sweep the campus after students took over one of the buildings that has a history of student activism, Hamilton Hall, according to the Columbia Spectator.

However, students occupying the building have drawn criticism from Democrats as well.

Smashing windows with hammers and taking over university buildings is not free speech  it is lawlessness, and those who did it should promptly face the consequences that are not merely a slap on the wrist, Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday.

More than 300 students were arrested by the NYPD, according to The Associated Press.

Cotton calls for protection of Jewish students

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton held a press conference Wednesday, where he was joined by several Senate Republicans in urging university presidents to crack down on the encampments and to protect Jewish students.

Cotton called for the State Department to pull the visas of international students who have participated in the protests and for the Department of Education to withhold federal funding to those schools where protests are taking place.

They have a right if they want to go out and make fools of themselves, and protest on behalf of Hamas, but they dont have the right to build little Gazas in violation of the laws, Cotton said, referring to protesters and encampments.

Cotton was joined by Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, James Lankford of Oklahoma, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

Lankford said that the protesters have crossed a line and have made Jewish students feel unsafe.

Every university and every student has the right to be able to speak their mind, to be able to test out new ideas  its the nature of being on a college campus to be able to speak out and be able to think through different things, Lankford said.

Were a nation that prides ourself on the right to speak out, but were also a nation that says, You cannot go and intimidate someone else in the process.

Kennedy and Marshall said policies on diversity, inclusion and equity resulted in the protests on college campuses.

Kennedy said he blamed some of the faculty members at those higher education institutions for the protests.

There are members of the faculty at some of these universities who believe in diversity, equity, inclusion, he said.

Ernst said the universities need to put an end to this.

If they dont, they should kiss their federal funding goodbye, she said.

Argument against bill

Nadler was the sole Democrat to speak out against the bill during Wednesdays floor debate.

He argued that the language is too broad and would curtail freedom of speech.

While there is much in the bill I agree with, its core provision would put a thumb on the scale in favor of one particular definition of antisemitism to the exclusion of all others to be used when the Department of Education assesses claims of antisemitism on campus, Nadler said.

He took issue with some of the examples the definition provides that can be considered antisemitic, such as criticism of the state of Israel.

That definition would be: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

GOP Rep. Tom McClintock of California said the bill was needed because there has been a spike in antisemitism since Oct. 7, the start of the Hamas-Israel war, when Hamas staged an attack against Israeli civilians.

You cannot fight antisemitism if you cannot define it, he said.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who sponsored the bill, said without a clear definition of antisemitism, the Department of Education and college administrations are having trouble discerning what is considered antisemitic.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect students from discrimination based only on religion. If a student does bring up a complaint, the civil rights division in the Department of Education refers those complaints to the Department of Justice, according to the Department of Education.

Nadler argued that the bill would threaten freedom of speech, while doing nothing to combat antisemitism.

The chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, said the definition is needed to ensure the safety of Jewish students.

Foxx has held several hearings throughout the year where she and Republicans on the committee grilled the leaders of universities about the pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses. Another is set for May 23 for the heads of Yale, UCLA and the University of Michigan.

The post U.S. House approves definition of antisemitism as campus protests continue appeared first on SC Daily Gazette.
California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment, the morning after it was attacked by counter-protestors at the UCLA campus, on May 1, 2024.

California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment, the morning after it was attacked by counter-protestors at the UCLA campus, on May 1, 2024. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Republicans Wednesday passed a bill, with heavy support from Democrats, that would define antisemitism for the Department of Education, amid nationwide college campus protests in which students are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The 320-91 vote would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  with which all schools that receive federal funding are required to comply.

But some Democrats raised concerns that the language is too broad and could chill freedom of speech at schools.

Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, said during debate of the bill, H.R. 6090.

Republicans have slammed the leaders of higher education institutions that are the sites of protests, calling for them to resign and to send in law enforcement to crack down on the students protesting.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana is also rolling out a Congress-wide effort to address the protests, such as tougher oversight of university presidents and pulling funding.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York in a Wednesday press conference did not commit to putting the House bill on the Senate floor.

We havent seen what the House is sending us yet, he said.

Lawmakers have focused on Columbia University in New York, where students set up a Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

Students are demanding that the university cut financial ties, such as endowments, with companies that do business with Israel or those that make weapons used in the war in Gaza. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The New York Police Department was deployed on the campus early Wednesday by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, who authorized the NYPD to sweep the campus after students took over one of the buildings that has a history of student activism, Hamilton Hall, according to the Columbia Spectator.

However, students occupying the building have drawn criticism from Democrats as well.

Smashing windows with hammers and taking over university buildings is not free speech  it is lawlessness, and those who did it should promptly face the consequences that are not merely a slap on the wrist, Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday.

More than 300 students were arrested by the NYPD, according to The Associated Press.

Cotton calls for protection of Jewish students

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton held a press conference Wednesday, where he was joined by several Senate Republicans in urging university presidents to crack down on the encampments and to protect Jewish students.

Cotton called for the State Department to pull the visas of international students who have participated in the protests and for the Department of Education to withhold federal funding to those schools where protests are taking place.

They have a right if they want to go out and make fools of themselves, and protest on behalf of Hamas, but they dont have the right to build little Gazas in violation of the laws, Cotton said, referring to protesters and encampments.

Cotton was joined by Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, James Lankford of Oklahoma, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

Lankford said that the protesters have crossed a line and have made Jewish students feel unsafe.

Every university and every student has the right to be able to speak their mind, to be able to test out new ideas  its the nature of being on a college campus to be able to speak out and be able to think through different things, Lankford said.

Were a nation that prides ourself on the right to speak out, but were also a nation that says, You cannot go and intimidate someone else in the process.

Kennedy and Marshall said policies on diversity, inclusion and equity resulted in the protests on college campuses.

Kennedy said he blamed some of the faculty members at those higher education institutions for the protests.

There are members of the faculty at some of these universities who believe in diversity, equity, inclusion, he said.

Ernst said the universities need to put an end to this.

If they dont, they should kiss their federal funding goodbye, she said.

Argument against bill

Nadler was the sole Democrat to speak out against the bill during Wednesdays floor debate.

He argued that the language is too broad and would curtail freedom of speech.

While there is much in the bill I agree with, its core provision would put a thumb on the scale in favor of one particular definition of antisemitism to the exclusion of all others to be used when the Department of Education assesses claims of antisemitism on campus, Nadler said.

He took issue with some of the examples the definition provides that can be considered antisemitic, such as criticism of the state of Israel.

That definition would be: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

GOP Rep. Tom McClintock of California said the bill was needed because there has been a spike in antisemitism since Oct. 7, the start of the Hamas-Israel war, when Hamas staged an attack against Israeli civilians.

You cannot fight antisemitism if you cannot define it, he said.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who sponsored the bill, said without a clear definition of antisemitism, the Department of Education and college administrations are having trouble discerning what is considered antisemitic.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect students from discrimination based only on religion. If a student does bring up a complaint, the civil rights division in the Department of Education refers those complaints to the Department of Justice, according to the Department of Education.

Nadler argued that the bill would threaten freedom of speech, while doing nothing to combat antisemitism.

The chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, said the definition is needed to ensure the safety of Jewish students.

Foxx has held several hearings throughout the year where she and Republicans on the committee grilled the leaders of universities about the pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses. Another is set for May 23 for the heads of Yale, UCLA and the University of Michigan.

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The post U.S. House approves definition of antisemitism as campus protests continue appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
The controversial approval of new EU migrant laws by the European Parliament has been slammed by the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME).

MEPs supported the EU Regulation on Asylum and Migration Management with 322 in favor, 266 opposed and 31 abstentions during a parliamentary vote on April 10.

Supporters of the new regulation say it will allow asylum checks to be carried out more efficiently on the borders of EU member states. It will also improve ID checks for arrivals and give member states choices in taking on responsibilities for asylum seekers, ranging from financial help, to resettlement schemes, to responding during crises.

The vote came after eight years of debate in the parliament about the best methods to deal with growing numbers of migrants in the 27 countries that form the EU.

History made. We have delivered a robust legislative framework on how to deal with migration and asylum in the EU, wrote Roberta Metsola, the European parliament president, X (Twitter): It has been more than 10 years in the making. But we kept our word. A balance between solidarity and responsibility. This is the European way.

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However, Dr Torsten Moritz, General Secretary of the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), lamented the resulting sad end to the European Parliamentary debate, which has become more and more toxic in recent years.

Todays European Parliament vote marks, despite some narrow majorities, the sad end to a debate on the EUs approach to asylum and migration, which has become more and more toxic in recent years, Torsten said in a statement sent to Christian Daily International.

This was accompanied by a permanent discourse on migration being a crisis  where seeking for pragmatic solutions would have provided a better, dignified and feasible alternative.

The result is new legislation which further undermines the dignity and the rights of those arriving in Europe.

Torsten remains skeptical, saying there is no reason to believe that the legislation will solve any of the challenges associated with migration and refugee protection. Talks of a migration crisis will thus continue to be a self-fulfilling prophecy and strengthen extremists arguments, he added.

CCME and its members will engage in damage control in the next years, Torsten said.

A real solution can however only be based on legislation in which the EU and its members assume responsibility for their fair share in protecting the world's refugees and welcoming migrants.

Resources are there, but they need to be redirected: away from dissuading and marginalizing the most vulnerable and towards an EU, which protects people more than borders."

Ryszard Bobrowicz, a researcher with an interest in migration, based at the Faculty of Theology and religious Studies at KU Leuven, called the regulation the type of compromise that does not really satisfy anyone.

It largely continues the approach that could be summed up as the securitization of migration, in which people on the move are not treated humanely, but rather as threats, a type of force majeure that can, and must, be opposed by any means necessary, Bobrowicz told Christian Daily International.

It aims to heal the system that does not work, by, largely, doubling down on it. Not only does this approach fail its own principles, feeding a costly and inefficient system of control and selection that cannot address the major challenges of migration, but, more importantly, it violates the broader humanitarian principles on which the European Union was founded.

Bobrowicz said the EU parliamentary measures did not satisfy interested parties, whether that be migrants or supporters, European citizens afraid of migration, or those that play on it.

Quite the opposite, he added, it will provide even more ground for anti-migrant populism, as the regulation will struggle to achieve its goals.

Bobrowicz pointed out that the failed compromise can be seen in the example of Poland. He said that Donalde Tusk, current Polish Prime Minister and former President of the European Council, remained skeptical about the regulation. Meanwhile the Law and Justice party in opposition, described it as a danger that could be catastrophic to Poland.

The two borders in Poland also exemplify what the problem is and what the alternative could be: the Polish-Belarussian border, with its dire humanitarian situation, exemplifies the failures of the current system, while the Polish-Ukrainian border, with its resounding reception success, shows that we have the capacity to be human, said Bobrowicz.

The academic pointed out a positive element in the introduction of a new resettlement framework, echoing humanitarian corridors set up by NGOs in Europe.

Hopefully, the pan-European character of the regulation will make their work easier, said Bobrowicz, and bring more attention to the importance of this type of support, although the individual state will continue to be the main decision-makers in the process.

Meanwhile Emily Shepherd, CEO of Welcome Churches in the U.K., which is outside the EU, welcomed news about the regulation. Migration is a contentious issue in Great Britain.

We welcome the move to share more responsibility across countries for people fleeing war and persecution, Shepherd told Christian Daily International. We know that caring for, and welcoming, people seeking refuge is close to God's heart.

Shepherd said that 1400 U.K. churches had joined the Welcome Network, welcoming refugees in British communities.

Our churches and communities have been enriched by the people who are arriving and we look forward to meeting many more incredible people seeking refuge in the months and years ahead.
Uber has poured millions of dollars into a Nevada ballot initiative that would impose a stringent cap on attorneys share of civil lawsuit payouts  potentially limiting the ride-hailing giants exposure to sexual assault claims and other litigation from customers and drivers.

The measure, pushed by a new political action committee called Nevadans for Fair Recovery, would set a firm 20% ceiling on lawyers contingency fees in all civil cases in the state. Plaintiffs are likely to hire attorneys on contingency when they cant afford to pay an hourly rate out of pocket; an attorney then takes a cut of any judgment or settlement if a case succeeds.

Backers of the proposal assert that its aimed at sketchy billboard lawyers who drive up litigation costs with dubious, slip-and-fall-type claims. But lowering the fees in civil lawsuits could make plaintiffs attorneys less likely to take certain cases  possibly freezing legitimate plaintiffs out of the justice system and saving the likes of Uber from civil liabilities.

The ride-hailing company is the measures lead sponsor and has dumped at least $4 million into the effort so far, according to state campaign finance filings. Local news site The Nevada Independent listed it among the biggest political contributions toward a ballot initiative this year. Backers hope to get the proposal on the states ballot in November.

A company like Uber could hire the most expensive lawyers on earth to defend itself, but they want to hamstring the ability of ordinary people ... to get counsel.Attorney Deepak Gupta

Uber did not respond to questions from HuffPost about why capping attorneys contingency fees in Nevada was important to the San Francisco-based tech company and its drivers. A spokesperson for Nevadans for Fair Recovery reached out to HuffPost to insist that the initiative would benefit, not hurt, civil plaintiffs.

The measure protects plaintiffs by ensuring they receive more money when they win in court or settle a case, the spokesperson said in an email. Importantly, the measure does not limit the ability of plaintiffs to sue, or limit the amount defendants must pay when they are found liable.

But Deepak Gupta, a Washington, D.C.-based plaintiffs attorney and lecturer at Harvard Law School whos fighting the proposal, said that it would amount to the most extreme limitation on access to legal counsel in the country.

He said that the norm for contingency fees in Nevada is currently between 33% and 40%, and slashing it to 20% would make complex cases less worthwhile for attorneys to pursue. The ballot initiative language includes no exception for class action lawsuits, in which individual plaintiffs ban together in larger numbers.

Story continues

A company like Uber could hire the most expensive lawyers on earth to defend itself, but they want to hamstring the ability of ordinary people who are suing companies like Uber to be able to get counsel, Gupta said.

He suspects that Uber will take the contingency fee cap to other states if it succeeds in Nevada. He acknowledged that he doesnt know why the company is trying to pass it in the Silver State in particular.

Perhaps they chose Nevada because its a smaller state, and its cheaper and easier to get things onto the ballot, he said. They have to start somewhere.

He noted that since Uber no longer funnels drivers or customers into mandatory arbitration for sexual assault and harassment allegations, it must now face those claims in court. The company dropped its arbitration policy in 2018 amid the #MeToo movement, and Congress later banned the mandatory use of arbitration in sexual assault and harassment cases.

Uber has dumped at least $4 million into an effort to cap attorneys' share of civil lawsuit payouts in Nevada. via Associated Press

Gupta and other lawyers have filed a lawsuit in federal court in Nevada seeking to keep the initiative off the ballot. The complaint was brought on behalf of an attorney trade organization called the Nevada Justice Association, as well as a group called Uber Sexual Assault Survivors for Legal Accountability, whose members are suing Uber.

Dozens of lawsuits have claimed that Uber failed to protect riders from sexual assault and harassment, including by having weaker background checks for drivers than taxi companies  allegations that Uber has denied. More than 100 claims, including some originating in Nevada, have been consolidated into a federal multidistrict class action lawsuit.

The complaint seeking to block the ballot measure alleges that Uber is hiding its real intent with the proposal.

As more and more sexual-assault survivors claims get consolidated into a nationwide case, it states, Uber wants to stop survivors from hiring lawyers.

Reuters legal columnist Alison Frankel recently wrote that the challenge to the ballot initiative is all but certain to end up before the Nevada Supreme Court: A 20% fee cap in all civil litigation, even in one state, is a big deal.

Ubers proposal has drawn the backing of the Nevada Trucking Association, a state trade group. CEO Paul Enos said in an interview that many of the groups 500 trucking companies are weighed down by litigation costs. He hopes the proposal can deter law firms that advertise for trucking accident lawsuits.

Enos said that he likes going the ballot initiative route because he doesnt believe his group could succeed with legislation in the statehouse.

The trial lawyers are very good. They have a tremendous amount of money, he said.

Politically speaking, the trucking group has hitched its cargo to Uber on the ballot initiative. Enos said that his group has not put a dime into the effort yet, though it may further down the road.

I wish I had Uber money to spend, he said. The only reason were here is Uber has had a lot of the sustained issues weve had. ... Were happy theyre doing it, and were very supportive of the effort.

Its part of this larger strategy they [Uber] have to create a legal environment in which there is very little ability to challenge them.Veena Dubal, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine

When Nevadans for Fair Recovery announced the ballot initiative, it pointed to the backing of the trucking group as well as the Retail Association of Nevada. But a spokesperson for the retail group said that the statement of support attributed to it was released without permission.

The Retail Association of Nevada will not be participating in this effort, the group clarified. (The original press release was included in the complaint aimed at blocking the ballot measure.)

The political action committees announcement also attributed a statement of support to a Nevada Uber driver named Emilee Rogers. Reached by phone, Rogers said that shes been driving for Uber for three years, and that she wasnt aware of the ballot effort until Uber reached out and asked if she would publicly support it. Last fall, a TV news station in Las Vegas aired an Uber-friendly segment that featured Rogers discussing how her Uber earnings covered her Christmas gifts.

Rogers said in an interview that she can understand both sides of the debate.

If you dont think youre going to make enough money, why would you put your time into that? she said of plaintiffs attorneys. At the same time, this is peoples lives, so it doesnt make sense to me for someone to be in an accident, lose everything and then have the lawyer take over half.

To Gupta and other Uber opponents, the Nevada ballot measure has shades of the Proposition 22 fight in 2020. Uber, Lyft and other app-based ride and delivery services collectively spent $200 million on that effort to keep their drivers classified as independent contractors in California, essentially carving them out of a broader labor law covering gig work. Both companies successfully mobilized drivers and riders through their apps to vote in favor of the measure.

Veena Dubal, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, and a vocal Uber critic, said that many Nevada voters might not understand the contingency fee system and how it works. Making the ballot initiative about the stereotypical ambulance chaser is a smart play on the companys part, she said, and she finds it alarming that it might succeed.

Its part of this larger strategy they have to create a legal environment in which there is very little ability to challenge them, Dubal said. It is really insidious and antidemocratic, and undermines the ability of people who are hurt, injured, harassed or underpaid to get their day in court.

Need help? Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website.
California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment, the morning after it was attacked by counter-protestors at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, on May 1, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment, the morning after it was attacked by counter-protestors at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, on May 1, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Republicans Wednesday passed a bill, with heavy support from Democrats, that would define antisemitism for the Department of Education, amid nationwide college campus protests in which students are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The 320-91 vote would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  with which all schools that receive federal funding are required to comply. South Dakota Republican Dusty Johnson voted yes.

But some Democrats raised concerns that the language is too broad and could chill freedom of speech at schools.

Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, said during debate of the bill, H.R. 6090.

Republicans have slammed the leaders of higher education institutions that are the sites of protests, calling for them to resign and to send in law enforcement to crack down on the students protesting.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana is also rolling out a Congress-wide effort to address the protests, such as tougher oversight of university presidents and pulling funding.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York in a Wednesday press conference did not commit to putting the House bill on the Senate floor.

We havent seen what the House is sending us yet, he said.

Lawmakers have focused on Columbia University in New York, where students set up a Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

Students are demanding that the university cut financial ties, such as endowments, with companies that do business with Israel or those that make weapons used in the war in Gaza. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The New York Police Department was deployed on the campus early Wednesday by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, who authorized the NYPD to sweep the campus after students took over one of the buildings that has a history of student activism, Hamilton Hall, according to the Columbia Spectator.

However, students occupying the building have drawn criticism from Democrats as well.

Smashing windows with hammers and taking over university buildings is not free speech  it is lawlessness, and those who did it should promptly face the consequences that are not merely a slap on the wrist, Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday.

More than 300 students were arrested by the NYPD, according to The Associated Press.

Cotton calls for protection of Jewish students

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton held a press conference Wednesday, where he was joined by several Senate Republicans in urging university presidents to crack down on the encampments and to protect Jewish students.

Cotton called for the State Department to pull the visas of international students who have participated in the protests and for the Department of Education to withhold federal funding to those schools where protests are taking place.

They have a right if they want to go out and make fools of themselves, and protest on behalf of Hamas, but they dont have the right to build little Gazas in violation of the laws, Cotton said, referring to protesters and encampments.

Cotton was joined by Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, James Lankford of Oklahoma, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

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Lankford said that the protesters have crossed a line and have made Jewish students feel unsafe.

Every university and every student has the right to be able to speak their mind, to be able to test out new ideas  its the nature of being on a college campus to be able to speak out and be able to think through different things, Lankford said.

Were a nation that prides ourself on the right to speak out, but were also a nation that says, You cannot go and intimidate someone else in the process.

Kennedy and Marshall said policies on diversity, inclusion and equity resulted in the protests on college campuses.

Kennedy said he blamed some of the faculty members at those higher education institutions for the protests.

There are members of the faculty at some of these universities who believe in diversity, equity, inclusion, he said.

Ernst said the universities need to put an end to this.

If they dont, they should kiss their federal funding goodbye, she said.

Argument against bill

Nadler was the sole Democrat to speak out against the bill during Wednesdays floor debate.

He argued that the language is too broad and would curtail freedom of speech.

While there is much in the bill I agree with, its core provision would put a thumb on the scale in favor of one particular definition of antisemitism to the exclusion of all others to be used when the Department of Education assesses claims of antisemitism on campus, Nadler said.

He took issue with some of the examples the definition provides that can be considered antisemitic, such as criticism of the state of Israel.

That definition would be: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

Let us know what you think...

GOP Rep. Tom McClintock of California said the bill was needed because there has been a spike in antisemitism since Oct. 7, the start of the Hamas-Israel war, when Hamas staged an attack against Israeli civilians.

You cannot fight antisemitism if you cannot define it, he said.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who sponsored the bill, said without a clear definition of antisemitism, the Department of Education and college administrations are having trouble discerning what is considered antisemitic.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect students from discrimination based only on religion. If a student does bring up a complaint, the civil rights division in the Department of Education refers those complaints to the Department of Justice, according to the Department of Education.

Nadler argued that the bill would threaten freedom of speech, while doing nothing to combat antisemitism.

The chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, said the definition is needed to ensure the safety of Jewish students.

Foxx has held several hearings throughout the year where she and Republicans on the committee grilled the leaders of universities about the pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses. Another is set for May 23 for the heads of Yale, UCLA and the University of Michigan.

The post U.S. House approves definition of antisemitism as campus protests continue appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment, the morning after it was attacked by counter-protesters at the University of California, Los Angeles campus, on May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Mario Tama | Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Republicans Wednesday passed a bill, with heavy support from Democrats, that would define antisemitism for the Department of Education, amid nationwide college campus protests in which students are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The 320-91 vote would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  with which all schools that receive federal funding are required to comply.

But some Democrats raised concerns that the language is too broad and could chill freedom of speech at schools.

Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, said during debate of the bill, H.R. 6090.

Republicans have slammed the leaders of higher education institutions that are the sites of protests, calling for them to resign and to send in law enforcement to crack down on the students protesting.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana is also rolling out a Congress-wide effort to address the protests, such as tougher oversight of university presidents and pulling funding.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York in a Wednesday press conference did not commit to putting the House bill on the Senate floor.

We havent seen what the House is sending us yet, he said.

Lawmakers have focused on Columbia University in New York, where students set up a Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

Students are demanding that the university cut financial ties, such as endowments, with companies that do business with Israel or those that make weapons used in the war in Gaza. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The New York Police Department was deployed on the campus early Wednesday by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, who authorized the NYPD to sweep the campus after students took over one of the buildings that has a history of student activism, Hamilton Hall, according to the Columbia Spectator.

However, students occupying the building have drawn criticism from Democrats as well.

Smashing windows with hammers and taking over university buildings is not free speech  it is lawlessness, and those who did it should promptly face the consequences that are not merely a slap on the wrist, Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday.

More than 300 students were arrested by the NYPD, according to The Associated Press.

Cotton calls for protection of Jewish students

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton held a press conference Wednesday, where he was joined by several Senate Republicans in urging university presidents to crack down on the encampments and to protect Jewish students.

Cotton called for the State Department to pull the visas of international students who have participated in the protests and for the Department of Education to withhold federal funding to those schools where protests are taking place.

They have a right if they want to go out and make fools of themselves, and protest on behalf of Hamas, but they dont have the right to build little Gazas in violation of the laws, Cotton said, referring to protesters and encampments.

Cotton was joined by Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, James Lankford of Oklahoma, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Joni Ernst of Iowa, and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

Lankford said that the protesters have crossed a line and have made Jewish students feel unsafe.

Every university and every student has the right to be able to speak their mind, to be able to test out new ideas  its the nature of being on a college campus to be able to speak out and be able to think through different things, Lankford said.

Were a nation that prides ourself on the right to speak out, but were also a nation that says, You cannot go and intimidate someone else in the process.

Kennedy and Marshall said policies on diversity, inclusion, and equity resulted in the protests on college campuses.

Kennedy said he blamed some of the faculty members at those higher education institutions for the protests.

There are members of the faculty at some of these universities who believe in diversity, equity, inclusion, he said.

Ernst said the universities need to put an end to this.

If they dont, they should kiss their federal funding goodbye, she said.

Argument against bill

Nadler was the sole Democrat to speak out against the bill during Wednesdays floor debate.

He argued that the language is too broad and would curtail freedom of speech.

While there is much in the bill I agree with, its core provision would put a thumb on the scale in favor of one particular definition of antisemitism to the exclusion of all others to be used when the Department of Education assesses claims of antisemitism on campus, Nadler said.

He took issue with some of the examples the definition provides that can be considered antisemitic, such as criticism of the state of Israel.

That definition would be: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

GOP Rep. Tom McClintock of California said the bill was needed because there has been a spike in antisemitism since Oct. 7, the start of the Hamas-Israel war, when Hamas staged an attack against Israeli civilians.

You cannot fight antisemitism if you cannot define it, he said.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who sponsored the bill, said without a clear definition of antisemitism, the Department of Education and college administrations are having trouble discerning what is considered antisemitic.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect students from discrimination based only on religion. If a student does bring up a complaint, the civil rights division in the Department of Education refers those complaints to the Department of Justice, according to the Department of Education.

Nadler argued that the bill would threaten freedom of speech, while doing nothing to combat antisemitism.

The chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, said the definition is needed to ensure the safety of Jewish students.

Foxx has held several hearings throughout the year where she and Republicans on the committee grilled the leaders of universities about the pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses. Another is set for May 23 for the heads of Yale, UCLA and the University of Michigan.

The post U.S. House approves definition of antisemitism as campus protests continue appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin.
U.S. House Democrats vow to back Speaker Johnson if Republicans try to oust him

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., talk during a ceremony as the remains of retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett lie in honor during his congressional tribute in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on April 29, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by J. Scott Applewhite  Pool/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Democratic Leaders on Tuesday killed efforts by a small group of far-right House Republicans to remove Speaker Mike Johnson from his leadership post.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar released a joint statement saying their members would vote against efforts to oust Johnson using the so-called motion to vacate  an extraordinary sign of bipartisan support in the House.

We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes Motion to Vacate the Chair, they wrote. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed.

Greene, a Georgia Republican, filed the motion to remove Johnson, of Louisiana, in March. She has since gained support from Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar.

But other members of the House Freedom Caucus, including Chairman Bob Good of Virginia, have said the GOP Conference should wait until after the November elections to debate leadership.

The far-right GOP lawmakers are frustrated that Johnson has brought numerous bipartisan measures to the floor, including government funding packages as well as military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

The trio of House Democratic lawmakers wrote in the Tuesday statement that (f)rom the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have put people over politics and found bipartisan common ground with traditional Republicans in order to deliver real results.

At the same time, House Democrats have aggressively pushed back against MAGA extremism. We will continue to do just that, they wrote.

Johnson, asked about the statement during a press conference Tuesday morning, said he hadnt heard about the statement.

Ive not requested assistance from anyone, Johnson said. Im not focused on that at all. Im focused on getting the job done and getting the legislation passed.

Johnson said that no deals at all were made with Democrats to secure their support during a possible motion to vacate vote.

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The post U.S. House Democrats vow to back Speaker Johnson if Republicans try to oust him appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building at Columbia University which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024, in New York City. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)

Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building at Columbia University which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024, in New York City. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson argued Tuesday that protests on college campuses calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have crossed the line and represent a threat to Jewish students  one day before lawmakers in that chamber are set to vote on a bipartisan bill that would define antisemitism for the Department of Education.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, is leading efforts in the House to object to rising antisemitism throughout the country, as well as punish colleges and universities that allow the student protests to continue.

The university is intended to be the free marketplace of ideas. Its where you should have vigorous debate, thoughtful debate, consideration of weighty issues  and often youll have very different opinions, vigorous disagreement, Johnson said. Thats all great. Thats what the First Amendment protects.

This is not that, he added, referencing the protests. What these students are doing is shutting down the campuses, taking control of buildings.

Many college campus protesters have called for their own universities to cut financial ties, such as endowments, with companies that do business with Israel or those that make weapons used in the war in Gaza that has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Several of the protests on college campuses include Jewish students, many of whom wear shirts indicating they are members of Jewish Voice for Peace, which says it is the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world.

Oversight of colleges in committees

At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Johnson promised a Congress-wide effort to address the protests across colleges, such as oversight of university presidents and pulling funding for colleges.

Antisemitism  is a virus and it will spread if its not stamped out, Johnson said.

He was joined by the Republican chairs of several committees, including North Carolinas Virginia Foxx, who leads the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Ohios Jim Jordan, who leads the Judiciary Committee.

Foxx has held several hearings in which she brought in university presidents to grill them about the student protests. She said that shes now invited the president of Yale, chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles and president of the University of Michigan for a hearing on May 23.

American universities are officially put on notice that we have come to take our universities back, Foxx said. College is not a park for play-acting juveniles or a battleground for radical activists.

Jordan said that Republicans sent Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas a letter asking if the agency knew how many international students on visas participated in protests.

Jordan said he also wants to know if Mayorkas has started removal proceedings for those students.

Those are the questions that are in front of the Judiciary Committee that we want the answers to, Jordan said.

Johnson argued protests are out of control and are no longer using protected free speech. He also said it is incumbent upon every leader in this country to reject antisemitism.

Johnson also visited Columbia University last week and met with the president, Minouche Shafik, and called for her to resign.

Former President Donald Trump, who is once again seeking the Oval Office as the Republican Partys presumptive nominee, made several comments during his first term in office and during this campaign that have been called antisemitic or were seen as supporting white supremacist movements.

Trump earlier this month said that any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat or votes for Biden should have their head examined and said in March that Jewish people who vote for Democrats hate Israel.

Schumer condemns lawlessness

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York made similar remarks late Tuesday about the protests that have taken place at Columbia University.

Smashing windows with hammers and taking over university buildings is not free speech  it is lawlessness, and those who did it should promptly face the consequences that are not merely a slap on the wrist, Schumer said.

Free speech, discussion, and even strong disagreement are fundamental American values, and campuses should be places where those values are cherished. Campuses cannot be places of learning and argument and discussion when protests veer into criminality, and those who commit such acts are doing nothing to convince others that their cause is just, Schumer continued.

Raskin hopes for tradition of nonviolence

Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin said during a brief interview Tuesday that lawmakers from both political parties are reacting with horror to antisemitic utterances and speech, and everybody is reacting with horror to violence.

Its not at the level of something like January 6, where police officers are getting injured and wounded, but its very serious, Raskin said. And its a departure from, you know, the nonviolent tradition in American protests.

Raskin said that the First Amendment, which protects the freedom of speech and assembly, as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, are relevant when discussing the campus protests.

We need to make sure that theres not a hostile learning environment, Raskin said. But people have a right to speak and to protest and to make their views known.

Raskin said he hopes the student protests on college campuses throughout the country will operate within the spirit and the tradition of nonviolence.

Thats critical, Raskin said. And I certainly hope that they would reject antisemitism along with every other form of discrimination and violence.

House to vote on antisemitism bill

The bipartisan bill that House lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday, H.R. 6090, would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, with which all schools that receive federal funding are required to comply.

The Department of State adopted that definition in 2016, which is a non-legally-binding working definition of antisemitism.

That definition would be: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

Some of those manifestations include targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity, according to guidance from the U.S. State Department.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect students from discrimination based only on religion, so the civil rights division in the Department of Education refers those complaints to the Department of Justice, according to the Department of Education.

Concerns about chilling free speech

Some Democrats have raised concerns that the House bill is too broad, and would create a chilling effect of free speech. That includes the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York.

Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination, Nadler said Monday during a meeting of the Rules Committee, which advanced the bill to the floor.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York on Monday called for Congress to debate legislation to address antisemitism, but pressed for a different bipartisan bill, H.R. 7921.

The effort to crush antisemitism and hatred in any form is not a Democratic or Republican issue, Jeffries wrote in a letter to Johnson. Its an American issue that must be addressed in a bipartisan manner with the fierce urgency of now.

The post U.S. House speaker leading congressional push to curb campus protests over Gaza appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle.
Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building at Columbia University which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024, in New York City. (Alex Kent | Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson argued Tuesday protests on college campuses calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have crossed the line and represent a threat to Jewish students  one day before lawmakers in that chamber are set to vote on a bipartisan bill that would define antisemitism for the Department of Education.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, is leading efforts in the House to object to rising antisemitism throughout the country, as well as punish colleges and universities that allow the student protests to continue.

The university is intended to be the free marketplace of ideas. Its where you should have vigorous debate, thoughtful debate, consideration of weighty issues  and often youll have very different opinions, vigorous disagreement, Johnson said. Thats all great. Thats what the First Amendment protects.

This is not that, he added, referencing the protests. What these students are doing is shutting down the campuses, taking control of buildings.

Many college campus protesters have called for their own universities to cut financial ties, such as endowments, with companies that do business with Israel or those that make weapons used in the war in Gaza that has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Several of the protests on college campuses include Jewish students, many of whom wear shirts indicating they are members of Jewish Voice for Peace, which says it is the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world.

Oversight of colleges in committees

At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Johnson promised a Congress-wide effort to address the protests across colleges, such as oversight of university presidents and pulling funding for colleges.

Antisemitism  is a virus and it will spread if its not stamped out, Johnson said.

He was joined by the Republican chairs of several committees, including North Carolinas Virginia Foxx, who leads the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Ohios Jim Jordan, who leads the Judiciary Committee.

Foxx has held several hearings in which she brought in university presidents to grill them about the student protests. She said that shes now invited the president of Yale, chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles, and president of the University of Michigan for a hearing on May 23.

American universities are officially put on notice that we have come to take our universities back, Foxx said. College is not a park for play-acting juveniles or a battleground for radical activists.

Jordan said that Republicans sent Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas a letter asking if the agency knew how many international students on visas participated in protests.

Jordan said he also wants to know if Mayorkas has started removal proceedings for those students.

Those are the questions that are in front of the Judiciary Committee that we want the answers to, Jordan said.

Johnson argued protests are out of control and are no longer using protected free speech. He also said it is incumbent upon every leader in this country to reject antisemitism.

Johnson also visited Columbia University last week and met with the president, Minouche Shafik, and called for her to resign.

Former President Donald Trump, who is once again seeking the Oval Office as the Republican Partys presumptive nominee, made several comments during his first term in office and during this campaign that have been called antisemitic or were seen as supporting white supremacist movements.

Trump earlier this month said that any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat or votes for Biden should have their head examined and said in March that Jewish people who vote for Democrats hate Israel.

Schumer condemns lawlessness

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York made similar remarks late Tuesday about the protests that have taken place at Columbia University.

Smashing windows with hammers and taking over university buildings is not free speech  it is lawlessness, and those who did it should promptly face the consequences that are not merely a slap on the wrist, Schumer said.

Free speech, discussion, and even strong disagreement are fundamental American values, and campuses should be places where those values are cherished. Campuses cannot be places of learning and argument and discussion when protests veer into criminality, and those who commit such acts are doing nothing to convince others that their cause is just, Schumer continued.

Raskin hopes for tradition of nonviolence

Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin said during a brief interview Tuesday that lawmakers from both political parties are reacting with horror to antisemitic utterances and speech, and everybody is reacting with horror to violence.

Its not at the level of something like January 6, where police officers are getting injured and wounded, but its very serious, Raskin said. And its a departure from, you know, the nonviolent tradition in American protests.

Raskin said that the First Amendment, which protects the freedom of speech and assembly, as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, are relevant when discussing the campus protests.

We need to make sure that theres not a hostile learning environment, Raskin said. But people have a right to speak and to protest and to make their views known.

Raskin said he hopes the student protests on college campuses throughout the country will operate within the spirit and the tradition of nonviolence.

Thats critical, Raskin said. And I certainly hope that they would reject antisemitism along with every other form of discrimination and violence.

House to vote on antisemitism bill

The bipartisan bill that House lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday, H.R. 6090, would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, with which all schools that receive federal funding are required to comply.

The Department of State adopted that definition in 2016, which is a non-legally-binding working definition of antisemitism.

That definition would be: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions, and religious facilities.

Some of those manifestations include targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity, according to guidance from the U.S. State Department.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect students from discrimination based only on religion, so the civil rights division in the Department of Education refers those complaints to the Department of Justice, according to the Department of Education.

Concerns about chilling free speech

Some Democrats have raised concerns that the House bill is too broad, and would create a chilling effect of free speech. That includes the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York.

Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination, Nadler said Monday during a meeting of the Rules Committee, which advanced the bill to the floor.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York on Monday called for Congress to debate legislation to address antisemitism, but pressed for a different bipartisan bill, H.R. 7921.

The effort to crush antisemitism and hatred in any form is not a Democratic or Republican issue, Jeffries wrote in a letter to Johnson. Its an American issue that must be addressed in a bipartisan manner with the fierce urgency of now.

The post U.S. House speaker leading congressional push to curb campus protests over Gaza appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson argued Tuesday that protests on college campuses calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have crossed the line and represent a threat to Jewish students. His remarks came one day before lawmakers in that chamber are set to vote on a bipartisan bill that would define antisemitism for the Department of Education.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, is leading efforts in the House to object to rising antisemitism throughout the country, as well as to punish colleges and universities that allow the student protests to continue.

The university is intended to be the free marketplace of ideas. Its where you should have vigorous debate, thoughtful debate, consideration of weighty issues  and often youll have very different opinions, vigorous disagreement, Johnson said. Thats all great. Thats what the First Amendment protects.

This is not that, he added, referencing the protests. What these students are doing is shutting down the campuses, taking control of buildings.

Many college campus protesters have called for their own universities to cut financial ties, such as endowments, with companies that do business with Israel or those that make weapons used in the war in Gaza that, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians.

Several of the protests on college campuses include Jewish students, many of whom wear shirts indicating they are members of Jewish Voice for Peace, which says it is the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world.

Johnson argued protests are out of control and are no longer using protected free speech. He also said it is incumbent upon every leader in this country to reject antisemitism.

Former President Donald Trump, who is once again seeking the Oval Office as the Republican Partys presumptive nominee, made several comments during his first term in office and during this campaign that have been called antisemitic or were seen as supporting white supremacist movements.

Trump earlier this month said that any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat or votes for Biden should have their head examined and said in March that Jewish people who vote for Democrats hate Israel.

Raskin hopes for tradition of nonviolence

Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin said during a brief interview Tuesday that lawmakers from both political parties are reacting with horror to antisemitic utterances and speech, and everybody is reacting with horror to violence.

Its not at the level of something like January 6, where police officers are getting injured and wounded, but its very serious, Raskin said. And its a departure from, you know, the nonviolent tradition in American protests.

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin addresses the crowd at a Democratic party rally attended by President Joe Biden in Rockville on Aug. 25, 2022. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines.

Raskin said that the First Amendment, which protects the freedom of speech and assembly, as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, are relevant when discussing the campus protests.

We need to make sure that theres not a hostile learning environment, Raskin said. But people have a right to speak and to protest and to make their views known.

Raskin said he hopes the student protests on college campuses throughout the country will operate within the spirit and the tradition of nonviolence.

Thats critical, Raskin said. And I certainly hope that they would reject antisemitism along with every other form of discrimination and violence.

The bipartisan bill that House lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday, H.R. 6090, would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, with which all schools that receive federal funding are required to comply.

The Department of State adopted that definition in 2016, which is a non-legally-binding working definition of antisemitism.

That definition would be: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

Some of those manifestations include targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity, according to guidance from the U.S. State Department.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect students from discrimination based only on religion, so the civil rights division in the Department of Education refers those complaints to the Department of Justice, according to the Department of Education.

Concerns about chilling free speech

Some Democrats have raised concerns that the House bill is too broad, and would create a chilling effect on free speech. That includes the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York.

Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination, Nadler said Monday during a meeting of the Rules Committee, which advanced the bill to the floor.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York on Monday called for Congress to debate legislation to address antisemitism, but pressed for a different bipartisan bill, H.R. 7921.

The effort to crush antisemitism and hatred in any form is not a Democratic or Republican issue, Jeffries wrote in a letter to Johnson. Its an American issue that must be addressed in a bipartisan manner with the fierce urgency of now.

The post U.S. House speaker leading congressional push to curb campus protests over Gaza appeared first on Maryland Matters.
Two loons swim with their chick on Clear Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 2021. (Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer.)

The U.S. House approved four bills focused on natural resources and land management Tuesday, promoting a Republican message of dissatisfaction with the Biden administrations approach to conservation.

The four bills would force the withdrawal of a recent Bureau of Land Management rule that would allow leases for conservation, remove mining restrictions near Minnesotas Boundary Waters, delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act and block federal bans on lead ammunition.

The bills passed with few members of each party crossing the aisle. North Dakota Republican Kelly Armstrong supported all four bills.

They are unlikely to become law  or even receive a vote in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate  but their passage is an election-year message that Republicans support extractive industries in rural communities and oppose what they describe as an overreaching environmental agenda.

Whether its the new BLM rule that fundamentally threatens the western way of life, or the decision to lock up enormous deposits of increasingly scarce minerals, its clear Biden and his bureaucrats have no interest in properly stewarding our federal lands or listening to local stakeholders, House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican, said in a statement following the votes.

Democrats blasted the bills, saying they were ideological rather than practical.

The entire House schedule this week misses the mark, California Democrat Jared Huffman said. It elevates right-wing ideology over the actual needs of the American people.

Huffman managed Democratic speakers during much of Tuesdays floor debate in place of House Natural Resources ranking Democrat Raul Grijalva of Arizona, who announced a cancer diagnosis last month.

Biden has signaled strong opposition to the bills.

BLM rule

The House voted 212-202 to pass Utah Republican John Curtis bill to withdraw the recent BLM rule. Democrats Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington voted yes, along with all Republicans except for Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

The rule creates a new type of lease for conservation, putting it on the same level as extractive industries like mining, energy development and livestock grazing.

Republicans have vocally opposed it since it was first proposed last year, saying it upends the agencys decades-long multiple-use framework.

BLM lands should be reserved for productive uses, several House Republicans said Tuesday.

Conservation is not a use, Westerman said on the House floor Tuesday. Its a value and an outcome that can be generated by the uses that are already in place on BLM lands.

Democrats said the rule did not block any other use, but simply elevated conservation, which they said was an important consideration.

The rule will protect clean water, clean air and wildlife habitat, Colorado Democrat Joe Neguse said. Itll promote the restoration of degraded landscapes. It will ensure that decisions are based on the best available science and collaboration with tribal, local and rural communities.

But here is what the bill does not do, he added. It does not disallow or preclude any one of the multiple uses that the chairman referenced during the opening of this particular debate.

Boundary Waters

The House passed, 212-203, a bill to rescind an administration ban on mining operations near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. Golden and Perez voted in favor along with all Republicans.

Pete Stauber, the representative from the area who introduced the measure, said it would promote the economy of the mineral-rich region.

Stauber, a Republican who chairs a mining subcommittee, criticized the Biden administrations approach to extractive industries. Boosting domestic mining would give U.S. policymakers more control over environmental and labor protections than importing critical minerals from overseas.

Bidens mining policy of anywhere but America, any worker but American must be stopped, Stauber said. We can find these minerals domestically under the best labor and environmental standards in the world. We know this all too well in Northern Minnesota, where mining is our past, our present and our future.

Democrats objected to the bill, saying it endangered the Boundary Waters separating Minnesota from Canada. The wilderness area is a beloved destination for many in the state.

This piece of legislation would revoke key protections for a watershed that contains some of the purest, freshest water in the nation, in the world, Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum said.

Gray wolf

The House voted 209-205 to pass a bill authored by Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert that would remove the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list.

Republicans Fitzpatrick, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Mike Garcia of California and Nancy Mace of South Carolina voted against the bill. Democrats Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Cuellar, Golden and Perez voted in favor.

Under the bill, states would be empowered to manage wolf populations, Boebert said on the House floor.

During floor debate, Republicans said wolves have fully recovered and no longer needed federal protections. They also said the predators were a nuisance to livestock and the ranchers whose livelihoods depend on cattle and sheep.

I stand here today celebrating the success story of the Endangered Species Act, seeing that the gray wolf has been fully recovered, Boebert said. I also stand today  in defense of our farmers and our ranchers.

Democrats argued that while gray wolves numbers have increased, they are still in danger of extinction if federal protections were to disappear.

Virginia Democrat Don Beyer noted that states such as Montana, Wyoming and Idaho that have delisted wolves saw overhunting.

Were in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, Beyer said. We should be supporting current scientific efforts by fully funding the agencies that carry out ESA extinction preservation work.

Beyer also took a veiled shot at South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican who described in a recently published memoir killing her 14-month-old hunting dog in a gravel pit.

Dogs kill twice as many cattle as wolves, Beyer said.

Yet we dont say that all good dogs should go to the gravel pit, he said.

Lead bullets

The House also passed, 214-201, a bill sponsored by Virginia Republican Rob Wittman to block the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior from regulating the use of lead ammunition or lead fishing equipment on federal lands or waters.

Republicans Fitzpatrick, Gatez and Vern Buchanan of Florida voted against it.

Democrats Cuellar, Donald Davis of North Carolina, Robert Garcia of California, Golden, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Mary Peltola of Alaska and Perez voted in favor.

Each side accused the other of indulging special interests on the issue.

Democrats said Republicans were more concerned about blocking regulations on guns than promoting hunting and fishing.

When it comes to guns, and now ammo, any type of restriction is too much for Republican ideology, Huffman said.

Westerman said the bill probably is more aimed at fending off any kind of attack they can take on our Second Amendment rights, but said that Democrats opposition was due to their loyalty to extreme environmentalists.

Manage these lands for the public, not for your special interest, radical environmental groups, he said. I think Congress has to take the lead on that.

The post U.S. House votes to kill BLM rule, delist gray wolf, end Boundary Waters mining limits appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
Two loons swim with their chick on Clear Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 2021. Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer.

The U.S. House approved four bills focused on natural resources and land management Tuesday, promoting a Republican message of dissatisfaction with the Biden administrations approach to conservation.

The four bills would force the withdrawal of a recent Bureau of Land Management rule that would allow leases for conservation, remove mining restrictions near Minnesotas Boundary Waters, delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act and block federal bans on lead ammunition.

The bills passed with few members of each party crossing the aisle.

They are unlikely to become law  or even receive a vote in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate  but their passage is an election-year message that Republicans support extractive industries in rural communities and oppose what they describe as an overreaching environmental agenda.

Whether its the new BLM rule that fundamentally threatens the western way of life, or the decision to lock up enormous deposits of increasingly scarce minerals, its clear Biden and his bureaucrats have no interest in properly stewarding our federal lands or listening to local stakeholders, House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican, said in a statement following the votes.

Democrats blasted the bills, saying they were ideological rather than practical.

The entire House schedule this week misses the mark, California Democrat Jared Huffman said. It elevates right-wing ideology over the actual needs of the American people.

Huffman managed Democratic speakers during much of Tuesdays floor debate in place of House Natural Resources ranking Democrat Raul Grijalva of Arizona, who announced a cancer diagnosis last month.

Biden has signaled strong opposition to the bills.

BLM rule

The House voted 212-202 to pass Utah Republican John Curtis bill to withdraw the recent BLM rule. Democrats Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington voted yes, along with all Republicans except for Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

The rule creates a new type of lease for conservation, putting it on the same level as extractive industries like mining, energy development and livestock grazing.

Republicans have vocally opposed it since it was first proposed last year, saying it upends the agencys decades-long multiple-use framework.

BLM lands should be reserved for productive uses, several House Republicans said Tuesday.

Conservation is not a use, Westerman said on the House floor Tuesday. Its a value and an outcome that can be generated by the uses that are already in place on BLM lands.

Democrats said the rule did not block any other use, but simply elevated conservation, which they said was an important consideration.

The rule will protect clean water, clean air and wildlife habitat, Colorado Democrat Joe Neguse said. Itll promote the restoration of degraded landscapes. It will ensure that decisions are based on the best available science and collaboration with tribal, local and rural communities.

But here is what the bill does not do, he added. It does not disallow or preclude any one of the multiple uses that the chairman referenced during the opening of this particular debate.

Boundary Waters

The House passed, 212-203, a bill to rescind an administration ban on mining operations near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. Golden and Perez voted in favor along with all Republicans.

Rep. Pete Stauber, a Minnesota lawmaker who introduced the measure, said it would promote the economy of the mineral-rich region.

Stauber, a Republican who chairs a mining subcommittee, criticized the Biden administrations approach to extractive industries. Boosting domestic mining would give U.S. policymakers more control over environmental and labor protections than importing critical minerals from overseas.

Bidens mining policy of anywhere but America, any worker but American must be stopped, Stauber said. We can find these minerals domestically under the best labor and environmental standards in the world. We know this all too well in Northern Minnesota, where mining is our past, our present and our future.

Democrats objected to the bill, saying it endangered the Boundary Waters separating Minnesota from Canada. The wilderness area is a beloved destination for many in the state.

This piece of legislation would revoke key protections for a watershed that contains some of the purest, freshest water in the nation, in the world, Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum said.

Gray wolf

The House voted 209-205 to pass a bill authored by Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert that would remove the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list.

Republicans Fitzpatrick, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Mike Garcia of California and Nancy Mace of South Carolina voted against the bill. Democrats Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Cuellar, Golden and Perez voted in favor.

Under the bill, states would be empowered to manage wolf populations, Boebert said on the House floor.

During floor debate, Republicans said wolves have fully recovered and no longer needed federal protections. They also said the predators were a nuisance to livestock and the ranchers whose livelihoods depend on cattle and sheep.

I stand here today celebrating the success story of the Endangered Species Act, seeing that the gray wolf has been fully recovered, Boebert said. I also stand today  in defense of our farmers and our ranchers.

Democrats argued that while gray wolves numbers have increased, they are still in danger of extinction if federal protections were to disappear.

Virginia Democrat Don Beyer noted that states such as Montana, Wyoming and Idaho that have delisted wolves saw overhunting.

Were in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, Beyer said. We should be supporting current scientific efforts by fully funding the agencies that carry out ESA extinction preservation work.

Beyer also took a veiled shot at South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican who described in a recently published memoir killing her 14-month-old hunting dog in a gravel pit.

Dogs kill twice as many cattle as wolves, Beyer said.

Yet we dont say that all good dogs should go to the gravel pit, he said.

Lead bullets

The House also passed, 214-201, a bill sponsored by Virginia Republican Rob Wittman to block the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior from regulating the use of lead ammunition or lead fishing equipment on federal lands or waters.

Republicans Fitzpatrick, Gatez and Vern Buchanan of Florida voted against it.

Democrats Cuellar, Donald Davis of North Carolina, Robert Garcia of California, Golden, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Mary Peltola of Alaska and Perez voted in favor.

Each side accused the other of indulging special interests on the issue.

Democrats said Republicans were more concerned about blocking regulations on guns than promoting hunting and fishing.

When it comes to guns, and now ammo, any type of restriction is too much for Republican ideology, Huffman said.

Westerman said the bill probably is more aimed at fending off any kind of attack they can take on our Second Amendment rights, but said that Democrats opposition was due to their loyalty to extreme environmentalists.

Manage these lands for the public, not for your special interest, radical environmental groups, he said. I think Congress has to take the lead on that.

The post U.S. House votes to kill BLM rule, delist gray wolf, end Boundary Waters mining limits appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Two loons swim with their chick on Clear Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 2021. (Max Nesterak | Minnesota Reformer)

The U.S. House approved four bills focused on natural resources and land management Tuesday, promoting a Republican message of dissatisfaction with the Biden administrations approach to conservation.

The four bills would force the withdrawal of a recent Bureau of Land Management rule that would allow leases for conservation, remove mining restrictions near Minnesotas Boundary Waters, delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act and block federal bans on lead ammunition.

The bills passed with few members of each party crossing the aisle.

They are unlikely to become law  or even receive a vote in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate  but their passage is an election-year message that Republicans support extractive industries in rural communities and oppose what they describe as an overreaching environmental agenda.

Whether its the new BLM rule that fundamentally threatens the western way of life, or the decision to lock up enormous deposits of increasingly scarce minerals, its clear Biden and his bureaucrats have no interest in properly stewarding our federal lands or listening to local stakeholders, House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican, said in a statement following the votes.

Democrats blasted the bills, saying they were ideological rather than practical.

The entire House schedule this week misses the mark, California Democrat Jared Huffman said. It elevates right-wing ideology over the actual needs of the American people.

Huffman managed Democratic speakers during much of Tuesdays floor debate in place of House Natural Resources ranking Democrat Raul Grijalva of Arizona, who announced a cancer diagnosis last month.

Biden has signaled strong opposition to the bills.

BLM rule

The House voted 212-202 to pass Utah Republican John Curtis bill to withdraw the recent BLM rule. Democrats Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington voted yes, along with all Republicans except for Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

The rule creates a new type of lease for conservation, putting it on the same level as extractive industries like mining, energy development and livestock grazing.

Republicans have vocally opposed it since it was first proposed last year, saying it upends the agencys decades-long multiple-use framework.

BLM lands should be reserved for productive uses, several House Republicans said Tuesday.

Conservation is not a use, Westerman said on the House floor Tuesday. Its a value and an outcome that can be generated by the uses that are already in place on BLM lands.

Democrats said the rule did not block any other use, but simply elevated conservation, which they said was an important consideration.

The rule will protect clean water, clean air and wildlife habitat, Colorado Democrat Joe Neguse said. Itll promote the restoration of degraded landscapes. It will ensure that decisions are based on the best available science and collaboration with tribal, local and rural communities.

But here is what the bill does not do, he added. It does not disallow or preclude any one of the multiple uses that the chairman referenced during the opening of this particular debate.

Boundary Waters

The House passed, 212-203, a bill to rescind an administration ban on mining operations near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. Golden and Perez voted in favor along with all Republicans.

Pete Stauber, the representative from the area who introduced the measure, said it would promote the economy of the mineral-rich region.

Stauber, a Republican who chairs a mining subcommittee, criticized the Biden administrations approach to extractive industries. Boosting domestic mining would give U.S. policymakers more control over environmental and labor protections than importing critical minerals from overseas.

Bidens mining policy of anywhere but America, any worker but American must be stopped, Stauber said. We can find these minerals domestically under the best labor and environmental standards in the world. We know this all too well in Northern Minnesota, where mining is our past, our present and our future.

Democrats objected to the bill, saying it endangered the Boundary Waters separating Minnesota from Canada. The wilderness area is a beloved destination for many in the state.

This piece of legislation would revoke key protections for a watershed that contains some of the purest, freshest water in the nation, in the world, Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum said.

Gray wolf

The House voted 209-205 to pass a bill authored by Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert that would remove the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list.

Republicans Fitzpatrick, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Mike Garcia of California and Nancy Mace of South Carolina voted against the bill. Democrats Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Cuellar, Golden and Perez voted in favor.

Under the bill, states would be empowered to manage wolf populations, Boebert said on the House floor.

During floor debate, Republicans said wolves have fully recovered and no longer needed federal protections. They also said the predators were a nuisance to livestock and the ranchers whose livelihoods depend on cattle and sheep.

I stand here today celebrating the success story of the Endangered Species Act, seeing that the gray wolf has been fully recovered, Boebert said. I also stand today  in defense of our farmers and our ranchers.

Democrats argued that while gray wolves numbers have increased, they are still in danger of extinction if federal protections were to disappear.

Virginia Democrat Don Beyer noted that states such as Montana, Wyoming and Idaho that have delisted wolves saw overhunting.

Were in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, Beyer said. We should be supporting current scientific efforts by fully funding the agencies that carry out ESA extinction preservation work.

Beyer also took a veiled shot at South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican who described in a recently published memoir killing her 14-month-old hunting dog in a gravel pit.

Dogs kill twice as many cattle as wolves, Beyer said.

Yet we dont say that all good dogs should go to the gravel pit, he said.

Lead bullets

The House also passed, 214-201, a bill sponsored by Virginia Republican Rob Wittman to block the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior from regulating the use of lead ammunition or lead fishing equipment on federal lands or waters.

Republicans Fitzpatrick, Gatez and Vern Buchanan of Florida voted against it.

Democrats Cuellar, Donald Davis of North Carolina, Robert Garcia of California, Golden, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Mary Peltola of Alaska and Perez voted in favor.

Each side accused the other of indulging special interests on the issue.

Democrats said Republicans were more concerned about blocking regulations on guns than promoting hunting and fishing.

When it comes to guns, and now ammo, any type of restriction is too much for Republican ideology, Huffman said.

Westerman said the bill probably is more aimed at fending off any kind of attack they can take on our Second Amendment rights, but said that Democrats opposition was due to their loyalty to extreme environmentalists.

Manage these lands for the public, not for your special interest, radical environmental groups, he said. I think Congress has to take the lead on that.

The post U.S. House votes to kill BLM rule, delist gray wolf, end Boundary Waters mining limits appeared first on New Jersey Monitor.
Two loons swim with their chick on Clear Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 2021. (Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer.)

The U.S. House approved four bills focused on natural resources and land management Tuesday, promoting a Republican message of dissatisfaction with the Biden administrations approach to conservation.

The four bills would force the withdrawal of a recent Bureau of Land Management rule that would allow leases for conservation, remove mining restrictions near Minnesotas Boundary Waters, delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act and block federal bans on lead ammunition.

The bills passed with few members of each party crossing the aisle.

They are unlikely to become law  or even receive a vote in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate  but their passage is an election-year message that Republicans support extractive industries in rural communities and oppose what they describe as an overreaching environmental agenda.

Whether its the new BLM rule that fundamentally threatens the western way of life, or the decision to lock up enormous deposits of increasingly scarce minerals, its clear Biden and his bureaucrats have no interest in properly stewarding our federal lands or listening to local stakeholders, House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican, said in a statement following the votes.

Democrats blasted the bills, saying they were ideological rather than practical.

The entire House schedule this week misses the mark, California Democrat Jared Huffman said. It elevates right-wing ideology over the actual needs of the American people.

Huffman managed Democratic speakers during much of Tuesdays floor debate in place of House Natural Resources ranking Democrat Raul Grijalva of Arizona, who announced a cancer diagnosis last month.

Biden has signaled strong opposition to the bills.

BLM rule

The House voted 212-202 to pass Utah Republican John Curtis bill to withdraw the recent BLM rule. Democrats Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington voted yes, along with all Republicans except for Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

The rule creates a new type of lease for conservation, putting it on the same level as extractive industries like mining, energy development and livestock grazing.

Republicans have vocally opposed it since it was first proposed last year, saying it upends the agencys decades-long multiple-use framework.

BLM lands should be reserved for productive uses, several House Republicans said Tuesday.

Conservation is not a use, Westerman said on the House floor Tuesday. Its a value and an outcome that can be generated by the uses that are already in place on BLM lands.

Democrats said the rule did not block any other use, but simply elevated conservation, which they said was an important consideration.

The rule will protect clean water, clean air and wildlife habitat, Colorado Democrat Joe Neguse said. Itll promote the restoration of degraded landscapes. It will ensure that decisions are based on the best available science and collaboration with tribal, local and rural communities.

But here is what the bill does not do, he added. It does not disallow or preclude any one of the multiple uses that the chairman referenced during the opening of this particular debate.

Boundary Waters

The House passed, 212-203, a bill to rescind an administration ban on mining operations near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. Golden and Perez voted in favor along with all Republicans.

Pete Stauber, the representative from the area who introduced the measure, said it would promote the economy of the mineral-rich region.

Stauber, a Republican who chairs a mining subcommittee, criticized the Biden administrations approach to extractive industries. Boosting domestic mining would give U.S. policymakers more control over environmental and labor protections than importing critical minerals from overseas.

Bidens mining policy of anywhere but America, any worker but American must be stopped, Stauber said. We can find these minerals domestically under the best labor and environmental standards in the world. We know this all too well in Northern Minnesota, where mining is our past, our present and our future.

Democrats objected to the bill, saying it endangered the Boundary Waters separating Minnesota from Canada. The wilderness area is a beloved destination for many in the state.

This piece of legislation would revoke key protections for a watershed that contains some of the purest, freshest water in the nation, in the world, Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum said.

Gray wolf

The House voted 209-205 to pass a bill authored by Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert that would remove the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list.

Republicans Fitzpatrick, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Mike Garcia of California and Nancy Mace of South Carolina voted against the bill. Democrats Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Cuellar, Golden and Perez voted in favor.

Under the bill, states would be empowered to manage wolf populations, Boebert said on the House floor.

During floor debate, Republicans said wolves have fully recovered and no longer needed federal protections. They also said the predators were a nuisance to livestock and the ranchers whose livelihoods depend on cattle and sheep.

I stand here today celebrating the success story of the Endangered Species Act, seeing that the gray wolf has been fully recovered, Boebert said. I also stand today  in defense of our farmers and our ranchers.

Democrats argued that while gray wolves numbers have increased, they are still in danger of extinction if federal protections were to disappear.

Virginia Democrat Don Beyer noted that states such as Montana, Wyoming and Idaho that have delisted wolves saw overhunting.

Were in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, Beyer said. We should be supporting current scientific efforts by fully funding the agencies that carry out ESA extinction preservation work.

Beyer also took a veiled shot at South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican who described in a recently published memoir killing her 14-month-old hunting dog in a gravel pit.

Dogs kill twice as many cattle as wolves, Beyer said.

Yet we dont say that all good dogs should go to the gravel pit, he said.

Lead bullets

The House also passed, 214-201, a bill sponsored by Virginia Republican Rob Wittman to block the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior from regulating the use of lead ammunition or lead fishing equipment on federal lands or waters.

Republicans Fitzpatrick, Gatez and Vern Buchanan of Florida voted against it.

Democrats Cuellar, Donald Davis of North Carolina, Robert Garcia of California, Golden, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Mary Peltola of Alaska and Perez voted in favor.

Goldens office did not respond to Maine Morning Stars request for comment on the votes.

Each side accused the other of indulging special interests on the issue.

Democrats said Republicans were more concerned about blocking regulations on guns than promoting hunting and fishing.

When it comes to guns, and now ammo, any type of restriction is too much for Republican ideology, Huffman said.

Westerman said the bill probably is more aimed at fending off any kind of attack they can take on our Second Amendment rights, but said that Democrats opposition was due to their loyalty to extreme environmentalists.

Manage these lands for the public, not for your special interest, radical environmental groups, he said. I think Congress has to take the lead on that.

SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE

The post U.S. House votes to kill BLM rule, delist gray wolf, end Boundary Waters mining limits appeared first on Maine Morning Star.
Key Insights

Expeditors International of Washington to hold its Annual General Meeting on 7th of May

CEO Jeff Musser's total compensation includes salary of US$100.0k

The overall pay is comparable to the industry average

Expeditors International of Washington's total shareholder return over the past three years was 1.1% while its EPS grew by 8.7% over the past three years

Performance at Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (NYSE:EXPD) has been reasonably good and CEO Jeff Musser has done a decent job of steering the company in the right direction. In light of this performance, CEO compensation will probably not be the main focus for shareholders as they go into the AGM on 7th of May. Based on our analysis of the data below, we think CEO compensation seems reasonable for now.

View our latest analysis for Expeditors International of Washington

Comparing Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.'s CEO Compensation With The Industry

At the time of writing, our data shows that Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. has a market capitalization of US$16b, and reported total annual CEO compensation of US$7.5m for the year to December 2023. Notably, that's a decrease of 31% over the year before. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth acknowledging that the salary portion is lower, valued at US$100k.

For comparison, other companies in the American Logistics industry with market capitalizations above US$8.0b, reported a median total CEO compensation of US$6.0m. From this we gather that Jeff Musser is paid around the median for CEOs in the industry. What's more, Jeff Musser holds US$27m worth of shares in the company in their own name, indicating that they have a lot of skin in the game.

Component 2023 2022 Proportion (2023) Salary US$100k US$100k 1% Other US$7.4m US$11m 99% Total Compensation US$7.5m US$11m 100%

Talking in terms of the industry, salary represented approximately 17% of total compensation out of all the companies we analyzed, while other remuneration made up 83% of the pie. Expeditors International of Washington has chosen to walk a path less trodden, opting to compensate its CEO with less of a traditional salary and more non-salary rewards over the last year. If total compensation is slanted towards non-salary benefits, it indicates that CEO pay is linked to company performance.

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.'s Growth

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. has seen its earnings per share (EPS) increase by 8.7% a year over the past three years. It saw its revenue drop 46% over the last year.

We would prefer it if there was revenue growth, but the modest EPS growth gives us some relief. It's hard to reach a conclusion about business performance right now. This may be one to watch. Looking ahead, you might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for the company's future earnings..

Has Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. Been A Good Investment?

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. has generated a total shareholder return of 1.1% over three years, so most shareholders wouldn't be too disappointed. Although, there's always room to improve. Accordingly, a proposal to increase CEO remuneration without seeing an improvement in shareholder returns might not be met favorably by most shareholders.

To Conclude...

Expeditors International of Washington prefers rewarding its CEO through non-salary benefits. 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. In saying that, any proposed increase to CEO compensation will still be assessed on how reasonable it is based on performance and industry benchmarks.

While CEO pay is an important factor to be aware of, there are other areas that investors should be mindful of as well. We've identified 1 warning sign for Expeditors International of Washington that investors should be aware of in a dynamic business environment.

Important note: Expeditors International of Washington is an exciting stock, but we understand investors may be looking for an unencumbered balance sheet and blockbuster returns. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

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.
Two loons swim with their chick on Clear Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 2021. (Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer)

The U.S. House approved four bills focused on natural resources and land management Tuesday, promoting a Republican message of dissatisfaction with the Biden administrations approach to conservation.

The four bills would force the withdrawal of a recent Bureau of Land Management rule that would allow leases for conservation, remove mining restrictions near Minnesotas Boundary Waters, delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act and block federal bans on lead ammunition.

The bills passed with few members of each party crossing the aisle. All four Iowa representatives, who are Republicans, voted in favor of all four bills.

They are unlikely to become law  or even receive a vote in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate  but their passage is an election-year message that Republicans support extractive industries in rural communities and oppose what they describe as an overreaching environmental agenda.

Whether its the new BLM rule that fundamentally threatens the western way of life, or the decision to lock up enormous deposits of increasingly scarce minerals, its clear Biden and his bureaucrats have no interest in properly stewarding our federal lands or listening to local stakeholders, House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican, said in a statement following the votes.

Democrats blasted the bills, saying they were ideological rather than practical.

The entire House schedule this week misses the mark, California Democrat Jared Huffman said. It elevates right-wing ideology over the actual needs of the American people.

Huffman managed Democratic speakers during much of Tuesdays floor debate in place of House Natural Resources ranking Democrat Raul Grijalva of Arizona, who announced a cancer diagnosis last month.

Biden has signaled strong opposition to the bills.

BLM rule

The House voted 212-202 to pass Utah Republican John Curtis bill to withdraw the recent BLM rule. Democrats Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington voted yes, along with all Republicans except for Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

The rule creates a new type of lease for conservation, putting it on the same level as extractive industries like mining, energy development and livestock grazing.

Republicans have vocally opposed it since it was first proposed last year, saying it upends the agencys decades-long multiple-use framework.

BLM lands should be reserved for productive uses, several House Republicans said Tuesday.

Conservation is not a use, Westerman said on the House floor Tuesday. Its a value and an outcome that can be generated by the uses that are already in place on BLM lands.

Democrats said the rule did not block any other use, but simply elevated conservation, which they said was an important consideration.

The rule will protect clean water, clean air and wildlife habitat, Colorado Democrat Joe Neguse said. Itll promote the restoration of degraded landscapes. It will ensure that decisions are based on the best available science and collaboration with tribal, local and rural communities.

But here is what the bill does not do, he added. It does not disallow or preclude any one of the multiple uses that the chairman referenced during the opening of this particular debate.

Boundary Waters

The House passed, 212-203, a bill to rescind an administration ban on mining operations near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. Golden and Perez voted in favor along with all Republicans.

Pete Stauber, the representative from the area who introduced the measure, said it would promote the economy of the mineral-rich region.

Stauber, a Republican who chairs a mining subcommittee, criticized the Biden administrations approach to extractive industries. Boosting domestic mining would give U.S. policymakers more control over environmental and labor protections than importing critical minerals from overseas.

Bidens mining policy of anywhere but America, any worker but American must be stopped, Stauber said. We can find these minerals domestically under the best labor and environmental standards in the world. We know this all too well in Northern Minnesota, where mining is our past, our present and our future.

Democrats objected to the bill, saying it endangered the Boundary Waters separating Minnesota from Canada. The wilderness area is a beloved destination for many in the state.

This piece of legislation would revoke key protections for a watershed that contains some of the purest, freshest water in the nation, in the world, Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum said.

Gray wolf

The House voted 209-205 to pass a bill authored by Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert that would remove the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list.

Republicans Fitzpatrick, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Mike Garcia of California and Nancy Mace of South Carolina voted against the bill. Democrats Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Cuellar, Golden and Perez voted in favor.

Under the bill, states would be empowered to manage wolf populations, Boebert said on the House floor.

During floor debate, Republicans said wolves have fully recovered and no longer needed federal protections. They also said the predators were a nuisance to livestock and the ranchers whose livelihoods depend on cattle and sheep.

I stand here today celebrating the success story of the Endangered Species Act, seeing that the gray wolf has been fully recovered, Boebert said. I also stand today  in defense of our farmers and our ranchers.

Democrats argued that while gray wolves numbers have increased, they are still in danger of extinction if federal protections were to disappear.

Virginia Democrat Don Beyer noted that states such as Montana, Wyoming and Idaho that have delisted wolves saw overhunting.

Were in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, Beyer said. We should be supporting current scientific efforts by fully funding the agencies that carry out ESA extinction preservation work.

Beyer also took a veiled shot at South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican who described in a recently published memoir killing her 14-month-old hunting dog in a gravel pit.

Dogs kill twice as many cattle as wolves, Beyer said.

Yet we dont say that all good dogs should go to the gravel pit, he said.

Lead bullets

The House also passed, 214-201, a bill sponsored by Virginia Republican Rob Wittman to block the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior from regulating the use of lead ammunition or lead fishing equipment on federal lands or waters.

Republicans Fitzpatrick, Gatez and Vern Buchanan of Florida voted against it.

Democrats Cuellar, Donald Davis of North Carolina, Robert Garcia of California, Golden, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Mary Peltola of Alaska and Perez voted in favor.

Each side accused the other of indulging special interests on the issue.

Democrats said Republicans were more concerned about blocking regulations on guns than promoting hunting and fishing.

When it comes to guns, and now ammo, any type of restriction is too much for Republican ideology, Huffman said.

Westerman said the bill probably is more aimed at fending off any kind of attack they can take on our Second Amendment rights, but said that Democrats opposition was due to their loyalty to extreme environmentalists.

Manage these lands for the public, not for your special interest, radical environmental groups, he said. I think Congress has to take the lead on that.

The post U.S. House votes to kill BLM rule, delist gray wolf, end Boundary Waters mining limits appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
(Bloomberg) -- The UAE has canceled meetings with Londons Lord Mayor and other British officials as a dispute deepened over the Persian Gulf nations alleged role in the civil war ravaging Sudan.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Lord Mayor Michael Mainelli, the ceremonial head of the City of London, saw plans for meetings with United Arab Emirates officials to discuss green finance this week called off at the last minute, according to a person familiar with the matter. Separately, UK Science Minister Andrew Griffith had an invitation to visit the UAE to discuss space cooperation rescinded, according to another person familiar with the situation.

The diplomatic dust-up comes after the UK joined the US in increasing pressure on the UAE to withdraw backing for the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. The militia group is threatening to move on a city thats home to more than 2 million people in western Sudan.

War erupted in the East African nation on April 15 last year, when the RSF militia and Sudans army turned on each other. That followed months of talks over merging their forces and transitioning the mineral-rich country toward democracy. The fighting has killed almost 15,000 people and left half of the population of 50 million in need of food assistance. Some 11 million are displaced internally, and the capital, Khartoum, lies in ruins.

The UAE is a key backer of the RSF, supplying it with weapons and funding, according to a report by United Nations investigators seen by Bloomberg in January. The US is engaged in talks with Emirati officials about their role in the war, while the UK has initiated discussions on Sudan at the UN Security Council in New York. Those moves have irked officials from the UAE.

Last month, UK Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell told Channel 4 News that his boss, David Cameron, had raised the issue directly with the UAE. They must not allow arms to get into this conflict  because if they do it will damage them, as well as everyone else. So its a message which Britain is putting very forcefully, Mitchell said.

The UAE affirmed its categorical rejection of the allegations in a statement on Tuesday, saying the country was engaging with the US and others to work for a settlement. This dissemination of disinformation and false narratives by a warring side of the conflict after more than a year of this crisis aims to only deflect responsibility and undermine international efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, the UAE said.

The UAE said it had no comment on questions about the canceled meetings with British officials. The UK Foreign Office didnt respond to a request for comment. The City of London Corporation declined to comment.

Mainelli took over in November as Lord Mayor  a role that involves promoting the City of London abroad through overseas trips and hosting dignitaries at Mansion House in London. Mainelli and the UK delegation were due to see businesses in the UAE since their meetings with government officials have been canceled, said the person familiar with the matter.

Britains role in the dispute has also disappointed the government in Sudan, which has accused London of not doing enough in the UN to highlight UAE activities. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that it regrets that Britain is abandoning its moral and political duty as a permanent member of the Security Council and its obligation to address Sudanese issues in the council.

The episode is putting further strain on the UKs relationship with the UAE. The Persian Gulf nation has pledged to invest some 15 billion ($18.8 billion) in Britain to support areas such as the life sciences and the energy transition, Bloomberg reported last month.

Earlier on Tuesday, the UAE-backed RedBird IMI withdrew its bid to acquire British media titles the Telegraph and the Spectator, after stiff political opposition prompted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to move to block the sale.

The UAE is considering several large investments in the UK, including at Heathrow Airport and the Sizewell C nuclear facility. Britain is also hoping to strike a free trade deal with the six Gulf nations that form the Gulf Cooperation Council.

--With assistance from Paul Wallace, Zainab Fattah and Mohammed Alamin.

(Updates with UAE no comment in eighth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain lambasted the mass arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses across the country, while emphasizing the unions call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The UAW will never support the mass arrest or intimidation of those exercising their right to protest, strike, or speak out against injustice, Fain wrote Wednesday on the social platform X. Our union has been calling for a ceasefire for six months. This war is wrong, and this response against students and academic workers, many of them UAW members, is wrong.

Hundreds of students and faculty members have been arrested over the past two weeks as pro-Palestinian protests roil college campuses nationwide. Demonstrators have taken to university yards and streets and started encampments to protest Israels wartime campaign in Gaza and call for a halt in U.S. aid to Israel.

Tensions spiked in New York and California on Tuesday night, resulting in the arrest of hundreds of demonstrators.

The New York Police Department on Tuesday went through a second-story window of a building at Columbia that was seized by demonstrators. Police cleared out the protesters, and videos quickly circulated on social media showing the arrests at Columbia, which has served as ground zero for the mass college protests that have quickly spread across the country.

New York Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday confirmed around 300 people were arrested.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, counter-protesters clashed with pro-Palestinian demonstrators when they attempted to dismantle the encampment on that campus. Los Angeles Police Department officers responded, but it was not immediately clear how many arrests were made and whether there were any injuries.

The leadership at UAW 4811, the union chapter representing postdoctoral scholars and researchers of the University of California campuses, voted on Wednesday to hold a strike authorization vote as early as next week should the circumstances justify.

Should the university decide to curtail the right to participate in protected, concerted activity; discriminate against union members or political viewpoints; and create or allow threats to members health and safety, among others, UAW 4811 members will take any and all actions necessary to enforce our rights, UAW 4811 wrote in a statement.

Fain on Wednesday said the UAW is calling for the release of students and employees.

And If you cant take the outcry, stop supporting this war, Fain added.

The UAW backed a long-term cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in December. The war has lasted nearly seven months since Hamass Oct. 7 attacks against southern Israel, during which the militant group killed about 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.

Israels retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

Updated at 5:04 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Uber and Lyft alternatives say they will launch in Minneapolis soon  just not today

At least nine ride-hailing apps have made plans to enter the Twin Cities market since Uber and Lyft threatened to leave over Minneapolis' minimum pay rates.

May 1 was supposed to be a big day in Minneapolis for emerging ride-hail companies, with at least nine startups saying they would launch in the Twin Cities and claim the market share surrendered by Uber and Lyft over minimum pay rates for drivers set by the Minneapolis City Council.

But nearly two months after the City Council passed those rates  delaying enactment until May 1 and then July 1  just two transportation network companies are operational in the city: Uber and Lyft.

Just one potential competitor  MyWeels (with no h)  became licensed in Minneapolis on Wednesday after paying the citys annual fee of $37,145 plus $10,615 for a wheelchair surcharge. MyWeels is also the only ride-hail alternative to be licensed in St. Paul after paying its annual fee of $41,115. Three companies  MyWeels, Moov and Twin City Taxi  have applied to operate at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which has a licensing fee of $500.

MyWeels founder Elam Baer predicted that few companies promising to come to the Twin Cities would get to the starting line, let alone put up a good race.

Baer, the CEO of a Minnesota-based private equity firm, said what set him apart from the others was his access to capital  not some new proprietary technology or the allegiance of hundreds of drivers.

I wish it was something more glamorous but the fact is thats what makes us unique, Baer said in an interview with the Reformer last month.

Viable competitors entering the market could be a boon for drivers and riders by putting more pressure on Uber and Lyft to compete on wages and price, although theres surely a limit on how many apps drivers and riders are likely to use regularly.

Baer said he thought if Uber and Lyft do leave, probably only two alternatives will survive, essentially recreating the duopoly under different names.

Uber and Lyft say theyll remain operational unless the Minneapolis rates take effect, which seems less likely after a second delay and pressure from state lawmakers to find a compromise. That will make scaling up harder for new companies, although they could still benefit from the significant public attention on the issue.

Finding investors is the main test for Uber and Lyft alternatives. In addition to operating licenses for Minneapolis, St. Paul and the airport, transportation network companies need to carry commercial insurance for their drivers with premiums running around $150,000 per year.

Joiryde CEO David Linhardt said he dropped out of the race to enter the Twin Cities because of the excessive licensing fees and lack of clarity on insurance costs and coverage requirements.

Weve encouraged the city to lower the barriers to entry if they want more competition in this space. So far, we havent seen evidence this has happened, Linhardt wrote in an email.

MOOV founder Murid Amini said they are ready to go but just need to pay the fees. He said they have investor interest and expect to launch mid-May.

Hich (without the t) COO Mustafa Sheikh said he submitted an application to the city this week and is still working on applications for St. Paul and the airport. He said they have a tentative launch date of June 1.

Drivers Cooperative founder Erik Forman said they plan to run test trips this weekend but dont have a tentative launch date. Forman said the delay by the council gives them more time to raise money, build up the co-op, and recruit riders. Forman said they have signed up over 2,000 drivers.

A pair of entrepreneurs planning to start a ride-hail company called Portal  using a decentralized technology similar to cryptocurrency  say the technology is being put through a dress rehearsal in Austin, Texas in June. The company, which will use the app Teleport, could launch soon after.

We dont want to overpromise and underdeliver. Wed rather launch something that can quickly scale to 12,000 drivers and hundreds of thousands of passengers in this market than to have systems that lead to dissatisfaction, said Portal founder Niko LeMieux. You really only get one chance to capture mind share for users.

Empower, by far the most developed competitor to Uber and Lyft, doesnt have the same start-up costs as other companies because it doesnt call itself a transportation network company and therefore wont apply for licenses or carry commercial auto insurance. The legality of its model  calling itself a booking agency like Expedia or OpenTable  is being challenged by Washington, D.C.

In an email, Empower CEO Josh Sear declined to provide a new launch date but said they are in active conversations with city and state elected officials.

Representatives for Wridz and U Got Wheelz did not respond to requests for comment.

At a news conference with Minneapolis City Council members, leaders of an India-based company called Juspay also announced plans to enter the market with an app called Bridge. Chief Growth Officer Shan M S said in an email that they are in the final stages of development and are aiming to launch in Minneapolis in early June.

The Minneapolis minimum rates set to take effect July 1 guarantee drivers $1.40 per mile and 51 cents per minute, which is higher than whats needed to ensure drivers earn the citys minimum wage of $15.57 per hour, according to a state analysis of the more than 18 million Uber and Lyft trips taken in Minnesota in 2022.

That report estimates the typical Twin Cities driver would have to be paid at least 89 cents per mile to pay for vehicle costs and their share of payroll taxes plus 49 cents per minute to earn the Minneapolis minimum wage. The researchers also calculated a higher per mile rate of $1.21, which would compensate drivers for benefits including health insurance, paid sick leave, paid family medical leave and retirement savings.

At a Minneapolis City Council committee hearing on Tuesday, the citys research team presented new estimates of Uber and Lyft driver expenses that could either justify the state proposal or the city ordinance. C

The city staff found drivers would need to be paid around the $1.21 per mile recommended in the state report if drivers purchased brand new vehicles and financed them over five years, whereas they would need to earn around the citys $1.40 per mile if they financed the vehicles over three years. The authors of the state report assumed drivers purchased used vehicles and financed them over three years.

*This story was updated after MyWeels received its license to operate in Minneapolis.

The post Uber and Lyft alternatives say they will launch in Minneapolis soon  just not today appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Police officers were called to quell violent scenes that broke out on the UCLA campus late Tuesday as opposing groups of protesters brawled inside the pro-Palestine encampment.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed early Wednesday that its officers were helping to restore order and maintain public safety. It said it was acting at the request of UCLA due to multiple acts of violence within the large encampment on their campus.

NYPD Carts Off Dozens of Columbia Student Protesters on Buses

The trouble started shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday when a group of counter-protesters surrounded the encampment, according to KABC, hours after the university declared the encampment unlawful and urged students to leave or face sanctions. Barricades around the encampment were torn down by counter-protesters, and people were seen throwing fireworks and using sticks as weapons during the ensuing clashes.

As the pro-Israel counter protesters violently tore at the barricade, one protester loosed a disturbing chant, calling for a Second Nabka!

The chant refers to the violent ethnic cleansing of Palestinians during the Israeli war in 1948, which allowed for Israel to seize large swaths of territory across Palestine. The interaction was captured in a video posted to X by Los Angeles Times reporter Teresa Watanabe.

Pro-Israel counterprotestors started tearing down @UCLA encampment barriers and screamed "Second nakba!" referring to the mass displacement & dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Per @latimes @safinazzal on the scene with another video: pic.twitter.com/zSplnd1bYO  Teresa Watanabe (@TeresaWatanabe) May 1, 2024

Shortly after the counter-protesters arrived, security officers hired by the university sought shelter in a nearby university building and refused to allow students, including journalists, to enter behind them, The Daily Bruin reported.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reported that security officers were seen observing the aggression and did nothing to deescalate the situation.

Mary Osako, UCLAs vice chancellor for strategic communications, confirmed to the campus newspaper early Wednesday that the university had called law enforcement for immediate support.

Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight, Osako told the Daily Bruin. The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene. We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end.

Its not yet clear how many people were injured in the fighting. A participant inside the encampment told the college newspaper that at least five people were hurt, mostly with eye injuries, and some had been temporarily unresponsive. The outlet also reported that both sides had released irritant gasses during the clashes.

The Los Angeles Times separately reported that some activists carrying lumber had tried to defend the perimeter of the encampment when masked counter-protesters attempted to tear down the barricades. It added that the pro-Palestinian protesters used pepper spray to defend themselves from the incursion.

The Times also reported that the violence continued even after law enforcement arrived at the campus and that officers failed to immediately break up the fighting.

Reporters from the The Daily Bruin, posted to X that several of their reporters were followed and attacked by a group of protesters around 3:30 a.m., but did not specify which group of protesters enacted the violent assault.

Shortly before 3:30 a.m., four Daily Bruin reporters were walking on campus when they were followed and then assaulted.  Daily Bruin (@dailybruin) May 1, 2024

The paper also reported that a group of assailants sprayed reporters with an irritant. Another post on X from student journalist Catherine Hamilton, clarified that counter-protesters had sprayed a press group with some sort of gas akin to pepper spray.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass similarly condemned the situation. The violence unfolding this evening at UCLA is absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable, she posted on X early Wednesday. LAPD has arrived on campus.

California Gov. Gavin Newsoms press office also said it is closely monitoring the situation at the school. Law enforcement leaders are in contact this evening and resources are being mobilized, the office said.

NOW at UCLA: Pro-Israel protesters just tore down the metal barricades and began ripping flags off the encampment. They trying to break in the encampment to fight people. pic.twitter.com/C5uVAEZuoh  Joey Scott (@joeyneverjoe) May 1, 2024

200+ pro-Israel counterprotestors are attacking the @UCLA pro-Palestinian encampment. They started beating on one student and stomped another under a plywood board per @latimes @safinazzal on the scene. Where is UCLA security? pic.twitter.com/zjYNFWSK7r  Teresa Watanabe (@TeresaWatanabe) May 1, 2024

A group of Israel supporters have attacked anti-war protesters at UCLA university in Los Angeles in the US. The group was filmed carrying out assaults and using fireworks and pepper spray on demonstrators at the Gaza war protest encampment. pic.twitter.com/FW1HnSUSer  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 1, 2024

In a statement before the violence, the pro-Palestinian protesters had denounced UCLAs declaration of the encampment as unlawful. We will not leave, the statement read. We will remain here until our demands are met.

A list of five demands included with the post said the university should divest in companies and institutions complicit in the israeli occupation, apartheid, and genocide of the Palestinian people. It also called for the school to sever all ties with the LAPD and cut all UC-wide connections to israeli universities.

The clashes in California came after officers in New York cleared a Columbia University building being occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters on Tuesday night in a dramatic operation. A spokesman for Columbia said the school had been left with no choice but to take action after protesters occupied, vandalized, and blockaded Hamilton Hall.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Violence erupted between police and student protesters Tuesday night and Wednesday morning at Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with hundreds arrested in New York.

The New York City Police Department went through a second-story window at a Columbia building that had been seized by demonstrators and cleared out the protesters, with video of the arrests quickly going viral on social media.

New York Mayor Eric Adamss office (D) said Wednesday that around 300 people were arrested.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, a school spokesperson said in a statement. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.

The spokesperson added the university believes those who took over the building were not affiliated with the school.

While other schools with protests have seen many arrested on campus with no affiliation to their institutions, Columbia has had their campus closed to people without IDs for about two weeks.

Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) entered UCLAs campus to crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters after they were called over skirmishes between the encampment and pro-Israel counter-demonstrators.

The violence unfolding this evening at UCLA is absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable. LAPD has arrived on campus, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) posted on the social platform X before 2 a.m. local time Wednesday morning.

Violence began at the protest before 11 p.m. on Tuesday night after counterprotesters attempted to forcibly dismantle the pro-Palestinian encampment, local station KTLA reported. KTLA is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

It is not known how many were injured.

The police presence and arrests have been denounced as dangerous by progressives, who point to other schools that have found ways to reach a deal with activists.

If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents. Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wrote on X. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making. I urge the Mayor to reverse course.

Northwestern University and Brown University were both able to strike deals with protesters this week to have their encampments taken down peacefully. At Brown, the exchange means the board will take a vote in the fall on whether to divest from Israel.

Republicans, despite their calls for campus leadership to get the protests under control, are blasting schools including Columbia for the events of Tuesday night.

Amid the absolute chaos at Columbia University, Joe Biden is absent because he is afraid to face the issue, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) posted on X with a video of the police raid.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
UCLA was reeling Wednesday after hours of violence that unfolded overnight at a pro-Palestinian encampment, heightening concerns about the university's handling of the protests over the Gaza war and the future of the camp.

Just before midnight, a large group, wearing black outfits and white masks, arrived on campus and tried to tear down the barricades surrounding the encampment.

Campers, some holding lumber and wearing goggles and helmets, rallied to defend the site's perimeter.

Over several hours, counterdemonstrators hurled objects, including wood and a metal barrier, at the camp and those inside. Fights repeatedly broke out. Some tried to force their way into the camp, and the pro-Palestinian side used pepper spray to defend themselves. Fireworks were also launched into the camp.

The attack went uncountered for three hours, until dozens of officers from the California Highway Patrol, LAPD and other agencies arrived and restored order. The slow response sparked criticism and calls for investigations.

In a letter to the University of California Board of Regents obtained by The Times, UC President Michael V. Drake wrote that there is "sufficient confusion" surrounding the violence that he was ordering an independent review of the university's planning, its actions and the response by law enforcement.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block called the incident "a dark chapter in our campuss history" and said the university was "carefully examining our own security processes in light of recent events."

The question looming over the campus now is the fate of the camp. On Tuesday evening, UCLA had declared the camp "unlawful" and in violation of university policy.

In his letter to the regents, Drake said Block told him the university will dismantle the encampment  which was erected last week in a demand for divestment from Israel and an end to the country's military actions in the Gaza Strip  at "the appropriate time."

It is unclear how many people were injured in the incident. Drake wrote in the letter to the regents that 15 people were hurt. However, demonstrators said 25 members of their group were taken to hospitals for treatment. A 26-year-old man suffering from a head injury was taken to the hospital by paramedics, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

As the violence unfolded, students were tending to one another, treating eye irritation and other injuries inside the camp.

Pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israeli supporters clash at an encampment at UCLA early Wednesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles)

UCLA officials decried the violence and said they had requested help from the Los Angeles Police Department. It is unclear whether police made any arrests. UCLA police did not respond to a request for comment, and a spokesperson for the LAPD declined to comment Wednesday.

Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight, and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support," Mary Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA strategic communications, said in a statement. "The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene. We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end."

There were only a handful of university police on campus when the violence broke out. A group of private unarmed security guards observed the clashes but did not move in.

Read more: Photos: Tensions grow as pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses continue

Around 1:40 a.m., police officers in riot gear arrived, and some counterprotesters began to leave. But the police did not immediately break up the clashes at the camp, which continued despite the law enforcement presence.

There must be a full investigation into what occurred on campus last night," L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said Wednesday. "Those involved in launching fireworks at other people, spraying chemicals and physically assaulting others will be found, arrested and prosecuted, as well as anyone involved in any form of violence or lawlessness."

A camp representative said the counterdemonstrators repeatedly pushed over barricades that mark the boundaries of the encampment, and some campers said they were hit by a substance they thought was pepper spray. As counterprotesters attempted to pull down the wood boards surrounding the encampment, at least one person could be heard yelling, "Second nakba!" referring to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Daily Bruin News Editor Catherine Hamilton said she was sprayed with some type of irritant and repeatedly punched in the chest and upper abdomen as she was reporting on the unrest. Another student journalist was pushed to the ground by counterprotesters and was beaten and kicked for nearly a minute, she said. Hamilton was treated at a hospital and released.

I truly did not expect to be directly assaulted. I know that these individuals  at least the individual who initiated the mobilization against us  knew that we were journalists," she said. "And while I did not think that protected us from harassment, I thought that might have [prevented us from being] assaulted. I was mistaken.

Around 3 a.m., a line of officers arrived at the camp and pushed the remaining counterprotesters out of the quad area. The police told people to leave or face arrest.

A pro-Palestinian protester bleeds from his head after clashing with pro-Israeli supporters at UCLA early Wednesday. A pro-Palestinian protester gets his eyes washed after getting maced by pro-Israeli supporters at UCLA. A pro-Palestinian protester tries to recover after being sprayed with mace. Wally Skalij / Los Angeles

Ananya Roy, a professor of urban planning, social welfare and geography, echoed concerns about the university's lack of response when faced with a violent counterprotest.

"It gives people impunity to come to our campus as a rampaging mob," she said. "The word is out they can do this repeatedly and get away with it. I am ashamed of my university."

Hours after the violent episode, students on campus were still shaken. Campus security and the CHP were working to fortify all entrances into the encampment area.

Hannah Appel, assistant professor of anthropology at UCLA, stood at a staircase adjacent to Royce Hall where she allowed people bringing medical supplies, clothing and water into the encampment area.

Because of the escalated violence last night, we have to be very vigilant and careful about who can come in and out, Appel said behind a makeshift barricade.

Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), whose district includes the UCLA campus, criticized university administration in a statement Wednesday, saying they had failed to protect their students.

"No matter how strongly one may disagree with or be offended by the anti-Israel demonstrators messages, tactics, or goals, violence is never acceptable and those responsible must be held accountable," Zbur said.

The Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, condemned the violence, which it said was carried out by a "mob of pro-Israel extremists." CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush called on law enforcement to identify and hold accountable those who participated and for Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to investigate the police response.

Read more: Photos: Clashes at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on California campuses

Last night's attack on UCLA students supporting Palestine was only the latest incident of violence against them. In recent days, pro-Israel extremists directed racial slurs and sexual threats at students, spat on a student and released a pack of mice into the encampment," Ayloush said in a statement.

The nonprofit organization Jewish Federation Los Angeles said in a statement Wednesday morning that it was "appalled" by the violence on campus overnight and placed blame on campus leaders. The group also called for the chancellor to remove the encampment.

"The abhorrent actions of a few counterprotesters last night do not represent the Jewish community or our values," the group wrote. "We believe in peaceful, civic discourse."

UCLA is one of numerous universities where students have erected tents as part of a wave of protests by students, faculty members and staffers demanding an end to Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip and divestment from firms that sell weapons or services to the country.

Read more: Photos: Clashes at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on California campuses

The Westwood campus became the first in the University of California system to move against an encampment. Others have been set up at UC campuses at Berkeley, Riverside and Irvine along with colleges and universities across the nation.

UC has generally taken a lighter touch in handling protests than USC, Columbia and other campuses that have called in police, who have arrested hundreds of students.

The violence came on the same day that the U.S. House committee investigating antisemitism announced Block would testify about his campus actions to stop bias and harassment against Jewish students. The May 23 hearing is also set to include the presidents of Yale and the University of Michigan. The hearings have derailed the careers of the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard. Block has already announced he is stepping down as chancellor on July 31.

California Highway Patrol officers stand guard during an altercation between clashing groups at UCLA on Wednesday. (Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)

In a statement Tuesday, Drake, the UC president, said he "fully" supported UCLA's action. UC must be "as flexible as it can" in matters of free speech, he said, but must act in cases where student learning and expression are blocked, university functions disrupted and safety threatened.

"The University of California campuses will work with students, faculty and staff to make space available and do all we can to protect these protests and demonstrations," he said. "But disruptive unlawful protests that violate the rights of our fellow citizens are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated."

He did not specify what behavior at UCLA he found unacceptable.

The UC Board of Regents has scheduled a closed-door meeting Friday to discuss the student protests.

Read more: Dueling Gaza protests at UCLA draw hundreds as USC sees peaceful demonstration

UC guidance  developed after widespread furor involving a 2011 incident at UC Davis, when police pepper-sprayed students who were peacefully protesting social and economic inequality during the Occupy movement  has led colleges to use a flexible approach in allowing protests as long as they are peaceful and don't impede campus operations, learning or teaching. Police action should be a last resort, the guidance says.

But Block said Tuesday that although many demonstrators have been peaceful, others have used tactics that have "frankly been shocking and shameful."

"We have seen instances of violence completely at odds with our values as an institution dedicated to respect and mutual understanding," he said in a message to the campus community. "In other cases, students on their way to class have been physically blocked from accessing parts of the campus.

Read more: Pro-Palestinian protests grow at California campuses as opposing demonstrators clash at UCLA

"UCLA supports peaceful protest, but not activism that harms our ability to carry out our academic mission and makes people in our community feel bullied, threatened and afraid," he wrote. He added that the incidents had put many on campus, "especially our Jewish students," in a state of anxiety and fear.

High levels of fear also have been reported by pro-Palestinian students, which Block did not mention  an omission that outraged some campus members.

Demonstrators clash at an encampment at UCLA early Wednesday. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)

"It is quite shocking and demoralizing that the chancellor notes only the antisemitism faced by Jewish students when in fact there has been a significant number of incidents of racism and violence against Palestinians, Muslims and, in fact, anyone considered a supporter of Palestinian rights," said Sherene Razack, a professor of gender studies.

The "Palestinian Solidarity Encampment" said in a statement that "Zionist aggressors," most of them not UCLA students, had been "incessantly verbally and physically harassing us, violently trying to storm the camp, and threatening us with weapons." But campus security did nothing to protect them, the statement said.

The group decried UCLA's move to end the encampment as a "cowardly intimidation tactic" and a "continuation of a long history of attempts to shut down student activism and silence pro-Palestinian voices."

A woman prays in front of CHP officers next to a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA early Wednesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Dan Gold, executive director of Hillel at UCLA, supported the university's action, saying Jewish students have been bullied, harassed and intimidated around the encampment  including at least 10 who said they were denied access to nearby walkways after encampment monitors asked them if they were Zionists. A Star of David with the words "step here" was drawn in the area, he said.

"This encampment violates a long list of university policies, and the result of not enforcing these rules that every other student and student group follows to a T is chaos and unrest  and worse, it allows for even more intense forms of hate to persist and grow," Gold said.

Block said the campus was aiming to keep all sides safe by "significantly" increasing the security presence with more law enforcement officers, safety personnel and student affairs staff. Law enforcement is investigating recent acts of violence, and barriers that demonstrators used to block access to buildings have been removed, Block said. Students involved could face suspension or expulsion.

UCLA added that it "encouraged" students to use established university procedures to find appropriate locations to gather and protest.

Times staff writers Richard Winton, Melissa Gomez, Dakota Smith, Colleen Shalby and photographer Michael Blackshire contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A pro-Palestinian encampment is cordoned off by stanchions on the UCLA campus on Sunday. On Tuesday, the school deemed the encampment unlawful. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

May 1 (UPI) -- The University of California, Los Angeles, has informed pro-Palestinian protesters that their encampment is "unlawful" and violates school policies as it moves to disband the demonstration.

Student and non-student demonstrators erected their encampment Thursday in the Royce Quad of the UCLA's campus in demand that the university divest from Israel while calling for a halt in the fighting between the Middle Eastern country and Hamas in Gaza.

The message was sent to demonstrators Tuesday, and comes as other universities across the United States have asked police to dismantle similar protests erected on their campuses, resulting in hundreds of arrests.

A copy of the message published online by the activist group People's City Council of Los Angeles, which is involved in the encampment, states that those involved but not affiliated with the school are breaking the law and could face misdemeanor charges.

UCLA students who remain in the encampment could be sanctioned, including being suspended or dismissed from the school, it said.

The UCLA Palestinian Solidarity Encampment responded by accusing the school of employing a "cowardly intimidation tactic."

"We will remain here until our demands are met," it said in a statement.

It also accused the school of failing to protect them from "zionists" who "threaten our safety every night by verbally, physically and emotionally assaulting the students participating in the encampment."

UCLA President Michael Drake said in a statement Tuesday night that he supports campus taking this step toward dismantling the encampment.

"The University of California must be as flexible as it can involving matters of free expression, including expression of viewpoints that some find deeply offensive," he said. "But when that expression blocks the ability of students to learn or to express their own viewpoints, when it meaningfully disrupts the functioning of the University, or when it threatens the safety of students, or anyone else, we must act."

Drake had also said in a letter to the university's community that while most of the demonstrators have been peaceful, some have employed "shocking and shameful" tactics, citing instances of violence and students being blocked from accessing parts of the campus.

In response, the school "significantly increased" security at the site and has asked law enforcement to investigated recent acts of violence, he said.

"I recognize that the suffering in the Middle East has had a profound impact on our campus, and we continue to hope for a peaceful resolution," he said. "While Bruins hold a variety of perspectives on this conflict, we must all protect the wellbeing of our peers and maintain an environment safe for learning."
'Unacceptable': Why it took hours for police to quell attack at UCLA pro-Palestinian camp

A woman prays in front of a line of California Highway Patrol officers next to a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA early Wednesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

When dozens of counterprotesters swarmed UCLA late Tuesday night, attacking the Palestinian solidarity encampment at the center of campus, university authorities were quickly overwhelmed.

Law enforcement sources told The Times there were only a few UCLA police officers on hand. They tried to stop the violence but were no match for the crowd and had to retreat, having been attacked themselves, the sources said.

A group of unarmed private security guards was there as well. But the guards were hired mainly to protect campus buildings, not to break up fights or make arrests. So they observed the scene as it descended into chaos.

It would take about three hours for scores of California Highway Patrol officers and police from Los Angeles and other agencies to fully bring the situation under control.

Read more: After violent night at UCLA, classes cancelled, UC president launches investigation into response

The response to the violence is now under increasing scrutiny, with many on campus and outside criticizing UCLA for not handling the violent counterprotest better.

"The limited and delayed campus law enforcement response at UCLA last night was unacceptable  and it demands answers," a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement Wednesday.

UC President Michael V. Drake, in a letter to the University of California Board of Regents obtained by The Times, said the way the incident was handled requires an outside inquiry.

Protesters shore up a barricade around the pro-Palestinian encampment on the UCLA campus on Wednesday. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

"There is sufficient confusion that I am ordering an independent external review of UCLAs planning and its actions and of the mutual aid response" by law enforcement, he wrote in the letter. "I believe such a review can address many of my immediate questions but also help guide us for possible future events."

Since the formation of the camp at UCLA on Thursday, the university had taken a mostly hands-off approach to protests.

While on the other side of the city, students in the USC encampment were arrested en masse by LAPD, at UCLA, students and others inside the metal-barricaded camp were left to protest day and night with little to no bother from law enforcement.

Even on Sunday, when pro-Israel protesters launched a dueling rally next to the camp and there were a few scuffles, the uniformed police response was minimal. After the rally ended, approximately two dozen uniformed officers from the University of California police and Beverly Hills police lined up in riot gear along Portola Plaza.

Then came Tuesday night, when the university's tactics were tested and tensions between pro-Palestinian students and counterdemonstrators boiled over into violence.

Read more: Timeline: UCLA's night of violence before police moved in

"There need to be consequences, and there need to be changes," said David Myers, a professor of Jewish history at UCLA. "Its a total system failure, and we need to look ourselves in the eye and say how the hell did this happen?"

Myers said that while he applauded leniency toward students in the encampment earlier in the week, he was perplexed and disheartened by the university and law enforcement's slow response to the "violent assault" on the encampment.

Myers, who was not present Tuesday night, said he and other professors stood between pro-Palestinian protesters and counterdemonstrators on Sunday to keep the two sides from clashing. He was concerned at the time by the lack of police response.

Read more: Photos: Clashes at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on California campuses

"Sunday seemed in some ways to be a dress rehearsal for what happened Tuesday," he said.

The violence began around 10:30 p.m., when counterprotesters arrived at UCLA. People inside the encampment quickly began asking for help, saying they were under attack. The counterprotesters, some wearing all black and white masks, surrounded the encampment and tried to break down the barricades, shooting fireworks at them and kicking the wooden boards around the camp.

The only people protecting the encampment and securing the area at the time were a few on-duty UCLA police officers, a source told The Times.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UCLA on Wednesday. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

John Thomas, the chief of the UCLA police department, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But he told the Daily Bruin his officers came under attack while helping an injured woman and had to leave. He placed the number of officers at five to six. Sources told The Times the number was four.

Part of the complication in handling the situation is the fact that UCLA is on state land and also functions as an independent municipal entity, meaning outside police forces generally do not enter the campus without the university's approval.

"This is essentially a private matter. Its UCLAs campus. It's the school's decision to call in LAPD," said Ed Obayashi, a deputy sheriff in Modoc County and a law enforcement advisor to agencies throughout California.

Bringing in LAPD and CHP officers can backfire and escalate situations in certain scenarios, Obayashi said.

Read more: California college campuses become lightning rods for pro-Palestinian protests

Key questions focus on when officials decided to bring in help from other agencies and whether help could have arrived sooner.

Three sources familiar with the discussions, but not authorized to speak publicly, said L.A. Mayor Karen Bass called UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and told him the university should agree to deploy the LAPD.

Mary Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA strategic communications, issued a statement around 12:45 a.m. saying the university had "immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support." At 12:51 a.m., Bass said on X that the LAPD "is responding immediately to Chancellor Blocks request for support on campus.

One source familiar with the discussions, but was not authorized to speak publicly, said Bass strongly encouraged UCLA to deploy the LAPD.

Law enforcement sources said it took time for the LAPD, CHP and other agencies to mobilize the large number of officers needed.

Dozens of law enforcement personnel began moving into the area after 1:30 a.m. Many counterprotesters had left by then. But some clashes continued until the operation was fully complete after 3 a.m.

Block called the incident "a dark chapter in our campuss history" and said the university was "carefully examining our own security processes in light of recent events."

In the wake of the violence, the LAPD is preparing mobile field forces, squads of riot-helmeted officers ready to be rapidly deployed if necessary, the source told The Times.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
California-based manufacturer Ventura Foods has announced it is acquiring fellow US foodservice supplier DYMA Brands for an undisclosed sum.

Ventura, which provides customised and branded products, including dressings, sauces, mayonnaises and oils, for restaurants and to retailers on a private-label basis, said the deal will provide greater choice for its customers and added production capability.

Atlanta, Georgia-based DYMA has a similar product portfolio, with brands including Chefs Companion, Sweet Crystals and Single Serv providing bulk condiments, seasonings and dry blend mixes to the foodservice industry.

It has more than 500 employees and operates manufacturing facilities in Bremen, Georgia, Duluth, Georgia, Bondurant, Iowa and Visalia, California. All DYMA Brands employees and manufacturing locations were acquired as part of the transaction and DYMA will continue to operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ventura Foods.

Chris Furman, president and CEO of Ventura Foods, said in a statement: "DYMA Brands is an ideal fit for Ventura Foods and represents an exciting next chapter of strategic growth for our company.

"This purchase allows us to better support our customers with added production and distribution capabilities and an expanded product portfolio.

Ventura, which is a joint venture between CHS Inc. and Mitsui & Co, owns brands such as SunGlow, Mel-Fry and Sauce Craft. It has customers in more than 70 countries and manufactures products in the US, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines.

Reflecting on the transaction, Bill Goetz, president & CEO of DYMA Brands, said: "While it's clear that DYMA Brands and Ventura Foods share capabilities, what's most noteworthy is the companies' shared philosophy on corporate culture that uniquely positioned Ventura Foods to prevail in this transaction.

"US foodservice supplier Ventura Foods to acquire peer DYMA Brands" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
The University of Florida has agreed to extend its contract with the City of Gainesvilles Regional Transit System for six months, ensuring existing service continues until January.

According to a UF news release, a Wednesday meeting between the university and the city was cordial and productive, with City Manager Cynthia Curry and Dave Kratzer, UFs senior vice president of construction, facilities and auxiliary, spearheading the discussions.

During the extended timeframe, the City of Gainesville, working together with the university, will explore long-term methods of maintaining RTS bus service across the broader community while addressing the universitys specific needs, the release said.

A woman who said her name is J.J. gets on an RTS bus off NW 43rd Street in Gainesville Fla. Feb. 23, 2021. The City of Gainesville is considering giving individuals over 65 and under 18 free RTS bus passes.

More: UF, Gainesville leaders discuss RTS negotiations, say they will reach deal before June 30

More: UF, City say appropriate RTS deal can be reached, return to negotiating table

In April, city leaders announced at a press conference that half of its RTS budget was at risk of being lost if UF were to move forward with a proposal to scale back its prepaid bus fare program. The program, responsible for nearly $13.7 million of RTS $28 million budget this year, would have been greatly reduced at the beginning of July, according to a news release from the city.

At the conference, Mayor Harvey Ward shared that the changes would have forced RTS to eliminate Routes 17, 25, 28, 34, 46 and 150 in July and reduce Routes 1, 5, 8, 9, 12, 16, 20, 21, 33, 35 and 38.

After the press conference, Kratzer penned a letter to Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward asking the city to provide data about RTS costs and return to the negotiating table rather than making threats.

The university will always take a data-driven approach to ensure that we are correctly serving our students. Press conferences and threats of closures are unnecessary and unhelpful, he wrote. We would welcome you back to the table and hope that you will direct your team to provide this crucial data that we have not yet received.

Both parties over the past month have maintained they wanted to work together in good faith to reach an appropriate deal. Meanwhile, dozens of UF students, RTS employees and community members spoke out against UFs proposal.

Much of the back-and-forth on the issue centered around the cost UF was paying per RTS rider, and a portion of Kratzers letter insinuated UF was being unfairly charged for bus fare, stating that RTS charges non-UF riders $1.50 per ride and UF students $2.86 per ride.

The contract, which was set to end June 30, will now last through Jan. 1, 2025, at which point a newly negotiated agreement could go into effect.

All involved agree on the importance of sustained access to bus service across the Gainesville Urbanized Area while talks continue, the release said.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: University of Florida, Gainesville agree to extend RTS contract
LONDON (Reuters) - British authorities have started to detain migrants in preparation for them to be sent to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 weeks, the government said on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's flagship immigration policy.

Parliament last month approved a law that paves the way for sending asylum seekers to Rwanda if they arrive in Britain without permission. Sunak, who is expected to call an election later this year in which illegal migration is likely to feature prominently, wants the first flights to take off in July.

More than 7,500 migrants have arrived in England on small boats from France so far this year. The government says the new law will deter people from making the perilous trip across the Channel. Five people died trying to make the crossing last week.

Images released by Britain's interior ministry on Wednesday showed a man being put in a van by immigration enforcement officials, and another being led out of his house in handcuffs.

"Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground," interior minister James Cleverly said in a statement on Wednesday.

One trade union representing civil servants who may be instructed to help enact the policy said it had launched a legal challenge because its members were potentially being asked to breach international law.

"Civil servants should never be left in a position where they are conflicted between the instructions of ministers and adhering to the Civil Service Code, yet that is exactly what the government has chosen to do," said Dave Penman, General Secretary of the FDA union.

OPPOSITION

Other unions and human rights charities opposed to the policy are expected to launch challenges to stop the flights from taking off after the UK Supreme Court declared the policy unlawful last year.

Care4Calais, a refugee charity, said the detentions had started on Monday.

A spokesperson said the group's helpline had received calls from "tens of people", adding that they still did not know who would be earmarked for the first deportation flight, or when it would be attempted.

"People are very frightened," said Natasha Tsangarides, Associate Director of Advocacy at charity Freedom from Torture, saying the fear of being detained and sent to Rwanda would push some people to go underground and disengage with their support system.

Britain sent its first asylum seeker to Rwanda under a voluntary scheme, The Sun Newspaper reported on Tuesday, a separate programme to the deportation policy.

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar and Sarah Young; editing by Michael Holden and Gareth Jones)
Defence Intelligence of the United Kingdom reported that the FSB interrogated the senior first deputy defence minister of Russia, Ruslan Tsalikov, in a corruption case within the ministry.

Source: UK Defence Intelligence review dated 1 May, as reported by European Pravda

As noted, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov was likely implicated in the investigation, with a higher-ranking official, First Deputy Defence Minister Ruslan Tsalikov, possibly involved.

Tsalikov, often called Ivanov's patron, was interrogated by the FSB concerning Ivanov's case.

Tsalikov is believed to be the third person in the Russian Ministry of Defence hierarchy, after Defense Minister Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff General Gerasimov.

Like Ivanov, Tsalykov has long-standing ties to Defence Minister Shoigu. He worked under Shoigu in the Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies, and Disaster Relief, and followed him first to the governor's office of Moscow Oblast and then, in 2012, to the Ministry of Defence.

There's also a real possibility that the investigation into Ivanov could implicate Russia's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, as some sources claim that construction agencies of the Ministry of Defence built a house for Siluanov.

Corruption has long been a problem in the Russian Ministry of Defence. In 2019, the Chief Military Prosecutor Valery Petrov stated that corruption was "pretty much the root of most of the problems in the state of the rule of law."

Corruption was one of the factors contributing to Russia's inefficiency, especially at the onset of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when corruption was blamed for overdue soldering, poor-quality tires, and reports of fuel embezzlement.

Background:

In one of the previous reviews, the intelligence analysed the arrest of Sergey Shoigu's deputy, Timur Ivanov.

Earlier, Defence Intelligence of the United Kingdom reported a record number of desertion cases being considered by military courts in Russia.

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(Bloomberg) -- The UK government began detaining the first cohort of asylum seekers it intends to deport to Rwanda, the Home Office said, bringing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a step closer to implementing his flagship migration policy.

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The department on Wednesday released images of immigration enforcement officers handcuffing migrants who it said had entered the country illegally. The first deportation flights will take place in the next nine to eleven weeks, it said in an emailed statement.

The controversial policy to send to Rwanda asylum seekers who enter the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats from France has become a dividing line in British politics ahead of a general election expected later this year. The governing Conservatives argue the deportations will act as a deterrent to those seeking to make the crossing, while Keir Starmers poll-leading Labour Party argues the plan is unworkable.

The Tories calculate a tough stance on migration will win back voters who are considering backing the right-wing Reform UK party founded by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage.

Sunak last month pushed a bill through Parliament that declares Rwanda a safe destination for deportees, in an effort to bypass a Supreme Court ruling saying the opposite. The premier pledged the first flights would take off for the African nation in July  a concession that hed missed an earlier promise for them to get going in the spring.

Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground, Home Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement. This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalizing the policy.

Ministers argue that a 36% decline in crossings last year give a taste of the Rwanda policys effect  deterring migrants even before being put into action. But Home Office data now shows crossings rose to a record 7,657 migrants in the first four months of 2024. Thats an increase of more than a quarter on the same period last year, and 14% more than the record levels registered in 2022.

The Home Office didnt say how many migrants were detained on Wednesday. A document published this week by the department showed that of the 5,700 people that Rwanda has agreed to accept, officials can only locate 2,143 for detention  suggesting authorities have lost contact with more than half.

Separately, Sunak on Wednesday responded to reports that the Irish government is deploying more police to tackle migration across the border from Northern Ireland, saying Ireland must uphold its promises on keeping an open frontier.

We cant have cherry-picking of important international commitments, Sunak told the House of Commons. The UK is seeking urgent clarification that there will be no disruption or police check points at or near the border. I can confirm that the UK has no legal obligation to accept returns of illegal migrants from Ireland.

Ireland has detected more migrants crossing into the Republic from Northern Ireland, potentially to avoid being caught up in Sunaks Rwanda deportation plan.

Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee told reporters on Tuesday that the government will release 100 Irish police officers from desktop duties to work on immigration enforcement. The police later told the BBC that those officers will not be assigned to physically police the border with Northern Ireland.

--With assistance from Kitty Donaldson.

(Updates with Irish row starting in ninth paragraph.)

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Ukraine prepares 7 new bilateral security agreements, in particular with US  Zelenskyy

Lloyd Austin, US Minister of the Defence, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State. Photo: Getty Images

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, has announced the preparation of agreements on security cooperation with seven countries, specifically with the US.

Source: Zelenskyy in his evening address on 1 May, as reported by European Pravda

Quote: "We are preparing seven new security documents for our country  bilateral security agreements, including a security agreement with the United States."

He specified that the drafts of some security agreements are ready and expressed hope that they would become the support for Ukraine within the next few years "for the period until we join NATO".

"We are filling the draft agreements with stronger opportunities for Ukraine and for our common security with partners. Obviously, any means of increasing our protection against Russian terror are given special priority," Zelenskyy added.

Background:

So far, Ukraine has signed bilateral security agreements with nine countries, with Latvia being the last of them. It is expected that such an agreement will also be signed with Norway.

Most Ukrainians believe that signing bilateral agreements in the security sector helps Kyiv resist against Russias full-scale aggression.

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Latvia's newly appointed Foreign Minister Baiba Braze has said that Ukraine received Western weapons from some partners with a permission to strike at Russian territory.

Source: Braze in an interview with European Pravda

Details: Ukraine is currently receiving weapons from Western partners with a public warning to avoid using them outside Ukraine. However, Braze believes that this approach can change, and moreover, it is already changing.

"And there are already countries that have provided those weapons without conditions to Ukraine," Braze said. In response to a clarifying question, she replied that there are indeed such countries.

She explained that in these cases, the lifting of restrictions was not publicly announced.

"Not everything is said aloud, and better that it's not said aloud in certain times, but that there is effect on the battlefield. So, indeed, there are various choices, whether saying things [out] loud or just doing the right thing," she said.

Braze expressed her belief that if there are facilities from which Russia is attacking Ukraine, Ukraine has the right to retaliate even if these facilities are located on Russian territory. She stressed that such use of weapons is permitted by international law.

Braze also shared how Latvia's drone coalition plans to meet the needs of Ukrainian forces and expressed her belief that time is not in Russia's favour in this war.

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Key updates on May 1:

Ukrainian drones attack oil refineries in Russia's Ryazan, Voronezh oblasts

Norway to allocate over $630 million for Ukrainian air defense, ammunition

Death toll of Russia's April 29 strike on Odesa rises to 6

Latvian FM: Some countries have provided Ukraine weapons with no restrictions on strikes in Russia

Russian attack on Hirnyk, Donetsk Oblast kills 2, injures at least 6

Drones operated by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) attacked the Ryazan Oil Refinery and a refinery in Voronezh Oblast overnight on May 1, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.

The official was not authorized to talk to the press, as Ukraine rarely publicly takes responsibility for attacks deep inside Russia.

Russian authorities reported on drone strikes against the two oblasts earlier on May 1, with claims being spread on the Russian Telegram channels that the Ryazan refinery was on fire.

The first four explosions could be heard at the Ryazan refinery at around 2 a.m. local time, after which a large fire was seen on the facility's territory.

The Voronezh Oblast refinery was also presumably hit, the sources confirmed, without elaborating on the consequences.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces downed six Ukrainian drones overnight: three over Voronezh Oblast, one over Ryazan Oblast, one over Belgorod Oblast, and one over Kursk Oblast.

Ukrainian forces have recently launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia's oil industry. Attacks against oil depots in Russia's Smolensk Oblast last week destroyed 26,000 cubic meters of fuel, security sources told the Kyiv Independent.

The Ryazan Oil Refinery, the largest plant operated by Rosneft, was reportedly also targeted on March 13.

Read also: Ukrainian drones hit one Russian oil refinery after another

Norway to allocate over $630 million for Ukrainian air defense, ammunition

Oslo will increase aid to Ukraine by 7 billion Norwegian kroner (about $631 million), the bulk of which will support Kyiv's anti-aircraft and artillery ammunition supplies, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told the E24 news outlet on April 30.

Stoere previously said on April 21 that Norway would direct "significant sums" to Ukraine's air defense but did not specify the exact amount.

The new funds will primarily support military aid to Ukraine, with a smaller portion allocated to civilian financial aid, said Stoere.

Norway will partner with Germany, the U.S., and other allies to locate anti-aircraft ammunition to better protect Ukraine's skies. According to Stoere, air defense systems have already been produced and are ready to be delivered to Kyiv in the near future.

"Now it's about delivering fairly immediately on this with air defense," Stoere said.

"We get daily news that Ukrainians are waking up to apartment buildings, hospitals, and power plants being hit by Russian missiles. They must be able to defend themselves against this."

The funds will also support the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine's front-line troops.

Norway has recently ramped up efforts to increase defense production, both for domestic needs and for aid to Ukraine. Oslo allocated 2 billion Norwegian kroner ($190 million) in January for Ukrainian aid.

Read also: Skynex: The German drone destroyer reinforcing Ukraines air defense

Death toll of Russia's April 29 strike on Odesa rises to 6

The death toll of a Russian missile attack against Odesa on April 29 has risen to six after an injured man died in the hospital, Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said on May 1.

Russia launched a cluster munition-armed Iskander missile against Odesa late on April 29, injuring around 30 people.

"This (cluster munition) is an indiscriminate weapon, the use of which can lead to significant casualties among the civilian population," Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said on April 30.

"The investigators have a reason to believe that the decision to use such a weapon was taken by the Russian military officers deliberately to kill as many Ukrainian civilians as possible."

Odesa Oblast and other southern regions of Ukraine are regular targets of Russian missile and drone attacks.

Most recently, Russian forces launched three Iskander-M ballistic missiles against the southern port city overnight on April 30-May 1, killing three people and injuring three others.

Latvian FM: Some countries have provided Ukraine weapons with no restrictions on strikes in Russia

Some of Ukraine's allies have sent weapons to Kyiv with no restrictions on strikes inside Russia, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said in an interview with European Pravda published on May 1.

Ukraine has continued to press its Western allies for longer-range weapons, but partners have hesitated about delivering arms that could potentially be used to strike within Russian territory.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv will not use weapons supplied by foreign partners to hit targets outside of the country's borders. Such restrictions do not apply to domestically produced arms, some of which are reportedly capable of striking deep into Russia.

Braze said that Ukraine needs the capabilities to conduct "deep precision strikes," including against targets on Russian territory.

"Ukraine's (use of Western weapons) is permitted by international law. If there are facilities from which Russia is carrying out attacks on Ukraine, you have the right to respond," the Latvian minister said.

When asked whether the approach to the ban on foreign-made weapons strikes on Russian territory could change, Braze answered that "there are countries that have already provided Ukraine with weapons without such restrictions."

"Not everything is announced publicly, and it is even better not to say it out loud until a certain time. The main thing is the impact on the battlefield. Because there is a choice here  either to speak loudly about something or just to do what is necessary," the minister said.

Ukraine has received long-range missiles, such as the Storm Shadow from the U.K. and the French-made SCALP. The New York Times reported on April 25 that the U.S. had secretly sent more than 100 long-range ATACMS missiles to Kyiv.

Ukrainian forces reportedly successfully used them to strike targets on the Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea.

Read also: The US weapons making their way to Ukraine right now

Governor: 2 killed, 6 injured in Russian attack on Hirnyk, Donetsk Oblast

Russian troops attacked the town of Hirnyk in Donetsk Oblast on May 1, killing two people and injuring six, Governor Vadym Filashkin said, citing preliminary information.



Russia carried out the attack using Uragan multiple rocket launchers, killing a 57-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man, according to the governor.

Hirnyk is located some 50 kilometers west of the occupied city of Donetsk.

"The final information on the number of victims and the extent of damage will be established later," Filashkin said.

Donetsk Oblast, partially occupied by Russian forces since 2014, suffers regular attacks. Local officials report losses among the civilian population on a near-daily basis.

Russian forces attacked seven settlements in the region over the past day, including in the Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk, and Bakhmut districts, local authorities said. Two people were reportedly killed.

Read also: Russia throws thousands of troops to capture Chasiv Yar. Why is it so important?

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By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chair of the House Oversight Committee said on Wednesday he is investigating the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) work with the European Commission in the collapse of Amazon.com's plan to acquire iRobot Corp in a $1.4 billion deal.

Amazon and robot vacuum maker iRobot in January dropped their plans to tie-up in the face of opposition from European and U.S. antitrust regulators.

"The FTCs anticompetitive actions threaten to harm Americas global position in the personal robotics market, while ceding market share of personal robotics to foreign entities such as China," Republican Representative James Comer said in a letter to the FTC asking for documents shared by the FTC with the European Commission. "The FTCs actions indicate to American businesses that the FTC will work outside of U.S. antitrust law by using the EC to realize its desired outcomes."

The FTC declined to comment. Amazon and iRobot did not immediately comment.

After the deal collapsed, iRobot in January announced a significant restructuring plan to reduce costs and said it would cut about 31% of its workforce, or 350 jobs. The company also said founder Colin Angle had stepped down as its CEO.

Amazon said in January the deal had no path to regulatory approval in the European Union.

EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager in January said its in-depth investigation preliminarily showed "the acquisition of iRobot would have enabled Amazon to foreclose iRobot's rivals by restricting or degrading access to Amazon stores."

Separately, the FTC was poised to reject Amazon's deal before the companies announced they were abandoning it, a source told Reuters in January.

Amazon announced the deal in August 2022. The world's largest online retailer, which already owns Alexa and Ring, was pushing to expand its stable of smart home devices as well as expanding the e-commerce giant's virtual healthcare.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Diane Craft)
Ukrainian court sentences Russian soldier to 12 years in prison for raping Ukrainian woman

A Ukrainian court has sentenced a serviceman of the 94th Operational Regiment of the Russian Guard to 12 years in prison for raping a resident of Kherson Oblast when it was occupied.

Source: Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine

Details: Law enforcement officers established that in July 2022, a Russian soldier born in Dagestan appeared at the house of a local resident and threatened her with the aim of having sexual intercourse.

For a long time, the Russian soldier sexually assaulted the victim, intimidating her with gang rape.

The special pre-trial investigation was carried out by investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine in Kherson Oblast. Prosecutors of the Kherson Oblast Prosecutor's Office performed the function of public prosecution in the case.

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A new military recruitment centre was opened in Zakarpattia Oblast on 1 May 2024, bringing the total number of such centres across the country to 19.

Source: Nataliia Kalmykova, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine, on Facebook

Quote: "A new Ukrainian army recruitment centre started working in the city of Uzhhorod today [1 May  ed.]. It is located at 3 Poshtova Square (the premises of the administrative service centre).

The centre is open from Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 16:00, and to 13:00 on Friday...

This is the 19th recruitment centre we have opened in Ukraine, and we will soon open more such centres across the country."

Details: Kalmykova said that if a potential recruit is looking for information about available positions and conditions of service, they can visit the recruitment centre.

She reiterated that recruitment centres do not issue summonses, and their function is purely informational.

The new centre offers hundreds of positions from the Zakarpattia-based units of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service.

Kalmykova clarified that recruitment is also possible even after a person receives a summons to specify their personal details.

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FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian serviceman camouflages a self propelled howitzer at a front line near the town of Chasiv Yar

By Volodymyr Pavlov

NEAR CHASIV YAR, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces defending the strategic eastern stronghold of Chasiv Yar say they are still waiting for fresh ammunition after the United States approved a major military aid package, amid intensifying attacks from Russian troops and drones.

Moscow's army is advancing west of Avdiivka, a city it captured in February, and its troops have reached the outskirts of Chasiv Yar, another major objective that would allow them to command higher ground and target towns and cities further to the west.

Oleh Shyriaiev, commander of Ukraine's 225th Separate Assault Battalion that is fighting near Chasiv Yar, said more artillery shells would help his unit hold their positions.

"I hope we receive artillery shells soon," he said, speaking in a command post close to the town. He added that munitions supplied by allies had made a significant difference on the battlefield in the past.

"I witnessed events a year ago when Wagner was advancing," he said, referring to a powerful Russian mercenary force which has since been disbanded. "We received cluster munitions which changed the situation significantly and we managed to successfully counter-attack."

Cluster munitions are banned by many countries but have been used by both sides in the Ukraine conflict. Kyiv has vowed to use them only to dislodge concentrations of enemy soldiers.

More trained troops and long-range weapons would also help Ukraine defend its territory more effectively, Shyriaiev said.

"If we get long-range weapons, our leaders will cut (Russian forces) off from logistics and supplies."

Ukraine has already received some long-range missiles from its allies, which have been used against Russian airfields, ammunition depots, command posts and troop concentrations.

Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine had attacked Crimea with U.S.-produced Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) in an attempt to pierce Russian air defences on the annexed peninsula, but that six had been shot down.

According to Shyriaiev, his unit was under near-constant attack from Russian drones. They were able to fly at night as well as during the day, because they were equipped with thermal imaging cameras that allowed remote pilots to identify targets.

Russian fighters were reaching the point of contact using vehicles including quad bikes, and despite taking heavy losses they had managed to put Ukrainian troops under severe pressure.

"They suffer big losses, our troops kill a lot of them," he said of the Russians. "But I have to emphasize that the enemy has a lot of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) that significantly impact the situation here."

Casualties have been high on both sides since Russia's invasion in early 2022, but with a much larger army and more weapons and ammunition, Russia has gained the upper hand in the east of Ukraine where the fiercest battles are raging.

Shyriaiev remained confident that Russian forces would not enter Chasiv Yar by May 9, when Russia celebrates Victory Day in World War Two. Some Ukrainian officials have said that Moscow may want to seize the town in time for the date.

The commander said his troops had received more armoured vehicles and drones recently which had eased logistics including his battalion's ability to evacuate wounded soldiers.

(Writing by Anastasiia Malenko, Editing by William Maclean)
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has hosted a kick-off meeting of the working group to develop a model of the Integrated Defence System, which is aimed at strengthening Ukraine's military, geopolitical and economic capabilities.

Source: press service of Ukraines Ministry of Defence

Details: The ministry said that the working group will work in five main areas: military policy, the institutional framework and international cooperation; military and technical policy; human capital management policy; defence resource management policy and national resistance.

Quote from Stanislav Haider, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine: "When developing the model, we act in a systematic and integrated manner; all key projects of institutional development of the Ministry of Defence are developed taking into account the vision of the future model. Five priorities that need to be worked on to build a high-quality integrated model have been identified."

Details: The working group includes 176 representatives from key defence departments, ministries and scientific and research institutions. The results of the group's work are expected to be presented by the end of the year.

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Stanislav Aseyev, a Ukrainian writer, journalist, and activist who has joined Ukraine's Armed Forces, suffered a concussion in combat and was hospitalized, according to his social media post from May 1.

Aseyev is known for his reporting from the Russian-occupied parts of the Donbas region before the full-scale war, which led to him spending more than two years in brutal Russian captivity.

"I'm alive, although according to all the laws of physics and probability, I should have died," Aseyev wrote on X, adding: "The positions, unfortunately, have been lost. Now I'm in the hospital with a concussion."

According to blogger and journalist Denys Kazanskyi, Aseyev was fighting near Ocheretyne in Donetsk Oblast. The village has become the site of heavy battles as Russian forces are pushing deeper into the settlement.

Ocheretyne lies around 15 kilometers (nine miles) northwest of Avdiivka, a key fortified town captured by Russia in February.

Aseyev, a 34-year-old native of Donetsk, remained in his home city after it was occupied by Russia in 2014 and continued reporting on the situation in occupied territories for Ukrainian media.

The writer was abducted by Russian proxies in 2017 and jailed in the infamous Izolyatsia torture prison in Donetsk. He was released in December 2019 in a prisoner exchange. During the full-scale war, Aseyev joined Ukraine's Armed Forces as a volunteer.

Aseyev is also a popular prose writer and received the Shevchenko Award, the country's most prestigious prize for achievements in culture and arts, in 2021.

Read also: Head of notorious Russian torture prison in occupied Donetsk sentenced to 15 years

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Stanislav Aseyev, Ukrainian writer and journalist, laureate of the Shevchenko National Prize and former captive of the so-called "DNR" ("Donetsk People's Republic"), has been injured on the front line.

Source: Aseyev on Twitter (X)

Quote: "I am alive, although by all the laws of physics and probability, I should have been dead. Sadly, the positions have been lost. Right now, I am in the hospital with a concussion," wrote Aseyev.

He also added that he will soon contact his followers for help, as his unit has suffered significant losses in equipment.

On his Facebook page, journalist Denys Kazanskyi posted that Aseyev's unit is "fighting on the hottest front near the village of Ocheretyne."

Kazanskyi called on people to support the wounded writer by ordering his recently published book called Melkhiorovyi slon (Ukrainian for "Melchior Elephant"; this can be done via the link). "Stas planned to present it in Kyiv on 28 April, but he could not due to the escalation on the front," added Kazanskyi.

Note: Stanislav Aseyev is a Ukrainian writer, journalist, and member of the Ukrainian PEN. Under the pseudonym Stanislav Vasin, he worked as a journalist in occupied Donetsk, writing for Radio Liberty and Ukrainskyi Tyzhden (Ukrainian Week). He was kidnapped by "DNR" terrorists on 11 May 2017, as they accused him of "espionage" and illegally detained him until 29 December 2019.

He is the author of the autobiographical novel Melkhiyorovyi slon, abo Liudyna, yaka dumala (Melkhior's Elephant, or The Man Who Thought), prose book Anderkhillskiye vedmy: drama (Underhill Witches: Drama), and poetry. In 2021, he was awarded the Shevchenko National Prize for the book V izolyatsii (In Isolation), and in 2022, he claimed tge prize again, with the book Svitlyi shliakh (Bright Path: History of One Concentration Camp).

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JERUSALEM  The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog will travel to Iran next week as Tehrans nuclear program enriches uranium a step away from weapons-grade levels and international oversight remains limited, officials said Wednesday.

Rafael Mariano Grossis visit will coincide with a nuclear energy conference Iran will hold in the central city of Isfahan, which hosts sensitive enrichment sites and was targeted in an apparent Israeli attack on April 19. It also coincides with wider regional tensions in the Mideast inflamed by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, including attacks on shipping by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency will visit Iran on May 6 and 7, the Vienna-based agency said. It did not elaborate on his schedule or his meetings.

Iranian state television has described the conference in Isfahan as an international conference on nuclear sciences and techniques. The broadcaster quoted Mohammed Eslami, the head of Irans civilian nuclear program, as saying on Wednesday that Grossi will attend the conference and meet with him and other officials.

I am sure that the ambiguities will be resolved and we can strengthen our relations with the agency within the framework of safeguards and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Eslami said.

Tensions have only grown between Iran and the IAEA since then-President Donald Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdraw America from Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers. Since then, Iran has abandoned all limits the deal put on its program and now has enough enriched uranium for several nuclear bombs if it chose to build them, Grossi has warned.

IAEA surveillance cameras have been disrupted, while Iran has barred some of the agencys most experienced inspectors. Iranian officials have increasingly threatened they could pursue atomic weapons, particularly after launching an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel last month.

Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons, saying its atomic program is for purely civilian purposes. However, U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003.

The latest American intelligence community assessment says Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities necessary to produce a testable nuclear device.
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United Nations peacekeepers closed a base in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as they prepare to end their mission in the country following a request from the government to wind down operations.

The mission, which has operated for more than two decades in the DRC, has become unpopular amongst residents and the government has said it is not doing enough to protect citizens from ongoing fighting between government troops, M23 rebels  which the DRC says are Rwanda-backed  and dozens of other armed groups.

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Millions displaced by conflict

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Source: The Associated Press

As many as 7 million people have been displaced by conflict in the DRC, as more than 120 armed groups in the countrys east vie for control of the regions extensive gold and other natural resources. The result is an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, the UN said in March. One group, the M23 rebels, has attacked villages in eastern DRC and forced residents to flee to nearby Goma, the Associated Press reported. Goma is the regions largest city, but its resources are stretched thin by incoming refugees. We fled insecurity, but here too, we live in constant fear, Chance Wabiwa told AP. Finding a peaceful place has become a utopia for us.

Rwanda accused of worsening crisis

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Source: Bloomberg

Multiple powers, including the US and the European Union, have accused Rwanda of meddling in the DRCs conflict and worsening the crisis. Rwanda is believed to be backing M23, and one former recruit of the militia described being trained by people wearing uniforms adorned with the Rwandan flag, Bloomberg reported. Conflict and ethnic tensions in the DRC spiraled in the wake of the Rwandan genocide in the mid-1990s, and fighting intensified in 2021. Kigalis alleged funding of M23 has the potential to jumpstart an even larger regional conflict: Weve probably never really been as close to the potential for real war between Rwanda and the DRC as we are now, Stephanie Wolters, an analyst with the South African Institute of International Affairs, told Bloomberg. All of the elements are at their peak, which is incredibly bad for eastern Congo and for the region as a whole.

UN missions absence wont solve conflict

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Source: Center on International Cooperation

The UNs MONUSCO mission in the DRC saw its legitimacy fade in recent years, and a Center on International Cooperation survey in January 2023 found that as many as 67% of Congolese people wanted the organization to withdraw their peacekeeping efforts. However, its phasing out will solve little, Joshua Walker and Jason Stearns, experts in the region, wrote for CIC. This absence of a coherent peace and stabilization process  is what should focus the attention of diplomats and government officials in the region, they wrote. Meanwhile, even if M23 withdraws from eastern DRC, at least 100 other militias will remain in the region, some of which could be more devastating, they said.

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CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  UNC Charlotte students set up tents in front of the student union to protest the universitys complicity in Israels conflict in Gaza. Supporters of the Palestinian community want the school to pull out of an archaeology effort in Israel called the Mount Zion Project.

Organizers of the project say its meant to examine how people have lived over Jerusalems 3,000-year history. Students declined an on-camera interview Tuesday, but one protester recently told us how she felt.

We demand that they discontinue their funding of an archeological project called Mount Zion, which directly promotes the displacement of Palestinians within Palestine, she told Queen City News.

The UNC Charlotte protest is just one of the nationwide campus demonstrations protesting the Israel-Hamas wars civilian death toll. UNC-Chapel Hill and Columbia University are among many schools with campus conflicts over the war.

Not Afraid: Five years later, survivor reflects on mass shooting at UNC Charlotte

Students say this is the best way to have their voices heard.

The truth is, we are the most humane people standing out here today because we are fighting for the liberation of people who are not on this land, but on another land that belongs to them, she said.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Encampment Coalition sent Queen City News this statement in place of an on-camera interview.

We are a coalition of students and activists that stand here today in solidarity with Palestinians, while we also hold solidarity with fellow students at other universities such as Chapel Hill who have been struggling through violent police repression in the recent days. We want to ensure that our main goal is for the liberation of Palestine. The university does not want us protesting out here today, they have made it clear through means of intimidation as well as threats of suspension and arrests that our protest is not welcomed, but despite this we refuse to move and we refuse to be silent. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is not only complicit but is an active participant in the brutal genocide in Gaza, through investments in Israel and the Mount Zion Archeological Project UNCC has shown itself to uphold the violent imperialist institutions of this country. We hold our encampment and demand the following:

1. DISCLOSE all institutional expenditures, such as direct and indirect investments, stocks, and funding to Israel. We demand COMPLETE transparency to where our student funds are being spent to! As students, if our funds are being sent to Israel to support a genocide that makes us in-turn complicit. UNCC has also been cutting the funding of DEI and professors salaries, if they truly cared for the students and faculty of this campus the money that is being sent to Israel would instead be put in place to support DEI and increase professors salaries.

2. DIVEST from all companies, partnerships, and projects that participate in the ongoing colonization and genocide of Palestinians. Every dollar that is sent to Israel is in turn used to continue the 75-year-long occupation and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We must place economic pressure on Israel to stop this continued humanitarian crime.

3. DEFEND Palestine activists, protests, and movements on campus. Our protests have been repressed consistently over the past few months, the university has used multiple different policies in an attempt to silence and dissuade our actions. We refuse to be intimidated into inaction by a university that claims to be a space for freedom of speech and expression.

4. DECLARE the genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza to be a humanitarian crime, illegal and indefensible. This is not a war between Hamas and Israel. This is a genocide being committed against the Palestinians! If UNCC cannot admit the truth of what is happening in Gaza then they can not claim to be an institution of truth and education.

We would also wish to explain our reasoning for declining an interview. We have done multiple interviews over the past few months with various different news networks. Every time our words have been misrepresented, edited out, or framed poorly. Until we can trust that these networks are truly listening to us and representing us honestly we no longer wish to do interviews and will simply send a written statement signed off by the collective.

Its not going to get anywhere, says freshman Matthew Kingsley. Its very unfortunate, though.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
(Reuters) -U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) developer Tellurian Inc. has sent home more than a dozen workers from its upstream gas production business, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The Houston-based company has been holding talks with potential buyers to sell its Haynesville shale gas business to raise capital for its proposed Driftwood LNG export plant.

Tellurian has said it was evaluating several bids for the property, and the people familiar with the matter said the firm expects to make a decision in the coming weeks. It could not immediately learned what companies held talks.

In February, Tellurian officials said it is exploring the sale of its Haynesville upstream business to raise capital for its Driftwood LNG project. Weak natural gas prices could reduce the value Tellurian could get for its asset, analysts have said.

The gas production business could be worth up to $365 million, analysts have estimated. However, U.S. natural gas prices have fallen significantly from 2022 levels and traded on Wednesday at about $1.94 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) down from an average of $6.50 per mmBtu for 2022.

(Reporting by Curtis Williams in Houston and Tanay Dhumal in Bengaluru)
Under the Dome: Group that organized bourbon distillery trip for lawmakers responds

Good morning!  Heres what you need to know in North Carolina politics today.

Theres a lot going on at the General Assembly: the ICE-cooperation bill weve been tracking will continue to be the main subject of debate, as the Senate Rules Committee meets at 9 a.m. to take up the bill and tee up a likely floor vote on Thursday.

The bill was amended in committee yesterday, so itll have to return to the House for another vote before it can be sent to Gov. Roy Cooper.

Cooper, meanwhile, will visit Wake STEM Early College High School in Cary to talk about the importance of public education and the clean energy industry in North Carolina, per his office.

Both the House and Senate are expected to convene for votes this evening.

And before that, a Senate appropriations committee will meet at 2 p.m. to take up legislation that Republicans say would eliminate the waitlist for the Opportunity Scholarship private school voucher program.  Avi Bajpai

Heres more, from correspondent Stephanie Loder and me.

REENTRY ADVOCATES PUSH FOR LAWMAKERS TO TAKE UP SECOND CHANCE INITIATIVES

As part of their legislative lobby day, advocates from the NC Second Chance Alliance joined Democratic Sen. Julie Mayfield and Rep. Terry Brown on Tuesday to call for the passage of several bills to help people with life after prison.

One of the biggest issues advocates are hoping lawmakers will address is automatic expungements of criminal records.

Lawmakers opened the door to automatic expungements in most cases where prosecutors have dismissed charges against someone with the Second Chance Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2020.

Automatic expungements were subsequently paused, after courts became overwhelmed and other technical issues arose with the implementation of the new program.

The promise of the Second Chance Act has now been on hold for nearly two years, said Whitley Carpenter, the senior criminal justice counsel and policy manager at Forward Justice.

After lawmakers together with law enforcement officials and criminal justice and reentry advocates formed a working group to figure out how to solve the issue, many of those ideas were inserted into a bipartisan bill whose sponsors include Sen. Danny Britt, a chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senate Bill 565 passed the upper chamber unanimously last April, but hasnt so far been taken up by the House.

Other bills advocates want lawmakers to pass would:

 Stop private companies from obtaining someones mugshot and then charging them to take it down.

 End debt-based drivers license suspensions that present a barrier to employment for people living in rural areas.

We know that our communities are safer when were able to move past our mistakes, our communities are safer when we have access to the resources and opportunities that we need, our communities are safer when we can take care of ourselves, and our loved ones, Carpenter said.  Avi Bajpai

A screen grab of an invitation from Greater Carolina

REPUBLICAN AT FUNDRAISER DIDNT HEAR ANY COMPLAINTS

Greater Carolina acknowledged on Tuesday it organized the recent trip to a Kentucky distillery attended by North Carolina state legislators who were later accused in an anonymous post on social media of being drunk and unruly at their destination.

Republican operative Jonathan Felts, who served as a spokesman for Greater Carolina, a conservative, free market group from Mooresville, wrote in a news release that attendees were in Kentucky as the organization was holding a fundraising event. No taxpayer dollars were used, Felts wrote.

N.C. Rep. Jason Saine also confirmed on Tuesday to The News & Observer that he attended the event. On Monday, Saine had replied via text message that I dont respond to anonymous posts on the internet.

Saine, a Republican from Lincolnton who serves on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee, said in a text Tuesday that he knew of no complaints from anywhere on the trip we visited. This sounds like a disgruntled employee.

The social media post, which appeared this weekend on Reddit, was authored by someone who identified themselves only as a representative of a Kentucky distillery. The author claimed 33 people from North Carolina, including government officials, were drunk and disruptive when they arrived at the distillery.

Get the full story from Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan and Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi here.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators replace an American flag with a Palestinian flag Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at UNC-Chapel Hill. Police removed a Gaza solidarity encampment earlier Tuesday morning. Travis Long/tlong@newsobserver.com

CAMPUS PROTESTERS DETAINED AT UNC-CHAPEL HILL

UNC-Chapel Hill police charged 36 pro-Palestinian protesters Tuesday morning after they failed to obey orders to leave the encampment they had created. University officials said:

 Thirty people  10 students, 20 not affiliated with the university  were cited for trespassing and released on site.

 Six others were taken to the jail for booking and then released.

The encampment, established Friday at Polk Place, had drawn hundreds of people by Tuesday morning, who included students from UNC, N.C. State and Duke universities, as well as other people who were not students.

UNC System spokesman Andy Wallace said officers from other UNC campuses provided assistance.

Theres much, much more from Korie Dean, Tammy Grubb and Chantal Allam here and here.

Thats all for today. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol news.

You can sign up to receive the Under the Dome newsletter at newsobserver.com/newsletters . Want your friends to get our email, too? Forward them this newsletter so they can sign up here .

We want to know what you would like to see in the Under the Dome newsletter . Do you like highlights from the legislature? Political analysis? Do you have a question youd like The News & Observer team to answer? Tell us here. You can also email us at dome@newsobserver.com

Dont forget to follow our tweets and listen to our Under the Dome podcast for more developments.
Minnesota legislators and regulators are facing increasing pressure to license marijuana growers ahead of dispensaries to ensure the market will have enough supply when it launches next year.

Under current law, the state's Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) cannot issue cultivation licenses until it has set rules for the recreational industry. That rulemaking process is expected to wrap up in early 2025.

State senators pushed forward a proposal Tuesday to allow certain Minnesotans to grow marijuana this year under the state's existing medical cannabis cultivation rules. Only social equity applicants who've been preapproved for a cannabis business license and obtained local zoning approval would be allowed to start growing early. Social equity applicants are defined as people harmed directly or indirectly by previous criminal enforcement of marijuana laws.

"If we can implement those cultivation rules, cultivation licenses could begin to be operational very, very quickly," said Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville.

Port's proposal would give the OCM the option of using the medical rules, but it wouldn't require it. Interim OCM director Charlene Briner said the office will use the rules "if that option is deemed necessary to stage the market."

"OCM will continue to evaluate how or if we can use that tool while still preserving our commitment to equity and our obligation to stand up the market effectively," Briner said, adding that the office is committed to ensuring a timely market launch.

Advocates in Minnesota's cannabis community have been warning for weeks that the state's retail marijuana market could face a chaotic or delayed rollout if growing doesn't start soon. Minnesota must establish its own marijuana supply chain because it's federally illegal to import products from other states.

Among the nearly two dozen states that have legalized recreational marijuana, many have learned the hard way that early demand is far greater than supply. That imbalance can push prices above black-market levels, slowing interest in the legal market.

"If we do not create a pathway for well-prepared cultivators to begin their build-outs right now, Minnesota will not have a cannabis supply chain until mid- to late 2026 at the earliest," prospective grower Ali Britton told legislators Tuesday. "This would mean that the anticipated windfall of tax revenue from the cannabis market will not be available until at least 2027."

Britton was among about three dozen advocates who showed up at the Capitol on Tuesday to stress the importance of staging cultivation ahead of retail sales. Many testified during a Senate committee hearing and spoke at a separate morning news conference.

Leili Fatehi, a lobbyist who worked with lawmakers on last year's marijuana legalization bill, said the state's cannabis industry is facing a "pivotal moment." She said Port's proposal is a good start but it's "very narrowly defined to just social equity applicants."

Fatehi suggested that any well-prepared business should be eligible to start growing this year. And she said the bill should also include a specific timeline for when cultivation can start.

"The limiting of that to just folks that are going to be screened as social equity likely is going to result in delay and an insufficient amount of supply coming online," Fatehi said.

The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee added Port's proposal to a broader cannabis policy bill on Tuesday and moved it forward for a floor vote. The Minnesota House already passed a companion policy bill, but it did not include Port's language allowing early cultivation. Pending Senate passage, a conference committee will meet to reconcile the two bills' differences.

Sen. Zach Duckworth, R-Lakeville, said there's still time for Port and regulators to tweak the bill to satisfy stakeholders.

"It sounds like there's maybe still a little bit of room for some give and take between what you're all doing, what cultivators are looking for," Duckworth said. "This is a critical piece that needs to get figured out."
Underwater superyachts? A CEO is pitching fantastical ships that can go 800 feet down and stay submerged for weeks

Underwater superyachts? A CEO is pitching fantastical ships that can go 800 feet down and stay submerged for weeks

Austria's Migaloo is offering to build a private "submersible superyacht" for the ultrarich.

It says the M5 would be able to travel 820 feet underwater and stay submerged for a month.

Despite the high up-front cost, CEO Christian Gumpold says the firm is in talks with buyers.

Forget megayachts. Forget billionaire basements. If you're unfathomably rich and want a new toy, there's an Austrian company that says it will build you a fully submersible yacht.

And this is no rickety Titan submersible.

The Migaloo M5 concept, the company says, involves a 540-foot base-model superyacht that would travel about 820 feet underwater and stay down there for up to a month.

"The needs of superyacht owners for their vessels are more complex than ever," Migaloo CEO Christian Gumpold told Business Insider, adding: "These wishes do not just include performance, length, or design."

Gumpold said that yacht owners were "looking for privacy, security, and protection for themselves, their guests and their valuables, or for the fulfillment of unique experiences up to scientific desires, as well as for the greatest possible exclusivity."

A concept rendering of the M5 shows how the vessel might look submerged in tropical waters. Migaloo

According to its marketing materials, Migaloo says the vessel's layout and features could be designed around any customer priority, whether that's security, thrill seeking, research, or simply vacation.

The company offers prospective buyers a checklist of options, including LED exterior lighting with a laser show, a helipad, a hot-air balloon, and  for the aspiring Bond villain  an underwater shark-feeding station.

The vessel could feasibly host a wealth of supplemental vehicles, including mini submarines, exploration vehicles, and working boats, it said.

Although at times it's described in the company marketing materials as a "private submersible superyacht" the M5 would technically be able to sail as a submarine  an underwater vessel that can launch itself and return under its own power, rather than having to be launched by a mother ship.

It's envisioned as being able to house up to 20 guests and about 40 staffers.

The Migaloo concept aims to satisfy an increasing desire for privacy and security among the world's richest people.

The most expensive megayachts ever sold now run into the half-billion-dollar range or more, with at least three $600 million yachts afloat, owned by various oligarchs and oil-state royalty.

Bobbing about underwater in a Migaloo M5, Elon Musk wouldn't have to worry about a jet-tracking student any longer.

A concept rendering of the M5's possible features. Migaloo

Gumpold told BI he had specialized in yacht design since 2008, and he promised that all the complex arrangements of the Migaloo project  working with shipyards, flag states, and classification societies  would be taken care of by his company.

Much of the marketing material for Migaloo runs to possibilities that sound like science fiction, addressing problems that would either apply only to the ultrarich or which the rest of us would be too dead to care about.

Saying it works with the security company Safe, Migaloo claims it could create a "private submersible fortress," offering protection from electromagnetic pulses, cybercrime, piracy, solar flares, asteroids, and polar shifts.

That's on top of a gamut of features that any megayacht owner might expect, including spas, gyms, a gaming room, a wine cellar, an art gallery, and a panic room.

A promotional concept rendering for the Migaloo M5, a proposed submersible superyacht Migaloo

The cost, however, is the ultimate "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" test.

Gumpold told Fast Company that the price depended on the scope of the client's requests, comparing it to the price tag on large superyachts.

According to Fast Company's estimation, there are only 50 people in the world who could afford to purchase a luxury submergible megayacht.

A promotional concept rendering for the Migaloo M5, a proposed submersible superyacht Migaloo

It remains to be seen if and when any prospective buyers will bite.

Gumpold told BI his company was "still in close contact with several potential owners worldwide" and "very close" to executing the first project steps.

But he didn't elaborate on any concrete steps and wouldn't name any of his prospective clients.

With a turnaround time of about four to seven years, it's also going to be awhile before any of them would take to the seas.

Read the original article on Business Insider
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  The union representing Wichita firefighters took to social media on Tuesday to speak out against firefighters working at a park. The union warned citizens that it might take fire crews longer to respond to a fire because firefighters were cleaning and moving items at the Brewer Community Center at McAdams Park. The City of Wichita denied there was a problem.

This morning, firefighters were asked to, if they had time, volunteer to help Park staff move materials for the Brewer Community Center, the City of Wichita said on social media.

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 135 said the work was not voluntary and could have put people at risk.

Citizens of midtown and midtown East. Be advised that response times could be delayed as firefighters have been contracted to pick up trash at local parks while on duty, IAFF Local 135 posted. Delaying emergency services to pick up trash at local parks is not responsible to the citizens who pay to have an immediate response to their 911 calls for help.

5 displaced after Derby house fire

Megan Lovely, City of Wichita communications manager, said the firefighters had their radios on and were ready to respond to emergencies.

Public safety is our number one priority, she said. We have expert fire department staff that would never put the community at risk to help with a cleanup but are passionate about helping the community.

Lovely said some of the crews did leave to respond to a crash but then returned. The work was finished by 11 a.m. Tuesday, several hours earlier than expected.

She insists the firefighters were volunteering.

The firefighters who volunteered to help were happy to do so as it helps their colleagues in serving the community, Lovely said. Our hardworking firefighters work to serve the community even when they are not responding to emergencies.

She said other city departments, including Public Works and IT, will help at the Brewer Community Center.

IAFF Local 135 posted an update after the project at the center:

The work at McAdams park is completed. This was the only park that was cleaned up. A buidling needed cleaned due to a new city construction or update project. Trash and boxes of items and furniture and appliances and other things were loaded onto a trailer to be taken to county land fill or saved for future use. Several fire units were scheduled throughout the day to clean this area. Contrary to City reports, this absolutely was not voluntary. No other city departments were involved besides firefighters and parks employees. But, the job is complete and firefighters are back where they belong. Ready to respond to your emergency needs. Wichita Firefighters  IAFF Local 135

The Wichita Fire Department also posted about the firefighters working at Brewer Community Center on social media.

The City and WFD posts prompted a lot of comments. One person said, I wouldnt want my family waiting even 1 extra minute in a burning building while firemen are cleaning a park.

They werent cleaning a park, the WFD responded. They were just helping move items and were still able to quickly respond to a call in the middle of helping for a few hours this morning.

Ted Bush, president of IAFF Local 135, said firefighters are used to doing other tasks while on duty, including inspections, working out, and grocery shopping.

Kansas Navy sailor dies during training in Virginia

But helping another City entity who is understaffed and underpaid do their required work assignments takes us out of our job description, and there is a possibility of being out of place to quickly respond to an emergency thats not related to our job description, he said.

KSN News asked Bush if he had asked the firefighters about whether they were volunteering or not.

I have confirmed with everyone who works at a fire station, making 911 calls, that they were assigned this task, he said. They were not asked to do it. They were assigned to do it by their supervisors passed down from the Fire Chief. I have spoken with firefighters involved, and they absolutely told me they were never asked about volunteering for this assignment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
One local minister was happy that the United Methodist Church ended a longtime prohibition on same-sex marriages, and a pastor who grew up in Charlotte said she was glad the vote happened in her hometown.

Methodists had intense debates over the issue at past conferences. But after a split in the church, in which conservative parishes largely left the denomination, delegates at the 11-day conference in uptown Charlotte voted 692-51 to repeal the churchs ban on LGBTQ clergy and officiating of same-sex weddings.

There was no debate.

Its something Ive been working for for most of my adult life within the United Methodist Church, so Im certainly happy, said the Rev. James Howell, senior pastor at Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte and a delegate at the conference. We want to keep our arms around everybody. Were better together. God wants all people to be together in church.

Delegates also voted to bar local church leaders from penalizing clergy or churches who choose or dont choose to host or officiate same-sex weddings.

The actions taken on Wednesday will remove text from the Book of Discipline, which establishes laws and doctrine in the church, that targeted self-avowed practicing homosexuals, as well as text stating the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.

Because of the overwhelming result of the vote, the Associated Press reported, the issues will be rolled into a consent calendar of normally non-controversial measures that are taken in a single vote to save time. The changes will take effect immediately when the General Conference concludes on Friday.

Last week, delegates voted on regionalization of the denomination that would allow churches in other countries to make their own LGBTQ policies.

Long overdue decision

Howell said Wednesdays policy changes were long overdue.

The mood here is a lot of great hope and joy, Howell said from the Charlotte Convention Center. Its not a progressive church or a conservative church  its a church for everyone, and were finally taking steps toward being sure that one group isnt singled out and not part of that effort. Thats a good vote for us.

The vote came during the denominations first General Conference in several years, and after a quarter of Methodist congregations in the United States disaffiliated, including hundreds in North Carolina alone.

Many splintered off into the more conservative Global Methodist Church. Dianne Burnett, the Global Methodist Churchs executive communications director, declined to comment Wednesday on the General Conference and the ongoing focus on LGBTQ acceptance in the church.

The Global Methodist Church wishes to remain focused on the advancement of our mission and does not wish to become embroiled in the conflicts within the United Methodist Church, therefore we respectfully decline the invitation to comment at this time, Burnett said.

Because of the denominational split, people who are typically opposed to LGBTQ acceptance werent at the conference, said Jamie Michaels, a queer clergyperson and pastor at First and Summerfield United Methodist Church in New Haven, Conn., who is attending.

The calm nature of this years conference gave queer members of the church, like Michaels, a range of emotions after the vote.

Its full. Its full of memory, and joy, and hope and pain still, she said. It was sweet, for sure it was sweet. But even though were joyful, we still carry with us the grief and the hurt of the last half-century.

Shes been involved in LGBTQ advocacy within the church and other social justice causes for more than a decade.

And so while she and other members were happy to see the result of the vote, there were also a range of other emotions. There is still work to be done within the church, she said.

Transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary folks going through the ordination process  are still going to encounter resistance, because it takes a long time to change a culture, Michaels said. We know that we still need to be vigilant and advocate for those folks.

Queer clergy and laity of color also face unique challenges, Michaels said, and need support in the church.

But for Michaels, being at the general conference in Charlotte was an especially important moment. She grew up in Charlotte and was baptized at Davidson United Methodist Church.

She said she found a home in the United Methodist Church in Charlotte  a place where I could love Jesus in the way that I was feeling called to  which made it important to her that the vote for acceptance took place here.
United Methodist Church delegates Wednesday lifted a 40-year ban on gay clergy. Another vote was expected later Wednesday removing a ban on church blessing of gay marriage. Members of the Dumbarton United Methodist Church pictured offering communion near the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., after the Court's 5-4 ruling legalized gay marriage nationwide in 2015. File Photo by Pete Marovich/UPI

May 1 (UPI) -- The United Methodist Church Wednesday removed a 40-year ban on gay clergy, overwhelmingly passing the measure during a national delegate meeting in Charlotte, N.C.

The UMC General Conference delegates Wednesday approved an amended policy ended banning "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from being ordained.

Delegates also approved a policy change that prevents local UMC congregations from punishing clergy or churches for blessing same-sex unions.

A separate change scheduled for consideration later Thursday would remove the actual church prohibition on clergy blessing same-sex unions.

The last LGBTQ+ proposed change would eliminate wording in the church's Social Principles that reads, "the practice of homosexuality ... is incompatible with Christian teaching."

The decisions come after years of disputes that led to roughly 25% of United Methodist conservative congregations leaving the denomination.

In a statement ahead of the conference that opened April 23, the Methodist Church said, "Our deepest desire is to foster greater unity in the Church while recognizing our denomination's diverse theological, social and contextual viewpoints. We find ourselves at a seminal moment in the life of this denomination."

The policy allowing disaffiliation expired at the end of 2023.

That shift left behind a majority of congregations that supported lifting the gay clergy ban.

The Tennessean reported that a large, jubilant crowd spontaneously broke out in celebration, singing hymns and embracing each other.

"Draw the circle wide, draw it wider still. Let this be our song: No one stands alone," they sang from a Methodist song adopted by LGBTQ Christians.

The conservative churches left the UMC after congregations were allowed to leave for "reasons of conscience" in 2019. They were allowed to retain church property and assets as long as they had official approval to leave by the end of 2023.

More than 40% of UMC Texas congregations left.
The United Methodist Church overturned its 40-year ban on gay clergy Wednesday, marking a historic shift in the churchs stance on homosexuality.

The church has long been divided into factions over LGBTQ inclusion and even weighed splitting into two separate churches over the issue, CNN previously reported.

In 1984, the church banned self-avowed practicing homosexuals from becoming members of the clergy, and later added performing or celebrating same-sex unions to a list of chargeable offenses that could result in a church trial, according to a timeline of the churchs history with the LGBTQ community.

The Methodist community spent the ensuing decades debating, fighting and praying over their stance on gay clergy and LGBTQ members. But Wednesdays vote by the churchs top legislative body signaled a historic shift toward acceptance and inclusion.

In a 692-51 vote, church leaders passed several rules without debate, including overturning both its ban on gay clergy and the penalties for holding same-sex marriages, according to the United Methodist News service.

After the vote, Hope Morgan Ward, a retired bishop in the United Methodist Church, prayed the church would be used as peacemakers and servants and be welcoming of all people into the embrace of God.

According to the Methodist news service, members cheered, cried and hugged after the vote.

Weve been going on like this since the 70s and, finally, in just a brief few minutes with no debate, it was gone. And now we can get on about the business of the church, Marilyn Murphy, an observer from the churchs South Carolina conference, told the news service.

LGBTQ advocates within the church hailed the decision.

Matt Patrick, co-pastor at the University United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, told CNN he became emotional after the church announced the decision.

I did tear up this morning at the announcement of the vote because it was just a huge relief to see justice had been done after so many years, he said. Theres just been a lot of pain in order to get us to this place.

Though the prohibition on gay clergy has been removed from the church bylaws, Patrick said the work will continue to ensure the Methodist church is as an inclusive place for everyone.

Where we go from here, God only knows, he said.

More changes are expected as the legislative conference continues in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C.  United Methodists lifted a 40-year ban on gay clergy Wednesday in a major step toward greater LGBTQ+ inclusion in the nations largest mainline Protestant denomination.

The vote to remove the ban was the latest decision by the United Methodist Church's top legislative assembly here this week toward rolling back what many progressive and centrist Methodists view as overly restrictive policies. Other proposals to remove restrictions on same-sex unions and change the disciplinary consequences for dissent are also up for debate.

The UMC General Conferences decisions are aimed at reversing a series of policies that traditionalists worked for decades to pass and protect. Beyond the legislative implications, the decisions are critical to ushering in a new chapter for the UMC as it moves beyond a splintering in which 7,500-plus U.S. churches left following disputes over church policy and theology, including dealing with LGBTQ+ rights.

As the UMC General Conference voted to lift the ban, a large crowd spontaneously broke out in celebration. Many in the crowd teared up and embraced each other, even across a fence between delegates and observers.

Today, our Church made the right choice, Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the UMC, said in a statement. Those who have committed their time, ministries, and lives to the expansion of inclusion are too many to number. Over fifty years of persistent hope.

For the Rev. Angie Cox in Ohio, there are immediate and tangible implications with the newly lifted ban on ordaining LGBTQ+ clergy. Cox, a lesbian and married, has sought to take the first step toward UMC ordination, called commissioning, six times in the past five years. Each time, the West Ohio Conferences board of ordained ministry has rejected her candidacy.

I know Im called to ministry and know Im called to be here, Cox said in an interview. The decision to remove the ban on LGBTQ+ ordination is an affirmation of the call by our official policies, Cox said.

Reconciling Ministries Network, a group that advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the United Methodist Church, hosts a celebration event as part of the UMC General Conference in Charlotte. Members of the small ensembles of the Gay Men's Chorus and others at the Ri Ra Irish Pub on Sunday, April 28, 2024.

Cox already pastors a church in Columbus, but her inability to receive ordination credentials is a symbolic gesture against her personhood and a limit on her participation in United Methodist life. For example, she's unable to serve as a clergy delegate in the regional legislative assembly or at the UMC General Conference.

The West Ohio Conference board of ordained ministry could reconsider supporting Cox's commissioning as early as May, potentially positioning her for commissioning in June. Similar to her situation, Cox knows others who have waited to pursue ordination until the UMC removed the ordination ban.

Church delegates take on series of decisions on LGBTQ+ rights

The UMC General Conference, which is the denomination's top legislative assembly, gathers for its second and final week in Charlotte. This is the general conference in session on April 30, 2024 at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Removing anti-LGBTQ+ restrictions is one of the most high-profile legislative decisions facing this UMC General Conference in Charlotte, a worldwide assembly that typically meets every four years but hasnt gathered for a regular session in eight years.

The UMC General Conference met for an abbreviated special session in 2019 when delegates narrowly approved a conservative policy plan that strengthened the church's prohibitions on "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from ordination as well as same-sex marriage.

The added policies in that so-called Traditional Plan are some of the restrictions that progressives and many centrists are targeting this year  in addition to other major policies the denomination passed in earlier decades.

There are several major categories of LGBTQ+ inclusion-related proposals, called petitions, before the UMC General Conference this week. Those are:

 A prohibition on the use of church funds to promote the acceptance of homosexuality, also known as the funding ban." Two petitions seeking to remove that prohibition received approval Tuesday.

 A ban on and penalties for ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy. The main petition seeking to remove that ban received approval early Wednesday.

 A prohibition against and penalties for UMC clergy or churches that bless same-sex unions. The penalties were removed Wednesday morning and the main petition seeking to remove the prohibition was set for debate later Wednesday or early Thursday.

 A new version of the UMC Revised Social Principles  a set of declarations of United Methodists social values  that would supersede a 52-year-old provision calling homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching. The section of the new revised social principles dealing with human sexuality was set for debate Wednesday afternoon.

These decisions will have other indirect effects, such as securing a deeper relationship between the United Methodist and Episcopal churches. The UMC General Conference approved a resolution Tuesday affirming its full communion with the Episcopal Church following years of negotiations between the two mainline denominations  a conversation that previously reached an impasse due to the UMCs policy positions on LGBTQ+ rights.

Deviation from history of traditionalists wins

Still, some traditionalist groups were critical of the decisions made in Charlotte.

The General Conference has, as expected, rolled back not just decades of United Methodist policies but centuries of Christian teaching, Mark Tooley, president of The Institute on Religion & Democracy, a group that long advocated for traditionalist policies in the UMC, said in a statement. Methodism was built on catholicity and holiness. United Methodism has become something else.

Reconciling Ministries Network, a group that advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the United Methodist Church, hosts a celebration event as part of the UMC General Conference in Charlotte. Many on Sunday, April 28, 2024 at the Ri Ra Irish Pub wore shirts showing support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Traditionalists had successfully backed for decades more conservative policies on sexuality and marriage partly due to a coalition with the growing African delegation to the UMC General Conference, a contingent that is on average more conservative than its U.S. counterparts. But the recent exodus of mostly conservative churches in the U.S. depleted that delegation.

The UMC General Conference also approved proposals called regionalization, which aims to restructure the denominations system of regional oversight. The plan gives regional United Methodist leadership outside the U.S. more autonomy. For example, while the U.S. church can move in a more LGBTQ-affirming direction, regional bodies outside the U.S. can adopt more traditionalist policies on issues such as marriage and sexuality.

The fight over LGBTQ+ rights in the United Methodist Church has consumed the UMC General Conference at most previous gatherings for decades, but this year, it looked drastically different.

Petitions such as removing the funding ban and prohibition on LGBTQ+ clergy received approval with zero debate among the 700-plus delegates, who swiftly passed those items in votes on consent calendars.

Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean. Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on social media @liamsadams.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: United Methodist Church lifts 40-year ban on LGBTQ+ clergy
Angie Cox, left, and Joelle Henneman hug after an approval vote at the United Methodist Church General Conference Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. United Methodist delegates repealed their churchs longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate on Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding self-avowed practicing homosexuals from being ordained or appointed as ministers.(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  United Methodist delegates repealed their churchs longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate on Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding self-avowed practicing homosexuals from being ordained or appointed as ministers.

Delegates voted 692-51 at their General Conference  the first such legislative gathering in five years. That overwhelming margin contrasts sharply with the decades of controversy around the issue. Past General Conferences of the United Methodist Church had steadily reinforced the ban and related penalties amid debate and protests, but many of the conservatives who had previously upheld the ban have left the denomination in recent years, and this General Conference has moved in a solidly progressive direction.

Applause broke out in parts of the convention hall Wednesday after the vote. A group of observers from LGBTQ advocacy groups embraced, some in tears. Thanks be to God, said one.

The change doesnt mandate or even explicitly affirm LGBTQ clergy, but it means the church no longer forbids them. Its possible that the change will mainly apply to U.S. churches, since United Methodist bodies in other countries, such as in Africa, have the right to impose the rules for their own regions. The measure takes effect immediately upon the conclusion of General Conference, scheduled for Friday.

The consensus was so overwhelming that it was rolled into a consent calendar, a package of normally non-controversial measures.

It seemed like such a simple vote, but it carried so much weight and power, as 50 years of restricting the Holy Spirits call on peoples lives has been lifted, said Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly lesbian bishop in the United Methodist Church.

People can live fully into their call without fear," said Oliveto, of the Mountain Sky Episcopal Area, which includes Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. "The church weve loved has found a home for us.

Also approved was a measure that forbids district superintendents  or regional administrators  from penalizing clergy for either performing a same-sex wedding or for refraining from performing one. It also prohibits superintendents from forbidding a church from hosting a same-sex wedding or requiring it to.

That measure further removes scaffolding around the various LGBTQ bans that have been embedded in official church law and policy. On Tuesday, delegates began taking such steps.

Delegates are also expected to vote soon on whether to replace the denomination's official Social Principles with a new document that no longer calls the practice of homosexuality  incompatible with Christian teaching and that now defines marriage as between two people of faith rather than between a man and a woman.

The changes are historic in a denomination that has debated LGBTQ issues for more than half a century at its General Conferences, which typically meet every four years.

About 100 LGBTQ people and allies gathered outside the Charlotte Convention Center after the vote  many with rainbow-colored scarves and umbrellas  to celebrate, pray and sing praise songs accompanied by a drum.

Angie Cox, an observer from Ohio, said she has gone before her conferences board of ordained ministry six times but was told no just because of the prohibition on LGBTQ clergy. She said Wednesdays vote means I might be able finally to live fully into my calling.

The vote follows the departure of more than 7,600 American congregations  one-quarter of all UMC congregations in the U.S  reflecting conservative dismay over the denomination not enforcing its LGBTQ bans. The departures took place between 2019 and 2023 under a temporary window enabling congregations to keep their properties under relatively favorable terms.

The conference on Wednesday voted formally to close that window, over the pleas of conservatives who wanted it extended, particularly since the original window only applied to U.S. and not international churches.

To limit its function to the United States (portion of the) United Methodist Church, that is a form of disfavor for the church in Africa, said the Rev. Jerry Kulah, a delegate from Liberia.

Dixie Brewster, a delegate from the Great Plains Conference covering Kansas and Nebraska, called for a path for her fellow conservatives to disaffiliate smoothly. We want a place to go peacefully," she said. We will not be disruptive. I do love all, I love my homosexual friends. I just view the Scriptures a different way.

But others said the disaffiliation process of recent years tore apart congregations and families.

We cannot continue to center the voices of distrust, said delegate Lonnie Chafin from Northern Illinois.

Some pointed out there are other ways that congregations and entire conferences can still disaffiliate  noting that the General Conference last week approved the departure of some churches in the former Soviet Union  though others say this is overly burdensome.

This week's votes could prompt departures of some international churches, particularly in Africa, where more conservative sexual values prevail and where same-sex activity is criminalized in some countries.

The conference actions represent a serious drift away from the truth, Kulah said in an interview. The church is now buying into culture. The Bible has not changed, but the church has changed.

Last week, the conference endorsed a regionalization plan that essentially would allow the churches of the United States the same autonomy as other regions of the global church. That change  which still requires local ratification  could create a scenario where LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage are allowed in the United States but not in other regions.

The church's 1972 General Conference approved a statement in its non-binding Social Principles that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching"  a phrase omitted in a proposed revision to the Social Principles that is also headed for a conference vote this week.

The now-repealed ban on clergy who are "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" was originally enacted in 1984, when the conference also voted to require fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness.

The denomination had until recently been the third largest in the United States, present in almost every county. But its 5.4 million U.S. membership in 2022 is expected to drop once the 2023 departures are factored in.

The denomination also counts 4.6 million members in other countries, mainly in Africa, though earlier estimates have been higher.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
NEW BEDFORD  If the offshore wind industry takes off like proponents hope, and if New Bedford becomes a key location within it like many believe it will, the nature of competition between different entities taking up residence in the Whaling City and throughout the region might take on a more collaborative tone than some industries.

This was one of the topics discussed at the Foss Marine Terminal in New Bedford on Monday, when Vineyard Offshore CEO Alicia Barton came by to see the site that will become the company's operations and maintenance (O&M) base, should government officials select Vineyard Offshore's bid for the 1,200-megawatt Vineyard Wind 2 project.

"This is, I think in a lot of ways, a glimpse of the future that's really underway today," Barton said, noting the work on the Vineyard Wind 1 project already in progress just down the street at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal. As explained by Vineyard Offshore Director of Communications Andrew Doba, Vineyard Wind  the entity behind the Vineyard Wind 1 project  is a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP); Vineyard Offshore is CIP's offshore development entity.

Barton noted it was her first time seeing the site in person.

According to Barton, if the Vineyard Wind 2 bid is selected, start of construction would be aimed for "around 2029" with project completion expected by 2031. The project would bring 40-50 "long-term jobs" to New Bedford, Barton said.

"...that would be a long-term commitment of 25 years or more of good-paying jobs here to support the operations of our facility...," she said.

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"People who will be doing ... these jobs are sitting in middle school today, but by the time we are fully operational we expect people to be able to have careers here at this facility for their entire working life," said Foss Offshore Wind President Joel Whitman.

Foss Offshore Wind is the entity created to operate the Foss terminal, which will be used as a base for ships to transport equipment, materials and workers to and from wind farm construction sites, Whitman and others explained.

Great progress expected for Foss over coming months

According to Foss Marine Terminal President Andrew Saunders, "10% of the facility is running right now from an operational point of view, 90% is under construction."

Andrew Saunders, President New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal gives dignitaries a tour of the New Bedford project. In the background the still operating Eversource substation.

"But this summer you'll probably have ... 50% operational and 50% still under construction," Saunders said, noting the deep water berthing area needed for intake of large ships should be ready "probably in June."

Story continues

What if Vineyard Offshore's bid isn't picked?

While those in attendance at Foss on Monday acknowledged that Vineyard Offshore's Vineyard Wind 2 bid is not guaranteed to come to fruition, it's not the be-all/end-all for the Foss Marine Terminal's development project into an offshore wind industry support. According to Saunders, the site will be able to house "up to three, if not four" tenants.

While Whitman said he wouldn't be "naming names" of other bidders Foss has been in discussions with, he said the company has had conversations with "all the developers who have submitted" bids for New England's next wind farm project.

According to past Gannett reporting, proposals submitted by deadline last month were from rsted, Vineyard Offshore, Avangrid and SouthCoast Wind.

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"One of the goals of this site is to be able to offset the cost of developers setting up their O&M infrastructure," Whitman said "So one of the ways to do that is to design a facility here where we can have multiple operators at the same location, share the infrastructure, share the berthing facilities, and all the things you saw today."

According to Whitman, Foss currently does have some involvement with the Vineyard Wind 1 wind farm being developed at the nearby Marine Commerce Terminal by way of supplying some tugboats and barges for use in the project.

While multiple versions of plans for Vineyard Wind 2 exist to suit multi-state collaborative or individualized options for Mass., Rhode Island and Connecticut, Barton said all those scenarios would entail Foss as the O&M base.

Doba said it is not known when officials' decision on the offshore wind project proposals before them will come, but it is expected sometime over the summer.

What's special about the Foss Marine Terminal?

Whitman said the Foss terminal is a rare jewel for an industry with limited options in terms of prospective O&M base locations.

"These days it's very rare because all the frontage in New England has been taken up for 300 years," Whitman told The Standard-Times.

What makes Foss ideal, Whitman said, are its specific location along New Bedford Harbor, plus the size and shape of its ship berthing zone.

"If you're an operator of an O&M vessel, you want to be able to come in, get your business taken care of ... turn right around and go back out, so we're really excited because this location allows us to do that," Whitman said, noting New Bedford is the closest option for a port in proximity to the proposed Vineyard Wind 2 site, about 29 miles south of Nantucket. "And because we have the hurricane barrier, when you come into New Bedford, we're the nearest berth at the mouth of the harbor."

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Foss just the beginning

Whether or not Vineyard Offshore's Vineyard Wind 2 project is picked by officials to move forward, Foss Offshore has its sights set on growth, Whitman said, noting Foss Offshore is owned by a company called Saltchuk, which he called the largest operator of Jones Act-compliant transport vessels in the world.

"This is [Saltchuk's] only recent investment in the East Coast," he said. "So we're developing this port here and over time we're looking to develop similar capabilities up and down both coasts."

Collaboration will be key

Whitman said he sees New England's involvement in the offshore wind industry as suited to a collaborative, regional approach, which a multi-tenant facility like Foss, and a city like New Bedford, would be conducive to.

Joel Whitman, president of Foss Offshore Wind, speaks with Alicia Barton, CEO of Vineyard Offshore, during a tour of the Foss Maritime Terminal in New Bedford.

"So as a New Englander, I think regional is absolutely the way to go," Whitman said. "Also, remember ... no one has a couple hundred acres that they can just bring ... so it's not really, in our opinion, a case of one small port competing with another small port, Salem competing with New Bedford or something.

"If you want to build the volume of offshore wind that Massachusetts, Southern New England, or New England in general wants to do, we all need to work together...."

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Vineyard Wind 2 expected to bring 40-50 jobs to New Bedford, CEO says
UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary. Screenshot from committee webcast.

WASHINGTON  Capitol Hill lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday grilled UnitedHealth Groups CEO over the largest-ever cyberattack on the U.S. health care industry, which has crippled payments to providers and pharmacies and left millions of patients clueless about whether their information is now on the dark web.

A Russia-linked cybercrime organization dubbed BlackCat infiltrated a vulnerable server in February belonging to Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of the massive Minnesota-based UnitedHealth. The hackers demanded ransom for stolen data.

UnitedHealths CEO Andrew Witty told the Senate Committee on Finance the decision to pay the $22 million ransom in Bitcoin was mine (and) was one of the hardest decisions Ive ever had to make.

To all those impacted, let me be very clear: I am deeply sorry, Witty said in his opening testimony.

The company warned in its latest update in late April that a preliminary ongoing investigation revealed compromised personal health and identifiable information that could cover a substantial proportion of people in America.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation

Wittys apology did little to stop lawmakers from demanding that he answer for basic cybersecurity missteps, significant revenue losses and delays in notifying patients whether their personal information was among data stolen by the cyber criminals.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the committees chair, said failure starts at the top.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation for how a company of UHGs size and importance failed to have multi-factor authentication on a server providing open door access to protected health information, why its recovery plans were so woefully inadequate and how long it will take to finally secure all of its systems, the Oregon Democrat said.

UnitedHealth Group, which ranks among the nations largest companies, acquired Change Healthcare in a controversial 2022 deal that added to its behemoth footprint in the American health care industry.

Change Healthcare is an information superhighway for payments, requests for insurers to authorize care and roughly a third of Americans medical records. It processes 14 billion clinical, financial and operational transactions annually, according to the company.

Witty told lawmakers that with the Change purchase came the companys legacy technology that UnitedHealth has been in the process of upgrading.

Both Wyden and the committees ranking member, Mike Crapo of Idaho, criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for not playing a larger role after the attack.

Wyden panned the agency for not conducting a proactive cybersecurity audit in seven years.

HHS, which has published recommended cybersecurity standards for the health care industry, did not respond to a request for comment. It released a statement and guidance about the cyberattack on March 5.

That wasnt soon enough, Crapo said, and the administrations delay exacerbated an already uncertain landscape, leaving providers and patients with reasonable concerns about access to essential medical services and life-saving drugs.

Not a rosy picture

The cybercriminals that attacked Change Healthcare allegedly accessed a server using stolen credentials.

The server did not have multi-factor authentication  a widely used two-step log-in process  and hackers were in the system for nine days before being detected, Witty confirmed for the committee.

Wyden said the attack could have been stopped by using cybersecurity 101.

I dont believe there are any excuses for that, Wyden said.

The company immediately contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and disconnected Change from the rest of its network after discovering the breach, Witty said.

Cutting off the system halted billing, insurance authorizations and other activities for weeks, costing providers more than $100 million a day, according to the American Medical Association.

UnitedHealth maintains medical claims are flowing again at near normal levels, and payment processing has reached 86% of pre-incident levels and is increasing as additional functionality is restored, according to Wittys submitted written testimony.

Witty told lawmakers that as of Friday the company had issued $6.5 billion in payments and no-interest loans to medical providers.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said her office has been inundated with calls about the Change attack. The reality patients and providers are describing is wildly different from the rosy picture that you have painted, she said.

The Tennessee Republican said shes hearing from hospitals and doctors who are facing weeks of backlogged claims and payments.

Heres a good for instance for you: a small, independent, private hospital in West Tennessee. They have diligently submitted all of their claims, and they are burdened with a backlog of Medicare claims that is equivalent to 30 days revenue, and theyre waiting for these things to be transmitted to Medicare, Blackburn said.

This is all because of the missteps you all have had.

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, asked Witty for a target time when everyone will be made completely whole.

I would hope that thats in the next month or six weeks, Witty said.

Patient data

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina held up the book Hacking for Dummies, which he said hes used as a resource on various Senate committees, and told Witty this is basic stuff.

Your entire enterprise is based on the movement and exchange of data, Tillis, a Republican, said during his questioning. Thats how you create value.  When you have a breach, its gotta be your problem, not my problem. So everything that you do to keep those folks whole for any damage in the brief is just a function of doing business. Do you agree with that?

I do sir, Witty responded. And weve (leaned) in to take full responsibility on notification, and we are waiting for that notification. Weve already stood up credit protection, identity theft protection, and they can reach us through a 1-800 number and through our cyber support.

The company has provided a call center at 1-866-262-5342 and a website changecybersupport.com.

Witty told Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto that the timeline for notifying providers and patients whether their data has been breached  as required by federal and state law  will take several weeks.

Youve been saying several more weeks since what, this attack was how long ago, 69 days ago? asked Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat.

Yes, and thank you for the question. We only were able to start this process about a month after the attack when we got the dataset back and were able to start to interrogate it, a very complex process, Witty replied.

Protesters briefly stood after the hearing adjourned and chanted Andrew Witty, you cant hide. We can see your greedy side.

Witty also testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Wednesday.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation into the attack.

The post UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack thats crippled health care appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday about a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary. (Screenshot from committee webcast)

WASHINGTON  Capitol Hill lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday grilled UnitedHealth Groups CEO over the largest-ever cyberattack on the U.S. health care industry, which has crippled payments to providers and pharmacies and left millions of patients clueless about whether their information is now on the dark web.

A Russia-linked cybercrime organization dubbed BlackCat infiltrated a vulnerable server in February belonging to Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of the massive Minnesota-based UnitedHealth. The hackers demanded ransom for stolen data.

UnitedHealths CEO Andrew Witty told the Senate Committee on Finance the decision to pay the $22 million ransom in Bitcoin was mine (and) was one of the hardest decisions Ive ever had to make.

To all those impacted, let me be very clear: I am deeply sorry, Witty said in his opening testimony.

The company warned in its latest update in late April that a preliminary ongoing investigation revealed compromised personal health and identifiable information that could cover a substantial proportion of people in America.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation

Wittys apology did little to stop lawmakers from demanding that he answer for basic cybersecurity missteps, significant revenue losses and delays in notifying patients whether their personal information was among data stolen by the cyber criminals.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the committees chair, said failure starts at the top.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation for how a company of UHGs size and importance failed to have multi-factor authentication on a server providing open door access to protected health information, why its recovery plans were so woefully inadequate and how long it will take to finally secure all of its systems, the Oregon Democrat said.

UnitedHealth Group, which ranks among the nations largest companies, acquired Change Healthcare in a controversial 2022 deal that added to its behemoth footprint in the American health care industry.

Change Healthcare is an information superhighway for payments, requests for insurers to authorize care and roughly a third of Americans medical records. It processes 14 billion clinical, financial and operational transactions annually, according to the company.

Witty told lawmakers that with the Change purchase came the companys legacy technology that UnitedHealth has been in the process of upgrading.

Both Wyden and the committees ranking member, Mike Crapo of Idaho, criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for not playing a larger role after the attack.

Wyden panned the agency for not conducting a proactive cybersecurity audit in seven years.

HHS, which has published recommended cybersecurity standards for the health care industry, did not respond to a request for comment. It released a statement and guidance about the cyberattack on March 5.

That wasnt soon enough, Crapo said, and the administrations delay exacerbated an already uncertain landscape, leaving providers and patients with reasonable concerns about access to essential medical services and life-saving drugs.

Not a rosy picture

The cybercriminals that attacked Change Healthcare allegedly accessed a server using stolen credentials.

The server did not have multi-factor authentication  a widely used two-step log-in process  and hackers were in the system for nine days before being detected, Witty confirmed for the committee.

Wyden said the attack could have been stopped by using cybersecurity 101.

I dont believe there are any excuses for that, Wyden said.

The company immediately contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and disconnected Change from the rest of its network after discovering the breach, Witty said.

Cutting off the system halted billing, insurance authorizations and other activities for weeks, costing providers more than $100 million a day, according to the American Medical Association.

UnitedHealth maintains medical claims are flowing again at near normal levels, and payment processing has reached 86% of pre-incident levels and is increasing as additional functionality is restored, according to Wittys submitted written testimony.

Witty told lawmakers that as of Friday the company had issued $6.5 billion in payments and no-interest loans to medical providers.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said her office has been inundated with calls about the Change attack. The reality patients and providers are describing is wildly different from the rosy picture that you have painted, she said.

The Tennessee Republican said shes hearing from hospitals and doctors who are facing weeks of backlogged claims and payments.

Heres a good for instance for you: a small, independent, private hospital in West Tennessee. They have diligently submitted all of their claims, and they are burdened with a backlog of Medicare claims that is equivalent to 30 days revenue, and theyre waiting for these things to be transmitted to Medicare, Blackburn said.

This is all because of the missteps you all have had.

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, asked Witty for a target time when everyone will be made completely whole.

I would hope that thats in the next month or six weeks, Witty said.

Patient data

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina held up the book Hacking for Dummies, which he said hes used as a resource on various Senate committees, and told Witty this is basic stuff.

Your entire enterprise is based on the movement and exchange of data, Tillis, a Republican, said during his questioning. Thats how you create value.  When you have a breach, its gotta be your problem, not my problem. So everything that you do to keep those folks whole for any damage in the brief is just a function of doing business. Do you agree with that?

I do sir, Witty responded. And weve (leaned) in to take full responsibility on notification, and we are waiting for that notification. Weve already stood up credit protection, identity theft protection, and they can reach us through a 1-800 number and through our cyber support.

The company has provided a call center at 1-866-262-5342 and a website changecybersupport.com.

Witty told Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto that the timeline for notifying providers and patients whether their data has been breached  as required by federal and state law  will take several weeks.

Youve been saying several more weeks since what, this attack was how long ago, 69 days ago? asked Cortez-Masto, a Nevada Democrat.

Yes, and thank you for the question. We only were able to start this process about a month after the attack when we got the dataset back and were able to start to interrogate it, a very complex process, Witty replied.

Protesters briefly stood after the hearing adjourned and chanted Andrew Witty, you cant hide. We can see your greedy side.

Witty also testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Wednesday.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation into the attack.

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The post UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack thats crippled health care appeared first on Oklahoma Voice.
UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on May 1, 2024, about a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary. (Screenshot from committee webcast)

WASHINGTON  Capitol Hill lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday grilled UnitedHealth Groups CEO over the largest-ever cyberattack on the U.S. health care industry, which has crippled payments to providers and pharmacies and left millions of patients clueless about whether their information is now on the dark web.

A Russia-linked cybercrime organization dubbed BlackCat infiltrated a vulnerable server in February belonging to Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of the massive Minnesota-based UnitedHealth. The hackers demanded ransom for stolen data.

UnitedHealths CEO Andrew Witty told the Senate Committee on Finance the decision to pay the $22 million ransom in Bitcoin was mine (and) was one of the hardest decisions Ive ever had to make.

To all those impacted, let me be very clear: I am deeply sorry, Witty said in his opening testimony.

The company warned in its latest update in late April that a preliminary ongoing investigation revealed compromised personal health and identifiable information that could cover a substantial proportion of people in America.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation

Wittys apology did little to stop lawmakers from demanding that he answer for basic cybersecurity missteps, significant revenue losses and delays in notifying patients whether their personal information was among data stolen by the cyber criminals.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the committees chair, said failure starts at the top.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation for how a company of UHGs size and importance failed to have multi-factor authentication on a server providing open door access to protected health information, why its recovery plans were so woefully inadequate and how long it will take to finally secure all of its systems, the Oregon Democrat said.

UnitedHealth Group, which ranks among the nations largest companies, acquired Change Healthcare in a controversial 2022 deal that added to its behemoth footprint in the American health care industry.

Change Healthcare is an information superhighway for payments, requests for insurers to authorize care and roughly a third of Americans medical records. It processes 14 billion clinical, financial and operational transactions annually, according to the company.

Witty told lawmakers that with the Change purchase came the companys legacy technology that UnitedHealth has been in the process of upgrading.

Both Wyden and the committees ranking member, Mike Crapo of Idaho, criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for not playing a larger role after the attack.

Wyden panned the agency for not conducting a proactive cybersecurity audit in seven years.

HHS, which has published recommended cybersecurity standards for the health care industry, did not respond to a request for comment. It released a statement and guidance about the cyberattack on March 5.

That wasnt soon enough, Crapo said, and the administrations delay exacerbated an already uncertain landscape, leaving providers and patients with reasonable concerns about access to essential medical services and life-saving drugs.

Not a rosy picture

The cybercriminals that attacked Change Healthcare allegedly accessed a server using stolen credentials.

The server did not have multi-factor authentication  a widely used two-step log-in process  and hackers were in the system for nine days before being detected, Witty confirmed for the committee.

Wyden said the attack could have been stopped by using cybersecurity 101.

I dont believe there are any excuses for that, Wyden said.

The company immediately contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and disconnected Change from the rest of its network after discovering the breach, Witty said.

Cutting off the system halted billing, insurance authorizations and other activities for weeks, costing providers more than $100 million a day, according to the American Medical Association.

UnitedHealth maintains medical claims are flowing again at near normal levels, and payment processing has reached 86% of pre-incident levels and is increasing as additional functionality is restored, according to Wittys submitted written testimony.

Witty told lawmakers that as of Friday, the company had issued $6.5 billion in payments and no-interest loans to medical providers.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said her office has been inundated with calls about the Change attack. The reality patients and providers are describing is wildly different from the rosy picture that you have painted, she said.

The Tennessee Republican said shes hearing from hospitals and doctors who are facing weeks of backlogged claims and payments.

Heres a good for instance for you: a small, independent, private hospital in West Tennessee. They have diligently submitted all of their claims, and they are burdened with a backlog of Medicare claims that is equivalent to 30 days revenue, and theyre waiting for these things to be transmitted to Medicare, Blackburn said.

This is all because of the missteps you all have had.

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, asked Witty for a target time when everyone will be made completely whole.

I would hope that thats in the next month or six weeks, Witty said.

Patient data

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina held up the book Hacking for Dummies, which he said hes used as a resource on various Senate committees, and told Witty this is basic stuff.

Your entire enterprise is based on the movement and exchange of data, Tillis, a Republican, said during his questioning. Thats how you create value.  When you have a breach, its gotta be your problem, not my problem. So everything that you do to keep those folks whole for any damage in the brief is just a function of doing business. Do you agree with that?

I do sir, Witty responded. And weve (leaned) in to take full responsibility on notification, and we are waiting for that notification. Weve already stood up credit protection, identity theft protection, and they can reach us through a 1-800 number and through our cyber support.

The company has provided a call center at 1-866-262-5342 and a website changecybersupport.com.

Witty told Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto that the timeline for notifying providers and patients whether their data has been breached  as required by federal and state law  will take several weeks.

Youve been saying several more weeks since what, this attack was how long ago, 69 days ago? asked Cortez-Masto, a Nevada Democrat.

Yes, and thank you for the question. We only were able to start this process about a month after the attack when we got the dataset back and were able to start to interrogate it, a very complex process, Witty replied.

Protesters briefly stood after the hearing adjourned and chanted Andrew Witty, you cant hide. We can see your greedy side.

Witty also testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Wednesday.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation into the attack.

The post UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack thats crippled health care appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary. (Screenshot from committee webcast)

WASHINGTON  Capitol Hill lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday grilled UnitedHealth Groups CEO over the largest-ever cyberattack on the U.S. health care industry, which has crippled payments to providers and pharmacies and left millions of patients clueless about whether their information is now on the dark web.

A Russia-linked cybercrime organization dubbed BlackCat infiltrated a vulnerable server in February belonging to Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of the massive Minnesota-based UnitedHealth. The hackers demanded ransom for stolen data.

UnitedHealths CEO Andrew Witty told the Senate Committee on Finance the decision to pay the $22 million ransom in Bitcoin was mine (and) was one of the hardest decisions Ive ever had to make.

To all those impacted, let me be very clear: I am deeply sorry, Witty said in his opening testimony.

The company warned in its latest update in late April that a preliminary ongoing investigation revealed compromised personal health and identifiable information that could cover a substantial proportion of people in America.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation

Wittys apology did little to stop lawmakers from demanding that he answer for basic cybersecurity missteps, significant revenue losses and delays in notifying patients whether their personal information was among data stolen by the cyber criminals.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the committees chair, said failure starts at the top.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation for how a company of UHGs size and importance failed to have multi-factor authentication on a server providing open door access to protected health information, why its recovery plans were so woefully inadequate and how long it will take to finally secure all of its systems, the Oregon Democrat said.

UnitedHealth Group, which ranks among the nations largest companies, acquired Change Healthcare in a controversial 2022 deal that added to its behemoth footprint in the American health care industry.

Change Healthcare is an information superhighway for payments, requests for insurers to authorize care and roughly a third of Americans medical records. It processes 14 billion clinical, financial and operational transactions annually, according to the company.

Witty told lawmakers that with the Change purchase came the companys legacy technology that UnitedHealth has been in the process of upgrading.

Both Wyden and the committees ranking member, Mike Crapo of Idaho, criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for not playing a larger role after the attack.

Wyden panned the agency for not conducting a proactive cybersecurity audit in seven years.

HHS, which has published recommended cybersecurity standards for the health care industry, did not respond to a request for comment. It released a statement and guidance about the cyberattack on March 5.

That wasnt soon enough, Crapo said, and the administrations delay exacerbated an already uncertain landscape, leaving providers and patients with reasonable concerns about access to essential medical services and life-saving drugs.

Not a rosy picture

The cybercriminals that attacked Change Healthcare allegedly accessed a server using stolen credentials.

The server did not have multi-factor authentication  a widely used two-step log-in process  and hackers were in the system for nine days before being detected, Witty confirmed for the committee.

Wyden said the attack could have been stopped by using cybersecurity 101.

I dont believe there are any excuses for that, Wyden said.

The company immediately contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and disconnected Change from the rest of its network after discovering the breach, Witty said.

Cutting off the system halted billing, insurance authorizations and other activities for weeks, costing providers more than $100 million a day, according to the American Medical Association.

UnitedHealth maintains medical claims are flowing again at near normal levels, and payment processing has reached 86% of pre-incident levels and is increasing as additional functionality is restored, according to Wittys submitted written testimony.

Witty told lawmakers that as of Friday the company had issued $6.5 billion in payments and no-interest loans to medical providers.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said her office has been inundated with calls about the Change attack. The reality patients and providers are describing is wildly different from the rosy picture that you have painted, she said.

The Tennessee Republican said shes hearing from hospitals and doctors who are facing weeks of backlogged claims and payments.

Heres a good for instance for you: a small, independent, private hospital in West Tennessee. They have diligently submitted all of their claims, and they are burdened with a backlog of Medicare claims that is equivalent to 30 days revenue, and theyre waiting for these things to be transmitted to Medicare, Blackburn said.

This is all because of the missteps you all have had.

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, asked Witty for a target time when everyone will be made completely whole.

I would hope that thats in the next month or six weeks, Witty said.

Patient data

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina held up the book Hacking for Dummies, which he said hes used as a resource on various Senate committees, and told Witty this is basic stuff.

Your entire enterprise is based on the movement and exchange of data, Tillis, a Republican, said during his questioning. Thats how you create value.  When you have a breach, its gotta be your problem, not my problem. So everything that you do to keep those folks whole for any damage in the brief is just a function of doing business. Do you agree with that?

I do sir, Witty responded. And weve (leaned) in to take full responsibility on notification, and we are waiting for that notification. Weve already stood up credit protection, identity theft protection, and they can reach us through a 1-800 number and through our cyber support.

The company has provided a call center at 1-866-262-5342 and a website changecybersupport.com.

Witty told Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto that the timeline for notifying providers and patients whether their data has been breached  as required by federal and state law  will take several weeks.

Youve been saying several more weeks since what, this attack was how long ago, 69 days ago? asked Cortez-Masto, a Nevada Democrat.

Yes, and thank you for the question. We only were able to start this process about a month after the attack when we got the dataset back and were able to start to interrogate it, a very complex process, Witty replied.

Protesters briefly stood after the hearing adjourned and chanted Andrew Witty, you cant hide. We can see your greedy side.

Witty also testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Wednesday.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation into the attack.

The post UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack thats crippled health care appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary. (Screenshot from committee webcast)

WASHINGTON  Capitol Hill lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday grilled UnitedHealth Groups CEO over the largest-ever cyberattack on the U.S. health care industry, which has crippled payments to providers and pharmacies and left millions of patients clueless about whether their information is now on the dark web.

A Russia-linked cybercrime organization dubbed BlackCat infiltrated a vulnerable server in February belonging to Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of the massive Minnesota-based UnitedHealth. The hackers demanded ransom for stolen data.

UnitedHealths CEO Andrew Witty told the Senate Committee on Finance the decision to pay the $22 million ransom in Bitcoin was mine [and] was one of the hardest decisions Ive ever had to make.

To all those impacted, let me be very clear: I am deeply sorry, Witty said in his opening testimony.

The company warned in its latest update in late April that a preliminary ongoing investigation revealed compromised personal health and identifiable information that could cover a substantial proportion of people in America.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation

Wittys apology did little to stop lawmakers from demanding that he answer for basic cybersecurity missteps, significant revenue losses and delays in notifying patients whether their personal information was among data stolen by the cyber criminals.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the committees chair, said failure starts at the top.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation for how a company of UHGs size and importance failed to have multi-factor authentication on a server providing open door access to protected health information, why its recovery plans were so woefully inadequate and how long it will take to finally secure all of its systems, the Oregon Democrat said.

UnitedHealth Group, which ranks among the nations largest companies, acquired Change Healthcare in a controversial 2022 deal that added to its behemoth footprint in the American health care industry.

Change Healthcare is an information superhighway for payments, requests for insurers to authorize care and roughly a third of Americans medical records. It processes 14 billion clinical, financial and operational transactions annually, according to the company.

Witty told lawmakers that with the Change purchase came the companys legacy technology that UnitedHealth has been in the process of upgrading.

Both Wyden and the committees ranking member, Mike Crapo of Idaho, criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for not playing a larger role after the attack.

Wyden panned the agency for not conducting a proactive cybersecurity audit in seven years.

HHS, which has published recommended cybersecurity standards for the health care industry, did not respond to a request for comment. It released a statement and guidance about the cyberattack on March 5.

That wasnt soon enough, Crapo said, and the administrations delay exacerbated an already uncertain landscape, leaving providers and patients with reasonable concerns about access to essential medical services and life-saving drugs.

Not a rosy picture

The cybercriminals that attacked Change Healthcare allegedly accessed a server using stolen credentials.

The server did not have multi-factor authentication  a widely used two-step log-in process  and hackers were in the system for nine days before being detected, Witty confirmed for the committee.

Wyden said the attack could have been stopped by using cybersecurity 101.

I dont believe there are any excuses for that, Wyden said.

The company immediately contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and disconnected Change from the rest of its network after discovering the breach, Witty said.

Cutting off the system halted billing, insurance authorizations and other activities for weeks, costing providers more than $100 million a day, according to the American Medical Association.

UnitedHealth maintains medical claims are flowing again at near normal levels, and payment processing has reached 86% of pre-incident levels and is increasing as additional functionality is restored, according to Wittys submitted written testimony.

Witty told lawmakers that as of Friday the company had issued $6.5 billion in payments and no-interest loans to medical providers.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said her office has been inundated with calls about the Change attack. The reality patients and providers are describing is wildly different from the rosy picture that you have painted, she said.

The Tennessee Republican said shes hearing from hospitals and doctors who are facing weeks of backlogged claims and payments.

Heres a good for instance for you: a small, independent, private hospital in West Tennessee. They have diligently submitted all of their claims, and they are burdened with a backlog of Medicare claims that is equivalent to 30 days revenue, and theyre waiting for these things to be transmitted to Medicare, Blackburn said.

This is all because of the missteps you all have had.

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, asked Witty for a target time when everyone will be made completely whole.

I would hope that thats in the next month or six weeks, Witty said.

Patient data

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina held up the book Hacking for Dummies, which he said hes used as a resource on various Senate committees, and told Witty this is basic stuff.

Your entire enterprise is based on the movement and exchange of data, Tillis, a Republican, said during his questioning. Thats how you create value.  When you have a breach, its gotta be your problem, not my problem. So everything that you do to keep those folks whole for any damage in the brief is just a function of doing business. Do you agree with that?

I do sir, Witty responded. And weve [leaned] in to take full responsibility on notification, and we are waiting for that notification. Weve already stood up credit protection, identity theft protection, and they can reach us through a 1-800 number and through our cyber support.

The company has provided a call center at 1-866-262-5342 and a website changecybersupport.com.

Witty told Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto that the timeline for notifying providers and patients whether their data has been breached  as required by federal and state law  will take several weeks.

Youve been saying several more weeks since what, this attack was how long ago, 69 days ago? asked Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat.

Yes, and thank you for the question. We only were able to start this process about a month after the attack when we got the dataset back and were able to start to interrogate it, a very complex process, Witty replied.

Protesters briefly stood after the hearing adjourned and chanted, Andrew Witty, you cant hide. We can see your greedy side.

Witty also testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Wednesday.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation into the attack.

The post UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack thats crippled health care appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on May 1, 2024, about a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary

UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on May 1, 2024, about a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary. (Screenshot from committee webcast)

WASHINGTON  Capitol Hill lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday grilled UnitedHealth Groups CEO over the largest-ever cyberattack on the U.S. health care industry, which has crippled payments to providers and pharmacies and left millions of patients clueless about whether their information is now on the dark web.

A Russia-linked cybercrime organization dubbed BlackCat infiltrated a vulnerable server in February belonging to Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of the massive Minnesota-based UnitedHealth. The hackers demanded ransom for stolen data.

UnitedHealths CEO Andrew Witty told the Senate Committee on Finance the decision to pay the $22 million ransom in Bitcoin was mine (and) was one of the hardest decisions Ive ever had to make.

To all those impacted, let me be very clear: I am deeply sorry, Witty said in his opening testimony.

The company warned in its latest update in late April that a preliminary ongoing investigation revealed compromised personal health and identifiable information that could cover a substantial proportion of people in America.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation

Wittys apology did little to stop lawmakers from demanding that he answer for basic cybersecurity missteps, significant revenue losses and delays in notifying patients whether their personal information was among data stolen by the cyber criminals.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the committees chair, said failure starts at the top.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation for how a company of UHGs size and importance failed to have multi-factor authentication on a server providing open door access to protected health information, why its recovery plans were so woefully inadequate and how long it will take to finally secure all of its systems, the Oregon Democrat said.

UnitedHealth Group, which ranks among the nations largest companies, acquired Change Healthcare in a controversial 2022 deal that added to its behemoth footprint in the American health care industry.

Change Healthcare is an information superhighway for payments, requests for insurers to authorize care and roughly a third of Americans medical records. It processes 14 billion clinical, financial and operational transactions annually, according to the company.

Witty told lawmakers that with the Change purchase came the companys legacy technology that UnitedHealth has been in the process of upgrading.

Both Wyden and the committees ranking member, Mike Crapo of Idaho, criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for not playing a larger role after the attack.

Wyden panned the agency for not conducting a proactive cybersecurity audit in seven years.

HHS, which has published recommended cybersecurity standards for the health care industry, did not respond to a request for comment. It released a statement and guidance about the cyberattack on March 5.

That wasnt soon enough, Crapo said, and the administrations delay exacerbated an already uncertain landscape, leaving providers and patients with reasonable concerns about access to essential medical services and life-saving drugs.

Not a rosy picture

The cybercriminals that attacked Change Healthcare allegedly accessed a server using stolen credentials.

The server did not have multi-factor authentication  a widely used two-step log-in process  and hackers were in the system for nine days before being detected, Witty confirmed for the committee.

Wyden said the attack could have been stopped by using cybersecurity 101.

I dont believe there are any excuses for that, Wyden said.

The company immediately contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and disconnected Change from the rest of its network after discovering the breach, Witty said.

Cutting off the system halted billing, insurance authorizations and other activities for weeks, costing providers more than $100 million a day, according to the American Medical Association.

UnitedHealth maintains medical claims are flowing again at near normal levels, and payment processing has reached 86% of pre-incident levels and is increasing as additional functionality is restored, according to Wittys submitted written testimony.

Witty told lawmakers that as of Friday the company had issued $6.5 billion in payments and no-interest loans to medical providers.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said her office has been inundated with calls about the Change attack. The reality patients and providers are describing is wildly different from the rosy picture that you have painted, she said.

The Tennessee Republican said shes hearing from hospitals and doctors who are facing weeks of backlogged claims and payments.

Heres a good for instance for you: a small, independent, private hospital in West Tennessee. They have diligently submitted all of their claims, and they are burdened with a backlog of Medicare claims that is equivalent to 30 days revenue, and theyre waiting for these things to be transmitted to Medicare, Blackburn said.

This is all because of the missteps you all have had.

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, asked Witty for a target time when everyone will be made completely whole.

I would hope that thats in the next month or six weeks, Witty said.

Patient data

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina held up the book Hacking for Dummies, which he said hes used as a resource on various Senate committees, and told Witty this is basic stuff.

Your entire enterprise is based on the movement and exchange of data, Tillis, a Republican, said during his questioning. Thats how you create value.  When you have a breach, its gotta be your problem, not my problem. So everything that you do to keep those folks whole for any damage in the brief is just a function of doing business. Do you agree with that?

I do sir, Witty responded. And weve (leaned) in to take full responsibility on notification, and we are waiting for that notification. Weve already stood up credit protection, identity theft protection, and they can reach us through a 1-800 number and through our cyber support.

The company has provided a call center at 1-866-262-5342 and a website changecybersupport.com.

Witty told Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto that the timeline for notifying providers and patients whether their data has been breached  as required by federal and state law  will take several weeks.

Youve been saying several more weeks since what, this attack was how long ago, 69 days ago? asked Cortez-Masto, a Nevada Democrat.

Yes, and thank you for the question. We only were able to start this process about a month after the attack when we got the dataset back and were able to start to interrogate it, a very complex process, Witty replied.

Protesters briefly stood after the hearing adjourned and chanted Andrew Witty, you cant hide. We can see your greedy side.

Witty also testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Wednesday.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation into the attack.

The post UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack thats crippled health care appeared first on Kansas Reflector.
UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary. (Screenshot from committee webcast)

WASHINGTON  Capitol Hill lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday grilled UnitedHealth Groups CEO over the largest-ever cyberattack on the U.S. health care industry, which has crippled payments to providers and pharmacies and left millions of patients clueless about whether their information is now on the dark web.

A Russia-linked cybercrime organization dubbed BlackCat infiltrated a vulnerable server in February belonging to Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of the massive Minnesota-based UnitedHealth. The hackers demanded ransom for stolen data.

UnitedHealths CEO Andrew Witty told the Senate Committee on Finance the decision to pay the $22 million ransom in Bitcoin was mine (and) was one of the hardest decisions Ive ever had to make.

To all those impacted, let me be very clear: I am deeply sorry, Witty said in his opening testimony.

The company warned in its latest update in late April that a preliminary ongoing investigation revealed compromised personal health and identifiable information that could cover a substantial proportion of people in America.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation

Wittys apology did little to stop lawmakers from demanding that he answer for basic cybersecurity missteps, significant revenue losses and delays in notifying patients whether their personal information was among data stolen by the cyber criminals.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the committees chair, said failure starts at the top.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation for how a company of UHGs size and importance failed to have multi-factor authentication on a server providing open door access to protected health information, why its recovery plans were so woefully inadequate and how long it will take to finally secure all of its systems, the Oregon Democrat said.

UnitedHealth Group, which ranks among the nations largest companies, acquired Change Healthcare in a controversial 2022 deal that added to its behemoth footprint in the American health care industry.

Change Healthcare is an information superhighway for payments, requests for insurers to authorize care and roughly a third of Americans medical records. It processes 14 billion clinical, financial and operational transactions annually, according to the company.

Witty told lawmakers that with the Change purchase came the companys legacy technology that UnitedHealth has been in the process of upgrading.

Both Wyden and the committees ranking member, Mike Crapo of Idaho, criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for not playing a larger role after the attack.

Wyden panned the agency for not conducting a proactive cybersecurity audit in seven years.

HHS, which has published recommended cybersecurity standards for the health care industry, did not respond to a request for comment. It released a statement and guidance about the cyberattack on March 5.

That wasnt soon enough, Crapo said, and the administrations delay exacerbated an already uncertain landscape, leaving providers and patients with reasonable concerns about access to essential medical services and life-saving drugs.

Not a rosy picture

The cybercriminals that attacked Change Healthcare allegedly accessed a server using stolen credentials.

The server did not have multi-factor authentication  a widely used two-step log-in process  and hackers were in the system for nine days before being detected, Witty confirmed for the committee.

Wyden said the attack could have been stopped by using cybersecurity 101.

I dont believe there are any excuses for that, Wyden said.

The company immediately contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and disconnected Change from the rest of its network after discovering the breach, Witty said.

Cutting off the system halted billing, insurance authorizations and other activities for weeks, costing providers more than $100 million a day, according to the American Medical Association.

UnitedHealth maintains medical claims are flowing again at near normal levels, and payment processing has reached 86% of pre-incident levels and is increasing as additional functionality is restored, according to Wittys submitted written testimony.

Witty told lawmakers that as of Friday the company had issued $6.5 billion in payments and no-interest loans to medical providers.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said her office has been inundated with calls about the Change attack. The reality patients and providers are describing is wildly different from the rosy picture that you have painted, she said.

The Tennessee Republican said shes hearing from hospitals and doctors who are facing weeks of backlogged claims and payments.

Heres a good for instance for you: a small, independent, private hospital in West Tennessee. They have diligently submitted all of their claims, and they are burdened with a backlog of Medicare claims that is equivalent to 30 days revenue, and theyre waiting for these things to be transmitted to Medicare, Blackburn said.

This is all because of the missteps you all have had.

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, asked Witty for a target time when everyone will be made completely whole.

I would hope that thats in the next month or six weeks, Witty said.

Patient data

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina held up the book Hacking for Dummies, which he said hes used as a resource on various Senate committees, and told Witty this is basic stuff.

Your entire enterprise is based on the movement and exchange of data, Tillis, a Republican, said during his questioning. Thats how you create value.  When you have a breach, its gotta be your problem, not my problem. So everything that you do to keep those folks whole for any damage in the brief is just a function of doing business. Do you agree with that?

I do sir, Witty responded. And weve (leaned) in to take full responsibility on notification, and we are waiting for that notification. Weve already stood up credit protection, identity theft protection, and they can reach us through a 1-800 number and through our cyber support.

The company has provided a call center at 1-866-262-5342 and a website changecybersupport.com.

Witty told Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto that the timeline for notifying providers and patients whether their data has been breached  as required by federal and state law  will take several weeks.

Youve been saying several more weeks since what, this attack was how long ago, 69 days ago? asked Cortez-Masto, a Nevada Democrat.

Yes, and thank you for the question. We only were able to start this process about a month after the attack when we got the dataset back and were able to start to interrogate it, a very complex process, Witty replied.

Protesters briefly stood after the hearing adjourned and chanted Andrew Witty, you cant hide. We can see your greedy side.

Witty also testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Wednesday.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation into the attack.

The post UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack thats crippled health care appeared first on SC Daily Gazette.
UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary. (Screenshot from committee webcast)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

WASHINGTON  Capitol Hill lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday grilled UnitedHealth Groups CEO over the largest-ever cyberattack on the U.S. health care industry, which has crippled payments to providers and pharmacies and left millions of patients clueless about whether their information is now on the dark web.

A Russia-linked cybercrime organization dubbed BlackCat infiltrated a vulnerable server in February belonging to Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of the massive Minnesota-based UnitedHealth. The hackers demanded ransom for stolen data.

UnitedHealths CEO Andrew Witty told the Senate Committee on Finance the decision to pay the $22 million ransom in Bitcoin was mine (and) was one of the hardest decisions Ive ever had to make.

To all those impacted, let me be very clear: I am deeply sorry, Witty said in his opening testimony.

The company warned in its latest update in late April that a preliminary ongoing investigation revealed compromised personal health and identifiable information that could cover a substantial proportion of people in America.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation

Wittys apology did little to stop lawmakers from demanding that he answer for basic cybersecurity missteps, significant revenue losses and delays in notifying patients whether their personal information was among data stolen by the cyber criminals.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the committees chair, said failure starts at the top.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation for how a company of UHGs size and importance failed to have multi-factor authentication on a server providing open door access to protected health information, why its recovery plans were so woefully inadequate and how long it will take to finally secure all of its systems, the Oregon Democrat said.

UnitedHealth Group, which ranks among the nations largest companies, acquired Change Healthcare in a controversial 2022 deal that added to its behemoth footprint in the American health care industry.

Change Healthcare is an information superhighway for payments, requests for insurers to authorize care and roughly a third of Americans medical records. It processes 14 billion clinical, financial and operational transactions annually, according to the company.

Witty told lawmakers that with the Change purchase came the companys legacy technology that UnitedHealth has been in the process of upgrading.

Both Wyden and the committees ranking member, Mike Crapo of Idaho, criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for not playing a larger role after the attack.

Wyden panned the agency for not conducting a proactive cybersecurity audit in seven years.

HHS, which has published recommended cybersecurity standards for the health care industry, did not respond to a request for comment. It released a statement and guidance about the cyberattack on March 5.

That wasnt soon enough, Crapo said, and the administrations delay exacerbated an already uncertain landscape, leaving providers and patients with reasonable concerns about access to essential medical services and life-saving drugs.

Not a rosy picture

The cybercriminals that attacked Change Healthcare allegedly accessed a server using stolen credentials.

The server did not have multi-factor authentication  a widely used two-step log-in process  and hackers were in the system for nine days before being detected, Witty confirmed for the committee.

Wyden said the attack could have been stopped by using cybersecurity 101.

I dont believe there are any excuses for that, Wyden said.

The company immediately contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and disconnected Change from the rest of its network after discovering the breach, Witty said.

Cutting off the system halted billing, insurance authorizations and other activities for weeks, costing providers more than $100 million a day, according to the American Medical Association.

UnitedHealth maintains medical claims are flowing again at near normal levels, and payment processing has reached 86% of pre-incident levels and is increasing as additional functionality is restored, according to Wittys submitted written testimony.

Witty told lawmakers that as of Friday the company had issued $6.5 billion in payments and no-interest loans to medical providers.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said her office has been inundated with calls about the Change attack. The reality patients and providers are describing is wildly different from the rosy picture that you have painted, she said.

The Tennessee Republican said shes hearing from hospitals and doctors who are facing weeks of backlogged claims and payments.

Heres a good for instance for you: a small, independent, private hospital in West Tennessee. They have diligently submitted all of their claims, and they are burdened with a backlog of Medicare claims that is equivalent to 30 days revenue, and theyre waiting for these things to be transmitted to Medicare, Blackburn said.

This is all because of the missteps you all have had.

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, asked Witty for a target time when everyone will be made completely whole.

I would hope that thats in the next month or six weeks, Witty said.

Patient data

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina held up the book Hacking for Dummies, which he said hes used as a resource on various Senate committees, and told Witty this is basic stuff.

Your entire enterprise is based on the movement and exchange of data, Tillis, a Republican, said during his questioning. Thats how you create value.  When you have a breach, its gotta be your problem, not my problem. So everything that you do to keep those folks whole for any damage in the brief is just a function of doing business. Do you agree with that?

I do sir, Witty responded. And weve (leaned) in to take full responsibility on notification, and we are waiting for that notification. Weve already stood up credit protection, identity theft protection, and they can reach us through a 1-800 number and through our cyber support.

The company has provided a call center at 1-866-262-5342 and a website changecybersupport.com.

Witty told Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto that the timeline for notifying providers and patients whether their data has been breached  as required by federal and state law  will take several weeks.

Youve been saying several more weeks since what, this attack was how long ago, 69 days ago? asked Cortez-Masto.

Yes, and thank you for the question. We only were able to start this process about a month after the attack when we got the dataset back and were able to start to interrogate it, a very complex process, Witty replied.

Protesters briefly stood after the hearing adjourned and chanted Andrew Witty, you cant hide. We can see your greedy side.

Witty also testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Wednesday.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation into the attack.

The post UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack thats crippled health care appeared first on Nevada Current.
UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, about a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary. (Screenshot from committee webcast)

WASHINGTON  Capitol Hill lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday grilled UnitedHealth Groups CEO over the largest-ever cyberattack on the U.S. health care industry, which has crippled payments to providers and pharmacies and left millions of patients clueless about whether their information is now on the dark web.

A Russia-linked cybercrime organization dubbed BlackCat infiltrated a vulnerable server in February belonging to Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of the massive Minnesota-based UnitedHealth. The hackers demanded ransom for stolen data.

UnitedHealths CEO Andrew Witty told the Senate Committee on Finance the decision to pay the $22 million ransom in Bitcoin was mine (and) was one of the hardest decisions Ive ever had to make.

To all those impacted, let me be very clear: I am deeply sorry, Witty said in his opening testimony.

The company warned in its latest update in late April that a preliminary ongoing investigation revealed compromised personal health and identifiable information that could cover a substantial proportion of people in America.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation

Wittys apology did little to stop lawmakers from demanding that he answer for basic cybersecurity missteps, significant revenue losses and delays in notifying patients whether their personal information was among data stolen by the cyber criminals.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the committees chair, said failure starts at the top.

Mr. Witty owes Americans an explanation for how a company of UHGs size and importance failed to have multi-factor authentication on a server providing open door access to protected health information, why its recovery plans were so woefully inadequate and how long it will take to finally secure all of its systems, the Oregon Democrat said.

UnitedHealth Group, which ranks among the nations largest companies, acquired Change Healthcare in a controversial 2022 deal that added to its behemoth footprint in the American health care industry.

Change Healthcare is an information superhighway for payments, requests for insurers to authorize care and roughly a third of Americans medical records. It processes 14 billion clinical, financial and operational transactions annually, according to the company.

Witty told lawmakers that with the Change purchase came the companys legacy technology that UnitedHealth has been in the process of upgrading.

Both Wyden and the committees ranking member, Mike Crapo of Idaho, criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for not playing a larger role after the attack.

Wyden panned the agency for not conducting a proactive cybersecurity audit in seven years.

HHS, which has published recommended cybersecurity standards for the health care industry, did not respond to a request for comment. It released a statement and guidance about the cyberattack on March 5.

That wasnt soon enough, Crapo said, and the administrations delay exacerbated an already uncertain landscape, leaving providers and patients with reasonable concerns about access to essential medical services and life-saving drugs.

Not a rosy picture

The cybercriminals that attacked Change Healthcare allegedly accessed a server using stolen credentials.

The server did not have multi-factor authentication  a widely used two-step log-in process  and hackers were in the system for nine days before being detected, Witty confirmed for the committee.

Wyden said the attack could have been stopped by using cybersecurity 101.

I dont believe there are any excuses for that, Wyden said.

The company immediately contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and disconnected Change from the rest of its network after discovering the breach, Witty said.

Cutting off the system halted billing, insurance authorizations and other activities for weeks, costing providers more than $100 million a day, according to the American Medical Association.

UnitedHealth maintains medical claims are flowing again at near normal levels, and payment processing has reached 86% of pre-incident levels and is increasing as additional functionality is restored, according to Wittys submitted written testimony.

Witty told lawmakers that as of Friday the company had issued $6.5 billion in payments and no-interest loans to medical providers.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said her office has been inundated with calls about the Change attack. The reality patients and providers are describing is wildly different from the rosy picture that you have painted, she said.

The Tennessee Republican said shes hearing from hospitals and doctors who are facing weeks of backlogged claims and payments.

Heres a good for instance for you: a small, independent, private hospital in West Tennessee. They have diligently submitted all of their claims, and they are burdened with a backlog of Medicare claims that is equivalent to 30 days revenue, and theyre waiting for these things to be transmitted to Medicare, Blackburn said.

This is all because of the missteps you all have had.

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, asked Witty for a target time when everyone will be made completely whole.

I would hope that thats in the next month or six weeks, Witty said.

Patient data

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina held up the book Hacking for Dummies, which he said hes used as a resource on various Senate committees, and told Witty this is basic stuff.

Your entire enterprise is based on the movement and exchange of data, Tillis, a Republican, said during his questioning. Thats how you create value.  When you have a breach, its gotta be your problem, not my problem. So everything that you do to keep those folks whole for any damage in the brief is just a function of doing business. Do you agree with that?

I do sir, Witty responded. And weve (leaned) in to take full responsibility on notification, and we are waiting for that notification. Weve already stood up credit protection, identity theft protection, and they can reach us through a 1-800 number and through our cyber support.

The company has provided a call center at 1-866-262-5342 and a website changecybersupport.com.

Witty told Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto that the timeline for notifying providers and patients whether their data has been breached  as required by federal and state law  will take several weeks.

Youve been saying several more weeks since what, this attack was how long ago, 69 days ago? asked Cortez-Masto, a Nevada Democrat.

Yes, and thank you for the question. We only were able to start this process about a month after the attack when we got the dataset back and were able to start to interrogate it, a very complex process, Witty replied.

Protesters briefly stood after the hearing adjourned and chanted Andrew Witty, you cant hide. We can see your greedy side.

Witty also testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Wednesday.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation into the attack.

The post UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack thats crippled health care appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
UnitedHealth CEO Witty testifies about recent cyberattack at the company's technology unit during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington

UnitedHealth CEO Witty testifies about recent cyberattack at the company's technology unit during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington

By Ahmed Aboulenein and Zeba Siddiqui

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hackers who breached UnitedHealth's tech unit in February potentially stole a third of Americans' data, the largest U.S. health insurer's CEO told a Congressional committee on Wednesday.

Two Congressional panels grilled CEO Andrew Witty about the cyberattack on the company's Change Healthcare unit, which processes around 50% of all medical claims in the U.S.

The breach has caused widespread disruptions in claims processing, impacting patients and providers across the country.

Witty fielded heated questions from Senators on the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the company's failure to prevent the breach and contain its fallout.

Pressed for details on the data compromised, Witty said "maybe a third" of Americans' protected health information and personally identifiable information was stolen.

"We continue to investigate the amount of data involved here," he added. "We do think it's going to be substantial."

The cybercriminal gang AlphV hacked into Change on Feb. 12 using stolen login credentials on an older server that did not have multi-factor authentication, Witty said.

"It was ... a platform which had only recently become part of the company was in the process of being upgraded," Witty said, referring to UnitedHealth's $13 billion acquisition of Change in 2022.

The platform also did not have the security measures prescribed in a joint alert issued by the FBI and U.S. cyber and health officials in December 2023 to specifically warn about AlphV, or BlackCat, targeting healthcare organisations.

UnitedHealth paid the gang around $22 million in bitcoin as ransom, Witty said, adding that however there was no guarantee that the breached data was secure and could not still be leaked. Another hacking group claiming to be an offshoot of AlphV said last month it had a copy of the data, though the company has not verified that claim.

The Senate Finance panel probed the outsized influence of UnitedHealth - which has a market capitalization of $445 billion and annual revenue of $372 billion - on American healthcare. But Witty said the company's problems were not a threat to the broader economy.

Senator Bill Cassidy said senators on the panel "would have to ask, is the dominant role of United too dominant because it is into everything and messing up United messes up everybody?"

"My point is, the size of United becomes a it's almost a too big to fail and sure, because if it fails, it's going to bring down far more than it ordinarily would," Cassidy said.

Witty said in response, "I don't believe it is because actually despite our size, for example, we have no hospitals in America, we do not own any drug manufacturers."

Yet, Change processes medical claims for around 900,000 physicians, 33,000 pharmacies, 5,500 hospitals and 600 laboratories in the U.S.

U.S. military members' data was also stolen in the hack, Witty revealed, without saying how many of them were impacted.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden called the hack a national security threat.

"I believe the bigger the company, the bigger the responsibility to protect its systems from hackers. UHG was a big target long before it was hacked," he added.

"UnitedHealth Group has not revealed how many patients' private medical records were stolen, how many providers went without reimbursement, and how many seniors are unable to pick up their prescriptions as a result of the hack," said Wyden.

In letters to both congressional committees, the American Hospital Association said an internal survey of its members found that 94% of hospitals reported damage to cash flow, and more than half reported "significant or serious" financial damage due to Change's inability to process claims.

Similarly, 90% of respondents to an American Medical Association survey of doctors said they continue to lose revenue because of the hack, according to the group's written testimony to the Senate Finance Committee.

(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein, Editing by Nick Zieminski, Chris Sanders and Marguerita Choy)
Revenue: Reached $112 million, a slight increase of 2% year-over-year, closely aligning with estimates of $111.76 million.

Net Income: Grew to $14 million, significantly surpassing the estimated $10.54 million.

Earnings Per Share (EPS): Reported at $0.24 per diluted share, exceeding the estimated $0.17.

Gross Margin: Improved to 42% of net sales, up from 31% in the prior year, benefiting from reduced transportation costs and higher net pricing.

Adjusted EBITDA: Increased to $21 million, more than doubling from $9 million in the previous year, driven by stronger gross margins.

Full-Year Guidance: Raised, with net revenue now expected between $500 million and $510 million, and Adjusted EBITDA forecasted between $76 million and $82 million.

The Vita Coco Co Inc (NASDAQ:COCO) released its 8-K filing on May 1, 2024, unveiling a promising start to the year with first-quarter earnings that exceeded analyst expectations. The company reported a net income of $14 million, significantly higher than the estimated $10.54 million, and earnings per share of $0.24, surpassing the expected $0.17. Revenue also saw a slight increase to $112 million, aligning closely with forecasts.

Vita Coco Co Inc (COCO) Surpasses Analyst Expectations in Q1 2024 Earnings

The Vita Coco Co Inc is a dynamic player in the plant-based functional hydration sector, known for its popular Vita Coco Coconut Water. The company's diverse product offerings also include private label coconut water and oil, and other brands like Runa, Ever & Ever, and PWR LIFT. Operating across multiple key markets including the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions, Vita Coco continues to dominate the beverage industry with its innovative and health-focused products.

Financial Highlights and Strategic Achievements

The first quarter of 2024 was marked by a 2% increase in net sales, primarily driven by the effective pricing strategies for Vita Coco Coconut Water. The gross profit margin impressively rose to 42% from 31% in the previous year, fueled by decreased transportation costs and reduced promotional activities. This improvement underscores the company's adept management of operational efficiencies and cost control measures.

Adjusted EBITDA also reflected positive momentum, climbing to $21 million from $9 million in the prior year, thanks to the robust gross profit margins. The company's strategic focus on expanding coconut water consumption and enhancing retail execution has evidently paid off, fostering significant growth in its flagship brand, which saw a 9% increase in dollar sales in Circana measured channels.

Story continues

Operational and Market Challenges

Despite the strong financial performance, Vita Coco faces ongoing challenges, including the volatility of transportation costs and the competitive dynamics of the beverage industry. The company anticipates some pressure on gross margins in the upcoming quarters due to rising costs on certain ocean freight routes, highlighting the need for continued innovation and efficiency improvements in its supply chain and operational strategies.

Looking Ahead: Raised Guidance and Strategic Outlook

Encouraged by the strong performance in the first quarter, Vita Coco has raised its full-year guidance, now expecting net sales between $500 million and $510 million and an Adjusted EBITDA between $76 million and $82 million. This optimistic outlook is supported by the anticipated growth in Vita Coco Coconut Water and private label volumes, although challenges remain with the private label coconut oil business and price/mix effects.

CEO Martin Roper expressed confidence in the company's trajectory, citing the healthy state of the coconut water category and the team's ability to deliver strong results. The company's proactive management and strategic initiatives are expected to continue driving growth and profitability, navigating through market uncertainties and leveraging opportunities for expansion.

Conclusion

The Vita Coco Co Inc's impressive start to 2024 highlights its resilience and strategic acumen in a challenging market. With a strong financial foundation and proactive growth strategies, the company is well-positioned to maintain its leadership in the hydration beverage sector and deliver value to its stakeholders.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from The Vita Coco Co Inc for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty took fire from both sides of the aisle Wednesday during his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee on the cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of his company.

Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) made it clear straight out of the gate that he blamed Wittys leadership for the cyberattack, which caused widespread disruptions to the health care sector.

The failures of CEOs like Mr. Witty, who months in cant figure out how many people have had their data stolen, validate the FBIs warning, Wyden said in his opening remarks, referencing how the FBI had cautioned that health care is the top target for ransomware.

During the hearing, Witty confirmed it was his decision to pay a ransom to the hackers, stating the company had paid $22 million.

Here are the issues members of the committee pressed Witty on for more than two hours of testimony.

Multifactor authentication

The server that was hacked did not require multifactor authentication (MFA) for access, despite UnitedHealth Groups (UHG) apparent companywide policy for this exact security measure.

When asked by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) whether management at UHG had been alerted of the servers lack of MFA, Witty said he was not aware of the issue having been raised.

I think its clear that if United had stronger defenses like multifactor authentication, then this could have gone very differently, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) said when questioning Witty.

Witty committed to requiring MFA companywide and deploying the same standards used for federal agencies within the next six months. He emphasized that enhancing MFA use was one layer of the companys response to the attack.

That is one element, but its only one element of the defense, said Witty. For example, we now have implemented in addition to our normal corporate wide scanning of our technology environment, weve now brought external third parties to do double or triple scanning across our systems.

Growing too big

UHG is the largest health care conglomerate in the U.S. The company acquired Change Healthcare in 2022, after the federal government unsuccessfully sued to stop the sale due to antitrust concerns.

The companys enormous control over the U.S. health care sector, and its relation to the fallout resulting from the February cyberattack, did not escape scrutiny from lawmakers.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) noted how UHG has bought up every link in the health care chain, owning the countrys largest insurer, the countrys largest claims processor, the countrys third-largest pharmacy benefit manager.

Youre now in a position to jack up prices, squeeze competitors, hide revenues and pressure doctors to put profits ahead of patients. UnitedHealth is a monopoly on steroids, said Warren.

Warren also blasted the company for seeking to buy out medical practices that have grown close to going out of business due to the cyberattack pausing payments, accusing UHG of using the data breach as an opportunity to grow bigger still.

Witty declined to respond to Warrens criticisms, citing UHGs long-standing practice of not commenting on matters such as that or things like mergers and acquisitions.

Whos been impacted

UHG said in April that a substantial proportion of Americans personal information had been compromised in the attack. Witty told the committee on Wednesday that consumers likely wont know whether theyve been impacted for some time.

It will take several months before enough information will be available to identify and notify impacted customers and individuals, partly because the files contained in that data were compromised in the attack, Witty said.

The company is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protections for two years to affected customers, though it must first determine who was impacted, which will apparently take some time.

Tillis warned that he did not want any of the onus for protecting private information to be shifted onto consumers by UHG.

I got a notice, you know, on possibly being involved in a data breach and it was kind of interesting saying, We will help you with your problem. And Im thinking, No I will help you with your problem. But youre not going to make this difficult for consumers and well be keeping track.

Its got to be your problem to fix, he added.

Physician loans

Throughout the hearing, Witty routinely referenced the interest-free loans his company is making available to health care providers as a key part of ameliorating the financial strain theyve been placed under.

We have advanced more than $6.5 billion in accelerated payments and no-interest, no-fee loans to thousands of providers. Most of these funds are for claims for non UHC health plans, and about 34 percent of the loans have gone to safety net hospitals and federally qualified health centers. We will provide this assistance for as long as it takes to get providers claims and payments flowing up [to] pre-incident levels, Witty said in his opening remarks.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) noted some hospitals have opened up lines of credit to continue operating and asked Witty if his company would reimburse them for these debts. He did not directly address this inquiry.

Under questioning from Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Witty clarified that the loans did not come with the condition that hospitals not work with UHGs competitors and stated providers would have up to 45 days to repay the loan after they had determined their operations had returned to normal.

Expected timeline

What many lawmakers wanted to know on Wednesday was when the health care sector could expect to get back on track.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) directly asked Witty when patients and providers would be made whole of the payments and services they have struggled to access since the attack.

I would hope that thats in the next month or six weeks, Witty responded.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) specifically asked when the real time eligibility and benefits verification functions of the Change Healthcare network be up to date and accurate.

Witty did not have an answer for Cortez Masto on this front.

According to the American Hospital Association in March, 94 percent of hospitals reported being financially impacted by the cyberattack.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
University of South Alabama to host 2 ceremonies for upcoming graduates

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG)  The University of South Alabama is preparing to celebrate over 1,000 spring and summer soon-to-be graduates at their two upcoming commencement ceremonies.

UPDATE: Mobile City Council votes to investigate allegations made by former Mobile Police chief

The ceremonies, scheduled for Saturday, May 4, at the Mitchell Center, will be divided into different colleges to celebrate the 1,479 spring and 565 summer graduation candidates.

Ceremony 1

The first ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Colleges featured in the first ceremony will include the College of Engineering, School of Computing, College of Nursing, Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine and Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions.

Semmes Police seek 2 men for questioning after 5-year-old shot Sunday

Ceremony 2

The second ceremony will begin at 2 p.m.

Colleges involved in the afternoon ceremony include the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education and Professional Studies, and Mitchell College of Business.

Both ceremonies will be live-streamed from the University of South Alabama Commencement website, according to a release.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
AUSTIN (Nexstar)  Only a few dozen demonstrators gathered peacefully on the University of Texas at Austins South Lawn for a teach-in about the war in Gaza on Tuesday, a stark contrast to the campus chaos that has embroiled the university over the past week as students and outside organizers attempt to protest and establish encampments.

The gathering marked the sixth day since protests against the war in Gaza sparked across campus, with students making a list of demands including financial divestment from Israeli interests and the resignation of UT President Jay Hartzell.

Mondays UT protest arrest cases remain active, County Attorney says

Some students and faculty have criticized the university over the police response to the protests and concerns for free speech rights.

UTPD and DPS have made more than 130 arrests since April 24, when Hartzell called in a heavy presence of DPS riot troopers to quell the Palestine Solidarity Committees protest.

University sources say they are prepared for unrest to resume on Wednesday.

Board of Regents Chair Kevin Eltife said in a statement Tuesday that the university will continue to call upon the DPS to secure our campus when needed.

Any attempt to shut down or disrupt UT operations will not be tolerated, Eltife said. While free speech is fundamental to our educational institutions, it is violated when it includes threats to campus safety and security or refusal to comply with institutional policies and law.

The Palestine Solidarity Committee is calling on the public to demonstrate on the South Lawn starting at noon on Wednesday.

In a statement, UT said 45 of the 79 people arrested on campus during Mondays protest are not affiliated with the university. Additionally, the university said guns, buckets of large rocks and bricks were confiscated from protesters.

The University of Texas learned Tuesday that, of the 79 people arrested on our campus Monday, 45 had no affiliation with UT Austin. These numbers validate our concern that much of the disruption on campus over the past week has been orchestrated by people from outside the University, including groups with ties to escalating protests at other universities around the country. To date, from protesters, weapons have been confiscated in the form of guns, buckets of large rocks, bricks, steel enforced wood planks, mallets, and chains. Staff have been physically assaulted and threatened, and police have been headbutted and hit with horse excrement, while their police cars have had tires slashed with knives. This is calculated, intentional and, we believe, orchestrated, and led by those outside our university community. We will continue to safeguard the free speech and assembly rights of everyone on our campus, while we protect our University and students, who are preparing for their final exams. UT statement

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  On Tuesday, pro-Palestine demonstrations continued in Salt Lake, both at the University of Utah and at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail  but the response from the university was different on the second day of protests.

Protesters were not setting up tents on campus or indicating plans to stay overnight, and demonstrators spent less time on the universitys campus.

The university commends the peaceful nature of the protests, which were expressed with dignity and conducted in a lawful manner, the university said in a press release on Tuesday night.

READ NEXT: ACLU of Utah addresses police response to pro-Palestine protests at University of Utah

In Tuesdays statement, the university again emphasized its support of free expression.

Demonstrators are welcome to continue to express their views in a peaceful and legal manner, the statement said. If tents go up or unlawful occupancy or trespass occurs, the university will enforce the law.

On Monday, the university released a statement, which said, in part, that protesters did not have the right to set up structures such as tents or camp on campus overnight. If people were camping on campus, the university said, You are violating Utah state law and University of Utah free speech policy.

Hundreds of students and community members gathered on the University of Utah campus on April 29, 2024. The demonstrators were protesting in support of Palestine and some set up tents, saying they would not leave until their demands were met. (KTVX/Dennis Dolan)

Hundreds of students and community members gathered on the University of Utah campus on April 29, 2024. The demonstrators were protesting in support of Palestine and some set up tents, saying they would not leave until their demands were met. (Jay Jensen)

Police responded to the April 29 demonstration, breaking down tents and arresting a total of 20 people on Monday and Tuesday for charges such as disorderly conduct, trespassing higher education premises and failure to disperse, according to university officials.

I ask for the communitys patience as we manage a complex situation and balance free expression with lawful conduct, University of Utah President Taylor Randall said in a statement. We are investing time and resources now to support free speech and prevent further escalation.

Protesting Dos and Donts per the U of U

The university said it passed out flyers ahead of Tuesdays demonstration that detailed lawful guidelines for protests.

The Dos on the flyer included exercising the right to assemble peacefully, engaging in thoughtful and constructive discourse and respecting the rights of others when voicing an opinion.

Protesters were advised against being physically violent or threatening violence, obstructing operations or causing damage to property.

What counts as unlawful protest?

The universitys flyers also included examples of what counts as unlawful protest  with camping on U of U property being on the list.

Other forms of conduct that would be unlawful include intentionally blocking entrances/stairwells/corridors or using signs indoors.

Violence or threats of violence against people or property would also constitute an unlawful protest, according to the universitys flyer.

Furthermore, the use of amplified sound or music without the necessary permits would be unlawful, as well as any noise disturbance that would interfere with authorized activities. Entering private offices, rooms or meeting spaces would count as trespassing, the university said.

Additionally, being disruptive immediately outside of rooms being used for classes, studying or research would make the demonstration unlawful.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
UNLV's re-enrollment rate for all full-time undergraduates from fall 2023 to spring 2024 was a record high of nearly 94%. (Photo: Hugh Jackson/Nevada Current)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

For higher education, one of the biggest challenges leftover from the pandemic years is getting students to sign up.

In recent years enrollment at many Nevada higher education institutions  like higher education institutions nationally  has plateaued compared to pre-pandemic levels. But at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas the tide has finally turned.

Spring enrollment for degree-seeking undergraduates at UNLV is up 3%, compared to last year. Enrollment for degree-seeking graduates this spring was even higher, as UNLV recorded a 9% increase in student enrollment compared to 2023.

The number of students who received state support to cover tuition and enroll full-time also increased by about 5%.

In total UNLV enrolled 29,360 students for the 2024 spring semester, a record number of undergraduate and graduate students compared to previous years, according to a report released by the Office of Decision Support.

The record-breaking milestone comes after years of enrollment decline at UNLV. From spring 2020 to spring 2023, UNLV saw a 2% decline in enrollment, according to data from the UNLV Office of Decision Support.

Leadership at UNLV attributed the boost in enrollment to steady and strategic long-term investments in recruiting initiatives that built substantial growth during the fall semester. Although not a record, the universitys student enrollment in fall 2023 was near the all-time high.

UNLVs Office of Decision Support also reported that the re-enrollment rate for all full-time undergraduates from fall 2023 to spring 2024 was a record high of nearly 94%, while the rate for the first-time, full-time cohort was 92%.

Barb Roberts, UNLVs associate vice president for Enrollment Management, noted the overall enrollment count largely depends on retaining students over the semesters.

We had the largest spring enrollment weve ever had. We had a very high retention rate for all students from fall to spring, which was super important not only for the university, but also for our students in terms of progression, Roberts said in a campus news statement.

Officials at UNLV also credited their record enrollment to a restructured UNLV financial aid office, including the implementation of UNLV Rebel EDGE, a program that combines federal, state, and institutional aid to offer low-income full-time students free tuition and fees for up to 15 credits, along with a $1,000 annual book stipend.

Financial aid plays a critical role in student retention, and UNLVs efforts to ensure students in need have their tuition completely covered have directly impacted student retention, Roberts said.

The university has also invested in student outreach specialists to assist students whove been flagged as having at least three characteristics typically associated with dropping out of college. Those characteristics include Pell grant eligibility, being a first-generation college student, or graduating from a low-performing high school in Nevada.

Many of Nevadas other higher education facilities have also seen a positive enrollment trend this spring, according to data from the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). Preliminary state data indicates that enrollment across NSHEs public institutions from spring 2023 to spring 2024 increased by nearly 7%.

This rise is exciting and reflects the collective effort and dedication of our institutions and students, highlighting their commitment to academic excellence and educational opportunities, said NSHE public information officer Elizabeth Callahan.

However, some universities in Nevada are still struggling to improve enrollment rates for degree seeking students. Preliminary NSHE data indicates that enrollment for degree seeking undergraduates at the University of Nevada, Reno between spring 2023 and spring 2024 fell by about 1%, while enrollment for degree seeking graduates fell by 3%.

The post UNLV sees record enrollment after years of steady decline appeared first on Nevada Current.
New Mexico State Police prepare to confront protesters set up with tents inside the University of New Mexico Student Union Building on April 30, 2024. (Photo by Shaun Griswold / Source NM)

Every protester arrested Tuesday morning during a protest inside the University of New Mexico Student Union Building was released by the evening, and the outdoor encampment at the universitys main campus showed no signs of stopping.

Early in the morning, two UNM Police Department officers booked 16 protesters into the Metropolitan Detention Center outside Albuquerque, the largest jail in New Mexico.

UNMPD is accusing all 16 protesters of criminal trespassing and wrongful use of public property after allegedly refusing to leave the Student Union Building when directed to do so by university administrators and police, according to a review of the court records.

The protesters cases have been assigned to 10 different metro court judges, records show. The judges assigned to their cases released all 16 people on their own personal recognizance, meaning they had no reason to hold them in custody and let them go with conditions.

No lawyers have officially appeared to represent any of the protesters as of Tuesday night, court records show.

Protesters had been marching on campus on the UNM Solidarity Encampments ninth day, a protest inspired by similar ones on college campuses across the country that call for American universities to dump their investments in the state of Israel and cut off academic ties with Israeli universities built on Palestinians land.

UNM PD filed criminal complaints in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court containing nearly identical descriptions of what happened, with the only difference being the names of the people charged.

At some point during the march the protesters decided to occupy the Student Union building, the police wrote in the complaints. They did this without the approval or consent of any leadership from UNM.

When the protesters refused to leave, campus police and New Mexico State Police began to remove subjects from the property, detaining them for criminal processing, they wrote.

Source New Mexico was inside the SUB when the arrests happened, and saw State Police in riot gear tackle one demonstrator, and spray another with a chemical agent in the face.

In a statement on Tuesday, the protest camps social media account said police injured multiple protesters, including a young person who is pregnant.

Rather than committing to beginning the process of divestment, President (Garnett) Stokes and UNM Leadership would rather see students violently brutalized by police, the protesters said.

They said tactics like early morning raids remind them that the Israel Defense Forces almost exclusively kidnaps Palestinians from their homes late at night.



We know that the IOF trains law enforcement agencies across the U.S., and that the tactics deployed against us are tested on Palestinian bodies first.

Herman Lovato, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, which oversees the New Mexico State Police, referred all questions to the UNM Police Department.

Cinnamon Blair, a spokesperson for the university, said she could not answer questions about how many police officers responded to the protest because that would be safety sensitive information.

At least 25 police officers in riot gear and regular uniforms could be seen inside the SUB.

Five protesters who were arrested are UNM students, Blair said. The Dean of Students Office will investigate whether they violated their student code of conduct, she said.

The university administration on Tuesday afternoon issued a campus-wide message saying the arrests were a carefully considered, difficult choice.

The takeover of the UNM Student Union Building is not acceptable, the administrators said. The vandalism of the building, a precious gathering place on our campus, is not acceptable. Barricading its doors and blocking its stairs are not acceptable. Intimidating students who are simply trying to study and learn, is not acceptable.

The protesters said the administration is play(ing) the victim like Israel.

Chalk wipes off, the protesters said. The blood of children wont wash off the hands of this administration so easily.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ultimate authority over the New Mexico State Police. She said Tuesday she supports the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of speech on campus, and said police must allow for it, but protests must not violate the law and university policy.

Protestors should respect campus property, as well as the rights of students and faculty to access university buildings and other amenities, Lujan Grisham said. I am hopeful that UNM faculty and students can work together with law enforcement to ensure students First Amendment rights in a way that protects property and the rights of all students, faculty, and campus visitors.

On Tuesday evening, the protesters remained at the Duck Pond, and announced a vigil for their members who were arrested.

Were still here, and we arent going anywhere, they said.

The post UNM Gaza Solidarity Encampment still in place after arrests appeared first on Source New Mexico.
On Aug. 2, 2022, 59% of Kansans voted against allowing politicians to further interfere in their private medical decisions about pregnancy and abortion. Politicians clearly did not get the message. Despite the historic turnout that delivered them a resounding defeat, they continue to do everything they can to meddle in our patients private lives and restrict our rights.

In 2022, I joined nearly 500 physicians and health care professionals when I publicly signed on to a letter opposing the Value Them Both amendment. We understood the real consequences of the amendment and the harm that would be done to our patients and their families. I listened as my patients shared their fears about losing their freedom to make health care decisions. I worked with Kansans for Constitutional Freedom to get the message out in new stories, online and in ads. I was so proud  and overwhelmed with emotion  when Kansans stood up for personal liberty and freedom and voted no.

This year, more than 100 Republican politicians again refused to listen to Kansas voters. Time and time again, they push through laws that violate our constitutional rights and our privacy. Again, this month extremists sent divisive, misleading and manipulative bills to the governors desk that sabotage health professionals ability to care for Kansans with lifesaving, evidence-based care.

Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed those bills with good reason. One bill tries to create a new crime of abortion coercion. This sort of coercion is already illegal in Kansas, but this bill is dangerously vague and criminalizes personal medical conversations about abortion among women, their families and health care providers. Another bill would require health care providers to violate patient privacy and report their personal reasons for seeking an abortion. And yet another bill provides taxpayer money to religious so-called crisis pregnancy centers that shame and mislead women seeking abortion care.

Combined, all three bills seek to insert government into the patient-physician relationship, second-guess medical decisions and criminalize womens reproductive health care.

Clearly their goal is to cause further trauma and shame for women who face these difficult decisions. Not only that, but they hope to cause fear among health care providers and those who support patients through challenging complications in pregnancy. Politicians have no business intruding into private conversations among doctors, women and their families. These bills are designed to criminalize necessary health care, violate the privacy of patients and cause a chilling effect among physicians and health providers.

Voters made it clear how they felt about government overreach into reproductive health care. The conversation about whether abortion should be legal in Kansas should have ended at the ballot box in August 2022. Abortion is legal and will remain legal. But certain extreme Republicans still think they know what is best for women and their families. As a woman, these decisions should be ours to make privately with our families, physicians and faith leaders. As a physician, these conversations should be ours to guide with our patients and families without politicians interference.

As a family physician, I see patients at every stage of life. I know the health challenges many families face, including those around fertility, pregnancy, miscarriage and abortion. My duty is to care for my patients, protect their health and well-being, and provide them with guidance about the options available to them. Politicians have no such duty  nor do they have the required medical training.

These extreme, anti-abortion rights politicians continue to abuse their power. Undoubtedly, laws like these will trigger court battles over freedom of speech, medical privacy and government overreach into medical decisions. Kansans want their constitutional rights respected and protected, not restricted.

We must draw a line at the doctors office. Our decisions about pregnancy and abortion are private, and should be free from government surveillance and overreach.

Ashley E. Bloom practices family medicine in Lawrence. A dedicated Kansan, she earned her medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed her residency in family medicine at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver.
Updated: The article was updated at 8:55 p.m. local time on May 1 with additional updates from Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office.

Russian troops attacked the village of Zolochiv in Kharkiv Oblast, killing two people and injuring 13, including a child, Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported on May 1.

Russia carried the strike out at around 10 a.m. local time with KAB aerial bombs and damaged buildings and cars, killing a 62-year-old man and his 38-year-old daughter who were sitting inside one of the vehicles.

A 77-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman were hospitalized with injuries, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Men aged 35 and 50, a 41-year-old woman, and an 11-year-old boy were also wounded and provided necessary medical attention, the governor reported.

Administrative buildings, a bank, and over 20 cars were damaged, and one house was destroyed in the attack.

Russia has recently intensified attacks against Kharkiv and Kharkiv Oblast, using missiles, glide bombs, and drones to destroy energy infrastructure and kill civilians.

On April 30, Russian forces struck two districts of Kharkiv, killing one person and injuring nine.

Read also: National Guard: Russia needs years to capture Kharkiv

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(Bloomberg) -- The US Justice Department has recommended that cannabis be reclassified as less risky, a decision that could help the growing legal marijuana industry benefit from tax breaks.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, according to a brief department statement. Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act.

Several steps remain before marijuana can be taken off Schedule I, where its listed with dangerous narcotics like heroin, and put on Schedule III, which is for less risky drugs with a medical use. This would ease access to cannabis for patients and researchers studying its medical applications without decriminalizing it. The production, distribution and possession of marijuana for recreational purposes, however, would remain illegal under federal law.

The effort, which could still collapse, arrives almost 30 years after California legalized medical marijuana. More than half the US population is now able to buy pot under a state-by-state patchwork of voter-driven laws.

This is historic because the federal government is finally acknowledging that it has misclassified one of the most popular drugs for many years, said David Pozen, a professor at Columbia University Law School and the author of a recent book on drug policy, in a phone interview.

Shares of cannabis-related companies surged Tuesday, with Curaleaf Holdings Inc. rising 25% in US trading and Green Thumb Industries Inc. jumping 22%. Meanwhile, the MJ PurePlay 100 Index, which tracks 95 global stocks exposed to the cannabis industry, climbed 22%, its biggest one-day gain since October 2022.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with fellow Democrats Cory Booker of New Jersey and Ron Wyden of Oregon, said in a statement on Tuesday night that theyd reintroduce legislation that would end the federal cannabis prohibition by removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.

Read More: Pot Stocks Surge on Report DEA Is Moving to Reclassify Marijuana

A majority of Americans believe marijuana should be decriminalized for recreational or medical use, a policy that President Joe Biden said he would pursue while in office but that still lacks widespread support in Congress. Bidens favorability has waned among key voting blocs that favor legalization, including young voters and Black Americans.

More than a year ago, Biden pardoned federal and Washington marijuana offenses in an effort to resolve the irony that companies are now selling a product that people are still imprisoned for possessing  and with Black Americans representing a disproportionate percentage of those arrested. Pardons have been ongoing.

The process could be upended if Biden loses this years election to Former President Donald Trump, whose campaign didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Republicans have generally opposed rescheduling or decriminalizing marijuana.

We need to be reducing the number of people that use drugs and not increasing that number, Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in an interview. We shouldnt be making matters worse.

Read More: How Legal Weed Has Changed the US

At the same time, Congress has been weighing potential changes to open the door for lenders to more easily offer banking services to marijuana companies. While Democrats have considered adding it to a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell remains opposed to it, according to a spokesman. Several other senior Senate Republicans cast doubt Tuesday on it being included, including Steve Daines of Montana, one of the bills sponsors.

Continuing Debates

The DEAs move is unlikely to resolve debates over a drug thats popular with young consumers. Cannabis companies, some of which are backed by alcohol and tobacco makers, have said joints, gummies and drinks with psychoactive THC should be able to be sold just like alcohol or cigarettes. This would mean descheduling the drug altogether.

The perception of cannabis by the public also remains a key issue. Weed is now viewed as healthier than booze by the California sober demographic, which has given up alcohol and other drugs but continues to use marijuana. Its the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state-level legalizations have raised much-needed cash, bringing in around $3 billion in tax revenue, according to the non-profit Tax Foundation.

Yet spotty record-keeping has made it hard to judge the overall impact of more widespread use thats come with legalization.

Robust Optimism

Cannabis companies lauded the news, though US authorities have yet to officially weigh in on the matter.

Ben Kovler, the chief executive officer of Green Thumb, said the decision was long past due. The official acknowledgment that cannabis has medical utility from a government agency further validates our mission and belief that cannabis has the power to improve well-being, said Kovler, whose company operates in multiple US states.

Morgan Paxhia, co-founder of Poseidon Investment Management, which invests in cannabis said that rescheduling is likely to bring a vibrant return of investor interest that could quickly move the sector back to robust optimism. Cannabis stocks have languished in recent years amid federal inaction.

Moving to Schedule III represents a tectonic shift in our nations drug laws, said the US Cannabis Council, a trade group for the industry, adding that the change would end the tax penalty called 280E that bars companies that deal in federally illegal substances from taking tax deductions. The new legal status should help cannabis businesses of all sizes, the group said, and make the regulated market better able to compete with the illegal market.

$35 Billion Market

Rescheduling, if ultimately enacted, would represent a boon to the legal cannabis industry that is estimated to have generated around $35 billion in sales last year, according to New Frontier Data, a market research firm.

If marijuana is reclassified as Schedule III it will be treated like substances such as ketamine and anabolic steroids, which require prescriptions but arent federally prohibited.

A spokeswoman for the DEA declined to comment. The White House also declined to comment.

The Associated Press was the first to report on the shift in policy.

--With assistance from Akayla Gardner, Erik Wasson, Steven T. Dennis and Chris Strohm.

(Updates with senators reintroducing bill, in seventh paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
On 1 May, the US Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against nearly 200 individuals and legal entities that assist Russia's military-industrial complex and help it evade the restrictions already imposed.

Source: press release from the US Treasury Department; European Pravda

Details: The latest package of US sanctions targets Russia's military-industrial base and its chemical and biological weapons programmes, as well as individuals and legal entities in third countries that help Moscow purchase components for weapons or defence products.

Among other things, the US Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on almost 60 people from Azerbaijan, Belgium, China, Russia, Slovakia, Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates, which allow Moscow to buy much-needed technologies and equipment from abroad.

Over 100 organisations on the updated sanctions list work or have worked in the Russian economy's technological, defence, manufacturing or transport sectors.

Another package of US sanctions is directed against the leading Russian importers of cotton ellulose, nitrocellulose, and its key components, as well as two suppliers of these goods from China.

Additionally, the US Department of the Treasury blacklisted three Russian legal entities and two individuals engaged in the purchase of goods for military organisations involved in the development of chemical and biological weapons.

In addition, two Russian companies involved in constructing gas infrastructure in Russia, Neftegazstroy and Vnipitransgaz, are subject to new US sanctions.

Eventually, in coordination with the US Department of the Treasury, the State Department imposed sanctions on more than 80 individuals and legal entities involved in evading sanctions against Russia or linked to Russia's chemical and biological weapons programmes and military-industrial base.

The State Department also took restrictive measures against Russia's energy, metallurgical and mining sectors and imposed additional sanctions in connection with the death of opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

The US announced the last large-scale sanctions against Russia on 23 February. Then, US President Joe Biden announced that the US imposed more than 500 sanctions against the Russian Federation and new export restrictions against almost 100 organisations on the eve of the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and after Navalny's death.

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Net Income: Reported $137.0 million, falling short of estimates of $148.85 million.

EPS: Achieved $2.62 per diluted share, below the estimated $2.74 per share.

Revenue: Totalled $503.5 million, surpassing the estimated $472.00 million.

Production Volumes: Increased by 17% year-over-year to 2.1 million short tons.

Sales Volumes: Grew by 9% year-over-year to 2.1 million short tons.

Adjusted EBITDA: Declined to $200.2 million from $259.4 million in the previous year.

Dividends: Returned $30.6 million to shareholders through regular and special dividends.

Warrior Met Coal Inc. (HCC) Q1 2024 Earnings: Misses EPS Estimates, Maintains Steady Revenue

On May 1, 2024, Warrior Met Coal Inc. (NYSE:HCC) disclosed its financial results for the first quarter of 2024 through its 8-K filing. The company, a prominent U.S.-based producer and exporter of high-quality steelmaking coal, reported a net income of $137.0 million, translating to an earnings per share (EPS) of $2.62. This figure falls slightly below the analyst's EPS estimate of $2.74 for the quarter. Despite a decrease in net income from $182.3 million in Q1 2023, Warrior Met Coal achieved a revenue of $503.5 million, closely aligning with the estimated $472.0 million, and maintaining nearly the same level as the previous year's $509.7 million.

Company Overview and Strategic Focus

Warrior Met Coal operates primarily underground mines in Alabama, focusing on the mining and export of metallurgical coal used in steel production. The company's strategic initiatives include the ongoing development of the Blue Creek growth project, which saw significant advancements in the quarter. Despite challenges such as weaker demand from key markets like China and India and increased competition from Australian suppliers, Warrior Met Coal has reaffirmed its sales and production guidance for 2024, reflecting confidence in its contracted customer base and operational capabilities.

Operational Highlights and Financial Health

The first quarter saw Warrior Met Coal achieving a 9% increase in sales volumes and a 17% rise in production volumes, marking the largest quarterly production in over three years. This operational upturn is attributed to the resolution of a labor strike and enhanced mine productivity. However, the company faced increased costs, particularly in royalty rates and labor, pushing the cash cost of sales per short ton to $133.48 from $118.87 in Q1 2023.

Warrior Met Coal's liquidity remains robust with $801.3 million in total liquidity, including $693.9 million in cash and cash equivalents. The company continues to return value to shareholders, with $30.6 million distributed through dividends during the quarter.

Story continues

Future Outlook and Industry Position

Looking ahead, Warrior Met Coal is poised to enhance its market position through the Blue Creek project, expected to increase annual production by 4.8 million short tons. This strategic expansion aims to lower operational costs and improve profitability. The company's guidance for 2024 remains steady, with anticipated coal sales of 7.4 to 8.2 million short tons and production volumes closely matching sales expectations.

The company's management, led by CEO Walt Scheller, expressed satisfaction with the quarter's results and the strategic progress made, particularly in the development of the Blue Creek project. Scheller noted, "We delivered very strong performance during the first quarter, producing more than 2.1 million tons, levels not seen since 2020, driven primarily by strong operational performance."

Conclusion

Despite some financial pressures and a challenging global market, Warrior Met Coal's first-quarter performance demonstrates a resilient operational framework and a clear strategic direction. The ongoing development of the Blue Creek project and the company's ability to maintain solid production levels amidst market fluctuations position it well for future growth and stability in the steelmaking coal industry.

For more detailed information and updates, investors and interested parties are encouraged to visit Warrior Met Coal's investor relations website.

Explore the complete 8-K earnings release (here) from Warrior Met Coal Inc for further details.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


US confirms that Russia uses banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian Armed Forces

The US State Department, in justifying the new sanctions against Russia, has indicated that Russian troops used the banned chemical substance chloropicrin against the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda; statement by the State Department

Details: The US State Department states that Russia used chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and also used riot control agents, violating the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

"The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident, and is probably driven by Russian forces desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield," the State Department notes.

Speaking about Russia's disregard for its obligations to ban the use of chemical weapons, the United States drew parallels with the poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny and Sergei and Yulia Skripal with the Novichok nerve agents.

In this regard, the US State Department imposed sanctions on the radiation, chemical and biological protection troops of the Russian Defence Ministry, the Russian Research Institute for Applied Acoustics and the 48th Central Research Institute of the Russian Defene Ministry, which are engaged in the development of chemical weapons.

Four companies involved in Russia's chemical weapons programme were also sanctioned.

Background: Earlier, the US Treasury Department announced the introduction of sanctions against almost 200 individuals and legal entities, contributing to Russia's military-industrial complex and helping it evade the restrictions already imposed.

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Palestinian Abdel Rahman Barika looks at the site of an Israeli strike, in Rafah

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's administration faced renewed pressure on Wednesday from his fellow Democrats to influence Israel not to launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the city where almost half of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million people have taken refuge.

Fifty-seven of the 212 Democrats in the House of Representatives signed a letter calling on the administration to take every possible measure to dissuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government from an all-out assault on the city near the Egyptian border.

"We urge you to invoke existing law and policy to immediately withhold certain offensive military aid to the Israeli government, including aid sourced from legislation already signed into law, in order to preempt a full-scale assault on Rafah," said the letter, dated Wednesday.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter, which was led by Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Madeleine Dean.

Biden's support for Israel in its war against Hamas has emerged as a significant political liability for the president, particularly among young Democrats. It fueled a wave of "uncommitted" protest votes in Democratic primaries and has also driven the wave of pro-Palestinian protests at U.S. universities.

That is raising worries for Democrats as Biden is locked in a tight re-election rematch against his Republican predecessor Donald Trump.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he had still not seen a plan for Israel's promised offensive on Rafah that would protect civilians, repeating that Washington could not support such an assault.

Blinken and Netanyahu met in Jerusalem for 2-1/2 hours on Wednesday, after which Israel repeated that the Rafah operation would go ahead despite the U.S. position and a U.N. warning that it would lead to "tragedy."

The United States is Israel's main diplomatic supporter and weapons supplier. Blinken's visit to Israel came about a month after Biden issued a stark warning that Washington's policy could shift if Israel fails to take steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Scott Malone and Cynthia Osterman)
By Brendan Pierson

(Reuters) -A federal judge has struck down parts of a North Carolina law restricting patients' access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which has become the subject of legal battles nationwide.

Chief U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles on Tuesday struck down the state's requirements that mifepristone be prescribed only by doctors and only in person, as well as a requirement that patients have an in-person follow-up appointment. She said the requirements conflicted with federal law because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously considered and rejected them.

The ruling comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a case brought by anti-abortion groups that, if successful, would reimpose those same restrictions nationwide.

At the same time, Eagles upheld other North Carolina restrictions, including a requirement that patients have an in-person consultation before taking the pill and undergo an ultrasound and blood test, saying those requirements had never been explicitly rejected by the FDA.

The Republican leaders of North Carolina's legislature intervened in the case to defend the restrictions after Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat who supports abortion rights, said he would not do so. They did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"Republican legislators enacted the law to control, not protect, women," Stein said in a statement. "I'll keep fighting to protect women's freedoms."

Plaintiff Amy Bryant, the doctor who brought the lawsuit challenging the North Carolina law, said in a statement that she was "pleased" that the court found the state cannot "second-guess or interfere with the FDA's expert judgment."

Mifepristone is the first part of a two-drug medicine used for medication abortion, which is approved by the FDA to terminate pregnancy in the first 10 weeks. Medication abortion accounted for more than 60% of U.S. abortions last year.

The case now before the Supreme Court began with a lawsuit challenging the FDA's approval of the drug by anti-abortion groups, who last year won an order from U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas, banning mifepristone altogether.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later narrowed the order to reinstate the in-person and doctor prescribing requirements, which the FDA originally imposed but later lifted. That order is on hold while the Supreme Court considers an appeal from the Democratic President Joe Biden's administration.

(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
The expected withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger will endanger U.S. counter-terrorism operations and hand Russia more influence in Africa as American and western ties on the continent fracture.

Around 1,000 troops in Niger are expected to eventually withdraw from the country after the conclusion of ongoing high-level talks between Niamey and Washington following a military coup in the African country last year, the Pentagon has said.

A forced withdrawal from Niger is a major setback for U.S. military as it fights against Islamic extremist groups across the Sahel, a volatile region that stretches from Senegal in western Africa to the Red Sea.

At risk for the U.S. is not just keeping ISIS, Boko Haram and other insurgent groups in check, but also the growing influence of Russia, Iran and China, all of which are jockeying for power in Africa along with the West.

But Western powers like the U.S. and European Union seem to be losing the battle in the Sahel.

Theres been this hollowing out of all of the international security cooperation, said Joseph Siegle, director of research of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the Pentagon-funded National Defense University. They were all part of a broader regional effort to try to support those countries.

Siegle attributes the shift to a series of governments being toppled by military juntas and an anti-western disinformation campaign supported by malicious actors in Russia or other hostile nations. But he said closer ties with Russia will harm those countries in the future, because Moscow is not investing economically into those nations.

These countries are going to feel huge strains, and theyll continue to try to put on a good face to [show] this is working, but its not something theyre going to be able to sustain, he added. Somethings going to have to give here.

The immediate risk of a Niger withdrawal is that the Sahel could erupt into more violence as the U.S. and France, along with other western powers, face eroding influence with military juntas that have close ties with Russia and other rival powers.

Threats from al-Qaeda and ISIS-linked insurgent groups have already spiked in other countries ruled by military governments, including Mali, which booted French forces in 2022 but has since seen terrorist groups double their territorial control.

Jacques Du Preez, analyst at the South African research and intelligence firm In on Africa, warned that a hollower U.S. presence in the Sahel could create conditions for an Islamic extremist resurgence like the rise of ISIS in 2014.

Its the most active frontier in the global conflict against terrorism outside of the Middle East, he said of the Sahel. The place that al-Qaeda and ISIS both focused in on was the Sahel.

They understand that this is a very vital region [and] very strategic region that if they could get a foothold, he explained, it could allow them to have a very big impact, not just in Africa, but also in surrounding regions like Europe.

Du Preez also stressed that other nations in the Sahel region are at risk if instability rises, including Nigeria.

A near-term risk is Chad, where the U.S. is repositioning some troops after a military coup about three years ago. Talks are ongoing, however, and are expected to pick up after elections beginning May 6.

Chads leader, Mahamat Idriss Deby, has closer ties with the U.S. than he does with Russia.

Deby will likely prevail in what is expected to be a sham electoral process and would have no reason to push the U.S. out of the country, experts say. Still, Chad faces other political factions inside of the country that are closer with Russia, posing a potential longer term threat.

The Russians have thrown a lot in with many of [Debys] potential challengers, said Du Preez. Theres a clear move to isolate Chad and attempt to install their own regime.

While experts see the rise of juntas  and sidelining of western powers  as creating instability that could empower terrorist groups, these same military leaders have cited the inability of governments to suppress extremist threats as justification for their takeovers.

The Niger government fell in a July military coup that paved the way for Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani to seize power, promising to more effectively counter terrorist threats.

Instead of turning to the West, Tchiani has fostered relations with Russias private military company Wagner Group, which has ties to Moscow and has long exploited the resources of African nations.

The Wagner Group was previously led by founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, who staged a short-lived mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin and was killed in a plane crash last August.

Putin has since moved to exert more influence over the mercenary group, which gives Moscow a low-profile foothold in Africa. Wagner Group appears to have rebranded into a successor in the newly formed Africa Corps, which sent military trainers to Niger in April.

Russia also has close relations and security agreements with Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which are controlled by military juntas, and Libya, a country torn between two major rival factions. The Central African Republic is also close to Russia and is reportedly discussing an agreement to host a Russian military base.

A scaled-back U.S. presence in the Sahel is likely to encourage more Russian influence in the region, particularly if terrorist threats grow.

Siegle, from the National Defense University, said the main way that Russia has gained influence is at the expense of the West.

A lot of this is an information war thats happening, he said. But its entry point are these military leaders who are authoritarians that are seeing Russia as their strongest international patron to keep their hold on power.

Its not just Russia: China also has its hands in Africa.

The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, a project of large-scale investments primarily for infrastructure in Asia and Africa, has financed loans to African nations that the West has accused of being predatory to give Beijing military, financial and political influence. China, however, only has one base in Africa, in Djibouti.

Iran is also another regional player, backing a proxy group called the Islamic Movement of Nigeria and the government in Sudan, which is waging a destructive civil war against a rebel group.

Last year, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi traveled to Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe to shore up ties with all three nations.

Some experts see a populist, anti-western movement that is organic in nature  even if fueled in part by China and Russia and exploited by military juntas  and centered on long-standing grievances with formerly western colonial powers, but also disenfranchisement with the current state of conditions.

Abigail Kabandula, director of the Africa Center at the University of Denver, said the U.S. is losing its influence in Africa partly because Washington has failed to address terrorism, a threat she added has mushroomed in the past decade.

The question that a number of [people] propose is why is the West or the French in the region if we still have the same problems and the problems have actually grown? she said. Its a matter of rethinking the whole counterterrorism approach in the region. Whether we have the U.S. or not, its about how counterterrorism is being addressed.

Kabandula also said the U.S. has relied largely on security arrangements with African nations in the Sahel and failed to focus more cooperation on economic or other needs, creating a power vacuum around the continent.

The U.S. has not supported a number of countries in the things that they wanted to pursue, she said. A number of African countries have really asked for other things like development, development projects, development aid, or infrastructure development. Those have not come forth from the U.S. and so African countries [look] to China for help.

Will Walldorf, a professor studying politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University, said he supports the U.S. withdrawal from Niger because it can allow Washington to recalibrate its approach to Africa and counterterrorism.

Walldorf said the U.S. focus on counterterrorism is missing the heart of the problem and that it was staggering how terrorism has surged under U.S. watch.

The lack of good governance, the lack of meeting the everyday needs of citizens in West Africa, where we know food insecurity is extreme, has been really the core driver of terrorist recruitment in the region, he said.

If you can get to those sort of core issues, he added, that would be on a different playing field then what were offering now in terms of kind of a force-first approach.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The US Navy wants a lot more of a missile that just recently scored its first kill to counter Pacific threats like China

The US Navy used its SM-3 missile interceptor in combat for the first time last month.

Now, the sea service's top civilian official says the US will need more of them in the future.

His comments referenced the American "deterrence mission in the Indo-Pacific," a nod toward China.

The US Navy will need a lot more of its SM-3 missile, an interceptor that only recently scored its first-ever kill, to counter Pacific threats like China, the sea service's top civilian official said on Wednesday.

Last month, American warships operating in the eastern Mediterranean Sea fired the Standard Missile 3, or SM-3, to engage Iranian ballistic missiles that Tehran fired as part of a massive and unprecedented attack on Israel. The incident marked the first time that this interceptor was used in combat.

These "SM-3s will be needed in greater numbers in the future," Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday during a budget hearing for the coming fiscal year.

"Given the operations that took place in defense of Israel here recently, where some were fired, and very effectively so, I think given the future threat and our deterrence mission in the Indo-Pacific, we are going to need more SM-3s in the future," Del Toro added.

An SM-3 Block 1B guided missile is launched from the USS Lake Erie and successfully intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile target off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii during a Missile Defense Agency and US Navy test. US Navy photo

The SM-3 is an element of the Navy's highly advanced Aegis Combat System that can be fired from a warship's vertical-launching system.

The weapon uses a kinetic kill vehicle to hit and destroy short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles during the midcourse phase of flight and is capable of exo-atmospheric intercepts. Kills in space are particularly difficult missions that the Navy's other air-defense systems aren't capable of achieving.

There are multiple SM-3 variants. Block I interceptors were first fielded nearly 20 years ago, and the missiles have seen dozens of tests over the past two decades.

The Missile Defense Agency's budget request for FY25 cuts procurement of SM-3 Block IB variant, which became operational a decade ago. During Wednesday's hearing, South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson referred to this variant as the Navy's "primary defense against tactical ballistic missiles for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense" weapons system.

Del Toro responded to Wilson's concerns by suggesting that decisions to cut production "were made before recent operations," saying he thinks "that we're going to have to relook that in order to add more SM-3s in the future."

US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius successfully fired an SM-3 interceptor to engage a ballistic missile target during exercise At-Sea Demo/Formidable Shield on May 26, 2021. US Navy/MCS2 Nathan T. Beard

The Navy secretary's remarks about the SM-3s and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region come amid fears that the US and China may clash one day as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.

Should Washington and Beijing go to war at some point in the future, the maritime domain would likely be a key battleground, putting the Navy at risk given China's theater missiles.

China is expanding its already formidable arsenal of anti-ship ballistic missiles, which could pose a tremendous threat to US aircraft carriers and other warships operating in the region during a potential future conflict. Interceptors like the SM-3 would allow American naval forces to counter some of these threats.

The Navy, however, is already getting a taste of what it's like to battle anti-ship ballistic missiles. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels became the first international actors to fire such weapons in combat last year as part of their ongoing attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. US forces have intercepted scores of these missiles over the past few months.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Pro-Russia hackers have exploited shoddy security practices at multiple US water plants in recent cyberattacks that have hit a wider swathe of victims than was previously documented, according to an advisory by US federal agencies obtained by CNN.

Though the attacks have not impacted drinking water, the advisory lays bare the cybersecurity challenges facing the thousands of water systems across the US, many of which are often short of cash and personnel to deal with threats. The document helps explain the plea that US national security adviser Jake Sullivan made in March to water authorities to shore up their defenses.

US officials investigating the cyberattacks have found that the hacked facilities often had outdated equipment connected to the internet protected by weak passwords, making it relatively easy for hackers to breach the sensitive networks that handle water treatment and other industrial operations, the document says. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, FBI and other agencies are set to release the advisory publicly later on Wednesday.

The advisory covers a string of recent cyberattacks claimed by Russian-speaking hackers  some of which have been reported publicly  that have alarmed US officials because of the hackers brazen willingness to infiltrate computers at US industrial plants using rudimentary attack techniques.

US officials have in recent weeks been privately telling electric utilities, water facilities and other critical infrastructure firms to take industrial equipment off the internet before the hackers can exploit it, multiple people familiar with the efforts told CNN.

The document alludes to multiple incidents that are publicly known, including a cyberattack in north Texas in January that caused a water tank to overflow. But the document also suggests the scope of the hacks is wider than was previously known, hitting at least one victim in the food and agriculture sector. The hackers also have publicly claimed to have targeted a French dam and a Polish water facility.

The FBI and CISA have responded to several US water and wastewater (WWS) facilities that have experienced limited physical disruptions from the hackers, according to the document, which was also produced by the National Security Agency and the Department of Energy, among other agencies.

In each case, hacktivists maxed out set points, altered other settings, turned off alarm mechanisms, and changed administrative passwords to lock out the [water and wastewater systems] operators, says the draft advisory. All of the water facilities quickly cut off public internet access to their industrial computers and restored normal operations, according to the advisory.

Its the type of document that US agencies regularly produce after a hacking campaign and includes security recommendations for affected facilities.

A group of Russian-speaking hackers have claimed responsibility for the hacks, which began in January but have continued in recent weeks. The hackers claimed credit for a cyberattack on an Indiana wastewater treatment plant on a Friday night last month that prompted plant managers to send maintenance personnel to investigate.

The hackers have been finding vulnerable industrial systems online and then opportunistically breaking into them. They use Telegram, a Russian social media platform, to exaggerate the impact of their hacks with eye-grabbing videos.

In a report published last month, Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant found multiple links between a unit in the Russian GRU military intelligence agency and the online infrastructure used by the hackers to publicize their attacks. But it was unclear, Mandiant said, whether it was Russian government-affiliate hackers who were behind the hacks on US facilities or Russia-speaking cybercriminals.

Regardless, US officials see the incidents as just the latest episode in Russias long-running harboring of hackers who target US critical infrastructure. Moscow has denied US allegations that it provides a safe haven for hackers.

The alleged Russian hacks are not the only opportunistic cyberattacks on US water facilities in recent months. In November, hackers breached Israeli-made industrial equipment at multiple US water facilities, in some cases displaying anti-Israel slogans on the computer screens. US officials blamed the Iranian government. CNN has asked Irans UN mission to comment on the allegation.

None of the cyberattacks have affected drinking water, but they have served as a stern wakeup-call to a sector often short of resources to defend itself. Some US lawmakers have called for more federal resources to water plants and to the EPA to help defend against the hacks.

Community water systems are often funded by the rates charged to the consumers, Gus Serino, a water-sector cyber specialist, told CNN. Increasing rates to cover the cost of elective cybersecurity is not easy to get through budgetary processes. It essentially results in higher rate or additional tax burden to the community they serve.

Greater public attention on the issue has brought improvements. The Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center, an industry hub for cyber threat data and best practices, says its membership includes facilities that provide water to most of the US.

Any money spent to defend a system from these attacks is money well worth it, Robert J. Bible, the general manager at a Pittsburgh-area water utility hit by alleged Iranian hackers in November, told CNN this week. It may cost much more as far as money plus public confidence if an attack occurs.

The utility, the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, spent something over $10,000 in equipment and labor to recover from the cyberattack, according to Bible. He said he plans on contacting the feds to conduct the vulnerability assessment of our entire operation.

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FILE - Baby eels swim in a tank after being caught in the Penobscot River in Brewer, Maine, May 15, 2021. The regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission decided Wednesday, May 1, 2024, that U.S. fishermen will be allowed to continue harvesting a total of a little less than 10,000 pounds of the eels per year. That quota level will hold through at least 2027 and could be extended beyond that year, the panel decided. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  U.S. regulators decided Wednesday to allow American fishermen to harvest thousands of pounds of valuable baby eels in the coming years, even as authorities have shuttered the industry in Canada while they grapple with poaching.

Baby eels, also called elvers, are harvested from rivers and streams by fishermen every spring. The tiny fish are sometimes worth more than $2,000 per pound because of their high value to Asian aquaculture companies.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission decided Wednesday that U.S. fishermen will be allowed to harvest a little less than 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms) of the eels per year. That quota, which holds current levels, will stand through at least 2027 and could be extended beyond that year, the panel decided.

The decision came less than two months after Fisheries and Oceans Canada shut down the elver fishing season in the Maritime provinces for this year. It said in a statement that illegal fishing, and harassment and threats between harvesters and fishery officers, were among the reasons for the closure.

U.S. fishermen made the case prior to Wednesday's commission decision that they have been good stewards of the valuable fish and deserve a larger quota, but regulators kept the quota the same. Maine is the only American state that allows commercial-scale fishing of elvers.

This is the most restricted fishery in Maine and no one can get away with anything, and they should allow us to fish, said Darrell Young, founder of the Maine Elver Fishermen Association, before the meeting.

Elvers are raised to maturity so they can be used as food. Some return to the U.S. for use in Japanese restaurants.

They are worth so much in part because worldwide supplies of eels have diminished in recent decades. That has led to criticism from environmental groups that believe eel fishing is unsustainable.

The worldwide eel fishing industry has also long been beset by poaching and illegal sales. In April, Canadian fishery officers arrested five Maine fishermen in Nova Scotia for breaking fishing laws and seized about 7.5 pounds (3.4 kilograms) of elvers, according to a statement from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Maine authorities have managed to thwart poaching in the state using new controls including a swipe card system meant to deter illegal sales. Poaching in Canada threatens this valuable resource and fishery on both sides of the border, said Jeff Nichols, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

The commission's decision to keep the state's elver quota at its current level is good news for Maine's elver harvesters, who earn nearly $20 million a year from the vital fishery, Nichols said.

Maine fishermen are about 80% of the way through this year's elver quota. The elvers were selling for a little less than $1,200 per pound as of Wednesday. That was cheaper than the last three years, but more expensive than they typically sold for prior to 2012.
The U.S. imposed new sanctions on May 1 against nearly 300 companies and individuals in Russia and third countries, including Chinese companies, for aiding Moscow's war effort, the Treasury Department announced.

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on around 200 targets, while the State Department targeted over 80. The sanctions are aimed at combating evasion and support for Russia's military-industrial base and its biological and chemical weapons programs, according to the Treasury statement.

The move came after U.S. officials' repeated warnings about Beijing's support for Moscow's military. Reuters reported in April, citing unnamed U.S. defense officials, that China is aiding Russia's war machine in Ukraine by providing machine tools, weapons technology, and satellite imagery.

"Todays actions will further disrupt and degrade Russias war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it," U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

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The sanctions include around 60 targets located in Russia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates as well as China, "that enable Russia to acquire desperately-needed technology and equipment from abroad," according to the statement.

The U.S. also targeted manufacturers and suppliers of cotton cellulose and nitrocellulose, which are key explosives chemicals that Moscow needs to keep producing gunpowder and rocket propellants, among other things. Both Russian and Chinese companies were sanctioned for being involved in trade of such materials.

Neftegazstroy and Vnipigazdobycha, two Russian-based companies, reportedly involved in natural gas-related construction projects, were also sanctioned.

"Combined, our support for Ukraine and our relentless targeting of Russias military capacity is giving Ukraine a critical leg-up on the battlefield, Yellen said.

The U.S. passed a long-awaited $61 billion foreign aid package last week after months of political infighting and delays.

The Pentagon said on April 24 that it was ready to move forward with sending $1 billion of weapons to Kyiv from U.S. stockpiles, including more ammunition for HIMARS, 155 mm ammunition, air defense interceptors, and armored vehicles.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced another large-scale round of sanctions on Feb.23 targeting 500 entities in Russia ahead of the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion and following the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Read also: US Senate approves ban on Russian uranium imports

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The U.S. Senate on April 30 voted unanimously to approve legislation banning imports of enriched uranium from Russia.

The legislation will now advance to the White House, where U.S. President Joe Biden must sign the bill in order for it to become law. Biden has expressed support for restrictions on Russian fuel products and is expected to sign.

The Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act would take effect 90 days after signing, banning Russian uranium imports from the U.S. through 2040, except in the case of temporary waivers issued by the U.S. Energy Department as part of an anti-dumping agreement in place between the U.S. and Russia.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the measure in December 2023.

All 100 senators approved the bill during the April 30 vote.

"Our bipartisan legislation will help defund Russia's war machine, revive American uranium production, and jump-start investments in America's nuclear fuel supply chain," said Senator John Barrasso, a Republican, in comments to Bloomberg.

"This is a tremendous victory," he said.

Russia is the leading foreign supplier of enriched uranium to the U.S., according to Energy Department data. Imports provide Russia with an estimated $1 billion a year, Barrasso said in a December 2023 report.

The U.S. has introduced sweeping sanctions and restrictions on the import of Russian products after the full-scale invasion, including fossil fuels. If the uranium imports ban is signed into law, it will mark the first time the nuclear fuel has been included in the list of sanctioned products.

Read also: Opinion: Russias nuclear giant is falling through the sanctions cracks

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WeatherTech founder and CEO David F. MacNeil is linked to a limited liability company that just paid $38.5 million for a renovated ocean-to-lake estate on 2 acres in Manalapan, the wealthy town south of Palm Beach, according to a deed recorded May 1.

The gated estate was built in 1955 at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. and has about 195 feet facing the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other.

The Bermuda-style house has six bedrooms and 13,876 square feet of living space, inside and out, according to the propertys sales listing. Thanks to the lots sloped topography, the houses front facade rises two stories while the oceanfront side is confined to one story above ground.

The estate last sold for a recorded $30.7 million in 2021, courthouse records show. The property had previously changed hands in 2012 for a recorded $8.46 million.

An ocean-to-lake Bermuda-style estate at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan, south of Palm Beach, has just changed hands for a recorded $38.5 million.

The seller was a Florida limited liability company named after the propertys address, for which West Palm Beach real estate attorney Maura Ziska serves as trustee. She declined to comment.

The buyer is listed on the deed as Whiskey Tango 1120, an Illinois company with a post office address in care of a trust in MacNeils name. The trusts address is on Isla Bahia Drive in Fort Lauderdale, the deed shows.

MacNeil owns WeatherTech, which is based in Greater Chicago and manufactures car accessories such as floor mats and cellphone holders as well as other products, the companys website shows. He founded the company in 1989.

In October, MacNeil set a Fort Lauderdale residential sales record when he sold a custom-built waterfront estate for $40 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Agents Gary Pohrer and Nick Malinosky of Douglas Elliman Real Estate were the listing agents for the Manalapan property, according to the Palm Beach Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. They acquired the listing in mid February and had it priced at $39.5 million.

Pohrer told the Palm Beach Daily News the property was a rare find for its size and the amount of waterfront it offers. Manalapan continues to offer homebuyers remarkable value, he added, compared to what a similar property would cost in Palm Beach if it were even available.

Pohrer also mentioned a Manalapan sale he and Malinosky were involved with in March, when a 1980s-era estate at 1960 S. Ocean Blvd. sold for a recorded $27.5 million.

The buyers in both sales were looking for that (same sense of) value, Pohrer said

Agent Tim Elmes of Compass Florida is listed in the regional multiple listing service as having handled the buyers side of the sale that just closed. Elmes was also on the sales team representing MacNeils interests in the October sale in Fort Lauderdale, the Journal reported.

Story continues

A person who answered the phone May 1 at a number for Elmes declined to comment.

MacNeil could not immediately be reached for comment.

Known for many years as Chateau Mer au Lac, the Manalapan estate lies about a mile south of the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. The bulk of the property is on the ocean side of the coastal road opposite a strip of lakefront with a deep-water dock.

On the ocean side of the house, a covered loggia faces a swimming pool, which is set into the lawn leading to the seawall and the beach. There also is a pergola-covered oceanfront patio.

The main living area has glass doors on two sides. The ones to the east capture views of the sea, while the doors on the west open to a terrace overlooking the front lawn, a second swimming pool and an expansive putting green.

Recently renovated, this ocean-to-lake Bermuda-style estate has sold for a recorded $38.5 million at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan, south of Palm Beach.

Photos show rooms with a clean, contemporary feel. The living room is open to the formal dining area and the kitchen, which has an oceanview space for informal meals.

The layout also includes seaside bedrooms, a foyer with a sweeping staircase, a family room, an office with built-in bookshelves, a gym, a home theater and sitting rooms. At the front of the house is a three-car garage and a motor court.

Gates open onto a long driveway at an ocean-to-lake estate at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd., which just changed hands for a recorded $38.5 million in Manalapan, the wealthy town south of Palm Beach.

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Portions of this story appeared previously in the Palm Beach Daily News. This is a developing story. Check back for any updates.

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Darrell Hofheinz is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist who writes about Palm Beach real estate in his weekly Beyond the Hedges column. He welcomes tips about real estate news on the island. Email dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com, call 561-820-3831 or tweet @PBDN_Hofheinz. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: WeatherTech founder linked to $38.5M buy of estate near Palm Beach
FILE PHOTO: A view of the U.S. Capitol dome in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate approved on Tuesday legislation to bar imports of Russian uranium, as the United States continues to seek to disrupt Russia's efforts in its war against Ukraine.

The Senate passed the measure by unanimous consent, meaning that no senators objected to it. The House of Representatives passed the bill in December.

Uranium is used to power commercial nuclear reactors that produce electricity.

The legislation would ban the imports 90 days after enactment. It contains waivers in case there were supply concerns for domestic reactors. The bill also frees up $2.7 billion passed in previous legislation to build out the domestic uranium processing industry.

The United States banned Russian oil imports shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and instituted a price cap on some exports of its crude and oil products.

U.S. nuclear power plants imported around 12% of their uranium from Russia in 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

"Wyoming has the uranium to replace Russian imports, and we're ready to use it," said U.S. Senator John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy Committee, in a statement. Barrasso is from the state of Wyoming.

"Our bipartisan legislation will help defund Russia's war machine, revive American uranium production, and jumpstart investments in America's nuclear fuel supply chain," he said.

Last week, President Joe Biden signed a foreign aid bill to provide billions of dollars of aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Biden is expected to sign the uranium imports bill into law.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council had called on Congress to impose the ban in a statement on Monday, saying doing so "would provide assurance to industry, allies, and partners that the U.S. has made a clear decision to establish a secure nuclear fuel supply chain, independent of adversarial influence, for decades to come."

(Reporting by Makini Brice, Steve Holland and Timothy Gardner in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
On the evening of 30 April, the US Senate unanimously voted to pass a law banning the import of enriched uranium from Russia.

Source: Bloomberg

Details: The document was sent for signature to US President Joe Biden.

The law will enter into force 90 days after signing.

Until January 2028, some legal deviations are permitted. If there are no alternative sources of supply, the US Department of Energy will be able to issue permission to import enriched uranium from Russia.

This law will expire at the end of 2040.

Russia provided approximately a quarter of the enriched uranium used as fuel for the US Navy's more than 90 commercial reactors, making it the first foreign supplier. These sales earn Russia approximately US$1 billion per year, but replacing these sources could be difficult and risk raising the price of enriched uranium by almost 20%.

The White House is calling for a "long-term ban" on Russian imports, which is needed to release approximately US$2.7 billion in support for the domestic uranium industry provided by Congress earlier this year.

According to Bloomberg, if the United States prohibits imports, Russia may counter by imposing a unilateral export ban.

The import prohibition will take some time to have an effect on the nuclear power plant operators in the United States. Reactors are typically refuelled every 18-24 months, and fuel purchases are coordinated ahead of time. That means that most, if not all, utilities have enough uranium to keep their reactors running for the next few years.

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US senator urges Biden to include safeguards in any nuclear power deal with Saudi Arabia

By Timothy Gardner and Jonathan Landay

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A Democratic U.S. senator on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to include strict nonproliferation safeguards in any nuclear power deal with Saudi Arabia that might come as part of a potential normalization of relations agreement brokered by Washington between the kingdom and Israel.

The Biden administration has been talking with Saudi Arabia and Israel on a potential peace agreement since before the Oct. 7 deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel and talks have continued during the Israeli war on the militant group in Gaza.

An agreement to help develop nuclear power in Saudi Arabia could benefit the U.S. nuclear industry which would supply technology.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the negotiations with Riyadh still are underway.

Senator Edward Markey, a longtime advocate for nonproliferation safeguards, said in a letter to fellow Democrat Biden that Saudi Arabia, "a nation with a terrible human rights record", cannot be trusted to use its nuclear program purely for peaceful purposes and will seek to develop nuclear weapons.

Markey and other Democrats are critics of the country and its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, over human rights, his intervention in Yemens civil war and the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi that U.S. spy agencies assessed was ordered by the prince.

The prince has said for years the kingdom will develop nuclear weapons if regional rival Iran does.

"I urge your Administration to ensure that the path towards Middle East peace holds Saudi Arabia accountable for its appalling human rights practices and constrains its ability

to become a nuclear power," Markey said in a letter to Biden and other officials.

The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The letter, first reported by Reuters, urges the administration to adopt so-called "gold standard" nonproliferation safeguards, based on the 123 agreement in U.S. nuclear energy law that prohibit uranium enrichment and nuclear reprocessing, two pathways to nuclear weapons. The UAE agreed to these safeguards when it built a nuclear plant in 2021.

Markey also urged the administration to insist that Saudi Arabia also be held to the "additional protocol" standards of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, which requires monitoring and inspections.

The National Security Council did not respond to a request for comment.

Some experts question whether the timing and political circumstances will allow a U.S.-Saudi deal that leads to Riyadh normalizing relations with Israel.

Perhaps most critically, Saudi Arabia has called for an immediate truce leading to a permanent and sustainable ceasefire in Israel's war against Hamas and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, both of which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected.

Time is growing short for the Biden administration to shepherd a U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear agreement and defense pact through the congressional approval process as lawmakers focus on campaigning ahead of the Nov. 5 elections.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Additional reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Michael Erman)
US surgeon in Gaza: nothing prepared me for scale of injuries

Site of an Israeli strike on a house in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO(Reuters) - A U.S. vascular surgeon who left Gaza after a stint as a volunteer said nothing had prepared him for the scale of injuries he had faced there.

Dozens of patients a day. Most of them young. Most facing complicated injuries caused by shrapnel. Most ending up with amputations.

"Vascular surgery is really a disease for older patients and I would say I had never operated on anybody less than 16, and that was the majority of patients that we did this time around," Shariq Sayeed, from Atlanta, Georgia, told Reuters in Cairo.

"Most were patients 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 years of age. Mostly shrapnel wounds, and that was something I have never dealt with, that was something new."

In his stint at the European Hospital in Gaza, Sayeed said his team would deal with 40-60 patients a day. The vast majority were amputation cases.

"And unfortunately there is a very high incidence of infection as well so once you have an amputation that doesn't heal, you end of getting a higher amputation," he said.

Around 70 percent of the surgeries he performed were on injuries caused by shrapnel, the rest mostly from blast injuries and collapsing buildings.

Ismail Mehr, an anaesthesiologist from New York State, who led the Gaza mission, said the volunteer medics were "speechless at what we saw" when they arrived in April in southern Gaza.

Mehr is chairman of IMANA Medical Relief, a programme that focuses on disaster medical relief and healthcare support and has provided treatment to over 2.5 million patients in 34 countries and counting.

He has been to Gaza several times in the past, but could not imagine what he saw this time: "Truly everywhere I saw was destruction in Khan Younis, not a single building standing."

Out of 36 hospitals that used to serve more than 2 million residents, just 10 were somewhat functional by early April, according to the World Health Organization.

Health facilities lacked medical supplies, equipment, staff, and power supplies, Mehr said. His biggest fear now is an expected Israeli assault into the southern city of Rafah, where half of Gaza's 2.3 million people have sought shelter.

"I hope and I pray that Rafah is not attacked," he said. "The health system will not be able to take care of that. It will be a complete catastrophe."

(This story has been corrected to remove the reference to the surgeon speaking on Wednesday in paragraph 1)

(Reporting and writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Peter Graff)
The US military has withdrawn troops from a French military base in Chad after the country demanded they leave last month, a Pentagon spokesperson and other sources familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday.

More than half of the US troops stationed at the French military base in Chads capital, NDjamena, have now left the country and relocated to Germany.

CNN previously reported that fewer than 100 US troops were stationed in Chad, most of them as part of the US Special Operations Task Force, an important hub for US Special Operations Forces in the region.

The Special Operations Task Force was previously based in Germany before moving to Chad in 2021.

We can confirm the safe and orderly relocation of approximately 60 US forces from Chad to Germany where they will continue their work, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Pete Nguyen told CNN on Wednesday. This temporary step is part of an ongoing review of our security cooperation, which will resume after the May 6 Presidential election.

The withdrawal was completed on Tuesday, Nguyen said.

Some US forces will remain in the country working out of the US embassy there, in addition to the Marines who will continue providing embassy security, two sources familiar with the matter said.

The withdrawal of the troops in Chad comes just over a month after the military government of neighboring Niger ended its agreement with the US military that allowed American personnel to operate in the country. The US is currently negotiating a safe and orderly withdrawal of the over 1,000 US troops still in Niger, with discussions focusing mostly on logistics like securing clearances for military flights in and out of the country, an official said.

The withdrawal from Chad comes after Chadian officials sent a letter to the US defense attache last month threatening to cancel the Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, which determines the rules and conditions under which US military personnel can operate in the country. The letter demanded that all US forces leave the French base in NDjamena, CNN previously reported.

A defense official and another source familiar with the matter characterized the dispute as largely a paperwork issue that will likely be resolved after Chads elections this month.

But taken together, the developments come at a critical time for US interests in Africa, as American officials have warned that Russian influence is expanding across the continent.

Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, head of US Africa Command, told lawmakers in March that Central African countries were in a dilemma, needing developmental assistance from countries like Russia and China but balancing those needs against risks to national sovereignty.

In this region, the stakes are high, Langley said.

Langley visited Chad in January this year alongside AFRICOMs senior enlisted advisor, Sgt. Maj. Michael Woods. While in the country, Langley met with Chadian military leaders including Gen. Abakar Abdelkerim Daoud, Chads Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, according to an AFRICOM press release at the time.

Langley said in the release that AFRICOM remains dedicated to building enduring partnerships with Chad and other African nations.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin opined on Eric Trumps attendance at his father Donald Trumps hush money trial, describing it as very sad to watch.

On Wednesdays episode of Morning Joe, Rubin noted how it was likely the first time the Trump scion had seen the documents detailing the nitty-gritty of how his fathers alleged hush money scheme came together.

I and other reporters in the courtroom noticed at times  there are monitors that show the documents  Eric Trump was looking up at the documentation through which this deal was done, including emails between Cohen and Davidson, and sort of looking at them interestedly, Rubin recalled, referring to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and to Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels former lawyer.

Watching Eric Trump watch those documents  as just a human being, that struck me, she said. These people are people, too.

Watch the video here:

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Trump is accused of falsifying business documents in a bid to cover up money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep her quiet about an alleged earlier affair.

On Tuesday, Eric Trump became his first relative to support him in person in the courtroom.

Anthony Scaramucci, the short-lived Trump White House director of communications, suggested it showed the rest of the Trump family was embarrassed by the basis of the allegations.

It also pointed to a bigger problem for the ex-president, he said.

Family members have said theyre not going to go work for him back in the White House. Melania is absent and I think this plays a bigger part of the story and its a bigger toll on him than people imagine, Scaramucci said.

Whether you like him or dislike him, he worked with his family on real estate, he worked with his family on The Apprentice, he brought his family into the White House, he added. They are not there with him, and I think thats something that bothers him way more than anybody is letting on.

Watch Scaramuccis comments here:

Related...
Law enforcement was noticeably absent when violence erupted on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles late Tuesday night between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Dozens of counter-protestors, many wearing white masks and flags over their shoulders, arrived around 10:45 p.m. and attempted to dismantle the pro-Palestinian encampment that has overtaken Royce Quad since last Thursday. The agitators lobbed fireworks at the encampment and set off what may have been bear or pepper spray.

Demonstrators on the pro-Palestinian side used umbrellas to shield themselves, and skirmishes broke throughout the night out as counter-protesters attempted to wrestle away wood pallets, plywood and metal fencing from the encampment.

UCLA campus police along with medical personnel showed up briefly before retreating, KTLAs John Fenoglio reported. The Los Angeles Police Department had not responded as of 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

A representative for Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X, formerly Twitter, that law enforcement leaders were in contact and resources were being mobilized.

Aerial footage from Sky5 captured the chaotic scene, including countless clashes between protesters. The number of people injured and the severity of the injuries were unclear.

A firework was ignited and thrown into an pro-Palestinian encampment by a pro-Israel protestor at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Many people in white masks showed up before violence broke out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

A firework was ignited and thrown into an pro-Palestinian encampment at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence broke out at a pro-Palestinian encampent at UCLA when pro-Israel protestors arrived on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence broke out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

A firework was ignited and thrown into an pro-Palestinian encampment at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence broke out at a pro-Palestinian encampent at UCLA when pro-Israel protestors arrived on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence broke out at a pro-Palestinian encampent at UCLA when pro-Israel protestors arrived on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Many people in white masks showed up before violence broke out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

A firework was ignited and thrown into an pro-Palestinian encampment by a pro-Israel protestor at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

An Israeli flag seen flying at on the UCLA campus amid protests over the Israel-Hamas war. (KTLA)

The encampment, populated by protesters demanding UCLA divest all interests in Israel and an immediate halt to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, now occupies portions of the steps and sidewalks of Powell Library and Royce Hall.

At times, dueling demonstrations have become heated, however Tuesday nights clash marked the largest escalation to-date.

Before the escalation

Earlier in the day, Luke Veltz attempted to donate snacks and drinks to those in the encampment. While hes not a student, he told KTLAs John Fenoglio that he supports calls for the university to divest from Israel and hopes for an end to the war and a free Palestinian state.

When youve had genocide carry on for this long, people are just not going to be able to live side by side with two governments in the way that its been suggested and I think that a free Palestine is the only way forward, he said.

Counter-protesters calling for the release of Israeli hostages taken captive on Oct. 7 by Hamas have used screens and speakers to blast images and stories of survivors just feet away from the encampment.

I think this is blatant antisemitism, one young man, who was not identified, told KTLA. This is crazy whats going on, what theyre letting go on. Theyre chanting to kill us. Theyre chanting from the river to the sea, which is just blatantly to kill us all. I wanted to see whats going on and its scary.

On Tuesday morning, protesters chanted, Let him go! as a demonstrator carrying a Palestinian flag who scaled the scaffolding of a building near the encampment was arrested.

He was later released.

Vandals also sprayed graffiti on the doors of Royce Hall.

A man trying to access a public walkway is stopped by security at UCLA on April 30, 2024.

On Tuesday morning, a man on crutches who claimed to be an alumnus and was not part of either protest was tackled by UCLA security after trying to access a public walkway outside the encampment, Fenoglio reported.

I told them I was disabled, he said. They said that I was trying to use [my crutches] as a weapon. It was on the ground behind me. It was insane. 

There were also reports of demonstrators in the encampment blocking students from getting to class.

The university called this kind of behavior abhorrent and said these actions could lead to suspension or expulsion.

On Monday night, campus police broke up several fights after a group of about 60 pro-Israeli demonstrators tried to push through the encampments barricade.

University officials ultimately decided to close Royce Hall until Friday and Powell Library until Monday.

Over at the University of Southern California, the main commencement ceremony remains canceled, though smaller graduation ceremonies will take place across campus.

University President Carol Folt released a statement, saying in part:

USC remains committed to free speech and peaceful protests while ensuring public safety.

Folt also said she is in direct talks with the representatives from the pro-Palestinian group Divest from Death USC, which has established an encampment in Alumni Park.

The park erupted into a chaotic scene last week after the university called on the Los Angeles Police Department to forcibly remove protesters.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
LOS ANGELES (KTLA)  Dueling groups of protesters clashed early Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another.

The violence erupted shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday when the group of about 50 men believed to be supporters of the pro-Israeli counterprotest wearing dark clothing, hoods and white masks covering their faces stormed the barricade and tried to tear it down.

Unarmed security guards were forced to flee as fireworks were launched at the encampment, exploding near the tents that have overtaken Royce Quad.

A firework was ignited and thrown into an pro-Palestinian encampment by a pro-Israel protestor at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Many people in white masks showed up before violence broke out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

A firework was ignited and thrown into an pro-Palestinian encampment at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence broke out at a pro-Palestinian encampent at UCLA when pro-Israel protestors arrived on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence broke out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

A firework was ignited and thrown into an pro-Palestinian encampment at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence broke out at a pro-Palestinian encampent at UCLA when pro-Israel protestors arrived on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence broke out at a pro-Palestinian encampent at UCLA when pro-Israel protestors arrived on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

Many people in white masks showed up before violence broke out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

A firework was ignited and thrown into an pro-Palestinian encampment by a pro-Israel protestor at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)

An Israeli flag seen flying at on the UCLA campus amid protests over the Israel-Hamas war. (KTLA)

Several of the counterprotesters, who appeared to be older outside agitators and not students, used what looked like bear spray to douse pro-Palestinian protesters, according to Nexstars KTLA.

Video showed fireworks exploding over and in the encampment. People threw chairs and at one point a group piled on a person laying on the ground, kicking and beating them with sticks until others pulled them out of the scrum.

After a couple of hours of scuffles, police wearing helmets and face shields formed lines and slowly separated the groups. That quelled the violence, and the scene was calm as day broke.

UCLA campus police and medical personnel had showed up briefly at the scene before retreating, KTLA reported.

Aerial footage from the station captured the chaotic scene, including countless clashes between protesters. The number of people injured and the severity of the injuries were unclear.

The encampment, populated by protesters demanding UCLA divest all interests in Israel, now occupies portions of the steps and sidewalks of Powell Library and Royce Hall.

When do college protests become criminal? Experts weigh in

Dueling demonstrations have been heated at times, but Tuesday nights clash marked the greatest escalation to date.

Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support, Mary Osako, a senior UCLA official, told the campus newspaper the Daily Bruin.

UCLA announced Wednesday morning that all classes would be canceled due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad late last night and early this morning.

Please avoid the Royce Quad area, UCLA posted on X shortly before 8:30 a.m.

Before the escalation

Earlier in the day, Luke Veltz attempted to donate snacks and drinks to those in the encampment. While hes not a student, he told KTLA that he supports calls for the university to divest from Israel and hopes for an end to the war and a free Palestinian state.

When youve had genocide carry on for this long, people are just not going to be able to live side by side with two governments in the way that its been suggested, and I think that a free Palestine is the only way forward, he said.

Counter-protesters calling for the release of Israeli hostages taken captive on Oct. 7 by Hamas have used screens and speakers to blast images and stories of survivors just feet away from the encampment.

I think this is blatant antisemitism, one young man, who was not identified, told KTLA. This is crazy whats going on, what theyre letting go on. Theyre chanting to kill us. Theyre chanting from the river to the sea, which is just blatantly to kill us all. I wanted to see whats going on and its scary.

On Tuesday morning, protesters chanted Let him go! as a demonstrator carrying a Palestinian flag  who had scaled the scaffolding of a building near the encampment  was arrested.

The demonstrator was later released.

Vandals also sprayed graffiti on the doors of Royce Hall.

A man trying to access a public walkway is stopped by security at UCLA on April 30, 2024.

On Tuesday morning, a man on crutches who claimed to be an alumnus and was not part of either protest was tackled by UCLA security after trying to access a public walkway outside the encampment, Fenoglio reported.

I told them I was disabled, he said. They said that I was trying to use [my crutches] as a weapon. It was on the ground behind me. It was insane. 

There were also reports of demonstrators in the encampment blocking students from getting to class. The university called this kind of behavior abhorrent and said these actions could lead to suspension or expulsion.

On Monday night, campus police broke up several fights after a group of about 60 pro-Israel demonstrators tried to push through the encampments barricade.

University officials ultimately decided to close Royce Hall until Friday and Powell Library until Monday.

Over at the University of Southern California, the main commencement ceremony remains canceled, though smaller graduation ceremonies will take place across campus.

University President Carol Folt released a statement, saying in part: USC remains committed to free speech and peaceful protests while ensuring public safety.

Folt also said she is in direct talks with the representatives from the pro-Palestinian group Divest from Death USC, which has established an encampment in Alumni Park.

The park erupted into a chaotic scene last week after the university called on the Los Angeles Police Department to forcibly remove protesters.

Protests on other campuses

Police have swept through other campuses across the U.S. over the last two weeks, leading to confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.

Late on Tuesday, New York City officers entered Columbias campus after the university requested help, according to a statement released by a spokesperson. A tent encampment on the schools grounds was cleared, along with Hamilton Hall where a stream of officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window. Protesters seized the hall at the Ivy League school about 20 hours earlier.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice, the school said. The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.

A few dozen people were arrested at the building after protesters shrugged off an earlier ultimatum to abandon the encampment Monday or be suspended. It all unfolded as other universities stepped up efforts to end demonstrations that were inspired by Columbia.

Fabien Lugo, a first-year accounting student who said he was not involved in the protests, said he opposed the universitys decision to call in police.

This is too intense, he said. It feels like more of an escalation than a de-escalation.

Just blocks away from Columbia, at The City College of New York, demonstrators were in a standoff with police outside the public colleges main gate. Video posted on social media by news reporters on the scene late Tuesday showed officers putting some people to the ground and shoving others as they cleared people from the street and sidewalks.

After police arrived, officers lowered a Palestinian flag atop the City College flagpole, balled it up and tossed it to the ground before raising an American flag.

Brown University, another member of the Ivy League, reached an agreement Tuesday with protesters on its Rhode Island campus. Demonstrators said they would close their encampment in exchange for administrators taking a vote to consider divestment from Israel in October. The compromise appeared to mark the first time a U.S. college has agreed to vote on divestment in the wake of the protests.

Meanwhile, at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, police in riot gear closed in on an encampment late Tuesday and arrested about 20 people for trespassing, at least one of whom was thrown to the ground. University officials had warned earlier in the day that students would face criminal charges if they did not disperse.

First-year student Brayden Lang watched from the sidelines. I still know very little about this conflict, he said. But the deaths of thousands is something I cannot stand for.

Police also cleared an encampment Wednesday morning at Tulane University in New Orleans and took down all but one tent at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where police with shields shoved protesters, resulting in a scrum and at least a dozen arrests. Four officers were injured, including a state trooper who was hit in the head with a skateboard, according to University of Wisconsin police spokesperson Marc Lovicott.

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, was tallying damage after police on Tuesday cleared protesters from two halls that they had occupied since early last week. Of those arrested, 13 are students, one is a faculty member and 18 are not students, the university said in a statement.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israels offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.

As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasnt clear whether those talks would lead to an easing of protests.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israels critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.

Columbias police action happened on the 56th anniversary of a similar move to quash an occupation of Hamilton Hall by students protesting racism and the Vietnam War.

The police department earlier Tuesday said officers wouldnt enter the grounds without the college administrations request or an imminent emergency. Now, law enforcement will be there through May 17, the end of the universitys commencement events.

In a letter to senior police officials, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the administration made the request that officers remove protesters from the occupied building and a nearby tent encampment with the utmost regret.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on MSNBCs Morning Joe that police had to move into Hamilton Hall for the safety of those children.

He again blamed outside agitators for the building takeover  an idea Shafik has also raised, though neither provided specific evidence to back up the contention, which was disputed by protest organizers and participants.

Adams, a Democrat who was formerly a police captain, insisted that while the people who entered Columbias Hamilton Hall included students, It was led by individuals who were not affiliated with the university.

There is a movement to radicalize young people. And Im not going to wait until it is done to acknowledge the existence of it, Adams said. He said that, as mayor, he would not allow that to happen.

Pressed, however, to give details on the identities of the outside agitators cited by the mayor, officials repeatedly declined to provide details. Police commanders talked generally about tactics demonstrators had used, like using chains to secure doors, saying those strategies must have been taught.

Rebecca U. Weiner, the NYPDs deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, simply said that some of the people present at the campus protests were known to the department to have participated in past protests.

Adams also declined, saying revealing those details would be too sensitive to an ongoing law enforcement investigation.

The police departments deputy commissioner for public information, Tarik Sheppard, said 40 to 50 people were arrested at Hamilton Hall and that there were no injuries. Adams later said that about 300 people were arrested at Columbia University and City College in police crackdowns.

Protesters first set up a tent encampment at Columbia almost two weeks ago. The school sent in police to clear the tents the following day, arresting more than 100 people, only for the students to return.

Negotiations between the protesters and the college came to a standstill in recent days, and the school set a deadline for the activists to abandon the tent encampment Monday afternoon or be suspended.

Instead, protesters defied the ultimatum and took over Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, carrying in furniture and metal barricades.

Ilana Lewkovitch, a self-described leftist Zionist student at Columbia, said its been hard to concentrate on school for weeks. Her exams have been disrupted with chants of say it loud, say it clear, we want Zionists out of here.

Lewkovitch, who is Jewish, said she wished the current pro-Palestinian protests were more open to people like her who criticize Israels war policies but believe there should be an Israeli state.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Rawpixel / iStock.com

As the weather turns warmer, wedding season begins. While many people save and budget for exactly how much they want to spend, the reality of wedding costs can still bring sticker shock.

One way to save on your wedding expenses is to utilize Costco, which sells food and flowers but offers packages on honeymoon travel and even destination venues.

Be Aware: Toilet Paper to Discontinued Items: 7 Ways Shrinkflation Has Come to Costco

Find Out: 5 Unusual Ways To Make Extra Money (That Actually Work)

Wedding planners and industry professionals explain some of the best ways to utilize Costco to make your wedding more affordable.

Sponsored: Owe the IRS $10K or more? Schedule a FREE consultation to see if you qualify for tax relief.

Wedding Decor

Carissa Kruse, a professional wedding planner, strategist and founder of Carissa Kruse Weddings, prefers to purchase wedding decor items such as candles, votives, vases and table runners from Costcos home decor department.

Costco offers a variety of stylish and affordable decor options that enhance the ambiance of your wedding venue including floral arrangements, string lights and lanterns, she said.

Bridal Party Gifts

Another way to utilize Costco is to shop for bridal party gifts. She recommended Costcos jewelry department, which, she said, offers a selection of affordable jewelry items such as necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.

Trending Now: 7 Things You Must Buy at Costco While on a Retirement Budget

I have noticed that Costcos jewelry selection includes both classic and trendy styles to suit any taste. I love to personalize the gifts by adding a handwritten note or monogramming, which is also offered at Costco for an additional cost, she said.

DIY Wedding Projects

Additionally, if youre aiming for a more homey feel for your wedding, Kruse recommended, Go for Costcos bulk crafting supplies such as ribbons, stickers, and cardstock to create DIY wedding projects such as signage, table numbers, and escort cards.

She said Costco offers a variety of crafting materials at budget-friendly prices ranging from $9.99 to $29.99, which is much more affordable than purchasing these items individually at a craft store.

For Small Weddings

The biggest determining factor on whether Costco can be a good contributor to your wedding is the size of your wedding, according to Erik Zijdemans, founder of CalmXCollective, a wedding photography collective.

If youre organizing a 200-person wedding at a big venue, most venues wont even allow you to use Costco for something like florals or food. But it is a great solution for weddings that are either a little bit more intimate, so Id say 50 or fewer people or for weddings that are organized at your own venue, he explained.

Story continues

Any wedding that is more hands-on can benefit from the kinds of discounted prices Costco offers, he said.

Florals

For example, Zijdemans said, with a small wedding, Then it becomes much easier to get a whole bunch of florals in Costco and make your own floral pieces.

Jennifer Allen, founder of Just Elope, which specializes in micro weddings, agreed, adding, Couples can save a bundle by buying their wedding blooms in bulk at Costco. Their floral department is bursting with stunning bouquets, eye-catching centerpieces, and unbeatable prices. Adorn your venue in floral finery without emptying your wallet

Invitations

Allen also pointed out that you can also save money by utilizing Costcos printing services. Customize your invites and save-the-dates with their print services, leaving more room in your budget for the honeymoon of your dreams.

Food For the Wedding Party

Another great way to utilize Costco is to purchase trays of their sandwiches for the wedding party as theyre getting ready, Zijdemans said.

I mean, people tend to forget to eat on their own wedding day and this is something that we always make sure to mention to them in the planning process. And a tray of Costcos sandwiches is a great solution to make sure everybodys fed and enjoying themselves.

Honeymoons

Allen said the cherry on top of using Costco is that You can even book your dream honeymoon through Costcos travel department. From tropical beaches to romantic European getaways, theyve got you covered, she said.

Wedding Rings

Moreover, Allen pointed out that Costco isnt just about bulk buys and budget blooms  theyve got wedding rings thatll make your heart skip a beat without the sticker shock.

Instead of going into stunning debt, Allen said, At Costco, you can dazzle and delight without draining your bank account.

Use A Costco Credit Card

If you have a Costco credit card, Zijdemans suggests you put every expense for your wedding on that card to earn points.

You can spend those points on your honeymoon. And that way youre basically, youre basically financing your own honeymoon as youre going.

While Costco may not cover every cost of a wedding, such as wedding clothes or the venue itself, by shopping there strategically, you may be able to throw a budget wedding that doesnt look like you cut any corners.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Wedding Planners: 10 Ways Costco Can Make Your Wedding More Affordable
Virginia education board approves six more lab schools to aid students; is the process too quick?

(Matt Cardy / Getty Images)

The Virginia Board of Education recently approved six applications to bring students and colleges together to offer specialized instruction amid concerns over awarding state funds to private schools and financial uncertainty as leaders discuss funding for the biennium budget.

Under Gov. Glenn Youngkins administration, which has made laboratory schools a priority since the governors term started in 2022, the list of applications accepted by the board increased from six to 12 on April 18. The additions are Paul D. Camp Community College, George Mason University, Old Dominion University at Newport News and Chesapeake, and private schools Roanoke College and Emory and Henry College.

In a desperate move to advance his political agenda, the Governors administration is recklessly fast-tracking approvals of new lab schools and willfully breaking the law by extending state grant funding to private and two-year universities, said James Fedderman, president of the Virginia Education Association in a statement. Although these institutions can launch lab schools, the budget couldnt be more clear that they are disqualified from receiving state grant funding.

Todd Reid, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Education, said in an email that for the past two years the department has been working closely with community colleges, universities, school divisions and communities on their lab school proposals and applications.

It is no surprise that we are seeing several applicants now ready for board consideration as many of them have been moving on similar tracks through the planning process for a similar amount of time, said Reid.

Why lab schools?

Laboratory schools, which operate like charter schools, offer students tuition-free specialized instruction for high-demand careers like teaching, computer science and technology; higher education institutions create their own curriculum, which is reviewed by the state, in partnership with local employers and community organizations.

Students are accepted through a lottery system.

Dating back to his campaign, the governor has called for more options for students, including providing more options for students in public education by expanding charter schools.

In January 2022, Youngkin proposed in his first budget investing $150 million to kick start 20 new charter schools. During his first month in office, he signed a proclamation standing up for school choice during School Choice Week.

We must empower parents and students with choice and innovation in K-12 public education, Youngkin said in a statement.

But he faced opposition from Democrats on his pledge for school choice because it would siphon funding from already underfunded public schools.

By mid-February, the administrations position changed slightly after Democrats killed efforts to add more charter schools. Laboratory schools then became Youngkins alternative to public schools.

A debate over language

Later that year lawmakers passed legislation establishing laboratory schools and appropriated $100 million to support the Virginia College Partnership Laboratory fund, which had been established 12 years before for colleges and universities with teacher education programs.

Out of the $100 million, $5 million was appropriated for planning grants to support eligible entities in the design of lab schools and to assist in drafting and submitting a lab school application to the board. A total $20 million was designated for initial start-up grants for approved lab schools to make one-time purchases and $75 million for per-pupil operating grants to support ongoing expenses for lab school operation and maintenance.

Chapter 2 of the 2022 Appropriation Act, which the governor signed, stipulated that a college partnership laboratory school means a public, nonsectarian, nonreligious school in the commonwealth established by a baccalaureate public institution of higher education.

During a Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee hearing at the time, then-Sen. George Barker, D-Fairfax, said the language was created to keep the funding for public four-year institutions before any expansion to other institutions of higher education is considered.

That language is not squishy, he said. That language is very clear.

Since then, however, the administration and legislature have debated which applicants can receive state funds under the definition of lab schools and how much funding should be appropriated over the next two years.

Youngkins administration says the definition in state law does not prohibit the College Partnership Laboratory Schools Standing Committee from accepting applications from all institutions. In two April 10 letters, Deborah Love, a senior assistant attorney general, agreed, saying: In my view, there are no legal impediments to the Standing Committees consideration of this application.

Love wrote that the office reviewed earlier versions of the Roanoke and Emory & Henry Colleges applications and provided feedback to the department on March 21 and April 4, and Feb. 2 and March 5. However, the feedback the office provided to the department was not included in the committees public documents.

But Democrats and the Virginia Education Association are critical of the education department awarding grants to private colleges such as Ferrum College, the University of Lynchburg and Virginia Union University.

Senate Education Committee Chair Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, said the administration attempted to rewrite the state code about establishing College Partnership Laboratory Schools prompting Democrats to make sure funding was supporting public education.

We put a lot of safety rails on it so that so-called college partnership schools would only be delivered through four-year institutions, said Hashmi. They would not be open to private actors and they would have to follow a process of approval that included local school divisions and so there has been a lot of effort on the administrations part to bypass some of those safety rails that we put in.

However, Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, said he hopes the state will support lab schools, public and private, both of which he pointed out benefit public school children.

Im not looking at the school thats providing it, Im looking at students that are receiving it, said Peake, who sits on the Senate Education committee.

I think we need to take new looks at how we are educating our children and the opportunities were giving our children, and that is especially the case after the learning shortfalls we have had since Governor [Ralph] Northam shut down our schools during the coronavirus, Peake said. When you look at the learning loss our students are facing since the coronavirus shut down, weve got to try everything possible to get our kids caught back up and if its lab schools, I think its a great opportunity.

Funding

Within the past two years, the Board of Education has accepted six lab school applications: Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, the University of Mary Washington, the University of Virginia, and Germanna and Mountain Gateway Community Colleges.

VCUs partnership with CodeRVA Regional High School was the first application approved by the Board of Education and awarded $6 million. It opened in January. While VCU is a public university, the decision was criticized because it supported a regional school that was already fully funded and fully staffed.

Fedderman of the Virginia Education Association, suggested the money could have gone instead to neighboring Overby-Sheppard Elementary School in Richmond.

Virginia is one of the richest states in the country, yet we spend less per student in state funding than states with fewer resources, such as Alabama and West Virginia, Fedderman said in a statement at the time. Showering one school with huge amounts of state and local funding might look nice and distract some of the public, but parents of kids in other public schools want and deserve adequate funding for their students, too. Lets work to fund all our public schools like we fund our lone lab school.

Democrats reiterated in budget amendments during the recent legislative session that public funds for lab schools should only be used for public four-year institutions. Youngkin and lawmakers have gone back and forth over whether to include funding for lab schools in the two year budget.

After trading proposals, which included Youngkin proposing $60 million and the General Assembly offering no investments for lab schools, the two are at a stalemate before the current budget ends on July 1.

Change in process

The budget negotiations and disagreements on language are not the only issues plaguing lab school decisions.

On April 11, Virginias College Partnership Laboratory Schools Standing Committee voted 3-2 to adjust the process for approving applications by cutting the number of reviews from two to one before submitting them to the Board of Education for final review. While some members said the move would help, others expressed concern after the process was created a year ago.

Board member Andy Rotherham, a Youngkin appointee on the committee, said the move would streamline the process for applicants to meet with reviewers and travel to Richmond.

I think we just need to continue to try to refine it [the process] to maintain the highest bar of quality, but also think about how can we do it as efficiently as possible, Rotherham said at the meeting.

He said if the committee finds any issues with applications, it has options including sending applications to the board with conditions.

Some of the notable elements reviewed in applications is a schools plan for serving all students including those with disabilities, English language learners, and students who are academically behind or gifted.

According to state law, all lab schools are subject to all federal and state and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services.

Applications must also include plans for student recruitment and enrollment, the schools financial plan and policies, including financial controls and audit requirements; and assurances that the college partnership laboratory school is nonreligious in its programs, admission policies, employment practices.

Fundamentally the accountability for actually authorizing these schools lies with the nine members of the state board who its incumbent on them to look at everything including the public comment which is still provided in this process, Rotherham said

Board Vice President Bill Hansen, a Youngkin appointee, also supported the change.

I think its the evolution of where we are, where the Department of Education is, where we are in the process and I just really dont have any concerns whatsoever that were going to be stepping away from quality outcomes of what were all seeking to achieve here, Hansen said during the meeting.

However, Joan Wodiska and Pam Moran, committee chair and vice chair, voted against changing the process.

Moran asked the committee to consider keeping a second review on a case by case basis, but no action was taken.

I dont want to vote no, said Moran. Id like to be able to have these proposals get the support and go through the process if they need to, and [if] there are some that are coming to us that we may say  lets send it on, Im good with that; but I dont want to leave out a piece of the process that gets people something that they need to then get back to the place where they can go to the state board.

Wodiska added that she believes having a first and final review is necessary, a historical practice done by the state board.

The role of a standing committee as charged under law is to set a process to review applications, Wodiska said. That is our role, that is our charge. There are millions of taxpayer dollars at stake in these conversations, but most importantly is the welfare of the students and educational professionals that will be at these lab schools.

House Education Committee Chair Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, who represents a part of Roanoke City near Roanoke College, said he considered the boards decision presumptive when the budget is not completed and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission found that Virginia has been underfunding public education for a number of years.

Lab schools in and of themselves are not a bad idea, Rasoul said. The question is, are we going to be diverting funds when we just had a massive report from JLARC, saying how underfunded our public schools are, given that funds for new projects like this seem to divert away from needing to pay our teachers at the national average mental health resources and other critical services.

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The post Virginia education board approves six more lab schools to aid students; is the process too quick? appeared first on Virginia Mercury.
Angela Lang, executive director of Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC), speaks at a press conference with other allied activist and advocacy groups. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Controversy continues to swirl around Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Robert Spindell. On Tuesday, a gathering of voting rights advocates on Milwaukees predominantly African American North Side denounced Spindell as a danger to democracy and called for his resignation. The groups, including Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC), Souls to the Polls, and other allied organizations, announced that they are circulating a petition in the community to show support for Spindells removal.

After the election of 2022, in which Democratic Gov. Tony Evers was reelected while his former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes was defeated by less than 1 percentage point in his effort to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, Spindell sent an email to members of the 4th Congressional District Republican Party celebrating a drop in turnout within minority communities.

 we can be especially proud of the City of Milwaukee (80.2% Dem Vote) casting 37,000 less votes than cast in the 2019 election with the major reduction happening in the overwhelming Black and Hispanic Areas, Spindell wrote in the email.

Weve been busy, said Angela Lang, executive director of BLOC in Milwaukee, during the press conference Tuesday. BLOC knocks on doors year round and engages with citizens, giving members opportunities to take the temperature of community sentiment. People are seeing whats happening, said Lang. When we talk to voters, they are disappointed that there are people that continuously try to take away and provide obstacles for their ability to vote.

Rev. Greg Lewis, executive director of Souls to the Polls. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Rev. Greg Lewis, executive director of Souls to the Polls. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

In addition writing the controversial email connecting him to voter suppression efforts, Spindell is one of the 10 Wisconsin Republicans who cast fraudulent electoral ballots for former President Donald Trump after President Joe Biden won in the state in 2020.

As part of a civil settlement, Spindell and the other nine fake electors in Wisconsin admitted that they took part in an effort to overturn the election results and promised to not serve as electors in 2024.

It is 2024, and I think we understand the political reality of this crucial election year, said Lang. We have two more elections this year.  He [Spindell] should not be on the Wisconsin Election Commission for any more elections in Wisconsin.

Rev. Greg Lewis, executive director of Souls to the Polls, said that Spindells anti-democratic camp attempted to overthrow the government by disrupting the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election. Hes admitted hes a fake elector that told the Big Lie claiming there were irregularities in the 2020 election, said Lewis. Bob Spindells actions were intended to keep institutionalized suppression in effect. He is part of a faction that is attempting to disenfranchise over 1.6 million voters right here in Wisconsin. In my community, people dont believe in our system. And people like him who are in place, who are supposed to be helping folks find it easier to vote, are being so obstructive that it really helps folks believe that our system of government is not fair, and its not for them. Lewis said He works for the elections commission of Wisconsin. How crazy is that?

The Milwaukee voting rights advocates kicked off their petition drive Tuesday, gathering signatures to call on Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) to remove Spindell from the elections commission. When pressed about his comments, Spindell has pushed back against claims that what he expressed in his email was racially motivated. There is no white Republican that has done more for the Black community than me, so I suggest you go back and take a look at my past record, Spindell said earlier this year.

Why not just convince minorities to vote for you?

At the press conference Tuesday, activists asked why Republicans like Spindell prefer to see fewer Black and Latino voters cast ballots, rather than simply working to convince those voters to cast ballots for conservative candidates. I think its something thats been ground into their ethos, their way to win, their theory of change and how they get victories by keeping Black and brown folks, and working class white folks down, Kyle Johnson, a member of BLOC in Kenosha, told Wisconsin Examiner. Take a look at some of the photos from Washington D.C. from the Republican caucus, or different state legislatures, or just Republican space generally, and check out what the diversity is like amongst those spaces, and how many of them are older middle-aged white men. They dont believe in multiculturalism, they dont believe in the fact that multiethnic democracy makes us stronger. They believe that their place is on top, and the rest of our role is to serve them.

Johnson also feels too many Republican officials and supporters are focused on increasing incarceration and keeping people in a survival mindset, in order to keep fewer people from voting. I honestly dont understand why thats their goal, and why thats the method that they use, said Johnson.

Bob Spindell testifying at legislative election hearing via WisEye

Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Bob Spindell |WisEye

Nick Ramos, executive director of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, feels that Republicans implement surgical strategies in elections. I witness a party that goes out into the press, talks about how they can win on issues, they can win on maps that are very fair, and yet constantly under the surface, we get to unravel the voting suppression tactics, Ramos told Wisconsin Examiner.

If there have been good faith efforts by Republicans to interface with minority voters in the past, I think they hit retreat on that button a long time ago, said Ramos, and I think that theres just no good faith effort to actually try and listen to people on the ground here, and its a real travesty.

Folks want something to vote for not against, and thats what were hearing in our community

 Kyle Johnson, Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC) in Kenosha

At the same time, both Ramos and Johnson say more needs to be done on the Democratic side as well. Ramos noted a certain apathy which has developed in certain communities, where voters are tired of the political gamesmanship which doesnt translate into change for their lives. Thats why people are staying home, said Ramos. Thats why people are looking at this presidential election and saying we got two old white guys that dont give a damn about me at the end of the day. And its a shame because we should be wanting everybody to be energized and wanting to participate in this process, because these decisions at the end of the day are going to be impacting upon them. But we got two parties that I think in this moment in time really need to be doing everything in their power to be connecting with people, and not just giving people the opportunity to chime in and share what issues really matter to them, but actually delivering that.

Its tough to hear headlines about how the stock market is doing so well and were breaking records, when people cant buy milk at the grocery store because prices are going up, Johnson told Wisconsin Examiner. People need to see their material conditions improve. Johnson stressed that voters, dont want to hear so much about the Democrats versus the Republicans. They want to hear how the new library is going to be built, and new schools, and how theyre going to have clean air and drinking water, and their kids arent going to have to worry about getting shot. Thats what they want to hear about. So, I think a lot of folks, whether in Washington D.C. or Madison, theyve lost sight of that fact.

The post Voting rights advocates push for removing Spindell from elections commission appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
By Nandita Bose

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris sought to blame Republican candidate Donald Trump for Florida's six-week abortion ban that took effect on Wednesday, saying his Supreme Court picks when he was president cleared the way for the policy.

The remarks in Jacksonville, Florida, were the latest effort by Harris and President Joe Biden to keep their re-election focus on abortion rights, an issue Democrats are hoping will galvanize voters to pick them.

"Today, this very day, at the stroke of midnight, another Trump abortion ban went into effect here in Florida. As of this morning 4 million women in this state woke up with fewer reproductive freedoms than they did last night. This is the new reality under a Trump abortion ban," Harris said.

Florida's top court this month cleared the way for a six-week abortion ban, a time-frame before many women realize they are pregnant. It also said a ballot measure legalizing abortion until viability could be voted on this November, which could benefit Democrats in an election where abortion is a top issue nationwide.

Biden declared "Florida is in play nationally" when he visited last week, indicating Democrats could try to flip the state, which voted Republican in recent presidential elections.

The conservative U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe vs. Wade in 2022 opened the door for Florida and other states to set their own abortion laws. Trump campaigned in 2016 on adding judges who would overturn Roe and appointed three who did.

Harris has pushed for reproductive freedoms in more than 20 states and made a historic trip to an abortion clinic in March.

Democrats believe harsh restrictions such as those in Florida and Arizona, which earlier this month upheld a 160-year-old abortion ban, will benefit Biden given that U.S. voters overwhelmingly reject strict abortion bans.

"We believe the government should never come between her and her doctor. Never," Harris said.

Arizona's Republican-controlled House approved a repeal of an 1864 abortion law, with the state Senate poised to vote on it on Wednesday.

FEW OPTIONS FOR WOMEN IN U.S. SOUTH

Abortion access is now almost non-existent in southern U.S. states. Florida had been a refuge for abortion-seekers from states such as Alabama and Georgia until April's ban passed.

In 2023, about 7,700 of some 84,000 abortions performed in Florida were for out-of-state residents, nearly 60% higher than two years earlier, state data show. About half of the state's 50 clinics operate independently from larger groups such as Planned Parenthood. Several told Reuters they do not know how long they can remain open.

Trump has distanced himself from Arizona's ruling even as he took credit for appointing the three U.S. Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and made state restrictions possible, saying it should remain a state issue and declining to support a federal ban.

He previously said women who get abortions should be punished and, in an interview published on Tuesday, said he would allow Republican-led states to track women's pregnancies and prosecute those who violate their state bans.

"The states are going to make those decisions," he told TIME magazine.

Biden has vowed to fight states' anti-abortion measures. He slammed Trump's latest comments that "once again endorsed punishing women for getting the care they need" as his campaign unveiled billboards denouncing Trump's "extreme and out of touch anti-freedom agenda" in Michigan and Wisconsin where Trump will be campaigning later on Wednesday.

Florida, with a hefty 30 Electoral College votes, in recent years has shifted from a battleground state to a Republican stronghold that Trump won in 2020 with 51.2% of the vote compared with Biden's 47.9%.

Some Biden aides think his and the party's optimism it could win the state could be misplaced. Opinion polls compiled by election data website FiveThirtyEight show Trump with a substantial lead.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Trevor Hunnicutt; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Heather Timmons, Gerry Doyle and Deepa Babington)
Vice President Kamala Harris took aim at Floridas new six-week abortion ban in Jacksonville Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the ban went into effect.

Harris was joined by supporters and several local Democratic officials including Mayor Donna Deegan and State Senator Tracie Davis (D-Jacksonville).

As of this morning, four million women in this state woke up with fewer reproductive freedoms than they did last night, Harris said.

The visit marked the second time in two years Harris has chosen Jacksonville as a venue to criticize Florida policy.

The city had in many ways become a haven for women across the South seeking abortion care up to 15 weeks, but its one less option on the table now that the six-week ban has taken effect.

Carveouts are limited, only allowing victims of rape, incest and human trafficking to obtain procedures up to 15 weeks.

Even then, theyll be required to provide some form of documentation like a police report or restraining order to back up their claim.

Beyond 15 weeks, exceptions only exist to protect the life of the mother, prevent permanent physical injury to the mother, or because a doctor determines the fetus is unlikely to survive after birth.

According to CDC statistics, before Roe v. Wade was overturned, more than half of all abortion procedures occurred after six weeks.

Starting this morning women in Florida became subject to an abortion ban so extreme it applies before many women even know they are pregnant, Harris said.

Harris took aim at former President Donald Trump, pinning Floridas six-week ban directly on his shoulders.

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This is the new reality under a Trump abortion ban, Harris said.

Harris also claimed Trump would sign a national ban if given the opportunity and vowed in a second term, President Joe Biden would sign off on national protections.

Donald Trump was the President who took away the protections of Roe, Joe Biden will be the President who puts the protections of Roe back in place, Harris said.

RELATED: Floridas 6-week abortion ban takes effect as doctors worry women will lose access to health care

In a statement, senior Trump campaign advisor Brian Hughes pushed back against Harris comments.

President Trump has consistently said these decisions are best made at the state level where people have the best opportunity to make their voices heard, Hughes said.

But Harris argued the ban would never have been possible if not for Trump.

RELATED: An emotional toll: Jacksonville clinic front and center as 6-week abortion ban takes effect

Donald Trump handpicked three members of the United States Supreme Court because he intended for them to overturn Roe, Harris said.

With abortion on the ballot in Florida this year, Democrats are hoping the issue could put Florida back in play up and down the ticket.

Amendment 4 would restore abortion access in Florida back to levels seen before Roe v. Wade was overturned.

RELATED: Trump says states should decide on prosecuting women for abortions, has no comment on abortion pill

But Evan Power, Chair of the Florida GOP, said he doesnt believe abortion will be a major factor in the election.

Youre not turning out new voters and people in Florida care about the economy and immigration and Joe Biden has failed on those. I think thats how theyre going to vote, Power said.

The Trump Campaign echoed those sentiments.

RELATED: Florida Democrats hope abortion and marijuana questions draw young voters despite low enthusiasm

What we didnt hear from the Biden Harris rant today are real solutions to secure the border from the crisis theyve created. We didnt hear a plan to solve stagflation and the Bidenomic policies that make groceries, gas, and housing destroy families bank accounts, Hughes said. And of course we didnt hear how their silence is encouraging chaos on campuses and towns under attack from extremists whose lawless demonstrations have turned violent.

But Chair of the Florida Democratic Party Nikki Fried said she believes there was already momentum building for Democrats, even before the six-week ban came into play.

She argued Florida is back in play, and it starts in Duval.

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I really see this community is stepping up to the plate, is fighting for democracy, is fighting for our reproductive healthcare and the Vice President that we are never leaving, not only Duval, but the State of Florida behind, Fried said.

A recent UNF national poll for abortion was the number three issue for voters overall but the number one issue for Democrats.

The economy came in at No. 1 overall and immigration slightly beat out abortion for the No. 2 spot.

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Walmart to close health center at Columbus location. 16 more GA locations on the list

The health center at a Macon Walmart is among 17 in the state closing for good, the company announced Tuesday.

Walmart is closing 17 Georgia health centers, which provide vital care services, including the one on Whittlesey Boulevard in Columbus. Walmart launched the health centers in 2019 with the first one opening in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Walmart said in a statement it had determined there is not a sustainable business model for the health centers to continue and it would be closing all 51 health centers across five states and shutting down virtual care.

We understand this change affects lives  the patients who receive care, the associates and providers who deliver care and the communities who supported us along the way, the statement read. This is a difficult decision, and like others, the challenging reimbursement environment and escalating operating costs create a lack of profitability that make the care business unsustainable for us at this time.

Walmart officials said their priority will be ensuring the people and communities who are impacted are treated with the utmost respect, compassion and support throughout the transition.

In addition to Columbus, other Georgia locations impacted by the closures include:

Calhoun

Carrollton

Cartersville

Conyers

Dallas

Dalton

Fayetteville

Loganville

Macon

Marietta

Mcdonough

Monroe

Newnan

Rome

Suwanee

Woodstock

The retailer stated it does not have a specific date for when each center will close, but will share that information as soon as decisions are made.

Officials said Walmarts nearly 4,600 pharmacies and more than 3,000 vision centers would not be impacted by health center closures.
Walmart to close health center at Macon location. 16 more GA locations on the list

The health center at a Macon Walmart is among 17 in the state closing for good, the company announced Tuesday.

Walmart is closing 17 Georgia health centers, which provide vital care services, including the one on Harrison Road in Macon. Walmart launched the health centers in 2019 with the first one opening in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Walmart said in a statement it had determined there is not a sustainable business model for the health centers to continue and it would be closing all 51 health centers across five states and shutting down virtual care.

We understand this change affects lives  the patients who receive care, the associates and providers who deliver care and the communities who supported us along the way, the statement read. This is a difficult decision, and like others, the challenging reimbursement environment and escalating operating costs create a lack of profitability that make the care business unsustainable for us at this time.

Walmart officials said their priority will be ensuring the people and communities who are impacted are treated with the utmost respect, compassion and support throughout the transition.

In addition to Macon, other Georgia locations impacted by the closures include:

Calhoun

Carrollton

Cartersville

Columbus

Conyers

Dallas

Dalton

Fayetteville

Loganville

Marietta

Mcdonough

Monroe

Newnan

Rome

Suwanee

Woodstock

The retailer stated it does not have a specific date for when each center will close, but will share that information as soon as decisions are made.

Officials said Walmarts nearly 4,600 pharmacies and more than 3,000 vision centers would not be impacted by health center closures.
With student demonstrations occurring on college campuses across the United States in response to the Israel-Palestine conflict, a group of Mercer University students chose to hold one themselves Wednesday.

Matthew Simmerman, a psychology student at Mercer and one of the event organizers, said the pro-Palestinian protest would be an entirely peaceful demonstration and educational event that stands in solidarity with student protests that are occurring.

We want to address the issues with Palestine and other genocides that are happening over the world, Simmerman said.

The number of Palestinian deaths caused in the fight between Israel and Hamas has been often criticized as a possible genocide, with the International Court of Justice ruling it plausible, according to media reports. Israel has refuted the allegations.

Students also wanted to respond to an incident on campus last month that ended with a Mercer student being charged with simple battery. The student was arrested after an altercation with a guest speaker, Jennifer Grossman, who was giving a speech on campus. Grossman is the CEO of Atlas Society, a conservative nonprofit group.

The student was charged after interrupting Grossmans speech to confront Grossman about the deaths of Palestinians, which led to an argument. The student was accused of making contact with Grossman.

After the incident, students met with the Student Government Association in hopes that they would issue a statement condemning the events that unfolded. Simmerman said Mercers SGA hasnt responded.

Concerned students argued Grossmans invitation to speak at the university didnt align with the values of the university, which emphasize that Mercer officials affirm and respect the dignity and sacred worth of every person and celebrate both our commonalities and our differences. There were members of the student group who participated in Wednesdays event, but the group didnt organize it, planners said.

Theyre urging the SGA and the universitys administration to come to review their response to the initial protest and make a statement in support of minority students and transgender people, review its speaker selection process to prevent hateful speeches in the future, and allow students the ability to protest in the future.

The organizers created an online petition with those requests, which will be forwarded to Mercer President William D. Underwood and other administrative officials.

We believe that Mercer University should work to protect the free speech rights of students, while also ensuring that all Mercer students feel safe on campus, reads the petition, which had 51 signatures Wednesday afternoon.

Its important for students at Mercer University to know about whats going on on campus and the world, said Forrest Glazier, a psychology and womens gender studies student and another event organizer.

The protest was held on Cruz Plaza, the lawns in front of Stetson Hall. As the demonstration continued, more students and faculty approached the lawns to show support, with Palestinian music playing through a speaker. The demostration started around 11 a.m. and demonstrators left around 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Organizers established rules at the event, which urged the protesters to remain peaceful and not engage with agitators. If any issues escalated, the organizers advised the crowd to let the organizers handle the issue. Attendees recited poems from Palestinians and reiterated their demands for a response from the student government and university administration.

Mercers response

Mercer said peaceful, non-disruptive protests carried out by the campus community are fine.

As a matter of practice, peaceful protests by students or other members of the Mercer University community are allowed on campus as long as they do not interfere with vehicular traffic and ingress/egress to buildings, are not disruptive to scheduled activities, and otherwise adhere to the Student Code of Conduct and non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, said Jennifer Fairfield, director of media relations at the university.

The Mercer SGA didnt respond to a request for comment before publication.

Reverend speaks during demonstration

The event organizers invited Rev. Amanda Schuber, minister of the High Street Unitarian Universalist Church, to speak to the crowd on her experience as a facilitator in non-violent protests while sharing some advice.

I understand that in our society, police presence and police action has a disproportionate impact on people of color, people with disabilities and people of the LGBTQIA community, said Schuber. We also know that the police in our campus are doing their job. Their job is to keep people safe. Were going to assume good intentions.

Shuber said she was proud to see students engaged and doing what they need to do to live their values.
Houses at sunset in Seattle. (Aaron McCoy/Getty Images)

Washington is on track to hit some of its housing goals, but homeownership remains expensive, homelessness is growing, and the supply of affordable homes is still running short.

Thats according to a new state report. The Department of Commerce Housing Advisory Plan outlines how Washington has fared with housing since 2015 and what must be done in the next five years to meet the growing need.

While the report recognizes progress in closing racial and ethnic disparities and getting more housing built, it adds: That progress is uneven and much more work needs to be done.

Homeownership

Homeownership remains out of reach for many Washington residents as prices have climbed faster than incomes. This gap is getting worse, according to the report.

Since 2015, home prices have increased dramatically in nearly every county.

People of color are still much less likely to be homeowners than white households, but the disparity between the two groups declined slightly since 2015.

Michele Thomas, director of policy and advocacy at the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, said high rents make it difficult for many families to afford purchasing a home. When a family spends a significant amount of their income on rent, theres little left to save for a down payment.

Even middle-income renters are telling us that the dreams their parents had of prosperity, of having stability, of owning their own home feels like a bygone era, Thomas said.

Renters

Although affordable rental homes are more widely available than a decade ago, the number of subsidized units is still not meeting demand. Washington has 155,214 units for low- or moderate-income households, but as of 2019, the state had more than 700,000 households at this income level, according to the report.

That means theres about one affordable home for every five households who need one.

About two-thirds of the states affordable housing is in the central Puget Sound region, with 42% in King County alone. And in many counties, especially in Grant and Whitman, affordable units decreased compared to need.

When renters face a large rent hike, its nearly impossible for them to move into housing thats affordable because it doesnt exist, Thomas said.

People are moving from one unaffordable unit to another, she said.

The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance was among groups that pushed unsuccessfully for legislation last session to cap annual rent increases for residential tenants.

Homelessness

Since 2015, the number of people in Washington spending more than 30% of their income on housing, including utilities, has decreased. Still, more than one-third of households are considered cost-burdened, with their rent costs above that threshold. The share is even greater among people of color.

This can leave renters vulnerable to sliding into unstable housing situations and homelessness.

In the last 10 years, the number of people who experienced homelessness continued to rise. In 2016, there were 173 homeless people for every 10,000 residents. In 2020, that number was 180. The problem grew worse in all counties except Clark, Cowlitz, King and Klickitat, the report says. King County saw the biggest per capita decline in homelessness.

Columbia County in southeast Washington saw the largest increase  a 96% jump since 2016. The number of homeless people there is much smaller than in more urban areas.

Although the state has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years on homelessness programs, Thomas said lawmakers have yet to address the root causes, like the lack of affordable housing and sharply rising rents.

Every time a state program helps someone avoid homelessness, Thomas said, more people fall into it.

Its this constant churn, she said.

Housing supply

Housing construction is up. On average, more than 24,000 units were built every year between 2011 and 2015. In the next five-year period, the state averaged almost 41,000 units every year.

Between 2020 and 2023, more than 46,400 units were built every year  slightly above the projected annual need of 46,118.

Even so, in most counties construction of apartments, duplexes and other multifamily options for low- and middle-income households is lagging. Since 2020, the statewide average annual number of new homes constructed for those earning below 80% of median family income was 23,877. Thats compared to the estimated 27,011 units needed.

In the last few years, the Legislature passed bills to expand where middle housing can be built, but it could still be years before the effects are evident given how long permitting and construction can take.

What still needs to be done

The five-year plan includes recommendations for lawmakers, although many will sound familiar to people who know housing policy. For instance, to expand affordable housing, the plan calls for additional funding for developers and nonprofits, opening up more land for construction, and committing dedicated, long-term revenue to affordable housing programs.

The report also recommends loosening local laws to allow more types of housing to be built in more places, speeding up permitting and offering incentives for affordable housing. And it suggests that construction could be helped along with sales and use tax deferrals for building materials, apprenticeship programs and streamlining the states building code.

The post Washingtons neverending housing crisis appeared first on Washington State Standard.
Washington Ruritan Club Rising Seniors Chloe Millard, Eva Miller, Taylor Dimmerling and Annalee Kackley each received a $1,500 scholarship after serving in the club for the past year.

Washington Ruritan Club has awarded $1,500 scholarships to its four Rising Seniors for 2024.

The students in the program are selected from applications from juniors at Louisville High School, Marlington High School, or schools that residents of Washington Township might be attending. The scholarships are awarded after the students take part in Washington Ruritan Club activities during their senior year as full members of the service organization.

Service milestone: Washington Ruritans celebrate 60 years of service to community

Scholarships went to Chloe Millard, Eva Miller, Taylor Dimmerling and Annalee Kackley.

Millard, who attends Louisville High School, plans to attend Kent State University to major in biology and premed with a minor in American Sign Language.

Miller, an Alliance High School student who attends the Marlington Career Tech program, plans to study sustainable agriculture at Ohio State Universitys Agricultural Institute. She plans to one day run her own farm and greenhouse.

Dimmerling, who attends Louisville High School, plans to attend Kent State University to study speech and language pathology and vocal performance.

Kackley, who attends Marlington High School, plans to major in international business with a minor in Spanish and communications at Kent State.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Washington Ruritan Club Rising Seniors net scholarships
Six out of ten Uruguayans prefer to invest more in the rehabilitation of inmates and their social reintegration than in allocating money for the construction of more prisons, a recent issue of Prison Insider, an Uruguayan publication, stated. But at the same time, only one in four see it possible to rehabilitate all or, at least, most of the people who commit crimes, according to a study on Justice, Prisons and Rehabilitation.

Yet, an evangelical ministry seeks to help change attitudes as they bring hope and spiritual freedom to prisoners  and the impact has been remarkable.

Unit 7 of Uruguay's National Rehabilitation Institute (INR) is known as the Canelones Prison. For its director Ana German, there is no them and us. It is all of us. The difference? The country's penitentiary ministry allowed the construction of a chapel inside the prison and a group of evangelical Christians regularly visit and provide spiritual counseling to the inmates.

The effort is led by Pastor Eduardo Vignoli, accompanied by his sons, Pablo and Juan, all of whom are leaders in the Uruguayan pastoral ministry. The Vignoli family is considered the spiritual authority in charge of chaplaincy to those who have been deprived of liberty. And thanks to their work, there is now a place of worship within the prison.

We started in February 2002. But there have always been brothers who have been interested in this ministry, Vignoli told Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily Internationals Spanish edition. The Prison Fellowship has brothers from different congregations working in all the penitentiary units of the country. There are about 33 in total. There are churches that take care of the 'liberated' who have made a decision for Christ in the prisons.

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The pastor remarked that "the director of the INR, on which the prisons and penitentiaries depend, firmly believes in and supports the work of the churches. There is a protocol of religious attention in the prisons drafted by the different religious expressions and approved by the INR, which endorses spiritually accompanying and assisting the inmates.

Within the premises of the Canelones Prison, there is a simple church with the necessary facilities to hold meetings, some private spaces for counseling, and a place where inmates can worship God together. From the beginning of the construction of the church, the response from and relationship with the prison authorities has been very good. And it continues to be excellent with the current leadership of the Unit, says Vignoli, who took the lead in requesting the construction of the prison church.

The chaplain says that the land was obtained with the Ministry of the Interior, through the Division of Architecture and with the authorization of the director at that time, who was a great promoter of the project. Brethren from the churches and inmates participated in obtaining the money. A miracle that is still unexplainable. There was no contribution from the outside.

Vignoli adds that they started with a few coins, and highlights that several inmates learned the construction trade as they helped build the church. And today several of them make a living as bricklayers.

The general population, those in construction trades, and others looked at it positively and supported the work in various ways. The older officials viewed it with skepticism and some apprehension. The inmates were curious," the pastor recalls.

Asked how he relates to the prison population, Vignoli emphasizes that the work he does as chaplain is very personal and that he simply invites the inmate to have a better life. He explains to them that the prison is not the place for them and so Jesus is presented as the one who can help them in their situation. If he accepts that, he is invited to approach a real church or participate in rehabilitation groups.

Families, too, are approached sensitively, if and when those who remain in confinement request it. To the extent that they allow it, we work with the inmates families wherever possible. If he has family and if they accept him, we work with them towards restoring broken relationships, Vignoli says.

The total population currently held in the Canelones Prison is approximately 1,000 men, although officially it is only prepared for about 800. This is something that prison authorities and the ministry have some disagreements about.

Although they didnt specify the exact number of people who attend the evangelical service, the ministry says that members of the spiritual ministry led by Vignoli visit all those who have agreed to receive spiritual help at least once a week. We go on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, each day a different group, but coordinated. During the week we see practically everyone once and some of them twice, says the pastor.

In the rehabilitation of the inmates, the shift to seeing themselves as a dignified person is a process that often requires changes that they themselves do not want to address, Vignoli explains.

But when they manage to cross those boundaries, they understand that Jesus came to them so that they may have life and have it in abundance, even inside the prison serving a sentence as a result of their sinful acts, for which they are no longer condemned by God.

There are those who have already come to enjoy a spiritual freedom that only God can offer to human beings, and there are those who are in the process of getting to know what this freedom is all about, he says.Originally published in Spanish on Diario Cristiano
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt.

So should Brazilian Rare Earths (ASX:BRE) shareholders be worried about its cash burn? In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

View our latest analysis for Brazilian Rare Earths

How Long Is Brazilian Rare Earths' Cash Runway?

A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. As at December 2023, Brazilian Rare Earths had cash of AU$49m and no debt. Importantly, its cash burn was AU$20m over the trailing twelve months. So it had a cash runway of about 2.4 years from December 2023. Arguably, that's a prudent and sensible length of runway to have. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

How Is Brazilian Rare Earths' Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Brazilian Rare Earths 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. Its cash burn positively exploded in the last year, up 236%. Given that sharp increase in spending, the company's cash runway will shrink rapidly as it depletes its cash reserves. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Brazilian Rare Earths due to its lack of significant operating revenues. We prefer most of the stocks on this list of stocks that analysts expect to grow.

How Hard Would It Be For Brazilian Rare Earths To Raise More Cash For Growth?

While Brazilian Rare Earths 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. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash and fund growth. By 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$640m, Brazilian Rare Earths' AU$20m in cash burn equates to about 3.2% of its market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

Is Brazilian Rare Earths' Cash Burn A Worry?

On this analysis of Brazilian Rare Earths' cash burn, we think its cash burn relative to its market cap was reassuring, while its increasing cash burn has us a bit worried. Considering all the factors discussed in this article, we're not overly concerned about the company's cash burn, although we do think shareholders should keep an eye on how it develops. An in-depth examination of risks revealed 1 warning sign for Brazilian Rare Earths that readers should think about before committing capital to this stock.

If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow.

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.
Columbia protester mocked after asking for food for occupiers

Johannah King-Slutzky, a PhD student at the university, said: 'Like, could people please have a glass of water?' - Jesus King/Shutterstock

A pro-Palestine Columbia University protester has been mocked for demanding the Ivy League school provide students who had occupied a building with food and basic humanitarian aid.

In an impassioned plea, Johannah King-Slutzky, a PhD student in English and comparative literature, warned that students illegally occupying university property could die of dehydration and starvation if they were not given supplies.

Like, could people please have a glass of water? Ms King-Slutzky, 33, told reporters outside Hamilton Hall, which had been overrun by protesters.

Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation or get severely ill even if they disagree with you? If the answer is no, then you should allow basic... I mean, its crazy to say because were on an Ivy League campus, but this is like basic humanitarian aid were asking for, she added.

A journalist replied: It seems like youre sort of saying: We want to be revolutionaries, we want to take over this building, now would you please bring us some food and water.

Responding, Ms King-Slutzky said: Nobodys asking them to bring anything.

Were asking them to not violently stop us from bringing in basic humanitarian aid.

Ms King-Slutzky then clarified that she was not sure if the university had tried to stop supplies being brought to the protesters.

We are looking for a commitment from them that they will not stop it, she said. I do not know to what extent it has been attempted. But were looking for a commitment.

The protester also said she believed the university was obliged to provide food to any student occupiers who had paid for a meal plan as part of their fees.

On her website, which has now been taken down, Ms King-Slutzky described herself as a video editor and full-service digital comms expert for progressive and leftist causes.

The activist, who is from New York, was also a member of the student workers union. During strikes in 2021 she described herself and her colleagues as lambs being raised for the slaughter.

Ms King-Slutzkys university research is focused on theories of the imagination and poetry as interpreted through a Marxian lens in order to update and propose an alternative to historicist ideological critiques of the Romantic imagination, according to her Columbia University profile, which has also been removed.

She is the daughter of psychologists Mitchell Slutzky and Beth King.

Reporter grills Columbia student after she demands the university help feed protestors occupying Hamilton Hall:



'It seems like you're saying, 'we want to be revolutionaries, we want to take over this building, now would you please bring us some food'.' pic.twitter.com/vNczSAM4T1  The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 30, 2024

Mr Slutzsky, who runs a private practice specialising in dementia care, was most recently listed as living at a property on the Upper East Side which was put up for sale earlier in 2024 for $1.3 million (1 million).

Her mother studied her PhD in clinical psychology at Teachers College Columbia in the 1980s, according to her LinkedIn profile.

In 2015 Ms King-Slutzky wrote a 2,360 word article on the theory of normcore food in which she described pickles, Greek yogurt and quinoa as high-stakes trendy foods with loads of moral and aesthetic baggage.

Earlier on Tuesday, videos of people passing food to women inside a gate at Columbia were shared online.

Police entered Columbia's campus and arrested protesters on Tuesday night - Caitlin Ochs/Reuters

Protesters last week ate a diet of Pret-A-Manger sandwiches and $17 roasted mixed nuts, according to the New York Post.

Police arrested 119 people barricaded inside Hamilton Hall on Tuesday night, New York mayor Eric Adams said.

The protests have been raging at the university for almost two weeks and have spread to campuses in more than two dozen US states.

On Tuesday Joe Biden, the US president, accused the group at Columbia of hate speech and said their occupation was wrong.

Officials at Columbia have accused activists of vandalism, including breaking doors and windows.

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.
Family of teen who died after medical emergency on OCPS school bus holds news conference

The family of an Orange County student who recently died spoke about his death on Wednesday.

The family of Jasiel Sanders, a 15-year-old College Park Middle School student who died on Monday, held a news conference Wednesday morning with their attorney.

The Orlando Police Department said it appeared the boy suffered a medical emergency on a school bus Monday morning.

Around 9:40 a.m., OPD said officers and the Orlando Fire Department responded to the location of the bus in the 3700 block of South Lake Orlando Parkway.

Police said the teen was taken to a hospital but did not survive.

READ: 2 girls, both 17, injured in drive-by shooting outside Sanford home

An OPD incident report stated there did not appear to be any foul play involved, but that a ruling on the cause of death had not yet been determined by a Medical Examiner.

In an email response to an inquiry about the incident, Orange County Public Schools told Eyewitness News that the bus driver pulled over because of a separate incident and noticed a student in distress.

The district said the driver called 911, which is standard operating procedure.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they deal with the loss of their child, a district spokesperson said in the email, and went on to say, We have confirmed from the Orlando Police Department that this incident was deemed a medical event and is not under investigation by law enforcement at this time. This incident is under internal review by the districts Office of Professional Standards.

READ: This Central Florida airport is 2nd-worst in the U.S. for flight delays, study says

Sanders family and their attorney spoke to the media shortly after 11 a.m.

Channel 9 was at that news conference. Watch Eyewitness News at Noon and monitor WFTV.com for updates.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A procession will be held on Wednesday for fallen Deputy US Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr. from Charlotte to Mooresville, authorities announced.

Weeks, 48, of Mooresville, died in the line of duty Monday when a suspect, identified as Terry Hughes Jr., 39, opened fire on law enforcement officers, killing Weeks and three others.

US Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr.

Weeks was part of a team executing a warrant for the arrest of Hughes, who was wanted out of Lincoln County, around 1:30 p.m. Monday in the 5000 block of Galway Drive in east Charlotte.

Over 100 rounds: AR-15 rifle among weapons seized at E. Charlotte home where 4 officers killed, 5 injured

The other three law enforcement officers who were killed have been identified as:

Officer Joshua Eyer, CMPD (Also a Sergeant First Class in the North Carolina Army National Guard  211 th Military Police Company)

Samuel Poloche, NC Dept. of Adult Corrections (Member of U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force)

William Elliott, NC Dept. of Adult Corrections (Member of U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force)

Hughes was fatally shot by law enforcement on Monday when police said he came out of the east Charlotte home, armed.

Weeks was assigned to the Western District of North Carolina and supported the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force. He was a 13-year veteran of the U.S. Marshals Service, serving in the Western District of North Carolina for the last 10 years.

Weeks started his USMS career in February 2011 in the District of Columbias Superior Court, Washington, DC. He transferred in November 2014 to Charlotte.

Suspect in shooting that killed CMPD officer, 3 with US Marshals Service had lengthy criminal history: Records

Prior to USMS, he spent eight years with Customs and Border Protection.

Heavy traffic is expected Wednesday along the procession route. Authorities said Weeks will be transported from the Medical Examiners Office in Charlotte to the Cavin-Cook Funeral Home in Mooresville at Exit 36. The procession is set to leave the Medical Examiners Office at 11 a.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
WYOMING COUNTY, WV (WVNS) West Virginians are no strangers to water issues  this includes Wyoming County where residents continue to deal with water issues.

The Indian Creek water has a strong, unpleasant smell and causes issues for those who drink it. Adam Vance is a resident of Wyoming County and a delegate of the 35th District. He tells 59News something needs to be done about the situation.

Vance said the southern part of West Virginia gets put on the back burner while the focus for betterment primarily remains on the northern part of the state.

Wyoming County man sentenced to prison for multiple felonies

The people of southern West Virginia built this state and helped win wars with coal. They put the labor of their backs [into it]; built exactly what this state stands for. Weve been put in the dark and left behind. Look at McDowell County. It was once a great thing. It was little New York in Welch and then they turn around and just leave it behind. Once the coal companies come, they dont care about it. Adam Vance, Delegate of the 35th District

Many tourists visit the Mountain State to ride along the ATV trails. Vance said he worries the water situation in Wyoming County will take a toll on the amount of people visiting the state.

One Wyoming County resident has tracked the situation for a while now. Richard Altizer told 59News he personally got the water tested by biologists.

I had a professional do it and we do pay for it. We did some fundraising to do some testing and thats when we knew when me and Mr. Christian got the results back from the industrial cleaner. Thats when we knew we needed to start hauling water to people. We then knew it was poison. We didnt need the DEPs word for it because they kept saying it was natural. Richard Altizer, Wyoming County resident

Altizer said people living near Indian Creek have gotten sick, suffering with symptoms of nausea, headaches, and more  all the symptoms you would get by drinking industrial cleaner. After getting the water tested, they found out there were high levels of arsenic in the water.

I dont know how anyone can justify thats okay to go down the streams. For them to say dont have any evidence for it to get into peoples wells. I had it independently tested. It is in peoples wells. Richard Altizer, Wyoming County resident

Vance and Altizer both agree the residents in Wyoming County deserve better than this. All they want is clean, safe drinking water for those living in southern West Virginia.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
With the gaze of much of the world fixed on the wars unfolding in Gaza and Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to expand his countrys reach in Africa.

He is now using Libya as a stepping stone to position Russian submarines in the central Mediterranean and place nuclear weapons on Europes southern flank.

Enrico Borghi, a centrist MP and member of the Italian parliaments intelligence committee, recently warned that Russias interest in Tobruk in Libya is no mystery, which could be a preamble for sending its nuclear submarines there, much like the Soviet Union sent its missiles to Cuba in 1962.

It is clear that having submarines a few hundred kilometres from NATO states would not be good for security.

In light of this, Washington's move to reopen an embassy in Libya a decade after suspending its operations in the country is significant.

Not only is a strong Russian presence in Libya, a security threat to NATO and Europe  Libyas geographic location, linking Niger, Chad and Sudan to North Africa and Europe, makes it of vital strategic importance.

Russian footprints all over

The Russian footprint in Libya has grown substantially, alongside an evolving military presence evidenced by a recent delivery of military supplies to the port of Tobruk.

This strategic eastern city saw the arrival of armoured vehicles, weapons, and equipment  the fifth such shipment within a brief span, indicative of a systematic build-up.

The supplies, presumed to have been dispatched from Russia's naval facility in Tartus, Syria were transported by vessels of its Northern Fleet, reflecting an unyielding commitment to Moscow's Mediterranean gambit that has survived the impacts of the war in Ukraine.

The entrenchment in Libya also serves as a gateway for deeper inroads into Africa where Moscow is astutely exploiting a partnership void, offering African regimes military and economic collaboration devoid of the conditionalised engagements favoured by Western patrons.

Russian nuclear submarine, Yuri Dolgoruky, is seen during sea trials near Arkhangelsk, July 2009 - AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

The shipment and what it entails are not an isolated development but part of a broader Russian pattern to establish a perpetual military presence akin to its nearly decade-long posture in Syria.

Such an expansion is a direct challenge to NATO's southern flank.

The introduction of advanced air defence systems by Russian operators in Libya that threaten Western over-the-horizon counter-threat operations across North Africa and the Sahel shifts the regional balance of control in the air, while also threatening freedom of navigation since the delivery of anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities will negate NATO's operational reach in its own backyard.

How prepared is the West for Lybia's further decline?

The entrenchment in Libya also serves as a gateway for deeper inroads into Africa where Moscow is astutely exploiting a partnership void, offering African regimes military and economic collaboration devoid of the conditionalised engagements favoured by Western patrons.

Furthermore, Russia's pursuit of a naval presence in Libya's eastern region, likely to culminate into a base for its nuclear submarines, provides Moscow with more than just a strategic outpost looking towards the entire EU.

It adds a frustrating layer of complexity to NATO's security calculus now weighing steady Russian gains in Ukraine, and the long-term impacts of the US pullout from Niger and potentially Chad.

Simply put, Moscow's playbook in Libya is changing from the usual fusion of military engagement with political influence in Libya, partly facilitated by the alignment with regional strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Libya's Khalifa Hifter, the commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army, is seen at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi, February 2023 - AP Photo/Jon Gambrell

Simply put, Moscow's playbook in Libya is changing from the usual fusion of military engagement with political influence in Libya, partly facilitated by the alignment with regional strongman Khalifa Haftar.

By supplanting Western influence, Russia's opportunism and leveraging of geopolitical fault lines have helped enhance its stature even at the height of a needless war in Ukraine.

The cascading impact of Moscow's manoeuvring raises serious questions about the West's preparedness for the declining prospects of a stable, secure and sovereign Libya.

This is why Washington's decision to reestablish a diplomatic presence in Libya is a strategic bid aimed at countering Russia's growing presence, while simultaneously bolstering the United Nations Support Mission.

The US is back in town, however

The move comes after a palpable hiatus pointing to recalibrated approaches in Washington's Libya file to embody a strategic calculus that transcends traditional diplomacy, for a re-engagement that can effectively counteract Russias growing inroads into Africa.

It is the clearest reflection yet of the interplay between geopolitical rivalry and the urgency of stabilising a paralysed country on Europe's southern periphery.

By re-establishing a physical diplomatic footprint in Libya, the US is taking a rare proactive stance that carries profound implications for Russia's ascent. The planned facility in Tripoli will facilitate closer monitoring and the ability to challenge Russian narratives and influence on the ground.

Re-introducing US diplomats to Libya is not merely a symbolic act. It will allow for persistent engagement with Libyan actors to maintain key relationships and develop a firm grasp on local dynamics that often elude remote diplomacy.

A secure and stable Libya is deeply intertwined with broader interests that, when carefully managed, will help immunise the country from a rising tide of instability that could undermine its transition to a post-paralysis era.

a police officer waves vehicles through a checkpoint during rush hour in Benghazi, May 2019 - AP Photo/Rami Musa

It also represents a tangible commitment to supporting UN-led mediation efforts and laying the groundwork for pivotal elections. A secure and stable Libya is deeply intertwined with broader interests that, when carefully managed, will help immunise the country from a rising tide of instability that could undermine its transition to a post-paralysis era.

The September 2012 attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi cast a shadow over a US return to Libya, stifling any optimism for re-establishing a diplomatic presence.

The memory of the Benghazi attacks also galvanised an evolution in US diplomacy regarding Libya that is predicated on security and sustainability.

This includes cultivating ongoing on-the-ground engagement with Libyan actors and establishing robust channels for dialogue to address issues before escalations.

It is a welcome pivot towards pre-empting potential risks, intervening diplomatically to avert crises, and ensuring the Libyan polity is insulated from worsening regional vulnerabilities.

There's no time to waste

Libya's protracted state of fragmentation poses challenges in Brussels' push to confront migrant surges, as any turmoil between Sub-Saharan Africa and the Maghreb acts as a catalyst for the mass movement of people towards Europe, with implications for security, political cohesion, and safety net systems within the EU.

Furthermore, the power vacuum in Libya could become a breeding ground for extremism that would be difficult to counteract given the enduring presence of mercenaries and foreign fighters, alongside deeply entrenched local militias across a very complicated security landscape.

To achieve sustainable peace, the US and Europe will have to leverage diplomatic pressure and develop effective strategies to uproot the political economies of Libya's hybrid actors that are key to their longevity.

In addition, Western involvement is critical for supporting the UN-brokered political settlement among Libyan actors, by providing an environment conducive to transparent electoral processes and equitable resource distribution.

Strategic engagement includes recognising Libyan sovereignty and facilitating national reconciliation through initiatives that reflect the "Libyan-owned and Libyan-led" principles, foundational to the UN's approach and stressed by Libyans themselves.

Moreover, efforts to establish inclusive national mechanisms for the transparent and equitable management of Libya's wealth and resources must run parallel with political mediation.

Failure to do so risks undermining reconciliation efforts and the building of a stable, secure future by addressing long-term economic and political marginalisation, particularly in Libya's south.

Therefore, focused efforts on economic integration, accountability, and the rehabilitation of Libya's tattered social fabric, backed by Western support, will be crucial in restoring stability in Libya.

Hafed Al-Ghwell is the Executive Director of the North Africa Initiative (NAI) and Senior Fellow at the SAIS Foreign Policy Institute (FPI), Johns Hopkins University.

Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.
Correction appended May 13

A recent decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court handed a decisive win to backers of a long-running campaign to create a new, overwhelmingly white Baton Rouge-area school system, further concentrating poverty in the remaining, majority-Black part of the district.

When finalized, the secession will likely cost East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools 10,000 students and 25% of its $700 million budget, school board member and former board president Dadrius Lanus estimated.

This is all rooted in institutional racism, he said in an interview. Its about what white, middle-class people want for their kids.

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Barring complications, it will be the fifth time in nearly a quarter-century that part of the district has broken off and formed its own school system. Currently, the district  Louisianas second-largest  has 40,000 students. Ninety percent are impoverished.

A complicated tangle of laws governs the creation of new school districts, with the most straightforward path being the formation of a new municipality corresponding to the area seeking to break away. A decade ago, residents of the affluent southeast quadrant of the parish began campaigning to create a new city, St. George.

Related

Left Behind: Can East Baton Rouge Schools Survive the Breakaway of a Wealthy  Majority White  Community?

In 2019, 54% of the areas residents voted to incorporate as a standalone municipality. Baton Rouge leaders sued, and in late April the states high court ruled in favor of the new citys proponents. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry will now appoint St. Georges first mayor and five city council members.

The St. George area is represented by East Baton Rouge School Board member Nathan Rust, who backed the breakaway. Rust could not immediately be reached for comment, but his campaign website includes a statement decrying the condition of local schools.

Our schools in District 6 are overcrowded and fraught with violence, disruption and an exodus of quality teachers, it states. After 20 years of Board Tenure, how is this the best public education offered to our children? Many parents, it adds, resort to spending their hard-earned money on private schools because they have no better option.

In 2109, The 74 published a deep dive into a decades-long school integration scheme that shaped the district, the first four secessions and the potential implications of a St. George breakaway. Under the terms of a desegregation order  no longer in force  many East Baton Rouge students attend magnet schools that are spread throughout the district. Consequently, many children who live in the most impoverished neighborhoods  many still devastated by recent floods  attend schools in the St. George area.

Related

With a Wealthy, Mostly White Suburbs Vote to Withdraw, East Baton Rouge Schools a Step Closer to Fourth School Secession

According to Lanus, the existing district has 90 days to annex the 10 existing schools and two properties where it had planned to build schools within the new citys boundaries  all of which were purchased or built by parish taxpayers. St. George residents would then have a choice: pay to build their own schools, or attempt to buy existing school facilities and lots from the East Baton Rouge district. As yet unknown is whether the district would be willing to sell and, if not, how many students would be bused into the new city to attend existing district schools.

The secession would also shift an unknown but significant amount of local tax revenue to the new city, further straining the East Baton Rouge districts coffers. Lanus estimates the district will lose some $150 million in per-pupil state and federal aid, plus money that is supposed to flow to children in poverty, magnet school students and those receiving special education or gifted-and-talented services.

I cant tell you how many calls Ive gotten from parents saying, Whats going to happen to my kids?  said Lanus. We dont have any time to waste.

Correction: Dadrius Lanuss term as East Baton Rouge Parish School Board president ended Jan. 11, 2024.
Which side were you on in the allergy wars? Over at UCLA, the pro-Palestine protesters have reached peak Angeleno zoomer by figuring out how to be victimized by bananas.

According to Twitter user Linda Mamoun (with video footage to back it up): "There was a protestor in the liberated zonewith a potentially fatal banana allergy. Counterprotestors invaded the encampment and saw all the no bananas warnings. The next day they came back waving bananas like settlers waving machine guns & smeared bananas everywhere."

Yes, just like settlers!

Meanwhile, over on the East Coast, the Columbia protesters have decided that actually they are the ones who need "humanitarian aid."

"They're obligated to provide food to students who pay for a meal plan here," said one spokesperson-protester. "Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation or get severely ill, even if they disagree with you? If the answer is no, then you should allow basicI mean, it's crazy to say it because we're on an Ivy League campus, but this is like basic humanitarian aid we're asking for."

The protester appears to be referring to the fact that the university has limited meal-hall access and that the protesters were occupying and barricading Hamilton Hall, wanting assurances that the college would not stop deliveries of food from entering.

Crackdown: Now, it's effectively a non-issue: Dozens of protesters were arrested last night as New York Police Department officers entered the building at around 9:30 p.m., called in by President Minouche Shafik. "We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions," wrote Shafik in a statement. "After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized and blockaded, we were left with no choice."

Shafik also noted, interestingly, that "the group that broke into and occupied the building is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the university."

Meanwhile, police cracked down on other protests across the countrylike one at Washington University in St. Louissometimes using what looks like excessive force. In St. Louis, reports emerged of police beating up a professor from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, named Steve Tamari; Tamari reportedly suffered injuries including a broken hand and ribs.

It's very difficult to sort out all the different threads of this loose campus movement, along with the very different responses from university administrators and local law enforcement. For anyone inclined to forget: speech should be given a wide berth (even that which is ugly and offensive). Campus speech restrictionsto the extent that they ought to be permitted at allshould be content-neutral, a quite legitimate case can be made that tent cities are not permitted by university policies, but nobody should cheer agents of the state exerting more force than is absolutely necessary to break it all up.

Updates from the actual war zone: Hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas keep breaking down.

The U.S. is trying to hastily broker yet another deal as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made sounds indicating that the military will invade Rafah, an area in southern Gaza where some 1 million Palestiniansplus an unknown quantity of Hamas terrorists, in the thousandsare sheltering.

But mediatorsAmericans, Egyptians, and Qataris"worry that Hamas appears willing to sacrifice even more Palestinian civilians," according to The New York Times. "[Hamas] officials believe that the deaths in Gaza erode support for Israel around the world." As a result, they're not willing to do very much to prevent an invasion of Rafah and are also resistant to more hostage-for-prisoners deals, including one offered by Israel that would have been imbalanced in Hamas' favor.

Hamas has rejected previous offers, claiming that they cannot meet Israel's demand for 40 living hostages who are female, sick, or elderly, leading many to speculate that Hamas has killed more of the hostages than previously thought. "Throughout the months of negotiations since the last ceasefire Israel has repeatedly asked for a list of the hostages and their conditions," reports CNN. "Hamas has argued that it needs a break in the fighting to be able to track and gather down the hostages, the same argument it made in November before a week-long pause that broke down after Hamas failed to deliver more hostages."

Of the roughly 250 hostages taken on October 7, some 129 are still being held by Hamas, with 33 of those believed to be dead.

One of the Hamas leaders, Yahya Sinwar, appears to be at least responsible in part for the sinking of deals. He has reportedly been negotiating while surrounded by 15 hostages, whom he uses as human shields to prevent Israel from taking him out. (I wonder if he's banana-vulnerable; have we tried that yet?)

Demands for a ceasefire from pro-Palestine activists in the U.S. are fine and good, but they look hollow when it's Hamas that's refusing to agree to a ceasefire or a plan to return the hostages.

Scenes from New York: A meta take that's pretty much spot-on (though that one guy's crop top is beautiful, at least in his own imagination).

More than anything, these people are boring, and artless, and ignorant. They are a total repudiation of everything beautiful about humanity, which I think is what's most irritating of all. The specific cause - which changes seemingly by the month - is in actuality irrelevant https://t.co/EkJtaRW739  pjeffa (????,????) (@jeff82874662) May 1, 2024

QUICK HITS

"Since 2019, prices for many types of consumer purchases in the U.S. have shot up," reports The Atlantic's Amanda Mull. "On average, goods cost nearly 20 percent more than they did before the pandemic."

A good point, raised by Just Asking Questions guest Peter Moskos:

Crime. People, it's about crime. There's tons of cheap housing in American cities. Virtually free to buy. But you won't live here because of crime. Not race. Crime. (Well crime and schools.) Reduce crime in cities and double affordable housing. Quadruple in some. https://t.co/IWJPdrttqE pic.twitter.com/A2zmxNF2nl  Peter Moskos (@PeterMoskos) May 1, 2024

Elon Musk went to China to try to convince regulators to approve his self-driving cars.

"Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire founder of the giant cryptocurrency exchange Binance, was sentenced on Tuesday to four months in prison, a much lighter penalty than other crypto executives have faced since the industry imploded in 2022," reports The New York Times.

Good observation:

Europe is falling behind the USA in effectively every area of technology SpaceX completely killed the EU launch ecosystem etc The one area EU is keeping up? Biotech Because even though they try to regulate innovation to death at least in biotech the US does the same ????  delian (@zebulgar) April 30, 2024

The post Weaponized Bananas appeared first on Reason.com.
WEBB CITY, Mo.  Webb City is sending out thousands of letters to check a potential impact to the water supply.

Theyre sending out a voluntary survey asking residents to check their water pipes to see if theyre made of lead. Its part of a statewide effort by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to determine how many lead water pipes remain in use.

City workers say they believe the vast majority in Webb City are composed of other materials.

Were looking at avenues with the department of natural resources  if there are lead pipes, how will we solve this problem and what can we do to fix it. i know theres alot of people who think, if we return this, were going to send them a bill and make them replace them. thats not going to happen, said Carl Francis, Webb City City Administrator.

Theyre asking residents to respond in time to submit overall results to the state in October.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com.
Two of the three largest cruise line operators have posted quarterly results over the past week. Don't expect to hear from Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) anytime soon. The market leader operates on a different fiscal year that ends in November. Carnival's next earnings call won't take place until late June.

It's still important for Carnival shareholders to check on how its rivals are faring. Royal Caribbean's (NYSE: RCL) blowout performance last week and Norwegian Cruise Line's (NYSE: NCLH) strong showing this Wednesday morning reaffirm the improving state of the industry. With cruise line stocks merely drifting along in 2024 after trouncing the market last year, it could be a great time to come aboard.

The water's fine

Norwegian Cruise Line saw its revenue rise 20% to $2.19 billion through the first three months of this year. An 8% increase in its fleet capacity, along with the more encouraging trends of increased occupancy levels and an 8% jump in total revenue per passenger cruise day, helped lift the top line above its pre-pandemic showings. Analysts were actually holding out for a 23% increase in revenue, but the news gets better on the bottom line.

The third-largest cruise line operator reversed a year-ago deficit to post an adjusted profit of $0.16 a share in the first quarter. Norwegian was only eyeing net income of $0.12 a share. With improving margins and its forward-booked position at an all-time high, it became the latest player in the cruising market to boost its guidance.

Norwegian now sees a profit of $1.32 a share for all of 2024, up from its previous goal of $1.23 a share. Nearly half of that boost resulted from its first-quarter beat, but it obviously sees stronger-than-expected earnings growth for the balance of this year, too.

Norwegian shares opened slightly lower on Wednesday as a result of the top-line miss, but that wasn't the case with larger peer Royal Caribbean last week. The world's second-largest cruise line saw its first-quarter revenue soar 29%, comfortably ahead of Wall Street's crow's nest. Royal Caribbean also blew profit targets out of the water and has jacked up its full-year profit outlook twice in the last three months.

Image source: Getty Images.

Here's the opportunity

The first quarter wasn't perfect for the industry, outside of Royal Caribbean's blowout showing. Carnival joins Norwegian in falling short on revenue growth in its fiscal first quarter, announced in late March. All three players still grew their total revenue by at least 20%, obliterating expectations on the earnings front.

The future is bright. All three players also closed out their latest quarters with record booking levels and customer deposits. The allure of ocean getaways has never been stronger. The initial pandemic-related stoppage only heightened demand once the health concerns were resolved.

Investing in cruise line stocks was a great call in 2023. Shares of Carnival and Royal Caribbean more than doubled. Norwegian -- historically the laggard of the lot -- was up only 64%, but that was obviously more than enough to beat the market.

Momentum on the trading floor has been lost at sea in 2024. Carnival is down 20% through the first four months of the year. Norwegian is now down in a double-digit percentage hole. Royal Caribbean is the only one treading above water, with the stock rising 8% through the end of April. But even that move up fails to reflect the dramatic revisions higher of its near-term prospects.

Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian are all trading at forward earnings multiples in the low teens. They are using their newfound wealth to pay down debt and repurchase shares. Investors feeling they might have missed the boat in last year's rally may want to see whether the ships have returned this year to get them. There is still time to go cruising.

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What's Good for Royal Caribbean and NCL Is Great for Carnival Stock was originally published by The Motley Fool
A noticeably thinner Harvey Weinstein was wheeled into Manhattan criminal court on Wednesday for the first time since an appeals courts shock decision to overturn his 2020 rape conviction.

There, Weinstein cracked a smile as he waved and shook hands with his legal team. He was greeted by rows of reporters and a surprising face: one of the women he was found guilty of abusing at the 2020 trial.

Jessica Mann, one of the sexual assault victims in this case, is here today to show that she is not backing down and is committed to seeing that justice is served again, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said at the hearing, while pointing to Mann. She has the truth.

We have every belief that the defendant will be convicted again, she added.

Mann, who was sitting in the courtroom in a red shirt, looked straight ahead as prosecutors vowed to retry Weinstein as soon as September.

The 73-year-oldclad in a blue blazer with an American flag pin and the price tag still on itdid not look at Mann as a court officer wheeled him into the packed courtroom, two floors above where former President Donald Trump is currently being tried over hush-money payments to a porn star.

Gloria Allred, the lawyer who represents the other woman in Weinsteins New York case, was also in the courtroom, as well as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Jury Foreman Shocked, Angry Weinstein Conviction Was Tossed

After the 25-minute court hearing, Weinstein gave his lawyer a high-five handshake before a court officer rolled him away.

In a 4-3 decision, the New York Court of Appeals ruled last week that Weinsteins trial judge erroneously allowed testimony from women with sexual misconduct allegations against him who were not victims in the case.

At trial, Weinstein was convicted of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haleyi and raping Mannbut jurors heard from at least four other accusers who were meant to bolster the prosecutions argument that he had a pattern of bad behavior.

We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes because that testimony served no material non-propensity purpose, the court said in their ruling. The court compounded that error when it ruled that defendant, who had no criminal history, could be cross-examined about those allegations as well as numerous allegations of misconduct that portrayed defendant in a highly prejudicial light.

Prosecutors on Wednesday insisted they could bring another case against Weinstein by Septembereven without so-called Molineux witnessesand asked that he be held behind bars in the meantime. Judge Curtis Farber agreed, remanding Weinstein until his next court date on May 29. He still faces 16 years in a California state prison after being convicted of similar charges in Los Angeles in 2022.

An attorney for Tarale Wulff, one of the Molineux witnesses in the New York trial, said in a statement to The Daily Beast that her client stands proudly in solidarity with the other brave women in this case and is willing to testify again, if needed.

Our hearts go out to the women who unfortunately will have to relive their trauma to ensure justice is served in this case, Lindsay Goldbrum added.

In court, Weinsteins defense attorneys pushed back against the request to remand, arguing that the toppled titan is no longer convicted of a crime in New York.

My client is as sharp as ever, he has read hundreds and hundreds of books, defense attorney Arthur Aidala said in court. He was acquitted of rape in the first degree. Hes already done his time.

Aidala added that Weinstein maintains that he is innocent and welcomes a new trial to prove it.

After the hearing, Allred told reporters that Haleyi is still deciding whether she wants to be part of the prosecutions new case. She then held up a sign that said, The Me Too Reckoning Will Continue.

Behind the press conference, a lone protester walked back and forth with a sign that read, Stop WW3, Stop Biden, and Save America, Drain the Swamp.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Pro Palestinian students lock arms, sing and chant as they braced for New York Police Department officers to raid campus after Columbia University President Minouche Shafik called on the NYPD to dismantle encampments and remove individuals from Hamilton Hall

Covid is long since over, but the protesters still wear face masks: the ignorant, entitled little delinquents running riot in so many of the worlds greatest universities are truly an embarrassment. The product of a catastrophic social experiment, of years of brainwashing and coddling, they embody all of the Western worlds most debilitating pathologies.

Their childish, self-important antics would be risible were their normalisation of hatred not so ominous, their rejection of democratic, liberal and conservative norms alike not so terrifying. Previous generations of protesters at least had a cause, sometimes a very powerful and just one; this bunch are self-loathing, inchoate nihilists who hate the West, hate America, hate Britain, hate Israel, and want to tear down everything great about our civilisation.

The keffiyeh-clad protesters claim to support the Palestinian cause, but are staggeringly ignorant about the realities of the Middle East. They entirely lack theological understanding. They dont know any history, ancient or modern, and often readily admit as much. They have no idea how many peace deals the Palestinian establishment has rejected over the decades, and couldnt really care less. They spout whatever fake news is fed to them via TikTok, or the latest made-up statistics from the Hamas health authorities.

They wave LGBTQ+ flags while chanting from the river to the sea, not realising that gay people are routinely murdered in Islamist dictatorships. They purport to care about minorities, but all too frequently have been filmed engaging in despicable anti-Semitic hate speech, such as calling on Jews to return to Poland. They dont understand the difference between free speech and intimidation, trespass and violence.

They have no positive vision, no meaningful reality-based plan, nothing useful to contribute. They dont care about Iranian women assaulted by the regime, or Coptic Christians who are being attacked in Egypt, or Hezbollahs slow-motion religious cleansing of Lebanon. Their heart isnt in the right place, and they should not be given the benefit of the doubt.

They claim to hate nation-states and to believe in open borders, but their encampments look strangely like the fascistic countries they loathe: there are borders, entry points, guards, identity checks, enforcers, and the expulsion of any member of the out-group that dares to show up  in this case, Zionists who are banned from libraries or going to lectures. Joe Biden has disgraced himself for doing so little about a disgusting spectacle with echoes of the 1930s.

The protesters problem is partly psychological, as exposed with brutal clarity by videos on social media. The most spoiled generation in history, used to being shielded from every threat by helicopter parents, they feel hard done by as the police belatedly storm their barricades.

Many young activists have been turned into self-entitled narcissists by a culture that tells them that society owes them everything, that the world revolves around them, that great institutions must change to make them feel more comfortable, that there is such a thing as their truth. They find it hard to distinguish between virtue-signalling and actual deeds.

They spend so long online or editing selfies that they arent always sure what is real life and what is fantasy. Hence ludicrous scenes of protesters play-acting what they wrongly believe to be happening in Gaza: students passing food through prison-style bars, a protester, oozing self-pity, asking for water lest she die of dehydration, demands for humanitarian aid from the university authorities.

Its a pathetic case of weakness being turned into the only moral value, of delusional activists so detached from the harsh reality of real wars that they believe those they demonstrate against owe them free food. It is cosplay politics, protest as a performance art, made for a gullible, easily manipulated smartphone generation that cannot distinguish fact from fiction.

The protesters have been contaminated by two ideological viruses which have made them allergic to their own societies. They have swallowed the lie that the West is the fount of all evil, that we are racist and sexist, that our achievements are illusory, the product of looting and colonialism, and that we are destroying the planet. They feel shame, not pride, and believe in the need to forever atone for our sins and those of our ancestors.

It is no coincidence that we almost never see British or American flags at pro-Palestine demonstrations on the streets of London, but always spot union flags (as well as Israeli and pre-revolutionary Iranian ones) at the pro-Israel counter-protests. The conflict is a proxy battle for the soul of the West.

Young activists have been taught a simplistic theory of social justice: individuals, groups or countries that arent doing as well as they would expect are victims who deserve a lot more, and those that are doing better are oppressors who dont deserve their wealth. The origins of this are partly Marxist and partly drawn from a residual cultural Christianity focused exclusively on the idea that the meek shall inherit the earth.

This dichotomy has bred a defeatist culture of victimhood and entitlement which downplays individual agency, promotes welfarism, confiscatory taxation and rejects hard work. It has fuelled anti-Semitic and other conspiracy theories, and successful minorities are being targeted for vicious reverse discrimination.

It has led to an inane assumption that all poor countries are automatically good and all rich ones inherently bad. Britain and America are uber-oppressors; China is treated with indifference or indulgence. The barbaric Iranian regime is viewed as an ally, as it opposes the Great Satan. Hamas, a genocidal dictatorship is, by definition, a victim; Israel, a multi-faith democracy, is the oppressor, even though the Israelis left Gaza in 2005 and even though Hamas raped, kidnapped and murdered Israelis.

The horseshoe theory of politics has come true: traditionally far-Left and far-Right tropes have fused into a full-service, sickeningly authoritarian woke replacement ideology lapped up by those, especially young Westerners, who are losing trust in democracy. Dont be fooled: the protests defiling universities may be naive, amateurish and solipsistic, but they are the harbinger of far worse to come.

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Did Knox County see largest population hike in Tennessee? No, but it's high on the list

We all know Knox County's population is growing. It's going to have 80,000 more people in 2045 than it does right now.

But is it experiencing the most growth in the state?

Not quite. That title belongs to Rutherford County. But Knox County had the second-largest population increase in terms of total people added, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. And it passed the half-million mark.

Knox County's population increased by 5,289 people from 2022 to 2023, growing from 495,380 people to 500,669, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Rutherford County blew Knox County out of the water. It's smaller but still grew by 6,419 people from 2022 to 2023. Hamilton County was a close third, growing by 5,262 people in that timeframe.

What Tennessee counties experienced the most growth by people?

Rank County 2022 Population 2023 Population Change 1 Rutherford 360,682 367,101 6,419 2 Knox 495,380 500,669 5,289 3 Hamilton 374,602 379,864 5,262 4 Wilson 158,593 163,674 5,081 5 Davidson 707,351 712,334 4,983 6 Montgomery 234,899 239,872 4,973 7 Sumner 203,721 207,994 4,273 8 Williamson 260,738 264,460 3,722 9 Maury 107,996 110,760 2,764 10 Loudon 58,244 60,591 2,347

How will Knox County's population grow?

Knox County has been a popular place for people to move to in recent years.

Knox News has talked to many new residents about why they moved to the area. There are a variety of reasons, from job opportunities to general lifestyle changes to retirement. East Tennessee's natural beauty and vibrancy of the community were other common themes.

Knox County has had an annual growth rate of 1.16% since 2019, according to the Boyd Center.

It's impossible to predict exactly how many people will live in Knox County decades from now, but two key datasets from local organizations can give a good idea of how the growth will continue: the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization and the University of Tennessee Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research.

The Boyd Center has a slightly different projection for 2024's population than the Census, estimating a population of 493,617

Their projections for Knox County's population by 2045 are:

Boyd Center: 577,721

Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization: 570,352

The Boyd Center numbers extend out to 2070, when it projects the county will have 685,291 residents.

Nashville Tennessean Investigative reporter Kelly Puente contributed to this story.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly described Knox County's population growth. It saw the second-largest population increase by people from 2022 to 2023.

Silas Sloan is the growth and development reporter. Email silas.sloan@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter @silasloan. Instagram @knox.growth.

Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County among Tennessee counties with most population increase
Reps. Austin Theriault (left) and Mike Soboleski (right) are both vying for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in November. (Photos via Maine House Republicans)

After two debates this week, Republican candidates for Maines 2nd Congressional District have articulated their top priorities and shared their stances on key issues such as drug policy and border control.

Two members of the Maine House of Representatives are running for Congress with the hope of unseating the incumbent Jared Golden, a Democrat. Mike Soboleski and Austin Theriault will face off in a Republican primary on June 11.

A former professional racecar driver, Theriault drove home how his experience as a businessman would serve him well in Congress. He also described himself as a political outsider, which he also said of former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Theriaults campaign.

Soboleski said hes the candidate to beat Golden because a veteran going up against another veteran is the only way to make that happen. Soboleski and Golden both served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He also said he will fight to see legislation through to the end without playing the D.C. game.

Heres a closer look at four topics that dominated the debates.

Top priorities

Both candidates were asked in a televised debate Tuesday what their first priority would be if they got elected.

Theriault said his number issue is border control. While he largely spoke about the Southern border with Mexico, Theriault later in the debate said he believes the U.S. needs to be tougher with its northern border, too.

Soboleski said if he goes to Washington D.C., he wants to take action against Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical advisor to the president, for his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Giving a two-part answer, Soboleski also said he wants to put in legislation aimed at supporting veterans acclimating back to civilian life after they leave service.

Immigration and borders

At a debate held at the Maine GOP convention last weekend, both candidates said they would support the continued construction of a wall at the Southern border along Mexico.

Theriault talked about this multiple times in both debates, saying that  if both are elected  he will work with Trump, who is running again for president, to finish a wall on the Southern border because he said he believes it will stop fentanyl and organized crime from flowing into the country.

Drug policy

In response to the Drug Enforcement Administration announcing its plan to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, both candidates said they would be OK with it being legalized federally, as it is in Maine, so long as it is regulated.

However, Soboleski and Theriault were divided on a bill that went through the Maine Legislature last year seeking to prevent overdose deaths by studying the use of overdose prevention sites.

Theriault supported the bill because he said substance use disorder is a personal issue to him because people in his family have struggled with addiction. He said he believes people deserve second chances and should be able to access recovery resources, but those arent always available.

Soboleski said he voted against the proposal because he doesnt believe its the right way to help people stop using drugs.

Gun safety

After the Oct. 25 shooting in Lewiston, Golden said he changed his opinion and would be in favor of an assault weapons ban. Golden has yet to introduce legislation on the matter, but two gun safety reforms will soon take effect, including a 72-hour waiting period for certain firearm sales.

Both Soboleski and Theriault opposed the reforms and said they support an individuals Second Amendment rights and would not support any new gun safety measures if they were elected to Congress.

Soboleski said he doesnt think guns should be restricted in any way.

Theriault said Mainers respect their guns and that they are important for self-defense, especially in rural areas where police response can be slow. Instead, Theriault said he believes theres an issue with unaddressed mental health needs.

Foreign policy

Neither Theriault nor Soboleski said they supported the recent $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

Soboleski called the bill a bad move, saying it funds both sides of the conflict between Israel and Hamas and that too many people will die. The package included $26.38 billion for Israel, though $9.15 billion of that total is for humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

Theriault said he doesnt believe the U.S. should be sending money to Ukraine when borders here arent secure and American people arent taken care of. Soboleski also said he wouldnt support additional money for Ukraine and similarly made a point about the money being better used to help Americans, specifically veterans.

Both candidates also condemned the pro-Palestine protests on college campuses across the country claiming students are expressing antisemitism.

Missed the debates?

If you missed the debates, both are available to watch online. The televised one can be found on the WGME CBS 13 News Facebook page. The entire debate hosted at the Maine GOP Convention was published on Soboleskis campaign Facebook page.

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The post Heres where GOP candidates for Maines 2nd District stand on key election issues appeared first on Maine Morning Star.
Four years ago, as the state started climbing out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Phil Murphy sounded very much like an ardent supporter of smoke-free Atlantic City casinos.

I have said this unequivocally, he told News12 New Jersey. If legislation comes to my desk that would ban smoking in casinos, you should assume that I will sign it.

But the once-emphatic governor has since wobbled in his commitment, as the opening rounds of a new lawsuit have made abundantly clear in recent days.

The lame-duck governor, with nothing to lose and a chance to use his power and pulpit to stamp his legacy as a champion of public health, is playing it safe and joining forces with old-guard protectionist interests too frightened to take the plunge into the smoke-free future.

Trenton, NJ  February 27, 2024 -- Governor Phil Murphy's budget address for New Jersey's 2025 fiscal year.

Smokers remain critical to their business model and survival  even if toxic secondhand smoke drifting through the casino floor imperils the survival of dealers and other workers.

Murphy, the progressive who apparently sought to keep workers from having to ply their trade amid that daily, toxic plume of smoke, is now sympathetic to the casino executives' familiar, overstated fears of economic collapse if smoking is banned.

The governor has now signaled support for a compromise that would allow smoking to continue in some capacity.

First he says that he would sign a bill that gets to his desk. But he didn't say which bill," said state Sen. Joe Vitale, D-Middlesex, who has led a long-term Sisyphean battle to close a loophole that has allowed smoking to continue in the casinos since the state banned indoor smoking at public places in 2006.

Sen. Joe Vitale called for an overhaul of how the state-run veterans homes are managed.

He then qualifies it by saying, 'Well, but we should also consider the economic impact of the proposed law, right?' So you can't, in my view, you can't have it both ways," Vitale said in frustration. You gotta take a position.

Murphy's administration has taken a position, as was made clear Monday night with the attorney generals response to a workers' lawsuit seeking to close the loophole, which allows smoking on 25% of the casino gaming floors.

Who brought the new lawsuit to upend smoking in Atlantic City casinos?

The lawsuit, brought by Casino Employees Against Smokings Effects, or CEASE, a grassroots organization of some 3,000 casino workers and the United Auto Workers' Region 9, which represents 3,000 employees at three casinos, argues that the exemption violates equal protection and right-to-safety guarantees in the state constitution.

Jilted by a Legislature that seemed poised to end the special exemption from the smoking ban in January, only to watch the support melt away amid the casino industry pushback, the groups say they should be afforded the same health protections that any waiter or bartender or cook or maid can enjoy anywhere outside of Atlantic City. They named Murphy as a defendant in the suit.

More than 18 years, the state has acknowledged that smoking is a cause of disease and death and that it is not alleviated by non-smoking areas," the suit said. Yet, although it has banned smoking outdoors in parks and beaches, without explanation, the law exempts casino workers from its protections.

But Attorney General Matthew Platkin, obligated to defend the administration, argued that CEASE/UAW's constitutional claims are groundless. Platkin said the special provision for Atlantic City was largely consistent with the special status that the casino mecca has been granted since it was legalized by constitutional amendment in the 1970s.

Platkin also argued that to remove that protection would upend an ecosystem of jobs and industries that depend on the fragile casino industry. It was an echo, of sorts, of the casino industrys own warning that smokers would flock to nearby Pennsylvania casinos if they could no longer puff while gambling in Atlantic City, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

Granting such relief would disrupt the well-settled status quo; likely affect the businesses and livelihoods of third parties, including the casinos, their management, and the many casino workers who disagree with Plaintiffs position; and potentially bring about economic consequences that the Legislature sought to avoid when it enacted the Smoke-Free Air Act," Platkins reply brief said.

Yet disrupting the well-settled status quo is precisely the point. It is exactly why CEASE and the UAW went to court. They argue that the casino executives are like Rip Van Winkle, waking up 20 years later only to discover that the world has vastly changed. The industry that once had Donald Trump as its bombastic hero before his properties slid into bankruptcy is still waging the same fear-tactic complaints.

The landscape has changed  20 states now ban smoking in casinos, including New York and Delaware. The largest Philadelphia-area casino, Parx, continues to thrive after voluntarily going smoke-free several years ago. And a similar drive to ban smoking in Pennsylvania casinos is also underway.

Charlie Stile: Will this lawsuit finally put an end to cigarette smoke in Atlantic City casinos?

A compromise appears unlikely

For the time being, with the Legislature in gridlock and unlikely to muster a compromise  one that would allow for smoking in a cordoned-off room, staffed by volunteers  the powerful casino industry and its allies in labor are pulling out all the stops. They are also finding an ally in Murphy and his attorney general.

The fact that our elected officials are willing to dismiss a lawsuit aimed at protecting us from the dangers of smoking indoors speaks volumes about where their priorities lie  and it's certainly not with the hardworking individuals who keep these casinos running, Lamont White, co-founder of CEASE, said in a statement.

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin is shown during a press conference in Newark after Imam Hassan Sharif was killed, Wednesday, January 3, 2024. Platkin said he does not believe it is an act of domestic terrorism.

Its worth noting that it was nearly a month ago that Platkin stunned the political establishment  or upended the status quo  by refusing to defend the laws propping up the county line ballot design that were eventually struck down in federal court. That move infuriated Murphy and his wife, first lady Tammy Murphy, who were counting on the old-school ballot format to carry her to victory in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary.

Platkin argued that those laws were indefensible and unconstitutional. Some had hoped he would assert his independence and make a similar argument against the smoking exemption. Not this time. Instead, he provided a vigorous defense of the exemption. And in doing so, he preserved  for the moment, at least  a status quo that is doing its best to remain intact.

For now, Vitale intends to soldier on amid this latest challenge from an administration that once seemed to be favoring change.

The state has played a major role in regulating Atlantic City, and there's nothing special about  giving them [casinos] dispensation to poison the employees and the patrons," Vitale said.

Charlie Stile is a veteran New Jersey political columnist. For unlimited access to his unique insights into New Jerseys political power structure and his powerful watchdog work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: stile@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Where is Phil Murphy on the Atlantic City casino smoking ban?: Stile
Peaceful protest encampments at colleges and universities across the country protesting the institutions relationships with the Israeli government and weapons manufacturers have come under brutal attack, with police playing a heavy part.

At UCLA, counterprotesters attacked the student-led encampment Tuesday night by tearing down barricades and plywood surrounding it. They shouted, Second Nakba! referring to the mass displacement and attacks on Palestinians when Israel was founded in 1948, as well as insults and slurs.

Pro-Israel counterprotestors started tearing down @UCLA encampment barriers and screamed "Second nakba!" referring to the mass displacement & dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Per @latimes @safinazzal on the scene with another video: pic.twitter.com/zSplnd1bYO  Teresa Watanabe (@TeresaWatanabe) May 1, 2024

According to the Los Angeles Times, the counterprotesters wore black clothing and black masks, and threw pieces of wood and even fireworks at the encampment. Local TV station Fox 11s account had a similar description, adding that counterprotesters initially used pepper spray, until some members of the encampment began spraying it back.

Where were police and security when this was happening? According to The Guardian, their response was lacking. Police in riot gear initially formed a line near the camp but didnt immediately move to separate protesters and counterprotesters. The campus newspaper, The Daily Bruin, said that four of its reporters were followed and also assaulted.



At Columbia University in New York, police were directly involved, moving to clear out an academic building that protesters had taken over. NYPD officers showed up on campus with an armored vehicle, using a ladder to enter the building, and made more than 300 arrests.

As the arrested students were led away with their hands in zip ties, supporters cheered for them and chanted, Let them go.

Police cracked down on protests across the city, including violently breaking up protests at City University of New York, a move that a Guardian reporter called excessive.

Screenshot of a tweet

The scenes from other universities across the country were just as shocking. Police moved to break up an encampment at Tulane University in New Orleans with guns drawn, arresting 14 people.

At the University of Arizona at Tucson, police used nonlethal chemicals to disperse protesters.



CHAOS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA AS POLICE AND PROTESTERS CLASH pic.twitter.com/mWxPuFKU0g  Ellie Wolfe (@elliew0lfe) May 1, 2024

The excessive use of force on nonviolent protesters could all have been avoided. At Northwestern University in Illinois, university officials negotiated a deal with students to increase transparency on investments and fund Palestinian professors and students. At Wesleyan University in Connecticut, President Michael Roth issued a measured statement that refrained from attacking a student protest encampment.

The protest has been non-violent and has not disrupted normal campus operations. As long as it continues in this way, the University will not attempt to clear the encampment, Roth said.

Overall, the national media could do a far better job of articulating what students are pushing for: an end to Americas unconditional support for a brutal allys war, and for their universities to end their complicity with that ally. Congress should recognize the brutal assault on academic freedom and free speech, instead of condemning the protesters.

Most of all, American leaders should end their support for a genocide by ending arms sales to Israel. But none of that is happening right now, and until it does, protests will continue in one form or another no matter how violently the police respond.
Anyone looking closely at the Rwanda plan will quickly realise one thing. Its not simply about preventing migrants arriving in this country, tearing up their documentation, indistinctly mouthing the word asylum, and presenting the Home Secretary in many cases with a fait accompli. The final passing of the Safety of Rwanda Act last week was also, and perhaps more importantly, a matter of psychology.

This applies in two ways. First, the thinking is that however many people we actually send to Kigali, the prospect of being whipped smartly away to await a decision elsewhere will weigh with many would-be irregular migrants thinking of the UK as a destination. Second, it is an attack on the idea that even those living in safe countries could have an automatic right to arrive without permission in a nations many thousands of miles away and then insist on staying there until they have been refused asylum and their lawyers have exhausted all legal remedies. The aim is to make the opposite  that a country should have the right to take decisions in a different way  something sayable.

Interestingly, Rishi may be some way towards achieving both these objectives.

As regards the first, which may have been having some effect anyway, the great and the good in Ireland  ironically in large measure because of borderline hostility towards what they see as the bully across the water  have given it a big boost. Six weeks ago, the Irish High Court barred the Irish government from returning two would-be migrants to Britain precisely because they might face onward travel to Rwanda.

And a few days ago Simon Harris, the new Taoiseach, unwittingly supplemented the psychological effect by complaining of a stream of irregular migrants crossing the open border and bedding down in Dublin precisely in order to avoid a possible deportation to Kigali, with Britain refusing to take them back. The irony is tangible. Ireland, having supported the EU in its reluctance to take back Channel migrants from Britain now the Dublin Regulation is gone, finds itself in a similar bind. Even more ironically, the country used to posturing on the progressive moral high ground it is now reportedly considering rushing through a mirror image of the Safety of Rwanda Act, stating that Britain is a safe country. We await with interest the comments of the UK liberal establishment.

On the second point, Rishi has also scored rather better than one might expect. The House of Lords, after many members excoriated the Safety of Rwanda Bill as beyond the pale, has backed down. The Bill, approved by a majority of elected representatives, is now law.

It has of course been attacked. UN grandees Volker Turk and Filippo Grandi quickly said it set a dangerous precedent in retreating from the UKs proud history of effective, independent judicial scrutiny (perhaps connected to its cutting back the scope for creative lawfare). And the Council of Europes Commissioner for Human Rights Michael OFlaherty, in previous life an Irish academic human rights activist and Eurocrat, talked of an ongoing trend towards externalisation of asylum and migration policy in Europe, which is a matter of concern for the global system of protection of the rights of refugees.

In both speeches, however, there is an element of resignation, and a realisation that the old consensus on refugees dating from the 1951 Refugee Convention may now be beginning to look like a dead duck. In cementing the idea that refugee policy is now a matter of legitimate discourse, Rishi has done the UK, and one suspects the world, a favour.

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Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) stock surged 10% to its all-time high on April 26 after the tech giant posted its first quarter earnings report. Its revenue rose 15% year over year to $80.54 billion, exceeding analysts' estimates by $1.84 billion, while its earnings-per-share (EPS) rose 62% to $1.89 and cleared the consensus forecast by $0.39.

Alphabet also approved a new $70 billion buyback plan, which is equivalent to about 3% of its market capitalization, and initiated its first-ever quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, which translates to a forward yield of 0.5%. Those announcements dazzled the bulls, but will Alphabet's stock rally to fresh highs over the next 12 months?

Image source: Google.

Its core businesses are accelerating again

During the first quarter, Alphabet generated 77% of its revenue from Google's advertising business, which includes its search engine, advertising network, and YouTube. Google's subscriptions, platforms, and devices segment (including YouTube Premium, YouTube Music, Google One, Google Play, and its hardware devices) accounted for 11% of its revenue, while 12% came from Google Cloud. Here's how those three core businesses fared over the past year.

Metric Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023 Q1 2024 Google Advertising Revenue Growth (YOY) 0% 3% 9% 11% 13% Google Subscriptions, Platforms, and Devices Revenue Growth (YOY) 9% 24% 21% 23% 18% Google Cloud Revenue Growth (YOY) 28% 28% 22% 26% 28% Total Revenue Growth (YOY) 3% 7% 11% 13% 15%

Data source: Alphabet. YOY = Year-over-year.

Google's advertising business suffered a slowdown in 2022 as the macro headwinds drove many companies to rein in their marketing spending. However, the segment's growth accelerated again over the past year as the growth of YouTube and its search-based ads offset its declining advertising network revenues. The pending ban on TikTok in the U.S., which might take effect next January, could also drive even more users to YouTube.

Google's subscriptions, platforms, and devices segment continued to grow as it locked more paid subscribers into its services. In the first quarter, YouTube Premium and Music's subscribers hit 100 million global subscribers, YouTube TV reached 8 million subscribers, and Google One exceeded 100 million subscribers. That expansion should gradually reduce its long-term dependence on macro-sensitive ads.

Google Cloud's growth accelerated again as it upgraded its AI tools and rolled out over 1,000 new products and features over the past eight months. That acceleration countered the bearish notion that it was falling behind its two larger competitors, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, in the cloud and AI race.

Story continues

Analysts expect Alphabet's revenue to rise 13% in 2024 and 11% in 2025, compared to its 9% growth in 2023 and 10% growth in 2022. Those stable estimates suggest its advertising, subscription, and cloud ecosystems will continue to expand.

Its margins are expanding again

Alphabet's operating margin rose by a percentage point to 27% in 2023 as it aggressively cut costs to counter its slowing ad sales. But in the first quarter of 2024, that figure expanded seven percentage points year over year to 32% as its advertising business recovered, it expanded its higher-margin subscriptions, and Google Cloud's operating margin more than tripled.

As a result, Alphabet's trailing 12 month free cash flow (FCF) increased 11% year over year to $69.1 billion -- and it plans to return a lot of that cash to its investors through its new buyback plan and dividend payments. Analysts expect Alphabet's operating margin to expand year over year to 31% in 2024 and grow by less than a percentage point in 2025. They expect its EPS to rise 30% this year and increase 11% in 2025.

Based on those estimates and its current price of $172, Alphabet's stock still seems reasonably valued at 23 times this year's earnings. Meta Platforms, which is growing at comparable rate, also trades at 23 times forward earnings.

Where will Alphabet's stock be in a year?

Alphabet faces stiff competition in the advertising, cloud, and AI markets. But its strong first quarter report suggests it can continue growing, while its shareholder-friendly buybacks and dividends should limit its downside potential.

Assuming Alphabet stays on track to match analysts' earnings estimates and still trades at 23 times forward earnings next April, its stock could rise to about $193 over the next 12 months. That would only represent a 12% gain from its current price, but it could climb even higher over the following years as its business expands and evolves.

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The Biden administration is considering admitting certain Palestinians to the U.S. as refugees, a report by CBS News found.

Senior officials in several U.S. agencies have discussed the idea of resettling Palestinians from Gaza who have immediate family members who are American citizens. One of the ideas proposed would be to use the United States Refugee Admissions Program to allow Palestinians who have U.S. ties and have escaped Gaza and are now in Egypt to enter the country as refugees, CBS News reported.

The administration did not confirm nor deny that the proposal was in the works but said in a statement to The Hill that the White House has helped more than 1,800 American citizens and their families leave Gaza since the war began.

According to the CBS reports, top officials have discussed the possibility of helping additional Palestinians with U.S.-based families leave Gaza if they can work in coordination with Egypt. They would have to pass eligibility tests, including medical and security screenings, to be able to fly to the U.S. on refugee status.

At President Bidens direction, we have also helped, and will continue to help, some particularly vulnerable individuals, such as children with serious health problems and children who were receiving treatment for cancer, get out of harms way and receive care at nearby hospitals in the region, the White House said in its statement.

The idea would offer a relatively small number of people the opportunity to leave Gaza, but it marks a shift for the U.S.s long-standing refugee program. Since its inception in 1980, the program has not resettled Palestinians in the U.S. in large numbers. Of the more than 400,000 refugees resettled by the U.S. in the last 10 years, fewer than 600 were Palestinian, CBS reported.

The White House said the U.S. continues to be the largest contributor of humanitarian aid to Gaza to address the dire conditions, where more than 34,000 people have died since the war began in October and famine is widespread. The Biden administration said officials are pressing hard to get more aid to civilians as soon as possible.

We have also been clear and consistent: the United States categorically rejects any actions leading to the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank or the redrawing of the borders of Gaza, the statement said. The best path forward is to achieve a sustainable cease-fire through a hostage deal that will stabilize the situation and pave the way to a two-state solution.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer listens during a roundtable discussion in Flint, Michigan on reproductive health care on May 1, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

Ahead of former President Donald Trump continuing his battle to win Michigan by campaigning Wednesday in Saginaw County, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer offered her criticism of Trumps role in overturning Roe v. Wade.

Whitmer joined doctors, students and other women Wednesday in a roundtable discussion organized by President Joe Bidens reelection campaign in Flint to talk about the consequences of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in summer 2022. Whitmer has been the campaigns top surrogate on abortion rights.

I appreciate you being here. You shouldnt have to always have these hard conversations.  Right now, we know Its more important than ever. Were seeing a six-week ban go into place in Florida today. Were seeing a presidential candidate who has said he would leave the door open to a national abortion ban, Whitmer said. This is still very much a precarious moment, that our rights could be rolled back, not just the right to access abortion when we need it, but the right to access contraception, the right to create a family through IVF.

Trump has not said hes sign a national abortion abortion ban, but Democrats have stressed its important to look at his track record on abortion.

As president, Trump secured a right-wing supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court, having the opportunity to appoint three justices: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. All three voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, a decision Trump recently called an achievement.

Many people have asked me what my position is on abortion and abortion rights, especially since I was proudly the person responsible for the ending of something that all legal scholars, both sides, wanted and, in fact, demanded be ended: Roe v. Wade. They wanted it ended, Trump said in a video statement on April 8.

With the federal right to an abortion gone, Trump added in his April 8 statements that abortion ought to be left up to state governments.

Many states will be different. Many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than others, and thats what they will be, Trump said in April. At the end of the day this is all about the will of the people. You must follow your heart, or in many cases your religion or your faith. Do whats right for your family and do whats right for yourself, do whats for your children, do whats right for our country, and vote. So important to vote.

But Whitmer said after the roundtable that no one should buy what Trump is saying, adding he gladly takes credit for doctors not being permitted to provide health care to women and he takes credit for all the lives lost because of it.

We cannot make any assumption where he really is. He will do whatever is in his own best interest, which is what hes shown us over and over again, whether its sending a mob to the United States Capitol [on Jan. 6, 2021] or appointing people to the Supreme Court that are going to rip these rights away. Trump did this. Thats why we are in this mess in the first place, Whitmer said.

Yesterday Time magazine released an interview with Trump in which he was asked: Do you think women should be able to get the abortion pill mifepristone?  the pill used in the majority of abortions nationwide.

Trump responded, I have an opinion on that, but Im not going to explain. Im not gonna say it yet. But I have pretty strong views on that. And Ill be releasing it probably over the next week.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during a roundtable discussion in Flint, Michigan on reproductive health care on May 1, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (left) and Jessica Romanosky (right) participate in a roundtable discussion in Flint, Michigan on reproductive health care on May 1, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

In the same Time interview, Trump was asked several times if federal legislation to ban abortion came across his desk if he would sign it, but his answers came down to saying that because there arent currently the votes for such a measure federally, its a non-starter.

I wont have to commit to it because itll never  number one, itll never happen. Number two, its about states rights. You dont want to go back into the federal government, Trump said.

Whitmer contends that just as Trump delivered the final blow to Roe v. Wade, he would deliver a federal ban on abortion if he wins in November. She said during the roundtable that its important to look at what presidential candidates have done to either support or harm abortion access.

He wont give you a straight answer. In every interview he says something a little bit different. His position has evolved 15 times in 15 months, Whitmer said. You cannot trust anything that Donald Trump says when it comes to a womans ability to make her own decisions about her body.

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Whooping cough outbreak in North Idaho: With low vaccination rates, what can we do? | Opinion

Kootenai County in North Idaho is experiencing an outbreak of whooping cough, with 19 cases in just the first four months of the year (compared with nine cases in all of 2021-23).

We shouldnt be surprised.

Idaho has the lowest vaccination rates across the board in the country, according to the most recent numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Idahos vaccination rate for five doses of DTaP, which is for the prevention of diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (or pertussis) was just 81%, the lowest rate in the nation.

The national median rate is 92.2%, according to the CDC, based on numbers from the 2022-23 school year, the latest year available.

Idaho also has the lowest vaccination rate for:

mumps, measles and rubella: 81.3%

polio: 81.8%

chickenpox: 80.7%

Idaho has some of the most lenient exemption allowances in the country, leading to the highest exemption rate in the nation, at 12.1%. Idaho is one of only 10 states in the country with an exemption rate of higher than 5%.

Idaho law allows parents to exempt their children from getting a vaccine for just about any reason, not only medical or religious beliefs, but also simply for personal beliefs.

That lax exemption policy has led some people to move to Idaho, as documented in an Idaho Statesman story in 2020 about vaccine refugees from California.

Come to Idaho for the vaccine laws; stay for the diseases.

The CDC reported that Idahos exemption rate increased 2.3 percentage points from the 2021-22 school year.

Were going in the wrong direction.

The majority of the cases in Kootenai County are among those 18 years and younger, according to the Panhandle Health District, which covers five counties in North Idaho.

Pertussis can cause serious illness in people of all ages but is most dangerous for babies, according to a press release from the district.

About one in eight infants with pertussis get pneumonia. About one in 100 infected infants will have convulsions, and in rare cases, pertussis can be deadly, especially in infants younger than 1.

Many infants are infected by older siblings, parents or other caregivers who might not know they have pertussis because early symptoms are similar to a cold, according to the health district.

Vaccine disinformation

Dr. David Pate, retired CEO of St. Lukes, said hes concerned about Idahos declining immunization rates, particularly in light of recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like whooping cough and measles.

Im concerned about low vaccination rates, both here in Idaho, in our country and even many places around the world, he said in a phone interview. The anti-vaccine movement has made really a lot of progress, regrettably.

He places the blame on doctors and others who have spread misinformation about vaccines, casting doubt on the safety and efficacy of vaccines, especially in the wake of unwarranted attacks on the COVID-19 vaccines.

Those professionals have created a class of vaccine-hesitant, who may not be so virulently anti-vaccine but stay away from vaccines because of the doubts sown about them.

For Gods sake, if theres things that we can do to prevent our children from dying or getting severely ill, why wouldnt we do that? Pate said. And the reason is that we have people out there who would financially benefit from spreading nonsense about vaccines and scaring people.

Part of the battle is that many people today have never seen a case of mumps, measles, rubella, diphtheria, whooping cough or polio and dont know how serious and dangerous these conditions can be.

Return of diseases

Pate warns against the dangers of the growing anti-science sentiment, emphasizing the historical importance of vaccines in preventing deadly childhood illnesses.

He cited the recent case of an unvaccinated young man in New York who was left paralyzed after contracting polio from an unvaccinated international traveler, the first known U.S. case of polio in nearly a decade and the first in New York since 1990.

Pate underscores the necessity of vaccines in maintaining herd immunity to protect vulnerable populations, such as infants, the elderly and people who are immunocompromised.

Pate said no medical intervention is without risk, but those risks need to be weighed against the risks of the diseases they prevent.

He used an example of experiencing a medical emergency in your home and needing to be rushed to the hospital. Yes, theres a risk that you could get in a car crash on the way to the hospital, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt use a car to get to the hospital for help.

Chemotherapy and surgery have risks and side effects, but you should still often take those measures to prevent dying from cancer.

All that said, Pate said he advocates for a more compassionate approach to vaccine hesitancy, recognizing that many individuals have been misled by misinformation.

He told me a story, which he relayed on a recent episode of Idaho Matters on Boise State Public Radio, about being approached by a woman who was anti-vaccine, raised by anti-vaccine parents and was raising her kids without vaccines. She told him she had been listening to Pate on the radio for the past four years and, because he was providing factual information without judgment, decided to get her and her family vaccinated.

Now, we just have to do that a few thousand more times.

Pate suggests strategies such as community outreach campaigns and personal testimonies from parents who regret not vaccinating their children as effective ways to combat vaccine hesitancy and protect public health.

Sound the alarm

Ive been thinking about the Sound the Alarm campaign, in which the American Red Cross works with local fire departments to distribute free smoke alarms, targeting neighborhoods that have a higher rate of home fires or are more vulnerable.

Ive worked in other places where the fire department and Red Cross blanket a neighborhood shortly after a house fire in that neighborhood, recognizing that if there was a faulty smoke detector or none at all, the situation likely would be similar at neighboring houses. Where theres smoke, theres fire, so to speak.

The Sound the Alarm program has installed 2.5 million free smoke alarms in 1 million homes since October 2014, saving an estimated 2,000 lives.

Why not do the same thing for outbreaks, targeting affected counties, even school districts or Census tracts with education campaigns and vaccine clinics where people live.

Katherine Hoyer, communications manager for the Panhandle Health District, said that as soon as the district received reports of the first several cases in this most recent whooping cough outbreak, district officials alerted health care partners to be aware of the potential for more cases with a reminder that vaccination is the best defense against severe disease. They also contacted local schools and child care centers to provide guidance and resources.

Its a good start, but we should do more to ensure these small outbreaks dont become epidemics.

The more ways that we can get these messages out the better, Pate said. Its the people that are spreading the disinformation that we need to get mad at and hold them accountable, not the people that have been tricked.
Why Africa is facing an uphill battle to make its own vaccines

Scientists at the Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines facility in Cape Town, South Africa - Jerome Delay/AP

It was a shocking symbol of the Wests failure to honour its promises.

As governments vaccinated their people against Covid-19, the world was divided into rich and protected, and the poor and vulnerable. Africa, dependent on vaccines produced abroad, was left behind  despite the Wests pledge of equitable vaccine distribution.

But one positive seemed to come from the chaos: Africa and the West came to the realisation that something had to change, and it had to be fast. The continent was in dire need of its own production capabilities.

As the pandemic raged, in March 2022, Moderna, the biotech spearheading a revolution in mRNA vaccine technology, announced it would build a $500 million manufacturing plant in Kenya. It would produce half a billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccine annually, it said.

This is major, said Kenyan President William Ruto at the time.

But earlier this month Moderna revealed it had paused its plans, throwing its commitment to Africa into doubt.

Moderna is abandoning a commitment to build highly needed and relevant vaccine manufacturing capabilities in Africa, said the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Africa currently imports 99 per cent of all vaccines it uses - Simon Townsley

The decision is symbolic of the uphill struggle vaccine producers and international players face in breaking ground in the continent, which currently imports 99 per cent of all vaccines it uses.

With epidemics and pandemics, there is a cycle of enthusiasm, and less enthusiasm or neglect, said Dr Charlie Weller, Head of Prevention, Infectious Disease at Wellcome. But how do we enable the long term sustainability of these manufacturing organisations?

Moderna said earlier this month that not one African country had ordered its Covid-19 vaccine since 2022, leaving the company with $1 billion in losses and write-offs.

It simply wasnt affordable for the plans for a new plant to go ahead  something experts have described as a reality check for others.

German biotechnology company BioNTech also promised to build African mRNA vaccine plants in 2021. But while the project is continuing, it is still some time away from production.

Many other projects are underway in Africa, including a $1 billion investment by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organisations mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub, which is working to build capacity in low- and middle-income countries to produce mRNA vaccines.

It has become difficult for local African manufacturers to establish themselves in the vaccine market - Simon Townsley

The African Union (AU) has meanwhile set a target for the African vaccine manufacturing industry to supply over 60 per cent of the total vaccine doses required on the continent by 2040.

But with many vaccines already produced cheaply and on a mass scale in countries like India, the pharmacy to the world, it is difficult for local African manufacturers to establish themselves in the market.

Earlier this month the South African government ordered vaccinations from India, despite hosting its own mRNA hub, highlighting the tensions between price pressures and local production.

South African officials said that the decision to give a three-year contract to Indian generic company Cipla instead of approaching Cape Towns Biovac would save the health department so much money that it could introduce two new childhood vaccines.

Cipla has its vaccinations made by the Serum Institute of India  a well-oiled vaccine conglomerate famed for producing low cost doses for the global south.

A vaccine queue come the next pandemic

Professor Petro Terblanche, the Managing Director of Cape Town-based Afrigen Biologics, where the WHOs mRNA Hub is based, told the Telegraph that the move highlights the need to support and nurture local production.

South Africa has a point scoring system and does make provision for local procurement. But the latter is not the only criteria  affordability is also important in tight budget situations.

Professor Robin Shattock, the Head of Mucosal Infection and Immunity within the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, said that affordability is the main hurdle.

It makes no sense to build capacity if there is no need or return on investment  African made vaccines will only grow if African countries are prepared to pay some sort of premium for an African made product.

Professor Shattock believes that there is a moral duty to ensure that vaccines are affordable, rather than where they are made. However, he adds, the reality is that Africa will remain vulnerable until this issue is solved.

We are left with key tensions. Ensuring the lowest costs for life-saving vaccines doesnt equate to making them in Africa  [but] if African made vaccines are to be ensured, increased costs will need to be supported. However, without African capacity, then countries may again find themselves in a queue come the next pandemic.

Biotechnology analysts believe that mRNA will eventually become the superior vaccine technology - Simon Townsley

A lot of the focus on making domestic products has been on using new technology, like mRNA, which works by delivering genetic coding to the body that trains the immune system to spot and destroy a certain pathogenic threat.

mRNA vaccines have the potential to be more rapidly tailored to different diseases, or different variants of a disease, meaning responses to outbreaks can be more effective than more traditional vaccination platforms.

Biotechnology analysts believe that mRNA will become the superior vaccine technology within the next 15 years, with the potential to fight back against HIV, rabies, seasonal influenza, Chikungunya, and other pathogens.

Africa bears a disproportionate burden of many of these diseases, accounting for a substantial number of global cases, which have profoundly impacted mortality and morbidity.

Durban-based Tulio de Oliveira, director of the Centre for Epidemic Response & Innovation, said mRNA is vital to hitting the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations aim of a 100-day response to the next pandemic.

But he said that almost as every month there has been a decrease in interest in mRNA production.

It seems that there is a decrease of interest because of economic viability, which is quite strange, because they [pharmaceuticals producers] seem to have made billions in the pandemic.

Scientific brain drain

The mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa has trained scientists from 15 countries, including six in Africa, to produce mRNA vaccines themselves.

Afrigen developed an mRNA Covid-19 vaccination within a year of the hubs launch, but with the market for Covid vaccinations stalling it has been forced to look elsewhere.

The company is now working to develop mRNA vaccines for tuberculosis and HIV, but researchers say it could take decades for such new vaccines to come to market  making the economics of the hub uncertain.

We cant forget they are businesses, and they need to look at economic viability, said Dr Weller.

Some say the odds are stacked against Africa when it comes to mRNA production.

The hubs partners in Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal face even steeper challenges than South Africa, because their pharmaceutical sectors are in their infancy, and because they have a limited scientific workforce and difficulties importing reagents and equipment.

Many of those sufficiently qualified seek employment opportunities abroad, which are more reliable and pay a higher fee.

Africa and multiple countries from around the world and the global South suffer from a big brain drain, said Dr de Oliveira.

The more that we train, the more people leave  Those individuals then become commodities, where they can essentially work anywhere in the world.

Few African companies have the tools to produce antigens  a core ingredient for vaccine - Simon Townsley

Recent analysis by Africa CDC and its partners found that very few African companies have the tools to produce antigens, which are the core ingredient for any vaccine as they trigger the immune response.

The challenges we faced have been a lack of skills and experience, long lead times on equipment and raw material supplies, no access to existing procedures and analytics to fast-track development, said Professor Terblanche, of Afrigen Biologics.

In order for this to change, there needs to be far more technology transfer, as well as economic commitments from African countries, a strengthened workforce and better ability to evaluate and approve vaccinations.

Its like cooking a recipe, and each time that kind of Victoria sponge comes out differently. Making sure that each time that Victoria sponge  that vaccine  comes out exactly the same is very complicated, said Dr Weller.

However, experts say that hope could be on the horizon.

They pointed towards a major initiative announced by Gavi, which currently purchases about half the vaccine doses used in Africa, in December of last year.

The new $1 billion commitment is for the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, which is a plan to speed up the production of doses to protect against 11 diseases.

The hefty sum will be split up between local companies in a scheme that will reward them if their products manage to pass the WHOs stringent quality standards.

Extra bonuses will be given to those who sell to Gavi or other major vaccine purchasers elsewhere in the world.

It aims to help at least four African vaccine producers to produce 800 million doses within the next decade.

Dr de Oliveira said the scheme is a dream for many working to ensure Africa is no longer reliant on the world to save it from the burden of infectious diseases.

It would be fantastic if it worked, but a lot of times that pledge is quite different from whats happened.

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Trumps trying to dismantle the Blue Wall again. That would be disaster for Biden.

Joe Bidens path to reelection has become increasingly clear: Its the Rust Belt or bust.

The alternative route to the White House he appeared to break open in 2020  winning Arizona and Georgia on the strength of changing Sun Belt demographics  would be far more challenging this time.

While polls broadly show Biden continuing to fall behind former President Donald Trump in swing states across the country, they consistently show the older, whiter states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as the most competitive for Biden. Trump has larger leads in the Sun Belt states, in large part owing to Bidens loss of support with younger voters and voters of color.

On Wednesday, Trump is spending his valuable day out of a courtroom visiting Michigan and Wisconsin. Its another reminder that  even with the same two men as the major-party nominees  2024 will be a very different election from 2020.



Trump won the three Rust Belt swing states in 2016, toppling what was once known as The Blue Wall. Wednesdays visit comes as hes trying to do so again  and Biden is forced to play defense, following the well-trodden path through the middle of the country instead of expanding the electoral map.

Trump holds leads over Biden of between 3 and 6 points in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, according to FiveThirtyEights polling averages. The Rust Belt states appear more competitive: Trump leads by 1.2 points in Michigan, 1.8 points in Pennsylvania and 2.6 points in Wisconsin.



Biden can win without the four southern and western states  as long as he holds all three Blue Wall states and captures at least four electoral votes from Maine and Nebraska, the two states that currently award some of their electoral votes according to the winners of each congressional district. But if Trump flips any one of the Blue Wall states in that scenario, hed be the next president.

Biden isnt yet writing off the Sun Belt. His campaign continues to advertise in the same core, seven states its targeted for months: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But theres a clear divide between the Blue Wall states, where the polling is close, and the Sun Belt states, where it isnt. And while each state has its own political dynamics, some of that divide is based on the composition of the electorate; Biden is being weighed down by his poor poll numbers with young voters and voters of color.

FiveThirtyEights database includes 19 polls so far this year in Arizona, 16 in Georgia, 12 in Nevada and 21 in North Carolina. Trump led Biden in every single one of those surveys. All four states rank in the bottom half of the nation by median age  and of the four, only North Carolina has a larger white population than the nation as a whole. (It also has a greater Black population share than the country overall.)

The three Blue Wall states are significantly older and whiter, and Biden hasnt faded there as he has in the Sun Belt. He has occasionally led or tied Trump in polling this year in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin  whether in head-to-head matchups or when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other third-party candidates are added.

Of course, relying on public polling to chart out each candidates clearest path to an Electoral College majority is not without risk. And the Blue Wall states, where Biden is closest, are also the same places where the polls were the least accurate in 2020, showing the Democrat in a more commanding position than the ultimate results. Biden won Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by just 1 point, and carried Michigan by 3  despite leading by wider margins in preelection polling.

And abortion, which is roiling the state government in Phoenix, could help the presidents chances in Arizona, even as polls unanimously show Trump leading there.



Still, the signs of Sun Belt shifts and Bidens durability in the Rust Belt are consistent with the national polling showing Trump making inroads with traditionally Democratic groups. The most recent New York Times/Siena College poll showed Biden with smaller leads than 2020 among voters under 45 (3 points), Black voters (60 points) and Hispanic voters (13 points)  important voting blocs in the southern and western battlegrounds.

Meanwhile, Biden is running stronger among demographics generally overrepresented in the Blue Wall states. Biden led by 9 points among seniors, a massive shift from 2020, and trailed Trump by 12 points among white voters, roughly identical to the 2020 result.

If Biden wins all of the three Blue Wall states, it would virtually assure his reelection, as long as either Nebraska maintains its proportional allocation method and again awards him one electoral vote or Maine counters Nebraska going to a winner-take-all method with a corresponding move. He wouldnt need any of the competitive Sun Belt states  even Nevada, which Democrats have carried in every presidential election since 2008 but where Biden currently trails.

But if he loses all four competitive Sun Belt states, Biden cant afford to drop any of the Blue Wall states. And given the size of Michigan (15 electoral votes) and Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes), its difficult for Biden to cobble together any Electoral College majority without them, even if he manages to hold Arizona or Nevada.
Why some college students are protesting in Minnesota

Tent encampments on college campuses have become a common sight as pro-Palestinian college protests have been breaking out in the Twin Cities and around the country.

As of Wednesday morning, there were protest encampments at the University of Minnesota and Hamline University. Here's what else to know about the recent wave of student-led protests.

College students are demonstrating around the country and in Minnesota in support of the Palestinians caught in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Many students have called on their universities to divest from or cease all financial ties with Israel or Israel-linked companies.

Students at the U have also asked for a ban of specific companies including Lockheed Martin and Honeywell from campus activities, a boycott on Israeli universities and for amnesty for students and other university employees engaging in pro-Palestinian activities.

U Interim President Jeff Ettinger met with student leaders who have organized protests Wednesday morning. The meeting, originally scheduled for a half-hour, ran for nearly two.

Buildings along Northrop Mall at the U closed Monday and will remain closed through at least Wednesday. That includes Coffman Union, the Weisman Art Museum, Hasselmo Hall, Ford Hall, Vincent Murphy Hall, Tate Lab, Morrill Hall, Northrop auditorium, Johnston Hall, the Walter Library, Smith Hall and Kolthoff Hall.

Protests around the country and especially at New York colleges have grown tense, with hundreds arrested in recent days at Columbia University and City College of New York. Last week, some universities encouraged Jewish students to celebrate Passover elsewhere.

Northwestern University leadership and student protesters reached an agreement late Monday that curbed campus disruptions in exchange for a new advisory committee on university investments.

Dozens were arrested at Columbia Tuesday night as NYPD cleared a building the university said was "vandalized and blockaded" during a 20-hour takeover, the New York Times reported.

Minnesota college protests have for the most part stayed calm. Last week, nine were arrested for trespassing at the U.

Divestment is the opposite of investment. Students are calling for their universities to cease any investment from Israel-linked companies.

The corporate board at Brown University agreed to hold a vote on divestment, and in response students agreed to cease demonstrations.

Protesters who are arrested should seek to de-escalate the situation. Stay calm. Don't resist, obstruct officers or lie. Bystanders and onlookers who happen upon a demonstration should be aware that the mood of protests can often shift quickly.
Students protesting Israels war in Gaza have occupied Columbia Universitys Hamilton Hall, an academic building that is home to the school's undergraduate Columbia College and the Deans office.

After moving through the building, student protesters unfurled a banner over Hamilton Hall's fascade. The banner read "Hinds Hall.

The unofficial renaming pays tribute to Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl Palestinian girl who  along with her family and the EMTs who tried to save her  was killed by Israeli tanks.

The little girl had phoned emergency services and, over a period of more than three hours, begged for help after her family were killed around her in the car they were using to try to escape the war zone. Paramedics did arrive  but days later their ambulance was found destroyed near Hinds familys car. Two emergency workers were found dead.

Hinds death has become a symbol of the human cost of the Israel-Hamas war.

As Columbia students continue to demonstrate despite threats of suspension and expulsion from the university, Hind's name adorning the building serves as a reminder of the point behind the protest.

The killing of Hind Rajab

Hind was with family members  her aunt, uncle, and her three cousins  racing in their family car to outrun Israeli tanks and escape the city in late January.

Israeli tanks are believed to have fired at the car, killing all of Hind's relatives, but leaving her alive. She called out to emergency services for help from a cellphone, but her call ended abruptly, according to the BBC.

Hind Rajabs heartbreaking story drew global attention to the plight of Palestinian civilians (via REUTERS)

Nearly two weeks later, her relatives found the bodies of Hind, her family, and a pair of Palestine Red Crescent Society EMTs among the rubble and wreckage near the spot where they were killed.

The family's black Kia was blown apart and riddled with bullet holes.

Hind's body was inside, and, according to the Red Crescent, she appeared to have been killed by gunfire and shelling.

The PRCS has accused Israel of intentionally destroying the ambulance and killing its paramedics.

"The [Israeli] occupation deliberately targeted the Red Crescent crew despite obtaining prior coordination to allow the ambulance to arrive at the scene to rescue the child Hind," the organisation said in a statement.

Student protesters at Columbia renamed Hamilton Hall in Hinds memory after staging an occupation of the building

The group told the BBC that it had previously coordinated with the Israeli army to obtain assurances that they could safely retrieve Hind. Those alleged agreements were reportedly not honoured.

After she was discovered, her mother called for accountability for Israel.

"For every person who heard my voice and my daughter's pleading voice, yet did not rescue her, I will question them before God on the Day of Judgement," she told the BBC. "Netanyahu, Biden, and all those who collaborated against us, against Gaza and its people, I pray against them from the depths of my heart."

The Israeli military denied involvement in the attack, stating that IDF forces were not present near the vehicle or within the firing range of the described vehicle in which the girl was found", according to the New York Times.

The PRCS has rejected Israel's denial. Nibal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the PRCS, told the BBC that their paramedics could see the spot where Hind was trapped, but that there was nonstop gunfire making a rescue impossible.

This month the US State Department said it would question the Israeli government about the circumstances of Hinds death and those of her family members and the paramedics trying to save her.

Renaming Hamilton Hall

On Monday, 29 April, Columbia University, the school's president, Minouche Shafik, said negotiations with the protesters had broken down, and affirmed that the university would not divest from Israel. She offered the protesters a final chance to disperse before students were punished for remaining on campus; if they left before 2pm and signed an agreement to abide by university guidelines, they would be spared suspension.

Hundreds of students and faculty gathered to defy the deadline, and late on Monday students overtook Hamilton Hall.

On Tuesday, Columbia officials issued warnings that students involved in the occupation of the academic building would face expulsion if they did not leave.

An anonymous student who spoke to the press on Tuesday called on the school's administrators to de-escalate the response to protests.

To Columbias administrators and trustees: Please do not incite another Kent or Jackson State by bringing soldiers and police officers with weapons onto our campus, the student said. If you do so, student blood will be on your hands.

Protesters barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall (Getty Images)

Hamilton Hall was not a random target for the protesters continued demonstrations; in 1968, students protesting racism against Black Americans and the Vietnam war occupied the hall in protest. Less than a decade later, in 1985, another group of students protesting apartheid in South Africa stormed the hall and gave it a new name. During that protest, the hall was renamed "Mandela Hall, the New York Times reports.

Response to the halls occupation

The protesters have faced sharp criticism from conservatives, some of whom have described their demonstrations as antisemitic, despite the presence of Jewish students among those protesting Israel's war. House Speaker Mike Johnson visited the campus last week and called for the university's president to resign if she was unable to quash the protest.

Joe Biden joined in the criticism of the protesters after they took Hamilton Hall. National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby, speaking on behalf of the Biden administration, said the "president believes that forcibly taking over a building on campus is absolutely the wrong approach" during a press briefing on Tuesday.

After the 2pm deadline passed on Monday, student protest leaders released a statement saying they would not leave unless they were removed by force.

Hundreds of students and protesters across the country have been arrested since the Columbia Gaza protests began approximately two weeks ago. Since then, protests against Israel's war in Gaza have spread across campuses in the US. There have also been similar protests in the UK, Germany, Italy and France.
Why Millcreek group wants township supervisors to approve government study referendum

A group of Millcreek residents is asking for a new government study commission.

The group, led by former Millcreek Township Supervisor Sue Weber, wants a referendum on the issue in the November general election. Millcreek voters would then decide if a commission should study the current board of supervisors government as well as alternate forms of government to determine how the township could "operate as economically, efficiently and transparently as possible."

Voters also would elect seven commission members.

"Millcreek Township is a business which serves over 54,000 residents," Weber told township supervisors Tuesday. "Successful businesses constantly compare themselves with their peers to ensure that they are operating as efficiently as possible. Therefore we ask that you vote to place the ... question on the Nov. 5 general election ballot so Millcreek voters can decide if they want this study conducted and for them to choose who will serve on a government study commission."

Of the 25 most populous townships in Pennsylvania, Millcreek is the only one that does not employ a professional township manager, Weber said. The townships employing a manager elect non-employee supervisors or councils.

Sue Weber speaks during a January 2012 meeting of the Millcreek Government Study Commission elected in November 2011.

Millcreek Township is managed by three elected supervisors who are hired as township employees.

Locally, Fairview, Harborcreek and Summit townships also elect and employ three supervisors. Washington Township is operated by a professional manager and elected township council. Washington Township voters chose the manager-council government in 1973.

Weber told Millcreek Township supervisors that the citizens' group first proposed the new government study commission in social media posts and in mailings to a number of township residents.

"This appeal has been met with positive response," said Weber, who also is a former Erie County controller.

A previous Millcreek government study commission elected in November 2011 recommended against suggested council-manager or mayor-council forms of government in 2012.

Alternately in 2012, a grassroots Concerned Citizens of Millcreek group supported a council-manager form of government.

Also this week: Millcreek supervisors name new treasurer

Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Millcreek group wants a government study referendum in November
The Montana State Capitol in Helena on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (Photo by Mike Clark for the Daily Montanan)

In our previous column, we introduced the right to know and the Montana Transparency Project, our nonprofit organization that champions, amplifies and educates Montanans about this crucial right. Today, lets delve deeper into the special nature of the right-to-know as enshrined in the Montana Constitution.

We have a special right-to-know in Montana that deserves all Montanans special attention. We should use this important liberty to appreciate how lucky we are here, and to bring to life the participatory spirit that this right and other rights in our unique state constitution embody.

About this column

Every month, the Daily Montana, in partnership with the Montana Transparency Project, publishes a column dealing with Montanas constitutional right-to-know and public information.

As Montanans, we have a unique opportunity to demand transparency from our government through our constitutional right-to-know. Though six other states have similar provisions, Montana is the only state in which the legislature cannot restrict our right to request information. In fact, the only limit on our right-to-know is our equally strong constitutional right-to-privacy.

Balancing the right-to-know with the right-to-privacy in Montana is logical. A public employees personal performance review shouldnt be public information, and neither should medical information held by the state, for example. But the right-to-privacy only prevails when the demand of individual privacy clearly exceeds the merits of public disclosure. So, your right-to-know means you have a right to information about nearly everythingfrom partisan caucus meetings in the legislature to local police abuses of power.

State constitutional law is a popular topic right now, and Montanas Constitution is notable for the extent of its fundamental rights. Our courts do not simply mirror our state constitutional rights after federal rights in the U.S. Constitution. Instead, Montanas courts acknowledge that the drafters of the Montana Constitution were doing something different. Our framers were setting aside power for Montanans, creating a unique political culture reflective of Montanas history and people. Montanas right-to-know is a part of our Constitutions robust interest in preserving power for the people to participate in our government.

Our right-to-know is a companion right to the other constitutional rights that ensure meaningful citizen participation in state government. The right-to-know supports your right-to-vote (Article II, Section 13) by helping you make informed voting decisions. The right-to-participate (Article II, Section 8) depends on the right-to-know, because you need to know when and where public meetings are taking place to participate in them. Even rights as basic as Montanans right to self-government (Article II, Section 2) are fortified by the right-to-know, because understanding the decisions our government makes is our way to ensure our government has our best interests at heart.

So, well ask again: What do you want to know? Whatever it is, Montana Transparency Project is here to help you exercise your right-to-know.

Visit our website at montanatransparencyproject.org. If you have questions, comments, column topics youd like us to address, or if you want to submit your own information request, contact us at info@montanatransparencyproject.org and we would be happy to help!

The post Why is Montanas right-to-know so important? appeared first on Daily Montanan.
As demonstrations over the war in Gaza have surged on campuses, around cities and in offices across the US in recent weeks, a visible tension has emerged between the desire for public protest and a fear of professional reprisals.

On the Columbia University campus, where the latest spike in protests began on 17 April, demonstrators have worn masks and used blankets to block counter-protesters from filming students. Protesters at a tent encampment at the University of Michigan handed out masks upon entry, and students there refused to give reporters their full names in case the school took punitive action against them. At Harvard, the Palestine Solidarity Committee told the Guardian it had suspended doing press interviews out of regard for student safety.

Related: Pro-Palestine protesters at Columbia ignore ultimatum to clear encampment

Concerns over retaliation and harassment have permeated the protests, as an intense and organized effort to bring down personal and professional repercussions on demonstrators has played out online. Counter-protesters and pro-Israel activist groups have attempted to post demonstrators faces and personal information to intimidate them, an act known as doxing, and demanded that pro-Palestinian protesters remove their masks at rallies. The professional threat is not theoretical: employers have terminated workers over their comments about the Israel-Gaza war, and CEOs have demanded universities name protesters so as to blacklist them.

The result is that the public face of a nationwide student movement is often a covered one. Photos and videos from demonstrations show swaths of students either wearing keffiyehs  headdresses that have become a symbol of Palestinian solidarity  or medical masks that obscure their identity. During Yales protests, a 21-person choir sang This Little Light of Mine with masks over their faces.

Administrators have admonished students against wearing masks, in at least one case citing anti-mask laws from the 1950s originally intended to deter the Ku Klux Klan from holding rallies. At the University of North Carolina, the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine said that it was alarmed to receive an email from a university official citing campus policy and state law against wearing masks. The university did not dispute the email, telling the Guardian that an administrator was reminding an organization with a history of wearing face coverings about the policy.

Related: Pro-Palestinian protesters take over Columbia University building

At the University of Austin, Texas, the dean of students sent a letter canceling a campus demonstration and said that an organizers Instagram post telling protesters to bring masks would be a violation of school policy against obstructing law enforcement. The protest took place anyway, leading to state and local police arresting dozens of people for trespassing, including a local Fox journalist who was photographing the event.



Pro-Israel activists have similarly called for demonstrators to take off their masks during heated counter-protests, while head of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, recently called for some coverings to be outlawed entirely.

Masks that cover the entire face have no bearing on Covid or free speech and should be banned on all college campuses effective immediately, Greenblatt tweeted.

While protesters are covering their faces to prevent harassment and retaliation, they also cited Covid concerns as an additional reason to mask up while attending mass gatherings. The ubiquity of masks, according to one organizer, was representative of a general concern for everyone demonstrating and the potential harm they face as a result.

I dont see it as coming top-down from organizations but more from within protest communities about how to keep each other safe, said Liv Kunins-Berkowitz, a media coordinator for the activist group Jewish Voice For Peace. That includes keeping yourself safe from surveillance and from having your photo posted all over the internet.

Doxings, firings and harassment

Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October last year, many pro-Palestinian demonstrators have had their personal information posted online and faced firings, suspensions and harassment. While some protesters have had their names, occupations and social media profiles posted after being filmed expressing blatantly antisemitic rhetoric or statements supporting Hamas, organized doxing efforts have also swept up people who have peacefully attended rallies, signed letters calling for a ceasefire or publicly criticized Israel.

As arrests at protests have surged and some lawmakers have called for sending in the national guard against demonstrators, the amount of surveillance at protests has also increased. The New York police department has deployed drones to monitor demonstrations, track movements and capture video footage, with the department saying it would use those recordings to help make arrests.

At least in New York City, theres a very big concern around police surveillance, said one protester, who asked not to be named out of fear of personal and professional harm. They added that some organizers specifically told demonstrators to cover their faces and handed out masks at protests.

In the early weeks of protests against the war, the conservative group Accuracy In Media launched a campaign at Harvard that posted the names and faces of students who signed a pro-Palestinian open letter on the side of a billboard truck and branded them Harvards Leading Antisemites. It later expanded to other universities and created individualized websites branding students as antisemitic, leading to a lawsuit from one student and Columbia forming a Doxing Resource Group. Several other pro-Israel organizations, such as StopAntisemitism, have similarly dedicated websites and social media accounts to posting the personal information of protesters. People have described receiving death threats, harassment and being fired from their work after being featured in StopAntisemitisms posts.

Another anonymously run site features hundreds of profiles of people who have been critical of Israels actions or taken part in protests, posting their social media profiles, occupations, home towns and photos of their faces. The site has specific lists for students and faculty, accusing them of antisemitism and supporting terrorism for signing open letters calling for ceasefire, affiliation with pro-Palestinian groups or being in attendance at anti-war rallies. These profiles now show up as top Google results when searching for the names of many of the people listed on the site, especially students with a smaller online presence.

Israeli authorities have also used information from that doxing website when making decisions to bar political activists from entering the country, Haaretz reported.

Concealing identity while protesting has a long history in the United States, and in recent decades has been a tactic commonly associated with anticapitalist activists at government summits or antifascists counter-protesting far-right rallies. Mask-wearing became enough of a hallmark of leftist protests that, in 2018, Republicans attempted to pass a vague anti-antifa bill that would have punished anyone protesting in a mask and acting in a threatening manner with up to 15 years in prison.

Several major events in recent years have additionally changed the way that people protest and their ability to remain anonymous. The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic vastly changed the ubiquity of masks, as well as provided a loophole for many anti-mask policies and state laws around protesting with a concealed identity. The January 6 Capitol riots and subsequent search for perpetrators also highlighted how video footage and facial recognition technology can be used to easily identify people online. Self-appointed citizen investigators combed through videos for months after the attack, coordinating online to identify rioters and refer them to law enforcement officials.

Protesters mask up in the office

The desire for anonymity has extended beyond college campuses to other pro-Palestinian demonstrations. When Google employees held a sit-in to protest against the companys $1.2bn contract with the Israeli government and its military, many covered their faces out of fear of online harassment.

Doxing is the main reason that people chose to conceal their identity in relation to this protest, said a former Google worker who was fired for taking part in the demonstration.

Pro-Palestinian protesters at Google had been concerned for some time about other employees harassing them or leaking their personal information online, two former workers told the Guardian. Google fired more than 50 people over the course of several days for taking part in the protests against its Project Nimbus program.

Several fired workers continued to obscure their identities during a press conference in the days after the firing, out of worry that it would threaten future job prospects.

Google said in a statement that some fired employees took longer to identify because their identity was partly concealed  like by wearing a mask without their badge  while engaged in the disruption.
Basic materials provider Ashland (NYSE: ASH) had a solid quarter but trimmed its full-year estimates in response to its portfolio optimization efforts. Investors weren't sure what to think, sending Ashland shares down as much as 5.2% Wednesday before the stock recovered to trade down slightly heading into the close.

Mixed results in a tough operating environment

Ashland earned $1.27 per share on revenue of $575 million in its fiscal second quarter ending March 31, topping Wall Street's $1.14 per-share earnings estimate on revenue that was on target with expectations. Sales were down 5% year over year, with personal care and specialty additives showing positive trends but life sciences ingredient volumes light.

"The improving sales trends experienced in December and January sustained for the second quarter as our volumes continue to converge with customer end market demand," CEO Guillermo Novo said in a statement. "While still early from a trending perspective, the breadth of our ongoing recovery as well as constructive economic and industry data, reinforces our belief that a demand normalization is underway within the personal care and specialty additives segments."

Ashland sees current quarter revenue coming in at $560 million to $580 million, a slight disappointment compared to the $584 million consensus estimate. For the full year, the company narrowed the high end of its revenue guidance, going to $2.15 billion-$2.23 billion from $2.15 billion to $2.25 billion.

Is Ashland stock a buy?

The company is forecasting demand to be flat to up slightly in 2024. There are signs the business is normalizing after years of pandemic and post-pandemic shortages and excesses, but the full recovery will take time.

In the meantime, Ashland is working to streamline and focus on higher-end products. The company recently announced the closure of a production unit in Belgium, which will result in volume declines but is primarily tied to lower-margin, more cyclical end markets like construction.

Shares of Ashland trade near where they did three years ago. If management is right and end markets are finally normalizing, over time the stock can go higher from here.

Should you invest $1,000 in Ashland right now?

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Why Ashland Stock Fell Today was originally published by The Motley Fool
Prosecutors say Bryan Kohberger's alibi lacks the "specificity required" by an Idaho law

Zach Wilkinson-Pool/Getty Bryan Kohberger in May 2023

Shortly after defense attorneys for Bryan Kohberger claimed he had an alibi for the night four University of Idaho students were murdered in November 2022, the prosecution has responded by calling the alibi legally inadequate.

Kohberger, 29, is accused of murdering Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, at an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho, around 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022. All four were close friends and students at the University of Idaho.

Kohberger was a Ph.D criminology student at Washington State University and lived in Pullman, Wash., roughly eight miles away from the scene of the crime, at the time of the slayings. He has pleaded not guilty.

According to an April 17 court filing reviewed by PEOPLE, Kohberger's public defender Anne C. Taylor claims Kohberger was driving outside of Moscow on the night of the murders and was not near the home where Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle and Chapin were stabbed to death.

"Mr. Kohberger was out driving in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022; as he often did to hike and run and/or see the moon and stars," the filing reads.

Related: Idaho Murders Suspect Bryan Kohberger's Startling Alibi: He Was Driving to 'See the Moon and Stars'

The filing also states: "He drove throughout the area south of Pullman, Washington, west of Moscow, Idaho including Wawawai Park."

In a response to the filing, which was reviewed by PEOPLE, the prosecution says the alibi lacks the "specificity required" by an Idaho law which states "that the defense 'shall state the specific place or places at which the defendant claims to have been at the time of the alleged offense and the names and addresses of the witnesses upon whom he intends to rely to establish such alibi.'"

Courtesy of Chapin Family; Maddie Mogen/Instagram; Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram; Xana Kernodle/Instagram From left: Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle.

The prosecution claims that nothing in the official alibi filing is new information aside from the mention of Wawawai Park.

"The defendant is offering nothing new to his initial 'alibi' that he was simply driving around during the morning hours of November 13, 2022," the prosecution's response reads.

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.



Related: How Strong Is Idaho Murders Suspect Bryan Kohberger's Alibi? Legal Expert Weighs In (Exclusive)

In response to the defense's claim that Kohberger's cell phone data could prove he was not located near the crime scene at 1122 King Road at the time of the murders, the prosecution says in the filing that "this information does not rise to the level of an alibi at the time of the homicides because the Defendant's cell phone stopped reporting to the cellular network before the homicides and continued to not report until after the homicides."

David Ryder/Getty Images; Latah County Sheriff's Office/UPI/Shutterstock 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, and suspect Bryan Kohberger

Later in the filing, the prosecution writes: "It has now been approximately 11 months since the State filed its 'Request for Discovery Disclosure; Alibi Demand' on May 23, 2023, and almost a year and a half since the homicides occurred. The defendant has been given more time than he is legally entitled in order to provide his alibi."

The prosecution ended their response by requesting that court deny Kohberger and his attorneys "any further opportunity to add to any purported claim of alibi."

Investigators have previously claimed they tied Kohberger to the brutal stabbing deaths by using DNA evidence found on a knife sheath left at the scene in the bed where Mogen and Goncalves were found deceased, according to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE.



Related: Chilling Details Revealed as Probable Cause Affidavit is Released in University of Idaho Murder Case

Instagram Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves

While investigating previous cellphone pings, authorities also learned that Kohberger's cell phone pinged in the area of the 1122 King Road home on at least twelve occasions prior to the killings, the affidavit alleges.

"All of these occasions, except for one, occurred in the late evening and early morning hours of their respective days," the affidavit reads.



If convicted, Kohberger faces the death penalty.



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Why a thorny union of two Pa. municipalities can still succeed despite lack of legal remedy

This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our north-central Pa. newsletter, Talk of the Town, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown.

SANDY TOWNSHIP  In a little under two years, the place Cheryl Shenkle has called home for most of her adult life will cease to exist.

The rural community of almost 12,000 people in Clearfield County, an 80-minute drive northwest of State College, surrounds the City of DuBois. And on Jan. 5, 2026, the municipalities will consolidate into a new city, still called DuBois.

Shenkle feels uneasy about that future.

A lack of concrete plans from local officials fuels her anxiety, and shes not alone, she said. Low- and fixed-income families in what she calls the more country part of Sandy Township are afraid that changes in taxes, utilities, or land use could put them in a bad financial position after the consolidation.

Thats not the goal of the union, of course. Municipal consolidations and mergers offer a way to increase government efficiency, reduce costs, and grow economies. For some communities, combining resources is necessary for survival. For others, its an opportunity to prosper.

A Spotlight PA analysis of mergers and consolidations in Pennsylvania since 1994 found that successful unions tend to have the backing of voters and government officials from the communities involved ahead of the final decision. These elements were lacking in the DuBois-Sandy Township consolidation process.

Plus, the creation of the new city  a rare occurrence in Pennsylvania  is also plagued by an extraordinary hurdle.

The City of DuBois has been embroiled in a sweeping public corruption scandal for more than a year. Allegations that the former city manager stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from public funds have shocked both communities residents and undermined voters faith in the consolidation.

The lack of guidance in state law on how to proceed amid the tumult and disagreement among Sandy and DuBois officials has exacerbated the worries of some township residents and laid bare flaws in the process.

Those gaps affect community planning and quality of life statewide. Mergers and consolidations are among the few ways that distressed local governments can solve fundamental operational problems. If the state legislature doesnt address these shortcomings, other municipalities could be discouraged from considering such unions when they find themselves in trouble.

Marriage of consent

Pennsylvania municipalities historically have pursued consolidations and mergers to improve their services and reduce waste.

That expectation mostly proves true, and decades ago lawmakers created a statewide process to help communities get what they hope for.

The Municipal Consolidation or Merger Act in 1994 established a uniform system for how local government boundaries could change. It did away with annexation, leaving the decision primarily up to voters.

Now, its a marriage of consent, where before it was more a method of taking, Gerald Cross, a senior research fellow at the Pennsylvania Economy League, told Spotlight PA.

In a merger, two or more municipalities combine and all but one of the original governments is eliminated, whereas a consolidation terminates all parties involved and creates a new entity.

Boundary changes can be initiated in two ways: Governing boards can pass joint agreements and present the question to voters, or voters can petition to put a referendum on the ballot.

Since the law was enacted in 1994, 17 mergers have been proposed in Pennsylvania, of which 11 received approval from voters. By comparison, only two out of 13 consolidation initiatives have passed during the same time.

All told, proposals for mergers are more than four times more likely to be approved than consolidations.

Nearly all approved mergers involved boroughs dissolving into neighboring townships, according to Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development data.

In at least six instances, the proposals were backed by both municipalities local governments leading up to the official vote, Spotlight PA found. Those municipalities detailed how they would come together in written agreements, many of which were built upon existing cooperations like sharing of police services.

Successful couplings also often involved a sense of urgency. South New Castle Borough in Lawrence County had no businesses and an eroding tax base before its merger with Shenango Township. Strausstown Borough in Berks County was struggling to pay for services that Upper Tulpehocken Township provided.

Potter Countys East Fork and Wharton Townships  populations 14 and 91, respectively, before merging  didnt even have enough people to run their governments. Merging was the only way to sustain a functional municipality.

In some cases, the combination delivered better public services.

The City of Hermitage recently helped identify a manufacturer and a trucking company that would benefit from a land swap, Mark Longietti, director of business and community development for the city, told Spotlight PA. Longietti said the exchange gives one of the businesses the parking they need and allows the other to receive truck deliveries more efficiently.

This sort of proactive support for businesses wasnt available in the former Wheatland borough, which merged with Hermitage officially on the first day of 2024, Longietti said.

While Pennsylvania municipalities fusing for survival has generally worked out, combining to improve status has had mixed results.

The 1994 consolidation of the former Borough of St. Marys and Benzinger Township in Elk County created the City of St. Marys, which is the second largest city by area in Pennsylvania. More than three decades later, City Manager Joe Fleming credited the consolidation with improving the quality of life in the city.

I think it exceeded expectations, Fleming said. I dont think the people that pushed forth the consolidation could ever imagine what the city has turned into and the capabilities and resources that we have now.

But the creation of Northern Cambria Borough in Cambria County in 2000  the only other consolidation proposal approved in the commonwealth since the Consolidation or Merger Act  serves as a cautionary tale.

Officials from the former Barnesboro and Spangler Boroughs hoped that combining the municipalities would attract more state and federal funding, the Tribune-Democrat reported in 2018. But the new borough missed out on qualifying for key grants because its population was too low.

Pete Barczak, a former Barnesboro Borough council member who helped plan the consolidation, didnt think the communities improved because of it, the Tribune-Democrat reported.

Unresolved animosity among residents who lived through the transition left a barrier there, Wilbur Kelly Jr., Northern Cambria Borough council member at the time, told the newspaper. He called the consolidation probably the worst thing we ever did.

Hard feelings

Calvin Nixons grandfather was a Sandy Township supervisor nearly a century ago. Nixon remembers being told stories of bad blood between the township and neighboring DuBois. In one tale, DuBois providers refused the townships request for electric infrastructure, forcing Sandy to get help establishing power lines from Clearfield, which is over the mountain of the Moshannon State Forest.

And weve been mad at DuBois ever since, Nixon said, half-jokingly.

Failed attempts at consolidating exemplify this history. Voters in DuBois and Sandy Township considered combining four times at the ballot box: 1989, 1995, 2002, and 2021.

Harry Yale rejected the proposal each time.

All the promises they made? Its not gonna happen, Yale, who described himself as a lifelong resident of Sandy Township, told Spotlight PA.

Advocates for the consolidation pledged better roads, uniform water and sewage charges, and expansion of local business and industry. But the lack of information detailing those plans has made Yale pessimistic.

Shenkle worries that she and her husband could be compelled to ditch the well and septic system they own and connect to municipal water and sewage instead.

If the new city decides to run lines to their property  a call typically made solely by the municipality  the cost to connect would likely be too high for the couple.

That would be the end of John and I in that house, she said.

A March 2021 Pennsylvania Economy League study projected property tax rates would be lower for average homeowners in a post-consolidation DuBois. That projection was based on the assumption that the new city would save half a million dollars annually by cutting duplicate staff and not creating any new positions.

The DuBois-Sandy Township Consolidation Joint Board  consisting of elected officials from both governments  eliminated the positions of a manager, an engineer, and a police chief in April and began sharing personnel between the municipalities.

That should generate about $400,000 in savings from salary and benefits, Shawn Arbaugh, who became the new manager for both communities, told Spotlight PA.

Despite the reduction of those key staff, it is too early to determine whether the new city will adhere to the studys projected lower property taxes, Arbaugh said, citing ongoing inflation.

We will not know the answer to this until we develop a budget and then determine a tax rate to be able to support the budget, he wrote in an email. He added that local officials still have more than three years to consider any zoning changes.

The study also said improved long term regional financial health would be a key benefit of the consolidation, because Sandy Township and DuBois showed signs of fiscal distress.

Both municipalities experienced budget deficits three out of five years between 2015 and 2019, the report said. The study predicted the trend would continue if the financial structures remained.

Sandy Township voters approved the consolidation in 2021 with a razor-thin margin of only 33 more votes than the opposed. The apprehension of people who voted no was intensified with the arrest of Herm Suplizio two years later.

Prosecutors charged the former DuBois city manager in March 2023 with stealing more than half a million dollars from public funds associated with an annual festival run by the citys fire department and from the local United Way.

The money Suplizio handled in relation to the festival, called Community Days, was not monitored by the city, authorities said.

Suplizio, who has said he has always been pro-consolidation, told the Courier Express after the vote that the City of DuBois and Sandy Township are tied too close to the hip not to be one  for the betterment of the entire area.

The allegations of misappropriation by Suplizio cast doubts on his ardent support for consolidation and further soured some township residents attitudes toward combining finances with the city.

Citing vast uncertainties and questions regarding the Citys finances, the township sued DuBois in the Clearfield County Court of Common Pleas last year, petitioning to pause their ongoing consolidation until the criminal investigation of Suplizio and a forensic audit of DuBois finances were complete.

Shenkle led a campaign that got more than 1,200 township voters to support the request to halt the process. Her efforts were incorporated into the lawsuit.

But the state law governing how municipal consolidations work does not include a provision that lets courts modify the timeline once voters approve a consolidation. Even though DuBois ultimately decided not to contest Sandy Townships petition, the countdown to when the new city must be created did not change.

A street in downtown DuBois.

Twists and turns

After the Pennsylvania Economy League report recommended consolidation in March 2021, Sandy Township polled residents. Officials said the results showed little promise of the proposal passing. So in June 2021, the Sandy Township Board of Supervisors voted four to one against continuing to pursue a consolidation with DuBois, ending talks that began more than a year prior.

But with less than five months remaining until that years municipal election, township Supervisor Sam Mollica, the lone yes vote, successfully campaigned to put the question directly before voters.

Cross, the researcher, considers voter-driven initiatives for municipal unions like this the state laws weakest part.

When local elected officials approve a consolidation, they can draft an agreement to detail what will change. Cross compared a joint agreement to a prenup that helps voters understand exactly what the eventual marriage will entail.

But when voters circumvent elected officials to put the question on a ballot, the problem there is the citizens cant get together ahead of time and propose a joint agreement, Cross said.

Former township Supervisor Kevin Salandra told Spotlight PA he voted against consolidation because of a crucial detail: He didnt want the new city to have a council-manager form of government.

DuBois is one of only two cities in Pennsylvania  the other being Altoona in Blair County  that has this setup. Under this structure, an appointed manager becomes a chief administrator and oversees nearly all functions of the city. In DuBois case, this arrangement contributed to the outsized influence of Suplizio.

Salandra said he would have supported the consolidation if it set up a home-rule city, which would have given new DuBois more flexibility to govern itself  a status the economy league study also recommended.

Salandra also wanted new city leaders to be elected from wards, he said, rather than all at large, so that different areas could keep a bit of their identity  including the city, the township, and Treasure Lake, a private residential development in the north-central area of the township.

But the proposal voters approved opted for the council-manager form of government.

Now, elected leaders are undergoing the Herculean task of creating a new government despite reluctance among Sandy Township supervisors to do so.

Turning a corner

Tom Wagner, who helped oversee St. Marys consolidation in the early 90s, thought for a long time that it made sense for DuBois and Sandy Township to consolidate and saw parallels in how the Clearfield County pair could benefit as his city did.

Sitting in the woods in the middle of northwestern Pennsylvania, St. Marys was pretty much an afterthought, Wagner told Spotlight PA. The consolidation made St. Marys a larger dot on the map in terms of attracting investments, he said.

The first attempt to consolidate St. Marys was a failed voter-driven initiative. The second time around, a joint commission was formed so that voters and leaders were on the same page.

It was the faith that the community had and its leaders [had] that they would take this on  that this was all going to work that made founding the City of St. Marys successful, he said.

The combined populations of the township and borough gave the new city enough residents to qualify for state grants. Wagner estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars have flowed into St. Marys each year thanks to that designation, funding services for people with disabilities and rehabilitation of housing units.

Despite the corruption scandal, Cross, the economic league researcher, said the rationale for the consolidation of DuBois and Sandy Township remains sound and is optimistic the area will eventually benefit from the move.

Whats important there, I think, is to go forward with an attitude of, Lets fix what was wrong in the city that we have since learned  . Lets make this the best government we can, he added.

Salandra lost his reelection bid in 2023. He said many of his actions were perceived as anti-consolidation.

I tell people I live in DuBois, Salandra said. The township has a DuBois address and ZIP code. To him the area is already interlinked.

Consolidation is the best thing for the community, he told Spotlight PA. It just needs to be done properly.

Jennifer Jackson, who took office as a council member for DuBois in January, shares that sentiment. Jackson said she understands why some township residents feel skeptical about consolidating with the city under its previous leadership, but emphasized that new leaders are now working toward common goals such as straightening out its finances.

And theres a symbolic significance in having Arbaugh and DuBoiss engineer Chris Nasuti serve both the township and the city. DuBois Council Member Elliot Gelfand called the pooled leadership an unprecedented period of cooperation leading up to formal consolidation in an email to Spotlight PA.

Pennsylvania lawmakers could consider using legislation to prevent situations like the DuBois-Sandy Township consolidation and other mishaps, Cross told Spotlight PA. Requiring a joint agreement in a voter-driven referendum is among them.

State lawmakers on the Local Government Commission, a bicameral legislative agency, discussed potential fixes to the lack of clarity in Pennsylvania law months ago. One idea is for it to establish a mediation process for when disputes arise during transition. Another would give some flexibility to timelines of when mergers or consolidations must be completed.

Meanwhile, Jan. 5, 2026 slowly approaches.

At this point, Shenkle said shes not entirely opposed to seeing the consolidation happen. Joining might make both sides finally leave the past behind, she said.

But she wants to see leaders work proactively to instill confidence in the process among residents and deliver on their promises.

Sandy Township and DuBois are at a point of really turning a corner, a big time corner, she said.

SUPPORT THIS JOURNALISM and help us reinvigorate local news in north-central Pennsylvania at spotlightpa.org/donate/statecollege. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability and public-service journalism that gets results.
Why universities turn to the police to end student protests  and why that can spiral out of control

A two-week standoff between Columbia University administration and student protesters who advocated for the school to divest from companies that work in or support Israel culminated on April 30, 2024, one day after a group of students occupied a campus building, Hamilton Hall.

New York police arrested 109 demonstrators at Columbia and 173 other demonstrators at City College, in uptown Manhattan, on April 30.

The Conversation U.S. politics and society editor Amy Lieberman spoke with John J. Sloan III, a scholar of crime and police on college campuses at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, to better understand the different roles that police play on university and college campuses.

NYPD officers on April 30, 2024, enter a building at Columbia University, where pro-Palestinian students barricaded themselves and set up an encampment. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

How do universities differ in working with police?

The first documented appearance of a sworn police officer patrolling a college campus was in 1894 at Yale University.

Generally, there have been two approaches to police on university or college campuses. Initially, university administrators asked local police to respond to issues with antiwar demonstrators during the Vietnam War and with womens rights protests in the 1960s. When many of those encounters did not go very well for anyone, campus police departments were created. Today, about two-thirds of universities and colleges  mainly public ones, like University of California, Los Angeles  have their own campus police departments. There is no difference between these campus police officers and their municipal counterparts, in terms of training or legal authority.

Another one-third of colleges and universities ultimately chose to instead hire their own private security guards  not police officers. Columbia and other Ivy League schools, as well as other private institutions like Johns Hopkins University, are in this group. Increasingly, many of these guards are armed.

One reason different options were taken was because the legalities of creating a police department at a private school are more complex than are those for creating police departments at public universities. Aside from these logistics, there have also been image concerns about whether schools really wanted to have armed, uniformed police on their campuses.

Does this difference in police or private security matter, practically?

Colleges and universities that have their own police departments frequently have a memorandum of understanding or mutual aid agreement that formalizes the relationship between campus and municipal police. Often, both groups will train together to better coordinate their response to, say, a mass shooting on campus. Its likely that in the post-George Floyd era, mutual training included responding to campus protests.

For schools without campus police, security personnel may lack extensive training in how to deal with demonstrations. As a result, things can spiral very quickly. I would imagine that Columbias president made the most recent call to bring in the NYPD because of a combination of factors  including that private security personnel may not have been fully trained and equipped to address the situation, plus the perceived urgency of the situation of students taking over a university building.

What else is notable about how different schools have responded to these protests?

There appears to be a wide range in both university and police responses to the protests. On the one end is the Columbia situation, where you literally had NYPD officers using drones and other types of military tactics to take the building back that the students first occupied on April 29.

At the University of Wisconsin, Madison  which has its own campus police department  the university president also made the decision to call in the Madison police, perhaps for different reasons. This gets to the question of how university administrators want to deal with these protests. Do they want to wait out the protesters? And if they dont want to wait them out, then how quickly do they want the campus cleared?

I certainly understand there is a need to ensure that the campus is secure. But when you invite local or state police to campus to address protests, you are turning over control of the situation to them and you are relying on them having the necessary training and preparation to come in and not create more problems. What I have seen so far, at least, is those who have called in outside law enforcement are going to have to answer questions about the use of force that was used against protesters.

California Highway Patrol officers walk near a protester at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA on May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. Mario Tama/Getty Images

What is important to know about the polices tactical response to the protests?

New York Mayor Eric Adams spoke at a press conference and explained the NYPDs approach to entering and clearing the Columbia campus and it reminded me of military tactics. He talked about how the NYPD had drones flying around to pinpoint better access points into the building and where the students were. He discussed encrypting the polices radio frequency, so no one could listen to them. The garb that the police were wearing and the visuals of so many officers marching down the street reminded me of an army.

Adams said that no one was hurt at Columbia, but there are reports that show three students were hurt, as well as potentially some police officers. There have also been reports of police officers being injured at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

In other places, like UCLA, there has been a heavy outside police presence on campus, as well as reports of police officers using pepper spray and tear gas on protesters there and in other places like Florida. And at the University of Texas, Austin, officials called in state troopers to arrest protesters this week. Police using pepper spray and other aggressive tactics were reported there as well.

Part of this phenomenon involves the extent the police, nationwide, are becoming more and more militarized as a standard operating procedure. The Ohio State University purchased a surplus military armored personnel carrier for its police team in 2013, for example.

In the post-9/11 era, initial law enforcement concerns were with terrorism; now, the concern is mass shooters. In response, many police departments, including those at colleges and universities, are now routinely using military-grade surveillance, communications, equipment and training as part of their operations, such that it can look like you have the military on your campus.

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: John J. Sloan III, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Read more:



John J Sloan, III has received funding from the National Science Foundation, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Community Oriented Policing, and the National Institute of Justice.
(Getty Images)

Wisconsin lawmakers called Tuesday for the expansion of Medicaid, including additional coverage for women after giving birth. The state is one of only three that have turned down a federal extension of postpartum coverage.

Wisconsin is one of 10 states that havent accepted a full expansion of the Medicaid program offered by the federal government. Under the expansion, Medicaid eligibility would be extended to adults under age 65 with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Its estimated that over 89,000 Wisconsin residents would be covered under the expansion.

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore said during a press call hosted by Protect Our Care, an Affordable Care Act advocacy group, that its a disgrace that Wisconsin hasnt expanded Medicaid.

When Wisconsin first rejected Medicaid expansion the state budget took a $250 million hit. Now thats up to $1.6 billion that Wisconsin is leaving on the table because of partisan refusal to expand Medicaid, Moore said.

Moore and state Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) also urged the expansion of postpartum Medicaid coverage  a measure that continues to be blocked in Wisconsin despite broad support.

As a way of improving maternal health and improving racial disparities in maternal outcomes, the U.S. government started offering states the opportunity to expand postpartum coverage to 12 months, as opposed to 60 days, in 2021. Only three states in the U.S. have not accepted the extended postpartum Medicaid coverage as of March of this year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundations Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Extension Tracker.

Moore said that 60 days is not enough time to look after the needs of women and children who could have all kinds of maladies before, during and after birth.

We know that two-thirds of maternal deaths occur in the 12 months after the baby is born, and that the United States is the only developed country where maternal mortality has increased  doubling over the past two decades, Vining said. It is considered more dangerous today for a woman in her 30s to have a baby than it was for her mother. We are trending in the wrong direction and we need to turn it around.

Vining noted that a bill that would implement the expansion passed the Senate last year in a 32-1 vote, and that the bill had support from about two-thirds of state lawmakers in the Assembly.

Vining said that opposition from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), who has said he doesnt support any kind of Medicaid expansion, is holding the measure up. The state Legislature has completed its work for the year, but she said Vos could call lawmakers back to hold a vote on the measure.

The Speaker can call us back into session. He can call us into [an] extraordinary session, and we can hold a vote. We know we have the votes The Speaker is the one with the power here. He needs to be the one who can call us in the session and make this happen for Wisconsin women.

The post Wisconsin lawmakers call for expanded Medicaid coverage for new mothers appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
NORTH FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WFRV)  Officials in Fond du Lac County are investigating a strong-armed robbery that occurred on April 29, resulting in a man suffering substantial injuries.

According to the North Fond du Lac Police Department, shortly after 8:00 p.m. on April 29, the Fond du Lac Dispatch Center received a call from the 300 block of Polk Street in North Fond du Lac stating that a man had been beaten up and robbed.

Active shooter at middle school in Wisconsin, threat neutralized outside the building

Officers and emergency medical services responded to the scene and did not observe any suspects. The victim in this incident advised that the suspects are known to him and are from Waukesha. The victim said he is also from Waukesha.

A preliminary investigation reveals the victim contacted the suspects, asking them to come to North Fond du Lac. The suspects picked up the victim and his girlfriend near the 600 block of Wisconsin Avenue and drove them to the area of Polk Street and Audrey Street.

The male victim and his girlfriend were robbed, and the man was beaten up, suffering substantial injuries. The suspects had fled the scene prior to police being notified.

Police: Woman in Wisconsin backs vehicle up neighbors stairs, arrested for OWI

The North Fond du Lac Police Department is continuing to investigate this incident, and no additional details were provided.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the North Fond du Lac Police Department at (920) 906-5555.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
Police respond to a report of a person armed with a rifle at Mount Horeb Middle School in Wisconsin - John Hart

A 14-year-old suspect has been shot dead after reports an active shooter threatened a Wisconsin middle school.

Mount Horeb Middle School and the surrounding neighbourhood were placed into lockdown on Wednesday as Dane County Sheriffs Office warned a person considered dangerous was armed with a rifle.

The Mount Horeb Area School District said the threat was neutralized and no injuries were reported with the exception of the alleged assailant.

A vehicle associated with the suspect is being searched for evidence by bomb technicians, ABC News reported.

The individual was not able to gain access to the inside of the school - John Hart

The school district first posted on Facebook: Community members, there has been an active shooter at our middle school this morning.

The individual did not breach [the] entryway.

BREAKING: Active shooter reported at Mount Horeb Middle School in Wisconsin; Injuries reported (BNO) pic.twitter.com/nI4gVtrulo  Stoll News (@StollNews) May 1, 2024

A spokesman for the district later added: As an update, our students will remain in hard lockdown throughout all of our buildings. Law-enforcement is circulating throughout the middle school to confirm the safety of all students.

Parents wait for their children outside after the school was put on lockdown - Todd Richmond

All school district buildings went into lockdown around 11am, local time, while emergency responders were called in to scope out the area. The FBI was also on the scene.

You would be so proud of our students and staff, and were so grateful for our first responders, the district said.

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WNBA star Brittney Griner reflects on 'mistake' that led to agonizing detention in Russia in '20/20' special

WNBA star Brittney Griner opened up for the first time about her harrowing monthslong detention in Russia and the mistake that got her sentenced to nine years in prison in a special edition of 20/20 airing tonight at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

I could just visualize everything I worked so hard for just crumbling and going away, Griner told GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts.

Griner, 33, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a nine-time WNBA All-Star who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained on Feb. 17, 2022, at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Khimki after she was accused of having vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, which is illegal in the country.

PHOTO: Prisoner in Russia: The Brittney Griner Interview with Robin Roberts. (ABC Photo Illustration)

Recounting the mental lapse that led her to forget the cannabis oil cartridges in her luggage, Griner said that she had awakened late on the morning she was sent to travel to Russia to play during the WNBA's off-season and she packed while she was in panic mode.

WNBA star Brittney Griner opens up about harrowing Russian detention in exclusive '20/20' special

My packing at that moment was just throwing all my stuff in there and zipping it up and saying, OK, I'm ready, she told Roberts.

Griner, who reflects on the experience in Coming Home, a memoir set to be released on May 7, recalled the sinking feeling she had when she realized that she had forgotten two cannabis oil cartridges in her luggage after security asked her to go through her bag at the airport.

I'm just like, Oh, my God. Like, How did I-- how did I make this mistake? Griner said.

I could just visualize everything I worked so hard for just crumbling and going away.

How basketball stars rallied for Brittney Griner during her detention in Russia

PHOTO: Brittney Griner speaks with Robin Roberts during an interview with ABC News. (ABC News)

Griner was arrested and, after her trial was delayed for several months, she pleaded guilty to drug charges on July 7, 2022, saying that the vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were in her luggage unintentionally. She testified that she had "no intention" of breaking Russian law and packed the cartridges by accident.

You know there are those who say, Come on. How did you not know that you had cartridges in your luggage? Roberts asked.

It's just so easy to have a mental lapse, Griner said.

Granted, my mental lapse was on a more grand scale. But it doesn't take away from how that can happen, she added.

The U.S. State Department classified Griner as "wrongfully detained" in May 2022, which allowed additional resources to be applied to her case as the Biden administration worked to secure her release.

Griner reflected on the poor living conditions in prison as she awaited her trial, saying that she didnt always have toilet paper and that the toothpaste they gave her had expired about 15 years ago.

That toothpaste was expired, she said. We used to put it on the black mold to kill the mold on the walls.

The mattress had a huge blood stain on it, and they give you these thin two sheets, she added. So you're basically laying on bars.

Brittney Griner reflects on gut-wrenching moment she was detained in Russia in exclusive '20/20' special

PHOTO: Brittney Griner speaks with Robin Roberts during an interview with ABC News. (ABC News)

Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4, 2022, and a judge denied in October 2022 an appeal filed by Griner's attorneys.

After her sentencing, Griner was transferred to a penal colony in the Russian region of Mordovia  a work camp where Griners job was cutting fabric for Russian military uniforms.

What were the conditions like there? Roberts asked.

Really cold, Griner said. Its a work camp. You go there to work  there's no rest.

Griner said that the frigid temperatures were impacting her health and led her to chop off her long dreadlocks.

What was that like losing that part of you, too? Roberts asked Griner.

Honestly, it just had to happen. We had spiders above my bed -- making nests, she said.

My dreads started to freeze, she added. They would just stay wet and cold and I was getting sick. You've gotta do what you've gotta do to survive.

During her detention top athletes and Griners family, including her wife Cherelle Griner, were outspoken advocates for her release and continuously called on the Biden White House to intervene and bring her home.

PHOTO: Brittney Griner stands inside a defendants' cage during the reading of the court's verdict in Khimki, Russia, Aug. 4, 2022. (Evgenia Novozhenina/POOL via Reuters)

Amid mounting pressure on the White House to secure her freedom, Griner was released on Dec. 8, 2022, after the U.S. agreed to swap her for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

You said that you felt that you let down yourself, your family, your teams  how did you work through that? Roberts asked.

I don't think I've really gotten through all the way, Griner said. At the end of the day, it's my fault. And I let everybody down.

Griner reflected on the moment she learned that she was going to be released, saying, I was so thrilled, but she added that she was disappointed that Paul Whelan  another American wrongfully detained in Russia  was left behind.

'No one should be left behind': WNBA star Brittney Griner reflects on freedom from Russian prison in '20/20' special

I was like  are you seriously not gonna let this man come home right now? Griner said of Whelan, who was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison.

PHOTO: Brittney Griner speaks with Robin Roberts during an interview with ABC News. (ABC News)

Since her release, Griner has become an outspoken advocate for Americans wrongfully detained abroad.

In a heartfelt Instagram post on Dec. 16, 2022, where she thanked those who advocated for her release, Griner vowed "to do whatever I can to help bring home other Americans wrongfully detained abroad.

President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home, too, Griner wrote. I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.

ABC News' Eboni Griffin, Joseph Diaz, Gail Deutsch, Susan Welsh, Netsanet Negussie, Kaitlin Amoroso, Danielle Genet and Chris Donovan contributed to this report.

WNBA star Brittney Griner reflects on 'mistake' that led to agonizing detention in Russia in '20/20' special originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Cannabis Investing Money

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposed Tuesday to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

The news lit up cannabis ETFs like the AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF (MSOS), which rocketed 25% higher on hopes of potential growth from broader legalization.

MSOS dropped back down nearly 10% in morning trade Wednesday, as investors wondered if the DEAs proposal, which is set for review of the White House Office of Management and Budget, will be approved.

If approved, cannabis, currently categorized under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act alongside drugs like LSD and heroin, will be part of Schedule III, which includes medication like Tylenol with codeine.

Rescheduling is a crucial step in legalizing cannabis on the federal level, opening the door to more widespread legalization and capital inflows. Recreational marijuana is currently legal in 24 states, with other states allowing cannabis for medical use only.

Why Marijuana Stocks, Cannabis ETFs Are Up in 2024

Are marijuana stocks and cannabis ETFs finally set for the industry's first big year since 2017, or are investors just riding high on hopes of friendlier legislation that could open the door to more widespread legalization and capital inflows?

Shares of cannabis and hemp producer and distributor, Canopy Growth Corporation (CGC), were nearly 80% higher on the DEA's Schedule 3 classification news Tuesday, and the marijuana stock is up nearly 200% in 2024.

2024 growth for marijuana stocks and cannabis ETFs started with news of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recommendation to lower the federal classification of cannabis to Schedule III from Schedule I. This recommendation from HHS would made it harder for the DEA to reject.

From its August 2023 low, the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF (MJ), which is the first ETF to focus on the global cannabis market, is up 50%. The marijuana ETF has not had a positive calendar year return since 2017, with its worst year in 2022 when it fell 60%.

What Is a Schedule 3 Drug?

In the context of drug scheduling in the U.S., substances are categorized into different schedules based on their potential for abuse, medical uses, and overall safety. The schedules are defined under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), a federal law. Schedule 3 drugs are considered to have a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence compared to drugs in Schedules 1 and 2.

Examples of substances that were classified as Schedule 3 drugs in the United States include some combination products containing less than 15 milligrams of hydrocodone per dosage unit (e.g., Vicodin) and products containing not more than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (e.g., Tylenol with Codeine).

Story continues

What Are Cannabis ETFs?

Cannabis ETFs are exchange-traded funds that focus on the cannabis industry. These ETFs provide investors with a way to gain exposure to a basket of stocks related to the cannabis sector, which includes companies involved in the cultivation, production and distribution of cannabis or cannabis-related products.

The holdings of cannabis ETFs may include companies engaged in activities such as cannabis cultivation, processing, pharmaceuticals, ancillary products and other related businesses. This allows investors to participate in the broader cannabis market.

5 Top Cannabis ETFs of 2024 by Performance

Total return as of April 30, 2024. Leveraged ETFs were not considered for our list.

Cannabis Outlook for 2024

The cannabis market in 2024 looks promising, fueled by potential state legalization, product innovation, and increased investment. However, challenges like federal level approval, competition and regulatory hurdles remain. The actual trajectory will depend on the interplay of these factors and unforeseen developments.

Positives

Growth potential: With new states potentially legalizing adult-use cannabis (Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania), the market is expected to continue growing at a significant rate, projected to reach $40 billion in 2024.

Increased investment: As federal prohibition remains a hurdle, investment could shift towards more established state markets, potentially bringing more capital and stability to the industry.

Product innovation: Continued focus on personalized experiences and diverse product offerings (wellness-focused options, craft cannabis) could attract new consumer segments.

Regulatory shifts: While federal legalization might not happen in 2024, rescheduling of cannabis by the DEA or progress on the SAFE Banking Act could open up banking and financial services for cannabis businesses, improving their operating environment.

Challenges

Continued federal prohibition: This creates challenges for interstate commerce, research and banking access, hindering industry growth and innovation.

Competition: As new markets open, competition could intensify, leading to price pressures and potentially impacting business profitability.

Overregulation: Stringent state regulations can burden businesses with compliance costs and limit their operating flexibility.

Public perception: Despite growing acceptance, negative stereotypes and concerns about public health impacts persist, potentially impacting consumer adoption in some regions.

Overall, new legal markets and product innovation could drive growth for cannabis in 2024, but federal issues like prohibition and banking access remain significant hurdles. Competition and regulations also add complexity to the outlook, and investors should expect more price volatility in the coming months.

Always conduct thorough research and consider consulting financial advisors before making any investment decisions related to the cannabis industry.





Permalink |  Copyright 2024 etf.com. All rights reserved
Woman accused of shooting man after luring him to Baton Rouge parking garage for sex

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)  A woman was charged in connection with a shooting that took place at a parking garage in Baton Rouge.

Latoria Matthews, 23, was charged with attempted 2nd degree murder and illegal use of a weapon.

Matthews is accused of meeting a 24-year-old man for sex and then shooting him at the LaSalle parking garage, 526 Lafayette St. on Sunday, April 7. BRPD said the shooting happened at approximately 7:45 p.m.

According to BRPD, Matthews picked the victim up after meeting on Instagram, and then they made their way to the parking garage.

BRPD said, as the victim prepared to have sex with Matthews, she shot him multiple times.

Baton Rouge teen arrested, charged after involvement in South Carolina school threat

The man was able to get away and ask for help. He sustained gunshot wounds and was taken to a local hospital. BRPD said the injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Matthews left the garage and was located in Houston. She was extradited from there to Baton Rouge and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

Latest News

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to BRProud.com.
A woman and her toddler were victims of an armed robbery at a Ceres business Tuesday morning but were unharmed, police reported.

At about 8:45 a.m., the Ceres Police Department got a call reporting the robbery at Stanislaus Towing Services, 1307 Angie Ave.

According to a department news release, two men entered the business and demanded money. One of the men had a handgun.

A female employee and her 3-year-old child were in the office at the time of the robbery. She was forced to open the safe and then had her hands bound with tape.

When the suspects saw the safe contained no money, they fled. She was able to free herself and called police, Ceres Police Department spokesman Sgt. Dirk Nieuwenhuis told The Bee.

This case is at the beginning stages of the investigation, the news release says. We have not determined if this business was randomly selected or was specifically targeted. We have not had any issues in this general area.

The area is just northwest of Mitchell and East Hatch roads.

Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to contact Detective Matthew Berlier at 209-538-5616.
Woman reports being strangled, sexually assaulted outside near Charlotte greenway: CMPD

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A woman reported she was sexually assaulted outside near a greenway in Charlotte, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

The incident happened around 4:20 a.m. on Tuesday outside at 700 S Kings Drive, which is near Midtown Park Greenway.

Queen City News is tracking CRIME in your area  >> Latest stories here

Documents detail a 39-year-old woman was sexually assaulted and strangled by an unknown person. She also lost consciousness at the location.

Police did not say if there are any people of interest or if any arrests have been made, but this is an active investigation.

This is a Developing Story . Check back for updates

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Womans torso washed up on a Florida beach in 80s. The hunt for her killer continues

Body parts kept washing up on the shoreline near the Rickenbacker Causeway.

First, a womans torso was found. Then her head, leg and left arm.

This was 1980s Miami. Mutilated bodies and parts were distinctive identifiers of the Cocaine Cowboy era. It was a violent time in the Magic City, and the gruesome discovery may have resembled yet another drug deal gone bad.

But things turned out differently. Investigators would come to learn decades later that a man murdered his wife in front of their young daughters  before making two of them help get rid of the body. Adding to the trauma: the daughters, then ages 7 and 4, say they also watched him kill their younger sister a short time later.

Miami-Dade police say Jorge Walter Nunez Paz killed his wife, Nilsa Padilla, near Virginia Key, Florida, in 1985, later chopping her body into pieces and dumping the parts into Biscayne Bay. Her remains and those of an unidentified man washed up on beaches around the Miami bay during the next few days. Before Padillas body was identified decades later, the victims were known to police as Tommy and Theresa Torso.

Now, this cold case, buried deep in Miamis past, has resurfaced as one of the living daughters pursues a long-standing quest to track down her fugitive father, Jorge Walter Nunez Paz, after police ran out of leads.

At the Miami-Dade Police Departments headquarters in Doral, Gloria Hampton, 43, who was 4 at the time of the murders, told reporters Tuesday that she wants to see her dad in a courtroom facing a judge for dismembering her mother, 36-year-old Nilsa Padilla, and slaughtering her 3-year-old baby sister, Alicia Guzman Padilla.

Im hoping that he is alive, that we can find him and bring him to justice, said Hampton.

The torso of Nilsa Padilla, 36, was found inside a bag on the shoreline off the Rickenbacker Causeway on April 4, 1985.

Dismembered body parts in Biscayne Bay

The story behind one of Miamis most abhorrent murders started with a man spotting a green plastic garbage bag near Hobie Island Beach Park off the Rickenbacker Causeway on April 4, 1985.

Inside, Miami-Dade police, then called Metro-Dade, found the decomposing torso of a woman, wrapped in a J.P. Stevens fitted yellow twin bed sheet with a pattern of butterflies and green flowers, according to a story in the Heralds archives. Her head, arms and legs were missing.

The torso of Nilsa Padilla, 36, was found inside a bag on the shoreline off the Rickenbacker Causeway on April 4, 1985.

Over the next five days, a mans head and right leg were recovered in the same area, along with the womans thigh, head, legs and left arm. Fishermen had discovered the mans headless, naked torso floating in Biscayne Bay close to Virginia Keys Seaquarium. Investigators, while trying to identify the corpses, nicknamed them Tommy and Theresa Torso.

As the years and decades passed, their bodies remained nameless. To this day, the mans remains have not been identified and no one has been charged for his murder.

I just needed someone to listen

It was not until July 2010 that  after reconnecting with her mothers side of the family  Hampton called Miami-Dade Police Departments Cold Case Unit to report that her father had killed her mother in the Key Biscayne area. Hampton said she got the impression that officers thought she wasnt telling the truth.

I felt it in my heart they didnt believe me, she said. I just needed someone to listen.

Hampton said she saw Nunez Paz beat her mother with a bag that had beer bottles inside.

I remember this army green-colored duffle bag that he was trying to stuff her body into, Hampton said. And I remember digging and helping him dig.

Hampton said she remembers her father trying to fit her mothers body into the hole they had dug before dumping it into the bay in 1985.

Nilsa Padilla holds her oldest daughter in an undated photo.

As the investigation ensued in 2011, Hampton and her half-sister detailed to police how they watched Nunez Paz kill their youngest sister, Alicia, over an uneaten cereal bowl shortly after their mothers death. He subsequently discarded the little girls body in a dumpster, Hampton said.

But by the time a judge issued an arrest warrant against Nunez Paz in June 2012 for the murder of Padilla, he had already been deported to Peru in 2004, according to police.

Nearly half a century after the brutal slayings, police are asking the public to provide any information on Nunez Pazs whereabouts  admitting to the possibility that the murder suspect could be dead. If he were still alive, police say he would be 75.

Gloria Hampton, right, and her older sister look at the camera at Annes Beach in Isla Morada, Florida, in the mid-80s.

Pattern of sexual abuse?

While giving statements to investigators in 2011, Hampton and her half-sister, the 7 year old, recounted how Nunez Paz sexually abused them throughout their childhood. The half-sister told the police that she had informed her mother about the abuse sometime before she was killed and that she recalled her mother being very upset.

But it was the testimony from one of her half-sisters friends that put Nunez Paz in handcuffs. The girl told her parents that Nunez Paz sexually abused her at their Florida Keys home in March 1989. Soon after, Hampton said Monroe County Sheriffs Office deputies began investigating.

Nunez Paz pleaded guilty later that year to a count of sexual battery and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison, followed by five years of probation. At that point, Padillas body had not been identified; nobody had reported her nor her little girl Alicia missing.

Jorge Walter Nunez Paz looks at the camera with his daughter Gloria Hampton, left, and his stepdaughter, right, at Annes Beach in Isla Morada, Florida, in the mid-80s.

Hampton, then 9 years old, says she informed a Florida Department of Children & Families worker about the sexual abuse her and her half-sister were subjected to at the hands of Nunez Paz  in addition to witnessing the slayings of their loved ones. Hampton and her half-sister eventually entered the foster care system.

They knew everything that had happened, she underscored.

However, Miami-Dade Police Detective Jonathan Grossman contends the Department of Children and Families did not find any record documenting what Hampton said she told the worker.

Gloria Hampton explains where she sat in the RV the day she witnessed her father kill her mother during a press conference in the hopes of finding her father, who allegedly killed her mother in front of her and potentially her sister, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at Miami-Dade Police Department Headquarters in Doral. Hamptons mother, Nilsa Padilla, was murdered and dismembered in 1985.

Where is Nunez Paz?

After matching Hampton and her mothers DNA, a warrant was issued for Nunez Pazs arrest in 2012. Nine years later, it was amended to include the murder of 3-year-old Alicia and sexual abuse.

Nunez Paz faces two counts of second-degree murder for the killings of his wife and daughter. Hes also charged with seven counts of capital sexual battery for the alleged abuse of his daughter and stepdaughter.

Detective Jonathan Grossman, left, from Miami-Dade Police Department, and Gloria Hampton hold a press conference in the hopes of finding Hamptons father, who allegedly killed her mother in front of her in 1985 and potentially her sister, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at Miami-Dade Police Department Headquarters in Doral. Hamptons mother, Nilsa Padilla was murdered and dismembered in 1985.

For at least 25 years, Nunez Paz has gone by aliases Jorge Walter Nunez and Raphael Guzman. He last resurfaced in 2020 on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, where hes believed to still reside. Additionally, investigators noted Nunez Paz has connections in Miami, the Florida Keys, New Jersey and the Boston area.

A reward of up to $5,000 is offered for tips leading to his arrest.

Jorge Walter Nunez Paz, 75, is wanted for the murders of his wife, 36-year-old Nilsa Padilla, and one of their daughters, 3-year-old Alicia Guzman Padilla in 1986 Miami-Dade County, Florida. Nunez Paz could be living on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department.

At Tuesdays press conference, Hampton reiterated that shes looking forward to the day when police call her with the news that her abusive father has been captured.

Why should he walk free? Hampton questioned. What gives him that right? Why cant he pay for what he did?

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Nunez Paz or has information on the murders is asked to call Detective Jonathan Grossman of the Miami-Dade Police Department Homicide Bureau at (305) 471-2400. To submit an anonymous tip and potentially receive a reward, tipsters are encouraged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477) or 1-866-471-8477, or visit crimestoppers305.com.
International Court of Justice on Tuesday ruled against acting against Germany in a case brought before the tribunal by Nicaragua. File Photo by International justice of Court/UPI

May 1 (UPI) -- The World Court on Tuesday handed Germany a partial victory, rejecting an effort by Nicaragua to halt military exports from the European nation to Israel, though it would not throw out the case entirely.

Nicaragua in mid-March initiated the proceedings against Germany on accusations that it was aiding Israel's alleged genocide of Palestinians and was seeking the International Court of Justice in the Hague to order Berlin to suspend its military and other assistance to Israel as well as resume funding the United Nations relief agency for Palestinian refugees.

Arguments were heard over two days earlier this month, with the 16-judge panel in The Hague ruling 15-1 Tuesday against Nicaragua's request.

The court said in its ruling that "the circumstances, as they now present themselves to the court, are not such as to require the exercise of its power."

Nicaragua accused Germany of violating its obligations under international law over its arming of Israel, pointing to its roughly $354 million in arms and other military equipment deals it made with the Middle Eastern country last year.

Germany retorted during the hearings that it is guided by international humanitarian law and that Nicaragua has "grossly" distorted the purpose and quantity of its military exports to Israel, stating that they were "defensive in nature."

The court agreed with Berlin, noting in its ruling that Germany has only granted four licenses for so-called war weapons to Israel since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, with three of them being for training ammunition and propellant charges for test purposes. Other requests of Germany from Israel have either not been considered or on hold, with 98% of other licenses granted since the war began being for "other military equipment" and not weapons of war.

"Germany's framework governing exports of military equipment appears robust, and Nicaragua has not shown that Germany's conduct will give rise to any real and imminent risk of irreparable prejudice before the court gives its final decision," Judge Yuji Iwasawa said in a separate opinion on Tuesday.

Concerning payments to UNRWA, the court found that funding the organization is voluntary, that Germany had no new payments due in the weeks following its Jan. 27 announcement to suspend funding and that Berlin has supported other initiations to aid Palestinians.

Germany's foreign ministry said it welcomes the court's decision.

"No one is above the law. This guides our foreign policy actions every day," it said in a statement. "Germany is not a party to the conflict in the Middle East -- on the contrary: we are working day and night for a two-state solution as a foundation for a just peace for Israelis and Palestinians."

The judges, however, also ruled that it cannot agree with Germany's request to remove the case from the court's docket, meaning hearings will continue on allegations of Germany being complicit in Israel's genocide -- accusations that Berlin has rejected.

In the ruling, court president Nawaf Salam pointed to another of its cases, one brought against Israel by South Africa, in which the judges ruled late January for the Middle Eastern country to end atrocities in Gaza, though it stopped short of calling for its military campaign to end.

Salam said the court "remains deeply concerned about the catastrophic living conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."

He also said the ruling states that all parties are under to obligation to uphold the Geneva Conventions laws of war.
FORT MOORE, Ga. (WRBL)  Fort Moore officials, U.S. Army armor soldiers and international armor specialized soldiers gathered at the Harmony Church Gate. In only a few minutes, it would be the Harmony Church Gate no more, redesignated in the name of a notable soldier.

The redesignation is one in a series of redesignations which began in November of 2023. At the start of Armor Week on April 29, it was only fitting that the Harmony Church Gate to post was redesignated for a formidable WWII tank crew commander.

He instilled the high standards of performance for the soldiers. He strove to understand his platform, said Brig. Gen. Michael Simmering, Commandant of the U.S. Army Armor School, based at Fort Moores Maneuver Center of Excellence.

Simmering was describing Lafayette G. Pool, who was drafted into the Army in 1941 and became a part of the Third Armored Division at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. Pool later came to be known as the tank Ace of Aces and War Daddy.

Armor Week: Fort Moore to host top armor teams for Sullivan Cup

By the end of his career in the military, Pool was a Chief Warrant Officer Second Class. He was an armor instructor, teaching Abrams and Bradley mechanics.

Those at the ceremony acknowledged him to be one of the best tankers to ever live.

My husband recently asked me what kind of man can be called War Daddy, by the U.S. Military and by his tank crew and be known and respected for all that fierce dedication and fighting spirit, said Christie Reichman, Pools biological granddaughter and adoptive daughter, who was present at the ceremony.

She described a man who was not just a skilled soldier, but a loving father. Reichman remembered Pool taking off his prosthetic leg to scare her friends and teaching her to dance, despite a limp, so she wouldnt be left out at the dance.

Yes, hes a soldier, Reichman said. But he was also a teacher and a preacher  he always served.

The Harmony Church Gate to Fort Moore became the Pool Access Point on April 29. (Olivia Yepez)

Lafayette G. Pool was known as the tank Ace of Aces and War Daddy for his service during WWII. (Fort Moore)

Simmering remarked Pools leadership and teaching reflected the missions of Armor School instructors today. The combination of his teaching and distinguished military career, including a Distinguished Service Cross for actions during WWII, made him a top contender when it came to renaming a main access point for Fort Moores Armor soldiers.

It was an inspiration to see everybody here. I didnt know what it was going to be like. I was nervous, worried about it  and I wasnt sure how things were going to turn out, Reichman said, but it turned out kind of being motivational for me too.

For Reichman, who grew up at Fort Sam Houston and travelled from Montana for the ceremony, being in a crowd of current military members and veterans felt comfortable and familiar.

It was like coming home, she said, remembering Pool.

A CLOSER LOOK: Inside identifying unknown soldiers of the Korean War

Members of the U.S. Army Brotherhood of Tankers were also invited to the ceremony. The Brotherhood of Tankers said it was an honor to come out to the ceremony while they were on post for the Sullivan Cup and Armor Week.

We celebrate Chief Pool in our own organization as the epitome of what a tanker is, so we were very honored to be invited to the gate renaming, said David Nich, the National Commander of the U.S. Army Brotherhood of Tankers.

He added, I am fortunate enough to be a tanker  were here to serve.

The Harmony Church gate at Fort Moore Is the main access point for Armor soldiers, including tankers like Pool.

From now on, those coming to train, teach and work at Fort Moore will know the gate by his name.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.
The time has long gone to claim that Xi would never make the mistake of invading Taiwan - CHINA DAILY/Reuters

Xi Jinping has benefited in many ways from Vladimir Putins brutal invasion of Ukraine, not least in his single most important personal goal: to go down in history as the Chinese leader who annexed Taiwan in defiance of the West.

Xi has seen what Western sanctions on a brutal aggressor amount to. He has spent the last two years sanction-proofing the Chinese economy by all means possible, doubling down on transactional relationships with his cronies in the so-called Global South, securing massive supplies of oil and gas and  most recently  buying up gold on a scale that is astonishing even by Chinese standards.

How should the West understand his tactical purposes in all of this, and more importantly, what is the strategic context?

First, lets consider the gold. In the last 17 months alone, Chinas declared gold reserves have soared by 17pc to nearly 73 million troy ounces, currently worth $170bn (135bn). There are other indications of additional large-scale purchases off-grid as well. Concurrently, Chinas foreign exchange reserves have been built up to their highest level since 2015.

All in all this looks like a war chest, intended to be proof against harsh Western sanctions which, following the Ukraine model, would likely follow a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

The time has long gone  however fashionable it was once in some Western circles  to claim that Xi would never make the mistake of invading Taiwan. The idea was that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would struggle to achieve a victory; that it would cost too much blood and treasure for the fragile regime to survive, even if escalation into regional or global conflict did not result.

Pundits lined up to point out that though Xi had ordered his armed forces to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, this should not be read as implying the intention of doing so.

Xi Jinping may well have reached a similar conclusion based on ground truths five years ago. But following the surge of competitive tension with the US and the West, access to cheap Russian energy on a virtually limitless scale since the West cut down its imports, Western weakness on Ukraine, and the chance to manipulate relations with Iran and other cronies to its favour, Xi has adopted a more resilient and implacable strategy.

This approach is embedded in the notion of combat readiness, a phrase Xi employs with increasing regularity in public statements. This is much more than military capability  it is a new way of describing the Chinese military concept of war without limits. The concurrent aims of combat readiness go far beyond even victory over Taiwan, encompassing the notion of triumph in an existential Marxist struggle against all Chinas opponents and rivals, and the dawn of a new era in which China will be the dominant world power.

By watching Putin's Russia, Xi has seen what Western sanctions on a brutal aggressor amount to - SPUTNIK/REUTERS

A quick survey of current Chinese geostrategic activity suggests that this process is well under way. In the kinetic sphere, China is moving rapidly towards doubling its stockpile of nuclear warheads from around 500 to 1,000 by 2030, with the aim of reaching 1,500 as soon as it can thereafter. Even if China decouples from its current de facto military alliance with Russia against the West, this agenda is clearly intended to overthrow the balance of nuclear power in favour of authoritarian states.

Chinas militarisation of space, too, in particular anti-satellite capabilities, already risks outstripping the capabilities of the US and its allies. New missile technologies now in Chinese production are potential game-changers in regard to control of regional and international maritime space. In combination, it is likely that Chinas WMD doctrine no longer excludes willingness, not far in the future, to face down the West in the event of a slide towards open hostilities.

While Chinas economic strategies have failed to revive domestic growth to the levels deemed safe for regime stability, Xi appears to be willing to risk this decline as long as social stability can be enforced by repressive digital and other public order measures.

He is doubling down on trusted foreign suppliers of vital raw materials for industry, energy and food, while continuing unchecked to plunder endangered natural resources across the world, including much of the Pacific, Polar regions and the Southern Ocean. Energy security is being consolidated by increased land-based imports from Russia and Central Asia, with some major contracts signed for up to 30 years.

Chinese exports of renewable energy technologies are better understood as an extension of strategic influence than commitment to tackling climate change. Chinas favourable balance of trade in economic interconnection with the West has similar political ramifications, as is clear in the case of Germany.

Chinese exports of renewable energy technologies are best understood as an extension of strategic influence - Andrea Verdelli/Bloomberg

Hard as it is to confront this many-faceted reality, Chinas hybrid espionage, disinformation, influence and cyber conflict with the West is well under way, with the dual aim of intelligence collection and establishing means to inflict pre-emptive paralysis and havoc on opponents defence infrastructure, energy infrastructure and social order in advance of armed hostilities.

That is why this war chest matters. It is there, like Beijings hypersonic missiles and nuclear weapons  not to enable an attack on Taiwan at a chosen date, but to ensure that with the balance of power changing in Chinas favour, it will not be needed.

Xi is betting on political disarray and disunity among the US and his Western allies  as displayed in Ukraine  and if his plans go ahead unchecked, he will be able to absorb Taiwan without a fight. That, not futile second-guessing of the date of Xis invasion plans, is the geostrategic challenge that China now poses to an already fragmented, poorly led and introspective Western alliance.

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By David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will make the argument on Friday that strong democratic institutions -- including an independent Federal Reserve -- are a key foundation for sustained and shared growth and prosperity, according to excerpts of remarks released by the Treasury.

Yellen, in an address to the McCain Institute's Sedona Forum in Arizona, will say that rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021 put democracy under threat, "spurred by a lie," according to the excerpts released on Wednesday.

"Undercutting democracy undercuts a foundation of sustainable and inclusive growth," Yellen will say in the remarks.

The speech, at a Republican-founded institution in the important election battleground state of Arizona, is expected to be among Yellen's most political addresses as Treasury secretary.

It is significant in that she will stray from promoting President Joe Biden's economic policies into a key argument that his campaign is making against Republican rival Donald Trump: that Trump put democracy at risk by egging on the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters at the end of his presidential term and is likely to further erode institutions if elected to a second term.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Trump allies are drafting proposals that would attempt to erode the Federal Reserve's independence and give Trump more influence over the central bank if he wins in November.

Yellen will make a plug for maintaining Fed independence in her speech.

"As Chair of the Federal Reserve, I insisted on the Feds independence and transparency because I believe it matters for financial stability and economic growth," Yellen will say, according to the excerpts.

"Recent research has been consistent with my belief: It has shown that greater central bank independence is associated with greater price stability, which contributes significantly to long-term growth."

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
New York businessman pleads guilty to attempting to sell drone parts to Russia despite sanctions

A New York businessman pleaded guilty to attempting to sell more than $250,000 worth of sensitive dual-use goods to sanctioned Russian entities, the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Public Affairs said on April 30.

Despite extensive Western sanctions aimed at stifling Russia's arms production, Moscow continues to obtain sensitive dual-use goods through third-party countries, smuggling, and other illicit schemes.

Nikolay Grigorev, a 36-year-old Brooklyn resident, pleaded guilty to shipping components to companies affiliated with the Russian military. Co-defendants Nikita Arkhipov and Artem Oloviannikov remain at large, the statement read.

"In pleading guilty today, the defendant admitted he conspired to smuggle over $250,000 worth of sensitive American drone technology to Russian companies fueling (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's unlawful war against Ukraine," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

"Swift action by agents and prosecutors unraveled a web of fake orders and wire transfers to prevent over 11,500 electronic components from making their way to the Russian war machine."

According to the indictment, Grigorev used a Brooklyn-based entity, Quality Life Cue LLC (QLC), to facilitate the scheme. Through QLC, the three defendants procured components for Russia-based companies  namely the sanctioned SMT-iLogic  involved in the production of drones for the war effort in Ukraine, according to U.S. authorities.

Between Oct. 22, 2021, and Feb. 22, 2022, Grigorev's accounts allegedly received payments from SMT-iLogic totaling around $272,830. The suspects' email communication reveals intent to circumvent U.S. sanctions, for example, through front companies in third countries, like Kazakhstan.

A search of Grigorev's residence in June 2023 uncovered over 11,500 electronic components awaiting illegal export to Russia. Grigorev was arrested on Nov. 1, 2023, and faces up to five years in prison.

The U.S. government imposed fresh sanctions against SMT-iLogic last September for its role in supplying drone technology components used in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Read also: Opinion: A look at the drone arsenal Russia uses against Ukraine

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By Davide Barbuscia and Ross Kerber

NEW YORK/BOSTON (Reuters) -A pension fund for New York City employees urged BlackRock's shareholders to vote against the election of Saudi Aramco's chief executive as director, citing potential conflicts of interest around the asset manager's decarbonizing strategy as well as human rights concerns.

The world's top asset manager BlackRock named Amin Nasser, the chief of the world's largest oil company Saudi Aramco as an independent director last year.

On Wednesday, the Comptroller of the City of New York Brad Lander wrote in a securities filing on behalf of the New York City Employees Retirement System that BlackRock's shareholders should vote against the election of Nasser at BlackRock's annual meeting on May 15.

"We believe that potential conflicts of interest compromise Nasser's ability to provide independent oversight, both in general, and particularly concerning BlackRocks decarbonization strategy," he wrote. BlackRock manages about $19 billion on behalf of the New York City Employees Retirement System, which has $43 million invested in the asset manager.

In a statement sent by a representative, BlackRock said Nasser is "clearly independent" under New York Stock Exchange listing standards.

"As a leader of a large publicly traded energy company in the strategically significant Middle East region, Mr. Nasser brings to the Board extensive expertise and insight into corporate operations, risk management and the energy transition, as well as an experienced outlook on international business strategy," BlackRock said.

Aramco did not immediately comment.

BlackRock has been strengthening its ties with Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, BlackRock said it would launch a new investment platform, backed by up to $5 billion from the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund.

BlackRock has a relatively large board with 16 people currently nominated for election at its shareholder meeting set for May 15. The company has faced questions over the size of the board in the past but its directors easily won re-election last year.

For this year top proxy advisors Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis had both recommended votes for all of BlackRocks nominees, although they suggested investors vote "against" the pay of CEO Larry Fink over process and performance concerns.

BlackRock has been under fire from U.S. Republican politicians for its concerns about climate change, although it continues to invest in fossil fuel companies. When Nasser was first named to the companys board of directors last year it was seen as possibly dampening the Republican criticism.

Story continues

"Nasser and BlackRock have broadly divergent interests with respect to the need for decarbonization," the New York pension fund said on Wednesday.

"Nasser has a vested interest in  and is an outspoken vocal advocate for  the expansion of fossil fuels," which conflicts with BlackRock's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it said.

In Wednesday's filing the New York City pension fund said Nasser could not be seen as genuinely independent of BlackRock given a 2022 gas pipeline deal which involved the asset manager and the company, as well as a 2023 bond issuance linked to that acquisition.

The filing also mentioned human rights concerns, saying oil giant Saudi Aramco is "implicated in one of the largest alleged climate-related breaches of international human rights," which would pose reputation risks for BlackRock and its shareholders.

It referred to a letter of concern sent by U.N. experts last year to Aramco saying its expansion of fossil fuel production and ongoing exploration threatened human rights.

"Considering these factors, Nassers continued presence on BlackRocks Board poses a reputational risk to company culture, as well as to the Board and shareholders," the filing said.

(Reporting by Davide Barbuscia and Ross Kerber; Editing by Josie Kao)
Climate change is pushing some New York City neighborhoods into dozens of nearly daylong blackouts per year, a new study has found.

Large swaths of the states principal towns and cities faced repeated, protracted and dangerous weather-driven power outages between 2017 and 2020, according to findings published Wednesday in the Public Library of Science.

The risk to the grid is rising as more frequent extreme weather knocks down power lines, damages transformers and threatens the stability of the grid, said first author Nina Flores, a doctoral student at Columbias Mailman School of Public Health.

Understanding what communities are most affected by these outages can help policymakers shore up the electrical system and prepare contingency plans, she said.

Researchers found that several neighborhoods in Queens had more than 100 outages over the three-year period: 147 in Jamaica, 138 in Flushing and 104 in Richmond Hills.

Other cities had dozens of outages: 48 in Lewisboro, near the Connecticut state line; 42 in Flower Hill, on Long Island; 38 in Boston, south of Buffalo. Small towns in counties like Nassau, Hamilton and Westchester had 20-30 outages.

Average outages in New York City were dramatically longer than average outages in rural areas: about 20 hours in Staten Island or Queens, compared to 18 hours in other major cities in the state and about 12 hours in small towns.

Flooding and extreme levels of rain, hail or snow were the primary causes of outages, researchers found.

The scientists also noted that these outages are more than an inconvenience. If they coincide with heat waves or cold snaps, these outages can harm or kill residents  and at all times, they endanger the lives of people dependent on elevators or electric medical devices.

While the energy transition helps reduce climate risk over the long term, over the short term it can make these risks worse, said senior author Joan Casey of the University of Washington.

Thats because a move to electric energy  and away from climate warming but more weather-resilient home heating methods like gas  will make more people reliant on electricity for heating, cooking, and transit, she said.

The solution, Casey argued, was targeted improvements in these regions  in particular, spending on solar-power battery backups.

Scientists argued that the combination of solar power and batteries helps avoid one major risk of blackouts  the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning from use of home generators, which killed at least 20 people during Texass multi-day blackout in 2021.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Lena Gestel has a packed schedule for anyone, let alone a 15-year-old. In addition to her academic studies, the 10th grader studies singing and piano and attends the Dance Theatre of Harlem four days a week, a 30-minute drive from her home in Queens.

That kind of itinerary would be nearly impossible for Gestel at any traditional high school, which is why she chose to attend A School Without Walls, a first-of-its-kind hybrid program in New York City that blends in-person and remote learning.

I do a lot of other stuff, so I thought it was easier than going to another school and being extremely exhausted and late with work, Gestel said.

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While hybrid learning might still hold negative connotations for many students and families after years of COVID-19-disrupted schooling, leaders at SWoW say their model reimagines the hybrid structure for a truly student-centered program  allowing students like Gestel to follow their passions while still mastering rigorous academics. Its the first public school to win approval from New York State for a hybrid learning model.

The hybrid schedule is really not meant for students who just dont want to be in a building every day, SWoW principal Veronica Coleman said. The goal of the hybrid schedule is for students to have flexibility so that they do real-world learning.

Learning Inside and Outside the Classroom

SWoW launched in 2022 in partnership with NYC Outward Bound Schools, a nonprofit that supports a network of public schools that incorporate an expeditionary learning model through project-based curricula. Its also part of Imagine NYC Schools, a dynamic partnership between New York City Public Schools and the XQ Institute to design innovative, high-quality schools with equity and excellence at their core.

Through support and funding from New York City Public Schools, XQ and the NewSchools Venture Fund, SWoW designed its program to emphasize youth voice and choice  one of six research-based XQ Design Principles.

Students were deeply involved in shaping the school from the start. SWoW recruited 50 students from other schools across the city during its pilot year to serve as interns and test program ideas, provide feedback on what worked and what didnt and help think through the schools competency-based grading policy (an approach thats been gaining momentum nationally, and which is also championed by XQ).

In place of traditional letter grades, teachers use narrative reports to guide students in developing seven competencies: collaboration, investigation, interdisciplinary connection, analysis, design, communication and reflection. Students receive quarterly progress reports and reflect on their learning through student-led conferences that occur twice yearly.

Weve really tried to amplify student voice and choice, Coleman said. Thats the piece for us that feels like the focus and all of the other pieces fit into that being the center of what were really trying to do.

Students learn in person at the Lower Manhattan campus two to three days a week. The rest of the time is a mix of synchronous and asynchronous online learning and real-world learning, including internships, fieldwork and early college coursework through the City University of New York.

Every Friday, students and staff also meet in an auditorium to discuss whats going well and share their wants and needs, from designing new clubs to giving input on school-wide policies and procedures.

What I like about this school is that you can really communicate with them, Gestel said. If Im feeling really stressed or overworked, they help me balance it out and help me organize.

SWoW borrowed many of its principles from NYC Outward Bound Schools and expanded them within its model. These include Crew, an advisory and community-building time with teams made up of a dozen or so students and an adult. At SWoW, however, Crew is more than an advisory period. Its also where students earn their humanities credits by working on their passion projects  student-led and student-designed research projects that are the core of the SWoW curriculum.

Passion-Driven Projects

Students select a passion project based on a topic that is meaningful to them and their communities. Meaningful, engaged learning is another XQ design principle. Working with their advisor, each pupil creates an individualized learning plan, setting project goals that align with New York State curriculum standards.

In 9th grade, students research a service learning project that can address a broad range of issues, from youth homelessness to the environmental impact of illegal fireworks in New York City. In 10th grade, each student starts a passion project in earnest, formulating a research question through reading materials and interviews with experts in the field, culminating with an internship in the spring to put their learning to the test in the real world. All students will take on full-fledged independent projects by 12th grade and find an internship.

The goal is to build that agency and independence while the students are exploring something they are passionate about, Coleman explained.

For her passion project, 10th grader Gestel is exploring the lack of representation of different body types and skin tones in ballet and how to create a more inclusive dance community. Another 10th grader, Lily Paraponiaris, is researching film restoration and preservation.

SWoW uses a case study framework to model for students what good research looks like. For example, in January they explored a unit on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the countrys history of cobalt mining. In addition to earning their humanities credits, students also figure out the ingredients of high-quality research to apply to their own passion projects.

Students at A School Without Walls give presentations on learning, which are critiqued by fellow students and visitors. Joseph Luna Pisch (right) focused on rising transit fares. (Beth Fertig)

Some students will devote much of their time at SWoW to their passion projects, diving deeply into a topic while exploring it from different angles and applying that knowledge through real-world learning in an internship. But some teens may take longer to land on a subject that is truly meaningful for them, and Coleman said SWoW makes sure that flexibility is built into the curriculum.

The idea is that you go through that cycle of making and doing and reflecting, and that reflection can lead you to say, Im done with this topic, which is totally normal for a teenager, she explained. Or you can continue, but you continue in a way that requires a new avenue of research.

Throughout their projects, students get regular opportunities to present their work to an audience, including an end-of-year presentation of learning, a resource fair where students have the chance to network with potential internship mentors and summer employers, and a mid-year presentation called roundtables where students share their passion projects with outside guests, sharpening not only their research questions but also their public speaking skills. At a roundtable in early 2024, one student gave a presentation exploring the rising cost of public transit fares while another investigated the fashion industrys environmental impact.

Want to learn more about how to inspire high school students with the latest best practices for teaching and learning? Subscribe to the XQ Xtra, a newsletter that comes out twice a month for high school teachers.

Hybrid Learning Post-Pandemic

SWoWs launch hasnt been without bumps along the way  in part because another completely virtual program opened at the same time, causing confusion for students and parents. That program has since been renamed, but figuring out whether hybrid or fully virtual is best for individual students is still a question for families.

Ava Smith, who is in her first year at SWoW, said she likes learning online, but ultimately, the school is not for her.

I just think I like traditional school more, she said. I like the schedule. I feel like here its very mishmashed, and here every day is different.

The school has its own saying: SWoW is for anyone but not for everyone.

I think its been a struggle for us to find the right matches, Coleman said. And I think its going to take a few more years for that to really settle, for people to really know what they are getting when they come to A School Without Walls and a sense that this is right for me and for my child.

While some students like Smith might end up missing the traditional school environment, overall, SW0W students seem happy with the experience. Out of the 60 original 9th graders who started in 2022, 50 returned for year two, with 35 new students joining in 10th grade.

Coleman said those numbers, and what she hears from the students, prove this new kind of high school is needed  not only because of its small community, flexibility and the safe space it offers.

Their families are saying their student was at a big high school and experiencing anxiety, she noted. And they like this model because of the individualization.

Disclosure: The XQ Institute is a financial supporter of The 74.
Democrat Tim Kennedy, a former state senator, won a special election Tuesday in New Yorks 26th District, cutting into an already slim GOP majority in the House of Representatives.

Kennedy defeated his opponent, Republican Gary Dickson, by a wide margin in the deep-blue district, which voted for President Biden by a double-digits margin in 2020.

We need to elect pro-democracy, anti-MAGA candidates all around the country this November, Kennedy said in his victory speech. And it starts here in this room in Buffalo, New York, tonight.

Former Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins, who retired from representing the Niagara Falls-adjacent district in February citing a historically dysfunctional House, shrank the Democratic caucus by one seat.

Congress is not the institution that I came to 19 years ago, Higgins told Buffalo News in November, a month after a historic fight for the speakership. It's in a very, very bad place right now.

Kennedys win puts the House into a 217-213 Republican majority, leaving Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) with just three colleagues to spare in a motion to vacate vote, which Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is set to call next week.

In a Wednesday press conference, Greene, alongside Thomas Massie (R-KY), vowed to motion to throw the speaker out after he passed aid to Ukraine. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) has also previously voiced support for the motion.

Kennedy, who will hold the seat for the remainder of 2024, faces a June 25 primary challenger, Democrat Nate McMurray.
New Zealand not close to decision on joining AUKUS pact, minister says

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters at the U.S. State Department in Washington

By Lucy Craymer

WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealands government is continuing "information gathering discussions" on future cooperation with the AUKUS security pact but is "a long way" from being able to make a decision on this, the countrys foreign minister said on Wednesday.

AUKUS is a two-stage defence pact formed in 2021 by the U.S., Britain and Australia as part of efforts to push back against China's growing influence in the Asia Pacific region.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand must better understand the potential opportunities of cooperating with the pact on technologies, weigh up the economic and security benefits, and decide if it is in the national interest.

"The Government is a long way from this point of being able to make such a decision," he said in a speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs in Wellington.

"But we should emphasise that it would be utterly irresponsible for any government of any stripe to not consider whether collaborating with like-minded partners on advances in technology is in our national interest."

The first stage, or "pillar", of AUKUS is designed to deliver nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, while a second pillar is focused on delivering advanced capabilities and sharing technologies across a range of areas.

There is no suggestion that New Zealand, which has a long history of being nuclear-free, would join the first stage.

Peters said before New Zealand could look at participating in Pillar 2, those involved in AUKUS would need to want New Zealand to participate.

"That precondition has not yet been met," he said.

New Zealand has become increasingly vocal about what it sees as growing security risks in the Pacific and more globally.

"Remorseless pressure is being exerted across it as beachheads are sought and influence peddled," he said.

Peters stopped his speech at one point to ask a protestor bearing an anti-AUKUS sign to leave the auditorium. The woman was ultimately dragged out by security.

Domestic critics of joining AUKUS include former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who has warned it would undermine the country's independent foreign policy.

Others have questioned AUKUS' aim of containing China and raised concern about its impact on New Zealand's anti-nuclear status.

Other countries seen as potential Pillar 2 partners in AUKUS are Canada, Japan and South Korea.

(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Sonali Paul)
Illia Vitiuk  the former cybersecurity chief of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) who was suspended from his post following an investigation into his personal finances  was formally dismissed by a presidential decree issued on May 1.

The investigative outlet Slidstvo.Info wrote on April 4 that Vitiuk's family had purchased real estate worth at least Hr 25.5 million (roughly $645,000) in market value.

Vitiuk's wife reportedly 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 National Agency on Corruption Prevention reportedly began monitoring Vitiuk following the revelations.

The outlet said that its journalist who led the investigation, Yevhenii Shulhat, was later targeted by enlistment officers in retaliation. The officers were allegedly accompanied by an SBU officer from Vitiuk's department.

The SBU announced days later that Vitiuk had been suspended and sent to the front while the inquiry into Slidstvo.Info's revelations was underway.

The Prosecutor General's Office announced in early April that it had opened a criminal investigation into possible abuse of office and obstruction of a journalist's professional activities by SBU employees and military enlistment officers following the incident.

This was only the latest incident in what the Ukrainian media view as mounting pressure against the press. In January, Bihus.Info published an investigation that revealed months of surveillance of its team by the SBU's Department for Protection of National Statehood department.

President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the head of this department, Roman Semenchenko, on Jan. 31.

Read also: Recent campaigns against journalists raise concerns about press freedom in Ukraine





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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a meeting during his visit to the Kharkiv region following the devastating Russian attacks. -/Ukrainian presidency/dpa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Ilya Vityuk, a high-ranking official in the SBU intelligence service, amid allegations of corruption.

The decree was published on the Ukrainian president's website on Wednesday without giving a reason.

Vityuk was head of the Security Service of Ukraine's (SBU) cybersecurity department.

Ukrainian media had previously published investigations in which it was reported that Vityuk's wife bought a luxury flat in the centre of Kiev. Vityuk had already been placed on leave before his dismissal.

Zelensky has vowed to pursue a rigorous fight against corruption and misappropriation of state funds. Proof of success in this fight is a prerequisite for his country's EU membership aspirations.

Ukraine is considered one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky was recently forced to resign after being implicated in a corruption case.
Ukraine is working on bilateral security agreements with seven more countries, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on May 1.

Over 30 countries have joined the Group of Seven (G7) Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine so far. The U.K., Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Canada,the Netherlands, Finland, and Latvia have already signed bilateral agreements with Kyiv.

The negotiations with Estonia, Spain, the Czech Republic, and the U.S. are reportedly underway. The third round of talks with Washington was held on April 29, the Presidential Office reported.

Some drafts of security agreements are already prepared, according to Zelensky.

"We are filling the draft agreements with stronger opportunities for Ukraine and for common security with our partners. It is clear that a top priority is given to anything that will provide more protection against Russian terror," the president said.

G7 members presented their plan for long-term security commitments for Ukraine at the NATO summit in Vilnius in early July last year.

Under this plan, individual countries would provide bilateral support to help Kyiv repel the ongoing Russian invasion and deter any future aggression.

The security guarantees would entail explicit and long-lasting obligations, as well as bolster Ukraine's ability to resist Russian aggression. The guarantees would also cover sanctions, financial aid, and post-war reconstruction.

Read also: Can new security agreements forge Ukraines path to victory?

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, has signed a decree about the dismissal of Illia Vitiuk from the office of the Head of the Cybersecurity Department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), whose wife bought an apartment worth more than 20 million hryvnias (around US$516,000) during the war.

Source: decree on the website of the Office of the President of Ukraine

Quote: "Illia Vitiuk shall be dismissed from the post of the Head of the Department of Counterintelligence for Protecting the Interests of the State in the Sector of Information Security of Ukraine."

Background:

Slidstvo.Info investigative journalists discovered that Illia Vitiuks wife purchased an apartment with a market value of over UAH 20 million (around US$516,000), but Vitiuk stated in his tax declaration that the apartment only cost UAH 12.8 million.

On 6 April, the media reported that officials from a military enlistment office had attempted to give a call-up notice to Yevhenii Shulhat, the Slidstvo.Info journalist who worked on the story.

The SSU and the Ministry of Defence, together with the General Staff, said they would look into the information published by Slidstvo.Info regarding the attempts to give a call-up notice to the journalist after he published the investigation into Vitiuk.

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Colstrip power plant in Colstrip, Montana (Photo by Larry Mayer/Getty Images).

Montana Republicans displeasure with new standards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency forcing coal-fired power plants like Colstrip to reduce their emissions and pollution came to a head Tuesday when Rep. Ryan Zinke, western Montanas Republican congressman, clashed with EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan at a committee hearing.

But Republicans werent the only ones pushing Regan and the EPA for answers this week, as U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, also told Regan on Wednesday that Colstrip needs more flexibility under the rules.

The EPA announced last week four new final rules surrounding coal-fired power plants, including one that would require them to control 90% of their carbon pollution and another that updates mercury and air toxics standards to reduce the emissions limit for mercury by 70% and for other toxic metals, including nickel, arsenic and lead, by 67%.

Regan and the White House lauded the updates to the standards as a way to protect communities from pollution and as part of their effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while trying to push power companies to use more clean energy.

The rules note that Colstrip has the only two coal-fired units in the country that do not use modern technology  electrostatic precipitators and fabric filters  to control its particulate matter emissions, has struggled to meet existing standards, and is the only facility where the EPA estimates the current controls would be unable to meet a lower (filterable particulate matter) limit.

The EPA estimates the new standards will, by 2028, reduce emissions of fine particulate matter by 770 tons, reduce mercury emissions by 1,000 pounds, and stop thousands of other tons of greenhouse gases from being sent into the atmosphere.

Colstrip Power Plant (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan).

Montana environmental groups cheered the updated standards, saying they will force Colstrip to meet pollution levels already being met by most other plants and cut down on the amount of toxic emissions released by the plant.

Montanas top Republican officials, already unhappy with efforts to change the states energy sources and most climate-related policies attempted or implemented by the Biden administration, quickly last week called the rules an attack on Colstrip and Montanas energy industry.

So did NorthWestern Energy, the monopoly energy company that currently holds about 15% of the plants 1480-megawatt capacity but will double that in 2026 when it acquires Avistas ownership stake.

NorthWestern Energy CEO Brian Bird said the new rules threaten the companys ability to continue generating power for Montanans during the winter and would increase its costs, which would be passed on to customers. The company said it was considering ways to challenge the standards.

The inability to utilize Colstrip in the time frames contemplated by these rules will likely push our already stressed transmission system beyond its capability to import enough power to serve customers during critical periods. The reality is there may not be supply available to import for our Montana customers during critical times, Bird said in a statement. The EPAs decision puts reliable energy service at the most affordable rates at risk for our Montana customers, as well as the entire region.

Gov. Greg Gianforte called the new standards another part of what he says is Bidens war on affordable and reliable energy. Based off a report from NorthWestern Energy, the governor has said that shutting down Colstrip would cost Montanans $55 million a year for the next 20 years.

The standards also received pushback from Montanas Republican officials in Washington, Sen. Steve Daines, Zinke and Rep. Matt Rosendale, who likewise called the plan unrealistic and an attack on Montana.

Regan says Colstrip cheating the system in limiting emissions

Zinke continued to press their messaging at Tuesdays House Appropriations Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing, peppering Regan with quick questions and cutting him off several times as he tried to answer, and repeatedly saying the new standards would cost Montanans another $1,000 a year if Colstrip was not operating its coal-fired stations.

Zinke claimed, without citing where the figure came from, that Montanans family costs have gone up $28,000 under the Biden administration and said the new standards would only add to those costs while China continues to emit more carbon into the atmosphere than any other country.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, presses EPA Administrator Michael Regan on new rules for coal-fired plants in a hearing on April 30, 2024. (Screenshot via U.S. House of Representatives live stream)

U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, presses EPA Administrator Michael Regan on new rules for coal-fired plants in a hearing on April 30, 2024. (Screenshot via U.S. House of Representatives live stream)

He and other Republicans say the administrations efforts to combat climate change are putting the U.S. behind China when it comes to manufacturing while increasing operating costs for American companies and as China continues to have an outsized effect on global emissions.

I think we just disagree with the $1,000 number, and Im not quite sure the underpinning of the $28,000, but our analysis shows that that rule will have, over the years, less than a 1% increase in energy costs, Regan responded.

Zinke said the West is already facing a power grid problem and that Colstrips coal-fired plants are critical to maintaining power in Montana and other states when there is high demand for energy.

When winters become 20 degrees below zero, its a little problem out there. And I can tell you, part of being upset is that D.C. doesnt listen to outside the Beltway, Zinke said. So, when you put regulations that target our No. 1 power producer  and you know that China is producing them all the time, theyre making new Colstrips, theyre the biggest polluter in the world  and yet were focused on Montana and (negative) 20-degree winters, I get concerned.

Regan retorted that the EPA was not targeting Montana and that Colstrip can make the same investments in controlling mercury that states like North Carolina, West Virginia, and North Dakota have.

Regan said Colstrip had been cheating the system and was the highest-emitting facility in the country, and that Montana children deserve the same health protections as those in other states.

Ninety-three percent of the coal facilities in this country have magically figured out how to control mercury at a level that doesnt produce this toxic for our children, Regan said.

He told Zinke that there are four years for energy companies to come into compliance with the rule, and plant officials had told the EPA they planned to be online into the 2040s.

All were saying is if youre going to be online through the 2040s, make the same investments that 93% of facilities in this country have made, Regan said.

Zinke took issue with how Regan characterized the agencys communications with Colstrip about the standards changes and accused the EPA of not listening to the energy producers. He also asked Regan on if he had ever been to Montana to see operations for himself.

You said you were going to invite me in a meeting last year; I did not get an invitation, Regan responded.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan discusses new rules for coal-fired plants in a hearing on April 30, 2024. (Screenshot via U.S. House of Representatives live stream)

EPA Administrator Michael Regan discusses new rules for coal-fired plants in a hearing on April 30, 2024. (Screenshot via U.S. House of Representatives live stream)

Im going to invite you to Colstrip posthaste and you can explain how Colstrip told you they can comply with mercury and they can be in business up to 2040, according to your testimony, Zinke responded.

I didnt say Colstrip said that they would do it, I said that our analysis shows that they can and they need to be, Regan told him. Our analysis shows its a cost-benefit investment, that this is a cost-available technology that 93% of coal plants across this country are going to be shown to comply with this rule. Colstrip is consistently the highest emitter in the country.

But Regans comments about Colstrip cheating the system drew more ire from the Republican members of the congressional delegation. Daines called the statement a reprehensible lie and an attack on Montanans and our Montana way of life. Rosendale called the statement disingenuous.

This is just another example of the EPAs overreach targeting Montanas businesses, economy, and citizens by creating emissions standards that are out of touch with scientific findings and the real-life impact, Rosendale said.

On Wednesday, Tester got his chance to query Regan on the changes as well. He in December told Regan that the EPA needed to consult more with the energy industry before finalizing its rules, and told him Wednesday that it is unrealistic for Colstrip to pay for the changes it would need to make under the new standards when it already has a set depreciation date.

He told Regan Wednesday that since the rule provides for additional flexibilities, he wants to meet with Regan to discuss what those could look like for Colstrip, which Regan said he was amenable to.

[The Administration] just needs to understand that a one-size-fits-all rule doesnt necessarily work all the time, Tester said.

Though the final rules were issued last week, whether they hold up is another story. Several Republican attorneys general have threatened to sue over them, and some members of Congress have threatened to try and undo them through the Congressional Review Act.

But the rules are a key piece of the administrations efforts to transition away from oil, gas and coal-burning energy production that the White House and EPA said would net hundreds of billions in net benefits to public health and the climate.

America is now a magnet for private investment, with hundreds of billions of dollars committed and 270,000 new clean energy jobs created, said Ali Zaidi, the presidents national climate adviser, in a statement. This is how we win the future, by harnessing new technologies to grow our economy, deliver environmental justice, and save the planet for future generations.

The post Zinke clashes with EPA administrator over new standards for coal plants appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Indiana officials announced that they have detected their first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a deer, marking the 33rd state to record wildlife with the condition, dubbed zombie deer disease because of the strange behaviour of infected animals.

The infected animal in Indiana, a hunter-harvested white-tailed deer taken during deer season in LaGrange County, was found on 5 April, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Currently, there are no management actions that have been shown to cure deer of CWD, prevent deer from getting CWD, stop or significantly slow the spread of CWD, or eradicate CWD from the deer herd, the agency said in a statement. This is especially true of areas like LaGrange County, where we expected to find the disease, based on CWD-positive cases across the border in Michigan.

CWD, first discovered in Colorado in the 1960s, is caused by a misfolded protein called a prion, and impacts the nervous system of deer, elk, and moose.

It can cause the creatures to appear lethargic, move in an off-balance way, and drool excessively. Animals with CWD frequently become emaciated and die.

The US CDC advises hunters to avoid deer that are sick, already dead, or exhibiting any strange behaviours, and to handle wild game meat with gloves and other sanitary procedures.

It also suggests hunters follow state guidance and use resources to test their meat if possible.

Those in Indiana can call the DNRs Deer Disease Hotline at 844-803-0002 with questions.

CWD, which is contagious between deer and spreads with bodily contact, bodily fluids, and contaminated environments, can remain in the soil of an area for years after it is introduced.

The condition has been spotted in animals in states near Indiana including Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky.

To date, there is no strong evidence for the occurrence of CWD in people, and it is not known if people can get infected with CWD prions, according to the CDC.

Researchers have studied the case of two hunters who ate infected deer meat and later tested positive for a rare and fatal brain disorder, though they concluded more study was needed to establish any potential link.
A Florida county will be one of the first in the nation to dispatch a drone that responds to 911 calls.

On Wednesday, Manatee County was set to launch a new pilot program that uses a drone to deliver a defibrillator,a tourniquet, or naloxone  an opioid-overdose antidote  to emergency scenes. The program is meant to reduce response times for life-threatening situations.

The government program, which has been cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration, is a partnership with Tampa General Hospital and Archer First Response Systems.

This is an amazing opportunity to be on the cutting edge of technology in emergency response, Commissioner Mike Rahn said. We are excited that this first-of-its-kind program is taking flight first here in Manatee County.

The county, which will pay $1 a month for the program, will house the drone at the EMS Lakewood Ranch Station, 10311 Malachite Drive. The county expects the drone to deliver medical supplies in about one minute and 45 seconds to two minutes and 10 seconds.

A 911 dispatcher will send the drone to a caller and walk them through how to use the defibrillator, the tourniquet or the overdose treatment.

New 911 drone program in Manatee County

Unmanned aircraft provide a unique utility in their ability to fly quickly and directly to the scene of an emergency and pose exceptional promise to decrease response times, save lives and improve outcomes, ArcherFRS founder and CEO Gordon Folkes said.

The caller can expect the medical supplies to come with instructions. The defibrillator, which will work on both children and adults, features a video screen that shows how to remove the pads and apply them to a victim. It also has a Spanish mode for callers who do not speak English.

An ambulance with EMS first responders will still respond to the scene, but the drone should allow treatment to begin sooner, officials say.

Were grateful to our partners in Manatee County, and were excited to see this vision come to life, TGH president and CEO John Couris said. With the ability to measure the impact of this program on the community, we can determine how the technology can be used in more scalable, reproducible ways for the broader benefit of our state.

Over the next year, the county, TGH and ArcherFRS will evaluate the programs effectiveness to determine how it can be used to serve more residents across the state.

The county will use the drone from sunup to sundown Monday through Friday in a 3.5-square-mile area. The county, which may receive FAA approval to expand the program as early as August, later plans to use the drone 24/7 in a 35-square-mile area.

Residents who want to learn more about the program can visit www.MyManatee.org/drone.
A rich tapestry of orange and red hues, with swirling clouds of gas and dust. A bright blue hue shines at the center and the entire scene is full of stars. .

Image 1 of 2

The Running Chicken Nebula captured by astrophotographer Rod Prazeres

Image 2 of 2

running man nebula and white circles annotating each of the observing targets.

This stunning view of the Running Chicken Nebula, IC 2944, took astrophotographer Rod Prazeres over 42 hours to capture, his longest project yet.

"The Running Chicken Nebula was quite a challenge to image with such a little scope", Prazeres told Space.com in an email. But Prazeres' perseverance paid off, with him capturing the stellar nursery in exquisite detail.

"This active stellar nursery, not just a visual spectacle but also a site of complex cosmic phenomena, is easily identifiable by its unique avian shape, which has captured the imagination of astronomers and stargazers alike" Prazeres continued.

Related: Astrophoto of the month: 'Devil Comet' delights before leaving our northern sky nights

The Running Chicken Nebula is located in the constellation Centaurus (the Centaur) approximately 6,500 light-years from Earth and and visible only in the Southern Hemisphere.

The vast stellar nursery contains many young stars , all of which emit intense radiation causing the surrounding hydrogen gas to glow in beautiful shades of red. The Running Chicken Nebula is comprised of several regions, each captured in great detail in this image.

"My favourite part of the nebula lies just below  Centauri, where a nebulous formation presents itself with a mesmerizing blend of colours and shapes," said Prazeres. "This area, rich in ionized gases and scattered starlight, offers a breathtaking view that highlights the artistic beauty inherent in the cosmos."

A rusty orange cloud of gas and dust lies below a bright blue star.

Related stories:

 Night sky guide: What you can see in the night sky tonight (maps):

 The brightest planets in the night sky: What you can see (and when)

 How to photograph the Milky Way

The brightest region of the nebula is called IC 2948. It contains dark clumps of opaque clouds known as Bok globules , named after the Dutch-American astronomer Bart Bok, who drew attention to them in the 1940s. This particular set of Bok globules is known as Thackeray's Globules, after their discoverer David Thackeray. Bok globules are key targets for studying the early stages of star formation.

A delicate pastel hue of blue and pink washes over this image stars, like a watercolor painting. There are dark brown fragments spread across the image, these are Bok globules.

While larger Bok globules in calmer conditions can collapse and form new stars, the Thackeray's Globules imaged here are being bombarded with ultraviolet radiation from nearby stars causing them to erode and fragment. They will be destroyed before they get a chance to collapse and form new stars.

Also captured in this Running Chicken Nebula image is NGC 3766, an open star cluster.

a close up view of tightly packed mostly blue and white stars. There are also two bright orange stars shining towards the top and bottom of the cluster.

"Known for its tightly packed stars, NGC 3766 provides a stunning contrast to the diffuse nebulosity surrounding it, showcasing the diversity of astronomical objects in this region," Prazeres said.

In the top left corner of the image is the filamentary shell G296.2-2.8, with faint thread-like structures reaching out across the cosmos.

Diffuse threads of red gas and dust reach out into the cosmos against a backdrop of stars.

Prazeres also captured planetary nebula PK294-00.1 with its distinct circular, symmetrical appearance. "It provides a unique visual contrast to the chaotic formations of the surrounding nebulae", Prazeres continued.

a star packed scene with diffuse regions of red gas and dust spread throughout and a distinct purple circle at the center of the image.

You can find more information about the equipment used and acquisition details in Prazeres' image entry on AstroBin .

Equipment used:

Camera: ZWO ASI174MM Mini and ZWO ASI2600MM Pro

Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II

Mount: Sky-Watcher NEQ6-Pro

Inspired and are thinking about purchasing some new kit? Our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start. Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography, as well as our Astrophotography for beginners guides, will also help you choose the right gear to capture your next stunning space photo.

If you have an astrophoto you'd like to share with Space.com and our readers please send your send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) - An early investor in bitcoins dubbed the "Bitcoin Jesus" has been arrested in Spain on U.S. charges that he evaded paying at least $48 million in taxes, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Tuesday.

Roger Ver, 45, was charged with mail fraud and tax evasion in an indictment filed in federal court in Los Angeles that was unsealed following his arrest in Spain during the weekend, the department said.

The U.S. Supreme Court last year dismissed an unnamed law firm's appeal over court orders holding it in contempt of a grand jury subpoena because it had not released records related to a client matching Ver's description.

Bryan Skarlatos, a lawyer for Ver, said in a statement he was "very disappointed and surprised" by Ver's arrest while traveling in Spain.

"Mr. Ver relied on leading tax professionals to help him report his Bitcoin and he always intended to fully comply with his U.S. tax obligations," Skarlatos said. "We look forward to establishing his innocence in court, if necessary."

Ver, who for a time served as the chief executive of the digital wallet developer Bitcoin.com, began acquiring bitcoins in 2011 and actively promoted the cryptocurrency, earning him the name "Bitcoin Jesus."

In 2014, Ver renounced his U.S. citizenship after becoming a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, which prosecutors said had tax consequences for him.

Specifically, when someone gives up their citizenship, their property is treated as having been sold for its fair market value the day before they renounced their citizenship in a "constructive sale."

Under federal tax law, any gain arising from that "constructive sale" must be accounted for in that tax year.

The day he became a St. Kitts and Nevis citizen, Ver and two companies he owned, MemoryDealers.com and Agilestar.com, held about 131,000 bitcoins that at the time each traded for about $871, valuing them at more than $114 million.

Prosecutors said Ver hired a law firm to help him prepare his expatriation-related tax returns and an appraisal to value his companies, but provided them false or misleading information about how much of the cryptocurrency they in fact owned.

The Justice Department said that as a result, the law firm prepared and filed tax returns that undervalued the two companies and their bitcoins and did not report any owned personally by Ver.

Ver later took possession of the 70,000 bitcoins the two companies owned and sold them for about $240 million in 2017, the indictment said. But prosecutors said he failed to pay taxes he owed on distributions from those two U.S. companies.

The indictment alleged that in total, the Internal Revenue Service was deprived of $48 million in taxes from 2014 to 2017.

The Justice Department has said it plans to seek Ver's extradition.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Josie Kao)
China Releases CGI Video of Moon Base and It Contains Something Very Strange

Bill Blurr

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has shown off a CGI video of its vision of a lunar base, a vastly ambitious plan the country is hoping to realize in a matter of decades.

The showy  albeit dated-looking  render shows plans for the International Lunar Research Station, a Chinese and Russian endeavor that was first announced in 2021.

The video is also raising eyebrows for a bizarre cameo: a NASA Space Shuttle taking off from a launch pad in the distance, as spotted by Space.com.

It's either some next-level humor from the Chinese space program or a hilarious oversight, since the Shuttle has been retired for more than a decade  not to mention that China and NASA aren't even allowed to talk to each other, nevermind collaborate.

As space reporter Jack Kuhr later spotted, the state-run China Global Television Network came up with an equally hilarious fix to hide the Shuttle taking off in the background.

"Boom problem solved," Kuhr tweeted. "CGTN went ahead and slapped an ol' reliable blur bar over the Shuttle."

Challenging Endeavor

NASA retired its workhorse spacecraft in 2011, relying on Russia's Soyuz capsules to staff the International Space Station until the advent of SpaceX's Crew Dragon.

Over decades, the Space Shuttle has become an iconic symbol of space exploration  and likely the most accessible 3D asset of a launching spacecraft to include in a render of a Moon base. NASA's fleet of Shuttles flew a total of 135 missions between 1981 and 2011.

It's an especially ironic inclusion given growing US-China tensions. Just last month, NASA's administrator Bill Nelson took aim at China, accusing its space program of hiding military experiments in Earth's orbit.

But apart from bungling promotional videos, China's space agency has made major headwinds in its efforts to explore space, from successfully landing a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon to building out an entire space station in a matter of just two years.

The country's space agency is currently developing novel ways to construct lunar habitats using bricks made of lunar soil and is pondering whether to set up shop inside ancient lunar lava tubes.

In short, its marketing department may not exactly operate at the cutting edge, but if there's one country that has proven that it can lead the charge in establishing a permanent presence on the lunar surface, it's China.

More on China's Moon base: China Announces Plans to Build Moon Base Using Lunar Soil
An illustration of an expansive moon base featuring several different structures, vehicles and many solar panels.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has released a video of its concept for a lunar base to be developed across the next couple of decades.

CNSA unveiled the video on Wednesday (April 24) as part of the country's annual space day celebrations. The project is known as the International Lunar Research Station ( ILRS ) and was jointly announced in 2021 by China and Russia.

China is now leading the moon base initiative and attempting to attract international partners for the endeavor. So far, alongside China, Russia, Venezuela, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, South Africa, Egypt, Thailand and Nicaragua have joined the initiative, according to Space News.

Related: Not just Artemis: China and Russia plan to put boots on the moon, too

an illustration of an expansive moon base featuring several different structures, vehicles and many solar panels

The video shows a number of missions, including surface sample return operations, a lander and rover, and supporting orbital satellites. These correspond to the planned Chang'e-6 and 7 missions planned for launch next month and in 2027 respectively.

Together with Chang'e-8, these will form a basic model of the ILRS by around 2028. Next will come communications, power generation and other infrastructure, which will be built on and developed into an expansive, inhabited lunar outpost.

The project is envisioned as a comprehensive scientific experimental base which will host interdisciplinary and multi-objective research activities focusing on lunar exploration and utilization, according to Chinese reports. It will be capable of long-term independent operation, either on the lunar surface or in lunar orbit.

an illustration of an expansive moon base featuring several different structures, vehicles and many solar panels

"The moon serves as a starting point, and an international lunar research station will provide a platform for long-term scientific research, work and habitation, paving the way for future human exploration into deeper space. It will serve as a technological, material, and intellectual reservoir, preparing us for future missions to Mars and other distant destinations in space," Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, told China Central Television (CCTV) on Wednesday.

Wu says the ILRS will be constructed in two phases. The first will establish comprehensive scientific facilities with basic functions and essential supporting elements around the lunar south pole by 2035. The second phase will set about building a well-equipped and stable facility of considerable scale by 2045.

One curious detail of the video is the presence of a retired NASA Space Shuttle appearing to lift off from a launch pad in the background.

RELATED STORIES:

 China to launch sample-return mission to the moon's far side on May 3

 Are we prepared for Chinese preeminence on the moon and Mars? (op-ed)

 China releases world's most detailed moon atlas (video)

The shuttle was retired in 2011, NASA is largely prohibited from cooperating with Chinese entities and has its own Artemis Program, while China is also developing its own large and reusable launch vehicles for lunar exploration.

China designated April 24 as its 'Space Day' in 2016 to mark the occasion of the launch of its first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, into space in 1970, and signal the countrys growing ambitions for, and value of, space.
Photo collage of wind turbines, an anemometer, Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica, the outline of Costa Rica and a graphic stamp of an umbrella with raindrops.

For nearly a decade, Costa Rica has generated 99% of its electricity from renewable sources of energy.

In 2015, the Central American nation "made global headlines" when it generated 100% of its electricity from renewable energy for 75 days in a row, said The Verge . "For comparison, the US generates just over 20% of its electricity from renewable sources."

But even Costa Rica's consistent 99% is not "a perfect system", said the technology site. Climate change poses risks to country's power grid and there is "a lot of work left to do to get more solar and wind farms online".

How did Costa Rica achieve this?

Most of Costa Rica's electricity  about 73%  is generated by hydropower, thanks to the country's heavy rainfall, tropical location and natural topography. It also boasts a high concentration of rivers, dams and volcanoes, as well as a small population of only 5.1 million and no major industry. The Reventazon River hydropower dam, inaugurated in 2016, is the largest public infrastructure project in Central America after the Panama Canal.

But the other factor is man-made. A 1949 law, which established the state-run electricity utility Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), said that Costa Rica should develop its natural resources for its electricity supply  and at the time, hydropower was the only source available.

"The secret of this achievement is mainly planning," said Kenneth Lobo Mendez, a director of planning and sustainability in electricity management. In the winter, the country has low wind, but its hydropower plants get "surplus flows". In the summer, there is lower hydropower, so other sources of energy "complement the electricity supply"  mainly wind power.

Having one state energy company, as opposed to multiple smaller private electric utilities, also helps simplify the planning process. ICE "can make a plan for the country", only sell what it needs to, without "interference" from different stakeholders, Lobo Mendez told The Verge.

But there is a "less-than-green truth about Costa Rica's energy use", said The Guardian in 2017, when reports of the country's 271 days of "fossil-fuel free electricity" made their way around the world. The country's demand for oil is increasing, as its population (and the number of cars and its transportation sector) grows. In 2022, 50% of the total energy supply was made up of oil, according to the International Energy Agency . Its heavy reliance on dams also carries an environmental cost, affecting wildlife.

How might climate change threaten its renewable energy sector?

When the weather pattern known as El Nino brought higher temperatures and lower rainfall last year, it gave Costa Rica an inkling of the future impact of climate change. Hydropower reservoirs suffered a 16% reduction in inflow, according to Lobo Mendez, while demand for electricity rose as people used more air-conditioning.

"In the rainy season, our reservoirs normally recover," he said. However, they were "extremely low" in 2023, so the hot season this year will likely be "a little bit complicated".

In the south of the country, rainfall is forecast to increase due to climate change. But "we can't get that rainfall into our system", said Marco Jimenez Chavez, an engineer for ICE. Hydroelectric plants in that region are "not ready to harness that amount of waterfall", he told The Verge.

To prepare, the country must "diversify" the system, so it won't only be reliant on water. Although hydropower will continue to generate "a great percentage" of the country's energy, new sources will be needed: solar power, wind and geothermal  the only renewable source that does not depend on climate variability.

Another option is to rely more on electricity from the regional market of Central American countries, said Lobo Mendez  but those countries are grappling with the same effects of climate change.

"They've also got low hydropower; there's not a lot of resources in the region to share."
In this April 12, 2006, file photo, flags wave near the Chicago Tribune Tower in downtown Chicago. A group of eight U.S. newspaper publishers, including the Chicago Tribune, filed a lawsuit in New York federal court on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, claiming Microsoft and artificial intelligence developer OpenAI broke copyright law by using the newspapers online content to develop AI tools. | Charles Rex Arbogast

A group of eight U.S. newspaper publishers filed a lawsuit in New York federal court on Tuesday, claiming Microsoft and artificial intelligence developer OpenAI broke copyright law by using the newspapers online content to develop AI tools.

The news outlets, which include the Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News and Orlando Sentinel, all owned by investment company Alden Global Capital MediaNews Group, accuse the tech companies of purloining millions of the publishers copyrighted articles without permission and without payment to develop the generative AI platforms that include Microsofts Copilot and OpenAIs ChatGPT.

Defendants have created those GenAI products in violation of the law by using important journalism created by the publishers newspapers without any compensation, the lawsuit reads.

The publishers say Microsoft and OpenAI have grown their respective valuations by tens of billions of dollars thanks to the success of their AI products and are happy to pay for all other aspects of AI development, like facilities, pricey computer chips and talented programmers, but not for the content that makes those platforms smarter.

Despite admitting that they need copyrighted content to produce a commercially viable GenAI product, defendants contend that they can fuel the creation and operation of these products with the publishers content without permission and without paying for the privilege, the complaint reads. They are wrong on both counts, as this lawsuit will prove.

The filing includes a quote from OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman from testimony he offered before the U.K.s House of Lords, in which he touches on the use of modern copyrighted material for AI systems training purposes.

Because copyright today covers virtually every sort of human expression  including blog posts, photographs, forum posts, scraps of software code, and government documents  it would be impossible to train todays leading AI models without using copyrighted materials, Altman said. Limiting training data to public domain books and drawings created more than a century ago might yield an interesting experiment, but would not provide AI systems that meet the needs of todays citizens.

In a statement shared with The Associated Press, OpenAI said it was engaging with news organizations in an attempt to navigate content use issues.

While we were not previously aware of Alden Global Capitals concerns, we are actively engaged in constructive partnerships and conversations with many news organizations around the world to explore opportunities, discuss any concerns, and provide solutions, the statement reads.

Fair use vs. copyright law

Tech companies have argued their use of content available in the public domain is protected under fair use guidelines. Newspapers and other content creators contend that generative AI platforms that have been trained on their material are designed to repurpose and distribute that information without attribution or acknowledgement in a process that not only upends copyright law, but effectively pulls consumer traffic and engagement away from the source providers and leads to revenue losses and brand erosion.

Lawsuits targeting Microsoft and OpenAI for copyright infringement are piling up, with previous filings made by The New York Times, other news publications and some bestselling authors, including John Grisham, George R.R. Martin and Jodi Picoult.

While these legal actions against Microsoft and OpenAI include arguments that point to lack of compensation and/or permissioned use of content, OpenAI, whose technology is also the basis of Microsofts Copilot platform, have struck a handful of deals with news organizations, including The Associated Press, news publishing giants Axel Springer in Germany and Prisa Media in Spain, Frances Le Monde newspaper and, most recently, the London-based Financial Times, per AP.

Microsoft is also a major financial partner of OpenAI, having invested some $13 billion in the company.
The first crewed flight of Boeings Starliner spacecraft is preparing to blast off from Floridas Space Coast next week.

Two astronauts will conduct a test flight aboard the companys spacecraft to approach the International Space Station.

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have been getting ready for the launch and gave an update on Wednesday.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and Starliner spacecraft are scheduled to launch from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:34 p.m. on Monday, May 6.

Read: Where the rubber meets the road: Starliner test flight crew arrives at Kennedy Space Center

Learn more about the NASA astronauts below:

Starliner Pilot Sunita Suni Williams

Sunita Williams has spent 322 days at the International Space Station during Expeditions 15, 16, 32 and 33.

She also completed seven spacewalks since being selected by NASA in 1998.

As a Navy test pilot, she flew the CH-46 Sea Knight and V-22 Osprey.

She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and Florida Tech.

In their spare time, Williams and her husband, Michael, enjoy hiking, working out, working on cars, spending time with their dogs and camping.

Williamss hometown is Needam, Massachusetts

Read: NASA astronauts complete final dress rehearsal before Starliner launch at Kennedy Space Center

NASA and Boeing are counting down to the first crewed launch of the new Starliner spacecraft. The launch will be a flight test for Starliner to prove its ability to launch astronauts to the International Space Station. Veteran NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore recently arrived at Central Florida to begin final preparations.

Starliner Commander Barry Butch Wilmore

Barry Wilmore piloted space shuttle mission STS-129 and commanded Expedition 42 to the International Space Station.

He has spent 178 days in space and completed four spacewalks.

As a Navy officer and pilot, Wilmore flew the F/A-18 Hornet and T-45 Goshawk.

He is a graduate of Tennessee Tech and the University of Tennessee. Wilmore is from Tennessee and has two daughters with his wife.

Read: First Starliner astronauts set to arrive at Kennedy Space Center

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) may have discovered its first free-floating, or "orphaned," planet. That's a planet roaming the cosmos without a star, all alone.

The potential discovery demonstrates that TESS can use a phenomenon first suggested by Albert Einstein over 100 years ago to spot these so-called rogue planets.

Despite the fact that we're most familiar with planets that orbit a parent star (or stars) after discovering over 5,000 exoplanets that exist in such an arrangement, the Milky Way is estimated to be populated with a huge number of free-floating rogue planets, too.

In fact, our galaxy may contain as many as a quadrillion (10 followed by 14 zeroes) rogue planets that have been ejected from their home systems by gravitational interactions with other planets or passing stars. That means these free-floating worlds could vastly outnumber the amount of stars across the Milky Way. Thus, the potential detection of such a cosmic orphan by TESS, which launched in 2018, is a big deal.

Related: The mystery of how strange cosmic objects called 'JuMBOs' went rogue

"We discovered the first signal in TESS data that is consistent with what one would expect from microlensing by a free-floating planet," team co-leader Michelle Kunimoto, a postdoctoral fellow specializing in exoplanet detection at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), told Space.com.

"This was only the first sector we searched through of the 75 that TESS has observed, with each sector corresponding to around 27 days of TESS observations," Kunimoto continued. "Finding something so early was surprising  but really exciting."

Should this signal actually indicate a rogue exoplanet, the team tells Space.com, it would likely be a planet with a mass a few times that of Earth at a distance of no less than 6,500 light-years away.

A little "rogue hunting" help from Einstein

The majority of exoplanets that have been detected thus far have been hinted at thanks to the effect they have on their parent star. This could be a "wobble" in the star's motion caused by an orbiting planet's minor gravitational tug, or a drop in light that happens as an orbiting planet crosses, or "transits," the face of its star.

Without a parent star, however, neither of these methods apply. That's what makes detecting rogue planets so difficult.

"Rogue planets are dark, as you might expect, and they don't orbit any stars, which means the usual techniques for detecting exoplanets dont really work," Kunimoto said.

Fortunately, Einstein's 1915 theory of gravity, better known as general relativity, predicts a phenomenon that can be used to spot these free-floating exoplanets.

Einstein suggests that objects with mass curve the very fabric of space and time, or spacetime, with gravity arising from this curvature. When light passes one of those curved spots in spacetime, its path gets bent. That means light from a background source, say a star or a galaxy, can take different paths around the intervening "lensing" object, thus arriving to an observer's vision at different times.

This phenomenon is called "gravitational lensing," and results in the position of the background source shifting from the perspective of the observer, or appearing in multiple places in the same image.

Two diagrams, the top one shows the true location of a rogue planet and the bottom one shows how gravitational lensing changes the apparent location of the planet and a background star, giving off light.

Rogue planets have very little mass, so the lensing effect is weak and thus called "microlensing." Yet, it can cause a brightening of a background source that is visible to astronomers, indicating the presence of a rogue planet.

"Microlensing is the best  and typically only  option for finding these dark, isolated objects since it only relies on the mass of a planet through its gravitational field," Kunimoto said.

A video showing a planet moving across the screen, warping the light of a distant star as it crosses the star.

Forget the "T" in TESS

As the "T" for transit in TESS suggests, this space telescope may not immediately seem like the right instrument to hunt for rogue planets.

"TESS is designed to look for planets closely bound to their host stars by searching for transits," Kunimoto explained. "Transits are the 'dimmings' of the star caused by a planet passing in front of it, like what you might have seen in the recent eclipse."



However, as mentioned above, gravitational lensing can also cause a background star to brighten as a lensing object passes between that star and Earth. Kunimoto explained that, because TESS is sensitive to tiny changes in a star's light, it can also detect these brightening episodes, a hallmark feature of microlensing caused by free-floating planetary rogues.

But, given this, you might wonder: Why is this the first potential rogue exoplanet among the other 6,000 or so exoplanet candidates (400 or so of which have been confirmed) TESS has spotted since 2018?

Well, it turns out no one was really looking until now.



"TESS is surprisingly well-suited to finding rogue planets through microlensing, but it turns out that these kinds of signals hadnt really been explored previously in TESS data," Kunimoto pointed out. "Our approach of looking for unbound planets with microlensing and the resulting TESS planetary microlensing candidate were both firsts for TESS.

"Since TESS data hadn't been used to look for short-duration microlensing events before, past exoplanet searches weren't going to be sensitive to seeing these signals."

An icy looking planet alone in space.

Unfortunately, however, like with many other detected exoplanet candidates, this discovery still needs to be confirmed.

"It's important to say that we can't at present confirm this is a planet," Kunimoto said. "The fact that microlensing events do not repeat means it's difficult to discern the nature of any particular signal. So, we're cautious about the origin of this event, naming it a rogue planet 'candidate' because its consistent with the signal you'd expect from such a world."

She added that, as the team explores more TESS data and performs follow-up observations, the truth about the signal will slowly become clearer.

Still, the provisional nature of these findings certainly hasn't dimmed the enthusiasm of the team or their excitement.

"Definitely a ten out of ten excitement from me," William DeRocco, team co-leader and a researcher at the University of California Santa Cruz, told Space.com. "I'm used to looking for dark matter, where the odds of actually seeing anything are wildly low, so the potential of discovering something like a rogue world drifting in the darkness of interstellar space is just incredible."

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The authors of this research believe that the future is bright when it comes to the prospect of TESS discovering more rogue planets.

"This is proof of principle that TESS can find these kinds of signals, and now its up to us to start diving deep into finding more and understanding what they might mean," Kunimoto concluded."Weve searched through less than 1% of TESS data; with 99% to go, we have a wealth of new opportunities for exciting discoveries along the way!

The team's research has been submitted for publication in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. It is currently featured as a pre-peer review paper on the repository site arXiv.
A portion of the far side of the Moon looms large just beyond the Orion spacecraft in this image taken on the sixth day of the Artemis I mission by a camera on the tip of one of Orions solar arrays. .

All necks will be craned toward the heavens next year when NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket blasts the Artemis 2 mission toward the moon.

Artemis 2 will launch four astronauts around the moon in September 2025, if all goes according to plan. It will be the first crewed effort beyond Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972  and it wouldn't have been possible without the success of Artemis 1 in late 2022.

Artemis 1 sent an uncrewed Orion capsule to lunar orbit and back, a historic achievement celebrated in a new 12-minute mini-documentary from NASA titled "Artemis: Success and Preparation."

Related: The 10 greatest images from NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission

the moon, as seen from lunar orbit by nasa's artemis 1 orion spacecraft. part of the capsule is visible in the foreground.

Here's the official video description:

"At 1:47 a.m. EST (6:47 UTC) on Nov. 16, 2022, NASA's Orion spacecraft launched atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from historic Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on a path to the moon, officially beginning the Artemis 1 mission.

"Over the course of 25.5 days, Orion performed two lunar flybys, coming within 80 miles (129 kilometers) of the lunar surface. At its farthest distance during the mission, Orion traveled nearly 270,000 miles (435,000 kilometers) from our home planet. NASA's Orion spacecraft successfully completed a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean [on Dec. 11] at 9:40 a.m. PST (12:40 p.m. EST) as the final major milestone of the Artemis 1 mission.

"Artemis 1 set new records of performance, exceeded efficiency expectations, and established new safety baselines for humans in deep space. This is a prelude to what comes next  following the success of Artemis 1, human beings will fly around the moon on Artemis 2."

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Written and directed by Paul Wizikowski in collaboration with cinematographer and editor Phil Sexton, the "Success and Preparation" short is one of the finest NASA videos prepared to date and embodies the spirit and determination of the entire Artemis program.

"By building incrementally these capabilities, and proving these capabilities that we have through the Artemis campaign, we will be able to live on the moon and perform science that is very important for deep space exploration," Orion Program Manager Howard Hu said in the featurette. "We are ready for Artemis 2."
Scientists use cloning technology to revive endangered species: 'Conservationists have worked very hard to bring them back'

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, biotechnology nonprofit Revive & Restore, and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance are collaborating to revive the black-footed ferret population using cloning technology that produced two new offspring last year.

The FWS announced on April 17 that the ferrets, named Noreen and Antonia, were born last May using cells frozen almost 40 years ago.

According to the Washington Post, just seven ferrets are responsible for the entire wild population, leading to a genetic homogeneity that could spell doom for a species that the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers endangered.

"Genetic diversity is critical for resilience to environmental change," said Megan Owen, vice president of conservation science at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. "It's basically the raw material of adaptive evolution."

The Post noted that around a million black-footed ferrets roamed the Great Plains before the agriculture industry, disease, and the decline of their prey decimated their numbers.

Experts believed they went extinct, only for them to resurface just two years later. FWS officials used that opportunity to bring several into captivity to facilitate breeding.

"Conservationists have worked very hard to bring them back," Revive & Restore's lead scientist Ben Novak said. "They're doing a very good job. But due to that historic bottleneck in the '80s for black-footed ferrets, they just have an extremely limited gene pool."

Scientists collected cells from one of the captured ferrets, Willa, in 1988 and had them frozen at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Some of the genetic material was used to create a clone named Elizabeth Ann in 2020.

However, she rebuffed several potential mates and had complications with her uterus, which required a hysterectomy. Elizabeth Ann is still alive, and officials believe that while she can't give birth, her reproductive issues weren't a byproduct of the cloning process since it's a naturally occurring condition.

Noreen and Antonia serve as the second attempt using Willa's cells, which were injected into a domesticated ferret's egg to create the clones.

The researchers don't plan to reintroduce the cloned ferrets into the wild, but some conservationists have released them back into their natural habitat. Additionally, the hope is that Noreen and Antonia can produce viable descendants later this year to increase their population.

The FWS and Revive & Restore have also partnered to preserve a biobank of blood, tissue, and reproductive cell samples from at-risk species using cryogenic technology. Experts from Taiwan have used similar tactics to potentially repopulate coral reefs.

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In the mid-right of the image, two three-paneled solar arrays span the image height, meeting in the center at a cubic-like spacecraft with two circular attachments. In the background on the right, starry space. On the left, the half-shadowed rusted-red planet Mars.

The journey into space is a long one, which gives many spacecraft time for a side quest or two during their missions. In the case of the European Space Agency 's Hera mission, the side quest is a close encounter with Mars  more specifically, a good look at its moon: Deimos .

Scheduled to launch in October, Hera's main mission is to fly to the binary asteroid system called Didymos , surveying the surface of the smaller asteroid in the duo named Dimorphos. Dimorphos, as you might recall, was part of NASA's DART mission , a planetary defense test that saw a spacecraft intentionally crash into the asteroid. The goal was to see if the impact could alter Dimorphos' trajectory around its larger companion, Didymos, mimicking a possible scenario in which a spacecraft could alter the trajectory of an asteroid that threatens Earth someday. In short, it was a success. But first, during its two-year cruise to Didymos, Hera will test its science instruments during a Martian flyby.

In March of next year, Mars will be at just the right position on Hera's path to Didymos for a gravity assist. "This enabled us to design a trajectory that uses the gravity of Mars to push Hera towards its rendezvous with Didymos, resulting in great fuel savings for the mission," Flight Dynamics engineer Pablo Munoz, part of the mission analysis team at ESA's European Space Operations Centre, said in a statement . "Part of the excess propellant can then be spent in advancing the arrival at the binary asteroid by a few months, thus maximizing the missions planetary defense and science return."

Related: Scientists hail DART success 6 months after historic asteroid crash

During this maneuver, Hera will come within 3,728 miles (about 6,000 kilometers) of Mars and 621 miles (about 1,000 km) of Deimos. Given this proximity, the spacecraft will use its science instruments  including its main camera, HyperScout-H camera and Thermal Infrared Imager  to study both bodies as it swings by. "It gives us another chance to calibrate our instruments and potentially to make some scientific discoveries," said Michael Kueppers, ESA's Hera project scientist.

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The team plans to execute its Deimos research in partnership with other missions; contenders for collaboration include the Emirates Mars Mission as well as ESA's Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter missions. "Deimos has not been observed before with Heras combination of science instruments, so hope to make some discoveries," said Patrick Michel, Director of Research at CNRS at Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur and Hera's principal investigator. The Deimos data will also be used to help plan JAXA 's upcoming Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, scheduled to launch in 2026.

After Hera speeds past Mars, it's onward to Didymos and its now -misshapen companion Dimorphos (thanks to the collision), where the spacecraft will gather information on the asteroid to better understand DART's impact  both literally and metaphorically.
WASHINGTON  Marines might soon see some new, high-tech tools to help them become more lethal shooters.

Top leaders in weapons training and marksmanship shared a series of technologies that the service is experimenting with that would give Marines more accurate and realistic ways to practice shooting while also instantly gathering data on how theyre performing and how to improve.

Col. Howard Hall, chief of staff for training and education command, said that a 2018 Operational Analysis Directorate study showed that Marines in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan only had a 30% chance of making a lethal hit on a target if the target or Marine was moving, if there were multiple targets or if the target was at an unknown distance.

The new Marine rifle qualification is here

Hall told the audience at the Modern Day Marine Expo that study helped drive changes to the annual rifle qualification in 2021  the first major overhaul in a century.

The changes included switching the order of fire from starting at the 100-yard line and moving back to the 500-yard line to the reverse, starting farther out and moving closer in, as a Marine would do in combat.

The qualification also added shorter range, quick drill fires at 25 yards, added moving targets and the use of barricades, among other changes.

The new tech that Marines are experimenting with aims to tighten those shot groups and speed up Marine shooting to make it more lethal. Much of that is coming in the form of making more training options off the range in weapons drills and simulators. Other efforts include more accurate data collection and real-time feedback for shooters to adjust their technique.

The package of tools includes the Mantis X10 and Unit 4 equipment that can be inserted into an M4 or M27 and allow users to practice dry fire, use a laser and feel recoil without using live rounds.

These provide corrections to shooting techniques the Marines never got from the snap-in barrel.

A snap-in barrel is a barrel, typically an empty 55-gallon oil drum or similar sized item that is painted white and then painted with small versions of the target shapes used on the rifle range. Those smaller shapes simulate the size of the target like what a shooter would see on the range but at a shorter distance.

Marines then dry fire their rifles on those targets, practicing breath and trigger control.

This is a digital snap-in barrel, and it provides you feedback, said Col. Greg Jones, commander of weapons training battalion.

The Mantis system is being experimented with the Marine Corps recruit depot shooting ranges at Parris Island, South Carolina, and Edson Range, Camp Pendleton, California.

The joint marksmanship assessment package uses either a smartphone or tablet, with software application, an acoustics measuring device and smartwatch to monitor movement.

It measures shooting in the short-range portion of the annual rifle qualification that goes from the 25 yards in. The joint marksmanship assessment package can gather up to a companys worth of data in under four hours and develop plans to improve marksmanship based off the results.

The Corps is currently looking at a radar-based system that also would measure shooting from the 500-yard to 100-yard line for the rifle qualification. If both are adopted, it would fully digitize rife qualification.

In September 2023, the Marine Corps awarded an $11.3 million contract for the advanced small arms lethality trainer to Valiant Global Defense Services, Inc, subcontractor Conflict Kinetics owns the technology. The simulation system adds more scenarios and capabilities to the long-running indoor simulated marksmanship trainer.

The advanced small arms lethality trainer will be fielded to all major installations such as Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Camp Pendleton, California; Quantico, Virginia and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California.

Correction: This article has been updated to include the correct date of the advanced small arms lethality trainer contract award and the name of the company that received that contract.
Waymo driverless cars have hit Atlantas streets. Heres what weve learned about them

Autonomous cars from the driverless taxicab company Waymo have hit Atlanta streets.

Waymo said the cars are here as part of its road trip testing.

The driverless cars will be testing Atlantas famously difficult driving for the summer after spending winter in Buffalo and spring in Washington D.C.

Trying to see how different Atlanta is to what we already know, how to drive today. Is there anything majorly different that we can learn from right now and what we can learn for the future? Waymos Nick Rose said.

Waymo has no immediate plans to provide driverless taxi service in Atlanta this year like it already does in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

Instead, the vehicles will be mapping and learning. In Atlanta, there will always be human monitoring behind the wheel of the Waymo vehicles.

Right now, were just mapping, exploring the world, seeing how the vehicle performs, Rose said.

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Last fall, Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray flew to Austin, Texas to test out Waymos competitor, Cruise, who had announced an expansion to Atlanta.

Those plans are now on hold as Cruise has faced regulatory and safety concerns.

Two U.S. Senators, Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal, just sent a letter to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration writing that when it comes to autonomous vehicles, public roads are not a sandbox for manufacturers or operators to play in.

Just last month, a Reddit user posted video of a Waymo taxi in San Francisco going the wrong way down the road.

With that specific scenario, weve analyzed it in a billion different ways. And now we are trying to understand how we can make improvements there, Rose said.

Georgia Tech Professor Srinivas Peeta is an expert in autonomous vehicles and said it is necessary to test the systems not just in simulations in a lab but on real roads in the real world.

They need the data. They need the data in real-world contexts where they can interact and see where theyre doing well, where they are not so that they can build more intelligence into their systems, Peeta said.

Waymo emphasizes that in their Atlanta testing the vehicles will always have a human inside.

Safety is the core of everything we do at Waymo. Safety is the reason why this company was founded, Rose said.

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Commitments

Audit & Assurance Sprint CPA readiness program Recruited entry-level professionals/CPA candidates Deloitte seeks to address the barriers faced by recruited professionals taking the CPA exam by supporting their preparation. Deloitte has collaborated with Becker instructions to provide approximately 13 weeks with real-time access to and instruction from experienced CPA tutors, including 9 weeks of in-person programming during the core program period. Participants receive compensation and are expected to sit for all four parts of the exam during this rigorous program. Learn more about STRIDE for RFA and Tax

Deloitte Academy: Accounting Edition High school and college students Deloitte is committed to inspiring and preparing youth for long-term success by collaborating with high schools, colleges, state CPA societies, and various nonprofits to bring accounting to life for thousands of racially and ethnically diverse youth across the country. Watch video

Climb Fellowship program Mid-level accounting professionals Deloitte collaborated with Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business to launch a fellowship program with a focus on bringing Black and Hispanic/Latinx mid-career accounting professionals together to create a community and provide resources to help position them for senior roles within their organizations. Applications for the Fall 2024 cohort are open. Learn more Watch video

MADE Working Group Accounting ecosystem leaders The MADE working group brings together racially and ethnically diverse business, academic, and community leaders to contribute leading external perspectives, challenge our thinking, and create a forum to engage with one another. These leaders bring a vast array of experiences and passions to advance equity and inclusion.
New Delhi: A group of workers of Alphabet Incs Google has filed a complaint with a US labour board. The workers have claimed that nearly 50 workers were unfairly fired. This follows after Googles termination of several employees who opposed the companys cloud contract with the Israeli government. The complaint was filed with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and alleges that Googles actions have violated the employees rights under the US labour rights.

Earlier, in April the tech company announced the dismissal of 28 workers due to a sit-in protest at Googles offices in New York and California. The protest arose in response to Google's 1.2 billion dollars cloud computing project with the Israeli government which is known as Project Nimbus. Google later disclosed that 20 more employees were laid off because they protested against the contract within office premises. (Also Read: 19 Kg Commercial LPG Cylinder Rates Slashed By Rs 19 From Today May 1, Check How Much You Need To Pay Now)

Google expressed that the conduct of the workers was completely unacceptable and caused other employees to feel threatened and unsafe. We carefully confirmed and reconfirmed that every single person whose employment was terminated was directly and definitively involved in disruption inside our buildings, the company stated in a statement. (Also Read: After Hong Kong And Singapore, Now Australia To Recall MDH And Everest Masala?)

What did the fired employees have to say about Google's stance on the protests

A former Google employee, Zelda Montes who faced arrest during the protests said that Googles actions were intended to halt organising efforts within the company. She mentioned that Googles actions were sending a clear message to its employees that dissent would not be tolerated. She further added, Google is attempting to instil fear in employees," as per news agency Reuters.

Sundar Pichai's response to the protests

In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated that Ultimately we are a workplace and our policies and expectations are clear: this is a business, and not a place to act in a way that disrupts coworkers or makes them feel unsafe, to attempt to use the company as a personal platform, or to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics."
School Holiday Today: It was a normal morning for parents across Delhi-NCR including in Noida and Ghaziabad. Parents sent their kids to school on time but just an hour later, they received a call from their schools to pick their kids back. The school administration sought some emergency reasons for sending back the kids. While parents reached schools to pick up their kids, it came to light that around 100 high-profile schools across Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad received bomb threats.

Schools thus informed the police which rushed special teams and bomb and sniffer dogs to these schools. However, during the searches, no threat element was found in the schools. However, as a precautionary measure, several schools announced an emergency holiday today.

The schools which received a bomb threat include DPS International School, DPS school in RK Puram, DPS school East of Kailash, DPS school Vasant Vihar, DPS school Dwarka, Mother Marys School in Mayur Vihar, St. Thomas' Girls Senior Secondary School, Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Army Public School, DPS school Sector 122 Noida, and DPS school Knowledge Park 5 Noida.

Delhi Police officials urged parents to remain calm and not panic as nothing was found during the searches. Most likely, the mails were a hoax. Delhi Police officials also shared that the same mail was sent to all the schools and it did not contain any date. DCP New Delhi, Devesh Kumar Mahla said, "We've checked all the schools and nothing has been found, there is no need to panic."

Though, the language used in the mail was similar to that used by terrorists. In the letter, the sender threatened that those who don't believe in 'Islam' will be killed and 'Kaafirs' will be burnt alive as per the instructions of Allah.

Delhi Education Minister Atishi said that schools were vacated on time and police did not find any suspicious objects.
Xi's visits to European countries promote healthy, stable China-EU relations

11:04, May 01, 2024 By He Yin ( People's Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay state visits to France, Serbia and Hungary from May 5 to 10. This will be the first visit to Europe by China's head of state in nearly five years.

Against the backdrop of intensifying global turbulence, the China-EU relationship holds strategic significance and global influence. It bears upon the pillars of world peace, stability, and prosperity.

Xi's upcoming visits to the three European countries will inject strong impetus into the development of the relations between China and the three countries and the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, and bring more stability and positive energy to the fast-changing world.

France is the first major Western country to establish diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level with the People's Republic of China. China-France relations have long been at the forefront of China's relations with Western countries. The unique history of bilateral relations have shaped the "China-France spirit" featuring independence, mutual understanding, foresight, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

In recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi and President Macron, China-France relations have maintained a sound development momentum, with fruitful strategic communication, practical cooperation, deeper people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and sound communication and coordination in international and regional affairs.

Faced with a complex and volatile international situation, China and France both insist on independence and win-win cooperation, both oppose the division of the world and bloc confrontation, and both practice multilateralism and uphold the UN Charter and international law.

The international community expects China and France to form a common position and speak with same voice on major issues bearing on world peace and stability, as well as the future of mankind.

Xi's visit marks the second visit by a China's head of state to France in five years. It coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and is of great significance to building on the past achievements and charting the course for the future.

Further consolidating political mutual trust and strengthening solidarity and cooperation will bring China-France comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level, inject new impetus into the sound and steady development of China-EU relations, and make new contributions to world peace, stability, and progress.

Serbia is China's first comprehensive strategic partner in Central and Eastern Europe. The two countries have nurtured an iron-clad friendship, serving as a model for friendly relations between China and European countries.

In recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi and President Vucic, China-Serbia relations have enjoyed robust growth. The two countries have firmly supported each other on issues of core interests and major concerns, enjoyed solid political mutual trust, achieved fruitful outcomes in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and maintained close coordination in multilateral arena. The robust and powerful China-Serbia cooperation is in the fundamental and long-term interests of both countries and peoples.

This visit will be Xi's second visit to Serbia in eight years. During the visit, the two heads of state will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest. The two sides will hold discussions on elevating the positioning of bilateral ties and charting the course for future development.

The upgrading of China-Serbia relations will not only bring greater benefits to the two peoples but also strengthen the power to uphold international fairness and justice, making greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hungary. Hungary is an important country in Central and Eastern Europe and China's important partner in Belt and Road cooperation and China-Central and Eastern European countries cooperation.

In recent years, in the face of a complex and volatile international situation, Hungary has remained committed to being a force of peace and stability in Europe, resisting interference and pressure, and steadfastly deepening cooperation with China.

China and Hungary are comprehensive strategic partners who are committed to their respective development in line with their national conditions. The two countries have achieved fruitful results in mutually beneficial cooperation across various fields, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples. The in-depth cooperation between the two countries demonstrates that China is an opportunity rather than a challenge, a partner rather than a rival for Europe.

The joint invitation extended by Hungarian President Sulyok and Prime Minister Orban to President Xi to visit Hungary fully demonstrates Hungary's high regard and earnest expectations for this visit. This milestone visit will elevate bilateral relations to a new level and open a new chapter for China-Hungary friendly cooperation, which is conducive to maintaining regional and global peace, stability, and prosperity.

China and the EU should be characterized rightly as partners, and cooperation should be the defining feature of their relationship. As two major forces advancing multipolarity, two major markets in support of globalization, and two major civilizations championing diversity, China and the EU share extensive common interests, with cooperation and consensus far surpassing competition and disagreements.

China always views its relations with the EU from a strategic, long-term perspective, and takes the EU as a high priority in its external relations. Xi's state visits to the three European countries will undoubtedly further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the EU. This will provide more stability to a turbulent world and inject more impetus into global development.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
The United Methodist Church General Conference has advanced a measure meant to allow different regions of the global denomination to determine their own standards on LGBT issues.



At the Thursday plenary session of the General Conference, delegates voted 586-164 in favor of a petition for an amendment to the UMCs constitution allowing for regionalization. The petition will now be sent to the annual conferences for possible ratification.

The amendment will need to gain at least two-thirds support from the annual conference clergy and lay voters to be added to the UMC constitution, reports UM News.

At present, the UMC Book of Discipline, the denomination's rulebook, prohibits the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals.

These rules have largely remained in the Book of Discipline because of delegates from Africa and elsewhere abroad who tend to be more theologically conservative than their American peers.

If regionalization is ratified, it could effectively pave the way for American churches to have their own Book of Discipline apart from African churches and thus amend it to allow for same-sex marriage and noncelibate homosexual clergy.

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Rob Renfroe, publisher of Good News Magazine, participating at the General Conference, expressed his concern about the proposal in a statement emailed to The Christian Post.

It is presented as a way to empower the church in each region of the world to do ministry in their particular context by adapting the Book of Discipline to their cultural settings. The real motive is to allow the church in the US to change the definition of marriage and to ordain practicing gay persons, stated Renfroe.

In the future, if Africa stays in the UMC, delegates from outside the US will far outnumber delegates from the West very soon. So, to keep Africa from determining the sexual ethics of the entire UMC, this legislation will marginalize the Africans and other traditionalists from around the world so that they have no say in defining marriage, sexual morality, etc., for the entire church.

Christine Schneider, a reserve delegate from the Switzerland-France-North Africa Conference and member of the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters, which submitted the proposal, spoke in favor of the measure during the plenary session discussion.

This is the result of excellent collaboration by people from all walks and parts of our connection, said Schneider, adding she was full of hope and also excited about the measure.

The Rev. Jonathan Ulanday, a delegate from the Philippines who was involved in crafting the Christmas Covenant, a measure calling for regionalization, also voiced support.

What we are trying to do is to place our Lord Jesus Christ at the center of the table and all of us will exist in equity sharing the gifts so the United Methodist Church will grow and flourish in different contexts in different parts of the world, Ulanday said, as reported by UM News.

The General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, began on Tuesday and will conclude May 3.

Over the past few decades, there has been a fierce debate within the UMC over whether to change its Book of Discipline rules on LGBT issues like marriage and ordination, mainly in response to changing social norms in the United States.

Although efforts by delegates at General Conference to change these parts of the Book of Discipline have consistently failed, many theological liberals have refused to follow or enforce them.

In 2019, at a special session of General Conference, delegates voted to amend the Book of Discipline by adding Paragraph 2553, a temporary measure that provides a disaffiliation procedure for congregations seeking to leave the UMC over the debate.

According to UM News, from 2019 to 2023, more than 7,500 congregations left the denomination via Paragraph 2553, with most joining The Global Methodist Church, a conservative theological alternative to the UMC.

Also, on Thursday, delegates voted to approve Petition 21103, which gives the Eurasian Episcopal Area, which has four annual conferences, autonomy, and the ability to disaffiliate from the denomination.



Originally published by The Christian Post
In a month that's seen Southwest airlines dropping airports and limiting hiring in response to poor financial reports, a representative on Tuesday said business was good three years into service at the Colorado Springs Airport.

Vice President and Chief Sales Officer Dave Harvey said that the airline, which expanded to Colorado Springs in 2021, is seeing promising demand in the new market. He said in general new airports in the Southwest service network take three to five years to "mature" as customers become aware and start to take advantage of new flights.

In what Harvey said was a response to demand, Southwest recently announced the addition of a nonstop flight to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, starting June 4.

"We're not changing," he said. "We're growing."

Colorado Springs Airport has seen a rise in enplanements  the number of people boarding planes in the airport  since the end of the pandemic. The figure reached a near quarter-century high last year with more than 1 million flyers. According to the airport, February saw a 20% increase in enplanements over 2023.

A total of six airlines currently operate out of Colorado Springs Airport.

Harvey said the entire Front Range market including Colorado Springs remains "durable" with a reliable stream of both business and leisure flyers. Denver International Airport serves as the airline's western hub, with expanded flights also coming this summer.

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That stands in contrast to the airline's recent spate of financial turmoil and contraction. The airline announced last week the withdrawal of service to four airports and limited hiring after first quarter losses.

The cutbacks also come amid issues at Southwest's manufacturer Boeing, which is experiencing production delays after an Alaskan Airlines passenger flight made an emergency landing when a panel blew out in January.

Despite regional success, Southwest's recent fleet issues may affect the airline's long-term expansion planning, according to Harvey.

According to The AP, Southwest is only expected to receive 20 of the 46 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets it ordered this year. Harvey said while the production delays would not likely affect flights in Colorado Springs, Boeing issues create uncertainty.

"There is a little bit of unknowns in the fleet plan we're working with as we go into 2025," he said.

That corresponds to the airline's plan for the next year, with no further expansions likely in store for Colorado Springs until after March 2025.

Harvey did say that the Southwest would be watching the success of the new Baltimore route for future planning locally, and that the company's expansion plans are "flexible" to meet strong demand. Potential other nonstop flights Harvey mentioned include Orlando, the Bay Area and Nashville, Tenn.
TS ECET 2024: Osmania University is set to release the admit cards for the Telangana State Engineering Common Entrance Test (TS ECET) 2024 today, on May 1. Aspiring candidates can access their hall tickets by visiting the official website, ecet.tsche.ac.in. The process requires the application number and password provided during registration. Alongside the admit card, candidates must bring a valid photo ID such as Aadhar card, PAN card, or voter ID to the exam center. The TS ECET 2024 exam is scheduled for May 6, with the results expected to be announced in June. Subsequently, the counseling process for TS ECET 2024 is anticipated to commence in June 2024.

The TS ECET 2024 exam will be conducted across various cities in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In Telangana, designated exam centers include Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Warangal, Adilabad, Kodad, Mahabubnagar, Sangareddy, and Siddipet. Similarly, in Andhra Pradesh, the exam will be held in Tirupati, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Kurnool.

TS ECET 2024: Steps To Download

- Visit ecet.tsche.ac.in, the official website.

- Click on the TS ECET 2024 admit card link displayed on the homepage.

- Enter the necessary credentials.

- The TS ECET 2024 admit card will appear on the screen.

- Download and print it for future reference.

The TS ECET 2024 exam will be conducted online in computer-based mode. The question paper will comprise 200 multiple-choice questions divided into four sections: mathematical, physics, chemistry, and engineering. The duration of the exam is 3 hours, and it will be conducted in English. Candidates will be awarded one mark for each correct answer, and there will be no negative marking for incorrect responses.
The Indian Ocean is set to be the next highly tense region with China looking to expand its influence in the region. China's proximity with Pakistan and Maldives has already been a cause of concern for India and New Delhi has been working to secure its borders on three sides to mitigate any threat. Now, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) today carried out a successful trial of the Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) anti-submarine missile system off the coast of Balasore, Odisha.

The missile system is being developed for the Indian Navy by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, said the Defence officials. This will enable the Navy to eliminate submarine threats deep under the sea, enhancing its warfare capabilities. It has a far greater range than conventional torpedoes systems. While the conventional torpedoes systems have a range of around 20-40 km, the SMART system has a range several times more that the conventional system.

The DRDO had carried out similar test in 2020 and 2021 as well. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had successfully tested supersonic missile assisted torpedo system from Wheeler Island in Odisha on December 13, 2021 as well.

#WATCH: Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) successfully flight tested today from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha. It's a missile assisted release of lightweight Anti-Submarine Torpedo System for Anti Submarine Warfare operations far beyond Torpedo range pic.twitter.com/Ts1Ev4uYne  ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2020

This canister-based missile system consists of advanced technologies viz. two stage solid propulsion, electro-mechanical actuators and precision inertial navigation. The missile is launched from ground mobile launcher and it can cover a range of distances. A number of DRDO laboratories developed various technologies for this advanced missile system. Industry participated in the development and production of various sub-systems.
New Delhi: Following the 'hoax' bomb threat that was sent to over 100 schools in the Delhi-NCR, a police probe revealed that, currently, it appears that an organizationrather than a single personis involved in the situation, according to sources on Wednesday.

According to Delhi police sources, the investigation seems to be part of a big conspiracy. "The timing of elections, taking data from so many schools, using Russian IP addresses using VPNs--all these are pointing towards a conspiracy," the sources said.

As per the sources, the investigative agency is also investigating whether ISI may be involved or if there may be a joint conspiracy between China and ISI. "It is believed that the reason behind China's name is because of its strong server, but the investigation is still at a very early stage," the sources added.

Special Cell sources, however, stated that the threat mail is being looked at from all possible directions in order to determine the true cause of the alarm and identify the mastermind. In connection with the threatening emails sent to schools, the Delhi Police Special Cell has also filed a formal complaint (FIR) against an undisclosed individual under Section 120B of the IPC and IPC 506. The Special Cell's Counter Intelligence Team will conduct the inquiry.

The content of the email has been mentioned in the FIR. Meanwhile, Delhi government issued an advisory urging schools to timely check their official emails and inform the authorities regarding any impending threat.

As per Delhi police, a total of 131 schools in Delhi received threat emails on Wednesday. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an official statement saying that the email appeared to be a 'hoax'. "There is no need to panic. The mail appears to be a hoax. Delhi Police and security agencies are taking necessary steps as per protocol," the official release from the MHA read.
New Delhi: Ahead of the third phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the looming question in politics revolves around whether Rahul Gandhi will vie for elections in Amethi. Will he choose Amethi, Rae Bareli, or abstain from both?

In Today's DNA, Zee News anchor Sourabh Raaj Jain analysed the reason behind Congress' delay in the announcement of candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seats.

With less than 45 hours remaining until nominations close in Amethi, the deadline looms closerMay 3 marks the final day. However, today's news hints that the Congress party might decide on Rahul Gandhi's candidacy in Amethi by tomorrow afternoon.

Speculation arose on April 25 suggesting that following the conclusion of the Wayanad elections on the 26th, an announcement might declare Rahul Gandhi's candidacy in Amethi and Priyanka Vadra's in Rae Bareli on the 27th. Despite subsequent meetings of the Congress Election Committee and the release of two party lists, Rahul Gandhi's name remained conspicuously absent.

Should Rahul Gandhi decide to contest from Amethi, it would mark his third electoral face-off against BJP's Smriti Irani, with one victory apiece. While Rahul emerged victorious in 2014, Smriti Irani clinched the seat in 2019.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has been assuring that once the candidate is finalized, it will swiftly come to him for endorsement, clarifying the uncertainty surrounding Rahul Gandhi's candidacy, reminiscent of his father Rajiv Gandhi's debut election.

In 1981, following negotiations and amid speculation after Sanjay Gandhi's demise, Rajiv Gandhi swiftly entered politics. His candidacy was promptly announced on the day of joining Congress, as he filed his nomination in Amethi, managing to submit the form midway through the nomination process. In the 1981 elections, Rajiv Gandhi secured victory over Sharad Yadav of Lok Dal by a substantial margin of 2,37,000 votes.

However, should Rahul Gandhi's announcement occur tomorrow, he will have a mere 24 hours left for nomination.
New Delhi: In a major blow to the Congress party amid ongoing Lok Sabha elections, two former MLAs and observers for two Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, Neeraj Basoya and Naseeb Singh have resigned from the INC. Both leaders in separate resignation letters to party president Mallikarjun Kharge cited the alliance with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as the reason for desertion.

Party observer for the West Delhi Parliamentary Seat, Neeraj Basoya, addressed the letter to Kharge, and wrote, "I am addressing the present communication to you, being aggrieved by the alliance of the party with the AAP in Delhi. I have humbly submitted that the said alliance is bringing great disrepute and embarrassment to Delhi Congress workers on a daily basis. And I believe, that as a self-respecting party leader, I cannot be associated with the party anymore."

He said, "Our continued alliance with AAP is extremely humiliating given that the AAP has been associated with numerous scams in the past 7 years. The top 3 Leaders of the AAP-Arvind Kejriwal, Satyendra Jain and Manish Sisodia are already in jail."

Basoya stated in his letter dated May 1 that he was resigning from all party posts and the primary membership of the Party. He expressed gratitude to Sonia Gandhi for providing him with various opportunities over the past 30 years.

Former Congress MLAs Neeraj Basoya and Nasseb Singh resign from the primary membership of the party.



"Our continued alliance, with AAP is extremely humiliating given that the AAP has been associated with numerous scams in the past 7 years. The top 3 Leaders of the AAP-Arvind pic.twitter.com/cYtrd0FTYl May 1, 2024

Meanwhile, Naseeb Singh, the party's observer for North West Delhi, has voiced his disappointment regarding the selection of Davinder Yadav as the Delhi Congress chief.

In his letter, Naseeb Singh said, "Davinder Yadav has up till now run a campaign in Punjab solely based on attacking Arvind Kejriwal's false agenda and today, he in Delhi will be mandated to praise and support AAP and its CM Arvind Kejriwal."

The departure of these party members comes days after veteran Congress leader Arvind Singh Lovely stepped down as the Delhi unit chief due to significant disagreements with the Central leadership of the congress over the choice of Lok Sabha candidates and the newly made ally AAP.

Naseeb Singh, former secretary and ex-MLA, resigns from the primary membership of the Congress party, citing disagreement with the AAP alliance.



''Since Day 1, I have opposed any alliance with AAP, I have made my opinions in this regard known at every party platform'' https://t.co/DnL0St1j6D pic.twitter.com/nrwXN6ydbN  IANS (@ians_india) May 1, 2024

Delhi is slated to vote for all its 7 seats on May 25.
According to reports, Goldy Brar, an internationally recognized individual linked to the murder of Punjabi musician Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in the US. The incident happened on Tuesday at around 5:25 PM local time at Fairmont and Holt Avenue, according to a report from News 18. Unidentified attackers allegedly opened fire on Brar and his buddy as they were standing outside his house and then fled the area. Two people were taken to the hospital where one of them died.

Brar's recognized rivals, criminals Arsh Dalla and Lakbhir, have been reported to have taken credit for the attack, citing their long-standing enmity for one another. Lawrence Bishnoi and the other members of the associated gang have not responded to these claims, though.

All About Gangster Goldy Brar

Goldy Brar was born in Muktsar Sahib, Punjab, in 1994 into a family with a history in law enforcement. Also known as Satwinderjit Singh, he was a Canadian-born BA graduate who worked remotely from there in Punjab.

Gurlal Brar, Goldy Brar's cousin, was killed outside a Chandigarh nightclub last year. Bishnoi's gang is said to have targeted Gurlal, a close aide, in vengeance for the death of Youth Congress leader Gurlal Pahalwan. Following these incidents, Goldy reportedly went to Canada in 2021. In 2017, he had first entered Canada on a student visa.
New Delhi: Comedian Shyam Rangeela known for his mimicry routine of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to challenge him in the battlefield of Varanasi. Rangeela, a 29-year-old comedian from Rajasthan, has announced that he will contest against the two-time MP from Varanasi, reported the Indian Express. PM Modi is looking to secure victory from the Parliamentary seat for a third time. Varanasi is going to polls in the eighth phase of Lok Sabha elections on June 1.

Shyam Rangeela said that his candidature is to ensure that 'democracy lives on' and it is not just a symbolic act. He expressed his commitment to fully engage in the Lok Sabha elections and disclosed his plans to submit his nomination papers in Varanasi this weekend.

In 2022, Rangeela made his political debut with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), but the endeavour lost momentum in Rajasthan. He asserts that as an Independent candidate, he is in control of his own destiny.

In a post on his X account, he wrote in Hindi, I will contest election from Varanasi because nowadays no one can be trusted, who will withdraw his nomination at any time.

    ,        -      April 29, 2024

Rangeela was hinting at the recent incidents of Indore and Surat where the Congress nominees backed out, giving a clear ground to the BJP. While the Surat BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed, Indore Congress candidate Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination and joined the BJP. The Congress has accused the BJP of sabotaging the elections on these seats.
NEW DELHI: The National Testing Agency (NTA) is expected to release the NEET UG Exam 2024 admit cards very soon. Once released, candidates can procure their admit cards from the official websites - exams.nta.ac.in and neet.ntaonline.in. While the exact release date and time of the NEET UG 2024 Admit Card remain undisclosed by the NTA, expectations are high for its imminent release.

In anticipation, the NTA has already made available the NEET UG 2024 Exam City Slip, accessible for download by registered candidates via the official website.

Examination Schedule: Date, Time And Details

The NEET UG 2024 entrance examination is set to take place on May 5, 2024, with a single session commencing at 2 PM and concluding at 5:20 PM. The examination will span 571 cities across India and 14 cities internationally, adhering to a pen and paper format. Language options for the examination include English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Odia, Kannada, Punjabi, Urdu, Malayalam, Marathi, Telegu, and Tamil.

Record Enrollment

A staggering 23,81,833 students have registered for the NEET UG 2024 examination, marking a significant milestone in enrollment numbers. Notably, among the registered candidates, over 10 lakh are male students, while more than 13 lakh are female candidates. NEET UG 2024 aims for linguistic inclusivity, offering the examination in various languages to cater to diverse candidates' needs.

NEET: A Gateway To Medical Education

The NEET UG 2024 examination serves as the gateway for aspiring students seeking admission to undergraduate medical programs across a myriad of colleges and institutions nationwide. Notably, approximately 645 medical, 318 dental, 914 AYUSH, and 47 BGVSc and AH Colleges accept students based on their NEET UG scores.

NEET UG 2024 Admit Card Release: Things To Remember

Release Date

Anticipation mounts as the release date for the NEET UG 2024 admit card draws near. However, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is yet to confirm the exact date.

Release Time

Similarly, the precise release time for the NEET UG 2024 admit card remains pending, awaiting announcement by the NTA.

Websites For Downloading NEET UG Admit Card

Upon release, candidates can procure their NEET UG 2024 admit card from designated websites, including:

exams.nta.ac.in

neet.ntaonline.in

How To Download NEET UG Admit Card 2024

To download the NEET UG Admit Card 2024, candidates can follow these steps:

-Visit the official website at neet.ntaonline.in.

-Navigate to the designated section labeled 'NEET UG 2024 Admit Card'.

-Access the provided direct link.

-A login page will prompt you to enter the requisite login credentials.

-Submit the details.

-The NEET UG 2024 Admit Card will promptly appear on the screen.

-Proceed to download, save, and print a copy of the NEET UG Hall Ticket for future reference.

NEET Admit Card 2024: NTA Helpline Numbers

Candidates can contact the National Testing Agency (NTA) for any queries regarding the NEET UG 2024 examination at 011-40759000 or send an e-mail to neet@nta.ac.in.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on opposition parties and said that no political party except BJP is contesting 272 seats in Lok Sabha polls which is a minimum number of seats required to form a government.

Attacking on Congress in Banaskantha's Deesa in Gujarat ahead of the third phase of Lok Sabha polls, PM Modi said, "If you want to form a government, then at least 272 seats are required. Except for the BJP, no political party in the country is contesting 272 seats, and then they are saying they will form the government."

"Even the royal family of Delhi is not going to vote for Congress... There is no Congress candidate where they vote... Ahmed Patel's family in Bharuch will not vote for Congress... A big Congress leader who votes in Bhavnagar, will not be able to vote for Congress. This is the condition of the Congress..," he added.

Further escalating his attack on Congress, Modi said party targeted him in 2014 as a 'tea-seller', had got such a reply from the country that the party which once used to occupy 400 seats, is now being brought down to 40 only.

He alleged that the government that was there before 2014 in Centre was only known for news of terrorism, scams and corruption all around the country.

"This Congress 'Jamat' should listen, as long as Modi is alive, there will be no reservation on the basis of religion. Reservations for SC, ST, and OBCs have been given by the Constitution, and no one can take them away," he added.

PM Modi also challenged the Congress to declare that they would not provide reservations on the basis of religion.

"Today, I want to challenge the prince of Congress and his party to declare that if they have the courage, they will never provide reservations on the basis of religion and will not play with the Constitution. They will not do this because "Dal mein kuch kaala hai," he said.

PM Modi also emphasised that as long as the BJP is there, reservations will be protected.

"The prince of Congress proudly called the entire Modi and OBC communities thieves. No opportunity is being left to spread hatred against Gujaratis. In 2024, Congress and the INDI Alliance have come up with the new lie that reservations will end. Those who are talking about 400 seats, even today, the NDA has around 360 seats in the Parliament, and parties like BJD and YSRCP, which were not in our alliance, supported us anyway. I had the strength of 400 in Parliament. But we did not commit the sin of withdrawing the reservation," PM Modi said.

Sharpening his attacks on Congress, the Prime Minister added that even today, Congress has no issues, no vision, and no passion to work. "The country was immersed in despair. I left no stone unturned in my efforts. I spent every moment in the name of my countrymen and the country. I tried to take the country out of that troubled situation. "In 2014, Congress tried to belittle me by calling me "chai wala" and doubted what I could do for the country. I was made fun of. But the country gave them such an answer that the party that once used to occupy 400 seats, now being brought down to 40 only," he said.
New Delhi: A day after India rejected the Washington Post report related to Khalistani terrorist Gupatwant Singh Pannu's assassination plot, the United States said it is regularly working with New Delhi in probing the accusations concerning the alleged plot to kill the separatist Sikh leader. India has vehemently dismissed the allegations of involvement of a RAW official in the plot, asserting that the report levied 'unwarranted and unsubstantiated' imputations on a serious matter. It added that an investigation into the case is underway.

As per the news agency PTI, US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said, We continue to expect accountability from the Government of India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committees work, and we are regularly working with them and enquiring for additional updates.

Patel stated that they would also persist in expressing their concerns directly to the Indian Government at senior levels. However, beyond that, Patel mentioned that they wouldn't delve deeper into the matter and would defer to the Department of Justice. This was in response to a question regarding The Washington Post report, which identified the RAW officer as Vikram Yadav and alleged his involvement in the plot to assassinate Pannun.

India Slams US Dailys Report

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal denounced the report by the US daily on Tuesday, stating that it made unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter. Jaiswal further mentioned that a high-level inquiry committee, established by New Delhi to examine the information provided by the US regarding the alleged plot, was still investigating the case.

Jaiswal in New Delhi said that speculative and irresponsible comments regarding the ongoing investigation were not helpful.

India Refuted Alleged International Conspiracy

Last November, US prosecutors accused Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen, of teaming up with an Indian government worker in a failed plan to harm Pannun. Pannun is wanted in India for terrorism and holds citizenship in both the US and Canada. He's been labeled a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The claims about this plot surfaced after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested Indian involvement in the killing of a separatist named Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last June. India strongly refuted these allegations.

On December 7, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament that India set up an inquiry to investigate the information provided by the US regarding the Pannun case because it relates to national security.
The federal appeals court based in Denver agreed on Wednesday that Greeley police did not violate the U.S. Constitution by walking onto a man's front yard and pulling him out of his vehicle for a traffic infraction without a warrant.
Police in Baramulla announced today that they have attached multiple properties belonging to the handlers of seven terrorists currently residing in Pakistan who have been active since the 1990s, maintaining communication with active terrorists in the valley and instructing them to carry out anti-India activities.

According to a police spokesperson, "Properties of seven terrorist handlers, currently in Pakistan, have been attached in north Kashmirs Baramulla district." The spokesperson stated that this action was taken following the receipt of an attachment order issued by the Honorable Additional Sessions Court in Baramulla.

The attached properties, totaling 8 Kanals, 6 Marlas, and 2 Sersai of land worth lakhs of rupees, are owned by militant handlers based in Pakistan. They were identified by the police as Sajad Ahmad Bhat, son of Ghulam Mohammad, a resident of Bardan; Irshad Ahmad Khan, son of Abdul Aziz, a resident of Pringal; Gulla Mochi, son of Gama Mochi, a resident of Limber; Mohammad Aslam Khan, son of Shah Zaman, a resident of Pringal; Mohammad Beigh, son of Abdul Gani, a resident of Ijara; Khalid Mir, son of Ayoub Mir, a resident of Hiller Peerniyan; and Rafiq Ahmad Bakerwal, son of Shamus Din, a resident of Limber.

The police spokesperson clarified that this action was taken under sections of the 88 CRPC and is connected with case FIR No.02/2008 under sections 2/3 EIMCO Act, 120 B, 121, 124 RPC, and 19 UA (P) Act of PS Boniyar.

"The properties were identified as belonging to absconders during an investigation/enquiry conducted by the Police. This operation underscores the Police's commitment to combating militant activities," the spokesperson added.
New Delhi: Pakistan, in a bid to tackle the alarming number of children dropping out of school, is anticipated to declare a four-year education emergency across the country. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to make this groundbreaking announcement in the coming days, according to Dawn.

What Is An Education Emergency?

An education emergency is a state of crisis within the educational system of a country. The crisis may involve challenges such as a high number of children out of school, low literacy rates, inadequate funding, a lack of essential facilities in schools, and other systemic issues.

It signifies a critical situation that demands immediate and coordinated action from the government, stakeholders, and the community to address the underlying causes and improve access to quality education for all.

Need Of Education Emergency In Pakistan

A daunting 26.2 million children, which accounts for 39% of all children in the country, are currently not enrolled in school. Concurrently, the country also struggles with a concerning literacy rate of only 62%, indicating deep-rooted problems in the system that require immediate attention. On top of that, the government allocates a mere 1.7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to education. Recent statistics from Pakistan Education Statistics for the years 202122 highlight the urgency of the situation and the need for state intervention.

The lack of essential facilities like proper sanitation, clean water, and secure boundaries within educational institutions worsens the difficulties faced by students, especially those from marginalised backgrounds. It's crucial to address these shortcomings in order to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment.

Pakistans National Conference on the Education Crisis

Originally set for Tuesday, the National Conference on Education Crisis overseen by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address the imminent education crisis had to be delayed due to prior commitments by the PM.

As per the report from Dawn, the planned Conference on Education Crisis aims to mobilise collective efforts from various stakeholders. With the participation of chief ministers, development partners, diplomats, and respected education experts, the conference aims to develop comprehensive strategies and programs to tackle the underlying causes of educational disparities.

Recently, Pakistan Federal Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has strongly advocated for declaring a national education emergency. Last month, after being briefed on the high number of out-of-school children and other educational gaps, Siddiqui pledged to urge the Prime Minister and federal cabinet to declare an emergency.
A panel of legislators approved a measure to create "standards" for public libraries in assessing contested materials after a similar proposal failed to pass through committee earlier in the session.

Diving into an issue that has divided communities across America and enraged parents and activists on both sides of the debate, Senate Bill 216 requires a library's board of trustees to establish written policies governing the acquisition, retention, display and usage of resources, such as books, movies and CDs.

The bill mandates libraries to publicize their reconsideration process, share the outcomes of each reconsideration request with the public and ensure that challenged materials remain on shelves until a final decision is made.

In addition, the bill seeks to inoculate library employees from termination, discipline or discrimination if they refused to remove a resource before it undergoes proper review.

Proponents argued it's "important" to show library patrons, including parents and children, "a world wider than the one they might see in everyday life," and ensure libraries "reflect the diversity of the communities they serve."

Critics countered that some materials are simply not suitable for children, noting that many of the books that have been challenged contain topics that include rape, incest and pedophilia.

In February, the Senate Education Committee rejected Senate Bill 049, which would have created an official process for parents, students and the public to object to materials in a school or public library.

Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Littleton, and Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, who sponsored SB 049, are also backing SB 216, which passed through the Senate Education committee via a party-line vote of 4-3. It's next stop is a debate on the Senate floor.

Cutter pointed to a recent surge in book challenges and bans nationwide and said she wants to ensure that Coloradans have the freedom to access resources that expose them to different cultures and viewpoints. She added that the bill prohibits a "resource" from being reconsidered more than once within a five-year period and requires reconsideration requests come from individuals residing in the library district to avoid what she called "ban-bombing," which she described as multiple individuals flooding a library with requests to reconsider the same resource.

"While librarians work to provide their patrons with an inclusive array of materials, culture war extremists are attacking them and accusing them of distributing things that may not be appropriate and trying to deny other library-goers materials and programming," she said. "I want to make sure here that we affirm our commitment to those freedoms and let parents and children and all library patrons make choices for themselves and not for others. It's important to show them a world wider than the one they might see in everyday life." Erin Meschke, a Boulder resident, contended that no one is trying to ban books. Rather, she said, concerned parents want to ensure their children aren't being exposed to content they deem inappropriate. Meschke said most of the resources that have been challenged center on topics like rape, incest, and pedophilia, which "have nothing to do with the majority" of LGBT individuals or people of color. "To protect children from pornography and advocate for protected classes, we must not conflate their rights with the depravity aimed at our children," she said. Meschke raised similar arguments during the debate in committee over SB 049, the measure that failed to advance. During that hearing, Meschke said she believes that the public library committees would be biased, citing a 2018 poll that found 93% of librarians to be Democrats. "Senate Bill 49 would impose new controls on the content of libraries without sufficient input from parents or without providing avenues for parental involvement in the decision-making process," she said. Supporters of SB 216 insisted that such books reflect diversity in "perspectives" and they should be welcomed.

"Public libraries need the protections offered by this bill to strengthen the opportunities to include books and content that represent a wide range of perspectives, enhance wellbeing, and contribute to community cohesion," said Mark Fink from Anythink Libraries in Adams County, adding Adams County is one of two minority-majority counties in the state and added he wants his libraries' collections to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.

Fink praised the bill's provision to inoculate library workers, who, he said, have been retaliated against and fired for refusing to censor content before it is properly reviewed.

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"It's important for public library workers to be afforded protections to continue to provide people of all ages with access to a wide variety of reading materials," he said.

Alanna Hunter-Lawley of the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado also claimed the true "motivation" behind banning books is not a "desire to protect the most vulnerable among us," but rather to "(ensure) that minds remain closed."

"The banning of books represents both a surrender to ignorance and an arrogance to assume that our own experience supersedes the experiences of others," she said, adding that banning books dampens democracy and puts religious and intellectual freedoms at risk.

Donna LaBelle, who testified against SB 049 in February, reiterated her concerns that certain resources available in public libraries may not be suitable for children.

"This and other bills focus on issues that are adding to our children's confusion and pain, instead of helping them," she said, adding that the "peripeteia in our culture is forcing more parents and community members to become more involved" in debates about materials they believe should or shouldn't be available in their libraries.

In her closing comments, bill sponsor Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, noted that there has been a 143% increase in challenged books in Colorado since 2022. She reiterated that the majority of those books were written by or about LGBT individuals or people of color, and argued that banning books is a "a common first step to suppress the literature of marginalized groups", one that has "dire consequences, especially for children, who research shows benefit greatly from culturally and racially responsive representation."

"The freedom to read is one of our most precious rights," she added. "Regardless of background, zip code, or socioeconomic status, we have the right to read a wide range of materials that provide us with the knowledge base and the critical thinking skills that we need to be informed citizens who will contribute positively to our democracy. Our communities deserve to be represented in public spaces like public libraries, and codifying those legal standards demonstrates our commitment to protecting all Coloradans."

Minority Leader Sen. Paul Lundeen of Colorado Springs and Janice Rich, R-Grand Junction expressed concerns about the bill's proposed five-year reconsideration window, which they thought is too long. Sen. Mark Baisley, R-Sedalia, advocated for the reconsideration process to be solely managed by the library board, rather than the state.

The two bills  SB 216 and SB 049  have differences but also share similarities. Notably, both measures would prohibit the removal of a "resource" under certain conditions. In the case of SB 216, removal is prohibited until a public library has established a reconsideration policy or if that policy does not comply with the provisions of the bill.

In the case of SB 049, a material cannot be removed while a request for reconsideration is pending.

In addition, both bills say it is unlawful and a "discriminatory practice" to discriminate against individuals or groups in acquiring, retaining, displaying, using or "reconsidering" a library resource.
Colorado lawmakers eye revamp of TABOR refund process; panel advances bill dealing with contested books in public libraries; Sheena Kadi resigns from treasurer's office | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
With the state's spending plan completed and on its way to the governor, along with funding for K-12 education, lawmakers are turning their attention in the final weeks of the legislative session to tax credits and bills totaling billions of dollars that will likely tap into the Taxpayers Bill of Rights surplus.
In 2008, Deborah Lee Nicholls and her husband, Tim Nicholls, were convicted of killing their three children in a house fire that prosecutors said was started intentionally.

Those findings have since been questioned by a group of attorneys with the McCabe law firm and the Korey Wise Innocence Project, who are seeking to overturn the conviction of Deborah Nicholls.

In 2008, Nicholls was found guilty of 15 charges, including three counts of first-degree murder, for killing her 3-year-old Sierra, 5-year-old Sophia and 11-year-old Jay Nicholls in a house fire in 2003 at 4107 Undimmed Circle in the Village Seven area of Colorado Springs.

At the time, prosecutors said Deborah and Tim Nicholls started the house fire on purpose in hopes of collecting an insurance payoff. They argued that the couple used a product called Goof Off, a liquid stain remover that is also flammable, to intentionally start the fire.

In 2022, those findings were questioned by Nicholls' attorneys, who claimed that new evidence had come to light and that Deborah Nicholls' conviction was based on defunct science.

We have had experts review the evidence ... and they say now, when we look at the same testing, there's no evidence that the fire was started intentionally," Janene McCabe said when speaking with The Gazette in 2022.

After more than a year of hearings, Deborah Nicholls appeared in 4th Judicial District Court on Monday for what was supposed to be a rule 35c hearing. The hearing, which was scheduled to run for eight days, would have determined the outcome of Deborah Nicholls' attempt to have her conviction overturned and a new jury trial set.

Instead, her attorneys requested a continuance based on the discovery of new evidence and the desire to respond to a motion filed by the prosecution.

Deborah Nicholls' attorneys requested a "Brady" hearing based on information acquired by the defense that was not disclosed in her first jury trial.

The evidence is alleged by Deborah Nicholls' attorneys to be a report from a Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic expert during the first investigation that allegedly casts doubt on claims that an accelerant was used to start the fire.

Defense attorney Anne-Marie Moyes said the discovery required more investigation. Moyes also said a Brady hearing must be held before a rule 35c hearing.

Prosecutor Andrew Vaughan objected to the request for a continuance, stating that Deborah Nicholls' defense team has had the CBI analysis since 2022 and that there is no need for further investigation. Vaughan vented frustration with the request for a continuance, alleging it was just an attempt give the defense attorneys more time to prepare for the hearing.

"The defense needs to be held to a higher standard," Vaughan said to the court. "I've never seen in my 15 years seen more resources for a (rule) 35c hearing than they have access to."

The request for a continuance, according to Vaughan, would cause an "astronomical delay."

Senior Judge Deborah Eyler ruled to postpone the rule 35c hearing, but with the intent to still have the hearing "sooner rather than later." Complications with that desire, however, were made immediately apparent as Eyler's contract with the court is up at the end of June and a new senior judge will need to be assigned before dates can be set to hold the Brady hearing and a subsequent rule 35c hearing.

Eyler opted to go ahead with a "Shreck" hearing on Tuesday to determine if the defense's expert on arson and fire investigation would be allowed to testify in future hearings.

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Craig Beyler is the defense expert who alleged that the original analysis conducted by the prosecution's lead expert at the time, Dr. John DeHaan, was flawed.

In the 2022 motion, Deborah Nicholls' defense claimed that at the trial, DeHaan testified the fire burned so hot and so quickly that it must have been started intentionally at several different points in the house.

The motion disputed that and alleged DeHaan "acted unethically" when acting as a prosecution expert in an arson and first-degree murder case against Amanda Gutweiler in Louisiana.

"Following a lengthy investigation into DeHaan's misconduct in that case, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) recommended in 2015 that DeHaan be expelled from membership, and DeHaan subsequently resigned," the motion claims.

The motion alleges that mistakes made by DeHaan in Gutweiler's case were the same mistakes in Deborah Nicholls' case.

The first-degree murder charges against Gutweiler were dismissed by a judge in 2006, before she eventually pleaded guilty to negligent homicide, according to a report from The Register-Herald.

At Tuesday's Shreck hearing, Beyler spoke only about his qualifications in fire investigation, saying that he has testified approximately 100 times in the past and has numerous certifications that qualify him as an expert.

Vaughan said Beyler should not be declared an expert by the court due to an instance where a court in Maryland found him unqualified and a lack of recent training and experience.

Moyes rebutted the arguments, stating that although it's true Beyler was found unqualified once, he testified on several other occasions in Maryland and in Colorado.

Eyler ruled in favor of the defense, stating Beyler's qualifications were more than enough to be allowed to testify at future court proceedings. Eyler went on to state that determining whether Beyler is a qualified than the prosecution's expert is a different question that will become highly relevant at a future rule 35c hearing.

Deborah Nicholls appeared to court on Monday and Tuesday in an orange El Paso County jail jumpsuit. On Monday, she was visibly upset when brought into the courtroom, tearfully telling her attorneys she was unhappy with how she was treated at the jail over the weekend.

The new judge who will preside over the case will be the fourth to do so since the case was reopened in 2022.

Attorneys will return to court on June 3 for a review hearing and a subpoena return date. The goal is to reschedule the rule 35c hearing at that time.

Tim Nicholls' case remains closed . He was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder in 2007 and continues to serve a life sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections.

In 2012, Deborah Nicholls' guilty conviction was upheld by the Colorado Court of Appeals, and in 2017 the guilty conviction was again upheld by the state Supreme Court.

In 2014, Judge David Miller rejected a request from Tim Nicholls for a new trial, in which he claimed that advances in forensic science raised questions about the methods an expert used to conclude the fires were intentionally set, according to previous reporting from The Gazette.
Pro-Palestinian protesters who set up an encampment on Denvers Auraria Campus told university officials they are engaged in civil disobedience and have no plans to dismantle the tents.

Meanwhile, the officials reiterated that the activists may engage in a peaceful protest  but they need to take the encampment down, as it violates campus policy.

Thats how university officials described a one-hour meeting between the executive leaders of the Auraria Campus and leaders of the Students for a Democratic Society. The people who included two students from University of Colorado Denver, two students from Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver and Z Williams, as well as Auraria Higher Education Center CEO Colleen Walker, CU Denver Chancellor Michelle Marks and MSU Denver President Janine Davidson.

The goal of the meeting, the university officials said, is to listen to the groups perspectives and try to achieve an amicable path forward, Auraria Campus officials said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

SDS leaders indicated that they are engaging in civil disobedience; they recognize that they are in violation of the campus no-camping policy; and they have no intention of removing the tents until their demands are met, the officials said in a news release.

Protesters confirmed no agreement was reached.

Ignoring university officials, pro-Palestinian protesters have set up roughly 50 tents in an encampment that started on Thursday. Demonstrators over the weekend at the Auraria Campus in Denver say they are prepared to defend the encampment until their demands  notably divestment from companies that operate in Israel  are met.

The protest  and the arrests on Friday  were the latest in what has been a wave of pro-Palestinian rallies on campuses across the United States in the last several days and increasing worries by Jewish students for their physical safety.

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Campus leaders also asked many times what ideas the students have for ensuring the quad can be equitably used by other community members, the officials said in a news release, adding they reiterated to the students that their list of demands largely sits outside of her purview, as many fall under the CU Board of Regents and President.

After hearing the news of the meeting, protesters outside of the encampment yelled, Shame!

You support genocide! they added.

On Friday, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston had tried to persuade the protesters to dismantle the tents.

Its more of the same. Our demands are not being met, one protester told Johnston, who replied, I have no capacity to meet any of your demands.

As Johnston walked away, one of the protesters yelled, You (expletive) fascist.

University officials said they asked the protest organizers to continue the dialogue to come up with creative ways to move forward.
In recent years, Singapore's niche arts scene of miniatures has started to spread wider and wider as niche hobbyists-turned-artists gather bigger and bigger fanbases.

From an IT executive to a former commando, ClassicaLite will be showcasing these rising mini sculptors in this article in recognition of their growing grip on the Singaporean art consciousness.

Singapore's Rising Miniature Art Hobbyists

First on the spotlight block is Anthony Ong (Like Ants Studio), a senior executive in the IT industry, who told The Straits Times that he stumbled upon the art form one midnight in 2021, during a deep dive in the YouTube video rabbit hole of artists making tiny versions of furniture.

Spurred on by a surge of inspiration, Ong rushed to his art friend's supply store to buy supplies to get started on his own miniatures, despite having no prior experience in drawing, painting, or even sculpting.

Three years since then, the then-newbie has now turned into a 33-year-old diorama-making expert, modeling scenes with three-dimensional figures of varying textures. One of his recent projects is his recreation of a portion of the Jurong East MRT Station.

The diorama model complete with doors and a platform even garnered him sizeable social media attention thanks to a TikTok video of his where he presented the piece to one of the station's staff. In a preceding clip, Ong can be seen creating the work in a short montage.

He reportedly took two weeks to complete the model, only making time after work hours and on the weekends. That said, he eventually finished the piece, which has now found a home as a display in the station it is modeled after.

In contrast, former Singapore Armed Forces commando Wilfred Cheah's acclaim as a miniature artist spread because of his complex set pieces modeled after traditional and cultural scenes.

As per his statement to The Straits Times, Cheah said he picked up the model creation hobby as a child due to his family not being able to buy him toys. Now 58, Cheah returned to his humble beginnings and started to make toys using discarded materials.

He explained that, even now, he doesn't buy a lot of new materials. However, two exceptions are paints and wires. For Cheah, recyclables are not only highly affordable but they are also "easier to use."

In his mini-sculpting endeavor, Cheah has even established an ongoing deal with a nearby coffee shop worker, who agreed to give him empty aluminum tins that would typically just be scrapped. Another of Cheah's go-to materials is plastic containers.

One of his many projects is his recent diorama of a "wayang" show, which is the country's traditional puppet-centric art form. Cheah purportedly made it to honor his precious memories of watching such shows with his grandmother.

Although the original piece is not for sale, as it took over four months to make, he said that he is willing to make a replica if there's enough demand for one.
After a heated discussion at an El Paso County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday about race-based college admissions, a Colorado Springs nonprofit focused on educational achievement did not receive proposed grant funding.

The commissioners ultimately approved $475,000 in funding split among eight nonprofits after reviewing an advisory committee's recommendations and hearing from some applicants, such as Catholic Charities and Peak Education. The advisory committee recommended Peak Education receive $35,000 for its student mentoring that starts in middle school and aids students and their families through college.

Commissioner Carrie Geitner questioned Peak Education CEO Carlos Jimenez sharply during the meeting about his nonprofit's position on the 2023 Supreme Court decision to end race-based decisions in college admissions. The nonprofit has a statement on its website calling the decision unfortunate and for investment in programs to support diversity in college admissions.

Geitner called the statement an "an encouragement of racism in college applications."

"I am curious why you guys are encouraging what is essentially racism?" she asked Jimenez.

She later stated she would oppose any funding for the nonprofit and called for a stand-alone vote on the issue.

"We have to stop looking at people by the color of their skin," she said, saying the focus should be on merit.

Jimenez told her that, as a former college admissions officer, knowing a student's race was a helpful tool in understanding the person's background. College admissions have to account for how a person will contribute to the school as a whole and to separate a person from their race is challenging, he explained in an interview.

While the Supreme Court decision was focused on the processes of some of the most selective colleges in the country, such as Harvard University, he expected the national media would promote the idea that some students would have more trouble getting into school, so the Peak Education statement was meant as a response to that, he explained.

"Really what our message was, and was intended to be, was, 'We need to wrap around our students even more and we are here for you,'" he said. The nonprofit provides mentoring in School Districts 2, 3, 11 and 14 and serves 87% students of color, a demographic that matches the schools that it works in, he said.

Merit can also have multiple forms.

"Is merit being homeless and getting a B?" Jimenez said.

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The nonprofits mentorship program selects students based on their potential to help excel beyond what they are currently achieving, he said, in an interview.

"We are definitely not turning away White students."

Commissioner Holly Williams floated increasing Peak Education's funding to $50,000, because it was in line with the goal of easing causes and conditions of poverty. She pointed out that the nonprofit works in Harrison School District 2, a school with a high level of poverty.

Commissioners Cami Bremer and Longinos Gonzalez also said they supported the local mission of Peak Education and would like to see it receive funding.

As the commissioners worked through several options for splitting up the funding, including distributing $50,000 that Springs Rescue Mission declined, the amount dedicated to Peak Education dropped to $20,000. With three votes, the funding would have passed.

However, Jimenez declined the funding, because it was not enough to justify all the time the nonprofit would have had to dedicate to tracking the outcomes for the work it would have funded, he said.

The money was then reallocated to Mt. Carmel, which received $50,000.

After the decision, Jimenez said the nonprofit would be fine financially, but that the county commissioners showed a lack of commitment to positive educational outcomes and economic vitality.

Normally, the nonprofit has success bringing together conservatives and liberals around a shared goal of students finding a path to a well-paid career through college, trade school and the military, he said.

"It seems like Commissioner Geitner had an agenda that she was trying to carry out. ... Our students were a victim of that agenda," Jimenez said.

This story has been updated to remove a reference to Holly William's husband applying to Harvard University for law school. The commissioner misspoke when describing his experience. He was accepted as an undergraduate, despite race-based preferences.
Colorado cannabis industry supporters, including Gov. Jared Polis, applauded the news on Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Justice will recommend that the drug be reclassified. But opponents expressed concern the move would make marijuana more readily available to children, and that potency of the drug will continue to escalate.

It would be the biggest shift in federal cannabis policy in more than 40 years.

The DOJ, which oversees the Drug Enforcement Administration, recommended that cannabis be classified as a so-called schedule three drug  with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence  instead of schedule one, which is reserved for drugs with a high potential for abuse and no medical benefits. Other Schedule I drugs include heroin and LSD.

This is a huge deal for the regulated industry in Colorado, and every state where its legal, said Marijuana Industry Group (MIG) Executive Director Truman Bradley, adding: I dont think todays announcement happens without Colorado. We were the first state to legalize it and to say the eyes of the nation were on this state is not an understatement.

Meanwhile, two advocacy groups immediately raised worries about possible increased exposure of the drug to children.

After dealing with the unintended consequences that marijuana legalization has had in select states for over 10 years, we are monitoring todays announcement and what it will mean with the hopes the FDA becomes laser-focused on its role on this issue when it comes to public health and safety and protecting our nations young people, said Diane Carlson, co-founder and national policy director of One Chance to Grow Up, in a statement.

Colorado voters passed Amendment 64 on Nov. 6, 2012, approving the sale of recreational marijuana, making Colorado the first state in the nation to legalize pot sales. Those sales started Jan. 1, 2014. In that decade, dispensaries have sold $15.74 billion worth of cannabis through February, and the state has collected almost $2.68 billion in taxes through March, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue.

I am thrilled by the Biden Administrations decision to begin the process of finally rescheduling cannabis, following the lead of Colorado and 37 other states that have already legalized it for medical or adult use, correcting decades of outdated federal policy, Polis said in a statement. This action is good for Colorado businesses and our economy, it will improve public safety, and will support a more just and equitable system for all.

The industry has seen sales slide since pandemic-level highs. MIGs Truman said that the industry has a hard time weathering downturns when the IRS wont let businesses deduct the normal business tax deductions because cannabis is still illegal federally. And banks cant lend to them either, so capital has been hard to come by, he said.

Colorado lost 10,000 plant-touching jobs in 2022, and another 6,000 in 2023, he said. The unfair tax burden has made it very difficult to weather downturns. ... We think youre going to see capital markets open up.

Industry stocks spiked on the news Tuesday.

No one is really celebrating until the rescheduling happens, Truman said. We understand that legalization is an iterative process...It never made sense for marijuana to be treated the same as heroin. Marijuana has clear medical benefits and numerous studies have shown that marijuana is not prone to abuse.

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MIG is the largest trade association for the regulated cannabis industry in Colorado.

A Schedule III controlled substance is still illegal, and prescriptions are required to get things like Tylenol with codeine and ketamine  other drugs with the same classification.

Luke Niforatos, executive vice president of advocacy organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), said the Biden Administration is doubling down on marijuana remaining illegal.

The entire industry is still illegal, Niforatos said. Its completely out of compliance as a Schedule III, just like it should be as a Schedule I. So, there is a silver lining. We still oppose the decision.

The group believes the industry targets children with products, such as edibles and gummies, and business names like Cookies, a dispensary in Denver.

They are widely targeting kids, he said.

The group, which aims to prevent another big tobacco, also warned about the increasing potency of todays marijuana products.

The cannabis industry welcomed the development.

This is a remarkable about-face by the DEA, which spent decades denying the true medical value of the cannabis plant, said Brian Vicente, founding partner of national cannabis law firm Vicente LLP. The group helped then-Gov. John Hickenlooper draft regulations for Colorados new industry in 2012-14.

The firm has advocated for removing cannabis from Schedule I, according to a news release.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The evidence in the case of a man killed on a scooter in a hit-and-run collision in the early-morning hours of April 26 stacked up quickly.

Those details, as well as the voluntary surrender of the suspected driver, are included in the arrest affidavit obtained by The Gazette.

Colorado Springs police received a call about a crash near the intersection of North Academy Boulevard and Platte Avenue around 1:21 a.m. on Friday, April 26. According to the affidavit, officers at the scene discovered that a man had been riding an electric scooter eastbound on East Platte Avenue, at the end of the Academy Boulevard on-ramp, when he was struck from behind by a vehicle which fled the scene. The man  later identified in court documents as 51-year-old Reuben Ziemer  was declared dead on the scene.

Investigators say they found several plastic vehicle pieces in the roadway near the scene of the collision. Several were red, and one contained a parts number on it, indicating the piece had come from a 1997-20001 red Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The arrest affidavit also details how a nearby license plate reader camera captured a red Jeep traveling eastbound just before the crash. Investigators say the same vehicle was seen in multiple intersection red light cameras.

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Surveillance video from a nearby business however seems to have captured the actual collision. The court document says the surveillance video shows a "red SUV approaches from behind the scooter and collides with the victim. The vehicle continues eastbound and did not slow down or stop."

Police say the red Jeep believed to have been seen in the videos was registered to a man with a listed residence just 8 minutes from the scene of the collision. Officers obtained a search warrant and entered the home Friday afternoon. The vehicle was found parked inside the garage.

Saturday morning the owner of the Jeep and the house, Andrew James Bjornstad, 33, turned himself in to Colorado Springs police. He was taken into custody on suspicion of felony hit-and-run causing death, felony tampering with evidence, and misdemeanor failure to report an accident.

Bjornstad is scheduled for a hearing on advisement on May 2.
Pope Francis' visit to the Vatican's Holy See pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale last Sunday, April 28, marked him as the first-ever pontiff-visitor of the renowned international cultural art festival.

Now 87-year-old, the Catholic Church leader touched down by helicopter in time for a tour of the exhibition: "With My Eyes," which showcases works by acclaimed artists Maurizio Cattelan, Simone Fattal, and Corita Kent, installed throughout the Giudecca Island women's prison.

The Pope's Inaugural Visit to the Venice Biennale

Amid his cultural and artistic excursion in Venice, the pope emphasized art's power as a tool to explore societal issues, saying that "the world needs artists. He specifically spoke about the monumental contributions of women artists like Frida Kahlo and Louise Bourgeois, specifically for the city,

"I hope with all my heart that contemporary art can open our eyes, helping us to value adequately the contribution of women, as co-protagonists of the human adventure," expressed Pope Francis.

Along the way, the pope also met with the island penitentiary's some 80 female prisoners and offered them inspiration and motivation through words.

"Prison is a harsh reality, and problems such as overcrowding, the lack of facilities and resources, and episodes of violence, give rise to a great deal of suffering there," he shared. "But it can also become a place of moral and material rebirth."

"Paradoxically," he continued, praising their participation in the art exhibition, "a stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others."

According to reports by Artnet and other publications, Pope Francis appeared engaged and appreciative of the exhibitions and the people alike, despite recent troubles related to health, including a case of bronchitis that necessitated the cancellation of his trip to Dubai last December.

Later in the day, the pope attended countless other appointments in the City of Canals, before giving an open-air mass to some 10,000 people in the iconic St. Mark's square.

In his speech, he spoke lovingly of the incredible beauty of the city, which was contrasted by his concern about climate change and "overtourism's" effect on it.

He also addressed a congregation of about 1,500 youth at the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, telling them to socialize more and avoid getting caught up with too many digital distractions.
LETTERS: Is this the new normal?; what the students want
xenok

I am actually quite puzzled by the lack of love/respect (maybe both) that IMD gets in this forum. Perhaps it is the age issue, since IMD does look for MUCH more experience than most places.



IMD is a fantastic school. It is a school built by businesses, and it is a school for businesses. Note, IMD is NOT a school built by banks or consulting firm, it's a school built by BUSINESSES. What is your definition of an UE b-school? IMD qualifies in any definition that comes to my mind, that's why I don't see how it doesn't belong in the UE category.



I understand where bsd_lover is coming from but let me try to address his concerns.

1) Class size. Would you rather have a larger network that you know loosely or a much smaller but much more intimate network? Additionally, it is not the size of the network that matters, but the "value" of the network. IMD selects some of the most accomplished applicants from the world. In terms of accomplishment, I think IMD alums rank up there with the very best.

2) Finance and MC. Yes, these two industries offer some of the most competitive starting salaries coming out of b-school, however we are talking about BUSINESS schools, not banking or consulting schools. I don't necessarily even view this as a negative. As long as the placement stats are among the best, why should the industry matter that much? If IMD consistently places its graduates in fantastic companies with great compensation, should it matter what industries they are in if we're trying to compare UEs vs Es? Remember, we are trying to rank the very best BUSINESS schools, not just schools for banking and consulting.



Yes, IMD may not be the right school for the less experienced, nor for those wanting to make a career switch (note, this is for career switchers) into banking, nor for those who want to switch into consulting. However, it is an extremely competitive school to get into, it does offer a world-class education, it is academically rigorous and demanding, and it does offer an international network of amazingly successful alumni. In what area is IMD lacking that stops it from being classified as a UE? Some superficial like class size? Surely not!

Great post xenok +1. I'm all for IMD's industry focus in terms of what a business school should be about (I even mention that in my last post). But, I dont control what the overwhelming majority wants a b-school for. After the crisis most of us have wondered about the higher purpose of a business school. But, whether rightly or wrongly, an elite contemporary business school is expected to have a certain qualities. If you consider all other ultra elite schools (H/S/W/K/B/M/C/LBS/Insead) they all share certain common traits. Class size and diverse placements are two of those qualities. Lumping IMD in this category just doesn't quite work for me.But lets not be too hung up on IMD's status. IMD is a top school and if you go there, you will get an oustanding education; and no one will deny that (least of all me). What about some opinions on some of the other schools ? Am I being fair ? Do all the spanish schools deserve there Elite status ? Does the concept of Regional Elites work ?
After much fanfare, the first total solar eclipse to cross the United States since 2017 will begin on Monday afternoon.

The shadow of totality will move from Mexico into south Texas around 2:30 p.m. EDT, and continue quickly northeast across the Mississippi Valley, Midwest and eastern Great Lakes before exiting eastward out of Maine just one hour later.

Having two total eclipses cross the continental United States only seven years apart is a rarity. Before 2017, the last total eclipse to cover this much American territory was in 1970, when the moon's shadow moved out of the Gulf of Mexico, across the Florida Panhandle, and up the East Coast.

And it will not happen again until 2045, when the shadow comes ashore on the northern California coast and races southeast across the Great Plains and over the Florida peninsula.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly and entirely in front of the sun, and it is rare because the orbit of the moon is not a perfect circle around Earth, and it does not orbit Earth in the same plane as Earth orbits the sun.

On average, the moon is 239,000 miles from Earth, but the orbit is slightly elliptical. As a result, it is not the same distance away from Earth all the time. The variation is not large, about 10 percent, but this is why the moon sometimes looks a little bit larger  or smaller  in the night sky.

That difference explains a special type of partial eclipse called an annular eclipse. When the moon is slightly farther away, it will appear smaller in the sky. If the geometry still allows the moon to cross the suns disc in the sky, it may not cover it entirely, creating a bright circular ring in the sky known as an annulus.

Complicating matters further, the lunar orbit is not in the same plane as Earths orbit around the sun, it is inclined about 5 degrees. The moon does pass through this plane  known as the ecliptic  about two times a month, and a solar eclipse can happen when that crossing of the ecliptic occurs.

Plus, solar eclipses only happen during a new moon phase, when the moon rises and sets at about the same time as the sun. During the rest of the lunar cycle, the moon is nowhere close to the sun as they each move across the sky. You have probably noticed this difference as the full moon rises in the eastern sky at around sunset, but you can sometimes catch a waxing crescent moon setting in the western sky shortly after sunset.

Over a long enough time frame, there is a pattern to these eclipses, called the Saros Cycle, which is a period of about 18 years and 11 days. But even this cycle does not take into account the rotation of Earth, so while the shapes of the shadows on the ground are similar in these cycles, the location of the shadows changes.

This all makes a total solar eclipse a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people. But for those who have the means to travel, the chances come around more frequently. The next total eclipse is in 2026, visible from Greenland, the North Atlantic, and southwestern Europe.

Wherever you may be this year for the eclipse, enjoy the celestial show!

Sean Sublette is the chief meteorologist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia.

Consider visiting one of these locations to view the April 8 total solar eclipse 25 of the best places to see the solar eclipse across the US Mapping the path of totality across the US Waco, Texas Cleveland Indianapolis Findlay, Ohio Erie, Pennsylvania Rochester, New York Hondo, Texas Niagara Falls, New York Dayton, Ohio Del Rio, Texas Little Rock, Arkansas Texarkana, Arkansas Massena, New York Paducah, Kentucky Caribou, Maine Syracuse, New York Akron/Canton, Ohio San Antonio Barre/Montpelier, Vermont Buffalo, New York Evansville, Indiana Burlington, Vermont Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas Youngstown, Ohio Toledo, Ohio
A statewide initiative to reduce gun crimes has led to a drop in homicides in the commonwealth, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said Tuesday.

Weve seen absolutely fantastic numbers, he said during a news conference in front of the Danville Police Department headquarters.

Operation Ceasefires goal was to decrease homicides by 10%, but they dropped by 17% across the state in the programs first year, Miyares said. The campaign started in October 2022 and has focused on 13 cities, including Danville, Martinsville, Lynchburg and Roanoke.

Just here in the city of Danville, weve seen a 25% decrease in homicides, a 28% decrease in robbery, Miyares said.

The city had eight homicides in 2022 and six in 2023.

Aggravated assaults went up by 34% from 2022 to 2023 in Danville, which also saw a 10% drop in reported rapes. Violent offenses overall increased by 13% and all offenses combined increased by 5.5%, according to figures from the attorney generals office.

Operation Ceasefire addresses gun violence through prosecution and prevention, as well as promoting violence intervention strategies and working with local communities to reduce and prevent violent crime, according to a March 20 news release from the attorney generals office.

Other cities under the program include Richmond, Petersburg, Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Emporia and Hopewell.

Twelve of the 13 cities saw reductions in crime in 2023, and nine saw an overall decrease in violent crime. Cities also saw 225 fewer violent crimes last year than in 2022, according to the news release.

Through March 20, Operation Ceasefire had prosecuted 155 cases, resulting in 106 convictions with 41 pending trials, according to the news release.

Lynchburg Commonwealths Attorney Bethany Harrison praised Miyares efforts with Operation Ceasefire and its results in Lynchburg.

We know that justice requires accountability for the offender, Harrison said. Justice requires taking care of our victims of crime. Justice requires equipping our officers with the tools they need to complete their jobs. Justice requires collaboration by law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial authorities at the federal, state and local level.

Justice also needs prevention and intervention, she added.

Weve seen the fruits of these labors in the city of Lynchburg, Harrison said.

According to figures from the attorney generals office, Lynchburg saw a 50% decrease in homicides from 2022 to 2023, from eight to four, and an 8% drop in violent crime overall.

Danville Police Chief Chris Wiles pointed to the importance of collaboration between law enforcement and the community to achieve crime-reduction goals.

But gun violence continues to devastate our communities, leaving many lives lost and countless lives shattered, Wiles added, before mentioning the four police officers fatally shot while serving warrants at a home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

That violence took the lives of four law-enforcement officers, Wiles said.

Roanoke Police Chief Scott Booth, who was Danvilles police chief from 2018 to 2023, said overall crime in Danville has fallen to half of what it was since 2018.

This was a collaborative effort between the police department, our federal agencies, our state partners like the attorney generals office, our elected officials here who showed us a phenomenal level of support, Booth said.

According to figures from the attorney generals office, Roanokes homicide rate surged by 56% from 2022 to 2023. But reported rapes fell by 44% and robberies dropped by 17%. Overall violent offenses dipped by 5% and crime decreased overall by 6.4%.

Booth expressed hope that homicides would decrease in Roanoke this year.

Were already seeing the needle move, he said. Were already seeing community members coming forward and providing us with information after a homicide, after a shooting, and that makes my heart grow each and every day.

As for Martinsville, its overall crime rate decreased by 19%, with an 80% drop in robberies, from 10 in 2022 to two last year. Martinsville had no homicides in 2022, but three in 2023. Its violence crime rate went down by 6% overall.

Early in his part of the news conference, Miyares spoke about unrest on college campuses in Virginia,

He pointed out the importance of the First Amendment as one of the bedrock principles of this country, but issued a stark warning to campus protestors in Virginia who commit acts of violence, occupy academic buildings or threaten Jewish students.

If you cross that line  if you commit acts of violence, if you are so foolish to think you can occupy an academic building in Virginia, if youre so foolish to do what youre seeing around the country and directly threaten our Jewish students or side with those that want to publicly exterminate our Jewish brethren and citizens, then there will be consequences, there will be action, Miyares said.

He also had strong words for those who assaulted police officers Monday during protests at Virginia Commonwealth University.

To those perpetrators, we will use every resource we have to track you down, Miyares said. We will find you, we will prosecute you. That is indeed a felony. There will be consequences for your actions.

Antisemitism is wrong. It was wrong back in the 1930s, it was wrong in the 1940s and its wrong today and we will not have it here in Virginia. Virginia is not New York, he added.
A Morganton man has been charged after an incident at a park on Sunday night.

Rodney Eugene McMahan, 46, of Morganton, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and communicating threats, according to a release from the Morganton Department of Public Safety.

Morganton officers were dispatched to Marthas Park around 8 p.m. for a report of a man with a knife, the release said.

McMahan was found in the parking area beside the park.

Witnesses said McMahan argued with three juveniles beside the park. McMahan brandished a fixed-blade knife during the argument and made threats to assault the juveniles with the weapon, the release said.

McMahan left the area, but returned and engaged with the juveniles again, the release said. Capt. Josiah Brown said one of the juveniles threw a rock at McMahan after he engaged with them a second time.

A witness called 911 to report the disturbance after the second argument.

Officers detained McMahan, the release said.

McMahan has previous convictions of multiple counts of felony breaking and entering vehicles, felony obtaining property by false pretenses/cheats/services, misdemeanor assault on a female, larceny, domestic criminal trespass, communicating threats and second-degree trespassing, according to records from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

His bond was set at $2,500 secured with a court date set for Aug. 2, the release said.
" " This status of Marcus Aurelius stands on Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy. Jupiterimages/Getty Images

Marcus Aurelius (121 to 180 C.E.) never meant for his "Meditations" to be published, let alone read and quoted by truth-seekers for millennia. The slim volume captures the private thoughts of an ancient Roman emperor and dedicated student of Stoic philosophy as he led armies to battle against barbarian invaders and watched millions of his subjects die from a plague of smallpox.

Written nearly 2,000 years ago, "Meditations" resonates so deeply with modern readers because Marcus Aurelius proffered answers to some of life's biggest questions  how to be a good person, how to deal with adversity, and how to rein in emotions and focus on what really matters  and he does it with short, easily digestible, highly quotable nuggets of Stoic wisdom.

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"Stoicism from its very beginning is designed to be a philosophy to be lived, not just studied," says William O. Stephens, philosophy professor at Creighton University and author of "Marcus Aurelius: A Guide for the Perplexed." "Meditations is intended to be a practical guide. And the kinds of challenges that Marcus faced in Ancient Rome are not all that far removed from the human circumstances and challenge that we face today, including 'the plague.'"

Here is Stephens' take on five potentially life-altering pieces of advice from Marcus Aurelius:

Now That's Crazy The 2006 movie "Gladiator" made up the character of Maximus, but the bad guy Commodus was the real son and heir of Marcus Aurelius and a real nutjob. Stephens says that for sport, the megalomaniacal Commodus used to shackle together a bunch of prisoners, cut off their feet and then "fight" them as if they were a mythical beast.
Chris Pettit, left, the ex-attorney who was sentenced in March to 50 years in federal prison, wants his son to receive $115,000 in insurance proceeds on his late brothers life. The bankruptcy trustee administering Pettits bankruptcy case says the money belongs to Pettits bankruptcy estate, according to a court filing. Jerry Lara/Staff photographer Chris Pettit was sentenced to 50 years in prison in March for defrauding his former law clients. Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

A fight may be in the offing over the death benefits from insurance policies on the life of Chris Pettits brother, who committed suicide in 2022.

Charles Joseph Petitt, who died of asphyxiation, had $115,000 in life insurance coverage from two Principal Life Insurance Co. policies that were part of an employee welfare benefit plan he had through his employment at his brothers law firm. Payment of the policys benefits, however, are complicated by the surviving brothers bankruptcy.

Chris Pettit  57, a longtime San Antonio probate, estate planning and personal injury lawyer  received a 50-year prison sentence in March after pleading guilty to three counts of wire fraud and money laundering related to the theft of as much as $65 million from his clients.

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Months before his arrest, Chris Pettit had filed for bankruptcy protection for himself and his law firm, surrendered his law license and shuttered his practice.

As the scandal unfolded in late spring and early summer 2022, Charles Pettit took his own life by wrapping his head and upper torso in plastic sheeting, the autopsy report said. His body was discovered July 12, 2022, after Chris Pettit asked San Antonio police to conduct a welfare check.

Charles Pettit, who was 49 at the time of his death, had designated his mother, Rose Pettit, as the beneficiary on his life insurance policies, but she died in 2018. He did not name a contingent beneficiary.

He was never married and had no children, leaving brother Chris as his closest surviving relative.

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According to a complaint filed by Principal Life in the bankruptcy case last week, Chris Pettit sent the insurer in August 2022 a completed Life Claim Information form identifying his minor son as the beneficiary of the life insurance policies.

Before Principal Life could pay Chris Pettit or his son, the complaint said counsel for bankruptcy trustee Eric Terry notified the insurer that any life insurance proceeds payable to Chris Pettit are assets of the bankruptcy estate and under the control of the Trustee, not Pettit.

In October 2022, a lawyer for former Chris Pettit clients Mark and Robin Verstuyft demanded that Principal Life reimburse them more than $5,200 on the grounds that Chris Pettit had used some of the money he stole from them to pay life insurance premiums in April 2022, the insurer said in its complaint.

The couple subsequently withdrew the claim in return for Principal Life filing the complaint seeking to determine who should get the life insurance proceeds, it said in the document.

At this stage, Principal Life cannot pay all or part of the Proceeds to the Trustee, Pettit or the Minor  without incurring possible multiple liability, the insurer said in the court filing.

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Principal Life wants the bankruptcy court in San Antonio to decide whether the trustee, Pettit, his son or third parties presently unknown are entitled to payment of part or all of the proceeds.
Wednesday, May 1

The Weekly Bible study will be at 11:30 a.m. at the church parlor of Calvary Lutheran Church, Concord. Hosted by Pastor Debbie Frye.

How Great Thou Art Drawing Class led by James Fore in a weekly drawing class 1:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall at Calvary Lutheran Church, Concord, NC 28025. All are welcome. Bring paper and pencil. Call the church office at 704-782-6923 for more details.

The Cabarrus Senior Center Photo Club is alive and clicking away. If you like taking photos, come join the members on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 1:30-3 p.m. at the Cabarrus Senior Center, 331 Corban Ave. SE, Concord, and share your photographic creativity. Whether you are a seasoned photographer or strictly amateur, all are welcome.

Thursday, May 2

Epworth United Methodist Church will have a hot dog sale from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Epworth is at 1030 Burrage Road, NE, Concord. Credit cards accepted. For deliveries, call 704-786-5500.

The Kannapolis Farmers Market is held from 4 to p.m. in the Oak Avenue mall pakringl ot at the corner of Vance Street and Dale Earnhardt Boulevard. Vendors offer a wide variety of fresh, local produce, as well as meat, eggs, baked goods, crafts, and prepared foods.

The Jiggy with the Piggy Barbecue festival begins with the Jiggy with the Piggy 5K at the N.C. Research Campus at 6:30 p.m.

Mt. Mitchell Global Methodist Church will participate in the National Day of Prayer. The church will be having a 24-hour prayer event. There will be a tent set up on 6001 Old Concord Salisbury Road, at the driveway of the church.

The Cabarrus chapter of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) will meet at 7 p.m. at 2400 Rock Hill Church Rd. Come out and share your stories with these veterans. All not just veterans, are Welcome

Friday, May 3

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Jiggy Pig with the Festival begins at 5 p.m. at the North Carolina Research Campus Horseshoe. It will feature food, arts & crafts, Kids Zone, cCarnival rides, and more. Country Music Superstar Craig Morgan performs a free concert at 7:30 p.m.. A drone show follows at 9 p.m.

The 60-voice Piedmont Choral Society will present its free spring concerts, with orchestra at 7 p.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church, 950 Bradley Street (off Branchview) in Concord. The concert is titled To Music and features beautifully arranged selections that celebrate the powerful gift of music in our lives.

Saturday, May 4

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Hot dogs at Center United Methodist Church at 1119 Union St., S., are offered on the second and fourth Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dine in and take out. Call-in orders are welcomed at 704-782-1785.

A GriefShare Support Group will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oak Grove Baptist Church, room 23. Sessions will be Saturdays through May 11. Register at GriefShare.org, use ZIP code 28075. The church is at 200 Sims Parkway, Harrisburg. For more information, call 704-455-2763.

The Jiggy with Pig Festival begins at 9 a.m. and continues to 5 p.m.. at the North Carolina Research Campus Horseshoe. It will feature food, arts & crafts, Kids Zone, cCarnival rides, and more. The barbecue competition continues throughout the day.

Trinity United Methodist Churchs annual plant sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wonderful prices for quality plants. Cash or checks. The church is located at 416 Martin Luther King Blvd., Kannapolis. (Across from A. L. Brown High School).

Cold Springs Global Methodist, 2550 Cold Springs Rd, Concord will hold a Country breakfast, from 7 to 10 a.m sponsored by the Methodist Men to support outreach to the Community and Church. Donations accepted.

The House of Hope is sponsoring a Community Health and Wellness Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the First Missionary Baptist Church (FMBC) at 59 Chestnut Drive, SW, Concord. This event aims to provide Concord and surrounding communities with a day filled with wellness activities, health education and preventive screenings all free of charge.

Sunday, May 5

The 60-voice Piedmont Choral Society will present its free spring concerts, with orchestra at 3 p.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church, 950 Bradley Street (off Branchview) in Concord. The concert is titled To Music and features beautifully arranged selections that celebrate the powerful gift of music in our lives.

Monday, May 6

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner.

Caregiver's Support Group Monthly with Calvary Lutheran Church will be at 7:30 p.m. This Caregiver Support Group meets monthly via Zoom. All are welcome. For the Zoom link please check the Calvary Lutheran Church facebook page or website http://www.clconcord.org or contact the church office at 704-782-6923.

The Kannapolis History Associates will meet at 7 p.m. at A.L. Brown High School for a program former managing editor of The Kannapolis Daily Independent Don Smith. The Kannapolis native worked at the paper from 1982 to 1995.

Tuesday, May 7

TOPS #437 (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets every Tuesday at 10 a.m. (weigh-in begins at 9:30 a.m.) at Lakeview Baptist Church, 2532 Lane St., Kannapolis. Visitors are welcome.

How Great Thou Art Drawing Class led by James Fore in a weekly drawing class 1:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall at Calvary Lutheran Church, Concord, NC 28025. All are welcome. Bring paper and pencil. Call the church office at 704-782-6923 for more details.

Wednesday, May 8

The Weekly Bible study will be at 11:30 a.m. at church parlor of Calvary Lutheran Church, Concord. Hosted by Pastor Debbie Frye.

How Great Thou Art Drawing Class led by James Fore in a weekly drawing class 1:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall at Calvary Lutheran Church, Concord, NC 28025. All are welcome. Bring paper and pencil. Call the church office at 704-782-6923 for more details.

Thursday, May 9

Epworth United Methodist Church will have a hot dog sale from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Epworth is at 1030 Burrage Road, NE, Concord. Credit cards accepted. For deliveries, call 704-786-5500.

The Kannapolis Farmers Market is held from 4 to p.m. in the Oak Avenue mall pakringl ot at the corner of Vance Street and Dale Earnhardt Boulevard. Vendors offer a wide variety of fresh, local produce, as well as meat, eggs, baked goods, crafts, and prepared foods.

Friday, May 10

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 11

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Hot dogs at Center United Methodist Church at 1119 Union St., S., are offered on the second and fourth Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dine in and take out. Call-in orders are welcomed at 704-782-1785.

A GriefShare Support Group will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oak Grove Baptist Church, room 23. Sessions will be Saturdays through May 11. Register at GriefShare.org, use ZIP code 28075. The church is at 200 Sims Parkway, Harrisburg. For more information, call 704-455-2763.

Monday, May 13

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner.

Caregiver's Support Group Monthly with Calvary Lutheran Church will be at 7:30 p.m. This Caregiver Support Group meets monthly via Zoom. All are welcome. For the Zoom link please check the Calvary Lutheran Church facebook page or website http://www.clconcord.org or contact the church office at 704-782-6923.

Tuesday, May 14

TOPS #437 (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets every Tuesday at 10 a.m. (weigh-in begins at 9:30 a.m.) at Lakeview Baptist Church, 2532 Lane St., Kannapolis. Visitors are welcome.

How Great Thou Art Drawing Class led by James Fore in a weekly drawing class 1:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall at Calvary Lutheran Church, Concord, NC 28025. All are welcome. Bring paper and pencil. Call the church office at 704-782-6923 for more details.

Wednesday, May 15

The Weekly Bible study will be at 11:30 a.m. at church parlor of Calvary Lutheran Church, Concord. Hosted by Pastor Debbie Frye.

How Great Thou Art Drawing Class led by James Fore in a weekly drawing class 1:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall at Calvary Lutheran Church, Concord, NC 28025. All are welcome. Bring paper and pencil. Call the church office at 704-782-6923 for more details.

Thursday, May 16

Epworth United Methodist Church will have a hot dog sale from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Epworth is at 1030 Burrage Road, NE, Concord. Credit cards accepted. For deliveries, call 704-786-5500.

The Kannapolis Farmers Market is held from 4 to p.m. in the Oak Avenue mall pakringl ot at the corner of Vance Street and Dale Earnhardt Boulevard. Vendors offer a wide variety of fresh, local produce, as well as meat, eggs, baked goods, crafts, and prepared foods.

Friday, May 17

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 18

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Hot dogs at Center United Methodist Church at 1119 Union St., S., are offered on the second and fourth Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dine in and take out. Call-in orders are welcomed at 704-782-1785.

Does your community group or nonprofit agency have an upcoming event that would be of interest to the public? Email it to mplemmons@independenttribune.com.
The Indiana State Board of Accounts released a report this week which details findings that former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel and his family spent or benefitted from more than $4 million that wasnt theirs over a five-year period.

The money belonged to a nonprofit organization, the Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Association, also known as New Chapel EMS. Noel previously ran that organization.

The report reviewed the nonprofits financial activity between 2019 and 2023. It found Noel and two family members spent more than $2.9 million on personal items, charged to New Chapel credit cards. Auditors say in the report Noel used the nonprofit funds to purchase a plane, buy clothing, furniture, cigars and firearms, pay college tuition, donate to Republican campaigns and pay child support to a former Clark County Council member he has a child with.

The criminal investigation

Noel has been under investigation by state police since last June. Hes now facing 25 felonies including theft, ghost employment and tax evasion related to spending and practices at the nonprofit and the Clark County Sheriffs Office. His wife and one of his daughters are also charged.

He was first arrested in November but released on bond the following day. Noel was taken back into custody in early April after a judge found he was in violation of the terms of his bond.

A separate report released by the state board of accounts in February showed Noel and an associate responsible for more than $900,000 in Clark County Sheriff's Office and state funds.

New report findings

Investigators looking into New Chapel bank statements found more than $4.4 million in payments to American Express accounts associated with the nonprofit over the review period. Current New Chapel leadership said they did not have access to the accounts that Noel had opened. An attorney for New Chapel filed a lawsuit in March to gain control of American Express and Synchrony Bank accounts.

The state audit breaks down spending on the American Express account by cardholder. Noel is accused of charging more than $2.1 million, which auditors say there is no record of being for the nonprofit. He is also accused of another $39,000 on a Chase account. In total, auditors say hes responsible for around $3.5 million in misspent or lost funds to the organization.

Noels alleged American Express purchases include more than $360,000 on retail spending; more than $323,000 in travel expenses; more than $149,000 on aircraft and automotive and nearly $72,000 in alcohol and tobacco.

The purchases include nearly $54,000 at a local cigar lounge, and auditors talked with a New Chapel board member who said Noel would frequently invite others to the cigar lounge and insist on paying for the guests.

The report also shows he used New Chapel funds to donate more than $20,000 through WinRed, an online political fundraising platform to support conservative candidates.

The findings also list Noels wife, Misty, as having spent more than $663,000 on an American Express card over the five years on personal items including clothing, jewelry, beauty and retail. Shes facing 10 felonies for theft and tax evasion in the state police investigation.

Their daughter, Kasey Noel, is also criminally charged and listed in the state audit as having spent more than $107,000 on personal items and services on an American Express card and close to $2,000 on a Chase card. Kasey was an employee of New Chapel during the reporting period, but board members told the state board of accounts neither Misty nor Kasey were approved to have access to the American Express account.

The report also shows, as have previous state police records have, that there wasnt a functioning board in place during the audit review period and that Noel acted without oversight.

There is no evidence that the board members performed any function, including approving contracts, purchases, or debt obligations, or reviewed any financial reports, tax returns or bank activity of New Chapel EMS, the report reads.

It also states that the New Chapel EMS had no board oversight or suitable restrictions for Jamey Noel's spending on the account for the entirety of the examination period.

There were two other cardholders on the American Express account  CEO Matt Owen and Kevin Wilkerson, who also still works for New Chapel. The report shows Owens total charges were $111.90 and appeared to be for nonprofit purposes.

Of Wilkersons total  more than $279,000  investigators say nearly $41,000 was personal spending. While auditors request he and Noel jointly and severally repay this, hes not charged with any crimes and according to New Chapel, isnt under criminal investigation.

The report also shows Noel paid more than $180,000 in college tuition and expenses for his two other daughters.

The state board of accounts request Noel, his wife and three daughters and Wilkerson jointly and severally repay the funds theyre alleged to have used or benefitted from.

Noel is also accused of trading in or selling New Chapel vehicles for personal gain and making inappropriate vehicle purchases and trades.

In addition, the audit found that between 2019 and 2203, New Chapel received more than $3.8 million in public funds through EMS contracts with Clark and Floyd counties. However, investigators say previous bylaws only show the organization as providing fire services, and they didnt receive a copy of bylaws including EMS services until August 2023.

New Chapel response

A response to the audit findings is included in the report, signed by New Chapel CEO and President Matt Owen, Vice President Paul Holcomb and attorney Heather Peters. They say that the organization's purpose changed to include EMS service in 2003, and that the articles of incorporation should have been amended to reflect that. Leaders said that change is being made now.

In the response, New Chapel leaders say they've also made other changes in the wake of the investigation, including putting in place a functioning board of directors and internal controls to document and review financial activity and corporate documents.

The nonprofit has also conducted its own internal investigation and found that no other employees, directors or staff were aware of the alleged misuse of funds, and that most employees, and others through the community, believed that the company wasprivately owned by the Noel family, it reads. That includes Wilkerson, who, according to New Chapels response, believed the items he received from Noel were gifts.

Nonprofit leadership said in the audit response that, according to state police, no board members, their attorneys or the organization itself are under criminal investigation.

The report has been turned over to other state and federal agencies and officials including Special Prosecutor Ric Hertel, the Indiana Attorney General's Office, Indiana Department of Revenue and the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

In addition to the more than $4 million the state is asking the Noels and Wilkerson to repay, theyre asking for nearly $169,000 from Jamey Noel, to reimburse the cost of the special state board of accounts investigation.
COMPANY NEWS: Most businesses struggle with identity verification and have concerns over ability to protect against AI

Ping Identity, a leading provider of seamless and secure digital experiences, today released the findings of its new survey, shedding light on the state of identity fraud prevention in todays AI-driven digital world.

The report, based on responses from 100 Australian IT decision makers and an additional 600 IT decision-makers across the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, and Singapore, reveals a pressing need for Australian organisations to enhance their identity protection strategies, with all businesses having challenges with identity verification and nearly half (45%) not very confident they have the technology in place to defend against AI-related attacks.

Read the survey: Fighting The Next Major Digital Threat: AI and Identity Fraud Protection Take Priority

Indeed, the survey found that only just over one-third of Australian enterprises are implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA), leaving themselves critically at risk, and less resilient against cybercriminals who are leveraging increasingly sophisticated AI tactics to circumvent advanced identity controls, thereby making it easier for cybercriminals to impersonate people.

To stand a chance against advancing identity fraud tactics, businesses need to innovate to keep pace, leverage more advanced technologies and remain vigilant, said Ashley Diffey, Vice President Australia and New Zealand, Ping Identity. The attacks are not going to disappear and so having the ability to reduce their likelihood of succeeding will be vital. Encouragingly, the survey found that 36 per cent of Australian businesses will significantly increase their investment in fraud detection over the next 12 months.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures* suggest that one per cent of the population experienced identity theft in the 2022-2023 financial year with 2.1 per cent experiencing online impersonation. One-third of those who experienced identity theft advised that the stolen personal information was used to obtain money from a financial services institution or investments.

Organisations admit they are not using proper protections against identity fraud.

All Australian organisations are experiencing challenges with identity verification.

62% are very concerned about protecting against phishing attacks while 56% are very concerned about credential compromise and social engineering, followed synthetic identities (55%) and account takeover (53%).

43% admit their current fraud prevention strategy is somewhat or not at all effective at protecting against credential compromise, with only 36% using two-factor/multi-factor identification verification to protect against fraud, and even less (35%) using biometrics.

Organisations are concerned about their ability to defend against AI threats.

56% are very concerned about protecting their organisation against newly emerging AI threats that AI technology will increase identity fraud.

Only 57% expressed high confidence in their ability to detect a deepfake of their CEO.

45% are not very confident they have technology in place to defend against AI-attacks.

35% expect cybercriminals' use of AI to significantly increase identity threats over the next year.

The power of AI To secure the identity landscape

75% cited that the adoption of AI will allow their enterprises to dynamically change user authentication requirements based on their behaviour.

55% said that AI would enable them to handle fraud/theft detection systems better.

53% said that AI will enable their organisations to automate more of their customer identity management processes.

Decentralised Identity (DCI) is an untapped opportunity for identity protection.

Only 43% have implemented a strategy to use DCI as a protection against fraud for both customers and employees.

Globally, the survey found that manufacturing and government organisations are most likely to be implementing a strategy, with both around 50%, while finance reports the lowest strategy adoption at only 26%.

Fraud is on the rise, and its getting worse with AI. Smart leaders know that they need to level up yet so many organisations dont have the right guardrails in place to mitigate or prevent these kinds of threats. The longer they go without, the more they put themselves in harms way. Acting against tomorrows attacks means planning - and getting started  now, added Jamie Smith, Decentralised Identity Expert at Future Customers.

Additional resources

Survey Methodology

Ping Identity and Vanson Bourne surveyed 700 IT decision-makers between February and March 2024 from the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Australia, and Singapore. These respondents came from organizations with at least 500 employees and U.S. $100 million in global revenue, and represented a range of sectors.
Brayan takes over the chairmanship from SenSens founder, Dr Subhash Challa, who is managing director and CEO.

SenSen Networks said Brayan has a track record of high profitable growth and value creation, managing and expanding Australian companies globally, including a strong emphasis on the US.

From 2015-2023, he was Appen managing director and CEO. Brayan transformed Appen from a provider of language data and services to the worlds leading AI data and services company through a mix of organic growth, strategic acquisitions, new product and service development, and new market entry.

Brayan has M&A, investor relations, and capital markets experience and a successful track record with technology company founders.

He holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and a First-Class Honours Bachelor of Surveying Degree from the University of New South Wales.

Brayan is a non-executive director of Integrated Research, an Australian-based leading global provider of performance management solutions.

Pursuant to SenSen's constitution and the ASX Listing Rules, Brayan will hold office as a director until the next annual general meeting, where he will be required to seek election.

Brayans remuneration includes $90,000 per annum, excluding superannuation, and it is proposed that he be issued (subject to shareholder approval at the Companys annual general meeting) unlisted options equivalent to $180,000 in three tranches with a three-year expiry, under SenSens Long Term Equity Incentive Plan.

The terms of the options tranches granted to Brayan are: Tranche 1: $60k; 1,500,000 @ $0.04 per option; Tranche 2: $60k; 800,000 @ $0.075 per option; and Tranche 3: $60k; 600,000 @ $0.10 per option. Mr Brayan's contract has no fixed term and will cease to be a director of the company in the circumstances set out in the company's constitution or if Brayan resigns or is removed in accordance with Part 2D.3 of Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

We are delighted to welcome someone of the calibre of Mark Brayan as chairman of the company as SenSen continues to drive towards profitability and grow the companys global footprint. Marks experience leading revenue expansion at Appen will be invaluable for SenSen as we look to more rapidly increase revenues. I look forward to working closely with Mark in this next exciting, strategic phase of the companys evolution, said Challa.

I am excited to be joining SenSen. Their innovative AI platform delivers genuine value to their customers and is extensible to a large range of Smart City solutions. Im looking forward to working with my fellow directors, Subhash and his team to realise SenSens full potential, said Brayan.
Southwest Airlines has launched a new compensation fund for inconvenienced fliers. Sam Owens/Staff photographer A long line of people wait to reach the Southwest Airlines baggage claim window to find out information about their bags as rows of unclaimed luggage sits around them at San Antonio International Airport on Dec. 27, 2022. Sam Owens/Staff photographer A board shows canceled flights at Southwest Airlines ticket counter at San Antonio International Airport on Jan. 11, 2023. Flights were delayed throughout the U.S. after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the actions due to computer issues. By 8 a.m., flights resumed at the airport. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News

Southwest Airlines has launched a new compensation fund for inconvenienced fliers, offering $75 vouchers to passengers whose flights are significantly delayed or canceled for a reason within the airlines control.

Its part of the Dallas-based airlines $140 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Transportation after an operational meltdown in December 2022 that resulted in nearly 17,000 canceled or significantly delayed flights that affected 2 million passengers. The mess led to hundreds of flight cancellations at San Antonio International Airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Southwest  San Antonios largest carrier  agreed to pay the government $35 million and create a $90 million voucher fund for future fliers impacted by operational errors. That was on top of the $600 million it paid out in refunds and reimbursements to customers impacted by the holiday debacle.

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Under the program, Southwest is required to provide compensation to any passenger if:

A flight was canceled or delayed within seven days of the scheduled departure date.

Passengers arrived at their destination three or more hours after the scheduled arrival time for domestic flights or six hours for international flights.

The delay or cancellation was caused by something that Southwest could control, such as a mechanical problem or staffing issue.

To receive the compensation, customers must fill out a voucher request form online at Southwests website. The request must be submitted within one year of the delayed or canceled flight. Southwest will respond to customers within 30 days, an airline spokesperson said. The compensation fund is expected to run for three years.

While the original agreement terms between Southwest and the Transportation Department set the voucher program to start Tuesday, Southwest rolled it out April 16.

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Southwest isnt alone in facing new rules for breaking deals with passengers. Last week, the Biden administration required airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for issues such as delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation.

The Transportation Department said airlines will be required to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for canceled flights and significant delays.

Under current regulations, airlines decide how long a delay must last before triggering refunds. As under the Southwest agreement, the administration is removing that wiggle room by defining a significant delay as lasting at least three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international ones.

Airlines still will be allowed to offer another flight or a travel credit instead, but consumers can reject the offer.

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The rule will also apply to refunds of checked-bag fees if the bag isnt delivered within 12 hours for domestic flights or 15 to 30 hours for international flights. And it will apply to fees for things such as seat selection or an internet connection if the airline fails to provide the service.
To prepare for shutdowns, communities in New York where correctional facilities are economic lifelines need time  and help from the state.

New Yorks prison population dropped by roughly half since 2008 and is projected to continue falling. Against that backdrop, closing prisons makes fiscal and common sense.

So it was welcome news that lawmakers, as part of the newly approved state budget, are going ahead with a plan to close up to five prisons this year. The move will save the state millions of dollars.

But lawmakers and others who object to the plan raise a compelling point when they say the states three-month notification requirement does not provide communities with the time needed to prepare for the coming economic blow. Some lawmakers and prison employees have pushed for a six-month notification requirement that seems more than reasonable.

New Yorks prison population exploded after the state enacted the so-called Rockefeller drug laws in the 1970s. That led to a boom in prison construction ..., with the facilities typically sited in rural upstate communities struggling with the decline of industry or economies based around natural resources. The prisons were viewed as economic development, a way to put thousands of rural residents back to work.

In that respect, the plan worked as prisons became a mainstay of the upstate economy  but a morally dubious and unsustainable one. The Rockefeller drug laws, after all, were an egregious blunder, as New York belatedly came to realize. Many thousands of lives were ruined unnecessarily. Many New Yorkers who didnt belong in prisons were jailed nevertheless.

The injustice needed to end. But that doesnt mean, of course, that closing prisons is painless. And since the state pushed prisons as economic development, it must help communities now that it is taking that economic lifeline away.

Three months isnt enough time to do the job, not when a prison is likely the largest employer in town, the best source of high-paying work and a vital contributor to the tax base.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has suggested that some shuttered prisons be converted to housing, a notion thats almost comical. For one, housing conversions dont provide the long-term employment needed in communities facing the loss of a major employer. Meanwhile, housing is not especially in demand in most struggling upstate towns, particularly when many employees of the shuttered prison will be transferring away.

Communities such as Fort Ann  home to Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Washington County, which is among those likely to be on the chopping block  need better solutions than that. They need real plans developed with thought and attention to detail. They need more than three months to prepare for shutdowns that will transform communities and the lives of residents.

Again: Closing prisons is the right move, but there can be a wrong way to take the right steps. Rushing to close these facilities without adequate notification and planning pulls the rug out from under communities that need state government to be a responsible and concerned partner. Theres a better way.
Forsyth Medical Center retain its A rating for patient safety, while Cone Health and Wesley Long Hospital were lowered from A to B in the spring 2024 report released Wednesday by national health-care watchdog The Leapfrog Group.

Forsyth was rated an A for the 11th consecutive report, while Cone dropped to a B after five consecutive reports at A.

Meanwhile, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist remained at B for the second consecutive report.

With Novant Health Incs Medical Park Hospital retaining an A grade for the 17th consecutive report, as well as Kernersville and Thomasville medical centers staying at A, the Winston-Salem metro area was listed among the top-three metros in the nation as based on highest percentage of A hospitals.

The nonprofit Leapfrog is founded by larger employers and private health care purchasers. Its overall and individual category grades can reflect multiple years of review.

Leapfrog assigns letter grades from A to F to hospitals based on their ability to prevent errors, injuries, accidents and infections, and improve patient satisfaction.

Leapfrog researchers said they have determined that when compared with a hospital rated an A, patients face on average a 35% greater risk of avoidable death at a B hospital, an 88% greater risk at a C hospital and a 92% greater risk at a D or F hospital.

Novant said the A grades are a reflection in part of the Novant Health Institute for Safety & Quality that debuted in 2018, which focuses on patient outcomes and safety, clinical excellence and infection prevention.

When it comes to delivering safe and remarkable patient care, our teams are not only setting the bar  theyre raising it, said Dr. David Priest, Novants chief safety and quality officer.

We have a long-standing history of clinical excellence at Novant Health, demonstrated by our continued recognition from The Leapfrog Group, but our work to provide the safest care possible will never be finished.

Our patients deserve the best, so our teams are committed to continuous improvement to elevate safety, quality, health equity and the patient experience in every encounter.

Baptist-affiliated hospitals Davie had an A grade, while High Point a B grade and Lexington and Wilkes a C grade.

Baptist said in a statement that safety always has been and always will be our top priority.

We also firmly believe that meaningful quality and safety data should be transparent to the public, and we appreciate Leapfrogs efforts to make this information more consumer friendly.

Baptist said that its worth noting that accurately measuring this data can be challenging. Some hospital rating systems use limited methodologies that dont always reflect the quality of care or the varied factors that contribute to patient outcomes.

For Cone, affiliates Annie Penn in Reidsville also dropped from an A to B grade.

Cone said in a statement that quality and safety are at the heart of our values.

Unfortunately, we are experiencing a decline in our publicly reported metrics. We were aware of some of these gaps and have already taken steps to rectify them. A detailed plan is already in place to address the identified issues and return our results to the A grade our patients expect and deserve.

Altogether, 37 of the 88 North Carolina hospitals evaluated by Leapfrog received an A grade, or 42%  the eighth highest percentage nationwide.

By comparison, North Carolina was ranked third in the fall 2023 report, sixth in the spring 2023 report, seventh in the fall 2022 report and first in the spring 2022 report.

Leapfrog perspective

The fall 2023 grades are the first to reflect hospital performance since the national public health COVID-19 emergency was declared over on May 11 by the Biden administration.

For both 2023 reports, Leapfrog placed additional emphasis on the average risk of three health-care associated infections: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI); and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI).

Those infections, according to Leapfrog, spiked to a five-year high in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain at elevated levels.

Patient experience is very difficult to influence without delivering better care, so these findings are encouraging, said Leah Binder, president and chief executive of Leapfrog.

We were also pleased to see the decrease in preventable infections, which cause terrible suffering and sometimes death.

When we look at these positive trends, we see lives saved  and that is gratifying.

Patients are asked to rate their experience of nurse communication, doctor communication, staff responsiveness, communication about medicine and discharge information.

Since the start of the pandemic, patient experience has worsened, Leapfrog said.

This spring has shown the first sign of improvement with all measures significantly improving since fall 2023, but the measures are still far from pre-pandemic levels, according to the news release.

Binder said that while todays results are promising, patient safety remains a crisis-level hazard in health care.

Some hospitals are much better than others at protecting patients from harm, and thats why we make the Hospital Safety Grade available to the public and why we encourage all hospitals to focus more attention on safety.
University of Texas police officers arrest a man at a pro-Palestinian protest on campus, Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP) Jay Janner/Associated Press

It was the last day of classes at the University of Texas at Austin, and students were already taking final exams.

Monday was also the day that tension over U.S. support of Israels war in Gaza boiled over on the South Lawn of the familiar campus just north of the Texas Capitol.

Jackie Campos, a 21-year-old senior from San Antonio, was in the thick of it.

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Long involved in political activism, Campos began attending teach-ins and discussions in Austin and San Antonio last fall to learn more about Israeli and Palestinian history and what led up to the war.

UT students put a sign on the George Washington statue on the South Mall after a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Thursday April 25, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP) Jay Janner/Associated Press

Like other Mexican American students and others of color, she connected with the plight of Palestinians.

Campos talked about what happened on campus Monday and last week, including what she called aggressive actions by state and local police, threats from university officials and growing disdain for university officials, especially UT President Jay Hartzell.

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Prepped for a protest that was to be very calm, Campos first attended a class before heading to the South Lawn.

By the time she got there, it had already escalated, she said. Police looked as if preparing for war.

A fellow student said, If youre not ready to get arrested, then you need to back up.

Tensions grew. It just kept escalating, she said.

Officers began charging at protesters, the native San Antonian added. She grew up on the citys Southeast Side and graduated from the Young Womens Leadership Academy.

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People were scared, but we all linked arms. UT faculty rallied around students and the Palestinian cause.

AUSTIN, TEXAS - APRIL 24: A student is arrested protesting the war in Gaza at the University of Texas at Austin on April 24, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Students walked out of class and gathered in protest during a pro-Palenstine demonstation. Protests continue to sweep college campuses around the country. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Brandon Bell/Getty Images

ELAINE AYALA: Cornyation royals await cure for special-needs daughter

Austin Police Department officers were on the scene, too. They werent there for our safety, she said. It got so bad.

It looked that way on television, too. I saw officers using excessive force. I saw a disregard for students safety. I saw a complete overreaction, like weve come to expect in Gov. Greg Abbotts Texas.

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The scene was eerily reminiscent of police behavior during the civil rights era and the war in Vietnam.

UTs campus also brought into focus the results of a recent CNN poll that found 81% of voters younger than 35 disapprove of President Joe Bidens stand on Israels war on Gaza.

Its important to say here that young people like Campos know the violence in Gaza spun off the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas. They know Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostage. Theyre sympathetic to that bloodshed and terror.

AUSTIN, TEXAS - APRIL 24: Mounted police work to contain demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza at the University of Texas at Austin on April 24, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Students walked out of class as protests continue to sweep college campuses around the country. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Brandon Bell/Getty Images

But the Israeli attacks on Gaza have gone far beyond those numbers.

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Students are protesting Israels disproportionate response.

For as long as I can remember, few have dared utter such criticism about Israel aloud. The fear of being called antisemitic was too great and the political backlash too much to stomach.

Campus protests arent coming from that dark place of anti-Jewish hate. Theyre exceedingly anti-war.

More Americans are seeing that distinction, and even Bidens Democratic base is pushing for more limits on Israel. Jewish voices are speaking out against Israel, too.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is among the most important in coming forward to criticize the far-right, hard-line Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He called the protests antisemitic, but Sanders countered, describing his objections as a way to deflect attention from Israels actions.

Israels response has been grossly disproportionate, Sanders added. Gaza has 2.2 million people, mostly very poor Palestinians, and over the last six months, 33,000 people have been killed, 77,000 have been wounded, two-thirds of whom are women and children.

Thats what UT students like Campos are protesting.

Pro-Palestinian protesters are pushed to the edge of campus by Texas State Troopers on horses at the University of Texas Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up on an increasing number of college campuses following last week's arrest of more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP) Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman

But after confrontations with local and state police, she said university administrators also need to be held accountable for their actions against protesters, for condoning police actions, like the use of pepper spray and flashbangs.

Campos criticized the university for using its emergency warning system during the protests.

Ive never heard those used, not in the context of protests. It really scared us, she said.

Its more apt for cases of extreme weather that endangers students, or in a mass shooting situation.

They also kept sending texts telling students to avoid the South Lawn because of police presence. But they wouldnt explain what was happening.

Campos believes that was intentional, to deter more students from witnessing what was happening to fellow students at the hands of police and university officials.

She saw students arrested and held in the UT Tower before they were bused out.

In the end, she said, I dont know why it escalated in the first place.

Campos will graduate May 9.

So many students, especially first-gen students  the first in their families to graduate from college  are looking forward to commencement.

But the events of the last few days linger, as does sadness, disappointment and anger over the attacks on students exercising their free speech rights on a campus that purports to embrace that value.

As these events sometimes do, they morph.
OMAHA  As Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert prepared to give an update on storm cleanup Monday afternoon, Tim Anderson and Russ Wilt backed a trailer full of branches to a growing pile of tree debris at Greenbriar Park in Elkhorn.

The branches came from Ramblewood, a neighborhood ravaged by Fridays tornado. This was the fifth trailer load that Anderson and Wilt dropped off Monday. Their employer, DTN, gave them the day off to serve the community  but it wasnt Andersons only contribution to the cleanup. On Sunday, he and his daughter, Ava, had picked up seven trailer loads.

Throughout eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, both volunteers and paid workers continued to clean up after Fridays storms. So many people have been willing to help that, in some cases, officials have urged the public to back off.

Authorities in Pottawattamie County asked Monday that no groups or individuals travel to Minden, Iowa, to help with recovery efforts unless they have received prior approval. A tornado that hit Minden destroyed about 80 houses, including the home of Nicholas Ring, 63, who died Saturday at an Omaha hospital from his injuries.

A town of about 600 people in the northern part of the county, Minden remains closed to the general public due to the amount of significant debris and operation of heavy equipment.

One of the current challenges facing response and recovery efforts is the influx of resources that havent been requested, the countys press release said. Current response efforts include provisions for meal availability, water/hydration, medical support, and operational tools, heavy equipment, and resources sufficient for coming weeks operations.

How to donate to help with tornado recovery

Instead, Pottawattamie officials said they strongly encourage people to make monetary donations. This will allow the ability to purchase goods that match the needs identified by disaster survivors seeking assistance.

Donations can be made to the Southwest Iowa Emergency Relief Fund to support areas impacted throughout the region at southwest-iowa-relief-fund. If you wish to have your donation designated to the community of Minden, a special fund is being established and information on how to make that donation will be announced in the coming days.

In Nebraska, Gov. Jim Pillen also urged financial support. For now, he said, the best way to help is to donate money to organizations helping displaced families. Plenty of volunteers worked on the cleanup over the weekend, he said. But he predicted there will be a need for volunteers throughout the summer and fall to continue the work of cleanup and rebuilding.

Volunteers interested in providing cleanup assistance should contact Omaha Rapid Response, https://rapidresponseamerica.org/. That organization is helping to coordinate volunteer efforts in Elkhorn and many other areas.

Washington County residents in need of volunteer assistance with cleanup or other debris removal services can report to the Salvation Army at the Lakeland Community Center located at County Road 34 and Nebraska 133. Volunteers may apply for work details at that location from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until further notice.

Donations of clothing, shoes, food or other personal items may be taken to the First Lutheran Church at 2146 Wright St. in Blair. The Red Cross is helping facilitate these donations with the church.

Help shows what community really means

At Elkhorns Greenbriar Park on Monday, Anderson said he was glad to be part of the effort. He recalled that he had wanted to help with the cleanup after Omahas notorious 1975 tornado, but he was just 14 at the time and his father wouldnt let him. So he had extra motivation to help out this time.

Were just helping out, just doing what we can to help our neighbors, said Anderson, whose own Elkhorn-area home escaped damage Friday.

As Anderson and Wilt tossed branches with help from City of Omaha worker Nick Flynn, they marveled at how many volunteers were working over the weekend.

There would be like 40 people in a line carrying stuff and tossing it into a pile to be hauled away, Wilt said.

Stothert lauded the myriad volunteers as well as first responders and other city workers.

It just really shows what community really means, she said. Its people coming together and helping each other. So many volunteers were out there. . . . In fact, in some areas there were more volunteers than we really knew what to do with.

Cleanup operations are progressing, Stothert said. The city provided the free tree debris site and a dumpsite for storm-damaged appliances at Greenbriar Park, and 10 city dump trucks in the Ramblewood area are helping people pick up construction debris so the city can haul it away.

Meanwhile, Waste Management has extended its hours of operation at the Pheasant Point Landfill, 13505 N. 216th St. in Bennington, until 6 p.m. every day through Saturday, according to a spokeswoman for Douglas County.

To be accepted at the landfill, tree limbs must be cut into pieces that are 4 feet or smaller. The debris can be mixed.

Household appliances, waste tires and hazardous materials, such as waste oil, paint in liquid, lead-acid batteries are not accepted. Dried-out paint can be accepted.

City officials are already looking ahead to reconstruction.

Our message to everybody that was really affected is what the city wants to do is to help them get back in their houses as soon as possible, Stothert said.

She said the city plans to waive any type of city permit fees for people rebuilding after the storm.

We will try to prioritize any type of permits and inspections that we can, Stothert said. But the one thing we want to put out a warning about is, dont fall for some scammers that have already come into town that will say (they) can get the job done without a permit. Because those permits and inspections are really important. Theyre all about safety.

As Stotherts press conference wrapped up, James Johnson and his son Braylen backed up their pickup truck with a load of tree debris from their neighborhood, Arbor Ridge, and nearby Ramblewood.

Its great that people are pulling together, James Johnson said.

You just come together as a community, he said. Thats what we do in the Midwest. Thats what were known for.

Photos: Cleanup continues on Monday after severe storms, tornadoes hit Omaha metro area
The original Half Price Books at 3207 Broadway opened in 1979. The store will close May 5 after 45 years of business. A spokesperson for the Dallas-based chain told the Express-News in February the building had been sold and Half Price was unable to work out a new lease with the new ownership. Rene Guzman/Staff

Back in 1994 when Richie Otis was a kid, the San Antonian would ride his bike through the Brackenridge Park area to the Half Price Books at 3207 Broadway, a quirky 1-story oasis of secondhand books and squeaky wooden floors.

The yellow building with the brown checkerboard accents welcomed him from its rear parking lot entrance off Avenue B, a stray cat or two curled by the door like a lazy sentry.

The Half Price Books at 3207 Broadway had all sorts of esoteric features, including wallpaper believed to be from a hair salon that occupied the space before Half Price opened there in 1979. The building dates back to at least the early 1930s. Rene Guzman/Staff A stray cat sits outside the rear entrance to Half Price Books at 3207 Broadway. Rene Guzman/Staff An unused fireplace on the top floor of the Half Price Books at 3207 Broadway was once covered with books. The upstairs space originally housed an apartment before Half Price opened at the location in 1979. Rene Guzman/Staff The now empty upstairs portion of the Half Price Books at 3207 Broadway, as seen Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The building, which dates back to at least the 1930s, once had an upstairs apartment. Rene Guzman/Staff The stairwell at the Half Price Books at 3207 Broadway got plenty of foot traffic even before the bookstore opened there in 1979. The building has been around since at least the 1930s and once housed an upstairs apartment. Rene Guzman/Staff

Inside, varying works of fiction, history and other subjects filled oak-colored bookshelves that stretched through the store to the windows facing Broadway. The books continued upstairs, where a noisy stairwell led to an old apartment converted into more retail space. Even a small unused fireplace was covered in hardcovers and paperbacks.

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Otis usually gravitated to the photography books, which opened his eyes to the possibilities of taking pictures for a living. Then there was the gurgling watercooler midway through the store, where a thirsty 8-year-old could rehydrate with a pointy paper cup.

Best of all, he could ride off with a book even he could afford on a kid's budget.

It was kind of like an outlet that opened my mind to a lot of things, said Otis, now a 39-year-old barista and medical care technician taking photography classes at San Antonio College. Thats why I have a lot of fond memories. And thats why I feel it will be a major blow to the area, that Broadway corridor there.

After 45 years in business, the Half Price Books on Broadway will close May 5.

END OF ANOTHER S.A. FIXTURE: Jefferson Community Church closes its doors after 78 years

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End of an era

Joining the store will be its used bookselling neighbor and former landlord Antiquarian Book Mart, which ends its own decadeslong run on Broadway that began in 1971. Antiquarian owner Bob Kellel sold the buildings that house the respective stores to San Antonio real estate developer Harper/Huddleston Inc.

The 71-year-old Kellel said it's time to move on and spend more time with his daughters and grandson, who live in Boston, though he noted the possibility of taking out a loan for the first time to pay his property taxes no doubt sealed the deal.

A Half Price spokesperson told the Express-News in February the Dallas-based chain was unable to work out a new lease with the new ownership.

Antiquarian Book Mart owner Bob Kellel at his store at 3127 Broadway. Kellel is closing Antiquarian after more than 50 years in business, joining the Half Price Books next door that closes May 5. Rene Guzman/Staff

Half Price will continue operations in San Antonio at its four other locations. But the Broadway closure marks the end of the chain's beginning in the Alamo City, when the first Half Price opened here in 1979.

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Its hard. It is really hard because it is such an iconic-looking store, said Half Price Books President Kathy Thomas, who grew up in San Antonio. Its funky. Everyone who shopped there loved the store. And they loved going through the shelves and the books.

Enough to write their own stories. Inside the mostly empty Broadway store, next to the mostly empty record bins, a small display beckoned patrons to share their memories of the location.

Shoppers shared memories and well wishes at the Half Price Books at 3207 Broadway, the first Half Price store in San Antonio. The location will close May 5 after 45 years of business. Rene Guzman/Staff

Thank you for being my fav cozy bookstore, read one post punctuated by a heart. Im gonna miss coming here & finding neat things & petting the sweet kitties out back.

My dad used to bring me here when I was a kid, wrote M. RIP to both Dad & HPB.

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This was one of the first places I took my (now) girlfriend as a first date, read a post signed James W. In fact, a picture I took of her scouring the walls for that next book has been my phones wallpaper for the last three years. Know that youve played an integral part in our lives and thank you for the memories.

The 1st time I came here it was with my grandma when I was like 10 years old, read another unsigned entry. This place immediately became my happy place & sanctuary. Every person I meet I bring here and have been coming here myself ever since that day. I am now 21 years old and Im so sad that I wont be able to share the magic of this specific location, especially the squeaky stairs. All the love.

GONE, NOT FORGOTTEN: 9 departed San Antonio bookstores avid readers still miss today

Longtime Half Price Books shopper Felicia Curvin looks at the remaining merchandise at the store at 3207 Broadway. The location will close May 5 after 45 years in business. Rene Guzman/Staff

During a recent lunch hour, longtime shopper Felicia Curvin slowly wove through the remaining aisles with a stroller carrying her 4-month-old daughter, Hilkiah. As Curvin's friend Brianna Campos walked with her, the 38-year-old Curvin recalled her first shopping trip to the store for Bibles when she was 18.

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She then bemoaned the loss of the secondhand bookstore closest to shoppers such as herself from the South Side.

"This is my Half Price bookstore," Curvin said.

Felicia Curvin (left) discusses a book with her friend Brianna Campos at the Half Price Books at 3207 Broadway. Curvin has shopped at the Broadway store for 30 years. The location will close May 5 after 45 years in business. Rene Guzman/Staff

Bookstore's beginnings

It seems only fitting the first Half Price Books in San Antonio occupied an older space with an eclectic history. After all, Half Price founders Pat Anderson and Ken Gjemre launched the nationwide chain, now more than 100 locations strong, out of an old Dallas laundromat in 1972.

One of the earliest tenants at 3207 Broadway goes back to 1930 with Chalkleys Heating and Plumbing, which James Chalkley Jr. took over for his dearly departed dad. It then housed Alamo Refrigeration Co. during World War II, followed by Trafton Tile & Insulation Co. in 1945.

In 1954, the building became the home of the Bexar County chapter of the American Red Cross, where it offered baby care and first aid classes until moving out in 1966. Wedding dresses occupied the storefront windows for the next decade, courtesy Julio-Vera Bridal Consultants and then Evelyns Bridals & Fashions.

The building also once housed an upstairs advertising agency and a downstairs salon.

Half Price Books opened at the site in April 1979.

In this photo from the April 22, 1979, edition of the San Antonio Light, Half Price Books co-founder Ken Gjemre (left) and Kent Gjemre inspect the merchandise at the first Half Price Books in San Antonio, located at 3207 Broadway. The location will close May 5 after 45 years of business. Express-News archives

Kellels parents, Lois and Frank Kellel Jr., originally rented the building to Half Price. They also knew a thing or two about selling used books in a retail space with history. Antiquarian originally was home to the Cone family, which built the property in 1923 for their photography studio and their own residence. Kellels parents bought the site from the Cones to open Antiquarian in 1971.

Family has been the business at the Broadway Half Price Books as well.

Well, both of my kids were raised there, said Ellen ONeal, Half Price Books board chair, who started working at the Broadway location soon after it opened and continued until her board appointment 30 years later.

ONeal recalled ringing up customers while wrangling son Brady, who was born in 1981 and is now Half Prices executive vice president.

As for Emily Ferguson, ONeals daughter, she worked at the Broadway store for a few years after high school and is now Half Prices donations and community outreach specialist.

Half Price Books chairperson of the board Ellen O'Neal (center) poses with her daughter Emily O'Neal Ferguson (left), Half Price Books donations and community outreach specialist, and son Brady O'Neal (right), Half Price Books executive vice president, for a farewell photo outside the store at 3207 Broadway. The location closes May 5 after 45 years in business. Ellen O'Neal started at the location in 1979 and practically raised her children at the store. Courtesy Half Price Books

ONeal joked that when Brady was a kid, she would get a Broadway staffer to take him to the nearby Kiddie Park when he got on her nerves. He recalled one time when he was age 5 or 6, he climbed a paperback spinner rack next to the watercooler and flooded the place when he crashed into it.

Ferguson recalled getting into trouble for stomping up the stairs. She recently took her 11-year-old and 7-year-old to the Broadway store so they could do the same thing one last time.

And they made me really proud, Ferguson said.

Otis nearly followed in the ONeals' retail footsteps.

Not only did he used to take his 6-year-old daughter Sydney to the Broadway location for Little Golden Books and her own watercooler breaks, he also briefly ran his own used bookshop on the East Side.

I actually got donations from Half Price Books and would then sell those, Otis said. So we would do half price off Half Price.

Like Otis, Curvin and so many other customers, Thomas said shes going to miss the Half Price Books on Broadway as much for its character as for its contents. It drew book lovers from the South Side and North Side alike, she said. It still had the cheesy 1970s wallpaper from the old salon on a wall opposite the rear entrance.

And Thomas' family insisted on meeting at the Broadway location anytime Thomas was in town, even though the other stores were much closer to her family home.

(Now) when I go downtown, Im going to look to the right and Im not going to see Half Price Books anymore, she said.
Maryland police arrested a mass-murderer before he attacked a school. The murderer taught us a lot. He was ordinary as mass murderers go. What was unusual was that the police in Rockville, Maryland included excerpts from the want-to-be murderer's manifesto. We've read similar stories from earlier murderers, but now we have their statements easily accessible for the public to see. If you read deeply, these statements also show us the difficult problems we need to face in order to protect our children at school and in public.

Most of us face and solve problems every day. We become at risk when we fail to solve the common problems that keep us safe and healthy. Today, we see our society face similar challenges from the problems we've ignored for too long.

Mass-murderers go through consistent stages. They first justify their actions. In this case, the murderer complained that his teachers were "evil" and classmates were "a$$holes" even as far back as elementary school. Mass-murderers routinely study other attacks and the news media's reaction to them.

The Maryland murderer wanted a record number of victims in order to get the publicity he craved. Mass-murderers expect to be killed during the attack or to take their own life immediately afterwards. In the recent case in Maryland, the murderer worried about spending his life in prison if he survived. .....
A 42-year-old Melrose man is being held in the La Crosse County Jail on a $15,000 cash bond for allegedly stalking a man as part of a jealous rage.

Cory A. Storandt was charged in La Crosse County Circuit Court with felony counts of stalking, criminal damage to property and bail jumping and misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and bail jumping.

According to the criminal complaint, police were called March 31 to a La Crosse address, where a man told police that Storandt had vandalized his truck. The victim, who is reportedly dating Storandts ex-wife, identified Storandt as a suspect.

Storandt was free on a $5,000 cash bond with GPS monitoring and no contact with the victim. The complaint says police were able to use the GPS device to determine that Storandt was in the victims neighborhood at the time the vandalism occurred. The damage to the truck was estimated to exceed $2,500.

The complaint says Storandt sent profane and threatening voicemail and text messages to the victim, one of which referenced working out with a punching bag. The complaint also contains threatening Facebook posts directed toward the victim.

Storandt was interviewed by police April 22. He denied vandalizing the truck and said he was in the neighborhood to visit a friend, who lives one block from the victim. Storandt was placed under arrest at the end of the interview.

Storandt has a preliminary hearing set for May 6.
Top Chinese diplomat holds talks with Argentina's foreign minister

Xinhua) 11:19, May 01, 2024

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina Diana Mondino in Beijing, capital of China, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina Diana Mondino on Tuesday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that China firmly follows the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, respects the choice made by the Argentine people, and wishes Argentina success in its reform. He expressed the belief that Argentina will overcome difficulties and find a path of development and rejuvenation that suits its national conditions.

China is willing to take the opportunity of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of China-Argentina comprehensive strategic partnership this year, to jointly grasp the direction of bilateral relations, inject more certainty into the two sides' cooperation in various fields, and open up new prospects for the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Wang said.

The two sides should continue to cherish and consolidate political mutual trust, understand and support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, advance cooperation in space, space flight, maritime and Antarctic fields, and promote sustained, healthy and balanced development of bilateral trade, he said.

China always supports Argentina's efforts to maintain economic and financial stability and is willing to continue to provide assistance within its capacity, Wang noted, adding that the two sides also need to deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges at the local level, among the youth, in education and health.

China is willing to work with Argentina and other Latin American and Caribbean countries to promote the building of China-Latin America relations in the new era featuring equality, mutual benefit, innovation and openness which will benefit the people, strengthen coordination and cooperation under multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and G20, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries, Wang said.

Mondino noted that no matter how Argentina's internal political situation changes, its friendly policy toward China will not change. Argentina adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to continue to promote cooperation in infrastructure construction, trade, investment, finance, tourism, space, Antarctica, ocean and environmental protection under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The new Argentine government pursues an open policy and welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Argentina. Argentina is willing to deepen cooperation with China under the framework of the CELAC-China Forum, keep close communication and coordination within multilateral mechanisms, and safeguard world peace and promote sustainable development, Mondino said.

After the talks, the two foreign ministers jointly met the press.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina Diana Mondino in Beijing, capital of China, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
Jacob Beltran covers crime, breaking news and general assignments for the Express-News. He can be reached at jbeltran@express-news.net.

A San Antonio native, Jacob began his journalism career in 2010. He's worked for the student-run newspaper for San Antonio College, The Ranger, and for Texas A&M University-San Antonio, The Mesquite.

He enjoys video games, photography and exploring during his free time.
American college officials in New York City and Los Angeles have asked police to remove protesters occupying college buildings and grounds over the past few weeks.

Overnight, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) officials asked police to step in after several hours of clashes between demonstrators. Pro-Palestinian protesters and those who supported Israel began fighting each other.

The clashes intensified as supporters of Israel tried to tear down a pro-Palestinian tent encampment.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that people threw chairs and other objects. Video showed fireworks exploding over and in the encampment. At one point, several people kicked and beat a person on the ground with sticks. Police wearing helmets and face shields formed lines and separated the groups ending the violence.

The Los Angeles Police Department said on the social media service X that UCLA officials asked for help. The request came after acts of violence took place within the large encampment on the campus.

Hours earlier in New York City, police officers used a ladder to climb through a window to arrest pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. The group had taken over the building after leaving a tent encampment on Tuesday.

Columbia University officials said they were left with no choice after learning that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded. They added that the decision to ask police for help was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing.

Protests spread across the U.S.

The nationwide campus protests spread from Columbia University in New York City. Protesters say they are against Israels offensive in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, which started in late October 2023.

Israel started the war in reaction to a terrorist attack by Hamas that killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 250 hostages on October 7. The war has destroyed much of the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Gazas health ministry, which is run by Hamas, says nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed.

Protesters in the U.S. have since called on American universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support its military.

Tensions increased when police first arrested more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University on April 22. The protests spread to college campuses in many places across the United States.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said about 300 protesters were arrested overnight at Columbia and nearby City College of New York.

Fabien Lugo, a first-year student at Columbia, said he was not involved in the protests. Lugo said he opposed the universitys decision to call in the police. This is too intense, he said. It feels like more of an escalation than a de-escalation.

Like Columbia, Brown University in the state of Rhode Island is a member of the Ivy League group of costly, private schools. Brown reached an agreement Tuesday with protesters to close their encampment in exchange for officials taking a vote to consider divestment from Israel in October.

At Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, riot police closed an encampment late Tuesday and arrested about 20 people. They were charged with trespassing. University officials had warned that students would face criminal charges if they did not leave.

First-year student Brayden Lang watched the events. I still know very little about this conflict, he said, But the deaths of thousands is something I cannot stand for.

Police also reportedly cleared encampments at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Im Dan Friedell.

Jake Ofenhartz, Joseph Frederick, Ethan Swope and Stefanie Dazio reported this story for the Associated Press. Hai Do adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional reporting from Reuters.

_______________________________________________

Words in This Story

helmet n. a hard covering to protect the head

campus n. the grounds of a school, college or research institution

vandalize v. to ruin the appearance of a place and destroy parts of it on purpose for the sake of being destructive

champion v. to vocally and forcefully support a cause

escalation n. an increase in the intensity of a dispute or conflict

divestment n. the act of selling financial interest in an investment or business

trespassing n. the crime of being in a place without the owners permission

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A school for tourism and hotel management has opened its doors to students in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The students are of different ages and their levels of education and professional experience are not the same. They are all men because Afghan women are banned from studying after sixth grade. The men do not know anything about tourism or the hospitality industry. But they hope to show a different side of Afghanistan in the future. The countrys Taliban leaders are interested in their efforts.

The international community mostly rejects Afghanistans Taliban rulers because of their restrictions on women and girls. The Afghan economy is struggling. Roads, bridges and other structures are in poor condition and people have little money.

However, foreigners are visiting the country because violence has decreased. There are also more air travel connections from places like Dubai, and some people enjoy vacationing in an unusual place. The numbers are not large, but there is a notable increase in Afghan tourism.

In 2021, there were 691 foreign tourists. In 2022, that number rose to 2,300. Last year, there were 7,000 foreign tourists who visited Afghanistan.

Mohammad Saeed is the head of the Tourism Directorate in Kabul. He said the biggest foreign visitor market is China because it is close and has a large population. Afghanistan also has advantages over some of its neighbors.

Theyve told me they dont want to go to Pakistan because its dangerous and they get attacked. The Japanese have said this to me also," Saeed said. This is good for us.

But there are disadvantages, too.

Visas are difficult and costly. Many countries cut ties with Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Nations do not officially recognize the group as the legitimate rulers of the country.

Saeed admitted Afghan tourism faces barriers but said he was working to overcome them. His aim is to have a visa on arrival for tourists, but that could be years away. There are problems with the road network, which is half-finished or non-existent in some parts of the country. Many airlines avoid Afghan airspace.

The capital Kabul has the most international flights. But no Afghan airport has direct regular flights to or from major tourist centers in China, Europe or India.

Although there are many difficulties, Saeed wants Afghanistan to be a popular tourist spot. It is a hope that appears to be supported by the Talibans top leaders.

An unofficial subject is how to interact with foreign women and how their behavior could conflict with local customs and laws. Examples might be women smoking or eating in public or interacting freely with men who are not related to them by blood or marriage.

The Taliban has a dress code for women and requirements to have a male guardian when they travel. Eating at restaurants alone, traveling alone, and socializing with other women in public have become harder. With gyms closed to women and beauty salons banned, there are fewer places where women can meet outside the home.

There are signs that the country is preparing for more overseas visitors. For example, the countrys only five-star hotel has reopened its womens spa and salon for foreign women.

Foreigners must show their passport to receive services. Women with born in Afghanistan on their identification are barred.

There are no women at the Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management. The students do not talk about it. But an official at the Tourism Directorate did.

Its a heartbreaking situation, said the official, who did not want to be identified. Even female family members ask if they can study here. But there was a change in policy with the change in government. The women who were studying before (the takeover) never came back. They never graduated.

Im Ashley Thompson.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from The Associated Press.

_______________________________________________

Words in This Story

tourism  n. the activity of traveling to a place for enjoyment and not for business

management n. the job of supervising the operations of a business and its workers

hospitality industry  n. the industry that provides places to stay, food and services for visitors

advantage  n. a gain or a favorable thing

legitimate adj. something that is right, real, official or legal

dress code n. rules for clothing that can be worn in a place

gym (gymnasium) n. a place where people exercise using equipment or take part in activities

beauty salon n. a business that provides beauty services

spa n. a place where people do healthy or relaxing activities aiming to improve their appearance and wellbeing

graduated adj. to have completed a course of study at a school or college
Southeast Asia was coping with a weekslong heat wave this week as record-high temperatures led to school closings in several countries and urgent health warnings throughout the region.

Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home after authorities canceled in-person classes for two days. The main advice for everyone, everywhere has been to avoid outdoor activities and drink plenty of water, but the young and the elderly were told to be especially careful.

Cambodia this year is facing the highest temperatures in 170 years, Chan Yutha, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, told The Associated Press on Monday. His agency has forecast that temperatures in most parts of the country could reach up to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) this week.

Myanmars meteorological department said Monday that seven townships in the central Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing and Bago regions experienced record-high temperatures. Several towns in Myanmar last week were on lists of the hottest spots worldwide.

Chauk township in Magway, historically the countrys hottest region, saw Myanmars highest temperature at 48.2 degrees Celsius (118.8 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking the previous record of 47.4 degrees Celsius (117.3 degrees Fahrenheit) set in 1968.

The Philippines is among the nations worst affected by the sweltering weather in Southeast Asia, where the intense tropical summer heat worsened by humidity forced class cancellations in recent weeks and sparked fears of water shortages, power outages and damage to agricultural crops.

The Department of Education ordered students in more than 47,000 public schools to switch to home-based and online learning due to health risks from record-high temperatures and a three-day strike starting Monday by drivers who oppose a government program they fear would remove dilapidated passenger jeepneys from streets.

Large crowds have sought relief in air-conditioned shopping malls in Metropolitan Manila, the congested capital region of more than 14 million people where the temperature soared to 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.84 Fahrenheit) Saturday, surpassing the record set decades ago, according to weather officials.

In Thailand, temperatures have topped 44 C (111 F) in some areas in the northern parts of the country, while the capital Bangkok and metropolitan areas have seen temperatures go above 40 C (104 F). The forecast from the Meteorological Department said this years summer, which usually lasts from late February to late May, is expected to be 1-2 degrees hotter than last year, and rainfall will be lower than average.

Thailands Department of Disease Control said last week that at least 30 people have died from heatstroke so far this year, compared to 37 for all of last year.

Scientists have said the number of heat-related deaths around the world has been rising significantly in recent years along with temperatures, but the trend in Asia this year so far is unclear, partly because of the question of how to classify deaths that appear to be heat related.

At least 34 people have fallen ill due to the extreme heat in the Philippines so far this year, including six who died. The Department of Health said it was verifying what exactly caused the deaths.

Media in Bangladesh reported that in a five-day period earlier this month, at least 20 people died from heatstroke.

In Cambodia, however, officials indicated there were few if any heat-related fatalities. The Khmer Times, an online news platform, quoted the head of the Health Department of Phnom Penh, the capital, saying there had been no heat-related deaths or collapses. JIM GOMEZ, MANILA, MDT/AP
James Brennand, the fired San Antonio police officer accused of shooting and critically injuring 17-year-old Erik Cantu in 2022, in court for a pretrial hearing Wednesday. Jessica Phelps James Brennand, the fired San Antonio police officer accused of shooting and critically injuring 17-year-old Erik Cantu in 2022, leaves court after a pretrial hearing on Wednesday. During the hearing, prosecutors asked Judge Joel Perez to order the release of a psychological exam that Brennand underwent before he became a police officer. Jessica Phelps James Brennand, the fired San Antonio police officer accused of shooting and critically injuring 17-year-old Erik Cantu in 2022, leaves court after a pretrial hearing on Wednesday. During the hearing, prosecutors asked Judge Joel Perez to order the release of a psychological exam that Brennand underwent before he became a police officer. Jessica Phelps James Brennand, the fired San Antonio police officer accused of shooting and critically injuring 17-year-old Erik Cantu in 2022, speaks with his attorney, Jay Norton, after a pretrial hearing on Wednesday. Brennand's trial on charges of aggravated assault and deadly conduct is expected to begin in November. Jessica Phelps James Brennand, the fired San Antonio police officer accused of shooting and critically injuring 17-year-old Erik Cantu in 2022, speaks with his attorney, Jay Norton, after a pretrial hearing on Wednesday. Jessica Phelps Erik Cantu was discharged in late November 2022 from University Hospital, where he had been treated after he was shot by then-SAPD officer James Brennand on Oct. 2, 2022. Courtesy of the Cantu family

Prosecutors preparing for the trial of former San Antonio police officer James Brennand, accused of shooting and critically injuring teenager Erik Cantu in 2022, are seeking records on Brennands psychological condition.

Daryl Harris, chief of the Bexar County district attorneys civil rights division, argued during a court hearing Wednesday that the records could be relevant to Brennands trial, which is expected to begin in November.

The since-fired officer is charged with aggravated assault by a public servant and deadly conduct in the shooting of Cantu, who was then 17.

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Harris is seeking a so-called L-3 report on Brennand  a psychological and emotional evaluation that police cadets undergo before they begin training. The evaluation is mandated by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, the state agency that licenses peace officers.

READ MORE: Erik Cantu sues San Antonio over police shooting that left him critically injured

Were doing our due diligence, Harris said after the hearing. Any prosecutors job  you look at the charge, you look at the evidence, you anticipate defenses and you seek information that helps you account for all of those things.

Brennands attorneys do not oppose Harris request. But the city of San Antonio, which maintains the records, does.

James Kopp, an assistant city attorney, argued before Judge Joel Perez that Brennands L-3 report cannot be released because it is part of a private personnel file the city maintains for each police officer and firefighter.

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Chapter 143 of the Texas Local Government Code allows city agencies to maintain two personnel files. The first, a civil service file  which is public  includes letters of commendation, any misconduct that resulted in disciplinary action and periodic evaluations. The second, a police department file  which is private  includes misconduct that did not result in discipline.

Harris told Perez that the L-3 report is not part of the departments private file.

Kopp insisted that the L-3 report is part of the private file.

Perez said he would review the evidence, along with applicable case law, and make a ruling at a later date.

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Harris said the district attorneys office already has obtained military and medical records for Brennand, who served in the U.S. Army before becoming a police officer.

The case

The hearing Wednesday comes about a year and a half since Brennand approached Cantu in the parking lot of a McDonalds restaurant on the North Side on Oct. 2, 2022.

Cantu was sitting in a maroon BMW with his girlfriend, eating a hamburger, when Brennand, a probationary officer with seven months on the job, spotted him.

On body camera video, Brennand can be heard telling dispatchers that he recognized the BMW as a stolen vehicle whose driver had eluded him the night before. The cars license plates did not match the vehicle, prompting Brennand to think the car was stolen. In fact, it was not stolen, the San Antonio Police Department later confirmed.

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Brennand called for backup and approached the car with his gun drawn. He opened the drivers side door and told a seemingly stunned Cantu, Get out of the car! He did not identify himself as a police officer.

Cantu drove in reverse for several feet, hitting Brennands leg with the open car door, police said at the time. Cantus lawyers contend that the door did not hit Brennand.

The teenager then sped toward the exit of the parking lot. Brennand fired at least 10 rounds at the car, four of which struck Cantu. His girlfriend was unharmed.

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Cantu stopped his car about a block away. Brennand caught up with him and performed CPR as he waited for paramedics to arrive, his attorneys said. Cantu was rushed to University Hospital, where he spent several weeks on a ventilator.

The teenager suffered injuries to his stomach, diaphragm, lungs, liver and arm. Doctors removed three of the bullets. The fourth, near his heart, could not be removed safely, Cantus lawyers said.

After the shooting, Police Chief William McManus fired Brennand, saying his actions violated department tactics, training and procedures. He was later criminally charged.
Adolf Hitler has been killed at the Reich Chancery in Berlin, according to Hamburg radio.

At 2230 local time a newsreader announced that reports from the Fuhrers headquarters said Hitler had fallen at his command post in the Reich Chancery fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism and for Germany.

It said he had appointed Grand Admiral Doenitz as his successor.

There followed an announcement by Admiral Doenitz in which he called on the German people to mourn their Fuhrer who, he said, died the death of a hero in the capital of the Reich.

Reports from Washington say US officials are suspicious of the announcement and are certainly not celebrating as yet. They fear the timing of Doenitzs appointment may mean that Hitler is not dead but trying to escape or go underground.

In London, Prime Minister Winston Churchill would not make a statement to the Commons about the war situation in Europe except to say it was definitely more satisfactory than it was this time five years ago.

Admiral Doenitz, famous for his U-boat victories in the first three years of the war, vowed to continue the battle against the Soviets and their western Allies.

The British and the Americans do not fight for the interests of their own people but for the spreading of Bolshevism, he said.

As new head of state and supreme commander of the Wehrmacht  the German armed forces  he demanded discipline and obedience and urged German soldiers, Do your duty. The life of our people is at stake.

There is now speculation in the British press as to whether the weakened German forces will follow Doenitz or Heinrich Himmler, head of the home army, the Volkssturm, the SS and the Gestapo.

He has made peace overtures to the Allies in recent days in meetings with Count Folke Bernadotte, a nephew of the King of Sweden, but so far these have come to nothing.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

First details about the real circumstances of his death emerged on 20 June.

One of Hitlers bodyguards who escaped to the British side of Berlin said he had seen the partly burned bodies of Eva Braun and Hitler lying side by side in the grounds of the Reich Chancery near the entrance of his bunker.

Hitler had married Eva Braun on 29 April and they committed suicide the next day.

Hitlers Thousand-Year Reich lasted 12 years and three months.

Heinrich Himmler, whose attempts at peace talks with the Allies had convinced Hitler the war was over for Germany, offered to serve under Admiral Doenitz but was rejected.

After Germany surrendered on 7 May, Himmler tried to escape, was captured and committed suicide on 23 May.

Doenitz was sentenced to ten years in prison at the Nuremberg war crimes trials.
The Chief Executive (CE), Ho Iat Seng, has said the local government will continue to ensure residents have priority accessing jobs.

Ho was speaking at the recent reception dinner of the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (FAOM) to celebrate Labor Day.

The Macau government will continue, as always, to fully guarantee local residents right to priority access to employment, strictly implement the Law on Hiring Non-Resident Workers, and strengthen the fight against illegal employment, the CE said.

We will also continue to promote harmonious labor relations and improve labor laws and regulations, taking into account the specific situation in Macau, he said.

The CE also noted the Trade Union Law, approved earlier this month by the Legislative Assembly, represents a relevant and positive result of the development of the rule of law in Macau, affirming the governments support for trade unions to operate by the law, protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers, and promote harmonious and friendly labor relations.

Ho said current economic development presented new challenges but that Macaus development prospects are very promising, full of vitality, dynamism, and potential for economic development.

He is working to improve the local business environment, support small and medium-sized companies, ensure the continuity of businesses, and reinforce the guarantee of benefits for workers with relatively low incomes.

I hope that workers are firm, confident, and committed, so that, together, we can create a more beautiful life!

He also thanked FAOM for its support of and expressed hopes the organization would continue to contribute suggestions to create, with the government, a good atmosphere based on joy and social harmony.
Representatives of rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah made encouraging progress in recent talks in the Chinese capital on promoting reconciliation, Chinas Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian gave few details at a daily briefing, but the meeting in Beijing is Chinas latest attempt to position itself as a broker in the Middle East as an alternative to the U.S. and its Western allies, most often seen as backing Israel.

Lin said representatives of the two groups were invited by China and recently came to Beijing to have an in-depth and candid dialogue on promoting Palestinian reconciliation. He said they had discussions on many specific issues and made encouraging progress.

Hamas has been under siege by Israel in Gaza since launching Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel, while Fatahs rule of the West Bank is under severe stress amid an expanding Israeli presence, a morbid economy and widespread accusations of corruption.

The sides agreed to continue this dialogue process so as to achieve Palestinian solidarity and unity at an early date, Lin said.

They highly appreciated Chinas firm support for the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, thanked the Chinese side for its efforts to help strengthen Palestinian internal unity and reached an agreement on ideas for future dialogue, he said.

Hamas has said for more than 15 years that it could accept a two-state compromise with Israel, but has refused to say it would recognize Israel or renounce its armed fight against it.

For Israel and others, especially in the wake of Hamas Oct. 7 attack, thats proof that Hamas is still committed to destroying Israel. The United States and European countries have joined Israel in shunning the militant group, which they have labeled a terrorist organization.

Ties between Hamas and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas  Fatah faction have long been fraught. In 2006, after Hamas won Palestinian legislative elections, it entered talks with the Palestinian Authority over a unity government. During the negotiations, Ismail Haniyeh, who is now Hamas top political leader, said the group supported a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines at this stage, but in return for a cease-fire, not recognition.

The two groups eventually reached a deal under which the unity government, including Hamas, would respect the Palestinian Authoritys peace agreements with Israel. It was a formula that allowed Hamas to avoid accepting the accords and recognizing Israel.

Israel and the U.S. refused to recognize the unity government and imposed economic sanctions. The government quickly collapsed amid fighting between Hamas and Fatah, ending with Hamas 2007 takeover of Gaza.

China has long recognized a Palestinian state as part of its Cold War strategy to build ties with the developing world and undermine Western support for Israel. In recent years, however, it has sought to engage both sides, appointing a special envoy for Middle Eastern affairs to hold talks with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. In March 2023, China also hosted talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran at which the two regional heavyweights agreed to restore diplomatic relations. MDT/AP
The Vietnamese Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau has called for continued coordination to lobby Macau to remove visa limits on Vietnamese tourists and workers in a recent event.

The Vietnamese Consul Nguyen Tuan Anh was recently in Macau for an event that celebrated the 49th anniversary of the liberation of South Vietnam and national reunification (April 30), May Day (May 1), the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu victory (May 7) and President Ho Chi Minhs 134th birthday (May 19).

The Consul made a renewed call for the SAR to relax its visa policies for Vietnamese nationals.

In March, then Consul General Pham Binh Dam suggested in a meeting to the Chief Executive that the authority take measures to resume and expand two-way tourism, including relaxing visa policies for Vietnamese visitors.

Previously, the Vietnamese authorities had called on Macau to expand the reception of Vietnamese laborers, coordinate more effectively in handling labor issues, and remove visa restrictions for their workers and tourists.

There are more than 7,000 Vietnamese people in Macau, the third largest foreign worker community after mainlanders and Filipinos. Staff Reporter
Hengqin Border Inspection expects traffic to peak at the Hengqin Port checkpoint during Chinas Labor Day Golden Week from May 1-5, with an estimated daily average of 77,000 inbound and outbound passenger trips and peaks that could exceed 85,000 trips.

According to Hengqin Border Inspection, the peaks for inbound traffic, or traffic toward Zhuhai, at the immigration hall and joint vehicle lane, are expected to be May 1 and 4. Outbound peaks toward Macau are forecast for May 1 and 5.

Yesterday a large number of mainland Chinese tourists were already heading out for the holiday, the border inspection said. By noon, Hengqin Port had received 20,000 passenger trips for customs clearance, including about 4,500 by Hong Kong and Macau residents.

Statistics from Hengqin show more than 437,000 Hong Kong and Macau residents passed through in March, a 16.75% rise year-over-year. As of April 29, the figure was over 420,000 trips, up 15.3% from a year ago.

Since the joint passenger and truck lane opened at Hengqin Port, authorities have inspected about 260,000 vehicles at an average daily volume of around 6,000 vehicles, with over 6,200 vehicles last week. Staff Reporter
Microsoft will invest $1.7 billion over the next four years in new cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Indonesia  the single largest investment in Microsofts 29-year history in the country  Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said yesterday.

Microsoft runs one of the worlds largest cloud computing operations and has taken a significant step into artificial intelligence by incorporating an AI chatbot into its search engine, Bing. Its earnings report Thursday said profit rose 20% for the January-March quarter as it tries to position itself as a leader in applying artificial intelligence technology to make workplaces more productive.

This new generation of AI is reshaping how people live and work everywhere, including in Indonesia, said Nadella, in Jakarta on the first stop of a tour of Southeast Asia.

The investments we are announcing today  spanning digital infrastructure, skilling, and support for developers  will help Indonesia thrive in this new era, he said.

Microsoft sees Southeast Asia as a growing market and potential location for more AI product development. The rise of AI in the region is expected to significantly impact its economic landscape. A study held by Kearney, a global consulting firm, said that AI could contribute nearly $1 trillion to Southeast Asias GDP by 2030, of which Indonesia is expected to capture $366 billion.

The investment announced yesterday will include AI training for 840,000 people, as well as support for Indonesias growing community of tech developers.

Indonesia is home to the third-largest developer community in the Asia-Pacific region after India and China. More than 3.1 million developers in Indonesia use GitHub, a Microsoft-owned platform for software development, collaboration, and innovation. It is projected to be one of the top five developer communities on GitHub globally by 2026.

Apple CEO Tim Cook met Widodo on April 17 and said the company would look at manufacturing in Indonesia.

Indonesia, under President Joko Widodos administration, has emphasized development of digital technology and information sectors, aiming to achieve the governments Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision, which projects Indonesia becoming one of the worlds top five economies with GDP of up to $9 trillion, exactly a century after it won independence from Dutch colonizers.

Nadella met Widodo in the Presidential Palace. During the meeting, Widodo proposed building an AI research center in Indonesia, and a Microsoft data center based in Bali or Nusantara, the countrys new capital city on Borneo island, according to Indonesias Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Budi Arie Setiadi.

The CEOs regional visit began in Indonesia and will be followed by Thailand and Malaysia over the next two days.

EDNA TARIGAN, JAKARTAMDT/AP
Solomon Islands pro-Beijing Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare withdrew from the contest to remain head of the strategically important South Pacific island nations government following general elections two weeks ago that are central to the U.S.-China rivalry in the region.

Sogavare has been reelected to the parliament. But he told a news conference in the capital Honiara this week he would not be nominated as a candidate when the 50 newly elected lawmakers vote on Thursday for the prime minister, Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

Sogavare had hoped to become the first Solomons prime minister to maintain power in consecutive four-year terms following the April 17 election. During his previous term, Chinas influence increased more in the Solomons than anywhere else in the South Pacific.

Sogavare switched diplomatic allegiances from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region.

Sogavare said in his press conference he had been vilified by media and his family had been subjected to unprecedented abuse, the ABC reported.

Sogavares Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party, known as the Our Party, won 15 seats in the election, more than any other party. The partys candidate to become prime minister will be Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele.

A prime minister needs the support of at least 26 lawmakers in the 50-seat chamber.

Observers expect China to have secretly backed more candidates than Sogavare at the election in a bid to ensure the government change does not diminish Beijings influence.

Sogavare could again return to power during the current four-year term. He was elected prime minister after the last election in 2019. But he has served as prime minister three times before 2019 because his predecessors had quit or were ousted by fellow lawmakers in a precarious political system.MDT/AP
The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China was staging a sit-in protest after authorities locked him out of his lab.

Virologist Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post Monday that he and his team had been suddenly notified they were being evicted from their lab, the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since Zhang published the sequence in January 2020 without state approval.

News of Zhangs protest spread widely on Chinese social media, attracting public attention. In an online statement, the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center said that Zhangs lab was being renovated and was closed for safety reasons. It added that it had provided Zhangs team an alternative laboratory space.

In response, Zhang wrote online that his team wasnt offered an alternative lab until after they were notified of their eviction, and that the lab offered didnt meet safety standards for conducting their research, leaving his team in limbo.

When Zhang tried to enter his lab over the weekend, guards barred him from entering. In protest, he sat outside on flattened cardboard in drizzling rain, pictures from the scene posted online show.

I wont leave, I wont quit, I am pursuing science and the truth! he wrote in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo that was later deleted. The Public Health Center are refusing to let me and my students go inside the laboratory office to take shelter.

Zhang said it was inconvenient for him to speak when an AP reporter reached him by phone yesterday, saying there were other people listening in. But in an email to collaborator Edward Holmes seen by AP, Zhang confirmed he was sleeping outside his lab after guards barred him from entering.

An AP reporter was blocked by a guard at an entrance to the compound where Zhangs lab is located. A staff member at the National Health Commission, Chinas top health authority, said by phone that they were not the main department in charge and referred questions to the Shanghai government. The Shanghai government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zhangs ordeal started when he and his team sequenced the virus on Jan. 5, 2020 and wrote an internal notice warning Chinese authorities of its potential to spread. At the time, Zhang had not yet made the sequence public. The next day, Zhangs lab was ordered temporarily shut by Chinas top health official, and Zhang came under pressure by Chinese authorities.

Foreign scientists soon learned that Zhang and other Chinese scientists had sequenced the virus but had not yet been permitted to publish them, prompting public calls for publication. In response, Zhang published his sequence of the coronavirus on Jan. 11, 2020, despite a lack of government permission.

The move allowed health authorities around the world to begin testing for the virus, revealing that it was spreading outside Chinas borders and triggering the development of test kits, vaccinations and disease control measures. Zhang was later awarded prizes in recognition. MDT/AP
Scott Huddleston is a veteran staff writer, covering education, local history, preservation and the Alamo. He can be reached at shuddleston@express-news.net.

He has been reporting for the Express-News since 1985, covering local government, public safety, criminal justice, flooding, transportation, military, water and the environment. He is a native Texan and a longtime San Antonian.
UW-Madison professor Samer Alatout was attending the protest on Library Mall early Wednesday when police gave the order to remove the encampment that had been set up Monday morning.

Officers moved in, and protesters pushed back.

"I take seriously my role as someone who tries to defend the students, to teach them, to educate them and to have a really good kind of a protective shield around them," said Alatout, a native of Palestine. "I did not move because I was trying to protect the students.

"They hit me. They specifically targeted me, and I think it's racially motivated."

The associate professor of community and environmental sociology received a cut on his forehead and a smaller one on the bridge of his nose.

"I'm enraged. My main position actually is that we as faculty are responsible for the safety of the students. I feel it very much in my bones that the students have a right to express their wishes. They have a right to part in the governance of an institution, and that institution is not the administration," he said. "The university is made of students of faculty and staff and of administration, and all of us together make the institution."

Alatout was on Library Mall to support the demands of the students opposed to Israel's use of force against the Palestinians. But he said the reason for the protest doesn't matter. He's angry about the university using it's power differential to shut down the students. He said the protesters had welcomed people of different faiths and ethnicities and tried to make it a community event with food, art and teach-ins.

"They connected with the community and the people around them. It was such a peaceful protest," he said.

Alatout said the administration needs to rebuild trust with the students. He said the administration has been available to faculty and staff, but not necessarily to students. He would have liked to see Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin talk directly to the students.

"This was both a surprise and a shock. When you think that when we know someone and you actually build a little trust that they would not end up sending police force to actually do violence onto you," he said. "Yeah, I'm very concerned."
During a visit to Columbia University last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that if the wave of protests against Israels U.S.-funded war in Gaza on college campuses, including UW-Madison, is not contained quickly, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard. We have to bring order to these campuses.

How troubling that the man who is the third in line to the presidency seems to think its OK to silence largely peaceful student protests by sending in armed troops.

Its a terrible idea, with a deadly history in the U.S. It was the Ohio National Guard that killed four unarmed students and wounded nine others at a rally against the Vietnam War at Kent State University in 1970. Since then, there have been uncountable examples of armed responses to nonviolent activities ending with innocent people getting hurt or killed.

Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., have called on President Joe Biden to deploy the National Guard to quash pro-Palestinian protests. Republican state lawmakers in New York want Gov. Kathy Hochul to deploy the National Guard to Columbia University. And more than two dozen Republican senators signed a letter urging the Biden administration to restore order to campuses by using federal law enforcement, prosecution and deportation against the outbreak of anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist mobs.

Never mind that they are unfairly assigning racist motives to thousands of people protesting the killing of more than 34,000 Palestinian people, most of them women and children. Its clear these Republican politicians are less concerned with the wave of antiwar protests than using them for their own political ends.

Johnson also threatened to use his power as speaker to punish colleges that dont eject protesters by withholding federal education funding. If these campuses cannot get control of this problem, they do not deserve taxpayer dollars.

This kind of tough talk is especially rich coming from a man who has shown no interest in cracking down on the most serious threat to our democracy: President Donald Trumps lies, and his supporters use of violence to try to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.

To the contrary, Johnson played a key role in helping Trump try to overturn the election. He has suggested the Jan. 6 insurrectionists who participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol were innocent people who just happened to be walking through the building and wanted to blur their faces from video so they could not be charged with crimes.

It seems that his send-in-the-troops mentality applies only to some Americans.

Part of living in a free society is accepting the right of others to speak out and protest, even when you dont agree with them.

How someone in power responds to First Amendment rights being exercised in criticism of the government says a lot about what they value. Republicans eagerness to deploy armed troops to quash peaceful protests suggests they dont really believe in free speech after all.
The Christian nationalism in the hearts and minds of former President Donald Trumps most ambitious supporters is hardly new. It was the working assumption behind the Massachusetts Bay Colony chartered in 1628, and it amounted to rule of law in the small rural Kentucky community in which I grew up in the 1960s.

The concepts current manifestation would essentially restrict governance to the like-minded and godly as defined by the like-minded and godly. The First Amendments prohibition against establishment of religion and centuries of progress toward tolerance and inclusion would be out the window.

In 1963, the Adair County Middle Schools student body was called to the auditorium where a local preacher gave a forgettable talk that concluded with a memorable moment: How many of you promise today, right now, to never in your life smoke a cigarette or take a drink? Peer pressure to smoke and drink could never equal the peer pressure of a public altar call to pubescent fifth, sixth and seventh graders. Every hand rose.

That included mine, though I knew in my young soul I had no business promising not to do something without consideration. And I knew this mandatory assembly violated the separation of church and state. But in that time and place, no separation existed. The church wanted us to follow the path of righteousness, and the community wanted to prevent addiction and promote health. There was no need to support an argument for abstinence with education when authority justifies itself with for the Bible tells me so.

Kentuckys Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis cited biblical authority  I love my Lord and must be obedient to him and to the word of God  in 2015 when she refused to abide by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. She refused to give a marriage license to a homosexual couple. Earlier this year, a federal judge upheld a damages judgment of $360,000 against Davis, who  apparently oblivious to irony  has declared she intends to appeal the decision all the way to the Supreme Court.

Earlier this month, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told inconvenienced blue-state San Francisco motorists to take matters into their own hands when protesters of the Israel-Hamas war blocked traffic on the Gold Gate Bridge. He suggested thats how protests would be handled in red-state Arkansas  by throwing the protesters off the bridge.

And last week in the criminal trial of Trump, who is charged with falsifying business records to hide payments to a porn star, witness David Pecker testified that Trump attorney Michael Cohen told him, in 2018, there was no reason to worry about because Trump had the attorney general in his pocket.

Trump won 81% of the 2016 presidential election votes in Adair County, Kentucky, and 83% in 2020. I used to believe voters enthusiasm for Trump reflected how deeply he had touched them by pandering to cultural pride. But now I believe they were applauding his embrace of what grand jury indictments allege is extralegal behavior while in office  for which he is seeking complete immunity.

Many supporters feel encouraged to govern their own affairs as they see fit, like Puritan Congregationalists who detested what they saw as outside interference. Congregationalist minister Charles Edward Jefferson wrote in 1910, Every believer is a priest, and every seeking child of God is given directly wisdom, guidance, power.

No such gifts were made to Native Americans forced out of what had been declared Bay Colony territory. Wisdom, guidance and power have since been denied to nonbelievers, women, slaves, homosexuals, immigrants, people of various colors and ethnicities and religious practice. Those who dont belong to the local church/state have always depended on the superseding rule of law.

This is now in the hands of a Supreme Court majority that, in the wake of last weeks oral arguments about presidential immunity, increasingly appears to be untethered to the rule of law.
The Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) is willing to sell its stake in Philippine Dealing System Holdings Corp. (PDSHC) to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) at the right conditions.

BAP president Jose Teodoro Limcaoco said in a recent interview the group engaged a third-party adviser to determine the value of the groups shares in PDSHC.

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The adviser, however, has yet to finalize the fair valuation for BAPs 20-percent interest in PDS.

Were willing to sell at the right conditions, Limcaoco said.

PDSHC is the operator of the fixed-income exchange. It also owns the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. (PDEx).

Limcaoco said that as the banks are the biggest customers of PDEx, the BAP wanted more information on how the PSE would operate and govern the PDEx.

So we want understand how PDEx will be governed, if we were to sell our shares in PDS, Limcaoco said.

Limcaoco said the PSE already sent a letter stating that they are interested in acquiring BAPs stake in PSE. However, it has yet to state its offer price.

The PSE also owns 20.98-percent stake in PDS. Other shareholders of PDEx are the Singapore Stock Exchange, Whistler Technology, Tata Consulting, San Miguel Corp. and Financial Executives Association of the Philippines.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in December 2023 granted the PSE an exemptive relief that would enable it to acquire full ownership in PDS.

The exemptive relief will enable the PSE to breach the 20-percent cap in the ownership of a single industry in an exchange.

A merger of the equities and fixed income market exchanges is being pushed to expand the volume of trades and improve the countrys capital markets.

PSE president Ramon Monzon earlier said he was hoping to complete the acquisition of PDS within the year.
DUBAI  Yemens Huthi rebels claimed responsibility for attacks on Monday along the Red Sea shipping route, including on a Greek commercial vessel, according to a British maritime agency and the US military.

The US Central Command, or CENTCOM, said the Huthis had targeted MV Cyclades, a Greek commercial vessel flying the Maltese flag, with three anti-ship ballistic missiles and three drone strikes.

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Initial reports indicate there were no injuries and the vessel continued on its way, CENTCOM posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Earlier, the UK maritime security agency reported explosions in close proximity to a commercial ship sailing off the Yemeni coast northwest of Mokha.

Vessel and crew are reported safe, the agency, run by the Royal Navy, added.

Maritime security firm Ambrey said the Malta-flagged container ship was en route from Djibouti to Jeddah and was likely targeted due to its listed operators ongoing trade with Israel.

Huthi rebels claimed responsibility for firing at the Cyclades, MSC Orion and two US vessels.

The Iran-backed group, which controls the Yemeni capital Sanaa and much of the countrys Red Sea coast, has launched a flurry of attacks against ships since November.

It says their campaign is in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war.

CENTCOM also said that US forces shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the Red Sea on Monday morning as it was headed on a flight path towards USS Philippine Sea and USS Laboon.

The UAV presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region, it wrote on X, adding that there had been no injuries or damage reported by US forces or nearby commercial ships.

Since January, the United States and Britain have launched repeated strikes on Huthi targets in Yemen in response to the ship attacks.
Nations allied to the Philippines were united in condemning China over its latest water cannon attack against a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel that conducted a routine resupply mission off the waters of Panatag Shoal this week.

Several diplomats sent messages of support to Manila as they criticized Beijing anew for instigating yet another dangerous maritime incident that threatened the lives of Filipinos onboard BRP Bankaw and BRP Bagacay on Tuesday, April 30.

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United States Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said Chinas water cannons intentionally disrupted a lawful Philippine mission to provide food and fuel to fisherfolk within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The Philippines can count on U.S. support as #FriendsPartnersAllies to uphold freedom of navigation and international law, Carlson added.

Ambassador Luc Vernon of the European Union (EU) also called out China for violating the international law with its continuing aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

Dangerous manoeuvres, water cannoning, floating barrier, or any aggressive behaviours, is a threat to safety of life at sea, the freedom of navigation, and the prohibition of the use of force or coercion. In short, this is against international law, he said.

The Embassy of Japan in Manila also expressed its concern over the recent incident in Scarborough Shoal. It said the latest actions of China, including the use of water cannons, against Philippine vessels undermined the safety of the ship and the crew.

France and the United Kingdom echoed similar views as they reiterated their call for respect of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and freedom of navigation in light of the incident.

We oppose any threat or use of force contrary to international law and recall the importance of resolving disputes through dialogue. We also recall the decision rendered by the Arbitral Court on July 12, 2016, France said.

UK Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils said the UK condemns the dangerous actions of China. We reiterate our call for respect for UNCLOS and adherence to the 2016 Arbitral Award, which is legally binding on the parties, she added.

UK Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils said the UK is condemning Chinas latest action and has reiterated their call for respect for UNCLOS and adherence to the 2016 Arbitral Award, which is legally binding on the parties.

Manila and Beijing have a long history of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, with several collisions involving Philippine and Chinese vessels in recent months, as well as the use of water cannons by the China Coast Guard.

The latest incident happened near the China-controlled Scarborough Shoal, which has long been a potential flashpoint, during a mission to resupply Filipino fishermen.

This damage serves as evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China Coast Guard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels, a statement issued by the PCG said.  With Agence France Presse
San Antonio Chief William McManus says a man opened fire on officers when they tried to arrest him outside a sandwich shop on the Northwest Side. KAYLEE GREENLEE BEAL 2022

Four officers opened fire Tuesday night on a man they said killed his wife earlier in the day.

The unidentified man, who was 32 years old, died at the scene on the Northwest Side.

San Antonio police were called to the 8600 block of Southwest Loop 410 for a welfare check. Chief William McManus said they found a 33-year-old woman shot to death at the home near Millers Pond Park.

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McManus said her husband killed her and took her car. Officers were able to track the vehicle because it had OnStar. They found him at a sandwich shop in the 1800 block of Vance Jackson and waited for him to leave.

When the man got in his car, four officers approached and attempted to arrest him. McManus said the man fired at them with a handgun.

They returned fire. Several shots were fired between the man and the officers, who McManus said had between three and six years of experience.

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No officers were injured.
NEW YORK  Dozens of helmeted police flooded Columbia Universitys campus in the heart of New York City on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) to evict a building occupied by pro-Palestinian student protesters and detain demonstrators.

Police climbed into Hamilton Hall via a second floor window they reached from a laddered truck, before leading handcuffed students out of the building into police vans.

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The hall had been occupied at dawn by demonstrators who vowed they would fight any eviction, as they protested the soaring death toll from Israels war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In related developments, in Providence, Brown University reached an agreement with students protesting the war in Gaza that would see them remove their encampment from school grounds in exchange for the institution considering divesting from Israel.

The move represents a first major concession from an elite American university amid relentless student protests that have paralyzed campuses across the country, divided public opinion and led to hundreds of arrests.

In a statement, Brown President Christina Paxson said students had agreed to end their protests and clear their camp by 5:00 pm local time Tuesday and refrain from further actions that would violate Browns conduct code through the end of the academic year.

The Columbia action came as university administrators around the United States have struggled for weeks to contain pro-Palestinian demonstrations on dozens of campuses.

In a letter addressed to the New York Police department, Columbia University president Minouche Shafik said that the occupation of the school building was being led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University and asked NYPDs help to clear all individuals from Hamilton Hall and all campus encampments.

She also asked the police to remain on campus through at least May 17, to ensure encampments are not reestablished.

Writing on Instagram, the protests slammed Shafiks statement, saying her use of the words care and safety are nothing short of horrifying.

The weeks of demonstrations  the most sweeping and prolonged unrest to rock US college campuses since the Vietnam war protests of the 1960s and 70s  have already led to several hundred arrests of students and other activists.

Many of them have vowed to maintain their actions despite suspensions and threats of expulsion.

Earlier, protesters at Columbia were seen using ropes to hoist crates of supplies up to the buildings second floor, apparently signaling the students had planned to hunker down.

President Joe Bidens White House had sharply criticized the seizure of Hamilton Hall, with a spokesman saying it was absolutely the wrong approach.

That is not an example of peaceful protest, the spokesman added.

The protests, with Columbia at their epicenter, have posed a challenge to university administrators trying to balance free speech rights with complaints that the rallies have veered into anti-Semitism and hate.

The unrest has swept through US higher education institutions like wildfire, with many student protesters erecting tent encampments on campuses from coast to coast.

At Columbia, demonstrators have vowed to remain until their demands are met, including that the school divest all financial holdings linked to Israel.

The university has rejected the demand. Columbia has warned that students occupying the building face expulsion.

In one of the newest clashes, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, police moved in Tuesday to clear one encampment, detaining some protesters in a tense showdown.

Meanwhile at northern Californias Cal Poly Humboldt, a week-long occupation was brought to a dramatic end early Tuesday when police moved in to arrest nearly three dozen protesters who had seized buildings and forced the closure of the campus.

In Oregon, Portland State Universitys campus was closed Tuesday due to an ongoing incident in the library, college authorities said, after local media reported around 50 protesters had broken into the building a day earlier.

And Brown University reached an agreement in which student protesters will remove their encampment in exchange for the institution holding a vote on divesting from Israel  a major concession from an elite American university during the protests.

Footage of police in riot gear summoned at various colleges has been viewed around the world.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk voiced concern at the heavy-handed steps taken to disperse the campus protests, saying freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly are fundamental to society.

He added that incitement to violence or hatred on grounds of identity or viewpoints  whether real or assumed  must be strongly repudiated.

Shafik said many Jewish students had fled Columbias campus in fear. Anti-Semitic language and actions are unacceptable, she said.

The Gaza war started when Hamas militants staged an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that left around 1,170 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

During their attack, militants also seized hostages, 129 of whom Israel estimates remain in Gaza, including 34 whom the military says are dead.

Israels retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,535 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territorys health ministry.
TEL AVIV  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed calls for Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal Wednesday as he started talks with Israels leadership.

Even in these very difficult times we are determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home  and to get it now. And the only reason that that wouldnt be achieved is because of Hamas, Blinken said as he met Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

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Hamas is set to respond to an offer in which Israel would temporarily halt its offensive in Gaza and free Palestinian prisoners in return for hostages seized on Oct.

Meanwhile, at the United Nations in New York, a ground operation by Israeli troops in the southern Gaza city of Rafah would be a tragedy beyond words, the UNs humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

The simplest truth is that a ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words. No humanitarian plan can counter that, Griffiths said, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to launch an offensive on Rafah, which has become a refuge to some 1.5 million Palestinians.

With Hamas weighing a truce plan proposed in Cairo talks with the US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Netanyahu vowed to launch the assault on Rafah with or without a deal.

Washington has joined calls on Israel from other countries and humanitarian organisations to spare the city for fear an army incursion would lead to massive civilian casualties.

The world has been appealing to the Israeli authorities for weeks to spare Rafah, but a ground operation there is on the immediate horizon, said Griffiths.

For the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled to Gazas southernmost point to escape disease, famine, mass graves and direct fighting, a ground invasion would spell even more trauma and death.

For agencies struggling to provide humanitarian aid despite the active hostilities, impassable roads, unexploded ordnance, fuel shortages, delays at checkpoints, and Israeli restrictions, a ground invasion would strike a disastrous blow.

We are in a race to stave off hunger and death, and we are losing.

The war in Gaza started after Hamass Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israels retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,535 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Palestinian militants also took some 250 hostages on Oct. 7. Israel estimates 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 believed to be dead.

During his visit, Blinken is also pressing efforts to increase aid into the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has warned of impending famine due to severe shortages of food.

He will later Wednesday meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and make stops including Ashdod, a port near Gaza that was recently reopened by Israel for aid.

We also have to be focused on people who are suffering in this crossfire, Blinken said to Herzog.

On Tuesday, Blinken saw off a Jordanian aid convoy that was heading to the newly reopened Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza.
The most awaited Worlds Top 1 AI Camera Phone is coming to the Philippines equipped with the best AI Integration and Falcon Camera System! #MagicAICameraPhone #HONORMagic6Pro

The leading global smartphone provider, HONOR, is unveiling the revolutionary Magic AI Camera Phone, HONOR Magic6 Pro on the first week of May. After teasing its camera capabilities in Hongkong Disneyland joined by HONOR Philippines team and media friends, the HONOR Magic6 Pro proves to be No. 1 in Camera, Battery, Audio, Display, and Selfie as awarded by DXOMARK.

Were absolutely thrilled to unveil the HONOR Magic6 Pro, especially at a time when the demand for AI-driven solutions is soaring. This smartphone isnt just about keeping up; its about setting the bar higher. With its award-winning features, its tailor-made for Filipinos who crave the latest in technology, said Stephen Cheng, Vice President of HONOR Philippines.

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Capture the Magic: Revolutionizing Smartphone Photography with AI Camera Technologies

Prepare to witness a new era in smartphone photography with the HONOR Magic6 Pro. Featuring the groundbreaking HONOR Falcon Camera System, boasting a 50MP Wide camera, 50MP Ultra-wide camera, and a staggering 180MP Periscope Telephoto camera, this device harnesses the power of AI to deliver unparalleled imaging experiences. With the ability to support up to 100X digital zoom, coupled with automatic detection of facial expressions and body movements, users can seize every moment with remarkable precision and clarity.

Magic Capsule: Elevating User Interaction

Enter the realm of multimodal interaction with the innovative Magic Capsule feature. Seamlessly integrated into the touch screen interface, the Magic Capsule enhances user experience by providing quick access to relevant information related to notifications. No more navigating through multiple apps  with a simple tap, users can expand the Magic Capsule to delve deeper into their notifications, making interaction more intuitive and efficient.

Game-changing Second-generation Silicon-carbon Battery

Powering the HONOR Magic6 Pro is a second-generation silicon-carbon battery, setting new standards in battery life and performance. Integrated with the Power Enhanced Chip HONOR E1, this device ensures extended battery endurance even in extreme weather conditions. With a massive 5,600mAh capacity, users can enjoy uninterrupted usage, showcasing exceptional low-temperature performance that defies expectations. To illustrate its capabilities, users can play the YouTube video for 81 minutes at -20 C with just 10% battery level remaining.

AI Privacy Call: Redefining Privacy Standards

Privacy takes center stage with the enhanced AI Privacy Call feature. Leveraging advanced AI technology, the HONOR Magic6 Pro offers intelligent volume switching based on the surrounding environment, ensuring confidential conversations remain private, even in crowded settings. With the ability to enable privacy mode at volume level 9, users can enjoy enhanced peace of mind during their conversations, setting a new benchmark in user privacy standards.

Discovering the Magic of Design Inspired by Luxury Wearables

Drawing inspiration from the world of luxury wearables in Baroque Jewelry Design, the HONOR Magic6 Pro boasts an aesthetic that exudes sophistication and elegance. The device incorporates exquisite craftsmanship, including the industrys first double-sided 3D Carving process and a careful selection of premium materials. The HONOR Magic6 Pro is available in Black and Epi Green  each variant reflects a unique aesthetic, from the sleek and refined look of Black in velvet matte glass to the dynamic allure of Epi Green, inspired by premium luxury design in ripple classic leather.

Catch the live event at https://bit.ly/HONORM6ProLaunch_PR on May 8, 7PM and grab the chance to win a BRAND NEW (1) HONOR Magic6 Pro! Just LIKE, SHARE, and COMMENT to our LIVESTREAM using the hashtags: #HONORMagic6Pro #MagicAICameraPhone

For more updates, follow through HONOR Philippines social media platforms: Facebook (Facebook.com/HonorPhilippines), Instagram (Instagram.com/honorph/) and TikTok Shop: (Tiktok.com/@honorphilippines). To check out HONORs complete list of retail stores, go to https://www.hihonor.com/ph/retailers/.
In Mai Mahiu, Kenya, rescue efforts intensified as the toll from heavy flooding and landslides continued to climb. Using shovels, responders worked to uncover victims buried in mud, with the number of missing individuals steadily rising. Following a mudslide and flash floods that struck early Monday, at least 48 fatalities were reported, with 84 others still unaccounted for, according to the Kenya Red Cross.

Survivors recounted harrowing experiences of water surging through their homes, sweeping away structures, vehicles, and even railway tracks. Anne Gachie described how her family narrowly escaped the deluge, while Tabitha Wanja mourned the loss of eight family members, including her infant niece.

The tragedy in Mai Mahiu is part of a broader crisis across Kenya, where heavy rains have claimed the lives of at least 169 people and displaced over 190,000 since last month. The presidents office warned of further rainfall, particularly in landslide-prone areas, urging citizens to evacuate for their safety.

President William Ruto, visiting flood survivors in Mai Mahiu, emphasized the imminent danger and pledged military assistance in the search for victims. Beyond Kenya, neighboring countries like Tanzania and Burundi have also suffered casualties and displacement due to relentless downpours, with climate scientists attributing such extreme weather events to climate change.

In Garissa County, eastern Kenya, 16 individuals were reported missing following a fatal boat accident and ongoing rescue operations. These disasters echo previous flooding incidents, such as those triggered by the El Nino phenomenon last year, exacerbating the regions vulnerability after enduring severe droughts.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Francois Bozize, the former president of the Central African Republic, by a UN-backed court, alleging potential crimes against humanity by the countrys military from 2009 to 2013. The special criminal court (CPS) in Bangui, comprising Central African and foreign judges, detailed accusations including murder, enforced disappearance, torture, and rape. Bozize, ousted in 2013 after seizing power in 2003, currently leads the main rebellion from exile in Guinea-Bissau. Despite being issued in February, the warrant was only recently disclosed, with the CPS urging Guinea-Bissau to cooperate in Bozizes extradition.

The court, established in 2015 with UN sponsorship, investigates war crimes dating back to 2003 in a country plagued by civil conflicts and authoritarian regimes since independence. Allegations against Bozizes presidential guard from 2009 to 2013 are under scrutiny, particularly regarding a civilian prison and a military training facility in Bossembele.

Judges found compelling evidence implicating Bozize as a senior military figure and hierarchical superior, prompting Amnesty International to commend the warrant as a step towards justice. Bozizes ousting by a predominantly Muslim armed coalition in 2013 initiated a civil war, with Bozize organizing predominantly Christian and animist militias, the anti-Balakas, in an attempt to regain power. Both sides have faced accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the UN.

Though conflict intensity waned after 2018, sporadic violence persists in a deeply impoverished nation. Bozize currently leads the Coalition of Patriots for Change, formed in 2020 to oust his successor, Touadera, who enlisted Russian support to repel insurgents. Bozize was sentenced in absentia to lifelong forced labor in September for conspiracy, rebellion, and murder charges.
Morocco has reiterated its commitment to ensure the success of electoral processes in Africa. on Tuesday in Rabat.

The remarks were made by Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at the opening Tuesday of the third edition of the Specialized Training Cycle for African Election Observers.

The Kingdom is predisposed to provide Africa with qualified election observers capable of promoting the democratic process on the African continent, stressed Bourita.

This training should provide Africa with quality observers to accompany and lend credibility to the continents electoral processes, Bourita said, recalling in this respect King Mohammed VIs speech to the 28th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, in which the Sovereign emphasized that Africa can and must validate its electoral processes itself, and thus endorse the free choice of its citizens.

Africa has the regulatory tools and judicial institutions, such as Constitutional Councils and Supreme Courts, to settle electoral disputes and appeals, the King had said in his speech.

Some 74 participants from 45 African countries are taking part in this training cycle for African election observers, said Mr. Bourita, who co-chaired the event with Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security of the African Union, Bankole Adeoye.

He stressed the interest and relevance of this exercise, particularly among women and young people, who make up 50% of participants, which is a very promising sign, especially as 2024 is an election year in Africa, with 19 elections expected, including eleven presidential elections.

The Kingdom is the first African country to train election observers in Africa. With this third successive edition, the training cycles have benefited 155 African observers, enabling the development of a continent-wide database.

The training cycle for election observers is part of Moroccos commitment to help achieve strategic objectives meant to consolidate democratic governance and practice in Africa, for a stable, peaceful and prosperous continent.

It also responds to the calls made by the AU Summits, notably the latest one, held in February 2024, for Morocco to continue strengthening African capacities to improve the professional conduct of electoral observation missions.
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A simple blood test could allow doctors to determine whether a person may be at higher risk for stroke or cognitive decline during their lifetime, according to a new UCLA Health study.

The study, published in the journal Stroke, has found that measuring concentrations of a network of inflammatory molecules in the blood could allow doctors to calculate a risk score for susceptibility for cerebral small vessel diseasea common cause of stroke and a contributor to cognitive decline found especially among the elderly.

Currently, the only way to determine a person's risk for cerebral vascular diseases has been to use a combination of imaging such as an MRI scan, family history, demographic variables and other risk factor evaluations, said study lead author Dr. Jason Hinman of the UCLA Comprehensive Stroke and Center and the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Research and Care at UCLA. In clinical practice, neurologists may only find a patient is at risk after they have had a stroke or a cerebral event that warns of one, Hinman said.

The new study found that by measuring the concentrations of this network of inflammatory molecules in the blood of patients who have not had a cerebrovascular event, medical providers may be able to quantitatively assess a person's risk for cerebral small vessel disease and future stroke.

"The same way one uses cholesterol tests to evaluate one's future risk for heart attack, we don't have such a thing to estimate future risk for stroke," Hinman said. "I believe we can do that by something as simple as a blood test which in theory can enable broader access to the best level of care and not lock it behind advanced imaging studies and specialist evaluations."

The study focused on a biologically connected network of inflammatory molecules known as the interleukin-18, or IL-18, network, which includes proteins and signaling molecules used to fight various infections.

Past studies have linked individual molecules in the IL-18 network to cerebral small vessel disease and stroke risk. However, the concentration of these individual molecules can fluctuate in response to other ailments such as the flu or autoimmune disorders, making them unreliable predictors of stroke risk at an individual level, Hinman said.

In 2020, University of California researchers including Hinman found that six molecules in the IL-18 network were associated with the presence of vascular brain injuries during MRI scans.

Building off these findings, Hinman sought to determine in this latest publication whether IL-18 network could be used to assess a person's susceptibility to stroke risk or cognitive decline.

To test this, the researchers used health data from a generations-long study known as the Framingham Heart Study. This study has tracked the medical history of thousands of residents in the city of Framingham, Massachusetts, throughout their lives since launching in 1948. Blood samples taken from participants had been tested for five of the six molecules later identified as being in the IL-18 network.

By using the blood samples and medical histories of the Framingham participants, Hinman and his co-author were able to create a mathematical model that generates a risk score based on the concentrations of the IL-18 network molecules. Of the more than 2,200 Framingham residents included in Hinman's study, those whose risk scores were in the top 25% had an 84% chance of having a stroke during their lifetime. Overall, elevated risk scores were associated with a 51% increased risk of stroke and resulted in diagnostic prediction compared to existing risk assessment tools.

What remains unclear and requires further study is how or if a person's risk score can be modified or reduced, Hinman said.

"The real challenge is in the primary care space. Are you at risk before you have an event?" Hinman said. "That's what we're all interested in doing is preventing a stroke before it even happens."

More information: Association of Incident Stroke Risk with an IL-18-centered Inflammatory Network Biomarker Composite, Stroke (2024). DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.123.044719 Journal information: Stroke
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The disruption to the supply of a prescription medicine that helps people stop smoking may have led to thousands fewer people quitting each year in England, which will lead to avoidable deaths in future, suggests a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

Varenicline (also known as Champix) is one of the most effective treatments to help smokers quit. It works by reducing cravings for nicotine and easing withdrawal symptoms. But its distribution was paused in July 2021 in the UK and Europe as a precaution after higher than expected levels of a potentially harmful substance were found in the tablets.

The new study, published in the journal Addiction, looked at survey responses and NHS prescription data to track how use of the drug had declined in England, finding it had fallen from 3.9% of all quit attempts in the second half of 2021 to 0% of quit attempts by the end of 2022.

The researchers estimated that over a year with no varenicline prescriptions, this would mean 85,800 people not taking the drug who might otherwise have done so.

As a result of smokers moving to less effective smoking cessation aids or not using any medication or nicotine replacement at all to help them quit, an estimated 4,200 fewer would have stopped smoking for good in a year, the researchers found. They estimated this would lead to 1,890 more smoking deaths for each year varenicline was unavailable. These deaths would occur over coming decades, with lifelong smokers losing an average of over 10 years of life compared to non-smokers.

Lead author Dr. Sarah Jackson, of the UCL Tobacco & Alcohol Research Group, said, "Varenicline is a gold-standard prescription treatment for smokers trying to quit. The disruption of its supply in the UK and Europe likely reduced the number of people successfully stopping smoking, which will lead to more preventable deaths. Our study gives a sense of the scale of this.

"Fortunately, another prescription drug called cytisine became available in the UK in January that is similarly effective to varenicline and could help fill the gap. Efforts to promote awareness of cytisine among smokers and prescribers may help to reduce smoking deaths over the long term."

The researchers used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study, in which a different sample of 1,700 adults in England (who are representative of the population) are interviewed each month. Use of varenicline fell to 0.8% of all quit attempts in the second half of 2022, the surveys suggested, with no quit attempts involving varenicline in the last quarter of the year.

Meanwhile, data from GP surgeries in England suggested varenicline accounted for just 0.1% of smoking cessation prescriptions in December 2022.

Some smokers moved to using prescription drug bupropion or NRT (nicotine replacement therapy), but these tools are estimated to be around 40% less effective than varenicline at helping people quit.

While prescriptions for bupropion (another smoking cessation medication) doubled between July 2021 and December 2022, the researchers also found a 35% drop in monthly prescriptions for smoking cessation medicines overall, comparing the periods June 2018-June 2021 with July 2021-December 2022.

The researchers therefore estimated about 35% of would-be varenicline users would not be using any medication at all to help them quit, with the remaining 65% using bupropion or NRT.

The distribution of varenicline was paused by the manufacturer, Pfizer, because of a higher than acceptable level of (potentially carcinogenic) nitrosamines in the tablets.

Following action from UK and EU regulators, health care staff in the UK were advised to return batches of the drug to their supplier in October 2021. Generic versions of the drug are currently available in the US, Canada and Australia but not in the UK.

Nitrosamines, which are thought to increase cancer risk if levels of exposure are high, are also present in tobacco.

The researchers noted that if the nitrosamines in the tablets were similarly carcinogenic to tobacco-specific nitrosamines, a standard 12-week course of Champix (varenicline) would give an equivalent dose to smoking 198 cigarettes (18 days of smoking at a typical consumption of 11 cigarettes day). This is a much lower level of risk than continuing to smoke in the long term.

Senior author Professor Lion Shahab, of the UCL Tobacco & Alcohol Research Group, said, "The withdrawal of varenicline has had substantial unintended consequences. Our study suggests it will lead to thousands more avoidable deaths from smoking in England alone. Industry and regulators acted with caution, leading to a life-saving smoking cessation medicine becoming unavailable. Perhaps they did not fully consider the effects this would have on the health of continuing smokers, who are exposed to a much higher level of risk than that likely caused by nitrosamine impurities in varenicline.

"It is imperative that non-nicotine based smoking cessation pharmacotherapies, such as varenicline, bupropion andmost recentlycytisine, are made widely available to smokers who do not wish to use nicotine-containing products, including NRT or e-cigarettes, to help them quit smoking."

More information: Impact of the disruption in supply of varenicline since 2021 on smoking cessation in England: a population study, Addiction (2024). DOI: 10.1111/add.16485 Journal information: Addiction
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For an OB-GYN, one of the worst-case scenarios runs like this: A woman comes in, overjoyed that she is finally pregnant after years of fertility treatments. Then a month later, she finds out she has cancernews that is devastating for the patient and difficult for the doctor because options, both practically and politically, can be limited.

It's this scenario that starts the commentary penned by UW Medicine OB-GYNs Drs. Alisa Kachikis and Linda Eckert in support of research published April 17 in JAMA Network Open.

Researchers from the University of Paris and Sorbonne University analyzed pregnancy and neonatal outcomes of 3,558 patients who received chemotherapy during pregnancy, including 91 who were treated with drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors block proteins from binding with their partner proteins in the body. In the treatment of cancer, the inhibitors allow T cells from the immune system to find and destroy cancer cells, according to the National Cancer Institute.

In the 91 cases that received immune checkpoint inhibitors, almost 60% did not report an adverse outcome for the mother or the fetus.

The data analysis study was not an endorsement for using cancer therapeutics on pregnant patients, authors of the commentary said. In fact, the authors warn against using the drugs, if possible, during pregnancy, while acknowledging that immune checkpoint inhibitors were better tolerated than first thought.

"I think this study isn't designed to give a simple answer," said Eckert. "It's designed to say that, if the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors for cancer treatment is one of the options, at least there is a little bit of data now available."

The researchers were particularly interested in the safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors because they have been shown to be effective against a number of cancers, and their use in treating pregnant patients is expected to rise.

In their accompanying commentary, the authors noted that the fact that the study was conducted and published is a step in the right direction.

The lack of "data on the use of critically important therapeutic agents in pregnant individuals is not new," they wrote. "Partially a result of the devastating legacy of thalidomide use in pregnancy, decisions to limit medication exposures of pregnant individuals and to exclude them from clinical trials as vulnerable population has contributed to the dearth of data on use of many medications in pregnancy."

Kachikis and Eckert stressed that more research and funding are needed, specifically in treatments that might help women remain pregnant while fighting cancers and other diseases.

This policy came to the forefront when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. When the vaccine arrived for the general population in 2021, pregnant individuals had not yet been included in clinical trials to establish the vaccines' safety. Many pregnant individuals received the COVID-19 vaccines with almost no information about their safety. Many pregnant women refused the shots. Later, research determined the vaccines were safe.

The French researchers gleaned the information in their report by reviewing 3,500 patient cases for 45 distinct adverse pregnancy, fetal and neonatal outcomes. They scrutinized the outcomes after immune checkpoint inhibitors and other cancer-fighting drugs were taken. The data came from the World Health Organization's international database.

"Reproductive health research has historically been underfunded," Kachikis said. "And yet we still have to discuss treatment options with our patients, with or without this data."

For clinicians in states that ban abortions, even discussion of the impact of cancer treatment on the fetus may be illegal.

"What is a pregnant person with cancer to do if she needs information and her obstetrician cannot have a discussion about the impact of the cancer treatment on the pregnancy, because it might suggest the need to terminate a pregnancy?" Eckert asked.

"In some states, we can't even discuss these options," Kachikis added.

The study's limitations include not also investigating long-term outcomes after birth. However, Eckert said, "the data, though limited, is reassuring. And information does offer a little bit of hope."

More information: Alisa Kachikis et al, Pregnancy and CancerNavigating Impossible Decisions, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.6486 Paul Gougis et al, Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Use During Pregnancy and Outcomes in Pregnant Individuals and Newborns, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.5625 Journal information: JAMA Network Open
Brandon Michael Miller, 29, is accused of sexually assaulting two women he met online. Bexar County Sheriff's Office

A man is accused of sexually assaulting two women he met online, according to the Bexar County Sheriffs Office.

Brandon Michael Miller, 29, was arrested Monday after two people reported being sexually assaulted on the same day at different times in West Bexar County. He was charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of aggravated robbery.

His bond was set at $350,000. Court records show that he is currently on house arrest.

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According to a Facebook post from the sheriffs office, Miller is accused of sexually assaulting a woman he invited over to his residence after meeting her on Snapchat on April 29. The sheriffs office said Miller assaulted her at gunpoint and robbed the woman of cash before allowing her to leave.

CRIME AND COURTS: San Antonio police fatally shoot man they say killed his wife Tuesday

In the other case, Miller is accused of sexually assaulting a woman he met on the app Text Now later that day. The sheriffs office said he told the woman he would pay for her manicure if she agreed to come to his residence. Miller then assaulted the woman at gunpoint and allowed her to leave, the sheriffs office said.

Both women immediately reported the assault, but when deputies contacted Miller, he claimed he was driving to Minnesota, the sheriffs office said.

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Deputies were able to execute a search warrant for Millers residence, and he arrived while they were completing their search. He was arrested without incident, the sheriffs office said.
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As a young GI at Fort Ord in Monterey County, California, Dean Osborn spent much of his time in the oceanside woodlands, training on soil and guzzling water from streams and aquifers now known to be contaminated with cancer-causing pollutants.

"They were marching the snot out of us," he said, recalling his year and a half stationed on the base, from 1979 to 1980. He also remembers, not so fondly, the poison oak pervasive across the 28,000-acre installation that closed in 1994. He went on sick call at least three times because of the overwhelmingly itchy rash.

Mounting evidence shows that as far back as the 1950s, in an effort to kill the ubiquitous poison oak and other weeds at the Army base, the military experimented with and sprayed the powerful herbicide combination known colloquially as Agent Orange.

While the U.S. military used the herbicide to defoliate the dense jungles of Vietnam and adjoining countries, it was contaminating the land and waters of coastal California with the same chemicals, according to documents.

The Defense Department has publicly acknowledged that during the Vietnam War era it stored Agent Orange at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, and the former Kelly Air Force Base in Texas, and tested it at Florida's Eglin Air Force Base.

According to the Government Accountability Office, however, the Pentagon's list of sites where herbicides were tested went more than a decade without being updated and lacked specificity. GAO analysts described the list in 2018 as "inaccurate and incomplete."

Fort Ord was not included. It is among about four dozen bases that the government has excluded but where Pat Elder, an environmental activist, said he has documented the use or storage of Agent Orange.

According to a 1956 article in the journal The Military Engineer, the use of Agent Orange herbicides at Fort Ord led to a "drastic reduction in trainee dermatitis casualties."

"In training areas, such as Fort Ord, where poison oak has been extremely troublesome to military personnel, a well-organized chemical war has been waged against this woody plant pest," the article noted.

Other documents, including a report by an Army agronomist as well as documents related to hazardous material cleanups, point to the use of Agent Orange at the sprawling base that 1.5 million service members cycled through from 1917 to 1994.

'The most toxic chemical'

Agent Orange is a 50-50 mixture of two ingredients, known as 2,4D and 2,4,5-T. Herbicides with the same chemical structure slightly modified were available off the shelf, sold commercially in massive amounts, and used at practically every base in the U.S., said Gerson Smoger, a lawyer who argued before the Supreme Court for Vietnam veterans to have the right to sue Agent Orange manufacturers. The combo was also used by farmers, forest workers, and other civilians across the country.

The chemical 2,4,5-T contains the dioxin 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or TCDD, a known carcinogen linked to several cancers, chronic conditions and birth defects.

A recent Brown University study tied Agent Orange exposure to brain tissue damage similar to that caused by Alzheimer's. Acknowledging its harm to human health, the Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of 2,4,5-T in the U.S. in 1979. Still, the other weed killer, 2,4D is sold off-the-shelf today.

"The bottom line is TCDD is the most toxic chemical that man has ever made," Smoger said.

For years, the Department of Veteran Affairs has provided vets who served in Vietnam disability compensation for diseases considered to be connected to exposure to Agent Orange for military use from 1962 to 1975.

Decades after Osborn's military service, the 68-year-old veteran, who never served in Vietnam, has battled one health crisis after another: a spot on his left lung and kidney, hypothyroidism, and prostate cancer, an illness that has been tied to Agent Orange exposure.

He says many of his old buddies from Fort Ord are sick as well.

"Now we have cancers that we didn't deserve," Osborn said.

The VA considers prostate cancer a "presumptive condition" for Agent Orange disability compensation, acknowledging that those who served in specific locations were likely exposed and that their illnesses are tied to their military service. The designation expedites affected veterans' claims.

But when Osborn requested his benefits, he was denied. The letter said the cancer was "more likely due to your age," not military service.

"This didn't happen because of my age. This is happening because we were stationed in the places that were being sprayed and contaminated," he said.

Studies show that diseases caused by environmental factors can take years to emerge. And to make things more perplexing for veterans stationed at Fort Ord, contamination from other harmful chemicals, like the industrial cleaner trichloroethylene, have been well documented on the former base, landing it on the EPA's Superfund site list in 1990.

"We typically expect to see the effect years down the line," said Lawrence Liu, a doctor at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center who has studied Agent Orange. "Carcinogens have additive effects."

In February, the VA proposed a rule that for the first time would allow compensation to veterans for Agent Orange exposure at 17 U.S. bases in a dozen states where the herbicide was tested, used, or stored.

Fort Ord is not on that list either, because the VA's list is based on the Defense Department's 2019 update.

"It's a very tricky question," Smoger said, emphasizing how widely the herbicides were used both at military bases and by civilians for similar purposes. "On one hand, we were service. We were exposed. On the other hand, why are you different from the people across the road that are privately using it?"

The VA says that it based its proposed rule on information provided by the Defense Department.

"DoD's review found no documentation of herbicide use, testing or storage at Fort Ord. Therefore, VA does not have sufficient evidence to extend a presumption of exposure to herbicides based on service at Fort Ord at this time," VA press secretary Terrence Hayes said in an email.

The documentation

Yet environmental activist Elder, with help from toxic and remediation specialist Denise Trabbic-Pointer and former VA physician Kyle Horton, compiled seven documents showing otherwise. They include a journal article, the agronomist report, and cleanup-related documents as recent as 1995all pointing to widespread herbicide use and experimentation as well as lasting contamination at the base.

Though the documents do not call the herbicide by its colorful nickname, they routinely cite the combination of 2,4D and 2,4,5-T. A "hazardous waste minimization assessment" dated 1991 reported 80,000 pounds of herbicides used annually at Fort Ord. It separately lists 2,4,5-T as a product for which "substitutions are necessary to minimize the environmental impacts."

The poison oak "control program" started in 1951, according to a report by Army agronomist Floyd Otter, four years before the U.S. deepened its involvement in Vietnam. Otter detailed the use of these chemicals alone and in combination with diesel oil or other compounds, at rates generally between "one to two gallons of liquid herbicide" per acre.

"In conclusion, we are fairly well satisfied with the methods," Otter wrote, noting he was interested in "any way in which costs can be lowered or quicker kill obtained."

An article published in California Agriculture more than a decade later includes before and after photos showing the effectiveness of chemical brush control used in a live-oak woodland at Fort Ord, again citing both chemicals in Agent Orange. The Defense Department did not respond to questions sent April 10 about the contamination or say when the Army stopped using 2,4,5-T at Fort Ord.

"What's most compelling about Fort Ord is it was actually used for the same purpose it was used for in Vietnamto kill plantsnot just storing it," said Julie Akey, a former Army linguist who worked at the base in the 1990s and later developed the rare blood cancer multiple myeloma.

Akey, who also worked with Elder, runs a Facebook group and keeps a list of people stationed on the base who later were diagnosed with cancer and other illnesses. So far, she has tallied more than 1,400 former Fort Ord residents who became sick.

Elder's findings have galvanized the group to speak up during a public comment period for the VA's proposed rule. Of 546 comments, 67 are from veterans and others urging the inclusion of Fort Ord. Hundreds of others have written in regarding the use of Agent Orange and other chemicals at their bases.

While the herbicide itself sticks around for only a short time, the contaminant TCDD can linger in sediment for decades, said Kenneth Olson, a professor emeritus of soil science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

A 1995 report from the Army's Sacramento Corps of Engineers, which documented chemicals detected in the soil at Fort Ord, found levels of TCDD at 3.5 parts per trillion, more than double the remediation goal at the time of 1.2 ppt. Olson calls the evidence convincing.

"It clearly supports the fact that 2,4,5-T with unknown amounts of dioxin TCDD was applied on the Fort Ord grounds and border fences," Olson said. "Some military and civilian personnel would have been exposed."

The Department of Defense has described the Agent Orange used in Vietnam as a "tactical herbicide," more concentrated than what was commercially available in the U.S. But Olson said his research suggests that even if the grounds maintenance crew used commercial versions of 2,4,5-T, which was available in the federal supply catalog, the soldiers would have been exposed to the dioxin TCDD.

The half dozen veterans who spoke with KFF Health News said they want the military to take responsibility.

The Pentagon did not respond to questions regarding the upkeep of the list or the process for adding locations.

In the meantime, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is studying potential chemical exposure among people who worked and lived on Fort Ord between 1985 and 1994. However, the agency is evaluating drinking water for contaminants such as trichloroethylene and not contamination or pollution from other chemicals such as Agent Orange or those found in firefighting foams.

Other veterans are frustrated by the VA's long process to recognize their illnesses and believe they were sickened by exposure at Fort Ord.

"Until Fort Ord is recognized by the VA as a presumptive site, it's probably going to be a long, difficult struggle to get some kind of compensation," said Mike Duris, a 72-year-old veteran diagnosed with prostate cancer four years ago who ultimately underwent surgery.

Like so many others, he wonders about the connection to his training at Fort Ord in the early '70sdrinking the contaminated water and marching, crawling, and digging holes in the dirt.

"Often, where there is smoke, there's fire," Duris said.

2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Scanning electron microscope image of Vibrio cholerae. Credit: Wikipedia

France has sent 18 more doctors and nurses to its Indian Ocean island of Mayotte to help contain a cholera outbreak, Health Minister Frederic Valletoux announced on Wednesday.

Authorities on the island last week said they had identified 26 cases of cholera, stretching Mayotte's care capabilities to the limit.

Valletoux will visit Mayotte from May 9-10 "to bring his support to the teams there and to meet the local health authorities", his team said.

The extra medical staff will join 49 reservists already working on Mayotte to help tackle the outbreak.

After patient numbers doubled in 48 hours, the medical staffing situation at the Mayotte main hospital was "highly critical", Olivier Brahic, the head of the island's ARS health authority, said on Sunday.

Cholera is an infectious disease typically causing severe diarrhea, vomiting and muscle cramps, which spreads easily under insufficient sanitation conditions.

Mayotte's imported cases have arrived mostly from the neighboring Comoros, which has been battling a cholera epidemic since the start of the year.

Many migrants travel through the Comoros on their way to Mayotte from the Democratic Republic of Congo, itself facing a cholera epidemic that killed hundreds last year.

 2024 AFP
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Globally, there are substantial differences between females and males (aged 10 and older) when it comes to health, with limited progress in bridging these health gaps over the past 30 years, according to a new study examining the disparities in the 20 leading causes of disease burden between females and males, across ages and regions, published in The Lancet Public Health.

Non-fatal conditions that lead to health loss through illness and disability, including musculoskeletal conditions, mental health conditions, and headache disorders particularly affect females globally, while males are disproportionally affected by conditions that lead to more premature death, such as COVID-19, road injuries, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory and liver diseases.

Importantly, these health differences between females and males continue to grow with age, leaving females with higher levels of illness and disability throughout their lives, because they tend to live longer than males.

The authors explain that "sex" refers to the biological and physiological characteristics of females and males, while "gender" pertains to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, and identities of women and menas well as gender-diverse individualswhich are also shaped by historical and cultural contexts. These two factors interact, leading to different health and disease experiences among men and women.

The study is a call to action for countries to increase their reporting of sex and gender data and to use these data to overhaul their approach to health. It clearly highlights the need for sex- and gender-informed strategies that recognize the unique health challenges faced by females and males.

The modeling research uses data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 to compare the total number of life years lost to illness and premature deatha measurement known as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)for the 20 leading causes of disease in females and males older than 10 years at the global level and in seven world regions, between 1990 and 2021.

The authors note that the analysis does not include sex-specific health conditions, such as gynecological conditions or prostate cancers, but does examine the health differences between conditions affecting both females and males.

"The timing is right for this study and call to actionnot only because of where the evidence is now, but because COVID-19 has starkly reminded us that sex differences can profoundly impact health outcomes," says senior author Dr. Luisa Sorio Flor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, U.S.

"One key point the study highlights is how females and males differ in many biological and social factors that fluctuate and sometimes accumulate over time, resulting in them experiencing health and disease differently at each stage of life and across world regions. The challenge now is to design, implement, and evaluate sex- and gender-informed ways of preventing and treating the major causes of morbidity and premature mortality from an early age and across diverse populations."

Males face a higher disease burden overall

The analysis estimates that for 13 out of the top 20 causes of disease burden, including COVID-19, road injuries, and a range of cardiovascular, respiratory and liver diseases, health loss was higher in males than females in 2021.

For example, overall COVID-19 was the leading cause of health loss in 2021, with males experiencing 45% more health loss from COVID-19 than females (3,978 vs. 2,211 age-standardized DALYs per 100,000). COVID-19 disproportionately affected men in all regions, with the widest sex difference observed in sub-Saharan Africa (10,559 vs. 5,565 DALYs per 100,000) and Latin America and the Caribbean (8,124 vs. 4,473 DALYs per 100,000).

Ischemic heart disease yielded the second largest absolute difference in health loss between females and males, with males experiencing 45% more health loss from heart disease compared to females (3,599 vs. 1,987 DALYs per 100,000) in 2021. The greatest difference was seen in Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, where males experienced a 49% higher burden than females (6,789 vs. 3,456 DALYs per 100,000).

For conditions with a disproportionate burden in males, such as ischemic heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic kidney disease, sex differences tend to be small at young ages and widen over the life course. The exception is the disproportionate toll of road injuries on young males (aged 10-24 years) in all world regions.

"Our findings shine a light on the significant and unique health challenges faced by males," says co-lead author Dr. Vedavati Patwardhan from the University of California, San Diego, U.S. "Among these challenges are conditions that lead to premature deaths, notably in the form of road injuries, cancers, and heart disease. We need national health plans and strategies to address the health needs of men throughout their lives, including interventions targeting behavioral risks such as alcohol use and smoking that typically begin at a young age."

The authors stress that progress on health strategies for men has been slow. Globally, new initiatives for men are now being rolled out, including the 2018 Strategy on the Health and Well-Being of Men in the WHO European Region, which was ratified by over 50 member countries. But to date only a handful of countries (including Australia, Ireland, Iran, Brazil, Malaysia, Mongolia, and South Africa) have designated national-level policies to address men's health.

Disproportionate toll of disability-causing conditions among females

Among the conditions evaluated, the study suggests that the biggest contributors to health loss globally disadvantaging females are low back pain, depressive disorders, headache disorders, anxiety disorders, other musculoskeletal disorders, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and HIV/AIDS. These conditions predominantly contribute to illness and disability throughout life as opposed to leading to premature death.

The largest absolute difference in health loss disadvantaging females was seen for low back pain, with DALY rates more than a third higher for females than for males in 2021 (1,265 vs. 787 DALYs per 100,000). Regionally, this gap was most pronounced in South Asia, where rates were over 50% higher in females (1,292 vs. 598 DALYs per 100,000), and in Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, where female rates were about 30% higher (1,807 vs. 1,256 DALYs per 100,000).

Mental health conditions disproportionately impact females in all world regions. For example, health loss caused by depressive disorders was over a third higher among females than males (1,019 vs. 671 DALYs per 100,000) globally in 2021, with the widest differences disadvantaging females seen in high-income countries (1,300 vs. 747 DALYs per 100,000) and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (1,139 vs. 624 DALYs per 100,000).

For conditions with the greatest gap disadvantaging females, such as mental health conditions and musculoskeletal disorders, the differences in health loss between females and males begin early in life and continue to intensify with age.

"Large causes of health loss in women, particularly musculoskeletal disorders and mental health conditions, have not received the attention that they deserve," says co-lead author Gabriela Gil from IHME. "It's clear that women's health care needs to extend well beyond areas that health systems and research funding have prioritized to date, such as sexual and reproductive concerns."

She adds, "Conditions that disproportionately impact females in all world regions, such as depressive disorders, are significantly underfunded compared with the massive burden they exert, with only a small proportion of government health expenditure globally earmarked for mental health conditions. Future health system planning must encompass the full spectrum of issues affecting females throughout their lives, especially given the higher level of disability they endure and the growing ratio of females to males in aging populations."

Sex- and gender-responsive approaches to health

These global differences in health loss between females and males have been largely consistent for the past 30 years, but for some diseases, such as diabetes, the difference in DALY rates between females and males nearly tripled between 1990 (56.1 more DALYs per 100,000 among males) and 2021 (142.7 more DALYs per 100,000 among males).

At the same time, there has been a disproportionate rise in global health loss caused by depressive disorders, anxiety, and some musculoskeletal disorders disadvantaging females, highlighting that the burden of chronic conditions experienced by females continues to grow.

According to Dr. Sorio Flor, "This report clearly shows that over the past 30 years global progress on health has been uneven. Females have longer lives but live more years in poor health, with limited progress made in reducing the burden of conditions leading to illness and disability, underscoring the urgent need for greater attention to non-fatal consequences that limit women's physical and mental function, especially at older ages. Similarly, males are experiencing a much higher and growing burden of disease with fatal consequences."

She continues, "This kind of critical, comparable, and comprehensive research is important, both to understand the magnitude and distribution of the diverse and evolving health needs of females and males around the world and to identify key opportunities for health gain at all stages of life."

The authors stress that the health differences identified begin to emerge in adolescence, coinciding with a critical time when gender norms and attitudes intensify and puberty reshapes self-perceptions. This pattern underscores the need for targeted responses from an early age to prevent the onset and exacerbation of health conditions and for adopting a life course approach when planning for health systems so that they are well-equipped to handle the needs of the populations they serve.

Ultimately, unraveling the roots of these health differences by collecting and reporting sex-specific data (and gender identity-specific data when possible) and promoting gender-sensitive research is central to health policy decisions that offer the best opportunities for progress towards an equitable and healthy future for all.

But despite repeated commitments from international and funding agencies, there remain substantial gaps in the availability of sex-disaggregated data. Even for COVID-19, around 60% of countries did not consistently breakdown data by sex. And information on gender identity is even more limited.

Dr. Patwardhan adds, "Our analysis also highlights the need for targeted policies and planning to address the health needs of diverse populations. Without granular insights on risk behaviors, social dynamics, economic conditions, and access to health care for all people in various parts of the world, the systemic barriers that sustain health inequities will remain."

The authors note some important limitations, including that while the study uses the best available data, estimates are constrained by the quantity and quality of past data as well as systemic biases present in epidemiological datasuch as recall bias from self-reported data and the under-representation of population groupswhich may affect the accuracy of the health differences described.

Additionally, the analysis was limited to data on females and males and could not produce estimates for gender-diverse or sex-diverse groups, highlighting the need for more data spanning the sex and gender spectrums. Finally, the study did not include female- and male-specific conditions such as gynecological diseases and prostate cancers to allow for cross-population comparisons and to highlight areas where sex-and gender-responsive interventions could have substantial health benefits.

Writing in a linked Comment, Professor Sarah Hawkes from the Institute of Global Health, University College London, UK (who was not involved in the study) stresses that too often sex-disaggregated data are overlooked or simply ignored in decision-making processes. She writes, "Even with many decades of empirically robust and rigorous efforts by GBD to report sex differences, we have not seen the same level of attention paid to the question of integrating gender-responsiveness into responses aiming to reduce DALYs or lengthen life expectancy.

"Yet it is genderi.e., the unequal distribution of power and privilege in the systems and structures determining health and well-beingthat is determining a large part of the observed health and life expectancy differences between people. It is beyond time in public health politics, policies, programs, and practices to ensure we move from sex-disaggregation to gender responsiveness that tackles the root causes of health inequities."

More information: Differences across the lifespan between females and males in the top 20 causes of disease burden globally: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, The Lancet Public Health (2024). DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00049-5 Journal information: The Lancet Public Health
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Rates of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) screening for osteoporosis are lower than expected for Asian American Medicare beneficiaries, according to a study published in Skeletal Radiology.

Soterios Gyftopoulos, M.D., from New York University Langone Health in New York City, and colleagues assessed osteoporosis screening utilization rates among Asian American populations. The analysis included 80,439 Medicare beneficiaries.

The researchers found that 15.1% received osteoporosis screening. For women, the DXA rate was approximately four times greater than the rate for men (19.8 versus 5.0%). For Asian American beneficiaries living in ZIP codes with higher mean household income, DXA was significantly more common than for those in lower-income areas (17.6 versus 14.3%).

DXA was significantly more common among beneficiaries aged younger than 80 years (15.5%) versus those aged 80 years and older (14.1%). Asian American beneficiaries had significantly lower DXA rates compared with other races and ethnicities, when controlling for years of Medicare eligibility, age, sex, location, and mean income.

"We found lower than expected DXA screening rates for Asian American patients," the authors write. "A better understanding of the barriers and facilitators to Asian American osteoporosis screening is needed to improve patient care."

More information: Soterios Gyftopoulos et al, Bone Density Screening Rates Among Medicare Beneficiaries: An Analysis with a focus on Asian Americans, Skeletal Radiology (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s00256-024-04643-1

Copyright  2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca admitted in court this week that its COVID-19 vaccine can cause a rare but deadly blood-clotting condition that has become the central focus of a class-action lawsuit worth potentially $125 million.

A Northeastern University legal scholar says the admission isn't especially damning, as the rare conditioncalled thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTSwas well-studied prior to the ongoing litigation.

"The fact that this had already been listed as a potential side effect reduces its legal impact," says Richard Daynard, university distinguished professor of law and president of the Public Health Advocacy Institute. "After all, the vaccine saved many more lives in Britain than were affected by this side effect, so AstraZeneca's admissionof what had already been listedwould not seem to be a big deal."

There are 51 cases of TTS associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine cited in the U.K.-based class action suit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that there are roughly four cases of the blood clot condition reported per 1 million administered doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine which, like the AstraZeneca, is an "adenovirus" vaccine.

If you received the AstraZeneca vaccine, should you be concerned about TTS? Northeastern Global News spoke to Mansoor Amiji, Northeastern distinguished professor in the departments of pharmaceutical sciences and chemical engineering, to get a perspective on the link between the shot and the health condition.

Amiji's comments have been edited for brevity and clarity.

What should people know about this blood clot condition that has become the focus of this lawsuit?

There are a couple issues to discuss here. First of all, the AstraZeneca vaccine is an adenoviral DNA vaccine, so it doesn't use the mRNA molecule delivered through the lipid nanoparticles that Moderna and Pfizer developed.

Through a collaboration with Oxford University, the AstraZeneca vaccine was first approved in the United Kingdom. It uses a modified form of what basically is a cold virus, or an adenoviral vector, and the vaccine delivers a DNA molecule that then gets into the human cell and encodes for the spike proteinvery similar, in terms of the final product, to how the mRNA vaccines work.

In the United Kingdom and other places where this particular vaccine was prevalent, we did see a small number of people develop thrombocytopenia, or blood clotting that is initiated by a protein called platelet factor 4. It's a very rare side effect, but it was seen in a number of cases post-approval of this vaccine back in 2021 and the early part of 2022.

The news this week isn't news to the medical community. The reason it is coming to our attention is because AstraZeneca is now saying that this is a side effect of their vaccine. Initially, they was sort of hand-waving about the connection, saying that the development of the blood clots could be due to other factors, like a person's comorbidities, vascular disease or other secondary considerations. It wasn't clear that it was linked directly to the vaccine itself.

However, when you see that the majority of those who developed this condition did so post-vaccinationand it is in a very small percentage of those who received this vaccine, to be clearthe link becomes much more apparent. Now, they're admitting that the vaccine may be responsible.

When the AstraZeneca vaccine was initially suspected in cases of thrombocytopenia, the causal mechanism wasn't clear. What do we know about how the vaccine might cause this condition?

Like I said before, the adenovirus has a DNA molecule inside it, which is then injected intramuscularly. But when in the bloodstream, this DNA molecule attracts a protein in the blood called platelet factor 4, and in certain individualsnot in all, but in a very small numberplatelet factor 4 can exaggerate the body's own immune response.

Typically when you see clot formation in the body, it's a mechanism by which the body is attempting to shield something from everything else in our body. It creates a capsule around the viral particle and recruits more platelets and red blood cells and fibrin, creating a blood clot, and this is referred to as thrombocytopenia.

The U.K., where this lawsuit is ongoing, has a pretty high uptakeabout 150 million peopleof the COVID-19 vaccine, but the majority of people there have received the Pfizer vaccine. This issue is not prevalent in the mRNA vaccinesat least, we haven't seen that level of clot formation here in the United States, where a majority of individuals have been vaccinated either with Moderna's or Pfizer's mRNA vaccine that is delivered using a lipid nanoparticle formulation.

But in terms of the number of cases of thrombocytopenia and whether this is truly an issue that should worry people, the mechanistic studies have already been conducted, and only a tiny fraction of individuals were affected. Also, we aren't seeing any other serious or new side effects associated with these vaccines.

This story is republished courtesy of Northeastern Global News news.northeastern.edu.
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Graphical abstract. Credit: Cancer Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.04.004

A novel combination of two cancer drugs has shown great potential as a future treatment for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), one of the most common types of blood cancers. A new study by WEHI researchers has revealed the combination of two existing drugs eradicated AML cancer cells in lab-based tests.

The discovery, published in Cancer Cell, could soon lead to clinical trials, providing hope for the 1,100 Australians diagnosed with AML annually.

Stimulating the 'cell death enforcer'

The WEHI research team paired venetoclax, a current standard-of-care anti-cancer drug for AML, with a STING agonist, an emerging class of immunotherapy drugs. Venetoclax was based on a landmark research discovery at WEHI.

Study co-first author Dr. Sarah Diepstraten said the team examined a range of different blood cancers, including cancer samples from patients with AML and treated them in the lab with the drug combination, leading to striking results.

"It's really impressivecombining venetoclax with this emerging immunotherapy treatment can actually eradicate AML," said Dr. Diepstraten.

"This is the one-two punch combo that could be the knockout blow for AML. You could almost paraphrase the famous boxer Muhammed Ali and say this treatment floats like a butterfly, and STINGs like a bee."

Critically, the combination treatment showed high promise in AML samples that were driven by a mutated p53 protein, a type of AML that is generally more aggressive and harder to treat.

The p53 protein plays a critical role in our bodies. When it is working effectively, it prevents the formation of cancerous cells by enforcing the death, or arresting the growth, of cells that have become damaged or abnormal.

But when the p53 protein is mutated and becomes defective in groups of cells, it can significantly boost a person's risk of developing cancer.

Mutations of p53 are thought to be the biggest driver of cancer development and are found in half of all human cancers around the globe.

As cancers associated with p53 mutations tend to be more aggressive and resistant to treatment, there is a critical need for better therapies.

"For AML patients that do not have as much therapy-induced death of their leukemia cells due to this mutated protein, combining venetoclax with a STING agonist causes more killing of AML cells than treating with venetoclax alone," said Dr. Diepstraten.

"The treatment was highly effective at killing cancer cells in samples with and without the p53 mutation, which is exciting given the lack of effective treatments for aggressive cancers driven by mutations in p53.

"We want to see more and more patients getting into long-term remission from blood cancers like AML, and we think adding STING agonists to the treatment regimen could be the key."

A STING in the cancer tale

The study marks the first time that a STING agonist has been used to directly target mechanisms within the cancer cells themselves, stimulating the natural processes that cause these cells to die.

To date, the STING agonist immunotherapy drugs have been chiefly used to attack solid tumors by activating the body's immune response.

The new research builds our understanding of how STING agonists work and indicates for the first time that they could be successful in ways that had not been previously anticipated: against blood cancers, and by directly targeting the cancer cells intrinsically.

Associate Professor Gemma Kelly, co-senior author on the study, said that both venetoclax and the STING agonists played complementary roles in killing cancer at the cellular level.

"Within a cancer cell, venetoclax blocks the machinery of the cell that is keeping it alive. In certain blood cancers where this response is sub-optimal, STING agonists can supercharge this effect to deliver cancer a deathly blow," Assoc Prof Kelly, a laboratory head in WEHI's Blood Cells and Blood Cancer division, said.

"It is these two drugs, working in tandem, that led to the highly effective killing of AML cancer cells in our lab-based tests, in results that were truly striking."

WEHI lab head Professor Andrew Wei, co-senior author on the study, said that while further research was needed, the findings were highly promising.

"While early clinical trials in solid cancers have suggested STING agonists are well tolerated in the body, these results offer exciting new hope for patients with the most resistant forms of leukemia," said Prof Wei.

"Given STING agonists are currently in clinical trials, we hope to conduct human studies using STING agonists in combination with venetoclax in the near future.

"The research findings are important, as they will inspire a completely new clinical approach for patients affected by the most resistant and deadly forms of acute leukemia."

WEHI researchers and clinicians are now translating these highly promising findings into a new clinical trial in AML patients in collaboration with Melbourne-based Aculeus Therapeutics, a local biotechnology company with a proprietary STING agonist.

Dr. Mark Devlin, CEO of Aculeus Therapeutics, which has spent the last several years developing a potent STING agonist, couldn't be more excited about the potential for the recent WEHI discovery.

"Drug discovery and development is the ultimate scientific team sport," he said.

"Aculeus has developed a promising new drug but the collaboration with the WEHI teams, that have a deep understanding of the disease biology and the clinical landscape, will help shape how that drug will be used most effectively."

Aculeus' STING agonist, ACU-0943, is expected to enter clinical development for the treatment of AML later this year.

More information: Sarah T. Diepstraten et al, Putting the STING back into BH3-mimetic drugs for TP53-mutant blood cancers, Cancer Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.04.004 Journal information: Cancer Cell
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MPRA identifies regulatory variants with allele-specific effects on gene expression. Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48124-4

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified specific DNA variants in the non-coding regions of the genome contributing to chemotherapy resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The results guided the team to unravel the mechanism behind a previously unknown contributor to therapeutic resistance. The discovery was enabled by combining new technologies to overcome previous limitations in understanding the non-coding genome, which could be adapted to other types of cancer and diseases.

The findings are published in Nature Communications.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer. Survival rates are over 94% due to modern therapy. However, those with relapsed or recurrent disease, often due to chemotherapy resistance, have a much poorer 3040% survival rate.

The researchers studied resistance variants found in the non-coding genome, which makes up 98% of DNA and does not contain genes. Previous attempts to identify resistance mechanisms to chemotherapy had focused on DNA that encoded genes. Looking directly at genes is simpler because non-coding DNA can have complex relationships with gene function, but the St. Jude group has shown that it is possible.

"We demonstrated that we now have the tools to find relevant non-coding genetic factors that contribute to chemotherapy resistance," said corresponding author Daniel Savic, Ph.D., St. Jude Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. "The end goal is to understand the mechanisms of drug resistance so we can develop novel therapeutics and optimize existing chemotherapies based on the individual's unique genetic makeup."

Sorting through non-coding DNA to find the root of chemotherapy resistance

"The non-coding 98% of the genome contains instructions," said co-first author Jackson Mobley, Ph.D., St. Jude Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. "If we are making a building, genes encode the iron bars, wires and concrete; non-coding DNA are the blueprints. We found the small changes in the blueprints that impact how well you respond to certain therapies."

The group explored novel non-coding resistance variants by combining state-of-the-art technologies to examine patient samples and clinical data on treatment outcomes. In the past, research had focused on a single gene or variant. However, combining high-throughput DNA sequencing methods allowed the St. Jude researchers to perform massively parallel variant screens.

(L to R) Co-first author Jackson Mobley, Ph.D., corresponding author Daniel Savic, Ph.D., and co-first author Kashi Raj Bhattarai, Ph.D., all of the St. Jude Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Credit: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Those large screens enabled the testing of over 1,600 variants simultaneously to identify which were functional. That huge increase made the results more comprehensive, leading to the discovery of over 500 functional non-coding DNA variants associated with chemotherapy resistance.

"Our work represents the largest functional investigation of inherited non-coding variants associated with pharmacological traits, especially in ALL," said co-first author Kashi Raj Bhattarai, Ph.D., St. Jude Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. "We verified that identified variants also have a similar effect in cell lines and patient samples."

A novel resistance mechanism

By surveying many non-coding variants at once, the researchers were able to find the most impactful ones across different subtypes of ALL and connect them to a specific gene using innovative 3D genome mapping technologies. By finding the mechanism behind how variants in the non-coding genome affect target gene activity, they can figure out how it affects cancer's response to treatment.

For example, the top variant from the screen led to the discovery of a new resistance mechanism. The resistance was to the chemotherapy drug vincristine. The researchers examined how DNA containing the functional variant physically looped to its target gene and which transcription factors, proteins that guide gene expression, were involved.

The scientists found the variant bound near the gene for EIF3A, which is known to be involved in cell proliferation and survival. When they deleted the DNA containing the variant or reverted the mutation to the original sequence, they could alter the cells' sensitivity to the chemotherapeutic agent vincristine.

The study serves as a proof of principle of how to take non-coding DNA variants and mechanistically connect them to a trait, such as chemotherapy resistance. That has been a long-standing issue holding back genomics research on inherited variants, from cancer to neurological issues.

"In any genome-wide association study, nearly all associated variants reside in the non-coding genome," Savic said. "Therefore, connecting that variation to gene function and then to an actual trait, such as chemotherapy resistance or disease predisposition, is challenging. We showed that we have harnessed tools and technologies to systematically examine the non-coding genome and understand what it's doing. We hope that our findings can be utilized to improve clinical outcomes in ALL patients."

More information: Kashi Raj Bhattarai et al, Investigation of inherited noncoding genetic variation impacting the pharmacogenomics of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48124-4 Journal information: Nature Communications
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Weight-bearing activity appears tied to incident knee osteoarthritis (OA) in people who have low levels of lower-limb muscle mass, according to a study published online April 30 in JAMA Network Open.

Yahong Wu, M.D., of the University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study using data from the Rotterdam Study. They included participants who had knee X-ray measurements at baseline and follow-up examinations.

They evaluated the incidence of knee OA by knee X-ray and the incidence of symptomatic knee OA defined by X-ray and knee pain questionnaire. Different types of physical activity and their associations with radiographic knee OA were analyzed. The study included 5,003 individuals.

The researchers found that the knee OA incident rate was 8.4% with a mean follow-up time of 6.33 years. They also found that higher weight-bearing activity was linked to increased odds of knee OA, but non-weight-bearing activity was not.

Furthermore, the association of weight-bearing activity with incident knee OA was only seen among patients in the lowest lower-limb muscle mass index tertile and not the middle or high tertiles.

"Although we did not find an association of recreational physical activity with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, we did find that weight-bearing activity could contribute to increased odds of radiographic knee osteoarthritis, but only among those with low lower-limb muscle mass index," the authors write.

"Although physical activity is known to have numerous health benefits, our study suggests that caution is needed when engaging in weight-bearing activity."

More information: Yahong Wu et al, Weight-Bearing Physical Activity, Lower-Limb Muscle Mass, and Risk of Knee Osteoarthritis, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.8968 Journal information: JAMA Network Open

 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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A small group of UTSA students protest the war in Gaza on UTSAs campus. The protest was peaceful with police watching but maintaining their distance. Jessica Phelps Students march through UTSAs campus during a Pro-Palestinian protest Wednesday afternoon. They stopped briefly at the UTSA polices office and shouted banned sayings like From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. The phrase was banned because administrators said it was anti-semitic. Jessica Phelps A protester who only gave his first name, Nick, speaks to the crowd of about 50 protesters on UTSAs campus at a pro-Palestinian protest. Jessica Phelps A small group of UTSA students protest the war in Gaza on UTSAs campus. The protest was peaceful with police watching but maintaining their distance. Jessica Phelps Students march through UTSAs campus during a Pro-Palestinian protest Wednesday afternoon. Jessica Phelps

UTSA students protested in support of Palestinians and against speech restrictions Wednesday amid rising tensions on college campuses across the United States.

The San Antonio Party for Socialism and Liberation, which organized a peaceful pro-Palestinian protest last week at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said in a post that it had called for Wednesdays emergency protest in response to the UT Systems mass arrests, suspensions, intimidation and racial censorship, referring to the 79 protestors detained Monday at the UT-Austin campus.

Students gathered for an 'emergency protest' at UTSA's main campus amid rising tensions on campuses across the United States. Jessica Phelps, Staff photographer

Many of the few dozen students gathered at UTSAs Sombrilla Plaza voiced anger at law enforcement officers, who they say have been hostile toward student protesters in recent weeks.

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Solidarity groups at UTSA and four other local institutions of higher education, meanwhile, sent letters demanding that their school presidents publicly oppose Gov. Greg Abbotts March 27 executive order directing universities to identify and punish antisemitic rhetoric.

The other schools were San Antonio College, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Trinity University and UT Health San Antonio, according to a press release distributed by Alex Birnel, a member of San Antonio Justice for Palestine and the director of advocacy for MOVE Texas.

It is not antisemitic to call for an end to genocide, Birnel wrote. If the Governors repressive policies are to be challenged, universities must do so together on behalf of academic and student freedom in Texas.

Bystanders watch a small group of UTSA students protest the war in Gaza on UTSAs campus. The protest was peaceful with police watching but maintaining their distance. Jessica Phelps

Students at UTSA marched and chanted peacefully through campus while being followed by one campus police officer on a bicycle. Protesters said they were being watched and followed by undercover officers. Organizer Matthew Pena called out these seeing eyes during the protest.

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To all the undercover cops standing on the peripheries, we see you, Pena said.

Mondays clash between protesters and police at UT-Austin came when officers cleared an impromptu encampment in the middle of campus, leading to dozens of arrests. UT-Austin officials Tuesday would not say if the university planned to suspend or otherwise discipline those detained.

A student protester who didnt want to give her name, speaks to the crowd of about 50 protesters on UTSAs campus at a pro-Palestinian protest. Jessica Phelps

UTSA President Taylor Eighmy warned students in a social media post Wednesday against disruptive behavior at the planned expressive event at UTSA.

Eighmy said two previous events at UTSA in the past two weeks had complied with university rules. He said the university supports free expression while ensuring that our campus community remains safe.

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A small group of UTSA students protest the war in Gaza on UTSAs campus. The protest was peaceful with police watching but maintaining their distance. Jessica Phelps

Many protesters say the university has banned them from using certain words or phrases during their protests, including the chant From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free, which students chanted outside the universitys police department building in Arabic.

Shame on UTSA for trying to limit our freedom of speech when we come. And they dont let us use words like Zionism, like occupation, like Benjamin Netanyahu, said UTSA graduate student Kwame Gatlin. They are suppressing our voice and the voice of the Palestinians.

A small group of UTSA students protest the war in Gaza on UTSAs campus. The protest was peaceful with police watching but maintaining their distance. Jessica Phelps

Palestinian activists say they are calling for peace after 75 years of Israeli statehood and military rule over Palestinians, but the Jewish community says they are calling for the destruction of Israel.

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BOZEMAN  Doriane Keiser came to Montana State University planning to return one day to the Fork Peck Indian Reservation where she grew up. She hopes to improve the communitys mental health services and resources  a goal the faculty members who know her are certain she will achieve.

During my first conversation with Doriane, I could tell she was passionate about transforming mental and emotional well-being and support back home, said Steven Davis, who works with Keiser in his roles as assistant dean of the MSU Honors College and director of its Honor Bound program.

Keiser, a Presidential Scholar who is finishing her junior year majoring in psychology and community health with minors in sociology and human development, came one step closer to her goal this month when she was named one of 55 Udall Undergraduate Scholarship winners nationwide. The scholarship, worth up to $7,000, recognizes students who demonstrate exceptional leadership, community service and involvement in the fields of health care, environment or public policy surrounding American Indian and Alaska Native communities and issues.

Keiser ultimately plans to become a clinical psychologist. She wants to work both with individuals and within institutions, such as schools and law enforcement agencies, to ensure that effective mental health interventions and referrals for people in crisis are available in the Fort Peck community. She first learned about careers in the field when taking online psychology and criminology classes in high school while watching many young people, including her younger sister, struggle with mental health issues without finding help to deal with them.

There was a lot of suicide on the reservation  I saw it over and over again in middle school and high school, she said, adding that the situation was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aside from occasional short programs presented to students in schools, Keiser said, we never really got an education on it. To her knowledge, few in the community were equipped to help students develop suicide prevention safety plans.

She said that when an acquaintance of hers attempted suicide, he was sent to juvenile detention instead of being referred for mental health help. Then, when Keiser was a high school senior, her sister died by suicide.

Growing up seeing examples of how mental health issues can affect an individual ended up leading me to want to pursue an education in the mental health realm, she said. Losing my sister just solidified my passion and drive to gain the ability to help other individuals who are struggling like my little sister.

To acquire the necessary skills to achieve her goals, Keiser plans to earn a doctorate in clinical psychology. In the meantime, she has found ways to connect with Indigenous communities, including a project that has taken her back to Fort Peck with the MSU chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society to teach engineering and programming skills to fifth- and sixth-graders while flying miniature drones.

Before I came to MSU, I never knew engineering was a thing, so making such a huge impact on these students lives through this activity was very nice, said Keiser, who is the current president of MSUs AISES chapter.

Nicholas Stadie, the chapters faculty adviser and an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said the outreach project is becoming an annual tradition and is just one example of Keisers passion for fostering connections between communities and exchange of goodwill.

Doriane is proud of her identity and engages with a wide range of Indigenous initiatives, tackling issues like food sovereignty, stress and youth mentorship, Stadie said. She clearly has a natural talent for and tendency toward public policy and a strong connection to her home community.

Among her other activities at MSU, Keiser has served as a research assistant to Neha John-Henderson, associate professor of psychology, who is leading a study on the relationship between social connectedness, health and stress on the Blackfeet Reservation; bundled seeds bound for Indigenous communities with the Buffalo Nations Food System Initiative, a project of the Department of Native American Studies and the College of Education, Health and Human Development; traveled with the Honor Bound program to learn aquaponic farming techniques from Indigenous Hawaiians; worked with MSUs McNair Scholars program to explore the impact of cultural exchanges on Native American and Alaska Native students at MSU; and served as a senator in student government representing the College of Letters and Science during her sophomore year.

Her vast potential and future accomplishments will be limited only by the hours in her day, said Davis, who predicts Keiser will go on to make a generational impact through her profession. Shes going to transform peoples lives at both the individual and community level, not just as a clinical practitioner but as a scholar and researcher. I really believe the best is yet to come.
The Phifer Family YMCA in Morganton held its annual Community Day on Saturday at its campus at 2165 S. Sterling St. The event offered informational stations for parents to learn more about programs in the area, along with a variety of activities for children of all ages. Many kid took the chance to play in the bouncy house, slide down the inflatable slide, try their aim at archery and play with puppies from Burke County Animal Services.
What is so hard about writing a book or a series of articles about great restaurants in a particular city, state or region?

I have been trying to explain these difficulties recently as I talked about the newly revised edition of my book, North Carolinas Roadside Eateries, published by UNC press on April 1.

The first edition of Roadside Eateries, published in 2016, featured more than 100 of North Carolinas great locally owned restaurants located near our interstates. It featured popular places where people could be found getting a good reasonably priced meal and an opportunity to visit with local people and get a dose of local color.

Revising this book was a challenge. COVID-19 caused many closures, and the normal attrition of family-owned restaurants created a great challenge. The lost restaurants had to be replaced and all the restaurants had to be checked to be sure they were still good enough to recommend to my friends and readers.

Finding and describing the right restaurants was difficult. But my task was not as hard as the project undertaken by Pete Wells, a food critic for The New York Times, who was assigned to update his previous list of the 100 best restaurants in New York City.

Wells writes that his first reaction to the assignment to update his The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City 2023 was a surprise.

This was followed by the realization that I had a lot of eating to do.

He explains, Twenty-two places in this edition of The 100 Best Restaurants in NYC are new. With a couple of exceptions, Wells has eaten at all 100 in the past 12 months. For anyone who thinks he is just getting a lot of free meals, he explains, I dont accept free meals from restaurants I write about.

How did he approach this project?

He explained that he would attempt to visit each of the 100 restaurants on his list. He had three months before the deadline, which worked out to about one meal a day.

Or so I thought, he wrote. Restaurants that had thrilled me before didnt live up to my memories, and I removed more restaurants from the list than Id expected to. Replacing them sometimes took more than one meal at a new place.

So, Wells started eating out twice a day to meet his goal of eating at all 100 of the restaurants he would place on his list.

To a civilian, he wrote, my calendar might have looked scary. But I wasnt scared until about two weeks in, on the day I woke up with no appetite. Usually, Im hungry after my first cup of coffee. On this day, just thinking about breakfast made me clutch my stomach. I couldnt imagine going out to the lunch I had scheduled, and dinner wasnt much more appealing.

I began skipping breakfast and gave up drinking almost entirely (unnecessary calories).

Poor Pete Wells. But the result of his work for New Yorkers and visitors will be a valuable asset, an up-to-date guide for a rich and complicated food scene.

North Carolina is different, but it is tough. It is very hard to deliver an accurate and current report on the best local eateries near the interstate highways.

For instance, Backyard BBQ Pit in Durham, one of my favorites, closed last year. It has reopened, but too late to be included.

Wilburs in Goldsboro is the favorite barbecue stop for many North Carolinians. But it also closed and then opened back up. But, in the shuffle, it got removed from Roadside Eateries.

While I was finishing up this column, Edward Phifer, a friend from Morganton, wrote to advise that Allisons, a popular restaurant in his hometown, was closing. It is, of course, way too late to remove it from the new edition of Roadside Eateries.

Keeping Roadside Eateries up-to-date is tough. Still, I would rather be me than Pete Wells. I do not have to stuff myself twice a day as he did, and I can pay for the reasonably priced North Carolina meals without going broke.
North Dakota's Game and Fish Department is working to raise awareness of zebra mussels in Lake Oahe.

Zebra mussels compete with native species, clog water intakes, and can even sink docks and buoys with their weight. They were confirmed in the lower end of Lake Oahe in South Dakota in December, and officials are trying to stem their northward spread into the portion of the Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota.

Game and Fish is working with South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks to monitor the colonization of mussels, according to Aquatic Nuisance Species Coordinator Ben Holen.

The nearest mussel that was found last year was over 100 lake miles south of the North Dakota border, so we will utilize various early detection techniques to track the leading edge of the zebra mussel population as it establishes up the lake, he said.

The department also is launching a digital marketing campaign and will work with the North Dakota Department of Transportation to place highway signage to raise zebra mussel awareness and promote compliance with ANS regulations, Holen said. There also will be a higher game warden presence along Lake Oahe this year.

For more information go to https://gf.nd.gov/ans.
San Antonio police arrest a teen accused of killing 17-year-old Kaitlin Hernandez and leaving her body under a bridge in March. Courtesy (Left to right) Emili Rodriguez, Kaitlins cousin, Ysenia Rodriguez, her cousin, and Crystal Rodriguez, her aunt, pray during a vigil for 17-year-old Kaitlin Hernandez at the bridge where she was found at 7600 block of Del Oak Drive on Friday, March 15, 2024 in San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Isabel Rubio, left, comforts Angie Hernandez, right, Kaitlins mom, at a vigil for 17-year-old Kaitlin Hernandez at the bridge where she was found at 7600 block of Del Oak Drive on Friday, March 15, 2024 in San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Kaitlins friend Jewelissa Tristan writes a note in chalk on the sidewalk at a vigil for 17-year-old Kaitlin Hernandez at the bridge where she was found at 7600 block of Del Oak Drive on Friday, March 15, 2024 in San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News

A juvenile is accused of strangling and sexually assaulting 17-year-old Kaitlin Hernandez nearly two months ago.

San Antonio police said Kaitlin was last seen with the 15-year-old juvenile on March 12 when they went for a walk on the Northeast Side.

He returned. Kaitlin didnt.

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Her naked body was found late that night in a drainage ditch a few blocks away after a passerby found her phone nearby. Someone appeared to have dragged the body underneath the bridge.

Police detained the juvenile after Kaitlin disappeared but did not have enough evidence to charge him, states a news release. Investigators took DNA samples from the teen and Kaitlin, and the results indicated that he could not be excluded as the person involved in the sexual assault and killing of the 17-year-old.

The unidentified juvenile, a neighbor, was arrested this week and charged with capital murder without incident, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Kaitlins family became worried on March 12 when they didnt hear from her for several hours.

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Later that night, an unknown man found Kaitlins phone in the drainage ditch. He answered the phone when Kaitlins grandmother called and went with her to the place where he found the phone.

Officers found her clothes and the body nearby under a bridge in the 7600 block of Dell Oak.

Crystal Rodriguez, Kaitlins aunt who started the GoFundMe to pay for funeral expenses, wrote in the fundraiser description that Kaitlins sister died four months before. She wrote that Kaitlin was supposed to graduate high school soon.

We are in a state of shock as this feels so unreal to us, Rodriguez wrote. We are trying to have a proper funeral service for her as we just layed her sister down to rest four months ago, now (theyre) together in heaven.
The Cameo Cinema's "Water: Essential in Art & Life" series continues with an art installation going on display at 3 p.m. Thursday in St. Helena.

The series kicked off April 12 with screenings of "Uncle Bullys Surf Skool." Ranging from film screenings to an art installation to a student workshop, the program explores the essential role of water both as a vital component for all life forms and as a source of inspiration for film, literature, sculpture and more.

I am always looking for new and creative ways to bring movies, speakers and workshops to the Napa Valley community, Cameo proprietor Cathy Buck said in a news release. My growing concern for the environment and our water systems led me to discover Washed Ashore, a nonprofit organization that is committed to reducing plastic pollution in our oceans. Inspired by their sculptures, I dreamt up a program that would speak to the importance of water and its role in life and in art.

From 3 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, join education director Brad Parks of Washed Ashore for a sneak peek at the Cameo's "Art to Save the Sea" installation.

Washed Ashore is a nonprofit that uses art to educate a global audience about plastic pollution in the oceans and waterways to spark positive change in consumer habits. Made completely of plastic debris collected from beaches, the colorful and dramatic sculptures of marine animals represent the billions of pounds of plastic in oceans today and underscore the need for wildlife conservation. The art installation will live at the Cameo from May 2 to 31.

From 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 4, take part in an interactive student workshop led by a Washed Ashore artist.

This hands-on art experience will mix art and science together to use the language of visual arts to awaken the senses and promote solutions to the plastic pollution problem. Students will craft pieces made from marine debris, which will become part of a new sculpture at Washed Ashore.

The student workshop will be held at the Blue Zones office at 1422 Main St. Workstations are limited to eight students each. There will be one workstation for children ages 5-8 and one workstation for children ages 9-12. To reserve your spot, RSVP to info@cameocinema.com.

On May 19 the Cameo will screen Deep Rising," directed and produced by Matthieu Rytz and narrated by Jason Momoa.

Deep Rising is a tale of geopolitical, scientific and corporate intrigue, investigating the future of the worlds energy crisis and how it is currently tied to the fate of the deep ocean floor, which is itself intricately linked to our survival.

Following the screening, the Cameo will welcome Stephen Palumbi, professor of marine biology at the Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove, for a Q&A.

"Water: Essential in Art & Life" is made possible through the Napa County Arts & Culture Committee, Science on Screen, and the Cameo Cinema Foundation.

The Cameo Cinema is at 1340 Main St. (Highway 29/128), St. Helena.

For information on the programs upcoming events, visit cameocinema.com/water-essential-in-art-and-life.

PHOTOS: A look at the Cameo Cinema in St. Helena
Elizabeth Corey, a third-grade teacher at Canyon Oaks Elementary School in American Canyon, has been named the 2024 Napa County Teacher of the Year by the Napa County Office of Education, county schools superintendent Barbara Nemko announced.

Corey is in her ninth year of teaching at Canyon Oaks, which is part of Napa Valley Unified School District.

Corey was one of eight teachers countywide who were nominated for the honor by NVUSD, the St. Helena Unified School District, Calistoga Joint Unified School District and NCOE, the county office said in a news release.

The selection process included an essay by the nominee, a letter of recommendation from the nominees principal, and a classroom visit from a team that included Nemko and staff from NCOE and the Napa Valley Education Foundation.

We have many amazing teachers in Napa County, which can make our decision a difficult one, Nemko said, but Liz Corey impressed the team with her energetic and inclusive teaching style. Her students were engaged and excited about what they were learning. They asked questions and put forth ideas. Ms. Corey encourages and empowers students to take an active part in their learning and to help each other to succeed.

A cornerstone of Liz's approach to education is her leadership in incorporating Dr. Victor Rios' work to cultivate an Ecosystem of Carino within her classroom and our school setting, said Canyon Oaks principal Stephanie Vasquez, who nominated Corey for the honor.

This work fostering a culture of care and high rigor through deeper learning has been transformative in nurturing a caring, empathetic and positive learning community among students and staff alike.

The other finalists included Amy Palma, Calistoga Elementary School; Madison Butts, St. Helena High School; Cathy Margolati, Donaldson Way Elementary School in American Canyon; Julia Zmed, Silverado Middle School in Napa; Newton Thomas, Vintage High School in Napa; Scott Kostecka, Napa High School; and Joy Greenlee of the NCOE preschool program.

As the Napa County Teacher of the Year, Corey will become a candidate for California Teacher of the Year this summer.

In addition, nine staff members at public schools from Calistoga to American Canyon have been named Napa County Classified School Employees of the Year.

Classified staff are employees of a school, district or county office of education who are in a position not requiring certification, such as administrative, custodial or transportation staff. Staff in nine categories were nominated by the Napa, St. Helena and Calistoga school districts, as well as the county education office.

Each of the nominees was outstanding in their work to support our students, Nemko said. Our teachers and administrators could not do their work without these critical team members.

The nine Classified Employees of the Year are eligible to move on to compete at the state-level program, overseen by the California Department of Education.

The honorees are:

Stacey Ziegler, Health and Student Services, Napa Junction Elementary School, NVUSD

Sofia Sanchez, Security Services, NCOE

Michael Tyler, Transportation, NVUSD

Wendi Ottoson, Food and Nutrition Services, NCOE

Lorena Godinez, Clerical and Administrative Services, Robert Louis Stevenson

Middle School, St. Helena Unified

Maria Luly Gutierrez, Paraprofessional, Calistoga Elementary School, Calistoga Unified

Martha Rubio, Custodial and Maintenance, St. Helena High School, St. Helena Unified

Alberto Tico Lara, Skilled Trades, NVUSD

Larry Black, Technical Services, Calistoga Unified

All of the Napa County Teacher of the Year finalists and Classified School Employee of the Year finalists and honorees will be recognized at a community celebration at 4 p.m. May 22 at NCOE headquarters, 2121 Imola Ave. in Napa. Email eemmett@napacoe.org for more information.

PHOTOS: Napans celebrate Brock Bowers' NFL draft selection at Napa High watch party
GUWAHATI: Three additional MBBS seats have been reserved for students from Bhutan in medical colleges across Assam.

This was informed by the Indian embassy at Thimphu  the capital of Bhutan  via a release on Wednesday (May 01).

"Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!"

The development was further confirmed by the Assam chief ministers office (CMO).

This step has been aimed at strengthening the longstanding ties between Bhutan and India, the Assam CMO stated.

Another step towards furthering the age old relation between the two countries, the Assam chief ministers office (CMO) said.

Also read: BJP became worlds richest party in ten years: Priyanka Gandhi in Assam

This decision follows the recent visit of the King of Bhutan to India.

Allocation of these three additional seats brings the total number of MBBS seats reserved for Bhutanese students in medical colleges of Assam to five.

Following up on His Majesty the King of Bhutans visit to India, three additional MBBS seats have been reserved for Bhutanese students in Assams medical colleges taking the total seats to five, stated the Assam CMO.
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.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - APRIL 30: Students listen during a pro-Palestine educational rally held on campus at the University of Texas at Austin on April 30, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Professors Pavithra Vasudevan and Karma R. Chavez gathered with students to process recent events and further learn about the history of Palestine in light of the recent campus uprisings occurring around the country. Protests against the war in Gaza continue sweeping across college campuses nationwide, with more than 40 schools participating. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Brandon Bell/Getty Images A pro-Palestinian protestor is arrested by Texas State Troopers at the University of Texas in Austin, on April 29, 2024. The protests against Israel's war with Hamas began at Columbia University earlier this month before spreading to campuses across the country. They have posed a major challenge to university administrators trying to balance campus commitments to free expression with complaints that the rallies have crossed a line. SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images

A plurality of Texans want the U.S. to balance support for Israel with the prevention of Palestinian civilian casualties, according to new polling data captured before large demonstrations began on college campuses across Texas and the country.

More than a third of Texans surveyed by the The Texas Politics Project online poll favor that approach  though voters are largely split over how the war in Gaza should be handled.

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The results come as police have clashed with hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of Texas at Austin in recent days, and as the Biden administrations response to the war takes center stage ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

A little over a fifth of Texans favored a response that primarily supports Israels military efforts, while about 14% preferred a response that primarily works to prevent Palestinian civilian casualties. Nearly a third thought the U.S. should not be involved in the conflict, and the rest did not have an opinion.

The Israel-Hamas war was sparked by the unprecedented Oct. 7 raid into southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel says the militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Israels war in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, which is run by Hamas and doesnt distinguish between combatants and noncombatants but says around two-thirds of the dead are children and women. The war has driven around 80% of Gazas population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities, and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine.

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The majority of Texans approved of Israels response with about 32% strongly in favor and 23% somewhat in favor. Twenty-eight percent disapproved.

The poll was conducted between April 12 and April 22 among 1,200 registered voters, before pro-Palestinian demonstrations began at the University of Texas at Austin and other campuses across the state.

Over the last week, police have arrested dozens of demonstrators who assembled on UTs campus to call for the university to cut financial ties with Israel. Most, including current students, have been charged with criminal trespass. University leaders say protesters cannot be allowed to occupy the campus, as they have done at Columbia University in New York City. Some faculty have pushed back, saying university leadership abandoned its responsibility to protect students and their right to assemble by inviting law enforcement to respond.

While President Joe Bidens age of 81 was a top-of-mind concern for most voters, including Democrats, his response to the Israel-Hamas war was the No. 1 worry for 9% of voters.

Nearly half of Texans disapproved of Bidens handling of the war, but Republicans were much more dissatisfied than Democrats, with 72% disapproving of his performance. Only 21% within Bidens own party took issue with his job performance.

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Opinions on how Congress is handling the war also split somewhat down party lines. Most Democrats, or 58%, disapproved of the job they were doing, while nearly half of Republicans approved.

Voters across the aisle did not cite Israel or Gaza as a top concern when it came to Republican nominee Donald Trump. His legal issues were the biggest issue for most voters, followed by a tie between concerns about his personality, what he might say and a resistance to his agenda.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the party breakdown of dissatisfaction with Bidens handling of the war.
Jindal Stainless announced investment of totalling nearly Rs 5,400 crores to increase its melting and downstream capacities on Wednesday. The announcement will further increase the stainless steel production of the company. According to a statement by the company, it has announced a three-pronged investment plan to enhance its capacity in steel production. The first phase of the strategy involves a 49% partnership in a joint venture (JV) to develop and operate a stainless steel melt shop (SMS) in Indonesia, targeting an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The partnership is expected to boost the company's melting capacity by over 40 per cent to 4.2 MTPA, with an investment exceeding Rs 700 crore. Additionally, the company allocated approximately Rs 1,900 crore for expanding its downstream lines in Jajpur, Odisha, to accommodate the increased melting capacity. Further, the company also announced Rs 1,450 crore investment for upgrading infrastructural facilities, including railway siding, sustainability projects, and renewable energy generation. The company further announced to acquire 54 per cent equity stake in Chromeni Steels Private Limited (CSPL), which owns a 0.6 MTPA cold rolling mill in Mundra, Gujarat, through a structured indirect acquisition deal. This transaction involves an outlay of around Rs 1,340 crore, comprising the takeover of existing debt and equity purchase. "The Indonesian joint venture will get us the best of speed and raw material security, and the augmentation of the Jajpur lines will offer enhanced value for domestic and export customers. The cold rolling mill at Chromeni will expand our outreach," said Abhyuday Jindal, MD, Jindal Stainless. Elaborating on the investment, Tarun Kumar Khulbe CEO & Wholetime Director, Jindal Stainless said, "Investment in upstream facilities in Indonesia is a plug-and-play model which can be expected to get operational in the next 24 months given the existing industrial park facilities at the site. Logistics and power costs render Indonesia even more favourable to such investments. Besides, the Government of Indonesia has banned the export of nickel ore and is promoting investments into downstream facilities through long-term tax holidays. The partnership in the Indonesian SMS, along with the downstream expansion in Jajpur and the acquisition of CSPL, is strategically aligned to enhance Jindal Stainless' overall facility. These investments are expected to significantly improve logistical efficiency to cater to increased planned volumes. (ANI)
Hyundai Motor India Ltd reported a robust sales performance for April 2024, with total sales reaching 63,701 units, marking year-on-year growth of 9.5 per cent.

The company's domestic sales stood at 50,201 units, with a marginal increase of 1.0 per cent compared to April 2023. The export segment exhibited exceptional growth, with sales reaching 13,500 units, marking a staggering 58.8 per cent increase over the same period last year.

Tarun Garg, Chief Operating Officer at Hyundai Motor India Ltd, expressed his satisfaction with the sales performance, stating, "In April 2024, Hyundai Motor India achieved fourth consecutive month of 50,000 plus units in domestic sales during CY 24. Driven by models like the CRETA, VENUE and EXTER, SUVs continued to be a growth driver contributing 67 per cent of HMI domestic sales."

He attributed this success to popular models such as the CRETA, VENUE, and EXTER, which have been driving growth in the SUV segment, contributing to 67 per cent of the company's domestic sales.

The company's cumulative sales from January to April 2024 also reflected positive growth, standing at 7.3 per cent higher than the same period in the previous year.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited announced its sales figures for April 2024, demonstrating a strong performance with total sales reaching 168,089 units.

Domestic sales of Maruti Suzuki stood at 140,448 units, showcasing the company's continued stronghold in the Indian market. The passenger car segment recorded sales of 69,339 units, while the utility vehicle segment witnessed impressive growth, with sales totaling 56,553 units. The van segment saw sales of 12,060 units.

In addition to domestic sales, Maruti Suzuki supplied 5,481 units to other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), further solidifying its role as a key supplier in the automotive industry.

The company's export segment also performed exceptionally well, with sales reaching 22,160 units in April 2024, marking a significant increase from the same period last year. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak exuded confidence that the Bharatiya Janata party will win all 80 seats from the state in the Lok Sabha elections. He also said that the BJP will register huge victories in the Amethi, Rae Bareli and Mainpuri constituencies. Notably, while Amethi and Rae Bareli are Gandhi family strongholds, Mainpuri is a Samajwadi Party bastion, which Dimple Yadav is contesting this time. After the polling for the first two phases of general elections concluded, the Opposition parties have claimed, citing lower turnout as compared to 2019, that they are ahead in the race and BJP is on thin ice. Refuting the claims, the Deputy CM said that BJP will win all 80 seats in the state and will register huge victories in Amethi, Rae Bareli and Mainpuri. "The lotus is going to bloom in all 80 seats. The opposition has no strategy, it is issueless, which is nowhere to be seen in this Lok Sabha election. The opposition is scared because the public has come to know their policy and intentions. The parties of the INDIA bloc are misleading the people of the country," he added. Speaking on the Amthi constituency -- once considered the Gandhi family bastion, which BJP wrested from Congress in 2019 -- UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak said that there is an atmosphere of 'fear' in the Congress party because of which they are not announcing their candidate on Amethi. "Smriti Irani (incumbent MP) filed her nomination. There is an atmosphere of fear in Congress, so it is not revealing the name of its candidate yet. Congress knows that the people of Amethi have rejected the policies of Congress. Congress had kept the people of Amethi away from government benefits. Under the BJP government and under the leadership of PM Modi, the people of Amethi were given the benefits of all the schemes of the central and state governments," Pathak said. "Therefore, it will not matter which member of the Congress family contests Amethi's seat. We are achieving big victories everywhere. The people of the country are going to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister again," he added. Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput made a big claim and said that the BJP and PM Modi are "badly scared," because of which they are no longer making the claim of crossing 400 seats. "The public has come to know their truth, and this time the BJP will not be able to cross even 150 seats," he said. Uttar Pradesh sends a maximum of 80 seats to the Lok Sabha. The polling in the state is happening in all seven phases. The counting is scheduled for June 4. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the winner by securing the majority of seats available. Of 80 seats, the BJP won 62, followed by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with 10 seats, the Samajwadi Party (SP) with 5 seats, and the Apna Dal with 2 seats. (ANI)
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday appointed Devender Yadav as the interim chief of the party's Delhi unit, days after Arvinder Singh Lovely resigned from the post citing his inability to continue without a free hand and criticising the alliance with AAP. "Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed Yadav as the interim president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) with immediate effect," a statement issued by the Congress on Tuesday said. Yadav will continue in his role as AICC in-charge for Punjab, the statement added. Devender Yadav won from the Badli assembly constituency in Delhi in 2008 and 2013 and lost to Ajesh Yadav of AAP in 2015, and is currently the All India Congress Committee's (AICC) Punjab in-charge. Later in a post on X, Yadav while affirming his commitment for the party, expressed his gratitude to Kharge. "My heartfelt thanks to Sh Kharge ji, Smt Sonia Gandhi ji, Rahul Gandhi ji, KC Venugopal ji and Smt Priyanka Gandhi ji and all senior leaders of the Congress, for the faith they have bestowed in me yet again!" Yadav said, adding "Will try my best to tread the coveted and ideological vision party has laid for me and give my 100 per cent!" Congress leader Ajay Maken also took to X and said that Yadav is the right choice for post. "In politics, things don't always go our way. Sometimes, our desires remain unfulfilled, our voices unheard--yet, does this justify undermining the very organisation that defines our political identity? Should we repeatedly inflict harm on our organisation for personal gains?...He (Devender Yadav) is the right choice, and I wish him success in his new role," Maken said. In his resignation letter sent to the Congress president on Saturday, Lovely had said that he found himself "handicapped" as all unanimous decisions taken by senior Delhi unit leaders were "unilaterally vetoed" by the AICC's Delhi in-charge Deepak Babaria. "The Delhi Congress Unit was against an alliance with a party which was formed on the sole basis of levelling false, fabricated and malafide corruption charges against the Congress Party. Despite that, the Party made a decision to ally with the AAP in Delhi...," Arvinder Singh Lovely wrote in his resignation letter. Lovely was appointed to the post in August 2023. In his letter to the Congress National President, Mallikarjun Kharge, Lovely said that all unanimous decisions taken by the Senior Delhi Congress leaders have been unilaterally vetoed by the AICC General Secretary (Delhi In-charge). "Since my appointment as DPCC President, the AICC General Secretary (Delhi In-charge) has not allowed me to make any senior appointments in the DPCC. My request for the appointment of a veteran leader as Media head of DPCC was blatantly rejected. To date, the AICC General Secretary (Delhi In-charge) has not allowed the DPCC to appoint all Block presidents in the city. Resultantly more than 150 blocks in Delhi do not presently have a Block President," he said. Lovely had also criticised Congress candidates -- Kanhaiya Kumar from North East Delhi and Udit Raj from North West Delhi -- for their statements and said tickets were given to two people who were total strangers to the Delhi Congress and party policies. (ANI)
The TDP-BJP-JSP alliance in Andhra Pradesh released its joint manifesto christened 'Praja Manifesto' for the upcoming polls in the state, promising to offer Rs 1,500 monthly pension to eligible women. Addressing a press conference at Undavalli in Guntur on Tuesday, TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu, JSP chief K Pawan Kalyan and Andhra Pradesh BJP in-charge Siddharth Nath Singh released the joint manifesto of the TDP and JSP. "Rs 1,500 will be given to women in the state monthly. With this, they will additionally receive Rs 18,000 yearly, which is 90,000 in 5 years, apart from this there is Free bus travel for women on RTC buses," the manifesto said. The Telugu Desam Party, Janasena and BJP combine also promised to offer Rs 3,000 monthly financial assistance to unemployed youth. "There is a need to win the confidence of the youth towards the state. To gain that, we have announced 20 lakh jobs, in the next 5 years. Until they get employment, they will be provided with a Rs 3,000 unemployment allowance," the manifesto said. The parties also said that through Thalliki Vandhanam, they will provide Rs 15,000 for every school-going child. Keeping in view the increased prices of gas cylinders, the alliance shall help every household with 3 free gas cylinders, it added. The three parties also promised to conduct a 'skill census' across the state. "This is the first of its kind in the country. To increase the productivity of the people, we have decided to take this up," they added. Janasena, TDP and BJP are NDA alliance partners in the southern state. "We have announced the BC (backward classes) declaration and shall provide pensions to the BCs from the age of 50, along with a special protection act for BCs," the manifesto said. They also promised to restore 34 per cent of reservations for BCs in local bodies, and to recommend the Centre to implement 33 per cent of reservations for BCs in the legislature. "According to the proportion of 140 BC castes and their economic conditions, we will evaluate them and establish corporations accordingly, provide funds for them, and uplift them. To provide self-employment for the BC Community, we will spend Rs 10,000 crores per year. The manifesto also promised to provide free electricity up to 200 units for handlooms and 500 units for powerlooms. "We will provide Rs 24,000 crores yearly to their families," it added. It further said that the NDA government if formed in the state will provide Rs 5,000 financial support for the management of mosques. "We will give pensions to minorities from the age of 50. We will establish a haj house near Vijayawada. We will spend Rs 100 crores yearly for Noor Basha corporation. We will give Rs 5 lakh interest-free loans through minority corporation. We will give honorarium for Imams and Maujans. Rs 5,000 financial support will be provided for the management of masjids," the manifesto said. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, YSRCP is contesting alone in all 25 parliamentary constituencies and the 175 seats of the state Assembly. It is up against the Congress-led INDIA bloc and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former CM N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party (JSP). As part of a seat sharing deal among NDA partners, TDP was allocated 144 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha constituencies while BJP will contest from six Lok Sabha and 10 Assembly seats. Janasena will contest two Lok Sabha and 21 Assembly seats. Elections for the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13 and the counting of votes will be held on June 4. (ANI)
Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur lashed out at the Chief Minister Thakur Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu led Himachal government and said that the people of the state had given a chance to the Congress government for five years but they were not able to handle their government. "BJP won the Rajya Sabha seat and six MLAs bid farewell to the Congress government. There is no Congress government in the state now and Vikramaditya Singh is being tormented by this issue. BJP has no role in the demise of the government," said Jairam Thakur. Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, "We aim to make Modi ji the Prime Minister for the third time. Congress people are saying that nothing will happen by holding this Pannalal conference but I say that these same workers are going to spoil your equation." Jairam Thakur said that Congress tried to cheat women in the name of Rs 1500. Today, even after 15 months, this amount has not been provided to women nor does Congress have any intention of doing so. Launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu he said, "He has proved to be the most ruthless Chief Minister till date who has now become the biggest problem for the Congress Party and will be known for speaking foul against the MLAs." "Baseless allegations are being levelled against the leaders who have joined BJP and they try to accumulate sympathy from the public. This situation has arisen because of them only," said Jairam Thakur. Notably, Himachal Pradesh has four Lok Sabha seats: Hamirpur, Mandi, Shimla, and Kangra. The BJP had won all four seats in 2019. The elections to the four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh and by-polls to the six assembly constituencies that fell vacant with the disqualification of six rebel Congress MLAs will be held on June 1. Voting for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 was held on Friday across 88 Parliamentary Constituencies spread over 12 States and Union Territories. (ANI)
The Climate Prediction Centers May temperature outlook favors above-average temperatures for all of Texas. Climate Prediction Center

May is the last month of meteorological spring before we typically see the relentless summer heat kick into full gear across Texas. Sure, while occasional 100-degree days are possible in May, average high temperatures tend to stay in the 80s most of the time, and average lows stay cool in the 60s for most of the month.

But May also marks the peak of severe weather season across the Lone Star State. Texas averages 315 severe hail reports and 40 tornado reports during the month, the highest such averages for any month.

Those are just the averages, though. If we look at the upcoming month, how hot and how stormy can we expect this May to be? The long-range weather pattern is starting to come into view, and heres a preview of what you can expect over the next few weeks.

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May temperature outlook

Over the first week or two of May, long-range models are showing a high likelihood of above-average temperatures across Texas. However, whenever we look more than 10 days out, individual weather models become very inconsistent.

Thats why meteorologists look at ensemble modeling, which is the process of taking multiple models with a variety of different starting conditions and averaging them together. The results are a best guess of what kind of weather we can expect over the next month.

In the GEFS weather forecast model ensemble, left, and ECMWF model ensemble for May, the numbers represent how many degrees above average the monthly temperatures are expected to be. WeatherBELL

In the case of this Mays temperature outlook, both the ECMWF and GEFS ensembles depict slightly above-average temperatures over the next 30 to 35 days. That doesnt mean that temperatures every day will be above average, but its likely that the month as a whole will be quite warm.

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The monthly outlook from the National Weather Services Climate Prediction Center agrees. According to their map, San Antonio has a 90% chance of temperatures being near or above average during May, with only a 10% chance of below-average temperatures.

How stormy will it be?

Its very difficult to determine the amount of severe weather that will happen in Texas during May, but we can get a good idea by looking at model ensemble projections for rainfall amounts.

The GEFS weather forecast model ensemble, left, and the ECMWF model ensemble for May display numbers that represent how many inches above or below average the expected rainfall will be. WeatherBELL

Unfortunately, the two sets of ensembles disagree on how much rain parts of Texas will see in May. The ECMWF ensemble expects above-average rainfall for much of Central and East Texas, while San Antonio is projected to see near-average rainfall.

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On the other hand, the GEFS ensemble expects below-average rainfall for the southern half of the state, from San Antonio to Houston.

If we take both of these ensembles into account, we can decipher that San Antonio is favored to see near or slightly below-average rainfall during May. While that may not sound too threatening, keep in mind that May is typically San Antonios stormiest month of the year. So even if May rainfall ends up being slightly below average, the city can still expect occasional heavy rain and severe storms over the next few weeks.

Shown is the Climate Prediction Centers May precipitation outlook. Forecasters give the southern third of Texas equal chances of above-average or below-average rainfall. Climate Prediction Center

The Climate Prediction Center agrees. According to their monthly outlook, San Antonio has equal chances of above-average or below-average rainfall. The same is true for the Houston metro area, in Southeast Texas. Elsewhere, above-average rainfall is favored for parts of Central and North Texas, and below-average rainfall is favored in far West Texas.

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The Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday declined a plea of businessman Amit Katyal, an accused in alleged land-for-job money laundering case, seeking extension of interim bail. He was granted interim bail in February this year. Now, the court has asked him to surrender before the jail authorities today. Bihar's former CM Rabri Devi and her two daughters have been charge sheeted along with others by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). However, the court has made some strict observation over the conduct of ED in obtaining independent medical opinion on the health of accused. The court has considered it as breach of privacy and over reaching the court. Special Judge Vishal Gogne declined the plea and asked Katyal to surrender. "The plea of the accused for extension of interim bail is declined," the Special Judge Gogne said on Tuesday. The court disposed off the plea with direction to accused Amit Katyal to surrender before the Superintendent, Central Jail by 5:00 pm on May 1. The court has recorded that the accused has been permitted normal physical activity and sufficient time has passed after his discharge upon surgery at Medanta Hospital. He is apparently in a recovered state of health and should be required to surrender. There are no grounds to extend the interim bail of the accused any further, special judge said in the order. While disposing off the plea, the court questioned the conduct of ED recording statement of treating doctors of private hospital. The court said, "If there are any lessons to be learnt from history, it would be observed that 'strong' leaders, laws and agencies generally come back to bite the very citizens they vow to protect." After the masculinity of the law has been expressed against the stated targets, such laws are invariably alleged to have been employed against the average citizens, the judge added. The court remarked, "The use of section 50 by the ED against the law abiding doctors of private hospitals is a contemporary contribution to this perception. Such negation of the intended purpose of strict legislations is required to be avoided by the investigation agencies and consciously monitored by the courts." The court emphasised the right to privacy and data protection. The court said that the purpose of the court in drawing attention to the right to privacy, the DPDP Act and the National Medical Commission Regulations is to emphasise that with the advent of recent legislations, the ED shall not, in the near future itself, be able to steam roll the objections of the accused persons or independent persons on grounds sourced from these newer rights and legislations. The intersection of the stringent provisions of the PMLA, especially sections 45 and 50, with rights related to privacy, data protection and medical regulations shall have to be taken into account in order that omissions to factor in recent developments of the law do not create infirmities in the very investigation which the ED seeks to further. The court also asked Director ED to ensure that officer of the agency is well aware of the right to privacy. "Thus, the Director, ED is mandated to ensure that the officers of the agency are well versed with the exposition of section 50 PMLA in Vijay Madanlal, the right to privacy explained in Puttaswamy and also the guidelines of the National Medical Commission," the court said in the order. The court further said that the doctors are also required to be aware. The court said, "Correspondingly, the medical practitioners, under the aegis of the National Medical Commission, may equally be required to be aware of the inter sectionality in order that they may balance their requirements towards medical ethics with obligations to assist criminal investigations or court proceedings." The court was expressed its concern on the fact that the health records of the accused were shared by the ED with two government hospitals namely RML Hospital and DDU Hospital as well as the freedom with which the previous treatment of the accused was verified with the private hospitals viz Apollo Hospital and Medanta Hospital. The court pointed out, "ED neither sought the presence of the accused, let alone his consent, before the examining doctors nor sought permission from the court. The first omission possibly impinged upon the right to privacy of the accused while the second omission was an instance of over reaching the court. These two aspects also bear opinion from the court." It was argued by the Sr. Advocate Vikas Pahwa, counsel for the accused that the ED had infringed the right to privacy of personal medical information of the accused by sharing it with non-treating doctors at RML Hospital and DDU Hospital. The proceedings for interim bail having throughout been under judicial consideration since February 5, 2024, the ED had wilfully over reached the court by conducting a non-mandated inquiry from these hospitals as well as the doctors at Apollo and Medanta Hospitals, Senior advocate argued. On the other hand, ASG S V Raju contended that since the said medical records were a part of consideration during judicial proceedings related to interim bail, the plea of violation of privacy was not available to the accused. Also, that the procedure adopted by the ED in verifying the reports from the hospitals was fairly uniform even to other cases investigated by the ED. The court said that it does agree with the ASG to the extent that the powers of the court in subjecting the accused to independent verification of his health at various hospitals or constituting Medical Boards is unfettered by any claim of privacy which may be raised by the accused. However, the prerogative available to the court does not translate into the same leeway being available to the agency. The judge pointed out that The unilateral inquiries made by the ED through letter on February 27, 2024 to DDU Hospital and letter on February 28, 2024 to Apollo Hospital were palpably in breach of propriety as the application for extension of interim bail had already been filed on February 27, 2024 before this court. "Despite the court being seized of all prayers including independent verification or constitution of a medical board, the ED overreached the court by not only dispatching letters to these hospitals but also examined the doctors at the private hospitals under section 50 PMLA as soon as the application for extension of interim bail was filed," the court said. "When it is entirely par for the course for courts to routinely call for replies from hospitals and give directions for examination of accused persons by medical boards, there was no justification for the ED to be over zealous," the court remarked. The court further said that The true measure of power is the restraint with which it is exercised. This court shall follow the said principle in only cautioning the ED against a similar approach in future. However, it is made clear that the ED should exercise similar restraint in exercise of its own powers when a matter is subjudice, the court said. It is expected that the ED shall adhere to well settled norms of submitting to court orders when a matter is under direct consideration of the court, the court emphasised. The court also questioned the conduct of ED in sharing medical documents of accused. " As to the question of privacy of the medical record of the accused, the sharing of the medical records of the accused with the two government hospital (RML and DDU) and the seeking of opinion from the doctors at Apollo Hospital and Medanta Hospital, these were indeed acts in possible breach of confidentiality of the personal records of the accused," the court said. (ANI)
Shattering the political conventions, the YSRCP has appointed the common people of Andhra Pradesh as its star campaigners for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The YSRCP has submitted a list of 12 people (commoners) to the Election Commission, designating them as the party's official 'Star Campaigners' for the upcoming polls. "Making history in Indian politics, YSRCP names commoners as star campaigners for the 2024 elections," the party said. https://twitter.com/YSRCParty/status/1785219952133259623 The YSRCP said these 12 star campaigners represented every section of the nearly 5 crore people of Andhra Pradesh. "It is the YSRCP's belief that every person of the state is their star campaigner. These individuals, hailing from humble backgrounds, will campaign for the party on the ground and help propagate Jagan's message till the last mile," the party said in a statement. According to the party, most of the 12 voters-turned-YSRCP star campaigners are village-level or ward-based party volunteers in their respective areas. Of the 12 star campaigners, eight are party volunteers - including four homemakers, two farmers, one auto driver and one tailor - while the remaining four are former government volunteers. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, YSRCP is contesting alone in all 25 parliamentary constituencies and the 175 seats of the state Assembly. It is up against the Congress-led INDIA bloc and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former CM N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party (JSP). During the 2019 elections, YSRCP registered a landslide victory in Andhra Pradesh, winning 151 of the 175 seats in the Assembly, dethroning the TDP government. In general elections, the YSRCP won 22 of the 25 seats with a vote share of 49.89 per cent, while the TDP could only manage three constituencies and got 40.19 per cent votes. The two national parties--the BJP and Congress--failed to open their account in the state. (ANI)
Amidst the alleged involvement of JD(S) leader and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna in the 'obscene videos' case, BJP's State President and MLA from Shikaripura Assembly Constituency, Karnataka, Vijayendra Yediyurappa has said that BJP leader and Lawyer Devaraje Gowda's claim of sending a letter on the videos to him is patently false. Taking to his official X handle, Vijayendra Yediyurappa also claimed that he didn't have any information about the videos. "Lawyer Devaraje Gowda's claim of sending me a letter on the videos is patently false. No such letter has reached me nor did I have any knowledge of the videos," Yediyurappa tweeted. He also said that Katnataka's Deputy Chief Minister DK Shiva Kumar knew about the videos but waited for the elections to expose them to the public. "Deputy Chief Minister DK Shiva Kumar has admitted to knowing about the videos for months but waited to get closer to the elections to make them public. If he had known about the videos, why didn't the Congress government order investigations immediately? Why wait till the elections?" He added further, "And, why take to the streets now when it is your government in the state and you have the power to order an investigation and take action? Why this drama? The Congress government must answer to the people." Earlier, while speaking with ANI on JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna's 'obscene video' case, BJP leader and Lawyer Devaraje Gowda had said, "I wrote a letter to our president (Karnataka BJP President Vijayendra Yediyurappa) about the video and gave it to the office, but as he said, the letter had not reached him either... I wrote in the letter that there is no problem in allying with JD(S) but there are serious allegations on him (Prajwal Revanna) of sexual harassment... Karthik, the driver of Prajwal Revanna came to me and said that he was being harassed. He (Karthik) said that he (Prajwal Revanna) has several obscene videos... I asked the driver if he had given this video to anyone... Karthik said that he had given the obscene videos to the Congress president... This pen drive will create problems, thinking about this I wrote a letter to the party... This is a communication gap and he got the ticket... Also, it was not the mistake of the BJP as they (JD(S) despite having the intelligence report gave him the ticket." Meanwhile, Prajwal Revanna has been suspended from the Janata Dal (Secular) over his alleged involvement in the 'obscene videos' case. A decision in this regard was taken at the party's core committee meeting on Tuesday. The committee recommended the suspension of Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing an SIT probe in connection with an alleged obscene video case. Revanna is the grandson of party supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. Prajwal Revanna was booked in an alleged sexual harassment case on April 28 following complaints by his former housekeeper. The case has been registered under sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 of the IPC on charges of sexual harassment, intimidation, and outraging the dignity of a woman. The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged obscene video case against MP Revanna. The SIT, headed by IPS officer Vijay Kumar Singh, and including DG CID Suman D Pennekar and IPS officer Seema Latkar, have started the investigation into the case. (ANI)
Delhi Public School in Dwarka in the national capital on Monday morning, received a phone call warning of a bomb on the institute's premises,police said. "Information was received regarding a bomb in Delhi Public School, Dwarka. Delhi Police, Bomb Disposal Squad and fire tenders have arrived on the spot. Search is underway," Delhi Police said. Further details are awaited. (ANI)
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) has accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of spreading fake news and misleading the public after Delhi Police issued a summon to him over an alleged fake video involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah claming that he has not received any notice. "If the CM of Telangana himself is working in spreading fake news, while he has not received any notice, his name is not even there. But he is busy spreading rumours that he has received a notice and Union Home Minister Amit Shah is attacking him," KTR said while talking to ANI on Tuesday. "He is trying to mislead the people by creating a false narrative. This means that Revanth Reddy is desperate and can lie for the sake of show-off. Despite having complete information, today he is trying to mislead the people of Telangana. Revanth Reddy should apologize to the people of Telangana," KTR urged CM Revanth Reddy to apologize for spreading rumours. Earlier, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police issued summons to 16 individuals across 7 to 8 states in connection with the circulation of a 'doctored' video featuring Union Home Minister Amit Shah. According to police sources, those summoned include six members of the ruling Congress in Telangana, including Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. They, along with other persons from several states, were asked to appear for questioning on May 1 at the IFSO unit in Delhi's Dwarka. In the alleged 'fake' video, the Union Home Minster is purportedly heard saying that the BJP stands against the reservations in the country. However, the BJP has since flagged the viral clip as fake. The summons were issued under Sections 91 and 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), asking the persons concerned to join the investigation and provide relevant documents and electronic devices as evidence. CrPC Section 160 allows police to summon a person for investigation, while Section 91 allows police to seek specific documents or gadgets to be presented as evidence. Earlier, on Monday, the Delhi Police summoned the Telangana CM in connection with the 'fake' video involving the Union Home Minister, sources said. The police stated that it is to be seen who joins the investigation in person and who sends their responses via email on May 1. Based on their submissions or responses, the probe will be taken forward, the officers informed. All those summoned were asked to bring their mobile phones and laptops along with them. Assam Police on Monday arrested Reetom Singh, the first person to be arrested in connection with the 'doctored' video case, sources said. It is alleged that the video clip was shared by several Congress leaders. Earlier, the BJP's Telangana unit filed a complaint against CM and the Congress' state chief Revanth Reddy at the Cyber Crime police station, accusing the party of fabricating and morphing the speech of Amit Shah. The complaint stated that the Telangana Congress Pradesh Congress Party, on its official X handle, posted a 'morphed' and 'fabricated' video of Amit Shah. During his address at a public meeting in Congress-ruled Telangana, Shah said, "If the BJP forms the government here, we will withdraw the unconstitutional reservations to Muslims here. We will ensure that the SCs, STs and OBCs get quotas as guaranteed under the Constitution."CM Reddy was asked to appear before Delhi Police's IFSO unit (Cyber Unit) on May 1 along with his mobile phone. (ANI)
The legal counsels of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and four other leaders, who have been summoned by Delhi Police in connection with the 'deepfake video' case involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah, sought more time for appearance via email. The counsels expressed the inability of their clients to comply with the Delhi Police summons in connection with the ongoing probe into the 'doctored' video. Delhi Police had issued a summons to the Telangana CM and others as part of the ongoing inquiry into the circulation of an alleged fake video in which the Union Home Minister is purportedly heard saying that the BJP stands against reservations. However, the BJP, thereafter, flagged the viral clip as fake and accused several Congress leaders in the South state of circulating it. The notice served by the Delhi Police asked CM Reddy and four others to appear at 10.30 am on May 1, along with their mobile handsets and laptops for forensic examination. However, according to sources, the lawyers representing the Telangana CM and others requested more time, saying they would not be able to appear on the scheduled date. Summoning the Telangana CM and the others earlier in connection with the 'fake' video case, the police said it is to be seen who joins the investigation in person and who sends their responses via email on May 1. Based on their submissions or responses, the probe will be taken forward, the officers informed. Earlier, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police issued summons to 16 individuals across 7 to 8 states in connection with the case. The summons were issued under Sections 91 and 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), asking the persons concerned to join the investigation and provide relevant documents and electronic devices as evidence. According to police sources, those summoned include six members of the ruling Congress in Telangana, including Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. They, along with other persons from several states, were asked to appear for questioning on May 1 at the IFSO unit in Delhi's Dwarka.CrPC Section 160 allows police to summon a person for investigation, while Section 91 allows police to seek specific documents or gadgets to be presented as evidence. Assam Police on Monday arrested Reetom Singh, the first person to be arrested in connection with the 'doctored' video case, sources said. It is alleged that the video clip was shared by several Congress leaders. Earlier, the BJP's Telangana unit filed a complaint against CM and the Congress' state chief Revanth Reddy at the Cyber Crime police station, accusing the party of fabricating and morphing the speech of Amit Shah. The complaint stated that the Telangana Congress Pradesh Congress Party, on its official X handle, posted a 'morphed' and 'fabricated' video of Amit Shah. During his address at a public meeting in Congress-ruled Telangana, Shah said, "If the BJP forms the government here, we will withdraw the unconstitutional reservations to Muslims here. We will ensure that the SCs, STs and OBCs get quotas as guaranteed under the Constitution." CM Reddy was asked to appear before Delhi Police's IFSO unit (Cyber Unit) on May 1 along with his mobile phone. (ANI)
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar stressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "fearless decision making" while hitting out at the opposition for bringing up "low-level issues" against him. Pawar claimed that there has been no corruption charges against PM Modi in the last ten years. "There have been no corruption charges against PM Modi in the last ten years. The opposition has no major issues so they speak about some low-level issues. PM Modi is making decisions without any fear. Opposition got united to target PM Modi but people are smart. They will make the right decision," Ajit Pawar told reporters on Wednesday. Speaking on the Maharashtra foundation day, the Deputy CM said that the dream of including Marathi-speaking villages along the Belgaum Nipani Karwar border is still unfulfilled amid the long-standing border dispute with Karnataka. "Today, on the occasion of Maharashtra Rajya Sthanpa Diwas, our dream of including Marathi-speaking villages along the border with Belgaum Nipani Karwar in Maharashtra is still unfulfilled, and to fulfil this dream, every Marathi-speaking people of the border part is working hard in the struggle. There is support from the people of Maharashtra and I am sure that this support will continue until this part is included in Maharashtra," he said. Reportedly, the border dispute between the two states has been ongoing for over 60 years and is regarding the control of Belagavi, Karwar and Nipani, part of North Karnataka. Maharashtra has filed a petition in the Supreme Court staking claim over the region. It claims that parts of Belagavi, which has a Marathi-speaking majority should remain in Maharashtra. As per the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, when state boundaries were formed based on linguistic factors Belagavi became part of the erstwhile Mysore state and Karnataka has argued that the boundary settlement as per the States Reorganisation Act is final. "Not only on May 1 but in every assembly session we mention about it through the Governor's speech. The case is still in the Supreme Court, we can't seek an answer from the SC, as we have given good lawyers for the case. We try to give all possible facilities to the Marathi-speaking people in that part," the Deputy CM added. May 1 is celebrated as the foundation day of Maharashtra and Gujarat commemorating the establishment of the two states. Gujarat and Maharashtra were formed in 1960 dividing the state of Bombay after the Bombay Reorganisation Act was passed that came into effect on May 1, 1960. On Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra conducted in five phases, Pawar said that the decision lies with the Election Commission. "As per my understanding, the EC is independent to decide in how many phases they want to carry out the election. They consider the availability of the staff etc in Maharashtra or any other state. Election to happen in five phases here and seven phases in the country in total so you can ask this question to EC," Pawar said. (ANI)
After around 60 schools in Delhi-NCR received bomb threats via mail on Wednesday, VK Saxena, Delhi Lieutenant Governor, inspected DAV School in Model Town and assured the citizens of safety and said the culprits behind this incident will not be spared. Speaking with ANI, VK Saxena said, "As soon as the information of bomb threats reached schools, the police were informed. The Delhi police reached immediately and the area was cordoned off, and the search operations are going on. Bomb squads, bomb disposal units are also working here. We are ready in every way." He also said that the police have traced the mails. "The Delhi Police has traced from where the mails are coming. The investigation is going on and the culprits will be punished," Saxena said. Assuring citizens, he added further, "I also received the information at around 7:30 am and I had asked the Police Commissioner to pay attention to this matter. I want to assure the citizens of Delhi that Delhi Police is alert and we will try not to let any unfortunate incident happen." The LG also took to his official X handle and tweeted, "Spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR. Directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits & ensure there are no lapses." "I request the parents not to panic and co-operate with the administration in ensuring safety of schools and the children. The miscreants and culprits will not be spared," he tweeted. Meanwhile, Suman Nalwa, Delhi Police PRO, said that the Delhi Police conducted thorough investigation at every place and has till now, not found anything suspicious. Speaking with ANI, Suman Nalwa said, "I don't have the exact numbers but several schools approached us saying that they received mail regarding the presence of bomb at the premises. When the Delhi Police received the call, the police took each and every call seriously and have conducted thorough research at every place but till now, nothing has been found." She also said that after looking at the time at which mails were sent, it seems as if somebody had done this to create panic. "If we look at the timing, almost all the schools received the threat at the same time and nothing has been found and it seems like somebody has done this to create a panic." She also advised the parents to not panic. "All I want to say to the parents is that don't panic as these calls are very important for us as well. There is one aspect of security and for that, we are doing all the necessary things according to the protocol. And the second is investigation, which we are doing simultaneously." All schools in Delhi-NCR to which threat emails have been sent have been closed as a precaution and the children have been sent back. "In the initial investigation, many schools across Delhi have received emails. The same pattern was followed to send threat mails. The dateline is not mentioned... BCC is mentioned in the e-mail and hence it is clear that one email has been sent to many places," the police had said earlier in the day." Many schools have received bomb threats. We are investigating all the threats and further probe into the matter is underway," the police added. One of the schools informed parents regarding the threat by mail and precautionary measures that had been taken by the school to handle the situation smoothly. (ANI)
After over 60 schools across Delhi-NCR received a bomb threat via email on Wednesday morning, setting off panic among parents and faculty and prompting frenetic searches, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an official statement saying that the email appeared to be a 'hoax'. "There is no need to panic. Mails appear to be a hoax. Delhi Police and security agencies are taking necessary steps as per protocol," the official release from the MHA read. The bomb threat triggered heightened vigilance across the educational institutions, with police vehicles, ambulances and fire engines spotted outside the campuses. A wave of panic swept through Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) as several schools reported to have received bomb threats via email. The ominous messages, received in the early hours of Tuesday, prompted swift action from authorities who urged parents to retrieve their children from the affected schools. Concurrently, central agencies initiated a thorough investigation into the threats, heightening security measures across the region. Adding to the concern, reports emerged of airports receiving similar threats in recent days, alongside warnings directed at several hospitals on Monday. The series of developments put the national capital on edge, with the authorities intensifying efforts to ensure the safety and security of all residents. Earlier, the director of Delhi Fire Services, Atul Garg, confirmed that more than 60 schools had received the threat call. Meanwhile, Delhi Police's Special Cell launched an investigation into the bomb threat to several schools, the police informed, adding that nothing suspicious has been found in the ongoing searches across campuses. DCP New Delhi, Devesh Kumar Mahla said, "We've carried out searches in all the schools and nothing has been found. There is no need to panic." Delhi LG VK Saxena, who arrived to inspect one of the schools that received the bomb threat, said he has directed the Delhi Police commissioner to conduct a detailed probe in the matter. "I spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR. I directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search of the school premises, identify the culprits and ensure there are no lapses. I request the parents not to panic and cooperate with the administration in ensuring the safety of schools and the children. The culprits will not be spared," LG Saxena said. (ANI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday over the ongoing obscene video case allegedly involving JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna in Karnataka demanding an answer on the matter. Gandhi claimed that the Prime Minister has "maintained a shameful silence" on acts of crime against women in Karnataka. "As usual, Narendra Modi has maintained a shameful silence on the gruesome crimes against women in Karnataka. The Prime Minister will have to answer: Knowing everything why did they promote the monster who exploited hundreds of daughters just for the sake of votes? After all, how did such a big criminal escape from the country with such ease?" asked Rahul Gandhi in a post on X. https://x.com/RahulGandhi/status/1785567862155055134 "From Kaiserganj to Karnataka and Unnao to Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister's silent support to the culprits of daughters is boosting the morale of criminals across the country. Is being part of Modi's 'political family' a 'guarantee of safety' for criminals?" the post mentioned further. A political row has erupted over the case pertaining to Prajwal Revanna and his "having left the country" and claims of some opposition parties that he had gone to Germany. All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba on Monday demanded Prajwal Revanna, who is MP from Hassan, be deported to India from Germany and that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should write to the Minister of External Affairs on the issue. Revanna was booked in an alleged sexual harassment case on April 28 following complaints by his former housekeeper. The case has been registered under sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 of the IPC on charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging the dignity of a woman. As per the complaint, the victim has claimed that Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna had sexually assaulted her. Revanna is the grandson of party supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged obscene video case against Prajwal Revanna. Earlier on Tuesday, the JD(S) core committee recommended the suspension of Prajwal Revanna. (ANI)
Chinese president's upcoming visit to bring new hope to Serbia's development: Vucic

Xinhua) 11:25, May 01, 2024

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic meets with visiting President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

While expressing his belief that Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit will bring new hope to Serbia's development, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said: "I am very much looking forward to President Xi's visit."

BELGRADE, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday that Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit is not only a major diplomatic event for Serbia, but also a major event that is worthy of the joy of all Serbian people.

While expressing his belief that Xi's visit will bring new hope to Serbia's development, the president said: "I am very much looking forward to President Xi's visit."

Vucic made the remarks when meeting with visiting President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua in Belgrade.

Noting that China is Serbia's "iron-clad friend" and the exchanges between the two countries are fully candid and open, Vucic said Serbia will never forget the assistance from the Chinese people, adding that he believes Xi will feel the warmth and friendliness of the Serbian people during his visit.

The Serbian president spoke highly of the contributions made by the HBIS Serbia steelworks in Smederevo to Serbia's economic development, China's assistance to Serbia in the fields of medicine and healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic and China's support for Serbia on international multilateral occasions.

Serbia firmly supports China's position on safeguarding its core interests and major concerns, Vucic stressed.

On the Taiwan question, Vucic said Serbia firmly upholds the one-China principle and supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Regarding media exchanges, Vucic highly valued the cooperation between Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency and other media outlets, saying that such exchanges enable the Serbian media to learn from the experience of their Chinese counterparts and allow the Serbian people to better understand China, so as to promote mutual learning and experience sharing between the two countries.

Fu said that under the strategic guidance of President Xi and President Vucic, China-Serbia relations have witnessed vigorous development despite changes in the international landscape, setting a good example of friendly relations between China and European countries.

He also said he expects the meeting between the two heads of state to draw a new blueprint for China-Serbia exchanges and cooperation and to add new luster to the "iron-clad friendship" between the two countries in the new era.

Moreover, Fu said Xinhua stands ready to work with its Serbian counterparts to further deepen exchanges and cooperation, tell well the stories of China-Serbia friendship and comprehensively showcase the bright prospects of bilateral relations in the new era through high-quality and multidimensional news reports and think tank research.

Xinhua will also firmly act as an envoy of China-Serbia friendship and create a positive public opinion atmosphere for deepening bilateral cooperation in various fields to better benefit the peoples of the two countries, Fu added.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Kou Jie)
Anthony Franze is a native Texan and very passionate about covering any weather that is thrown at him. He can be reached at anthony.franze@express-news.net.

Anthony earned a degree in Meteorology from Valparaiso University in 2017. He has worked as a broadcast meteorologist for six years, one at NBC Montana and the next five at NewsWest 9 in Midland before joining the Express-News in July 2023.

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah alleged that JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda had sent his grandson and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna abroad amid the ongoing obscene video case controversy. "MP Prajwal Revanna flew abroad after the sexual viral video. Deve Gowda himself sent his grandson Prajwal Revanna abroad. Who gave him a Visa, it is BJP only," Siddaramaiah said while addressing a public meeting in Devatkal village in Yadgir district. He also dismissed allegations against Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar that he was involved in the alleged pen drives against MP Revanna. "Prajwal's pen drive case is not related to DCM DK Shivakumar. HD Kumaraswamy's statement that DK Shivakumar was behind the pen drive case is not correct. Prajwal's driver Karthi said that the pen drive was given by a BJP leader but Kumaraswamy accuses DK Shivakumar of politics," the Chief Minister said. "Why did Amit Shah give the ticket to him knowing about all this, why did they give a ticket to the accused of the sex scandal? SIT will investigate transparently," he added. A political row has erupted over the case pertaining to Prajwal Revanna and his "having left the country" and claims of some opposition parties that he had gone to Germany. All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba on Monday demanded that Prajwal Revanna, who is MP from Hassan, be deported to India from Germany and that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should write to the Minister of External Affairs on the issue. Revanna was booked in an alleged sexual harassment case on April 28 following complaints by his former housekeeper. The case has been registered under sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 of the IPC on charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging the dignity of a woman. As per the complaint, the victim has claimed that Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna had sexually assaulted her. Revanna is the grandson of party supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged obscene video case against Prajwal Revanna. Earlier on Tuesday, the JD(S) core committee recommended the suspension of Prajwal Revanna. (ANI)
Amid the frenetic political developments following the revelation of a massive number of obscene videos, purportedly consisting of more than 2,900 sex videos, suspended Janta Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna finally came up with a statement. Revanna said that "truth will prevail" after he was asked to appear before the Crime Investigation Department (CID) today, he asked for seven more days to appear, citing that he is not available in the city. In a post on X, Revanna said, "As I am not in Bangalore to attend the inquiry, I have communicated to CID, Bangalore, through my advocate. The truth will prevail soon." A political row has erupted over the case pertaining to Prajwal Revanna and his "having left the country" and claims of some opposition parties that he had gone to Germany. Revanna was booked in an alleged sexual harassment case on April 28 following complaints by his former housekeeper. The case has been registered under sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 of the IPC on charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging the dignity of a woman. As per the complaint, the victim has claimed that Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna had sexually assaulted her. Revanna is the grandson of party supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. His father, HD Revanna, who is also an accused in the case, said today, "I came to know that notice has been put; I'm ready to face anything; I'm ready to face SIT." Notably, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Prime Minister Modi, requesting him to direct the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs to cancel the diplomatic passport issued to Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna and ensure his return to face the law. In his letter, Siddaramaiah said, "While the SIT is working round the clock to investigate the allegations of crimes against several women by Prajwal Revanna, getting him back to the country is of utmost importance so that he faces investigation and trial as per the law of the land." Earlier, the Karnataka CM dismissed allegations against Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar that he was involved in the alleged pen drives against MP Revanna. "Prajwal's pen drive case is not related to DCM DK Shivakumar. HD Kumaraswamy's statement that DK Shivakumar was behind the pen drive case is not correct. Prajwal's driver Karthi said that the pen drive was given by a BJP leader but Kumaraswamy accuses DK Shivakumar of politics," the Chief Minister said. The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged obscene video case against Prajwal Revanna. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Congress on Wednesday appealed to people of Indore parliamentary seat to vote for 'NOTA' in the Lok Sabha elections after its candidate Akshya Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Bam pulled back his nomination paper on Monday and switched his sides to the saffron party. Two days after this happening, the Congress party held a meeting in Indore on Wednesday afternoon and decided that they would campaign for NOTA in the constituency for LS polls 2024. The Congress leaders will hold public meetings and visit among the people like before but instead of seeking votes for a candidate, they will appeal to people to vote for NOTA. Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma said, "A heinous crime has been committed by Narendra Modi's BJP. Indore is known for justice, but BJP has written the definition of injustice here. We have been saying this for many months that if the BJP wins, the constitution and democracy will not survive." Withdrawing the nomination form of a party-identified candidate (Akshay Kanti Bam) by applying pressure is murder of democracy. Indore will have to give an answer. It is a question of Indore's identity, he added. "I appeal to every citizen that NOTA is the only option. If democracy has to be kept alive, then Indore will have to set an example across the nation. Vote for the NOTA and re-establish democracy," Verma further said. On the other hand, Congress leader Shobha Oza targeted the BJP saying the saffron party tarnished Indore and they made Congress candidate's nomination withdrawn by intimidation. "BJP has tarnished Indore and voters' rights have been snatched. The Congress candidate's nomination was withdrawn by intimidation. Public feel cheated and in such a situation there is no option other than NOTA," She said. This time voters in Indore will create a record by giving maximum votes to NOTA. Many different parties and people have been consulted and they also agree that they will vote for NOTA only, the congress leader added. Indore will go to poll in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 13 with seven other parliamentary seats in the state. BJP's incumbent MP from Indore, Shankar Lalwani is contesting again from the seat. Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh are being conducted in four phases. The first phase of polling was held on April 19 and the second phase was concluded on April 26. The next two phases will be conducted on May 7 and May 13. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. With 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, Madhya Pradesh ranks sixth among all states in terms of its representation in the Lower House. Of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved. (ANI)
Exuding confidence of the BJP-led NDA winning over 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said the Bharatiya Janata Party will win more seats than Congress in five southern states. Amit Shah, who held a roadshow in Haveri, pointed to the large presence of people and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has huge public support and BJP will sweep Haveri and Karnataka. "We will get more seats than Congress in the five states in South India," Shah said in an exclusive interview with ANI. Asked about Congress claims that the BJP will be wiped out in South India and will be reduced to half in the northern states, Amit Shah said the BJP is concretely moving towards its aim of over 400 seats for the party-led National Democratic Alliance. "We will achieve it," he said. Several Congress leaders have claimed that BJP will lose a large number of seats in the Lok Sabha polls and have repeated their slogan "South me saaf, North me half" for the prospects of the ruling party at the Centre. Congress won assembly polls in Karnataka and Telangana last year and the party is hoping to do well in the two states. Hitting out at Congress, Amit Shah said that the Congress party is "desperate" because PM Modi's words about Congress' manifesto are resonating with people. "What Congress has said in its manifesto, PM Modi is only presenting that to the public in easy language. Since it is clicking with people, Congress is desperate," the Home Minister said. He slammed Congress over its allegations that BJP will "throw away" the constitution if it comes to power and said the opposition party is scared and is "misleading" people. "Rahul Gandhi is lying. We have had the majority for 10 years now. What did we do to the Constitution? We utilised our majority in scrapping Article 370 and Triple Talaq, and in strengthening the country. BJP has majority for the past 10 years. He is scared of the '400 paar' slogan and is, therefore, misleading people," he stated. The Home Minister stressed that the BJP won't touch the issue of reservations for weaker sections. He slammed Congress over "deep fake" videos of his speech having been shared and said it is being done in "desperation". "Public knows and understands everything...For 16 years (1998-2004 and 2014-2024), we didn't touch reservations. We don't want to touch it. They (Congress) are desperate so they edited my video and attempted to wrongfully present it to the people," Amit Shah said. "They are desperate and are fearing their defeat. So, they are promoting deepfake videos," he added. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha seats and elections in the state are being held in two phases. Voting for 14 seats concluded on April 26 and the remaining 14 seats will undergo polling on May 7. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4. In 2019, BJP almost swept the state by winning 25 out of 28 seats, while Congress and JD-S -- who were running a coalition government in the state -- could only win one seat each. This time BJP and JD-S are in coalition with the former fighting on 25 seats, while the latter contesting three seats. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday came down heavily on state Congress chief Jitu Patawari saying he felt sad that the Congress president was not able to tolerate an OBC CM in the state. CM Yadav made the remark in view of Patwari's statement "Mukhyamantri ji, kripya karke aap chullu bhar pani me doob maro (CM, you should be ashamed of yourself) in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior on Wednesday. "I am sad that Congress' state President is not able to tolerate an OBC Chief Minister. He (Jitu Patwari) is constantly using low standard language. Those who could not save their own candidate (referring to Indore candidate Akshay Kanti Bam) are questioning others. I hope he will stop doing this," CM Yadav said. Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters in Bhopal, the Congress leader slammed CM Yadav saying he went to meet the family of minor rape victim in Jobat and the state government lodged an FIR against him. "Honourable Chief Minister, a 10-year-old girl was raped by BJP workers in Jobat. I met with her family members and your government has filed an FIR against me. Meanwhile, an eight-year-old girl was raped in Bhopal. Will you (CM) wake up? They (state BJP government) filed a case for meeting the family members of the rape victim, if this is not the height of political arrogance then what is it," Patwari asked. They (BJP) will not even allow them to meet the person who has been tortured and will save the torturer. This is the behaviour of the state government, the congress leader said. "Please CM Yadav, you should be ashamed of yourself (kripya karke aap chullu bhar pani me doob maro). An FIR was filed against me because I met the family of the rape victim. I will keep meeting them even if you hang me," Patwari added. Notably, an FIR was registered against Congress president Jitu Patwari and Congress MLA Vikrant Bhuria for allegedly disclosing the identity of family members of a minor rape victim by posting their pictures on social media. Patwari and Bhuria along with their supporters met family members of the rape vitim at a village under the jurisdiction of Jobat police station on Sunday. (ANI)
The official X account of Jharkhand Congress was withheld on Wednesday after a 'deepfake morphed video' of Union Home Minister Amit Shah was posted on the social media handle. "X withheld the account of Jharkhand Congress in response to a legal demand," said the social media authorities. Earlier, the Delhi Police special cell issued notice to Jharkhand Congress President Rajesh Thakur under Section 91 of the CrPC, asking him to present at the cell's office on May 2 in connection with the doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah circulating on social media. In a letter dated April 29, Inspector Naresh Malik Special Cell said, "This is to state that the above-mentioned case is being investigated by the undersigned. For the purpose of investigation, you are hereby directed through this notice to provide the below-mentioned details/documents/electronic gadgets to the undersigned and join the investigation on May 2, 2024, at 10.30 am at Room No 302, 3rd floor, IFSO office Special Cell Delhi Police." Delhi Police on Wednesday showed dissatisfaction over Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's reply in connection to Amit Shah's fake video case. Earlier in the day, a reply was filed by CM Telangana through his counsel. While speaking to ANI, Advocate Soumya Gupta said that she had received a notice under CrPC 91 in which it was asked from which source the video was. According to Delhi Police sources, the investigation is not satisfied with the reply given by CM Telangana. Meanwhile, Assam Police on Monday arrested Reetom Singh, the first person to be arrested in connection with the 'doctored' video case. It is alleged that the video clip was shared by several Congress leaders. Earlier, the BJP's Telangana unit filed a complaint against CM and the Congress' state chief Revanth Reddy at the Cyber Crime police station, accusing the party of fabricating and morphing the speech of Amit Shah. The complaint stated that the Telangana Congress Pradesh Congress Party, on its official X handle, posted a 'morphed' and 'fabricated' video of Amit Shah. During his address at a public meeting in Congress-ruled Telangana, Shah said, "If the BJP forms the government here, we will withdraw the unconstitutional reservations to Muslims here. We will ensure that the SCs, STs and OBCs get quotas as guaranteed under the Constitution." (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Wednesday that earlier when terrorists attacked, the weak government used to send dossiers, but the New India today gives a dose to terrorists. He said that the Tricolour was hoisted at the Lal Chowk with full glory after the abrogation of Article 370. Addressing a public rally in Sabarkantha's Himatnagar, PM Modi said, "The Congress used to scare people that if the Ram Mandir is constructed, then there would be chaos in the country... There was no chaos in the country but there is chaos in the heart of the Congress. "They said that if Article 370 is abrogated, then the country will break and there would be rivers of blood... But this is Modi. Now Article 370 is abrogated and the Tricolour is hoisted at the Lal Chowk with full glory," PM Modi added. PM Modi also lashed out at the Congress for not pursuing terrorists when they were in power. He also accused the Congress of vote bank politics by not stopping the practice of Triple Talaq. "Our Muslim sisters were the biggest victims of vote bank politics... You (Congress) did not provide security to the Muslim sisters even after Supreme Court's verdict... The abolition of Triple Talaq provided security to families, not just the women... They (Congress) did not stop the practice of Triple Talaq for the vote bank... I did not worry about vote bank. I don't work for winning the elections. I wanted to make the lives of Muslim women easier and we made Triple Talaq illegal...," PM Modi added. He also targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "The Shehzada (referring to Rahul Gandhi) of Congress gets a fever when I do all of this... He is saying that if Modi becomes PM for the third time, there would be fire in the country. The fact is, the dreams of the Congress have burnt and turned to ashes...," PM Modi said. Polling for the first phase and the second phase was held on April 19 and April 26, respectively. The next round of voting will be held on May 7. The counting and results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)
A string of petrol bomb attacks has shaken the peaceful hills of Meghalaya, leaving residents uneasy and officials scrambling to find answers. According to Deputy Commissioner of Eastern Khasi Hills SC Sadhu, "Within the last 24 hours, there have been 4 arson incidents in two districts in Meghalaya." In less than a month, the state has witnessed seven such attacks, with two reported just today, igniting fears of escalating violence and raising questions about law enforcement's effectiveness. The official said that on April 30, two vehicles were set on fire in the Western Jantia Hills, after that on April 1, anti-social elements carried out petrol bomb attacks at three places in the city in Eastern Khasi Hills. The recent three attacks first took place at the Rynjah police station in the city, the second at the office of Meghalaya Government Construction Corporation Limited located in the Kenches Tress area and the third at the Thana Road in Sadar police station. Even though there was no big loss due to the petrol bomb attack at these three places, the incidents raised questions about the law and order in the city. The magnitude of the attacks has escalated, with even high-profile figures coming under threat. Major General (retd) Rajesh Kumar Jha, currently serving as NEEPCO director, narrowly escaped harm when his escort vehicle was targeted on April 24. More brazen still, on April 26, the residence of Meghalaya's Deputy Chief Minister, Sniawbhalang Dhar, was attacked, raising concerns about the security of the state's leadership. Despite the gravity of these incidents, law enforcement has yet to make any arrests, casting a shadow over the efficacy of the government's response. The Deputy Commissioner has said that given the recent incidents, instructions have been issued to arrange special security of all government offices and assets. Notably, a petrol bomb was hurled at the residence of Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister, Sniawbhalang Dhar, located in Nongmynsong, by unknown miscreants on Thursday evening. Last week, bike-borne miscreants hurled a petrol bomb targeting an escort vehicle of the NEEPCO Director. In response to the escalating violence, the Deputy Commissioner of Eastern Khasi Hills has ordered heightened security measures for all government offices and assets. These measures aim to prevent further attacks and restore public confidence in the state's ability to maintain peace and security. (ANI)
Amid the row over Prajwal Revanna 'obscene video' case, Union Home Minister Amit Shah strongly asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party never support atrocities against women. He accused the Siddaramaiah government of allowing Revanna to flee the country. Addressing a public meeting in Hubbali, Amit Shah said, "Right now we have an alliance with JD(S) and then Revanna's case came up. I want to make it clear, BJP will never support atrocities against women." Attacking the Congress government in the state, he alleged that the Karnataka government didn't take action until the election of the Vokkaliga belt was over. He further added that the BJP's stand is clear that whose behind such crimes will be given the "harshest punishment". "Listen Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, govt is yours, of Congress, it was you who was supposed to take action. You did not take any action until the election of Vokkaliga belt was over, you did politics and let him escape (Prajwal Revanna)," Shah said. "If you have guts, say the truth, because of you a person who committed a heinous crime escaped...even though they're (JD(S)) our ally, our stand is clear, those who commit such crimes, need to be given harshest punishment," he added. Earlier in the day, the Home Minister launched a scathing attack on Congress, and said its government in Karnataka knew about the obscene video allegations against suspended JD-S leader Prajwal Revanna for months but allowed him to flee as it wanted the voting for Lok Sabha polls in Vokkaliga-dominated areas in the state to conclude. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Amit Shah said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and state Home Minister G Parameshwara were responsible for Revanna fleeing the country. Congress and some other opposition parties have attacked the BJP over Revanna leaving the country. Hitting back, Amit Shah accused the Congress government of waiting for action until the first phase of voting in the state on April 26 due to its political calculations. "Whose government is it in Karnataka? Congress party's. Law and order is their responsibility. They knew about it for months. But they didn't nab him until the Vokkaliga voting concluded. They let him flee. Karnataka CM, HM, Deputy CM are responsible for it," he said. A political row has erupted over Prajwal Revanna, who has been booked by Karnataka Police in the "obscene video" case, "having left the country" and claims of some opposition parties that he had gone to a European country. Congress and AIMIM are among the political parties who have claimed that Revanna has gone to Germany. Prajwal Revanna is the MP from Hassan and is re-contesting from the seat as a NDA candidate. BJP and JD-S have formed an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls in Karanataka. Revanna was booked in an alleged sexual harassment case on April 28 following complaints by his former housekeeper. The case has been registered under sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 of the IPC on charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging the dignity of a woman. As per the complaint, the victim has claimed that Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna had sexually assaulted her. Revanna is the grandson of party supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged obscene video case against Prajwal Revanna. Earlier in the day, Prajwal Revanna made his first remarks after being booked by the Karnataka police. The suspended JD-S leader has been asked to appear before the Crime Investigation Department (CID). In a post on X, Revanna said, "As I am not in Bangalore to attend the inquiry, I have communicated to CID, Bangalore, through my advocate. The truth will prevail soon." JD(S) core committee on Monday recommended the suspension of Prajwal Revanna. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha seats and elections in the state are being held in two phases. Voting for 14 seats concluded on April 26 and the remaining 14 seats will undergo polling on May 7. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4. In 2019, BJP almost swept the state by winning 25 out of 28 seats, while Congress and JD-S -- who were running a coalition government in the state -- could only win one seat each. This time BJP and JD-S are in coalition with the former fighting on 25 seats, while the latter is contesting three seats. (ANI)
The United States has not seen Israel's "credible plan" to enter Rafah that is set to address the "varying areas of concerns", said a US State Department official on Tuesday. As tensions persist in the ongoing conflict, the United States has reiterated its stance regarding the situation in Rafah, emphasising the need for a credible plan from Israel before any potential military operation. Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, Vedant Patel reaffirmed this position, stating, "That is correct, it continues to be the case that we have not seen a credible plan that would address the varying areas of concerns." Rafah, a region with over 1 million displaced individuals, remains a critical area for humanitarian aid distribution and a safe passage for foreign nationals. Patel underscored the significance of addressing the serious humanitarian concerns surrounding Rafah, highlighting the necessity for any operation to prioritise the well-being of the population in the region. "Primarily the ability to address the serious humanitarian concerns surrounding again, Rafah is a region with more than 1 million people seeking refuge. It's an area that continues to be an important conduit for humanitarian aid, as well as safe departure for foreign nationals," he said. While refraining from speculation on potential scenarios, Patel noted the ongoing engagement with Israeli counterparts to seek clarity on their plans concerning Rafah. "So any kind of operation that does not address some of these key concerns would certainly be opposed by us," he also said. He stressed that any operation lacking measures to address humanitarian needs and ensure the safe departure of civilians would face opposition from the United States. "I'm not going to get into any hypotheticals, but this is something we're continuing to engage with our partners in Israel. Conversations continue to be happening at all levels, and we'll continue to press forward on those conversations and ask what their plans may or may not be as it pertains to Rafah," Patel added. Patel's remarks come the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his military plans to enter Rafah city of Gaza and said that his military will undertake the operations regardless of a breakthrough in truce talks with Hamas. "The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its aims is not an option," Netanyahu told the hawkish Gvura and Tikva forums, who represent families of slain soldiers and families of hostages held in Gaza, respectively, The Times of Israel reported. "We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there -- whether or not there is a deal -- in order to achieve total victory," Netanyahu added. According to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office, the groups urged Netanyahu and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi to continue the war and to resist international pressures, The Times of Israel reported. (ANI)
A New York judge Tuesday held Donald Trump in contempt of court, ruling the former president violated a gag order in his hush money case and threatened to throw the 2024 Republican White House nominee in jail if he continues to violate it.

Judge Juan M. Merchan said he was limted to $1,000 fines for each violation so he ordered Trump to pay $9,000 for nine violations.

Trump stared down at the table in front of him as the judge read the ruling, the Associated Press reported. He frowned slightly but otherwise showed no expression according to the report.

Eric Trump was in court on Tuesday. It was the first time a member of the ex-president's family attended the trial.

The gag order was issued in an effort to prevent the presumptive Republican nominee from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, and jurors in connection with the crimal case.

Merchan warned Trump he will be jailed if he continues to violate the gag order.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg - a frequent target of the former president - requested that Judge Juan M. Merchan impose the order due to Trump's "longstanding history of attacking witnesses, investigators, prosecutors, judges, and others involved in legal proceedings against him."

Trump is charged with 34 felonies for allegedly falsifying business records to cover up payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. He could face up to four years in prison if convicted.

The former president has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the case.

Merchan will hold a hearing Thursday on four more alleged violations of the gag order.
After months of battling an unspecified cancer, King Charles III has returned to his royal duties, marking his first official engagement since his diagnosis. Encouraged by his medical team's positive feedback on his progress, the 75-year-old monarch resumed public-facing activities with a visit to a cancer treatment center in London, CNN reported. Accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla, King Charles embarked on his visit to the cancer treatment center, where he engaged with patients and clinicians alike. Their presence was warmly received by well-wishers gathered nearby, as the royal couple exuded vitality and grace upon their arrival at the hospital. Camilla, who has long been an advocate for cancer care and support through her presidency at Maggie's, provided steadfast support to her husband throughout the engagement, according to CNN. Despite his recent health challenges, King Charles has remained committed to his role as patron of Macmillan Cancer Support for nearly thirty years. His decision to prioritize this cause underscores his dedication to raising awareness about the importance of early diagnosis and innovative cancer research. During the visit, King Charles emphasised the significance of early detection, drawing from his own personal journey with cancer. His candidness about his health condition has set a refreshing precedent, resonating with the public and encouraging individuals to seek medical advice at the first sign of symptoms. As he toured the cancer treatment center, King Charles demonstrated keen interest in the medical advancements aimed at early cancer detection. Engaging with medical teams and patients alike, he imparted words of encouragement and shared insights from his own outpatient treatment experience. One poignant moment during the visit occurred when King Charles conversed with Lesley Woodbridge, a chemotherapy patient undergoing treatment. He empathetically shared, "I've got to have my treatment this afternoon as well," illustrating his solidarity with those battling cancer. In a significant announcement, King Charles was unveiled as the new patron of Cancer Research UK. During his visit, he was slated to meet with Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, Charlie Swanton, to discuss groundbreaking projects such as TRACERx, focused on lung cancer research. While Buckingham Palace heralded King Charles' return to public duties as a positive step forward, precautions will be taken to ensure his continued well-being. The palace emphasised that forthcoming engagements would be carefully adapted to minimise any risks to his recovery. While specific details regarding the extent of his upcoming engagements remain undisclosed, it has been confirmed that King Charles will host Japan's Emperor and Empress for a state visit later this month. However, his attendance at other significant events, such as his birthday parade in London and the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations in Normandy, remains uncertain, CNN reported. (ANI)
This decision, made under Article 93(1) of the Constitution, follows Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's recommendation.

Sanaullah will assume the rank of a federal minister. Speaking on Geo News' program 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath', Sanaullah disclosed his meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss his inclusion in the federal government. However, the final decision was deferred to PML-N's leader Nawaz Sharif, pending his return from China, Dawn reported.

This development occurs shortly after the surprising appointment of Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as the deputy prime minister by the PML-N government. Dar, a trusted associate of Nawaz, assumed the role without significant opposition from allies.

Sanaullah previously served as the interior minister in the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government.

He led PML-N's electoral campaign for the February 8 general polls but was defeated in NA-100's (Faisalabad-VI) contest by PTI-backed candidate Nisar Jutt, garnering 112,403 votes against Jutt's 131,996, Dawn reported. (ANI)
In a bid to address the myriad challenges plaguing the education sector, the federal government is set to declare a four-year education emergency across the nation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is anticipated to make this groundbreaking announcement in the coming days, signaling a concerted effort to tackle pressing issues such as the alarming number of out-of-school children and the pervasive deficiencies within the education system, Dawn reported. Initially scheduled to convene on Tuesday, a conference chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the impending education emergency was regrettably postponed due to the PM's prior commitments. Nevertheless, the urgency and significance of the matter remain paramount, prompting a resolute push for transformative change within the education landscape. Pakistan grapples with a staggering 26.2 million out-of-school children, underscoring the urgency of immediate intervention. Concurrently, the nation contends with a disconcertingly low literacy rate of 62 per cent, reflecting systemic inadequacies that demand redressal. Furthermore, the government's paltry allocation of a mere 1.7 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the education sector underscores the urgent need for strategic overhaul, as reported by Dawn. The disparities in access to essential facilities within educational institutions, such as adequate sanitation, potable water, and secure boundary walls, exacerbate the challenges faced by students, particularly in marginalised communities. Addressing these deficiencies is imperative to fostering an inclusive and conducive learning environment for all. Federal Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has been a vocal advocate for declaring a national education emergency, citing the dire need for concerted action to mitigate the crisis. Last month, following a comprehensive briefing on the prevalence of out-of-school children and other educational disparities, Siddiqui vowed to petition the Prime Minister and the federal cabinet to declare the emergency. The gravity of the situation is further underscored by recent statistics from Pakistan Education Statistics, revealing that 39 per cent of children in the country are out of school. These figures are stark reminders of the urgent imperative to overhaul the education system and ensure equitable access to quality education for all. The proposed National Conference on Education Emergency, slated to convene at the Prime Minister's Office, aims to galvanise collaborative efforts from stakeholders across the spectrum. Attended by chief ministers, development partners, diplomats, and esteemed educationists, the conference seeks to devise holistic strategies and initiatives to address the root causes of educational inequities. Through targeted interventions and collective action, the conference endeavours to usher in transformative change within the education sector, laying the foundation for a brighter and more prosperous future for the nation. Despite the postponement of the conference due to the PM's engagements in Saudi Arabia, the commitment to revitalising the education sector remains unwavering. Secretary of Education Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani reaffirmed the government's steadfast commitment to improving the education sector, emphasising the collaborative efforts underway to effect meaningful change. With the support and dedication of all stakeholders, the government is poised to embark on a comprehensive reform agenda aimed at realising the fundamental right to education for every child in Pakistan, Dawn reported. (ANI)
Agricultural experts have raised concerns about the escalating food insecurity crises, emphasising the urgent need for high-quality seeds in farming practices, The Express Tribune reported. They noted the critical importance of ensuring access to resilient seeds capable of withstanding the challenges posed by climate change and other agricultural factors. This, they suggested, could be achieved through robust public-private partnerships aimed at benefiting ordinary farmers. Speaking at the third Pakistan Seed Congress, themed "Seed Invocation for Transforming Agriculture," held at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security (UAF), experts inaugurated the Seed Exhibition, The Express Tribune reported. UAF Vice Chancellor, Iqrar Ahmad Khan, drew attention to the country's annual import of agricultural products worth USD 10 billion. He highlighted the success of hybrid seed technology in boosting corn production and advocated for its wider adoption across various crops to address stagnation. Khan noted that while wheat production per acre currently stands at 30 maunds, progressive farmers have been achieving yields of 60 to 70 maunds by adopting innovative practices such as the introduction of soybeans, climate-resistant wheat, high-yielding sugarcane, cotton, and other commodities by UAF. Asif Ali, Chairperson of the National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority, proposed increasing wheat production from 30 to 50 maunds per acre. This, he suggested, could potentially reduce the current 9 million hectares of wheat cultivation to 6.5 million hectares, allowing for diversification into other crops. He emphasised the significance of forging public-private partnerships in seed production and distribution, citing India's achievements in cotton production due to the widespread use of hybrid seeds. UAF Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean of Agriculture, Muhammad Sarwar Khan, stressed the pivotal role of quality seeds in ensuring high agricultural production. He announced the establishment of the Seed Centre at the university, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, which would include model seed research and outreach stations in Balochistan and Upper Punjab. Mohammad Azim Khan, Director General of the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department, highlighted the necessity for collaborative efforts to catch up in hybrid seed technology, while Irfan Afzal emphasised the importance of academia-industry linkages and agricultural innovation. Fiona Hay, a senior researcher from Denmark's Aarhus University, provided scientific insights into seed moisture content, emphasising the significance of knowledge-based economies and public-private models for agricultural prosperity, The Express Tribune reported. (ANI)
A Russian missile assault on the Black Sea port city of Odesa has left at least five individuals dead and more than 30 wounded, as confirmed by Ukrainian authorities, CNN reported. A video footage, released by Ukraine's Prosecutor General, captures the harrowing moment when numerous bomblets erupted in quick succession near the seafront, unleashing chaos and devastation. Among the structures ravaged by the assault was an educational institution colloquially referred to as the "Harry Potter castle" due to its striking resemblance to the iconic Scottish architectural style. Images disseminated by officials depict the once-majestic cone-shaped towers and roof engulfed in flames, painting a sombre picture of the aftermath, as reported by CNN. According to Ukrainian authorities, the assault was orchestrated using an Iskander ballistic missile alongside cluster munitions, underscoring the brutality of the attack. Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin revealed the recovery of missile debris and metal fragments strewn across a wide radius, indicating the ferocity of the strike. Tragically, among the injured were two children and a pregnant woman, underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the assault. Furthermore, the assault inflicted significant damage to nearly 20 residential buildings and critical infrastructure, compounding the already dire situation. The utilisation of cluster munitions in the attack violates international norms outlined in the Convention on Cluster Munitions, a treaty aimed at curbing such atrocities. However, the absence of signatures from either side, including the United States, highlights the glaring gaps in enforcing such agreements. In a separate development, Russian officials claimed success in intercepting a substantial missile and drone onslaught by Ukraine in Crimea. Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed civilian authority in the occupied region, cautioned against approaching potential unexploded ordnance. While Russian military bloggers asserted that the targets primarily comprised airfields, the closure and subsequent reopening of the vital bridge linking Crimea to Russia underscored the logistical challenges posed by such incidents. Despite Russia's assertions of successfully thwarting the assault with US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, Ukraine's response remains undisclosed, leaving the veracity of the claims uncertain. The scarcity of visual evidence depicting the explosions further complicates efforts to ascertain the full extent of the incident, CNN reported. (ANI)
Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University were arrested by New York Police Department (NYPD) officials, as they entered the premises on Tuesday night, according to The New York Times, escalating the tensions further that have gripped the varsities across the US currently. The arrests took place hours after protesters had caught hold of a campus building. The protesters had stormed and occupied a building on Columbia University's main campus overnight, flying a Palestinian flag from Hamilton Hall. The officers burst through a second-floor window to enter Hamilton Hall, then led demonstrators in zip ties into law enforcement buses parked near campus. In a statement, the university stated that the facility had been "vandalised and blockaded," leaving the administration with "no choice" except to summon police to campus for the second time in less than two weeks. According to the New York Times, the student protesters were taken by NYPD (New York Police Department) officers off Columbia University's campus, one by one, and their hands were tied at the back with zip ties. Students were seen, chanting as they walked out, "Free, free Palestine," as per NYT. A cluster of police officers, continue to remain at the university campus, especially outside the entrance of Hamilton Hall, the report said. The NYPD cops arrived at Columbia University just after 9 pm (local time) on Tuesday and began dispersing the encampment. Special police teams used a big vehicle and a ramp to enter Hamilton Hall through a window, where the demonstrators flew a massive Palestinian flag in place of the US flag on Monday. Majorly, Columbia University, which has turned into the epicentre of protests, at least 200 students barricaded the University's entrance to Hamilton Hall. Hamilton Hall is one of the buildings occupied during 1968 student protests erupted over institutional apparatus supporting the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. The university, according to NBC News has notably asked the NYPD to remain on campus until at least May 17, two days after the scheduled graduation, according to NBC News. Earlier, students at Columbia had voted to defy the order to vacate the encampment, which has been a focal point of pro-Palestinian protests on campus. The action to suspend students at Columbia University comes amid a wave of arrests and tensions at universities across the United States, with demonstrations in support of Palestinians drawing attention and, in some cases, police intervention. While these recent arrests have garnered significant attention, colleges across the US have been employing law enforcement measures, along with academic penalties such as suspensions and, in some cases, expulsion, to manage student protests since Hamas' October attack on Israel, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and numerous hostages. (ANI)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Tuesday asserted that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will topple the PML-N led federal government whenever party founder Imran Khan instructs to do so, reported ARY News. Speaking on ARY News' 'Khabar', CM Gandapur stated that PTI founder Imran Khan has always demonstrated a desire to talk to everyone for the betterment of Pakistan. "Imran Khan has no personal agenda and would only hold talks for the betterment of Pakistan," the minister said. He further stated that the PTI had never previously indicated any prerequisites for discussions and that he had just lately been informed that he, along with two others, had been assigned the job of negotiating on behalf of the party. Gandapur stated that he will only participate in conversations that are relevant and beneficial and that he will not compromise the interests of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to ARY News. Responding to a question, CM Gandapur sought the formation of a judicial committee to probe the May 9 incidents, stating that he is willing to approach the Peshawar High Court Chief Justice through the cabinet to make this request. Gandapur claimed that the Election Commission has constantly violated the constitution and even directed the federal government to legislate later, while his party plans to speak with the Election Commission about the special seats. He goes on to say that the cases against him lack the rule of law and merit and that the judiciary's independence is under threat. (ANI)
The discussions were held on strengthening military-to-military relationships, common security issues and opportunities to foster cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, in addition to reviewing the progress of agreed-upon objectives, according to Defence officials.

The meeting by Admiral John C Aquilino, US Commander of Indo-Pacific Command hosted the virtual Chiefs of Defence meeting at the USINDOPACOM headquarters in Hawaii to strengthen military-to-military relationships, discuss common security issues and foster regional cooperation on April 29, according to an official release of US-Indo Pacific Command.

During the meeting, Aquilino discussed the importance of deepening security cooperation opportunities and security challenges within the Indo-Pacific region with an emphasis that USINDOPACOM will continue to work closely with Allies and partners to ensure a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, the statement read.

USINDOPACOM hosts virtual CHOD meetings quarterly to provide a forum for open dialogue between military leaders and to discuss the regional security environment.

The next in-person CHOD conference will be in September 2024, he said.

At the meeting, Aquilino also introduced Adm. Samuel Paparo, who will become the USINDOPACOM commander upon completion of a change of command ceremony on May 3 this year. (ANI)
Pakistani Hindu leader and member of the Senate, Danesh Kumar Palyani on Tuesday raised concern over the grave human rights crisis in the Sindh province of the country and said that the girls of the Hindu community are being forcibly converted to Islam. "You see in Sindh, bandits are forcefully converting our Hindu girls to Islam. Bandits in mud forts areas kidnap people but Bandits in settled areas are forcing girls to convert their religion. However, Pakistan gives us the right that no one should force anyone else to convert," the leader in the ongoing 337th session of the Pakistan Senate. "Even in Quran, it says 'La ikraha fiddin', [there be no compulsion in religion], where in 'Surah Al-Kafirun', it says Your religion for you and mine for me. These oppressive people dont even believe in Pakistan's constitution nor in Quran sharif. They are forcibly changing religion of Hindu women," it added. The Pakistani leader also shared his speech on his social media account X, saying, "The daughters of Hindus are not a booty that someone should forcibly change their religion, Hindu girls are being forcibly converted to the religion in Sindh. It has been two years since innocent Priya Kumari was abducted." "The government does not take action against these influential people. Senator Danesh Kumar's address in the Senate session. A few dirty eggs and robbers have defamed our beloved mother land Pakistan. The law/Constitution of Pakistan does not allow forced religious conversion and neither does the Holy Quran," he added. On April 11, UN experts expressed dismay at the continuing lack of protection for young women and girls belonging to minority communities in Pakistan. "Christian and Hindu girls remain particularly vulnerable to forced religious conversion, abduction, trafficking, child, early and forced marriage, domestic servitude and sexual violence," the experts said. "The exposure of young women and girls belonging to religious minority communities to such heinous human rights violations and the impunity of such crimes can no longer be tolerated or justified." The experts expressed concern that forced marriages and religious conversions of girls from religious minorities which have been coerced are validated by the courts, often invoking religious law to justify keeping victims with their abductors rather than allowing them to return them to their parents. "Perpetrators often escape accountability, with police dismissing crimes under the guise of 'love marriages'," they said. The experts stressed that child, early and forced marriage cannot be justified on religious or cultural grounds. They underlined that, under international law, consent is irrelevant when the victim is a child under the age of 18. "A woman's right to choose a spouse and freely enter into marriage is central to her life, dignity and equality as a human being and must be protected and upheld by law," the experts said. They stressed the need for provisions to invalidate, annul or dissolve marriages contracted under duress, with due consideration for the women and girls concerned, and to ensure access to justice, remedy, protection and adequate assistance for victims. (ANI)
While addressing the event, Israeli Ambassador Naor Gilon emphasised the significance of the security drill.

"This joint security drill with Indian security forces marks a significant milestone. We extend our gratitude for their efforts. These collaborative exercises strengthen our nations' cooperation in security and defence and reinforce our shared commitment to global stability. We remain steadfast in our determination to foster continued collaboration for a safer world." he said.

The exercise witnessed the involvement of various agencies including the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Delhi Police, the National Security Guard, and local emergency services such as the fire department and traffic police, the release stated.

Over day and night sessions held at the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi, participants practised response strategies to potential terrorist incidents.

Elite units from the participating agencies were activated in simulated scenarios, while the Delhi Traffic Police managed traffic control in the vicinity.

"The exercise served as a platform for both Israeli and Indian forces to refine their coordination, communication, and operational procedures, thereby strengthening their joint efforts against terrorism," the release added. (ANI)
Columbia University locked down its campus on Tuesday morning as pro-Palestinian activists defied orders to disband their encampment and instead seized control of the college's Hamilton Hall - where they plan to remain until the university severs all financial ties to Israel.

"After 206 days of genocide and over 34,000 Palestinian martyrs, Columbia community members took back Hamilton Hall just after midnight," Columbia University Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) wrote in a press release.

"An autonomous group reclaimed Hind's Hall, previously known as 'Hamilton Hall,' in honor of Hind Rajab, a Gazan martyr murdered at the hands of the genocidal Israeli state at the age of six years old."

Around 3:00AM at "Hind's Hall," Columbia students chant:

"Went down to Columbia

And I took back what they stole from me

Took back my dignity

Took back my humanity

Now they're under our feet, under our feet

under our feet, under our feet

Ain't gonna let no system walk all over me" pic.twitter.com/XWwrha4P2f  Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) April 30, 2024

The Columbia campus - which was already restricted to people with university IDs and others let on campus on a case-by-case basis - is now solely open to students who reside in one of the seven on-campus dorms and staff members performing essential functions. The only point of entry on campus is the 116th Street and Amsterdam gate - while other gates will remain locked, according to the Columbia website.

"This access restriction will remain in place until circumstances allow otherwise," the website said.

Discord between the Columbia student activists and the university administration has raged for two weeks - since students first erected the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on the university grounds. The student protestors are calling for divestment from Israel, transparency into the college's finances and amnesty for all students involved in the activist groups.

After an initial attempt to clear the encampment resulted in the arrest of more than 100 Columbia and Barnard students and widespread condemnation of university President Minouche Shafik, the Columbia administration began negotiations with the student activists.

"Since Wednesday, a small group of academic leaders has been in constructive dialogue with student organizers to find a path that would result in the dismantling of the encampment and adherence to University policies going forward," Shafik wrote in a Monday morning statement.

"While the University will not divest from Israel, the University offered to develop an expedited timeline for review of new proposals from the students by the Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, the body that considers divestment matters."

Shafik also wrote that the student activists had made life on campus "intolerable" for many Jewish students. The politics of the encampment have been subject to intense scrutiny from the beginning - there were Jewish activists involved in occupying the lawn and participating in associated activist groups. Students and faculty members even celebrated a Passover Seder inside the encampment.

Some, however, allege that the activism has led to a spike in on-campus antisemitism - with at least one rabbi associated with the university urging Jewish students to return home. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and its members have made repeated public statements asserting that Jewish students are a welcome part of their movement and that their issues are with the Israeli government and the university's administration.

The student activists allege that the university is not acting in good faith - both by not providing amnesty to all student protestors and by threatening students with the loss of on-campus services like housing and dining halls.

"Students and community members are risking suspension and arrest to end the true statement of emergency on campus, Columbia's complicity in the genocide in Gaza. Taking back our own campus is the only and last response to an institution that obeys neither its own 'rules' nor ethical mandates," Columbia BDS wrote in their statement. "Do not incite another Kent or Jackson State by bringing soldiers and police officers with weapons onto our campus. Students' blood will be on your hands."
In the wake of the Pakistan government's decision to fence the Gwadar city of Balochistan, the Baloch National Movement has condemned the act and said that the action is similar to the tactics in the colonized regions. In the statement, BNM stated "This tactic mirrors the historical pattern seen in colonized regions, where the colonizers fear local inhabitants' rightful claim to land, coastlines, and resources. Discontent with imposed authority and decisions prevails among the local populace". https://twitter.com/BNMovement_/status/1785577911904338117 The organisation claimed in its statement that this fencing has been an act of marginalizing and displacing residents of Balochistan and the Baloch community and introducing special entry cards, fencing is an attack on the freedom of the Baloch community. Calling upon the Baloch people, BNM said that people must reject these impositions and unite in organized resistance against such encroachments on their rights. Meanwhile, the BNM also organized a rally in Busan city of South Korea, raising awareness over the atrocities inflicted by the Pakistani administration on the Baloch community. BNM members not only distributed pamphlets but Speakers such as Hafsa Baloch, Sameer Baloch, Agha Faiz, and Bakhtawar Baloch addressed the gathered participants. The forcefully occupied province of Balochistan frequently faces several other problems at the hands of the Pakistani administration. As of now the most crucial problem for the Baloch community is the issue of enforced disappearance, resulting in people being kidnapped allegedly by the defence and intelligence agencies. Prominent Baloch rights activist Mahrang Baloch recently raised the same issue while participating in the Asma Jahangir conference in Lahore. While raising the matter of enforced disappearances Mahrang Baloch stated "The cases of enforced disappearances have been a curse for the people of Balochistan. It is not a mere crime against humanity, but it is a tool utilized by the state to suppress the Baloch people and to loot their resources. For more than 20 years Baloch women in the form of mothers, sisters, daughters, and wives have been struggling for the safe return of their loved ones. Women are often given corporal punishments like and are harassed sexually and physically." "Several places in Balochistan Awaran, Bolan, and Kohlu have prisons for women who participate in protests against the Pakistani Administration demanding the safe return of their loved ones. Women in these prisons are often exposed to severe punishments. There are also cases where women are kidnapped for merely pressuring these protestors. They are often given to soldier and death squad camps where they are sexually and physically abused. We have also come across cases where young girls are married to death squad members forcibly," she pointed out. Asma Jahangir was a prominent human rights lawyer from Pakistan and was also a UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran during her life she also received the prestigious UN Human Rights Prize. The prize was awarded posthumously to Jahangir who died earlier in 2018 in her home country of Pakistan at the age of 66 a report by United Nations Human Rights Council stated. (ANI)
The incident marks the second assault on the checkpoint within a two-month in the district.

According to police officials, terrorists attacked the Jhangi checkpost, situated in the Wahova area of Dera Ghazi Khan adjacent to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The assault resulted in the injury of six officers, one of whom is reported to be in critical condition, according to the officials, Samaa TV reported.

According to ARY News, seven wounded policemen were transferred to Taunsa Sharif THQ hospital for medical assistance.

The Punjab Police spokesperson has confirmed an attempted terrorist attack on the Jhangi checkpoint, which was successfully thwarted by a vigilant police team.

Around 20 terrorists armed with grenades, rocket launchers and laser-light guns attacked the checkpost," he said.

The spokesperson stated that the terrorists launched their assault from various directions under the cover of darkness, but retreated as they ran out of ammunition, as per ARY News.

He further said that terrorists wanted to capture the police checkpost and take the policemen as captives.

Upon receiving intelligence about the terrorist assault, law enforcement agencies promptly arrived at the scene and secured the area.

After the attack, the vicinity was sealed off, and a thorough search operation was launched to capture the terrorists.

Notably, Shakirullah Marwat, the district and sessions judge of South Waziristan was abducted by unidentified kidnappers on Dera Ismail Khan's Tank Road recently.

His captors released a video of him pleading for his freedom.The judge appealed to the government and judiciary to accept the demands of his abductors.

In a video message sent from an unknown location, Marwat said that, "Taliban brought me here. It is a jungle and a war is going on."(ANI)
Pakistan is in talks to finalize a payment schedule of nearly Pakistan currency (PKR) 550 billion (USD 1.98 bn) to Chinese Independent Power Producers (IPPs) ahead of the 13th Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Dawn reported on Wednesday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to Beijing, slated for the first week of June, is expected to follow the JCC meeting. The Pakistan-based news daily reported citing sources revealed that the Chinese authorities have stipulated that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit should occur after the 13th JCC meeting to address outstanding issues and solidify cooperation under CPEC-2. However, the scheduling of the JCC meeting is pending due to unresolved issues. The entire focus of the Pakistani side, spearheaded by Pakistan's Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, co-chair of the JCC, is to settle all pending matters, particularly concerning the reduction of outstanding dues to Chinese IPPs and ensuring timely future payments, including those under the revolving fund, Dawn reported citing sources. Chinese power dues currently stand close to PKR 550 billion, with disruptions observed in timely payments under the revolving fund in recent months. Chinese financial institutions are seeking reassurance to extend further cooperation in critical projects, necessitating urgent confidence-building measures. "The delay in payments and the Chinese insistence on special energy tariffs for Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have impeded major projects and investments in SEZs," sources added. Dawn reported that Pakistan's Minister Iqbal has been engaging in extensive consultations with relevant ministries and agencies, including two high-profile sessions on Tuesday. He chaired the first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Chinese Investment Projects (CCoCIP) to address overdue issues concerning CPEC-IPPs, stressing the submission of outstanding amounts by the IPPs involved in CPEC energy projects. "The importance of providing electricity to SEZs at an incentivized cost, without government losses, was emphasized," said an official statement quoting Minister Iqbal. He directed the involvement of the Board of Directors of power firms, particularly the National Transmission and Dispatch Company, to expedite the resolution of SEZ-related issues. Additionally, Minister Iqbal held a detailed session with 35 Chinese enterprises and Pakistani business houses to garner input and proposals for enhancing bilateral cooperation and realizing mutual opportunities. He highlighted that the second phase of CPEC emphasizes industrial cooperation and business-to-business partnerships, building upon the groundwork laid in the initial phase. (ANI)
Dubai [UAE], May 1 (ANI/WAM): The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) has elevated the readiness and preparedness levels of the national system to deal with the current weather conditions in the country. The Joint Weather and Tropical Assessment Team held several meetings, which were chaired by NCEMA in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, the National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) and other competent government entities. They emphasised the importance of maintaining business continuity plans and closely monitoring the ongoing weather situation and its impacts across the country. Based on the expected weather conditions, the Ministry of Interior recommended, in coordination with NCEMA, activating remote learning on Thursday and Friday for all educational institutions, with decisions to be made by the competent authorities at the federal level and officials of local emergency management teams, in coordination with the Ministry of Education and the Emirates Schools Establishment. Remote work systems have been advised for all government and private sector on Thursday and Friday, except for vital jobs that require presence at the workplace and those involved in response and recovery efforts. Decisions regarding this will be made by the competent authorities at both the federal and local levels and the local emergency management teams, in consultation with relevant agencies. Furthermore, the Ministry of Interior, in coordination with NCEMA, decided to close all roads leading to areas prone to flash floods, water accumulations, and dams during the weather conditions. They urged the public to stay away from these areas and adhere to safety standards and guidelines, avoid mountainous, desert, and coastal areas, comply with the directives of the competent authorities, refrain from circulating rumours, and rely on official sources for information. From Wednesday to Thursday, the NCM expects moderate to heavy rain to fall in scattered areas, accompanied by occasional lightning and thunder. There is also a possibility of small hail, concentrated in the western regions, on the coasts, and in some eastern areas. On Friday and Saturday, cloud quantities will decrease, with the possibility of continuing light to medium rain, which may be heavy in some southern and eastern regions. (ANI/WAM)
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has declared intentions to sever diplomatic relations with Israel due to its actions in the Gaza Strip, a move criticised by human rights advocates and experts who caution against the possibility of genocide, Al Jazeera reported. Addressing a gathering on International Workers' Day in Bogota, Petro emphasised the necessity for countries to take active stances in response to the escalating crisis in Gaza. "Here in front of you, the government of change, of the president of the republic, announces that tomorrow we will break diplomatic relations with the state of Israel ... for having a government, for having a president who is genocidal," Petro declared. A steadfast leader of the left-wing faction, President Petro has emerged as a prominent figure in the Latin American political landscape, aligning himself with the progressive wave known as the "pink tide". Since assuming office in 2022, he has been a vocal critic of Israel's actions, particularly in the context of the Gaza war, as reported by Al Jazeera. The rift between Colombia and Israel deepened in October, following Petro's condemnation of Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant's rhetoric, which he likened to that of the Nazis. Gallant's description of Gaza as inhabited by "human animals" during a period of heightened conflict elicited sharp rebuke from Petro, resulting in Israel halting security exports to Colombia. Subsequently, Petro escalated his criticism, accusing Israel of perpetrating genocide in the besieged Palestinian enclave. Such allegations drew fierce condemnation from Israeli officials and pro-Israel advocacy groups, further straining bilateral relations. In a significant move, Colombia suspended its purchases of Israeli weapons in February, citing concerns over the use of force against Palestinians in Gaza. Petro evoked poignant parallels, invoking the spectre of the Holocaust as he decried Israeli actions as reminiscent of historical atrocities. The Colombian president's latest pronouncement comes amidst mounting apprehension over the prospect of an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, a southern city in the Gaza Strip. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has cautioned against such escalation, warning of dire consequences for civilians caught in the crossfire. The toll of the conflict is staggering, with over 34,500 Palestinians perishing in Israel's military offensive thus far. The Gaza Strip grapples with a looming humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by relentless violence and crippling siege measures. Experts warn of impending famine, underscoring the urgency of addressing the plight of the enclave's inhabitants, according to Al Jazeera. Israel's response to Colombia's decision to sever diplomatic ties remains elusive, as the government refrains from immediate comment. However, Colombia's pursuit of justice extends beyond mere diplomatic gestures, as it seeks recourse through international legal avenues. In early April, the Colombian government petitioned to join a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), alleging Israel's commission of genocide against Palestinians. The move underscores Colombia's commitment to upholding the rights and dignity of vulnerable populations, particularly women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly, in Gaza. The ICJ's ruling in January, acknowledging the plausible risk of genocide faced by Palestinians in Gaza, lends credence to Colombia's pursuit of accountability. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese's findings further validate these concerns, highlighting the grave nature of Israel's assault on Gaza and its catastrophic impact on Palestinian lives. Israel vehemently denies accusations of genocide, dismissing Albanese's report as a distortion of reality. Yet, amidst mounting evidence and international scrutiny, the quest for justice for the victims of the Gaza conflict remains an urgent imperative on the global stage, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has issued directives to ramp up weapons production for the war in Ukraine, following the recent approval of a delayed multibillion-dollar military aid package for the Ukrainian government by the United States, Al Jazeera reported. In a meeting with Russia's top military officials on Wednesday, Shoigu emphasised the imperative to enhance the volume, quality, and speed of arms production. He also instructed for the repair of units stationed on the front lines in Ukraine's eastern and southern regions to enhance their operational effectiveness, the Ministry of Defence said on the Telegram messaging app. "To maintain the required pace of the offensive ... it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to the troops, primarily weapons," Shoigu said. While Russian forces are advancing at strategic points along the 1,000 km front line, concerns have been raised within Russian circles regarding the potential escalation of the conflict due to increased US support, according to Al Jazeera. Ukraine's armed forces are facing critical shortages of ammunition, leading them to strategically withdraw from several villages in the country's east due to being outnumbered. Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskii, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, cautioned on Sunday about the risk of further territorial loss if Western allies fail to promptly deliver weaponry. Russia has seized control of approximately half a dozen villages in the Donetsk region while consolidating its positions in the Kharkiv region. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged shortcomings in the delivery of promised support to Ukraine by alliance members, attributing these delays to significant repercussions on the battlefield. "Serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield," Stoltenberg remarked during a news conference in Kyiv on Monday alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On April 24, US President Joe Biden authorized over USD 61 billion in military aid for Ukraine, encompassing artillery, rocket systems, antitank munitions, and ammunition. Zelenskyy noted the arrival of vital US weaponry in Ukraine in limited quantities but emphasized the urgency for expedited deliveries in light of advancing Russian forces. The Russian military launched an attack on the command headquarters of Ukraine's southern military grouping situated in the port city of Odesa, according to the defence ministry. Details regarding the strike were not provided. Ukrainian prosecutors reported damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in Odesa resulting from an overnight strike, while the southern military command indicated impacts on administrative, residential, medical, and educational facilities, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
The Ohio River, as seen in a trailer for the documentary "This Is The Ohio." (Screenshot)

A Louisville filmmaker is debuting a new documentary showcasing the rich history of the Ohio River and the future challenges it faces on Kentuckys public television broadcaster.

The one-hour documentary called This Is The Ohio features the travels of filmmaker Morgan Atkinson and his 981-mile journey along the river from the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers near Cairo, Illinois, to the city of Pittsburgh, according to a release.

I questioned the rivers true identity. I asked, Is it solely a commercial highway essential to the economic well-being of the United States? Or is it a natural wonderwater providing incredible opportunities for recreational users? How about its status as Americas second most endangered waterway? Atkinson said in a statement. I found the answers to be in all of the above.

The nonprofit environmental advocacy organization American Rivers in an annual report last year ranked the Ohio River as the second most endangered river in the country, citing pollution and climate change as threats to wildlife and drinking water for millions of people who rely on the river.

Kentucky Educational Television will premiere the documentary on Monday, May 6, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time with 12 subsequent airings. The documentary will also be able to be streamed online.

The Ohio River, unlike other bodies of water across the country, doesnt have a long-term strategic plan for its future nor does it receive federal funding. U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, a Democrat representing Louisville, in an interview included in the documentary noted the lack of federal funding and said he wants to make sure the waterway is getting the resources it needs, that it deserves.

Thats got to change, McGarvey said in a statement. Having a clean river is essential.

The post Documentary about Ohio Rivers history and current challenges to debut on KET appeared first on Kentucky Lantern.
Michigan state Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren) speaks to media in the Michigan state House after being sworn into office on April 30, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

After more than five months of a 54-54 partisan tie in Michigans state House which has slowed the passage of legislation, two Democratic representatives were sworn in Tuesday, bringing back the partys majority.

State Reps. Peter Herzberg (D-Westland) and Mai Xiong (D-Warren) were sworn in Tuesday afternoon after winning their special elections earlier this month. Herzberg filled the position former Rep. Kevin Coleman left empty after winning the 2023 election for mayor of Westland and Xiong won the seat former Rep. Lori Stone left empty after winning the 2023 election for mayor of Warren.

While Herzberg swore in on a Bible, Xiong paid honor to her Hmong heritage, wearing traditional Hmong garments and swearing in on Hmong Means Free: Life in Laos and America a collection of stories from Hmong refugees, that Xiong told reporters on Tuesday hits home and best represents her culturally.

Michigan state Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren) is acknowledged in the Michigan state House after being sworn into office on April 30, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

Xiong was born in the Ban Vinai refugee camp in Loei Province of Thailand and emigrated with her family to the United States when she was 3 years old.

My story is the story of all Hmong Americans who came here. And Ive just been so grateful to have come from a refugee camp to now being in the state legislature, Xiong said.

A former Macomb County commissioner, Xiong said her priorities in the legislature are to pass a state budget that helps families and to pass legislation that makes neighborhoods safer and improves education for kids.

Xiong will serve on several committees in the House: Insurance; Military, Veterans and Homeland Security; Education; and Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation.

Peter Herzberg | Courtesy photo

Herzberg, a former Westland City councilmember, said in a media release Tuesday that he looks forward to working with lawmakers across the political aisle.

I look forward to pursuing priorities that will propel our community forward. As we prepare next years budget, I will work to bring home investments that will have a lasting impact for folks in my district and for Michiganders across the state, Herzberg said.

Herzberg will serve on the Transportation, Mobility, and Infrastructure Committee; Agriculture Committee; Energy, Communications and Technology Committee; as well as the Subcommittee on Behavioral Health.

The post New House members sworn in, restoring Democrats 56-seat majority appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Inside the tiny corner of Spain that lies in the middle of North Africa

In ancient Greek and Roman legend, the Pillars of Hercules marking the edge of the known world  were mighty columns that once stood either side of the strait where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic.

One was on the Rock of Gibraltar, a pocket of British territory next to mainland Spain, and the other was Ceuta, a prominent outcrop on the North African coastline.

Today, Ceuta is a Spanish exclave, a piece of a country entirely surrounded by another, in this case Morocco. And while it may only be 18 miles from the Spanish mainland, this tiny pocket of Europe in Africa is one of the most unusual places on either continent.

Surrounded on three sides by water, Ceuta is protected by high medieval walls, stone citadels and barbed wire that all hint at its tumultuous history.

With an area of just seven square miles and a population of around 85,000 people, this peninsula jutting abruptly into the Mediterranean Sea has been in the possession of Spain since 1580.

But the exclave is more than just a colonial hangover; with architecture, culture and cuisine blending influences from both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar, this could be Spains most multicultural city.

Ceuta was given the title of the most loyal city in Spain, Mila Bernal, a local tourism office representative, told CNN Travel. Because the citizens decided they wanted to be Spanish, not Portuguese.

Gateway to Africa

Ceuta's medieval walls are a legacy of its strategic importance. - Chris Hellier/Corbis Documentary RF/Getty Images

Ceutas history is complicated. Standing on the 16th-century Royal Walls still surrounding the exclaves old town, Bernal explained how the Portuguese conquered Ceuta in 1415 when the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula swept across the Mediterranean Sea and into the Moorish heartlands.

Portugal and Spain were united under a single monarch in 1580, and so Ceuta fell under the rule of the Iberian Union until 1640 when Portugal broke away.

The people of Ceuta though  whod largely emigrated from Spanish, rather than Portuguese, territories on the European mainland  decided theyd rather side with Spain.

Prized for its strategic location, the citys history stretches back to antiquity, and given its prominent position guarding the Strait of Gibraltar, every major Mediterranean power has either claimed or conquered Ceuta.

Phoenician ruins dating to the 7th century BCE can be found next to Ceutas cathedral. The Mediterranean seafarers founded a small settlement here as part of their growing maritime empire. Later came the Carthaginians and Romans, who needed to secure the gateway to Africa.

The Romans believed that Mount Hacho was the pillar of Hercules. This was the end of the world for the Romans, said Bernal, pointing at the tall peak overlooking the exclave. They named the city Septum, after its seven hills, which evolved into the modern name Ceuta.

Fierce battles

A monumental bronze statue depicting Hercules pushing aside the great pillars today greets disembarking passengers on Ceutas Mediterranean seafront.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Byzantines took over Ceuta, and fierce battles were fought with Vandals and Visigoths for control of the territory.

In the 8th century, the Islamic Umayyad dynasty swept across North Africa, conquering all in its path, including Ceuta. Arab, Moorish and Berber kingdoms came to control the city until the Portuguese and Spanish arrived in the 15th century, staking a European claim thats endured for the last 400 years.

The easiest way to get to Ceuta from Europe is by ferry from Algeciras, a port city on the Spanish mainland across the dolphin-filled waters of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Many Spanish people make the trip for a vacation, and its certainly not without its tourist attractions.

Rival claims

Today, about 85,000 people live in Ceuta. - Chris Hellier/Alamy Stock Photo

Exploring the territorys tapas bars and Catholic cathedrals, visitors will find lingering reminders of past rulers in the shape of the Roman Basilica Museum  which contains some of the oldest Christian relics ever discovered in North Africa  and the Arab Baths and Moorish architecture, which wouldnt be out of place in the southern Spanish cities of Granada, Cordoba or Moroccos port of Tangier.

There are hikes to epic viewpoints like Mirador de San Antonio, which offer panoramas of Ceuta, Morocco, and the Strait of Gibraltar. And there are beaches for relaxing and soaking up the sun.

Then, in Benzu, on the territorys northern coast, there are opportunities to enjoy Moroccan-style tea in the shadow of a mosque, hike to old forts and modern watchtowers on the border, and continue onwards to visit the hectic Moroccan city of Tetouan.

Fought over for millennia, Ceuta is officially classed as an autonomous Spanish city. Its also part of the European Union and is one of two Spanish exclaves on North Africas Mediterranean coastline. The other is Melilla, a city also of some 85,000 people, around 250 miles east of Ceuta, that also borders Morocco.

As might be expected, Morocco disputes Spains sovereignty over both of these exclaves, citing geographical and historical ties with the territories stretching back to the Islamic conquests.

In the 18th century, the Sultan of Morocco failed to take Ceuta after a 30-year siege. Another siege in the early 19th century also failed.

In the following centuries, border disputes led to intermittent wars and fighting, until much of Morocco was colonized by Spain and France in the 19th and 20th centuries.

While Morocco gained independence in 1956, Spain held onto Ceuta and Melilla.

Its a dispute that still runs deep, and in 2023, Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez complained to Moroccan authorities when Moroccan maps included both Ceuta and Melilla within the countrys borders. The year before, Spanish media reported Sanchez as stating that Ceuta and Melilla are Spain, full stop after Morocco had complained to the United Nations that Melilla is a prison occupied by Spain.

The tit for tat is endless, but all too often the dialogue comes to a head on the ground in Ceuta.

Cultural mix

Ceuta's beaches make it a popular vacation spot. - Mulero/Alamy Stock Photo

While the city no longer marks the edge of the known world, as it did for the Romans, as an EU outpost in Africa, Ceuta has come to be seen as a gateway to Europe for many migrants in search of a better life. As a consequence, the territorys land border with Morocco is surrounded by watchtowers and barbed wire, which can be seen from the beach if you hop on a bus from the city to the town of Benzu.

Morocco often uses Ceuta as a political bargaining tool, threatening to open its side of the border and allowing large numbers of African migrants to attempt entry into the EU. Morocco steadfastly holds onto the claim over Ceuta, but for Spanish people living in the exclave, it is an integral part of Spain.

Morocco always wants Ceuta, said Bernal, before citing one of Spains long-held arguments for Spanish sovereignty. But it was never Moroccan, Morocco never existed until the 19th century so how can they reclaim what was never theirs.

Despite being part of modern Spain, Ceutas curious identity reflects its North African location. On Playa de la Ribera, where Spanish holidaymakers soak up the sun, the Muslim call to prayer can be heard and minarets seen on the skyline.

Every day, thousands of Moroccans cross the border to work in Ceuta, and Arabic and Spanish are both spoken on the streets. Churches sit alongside mosques, as well as Sephardic synagogues and even Hindu temples. From 2022, Ceuta declared that Muslim holidays like Eid al Fitr would be public holidays, on par with Christian celebrations in the exclave.

Geographically, Ceuta is in North Africa, politically its Spanish, but culturally, elements of both continents and worlds  Muslim and Christian  coexist side by side.

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Man posted photos of drug use before crash that killed 7-year-old, grandma, officials say

Nearly four years after a 7-year-old and her grandmother were killed in a DUI crash, the driver has been convicted, California officials say.

A jury convicted Jacob Anthony Caliboso, 25, of two second-degree murder charges in the death of Elva Andrade and her granddaughter, Nevaeh Gomez, the Ventura County District Attorneys office said in an April 30 news release.

An attorney representing Caliboso did not immediately return McClatchy News request for comment on May 1. Caliboso pleaded not guilty in February 2021, according to a news release from the district attorneys office.

Andrade was riding her motorcycle with her granddaughter down Pleasant Valley Road near Oxnard on June 22, 2020, prosecutors said.

As Caliboso was driving high on Xanax pills and marijuana, he crossed into oncoming traffic and struck the motorcycle head-on, prosecutors said.

Andrade died on scene, while her granddaughter was taken to a hospital, where she died the following day, prosecutors said.

A California Highway Patrol investigation showed Caliboso was driving 55 miles per hour and didnt brake before the crash, according to prosecutors.

Investigators also found more than 1,000 videos and photos on Snapchat that showed Caliboso using large amounts of drugs and driving in the weeks leading up to the crash, prosecutors said.

On the day of the fatal crash, prosecutors said, Caliboso posted nearly a dozen photos or videos of his drug use on Snapchat.

Some of these social media posts were shown to the jury to argue Caliboso chose to engage in dangerous conduct and was indifferent to the consequences, prosecutors said.

After four long years, Elva and Nevaehs family have received the justice they deserve, Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Leija said in the release.

As the verdict was read in court, Andrea Jimenez, Andrades daughter and Nevaehs mother, sat in the front row, the Ventura County Star reported.

My daughter, Nevaeh, and my mom, Elva, are together in heaven, Jimenez told the newspaper. The moment I heard the verdict of guilty, all I thought about was them at peace.

Caliboso, who is held without bail, is expected to appear in court on June 11 for sentencing.

Oxnard is about a 60-mile drive northwest from Los Angeles.

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Police in the U.K. announced on Tuesday that two men have been charged with cutting down the historic Sycamore Gap tree famously featured in the 1991 film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves."

Northumbria Police said Michael Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, both from Cumbria, have been charged with criminal damage to both the tree and a portion of Hadrian's Wall, which stood next to it before it fell last year. The Roman Emperor Hadrian built the wall in A.D. 122.

Graham and Carruthers are scheduled to appear in Newcastle Magistrates' Court on May 15.

The Sycamore Gap tree sat between two hills alongside Hadrian's Wall, making it a frequent destination for landscape photographers. After the spot gained heightened fame following its appearance in the version of "Robin Hood" starring Kevin Costner, tourists began flocking there.

The tree was discovered sawn to a stump, with the large tree toppled over Hadrian's Wall, on the morning of Sept. 28, 2023. It had been cut down in the night.

Police said Tuesday that Graham and Carruthers were originally arrested in October, and were released on bail.

"We recognise the strength of feeling the felling has caused, however we would remind people to avoid speculation, including online, which could impact the ongoing case," police said. "We would further ask that anyone with information, who has not already come forward, contact us."

According to the National Trust, a conservation charity that oversees a number of historic sites and monuments in the U.K., the tree was planted in the late 1800s by previous landowner John Clayton, making it around 150 years old. The organization collected seeds and cuttings from the felled tree, which it is now working to propagate into new saplings in order to "create a lasting legacy for the tree."

The National Trust also erected a fence around the tree's stump, which conservationists hope will eventually sprout new shoots.

--with reporting by TMX
The one-week period of in-person, early voting starts on Thursday at 7 a.m. Each Maryland county has at least one early voting center, and more than likely more than that depending on a jurisdictions population.

The early voting centers for each Maryland county can be found on the State Board of Elections website, including en espanol. The number of early voting centers is tied to a countys number of registered voters. Washington County, for example, with over 100,000 registered voters, has three early voting centers, while Wicomico County, with about 66,000 registered voters, has two.

Any person who is registered to vote, or eligible to register to vote, can vote during early voting, after registration is confirmed. Last week, the State Board of Elections mailed postcards to about 750,000 Marylanders who were not registered to vote, informing them they can still register and vote during early voting that is scheduled to run from Thursday, May 2, through Thursday, May 9, or on Election Day, scheduled for Tuesday, May 14.

In this file photo, voters cast their ballots on the first day of early voting in Maryland's 2022 primary elections.

Registering to vote is the critical first step to ensuring your voice is heard in this years primary election, said State Administrator Jared DeMarinis, in an April 24 press release. We encourage every eligible Marylander to find their local early voting center or polling place and bring the necessary documentation to register and exercise their right to vote.

District 1 Congress candidates: US Congressional candidates weigh in on top priorities for Maryland's Eastern Shore

How to register to vote during Maryland's early voting period

To register to vote during the early voting period, the State Board of Elections website instructs one to visit an early voting center in the county where you live between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. during the week of early voting and bring a document that proves where you live.

This document can be your MVA-issued license, ID card or change of address card, or your paycheck, bank statement, utility bill, or other government document with your name and new address, the website says. You will be able to register to vote and vote.

Over 150,000 Marylanders have already cast mail-in ballots in the presidential primary election prior to the first in-person vote on Thursday. Over a third of the mail-in ballots sent by local boards of elections in both Washington and Wicomico counties have already been received, according to an April 25 report on the State Board of Elections website.

Which offices are on Maryland's 2024 primary ballot?

Generally, the primary ballot includes selections for: President of the United States, U.S. Senator, Representative in Congress, and delegates to a partys convention (often with the name of the presidential candidate that the delegate has pledged to support at the convention underneath).

Other offices on the ballot may include selections for: Judge of the Circuit Court and Board of Education. A copy of the ballot for your jurisdiction can be found online at the State Board of Elections website. Sample ballots have also been mailed to voters in some Maryland jurisdictions.

More: Maryland presidential primary Election Day is next month, and here's what you need to know

Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Early voting period begins this week. Find out where to vote and more.
A meeting at this Independence church may have had a role in shaping world history

After Harry Trumans family moved to Independence, Missouri, in 1890, the future president met his future wife, Bess Wallace, at Sunday School in the First Presbyterian Church, which is pictured in a postcard from the early 1900s.

Inside Look is a Star series that takes our readers behind the scenes of some of the most well-known and not-so-well-known places and events in Kansas City. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at InsideLook@kcstar.com.

Over time time an image can play a role that wasnt originally intended. This postcard from the early 1900s is a good example.

It shows Pleasant Street on the west edge of the Independence Square, looking north from Kansas Street. The building at the end of the block is the First Baptist Church.

But its the red brick church with the big spire and round windows in the foreground that became a part of presidential lore.

The First Presbyterian Church is where a six year-old Harry Truman first met five year-old Bess Wallace while attending Sunday School not long after his family moved to Independence from Lamar, Missouri in 1890.

By his own account, Harry was much more taken with her than she was with him..

In 1919, almost 30 years later later, the two were married. After spending some very eventful time in Washington, the couple returned to Independence to spend the rest of their days.

Today, a bronze plaque at the front of First Presbyterian commemorates the churchs unique role in both local and world history.

Having trouble seeing the video. Watch it here.

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The boss who helped give Harry Truman his political start

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New Hampshire is responding on two fronts to the hundreds of claims of sexual and physical abuse from individuals held as children at the former Youth Development Center: in a Brentwood courtroom, where it is defending itself against the first of what could be hundreds of costly lawsuits, and at the Legislature.

Attorney General John Formella has asked lawmakers for $60 million to increase settlement payments to victims. Senate Bill 591 would also expand the type of abuse covered. The aim is to encourage more people to settle rather than sue.

The bill is not retroactive, however, and will not allow victims whove settled for the existing payment caps to seek more money.

As of March 31, the most recent data available, the state had received 418 claims, many of them this year, according to the office administering the fund.

The legislation has passed the Senate and is scheduled to go before the House Thursday, with a unanimous recommendation from the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee that it pass.

Should the bill succeed, Michal Cantor, a lawyer with Nixon Peabody, which represents nearly 1,000 victims, told lawmakers earlier this month that the firm would advise clients to drop their lawsuits and settle with the state instead.

The Attorney Generals Office is defending itself against a lawsuit from one of Nixon Peabodys clients now. David Meehan testified before a jury this month about significant, ongoing abuse he suffered from staff at YDC.

We support this bill for our clients because it makes our clients feel validated, Cantor said.

Formella said spending more money now could ultimately save the state money because it could lead to fewer lawsuits. Formella told the House committee that his office can control what it pays victims to settle a claim but not what juries may award them in a civil trial.

His argument appears to have been persuasive.

The committee unanimously agreed, it wrote in recommending the bill pass, that though there is no amount of money that can compensate the victims for the harms suffered, this bill will benefit many child abuse survivors who have avoided the current process because of its limited scope, low caps on recovery, and overly complex procedures.

The legislation would create a new category for egregious sexual abuse, defined as wanton or cruel abuse, that goes beyond what most victims experience. Claims would be capped at $2.5 million.

Victims of non-egregious sexual and other abuse, another new category, could be paid up to $1.5 million. Other abuse would include unlawful restraint, confinement, strip searches, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The same cap would apply for claims of non-egregious sexual abuse alone.

If a victim filed a claim for only other abuse, the cap would be $250,000.

As of March 31, the most recent data available, the state had received 418 claims, many of them this year, according to the office administering the fund. In 2023, the office received 259 claims. In the first three months of this year, the number was 159.

Claims are resolving slowly. The office has settled 134 claims for a total of $66.3 million.

Chuck Douglas, who has represented about 20 clients who chose to settle with the state rather than file a lawsuit, said it is unfair to limit the enhanced payments to only new claimants. He said about five of his clients received the maximum payments under the current practice and could be entitled to more money if the bill was retroactive.

Now they are being punished for doing what the state wanted, Douglas said, referring to opting against a lawsuit.

Senate President Jeb Bradley, a Wolfeboro Republican, helped Formella lobby the House committee to support it.

There are some 1,000 cases, maybe more, Bradley said. If they were not to settle on a large number of those it would clog our courts up for years with unknown outcomes in the litigation process. Unknown outcomes could mean a huge expenditure for the state that is not only not able to be determined but not able to be managed.

This story was originally published by the New Hampshire Bulletin.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH: Bill would reduce youth center lawsuits by paying victims more
Remains found by hunter in remote area of Nevada IDd 40 years later, officials say

Nearly 40 years after a hunter found remains in a remote area of Nevada, theyve been identified, officials say.

Using forensic genetic genealogy, the remains found in Reno were identified as Robert Smithcamp, who would have been 46 at the time of his death, the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiners Office said in a May 1 news release.

When the remains were found in November 1984, there were several items nearby, including a Holiday Hotel/Casino Keno ticket stamped with the date 05/04/1982, combs, can openers, and four pennies with a date of 1980, Othram Inc., a forensic genetic genealogy company that helped identify the remains, said in a news release.

A pink blanket was also near the body, which was found at what looked like a campsite near Tracy Clark Power Station, Othram said.

The medical examiners office said a forensic pathologist examined the remains, however, a cause and manner of death could not be determined given the remains severe skeletonization.

Detectives determined the remains, which were were partially charred by a fire in the area in July 1983, belonged to a man between the ages of 35 and 45, the company said.

A dental autopsy showed the man had recently undergone a dental procedure, Othram said.

More than two decades after the remains were found, Othram said the case was entered in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in 2008.

Despite ongoing investigation, Othram said law enforcement was not able to identify the man, and the case went cold.

Then, in 2023, investigators turned their efforts to investigative genetic genealogy.

Genetic genealogy uses DNA testing coupled with traditional genealogical methods to create family history profiles, according to the Library of Congress. With genealogical DNA testing, researchers can determine if and how people are biologically related.

After the medical examiners office sent DNA evidence to Othram, the company said its scientists worked to create a comprehensive DNA profile for the unidentified man.

The profile was then uploaded to consumer genealogical databases, the medical examiners office said.

This analysis provided a lead to a family member who had taken an at-home genetic test, the medical examiners office said.

The medical examiners office and Othram contacted the family, who provided a DNA sample, leading to the remains being identified as Smithcamp.

We are thankful to be able to identify Mr. Smithcamp and give his family closure after nearly 40 years, Laura D. Knight, the countys chief medical examiner and coroner, said in the release.

Someone walked into sheriffs office with skull in 2001, cops say. Now its identified

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No agency tracks the use of automated license plate readers across the state. So The News & Observer began a reporting project in 2023 to find out just how widespread the devices have become among law enforcement agencies.

The project focused on fixed automated license plate readers, rather than those mounted in police or sheriffs vehicles, because of an ongoing debate in the N.C. General Assembly about allowing the stationary devices on state-maintained roads and highways.

The industrys dominant company, Flock Safety, several years ago began offering clients the ability to publish transparency portals providing high-level details of their ALPR programs. This can include data on usage policies, the number of cameras and details about the frequency of alerts and searches for each department.

The portals are optional for each client. In July 2023, Flock Safety declined to provide a list of these transparency sites for its law enforcement clients. So The News & Observer set out to find as many as possible.

The N&O created an initial list of web addresses after looking for transparency portals on multiple search engines. Because the pattern of the web addresses were relatively consistent, The N&O also created a list of known Flock clients and possible URLs, which it regularly tested with code.

More web addresses were added after The N&O began surveying more than 160 North Carolina law enforcement agencies to ask about their use of ALPR vendors and whether they had launched a transparency portal for their own activity.

The N&O supplemented its lists with records from the State Bureau of Investigation, which provided details on which agencies obtained access to data extracts from the National National Crime Information Center, which tracks vehicles and license plates of wanted suspects. This data is linked to an agencys Flock Safety system to match and provide automatic alerts on vehicles of interest that pass by the license plate cameras leased by the agency.

After building the list, The N&O used code to regularly collect data on each site from late July to mid-April to better understand, based on publicly available information, how the devices are used.

A Flock automated license plate reader camera used by the Raleigh Police Department is mounted on a Duke Energy utility pole on Hillsbourough Street in Raleigh on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2023. RPD operates 25 automated readers that collect license plate and vehicle information including color, make, model and bumper sticker details on around 400,000 vehicles per month.

Details gathered from the sites also revealed which police and sheriffs departments across the country were granted access to an agencys camera data. The N&O used this list of external organizations to construct and test for additional transparency portals, based on the previously discovered standard URL pattern.

In all, the project as of mid-April collected data on more than 360 Flock transparency sites for agencies across the country.

Its hard to know how many of the companys more than 5,000-plus law enforcement clients have active transparency portals  or what percentage of those sites The N&Os list captured.

In April, Flock did provide a list of 33 North Carolina agency portals. Comparing the two lists, The N&O was missing 3 of the active sites, while the company omitted one from The N&Os list.

The N&O also requested the locations of ALPR devices from several law enforcement agencies across the state to examine demographics and neighborhood characteristics of their placement. The city of Greensboro was one of the few municipalities that provided these locations, which The N&O mapped using GIS software.

The N&O used the Open-Source Routing Machine Project to calculate distances between the cameras and the center of each Guilford County block group, a census area roughly the size of a neighborhood that generally contains several thousand people.

After filtering only for block groups containing Greensboros city limits and matching each block groups closest camera with 5-year 2022 American Community Survey data, The N&O calculated the demographics of neighborhoods within a 5-minute drive of a camera compared to those further away.

The N&O is making the data collected from the law enforcement survey and the Flock transparency sites available publicly for all uses.
Traffic flows on the eastern portion of the Washington Bridge at 6:38 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The state has released bid documents for the demolition and replacement of the western side. (Rhode Island Department of Transportation Traffic Camera)

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has launched the search for construction firms to tear down and rebuild the westbound Washington Bridge  with a total of $13 million in incentives to expedite the work.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers wasted no time Tuesday afternoon in pushing for more transparency from RIDOT on the status of whats being done to replace the bridge connecting East Providence and Providence via Interstate 195.

After little discussion, the Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight voted 8-0 to advance legislation mandating RIDOT publish a monthly report with updates on the response to the partial closure of the bridge to a full vote Thursday. The bill is sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Valarie Lawson, an East Providence Democrat.

Under Lawsons bill, RIDOTs report must include an updated timeline on the fate of the bridge, a list of all contractors, average traffic delay times, costs associated with the closure and repair project, along with data of bridge-related vehicle accidents.

The first report would be required to be published within 30 days of the legislation being signed into law and reports would continue to be released on the first of each month until the bridge is rebuilt  a process state officials anticipate will last through summer 2026.

Sen. Jake Bissaillon, a Providence Democrat, was not present for Tuesdays committee vote.

Twenty minutes after the Senate committee vote, the House State Government and Elections Committee voted 13-0 to approve companion legislation sponsored by Majority Whip Katherine Kazarian, an East Providence Democrat.

My number one goal and the goal of all the reps in the East Bay has been about getting as much information as possible so they can make their plans accordingly, Kazarian said in an interview after the committee vote. They deserve the right to know whats going on with this bridge.

Reps. Jacquelyn Baginski, a Cranston Democrat, and Patricia Morgan, a West Warwick Republican, were not present for Tuesdays vote.

Should the House and Senate bills pass, RIDOT spokesperson Charles St. Martin said the department will certainly provide the requested information in accordance with the legislation.

RIDOT continues to provide regular updates to the general public related to the bridge and meets weekly with East Bay legislators to provide updates on the bridge, St. Martin said via email.

Rep. Whip Katherine Kazarian, far left, looks at the agenda of bills up for vote by fellow members of the House State Government and Elections Committee Tuesday afternoon. That includes her bill mandating the Rhode Island Department of Transportation publish a monthly report with updates on the response to the partial closure of the Washington Bridge. At center is Rep. Mary Duffy Messier. At right is the committees chairman, Rep. Evan Shanley. (Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)

Two RFPs in four days

Indeed, RIDOT posted details on its replacement timeline in two separate requests for proposals posted online. The first, seeking bidders to demolish the bridge, was published Friday afternoon, followed Tuesday by a second call for bids to replace the bridge.

The demolition process is divided into four parts: the Gano Street ramp, west end of the bridge, east cantilever spans, and east end of the structure.

The demolition of the Washington Bridge Westbound superstructure shall be performed to avoid damage to the existing substructure and the adjacent bridge, the full RFP reads.

The RFP notes that the existing substructure shall remain in place for the potential repair and reuse in the reconstruction of the bridge. The firm hired to demolish the bridge is responsible for any damage caused by their operations and demolition debris to these elements, according to the RIDOTs request.

Final bids are due June 21, with a tentative contract to be awarded by June 28.

RIDOT is offering up to $3 million for completing the demolition ahead of the projected March 2025 date. But contractors face a $3 million penalty if the project falls behind schedule.

To attract as many bids as possible, the RFP offers $100,000 to the second- and third-place bidders.

Rebuild bid could be awarded late July

State officials previously said the bridge should be complete between March and September of 2026. But in its request for proposals (RFP) published online Tuesday, RIDOT is aiming for the project to be complete in August 2026.

The more lanes opened for both eastbound and westbound traffic, the higher per-day rate the selected design-build team can earn, the department said in a statement Tuesday.

RIDOT also plans to impose a $30,000 daily disincentives for missing the completion date.

The state is asking for contractors to design five through lanes of travel over the new bridge, a new on-ramp from Gano Street, and a new off-ramp to Waterfront Drive.

Final proposals are due July 3 and the winning bid is expected to be picked later that month, according to RIDOT.

The post With Washington Bridge RFPs now out, lawmakers continue push for transparency appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
What was supposed to be a joyful occasion turned into tummy turmoil for some unlucky wedding guests.

Over 100 guests at a wedding reception in Mexico turned violently ill during a four-course meal that landed 80 people in the hospital.

Guest Aranza Rodriguez was present at the ceremony Saturday night in the central city of Cuernavaca, Mexico, and was one of the individuals rushed to a Red Cross hospital to be treated for a bacterial infection.

While the wedding began around 4 p.m., the dinner was to be served at 6 p.m. Rodriguez said she arrived at the wedding venue between 8 and 9 p.m. and noticed that many of the guests were experiencing "aggravated symptoms" that included headaches, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

However, she still selected a meal and began dining when she noticed ambulances starting to arrive at the scene around 10 p.m.

Rodriguez told the Daily Mail she had started with wild mushrooms, goat cheese, and tomato coulis as appetizers.

As her main dish, she was served chicken breast stuffed with spinach, tarragon, sweet potato puree, and winter asparagus.

She said that male guests were served a different menu, which included meat with a whisky sauce.

While she's unable to determine which of the foods made her ill, she remembers that the wild mushrooms had the aftertaste of a "very strong chemical."

A TikTok video that went viral showed a paramedic assisting a guest who was hunched over a chair while another used paper as a fan to help cool them down.

Footage on social media captured the frenzy among paramedics, who at one point were seen providing assistance to two women crouched on a chair, having seemingly just vomited.

Rodriguez revealed she had to be carried away and was unaware of how she made it to one of the several hospitals.

Eighty people were treated for the bacterial infection and released within four to five hours.
NARA, May 02 (News On Japan) - Tenri City in Nara Prefecture has opened a "dedicated desk" to handle complaints that were traditionally managed within schools.

The ongoing saga of excessive parental demands and complaints is a significant factor contributing to teacher burnout. In the 2022 fiscal year, a record 639 teachers resigned due to mental health issues like depression.

Current Elementary School Teacher's Struggle: "Parents would stand at the back of the classroom, monitoring the lesson because they thought I wasn't educating properly. Ive had to discuss issues with parents until about 11 PM. It was exhausting... constantly thinking about that person."

Unreasonable complaints and demands from parents are exacerbating the already heavy burdens of busy teachers.

In response to this pressing situation, Tenri City has established a "specialized desk for parental responses" separate from the schools.

Approximately a month after the introduction of this new system, those manning the dedicated desk began to feel its positive impact. However, this has not completely dissolved the tension, as the ingrained anger and anxiety among parents about child upbringing and school activities continue to pose challenges.

The aim is to foster a better understanding and address the root causes of parental anxiety, which often escalates into anger. Introducing specialists to assist with these interactions is proving invaluable. While the system helps bridge some gaps, concerns remain about the intensity of the relationships that develop between parents and the school. Not all responsibilities can be shifted to the new system, as maintaining a direct connection with parents is essential for building trust and understanding.

Source: KTV NEWS
HYOGO, May 02 (News On Japan) - Mayor Ryosuke Takashima of Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, has completed one year in office as the youngest mayor in history. In an interview, Mayor Takashima stated, "Executing policies is the critical theme for my second year."

Having graduated from the University of Tokyo and then Harvard University in the United States, Takashima won his first mayoral election in April last year and took office on May 1st at the age of 26, becoming the youngest mayor in history. Since his inauguration, he has focused on "education reform" and "dialogue with citizens" as his main themes, conducting "dialogue assemblies" at all elementary and junior high schools in the city to consolidate opinions towards educational reform.

Mayor Takashima shared, "So far, we have engaged in dialogue and reflected the voices we heard in our policies. However, simply reflecting these voices in policies is not enough to solve problems; how we utilize these reflections is the most crucial theme going forward." He added, "I want to continue the dialogue with citizens and integrate it into the culture of Ashiya City as a whole."

Source: ABCTVnews
May 02 (News On Japan) - After a five-year hiatus, Haruna Hori stars in the movie "Sumiko 22," a drama that humorously portrays the internal conflicts of a woman in her twenties, based on director Sawako Fukuoka's own experiences.

The story follows the protagonist, who realizes her feelings are becoming vague, as she tries to honor her senses through conversations with herself.

Sumiko Shizuoka, played by Haruna Hori, feels her likes, dislikes, and sense of humor are unclear. She decides to converse with herself to clarify these feelings. Sumiko values her family's cat greatly and realizes the need for delicious chocolate after attempting to fit in with others. Eventually, she quits her job at a company she joined after graduating from university, only four months in, and starts a new life.

The film is set to hit theaters on June 29, 2024.

Source: 
P.E.O. Chapter IQ-LP

Following its recent merger, the first official meeting of Chapter IQ-LP of the P.E.O. Sisterhood was held on April 10 at Our Saviors Lutheran Church.

Upon arrival, members were greeted by co-hostesses Sharon Finerty and Beverly Hobbs with gifts of hand-held floral cups filled with chocolate and vanilla delicacies.

Prior to the business meeting and setting the stage for a new program series Sisters Meeting Sisters, the chapter's newest member Joyce Page presented a short program and displayed examples of her collection of Kachina dolls from the Hopi Indian tribes of Arizona.

A native of Iowa, Page spent several of her formative years as a resident of Arizona. During that time and in recent years, she closely observed the technique and began acquiring selected Hopi Indian dolls which are hand-carved and painted from cottonwood tree roots and central to the Hopi religion.

One-of-a-kind and intricate in detail, the dolls are traditionally given as gifts to Hopi children to teach them about their culture, Page said in closing remarks.

Kachina dolls are often exhibited in North American museums for public viewing.

The business meeting of Chapter IQ-LP followed and was held in good form as conducted by president Beverly Fletcher who, with the participation of newly elected officers and committee chairs, installed into office elected treasurer, Karen Behrens.

Covering current business matters in detail and upcoming activities of the chapter in the months ahead, the president closed the meeting with a memorial service to remember Diana Dee Sears, one of the chapters newest members, who passed away unexpectedly in March.

The next meeting of Chapter IQ-LP includes a Tribute to Mothers" and will be held on Wednesday, May 8, at 12:30 p.m. in the community room of Our Saviors Lutheran Church with Patricia Minchin and Yvonne Willadsen serving as co-hostesses. Of particular interest that day, the chapter membership will address the Iowa Project Fund Inc.
Council Bluffs Retired School Personnel

The Council Bluffs Retired School Personnel met on March 20 at the Council Bluffs Country Club with 34 members and three guests in attendance. New members were Char Les Kimmish and Barb Burns.

Brent Hoesing, superintendent of Lewis Central Community School District, discussed current legislation. Topics included area education agencies, schooling funding, teacher salaries, open enrollment, arming staff members and school start dates.

Carol Huffman was presented a flowering plant for her past dedication as the CBRSP treasurer. She has moved and will be transferring her membership to a Nebraska group.

JoAnn Tews was recognized for her induction into the Abraham Lincolns Hall of Fame.

The Council Bluffs Retired Personnel also met on April 17 at the Council Bluffs Country Club with 49 members in attendance.

We have one new member, Sandie Smith, which brings our membership to 72.

Raffle tickets were sold for our scholarship fundraiser. A good time was had by all in attendance, as there were many fun and unique items donated which included baked goods and other food items, craft items, plants, wine, quilt and gift cards.

A total of $879 was raised from the sale of tickets, which brought this years total donations to $1,025. Our scholarship is given annually through the Southwest Iowa Educational Foundation.

Officers for the coming year were selected: Beverly Fletcher  President, Diane Johnson  Vice President, Julie Dillehay  Secretary & Newsletter, Nancy File  Treasurer & Reservations, Lee Cooper - Legislation, JoAnn Tews and Darlene Schwarzkopf - Membership, Carol Mattox - Courtesy, and Beverly Fletcher & Nancy File  Program Book.

The group is on recess until our next meeting on Sept. 18. For more information, contact cbrspa451503@gmail.com.
The National Weather Service already knew Friday's cluster of tornadoes would make the record books.

The Omaha office based in Valley, Nebraska, issued 42 tornado warnings across the region on Arbor Day. Meteorologists with the federal agency are still sorting through damage surveys and compiling information on the storm's aftermath.

So far, weather service employees  including those from its Kansas City, St. Louis, Hastings, Nebraska, and Sioux Fall, South Dakota, offices  have determined that the storm was the most powerful to hit the area in nearly a decade.

In its preliminary assessment, the office has tallied 10 tornadoes within its coverage area: five rated an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, two rated as EF2 and three listed as EF1.

The EF3 tornadoes, which pack winds of 136 mph to 165 mph, are the strongest to strike the area since an EF3 landed near Coleridge, Nebraska, on June 17, 2014, according to the report. That storm struck a day after four EF4 tornadoes tore through northeast Nebraska, including the twin EF4 twisters that hit Pilger, Nebraska, on June 16, 2014.

We havent seen tornadoes this strong in our area for a decade, said Brennen Darrah, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office.

One storm produced an EF3 tornado that developed about 4:58 p.m. just east of the Eppley Airfield runway, destroying several aircraft hangars and aircraft. It crossed the river and damaged homes south of Crescent, as well as destroying a vehicle detail shop.

The tornado traveled about 16.1 miles, moving northeast and dissipated in a field just north of the Harrison-Pottawattamie county line.

Another storm produced two EF3 tornadoes, one that started in southwest Iowa and came within a couple miles of McClelland and another that struck Minden as it cut a path nearly 41 miles long.

The first EF3 tornado formed about 5:08 p.m. and tracked 13.3 miles from near Trenyor to northeast of McClelland.

As it broke apart, a second EF3 tornado formed about 5:25 p.m. and traveled through eastern Minden to the area immediately east of Tennant, before moving west of Harlan and immediately east of Defiance. It dissipated just south of the Shelby-Crawford county line.

The tornado had multiple vortices around the time it hit Minden, with "evidence of narrow zones of the most intense damage which lines up very well with the multiple vortex tornado concept," according to a statement. In the area, damage consistent with an EF1 tornado was found only 100 yards from EF3-level damage.

"The most intense damage was on the far east side of Minden," the weather service said. "Numerous homes were uninhabitable and several homes were completely destroyed."

About 6:28 p.m., an EF2 tornado formed over the V&W Petersen Wildlife Management Area and moved north to the immediate west of Manilla before dissipating in rural Crawford County in an area east-southeast of Denison.

Another tornado, rated as EF1, formed about 6:51 p.m. "just a few blocks outside of Defiance." It tracked 12.3 miles north-northeast in rural Crawford County.

Earlier in the severe weather event, an EF1 tornado formed about 4:52 p.m. near Pacific Junction southeast of the Interstate 29 and Highway 275 interchange, tracking north-northeast before dissipating at Pony Creek Park. One home on a bluff took a direct hit, the weather service said.

In its assessment of the storms power, the weather service said crews have surveyed all of the stronger tornadoes that struck the region. But Darrah said the agency is still working to assess smaller ones.

The total number of tornadoes will certainly go up, said Darrah, who called the event one for the record books. Additional tornadoes were recorded in central Iowa and Missouri, Darrah said.

The tornadoes the Omaha office surveyed combined for a total track length of 162.5 miles and were on the ground for a total of 4 hours and 51 minutes, according to the Omaha offices report. The maximum wind speed, based on ground level damage assessments, was 165 mph.

The maximum single tornado track length was 40.9 miles. Two tornadoes were up to a mile wide at some point.

The tornadoes were spawned by storms known as supercells, which go through cycles. They can strengthen and spin out a tornado, then weaken and later form again to produce more, Darrah said.

At the National Weather Service, the meteorologists wrote in their findings, our hearts are with all of those impacted, including our friends, our neighbors and everyone who has been affected by these devastating tornadoes.

Find details, as compiled by the weather service, at weather.gov/oax/april262024.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP)  An Israeli strike on a school sheltering the displaced in the Gaza Strip killed at least 27 people on Thursday, Palestinian medical officials said. The Israeli military said it targeted militants, but people sheltering there said the strike hit a meeting of a
As Columbia University weighs expelling protesting students currently occupying an academic hall on campus, a fellow Ivy League instution has decided to take a different approach.



Students at Brown University will disband their Gaza Solidarity encampment on Tuesday after the college's highest governing body agreed to vote on divesting from Israel during an upcoming October meeting. Students agreed to clear the university green of tents, personal belongings and trash by 5 p.m., Brown President Christina H. Paxson said, in a document outlining the final terms of the agreement.

"The devastation and loss of life in the Middle East has prompted many to call for meaningful change, while also raising real issues about how best to accomplish this," Paxson wrote.

"I cannot condone the encampment, which was in violation of University policies. Also, I have been concerned about the escalation in inflammatory rhetoric that we have seen recently, and the increase in tensions at campuses across the country. I appreciate the sincere efforts on the part of our students to take steps to prevent further escalation."

The agreement was signed by activists Eli Grossman, Ariela Rosenzweig, Isabella Garo and Mona Malone and university employees Eric S. Estes and Russell C. Carey.

The student activists celebrated the agreement on social media - describing not just as a victory for their own coalition but also for "nationwide movement for divestment from Israel." Among the students who negotiated with the administration were members of the groups Jews for Ceasefire Now, the Brown Divest Coalition and Students for Justice in Palestine.

"Brown administration has conceded to students' demand that divestment would be voted on by the Brown Corporation after years of tireless pressure from the student body, 61 student arrests, an eight day hunger strike, seven days of encampment and countless protests," the Brown Divest Coalition wrote on Instagram.

In addition to agreeing to a vote on divestment, the university agreed that students, faculty and staff would not face retaliation from Brown for their involvement in the encampment. While students will still remain subject to the university's code of student conduct, the disciplinary process will not proceed beyond an initial review meeting. The university will continue to investigate reports of bias, harassment and discrimination.

The university has also agreed to allow five student activists to meet with a group of five members of the Corporation of Brown University, when they are on campus for their May meeting.

"The meeting responds to the students' interest to be heard on the issue of 'divestment from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territory,' which was a core demand of their protest action," Paxson wrote.

This agreement comes as tensions continue to escalate at colleges and universities across the United States. In addition to Columbia's threats to expel student activists, more than a thousand students have been arrested in pro-Palestinian demonstrations across more than 10 states.
Dozens of American military personnel will likely leave Chad in the coming days, at least temporarily, which comes days after Washington agreed to pull out about 1,000 of its troops from neighboring Niger following the ruling juntas decision to cancel a military accord with the US.

The United States is expected to begin withdrawing its troops out of Niger and now also Chad following deteriorating relations with both of the African countries, which coincides with Russias increasing influence in the continent. But unlike in Niger, Chads government has not canceled the status of forces agreement that governed its military relationship with the United States, according to senior US government sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Some of the about 100 US military personnel in Chad will be pulled out amid a broader, involuntary reconfiguration of Washingtons security policy in a volatile part of Africa.

The repositioning could be temporary, the senior officials said, as Washington hopes to negotiate with Chad about their security relationship  including potentially returning the troops who departed  following the countrys presidential elections 6 May. After the US agreed last week to pull out more than 1,000 military personnel from neighboring Niger, Chad is the second country in a week that has issued a host-nation directive to Washington to remove its deployed forces from an African country deemed integral to US counterterrorism operations in the region. It remains to be seen what impact will the US withdrawal from Niger and Chad have on the fight against terrorism in the Sahel region, where Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram and other extremist groups remain at large.
Morocco is committed to contributing to the success of electoral processes across the African continent, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said.

He made the remark at the opening of a training co-held with the African Union benefiting election observers.

Morocco is ready to provide well-trained election observers to promote democratic processes across the continent, Bourita said.

The training program aims to equip Africa with high-quality observers who can enhance the credibility of electoral processes throughout the continent.

Bourita recalled the speech delivered by King Mohammed VI during the 28th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, where the Sovereign emphasized that Africa can and must validate its own electoral processes, thereby endorsing the free choice of its citizens.

The King highlighted the existence of regulatory tools and judicial institutions in Africa, such as Constitutional Councils and Supreme Courts, capable of resolving electoral disputes and appeals.

Seventy-four participants from 45 African countries are taking part in this specialized training cycle.

Bourita highlighted the timeliness of the event which takes place ahead of numerous elections in the continent, where 50% of the population is young.
The 3rd Arab Economic and Cooperation Forum with the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, held on Tuesday in Doha at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Economy, highlighted the importance of the role of the Presidency of the Al-Quds Committee.

In the Doha Declaration issued at the end of the Forum, the Arab Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Economy and their counterparts from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan also praised the efforts of Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency, which reports to the Al-Quds Committee, chaired by King Mohammed VI.

They also stressed the importance of Libyan parties respecting the Skhirat Agreement, signed in Morocco in 2015.

On another note, participants in the forum welcomed the Marrakech Declaration on the Security Initiative against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, adopted in January 2024, which stresses the need to step up regional efforts to combat weapons of mass destruction by promoting the exchange of expertise, experience, and best practices between member countries of this initiative.

The participants also welcomed the positive outcome of Moroccos presidency of the United Nations Environment Assembly for the period 2022-2024, and outlined that the Rabat Declaration adopted at the end of the High-Level Conference on Middle-Income Countries, held in Rabat on February 5 and 6, 2024, had called for a paradigm shift in international development cooperation in favor of middle-income countries, and for the strengthening of these countries participation in global governance.

The Forum also welcomed Moroccos election to the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the year 2024, as the first Arab country to accede to this prestigious post.

Likewise, the Doha Declaration welcomed the Kingdoms appointment as facilitator of the UN process for the World Social Summit to be held in 2025.

Morocco was represented at the Forum by a delegation led by the Kingdoms Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League, Mohamed Ait Ouali.
Theodoros Rousopoulos, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), lauded Moroccos pivotal role in fostering stable relations between Africa and Europe.

In a statement he made in Rabat on Monday, following talks with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Rousopoulos also emphasized the significant reforms spearheaded by King Mohammed VI, asserting that these reforms position Morocco as a beacon of progress within the region.

He highlighted further the alignment of Moroccos recent reforms with the principles upheld by the Council of Europe, and underscored the nations commitment to democratic values and governance.

The close relations between the Moroccan Parliament and the Council of Europe was also acknowledged by Rousopoulos, particularly on the occasion of the Councils 75th anniversary this year. He commended the fruitful cooperation between the two entities, expressing his intent to bolster and fortify these ties in the forthcoming months.

Since 2011, the Moroccan Parliament has held the status of Partner for Democracy with the PACE, affording it active involvement in the activities of the Council.

Building upon this partnership, Rousopoulos announced new avenues for collaboration, granting Moroccan parliamentary delegates the authority to propose recommendations and resolutions, as well as to submit amendments and request discussions on pressing matters.

This announcement signifies a deepening of the relationship between Morocco and the Council of Europe, offering Moroccan representatives increased avenues for engagement and advocacy within the international arena.
Photo: AFP via Getty Images

Early on Thursday morning, the Los Angeles Police Department cracked down on pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of California, Los Angeles, violently dismantling the encampment set up last week.

The Daily Bruin, UCLAs student newspaper, reports that hundreds of police officers had arrived on campus, where thousands of demonstrators were gathered in support of Palestine and to call for the schools divestment from Israel. Police moved in on the encampment around 1:20 a.m. after warning the crowd to disperse. Videos show LAPD officers shooting nonlethal munitions at students at close range:

Cops are shooting students at UCLA with less lethal munitions. They'd rather shoot kids than stop this genocide.pic.twitter.com/4RafQgTGZP  Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) May 2, 2024

Police are shooting rubber bullets at UCLA student kids: "I can tell you from doing stories about rubber bullets, they are extremely painful. If they hit your leg, your arm, they could break your arm." pic.twitter.com/OX2piXMV7o  HalalFlow (@halalflow) May 2, 2024

In the early moments of the standoff, demonstrators were briefly able to dispel some of the officers by surrounding them and forcing them to retreat:

VIDEO: LAPD officers forced to retreat out of the UCLA encampment at about 1:53 a.m. (via ABC7) https://t.co/o4hoR926G3 pic.twitter.com/xuiY69LPyo  Louis Keene (@thislouis) May 2, 2024

As the night wore on, officers with the LAPD and the California Highway Patrol broke through the barriers to the encampment, reportedly using flashbang grenades and tear gas on protesters. By 5 a.m., the encampment was mostly cleared. The Daily Bruin reports that students had been detained and that officers threatened to arrest the student reporters still on campus early in the morning.

Flashbang and tear gas have been deployed on peaceful protesters at #UCLA by police. pic.twitter.com/vzMFK7FJ8I  Lana (@RashadLana18915) May 2, 2024

UCLA BREAKING  : CHP RIOT POLICE HAVE BROKEN THROUGH, POLICE HAVE BREACHED THE ENCAMPMENT. PEOPLE BEING DETAINED. pic.twitter.com/uxcAOReRp5  Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) May 2, 2024

The crackdown came one night after the Los Angeles Police Department was notably absent as counterprotesters attacked the UCLA encampment. On Tuesday night, KABC Los Angeles reports that a large number of counterprotesters arrived on campus around 11 p.m. and began attacking students. Videos showed that counterprotesters shot fireworks into the camp where students have been set up since last week:

Another firework in the camp pic.twitter.com/aJN4HTeHlI  Mel Buer (@mel_buer) May 1, 2024

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers began to step in to stop the violent skirmishes around 1:30 a.m.  roughly two and a half hours after the conflict began. By morning, at least one person had been driven away in an ambulance, per CBS, though the full number of injuries and arrests remain unclear. UCLA announced that all classes will be canceled for Wednesday.

Police officials and college administrations throughout the country have responded more forcefully this week to student encampments. At City College in Manhattan, police stated that 173 people were arrested in the crackdown on Tuesday night, though it is not clear how many of those were students, as it is an open campus. Thirty-one students were arrested at California State Polytechnic University on Tuesday after demonstrators took over two administrative buildings last week. Early on Wednesday morning, police with riot shields broke up the encampment at the University of WisconsinMadison. And at Dartmouth College early on Thursday morning, police threw a 65-year-old history professor, Annelise Orleck, on the ground. Orleck says she is now banned from campus.
In a class of her own. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Just four years ago, Marjorie Taylor Greene was, to use a technical term, an isolated crank running a doomed congressional campaign in the North Atlanta suburbs, where she had lived for most of her life. She was mainly known for her social-media extremism, having posted everything from lurid QAnon conspiracy theories to support for violence against Democratic leaders to a Jewish space lasers explanation for wildfires. Greene was expected to lose badly to former representative Karen Handel in the 2020 Republican primary in the Sixth Congressional District of Georgia.

But then the Republican congressman from a not exactly nearby district in northwest Georgia unexpectedly announced his retirement in December 2019. Within weeks, Greene announced for that 14th District primary, used family money to buy a house in the area, and overwhelmed a large Republican field with a combination of self-funding and hard-core right-wing small-dollar donations. Her ads usually featured her brandishing an assault rifle, and her message expressed her determination to defend northwest Georgia against antifa militants, socialists, and other phantom threats. By the time Greene reached Congress, she was already a national celebrity as a symbol of the extremism her idol, Donald Trump, had made part of the Republican mainstream.

Greene didnt miss a beat when the Democrats who controlled the House in 2021 stripped her of committee assignments over her newly discovered social-media comments. Freed of any actual work, she devoted herself to MAGA agitprop and fundraising, often in the company of her colleague Matt Gaetz. On multiple occasions, she made a spectacle of herself, refusing to wear a mask on the House floor in defiance of COVID-19 rules, heckling Joe Biden during his addresses to Congress, and getting into regular trouble with outlandish comments on subjects ranging from the Holocaust to Black Lives Matter.

But in 2022 and early 2023, a strange and wondrous thing happened to Greene: House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy won her over, treating her as an adviser and confidante as a way to protect his right flank in a fractious GOP conference. It paid off when she ran interference for him during his agonizing 15-ballot effort to become Speaker, even bringing in Trump to talk to rebellious conservatives. Thus began the short career of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Beltway Insider, punctuated by her ejection from the House Freedom Caucus for her loyalty to McCarthy.

When her old buddy Gaetz took down McCarthy, leading eventually to the elevation of Mike Johnson to the speakership, Greene lost her new and powerful patron. So its hardly surprising that she has returned to her earlier role as the wildest card in the congressional deck.

Most recently, Greene has defied the general acceptance of Johnson among hard-core House conservatives as the best of bad options. She has finally managed to get significantly to Trumps right, pushing to remove Johnson via a motion to vacate the chair even as the 45th president implicitly gave the Louisianan permission to pass a bipartisan foreign-aid package.

This week, NBC News interviewed a long list of notorious House wingnuts, and without exception, they all said Greene is barking up the wrong tree:

I oppose a motion to vacate at the current time, said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who led the motion to vacate that ousted Kevin McCarthy as speaker and has been critical of Johnson, R-La. 

Im not hearing a lot of critical mass for it, said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who added that he doesnt expect the motion to come to the floor. Im not hearing any chatter.

Asked if hed vote to remove Johnson as he did McCarthy, Biggs told reporters on Monday: I wont answer a hypothetical. What Ive said is: Its not the time. Although Im profoundly frustrated, disappointed and disgruntled, its not the time.

Numerous conservative lawmakers who have blasted the recent Johnson-blessed spending bills and foreign aid package said as the House returned from a weeklong recess that they arent ready to support Greenes push to remove Johnson. They cited a number of reasons: They worry it would disrupt GOP unity ahead of the election, they fear there isnt a better replacement, they believe itd fail due to a thinning majority, and some say the time isnt right.

Greene is still theoretically on Trumps list of vice-presidential prospects and may rank ahead of confessed puppy killer Kristi Noem  but nobody seriously thinks he would harness himself to this loosest of cannons.

So Greene is back where she started not that long ago: as a crackpot from the fever swamps who would be totally obscure without her knack for dumb and terrifying utterances.
New York City mayor Eric Adams speaks at a press conference as he holds up the request from Columbia University asking for the NYPD to clear protesters from Columbias campus where a building occupation and protest encampment had been set up in support of Palestinians. Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters

On Tuesday night, the NYPD arrested nearly 300 pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the campuses of Columbia University and City College of New York. Ahead of the police sweep, Mayor Eric Adams warned students to leave, claiming that the protests had been hijacked by outside agitators. On Wednesday morning, Adams and law-enforcement officials extended this line of argument, defending the departments tactics as a necessary response to chaos perpetuated by external actors.

There is a movement to radicalize young people, and Im not going to wait until its done and all of a sudden acknowledge the existence of it, Adams said at a press conference. This is a global problem that young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children, and Im not going to allow that to happen as the mayor of the City of New York.

In news appearances, NYPD officials cited the use of heavy bike chains to secure the doors of Hamilton Hall as evidence of the professional nature of the protests. This is not what students bring to school. This is what professionals bring to campuses and universities, Deputy Commissioner of Communication Tarik Sheppard said during an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday. But social-media users unearthed old posts from Columbia Universitys public-safety department that recommended the Kryptonite bike locks in question to students who biked and even offered a discount for purchasing them.

Authorities also misidentified protesters or blurred their roles. Adams cited one woman, Nahla Al-Arian, whose husband he claimed was convicted of terrorism. But Al-Arian wasnt on Columbias campus this week, and she told the AP that Adams had misstated her husbands legal past. Another woman, Lisa Fithian, a longtime activist who has made appearances at Occupy Wall Street and many other protests, was seen instructing protestors on how to barricade a door outside Hamilton Hall the night it was first occupied. But Fithian, whom the NYPD describes as a confirmed professional agitator, told the New York Times that she wasnt on campus Tuesday evening when the arrests were made.

Reporters questioned Sheppard further about the claim following Wednesdays press conference. He said the NYPD did arrest nonstudents Tuesday evening but did not elaborate on the numbers or whom they were associated with.

Here is @katie_honan confronting @NYPDDCPI with evidence that the chain he wielded to imply that outside agitators barricaded Hamilton Hall is a common bike lock that @Columbia itself sold to their students pic.twitter.com/j7lU9Nm1GO  Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) May 1, 2024

On Thursday, the NYPD claimed that almost half of those arrested at Columbia and CUNY were not affiliated with the schools, though more specifics were not forthcoming.

New: Of the 282 arrested at @Columbia and @CityCollegeNY, 134 were not affiliated with either school.



The remaining 148 did have an affiliation, according to a NYPD official who shared the breakdown with CNN.  Gloria Pazmino (@GloriaPazmino) May 2, 2024

Those taken into custody face a variety of potential charges, including trespass, criminal mischief, and burglary. Columbia University president Nemat Shafik requested that the NYPD maintain a presence on campus through May 17, two days after commencement, in her letter asking for police intervention.

Adams cited what he saw as a change in strategy, noting destruction of property and disruptions of cameras as proof of outside involvement. But the mayor said that any further information will be released on the departments timeline owing to the sensitive nature of the investigation.

Let me be very clear: This is an ongoing, evolving investigation. The intelligence division must be extremely sensitive about information they release, Adams said. Our goal is not to ensure you get a good story. Our goal is to make sure that we tell the right story.

The term outside agitator is notably fraught: It was frequently deployed by authorities to undermine civil-rights protests in the 1960s. And in 2020, New Yorks then-police commissioner Dermot Shea used the term to justify harsh police crackdowns on social-justice demonstrators in the wake of George Floyds murder.
35 items in this article 11 items on sale! Photo-Illustration: Photo-Illustration: Stevie Remsberg; Photos: Courtesy of the retailers

Buying a gift for a 2-year-old requires balancing a bit of knowledge about the skills they are developing with careful study of their personality. According to Jeannette Corey, director of the Bank Street Family Center, 2-year-olds are seeking independence, so their play often focuses on ways they can have an impact, accomplish a goal, and solve problems. They are also able to maintain focus for longer periods of time to complete a task like stacking blocks or assembling simple puzzles, she says. And because 2 is the age when children begin to engage in pretend play, Corey recommends toys that let them imagine themselves in the roles of adults and other important people in their lives  from a play kitchen where they can bake a make-believe cake to a miniature lawn mower they can push through the yard.

To find the best toys that fit that bill, I talked to professionals like Corey, as well as stylish and picky parents, toy buyers, and teachers about the toys they recommend for 2-year-olds. Ive also been keeping tabs on the toys that my toddler son, who will be 2 in December, enjoys playing with most, as well as the ones that are popular among his friends. Ive organized the list below by price, so if you have a specific budget in mind, you can use the table of contents to jump to that section  or read all the way through to get an idea of what 2-year-olds are into, according to the people who know them best.

Meanwhile, if youre also shopping for kids in other age groups, we have gift guides for 1-year-olds, 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, 6-year-olds, 7-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 9-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 11-year-olds, and 12-year-olds  plus the meticulously curated Strategist Toy Store, filled with all our greatest hits.

Update on October 11, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.

Under $25

I recently had to take my toddler to the emergency room because of a very high fever (hes fine) and was surprised to find that he has developed a fear of doctors. So to help him get more comfortable ahead of his next checkup, his grandparents bought him a Fisher Price medical kit. We have been practicing giving medicine to his stuffed animals and taking each others temperature. He is fascinated with the syringe that has a real working plunger and loves pushing the button on the digital thermometer. And the little doctors tote bag it comes with gives us a chance to practice putting all his tools away. But if youre looking for more of a doctor dress-up toy, Kelly Harris Smith, founder of the Minni art space for kids in Boston, recommends this simple coat-and-stethoscope set from Learning Resources. My kids loved to pretend to take care of their toys and stuffed animals, she says adding that this type of imaginative play encourages toddlers empathy and imagination.

Flashing Sensory Balls $5 for 6 $5 for 6 Corey also recommends giving bouncy balls to 2-year-olds because they will grow along with them. Balls are wonderful for 2-year-olds who can roll them and chase them. At around age 3, children can practice throwing and catching, while at 4 they might create a game with rules that involve a ball, she says. My son is drawn to balls of all kinds, but his favorites are small enough for him to hold in one hand. These flashing sensory balls have an added layer of fun  plus the soft spikes make them easier to catch and grasp. $5 for 6 at Target Buy

DUPLOs  LEGOs larger blocks designed with tiny hands (and mouths) in mind  are great for this age. Trains and cars are already beloved by 2-year-olds, and the brands set mixes the magic of a freight train with a cheery color scheme and your basic 123s. The result is a gift that is playful, educational, and not hideous for parents to look at, says Strategist writer Lauren Ro, whose son Augie received it for his second birthday. As he got older, Augie loved combining his train set with other DUPLO sets  including this classic box that includes two characters and a little car  to create a mega-train that he dragged all over the house. Like all LEGO products, these are virtually indestructible.

HABA Sand Bucket Scooter $20 $20 Every afternoon, our neighborhood playgrounds sandbox is teeming with toddlers digging, sifting, and driving their favorite toy vehicles across the four-foot-square plot of sand. But at this age most of the childrens grabbing skills are much more developed than their sharing skills. So, because my son is obsessed with anything that has wheels, I decided to get him his own rolling sandbox kit. We took it to the beach whenever we got the chance this summer and packed it in our stroller for playground days. I like that the pieces  a shovel, sieve, car mold, and bucket on wheels  nest to save space and that it looks different from most of the shovel and bucket sets I have seen, which makes it harder to lose. $20 at Amazon Buy $20 at Amazon Buy

Honeysticks Bath Crayons for Toddlers & Kids $24 $24 I heard about this set of nontoxic washable bath crayons from wellness entrepreneur Liv Lo Golding, a mom to a toddler with another baby on the way. The chunky beeswax crayons combine the fun of a bath toy and the developmental benefits of drawing and coloring. Plus, they are fragrance-free, easy to hold, and contain only food-grade ingredients, making them a suitable (and safe) choice for young kids and toddlers, who may also use them to draw on themselves. $24 at Amazon Buy $24 at Amazon Buy

Moluk Plui Rain Cloud Tub Toy $14 $14 Photo: retailer Heres a bath toy that has a little science built into it. Its a favorite of Strategist contributor Regan Stephens and her three girls, the eldest of whom received it as a gift when she was 2 years old and eventually passed it down to her younger sisters. You fill the toy with water from the tub, then use your finger to plug the little hole on top; when you release your finger, water rains down from tiny holes in the bottom of the cloud, writes Stephens. Simple physics, lots of fun. $14 at Fat Brain Toys Buy

Folkmanis Mini Collared Lizard Finger Puppet $14 $14 Every day-care classroom has its own It toys  the ones that all the kids fight over, for whatever reason, some of them seemingly very random (e.g., the blue ice-cream cone in the pretend food bin, the red squares among the Magna-Tiles). But an especially big hit for the 2-year-olds at Tribeca Kindercare, according to teacher Ms. Kelsey, are the finger puppets. Figueras-Daniel also recommends finger-puppet toys for this age group, specifically citing the realistic and very detailed ones from Folkmanis, like this colorful lizard, because of how realistic they are. In addition to helping kids work on their fine motor skills, puppets can inspire lots of language, as children can speak through the role of the puppet, Figueras-Daniel explains. Plus, she says, you can use the puppets to start teaching 2-year-olds about specific animals. $14 at Amazon Buy $14 at Amazon Buy

Gigglescape Magnetic Drawing Board $15 $15 For a no-mess creative toy thats (somewhat) magical, consider this twist on the classic Magna Doodle drawing board, which Golding says is fun for 2-year-olds to draw on, erase, and repeat. There are lots of different iterations available, including miniature ones that Ro says make excellent birthday-party favors. But my favorite is this nature-themed drawing board from Targets in-house toy line Gigglescape, mostly because of how nice it looks but also because the drawing area is big. It comes with five stamps  apple, star, flower, triangle, and circle  that kids can also use as pens, and the eraser is shaped like a little caterpillar. Despite its large size, the handle makes it easy for small hands to carry it into a car, onto an airplane, or just to another room. $15 at Target Buy

Ikea MALA Easel, softwood $20 $20 This Ikea kids easel was praised as the best affordable option in our guide to the best art easels. It comes with a built-in storage tray and a dowel to add a roll of paper. The large surface area and short legs makes it easy for 2-year-olds to reach while experimenting with colors and textures. Rebeca Raney, an artist and arts educator, says every nursery school has multiples of this one, noting that Ikea does a super job with their art products. When youre not using paper with it for painting and drawing, children can get used to the feeling of drawing with dry-erase markers on one side and chalk on the other. $20 at Ikea Buy

Under $50

Melissa & Doug Lets Play House Dust! Sweep! Mop! 6-Piece Pretend Play Set $30 $43 now 30% off $30 As with all Melissa & Doug toys, you can count on this set of cleaning tools to be engaging, well made, and safe for toddlers. Its a perennial Strategist best seller that I have seen entertain children for years  even if they stop sweeping and start using the broom as a sword or the mast of a cardboard-box pirate ship. Dr. Roberta Golinkoff, a professor of child psychology at the University of Delaware and co-author of Becoming Brilliant (with Hirsch-Pasek), says, Kids always want to be like big people. So if they see you using something, theyre going to want to do it too. Toys like this require children to be active and can spur the development of the imagination. When used with another child, Golinkoff adds, they can increase social interaction. $30 at Amazon Buy

Sarahs Silks Star Silk Cape $34 $34 Heres a slightly more open-ended dress-up accessory that Ro gave to her younger son on his second birthday. The star-speckled cape from Sarahs Silks can be worn, of course, but it can also be used as a backdrop for LEGOs, a doll blanket, or fabric for fort building. $34 at Sarah's Silks Buy

Jellycat Amusable Cauliflower Stuffed Toy $33 $33 If youre looking to give a unique stuffy rather than the typical teddy bear or unicorn, Jellycat plush toys should be No. 1 on your list. The brands plush broccoli and later this cauliflower were a hit with my niece when she had just turned 2. She loved to eat the vegetables and offer bites to my brother. Not only is it lots of fun to pretend with the toys, but theyre also adorable, super soft, and just the right size for toddler hands. Theres also a set of tomatoes on a vine, a burger, and a hard-boiled egg to choose from. $33 at Nordstrom Buy

VTech Pop and Spin Mower Toy $30 $40 now 25% off $30 VTechs toy lawn mower proves how much kids love emulating adults, or at least  if youre a city kid whose parents arent doing a lot of yard work  emulating the idea of adult things. Toddlers and preschoolers love to copy their parents activities, says child psychologist Dr. Nicole Beurkens, which makes mowing the lawn with their very own mower an exciting activity for them. Not only that, says Beurkens, the mower helps with gross-motor, balance, and visual-perceptual skills. When you pull the cord, the mower plays mowing sounds, and when you push it, the pretend blade spins and the multicolored beads pop. $30 at Walmart Buy

Under $100

Wooden Wobble Balance Board $70 $80 now 13% off $70 Active toys often require extra space, but Strategist senior editor Ailbhe Malone says a wobble board is just as engaging and much easier to store. Forget your Pikler Triangle, she says, adding that a wobble board can double as a bed for stuffed animals, a slide, a ramp for toy cars, and a chair. $70 at Amazon Buy $70 at Amazon Buy

Gray Stars Mini Pram Doll Stroller $89 $89 Like Lancaster, preschool teacher Kathleen Cann got a baby doll and a toy stroller for her 2-year-old daughter as a way to prepare for the arrival of a new sibling. Shes obsessed and takes really sweet care of the doll, says Cann. For a stroller, Strategist senior editor Winnie Yang recommends this one, which she got for her own daughter as an upgrade to the more common umbrella-style doll strollers. It comes with a tote bag on the handle, a storage basket underneath, a sun shade, and rugged wheels for smooth pushing. It also folds flat for easy storage. $89 at Pottery Barn Kids Buy

Brio World Classic Figure 8 Set $80 $80 A first train set is a powerful memory for every generation, notes Carey Reilly, a Today show contributor. And the Brio model is worthy of such a formative experience. I love that the set is wooden, and its easy for a childs little hands to use, Reilly says. As with all Brio sets, it can be endlessly expanded with accessories and integrated into play with other kits, even many from other brands. $80 at Barnes & Noble Buy

Melissa & Doug Wooden Cool Scoops Ice Creamery $120 now 44% off $67 I often hear from parents that they appreciate wooden toys because they look nicer than plastic ones, tend to be more environmentally friendly, and last a long time. This elaborate Melissa & Doug ice-cream-counter set combines fine-motor-skills development with elements of pretend play. Motayed Lancaster received a version of the set for her daughter long before she turned 2; at first, her daughter just loved mouthing the ice-cream scoops, but as she aged, she began to stack them one by one and now she pretends to be an ice-cream-shop owner, asking what flavor ice cream her parents want and then serving it to them. I love toys like that  where it can graduate from one type of play to another over time, Motayed Lancaster says. $67 at Amazon Buy

Rody Horse $60 $80 now 25% off $60 Bouncing engages almost every muscle group in a childs body, especially the legs and core, says Lily Balsen, a New York Citybased yoga teacher whose clients range in age from newborn to 80. So a classic toy like Rody the bouncy horse will foster balance and a sense of spatial orientation, she says, adding that rhythmic movement is a great self-soothing and self-regulating mechanism. Also, its just plain fun. $60 at Amazon Buy $65 at Fat Brain Toys Buy

$100 and up

Step2 Up & Down Roller Coaster Rapid Ride & Hide Edition $160 For a bigger thrill, Strategist contributor Steven John recommends this toddler-size ride-on roller coaster. He has watched kids line up one behind the other for the better part of an hour to take turns zooming down the track. That alone says enough about it: Toddlers actually wait for a turn; they love it that much. And as long as a parent is nearby with a watchful eye, its perfectly safe for most 2-year-olds to use. Steps on either side of the platform let kids get on the car all by themselves  and the toy is just as fun to ride on level ground for youngsters not ready for the roller-coaster experience. This model, as its name suggests, packs down compactly when the time comes to hide it away. $160 at Kohl's Buy

Strider Balance Bike $130 Balance bikes are a critical step between the trike and the bicycle, helping kids master their balance before worrying about pedaling. My older son learned how to ride a bike using a balance bike. It allows you to skip training wheels and build their balance naturally, says Zahra Kassam, founder of the at-home Montessori program Monti Kids. The Striders seat can be lowered enough for a kid as young as 18 months or raised high enough to accommodate most 4-year-olds, with age 2 being the sweet spot. Trolio, whose two kids are now 6 and 9 years old, both started riding a Strider at age 2, passing it down from older to younger. And each one ultimately graduated straight to a pedal bike without a single training wheel in between. $130 at Amazon Buy

Tender Leaf Toys Home Kitchen $180 $180 Corey looks for toys that offer lots of opportunities for creativity, curiosity, problem-solving, and cooperation, and specifically mentioned the importance of toys that support cooking play. Play kitchens come in all shapes and sizes, but this stylish wooden home kitchen from Tender Leaf Toys has just the right amount of complexity for a 2-year-old. I love gifting the Tender Leaf Toy kitchens, says Motayed Lancaster, who bought one when her daughter when around one year old. Motayed Lancaster loves the muted colors and how it has helped her daughter begin to role-play; now, at age two, her daughter is verbalizing what kind of dishes she makes with the accessories: Here mama, some fish! And then putting them on a plate and handing it to her. The kitchen can also be combined with other appliances like a refrigerator or stand mixer to build a more complete set. $180 at Amazon Buy

Lalo The Play Tent $125 $125 As they begin to seek some independence, 2-year-olds will benefit from a private play space where they can find quiet refuge with their books and stuffed animals. Lalos natural canvas play tent is spacious enough for several toddlers and their toys, is easy to set up (the tent can be purchased on its own or as an add-on to the Lalo play gym), and wont add to the visual clutter of a playroom. I love the look of it in my sons room and that it will grow with him as he develops. But play tents like this are still fun for kids up to 4, 5, and 6 years old. The canvas is heavy-duty and the wooden frame feels sturdy without weighing a lot or taking up loads of space. If needed, it also folds down flat enough to slide under a couch or bed. $125 at Lalo Buy

Additional reporting by Lauren Ro.

The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best gifts for 1-year-olds and 3-year-olds, the best art supplies and dress-up clothes for kids, and the best toy storage. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.


This Things Incredible A series where we share products that are so good we would do an entire infomercial about it. (But instead, we published this review.) Read more here. Photo: Mya Gelber

A few weeks ago, before a recent trip to Cartagena, I realized that I didnt have a single simple little black dress hanging in my closet. Turns out the idea that every woman should own a black dress that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion had no longer made sense with my quirky art-teacher style, and one by one I had listed and sold them off on Poshmark. But as I began packing for my trip, I found myself wishing I had something chic, comfortable, and easy to throw on with my favorite sandals or over my bathing suit. So I placed a few frantic online-shopping orders.

It took me a while to find a little black dress that, well, wasnt so little. Im five-foot-four (not a particularly tall person) and was finding all the minidresses I tried on way too short. I loved the Nataly Knit Dress by Reformation because of the high boatneck, but it was too tight and way too short. I also tried the 14/1 Rib Spaghetti Boatneck Dress from Los Angeles Apparel, which is made of a very heavyweight cotton. I really liked how thick the material was but found that it was slightly too tight around the upper half of my body, and it was also too short. I knew I wanted to wear this dress when it was very hot outside and was worried about breathability.

Out of the eight dresses I ordered, only one dress was not returned. And it was the one I had the least hopes for: an unassuming Free People number, which costs $50 and to an untrained eye looks like every other tank dress on the market.

First off, the length is perfect. It falls a little more than halfway down my thighs  short enough to still be considered a minidress but long enough that I dont have to worry about bending over. The mix of viscose, polyester, and elastane gives it a heavyweight feel yet wasnt too suffocating while I was wandering the streets of Cartagena, where temperatures were in the 90s. The heavyweight fabric blend also allows the dress to drape really elegantly without bunching up or laying weirdly on my frame. And though its described as slim, the dress has more of an A-line structure  its basically the chicer version of the black spandex bodycon dress we all had in high school. And I like how the scoop neck fits more on the high-neck side, which I think always gives a dress a more refined look. It ended up being all I wanted to wear on my vacation. It should also be noted that it didnt wrinkle despite being packed into my stuffed-to-the-brim suitcase.

Back in Brooklyn, Ive loved styling it with boots and a big coat for the colder days. And as it has started to warm up, Ive been wearing it with some neutral socks, fisherman sandals, and a chunky-knit sweater.

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The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

Related
A Las Vegas man accused of killing another at a bus stop allegedly ate the victim's face as cops responded to the bloodied downtown scene.

Colin Czech, 31, has been charged with open murder, according to jail records.

It's unclear if he entered a plea to the charge or retained an attorney to comment on his behalf.

On Sunday, officers responded to a report of two men fighting at a bus stop, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. When they arrived, the victim was unconscious and bleeding from the head, said police.

Responding officers allegedly witnessed Czech kneeling next to the victim, with "biological matter in his hair, mouth and on his clothing," court documents stated, KLAS-TV reported. He was taken into custody.

The victim, identified as Kenneth Brown, was pronounced deceased at the hospital. An official cause of death has not yet been released.

During police questioning, Czech was "going in and out of consciousness," because "something was possessing him" and he had been awake for "five days straight," he allegedly told detectives. He also allegedly admitted to using his teeth "to eat [the victim's] eyeballs and ears," according to the documents.

It's unclear the circumstances that led up to the fight. The relationship between the victim and the suspect is also unknown.

Czech was absent from his initial court hearing Monday due to his hospitalization.

He is due back in court Wednesday.
He seems very grounded and sensible, and a decent guy. Sounds like his parents did well shielding him from the potential horrors of child stardom too. He does seem to understand the privilege he had of a good support system, which makes me like him more.

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Yeah, Alan Rickman's thoughts on his parents always comes to mind when I read about Daniel.



Corridor with Dan Radcliffe. Hes so concentrated now. Serious and focused  but with a sense of fun. I still dont think hes really an actor but he will undoubtedly direct/produce. And he has such quiet, dignified support from his parents. Nothing is pushed.



His parents didn't want him in the franchise because it was so huge already and didn't want all that pressure on him. So even though they later agreed that he should audition, that concern for his wellbeing was always the first priority.



Daniel, Emma and Rupert were very lucky to have good parents.

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Hes such a good guy. Ill always be a fan!

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Same. He's never going to be a 'great' actor or anything, and he seems to be self-aware enough that he doesn't try to be or wanting to be a huge celebrity.



Good egg. Looks to be a good dad and partner. I'm very happy that he's doing well and I love his career so far. It's been a fucking RIDE.

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I have a soft spot for Daniel. He seems very sweet and down to earth, and I respect his seemingly concious decision to not become Daniel Radcliffe: Mega Star



I can't say I'm a fan of his work but I wish we could see more of him as a person rather than as an actor, i.e., get him on Graham Norton again please :)

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I've met him twice. I used to work for Sundance Film Festival and he is exactly what you see/what you get. Very humble. Kind. Generous. Super nice guy.



Whether you liked him as Harry or not, (I admit he's not the best actor), he has definitely been a perfect person to helm a franchise like this.



I love him (the trio as well as others on HP) taking JKR on with her bullshit and giving zero fucks about owing that cow anything.

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Gonna be honest, I dont know if I massively rate him as an actor but he is an A++++ human being I reckon. Feels very genuine and kind.

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Idk, he will always just be Harry to me (and I don't think he has the talent to convince me otherwise)



Appreciate his weirdo career choices.



Does he still get along with his racist friends?

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Which friends? 

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I don't think he's "escaped" it, either, in the sense it remains the role his mostly known for.

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i'm so glad he has the career that he has, and that he seems like such a decent dude.



I'm always happy to hear from him even if a lot of his projects are not for me, specifically.

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I love him so much and how grounded he is about everything. I didnt realize he was on alcohol for a while either.

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what a good dude!

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The comments about JKR are measured, thoughtful, yet firmly still not having any of her nonsense. Which will likely make her seethe, and I am here for it.

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I really love how he just uses it as a opportunity to hammer home the point of that he supports the LGBTQ community and really just ignores her in the process. it's so lovely!

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mte - her and supporters won't see it this way, but it objectively isn't a great look that he is being clear about where he stands without making it nasty and personal, as opposed to her Regina Georging on main

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I think this is something I really appreciate about him. He is very well-spoken and 'thinks' about what his answer is going to be without being over the top dickish (even though she deserves to have monkey shit thrown at her).



The fact that he constantly praises the LGBTQ community and his unwavering support is wonderful.



JKR is going to wait forever if she thinks anyone is going to apologize to her.

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Kind of love how I recognized Chris Heath's name, I remember his name popping up whenever a favorite of mine (Fiona Apple, Spice Girls) was a cover story

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none of them owe JK a thing, her shit about not accepting their non-existent apologies was just such a bizarre display of entitlement, like yes fine Harry Potter made them famous but they dont owe her allegience for life like cmon?



i'm glad he's come through everything so normal.. a good support system makes all the difference and seems like his gf is good for him. keep making your weird career choices and thriving, short king 

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I remember the premiere of Deathly Hallows 2, and the way Daniel said "thank you" to JK for making the series, I can imagine how JK thinks she's been betrayed by Daniel.

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Good for him.



And fuck JK Rowling! 

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I am stanning any actors out there not being pidgeonholed, typecasted, being bold as to go out and away from public expectations, AND as people, remaining fundamentally decent! (which nowadays is a rarety and an extreme feat) ... So him and Elijah Wood have been nuggets of awesomeness.



I love their post-franchise careers!



PS: always a shout out to my GOAT Wilhem Dafoe!







Edited at 2024-05-01 08:28 am (UTC)

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He truly deserves to have the fuck you HP money to do what he chooses. It sounds like hes got a grounded life, and somehow escaped most of the pitfalls so many child actors have been vulnerable to.



I hope he continues to do what he wants with his career.

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he just looks like a guy like hes not ugly hes just...there

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OP did you forget to post a picture of the hot guy? Is the hot guy with us?

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made me think of Grump Cat via GIPHY



RIP Tardar Sauce, I miss you  RIP Tardar Sauce, I miss you 

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the animators knew what they were doing when they put gambit in a slutty little crop top

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unintentional thirst trap gym photo



Nah, this man was living with intention when he took this photo.

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Think it's wild that folks are gross about wanting to bang Hot Ghoul, but decide to be super rude to this guy. He's conventionally attractive and fit, why act like he's not hot?

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Put him in a crop top

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done

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I guess

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Aw, I love him! He's super sweet and cute and he's Gambit 



But omg THE EPISODE!! The Summers family trip, the Wolverine/Nightcrawler team up, all of Magneto, Charles is back, the cameos (SPIDEY MY BELOVED!!!!!!), the Cooper speech was perfection and so relevant. I only needed Storm to finally be back, where is she and what's taking her so long?? But the rest was absolute peak X-Men!!! 

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Omg same. The whole episode was great but I kept thinking I havent seen Storm in 2 episodes now! Where is my queen?!

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Just met him in person and damn that man is fine. 

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he's cute! be nice people



the voice actors for magneto (matthew waterson) and sunspot (gui augstini) are very attractive. and bastion is voiced by THEO JAMES.

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lmao i guess

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AJ is an average, everyday kind of attractive, and there is definite value in being an average everyday kind of attractive.



Now, on to the episode (because nobody actually talked about the EPISODE). Very mid. It seems like this particular episode is destined to be judged more as part of the complete trilogy as opposed to being a single episode in and of itself. It was still good. But on the lower side of good.



I looooooved seeing Doom, because Doom is the GOAT. It was nice seeing Zemo, too. And tail sword Kurt was cool. Having a human (or a presumed human) say "Magneto was right," when said human is being voiced by the original Jean voice actor, was nifty. The Summers family dynamic was somewhat entertaining, despite Cable still being a little bitch towards genetic mommy.



I guess it's a good thing that the manse got totaled, since it seems like the Prof's shuttle thingy didn't care too much about landing in a place that wouldn't cause a whole lot of property damage.

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In most cases I find everyday kind of attractive more desirable and comforting than the unattainable hot guy. Theyre also usually better lovers and their egos arent usually as massive as the super ripped hot ones lol.



I liked this episode a lot, but I need my Storm back!

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mid?? MID??



okay i think our expectations are getting a little too high now lol i knew this would happen

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Yes, mid! I stand by my assessment! It was good! I liked it! But I liked it less than I've liked some of the other episodes so in my internal ranking it's like in the middle of the pack!

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maddy is his real mom and i'm dying on that hill forever!

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I'm hoping when I can rewatch it all together it'll seem more complete as it felt like they were moving all the characters to where they needed to be.

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I'm enjoying this but as someone who never read the books and mostly watched the movies and X-Men Evolution, I'm finding the details of the plot a bit hard to follow. Between Mr Mold, Sinister, Bastion, Trask, I can't say I'm reeeally understanding who's doing and responsible for what, but I'm getting the gist and enjoying the smaller picture enough! Especially when Dr Doom showed up!



I loved the cameos this episode and when they were talking about Josef Mengele and showing Magneto's tattoo, it was really powerful. I love that it doesn't shy away from the heavy stuff. And Kurt is getting some GREAT speeches, everything he says is really beautiful.

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Same I'm getting into the "ok well who are these people???" segment.

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im guessing theyll spell things out a little more clearly with all those guys in the final two eps. i watched xtas 92 religiously (and have read a decent number of the comics), but my fandom knowledge is not encyclopedic, and theyre also changing some things around from not only comic canon but xtas 92 canon, which makes me think they want it to be confusing for narrative whodunit purposes. plus they keep mixing different comic storylines, which keeps things fresh enough to make every level of fan still have to guess whats next.



(ie there are now at least three different fan theories regarding possible resurrection for gambit, if they do bring him back this season lol)



master mold, sinister, trask and gyrich all appeared in 92, while bastion and val cooper did not. id bet theyre going to yank back more stage curtains with even more villain/motive reveals before s1 ends. i was trying to hold off my rewatch of the aired episodes until right before 1x10, but this one made me tempted to do it this week tbh

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EXCLUSIVE: Cannes Film Festival workers planning protests & potential strike action over pay during the event



The protests are being led by the group known as Sous Les Ecrans La Dechehttps://t.co/glGytTt57H  Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 1, 2024

Those who Cannes, strike.The protests are being led by the group known as Sous Les Ecrans La Deche: Collectif Des Precaires Des Festivals De Cinema (which translates to Under The Screens, The Waste: The Collective of Precarious Workers at Film Festivals).They are a combo of cannes workers and workers from other French festivals, and number up to 200. An anonymous worker says 80% of festival employees are earning less than 2000 Euros (2100$ USD) per month on contract - and these people live in. first they did it for the love of movies (understandable), but then they thoht "Wait you can pay all these big shots, but not US?"This year, Cannes begins on May 14th and will premiere Megaopolis and Furiosa.
The United States is about to experience a resurgence in nuclear energy. The federal government is expected to continue restarting shuttered nuclear power plants in the coming years to meet the increasing demand for clean, dependable energy essential for powering the economy of tomorrow.

"There are a couple of nuclear power plants that we probably should, and can, turn back on," Jigar Shah, director of the US Energy Department's Loan Programs Office, told Bloomberg in an interview.

In March, Shah's office approved a loan to Holtec International Corp. to reopen the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. This was a historical shift, and it was the first nuclear power plant to be reopened in the US, setting a precedent for atomic energy to make a triumphal comeback. The plant could begin producing power as early as the second half of 2025.

Shah said, "A lot of the other players that have a nuclear power plant that has recently shut down and could be turned back on are gaining that confidence to try." He declined to give specifics about which plants were slated to reopen.

Nuclear power is the largest single source of carbon-free electricity. Given onshoring trends, electrification of transportation and buildings, and, of course, as we've noted in "The Next AI Trade," the proliferation of AI data centers will overload power grids nationwide unless a significant upgrade is seen.

We again highlighted the enormous investment opportunity early Monday titled "Everyone Is Piling Into The "Next AI Trade"", which lists companies powering up America for the digital age.

Nearly 3.5 years ago, we provided readers with a straightforward investment thesis: "Buy Uranium: Is This The Beginning Of The Next ESG Craze." Back then, it became apparent to us that the resurrection of the nuclear power industry was imminent.

And the trend is only gaining steam as the revival of nuclear power plants will continue benefiting some of the largest uranium producers, such as Cameco. We told readers to buy uranium stocks, such as Cameco around the $10 handle - now it's nearing $50 a share.

As a whole, uranium stocks have soared...

We'll leave readers with recent comments from Patti Poppe, the chief executive officer of Pacific Gas & Electric.

Poppe told a Stanford University forum that nuclear power should continue to be part of California's power generation mix as efforts to decarbonize the grid.

"Nuclear should be part of the future," she said, noting that the state's only nuclear power plant - Diablo Canyon - could be granted a license extension through the 2030s by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

So there it is: Nuclear is being revived at a time when the nation's grid is nearing a major upgrade due to rising power demand.

By Zerohedge.com

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Despite significant advancements in its renewable energy sector, the United Kingdom is lagging way behind where it needs to be in terms of clean energy development. The country needs a dramatic acceleration  more than double its recurrent rate  of clean energy deployment if it is to have any hope of meeting its own ambitious climate goals, which include a legally binding pledge to reach net zero by 2050. While the urgency and steepness of this acceleration curve grows greater every year, however, a lukewarm policy environment could threaten the UKs ability to deliver on those goals.

Progress on decarbonization over the last decade has been problematically slow in the United Kingdom, thanks in part to political hurdles including then-Prime Minister David Camerons de facto ban on new onshore wind energy projects and current Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks decision to stop the war on motorists by pushing back measures to stop the sale of new gas and diesel vehicles, as well as delaying plans to prohibit the installation of gas and oil boilers in new builds, and improve energy efficiency of existing properties.

Due to the time lost on clean energy deployment and other decarbonization measures, a new analysis by AtkinsRealis calculates that an average of 15.5GW of clean energy per year needs to be deployed in the UK to stay on a pathway to meet its own targets. For context, the UK has never added more than 6.5GW of new low-carbon capacity in a single year, Edie recently reported. Worryingly, that record was set way back in 2017.

Ideally, deployment should have been accelerating every year to stay on track. In addition to that legally binding promise to reach net zero emissions by mid-century, other pledges include carbon budgets designed to support the 2050 net-zero target, plus a newer promise to eliminate all unabated fossil fuels from the national energy mix by 2035.

Now, the UK is left with less time to achieve more buildout, which does not bode well for a smooth transition. A rapid build-out of wind and solar within a compact timeframe would lead to heightened challenges including supply chain management, planning and permitting and preparing skilled staff, Edie reports. This kind of rapid build-out is also faced with major issues concerning contentious land-use agreements, which often take time to iron out. And the only alternative would be prolonged reliance on unabated gas, jeapordising climate progress.

But theres good news. England could increase its renewable energy production 13-fold while using less than 3% of its total land mass. And thats all just by deploying solar and onshore wind energy, the two cheapest forms of renewable energy production. Thats according to new research from Exeter University, commissioned by Friends of the Earth (FoE). According to their findings, England could add 130 terawatt hours of photovoltaic solar energy and 96 terawatt hours of onshore wind energy to the 17 terawatt hours of total renewable electricity it currently produces from all onland clean energies combined.

The calculations ruled out land that cannot be converted or is unsuitable for clean energy projects, including national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, higher grade agricultural land and heritage sites. These figures also exclude rooftop solar panels, which dont occupy any additional undeveloped land when deployed. The remaining suggested sites for these large-scale solar and wind farms are represented on this interactive map.

Meeting the UKs climate pledges is therefore extremely feasible  but that doesnt mean it will be easy. Unleashing the UKs immense potential to generate cheap, clean homegrown renewables is essential to bring down our energy bills for good and meeting the UKs vital international target to reduce carbon emissions by two-thirds by 2030, ??said Tony Bosworth, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth. But the current governments record on boosting our energy security through renewables is woefully inadequate and has left the UK lagging far behind in the global race to a zero-carbon economy. Meanwhile, [the Labour Party] is looking increasingly shaky on climate after rolling back its planned investment in green growth.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

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Crude oil prices went lower today after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported an inventory increase of 7.3 million barrels for the week to April 26.

This compared with a substantial draw of 6.4 million barrels for the previous week that pushed prices temporarily higher last week.

In gasoline, the authority reported an inventory rise of 300,000 barrels for last week, which compared with a modest draw of 600,000 barrels for the week before.

Gasoline production averaged 9.4 million barrels daily in the week to April 26, which compared with 9.1 million barrels daily during the previous week.

In distillate fuels, the EIA estimated an inventory draw of 700,000 barrels for the reporting period, with production averaging 4.5 million barrels daily.

Last weeks figures compared with an inventory build of 1.6 million barrels for the previous week, when production averaged 4.8 million barrels daily.

Last year, there was substantial concern that distillate production was consistently below demand prospects but now it appears the tables have turned and fears are rising about possible oversupply.

Reuters reported earlier this week that fuel traders were in a rush to secure storage space for their distillate stocks along the East Coast as demand underwhelmed. The report suggested warmer than usual winter was the culprit behind lower diesel and heating oil demand.

This lower demand pushed profit margins for refiners down substantially during the first quarter of the year, affecting their quarterly bottom lines, the report also said.

Oil prices, meanwhile, slipped further down today on the American Petroleum Institutes latest weekly inventory report that showed a 4.9-million-barrel increase in crude oil stocks for the week to April 26. Support for lower prices also came from continued expectations of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

Countering the decline, OPEC crude oil production declined by 100,000 barrels daily in April, according to a Reuters survey. The survey showed lower exports of crude from Iran, Iraq, and Nigeria, with the cartels total output at 26.39 million barrels daily during last month.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Production at the Khor Mor field in Kurdistan is set to resume less than a week after a drone attack suspended operations at the site, killing four.

An official from the company that distributes the gas produced at Khor Mor told local news publication Rudaw that production will resume at midnight today, adding that the companies involved in the fields operation had taken steps to ensure safety.

Four Yemeni workers lost their lives, and two others sustained injuries in the drone attack on the Khor Mor field in Kurdistan last week.

The ramifications of the assault extend beyond casualties, impacting electricity generation in the region. Kurdistan's electricity ministry stated that the drone attack disrupted gas supplies to power plants, leading to an approximate 2,500 MW reduction in electricity output.

Pearl Petroleuma consortium comprised of Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum (operators of the Kurdistan Gas Project), along with OMV, MOL, and RWE holds the rights to develop Khor Mor and Chemchemal, two of Iraq's largest gas fields.

Emirati Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum each hold a 35% stake in the field, while the European companies each have a 10% stake in the project. Production from the Khor Mor field averages some 106,000 barrels of oil equivalent daily, about 1,000 metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas, and 15,000 barrels daily of gas condensates. The reserves of the field are estimated at some 7 trillion cu ft of natural gas.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but the Kurdish government accused an Iraqi group of staging it. The group is called Iraqs Popular Mobilization Forces, which is said to have ties with Iran.

"Good efforts have been made in the past to improve the energy sector and economic infrastructure in Iraq, especially in the Kurdistan Region, and while steps are being taken to resolve the disputed, evil and destructive hands once again targeted the Khor Mor gas field in a terrorist act. These repeated strikes must be stopped, and we urge the Iraqi government to find the perpetrators of this terrorist act and bring them to justice," the spokesman of the Kurdistan Regional Government said in the wake of the drone attack.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Shell exited the Chinese power generation and trading markets effective end-2023, as it scales back its power business globally to focus on more profitable operations, the UK-based supermajor told Reuters on Wednesday.

Shell, however, is not abandoning its EV charging business in China, which it sees as a major growth market, a spokesperson for Shell told Reuters.

We are selectively investing in power, focusing on delivering value from our power portfolio, which requires making difficult choices, the supermajor said in a statement carried by Reuters.

Shell has exited several retail power markets in recent months as it pivots back to the much more profitable oil and gas business.

Last summer, Shell agreed to sell its retail home energy businesses in the UK and Germany to Octopus Energy Group, under a broader agreement with Octopus Energy to explore a potential international partnership in EV charging.

This agreement follows the announcement during our Capital Markets Day to divest our home energy retail business in Europe, Steve Hill, Executive Vice-President, Shell Energy, said at the time.

To drive performance, discipline and simplification, we are prioritising countries, projects, and routes to market where we can deliver the most value.

In March this year, Shell reaffirmed its ambitions to be a net-zero energy business by 2050 but eased its carbon intensity target for 2030 as it has shifted away from clean power sales to retail customers. The eased emissions target is the result of Shell prioritizing value over volume in power, with a focus on select markets and segments and selling more power to commercial customers, and less to retail customers.

Given this focus on value, we expect lower total growth of power sales to 2030, which has led to an update to our net carbon intensity target, Shell said in its updated Energy Transition Strategy 2024.

Shells CEO Wael Sawan has said that reducing global oil and gas production would be dangerous and irresponsible as the world still desperately needs those hydrocarbons.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Just as Russia had started to bring back some refinery capacity damaged by Ukrainian drone attacks earlier this year, a new wave of drone attacks hit a major refinery owned by Rosneft, for a second time.

Rosnefts Ryazan refinery southeast of Moscow caught fire after the overnight drone attack, an anonymous Ukrainian military source with knowledge of the situation told Bloomberg News on Wednesday.

The refinery in the region of Ryazan, whose main city of the same name is some 120 miles southeast of Moscow, was first attacked by drones in the middle of March. The first attack also led to a fire.

This year, Ukraine has stepped up attacks on oil refineries in Russia, which have reduced Russian refining capacity, and, reportedly, have the White House concerned about rising international prices.

The United States has repeatedly urged Ukraine to halt its drone attacks on Russian oil refineries due to Washingtons assessment that the strikes could lead to Russian retaliation and push up global oil prices, the Financial Times reported in March, citing sources familiar with the exchange.

As of mid-April, Russia had brought back online some oil refining units, reducing the capacity taken offline by Ukrainian drone hits to around 10%, from 14% at the end of March.

The refining capacity in Russia that was offline due to drone attacks was estimated by Reuters in mid-April at around 660,000 barrels per day (bpd), compared to 907,000 bpd offline at the end of March.

Russia said in early April it can repair all damaged units within two months.

Russias Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said that all damaged refineries in the country would be restarted by the beginning of June.

Repairs are underway at the refineries. We plan to re-launch a number of refineries after repairs in April-May, possibly before the beginning of June, Russian news agency Interfax quoted Shulginov as saying.

All facilities that were damaged will be re-commissioned, the minister added.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The National Enquirer initially balked at Stormy Daniels' claim that she had an affair with Donald Trump but reversed course following the release of his "Access Hollywood" tape shortly before the 2016 election, the lawyer who represented her at the time testified Tuesday.

Lawyer Keith Davidson told jurors during Day 9 of the former president's historic "hush money" trial in New York City that "there was very little, if any, interest" when he first offered to sell the porn star's story to the supermarket tabloid, according to the Associated Press.

But the "Access Hollywood" recording, in which Trump bragged about grabbing women's private parts without permission, had "tremendous influence" and the Enquirer's interest "reached a crescendo," Davidson said, according to NBC News.

"Trump is f-----," Davidson wrote in a text to Dylan Howard, then the Enquirer's editor-in-chief, the New York Post said, citing evidence presented in court.

Howard responded, "Wave the white flag. It's over people!"

The judge has ruled the tape can't be played in court, so the prosecution asked Davidson to describe it.

He said it involved Trump and then-"Access Hollywood" co-host Billy Bush being recorded by a "hot mic" and "some statements by both men that were troublesome," according to AP.

The Enquirer struck a deal with Davison but later backed out, after which Davidson began negotiating with Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who agreed to pay $130,000 for her story,

"In essence, Michael Cohen stepped into AMI's shoes," Davidson said, referring to the Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc.

Trump, the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges, beat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and is on trial for 34 counts of falsifying business records to allegedly cover up the payment that bought Daniels' silence.

He's pleaded not guilty and denies Daniels' claim that they had sex in at a resort in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in 2006.

Trump was joined in court Tuesday by one of his sons, Eric Trump, marking the first time a family member has shown up to support him.

Republican Texas Attorney Ken Paxton also attended the proceedings.

Earlier in the day, Judge Juan Merchan fined Trump $9,000 for repeatedly violating gag orders and Trump repeated his claim that his free-speech rights were being trampled after Thursday's court session ended.

"It's totally unconstitutional," Trump told reporters before leaving.

Trump also called Merchan "totally conflicted" and said the case against him was a "disgrace to New York."

Davidson is expected to continue his testimony when the trial resumes on Thursday.
Exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States fell in April for a fourth month in a row, as the Freeport export facility continues to struggle with operational issues and outages, according to data from financial firm LSEG cited by Reuters.

U.S. LNG exports dropped to 6.19 million metric tons in April, down from 7.61 million tons exported in March, per LSEG data released on Wednesday.

Europe continued to be the top export destination for American LNG, but its share of all U.S. sales fell to 52.5% of the total volume, down from about 57% in March. Asia kept its second spot, receiving 32.6% of total U.S. LNG exports, relatively flat month-on-month.

Due to problems at Freeport LNG, Americas LNG exports have been falling this year each month compared to the previous month.

Freeport LNG, which has three natural gas-processing units, or trains, has been operating without at least one of these since January 2024, amid recurring mechanical issues and maintenance.

Last week, Freeport LNG Development LP reported an outage at its third train, which is right now the only one not under maintenance, Natural Gas Intelligence reported.

Freeport LNG has been operating below 80% of its capacity due to technical problems in recent months, which has reduced overall LNG exports out of America.

As a result, only five LNG cargoes departed in April from the Quintana, Texas, terminal, carrying a total of 330,000 tons, per the LSEG data quoted by Reuters. This compares to 21 cargoes with a total of 1.42 million tons exported from Freeport LNG in December.

We still believe Freeport will not reach its typical summer utilization near 90% until June, at the earliest, given its previous struggles to complete maintenance in a timely manner, Energy Aspects analyst David Seduski wrote in a note to clients last week, as carried by Reuters.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The U.S. Senate unanimously voted in favor of a bill that would ban the imports of Russian uranium as the latest attempt to squeeze Russias export revenues amid its ongoing war on Ukraine.

If the Senate had not passed the legislation, the White House was considering an executive order to the same effect.

Russia is the second-biggest supplier of uranium for U.S. nuclear reactors, after local producers. Imports of Russian uranium account for 24% of the total, making a complete elimination of these supplies rather challenging.

However, the import ban legislation contains waivers to make sure nuclear reactors have enough fuel, Reuters noted in a report on the news.

"The risks of continuing this dependence on Russia for our nuclear fuels are simply too great," Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers said, as quoted by Reuters. "It's weakening America's nuclear fuel infrastructure, which has declined significantly because of reliance on these cheap fuels."

Plans are to step up local production and enriching of uranium to reduce dependence on imports, with one senator noting Wyoming was a top candidate for future uranium supplies for U.S. nuclear reactors.

"Wyoming has the uranium to replace Russian imports, and we're ready to use it," John Barrasso from the Senate Energy Committee said. Wyoming is his home state. "Our bipartisan legislation will help defund Russia's war machine, revive American uranium production, and jumpstart investments in America's nuclear fuel supply chain," Barrasso added.

Following the news of the uranium vote in the Senate, uranium prices jumped in anticipation of a supply squeeze. The replacement of Russian enriched uranium with alternative supply could lift costs by as much as 20%, according to a Bloomberg report.

Currently, nuclear power plants in the United States spend around $1 billion annually on Russian uranium importsa bill that would swell considerably after the ban, if the Bloomberg calculations are accurate.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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A talented and tight-knit ensemble of actors feasts on crisp and spicy dialogue in Chicken and Biscuits, now onstage at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

The play, by Douglas Lyons, is about a close Black family mourning the death of their patriarch, a longtime church pastor.

Daughter Beneatta Mabry (Leiloni Brewer) is nervous and tense as she prepares for her fathers funeral. Her husband (Anthony Montegut) is anxious to prove himself as the new pastor when he officiates over the day. Sister Beverly Jenkins (Kerri Forrester) is a flamboyant mixer who comes home for the proceedings with her savvy and sarcastic 15-year-old daughter LaTrice (Aniyah Skanes).

Beneattas kids are also there: Kenny (Malik Kelly), who brought his White partner, Logan (Mark Torczon), and Simone (Ashley Adams), an aloof woman whos clearly bereaved about something beyond her grandfathers death.

Plop a surprise visitor (Dani Cleveland) in the middle of it all, and you have the ingredients for squabbles, barbs, reconciliations and a raucous good time.

Like biscuits, a couple of the characters are kind of flaky, and the actors who portray them have a fabulous time. Torczon, as a jittery Jewish man who knows nothing about the Black church (he gets lost in the Bible), is a comic mess. And Forrester is fabulously hysterical as Beverly. (Watch for her big moments during the plays climax.)

Actors whose characters are somewhat more sedate are equally as effective: As Beneatta, Brewer gets a chance to sling zingers to her stage sister about her wardrobe malfunctions. Kelly offers a realistic performance as the son who feels out of place and worries that his boyfriend wont be accepted.

Montegut has a lot of energy and style as the quintessential singing Black preacher.

Skanes, a student at Omaha Northwest High School, may have been the most impressive. She didnt miss a beat as she played the rap-loving LaTrice and displayed poise that belies her age.

I also loved the staging. On several occasions, director Tomica Jenkins has the actors promenade through the theater, greeting audience members and giving everyone the sense they were a real part of the church service.

Seth Howards set and projection design facilitated that feeling, with stained-glass windows and large front doors. There were only a few seats onstage, but the entire scene looked like a megachurch.

Music composed by Jordan the Ninja also contributed to the realism.

Lyons script has lots of funny material, but like the best biscuits, its also tender when necessary. These folks are sometimes at each others throats, but theres no doubt that they love each other. The family Lyons created is sometimes outrageous and larger than life, but still manages to seem real.

If you love to laugh, youll love this play. Its onstage for two more weeks, Wednesdays through Sundays.

Omaha Community Playhouse through the years
An 18-year-old Omaha man charged in an arrest warrant with being an accessory to a fatal shooting in November has been booked into the Douglas County Jail.

Ronald Harlan was arrested Tuesday by Omaha homicide investigators, the same day the warrant was issued by a Douglas County Court judge. He is the second person arrested in connection with the shooting death of 17-year-old Messiah Holley near 18th and Spencer Streets.

Tyrice Coleman, 18, is awaiting trial in Douglas County District Court on charges of first-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony and possession of a handgun by a prohibited juvenile offender. At the time of his arrest, Coleman was in custody at the Douglas County Youth Center on unrelated gun charges.

Omaha police officers received a 911 call to the area of 18th and Spencer Streets for a ShotSpotter activation just before 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. Holley was found near that area suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Officers immediately started lifesaving measures. Holley was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center, where he later died.
On Tuesday night, hundreds of NYPD officers in riot gear rushed the Columbia University campus intending to disperseand eventually arrested at least 12anti-Israel protestors from Hamilton Hall, which they had illegally taken over roughly 12 hours earlier on Tuesday morning.

As the officers prepared for the green light on 114th and Broadway, bystanders allegedly chanted shame in their direction, implying the NYPD should be ashamed of acting on anti-Israel protesters.

According to a source, the police arrived before the university announced that students and faculty should shelter in place and that those who did not comply with the order would be subject to disciplinary action.

Columbia's Chapter of the American Association of University Professors quickly released a statement accusing the university administration of not doing enough to "defuse the situation."

"We hold University leadership responsible for the disastrous lapses of judgment that have gotten us to this point. The University President, her senior staff, and the Board of Trustees will bear responsibility for any injuries that may occur during any police action on our campus," the group said.

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban did say that the department would intervene as they did weeks ago when the pro-Palestine activists first established their tent city.

"Once the university [asks] for our help, the NYPD will be there ready to assist them," Caban clarified.

According to officials, those arrested in the academic building will be charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief, and trespassing, while others apprehended at the site will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.

Top NYPD personnel said those who illegally entered Hamilton Hall were likely accompanied by "professional agitators."

"We were well aware, based on a series of observations that what should have been a peaceful protest as part of the constitutional rights of Americans, has clearly been co-opted the right which this administration supports and defends to voice your concern," Mayor Adams said.
A business solutions provider, Verraki Partners, has urged the Federal Government to leverage the cheap mobile technology in the country to bridge existing gaps in the education sector.

Speaking on the sidelines of the grand finale of Prof Ayodele Awojobi Design Competition (PAADC) at the University of Lagos, its Senior Partner and Head of the Ventures Unit, Kelvin Balogun, said quality instructional materials could be made available to the masses through the mobile phones.

He said: We can tackle our education problem by applying new thinking, leveraging technology such as the mobile phone and broadband internet. According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), internet subscribers are about 114 million as at February 2019, largely via mobile phones. The mobile phone has become the preferred device of choice for payments, ride-hailing and healthcare; it can be used for education and learning too. Education via mobile phones is a leveler and will guarantee access to quality education for everyone, irrespective of financial status or social class, language or tribe.

It also ensures access to low-cost teaching resources, added value compared to traditional teaching and a complementary solution for teacher training.

Across levels, we can develop applications that give certificated education, fit-for-purpose and pragmatic, while complementing current education realities. Students can access online lectures, compressed for mobile phones with exercises, theory, games, peer-to-peer support, ranking competitions, tests, self-assessment, online resources and incentives for those that complete their classes. Aside the 10.5million primary school age- children currently out of school in Nigeria, mobile learning brings education to our underserved people and communities; people who would otherwise not have had access. It is highly scalable, low-touch and addresses the bottom of pyramid with the basic core  English, Mathematics and Social Studies/African History. An example is Nokias MoMaths (Mobile Mathematics) programme, which gives South Africa children from low-income families access to high-quality education. MoMaths was launched by Nokia and the countrys Department of Science and Technology, aligned to its CAPS curriculum and provided a complimentary mobile learning platform to all South African high school Maths learners in Grade 10 -12. To leapfrog connectivity challenges, we can explore a similar model to Rwanda, which partnered with OneWeb to launch a satellite (named Icyerekezo) which will bring internet connectivity to students in rural Nkombo Island.
President Muhammadu has congratulated his Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on the occasion of his (Osinbajo) 62 birthday.

In a statement to PRESS MEN, by Femi Adesina, his Special Assistant on Media, he said, On behalf of his family and the Federal Executive Council, President Muhammadu Buhari heartily felicitates with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN on the occasion of his 62nd birthday.

The President joins Dolapo, her children and Nigerians across the country and around the world to celebrate the erudite scholar, Minister of the Gospel and very dependable deputy with whom I share a very special bond.

President Buhari is grateful to God for preserving the life of Prof. Osinbajo, who in the past four years has diligently championed the values of setting the foundation for the peace, progress, and stability of Nigeria, by working very hard to build a resilient economy while promoting transparency and accountability.

On this special occasion, the President extends special appreciation to the Vice President and wishes him many more years of robust health, happiness and fulfilment in his service to God, the nation and humanity.

He looks forward to sharing many special moments of celebration with his deputy as they take Nigeria to the Next Level in the years ahead.
Whew! That is the best news any corn grower has heard in a long time.

What a threat that Mexico had made that it would refuse to buy any U.S. corn that had a genetic content to resist glyphosate. Now it's history.

For the non-farming public, a bit of translation is in order. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Round-up that used to decimate about everything green, has been very beneficial to agriculture, particularly since corn and soybean genetics were bred to resist glyphosate. That is how glyphosate has been used to control weeds, without harming the crop.

Three years ago, Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador decreed that his country would no longer import any corn with genes to make it resistant to glyphosate. That was frightful to the U.S. corn industry because Mexico had regularly imported 600-650 million bushels of corn from the United States annually. That represented 25-30% of U.S. corn exports and made Mexico the largest single customer for corn growers.

And for a state like Illinois, where 60% of its two billion bushels of corn is exported, with a lot going to Mexico, it would have been a major threat to the farm economy of Illinois.

Lopez Obrador initially said he was concerned that the genetics from imported U.S. corn would spread to the native species of Mexico, where its corn (teosinte) originated. Then later he spoke out about dangers to human health from eating meat from animals, that were fed corn genetically bred to tolerate glyphosate.

While there was very little concern from the Mexican consumers reported, the Mexican livestock industry became concerned because of the potential lack of 650 million bushels of corn it needed to feed its livestock.

The threatened trade action was taken last fall to an international jury panel prescribed by the US-Mexico-Canada (new NAFTA) trade agreement. Not much has come from the proceedings, but the threat to Mexican native species has dropped off the table. And the human health issue has changed from hurting Mexicans, to show how genetically modified corn will not harm Mexicos population.

Mexicos agriculture minister said, We still haven't seen the science of the United States or the companies. We are looking forward to that study with great pleasure." A senior official for the U.S. trade representative said, "Scientific authorities, including in Mexico, have consistently found biotech products like corn to be safe over a period of decades."

Mexicos Economic Minister Raquel Buenrostro provided a timetable last week, saying, "The panel is progressing according to procedure, and we have to wait," Buenrostro said. "I think that by September it will be over."

Despite the threat by President Lopez Obrador to curtail the importation of U.S. biotech corn, this marketing year has recorded record volumes of U.S. corn purchased by Mexico. The current marketing year is only two-thirds over, and Mexico has already booked 700 million bushels of corn from U.S. farmers.

With that news, U.S. farmers have reasons to take their family tonight to the local Mexican restaurants for dinner. Pass the corn chips and salsa, dear.
The Ghana Police Service has arrested a man in connection with a shooting incident which occurred at Millenium City, Kasoa, in the Central Region, leading to the death of a soldier.



Preliminary Police investigation has established that the suspect, Benlord Ababio allegedly shot the soldier at Millenum City Kasoa on Tuesday, 30th April 2024, at about 4:20 pm. The victim sustained gunshot wounds and was rushed to the Mother and Child Hospital at Kasoa for medical attention. However, he was later pronounced dead by the medical authorities.



Suspect Benlord Ababio is currently in custody assisting Police investigation.



The leadership of the Police Service is in touch with the leadership of the Ghana Armed Forces as investigation into the incident continues.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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A Private legal practitioner, Oheneba Adusei-Poku has, in a legal opinion, challenged the findings of audit firm, KPMG, that the GRA-SML contract was not ratified by Parliament, asserting that the deal was essentially ratified by Parliament through the approval of the budgets of the Ministry of Finance in line with the Public Financial Management Act, 2016( Act 921).



Audit firm KPMG had claimed that the revenue assurance contract between Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) did not receive parliamentary approval as provided for in section 33 of the Public Financial Management Act. But Mr Adusei-Poku has countered such a conclusion contained in the report.



Lawyer Oheneba Adusei-Poku cited several companies that have gone through the same process without ratification from parliament after they signed deals with the government. To this end, he wondered why the issue of SML is different.



"This position is again emphasized in sections 21 and 22 of the Public Financial Management Act 2016, Act 921 which deals with the preparation of the Annual Budget by the Finance Minister in "consultation with the relevant stakeholders.



" which include the GRA. Section 22 then provides that the said Annual Budget is then submitted to Parliament for approval and then the Appropriation bill is also passed. Section 25 (7) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) provides that subject to parliamentary approval granted under section 21, the Minister shall grant clearance before a covered entity signs a multi-year contract.



The import of this provision is to reiterate the conclusive presumption that the estimated expenditure commitment of every covered entity has been provided for in the approved Annual Budget which should include expenditure commitments for multi-year contracts, like the SML contract.



It must be noted that the main object of Act 921 is to regulate the financial management of the public sector within a macroeconomic and fiscal framework.



Therefore, any contention that a covered entity can spend or commit public funds by way of the purchase of goods or services outside its Approved Budget will not only defeat the objectives of Act 921 but will also be absurd.



It is for this reason that Section 33 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) also provides as follows:



(1) A covered entity shall not enter into any agreement with a financial commitment that binds the Government for more than one financial year or that results in a contingent liability except where the financial commitment or the contingent liability," he explained.



Following a publication by the Fourth Estate to the effect, mainly, that SML was being paid for work already being done by other companies, the President ordered an audit of the contract. KPMG, as part of its findings, noted that the contract received no parliamentary approval as mandated by law. But lawyer Adusei-Poku has quoting extensively from Ghana's laws on the matter painstakingly pointed out that KPMG's position was inaccurate.



He also argued that the state has not in anyway lost money in the whole transaction, adding that it is only when revenue is generated as a result of the blockage of loopholes SML is paid.







Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Awutu Senya West branch of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has refuted allegations by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) regarding the upcoming limited voter registration exercise.



They refer to a statement by the NDC accusing the NPP parliamentary candidate for the Awutu Senya West constituency, Eugene Arhin, of masterminding a plot to bus "outsiders" to participate in the registration exercise in the constituency.



But the NPP Awutu Senya West branch states categorically that no such attempt has been or is being made by Eugene Arhin who doubles as the Communications Director at the Presidency.



"The NPP in Awutu Senya West state unequivocally that we will not do anything outside the electoral laws of Ghana in the upcoming registration exercise. We will provide citizens of Awutu Senya West, who reside in other parts of Ghana, and wish to come home to register, with the necessary support that they will need; as has been done in the past by various political parties, including the NDC", a statement signed by the Communications Officer of the branch, Ephraim Aidoo, emphasized.



The branch executives also debunked claims that Eugene Arhin is inducing people with an amount of GH5,000 to partake in the registration exercise.



"Our Parliamentary Candidate, Mr. Eugene Arhin, has not promised to pay any Assembly member, be it in Awutu Senya West or any District or Constituency for whatever reasons; be it for the voter registration exercise or not. Mr. Eugene Arhin will use the said amount, if he has it, to help improve the welfare of our Constituents, as has been his trump card as a young politician."



They touted the faithfulness of their candidate stressing "Mr. Eugene Arhin is a true son of Awutu Senya West; his father hails from Senya Beraku; and Eugene Arhin who has his personal house in Senya unlike the NDC MP, Hon. Gizella Agbotui Tetteh, whose mother hails from Hungary. In spite of her twenty-three (23) years experience architect, Hon. Gizella Abgotui Tetteh does not have even a hen coop to her name in her father's hometown, Obrachire" and threw a challenge to the NDC stating "we invite the NDC to bring the records of our MP Hon. Gizella Agbotui Tetteh to scrutiny, and they would realize that she has been the worst performing Member of Parliament in the history of Awutu Senya West Constituency".



The Electoral Commission (EC) has scheduled the new voters' registration for the upcoming December elections to begin from May 7 to May 27.



Read full statement below:



New Patriotic Party

Awutu Senya West Constituency

30th April, 2024.



To All Media Houses.



Re: ADVOCATING AGAINST OUTSIDERS CHOOSING OUR MP IN AWUTU SENYA WEST CONSTITUENCY; Urgent warning to Awutu Senya West NPP parliamentary candidate for Awutu Senya West Constituency.



We have taken notice of the release signed by NDC Communications Officers in which they have made baseless and unfounded allegations against our parliamentary candidate, Mr. Eugene Arhin. These unfounded allegations have become the practice of the NDC in an attempt to shield and cover their underperforming MP Hon. Gizella Agbotui Tetteh over the last three (3) years that she has been the MP for Awutu Senya West.



We wish to assure the NDC in Awutu Senya West that we, in NPP, believe that, based on the enviable records of our parliamentary candidate and our presidential candidate, we will certainly fold the umbrella to rest on December 7th, 2024.



Now to their baseless allegations.



Allegation



The NDC suggest we the NPP will transport outsiders and strangers ostensibly to register in the upcoming voter registration.



Our Response!



The NPP in Awutu Senya West state unequivocally that we will not do anything outside the electoral laws of Ghana in the upcoming registration exercise. We will provide citizens of Awutu Senya West, who reside in other parts of Ghana, and wish to come home to register, with the necessary support that they will need; as has been done in the past by various political parties, including the NDC.



Allegation



The NDC also alleges that our parliamentary candidate has plans to pay GH5,000 to facilitate the influx of voters to Awutu Senya West for the limited voter registration exercise.



Our response!



Our Parliamentary Candidate, Mr. Eugene Arhin, has not promised to pay any Assembly member, be it in Awutu Senya West or any District or Constituency for whatever reasons; be it for the voter registration exercise or not. Mr. Eugene Arhin will use the said amount, if he has it, to help improve the welfare of our Constituents, as has been his trump card as a young politician.



Mr. Eugene Arhin is a true son of Awutu Senya West; his father hails from Senya Beraku; and Eugene Arhin who has his personal house in Senya unlike the NDC MP, Hon. Gizella Agbotui Tetteh, whose mother hails from Hungary. In spite of her twenty-three (23) years experience architect, Hon. Gizella Abgotui Tetteh does not have even a hen coop to her name in her father's hometown, Obrachire.



We invite the NDC to bring the records of our MP Hon. Gizella Agbotui Tetteh to scrutiny, and they would realize that she has been the worst performing Member of Parliament in the history of Awutu Senya West Constituency.



The New Patriotic Party in Awutu Senya West Constituency and our Parliamentary Candidate, Mr. Eugene Arhin, are unfazed by these baseless allegations targeted at our Parliamentary Candidate, and would continue to pursue our development agenda to improve the welfare of Awutu Senya West Constituents. Based on this, and with the help of Almighty God, we will be crowned the victors in the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.



Signed

Ephraim Aidoo

Communications Officer

Awutu Senya West Constituency

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo reassured that the energy challenges the country is facing will soon be over.



During the annual May Day celebration today (May 1, 2024) in Accra, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced that the situation is finally resolved and Ghanaians will not have an uninterrupted power supply.



The president thanked Ghanaians for their patience during the challenging times.



"I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Ghanaians for their patience and understanding during the recent temporary challenges with electricity supply across the country," stated President Akufo-Addo.



He added, Over the period, the issues surrounding transformers and gas supply have been successfully resolved resulting in sufficient improvement in power supply reliability.



Indeed, over the past few days, we have witnessed stable electricity supply across the country with no load-shedding reported anywhere yesterday.



For the past seven years, we have worked tirelessly to keep the lights on and I am confident that the unfortunate era of dumsor will not return."

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com









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Social media witnessed a heated clash between two of Nigerias music titans, Wizkid and Davido, igniting a fervent debate among fans across the nation.



The rivalry between these Afrobeat superstars, each commanding a massive global following, has polarized Nigerian music enthusiasts into dedicated camps: Team Wizkid or Team Davido.



The latest confrontation erupted on Monday night when fans on the social media platform X urged Wizkid to release a new track. In a bold response, Wizkid posted a viral video allegedly depicting Davido pleading on his knees for a favour, challenging his fans to replicate the same level of pleading if they desired the release of the new song.



Davido retaliated to Wizkids provocation, asserting on Monday night that he refuses to squander his influence on someone whose career was revived only to fade away again.



The social media feud has not only captured online attention but has also sparked lively debates among fans on various platforms and offline interactions.



In response to the escalating tensions, popular music channel Hip TV has launched a poll on X to determine the victor of this verbal showdown.



Wizkid and Davido stand as two of Africas most celebrated music icons, boasting numerous accolades including multiple MTV and BET awards, and collaborations with international stars like Drake, Chris Brown, and Nicki Minaj.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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Women played an important role in the Greek pantheon in ancient Greece, and many of the Greek gods had a female counterpart who possessed different but equal powers. Here are 11 Greek goddesses who still influence our culture today.

1. Athena

" " Athena. Nicole Antonio/DALL-E

Known as the patron goddess of Athens, Athena was born fully grown from the head of her father, Zeus. The ancient Greeks often depicted her with a shield and spear, symbolizing her role in battle strategy and protection.

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The olive tree was a sacred symbol of this Greek goddess, representing peace, wisdom and prosperity.

2. Aphrodite

" " Aphrodite. Nicole Antonio/DALL-E

The epitome of beauty and desire, the Greek goddess Aphrodite captivated the hearts of gods and mortals alike. As the goddess of love and fertility, her influence extended to matters of passion and romance in ancient Greece.

Legend has it that Aphrodite emerged from the sea foam, embodying the raw energy of the ocean's waves. Through her love affair with Ares, the god of war, Aphrodite became the mother of Eros, the god of love.

3. Artemis

" " Artemis. Nicole Antonio/DALL-E

The twin sister of Apollo, Artemis was the Greek goddess of the hunt, wilderness and childbirth. The ancient Greeks usually depicted her with a hunting dog and bow. In art, as in her myths, this Greek goddess roamed the forests with her nymph companions, fiercely protecting wildlife and young maidens.

4. Demeter

" " Demeter. Nicole Antonio/DALL-E

Revered as the Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility, Demeter was responsible for the bountiful harvests that sustained ancient Greek society. Her grief over the abduction of her daughter Persephone by Hades led to the creation of winter, a narrative that symbolized the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

5. Gaia

" " Gaia. Nicole Antonio/DALL-E

Sometimes seen as the Greek goddess of the earth, Gaia was revered as the mother of all living beings. According to Hesiod, she birthed the titans who preceded Zeus and the other gods of Olympus.

Gaia served as the ancient Greek people's version of Mother Earth and represented the interconnectedness of life.

6. Hecate

" " Hecate. Nicole Antonio/DALL-E

The goddess of magic and witchcraft, Hecate was a mysterious figure with the ability to see into the depths of the underworld. People who sought guidance in matters of the occult worshipped this Greek goddess and believed her to roam the earth accompanied by eerie hounds.

7. Hera

" " Hera. Nicole Antonio/DALL-E

As the wife of Zeus and being his female counterpart, Hera was the queen of the gods. Despite the fact that she presided over marriage, women and family, the ancient Greeks often portrayed Hera as a formidable figure, fiercely protecting her domain and punishing those who defied her.

This Greek goddess was responsible for imposing 12 labors upon the legendary Greek hero Heracles, also known as Hercules in Roman mythology.

8. Hestia

" " Hestia. Nicole Antonio/DALL-E

The Greek goddess of the hearth and home, gentle Hestia epitomized the warmth and comfort of domestic life.

Despite being a minor goddess, she held an important place in every ancient Greek household, where people kept a sacred flame burning to honor her, symbolizing good health and prosperity.

9. Nike

" " Nike. Nicole Antonio/DALL-E

As the Greek goddess of victory, Nike was responsible for granting triumph to warriors and athletes. In images she often had wings and held a laurel wreath. Even today, as a symbol of victory, she appears on countless monuments and temples dedicated to her glory or to people's endurance.

10. Persephone

" " Persephone. Nicole Antonio/DALL-E

The daughter of Demeter and queen of the underworld, the Greek goddess Persephone symbolized the changing seasons and the cycle of life and death. Her abduction by Hades was responsible for creating winter each year, while her eventual return to the earth marked the transition from winter to spring.
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The University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO) at the summit of Cerro Chajnantor. Credit: 2024 TAO project

How do planets form? How do galaxies evolve? And ultimately, how did the universe itself begin? A unique astronomical observatory that researchers hope will unravel some of the biggest mysteries out there marks its opening on April 30, 2024.

At an altitude of 5,640 meters, the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO), built on the summit of a desert mountain in northern Chile, is the highest astronomical observatory in the world, which should give it unrivaled capabilities, but presents some novel challenges.

Astronomers will go through ever greater lengths to get a better view of the universe. Going back hundreds of years, some of the first lenses were made for telescopes to bring the heavens closer to Earth. Since then, there have been optical telescopes with mirrors as big as buildings, radio telescopes with antenna that stretched between mountaintops, and there is even a space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, farther than the moon. And now, the University of Tokyo has opened another groundbreaking telescope.

TAO is finally up and running after 26 years of planning and construction. It is officially the highest observatory in the world and was awarded a Guinness World Record in recognition of that fact. Located in Chile's Atacama Desert, not far from another notable observatory frequently used by astronomers from Japanese institutions, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope. But why does TAO have to be so high up, and what benefits and drawbacks does that factor provide?

"I'm seeking to elucidate mysteries of the universe, such as dark energy and primordial first stars. For this, you need to view the sky in a way that only TAO makes possible," said Emeritus Professor Yuzuru Yoshii, who has been leading the TAO project for 26 years as the principle investigator since 1998. "Of course, it contains state-of-the-art optics, sensors, electronics and mechanisms, but the uniquely high altitude of 5,640 meters is what gives TAO such clarity of vision. At that height, there's little moisture in the atmosphere to impact its infrared sight.

"Construction on the summit of Cerro Chajnantor was an incredible challenge, not just technically, but politically too. I have liaised with Indigenous peoples to ensure their rights and views are considered, the Chilean government to secure permission, local universities for technical collaboration, and even the Chilean Health Ministry to make sure people can work at that altitude in a safe manner. Thanks to all involved, research I've only ever dreamed about can soon become a reality, and I couldn't be happier."

At 5,640 meters, the summit of Cerro Chajnantor, where TAO is located, allows the telescope to be above most of the moisture that would otherwise limit its infrared sensitivity. Credit: 2024 TAO project

The incredible altitude of TAO makes it difficult and hazardous for humans to work there. The risk of altitude sickness is high, not only for construction work, but even for astronomers working there, especially at night when some symptoms can be worse. So, the question is, will all this effort and expense be worth it? What kinds of research will it offer the astronomical community, and by extension, human knowledge?

"Thanks to the height and arid environment, TAO will be the only ground-based telescope in the world capable of clearly viewing mid-infrared wavelengths. This area of the spectrum is extremely good for studying the environments around stars, including planet-forming regions," said Professor Takashi Miyata, director of the Atacama Observatory of the Institute of Astronomy and manager of the observatory's construction.

"Also, as TAO is operated by the University of Tokyo, our astronomers will have unmitigated access to it over extended periods of time, which is essential for many new kinds of astronomical research that explore dynamic phenomena impossible to observe with infrequent observations from shared telescopes. I've been involved with TAO for over 20 years; as an astronomer, I am very excited indeed and the real work, of making observations, is about to begin," added Professor Miyata.

There is a broad range of astronomical matters to which TAO can contribute, so researchers will have different uses for its uniquely privileged instruments. Some researchers are even contributing to TAO by developing instruments specific to their needs.

"Our team developed the Simultaneous-color Wide-field Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph (SWIMS), an instrument that can observe a large area of the sky and simultaneously observe two wavelengths of light. This will allow us to efficiently collect information on a diverse range of galaxies, fundamental structures that make up the universe. Analysis of the SWIMS observation data will provide insight into the formation of these including the evolution of the supermassive black holes at their centers," said Assistant Professor Masahiro Konishi.

"New telescopes and instruments naturally help advance astronomy. I hope the next generation of astronomers use TAO and other ground-based, and space-based, telescopes, to make unexpected discoveries that challenge our current understanding and explain the unexplained," Professor Konishi continued.

Due to the relative availability of TAO, more young astronomers should be able to make use of it than with previous generations of telescopes. Being a next-generation telescope, TAO can offer emerging research talent a chance to express their ideas in ways never before possible.

"I use various laboratory experiments to better understand the chemical nature of organic dust in the universe, which can help us learn more about the evolution of materials, including those that led to the creation of life. The better astronomical observations of the real thing can be, the more accurately we can reproduce what we see with our experiments on Earth. TAO can help greatly as we observe organic dust in the mid-infrared range," said graduate student Riko Senoo.

"Though in the future I will be able to use TAO remotely, I will be on location to aid in the construction of our specialized instrument, the Mid-Infrared Multi-field Imager for gaZing at the UnKnown Universe (MIMIZUKU). TAO is located in a remote region I could never visit in everyday life, so I am greatly looking forward to spending time there," concluded Senoo.

As time goes on, no doubt current and future astronomers alike will find more and more ways to make groundbreaking observations with TAO. The team hopes the features that make it so novelthe remote operation, the highly sensitive instruments, and of course, the fact that a high-precision telescope was successfully developed to work in a low-pressure environmentwill inform and inspire designers, engineers and researchers who contribute to astronomical observation facilities everywhere.
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Earth System Modelscomplex computer models that describe Earth processes and how they interactare critical for predicting future climate change. By simulating the response of our land, oceans and atmosphere to manmade greenhouse gas emissions, these models form the foundation for predictions of future extreme weather and climate event scenarios, including those issued by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

However, climate modelers have long faced a major problem. Because Earth System Models integrate many complicated processes, they cannot immediately run a simulation; they must first ensure that it has reached a stable equilibrium representative of real-world conditions before the industrial revolution. Without this initial settling periodreferred to as the "spin-up" phasethe model can "drift," simulating changes that may be erroneously attributed to manmade factors.

Unfortunately, this process is extremely slow as it requires running the model for many thousands of model years which, for IPCC simulations, can take as much as two years on some of the world's most powerful supercomputers.

However, a study published in Science Advances by a University of Oxford scientist describes a new computer algorithm which can be applied to Earth System Models to drastically reduce spin-up time.

During tests on models used in IPCC simulations, the algorithm was on average 10 times faster at spinning up the model than currently-used approaches, reducing the time taken to achieve equilibrium from many months to under a week.

Study author Samar Khatiwala, Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford's Department of Earth Sciences, who devised the algorithm, said, "Minimizing model drift at a much lower cost in time and energy is obviously critical for climate change simulations, but perhaps the greatest value of this research may ultimately be to policy makers who need to know how reliable climate projections are."

Currently, the lengthy spin-up time of many IPCC models prevents climate researchers from running their model at a higher resolution and defining uncertainty through carrying out repeat simulations.

By drastically reducing the spin-up time, the new algorithm will enable researchers to investigate how subtle changes to the model parameters can alter the outputwhich is critical for defining the uncertainty of future emission scenarios.

Professor Khatiwala's new algorithm employs a mathematical approach known as sequence acceleration, which has its roots with the famous mathematician Euler.

In the 1960s this idea was applied by D. G. Anderson to speed-up the solution of Schrodinger's equation, which predicts how matter behaves at the microscopic level. So important is this problem that more than half the world's supercomputing power is currently devoted to solving it, and "Anderson Acceleration," as it is now known, is one of the most commonly used algorithms employed for it.

Professor Khatiwala realized that Anderson Acceleration might also be able to reduce model spin-up time since both problems are of an iterative nature: an output is generated and then fed back into the model many times over. By retaining previous outputs and combining them into a single input using Anderson's scheme, the final solution is achieved much more quickly.

Not only does this make the spin-up process much faster and less computationally expensive, but the concept can be applied to the huge variety of different models that are used to investigate, and inform policy on, issues ranging from ocean acidification to biodiversity loss.

With research groups around the world beginning to spin-up their models for the next IPCC report, due in 2029, Professor Khatiwala is working with a number of them, including the UK Met Office, to trial his approach and software in their models.

Professor Helene Hewitt OBE, Co-chair for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) Panel, which will inform the next IPCC report, said, "Policymakers rely on climate projections to inform negotiations as the world tries to meet the Paris Agreement. This work is a step towards reducing the time it takes to produce those critical climate projections."

Professor Colin Jones Head of the NERC/Met Office sponsored UK Earth system modeling, said, "Spin-up has always been prohibitively expensive in terms of computational cost and time. The new approaches developed by Professor Khatiwala have the promise to break this logjam and deliver a quantum leap in the efficiency of spinning up such complex models and, as a consequence, greatly increase our ability to deliver timely, robust estimates of global climate change."

More information: Samar Khatiwala, Efficient spin-up of Earth System Models using sequence acceleration, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn2839. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adn2839 Journal information: Science Advances
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The model minority myth paints a picture of Asian Americans as a monolithic group with unparalleled success in academics. A new NYU study unpacks this myth, exploring the needs of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students and how higher education institutions support these populations.

In 2007, Congress established a federal designation for higher education institutions that enroll at least 10% of undergraduate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA&NHPI) students, and who enroll a significant proportion of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

This designation as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) was among one of the newest categories of minority-serving institutions that receive funding to advance educational equity and support for ethnic and racial minorities.

In a two-site case study, Mike Hoa Nguyen, assistant professor of education at NYU Steinhardt, collected data from interviews, internal and public university documents, and observations of activities, courses, and meetings to determine the process in which AANAPISI programs expand students' capacities through culturally relevant coursework, mentorship, research, and civic engagement. His findings are published in The Review of Higher Education.

"AANAPISIs demonstrate a federal commitment to supporting the unique educational needs of AA&NHPI students, which are too often obscured by the model minority myth," said Nguyen.

"This myth dangerously asserts that Asian American students, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students by association, are universally successful and unparalleled in their academic achievements. AANAPISIs play a major role in addressing this problem, and in doing so, provide critical resources to uplift the students they serve. This study documents the process in which these colleges and universities engage in this important work."

Nguyen's study centered on a large, public community college on the West Coast and a large, urban, regional public university on the East Coast. Nguyen's findings related to the experiences of students in these programs.

He uncovered a five-tiered process that the two institutions use to build opportunities for learning, practice, and engagement:

AA&NHPI focused coursework

At both institutions, courses focused on these populations are offered through the institutions' Asian American Studies programs, where students are exposed to concepts connected to their racial and ethnic identities. One student shared her experience with a course, Asian Women in the United States, "Through my experience with I learnedfor the first time, issues that affected my community. Specifically, me as an Asian American woman, specifically Vietnamese American"

Teaching and mentoring

Students who had previously taken AA&NHPI coursework provided tutoring and mentoring to support new students with classwork, programs, books, and scholarship applications. According to one mentor, "Cambodian Americans fall through the cracks, we're just not in higher edIt's not a supportive space for us[the AANAPISI faculty] understandfrom their own community work, from being on campus, and [from] teaching for so long thatwhen they find students who fit these demographics it makes sense for them to mentor them."

Advanced AA&NHPI focused coursework

After serving as mentors, students often take more advanced courses focused on theoretical, historical, and contemporary issues regarding the AA&NHPI experience to continue their academics while gaining tools to make larger contributions toward their communities.

Academic and research development

Students who complete advanced coursework are provided opportunities to engage in academic projects and research with faculty and staff, presenting research at conferences or publishing in peer-reviewed journals.

Professional and community experience

The final step in the process offers opportunities for students to engage in community-based projects, internships, and employment with partner organizations, government offices, or other schools. A student shared that his research experience led to the creation of a Vietnamese American organizing and training program.

"[Researchers] found out that Vietnamese Americans in [the neighborhood] don't participate in civics or politicsthey basically feel disenfranchised, like their vote doesn't matterSo, the research showed that there needs to be an organization to help push and provide opportunities to talk about politics in a Vietnamese American progressive context"

"AANAPISIs are the backbone for AA&NHPI students in higher education. These institutions account for 6% of all colleges and universities, yet enroll over 40% of all AA&NHPI undergraduates," said Nguyen.

"This study offers new understandings of the critical role that AANAPISIs play to expand educational opportunity and enrich learning experienceswhich can be adopted beyond AANAPISIs and for other studentsas well as inform the work of policymakers as they seek new solutions to refine and regulate the administration of minority-serving institutions."

More information: Mike Hoa Nguyen, Serving Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Students: Examining How Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander- Serving Institutions Build Students' Capacities, The Review of Higher Education (2024). DOI: 10.1353/rhe.0.a925900
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Credit: Nicolas Postiglioni from Pexels

A growing group of Moroccans is non-religious. The research of anthropologist Lena Richter sheds light on how young, urban atheists in Morocco and Europe use subtle forms of activism to normalize their non-religious identity. Richter will be defending her Ph.D. thesis on this topic at Radboud University on 8 May.

Religion plays a central role in Moroccan society. The vast majority of Moroccans (officially around 99%) are Muslim. The Moroccan government monitors religious affairs, and although freedom of religion is a constitutional right, individuals who distance themselves from Islam may experience social pressure or even discrimination.

"In Morocco, three topics are taboo: God, the king, and the Sahara. Consequently, most young Moroccans do not openly proclaim their atheism or agnosticism. Doing so has too many social consequences," says anthropologist Lena Richter.

As part of her research, she interviewed 50 young (aged 18 to 35) educated atheists and agnostics from the urban middle class in Morocco and Europe.

Everyday activism

The interviews revealed that non-religious views are mainly expressed indirectly in subtle actions that do not conform to the ideal image of the good Muslim, and therefore go against the norm. "A person might for example get a tattoo, drink a glass of wine or go to a bar once in a while, eat during Ramadan, or joke about Islam on social media," says Richter. "Or people might stop doing things, like praying or going to the mosque."

These minor rule violations are tolerated in Morocco by the government, religious institutions, and within the family. "Non-religious views are not appreciated, but as long as the person doesn't make a big thing out of it, people in their network won't either," says Richter.

In fact, to some extent, it can be easier to be a non-believer in Morocco than in Europe, according to the researcher. A non-believer in Morocco operates from a minority position. But in Europewhere Moroccans are already a minority, and where Muslims are discriminated againstit is more likely to be seen as a stab in the back of the community.

"Moreover, in Europe, there is a risk that the narratives of non-religious Moroccans are manipulated by right-wing groups," says Richter. "Non-religious individuals are used as examples against Islam because they left it, when that was not their reason for doing so at all. As a result, most people in this group avoid public debates."

Social media

Atheism within Islam is not new. As early as the ninth century, there were poets and philosophers who were critical of religion. But social media has made the phenomenon much more visible. Whereas traditional media promote a national view of Islam, social media provide a platform for other views and, more importantly, discussions. "On social media, you see discussions emerging among young Moroccans about faith," Richter says.

Richter hopes her research will create a more nuanced view of religion among Moroccans. "Moroccans are often seen as a homogeneous groupevery Moroccan is a Muslimand that, of course, is not true.

"There are also many differences within the group of non-religious Moroccans. It matters a lot whether you have parents who are themselves less strictly religious or whether you come from a more conservative family.

"There are atheists who have strong views on religion, but also many people who still feel a connection with Islam and enjoy celebrating Ramadan with their family, for example. Belonging and solidarity also play a role in this."
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

There is no doubt about it: the world is in the grips of a climate crisis. The headlines are full of reports about extreme weather events and the negative effects of the fossil fuel industry.

This reality means that anyone entering the worlds of business or management today needs to understand climate change. They need the right skills and attitudes to build sustainable enterprises, and to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

I am a lecturer in management with a particular interest in sustainability and climate change education. Recently I conducted a study at two higher education institutions: Makerere University in Uganda and the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. They are two of the continent's largest and most respected universities.

I wanted to know how climate change and sustainability education were integrated into their various faculties' programs.

The answer? Not very much at all. Students, faculty and administrators all recognized this as a shortcoming. There was a strong sense that sustainability and climate change education should be woven into faculties' curricula, research and community engagement programs. But they've not yet done so, most often because none of their academic staff are trained in these issues.

Given my research and teaching interests, I was especially interested in how business and management schools were performing in this area. Sadly, they are as behind the curve as other faculties I studied.

I suggest that the continent's business and management schools are missing a valuable opportunity. Who is better to instill the necessary attitudes, knowledge and skills than business and management schools? They produce many graduates who join various public, private and voluntary organizations and agencies and become influential professionals in these sectors. With the right training, those graduates can become the kind of sustainability champions the world needs today.

The study

My study explored the perspectives and views of lecturers, administrators and students in two academic units, on their institutions' existing climate change and sustainability education. I asked where they thought they were doing well. I also wanted them to identify the gaps in training, curriculum and research. Participants were encouraged to think about how their institutions could do better.

At both institutions, only academic units within the natural science disciplines had programs and courses on climate change and sustainability. No such programs were offered by the arts and social sciences, education, or business and management faculties.

Based on what academics, administrators and students told me, I have devised ideas for what African business and management schools at universities should do, and how, to become champions of sustainability and climate change education.

Getting started

This doesn't involve reinventing the wheel.

The faculty and students in these schools are already conducting scientific research. More emphasis could be placed on research that relates to climate change and sustainability.

Business and management schools are often already supporting communities based on their research. They are also constantly looking for solutions to community challenges across sectors. They could use their existing community outreach and engagement programs to support and encourage communities on climate change adaptation options and sustainability-friendly practices.

Working with small artisans, retail shop owners and market vendors to create awareness of climate change and sustainability-friendly business practices can significantly contribute to climate action and sustainability.

However, there will need to be some bigger shifts alongside tweaks to existing outputs and programs.

Policy recommendations

I have several recommendations for policymakers and decision-makers in business and management training institutions. Here are some of them:

Mainstream and integrate climate change and sustainability education in all the school's academic programs. Integrate sustainability practices in governance and management policies, systems and operations. For example, administrators might consider how to use energy and water sustainably. They could get involved in efforts to green the wider campus. Non-motorized transport systems could be introduced to ensure fewer vehicles are used on campus. Integrate sustainability indicators within the performance management system for staff and institutional departments. This will encourage staff and units to establish activities that promote climate action and sustainability on campus and in the communities they work with. Encourage faculty and students to conduct research on climate change and sustainability issues. Organize events and engage policymakers to disseminate research findings and policy recommendations on climate change and sustainability issues.

There is also a role for national governments and regulators here. In Uganda, for instance, the National Council for Higher Education should integrate sustainability indicators in its assessment of institutions. This is a way to encourage business and management schools to promote sustainability. It's also a great opportunity for schools and institutions to learn from each other about what works and what doesn't.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Scientists have discovered that calcium plays a significant role in enhancing the resistance of potato plants to bacterial wilt. This disease causes worldwide losses of potatoes costing $19 billion per year. The findings open up new avenues for integrated disease management strategies, including the potential for calcium amendments to soil as a part of a comprehensive approach to controlling bacterial wilt in potatoes.

The study is published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) is a phytopathogenic bacterial group that causes bacterial wilt in several crops.

"Our research team has been dedicated to studying the Ralstonia solancearum-potato pathosystem for years, with a primary focus on developing potato varieties with resistance to bacterial wilt," said corresponding study author Maria Ines Siri, Ph.D., from the Department of Biosciences, University of the Republic, in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Pathosystems like this one are subsystems of ecosystems that specifically are defined by parasitism, where the parasite is any species that spends a significant part of its lifespan inhabiting and getting nutrients from a host. Siri said that until now, the relationship between the potato plant ionome (mineral and trace elements composition) and resistance levels to RSSC has not been addressed.

In the new study, the researchers initiated their investigation using potato plant genotypes with contrasting levels of resistance to bacterial wilt. This approach allowed the researchers to examine how different levels of natural resistance within the plants could be linked to their mineral compositions.

The researchers assessed the mineral content in various parts of the potato plants, such as the xylem sap, roots, stems and leaves, focusing on the relationship between these minerals, particularly calcium, and the plants' resistance to bacterial wilt.

Following this mineral assessment, the scientists explored the impact of calcium on several aspects related to the virulence of the pathogen, including its growth rate, ability to form biofilms and motility.

Furthermore, they evaluated calcium's effect on enhancing plant resistance through controlled inoculation trials, providing a comprehensive view of how calcium supplementation could potentially bolster the potato plant's defense mechanisms against bacterial wilt.

The team discovered a positive relationship between the concentrations of calcium and the resistance levels of potato genotypes to bacterial wilt. They also found that calcium supplementation to the potato was able to significantly reduce the growth rate of the pathogen causing the wilt and negatively affect the pathogen's ability to form biofilms and move, which are crucial for its virulence and ability to cause disease.

"There are several exciting directions for future research stemming from our findings," Siri said.

"We plan to delve deeper into understanding how calcium affects the pathosystem at the transcriptomic level, including plant defense mechanisms and the pathogen's virulence. We also aim to explore the plant microbiome's role in resistance and develop practical field management strategies that incorporate calcium fertilization."

The study is the first to utilize microfluidic chambers to monitor pathogen growth and biofilm formation under conditions mimicking the plant's vascular system, said Siri. This innovative approach has provided valuable insights into how calcium supplementation can impede the pathogen's ability to form biofilms, a key factor in its virulence.

"Additionally, this methodological advance is not just limited to our current study, but also holds promise for future research on this important vascular pathogen," Siri said.

"By offering a new tool for detailed observation and analysis, our approach could be leveraged in further studies to unravel the complexities of plant-pathogen interactions and to explore novel disease management strategies."
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From risottos to sauces, mushrooms have long been a staple in the kitchen. Now fungi are showing the potential to serve up more than just flavoras a sustainable, bendy material for the fashion industry.

Researchers are using the web-like structure of the mushroom's root systemthe myceliumas an alternative to synthetic fibers for clothing and other products such as car seats.

"It's definitely a change of mindset in the manufacturing process," said Annalisa Moro, EU project leader at Italy-based Mogu, which makes interior-design products from the mycelium. "You're really collaborating with nature to grow something rather than create it, so it's kind of futuristic."

Mogu, located 50 kilometers northwest of Milan, is managing a research initiative to develop nonwoven fabrics made of mycelium fibers for the textile industry.

Called MY-FI, the project runs for four years through October 2024 and brings together companies, research institutes, industry organizations and academic institutions from across Europe.

MY-FI highlights how the EU is pushing for more sustainable production and consumption in the textile and apparel industry, which employs around 1.3 million people in Europe and has annual turnover of 167 billion.

While getting most of its textiles from abroad, the EU produces them in countries including France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Italy accounts for more than 40% of EU apparel production.

Delicate and durable

The mycelium grows from starter spawn added to crops such as cereals. The threadlike filaments of the hyphae, the vegetative part of the fungus, create a material that grows on top. It is harvested and dried, resulting in soft, silky white sheets of nonwoven fabric that are 50 to 60 square centimeters.

The delicate material is made stronger and more durable through the addition of bio-based chemicals that bind the fibers together.

Its ecological origins contrast with those of most synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester, which derive from fossil fuels such as coal and oil.

That means production of synthetic fibers adds to greenhouse-gas emissions that are accelerating climate change. In addition, when washed, these materials shed microplastics that often end up polluting the environment including rivers, seas and oceans.

The MY-FI mycelium needs very little soil, water or chemicals, giving it greener credentials than even natural fibers such as cotton.

Dress rehearsal

For the fashion industry, the soft, water-resistant properties of the mycelium are as appealing as its environmental credentials.

Just ask Mariagrazia Sanua, sustainability and certification manager at Dyloan Bond Factory, an Italian fashion designer and manufacturer that is part of MY-FI.

The company has used the mycelium-based materialin black and brown and with a waxed finishto produce a prototype dress, a top-and-midi-skirt combination, bags and small leather accessories.

Laser cutting and screen printing were used to evaluate the material's behavior. The challenge was to adapt to the sheets of fabricsquares of the mycelium material rather than traditional rolls of textiles like cotton, linen and polyesteras well as properties such as tensile strength and seam tightness.

"We have had to completely change the paradigm and design processes and garments based on the material," said Sanua.

The company hopes the mycelium material will be a way of offering consumers a range of products that can be alternatives to animal leather.

"It's beautiful to see the prototypes," said Moro. "It's a wonderful thing to see how many people with different backgrounds and perspectives are working together to create this result."

For its part, Mogo is working towards a large-scale manufacturing plant to move the MY-FI material from the research stage to the market. While the material is currently relatively expensive to make, costs would fall with large-scale production.

Leather-unbound

Meanwhile, Germany-based Volkswagen, the world's No. 2 car manufacturer, is looking to mycelium technologies to reduce its environmental footprint and move away from leather for vehicle interiors.

Customers increasingly want animal-free materials for interiors from seat covers and door panels to dashboards and steering wheels, so adding a sustainable substitute for leather is an exciting prospect, according to Dr. Martina Gottschling, a researcher at Volkswagen Group Innovation.

"A fast-growing biological material that can be produced animal-free and with little effort, which also does not require petroleum-based resources, is a game-changer in interior materials," she said.

The mycelium material is also lighter than leather, another positive for reducing VW's carbon footprint.

The company's involvement in MY-FI is driving project researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and I-TECH Lyon in France to enhance the durability of the mycelium fabric. To move from prototype to production line, the fabric must meet quality requirements set by VW to ensure the material lasts for the life of the vehicle.

It's a challenge that Gottschling believes will be met in the coming decade.

"We already see the material as one of the high-quality materials for interior applications that will be possible in the future," she said.

When life gives you tomatoes

Mushrooms aren't the only food with the potential to spin a sustainable-yarn revolution. Tomato stems have a hidden talent too, according to Dr. Ozgur Atalay and Dr. Alper Gurarslan of Istanbul Technical University in Turkey.

Seeing tomato vines left to wither in the fields after the crop was harvested, Atalay and Gurarslan began to investigate whether the stems could be transformed into sustainable fibers.

Tests proved that the agricultural waste could indeed be turned into yarn. But Atalay and Gurarslan were determined to go a step further. They wanted to use tomato stems to create a type of yarn for garments that monitor heart beats, respiratory rates and joint movements.

The two researchers lead a project to create this kind of electrically conductive apparel usingfor the first timesustainable materials. Called SMARTWASTE, the project runs for four years until the end of 2026 and also involves academic and research organizations from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland.

"The beauty of the project is that we are starting from waste," said Atalay. "We are taking agricultural waste and not just creating regular textiles but something much more valuable."

While cost estimates will follow later in the project when design partners work on creating actual products, he signaled that smart clothing will be a good deal more expensive than the ordinary kind.

A smart textile shirt could cost as much as 1,000, according to Atalay.

The specialized material, limited production runs and research and development needed to create wearable technologies that are durable, washable and comfortable all contribute to the price tag.

Advancements in technology should eventually lead to lower production costs and consumer prices.

Seeds of poplar success

The Turkish countryside has also inspired a second strand to the project. Turkey's abundant poplar trees andmore specificallytheir white, fluffy cotton-like seeds prompted Gurarslan to investigate whether they could be a sustainable textile source.

While their fibers have been dismissed as too short to make a yarn, the seeds have three particular properties that appeal to the textile industry: a hollow, pipe-like structure that can trap heat to provide thermal qualities, an antibacterial nature and water resistance.

The network of SMARTWASTE experts has blended the seeds with recycled polyester to make a nonwoven fabric that the team intends to turn into textile products with enhanced thermal properties.

The researchers hope this is just the start of a far-reaching transformation of textiles.

"Our goal is to train the next generation of researchers and innovators in sustainable textiles," said Atalay.

This article was originally published in Horizon the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.
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:

Location of Tongtianyan cave (Liujiang) in Guangxi Province, southern China, together with the location of other key fossils of Homo sapiens in China. Frontal view of the Liujiang cranial and postcranial elements. Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47787-3

The emergence of Homo sapiens in Eastern Asia has long been a subject of intense research interest, with the scarcity of well-preserved and dated human fossils posing significant challenges.

Tongtianyan cave, located in the Liujiang District of Liuzhou City, Southern China, has been a focal point of this research, housing one of the most significant fossil finds of Homo sapiens. However, the age of the fossils found within has been a matter of debateuntil now.

In an international study, with contributions by Griffith University, researchers have provided new age estimates and revised provenance information for the Liujiang human fossils, shedding light on the presence of Homo sapiens in the region. The study, "New Late Pleistocene age for the Homo sapiens skeleton from Liujiang southern China," has been published in Nature Communications.

Using advanced dating techniques including U-series dating on human fossils, and radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating on fossil-bearing sediments, the study revealed new ages ranging from approximately 33,000 to 23,000 years ago. Previously, studies had reported ages of up to 227,000 years of age for the skeleton.

"These revised age estimates align with dates from other human fossils in northern China, suggesting a geographically widespread presence of H. sapiens across Eastern Asia after 40,000 years ago," said Professor Michael Petraglia, study co-author and Director of Griffith's Australian Research Center for Human Evolution.

Dr. Junyi Ge, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and lead author of the study, said, "This finding holds significant implications for understanding human dispersals and adaptations in the region. It challenges previous interpretations and provides insights into the occupation history of China."

The Liujiang skeletal remains, discovered in 1958, have long been considered among the most significant human fossils from Eastern Asia.

With their excellent preservation, the cranial, dental, and postcranial remains have been the subjects of extensive biological and morphological comparisons across Eurasia.

Dr. Qingfeng Shao, of the Nanjing Normal University added, "The findings of this study overturn earlier age estimates and palaeoanthropological interpretations, emphasizing the need for robust dating methods and proper provenance documentation in the study of human evolution."

The study's comprehensive dating analyses highlights the importance of accurate age estimates in advancing our understanding of modern human origins and dispersals.

More information: Junyi Ge et al, New Late Pleistocene age for the Homo sapiens skeleton from Liujiang southern China, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47787-3 Journal information: Nature Communications